[Event "Olympiad-38"] [Site "Dresden"] [Date "2008.11.20"] [Round "7"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2757"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2008.11.13"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 128"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Armenia"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Ne5 Bb7 (9... h5 {was examined in CBM 120 and 123. The text move is considered less accurate.}) 10. h4 g4 (10... Bg7 11. hxg5 hxg5 12. Rxh8+ Bxh8 13. Qf3 $1 (13. a4 a6 14. Bxc4 $1 b4 (14... Nbd7 15. Qb3 Qe7 16. Be2 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 b4 18. Nb1 O-O-O 19. Nd2 Nd7 20. Bxh8 Rxh8 21. Nc4 e5 22. O-O-O $16 {1-0 Jobava,B (2330)-Raceanu,V (2293)/Artek 1999/EXT 2000(58)}) 15. Na2 c5 $1 $13 (15... a5 16. Qd3 Qe7 17. O-O-O $14 {1-0 Jobava,B-Nikoladze,S (2250)/Tbilisi 1997/EXT 2002(28)})) 13... b4 $6 (13... Nbd7 14. O-O-O $44) 14. Nxc4 bxc3 15. bxc3 Kf8 16. Nd6 Qe7 17. Rb1 Ba6 18. e5 Ne8 19. Bxa6 Nxa6 20. Rb7 Nec7 21. Qxc6 $18 {1-0 Bocharov,D (2569)-Askarov,M (2522)/Kazan RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 714 (27)}) (10... gxh4 11. Bxh4 Be7 12. Qf3 Nbd7 (12... b4 $6 13. Na4 Nbd7 14. Bxc4 (14. Nxc4 $5 $16) 14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. Qh5 Bxh4 17. Rxh4 (17. Bxe6 $1 Nxe5 18. Rxh4 Qf6 (18... Nd3+ 19. Ke2) 19. Nc5 $16) 17... Qe7 18. Rg4 O-O-O 19. Rg7 $14 Rhf8 (19... Rdf8 $1 {Mchedlishvili,M; Izoria,Z}) 20. Rd1 $16 {1-0 Izoria,Z (2486)-Korobov,A (2470)/Patras 2001/CBM 083 ext(47)}) 13. Nxf7 Kxf7 14. e5 Rb8 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. O-O-O Ke7 18. Qe3 Qf8 19. g3 Kf7 20. Bh3 Qe7 21. Rhe1 Bc8 22. Ne4 $16 {1-0 Jobava,B-Tkeshelashvili,S (2180)/Tbilisi 1997/EXT 2002(31)}) (10... Rg8 11. hxg5 hxg5 12. Qf3 (12. Nxf7 Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 $1 (13... Bb4 14. exf6 Rh8 15. Rh5 Nd7 16. Rxg5 Qxf6 17. Rg4 $36 {1-0 Pashikian,A (2534)-Rodshtein,M (2615)/Yerevan 2007/CBM 120 ext (38)}) 14. Rh7+ Bg7 15. Qh5+ Kf8 16. Ne4 $6 (16. Qf3+ Ke8 17. Qh5+ Kf8 18. Qf3+ Ke8 19. Qh5+ {1/2 Grischuk,A (2716)-Karjakin,S (2732)/Baku AZE 2008/The Week in Chess 703}) 16... Qa5+ 17. Kd1 Qa4+ 18. Kc1 Nb4 $2 (18... Qb4 $1) 19. Qf3+ Ke8 20. Nd6+ Kd8 21. Qf6+ Kc7 22. Ne8+ Kb6 (22... Kd7 $5) 23. Qd8+ Ka6 24. Nc7+ Ka5 25. Ne8+ {1/2 Estremera Panos,S (2394)-Perez Candelario,M (2537)/La Massana AND 2008/The Week in Chess 716}) 12... Qe7 13. O-O-O (13. Be2 Nbd7 14. Rd1 O-O-O 15. Kf1 a6 16. b3 cxb3 17. axb3 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Nd7 19. Bg3 f6 20. Kg1 Bg7 21. Qe3 $44 {1-0 Sasikiran,K (2670)-Rodriguez Guerrero,E (2464)/La Roche sur Yon 2006/CBM 112 (51)}) 13... Nbd7 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. e5 O-O-O 16. Ne4 c5 17. d5 Qe8 18. Qg4 Bxd5 19. Rh7 Be7 20. Rxd5 exd5 21. e6 f5 22. Qxf5 dxe4 23. Qxe4 Nb6 24. Rxe7 Rd1+ 25. Kxd1 Qxe7 26. Be2 $2 (26. Qc6+ Kd8 27. Be2 $16) 26... Qb7 $1 $13 {1/2 Sargissian,G (2676)-Perez Candelario,M (2537)/Merida ESP 2008/The Week in Chess 701 (34)}) 11. Nxg4 (11. Be2 Nbd7 $5 (11... h5 {leads to the main theoretical line 9.h4 g4 10.?e5 h5}) 12. Nxd7 (12. Bxg4 $5) 12... Qxd7 13. Be5 Qe7 14. Bxg4 Rg8 15. Bf3 Nd7 16. Bg3 O-O-O 17. Qe2 e5 18. d5 Nc5 19. O-O-O (19. O-O $142) 19... Nd3+ 20. Kb1 Kb8 21. dxc6 Bxc6 $13 {0-1 Georgescu,T (2384)-Gurevich,M (2611)/Plovdiv BUL 2008/The Week in Chess 703 (29)}) 11... Nxg4 (11... Nbd7 12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 (12... Nxf6 13. Qf3 Rg8 14. Be2 (14. O-O-O $5) 14... a6 (14... b4 $5 15. Na4 c5) 15. Rd1 Nd7 16. O-O Qf6 17. Qe3 O-O-O 18. b3 cxb3 19. axb3 Be7 20. Rc1 $16 {1-0 Gelfand,B (2723)-Alekseev,E (2711)/Dagomys RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 700 (37)}) 13. Qd2 $1 (13. Be2 Rg8 $1 (13... O-O-O 14. e5 Qf5 15. a4 b4 16. Bxc4 Nc5 (16... bxc3 17. Bd3) 17. Ne2 Rg8 18. O-O Be7 19. Qc1 $16 {1-0 Radjabov,T (2744)-Cheparinov,I (2687)/Sochi RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 717 (38)}) 14. e5 Qf5 15. O-O O-O-O 16. a4 $6 (16. Qb1 $13) 16... b4 17. Bxc4 bxc3 18. bxc3 c5 19. Bd3 Be4 20. Ba6+ Kc7 21. Qe2 Bc6 22. Rfe1 Qg4 23. Qd2 Be7 24. Be2 Qg7 $17 {1-0 Babuiian,L (2415)-Grigoriants,S (2577)/Istanbul 2008/CBM 125 Extra (41)}) 13... O-O-O (13... Rg8 14. O-O-O Nb6 15. Qe3 b4 16. e5 Qf5 17. Ne4 O-O-O 18. Be2 c5 19. dxc5 Qxe4 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. Qxe4 Bxe4 22. cxb6 axb6 23. Rd1+ Kc8 24. Rd4 Bxg2 25. Rxc4+ Bc5 26. Rf4 $16 {1-0 Bocharov,D (2569)-Vitiugov,N (2617)/Dagomys RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 701 (86)}) 14. h5 Bg7 15. O-O-O Qe7 16. Qe3 e5 17. dxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxe5 Nxe5 19. Be2 Nd3+ 20. Bxd3 cxd3 21. Rxd3 Rxd3 22. Qxd3 Qg5+ 23. Qd2 Qxg2 24. Rd1 Qg5 25. f4 $14 {1/2 Gelfand,B (2737)-Najer,E (2634)/Odessa UKR 2008/The Week in Chess 687 (?)}) 12. Qxg4 Qxd4 13. Rd1 (13. Be2 Na6 $5 (13... h5 14. Qf4 Na6 15. Rd1 Qg7 16. O-O Be7 17. a4 b4 18. Nb1 Qf6 19. Nd2 $14 {0-1 Greenfeld,A (2559)-Roiz,M (2644)/Beer Sheva 2007/CBM 120 ext (45)}) (13... Nd7 $5 14. Rd1 Qc5 15. Qf4 Rd8 16. O-O Bg7 17. Qg4 Be5 18. Kh1 h5 19. Qg5 Bf6 20. Qc1 Ne5 21. Rxd8+ Kxd8 22. f4 Ng4 23. e5 Be7 24. Bxg4 hxg4 25. Ne4 Qb6 26. Qd1+ Kc8 27. Qxg4 c5 $13 {0-1 Nebolsina,V (2345)-Shumiakina,T (2360)/Chelyabinsk RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 709 (68)}) 14. Rd1 (14. O-O Nc5 15. Qh5 Rg8 16. Be5 Qd7 17. Rfd1 Nd3 18. Bxd3 cxd3 19. Qf3 Rd8 20. Rd2 c5 21. a4 b4 22. Nb5 f5 $17 {0-1 Rodshtein,M (2626)-Nyback,T (2587)/Plovdiv BUL 2008/The Week in Chess 704 (40)}) 14... Qg7 15. Qh5 (15. Qf3 {[%CAl Ye4e5]}) 15... Qg6 (15... Nc5 16. Be5 Qxg2 17. Bf3 Qg8 $13) 16. Qe5 Qg7 17. Nxb5 Qxe5 18. Bxe5 cxb5 19. Bxh8 $14 {0-1 Greenfeld,A (2559)-Gelfand,B (2736)/Beer Sheva 2007/CBM 120 ext (23)}) 13... Qf6 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (13... Qg7 14. Qf4 Na6 15. Be2 (15. a4 $5 Bb4 16. Be2 O-O 17. O-O Nc5 18. Qe3 Nb3 (18... Bxc3 $142 19. bxc3 Nxa4 20. Rd7 $44) 19. axb5 Bc5 20. Qf4 cxb5 21. Nxb5 Nd4 22. Nxd4 Bxd4 23. Bxc4 $16 {1/2 Sasikiran,K (2700)-Stefanova,A (2483)/Zafra 2007/CBM 117 (72)}) 15... Be7 (15... Nc5 16. O-O Rc8 17. e5 Be7 18. Qe3 Rd8 19. Rxd8+ Kxd8 20. b4 cxb3 21. axb3 a5 22. Rc1 $36 {1-0 Bellon Lopez,J (2440)-Almagro Mazariegos,S (2311)/La Roda 2006/CBM 111 ext (32)}) (15... e5 16. Qxe5+ Qxe5 17. Bxe5 Rg8 18. a4 Bb4 19. O-O Nc5 20. axb5 Bxc3 21. Bxc3 cxb5 22. f3 $16 {1-0 Pashikian,A (2611)-Motylev,A (2672)/Kallithea GRE 2008/The Week in Chess 729 (45)}) 16. O-O $5 (16. e5 Nb4 17. Ne4 Nd5 18. Qc1 Bb4+ 19. Kf1 O-O-O $15 {0-1 Eljanov,P (2641)-Dreev,A (2705)/Sochi 2005/CBM 107/[Lutz] (104)}) 16... Nc5 17. e5 Qg6 18. Rd4 Rd8 19. Rfd1 Rd5 $6 (19... Rxd4 20. Rxd4 Qc2 21. Bh5 Qf5 $13) 20. Qe3 h5 21. Bf3 a6 22. b4 cxb3 23. axb3 $16 {1-0 Aronian,L (2757)-Caruana,F (2640)/Dresden GER 2008/The Week in Chess 732 (32)}) 14. e5 (14. Be2 h5 $5 (14... Nd7)) ({RR} 14. a4 h5 15. Qg5 Qxg5 16. hxg5 a6 17. Be5 Rg8 18. Rxh5 Nd7 19. Bf4 b4 20. Nb1 c5 21. f3 Bg7 22. Rh7 Bd4 23. Bxc4 Nf8 24. Rh5 Ng6 25. Bc1 O-O-O 26. b3 Ne5 27. Be2 Rd7 28. Rd2 Rgd8 {Aronian,L (2786)-Leko,P (2752) Moscow 2009 1-0 (43)}) 14... Qf5 $5 {Here the black queen is more active than on g7.} 15. Qd4 Be7 16. b3 $146 (16. a4 O-O 17. axb5 cxb5 18. Nxb5 Nc6 $132) ({RR} 16. a4 Kf8 17. f3 Na6 18. axb5 cxb5 19. Nxb5 Nb4 20. Qf4 Qxf4 21. Bxf4 Bd5 22. Nd6 Nd3+ 23. Bxd3 cxd3 24. Rxd3 Rb8 25. O-O Bxh4 26. Be3 Rxb2 27. Rc1 Bg3 28. Rxd5 exd5 29. Nf5 Ke8 30. Nxg3 Kd7 {Shulman,Y (2632)-Van Wely,L (2622) Ledyard 2009 1-0 (32)}) ({RR} 16. a4 c5 17. Qd2 a6 18. axb5 axb5 19. Nxb5 Qe4+ 20. Be2 Qxg2 21. Nc7+ Kf8 22. Rf1 Ra4 23. Nxe6+ fxe6 24. Qf4+ Kg7 25. Qg4+ Kf7 26. Qf4+ Kg7 27. Qg4+ Kf7 28. Qf4+ {½-½ (28) Cheparinov,I (2678)-Aronian,L (2768) Jermuk 2009}) ({RR} 16. a4 c5 17. Qd2 a6 18. axb5 axb5 19. Nxb5 Qe4+ 20. Be2 Qxg2 21. Rh2 Qc6 22. Nd6+ Bxd6 23. exd6 Nd7 24. h5 Qb5 25. Qc3 Qa5 26. Qxa5 Rxa5 27. Bxc4 Rg8 28. Rh4 Ba6 29. Rc1 Bxc4 30. Rhxc4 Rg5 {Grischuk,A (2748)-Leko,P (2751) Nalchik 2009 ½-½ (38)}) 16... c5 17. Qe3 $6 (17. Qd2 $1 $13 {preventing 17...?c6.}) 17... Nc6 $1 18. bxc4 Nb4 19. Qf4 Nc2+ 20. Ke2 Qxf4 21. Bxf4 bxc4 $17 {Black has clearly won the opening/middlegame battle. His doubled pawns should not be underestimated - they control important central squares.} 22. f3 Nd4+ (22... Nb4 $5 {[%CAl Yb4d5]}) 23. Kf2 Bd5 24. h5 (24. Rb1 $5) 24... Rb8 25. Be2 Rb2 26. Rd2 Rxd2 27. Bxd2 f6 28. exf6 Bxf6 29. Rb1 Nxe2 $6 {Giving up this formidable knight was not necessary.} (29... Kd7 30. Bd1 Kd6 $17) 30. Nxe2 O-O $6 (30... Kd7 31. Bc3 Bxc3 32. Nxc3 Kc6 $15) 31. Bxh6 Bh4+ 32. Kg1 Rf5 {Black must recapture the pawn but White now creates sufficient counterplay.} 33. Rb8+ Kh7 34. Bd2 Rxh5 35. Bc3 Bg5 36. Kf2 Bh4+ 37. Kf1 Bg5 38. Ng3 Rh4 39. Rh8+ Kg6 40. Rg8+ Kh6 41. Rh8+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2007.11.12"] [Round "3"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2007.11.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. Qc2 O-O 12. Bb3 Qe7 13. Ne4 {This is one of the main positions of the Moscow variation.} e5 (13... Rd8 {is too passive:} 14. Rfd1 $1 (14. Rad1 $143 a5 15. a3 Ra6 (15... Nf8 16. Ne5 Bd7 17. f4 Be8 18. g4 Kh8 19. Rde1 $14 {½-½ San Segundo Carrillo,P-Zvjaginsev,V/Pamplona 1996/CBM 052 (28)}) 16. Rd2 (16. h3 $5 {Dreev}) (16. h4 $5) 16... Nf6 17. Nc5 Ra7 18. Ne5 Bd7 19. Rfd1 Be8 20. Na4 Raa8 21. e4 Qc7 22. Nf3 Rac8 23. e5 Nd7 24. Rc1 $6 (24. Qe4 $11) 24... c5 25. Qe4 b6 26. g3 Qb8 27. d5 Nxe5 28. Nxe5 Qxe5 29. Qxe5 Bxe5 30. Nxb6 (30. Re2 Bxa4 31. Bxa4 Rxd5) 30... Rb8 31. Nc4 Bd4 $17 {0-1 Bareev,E-Dreev,A/Wijk aan Zee 1995/CBM 045 (54)}) 14... Nf8 15. Ne5 (15. Rac1 $5 Bd7 16. a3 Be8 17. Ne5 f5 $6 18. Nd2 Rac8 19. Nd3 g5 20. Qc5 Rc7 21. Qxa7 Bh5 22. Re1 Kh8 23. Qa5 b5 24. Rc5 $16 {1-0 Goldin,A-Bykhovsky,A/Israel 1996/CBM 052 ext (34)}) 15... f6 16. Nf3 Bd7 17. Qc5 Qxc5 18. dxc5 f5 19. Nd6 Bxb2 20. Rab1 Bf6 21. Nxb7 Re8 22. e4 fxe4 23. Nd2 e3 24. fxe3 Bg5 25. Kf2 Reb8 26. Nd6 a5 27. N2c4 a4 28. Bc2 a3 29. Rxb8 Rxb8 30. Rb1 Rxb1 31. Bxb1 $16 {½-½ Biriukov,O-Ivanov,S/St Petersburg 1998/CBM 065/[Hecht] (51)}) ({RR} 13... Nf6 14. h4 a5 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. h5 g5 17. Ne5 Qf5 18. Qc3 g4 19. Bd1 Qxh5 20. Bxg4 Qh4 21. Bd1 Rd8 22. f4 Bd7 23. a4 Qe7 24. Bb3 c5 25. Qxc5 Qxc5 26. dxc5 Bc6 27. Rad1 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 {Predke,A (2630)-Gelfand,B (2649) Israel 2025 ½-½ (69)}) 14. Nc3 {[%CAl Rc2g6] An interesting move. After provoking ...e6-e5 the knight comes back to support d4-d5. White has a lot of other options seen in practice:} (14. Rfe1 Kh8 15. Ned2 (15. Rad1 f5 16. Nc5 e4 17. Nd2 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Qe5 19. Rb1 Bd7 20. Red1 Rad8 21. Qc4 b5 22. cxb6 axb6 23. a4 b5 $15 {½-½ Guliev,S-Yagupov,I/Moscow 1997/EXT 2000 (46)}) (15. Nc3 $142 $1) 15... Re8 $1 16. Nc4 e4 17. Nfe5 $6 (17. Nfd2 Nf8 18. h3 Bf5 19. Rac1 Rad8 $15 {Dreev}) 17... Nxe5 18. dxe5 (18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Bf5 $15) 18... Bf5 19. Rad1 Rf8 20. Nd6 Bxe5 21. Nxf5 gxf5 22. Rd2 Rad8 23. Red1 Kg7 $15 {0-1 Dautov,R-Dreev,A/Yerevan (ol) 1996/Inf 68/[Dreev,A] (75)}) (14. Rfd1 exd4 15. Nxd4 Nf6 16. Nc5 b6 17. Nd3 c5 18. Nf4 Kh7 19. Nde6 Bxe6 20. Bxe6 b5 21. Bd5 Rad8 22. a4 a6 23. axb5 axb5 24. Ra5 Kh8 25. Bf3 {½-½ Tukmakov,V-Korotylev,A/Biel 2003/CBM 095 ext}) (14. Rad1 exd4 15. exd4 (15. Rfe1 d3 16. Qxd3 Kh7 17. Nd6 Nc5 18. Qc2 Nxb3 19. Nxc8 Rfxc8 20. Qxb3 a5 21. Qc2 Rd8 22. b3 Qb4 {½-½ Litvinenko,N-Wilczek,T/Chessfriend.com 2003/Telechess CBM 101 (43)}) 15... Nf6 (15... Nb6 16. Rfe1 Bg4 17. Ned2 Qd6 18. h3 Bf5 19. Ne4 Qf4 20. Ne5 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Qxe5 22. Qc5 Qxb2 23. Ng3 Nd5 24. Nxf5 gxf5 25. Bxd5 cxd5 26. Qxd5 $44 {½-½ Dautov,R-Godena,M/Vienna 1996/CBM 053 ext/[Chekhov] (42)}) 16. Nc5 Bf5 17. Qc1 Rad8 (17... b6 18. Nd3 Qd6 19. Nde5 Be4 20. Rfe1 Bd5 21. Bxd5 cxd5 22. h3 Ne4 23. Qe3 Rac8 24. Rc1 b5 $11 {0-1 Shipov,S-Dreev,A/Internet ICC 2002/EXT 2003 (74)}) 18. Rfe1 Qc7 19. h3 Nd5 20. Nd3 Qd6 21. Nfe5 Rfe8 22. Nf4 Bxe5 23. dxe5 Rxe5 24. Nxd5 cxd5 25. Qxh6 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 d4 $13 {1-0 Sokolov,I-Savchenko,S/Lyon 1994/CBM 045 (88)}) (14. Ng3 $5 Kh8 15. h4 (15. Rad1 Re8 (15... f5 $5) (15... a5) 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. f4 Bg7 (18... Bc7 $143 19. Qc3+ (19. f5 g5 20. Qc4 Qxe3+ 21. Kh1 Qe7 22. Qxf7 Qxf7 23. Bxf7 Rf8 24. Bg6 b6 25. Nh5 Be5 $132 {½-½ Gallo,L-Busch,K/IECG 2003/Telechess 117 (53)}) 19... Kg8 $2 (19... f6 $142 20. e4 $36 {Kaidanov,G.}) 20. f5 g5 21. Kh1 Be5 22. Qc4 Bxg3 23. hxg3 Rf8 24. Qc3 c5 25. f6 Qc7 26. Qd3 c4 27. Bxc4 Bf5 28. Rxf5 Rad8 29. Rd5 {1-0 Kaidanov,G-Ippolito,D/Connecticut 2002/CBM 087 ext}) 19. f5 (19. e4 Bg4 {½-½ Castaneda,G-Yagupov,I/Tula 2007/CBM 119 ext}) 19... Bxf5 20. Nxf5 gxf5 21. Qxf5 Qxe3+ 22. Kh1 Qe4 23. Qxf7 Re7 24. Qf2 {½-½ Ruck,R-Goloshchapov,A/Topola 2004/CBM 101}) 15... f5 (15... Re8 $5 {[%CAl Ye5e4]} 16. Qc4 Rf8) 16. h5 e4 17. Nd2 g5 18. Rac1 c5 19. Qc4 Qf6 20. dxc5 Ne5 21. Qb5 a6 22. Qa5 Nd3 23. Rc2 Nxb2 24. Rb1 Nd3 25. Nc4 $14 {0-1 Bacrot,E-Filippov,V/Corsica 1997/EXT 1999 (49)}) 14... a5 $146 (14... Kh8 15. Rad1 f5 (15... b6 16. d5 Bb7 17. h4 Nc5 18. d6 Qd7 19. h5 Nxb3 20. axb3 g5 21. e4 Rad8 22. Ne2 Qe6 23. Ng3 (23. Qd3 $5) 23... Rxd6 24. Nf5 Rdd8 25. Nh2 c5 26. Ng4 a5 27. Nge3 $44 {1-0 Kramnik,V-Piket,J/Monte Carlo 2002/CBM 087 ext (38)}) 16. d5 (16. Ne2 a5 17. Rfe1 Kh7 18. a3 e4 19. Nd2 c5 20. Nc3 Nb6 21. Nc4 Nxc4 22. Bxc4 cxd4 23. exd4 Be6 24. Bxe6 Qxe6 25. d5 Qd7 26. a4 Rac8 27. Qb3 $13 {1-0 Epiney,F-Mauro,L/Chessfriend.com 2003/Telechess CBM 95 (49)}) (16. e4 f4 17. d5 g5 18. dxc6 bxc6 19. Na4 g4 20. Nd2 Ba6 21. Bc4 Bb5 22. Nc3 Bxc4 23. Nxc4 Nc5 24. Nd6 $36 {1-0 Pozo Vera,S-Rasmussen,K/Havana CUB 2007/The Week in Chess 655 (66)}) 16... e4 17. Nd4 Ne5 18. Nce2 Bd7 (18... cxd5 $142) 19. Nf4 Rfc8 20. d6 Qf6 21. Nde6 Rab8 22. Qc5 Kh7 23. Qxa7 $16 {1-0 Makarov,M-Lastin,A/Krasnoyarsk RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 670 (40)}) (14... Kh7 $142 $1 15. Rad1 (15. Rfe1 $143 Re8 (15... b6 16. Rad1 Bb7 $11 17. h4 $6 Rae8 18. h5 e4 19. Nd2 Nf6 20. hxg6+ fxg6 21. f3 exf3 22. Nxf3 Ng4 23. Qd3 Rxf3 24. gxf3 Nxe3 $17 {0-1 Graf,A-Goloshchapov,A/Dubai 2003/CBM 093 ext (51)}) 16. Rad1 e4 17. Nd2 f5 18. Nc4 Nb6 19. Nxb6 axb6 20. a3 Bd7 21. Rd2 b5 22. d5 Qc5 23. dxc6 Bxc6 24. Ne2 Qxc2 25. Rxc2 Red8 $11 {½-½ Mamedyarov,S-Gelfand,B/Moscow RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 681 (82)}) 15... f5 (15... Re8 16. d5 Nc5 17. d6 Qd7 18. Nd5 (18. Ne4 $142) 18... e4 19. Ne1 cxd5 20. Qxc5 d4 21. exd4 Rd8 22. Nc2 f5 23. Ne3 b6 24. Qd5 $6 Bb7 25. Qe6 Qxe6 26. Bxe6 Rxd6 $17 {0-1 Halkias,S-Potkin,V/Katernberg GER 2007/The Week in Chess 682 (54)}) 16. d5 (16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Qxe5 18. Rd3 f4 19. exf4 Qxf4 20. Re3 Bf5 21. Qe2 Rad8 22. Bc2 $11 {½-½ Oms Pallise,J-Perez Candelario,M/Lorca 2005/CBM 111 (29)}) 16... e4 17. Nd4 Ne5 18. Nce2 Nd3 $1 19. dxc6 bxc6 20. Qxc6 Bb7 {The g6 pawn is protected!} 21. Qe6 Rfe8 22. Qxe7 Rxe7 23. Nc1 Bxd4 24. exd4 Nxb2 25. Rd2 Nd3 26. Nxd3 exd3 27. Bc4 Rd8 28. Rxd3 Rc7 29. Re3 Rxd4 {½-½ Bu Xiangzhi-Motylev,A/Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 682}) ({RR} 14... Kh7 15. Rad1 f5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Qxe5 18. Rd3 f4 19. exf4 Qxf4 20. Re3 Bf5 21. Qe2 Rad8 22. Bc2 Rd7 23. g3 Qb4 24. Bxf5 Rxf5 25. Kg2 Rff7 26. Rd1 Rxd1 27. Nxd1 Qc5 28. Nc3 Bd4 29. Rf3 {Oms Pallisse,J (2481)-Perez Candelario,M (2522) Lorca 2005 ½-½}) ({RR} 14... Kh7 15. Rfe1 Re8 16. Rad1 e4 17. Nd2 f5 18. Nc4 Nb6 19. Nxb6 axb6 20. a3 Bd7 21. Rd2 b5 22. d5 Qc5 23. dxc6 Bxc6 24. Ne2 Qxc2 25. Rxc2 Red8 26. h4 Rd3 27. Bf7 Rd7 28. Bb3 Rd3 29. Bf7 {Mamedyarov,S (2752)-Gelfand,B (2736) Moscow 2007 ½-½ (82)}) ({RR} 14... Kh8 15. Rfe1 f5 16. Rac1 e4 17. Nd2 Nf6 18. Ne2 Nh5 19. Qc5 Qf6 20. d5 Bd7 21. Nd4 b6 22. Qc3 c5 23. Ne6 Bxe6 24. dxe6 Rfe8 25. Red1 Rad8 26. Qc4 Qxb2 27. Ba4 Re7 28. Nf1 Rf8 29. Rd7 {Utnasunov,A (2443)-Yagupov,I (2487) Tula 2009 1-0 (47)}) 15. a3 {An obvious reply. The insertion of ...a7-a5 and a2-a3 must be favorable for White as Black's queenside is now weakened.} (15. Qxg6 $2 a4) 15... Kh7 16. Rfe1 (16. Rad1 {needs testing.}) 16... b6 (16... Re8 $5) 17. Rad1 Bb7 18. d5 $1 {Of course! Instead of anti-positional plans with h2-h4 (see 14...?h7), White breaks in the centre.} Rac8 (18... cxd5 {deserved attention although the weakness of the b6 pawn was now quite annoying.} 19. Bxd5 Nc5 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. e4 $14) 19. d6 Qe8 20. h4 $1 {Now, after gaining space in the centre, it's time to switch to the kingside!} f5 21. e4 $1 {[%CAl Rh4h5]} f4 22. Na4 $1 {The consequences of 14...a5? will now make Black worry during the whole game. However, his position is still very solid.} Bf6 23. g3 Bd8 24. Kg2 Rf6 25. g4 Ba6 ({Alas,} 25... Qf8 {doesn't work due to} 26. g5 $1 Rxd6 27. Rxd6 Qxd6 28. Qc4 Qf8 29. Rd1 Rc7 30. Qe6 Bc8 31. Rd6 $18) (25... Rf8 $5 {deserved attention but I guess, Black intentionally allowed White to open up the kingside, in order to get some counterplay in future.}) 26. g5 Rf8 27. gxh6 $6 {This turns out to be good for Black.} (27. Rh1 $142 c5 ({in case of} 27... h5 {White will prepare an invasion to e6}) 28. Bd5 b5 29. Nc3 b4 (29... c4 30. a4 $1 b4 31. Nb5) 30. Na4 c4 31. axb4 axb4 32. Ra1 {keeping initiative.}) 27... Kxh6 28. Rg1 c5 29. Bd5 b5 30. Nc3 {The knight has fulfilled its mission.} b4 31. Ne2 $6 (31. Na4 c4 32. axb4 axb4 33. Ra1 Bb5 34. Qd2 Nf6 $132) 31... Nb6 32. Kh2 Rh8 $2 {Overlooking a tactical blow. After} (32... Kg7 33. Rg4 Rh8 {the position remained tense.}) {[%tqu "En","What tactical blow did Black overlook?","","","d5f7","",10]} 33. Bf7 $1 Qxf7 34. Nxe5 Qe8 35. Nxg6 {and the black king is helpless.} Nd7 36. Nexf4 Ne5 37. d7 $1 Nxd7 38. e5 Qxe5 39. Nxe5 1-0 [Event "World-ch Anand-Kramnik +3-1=8"] [Site "Bonn"] [Date "2008.10.26"] [Round "9"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2008.10.14"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 127"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Moradiabadi,Elshan} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 ({The whole match situation had become much worse for Kramnik since the 4th game where he preferred the more solid Queen's Gambit by playing} 4... Be7 {. This time, he simply could not afford to play for just equality with Black.}) 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {Despite his advantage on the score table, Anand does not shy away from complications, probably aiming to maintain the initiative in the match.} dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 {Both players are well-versed in the subtleties of this modern tabyia, having played it with reversed colours, too!} 10. Qc2 $5 {A relatively rare move.} ({The main stream of theory goes} 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 12. Nxd7 (12. Nxf7 $5 {(Topalov's sensational novelty, experimented with successfully against none other than Kramnik!)} Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne4 Qb6 15. Nd6+ Ke7 16. Bg4 h5 $5 $146 (16... Raf8 {Topalov,V-Kramnik,V/Wijk aan Zee 2008/CBM 122/[Krasenkow] (1-0, 44)}) 17. Bxh5 Raf8 18. Qg4 Bh6 19. h4 $44 {Shirov,A (2740)-Karjakin,S (2732)/Foros 2008/CBM 125/[Krasenkow] (1/2, 36)}) 12... Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 {Recently, both opponents had had this position with opposite colours compared to their match game.} 14. Re1 {Radjabov,T (2735)-Anand,V (2799)/Wijk aan Zee 2008/CBM 122/[Krasenkow] (1-0, 85)} (14. a4 {Kramnik,V (2799)-Aronian,L (2739)/Wijk aan Zee 2008/CBM 122/[Krasenkow] (1-0, 110)})) ({RR} 10. h4) ({RR} 10. Ne5) ({RR} 10. O-O) 10... Nbd7 11. Rd1 {White is in no hurry to get castled and prefers to strengthen the pressure in the centre. The queen's rook obviously is useful in the centre, but even the other rook may be activated with an eventual h4.} ({In the event of the hurried} 11. O-O {Black has obtained good results with} Nh5 {, which is enabled by the fact that without a rook on d1} 12. d5 {is not that strong.} ({Or, similarly,} 12. a4 a6 13. d5 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Bg7 {Lugovoi,A (2500)-Sakaev,K (2600)/St Petersburg 1996/CBM 056/[Lutz] (1/2, 37)}) 12... Nxg3 13. fxg3 Bg7 14. dxe6 fxe6 15. e5 O-O 16. Rad1 Qe7 17. Qg6 c5 18. Ne4 Rxf3 19. Rxf3 Nxe5 $17 {Grabuzova,T (2340)-Korneev,O (2560)/Linares 1998/CBM 062 ext (0-1, 43)}) 11... Bb4 {An important decision. Black creates some indirect pressure on the e4-pawn (and somewhat inhibits d5) by undermining the c3-knight. An even more important aspect is that he prepares the e7-square for his queen. In other games, Her Majesty has preferred the b6-square.} (11... Qb6 12. O-O Nh5 $6 {Prematurely weakening the control over the centre.} ({For} 12... Be7 {see below}) 13. d5 Nxg3 14. hxg3 O-O-O (14... Bg7 15. a4 a6 16. dxe6 fxe6 17. e5 O-O-O 18. Qg6 Rhg8 19. Qxe6 Qc7 20. axb5 axb5 21. Ne4 $36) 15. b3 {We shall see this move more than once. White enlarges the horizons of his light-squared bishop and of his queen and makes the black queenside majority less threatening.} cxb3 16. axb3 a6 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. e5 Bb4 19. Ne4 Qc7 20. Nd6+ Bxd6 21. exd6 Qb6 22. b4 $44 {Chernin,A (2620)-Pavasovic,D (2495)/Feldbach 1997/EXT 98 (1-0, 44). White has the safer king's position, more active pieces and a more compact structure. Quite enough to compensate for the minimal material deficit.}) (11... Be7 12. O-O Qb6 ({The queen is somewhat out of play after} 12... Qa5 {, leaving the kingside slightly weakened.} 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Rf8 15. f4 Nd7 16. Bg7 Rg8 17. Bxh6 b4 {This weakening move is more or less necessary in order to establish some connection between the queen and the kingside. However, in Amigues,E (2391)-Godena,M (2530)/Marseille 2007/CBM 116 ext (0-1, 31) White could have retained an advantage with the simple} 18. Nb1 $1 $16 {[%csl Gc4]}) 13. b3 ({White can also play simpler with} 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 O-O 15. h4 $44) 13... cxb3 14. Qxb3 {This move drives the queen away from the kingside, where she is supposed to sustain the attack.} (14. axb3 $5) 14... a6 15. Ne5 O-O 16. Nxd7 Nxd7 17. e5 Rad8 18. Bf3 {White decides to keep the queenside under pressure, but, being a pawn down on that side, his chances of success are questionable.} b4 19. Na4 Qb5 20. Qc2 c5 $15 {Sargissian,G (2630)-Anastasian,A (2574)/Yerevan 2005/CBM 107 (0-1, 42)}) (11... Nh5 {has not been tried yet, but} 12. d5 Nxg3 13. hxg3 $36 {seems to offer White strong initiative.} {RR} exd5 14. exd5 cxd5 ({RR} 14... Bb4 15. dxc6 Bxc6 16. O-O) 15. Nxd5 Bg7 {RR} 16. Ne3 Qc7 17. Nf5 Kf8) ({RR} 11... Nh5 12. d5 Nxg3 13. hxg3 Qb6 14. dxe6 fxe6 15. Nxg5 Bc5 ({RR} 15... O-O-O 16. Nxe6 Bc5 17. Nxd8 Bxf2+ 18. Kf1 Rxd8 ({RR} 18... Bxg3 19. Bg4 Rf8+ 20. Bf5) 19. Rxd7 Rxd7 20. Bg4) 16. Bh5+ Ke7 17. Nxe6 Ne5 ({RR} 17... Nf6 18. Nf4) 18. Nxc5 ({RR} 18. Ng7) 18... Qxc5 19. Be2 ({RR} 19. Ne2 Rad8 ({RR} 19... Nd3+ 20. Rxd3) 20. Nf4 Rxd1+ 21. Bxd1 Qd4 22. Rh5 Nd3+ 23. Nxd3 Qxe4+ 24. Qe2 Qxe2+ 25. Bxe2 cxd3 26. Bf3) 19... Raf8 20. O-O Rhg8 21. b4 ({RR} 21. Qd2 Rxg3 22. Qxh6 Rfg8 23. Qh4+ R3g5) 21... Qxb4 ({RR} 21... cxb3 22. axb3) 22. Qd2 Qc5 23. Qxh6 Bc8 24. Qh4+ ({RR} 24. Nd5+ cxd5 25. Rxd5 Qc7 26. Qh4+ Kf7 27. Bh5+ Kg7 28. Qg5+ Kh7 29. Qxe5 Qxe5 30. Rxe5) 24... Ke6 ({RR} 24... Kf7 25. Qh7+ Kf6 ({RR} 25... Rg7 26. Bh5+ Kf6 27. Qh6+ Ng6 28. e5+ Qxe5 29. Rfe1) 26. Nd5+ cxd5 27. Rxd5 Qb6 28. Qh6+ Ng6 29. e5+ Kf7 30. Rd6 Qc7 31. Rf6+) 25. Qh6+ ({RR} 25. Nd5 cxd5 26. Rxd5 Qb6 ({RR} 26... Qc7 27. Rfd1) 27. Qh5) 25... Ke7 26. Qh5 {Anand,V (2817)-Shirov,A (2709) Leon 2011 CBM 142 Extra [Moradiabadi,Elshan] 1-0 (34)} {RR} Be6 27. Nd5+ cxd5 28. Qxe5 Qd6 29. Qc3 b4 30. Qe3) ({RR} 11... Nh5 12. d5 Nxg3 13. hxg3 Qf6 14. O-O Bc5 15. e5 Qf5 16. Qxf5 exf5 17. e6 fxe6 18. dxe6 Nf6 19. Ne5 Rh7 20. Bf3 Rc8 21. Rfe1 Rcc7 22. g4 fxg4 23. Nxg4 Nxg4 24. Bxg4 Bb4 25. Rd7 Re7 26. Bh5+ {Chen,J-Jagirapu,H (2288) Las Vegas USA 2026 ½-½ (58)}) 12. Ne5 ({RR} 12. O-O) ({RR} 12. h4 g4 13. Ne5 Rg8) 12... Qe7 $146 {A novelty. Kramnik plays the least committal move, refraining from clarifying the situation in the centre and keeping open the possibility of castling on either side.} (12... Rg8 $6 {is illogical, as it fails to contribute to the development and gives up the right to castle short.} 13. O-O Qe7 14. a4 a6 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. d5 $40 {Van Wely,L (2643)-Dao Thien Hai (2555)/Istanbul 2000/EXT 2001/[Lutz] (1-0, 26). In fact, in his notes to this game, Lutz had recommended Kramnik's move as a possible improvement for Black, so that "novelty" may not be an entirely accurate description of 12...?e7.}) (12... Nxe5 {offers White additional possibilities.} 13. dxe5 ({After} 13. Bxe5 {, Black should not castle because of 14.h4, but} Qe7 {is likely to transpose to the game.}) 13... Nd7 14. h4 Qe7 (14... Rf8 $5 {[%csl Rf7][%CAl Ge2h5,Gh1h7]} 15. hxg5 hxg5) 15. hxg5 Qxg5 16. Kf1 Be7 17. Rh3 Qg7 18. f4 O-O-O 19. Bf2 $44 {Necesany,Z (2410)-Bucker,J (2482)/ICCF Email 2001/Corr 2004 (0-1, 34)}) (12... O-O $6 13. h4 $1 $36 {[%csl Gh1]}) 13. O-O (13. h4 {would be strongly met by} O-O-O {when White would remain with problems finding a safe place for his king.}) 13... Nxe5 $146 (13... O-O-O $6 {looks too risky now that White has not lost a tempo with the self-weakening move h4.} 14. a4 a6 (14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Bxc3 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. axb5 cxb5 18. Bxc4 $1 $16) 15. Nxd7 Rxd7 (15... Nxd7 16. axb5 axb5 17. d5 $40 {White has strong threats. For instance, Black has no time to launch a counterattack with} h5 $2 {because of} 18. dxc6 Bxc6 19. Nxb5 $1 Bxb5 20. Bxc4 $18) 16. Be5 Rg8 17. axb5 axb5 18. b3 cxb3 19. Qxb3 Bxc3 20. Qxc3 (20. Bxf6 Qb4 $5) 20... Nxe4 21. Qc2 {[%CAl Gc2e4,Ge2b5]} Nd6 22. Rfe1 $5 $40 {[%CAl Gd4d5,Ge2g4] Despite his two extra pawns, Black finds himself under strong pressure.}) ({RR} 13... O-O 14. f4 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Nd7 16. h4 Ba5 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. Qc1 Kh7 19. Qe3 Kg6 20. Rf6+ Nxf6 21. exf6 Qxf6 22. e5 Qd8 23. Rf1 f5 24. exf6 Rxf6 25. Rxf6+ Qxf6 26. Be5 Qf5 27. g4 Qc2 28. Ne4 {Zherebukh,Y (2629)-Debashis,D (2446) Athens 2012 1-0}) 14. Bxe5 (14. dxe5 Nd7 15. a4 h5 $5 $132) 14... O-O {After a wait-and-see game, both players have eventually castled short. White has to find a way to build up an attack before Black opens the centre with ...c5.} 15. Bxf6 {After this exchange, White will practically be fighting for equality. Anand may have thought that the tempo lost by the enemy queen would offer him attacking chances, but in the game things will prove to be less simple than that. However, it is not easy to suggest a more constructive plan.} (15. f4 $6 Nd7 $1 {leaves the bishop terribly misplaced.}) (15. b3 {looks logical, because it aims to make the d3-square available for the bishop, in view of a further exchange on f6 followed by e5, ?d3, ?e4, etc. However, it leads to unclear consequences.} cxb3 16. Qxb3 ({White has to put the bishop under some pressure, because} 16. axb3 {would allow} Nd7 17. Bg3 e5 $132) 16... Nd7 (16... a5 $6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. e5 $40 {[%CAl Ge2d3,Gc3e4,Gf2f4]}) 17. Bg3 {[%CAl Gf2f4,Ge4e5]} Nf6 {(?=)} 18. e5 $5 Bxc3 $8 (18... Nd5 $2 19. Nxd5 cxd5 20. f4 $40) 19. exf6 Qb4 $13 {White obviously has compensation for the missing pawn, because of his huge advantage in space on the kingside, but it is not easy to suggest a clear-cut continuation of the attack. The problem is that avoiding the queen exchange would lose the d4- and possibly the f6-pawn.}) 15... Qxf6 16. f4 $5 (16. e5 Qf5 17. Ne4 Be7 {[%CAl Gc6c5] looks relatively safe for Black, because ?d3 is not available and the queen feels more or less OK on f5.}) 16... Qg7 (16... gxf4 17. e5 Qf5 18. Qxf5 exf5 19. Rxf4 $36) 17. e5 (17. f5 Rad8 18. e5 f6 $5 $132 {The weakness of the dark squares in White's camp will soon be felt.}) 17... c5 $1 $132 {Although White is better developed, he faces serious problems maintaining his stability in the centre.} (17... f5 $6 18. exf6 Qxf6 {would unnecessarily weaken the kingside, leaving White with more than one way to develop his initiative.}) 18. Nxb5 cxd4 19. Qxc4 a5 20. Kh1 $5 {A multi-purpose move. The king evacuates the dangerous g1-a7 diagonal and clears the g1-square for the rook, hoping for a sequence such as ...gxf4, ?f3 ?xf3, gxf3! followed by ?g1 with an attack.} Rac8 21. Qxd4 {White is a pawn up now, but the e5-pawn is as good as lost and Black's bishops are very active.} gxf4 (21... Bc5 $5 {[%csl Gg1] may have been a better try, to retain a small advantage.} 22. Qa4 (22. Qd2 $6 gxf4 23. Bf3 Be3 $1 24. Qe2 Bxf3 25. gxf3 Qxe5 $17) 22... gxf4 23. Bf3 Bxf3 24. Rxf3 Qxe5 25. Qxf4 (25. Rxf4 Rfd8 26. Rff1 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Qxb2 $15) 25... Qxf4 26. Rxf4 Rfd8 $15 {The bishop is more active than the knight and the f- and e-pawns may soon become dangerous.}) 22. Bf3 Ba6 (22... Bxf3 $2 23. gxf3 $16 {[%CAl Gd4f4,Gf1g1]}) 23. a4 $6 {Anand was getting short of time by now and started playing simple moves.} (23. Qb6 $5 Bxb5 24. Qxb5 Rc5 25. Qa4 Rxe5 26. a3 Bc5 27. Qxf4 $11 {We have reached the same type of position as in the game, but White is not a pawn down anymore.}) 23... Rc5 24. Qxf4 Rxe5 25. b3 Bxb5 26. axb5 Rxb5 $15 {/? Black's chances for success depend very much on his possibility of advancing the f- and e-pawns. With queens on board, this is not easy, of course.} 27. Be4 Bc3 {Kramnik was not left with too much time either. He seems to have considered that with opposite coloured bishops on board he should play for an attack with queens, but this plan will prove not realistic.} ({From the point of view of my previous comment,} 27... Qg5 {[%CAl Gg5f4,Gf7f5] deserves serious attention.}) 28. Bc2 Be5 29. Qf2 (29. Qf3 $5) 29... Bb8 {[%CAl Gb5h5] Not a very happy regrouping. If the bishop does not help to deliver mate, it will just be passive and exposed.} 30. Qf3 {[%csl Rh5]} Rc5 31. Bd3 Rc3 32. g3 Kh8 (32... Rxb3 $2 33. Bh7+ $1 $14) 33. Qb7 {It appears that White is better regrouped now and Black's progress is far from easy.} f5 {This is not such a good moment to start advancing the pawns, because they will be submitted to strong pressure.} 34. Qb6 $1 {[%csl Re6,Rf5]} (34. Qxg7+ $6 Kxg7 $17 {[%CAl Gg7f6] is precisely what Black would be dreaming of.}) 34... Qe5 35. Qb7 ({Anand misses a forced way out of troubles with} 35. Bxf5 $1 exf5 (35... Rxf5 36. Rxf5 {[%csl Rb8]} exf5 37. Qxh6+ Kg8 38. Qg5+ $18 {[%CAl Gd1d8]}) 36. Qxh6+ Kg8 37. Qg6+ Qg7 38. Qe6+ Qf7 (38... Kh8 39. Rxf5) 39. Qxf7+ Rxf7 40. Rd8+ Rf8 41. Rxf8+ Kxf8 42. Rxf5+ Kg7 43. Rxa5 $11 {and Black will probably not even get the ?+? vs ? ending.}) 35... Qc7 $6 {With the king far from the central pawns, the exchange of queens helps White to reach a safe zone.} (35... Rg8 $5 {[%csl Rg3] would have kept White under pressure.}) 36. Qxc7 Bxc7 37. Bc4 Re8 (37... a4 38. Rd7 $132) ({Black does not seem to be well regrouped for} 37... e5 38. Rd7 Bb6 $5 (38... Bd8 39. Bd3 {leaves the black king somewhat exposed, for instance} f4 40. gxf4 exf4 {The capture with the rook is not possible because of the hanging bishop on d8.} 41. Rh7+ Kg8 42. Rg1+ Bg5 43. Rxh6 $11) 39. Rd6 Be3 40. Ra6 {Black will lose his extra pawn, while the exposed position of his king makes it difficult to capitalize on the better structure.}) 38. Rd7 a4 39. Rxc7 axb3 40. Rf2 Rb8 41. Rb2 $11 h5 (41... Rc2 42. Rxc2 bxc2 43. Bxe6 Rb1+ 44. Kg2 c1=Q 45. Rxc1 Rxc1 46. Bxf5 $11) 42. Kg2 h4 43. Rc6 hxg3 44. hxg3 Rg8 45. Rxe6 Rxc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gashimov Memorial-B 1st"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2014.04.27"] [Round "7"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2722"] [BlackElo "2732"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2014.03.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 160"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] [WhiteClock "0:59:26"] [BlackClock "0:56:56"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:42]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:18]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} e6 {[%emt 0:01:20]} 5. Bg5 {[%emt 0:01:01]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 6. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Qxf6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 7. e3 {[%emt 0:00:54]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 8. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:30]} (8. Bd3 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Ne5 c5 11. cxd5 cxd4 12. exd4 exd5 13. Re1 Be6 14. Bb5 Rd8 15. Rc1 a6 16. Ba4 Rd6 17. Qb3 b6 18. Ne2 b5 19. Qa3 Bf8 20. Bc2 Nc6 21. Qg3 Rc8 22. h4 Ne7 23. h5 g5 24. f4 Qg7 25. Rf1 f6 26. Ng4 Rdc6 27. Ne3 f5 28. fxg5 Qxg5 29. Qxg5+ hxg5 30. Bxf5 Nxf5 31. Rxc6 Rxc6 32. Nxf5 Rc2 33. Neg3 Rxb2 34. Re1 Bd7 35. Ne7+ Kf7 36. Nxd5 Bc6 37. Rf1+ Ke6 {Kramnik,V (2787)-Topalov,V (2785) Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 1-0}) 8... Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 9. O-O {[%emt 0:01:30]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:11]} 10. e4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nd7 $146 {[%emt 0:04:11]} (10... Qd8 11. e5 dxc4 12. Bxc4 c5 13. dxc5 Nd7 14. Qe2 Qc7 15. Rfe1 Qxc5 16. h4 Qe7 17. Rad1 b6 18. Qd2 Rd8 19. Nd5 exd5 20. Qxd5 Ba6 21. Bxa6 Nxe5 22. Qe4 Nxf3+ 23. gxf3 Qxe4 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Rxe4 Bxb2 26. h5 gxh5 27. Re7 Rd4 28. Rxa7 Ra4 29. Ra8+ Kg7 30. Bb7 Rb4 31. Re8 Bd4 32. Re2 Bc5 33. Kg2 Kf6 34. Rd2 Kg5 35. Be4 Kf6 36. Bd5 Ke7 37. Be4 Ra4 38. Re2 Kf6 39. Rd2 Kg5 40. Rd5+ {Inarkiev,E (2698)-Hovhannisyan,R (2611) Yerevan 2014 ½-½}) 11. cxd5 {[%emt 0:07:17]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 12. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:56]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 13. Ne4 {[%emt 0:06:20]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 14. dxc5 {[%emt 0:01:53]} Nxc5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 15. Nxc5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Qxc5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 16. Rc1 {[%emt 0:01:10]} Qb4 {[%emt 0:12:59]} 17. b3 {[%emt 0:04:12]} Bf5 $146 {[%emt 0:07:43]} ({RR} 17... Rd8 18. Qe1 Qd6 19. Rd1 Bd7 20. Qa5 Rac8 21. Rc1 a6 22. Nd2 Bd4 23. Nc4 Qf6 24. Qd2 Kg7 25. Bf3 Bb5 26. Rfd1 Bc5 27. Na5 Qb6 28. Rxc5 {1-0 (28) Fedoseev,V (2658)-Kraemer,M (2571) Moscow 2017}) 18. Bd3 {[%emt 0:15:39]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:03:15]} 19. h3 {[%emt 0:09:03]} Rac8 {[%emt 0:04:00]} 20. Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:49]} Qd6 {[%emt 0:03:27]} 21. Be2 {[%emt 0:08:07]} a6 {[%emt 0:07:38]} 22. Rfd1 {[%emt 0:01:48]} Rfe8 {[%emt 0:05:37]} 23. Bf1 {[%emt 0:03:09]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:01:54]} 24. g3 {[%emt 0:15:47]} Rxc1 {[%emt 0:05:50]} 25. Qxc1 {[%emt 0:02:00]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 26. Qf4 $6 {[%emt 0:02:34]} (26. Qe3 $11) 26... Qxf4 {[%emt 0:13:27]} 27. gxf4 {[%emt 0:00:02][%csl Rd5,Rf2,Rf4,Rh3]} Bf8 {[%emt 0:04:57]} 28. d6 {[%emt 0:17:16]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 29. d7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rxd7 {[%emt 0:01:46]} 30. Rxd7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Bxd7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 31. Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Be8 {[%emt 0:18:15]} 32. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:35]} b6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 33. Bc6 {[%emt 0:04:38]} Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 34. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:06:04]} 35. f5 {[%emt 0:03:29]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:05:26]} 36. fxg6 {[%emt 0:00:11]} fxg6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 37. Kg2 {[%emt 0:01:44]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 38. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:56]} Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 39. a4 {[%emt 0:03:58]} h5 {[%emt 0:03:16]} 40. b4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Nd4+ {[%emt 0:12:50]} Ke5 {[%emt 0:01:35]} 42. Nc2 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Bc7 {[%emt 0:40:10]} 43. Ke3 {[%emt 0:02:12]} Kd5 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 44. Kd3 {[%emt 0:08:33]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 45. f3 {[%emt 0:06:17]} Be7 {[%emt 0:02:01]} 46. Ne3+ {[%emt 0:04:10]} Ke5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 47. Nc4+ {[%emt 0:09:32]} Kf4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 48. Nxb6 {[%emt 0:02:38]} Kxf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 49. Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:06:32]} 50. Nf6 {[%emt 0:07:36]} Bxb4 {[%emt 0:02:21]} 51. Nxh5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 52. Ke4 {[%emt 0:02:33]} Kxh3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 53. Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 54. Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:49]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 55. Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Ba5 {[%emt 0:01:14]} 56. Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Be1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 57. Kc8 {[%emt 0:00:38]} a5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 0-1 [Event "Morelia/Linares 23rd"] [Site "Morelia/Linares"] [Date "2006.03.03"] [Round "8"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2717"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2006.02.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 112"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.06.07"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.06.07"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. g3 $5 ({The popularity of the Moscow variation has decreased over the past years as a result of the fact that Black has found reliable ways to reach a solid position with possibilities of counterplay in the main variation startingwith} 7. e3 Nd7 8. Rc1 g6 {With his last move, Ivanchuk intends to give the position the character of a Catalan, which can lead to very interesting play, especially in the case Black opens the long diagonal by capturing on c4.}) 7... Nd7 8. Bg2 dxc4 9. O-O Be7 10. Qc2 $5 ({This seems to be a new move and it certainly brings up a new approach. Usually, White tries to win back the sacrificed pawn as soon as possible, but this generally allows Black to obtain sufficient counterplay. One relatively recent game played at top level went} 10. e3 O-O 11. Qe2 e5 12. Qxc4 Nb6 13. Qb3 Be6 14. dxe5 Qxf3 15. Bxf3 Bxb3 16. axb3 Nd7 {with approximate equality, Kramnik-Vallejo, Linares 2003.}) 10... O-O 11. Rfd1 {#White's idea starts to cristalise. He develops in a natural way, relying on the fact that Black's useful neutral moves have more or less come to an end. With the queen isolated from the queen side, Black can hardly consider playing b5, which can be strongly answered by a4 or even Nh4!?} e5 {This central break is probably the only way to justify Black's slightly unnatural way of development. However, WHite is perfectly prepared for it, which speaks about Ivanchuk's power of anticipation.} 12. d5 $1 Nc5 13. Nd2 Bf5 14. Qc1 Rad8 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. Nxc4 Qe6 $146 ({RR} 16... Rxd1+ 17. Qxd1 Rd8 18. Qe1 Qe6 19. Ne3 Bg6 20. Rd1 Rd4 21. Rc1 a5 22. Nc2 Rd8 23. Na3 a4 24. h4 e4 25. Rd1 Rb8 26. Qd2 Bf6 27. Qc1 e3 28. f4 Qg4 29. Qxe3 Ne6 30. Nc4 a3 31. b3 {Shchekachev,A (2531)-Stefansson,H (2602) Berlin 2015 1-0 (65)}) 17. Ne3 Bg6 18. b4 Na6 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. a3 {White has obtained a more pleasant position, because of his better pawn structure. Ivanchuk's accurate manoeuvring in the next phase of the game will allow him to gradually amplify his minimal advantage.} Nc7 21. Na4 e4 22. Nc5 Qe5 23. Nb7 Rd7 24. Na5 Bf6 25. Bh3 Ne6 26. Ra2 Rc7 27. Bxe6 Qxe6 28. Rc2 Bh5 29. Ng2 Bg5 30. Nf4 Qd6 31. Kg2 Qd7 32. h4 Bxf4 33. Qxf4 Rc8 34. Rd2 Qe6 35. Nb7 Re8 36. Nc5 Qc4 37. g4 Bg6 38. h5 Bh7 39. e3 a5 {#Just when having obtained a dream position, Ivanchuk unexpectedely overstepped the time limit, which suddenly deprived him of any chances to win (to quote Eduard Gufeld). After 40.Qc7 (threatening Rd8 with mate) 40...Kh8 41.Qxa5 he would have won an esential pawn, maintaining the positional superiority.} 0-1 [Event "Tashkent FIDE GP"] [Site "Tashkent"] [Date "2014.11.02"] [Round "11"] [White "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2722"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2014.10.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UZB"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal} d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 (5. Bh4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 g5 {doesn't score well for White.}) 5... Qxf6 6. Nc3 c6 7. e3 g6 8. Bd3 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Ne5 ({RR} 10. e4) 10... dxc4 ({RR} 10... c5 11. cxd5 cxd4 ({RR} 11... exd5 12. Nxd5 ({RR} 12. f4 Nc6 13. Kh1 Qd8 14. Rc1 cxd4 15. exd4 Be6) 12... Qd6 13. Nf4 Bxe5 ({RR} 13... cxd4 14. Nexg6 fxg6 15. Qb3+ Rf7 16. Bxg6 Qf8 17. exd4) 14. dxe5 Qxe5 15. Bxg6 fxg6 16. Nxg6 Qf6 17. Nxf8 Kxf8 18. Qd5) 12. exd4 exd5 13. Re1 ({RR} 13. Nxd5 Qd6 14. Nf4 Nc6 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Ne2 Bg4) 13... Be6 14. Bb5 Rd8 15. Rc1 a6 16. Ba4 Rd6 ({RR} 16... b5 17. Bb3) 17. Qb3 ({RR} 17. Qd2) 17... b6 ({RR} 17... b5 18. Qa3 Qd8 19. Bxb5 axb5 20. Qxa8 Ra6 21. Qb7 Rb6 22. Qa8 ({RR} 22. Nxf7 Bxf7 23. Qe7 Qxe7 24. Rxe7 Kf8 25. Rc7 Bxd4) ({RR} 22. Qa7 Bxe5 23. Nxd5 ({RR} 23. dxe5 Nc6 24. Qa3 b4) 23... Bxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Bxd5 25. Rc8 Qxc8 26. Qxb6 Nd7 27. Qxb5 Nf6 28. f3 Bxa2) 22... Ra6) 18. Ne2 b5 19. Qa3 Bf8 20. Bc2 Nc6 ({RR} 20... Nd7) 21. Qg3 ({RR} 21. Qe3) 21... Rc8 22. h4 Ne7 ({RR} 22... Be7 23. h5 Qg5) 23. h5 ({RR} 23. Nf4 Nf5 24. Bxf5 Rxc1 ({RR} 24... Qxf5 25. Rc5) 25. Rxc1 Qxf5 26. Rc7) 23... g5 24. f4 Qg7 ({RR} 24... Nf5 25. Qf2) 25. Rf1 {Kramnik,V (2787)-Topalov,V (2785) Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 CBM 160 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (55)} ({RR} 25. Qf2)) ({RR} 10... Rd8 11. c5 Bd7 12. b4 Be8 13. f4 Nd7 14. Kh1 Qe7 15. Rf3) ({RR} 10... Nd7 11. f4 Qe7 12. c5 Nxe5 13. fxe5 b6 14. b4 Bd7 15. Qg4 Rfb8 16. Rab1 Be8 17. h4 Qd8 18. h5 g5 19. Nd1 a5) ({RR} 10... Qe7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. f4 Nd7 13. Qf3 Nxe5 ({RR} 13... Nf6 14. Rae1 Rd8 15. Kh1 c5 16. a3 c4 17. Bc2 Qc7 18. g4) 14. fxe5 Be6 ({RR} 14... f6 15. Qg3 g5) 15. Ne2 Qg5 16. Qf4 Rae8 17. Rac1 Kh7 18. h4) ({RR} 10... Nd7 11. f4 Nxe5 12. fxe5 Qg5 13. Rf4 c5 14. Qf3 cxd4 15. exd4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Qd8 17. Nb5 g5 18. Re4 Bd7 19. Qe3 Bxb5 20. Bxb5 Qb6 21. Qe2 Rad8 22. Rd1 a6 23. Bc4 Rd7 24. Bb3 Rfd8 25. Qe3 {Qiu,L (2122)-Wu,S (2003) Montesilvano ITA 2026 ½-½ (72)}) 11. Nxc4 ({RR} 11. Bxc4 c5 12. f4 ({RR} 12. Rc1 cxd4 13. exd4 Rd8 14. Re1 Nc6 15. Qa4 Rxd4 16. Nxc6 Bd7) 12... cxd4 13. Qxd4 Nc6 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Qxf6 Bxf6 16. Rac1 Rd8) 11... Qe7 12. Qb3 b6 $146 (12... Rd8 13. Rad1 b6 14. f4 Bb7 15. Be4 Na6 16. a3 c5 17. d5 exd5 18. Bxd5 {held chances for both sides in Fedoseev-Negi, Moscow 2012.}) ({RR} 12... Rd8 13. Rad1 b6 14. f4 Bb7 15. Be4 Na6 16. a3 c5 17. d5 exd5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 20. f5 gxf5 21. Nf4 Qc6 22. Nh5 b5 23. Nxg7 bxc4 24. Qc3 Kh7 25. Nxf5 Qg6 26. Nd6 f5 27. Qe5 {Fedoseev,V (2525)-Negi,P (2641) Moscow 2012 1-0 (31)}) ({RR} 12... Rd8 13. Rad1 b6 14. f4 Bb7 15. Be4 Na6 16. a3 c5 17. d5 exd5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 20. f5 gxf5 21. Nf4 Qc6 22. Nh5) 13. Be4 Bb7 14. Rfd1 Na6 15. a3 Rfd8 16. Rd2 c5 {Black has achieved c5 and White is not ready for d5, so the game is equal.} 17. Rad1 (17. d5 exd5 18. Bxd5 Bxc3 {is not good for White as d2 is hanging.}) 17... cxd4 18. exd4 Bxe4 19. Nxe4 Nc7 20. Nc3 {Black could claim a very sligiht advantage as he can work against the isolated pawn, but it is far from easy; c6 is weak and d5 would always simplify into equality.} Rd7 21. Ne5 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Qg5 24. Rd7 Qxe5 {Black has won a pawn but now his pieces lack coordination. It seems as if Andreikin has just enough activity to make Black's task very difficult.} 25. g3 Na6 $6 (25... Ne8 {retained chances to untangle.}) 26. Qd1 Rf8 27. Rxa7 Nc5 28. Qf3 Qb8 29. Nb5 Qe5 30. Nc3 Qb8 31. Nb5 Qe5 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 16th"] [Site "Heraklion"] [Date "2007.11.01"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2732"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2007.10.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GRE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 121"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.11.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.11.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Azerbaijan"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "AZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb3 dxc4 8. Qxc4 Nd7 9. g3 e5 {An old line played even back in the 50s!} 10. O-O-O {The other moves are quite harmless:} (10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Qe4 Bd6 12. O-O-O Bc7 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Bg2 Be6 15. Qb4 Ba5 16. Qd4 Qxd4 17. Rxd4 Bb6 18. Rb4 O-O-O $17 {½-½ Navarovszky,L-Dely,P/Budapest 1963/MCL (30)}) (10. Bg2 exd4 (10... Be7 $2 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Qxe5 13. Bxc6+ {1-0 Duhayon,Y-Laurent,B/Charleroi 2001/EXT 2003 (30)}) 11. Nxd4 (11. Qxd4 $6 Qxd4 12. Nxd4 Bc5 13. O-O-O Nf6 14. e4 Ng4 15. Rhf1 Nxh2 16. Rfe1 Bg4 17. Rd2 O-O-O 18. Nb3 Rxd2 19. Nxd2 Bxf2 20. Rf1 Nxf1 {0-1 Dlugy,M-Kramnik,V/Internet ICC 1999/EXT 2005}) (11. Ne4 Qf5 (11... Qe7 12. Qxd4 Qb4+ 13. Nc3 Nf6 (13... Qxb2 $5) 14. O-O-O Be6 15. a3 Qa5 16. Qe5 Qxe5 17. Nxe5 Rd8 18. Kc2 Bd6 19. Nd3 O-O $10 {Korchnoi,V-Kramnik,V/Monaco/1994/}) 12. Qxd4 Qa5+ 13. Nc3 Be7 14. O-O O-O 15. Qd2 Nb6 16. Qc2 Rd8 17. Rad1 Bf5 18. e4 Bg4 $15 {0-1 Sellos,D-Nikcevic,N/Cannes 1995/CBM 046 ext (51)}) 11... Nb6 (11... Be7 12. f4 Qd6 13. Nf5 Qf6 14. Nxe7 Qxe7 15. O-O O-O 16. Ne4 Kh8 17. Rfd1 f5 18. Nd6 Nb6 19. Qd4 Be6 20. Qe5 $14 {1-0 Terpugov,E-Kotov,A/Moscow 1951/URS-ch (39)}) 12. Qd3 Bc5 $6 (12... Be7 $1 $15) 13. O-O-O Be6 14. Ne4 Qxd4 15. Qxd4 Bxd4 16. Rxd4 Rd8 17. Rhd1 Ke7 18. Nc5 Rxd4 19. Rxd4 $14 {1-0 Mikenas,V-Cherepkov,A/Riga 1952/EXT 2003 (67)}) (10. d5 $2 Nb6 11. Qb3 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Qxd5 Bb4+ $17) 10... Be7 (10... exd4 11. Rxd4 (11. Ne4 $1 $14 Qg6 12. Qxd4 Be7 13. Bh3 Nb6 14. Ne5 Qh5 15. Bxc8 Rxc8 {S.Shipov} 16. g4 $1 Qh3 17. Nd6+ Bxd6 18. Qxd6 $14) 11... Nb6 12. Qd3 Bc5 13. Re4+ Be7 (13... Be6 $142 $13) 14. Rf4 (14. Re5 $1 {[%CAl Yc3e4]}) 14... Qd6 15. Qxd6 Bxd6 16. Re4+ Kf8 17. Nd4 f5 18. Re3 Kf7 19. Bg2 Nc4 20. Rd3 Ne5 21. Rd2 Nc4 22. Rd3 Ne5 23. Rd2 Nc4 $11 {½-½ Timman,J-Polgar,S/Curacao 2002/CBM 091 ext (42)}) 11. Ne4 Qf5 12. Qc2 O-O 13. Kb1 $146 (13. h4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Qa5 15. Kb1 Nf6 16. e3 Nd5 17. a3 Bg4 18. Be2 Bxe2 19. Nxe2 Nf6 20. Nd2 (20. Nd6 $142 $11 {J.Timman}) 20... Rfd8 21. Nd4 Bf8 22. Rhg1 Ng4 23. Nc4 Qc5 24. Nb3 Qe7 25. e4 Qe6 $15 {½-½ Timman,J-Gelfand,B/Belgrade 1995/CBM 051 (40)}) ({RR} 13. h4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Qa5 15. Kb1 Nf6 16. e3 Nd5 17. a3 Bg4 18. Be2 Bxe2 19. Nxe2 Nf6 20. Nd2 Rfd8 21. Nd4 Bf8 22. Rhg1 Ng4 23. Nc4 Qc5 24. Nb3 Qe7 25. e4 Qe6 26. f3 Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 b5 {Timman,J (2595)-Gelfand,B (2685) Belgrade 1995 ½-½ (41)}) 13... Nf6 $146 {[%mdl 8] Jan Timman's recommendation.} (13... exd4 {is also enough for equality:} 14. Nxd4 Qa5 15. Bh3 (15. Bg2 Nf6 16. h3 $5 {(S.Shipov) is hardly worrying Black}) 15... Nf6 16. Bxc8 Raxc8 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. Nf5 Rcd8 19. f4 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. a3 Qd5 23. e4 Qd7 24. e5 Be7 25. Kc1 g6 $1 26. Nd6 Bxd6 27. Qd2 Kf8 28. exd6 Ke8 29. Qe3+ Qe6 $1 30. Qxa7 $8 Qe1+ 31. Kc2 Qe2+ 32. Kc3 Qe1+ 33. Kc2 {½-½ Kortschnoj,V-Dreev,A/Yalta 1995/CBM 047 ext/[Shipov]}) 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. f4 $6 {An obvious move but} (17. e4 Bg4 18. Be2 $11 {was more accurate}) 17... Qh5 (17... Qe3 $5) 18. e4 Bg4 {It turns out that White now loses the d-file!} 19. Re1 (19. Rd2 Rad8 20. Bc4 (20. Bd3 Rd4 $1) 20... Bf3 21. Re1 Qa5 $1 22. Kc1 Rd4 $1 {leads to serious trouble for White.}) 19... Rad8 20. Be2 Rd4 21. Bxg4 Qxg4 22. e5 $6 {It was necessary to exchange a pair of rooks:} (22. Rd1 Rfd8 23. Rxd4 Rxd4 24. Re1 $15 Qd7 $140 25. Kc1) 22... Rfd8 {White is now completely passive.} 23. Re2 g6 24. Rc1 Rd3 25. a3 Qe6 26. Qc4 R8d5 27. Ka1 a5 28. Qc2 h5 29. Rf1 $6 {This rook should rather remain on c1 to prevent the advance of Black's pawns.} (29. Kb1 $142 c5 30. Qa4 $17) 29... b5 30. Ref2 {It is too late to return:} (30. Rc1 c5) 30... Qf5 31. Re1 c5 {[%CAl Rb5b4]} 32. e6 $6 {A desperate attempt but White had no defence anymore.} fxe6 33. Rfe2 Rd6 34. Qc1 Qd5 $1 35. Re5 Qb3 (35... Qb3 36. R5e3 c4 {is absolutely hopeless for White.}) 0-1 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 5th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2010.11.12"] [Round "7"] [White "Wang, Hao"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2739"] [Annotator "Mueller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "149"] [EventDate "2010.11.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 139"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {ChessBase} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Bd6 10. O-O Qe7 11. Ne4 ({RR} 11. Qc2 O-O 12. Bb3 Re8 13. Rae1 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. f4 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Bf5 18. e4 Bxe4 19. Re3 Qf8 20. Rg3 Bd5 21. f5 f6 22. Rd3 Qf7 23. Rfd1 Rad8 24. Qd2 Re5 25. Qa5 b6 {Hany Kamal,M (2227)-Ameir,M (2366) Giza EGY 2023 0-1}) 11... Bc7 ({RR} 11... O-O 12. Nxd6 Qxd6 13. Qe2 b6 14. Rfd1 Bb7 15. Ba6 ({RR} 15. Rac1 Rfd8 16. a3 ({RR} 16. Ba6)) 15... Bxa6 16. Qxa6 Rfd8 17. a3 c5 18. h3 cxd4 ({RR} 18... Qe7) 19. Rxd4 Qc7 ({RR} 19... Qe7 20. Qb7) 20. Rad1 e5 ({RR} 20... Nc5 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Qxa7 Qd1+ 24. Kh2 Qd6+ 25. g3 Nd3 26. Qa8+ Qf8 27. Qc6 Nxb2) 21. Qc4 Qxc4 22. Rxc4 f6 23. Kf1 {½-½ (23) Anand,V (2817)-Shirov,A (2709) Leon 2011 CBM 142 Extra [ChessBase]} ({RR} 23. Rc7 Nc5 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Rxa7 Rd1+ 26. Kh2 g5 27. Rc7 h5 ({RR} 27... Ne4 28. Rc2) 28. g4 hxg4 29. hxg4 Nd3)) 12. Qc2 ({RR} 12. Rc1 O-O 13. Bb3 Rd8 14. Qc2) 12... O-O 13. Rfd1 ({RR} 13. Bb3 Rd8 14. Rfd1 Nf8 15. Ne5 Bd7 16. f4 Be8 17. Nc5 Bd6 18. Rac1) 13... b6 $146 ({RR} 13... Rd8 14. Rac1 Nf8 15. Ne5 Bd7 16. Be2 Be8 17. g3 Rac8 18. Qb3 Rb8 19. Qc3 Rbc8 20. b4 f6 21. Nf3 Bg6 22. Nc5 Bd6 23. a3 Kh8 24. Nh4 Bf7 25. f4 Qc7 26. Ne4 Be7 27. Nf3 Bg6 28. Bd3 {MacKay,I-Dreev,A (2495) Arnhem 1988 0-1 (61)}) 14. Qe2 a6 15. Rac1 Bb7 16. Bd3 Rfd8 17. a3 a5 18. h3 Rab8 19. Ned2 e5 20. Be4 exd4 21. Nxd4 Nc5 22. Bf3 Be5 23. Nc4 Bxd4 24. Rxd4 Rxd4 25. exd4 Qxe2 26. Bxe2 Nb3 27. Rd1 Ba6 28. Bf1 a4 29. f3 f6 30. d5 cxd5 31. Rxd5 Rc8 32. Ne3 Bxf1 33. Kxf1 Nc5 34. h4 Kf7 35. Rd6 h5 36. Rxb6 Nd3 37. Rb7+ Kg6 38. Nd5 Re8 39. Ne7+ Kh7 40. g3 Nxb2 41. Nd5 Rd8 42. Nxf6+ Kh6 43. Nxh5 Kxh5 44. Rxb2 Rd3 45. Kg2 Rxa3 46. Rb6 Rb3 47. Ra6 a3 48. Ra5+ Kg6 49. g4 Rb2+ 50. Kg3 a2 51. h5+ Kf7 52. f4 Rc2 53. Ra7+ Kf6 54. Ra6+ Kf7 55. g5 Rb2 56. Kg4 Rc2 57. Ra7+ Kg8 58. Kf5 Rb2 59. Kg4 Rg2+ 60. Kh3 Rb2 61. g6 Kf8 62. Kg4 Rc2 63. Kg5 Rg2+ 64. Kf5 Rb2 65. Ra8+ Ke7 66. Ra6 Rb5+ 67. Kg4 Rb2 68. Ra7+ {Aktive Verteidigung In Turmendspielen ist dies oft das Motto:} Kf8 $2 {Nun können die weißen Bauern durchbrechen.} ({Das aktive} 68... Kf6 69. Rf7+ Ke6 70. f5+ Ke5 {hält den Laden zusammen, z.B.} 71. Re7+ Kd5 72. Ra7 Ke5 73. Ra5+ Kf6 74. Ra6+ Ke5 75. f6 a1=Q 76. Rxa1 Kxf6 $11) 69. Kf5 $2 {Wang Hao verpasst die Gunst der Stunde:} (69. f5 $1 {und die Schachdistanz des Turmes von hinten ist zu kurz:} Rf2 (69... Rg2+ 70. Kf3 Rh2 71. f6 gxf6 72. Kg4 Rh1 73. Rxa2 Kg7 74. Ra7+ $18) 70. Kg5 Rg2+ 71. Kf4 Rh2 72. Ke5 (72. f6 $2 Rf2+ 73. Kg5 Rg2+ 74. Kf5 Rf2+ 75. Ke5 Rxf6 76. Rxa2 Kg8 77. Ra8+ Rf8 $11) 72... Re2+ 73. Kd5 Rd2+ 74. Ke4 Re2+ 75. Kf3 Rh2 (75... Re5 76. Kf4 Re2 77. h6 Rf2+ 78. Ke3 Rxf5 79. Ra8+ Ke7 80. hxg7 $18) 76. f6 gxf6 77. Kg4 Kg8 78. Kf5 Rf2+ 79. Ke6 $18) 69... Rh2 70. h6 ({Zur Umkehr mit} 70. Kg4 {ist es wegen} Rg2+ 71. Kf3 Rh2 {zu spät.}) 70... Rxh6 71. Rxa2 Rh1 72. Ra8+ Ke7 73. Rg8 Rh5+ 74. Kg4 Rh1 75. Kg5 {Gelfand ist von der langen Verteidigung ermüdet und gibt auf.} ({Golubev hat jedoch in Chess Today 3657 nachgewiesen, dass er mit aktivem Spiel remis halten konnte:} 75. Kg5 Ke6 $1 76. f5+ Ke5 77. Re8+ Kd6 78. f6 Rg1+ 79. Kh4 gxf6 80. Kh5 Rh1+ 81. Kg4 Rg1+ 82. Kf5 Rf1+ $11) 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2007.11.12"] [Round "3"] [White "Alekseev, Evgeny V"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2716"] [BlackElo "2736"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2007.11.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qc2 dxc4 {Quite a decent alternative to the main line} (7... Nd7) {Recapturing the sacrificed pawn will require some precious time from White.} 8. e3 b5 9. a4 Bb7 10. axb5 cxb5 11. Nxb5 Bb4+ 12. Nc3 O-O 13. Be2 ({RR} 13. Bxc4 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Qxf3 15. O-O Qg4+ 16. Kh1 Qf3+ 17. Kg1 Qg4+ {½-½ (17) Lalic,B (2321)-Korobov,A (2627) Marianske Lazne CZE 2025}) 13... Nd7 14. O-O e5 {Black has successfully developed his pieces and now starts attacking White's centre.} (14... Rfc8 {is also played.}) ({RR} 14... Rfc8 15. Rfc1 a5 16. Nd2 Nb6 17. Bf3 Qe7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. h3 Rc7 20. Qd1 {½-½ (20) Aronian,L (2739)-Anand,V (2799) Wijk aan Zee 2008}) 15. Qa4 $146 {This novelty is not very dangerous.} (15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Bxc4 {is the main continuation. White wins a pawn but Black obtains sufficient counterplay due to his strong bishop pair:} Rac8 ({or} 17... a5 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Qb3 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Qe4+ 22. f3 Qxc4 23. Qxc4 Rxc4 24. Rxa5 Rxc3 25. e4 {½-½ Gustafsson,J-Pavasovic,D/Bled 1999/CBM 069 ext}) 18. Qb3 (18. Be2 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Rxc3 20. Qb2 Rxe3 21. Qxb7 Rxe2 22. Qxa7 {½-½ Guseinov,A-Sveshnikov,E/Volgodonsk 1983/MCD}) 18... Bxg2 (18... Bxc3 $143 19. Qxb7) 19. Bxf7+ (19. Qxb4 Qg5 $132) 19... Rxf7 20. Rxa7 Rcf8 $5 (20... Bxf1 21. Qxf7+ Kh7 22. Kxf1 Bxc3 23. bxc3 (23. Qd7 Bd4 $1 24. Qxd4 Rc1+ 25. Kg2 Qg5+ 26. Kf3 Qf5+ 27. Qf4 Qh3+ 28. Qg3 Qf5+ 29. Kg2 Qd5+ 30. Kh3 Qh5+ 31. Kg2 Qd5+ {½-½ Lautier,J-Illescas Cordoba,M/Chalkidiki 1992/CBM 032/[Ftacnik]}) 23... Rxc3 24. Re7 Qb5+ 25. Kg2 Qg5+ 26. Kh3 Rc6 27. Re8 Rf6 28. Qg8+ Kg6 29. f4 Qb5 30. Kg3 Qa5 31. Kh3 Qh5+ 32. Kg3 Qa5 33. Qc4 Qe1+ 34. Kh3 Qf2 35. Qe4+ Kh5 36. Re5+ g5 37. f5 Qf1+ 38. Kg3 Qe1+ 39. Kh3 Qf1+ 40. Qg2 Rxf5 41. Qxf1 Rxf1 42. Kg2 Rf6 43. Kg3 {½-½ Lempert,I-Edzgveradze,N/Yerevan 1996/CBM 052 ext}) 21. Kxg2 Bd6 22. f4 Qxe3 23. Rxf7 Rxf7 24. Qc4 Bxf4 25. Nd5 Qe6 26. Rxf4 Rxf4 27. Ne7+ Kf7 28. Qxf4+ Kxe7 $11 {½-½ Noronha,L-Schauer,J/ICCF Email 2000/ICCF tele 9/2002 (37)}) (15. Rfd1 {deserves more attention. The following game ended in a draw but an improvement for White is quite possible:} exd4 16. Rxd4 Nb6 17. Nd2 (17. Rf4 $5 {[%CAl Yf3d4]}) 17... a5 18. Nxc4 Nxc4 19. Rxc4 (19. Bxc4 $5 {[%CAl Yc3d5]}) 19... Rac8 20. Rd1 Qg5 21. Ne4 (21. Nd5 $5) 21... Rxc4 22. Bxc4 Qf5 23. f3 Bxe4 24. Qxe4 Qxe4 25. fxe4 Re8 26. Bd5 Kf8 27. Kf2 Ke7 28. Rc1 Bd6 {½-½ Kroll,O-Rasmussen,K/Denmark 1993/EXT 2000 (41)}) ({RR} 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Bxc4 Rac8 18. Qb3 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bxc3 20. Qxc3 Qxc3 21. bxc3 Rxc4 22. Rfc1 Rfc8 23. Rxa7 Rxc3 24. Rxc3 Rxc3 25. Kg3 g5 26. h4 Kg7 27. Ra6 Rc4 28. hxg5 hxg5 29. f4 gxf4+ {Neubauer,M (2443)-Ragger,M (2563) Jenbach 2009 ½-½}) ({RR} 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Bxc4 Rac8 18. Be2 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Rxc3 20. Qb2 Rxe3 21. Qxb7 Rxe2 22. Qxa7 {½-½ (22) Guseinov,A-Sveshnikov,E (2505) Volgodonsk 1983}) 15... Qe7 16. Qb5 (16. dxe5 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Qxe5 {leads to a probable draw.}) 16... exd4 17. Nxd4 Nb6 18. Bf3 {Black's b7 bishop is strong but after this exchange White has too little material to play for a win.} Bxf3 19. Nxf3 Qc5 20. Ra6 Rfb8 21. Nd4 Qxb5 22. Ncxb5 Rb7 23. g3 Nd7 24. Rc1 ({After} 24. Rc1 Ne5 $1 {Black is not worse.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-39"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.23"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2721"] [BlackElo "2751"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2010.09.21"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 139"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "France"] [BlackTeam "Israel"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "ISR"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 {A similar move by Black would have caused a sensation just a few decades ago. But chess has become a somewhat different game and the Moscow variation is a theme that is fascinating the best grandmasters in the world.} 9. Be2 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 Rg8 12. Bxg4 Nbd7 13. Nxd7 {White is obliged to swap the knights on d7, otherwise Black would have grabbed the advantage with the help of an amusing exchange sacrifice.} (13. Bf3 $2 Rxg3 $1 14. fxg3 (14. Nxd7 Rxf3 $1 $17) (14. Nxf7 Kxf7 15. fxg3 e5 $17) 14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. O-O Nxe5 17. Bh5 Bc5+ 18. Kh1 (18. Kh2 Qxd1 19. Raxd1 Ke7 20. Ne2 Be3 21. Nf4 c5 22. Bxf7 Bxf4 23. Rxf4 Nxf7 24. Rxf7+ Kxf7 25. Rd7+ Kf6 26. Rxb7 a6 27. Rc7 Ke5 28. Rxc5+ Kd6 29. Rh5 b4 {0-1 Domogaev,S-Novikov,M/Tula 2005/ (41)}) 18... Qxd1 19. Raxd1 Ke7 20. Bxf7 Nxf7 21. Rxf7+ Kxf7 22. Rd7+ Kf6 23. Rxb7 Ke5 24. Rc7 Kd6 25. Rh7 Bd4 26. Rxh6 Rf8 {0-1 Borovikov,V-Shalimov,V/Alushta 2000/ (36)}) 13... Qxd7 14. Bf3 b4 {Gelfand has the feeling that with active pieces he can afford to start the direct struggle for the centre. The rich position contains lots of tension and possibilities for both sides. It is too early to claim a preference for any black move.} (14... c5 {This should have been the most logical, but White can get something of a plus.} 15. dxc5 (15. e5 Nd5 16. Ne4 O-O-O 17. O-O Rxg3 18. Nxg3 Nf4 19. dxc5 Qc7 20. Bxb7+ Qxb7 21. Qf3 Qxf3 22. gxf3 Bxc5 23. Ne4 Bd4 24. Nd6+ Rxd6 25. exd6 Kd7 26. a4 b4 27. Rac1 c3 28. Rfd1 e5 29. bxc3 bxc3 30. Kf1 f6 31. Rc2 {1-0 Gelfand,B (2739)-Leko,P (2734)/Miskolc 2010 (45)}) (15. Be5 cxd4 16. Qxd4 (16. Bxf6 dxc3 17. Qxd7+ Kxd7 18. O-O-O+ Ke8 $13) 16... Ng4 17. Rd1 (17. Qxd7+ Kxd7 18. Bg3 a6 19. e5 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Ne3 $132) 17... Qxd4 18. Bxd4 e5 (18... a6 $2 19. e5) 19. Nxb5 exd4 20. Nc7+ Kd7 21. Nxa8 Bc5 $17) 15... b4 (15... Qxd1+ 16. Rxd1 a6 17. e5 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Nh5 19. Ne4 Rc8 20. Bf4 f5 21. Nd6+ Bxd6 22. cxd6 Rc5 23. Bxh6 Rxe5+ 24. Kd2 Kd7 25. Bg5 b4 {1-0 Gelfand,B (2739)-Leko,P (2734)/Miskolc 2010 (86)}) 16. Qxd7+ Nxd7 (16... Kxd7 17. O-O-O+ Kc8 18. Nb5 Nxe4 19. c6 $1 (19. Rd4 Nxc5 20. Rxc4 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Kb7 22. Rd1 Rc8 $13) (19. Rhe1 Nxc5) 19... Bxc6 20. Rhe1 f5 21. Nd4 $16) 17. Nb5 Rc8 18. O-O-O Nxc5 19. Nc7+ Ke7 20. Bd6+ Kf6 21. Bxc5 Bxc5 22. Rd7 Ke5 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Rxb7 Bb6 25. Rd1 c3 26. Rd3 Rgd8 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. bxc3 bxc3 {½-½ Gelfand,B (2739)-Leko,P (2734)/Miskolc 2010}) (14... O-O-O {The mobilisation of the pieces towards the centre is putting White under some strain.} 15. Qd2 $1 (15. a4 a6 (15... b4 16. Ne2 c5 17. Qc2 $14) 16. Be5 Ne8 (16... Qe7 $5) 17. axb5 cxb5 18. d5 Qe7 19. Qe2 Bg7 20. Bg3 Bd4 21. O-O-O Bxc3 (21... Qc5 22. Qd2 $5 (22. dxe6 fxe6 23. Bg4 Nc7 24. Nd5 Bxd5 25. exd5 Bxb2+ $1 26. Kxb2 Qb4+ 27. Kc2 Qa4+ $1 28. Kc1 Qa1+ {½-½ Ivanov,S-Shalimov,V/Saint Petersburg/2000/ (30)})) 22. bxc3 Qa3+ 23. Qb2 Qxb2+ 24. Kxb2 exd5 25. exd5 Nf6 26. Rhe1 Bxd5 27. Re7 Bxf3 28. Rc7+ Kb8 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. Rxf7+ Kc8 31. Rc7+ Kb8 32. gxf3 $16 {1-0 Lehnhoff,H-Howes,T/LSS 2007/ (36)}) (15. Bf4 $143 a6 16. a4 Bb4 17. e5 c5 $1 (17... Nd5 18. Bd2 $1) (17... Ng4 $6 18. axb5 cxb5 19. O-O) 18. exf6 cxd4 19. axb5 Qxb5 (19... dxc3 20. Qxd7+ Rxd7 21. Ra4 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rgd8 (22... a5 23. bxc3) 23. Rxb4 Rd1+ 24. Ke2 Rxh1 25. Rxc4+ Kb7 26. bxc3 Rxh4 27. Rc7+ Kb6 28. Bg3 axb5 29. Rxf7 $44) 20. Qc2 $1 (20. Bxb7+ Qxb7 21. Qe2 Qc6 22. Bd2 dxc3 23. bxc3 Bc5 24. f3 Rd3 $17) 20... Bxf3 21. gxf3 dxc3 22. bxc3 Qf5 $1 (22... Bd6 23. Bxh6 Be5 24. Ke2 Rd3 25. Qa4 $1 $11) 23. Qxf5 Bxc3+ 24. Ke2 exf5 $15 {½-½ Gelfand,B (2733)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2677)/Elista 2007/ (38)}) 15... Rxg3 (15... Qxd4 $4 16. Qxd4 Rxd4 17. Be5) 16. fxg3 e5 (16... Qxd4 17. Qxd4 Rxd4 18. Rd1 $1 Rxd1+ (18... Bc5 19. g4 $5) 19. Kxd1 Nd7 (19... Kd8 $2 20. e5) 20. Bh5 $1 f6 21. Bf7 Nc5 22. Rf1 Bg7 23. Ne2 Kd7 24. Nf4 {1-0 Tacke,R (1787)-Parushev,A (2357)/ICCF WS 2007/ (55)}) 17. O-O-O Qxd4 (17... exd4 $6 18. Qf4 $1 Qe6 19. e5 dxc3 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. Qxf6+ Qxf6 22. exf6 cxb2+ 23. Kxb2 $16) 18. g4 (18. Qxd4 Rxd4 $1 (18... exd4 19. e5 dxc3 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. exf6 {-17...exd4}) 19. g4 $1) (18. Qe2) 18... Nd7 $1 19. Qxd4 exd4 20. Rxd4 Bg7 (20... Bc5 $5 21. Rdd1 Rh8) 21. Rdd1 Rg8 22. g5 Ne5 23. gxh6 Bxh6+ 24. Kb1 b4 25. Ne2 (25. Na4 Kc7 26. Nc5 $6 Bc8) 25... c5 26. Rd6 Bg7 {1-0 Grischuk,A (2733)-Aronian,L (2773)/Bilbao 2009/ (52)}) (14... Bb4 $5 15. O-O O-O-O 16. e5 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nd5 18. Qd2 Ne7 19. Qxh6 c5 20. d5 $6 (20. Qf4 $142) 20... Bxd5 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. Qc1 Qc6 23. Kh2 Rg7 24. Re1 Rdg8 25. Qc2 Kb7 26. a4 $6 b4 $17 {0-1 Fridman,D (2635)-Stripunsky,A (2569)/Philadelphia 2007 (32)}) (14... Rxg3 15. fxg3 O-O-O 16. e5 $16) 15. Na4 c5 (15... O-O-O 16. Be5 Ne8 17. Qc2 f6 18. Bf4 Qxd4 $2 19. Rd1 b3 20. Qb1 $18) 16. Nxc5 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Nxe4 $146 {[%mdl 4] The elimination of the e4-pawn with the knight is actually a new move, but it gives the impression of being very logical.} (17... O-O-O $6 18. Qxd7+ Rxd7 (18... Nxd7 19. Rc1 $16) (18... Kxd7 19. Rd1+ Kc8 20. Rc1 $16) 19. Rc1 Bxe4 (19... Nxe4 $2 20. c6 Bxc6 21. Rxc4 $18) 20. Rxc4 Bxf3 21. gxf3 a5 22. Ke2 Rd5 23. a3 bxa3 24. bxa3 e5 25. Rb1 $16 {1-0 Shchekachev,A (2505)-Shalimov,V (2423)/St Petersburg 1999/ (33)}) (17... Bxe4 18. Bd6 $1 (18. Qxd7+ Kxd7 19. O-O-O+ Kc6 20. Bd6 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Nd5 22. Rd4 Rg2 23. Rf1 c3 24. bxc3 Nxc3 25. Kb2 Nd5 26. Kb3 a5 {0-1 Sakaev,K (2626)-Maletin,P (2581)/St Petersburg 2009 (36)}) 18... O-O-O 19. Qd4 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Nd5 21. Qxc4 $14) 18. Qxd7+ Kxd7 19. O-O-O+ (19. Rd1+ $5 Ke7 (19... Ke8 20. Rd4 Nxg3 $2 21. Bxb7 $18) 20. Bd6+ Kf6 21. Bxe4 (21. c6 Bxc6 22. Bxb4 $11) 21... Bxe4 22. Rd4 Rg4 23. Rh3 $14) 19... Ke8 $1 (19... Kc8 20. Rhe1 Nxc5 (20... Nxg3 21. c6 Ba6 22. fxg3 Rxg3 23. Rd7 $18) 21. Re5 Na4 (21... Bd5 22. Rexd5 exd5 23. Rxd5 Ne6 24. Rf5 $18) 22. Bh5 Rd8 23. Rxd8+ Kxd8 24. Bxf7 $16) 20. Bf4 $1 {Both players have been looking into the secrets of this complex position. Vachier Lagarve would gladly keep the bishop and attack with the h-pawn.} (20. Rhe1 Nxc5 21. Bxb7 Nxb7 22. Rd4 $44) (20. Rd4 $6 Nxg3 21. Bxb7 Ne2+ 22. Kb1 Nxd4 23. Bxa8 c3 $15) 20... Nxc5 (20... Rc8 21. Bxh6 Bc6 22. Be3 Nxc5 23. Bxc6+ Rxc6 24. h5 $16) 21. Bxb7 Nxb7 22. Bxh6 Nc5 (22... Rxg2 23. Be3 Rc8 24. h5) 23. Be3 Nd3+ 24. Kb1 Rxg2 25. h5 $146 {Black has a material advantage and very active position. Unfortunately for him the white h-pawn represents a huge force that has to be confronted.} ({RR} 25. b3 f5 26. bxc4 Ne5 27. c5 Nc4 28. h5 Nxe3 29. fxe3 Rc8 30. h6 Rg8 31. Rdg1 Kf7 32. h7 Rh8 33. Rc1 Kg7 34. Kb2 Rxh7 35. Rxh7+ Kxh7 36. Kb3 Kg6 37. Kxb4 e5 38. c6 f4 39. exf4 exf4 {Diermair,A (2451)-Loetscher,R (2418) Ruzomberok 2014 1-0 (46)}) 25... f5 (25... Nxf2 $2 26. Rd2 Nxh1 27. Rxg2 $18) 26. h6 Kf7 27. h7 Rh8 28. b3 $1 e5 $2 {As it turns out Gelfand is struggling with serious problems. One inaccuracy can often become decisive in endangered situations.} (28... f4 $1 29. Bd4 e5 30. bxc4 exd4 31. Rxd3 Rxf2 32. Rxd4 Ke6 33. c5 Ke5 34. Rxb4 $16) 29. bxc4 Nxf2 (29... f4 30. Rxd3 fxe3 31. fxe3 $18) 30. Bxf2 Rxf2 31. c5 $1 {The two mobile pawns are more dangerous, than the connected black pair in the centre.} Rf3 (31... b3 32. c6 bxa2+ 33. Ka1 Rc2 34. Rd7+ Kf6 35. c7 $18) 32. c6 Rc3 33. Rd7+ $5 {White is certainly right with the active approach, even though the primitive support for the passed pawn from behind was also sufficient.} (33. Rc1 $5 e4 34. Rxc3 bxc3 35. c7 e3 (35... f4 36. c8=Q Rxc8 37. h8=Q Rxh8 38. Rxh8 f3 39. Kc2 $18) 36. c8=Q Rxc8 37. h8=Q Rxh8 38. Rxh8 e2 39. Rh1 f4 40. Kc2 f3 41. Kd3 $18) 33... Kg6 (33... Ke6 $2 34. Rh6#) (33... Kf8 34. c7 $18) 34. c7 f4 35. Rd6+ (35. Rg1+ Kf5 (35... Rg3 36. Rxg3+ fxg3 37. Rd8 g2 38. Rg8+ $18) 36. Rg8 Rxh7 37. Rxh7 $18) 35... Kg7 36. Rg1+ Kf7 (36... Kxh7 37. Rd7+ Kh6 38. Rd8 $18) 37. Rd8 {Black's defence is shattered as he can not eliminate the pawns even at the cost of a whole rook.} (37. Rd8 Rxh7 38. Rd7+ Ke6 39. Rxh7 $18) 1-0 [Event "Novgorod 3rd"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1996.07.21"] [Round "2"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2730"] [BlackElo "2765"] [Annotator "Huzman,Alexander"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "1996.07.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 054"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {HarZvi Tischbierek} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. Rc1 O-O 12. Re1 (12. Ne4 {HarZvi} Qe7 13. Bb3 Rd8 (13... b6 14. Ba4 c5 15. Bc6 Rb8 16. Qa4 $14) 14. Qc2 Nf6 (14... e5 $5) 15. Nc5 b6 16. Ne5 $1 Rd6 (16... bxc5 17. Nxc6 Qc7 18. Nxd8 $14) 17. Ncd3 Bb7 18. Ba4 Rc8 19. b4 Nd7 20. f4 $14 {/? Dautov,R-Dreev,A Reggio Emilia 1995 65/412 [Dreev,A]}) (12. e4 e5 13. d5 Nb6 14. dxc6 bxc6 (14... Nxc4 $2 {HarZvi} 15. Nd5 $16) 15. Be2 Rd8 16. Qc2 Bg4 17. Nb1 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Rd6 19. Nd2 h5 20. Nb3 a5 $14 {Van der Sterren,P-Kamsky,G Wijk ann Zee (m/7) 1994 59/(456)}) (12. Qe2 {HarZvi} Qe7 13. Rfd1 a6 14. a3 (14. e4 b5 15. Bb3 c5 $15) 14... b6 15. e4 Bb7 16. e5 $6 (16. h3) 16... c5 17. d5 b5 18. Ba2 c4 $15 {Van Wely,L-Dreev,A Wijk Ann Zee 1996 65/413 [Dreev,A]}) (12. b4 {HarZvi this move is considered to be the main move} Qe7 (12... Rd8 13. Qb3 Qe7 14. a4 a5 15. bxa5 Rxa5 16. Rfd1 b6 17. Be2 Bb7 18. Nd2 c5 19. Nc4 Raa8 20. d5 Bxc3 21. dxe6 Qxe6 22. Rd6 $13 {Beliavsky,A-Dreev,A Novosibirsk 1995 65/409 [Beliavsky,A]}) 13. Qb3 (13. b5 c5 14. Bb3 b6 15. d5 Bxc3 16. Rxc3 Qf6 17. Rc4 e5 $13 {Milovanovic,R-Peng,Zhaoqin Pozarevac 1995 64/(390)}) 13... b6 14. a3 $6 (14. e4) 14... Bb7 15. e4 Rab8 16. Rfe1 Rfe8 17. Rcd1 $2 (17. e5 c5 18. d5 exd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 Nxe5 21. Nxe5 Bxe5 22. Rxe5 Qxe5 23. Bxf7+ Kg7 24. Bxe8 Rxe8 $10) 17... a6 $3 $15 {with c5 on the next move Van Wely,L-Huzman,A Amsterdam 1995 64/390 [Huzman,A]}) 12... Qe7 (12... Rd8 $5 13. e4 e5 14. d5 Nb6 15. Bb3 Bg4 $10) 13. e4 Rd8 {HarZvi: normally black does not allow white to play e5,and play e5 by him self,see annotation to white's 12 move [ 12.e4 ] this is a strange decision by Kramnik} (13... e5 14. d5 Nb6 15. Bb3 $16) 14. e5 b6 {N/} (14... b5 15. Bd3 Bb7 16. Ne4 c5 17. Nxc5 {½-½/ Khalifman-Huzman (Amsterdam 1995)} Nxc5 18. Rxc5 (18. dxc5 Qc7 $14) 18... a6 19. Rc2 $1 Bxf3 (19... Ra7 20. Be4 $16) 20. Qxf3 Ra7 21. Re4 Rad7 22. Qe3 $16) 15. Qe2 Rb8 (15... Bb7 16. Ba6 Rab8 (16... Bxa6 17. Qxa6 {??c3-e4?}) 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Ne4 $16 {×c6}) 16. Bd3 $1 (16. Ba6 $5 c5 17. d5 (17. Bxc8 Rbxc8 18. d5 exd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 20. Nf4 Qf5) 17... Bxa6 18. Qxa6 exd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 20. Nc7 Qc6 21. Nb5 Nf8 22. Nxa7 Qa8 23. Qa3 Ne6 {?24...b5} 24. Nb5 Qxa3 25. Nxa3 (25. bxa3 Ra8 $44) 25... b5 $44) 16... Bb7 (16... c5 $2 {HarZvi} 17. d5) 17. Be4 {HarZvi: white got what he should hope in this line,it seems black can not break with c5,while white enjoyes a big space advantage thanks to the pawn on e5,just pleasent position to play with white} Nf8 $146 (17... c5 $5 18. Bxb7 (18. d5 exd5 19. Bxd5 (19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 Nxe5 21. Bxf7+ Kxf7 22. Nxe5+ Qxe5 23. Qxe5 Bxe5 24. Rxe5 Rd2 $17) 19... Bxd5 (19... Nf8 $10) 20. Nxd5 Qe6 $10) 18... Rxb7 19. Qe4 (19. d5 exd5 20. Nxd5 Qe6 21. Nf4 Qf5 22. Qa6 Rbb8 23. Nd5 Qe6 24. Nc7 Qc6 25. Nb5 Nf8 26. Nxa7 Qa8 27. Qa3 Ne6 {?28...b5} 28. Nb5 Qxa3 29. Nxa3 (29. bxa3 Ra8 $44) 29... b5 $44) (19. Nb5 cxd4 20. Nbxd4 $16 (20. Nd6 Rbb8 21. Rc7 $16)) 19... Rbb8 20. d5 exd5 21. Nxd5 Qe8 $14) ({RR} 17... b5 18. Red1 a6 19. Nb1 Rdc8 20. Nbd2 Ba8 21. Rc2 c5 22. Rdc1 Qf8 23. Bxa8 Rxa8 24. dxc5 Nxc5 25. Nd4 Kh7 26. Qe3 Nd7 27. Nc6 Nb8 28. f4 Nxc6 29. Rxc6 Rxc6 30. Rxc6 Qb4 31. Nb3 Rd8 32. Rc1 {Vaznonis,V (2282)-Korneev,O (2565) Dresden 2007 0-1 (56)}) 18. g3 Rbc8 19. a3 Rc7 (19... c5 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. Ne4 Qd5 {Huzman} (21... cxd4 $1 {Tischbierek} 22. Nd6 Rxd6 23. exd6 (23. Rxc8 Qxc8 24. exd6 Qc6 $44) 23... Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Qd5 25. Ne1 $1 Qxd6 26. Qa6 $13) 22. Nd6 Rb8 23. Red1 $16) 20. Red1 c5 21. Bxb7 Rxb7 22. Ne4 Rc7 (22... cxd4 23. Nd6 (23. Nxd4 Rd5 24. Nc6 $16) (23. Nxd4 {HarZvi}) 23... Rc7 (23... Rbd7 24. Nxd4 $18) 24. Rxc7 (24. Nxd4 Bxe5) 24... Qxc7 25. Rxd4 $16) 23. dxc5 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 bxc5 {?g6-g5,?f8-g6} 25. h4 (25. Nd6 {HarZvi}) 25... Nd7 (25... Rb7 $5 {×b2} 26. Nd6 Rb3 27. Rd3 Rxd3 28. Qxd3 Nd7 29. Nc4 (29. Nc8 Qe8 30. Nxa7 Nxe5 31. Nxe5 Bxe5 32. b3 Bd4 {?33...e5,34...e4?}) 29... Nb6 30. Na5 $14) 26. Nd6 Nb6 (26... Rc6 $5 {HarZvi with the idea ?xe5}) 27. Nd2 {HarZvi: a very strong move which probably Kramnim had underestimated,since he could have played 26...?c6 not allowing this,now white will defend the e5 pawn with f4 and put the "bad" f3 knight on e4} (27. Qb5 $5 Qd7 (27... c4 28. Rc1 $14) 28. Qa5 Qc6 $132) 27... Rd7 (27... Bxe5 {HarZvi alomost working,but almost is not enough} 28. Qxe5 Nd7 29. Qf4 e5 30. Qa4 Qxd6 31. Ne4 {and white takes twice on d7 and give a check on f6 winning}) 28. f4 Rxd6 {it is clear black position is unpleasent but after this I think losing} (28... f6 {xe6,g6}) 29. exd6 Qxd6 30. Ne4 Qc6 $2 (30... Bd4+ 31. Kh2 $16 {?32.b4}) (30... Qe7 $1 {?31...?d5,31...?d4?}) 31. Rd8+ Kh7 32. h5 Qc7 (32... gxh5 33. Ng5+ Kg6 34. Qd3+ Kf6 (34... f5 35. Nxe6 $18) 35. Rg8 $1 {?36.?h7+;36.?d8+} hxg5 36. Qd8+ Kf5 37. Qxg5+ Ke4 38. Rxg7 $18) 33. hxg6+ fxg6 34. Rd6 Bd4+ 35. Kh2 Nd5 36. Rxe6 (36. Qb5 $5 {HarZvi} Nb6 37. b4 $1 {winning}) 36... Qb7 37. Qg4 Ne7 38. Nd6 Qd7 39. Qe2 Ng8 40. Qe4 Bf6 (40... Bf6 {HarZvi} 41. Ne8 Qd2+ 42. Kh3 Qd7 43. g4) 1-0 [Event "Las Palmas"] [Site "Las Palmas"] [Date "1996.12.15"] [Round "5"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Kramnik,Vladimir"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "1996.12.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 057"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Ftacnik Hecht} Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ {The other well-known lines are:} (5. e4 Bb4) (5. e3 a6 6. Bxc4 c5) 5... c6 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qd3 (7. Qb3 Nbd7 8. g3 b4 9. Nb1 c5 10. Bg2 Bb7 11. O-O Nb6 12. dxc5 Bxc5 {Black is Okay, Kelecevic,N-Maksimenko,A/op Geneva SUI 1996}) 7... Bb7 (7... Nbd7 8. a3 b4 $6 9. axb4 Bxb4 10. e4 a5 11. e5 Nd5 12. Bd2 Ba6 13. Qe4 Bxf1 14. Kxf1 {White is clearly better, Karpov,A-Lautier,J, 1996}) 8. a3 ({Alternative is} 8. Bg5 $5) ({RR} 8. e4 b4 9. Na4 Qa5 10. b3 c5 11. Ne5 cxd4 12. Qb5+ Qxb5 13. Bxb5+ Ke7 14. Nc5 Bxe4 15. Bb2 Bxg2 16. Rg1 Bc6 17. Bxc6 Nxc6 18. Nxc6+ Kd6 19. Rc1 Kxc6 20. Nxe6+ Kd7 21. Nxf8+ Rhxf8 22. Bxd4 Rac8 {Andreikin,D (2713)-Anand,V (2786) Moscow 2013 ½-½ (34)}) ({RR} 8. e4 b4 9. Na4 Nbd7 10. Bg5 Qa5 11. b3 c5 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Be2 O-O-O 14. O-O Kb8 15. d5 Nb6 16. Nxb6 Qxb6 17. Rad1 Bh6 18. Qc4 Rd6 19. dxe6 Rxe6 20. Rd5 Rhe8 21. Bd3 Rd8 22. Rd1 Red6 {Karpov,A (2725)-Gelfand,B (2690) Linares 1993 1-0 (45)}) 8... a6 9. e3 c5 $146 ({RR} 9... Nbd7 10. Be2 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. b4 a5 13. bxa5 Rxa5 14. Bb2 Qa8 15. Qc2 Bxa3 16. Qb3 Be7 17. Rxa5 Qxa5 18. Ra1 Qb6 19. e4 Rb8 20. h3 h6 21. Bc1 Ra8 22. Rxa8+ Bxa8 23. Be3 Qa5 24. d5 {Woynowski,M (1874)-Popvasilev,K (2080) Hamburg 2018 0-1 (51)}) 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {Black equalized and stays a little bit better} 12. Bd2 Ke7 13. Bd3 Nbd7 14. Ke2 Bd6 15. Rhd1 Rac8 16. Rac1 Nb6 17. Be1 Nc4 18. Rc2 Bxf3+ $1 (18... Rhd8 {Ftacnik} 19. h3 $10) 19. gxf3 (19. Kxf3 Ne5+ 20. Ke2 Nxd3 21. Rxd3 Ng4 (21... Bxh2 {Ftacnik} 22. g3 h5 $17) 22. h3 Ne5 23. Rd1 Rc7 {and it is not easy for White to eliminate Black's pressure on Queen-side}) 19... Ne5 (19... Bxh2 $2 {Ftacnik} 20. f4 $1 (20. a4 $2 Ne5 21. axb5 Nxd3 22. Rxd3 axb5 {? 23...b4}) 20... Nd6 (20... h6 $2 21. a4 Nd6 (21... bxa4 22. Nxa4) 22. axb5 axb5 (22... Nxb5 23. Nxb5 Rxc2+ 24. Bxc2 axb5 25. Bb4+ Ke8 26. Bd3 (26. Rh1)) 23. Nxb5 Rxc2+ 24. Bxc2 Nxb5 25. Bb4+ Ke8 26. Ba4) 21. Bd2 $1 Rc5 22. Rh1 Rh5 23. Kf1 {× ?h2}) 20. h3 Nxd3 21. Rxd3 Rhd8 {White must be careful, his pawn chain is broken} 22. Rcd2 Bc7 23. Rc2 $6 (23. Rxd8 {Too passive. Better was} Rxd8 24. Ne4 Nd5 25. Rc2 Bb6) 23... Bb6 24. Rxd8 Kxd8 25. Rd2+ Ke7 26. Rd1 g6 {? h4-d8} (26... Rc5 {Ftacnik} 27. Ne4 Nxe4 28. fxe4 Rc2+ 29. Rd2 Rxd2+ 30. Bxd2) 27. f4 {? f3, ?h4} ({worse is} 27. Ne4 $2 Nd5) 27... Rc4 28. f3 Nd7 29. b3 Rc6 30. Ne4 Rc2+ 31. Rd2 (31. Kd3 $1 {Ftacnik} Rc6 (31... Rc7 32. Ke2 Rc2+ 33. Kd3 $10) (31... Rh2 $2 32. Bb4+ Kd8 33. Nd6 (33. Ng5 Ke8 34. Rc1) 33... f5 34. Rc1 Nf6 35. Nf7+ Ke8 36. Ne5 Kd8 37. Rc6) (31... Rb2 $2 32. Bb4+ Ke8 (32... Kd8 33. Kc3 $18 {? 34.?f6}) 33. Nd6+ Kd8 34. Nxf7+ Ke8 35. Nd6+ Kd8 36. Kc3 Rh2 (36... Rf2 $2 37. Ne4 Rxf3 38. Nf6) 37. Rd3 (37. e4) 37... Kc7 (37... Rxh3 38. Nf7+ {? ?g5}) 38. Nf7 Rxh3 $6 39. Ng5 Rg3 40. Nxe6+) (31... Rg2 $2 32. Bb4+ Kd8 33. Ng5 Ke8 34. Rc1 Bd8 35. Nxh7 Rh2 36. Rc8 $18) (31... Ra2 $2 32. Bb4+ Kd8 33. Ng5 Ke8 34. Rc1 Bd8 35. Nxh7 {? 36.?c8+-}) 32. Bb4+ (32. Ke2 $5 a5 $140 $6 33. b4 $1 {× b5}) 32... Kd8 33. Nd6 (33. Ng5 Ke8 34. Nxh7 $6 (34. Ne4) 34... a5) 33... f6 34. e4 Kc7 35. Ke2 Rc2+ 36. Rd2) 31... Rxd2+ 32. Bxd2 Bc5 $5 {A provocative move, as 33.b4 Bd6 favors Black, as well as 33.Bb4 Bxb4 33.axb4 f5 34.Nc3 (34.Nc5!? Nxc5 35.bxc5 a5); The reasonable reply is 33.a4} 33. Nxc5 (33. a4 {Ftacnik} bxa4 34. bxa4 $10) 33... Nxc5 34. Bb4 Kd6 35. Kd2 (35. Kd1 {Ftacnik} a5 (35... Kc6 36. Kc2) (35... Kd5 36. Kc2) 36. Bxa5 $2 Nxb3 37. Bc3 Kd5 {? ?c4}) 35... a5 36. Bxc5+ Kxc5 {Black has advantage in the pawn ending because his pawn structure is better and his King is more active.  Hecht Raum und bessere Bauernstruktur und mehr Tempi für Schwarz. Gewinnmotiv: entfernten Freibauer am K-Flügel bilden.} 37. Kd3 f6 38. h4 $6 {it is very likely that this inaccuracy could cost Karpov a lot because it gives Black an important tempo in the critical moment. 38.e4 deserved attention} (38. e4 $1) 38... Kd5 39. b4 (39. e4+ {Ftacnik} Kd6 40. Ke3 (40. Kd4 $2 e5+ 41. fxe5+ fxe5+ 42. Kd3 Ke6 43. a4 b4 44. Kc4 (44. Ke3 Kf6 45. f4 exf4+ 46. Kxf4 h6 47. e5+ Ke6 48. Ke4 g5 $19) 44... h5 $19 {? 45.?b5 g5}) 40... e5 41. f5 $1 gxf5 42. exf5 Kd5 43. Kd3 a4 44. bxa4 bxa4 45. h5 h6 46. Kc3 e4 47. fxe4+ Kxe4 48. Kb4 Kxf5 49. Kxa4 Kg4 50. Kb4 f5 51. a4 f4 52. a5 f3 53. a6 f2 54. a7 f1=Q 55. a8=Q $10) 39... axb4 40. axb4 h6 $2 {This move allows White to escape. Black was winning after 40... e5} (40... e5 41. e4+ (41. fxe5 Kxe5 42. Kd2 (42. Ke2 h5 43. Kf2 Kd5) 42... h5 43. Ke2 g5 44. hxg5 fxg5 45. Kf2 h4 46. Kg2 Kd5 47. f4 gxf4 48. exf4 Ke4 49. Kh3 Kxf4 $19) 41... Kd6 (41... Ke6 {Ftacnik} 42. Ke3 (42. fxe5 fxe5 43. Ke3 Kf6 44. f4 (44. Kf2 h5 45. Kg3 g5 46. Kh3 gxh4 47. Kxh4 Kg6 $19) 44... exf4+ 45. Kxf4 h6 $19) 42... Kd6 $1 (42... Kf7 $2 43. f5 $1 gxf5 44. exf5 Kg7 45. Kf2 Kh6 46. Kg3 $10) 43. f5 (43. fxe5+ fxe5 44. Kf2 Ke6 45. Kg2 Kf6 46. Kg3 h6) 43... gxf5 44. exf5 Kd5 45. Kd3 (45. h5 Kc4 46. Ke4 h6 $19) 45... h5 46. Ke3 Kc4 47. Ke4 Kxb4 48. Kd5 Kc3 49. Ke6 b4 50. Kxf6 b3 51. Kg7 b2 52. f6 b1=Q 53. f7 Qb7 54. Kg8 Qxf3 $19) 42. fxe5+ fxe5 43. Ke3 Ke6 44. Kf2 Kf6 45. Kg2 (45. Kg3 h6 $1 46. Kg4 (46. f4 exf4+ 47. Kxf4 g5+ 48. hxg5+ hxg5+ 49. Kg4 Ke5 {and Black is winning}) 46... h5+ 47. Kg3 g5 {winning}) 45... h5 $1 {with the following g6-g5}) 41. e4+ Kd6 42. Ke3 e5 43. fxe5+ fxe5 (43... Kxe5 44. f4+ Ke6 45. Kf3 $11 (45. Kd4 g5 46. hxg5 hxg5 47. Ke3 $1 $11)) 44. Kf2 Ke6 45. Kg2 $1 {The only move that allows White to save the game} (45. Kg3 $4 Kf6 46. Kg4 h5+ 47. Kg3 g5 48. Kh3 gxh4 49. Kxh4 Kg6 50. Kh3 Kg5 51. Kg3 h4+ $19) (45. Kg2 $1 Kf6 46. Kg3 h5 (46... g5 47. h5 $10) 47. f4) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 87th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2025.01.25"] [Round "7"] [White "Fedoseev, Vladimir1"] [Black "Keymer, Vincent"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2717"] [BlackElo "2733"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2025.01.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "Mega2025 Update 14"] [Source "Chessbase"] [SourceDate "2025.02.07"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.02.07"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Be2 $1 {[%mdl 4] is more profitable than 8.Bd3 at the moment. scheint profitabler als 8.Ld3.} Qe7 ({RR} 8... Qd8 9. O-O Be7 10. Qc2 O-O 11. a3 b6 12. Rfd1 Bb7 13. Rac1 Qb8 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Qa4 Nf6 16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Qc8 18. Qxc8 Rfxc8 19. Ne5 Bd6 20. Nd3 Ne8 21. Kf1 Kf8 22. Ke2 Ke7 23. h3 {Kramnik,V (2801)-Aronian,L (2820) Zuerich 2012 ½-½ (43)}) ({RR} 8... Bb4 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 Bxc3 11. Qxc3 dxc4 12. Rfd1 c5 13. Bxc4 a6 14. Qa3 b6 15. Bb5 Rd8 16. Bc6 Ra7 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Qb4 Nd7 19. Qd6 Rf8 20. Rd2 Nc5 21. Rad1 Qe7 22. b4 Qxd6 23. Rxd6 {Dubov,D (2683)-Yu,Y (2726) Wijk aan Zee 2020 1-0 (31)}) 9. c5 $146 (9. O-O g6 10. c5 Bg7 11. e4 O-O 12. Rc1 a5 13. Re1 b6 14. exd5 exd5 15. Bf1 Qd8 16. cxb6 Nxb6 {½-½ Grau Ribas,J (1927)-Van Hattum,L EU-ch SC-OR/496 email 2022}) ({RR} 9. a3 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. e4 dxc4 12. e5 O-O 13. Bxc4 c5 14. Re1 cxd4 15. Qxd4 Nb6 16. Ba2 Bd7 17. Qf4 Bc6 18. Nd4 Rac8 19. Rad1 Rfd8 20. Qg3 {½-½ (20) Jagdhuber,R (1912)-Leckner,H (1870) Bayern 2012}) 9... g5 10. b4 Bg7 11. Rc1 O-O 12. b5 g4 13. Nd2 e5 14. Nb3 exd4 15. Nxd4 Ne5 16. O-O Qxc5 17. bxc6 bxc6 18. Ncb5 Qb6 19. Nd6 Bd7 20. N4f5 h5 21. f3 Rfb8 22. Kh1 Bf8 23. f4 Ng6 24. e4 Qb4 25. e5 Qa3 26. Ng3 Bxd6 27. exd6 Qxd6 28. Nxh5 Rb4 29. Bxg4 f5 30. Bf3 Rf8 31. a3 Rb7 32. Re1 Rf7 33. Qd4 Nf8 34. Re3 Nh7 35. Be2 Nf6 36. Rg3+ Kh7 37. Rg5 c5 38. Nxf6+ Rxf6 39. Qe3 Rb8 40. Bd3 c4 41. Qh3+ Rh6 42. Bxf5+ Bxf5 43. Qxf5+ Kh8 44. h3 Rd8 45. Rd1 d4 46. Qf7 Rh7 47. Qxc4 Qxf4 48. Qc5 Qe4 49. Rd3 a6 50. Rdg3 Qf4 51. Rf3 1-0 [Event "UKR-ch 83rd"] [Site "Lvov"] [Date "2014.11.21"] [Round "10"] [White "Moiseenko, Alexander"] [Black "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2701"] [BlackElo "2719"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2014.11.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb3 dxc4 8. Qxc4 Nd7 9. Rd1 g6 10. e4 e5 11. d5 Nb6 12. Qb3 Bc5 13. Be2 O-O 14. O-O Bg4 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. h3 $146 ({RR} 16. Qc2 Rfd8 17. a3 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Bd4 19. Be2 c5 20. a4 a5 21. Bb5 Kg7 {½-½ (21) Nordstrom,F (2325)-Ekenberg,B (2280) Lund 1974}) ({RR} 16. Qc2 Rfd8 17. a3 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Bd4 19. Be2 c5 20. a4 a5 21. Bb5 Kg7 {½-½ (21) Nordstrom,F-Ekenberg,B Lund 1974}) ({RR} 16. Qc2 Rfd8 17. Nd2 Be6 18. Nd5 cxd5 19. Qxc5 Rdc8 20. Qd6 Rd8 21. Qa3 h5 22. exd5 Bxd5 23. g3 h4 24. Bf3 Bxf3 25. Qxf3 Qxf3 26. Nxf3 hxg3 27. hxg3 f6 28. Kg2 Na4 29. b3 Nc3 30. Rxd8+ Rxd8 {Teplyi,I (2402)-Olsen,F (2300) Aarhus 2018 ½-½ (31)}) 16... Bxf3 17. Bxf3 h5 18. Ne2 Rfd8 19. Qc2 Qe7 20. Rc1 Nd7 21. g3 h4 22. Kg2 Bb6 23. Qxc6 Nc5 24. Rcd1 Rac8 25. Qb5 Qg5 26. Bg4 Rb8 27. Nc3 hxg3 28. fxg3 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 f5 30. Qc4+ Kh8 31. b4 fxg4 32. hxg4 Nd3 33. Rh1+ Kg7 34. Qxd3 Bd4 35. Nb5 Rxb5 36. Qxb5 Qd2+ 37. Kh3 Qh6+ 38. Kg2 Qd2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 17th"] [Site "Novi Sad"] [Date "2009.10.26"] [Round "5"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2709"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2009.10.22"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 133"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "France"] [BlackTeam "Armenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal Stohl,Igor} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 ({In this year's heavy-weight AntiMoscow duel between Grischuk and Aronian Black was finally successful in the most recent encounter:} 9. Ne5 Bb7 (9... h5 10. h4 g4 11. Be2 Bb7 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. b3 O-O $5 (15... cxb3 16. axb3 O-O 17. Bg3 $1 c5 18. e5 Nd5 19. Nxb5 cxd4 20. Nd6 Rb8 21. Qd2 Nc3 22. Bd3 a5 23. Ra3 $44 {?, Grischuk,A (2728)-Karjakin,S (2727)/Sochi/2008/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 126.}) 16. bxc4 Nh7 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rad1 Qxh4 19. cxb5 cxb5 20. Nxb5 Rac8 21. Qd3 Rfd8 $6 (21... g3 $1 $11) 22. d5 $1 exd5 23. Qd4+ Kg8 24. Qxa7 Qe7 25. e5 Qxe5 $2 (25... Ra8 $142 26. Qe3 Rxa2 27. Bd3 $36) 26. Qxb7 Rb8 27. Qc7 Qxe2 28. Nd4 $40 {Grischuk,A (2733)-Aronian,L (2750)/Linares/2009/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 129.}) 10. h4 g4 11. Be2 (11. Nxg4 Nxg4 12. Qxg4 Qxd4 13. Rd1 Qf6 14. a4 h5 15. Qg5 $5 $146 Qxg5 16. hxg5 a6 17. Be5 Rg8 (17... Rh7 18. Bf6 $5 Nd7 19. e5 $44 {[%csl Rh7] ?h7}) 18. Rxh5 Nd7 19. Bf4 b4 (19... Nc5 $13) (19... Be7 $5) 20. Nb1 c5 (20... Nc5 21. Bxc4 Nxa4 22. Be5 $14 {/?}) 21. f3 Bg7 (21... Bc6 $132) 22. Rh7 Bd4 (22... Bxb2 23. Rxd7 $1 $36) (22... Bc6 $5) 23. Bxc4 Nf8 (23... Bxb2 $2 24. Bxe6 $18) 24. Rh5 Ng6 $2 ({Aronian considered this a serious mistake, recommending} 24... Bxb2 $13) 25. Bc1 O-O-O (25... Ke7 {??ad8 is somewhat better, as ?f7 remains protected. However, after} 26. b3 $14 {White remains on top.}) 26. b3 Ne5 27. Be2 Rd7 28. Rd2 $1 Rgd8 (28... c4 29. bxc4 a5 30. Bb2 $16) 29. Rc2 Ng6 30. Kf1 Kb8 31. g3 $16 {/+-,Aronian,L (2786)-Leko,P (2752)/Moscow Tal mem/2009/ White prepares ?d2 by stopping ?f4. He has a distinct, possibly already decisive advantage, as Black's activity will gradually evaporate.}) 11... Nbd7 ({RR} 11... Nbd7) ({RR} 11... Rg8) 12. Nxd7 ({Less common is} 12. Bxg4 {, after} Rg8 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bf3 O-O-O 15. Qd2 $5 Rxg3 16. fxg3 e5 17. O-O-O Qxd4 ({Black should have possibly gone for the ?} 17... exd4 $5 18. Qf4 Qe6 19. e5 dxc3 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. Qxf6+ Qxf6 22. exf6 cxb2+ 23. Kxb2 Bd6 24. Re1 Bxg3 25. Re7 Bc8 26. Bxc6 (26. Rxa7 Bf5 $44) 26... b4 $132) 18. g4 $1 Nd7 19. Qxd4 exd4 20. Rxd4 Bg7 21. Rdd1 Rg8 22. g5 Ne5 23. gxh6 Bxh6+ 24. Kb1 b4 25. Ne2 c5 26. Rd6 Bg7 27. Rhd1 Kc7 28. Nf4 Rh8 29. h5 Bc6 30. R6d2 $16 {Grischuk,A (2733)-Aronian,L (2773)/Bilbao/2009/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 132.}) 12... Qxd7 13. Be5 Qe7 {Po} 14. O-O Rg8 15. b3 Nd7 16. Bg3 b4 17. Na4 c3 18. Qd3 h5 $5 $146 (18... e5 19. Rad1 Bg7 20. d5 Qd6 21. Bxg4 cxd5 22. exd5 O-O-O 23. a3 Ba6 24. Qe3 h5 25. Bf5 Kb8 26. Rfe1 $13 {/?,Grischuk,A (2717)-Gelfand,B (2733)/Odessa rpd/2007/ White finally won this game after some hair-raising complications.}) 19. a3 a5 20. axb4 axb4 21. Nc5 $5 (21. Qc4 Ra5 $15) (21. Qe3 Rg6 $36) 21... Rxa1 22. Nxb7 $1 Ne5 $1 23. Rxa1 Nxd3 24. Ra8+ Kd7 25. Bxd3 Qf6 26. Be5 $2 (26. e5 $1 Qh6 27. Ra7 Kc8 28. Na5 $11 {and Black's ? can't escape the threatening perpetual.}) 26... Bd6 $1 $19 {[%csl Gc3] ?c3} 27. Bxf6 Rxa8 28. Kf1 Ra1+ 29. Ke2 Ra2+ {0-1,Grischuk,A (2733)-Aronian,L (2773)/ECC Ohrid/2009/}) 9... Bb7 10. O-O {This move and the lines connected with it were recently somewhat unfairly neglected.} ({More attention concentrated on} 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 {, transposing into the lines from the previous note.}) ({RR} 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 h5) ({RR} 10. Ne5 Nbd7 ({RR} 10... Bg7 11. h4) ({RR} 10... h5 11. h3 ({RR} 11. h4) 11... Nbd7) {RR} 11. h4 ({RR} 11. Qc2)) 10... Nbd7 11. Ne5 ({RR} 11. d5 cxd5 12. exd5 ({RR} 12. Nxb5 Nxe4) 12... Nxd5 13. Nxb5 a6 14. Nbd4 Bg7 ({RR} 14... c3 15. Qc2) 15. Bxc4 O-O 16. Re1 Rc8 17. Rc1 N5b6) 11... Bg7 ({Due to the recent developments in this branch Black should perhaps pay more attention to the less usual, but playable alternative} 11... h5 12. Nxd7 ({RR} 12. h3) 12... Qxd7 {, which doesn't lead to such forcing play as the text-move:} 13. Be5 (13. Qc1 Rg8 14. Rd1 Bb4 15. Qe3 Qe7 (15... Ng4 16. Bxg4 hxg4 17. a4 Kf8 18. axb5 cxb5 19. d5 a6 20. Qb6 Rg6 21. Bc7 Rc8 22. Qxb7 {Goganov,A (2462)-Yevseev,D (2529)/St Petersburg/2009/} Rxc7 23. Qxa6 exd5 $132) 16. h3 (16. e5 $5 $14) (16. a4 $5) 16... h4 17. Bh2 Bxc3 18. bxc3 g4 19. Kh1 c5 20. hxg4 cxd4 21. Rxd4 e5 22. Rdd1 Nxg4 23. Bxg4 Rxg4 24. f3 Rg6 25. a4 a5 26. axb5 a4 27. Qe2 Qc5 28. Rab1 Rd6 29. Rxd6 Qxd6 30. Qxc4 a3 31. Ra1 h3 32. Qe2 hxg2+ 33. Qxg2 O-O-O $1 $44 {Kramnik,V (2769)-Gelfand,B (2733)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) 13... Rh6 14. Qc1 Rg6 ({RR} 14... Nh7 15. f4 Be7 16. Qe3 O-O-O 17. Rad1 f6 18. fxg5 fxe5 19. gxh6 exd4 20. Qg3 Qe8 21. Qg7 Rd7 22. Rf7 Ng5 23. Rxe7 Qxe7 24. Qxe7 Rxe7 25. Rxd4 Rh7 26. h4 Nf7 27. Bxh5) ({RR} 14... Ng4 15. Bxg4 hxg4 16. Qxg5 c5 ({RR} 16... Rg6 17. Qe3 f6 18. Bg3 Bh6 19. Qe2 O-O-O 20. Rfd1 Qe7 21. a4 b4 22. Nb5 cxb5 23. axb5 Kd7 24. Rxa7 Ke8 25. Qxc4) 17. Rfd1 ({RR} 17. Rad1 b4 18. dxc5 Qc6 19. Nd5 Rg6 20. Nf6+ Rxf6 21. Bxf6 Qxe4 22. f3) 17... b4 18. dxc5 Qc6 19. Nd5 Rg6 20. Nf6+ Rxf6 21. Bxf6 Qxe4 22. f3 gxf3 23. Rd4 Qe2 24. gxf3 Qxf3 25. Rad1 Qh1+ 26. Kf2 Qxh2+ 27. Ke1 Qh1+ 28. Kf2 Qf3+ 29. Ke1) ({RR} 14... Rg6 15. Rd1 Ng4 16. Bg3 f5 17. f3 Ne3 ({RR} 17... Nf6 18. Be5 ({RR} 18. b3)) 18. Qxe3 f4 19. Bxf4 gxf4 20. Qxf4 O-O-O 21. Qh4 Bh6 22. Kh1 Be3 23. e5 Qg7 24. Bf1 Rg8 25. Qh3 Kb8 26. Ne4) 15. Rd1 Ng4 16. Bxg4 hxg4 17. b3 cxb3 18. axb3 f6 19. Bg3 Kf7 20. Qe3 a6 21. Rd3 Kg8 22. Rad1 Qf7 23. Qe2 {1/2,Wang Hao (2696)-Predojevic,B (2652)/Sarajevo/2009/} a5 $5 $13 {/?}) ({RR} 11... h5 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Be5 Rh6 14. Qc1 c5 15. dxc5 b4 16. Qxg5 Rg6 17. Qf4 Ng4 18. Rad1 Qc6 19. Nd5 exd5 20. exd5 Qxc5 21. Rfe1 Bh6 22. Qf5 Bc8 23. Bd4 Bxf5 24. Bxc5 Kd8 ({RR} 24... O-O-O 25. Bxc4 Bf4) 25. Bxc4 Bd7 26. h3) ({RR} 11... b4 12. Nxd7 Kxd7 13. e5 bxc3 14. exf6 cxb2 15. Rb1 Ba3 16. Qa4 Qf8 17. Bxc4 Kc8 18. Ba6) 12. Nxd7 ({Topalov's blow} 12. Nxf7 {has almost disappeared from the scene:} Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne4 Qb6 15. Nd6+ Ke7 16. Bg4 Raf8 17. Qc2 Rhg8 18. Rad1 c5 19. Qg6 Nc7 20. Nxb7 cxd4 21. Qe4 d3 (21... Nd5 $5 22. Nd6 d3 $15) 22. Rxd3 cxd3 23. Qb4+ Nc5 24. Nxc5 a5 25. Qa3 Rd8 $1 26. Nb3+ $2 (26. Nxd3+ b4 27. Qb3 Rc8 $15 {/?}) 26... b4 27. Qxa5 Qxa5 28. Nxa5 Rd5 {0-1,Bromberger,S (2510)-Sandipan,C (2585)/Zuerich/2009/}) ({RR} 12. f4 Nxe5 13. fxe5 Nd7) 12... Nxd7 ({RR} 12... Qxd7 13. e5 ({RR} 13. Be5) 13... Nd5 14. Ne4 Bf8 15. a4 Be7 16. Bg4 a6 17. Qf3 Rf8 18. b3 cxb3 19. Qxb3 O-O-O 20. Rfc1 Kb8 21. Nc5 Bxc5 22. dxc5 b4 23. a5) 13. Bd6 a6 ({RR} 13... Bf8 14. Bxf8 Rxf8 ({RR} 14... Kxf8 15. e5 Qb6 16. f4 Rd8 17. Bh5 g4 18. Ne4) 15. a4 a6 ({RR} 15... b4 16. Nb1 a5 17. Nd2) 16. e5 Qb6 17. Ne4 O-O-O 18. Nd6+ Kb8 19. b3) ({RR} 13... e5 14. Bg4 ({RR} 14. d5 Nb6 15. dxc6 Bxc6 16. a4 bxa4 17. Nxa4 Bxa4 18. Rxa4 Nxa4 19. Qxa4+ Qd7 20. Qa6 Rc8 21. Rd1 Rc6 22. Qa3 Qb7 23. Bc5 Qb5 24. Qxa7 Rxc5 25. Qa8+ Ke7 26. Qa7+ Ke8 27. Bh5 Rf8 28. Bxf7+ Rxf7) 14... h5 ({RR} 14... exd4 15. e5 Nxe5 ({RR} 15... c5 16. Nxb5) 16. Qxd4 Qb6 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. Rfe1 f6 19. Rad1 h5 20. Bf5 Kf7 21. Bxe5) 15. Bxd7+ Qxd7 16. dxe5 Qe6 17. Qd4 g4 18. f4 gxf3 19. Rxf3 Rh7 20. Raf1 Bh8 21. Rg3 Bg7 22. Rf6 Qd7 23. Rxg7 Rxg7 24. e6) 14. a4 {This is the main and most ambitious move.} (14. Re1 Bf8 $1 15. Bxf8 Kxf8 16. b3 cxb3 17. Qxb3 Kg7 18. a4 Qe7 19. d5 b4 20. dxe6 fxe6 21. Qb2 Kh7 22. e5 Rhf8 (22... c5 $5 $15) 23. Qc2+ Kh8 24. Ne4 c5 25. Nd6 Bd5 26. Bc4 Bxc4 27. Nxc4 Rf4 28. Rad1 Kg7 29. g3 Rd4 30. Rxd4 cxd4 31. Qe4 Rf8 32. Qxd4 Qc5 $15 {Lorenzo de la Riva,L (2331)-Alsina Leal,D (2529)/Barcelona/2009/}) (14. Bh5 Bf8 ({RR} 14... e5 15. f4 gxf4 ({RR} 15... exd4 16. Qg4 Nf8 17. fxg5 Qxd6 18. Rxf7 Kd8 19. Rxg7 Bc8 20. Qh4 Bd7 21. e5 Qc5 22. Ne4 Qxe5 23. g6+) 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. Bxf7+ Kxf7 18. Qh5+ Ke6 19. Rad1 Bxd6 20. Qg4+ Ke7 21. Qg7+ Ke6 22. Ne2 c5 ({RR} 22... Bc5+ 23. Kh1 Be3 24. Rxf4 Rf8 25. e5 Nxe5 26. Qxh6+ Rf6 27. Rxf6+ Qxf6 28. Rd6+ Kxd6 29. Qxf6+ Kd5 30. Nc3+ Kd4 31. Qd6#) 23. Nxf4+ Bxf4 24. Rxf4 Rf8 25. Rxf8 Nxf8 ({RR} 25... Qxf8 26. Qxd7+ Ke5 27. Qxb7 Rd8 28. Rf1) 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Qxb7 Rd1+ 28. Kf2 Rd2+ 29. Kg3) 15. Bxf8 Rxf8 16. e5 ({RR} 16. b3) ({RR} 16. d5 Qe7 ({RR} 16... Ne5) 17. b3 cxb3 ({RR} 17... b4 18. dxe6 Qxe6) 18. Qxb3 ({RR} 18. axb3) 18... Nf6 ({RR} 18... Ne5 19. Rac1 c5 20. dxe6 O-O-O 21. exf7 Rd3 22. Be2 Qxf7 23. Bxd3 Nxd3 24. Rcd1 c4 25. Qc2 Qe6 26. f3 Kb8 27. Rxd3 cxd3 28. Qxd3)) 16... Qe7 $5 $146 (16... Qb6 17. b3 O-O-O $13 {Kramnik,V (2769)-Anand,V (2792)/WCh Mexico City/2007/ See the notes in CBM 120.}) 17. Ne4 O-O-O 18. Nd6+ Kb8 19. a4 Nb6 20. axb5 cxb5 21. Bf3 Rxd6 22. exd6 Qxd6 23. Bxb7 Kxb7 24. Qf3+ Nd5 25. Ra5 Qe7 26. Rfa1 Ra8 $15 {Pavlidis,A (2270)-Kotanjian,T (2578)/Kavala/2008/}) (14. d5 cxd5 ({RR} 14... Ne5 15. dxe6 Nd3 16. e5 Bxe5 17. exf7+ Kxf7 18. Bh5+ Kg7 19. Bxe5+ Nxe5 20. Qe2 Ng6 21. Rad1 Qc7 22. Bxg6 Kxg6 23. Qe6+ Kh5 24. Ne4 Bc8 25. Ng3+) 15. exd5 Nf8 $15) ({RR} 14. Bh5 Bf8 15. Bxf8 Rxf8 16. e5 Qb6 17. Ne4 ({RR} 17. b3 c5 18. d5 O-O-O 19. bxc4 Nxe5) 17... O-O-O 18. Nd6+ Kb8 19. b3 ({RR} 19. Nxf7 Rxf7 20. Bxf7 Nxe5 21. Qh5 Rxd4 22. Bxe6 c5 23. Qxh6 Ka7 24. Rae1 Nd3 25. Re3 Rd6 26. h4 Nf4 27. hxg5 Nxe6) ({RR} 19. Qe2 c5) 19... f6 ({RR} 19... c3) 20. bxc4 fxe5 21. c5 Qc7 22. dxe5) ({RR} 14. d5 cxd5 15. exd5 Nf8 16. dxe6 Nxe6 17. Bf3 Qd7) ({RR} 14. e5 c5 15. Bh5 Bf8 ({RR} 15... cxd4 16. Qg4 Nf8 17. Qxd4) 16. d5 ({RR} 16. Bxf8 Kxf8 ({RR} 16... Rxf8 17. d5 Qb6 18. dxe6 Qxe6 19. Bg4) ({RR} 16... Nxf8) 17. f4 f5 18. exf6 ({RR} 18. d5 gxf4 19. Ne2 Bxd5 20. Nxf4 Nb6) 18... Nxf6 19. fxg5 hxg5 20. Qg4 Qxd4+ 21. Qxd4 cxd4 22. Rxf6+ Ke7 23. Rf7+ Kd6 24. Rxb7 dxc3) 16... Bxd6 17. Bxf7+ ({RR} 17. exd6 e5 18. f4) 17... Kxf7 18. dxe6+ Kg7 ({RR} 18... Kxe6) 19. exd6 Ne5 20. f4 Nd3 21. Qh5 Qf6 22. f5 Nf4 23. Rxf4 gxf4 24. Rd1 Rhg8 25. Nd5 Bxd5 26. Rxd5 Kh7 27. Qe2 Rg7 28. d7 Rag8) 14... e5 ({RR} 14... b4 15. Bxb4 Qb6 16. Ba3 Qxd4 17. Qc2 c5 18. Rad1 Qe5 19. Bxc4 Qc7 20. Ne2 Be5 21. Kh1 Nf6 22. Bd3 c4 23. Qxc4 Qxc4 24. Bxc4 Nxe4 25. Ng3 Nf6 26. Rfe1 Bxg3 27. hxg3 Rd8 28. Rc1 Nd5 29. Bxd5 {Brunner,N (2430)-Frey,F (2207) Switzerland SUI 2023 ½-½ (40)}) 15. Bg4 (15. d5 c5 16. b4 Qb6 $1 {is still considered reliable for Black:} (16... cxb4 17. Bxb4 a5 18. Bd6 b4 19. Nb5 Rc8 20. Bxc4 $1 Rxc4 21. Qb3 $40 Qc8 22. Bc7 Qxc7 23. Nxc7+ Rxc7 24. Rac1 Nc5 25. Qh3 Bc8 26. Qf3 g4 27. Qe3 Bf8 28. f4 gxf3 29. Qxf3 f5 30. Qg3 {1-0,Gustafsson,J (2606)-Rodshtein,M (2615)/Khanty Mansiysk/2007/}) 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. Bxc5 Qxc5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Qa1 O-O 22. Qa5 Rb8 23. Rb1 Bf8 24. Nxb5 ({RR} 24. Rxb5 Rxb5 25. Qxb5 Qxb5 26. Nxb5 Bb7 27. Bxc4 Ba6 28. Kf1 Bxb5 29. Bxb5 Bc5) 24... f5 25. Qa6 Kh8 26. Nc3 Rxb1+ 27. Nxb1 Qb4 28. Qxa8 Qxb1+ 29. Bf1 Qb4 30. exf5 c3 31. Qc8 (31. Qc6 e4 32. h4 g4 33. g3 Qc5 34. Qf6+ Bg7 35. Qd8+ Bf8 36. Qf6+ Bg7 37. Qd8+ Qf8 38. Qc7 Qxf5 39. d6 Bd4 40. Qd8+ Kg7 {1/2,Alekseev,E (2716)-Bareev,E (2653)/Khanty Mansiysk/2007/}) 31... e4 32. d6 Qxd6 33. Qxc3+ Bg7 34. Qc8+ Kh7 35. g3 Qd4 36. Qe8 Qe5 37. Qg6+ Kh8 38. Kg2 Qe7 39. Kh3 e3 40. fxe3 Qxe3 $11 {[%csl Rf1,Gg7] Kramnik,V (2799)-Karjakin,S (2732)/Nice blindfold rpd/2008/ The ? are a sufficiently strong drawing factor to hold this ? for Black.}) ({Interesting, but hardly conclusive is Kramnik's alternative idea} 15. Re1 $5 Qf6 $5 (15... exd4 $6 16. e5 $1 {?} dxc3 17. Bh5 Nf8 18. Qf3 Qd7 19. e6 Nxe6 20. Rxe6+ $1 Qxe6 21. Bxf7+ $1 Qxf7 22. Re1+ $18) (15... Qb6 16. Bg4 $1 {?} Qxd4 17. Bxd7+ Kxd7 18. Qh5 $1 Kxd6 19. Qxf7 $40) 16. Ba3 Bf8 17. Bg4 Rd8 18. axb5 axb5 (18... cxb5 19. Nd5 $16) 19. Bxf8 Kxf8 20. Bxd7 (20. Ra7 exd4 $5 (20... Nc5 $2 21. dxc5 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 $18) (20... h5 $13) 21. Rxb7 Ne5 $44) 20... Rxd7 $1 (20... exd4 21. e5 Qe7 22. e6 dxc3 23. Qd4 $16) 21. dxe5 Qe6 22. Qh5 Qxe5 23. f4 $5 Qxf4 (23... Qe7 $13) (23... Qc5+ 24. Kh1 Qf2 $13 {Kramnik}) 24. Rf1 Qe5 25. Rf5 Qe6 26. Raf1 Kg7 $2 (26... Rh7 27. e5 $44) 27. Ne2 $1 Rf8 28. Ng3 c5 $2 (28... Qg6 $142 $8 29. Qg4 Rd6 30. Nh5+ Kg8 31. Rf6 Rxf6 32. Rxf6 Qh7 33. Rd6 $1 $40) 29. Rf6 Qxf6 30. Rxf6 Kxf6 31. Qxh6+ Ke7 32. Nf5+ Ke8 33. Nd6+ Ke7 34. e5 Rg8 35. Qf6+ Kf8 36. e6 {1-0,Kramnik,V (2759)-Leko,P (2751)/Nice rpd blindfold/2009/}) ({RR} 15. d5 c5 16. b4 cxb4 17. Bxb4 a5 18. Bd6 b4 19. Nb5 Rc8 20. Bg4) ({RR} 15. d5 c5 16. b4 Qb6 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. Bxc5 Qxc5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Qa1 O-O 22. Qa5 Rb8 23. Rb1 Bf8 24. Nxb5 f5 25. Qa6 Kh8 26. Nc3 Rxb1+ 27. Nxb1 Qb4 28. Qxa8 Qxb1+ 29. Bf1 Qb4) ({RR} 15. Re1 Qf6 16. Ba3 Bf8 17. Bg4 Rd8 18. Nd5) 15... exd4 16. e5 c5 ({RR} 16... Nxe5 17. Qxd4 h5 ({RR} 17... Nf3+ 18. gxf3 Bxd4 19. Rfe1+) 18. Rfe1 ({RR} 18. Bf5 Rh6) 18... f6 19. Bxe5 fxe5 20. Rxe5+ Kf8 ({RR} 20... Bxe5 21. Qxe5+ Kf7 22. Be6+ Kg6 23. Rd1 Qf6 24. Bf5+ Qxf5 25. Rd6+) 21. Qc5+ Kf7 22. Be6+ Kg6 23. Rd1) ({RR} 16... dxc3 17. e6 Nf6 18. Bh5 Nxh5 19. Qxh5 Qf6 20. exf7+ Kd7 21. Rad1 c2 22. Rd2) ({RR} 16... dxc3 17. e6 Ne5 18. e7 Qb6 19. Bxe5) 17. f4 $146 {[%CAl Gf1f8,Ge1e8][%mdl 8] A new idea, White would like to open both the ?e and f against Black's ?. Bacrot prepared this novelty already against Carlsen in Dortmund 2009, but had to face a Botvinnik (5...dxc4) instead. Now Aronian became the victim, Bacrot in a subsequent interview mentioned a look of surprise in his opponent's face after the text-move. Other continuations lack the shock value, but even here White subsequently came up with a dangerous new idea:} (17. Bf3 Nxe5 $1 (17... Ra7 $2 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Ne4 Nxe5 20. axb5 axb5 21. f4 gxf4 22. Qh5 Rb6 23. Bxe5 Qd5 24. Rxf4 Rg6 25. Nd6+ Rxd6 26. Rxf7 Bxe5 27. Rb7+ Kf8 28. Ra8+ {1-0,Iljin,A (2538)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2602)/EU-ch Dresden/2007/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 118.}) (17... Bxf3 $2 18. Qxf3 Nxe5 ({RR} 18... dxc3 19. e6 Ne5 20. exf7+ ({RR} 20. Bxe5 O-O) 20... Kd7 21. Qd5 Nxf7 ({RR} 21... Nd3 22. Rae1 Nxe1 23. Rxe1 Ra7 24. Be5+ Kc8 25. Qc6+ Rc7 26. Bxc7) 22. Rad1 ({RR} 22. Bxc5+ Kc7 23. Qxf7+ Qd7 24. Bd6+ Kc8 25. Qd5 Ra7 26. axb5 cxb2 27. Qxc4+) 22... Nxd6 23. Qxd6+ Kc8 24. Qc6+ Kb8 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. bxc3) 19. Qd5 dxc3 ({RR} 19... Qb6 20. Qxa8+ Kd7 21. Nd5 Qxd6 22. Qb7+ Ke6 23. axb5) 20. Rfe1 ({RR} 20. Rae1) 20... cxb2 21. Rad1 b1=Q 22. Rxb1 Rc8 23. axb5 axb5 24. Rbd1 Qd7 25. Rxe5+ $18 {Kuljasevic,D (2464)-Zhao Jun (2552)/Richardson/2007/}) ({RR} 17... dxc3 18. Bxb7 cxb2 19. Rb1 Ra7 20. Bc6) ({RR} 17... Bxe5 18. Re1 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 dxc3 20. bxc3) ({RR} 17... Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Nxe5 19. Qd5 dxc3 20. Rae1) ({RR} 17... Nxe5 18. Bxb7 ({RR} 18. Bxe5 Bxf3) 18... Qxd6 19. Bxa8 O-O ({RR} 19... Qd8 20. axb5 Qxa8 ({RR} 20... dxc3 21. Bc6+ Nxc6 22. bxc6 Qxd1 23. Raxd1) 21. Rxa6 Qb7 22. Qa4 O-O 23. Ra7) 20. Bf3 ({RR} 20. Be4 b4) 20... Nxf3+ 21. gxf3 b4 ({RR} 21... Qf4)) ({RR} 17... Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Nxe5 19. Qd5 dxc3 20. Rfe1 cxb2 21. Rad1 b1=Q 22. Rxb1 Rc8 23. axb5 axb5 24. Rbd1) ({RR} 17... Ra7 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Ne4 Nxe5 20. axb5 axb5 21. f4 gxf4 22. Qh5 Rb6 23. Bxe5) 18. Bxb7 Qxd6 19. Bxa8 O-O 20. Ne4 (20. Bf3 Qe7 (20... Nxf3+ $142 21. gxf3 b4 22. Ne4 Qd5 $36) 21. Nd5 Qd7 22. axb5 axb5 23. Ra6 f5 24. h3 (24. Nb6 $5) 24... d3 25. Re1 Re8 26. Nb6 $2 (26. Kf1 $1 $14) 26... Nxf3+ 27. gxf3 Rxe1+ 28. Qxe1 d2 $17 {Pantsulaia,L (2607)-Babuiian,L (2415)/Istanbul/2008/}) 20... Qc7 21. axb5 Rxa8 22. f4 gxf4 23. Qh5 Ra7 (23... Qb6 $5 $15) 24. Rxa6 Rxa6 25. bxa6 Qc6 26. Qf5 Qxa6 27. Rxf4 Qg6 28. Nxc5 d3 29. Ne4 Qxf5 30. Rxf5 Ng4 31. Rb5 $11 {Deep Junior-Deep Fritz/Elista comp m/2007/}) ({More promising seems to be} 17. Re1 Nxe5 ({RR} 17... dxc3 18. e6 Nf6 ({RR} 18... Ne5 19. e7 Qxd6 ({RR} 19... Qb6 20. Bxe5) 20. Qxd6 Nxg4 21. Rad1 Bd4 22. bxc3) 19. Bh5 Nxh5 20. Qxh5 Qf6 21. exf7+ Kd7 22. Rad1 Kc6 23. Be5 Qxe5 24. Rxe5 Bxe5 25. Qg6+ Kc7 26. Qe6 Bd4 27. bxc3) 18. Bxe5 O-O 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne2 f5 21. Bh5 f4 {But White can deviate earlier with} 22. Nxd4 $1 $146 (22. b4 {However, stronger is the yet untested} d3 $1 (22... cxb3 23. Qxb3 Qd5 24. Qh3 Bc8 25. Nc3 dxc3 26. Qxc3+ Qd4 27. Qf3 Ra7 (27... Rb8 28. Qc6 Bf5 (28... Kg8 29. Rad1 Qg7 30. Re8 Rxe8 31. Qxe8+ Qf8 32. Bf7+ Kg7 33. Qe5+ Kxf7 34. Qxb8 $16 {Kramnik}) 29. Rad1 Qc3 30. h3 $40) 28. axb5 Qf6 (28... Bb7 29. Qe2 Bd5 30. Rad1 f3 31. Rxd4 fxe2 32. Rxd5 $18 {Munkhchuluun,T (2042)-Lhamsuren,U (2038)/MGL-ch Ulaanbaatar/2009/}) (28... Rf6 29. Rad1 Qc4 30. Rd8 $40 {Kramnik}) 29. Qa3 Qb6 30. Qc3+ Kg8 31. Re5 Qf6 32. Qxc5 Rd7 33. h4 gxh4 {Kramnik,V (2799)-Aronian,L (2739)/Wijk aan Zee/2008/} 34. bxa6 $1 Bxa6 35. Bg4 Rd6 36. Rae1 $18 {Kramnik}) 23. bxc5 b4 $13 {Anand} (23... d2 $5 24. Rf1 f3 25. gxf3 Qd3 $44)) 22... cxd4 (22... Qxd4 $2 23. Re7+ $18) 23. Re6 Bc8 (23... Rf6 24. Qe1 {guarantees White at least a draw and he can fight for more.}) 24. Rg6+ Kh7 25. axb5 Rf6 26. Rxf6 (26. Qe2 $5) 26... Qxf6 27. Qc2+ Bf5 28. Qxc4 Rc8 29. Qd5 axb5 30. h3 Kh8 (30... Rc7 $5 31. Ra8 Be6 32. Qxb5 Bc4 33. Qa5 $14) 31. Qxb5 Rf8 32. Ra6 Qg7 33. Rd6 d3 34. Qb6 Qe5 (34... Kh7 35. Bg4 $36) 35. Bg6 d2 36. Bxf5 Qxf5 37. Qd4+ Kh7 38. Qxd2 $16 {/+-,Anand,V-Leko,P/Moscow Tal mem/2009/}) ({RR} 17. Bf3 Ra7 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Ne4 ({RR} 19. Qf3 Rb6 20. e6 ({RR} 20. Nd5 Rxd6 21. exd6 Ne5 22. Qe4 Qxd6 ({RR} 22... O-O) 23. axb5 f5 24. Qxf5 Qxd5 25. Rxa6 d3 ({RR} 25... Rf8) ({RR} 25... g4)) 20... Nf6 21. Bxc5 ({RR} 21. Ne4 Rxd6 ({RR} 21... fxe6 22. Bxc5 Kf7 23. axb5 Rxb5 24. Nd6+ Kg6 25. b4) 22. Nxd6+ Qxd6 23. Qa8+ Qd8 ({RR} 23... Ke7 24. Qb7+ Kxe6 25. axb5) 24. Qb7 Qe7) 21... Rxe6 ({RR} 21... dxc3 22. Rad1 Qc7 23. Bxb6 Qxb6 24. e7 Nd7 25. Rfe1 Be5 ({RR} 25... cxb2 26. Qa8+ Nb8 27. Qb7) 26. Rxd7 Kxd7 27. Rxe5 cxb2 28. e8=Q+ Rxe8 29. Qxf7+ Kd6 30. Rd5+ Kc6 31. Qd7#) ({RR} 21... g4 22. Qf5) 22. Rad1 ({RR} 22. Rfe1 Qc8 23. Bxd4 O-O) 22... Qc8 23. Bxd4 O-O) 19... Nxe5 ({RR} 19... Bxe5 20. f4 gxf4 ({RR} 20... Bxf4 21. Bxf4 O-O 22. Bd6 Re8 23. Qf3) 21. Qh5) ({RR} 19... b4 20. f4) 20. axb5 axb5 21. f4 ({RR} 21. Ra6 Rb6 22. Qa1) 21... gxf4 ({RR} 21... Nd3 22. Qe2 Kd7 23. Ra6 f5 24. fxg5) ({RR} 21... Nc6 22. Qf3 f5 ({RR} 22... Rd7 23. Nf6+ Bxf6 24. Qxc6 Be7 25. Ra8) 23. Qh5+ ({RR} 23. Nf6+ Kf7) ({RR} 23. fxg5) 23... Rf7 24. Rfe1 fxe4 25. Rxe4+ Be5 26. fxe5) 22. Qh5 Rb6 ({RR} 22... Nd3 23. Qd5) ({RR} 22... d3 23. Bxe5 O-O 24. Bxg7 ({RR} 24. Rxf4 Bxe5 25. Qxe5 Qd4+) ({RR} 24. Ra8 Qxa8 25. Nf6+ Kh8 26. Qf5) 24... Kxg7 25. Ra6) 23. Bxe5 Qd5 ({RR} 23... O-O 24. Rxf4 f6 25. Ra7 fxe5 26. Qg4) 24. Rxf4 Rg6 ({RR} 24... Bxe5 25. Ra8+ Kd7 ({RR} 25... Qxa8 26. Qxe5+) ({RR} 25... Ke7 26. Rxf7+) 26. Rxf7+ Kc6 27. Qg6+ Bd6 28. Rxh8) 25. Nd6+ ({RR} 25. Qxg6 fxg6 26. Bxg7) ({RR} 25. Qf3 Bxe5 26. Nf6+ Rxf6 27. Qxd5 Bxf4 28. Ra8+ Ke7 29. Qxc5+) 25... Rxd6 26. Rxf7 Bxe5 ({RR} 26... Qxf7 27. Ra8+ Rd8 28. Rxd8+ Kxd8 29. Qxf7 Bxe5 30. Qd5+) 27. Rb7+ Kf8 ({RR} 27... Rg6 28. Qxe5+ Qxe5 29. Ra8+) 28. Ra8+ {1-0 (28) Iljin,A (2538)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2602) Dresden 2007 CBM 118 [Stohl,Igor]} {RR} Rd8 29. Rxd8+ Qxd8 30. Qf7#) ({RR} 17. Re1 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 O-O 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne2 f5 21. Bh5 f4 22. b4 cxb3 ({RR} 22... d3 23. bxc5 b4) 23. Qxb3 Qd5 24. Qh3 Bc8 25. Qd3 ({RR} 25. Qd3 Bf5 26. Qd2 Qd7 27. Rac1 ({RR} 27. Bf3 Rac8 28. axb5 axb5 29. h3) 27... Rac8 28. h4 Kh8 29. axb5 axb5 30. Qb2 b4) 25... Bf5 26. Qd2 Qd7 27. Rac1 Rac8 28. axb5 axb5 29. Rcd1 b4 30. Nc1) ({RR} 17. Re1 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 O-O 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne2 f5 21. Bh5 f4 22. b4 cxb3 23. Qxb3 Qd5 24. Qh3 Bc8 25. Nc3 dxc3 26. Qxc3+ Qd4 27. Qf3 Ra7 ({RR} 27... Rb8 28. Qc6 ({RR} 28. Re7+ Kh8 29. Rd1 Qf6 30. Rc7 Be6) 28... Kg8 29. Rad1 Qg7 30. axb5 axb5 31. Qd5+ Kh8 32. Qxc5 Bf5) 28. axb5 Qf6 ({RR} 28... Rf6 29. Rad1 Qc4) 29. Qa3 Qb6 30. Qc3+ Kg8 31. Re5 Qf6 {Kramnik,V (2799)-Aronian,L (2739) Wijk aan Zee 2008 CBM 122 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (110)}) ({RR} 17. axb5 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. bxa6 Rxa6 20. Rxa6 Bxa6 21. Re1 Qc7 22. Qe2 f6 23. Nd5 Qd6) ({RR} 17. Bf3 Nxe5 18. Bxb7 Qxd6 19. Bxa8 O-O 20. Ne4 Qc7 21. axb5 Rxa8 22. f4 gxf4 23. Qh5 Ra7 24. Rxa6 Rxa6 25. bxa6 Qc6 26. Qf5 Qxa6 27. Rxf4 Qg6 28. Nxc5 d3) ({RR} 17. Re1 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 O-O 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne2 f5 21. Bh5 f4 22. Nxd4 cxd4 23. Re6 Rf6 24. Qe1 Bd5 25. Re7+ Kg8 26. axb5 Qd6 27. Rxa6 Rxa6 28. bxa6 Qxa6 29. Re8+ Rf8 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. Qe8+ Kg7 {Hoffmann,M (2508)-Sandipan,C (2622) Caleta 2010 ½-½ (40)}) 17... dxc3 {White's last move prevented ?xe5, thus enhancing the potential effect of the ideas/threats, indicated in the above note (axb5, e6, ?e1, ?f3 etc.). Although it's a piece sacrifice (Black has time to take the offered ?), the question is of he can't afford to play even} (17... gxf4 $5 {? with the analoguous idea} 18. Bf3 (18. Rxf4 Nxe5 $17) (18. Re1 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 O-O $17 {?} 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Ne2 d3 $1 $19 {and the ? can't go to g3.}) (18. e6 Nf6 $19) 18... Nxe5 19. Bxb7 Qxd6 20. Bxa8 O-O 21. Ne4 (21. Be4 b4 $36) 21... Qb6 22. Bd5 Rd8 $15) 18. bxc3 Bf8 {A natural reaction, Black forst of all challenges the monster ?d6.} (18... gxf4 $6 {already runs into} 19. e6 Nf6 20. Bh5 Nxh5 21. Qxh5 Qxd6 22. Qxf7+ Kd8 23. Qxg7 Re8 24. Qxb7 $36) (18... Nf8 19. f5 $44) 19. Qe2 {White calmly continues his development, as more direct continuations are inadequate:} (19. e6 Nf6 20. Be5 Qxd1 21. Bxd1 Rg8 22. Bxf6 gxf4 $17) (19. fxg5 Bxd6 20. exd6 (20. Qxd6 Nb6 21. Qxc5 Qd5 22. Qf2 Qxg2+ $5 23. Qxg2 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Nxa4 $17) 20... O-O $1 21. gxh6 Ne5 22. Rf5 f6 $15) 19... Bxd6 {Another logical and human moves, which is consistent with 18...?f8. Although now White's initiatiative gives him at least a draw, other tries, initially favoured by the computer, are connected with serious practical risk, especially for the defence.} (19... h5 20. Bxh5 Rh7 21. Rad1 Bxd6 22. Rxd6 $5 (22. exd6+ Kf8 23. Bg4 Kg8 $15) 22... Rxh5 (22... Qe7 23. Rfd1 $16) (22... Qc7 23. Re6+ $5 Kf8 (23... Kd8 24. Rd6 $40) 24. fxg5 $40) 23. Qxh5 Qe7 24. Qxg5 Qxg5 25. fxg5 b4 (25... Nf8 26. Rb6) 26. e6 $14) (19... Nb6 20. fxg5 (20. Rad1 $5 Be7 {?0-0?}) 20... Qxg5 21. Rf5 Qg7 (21... Qh4 22. g3 Qd8 23. Bh5 $40) 22. Bf3 (22. Raf1 Bd5 23. Rxf7 $5 Bxf7 24. Rxf7 Qxf7 25. Bh5 $44) 22... Qh7 (22... Nd5 23. Qd2 Bxd6 24. Bxd5 $44) 23. Bxb7 (23. Rxf7 Kxf7 24. Bxb7 Qd3 25. Qf2+ Kg8 26. Bxa8 Bxd6 27. Rf1 Rh7 28. exd6 Qxd6 $11) 23... Qxf5 24. Bxa8 Nxa8 25. axb5 $44 {?}) 20. exd6+ Kf8 21. fxg5 hxg5 (21... Rh7 22. g6 $5 (22. Be6 Qxg5 (22... hxg5 $5 23. Qc2 {-21...hg5}) 23. Rf5 (23. Bxd7 Rg7 24. Rf2 Rd8 $15) 23... Qd8 24. Raf1 f6 25. Qh5 $44) 22... Rg7 23. gxf7 Nf6 (23... Bxg2 24. Kxg2 h5 25. Qe6 Rxg4+ 26. Kh1 $18) 24. Bf3 Bxf3 25. Qxf3 Rxf7 26. axb5 $44) 22. Be6 Rh7 (22... Nf6 $143 $6 23. Rxf6 Qxf6 24. Rf1 Qg6 (24... Rh6 25. Rxf6 Rxf6 26. Qh5 $18) 25. Rxf7+ Qxf7 26. Bxf7 Kxf7 27. Qe7+ Kg6 28. Qxb7 $16 {With his exposed ? and weak ? Black is fighting for his life in the resulting ?.}) 23. Qc2 Kg8 $2 {[%mdl 8192] This fails tactically, allowing Bacrot to demonstrate a forced win.} (23... Nf6 $2 24. Rxf6 Qxf6 25. Qxh7 $40 {/+-}) ({The only correct defence was} 23... Rg7 $142 $1 24. Qf5 $142 (24. Bxf7 Rxf7 25. Qh7 Rf4 $1 (25... Nf6 26. Qh8+ Ng8 27. Rxf7+ Kxf7 28. Qh7+ Ke6 29. Qxb7 $44) (25... Rf6 26. Rae1 (26. Rfe1 Rxd6 27. Qh8+ Kf7 28. Qh7+ $11) 26... Be4 27. Qxe4 Kg7 28. Rf5 $5 Rxd6 29. Rf7+ Kxf7 30. Qh7+ Kf8 31. Qh8+ $11) 26. h4 $5 (26. g3 Qf6 $1 27. gxf4 gxf4 28. Rf2 Re8 $1 29. Qxd7 Qg5+ 30. Kf1 Be4 $19) 26... Nf6 27. Qxb7 Rb8 $15) 24... Nf6 (24... f6 $2 25. Qh3 $18) 25. Qxf6 Qxf6 26. Rxf6 Rd8 (26... Ke8 $6 27. Bf5 $14 {?}) 27. Raf1 (27. Bf5 b4 $11 {now already gives Black sufficient ?.}) 27... Rxd6 28. Rxf7+ Rxf7 29. Rxf7+ Ke8 30. Rxb7 Rxe6 31. axb5 axb5 32. Rxb5 Re5 33. Kf2 $11 {/? White has a slightly better ? ?, but the most probable result is a draw. I can only speculate if Aronian wanted to avoid this endgame, or what he overlooked in the final pahse of the game...}) 24. Rxf7 $1 Rxf7 25. Rf1 $1 {[%mdl 64] The combination requires accuracy.} (25. Qg6+ $2 Kh8 26. Qxf7 Qf6 $1 {?} 27. Qxd7 Rf8 $19) 25... Nf8 (25... Ne5 26. Rxf7 Nxf7 27. Qg6+ Kh8 28. Qh5+ $1 Kg7 29. Qxf7+ Kh8 (29... Kh6 30. Bf5 Qg8 31. Qf6+ Kh5 32. g4+ Kh4 33. Qh6#) 30. Bf5 Qg8 31. Qh5+ Kg7 32. Qxg5+ Kh8 (32... Kf7 33. Qe7#) 33. Qh6+ $18) (25... Nf6 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Qxf7 Qf8 28. Qxb7 Rd8 29. Qe7 $1 $18 {wins at least a piece.}) 26. Qf5 $1 {The decisive blow.} (26. Rxf7 $2 Qxd6 $19) (26. Bxf7+ $6 Kh8 27. Qd1 Kg7 $13) 26... Nxe6 (26... Qd7 27. Bxf7+ Kh8 28. Qxg5 $18) (26... Kh8 27. Qxf7 Nh7 (27... Nxe6 28. Rf6 {-26...?e6}) 28. Qxb7 $18) 27. Qxf7+ Kh8 28. Rf6 Qxf6 (28... Qf8 29. Qxe6 $18) 29. Qxf6+ Ng7 30. d7 $18 {This ? will cost Black a whole ?, the rest is just agony.} b4 31. cxb4 cxb4 32. d8=Q+ Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kh7 34. Qb6 Be4 35. Qxb4 Bd3 36. Qa5 1-0 [Event "Sofia MTel Masters 4th"] [Site "Sofia"] [Date "2008.05.10"] [Round "3"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2751"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2008.05.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 124"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 12. Nxd7 ({The latest games with} 12. Nxf7 {haven't brought much clarity into the basic question: "Is this sacrifice correct?"} Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne4 Ke7 15. Nd6 Rb8 $146 (15... Qb6 16. Bg4 Raf8 17. Qc2 Rhg8 18. Qg6 Nc7 19. Qe4 Ba8 20. f4 Nf6 $6 (20... c5 21. Qh7 cxd4 22. fxg5 d3+ 23. Kh1 $40) (20... Kd8 $142 $5) 21. exf6+ Bxf6 22. fxg5 (22. Rad1 $18) 22... Qxd4+ 23. Kh1 $16 {?, Kiselev,V (2504)-Gundavaa,B (2320)/Moscow op/2008/}) 16. Bg4 c5 17. f4 $5 (17. Qc2 Qg8 18. Qg6 Nf8 $17) 17... Ne3 (17... cxd4 $5) 18. fxg5 Nxf1 (18... Nxd1 $4 19. Rf7#) 19. Qxf1 Qf8 20. Qe2 Bd5 (20... cxd4 21. Rf1 Qg8 22. g6 Kd8 23. Qd2 $1 $40) 21. Rf1 Qg8 22. g6 Kd8 23. dxc5 Kc7 24. Rf7 Kc6 {Beckhuis,G (2350)-Steingrimsson,H (2551)/EU-ch Plovdiv/2008/} 25. b4 $5 $44) 12... Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 14. Re1 $5 {In a very topical opening position Radjabov plays Inarkiev's move. This is no surprise, as this year it brought him a full point against Anand.} ({Another popular alternative is} 14. a4 e5 {More enterprising is} 15. Bg4 (15. d5 c5 16. b4 Qb6 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. Bxc5 Qxc5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Qa1 O-O 22. Qa5 Rb8 23. Rb1 Bf8 24. Nxb5 f5 25. Qa6 Kh8 26. Nc3 Rxb1+ 27. Nxb1 Qb4 28. Qxa8 Qxb1+ 29. Bf1 Qb4 30. exf5 c3 31. Qc8 (31. Qc6 e4 32. h4 g4 33. g3 Qc5 34. Qf6+ Bg7 35. Qd8+ Bf8 36. Qf6+ Bg7 $11 {Alekseev,E (2716)-Bareev,E (2653)/WCup Khanty-Mansiysk/2007/}) 31... e4 32. d6 Qxd6 33. Qxc3+ Bg7 34. Qc8+ Kh7 35. g3 Qd4 36. Qe8 Qe5 37. Qg6+ Kh8 $14 {/=?, Kramnik,V (2799)-Karjakin,S (2732)/Nice rpd/2008/ White has an advantage, but with ? only on one flank the opposite-coloured ? are a very strong drawing factor.}) 15... exd4 16. e5 c5 17. Re1 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 O-O 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne2 f5 21. Bh5 f4 22. b4 cxb3 (22... d3 23. bxc5 d2 $5 (23... b4 24. Nd4 Qxd4 25. Re7+ Kh8 26. Rxb7 f3 $5 (26... Qxc5 27. Qe1 $40) 27. Qe1 $14 {[%csl Rh8] ?,?h8}) 24. Rf1 f3 25. gxf3 Qd3 $44) 23. Qxb3 Qd5 24. Qh3 Bc8 25. Nc3 $1 dxc3 26. Qxc3+ Qd4 27. Qf3 Ra7 28. axb5 Qf6 (28... Rf6 $142 $1 $14) 29. Qa3 Qb6 30. Qc3+ Kg8 31. Re5 $16 {Kramnik,V (2799)-Aronian,L (2739)/Wijk aan Zee/2008/}) 14... Bf8 ({The premiere game featured the risky} 14... c5 15. dxc5 Rc8 16. a4 $1 b4 17. c6 Bxc6 18. Nd5 {This sortie indicates, why the ? is useful on e1...} Ne5 (18... Bxb2 $142 $5 19. Be7 Qxe7 20. Nxe7 Kxe7 21. Bxc4 Nc5 $132) 19. Be7 Qd7 (19... Qa5 20. Bxb4 $36) 20. Nf6+ Kxe7 21. Nxd7 Bxd7 22. Qd2 a5 23. Rad1 Rhd8 24. Qd6+ Ke8 25. Qb6 $16 {Inarkiev,E (2674)-Aronian,L (2741)/WCup Khanty-Mansiysk/2007/ Although White managed to lose the game (it was a rapid tiebreaker), Black didn't want to repeat this adventure anymore.}) 15. Bg3 ({Initially White tried} 15. Bxf8 Kxf8 $142 $1 {Here White would prefer to have his ? on f1 to get in a quick f4.} (15... Rxf8 16. b3 cxb3 (16... b4 17. Na4 c3 18. a3 a5 19. d5 $1 Qe7 20. d6 Qf6 21. e5 $16 {Radjabov,T (2735)-Anand,V (2799)/Wijk aan Zee/2008/}) 17. Qxb3 Qb6 18. Red1 (18. d5 O-O-O 19. a4 $5 $44) 18... O-O-O 19. a4 Kb8 20. e5 f6 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Qxe6 Qc7 23. axb5 cxb5 24. Rdc1 Qd6 25. Qa2 Rc8 26. Bxb5 Ng4 {0-1 Citak,S (2319)-Firat,B (2182)/Ankara 2008/The Week in Chess 700}) ({RR} 15... Kxf8) 16. b3 cxb3 17. Qxb3 (17. axb3 Kg7 $13) 17... Kg7 18. a4 Qe7 19. Rad1 b4 $5 20. a5 bxc3 21. Qxb7 Rhb8 22. Qxc6 Rc8 23. Qa4 Nf6 $15 {[%csl Gc3] ?c3, Hillarp Persson,T (2535)-Wang Hao (2665)/Gibraltar/2008/}) ({RR} 15. Bxf8 Rxf8 16. b3 b4 17. Na4 c3 18. a3 a5 19. d5 Qe7 20. d6 Qf6 21. e5) 15... Bg7 16. Bd6 Bf8 17. Bg3 Bg7 18. e5 $1 {[%CAl Rc3e4,Re4d6] ??e4-d6 A fighting attempt, again introduced by Inarkiev} (18. Bd6 $11) 18... c5 $146 {[%mdl 8] Opening the position is as usual risky, but otherwise White's compensation is beyond doubt:} (18... O-O 19. Bf3 Qe7 (19... Qb6 $5 {?c5?}) (19... Rb8 $13) 20. Ne4 Nb6 (20... c5 21. Nxg5 $1 $14 {[%csl Rg8] ?}) ({RR} 20... c5 21. Nxg5 hxg5 22. Bxb7 Rab8 23. Be4 cxd4 24. Qh5 Rfc8 25. Bh7+ Kf8 26. h4 gxh4 27. Bxh4 Qc5 28. Qg5) 21. Qe2 ({RR} 21. b3) 21... Rad8 22. Rad1 Nd5 23. a3 Kh8 24. Qc2 a5 25. h4 $1 ({RR} 25. b3) 25... Nf4 (25... gxh4 $2 26. Nf6 Nxf6 27. Bxh4 $16) ({RR} 25... gxh4 26. Nf6 Nxf6 27. Bxh4) 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. Bxf4 gxf4 {Inarkiev,E (2684)-Cheparinov,I (2696)/GP Baku/2008/} 28. Nc5 $36 ({RR} 28. Nc5)) ({RR} 18... O-O 19. Bf3 Qe7 20. Ne4 Nb6 21. Qe2 Rad8 22. Rad1 Nd5 23. a3 Kh8 24. Qc2 a5 25. h4 Nf4 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. Bxf4 gxf4 28. g4 f5 ({RR} 28... fxg3 29. Kg2 f5 30. exf6 Bxf6 31. Nc5) 29. exf6 Bxf6 30. Kg2 Kg7 31. Nc5 ({RR} 31. Nxf6 Rxf6 ({RR} 31... Qxf6 32. Re5) 32. Rh1 Rg6 33. Rh5) 31... Bc8 32. Qe4 Qd6 33. Rh1 {Inarkiev,E (2684)-Cheparinov,I (2696) Baku 2008 CBM 124 [Krasenkow,Michal] 0-1 (59)}) 19. d5 O-O 20. Bf3 Ra7 $6 {Now White gets strong pressure.} (20... exd5 $142 $5 21. Bxd5 (21. Nxd5 Re8 22. Nf6+ (22. e6 Rxe6 23. Rxe6 fxe6 24. Nc7 Bxf3 25. Qxf3 Ra7 26. Nxe6 Qf6 27. Qd5 Qf7 $17) 22... Bxf6 23. Bxb7 Nxe5 24. Bxa8 Qxa8 $132) 21... Bxd5 22. Qxd5 Qe8 23. Rad1 (23. e6 fxe6 24. Rxe6 Qf7 $15) {?} 23... Rd8 $13) (20... Qb6 21. d6 (21. dxe6 Bxf3 22. exf7+ Rxf7 23. gxf3 Qe6 $15) (21. Qc2 $5 $44) 21... Rad8 (21... b4 22. Na4 Qb5 23. Bxb7 Qxb7 24. Qc2 $14) 22. Rc1 Bc6 $5 $13) 21. dxe6 ({The text-move is more straightforward, than} 21. d6 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 f5 23. exf6 Qxf6 24. Qe2 $44 {/?}) 21... Bxf3 {[%mdl 512]} (21... fxe6 22. Bg4 Qe7 23. Qd6 Re8 24. Rad1 Ba8 25. Ne4 $44 {is attractive for White, so Aronjan decides to sacrifice material.}) 22. exf7+ (22. Qxf3 $2 fxe6 23. Qc6 Qb6 {shows one reason, why the ? is useful on a7.}) 22... Rxf7 23. gxf3 Qe8 $1 (23... Rf8 $2 24. Qd5+ Kh8 25. e6 Nb6 26. Qxc5 $16 {/+-}) 24. e6 (24. Qd5 $5 Nb6 (24... Nf8 25. e6 Rfe7 26. Bd6 Nxe6 27. Bxe7 Rxe7 28. Re4 $16) 25. Qxc5 Qe6 26. a4 $36) 24... Re7 25. Qd5 {A practical choice, Radjabov declines the offer and strives for activity. However, even after taking the knight White retains some winning chances.} (25. exd7 Raxd7 26. Qc1 Rxe1+ 27. Qxe1 Qxe1+ 28. Rxe1 Rd2 29. Rb1 Kf7 $5 $14 {/?} (29... b4 30. Na4 c3 31. bxc3 bxc3 32. Nxc5 c2 (32... Rxa2 $5) 33. Rb8+ Kf7 34. Nb3 c1=Q+ 35. Nxc1 Rd1+ 36. Kg2 Rxc1 37. Rb7+ Kg8 38. Rb6 $14 {/?}) (29... Bxc3 30. bxc3 Rxa2 (30... b4 31. Bc7 $1 a5 (31... bxc3 32. Rc1 c2 33. Kg2 $18) 32. Bxa5 Rxa2 33. Bxb4 $5 cxb4 34. Rxb4 $18) 31. Bd6 Rc2 32. Ra1 Rxc3 33. Bxc5 $16)) 25... Nf6 (25... Nb6 26. Qf5 $1 $36 (26. Qxc5 $6 Rxe6 $11)) 26. Qxc5 Ra8 (26... Rab7 27. Rad1 $5 Rxe6 28. Rxe6 Qxe6 29. Rd6 $16) 27. Qf5 {[%CAl Rg3d6] ??d6} (27. a4 $6 Rc8 28. Qb4 bxa4 29. Qxa4 Rc6 $132) (27. Qb6 $5) 27... Rd8 (27... Qc6 28. Rad1 $16) (27... b4 28. Ne4 Nxe4 29. Qxe4 $16) 28. Rac1 $6 (28. f4 b4 29. fxg5 hxg5 30. Ne4 Nxe4 31. Rxe4 Bxb2 32. Rb1 $16) (28. Rad1 Rxd1 29. Nxd1 $16) (28. h4 $5 Qc6 29. hxg5 hxg5 30. Qxg5 Rxe6 31. Rxe6 Qxe6 32. a4 $1 b4 33. Ne4 $36 {Shipov}) 28... Qc6 $1 29. b3 (29. a4 $1 $14) 29... Rde8 {[%csl Re6] White loses his pride and his advantage evaporates.} 30. a4 Rxe6 (30... cxb3 31. axb5 Qc4 $5 $11 {is more ambitious, but also roughly equal. After being in serious trouble for a while, Aronian quite naturally opts for a simpler solution.}) 31. Rxe6 Qxe6 32. Qxe6+ Rxe6 33. axb5 cxb3 (33... axb5 34. Nxb5 cxb3 35. Rb1 Nd5 $11 {is sufficient as well, but the text-move leads to further simplification.}) 34. Rb1 Nh5 $1 35. bxa6 Rxa6 (35... Bxc3 36. a7 Ra6 (36... Re8 $2 37. Bb8 $18) 37. Rxb3 Rxa7 $11) 36. Rxb3 Bxc3 37. Rxc3 Kf7 $11 {With White's compromised ? and play only on one flank a draw is fairly obvious. But here we have the Sofia rules, so the players have to make a few more useless moves.} 38. Rc4 Rf6 39. Kg2 Kg6 40. h4 Nf4+ 41. Bxf4 (41. Kf1 Nd5 42. Rd4 Rf5 $11) 41... Rxf4 42. Rc6+ (42. Rxf4 gxf4 43. Kh2 h5 $11 (43... Kf6 $11)) 42... Kh5 43. hxg5 hxg5 44. Kg3 Ra4 45. Rf6 Ra3 46. Re6 Ra4 47. Re4 Ra3 48. Rd4 Rb3 49. Kg2 Kg6 50. f4 gxf4 51. Rxf4 Kg5 52. Rf3 Rxf3 53. Kxf3 Kf5 54. Ke3 Ke5 55. f4+ Kf5 56. Kd4 (56. Kf3 Kf6 $11) 56... Kxf4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Foros Aerosvit 3rd"] [Site "Foros"] [Date "2008.06.12"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "126"] [EventDate "2008.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 125"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.07.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.07.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Rc1 Bd6 9. Bd3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qe7 11. O-O O-O 12. Ne4 Bc7 13. Bb3 {A quiet prophylactical move leading to a slight plus for White, due to his space advantage.} Rd8 (13... e5 14. d5 cxd5 15. Qxd5 Bb8 (15... Nb6 $2 16. Qc5 $1) 16. Rfd1 Nf6 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Nd2 a5 19. Ne4 Qg6 20. Nc5 Ra7 21. Nd7 Bxd7 22. Qxd7 b6 23. Qb5 $16 {1-0 Cebalo,M-Mazuran,M/Pula 1993/EXT 1999 (35)}) 14. Qc2 (14. Qe2 $5 Rb8 (14... Nf8 15. Ne5 Rb8 (15... Bd7 16. f4 Be8 17. Nc5 $14) 16. f4 f6 17. Nd3 Kh8 18. Ndc5 a5 19. a3 Ra8 20. Qc2 b6 21. Nd3 Bd7 22. Qc4 (22. Ba4 $1 $14) 22... Rac8 23. Ba2 Be8 24. b4 Bg6 25. Nef2 Bd6 26. Rfd1 axb4 27. axb4 Ra8 $132 {1-0 Cebalo,M-Kuczynski,R/Polanica Zdroj 1992/CBM 031 (50)}) (14... a5 15. a3 Nf6 16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. Rfd1 Bd7 18. Rc5 Be8 19. Qc2 $1 Qe7 20. Ba2 Bd6 21. Rc3 Rac8 22. h4 g6 23. e4 $14 {½-½ Bareev,E-Anand,V/Linares 1992/CBM 028/[Dautov] (46)}) 15. h3 Kh8 16. Rfd1 Nf8 17. Ne5 Bd7 18. f4 Be8 19. a3 a5 20. Qc4 f6 21. Nd3 Bf7 22. Nec5 Kg8 23. Rf1 Bd6 24. Qc3 Ra8 25. Rce1 Kh8 26. Rf3 Bg6 27. Rg3 $14 {0-1 Ribli,Z-Kuczynski,R/Tilburg 1992/CBM 032 (29)}) 14... a5 $146 {Other moves seen in practice:} (14... Nf8 15. Rfd1 (15. Ne5 f6 16. Nf3 Bd7 17. Nc5 Bc8 {½-½ Sandstrom,L-Beikert,G/Baden-Baden 1993/TD (17)}) 15... Rb8 16. a3 (16. Ne5 Bd7 17. a3 Be8 18. Ba2 f6 19. Nd3 Bg6 20. Nec5 Kh8 21. Qc4 Bh7 22. b4 Rd5 23. g3 Qf7 24. Qc2 Rh5 25. Qe2 $14 {1-0 Kumaran,D-Berezin,O/Halle 1995/CBM 048 ext (35)}) 16... Bd7 17. Nc5 Be8 18. Qe4 (18. Ba2 Kh8 19. Nd3 b6 20. b4 Rdc8 21. Rd2 Ra8 22. Qb2 a5 23. Rdc2 axb4 24. axb4 f6 25. Rc3 Ra7 26. Ra3 Rxa3 27. Qxa3 Bg6 28. Nfe1 Bd6 $132 {½-½ Cramling,P-Galliamova,A/Groningen 1997/CBM 062 ext (41)}) 18... Nh7 (18... Bd6 19. Ne5 Kh8 20. Ned3 $14 {½-½ Schmidt,W-Kuczynski,R/Cetniewo 1991/CBM 022 ext}) 19. Nd3 (19. Ne5 $5) 19... Ng5 20. Nxg5 Qxg5 21. f4 Qf6 22. Qf3 Kh8 23. Rc3 Rbc8 24. Ba2 Qe7 25. Bb3 Ba5 26. Rc2 Bc7 27. Qe4 Qf6 28. Ne5 Qe7 29. Nd3 Qf6 30. Ba4 (30. Nc5 $142 $14) 30... Qf5 31. Qxf5 (31. Qf3 Qd5) 31... exf5 32. Nc5 Rb8 33. Kf2 Bd6 34. Rdc1 g6 35. b4 Rdc8 36. Bb3 Rc7 37. Bc4 Re7 38. a4 Kg8 {½-½ Petrosian,T-Dorfman,J/Moscow 1976/URS-ch (44)}) (14... Rb8 15. a3 Nf8 16. Ne5 Bd7 17. Nc5 Be8 18. Ba2 (18. f4 $5) (18. Qe4 $5) 18... b6 (18... Kh8 19. Qe4 f6 20. Qh4 Bd6 21. Nf3 b6 22. Ne4 c5 23. Nxd6 Qxd6 24. Rfd1 Rbc8 25. Bb3 cxd4 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. Nxd4 $14 {1-0 Zarubin,O-Filipenko,A/Severodonetsk 1982/EXT 1999 (48)}) 19. Ncd3 c5 $1 20. dxc5 Bxe5 21. Nxe5 Qxc5 22. Qxc5 bxc5 23. Nc4 {½-½ Bareev,E-Dreev,A/Elista 1998/CBM 065}) (14... Nf6 15. Rfd1 (15. Nc5 b6 16. Nd3 Bb7 17. Rfd1 Rac8 18. Qe2 Bb8 19. Rc2 Ne4 20. Rdc1 Bd6 21. a3 c5 22. dxc5 Nxc5 23. Nxc5 Bxc5 24. Bc4 {½-½ Haap,J-Remmler,H/Schwaebisch Gmuend 2001/CBM 080 ext}) (15. Nxf6+ $5 Qxf6 16. Rfd1 Bd7 17. Qe4 Re8 18. Ne5 Rad8 19. f4 Bd6 20. Rd2 Bc8 21. g4 g6 22. Rf1 Re7 23. h4 Qg7 24. h5 $36 {1-0 Van Seben,E-Budra,Z/IECG 2001/R1-2001-0-00006 (39)}) 15... Bd7 16. Nc5 Rab8 17. a3 Be8 18. Ba2 e5 19. Bb1 exd4 20. exd4 g6 21. Re1 Qf8 22. Ba2 Kh7 23. Qd2 Bd6 24. Nd3 Rbc8 25. Nfe5 Bb8 26. Qf4 Qg7 27. Qe3 Nd5 28. Qh3 Rc7 29. Nc5 Re7 30. Qh4 $36 {1-0 Alekseev,E-Burmakin,V/Sochi 2005/CBM 107 (44)}) 15. a3 Rb8 {This move (you have already seen it in some games above) is also prophylactical. The idea is that after ...?d7-f8(f6) and ...?c8-d7 ?e4-c5 doesn't attack the b7 pawn. The drawback is that after the insertion of ...a7-a5 a2-a3 the a5 pawn can be hanging at some point.} 16. Rfd1 Nf8 17. Ne5 $146 ({RR} 17. Nc5 Bd7 18. Nxd7 Rxd7 19. Qe4 Nh7 20. Bc2 Nf6 21. Qh4 Rbd8 22. Nd2 e5 23. Nb3 Rd5 24. dxe5 Bxe5 25. Rxd5 Rxd5 26. Rb1 Qd8 27. g3 b5 28. a4 Qb6 29. Bd1 c5 30. Bf3 Rd8 31. Nc1 Rd2 {Salomon,J (2340)-Roiz,M (2591) Yerevan 2014 0-1 (33)}) 17... Bd7 18. Nxd7 $6 {A paradoxical decision, which no-one but Magnus can explain. White exchanges his powerful knight for Black's passive bishop. He takes into account that the bishop can be activated by means of ...?d7-e8, ...f7-f6 and ...?e8-g6; however, that would weaken Black's pawn structure.} Nxd7 19. g3 Nf6 20. Qc5 Qxc5 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 22. Rxc5 {[%mdl 4096] Equal pawns, opposite-coloured bishops... and now Magnus Carlsen outplays an outstanding endgame specialist!} Ra8 23. Kg2 Bd6 24. Rc2 f5 25. Bc4 a4 $6 {A tentative but in my opinion - a wrong move! This pawn will be weak on a light square and need major pieces to defend it!} 26. Be2 Be7 27. Bf3 Ra5 28. Rc4 Bf6 29. Rdc1 {[%CAl Yf3d1] White's plan is to put his bishop to d1 or c2 (forcing ...?d8-a8) and then, according to the principle of two weaknesses, after necessary preparation, open a second front on the kingside (g3-g4). To prevent such course of events, Black opens up the centre. That creates the second weakness at once (the f5 pawn) but Black obtains some counterplay against the white b2 pawn.} e5 30. dxe5 Bxe5 31. Rb4 Rd7 32. Rc2 Kg7 33. Kf1 Bf6 34. Rcc4 Ra8 35. Rf4 Ra5 36. Ke2 $6 (36. Rxa4 Rxa4 37. Rxa4 Bxb2 38. Ra7 c5 39. Be2 $14 {[%CAl Ye2c4] was probably more appropriate.}) 36... Rc5 $1 37. Rfc4 Rxc4 38. Rxc4 Bxb2 39. Rxa4 c5 (39... Bc3 $142 $1 40. Ra7 $140 Rd2+ 41. Kf1 Rb2 {activating the rook and Black is probably out of danger,}) 40. Kf1 b6 41. Be2 {Correcting the inaccuracy on the 36th move but now the white rook is far less active.} Bc3 42. Bb5 Rd1+ 43. Kg2 Ba5 44. Rf4 Kg6 45. a4 (45. Bc4 $142 $1 {[%CAl Yg3g4]} Rd7 46. Ba2 $1 $36 {[%CAl Ra2b1]}) 45... Bc3 {[%CAl Rc3e5]} 46. g4 {what else?} fxg4 47. Be8 Be5 (47... h5 48. Bxf7+ Kg5 49. h3 $1) 48. Bxf7+ Kg5 49. Re4 Kf5 50. Rc4 Rd7 51. Bh5 Rg7 52. a5 (52. h3 $5 gxh3+ 53. Kxh3 {creating connected passed pawns}) 52... bxa5 53. Rxc5 Ra7 54. Rc4 Rg7 55. Rc5 Ra7 56. Rc4 Rg7 57. Rc6 Ra7 58. Bg6+ Kg5 59. Bc2 a4 {[%csl Ga4]} ({Black is out of danger after} 59... h5 {, too}) 60. Rg6+ Kh5 $2 (60... Kh4 $1 61. Rxh6+ Kg5 62. Re6 Bb8 {and White can't make exploit the dangerous position of the black king.}) 61. Re6 $2 (61. h3 $1 a3 (61... gxh3+ 62. Kxh3 a3 63. Rg2 $18 {- the h6 pawn harms Black!}) 62. hxg4+ (62. Rxg4 Rg7 63. Rxg7 Bxg7 64. Bb3 {is hardly winning}) 62... Kh4 63. Bf5 Bg7 (63... a2 64. Rxh6+ Kg5 65. Rg6+ Kh4 66. f4 Rh7 $8 67. Ra6 a1=Q 68. Rxa1 Bxa1 69. Bxh7 Kxg4 {is a tablebase win for White - Black can't reach a drawish setup ?f6, ?d6}) 64. Be6 {and White keeps good winning chances}) 61... Bg7 $4 {[%mdl 8192] A terrible mistake - nothing unusual after a long defence. Black overlooks a mating idea.} ({After} 61... Bb8 {White can't win}) 62. Kg3 Ra5 63. Bg6+ Kg5 (63... Kg5 {and Black resigned, noticing} 64. h4+ (64. f4+ gxf3 65. h4#) 64... gxh3 65. f4#) 1-0 [Event "Sofia MTel Masters 3rd"] [Site "Sofia"] [Date "2007.05.12"] [Round "3"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2757"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2007.05.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 118"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 (6. Bh4 {is now all the rage, Topalov himself played it with White. However, Mamedyarov has other ideas and goes for the possibly not so harmless former main line.}) 6... Qxf6 7. Qb3 $5 (7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 $11 {/?? is less promising, players like Anand, Kramnik and Dreev have repeatedly proven the soundness of Black's set-up. The text-move is more ambitious, White aims to play e4 in one go without allowing the disruptive}) (7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Bb4+ $13) 7... Nd7 {A typical reaction in the spirit of the whole system, which is also Black's most usual choice.} (7... g6 8. e4 $14 {?? is not quite ideal.}) ({About a decade ago the main alternative was} 7... a5 {[%CAl Ya5a4] ?a4 Black wants to counter White's ? plans by again taking b4 under control and preparing a4 as well. However, although the whole line still can't be considered refuted outright, ignoring development can be quite risky.} 8. e4 dxe4 (8... a4 $143 $6 9. Qc2 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Bb4+ 11. Kd1 Qd8 12. c5 O-O 13. a3 Ba5 14. Qxa4 b5 15. Qc2 $5 (15. cxb6 Bb7 16. Nc5 Bxb6 17. Nxb7 Rxa4 18. Nxd8 Rxd8 19. Kc2 Bxd4 20. Kb3 Ra7 21. Nxd4 Rxd4 22. Kc3 Rf4 23. Rd1 $14 {?,Ivanchuk,V (2625)-Ribli,Z (2630)/Reggio Emilia/1988/}) 15... e5 16. Nd6 exd4 17. Qe4 Be6 18. Bd3 g6 19. Qf4 Kg7 20. Nxd4 Qf6 21. Qxf6+ Kxf6 22. Be4 Ra6 23. Kc2 Rd8 24. Nxe6 Kxe6 25. Bd3 $18 {Uhlmann,W (2505)-Kuczynski,R (2460)/Dresden/1988/}) 9. Nxe4 Bb4+ 10. Kd1 Qf4 11. Bd3 f5 (11... Be7 12. Ne5 h5 13. g3 Qh6 14. Qb6 $1 $36) 12. Nc3 $5 $146 (12. Ng3 c5 13. a3 a4 14. Qc2 Ba5 15. d5 (15. Ne2 Qd6 $1 (15... Qg4 $2 16. Ne5 Qxg2 17. Rg1 Qxf2 18. Qxa4+ Nd7 19. b4 $1 cxd4 20. Rxg7 Qf1+ 21. Kc2 Qxa1 22. Nxd7 b5 23. Qxb5 {1-0,Novikov,I (2580)-Strokov,A (2245)/Alicante/1992/}) 16. Qxa4+ Bd7 17. Qc2 Nc6 18. dxc5 Qxc5 19. Nc1 Bc7 20. Nb3 Qe7 $44 {[%CAl Ye8c8,Ye8g8,Re6e4] ?0-0,0-0-0, e5-e4?,Popov,V (2555)-Lastin,A (2580)/RUS Cup f Elista/2000/}) 15... O-O 16. Qe2 exd5 17. cxd5 Bd7 (17... Qd6 $5) 18. Qe5 Qxe5 $2 (18... Bc7 $1 $13) 19. Nxe5 f4 20. Ne4 Re8 21. Nc4 b6 22. Kc2 Rf8 23. Rad1 Bf5 24. Ned6 $16 {Ivanisevic,I (2588)-Potkin,V (2557)/playchess.com 5'/2006/}) 12... c5 13. d5 O-O 14. a3 a4 $6 (14... Bxc3 15. Qxc3 exd5 16. cxd5 Bd7 $132) 15. Nxa4 Ba5 (15... b5 16. Nb6 $16) 16. Nb6 Ra6 17. Nxc8 Rxc8 18. Qxb7 Rd8 19. Kc2 e5 20. b4 e4 21. bxa5 exd3+ 22. Kxd3 Rg6 23. Qe7 Nc6 24. Qe3 Qc7 25. g3 $16 {Ivanisevic,I (2596)-Korneev,O (2638)/Vrsac/2006/}) ({However, Black can also play} 7... dxc4 8. Qxc4 Nd7 {Black gives up the ? immediately, but on the other hand by doing so before e4 limits White's options - he already won't be able to take on c4 with his ?. Actually this is a position of a similar type to the ones arising after 7.e3. We'll see the main difference here is that White can still fianchetto his ?f1. In my opinion Black should be able to gradually equalize in this line.} 9. Rd1 $5 (9. e4 e5 10. O-O-O (10. d5 Nb6 11. Qb3 Bc5 $132 ({or even} 11... Bg4 {eases Black's task and straightforward development gives him excellent piece-play.})) 10... Be7 11. Kb1 O-O 12. Be2 exd4 13. Qxd4 Qxd4 14. Nxd4 Nb6 (14... Ne5 $5) 15. f4 Bb4 16. Kc2 Bd7 17. a3 Bxc3 18. Kxc3 Rfe8 19. Bf3 Rad8 20. Nb3 Na4+ 21. Kc2 Bc8 22. Rd4 Rxd4 23. Nxd4 Nc5 24. Re1 Ne6 $11 {1/2,Alekhine,A-Wurzburger/Paris sim/1931/ is a piece of chess history.}) (9. g3 e5 10. O-O-O (10. Bg2 exd4 11. Ne4 (11. Nxd4 $142 $5) 11... Qe7 12. Qxd4 Qb4+ 13. Nc3 Nf6 14. O-O-O Be6 15. a3 Qa5 16. Qe5 Qxe5 17. Nxe5 Rd8 18. Kc2 Bd6 19. Nd3 O-O $15 {Kortschnoj,V (2615)-Kramnik,V (2710)/Monte Carlo rpd/1994/}) 10... Be7 11. Ne4 Qf5 12. Qc2 O-O 13. h4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Qa5 15. Kb1 Nf6 16. e3 Nd5 17. a3 Bg4 18. Be2 Bxe2 19. Nxe2 Nf6 {Timman,J (2590)-Gelfand,B (2685)/Belgrade/1995/} 20. Nd6 $11) 9... g6 {The above examples show, that White's last move was prophylaxis against} (9... e5 $2 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Qe4 Bd6 12. Rxd6 $18) (9... Qe7 $5 {[%CAl Ye7b4] , toying with the idea ?b4 is a possible alternative.}) 10. g3 (10. e4 e5 11. d5 Nb6 $11 {seems fully playable for Black even with the extra moves ?d1 and g6 - see above.}) 10... Bg7 11. Bg2 (11. Bh3 O-O 12. O-O Qe7 13. Ne4 Rb8 14. a3 Re8 15. b4 a5 16. Nc5 axb4 17. axb4 Ra8 18. Qb3 Rd8 19. Rd2 e5 20. Bxd7 Bxd7 21. dxe5 Bh3 $11 {?,Timman,J (2630)-Sokolov,I (2615)/NED-ch Rotterdam/1997/}) 11... O-O 12. O-O e5 (12... Qe7 13. Ne4 Kh7 $5 {[%CAl Yf7f5,Ye6e5] ?f5,e5? is a more patient and possibly plausible alternative.}) 13. Ne4 Qe7 14. d5 cxd5 (14... Nb6 15. d6 $36) 15. Qxd5 Nb6 16. Qc5 Qxc5 17. Nxc5 {Sherbakov,R (2558)-Shalimov,V (2406)/Saint Petersburg/2000/} e4 $1 18. Nd4 f5 19. b3 {?Sherbakov} Rf7 $5 {?} 20. Nb5 (20. Nde6 Bxe6 21. Nxe6 Re8 $11) 20... a6 21. Nd6 Rc7 22. b4 a5 $132) 8. e4 dxe4 ({Here already} 8... dxc4 $143 9. Bxc4 {is inconsistent. To realize the liberating e5 advance, Black must weaken his ? and this gives White the initiative after} b5 10. Bd3 (10. Be2 $5 {?} e5 11. d5) 10... e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Qxe5 13. O-O Bd6 14. f4 Qc5+ 15. Kh1 Be6 16. Qd1 Rd8 17. Rc1 (17. e5 $5 Bc7 18. Qe2 $36) 17... Bxf4 $5 18. Rxf4 Qd6 19. Rf3 Bg4 20. Be2 Bxf3 21. Bxf3 Qf4 22. Qe1 O-O 23. Rc2 Rd7 24. Qg3 $6 (24. Ne2 $14) 24... Qxg3 25. hxg3 Rfd8 26. Rc1 Rd2 $44 {Ivkov,B (2510)-Farago,I (2500)/EU-chT Moscow/1977/}) 9. Nxe4 Qf4 {Other retreats are more passive.} (9... Qd8 10. O-O-O $5 (10. Bd3 Qa5+ {-9...?f5}) 10... Qc7 11. Kb1 Be7 12. Bd3 O-O 13. Rhe1 {[%csl Gc4,Gd4,Ge4][%CAl Gd1d8,Ge1e8] ??} c5 14. d5 exd5 15. cxd5 Bd6 16. Ka1 Rd8 17. Bb1 Nf8 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Ne5 Bd7 20. f4 Rac8 21. g3 b5 22. Qf3 c4 23. Nc6 $1 $36 {Schmidt,W (2446)-Senff,M (2464)/Barlinek/2002/}) (9... Qf5 10. Bd3 Qa5+ 11. Nc3 Bd6 (11... c5 12. d5 exd5 13. cxd5 $32 {?}) 12. O-O O-O 13. c5 {[%CAl Yb3c4,Yb2b4] ??c4,b4??}) 10. Bd3 $32 {White almost exclusively plays this natural developing move, other tries are less consistent.} (10. Qe3 Bb4+ 11. Ke2 Qxe3+ 12. Kxe3 f5 13. Ned2 c5 14. a3 cxd4+ 15. Nxd4 Bc5 16. b4 Bxd4+ 17. Kxd4 Ke7 18. Re1 Rd8 19. Kc3 a5 20. c5 axb4+ 21. axb4 Nf6 22. Bc4 b6 $132 {Dlugy,M (2531)-Kramnik,V (2751)/Internet 5'/1999/}) 10... e5 $5 {[%csl Gc8,Gf8] This strategically desirable advance opens the position for Black's ?. However, he can profit from this only if he manages to consolidate his position by finishing his development. This "if" is the big question, Black's idea is certainly quite risky. A plausible explanation is that after 0,5/2 in the first rounds, Topalov even with Black felt obliged to complicate the game and strive for more, than just tedious gradual equality.} ({Black can't free his position with} 10... Nf6 $143 11. Nxf6+ Qxf6 (11... gxf6 {is risky:} 12. O-O Rg8 13. Be2 Bd6 14. g3 h5 15. Kh1 Qg4 16. Qe3 Bd7 17. d5 cxd5 18. cxd5 Qf5 19. Rad1 e5 20. Nd2 Be7 21. f4 exf4 22. Rxf4 Qxd5+ 23. Ne4 Qe5 24. Nxf6+ Bxf6 25. Re4 Bc6 26. Bb5 Kf8 27. Bxc6 $16 {Kharlov,A (2614)-Malakhov,V (2664)/Moscow Aeroflot op/2005/}) 12. O-O Bd6 13. Rfe1 O-O 14. c5 Bc7 15. Ne5 {?} b6 $6 {1-0 Czebe,A (2480)-Namyslo,H (2315)/Budapest 2002/CBM 089 ext (23)} 16. Qa4 $1 b5 17. Qc2 $16 {[%csl Rc6] ×c6}) ({The main alternative is} 10... Be7 11. O-O {but now if Black wants to advance his ?e6, he should do so immediately. The less committal} O-O ({With} 11... e5 $5 {we will deal with in the note to Black's 11-th move.}) 12. Rfe1 {already practically necessitates a change of plan with} c5 $5 (12... e5 $2 {runs into} 13. Ng3 $16 {and passive play with}) (12... Rd8 13. Rad1 Qc7 {gave White a permanent ? and strong pull after} 14. Ng3 Nf8 15. Qc3 a5 16. a3 a4 17. Ne5 Qa5 18. Qc1 Bd7 19. c5 b5 20. Be4 Qc7 21. Qc3 Be8 22. Ne2 Ra6 23. Nc1 Nd7 24. Nxd7 Rxd7 25. Nd3 Rd8 26. Ne5 $16 {Alekhine,A-Asztalos,L/Kecskemet/1927/}) 13. d5 exd5 (13... Nb6 14. Rad1 $14) 14. Nc3 Nb6 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. cxd5 Bd6 17. g3 Qf6 18. Nd2 Bh3 19. Ne4 Qf3 20. Bf1 Qxb3 21. axb3 Bxf1 22. Nxd6 Ba6 23. Re7 Rfd8 24. Nxb7 Bxb7 25. Rxb7 Rxd5 $11 {/?,Petrosian,T-Szily,J/Budapest/1952/ Black defended well and in the end White didn't manage to increase his slight edge.}) 11. O-O (11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Qxe5 13. O-O Be7 14. f4 (14. Rae1 O-O 15. Re3 Qa5 16. Bb1 Rd8 17. a3 Rb8 18. Qc2 Bf5 19. b4 Qe5 20. Qe2 Qd4 21. Re1 Bf8 22. c5 Bg6 23. h3 b6 $11 {Keres,P-Mikenas,V/URS-ch Tallinn/1965/}) 14... Qd4+ (14... Qc7 $2 15. f5 $40) 15. Kh1 f5 (15... g6 16. Rad1 O-O 17. Bb1 Qb6 18. Qc3 Bg4 19. c5 Qc7 {Heuer,T (2305)-Simon,R (2245)/Oberliga Nord/1994/} 20. Rd6 $36) 16. Rae1 O-O 17. Ng3 Bh4 $5 (17... Bc5 18. Re5 g6 19. Ne2 Qd6 20. Rd1 b6 21. Bxf5 Qf6 22. Bxc8 Raxc8 {Gavrikov,V (2540)-Liiva,R (2435)/EST-chT/1998/} 23. Qc3 $5 $14 {Gavrikov}) 18. Re5 Bf6 19. Nxf5 Bxf5 20. Rxf5 Rad8 (20... Qxb2 $11) 21. Bb1 Rfe8 $44 {[%CAl Yd4f2] ??f2,Savchenko,S (2539)-Naumann,A (2480)/Bad Woerishofen/1999/}) 11... exd4 {Here applies the same that we wrote about Black's previous move - Topalov plays a very ambitious line.} (11... f5 {is just as risky, but less in his style - White is now forced to sacrifice a piece and although the resulting positions are not fully clear, he has a dangerous long-term initiative and Black must defend with great care:} 12. Ng3 (12. Rfe1 $5 fxe4 13. Rxe4 $13) 12... e4 13. Rfe1 Kd8 $8 (13... Nf6 $2 14. Ne5 $18) 14. Nxe4 (14. Bxe4 fxe4 15. Rxe4 Qf7 16. Qc2 $44 {Kishnev,S (2415)-Simon,R (2300)/Budapest/1989/}) 14... fxe4 15. Rxe4 Qf7 16. Rae1 $44 {?}) ({However, the most solid choice is the developing} 11... Be7 $142 $5 {and it's very difficult to get any workable edge for White:} 12. Rfe1 exd4 13. Ng3 (13. Nxd4 O-O 14. Bc2 Nf6 ({Equally playable seems} 14... Nc5 15. Qc3 Ne6 16. Rad1 Rd8 17. Ne2 Qc7 18. Rxd8+ Qxd8 19. c5 b6 20. N2g3 Nxc5 21. Nxc5 Bxc5 22. Nh5 Qg5 23. Re8+ {1/2,Vaassen,J (2036)-Bubir,S (2101)/corr/2001/} Bf8 24. Re5 Qc1+ 25. Re1 Qg5 $11) 15. Rad1 g6 16. Nxf6+ $6 (16. Qc3 $5 Nxe4 17. Rxe4 Qc7 18. Qe3 Bg5 $8 19. f4 Bf6 20. f5 Bg5 21. Qf2 Qb6 $1 $132) 16... Bxf6 17. Re4 Qc7 18. Qe3 Kg7 19. h4 h5 20. Rf4 Re8 $1 21. Qxe8 Qxf4 22. Nf3 Rb8 23. Qe4 Qxe4 24. Bxe4 Bg4 25. Rd2 Re8 26. Bd3 Rd8 $17 {/-+,Euwe,M-Fine,R/AVRO Holland/1938/ Topalov undoubtedly thought along the lines of this classic game, when he made his 10th, 11th and also some of his following moves - Strategically Black has a promising position and if White fails to develop his initiative and transform it into something concrete, he may end up in a disgusting ? (as did Euwe).}) 13... Nc5 14. Qa3 Qd6 (14... Ne6 $142 $5 15. c5 $44) 15. Bf5 $1 Ne6 16. Qxd6 Bxd6 17. Nxd4 Bxg3 18. hxg3 Ke7 19. Re4 Kf6 20. Bxe6 Bxe6 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Rae1 $14 {/=,Timman,J (2620)-Gelfand,B (2700)/Wijk aan Zee/1996/}) 12. Nxd4 $146 {[%mdl 8] This natural move is a novelty, but in fact it had already been recommended by Timman in the notes to Timman-Gelfand above.} (12. Rae1 Be7 13. Bb1 (13. Nxd4 O-O $11 {/? is pleasant for Black, but}) (13. Ng3 $5 Nc5 14. Qa3 Ne6 15. c5 O-O 16. b4 $44 {/= is similar to the above note.}) 13... O-O 14. Ng3 Nc5 15. Qa3 Qc7 16. Nxd4 Rd8 17. Ndf5 {Ivanisevic,I (2588)-Schenk,A (2495)/FRA-chT Gonfreville/2006/} Bf8 $11 {[%csl Gc8,Gf8] /??}) 12... Nc5 ({Black must start getting out his forces, but the natural} 12... Be7 {already fails to} 13. Nf5 $1 $16) (12... Ne5 13. Bc2 Be7 14. g3 Qg4 15. f4 $32 {?}) 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. Rae1+ Kf8 {Black will have to move his ? and try to castle artificially.} ({His choice looks logical, but even the provocative} 14... Kd8 $5 {[%CAl Yd8c7,Yc8d7,Yh8e8] ??c7,?d7,?he8 gives him chances to unravel his pieces in the future.}) 15. Re4 $146 ({RR} 15. Ne2 Qc7 16. Ng3 h5 17. Ne4 Be7 18. c5 Be6 19. Bc4 Rh6 20. Bxe6 Rxe6 21. Qf3 Re8 22. Re3 Kg8 23. Rfe1 g6 24. g3 Kg7 25. h4 Bf8 26. Kg2 Kh8 27. b4 Bh6 28. R3e2 Qe7 29. Kf1 Bg7 {Vescovi,G (2617)-Di Berardino,D (2430) Rio de Janeiro 2007 1-0 (56)}) 15... Qf6 16. Qc3 a5 $6 {Topalov relies on his ? and doesn't want to make any positional concessions. This is an even more risky decision, than on moves 10 and 11.} ({Objectively Black should have gone for some modest continuation such as} 16... Bxd4 17. Rxd4 Be6 $14 (17... g6 $2 {[%CAl Rf8g7] ??g7 runs into} 18. Rd8+ Qxd8 19. Qxh8+ Ke7 20. Qe5+ Be6 21. Bxg6 $1 $16) (17... c5 18. Rd5 Qxc3 19. bxc3 $14 {/? costs Black a ?.})) ({or} 16... Bd7 $5 17. b4 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Re8 $14 {He can probably neutralize White's pressure and gradually achieve equality, but this is obviously something Topalov was not interested in.}) 17. Rfe1 Bd7 18. R1e3 Bb4 $6 {It's easy to criticize this move when we know what happened 3 moves later. However, Black already has a difficult choice:} (18... Re8 $2 19. Rxe8+ Bxe8 20. Ne6+ $1 fxe6 21. Rf3 $18) ({After the immediate} 18... Qd6 19. Rg3 {White's initiative remains dangerous:} Bb4 20. Ne6+ $1 Bxe6 21. Qxg7+ Ke7 22. Rge3 Rag8 23. Rxe6+ Qxe6 24. Rxe6+ Kxe6 25. Qd4 $16) ({Perhaps deserving attention was} 18... h5 $5 19. Rf3 Qd6 {[%csl Gc5] keeping the ? on c5 for the time being.}) 19. Qc2 Qd6 20. Rf3 h5 $6 {[%CAl Yh8h6,Yh6f6] This is the last straw. Black tries to activate his ?h8 via h6, but he won't get enough time to realize this idea.} (20... Kg8 {gives White a pleasant choice between the energetic} 21. c5 $5 ({and the simple} 21. a3 Bc5 22. Nb3 $16)) ({However, more resilient seems to be} 20... Re8 $142 21. Ref4 $5 ({Tempting, but far from clear is} 21. c5 Bxc5 22. Bc4 Rxe4 23. Rxf7+ (23. Qxe4 $5 f6 24. Nf5 $44) 23... Ke8 24. Qxe4+ Kd8 $132 {?} 25. Rxd7+ Kxd7 $8 26. Qg4+ Kc7 $1 27. Qxg7+ Kb6 28. Qxh8 Bxd4 {??b2=}) (21. Nf5 {is in all probability only a transposition into 21.?e8}) (21. Rxe8+ Kxe8 (21... Bxe8 $2 22. Nf5 Qd8 (22... Qc7 23. c5 Qe5 24. Nh4 $1 $18 {[%CAl Rh4g6,Rf3e3] ??g6,?e3}) 23. c5 {[%CAl Rf5d6,Rd3c4] ??d6,?c4+-} Qd5 24. Nd6 Qxc5 25. Nxf7 $1 Bxf7 26. Bc4 $18) 22. Nf5 (22. a3 $5) 22... Bxf5 23. Bxf5 $32 {[%csl Re8,Rh8] ? Black still has problems with his ?? and passive ?h8, but he has at least slightly simplified the position.}) 21... Re1+ 22. Bf1 Kg8 23. a3 $36 {although even here White has enduring pressure.}) 21. c5 $1 {[%mdl 640] White has activated his forces and it's time to act. The pawn sacrifice opens new vistas for his ?d3.} Bxc5 (21... Qxc5 22. Bc4 f6 (22... f5 23. Ne6+ Bxe6 24. Rxe6 $18) 23. a3 b5 $8 24. Nb3 Qa7 (24... Qg5 25. h4 Qh6 26. Be6 $18) (24... Qd6 25. Bf1 $5 (25. Rd3 Qc7 26. axb4 bxc4 27. Qxc4 $40) 25... a4 26. Rd3 axb3 27. Qd1 $18) 25. axb4 bxc4 26. Qxc4 $40 {+-}) 22. Bc4 f6 $8 (22... Be8 $2 23. Ne6+ Kg8 24. Nxc5 Qxc5 25. Bxf7+ $18) 23. Ne6+ Bxe6 24. Rxe6 $18 {[%csl Ra8,Gc4,Rc5,Rh8] ?? The opposite-coloured ? enhance the strength of White's ?, as Black's light squares are extremely weak. Also Topalov can't solve the problem of his unconnected ?.} Qd7 (24... Qd4 25. Rd3 {??d7+-}) 25. Qf5 (25. Qg6 Qd1+ (25... Bd4 26. Rd6 $1 $18) 26. Bf1 {[%CAl Rf3f6] ??ff6} Bd4 27. Re2 $1 {??g3,?e4 and Black is helpless against the decisive invasion via the light squares, for example} Rh6 28. Qe4 Bc5 29. Rd3 Qa1 30. Qc4 Be7 31. Qe6 Re8 32. Rd8 $1 $18 {However, the text-move is similar and also strong.}) 25... Qd4 26. Re4 (26. Qg6 {can transpose into 25.?g6.} {?} Qxc4 27. Rfxf6+ gxf6 28. Qxf6+ Kg8 29. Qg6+ Kf8 30. Qf5+ Kg7 31. Rg6+ Kh7 32. Qxh5#) 26... Qd1+ $8 27. Bf1 Bd6 (27... Bb6 28. Qe6 {[%CAl Rf3b3,Re6e7,Rf3g3,Rf3f6] ??f6,?e7,?g3,?b3} Rh6 29. Qe7+ Kg8 30. Rg3 Rh7 31. Rd3 Qc2 32. Rd2 $1 Qxd2 (32... Qc1 33. Qe6+ Kf8 34. Rd7 $18) 33. Bc4+ Qd5 $8 (33... Kh8 34. Qe8+ Rxe8 35. Rxe8#) 34. Qxb7 $18) 28. Rd3 $1 Bxh2+ {Something like the last meal before the execution. The difference in the scope and activity of the pieces is overwhelmingly in White's favour and he has a mating ?.} 29. Kxh2 Qxf1 30. Rd7 {[%CAl Rf5e6,Rf5g6] ??g6,?e6} 1-0 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.19"] [Round "6"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2726"] [BlackElo "2735"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Krasenkow,Michal Marin,Mihail} d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 h5 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. Bg3 $5 {[%mdl 512] It's back to Sakaev's double-edged ? sacrifice.} ({After} 15. Rad1 O-O 16. Bg3 (16. f3 Nh7 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. fxg4 Qxh4 19. gxh5 Ng5 20. Qd2 Nh3+ $11 {is a well-known draw.}) ({RR} 16. f3 Nh7) 16... Nd7 ({RR} 16... Nh7) 17. f3 {Grischuk was obviously not sure, how to cope with the stunning new Anand/Nielsen idea} c5 $1 (17... Qb6 $132 {is the older continuation.}) ({RR} 17... Qb6) 18. dxc5 ({RR} 18. d5 Be5 19. Bxe5 ({RR} 19. f4 Bd4+) 19... Nxe5 20. f4 Qxh4) ({RR} 18. Nxb5 cxd4 19. Nxd4 ({RR} 19. Qxc4 Ne5 20. Qb3 gxf3 21. gxf3 Ng6) 19... Qb6 20. Bf2 g3 21. Be3 Qd8 22. Bg5 ({RR} 22. f4 Bxd4) 22... Bxd4+ 23. Rxd4 Qb6 24. Be3 e5 25. Rd3 cxd3) 18... Qe7 19. Kh1 ({RR} 19. Nxb5 Qxc5+) ({RR} 19. Bd6 Qxh4 20. fxg4 Be5 ({RR} 20... hxg4 21. Rf4) ({RR} 20... Nxc5 21. Bxc5 Be5 22. Rf3 hxg4) 21. Bxe5 Nxe5 22. gxh5 b4 23. Nb5 Bxe4 24. Qc1 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Kh7) ({RR} 19. Rd6 a6) ({RR} 19. Rf2 a6 20. fxg4 ({RR} 20. Bd6 Qxh4 21. g3 Qg5 22. f4 Qg6 23. Bxf8 Nxf8) 20... hxg4 ({RR} 20... Ne5) 21. Bd6 Qxh4) 19... a6 20. a4 Bc6 21. Nd5 $6 ({RR} 21. fxg4 hxg4 22. Bxg4 ({RR} 22. Nd5 exd5 23. exd5 Nxc5 24. dxc6 Ne4 25. Be1 g3 26. Rf4 f5) 22... Nxc5) 21... exd5 22. exd5 Be5 $1 ({RR} 22... Nxc5 23. dxc6) 23. f4 Bg7 24. dxc6 Nxc5 25. Rd5 Ne4 26. Be1 Qe6 27. Rxh5 f5 28. Kh2 Rac8 $17 {[%csl Re2,Rh5] ?h5,?e2,Aronian,L (2750)-Anand,V (2792)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) ({A rare, but plausible option is} 15. b3 cxb3 ({RR} 15... cxb3) 16. axb3 O-O 17. Rad1 ({Even now the idea} 17. Bg3 $5 {deserves attention:} Qxd4 18. Rad1 Qb4 19. e5 Nd5 20. Ne4 $13 {Contrary to the game, Black has already committed his ? to the ? and ?g5 becomes an option.}) 17... Nh7 (17... Qe7 18. Bg3 $44) (17... Ne8 $142 $5 18. Bxg7 Nxg7 19. g3 e5 $13) 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. g3 Rc8 (19... e5 $5) 20. f3 f5 21. exf5 exf5 22. fxg4 Qc7 23. Kh2 fxg4 24. Ne4 Rce8 25. Bd3 Qe7 26. Nc5 $16 {Goldin,A (2566)-Novikov,I (2591)/New York/2000/}) ({RR} 15. Rad1 O-O 16. Bg3 Nd7 17. f3 c5 18. dxc5 Qe7 19. Kh1 a6 20. a4 Bc6 21. Nd5 exd5 22. exd5 Be5 23. f4 Bg7 24. dxc6 Nxc5 25. Rd5 Ne4 26. Be1 Qe6 27. Rxh5 f5 28. Kh2 Rac8 29. Bb4 Rfe8 {Aronian,L (2750)-Anand,V (2792) Mexico City 2007 CBM 120 [Marin,Mihail] 0-1 (41)}) ({RR} 15. Rad1 O-O 16. g3 a6 17. f3 Ne8 18. Bxg7 Nxg7 19. fxg4 hxg4 20. e5 f5 21. exf6 Rxf6 22. Rxf6 Qxf6 23. Qe4 Rd8 24. Qe5 Qxe5 25. dxe5 Rxd1+ 26. Bxd1 c5 27. Bxg4 Bc6 28. Kf2 b4 29. Ne2 Bd5 {Gnojek,P (2360)-Rydl,J (2404) Czech Republic CZE 2024 ½-½ (50)}) ({RR} 15. b3 O-O 16. bxc4 ({RR} 16. Bg3 b4 17. Na4 Qxd4 18. e5 ({RR} 18. Nc5) 18... Qe4) 16... Nh7 17. Bxg7 ({RR} 17. cxb5 Bxe5 18. dxe5 Qxh4) 17... Kxg7 18. Rad1 ({RR} 18. d5 cxd5 19. exd5 bxc4 20. dxe6 Qxh4 21. Ne4 ({RR} 21. Nb5 fxe6 22. Nc7 Rf6 23. Nxa8 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Qh3+ 25. Kg1 g3) 21... Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Qf6 23. exf7 c3 24. f4 ({RR} 24. Rac1) 24... Rad8 25. Bc4 Rd4 26. Qe6 Rxf4) ({RR} 18. Qd3 Qxh4 ({RR} 18... bxc4 19. Qxc4 Qxh4 20. Qc5) 19. cxb5 Rfd8) 18... Qxh4 19. cxb5 cxb5 20. Nxb5 Rac8 21. Qd3 Rfd8 ({RR} 21... g3 22. Qxg3+ Qxg3 23. fxg3 Bxe4 24. Bxh5 ({RR} 24. Nd6 Rc2) 24... Rc2 25. Rf2 Rxf2 26. Kxf2 Rb8) 22. d5 exd5 23. Qd4+ Kg8 24. Qxa7 Qe7 ({RR} 24... Ng5 25. Nd4 ({RR} 25. Qxb7 Nf3+ 26. Bxf3 ({RR} 26. gxf3 g3) 26... gxf3 27. Nd6 fxg2 28. Kxg2 Qg4+)) 25. e5 Qxe5 ({RR} 25... Ra8 26. Qe3 Rxa2 27. Rfe1) 26. Qxb7 Rb8 ({RR} 26... Qxe2 27. Nd6) 27. Qc7 Qxe2 28. Nd4 ({RR} 28. Nd6 Rf8 ({RR} 28... Qe6 29. Rfe1 Qf6 ({RR} 29... Qxd6 30. Re8+ Rxe8 31. Qxd6) ({RR} 29... Qd7 30. Re8+) 30. Rxd5 Ng5 31. Red1) 29. Rxd5 Qxa2 30. Ra5 Qe2 31. Rxh5) 28... Qc4 29. Qe5 ({RR} 29. Nc6 Rbc8 30. Ne7+ Kf8 31. Qg3 Kxe7 ({RR} 31... Rc5 32. Rfe1) 32. Qe5+ Kf8 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Rfe1+ Kd6 35. Qe5+ Kc6 36. Rc1) 29... Re8 {Grischuk,A (2733)-Aronian,L (2750) Linares 2009 CBM 129 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (59)}) 15... Qxd4 {The most principled reaction.} (15... O-O 16. e5 Nh7 (16... Nd7 17. Ne4 $44 {?}) 17. Rad1 {transposes into a position, which is rather promising for White:} f5 18. exf6 Qxf6 19. b3 $5 (19. f3 Qf5 20. Qd2 Qg6 21. fxg4 hxg4 22. Qe3 Rf5 23. Ne4 c5 24. Nxc5 Bd5 25. a4 Raf8 26. axb5 Rf3 27. gxf3 gxf3 28. Kh2 {Kramnik,V (2770)-Akopian,V (2660)/Dortmund/2000/} Bh6 $1 29. Qe5 Bg7 $11 {Kramnik}) 19... cxb3 20. axb3 Rfd8 21. Ne4 Qe7 22. Nc5 $44 {Van Wely,L (2617)-Dreev,A (2682)/Dordrecht 5'/2004/}) 16. Rfd1 {As already emphasized by Lutz in his notes to earlier games, it's better to attack the ? with this ?. White's chances on the ?f, connected with f3 are unrealistic, while now the ?a1 supports the a4 advance.} (16. Rad1 $143 Qb6 (16... Qc5 {is perhaps also possible:} 17. e5 Nd5 18. Ne4 Qb6 19. Nd6+ Kf8 20. Kh1 Kg8 21. Qe4 Rf8 22. f3 (22. Nxb7 $5 Qxb7 23. f3 $132 {Lutz}) 22... Ba8 23. fxg4 Qe3 24. Rf3 Qxe4 25. Nxe4 hxg4 26. Ra3 b4 27. Rxa7 Ne3 $36 {Wendt,J (2289)-Van Wely,L (2687)/Minneapolis/2005/}) 17. e5 Nd5 18. Ne4 O-O-O 19. Nd6+ Rxd6 20. exd6 f5 21. Kh2 Kd7 22. Rfe1 {Wu Shaobin (2545)-Al Sayed,M (2431)/Doha/2003/} Bd4 $17 {Black's forces are beautifuly centralized and coordinated, White can hope only for tactical tricks.}) 16... Qc5 $146 {[%mdl 8] A novelty, but afterwards Svidler confessed he didn't analyse it deeply enough.} ({It remains an open question, what exactly was on Grischuk's mind after the more logical} 16... Qb6 17. a4 a6 $5 (17... a5 $6 18. Rd6 $1 {[%CAl Rc3b5] ??b5} (18. Qc1 $2 b4 19. e5 Bh6 20. Bf4 Bxf4 21. Qxf4 Nd5 22. Nxd5 cxd5 23. Qf6 Rg8 $19 {Johannessen,L (2543)-Matthiesen,A (2356)/Saint Vincent/2005/}) 18... b4 19. e5 Nd5 (19... bxc3 $2 20. Rxe6+ $1 fxe6 21. Qg6+ Kd8 22. exf6 Bh6 23. Rd1+ Kc8 24. Bxc4 $18) 20. Nxd5 exd5 21. Rd1 Qc7 (21... Qc5 22. e6 $40) 22. Bxc4 $1 Qe7 23. R1xd5 $1 b3 24. Qc3 cxd5 25. Bb5+ Kf8 26. Rd7 Qe6 27. Qc7 $16 {Sirota,A (2548)-Valentine,S (2460)/IECG email/2003/}) 18. Qd2 Rh6 $1 (18... Bh6 19. Qd6 Bf8 20. Qe5 Be7 21. Bf4 Rg8 22. Bg5 g3 23. Qxg3 Nh7 24. a5 Qa7 25. Bxh5 Nxg5 26. hxg5 Rxg5 27. Qf3 Rg7 28. Qf4 Qb8 29. e5 $44 {?,Khalifman,A (2658)-Kobalia,M (2644)/Sochi/2005/}) 19. Qf4 Rg6 20. Qe5 $6 (20. Bf1 $5 {Kobalia}) 20... Bf8 21. Rd2 Rc8 22. Rad1 Qc5 23. Rd8+ (23. Qf4 b4 $17) 23... Rxd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Qc7+ Ke8 26. Qb8+ Ke7 27. Bc7 e5 28. Qxb7 Nd7 $19 {Bocharov,D (2574)-Kobalia,M (2614)/Abu Dhabi/2005/}) ({RR} 16... Qb6 17. a4 a5 18. Qd2 b4 19. Qg5 Kf8 20. Be5 Rh6 21. Bd4 Qc7 22. Bc5+ Kg8 23. Bd6 Qc8 24. e5 Nh7 25. Qf4 bxc3 26. bxc3 Nf8 27. Rab1 Ng6 28. Qg5 c5 29. Rb6 Be4 30. Bxc4 Qd8 31. Rb5 {Witt,R (2287)-Al Sayed,M (2443) Amsterdam 2004 0-1 (36)}) ({RR} 16... Qb6 17. a4 a6 18. Qd2 Rh6 19. Qf4 Rg6 20. Qe5 Bf8 21. Rd2 Rc8 22. Rad1 Qc5 23. Rd8+ Rxd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Qc7+ Ke8 26. Qb8+ Ke7 27. Bc7 e5 28. Qxb7 Nd7 29. g3 Ke6 30. Qxa6 Bd6 31. Bxd6 {Bocharov,D (2574)-Kobalia,M (2614) Abu Dhabi 2005 ½-½ (44)}) 17. Bd6 ({Kobalia recommends the simple} 17. e5 Nd5 18. Ne4 Qb6 19. Nd6+ Kf8 $13 {/? , but this has its drawbacks as well.}) ({White doesn't want to shut out his ?g3, but} 17. Bc7 $6 {runs into} Nd5 $1 18. exd5 cxd5 19. Bf4 Qc6 $36) 17... Qb6 18. a4 {[%csl Rb6] ?a5,? White plays the thematic move after all.} (18. Qc1 Nd7 $15 (18... Bh6 19. Bf4 Ng8 $5 $13)) (18. b3 O-O-O {?} 19. bxc4 Rxd6 $1 20. Rxd6 g3 $36) 18... a6 $5 (18... b4 $2 19. a5 $16 {is out of question.}) ({Black doesn't want his ? to end up locked up on a6 and} 18... a5 19. e5 Nd5 (19... Nd7 20. Ne4 $36) 20. Ne4 $44 {seems to be a more shaky alternative.}) 19. e5 {A logical, but also quite committal continuation. White had other alternatives:} (19. Be5) (19. Qc1 $5 {- this seems more appropriate, than one move earlier.}) 19... Nd7 20. a5 $5 {Relieves the tension, but also misplaces Black's ?.} Qa7 (20... Qd8 $143 21. Ne4 $36 Qxh4 $2 22. Bc7 $16) 21. Ne4 c5 22. Ng5 {[%CAl Rg5e6] ??e6} Nxe5 $1 {A brave decision.} (22... Bd5 $2 23. Rxd5 exd5 24. Qf5 $40) ({Black can play also} 22... Rh6 {, but after} 23. Qd2 Bd5 24. Qf4 $44 {his forces are passive and untangling them remains a problem.}) 23. Bxe5 {White is 3 ? down, so he seeks a concrete solution.} (23. Ra3 Rd8 (23... O-O-O 24. Bxe5 Bxe5 25. Nxf7 Bd4 26. Nxd8 Rxd8 27. Qg6 Bd5 $13) 24. Re3 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Bd5 $15 {/?}) 23... Bxe5 24. Bxc4 $1 {[%mdl 64] Grischuk activates another attacking piece and initiates further wild tactical complications.} ({Too optimistic is} 24. Nxf7 $2 Kxf7 25. Rd7+ Kf6 26. Qd2 Rag8 $19 {and White has no suitable follow-up.}) 24... bxc4 (24... Rh6 $2 25. Nxf7 $1 {?} Kxf7 26. Qf5+ Bf6 27. Rd7+ Kg8 28. Bxe6+ Kh8 29. Rad1 $1 Rf8 30. Rd8 $18 {This line illustrates the pressure against e6 and f7 is very serious, so Svidler decides to liquidate the attacking ?, which in turn amounts to ? sacrifice.}) ({However, the greedy} 24... Bc8 $5 25. Bd5 Rb8 $13 {deserves attention. Although with the ? in the ? Black's position hangs on a thin thread, White still lacks anything more concrete.} (25... exd5 $2 26. Rxd5 $40)) 25. Qa4+ Kf8 26. Rd7 Bd5 $8 ({Practically forced, as giving up the ?f7 is extremely dangerous:} 26... Kg8 $6 27. Nxf7 $40 {?} Bd4 28. Nd8 Bd5 (28... Qb8 29. Rxd4 $1 cxd4 30. Qe8+ Kg7 31. Qe7+ Kg6 32. Qg5+ Kh7 33. Nxe6 $18) 29. Rxa7 Rxa7 30. Nxe6 $16) 27. Rd1 $1 {White can continue improving his position before he cashes in.} Bd4 (27... Qb8 $2 28. Rxf7+ Kg8 29. Rxd5 $1 Rh6 (29... exd5 30. Qc6 Bd6 31. Rg7+ Kxg7 32. Qd7+ Kh6 33. Qe6+ Kg7 34. Qf7+ Kh6 35. Qf6#) 30. Qd7 $5 exd5 31. Qxd5 Kh8 32. Rb7 $18) 28. Rxa7 {This simple solution is easy to understand - Grischuk was (as usual) already running short of time.} (28. b3 $5 {is an interesting attempt to avoid the game continuation. After the game at the press-conference Svidler said this is what he was more afraid of, but here Black can already retain his ? and the position remains very murky:} Qb8 (28... g3 $2 29. Rxd4 cxd4 30. Rxa7 Rxa7 31. bxc4 gxf2+ 32. Kf1 $1 {?} (32. Kxf2 $16) 32... Ba8 33. Qa3+ Re7 34. Qd6 Rh6 35. Qb8+ Re8 36. Qa7 $1 Rf6 37. Nh7+ $18) 29. Rxf7+ Kg8 30. bxc4 (30. Qd7 Qe8 $17 {leads nowhere.}) 30... g3 (30... Rh7 31. Nxh7 $1 (31. Rxh7 Qg3 32. Rg7+ Kh8 $1 $11) 31... Kxf7 32. cxd5 $36) 31. cxd5 gxf2+ 32. Rxf2 (32. Kh1 Qe5 33. Qc6 Qxd5 (33... Qe1+ 34. Kh2 Rd8 $5 35. Rxd4 $5 cxd4 36. Qc7 f1=N+ 37. Rxf1 Qxf1 38. Qxd8+ Qf8 39. Qc7 exd5 40. Qe5 Rh6 $11) 34. Qc7 Qe5 35. Qxe5 Bxe5 36. Rxf2 Rh6 $11 {In this ? Black manages to coordinate his forces and he is out of danger.}) 32... Bxf2+ 33. Kxf2 Qb4 $5 {and with both ? weak a draw seems to be the most probable result. A plausible line is} 34. Qc6 Qxh4+ 35. Kg1 Rf8 36. Qxe6+ Kg7 37. Qe5+ Kg6 38. Ne6 Rf6 39. Rd3 Qf2+ 40. Kh2 Rg8 $1 41. Rg3+ Kh6 42. Rxg8 Qh4+ 43. Kg1 Qf2+ $11) 28... Rxa7 29. b3 Kg7 (29... cxb3 $6 30. Rxd4 cxd4 31. Qxd4 Rb7 $1 (31... f6 32. Nxe6+ Bxe6 33. Qxa7 $16) 32. Qxh8+ Ke7 33. Qb2 f6 34. Qa3+ (34. Nh7 e5 $44) 34... Kd7 35. Qa4+ Bc6 36. Qd4+ Bd5 37. Ne4 b2 38. Nd2 b1=Q+ 39. Nxb1 Rxb1+ 40. Kh2 $16 {Here White's winning chances are very realistic.}) 30. bxc4 Ba8 {[%csl Ga8,Gd4,Rg7] Black has sufficient material compensation for the ? and if he manages to consolidate his position, with his active ? he can have ambitions. However, this is not easy - his ? is permanently vulnerable.} 31. Qc2 {White chooses the direct method to reactivate his ?, but Black has enough ? and the game heads towards a draw. Less forcing continuations are unclear:} (31. Qb3 Rd7 32. Kh1 $13 (32. Qg3 Re8 {[%CAl Yf7f6] ?f6?})) (31. Kf1 Rb7 (31... Rh6 32. Rxd4 cxd4 33. c5 $36) 32. f3 $5 $13) 31... g3 (31... Rd7 32. Kf1 $14 {??b1}) 32. Rxd4 cxd4 33. Qe2 gxf2+ (33... Re7 34. Qe5+ (34. fxg3 e5 $15) 34... f6 35. Nxe6+ Kf7 36. Ng5+ $1 fxg5 37. Qf5+ (37. Qxh8 $4 Re1#) 37... Kg7 38. Qxg5+ $11) 34. Qxf2 (34. Kxf2 {[%CAl Re2e5] ??e5} Kf6 35. Nh7+ $1 Kg7 (35... Rxh7 $2 36. Qd3 $1 $16 {??h7,?d4 wins one of the ? with serious winning chances.}) 36. Ng5 $11) 34... Rd8 ({A safer choice is} 34... e5 $142 $1 {which more or less forces White to make a draw:} 35. Qg3 f6 36. Ne6+ (36. Ne4+ Kf7 37. Nxf6 Kxf6 38. Qg5+ Kf7 39. Qf5+ (39. Qxe5 Rh7 $1 $15 {coordinates the ? and gives Black some winning chances.}) 39... Kg8 40. Qg6+ $11) 36... Kh6 37. Qf2 Rf7 38. Ng5 Rff8 39. Ne6 Rf7 $11 (39... Kg6 $44 {is possibly also playable, but not too rational: with his ? Black anyway can't hope for more than a draw.})) 35. Qg3 Kf8 36. Qe5 $36 Ke8 $2 $138 {[%mdl 8192] Handling such positions faultlessly in time-trouble is practically impossible, this error could have cost Black dearly...} (36... Rad7 $142 $5 37. Nh7+ (37. Qh8+ Ke7 38. Qg7 d3 $5 {[%csl Gd3] ??} 39. c5 (39. Qxf7+ Kd6 40. Qf4+ Kc6 $5 41. Qe3 Kb7 42. Nxe6 d2 43. Nxd8+ Rxd8 44. Qe7+ Kc8 45. Qc5+ $11) 39... Rf8 40. Nh7 Rfd8 41. Qg5+ Ke8 42. Nf6+ Kf8 43. Nxd7+ Rxd7 44. c6 d2 45. Qc5+ Kg8 46. Qg5+ $11) 37... Ke7 38. Qc5+ $5 (38. Nf6 d3 $1 39. Nxd7 Rxd7 $44) 38... Rd6 $8 39. Qg5+ Kd7 40. c5 Rc6 41. Nf6+ Kc8 42. Ne4 d3 43. Nd6+ Kc7 $14 {/?}) (36... d3 $2 37. Qc5+ Re7 38. Nh7+ Ke8 39. Nf6+ Kf8 40. Ng8 $1 $18) 37. Nxe6 $2 $138 {The time-trouble was mutual and Grischuk returns the favour - this tempting blow only draws.} (37. Qh8+ $1 Ke7 $8 38. Qg7 $40 {?} Rf8 39. Nxe6 $18) 37... fxe6 38. Qh8+ Ke7 39. Qg7+ Ke8 40. Qh8+ (40. Qxa7 d3 41. Qxa6 d2 (41... Ke7 $5 $11) 42. Qxe6+ Kf8 43. Qf5+ Ke8 44. Qxh5+ Ke7 $11) 40... Ke7 (40... Kd7 $4 41. Qxd4+ $18) 41. Qg7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.20"] [Round "7"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2733"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {This sharp move is nowadays the main try. Although White has had some recent success with the more sedate} (6. Bxf6 {theoretically Black is still doing fine here:} Qxf6 7. Qb3 (7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 g6 9. e4 dxc4 10. e5 Qe7 11. Bxc4 Bg7 12. O-O O-O 13. Re1 Rd8 14. Qe2 b6 15. Rad1 a5 16. Bd3 Bb7 17. Be4 b5 18. h4 Nb6 19. Bb1 c5 $1 20. Nxb5 Ba6 $132 21. h5 g5 22. Nh2 Rxd4 23. Rxd4 {1/2,Kramnik,V (2769)-Svidler,P (2735)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) 7... Nd7 (7... dxc4 8. Qxc4 Nd7 9. e3 g6 10. Be2 (10. h4 $5 $13 {is a sharper try.}) 10... Bg7 11. O-O O-O 12. Rfd1 e5 (12... Qe7 $142 $5 {[%CAl Yf8d8,Ye6e5] ??d8,e5?}) 13. Ne4 Qe7 (13... Qf5 $5 14. Nd6 Qf6 $14) 14. d5 cxd5 15. Qxd5 Nb6 16. Qc5 $1 Qxc5 17. Nxc5 $36 Bg4 18. h3 Rac8 19. Nxb7 Be6 20. b3 Rc2 21. Bf1 Nd5 22. Bc4 Nc3 23. Rd2 Rxd2 24. Nxd2 e4 25. Kf1 Rb8 26. Nc5 Bxc4+ 27. Nxc4 Rb5 28. Na6 $1 $16 {Carlsen,M (2710)-Onischuk,A (2650)/Biel/2007/}) 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Qf4 10. Bd3 e5 11. O-O exd4 (11... Be7 $142 {-see more details in the notes to the game Mamedyarov-Topalov, Sofia 2007.}) 12. Nxd4 Nc5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. Rae1+ Kf8 15. Re4 Qf6 16. Qc3 $14 a5 $6 17. Rfe1 Bd7 18. R1e3 Bb4 19. Qc2 Qd6 20. Rf3 h5 $2 21. c5 $1 Bxc5 22. Bc4 f6 23. Ne6+ Bxe6 24. Rxe6 $18 {?,Mamedyarov,S (2757)-Topalov,V (2772)/Sofia/2007/}) 6... dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O {This simple move is the latest fashion.} ({After} 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 h5 12. O-O Nbd7 {the brilliant game Aronian-Anand, WCh 2007 has shown not only Black's, but also White's ? can become seriously vulnerable.}) 10... Nbd7 11. Ne5 h5 {Another important crossroads. The main alternative, favoured by Anand, is} (11... Bg7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 14. Bh5 (14. a4 e5 15. Bg4 exd4 16. e5 c5 17. Bf3 Ra7 $2 (17... Nxe5 $1 18. Bxb7 Qxd6 19. Bxa8 O-O $44 {?}) 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Ne4 Nxe5 20. axb5 axb5 21. f4 gxf4 22. Qh5 Rb6 23. Bxe5 Qd5 24. Rxf4 Rg6 25. Nd6+ Rxd6 26. Rxf7 Bxe5 27. Rb7+ Kf8 28. Ra8+ {1-0,Iljin,A (2538)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2602)/EU-ch Dresden/2007/ For more details about this line see the notes to this game.}) 14... Bf8 15. Bxf8 Rxf8 16. e5 Qb6 17. b3 $5 $146 (17. Ne4 O-O-O 18. Nd6+ Kb8 19. b3 $5 (19. Nxf7 Rxf7 20. Bxf7 Nxe5 21. Qh5 Rxd4 22. Bxe6 c5 $36 {Radjabov,T (2728)-Anand,V (2779)/Mainz rpd m/2006/}) 19... f6 $6 (19... c3 $5 $13) 20. bxc4 fxe5 21. a4 (21. c5 $1 $16) 21... exd4 22. axb5 cxb5 23. Nxb7 Kxb7 24. cxb5 axb5 25. Bf3+ $44 {Ernst,S (2504)-Van Wely,L (2675)/NED-chT/2006/}) 17... O-O-O (17... c5 $5 18. d5 O-O-O $132 {possibly deserves a closer look.}) 18. bxc4 Nxe5 (18... c5 $2 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Qc2 $40 {[%csl Rc8] ?c8}) 19. c5 Qa5 20. Ne4 Qb4 $1 21. Nd6+ Rxd6 22. cxd6 Nd7 {Although the position looks quite promising for White, Anand was still playing very fast...} 23. a4 Qxd6 24. Bf3 Nb6 25. axb5 cxb5 26. Bxb7+ Kxb7 27. Qh5 Nd5 28. Qxh6 Nf4 29. Kh1 Qd5 30. f3 Rd8 $44 31. Qg7 Rd7 32. Qf8 Ne2 33. Rfe1 Nxd4 34. Red1 e5 35. Rac1 Qd6 36. Qg8 f6 37. Rc8 a5 38. h3 a4 39. Qe8 Kb6 40. Rb8+ Ka5 41. Ra8+ {1/2,Kramnik,V (2769)-Anand,V (2792)/WCh Mexico City/2007/ A very complex game, the whole line will undoubtedly develop in the near future.}) 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Qc1 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] Kramnik doesn't hurry to centralize his ? and comes up with an interesting novelty.} ({Previously White played} 13. Be5 Rh6 14. Qc1 {but the most recent games have show Black can profit from the exposed ?e5 with} Ng4 $1 15. Bxg4 hxg4 16. Qxg5 Rg6 17. Qe3 f6 18. Bg3 Kf7 $5 ({Risky, but also interesting is} 18... Bh6 19. Qe2 Qxd4 $5 20. Rfd1 Qc5 21. e5 (21. a4 $5) 21... f5 22. Bh4 Bf4 23. Bf6 Rxf6 24. exf6 Qe5 25. Re1 Qxe2 26. Nxe2 Bd2 27. Red1 Rd8 28. a4 {Korobov,A (2530)-Zubov,A (2552)/Odessa/2007/} a5 $1 $15) 19. Rad1 Rd8 20. a3 a5 21. Qe1 $6 (21. Rfe1 $13) 21... Ba6 $1 22. Ne2 b4 23. Nf4 Rg5 24. axb4 axb4 25. e5 c3 26. d5 cxd5 27. Rxd5 {Mekhitarian,K (2420)-Ehlvest,J (2629)/Panamerican Cali/2007/} Qc8 $1 $17) 13... Rg8 (13... b4 $6 14. Be5 Rh6 15. Na4 Nxe4 16. Rd1 $44 {??c5 Black should always be extremely cautious about breaking up his mighty ? pawn-chain.}) ({A possible alternative is} 13... Be7 14. Rd1 $13) ({Not quite clear, but decidedly risky is} 13... Qxd4 $6 14. Qxg5 Nd7 (14... Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Qxe4 16. Rad1 Be7 17. Qg7 Rf8 18. Bf3 $36) 15. Rfd1 Qf6 16. Qd2 O-O-O 17. e5 $44 {In this line, contrary to the positions after 10.h4 g4, White's ? has access to f3 and can become a powerful atttacking piece.}) 14. Rd1 Bb4 {This was possibly an unexpected reaction, as now Kramnik started spending more time as well.} (14... O-O-O 15. a4 $44 {?} b4 16. Nb5 $5 cxb5 17. axb5 Bd6 (17... Qxb5 $2 18. Bxc4 Qc6 19. Bb5 $18) (17... c3 18. bxc3 b3 19. Rxa7 $40) 18. Qxc4+ Qc7 19. Bxd6 Qxc4 20. Bxc4 Rxd6 21. e5 $14) 15. Qe3 $1 {White already seriously prepares d5.} (15. Be5 Ng4 $13) 15... Qe7 16. h3 {A modest move.} (16. e5 $5 Nd5 (16... Ng4 17. Bxg4 hxg4 18. Ne4 $40) (16... Nd7 17. Ne4 h4 18. a3 $1 $16) 17. Nxd5 cxd5 18. Bxh5 Ba5 $14 {[%CAl Ya5b6,Yb5b4] /?,?b4,?b6}) 16... h4 17. Bh2 $146 {Kramnik quite stubbornly doesn't want to go to e5 with his ?, although here} (17. Be5 $5 $44 {deserved serious attention.}) ({RR} 17. Be5 a6 18. a4 Nd7 19. Bh2 Nf6 20. Kh1 Rg6 21. Rac1 Rd8 22. Be5 Ba5 23. Bf3 Bb6 24. Qe2 Nd7 25. Bh2 e5 26. axb5 cxb5 27. d5 Nc5 28. Bg4 Nb3 29. Rb1 Nd4 30. Qd2 Bc5 31. Ne2 Nb3 {Wojtaszek,R (2635)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2690) Germany 2008 0-1 (57)}) 17... Bxc3 {Exchanging the ? is committal, but consistent.} (17... O-O-O 18. a4 $40) (17... g4 18. e5 g3 19. fxg3 hxg3 20. Bxg3 $14) 18. bxc3 g4 19. Kh1 {This isn't ideal, White will have to take on g4 anyway and he could have done so immediately:} (19. Bxg4 $142 Nxg4 20. hxg4 Rxg4 21. f3 $44 {[%csl Rb7,Gh2] ??}) (19. Kf1 {is an interesting suggestion by Shipov, here the ? can be safer, than in the corner.}) 19... c5 $5 (19... gxh3 20. gxh3 c5 21. Bf3 $44 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4][%CAl Yd1g1,Gg1g8] ?,??g1,?g}) 20. hxg4 (20. Bxg4 Bxe4 $5 (20... Nxg4 21. hxg4 Rxg4 22. f3 cxd4 23. Qxd4 Rg8 24. a4 $44) 21. dxc5 Nxg4 22. hxg4 Bd5 $15) 20... cxd4 (20... Nxe4 21. dxc5 h3 (21... Qxc5 $2 22. Rd4 $16) 22. f3 hxg2+ 23. Kg1 Ng5 24. Rd6 Bd5 $13) 21. Rxd4 (21. Qxd4 $5 Nxe4 {?h3?} 22. Kg1 $13) 21... e5 $1 {This important intermediate move limits Whte's ?.} 22. Rdd1 (22. Rd2 $5 Nxe4 23. Rb2 Qg5 $5 24. Qxg5 Rxg5 25. Rxb5 Bc6 26. Rxe5+ Rxe5 27. Bxe5 Nxf2+ 28. Kh2 Nd3 $11) 22... Nxg4 (22... Nxe4 23. Bf3 Qc5 24. Bxe4 $1 Qxe3 25. Bxb7 $14) 23. Bxg4 Rxg4 24. f3 Rg6 25. a4 a5 $6 {Gelfand wants to keep the ?a closed at any cost, but although} (25... a6 26. axb5 axb5 27. Ra7 {looks dangerous, after} Kf8 $11 {White still has nothing concrete.}) 26. axb5 a4 27. Qe2 Qc5 28. Rab1 ({White should have kept an eye on the ?a4 with} 28. Rdb1 $1 $14) 28... Rd6 (28... a3 $142 29. Bg1 Qc7 (29... Qe7 30. Qxc4 h3 31. g4 $14) 30. Rb4 h3 $5 $132) 29. Rxd6 Qxd6 30. Qxc4 a3 31. Ra1 h3 $1 {[%mdl 256] Active defence by Gelfand, he seeks ? on both sides of the board.} (31... Rc8 32. Qb4 $14) 32. Qe2 (32. g4 $6 {worked earlier, but now runs into} Rc8 $5 $36 (32... Qd2 $15)) (32. gxh3 Rc8 {is similar.}) 32... hxg2+ 33. Qxg2 O-O-O $1 $132 {After the game Kramnik said he simply didn't realize Black could still castle! Now both ? are vulnerable and the extra ? is of little consquence.} 34. Qa2 {White goes for drawish simplification.} (34. Qg7 f6 $44) ({More ambitious is} 34. c4 $5 {when Black should probably again prefer the modest} f6 $13 {/?} (34... f5 $143 35. Qh3 Rf8 36. c5 $1 Qd4 (36... Qxc5 $2 37. Qh6 $1 f4 (37... Kb8 38. Bxe5+) 38. Bg1 $18 {and suddenly White has a decisive ?.}) 37. Rf1 $5 (37. Rxa3 $14) 37... a2 (37... Qc4 38. c6 Ba8 39. exf5) 38. Qh6 Re8 39. Qg6 $36)) 34... f5 35. Qxa3 fxe4 $138 ({Gelfand spent the last remanants of his time considering} 35... Qd3 {, but this doesn't give Black anything tangible:} 36. Qc5+ (36. c4 $5 fxe4 37. Bxe5 $11) 36... Kd7 37. Qf2 fxe4 38. Bxe5 Qxf3+ (38... e3 39. Qg2 $14) 39. Qxf3 exf3 40. Kh2 $11) 36. Qxd6 Rxd6 37. fxe4 (37. Bxe5 Rd2 (37... Rd5 $11) 38. fxe4 Bxe4+ 39. Kg1 Rd5 $11) 37... Bxe4+ 38. Kg1 Bd3 39. Bxe5 (39. c4 Bxc4 40. Rc1 Rd4 41. Bxe5 Re4 $11) 39... Rg6+ 40. Kf2 Bxb5 $11 {The time-control being over, Kramnik didn't want to invest more energy into this drawn ?.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sochi FIDE GP"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2008.07.31"] [Round "1"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2008.07.31"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {In a recent interview Grishchuk admitted that this gambit is for him like a red cloth to a bull - he is unable to resist it. This game shows he has a good reason for this - his excellent understanding of the resulting tense positions.} dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Ne5 {Although this ? sortie is typical for the whole line, White more often chooses a different move order. More popular is the developing} (9. Be2 Bb7 {and now White has a choice - the two main alternatives are} 10. O-O ({or} 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 h5 12. O-O Nbd7 {which transposes into the game.}) 10... Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 {, now} 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 $44 {½-½ Radjabov,T (2751)-Aronian,L (2763) Sofia MTel Masters 4th 2008 (3) ? is the second topical possibility (see my notes in CBM 124 to}) 9... h5 $5 {This move has currently the best reputation.} ({In an earlier game between the same opponents, Karjakin went for} 9... Bb7 10. h4 Rg8 (10... g4 11. Nxg4 Nbd7 12. Nxf6+ Nxf6 13. Qf3 Rg8 14. Be2 a6 15. Rd1 Nd7 16. O-O Qf6 17. Qe3 O-O-O 18. b3 cxb3 19. axb3 Be7 20. Rc1 $16 {Black hasn't managed to create sufficient ? and his vulnerable ? will soon become a direct target.} Qh8 21. Bh2 Qg7 22. Bf3 e5 23. Nd5 Bd6 24. Qc3 Rde8 25. Qa5 Re6 26. Rxc6+ $1 Bxc6 27. Rc1 Nb8 28. Rxc6+ $1 Nxc6 29. Qxa6+ $18 {?, Gelfand,B (2723)-Alekseev,E (2711)/RUS-chT Dagomys/2008/}) 11. hxg5 hxg5 {There seems to be more space for White's improvements after} 12. Qf3 $5 ({This line seems very risky for Black, but} 12. Nxf7 {isn't sufficient for an advantage after} Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 14. Rh7+ Bg7 15. Qh5+ Kf8 16. Qf3+ (16. Ne4 Qa5+ 17. Kd1 Qa4+ 18. Kc1 Nb4 19. Qf3+ Ke8 20. Nd6+ Kd8 21. Qf6+ Kc7 22. Ne8+ Kb6 23. Qd8+ Ka6 24. Nc7+ Ka5 25. Ne8+ {1/2, Estremera Panos,S (2394)-Perez Candelario,M (2537)/La Massana/2008/ is another, more attractive perpetual.}) 16... Ke8 17. Qh5+ {1/2, Grischuk,A (2716)-Karjakin,S (2732)/Baku/2008/}) 12... Qe7 13. O-O-O Nbd7 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. e5 O-O-O 16. Ne4 c5 17. d5 Qe8 18. Qg4 (18. d6 f5 19. exf6 Qg6 20. Re1 $13 {/?}) 18... Bxd5 19. Rh7 Be7 20. Rxd5 exd5 21. e6 f5 22. Qxf5 dxe4 23. Qxe4 Nb6 24. Rxe7 Rd1+ 25. Kxd1 Qxe7 26. Be2 (26. Qc6+ $5 Kd8 27. Be2 $36) 26... Qb7 27. Qe3 Qd5+ 28. Kc1 Rh8 29. e7 Rh1+ 30. Kc2 Qf5+ 31. Kd2 Qd7+ 32. Kc2 Qf5+ 33. Kd2 Qd7+ 34. Kc2 Qf5+ {1/2, Sargissian,G (2676)-Perez Candelario,M (2537)/Merida/2008/}) ({Anand also prefered the text-move after the following experience:} 9... Bg7 $143 $6 10. h4 Nfd7 (10... g4 11. Nxg4 Nxg4 12. Qxg4 Qxd4 13. Rd1 $44) 11. hxg5 hxg5 12. Rxh8+ Bxh8 13. Qh5 Bxe5 14. Bxe5 Nxe5 15. Qh8+ Kd7 16. Qxe5 Bb7 17. O-O-O Kc8 18. Qg7 Qe7 19. e5 Nd7 20. Ne4 $36 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2683)-Anand,V (2792)/Mainz rpd/2007/}) {The best, as it wins a tempo.} 10. h4 (10. f3 $143 h4 11. Bf2 Bb7 12. Be2 Nbd7 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 14. O-O e5 15. a4 a6 16. d5 Rh6 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. axb5 axb5 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 20. Qc1 Rg6 21. Rd1 Bc5 $15 {/?,Carlsen,M (2733)-Anand,V (2799)/Morelia/2008/}) 10... g4 $8 11. Be2 {Black is behind in development and for the time being must keep the position closed.} ({The same goes here for White, weaker is} 11. f3 Rg8 $5 $132 {[%CAl Gg8g1] ?g}) 11... Bb7 {In this line Black should very carefully consider the disruption of his ? ?-phalanx - it's one of his main positional trumps.} ({However, in this concrete position the rare} 11... b4 $5 {deserves attention:} 12. Na4 Nxe4 13. Bxc4 Nxg3 14. fxg3 Nd7 (14... Bg7 $5 {is also playable and perhaps stronger:} 15. Nc5 Bxe5 16. dxe5 Qxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Nd7 18. Nxd7 Bxd7 19. Ba6 Rb8 20. Rc1 Ke7 21. Rf1 Rb6 22. Bc4 c5 23. Be2 Rc8 $15 {Amura,C (2355)-Delgado Crespo,M (2298)/San Felipe/1999/}) 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. O-O Bb7 (16... Bg7 $5 $15) 17. Qe2 Bg7 18. Rad1 Qe7 19. Nc5 Rh6 20. Kh2 Rd8 21. Qe4 Rd6 22. a3 bxa3 23. bxa3 Bc8 24. Qe3 Rd8 $13 {Maletin,P (2545)-Kobalia,M (2618)/RUS-ch qual Novokuznetsk/2008/}) 12. O-O (12. f3 Nbd7 13. fxg4 hxg4 14. O-O Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Nd7 $1 16. Bxh8 Qxh4 17. Bxg4 Qxh8 18. e5 O-O-O 19. Qe2 c5 20. d5 Nxe5 21. dxe6 Nxg4 22. Qxg4 Qd4+ 23. Qxd4 cxd4 24. Nxb5 fxe6 $44 {Bacrot,E (2715)-Dreev,A (2704)/Poikovsky/2005/ After this game the line 12.f3 more or less disappeared from high-level practice.}) 12... Nbd7 (12... Bg7 13. f3 $44 {?}) 13. Qc2 {The main move.} (13. f3 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 $5 (14... Rg8 $13) 15. Bxh8 Qxh4 16. fxg4 hxg4 {transposes into the Bacrot-Dreev game above.}) 13... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 {Once again Karjakin follows the main line, not daring to repeat his rare choice from a previous rapid game with Grischuk:} (14... Bh6 $5 15. Bg3 (15. b3 cxb3 16. axb3 $44) (15. d5 cxd5 16. exd5 Bxd5 17. Rad1 O-O 18. Nxb5 $5 $44 (18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Nxd5 exd5 20. Rxd5 Qg6 21. Qxg6+ fxg6 22. Rxb5 Rac8 $11 {Onischuk})) 15... Qxd4 16. Rfd1 Qb6 17. b3 cxb3 18. axb3 a6 19. b4 Bf8 20. Be5 Be7 21. Qc1 Rg8 22. Qf4 g3 $5 23. Bd4 e5 24. Qxe5 Nd7 25. Qxh5 (25. Qf5 $5) 25... gxf2+ 26. Bxf2 Qc7 27. Qh7 (27. e5 $1 O-O-O 28. Rac1 $36) 27... Nf6 28. Qh6 Qe5 29. Qe3 Bxb4 30. Rac1 Ba5 31. Bf3 Bc7 $36 {Grischuk,A (2711)-Karjakin,S (2732)/Odessa rpd/2008/}) 15. b3 {Another critical position, in which the theory was formed mainly by two important games from last year's World Championship. This time White chooses a third (and possibly the most promising) option.} (15. Bg3 Qxd4 16. Rfd1 (16. Rad1 Qb6 17. b3 $5 cxb3 18. axb3 a6 19. Rd2 c5 20. Rd6 Qa5 21. e5 Nd7 22. Rfd1 O-O-O 23. Ne4 Qc7 (23... Qb4 $5 $13) 24. Nf6 $36 {Aronian,L (2741)-Gustafsson,J (2606)/WCup Khanty-Mansiysk/2007/}) 16... Qc5 17. Bd6 Qb6 18. a4 a6 19. e5 Nd7 20. a5 Qa7 21. Ne4 c5 22. Ng5 Nxe5 23. Bxe5 Bxe5 24. Bxc4 bxc4 (24... Bc8 $5) 25. Qa4+ Kf8 26. Rd7 Bd5 27. Rd1 Bd4 28. Rxa7 Rxa7 29. b3 Kg7 30. bxc4 Ba8 $13 {/?=, Grischuk,A (2726)-Svidler,P (2735)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) (15. Rad1 O-O 16. Bg3 (16. Qc1 Nh7 17. g3 f6 18. Bf4 a6 19. Rfe1 Rf7 20. Qc2 Rd7 21. b3 cxb3 22. Qxb3 Nf8 23. Be3 Qe7 24. a4 Qf7 25. d5 (25. f3 $5 $44 {Krasenkow}) 25... exd5 26. exd5 f5 27. Bf1 Ng6 28. Bg2 Ne7 $11 {Radjabov,T (2735)-Aronian,L (2739)/Linares/2008/}) 16... Nd7 17. f3 c5 $1 18. dxc5 Qe7 19. Kh1 $6 (19. fxg4 $13) 19... a6 20. a4 Bc6 21. Nd5 $6 exd5 22. exd5 Be5 23. f4 Bg7 24. dxc6 Nxc5 25. Rd5 Ne4 26. Be1 Qe6 27. Rxh5 f5 $17 {Aronian,L (2750)-Anand,V (2792)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) 15... cxb3 16. axb3 O-O 17. Bg3 $5 {[%CAl Ye4e5][%mdl 512] ?e5 We mentioned this second ?-sacrifice already last year; since then it has occurred in practice. White's intention is to play e5 and activate his ? as soon as possible.} (17. Rad1 {is the more sedate alternative:} Ne8 $5 (17... Qe7 18. Bg3 b4 19. Na4 c5 20. Nxc5 Rfc8 21. f3 (21. Bc4 Rxc5 $44) 21... Nd7 22. fxg4 Nxc5 23. dxc5 Rxc5 24. Bc4 Rd8 (24... Be5 25. Bf2 hxg4 26. Qe2 $5 $36) 25. Qe2 Ra5 26. gxh5 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Qc5+ 28. Bf2 Qe5 29. h6 $5 $40 {Christensen,J (2422)-Selyanchin,N (2479)/corr/2005/}) 18. Bg3 $5 (18. Bxg7 Nxg7 19. g3 (19. e5 f5 $5 20. exf6 Qxf6 21. Bd3 Nf5 22. Bxf5 exf5 23. g3 Bc8 (23... f4 $5 $15) 24. Ne2 Be6 25. Nf4 Bf7 26. Rfe1 $44 {=, Taucius,M (2149)-Figueiras,J (2316)/corr/2005/}) 19... e5 $1 20. d5 cxd5 21. Nxd5 Ne6 22. Qc1 Nd4 {1/2, Riedener,T (2453)-Isaev,A (2445)/corr/2005/} 23. Rxd4 exd4 24. Qh6 Bxd5 25. exd5 Qxd5 26. Bd3 f5 27. Qg6+ $11) 18... f5 (18... Bxd4 $5 19. e5 (19. Be5 Bxe5 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 $44) 19... c5 $13) 19. exf5 exf5 20. Qc1 Qf6 (20... Nc7 21. Rfe1 $44) (20... Qe7 $5) 21. Bf4 a6 22. Rfe1 c5 23. Bg5 Qc6 24. d5 Qb6 25. Bd3 g3 26. Re7 $44 {?,Neto,H (2525)-Avotins,M (2466)/corr/2004/}) (17. Rfd1 Qe7 18. Bf4 Nd7 19. e5 f5 20. exf6 Nxf6 21. Bg5 c5 22. d5 (22. Nxb5 $142 $5) 22... exd5 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. Rxd5 Qe4 25. Rxc5 Qxc2 26. Rxc2 Ne4 27. Ra6 {1/2, Volokitin,A (2678)-Gustafsson,J (2606)/Bundesliga 0708/2007/} Nxg5 (27... Rxf2 28. Be3 Rf5 $11 {?}) 28. hxg5 Rf5 $11) 17... c5 {[%mdl 8] A novel idea, which has earlier occurred only in correspendence games.} ({However, as in the course of the game Black will get outplayed, he should have possibly realized this liberating thrust differently:} 17... b4 18. Na4 c5 $5 (18... Nd7 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Nc5 Nxc5 21. dxc5 $36 {(for more details see Avrukh's notes in CBM 124 to Avrukh,B (2641)-Sargissian,G (2673)/Bundesliga 0708/2007/)}) 19. Nxc5 Rc8 20. Qd3 (20. Bc4 Rxc5 21. dxc5 Nxe4 22. Rxa7 Nxg3 23. Rxb7 Nxf1 24. Bxf1 Bd4 $132) 20... Rxc5 21. dxc5 Nxe4 22. Qxd8 Rxd8 23. Rxa7 Nxc5 24. Rd1 Rxd1+ 25. Bxd1 Bd5 26. Rc7 {1/2, Leitao,R (2604)-Matsuura,E (2500)/Sao Paulo/2008/} Bxb3 27. Bxb3 Nxb3 28. Bd6 Nd4 29. Bxb4 Nf5 30. g3 Be5 $14 {/= leads to a position, in which White has only very slight practical winning chances.}) (17... Nd7 18. e5 f5 (18... c5 19. Ne4 $1 $36 {- 17...c5 18.e5 ?d7}) 19. exf6 Nxf6 20. Rad1 Qe7 21. Qg6 Qf7 (21... Qe8 $5 22. Qg5 b4 23. Na4 Ne4 $14 {/?}) 22. Qg5 b4 23. Na4 c5 24. Nxc5 Ne4 25. Qe3 Nxc5 26. dxc5 Rfd8 27. Bc4 Bd5 28. Qg5 Qb7 29. Be5 Rd7 30. Rxd5 exd5 31. Bxg7 dxc4 32. Be5+ Kf8 33. Qf6+ Rf7 34. c6 Qc8 35. Qh6+ Ke8 36. Re1 {1-0, Pashikian,A (2537)-Ter Sahakyan,S (2449)/Yerevan/2008/}) (17... Qxd4 18. Rad1 Qb4 19. e5 Nd5 20. Ne4 $36 {[%CAl Re4g5] ??,??g5 Contrary to the aforementioned game Aronian-Gustafsson, here Black has already committed his ? to the ?, where it's in danger.}) (17... Ne8 18. e5 Qxd4 19. Rad1 Qc5 20. b4 Qxb4 21. Ne4 Bh6 22. Rd7 Bc8 23. Rd8 Bb7 24. Rxe8 Rfxe8 25. Nf6+ Kf8 26. Qh7 Bd2 27. Bxg4 $1 Ke7 (27... hxg4 28. h5 Red8 29. Bh4 Qf4 30. h6 $18) 28. Bxh5 Rf8 29. Ne4 c5 30. Nd6 Bd5 31. Bxf7 {1-0, Dhanish,P (2504)-Misiunas,A (2342)/corr/2006/ was another straightforward and powerful attacking game, underlining the value of White's concept.}) 18. e5 (18. dxc5 b4 $132) 18... Nd5 (18... Nd7 19. Ne4 $1 Bxe4 (19... cxd4 20. Ng5 Re8 21. Qh7+ (21. Bxb5 $5) 21... Kf8 22. Qxh5 $16) 20. Qxe4 {?} Qb6 $142 (20... cxd4 21. Bd3 Re8 (21... f5 22. exf6 Nxf6 23. Qxe6+ Kh8 24. Bxb5 $16) 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qxh5 $36) 21. Bd3 f5 22. exf6 Nxf6 23. Qe2 $14 {[%csl Gd3,Re6,Gg3,Rg4,Rg8,Rh5] ?,?}) 19. Nxb5 $1 ({The text-move is more enterprising, than} 19. Ne4 Nb4 20. Qxc5 Bxe4 21. Qxb4 a5 22. Qd2 Qd5 23. f3 gxf3 24. Bxf3 Bxf3 25. Rxf3 f6 26. Qe3 fxe5 27. Bxe5 Bxe5 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 29. dxe5 Rf5 30. Rxa5 Qxe5 31. Qd2 Rf4 32. Rxb5 Qa1+ 33. Kh2 Rxh4+ $11 {Bester,B (2302)-Van Vugt,W (2344)/corr/2007/}) ({The same goes for the rather sterile} 19. dxc5 Nb4 20. Qc1 Qd4 $5 21. Rd1 (21. Nxb5 $2 Qe4) 21... Qxc5 22. Nxb5 Qxc1 $11) 19... cxd4 $8 20. Nd6 Rb8 21. Qd2 $5 {[%CAl Ye2d3,Yd3c2,Yd2d3,Rb1h7,Ye2d1][%mdl 128] ??d3(d1)-c2, ?d3,?b1-h7 An ambitious move, White set his sights on Black's ? and will gradually develop a dangerous ?. Less dangerous seems} (21. Bc4 Nb4 22. Qd2 Bd5 23. Rfe1 a5 24. Rac1 Rb6 (24... Bxc4 $142 25. bxc4 $5 (25. Rxc4 Nd5 $11) 25... d3 26. Ne4 $44) 25. Ne4 Bxe4 {This is hardly ideal, as it weakens the light squares - we'll see the same motif later in our game.} 26. Rxe4 d3 27. Bf4 Kh7 28. Bg5 f6 29. exf6 Bxf6 30. Bxe6 Bxg5 31. hxg5 Qd6 32. Bc4 g3 33. fxg3 Qxg3 34. Re7+ Kg6 35. Qb2 {1-0, Van Unen,H (2526)-Lanc,A (2494)/corr/2007/}) (21. Rxa7 Qb6 22. Rfa1 (22. Rxb7 Rxb7 23. Nxb7 Qxb7 24. Qe4 Qxb3 25. Bd3 Ra8 $11) 22... Nb4 23. Qd2 Nc6 24. Rxb7 Rxb7 25. Ra6 Qc7 26. Nxb7 (26. Qg5 Nb8 27. Ne4 Rc8 28. Nf6+ Kf8 29. Nh7+ $11) 26... Qxb7 27. Qg5 Rc8 $132) 21... Nc3 {Karjakin wants to keep his ? closer to his ?, rightly fearing} (21... Qb6 22. Qg5 $1 $40) 22. Bd3 (22. Bc4 Ne4 $11 {would be a relief for the defence.}) 22... a5 $146 {Karjakin was still playing quite fast, but this move, just as the previous one, doesn't stop White's ideas. However} (22... Bd5 23. Rxa7 Rxb3 24. Qf4 {is also dangerous:} {?} Na2 25. Ne4 $1 $40 Bxe4 (25... Rxd3 $2 26. Nf6+ Bxf6 (26... Kh8 27. Qg5 $18) 27. exf6 $18) 26. Qxe4 Rxd3 $8 27. Qxd3 Qd5 28. Rb1 $14 {/?}) ({RR} 22... Bd5 23. Rxa7 Bxb3 24. Rfa1 Nd5 25. R1a3 Nc7 26. Bb1 Bc4 27. Bc2 d3 28. Rxd3 Bxd3 29. Qxd3 f5 30. exf6 Rxf6 31. Qh7+ Kf8 32. Be5 Ra8 33. Bxf6 Qxf6 34. Rxc7 {1-0 (34) Akobian,V (2619)-Szabo,K (2508) Gibraltar 2009}) 23. Ra3 $5 {Grischuk avoids both} (23. Bc2 Ba6 $1 $13) ({and} 23. Rfe1 Bd5 $132 {?} 24. Bf4 Rxb3 (24... f5 $5) 25. Bg5 f6 $8 (25... Qb8 26. Bf6 $18) 26. Bxf6 Rxf6 (26... Bxf6 27. Qh6 Ne2+ 28. Rxe2 Rxd3 29. Qg6+ Bg7 30. Qxd3 Qxh4 31. Qxd4 $16) 27. exf6 Bxf6 28. Qf4 Qf8 29. Rxa5 Be7 $11) 23... Bd5 24. Bc2 {Effectively combines both ? and defence.} Rb6 $6 {The critical moment of the game. Black had many options and he probably didn't choose the best one:} (24... f5 25. exf6 Rxf6 $5 {?} (25... Qxf6 26. Qd3 Rfd8 27. Re1 a4 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Qxh5 Rb6 (29... axb3 $2 30. Ra7 $1 bxc2 31. Rf7+ Kg8 32. Rxf6 Rb1 33. Qf7+ Kh7 34. Kh2 $1 Rxe1 35. Bf4 $18) 30. Be5 Qe7 31. Nc4 $14) 26. Be5 Rb6 27. Nc4 Bh6 $132) (24... a4 $5 25. Qd3 (25. bxa4 Rb2 {?} 26. Bh7+ Kxh7 27. Qxb2 Qa8 $44) 25... f5 26. exf6 Rxf6 $132 {?} 27. Qh7+ (27. Re1 Bxb3 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Ne8 Kxe8 $1 30. Qxg7 Bxc2 31. Bxb8 Qe7 $44) 27... Kf8 28. Ne8 Rb7 (28... Qxe8 $2 29. Bd6+ Kf7 30. Qxh5+ Kg8 31. Bh7+ Kh8 32. Bg6+ Kg8 33. Qh7#) 29. Nxf6 Bxf6 30. Qh6+ Bg7 $44) (24... Qc7 25. Qd3 Rfd8 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Bd3 $44 {?}) 25. Re1 $1 {Activates another piece and keeps the tension.} (25. Qd3 $143 f5 26. exf6 Rxf6 27. Rxa5 Rxd6 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Ra7 Rf7 (29... Rd7 $2 30. Bd6+ $18) 30. Rxf7+ Kxf7 31. Qxh5+ Kg8 $13 {/?}) 25... a4 (25... f5 26. exf6 Rxf6 $5 (26... Qxf6 27. Qd3 Qh6 (27... Ra8 28. Qh7+ Kf8 29. Qxh5 $16) 28. Rxa5 $36) 27. Nc4 Rb4 $14 {is still not so clear, although Black lost a tempo with his previous move.}) ({After the game Grischuk recommended} 25... Rxd6 26. exd6 f5 {, but this sacrifice seems insuffcicient due to} 27. Bd3 $1 {[%CAl Rd3c4] ??c4?}) 26. Qd3 $1 (26. bxa4 Rb2 $44 {? is still not so clear, although in comparison with 24...a4!? White has the useful extra move ?e1.} (26... f5 27. Qxd4 $5 $14)) 26... f5 $8 27. exf6 Rxf6 28. Nc4 $1 Bxc4 $2 {The decisive error.} (28... axb3 29. Qh7+ Kf8 30. Nxb6 Qxb6 31. Bxb3 $1 Bb7 (31... Bxb3 32. Ra8+ Kf7 33. Rg8 Rg6 34. Be5 $18) 32. Bc4 Qc6 33. Bf1 $16) ({Black shouldn't have clung on to material, arguably the best try was} 28... Rf5 $5 29. Nxb6 (29. bxa4 Ra6 30. Rb3 $1 $36) 29... Qxb6 30. Qd2 $14 {/?}) (28... Rc6 29. Be5 $40) (28... Rb7 29. Qh7+ Kf8 30. Qxh5 (30. Bd6+ Re7 $1 {is less clear}) 30... Rh6 31. Qxg4 axb3 32. Rxb3 Rxb3 33. Bxb3 d3 34. Bd1 $5 $16 {(Rybka)}) 29. bxc4 $18 {[%csl Gc2][%CAl Ra3c3] ??c3 The ?c2 is too strong, with the gaping holes on the light squares Black is in desperate trouble.} (29. Qxc4 $2 Qd5 $1 $11) 29... Qe7 ({Moreover, Black can't hold the ?d4, as the tactical} 29... Rb2 {fails to} 30. Rxc3 Qa5 31. Qh7+ Kf7 32. Re5 $1 Qxc3 33. Rg5 $18) (29... Rb7 30. Rxc3 Qa5 31. Qh7+ Kf7 32. Re5 $5 $18 {is similar} (32. Qe4 $18)) 30. Qxd4 $1 Qxa3 (30... Rb1 31. Bxb1 Qxa3 32. Be5 Rf7 33. Bg6 Rb7 34. Bxg7 Rxg7 35. Rxe6 $18) 31. Qxb6 (31. Qd8+ $5 Qf8 32. Qxb6 {?} e5 33. Qe3 $18 {was equally strong.}) 31... e5 32. Qd8+ Qf8 33. Qa5 e4 {Black's last chance. However, even in time trouble Grischuk winds up his ? effectively.} 34. Bxe4 (34. Qxc3 $6 Rxf2 35. Be5 Qc5 (35... Bxe5 36. Qxe5 Rxc2 37. Rf1 $18) 36. Bxg7 Rxc2+ 37. Bd4 Rxc3 $16 {would only prolong the game.}) 34... Nxe4 35. Rxe4 a3 36. Re3 {[%csl Ra3] Disarms Black's ?} Qf7 37. Qxa3 Qxc4 38. Qa5 $18 {[%csl Rh5] Black did his best to survive the direct ?, but (apart from White's extra ?) the difference in the ? position is still decisive: ?g1 is safe, while ?g8 remains permanently exposed. White will break down the defence by targetting the ×h5.} Qf7 39. Re5 Rh6 $8 (39... Re6 40. Qa8+ (40. Rxh5 $18) 40... Bf8 41. Rg5+ Rg6 42. Rxh5 $18) 40. Qd8+ Kh7 (40... Bf8 41. Rg5+ Kh7 42. Qd3+ Rg6 43. Rxh5+ Kg8 44. Be5 $18 {?}) 41. Re7 {Black at the very least can't avoid simplification into a lost ? ? after} (41. Re7 Qc4 (41... Qf5 42. Qc7 Rg6 43. Be5 Qf8 44. Rf7 Qg8 45. Qd7 Kh6 46. Bxg7+ Rxg7 47. Qe6+ Kh7 48. Qf5+ Kh8 49. Rf8 $18) 42. Be5 Qc1+ 43. Kh2 Rg6 44. Qd7 $18) 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-40"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2012.08.30"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2797"] [BlackElo "2706"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "134"] [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 "Russia"] [BlackTeam "Latvia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "LAT"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Be2 {A quiet move.} Bd6 {This continuation is quite rare.} (8... dxc4 {is logical and leads to the 8.?d3 system after} 9. Bxc4) (8... g6 {and}) (8... Qd8 {are other typical options.}) 9. O-O (9. cxd5 $6 exd5 10. O-O Qe7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. e4 dxe4 13. Nxe4 {0-1 Nascimento,A (2205)-Chernin,A (2495)/Luzern 1985/MCD (32)} Nf6 $15 {/=}) (9. e4 {is harmless due to} dxe4 10. Nxe4 Bb4+) (9. Qc2 O-O 10. O-O Qe7 11. Rad1 b6 12. e4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rac8 15. Qe2 Rfe8 16. Bb3 $6 (16. e5 $5) 16... e5 17. d5 Bb4 18. Rc1 Nc5 $15 {0-1 Galmiche,A (2050)-Klovans,J (2440)/Douai 1993/EXT 2004 (25)}) 9... Qe7 $146 (9... O-O {is less accurate as} 10. e4 {gains in strength, e.g.} dxe4 11. Nxe4 Qe7 12. Nxd6 Qxd6 13. c5 $1 Qc7 14. Rc1 Rd8 15. Qd2 Nf8 $6 (15... e5 16. d5) 16. Qe3 Bd7 17. Ne5 $16 {1-0 Rychagov,A (2375)-Kochetov,D/Moscow 1996/CBM 056 ext (29)}) 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Bc7 12. c5 {Still, despite Black's dark-squared bishop, this blockading move is White's best chance.} O-O (12... e5 13. Bc4 $36) 13. Re1 Ba5 $146 (13... b6 14. b4 a5 15. a3) ({RR} 13... Rd8 14. Qc2 b6 15. b4 Bb7 16. Bd3 a5 17. a3 axb4 18. axb4 Nf6 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Bh7+ Kh8 21. Be4 b5 22. g3 g6 23. Qb2 Kg7 24. Rxa8 Rxa8 25. Ra1 Rxa1+ 26. Qxa1 Bb8 27. h4 Kg8 28. Ne5 {Piliposyan,R (2442)-Urkedal,F (2568) Doha QAT 2025 ½-½ (57)}) 14. Rf1 Bc7 15. Qc2 {White now tries another idea.} e5 16. Bc4 (16. Rfe1 $5 exd4 (16... Ba5 $140 17. Nd6 $1 Bxe1 18. Rxe1 $44) 17. Bc4 {- below}) 16... Nf6 $6 {This allows Whte to keep up the pressure despite exchanges.} (16... exd4 {was quite possible:} 17. Rfe1 Nf6 18. Nd6 Qd8 19. Nxc8 Rxc8 20. Rad1 Re8 $11 21. Qb3 $140 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Qd7) 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Qxe5 20. Rfe1 Qg5 21. Re3 {[%csl Gc4,Rc8]} Bf5 22. Qc3 $14 Bg6 23. Rae1 Rad8 24. Re5 $6 {This move enables Black to simplify the game.} (24. g3 $5 {[%CAl Yh2h4]}) 24... Qd2 25. Re7 b5 26. cxb6 Qxc3 27. bxc3 axb6 28. Rc7 b5 29. Bb3 Rc8 30. Rb7 (30. Ree7 c5 $1 31. Bxf7+ Bxf7 32. Rxf7 Rxc7 33. Rxc7 c4 (33... Rd8 $5 34. Kf1 c4 35. Rb7 Rd3 36. Rxb5 Rxc3 {, and Black should manage to trade the queenside pawns}) 34. Rd7 Ra8 35. Rd2 Ra3 36. Rc2 Kf7 37. Kf1 Ke6 38. Ke2 Kd5 39. Kd2 b4 40. cxb4 Kd4 {with sufficient counterchances}) 30... Rfe8 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 {[%mdl 4096]} 32. f4 Kh7 33. Kf2 f6 34. Rc7 Be4 35. g4 Bd5 36. h4 Ra8 37. Ke3 Bxb3 38. axb3 Ra3 {Despite all White's efforts, the rook ending proves to be drawish.} 39. Rxc6 Rxb3 40. Ke4 b4 41. c4 h5 (41... Rc3 $5 42. Kd4 Rf3 43. c5 Rxf4+ 44. Kd5 f5) 42. g5 fxg5 43. hxg5 Ra3 44. Rb6 b3 (44... h4 $142 $1 45. Rxb4 (45. Kf5 h3 46. Rxb4 h2 47. Rb1) 45... Kg6 46. Rb7 h3 47. f5+ Kxg5 48. Rxg7+ Kh6 49. Rg8 Kh7 50. Rg4 Ra6 $1 $11) 45. f5 h4 46. Rb8 {Black is now in some trouble.} Ra4 47. Kd4 Ra5 $2 {A good idea but bad implementation.} (47... Ra2 $5 48. Rxb3 Rd2+ 49. Ke5 Rc2 50. Kd5 Rf2) 48. c5 Ra4+ 49. Kd5 Rf4 50. Ke6 $2 (50. c6 {is not winning:} Rxf5+ 51. Kd6 Rf1 52. c7 (52. Rxb3 Rd1+ 53. Ke7 Rc1 54. Kd7 Kg6) 52... Rc1 53. c8=Q Rxc8 54. Rxc8 Kg6 55. Ke5 (55. Rc5 h3) 55... h3 $1 (55... Kxg5 56. Ke4 Kg4 57. Ke3 Kg3 58. Ke2 Kg2 59. Rc5 b2 60. Rg5+ Kh2 61. Rb5 Kg2 62. Rxb2 h3 (62... g5 63. Rb4) 63. Rb5 h2 64. Rg5+ Kh3 65. Kf2 h1=N+ 66. Kf3 $18) 56. Rc1 (56. Kf4 $4 b2 57. Rb8 h2) 56... Kxg5 57. Ke4 Kg4 58. Rg1+ (58. Ke3 h2) 58... Kh4 59. Kf3 h2 60. Rd1 (60. Rb1 Kh3 61. Kf2 b2 $1) 60... Kh3 61. Kf2 b2 $1 {[%CAl Yg7g5,Yg5g4,Yg4g3] , and White must repeat moves:} 62. Rd3+ Kh4 63. Rd1 Kh3) (50. f6 $1 {is the right move - see below}) 50... Re4+ $2 (50... h3 $1 51. Rxb3 Rh4 52. c6 (52. Rb1 Rc4 53. Kd6 Rd4+ 54. Kc6 h2 55. Rh1 Rd2 $11) 52... h2 53. c7 h1=Q 54. c8=Q Qd1 $1 (54... Qe4+ $2 55. Kf7 Qd5+ 56. Qe6) 55. g6+ Kh6 56. Qh8+ Kg5 57. Rg3+ Rg4 58. Rxg4+ Qxg4 $11) 51. Kd5 (51. Kf7 $1 {was quite correct. White's win is really study-like:} Re5 {The main line:} 52. f6 Rxg5 53. Rb4 $1 Rh5 54. c6 b2 55. fxg7 $1 (55. Rxb2 Rf5 56. Ke8 Rxf6 57. c7 Rc6 58. Kd7 Rxc7+ 59. Kxc7 Kg6 $1 60. Rb5 Kf6 61. Kd6 g5 $11) (55. c7 b1=Q $1 56. Rxb1 Rc5 57. Rb7 (57. Ke6 Rxc7 58. f7 Rc8 59. Ke7 g5 60. f8=Q Rxf8 61. Kxf8 Kg6 $11) 57... gxf6 58. Ke7 Kg6 $11) 55... Rf5+ 56. Ke6 Rc5 (56... Rf2 57. Rxh4+ Kxg7 58. Rb4) 57. Kd6 Rc1 $1 (57... Rc2 $2 58. Rxh4+ Kxg7 59. Rb4) 58. Rxb2 Kxg7 (58... Rd1+ 59. Ke7 Re1+ 60. Kd8 Rd1+ 61. Kc8 Kxg7 62. c7 Kg6 63. Kb8 Rc1 64. Rb5 $1 $18) (58... h3 59. Rb3) 59. Rh2 $1 Rd1+ 60. Kc7 Rd4 61. Kb6 Rc4 62. c7 $18 {[%CAl Rh2h4]}) 51... Rf4 52. f6 $1 {Another good idea, enough for a win.} gxf6 53. c6 Rf5+ 54. Kd6 Rf1 55. c7 Rc1 56. gxf6 $4 {A bad slip at the last moment.} (56. c8=Q Rxc8 57. Rxc8 {Unbelievably, with Black's pawn on f6 instead of g7 (see 50.c6), White wins:} Kg6 (57... fxg5 58. Ke5 h3 59. Rc1 Kg6 60. Ke4 Kh5 61. Kf3 Kh4 62. Kf2) 58. Kd5 $1 h3 (58... Kxg5 59. Ke4 b2 60. Rg8+ Kh5 61. Rg1 h3 62. Kf3 $18) 59. Rc1 b2 60. Rb1 Kxg5 61. Ke4 Kg4 62. Rg1+ Kh4 63. Kf4 h2 64. Rb1 Kh3 65. Kf3 f5 66. Rh1 f4 67. Rb1 $18 {- Black's f-pawn, unlike the g-pawn, doesn't bother White!}) 56... Kg6 57. Rxb3 (57. c8=Q Rxc8 58. Rxc8 Kxf6 59. Rc5 b2 60. Rb5 h3 61. Rxb2 Kf5 $11) 57... Kxf6 58. Rb8 (58. Rb5 h3 $1 59. Rh5 Rd1+ 60. Kc6 Rc1+ 61. Kd7 Rd1+ 62. Kc8 Rd3 $11 {- White's king is far away and can't attack the rook as in the 51.?f7 line.}) 58... Rd1+ (58... Rxc7 59. Kxc7 Kf5 {was possible}) 59. Kc6 Rc1+ 60. Kd7 Kf5 61. c8=Q Rxc8 62. Rxc8 h3 63. Kd6 Kf4 64. Rc3 Kg4 65. Ke5 h2 66. Rc1 Kf3 67. Kf5 Kg2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.20"] [Round "8"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2016.03.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb3 dxc4 8. Qxc4 Nd7 9. e3 g6 10. Ne4 Qe7 11. Ne5 Qb4+ 12. Qxb4 Bxb4+ 13. Ke2 Be7 14. f3 $146 {Im 14. Zug weicht Aronian von der unlängst zwischen beiden Partnern in Zürich gespielten Partie ab. Alles in allem ist hier kein Kampfgeist erkennbar - bei beiden nicht!} (14. f4 b6 15. Kf2 Bb7 16. Rd1 Rd8 17. Be2 O-O 18. Bf3 c5 19. Ng3 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Ba6 21. Ne4 Bd3 22. Nf6+ Kg7 23. Nd5 exd5 24. Rxd3 d4 25. exd4 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 cxd4 27. Ke2 f6 28. Kd3 fxe5 29. fxe5 Rc8 30. Rd1 Bg5 31. Ke4 Be3 32. Rd3 Kf7 33. Ra3 Rc7 34. Be2 Ke7 35. Ra4 Bc1 36. Rxd4 Bxb2 37. Rc4 {1/2-1/2 (37) Aronian,L (2792)-Giri,A (2798) Zuerich 2016}) ({RR} 14. f4 b6 15. Kf2 Bb7 16. Rd1 Rd8 17. Be2 O-O 18. Bf3 c5 19. Ng3 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Ba6 21. Ne4 Bd3 22. Nf6+ Kg7 23. Nd5 exd5 24. Rxd3 d4 25. exd4 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 cxd4 27. Ke2 f6 28. Kd3 fxe5 {Aronian,L (2792)-Giri,A (2798) Zuerich 2016 ½-½ (37)}) ({RR} 14. f4 g5 15. g3 f6 16. Ng6 Rg8 17. Nxe7 Kxe7 18. Rc1 b6 19. Bg2 Ba6+ 20. Kf2 Rac8 21. Rc3 c5 22. dxc5 Nxc5 23. Nxc5 Rxc5 24. Rxc5 {½-½ (24) Sargsyan,S (2594)-Martirosyan,H (2617) Jermuk 2020}) 14... Rg8 15. Rc1 f5 16. Nxd7 Kxd7 17. Nd2 b6 18. Kf2 Bb7 19. h4 Rac8 20. f4 {Diagramm [#] Die Stellung ist vollkommen ausgeglichen, doch Schwarz hat immerhin noch das Läuferpaar und die eine oder andere Hebelmöglichkeit - er könnte den Anziehenden noch ein wenig ärgern.} Bf6 21. b4 Rg7 22. Be2 g5 23. hxg5 hxg5 24. fxg5 (24. Rh6 Ke7 25. g3 {war ebenfalls gut.}) 24... Bxg5 25. Bf3 Ba6 26. Nc4 Bxc4 27. Rxc4 f4 28. e4 Be7 29. a3 e5 {Diagramm [#] Dies kann jetzt eigentlich nur noch eines werden: Giris achtes Remis in der achten Partie.} 30. dxe5 Ke6 31. Ke2 Kxe5 32. Rh5+ Bg5 33. Bg4 Rd8 34. Rxc6 Kxe4 35. Re6+ Kd4 36. Rh3 Kc4 37. Re5 Kd4 38. Re6 Kc4 39. Bf5 Re7 40. Rxe7 Bxe7 41. Rh7 Bd6 42. Rxa7 Re8+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.28"] [Round "13"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2726"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Grivas,Efstratios"] [PlyCount "146"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] {The analysis of this game was done while it was in progress and in time-pressure, so the reader might forgive me for any potentional mistake.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. h4 ({This early pawn sacrifice variation seemed to be in fashion in the latest Wch. Earlier} 10. O-O {was on the choice:} Nbd7 11. Ne5 h5 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Qc1 Rg8 14. Rd1 Bb4 15. Qe3 Qe7 16. h3 h4 17. Bh2 Bxc3 18. bxc3 g4 19. Kh1 c5 20. hxg4 cxd4 21. Rxd4 e5 22. Rdd1 Nxg4 23. Bxg4 Rxg4 24. f3 Rg6 25. a4 a5 26. axb5 a4 27. Qe2 Qc5 28. Rab1 Rd6 29. Rxd6 Qxd6 30. Qxc4 a3 31. Ra1 h3 32. Qe2 hxg2+ 33. Qxg2 O-O-O 34. Qa2 f5 35. Qxa3 fxe4 36. Qxd6 Rxd6 37. fxe4 Bxe4+ 38. Kg1 Bd3 39. Bxe5 Rg6+ 40. Kf2 Bxb5 {½-½ Kramnik,V-Gelfand,B/Mexico City 2007.}) 10... g4 11. Ne5 Rg8 $5 ({A not very often met move. Usually Black opts for} 11... h5 {and the latest example is} 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. Bg3 Qxd4 16. Rfd1 Qc5 17. Bd6 Qb6 18. a4 a6 19. e5 Nd7 20. a5 Qa7 21. Ne4 c5 22. Ng5 Nxe5 23. Bxe5 Bxe5 24. Bxc4 bxc4 25. Qa4+ Kf8 26. Rd7 Bd5 27. Rd1 Bd4 28. Rxa7 Rxa7 29. b3 Kg7 30. bxc4 Ba8 31. Qc2 g3 32. Rxd4 cxd4 33. Qe2 gxf2+ 34. Qxf2 Rd8 35. Qg3 Kf8 36. Qe5 Ke8 37. Nxe6 fxe6 38. Qh8+ Ke7 39. Qg7+ Ke8 40. Qh8+ Ke7 41. Qg7+ {½-½ Grischuk,A-Svidler,P/Mexico City 2007.}) 12. Nxg4 Nxg4 ({The alternative is} 12... Nbd7 13. Nxf6+ Nxf6 14. e5 Nd5 15. O-O Nxc3 16. bxc3 Be7 17. a4 Bxh4 18. axb5 Bxg3 19. fxg3 cxb5 20. Bh5 Qd5 21. Rf3 $13 {Grigoryan,A-Hrabusa,M/Sibenik 2007.}) 13. Bxg4 b4 ({Also playable is} 13... Nd7 14. O-O Nf6 15. Be2 Qb6 16. a4 Bb4 17. Be5 Nd7 18. Bf4 Rd8 19. Be3 c5 $13 {Khalifman,A-Acs,P/Hoogeveen 2002.}) 14. Na4 c5 15. d5 ({The main move 'must' be considered to be the 'obvious'} 15. Nxc5 {. A likely continuation can be} Bxc5 16. dxc5 Qxd1+ 17. Bxd1 Bxe4 18. Ba4+ (18. O-O Nc6 19. Be2 (19. Rc1 Bd5 20. Ba4 O-O-O $13 21. Bxc6 $2 Bxc6 22. Rxc4 Rd2 23. Rb1 f5 $17 {Rogozenko,D-Spiess,G/Dresden 2007}) 19... Bd5 20. Rfc1 Na5 $13 {Van Wely,L-Vallejo Pons,F/Khanty Mansyisk 2005}) 18... Bc6 19. Bxc6+ Nxc6 20. O-O-O Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Kxd8 22. Rd1+ Kc8 23. Rd6 Ne7 $13 {Maki Uuro,M-Koskinen,H/Finland 2005. But it seems that Grischuk had done his homework too!}) 15... exd5 ({Black could easily go astray with} 15... Nd7 $2 16. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 $6 17. Qh5+ Ke7 18. d6+ Kf6 19. Nxc5 Rxg3 (19... Nxc5 20. Be5#) (19... Rg6 20. Nxe6 $1 Kxe6 21. Qf5#) 20. fxg3 {1-0 Schenk,A-Stephan,J/France 2003. Black had no answer to} (20. fxg3 {:} Nxc5 21. O-O+ Kg7 22. Rf7+ Kh8 23. Qg6 Bxe4 24. Rh7# {. Actually, the text-move is a 'logical' novelty.})) 16. exd5 (16. O-O $2 dxe4 17. Qe2 Qd3 $1 {.}) 16... Qxd5 17. Qxd5 Bxd5 18. O-O-O Rxg4 ({C.Lutz proposed (back in 2003)} 18... Bxg2 19. Rhe1+ Be7 20. Bd6 (20. Bxb8 Rxb8 21. Rd7 Rxg4 22. Rexe7+ Kf8 23. Rxf7+ Kg8 $13) (20. f3 Kf8 21. Rg1 f5 $13) 20... Nc6 21. Bxe7 (21. f3 Kf8) 21... Nxe7 22. Rd7 Rxg4 23. Rexe7+ Kf8 24. Rxf7+ Kg8 25. Nxc5 Bc6 $13 {. Anand's move looks rather OK also.}) 19. Rxd5 Nd7 20. Re1+ Kd8 21. Red1 (21. Nxc5 Bxc5 22. Red1 Rc8 23. Rxd7+ Ke8 24. Rb7 Re4 $1 {is fine for Black.}) 21... Rd4 22. R1xd4 cxd4 23. Rxd4 Rc8 24. Bd6 $1 {A good exchange, making Black's queenside pawns more vulnerable.} Ke8 $146 ({Black should have opted for} 24... Be7 25. Kc2 Rc6 26. Bxe7+ Kxe7 27. b3 cxb3+ 28. Kxb3 Rg6 29. g3 Rf6 30. f4 a5 $11 {. Obviously the 'natural'}) (24... Bxd6 $6 25. Rxd6 f6 26. Ra6 Rc7 27. a3 $14 {would be nice for White.}) ({RR} 24... Bxd6 25. Rxd6 Ke7 26. Rxh6 {½-½ (26) Riazantsev,A (2638)-Karjakin,S (2732) Dagomys 2008}) 25. Re4+ $1 Kd8 26. Bxf8 {Of course White is not obliged to go for the repetition draw.} Nxf8 27. a3 $1 bxa3 ({Forced:} 27... a5 28. axb4 axb4 29. Nb6 Rc6 30. Nxc4 $16) (27... f5 28. Rd4+ Ke7 29. axb4 Ne6 30. Rd5 $16 {.}) 28. bxa3 {White has got the advantage, mainly because of Black's bad pawn-structure.} Rc6 $1 ({Black's rightly activates his rook in order to attack the enemy pawns.} 28... f5 29. Re5 Ng6 30. Rxf5 Nxh4 31. Rf8+ Kd7 32. Rxc8 Kxc8 33. g3 Nf3 34. Kc2 $16 {is not a solution to his problems.}) 29. Nb2 Rf6 30. Re2 $2 ({A poor move. The natural} 30. f3 c3 31. Nc4 {with advantage to White, was strong and 'easy' to play. it must be noted that White faces the notorious time-trouble and naturally he feels uncertain about such 'early' pawn advances.}) 30... c3 $1 31. Nd1 (31. Nc4 Ne6 (31... Rf4 $2 32. Ne5 f6 33. Nf7+ Kd7 34. Nxh6 (34. g3 Ra4 35. Ra2 h5 $13) 34... Rxh4 35. Ng8 $16) 32. g3 h5 $11 {.}) 31... Ra6 32. Ra2 Ng6 33. g3 Rc6 34. Kc2 Ne7 {It seems that Black has worked his way out, but White can still win a pawn with a neat combination.} 35. Nxc3 $1 Nd5 36. Kd3 Rxc3+ $1 {Opting for a rook ending, where Black's active rook will compensate for his lost pawn.} (36... Nxc3 $2 37. Rc2 $16 {.}) 37. Kd4 a5 $1 {Securing an important outpost on the b3-square.} 38. Kxd5 a4 39. Kd4 Rb3 40. Kc4 Kc8 41. Rc2 Kd7 (41... Rxa3 $4 42. Kb4+ {.}) 42. Rc3 Rb2 43. Rf3 Ke6 {Black's activity is obvious. There is not much that White can do, except torture Black for a long time! Actually no-one can be sure if White has at his disposal a 'secret' winning plan and I believe that this ending will be under the microscope for a long time ahead.} 44. g4 Ke7 45. Kd5 {Threatening 46.Rf4.} Rb3 $1 46. Ke4 (46. Re3+ Kf6 {.}) 46... Rb2 47. Kf5 Rb5+ 48. Kf4 Kf6 49. Rd3 Rb2 50. f3 Ra2 51. Ke4 Rh2 52. Rd4 ({The last chance. After} 52. h5 Ra2 53. Kd4 Rc2 $1 (53... Kg5 $2 54. Kc4 Kf4 (54... f5 55. Kb4 fxg4 56. Rd5+ Kf4 57. fxg4 Kxg4 58. Kxa4) (54... Rb2 55. Rd5+ Kf4 56. Rf5+) 55. Kb4 f5 56. Kxa4 fxg4 57. fxg4 Kxg4 58. Rd5 $18) 54. Rc3 Rb2 55. Kc4 Kg5 {Black seems to have sufficient counterplay to keep the balance (active king and rook).}) 52... Rxh4 53. Rxa4 Rh1 $1 {The rook belongs behind the passed pawn.} 54. Rb4 ({A theoretical draw arises after} 54. Ra8 h5 55. Ra6+ Kg7 56. gxh5 Rxh5 57. a4 Rh1 58. a5 Ra1 {.}) 54... Ra1 55. a4 Kg6 56. Kd5 Ra3 57. Kc6 (57. f4 f5 58. gxf5+ Kxf5 59. Kc4 h5 $11 {.}) 57... Rxf3 58. a5 f5 $1 {Securing the draw.} 59. a6 Ra3 60. gxf5+ (60. Kb5 fxg4 61. Rxg4+ Kf5 62. Ra4 Rb3+ 63. Kc6 Rb8 64. a7 Ra8 65. Kb7 Rxa7+ 66. Rxa7 h5 $11 {.}) 60... Kxf5 {According to the 'Nalimov Databases' this is a drawn position.} 61. Kb6 h5 62. Rb5+ Kg4 63. Ra5 Rf3 64. a7 Rf8 65. a8=Q Rxa8 66. Rxa8 h4 67. Kc5 h3 68. Kd4 h2 69. Rh8 Kg3 70. Ke3 Kg2 71. Rg8+ Kf1 72. Rh8 Kg1 73. Rxh2 Kxh2 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2733"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 {By choosing a Slav move order, Gelfand avoids Aronian's unusual setup from his earlier game against Grischuk. Al eligir el orden de jugadas de Eslava, Gelfand evita enfrentarse con el experimento de Aronian en su partida anterior con Grischuk.} 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 ({A curious moment. This early release of the tension in the centre is only apparently a concession. In the first round game Kramnik-Svidler, Black played Un momento curioso. Este cambio temprano es solo aparentemente una concesión. En la partida Kramnik-Svidler de la primera ronda, las negras jugaron} 8... g6 {, which offered White the additional possibility of winning space in the centre with , que ofreció a las blancas la posibilidad adicional de ganar espacío en el centro con} 9. e4 dxc4 10. e5 $1 Qe7 11. Bxc4) 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O ({Now, Ahora,} 10. e4 {can always be met by puede siempre ser contestada con} e5 $1) 10... Bg7 11. Rc1 O-O 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. Bb3 Rd8 (13... b6 {has been tried in a few games and is considered to offer White chances for an advantage after} 14. Ba4 {, although practice has not sustained this point of view.} ({It is possible to justify the retreat of the bishop by employing a pseudo-attacking plan:} 14. h4 Bb7 15. h5 g5 16. Ng3 Rad8 17. Bc2 c5 18. Qd3 {However, it is not clear what the queen's rook is doing on c1, while Black's development is very harmonious..} f5 19. Qa3 a5 $15 {Ragozin,E (2475)-Neverov,V (2541)/St Petersburg 2000/CBM 076 (1-0, 79)}) 14... c5 (14... Ba6 15. Bxc6 Bxf1 16. Bxa8 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Rxa8 18. Qa4 Nf6 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 20. Qc6 Rd8 21. Rc4 $14 {Moiseenko,A (2582)-Sedlak,N (2423)/Aviles 2000/CBM 077 ext (½-½, 30). White's better control in the centre, his stability on the light squares and the control of the only open file make the position theoretically better for him, but Black is solid and in case of a break with ...e5 his bishop could become active.}) 15. Bc6 Rb8 16. Qa4 Bb7 (16... Nf6 17. Rfd1 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxd4 20. exd4 Rd8 21. Rc3 a5 22. Qc2 $14 {Moiseenko,A (2573)-Borovikov,V (2472)/Ordzhonikidze 2000/CBM 078 (½-½, 56). For once, White's advantage, though minimal, is real here. He is better developed while the enemy king is slightly vulnerable.}) 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. b3 {White has conquered the c4-square for his pieces, but Black is well coordinated.} f5 20. Ned2 g5 {It appears that White's stability on the light squares is questionable.} 21. Rfd1 g4 $132 {Lutz,C (2550)-Knaak,R (2525)/Baden-Baden 1992/CBM 033 (½-½, 44)}) 14. Qc2 {Aronian has chosen a rarely seen setup, with his knight in front of the e-pawn, which deprives him of the possibility of winning space in the centre. White's philosophy in the current position is to prevent Black from completing his development or freeing his position with the thematic ...c5 or ...e5, rather than starting active operations himself. Aronian escogió un sistema de desarrollo bastante poco frecuente, basado en colocar el caballo en frente del peón de e3, impediendo así una futura conquísta de espacío en el centro. La filosofía de las blancas en esta posición se basa en primer lugar en impedir el desarrollo de las negras y la realisación de las rupturas temáticas ...c5 o ...e5 y en menor medida en mejorar su propría posición de forma rápida.} e5 {Black usually shies away from this move, preferring to jump with his knight to f6 or b6. Normalmente, las negras se abstienen de esta jugada, prefiriendo un salto de caballo a b6 o f6.} (14... Nf6 15. Nc5 $14 {Dautov,R (2620)-Dreev,A (2670)/Reggio Emilia 1996/CBM 051/[Dautov] (0-1, 60)}) 15. Rfe1 {A subtle move. White discourages the exchange on d4, which would leave the black queen vulnerable after exd4. Una jugada sútil. Las blancas quíeren quitar a las negras las ganas de comer en d4, que, después de exd4, dejaría a la dama negra incómoda en la misma columna con la torre blanca.} Kh8 {Less subtle, but very strong. Black threatens the brutal ...f5. Menos sútil, pero muy fuerte. Las negras crean la brutal amenaza ...f5.} (15... Kh7 $2 {is worse because of} 16. Bxf7) 16. g4 $5 {It is hard to give a final evaluation of this exotic move, since it almost surely formed part of Aronian's preparation. It also bears strong similarity with the advance of the g-pawn from his aforementioned game against Grischuk. I get the feeling that, having been deprived of the possibility of playing Nbd2!? in the opening, Aronian "transposed" to the familiar territory with his last move. Anyway, White's main idea is the same: to ensure some stability for the knights. However, there is a significant difference compared to the previous game: Black's kingside structure is more flexible because the g-pawn is on g6 instead of g5. This is clearly in Black's favour, since White's kingside position remains shaky. Es difícil dar una evaluación definitiva a esta jugada algo exótica, especialmente que, casi seguramente, formaba parte de la preparación casera de Aronian. Notamos cierta similitud con el avance del mismo peón en la partida anterioremnte mencionada contra Grischuk. me da la sensación que, al no haber tenido la posibilidad de repetir el experimento con Cbd2!? en la apertura, Aronian "transpuso" a un teritorío familiar con su última jugada. De toda forma, la idea de las blancas es la misma: asegurar estabilidad de los caballos en casillas blancas. Sin embargo, hay una esencíal diferencía con respecto a dicha partida: la estructura de las negras en el flanco de rey es más flexible, porque el peón de g se encuentra en g6 en vez de g5. Este detalle favorece a las negras, porque la posición de las blancas en el centro y en el flanco de rey queda bastante inestable.} ({Previously,} 16. Ned2 {had been played. I must say, this is not a shattering move.} Re8 ({Now that there is no danger of a fork on g5, Black can simply improve his position with} 16... Kh7 $5 {, when it would be difficult for White to prove an active plan.}) 17. Nc4 e4 18. Nfe5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Be6 (19... f5 $5 20. exf6 Qxf6 21. Red1 Bf5 22. Nd6 Re7 $13) 20. Nd6 (20. Qxe4 $1 Bxc4 21. Qxc4 {[%csl Gf7]}) 20... Bxb3 21. Qxb3 Rf8 22. Qxb7 Qxb7 23. Nxb7 Rab8 24. Na5 Rxb2 $11 {Roiz,M (2507)-Farakhov,R (2317)/Pardubice 2002/CBM 089 ext (½-½, 40)}) 16... Rf8 $1 {After the radical weakening of White's kingside, the rook changes plans. From f8, it defends the f7-pawn, enabling ...?b6, which attacks the g4-pawn, while also supporting an eventual advance of the f-pawn to f5. Después de la debilitación del flanco de rey blanco, la torre cambía sus intenciones. Desde f8, sobredefiende el peón de f7, para habilitar ...?b6, que atacaría el peón de g4 y sosteniendo el avance del peón f al mismo tiempo.} 17. g5 $6 ({This new advance of the g-pawn will fail to stabilize the position. Maybe it was time to think about safety with Este nuevo avance del peón de g no conseguírá estabilizar el flanco de rey. tal vez era el momento de jugar seguro con} 17. Ng3) 17... f5 $1 {I suppose that Aronian underestimated this move. From structural point of view, it does not seem to make sense, but a closer look at the position reveals the merits of Gelfand's decision. The e5-pawn will remain isolated now, but in fact it is not a weak pawn (as would be the case if the d4-pawn would be on d5 and the c6-pawn on c5). Also, the e4-knight will not become more stable (refer to the same hypothetical situation for comparison). Finally, the pressure exerted by the f8-rook against the white kingside will be very annoying.} ({Aronian might have expected} 17... hxg5 {when after} 18. Nexg5 {[%CAl Yc2e4,Ye4h4]} Bh6 (18... f5 19. Ne6 $1) 19. h4 {White is not without ideas.}) 18. gxf6 Bxf6 ({This looks slow, but} 18... Nxf6 {would lose a pawn to} 19. Nxe5 {, because the pinning move} Bf5 {is not dangerous in view of} 20. Qc5 $1) 19. Kg2 $146 ({RR} 19. Ng3 Kg7 20. Kh1 Nb6 21. Rg1 Kh7 22. Nh5 e4 23. Nxf6+ Rxf6 24. Ne5 Bf5 25. Rg3 Raf8 26. Rcg1 Nd7 27. Qc3 Re8 28. Nxd7 Bxd7 29. Bc2 Rxf2 30. R1g2 Rf6 31. Qa5 Qf7 32. h3 a6 33. Kh2 Bf5 {Ovod,E (2386)-Tairova,E (2391) Moscow 2007 0-1 (43)}) 19... Bg7 20. h4 $6 {Strategically correct, but, with queens on the board, very risky. Estrategicamente corecto, pero con damas en el tablero - muy arriesgado.} ({White cannot stabilize the position in the centre with} 20. d5 $2 {because of} cxd5 21. Bxd5 Nb6 $40 {[%CAl Yc8g4,Yf8f3]}) ({Here, too} 20. Ng3 {looks like a safer choice.}) 20... Nb6 $1 {The turning point in the game. Gelfand was approaching time trouble, but the investment of time in the previous phase of the game was fully justified, as Black has the better position already.} 21. dxe5 $2 ({It seems that after this move White's game cannot be saved anymore. Parece que después de esta jugada las blancas no pueden salvarse ya.} 21. Nxe5 {would have been a lesser evil. hubiera sido un menor mal.}) 21... Bg4 ({Not a bad move, but No es una mala jugada, pero parece que} 21... Rxf3 $1 {seems to have been decisive, too: hubiera ganado, también:} 22. Kxf3 Bf5 23. Kg2 {The only way to get out of the nasty pin. La única forma de intentar desclavarse.} Qxh4 24. f4 {and now, Black has y ahora las negras tienen} Nd7 {, when White's poor coordination prevents him from parrying such a simple threat as ...?xe5, when Black's attack will take on decisive proportions. , cuando la mala coordinación de las blancas les impide parar la sncilla amenaza ...?xe5, con ataque ganador.}) 22. Ned2 Nd7 23. e6 ({This makes it easier for Black, who can win with normal moves. Esta jugada simplifica la taréa de las negras, que ganarán con jugadas sencillas.} 23. Qxg6 {would have been more demanding. White threatens ?c2, but Black is the first to deliver decisive blows: hubiera requierido un juego algo más preciso de las negras. La amenaza directa es ?c2, pero las negras se adelantan con su ataque:} Nxe5 24. Nxe5 Rxf2+ $1 25. Kxf2 Qxh4+ 26. Kg1 Bxe5 27. Nf1 Rf8 {Threatening ...?f2+ or ...?xf1+, followed by mate. Amenazando ...?f2+ o ...?xf1+ con mate.} 28. Rc2 Bf3 29. Rg2 {Apparently, White has defended, but the next move shatters the illusion. Aparentemente, las blancas se han defendido, pero después de la siguíente jugada se esfumarán las ilusiones.} Be4 $1 {White has no adequate way to keep the rook defended. For instance, Las blancas no tienen a disposición un modo adecuado de mantener a la torre de g2 defendida. Por ejemplo,} 30. Qg4 {loses the queen to perdería la dama por} Bh2+ $1 31. Kh1 (31. Nxh2 {leads to mate after llevaría al mate después de} Qxe1+ 32. Nf1 Rxf1+ 33. Kh2 Rh1#) 31... Qxg4 $1) 23... Ne5 $1 24. Nh2 (24. Nxe5 Rxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Qxh4+ 26. Kg2 (26. Kg1 Qg3+) 26... Bxe5) 24... Qxh4 {Around this moment, Gelfand must have felt like in the good old days, when the King's Indian was his main weapon against 1.d4. White is under decisive attack and he does not even have a material advantage to offer him some Platonic consolation... ?Alrededor de este momento, Gelfand debe de haberse sentido como en los viejos buenos tiempos, cuando la India de Rey era su principal arma contra 1.d4.} 25. f4 Bf5 26. Ne4 Qh3+ 27. Kg1 Nf3+ 28. Nxf3 Qxf3 29. Ng5 hxg5 30. Qh2+ Qh5 31. Qxh5+ gxh5 32. e7 Rfe8 33. Rc5 Bg4 34. Rxg5 Rxe7 35. Kg2 Bf6 36. Rg6 Rf8 37. e4 Bf5 38. Rh6+ Kg7 39. Rxh5 Bxe4+ 40. Kh2 Bd5 0-1 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.14"] [Round "2"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 {An excellent way to play for a win with Black, although it should be said that White's cooperation is needed, too. In case of 6.?xf6 (as played just one day earlier by Kramnik against Svidler), play takes a positional course. However, Aronian is not the kind of player to refrain from a sharp battle, especially when he has the white pieces. Eine ausgezeichnete Möglichkeit, mit Schwarz auf Gewinn zu spielen, obwohl gesagt werden sollte, dass dabei auch die Kooperation von Weiß nötig ist. Im Fall von 6.?xf6 (wie nur einen Tag zuvor von Kramnik gegen Svidler gespielt), nimmt die Partie einen positionellen Verlauf. Doch Aronian ist niemand, der vor einem scharfem Kampf zurückschreckt, vor allem, wenn er die weißen Figuren hat. Un excelente método de jugar para ganar con negras, aunque cabe decir que la colaboración de las blancas es esencial. En caso de 6.Bxf6 (como se había jugado un día antes en la partida Kramnik - Svidler), el juego entraría por cauces posicionales. Sin embargo, Aronian no esel tipo de jugador que huya de una lucha aguda, especialmente cuando tiene blancas.} 9. Ne5 h5 10. h4 g4 {Black is a pawn up, but White has a strong centre and better prospects of transferring his king to a safe location. In the next phase of the game, both players have to permanently take into account the standard pawn moves (White's) d5 or f3 and (Black's) ...b4 or ...c5. For a while, however, play continues with natural developing moves. Schwarz besitzt einen Bauern mehr, doch Weiß hat ein starkes Zentrum und bessere Aussichten, seinen König an einen sicheren Ort zu verfrachten. In der nächsten Phase der Partie müssen beide Spieler ständig die gegnerischen Standardbauernzüge berücksichtigen, d5 oder f3 (Weiß) und ...b4 oder ...c5 (Schwarz). Für eine Weile aber geht es mit natürlichen Entwicklungszügen weiter. Las negras tienen un peón de ventaja, ero las blancas disponen de un fuerte centro de peones y de la posibilidad de llevar a su rey a una residencía mas segura. Durante la sigíente fase de la partida, ambos jgadores deberán tener permanentemente en cuenta las jugadas típicas de peones d5 o f3 (de las blancas) y ...b4 o ...c5 (de las negras). Por algún rato, el juego continúa con jugadas naturales de desarrollo.} 11. Be2 Bb7 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. Rad1 O-O 16. Bg3 (16. f3 Nh7 {Werle,J (2514)-Smeets,J (2537)/Leeuwarden 2005/CBM 110/[Lutz] (1-0, 40)}) 16... Nd7 (16... Nh7 {Kramnik,V (2770)-Akopian,V (2660)/Dortmund 2000/CBM 078/[Lutz] (1-0, 41)}) 17. f3 {This move is almost unanimously played here. White finally establishes a centre of pawn tension and aims to open the f-file for his king's rook. The only (but significant) drawback of this move is that it weakens the king's residence. Dieser Zug wird an dieser Stelle fast ausschließlich gespielt. Weiß errichtet endlich ein Zentrum mit Bauernspannung und möchte die f-Linie für seinen Königsturm öffnen. Der einzige (aber gewichtige) Nachteil dieses Zuges ist, dass er die Königsresidenz schwächt. Esta jugada se efectúa casi unanimamente. Por fin, las blancas crean un punto de tensión de peones, aspirando a abrir la columna de f para su torre. La única (pero importante) desventaja de esta jugada es que debilita seriamente la posición del rey blanco.} c5 $5 $146 ({An interesting novelty. Previously, Aine interessante Neuerung. Bislang galt Una interesante novedad. Anteriormente,} 17... Qb6 {was considered best. See for instance Onischuk,A (2638)-Lastin,A (2590)/Sochi 2005/CBM 107/[Lutz] (0-1, 38), containing also a small survey on the queen move. Anand decides that the best way of taking advantage of the vulnerability of the enemy king is to keep the queen on her initial square. als Bestes, siehe zum Beispiel Onischuk,A (2638)-Lastin,A (2590)/Sochi 2005/CBM 107/[Lutz] (0-1, 38), worin auch eine kleine Übersicht bezüglich des Damenzuges enthalten ist. Anand beschließt, dass sich die Anfälligkeit des feindlichen Königs am besten ausnutzen lässt, indem die Dame auf ihrem Ausgangsfeld bleibt. era considerada como la mejor jugada. Anand decidió que la mejor manera de aprovecharse de la vulnerabilidad del rey enemigo es mantener la dama en su casilla inicial.}) 18. dxc5 ({The generally desirable Auf das generell wünschenswerte La generalmente deseable} 18. d5 {can be strongly met by kann stark puede ser fuertemente contestada por} Be5 $1 {when White is in some sort of trouble: folgen, wonach Weiß in gewissen Schwierigkeiten steckt: cuando las blancas pasarían por algunos apuros:} 19. Bxe5 $6 ({After Nach Después de} 19. f4 Bd4+ {the black dark-squared bishop is much more active than his direct rival. ist der schwarzfeldrige Läufer des Nachziehenden weit aktiver als sein direkter Rivale. el alfil negrod e casillas oscuras es mucho mas activo que su rival.}) 19... Nxe5 20. f4 $2 Qxh4 $1 {with decisive attack. mit entscheidendem Angriff. con ataque decisivo.}) ({Finally, Schließlich findet} 18. Nxb5 {can be strongly met by die starke Erwiderung} cxd4 {for instance , zum Beispiel} 19. Nxd4 $2 {The most principled continuation, which, however, loses almost by force. Die prinzipiellste Fortsetzung, die allerdings fast forciert verliert.} (19. Qxc4 {looks better from practical point of view, although Black has excellent play anyway. sieht aus praktischer Sicht besser aus, wenngleich Schwarz auch dann ausgezeichnetes Spiel hat.} Ne5 20. Qb3 {The knight cannot be captured because the h4-pawn would remain desperately weak. Der Springer kann nicht geschlagen werden, weil dann der h4-Bauer hoffnungslos schwach bliebe.} gxf3 21. gxf3 {. This weakens the king's position, but otherwise the e5-square would remain under Black's strict control. . Dies schwächt die Königsstellung, doch andernfalls würde Schwarz das Feld e5 fest im Griff haben.} Ng6 {with a nice, but possibly not better position for Black. mit schöner, aber möglicherweise nicht besseren Stellung für Schwarz.}) 19... Qb6 20. Bf2 g3 21. Be3 Qd8 $3 {Now that the bishop has been driven away from the defence of the h4-pawn, the queen switches back to the kingside. Nun, da der Läufer von der Verteidigung des Bauern h4 verdrängt wurde, fährt die Dame wieder zum Königsflügel.} 22. Bg5 {The natural reaction. Die natürliche Reaktion.} (22. f4 Bxd4 {followed by ...?xh4 is not much more appealing.}) 22... Bxd4+ 23. Rxd4 Qb6 $3 {Apparently, the oscilations of the black queen correspond to the high degree of uncertainty typical to any lady. In fact, each time Her Majesty pursues a very precise aim. Now, it's a pin again. Das Hin- und Her der schwarzen Königin gleicht scheinbar jenem hohen Maß an Unbestimmtheit, wie sie für jede Dame typisch ist. Tatsächlich verfolgt Ihre Majestät jedes mal ein ganz genaues Ziel. Diesmal ist es wieder eine Fesselung.} 24. Be3 e5 $1 {and und} 25. Rd3 {does not save the day because of rettet den Tag nicht wegen} cxd3 $1 $19) 18... Qe7 19. Kh1 $146 {This move is aimed to enable the capture on b5, but the king is even worse placed here than on g1. Dieser Zug soll das Schlagen auf b5 ermöglichen, doch hier steht der König sogar noch schlechter als auf g1.} (19. Nxb5 $2 {is impossible because of ist unmöglich wegen} Qxc5+) (19. Bd6 $6 {is also not entirely adequate: reicht ebenfalls nicht ganz aus:} Qxh4 20. fxg4 Be5 (20... hxg4 $2 21. Rf4 $16) (20... Nxc5 $5 $13 21. Bxc5 $2 Be5 22. Rf3 hxg4 $19) 21. Bxe5 Nxe5 22. gxh5 b4 $132 {[%csl Ye4] and Black has good control in the centre, and attacking chances on the kingside. For instance, und Schwarz hat gute Kontrolle im Zentrum und Angriffschancen am Königsflügel. Zum Beispiel} 23. Nb5 Bxe4 24. Qc1 Bxg2 $1 25. Kxg2 Kh7 $40) (19. Rd6 {[%csl Yb5] is a better way to put the b5-pawn under pressure, but has the drawback of obstructing his own bishop. Black can calmly answer with ist ein besserer Weg, den b5-Bauern unter Druck zu setzen, hat aber den Nachteil, den eigenen Läufer zu verstellen. Schwarz kann ruhig} a6 $13 {antworten.}) (19. Rf2 {[%csl Yb5][%CAl Yg3d6] looks logical. White threatens ?xb5 and, in certain cases, ?d6. However, things are not so rosy for White. sieht logisch aus. Weiß droht ?xb5 und in gewissen Fällen ?d6. Dennoch stehen die Dinge nicht so rosig für Weiß.} a6 20. fxg4 (20. Bd6 $6 {is premature yet. ist noch verfrüht.} Qxh4 21. g3 Qg5 {With the rook on f2, the infiltration to h3 simply loses the queen to ?h2. Mit dem Turm auf f2 verliert die Infiltration auf h3 einfach die Dame wegen ?h2.} 22. f4 Qg6 23. Bxf8 Nxf8 $44 {Black has a pawn for the exchange, the c5-pawn is weak and the pair of bishops very active. Schwarz hat einen Bauern für die Qualität, der c5-Bauer ist schwach und das Läuferpaar sehr aktiv.}) 20... hxg4 {[%CAl Yd7e5]} (20... Ne5 $5 $44) 21. Bd6 Qxh4 $36 {Concluding, I could not find an entirely adequate continuation for White, which adds a lot of value to Anand's innovation. Unterm Strich konnte ich keine ganz völlig ausreichende Fortsetzung für Weiß finden, was Anands Neuerung deutlich aufwertet.}) ({RR} 19. fxg4 hxg4 20. Bd6 Qxh4 21. Rf4 Nf6 22. Nxb5 Rfd8 23. Rdf1 Bh6 24. Qxc4 Bxf4 25. Rxf4 Qh6 26. g3 Rac8 27. Qd4 Nxe4 28. Rxe4 Qc1+ 29. Kf2 Bxe4 30. Qxe4 Rxc5 31. Qxg4+ Rg5 32. Bf4 Qc5+ 33. Be3 Qf5+ {Zilka,S (2517)-Diermair,A (2414) Merlimont 2011 ½-½ (58)}) 19... a6 20. a4 Bc6 {Black has stabilized the position and threatens to win the c5-pawn with ...?xc5. Since 21.?d6 can be strongly met by 21...?e5!, White is forced to resort to radical measures. Schwarz hat die Stellung stabilisiert und droht, mit ...?xc5 den Bauern c5 abzuholen. Da auf 21.?d6 stark 21...?e5! folgen kann, ist Weiß zu radikalen Maßnahmen gezwungen. Las negras han conseguído de estabilizar laposición y amenazan ganar el peón de c5 con ...?xc5. Dado que 21.?d6 puede ser fuertemente contestada por 21...?e5!, las blancas tienen que recurrir a medidas extremas.} 21. Nd5 $6 {Aronian tries to change the generally unfavourable course of events by radical means. Aronian versucht, den generell ungünstigen Lauf der Dinge mit radikalen Mitteln zu ändern.} (21. fxg4 hxg4 22. Bxg4 (22. Nd5 {does not work at all now: geht jetzt gar nicht:} exd5 23. exd5 Nxc5 $1 24. dxc6 Ne4 $1 25. Be1 g3 26. Rf4 f5 $17 {and the white king is in a very bad situation. und der weiße König ist in einer ganz schlechten Lage.}) 22... Nxc5 {[%csl Rd3,Ye4,Gh1][%CAl Rb5b4,Ra8d8] leads to a very pleasant position for Black. All his minor pieces are placed on excellent squares, while the enemy king remains exposed. führt zu einer höchste angenehmen Stellung für Schwarz. All seine Leichtifiguren stehen auf ausgezeichneten Feldern, während der feindliche König weiter exponiert bleibt.}) 21... exd5 22. exd5 {Normally, this kind of operation would yield White an advantage... Normalerweise würde eine derartige Operation Weiß Vorteil einbringen... Normalmente, tal operación debería ofrecer a las blancas ventaja...} Be5 $1 {... but only with a safer king's position! With this already familiar to us move, Anand forces his opponent to release the kingside tension and consolidates his advantage. ... aber nur mit einer sichereren Königsstellung! Mit diesem uns bereits vertrauten Zug zwingt Anand seinen Gegner, die Spannung am Königsflügel aufzuheben, und konsolidiert so seinen Vorteil ... pero ¡solo en caso de tener una posición segura de su rey! Con esta jugada familiar ya, Anand fuerza a su contrincante a abandonar la tensión del flanco de rey y consolida su ventaja.} ({After Nach} 22... Nxc5 $2 23. dxc6 {the e4-square is not available for the knight, if compared with a similar line from the previous comment. hat, im Vergleich zu einem ähnlichen Abspiel im vorangegangenen Kommentar, der Springer nicht das Feld e4.}) 23. f4 Bg7 24. dxc6 Nxc5 {Both White's bishops are very passive. The c6-pawn in conjunction with certain rook activity along the d-file will prove insufficient to level the balance. Beide weißen Läufer sind sehr passiv. Der c6-Bauer in Verbindung mit gewisser Turmaktivität entlang der d-Linie wird nicht ausreichen, um die Bilanz auszugleichen. Ambos alfiles blancos están muy pasivos. El peón de c6 en combinación con algo de actividad alargo de la columna d no resultarán suficientes para mantener la igualdad.} 25. Rd5 Ne4 26. Be1 Qe6 27. Rxh5 f5 {White has temporarily won a pawn, but his rook is miserably placed. Anand went on winning convincingly. Weiß hat vorübergehend einen Bauern gewonnen, aber sein Turm steht miserabel. Anand fährt die Partie überzeugend nach Hause. Las blancas han ganado un peón de forma temporar, pero su torre queda muy mal colocada. Anand acabó imponiendose con confianza.} 28. Kh2 Rac8 29. Bb4 Rfe8 30. axb5 axb5 31. Re1 Qf7 32. Rg5 Nxg5 33. fxg5 Rxc6 34. Bf1 Rxe1 35. Bxe1 Re6 36. Bc3 Qc7+ 37. g3 Re3 38. Qg2 Bxc3 39. bxc3 f4 40. Qa8+ Kg7 41. Qa6 fxg3+ 0-1 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.13"] [Round "1"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2735"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {This is precisely the starting move that led Kramnik to the highest peaks of his career. He abandoned it for the slightly more aggressive 1.d4 only with the occasion of his match against Kasparov. Later, he experimented with 1.e4, without too much success. Now, the cycle seems to start again. Dies ist genau der Anfangszug, der Kramnik zu den höchsten Gipfeln seiner Kariere führte. Erst anlässlich seines Matches gegen Kasparov gab er dies zugunsten des leicht aggressiveren 1.d4 auf. Später experimentierte er dann mit 1.e4, ohne allzu großen Erfolg. Nun scheint der Zyklus von Neuem zu beginnen.} d5 {Svidler occasionally employed this move as an emergency exit after losing 3 games with the Gruenfeld in Morelia/Linares 2006. His overall result in the closed openings was not really satisfactory either, but we can assume that for the World Championship he is better prepared. Svidler gebrauchte diesen Zug gelegentlich als Notlösung, nachdem er in Morelia/Linares 2006 3 Partien mit Gründfeld verloren hatte. Sein Gesamtergebnis in den geschlossenen Eröffnung war auch nicht wirklich zufriedenstellend, doch wir dürfen annehmen, dass er für die Weltmeisterschaft besser vorbereitet ist.} 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 {No big surprises on White's part yet. This position formed part of Kramnik's repertoire in his chess youth, although in more recent years he has flirted with the ultra-sharp 6.?h4, too. Noch keine großen Überraschungen, was Weiß angeht. Diese Stellung bildete einen Teil von Kramniks Repertoire in seiner Schachjugend, obwohl er in den letzten Jahren auch mit dem ultrascharfen 6.?h4 geflirtet hat.} g6 {Of course. A Gruenfeld specialist would take the first opportunity to develop his king's bishop in fianchetto. Na klar. Ein Grünfeld-Spezialist würde die erste Gelegenheit ergreifen, seinen Königsläufer zu fianchettieren.} 9. e4 dxc4 10. e5 Qe7 11. Bxc4 Bg7 12. O-O O-O {The structure vaguely resembles a Gruenfeld, indeed. We just have to remove the b2- and c6-pawns. However, the presence of these pawns gives the game a rather closed character, without the possibility of active piece play as in Svidler's favorite weapon. On the other hand, White cannot crush his opponent by advancing his central pawns , which is a permanent danger for Black in the Gruenfeld. Die Struktur erinnert tatsächlich vage an einen Grünfeldinder. Wir müssen bloß die Bauern b2 und c6 entfernen. Doch die Anwesenheit dieser Bauern verleiht der Partie, im Gegensatz zu Svidlers Lieblingswaffe, einen ziemlich geschlossenen Charakter ohne die Möglichkeit zu aktivem Figurenspiel. Andererseits kann Weiß seinen Gegner nicht durch Vorrücken seiner Zentrumsbauern überrollen, was im Grünfeldinder eine permanente Gefahr für Schwarz darstellt.} 13. Re1 ({Kramnik had had his share of experience with this position: Kramnik hat seine Erfahrungen mit dieser Stellung gemacht:} 13. Qe2 b6 14. Rfe1 {Kamsky,G (2645)-Kramnik,V (2710)/Luzern 1993/CBM 038/[Ftacnik] (1-0, 36)}) 13... Rd8 ({The main alternative is Die Hauptalternative ist} 13... b5 {, but against such a technical player as Kramnik, Svidler must have disliked the idea of weakening the c5-square so soon. , aber gegen einen solchen Techniker wie Kramnik missfiel Svidler bestimmt die Idee, das Feld c5 so früh zu schwächen.}) 14. Qe2 b6 15. Rad1 {White is the first to have completed his development, but the relatively closed character of the centre prevents him taking immediate advantage of this circumstance. Weiß hat seine Entwicklung als Erster abgeschlossen, aber der relativ geschlossene Charakter des Zentrums hindert ihn daran, aus diesem Umstand unmitelbaren Vorteil zu ziehen.} ({Anticipating a bit the next general discussion, I would remark that Der nächsten allgemeinen Diskussion ein wenig vorzugreifend, möchte ich anmerken, dass} 15. Ba6 {is premature because of verfrüht ist wegen} Bxa6 16. Qxa6 c5 $1 {when after the generally desirable , worauf Schwarz nach dem generell wünschenswerten} 17. d5 {Black has the unexpected, but entirely sufficient defence die unerwartete, doch völlig ausreichende Verteidigung} Nb8 $1 {hat:} 18. Qc4 (18. Qd3 {places the queen under just another pin, allowing similar play. zieht die Dame bloß in eine andere Fesselung, was ähnliches Spiel erlaubt.}) 18... exd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 {. This is the point! The fork on c7 is impossible now. . Das ist die Pointe! Die Gabel auf c7 ist nun unmöglich.} 20. Rad1 Nc6 $11) 15... a5 $5 {This move is not so much dictated by ambitions of queenside expansion as by the desire to prevent the exchange of the light-squared bishops! This might sound a bit absurd: why would White exchange his "good" bishop for Black's "bad" bishop? In fact, the situation is not as one-sided as it might look at first sight. Once the black bishop emerges on b7, the permanent threat of ...c5 questions White's stability in the centre. He would obviously need to place a minor piece on e4, but here we discover another aspect: at least two of his minor pieces are competing for this square: the bishop and the queen's knight! By exchanging the light-squared bishops, White achieves better stability and can prepare the thematic attack based on h4-h5, in order to increase his influence on light squares. Dieser Zug wird weniger von Ambitionen auf eine Damenflügelexpansion diktiert als vielmehr von dem Wunsch, den Tausch der weißfeldrigen Läufer zu verhindern! Die mag ein wenig absurd klingen: Wieso würde Weiße seinen "guten" Läufer für den "schlechten" von Schwarz tauschen? Tatsächlich ist die Situation nicht so einseitig, wie es auf den ersten Blick wirken mag. Wenn der schwrze Läufer erst einmal auf b7 auftaucht, stellt die permanente Drohung ...c5 die Stabilität des Weißen im Zentrum in Frage. Er würde offensichtlich eine Leichtfigur auf e4 platzieren müssen, doch hier entdecken wir einen weiteren Aspekt: Mindestens zwei seiner Leichtfiguren konkurrieren um dieses Feld, der Läufer und der Damenspringer! Durch den Tausch der weißfeldrigen Läufer erreicht Weiß bessere Stabilität im Zentrum und kann den thematischen Angriff basierend auf h4-h5 vorbereiten, um seinen Einfluss auf den weißen Feldern zu vergrößern.} (15... Bb7 16. Ba6 Nb8 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. h4 Na6 19. Ne4 Nb4 20. a3 (20. h5 $16) 20... Nd5 21. Rd2 $14 c5 $6 22. dxc5 bxc5 23. Nxc5 Qb6 24. Rc1 Rac8 25. Rdc2 Ne7 26. Rc4 Rd5 27. b4 $16 {Bocharov,D (2602)-Dobrov,V (2479)/Moscow 2007/CBM 116 ext (0-1, 79)}) (15... Rb8 {A slightly mysterious move. The ideas behind it will become clear slightly later. Ein leicht mysteriöser Zug. Die Ideen dahinter werden etwas später klar werden.} 16. a3 (16. Ba6 $6 {does not work now so well: funktioniert nicht so gut:} c5 $1 17. d5 Bxa6 18. Qxa6 exd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 {and there is no fork on c7! und es gibt keine Gabel auf c7!}) 16... Bb7 17. Ba2 (17. Ba6 {can be answered with kann bereits mit} Ba8 {already. beantwortet werden.}) 17... Nf8 18. h4 c5 19. d5 exd5 20. Nxd5 (20. Bxd5 $14) 20... Bxd5 21. Bxd5 b5 22. Qe4 Ne6 23. h5 g5 24. g3 $14 {Korotylev,A (2565)-Potkin,V (2540)/Sochi 2004/CBM 101 (½-½, 41)}) 16. Bd3 $146 {For the time being, Kramnik decides to install the bishop on e4. Fürs Erste beschließt Kramnik, den Läufer auf e4 zu installieren.} ({Previously, Zuvor hatte man} 16. Ne4 {had been played. gespielt.} c5 17. dxc5 (17. Nd6 cxd4 18. Qe4 Ra7) 17... bxc5 (17... Nxe5 $5 18. cxb6 Bb7 $44 {[%csl Gb7,Gg7]}) 18. Nd6 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Rxd6 20. Rxd6 Qxd6 21. Nxf7 $1 $16 {Mueller,M-Kaczynski,J/POL-ch35 sf06 corr 1991/Corr Nr. 1 (1-0, 25)}) 16... Bb7 17. Be4 b5 18. h4 {Since there is not much to do in the centre, White starts a typical operation on the kingside, aiming to weaken the light squares in the neighborhood of the enemy king. Da es im Zentrum nicht viel zu tun gibt, startet Weiß eine typische Operation am Königsflügel mit dem Ziel, die weißen Felder in der Umgebung des feindlichen Königs zu schwächen.} (18. Nxb5 Nxe5 $1 $11) 18... Nb6 {[%CAl Yb5b4,Gc3b1]} 19. Bb1 {White clears the e4-square for the knight in view of the threatened ...b4, but also in order to block Black's whole queenside by preventing ...c5. The obvious drawback of the last move is that it releases the pressure along the e4-a8 diagonal. Weiß räumt das Feld e4 für den Springer angesichts des drohenden ...b4, aber auch, um durch die Verhinderung ...c5 den ganzen schwarzen Damenflügel zu blockieren. Der offensichtliche Nachteil des letzten Zuges liegt darin, dass der Druck entlang der Diagonale e4-a8 aufgehoben wird.} (19. Qc2 $5 b4 20. Ne2 Rac8 21. h5 g5 22. Ng3 {seems to maintain the control for a while, although it is not clear how White can improve his position further. scheint die Kontrolle für eine Weile zu behaupten, wenngleich nicht klar ist, wie Weiß seine Stellung weiter verbessern kann.} (22. Nh2 $6 c5 $1)) 19... c5 $5 {A brave decision. If White installs his knight on e4, it might be simply too late for any form of counterplay. Eine tapfere Entscheidung. Wenn Weiß seinen Springer auf e4 installiert, könnte es für jede Form von Gegenspiel einfach zu spät sein.} 20. Nxb5 Ba6 21. h5 $146 {Now and on the next move, Kramnik seems to have been animated by the desire to avoid any kind of complications. In doing so, he also reduced his chances for an advantage. Hier und im nächsten Zug scheint Kramnik von dem Wunsch beseelt gewesen zu sein, jegliche Art von Komplikationen zu vermeiden. Dabei minderte er aber auch seine Chancen auf Vorteil.} (21. Bd3 $5 {was a reasonable attempt to maintain the extra-pawn. war ein vernünftiger Versuch, den Mehrbauern zu behalten.} Nd5 {[%csl Gb5,Gd3][%CAl Yd5f4]} 22. Bc4 $5 (22. g3 Nb4 23. Bc4 Bxb5 24. Bxb5 Nxa2 {is entirely acceptable for Black. ist völlig annehmbar für Schwarz.}) 22... Nb6 23. b3 $1 {and despite Black's pair of bishops, White is not hanging in any way. und trotz des schwarzen Läuferpaars hängt bei Weiß nichts durch.}) ({RR} 21. Bd3 c4 22. Bxc4 Nxc4 23. Qxc4 Qb7 24. a4 Rd5 25. Rd2 Rc8 26. Qe2 Bxb5 27. axb5 Rxb5 28. Ra1 h5 29. Qe3 Bf8 30. Qf4 Be7 31. Re2 Bd8 32. Rc1 Rb8 33. Rcc2 Rb3 34. Red2 Rb4 35. g4 hxg4 {Bocharov,D (2611)-Yagupov,I (2501) Miass 2007 1-0 (57)}) 21... g5 22. Nh2 ({Here, too Auch hier war} 22. Bd3 {was possible. möglich.} c4 $5 (22... Nd5 $6 {is worse now because of ist nun schwächer wegen} 23. Qe4 $1) 23. Bxc4 Nxc4 24. Qxc4 g4 {. This possibility did not exist after 21.?d3. . Diese Möglichkeit gab es nach 21.?d3 nicht.} 25. Nh2 Qg5 {. Black will retrieve one of the sacrificed pawns, but it is not clear whether his pair of bishops would offer entirely adequate compensation for the second one. White has more space, is quite stable and has no real weaknesses. . Schwarz wird einen der geopferten Bauern zurückgewinnen, doch es ist nicht klar, ob sein Läuferpaar gänzlich ausreichende Kompensation für den zweiten bieten würde. Weiß hat mehr Raum, steht recht stabil und hat keine realen Schwächen.}) 22... Rxd4 23. Rxd4 {It looks as if Black has dangerous counterplay in the centre and on the queenside, but the position is anything but drawish. On the other hand, travelling from Europe to Mexico must have been quite tiring and the opponents know each other so well since childhood, so that the abrupt end is not completely illogical. Es sieht aus, als hätte Schwarz gefährliches Gegenspiel im Zentrum und am Damenflügel, doch die Stellung ist alles anderes als remislich. Andererseits war die Reise von Europa nach Mexiko bestimmt sehr ermüdend, und die Gegner kennen sich von klein auf sehr gut, so dass das abrupte Ende doch nicht so unlogisch ist.} (23. Rxd4 cxd4 24. Bd3 (24. Ng4 Qb4 $1 $132 25. Bd3 Nd5 {[%CAl Yd5f4]} 26. g3 Rb8 {[%csl Yb2]}) 24... Nd5 25. Nxd4 (25. Nd6 $5 Bxd3 26. Qxd3 {[%CAl Yh2g4]} Bxe5 27. Rxe5 Qxd6 28. Qxd4 Qb4 $1) 25... Bxd3 (25... Nf4 $2 26. Qe4 $1 {[%csl Ya8,Yh7]}) 26. Qxd3 Qb4 {[%csl Yb2,Ye1]} 27. Qe4 (27. Re2 $2 Nf4 $19) 27... Qxb2 28. Ng4 $13 {White has strong pressure against the enemy kingside, but he cannot build up a dangerous attack yet, because the enemy queen is harrasing him. Maybe the position remains equal. For instance, after Weiß hat starken Druck auf den feindlichen Königsflügel, kann aber noch keinen gefährlichen Angriff inszenieren, da die gegnerische Dame ihn belästigt. Vielleicht bleibt die Stellung gleich. Zum Beispiel kann Weiß nach} Qxa2 {White can sacrifice a knight with einen Springer opfern mit} 29. Nxe6 $1 {when after , worauf er nach} fxe6 {he has several ways of achieving a perpetual. diverse Möglichkeiten hat, ein Dauerschach zuerzielen.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Foros Aerosvit 3rd"] [Site "Foros"] [Date "2008.06.13"] [Round "6"] [White "Shirov, Alexei"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2732"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2008.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 125"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.07.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.07.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 12. Nxf7 $5 {[%mdl 512] Topalov's famous piece sacrifice (see Topalov - Kramnik in CBM 122) has naturally obtained popularity.} Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 ({RR} 13... Rf8 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Be5 Kg8 16. Qc2 Qe7 17. Rae1) 14. Ne4 Qb6 (14... Ke7 $5 15. Nd6 Rb8 {brought Black a victory in the following game but further tests and analyses are definitely needed:} 16. Bg4 c5 17. f4 Ne3 18. fxg5 Nxf1 19. Qxf1 Qf8 20. Qe2 (20. g6 $1) 20... Bd5 21. Rf1 Qg8 22. g6 Kd8 23. dxc5 Kc7 24. Rf7 Kc6 $13 {0-1 Beckhuis,G-Steingrimsson,H/Plovdiv BUL 2008/The Week in Chess 703 (35)}) ({RR} 14... Ke7 15. Nd6 Rb8 16. a4 c5 17. dxc5 Qc7 18. Bg4 Nxc5 19. axb5 Nf4 20. Rxa7 Bxe5 21. Nxc4 Rhd8 22. Qc2 Ncd3 23. Bf3 Kf6 24. Qb3 Bd4 25. Bxf4 gxf4 26. b6 Qc8 27. Rxb7 Rxb7 28. Qb5 Rb8 29. Bc6 {Sieciechowicz,M (2383)-Subelj,J (2543) Katowice POL 2026 0-1 (54)}) 15. Nd6+ Ke7 16. Bg4 h5 $146 (16... Raf8 17. Qc2 Rhg8 (17... Qxd4 $2 18. Qg6 Qxg4 19. Qxg7+ Kd8 20. Nxb7+ Kc8 21. a4 $1 b4 22. Rac1 $36 {1-0 Topalov,V-Kramnik,V/Wijk aan Zee 2008/CBM 122/[Krasenkow] (44)}) ({RR} 17... Rhg8 18. a4 ({RR} 18. Qg6 Nc7) ({RR} 18. Rad1) 18... Ba8 ({RR} 18... Qxd4) 19. Rfe1 Nc7 20. d5 cxd5 21. axb5 a5 22. b3 cxb3 23. Qh7 d4 24. Bh5 Nxb5 25. Nf7 b2 26. Rab1 Nc3) 18. Qg6 $5 $146 (18. a4 $6 Ba8 (18... Qxd4 $5) 19. Rfe1 Nc7 20. d5 cxd5 21. axb5 a5 22. b3 cxb3 23. Qh7 d4 24. Bh5 Nxb5 $19 {0-1 Timman,J-Ljubojevic,L/Wijk aan Zee 2008/CBM 122 (42)}) 18... Nc7 19. Qe4 $5 {[%CAl Yf2f4] a new interesting idea} Ba8 $6 (19... Nd5 $5) (19... Ne8 $5) (19... Kd8 $5) 20. f4 $36 Nf6 $2 (20... c5 21. Qh7 $40) (20... Kd8 $5 21. fxg5 hxg5) 21. exf6+ Bxf6 22. fxg5 Qxd4+ 23. Kh1 Qxe4 24. gxf6+ Rxf6 25. Nxe4 Rxf1+ 26. Rxf1 Rxg4 27. Bd6+ Kd8 28. Rf8+ Kd7 29. Rf7+ Ke8 30. Re7+ Kd8 31. Nf6 $18 {1-0 Kiselev,V-Gundavaa,B/Moscow 2008/CBM 122 Extra (37)}) (16... Rhg8 $5 17. Qc2 Nf8) ({RR} 16... Raf8 17. Qc2 Rhg8 18. Rad1 c5 19. Qg6 Nc7 20. Nxb7 cxd4 21. Qe4 d3 22. Rxd3 cxd3 23. Qb4+ Nc5 24. Nxc5 a5 25. Qa3 Rd8 26. Nb3+ b4 27. Qxa5 Qxa5 28. Nxa5 Rd5 {0-1 (28) Bromberger,S (2510)-Sandipan,C (2585) Zuerich 2009}) ({RR} 16... Raf8 17. Qc2 Qxd4 18. Qg6 Qxg4 19. Qxg7+ Kd8 20. Nxb7+ Kc8 21. a4 b4 22. Rac1 c3 ({RR} 22... Rfg8 23. Qf7 Rf8 24. Nd6+ Kc7 25. Qg6 Rhg8 26. Qb1) 23. bxc3 b3 ({RR} 23... Rfg8) 24. c4 Rfg8 25. Nd6+ Kc7 26. Qf7 Rf8 27. cxd5 ({RR} 27. h3 Rxf7 28. hxg4) 27... Rxf7 28. Rxc6+ Kb8 29. Nxf7 Re8 ({RR} 29... Qe2 30. Rc3 ({RR} 30. Nxh8 Qxf1+ 31. Kxf1 b2) ({RR} 30. Rb1 Qa2) 30... b2 31. Rb3+ Ka8 32. Nxh8 Nc5 33. Rxb2 ({RR} 33. Rb4 a5 34. Rb5 Nxa4) ({RR} 33. Rb5 Nxa4 34. Rxb2 Qxb2 35. dxe6 Qb6 36. e7 Qe6) 33... Qxb2) 30. Nd6 Rh8 31. Rc4 {Topalov,V (2780)-Kramnik,V (2795) Wijk aan Zee 2008 CBM 122 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (45)}) ({RR} 16... Rhg8 17. Qc2 Nf8) 17. Bxh5 Raf8 18. Qg4 Bh6 19. h4 $44 {Of course, this extremely complicated position requires a detailed analysis; I'll only mention some interesting alternatives to the course of the game.} Rhg8 (19... c5 $5 20. hxg5 Bg7 21. g6 Kd8) 20. hxg5 Bxg5 21. Ne4 (21. Bh4 Bxh4 22. Qxh4+ N7f6 {is a satisfactory version for Black to give back the piece.}) (21. Rfe1 $5 {[%CAl Yd6e4] preventing ...?e3}) 21... Ne3 $1 22. Qxg5+ $1 Rxg5 23. Bh4 Kd8 24. fxe3 (24. Bxg5+ Kc7 25. Bxe3 c5 $1 26. dxc5 Qc6 27. f3 Qd5 $132) 24... Rh8 25. Bxg5+ Kc7 26. Bg4 c5 $1 27. dxc5 Nxc5 $1 28. Rf7+ Kb8 29. Nd6 Rg8 $1 30. Raf1 $1 Rxg5 31. Rf8+ Kc7 32. R1f7+ (32. Ne8+ Kc6 33. Bf3+ Ne4 34. Bxe4+ Kc5 35. Nd6 Bxe4 (35... Ba6 $5) 36. Nxe4+ Kc6 37. Nxg5 Qxe3+ 38. R8f2 Qxg5 $13) 32... Nd7 33. Rxd7+ $1 Kxd7 34. Rf7+ Kd8 (34... Kc6 $2 35. Bf3+ Kc5 36. Rxb7 Qa5 37. Ne4+ $16) 35. Rf8+ (35. Nxb7+ $2 Ke8) 35... Kd7 36. Rf7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Poikovsky Karpov 06th"] [Site "Poikovsky"] [Date "2005.03.01"] [Round "4"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Dreev, Alexey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2715"] [BlackElo "2704"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2005.02.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 106"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.06.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.06.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Stohl,Igor} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 ({RR} 5... dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5) 6. Bh4 ({RR} 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6) 6... dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 ({RR} 9... Nbd7 10. d5) 10. h4 g4 ({RR} 10... b4 11. hxg5 bxc3 12. bxc3 Nxe4 13. Be5 Nxc3 ({RR} 13... Rh7 14. Qb1 Qa5 15. Nd2) 14. Qc2 Nxe2 15. Kxe2 c5 16. Bxh8 hxg5) 11. Ne5 h5 ({RR} 11... Rg8 12. O-O ({RR} 12. Nxg4 Nxg4 13. Bxg4 Nd7) 12... Nbd7 13. d5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 15. Bg3 h5 16. Qc2 Qb6 17. a4 a6 18. b3 b4 19. dxe6 fxe6 20. Bxc4 bxc3 21. Bxe6 Rg7 22. Qxc3 Qc5 23. Qb2) 12. f3 (12. O-O {wurde weit häufiger gespielt, aber auch da ist es fraglich, ob Weiß Vorteil erzielen kann.}) ({RR} 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 ({RR} 13. f3 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Rg8 15. fxg4 Nxg4 16. Bxg4 hxg4 17. Qe1 g3 18. Bxg3 Qxd4+ 19. Kh2 b4 20. Rd1 Qg7) 13... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. Bg3 ({RR} 15. Rad1 O-O) 15... Qxd4 16. Rfd1 ({RR} 16. Rad1 Qb6 17. e5 Nd5 18. Ne4 O-O-O 19. Nd6+ Rxd6 20. exd6 f5 21. Kh2 Kd7 22. Rfe1 Bd4) 16... Qb6 17. a4 a6 ({RR} 17... a5 18. Rd6 b4 19. e5 bxc3 20. Rxe6+)) 12... Nbd7 ({RR} 12... gxf3 13. Bxf3 Nbd7 ({RR} 13... Bh6 14. O-O Be3+ 15. Bf2 Bxf2+ 16. Rxf2 Rh7 17. Nxf7 Rxf7 18. Bxh5 b4 19. e5 Nbd7 20. Bxf7+ Kxf7 21. Ne4) ({RR} 13... c5 14. O-O Qxd4+ 15. Qxd4 cxd4 16. Nxb5 Na6 17. Nxc4 Rg8 18. Be5 Nd7 19. Bxd4 Bc6 20. Nxa7) 14. O-O ({RR} 14. Nxf7 Kxf7 15. e5 Qc7 16. O-O Ke8 17. Qc2 Kd8) 14... Rg8 15. Nxf7 ({RR} 15. Bxh5 Rxg3 16. Nxf7 Qb6) 15... Kxf7 16. Bxh5+ Ke7 17. Bf4 Qb6) 13. fxg4 hxg4 (13... Nxe5 {0-1 Ivanov,S-Vitiugov,N/St Petersburg 2005/CBM 106_01/[Lutz] (44) Lutz}) ({RR} 13... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 hxg4 15. Bxg4 Rh6 ({RR} 15... Rg8 16. Bh5 Nxh5 17. Qxh5 Rxg2 18. Rf1 Qd7 19. O-O-O) 16. Qf3 ({RR} 16. h5 Qa5 17. O-O Nd7 18. Bf4 Rh7 19. e5 Qb6 20. Ne4 Be7 21. a4 a5 22. Kh1 c5 23. dxc5 Nxc5 24. Nxc5 Qxc5 25. Qc2 Rg7 26. Bf3 Bxf3 27. Rxf3 Rg4 28. g3 Qd5 29. Raf1 O-O-O) 16... b4 17. Na4 c5 18. Rf1 Bxe4 19. Qf4) 14. O-O Nxe5 ({RR} 14... Bh6 15. Nxf7 Kxf7 16. e5 Be3+ 17. Kh2 Bg5 ({RR} 17... Ke8 18. exf6 Nxf6 19. Bxg4 Qe7 20. Qf3 Rh6 21. Rae1 c5 22. d5 Bg5 23. Rxe6 Nxg4+ 24. Qxg4 Rxe6 25. dxe6 Bh6 26. Rf7) 18. Ne4 Bxh4 19. Bxh4 Rxh4+ 20. Kg3 Rh6 21. Qd2 Rg6 22. exf6 Qc7+ 23. Qf4) 15. Bxe5 Nd7 $1 {Dieses Qualitätsopfer wurde von Dreev bereits in dessen Partie gegen Kasparov bei der russischen Meisterschaft 2004 gespielt. Damals hatte Dreev jedoch seine Hausanalyse vergessen und konnte seine fantastische Idee nicht konsequent zu Ende führen. Diesmal jedoch kann sich Dreev wieder an seine Analyse erinnern.} ({RR} 15... Be7 16. Qd2 Rxh4 17. Qf4 Nh7 18. Qxf7+ Kd7 19. Bg3 Rh6 20. Bf4 Rh4 21. g3 Rh3 22. d5 cxd5 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. exd5 Qb6+ 25. Kg2 Nf6 26. Qxe6+ Qxe6 27. dxe6+) ({RR} 15... Rh6 16. Bxg4 ({RR} 16. Bf4 Rg6 17. Bg5 ({RR} 17. e5) 17... Be7 18. e5 Nd5 19. Ne4 Rxg5 ({RR} 19... Bxg5 20. hxg5 Ne3 21. Qd2 Nxf1 22. Rxf1) 20. Nxg5 Bxg5 21. hxg5 Ne3 22. Qd2 Nxf1 23. Rxf1 c5) 16... Nxg4 17. Qxg4 Qxh4 18. Qg8 Qh5 19. Bg7 O-O-O 20. Bxh6 Bxh6 21. Qg3 b4) 16. Bxh8 Qxh4 {Mit der Drohung ...g3.} 17. Bxg4 Qxh8 18. e5 (18. Bh5 $6 {Stohl} O-O-O {×d4} 19. Bxf7 (19. Rxf7 Ne5 $36) ({RR} 19. Rxf7 Ne5) 19... e5 $1 $15) (18. Rf2 {Stohl} Bg7 (18... O-O-O 19. Rxf7 Ne5 20. Bxe6+ Kb8 21. Rxf8 Qxf8 $13) ({RR} 18... O-O-O 19. Rxf7 Ne5 20. Bxe6+ Kb8 21. Rxf8 Qxf8) 19. e5 O-O-O $44) ({RR} 18. Bh5 O-O-O 19. Bxf7 e5) ({RR} 18. Rf2 Bg7 19. e5 O-O-O) 18... O-O-O $1 $146 {Das ist die Verbesserung. Durch die Drohungen ...?xe5 und ...c6-c5 wird das weiße Bauernzentrum bald auseinanderbrechen. Wichtig ist, dass der ?f8 immer auf der Diagonalen a7-g1 aufzutauchen droht.} (18... Nxe5 $2 {geschah in der Stammpartie von 15...Sd7!. Dieser Zug erwies sich jedoch nicht als ausreichend.} 19. dxe5 Bc5+ 20. Rf2 Qxe5 (20... Bxf2+ {Stohl} 21. Kxf2 Qxe5 22. Qe2 $16 ({RR} 22. Bf3)) ({RR} 20... Bxf2+ 21. Kxf2 Qxe5 22. Qe2) 21. Qe2 Qxe2 22. Bxe2 Rd8 23. Kf1 Bxf2 24. Kxf2 Ke7 25. Ke3 $16 {1-0 Kasparov,G-Dreev,A/Moscow 2004/CBM 104/[Stohl] (59)}) ({RR} 18... Nxe5 19. dxe5 Bc5+ 20. Rf2 Qxe5 21. Qe2 Qxe2 22. Bxe2 Rd8 23. Kf1 Bxf2 24. Kxf2 Ke7 25. Ke3 a6 26. Rd1 ({RR} 26. Ne4 Rd5 27. Rd1 Re5) 26... Rxd1 27. Bxd1 f5 28. g4 fxg4 29. Bxg4 Kd6 ({RR} 29... c5 30. Ne4 Bxe4 31. Kxe4 Kd6 32. Bh5) 30. Ne4+ Kd5 31. Bf3 Bc8 32. Bh5 a5 33. Bf3 {Kasparov,G (2813)-Dreev,A (2698) Moscow 2004 CBM 104 [Stohl,Igor] 1-0 (59)}) 19. Qe2 (19. Rxf7 Nxe5 20. Bxe6+ Kb8 21. Rf5 Nd3 22. Qg4 Bh6 {ist nur für Weiß gefährlich.}) 19... c5 $1 20. d5 $146 (20. Nxb5 {Stohl} a6 $1 $44 21. Rxf7 (21. Nd6+ Bxd6 22. exd6 Qxd4+ 23. Rf2 Ne5 24. Bh5 Nd3 25. Bxf7 Rxd6 $17) 21... axb5 22. Bxe6 cxd4 23. Bxd7+ Rxd7 24. Qg4 Bc6 25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. e6 d3 $1 27. exd7+ Kd8 28. Qg5+ (28. Qf5 Qd4+ 29. Kh1 Qh4+ 30. Qh3 $2 Qxh3+ 31. gxh3 Bg7 32. Rb1 Bxb2 $1 $19) 28... Be7 29. Qxb5 Qd4+ 30. Kh1 $11 (30. Kf1 $2 Bc5 31. Qb8+ Kxd7 $19) ({RR} 30. Kf1 Bc5 31. Qb8+ Kxd7)) ({RR} 20. Nxb5 a6 21. Rxf7 axb5 22. Bxe6 cxd4 23. Bxd7+ Rxd7 24. Qg4 Bc6 25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. e6 d3 27. exd7+ Kd8 28. Qg5+ Be7 29. Qd5 Qxb2 30. Re1 Qb4 31. Qa8+ Kxd7 32. Qb7+ Kd8 33. Qb8+ Kd7 34. Qb7+ Kd8 {Ivanov,S (2537)-Shimanov,A (2549) Stockholm 2012 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 20. Nxb5 a6 21. Rxf7 axb5 22. Bxe6 cxd4 23. Bxd7+ Rxd7 24. Qg4 Bc6 25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. e6 d3 27. exd7+ Kd8 28. Qg5+ Be7 29. Qxb5 Qd4+ 30. Kh1) ({RR} 20. Nxb5 a6 21. Rxf7 axb5 22. Bxe6 cxd4 23. Bxd7+ Rxd7 24. Qg4 Bc6 25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. e6 d3 27. exd7+ Kd8 28. Qg5+ Be7 29. Qxb5 Qd4+ 30. Kh1 Qh4+ {½-½ (30) Zhadanov,N (2231)-Erzhanov,A (2376) Moscow 2011}) 20... Nxe5 21. dxe6 Nxg4 22. Qxg4 Qd4+ 23. Qxd4 cxd4 24. Nxb5 fxe6 {Schwarz hat für die Qualität einen Bauern und das Läuferpaar. Bacrot entscheidet sich sinnvollerweise in den nächsten Zügen dafür, auf das Remis zuzusteuern.} 25. Rac1 (25. Nxa7+ Kb8 26. Nb5 Bc5 27. Kf2 Rg8 $40) 25... Bh6 26. Rxc4+ Kb8 27. Re1 (27. Rf6 Be3+ 28. Kf1 d3 {? ...?h8, ? ...d2} 29. Rxe6 Bd5 $17) 27... Be3+ 28. Rxe3 dxe3 29. Rd4 Rf8 (29... Rg8 30. Kf1 a6 31. Nc3 Rxg2 32. Rd6 {fürt zu ähnlichen Stellungen wie in der Partie.}) 30. Rd1 a6 31. Nc3 Rf2 32. Rd6 {So kann Weiß knapp das Gleichgewicht halten.} e5 (32... Rxg2+ 33. Kf1 Bd5 34. Nxd5 Rf2+ 35. Ke1 exd5 36. Rxd5 Rxb2 37. Re5 $11) 33. Re6 Rf5 34. Rg6 Rf2 35. Rg5 Rxb2 36. Rxe5 Rxg2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade Investbank"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "1997.11.12"] [Round "2"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2765"] [Annotator "Anand,Viswanathan"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "1997.11.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 062"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.01.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.01.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] {The previous day, I had lost to Lautier in a game that, as Kramnik once said about one of his own games, "If I publish a book about my best games, this game will not be in it!" Coincidentally, I found myself playing the same Kramnik with Black the next day!} 1. Nf3 {Lutz} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 c6 {The Semi-Slav, which used to be Kramnik's mainstay for many years. This year he seems to have lost interest in it, - he has played everything under the sun, from the QGD to the KID - but I was still feeling nervous about playing it against him!} 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {The most dangerous continuation against the Moscow variation. 6.?xf6 has lost some of it's sting - Black has done quite well recently here. Vlad plays the Moscow variation himself as Black, so this didn't come as a surprise.} dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. e5 $1 (10. O-O Nbd7 {Is more common.}) 10... Nh5 {Maybe Black will have to look at 10...?d5 in the future.} (10... Nd5 $5 {Lutz}) 11. a4 $1 {An excellent move - White's idea is to force Black to play a6 and thereby deprive him of the ?a6-c7 manoeuvre. Lutz: Eine starke Neuerung, die mit einem überraschenden Opfer verbunden ist. In der Folge stütze ich mich auf die Kommentare von V.Anand in "Schach" 1/98 und NIC 8/97 sowie auf die Kommentare von Oscar de la Riva in "Jaque" Nr. 463} (11. Nxg5 Nxg3 12. Nxf7 Kxf7 13. fxg3 Kg8 14. O-O Na6 $1 {? ?c7}) (11. O-O {Lutz 1-0 Piket,J-Dreev,A/Groningen 1991/CBM 27/[Ftacnik] (25)}) (11. Ne4 {Lutz} Bb4+ 12. Kf1 Nd7 (12... Qd5 $5 {De la Riva}) 13. Nfxg5 Ng7 14. Nh3 Nf5 15. Bg4 Nxg3+ 16. hxg3 $16 {1-0 Relange,E-Buturin,V/Ubeda op 1997/EXP 56 (34)}) 11... a6 {By now, I had guessed his idea, but couldn't completely believe it and anyway I didn't see anything better than a6, so I took a deep breath!} 12. Nxg5 $1 Nxg3 13. Nxf7 Kxf7 14. fxg3 {Lutz: Weiß hat nur einen Bauern für die Figur, aber der König des Schwarzen ist exponiert, außerdem liegt er weit in der Entwicklung zurück.} Kg8 $1 (14... Ke8 {I don't think Black can hope to escape to the queen side and this was a sample variation I saw during the game. Once again, observe how the absence of ?b8-a6-c7 changes the evaluation of the position!} 15. O-O Kd7 16. Rf7+ Be7 17. Bg4 Kc7 18. Bxe6 Rf8 19. Rg7 Kb6 20. d5 $16) (14... Nd7 $2 {Wrong order!} 15. Bh5+ $1 Ke7 (15... Kg7 16. O-O $1) (15... Kg8 $4 16. Qg4+ Qg5 17. Qxe6+ $18) 16. O-O Nxe5 17. dxe5 Qxd1 18. Raxd1 Rh7 19. Ne4 $18) 15. O-O Nd7 {Basically Black wants to play 16...?e7 against 16.?g4 and meet 16.?h5 with 16...?h7, so 15...?d7 seems like the best thing to do!} (15... c5 $5 {Lutz: wird von De la Riva vorgeschlagen. Die schwarze Stellung ist zu unterentwickelt, als daß dieser Zug funktionieren könnte :} 16. Qc2 Bg7 17. Qg6 {Lutz: und Schwarz wird nicht lang überleben.}) 16. Bg4 (16. Bh5 Rh7 17. Qg4+ Qg5) (16. Bxc4 {Lutz} bxc4 17. Qg4+ Bg7 18. Qxe6+ Kh7 19. Qf5+ {führt zum Dauerschach. (De la Riva)}) 16... Qe7 17. Ne4 {Here I was struck by the fact that White has only a pawn for a piece and still has the better position! The problem for Black is that his bishops are awful. I dreamt for a second about how nice a ? on d5 would look, but had to return to the position on hand! Lutz: Das Hauptproblem der schwarzen Stellung sind seine passiven Läufer.} (17. Qc2 {Lutz} Rh7 $5 18. Qg6+ Kh8 19. Bxe6 Qg5 {Lutz: und Schwarz verteidigt sich. (De la Riva)}) 17... Rh7 {Lutz: Wie Anand analysiert, funktioniert 17...c5 nicht :} (17... c5 {The move I spent a long time on, but in the end I decided that Black had to grovel a bit longer.} 18. Nd6 Bd5 (18... cxd4 19. Rf7 $1 {Kramnik (Kramnik)} (19. Nxb7 Nxe5 $1 $13) 19... Qxf7 20. Nxf7 Kxf7 21. Bf3 $1 Bd5 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Qf3+ Ke6 24. Rf1 $18) 19. Bf3 $1 (19. Rf7 Qd8 $1 (19... Qg5 20. Rxd7 $18) 20. Qc2 Qg5 21. Rxd7 (21. Raf1 Bxd6 22. exd6 Qxg4 23. R1f4 Qg5 24. Rxd7 cxd4) (21. Bf3 Bxd6 (21... Nxe5 22. dxe5 Bxd6 23. Rf4) 22. Rxd7 Bxf3 23. gxf3 Bf8) 21... Qxg4) 19... cxd4 (19... Bg7 20. Nf5 $1 $16 {So that Black can't play ?e6} (20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Nf5 Qe6 22. Qg4 Rh7) (20. Nf5 $1 {Lutz} Qe8 21. Bh5 Qd8 22. Nxg7 Kxg7 23. Qg4+)) 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Qg4+ Bg7 $8 22. Rf7 $40 {White regains his piece with a raging attack to boot.}) 18. Nd6 Rb8 {Vlad now sank into thought for a long time - I imagined that he was trying to decide which of several promising continuations to go for. As it turned out, he had spent a long time on many lines, and didn't find anything convincing. Then he saw a move which discourages Black's "only" resource - c6-c5 and decided to go for it.} 19. b4 $146 {What on earth is this move? I hadn't even considered it. After the surprise faded, I realized that White was going to squash Black if I didn't do something about it. Incidentally, it is difficult to imagine that this pawn move is going to be the cause of White's defeat!! Lutz: Die kritische Stellung der Partie ist erreicht. Mit dem Textzug möchte Kramnik ...c5 verhindern. Schwarz kann diesen Zug aber unter Bauernopfer durchsetzen.} (19. axb5 cxb5 20. Nxb7 Rxb7 21. Rxa6 Rb6 22. Rxb6 (22. Ra8 Rb8 23. Ra7 $44) 22... Nxb6 23. Rf6 $16 {Kramnik, Kasparov} Kh8 (23... Qd8 24. Bxe6+ Kh8 25. Qg4 Bg7 (25... Be7 26. Rg6 Bg5 27. Rg8+ Qxg8 28. Bxg8 Kxg8 29. h4 $18) 26. Rf7 $18) 24. Bxe6 $1 Bg7 25. Rg6 $16) (19. Qc2 $5 {Lutz Lutz: ist weniger überzeugend.} Rg7 20. Bh5 Qg5 (20... c5 21. Nf7 $5) 21. Bf7+ Kh8) ({RR} 19. axb5 cxb5 20. Nxb7 Rxb7 21. Rxa6 Rb6 22. Rxb6 Nxb6 23. Rf6 Qd8 24. Bxe6+ Kh8 25. Qf3 Bg7 26. Rf4 h5 27. h4 Bh6 28. Rf5 Qxd4+ 29. Kh2 Qd8 30. Rxh5 Nd7 31. Qd1 Qe8 32. Bxd7 Rxd7 33. Rxh6+ Kg7 {Ward,C (2480)-Grabliauskas,V (2465) Copenhagen 1998 1-0 (34)}) 19... h5 $1 {If White plays ?h5, Black hardly has a move left. Befreit den ?f8.} 20. Bh3 (20. Bxh5 Qg5 {After ?xd6, Black can hardly be worse.}) (20. Bf3 h4 21. g4 Bh6 $15) 20... Bh6 $1 21. Kh1 {Lutz: Dieser prophylaktische Zug nimmt ...?e3+ aus der Stellung, somit ist der ?h5 bedroht.} Bg5 {Taking some vital squares from the White ?f1. He can't play ?f4 or ?f6 anymore, so Black can play ?f8 eventually. What a relief it is to get one bishop out. Now, if my other bishop could only get out...!} 22. Qc2 {Here I saw that he wanted to "triangulate" his queen to e4. I then saw a variation which led to White playing 26.?xg5; I didn't see a defence and was about to play 22...?f8 when a crazy idea occured to me - was it actually possible to ignore a knight poised on g5 after capturing a piece of mine?? I spent some time checking this and decided to go for it.} (22. Ra3 c5 $1 23. bxc5 (23. Nxb7 {Lutz} cxb4) 23... Bd5) 22... Rg7 {We both the next few moves quickly.} (22... Nf8 {A distressing alternative. Black wants to change a pair of rooks and this doesn't help any.} 23. Ra3 $1 $44 {? ?af3}) 23. Qe2 Ba8 $1 {Lutz: Mit einer überraschenden Idee verbunden.} (23... Rh7 $2 24. Qe4 $1 $16 (24. Qe4 {Lutz "mit klarem weißen Vorteil" gemäß Anand. Nach} Nf8 {ist mir die Sache aber nicht so klar, da Schwarz im nächsten Zug ...c5 spielen will, z.B.} 25. Ra3 c5 26. Nxb7 Qxb7 27. Bxe6+ Nxe6 28. Qg6+ Kh8 29. Qxe6 cxd4 $17 {Lutz: Allerdings ist Anands Textzug stärker.})) 24. Qxh5 Rf8 25. Ne4 (25. axb5 cxb5 $1 {? ?d5}) 25... c5 $1 26. Nxg5 Bd5 $3 {Finally the bishop gets out. Unbelievably, Black is already better. Vlad was short of time and instead of taking his last chance (27.?xe6) decided to try something else. Lutz: Schwarz gibt die Figur zurück und steht besser ! Dagegen wäre 26...?xg5 schlecht gewesen.} (26... Rxg5 27. Bxe6+ Kg7 28. Qh4 {I couldn't find a way out and this was confirmed afterwards - White is winning.} cxd4 29. Bxd7 Rxf1+ 30. Rxf1 Rxe5 31. Qxd4 $18) 27. Nf3 $2 (27. Bxe6+ $1 Bxe6 28. Rxf8+ Nxf8 29. Ne4 Rh7 30. Qd1 (30. Qe2 cxd4 $17) 30... Rxh2+ $1 31. Kxh2 Qh7+ 32. Kg1 Qxe4 $17) (27. Rxf8+ $6 Nxf8 28. Bxe6+ Nxe6) 27... cxb4 {Capturing the pawn which advanced so audaciously on move 19. White is already lost - the bishop on h3 is dead and the queenside passers will decide the issue.} 28. axb5 axb5 29. Nh4 Qg5 $1 {In his hurry, Vlad had overlooked this and now it's over. Lutz: Die schwarzen Bauern am Damenflügel entscheiden. Ironischerweise ist es nun der weiße Läufer, der nicht mitspielt.} 30. Rxf8+ Nxf8 31. Qe8 Rf7 {Stopping ?f1} 32. Nf3 Qg6 $1 (32... Qe3 $2 33. Bg4 $1) 33. Qxb5 b3 34. Rf1 Qd3 35. Kg1 Qe3+ 36. Kh1 c3 $1 (36... Rb7 $4 {I considered this, but smelt a rat and decided to stick with 36...c3.} 37. Bxe6+ $1 $18) 37. Bxe6 $1 {I thanked my intuition for choosing 36...c3 over 36...?b7 and continued...} Bxe6 38. d5 Rxf3 $1 39. gxf3 {Seven passed pawns! Lutz: Wie Anand hervorhob, befinden sich 7 Freibauern auf dem Brett !} (39. Rxf3 c2 $19 40. Qf1 Qxf3 41. gxf3 b2) 39... Bh3 40. Qc4 Bxf1 {Either pawn move wins, but why try something pretty on move 40?} 41. Qg4+ Kh7 42. e6 Ng6 0-1 [Event "87th Tata Steel Masters 2025"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2025.01.25"] [Round "7.6"] [White "Fedoseev, Vladimir"] [Black "Keymer, Vincent"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2717"] [BlackElo "2733"] [Annotator "Chessbase - Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [EventCountry "NED"] [TimeControl "60"] {[%evp 14,101,27,21,8,-20,-22,-22,-8,-10,-8,-7,-16,-14,-12,-8,-10,-34,-15,-14,20,19,30,9,23,16,49,50,57,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,76,72,162,158,177,174,177,179,174,89,90,81,83,83,93,78,73,47,115,103,303,171,170,183,177,169,154,68,91,82,171,192,225,226,234,227,212,220,218,176,315,243,294,303,300,297,295,286,1377,1102,29987,29988,29993,29994]} 1. d4 {[%eval 17,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%eval 19,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 2. c4 {[%eval 18,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%eval 11,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Nf3 {[%eval 12,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%eval 17,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 4. Nc3 {[%eval 1,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} c6 {[%eval 19,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 5. Bg5 {[%eval 14,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} h6 {[%eval 14,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 6. Bxf6 {[%eval 8,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} Qxf6 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 7. e3 {[%eval 6,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} Nd7 {[%eval 25,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 8. Be2 $1 {[%eval 24,0] [%emt 0:00:00][%mdl 4] is more profitable than 8.Bd3 at the moment.} Qe7 {[%eval 35,0] [%emt 0:00:00] D43: Semi-Slav: 5 Bg5 h6.} (8... Qd8 9. O-O Be7 10. Qc2 O-O 11. a3 b6 12. Rfd1 Bb7 13. Rac1 Qb8 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Qa4 Nf6 16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Qc8 18. Qxc8 Rfxc8 19. Ne5 Bd6 20. Nd3 Ne8 21. Kf1 Kf8 22. Ke2 Ke7 23. h3 {Kramnik,V (2801)-Aronian,L (2820) Zuerich 2012 ½-½ (43)}) (8... Bb4 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 Bxc3 11. Qxc3 dxc4 12. Rfd1 c5 13. Bxc4 a6 14. Qa3 b6 15. Bb5 Rd8 16. Bc6 Ra7 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Qb4 Nd7 19. Qd6 Rf8 20. Rd2 Nc5 21. Rad1 Qe7 22. b4 Qxd6 23. Rxd6 {Dubov,D (2683)-Yu,Y (2726) Wijk aan Zee 2020 1-0 (31)}) ({RR} 8... Qd8 9. O-O Be7 10. Qc2 O-O 11. a3 b6 12. Rfd1 Bb7 13. Rac1 Qb8 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Qa4 Nf6 16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Qc8 18. Qxc8 Rfxc8 19. Ne5 Bd6 20. Nd3 Ne8 21. Kf1 Kf8 22. Ke2 Ke7 23. h3 {Kramnik,V (2801)-Aronian,L (2820) Zuerich 2012 ½-½ (43)}) ({RR} 8... Bb4 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 Bxc3 11. Qxc3 dxc4 12. Rfd1 c5 13. Bxc4 a6 14. Qa3 b6 15. Bb5 Rd8 16. Bc6 Ra7 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Qb4 Nd7 19. Qd6 Rf8 20. Rd2 Nc5 21. Rad1 Qe7 22. b4 Qxd6 23. Rxd6 {Dubov,D (2683)-Yu,Y (2726) Wijk aan Zee 2020 1-0 (31)}) 9. c5 $146 {[%eval 18,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} (9. O-O g6 10. c5 Bg7 11. e4 O-O 12. Rc1 a5 13. Re1 b6 14. exd5 exd5 15. Bf1 Qd8 16. cxb6 Nxb6 {½-½ Grau Ribas,J (1927)-Van Hattum,L EU-ch SC-OR/496 email 2022}) (9. a3 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. e4 dxc4 12. e5 O-O 13. Bxc4 c5 14. Re1 cxd4 15. Qxd4 Nb6 16. Ba2 Bd7 17. Qf4 Bc6 18. Nd4 Rac8 19. Rad1 Rfd8 20. Qg3 {½-½ (20) Jagdhuber,R (1912)-Leckner,H (1870) Bayern 2012}) ({RR} 9. a3 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. e4 dxc4 12. e5 O-O 13. Bxc4 c5 14. Re1 cxd4 15. Qxd4 Nb6 16. Ba2 Bd7 17. Qf4 Bc6 18. Nd4 Rac8 19. Rad1 Rfd8 20. Qg3 {½-½ (20) Jagdhuber,R (1912)-Leckner,H (1870) Bayern 2012}) 9... g5 {[%eval 19,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 10. b4 {[%eval 35,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} Bg7 {[%eval 38,0] [%emt 0:00:00] The position is equal.} 11. Rc1 {[%eval 44,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} O-O {[%eval 27,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 12. b5 {[%eval 36,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} g4 {[%eval 41,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 13. Nd2 {[%eval 38,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%eval 35,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 14. Nb3 {[%eval 36,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} exd4 {[%eval 31,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} 15. Nxd4 {[%eval 25,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} Ne5 {[%eval 34,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} (15... Qxc5 $6 16. Bxg4 Bxd4 17. exd4 Qe7+ 18. Ne2 $14) 16. O-O {[%eval 5,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} Qxc5 {[%eval 0,0]} 17. bxc6 {[%eval 1,0] White sacrificed a pawn} bxc6 {[%eval 0,0] [#]} 18. Ncb5 $1 {[%eval 0,0] Inhibits Qd6.} Qb6 {[%eval 7,0]} 19. Nd6 {[%eval 11,0][%mdl 1024] White has compensation.} Bd7 {[%eval 4,0]} 20. N4f5 {[%eval 41,0] A dynamic duo of knights.} h5 {[%eval 69,0]} 21. f3 {[%eval 39,0]} (21. Kh1 $14) 21... Rfb8 $1 {[%eval 5,0]} 22. Kh1 {[%eval 0,0]} Bf8 {[%eval 0,0]} (22... Bxf5 23. Nxf5 Re8 24. fxg4 $16) 23. f4 {[%eval 0,0]} Ng6 {[%eval 15,0] ...Bxd6 would now be deadly.} 24. e4 $1 {[%eval 42,0]} Qb4 {[%eval 86,0]} (24... Bxd6 25. Nxd6 Qb2) 25. e5 $1 $16 {[%eval 115,0]} Qa3 {[%eval 166,0]} (25... Qb2 $16 {is a better defense.}) 26. Ng3 $1 $18 {[%eval 155,0]} Bxd6 {[%eval 169,0]} (26... Qxa2 $2 27. Nxh5 Bxd6 28. Nf6+ (28. exd6 Qb2 $18) 28... Kh8 29. Nxd7 $18 (29. exd6 Bf5 $18)) 27. exd6 {[%eval 175,0]} Qxd6 {[%eval 145,0]} 28. Nxh5 {[%eval 154,0]} Rb4 {[%eval 155,0]} 29. Bxg4 {[%eval 141,0]} (29. Qd2 $1 $18) 29... f5 $16 {[%eval 137,0]} 30. Bf3 {[%eval 134,0]} Rf8 {[%eval 135,0][%CAl Yd7e8]} 31. a3 {[%eval 133,0]} Rb7 {[%eval 138,0]} 32. Re1 {[%eval 100,0][%CAl Yf1e1,Ye1e3,Ye3g3,Yg3g5][%mdl 32] Wards off Be8} Rf7 {[%eval 85,0]} (32... Nxf4 $2 33. Nxf4 Qxf4 34. Bxd5+ Kg7 35. Bc4 $18 (35. Bxc6 Rh8 $18)) 33. Qd4 {[%eval 83,0] Prevents Nxf4.} Nf8 $6 {[%eval 166,0] Inaccuracy. Rb3 was best.} (33... Rb3 34. Rb1 Rxb1 35. Rxb1 Be8 36. h3 Nh4 37. Rg1 Kh7 38. Qf2 Ng6 39. Re1) 34. Re3 {[%eval 159,0] White is much more active.} Nh7 $2 {[%eval 187,0]} (34... Rb5 $16 35. h3 (35. Qxa7 Ne6 $16) 35... Rb8) 35. Be2 {[%eval 198,0]} (35. Bxd5 cxd5 36. Rg3+ Kf8 37. Qh8+ Ke7 38. Re1+ Be6 39. Rg7 (39. Ng7 Nf8 $18)) 35... Nf6 $18 {[%eval 216,0]} 36. Rg3+ $1 {[%eval 224,0] White attacks} Kh7 {[%eval 219,0] [#]} 37. Rg5 $1 {[%eval 215,0]} c5 {[%eval 201,0][%CAl Yc6c5,Yc5c4][%mdl 32] [#]} 38. Nxf6+ $6 {[%eval 111,0] Inaccuracy. Qf2 was best.} (38. Qxc5 $2 Qxc5 39. Nxf6+ Rxf6 $19) (38. Qf2 Ne4 39. Qh4 Qh6 40. h3 d4 41. Bc4 Be8 42. Bd3 Rbc7 43. Rb1 Rf8) 38... Rxf6 $14 {[%eval 121,0][%CAl Yf7f6,Yf6h6,Yh6h7][%mdl 32]} 39. Qe3 {[%eval 103,0][%CAl Ye2d3]} (39. Qxc5 $2 Qxc5 40. Rg1 Rh6 $19 (40... Qxa3 $2 41. Bf3 $19)) 39... Rb8 $6 {[%eval 232,0] Inaccuracy. Rg6 was best.} (39... Rg6 40. Rxg6 Kxg6 41. h3 c4 42. Qd4 Qe6 43. Re1 Kh7 44. Qf2 Qf6 45. Bf3) 40. Bd3 $18 {[%eval 265,0]} (40. Rxc5 Qe6 41. Qg1 Qxe2 $17) (40. Qxc5 $2 {too greedy.} Qxc5 41. Rh5+ Rh6 42. Rxh6+ Kxh6 $19) 40... c4 {[%eval 266,0]} 41. Qh3+ {[%eval 229,0]} Rh6 {[%eval 278,0]} 42. Bxf5+ {[%eval 271,0]} Bxf5 {[%eval 257,0]} 43. Qxf5+ {[%eval 204,0]} Kh8 {[%eval 202,0]} 44. h3 {[%eval 205,0]} (44. Qxd5 Qxf4 45. Qe5+ (45. Qxc4 $2 Qxh2#) 45... Qxe5 46. Rxe5 Rc6) 44... Rd8 {[%eval 313,0]} (44... Qe6 45. Qxe6 (45. Qxd5 Rxh3+ 46. gxh3 Qxh3+ 47. Kg1 Qe3+ 48. Kh1 Qh3+ 49. Kg1 Qe3+ 50. Kh1 Qh3+) 45... Rxe6 46. Rh5+ (46. Rxd5 Rc6 $18) 46... Kg7 47. Rxd5 Rc6 48. Rg5+ Kf7) 45. Rd1 $40 {[%eval 307,0][%mdl 128] White attacks with force.} d4 {[%eval 355,0]} 46. Qf7 {[%eval 356,0][%csl Ya7,Yc4]} Rh7 {[%eval 396,0] Repels Qg7+} 47. Qxc4 {[%eval 357,0]} Qxf4 {[%eval 391,0]} 48. Qc5 {[%eval 351,0]} Qe4 $6 {[%eval 476,0] Inaccuracy. Qd6 was best. [#]} (48... Rh6 49. Rd3 Re8 (49... Qf1+ $2 50. Kh2 $18) 50. Qxd4+ Qxd4 51. Rxd4 Re7) (48... Qd6 49. Qf5) 49. Rd3 $1 {[%eval 466,0][%mdl 512] Black must now prevent Rdg3.} a6 $6 {[%eval 641,0] Inaccuracy. Qe7 was best.} (49... Qe1+ 50. Kh2) (49... Qe7 50. Rxd4 Re8 51. Qxe7 Rhxe7 52. Rh4+ Rh7 53. Rxh7+ Kxh7 54. Ra5 Kg6 55. Rxa7) 50. Rdg3 {[%eval 507,0]} Qf4 $4 {[%eval 32754,0] Checkmate is now unavoidable. Qb1+ was best.} (50... Qb1+ 51. Kh2 Qb8 52. Qf5 Qd6 53. Rh5 Qxg3+ 54. Kxg3 Rg8+ 55. Kf4 Rxh5 56. Qxh5+) 51. Rf3 {[%eval 32756,0] Weighted Error Value: White=0.14 (very precise) /Black=0.51 Loses game: --- Black=1 Mistake: White=4 Black=6 Inaccurate: White=2 Black=3 OK: White=16 Black=15 Best: White=2 Black=5 Strong: White=4 Black=1 Brilliant: White=2 --- Precisão Stockfish 17: Brancas 97% Pretas 92% Precisão Chess.com: Branas 93.8% Pretas 85.1%} 1-0 [Event "Morelia/Linares 25th"] [Site "Morelia/Linares"] [Date "2008.02.17"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2799"] [Annotator "Anand,Viswanathan"] [PlyCount "118"] [EventDate "2008.02.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 123"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.04.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.04.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Ne5 h5 ({RR} 9... Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Nxg4 Nxg4 12. Qxg4 Qxd4 13. Rd1 Qf6 14. a4 h5 15. Qg5 Qxg5 16. hxg5 a6 17. Be5 Rg8 18. Rxh5 Nd7 19. Bf4 b4 20. Nb1 c5 21. f3 Bg7 22. Rh7 Bd4 23. Bxc4 Nf8 24. Rh5 {Aronian,L (2786)-Leko,P (2752) Moscow 2009 1-0 (43)}) ({RR} 9... Bb7 10. Be2 Nbd7 11. O-O Bg7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bd6 Bf8 14. Bxf8 Kxf8 15. f4 Kg7 16. e5 Qb6 17. Bh5 c5 18. d5 exd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 20. Ne3 Rad8 21. Bg4 Qc6 22. Bf3 Qb6 23. Nf5+ Kf8 24. Bxb7 {Elsness,F (2425)-Grotnes,N (2149) Stavanger NOR 2024 1-0}) ({RR} 9... Bg7 10. h4 Nfd7 11. hxg5 hxg5 12. Rxh8+ Bxh8 13. Qh5 Bxe5 14. Bxe5 Nxe5 15. Qh8+ Kd7 16. Qxe5 Bb7 17. O-O-O Kc8 18. Qg7 Qe7 19. e5 Nd7 20. Ne4 Kc7 21. Nd6 Rf8 22. Be2 a6 23. Bf3 Ba8 24. Qh7 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2683)-Anand,V (2792) Mainz 2007 ½-½ (62)}) 10. f3 {A relatively rare move. Ein relative seltener Zug.} h4 11. Bf2 Bb7 12. Be2 $146 ({RR} 12. Be3 Nfd7 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 14. Qd2 Be7 15. Be2 Rg8 16. g3 Qc7 17. Bf2 a6 18. Rg1 O-O-O 19. O-O-O c5 20. gxh4 cxd4 21. Bxd4 Nc5 22. Qc2 gxh4 23. e5 {0-1 (23) Manninen,M (2420)-Hansen,L (2530) Ostersund 1992}) ({RR} 12. a4 a6 13. Be3 Nh5 14. Qd2 Rg8 15. Be2 f6 16. f4 Ng7 17. Ng4 b4 18. Nd1 gxf4 19. Bxf4 c5 20. d5 exd5 21. exd5 Nf5 22. O-O Bxd5 23. Qxd5 Qxd5 24. Nxf6+ Kd8 25. Nxd5 h3 26. Bc7+ {1-0 (26) Delemarre,J-Moran Reyes,J Bratislava 1993}) 12... Nbd7 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 14. O-O (14. e5 c5 15. Nxb5 Qa5+ {Possible since White hasn't castled. Möglich, da Weiß nicht rochiert hat.} 16. Nc3 h3 {looks rather unpleasant for White. sieht ziemlich unangenehm für Weiß aus.}) 14... e5 $1 {Now White was threatening e5 and ?e4. Black has equalized, so White should look for an improvement earlier. Nun drohte Weiß e5 und ?e4. Schwarz hat ausgeglichen, daher sollte der Anziehende vorher nach einer Verbesserung suchen.} 15. a4 a6 16. d5 Rh6 {Inspired by Paco Vallejo's rook against Topalov from Morelia 2006. Black is not really looking at castling kingside, and the rook is incredibly useful on the 6th rank. Inspiriert durch Paco Vallejos Turm gegen Topalov aus dem Turnier Morelia 2006. Die kurze Rochade hat Schwarz nicht wirklich auf dem Plan, und der Turm ist unglaublich nützlich auf der 6. Reihe.} 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. axb5 axb5 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 {The problem for White is that Black has so much space especially in the kingside where White needs f4 to get things going. Das Problem für Weiß ist, dass Schwarz so viel Raum hat, vor allem am Königsflügel, wo Weiß f4 braucht, um die Dinge in Gang zu bekommen.} 20. Qc1 Rg6 21. Rd1 Bc5 22. Bxc5 Nxc5 23. Qe3 Nb3 $6 (23... Ne6 $1 {The other route to get to d4, but allows White the possibility of b3 which I hoped to avoid The other route to get to d4, but allows White the possibility of b3 which I hoped to avoid} 24. b3 (24. Nd5 Kf8 25. b3 cxb3 26. Qxb3 Nd4) 24... b4 $1 (24... cxb3 25. Nxb5 Qa2 {Not a very human move to make. Kein besonders menschlicher Zug.} 26. Nd6+ Kf8 27. Nf5 (27. Bc4 Nf4) 27... h3 28. gxh3 b2 29. Qb6 Be8 30. Qb4+ Kg8 31. Ne7+ Kh7 32. Nxg6 Kxg6) 25. Nd5 cxb3 26. Qxb3 Qb7 {and it seems White can't take the b4 pawn: und es scheint, als könnte Weiß den Bauern b4 nicht nehmen:} 27. Nxb4 (27. Bc4 Nd4 28. Qe3 Qa7 29. Kh1 Qa3 30. Qd2 h3 $1) 27... Nd4 $17) 24. Qb6 (24. f4 $1 {Shipov suggested this move and it does seem to hold. Shipov suggested this move and it does seem to hold.} gxf4 (24... exf4 25. Qb6 h3 26. Bh5 Rh6 27. Bxf7+ Kxf7 28. Qc7+ Ke8 29. Qe5+ Kf8 30. Qf5+ Kg7 31. Qxg5+ Rg6 32. Qe7+ $11) 25. Qh3 Qa7+ (25... Kf8 26. Qxh4 Kg7 $4 27. Rd8 $1) (25... b4 26. Bh5 (26. Nd5 Bxd5 27. exd5 Nd4) 26... Nd4 27. Bxg6 fxg6 28. Rxd4 exd4 29. Qe6+ {seems to be a draw. scheint remis zu sein.}) 26. Kh1 Nd4 27. Qxh4 Qc7 (27... Qe7 28. Qh8+ Kd7 29. Bh5 $1 (29. Ra1 Qg5 $1 30. Ra7+ Ke6 31. Qc8+ Kf6 32. Qh8+ Rg7 33. Qd8+ Kg6) 29... Qf6 30. Qb8 Rg5 31. Ra1 Rxh5 32. Ra7+ Ke6 33. Qc8+ Kd6 34. Qf8+ Ke6 $11) 28. Bh5 (28. Qh8+ Ke7 29. Qh4+ Rf6 (29... Kf8 30. Qh8+ Rg8 31. Qh6+ {with enough compensation. mit genug Kompensation.}) 30. Bg4) 28... Rg7 29. Bg4 {followed by ?a1 seems to give White enough play. nebst ?a1 scheint Weiß genug Spiel zu geben.}) (24. Nd5 Kf8) 24... Nd4 {Now White has little choice but to enter the endgame. Nun bleibt Weiß kaum etwas anderes, als ins Endspiel überzugehen.} 25. Rxd4 exd4 26. Nxb5 (26. Qxd4 Qd8 27. Qh8+ (27. Nxb5 Bxb5 28. Qe5+ Kf8 29. Qxb5 Qb6+ {transposes to the game. führt zur Partie.}) 27... Kd7) 26... Bxb5 27. Qxb5+ Qc6 28. Qe5+ Re6 (28... Qe6 29. Qb8+ Ke7 30. Qa7+ Kf8) 29. Qxd4 (29. Qb8+ Ke7 30. Qa7+ Kf8 31. Qxd4 Qb6 {comes to the same thing. läuft auf dasselbe hinaus.}) 29... Qb6 30. Qxb6 Rxb6 31. Bxc4 Rxb2 {Black needs to keep the king on the first rank. Schwarz muss den König auf der ersten Reihe halten.} 32. g3 (32. Kf1 Ke7 33. Be2 Kd6 34. Kf2 Kc5 35. Ke3 Rb1 36. g3 (36. Bd3 Rh1 37. Kf2 f6 38. Bf1 Kd4 $19) 36... Rh1 $17) 32... f6 (32... Ke7 33. gxh4 (33. e5 Rc2 34. Bb3 (34. Bd3 Rc3 35. Be2 Ke6) 34... Re2 $1) 33... gxh4 34. f4 f6 35. e5 Rd2 $1 {This excellent move takes away d5 and d3 from the white bishop. Dieser hervorragende Zug nimmt dem dem weißen Läufer d5 und d3.} (35... Rb4 36. exf6+ Kxf6 37. Ba6 Kf5 38. Kg2 $1 Kxf4 39. Bc8 $11) (35... f5 36. Bd3 $1 Ke6 37. Bc4+ $11) 36. Bg8 (36. Kh1 f5 37. Ba6 Rd4 38. Kg2 Rxf4 39. Bc8 Kf7 $19) 36... h3 $1) 33. Be6 Ke7 34. Bg4 (34. Bf5 Kd6 35. gxh4 gxh4 36. f4 Re2 $1 {again the key. wieder der Schlüssel.}) (34. Bh3 Kd6 35. gxh4 gxh4 36. f4 Re2 37. Bg2 Kc5 38. Kf1 Rb2 39. e5 f5 40. Bh3 Rb4 41. Ke2 Rxf4 42. Ke3 Re4+ 43. Kf3 Rxe5 44. Kf4 Re2 45. Kxf5 Kd5 46. Kg4 Ke4 47. Kxh4 Kf4 $1) 34... Re2 $3 (34... Kd6 35. gxh4 gxh4 36. f4 Rd2 37. Bh3 Kc5 38. e5 Rd4 39. exf6 Rxf4 40. Kg2 {Once the king escapes from the first rank, its a draw. Wenn der König einmal von der ersten Reihe wegkommt, ist es remis.} Rxf6 41. Bc8 $11) 35. gxh4 gxh4 36. h3 {Now a fortress is no longer possible, so Black wins. Nun ist eine Festung nicht länger möglich, also gewinnt Schwarz.} Kd6 37. Kf1 Rb2 38. f4 Kc5 39. e5 Rb4 40. exf6 Rxf4+ 41. Ke2 Kd4 42. Bf3 Rxf6 43. Bb7 Rb6 44. Bc8 (44. Bg2 Rb3) 44... Ke4 45. Bg4 Rb2+ 46. Ke1 Ke3 47. Kf1 Kf4 48. Ke1 Kg3 49. Kf1 Rf2+ 50. Ke1 (50. Kg1 Rf7 $1 {wins gewinnt.}) 50... Rf4 51. Bc8 Rf8 52. Bg4 Kg2 53. Ke2 Re8+ 54. Kd3 Kf2 55. Bf5 Re3+ 56. Kd4 Kf3 57. Bg4+ Kf4 58. Kd5 Re5+ 59. Kd4 Rg5 (59... Rg5 60. Be6 Rg6 61. Bc8 Rd6+ 62. Kc5 Rd2 {Now the king is far enough. Nun steht der König weit genug weg.} 63. Bg4 Kg3 64. Bf5 Rh2 65. Kd4 Rxh3 {wins. gewinnt.}) 0-1 [Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2015.05.22"] [Round "8"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Mikhalchishin,Adrian"] [PlyCount "81"] [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. d4 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 5. Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:28]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 6. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 7. e4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} g5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 8. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 9. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 10. e5 {[%emt 0:00:08] Grischuk is one of the top experts in the Moscow Gambit, but he trwas trying this line for the first time! It was somewhat popular in 2009-2013, but 10.h4 remains the main line. But nobody remembers that this move was introduced by Garry Kasparov!} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 11. O-O {[%emt 0:00:15]} ({Possible is} 11. Nd2 Nd7 12. h4 Nxc3 13. bxc3 c5 14. hxg5 cxd4 15. g6 fxg6 16. Bh5 Rg8 17. Qg4 Qe7 18. Bxg6+ Rxg6 19. Qxg6+ Qf7 20. Qxf7+ Kxf7 21. cxd4 Bxg2 22. Rh4 {Salem,A (2469)-Grigoriants,S (2566)/Pardubice 2010, White stays just slightly better.}) 11... Nxc3 {[%emt 0:02:03]} ({Before Grischuk|s opponent played here} 11... Nd7 12. Nd2 Qb6 13. a4 a6 14. Nde4 O-O-O 15. Bh5 Rh7 16. axb5 cxb5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Nd6+ Bxd6 19. exd6 Nf6 20. Bg4+ Nxg4 21. Qxg4+ Kb8 22. Qf5 {Mamedyarov,S (2742)-Karjakin,S (2727)/Moscow 2008, with a winning position.}) 12. bxc3 {[%emt 0:02:31]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 13. a4 {[%emt 0:23:34]} a6 {[%emt 0:05:46]} 14. Qb1 {[%emt 0:00:54] A typical manoeuvre with the idea of recovering the sacrificed pawn.} ({Here} 14. axb5 {has been tried:} axb5 15. Rxa8 Bxa8 16. Qb1 Bc6 17. Rd1 Nd7 18. d5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 exd5 20. e6 Bg7 21. Bd6 Qb6 22. exd7+ Kxd7 {Wukits,R (2293)-Kilgus,G (2443)/Vienna 2014 (27), Black's pawn group is very dangerous.}) ({Black was promised good counterplay after} 14. dxc5 Qxd1 15. Rfxd1 Bxc5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Rxa8 Bxa8 18. Rb1 Nd7 19. Rxb5 Bc6 20. Ra5 O-O 21. Nd2 Rb8) 14... g4 {[%emt 0:08:12]} (14... Qd7 {was clearly worse:} 15. axb5 axb5 16. Rxa8 Bxa8 17. Bxc4) 15. Nh4 {[%emt 0:04:14]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:28:39]} ({The first move to check was} 15... Be7 16. Ng6 fxg6 17. Qxg6+ Kd7 18. dxc5 Qg8 19. Qb1 Kc8 20. axb5 axb5 21. c6 Bxc6 22. Rxa8 Bxa8 23. Qxb5 Qe8 24. Qxc4+ Qc6 25. Qxc6+ Bxc6 26. Bxg4 Bd7 {in this position three pawns for a piece allow White just to hold, not more.}) 16. axb5 $146 {[%emt 0:17:05]} ({There was a different way which was not worse:} 16. Bxc4 Qc8 17. Be2 dxc3 18. axb5 Nd7 19. Rc1 axb5 20. Bxb5 Ra3 21. Qd3) ({RR} 16. Bxc4 Qc8 17. Bd3 dxc3 18. axb5 a5 19. Ng6 fxg6 20. Bxg6+ Kd8 21. Rd1+ Nd7 22. Qa2 Bd5 23. Rxd5 exd5 24. Qxd5 Ra7 25. b6 Rb7 26. e6 Rxb6 27. exd7 Qxd7 28. Qa8+ Qc8 29. Rd1+ Rd6 30. Qxa5+ Qc7 {Rojicek,V (2414)-Di Nicolantonio,L (2417) Zillertal 2015 1-0 (34)}) 16... d3 {[%emt 0:03:12]} 17. Bxg4 {[%emt 0:04:40] The position is totally unbalanced, but in such cases sooner or later the safety of one's own king position will decide!} a5 {[%emt 0:21:04]} 18. Bf3 {[%emt 0:22:33] The bishop on b7 is too strong and must be exchanged.} Bxf3 {[%emt 0:05:02]} 19. Nxf3 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} ({A very promising line was} 19... Nd7 20. Nd2 Nb6 21. Ne4 Be7 22. Nd6+ Bxd6 23. exd6 Qg5 24. Qd1 Nd5) 20. Ra4 {[%emt 0:07:32] White has no other realistic target to attack.} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 21. Qa2 {[%emt 0:00:09] Black doesn't want to give up his c4-pawn, but maybe he should have.} Nb6 $2 {[%emt 0:02:48]} ({It was necessary to be realistic:} 21... Qxb5 22. Rb1 Qd5 23. Nd2 Be7 24. Qxc4 Qxc4 25. Nxc4 O-O {with good chances to save the game.}) 22. Rxa5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Rxa5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 23. Qxa5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 24. Qa2 $1 {[%emt 0:02:40] White understood that the queen has to be urgently transferred to the other side. The extra pawn does not guarantee anything, as Black holds an important asset - the passed d3-pawn.} O-O {[%emt 0:06:23]} 25. Qd2 {[%emt 0:06:47]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 26. Re1 {[%emt 0:01:06]} Be7 {[%emt 0:07:29]} ({I would try the more active} 26... Rg8 27. Kf1 Rg4) 27. Bf4 {[%emt 0:09:11]} Rg8 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 28. Kh1 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Bf8 {[%emt 0:12:01]} 29. Be3 $6 {[%emt 0:03:14]} ({A better option was to start with} 29. Rb1) 29... Nd7 {[%emt 0:01:14]} 30. Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Qxb5 {[%emt 0:00:08] White gave up the pawn, but now it is time to create some threats against the opponent's king.} 31. Qf4 {[%emt 0:00:20]} Bg7 $2 {[%emt 0:02:33] This move is simply bad. But the endgame would be anyhow better for White.} (31... Rg7 32. Nd2 Qd5 33. f3 Be7 34. g3 Bg5 35. Qe4+ Qxe4 36. Nxe4 Rg8 37. f4) 32. Qxf7 {[%emt 0:01:29]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 33. Nd2 $6 {[%emt 0:01:23]} ({Better was} 33. Nh4 d2 34. Qg6+ Kh8 35. Rf1 Nxe5 36. Qc2 Nd3 37. Qxd2) 33... Rf8 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 34. Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rf5 $6 {[%emt 0:00:19]} (34... Nb8 $1 {Such backward moves are very difficult to see even for top players. The threat ?c6-d4 would be very unpleasant.}) 35. Re3 {[%emt 0:04:38]} ({Even better was} 35. Re4 Nf8 36. f3) 35... Rg5 {[%emt 0:03:16]} ({A funny draw was} 35... Nxe5 36. Rg3 Rf7 37. Qxf7 Nxf7 38. Rxg7+ Kh8 39. Bf6 Qf5 40. Rg6+ Kh7 41. Rg7+ Kh8 42. Rg6+) 36. Rg3 {[%emt 0:00:25]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:02:29]} ({A good chance was} 36... Rxg3 37. hxg3 Nb8 $1 38. f4 Nc6 39. Qc7 Nxd4 40. cxd4 Qxd4 41. Qxc4) 37. Rxg5 {[%emt 0:00:25]} hxg5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 38. Nxc4 $6 {[%emt 0:01:05] A brave decision in deep time trouble. Grischuk calculated this very well.} ({A very technical decision would be} 38. h4 g4 39. Kh2) 38... Kg6 {[%emt 0:01:10]} 39. Qe8+ {[%emt 0:00:11]} Nf7 $4 {[%emt 0:00:25] A terrible time trouble blunder.} ({After the correct} 39... Kh6 40. Ne3 d2 $1 41. h3 $1 Qb3 42. Kh2 d1=Q 43. Nxd1 Qxd1 44. Qxe6+ {it is probably a draw.}) 40. Qg8 $1 {[%emt 0:00:00] A terrible pin - material losses are inevitable!} e5 41. Nxe5+ {1-0 (41) Grischuk,A (2780)-Karjakin,S (2753) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015} 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2014.03.29"] [Round "13"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2014.03.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 160"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {ChessBase} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 g6 8. Bd3 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Ne5 (10. e4 {is the main alternative here.}) 10... c5 {This continuation leads to a position with a fixed centre (d4 vs d5), which is rather favourable for White's knights. Practice has seen:} (10... Rd8 11. c5 Bd7 12. b4 Be8 13. f4 Nd7 14. Kh1 Qe7 15. Rf3 $36 {0-1 (38) Abhishek,A (2106)-Sethuraman,S (2574) Kanpur IND 2014}) (10... Nd7 11. f4 Qe7 12. c5 Nxe5 13. fxe5 b6 14. b4 Bd7 15. Qg4 Rfb8 16. Rab1 Be8 17. h4 Qd8 18. h5 g5 19. Nd1 a5 {1/2 (19) Latorre,M (2312)-Mareco,S (2591) Asuncion 2011}) (10... Qe7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. f4 Nd7 13. Qf3 Nxe5 (13... Nf6 14. Rae1 Rd8 15. Kh1 c5 16. a3 c4 17. Bc2 Qc7 18. g4 $40 {1-0 (27) Polak,T (2543)-Feher,A (2342) Hungary 2012}) 14. fxe5 Be6 (14... f6 $5 15. Qg3 g5 $13) 15. Ne2 Qg5 16. Qf4 Rae8 17. Rac1 Kh7 18. h4 $14 {1-0 (93) Polak,T (2525)-Krejci,J (2455) Ostrava 2010}) (10... dxc4 11. Nxc4 $1 (11. Bxc4 c5 12. f4 (12. Rc1 cxd4 13. exd4 Rd8 14. Re1 $6 Nc6 15. Qa4 Rxd4 16. Nxc6 Bd7 $17 {0-1 (37) Krejci,J (2529)-Hovhannisyan,R (2630) Moscow 2013}) 12... cxd4 13. Qxd4 Nc6 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Qxf6 Bxf6 16. Rac1 {1/2 (36) Cmilyte,V (2514)-Sebag,M (2501) Beijing CHN 2013} Rd8 $11) 11... Qe7 12. Qb3 Rd8 ({RR} 12... Rd8 13. Rad1 b6 14. f4 Bb7 15. Be4 Na6 16. a3 c5 17. d5 exd5 18. Bxd5) 13. Rad1 b6 14. f4 Bb7 15. Be4 Na6 16. a3 c5 17. d5 exd5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 20. f5 gxf5 21. Nf4 Qc6 22. Nh5 $44 {1-0 (31) Fedoseev,V (2525)-Negi,P (2641) Moscow 2012}) ({RR} 10... dxc4 11. Nxc4 Qe7 12. Qb3 b6 13. Be4 Bb7 14. Rfd1 Na6 15. a3 Rfd8 16. Rd2 c5 17. Rad1 ({RR} 17. d5 exd5 18. Bxd5 Bxc3) 17... cxd4 18. exd4 Bxe4 19. Nxe4 Nc7 20. Nc3 Rd7 21. Ne5 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Qg5 24. Rd7 Qxe5 25. g3 {Andreikin,D (2722)-Giri,A (2768) Tashkent 2014 CBM 163 [ChessBase] ½-½ (31)} {RR} Ne8) ({RR} 10... Nd7 11. f4 Nxe5 12. fxe5 Qg5 13. Rf4 c5 14. Qf3 cxd4 15. exd4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Qd8 17. Nb5 g5 18. Re4 Bd7 19. Qe3 Bxb5 20. Bxb5 Qb6 21. Qe2 Rad8 22. Rd1 a6 23. Bc4 Rd7 24. Bb3 Rfd8 25. Qe3 {Qiu,L (2122)-Wu,S (2003) Montesilvano ITA 2026 ½-½ (72)}) 11. cxd5 cxd4 $146 (11... exd5 12. Nxd5 $5 (12. f4 Nc6 13. Kh1 Qd8 14. Rc1 cxd4 15. exd4 {1-0 (66) Gunina,V (2490)-Nezad,H (2394) Caleta 2013} Be6 $14) 12... Qd6 13. Nf4 $1 Bxe5 (13... cxd4 14. Nexg6 $1 fxg6 15. Qb3+ Rf7 16. Bxg6 Qf8 17. exd4 $40) 14. dxe5 Qxe5 15. Bxg6 fxg6 16. Nxg6 Qf6 17. Nxf8 Kxf8 18. Qd5 $14) ({RR} 11... exd5 12. f4 Nc6 13. Kh1 Qd8 14. Rc1 cxd4 15. exd4 Qb6 16. f5 Qxd4 17. Nf3 Qf6 18. fxg6 fxg6 19. Nxd5 Qd6 20. Bxg6 Rd8 21. Nh4 Be6 22. Qc2 Ne5 23. Nc7 Bc4 24. Nxa8 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Nxg6 26. Nxg6 {Gunina,V (2490)-Nezad,H (2394) Caleta 2013 1-0 (66)}) ({RR} 11... exd5 12. Nxd5 Qd6 13. Nf4 cxd4 14. exd4 Qxd4 15. Nexg6 fxg6 16. Nxg6 Re8 17. Qc2 Nc6 18. Rfe1 Be6 19. Rxe6 Rxe6 20. Bc4 Rae8 21. Re1 Ne5 22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23. Qg6+ Kf8 24. Bxe6 Re7 25. Qg8# {1-0 (25) Fominykh,M (2136)-Goriachkina,O (2048) Moscow RUS 2025}) 12. exd4 exd5 13. Re1 $1 $14 {[%csl Ge5]} ({Now after} 13. Nxd5 Qd6 14. Nf4 Nc6 $1 {Black has no problems, e.g.} 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Ne2 Bg4) 13... Be6 14. Bb5 $1 {[%mdl 32] A typical manoeuvre in order to weaken Black's queenside.} Rd8 15. Rc1 a6 16. Ba4 Rd6 $1 {[%CAl Yb8d7]} (16... b5 17. Bb3 {[%csl Gb3]}) 17. Qb3 (17. Qd2 $142) 17... b6 $6 ({Black renounced} 17... b5 {in view of} 18. Qa3 {[%CAl Ra4b5,Ra3d6] . In fact, he saw the riposte} Qd8 $1 19. Bxb5 axb5 20. Qxa8 Ra6 21. Qb7 Rb6 {, which led to a draw:} 22. Qa8 (22. Nxf7 $6 Bxf7 23. Qe7 Qxe7 24. Rxe7 Kf8 25. Rc7 Bxd4) (22. Qa7 $6 Bxe5 23. Nxd5 $5 (23. dxe5 Nc6 24. Qa3 b4) 23... Bxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Bxd5 25. Rc8 Qxc8 26. Qxb6 Nd7 27. Qxb5 Nf6 {[%CAl Rc8g4]} 28. f3 Bxa2 $17) 22... Ra6 $11 {but Veselin Topalov was playing for a win.}) 18. Ne2 b5 19. Qa3 Bf8 20. Bc2 Nc6 (20... Nd7 $5) 21. Qg3 (21. Qe3 $142 $14 {[%CAl Ye2f4]}) 21... Rc8 22. h4 Ne7 (22... Be7 $5 23. h5 Qg5 $13) 23. h5 (23. Nf4 $5 Nf5 24. Bxf5 Rxc1 (24... Qxf5 25. Rc5 $1) 25. Rxc1 Qxf5 26. Rc7 $36) 23... g5 24. f4 $1 Qg7 (24... Nf5 25. Qf2) 25. Rf1 (25. Qf2 $5 {[%CAl Ye2g3]}) 25... f6 $1 26. Ng4 $6 {This retreat releases White's pressure.} (26. Ng6 $142 $1 Nxg6 (26... Rdc6 27. Nxf8 Rxf8 28. Bd3 $14) 27. Bxg6 Rxc1 28. Nxc1 $1 $14 {[%CAl Yc1d3]}) 26... Rdc6 27. Ne3 f5 $1 28. fxg5 (28. Qe1 {was probably more accurate.}) 28... Qxg5 29. Qxg5+ (29. Qf3 Bf7 30. Nf4 Bg7 31. Rfd1 Rc4 $5 32. Nxc4 Rxc4 $44) 29... hxg5 30. Bxf5 Nxf5 31. Rxc6 Rxc6 32. Nxf5 {[%mdl 4096]} Rc2 33. Neg3 Rxb2 {The position has sharpened. Black's bishop pair has become an important factor but White's passed h5-pawn should not be underestimated either.} 34. Re1 Bd7 (34... Bxf5 35. Nxf5 Rxa2 36. Re8 $132) 35. Ne7+ Kf7 $6 (35... Kg7 $1 36. Nxd5 Bd6 37. Ne4 Be6 38. Nxd6 Bxd5 39. Re5 Rxg2+ 40. Kf1 Bf3 {is not easy to find and evaluate.}) 36. Nxd5 Bc6 37. Rf1+ $1 Ke6 {Black's king is unsafe here but he has no choice.} (37... Kg7 $2 38. h6+ Kxh6 39. Rf6+) (37... Kg8 $6 38. Nf6+ Kg7 39. d5) 38. Ne3 (38. Nc7+ $1 Kd6 39. d5 Kxc7 40. Rf7+ Kb6 41. Rf6 $16 {(indicated by GM P.Maletin)}) 38... Bg7 39. Ngf5 Bh8 40. h6 Be4 41. d5+ Kd7 42. Ng3 (42. Ng7 $5 Rb1 43. Ne6) 42... Bd3 43. Rf7+ Ke8 44. Rf3 Rxa2 45. Nef5 Rd2 $2 {[%mdl 64] Black misses a tactical motif.} (45... Bxf5 46. Nxf5 g4 $1 {should be enough to save the game, e.g.} 47. Rg3 Rd2 48. Rxg4 Rxd5 49. Rg8+ Kf7 50. Rxh8 Rxf5 $11) 46. Ng7+ $1 Ke7 47. d6+ $1 Kxd6 48. Rf8 {Black's h8 bishop is suddenly trapped!} b4 {Desperation.} 49. Rxh8 b3 50. N7f5+ $2 {This check suddenly lets White's victory slip.} (50. Ne4+ $1 {was the nicest way to win:} Bxe4 51. Rd8+ Ke5 (51... Kc5 52. Rxd2) 52. Rxd2 Bc2 53. Kf2 b2 54. h7 $1 b1=Q 55. Re2+ $1 Kd5 56. h8=Q $18) 50... Bxf5 $2 {Black fails to find a miraculous escape:} (50... Kc7 $1 51. h7 b2 52. Rc8+ Kxc8 53. h8=Q+ Kb7 $1 54. Qg7+ Ka8 {- White can't either stop Black's pawn or capture his d2-rook and must give a perpetual.}) 51. Nxf5+ Kc7 52. h7 b2 53. Rc8+ Kxc8 54. h8=Q+ Kd7 55. Qh7+ (55. Qh7+ Kd8 56. Ne3 $18) 1-0 [Event "Sofia MTel Masters 4th"] [Site "Sofia"] [Date "2008.05.15"] [Round "7"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2767"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2008.05.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 124"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Rc1 {An old-fashioned move.} Bd6 9. Bd3 O-O ({RR} 9... dxc4 10. Bxc4 O-O 11. O-O Qe7 12. Qc2 b6 13. Ne4 Bb7 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Rfd1 Qe7 16. Bd3 Rfc8 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 Kg8 19. Qa4 a6 20. Nd2 Rc7 21. a3 c5 22. Bxb7 Rxb7 23. Qc6 Rab8 24. Nf3 {Radjabov,T (2765)-Dubov,D (2702) chess24.com INT 2020 ½-½ (63)}) ({RR} 9... dxc4 10. Bxc4 O-O 11. O-O Qe7 12. Ne4 Bb8 13. Qe2 a5 14. Rfd1 {½-½ (14) Carlsson,L (2418)-Olsson,W (2386) Sweden SWE 2026}) 10. O-O Qe7 11. Qc2 a6 $6 (11... dxc4 {is more common:} 12. Bxc4 e5 (12... Nb6 13. Ne4 Nxc4 14. Qxc4 Bc7 15. Ne5 Rd8 16. f4 f6 17. Nd3 a5 18. Rf2 Bd7 19. Ndc5 b5 20. Qe2 $14 {½-½ Tomashevsky,E-Pavasovic,D/Dresden 2007/CBM 118 (43)}) (12... b6 13. Ne4 (13. Rfd1 Bb7 14. Ne4 Bc7 15. Rd2 Rac8 16. a3 Bb8 17. b4 Rfd8 18. Bd3 f5 19. Ng3 c5 $132 {0-1 Sladek,V-Cech,P/Ostrava 2003/EXT 2006 (65)}) 13... Bc7 14. Bb3 Ba6 $6 (14... Bb7 $1) 15. Rfd1 Rac8 16. Ba4 f5 17. Ng3 Bb7 18. Qe2 Qd6 19. e4 $14 {0-1 Sladek,V-Klimsa,J/Ostrava 2003/EXT 2006 (38)}) 13. Ne4 exd4 (13... Bb8 $5 14. Ng3 (14. d5 $5) 14... Nb6 15. Bb3 Re8 16. a4 e4 17. Nd2 Bxg3 18. fxg3 Be6 19. Rf4 Qb4 20. Bxe6 Rxe6 21. Rxe4 Rxe4 22. Nxe4 Nxa4 23. b3 Nb6 24. Nc5 Nd5 $132 {0-1 Stanojevic,B-Basagic,Z/Skofja Loka 1997/CBM 061 ext (60)}) 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Rfd1 Ne5 (15... Nb6 16. Rxd4 Qe7 17. Bb3 Be6 18. Qe4 Rae8 19. Bc2 f5 20. Qh4 Bxa2 21. Qxe7 Rxe7 22. Ra1 Bd5 23. Rxa7 Nc8 24. Ra8 g6 $11 {½-½ Hjartarson,J-Thorhallsson,T/Iceland 1993/TD (44)}) 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Rxd4 Bf5 18. Qc3 Rae8 19. Qa3 a6 20. Rcd1 Bc8 21. b4 Qc7 22. Qc3 Re5 23. a3 Rfe8 24. Rf4 Bf5 25. h3 a5 26. g4 axb4 27. axb4 Be6 28. Rfd4 Bc8 29. Rf4 Be6 30. Bxe6 R5xe6 31. Qd4 Re5 {½-½ Capablanca,J-Levenfish,G/Moscow 1936/HCL}) 12. c5 $146 ({RR} 12. a3 dxc4 13. Bxc4 b5 14. Ba2 Bb7 15. Ne4 Bc7 16. Bb1 g6 17. Nfd2 Bb6 18. f4 a5 19. Nb3 Rfd8 20. Qf2 Kg7 21. Nbc5 Nxc5 22. Nxc5 Rac8 23. g4 Rd5 24. Be4 Rd6 25. Bg2 Bxc5 26. Rxc5 f6 {Ionesi,C (2306)-Rucsandescu,D Eforie Nord 2007 1-0 (32)}) 12... Bc7 13. e4 {[%mdl 32] A typical reaction.} dxe4 14. Nxe4 Rd8 $146 {Black decides to defend passively.} (14... e5 {is quite risky:} 15. Rfe1 exd4 16. Neg5 (16. Nd6 $5 Qd8 17. Nxc8 Rxc8 18. Bf5 $36) 16... Qxc5 17. Qb3 Qd5 $2 (17... Qb6 $2 18. Bh7+ Kh8 19. Nxf7+ Kxh7 20. Qd3+ Kg8 21. Nxh6+ $16) (17... Qd6 $1 18. Nxf7 (18. Bh7+ Kh8 19. Nxf7+ Rxf7 20. Qxf7 Kxh7 21. Re7 Qg6 22. Rxd7 Bxd7 23. Qxd7 Qd6 24. Qxd6 Bxd6 25. Nxd4 Re8 $15) 18... Rxf7 19. Bc4 Qf8 20. Nh4 $44) 18. Qxd5 cxd5 19. Nh7 $16 {1-0 Kiselev,S-Guliev,S/Azov 1991/CBM 025 (40)}) 15. Rfe1 Nf8 16. Qc3 f6 17. Bb1 Kh8 18. a3 Bd7 19. Nfd2 {[%CAl Rd2c4]} f5 $1 {Just in time!} 20. Ng3 Qf6 21. Nf3 Be8 22. Ba2 (22. Ne5 Ng6 $1) 22... b6 (22... a5 $5 {[%CAl Ya5a4]} 23. Ne5 Nd7 $5) 23. Rc2 (23. Ne5 $5 bxc5 (23... Rab8 24. cxb6 Bxb6 25. Ne2) 24. Qxc5 (24. dxc5 f4 25. Nf1 a5 $13) 24... Rab8 {[%CAl Rc7b6,Rb8b2]} 25. Qc3 Rd6 26. Ne2 $14 (26. b4 $143 a5)) 23... bxc5 24. Qxc5 $14 {Black has a lot of weaknesses but his bishop pair can be potentially strong.} Rab8 25. Rd2 a5 26. Qc3 Rd6 27. Rde2 (27. Ne5 $5) 27... Bb6 28. Re5 {The rook is not the best blockader but White can afford this.} Bf7 29. Bb1 Qd8 30. Ba2 Rb7 31. Ne2 Ng6 32. Re3 a4 {Both sides have made a little progress. Black decides to blockade White's queenside pawns but his own a4-pawn can now be weak.} 33. Qc2 Rc7 $6 {[%mdl 512] This pawn sac to activate pieces is dubious.} (33... Ra7 $142) 34. Qxa4 c5 35. dxc5 $6 (35. Rc3 $1 cxd4 (35... Kg8 36. dxc5 Rxc5 37. Ned4 $5) 36. Rxc7 Qxc7 37. Nexd4 Bxd4 38. Nxd4 Qb6 39. Nxf5 $1 (39. Nxe6 $143 Qxb2 40. Bb3 Rd3) 39... Rd2 40. Rf1 Rxb2 41. Bc4 {and Black has no sufficient compensation.}) 35... Rxc5 $44 {[%csl Re3] Now Black is fine.} 36. Rc3 Ne5 37. Ned4 Ng4 $6 (37... Be8 38. Qb3 Rcd5 $44) (37... Nxf3+ $5 38. Nxf3 Rxc3 39. bxc3 Rd2 $1 40. Nxd2 Qxd2 41. Rf1 Qxa2 42. Qb4 Bc7 43. Qe7 Qc4 44. Qxf7 Bxh2+ 45. Kxh2 Qxf1 {and the endgame should end in a draw.}) 38. h3 $6 {This leads to complications, which eventually end in a draw.} (38. Qc2 $1 $14 {kept the better prospects for White.}) 38... Nxf2 $1 39. Kxf2 Ra5 40. Qc2 Rxd4 41. Kf1 Qd7 42. Rc8+ Kh7 43. Qc6 Qd6 44. Qxd6 Rxd6 45. Rf8 Ra7 46. Ne5 Rd2 47. Re2 Rd1+ 48. Re1 Rd2 49. Re2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Morelia/Linares 25th"] [Site "Morelia/Linares"] [Date "2008.03.01"] [Round "10"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2739"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2008.02.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 123"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.04.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.04.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal Marin,Mihail} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Ne5 h5 10. h4 g4 11. Be2 Bb7 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. Rad1 ({RR} 15. b3 O-O ({RR} 15... cxb3) 16. bxc4 ({RR} 16. Bg3 b4 17. Na4 Qxd4 18. e5 ({RR} 18. Nc5) 18... Qe4) 16... Nh7 17. Bxg7 ({RR} 17. cxb5 Bxe5 18. dxe5 Qxh4) 17... Kxg7 18. Rad1 ({RR} 18. d5 cxd5 19. exd5 bxc4 20. dxe6 Qxh4 21. Ne4 ({RR} 21. Nb5 fxe6 22. Nc7 Rf6 23. Nxa8 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Qh3+ 25. Kg1 g3) 21... Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Qf6 23. exf7 c3 24. f4 ({RR} 24. Rac1) 24... Rad8 25. Bc4 Rd4 26. Qe6 Rxf4) ({RR} 18. Qd3 Qxh4 ({RR} 18... bxc4 19. Qxc4 Qxh4 20. Qc5) 19. cxb5 Rfd8) 18... Qxh4 19. cxb5 cxb5 20. Nxb5 Rac8 21. Qd3 Rfd8 ({RR} 21... g3 22. Qxg3+ Qxg3 23. fxg3 Bxe4 24. Bxh5 ({RR} 24. Nd6 Rc2) 24... Rc2 25. Rf2 Rxf2 26. Kxf2 Rb8) 22. d5 exd5 23. Qd4+ Kg8 24. Qxa7 Qe7 ({RR} 24... Ng5 25. Nd4 ({RR} 25. Qxb7 Nf3+ 26. Bxf3 ({RR} 26. gxf3 g3) 26... gxf3 27. Nd6 fxg2 28. Kxg2 Qg4+)) 25. e5 Qxe5 ({RR} 25... Ra8 26. Qe3 Rxa2 27. Rfe1) 26. Qxb7 Rb8 ({RR} 26... Qxe2 27. Nd6) 27. Qc7 Qxe2 28. Nd4 ({RR} 28. Nd6 Rf8 ({RR} 28... Qe6 29. Rfe1 Qf6 ({RR} 29... Qxd6 30. Re8+ Rxe8 31. Qxd6) ({RR} 29... Qd7 30. Re8+) 30. Rxd5 Ng5 31. Red1) 29. Rxd5 Qxa2 30. Ra5 Qe2 31. Rxh5) 28... Qc4 29. Qe5 ({RR} 29. Nc6 Rbc8 30. Ne7+ Kf8 31. Qg3 Kxe7 ({RR} 31... Rc5 32. Rfe1) 32. Qe5+ Kf8 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Rfe1+ Kd6 35. Qe5+ Kc6 36. Rc1) 29... Re8 {Grischuk,A (2733)-Aronian,L (2750) Linares 2009 CBM 129 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (59)}) 15... O-O {This sharp line was examined in several CBM issues, most recently in CBM 120 (Aronian - Anand annotated by GM M.Marin)} 16. Qc1 {[%CAl Rc1g5,Yc1f4] A relatively new plan. Other options:} (16. Bg3 {RR} Nh7) (16. f3) (16. b3) ({RR} 16. Bg3 Nd7 17. f3 c5 ({RR} 17... Qb6) 18. dxc5 ({RR} 18. d5 Be5 19. Bxe5 ({RR} 19. f4 Bd4+) 19... Nxe5 20. f4 Qxh4) ({RR} 18. Nxb5 cxd4 19. Nxd4 ({RR} 19. Qxc4 Ne5 20. Qb3 gxf3 21. gxf3 Ng6) 19... Qb6 20. Bf2 g3 21. Be3 Qd8 22. Bg5 ({RR} 22. f4 Bxd4) 22... Bxd4+ 23. Rxd4 Qb6 24. Be3 e5 25. Rd3 cxd3) 18... Qe7 19. Kh1 ({RR} 19. Nxb5 Qxc5+) ({RR} 19. Bd6 Qxh4 20. fxg4 Be5 ({RR} 20... hxg4 21. Rf4) ({RR} 20... Nxc5 21. Bxc5 Be5 22. Rf3 hxg4) 21. Bxe5 Nxe5 22. gxh5 b4 23. Nb5 Bxe4 24. Qc1 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Kh7) ({RR} 19. Rd6 a6) ({RR} 19. Rf2 a6 20. fxg4 ({RR} 20. Bd6 Qxh4 21. g3 Qg5 22. f4 Qg6 23. Bxf8 Nxf8) 20... hxg4 ({RR} 20... Ne5) 21. Bd6 Qxh4) 19... a6 20. a4 Bc6 21. Nd5 ({RR} 21. fxg4 hxg4 22. Bxg4 ({RR} 22. Nd5 exd5 23. exd5 Nxc5 24. dxc6 Ne4 25. Be1 g3 26. Rf4 f5) 22... Nxc5) 21... exd5 22. exd5 Be5 ({RR} 22... Nxc5 23. dxc6) 23. f4 Bg7 24. dxc6 Nxc5 25. Rd5 Ne4 26. Be1 Qe6 27. Rxh5 f5 28. Kh2 Rac8 29. Bb4 Rfe8 30. axb5 axb5 {Aronian,L (2750)-Anand,V (2792) Mexico City 2007 CBM 120 [Marin,Mihail] 0-1 (41)}) ({RR} 16. f3 Nh7) ({RR} 16. g3 a6 17. f3 Ne8 18. Bxg7 Nxg7 19. fxg4 hxg4 20. e5 f5 21. exf6 Rxf6 22. Rxf6 Qxf6 23. Qe4 Rd8 24. Qe5 Qxe5 25. dxe5 Rxd1+ 26. Bxd1 c5 27. Bxg4 Bc6 28. Kf2 b4 29. Ne2 Bd5 30. Ke1 a5 {Gnojek,P (2360)-Rydl,J (2404) Czech Republic CZE 2024 ½-½ (50)}) 16... Nh7 (16... Nd7 $5 {needs checking, e.g.} 17. Bxg7 (17. Bd6 Qxh4 $1) 17... Kxg7 18. e5 (18. g3 Qf6 $5) 18... f5 $1 (18... Qxh4 $143 19. Ne4 $44)) 17. g3 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (17. Bxg7 {was played (without success) in the stem correspondence game:} Kxg7 18. g3 (18. e5 f5 $5) 18... Qb6 19. b3 Rad8 20. Qf4 (20. bxc4 $142 Rxd4 21. cxb5 $11) 20... cxb3 21. axb3 f6 22. e5 c5 23. Nxb5 Qc6 $13 {0-1 Martys,M-Starke,R/IECG 2004/Telechess CBM 115(41)}) ({RR} 17. Bg3 a6 18. Qe3 Qf6 19. e5 Qh6 20. Bf4 Qg6 21. Ne4 c5 22. Nxc5 Bd5 23. f3 g3 24. Ne4 f5 25. exf6 Rxf6 26. Bxg3 Rf5 27. Bh2 Raf8 28. f4 Nf6 29. Ng5 Ng4 30. Bxg4 hxg4 31. Rfe1 Bh6 {Makarian,R (2458)-Csonka,B (2498) Chess.com INT 2021 ½-½ (79)}) ({RR} 17. Bg3 a6 18. Qe3 Qf6 19. e5 Qh6 20. Bf4 Qg6 21. Ne4 c5 22. Nxc5 Bd5 23. f3 g3 24. Ne4 f5 25. exf6 Rxf6 26. Bxg3 Rf5 27. Bh2 Raf8 28. f4 Nf6 29. Ng5 Ng4 30. Bxg4 hxg4 31. Rfe1 Bh6 {Makarian,R (2458)-Csonka,B (2498) Chess.com INT 2021 ½-½ (79)}) 17... f6 18. Bf4 $44 {The black g7-bishop is now shut in.} a6 19. Rfe1 {It is not clear whether the rook is better here than on f1 (f2-f3 may be a good plan in some situations).} (19. b3 $5) 19... Rf7 20. Qc2 Rd7 21. b3 cxb3 22. Qxb3 Nf8 23. Be3 Qe7 24. a4 (24. f3 $5 {Still! Despite the fact that the rook is on e1.}) 24... Qf7 (24... b4 25. Nb1 $44 {[%CAl Yb1d2,Yd2c4]}) 25. d5 $6 {This break in the centre is not dangerous.} (25. f3 $142 $5) 25... exd5 26. exd5 f5 $1 {At last the black bishop says its word!} 27. Bf1 $6 {Too passive.} (27. Bd3 $142 $5 cxd5 (27... Ng6 $2 28. Bxf5) (27... Rc8 28. Ne2 (28. Bxf5 $2 cxd5 $1 29. Bxd7 Rxc3) 28... c5 29. axb5 Bxd5 30. Qb1 Ba2 31. Qc1 axb5 32. Bxb5 Rxd1 33. Rxd1 {and Black can hardly make use of his extra pawn due to his kingside weaknesses.}) 28. axb5 (28. Ne2 Ng6 $1 $36 (28... bxa4 29. Qxa4 $44)) 28... Bxc3 $1 29. Qxc3 d4 $1 30. Bxd4 Rc8 31. Qd2 (31. Bc5 $143 Rd5 32. Bc4 Rcxc5 33. bxa6 Rxc4 (33... Bxa6 $143 34. Rxd5 $1 Rxc4 35. Qd2) 34. Qxc4 Rxd1 35. Qxf7+ Kxf7 36. Rxd1 Bxa6 {with winning chances for Black}) 31... Rxd4 32. Qg5+ Qg6 (32... Kh8 33. Bxf5 $44) 33. Qxg6+ Nxg6 34. Bxf5 Rxd1 35. Rxd1 Rc5 $1 36. Bxg6 axb5 37. f4 $1 gxf3 38. Bxh5 $1 {and White should reach a draw.}) 27... Ng6 28. Bg2 Ne7 $2 {Missing a good chance:} (28... f4 $1 $17) 29. axb5 axb5 30. Bd4 Bxd4 31. Rxd4 Rc8 {Without the dark-squared bishops White has full compensation for the missing pawn as the dark squares in Black's camp are too weak.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2008.01.22"] [Round "9"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2008.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 12. Nxf7 $5 $146 {[%mdl 520] With this sacrifice (apparently prepared long ago) Veselin Topalov opens up a new chapter in the theory of the Moscow Gambit!} Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 {The position is extremely complicated and needs detailed analysis. Particularly, I would consider giving the piece back at once:} (13... Rf8 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Be5 Kg8 16. Qc2 Qe7 17. Rae1 $44) 14. Ne4 Ke7 15. Nd6 Qb6 ({RR} 15... Rb8 16. a4 c5 17. dxc5 Qc7 18. Bg4 Nxc5 19. axb5 Nf4 20. Rxa7 Bxe5 21. Nxc4 Rhd8 22. Qc2 Ncd3 23. Bf3 Kf6 24. Qb3 Bd4 25. Bxf4 gxf4 26. b6 Qc8 27. Rxb7 Rxb7 28. Qb5 Rb8 29. Bc6 Bxb6 30. Qh5 {Sieciechowicz,M (2383)-Subelj,J (2543) Katowice POL 2026 0-1 (54)}) 16. Bg4 $44 {Black is a clear piece up but his position is not easy to play. His king is in jeopardy and the white d6 knight is extremely powerful.} Raf8 {Of course, Black has a lot of defensive ideas which deserve attention, such as, e.g.,} (16... Rhg8 $5 17. Qc2 Nf8) 17. Qc2 Qxd4 $146 {A very unfortunate move clarifying the position in White's favour.} (17... Rhg8 {is an attempt at improvement, successfully applied on the next day in the Honorary Group:} 18. a4 $6 (18. Qg6 {leads nowhere due to} Nc7) ({but something else should be looked for, say,} 18. Rad1 $5) 18... Ba8 (18... Qxd4 {now appears very strong}) 19. Rfe1 Nc7 20. d5 cxd5 21. axb5 a5 22. b3 cxb3 23. Qh7 d4 24. Bh5 Nxb5 25. Nf7 b2 26. Rab1 Nc3 $19 {0-1 Timman,J-Ljubojevic,L/Corus Honorory, Wijk aan Zee NED 2008 (42)}) ({RR} 17... Rhg8 18. Rad1 c5 19. Qg6 Nc7 20. Nxb7 cxd4 21. Qe4 d3 22. Rxd3 cxd3 23. Qb4+ Nc5 24. Nxc5 a5 25. Qa3 Rd8 26. Nb3+ b4 27. Qxa5 Qxa5 28. Nxa5 Rd5 {0-1 (28) Bromberger,S (2510)-Sandipan,C (2585) Zuerich 2009}) ({RR} 17... Rhg8 18. a4 Ba8 19. Rfe1 Nc7 20. d5 cxd5 21. axb5 a5 22. b3 cxb3 23. Qh7 d4 24. Bh5 Nxb5 25. Nf7 b2 26. Rab1 Nc3 27. Nxh6 Rh8 28. Qxg7+ Kd8 29. Nf7+ Kc7 30. Nxh8 Nxb1 31. Ng6 Rd8 32. h4 {Timman,J (2561)-Ljubojevic,L (2543) Wijk aan Zee 2008 0-1 (42)}) 18. Qg6 Qxg4 19. Qxg7+ Kd8 20. Nxb7+ {White has recaptured the piece while keeping up a strong attack.} Kc8 21. a4 $1 b4 22. Rac1 c3 $6 (22... Rfg8 $5 23. Qf7 Rf8 24. Nd6+ Kc7 25. Qg6 Rhg8 26. Qb1 $14) 23. bxc3 b3 $2 (23... Rfg8) 24. c4 $1 Rfg8 25. Nd6+ Kc7 26. Qf7 Rf8 27. cxd5 $2 (27. h3 $1 Rxf7 28. hxg4 {[%CAl Cd5e3,Ce3f1,Od6f7,Rc4d5] was apparently winning at once.}) 27... Rxf7 28. Rxc6+ Kb8 29. Nxf7 Re8 $2 {It is very difficult to defend such a position. Probably} (29... Qe2 $1 {was the solution, e.g.} 30. Rc3 $1 (30. Nxh8 $2 Qxf1+ $1 31. Kxf1 b2) (30. Rb1 $2 Qa2) 30... b2 31. Rb3+ Ka8 32. Nxh8 Nc5 $1 33. Rxb2 (33. Rb4 a5 34. Rb5 Nxa4) (33. Rb5 Nxa4 34. Rxb2 Qxb2 35. dxe6 Qb6 36. e7 Qe6 $13) 33... Qxb2 {and the fight is in full swing.}) 30. Nd6 Rh8 31. Rc4 $1 {White now stops the b3-pawn and his own central pawns decide the game.} Qe2 32. dxe6 Nb6 33. Rb4 Ka8 34. e7 Nd5 35. Rxb3 Nxe7 36. Rfb1 Nd5 37. h3 h5 38. Nf7 Rc8 39. e6 a6 40. Nxg5 h4 41. Bd6 Rg8 42. R3b2 Qd3 43. e7 Nf6 44. Be5 Nd7 45. Ne6 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2008.01.12"] [Round "1"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2799"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "169"] [EventDate "2008.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Stohl,Igor} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 ({RR} 3. Nf3 Nf6 {½-½ (18) Potkin,V (2609)-Motylev,A (2644) Moscow 2008}) 3... Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 12. Nxd7 ({RR} 12. Nxf7 Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne4 Ke7 15. Nd6 Rb8 ({RR} 15... Qb6 16. Bg4 Raf8 17. Qc2 Rhg8 18. Qg6 Nc7 19. Qe4 Ba8 20. f4 Nf6 ({RR} 20... c5 21. Qh7 cxd4 22. fxg5 d3+ 23. Kh1) ({RR} 20... Kd8) 21. exf6+ Bxf6 22. fxg5 ({RR} 22. Rad1) 22... Qxd4+ 23. Kh1) 16. Bg4 c5 17. f4 ({RR} 17. Qc2 Qg8 18. Qg6 Nf8) 17... Ne3 ({RR} 17... cxd4) 18. fxg5 Nxf1 ({RR} 18... Nxd1 19. Rf7#) 19. Qxf1 Qf8 20. Qe2 Bd5 ({RR} 20... cxd4 21. Rf1 Qg8 22. g6 Kd8 23. Qd2) 21. Rf1 Qg8 22. g6 Kd8 23. dxc5 Kc7 24. Rf7 Kc6 25. b4) 12... Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 14. Re1 ({RR} 14. a4 e5 15. Bg4 ({RR} 15. d5 c5 16. b4 Qb6 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. Bxc5 Qxc5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Qa1 O-O 22. Qa5 Rb8 23. Rb1 Bf8 24. Nxb5 f5 25. Qa6 Kh8 26. Nc3 Rxb1+ 27. Nxb1 Qb4 28. Qxa8 Qxb1+ 29. Bf1 Qb4) 15... exd4 16. e5 c5 17. Re1 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 O-O 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne2 f5 21. Bh5 f4 22. b4 cxb3 ({RR} 22... d3 23. bxc5 d2 ({RR} 23... b4 24. Nd4 Qxd4 25. Re7+ Kh8 26. Rxb7 f3 ({RR} 26... Qxc5 27. Qe1) 27. Qe1) 24. Rf1 f3 25. gxf3 Qd3) 23. Qxb3 Qd5 24. Qh3 Bc8 25. Nc3 dxc3 26. Qxc3+ Qd4 27. Qf3 Ra7 28. axb5 Qf6 ({RR} 28... Rf6)) 14... Bf8 {[%mdl 8] This system is examined by GM I.Stohl in CBM 118 (annotations to Iljin-Nepomniachtchi), by GM D.Rogozenko in CBM 120, as well as in annotations to Inarkiev-Aronian in this issue, which I wrote a couple of weeks ago. The opening theory is developing so quickly that they are somewhat out of date already! Particularly, the text move, which I suggested in those annotations, has now undergone a thorough test at the highest level. Sit and enjoy!} ({RR} 14... c5 15. dxc5 Rc8 16. a4 b4 17. c6 Bxc6 18. Nd5 Ne5 ({RR} 18... Bxb2 19. Be7 Qxe7 20. Nxe7 Kxe7 21. Bxc4 Nc5) 19. Be7 Qd7 ({RR} 19... Qa5 20. Bxb4) 20. Nf6+ Kxe7 21. Nxd7 Bxd7 22. Qd2 a5 23. Rad1 Rhd8 24. Qd6+ Ke8 25. Qb6) 15. Bg3 Bg7 16. Bd6 ({RR} 16. e5 c5 ({RR} 16... O-O 17. Bf3 Qe7 ({RR} 17... Qb6) ({RR} 17... Rb8) 18. Ne4 Nb6 ({RR} 18... c5 19. Nxg5) 19. Qe2 Rad8 20. Rad1 Nd5 21. a3 Kh8 22. Qc2 a5 23. h4 Nf4 ({RR} 23... gxh4 24. Nf6 Nxf6 25. Bxh4) 24. hxg5 hxg5 25. Bxf4 gxf4 26. Nc5) 17. d5 O-O 18. Bf3 Ra7 ({RR} 18... exd5 19. Bxd5 ({RR} 19. Nxd5 Re8 20. Nf6+ ({RR} 20. e6 Rxe6 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Nc7 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Ra7 24. Nxe6 Qf6 25. Qd5 Qf7) 20... Bxf6 21. Bxb7 Nxe5 22. Bxa8 Qxa8) 19... Bxd5 20. Qxd5 Qe8 21. Rad1 ({RR} 21. e6 fxe6 22. Rxe6 Qf7) 21... Rd8) ({RR} 18... Qb6 19. d6 ({RR} 19. dxe6 Bxf3 20. exf7+ Rxf7 21. gxf3 Qe6) ({RR} 19. Qc2) 19... Rad8 ({RR} 19... b4 20. Na4 Qb5 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Qc2) 20. Rc1 Bc6) 19. dxe6 ({RR} 19. d6 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 f5 21. exf6 Qxf6 22. Qe2) 19... Bxf3 ({RR} 19... fxe6 20. Bg4 Qe7 21. Qd6 Re8 22. Rad1 Ba8 23. Ne4) 20. exf7+ ({RR} 20. Qxf3 fxe6 21. Qc6 Qb6) 20... Rxf7 21. gxf3 Qe8 ({RR} 21... Rf8 22. Qd5+ Kh8 23. e6 Nb6 24. Qxc5) 22. e6 ({RR} 22. Qd5 Nb6 ({RR} 22... Nf8 23. e6 Rfe7 24. Bd6 Nxe6 25. Bxe7 Rxe7 26. Re4) 23. Qxc5 Qe6 24. a4) 22... Re7 23. Qd5 ({RR} 23. exd7 Raxd7 24. Qc1 Rxe1+ 25. Qxe1 Qxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Rd2 27. Rb1 Kf7 ({RR} 27... b4 28. Na4 c3 29. bxc3 bxc3 30. Nxc5 c2 ({RR} 30... Rxa2) 31. Rb8+ Kf7 32. Nb3 c1=Q+ 33. Nxc1 Rd1+ 34. Kg2 Rxc1 35. Rb7+ Kg8 36. Rb6) ({RR} 27... Bxc3 28. bxc3 Rxa2 ({RR} 28... b4 29. Bc7 a5 ({RR} 29... bxc3 30. Rc1 c2 31. Kg2) 30. Bxa5 Rxa2 31. Bxb4 cxb4 32. Rxb4) 29. Bd6 Rc2 30. Ra1 Rxc3 31. Bxc5)) 23... Nf6 ({RR} 23... Nb6 24. Qf5 ({RR} 24. Qxc5 Rxe6)) 24. Qxc5 Ra8 ({RR} 24... Rab7 25. Rad1 Rxe6 26. Rxe6 Qxe6 27. Rd6) 25. Qf5 ({RR} 25. a4 Rc8 26. Qb4 bxa4 27. Qxa4 Rc6) ({RR} 25. Qb6) 25... Rd8 ({RR} 25... Qc6 26. Rad1) ({RR} 25... b4 26. Ne4 Nxe4 27. Qxe4) 26. Rac1 ({RR} 26. f4 b4 27. fxg5 hxg5 28. Ne4 Nxe4 29. Rxe4 Bxb2 30. Rb1) ({RR} 26. Rad1 Rxd1 27. Nxd1) ({RR} 26. h4 Qc6 27. hxg5 hxg5 28. Qxg5 Rxe6 29. Rxe6 Qxe6 30. a4 b4 31. Ne4) 26... Qc6 27. b3 ({RR} 27. a4) 27... Rde8 28. a4 Rxe6 ({RR} 28... cxb3 29. axb5 Qc4) 29. Rxe6 Qxe6 30. Qxe6+ Rxe6 {Radjabov,T (2751)-Aronian,L (2763) Sofia 2008 CBM 124 [Stohl,Igor] ½-½ (56)}) 16... Bf8 {An early draw?} 17. Bxf8 $146 {Not yet! Black's uncastled king gives White some compensation for the pawn.} Rxf8 $6 {I don't like this move.} (17... Kxf8 $5 {(leaving the line of fire) will probably be tested in future games, e.g.} 18. b3 cxb3 (18... b4 19. Na4 c3 20. d5 {[%CAl Cc6d5,Rd1d4]}) 19. axb3 ({RR} 19. axb3 Kg7) 19... Kg7) ({RR} 17... Kxf8 18. b3 cxb3 19. Qxb3 Kg7 20. a4 Qe7 21. Rad1 b4 22. a5 bxc3 23. Qxb7 Rhb8 24. Qxc6 Rc8 25. Qa4 Nf6) 18. b3 (18. d5 $5 cxd5 19. exd5 Qb6 {[%CAl Ye8c8]}) 18... b4 (18... cxb3 19. axb3 $36) ({RR} 18... cxb3 19. Qxb3 Qb6 20. Red1 ({RR} 20. d5 O-O-O 21. a4) 20... O-O-O 21. a4 Kb8 22. e5 f6 23. exf6 Nxf6 24. Qxe6 Qc7 25. axb5 cxb5 26. Rdc1 Qd6 27. Qa2 Rc8 28. Bxb5 Ng4) 19. Na4 c3 20. a3 a5 21. d5 $5 {A typical breakthrough.} Qe7 (21... cxd5 22. exd5 Bxd5 $2 {loses to} 23. Bb5 {with a deadly pin.}) (21... Qf6 22. Qd3 {and White keeps initiative.}) 22. d6 Qf6 23. e5 $1 Qf4 {The pawn is untouchable as both} (23... Nxe5 24. Nc5) ({and} 23... Qxe5 24. Ba6 Qxe1+ 25. Qxe1 Bxa6 26. axb4 axb4 27. Qe4 {[%CAl Oe4c6,Re4b4] are unsatisfactory for Black.}) 24. Bd3 {[%csl Gd6,Ge5] The white pawn wedge is now extremely strong.} bxa3 {Again Black can't capture the e5-pawn:} (24... Nxe5 25. Re4 Qf6 26. axb4 $16) ({The attempts to free his b7 bishop also fail:} 24... c5 $2 25. Bb5 {or}) (24... Ba6 25. Bxa6 Rxa6 26. axb4 axb4 27. Qe2 Nb8 (27... Ra8 28. Nxc3 $1) 28. d7+ $1 Kd8 29. Rad1 {[%CAl Ca6a7,Cb8d7,Ya4c5,Yg2g3] with a deadly attack for White.}) 25. Qe2 $1 {It's time now to protect the pawn, simultaneously preventing ...?b7-a6.} (25. Rxa3 Nxe5 {is now less clear, e.g.} 26. Re4 (26. Nc5 Ng4 $1) 26... Qd2 $1 $13) 25... Qd2 {Black decides to simplify the game at any cost.} (25... O-O-O 26. Nxc3 f6 {looks quite desperate. White can continue} 27. Bc4 $1 (27. Ne4 $143 Qxe5 $1) 27... Nxe5 (27... Qxe5 28. Qd2) 28. Ne4 $1 Kb8 29. Rxa3 f5 30. Nc5 Ng4 31. g3 Qxd6 32. Rxa5 Qd2 33. Rea1 {with a strong attack.}) 26. Rxa3 Qxe2 (26... f6 $5) 27. Rxe2 g4 $6 {This attempt to activate the f8-rook is probably too slow.} (27... Ba6 $5 {was probably better:} 28. Bxa6 c2 $1 29. Rxc2 Rxa6 $14 {[%CAl Od7e5,Ca4c5,Cc5a6,Yf7f6]}) 28. Nxc3 Rg8 29. Ne4 Kd8 30. Nd2 c5 (30... Rg5 31. f4 gxf3 32. Nxf3 $16) 31. Bb5 $1 Bd5 32. Nc4 Rg5 33. Rea2 {The e5-pawn has played its part. It's now time for the invasion!} Nxe5 (33... Bxc4 34. bxc4 Rxe5 35. Kf1 $18 {[%CAl Ya5a8,Oa3a5,Ce5h5,Ch5h2,Ya5a7]}) (33... Rb8 34. Rxa5 {and Black is nearly in zugzwang!}) 34. Nb6 $1 Rb8 35. Rxa5 {[%CAl Rb6d5,Ra5a8]} Be4 36. Ra7 f6 37. R2a6 {Missing a forced win but keeping a decisive advantage anyway:} (37. Nd7 $1 Rxb5 38. Nxf6 {[%CAl Ce5c6,Cc6a7,Ra7a8,Ra7e7]} Nc6 39. Rf7 Kc8 40. Nxe4) 37... Rg8 38. Rc7 (38. Ba4 $5 {[%CAl Yb6d7]}) 38... Rf8 39. Rxc5 Rf7 40. d7 Nxd7 41. Nxd7 Rxd7 42. Bxd7 Kxd7 {Slowly but surely White brings home his material advantage:} 43. Rc3 f5 44. Ra7+ Kd6 45. Rh7 Bd5 46. Rxh6 Bxb3 47. h3 gxh3 48. Rhxh3 Bd5 49. Rc2 Ke5 50. f3 Kf6 51. Kf2 Rb4 52. Re2 Kg6 53. Kg3 Ra4 54. Rh4 Ra7 55. Rb2 Kf6 56. Rhb4 Ke5 57. Re2+ Kf6 58. Rd2 Ke5 59. Re2+ Kf6 60. Kf4 Ra3 61. Rd2 Ra5 62. Re2 Ra3 63. Kg3 Ra8 64. Rc2 Ke5 65. Rh4 Rg8+ 66. Kh2 Ra8 67. Re2+ Kf6 68. f4 Ke7 69. Rh7+ Kd6 70. Kg3 Rg8+ 71. Kh3 Rg4 72. g3 Rg8 73. Rd2 Rc8 74. Kh4 Rc3 75. Rg7 Ra3 76. Rc2 Bc6 77. Rc1 Rb3 78. Rg1 Bd5 79. Kg5 Kc5 80. Kf6 Kd4 81. Re1 Rb6 82. Rd7 Rc6 83. Ke7 Ra6 84. Rd6 Ra7+ 85. Kf6 {[%CAl Cd4c5,Cc5d6,Re1e6]} 1-0 [Event "Grand Slam Final 2nd"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2009.09.06"] [Round "1"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2009.09.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 132"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Be2 Nbd7 12. Bxg4 {This rare continuation was examined in CBM 119, annotations to Gelfand - Kasimdzhanov.} Rg8 13. Nxd7 (13. Bf3 $2 Rxg3 $1 14. fxg3 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 $17 {e.g.} 16. O-O Nxe5 17. Bh5 Bc5+ 18. Kh1 Qxd1 19. Raxd1 Ke7 20. Bxf7 Nxf7 21. Rxf7+ Kxf7 22. Rd7+ Kf6 23. Rxb7 Ke5 24. Rc7 Kd6 25. Rh7 Bd4 26. Rxh6 Rf8 {0-1 Borovikov,V (2472)-Shalimov,V (2400)/Alushta 2000/EXT 2001 (36)}) 13... Qxd7 14. Bf3 O-O-O (14... Bb4 $5 15. O-O O-O-O 16. e5 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nd5 18. Qd2 Ne7 19. Qxh6 c5 20. d5 $6 (20. Qf4 $142) 20... Bxd5 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. Qc1 Qc6 23. Kh2 Rg7 24. Re1 Rdg8 25. Qc2 Kb7 26. a4 $6 b4 $17 {0-1 Fridman,D (2635)-Stripunsky,A (2569)/Philadelphia 2007/CBM 119 ext (32)}) 15. Qd2 $1 {A strong new idea.} ({A new example of} 15. a4 {showing that it also deserves attention:} a6 16. Be5 Ne8 17. axb5 cxb5 18. d5 Qe7 19. Qe2 Bg7 20. Bg3 Bd4 21. O-O-O Bxc3 ({Black didn't like} 21... Qc5 {- perhaps because of} 22. Qd2 $5 (22. dxe6 fxe6 23. Bg4 Nc7 24. Nd5 Bxd5 25. exd5 Bxb2+ $1 26. Kxb2 Qb4+ 27. Kc2 Qa4+ $1 28. Kc1 Qa1+ 29. Kc2 Qa2+ $11 30. Kc1 Qa1+ {½-½ Ivanov,S-Shalimov,V/Saint Petersburg 80/448 2000/Inf 80/[Ivanov,Se]})) 22. bxc3 Qa3+ 23. Qb2 Qxb2+ 24. Kxb2 exd5 25. exd5 Nf6 26. Rhe1 Bxd5 27. Re7 Bxf3 28. Rc7+ Kb8 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. Rxf7+ Kc8 31. Rc7+ Kb8 32. gxf3 $16 {1-0 Lehnhoff,H-Howes,T/LSS 2007/Telechess CBM 129 (36)}) (15. Bf4 $143 a6 16. a4 Bb4 17. e5 c5 $1 18. exf6 cxd4 19. axb5 Qxb5 20. Qc2 $1 Bxf3 21. gxf3 dxc3 22. bxc3 Qf5 $1 23. Qxf5 Bxc3+ 24. Ke2 exf5 $15 {1/2 Gelfand,B (2733)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2677)/Elista 2007/CBM 119/[Krasenkow] (38)}) 15... Rxg3 {[%mdl 512] Here, too, Black sacrifices the exchange. The difference from the 13.?f3 line is that his king is far away from the kingside, where White can create a passed pawn or attack Black's f7 pawn.} (15... Qxd4 $4 {doesn't work, of course, due to} 16. Qxd4 Rxd4 17. Be5) 16. fxg3 e5 $146 {Hardly a successful novelty but} (16... Qxd4 17. Qxd4 Rxd4 18. Rd1 $1 {demonstrates the drawbacks of the position of the black king:} Rxd1+ (18... Bc5 19. g4 $5 {[%csl Gg4,Gh4]}) 19. Kxd1 Nd7 (19... Kd8 $2 20. e5 {[%CAl Rc3b5]}) 20. Bh5 $1 f6 21. Bf7 Nc5 22. Rf1 Bg7 23. Ne2 Kd7 24. Nf4 Ke7 25. Bg8 {[%CAl Re4e5,Rf4g6]} e5 26. Nh5 Bh8 27. Bh7 b4 28. g4 Ba6 29. Rh1 Bb5 30. Ng3 Kf8 31. g5 hxg5 32. hxg5 Nd3 33. Kc2 fxg5 34. Bg6 Bg7 35. Nf5 $16 {1-0 Tacke,R (1787)-Parushev,A (2357)/ICCF WS 2007/ICCF CBM 130 (55)}) 17. O-O-O Qxd4 $146 (17... exd4 $6 18. Qf4 $1 Qe6 19. e5 dxc3 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. Qxf6+ Qxf6 22. exf6 cxb2+ 23. Kxb2 $16 {S.Zagrebelny}) ({RR} 17... exd4 18. Qf4 Qe7 19. e5 Nd7 20. Rxd4 Nxe5 21. Bg4+ Kc7 22. Rxd8 Kxd8 23. Rd1+ Ke8 24. Ne4 Bg7 25. Nd6+ Kf8 26. Nf5 Qf6 27. Qxe5 Qxe5 28. Rd8+ Qe8 29. Rxe8+ Kxe8 30. Nxg7+ Ke7 31. Nf5+ Kf6 32. Nxh6 {Basso,P (2550)-Bharath,S (2426) Belgrade 2021 1-0 (47)}) ({RR} 17... exd4 18. Qf4 Qe7 19. e5 Nd7 20. Rxd4 Nxe5 21. Bg4+ Kc7 22. Rxd8 Kxd8 23. Rd1+ Ke8 24. Ne4 Bg7 25. Nd6+ Kf8 26. Nf5 Qf6 27. Qxe5 Qxe5 28. Rd8+ Qe8 29. Rxe8+ Kxe8 30. Nxg7+ Ke7 31. Nf5+ Kf6 32. Nxh6 {Basso,P (2550)-Bharath,S (2426) Belgrade 2021 1-0 (47)}) 18. g4 {[%csl Gg4,Gh4]} (18. Qxd4 Rxd4 $1 (18... exd4 19. e5 dxc3 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. exf6 {-17...exd4}) 19. g4 $1 {deserved attention, too}) (18. Qe2 {was possible, of course, but White has no reason to avoid the exchange of queens.}) 18... Nd7 $1 {The right course. Black sacrifices a pawn to obtain the e5-square. Although his compensation will hardly be fully sufficient for a pure exchange, he has no better option.} 19. Qxd4 exd4 20. Rxd4 Bg7 (20... Bc5 $5 21. Rdd1 Rh8 {S.Zagrebelny}) 21. Rdd1 Rg8 22. g5 Ne5 23. gxh6 Bxh6+ 24. Kb1 b4 25. Ne2 (25. Na4 Kc7 26. Nc5 $6 Bc8 {[%CAl Rc7b6] S.Zagrebelny}) 25... c5 26. Rd6 Bg7 27. Rhd1 (27. h5 Kc7 28. Rhd1 Nd3 29. R6xd3 cxd3 30. Nf4 (30. Rxd3 Be5 $44) 30... Ba6 31. Nxd3 Bxd3+ 32. Rxd3 Rd8 $5 {as the endgame with opposite-coloured bishops should be drawn.}) 27... Kc7 (27... Nd3 $5 28. b3 Kc7 {with a similar position to the 27.h5 line.}) 28. Nf4 Rh8 29. h5 Bc6 (29... c3 $5 $132) 30. R6d2 Bh6 $2 (30... c3 $1 {(indicated by GM S.Zagrebelny in his online commentary) was still necessary to create counterplay. After the text move (very natural but in fact passive!) White successfully regroups his pieces and invades along the crucial f-file.}) 31. Nd5+ Kb8 32. Rf2 Ba4 33. Rdf1 (33. Rh1 $142 $1) 33... Nd3 34. Re2 Ne5 35. Rh1 $1 a5 36. Rf2 $1 Bd7 (36... Nd3 37. Rff1) 37. Be2 $1 Be6 38. Nf4 Bc8 39. Rd1 $1 {The threats along the d-file deflect Black's pieces from the f-file.} Bb7 (39... Rg8 $142 40. Rd6 $1 (40. Rd5 Ng4) 40... Bxf4 41. Rxf4 Rxg2 42. Rd5 Rxe2 43. Rxe5 Be6 44. Rxc5 $18) 40. Nd5 $1 Re8 {Black has no way to prevent the invasion:} (40... Bg7 41. g4 {[%CAl Rg4g5]}) (40... Bg5 41. Rf5) 41. Rf6 $1 Re6 (41... Bg5 42. Rb6 {[%CAl Rb6b5]}) 42. Rdf1 Bg7 43. R6f5 $5 (43. Rxe6 fxe6 44. Nf6 {was quite possible, too, but White was probably afraid of some technical problems after} Bc6 45. g4 Bh6 {He prefers a more direct way. After the text move his g-pawn goes forward.}) 43... Nd3 $6 {Giving up evrything, but Black has no hope anyway:} (43... Re8 44. g4 Bc8 45. R5f4 Bh6 46. Rf6 Re6 47. R1f5 Bg7 48. Rxe6 fxe6 49. Rg5 $18 {S.Zagrebelny}) 44. Rxf7 Bd4 45. Rd7 $1 {[%CAl Rf1f8]} Re8 46. Rff7 Bc6 47. Rde7 Rd8 48. b3 Ne5 49. Rf5 cxb3 50. Rfxe5 bxa2+ 51. Kxa2 Rf8 52. R5e6 1-0 [Event "Jermuk FIDE GP"] [Site "Jermuk"] [Date "2009.08.15"] [Round "6"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2755"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "155"] [EventDate "2009.08.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ARM"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 132"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Berkes/Meszaros} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. e4 {This move is absolutely harmless.} (11. Qc2 {was examined in CBM 122 (Mamedyarov-Ivanchuk) and CBM 128 (Bu Xiangzhi-Topalov).}) (11. Rc1) (11. b4) 11... e5 $1 {A typical and strong response.} 12. d5 Nb6 13. Bb3 Bg4 14. Rc1 (14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Qxf3 16. gxf3 Ke7 17. dxc6 bxc6 {[%csl Ra7,Rc6,Rf2,Rf3,Rh3] In view of White's weaknesses on the kingside, this splitting up of the pawns is of absolutely no importance. Angesicht der weißen Schwächen am Königsflügel spielt diese Zersplitterung der Bauern keine Rolle.} 18. Rfc1 Rhd8 19. Nd1 Rd6 20. Rc3 a5 21. Ne3 h5 $11 {1/2 Khalifman,A (2650)-Akopian,V (2620)/Yerevan 1996/CBM 053/[Lutz] (38)}) 14... O-O (14... Rd8 $5 {is apparently a simpler way to equality:} 15. h3 (15. Re1 h5 16. Qe2 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Qxf3 18. gxf3 Bh6 19. Rc2 O-O 20. Rd1 Kg7 21. a4 a5 $11 {1/2 Grkinic,G-Van Bommel,T/IECG 2001/Telechess CBM 95 (52)}) 15... Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxf3 17. gxf3 cxd5 (17... Ke7 18. Rfd1 Rhf8 19. a4 a5 20. Kg2 Rd6 $11 {0-1 Zhang Pengxiang (2567)-Negri,S/Dos Hermanas (Internet) 2004/CBM 099 ext (60)}) 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Bxd5 Rd7 20. a4 Ke7 21. a5 Bf6 22. Rfd1 Rb8 23. Rd3 Kd8 24. Rdc3 Be7 25. Rc4 Bd6 $11 {1/2 Alekseev,E (2714)-Leko,P (2756)/Jermuk ARM 2009/The Week in Chess 771 (36)}) (14... h5 {may be just a loss of time after} 15. Na4 $1 (15. h3 Bh6 16. Rc2 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Qxf3 18. gxf3 Rc8 19. Rd1 Ke7 20. dxc6 Rxc6 $11 {1/2 Anand,V (2783)-Leko,P (2751)/Miskolc HUN 2009/The Week in Chess 761 (27)}) 15... Rc8 16. Rc3 Nxa4 17. Bxa4 $14 b5 $2 18. Rxc6 $1 Rxc6 19. Bxb5 $18 {1-0 Edouard,R (2597)-Fressinet,L (2667)/Nimes FRA 2009/The Week in Chess 771 (67)}) 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxf3 17. gxf3 {The black king is now far away from the centre, which gives White a small benefit (of course, insufficient for a real advantage).} Rfd8 (17... Rfc8 18. dxc6 bxc6 19. Na4 Rc7 20. Rfd1 Bf8 21. Nc5 $14 a5 22. Rd3 (22. Na4 Nxa4 23. Bxa4 Rac8 24. Rc4 Be7 25. Bb3 Kf8 26. Kg2 Rb8 27. Kg3 Bg5 28. Rd3 Ke7 29. Kg2 Bf4 30. Rdc3 Kd6 31. Rd3+ Ke7 32. Rc2 Rb4 33. Rdc3 Kd6 34. Bd5 c5 35. Bc4 $14 {1-0 Dokhoian,Y (2550)-Kuczynski,R (2520)/Germany 1993/GER-chT (75)}) 22... Kg7 23. Kf1 Be7 24. Rdc3 Bd6 25. Bd1 Kf8 26. Be2 Ke7 27. Na6 Rcc8 28. Rxc6 $16 {1/2 Arutinian,D (2548)-Ter Sahakyan,S (2486)/Gyumri ARM 2009/The Week in Chess 760 (43)}) ({RR} 17... Rfc8 18. dxc6 Rxc6 19. Nd5 Bf8 20. Nxb6 ({RR} 20. Rxc6 bxc6 21. Ne3 a5 22. Rc1 a4 23. Bc4 h5 24. Be2 c5 25. a3 Rd8 26. Rc2 Be7 27. Kf1 Rd4) 20... axb6 21. Bd5 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Bc5 23. Kf1 Kf8 ({RR} 23... Rd8 24. a3 Rd7 25. b4 Bd4 26. Rc8+ Kg7 27. a4 Kf6) ({RR} 23... Kg7 24. a3 Ra7 25. Ke2 Kf6 26. Rc4 h5 27. a4) 24. a3 Rb8 25. Ke2 Ke7 26. b4 Bd6 27. Rc3 f5 28. Kd3 f4 ({RR} 28... fxe4+ 29. Bxe4 g5 30. Kc2 Ke6 31. Kb3) 29. Kc2 Kd7 30. Kb3 b5 31. Bf7 g5 32. Bh5 {Leko,P (2734)-Gelfand,B (2739) Miskolc 2010 CBM 138 Extra [Berkes/Meszaros] ½-½ (56)}) 18. dxc6 (18. Rfd1 Bf6 19. dxc6 bxc6 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Nd1 Rd6 22. Rc5 Kf8 23. Kf1 h5 (23... Be7 $1 24. Ra5 (24. Rxe5 c5 {[%csl Re5]}) 24... Rd7 25. Ne3 (25. a3 Rb7 $1) 25... Bb4 $132) 24. Ne3 Ke7 25. Ke2 Bg7 26. Nc2 $14 {1-0 Carlsen,M (2776)-Karjakin,S (2706)/Nice FRA 2009/CBM 128 Extra (62)}) 18... bxc6 19. Nd1 $146 ({RR} 19. Na4 Rac8 20. Rfd1 Rd4 21. Nc5 Bf8 22. Nd3 Bd6 23. f4 exf4 24. e5 Be7 25. e6 f6 26. a4 Kg7 27. a5 Nd5 28. Bxd5 Rxd5 29. Nxf4 Rxd1+ 30. Rxd1 Rd8 31. Rc1 Rd6 32. Kg2 f5 33. b4 g5 {Garcia Roman,D (2390)-Moreno Trujillo,A (2525) Linares 2014 0-1 (54)}) ({RR} 19. Na4 Rac8 20. Nc5 Rd4 21. Rc2 a5 22. a3 Nd7 23. Nxd7 Rxd7 24. Bd5 Rdc7 25. Rfc1 c5 26. b4 axb4 27. axb4 Bf8 28. b5 Rb8 29. Rb1 Rb6 30. Kf1 Ra7 31. Ra2 Rxa2 32. Bxa2 Bd6 33. Bc4 Kg7 {Stojanovski,S (2275)-Ulrich,T (2026) Copenhagen 2014 ½-½ (41)}) 19... Rac8 20. Rc5 Bf8 21. Rc2 h5 22. Ne3 Rd4 23. Rfc1 c5 24. Kf1 Rcd8 25. Ke2 Be7 26. Rg1 Kf8 27. Bc4 Rb8 28. Ra1 Rbd8 29. Ke1 Bg5 30. Be2 Be7 31. Rac1 Ra4 32. a3 Rad4 33. Rc3 Kg7 34. Rb3 Rf8 35. Rb5 Rd7 36. Ra5 Rb8 37. Rc2 Rdb7 $6 {A wrong plan as Black will be unable to get to the b2- pawn this way. It was better to stay on the d-file, ready to play ...?Rd7-d4:} (37... Rbd8 38. Bb5 Rc7 39. a4 Rd4 40. Ra6 Rb4 $132) 38. Ba6 Rd7 39. Bb5 Rdb7 40. a4 Nd7 $2 (40... Rd8 $1 41. Ra6 Rd4 {was now necessary, e.g.} 42. a5 Nd7 43. Bc6 (43. Bxd7 Rbxd7 44. Nc4 f6) 43... Rc7 44. Nd5 $140 Rxd5 $1 45. exd5 Nb8) 41. Nc4 (41. Bc6 $5 Rc7 42. Nd5 $1 Rxc6 43. Rxa7 $1 Bd8 $1 44. Rxd7 Ra6 45. b3 $1 Raa8 $1 {[%CAl Rb8b3]} (45... Ba5+ 46. Ke2 Rxb3 47. Rxc5) 46. f4 $1 exf4 47. Nxf4 Ba5+ 48. Kf1 Rxb3 49. Rxc5 $16) 41... Nf8 $6 (41... f6 $142 {keeping the material balance but weakening the light squares} 42. Ra6 $16) 42. Nxe5 Ne6 43. Nc6 Ra8 44. Bc4 $16 {Of course, White has some technical problems but a pawn is a pawn.} Nf4 45. Bd5 Re8 (45... Bf6 $142 46. Nb4 $1 (46. Nd8 $4 Bxd8) 46... Nxd5 47. Nxd5 Bxb2 48. Raxc5 $16) 46. Rxa7 Rxa7 47. Nxa7 {White's a4 pawn must now decide the game but...} Nxh3 48. Nc6 Nf4 49. Nxe7 $2 {This exchange of a strong knight for a passive bishop gives the win away.} (49. Bc4 h4 50. Kf1 h3 51. Kg1 Bf6 52. a5 Rc8 53. Bd5 $18) 49... Rxe7 50. Kf1 (50. Bc4 f5 51. a5 fxe4 52. fxe4 Rxe4+ 53. Kf1 $14) 50... Nxd5 51. exd5 {[%mdl 4096]} Ra7 52. b3 Rb7 $1 {Black has unexpectedly created counterplay.} 53. d6 (53. Rc3 Kf6) 53... Rxb3 $2 {An "obvious" move and a decisive mistake! Black's rook now gets overloaded. He should have urgently brought his king to hold White's d-pawn:} (53... Kf6 $1 54. Rxc5 Rxb3 $11 55. Rd5 $140 Rb8 56. a5 Ke6) 54. Rd2 $1 Rb8 55. d7 Rd8 56. a5 c4 $8 57. Rd4 c3 58. Ke2 h4 $8 59. Kd3 h3 60. Kxc3 g5 61. Rd1 h2 62. Rh1 Rxd7 63. Rxh2 {White has finally kept his extra passed pawn and wins relatively easily.} Rd1 64. Rg2 Kh6 65. Rg4 Ra1 66. Kb4 f5 67. Rc4 Ra2 {A usual defence: Black is trying to win something on the kingside, then (when forced) give up his rook for White's passed pawn, and achieve a draw in the "rook vs. pawns" ending; however, he lacks just one tempo to complete this plan!} 68. Kb5 Rxf2 69. a6 Re2 70. a7 Re8 71. Ra4 Ra8 72. Kb6 Kh5 73. Kb7 Rxa7+ 74. Rxa7 $1 (74. Kxa7 $2 {gives Black the crucial tempo as the white king is a move farther from the kingside:} g4 75. fxg4+ (75. Kb6 g3 $1 76. Kc5 Kg5 $1 {preparing to shoulder off the white king} 77. Kd4 $140 Kf4 $11) 75... fxg4 76. Kb6 g3 77. Kc5 g2 78. Ra1 Kg4 79. Kd4 Kf3 $11) 74... g4 75. fxg4+ fxg4 76. Kc6 Kg5 77. Rf7 {This "nicety" was unnecessary:} (77. Kd5 Kf4 78. Kd4 Kf3 79. Kd3 g3 80. Rf7+ $18) 77... g3 78. Kd5 (78. Kd5 Kg4 79. Ke4 $18) 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Berlin"] [Date "2018.03.14"] [Round "4"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Roiz,Michael"] [PlyCount "102"] [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. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 {The Chinese grandmaster is considered a great KID player, but in recent years he switched to the solid openings.} 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {Alexander opts for the most aggressive continuation, which is mostly connected with a pawn sacrifice.} dxc4 {Ding Liren accepts the challenge.} (6... Be7 {is possible, but somewhat passive.}) 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 {The most common. The fianchetto makes Black's setup more solid, since the kingside pawn structure was seriously exposed by the g7-g5 advance.} (11... h5 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 {is another well-explored line.}) 12. Nxf7 {Again, the most aggressive!} (12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bd6 {was extremely popular 10 years ago, but Black usually does well here.}) 12... Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne4 Qb6 15. Nd6+ Ke7 16. a4 $5 $146 {As was admitted by GM Grischuk after the game, this new idea was suggested by AlphaZero. Of course, this position was deeply explored by Alexander and his team during the preparation.} (16. Bg4 {is what was almost automatically played before. The most memorable encounter saw} Raf8 ({Since then Black has managed to find a convincing way of neutralising White's initiative:} 16... h5 $1 17. Bxh5 Raf8 18. Qg4 Bh6 19. h4 {was seen in Shirov,A - Karjakin,S Foros 2008} {Now the strong} c5 $1 {would have put White in serious danger. For instance,} 20. hxg5 Bg7 21. g6 N7f6 22. Bh4 Qxd6 $1 23. exd6+ Kd7 {and White is absolutely lost!}) 17. Qc2 Qxd4 $2 18. Qg6 Qxg4 19. Qxg7+ Kd8 20. Nxb7+ Kc8 21. a4 {Black was crushed in Topalov,V - Kramnik,V Wijk aan Zee 2008 CBM 122 [Krasenkow,M]}) 16... Raf8 ({In comparison to above-mentioned note, after} 16... a6 $2 17. Bg4 h5 18. Bxh5 Raf8 19. Qg4 Bh6 20. h4 c5 21. axb5 axb5 22. hxg5 Bg7 23. g6 N7f6 24. Bh4 Qxd6 25. exd6+ Kd7 26. Qd1 Nxh5 27. Ra7 {White is just winng due to the penetration along the a-file.}) ({The typical break} 16... c5 $5 {looks scary to a human eye, but might be playable:} 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. axb5 Rhd8 19. Bxc4 (19. Qc2 Nf4 20. Bxf4 gxf4 21. Rad1 Kf8 22. Qg6 Qc7 23. Bxc4 Bxe5 $13) 19... Nf4 20. Bxf4 gxf4 21. Qh5 Rxd6 22. Qh4+ Kd7 23. exd6 Qxd6 24. Rfd1 Bd4 $13 {The resulting complex position contains danger for both sides.}) 17. Bf3 $1 {A very clever approach - White is going to eliminate the strong ?d5. Moreover, the subsequent static pawn structure makes it very difficult for Black to activate his pieces.} a6 18. Bxd5 cxd5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Kh1 $1 {An important prophylactic move.} (20. f4 $2 {is premature:} gxf4 21. Bh4+ Bf6 $19) 20... Bc6 $146 ({RR} 20... h5 21. f4 b4 22. fxg5 h4 23. Rxf8 Rxf8 24. Bxh4 Nxe5 25. dxe5 Bxe5 26. Nxb7 Qxb7 27. Qe2 Bd4 28. g6+ Kd7 29. Rd1 Rf4 30. Bg5 Rf2 31. Qg4 Bxb2 32. Be3 Rf8 33. Qxc4 Bc3 34. Qd3 Kc6 35. Bh6 {Erenberg,A (2409)-Antova,G (2263) Caleta 2019 1-0 (53)}) 21. f4 gxf4 $4 ({GM Ding Liren had to play} 21... h5 $1 22. f5 {The most ambitious.} ({it is also to maintain the tension by means of} 22. Be1 $5 b4 23. Bd2 $13 {but then play would be less forced.}) 22... h4 23. Bf2 h3 $1 {reminding White of his own king.} ({The natural} 23... exf5 $6 {runs into} 24. Qc2 $1 Kd8 25. Nxf5 Rhg8 26. e6 $40 {with a powerful attack.}) 24. g4 Nxe5 $1 25. Qe2 $1 (25. dxe5 $2 d4+ 26. Kg1 Bxe5 $19) 25... Kd8 26. dxe5 d4+ 27. Kg1 Qc5 28. Bg3 Kc7 $132 {This might lead to an extremely sharp situation, where both kings are in big danger.}) 22. Rxf4 $4 {Returning the favour!} (22. Bh4+ Bf6 23. Qg4 $1 {would win on the spot:} Qxd4 24. Bxf6+ Rxf6 25. Qg7+ Kd8 26. exf6 Qxf6 27. Qxf6+ Nxf6 28. Nf7+ Kc7 29. Nxh8 $18 {with a decisive material advantage. Instead, Alexander's move invites serious troubles.}) 22... Rxf4 23. Bxf4 Kd8 $2 {The position is extremely sharp, so both players commit lots of mistakes.} ({A much better move was} 23... Rf8 $1 24. Bg3 Kd8 25. Qg4 b4 26. Qxg7 Qxd4 $17 {Black's queenside passers put White in big danger.}) 24. Qg4 $6 ({Possibly, Alexander rejected the obvious} 24. Nf7+ Kc7 25. Nxh8 Bxh8 26. Bxh6 {in view of} Bxe5 27. dxe5 d4 {and the central passers look threatening. However, after} 28. Qg1 Qc5 29. Rd1 d3 30. Bf4 $14 {White would be able to deal with them.}) 24... Rf8 25. Bd2 Kc7 26. h3 $2 ({The correct way was} 26. Ne8+ $1 Rxe8 27. Ba5 Qxa5 28. Rxa5 Re7 29. Qg3 b4 {In the resulting unbalanced situation White's chances are not worse.}) 26... b4 $1 27. Qxg7 Qxd4 28. Bxb4 Qxb2 {White has regained the piece, but now Black's king is relatively safe, whereas the passers are very powerful.} 29. Ba5+ Kb8 30. Rg1 c3 31. Qe7 $6 {Another inaccuracy.} (31. Qg6 $142 c2 32. Bd2 Qxe5 33. Nf7 Rxf7 34. Qxf7 Qe4 {Black is better, but the exposed ?b8 offers White excellent drawing chances.}) 31... c2 $2 {A consistent, but wrong continuation.} ({A much stronger one was} 31... Qa3 $1 32. Bc7+ (32. Bxc3 Qxc3 33. Rb1+ Ka7 34. Qxe6 Qxe5 35. Qxh6 Rb8 $19) 32... Ka8 33. Qxe6 c2 34. Qxh6 d4 35. Nf5 Qc3 36. Ba5 Qc4 {and Black's passers should decide the game.}) 32. Bd2 {The bishop joins the defence in time.} Qxe5 33. Bxh6 Rg8 $1 {The best practical try} ({Nothing is achieved by} 33... Qf6 34. Bxf8 Qxf8 35. Qxe6 Qf4 36. Qe7 $1 c1=Q 37. Qd8+ Ka7 38. Qa5+ Kb8 39. Qd8+ $11) 34. Nf7 Qc3 ({Possibly, a better try was} 34... Qf6 $5 35. Qd6+ Kb7 36. Qb4+ Nb6 37. Nd6+ Kc7 38. Qc5 Nc4 39. Nxc4 dxc4 40. Qa5+ Kd7 41. Qa7+ Ke8 42. Qb8+ Qd8 43. Qe5 $15 {even though the vulnerablity of ?e8 hardly leaves Black real winning chances.}) 35. Qd6+ Kb7 36. Qxe6 d4 37. Nd6+ Kb6 38. Ne4 $1 {It's important to cover the long diagonal.} (38. Qxg8 $4 Qxh3#) 38... Nc5 39. Qxg8 Nxe4 40. Kh2 ({Another possibility was} 40. Qb8+ Kc5 41. Rc1 d3 42. Be3+ Kc4 43. Qb6 $11) 40... d3 41. Be3+ Kb5 42. Qb8+ Kc4 43. Qc7 Qf6 44. Rf1 $1 {The only, but sufficient way.} Qd6+ 45. Qxd6 Nxd6 46. Rf6 $1 {Alexander correctly eliminates the knight in order to set up a blockade.} Kd5 47. Rxd6+ Kxd6 48. Kg3 $11 Kd5 49. Kf2 Kc4 50. Bd2 Kb3 51. Ke3 Bxg2 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.24"] [Round "10"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,Dorian"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] {At the moment when this game was played Anand was leading the tournament with 6 points out of 9, a full point ahead of Gelfand and 1,5 points ahead of Kramnik. It was clear that this encounter represented practically Kramnik's last chance to fight for maintaining his World Champion title.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {This aggressive set-up represents White's most ambitious attempt to meet the Semi-Slav. Its drawback is that unfortunately there is no clear way for advantage here: everywhere Black keeps counterplay. Kramnik prepared a novelty for this highly important game, but it didn't shake Anand's preparation: the position remained very complex.} dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O ({For almost a decade Khalifman's} 10. h4 {has been en vogue, but lately White often returns to the "old" 10.0-0. Although in my opinion 10.h4 still remains White's most principled move, in the latest games Black achieved good results after} g4 11. Ne5 Nbd7 $13) 10... Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 {Anand is confident and plays the main line, which he used before as well.} ({In round 7 (four days previous to the present game) Gelfand played against Kramnik} 11... h5 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 {and now instead of the commonly established 13.?e5 ?h1 14.?c1 the World Champion produced a novelty, playing immediately} 13. Qc1 {which after} Rg8 14. Rd1 Bb4 15. Qe3 Qe7 {Kramnik-Gelfand, Mexico City Wch 2007 (40) led to a position where the Israeli GM had to show all his creativity in order to escape with a draw.}) 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 14. Bh5 ({Anand already faced in practice} 14. a4 {which after} e5 15. Bg4 exd4 16. e5 c5 $1 {is established as good for Black.}) 14... Bf8 15. Bxf8 Rxf8 16. e5 Qb6 17. b3 $146 {A logical novelty: anticipating opponent's long castling White starts to open the queenside. Actually we are witnessing the amazing homework of the world's best players. Kramnik's second in Mexico Van Wely played this position with Black and might have felt that 17.b3 is the right direction for White. On the other hand, Anand's second P-H Nielsen is also a specialist of this opening line and (as revealed by Anand) during their preparation process the Danish GM pointed out the move 17.b3. So Anand was well prepared to meet it and continued to play very quickly.} (17. Ne4 O-O-O 18. Nd6+ Kb8 19. Nxf7 (19. b3 f6 20. bxc4 fxe5 $13 {½-½ Ernst,S (2504)-Van Wely,L (2675)/Netherlands 2006 (51)}) 19... Rxf7 20. Bxf7 Nxe5 21. Qh5 Rxd4 22. Bxe6 c5 $36 {0-1 Radjabov,T (2728)-Anand,V (2779)/Mainz (rapid) 2006 (36)}) 17... O-O-O $5 {An immediate answer by Anand, which probably came as an unpleasant surprise for Kramnik.} ({During their analysis both opponents must have concluded that} 17... c5 {is dangerous for Black. In fact the advance of the c-pawn is the most natural reaction and possibly Kramnik paid more attention to 17...c5 than to 17...0-0-0.}) 18. bxc4 Nxe5 19. c5 Qa5 $1 {In connection with the next move, an interesting exchange sacrifice.} (19... Qc7 20. a4 $44) 20. Ne4 Qb4 $146 (20... Nc4 {keeps the extra pawn, but due to the passive bishop on b7 and potentially weak black king White has compensation.}) ({RR} 20... Nc4 21. Be2 f5 22. Bxc4 fxe4 23. Bxe6+ Kb8 24. Re1 Qc3 25. Rxe4 Rf4 26. Rxf4 gxf4 27. Rc1 Rxd4 28. Qe1 Qxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Bc8 30. Bf7 Rd7 31. Be8 Rd2 32. Bxc6 Rxa2 33. Be4 b4 34. g3 fxg3 35. hxg3 {Alonso Rosell,A (2377)-Alsina Leal,D (2483) Barcelona 2008 0-1 (44)}) ({RR} 20... Nc4 21. Be2 f5 22. Bxc4 fxe4 23. Bxe6+ Kb8 24. Re1 Qc3 25. Rxe4 Qb2 26. f3 Rf4 27. Qc1 Qxc1+ 28. Rxc1 Rxd4 29. Rxf4 gxf4 30. g4 fxg3 {½-½ (30) Eljanov,P (2681)-Anand,V (2801) Kemer 2007}) 21. Nd6+ Rxd6 22. cxd6 Nd7 {Again Anand refrains from 22...?c4, possibly because of psychological reasons: if Kramnik achieved this position in his preparation, he must have mainly looked at 22...?c4. Up to this point White spent 17 minutes and Black only 7! The entire idea to sacrifice the exchange was prepared by Anand and his second Peter-Heine Nielsen at home. Considering that it was Kramnik who introduced the novelty, such a deep preparation impresses a lot. The next few moves are very important for both sides, especially for White, who must find a constructive plan.} 23. a4 {In my opinion this is a critical moment. The natural advance of the a-pawn is perhaps too committing, since the exchange of the pawns on b5 (Anand will soon force that) will offer Black advantages too: the bishop b7 will become active and Black will remain with two passed pawns. If White cannot create an attack, then maybe he should have refrained from 23.a4.} (23. Qd3 $5 {[%CAl Gf1d1,Ga1c1,Gd3h7]}) 23... Qxd6 {The position calmed down and it is time to evaluate it. The material is approximately equal and both sides have their strategical trumps. In the middlegame Black can create pressure on d4, while his queenside pawns may prove very strong in the endgame. On the other hand the black king is more vulnerable to almost any kind of further tactical complications. Apparently in such an open position White should be able to coordinate his rooks and create some threats, but this is extremely difficult to achieve: if Black will succeed in finding an active and safe square for the knight, then he can be optimistic about the future. White doesn't have many pieces left to create big threats and the exchange of queens would be a catastrophe for him: in the endgame Black will have a large advantage.} 24. Bf3 {Since the long diagonal will soon be open, White can hardly avoid the exchange of bishops.} ({In such an important game giving up another pawn with} 24. Qc2 {looks scary, even if after} Qxd4 (24... Kb8 25. Qh7 $36) 25. axb5 axb5 26. Rfd1 $13 {White has open files and diagonal for his active pieces.}) 24... Nb6 {Forcing White to clarify the situation on the queenside.} 25. axb5 {White naturally opens the position, but as mentioned already, Black can be happy too: now he will remain with two potentially very strong passed pawns.} cxb5 (25... axb5 $2 {opens files only for opponent's pieces and is obviously weaker} 26. Qc2 $16) 26. Bxb7+ Kxb7 {After the exchange of the bishops White's future hopes are mainly connected with creating pressure on the a-file.} 27. Qh5 {For the moment White cannot do much on the a-file: the a6-pawn is difficult to attack (and easy to protect). Besides, Black has counterplay in the center against pawn d4. Having realized that there is no direct attack on the queenside Kramnik goes for opponent's weaknesses on the other wing.} (27. Qf3+ Nd5 $1 (27... Qd5 28. Qf6 $36)) 27... Nd5 $5 {Anand didn't resist the temptation to activate the knight.} ({After} 27... Qxd4 28. Qxh6 {(possibly White must try something else here)} {Black can force the exchange of queens with} Rh8 29. Qxg5 Qh4 $1 {Then after} 30. Qxh4 (30. Qe5 $2 Nc4 $17) 30... Rxh4 31. g3 Rh8 {the endgame looks dangerous rather for White, in spite of his passed pawn on the h-file.}) 28. Qxh6 Nf4 {Optically Black's plan looks very strong. However, it is far from clear if Anand's move brings any benefits, since White defends against concrete threats.} 29. Kh1 $1 {The correct way. White will have to play f3 and therefore the king must stay on h1 in any case.} (29. Qxg5 $4 Ne2+ 30. Kh1 Qxh2+ $1 31. Kxh2 Rh8+ {and mate}) (29. Rfe1 $4 Qd5 30. f3 Qxd4+ 31. Kh1 Nd3 $19) 29... Qd5 30. f3 Rd8 {The rook finds the right place on d7: it will be active on the d-file and at the same time protect f7 (and the entire 7th rank).} 31. Qg7 Rd7 ({Another reasonable possibility was to limit the activity of White's queen by playing} 31... Qf5 {with different ideas to exchange queens. E.g.} 32. Rfd1 Nh5 (32... Qg6 $2 33. Qe5 Qf5 34. Qe1 $16) 33. Qh6 Nf4 {[%csl Rh6][%CAl Gf5g6]} 34. Qg7 $11) 32. Qf8 {Kramnik finds and wisely uses all the new resources of the position. He had to decide for his queen between squares g8 and f8. In the first case the queen would have kept an eye on pawn g5, while in the game White has the resource ?f8-a3. In such cases players mainly rely on their intuition.} (32. Qg8 $5) 32... Ne2 $5 {It is curious that a quarter of all Black's moves were made with this knight, which always searches for a better square. With its last move the knight also takes away square c1 from the rooks.} (32... Qd6 33. Qg8 $13 (33. Qg7 Qd5 $11 {Anand})) (32... Qxd4 33. Rfc1 $36) 33. Rfe1 $1 Nxd4 (33... Qc4 $6 34. d5 $1 $16 {?} exd5 $2 35. Qe8) 34. Red1 {The World Champion keeps the rook on the a-file, still hoping for an attack.} ({Anand admitted that he was more afraid of} 34. Rad1 {with pressure in the center. In both cases the position is some sort of dynamic equality.}) 34... e5 {Black is just one step away from the dream consolidation (...?d6 and ...f6). However, as often happens in double-edged positions, the direct way to achieve the goal rarely works out smoothly.} (34... Qd6 $142 35. Qg7 Qf4 $13) 35. Rac1 {According to the plan, although this turns out to be an inappropriate moment to remove the rook from a1.} ({The extremely tense battle had its negative effects: both players missed} 35. Qh6 {with a double attack on a6 and g5. Then after} Qd6 36. Qxg5 f6 {(Anand's intention)} 37. Qg8 {things are no longer so rosy for Black: in contrast to the game he runs into the risk of losing too.}) 35... Qd6 36. Qg8 (36. Qc8+ Kb6 37. Ra1 a5 {(or even 37...?a7) and White gets nowhere. With such a strong knight Black has little to fear.}) 36... f6 37. Rc8 {In order to justify his previous play White must do something against the black king.} a5 $1 {Finally the tension reaches its top. Black is very solid and Anand starts showing his ambitions. Notice that the advance of the a-pawn is also a very useful move from the defense's point of view: the black king gets additional squares.} 38. h3 {A necessary loss of tempo.} (38. Rdc1 $2 Nc6 $1 {[%CAl Gd6d1]} 39. h3 Ne7 $19) 38... a4 39. Qe8 {Kramnik waits for Black's further pawn advances, which would offer White additional targets for attack.} (39. Rdc1 Nb3 ({The risky} 39... a3 {looks possible too, since after} 40. Ra8 Kb6 41. Qc8 {[%CAl Ga8a6] Black has} Rb7 {and after} 42. Rb1 {we have again a sort of position where both players must keep the status quo.}) 40. Ra8 $1 Kb6 (40... Rc7 $4 41. Qb8#) (40... Nxc1 $4 41. Qc8+ Kb6 42. Ra6#) 41. Qc8 Rb7 42. Rc3 $13 b4 $140 $2 43. Qc4 $18) 39... Kb6 {It turns out that White has a powerful construction and Black cannot advance his pawns too far.} (39... a3 40. Ra8 Kb6 41. Qc8 Rb7 42. Rb1 Qc7 43. Qe8 $13 {/=}) 40. Rb8+ Ka5 (40... Rb7 41. Ra8 $11) 41. Ra8+ {With a draw offer accepted by Anand, who wisely decided not to take any risk. Perhaps in a different tournament situation he could have considered more seriously 41...?b4, but objectively Black has little reason to continue. Of course under the tournament circumstances this draw may be considered a psychological victory for Anand. Nevertheless the game features a great fight from both players, who showed impressive skills and were equally good.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2008.01.18"] [Round "6"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2799"] [BlackElo "2739"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "219"] [EventDate "2008.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 {This system is examined by GM I.Stohl in CBM 118 (annotations to Iljin-Nepomniachtchi), by GM D.Rogozenko in CBM 120, as well as in annotations to Inarkiev-Aronian in this issue.} 14. a4 e5 15. Bg4 (15. d5 c5 16. b4 $1 Qb6 $1 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. Bxc5 Qxc5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Qa1 O-O 22. Qa5 Rb8 23. Rb1 Bf8 24. Nxb5 (24. Rxb5 Rxb5 25. Qxb5 Qxb5 26. Nxb5 Bb7 27. Bxc4 Ba6 28. Kf1 Bxb5 29. Bxb5 Bc5 $11 {½-½ Gustafsson,J-Aronian,L/Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 682 (40)}) 24... f5 25. Qa6 Kh8 26. Nc3 Rxb1+ 27. Nxb1 Qb4 28. Qxa8 Qxb1+ 29. Bf1 Qb4 30. exf5 c3 $132 {½-½ Alekseev,E-Bareev,E/Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 682 (40)}) (15. Re1 Qf6 16. Ba3 Bf8 17. Bg4 Rd8 18. Nd5 {½-½ Kramnik,V-Shirov,A/Moscow 2007/EXT 2008}) 15... exd4 16. e5 c5 $1 {An active response leading to immense complications.} (16... dxc3 17. e6 Ne5 18. e7 $16 Qb6 $2 19. Bxe5) 17. Re1 (17. axb5 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. bxa6 Rxa6 20. Rxa6 Bxa6 21. Re1 Qc7 22. Qe2 f6 23. Nd5 Qd6 $15 {½-½ Iljin,A-Smirnov,P/Saratov 2006/EXT 2008 (40)}) (17. Bf3 Nxe5 $1 (17... Bxf3 $2 18. Qxf3 Nxe5 19. Qd5 $1 dxc3 20. Rfe1 (20. Rae1 $18 {[%CAl Re1e5,Rd5c6] Stohl}) 20... cxb2 21. Rad1 b1=Q 22. Rxb1 Rc8 23. axb5 axb5 24. Rbd1 $18 {1-0 Kuljasevic,D-Zhao Jun/Richardson USA 2007/The Week in Chess 684 (30)}) (17... Ra7 $2 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Ne4 $1 Nxe5 20. axb5 axb5 21. f4 $1 gxf4 22. Qh5 Rb6 23. Bxe5 $18 {1-0 Iljin,A-Nepomniachtchi,I/Dresden 2007/CBM 118/[Stohl] (27)}) 18. Bxb7 Qxd6 19. Bxa8 O-O $1 20. Ne4 Qc7 21. axb5 Rxa8 22. f4 gxf4 23. Qh5 Ra7 24. Rxa6 Rxa6 25. bxa6 Qc6 26. Qf5 Qxa6 27. Rxf4 Qg6 28. Nxc5 d3 $44 {½-½ DEEP JUNIOR-DEEP FRITZ/Elista RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 657 (47)}) 17... Nxe5 $1 18. Bxe5 O-O 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne2 {Black's pawn avalanche looks powerful but the position of his king is quite unsafe.} f5 21. Bh5 f4 22. b4 $1 cxb3 (22... d3 $5 23. bxc5 $1 b4 $1 $13 {was recommended by Vishy Anand. This will possibly be checked in future.}) 23. Qxb3 Qd5 24. Qh3 Bc8 25. Nc3 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8] Anand's other suggestion.} (25. Qd3 {was seen in his rapid game vs. Radjabov:} Bf5 26. Qd2 Qd7 27. Rac1 (27. Bf3 Rac8 28. axb5 axb5 29. h3 $13 {V.Anand}) 27... Rac8 28. h4 Kh8 $1 29. axb5 axb5 30. Qb2 b4 $13 {0-1 Radjabov,T-Anand,V/Mainz (m) 2006/Inf 97/[Anand,V] (58)}) 25... dxc3 26. Qxc3+ Qd4 27. Qf3 $36 {The poor position of Black's king makes him defend carefully.} Ra7 (27... Rb8 $5 28. Qc6 (28. Re7+ Kh8 29. Rd1 Qf6 30. Rc7 Be6) 28... Kg8 29. Rad1 Qg7 30. axb5 axb5 31. Qd5+ Kh8 32. Qxc5 Bf5) 28. axb5 {This pawn now remains alive and turns into a powerful "second weakness" (from Black's point of view).} Qf6 $146 (28... Rf6 $5 29. Rad1 Qc4) ({RR} 28... Bb7 29. Qe2 Bd5 30. Rad1 f3 31. Rxd4 fxe2 32. Rxd5 axb5 33. Rxc5 Rb8 34. Rcc1 b4 35. Bxe2 b3 36. Rb1 b2 37. g3 Kf6 38. Bg4 Re7 39. Rxe7 Kxe7 40. Kf1 Rb4 41. h3 {1-0 (41) Munkhchuluun,T (2042)-Lkhamsuren,U (2038) Ulaanbaatar 2009}) 29. Qa3 $1 Qb6 30. Qc3+ Kg8 31. Re5 Qf6 32. Qxc5 Rd7 33. h4 $1 gxh4 34. Bg4 Rdd8 35. Bxc8 Rxc8 36. Qd5+ Qf7 37. bxa6 Qxd5 38. Rxd5 Rf7 39. a7 Ra8 40. Rda5 {[%mdl 4096] The complication ended in a seemingly simple endgame. White's a7-pawn is strong but it is not easy to make use of it with four rooks on the board (needless to say that with one pair of rooks Black's position would be absolutely hopeless).} Kh7 (40... f3 41. gxf3 Rxf3 $2 {is impossible due to} 42. Rb1 {[%CAl Rb1b8] but can White win if Black doesn't take on f3? I don't think so.}) 41. R1a3 {...f4-f3 must now be prevented.} (41. f3 Rg7 {is hardly better.}) 41... h3 $5 42. gxh3 f3 43. Kh2 Rg7 44. h4 Rg2+ 45. Kh3 Rg7 46. Ra6 Rf7 47. R3a5 Rg7 48. h5 Rf7 49. Kg4 (49. Kh2 Rg7 50. Kh1 Rg4) 49... Rg8+ 50. Kh3 Ra8 51. Kg4 Rg8+ 52. Rg6 {There is no other way to make progress but now White can hardly avoid the drawish endgame with f- and h- pawns.} Ra8 53. Raa6 Raxa7 54. Rxh6+ Kg8 55. Rag6+ Rg7 56. Kxf3 Rxg6 57. Rxg6+ (57. hxg6 Ra3+ 58. Kg2 Ra6 $11) 57... Kf7 {With the sudden death time control, it is not easy to hold endgames like this one or, say, ? vs ?+?, especially against Kramnik. The drawish endgame I lost to him at Wijk five years ago was a good example.} 58. Rg4 Ra1 59. Kg3 Rh1 60. Rh4 Ra1 61. Rb4 Kg7 62. Rb6 Rg1+ 63. Kf4 Rh1 64. Kg5 Rg1+ 65. Kf5 Rh1 66. h6+ {In theory, when this pawn goes to h6, White loses any winning chances...} Kh7 67. Ra6 Rf1 68. f4 Rb1 69. Re6 Ra1 70. Rf6 Re1 71. Kg4 Ra1 72. f5 Rg1+ 73. Kf4 Rf1+ 74. Ke5 Re1+ 75. Kd6 Rf1 76. Ke7 Rf2 77. Rf8 Re2+ (77... Kxh6 {was already good enough:} 78. f6 Ra2 79. Rd8 (79. Re8 Ra7+ 80. Ke6 Ra6+ 81. Kf5 Ra5+ 82. Re5 Ra8 $11) 79... Ra7+ ({or} 79... Kg6 80. Rg8+ Kf5 $1 81. f7 Ra7+ 82. Kf8 Kf6) 80. Rd7 Ra8 $11) 78. Kf7 Ra2 79. Rd8 Ra7+ (79... Kxh6 $1 80. f6 (80. Rh8+ Kg5) 80... Ra7+) 80. Kf6 Ra1 81. Rd2 Rb1 82. Ra2 Rb3 83. Rh2 Rb1 84. Rh4 Rb8 85. Kg5 Rg8+ 86. Kf4 Ra8 87. Kg5 Rg8+ 88. Kf6 Ra8 89. Re4 Ra1 90. Re8 Ra2 91. Re1 Ra3 92. Rh1 Ra2 93. Kg5 Rg2+ 94. Kf4 Rf2+ 95. Ke4 Re2+ 96. Kf3 Ra2 97. Ke4 Re2+ 98. Kd4 Rd2+ 99. Ke3 Ra2 100. f6 Ra7 {Black was probably under severe time pressure as after} (100... Ra3+ {the white king simply had no place where to hide!}) 101. Rf1 Kg6 102. Ke4 Ra4+ 103. Kd5 Kf7 $4 {[%mdl 8192] A terrible blunder.} (103... Ra5+ 104. Kc4 Ra4+ 105. Kb5 Ra8 $11 {[%CAl Ya8f8,Og6h6,Yf8f6]}) 104. Rh1 Ra5+ 105. Kc4 Ra4+ 106. Kb5 Ra8 107. h7 Rh8 108. Rh6 {Suddenly Black is lost! His rook is passive and he can do nothing against the approach of the white king!} Rb8+ 109. Kc6 Rc8+ 110. Kd6 (110. Kd6 Rh8 111. Kd7 $18) 1-0 [Event "Linares 26th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2009.02.25"] [Round "6"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2009.02.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 129"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Ne5 h5 10. h4 g4 11. Be2 Bb7 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. b3 {About this line - see CBM 123, annotations to Avrukh - Sargissian by GM B.Avrukh, and CBM 126, annotations to Grischuk - Karjakin by GM I.Stohl.} O-O $5 $146 {A curious novelty.} (15... cxb3 {is usually played.}) 16. bxc4 (16. Bg3 {(normally played when ...cxb3 axb3 is included) is now senseless due to} b4 17. Na4 Qxd4 18. e5 ({White has no} 18. Nc5 {here!}) 18... Qe4 $1) 16... Nh7 17. Bxg7 (17. cxb5 Bxe5 18. dxe5 Qxh4 {[%CAl Yh7g5]}) 17... Kxg7 {[%CAl Rd8d4,Rd8h4]} 18. Rad1 (18. d5 cxd5 19. exd5 bxc4 20. dxe6 Qxh4 $1 21. Ne4 (21. Nb5 fxe6 $1 22. Nc7 Rf6 $1 23. Nxa8 $140 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Qh3+ 25. Kg1 g3 $19) 21... Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Qf6 23. exf7 c3 24. f4 (24. Rac1 $142) 24... Rad8 25. Bc4 Rd4 26. Qe6 Rxf4 $17 {0-1 Maletin,P (2557)-Van Wely,L (2625)/Budva MNE 2009/The Week in Chess 748 (85)}) (18. Qd3 Qxh4 (18... bxc4 $143 19. Qxc4 Qxh4 20. Qc5 $36 {[%csl Rb7]}) 19. cxb5 Rfd8 {and White has hardly any advantage.}) 18... Qxh4 19. cxb5 cxb5 20. Nxb5 Rac8 21. Qd3 Rfd8 $146 {Just missing the equalizer or playing for a win?} (21... g3 $1 22. Qxg3+ Qxg3 23. fxg3 Bxe4 24. Bxh5 (24. Nd6 Rc2) 24... Rc2 25. Rf2 Rxf2 26. Kxf2 Rb8 $11) ({RR} 21... g3 22. fxg3 Qxe4 23. Qxe4 Bxe4 24. Bxh5 Rc2 25. Rf2 Rb8 26. a4 a6 27. Nd6 Rxf2 28. Kxf2 Rb2+ 29. Ke3 Bxg2 30. Be2 Nf6 {½-½ (30) Kierzek,M (2145)-Pecurica,M (2042) Bol 2010}) ({RR} 21... Ba6 22. d5 Bxb5 23. Qxb5 Ng5 24. dxe6 Nxe6 25. Qe5+ Kh6 26. Rd7 Rc5 27. Rd5 Rc2 28. Bd3 Rxa2 29. Rd6 Ra4 30. Qf5 Qe7 31. e5 Rh8 32. Rd7 {1-0 (32) Ronka,E (2099)-Lindgren,P (2263) Bifrost 2013}) 22. d5 $1 exd5 23. Qd4+ Kg8 24. Qxa7 Qe7 (24... Ng5 $6 25. Nd4 $1 $16 {S.Zagrebelny} ({but not} 25. Qxb7 $2 Nf3+ $1 26. Bxf3 (26. gxf3 g3) 26... gxf3 27. Nd6 fxg2 28. Kxg2 Qg4+ $11)) 25. e5 Qxe5 $2 (25... Ra8 $142 26. Qe3 Rxa2 27. Rfe1 {White has good compensation for the pawn due to the weakness of Black's kingside but hardly any real advantage.}) 26. Qxb7 Rb8 (26... Qxe2 27. Nd6) 27. Qc7 Qxe2 28. Nd4 $1 {[%CAl Rd4e2,Rd4c6] Even stronger than} (28. Nd6 {[%CAl Rc7f7,Rd1d5]} Rf8 (28... Qe6 29. Rfe1 $1 Qf6 (29... Qxd6 30. Re8+ Rxe8 31. Qxd6 $18) (29... Qd7 30. Re8+ $1) 30. Rxd5 Ng5 31. Red1 $16) 29. Rxd5 Qxa2 30. Ra5 $1 Qe2 31. Rxh5 $36) 28... Qc4 29. Qe5 (29. Nc6 $142 $1 {S.Zagrebelny} Rbc8 $1 30. Ne7+ Kf8 31. Qg3 Kxe7 (31... Rc5 32. Rfe1 $40 {[%CAl Rg3e3,Rg3e5]}) 32. Qe5+ Kf8 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Rfe1+ Kd6 35. Qe5+ Kc6 36. Rc1 $18) 29... Re8 30. Qxh5 Rb6 31. Nf5 $16 {[%csl Rg8][%mdl 128] Black's kingside is seriously compromised; his defence is very hard.} Rbe6 (31... Qxa2 32. Rd4 $1 $18) 32. Ne3 (32. Rd4 $4 Qxf1+) (32. Nh6+ $142 Kg7 33. Nxg4 $16 Qxa2 $140 34. Ne3 {winning the d5-pawn.}) 32... Qxa2 33. Nxg4 $6 (33. Rd4 $142 Re4 34. Rxe4 {exchanging one of the defenders} Rxe4 35. Nxg4 $16 Qe2 36. Nh6+ Kg7 37. Nf5+ Kg8 38. f3 $16 {[%csl Rg8]}) 33... Qe2 $1 {A sudden tactical trick - the d5-pawn is untouchable.} 34. Qh4 Qc4 $6 (34... Rg6 $1 35. f3 Qe6 {holding on and keeping material parity.}) 35. f4 $1 {[%CAl Yf1f3] White brings new forces into attack!} Rg6 36. Rf3 Qc5+ $6 (36... Re2 37. Rg3 Qxf4 38. Rf1 Qd4+ (38... Qd2 39. Rxf7 $1 Qd4+ 40. Rf2 Kg7 41. Rh3 $18) 39. Kh2 Kg7 40. Rh3 $18) (36... Kf8 $5 {was a computer-like way to defend as after} 37. Qxh7 (37. Kh2 $142 $5 {keeping various threats} Re2 38. Ra1 $36) 37... Rxg4 38. Qh8+ Rg8 39. Qh6+ Ke7 $1 40. Re3+ Kd7 {, amazingly, White can't win.}) 37. Kh1 Qe7 38. Qh3 Qd6 $2 {[%mdl 8192] This blunder loses but even after} (38... Nf6 39. Re3 $1 (39. Nh6+ Kf8 40. Nf5 Qe2 $1) 39... Qf8 $1 (39... Ne4 40. f5 Ra6 (40... Kg7 41. fxg6 Rh8 42. Qxh8+ Kxh8 43. Rxd5 Kg7 44. gxf7 Qxf7 45. Re5 $16) 41. Qh5 $1 (41. f6 Rxf6 42. Nxf6+ Qxf6 43. Rf3 Nf2+ 44. Kh2 Qe5+ 45. Qg3+ Ng4+ 46. Kg1 Qxg3 47. Rxg3 Re4 $14) 41... Kg7 42. Rh3 Rg8 43. f6+ $1 Rxf6 44. Nxf6 Qxf6 45. Rf3 {and White gets a decisive material advantage}) 40. Nxf6+ Rxf6 41. Rg3+ (41. Rxe8 $143 Qxe8 42. Rxd5 Qe1+ 43. Kh2 Kg7 44. Rh5 Qc1 $1) 41... Rg6 42. Rxd5 $16 {Black still faces serious problems due to his weak king.}) 39. f5 Rg5 40. Nh6+ Kf8 41. Nxf7 $1 {Winning a pawn and continuing his attack.} Qf6 (41... Kxf7 42. Qxh7+ Kf8 43. f6 Qe5 44. Rh3 $18) 42. Nxg5 Nxg5 43. Qh4 $18 Re7 (43... Kg7 44. Qg4 Re4 45. Qg3 Kf7 46. Rfd3 $18) 44. Rh3 $1 Qxf5 45. Qh8+ (45. Qh6+ Ke8 46. Rh5 $18) 45... Kf7 46. Rh5 Re8 47. Qh6 Rg8 48. Qd6 Rg6 49. Qxd5+ Qxd5 50. Rxd5 {The rest is easy.} Ne4 51. Rhf5+ Kg7 52. Rd7+ Kh6 53. Rf4 Ng3+ 54. Kh2 Nh5 55. Ra4 Nf6 56. Rdd4 Rg5 57. Rf4 Rg6 58. Rf3 Nh7 59. Rh3+ 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-39"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.10.03"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2010.09.21"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 139"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "Spain"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "ESP"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. Qb3 {Quite a harmless way to avoid the Cambridge Springs.} Be7 (6... Qa5 $1 {is more aggressive and strong.}) 7. e3 h6 (7... O-O) 8. Bh4 b6 $6 {Hardly a good "version of the TMB system".} (8... O-O $142) 9. cxd5 exd5 {White will now prepare e3-e4.} 10. Bd3 (10. Be2 $143 Bb7 11. O-O O-O 12. Rfd1 Re8 13. Rac1 Bd6 14. a3 Qe7 15. Bd3 {Still, after losing a lot of time!} Qf8 (15... Qe6 $5) 16. Qc2 $13 {1-0 Fuster,G-Florian,T/Gyor 1946/EXT 2000 (64)}) 10... O-O 11. O-O Bb7 12. Rac1 $146 {Probably too modest.} (12. Qc2 $5 $14 {preventing ...?e4.}) ({RR} 12. Rad1 Nh5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Rfe1 f5 15. e4 fxe4 16. Nxe4 Kh8 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. Rxe7 Nxb3 19. axb3 Bc8 20. Ne5 Bf5 21. Bxf5 Rxf5 22. g4 {1-0 (22) Kievelitz,B (1926)-Kapahnke,T (1571) Bad Woerishofen 2018}) 12... Ne4 $1 13. Bg3 $5 (13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Rfd1 $5 (14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Nd2 c5 $5 $132)) 13... Nxg3 14. hxg3 Nf6 15. Rfd1 Rc8 16. e4 dxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 (17... Qc7 $5) 18. Bxe4 Bf6 $6 (18... Bd6 $5 19. Ne5 Qe7 20. f4 (20. Bxc6 $6 Bxe5 21. Bxb7 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Bxd4) 20... c5 (20... Bxe5 $143 21. dxe5 c5 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Rd6 $14) 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. d5 $140 b5 $132) 19. Qa3 $6 (19. Ne5 $142 Bxe5 (19... Qd6 20. f4) 20. dxe5 Qe7 21. f4 Rfd8 (21... c5 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Rd6 $14 {[%CAl Gd1d8]}) 22. Kh2 $1 $14) 19... a5 $2 {[%mdl 16384] This move not only allows ?f3-e5 but also weakens the b6-pawn.} (19... Qc7 $1 20. d5 $140 c5 21. d6 Qb8 {, and the d6 pawn is rather weak than strong.}) 20. Ne5 $1 {Finally!} Qe8 21. Re1 Qd8 22. Qf3 Rc7 (22... Re8 23. Rcd1 Bxe5 24. dxe5 Qc7 25. Bc2 $1 $36 Rxe5 $4 26. Rxe5 Qxe5 27. Rd7) 23. Rcd1 g6 (23... Qd6 24. Nc4 Qb4 25. Qf5 g6 26. Qxf6 Qxc4 27. Qd6 Rfc8 28. a3 $16 {[%csl Gd6]}) 24. Qb3 Kg7 $2 {Losing the b6-pawn and consequently the game.} (24... b5 {was still possible altgough after} 25. a4 $1 (25. Nxg6 $2 a4) (25. Bxg6 $2 a4) 25... bxa4 26. Qxa4 {White is obviously better.}) 25. Qxb6 Re7 26. Qc5 Rfe8 27. Bxc6 Bxc6 28. Qxc6 Qb8 29. Qc3 Qb4 30. f4 Qxc3 31. bxc3 Rc7 32. Rd3 Rec8 33. Ree3 Rb7 34. d5 Rb1+ 35. Kh2 Ra1 36. Nd7 Bd8 37. Re8 Rxa2 38. d6 a4 39. Ne5 a3 40. d7 Rb8 41. Rxd8 Rxd8 42. Nc6 1-0 [Event "Nanjing Pearl Spring 1st"] [Site "Nanjing"] [Date "2008.12.18"] [Round "7"] [White "Bu, Xiangzhi"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2714"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "139"] [EventDate "2008.12.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 128"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. Qc2 Qe7 12. Rad1 O-O 13. Rfe1 a6 {A typical flexible move keeping a lot of possibilities (...b7-b5, ...c6-c5, ...e6-e5). The other options seen in practice:} (13... b5) (13... Rd8) (13... b6) (13... Nb6) 14. a3 (14. e4 b5 {[%CAl Yc6c5]}) (14. Ne4 b6 $5 {[%CAl Yc8b7,Yc6c5]}) 14... b5 15. Ba2 c5 16. d5 c4 $146 (16... Nb6 17. e4 (17. d6 $142 Qf6 18. e4 Bb7 19. e5 $36) 17... Bb7 18. e5 exd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 Rad8 21. Ba2 c4 $11 22. h4 $6 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nd7 24. Re1 Nxe5 $17 {0-1 Oms Pallise,J-Perez Candelario,M/Lorca 2005/CBM 111 (30)}) ({RR} 16... Nb6 17. e4 Bb7 18. e5 exd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 Rad8 21. Ba2 c4 22. h4 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nd7 24. Re1 Nxe5 25. Nxe5 Bxe5 26. h5 Qf6 27. b3 c3 28. b4 Kg7 29. hxg6 fxg6 30. g3 Bd4 {0-1 (30) Oms Pallisse,J (2481)-Perez Candelario,M (2522) Lorca 2005}) 17. dxe6 (17. d6 {doesn't work now as White can´t safely support this pawn:} Qf6 18. e4 Bb7 19. e5 $6 Qf4 $17 {[%csl Re5]}) 17... Qxe6 18. b3 Ne5 19. Nxe5 Qxe5 20. Nd5 cxb3 21. Bxb3 Bb7 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Is it a blunder or a kind of bewilderment? Did Black simply fail to find a satisfactory move and decide to give up material? In fact he had a lot of possibilities, e.g.} (21... Kh7) (21... Rb8) ({and the simplest:} 21... Be6 22. f4 Qb2 $1 23. Ne7+ Kh7 $1 24. Nxg6 fxg6 25. Qxb2 Bxb2 26. Bxe6 Rad8 $1 {White can't save his extra pawn, and after} 27. a4 bxa4 {Black's strong a-pawn compensates for his inferior pawn structure (indicated by GM K.Maslak).}) 22. Nb6 {[%CAl Rb6a8,Rb6d7] Black loses an exchange but his bishop pair makes converting this advantage quite difficult.} Be4 23. Qa2 Rae8 24. Nd7 Qg5 $1 25. f4 {[%csl Re3,Ge4]} Qf5 26. Nxf8 Bxf8 27. Bd5 h5 $1 28. Rd4 $6 {White exchanges a lot of material but perhaps it was better to keep tension by means of} (28. Bxe4 Rxe4 (28... Qxe4 29. Qb3) 29. Rd5 {[%CAl Yf4f5]}) 28... Bc5 29. Bxe4 Rxe4 30. Rxe4 Qxe4 31. Kh1 Qd3 32. a4 $2 (32. e4 $142 Bxa3 33. e5) 32... bxa4 $2 (32... Bxe3 $1 33. axb5 Qxb5 $1 ({but not} 33... axb5 $4 34. Qa8+ Kg7 35. Qf3) 34. g3 {otherwise Black wins the f4 pawn with a clear draw} h4 $1 {and Black's counterplay should save him.}) 33. Qxa4 Qc3 $6 (33... Qd2 34. Qe8+ (34. Qa1 Kh7) 34... Kg7 35. Qe5+ Kh7 36. Rf1 Qd3) 34. Rf1 $6 {Missing} (34. Qe8+ Kg7 (34... Bf8 35. Rd1) 35. Qe5+ Qxe5 36. fxe5 {with good winning chances in the endgame.}) 34... Qd3 35. Qa1 Kh7 36. e4 ({After} 36. f5 Bxe3 $1 (36... gxf5 $143 37. e4 $1 Qxe4 38. Qf6) 37. fxg6+ fxg6 38. Rf7+ Kh6 {, surprisingly, there is nothing decisive in sight. Naturally, the exchange of queens leads to a theoretically drawn ending as in the line} 39. Rf3 Qd4 40. Qxd4 $2 Bxd4) 36... Qxe4 37. Qxa6 Be7 {If Black now manages to put his queen to f5, White, with his unsafe king and weak f4-pawn, will hardly be able to win.} 38. f5 $1 (38. Qb5 Bd6 $5 39. f5 $140 Qh4 $1 40. fxg6+ Kh6 $1 41. g3 Qe4+ 42. Kg1 Be5 $1) (38. Qa1 $5 {[%CAl Ya1e5]}) 38... gxf5 39. Qc8 Kg6 (39... f4 40. Qc7 f3 41. gxf3 Qe2 42. Kg1) 40. Qg8+ Kf6 41. Qh7 h4 42. Ra1 $2 {Just one inaccurate move - and winning chances are gone!} (42. Qh6+ Ke5 43. Ra1 $40 {[%csl Re5]}) 42... Qf4 {[%CAl Re7d6] White can´t now either win a pawn or pose any threats to the black king, and Black´s counterplay is sufficient for a draw.} 43. Qh8+ Kg6 44. Qg8+ Kf6 45. Rd1 Bd6 46. Qd8+ Ke6 47. Re1+ Be5 48. Qb6+ Ke7 49. Qg1 {The only way to protect the h2-pawn but in the long term it will always tie up the white pieces.} Kf6 50. Rf1 Qe4 51. Qb6+ Kg7 52. Qb3 Kg6 53. Qf3 Bd6 54. Qc3 Be5 55. Qa3 Qe2 56. Qc1 f6 57. Re1 Qf2 58. Qe3 Qc2 59. Qf3 Qd2 60. Rf1 Qc2 61. Re1 Qd2 62. Rd1 Qb4 63. Rf1 Qe4 64. Qb3 Kh6 65. Qd1 Kg6 66. Qd2 Qc4 67. Rc1 Qe4 68. Re1 Qc4 69. Rc1 Qe4 70. Re1 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-Cup 25th"] [Site "Ohrid"] [Date "2009.10.09"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2009.10.04"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "MKD"] [SourceTitle "CBM 133"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Ural Sverdlovskaya"] [BlackTeam "Yerevan Mika"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Be2 (11. Nxg4 {is more popular nowadays.}) 11... Nbd7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Be5 Qe7 14. O-O (14. Bxg4 {- see Hoffmann - Gelfand in this issue.}) 14... Rg8 (14... h5 15. Qc2 (15. b3 $5 {was probably prepared by Alexander Grischuk for this game}) 15... Bh6 16. b3 cxb3 17. axb3 O-O 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. e5 Qxh4 20. Ne4 Bg7 21. g3 Qd8 22. Nd6 Qb6 $13 {0-1 Grischuk,A (2720)-Dreev,A (2698)/Mainz 2005/CBM 107 ext (42)}) 15. b3 $5 (15. Qc2 $5 Nd7 (15... Nh5 $5) 16. Bg3 e5 17. d5 Qf6 18. b3 (18. dxc6 $5 Bxc6 19. a4 $1 $40) 18... b4 19. dxc6 Bxc6 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. exd5 c3 22. a3 a5 (22... bxa3 23. Bb5 Rb8 24. Bc6) 23. axb4 Bxb4 24. Bb5 $16 {1-0 Huang Qian (2410)-Ruan Lufei (2486)/Beijing CHN 2009/The Week in Chess 759 (40)}) 15... Nd7 $1 (15... b4 16. Na4 Nxe4 (16... c3 $5) 17. Qc2 c5 18. Bxc4 $1 (18. dxc5 g3 $1 (18... Bc6 $6 19. Qxc4 a5 20. Rad1 Qb7 21. Rd4 Be7 22. g3 Rd8 23. Rxd8+ Bxd8 24. Rd1 Bc7 25. Bd6 Qa7 26. Rd4 $16 {1-0 Brynell,S (2463)-Rasmussen,A (2501)/Ballerup 2009/CBM 130 Extra (51)}) 19. Bxc4 (19. fxg3 Nxg3 20. Bxc4 Bc6 $17) 19... gxf2+ 20. Rxf2 Qd7 $1 (20... Nxf2 $4 21. Bb5+ Kd8 22. c6 $18) 21. Re2 Qc6 $17) 18... Bg7 19. Bxg7 (19. Rae1 $5) 19... Rxg7 20. Rae1 Nd6 21. Nxc5 Nxc4 22. Qxc4 (22. bxc4 Bc6 23. Qd2 O-O-O 24. Qxb4 Rxd4 25. g3 Qd6 26. Rb1 e5 $14 {1/2 Riazantsev,A (2656)-Vitiugov,N (2638)/Moscow 2008/CBM 127 (128)}) 22... Bd5 23. Qxb4 (23. Qb5+ Kf8 24. Qxb4 {[%CAl Yg2g3]} g3 25. Qd2 $16) 23... Qxh4 24. Ne4 Qe7 25. Qd2 Rg6 26. Nc3 Rd8 27. Re5 $14 {1/2 Gupta,A (2472)-Korneev,O (2565)/Benasque 2007/CBM 119 ext (37)}) 16. Bg3 b4 17. Na4 c3 18. Qd3 h5 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (18... e5 $143 {as it is White who will attack in the centre:} 19. Rad1 Bg7 20. d5 Qd6 21. Bxg4 cxd5 22. exd5 O-O-O 23. a3 $1 Ba6 24. Qe3 h5 25. Bf5 Kb8 26. Rfe1 Bh6 27. Qf3 Bd2 28. axb4 Bxe1 29. Rxe1 $16 {[%csl Rb8] 1-0 Grischuk,A (2717)-Gelfand,B (2733)/Odessa 2007/CBM 119 (41)}) (18... a5 $5 19. a3) ({RR} 18... e5 19. Rad1 Bg7 20. d5 Qd6 21. Bxg4 cxd5 22. exd5 O-O-O 23. a3 Ba6 24. Qe3 h5 25. Bf5 Kb8 26. Rfe1 Bh6 27. Qf3 Bd2 28. axb4 Bxe1 29. Rxe1 Qxb4 30. Re4 Qxb3 31. Bxd7 Rxg3 32. fxg3 Qb1+ 33. Kh2 {Grischuk,A (2717)-Gelfand,B (2733) Odessa 2007 1-0 (41)}) 19. a3 a5 20. axb4 axb4 21. Nc5 $1 {The only way to make use of White's development advantage.} Rxa1 (21... Nxc5 22. Rxa8+ Bxa8 23. dxc5 Bb7 24. Bd6 $1 Qxh4 25. Rd1 $44) 22. Nxb7 $3 {[%mdl 512]} (22. Rxa1 Nxc5 23. dxc5 e5 24. Ra7 (24. Rd1 Bc8) 24... f6 $1 25. Qc4 Rg7 $17 {[%csl Gc3,Rg3]}) 22... Ne5 $5 (22... Rxf1+ 23. Bxf1 e5 (23... Nb8 24. Nd6+ Kd8 25. d5 $44) 24. Qa6 f6 $8 25. Bc4 $1 $40 Nb6 $1 26. Qxb6 c2 27. dxe5 $1 c1=Q+ 28. Kh2 Qxc4 $8 29. bxc4 fxe5 30. Qxc6+ Qd7 31. Qb6 $44) 23. Rxa1 $1 Nxd3 24. Ra8+ $1 (24. Nd6+ Qxd6 $1 25. Bxd6 Nc1 $1 (25... Bxd6 $143 26. Bxd3) 26. Bxf8 (26. Rxc1 Bxd6 27. Ra1 Bb8 28. Bd3 Ke7 $19) (26. Bd1 Bxd6 27. Ra8+ Ke7 28. Rxg8 Ne2+ $1 29. Kf1 Nxd4 $19) 26... Nxe2+ 27. Kf1 Ng3+ $5 (27... Nxd4 $143 28. Bxb4 c2 29. Rc1 $17) 28. fxg3 Rxf8 29. Ke2 Ke7 {, and Black should win this rook ending.}) 24... Kd7 25. Bxd3 Qf6 26. Be5 $2 {This natural move meets a brilliant refutation.} (26. Na5 $6 Qxd4 27. Rd8+ Kxd8 28. Nxc6+ Kd7 29. Nxd4 Bd6 $17 {? Similarly to the game, the rook and the c3 pawn will be stronger than two minor pieces.}) (26. e5 $1 Qh6 27. Ra7 $1 Kc8 28. Na5 {and Black can't avoid a perpetual.}) 26... Bd6 $3 27. Bxf6 Rxa8 $19 {?} 28. Kf1 (28. Nxd6 Kxd6 29. Kf1 Ra3 $19 {Black wins the b3 pawn, and his connected pawns decide the game.}) 28... Ra1+ 29. Ke2 Ra2+ (29... Ra2+ 30. Ke1 c2 $19) 0-1 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 10th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.09.29"] [Round "3"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2761"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Roiz,Michael"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2016.09.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 175"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. g3 {This side line is used by many top players from time to time.} Nd7 8. Bg2 dxc4 9. O-O {Like in the Catalan, White isn't worried about giving up a pawn for a while.} Be7 10. Ne4 ({Another way of regaining the pawn doesn't pose Black serious problems:} 10. Qc2 O-O (10... Qf5 $5 11. e4 Qa5 $132) 11. Rfd1 e5 12. d5 Nc5 13. Nd2 Bf5 14. Qc1 Rad8 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. Nxc4 Qe6 $11 {Ivanchuk,V (2729)-Bacrot,E (2717) Morelia/Linares 2006}) ({RR} 10. e3 O-O 11. Nd2 Nb6 12. Qh5 Rd8 13. a4 a5 14. Rfc1 Bb4 15. Bf1 e5 16. dxe5 Qf5 17. Qxf5 Bxf5 18. Nxc4 Nxc4 19. Bxc4 Rd2 20. b3 Re8 21. Ne2 Bg4 22. Nf4 Rxe5 23. Nd3 Rh5 24. Nxb4 axb4 {Saraci,N (2455)-Keymer,V (2602) Reykjavik 2021 0-1 (55)}) 10... Qf5 11. Ned2 e5 (11... Nb6 $6 {is too passive:} 12. Ne5 O-O 13. e3 $14 {Kramnik,V (2785)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2690) Moscow 2007}) ({However,} 11... b5 $5 {also deserves serious consideration:} 12. a4 O-O 13. axb5 Qxb5 14. Qc2 Bb7 15. Nxc4 c5 16. Rfd1 Bd5 {Christiansen,L (2555)-Gurevich,M (2605) Antwerp 1993}) 12. e4 Qh5 $146 {Boris comes up with a natural novelty - the ?h5 is in a safer place than on e6.} ({A recent top-level game saw} 12... Qe6 13. Rc1 b5 (13... O-O $5 14. Nxc4 exd4 15. Nxd4 Qf6 16. f4 Bc5 17. e5 Qd8 $11) 14. b3 c3 15. Rxc3 {Li Chao2 (2755)-Topalov,V (2754) Stavanger NOR 2016, and Black was under definite pressure.}) ({RR} 12... Qe6 13. Rc1 exd4 14. Nxd4 Qf6 15. Nxc4 O-O 16. Nf5 Nb6 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. Qd6 Qd8 19. Rfd1 Bg4 20. Qxd8 Rfxd8 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Na5 Bc8 23. b3 Kf8 24. f4 Rd2 25. a4 f6 26. Re1 Rc2 27. e5 {Kramnik,V (2793)-Anand,V (2773) London 2013 ½-½ (39)}) ({RR} 12... Qe6 13. Re1 O-O 14. d5 cxd5 15. exd5 Qa6 16. Qc2 Bb4 17. a3 Bxd2 18. Nxd2 b5 19. a4 Nb6 20. Rxe5 Nxa4 21. Nxc4 Qf6 22. Rae1 Bd7 23. Na5 Nb6 24. Qd3 Rfe8 25. f4 Qd6 26. Nc6 Bxc6 27. dxc6 {Torman,E (2360)-Bisguier,A (2380) Dearborn 1992 1-0}) 13. Nxc4 ({White gets nothing special with} 13. d5 Nb6 14. Rc1 O-O 15. Nxc4 Nxc4 16. Rxc4 Rd8 17. Qb3 cxd5 18. exd5 Bd6 $11) 13... exd4 14. Qxd4 {Accordingly to his style, GM Mamedyarov prefers to keep the queens on the board.} (14. Nxd4 {is toothless:} Qxd1 15. Rfxd1 Nb6 16. Na5 O-O $11) 14... Qc5 ({An interesting try was} 14... O-O $5 15. e5 Nb6 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Qxb6 Bd8 18. Qe3 Re8 {, obtaining decent compensation for the pawn.}) 15. e5 O-O 16. Qe4 ({Once again, liquidating into an endgame wouldn't offer White any superiority:} 16. Rad1 Qxd4 17. Nxd4 Nb6 18. Nd6 Bxd6 19. exd6 Rd8 20. Nb3 Rb8 21. Rfe1 Kf8 22. Nc5 Nd7 $11) 16... Nb6 17. Ne3 Qb4 18. Nd4 $1 {A brave decision - White is ready to sac a pawn in order to develop a dangerous initiative on the kingside.} (18. Qc2 Rd8 19. a3 Qc5) 18... Rd8 {The first step in the wrong direction - removing the rook from f8 leaves the king exposed.} ({Much safer was} 18... Bc5 $142 19. Rfd1 Qxb2 20. a4 {would offer White sufficient compensation for a pawn, but hardly more. For instance,} Bxd4 21. Qxd4 (21. Rab1 Qa3 22. Qxd4 Be6 23. Qb4 Qxa4 24. Qxa4 Nxa4 25. Rxb7 Nc5 26. Rc7 a5 {can be dangerous only for White.}) 21... Qxd4 22. Rxd4 Nd7 23. f4 Nc5 24. Rc4 Na6 25. Rb1 f6 {with a probable draw.}) 19. Rad1 Qxb2 $6 {Boris is underestimating White's attacking potential.} (19... Nd5 {would lead to an inferior endgame after} 20. Ndf5 Bxf5 21. Nxf5 Qxe4 22. Bxe4 Bf8 23. Bxd5 cxd5 24. Rd2 $14) ({The cool-blooded} 19... Re8 $1 {would have kept the balance, but it is not an easy move to make! For instance,} 20. b3 Bc5 21. Kh1 Bd7 (21... Nd5 22. Nxd5 cxd5 23. Qf4 $14) 22. f4 Qa5 23. Qb1 Rad8 $132) 20. e6 $1 {Now the lack of Black's pieces on the kingside starts to tell.} Bxe6 $2 {This natural move turns out to be a decisive mistake.} ({It looks scary to leave the ?e6 alive, but Boris had to play} 20... Bf6 $1 21. Nef5 (21. Nxc6 Rxd1 22. exf7+ Kxf7 23. Rxd1 bxc6 24. Qxc6 Be6 25. Qc7+ Be7 26. Bxa8 Nxa8 27. Qxa7 Nb6 $14) 21... c5 $1 ({Once again,} 21... Bxe6 $2 {leads to a hopeless position:} 22. Nxe6 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Re8 24. Qg4 $1 Rxe6 25. Nxg7 $1 Bxg7 26. Rd8+ Kh7 27. Be4+ Rg6 28. h4 $18) 22. exf7+ Kxf7 23. Nb3 Bxf5 24. Qxf5 c4 25. Na5 Qe5 26. Qxe5 Bxe5 27. Bxb7 Rab8 28. Nc6 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 Re8 30. Nxa7 Bb2 $14 {the strong c-passer yields Black excellent drawing chances.}) 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Bh3 $1 {This move yields White full control over the light squares.} (22. Qxe6+ {would be less convincing :} Kf8 23. Ng4 Bf6 $1 $16) 22... Kh8 23. Bxe6 $18 g5 {Desperation.} ({The most stubborn was} 23... h5 24. Qg6 Qf6 25. Qxh5+ Qh6 26. Qg4 $18 {, but then White would regain the pawn and keep all the merits of position.}) 24. Ng4 {The knight is coming into the attack with a great effect.} Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Qg7 26. Ne5 Qf6 27. Bb3 Kg7 28. Ng4 {Impressive dynamic play by GM Mamedyarov!} 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2016.08.14"] [Round "9"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2791"] [BlackElo "2755"] [Annotator "Szabo,Krisztian"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2016.08.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 Nbd7 12. Nxd7 (12. Bxg4 {is the other main continuation.}) 12... Qxd7 13. Be5 Qe7 14. b3 cxb3 15. axb3 a6 {Usually Black plays this defensive move, because after d5 the b5-pawn won't be takeable immediately.} (15... Bg7 {is more popular, for example:} 16. O-O O-O 17. Bxg4 c5 18. Nxb5 Rfd8 19. Bf3 cxd4 $13 {Werle-Van Wely, London 2008, with a complicated middlegame.}) ({RR} 15... Bg7 16. O-O O-O 17. Bxg4 Nxg4 18. Qxg4 f6 19. Bf4 Kh7 20. Qg3 Qf7 21. Bd6 Rg8 22. Qf3 c5 23. Bxc5 f5 24. Qf4 Bf6 25. f3 Qg7 26. Rf2 a6 27. e5 Bd8 28. d5 Rc8 29. b4 Bc7 30. Re1 {Erigaisi,A (2775)-Firouzja,A (2762) Doha QAT 2025 ½-½ (54)}) ({RR} 15... Bg7 16. O-O a6 17. Re1 Rd8 18. Qc1 Nh5 19. g3 Rxd4 20. Bxg7 Nxg7 21. Bxg4 c5 22. Ne2 Rd8 23. e5 Qc7 24. Nf4 Rd4 25. Bh3 Nf5 26. Kh2 Ne7 27. Nh5 Kd8 28. Nf6 Kc8 29. Qe3 Kb8 30. Rac1 {Krishnan,R (2375)-Pranav,A (2596) Baku AZE 2026 0-1 (65)}) 16. Qc1 $146 {This is the novelty of the game.} (16. O-O {has been tried before} h5 17. Re1 Bg7 18. d5 O-O 19. d6 Qd8 20. b4 (20. Bd3 $5) 20... Bh6 21. Bg3 $44 {Tregubov-Motylev, Krasnoyarsk 2007, with nice compensation for the pawn.}) ({RR} 16. O-O h5 17. Re1 Bg7 18. d5 O-O 19. d6 Qd8 20. b4 Bh6 21. Bg3 Nd7 22. e5 c5 23. Bd3 cxb4 24. Ne4 Rc8 25. Qb1 Bxe4 26. Bxe4 a5 27. Qa2 a4 28. Qe2 Qb6 29. Bb1 Nc5 30. Qc2 {1-0 (30) Tregubov,P (2599)-Motylev,A (2648) Krasnoyarsk 2007}) 16... Rg8 17. O-O Nh5 ({In the event of} 17... Nd7 {White can simply play} 18. Bg3 {.}) 18. d5 $1 {The best reply, Black's king is in the middle, so White wants to open the files.} Qxh4 $2 {The decisive mistake! Black wants to push ...g3, but the queen is out of play, White gets a strong attack!} ({In the event of} 18... exd5 19. exd5 Qxe5 20. Re1 $1 Be7 21. Bxb5 $40 {White has a strong attack}) ({, but} 18... f6 $1 19. Bh2 cxd5 20. exd5 (20. Nxb5 Rc8) 20... Kf7 21. Re1 Rc8 22. dxe6+ Kg7 23. Bxg4 Kh8 $1 $132 {and suddenly Black's king is safe, the position becomes very complicated.}) 19. g3 $1 {A very important move. White avoids ...g3 with tempo.} (19. dxc6 $4 {is losing immediately, because of} g3 $1 $19) ({and} 19. dxe6 $2 {is also bad, as} Qg5 $1 {and Black is safe.}) 19... Qg5 20. dxc6 $1 Qxe5 (20... Qxc1 $2 {loses because of} 21. cxb7 $18) ({and} 20... Bxc6 {could have been met by} 21. Nxb5 $1 Qxc1 22. Nc7+ Kd7 23. Raxc1 $18 {and Black has to resign.}) 21. cxb7 Rb8 22. Nd5 $1 {What a wonderful tactical blow! He opens the c-file for the queen, so White is threatening ?c8.} ({The similar looking} 22. Nxb5 $4 {is a big blunder, because of} Bc5 $1 $19 {and suddenly Black is the one who wins!}) 22... exd5 $6 {Loses immediately, but Black's position was already bad.} (22... f6 {was tougher, but} 23. Rxa6 Kf7 24. Qc7+ Qxc7 25. Nxc7 Rxb7 26. Nxe6 $18 {is also winning for White.}) 23. Qc8+ Ke7 24. Rxa6 Nxg3 $1 {Still the best practical chance.} ({If} 24... Bg7 25. Qc5+ $18 {and mate soon.}) 25. Bxb5 $1 {Again the stronger move!} Ne2+ 26. Bxe2 f6 27. Re6+ Qxe6 28. Qxb8 {What a brilliant game by Nakamura!} 1-0 [Event "Danzhou 7th"] [Site "Danzhou"] [Date "2016.07.15"] [Round "7"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Yu, Yangyi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2734"] [Annotator "Iotov,Valentin Dimitrov"] [PlyCount "129"] [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 c6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. g3 Bb7 12. Bg2 Qb6 13. exf6 O-O-O 14. O-O c5 15. d5 b4 {So far, a typical Botvinnik variation that has been explored from every possible angle.} 16. Na4 ({The other interesting alternative - also known as the "old" theory - is} 16. Rb1 $5 Qa6 17. dxe6 Bxg2 18. e7 Bxf1 19. Qd5 Bxe7 20. fxe7 Bd3 21. exd8=Q+ Rxd8 22. Ne4 Bxb1 23. Nd6+ Kc7 24. Bf4 Kb6 25. Nxc4+ Kb5 26. Nd6+ Kb6 27. a4 bxa3 28. Nc4+ Qxc4 29. Qxc4 a2 30. Qb3+ Kc6 31. Qf3+ Kb6 32. Qb3+ Kc6 33. Qf3+ Kb6 34. Qb3+ {½-½ Bologan,V (2607)-Inarkiev,E (2660)/Poikovsky RUS 2015}) 16... Qb5 17. a3 Nb8 18. axb4 cxb4 19. Qg4 Bxd5 20. Rfc1 Nc6 21. Bxd5 Rxd5 22. Rxc4 Rxg5 23. Qd4 Kb8 24. Rxc6 Rxg3+ 25. fxg3 Qxc6 26. Rd1 Qc7 27. b3 Kc8 {More theory...} 28. Qe4 (28. Qd3 Bc5+ 29. Nxc5 Qxc5+ 30. Kf1 (30. Qd4 Qxd4+ 31. Rxd4 a5 32. h4 Rh6 $11) 30... Qc3 31. Qxc3+ bxc3 32. h4 e5 33. Ke2 c2 34. Rc1 Kd7 35. Rxc2 Ke6 36. Rc6+ Kf5 37. Kf3 e4+ 38. Ke3 Rb8 39. Rc5+ Kxf6 40. Kxe4 Rxb3 41. Ra5 Rxg3 42. Kf4 Rg1 43. Rxa7 Kg7 {½-½ Kramnik,V (2769)-Anand,V (2793)/London ENG 2014}) (28. Qe3 $5 Kb8 29. Qd2 Bc5+ 30. Nxc5 Qxc5+ 31. Qd4 Qc3 $11 {eventually transposes into the game.}) 28... Kb8 29. Qd4 (29. Rd4 Bd6 30. h4 Rg8 31. g4 Qc1+ 32. Kg2 Rc8 33. Rxd6 Rc2+ 34. Kg3 Qg1+ 35. Kf4 Qf2+ 36. Kg5 Rc8 37. Qxb4+ Ka8 38. Qe4+ Kb8 39. Qb4+ Ka8 40. Qe4+ Kb8 41. Qb4+ {½-½ Shimanov,A (2637)-Popov,I (2651)/Loo RUS 2014}) 29... Kc8 30. Qe4 Kb8 31. Qd3 Bc5+ (31... Bh6 $5 $132) 32. Nxc5 Qxc5+ 33. Qd4 Qc3 34. Qf4+ $146 (34. Qxc3 bxc3 35. Rc1 Rc8 36. Kf2 Rc5 37. Ke3 Kc7 38. Kd4 Kd6 39. Rxc3 Rxc3 40. Kxc3 Ke5 41. Kd3 Kxf6 42. Ke4 a5 $11) ({RR} 34. Qxc3 bxc3 35. Rc1 Rc8 36. Kf2 Rc5 37. g4 Kc7 38. Ke3 Kd6 39. h4 Ke5 40. g5 Kf5 41. Kd3 Kg4 42. Rxc3 Rd5+ 43. Ke4 Kxh4 44. g6 Kg5 45. g7 Rd8 46. g8=Q+ Rxg8 47. Rg3+ Kxf6 48. Rxg8 {1-0 (48) Yildiz,E (2243)-Yagupov,I (2230) chess.com INT 2024}) ({RR} 34. Qxc3 bxc3 35. Rc1 Rc8 36. Kf2 Rc5 37. g4 Kc7 38. Ke3 Kd6 39. h4 Ke5 40. g5 Kf5 41. Kd3 Kg4 42. Rxc3 Rd5+ 43. Ke4 Kxh4 44. g6 Kg5 45. g7 Rd8 46. g8=Q+ Rxg8 47. Rg3+ Kxf6 48. Rxg8 {1-0 (48) Yildiz,E (2243)-Yagupov,I (2230) chess.com INT 2024}) 34... Ka8 (34... e5 $5 35. Qe4 Rc8 $11) 35. Qe4+ Kb8 36. Rd4 Qc1+ 37. Kg2 Qb2+ 38. Kf3 Qc3+ 39. Kg4 Rg8+ 40. Kh4 Rh8+ 41. Kg5 Qc1+ $4 {Enters a rook endgame in which White has a better pawn structure and more active pieces! It is pretty much the move that ultimately decides the game.} (41... Qc5+ 42. Kg4 Rg8+ 43. Kf3 a5 $13 {with chances for both sides.}) 42. Qf4+ Qxf4+ 43. Kxf4 Rxh2 44. Rxb4+ Kc7 45. Kg5 $18 Rh8 {Passive rooks are never a good idea in rook endgames! However, there don't seem to be plenty of options at the moment...} (45... Rh3 46. g4 Rf3 47. Rc4+ Kb8 48. Rc1 $1 a5 49. Rh1 $18 {[%csl Rf7][%CAl Gh1h7,Gh7f7]}) 46. g4 Rg8+ 47. Kf4 Rd8 48. Ra4 Kb6 49. Ra1 a5 50. Rh1 Kc5 51. Rh7 Rd7 52. g5 {The rest is really a matter of time.} Kd6 53. Rh3 e5+ 54. Kf5 e4 55. Kxe4 Ke6 56. Rh8 Rb7 57. Re8+ Kd6 58. Kf5 Rb5+ 59. Kg4 Rb4+ 60. Kh5 Rxb3 61. Re7 Rh3+ 62. Kg4 Rh7 63. Ra7 Ke6 64. Ra6+ Kd7 65. g6 {This is the very problem of playing such a complicated theory variation. Most games of this stype end up with a blunder due time trouble or lack of focus. Either way, awesome technique by Ding in the rook endgame!} 1-0 [Event "Novgorod 3rd"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1996.07.27"] [Round "7"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2730"] [Annotator "Kramnik,Vladimir"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1996.07.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 054"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Agzamov HarZvi Shirov} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. g3 {Har Zvi: white playes this move if he wants to avoid the variation with ?h6 which can follow after 11.exf6 ?b7 12.g3 c5 13.d5 ?h6,but here black has a critical move 11...?g8 which leads to great complications} Bb7 12. Bg2 Qb6 13. exf6 c5 14. d5 O-O-O 15. O-O b4 16. Na4 {Har Zvi: Kramnik is the leading GM in the world playing this position with Black,and it maybe not a very good idea to play this against him even for Ivanchuk this game showes it was not a very good opening choice.} (16. Rb1 {HarZvi this is another very interesting move in which kramnik had some evry interesting games lately} Qa6 17. dxe6 Bxg2 18. e7 Bxf1 19. Qd5 {Har Zvi: Kamsky played 19.?xf1 against Kramnik and got the advantage but 2 monthes later Kramnik played again this position against Topalov it means he has something} (19. Kxf1 Bxe7 (19... Qc6 20. exd8=Q+ Kxd8 21. Nd5 Rxh2 22. Kg1 Rh8 23. Bf4 Bd6 24. Bxd6 Qxd6 25. Qf3 $16 {Kramnik,V-Shirov,A Monaco blind 1996}) 20. fxe7 Rdg8 21. Ne4 (21. Qd5 Rxg5 $1 22. Qxg5 bxc3) 21... Qc6 22. Nd6+ Kb8 23. Bf4 $40 {Kamsky,G-Kramnik,V Dos Hermanas 1996}) 19... Bxe7 20. fxe7 Bd3 (20... Rdg8 21. Ne4 Rg6 {Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V New-York PCA 1994} 22. Qa8+ $1 Nb8 23. Rxf1 Qc6 24. Rd1 $3 Qxa8 25. Rd8+ Kc7 26. Bf4+ Kb6 27. Rxh8 Re6 28. e8=Q Rxe8 29. Rxe8 Qd5 30. Rxb8+ Ka6 (30... Ka5 31. Re8 f5 32. Nxc5 $1) 31. Nd2 $1 c3 32. bxc3 bxc3 33. Nb3 c4 34. Nc1 c2 35. h4 $18 {Kasparov,G}) 21. Ne4 Bxb1 22. Nd6+ Kc7 23. Bf4 Kb6 24. Nxc4+ Kb5 25. Nd6+ Kb6 26. exd8=B+ Rxd8 27. Nc4+ Kb5 28. Nd6+ Kb6 29. Nc4+ Kb5 {1-2/1-2 Topalov,V-Kramnik,V Dortmund 1996}) 16... Qd6 {Har Zvi: The main line is 16...?b5 and there is also another interesting move 16...?a6. The game move was played few times, Kramnik's continuation seems to be very strong and better than the moves played before.} (16... Qb5) (16... Qa6) 17. Bf4 $5 $146 (17. dxe6 {HarZvi} Qxe6 18. Re1 Ne5 $1 (18... Qf5 19. Bxb7+ Kxb7 20. Bf4 {with the idea ?f3} Qxf6 $8 21. Re8 $1 $16 {Agzamov,G-Timoscenko,G SSSR 1982 34/510}) 19. Qxd8+ (19. Bxb7+ Kxb7 20. Qe2 (20. Qxd8 Nf3+ 21. Kg2 Qc6 $1 {Har Zvi: and not 21...?xe1 as Agzamov analyses in informator 34} (21... Nxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Qxe1 (22... Qh3+ 23. Kf3 Qh5+ 24. Kf4) 23. Qd7+ Ka6 24. Qc6+ Ka5 25. Bf4 Rxh2+ 26. Kxh2 Qxf2+ 27. Kh3 Qf1+ 28. Kh4 $18 {Agzamov,G}) 22. Re7+ Bxe7 23. Qxh8 (23. Qxe7+ Ka8 $19) 23... Nxg5+ {with ?xf6 with a strong initiative}) 20... Qh3 21. Qxe5 Qxh2+ 22. Kf1 Qh3+ 23. Ke2 Qg4+ 24. Kf1 $10 {Shirov}) 19... Kxd8 20. Bxb7 Kc7 $4 (20... Qf5 21. Rxe5 (21. Rad1+ Nd3 22. Bf4 Bd6 $1 23. Be4 Qh3 24. Rxd3 cxd3 25. Bxd6 Qxh2+ 26. Kf1 Qh1+ 27. Bxh1 Rxh1+ 28. Kg2 Rxe1 29. Bf4 Re2 30. Kf3 c4 $1 $17) 21... Qxe5 22. Rd1+ Kc7 23. Bf4 Qxf4 24. gxf4 Kxb7 25. Rc1 Rh6 26. Rxc4 Kc6 $10 {Shirov}) 21. Bg2 Qd7 22. Bf4 $1 $16 {+- Shirov,A-Piket,J Aruba (m/4) 1995 63/379 [Shirov,A]}) 17... e5 (17... Qa6 $5) (17... Ne5 $4 {HarZvi} 18. Re1 $18) 18. Be3 Bh6 19. Qc1 $1 (19. Qc2 $5) 19... Bxe3 (19... Qxf6 $2 20. Nxc5 Nxc5 (20... Bxe3 21. fxe3 $1 Qh6 22. Nxb7 Kxb7 (22... Qxh2+ 23. Kf2 Kxb7 24. Rh1) 23. Qxc4 Qxe3+ 24. Rf2 $18) 21. Qxc4 Bxe3 22. fxe3 Qd6 (22... Qb6 23. Rac1 $18) 23. Rac1 $18) 20. Qxe3 $16 (20. fxe3 $5) 20... Ba6 $146 {a completely unexplained move,the natural move and the best one is simply to take on d5,after this strange move black has no play at all white is winning} (20... Bxd5 21. Rfd1 Nxf6 22. Rac1 Qc6 (22... Ng4 23. Qe2) (22... Rxh2 23. Bxd5 Nxd5 24. Kxh2) 23. Bxd5 Nxd5 24. Qxc5 Qxc5 25. Nxc5 Nb6 26. Nd3 $16 (26. Na6 Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 c3 28. Nxb4 cxb2 29. Nd3 Nc4 (29... Na4 30. Rb1) 30. Rb1 $16 Kc7 31. Nxb2 Rb8 32. Rc1)) (20... Kb8) (20... Bxd5) ({RR} 20... Nxf6 21. Qxc5+ Kb8 22. Rfc1 Qd7 23. Qxb4 Nxd5 24. Qa5 Qd6 25. Nc5 Bc8 26. Rxc4 f5 27. Rd1 e4 28. Rcd4 Qc6 29. Rxd5 {1-0 (29) Wunnink,M (2045)-Johansen,M (2255) Hengelo 1997}) 21. a3 $1 Kb8 (21... b3 22. Rfd1) (21... c3 22. Rfc1 $16) 22. h4 $1 (22. Nxc5 $2 Nxc5 23. axb4 Nb3 24. b5 Nxa1 25. Rxa1 Bb7 26. Qxa7+ Kc7) 22... Rdg8 (22... Rc8 23. Bh3 $1 $16) 23. Nxc5 $1 Nxc5 (23... Qxc5 24. Qxc5 Nxc5 25. axb4 c3 26. bxc5 Bxf1 27. Rxf1 cxb2 28. Rb1 $18) 24. axb4 Nb7 (24... Nb3 25. b5 (25. Rxa6 $1 {HarZvi} Qxa6 26. Qxe5+ Kc8 (26... Kb7 27. d6+) 27. d6 $1 {Har Zvi: and white is probably winning the threats are ?d5,?e7}) 25... Nxa1 26. Rxa1 Bb7 (26... Bxb5 27. Qxa7+ Kc8 28. Bh3+ Bd7 (28... Kd8 29. Qa5+ (29. Qa8+)) 29. Qa8+ Qb8 (29... Kc7 30. Ra7+ $18) 30. Qc6+ $18) 27. Qxa7+ Kc8 (27... Kc7 28. Ra6 Ra8 29. Qxb7+ Kxb7 30. Rxd6 $18) 28. Bh3+ Kc7 29. Ra6 Ra8 (29... Qxd5 30. Rc6+ $18) 30. Qxb7+ Kxb7 31. Rxd6 $18) (24... Nd3 25. b5) 25. b3 $1 {?bc} (25. b3 $1 cxb3 (25... c3 26. Rfc1) (25... Rg4 26. b5 Bxb5 27. Qxa7+ Kc7 28. Rfc1 {Har Zvi: and black is losing since he can not play ?b6/?c5 because of d6}) (25... Rc8 {HarZvi} 26. b5) 26. b5 Bxb5 27. Qxa7+ Kc7 28. Rfc1+ $18) (25. b5 Bxb5 26. Qxa7+ Kc7) 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2016.08.06"] [Round "2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2791"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2016.08.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. a4 Bb4 7. e4 Qa5 8. Bd2 c5 9. Bxc4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 O-O (10... Qc5 {- see Moiseenko - Sjugirov in CBM 139, where the whole line was examined in detail. Here is a later game:} 11. Bb5+ Bd7 12. Nb3 Qd6 ({the immediate} 12... Qc7 $5 {may be better and deserves serious attention}) 13. Qe2 Nc6 14. O-O O-O 15. Rfd1 Qc7 16. Rac1 a6 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. e5 Bxc3 19. Rxc3 Nd7 20. Re1 $14 {1-0 (73) Parligras,M (2581)-Posedaru,B (2388) Iasi 2015}) 11. Nc2 {This move has lately become quite popular, but it can hardly be regarded as promising.} (11. Qe2 {was played more often in previous years:} Nbd7 (11... Nc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. O-O Bb7 (13... e5 14. Rac1 Nd7 15. Rfd1 $14 (15. Qh5 $6 Nb6 16. Bb3 Ba6 $132 {1/2 (64) Salgado Lopez,I (2595)-Anton Guijarro,D (2403) El Sauzal 2010})) 14. Rfd1 Nd7 15. Na2 Bxd2 16. Qxd2 Qxd2 17. Rxd2 Ne5 18. Be2 c5 19. f3 Nc6 20. Rc1 Nd4 {1-0 Sriram,J (2497)-Sundararajan,K (2516)/Mumbai 2009/CBM 133 Extra (73)} 21. Rc3 $14) (11... Rd8 $5 12. Nb3 Qc7 13. e5 Nd5 14. O-O Nc6 15. f4 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Bf8 17. a5 Bd7 18. Kh1 Ne7 19. Nd4 Nf5 20. Bd3 Bc5 $13 {1/2 (70) Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2628)-Arnold,M (2529) Philadelphia 2012}) 12. Nc2 (12. O-O Ne5 13. Ba2 Bd7 14. Nc2 Rfd8 15. Nxb4 Qxb4 16. f4 Nc6 17. e5 Nd4 $13 {0-1 (48) Edouard,R (2636)-Inarkiev,E (2667) Barcelona 2010}) 12... Ne5 13. Ba2 (13. f4 Nxc4 14. Qxc4 Bxc3 15. Bxc3 Qa6 16. Qxa6 bxa6 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. O-O-O Bb7 19. Rhe1 Rfc8 20. b3 Rab8 21. Kb2 Kf8 $13 {1/2 (37) Ding,L (2547)-Yu,Y (2585) Danzhou 2010}) 13... Rd8 14. O-O b6 (14... Nc6 15. Nxb4 Qxb4 16. Nd5 Qxb2 17. Rfb1 Qe5 18. Bc3 Qg5 19. Nxf6+ gxf6 20. Rb3 $44 {1-0 (31) Vitiugov,N (2733)-Chadaev,N (2577) Taganrog 2011}) 15. Nxb4 Qxb4 16. Rfd1 (16. Bg5 a5 17. Rad1 Rxd1 18. Rxd1 Ba6 19. Qc2 {1/2 (19) Shulman,Y (2617)-Potkin,V (2682) Khanty-Mansiysk 2011}) 16... Bb7 17. Be1 Rxd1 (17... Nxe4 18. Nd5 $1 Qxa4 19. Ne7+ Kh8 20. Bd5 Qxa1 21. Rxa1 exd5 22. f3 $16 {1-0 (29) Belous,V (2518)-Reshetnikov,A (2521) Moscow 2012}) 18. Rxd1 Nxe4 19. f3 Qc5+ 20. Kh1 Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Ng6 $13) 11... Nc6 {The simplest} (11... Qc7 12. Qe2 Be7 13. e5 Nfd7 14. f4 Nc6 15. O-O b6 16. Nb5 Qb8 17. Ncd4 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Bc5 19. Be3 Re8 20. Rad1 a6 21. b4 $1 Bf8 22. f5 $40 {1-0 (28) Potkin,V (2682)-Shirov,A (2714) Khanty-Mansiysk 2011}) (11... Nbd7 12. O-O b6 $4 13. Bb5 a6 14. Bc6 Rb8 15. Nxb4 Qxb4 16. Nd5 Qd4 17. Bf4 Qxd1 18. Ne7+ Kh8 19. Rfxd1 e5 20. Bg3 $18 {1-0 (31) Izzat,K (2480)-Schon,E (2332) Melbourne AUS 2016}) (11... Bxc3 12. Bxc3 Qg5 13. Qe2 $6 (13. Qf3 $5) 13... e5 ({why not} 13... Qxg2 {?}) 14. f3 Nh5 15. Qd2 Qxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Nc6 17. g3 Be6 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Ke3 $14 {1-0 (40) Wojtaszek,R (2726)-Kempinski,R (2597) Czechia 2011}) 12. Nxb4 Qxb4 13. b3 Qe7 14. O-O Rd8 15. Re1 Ne5 $11 {Black comfortably develops his pieces, and White's bishop pair is useless.} 16. Bf1 Bd7 $146 {Since Black sets his bishop on the long diagonal anyway,} (16... b6 $5 {looks more logical:} 17. Qc2 Bb7 18. f3 Rac8 19. Be3 Bxe4 $5 (19... Nc6 20. Red1 Nd7 21. Rac1 Nb4 22. Qb1 Nc5 23. Na2 Nxa2 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Qxa2 Nd3 26. Rd1 Nb4 27. Rxd8+ Qxd8 28. Qd2 Qxd2 29. Bxd2 $14 {1-0 (68) Chadaev,N (2577)-Reshetnikov,A (2487) Moscow 2011}) (19... h6 $5) 20. fxe4 Qc7 {[%CAl Re5g4,Rc7c3]} 21. Bc4 $8 Nxc4 (21... Neg4 22. g3 Nxe3 23. Rxe3 Qc5 24. Qe2 Ng4 25. Re1) 22. bxc4 Ng4 23. g3 Qxc4 24. h3 $1 Ne5 25. Red1 $1 h5 $5 $44) ({RR} 16... b6 17. Re3 Bb7 18. Qe1 Rac8 19. a5 bxa5 20. Rxa5 Qc7 21. Ra2 Qc5 22. Na4 Qc6 23. Ba5 Re8 24. f3 Qc1 25. Qxc1 Rxc1 26. Bd2 Rc7 27. Rc3 Rec8 28. b4 Nfd7 29. Rxc7 Rxc7 30. Nc3 Bc6 31. Be3 {Quesada Perez,L (2515)-Miranda Mesa,E (2475) Santa Clara 2022 1-0 (45)}) ({RR} 16... b6 17. Re3 Bb7 18. Qe1 Rac8 19. a5 bxa5 20. Rxa5 Qc7 21. Ra2 Qc5 22. Na4 Qc6 23. Ba5 Re8 24. f3 Qc1 25. Qxc1 Rxc1 26. Bd2 Rc7 27. Rc3 Rec8 28. b4 Nfd7 29. Rxc7 Rxc7 30. Nc3 Bc6 31. Be3 {Quesada Perez,L (2515)-Miranda Mesa,E (2475) Santa Clara 2022 1-0 (45)}) 17. Qe2 Bc6 18. Bg5 (18. f3 $142 Rd3 19. Kh1 Rad8 20. Red1 {[%CAl Yd2f4]}) 18... h6 19. Bh4 Ng6 20. Bg3 Rd7 $6 {This superficial move allows White to consolidate his position, after which his bishops gain power.} (20... Qb4 $1 21. Qc4 Qxc4 22. Bxc4 Nh5 $11) 21. f3 {[%mdl 32]} Rad8 22. Qe3 a6 23. Rab1 Qb4 $6 {Too late. Now it is just a loss of time.} (23... e5 $5 24. Red1 Nf4 25. Bf2 $14) 24. Rec1 e5 25. Be1 $1 Qe7 (25... Qd4 26. Nd1 $5) 26. Na2 $1 {[%CAl Ra2b4,Ye1a5]} Rd4 (26... Rc8 27. Nb4 Rd6 {is very passive. Black is ready to sacrifice material in order to obtain counterchances}) 27. Ba5 R8d7 28. Bc3 ({It was more appropriate to refrain from material gains:} 28. Bb6 $5 Rd2 (28... Nxe4 $2 29. Rxc6 $1 bxc6 30. Bxd4 $18) (28... Bxe4 29. fxe4 Rxe4 30. Qc5 $18) 29. Bc5 Qe6 30. Nb4 Nf4 31. Nxc6 bxc6 32. Bb4 Ra2 33. Kh1 N6h5 34. Rd1 $14) 28... Bxe4 $2 {[%mdl 512] The wrong sacrifice! The bishop is more precious than the knight!} (28... Nxe4 $142 $1 29. fxe4 (29. Bxd4 exd4 30. Qe1 d3 31. Rxc6 bxc6 32. Qxe4 (32. fxe4 $2 d2 33. Qd1 Qxe4 $19) 32... Qc5+ 33. Kh1 Qc2 $1 34. Ra1 Qb2 35. Rd1 Qxa2 36. Qxc6 Qxb3 37. Qxd7 Qxd1 38. Qxd3 Qxa4 39. Qxa6 $11) 29... Rxe4 30. Qg3 h5 $44) 29. fxe4 Rxe4 30. Qa7 b5 (30... Nf4 31. Re1 $16) 31. Qxa6 {White simply collects material. Black's attack is not too dangerous and can be parried.} Ng4 32. h3 (32. Rb2 $5 Qc5+ $140 33. Kh1 Nf2+ 34. Rxf2 Qxf2 35. Qa8+ $18) 32... Qc5+ 33. Kh1 Nf2+ 34. Kh2 Qe3 (34... Rh4 {[%CAl Rf2g4]} 35. Be1 $1) 35. Re1 Qf4+ 36. g3 Qf5 37. Bg2 Rh4 {Desperation.} (37... Rxe1 38. Qc8+ Kh7 39. Rxe1 $18) 38. Qa8+ Kh7 39. Qf3 $2 ({The cool-blooded} 39. gxh4 Rd3 40. Rb2 {would be decisive. After the text move White loses his whole material advantage.}) 39... Rxh3+ 40. Kg1 Qxf3 41. Bxf3 Nd3 $2 {A wrong retreat.} (41... Ng4 $1 42. Bxg4 Rxg3+ 43. Kf2 Rxg4 {, and Black should not lose.}) 42. Re3 $1 Rxg3+ 43. Kh2 Rxf3 {This is insufficient. White consolidates his position and converts his extra rook. But in case of} (43... Rg5 {[%csl Rg5] this rook is out of play, and after} 44. Rd1 Nc5 45. Rxd7 Nxd7 46. a5 {White's a-pawn decides the game.}) 44. Rxf3 bxa4 45. bxa4 e4 46. Rf5 Nh4 47. Rfb5 Nf4 48. R5b4 Rd3 ({Or} 48... Nf3+ 49. Kg3 Ne2+ (49... Nh5+ 50. Kf2 Ng5 51. a5) 50. Kf2 Nxc3 51. Nxc3 f5 52. a5 {, and White should gradually win.}) 49. Rxe4 g5 50. Rxf4 gxf4 51. Rf1 Nf3+ 52. Kh1 Kg6 53. a5 Kf5 54. a6 Ng5 55. a7 Rh3+ 56. Kg1 Rg3+ 57. Kf2 Ne4+ 58. Ke1 Rg8 59. Bd4 Kg4 60. Be5 $1 1-0 [Event "Dos Hermanas"] [Site "Dos Hermanas"] [Date "1996.05.25"] [Round "4"] [White "Kamsky, Gata"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2775"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "1996.05.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 053"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Azmaiparashvili Ftacnik} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. exf6 Bb7 12. g3 c5 13. d5 Qb6 14. Bg2 O-O-O 15. O-O b4 16. Rb1 Qa6 17. dxe6 Bxg2 18. e7 Bxf1 (18... Ba8 {Ftacnik} 19. exd8=Q+ (19. Nd5 $2 Qb7 (19... Qe6 20. exf8=Q Rdxf8 21. Ne7+ Kd8 22. f3 Qe5 23. Qd2 Qd4+ 24. Qxd4 cxd4 25. Rbd1 d3 26. b3 Ne5 27. bxc4 Bxf3 28. Rxd3+ Nxd3 29. Rxf3 Ne5 30. Rf5 Ng4 31. c5 Kd7 {1-0 Gual,A-Oms,J/Manresa op (08) 1995 (64)}) 20. exf8=Q Rhxf8 21. Ne7+ Kc7 22. Bf4+ Ne5 $1 23. Bxe5+ Kb6 {0-1 Peter,A-Thallinger,H/Budapest FS09 IM-B (07)/1995/ (55)}) 19... Kxd8 20. Ne2 Kc8 21. Qc2 Qe6 22. f3 $1 (22. Nf4 $5 Qg4 23. Rfe1 Bh6 $1 $8 24. Bxh6 Qf3 $10 25. Kf1 Qh1+ 26. Ke2 Qf3+ 27. Kd2 $5 (27. Kf1 $10) 27... Qxf2+ 28. Re2 Qd4+ 29. Kc1 $6 Bf3 $3 $15 {0-1 Yermolinsky,A-Shabalov,A/USSR/1986/ (32)}) 22... Bd6 23. Rbd1 Bc6 $1 (23... Be5 24. Qa4) 24. Nf4 $1 (24. Bf4 Be5 $1 $15) 24... Qe3+ 25. Qf2 Qxf2+ 26. Rxf2 Be5 27. Nd5 Bxd5 $1 (27... Bd4 $2 {Yermolinsky,A-Makarov,M/USSR/1986/} 28. Rxd4 $1) 28. Rxd5 Bd4 $10) 19. Kxf1 (19. Qd5 Bh6 (19... Bxe7 {Ftacnik} 20. fxe7 Rdg8 21. Ne4 Rg6 22. Rxf1 $2 (22. Qa8+ $1 Nb8 23. Rxf1 Qc6 (23... Qb7 24. Qxb7+ Kxb7 25. Bf6 $18) 24. Rd1 $3 Qxa8 25. Rd8+ Kc7 (25... Kb7 26. Rxh8 Re6 27. Nxc5+ $18) 26. Bf4+ Kb6 27. Rxh8 Re6 28. e8=Q Rxe8 29. Rxe8 Qd5 30. Rxb8+ Ka6 31. Nd2 $1 $18) 22... Qc6 23. Qxc6+ Rxc6 24. Rd1 $2 (24. Bf4 $1 Re8 25. Nd6+ Rxd6 26. Bxd6 Kb7 27. Re1 Kc6 28. Bf4) 24... Re8 25. Nd6+ Rxd6 26. Rxd6 f6 27. Bxf6 Kc7 28. Re6 Nxf6 29. Rxf6 Rxe7 30. Kf1 Re4 31. Rf4 Rxf4 32. gxf4 Kd6 33. Ke2 a5 34. a4 c3 35. bxc3 b3 {½-½ Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V (01)/New York PCA 25' (04)/ 1994/}) 20. Bxh6 (20. exd8=Q+ {Ftacnik} Kxd8 21. Ne4 Bh3 22. Nxc5 Be6 23. Nxe6+ fxe6 24. Qa8+ Qc8 25. Qxa7 Bxg5 26. Qa5+ Qc7 27. Qxg5 Qe5 $1 $10 {Yermolinsky,A-Ivanchuk,V/Pinsk/1986/0,5/40/}) 20... Bd3 21. Qa8+ (21. exd8=Q+ $2 {Ftacnik} Kxd8 $1) (21. Ne4 $5 {Ftacnik} Bxe4 22. Qxe4 (22. exd8=Q+ $6 Kxd8 23. Qxe4 Rxh6 $17) 22... Rde8 (22... Rxh6 $2 23. Qa8+ Nb8 24. exd8=Q+ Kxd8 25. Qxb8+ $18) 23. Bg7 $1 Rh5 (23... Nxf6 $5) 24. Rd1 Qb5 $1 25. f4 $2 (25. Qa8+ Nb8 26. Qe4 Nd7 $10) 25... c3 $1 (25... Kc7 $5 {Beliavsky}) 26. bxc3 {½-½ Beliavsky,A-Shirov,A/EUCup f Ljubljana (03)/1995/ (40)}) 21... Nb8 22. exd8=Q+ Rxd8 23. Re1 bxc3 (23... Qc6 $5 24. Qxa7 bxc3 25. bxc3 $44) 24. Bf4 Qb6 (24... Qb7 25. Re7 $3 Qxa8 26. Rc7#) 25. bxc3 Bf5 26. h4 Be6 (26... Qb7 27. Qxb7+ Kxb7 28. Re7+ Rd7 29. Bxb8 Kxb8 30. Rxd7 Bxd7 31. Kg2 Kc7 32. Kf3 Kd6 33. Kf4 {½-½ Azmaiparashvili,Z-Shirov,A/Madrid (03)/1996/ (42)}) 27. Kh2 Rd7 $5 28. h5 Rb7 29. Bxb8 $2 (29. h6 Qb2 30. Kg1 Qxc3 31. Rxe6 $1 fxe6 32. Bxb8 Qf3 33. Bd6+ Kd7 34. Qxb7+ Qxb7 35. f7 $18) 29... Rxb8 30. Qe4 Kc7 $2 31. Rd1 $1 Rh8 32. g4 $14 {1-0 Yermolinsky,A-Gurevich,D/USA-ch/1994/ (63)}) 19... Bxe7 (19... bxc3 20. Qd5 Bxe7 21. fxe7 c2 22. exd8=Q+ Rxd8 23. Rc1 c3+ 24. Kg2 cxb2 25. Qa8+ Nb8 26. Rxc2 Qb6 (26... b1=Q 27. Rxc5+ Kd7 28. Qd5+ Qd6 29. Qxf7+ $18 (29. Qxf7+ Qe7 30. Qxe7#)) 27. Bxd8 Kxd8 28. Qd5+ Nd7 29. Rd2 Qb5 30. a4 {1-0 Uhlmann,W-Alexandria,N/Halle (03) ;MCL 03 1981 Dies war die Stammpartie der Variante 16.?b1.}) (19... Qc6 20. exd8=Q+ Kxd8 21. Nd5 Rxh2 22. Kg1 Rh8 23. Bf4 Bd6 24. Bxd6 Qxd6 25. Qf3 Ne5 26. Qe4 Re8 27. Ne3 Nc6 28. Qf3 Kc7 29. Nxc4 Qd4 30. b3 Qe4 31. Qxe4 Rxe4 32. Kg2 Ne5 33. Ne3 Kd7 34. Rh1 Ke6 35. Rh8 Kxf6 36. Rc8 Nd3 37. Ra8 Rd4 38. Rxa7 $16 {½-½ Kramnik,V-Shirov,A/Monaco blind (03) ;EXP 52 1996 (59)}) 20. fxe7 Rdg8 21. Ne4 (21. Qd5 Rxg5 $1 (21... bxc3 $2 22. Qa8+ Kc7 (22... Nb8 23. bxc3) 23. Bf4+ Kb6 24. bxc3+ Ka5 25. Bc7+ Ka4 (25... Nb6 26. Qc6 Rh5 27. a4 $18) 26. Qd5 Ka3 27. Qxd7 $16) 22. Qxg5 bxc3 23. bxc3 Qg6 $19) 21... Qc6 (21... Qe6 $5) (21... Qe6 22. Nd6+ Kc7 23. Bf4 Kb6 24. Qf3 $40) ({RR} 21... Rxg5 22. Nxg5 Qg6 23. h4 Re8 24. Rc1 Rxe7 25. Rxc4 Qa6 26. Qd5 Ne5 27. Qxc5+ Kd8 28. Qd5+ Ke8 29. Qa8+ Kd7 30. Qd5+ Ke8 31. Qa8+ Kd7 32. Qd5+ {½-½ (32) Bok,B (2594)-Shirov,A (2679) Douglas 2016}) ({RR} 21... c3+ 22. Kg1 Rxg5 23. Nxg5 Qg6 24. bxc3 Qxg5 25. cxb4 Qxe7 26. bxc5 Qe4 27. Qb3 Kc7 28. Rd1 Ne5 29. h4 Re8 30. Qd5 Qxd5 31. Rxd5 Kc6 32. Rd6+ Kxc5 33. Ra6 Nc6 34. Kg2 Rh8 35. Kh3 Kb5 36. Ra3 {Jacquet,S (1931)-Dufresne,C (1762) Montreal 2025 ½-½ (57)}) 22. Nd6+ Kb8 23. Bf4 Rxh2 $146 ({RR} 23... Ka8 24. h4 Nb6 25. Nxf7 Qh1+ 26. Ke2 Qe4+ 27. Be3 Nd5 28. Nxh8 Nxe3 29. Qd8+ Kb7 30. Qd7+ Kb6 31. Qd6+ Kb7 32. Qd7+ {½-½ (32) Hasseine,M (2157)-Fantinel,T (2375) Playchess.com INT 2021}) ({RR} 23... Ka8 24. h4 Nb6 25. Nxf7 Qh1+ 26. Ke2 Qe4+ 27. Be3 Nd5 28. Nxh8 Nxe3 29. Qd8+ Kb7 30. Qd7+ Kb6 31. Qd6+ Kb7 32. Qd7+ {½-½ (32) Hasseine,M (2157)-Fantinel,T (2375) Playchess.com INT 2021}) 24. Ke2 $6 {Vielleicht war 24.e8? noch besser:} (24. e8=Q+ $5 Rxe8 25. Nxe8+ Ka8 26. Ke2 Qe4+ 27. Be3 Qxe8 (27... Qg4+ {Azmaiparashvili} 28. Kd2 Qe4 29. Qe2 Qd5+ 30. Kc2 Qe4+ 31. Kd2) 28. Qd5+ Kb8 29. Rd1 Nb6 (29... Kc7 30. Qd6+ $18) 30. Qxc5 {Nun haben wir die gleiche Stellung wie in der Partie (Zug 31), aber mit dem Unterschied, daß der s? auf b8 statt auf b7 steht. Dies wirkt sich zum Nachteil für Schwarz aus:} Qa4 31. Rd8+ Kb7 32. Qe7+ Ka6 33. Bxb6 $18) 24... Ka8 25. Qc2 (25. e8=Q+ {- 24.e8?}) (25. e8=Q+ $1 Rxe8+ 26. Nxe8) 25... Nb6 26. Qf5 Nc8 27. e8=Q (27. Qxf7 Rhh8 $1 28. Rd1 (28. Nxc8 Qe4+ 29. Be3 Rxc8) 28... Nxd6 29. Bxd6 Qe4+ 30. Kd2 Rc8 $15) 27... Rxe8+ 28. Nxe8 Qxe8+ 29. Be3 Nb6 30. Rd1 (30. Qf3+ $6 Kb8 $15) (30. Qxc5 {Azmaiparashvili} Qa4 (30... Qd7 31. Rd1 Qg4+ 32. Kd2) 31. Qf8+ Kb7 32. Qxf7+ Ka6 33. Rd1 Qxa2 34. Kf3 Qxb2 35. Bxb6 Qb3+ 36. Ke2 Qc2+ 37. Rd2 Qe4+ 38. Be3 Qg4+ 39. Qf3 Qxf3+ 40. Kxf3 Kb5 (40... c3 41. Rd7 b3 42. Bd4 c2 43. Rxa7+ Kb5 44. Ra1) 41. Rd5+ Ka4 42. Rc5 c3) 30... Kb7 (30... Qc6 31. Rd8+ Kb7 32. Bxc5 $16) 31. Qxc5 {Auch hier macht die schwarze Stellung keinen soliden Eindruck. Kramnik kann kann knapp die Partie halten.} Qa4 $1 32. Rd2 (32. Qe7+ Ka6 33. Bxb6 axb6 34. Qe4 Rxf2+ (34... Qxa2 $2 35. Qa8+ Kb5 36. Rd5#) 35. Kxf2 Qxd1 36. Qxc4+ Ka5 37. Qxf7 $16) 32... c3 $1 33. bxc3 bxc3 34. Rd4 (34. Qxc3 Qg4+ (34... Qg4+ 35. Kd3 Qf5+ $10)) 34... Qxa2+ 35. Kf3 c2 (35... Qb1 $2 {Azmaiparashvili} 36. Qe7+ Ka6 37. Ra4+ $1 Kb5 38. Ra5+ $1) (35... Qe6 {Azmaiparashvili} 36. Qxc3 Qc6+ 37. Qxc6+ Kxc6 38. Rf4 Rh7 39. Rf6+ Kd7) 36. Rd2 Rh8 37. Rxc2 (37. Qxc2 Qxc2 38. Rxc2 Re8) 37... Qd5+ 38. Qxd5+ Nxd5 39. Rb2+ Nb6 (39... Ka8 40. Bd4 $14) 40. Ke4 $14 Rc8 41. g4 Rc6 42. g5 (42. f4 {Azmaiparashvili} Re6+ 43. Kf3) 42... Re6+ 43. Kf5 (43. Kd3 $5 a5 44. f4 $14) 43... a5 44. Rb5 (44. Bxb6 Rxb6 45. Re2 (45. Rxb6+ Kxb6 46. Kf6 a4 47. Kxf7 a3 48. g6 a2 49. g7 a1=Q 50. g8=Q Qa2+ $10) 45... Ka6) 44... a4 45. Ra5 Nc4 46. Rxa4 Nxe3+ 47. fxe3 Rxe3 48. Ra5 (48. Kf6 Rf3+ $10) (48. Rf4 {Azmaiparashvili} Re6 49. Rh4 Re1 50. Kf6 Rf1+ 51. Ke7 Rf5) 48... Kc6 (48... Rf3+ {Azmaiparashvili} 49. Ke4 Rg3 50. Rf5 Kc6 51. Ke5 Kd7 52. Kf6 Ke8 53. Kg7 Kd7) 49. Kf6 (49. Re5 Rxe5+ 50. Kxe5 Kd7 51. Kf6 Ke8 $10) 49... Rf3+ 50. Ke7 Rf1 51. Ra6+ Kd5 52. Rf6 Rg1 53. Rf5+ Ke4 54. Kf6 Rg4 55. Re5+ Kd4 (55... Kd4 56. Ra5 Rf4+ 57. Rf5 Ke4 (57... Rxf5+ {Azmaiparashvili} 58. Kxf5 Ke3) 58. Rxf4+ Kxf4 $10) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 3rd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2008.08.24"] [Round "6"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2742"] [BlackElo "2720"] [Annotator "Gelfand,Boris"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2008.08.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 {So this time we have a theoretical discussion in a fashionable anti-Moscow variation} (5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 {In first 2 memorials we had drawn with Mamedyarov 2 theoretically important games in Meran variation}) 5... h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. e5 {A rare plan, which however was played in some memorable games. Nowadays White mostly tries to attack with ? on e5 e.g 9.?e5 or 9.?e2 ?b7 10.0-0 ?bd7 11.?e5 or 9.?e2 ?b7 10.h4 g4 11.?e5.} Nd5 (10... Nh5 {This retreat went out of fashion after the spectacular game Kramnik,V-Anand,V} 11. a4 $1 a6 (11... b4 $142 12. Ne4 c5 {Kasparov,G}) 12. Nxg5 $1 Nxg3 13. Nxf7 Kxf7 14. fxg3 {White's attack looks very dangerous, but Anand managed to sustain it and win the game in a counterattack.} Kg8 $1 15. O-O Nd7 16. Bg4 Qe7 17. Ne4 Rh7 18. Nd6 Rb8 19. b4 $2 (19. axb5 cxb5 20. Nxb7 Rxb7 21. Rxa6 Rb6 22. Rxb6 (22. Ra8 Rb8 23. Ra7 $44 {Anand}) 22... Nxb6 23. Rf6 $16 {Kramnik, Kasparov} Kh8 (23... Qd8 {Anand} 24. Bxe6+ Kh8 25. Qg4 Bg7 (25... Be7 {Anand} 26. Rg6 Bg5 27. Rg8+ Qxg8 28. Bxg8 Kxg8 29. h4 $18) 26. Rf7 $18) 24. Bxe6 $1 Bg7 25. Rg6 $16 {Anand}) 19... h5 $1 20. Bh3 Bh6 $1 21. Kh1 Bg5 22. Qc2 Rg7 23. Qe2 Ba8 $1 24. Qxh5 Rf8 25. Ne4 c5 $1 26. Nxg5 Bd5 $3 $19 {Kramnik,V-Anand,V/Belgrade 1997}) 11. O-O (11. h4 {happened in Kasparov-Tal game and was deeply analysed later by Garry Kasparov} Qa5 12. Rc1 g4 13. Nd2 c5 14. Nce4 $1 cxd4 15. O-O h5 $6 (15... Nc6 16. a4 $1 a6 17. Ra1 $1 Qb4 $1 {Kasparov}) 16. a4 $1 a6 (16... d3 $1) 17. b4 $2 (17. Bxc4 $1 {Kasparov,G} bxc4 18. Nxc4 Qb4 19. f3 $3 {Petrosian,T.V. ...and White is winning, as shown by Garry Kasparov in his books.}) 17... Qd8 $1 18. Bxc4 bxc4 19. Nxc4 Nc3 $1 20. Nxc3 dxc3 21. Nd6+ Bxd6 22. exd6 Qf6 $1 23. Qd3 O-O 24. Rxc3 Bd5 $1 $138 {½-½ Kasparov,G-Tal,M/Moskva (izt),1982. and in this sharp position the great players agreed to a draw.}) 11... Nd7 12. Nd2 {White is transfering his ? to e4 - this is the point of the e4-e5 push.} Qb6 13. a4 a6 14. Nde4 O-O-O {I spent a lot of time on this move,but I liked it more than other options} ({I rejected} 14... c5 {in view of} 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Nc3 $1 cxd4 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Bh5 {threatening e5-e6. As it turned out, this position had happened in 2 games.} (18. axb5 Bg7 19. Bf3 $5) 18... Bg7 (18... Qe6 19. axb5 (19. Bg4 Qb6 20. e6 Nf6 21. Be5 Bg7 22. Bxd4 Qd6 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. Qf3 $16 {Gormally,D-Tweedie,C/Edinburgh 2006})) 19. e6 O-O 20. exd7 Rad8 21. axb5 axb5 $16 {Del Rio Angelis,S-Korneev,O/Evora 2007}) ({Shakhriyar's compatriot had won the game quickly after the limp} 14... Be7 $6 15. Qd2 h5 $2 16. Nxd5 exd5 (16... cxd5 $142 {Lutz}) 17. Nxg5 c5 18. Rae1 $1 {Radjabov,T-Mastrovasilis,D/Warsaw 2005}) 15. Bh5 {Played instantly as well} ({Worth considering is} 15. Qd2 c5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Nc3 Nb8 19. b3 cxb3 20. dxc5 Bxc5 21. Nxd5 Rxd5 22. Qc3 Rhd8 23. Qxb3 {½-½ Halkias,S-Motylev,A/Plovdiv BUL 2008 (23)}) 15... Nf4 $146 ({I seriously considered} 15... c5 {but after} 16. axb5 axb5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 (17... exd5 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. Bxf7) 18. Nc3 Bb7 19. d5 {White has serious compensation for a pawn}) ({I didn't like} 15... Rh7 {and in the blitz tournament following the main event Shakhriyar won a good game:} 16. axb5 cxb5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Nd6+ Bxd6 19. exd6 Nf6 20. Bg4+ Nxg4 21. Qxg4+ Kb8 22. Qf5 Rhh8 23. Rfe1 Ka8 24. Re7 {Mamedyarov,S-Karjakin,S/Moscow blitz 2008}) ({RR} 15... c5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Bxf7 cxd4 18. Nxb5 Qxb5 19. Bxe6 Qc6 20. Bf5 Be7 21. Rc1 Rhf8 22. Bh3 N5b6 23. Nf6 Bxf6 24. exf6 Rxf6 25. Qxd4 h5 26. f3 h4 27. Bf2 Rf4 28. Qg7 Qf6 29. Qh7 Kb8 30. Rfd1 {Fier,A (2606)-Durarbayli,V (2635) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (60)}) ({RR} 15... c5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Bxf7 cxd4 18. Nxb5 Qxb5 19. Bxe6 Qc6 20. Bf5 Be7 21. Rc1 Rhf8 22. Bh3 N5b6 23. Nf6 Bxf6 24. exf6 Rxf6 25. Qxd4 h5 26. f3 h4 27. Bf2 Rf4 28. Qg7 Qf6 29. Qh7 Kb8 30. Rfd1 {Fier,A (2606)-Durarbayli,V (2635) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (60)}) 16. Bxf7 (16. a5 {it would be nice to insert 16.a5 ?a7, but the queen would move to c7 and White is in trouble} Qc7 (16... Qa7 17. Bxf7 Nxe5 18. Bxe6+ Kb8 19. Bxf4 gxf4 20. dxe5 Rxd1 21. Raxd1 Bg7 22. Nf6 $44) 17. Bxf7 Nxe5 18. Bxe6+ Kb8 $17 {and the queen sacrifice doesn't work} 19. Bxf4 gxf4 20. dxe5 Rxd1 21. Rfxd1 Qxe5) 16... Nxe5 (16... c5 17. axb5 axb5 18. d5 Nxe5 19. Bxe6+ Kb8 {was weaker in my opinion}) 17. Bxe6+ Kb8 18. Ne2 {This natural looking move was played instantly, but I think that it is the source of White's troubles. Till now I had spent almost 1.5 hours, while my opponent just 15 minutes.} ({I believe that White had to dare to sacrifice the queen by} 18. Bxf4 $5 gxf4 19. dxe5 Rxd1 20. Rfxd1 b4 (20... Bg7 21. axb5 axb5 22. Nf6 $13) 21. Nf6 Qa5 $13 {with chances for both sides}) 18... Bg7 {But after my reply it was Mamedyarov's turn to think.} ({It was also possible to sacrifice an exchange} 18... Ned3 19. b3 Rxd4 $1 20. Nxd4 Qxd4 21. Bf5 Bb4 {with more than enough compensation.}) 19. Nxf4 {My opponent had spent 65 minutes for this move and broke my record, when I thought for 57 minutes on my 20th moves against him in the 1st Tal memorial! But seriously speaking, it is obvious that Black had taken the initiative and his position is better. White had to think how to arrange for counterplay. I think he found the best way.} (19. a5 Qa7 20. Qc2 (20. Nxf4 gxf4 21. Bxf4 Qxd4) 20... Ned3 21. Nc5 (21. b3 Rxd4 22. Nxd4 Qxd4 $19) (21. Rad1 Bxd4 $19 (21... Rxd4 22. Nxd4 Qxd4 23. Nc5 $1)) {and Black can choose beetween} 21... Rxd4 $1 ({and} 21... Nxc5 22. Nxf4 gxf4 23. Bxf4+ Ka8 24. dxc5 Qxc5 25. Rae1 (25. Rad1 Qb4 $15) 25... Qd4 $15) 22. Nd7+ (22. Nxd4 Nxc5 (22... Qxc5)) 22... Rxd7 23. Bxd7 Rf8 $17) (19. Qc2 Ned3 20. Nc5 (20. b3 Bxd4 21. Rab1 c5 $19 {and White's position collapses.}) 20... Bxd4 21. Nd7+ Rxd7 22. Bxd7 Rf8 $17 {it is clear that Black has more than enough compensation for an exchange - the ?d3 is stronger than any ?!}) 19... gxf4 20. Bxf4 Rxd4 (20... Qxd4 $5 {was also possible. But I didn't have much time and decided that it was worth while to keep the queens on the board - White's pieces are poorly coordinated and with queens on the board he'll have more trouble keeping them together.}) 21. a5 $2 {In was worth keeping an option on opening the a-file after the forthcoming c6-c5. The text move kills White's counterplay.} (21. Qe2 $5 Ka8 {??d3} (21... c5 $6 {allows a tactical shot:} 22. Nf6 $1 Rxf4 23. Qxe5+ Ka8 24. Qxf4 Qxe6 {and it's hard to say who is better.}) 22. Bxe5 Bxe5 23. Nd2 Bg7 {and Black is better.}) ({Better was} 21. Qg4 $142 Qc7 22. Qe2 Re8 23. Bg4 $1 c5 24. f3 $15 {with a defendable position.}) 21... Qd8 ({Not so good is} 21... Rxd1 22. axb6 Rxa1 23. Rxa1 Ka8 24. Nc5 Nd3 25. Nxa6 $1 ({or even} 25. Nxd3 cxd3 26. Rd1 $13) 25... Nxf4 26. Nc5+ Kb8 27. Bg4 $5 {and White is not in any danger of losing.} (27. Nd7+ Kc8 28. Bf5 Rd8 $13)) 22. Qe2 (22. Qg4 Qc7) 22... Re8 ({Simpler was} 22... Ka8 $17 {, but I completely missed White's reply.}) 23. Rad1 $1 ({I had counted only on} 23. Bf5 Rf8 24. g4 Ka8 $17) 23... Ka8 ({Black is losing after} 23... Rxe6 24. Rxd4 Qxd4 25. Rd1 Qa7 26. Rd8+ Kc7 27. Qg4 Kxd8 28. Qxe6 Qd4 29. Qg8+) 24. Be3 {Being short of time and after just missing the counterplay I chose the simplest continuation.} Rxd1 (24... Nd3 $1 25. Bxd4 Bxd4 26. Qg4 (26. Bf5 c5) 26... c5 {was very strong, when Black's pieces are totally dominating.}) 25. Rxd1 Nd3 26. Bf5 $2 ({I was more afraid of} 26. Nc5 Qe7 (26... Qf6 27. Bd7 $5 (27. Rxd3 cxd3 28. Qxd3 Rd8 (28... Rxe6 $2 29. Qd7 {I saw it during the game and was looking for an improvement, while my opponent was thinking about his move.} Qe7 30. Qxe6 Qxe6 31. Nxe6 Bxb2 32. Bxh6 {and White is not worse.}) 29. Nd7 c5 $19) 27... Rd8 28. b3 $13) (26... Qxa5 $6 27. Qh5) 27. Rxd3 cxd3 28. Qxd3 Bxb2 $1 {Only this computer suggestion leaves Black with an advantage. Black is threatening the decisive ?b2-c1!} (28... Bc8 29. Bxc8 Rxc8 30. g3 $13 {with full compensation} (30. b4 Rd8 31. Qc2 Bd4)) 29. Bg4 (29. Nd7 Qxe6 30. Nb6+ Kb8 31. Bf4+ Ka7 32. Be3 c5) (29. g3 Bc1 30. Bd4 Rd8) 29... Bc1) ({Also more stubborn was} 26. Qg4 Bd4 27. Qg6 (27. b3 Bxe3 28. fxe3 Qe7 29. Bf5 Ne5 $19) 27... Bxe3 28. fxe3 Qe7 29. Nd6 Rf8 $17) 26... Qd5 {Now Black's pieces are totally dominating on the board and the rest is simple.} 27. Qg4 (27. Ng3 c5) 27... Bxb2 28. h4 Bd4 (28... Rg8 {was also strong.}) ({I decided not to allow any counterplay after} 28... c5 $6 29. Nxc5 Rg8 (29... h5 $1) 30. Qe4 ({or} 30. Nxb7 Rxg4 31. Bxg4) 30... Rxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Qg8+ 32. Kf3) 29. Bg6 Rg8 30. Bxd4 Qxd4 31. Qe6 Qd5 32. Qe7 c5 33. f3 ({Or} 33. Bf7 Qxe4 34. Qxe4 Bxe4 35. Bxg8 c3 36. Bb3 c4 37. Bc2 b4) 33... Qd4+ 34. Kh1 Qg7 ({Avoiding a last trap} 34... Rxg6 $2 35. Qe8+ Ka7 36. Qxg6 Bxe4 37. Qb6+ $1) 35. Qxg7 Rxg7 36. h5 b4 37. Kg1 Bxe4 {I was very pleased when this game was awarded the prize for the best game of the Tal Memorial.} (37... Bxe4 38. Bxe4+ Kb8 39. g4 b3 {doesn't leave White much of a chance.}) 0-1 [Event "Sofia MTel Masters 5th"] [Site "Sofia"] [Date "2009.05.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2745"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2009.05.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 131"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. exf6 Bb7 12. g3 c5 13. d5 Qb6 14. Bg2 O-O-O 15. O-O b4 16. Na4 Qb5 17. a3 exd5 18. axb4 cxb4 19. Qg4 {An old move in this well-known position. Other options:} (19. Qd4) (19. Re1 {- see Topalov-Shirov in this issue}) (19. Be3 {(the most popular move)}) (19. Bf4 {(introduced recently, with excellent results for White)}) (19. h4) 19... d4 {Positions arising in the Botvinnik system are usually crazy and hard to assess. Black tries to clarify the position a little bit. Otherwise White would eventually create a strong attack on the black king:} (19... Bd6 20. Be3 Kc7 21. Bd4 (21. Rfd1 $6 Rdg8 22. Qf5 Rg6 23. Bd4 Rhh6 {0-1 Lhost,G-Roussel,C/Bethune 2005/CBM 107 ext (39)}) 21... Rhe8 (21... Ne5 $5) 22. b3 Nc5 23. Nxc5 Bxc5 24. Qf4+ Kb6 25. Be5 (25. Ra4 $1 a5 26. Rfa1 $16) 25... Rxe5 26. Qxe5 c3 27. Rfe1 Rd6 28. g4 d4 29. Bxb7 Kxb7 30. Qf5 $16 {½-½ Zhou Jianchao-Zhang Pengxiang/Wuxi 2006/CBM 113 ext (35)}) (19... Bh6 20. Rfd1 (20. Rfe1 Rdg8 21. h4 Bxg5 22. hxg5 d4 23. Qxd4 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Rxg5 25. Re4 Qf5 26. Qxc4+ Kd8 27. Re8+ {0-1 Babula,V-Kanovsky,D/Luhacovice 2003/CBM 094}) 20... Rhg8 (20... Rde8 21. b3 c3 22. Bxh6 Rxh6 23. Rd4 a5 24. Bxd5 Re6 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. Rxd7 Kxd7 27. Rd1+ {1-0 Badjarani,I-Peyrou Olya,M/Iran 1997/EXT 2003}) 21. h4 Bxg5 22. hxg5 Bc6 23. Rd4 Kb7 24. b3 $16 {0-1 Dias,A-Pelletier,Y/Matinhos 1994/EXT 1997 (52)}) (19... Rg8 20. h4 Bd6 21. Qd4 Be5 22. Qxa7 Kc7 23. Bh3 Nxf6 24. Rfe1 Ra8 25. Qe3 Ne4 26. Bf4 f6 27. Bxe5+ fxe5 28. Qh6 $36 {1-0 Burgess,G-Adnoy,H/Gausdal 2002/CBM 086 ext (36)}) 20. Bxb7+ Kxb7 (20... Qxb7 21. Qxd4 Bd6 22. Qxd6 Rxh2 23. Kxh2 Rh8+ 24. Bh4 $18 {1-0 Ortiz,E-Stein,J/Monterey Park 2004/EXT 2009 (27)}) 21. Qe4+ Qc6 22. Qxd4 Bd6 23. Rfe1 Rde8 24. Re3 $146 {[%mdl 8] An attempt at an improvement. Previous games saw:} (24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. Be3 Bb8 (25... Nb6 26. Nxb6 axb6 27. Rd1 Be5 28. Qd2 c3 29. bxc3 bxc3 30. Qa2 Re6 31. Rb1 Qe8 32. Qd5+ Kc7 33. Ra1 Qc6 34. Ra7+ Kb8 35. Qxc6 Rxc6 36. Rxf7 Bxf6 $44 {½-½ Williams,L-Wilson,J/Hastings 1995/EXT 1998 (40)}) 26. Qxd7+ Qxd7 27. Nc5+ Kc8 28. Nxd7 Kxd7 29. Ra4 (29. Bd2 $5) 29... Bd6 $5 (29... a5 30. Rxa5 Be5 31. Bc5 b3 32. Ba3 Ke6 33. f4 Bd4+ 34. Kf1 Rb8 $44 {0-1 Zarubin,O-Andrianov,N/Severodonetsk 1982/EXT 1999 (42)}) 30. Rxa7+ Kc6 31. Ra6+ Kd5 32. Kf1 b3 33. Ra5+ Kc6 34. Ra6+ {½-½ Beliavsky,A-Smeets,J/Amsterdam 2007/CBM 120 (35)} (34. Bd4 Bb4 35. Ra1 Rd8 36. Be5 Rd2 $44)) ({RR} 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. Be3 Nb6 26. Nxb6 axb6 27. Rd1 Be5 28. Qd2 c3 29. bxc3 bxc3 30. Qa2 Re6 31. Rb1 Qe8 32. Qd5+ Kc7 33. Ra1 Qc6 34. Ra7+ Kb8 35. Qxc6 Rxc6 36. Rxf7 Bxf6 37. g4 c2 38. Bc1 b5 {Williams,L (2110)-Wilson,J (2245) Hastings 1995 ½-½ (41)}) ({RR} 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. Be3 Bb8 26. Qxd7+ Qxd7 27. Nc5+ Kc8 28. Nxd7 Kxd7 29. Ra4 a5 30. Rxa5 Be5 31. Bc5 b3 32. Ba3 Ke6 33. f4 Bd4+ 34. Kf1 Rb8 35. Ra6+ Kd5 36. Ke2 Re8+ 37. Kd2 Rh8 38. h4 Rg8 {Zarubin,O-Andrianov,N (2435) Severodonetsk 1982 0-1 (42)}) 24... Ne5 $1 (24... Rxe3 $6 25. Bxe3 {is poor for Black as his rook is on h8 and not on e8 as in the previous variation.}) 25. h4 (25. Rc1 $5) 25... Re6 {Sometimes chess is very easy: if you don't know what to do - centralize your pieces! For White it is more difficult to find a guiding light.} 26. Bf4 (26. Qd1 $5 Rhe8 $140 27. Qh5) 26... Rhe8 27. Bxe5 Rxe5 28. Rxe5 $6 (28. Rae1 $5 Rxe3 29. Rxe3 Rxe3 30. fxe3 Bf8 31. Qd8 Qxa4 32. Qxf8 Qd1+ $11) 28... Rxe5 29. Qg4 $6 {White decides to advance his h-pawn at any cost.} (29. Rd1 $142 Bc7 {[%csl Ra4]} 30. b3 cxb3 31. Qxb4+ Rb5 $15) 29... Ra5 30. h5 Rxa4 31. Rxa4 Qxa4 32. h6 Qc6 $1 {Consolidation.} 33. Qh5 $6 (33. h7 $2 c3 34. bxc3 bxc3 35. h8=Q c2 $19) (33. Qg8 $142 $1 {[%CAl Rh6h7]} Be5 $1 34. Qxf7+ Ka6 35. Qe7 Bxf6 36. Qxb4 Qb5 37. Qd6+ Qb6 $17) 33... c3 $6 {Of course, something like} (33... a5 $3 34. Qxf7+ Ka6 $17 {(with the idea of preventing ?f7-a2+ after ...c4-c3) can hardly be found by a human. White had little chances to survive in that case, e.g.} 35. h7 (35. Qg6 c3 36. bxc3 bxc3 37. Qc2 Bf8 38. h7 Qxf6) 35... c3 36. bxc3 bxc3 37. h8=Q c2 38. Qh6 c1=Q+ 39. Qxc1 Qxc1+ 40. Kh2 $1 (40. Kg2 Qc6+ 41. Kg1 Be5) 40... Qc2 41. Kg1 Qb1+ 42. Kh2 Qe4 $1 $17) 34. bxc3 bxc3 35. Qxf7+ Bc7 $6 {This leads to a draw. Black could have kept winning chances after} (35... Ka6 36. Qa2+ Kb5 37. h7 (37. Qc2 Bb4 $1) 37... c2 38. Qb2+ Bb4 39. Qc1 Ba3 40. Qf1+ Ka4 41. h8=Q c1=Q {etc.}) ({or} 35... Kb6 36. Qb3+ Ka5 {etc.}) 36. Qb3+ Bb6 37. Qf7+ {Black now can't escape checks.} Bc7 (37... Qc7 38. Qd5+ Ka6 (38... Kb8 $4 39. f7 Qxg3+ 40. Qg2 Bxf2+ 41. Kh1 $18) 39. Qa2+ Ba5 40. Qe6+ $11) (37... Ka6 38. Qa2+ Ba5 39. Qe2+ Kb6 40. Qe3+ Kb7 41. Qe7+ Bc7 42. Qb4+ $11) 38. Qb3+ Bb6 39. Qf7+ Bc7 1/2-1/2 [Event "China Chess King 1st"] [Site "Taizhou"] [Date "2015.11.25"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Wang, Yue"] [Black "Bu, Xiangzhi"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Schulz,Andre"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2015.11.24"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Bulletin} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 {Die Botwinnik-Variante sieht man heute eher selten.} Be7 ({Die Hauptvariante entsteht nach} 10... Nbd7) 11. exf6 Bxf6 12. Bxf6 (12. Be3 {kommt auch vor.}) 12... Qxf6 13. g3 Na6 {[#]} (13... Bb7) 14. a4 $146 {Kam bisher kaum vor.} ({Der Hauptzug ist} 14. Bg2 Bb7 ({RR} 14... Bb7 15. Ne4 Qe7 16. O-O O-O-O 17. a4 f5 18. Nc3 b4 19. Ne2 c5 20. Qc2 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Qb7+ 22. f3 c3 23. bxc3 b3 24. Qd3) 15. Nxb5 ({Die Alternative ist} 15. Ne4 Qe7 16. O-O O-O-O 17. a4 f5 18. axb5 cxb5 19. Rxa6 Bxa6 20. Nc5 Qxc5 21. dxc5 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 b4 23. Ra1 Rd8 24. Bf1 Bb5 25. b3 c3 26. Bxb5 c2 27. Be2 a5 28. Rc1 Rd2 29. Kf1 {1-0 (29) Nakamura,H (2767)-Aronian,L (2797) Saint Louis 2014}) 15... O-O-O 16. Qa4 cxb5 17. Bxb7+ Kxb7 18. Qxb5+ Ka8 19. Qc6+ Kb8 20. Qb5+ Ka8 21. Qc6+ Kb8 22. Qb5+ Ka8 {1/2-1/2 (22) Svidler,P (2740)-Lu,S (2595) Ningbo 2015}) ({RR} 14. Bg2 Nb4 15. O-O Qh6 16. h4 Nd5 17. Qe2 Kf8 18. Qe5 Bd7 19. Qd6+ Ke8 20. a4 b4 21. Ne4 Qf8 22. Rfc1 c3 23. bxc3 Qxd6 24. Nxd6+ Ke7 25. Bxd5 cxd5 26. Nb7 Rab8 27. Nc5 bxc3 28. Rxc3 Rb4 {Barczay,L-Zinn,L Havana 1966 EXT 1999 [Bulletin] 1-0 (43)}) ({RR} 14. Bg2 Bb7 15. O-O O-O-O 16. a4 Rxd4 17. Qe2 b4 18. Ne4 Qe5 19. Rfe1 Rhd8 20. h4 Nc5 21. Nxc5 Qxc5 22. Qe3 Qa5 23. Rac1 Qxa4 24. h5 Qb5 25. h6 Qh5 26. Bf3 Qg6 27. Be4 f5 28. Bg2 R8d6 {Fier,A (2540)-Fridman,D (2631) Tallinn 2019 0-1 (73)}) ({RR} 14. Bg2 Nb4 15. O-O Nd5 16. Re1 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bb7 18. a4 O-O-O 19. Qg4 a6 20. Re5 Kc7 21. Rc5 Rd5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Rxd5 cxd5 24. h4 Bc6 25. Qd1 Rb8 26. Ra7+ Rb7 27. Qa1 Rxa7 28. Qxa7+ Kc8 {Mirski,S (2266)-Sherman,R (2391) Katowice POL 2026 ½-½ (41)}) ({RR} 14. Bg2 Nb4 15. O-O Bb7 16. Ne4 Qh6 17. h4 O-O-O 18. a4 c5 19. Nxc5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Qf6 21. axb5 Rxh4 22. Rxa7 Kb8 23. Qa4 Rh2+ 24. Kxh2 Qf3 25. Rb7+ {1-0 (25) Duhayon,Y (2227)-Paesschesoone,S Leuven 2002}) 14... Nb4 15. axb5 cxb5 16. Nxb5 Kf8 {Rochade ist in dieser Variante sowieso eine Utopie, insofern ist das ein logischer Zug auf die weiße Gabeldrohung.} 17. Qd2 a5 {[#]} 18. Bxc4 $2 {Dafür war keine Zeit, der Läufer fehlt bei der Verteidigung der weißen Felder und der Zug öffnet Schwarz auch noch die c-Line.} (18. Bg2 {war nicht möglich:} Nd3+ 19. Kf1 Rb8 $19) ({Richtig war} 18. Be2 Bb7 19. f3 ({Nicht} 19. O-O $4 Rxh2 20. Kxh2 Qh8+ 21. Kg1 Qh1#) 19... Nd3+ 20. Bxd3 Qxf3 21. Rf1 Qxd3 22. Qxd3 cxd3 $11 {Mit gleichen Chancen und Spielmöglichkeiten für beiden Seiten.}) 18... Bb7 19. f3 $2 {Noch ein Fehler.} ({Nicht schön, aber besser war} 19. Rf1 Rxh2 20. Rxa5 (20. Rc1 Bg2 21. Rg1 Bd5 $19) 20... Nc2+ 21. Kd1 Rxa5 22. Qxa5 Bg2 23. Rg1 Be4 $17) 19... Rc8 {Es stellt sich heraus, dass der Lc4 nun gar nicht ziehen kann.} 20. Qc3 (20. b3 Rxc4 21. bxc4 Qxf3 22. Rf1 Nd3+ $19) 20... Rxc4 21. Qxc4 Qxf3 22. Kd2 {[#]} (22. Rf1 Nd3+ $19 {Damenverlust oder Matt.}) 22... Rh5 $1 {Ein nüzlicher Wartezug. Was soll Weiß jetzt ziehen?} 23. Rhe1 (23. Nd6 Qf2+ 24. Qe2 Qxd4+ 25. Ke1 Re5 $19) (23. h4 Qf2+ 24. Qe2 Qxe2+ 25. Kxe2 Bxh1 26. Rxh1 Rxb5 $19) 23... Rxh2+ 24. Re2 Bd5 25. Qc8+ Kg7 26. Rxh2 Qd3+ 27. Ke1 Qxg3+ 28. Rf2 Nd3+ 29. Ke2 Nxf2 30. Qc3 Qg2 31. Ke1 Ne4 0-1 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2003.01.15"] [Round "4"] [White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2734"] [BlackElo "2723"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2003.01.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 093"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. g3 Bb7 12. Bg2 Qb6 13. exf6 O-O-O 14. O-O c5 15. d5 b4 16. Na4 Qb5 17. a3 exd5 18. axb4 cxb4 19. Be3 Nc5 20. Qg4+ Rd7 21. Qg7 $5 {Ivanchuks Damenopfer aus seiner Partie gegen Shirov aus Wijk aan Zee. Wie ich in CBM 91 bereits erläutert hatte, sind die Folgen dieses scheinbar brillanten Damenopfers jedoch alles andere als klar.} Bxg7 22. fxg7 Rg8 23. Nxc5 {Die weiße Kompensation für die Dame besteht in den Angriffsmöglichkeiten gegen den schwarzen König. Vermutlich ist dies jedoch nicht genug.} Rxg7 (23... d4 $6 24. Bxb7+ Rxb7 25. Nxb7 Qb6 26. Bxd4 $3 Qxd4 27. Rfd1 $40 {Ivanchuk,V-Shirov,A/Wijk aan Zee 1996/[Shirov]}) 24. Nxd7 $146 (24. Bh3 f5 $1 25. Bxf5 Rgf7 26. Bh3 Rh7 27. Be6 Rhe7 28. Rxa7 Rxe6 29. Nxe6 d4 30. Nxd4 Qd5 31. Rxb7 Rxb7 32. Ra1 c3 33. bxc3 b3 34. Nxb3 Rxb3 $19 {0-1 Ernst,T-Hermansson,E/Stockholm 2002/CBM 91/[Lutz] (65)}) (24. Bd4 f5 25. Bh3 Rgf7 26. Rxa7 Rc7 27. Ne6 Rce7 28. Ng5 Qe8 $1 29. Nxf7 Qxf7 $15 {1-0 Lalic,B-Wilson,J/London 1996/Inf 66/[Lalic,B] (46)}) (24. Rxa7 {Lalic,B} d4 $5 25. Bxb7+ $140 Rxb7 26. Nxb7 Qb6 $1 $17) ({RR} 24. Bd4 Rc7 25. Nxb7 Rg6 26. Ra5 Qxb7 27. Bxd5 Qb8 28. Be5 Qb6 29. Bxc7 Qxc7 30. Rfa1 a6 31. Rxa6 Rxa6 32. Rxa6 c3 33. bxc3 bxc3 34. Be4 Qc4 35. Bf5+ Kd8 36. Ra1 Qe2 37. Kg2 Qe5 38. Rd1+ Ke7 {Bacrot,E (2721)-Carlsen,M (2772) Dortmund 2009 ½-½ (46)}) 24... Qxd7 25. Rxa7 Rg6 26. Rfa1 $146 ({RR} 26. Kh1 Kd8 27. Kg1 {½-½ (27) Hrynkiewicz,J-Palasz,K (1723) Kowalewo Pomorskie 2009}) 26... Re6 $1 {Schwarz plant nun das Qaulitätsopfer ...?xe3 nebst ...?e6-e5. Ohne den schwarzfelrigen Läufer hätte Weiß keinen Angriff mehr gegen den schwarzen König.} 27. Bd4 {Weicht dem Opfer aus, aber nun dringt der Turm ein.} (27. Bh3 d4 $17 {und entlang der Diagonalen a8-h1 zeichnet sich ein Unglück für Weiß ab.}) (27. R1a5 Rxe3 28. fxe3 Qe7 $17) 27... Re2 28. h4 Rd2 29. Be3 Rxb2 $19 {Drei schwarze Freibauern sind einfach zu viel.} 30. R1a5 b3 31. Rc5+ Kd8 $1 {Shirov hat alles genau berechnet.} (31... Kb8 $2 32. Raa5 {mit den Ideen ?f4+ und ?xd5}) 32. Rxb7 Qxb7 33. Rxd5+ Qxd5 34. Bxd5 Rb1+ 35. Kg2 b2 {Die beiden Bauern werden beide weiße Läufer kosten.} 36. Be4 (36. Bxc4 Rd1 $1 (36... Rg1+ $2 37. Kxg1 b1=Q+ 38. Kh2 $11 {und Weiß errichtet eine Festung.}) 37. Ba2 Ra1 $19) 36... Rd1 37. Bg5+ Ke8 38. Bf6 b1=Q 39. Bxb1 Rxb1 40. h5 Kf8 41. g4 (41. Kf3 c3 42. Bxc3 Rb3 $19) 41... Rd1 42. Bb2 Kg8 0-1 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 24th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "1996.07.14"] [Round "9"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D44"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2765"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "1996.07.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 054"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Ftacnik Shirov Kramnik} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. exf6 Bb7 12. g3 c5 13. d5 Qb6 14. Bg2 O-O-O 15. O-O b4 16. Rb1 Qa6 17. dxe6 Bxg2 18. e7 Bxf1 19. Qd5 (19. Kxf1 {Ftacnik}) 19... Bxe7 (19... Bh6 {führt gemäß Shirov zum Remis, man vergleiche seine Anmerkungen zu Beliavsky,A-Shirov,A/EUcup f Ljubljana (03)/CBM 51 1995 und Azmaiparashvili,Z-Shirov,A/Madrid (03)/CBM 53 1996. Anscheinend sind Topalov und Kramnik da anderer Meinung.}) (19... Bh6 {Ftacnik} 20. exd8=Q+ (20. Bxh6 Bd3 21. Qa8+ (21. Ne4 $5 Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Rde8 23. Bg7 $1 Rh5 24. Rd1 Qb5 $1 {½-½ Beliavsky,A-Shirov,A/EUCup f Ljubljana (03)/1995/ (40)}) 21... Nb8 22. exd8=Q+ Rxd8 23. Re1 bxc3 24. Bf4 Qb6 (24... Qb7 25. Re7 $1 $18) 25. bxc3 Bf5 26. h4 Be6 (26... Qb7 27. Qxb7+ Kxb7 28. Re7+ Rd7 29. Bxb8 Kxb8 30. Rxd7 Bxd7 31. Kg2 {½-½ Azmaiparashvili,Z-Shirov,A/Madrid (03) ;CBM 53_05 1996 (42)}) 27. Kh2 (27. h5 Bd5 28. Qxb8+ Qxb8 29. Bxb8 Kxb8 30. Re7 Rh8 31. Re5 Be6 32. f4 Kc7 $1 33. Rxc5+ Kd6 34. Ra5 Rh6 $13) 27... Rd7 28. h5 Rb7 29. Bxb8 (29. h6 Qb2 30. Kg1 Qxc3 31. Rxe6 $1 fxe6 32. Bxb8 Qf3 33. Bd6+ Kd7 34. Qxb7+ Qxb7 35. f7 $18) 29... Rxb8 30. Qe4 {Yermolinsky,A-Gurevich,D/USA-ch (10)/1994/1-0 (63)}) 20... Kxd8 21. Ne4 Bh3 22. Nxc5 Be6 23. Nxe6+ fxe6 24. Qa8+ Qc8 25. Qxa7 Bxg5 26. Qa5+ Qc7 27. Qxg5 Qe5 $1 $10 {Yermolinsky,A-Ivanchuk,V/Pinsk/1986/0,5/40/}) (19... Bd3 {Ftacnik} 20. Bf4 $3 Qb6 21. Na4 Qb5 22. exd8=Q+ Kxd8 23. Re1 $16) 20. fxe7 Bd3 (20... Rdg8 {Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V (01)/New York PCA 25 (04)/CBM 41 1994 reicht nicht zum Ausgleich.}) (20... Rdg8 {Ftacnik} 21. Ne4 Rg6 22. Rxf1 $2 (22. Qa8+ $1 Nb8 23. Rxf1 Qc6 24. Rd1 $3 Qxa8 25. Rd8+ Kc7 26. Bf4+ Kb6 27. Rxh8 Re6 28. e8=Q Rxe8 29. Rxe8 Qd5 30. Rxb8+ Ka6 31. Nd2 $1 c3 32. bxc3 bxc3 33. Nb3 c4 34. Nc1 c2 35. h4 $18) 22... Qc6 23. Qxc6+ Rxc6 24. Rd1 $2 Re8 25. Nd6+ Rxd6 26. Rxd6 f6 {½-½ Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V (01)/New York PCA 25' (04)/1994/ (35)}) 21. Ne4 Bxb1 22. Nd6+ Kc7 23. Bf4 (23. exd8=Q+ Rxd8 24. Nxf7 Re8 25. Bf4+ Kb6 (25... Kc8 {Ftacnik} 26. Qa8+ Nb8 27. Qxb8+ Kd7 28. Qc7+ Ke6 29. Ng5+ Kf5 30. Qd7+ $18) 26. Qd6+ Ka5 27. Qxd7 {Mit klarem weißen Vorteil gemäß Shirov. Aber Kramnik gibt die folgende Variante an:} Re1+ 28. Kg2 Be4+ 29. f3 Bc6 30. Qd8+ Ka4 31. Qd2 Ra1 $17) 23... Kb6 24. Nxc4+ (24. exd8=Q+ {Ftacnik} Rxd8 25. Nxf7 Qc8 26. Qd6+ Ka5 (26... Kb5 27. Qd1 Qa6 28. Nxd8 $16) 27. Qc7+ Qxc7 28. Bxc7+ Ka4 29. Nxd8 Bxa2 $13) 24... Kb5 25. Nd6+ Kb6 26. exd8=B+ Rxd8 27. Nc4+ (27. Nxf7 $5 Re8 28. Qd6+ Ka5 29. Qc7+ (29. Qxd7 $2 {Ftacnik} Re1+ 30. Kg2 Qf1+ 31. Kf3 Qe2+ 32. Kg2 Be4+ 33. Kh3 Qh5#) 29... Qb6 30. Qxd7 Re1+ 31. Kg2 Ka6 $14 (31... Bxa2 $2 {Ftacnik} 32. Bc7 $18)) 27... Kb5 28. Nd6+ Kb6 29. Nc4+ Kb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Biel 53rd"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2020.07.29"] [Round "7"] [White "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2703"] [BlackElo "2719"] [Annotator "Harikrishna,Pentala"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2020.07.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 197"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,66,7,-19,49,15,19,16,42,16,26,26,38,11,33,-17,33,2,8,13,13,16,16,4,9,1,12,-23,30,24,24,24,12,2,0,-36,37,4,52,-16,18,-17,29,22,22,-49,79,53,90,35,30,30,38,-83,-83,-163,-163,-163,-164,-164,-141,-141,-141,-141,-141,-154,-162,-168,-156] This is the last round from Biel masters. I was trailing by half a point behind the eventual champion Wojtaszek. I hoped to have an interesting game to keep some pressure on Radek. Therefore, I chose an opening which I don't play that often.} 1. c4 {Quintiliano,Renato} c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. d4 Nbd7 {This position can be reached by various move orders.} 6. Qc2 (6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bb3 {My game against Vincent Keymer went this way where I had the white pieces.}) 6... Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Be2 b6 (8... e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nb5 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12. Nxd2 a6 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nd4 Bg4 $11 {I would evaluate this position as equal. Considering the tournament situation I did not go for this. I drew a game against Peter Leko from this position in 2016.}) 9. Bb2 Bb7 10. O-O Qe7 11. Rfe1 ({RR} 11. Rad1 Rac8 12. e4 dxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qh4 c5 16. Rfe1 cxd4 ({RR} 16... Ne4 17. d5) 17. Nxd4 Bb4 ({RR} 17... Ba3) 18. Bd3 Bxe1 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. Bc2+ Kg8 21. Rxe1) 11... Rfe8 12. Rad1 Rad8 ({RR} 12... Rac8 13. Bd3 e5 ({RR} 13... c5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Bf5) 14. e4 dxc4 ({RR} 14... exd4 15. exd5) 15. Bxc4 b5 16. Bf1 g6 ({RR} 16... a6 17. h3 g6 18. Qd2 Rcd8 19. Qh6 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qf8) 17. Qd2 Rcd8 18. Qg5 a6 19. h3 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qe5 21. Qxe5 Nxe5 22. Nc2 g5 23. Bc1 h6 24. Be3 c5 25. f3 Bf8 26. Bf2) 13. Bf1 ({RR} 13. e4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Qxe4 Bb4 16. Rf1 Bd6 17. Rfe1 Bb4 18. Rf1 Bd6 19. Rfe1 Bb4) ({RR} 13. Bd3 e5 14. cxd5 ({RR} 14. e4 dxc4 15. Bxc4 b5 16. Bf1 a6) 14... cxd5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nd4 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Ne4) 13... c5 ({RR} 13... e5 14. dxe5 ({RR} 14. cxd5 e4 15. Nh4 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Ng4+ 17. Kh3 Ndf6) ({RR} 14. g3 e4 15. Nh4 Qe6 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. Nb5 Rc8 18. Qd2 Bb8 19. Rc1 g5 20. Ng2 Qh3) 14... Nxe5 15. Nxe5 ({RR} 15. Nd4 dxc4 16. Nf5 Qe6 17. Nxd6 Rxd6 18. bxc4 Rxd1 19. Nxd1 c5) 15... Bxe5 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. Nb5 Rc8 18. Qb1 d4 19. h3 ({RR} 19. exd4 Bxh2+ 20. Kxh2 Ng4+ 21. Kg3 Qg5 22. f4 Qh5) 19... Ng4 20. hxg4 Qh4 21. f4 dxe3 22. Rxe3 Bxf4 23. Rh3 Qxh3 24. gxh3 Be3+ 25. Kh2 Bf4+ 26. Kg1) ({RR} 13... Bb4 14. a3 Bxa3 15. Bxa3 Qxa3 16. cxd5 exd5 17. Ra1 Qd6 18. Rxa7) ({RR} 13... e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nd4 dxc4 16. Nf5 Qe6 17. Nxd6 Rxd6 18. Rxd6 Qxd6 19. Rd1 cxb3 20. axb3 Qe6 21. Ne4 Nd5 22. Ng3 c5 23. e4 Nb4 24. Qc3 h6 25. Bb5 Bc6 26. Bxc6 Nbxc6 27. f4 Qg4 28. Rf1 {Piorun,K (2655)-Harikrishna,P (2719) Legnica 2021 ½-½ (32)}) 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Nb5 {This is the first new move for me. I was prepared until here.} (15. g3 {is played more often. There are hundreds of games in the database.} {RR} Rc8 16. Qb1 ({RR} 16. Bh3 c4) 16... cxd4 ({RR} 16... c4 17. bxc4 Bb4 18. Nd2 dxc4 19. e4) 17. Nxd4 Bb4 18. Rc1 Ne5 ({RR} 18... Ne4 19. Nf5 Qe6 20. Nxe4 Qxe4 21. Qxe4 dxe4 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rd1) 19. Bh3 Rcd8 20. Red1 Bc5 21. Bg2) ({RR} 15. g3 a6 16. Bg2 Rc8 17. Qb1 ({RR} 17. dxc5 Bxc5 ({RR} 17... bxc5 18. Nh4 Qe6 19. Qd2 Nb6 20. e4 d4 21. e5 Bxg2 22. exf6 Be5 23. Nxg2 dxc3 24. Bxc3 Bxc3 25. Rxe6 Bxd2 26. Rxb6) 18. Rc1 Ne4 19. Qd3 Ndf6) 17... h6 ({RR} 17... Rcd8 18. Nh4 cxd4 ({RR} 18... g6) 19. Nf5 Qf8 20. Nxd6 Qxd6 21. Rxd4) ({RR} 17... c4 18. bxc4 dxc4 19. e4) 18. Nh4 ({RR} 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. Nh4 Qe6 20. Ne2 Rcd8 21. Nf4 Bxf4 22. exf4 Qb6) 18... c4 19. Nf5 Qf8 20. Nxd6 ({RR} 20. bxc4 Rxc4 21. e4 dxe4 ({RR} 21... Bb4 22. e5 Bxc3 23. Bxc3 Rxc3 24. exf6 Nxf6 25. Qxb6 Bc8 26. Rxe8 Qxe8 27. Qa5) 22. Nxe4 Nxe4 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Rxe4 25. Qxe4 g6 ({RR} 25... Nf6 26. Qd3 b5 27. d5) 26. Nxd6 Qxd6 27. Qe8+ Nf8 28. d5) 20... Qxd6 21. bxc4 Rxc4 22. a4 Rec8 23. Rc1 h5 24. h3 Nf8 25. Qa2 Ne6 ({RR} 25... h4) 26. Qb3 Qd8 27. Re2 ({RR} 27. h4) 27... Bc6 28. Rec2 b5 29. axb5 axb5 {Ding,L (2778)-Topalov,V (2749) Shamkir 2018 CBM 184 [Quintiliano,Renato] ½-½ (57)}) ({RR} 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Ne2 a6 17. Ng3 g6 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. Qc3 Qe6 20. Red1 Bf8 21. Qa5 Bd6 22. Rc2 Bc7 23. Qa4 Bd6 24. Rcd2 Ne5 25. Be2 h5 26. Nxe5 Bxe5 27. Bxe5 Qxe5 28. Bf3 Re7 29. h3 Kg7 {Rohith,K (2482)-Krishna,C (2383) Cesis LAT 2026 ½-½ (65)}) 15... Bb8 {More or less forced as Black cannot allow the exchange of his bishop for White's knight.} 16. dxc5 $146 ({RR} 16. g3 Rc8 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. Bg2 c4 19. Nfd4 a6 20. Ba3 Qd8 21. Nd6 Bxd6 22. Bxd6 Ne4 23. Ba3 Qa5 24. Bc1 g6 25. bxc4 Ne5 26. Nb3 Qa4 27. c5 Nxc5 28. Qb1 Ne4 29. Bb2 Nc4 30. Ba1 Re6 {Antova,G (2235)-Jain,V (1923) Ledyard USA 2024 1-0 (44)}) 16... bxc5 17. g3 {This was the critical position. I felt that it was about equal. Black needs an active plan and, quite importantly, not to exchange too many pieces.} Ng4 $5 (17... Ne4 18. Bg2 Ndf6 19. Nc3 Bc7 $11 {was also possible. White's play is a bit easier here, therefore I did not go for this.}) 18. Bg2 (18. h3 Nge5 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Bg2 h5 $13) 18... Ndf6 {[%CAl Yf6e4] With the idea to play Ne4.} 19. Nc3 h5 {My idea was to expand the kingside and keep ...h4 ready whenever possible. I also wanted to provoke White to play h3.} 20. Ba3 Qc7 {To keep my chances I decided to play this way.} (20... Ne4 $5 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Nh4 Nxh2 23. Qxc5 Qxc5 24. Bxc5 g5 $11) 21. h3 d4 $1 (21... Ne5 22. Nxe5 Rxe5 23. Ne2 $16 {[%CAl Yc2c5]}) (21... Nxe3 $2 22. Rxe3 Rxe3 23. fxe3 d4 24. Ne2 $1 $18) 22. hxg4 $2 {This is already a mistake. White had to play exd4 and the position is about equal.} (22. exd4 $1 Rxe1+ 23. Nxe1 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 cxd4 (24... Ne3+ $5 25. fxe3 Qxg3+ 26. Kf1 Qxh3+ 27. Qg2 Qxe3 $13) 25. hxg4 dxc3 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Qxc3 hxg4 $11) 22... hxg4 (22... dxc3 {I considered this but wrongly judged that White's position is fine.} 23. gxh5 Qa5 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Rd1 (25. Qc1 Rd2 $19) 25... Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Bxf3 27. Bxf3 Qxa3 28. Qd8+ Kh7 29. Qd3+ Kh6 30. Qxc3 Qxa2 $17) 23. Nb5 $4 (23. Nxd4 $1 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 cxd4 25. exd4 Rxe1 (25... Nd5 $2 {This doesnt work.} 26. Bc5 Ne3+ 27. Rxe3 Rxe3 28. fxe3 Qxg3+ 29. Kf1 Qxe3 30. Rd3) 26. Rxe1 Rxd4 $11) 23... Qa5 $19 24. Nfxd4 Bxg2 25. Qxc5 (25. Kxg2 cxd4 26. Nxd4 Qxa3 $19) 25... Bb7 {There is nothing wrong with this move, although Ba8 is winning immediately.} (25... Ba8 $1 26. Nc3 Qa6 27. Nf5 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Be5 29. Ne7+ Kh8 30. Qxe5 Qxa3 $19) 26. Nf5 $4 (26. Nc3 Qa6 27. Qb5 {This is the difference to 25....Ba8!, as here the bishop on b7 is hanging.} Qxb5 28. Ndxb5) 26... Rd5 27. Ne7+ Rxe7 28. Qxe7 Qxb5 29. e4 (29. Qf8+ Kh7 30. Qxb8 Rh5 $19 (30... Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Qc6 $19)) 29... Rxd1 30. Rxd1 Bxe4 31. Re1 Ba8 {Here Anton resigned. Surprisingly White could continue here for a while. 31...Bb7 was the right move. In this game I played ...Ba8 when ...Bb7 was superior, and ...Ba8 when ...Bb7 was winning :)} 32. Qb4 Qxb4 (32... Qc6 33. Qxb8+ Kh7 34. Kf1 {With White's rook on d1, Black can simply capture it. Even here Black is winning, but he needs to play precisely.}) 33. Bxb4 Bb7 0-1 [Event "Nanjing Pearl Spring 1st"] [Site "Nanjing"] [Date "2008.12.19"] [Round "8"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Bu, Xiangzhi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2714"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2008.12.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 128"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 {The "improved Chebanenko" has recently become extremely popular.} 6. c5 b6 {This immediate undermining is the only way to eliminate the c5-pawn; otherwise White plays b2-b4 (although Black has another popular plan: ...?b8-d7, ...g7-g6, ...?f8-g7 etc. preparing ...e6-e5).} 7. cxb6 Nbd7 8. Bd3 c5 9. b3 (9. O-O Qxb6 10. Bd2 {[%CAl Yc3a4] is another option for White.}) 9... Nxb6 (9... cxd4 10. exd4 Qxb6 {looks more appropriate} (10... Bd6 11. O-O O-O 12. Na4 Nxb6 13. Nc5 Nbd7 14. Qc2 a5 15. Ba3 Qb6 16. Rfe1 Ra7 17. Nxd7 Bxd7 18. Bc5 Bxc5 19. dxc5 Qb8 20. Ne5 Rc8 21. c6 Be8 22. Rac1 Qb6 23. Qc5 Qxc5 24. Rxc5 $14 {0-1 Drozdovskij,Y-Popov,V/Warsaw POL 2008/The Week in Chess 737 (49)}) {but Black failed to prove equality in the following games:} 11. O-O Bd6 12. Bb2 O-O 13. Qe2 (13. Na4 Qa7 14. Qe2 Bb7 (14... a5) 15. Ne5 Rac8 16. Rfd1 Be7 17. a3 Rfd8 18. Nxd7 Nxd7 19. b4 Bf6 20. Rac1 g6 21. Nc5 Nxc5 22. dxc5 Bxb2 23. Qxb2 Bc6 24. Qf6 $14 {1-0 Prohaszka,P-Martinovic,S/Budapest HUN 2008/The Week in Chess 731 (44)}) 13... a5 14. Na4 Qa7 15. Rac1 Ba6 16. Bxa6 Qxa6 17. Qxa6 Rxa6 18. Rc2 Nb8 19. Ne5 Nfd7 20. Rfc1 f6 21. Nd3 Kf7 22. f4 h6 23. Nc3 $14 {½-½ Kamsky,G-Navara,D/Baku 2008/CBM 124 (61)}) (9... Qxb6 $5 {is probably the most accurate order of moves:} 10. O-O Bb7 11. Na4 (11. Qe2 $5) 11... Qa7 12. Bb2 cxd4 13. exd4 Bc6 14. Nc3 Bd6 15. Qe2 O-O 16. Ne5 Rfc8 17. Rad1 Nf8 18. Kh1 Be8 19. f4 Bb4 $132 {0-1 Prohaszka,P-Najer,E/Mainz 2008/CBM 125 Extra (38)}) 10. Ba3 {In the previous game GM Peter Svidler obtained the better prospects but now he deviates to avoid a possible improvement for Black:} (10. O-O Bb7 11. Bb2 cxd4 12. exd4 Be7 13. Rc1 O-O 14. Qe2 a5 15. a4 Nc8 16. Ne5 Na7 17. Nb5 Nxb5 18. Bxb5 (18. axb5 $142) 18... Qb6 19. Rc2 Rfc8 20. Rfc1 Rxc2 21. Rxc2 Bd6 22. Qe1 Qd8 23. Qc1 Qe7 24. Bc3 h6 25. h3 Ne4 26. Be1 $14 {½-½ Svidler,P-Vitiugov,N/Moscow RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 727 (67)}) ({RR} 10. O-O Bb7 11. Bb2 cxd4 12. exd4 Be7 13. Rc1 O-O 14. Qe2 a5 15. a4 Nc8 16. Ne5 Na7 17. Nb5 Nxb5 18. Bxb5 Qb6 19. Rc2 Rfc8 20. Rfc1 Rxc2 21. Rxc2 Bd6 22. Qe1 Qd8 23. Qc1 Qe7 24. Bc3 h6 {Svidler,P (2727)-Vitiugov,N (2638) Moscow 2008 ½-½ (67)}) 10... Nfd7 (10... cxd4 $5 11. Bxf8 dxc3 {(otherwise Black just loses castling "for nothing") looks risky but needs checking. To keep attacking chances, White must sacrifice material:} 12. Ba3 (12. Bxg7 Rg8 13. Bh6 Rxg2 $13) (12. Bb4 d4 $1 13. exd4 Nbd5 14. Bc5 Nd7 15. Ba3 $140 Qa5) (12. Bc5 Nbd7 13. Ba3 $6 Qa5 14. Qc1 Nc5 15. Be2 Nce4) 12... Qc7 13. Rc1 e5 $13) 11. O-O Bb7 12. Rc1 Rc8 $146 ({RR} 12... Be7 13. Rc2 O-O 14. Qb1 cxd4 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. exd4 Rfc8 17. Rfc1 g6 18. Na4 Nxa4 19. bxa4 Rab8 20. a5 Qa3 21. Rc7 Kg7 22. Bf1 Rxc7 23. Rxc7 Bc6 24. Qe1 Qd6 25. Rxc6 Qxc6 26. Ne5 Qc7 27. Nxd7 {Berkes,F (2663)-Rublevsky,S (2703) Kragujevac 2009 ½-½}) 13. Re1 Be7 14. Re2 $5 O-O 15. Rec2 {The c-file is White's main field of action in this system.} cxd4 $6 (15... c4 $142 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. bxc4 Nxc4 {although the difference in strength of bishops means that Black has not yet equalized.} (17... dxc4 $143 $6 {[%csl Rc4]})) 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. exd4 e5 {Otherwise 18.?e2 controlling the e5-square and attacking the a6-pawn. However, after the text move White creates a blockade on d4.} 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Nd4 $1 (19. Nxe5 Qxe5 20. Qg4 {[%CAl Yg4f5] was another good option} d4 $140 21. Ne2 {[%csl Rd4]}) 19... g6 20. Bf1 {White could have forced favorable simplifications by means of} (20. Qe2 $5 a5 21. f4 Nc6 22. Qxe7 (22. Nxc6 Qc5+) 22... Nxe7 23. Ncb5 (23. Kf2 $5) (23. Bb5 $5)) 20... Qd6 21. h3 Rfd8 (21... Rfe8 $142) 22. Qd2 Kg7 $6 {Prompting a future diagonal or knight check.} (22... Re8) 23. a4 Nbd7 $2 ({It was the last moment to play} 23... Re8) (23... Qb4 {made no sense due to} 24. Qf4 {forcing} Qd6 (24... Nc6 $6 25. Nce2)) 24. f4 Nc6 25. Nxc6 $2 {f2-f4 now loses any sense and only weakens White's own position. Meanwhile, he had an immediate win of material:} (25. Ne4 $1 Qe7 (25... dxe4 26. Nf5+) (25... Qb8 26. Nxc6 Bxc6 27. Qd4+ Kg8 28. Rxc6 Rxc6 29. Rxc6 dxe4 30. Rd6 $18) 26. Nxc6 Rxc6 (26... Bxc6 27. Bxa6) 27. Rxc6 Bxc6 28. Qd4+ Kg8 29. Nf2 $18 {[%CAl Rc1c6,Rf1a6]} ({or} 29. Rxc6 dxe4 30. Rd6 e3 31. Qd1 $18)) 25... Rxc6 26. Ne2 (26. Qd4+ $142 Kg8 27. b4 $14) 26... Rxc2 27. Rxc2 Nf8 (27... Nf6 $5 $132 {[%csl Ge4] was a more active plan}) 28. Nd4 Ne6 (28... Re8 $5 {[%CAl Re8e4]} 29. Bd3 Nd7 {[%CAl Yd7f6]}) 29. Nxe6+ Qxe6 30. Qd4+ Qf6 31. Qxf6+ Kxf6 {[%mdl 4096]} 32. Rc7 Rb8 $14 {White's queenside pawn advantage is hardly sufficient for a victory in this endgame as his king is far away from the centre.} 33. g4 h6 34. b4 ({Or} 34. a5 Bc8 35. Kf2 Ke6 36. Bg2 $5 Bd7 37. Bxd5+ Kxd5 38. Rxd7+ Ke4 39. Rxf7 Rxb3 {[%csl Gb3,Ge4] with a probable draw}) 34... Bc8 35. a5 Ke6 36. Bd3 Bd7 37. f5+ Ke7 $4 {A very strange mistake. After the natural} (37... Kd6 38. Ra7 Rxb4 39. Rxa6+ Bc6 40. fxg6 fxg6 41. Bxg6 Kc5 {, due to his strong d-pawn, Black is not worse.}) 38. Bxa6 Kd6 ({The rook endgame after} 38... Rxb4 39. Bc8 Kd8 40. Rxd7+ Kxc8 41. Rxf7 gxf5 42. Rxf5 {should now be lost for Black (just compare the position of his king in the annotation to move 34 and here!).}) 39. Rb7 Rxb7 40. Bxb7 gxf5 41. gxf5 Bxf5 {Black has recaptured material but his prospects are grim as White's connected outside pawns are very strong.} 42. h4 Bd3 43. Kf2 d4 44. Kf3 Bf1 (44... f6 45. Kf4 Kc7 46. Be4 Bf1 47. Bb1 {[%CAl Rf4e4]} Bg2 48. Kf5 $18) 45. Kf4 Bd3 (45... f6 46. a6 Kc7 47. Ke4 d3 48. Ke3 Kb6 49. Kd2 f5 50. b5 Be2 51. Bd5 $18 {[%CAl Rd5c4,Rc4d3]}) 46. a6 Kc7 47. Ke5 Kb6 48. Kxd4 Be2 49. Ke5 h5 50. Kf6 Bc4 51. Kg5 Be2 52. Bd5 f6+ (52... Kxa6 53. Bxf7 Kb5 54. Bxh5 Bc4 55. Be8+ Kxb4 56. h5 $18) 53. Kxf6 Kxa6 54. Bc6 (54. Bc6 Kb6 55. Be8 {[%CAl Rf6g5]}) 1-0 [Event "13th Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger NOR"] [Date "2025.05.26"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Gukesh D"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2776"] [PlyCount "150"] [EventDate "2025.05.26"] 1. d4 {[%eval 17,0]} d5 {[%eval 2,0]} 2. c4 {[%eval 18,0]} e6 {[%eval 17,0]} 3. Nf3 {[%eval 16,0]} Nf6 {[%eval 17,0]} 4. Nc3 {[%eval 1,0]} c6 {[%eval 12,0]} 5. e3 {[%eval 13,0]} Nbd7 {[%eval 14,0]} 6. h3 {[%eval 1,0]} Bd6 {[%eval 6,0]} 7. Bd3 {[%eval 8,0]} dxc4 {[%eval 15,0]} 8. Bxc4 {[%eval 2,0]} b5 {[%eval 28,0]} 9. Bd3 {[%eval 32,0]} b4 {[%eval 25,0]} ({RR} 9... O-O 10. O-O a6 11. a4 Bb7 12. b3 b4 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Nf6 15. Bd3 c5 16. Bb2 h6 17. Qe2 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Nd5 19. Rac1 Nc3 20. Bxc3 bxc3 21. Rxc3 Qg5 22. f4 Qa5 23. Rcc1 Rac8 24. Bc4 {Caruana,F (2784)-Giri,A (2748) Zagreb 2025 1-0 (44)}) 10. Ne2 $146 {[%eval 3,0]} ({RR} 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Bb7 12. Nd2 Qc7 13. b3 Nf6 14. Bf3 c5 15. Bb2 cxd4 16. Rc1 Qd7 17. Nc4 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 O-O 19. Bxd4 Be7 20. Ne5 Qd5 21. Nc6 Rfe8 22. Qxd5 Nxd5 23. e4 Nf4 24. Kf1 e5 {Arizmendi Martinez,J (2473)-Shogdzhiev,R (2403) Sant Boi ESP 2025 1-0 (67)}) ({RR} 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Bb7 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nc4 Be7 14. b3 Qc7 15. Bb2 c5 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. O-O Rfd8 19. Qg4 g6 20. Rad1 Ne4 21. Na5 Qb5 22. Qxe4 Qxa5 23. Rd4 Rd5 24. Rxd5 Qxd5 {Santiago,Y (2479)-Plotkin,M (2360) Oaxtepec MEX 2026 1-0 (54)}) 10... c5 {[%eval 1,0]} 11. e4 {[%eval 6,0]} cxd4 {[%eval 0,0]} 12. Nexd4 {[%eval 0,0]} O-O {[%eval 0,0]} 13. O-O {[%eval 1,0]} e5 {[%eval 11,0]} 14. Nf5 {[%eval 7,0]} Nc5 {[%eval 11,0]} 15. Nxd6 {[%eval 16,0]} Qxd6 {[%eval 19,0]} 16. Bc4 {[%eval 7,0]} Ncxe4 {[%eval 15,0]} 17. Be3 {[%eval 13,0]} Qe7 {[%eval 14,0]} 18. Rc1 {[%eval 1,0]} Bb7 {[%eval 1,0]} 19. Qb3 {[%eval 18,0]} a5 {[%eval 16,0]} 20. a3 {[%eval 16,0]} Nd6 {[%eval 21,0]} 21. Be2 {[%eval 25,0]} Bd5 {[%eval 26,0]} 22. Qa4 {[%eval 29,0]} Rfb8 {[%eval 25,0]} 23. Bc5 {[%eval 65,0]} Qe6 {[%eval 71,0]} 24. Ng5 {[%eval 71,0]} Qf5 {[%eval 8,0]} 25. Nf3 {[%eval 85,0]} Nde4 {[%eval 78,0]} 26. Be3 {[%eval 75,0]} Qe6 {[%eval 89,0]} 27. Qc2 {[%eval -86,0]} Rc8 {[%eval 78,0]} 28. Qa4 {[%eval 76,0]} Rcb8 {[%eval 62,0]} 29. Qc2 {[%eval 89,0]} h6 {[%eval 95,0]} 30. Bc4 {[%eval -84,0]} Nd6 {[%eval -87,0]} 31. Bxd5 {[%eval 79,0]} Nxd5 {[%eval -89,0]} 32. Bd2 {[%eval -53,0]} Rc8 {[%eval -87,0]} 33. Qb3 {[%eval -99,0]} Ne4 {[%eval 8,0]} 34. axb4 {[%eval 89,0]} axb4 {[%eval -98,0]} 35. Be3 {[%eval -96,0]} Nef6 {[%eval 63,0]} 36. Rfe1 {[%eval 61,0]} Rxc1 {[%eval 65,0]} 37. Bxc1 {[%eval 61,0]} e4 {[%eval 62,0]} 38. Nd4 {[%eval 51,0]} Qe5 {[%eval 57,0]} 39. Qc4 {[%eval 68,0]} Qe8 {[%eval 56,0]} 40. Nf5 {[%eval 46,0]} Rc8 {[%eval 39,0]} 41. Qd4 {[%eval 27,0]} Qe6 {[%eval 33,0]} 42. Ng3 {[%eval 45,0]} b3 {[%eval 3,0]} 43. f3 $6 {[%eval -95,0] Inaccuracy. Qa4 was best.} (43. Qa4) 43... Rc2 {[%eval 89,0]} 44. fxe4 {[%eval -98,0]} Ne7 {[%eval -86,0]} 45. Rf1 {[%eval -98,0]} Nc6 {[%eval 78,0]} 46. Qe3 {[%eval -97,0]} Kh7 {[%eval 94,0]} 47. Rf2 {[%eval -77,0]} Qe5 {[%eval -78,0]} 48. Qf4 $6 {[%eval -3,0] Inaccuracy. Rf1 was best.} (48. Rf1 Nd4) 48... Qxf4 {[%eval -92,0]} 49. Bxf4 {[%eval -41,0]} Nb4 $2 {[%eval 26,0] Mistake. Nd7 was best.} (49... Nd7) 50. Rd2 {[%eval 34,0]} h5 {[%eval 29,0]} 51. h4 {[%eval 31,0]} Ng4 {[%eval 12,0]} 52. Kf1 {[%eval 13,0]} Rc1+ {[%eval 5,0]} 53. Ke2 {[%eval 7,0]} Rg1 {[%eval 0,0]} 54. Nxh5 {[%eval 0,0]} Rxg2+ {[%eval 0,0]} 55. Kf3 {[%eval 0,0]} Rxd2 {[%eval 0,0]} 56. Bxd2 {[%eval 0,0]} Ne5+ {[%eval 0,0]} 57. Ke2 {[%eval 0,0]} Nbc6 {[%eval 0,0]} 58. Bc3 {[%eval 6,0]} f6 {[%eval 1,0]} 59. Nf4 {[%eval 1,0]} Kh6 {[%eval 12,0]} 60. Ne6 {[%eval 15,0]} Nd7 {[%eval 0,0]} 61. Kd3 {[%eval 0,0]} Nde5+ {[%eval 0,0]} 62. Ke2 {[%eval 0,0]} Nd7 {[%eval 0,0]} 63. Ke3 {[%eval 3,0]} Nce5 {[%eval 1,0]} 64. Ke2 {[%eval 0,0]} g6 {[%eval 0,0]} 65. Nf4 {[%eval 0,0]} Nc5 {[%eval 0,0]} 66. Ke3 {[%eval 0,0]} Na4 {[%eval 0,0]} 67. Bxe5 {[%eval 0,0]} fxe5 {[%eval 0,0]} 68. Nd3 {[%eval 0,0]} Kh5 {[%eval 0,0]} 69. Nxe5 {[%eval 0,0]} Nxb2 {[%eval 0,0]} 70. Kd2 {[%eval 0,0]} Na4 {[%eval 0,0]} 71. Kd3 {[%eval 0,0]} Kh6 {[%eval 0,0]} 72. Nf3 {[%eval 0,0]} Nc5+ {[%eval 0,0]} 73. Kc3 {[%eval 0,0]} Nxe4+ {[%eval 0,0]} 74. Kxb3 {[%eval 0,0]} g5 {[%eval 0,0]} 75. hxg5+ {[%eval 0,0]} Nxg5 {[%eval 0,0]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 26th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2009.03.06"] [Round "13"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2779"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Giri,Anish"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2009.02.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 129"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 {The Semi Slav, one of the sharpest openings, which has been developed a lot thanks to Anand.} 5. e3 Nbd7 {Meran...} 6. Qc2 {Anti-Meran...} Bd6 {and now... the Anti-Anti Meran, do you think? No!} 7. b3 {White chooses a calm and positional approach. Instead 7.g4! is sharp and was tried by Magnus in this tournament successfully against Anand and unsuccessfully against Aronian.} O-O 8. Be2 b6 9. O-O Bb7 10. Bb2 Rc8 11. Rac1 {Normally, to the best of my knowledge, Black puts his queen on e7, before striking in the centre. But this move order had already been played by Anand against Ivanchuk.} c5 12. dxc5 {Novelty.} ({RR} 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Qb1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Bb7 16. Rfd1 Qe7 17. Bf3 Bxf3 18. Nxf3 Nc5 19. Qc2 a5 20. Qe2 Rfd8 21. Qb5 Qb7 22. Rd4 Bf8 23. h3 Rxd4 24. Bxd4 Nd7 25. Rd1 Rc7 26. Nd2 e5 {Ivanchuk,V (2787)-Anand,V (2801) Moscow 2007 ½-½ (38)}) ({RR} 12. Qb1 cxd4 13. exd4 Bb8 14. Ne5 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. Rcd1 Qe7 18. Nb5 Bxb2 19. Qxb2 Rfd8 20. Nxa7 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Qe2 Qd4 24. Nb5 Qa1+ 25. Qf1 Qxa2 26. Qd1 g6 {Romany,J (1945)-Barmagambetov,M (2022) chess.com INT 2026 ½-½ (60)}) 12... bxc5 13. Rfd1 Qe7 14. g3 $146 {A strong move! Ivanchuk prepares cxd exd ?h4!} ({RR} 14. cxd5 exd5 15. g3 g6 16. Nh4 Be5 17. Bf3 Qe6 18. Bg2 Ba8 19. Ne2 Qa6 20. Bxe5 Nxe5 21. Nf3 Nc6 22. Nf4 d4 23. Qb2 Nb4 24. a3 Nbd5 25. Nxd5 Bxd5 26. exd4 Qb7 27. Rc3 Ne4 28. Re3 c4 {Kachar,V (2294)-Mozharov,M (2451) Moscow 2010 0-1 (67)}) 14... Rfd8 15. cxd5 exd5 {A structure with hanging pawns has arisen. Hanging pawns might be weak, but they can be strong as well.. It depends on how well the player handles them.} 16. Nh4 {As I told you! The knight is provoking some weaknesses.} Bb8 17. Bf1 {Transporting the bishop to g2 or h3.} Ne5 {An inaccuracy, I think ...?e6, putting the queen on a typical square for this structure and preventing ?h3, kept the position equal.} 18. Bh3 Rc7 19. Bg2 d4 {Too early. Aronian just gives up a pawn. But to be honest his position was a bit unpleasant already. Though I think, after the best ...?cc8! Black can hold the position.} 20. Nf5 Qe8 21. exd4 cxd4 22. Nxd4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 g6 24. Ne4 $1 {Nice trick, which Black could have avoided by not playing g6. But it was very bad for Black anyway. The rest is easy for Ivanchuk.} Qe7 25. Nxf6+ Qxf6 26. Qe2 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Qd6 28. Qe4 (28. f4 $1 {would win immediately.} Nd7 29. Nc6 {winning.}) 28... Qb4 29. Rc2 f5 30. Qe2 Qb7+ 31. Nc6 $1 Re8 32. Kg1 Nf3+ 33. Qxf3 Re1+ 34. Kg2 Qb5 35. Rc4 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2009.02.01"] [Round "13"] [White "Wang, Yue"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2739"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "133"] [EventDate "2009.01.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 129"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 c5 10. Rd1 Qc8 11. d5 exd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. Bxd5 Nxd5 14. Rxd5 Be7 15. e4 O-O 16. Bg5 Re8 17. Rad1 Nf8 18. Qc4 $146 ({RR} 18. Bxe7 Rxe7 19. e5 Ne6 20. Qe4 h6 21. Rd6 Qb7 22. Qxb7 Rxb7 23. g3 Kf8 24. Rd7 Rab8 25. Kf1 Ke8 26. Rxb7 Rxb7 27. Ke2 Re7 28. Ke3 Nd8 29. Ke4 Nc6 30. Rd6 Na5 31. b3 Nb7 32. Rd5 Nd8 {Parligras,M (2591)-Hera,I (2610) Tornelo INT 2021 ½-½ (49)}) ({RR} 18. Bxe7 Rxe7 19. e5 Ne6 20. Qe4 h6 21. Rd6 Qb7 22. Qxb7 Rxb7 23. g3 Kf8 24. Rd7 Rab8 25. Kf1 Ke8 26. Rxb7 Rxb7 27. Ke2 Re7 28. Ke3 Nd8 29. Ke4 Nc6 30. Rd6 Na5 31. b3 Nb7 32. Rd5 Nd8 {Parligras,M (2591)-Hera,I (2610) Tornelo INT 2021 ½-½ (49)}) 18... Qe6 19. b3 h6 20. Bf4 Ng6 21. Bg3 Bf8 22. Nd2 Ne7 23. Rd3 Nc6 24. Qxe6 Rxe6 25. a4 a6 26. f3 b5 27. Bf2 Rc8 28. axb5 axb5 29. Nf1 Nb4 30. Rc3 Ra6 31. Ne3 Ra3 32. Be1 Nc6 33. Rb1 Rca8 34. Kf1 Nd4 35. Rd3 Ra2 36. b4 R8a3 37. Rbd1 Ne6 38. bxc5 Bxc5 39. Rxa3 Rxa3 40. Nd5 Rb3 41. h4 b4 42. f4 Rb2 43. f5 Nd4 44. Bxb4 Bxb4 45. Rxd4 Rb1+ 46. Ke2 Rb2+ 47. Kf3 Be1 48. h5 Rf2+ 49. Ke3 Rxg2 50. Ra4 Bh4 51. Ra8+ Kh7 52. Rf8 Bg5+ 53. Kf3 Rh2 54. Rxf7 Kg8 55. Ra7 Rxh5 56. e5 Rh3+ 57. Ke4 Rh1 58. e6 Re1+ 59. Kd4 h5 60. Kc5 Re5 $2 (60... h4 $11) 61. f6 $1 Bxf6 62. Kd6 Rf5 63. Nxf6+ Rxf6 64. Kd7 h4 65. e7 Rf7 66. Kd8 Kh7 67. Ra6 1-0 [Event "Linares 09th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1991.??.??"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2800"] [BlackElo "2700"] [Annotator "Anand,Viswanathan"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "1991.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 022"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1991.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1991.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Ftacnik} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. b3 (6. Bd3 $2 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 c5 $10) 6... Bb4 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Bd6 (9... Qe7 $5 {Ftacnik}) 10. e4 dxc4 11. bxc4 e5 12. c5 $1 (12. d5 Nc5 $132) 12... Bc7 (12... exd4 {Ftacnik} 13. cxd6 dxc3 14. Bxc3 Nc5 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. e5 $16) 13. Na4 exd4 14. h3 $1 {This move is necessary to prevent ?f6-g4-e5} Re8 (14... Qe7 {Ftacnik} 15. Qc2) 15. Re1 ({RR} 15. Qc2 h6 16. Rab1 Rb8 17. Rfd1 Qe7 18. Nxd4 Ne5 19. Be2 Ng6 20. Bd3 Ne5 21. Bf1 Ng6 22. Re1 Qe5 23. Nf3 Qh5 24. Rb3 Ne5 25. Nxe5 Qxe5 26. g3 Qh5 27. g4 Bxg4 28. e5 Bf5 29. Qb2 Ne4 {Peyrer,K (2496)-Malek,J (2560) Pasching AUT 2026 0-1 (43)}) 15... h6 (15... Ne5 {Ftacnik} 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 Bc7 18. Qc2 g6 19. Rab1 $36) 16. Rb1 Nh7 17. Bc4 $146 (17. Rb4 {Ftacnik} b5 $5 18. cxb6 Nxb6 19. Rxd4 Qe7 $132) ({RR} 17. Rb3 Nhf8 18. Bb1 Ng6 19. Bc1 Ba5 20. Rf1 Nf6 21. Rd3 Rxe4 22. Nxd4 Nd5 23. Rg3 Nc3 24. Nxc3 Rxd4 25. Qe2 Bxc3 26. Rxc3 Rd5 27. Be4 Re5 28. Qc2 Qe8 29. f3 Be6 30. f4 Bb3 31. Qxb3 Rxe4 {Wiersma,E (2414)-Godena,M (2517) Kallithea 2008 ½-½ (34)}) 17... Qf6 (17... Ng5 18. Nxg5 hxg5 19. Qh5 $16) (17... b5 $2 {Ftacnik} 18. cxb6 Nxb6 19. Nxb6 Bxb6 20. Qb3 $18) 18. Rb3 Nhf8 $6 {This seems a bit passive} (18... Ng5 $5 19. Nxg5 hxg5 20. Rf3 (20. Qh5 Bf4 $132) 20... Bf4 21. g3 Ne5) (18... Ne5 {Ftacnik} 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. f4 Bxf4 21. Bxf4 $1 Qxf4 22. Rf3 $18) 19. Bc1 Ng6 20. Nxd4 Nde5 21. Bf1 $14 Rd8 22. Bb2 Nh4 (22... Rb8 {Ftacnik} 23. g3 $1 $16) 23. Ree3 $1 {Kasparov handles this phase of the game very well.To push f4 white must lots of pieces around his king} (23. g3 $2 {Ftacnik} Rxd4 $1) 23... Qg5 24. g3 Nhg6 25. Qc2 h5 26. Bg2 h4 {This doesn't work but what else? Black can't withdraw his pieces without getting squashed} (26... Nd7 {Ftacnik} 27. f4 Qe7 28. Nf5 $18) 27. f4 Nxf4 28. gxf4 Qxf4 29. Nb6 $1 Ng4 (29... Rb8 {Ftacnik} 30. Nxc8 Rdxc8 31. Nf5 $18) 30. hxg4 Bxg4 31. Nxa8 Qh2+ 32. Kf1 Bg3 33. Rxg3 hxg3 34. Qd3 Bh3 35. Qxg3 Qh1+ 36. Kf2 Bxg2 37. Qxg2 Qh4+ 38. Ke2 1-0 [Event "13th Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger NOR"] [Date "2025.05.29"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Gukesh, D.."] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark - CB"] [PlyCount "150"] [EventDate "2025.05.26"] {[%evp 0,150,19,16,18,0,0,0,-2,-11,33,44,41,39,39,19,49,25,9,7,21,15,36,-2,-25,-18,-22,-8,-9,-9,-9,-1,-38,-36,3,-11,-13,-48,-48,-78,-73,-77,0,-68,-52,-42,-42,-91,-69,-115,-100,-100,-92,-104,-112,-108,-96,-103,-109,-100,-96,-104,-69,-55,-55,-182,-120,-99,-117,-88,-105,-151,-118,-100,-93,-123,-117,-114,-74,-88,-90,-117,-80,-80,-61,-115,-115,-115,-131,-96,-103,-101,-115,-124,-109,-123,-109,-167,-52,-52,-63,-66,-66,-70,-34,-36,-20,-27,-9,-8,-18,-20,-6,4,0,0,-2,7,17,7,21,11,4,0,0,0,0,3,3,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-5,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. h3 {D45: Semi-Slav: 5 e3.} Bd6 7. Bd3 dxc4 ({RR} 7... O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. Be3 Re8 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Qc2 Bd4 16. Rae1 a6 17. Bxd4 Qxd4 18. Ne2 Qb6 19. Ng3 Nd7 20. e5 h6 21. e6 Rxe6 22. Rxe6 {Nihal,S (2668)-Erigaisi,A (2778) Almaty KAZ 2024 ½-½ (46)}) ({RR} 7... O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. Be3 Re8 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Qc2 Bd4 16. Rae1 a6 17. Bxd4 Qxd4 18. Ne2 Qb6 19. Ng3 Nd7 20. e5 h6 21. e6 Rxe6 22. Rxe6 {Nihal,S (2668)-Erigaisi,A (2778) Almaty KAZ 2024 ½-½ (46)}) 8. Bxc4 b5 {[%CAl Bb7b5,Bb5b4][%mdl 32]} 9. Bd3 b4 $146 (9... Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Be3 Re8 15. Qc2 Bd4 16. Rfe1 a6 17. Rad1 Bxe3 18. Rxe3 Qc7 {1-0 Bluebaum,M (2654)-Sanal,V (2561) EU-ch 24th Petrovac 2024 (3)}) ({RR} 9... O-O 10. O-O Bb7 11. Ne2 a6 12. a4 b4 13. e4 e5 14. Qc2 exd4 15. Nexd4 c5 16. Nf5 Bb8 17. Bd2 g6 18. Nh6+ Kg7 19. Be3 Re8 20. Bc4 Bxe4 21. Nxf7 Qe7 22. Bh6+ Kg8 23. N7g5+ Kh8 24. Qb3 {Sabirov,T-Sadykov,A (2112) Kazan 2010 1-0}) ({RR} 9... O-O 10. O-O Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Be3 Qe7 15. Qc2 Rfe8 16. Ne2 Rad8 17. Rad1 Bb8 18. f3 Qc7 19. Bf4 Qb6+ 20. Kh1 c5 21. Bxb8 Rxb8 22. Nc3 c4 23. Be2 Nh5 24. Rfe1 {Aradhya,G (2405)-Schmider,N (2379) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (35)}) ({RR} 9... Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Be3 Bd4 15. Bf4 Re8 16. Qc2 Qb6 17. a4 a6 18. Ne2 Rad8 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. Rfd1 c5 21. Bxb5 Qxe4 22. Qxe4 Nxe4 23. Bxe8 Rxe8 24. Rd7 {Aradhya,G (2405)-Saya,E (2240) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (61)}) ({RR} 9... O-O 10. O-O Bb7 11. Ne2 a6 12. a4 b4 13. e4 e5 14. Qc2 exd4 15. Nexd4 c5 16. Nf5 Bb8 17. Bd2 g6 18. Nh6+ Kg7 19. Be3 Re8 20. Bc4 Bxe4 21. Nxf7 Qe7 22. Bh6+ Kg8 23. N7g5+ Kh8 24. Qb3 {Sabirov,T-Sadykov,A (2112) Kazan 2010 1-0}) ({RR} 9... O-O 10. O-O Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Be3 Qe7 15. Qc2 Rfe8 16. Ne2 Rad8 17. Rad1 Bb8 18. f3 Qc7 19. Bf4 Qb6+ 20. Kh1 c5 21. Bxb8 Rxb8 22. Nc3 c4 23. Be2 Nh5 24. Rfe1 {Aradhya,G (2405)-Schmider,N (2379) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (35)}) ({RR} 9... Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Be3 Bd4 15. Bf4 Re8 16. Qc2 Qb6 17. a4 a6 18. Ne2 Rad8 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. Rfd1 c5 21. Bxb5 Qxe4 22. Qxe4 Nxe4 23. Bxe8 Rxe8 24. Rd7 {Aradhya,G (2405)-Saya,E (2240) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (61)}) ({RR} 9... O-O 10. O-O a6 11. a4 Bb7 12. b3 b4 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Nf6 15. Bd3 c5 16. Bb2 h6 17. Qe2 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Nd5 19. Rac1 Nc3 20. Bxc3 bxc3 21. Rxc3 Qg5 22. f4 Qa5 23. Rcc1 Rac8 24. Bc4 {Caruana,F (2784)-Giri,A (2748) Zagreb 2025 1-0 (44)}) 10. Ne2 $146 {[%eval -8,33] [%wdl 17,952,31]} (10. Ne4 $142 {[%eval 30,33] [%wdl 68,925,7]} Nxe4 11. Bxe4) ({RR} 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Bb7 12. Nd2 Qc7 13. b3 Nf6 14. Bf3 c5 15. Bb2 cxd4 16. Rc1 Qd7 17. Nc4 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 O-O 19. Bxd4 Be7 20. Ne5 Qd5 21. Nc6 Rfe8 22. Qxd5 Nxd5 23. e4 Nf4 24. Kf1 e5 {Arizmendi Martinez,J (2473)-Shogdzhiev,R (2403) Sant Boi ESP 2025 1-0 (67)}) ({RR} 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Bb7 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nc4 Be7 14. b3 Qc7 15. Bb2 c5 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. O-O Rfd8 19. Qg4 g6 20. Rad1 Ne4 21. Na5 Qb5 22. Qxe4 Qxa5 23. Rd4 Rd5 24. Rxd5 Qxd5 {Santiago,Y (2479)-Plotkin,M (2360) Oaxtepec MEX 2026 1-0 (54)}) 10... c5 11. e4 cxd4 12. Nexd4 {Bb5 is in the air} O-O 13. O-O $1 e5 14. Nf5 Nc5 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Bc4 Ncxe4 17. Be3 Qe7 18. Rc1 {[%mdl 1024]} Bb7 19. Qb3 a5 {With the idea ...a4.} 20. a3 Nd6 21. Be2 {A strong pair of Bishops.} Bd5 22. Qa4 Rfb8 23. Bc5 (23. Rfd1) 23... Qe6 $1 24. Ng5 {Against Nde4} Qf5 25. Nf3 Nde4 26. Be3 {Against Ng5} Qe6 27. Qc2 Rc8 (27... h6) 28. Qa4 Rcb8 29. Qc2 (29. Rfe1) 29... h6 30. Bc4 Nd6 31. Bxd5 Nxd5 32. Bd2 {[%eval -171,31] [%wdl 0,26,974] Black has a very serious advantage now.} (32. Bc5 $17 {[%eval -99,31] [%wdl 0,519,481]}) 32... Rc8 (32... b3) 33. Qb3 {[%CAl Ra3b4]} Ne4 {[%eval -83,33] [%wdl 0,703,297]} (33... a4 $142 {[%eval -142,33] [%wdl 0,104,896]} 34. Rxc8+ Nxc8 (34... Rxc8 35. Qxa4 Nc4 36. axb4 $15)) 34. axb4 axb4 35. Be3 {Against Nc5} Nef6 {[%eval -57,34] [%wdl 0,907,93]} ({Black should play} 35... Rxc1 $17 {[%eval -103,31] [%wdl 0,464,536]} 36. Rxc1 Rd8) 36. Rfe1 $15 Rxc1 37. Bxc1 e4 {[%CAl Od5f4]} 38. Nd4 Qe5 39. Qc4 Qe8 40. Nf5 Rc8 41. Qd4 Qe6 {Dodges Nd6} 42. Ng3 b3 $36 {[%mdl 2048]} (42... Rc2) 43. f3 $6 {[%eval -88,34] [%wdl 0,660,340]} (43. Qa4 $15 {[%eval -42,30] [%wdl 0,965,35]}) 43... Rc2 $17 44. fxe4 Ne7 $1 {Inhibits Nf5.} 45. Rf1 $1 (45. Qd8+ Kh7 46. Qd3 Nd7 $17) 45... Nc6 {[%eval -97,30] [%wdl 0,548,452]} (45... Kh7 $15 {[%eval -60,34] [%wdl 0,907,93]}) 46. Qe3 {[%eval -185,30] [%wdl 0,7,993]} (46. Qd3 $17 {[%eval -97,30] [%wdl 0,548,452]}) 46... Kh7 {[%eval -129,28] [%wdl 0,157,843]} (46... Qc4 $1 $19 {[%eval -185,30] [%wdl 0,7,993]} 47. Bd2 Rxb2) 47. Rf2 Qe5 48. Qf4 $2 {[%eval -299,25] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (48. Rf1 $17 {[%eval -127,28] [%wdl 0,176,824] is the only way for White.}) 48... Qxf4 (48... Qd4 {is even better.}) 49. Bxf4 Nb4 $2 {[%eval -32,30] [%wdl 0,980,20] Throwing away almost all the advantage.} (49... Nd7 $1 $19 {[%eval -205,29] [%wdl 0,2,998] And now ...Nc5 would win.} 50. Rxc2 bxc2) (49... g5) 50. Rd2 $15 h5 51. h4 Ng4 {[%CAl Og4e5]} 52. Kf1 $1 Rc1+ 53. Ke2 Rg1 {The position is equal.} 54. Nxh5 {Strongly threatening Kf3.} Rxg2+ (54... g6 $5 55. Ng3 $8 Rxg2+ 56. Kf1 (56. Kf3 Rxd2 57. Bxd2 Ne5+ 58. Kg2 Nbd3 $11) 56... Rxd2 57. Bxd2 Nd3 $11) 55. Kf3 Rxd2 56. Bxd2 $11 {[%mdl 4096] The endgame is now practically level.} Ne5+ 57. Ke2 Nbc6 58. Bc3 f6 59. Nf4 Kh6 60. Ne6 Nd7 61. Kd3 Nde5+ 62. Ke2 Nd7 63. Ke3 Nce5 64. Ke2 g6 65. Nf4 Nc5 66. Ke3 Na4 67. Bxe5 {[%mdl 64]} fxe5 {KN-KN} 68. Nd3 Kh5 69. Nxe5 Nxb2 70. Kd2 Na4 71. Kd3 Kh6 72. Nf3 Nc5+ 73. Kc3 Nxe4+ 74. Kxb3 g5 75. hxg5+ Nxg5 {PRECISÃO LICHESS: BRANCAS 97% PRETAS 96% PRECISÃO CHESS.COM: BRANCAS 95.7% PRETAS 95.9%} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Nalchik FIDE GP"] [Site "Nalchik"] [Date "2009.04.21"] [Round "6"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2748"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,Dorian"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2009.04.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 130"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.05.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.05.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Qc2 e6 6. Nf3 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Be2 Nc6 9. Ne5 Qc7 10. Nxc6 Qxc6 11. O-O Bd6 12. dxc5 Qxc5 13. Bd2 $146 (13. Rd1 O-O 14. Bd2 Be5 15. Qd3 Be6 16. Rac1 d4 17. Ne4 Qb6 18. b3 Rfd8 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 20. e4 Bd7 21. Qg3 Bb5 22. Bc4 Rac8 23. Qd3 Be7 24. g3 Rc6 25. a4 Bxc4 26. Rxc4 Rxc4 27. Qxc4 h5 28. Rc1 Ba3 29. Qc7 Rd6 30. Qc8+ Rd8 31. Qc7 Rd6 {½-½ Ivanchuk,V (2709)-Georgiev,V (2501)/Bled 2002}) 13... O-O 14. Rac1 d4 {This apparently logical exchange of pawns leads to an endgame where Black must struggle for a draw.} ({Preferable was} 14... Be6 15. Qd3 {with just a small plus for White.}) 15. Ne4 Nxe4 $146 (15... Qxc2 $142 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rxc2 Bf5 18. Rc4 dxe3 19. Bxe3 (19. fxe3 Be6 20. Rh4 Rfd8 21. Ba5 Rd7 $11) 19... Be6 $14) ({RR} 15... Qxc2 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rxc2 Bf5 18. Rc4 dxe3 19. Bxe3 Rac8 20. Rd1 Be5 21. b3 b5 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. g4 Be4 24. f3 Bc2 25. Rd2 f5 26. Rd5 Re8 27. f4 Bf6 28. g5 Bxg5 29. fxg5 Rxe3 30. Kf2 {Tomashevsky,E (2705)-Le,T (2501) Chess.com INT 2020 ½-½ (37)}) ({RR} 15... Qxc2 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rxc2 Bf5 18. Rc4 dxe3 19. Bxe3 Rac8 20. Rd1 Be5 21. b3 b5 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. g4 Be4 24. f3 Bc2 25. Rd2 f5 26. Rd5 Re8 27. f4 Bf6 28. g5 Bxg5 29. fxg5 Rxe3 30. Kf2 {Tomashevsky,E (2705)-Le,T (2501) Chess.com INT 2020 ½-½ (37)}) 16. Qxe4 Qe5 17. Qxe5 Bxe5 18. b3 {It turns out that White's plan ?f3 with pressure on b7 is very unpleasant for Black, who faces big troubles to bring his ?a8 into play.} dxe3 (18... d3 {is answered by the simple} 19. Bf3 $16 ({not} 19. Bxd3 Rd8 20. Bc3 Bxh2+ 21. Kxh2 Rxd3 $11)) ({The immediate} 18... Be6 19. Bf3 Rab8 {loses a pawn right away:} 20. exd4 Bxd4 21. Bf4) 19. Bxe3 Be6 20. Bf3 Rab8 21. Ba7 Ra8 (21... Rbd8 $2 22. Bc5 (22. Bxb7 $2 Rd7) 22... Rfe8 23. Bxb7 Rd2 24. f4 Bf6 25. Rf2 $18) 22. Bc5 Rfb8 {White has a clear advantage due to the passivity of the black rooks, but things are far from simple yet, since Black has the plan to advance the a-pawn and achieve further simplifications.} 23. g3 a5 24. Rfe1 Bc7 {Grischuk decides to keep material equality and allow White to increase the pressure.} (24... f6 25. Bg2 $16 {[%CAl Gf2f4]}) ({Possibly a better option was} 24... Bf6 25. Bd6 Rd8 26. Bc7 Rd2 27. Bxb7 Rf8 {[%CAl Gf6d4] with activity for the pawn and real chances to survive.}) 25. Be3 Bd6 26. Red1 Be5 (26... Ra6 27. Be2 b5 28. Bf1 $16 h6 $140 (28... Be5 29. Bxb5 $18) 29. a4 Bxb3 30. axb5 Bxd1 31. bxa6 $18) 27. Rc5 f6 28. Rb5 a4 29. Bxb7 axb3 30. axb3 Ra3 31. b4 $16 Ra4 32. Bc5 Kf7 33. h4 (33. Bc6 $142 Rxb5 34. Bxb5 $16 {/+-}) 33... Ra2 $2 (33... Ra3) 34. Rb6 ({Missing an immediate win:} 34. f4 $1 $18 {[%csl Rb8][%CAl Gf4f5,Gb7d5]}) 34... Rb2 35. Re1 Ba2 $2 (35... Rd8 36. Be4 $16 (36. f4 Rd3 $132)) 36. f4 Bc3 37. Re7+ Kg6 (37... Kg8 38. Bd5+) 38. Be4+ 1-0 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 25th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "1997.07.06"] [Round "3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "37"] [EventDate "1997.07.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 060"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.09.29"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.09.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Ftacnik.} Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. Bd3 (7. b3 {Ftacnik} Bb7 8. Bb2 Bd6 9. Bd3 O-O 10. O-O Rc8 11. Rad1 h6 12. Qe2 Re8 13. e4 dxe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nf6 16. Qh4 Nd7 17. Qh5 c5 18. Ne5 Qe7 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. d5 {1-0 Franco,Z-Rodriguez Lopez,R/Mondariz (09)/1995 (30)}) 7... Bb7 8. O-O Be7 (8... Bd6 {Ftacnik} 9. a3 O-O 10. b4 dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Bd3 a5 13. Rb1 Qc7 14. Ng5 axb4 15. Nce4 h6 16. Nxd6 Qxd6 17. Nh7 Nxh7 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. axb4 g6 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21. Qxg6 Rf6 {0-1 Kecskes,G-Payen,A/Budapest FS08 IM-B (02)/1995 (26)}) (8... Qc7 {Ftacnik} 9. Re1 (9. Bd2 Be7 10. Rac1 Rc8 11. Rfe1 O-O 12. e4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 e5 14. Qb3 h6 15. Bf1 exd4 16. Nb5 Qd8 17. Nbxd4 c5 18. Nf5 Nxe4 19. Nxh6+ gxh6 20. Bxh6 Bf6 {1-0 Lehtivaara,P-Pinski,J/Geneva op (05) 1997 (40)}) 9... Be7 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Rd8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Nxe4 14. Bxe7 Kxe7 15. Bxe4 Rhe8 16. c5 Kf8 17. Rad1 Nf6 18. Ne5 {0-1 Pavlovic,Ma-Guidez,Y/Cappelle op (03) 1995 (38)}) 9. b3 (9. Rd1 {Ftacnik} O-O 10. b3 Qc7 11. Bb2 Rac8 12. Rac1 c5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Bf5 g6 15. Bh3 Rcd8 16. Ba3 Rfe8 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. Na4 {1-0 Petkevich,J-Stromer,A/Cappelle op (03) 1995 (42)}) (9. Ne5 {Ftacnik} O-O 10. e4 dxc4 11. Nxc4 b5 12. Ne3 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Be2 Qb6 15. Nf5 Bc5 16. Qd2 Ng6 17. e5 Ne8 18. Ne4 Bc8 19. Nxg7 Be3 20. Qxe3 Qxe3 21. Bxe3 Kxg7 22. f4 {1-0 Burmakin,V-Strutinskaya,G/Omsk Russian Cup (01) 1996}) 9... Rc8 (9... dxc4 $5 10. bxc4 c5 11. d5 $6 exd5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Rd1 Qc7 15. Bb2 Bc6 16. Be4 (16. Bxg7 Rg8 {? ...?xf3}) 16... Bf6 {0-1 Zvjaginsev,V-Dreev,A/RUS-ch m5-8 1997 (45) Weiß hat nicht genügend Kompensation für den Bauern.}) (9... Qc7 {Ftacnik} 10. Bb2 O-O 11. Rad1 c5 12. Ne5 cxd4 13. exd4 Rfd8 14. Qe2 dxc4 15. bxc4 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nd7 17. Nb5 Qc6 18. Qg4 Nc5 19. Nd6 Bxd6 20. exd6 g6 21. Bc2 Rxd6 22. Rxd6 Qxd6 {0-1 Luft,A-Beikert,G/BL2-S 9596/1996 (41)}) (9... O-O {Ftacnik} 10. Ne5 Rc8 11. Bb2 Qc7 12. Rad1 Rfd8 13. f4 Nf8 14. f5 Bd6 15. e4 dxc4 16. Nxc4 Bxh2+ 17. Kh1 b5 18. e5 bxc4 19. Bxc4 Ng4 20. Qe2 h5 21. Ne4 c5 {1-0 Adla,D-Rodriguez Lopez,R/Aceimar op 1995 (37)}) 10. Bb2 ({RR} 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 Qc7 13. Re1 Nf6 14. Bd3 c5 15. d5 exd5 16. cxd5 O-O 17. Ng5 h6 18. Nh7 Nxh7 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. Be4 Bd6 21. h3 Be5 22. Bb2 Bxb2 23. Qxb2 Rcd8 24. Rad1 Rfe8 {Nazaretyan,T (2316)-Levine,J (2173) Chess.com INT 2022 1-0 (74)}) 10... c5 (10... Qc7 11. Rac1 h6 12. Qe2 (12. e4 $5) 12... O-O 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. dxe5 dxc4 15. bxc4 Qxe5 16. Nd5 Qd6 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. c5 Qe7 20. Qg4+ Kh8 21. Qh4 Kg7 22. Qg3+ Kh8 23. Qh4 Kg7 24. Qg4+ Kh8 25. Qh4 {½-½ Dao,T-Waitzkin,J/Budapest FS06 GM 1997}) ({RR} 10... Qc7 11. Rad1 O-O 12. Ne5 g6 13. Qe2 Nxe5 14. dxe5 Nd7 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. f4 Nc5 17. Nb5 Qb8 18. Nd4 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Qc7 20. a4 Bc5 21. Nb5 Ba6 22. Bd4 Bxb5 23. axb5 Bxd4 24. exd4 Qc3 25. Rf3 {Gelfand,B (2758)-Kramnik,V (2772) Moscow 2009 0-1 (46)}) 11. cxd5 cxd4 $146 {'?' Ftacnik. Eine mißglückte Neuerung, die auf einer Fehlkalkulation beruht.} (11... exd5 12. Rfd1 O-O 13. Rac1 Re8 14. Bf5 g6 15. Bh3 $14 Bf8 16. Qb1 Qe7 17. Rc2 a6 18. Na4 c4 19. Ne5 b5 {½-½ Khalifman,A-Dreev,A/EUCup f 1996/CBM 56 Weiß kann nun die Qualität gewinnen : Ftacnik: '½-½ Khalifman,A-Dreev,A/EUCup f Budapest (03)/1996/'} 20. Nxd7 Nxd7 21. Bxd7 Qxd7 22. Nb6 Qe6 23. Nxc8 Rxc8 {Schwarz hat wegen des schlechten ?b2 und seines gedeckten Freibauern (den er mittels ...b4 und ...c3 weiter vorzurücken gedenkt) etwas Kompensation, trotzdem hätte Weiß weiterspielen sollen.}) ({RR} 11... Nxd5 12. Nxd5 cxd4 13. Qb1 Bxd5 14. Bxd4 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Bf6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Rc1 Rxc1+ 18. Qxc1 O-O 19. f4 Nc5 20. Bc4 Rd8 21. Qe1 Qf5 22. Rd1 Qg4+ {0-1 (22) Grob,B-Labancz,J (1632) Hungary 2010}) ({RR} 11... exd5 12. Rfd1 O-O 13. Rac1 Re8 14. Bf5 g6 15. Bh3 Bf8 16. Qb1 Qe7 17. Rc2 a6 18. Na4 c4 19. Ne5 b5 {½-½ (19) Khalifman,A (2640)-Dreev,A (2645) Budapest 1996}) 12. dxe6 {'!' Ftacnik.} (12. Nxd4 {Ftacnik} Nxd5 13. a3 h6 $11) 12... dxc3 13. exd7+ Nxd7 (13... Qxd7 {Ftacnik} 14. Bf5 Qc6 15. Bxc8 cxb2 16. Qxc6+ Bxc6 17. Rab1 $18) 14. Bxc3 Bb4 {Scheinbar hat Weiß nun Probleme auf der c-Linie.} (14... Bxf3 15. gxf3 Bb4 16. Bc4 Bxc3 (16... Qg5+ {Ftacnik} 17. Kh1 Qh5 18. Qe4+ $18) 17. Qxc3 {führt zur Partie.}) (14... Bf6 {Ftacnik} 15. Nd4 $16) 15. Bc4 Bxf3 16. gxf3 (16. Bxb4 $2 Qg5 17. g3 b5 $19) 16... Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Qg5+ (17... b5 {Ftacnik} 18. Qxg7 $18) 18. Kh1 b5 {Darauf hat Schwarz gehofft, aber ...} (18... Qh5 19. Qxg7 Qxf3+ 20. Qg2 $18 (20. Kg1 $18 {Ftacnik})) 19. Qa5 $1 (19. Qa5 Qf5 (19... Qh5 {Ftacnik} 20. Be2 $18) 20. Be2 $18 {erschien Ivanchuk gegen einen Spieler wie Kramnik hoffnungslos, daher die frühe Aufgabe.}) 1-0 [Event "Moscow FIDE GP"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2017.05.14"] [Round "3"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2785"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Quintiliano,Renato"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2017.05.12"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [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 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Be2 e5 {This move leads to many simplifications, but I think that White has chances to play for a win in a technical position with a tiny advantage without any risk. So it's safe to say that Black is hoping to put up a solid defence and seek the draw.} (8... b6 {is the main line.}) 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nb5 Bb4+ (10... Bb8 {is bad} 11. Ba3 Re8 12. Rc1 e4 13. Nd2 Nf8 14. Nc7 Bxc7 15. Qxc7 Qxc7 16. Rxc7 $14) 11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12. Nxd2 a6 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nd4 {Black has simplified a lot, but in return, White has the classical position against the isolani, with the knight occupying the good blockading square on d4. So it's fair to say that he has practical chances.} Bg4 $1 {An interesting point about this position: in general, the side with the isolani must avoid exchanges, but in this case Black achieves some more space for his pieces, and can use good squares like d3 or e4 with the knights.} ({Recently, I've played this position and my opponent opted for overprotecting the pawn} 14... Be6 15. O-O Rc8 16. Qb2 Nc6 17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. Rfc1 Qb6 19. Nf3 Rfc8 20. Nd4 Rc5 21. f3 Qc7 22. Rxc5 Qxc5 23. b4 Qc3 24. Qxc3 Rxc3 25. Kf2 {1-0 Quintiliano,R (2483)-Zapata Arbelaez,E (2202) Continental das Américas - Medellín (2.30) and White managed to win the endgame}) 15. Bxg4 Nfxg4 16. O-O Rc8 17. Qf5 g6 $1 {It is good to divert White's queen from protecting the d3-square.} 18. Qf4 Re8 ({With} 18... Qe7 {there's a good technical example by Beliavsky} 19. Rfd1 Nf6 20. N2f3 Nxf3+ 21. Nxf3 Rc5 22. Rac1 $1 {in his annotations for that game, Mikhalchishin correctly indicates that in such positions it is a good strategy exchange one pair of rooks, to decrease the opponent's counterplay} Rfc8 23. Rxc5 Rxc5 24. h4 Rc8 (24... Rc2 25. g4 $5 $36) 25. Nd4 Ne4 26. f3 (26. h5 $5) 26... Nc3 27. Rc1 h5 $6 28. Qg5 $5 Qe8 29. a4 b5 $2 {this move allows White to activate his passive rook} 30. axb5 axb5 31. Ra1 $1 Ra8 32. Rxa8 Qxa8 33. Qf6 $1 $16 {[%CAl Yd4c6];1-0 Beliavsky,A (2609)-Perunovic,M (2614) Istanbul ol (Men) 40th 2012 (5.2) and suddenly White has some annoying threats -}) (18... h5 $6 {is a pseudo-active idea in which I don't really believe} 19. h3 Nd3 {½-½ Hebert,J (2410)-Kraiouchkine,N (2204) CAN-ch Montreal 2012 (2)} 20. Qg3 Nge5 $8 (20... Nf6 21. Ne6 $1) 21. N2f3 Nxf3+ 22. Qxf3 {and Black achieved exactly nothing with his strange 18...h5?!}) 19. Rad1 {I'm pretty sure that White would like to play this rook to c1, but this is impossible due the fork on d3.} ({I like} 19. N2f3 Qc7 20. Nxe5 Nxe5 21. Nf3 $5 {White takes advantage of the isolani in another interesting way: exchanging all the minor pieces and exerting maximum pressure along the d-file} Nxf3+ 22. Qxf3 Qe5 23. Rad1 Red8 24. Rd2 Rc6 25. Rfd1 Kg7 26. h3 Rcd6 27. Rd4 $1 $14 {[%csl Gd5][%CAl Yd1d2,Yf3d1];1-0 Cyborowski,L (2532)-Kolosowski,M (2423) POL-chT1 Szklarska Poreba 2013 (9) sooner or later, Black is forced to play f5 in order to avoid e4. Then White starts to pay attention to the weaknesses around the black king, which actually was the decisive factor -}) 19... Nf6 20. Qg5 Ne4 $1 {Excellent play by Vallejo, again inviting exchanges, but the remaining black pieces are very active.} 21. Qxd8 Rexd8 22. N2f3 {Surprisingly, this is the first new move!} ({Previously White played} 22. Nb1 $5 {[%csl Gc3][%CAl Yf2f3] which seems interesting, the knight stays passive for a while, but protecting c3 and preparing f3} Kg7 23. f3 Nc3 24. Rd2 Re8 25. Kf2 Nxb1 $6 {this was not forced, and it's bad} 26. Rxb1 Rc5 $2 27. Ne2 $1 Nc6 28. Nf4 Ne7 29. Rbd1 Rec8 30. g4 {1-0 Enchev,I (2419)-Aginian,N (2254) Golden Sands Europe op 1st 2012 (6) and White is pressing -}) 22... Nxf3+ $146 (22... Nc6 {was an option, if} 23. Nxc6 bxc6 $1 {is good for Black.}) ({RR} 22... Ng4 23. h3 Ngf6 24. Rc1 Kg7 25. Ne2 Nd6 26. Nfd4 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rc8 28. Rd1 h5 29. h4 a5 30. f3 a4 31. Kf2 axb3 32. axb3 Ng8 33. Nf4 Ne7 34. Nde2 Ndf5 35. Nxd5 Nxd5 36. Rxd5 Rc2 37. g3 {Lenderman,A (2621)-Ali Marandi,C (2542) Charlotte 2021 ½-½ (59)}) ({RR} 22... Ng4 23. h3 Ngf6 24. Rc1 Kg7 25. Ne2 Nd6 26. Nfd4 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rc8 28. Rd1 h5 29. h4 a5 30. f3 a4 31. Kf2 axb3 32. axb3 Ng8 33. Nf4 Ne7 34. Nde2 Ndf5 35. Nxd5 Nxd5 36. Rxd5 Rc2 37. g3 {Lenderman,A (2621)-Ali Marandi,C (2542) Charlotte 2021 ½-½ (59)}) 23. gxf3 $1 {A good decision, driving the black knight from e4 and keeping the seventh rank under control.} (23. Nxf3 $6 Rc2 $132) 23... Nf6 $11 24. Kg2 (24. Rc1 {was another idea, fighting immediately for the open file} Kf8 25. Rfd1 Ke7) 24... Kf8 25. Rd2 Rd7 26. b4 {White tries to do something, but this only gives the c4-square to the black rook.} (26. Rfd1 Rdc7 27. Ne2 Rc2 28. Nf4 Rxd2 29. Rxd2 Rc5 $11) 26... Rc4 27. Rb1 Rd6 28. Rdb2 b6 29. Rd1 Ne8 30. b5 a5 $1 {It's important avoid open lines for the enemy pieces, as for now Black is controlling the only open file.} (30... axb5 $2 {just would leave Black with two weaknesses and the White pieces ideally placed to attack them} 31. Nxb5 Rd8 32. Rd3 $14 {[%csl Gb6,Gd5][%CAl Yb5c3]}) 31. Rc2 Rd7 $1 {[%CAl Ye8d6] Playing very precisely, Black now vacates the d6-square for the knight.} 32. Rdc1 (32. Rxc4 dxc4 33. Rc1 Rd5 (33... Nd6 34. a4 g5 $11) 34. Rxc4 Nd6 $1) 32... Nd6 33. Rxc4 Nxc4 34. Nc6 Na3 35. Ne5 {This can be a bit risky...} (35. Nd4 Nc4 $11) 35... Rb7 36. Rc6 $2 {But this definitely was a mistake.} (36. Rd1 Nxb5 37. Rxd5 Nc3 38. Rd2 b5 {now seems that Black is the one who is playing for a win with his majority in queenside, but with some accurate moves White can equalise} 39. Nc6 $1 a4 40. Rc2 Nd5 41. Rc5 Rc7 $1 (41... Nf6 42. Nb4 $1) 42. Rxd5 Rxc6 43. Rxb5 Rc2 $11) 36... Ke7 $1 {Black wins a pawn.} (36... Nxb5 37. a4 (37. Rxb6 $2 Rxb6 38. Nd7+ Ke7 39. Nxb6 Nc3 {[%csl Rb6] the White knight is trapped!} 40. e4 Kd6 41. exd5 Kc5 42. Nd7+ Kxd5 43. Nf6+ Kc4 44. Nxh7 Nxa2 $19 {[%csl Ga5][%CAl Ga5a1]}) 37... Na7 38. Rd6 (38. Rxb6 Rxb6 39. Nd7+ Ke7 40. Nxb6 Kd6 {[%csl Gb6] trapped again...} 41. e4 d4 42. Kf1 Kc5 43. Nd5 Kc4 $19) 38... Ke7 39. Rxd5 b5 $15) 37. Ng4 Nxb5 38. Nf6 Nc7 $17 {And this very well played game by the black side suddenly ends in a draw, but he is the only one with chances here, advancing the queenside pawns slowly and carefully. White is in a sort of zugzwang so Black can keep things more or less in control for a while. This game probably added more useful defensive ideas to the black side than seeing the white side get any tangible advantage in this variation.} ({Black was probably close to reaching the time control in this position and did not have much time to analyse} 38... d4 $1 39. Nd5+ (39. exd4 Nxd4 40. Nd5+ Kd7 41. Rxb6 (41. Rf6 b5 $1) 41... Rxb6 42. Nxb6+ Kc6 43. Nc4 Kb5 {the black king is coming very quickly to win the a2-pawn} 44. Nd6+ Kb4 45. Nxf7 a4 46. Ne5 Ka3 $19) 39... Kd7 40. Rf6 (40. Rxb6 Rxb6 41. Nxb6+ Kc6 42. Nc4 a4 43. Kf1 Kc5 44. Ne5 Kb4 $19) 40... Nc3 $1 41. Nxb6+ (41. Rxf7+ Kc6 42. Rxb7 Kxb7 43. Nf4 Nxa2 $19) 41... Ke7 42. Rc6 Nxa2 43. Nd5+ Kd7 44. Rc5 d3 45. Nf4 $8 Rb3 46. Rxa5 Nb4 47. Ra1 Kc6 $17 {[%csl Gd3] Black definitely has good chances in this endgame.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tbilisi FIDE GP"] [Site "Tbilisi"] [Date "2015.02.23"] [Round "8"] [White "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2705"] [BlackElo "2737"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2015.02.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GEO"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 165"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 e6 {The ...a6 Meran can be reached from both the Slav and Meran move orders. It is still considered rather solid and was prominent in the Anand-Gelfand match of 2012.} 6. c5 b6 7. cxb6 Qxb6 8. Bd3 a5 9. O-O Ba6 10. Na4 Qb7 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b3 Nbd7 13. Bb2 Be7 {Black has a structural weakness on c6, but that is all that is wrong with his position. He will always be threatening to break through with c5, which White must contain, and it is difficult for White to create play anywhere else on the board.} 14. Rc1 O-O 15. Qd3 Rc8 16. Rc2 $146 ({RR} 16. Nd2 Raa8 17. Nb1 Nb6 18. Nxb6 Qxb6 19. Nc3 Nd7 20. Rc2 Qb7 21. Na4 Nb6 22. Nc5 Bxc5 23. dxc5 Nd7 24. e4 a4 25. Qc3 f6 26. b4 Ne5 27. Qh3 Re8 28. Bxe5 fxe5 29. a3 Qf7 30. Re1 Ra7 {Sebenik,M (2527)-Jovanic,O (2427) Otocec 2016 ½-½ (68)}) 16... Nb6 17. Nxb6 (17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. Rxc5 (18. dxc5 Nbd7 {is not really better for White, who now doesn't have pressure on c6 and actually his c5 is weak.}) 18... a4 $15) 17... Rxb6 18. Bc3 Ra8 19. Rfc1 Ba3 20. Bb2 a4 21. Bxa3 axb3 22. axb3 Rxb3 23. Qd1 Rbxa3 24. Rxc6 {and by now it is very clear this game isn't going anywhere.} Ra1 25. Rxa1 Rxa1 26. Qxa1 Qxc6 27. Qb2 Qc7 28. g3 g6 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. Ne5 Nd7 31. Nxd7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Baku FIDE GP"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2014.10.04"] [Round "3"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2722"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2014.10.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 a6 5. e3 e6 6. Qc2 Nbd7 {despite how natural this move looks, it is not as common as c5.} 7. a3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 b5 9. Ba2 c5 10. d5 exd5 11. Nxd5 Bb7 {It isn't entirely clear what Mamedyarov achieved with a3, now it simply looks like a lost tempo. White risks standing worse out of the opening.} 12. e4 c4 $146 ({RR} 12... Bxd5 13. exd5 Bd6 14. O-O O-O 15. Bg5 h6 16. Bh4 Re8 17. Rad1 Qc7 18. Bb1 g6 19. a4 Ng4 20. h3 Nge5 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. Qc1 Nc4 23. Qxh6 Bf4 24. Bg3 Bxh6 25. Bxc7 Nxb2 26. d6 Rad8 27. d7 {Aleksandrov,A (2604)-Godena,M (2508) Plovdiv 2012 1-0 (33)}) 13. O-O Be7 (13... Bd6 {looks risky, as ideas of e5 and using the fact that the king is uncastled look threatening, but there is actually nothing going on and the bishop is a little better placed on d6.}) 14. Nxf6+ Nxf6 15. e5 Nd7 16. Rd1 Qc7 17. Bf4 Nc5 (17... Bxf3 18. gxf3 O-O {is better for Black, though nothing outrageous. White can put his bishop on g3 and his kingside will not be that weak, despite his doubled pawns.}) 18. b3 Ne6 19. Be3 O-O 20. bxc4 Rac8 21. c5 Bxc5 22. Bxe6 Bxe3 23. Qxc7 Rxc7 24. Bd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Rc1+ 26. Rxc1 Bxc1 27. Rd3 {The endgame is better for Black. with a bishop against a knight and a potential passed pawn on the queenside, but it is not a clear advantage just yet.} Rc8 28. Kf1 Kf8 (28... Bb2 29. Rd6 Ra8 30. Rd3 $11) 29. Rd6 Ra8 30. Rd3 Re8 31. Rd6 Re6 32. Rd8+ Re8 33. Rd6 Re6 34. Rd8+ Ke7 35. Rb8 (35. Ra8 Rb6 {seems very difficult to make progress, but the move in the game ism ore direct.}) 35... Bb2 (35... Bxa3 36. Nd4 Rg6 37. Rb7+ Ke8 38. Rb8+ Kd7 39. Rb7+ Kc8 40. Rxf7 {is double edged, and Andreikin didn't feel like risking anything.}) 36. a4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Morelia/Linares 24th"] [Site "Morelia/Linares"] [Date "2007.03.04"] [Round "10"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Morozevich, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2744"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2007.02.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 117"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.03.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.03.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal} d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 {Aronian always meets the Meran setup with this sharp line. We can assume that this partly justifies Morozevich' choice of an opening that had occured only once in his previous games.} Nxg4 8. Rg1 Qf6 9. Rxg4 Qxf3 10. Rxg7 Nf6 11. h3 ({RR} 11. Rg5) 11... h6 ({An interesting novelty. The reason why Black spends a whole tempo to take the g5-square under control can be seen after} 11... e5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Rg5 Nd7 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Rf5 {with very active play for White in Tisdall-Sidselrud, Norway 2002.} ({RR} 15. Bd2 d4 16. Bg2 Qf6 17. exd4 Bxd4 18. O-O-O)) ({RR} 11... Qf5 12. Qxf5 exf5 13. cxd5 cxd5 ({RR} 13... Nxd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Bd2) 14. Nb5 Bb4+ 15. Bd2 Bxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Ke7 17. Bd3 Be6 ({RR} 17... Bd7) 18. Nc7 Rag8 19. Nxe6 Kxe6 20. Rxg8 Nxg8 ({RR} 20... Rxg8 21. Rc1 Rg2 22. Ke2 Rh2 23. Kf3 ({RR} 23. Rc7 Rxh3 24. Rxb7 Rh2) 23... Rxh3+ 24. Kg2 Rh5 25. Rc7 Rg5+ 26. Kf3 Ng4) 21. Ke2 ({RR} 21. Rc1 Ne7 22. Rc7 Rb8) 21... Ne7 22. Kf3 ({RR} 22. Rc1 Rc8 23. Rxc8 Nxc8 24. Kf3) 22... Rc8 23. a4 Rc7 24. a5 h6 25. h4 Kf6 26. h5 {Carlsen,M (2776)-Anand,V (2791) Linares 2009 CBM 129 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (77)}) ({RR} 11... e5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Rg5 Nd7 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Rf5 Qh1 16. Bd2 d4 17. exd4 Bxd4 18. O-O-O O-O 19. Bh6 Re8 20. Rg5+ Kh8 21. Rxd4 Qxf1+ 22. Rd1 Re1 23. Bg7+ Kg8 24. Be5+) ({RR} 11... Kf8 12. Rg5 ({RR} 12. Rg1 Rg8 13. Rxg8+ Kxg8 14. Bd2 dxc4 15. Bxc4 e5 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. Bf1 Bf5) 12... Qh1) ({RR} 11... Bd7 12. Bg2 Qh5 13. e4 dxe4 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Bf4 O-O-O 16. Qa4 a6 17. Rc1 Rdg8 18. Rg3 Qf5 19. Be5 e3 20. Qc2 exf2+ 21. Qxf2 Qxf2+ 22. Kxf2 Rxg3 23. Kxg3 Rg8+ 24. Kh2 Ne8 25. Be4 f6 26. Bf4 {Polak,T (2444)-Kucza,K (2263) Krakow POL 2026 1-0 (58)}) 12. Bd2 ({RR} 12. Qe2 Qxe2+ ({RR} 12... Qf5) 13. Bxe2 Kf8 14. Rg1 dxc4 15. e4 Bb4 16. f3 b5 17. Kf2 a6 18. Bf4 Bb7 19. Rac1 Nd7 20. b3 cxb3 21. axb3) 12... e5 ({RR} 12... Bd7 13. Qb3 Ke7 14. c5 Bc7 15. Qxb7) 13. Rg3 $146 ({RR} 13. cxd5 exd4 14. exd4 Kf8 15. Rg1 Bf5 16. Qb3 Re8+ 17. Be3 Rg8 18. Ne2 Qxd5 19. Bxh6+ Ke7 20. Rxg8 Rxg8 21. Qxb7+ Bd7 22. Qb3 Ne4 23. Qxd5 Bb4+ 24. Nc3 cxd5 25. Bd2 Bxc3 26. bxc3 Rg1 27. O-O-O Bxh3 {Siebrecht,S (2451)-Haba,P (2546) Kallithea 2008 ½-½ (37)}) ({RR} 13. cxd5 exd4 14. exd4 Kf8 15. Rg1 Bf5 16. Qb3 Re8+ 17. Be3 Rg8) ({RR} 13. dxe5 Bxe5 14. Rg1 d4 15. Be2 Qf5 16. Qxf5 Bxf5 17. exd4 Bxd4 18. O-O-O O-O-O 19. h4 Ne4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Bf4 Bxf2 22. Rg7 Rxd1+ 23. Bxd1 Bxh4 24. Rxf7 Bg5 25. Bg4+ Kd8 26. Bxg5+ hxg5 27. Rxb7 Rh2 {Mosesov,D (2290)-Dobre,C (2316) Chess.com INT 2019 ½-½ (42)}) 13... Qh5 14. cxd5 exd4 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4+ Qe5 17. Qxe5+ Bxe5 18. Rf3 cxd5 19. Bb5+ Ke7 20. exd4 Bd6 (20... Bxd4 $2 {would have left the black king in big danger after} 21. Bb4+ Ke6 22. O-O-O) 21. Kf1 Be6 {After a short tactical sequence, the game has calmed down completely. The position is symmetrical, which makes a draw highly probable.} 22. Re1 Rac8 23. Bd3 Rc6 24. Rf5 Rb6 25. b3 Bb4 26. Bxb4+ Rxb4 27. Rxd5 Kf6 28. Rd6 Ke7 29. Rd5 Kf6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2013.09.01"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2716"] [Annotator "Negi,Parimarjan"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2013.08.11"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 156"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] {After narrowly surviving the previous game, Kramnik had wondered about the wisdom of taking such risks when he is a point ahead. Consequently, today he decided not to be too pretentious, hoping for the slightest of edges. But as often happens with such a conservative attitude, he played a couple of sloppy moves which put him almost on the brink of being worse. Clearly annoyed, he pulled himself together just in time to secure the equality with some nice tactical ideas.} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 {A brave change by Andreikin! In their previous game he had tried to replicate Kramnik's solid QGD - but Vladimir proved to be technically flawless with white as well. This time he decides to surprise Kramnik by going for a popular mainline that he had rarely played before.} 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 e6 6. b3 c5 {Once again, stepping out of the well trodden paths of theory.} (6... Bb4 {leads to typical closed Slav positions.}) 7. Bb2 ({RR} 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Be2 b5 9. O-O Bb7 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bb2 O-O 12. Rc1 Qb6 13. Bd3 Nbd7 14. Ne2 Rfe8 15. Bf5 a5 16. Bd4 Qd6 17. Nc3 b4 18. Na4 Bxd4 19. Nxd4 Qe5 20. Bxd7 Nxd7 21. Qg4 Nf6 {Thejkumar,M (2358)-Cabe,A (2298) Singapore SIN 2026 1-0 (46)}) 7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bb4 $146 {An interesting novelty. The subtle idea seems to be to provoke a3 - which then might turn out to be a weakeness.} ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Be2 Bd6 11. O-O O-O 12. Rc1 Qe7 13. Na4 Rd8 14. Rxc6 bxc6 15. Nxc6 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qd6+ 17. Ne5 Re8 18. Qd4 Bg4 19. Bd3 Nd7 20. f4 Nxe5 21. fxe5 Qh6+ 22. Kg1 Rab8 23. Qxg4 {Cheparinov,I (2681)-Kogan,A (2555) Jerusalem 2015 1-0}) ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Be2 Bd6 11. O-O O-O 12. Rc1 Re8 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Bf3 Bf5 15. Ne2 Rc8 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. Qd3 c5 18. Qxa6 Be5 19. Qd3 Qb6 20. Rcd1 Qb8 21. Nf5 Bxb2 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Qxd5 {Van Wely,L (2647)-Topalov,V (2801) Monte Carlo 2006 0-1 (41)}) ({RR} 8... dxc4 9. Bxc4 Bd7 10. O-O Be7 11. e4 Nc6 12. Nf3 Qc7 13. Qe2 Ng4 14. Nd1 Bf6 15. Rc1 Bxb2 16. Qxb2 Nce5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. Qxe5 Nxe5 19. Ne3 Ke7 20. f4 Nxc4 21. Nxc4 Rac8 22. e5 Bc6 23. Nd6 {Smith,A (2491)-Vaarala,E (2251) Falun 2012 1-0 (47)}) 9. Nc2 {Slightly passive, and in line with Kramnik's strategy of playing solidly. It's from this point that a series of innocous and solid looking moves from White suddenly almost brought him in danger of being worse.} (9. a3 Bd6 {seems a bit counter intuitive, but after the normal} 10. cxd5 exd5 {we get a typical isolated pawn's position where a3 seems extremely weakening. For instance, after ?c1 Black can always play the annoying ...?e7, attacking the newly created weakenesses.}) 9... Ba5 10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O dxc4 12. Qxd8 (12. bxc4 $5 {might be objectively better, leading to an interesting and complicated structure. The open b-file, and activity of pieces trade off the weakened structure.}) 12... Rxd8 {Around this point Kramnik looked rather annoyed with himself, and for good reason. From an extremely solid, possibily slightly better position, he has allowed himself to suddenly face actual dangers - the rook jump to d2 needs to be urgently dealt with!} 13. Bxc4 {After a long think Andreikin decides that the very tempting b5, followed by ...?d2 doesn't actually promise him anything. Instead he continues to develop, hoping to utilise the awkward placement of White's pieces along the c-file in the future.} (13. bxc4 Rd2 $1 {Suddenly White is forced to play ?d1, and his position doesn't look impregnable anymore.}) 13... Nc6 (13... b5 14. Be2 Rd2 {looks extremely worrying. ?d1 appears to be the only move, when Black has clearly taken the initiative. But} 15. Rac1 $1 {is the nice little tactic that White found. He utilises Black's unprotected ?c8 to save his piece.} Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Rxe2 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Nd4 $1 {A nice touch!}) 14. Rfd1 Bd7 15. Na4 $5 {Clearly somewhat annoyed with his sluggish play so far, Kramnik decides to force matters rather than go for a long and slow paced endgame. With a few concrete moves he simplifies the game to a draw.} b5 {If not, then the knight lands on c5, and the initiative shifts to White.} 16. Nc5 bxc4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Nxd7 {The next moves are not forced, but it's hard to suggest any improvements. The game quickly reaches a drawn endgame.} Bc3 19. Rab1 Ra7 20. Nc5 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Nb4 22. Nxb4 Bxb4 23. Rd8+ Kg7 24. Rc8 Bxc5 25. Rxc5 cxb3 26. axb3 Rb7 27. Rc3 {So Andreikin manages to stay in the race, while Kramnik seems set to take the title. Still, don't be too sure! Nerves are sure to play an important role tomorrow - and Kramnik certainly can't feel happy today. Also his near collapse against Korobov might be playing at the back of his mind as he fights to fend off the young Russian challenge.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Anand-Gelfand +1-1=10"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2012.05.15"] [Round "4"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Edouard,Romain"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2012.05.11"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 149"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/7200+30:20/3600+30:900+30"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 {Once again Anand chooses not to go for the main move 5...?bd7.} 6. b3 {Exactly the same system as in game 2.} (6. Qc2 {is also very popular, while Gelfand already played 6.?d3 and 6.c5 in the past. Later in the match, he came back to the 6.c5!? line - and won!}) 6... Bb4 $5 {Black considers White's bishop will be misplaced on d2, since it would be more logical to put it on b2 later.} (6... c5 $5 {is also possible: a typical reaction against systems with b3. One option for White would have been:} 7. Bb2 (7. cxd5 $5) 7... Nc6 (7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 {is known to be slightly better for White.}) 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Be2 Be6 10. O-O Bd6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Rc1 $14 {1-0 (50) Cheparinov,I (2669)-Zhukova,N (2412) AZE 2011}) 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Bd6 10. Qc2 {The main move.} (10. Rc1 {was played in game 2 of the match.}) (10. e4 dxc4 11. bxc4 e5 {is supposed to be fine for Black.}) (10. Re1 $5 {is kind of a latest fashion move, which both players had surely analysed quite deeply.}) 10... e5 $5 (10... h6 {is the main move according to theory, but 10...e5 worked very well for Black in all the previous games so far, while here after} 11. Rae1 Re8 12. c5 Bc7 13. e4 $1 e5 14. exd5 cxd5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Rxe5 17. Ne2 {Black failed to equalise in Zhou-Jakovenko (2011).}) 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. e4 {Of course taking on e5, which was possible in the 10.?c1 line (see game 2) would no longer make any sense with the rook on a1 and the queen on c2.} exd4 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Nf6 15. h3 $5 {A very logical move played only once. Against almost all other moves, Black would go 15...?g4 and simply equalise.} (15. Qc4 Bg4 16. Qxd4 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Nxd5 $11 {½-½ (36) Avrukh,B (2632)-Wang,H (2684) Dagomys RUS 2008}) (15. Rfe1 Bg4 16. Nxd4 Rc8 17. Qb2 Rc5 $11 {½-½ (70) Aleksandrov,A (2636)-Kharlov,A (2511) RUS 2009}) (15. Nxd4 Be5 $11) 15... Bd7 {Again played very fast by Anand.} 16. Rad1 ({There was no hurry to play ...h6, since after} 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 Rc8 18. Qd2 Rc5 $1 {it seems Black equalises.}) 16... Re8 17. Nxd4 Rc8 18. Qb1 h6 {We reached the typical setup in the kind of structure in which White is up a pawn that he cannot really hold. The only question is always: can White force Black to capture the pawn back in poor conditions?} 19. Nf5 $146 {Of course after taking the bishop pair, White has a very (very) slight advantage, but it doesn't seem enough at all. It seems to me that after 19.?f3 White would have decent chances to get some advantage, though Anand had been playing very fast until 18...h6, which should mean he has some precise idea against 19.?f3.} (19. Nf3 $5 Nxd5 ({Of course it would be possible to delay ...?xd5, but after a move like} 19... Qc7 {White could go} 20. Bc1 {and slowly reorganise his pieces, and it looks clear to me that Black should have some problems, though maybe solvable.}) 20. Be4 $1 (20. Bh7+ Kh8 21. Bxh6 $2 {doesn't work because of} Nc3 $17) 20... Bc6 21. Nd4 {and White can take the bishop pair, and I don't see exactly how Black can equalise, e.g.} Qb6 (21... Nc3 $2 22. Bh7+ (22. Nxc6 Nxb1 23. Nxd8 Nxd2 24. Rxd2 Rcxd8 $11) 22... Kh8 23. Bxc3 {and according to the engine Black is still in the game with} Bxg2 $1 {but after} 24. Nf5 $8 Bxh3 (24... Be4 25. Qc1 $8 Rxc3 26. Qxc3 Qg5+ 27. Ng3 $16) 25. Bxg7+ Kxh7 26. Nxd6+ Kxg7 27. Nxe8+ Qxe8 28. Rfe1 {White is clearly better.}) 22. Nxc6 bxc6 23. Bh7+ Kh8 24. Bd3 $14 {However maybe Anand had some idea which I am just missing! I'm also not sure on how easy the calculation of 21...?xc3 is over the board.}) ({RR} 19. a4 Rc5 20. Nf3 Qb8 21. Be3 Rxd5 22. Bd4 Be6 23. Bc4 Rf5 24. Bxe6 fxe6 25. Rfe1 Rf4 26. Qg6 Rxf3 27. gxf3 e5 28. Be3 Bf8 29. Bxh6 Qc8 30. Bg5 Qxh3 31. Bxf6 Re6 32. Qg4 Qxg4+ 33. fxg4 gxf6 {Shulman,Y (2549)-Shetty,A (2359) Dearborn 2013 1-0 (38)}) 19... Bxf5 20. Bxf5 Rc5 21. Rfe1 (21. Rc1 $5 {is an interesting option, but whatever Black plays he is very close to equality. At least much closer than in the 19.?f3 line is Black doesn't have a clear way to exchange some pieces.}) 21... Rxd5 22. Bc3 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Bc5 24. Qc2 Bd4 $1 {Now the position is absolutely equal.} 25. Bxd4 Rxd4 26. Qc8 g6 27. Bg4 h5 (27... Nxg4 $4 28. Re8+ $18) 28. Qxd8+ Rxd8 29. Bf3 b6 30. Rc1 Rd6 31. Kf1 a5 32. Ke2 Nd5 $5 {The most dynamic.} (32... Kf8 {is also equal.}) 33. g3 (33. Bxd5 Rxd5 34. Rc6 Re5+ 35. Kd3 b5 $5 $11 {White's king can never advance all that easily due to some problems he would have with the 2nd rank!}) 33... Ne7 34. Be4 Kg7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Paris FIDE GP"] [Site "Elancourt"] [Date "2013.09.23"] [Round "2"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2723"] [BlackElo "2731"] [Annotator "ChessBase Website"] [PlyCount "35"] [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 0:00:03]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:15]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 4. e3 {[%emt 0:00:42]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 5. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:40] Bacrot: I don't know why I played so fast 5.?e2.} (5. Nc3) (5. Bd3) 5... Nf6 {[%emt 0:04:03]} 6. b3 {[%emt 0:01:35]} O-O {[%emt 0:02:58]} 7. Bb2 {[%emt 0:00:18]} b6 {[%emt 0:01:11]} 8. Nc3 {[%emt 0:01:32]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 9. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 10. O-O {[%emt 0:00:11]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:01:08]} 11. e4 {[%emt 0:04:18]} (11. Rad1) 11... Nxe4 {[%emt 0:13:18]} 12. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:52]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 13. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (13... f5 14. Qh4 Qxh4 15. Nxh4 Be7 16. Nf3 c5 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Rfd8 19. Rad1 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. f4 Bh4 23. g3 Be7 24. Bd3 Kf7 25. Kf2 h5 26. h4 g6 27. Bc3 Ke8 28. a4 a5 29. Be2 Kd7 30. Bf3 {½-½ (30) Miroshnichenko,E (2624)-Petrosian,T (2643) Dubai 2012}) (13... Rfe8) 14. Qh4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Ba3 {[%emt 0:14:30]} 15. Bc3 {[%emt 0:21:58]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:33]} (15... c5 16. Rad1 Rfd8 $11) 16. Bb2 {[%emt 0:03:39]} Ba3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 17. Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 18. Bb2 $146 {[%emt 0:01:59]} ({RR} 18. Rac1 Rfd8 19. Rfd1 Bxc3 20. Rxc3 c5 21. Rcd3 Be4 22. R3d2 cxd4 23. Nxd4 {½-½ (23) Kantorik,M (2199)-Nasshan,D (2320) Marianske Lazne CZE 2023}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Nanjing Pearl Spring 2nd"] [Site "Nanjing"] [Date "2009.10.08"] [Round "9"] [White "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2742"] [BlackElo "2762"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2009.09.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 133"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 h6 8. h3 {For this line - see my survey in CBM 129 and annotations to Ivanchuk - Leko in CBM 132.} e5 9. Bd2 (9. cxd5 {was examined in that review (it is curious what GM Peter Leko had prepared against it) but the text move is quite possible, too.}) 9... O-O 10. dxe5 {This move was first played by GM Denis Khismatullin a month earlier.} (10. O-O-O e4 $1 (10... Re8 $143 11. g5 hxg5 12. Nxg5 exd4 13. exd4 Nf8 14. Rg1 b5 15. c5 Bc7 16. Bd3 $36 {1-0 Mamedyarov,S (2717)-Najer,E (2663)/Mainz 2009/CBM 131 Extra (43)}) 11. Nh4 Re8 12. Nf5 Bf8 13. f3 $6 exf3 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Bd3 Nb6 16. Rhf1 Be6 17. Rxf3 Rc8 18. Kb1 Ne4 $17 {0-1 Bosiocic,M (2578)-Fressinet,L (2666)/Budva 2009/CBM 130 (33)}) 10... Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. O-O-O Qe7 13. Kb1 dxc4 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (13... Rd8 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Bc3 $5 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Qe4+ 18. Bd3 Qf3 19. Qc2 Be6 20. Qe2 Qf6 21. Bc2 (21. h4 $5 {[%CAl Yg4g5]}) 21... d4 22. Rxd4 Rxd4 23. exd4 Qxd4 24. Rd1 Qb6 25. Qd3 $14 {1/2 Khismatullin,D (2614)-Potkin,V (2606)/Ulan Ude RUS 2009/The Week in Chess 775 (34)}) (13... Be6 14. f4 Bc7 15. f5 Bd7 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. h4 $5 $36) ({RR} 13... Rd8 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Bc3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Qe4+ 18. Bd3 Qf3 19. Qc2 Be6 20. Qe2 Qf6 21. Bc2 d4 22. Rxd4 Rxd4 23. exd4 Qxd4 24. Rd1 Qb6 25. Qd3 Rc8 26. f4 Kf8 27. f5 Bc4 28. Qe4 {Khismatullin,D (2614)-Potkin,V (2606) Ulan-Ude 2009 ½-½ (34)}) ({RR} 13... Rd8 14. f4 Bxc3 15. Bxc3 Qxe3 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. f5 Bd7 18. h4 Qf4 19. Be2 Re8 20. Bd3 Re3 21. Rhf1 Qe5 22. Qd2 Re8 23. Bc2 Kg7 24. cxd5 Re2 25. Qd3 cxd5 26. Qxd5 Ba4 27. b3 Qxd5 28. Rxd5 {Jakovenko,D (2736)-Shomoev,A (2574) Vladivostok 2014 ½-½ (41)}) 14. Bxc4 Bxc3 {A strange decision.} ({The simple} 14... Be6 {gives Black good chances to equalize.}) 15. Bxc3 Be6 16. Bxe6 Qxe6 (16... fxe6 17. f4 Nd5 18. Bd4 $14) 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Rd7 {[%csl Gd7]} Qf3 (18... b6 $5 19. Rhd1 c5) 19. Rhd1 Qxh3 20. Qf5 $44 {The white pieces are very active but Black eventually equalizes by giving up his extra pawn.} b6 (20... b5 $5) 21. a3 a5 22. Rc7 b5 $5 23. Rxc6 b4 24. a4 b3 $1 $132 {[%csl Rb1]} 25. Rc3 (25. Rb6 Rab8 26. Rb5 Qg2 $132) 25... Rab8 26. Rdc1 g6 27. Qf4 h5 28. Rc4 (28. gxh5 Qxh5 29. Rc5 Qe2 $132 30. Rxa5 $4 Rbc8 $19) 28... Qxg4 29. Qxg4 hxg4 30. Rxg4 Rfd8 $11 31. Rg5 Rd2 32. Rxa5 Rxf2 33. Rb5 Ra8 34. Rb4 Re2 35. e4 Kg7 36. Rc3 Re1+ 37. Rc1 Re3 38. Rc3 Re1+ 39. Rc1 Re3 40. Rc3 Re1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Jermuk FIDE GP"] [Site "Jermuk"] [Date "2009.08.11"] [Round "3"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2703"] [BlackElo "2756"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2009.08.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ARM"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 132"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 h6 8. h3 {For this line - see my survey in CBM 129.} e5 9. Bd2 {GM Vasyl Ivanchuk looks for his own ways in every opening!} (9. cxd5 cxd5 (9... Nxd5 $5 {is a new idea in this variation needing more tests:} 10. dxe5 Nb4 11. Qb1 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. a3 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 Nd5 15. c4 Nf6 16. Qc2 h5 17. gxh5 Rxh5 18. Bd3 Bf5 19. Bxf5 Qa5+ 20. Bd2 Qxf5 21. Qxf5 Rxf5 22. Ke2 O-O-O $11 {1-0 Maslak,K (2541)-Kreisl,R (2394)/Budva 2009/CBM 130 (43)}) 10. dxe5 (10. Nb5 Bb8 11. Bd2 O-O {- game} (11... e4 $143 12. Rc1 O-O 13. Bb4 Re8 14. Nd2 (14. Nh4 $5 Nf8 15. Nc7 Bxc7 16. Qxc7 Bd7 17. Qxd8 Raxd8 18. Be2 Rc8 19. Kd2 $14 {1-0 Moranda,W (2445)-Pazdziora,M (2078)/Leba 2006/CBM 111 ext (42)}) 14... Qb6 15. a4 Nh7 16. a5 Qf6 17. Nc7 Bxc7 18. Qxc7 $16 {1-0 Jankovic,A (2540)-Schink,B (2029)/Pula CRO 2009/The Week in Chess 765 (28)})) 10... Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. Bd2 O-O 13. Bg2 Ne4 (13... Be6 $6 14. f4 Bxc3 15. Bxc3 Ne4 16. O-O Nxc3 (16... f5 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Qg2 Qe7 19. Qg3 Qf7 20. Rf2 Rad8 21. Rg2 $36 {1-0 Chabanon,J (2415)-Relange,E (2420)/Paris 1994/CBM 042 (33)}) 17. Qxc3 f6 18. Rad1 Re8 19. Qb3 Qb6 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. a3 $16 {?1-0 Wojtkiewicz,A (2570)-Khalifman,A (2645)/Rakvere 1993/CBM 038/[Chekhov] (61)}) 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Qxe4 Qxe4 16. Bxe4 Bxb2 17. Rb1 Bf6 18. Ke2 $14 {[%csl Rb7,Rc7][%CAl Yh1c1,Yc1c7,Yb1b7,Ye4b7]} Rb8 19. Rhc1 Re8 20. f3 Be6 21. a4 b6 22. Rc7 Re7 23. Rbc1 {1/2 Pedersen,N (2508)-Nielsen,P (2625)/Horsens 2003/CBM 095/[Lutz] (100)}) 9... O-O 10. cxd5 $146 ({After} 10. O-O-O e4 $1 (10... Re8 $143 11. g5 hxg5 12. Nxg5 exd4 13. exd4 Nf8 14. Rg1 b5 15. c5 Bc7 16. Bd3 $36 {1-0 Mamedyarov,S (2717)-Najer,E (2663)/Mainz GER 2009/The Week in Chess 769 (43)}) 11. Nh4 Re8 {White can hardly create any threats on the kingside, e.g.} 12. Nf5 Bf8 13. f3 $6 exf3 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Bd3 Nb6 16. Rhf1 Be6 17. Rxf3 Rc8 18. Kb1 Ne4 $17 {0-1 Bosiocic,M (2578)-Fressinet,L (2666)/Budva 2009/CBM 130 (33)}) 10... cxd5 11. Nb5 Bb8 12. Bb4 Re8 13. Rc1 {A typical manoeuvre; White plans ?b5-c7, exchanging Black's bishop and invading the 7th rank; however, Black's pieces are actively posted (?e8, his knight now goes to e4) and he obtains good counterplay.} (13. Nd6 Bxd6 14. Bxd6 exd4 15. Nxd4 Ne4 $36) 13... Ne4 $1 ({Of course, not} 13... e4 $6 14. Nh4 $14 {- see 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.?b5 line} ({or} 14. Nd2)) 14. Be2 $146 (14. Nc7 $2 Bxc7 15. Qxc7 Qf6 $17) ({RR} 14. Bg2 Qb6 15. Qa4 a6 16. Nc3 Nxc3 17. bxc3 e4 18. Nd2 Qg6 19. Qb3 Nf6 20. c4 Be6 21. Ba3 h5 22. Qxb7 Ra7 23. Qb1 hxg4 24. cxd5 gxh3 25. Bf1 Bxd5 26. Rxh3 Ng4 27. Rc5 Qf6 28. f4 Bxf4 {Aleksandrov,A (2612)-Lastin,A (2538) Moscow 2012 0-1 (33)}) ({RR} 14. Nc7 Bxc7 15. Qxc7 Qf6 16. Bg2 exd4 17. O-O dxe3 18. fxe3 Qxb2 19. Bc3 Nxc3 20. Rxc3 Qb6 21. g5 Qxc7 22. Rxc7 hxg5 23. Nxg5 Nf6 24. Nxf7 Rxe3 25. Nh6+ Kh8 26. Rf4 Be6 27. Rh4 gxh6 28. Rxh6+ Kg8 {Kozul,Z (2597)-Miton,K (2597) Warsaw 2013 ½-½ (51)}) 14... exd4 $1 15. Nbxd4 {Alas, ?b5-c7 will not occur in this game, which means that Black has an excellent position. White's kingside is just weak, which is more important than Black's isolated pawn.} Ne5 16. Nd2 Bd7 (16... a5 $5 17. Ba3 Nxd2 18. Qxd2 Nc4 $36 {S.Zagrebelny}) 17. Qb3 Nc6 $1 {Lifting the blockade.} 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 (18... bxc6 19. Nxe4 Rxe4 $15 {was a good alternative.}) 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Bc3 Be5 {A simple decision. It would not be easy for Black to make use of the b8-h2 diagonal as White could play ?e1-f1-g2 instead of castling.} 21. O-O {[%csl Rg1] This is now possible but the position of White's king is quite poor anyway.} h5 (21... Qh4 $1 22. Kg2 h5 {was more accurate as White now gets an additional possibility.}) 22. f4 $5 {Desperation? No, a search for counterplay; otherwise Black will easily obtain an attack on White's weak king. E.g.:} (22. Rfd1 Qh4 23. Kg2 hxg4 24. Bxg4 Qg5 $36) (22. Kg2 Qh4 23. Bc4 Qf6 24. Be2 Bxc3 25. Qxc3 Re5 $36) 22... exf3 23. Bxf3 Qc7 $1 24. Bxc6 bxc6 25. Bxe5 $6 {White misses a good opportunity to exchange queens:} (25. Ba5 $1 Qd7 $1 (25... Qe7 26. Bb4 Qe6 27. Qxe6 Rxe6 28. b3) 26. Rcd1 Qe6 27. gxh5 Qxb3 28. axb3 Bxb2 29. Rd2 Bf6 30. Rd3 Re5 31. Bc3 {with good drawing chances.}) 25... Rxe5 {Now, with the queens on the board, White faces a hard defensive task.} 26. Rf4 Rae8 27. Rcf1 R8e7 28. R1f3 Rd5 29. Kg2 Rd2+ {Black starts an immediate action.} ({Before ...?d2+ Black could include the exchange on g4:} 29... hxg4 30. hxg4 (30. Rxg4 Qe5 $5) 30... Rd2+ 31. Rf2 Rxf2+ {but then White had another defence:} 32. Rxf2 ({instead of} 32. Kxf2 $6 g5) 32... Re4 33. Kf3) ({He could also have applied the "don't hurry" principle (as White has no counterplay or ways to really strengthen his defence) and started manoeuvring:} 29... Qd6 {etc.}) 30. Rf2 Rxf2+ 31. Kxf2 g5 $2 {An oversight leading to a draw.} (31... hxg4 $1 {was correct:} 32. Rxg4 ({or} 32. hxg4 g5 33. Rd4 Qh2+ 34. Kf1 Re6) 32... Qh2+ 33. Rg2 $1 Qd6 ({of course, not} 33... Qxh3 $4 34. Qb8+ Kh7 35. Rh2) 34. Qc3 g6 $17 {, and White will finally be unable to defend all his weaknesses (the e3 and h3 pawns and his king).}) 32. Rf5 {The ?xg5+ threat forces Black to give a perpetual.} Qh2+ (32... Re5 33. Qd3 $1 Qa5 34. Rxe5 Qxe5 35. Qd8+ Kh7 36. Kf3 {leads to a drawish queen endgame.}) 33. Ke1 Qg3+ 34. Ke2 Qg2+ 35. Ke1 Qg1+ 36. Ke2 Qh2+ 37. Ke1 Qg3+ 38. Ke2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 78th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2016.01.18"] [Round "3"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2016.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 171"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.03.14"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Nf3 e6 6. b3 Bb4 {Black is forcing the white bishop on to the modest square d2, but the first player hopes to activate his modest piece in the future.} 7. Bd2 O-O 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. Qc2 Qe7 {The queen move strives to activate the piece that is not yet developed.} ({The move most often tested was the logical retreat of the bishop to a central square:} 9... Bd6 10. Ne2 (10. O-O b6 (10... e5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. h3 Bd7 15. f4 Bd6 16. Ne2 Rc8 17. Qb2 Ne4 18. Bxe4 dxe4 19. Bc3 f6 20. Rfd1 Qe7 $11 {1/2 (34) Movsesian,S (2699)-Kobalia,M (2651) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013}) 11. e4 (11. a4 Bb7 12. a5 c5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. axb6 cxd4 15. exd4 Nxb6 16. Na4 Nxa4 17. Rxa4 Ne4 18. Rfa1 Qf6 $11 {0-1 (36) Wirig,A (2477)-Riazantsev,A (2638) Evry 2008}) 11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. Rad1 b5 14. Be2 Re8 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Kh1 Ng6 18. Be3 Qe7 19. f3 Bb7 20. Rfe1 $14 {1/2 (71) Hauchard,A (2526)-Riazantsev,A (2682) Biel 2010}) (10. e4 dxc4 11. bxc4 e5 12. c5 Bc7 13. O-O exd4 14. Na4 Re8 15. h3 h6 16. Rfe1 Rb8 17. Rad1 Nh5 18. Nxd4 Ne5 19. Be2 Qh4 20. Bxh5 Qxh5 21. f4 Bxh3 22. gxh3 Rbd8 23. Be3 Rxd4 $11 {0-1 (29) Ataman,A (2209)-Gurevich,M (2607) Ankara 2008}) 10... c5 (10... Re8 11. Rd1 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Bc3 Qd6 16. h3 Bd7 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. O-O Qg5 19. f4 Qh4 20. Rf3 {1-0 (45) Kengis,E (2528)-Riazantsev,A (2603) Hamburg 2005} Bg4 21. hxg4 Nxg4 $11) (10... e5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bc3 Bxc3+ 15. Qxc3 Bg4 16. O-O Rc8 17. Qd4 Bxe2 18. Bxe2 Qa5 {1/2 (18) Jussupow,A (2570)-Kempinski,R (2595) Germany 2009}) 11. O-O b6 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Ng3 Bb7 14. Nf5 Bc7 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. b4 c4 17. Be2 Ne4 18. Bc3 Nxc3 19. Qxc3 Nf6 20. Rfd1 Bc8 21. Rxd5 Qe8 22. Bxc4 $18 {1-0 (22) Huzman,A (2574)-Kasparov,G (2830) Rethymnon 2003}) (9... h6 10. O-O Bd6 11. Rad1 e5 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. e4 dxe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 exd4 16. Nxd4 Nf6 17. Nf5 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Bxf5 19. Qxf5 {1/2 (19) Beinoras,M (2426)-Malakhatko,V (2612) Panevezys 2008}) ({RR} 9... Bd6 10. Ne2 c5 11. O-O b6 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Ng3 Bb7 14. Nf5 Bc7 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. b4 c4 17. Be2 Ne4 18. Bc3 Nxc3 19. Qxc3 Nf6 20. Rfd1 Bc8 21. Rxd5 Qe8 22. Bxc4 {1-0 (22) Huzman,A (2574)-Kasparov,G (2830) Rethymno 2003}) ({RR} 9... Bd6 10. O-O dxc4 11. bxc4 e5 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Nf6 14. dxe5 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Be7 16. Bc3 Be6 17. Rfd1 Qc7 18. Nd4 Rad8 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Qg4 Qc8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rd1 Rxd1+ 23. Qxd1 b5 24. cxb5 {Manukyan,S (2322)-Tan,J (2410) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (57)}) 10. Ne5 $5 {Judging the knight move to the centre is not easy. Mamedyarov would not try to complicate matters if the normal developing moves promised an advantage. Preventing the opening of the centre with e6-e5 forces Black to adapt to different challenges.} (10. cxd5 exd5 11. Ne2 a5 12. Ng3 Re8 13. h4 Ne4 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Bxb4 axb4 16. Nd2 Nf6 17. h5 h6 18. Nc4 Ra6 19. Ne5 c5 $15 {1/2 (73) Harikrishna,P (2673)-Dreev,A (2694) Khanty-Mansiysk 2005}) 10... Nxe5 (10... c5 11. O-O h6 (11... Rd8 12. f4 cxd4 13. exd4 dxc4 14. bxc4 Nf8 15. Be3 Bd7 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 f6 18. Nxd7 Rxd7 19. a3 Ba5 20. Bf2 Rc8 21. Qa4 $14 {1-0 (43) Lebreton,F (2037)-Fougerit,V (2239) France 2009}) 12. Nxd7 (12. a3 $1 $14) 12... Bxd7 13. a3 dxc4 14. bxc4 Ba5 15. Nd5 exd5 16. Bxa5 Rfc8 17. Qa2 dxc4 18. Bxc4 b5 19. Bb3 c4 20. Bc2 Bc6 21. Rfe1 Be4 $11 {0-1 (42) Livner,A (2250)-Gagarin,V (2424) Stockholm 2005}) 11. dxe5 Ng4 $146 {[%mdl 4] The knight moves into the enemy territory with the ambition to stir up trouble before White can finish the development of his pieces.} ({The other option is the safer move} 11... Nd7 12. f4 h6 13. e4 dxc4 14. Bxc4 b5 15. Be2 Bb7 16. O-O Rad8 17. Kh1 f6 18. exf6 Nxf6 19. Bf3 e5 20. a3 Bxa3 21. fxe5 Nd7 22. b4 Bxb4 23. Qb3+ Kh8 24. Nd5 cxd5 25. Bxb4 Qxe5 26. exd5 Rfe8 $11 {0-1 (58) Adly,A (2480)-Ragger,M (2433) Groningen 2005}) ({RR} 11... Nd7 12. f4 h6 13. e4 dxc4 14. Bxc4 b5 15. Be2 Bb7 16. O-O Rad8 17. Kh1 f6 18. exf6 Nxf6 19. Bf3 e5 20. a3 Bxa3 21. fxe5 Nd7 22. b4 Bxb4 23. Qb3+ Kh8 24. Nd5 cxd5 25. Bxb4 Qxe5 26. exd5 {Adly,A (2480)-Ragger,M (2433) Groningen 2005 0-1 (58)}) 12. f4 (12. Bxh7+ Kh8 13. Bd3 Nxe5 14. Be2 f5 15. O-O Bd7 16. Rad1 b5 17. f4 Ng4 18. Bxg4 fxg4 19. Ne4 Bxd2 20. Qxd2 bxc4 21. bxc4 $14 {1/2 (84) Jussupow,A (2608)-Georgiev,V (2535) Turin 2006}) 12... Bc5 $6 {The counterplay in this obvious form will fail, so the bishop move can not be the best idea. In the future players will surely try the idea of 12...f5! solving all the problems for the defender.} (12... f5 $1 $11) 13. Ke2 Rd8 (13... Qh4 14. Raf1 Nxh2 15. Rf3 Nxf3 16. Bxh7+ Kh8 17. Rxh4 Nxh4 18. Bd3 $16) (13... d4 14. exd4 Bxd4 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 16. Qd3 Rd8 17. Qh3 $16) 14. h3 $6 {This second-rate move only prods Black into realising his tactical idea without adding anything substantial to the problem. It was much more clever to remove the knight from c3 with a clear advantage for White.} (14. Na4 $1 Ba7 (14... d4 15. Nxc5 Qxc5 16. exd4 Qxd4 17. Raf1 f5 18. exf6 Nxf6 19. Bc3 Qc5 20. Rf3 $16) 15. h3 Nh6 16. Ba5 Rf8 17. g4 $16) 14... Nxe3 $1 15. Bxe3 Bxe3 16. Kxe3 d4+ 17. Kf3 dxc3 18. Rad1 Bd7 {Eljanov must have been judging the situation finely, striving to find the relatively best solution. Saving the h7-pawn would have cost him precious time.} (18... h6 19. Qxc3 b6 20. Be4 Bb7 21. Qe3 c5 22. Rd6 $1 $14) 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 (19... Kf8 20. Be4 f5 21. exf6 Qxf6 22. Qf2 Be8 23. Qc5+ Kf7 24. Ke2 $14) 20. Bd3 f5 $2 {The good idea from move 12 is now suffering the fate of slow solutions. Black should have hurried with pushing his bishop to c6.} (20... c5 $1 21. Qxc3 Bc6+ 22. Kg3 (22. Be4 Qh4 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Bxc6 bxc6 25. Qc2 $14) 22... f5 23. Qc1 $14) 21. Qxc3 c5 (21... g5 22. Be2 c5 23. Qe3 Bc6+ 24. Kf2 Kh7 25. Rhg1 $16) 22. Kf2 Bc6 (22... g5 23. Bxf5 gxf4 24. Be4 Qh4+ 25. Kg1 $16) 23. Be2 b5 {The Ukrainian player is admitting, that his strategy at the transition to the middlegame was not really successful. Naturally without a pawn he is obliged to seek for counterplay one way or another.} (23... g5 24. Qg3 Rg8 25. Rhg1 $16) 24. Qe3 bxc4 (24... Be4 25. h4 $16) 25. Bxc4 Bb5 26. Be2 (26. Qe2 Rd4 27. Rxd4 cxd4 28. Rd1 Qh4+ 29. g3 Qxh3 30. Qf3 Qh2+ 31. Qg2 Qxg2+ 32. Kxg2 Bxc4 33. bxc4 Rd8 34. Kf3 $16) 26... Bxe2 (26... Rd4 $5 27. Rxd4 (27. Bf3 Rc8 28. Rhe1 $16) 27... cxd4 28. Qxd4 Bxe2 29. Kxe2 Rd8 30. Qf2 $1 Qd7 31. Kf3 $16) 27. Kxe2 c4 $2 {This sacrifice hoping to open access into White's territory is simply wrong. Black should have tried his luck with more patient resistance.} (27... Kg8 28. Rxd8+ Rxd8 29. Rd1 Rxd1 30. Kxd1 Qb7 31. Qd2 $16) 28. bxc4 Qb4 29. Qb3 (29. c5 Rdc8 30. Rc1 Qb2+ 31. Kf3 Qxa2 32. Kg3 $16) 29... Qc5 30. Qc3 Rac8 31. Kf3 Kg8 {The lack of good solutions does not mean that Black is not obliged to make sensible moves. Mamedyarov should now demonstrate his skill in converting his huge advanatge.} (31... Rxd1 $2 32. Rxd1 Qxc4 33. Rd8+ Kh7 34. Rxc8 $18) (31... Rg8 32. h4 Qc6+ 33. Kg3 Qxc4 34. Qxc4 Rxc4 35. Rd6 Ra4 36. Rc1 Ra3+ 37. Kh2 Ra4 38. g3 Rxa2+ 39. Kh3 Re8 40. Rcc6 $16) 32. Kg3 a5 33. Rxd8+ Rxd8 34. Rb1 a4 (34... Rc8 35. Rd1 Rc7 36. Rd8+ Kf7 37. Qf3 Ke7 38. Rh8 Qxc4 39. Qa8 Qc3+ 40. Kh4 $18) (34... Qc6 35. Qc2 Qc5 36. Qe2 $16) 35. Kh2 (35. Rb4 Rd3+ 36. Qxd3 Qxb4 37. Qc2 Qa3+ 38. Kf2 Qc5+ 39. Ke2 Qa3 40. Kd1 $16) 35... Qc6 (35... Qf2 36. Qg3 Qxg3+ 37. Kxg3 Rd2 38. Rb6 Kf7 39. Rb7+ Kf8 40. a3 Rd3+ 41. Kh4 Rc3 42. Rc7 Rxa3 43. Ra7 Ra2 44. g4 fxg4 45. hxg4 $18) 36. Qg3 {Time trouble has marred a lot of games in chess history. White is missing a very good chance to make serious progress.} (36. c5 $1 Rc8 37. Rd1 $18) 36... Qe4 37. Qg5 Rc8 $6 (37... Qxb1 38. Qxd8+ Kh7 39. Qh4+ Kg8 40. Qf2 a3 41. g4 g5 42. fxg5 Qb2 43. Kg2 Qxe5 $16) 38. c5 $4 {In the comedy of errors, White seems to want the last word. Naturally it feels truly absurd to overlook the rook at the moment, when the position is already completely winning.} (38. Rb6 $1 Qxc4 39. Rb7 Rc7 40. Qd8+ $18) 38... Qxb1 0-1 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 3rd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2008.08.25"] [Round "7"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2720"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2008.08.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Be2 b6 {One of several reactions to this harmless system.} 9. O-O Bb7 10. Bb2 Qe7 11. Rfd1 Rac8 12. Rac1 Rfd8 13. Qb1 {The most logical arrangement. Practice has also seen} (13. h3 a6 14. e4 dxe4 15. Nxe4 Bf4 16. Ra1 c5 17. Bd3 Bb8 18. Re1 cxd4 19. Bxd4 Nh5 $6 20. Neg5 h6 21. Bh7+ Kf8 22. Be4 Ndf6 23. Nh7+ Nxh7 24. Bxb7 Ng5 25. Nxg5 Qxb7 26. Nf3 $14 {1-0 Gurevich,D (2503)-Almeida Saenz,A (2400)/Schaumburg 2006/CBM 111 ext (41)}) (13. g3 $5 c5 $6 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. e4 Bb7 17. d5 Bb8 18. Bc4 Nf8 19. Qc3 f6 20. dxe6 Nxe6 21. Ng5 fxg5 22. Bxe6+ $18 {1-0 Drasko,M (2507)-Lajthajm,B (2464)/Bar 2006/CBM 111 ext (36)}) ({RR} 13. Bf1 h6 14. g3 c5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Bg2 c4 17. bxc4 dxc4 18. Nh4 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nf8 20. e4 Bb4 21. Nf5 Qb7 22. d5 b5 23. Nxb5 Nxd5 24. Nbd6 Bxd6 25. Rxd5 c3 26. Bxc3 Bb4 27. Qb3 Rxd5 {Vijayakumar,R (2321)-Umarov,B (2207) Fagernes NOR 2026 1-0 (54)}) 13... a6 (13... h6 14. h3 (14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Ne4 Bb8 16. Rd2 a5 17. Nc3 Nxc3 18. Bxc3 c5 19. dxc5 Nxc5 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Bd4 {1/2 Riazantsev,A (2511)-Galkin,A (2570)/Moscow 2002/CBM 088}) 14... a6 15. Bd3 Bb4 16. e4 Bxc3 17. Bxc3 dxe4 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Nf6 20. Qe3 Re8 21. Rd3 a5 22. Ne5 Red8 23. Rcd1 Ba8 24. a4 $14 {1/2 Rustemov,A (2570)-Sapunov,E/St Petersburg 1998/CBM 067 (62)}) (13... c5 $5 14. cxd5 exd5 (14... Nxd5 15. Ne4) 15. Qf5 Qe6 16. Bd3 g6 17. Qg5 Be7 18. Qh6 Bf8 19. Qh4 h6 20. Ne2 Bg7 21. dxc5 bxc5 22. Qa4 Qb6 23. Bc3 Re8 24. Ba5 Qd6 $13 {0-1 Kiselev,S (2454)-Korotylev,A (2554)/Moscow 2002/EXT 2003 (40)}) 14. Bf1 (14. a4 c5 15. cxd5 Nxd5 (15... exd5 $5) 16. Ne4 Bb8 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. Ba3 f5 19. Ned2 Nb4 20. e4 f4 21. Nc4 Bc7 22. Ne1 a5 23. Bb2 Ba8 24. f3 Nb8 25. Na3 N8c6 26. Nb5 Bb6 27. Bc4 Nd4 28. Nxd4 cxd4 29. Nd3 Nxd3 30. Qxd3 Kh8 $11 {1-0 Seirawan,Y (2595)-Panno,O (2495)/Buenos Aires 1993/CBM 035 (40)}) ({RR} 14. Bd3 h6 15. h3 dxc4 16. bxc4 c5 17. d5 exd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. cxd5 b5 20. Bf5 Rc7 21. a4 b4 22. Nd2 Nb6 23. a5 Nbxd5 24. Nc4 g6 25. Bc2 Nc3 26. Bxc3 bxc3 27. Qb6 Rcd7 28. Qxa6 Qe6 {Dreev,A (2668)-Potkin,V (2647) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013 1-0 (50)}) 14... h6 $146 ({RR} 14... c5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. g3 c4 17. a4 cxb3 18. Nd2 h5 19. Nxb3 h4 20. Bg2 hxg3 21. hxg3 Bxg3 22. Bf3 Bb8 23. Nd2 Nf8 24. Kg2 Ne6 25. Rh1 g6 26. Ba1 Qd6 27. Qb3 Kg7 28. Bb2 Ng5 29. Be2 {Chuchelov,V (2575)-Shirov,A (2726) Germany 2009 0-1 (41)}) 15. g3 {Black is well-prepared for e3-e4 but White doesn't hurry with that move.} Bb8 16. Bg2 b5 {Black starts acting himself; the position sharpens.} 17. e4 $5 dxc4 (17... b4 18. e5 bxc3 19. exf6 Nxf6 20. Bxc3 $14) 18. e5 (18. bxc4 e5 $1) 18... Ne8 (18... Nd5 $143 19. bxc4 bxc4 (19... Nxc3 20. Bxc3 c5 21. cxb5) 20. Ne4 $36) 19. bxc4 c5 20. cxb5 $2 {After this move White's centre collapses.} (20. Ne4 $8 {keeping good chances in a complex position.}) 20... Bxf3 21. Bxf3 cxd4 22. Ne2 (22. Ne4 Rxc1 23. Qxc1 axb5 $17) 22... Nxe5 23. Bg2 d3 $6 {Quite a typical mistake, by the way. The opposition of rooks makes it extremely important to find an appropriate moment for the exchange. That moment is often missed even by top GMs!} (23... Rxc1 $1 24. Bxc1 axb5 25. Qxb5 {and now, say,} Qf6 $1 26. Nxd4 (26. Rxd4 $2 Ba7 27. Rf4 Rd1+ 28. Bf1 Nf3+ 29. Kg2 Ne1+ 30. Kg1 Qd8 $17) 26... Ba7 27. Be3 Ng4 {White has recaptured the pawn but the unpleasant pin makes his position difficult.}) 24. Rxc8 $1 {That's the point! Black loses most of his advantage.} Rxc8 25. Nf4 axb5 26. Nxd3 {White didn't like} (26. Bxe5 Bxe5 27. Nxd3 Bd4 28. Qxb5 Nd6 29. Qb4 e5 $15 {[%csl Gd4]}) {Boris Gelfand prefers to play a pawn down but with a bishop pair.} 26... Nc4 27. Ba1 Ned6 28. Nb4 $6 (28. Ne5 $142 $1 {This knight is not very useful so this exchange was positionally justified.}) 28... Qe8 29. Qd3 Ba7 30. Qe2 Nf5 31. Qf3 Bb6 32. Nc6 Nce3 $6 {[%mdl 64] This tactical solution proves insufficient.} (32... Qf8 $17) 33. fxe3 Nxe3 34. Bd4 $1 Bxd4 (34... Nxd1 35. Bxb6 Nb2 36. Bd4 $13) 35. Rxd4 Nxg2 36. Nb4 Ne1 $6 (36... Rd8 $142 37. Rxd8 Qxd8 38. Nd3 Nh4 $11) 37. Qe2 $1 {GM Vladimir Kramnik later admitted missing this move.} (37. Qd1 $2 Rc1 $1) 37... Rc1 38. Rd1 {Suddenly the knight is lost. Fortunately, Black has two pawns and the unsafe position of White's king deprives him of real winning chances.} Qc8 39. Rxe1 Qc5+ 40. Kh1 Rc4 41. Nd3 (41. a3 Rc3) 41... Qc6+ 42. Qg2 Qxg2+ 43. Kxg2 Rc2+ 44. Nf2 Rxa2 45. Rb1 f5 46. Rxb5 Kf7 47. h4 $11 {?} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Biel 53rd"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2020.07.29"] [Round "7"] [White "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2703"] [BlackElo "2719"] [Annotator "Harikrishna,Pentala"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2020.07.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 197"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,66,7,-19,49,15,19,16,42,16,26,26,38,11,33,-17,33,2,8,13,13,16,16,4,9,1,12,-23,30,24,24,24,12,2,0,-36,37,4,52,-16,18,-17,29,22,22,-49,79,53,90,35,30,30,38,-83,-83,-163,-163,-163,-164,-164,-141,-141,-141,-141,-141,-154,-162,-168,-156] This is the last round from Biel masters. I was trailing by half a point behind the eventual champion Wojtaszek. I hoped to have an interesting game to keep some pressure on Radek. Therefore, I chose an opening which I don't play that often.} 1. c4 {Quintiliano,Renato} c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. d4 Nbd7 {This position can be reached by various move orders.} 6. Qc2 (6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bb3 {My game against Vincent Keymer went this way where I had the white pieces.}) 6... Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Be2 b6 (8... e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nb5 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12. Nxd2 a6 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nd4 Bg4 $11 {I would evaluate this position as equal. Considering the tournament situation I did not go for this. I drew a game against Peter Leko from this position in 2016.}) 9. Bb2 Bb7 10. O-O Qe7 11. Rfe1 ({RR} 11. Rad1 Rac8 12. e4 dxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qh4 c5 16. Rfe1 cxd4 ({RR} 16... Ne4 17. d5) 17. Nxd4 Bb4 ({RR} 17... Ba3) 18. Bd3 Bxe1 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. Bc2+ Kg8 21. Rxe1) 11... Rfe8 12. Rad1 Rad8 ({RR} 12... Rac8 13. Bd3 e5 ({RR} 13... c5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Bf5) 14. e4 dxc4 ({RR} 14... exd4 15. exd5) 15. Bxc4 b5 16. Bf1 g6 ({RR} 16... a6 17. h3 g6 18. Qd2 Rcd8 19. Qh6 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qf8) 17. Qd2 Rcd8 18. Qg5 a6 19. h3 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qe5 21. Qxe5 Nxe5 22. Nc2 g5 23. Bc1 h6 24. Be3 c5 25. f3 Bf8 26. Bf2) 13. Bf1 ({RR} 13. e4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Qxe4 Bb4 16. Rf1 Bd6 17. Rfe1 Bb4 18. Rf1 Bd6 19. Rfe1 Bb4) ({RR} 13. Bd3 e5 14. cxd5 ({RR} 14. e4 dxc4 15. Bxc4 b5 16. Bf1 a6) 14... cxd5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nd4 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Ne4) 13... c5 ({RR} 13... e5 14. dxe5 ({RR} 14. cxd5 e4 15. Nh4 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Ng4+ 17. Kh3 Ndf6) ({RR} 14. g3 e4 15. Nh4 Qe6 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. Nb5 Rc8 18. Qd2 Bb8 19. Rc1 g5 20. Ng2 Qh3) 14... Nxe5 15. Nxe5 ({RR} 15. Nd4 dxc4 16. Nf5 Qe6 17. Nxd6 Rxd6 18. bxc4 Rxd1 19. Nxd1 c5) 15... Bxe5 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. Nb5 Rc8 18. Qb1 d4 19. h3 ({RR} 19. exd4 Bxh2+ 20. Kxh2 Ng4+ 21. Kg3 Qg5 22. f4 Qh5) 19... Ng4 20. hxg4 Qh4 21. f4 dxe3 22. Rxe3 Bxf4 23. Rh3 Qxh3 24. gxh3 Be3+ 25. Kh2 Bf4+ 26. Kg1) ({RR} 13... Bb4 14. a3 Bxa3 15. Bxa3 Qxa3 16. cxd5 exd5 17. Ra1 Qd6 18. Rxa7) ({RR} 13... e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nd4 dxc4 16. Nf5 Qe6 17. Nxd6 Rxd6 18. Rxd6 Qxd6 19. Rd1 cxb3 20. axb3 Qe6 21. Ne4 Nd5 22. Ng3 c5 23. e4 Nb4 24. Qc3 h6 25. Bb5 Bc6 26. Bxc6 Nbxc6 27. f4 Qg4 28. Rf1 {Piorun,K (2655)-Harikrishna,P (2719) Legnica 2021 ½-½ (32)}) 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Nb5 {This is the first new move for me. I was prepared until here.} (15. g3 {is played more often. There are hundreds of games in the database.} {RR} Rc8 16. Qb1 ({RR} 16. Bh3 c4) 16... cxd4 ({RR} 16... c4 17. bxc4 Bb4 18. Nd2 dxc4 19. e4) 17. Nxd4 Bb4 18. Rc1 Ne5 ({RR} 18... Ne4 19. Nf5 Qe6 20. Nxe4 Qxe4 21. Qxe4 dxe4 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rd1) 19. Bh3 Rcd8 20. Red1 Bc5 21. Bg2) ({RR} 15. g3 a6 16. Bg2 Rc8 17. Qb1 ({RR} 17. dxc5 Bxc5 ({RR} 17... bxc5 18. Nh4 Qe6 19. Qd2 Nb6 20. e4 d4 21. e5 Bxg2 22. exf6 Be5 23. Nxg2 dxc3 24. Bxc3 Bxc3 25. Rxe6 Bxd2 26. Rxb6) 18. Rc1 Ne4 19. Qd3 Ndf6) 17... h6 ({RR} 17... Rcd8 18. Nh4 cxd4 ({RR} 18... g6) 19. Nf5 Qf8 20. Nxd6 Qxd6 21. Rxd4) ({RR} 17... c4 18. bxc4 dxc4 19. e4) 18. Nh4 ({RR} 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. Nh4 Qe6 20. Ne2 Rcd8 21. Nf4 Bxf4 22. exf4 Qb6) 18... c4 19. Nf5 Qf8 20. Nxd6 ({RR} 20. bxc4 Rxc4 21. e4 dxe4 ({RR} 21... Bb4 22. e5 Bxc3 23. Bxc3 Rxc3 24. exf6 Nxf6 25. Qxb6 Bc8 26. Rxe8 Qxe8 27. Qa5) 22. Nxe4 Nxe4 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Rxe4 25. Qxe4 g6 ({RR} 25... Nf6 26. Qd3 b5 27. d5) 26. Nxd6 Qxd6 27. Qe8+ Nf8 28. d5) 20... Qxd6 21. bxc4 Rxc4 22. a4 Rec8 23. Rc1 h5 24. h3 Nf8 25. Qa2 Ne6 ({RR} 25... h4) 26. Qb3 Qd8 27. Re2 ({RR} 27. h4) 27... Bc6 28. Rec2 b5 29. axb5 axb5 {Ding,L (2778)-Topalov,V (2749) Shamkir 2018 CBM 184 [Quintiliano,Renato] ½-½ (57)}) ({RR} 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Ne2 a6 17. Ng3 g6 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. Qc3 Qe6 20. Red1 Bf8 21. Qa5 Bd6 22. Rc2 Bc7 23. Qa4 Bd6 24. Rcd2 Ne5 25. Be2 h5 26. Nxe5 Bxe5 27. Bxe5 Qxe5 28. Bf3 Re7 29. h3 Kg7 {Rohith,K (2482)-Krishna,C (2383) Cesis LAT 2026 ½-½ (65)}) 15... Bb8 {More or less forced as Black cannot allow the exchange of his bishop for White's knight.} 16. dxc5 $146 ({RR} 16. g3 Rc8 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. Bg2 c4 19. Nfd4 a6 20. Ba3 Qd8 21. Nd6 Bxd6 22. Bxd6 Ne4 23. Ba3 Qa5 24. Bc1 g6 25. bxc4 Ne5 26. Nb3 Qa4 27. c5 Nxc5 28. Qb1 Ne4 29. Bb2 Nc4 30. Ba1 Re6 {Antova,G (2235)-Jain,V (1923) Ledyard USA 2024 1-0 (44)}) 16... bxc5 17. g3 {This was the critical position. I felt that it was about equal. Black needs an active plan and, quite importantly, not to exchange too many pieces.} Ng4 $5 (17... Ne4 18. Bg2 Ndf6 19. Nc3 Bc7 $11 {was also possible. White's play is a bit easier here, therefore I did not go for this.}) 18. Bg2 (18. h3 Nge5 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Bg2 h5 $13) 18... Ndf6 {[%CAl Yf6e4] With the idea to play Ne4.} 19. Nc3 h5 {My idea was to expand the kingside and keep ...h4 ready whenever possible. I also wanted to provoke White to play h3.} 20. Ba3 Qc7 {To keep my chances I decided to play this way.} (20... Ne4 $5 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Nh4 Nxh2 23. Qxc5 Qxc5 24. Bxc5 g5 $11) 21. h3 d4 $1 (21... Ne5 22. Nxe5 Rxe5 23. Ne2 $16 {[%CAl Yc2c5]}) (21... Nxe3 $2 22. Rxe3 Rxe3 23. fxe3 d4 24. Ne2 $1 $18) 22. hxg4 $2 {This is already a mistake. White had to play exd4 and the position is about equal.} (22. exd4 $1 Rxe1+ 23. Nxe1 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 cxd4 (24... Ne3+ $5 25. fxe3 Qxg3+ 26. Kf1 Qxh3+ 27. Qg2 Qxe3 $13) 25. hxg4 dxc3 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Qxc3 hxg4 $11) 22... hxg4 (22... dxc3 {I considered this but wrongly judged that White's position is fine.} 23. gxh5 Qa5 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Rd1 (25. Qc1 Rd2 $19) 25... Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Bxf3 27. Bxf3 Qxa3 28. Qd8+ Kh7 29. Qd3+ Kh6 30. Qxc3 Qxa2 $17) 23. Nb5 $4 (23. Nxd4 $1 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 cxd4 25. exd4 Rxe1 (25... Nd5 $2 {This doesnt work.} 26. Bc5 Ne3+ 27. Rxe3 Rxe3 28. fxe3 Qxg3+ 29. Kf1 Qxe3 30. Rd3) 26. Rxe1 Rxd4 $11) 23... Qa5 $19 24. Nfxd4 Bxg2 25. Qxc5 (25. Kxg2 cxd4 26. Nxd4 Qxa3 $19) 25... Bb7 {There is nothing wrong with this move, although Ba8 is winning immediately.} (25... Ba8 $1 26. Nc3 Qa6 27. Nf5 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Be5 29. Ne7+ Kh8 30. Qxe5 Qxa3 $19) 26. Nf5 $4 (26. Nc3 Qa6 27. Qb5 {This is the difference to 25....Ba8!, as here the bishop on b7 is hanging.} Qxb5 28. Ndxb5) 26... Rd5 27. Ne7+ Rxe7 28. Qxe7 Qxb5 29. e4 (29. Qf8+ Kh7 30. Qxb8 Rh5 $19 (30... Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Qc6 $19)) 29... Rxd1 30. Rxd1 Bxe4 31. Re1 Ba8 {Here Anton resigned. Surprisingly White could continue here for a while. 31...Bb7 was the right move. In this game I played ...Ba8 when ...Bb7 was superior, and ...Ba8 when ...Bb7 was winning :)} 32. Qb4 Qxb4 (32... Qc6 33. Qxb8+ Kh7 34. Kf1 {With White's rook on d1, Black can simply capture it. Even here Black is winning, but he needs to play precisely.}) 33. Bxb4 Bb7 0-1 [Event "Nalchik FIDE GP"] [Site "Nalchik"] [Date "2009.04.26"] [Round "10"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2726"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2009.04.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 130"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.05.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.05.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 h6 {The moderate reaction to White's aggressive advance is winning recognition. The first player may end up without proper compensation for his exposed pawn structure.} 8. h3 (8. Bd2 a6 9. h3 dxc4 $5 10. Bxc4 (10. e4 Be7 11. e5 Nd5 12. Bxc4 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 b5 14. Be2 Bb7 15. O-O b4 16. Bd2 c5 17. Rad1 cxd4 18. Bf4 Rc8 19. Qd2 Nb6 20. Qxd4 Nd5 $15 {0-1 Milanovic,D (2529)-Kotanjian,T (2578)/Kavala 2008 (77)}) 10... b5 11. Bd3 Bb7 12. g5 hxg5 13. Nxg5 c5 14. Rg1 Qe7 15. Nce4 cxd4 16. Nxd6+ Qxd6 17. Bg6 Ne5 18. Nxf7 Nxf7 19. Bxf7+ Kf8 20. Bg6 Rc8 $11 {½-½ Zvjaginsev,V (2658)-Burmakin,V (2534)/St Petersburg 1999 (28). With both kings on shaky ground the chances were even.}) 8... a6 9. c5 {The partial closure of the centre should help White to control his opponent's counterplay. In the few games Black got excellent development after opening the kingside.} (9. Rg1 Qe7 (9... dxc4 10. e4 e5 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Be2 c5 13. d5 c4 14. Be3 Qe7 15. a4 Rb8 16. axb5 axb5 17. Kf1 Nc5 18. Kg2 h5 19. g5 Nh7 20. Kh2 Nf8 21. Nh4 Ng6 $11 {0-1 Prohaszka,P (2512)-Potkin,V (2613)/Budva 2009 (34)}) 10. Bd2 (10. h4 Bb4 11. Bd2 Bxc3 12. Bxc3 Ne4 13. Bd3 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 dxc4 15. Qxc4 c5 16. Rc1 b5 17. Qc2 Bb7 18. Be4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 O-O 20. g5 $14 {1-0 Rodshtein,M (2530)-Iljushin,A (2501)/Dresden 2007 (45)}) 10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Be2 c5 13. h4 b4 14. Na4 Bb7 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Nxc5 Bxc5 17. Ne5 Bd6 18. Qa4+ Kf8 {Black had nothing to fear with good pieces, only the king was somewhat inconvenienced in 0-1 Rodshtein,M (2520)-Drozdovskij,Y (2562)/Cappelle la Grande 2007 (48)} 19. Nc4 a5 20. f3 $11) 9... Bc7 10. Bd2 b5 {With a different move order the players have reached a position, that has already been tested on the international scene. Svidler might have played more cleverly by advancing his pawn only to b6.} (10... e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. O-O-O Qe7 14. Na4 Ne4 15. Ba5 f5 16. Bd3 O-O 17. f3 Ng3 18. Rhg1 fxg4 19. f4 Nf5 20. Bd2 $6 (20. fxe5 Nxe3 $13) 20... Bc7 $17 {½-½ Avrukh,B (2657)-Gustafsson,J (2634)/Germany 2009 (70)}) (10... b6 $5) 11. cxb6 {[%mdl 4] The new direction of the battle is quite different to what has been happening. Svidler might have discovered in his preparation, that after the immediate opening of the centre with ...e6-e5 the position would be far from clear.} (11. Bd3 e5 (11... Qe7 12. Ne2 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. f4 Bc7 16. O-O-O Bd7 17. Kb1 Kd8 18. Nd4 $2 (18. Ng3 $16) 18... Re8 19. b4 Ne4 20. Bc1 a5 $132 {1-0 Krasenkow,M (2661)-Nay Oo Kyaw Tun (2595)/Shanghai 2000/ (61)}) 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. f4 Bc7 15. O-O-O O-O $13) 11... Nxb6 12. Bd3 (12. e4 dxe4 13. Nxe4 O-O 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 15. Qe4 $14) 12... Bd6 $5 {Black is demonstrating an independent mind and a clear evaluation of the position. The bishop belongs to the a3-f8 diagonal and the loss of time is not so critical due to the closed character of the position.} (12... Nc4 13. Bxc4 dxc4 14. O-O-O O-O 15. e4 $16) 13. e4 Be7 $146 (13... dxe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Qxc6+ Bd7 16. Qxe4 Nd5 17. O-O Bb5 18. Rfc1 $16) ({RR} 13... dxe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Bd7 16. Ba5 Qc7 17. O-O O-O 18. Ne5 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Rac8 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. Rd6 Be8 22. Rad1 Rb8 23. Qc5 Rdc8 24. R1d3 Na4 25. Bxc7 Nxc5 26. Bxb8 Nxd3 27. Bxd3 Rxb8 28. b3 {Mamedyarov,S (2719)-Karjakin,S (2723) Moscow 2009 0-1 (50)}) 14. O-O-O Bb7 15. Kb1 (15. g5 hxg5 16. Bxg5 Rc8 $11) 15... Rc8 16. Rhg1 {Mamedyarov is an exceptionally gifted tactician in attack, but breaking Black's very solid position will be far from easy.} (16. e5 Nfd7 17. Na4 c5 18. Ba5 c4 19. Be2 Bc6 20. Nc3 Nf8 $11) 16... c5 $1 17. dxc5 (17. exd5 $2 Nfxd5 $17) 17... Bxc5 18. g5 {In the fight for any advantage White is prepared to accept the risks. Objectively stronger might have been the centralisation of the bishop.} (18. Be3 Bxe3 19. fxe3 Nbd7 (19... dxe4 20. Bb5+ Nbd7 21. Bxd7+ Nxd7 22. Ne5 Bd5 23. Qa4 Rxc3 24. Nxd7 Rc7 25. Nb6+ Ke7 26. Qxa6 $14) 20. e5 Ne4 21. Bxe4 dxe4 22. Nd2 Qb6 $11) 18... dxe4 (18... hxg5 $5 19. Bxg5 d4 20. Na4 Nxa4 21. Qxa4+ Qd7 22. Qxd7+ Nxd7 $15) 19. Nxe4 (19. gxf6 $2 exd3 20. Qb3 Bxf3 $19) 19... Nxe4 (19... Bxf2 $2 20. Bc3 Nxe4 (20... Bxg1 21. gxf6 $18) 21. Bxe4 Bd5 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Qxf2 Rxc3 24. gxh6 Rxh6 25. Rxg7 $16) 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 {Svidler is a very experienced player and it comes as no surprise, that he is not trying to provoke the opponent with fuzzy moves in the sharp position.} (20... Qe7 21. gxh6 Bxf2 22. hxg7 Rg8 23. Bc6+ $3 Bxc6 24. Qh7 Be4+ 25. Qxe4 Bxg1 26. Qh7 Rxg7 27. Qxg7 $18) 21. Qxe4 Qd5 22. Qe2 (22. Qxd5 Nxd5 23. gxh6 gxh6 24. Ne5 $11) 22... hxg5 (22... Qc4 23. Qxc4 Nxc4 24. gxh6 gxh6 $11) 23. Nxg5 Rh4 {After the rook move the black king will definitely remain in the centre, but even more importantly all the black pieces are concentrated there as well.} (23... Qc4 $2 24. Qf3 Rf8 25. Ne4 $16) 24. Bc3 Qc4 (24... Qf5+ 25. Ka1 Rf4 26. Qxa6 Bxf2 27. Nxf7 Qxf7 28. Qb5+ Kf8 29. Bxg7+ Ke7 30. Be5 Rf5 $13) 25. Qf3 (25. Qd2 g6 26. Qc2 Nd5 27. Nxf7 Nxc3+ 28. bxc3 Rxh3 $11) 25... Rf4 26. Qb7 Bxf2 {Beauty lies in simple solutions. Due to his excellent coordination Black has nothing to fear.} (26... Qa4 27. Bd2 Bd4 28. Rc1 Rxc1+ 29. Rxc1 Qb5 30. Qb8+ Ke7 31. Qb7+ Ke8 $11) 27. Rgf1 Nd5 (27... Qc6 28. Qxa6 Rf5 $11) 28. Be5 Rf5 (28... Qc2+ $2 29. Ka1 Rf5 30. Ne4 $1 $18) 29. Rc1 Qd3+ 30. Ka1 Rd8 (30... Rc2 31. Qb8+ Ke7 32. Qd6+ $11) 31. Qc6+ Ke7 $2 {The sad truth is that our greatest enemy in chess is ourself; this has been perfectly proven for the umpteenth time. Svidler might have forced a repetition with the rook move, but surely wanted to win. Unfortunatelly the centralisation is a fatal tactical slip.} (31... Kf8 32. Nxe6+ (32. Rxf2 Rxg5 33. Qxe6 Qg6 $11) 32... fxe6 33. Rxf2 Rxf2 34. Qc5+ Kg8 35. Qxf2 Nb4 36. Qc5 Qd5 37. Qxb4 Qxe5 $11) (31... Rd7 $1 32. Qc8+ Rd8 (32... Ke7 $2 33. Rxf2 Rxg5 34. Rxf7+ $18) 33. Qc6+ $11) 32. Rxf2 $1 Rxg5 (32... Rxf2 33. Qc5+ Ke8 34. Qxf2 f6 35. Nxe6 $18) 33. Qb7+ Rd7 34. Rxf7+ $1 Kxf7 35. Qxd7+ Kg8 (35... Kg6 36. Qxg7+ Kf5 (36... Kh5 37. Qh8+ Kg6 38. h4 $18) 37. Qh7+ Rg6 38. Rg1 $18) 36. Bxg7 {The only truly mysterious move in the game. Mamedyarov could have grabbed the rook, but instead he choses the combinatory solution underlining the futility of resistance. Black duly stopped the clock.} (36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Qxg5 $18) (36. Bxg7 Qc2 (36... Rxg7 37. Qe8+ Kh7 38. Qh5+ Kg8 39. Rc8#) 37. Qd8+ Kxg7 38. Qxg5+ Qg6 39. Qxg6+ Kxg6 40. Rc6 $18) 1-0 [Event "Tashkent FIDE GP"] [Site "Tashkent"] [Date "2014.10.21"] [Round "1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2722"] [Annotator "Roiz,Michael"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2014.10.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UZB"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 e6 6. Qc2 Nbd7 {GM Andreikin goes for a side line of the Meran.} (6... c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Be2 {is a well known theoretical line, where Shakhriyar has a lot of experience.}) 7. b3 Bd6 8. Bb2 {White's setup is standard, while Black has to prove, that a7-a6 wasn't a waste of time.} O-O ({The immediate} 8... e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 {gives White some extra options, such as} 10. O-O-O $5 O-O 11. Kb1 {with good attacking prospects.}) 9. Be2 e5 (9... b5 10. O-O Bb7 11. c5 Bc7 12. b4 $14 {is somewhat better for White.}) 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 {This position is still well known from the past.} 12. O-O ({White may postpone castling, but it hardly should pose Black any serious problems:} 12. Rd1 Be6 13. O-O Rc8 14. Qb1 Nc6 (14... Nfg4 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Bxg4 Bxg4 17. Rxd5 Qc7 18. h3 Be6 19. Rd3 $14 {1-0 Kovalenko,I (2586) -Sandipan,C (2590)/Jurmala LAT 2013 (68)}) 15. Qa1 Re8 16. Rd2 Qe7 (16... Bf8 $6 17. Rfd1 Qa5 18. Rc1 h6 19. h3 b5 20. Rdd1 $14 {1-0 Avrukh,B (2632)-Kornev,A (2544)/ Dagomys 2008/CBM 124 (78)}) 17. Rfd1 Bb8 $132) 12... Be6 {Avoiding the exchanges in order to keep some attacking potential, which may compensate for the weak isolated pawn.} ({After} 12... Bg4 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bxg4 Nxg4 15. h3 Nf6 {Black has a solid, but rather passive position. For isntance,} 16. Qf5 (16. Ne2 Rc8 17. Qb1 Qe7 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Nd4 $14 {1-0 Carlsen,M (2881)-Korobov, A (2680)/Dubai UAE 2014 (33)}) 16... Re8 17. Rac1 Qa5 (17... Rc8 18. Qb1 Bb8 19. Ne2 Ne4 20. Qd3 $14) 18. f4 $14 {0-1 Delchev,A (2629)-Van Wely,L (2686)/Melilla 2011/CBM 146 (57)}) 13. Rac1 {White's queen is rather vulnerable, so Shakhriyar is preparing a comfortable setup for his pieces.} (13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. f4 Bc7 15. Bf3 Rc8 16. Qd3 Re8 17. Kh1 Qd7 $11) 13... Rc8 14. Qb1 Nfg4 $1 {The isolated pawn requires energetic play.} ({The quiet} 14... Nc6 15. Rfd1 Qe7 16. Na4 $14 {doesn't solve all the problems.}) 15. Nxe5 ({Of course, not} 15. h3 $2 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Nh2 $17) (15. g3 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Qf6 $1 {isn't dangerous for Black:} 17. Bxg4 Bxg4 18. Ne4 Qf3 19. Ng5 Qf5 $11) 15... Bxe5 16. h3 ({The immediate} 16. Bxg4 {looks harmless - Black's pair of bishops is an important factor here, as was proved in the following game between great players:} Bxg4 17. Na4 Bb8 18. Rxc8 Bxc8 19. Bd4 Re8 20. Nc3 Qd6 21. f4 f6 $11 {1/2-1/2 Portisch,L (2630)-Kasparov,G (2595)/Dubai 1986/TD (71)}) 16... Bh2+ $1 ({Correctly deviating from} 16... Nf6 17. Rfd1 Qa5 18. Na4 Bxb2 19. Qxb2 Ne4 20. Bd3 $14 {and Black is doomed to a passive defence.}) 17. Kh1 Bb8 18. Bxg4 Bxg4 19. Qd3 $146 {This innovation doesn't really change the evaluation of the line, but Dmitry had some practical problems to solve.} ({After} 19. f4 Qh4 {White has nothing better than accepting a draw:} 20. Nxd5 (20. Qc2 $6 Ba7 21. Qd2 {is too risky:} Rcd8 (21... Rfe8 $6 {1/2-1/2 Kovalyov,A (2525)-Haslinger,S (2500)/Benidorm 2008/CBM 123 Extra (30)} 22. Nxd5 Rcd8 23. e4 $14) 22. Na4 Rfe8 $15) 20... Bxh3 21. gxh3 Qxh3+ 22. Kg1 Qg3+ $11) (19. Nxd5 Qxd5 20. hxg4 Qg5 21. Kg1 Qxg4 $11) ({RR} 19. f4 Qh4 20. Qc2 Ba7 21. Qd2 Rfe8 22. Rce1 Rc6 23. Nd1 Bf5 24. Bc3 Rec8 25. Kh2 Be4 26. Re2 f5 27. Rg1 Bb8 28. Rf1 b5 29. Qd4 Rg6 30. Be1 Qe7 {½-½ (30) Kovalyov,A (2525)-Haslinger,S (2500) Benidorm 2008}) 19... Qd6 $6 {This natural move is inaccurate - Black's position lacks harmony now.} ({A much safer try was:} 19... Be6 20. f4 f6 (20... Re8 21. Rfd1 d4 (21... Qh4 $5) 22. Qxd4 Qxd4 23. Rxd4 h5 $44) 21. Rfd1 Qd6 22. Nxd5 $140 Rcd8 23. Nb4 Qxb4 24. Qxd8 Rxd8 25. Rxd8+ Kf7 26. Rxb8 Bd5 27. f5 Bc6 28. Rxc6 Qe1+ 29. Kh2 bxc6 $11) 20. f4 Be6 21. Rcd1 $1 {That's the point! The pressure along the d-file is stronger now - the queen on d6 is unprotected, so e3-e4 is coming.} Qc5 {Black finds nothing better than giving up a pawn immeditely.} (21... Rfe8 22. e4 $1 f6 (22... d4 23. Ne2 f6 24. Nxd4 Bf7 25. Qf3 $14) 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. exd5 $14) (21... Rfd8 22. e4 d4 (22... dxe4 $6 23. Qxd6 Rxd6 24. Rxd6 Bxd6 25. f5 Be5 (25... Bd7 26. Rd1 $18) 26. fxe6 fxe6 27. Nd1 $16) 23. Ne2 $14) 22. Nxd5 ({It seems} 22. e4 $1 {was even more promising for Shakhriyar:} f6 (22... dxe4 23. Nxe4 Qc2 24. f5 Qxb2 25. fxe6 Qe5 26. exf7+ Kh8 27. g3 Rcd8 28. Qf3 $16) 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. exd5 Bd6 25. Qf5 Rce8 26. Bd4 $16) 22... Bxd5 23. Qxd5 Qxd5 24. Rxd5 Ba7 $14 {White is a pawn up now, but the activity of Black's pieces gives him excellent drawing chances.} 25. e4 ({The double rook endgame arising after} 25. Bd4 Bxd4 26. Rxd4 Rc2 27. a4 h6 28. e4 Rfc8 $14 {should be holdable for Black.}) 25... Rfe8 (25... Rc2 26. Ba1 (26. Ba3 Rfc8 27. Rd7 Rxa2 $11) 26... Rxa2 27. Rd7 f6 28. e5 (28. Rxb7 $6 Rf7 29. Rb4 (29. Rxf7 {is not dangerous for Black either:} Kxf7 30. e5 Bb8 31. exf6 gxf6 32. g3 h5 $11) 29... Rc7 {with sufficient counterplay.}) 28... Rf7 $1 29. Rd8+ Rf8 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. exf6 gxf6 32. Bxf6 Bc5 $14) 26. e5 (26. Rg5 g6 27. Re5 Rxe5 28. Bxe5 Kf8 29. Rd1 Ke7 30. Rd2 $14) 26... Rc2 27. Rb1 $6 {It is hardly possible to pose Black any serious problems with such a passive rook.} (27. Ba1 Rxa2 28. Rd7 Kf8 29. Rxb7 Re7 30. Rb4 Rc7 31. Rd1 $14) 27... h5 $1 28. Rd7 Rf2 ({Even simpler was} 28... h4 $1 29. Rxb7 Be3 $11 {and if} 30. f5 $6 Rd8 {Black takes over the initiative.}) 29. Rxb7 Be3 30. f5 {White is trying to give up one pawn in a better situation.} Rxf5 31. Re1 {That's the point - White's rook cannot be activated now.} Rf2 $6 {Dmitry prefers to enter into the rook ending, but it doesn't guarantee an easy life.} (31... Bh6 $1 {seems much safer:} 32. a4 Rc8 33. Bd4 Rc2 34. b4 (34. Ra7 Rg5 35. Rxa6 Rgxg2 $11) 34... Rg5 35. Rg1 Rg3 36. a5 Rd2 $11) 32. Rxe3 Rxb2 33. a4 Re6 34. Kh2 $1 {A good prophylactic move, which enables White to parry the threats and keep an extra pawn.} h4 (34... Rg6 35. Rg3 Re6 36. Ra7 $14) 35. Re4 f5 {Honestly speaking, this move is not the best, but White had to solve some concerete problems.} ({Objectively, Dmitry should have opted for} 35... g5 36. Re1 Rf2 37. Kg1 Rb2 38. Rf1 Rxe5 39. Rbxf7 Rxb3 40. R7f5 $14 {Black should be able to hold this position with precise defence.}) 36. Rd4 $1 {It looks like White's winning chances are getting more significant, but...} Rc6 (36... Rxe5 37. Rdd7 Kh7 38. Rxg7+ Kh6 39. Rh7+ Kg6 40. Rbg7+ Kf6 41. Rg8 $16) (36... Re2 37. b4 Re4 38. Rxe4 fxe4 39. Kg1 Rxe5 40. b5 axb5 41. Rxb5 Re6 42. Rb4 $16) 37. Rb8+ {Shakhriyar's move is natural - he wants to liquadate the ?h4 as soon as it possible.} ({Another decent possibility was} 37. Rd6 $5 Rc1 (37... Rxd6 38. exd6 Rd2 39. Rb6 f4 40. Kg1 $16) 38. Rd8+ Kh7 39. Rdd7 Rbb1 40. Rxg7+ Kh6 41. Rh7+ Kg5 42. Rbg7+ Kf4 43. Rxh4+ Kxe5 44. Re7+ Kf6 45. Rb7 $16) 37... Kh7 38. Rxh4+ Kg6 39. Rhh8 Rcc2 40. Kg3 $2 {The first serious mistake of Mamedyarov comes on move 40, and the edge is gone.} ({Instead} 40. Rb6+ Kf7 (40... Kg5 41. h4+ Kf4 42. Rg6 Rb1 43. Rd8 Rcc1 44. Rd4+ Kxe5 45. Rb4 a5 46. Rb5+ Ke4 47. Rxg7 f4 48. Re7+ Kd4 49. Kh3 $16) 41. e6+ Ke7 42. Kg3 Rc3+ 43. Kf4 Rf2+ 44. Kg5 Rxg2+ 45. Kxf5 Rf2+ 46. Ke5 Re2+ 47. Kd4 $16 {led to a difficult position for Black.}) 40... Rxg2+ 41. Kh4 Rbe2 {Now Black is out of danger.} 42. Rb6+ Kf7 43. e6+ $6 {The first step into a wrong direction - White's king is in a danger zone now.} ({Much simpler was} 43. Rb7+ Ke6 44. Re8+ Kd5 45. Rd7+ Ke4 46. Rg8 g6 47. Rd6 $11) 43... Rxe6 44. Rxe6 (44. Rb7+ Kf6 45. Rf8+ Kg6 $19) 44... Kxe6 45. b4 {That is not a mistake yet, but Shakhriyar is letting Black make progress too easily!} (45. Kh5 $6 {was dangerous:} Ke7 (45... f4 46. Rf8 Ke5 47. b4 Rb2 48. b5 axb5 49. axb5 Rxb5 50. Kg4 $11) 46. Ra8 f4 47. Ra7+ Kf8 48. Ra8+ Kf7 49. Ra7+ Kg8 50. Ra8+ Kh7 51. Ra7 a5 $17) ({But} 45. Rf8 $1 {was good enough:} a5 (45... f4 46. Kh5 Ke5 47. b4 Rg3 48. h4 $11) 46. b4 axb4 47. a5 {and White's strong a-pawn saves the day:} Kd5 (47... Ra2 48. Rb8 Rxa5 49. Rxb4 $11) 48. a6 Ra2 49. Ra8 Kc4 50. Kg5 Ra4 51. Kxf5 Kb5 52. Rb8+ Kxa6 53. Kg6 $11) 45... g5+ 46. Kh5 g4 47. Kh4 $4 {Only this is a decisive mistake, which leads to a dramatic loss for Mamedyarov!} ({His task was already not easy, but the precise} 47. Re8+ Kf7 48. Re3 {still enables White to save a half point:} Kf6 49. b5 axb5 50. axb5 f4 51. Re1 gxh3 (51... f3 52. b6 gxh3 53. b7 Rg8 54. Rf1 $11) 52. Kh4 Rg3 53. Rh1 Kf5 54. Rh2 (54. b6 Rb3 $19) 54... Rb3 55. Rxh3 Rxb5 56. Ra3 $11) 47... g3 $19 {Now Black's pawns are too strong.} 48. b5 (48. Re8+ Kd5 49. Rf8 Ke5 50. Re8+ Kf4 $19) 48... axb5 49. axb5 f4 50. Rg8 Kd7 51. Rg7+ Kc8 0-1 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 5th"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2018.04.21"] [Round "3"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Quintiliano,Renato"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2018.04.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Be2 $5 {An interesting move order, that Ding Liren played two years ago against Wesley So.} Bd6 ({Of course Topalov would be very happy to transpose to the sharp lines of the Meran with} 6... dxc4 {but} 7. a4 $1 {frustrates Black's plans.}) (6... b6 {there is no way to take advantage of White's move order, as I proved with my own (disastrous) experience} 7. O-O Bb7 8. Qc2 dxc4 (8... Bd6 $142) 9. Bxc4 c5 {it seems that Black developed very actively, but after} 10. Rd1 $1 {[%CAl Yd4d5] White is the one in command} cxd4 11. exd4 $1 (11. Nxd4 $2 {0-1 Socko,B (2646)-Stefansson,H (2574) EU-chT (Men) 16th 2007 (2.1)} a6 $11 {[%CAl Yb6b5]}) 11... Rc8 12. Qe2 Bxf3 13. gxf3 {[%CAl Gd4d5] White is still playing d5 and Black is always one tempo behind} Bd6 $5 14. d5 Bxh2+ $1 15. Kg2 $1 $36 {1-0 Leitao,R (2612)-Quintiliano Pinto,R (2441) Tres Barras Catarinense-ch 2016 (2)} (15. Kxh2 $2 Qc7+ {[%csl Yc4]})) 7. O-O O-O 8. b3 {Ding Liren deviates from his game against Wesley and now the game transposes to a most solid variation.} ({That game went} 8. a4 a5 ({Black had a satisfactory position with} 8... Qe7 9. b3 a6 10. a5 e5 11. Bb2 e4 12. Nd2 Re8 $132 {0-1 Radjabov,T (2793)-Fressinet,L (2700) Beijing Sportaccord blitz 2012 (11)}) 9. Qc2 b6 10. e4 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bb7 13. Rd1 Qe7 14. Bf4 $1 {a typical exchange trying to get control over the dark-squares in the centre, in order to leave Black with the bad bishop} Rad8 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Ne5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Qb4 18. b3 $1 Qe7 (18... Qxb3 19. Rdb1 Qc3 20. Qe3 $5 Qxe3 21. fxe3 {[%csl Yb6] looks unpleasant for Black}) 19. Bf3 Ba8 20. Qe3 c5 21. Bxa8 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Rxa8 23. Qd3 $14 {½-½ Ding,L (2778)-So,W (2775) Shanghai m 2016 (1)}) (8. Qc2 dxc4 9. a4 e5 10. Bxc4 exd4 11. exd4 Nb6 12. Bb3 Nbd5 13. Bg5 Be6 14. a5 $5 {at first sight looks like a slightly improved version for White, as he grabs some space on the queenside and Black does not have a5 for his queen, but in fact he managed to equalise without great problems after} h6 15. Bh4 Qc8 $1 16. Rfe1 Re8 17. a6 Rb8 $1 $11 {½-½ Giri,A (2790)-Grandelius,N (2649) Norway Chess 4th 2016 (8)}) 8... b6 9. Bb2 Bb7 10. Qc2 Qe7 {The interesting question of this variation is where is each player going to place his rooks.} 11. Rfe1 (11. Rad1 {is usually played first, although in the next moves the position should transpose, an interesting line is} Rac8 12. e4 $1 dxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qh4 c5 16. Rfe1 cxd4 (16... Ne4 {is safer but after} 17. d5 $1 {White has the initiative}) 17. Nxd4 Bb4 (17... Ba3 $11) 18. Bd3 $1 Bxe1 $2 19. Bxh7+ $1 Kh8 20. Bc2+ Kg8 21. Rxe1 $40 {[%csl Gg8][%CAl Yd4f5];1-0 Eingorn,V (2590)-Shakhov,A (2180) RUS-Cup01 Chigorin Memorial 1997 (2)}) 11... Rfe8 12. Rad1 {I like to think that White's next move depends on where Black places the rook.} Rad8 ({In a crucial game, Topalov played} 12... Rac8 {but now} 13. Bd3 $1 {is the right move} e5 (13... c5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Bf5 {[%CAl Gf5c8] is the point}) 14. e4 $1 dxc4 (14... exd4 $2 15. exd5 $1) 15. Bxc4 b5 16. Bf1 g6 $5 (16... a6 17. h3 g6 18. Qd2 Rcd8 19. Qh6 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qf8 $1 {½-½ Quintiliano Pinto,R (2378)-Kaidanov,G (2569) American Continental 10th 2014 (11) and Black had no problems; it was actually White who had to fight for equality soon -}) 17. Qd2 {looking to the new weaknesses in kingside} Rcd8 18. Qg5 a6 19. h3 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qe5 21. Qxe5 Nxe5 {The position is even, but White embarked on some nice and sound manoeuvres} 22. Nc2 {[%CAl Yf2f4]} g5 23. Bc1 h6 24. Be3 c5 25. f3 Bf8 26. Bf2 $1 {[%csl Yf1,Yf2][%CAl Ya2a4,Gc2e3,Ge3d5,Ge3f5,Rf1a6,Rf2a7];1-0 Kramnik,V (2743)-Topalov,V (2813) World-ch Kramnik-Topalov playoff +2-1=1 rapid 2006 (2) although no advantage is apparent, Black was slowly outplayed -}) 13. Bf1 {Now this is the right square for this bishop, White is ready for both c5 and e5.} ({The next round saw a quick draw after} 13. e4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Qxe4 Bb4 16. Rf1 Bd6 17. Rfe1 Bb4 18. Rf1 Bd6 19. Rfe1 Bb4 $11 {½-½ Radjabov,T (2748)-Carlsen,M (2843) Vugar Gashimov Mem 2018 (4.3)}) (13. Bd3 {now allows} e5 $1 14. cxd5 (14. e4 dxc4 15. Bxc4 b5 16. Bf1 a6 {is an improved version of the game Kramnik-Topalov, with the rook already on d8}) 14... cxd5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 {[%csl Yd3] Even in the event of an isolated pawn arising on d5, the bishop is misplaced} 16. Nd4 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Ne4 $11 {½-½ Gelfand,B (2733)-Anand,V (2786) Dortmund SuperGM 35th 2007 (3)}) 13... c5 (13... e5 $5 {was played by Ding Liren, and seems ok for Black} 14. dxe5 (14. cxd5 e4 $1 15. Nh4 $6 Bxh2+ $1 16. Kxh2 Ng4+ 17. Kh3 Ndf6 $40 {0-1 Pelletier,Y (2541)-Gelfand,B (2724) Zuerich Chess Challenge 6th 2017 (7)}) (14. g3 $2 e4 15. Nh4 Qe6 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. Nb5 Rc8 18. Qd2 Bb8 19. Rc1 g5 20. Ng2 Qh3 $36 {[%CAl Yf6g4];0-1 Korobov,A (2652)-Ding Liren (2777) 2nd IMSA Blitz 2017 (11.1)}) 14... Nxe5 15. Nxe5 (15. Nd4 dxc4 16. Nf5 Qe6 17. Nxd6 Rxd6 18. bxc4 Rxd1 19. Nxd1 c5 $132 {½-½ Van Wely,L (2641)-Anand,V (2790) Corus Wijk aan Zee 2010 (13)}) 15... Bxe5 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. Nb5 Rc8 18. Qb1 d4 $1 {probably the fruit of Ding Liren's preparation} 19. h3 (19. exd4 Bxh2+ $1 20. Kxh2 Ng4+ 21. Kg3 Qg5 22. f4 Qh5 $13) 19... Ng4 $1 20. hxg4 Qh4 21. f4 dxe3 22. Rxe3 Bxf4 23. Rh3 Qxh3 $1 24. gxh3 Be3+ 25. Kh2 Bf4+ 26. Kg1 $11 {½-½ Wang,H (2698)-Ding,L (2781) Danzhou 08th 2017 (1)}) (13... Bb4 {trying to stop e4, but then} 14. a3 $1 Bxa3 15. Bxa3 Qxa3 16. cxd5 $1 {preventing dxc4 and c5-ideas} exd5 17. Ra1 Qd6 18. Rxa7 $14 {½-½ Carlsen,M (2776)-Aronian,L (2750) Corus Wijk aan Zee 2009 (4)}) 14. cxd5 exd5 15. g3 {[%csl Yc5,Yd4,Yd5][%CAl Gf1g2,Gf1h3] The resulting position is a rich positional battle: White has the option of playing dxc5 in some moment and trying to press against the hanging pawns (after bxc5), play against the isolani if Black takes on d4 (or after an eventual recapture with a piece on c5), and in both cases the bishop might have an active role being repositioned on g2 or h3. Black also has his counter-chances, as the hanging pawns seem promising for him, with all his forces well centralised, and he can prepare the advance c5-c4, making use of the queenside majority.} ({RR} 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Ne2 a6 17. Ng3 g6 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. Qc3 Qe6 20. Red1 Bf8 21. Qa5 Bd6 22. Rc2 Bc7 23. Qa4 Bd6 24. Rcd2 Ne5 25. Be2 h5 26. Nxe5 Bxe5 27. Bxe5 Qxe5 28. Bf3 Re7 29. h3 Kg7 {Rohith,K (2482)-Krishna,C (2383) Cesis LAT 2026 ½-½ (65)}) 15... a6 (15... Rc8 {is another option, I like this instructive game of Sasikiran} 16. Qb1 $1 (16. Bh3 $5 c4 $13) 16... cxd4 $6 (16... c4 $5 17. bxc4 Bb4 $1 18. Nd2 dxc4 19. e4 $1 {leads to many complications}) 17. Nxd4 Bb4 18. Rc1 Ne5 ({Black is not able to reinforce the pin:} 18... Ne4 $2 19. Nf5 $1 Qe6 20. Nxe4 {[%CAl Yf5g7]} Qxe4 21. Qxe4 dxe4 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rd1 $16) 19. Bh3 Rcd8 20. Red1 Bc5 21. Bg2 $14 {1-0 Sasikiran,K (2684)-Brkic,A (2530) CRO-chT1A 17th 2008 (5) Black should be ok with correct play, but there's no doubt that White has achieved the ideal position against the isolani and has good chances of playing with this small advantage -}) 16. Bg2 Rc8 17. Qb1 (17. dxc5 $5 {is an interesting moment to change the structure} Bxc5 (17... bxc5 $2 18. Nh4 $1 {[%csl Yd5][%CAl Yh4f5]} Qe6 19. Qd2 Nb6 20. e4 $1 d4 21. e5 $1 Bxg2 22. exf6 Be5 23. Nxg2 dxc3 24. Bxc3 Bxc3 25. Rxe6 Bxd2 26. Rxb6 $16) 18. Rc1 Ne4 19. Qd3 Ndf6 $11 {½-½ Swapnil,S (2407)-Hillarp Persson,T (2577) Kolkata op 4th 2009 (2) despite the isolani, Black has an active position -}) 17... h6 $146 {The first new move. Black just waits for White to define his setup while making an useful move.} (17... Rcd8 $6 18. Nh4 $1 cxd4 $2 (18... g6 $142) 19. Nf5 Qf8 20. Nxd6 Qxd6 21. Rxd4 $16 {[%csl Rd5][%CAl Ye1d1];1-0 Kanarek,M (2484)-Krzyzanowski,M (2336) Kochan Memorial 25th 2014 (9)}) (17... c4 {1-0 Di Berardino,D (2492)-Aranha Filho,A (2299) BRA-ch sf Sao Paulo 2010 (2)} 18. bxc4 dxc4 19. e4 $36) ({RR} 17... c4 18. bxc4 dxc4 19. e4 Bb4 20. Nd2 Qd8 21. a3 Ba5 22. Qc2 Nf8 23. e5 Nd5 24. Nde4 Nxc3 25. Bxc3 Bxe4 26. Bxe4 b5 27. d5 Bxc3 28. Qxc3 Qb6 29. Kg2 h5 30. Rb1 Rc5 31. Rb2 Rb8 32. Reb1 {Vlasak,L (2442)-Wenninger,P (2374) Germany GER 2024 1-0 (43)}) ({RR} 17... c4 18. bxc4 dxc4 19. e4 Bb4 20. Nd2 Qd8 21. a3 Ba5 22. Qc2 Nf8 23. e5 Nd5 24. Nde4 Nxc3 25. Bxc3 Bxe4 26. Bxe4 b5 27. d5 Bxc3 28. Qxc3 Qb6 29. Kg2 h5 30. Rb1 Rc5 31. Rb2 Rb8 32. Reb1 {Vlasak,L (2442)-Wenninger,P (2374) Germany GER 2024 1-0 (43)}) 18. Nh4 (18. dxc5 $5 {was an option, but it leads to some unbalanced positions in which it is not easy to know who is better, generally both sides have chances} bxc5 19. Nh4 Qe6 20. Ne2 Rcd8 21. Nf4 Bxf4 22. exf4 Qb6 $13 {[%CAl Yd5d4]}) 18... c4 $5 {White's center is not really closed after this move.} 19. Nf5 Qf8 20. Nxd6 $6 {But Ding Liren missed a good idea.} (20. bxc4 Rxc4 21. e4 $1 {was advantageous for White, since he will end up with a strong passed pawn in the centre} dxe4 (21... Bb4 22. e5 $1 Bxc3 23. Bxc3 Rxc3 24. exf6 Nxf6 25. Qxb6 Bc8 26. Rxe8 Qxe8 27. Qa5 $1 $14 {[%csl Gc3][%CAl Yf5d6,Yf5e3]}) 22. Nxe4 Nxe4 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Rxe4 25. Qxe4 {and White has some pressure, for example} g6 (25... Nf6 26. Qd3 b5 27. d5 $16) 26. Nxd6 Qxd6 27. Qe8+ Nf8 28. d5 $16) 20... Qxd6 21. bxc4 Rxc4 {Black is ok now and even can look optimistically to the future.} 22. a4 Rec8 23. Rc1 h5 24. h3 Nf8 {Black aims to improve his pieces and then his position also improves.} 25. Qa2 Ne6 (25... h4 $5 {always comes into consideration.}) 26. Qb3 Qd8 27. Re2 ({White was the one who could had played} 27. h4 $1 {now}) 27... Bc6 28. Rec2 b5 $1 29. axb5 axb5 30. Nb1 Ng5 31. h4 Nge4 32. Na3 Qe7 $1 {Topalov played very interesting chess in Shamkir, and it is not surprising that he's offering this exchange.} 33. Qd3 (33. Nxc4 dxc4 34. Qa2 Bd5 {[%CAl Yb5b4] is more than enough compensation for Black.}) 33... Rxc2 (33... Nd6 $5 {keeping the offer was an option:} 34. Qe2 (34. Nxc4 dxc4 35. Qe2 Bxg2 36. Kxg2 Nd5 $44 {[%CAl Yb5b4]}) 34... Rxc2 35. Nxc2 Nc4 $11) 34. Nxc2 (34. Rxc2 b4 35. Nb1 Qd7 $17) 34... Bd7 35. Qa3 Qe8 36. Nb4 Rc4 $1 37. Rxc4 (37. Bf1 $2 Nxf2 $1 38. Kxf2 (38. Bxc4 Nh3+ 39. Kf1 bxc4 $19 {[%CAl Re8e4]}) 38... Ng4+ 39. Kg1 Rxb4 $1 $19 {[%CAl Ge8e3]}) 37... bxc4 $17 {[%csl Yc4]} 38. Bc1 $1 {[%csl Ye3] Ding Liren has showed excellent defensive skills and fighting spirit recently, especially in games in which he is inferior. This move is of a highly prophylactic nature, White frees his queen without fearing ?xf2 ideas, by overprotecting e3.} Be6 ({If Black had predicted White's plan to weaken the pressure, he could had considered} 38... Qe6 {and if} 39. Na6 $2 Qg4 $1 {[%csl Yd1] is winning} 40. f3 Qxg3 41. fxe4 Qe1+ 42. Kh2 Ng4+ 43. Kh3 Qg1 $19) 39. Na6 $1 Qb5 40. Nc5 $1 {[%csl Ge4] Considering how unpleasant his position is, Ding Liren is doing everything possible to release the pressure.} Kh7 41. Nxe6 {This was a very difficult decision to make.} (41. Nxe4 Nxe4 42. Bxe4+ dxe4 $17 {looks desperate for White, despite the opposite-coloured bishops, due to his very exposed king's position.}) 41... fxe6 42. Bf1 Nxf2 $2 {This is beautiful but not enough to win. Many other moves would had kept Black's clear advantage.} (42... Ng4 $1 {[%csl Yf2] is the most simple, f2 is just dropping} 43. f3 Qb8 $1 {[%csl Gg3] maybe this was missed by the players, although it is not a difficult move} 44. fxg4 Qxg3+ 45. Bg2 Qf2+ 46. Kh2 (46. Kh1 Ng3+ 47. Kh2 Ne2 $19) 46... hxg4 {[%CAl Gg4g3] the attack continues and Black is winning, for example} 47. Qe7 g3+ 48. Kh3 Qf5#) (42... Qb8 {[%csl Yf2,Yg3]} 43. Qb2 Qc7 $17 {also preserves a clear advantage for Black.}) 43. Kxf2 Ne4+ 44. Ke2 $1 {Ding Liren shows precision handling the defence.} (44. Ke1 Qb8 $1 {[%csl Rg3] and Black wins} 45. Kd1 Qxg3 46. Qf8 Qg4+ 47. Ke1 Qxh4+ 48. Kd1 Qg4+ 49. Ke1 Qg3+ 50. Kd1 Qg1 51. Qf4 Ng3 52. Ke1 Qxf1+ 53. Qxf1 Nxf1 54. Kxf1 Kg6 $19 {[%CAl Yg6d3]}) 44... c3+ (44... Nxg3+ 45. Ke1 Nxf1 46. Kxf1 $13) 45. Ke1 Qb1 (45... Qb8 {now White has} 46. Bd3 $1 {and his position is not worse} Qxg3+ 47. Kd1 Qxh4 48. Qxc3 Qg4+ 49. Kc2 h4 50. Qc7 $1 h3 51. Qe5 $11) 46. Bg2 $1 {[%csl Ye4] The powerful knight should be eliminated, and the lone black queen is not able to win the game by itself.} Qc2 47. Bxe4+ dxe4 48. Kf1 $11 Kg6 49. Kg1 Kh7 ({Black might try to imitate the famous game Short-Timman Tilburg 1991 and bring the king to help the queen, but then} 49... Kf5 {[%CAl Yf5g4,Yg4h3]} 50. Qf8+ $1 {prevents this idea} Kg4 51. Qf4+ Kh3 52. Qf1+ Kxg3 53. Qf4+ Kh3 54. Qf1+ Kxh4 55. Qf4+ $11) 50. Kh1 Kh6 51. Kg1 Kg6 52. Kh1 Qd1+ 53. Kh2 Qe2+ 54. Kg1 Qd1+ 55. Kh2 Qe2+ 56. Kg1 Qe1+ 57. Kg2 Qe2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2015.05.25"] [Round "10"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "63"] [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. d4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:25]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 5. e3 {[%emt 0:08:57]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 6. Be2 $5 {[%emt 0:03:52]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:02:51]} 7. O-O {[%emt 0:08:04]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:22]} 8. a4 {[%emt 0:00:30] Another attempt to avoid heavy theory, frequently applied by GM Vladimir Epishin. White prevents ...d5xc4 and ...b7-b5.} Qe7 {[%emt 0:12:01] Black has a lot of other satisfactory options:} (8... b6 $5 9. a5 Rb8 10. axb6 axb6 11. Ra7 dxc4 12. Bxc4 b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Qc2 Qb6 15. Ra1 c5 16. Nxb5 Bxf3 17. gxf3 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Rfc8 19. Qe2 Nc5 $44 {0-1 (31) Riazantsev,A (2684)-Maletin,P (2571) Rostov on Don 2014}) (8... a6 9. Qc2 e5 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Rd1 Nc6 13. Bd2 Be6 $11 (13... Nb4 $143 14. Qb3 Bf5 15. Nd4 Bg6 16. Ncb5 axb5 17. Bxb4 $14 {1/2 (75) Epishin,V (2574)-Grachev,B (2672) St Petersburg 2012})) (8... a5 9. Qc2 Qe7 (9... Re8 10. Rd1 Qe7 11. b3 b6 12. Bb2 Bb7 13. Rac1 Rac8 14. Qb1 c5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Bb5 Red8 17. Ne2 Ne4 18. Ng3 Nxg3 19. hxg3 Nf6 20. Qf5 $14 {1-0 (45) Epishin,V (2635)-Navarro,S (2117) Bratto 2004}) (9... Bb4 10. b3 b6 11. Bb2 Bb7 12. Rac1 Qe7 13. Qb1 Ba3 14. Bxa3 Qxa3 15. Ne1 Qe7 16. Nd3 Ba6 17. Qc2 Rfc8 $11 {1-0 (43) Epishin,V (2610)-Cosma,I (2456) Marseille 2004}) 10. Bd2 b6 11. Rfe1 Bb7 12. Rad1 Rad8 13. Bd3 h6 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nb5 Rc8 16. Qb1 Ne4 $11 {1-0 (50) Epishin,V (2561)-Solodovnichenko,Y (2613) Bad Zwischenahn 2012}) (8... Ne4 9. a5 f5 10. a6 b6 11. Bd2 Qf6 12. cxd5 $6 (12. Be1 $13) 12... exd5 13. Rc1 b5 14. Nxe4 fxe4 15. Ne1 Bxa6 16. f3 Qe6 17. f4 Bb7 18. Bg4 Qe7 19. Be2 {1/2 (19) Epishin,V (2599)-Rodriguez Guerrero,E (2433) Navalmoral 2004}) (8... dxc4 9. Nd2 $5 (9. Bxc4 {leads to a position often arising from the classic Semi-Slav after 6.?d3 ?d6 7.0-0 dxc4 8.?xc4 0-0 9.a4; Black equalises by means of} a5 10. e4 e5 {as you can see in the following example from GM practice:} 11. Bg5 Qc7 12. h3 exd4 13. Nxd4 Bf4 14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15. Qb3 Bh2+ 16. Kh1 Be5 17. Rad1 Bd7 18. Nde2 Rae8 {1/2 (55) Stefansson,H (2579)-Al Modiahki,M (2575) Turin 2006}) 9... e5 10. Nxc4 Bc7 11. a5 $1 Qe7 (11... Re8 $5) 12. Qc2 (12. b3 Rd8 13. Ba3 Qe6 14. Bb2 exd4 15. exd4 Nf8 16. Bf3 Ng6 17. Re1 Qf5 $15 {1/2 (49) Suba,M (2522)-Collas,D (2436) Campillos 2004}) 12... Re8 13. Rd1 exd4 14. exd4 Nd5 $5 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Ne3 Nf6 17. Bf3 Bg4 $1 18. Bxg4 Nxg4 19. g3 Nxe3 20. Bxe3 Qd7 $11 {1/2 (60) Atalik,S (2541)-Wolfsteiner,H (2352) Augsburg 2005 CBM 104 ext [Atalik,S]}) 9. a5 {[%emt 0:10:42]} ({In reply to} 9. b3 {Black can come back to the} a5 {plan.}) 9... a6 {[%emt 0:01:27]} 10. Qb3 {[%emt 0:17:21]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:04:42]} (10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 c5 $5 {is an interesting idea. If White keeps up the tension, Black can even continue ...?a8-b8 and ...b7-b5.}) 11. Nd2 {[%emt 0:04:13]} (11. Nxe4 $5 dxe4 12. Nd2 f5 13. c5 Bc7 14. Nc4 {[%CAl Yf2f3] In future White's knight can invade either b6 or d6.}) 11... f5 {[%emt 0:01:48]} 12. f4 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Rb8 $146 {[%emt 0:09:25] Black prefers to wait for the exchange on e4 than to trade knights himself, which was seen in the following game and led to an unclear position:} (12... Nxd2 13. Bxd2 Nf6 14. Be1 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Nd5 16. Ne2 (16. Na4 $5) 16... Bd7 17. Kh1 Kh8 18. Ng1 c5 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Bc3 c4 21. Qc2 Qxe3 22. Rae1 Qd3 23. Qc1 $44 {1-0 (37) Jovanic,O (2458)-Pavasovic,D (2575) Rijeka 2006}) ({RR} 12... Nxd2 13. Bxd2 Nf6 14. Be1 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Nd5 16. Ne2 Bd7 17. Kh1 Kh8 18. Ng1 c5 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Bc3 c4 21. Qc2 Qxe3 22. Rae1 Qd3 23. Qc1 Rae8 24. Nf3 Re2 25. Rxe2 Qxe2 26. Re1 Qf2 27. Rf1 {Jovanic,O (2458)-Pavasovic,D (2575) Rijeka 2006 1-0 (37)}) 13. Ndxe4 {[%emt 0:05:10]} (13. Ncxe4 dxe4 14. c5 Bc7 15. Nc4 Nf6 16. Bd2 {was still possible but White doesn't want to play c4-c5. He prefers to keep a d4-d5 possibility.}) 13... dxe4 {[%emt 0:12:19]} 14. Bd2 {[%emt 0:21:11]} g5 {[%emt 0:00:15] Very aggressive.} ({In the event of} 14... c5 15. d5 e5 16. Na4 {Black's c5-pawn becomes vulnerable.}) 15. g3 {[%emt 0:07:37]} h6 {[%emt 0:03:43]} 16. Na4 {[%emt 0:06:12]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 17. Nb6 {[%emt 0:05:47]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:01:43]} 18. Kh1 {[%emt 0:04:08]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 19. Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Be8 {[%emt 0:01:25] Black is preparing ...?e8-h5 so White doen't want to wait.} 20. d5 $1 {[%emt 0:02:07]} gxf4 {[%emt 0:03:54] There was no need to open up the g-file at once as it is White who can immediately exploit it!} (20... exd5 $6 21. fxg5 {was dubious}) ({but} 20... cxd5 21. Rad1 $5 (21. cxd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 exd5 23. Qxd5 Rd8) 21... Rd8 22. fxg5 hxg5 23. cxd5 Nxd5 24. Nxd5 exd5 25. Rxd5 Bf7 26. Rfxf5 Bxd5 27. Rxd5 Bb8 {led to unclear consequences.}) 21. gxf4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Ng4 $6 {[%emt 0:00:38] This desperate move gives White the upper hand.} (21... exd5 22. cxd5 Rd8 $5 {[%CAl Ye8f7] was still possible and hard to evaluate} (22... cxd5 23. Nxd5 Nxd5 24. Qxd5 Rd8 {was now bad due to} 25. Rg1)) 22. Bxg4 {[%emt 0:00:19]} fxg4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 23. Qc2 {[%emt 0:01:16]} (23. c5 $142 $1 Bxc5 24. dxe6 {[%CAl Rf4f5]} Rf5 25. Rad1 $16 {[%csl Re4,Ge6]}) 23... Bg6 {[%emt 0:02:06]} 24. Rad1 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Rbd8 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 25. b4 {[%emt 0:00:59]} c5 {[%emt 0:05:35]} (25... cxd5 $142 26. cxd5 Bc7) 26. bxc5 {[%emt 0:01:10]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 27. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:04:48]} 28. Be5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Rg8 {[%emt 0:02:29]} 29. Rg1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Qf7 {[%emt 0:04:13]} 30. dxe6 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Bxe6 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 31. Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:57]} Be7 {[%emt 0:01:14]} 32. Qc2 $14 {[%emt 0:02:13] White keeps pressure, his pieces are more powerful, and Black's king is unsafe but Alexander Grischuk was in time-trouble and chose to offer a draw.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2014.03.17"] [Round "4"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2757"] [BlackElo "2709"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2014.03.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 160"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Nf3 e6 6. a3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 {This move order has the following underlying reason: White wants to play e3-e4, and compared to a similar position without a2-a3 a7-a5, Black has no check on b4 later on.} Qc7 {Black steps away from theoretical lines. Common continuations are:} (7... Bd6 8. e4 {and}) (7... dxc4 8. Bxc4 b5 {[%CAl Yc6c5]} ({or immediately} 8... c5)) 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 c5 {This continuation, yielding White a queenside pawn advantage, is not always appropriate in this structure. I am not sure that it is sufficient for equality in the present position.} 10. Nxf6+ Nxf6 11. dxc5 $146 ({RR} 11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bd3 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Qe5+ 14. Be3 Bc5 15. Nf3 Qc7 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. O-O O-O 18. b4 Qc7 19. Rfe1 b6 20. Ne5 Bb7 21. Re3 Rad8 22. Rae1 h6 23. Rh3 Rd4 24. Ree3 Rfd8 25. f3 Nd7 {Stoeveken,P (1901)-Jackson,L (1981) Wellington 2015 0-1 (35)}) 11... a5 (11... Bxc5 12. b4 Bd6 13. Bb2 b6 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Be4 $14 {- Black does not have sufficient compensation for the defects of his pawn structure.}) 12. g3 {Here, too, I would consider} (12. Bg5 {[%CAl Yg5f6]} Bxc5 13. Bd3) 12... Bxc5 13. Bg2 O-O 14. O-O e5 15. Bg5 Ra6 16. Rae1 Re8 {Black has protected everything although the potential weakness of his light squares remains a serious concern.} 17. Qc3 (17. Bxf6 $5 Rxf6 18. Qc3 {[%CAl Yb2b4]}) 17... h6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 {[%mdl 32] White has managed to double Black's pawns after all but this version is far from ideal as White's pieces are not prepared to blockade them.} 19. b4 Bf8 20. Nh4 axb4 21. axb4 Be6 $6 {The bishop was placed quite well on c8.} (21... Rd8 $142 22. Rd1 Rad6 $132) 22. c5 b6 (22... Rea8 23. Qf3 Ra3 24. Qxb7 Qxb7 25. Bxb7 Rb8 26. c6 Bxb4 {may be still enough for equality, according to IM M.Notkin.}) 23. c6 {[%csl Gc6] This pawn becomes an important factor.} Ra4 24. Rb1 Rd8 25. Qf3 Rd4 26. Nf5 (26. Qxf6 Bg7 27. Qf3 e4 28. Qh5 Qxc6 $11) 26... Rdxb4 27. Rxb4 Rxb4 28. Qh5 {Black has won a pawn but now White, dominating on the light squares and combining the attack on Black's compromised king with a threat to push his c6-pawn, certainly keeps the initiative.} Kh7 (28... e4 $1 {was probably the right way to hold his ground:} 29. Nxh6+ (29. Rc1 Qe5 $1 30. Bh3 e3 $1) 29... Bxh6 30. Qxh6 Qxc6 {, although even here after, say,} 31. Qxf6 {Black should defend quite carefully as his king is unsafe.}) 29. Rd1 {[%CAl Rd1d7]} Qc8 30. Ne3 f5 $6 (30... e4 $142 $1 31. Nd5 Qxc6 32. Nxb4 Bxb4 $14 33. Bh3 $140 Qc5 $1) 31. Bd5 $1 {Eliminating the main defender of Black's position.} (31. g4 $5 fxg4 32. Qxe5 {M.Notkin}) 31... f4 32. Nc2 Ra4 33. Qxe5 Bg7 34. Be4+ $6 {This leads to unnecessary complications.} (34. Qd6 $142 $16) 34... Kg8 35. Qxf4 f5 $1 36. c7 Rxe4 37. Rd8+ Kf7 $2 (37... Kh7 $1 {enabled Black to hold on:} 38. Qd6 Qa6 39. Qxe6 Rxe6 40. c8=Q Qxc8 41. Rxc8 {- this ending should end in a draw.}) 38. Qd6 Qa6 39. Rd7+ $1 {That's the difference! Black's king is under fire.} Kg6 $2 (39... Kg8 $142 40. c8=Q+ Qxc8 41. Rd8+ Qxd8 42. Qxd8+ {but that should be winning for White in the long run.}) 40. Qc6 Qc8 41. Rd8 Rc4 42. Qxc4 $1 1-0 [Event "World-ch Anand-Gelfand +1-1=10"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2012.05.20"] [Round "7"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Gelfand/Huzman"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2012.05.11"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 149"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. c5 {In the three previous games of the match, I did not manage to achieve a real advantage after either 6.b3 or 6.?c2. For this game, I and my seconds prepared a new continuation.} Nbd7 7. Qc2 $5 {The idea of this useful move is prophylactic. Practice in recent years has shown that after 7.b4, Black equalises with 7...b6, and after 7.?d3, the reply 7...e5 is strong, and gives Black good play. After the text, White is ready to react differently to each of these Black plans.} b6 ({The play assumes a different character after} 7... e5 8. dxe5 Ng4 9. e6 fxe6 10. Bd3 Ngf6 (10... Nde5 $5) 11. Ng5 Nxc5 12. Bxh7 Nxh7 13. Qg6+ Kd7 14. Nf7 {0-1 Radjabov,T (2650)-Grischuk,A (2732)/Bastia 2003/ with advantage to White.}) 8. cxb6 Nxb6 9. Bd2 c5 10. Rc1 {The threat of 11.dxc5 ?xc5 12.?xd5 forces Black to clarify the pawn structure.} ({The immediate opening of lines does not bring anything real} 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Rc1 Be7 $11 {Black's pawn majority in the centre gives him good counterchances.}) 10... cxd4 ({If} 10... c4 {then} 11. b3 {White is better prepared for queenside play, thanks to his better development. Evidently, Anand was not ready for the usual passive play and preferred a different type of pawn structure, one seemingly harmless for Black.} cxb3 {Black must agree to this exchange, to avoid a weakness on c4.} 12. axb3 Bb7 13. Bd3 Bd6 14. O-O O-O 15. Ne5 {White preserves a small positional advantage, thanks to his better placed pieces.} Rc8 (15... Qb8 16. Na4 $14) 16. Qb2 $14) 11. exd4 Bd6 {In this position, White has the choice between playing for a positional advantage and an interesting attempt to exploit the tactical features of the position.} 12. Bg5 $146 (12. Na4 $5 {This move forces matters, since Black's reply is practically forced.} Nxa4 (12... Bd7 13. Nc5 $14) (12... Nc4 13. Bxc4 dxc4 14. Ne5 $14) 13. Qc6+ Bd7 14. Qxd6 {At this critical moment, Black has a choice between 14..?b2 and 14..?e4} {The continuation} Ne4 {leads to simplifications and a small white advantage in the endgame.} (14... Nxb2 {looks dangerous. After} 15. Qa3 Nc4 16. Bxc4 dxc4 17. Ba5 $36 {White keeps the enemy king in the centre, which gives him a dangerous initiative.}) 15. Qa3 Nxd2 16. Kxd2 $5 (16. Nxd2 Qe7 17. Qxe7+ Kxe7 $11) 16... Qe7 17. Qxe7+ Kxe7 18. b3 Nb6 19. Rc5 f6 $14 {White has a small initiative, but Black retains a defensible position.}) ({RR} 12. Bd3 O-O 13. O-O Bb7 14. Na4 Nxa4 15. Qxa4 a5 16. Rc2 Ne4 17. Be3 f5 18. Rfc1 Rb8 19. Bd2 Nxd2 20. Nxd2 Bc8 21. Bb5 Rf7 22. Nf3 Rfb7 23. g3 h6 24. Rc6 Kh7 25. a3 Rc7 26. Rxc7 Bxc7 {Gelfand,B (2739)-Aronian,L (2809) Paris/St Petersburg 2013 ½-½ (41)}) 12... O-O 13. Bd3 h6 14. Bh4 Bb7 15. O-O Qb8 $6 {A rather risky strategic decision by Anand.} ({After} 15... Bf4 {taking the important c1-square away from White, Black has practically equalised.} 16. Rcd1 (16. Rb1 Nbd7 17. b4 (17. Qe2 a5) 17... Rc8 18. Qb3 Nb6 {is ok for Black}) 16... Nbd7 17. Na4 a5 18. Nc5 Qb6 $11) {Black gives White a difficult positional choice: either to play for an attack by means of 16.?f6, in return for giving Black two bishops and pawn control of the centre, or to follow general positional lines of playing against the bad bishop on c8, which means choosing 16.?g3. I decided on the second course, in full accordance with my conception of chess strategy, which was formed under the influence of Akiba Rubinstein, my favourite player of the past.} 16. Bg3 $5 (16. Bxf6 $5 gxf6 17. Ne2 $1 {[%CAl Ge2g3,Gg3h5] This is the best way to continue the attack. Black faces a difficult defence.} ({After} 17. Qe2 Rc8 {??f8 White achieves nothing.}) 17... Rc8 (17... Kg7 18. Ng3 Bxg3 19. fxg3 Rc8 20. Qd2 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qd6 22. Qf4 Qxf4 23. gxf4 $14) (17... f5 18. Ng3 Qd8 {[%CAl Gd8f6]} 19. Nh5 Nd7 20. g4 $1 $40 fxg4 $140 21. Qd2 $18) 18. Qd2 Bf8 19. Rxc8 Nxc8 (19... Qxc8 20. Nf4 $36) 20. Ng3 Nd6 21. Nh5 Bg7 22. Qf4 $36 Ne4 23. Qg4 Ng5 24. Nxg5 fxg5 25. Nxg7 Kxg7 26. f4 $36 {Despite the numerous exchanges, White retains a dangerous initiative.}) 16... Rc8 17. Qe2 Bxg3 18. hxg3 {The computer does not give White the advantage here, and so many commentators assessed the position incorrectly as a result. Despite the apparent simplicity of the position, Black needs to defend carefully, against a range of White ideas, involving doubling rooks on the c-file and putting the knight on e5. White can also advance on the queenside with a3-b4, or attack on the kingside with g4-g5. No small role is played in Black's problems by the passive bishop on b7, which remains out of play, as a result of Black's previous decisions.} ({The attempt to play for the attack with} 18. fxg3 {is unconvincing in this position, and only weakens the pawn structure, without giving real attacking chances.}) 18... Qd6 ({Black's problems are not solved after} 18... Rc7 19. Rc2 Qa7 {Now I considered two possibilities for White:} {In my opinion, the direct plan of queenside play is even stronger:} 20. Rfc1 ({An interesting setup is} 20. Qe5 Bc6 (20... Rc6 21. Qf4 Nbd7 22. b4 $36) 21. Qf4 Rac8 22. Rfc1 {White keeps the status quo on the queenside and may develop play on the other wing, exploiting his better-placed pieces and the communications between them.}) 20... Rac8 21. b3 Nbd7 22. Na4 {In order to bring the ?b7 into play, Black has to play ...a5. Then after ?b5, White can at any moment take play into a favourable knight vs bad bishop position.} Rxc2 23. Rxc2 a5 (23... Rxc2 24. Qxc2 Qb8 25. Nc5 $36) 24. Bb5 Qb8 25. Bxd7 Rxc2 (25... Nxd7 26. Nc5 Nxc5 27. Rxc5 Rxc5 28. dxc5 Bc8 29. Qe3 {In my opinion, ?+? are stronger than ?+? in this position. Even if Black manages to play f6 and e5, White, with the help of the break f4, can solidly blockade the central pawns and the white queenside pawns will decide the game.})) 19. Rc2 ({The tempting move} 19. Ne5 {turns out to be pseudo-active} {The continuation} Rc7 20. Rc2 Nfd7 21. Rfc1 Nxe5 22. dxe5 Qd8 {gives Black good play.}) 19... Nbd7 ({The formation} 19... Nfd7 20. Rfc1 Rc6 {insures Black against immediate unpleasantness, but White retains the possibility of play on both the queenside, with b3-a4, and on the kingside, with the help of the advance g4-g5. And the simple exchange of rooks by means of 21.?d1 would retain the advantage for White in the endgame.}) (19... a5 {is premature, since surrendering control of b5 helps White's play:} 20. Rfc1 Qe7 21. a3 $14 Nc4 $140 22. Na4 $1 $36) ({White's queenside play is only helped by} 19... Nc4 20. Na4 Nd7 21. Rfc1 $36) 20. Rfc1 Rab8 $6 {A planless move, allowing White to seize the initiative on the queenside.} ({The attempt to organise counterplay by means of e6-e5} 20... Re8 {allows White to fight for the advantage in two ways: allow or prevent the move 21..e5} 21. Na4 (21. Ne5 $5 Qb4 22. Qe3 {?a3-b4,?a4} Nxe5 23. dxe5 Nd7 24. Ne2 $14 {and White has a classic advantage}) 21... e5 {White keeps a small advantage after} 22. dxe5 (22. Nc5 {is no good:} Nxc5 23. dxe5 (23. dxc5 Qc7 $15) 23... Nxd3 24. Qxd3 Rxe5 25. Nxe5 Qxe5 26. Qb3 Rb8 27. Rc7 {because of the nice tactic} Re8 $1 28. Rxb7 Qe1+ 29. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 30. Kh2 Ng4+ 31. Kh3 Nxf2+ 32. Kh4 Rh1#) 22... Nxe5 23. Nc5 $14) ({In my opinion, the best setup for Black was} 20... Rc7 $1 {??ac8. Now great accuracy is required of White, to obtain even a minimal advantage.} {I would have had to find the only move} 21. Qe1 $5 {to retain the initiative} ({Black's position is such that nothing comes from} 21. Nb5 Rxc2 22. Nxd6 Rxc1+ 23. Ne1 Rb8 {and only Black can be better}) ({White gets no advantage from} 21. a3 Rac8 22. b4 a5 $1 $132 {this accurate move, requiring good calculation, allows Black to achieve an equal game.} 23. bxa5 Qxa3 24. a6 Rxc3 (24... Bxa6 25. Bxa6 Rxc3 26. Bxc8 Qxc1+ 27. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 28. Ne1 Rxc8 $11 {is also good enough for equality}) 25. Rxc3 Rxc3 26. Rxc3 Qxc3 27. axb7 Nb8 {Black neutralises the b7-pawn without any problems.} 28. Qe5 Nfd7 29. Qe2 Nf6 $11) ({The immediate} 21. Na4 {allows Black to exchange the most problematic piece, the ?b7} Rxc2 22. Rxc2 Bc6 $1 23. Nc5 Bb5 24. a3 ({No problems are posed by} 24. Bxb5 axb5 25. a3 b4 26. a4 b3 $1 $132) 24... Bxd3 25. Qxd3 a5 26. Qb3 Qb8 27. Qxb8+ Rxb8 {Black can maintain the balance in the ending without great problems.}) 21... Rac8 22. Na4 Rxc2 23. Bxc2 {?b4-?c5} Bc6 24. Nc5 Qb8 25. b4 $36) 21. Na4 ({White can also permit himself to strengthen the position by means of} 21. Qe3 $5 Nb6 22. b3 $14 {and Black is completely without counterplay.}) 21... Ne4 $6 ({Better was} 21... Rxc2 {Now both 22.?c2, and 22.?c2 retain the advantage for White, but Black can defend more easily.} 22. Rxc2 (22. Qxc2 Rc8 {Principled.} 23. Nc5 ({The queen sacrifice gives White nothing:} 23. Qxc8+ Bxc8 24. Rxc8+ Nf8 25. Nc5 Qb6 (25... N6d7 $5 26. Nxa6 Nb6 27. Rc2 Nc4 $11)) {A stronger move is} 23... a5 {White can fight for the advantage in two ways:} ({The immediate attempt to break out leaves White with some advantage:} 23... e5 $5 24. Bf5 $5 (24. Nxe5 $2 Nxc5) ({No advantage comes from} 24. dxe5 Qb6 $1 25. exf6 Rxc5 26. Qd2 Rxc1+ 27. Qxc1 Nxf6 $11 {[%CAl Gf6e4]}) 24... exd4 25. b4 d3 26. Qb2 Rc7 27. Bxd3 $14) 24. a3 (24. Qb3 Ba6 $1 {[%csl Gg1]} 25. Ne1 $1 (25. Bxa6 $140 Qxa6 26. Nxa6 $2 Rxc1+ 27. Kh2 Ng4+ 28. Kh3 Nxf2+ 29. Kh4 Rh1+ 30. Nh2 Rxh2#) 25... Nxc5 26. Rxc5 Ne4 27. Rxc8+ Bxc8 28. Qb5 Qc7 $1 {With the help of active counterplay, Black can count on equalising, but here too, great accuracy is required of him.} 29. Qe8+ Kh7 30. Nf3 Qc1+ 31. Kh2 Qd1 $1 $11 {Only this move saves the day!} 32. Ne5 (32. Bxe4+ dxe4 33. Nh4 Qxd4 34. Qxf7 Qf6 35. Qxf6 gxf6 $11) 32... Qh5+ 33. Kg1 Qd1+ $11) 24... e5 25. Qb1 $1 {Thanks to this excellent move, White can continue to fight for the advantage.} (25. dxe5 Qb6 26. exf6 Rxc5 {leads to equality.}) 25... Nxc5 26. dxe5 Qe7 27. exf6 Qxf6 28. Bh7+ Kf8 (28... Kh8 29. b4 axb4 30. axb4 Nd7 31. Rxc8+ Bxc8 32. Bf5 Nb6 33. Bxc8 Nxc8 34. b5 $14) 29. b4 axb4 30. axb4 (30. Qxb4 Qe7 31. Bf5 Rc7 32. Qf4 $36) 30... Na4 31. Rxc8+ Bxc8 32. Qa2 Nb6 33. Bd3 {White has a minimal advantage.}) 22... Bc6 {Black seizes the opportunity to exchange the passive bishop, but even this does not promise full equality.} (22... Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Qc2 Bb7 25. a3 $14 (25. Nc5 $5 $14)) 23. Nc5 Bb5 24. Bxb5 {Best} axb5 ({White has a serious initiative after} 24... Rxb5 25. a4 Rb4 (25... Rb6 26. Ne5) 26. Ne5 $36 Rxd4 (26... Nxc5 27. Rxc5 Rb8 28. Qc2 $14 {White has a free advantage.}) 27. Ncxd7 Nxd7 28. Rc8+ Nf8 29. Qh5 Qe7 30. Nc6 Qc5 31. Rc7 Ng6 $8 32. Ne7+ Qxe7 33. Rxe7 Nxe7 34. Qe5 $5 (34. b3 $14) 34... Rxa4 35. Qb8+ Kh7 36. Qe8 $16) 25. Ne5 Nxc5 26. dxc5 Qa6 27. b4 Qa4 {In my opinion, White has an indisputable advantage, but Black retains chances of a successful defence.}) 22. Rxc8+ Bxc8 ({A pawn is lost after} 22... Rxc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Qxe4 $16) 23. Qc2 $1 {A logical and strong move - White consistently follows his policy of exploiting the bad bishop on c8 which will be especially noticeable in the endgame.} ({Karpov's suggestion also looks strong:} 23. Qe1 $1 {White's queen emerges very effectively on a5, after which Black's defence is extremely difficult.} Bb7 24. Qa5 $16) ({Less convincing, although also leading to an advantage, is} 23. Qe3 Bb7 24. Qf4 $14) 23... g5 $2 {This looks strange, but it is hard to suggest a sensible continuation for Black.} ({White has a clear advantage after} 23... Bb7 24. Nc5 Rc8 25. b4 $16) ({The most stubborn looks to be} 23... Ndf6 {Now White has several promising ways to develop the initiative:} 24. Nc5 {is tempting:} ({After} 24. a3 Bd7 25. Nc5 a5 26. Ne5 Be8 {Black manages to regroup successfully, and it is not easy to develop White's advantage, eg.} 27. Bxe4 dxe4 28. Rd1 Qd5 29. b3 Bb5 30. a4 Bc6 {Black retains chances of counterplay.} 31. Nxe6 Qxe6 32. Nxc6 Qxb3 33. Qxb3 Rxb3 34. Ra1 Rd3 35. Nxa5 Rxd4 36. Nb3 Rd3 37. Rb1 $14) ({It is promising to play the preliminary} 24. Ne5 {with the idea of a subsequent penetration on the c-file, combined with ?c5.} Bd7 25. Nc5 {However, in this case Black retains defensive resources.} {An interesting move is} Be8 $5 (25... Nxc5 26. Qxc5 Qxc5 27. dxc5 Bb5 (27... Rxb2 {is bad:} 28. Nxd7 Nxd7 29. c6 $18) 28. Bxb5 axb5 {White has the advantage, although it is not fully certain that it suffices for victory. Black transfers his knight from f6 to c7, with chances of a successful defence.}) 26. Nxa6 {is risky:} (26. Qe2 Rb4 $132) 26... Ra8 27. Nc7 Rc8 $1 {and it is hard for White to unpin.}) 24... Nxc5 {however, the concrete circumstances allow White to play for the maximum:} 25. dxc5 $1 ({White should maintain a small positional advantage after} 25. Qxc5 Qxc5 26. Rxc5 Bd7 27. b3 Bb5 28. Bc2 $14 (28. Ne5)) 25... Qc7 26. Qc3 Ng4 $1 {Black must be ready for active counterplay in the centre} 27. Re1 a5 28. c6 $5 {Leading to a clear white advantage, without complications} (28. Nd4 $5 {Stronger} Bd7 ({White has the advantage after} 28... e5 29. Nb5 Qd8 30. f3 Ba6 (30... d4 31. Nxd4 exd4 32. Qxa5 $18) 31. fxg4 Bxb5 32. Bxb5 Rxb5 33. Rxe5 $16) 29. c6 Be8 30. Qc5 h5 $1 $132 {however, the cold-blooded} 31. b3 $1 {leaves Black's counterplay adequate} (31. Rc1 $5 {leads to sharper play, where White also retains chances of an advantage} h4 32. Be2 Nxf2 33. Kxf2 Qxg3+ 34. Kf1 h3 35. gxh3 Qxh3+ 36. Ke1 Qg3+ 37. Kd1) 31... h4 32. gxh4 Qh2+ 33. Kf1 Qh1+ (33... Qxh4 34. Nf3 Qh1+ 35. Ke2 Qxg2 36. Rg1 $16) 34. Ke2 Qxg2 35. Nf3 d4 36. Rf1 $16)) 24. Qc7 {White carries out his plan consistently.} ({White also has the advantage after} 24. Nc5 f5 25. b4 $16) 24... Qxc7 $6 (24... Bb7 {is bad:} 25. Bxe4 Qxc7 26. Bh7+ $1 {An important intermediate move.} Kxh7 27. Rxc7 Kg7 28. Rxd7 Bc6 29. Rxf7+ $1 Kxf7 30. Ne5+ Ke8 31. Nxc6 Rc8 32. Ne5 Rc1+ 33. Kh2 Rd1 34. Nc5 Rxd4 35. Ned3 $16) 25. Rxc7 {White has a strategically winning position. It is hard for Black to avoid the exchange of both his knights for White's bishop and knight, after which the positional idea of the whole game will be seen in full relief - the advantage of the knight over the bad bishop on c8.} f6 $2 {Leading immediately to a hopeless position for Black, however, as Anand said, in a bad position, all moves are bad.} ({After} 25... Nef6 26. Nc5 Ra8 27. b4 {Black is helpless.}) ({Black also has a difficult position after} 25... g4 26. Ne5 Nxe5 27. dxe5 $16 {??e4}) ({If} 25... Nd6 26. Nc5 Nf6 27. b3 {Black is paralysed and material losses are unavoidable.}) 26. Bxe4 $1 {This timely exchange leads to a position where White's two knights dominate.} dxe4 27. Nd2 f5 28. Nc4 Nf6 ({Also bad is} 28... Kf8 29. Nc5 Nxc5 30. dxc5 e5 31. c6 Be6 32. Rb7 Rc8 33. Nxe5 $18) 29. Nc5 Nd5 30. Ra7 Nb4 (30... Nf6 31. b3 $18) 31. Ne5 $6 {Not the most accurate, but good enough to win.} (31. Nd6 Nd5 (31... Nxa2 32. Rc7 $18) 32. b3 $18 {White's winning plan is: a4-a5, transfer the ?g1 to the centre to neutralise the black ?? and after the exchange on c8, White plays ?a6 and the queenside ?? decide the game.}) 31... Nc2 $1 {Anand seizes the micro-chance offered him.} 32. Nc6 Rxb2 33. Rc7 Rb1+ $2 ({Black could have obtained chances to save the game by} 33... e3 $142 34. fxe3 Nxe3 35. Rxc8+ Kh7 36. Rc7+ Kh8 37. Ne5 Rxg2+ 38. Kh1 Rf2 39. Ncd3 $18 ({After} 39. Nf7+ Kg7 40. Nxg5+ Kg6 41. Nh3 Rf1+ 42. Ng1 f4 43. gxf4 Rxf4 {little material remains, but White retains chances to win after} 44. Rg7+ Kf6 45. Rg3)) 34. Kh2 e3 35. Rxc8+ Kh7 36. Rc7+ {White organises a mating attack with minimal forces.} Kh8 37. Ne5 ({Also possible is} 37. Nd7 Kg7 38. Nce5 {?39.?f6+ ?xf6 40.?f7#} Nxd4 39. Nf6+ $1 {This effective move, forcing mate, would have pleased the spectators.} ({I would probably have played} 39. fxe3 $18) 39... Kxf6 40. f4 Nf3+ 41. gxf3 Rb2+ 42. Kh3 g4+ 43. fxg4 fxg4+ 44. Kxg4 h5+ 45. Kf3 Rf2+ 46. Ke4 {and mate is unavoidable.}) 37... e2 (37... exf2 38. Nxe6 Rh1+ (38... f1=N+ 39. Kh3 g4+ 40. Kh4 $18) 39. Kxh1 f1=Q+ 40. Kh2 $18) 38. Nxe6 $1 {I was pleased that in the world championship match, I managed to play a game in the style of Akiba Rubinstein, where the whole strategic thread was followed from beginning to the end.} (38. Nxe6 e1=Q (38... Rh1+ 39. Kxh1 e1=Q+ 40. Kh2 $18) 39. Ng6+ Kg8 40. Rg7#) 1-0 [Event "Morelia/Linares 23rd"] [Site "Morelia/Linares"] [Date "2006.02.25"] [Round "6"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2717"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2006.02.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 112"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.06.07"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.06.07"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Nf3 e6 6. b3 Bb4 7. Bd2 O-O 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. O-O Bd6 10. Qc2 ({RR} 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Bc3 Qf6 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qxe5 Qxe5 18. Bxe5 Re8 19. f4 f6 20. Bxg6 hxg6 21. Bxf6 Kf7 22. Be5 Bf5 23. Rad1 b5 24. Rd6 Re6 {Rzap,F (2271)-Stachniak,S (1942) Warsaw POL 2026 1-0 (43)}) 10... Re8 $5 (10... h6 11. Ne2 {½-½ Sokolov,I-Najer,E/Poikovsky 2006/CBM 112/[Lutz] (49)} (11. Rad1 e5 $5)) ({RR} 10... h6 11. h3 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Rad1 Be6 15. Ne2 Qe7 16. Bc3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Rad8 18. c5 Bc8 19. b4 Ne4 20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. Nf4 Kh7 22. a3 g5 23. Nh5 f5 24. Rd6 Rxd6 25. cxd6 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2670)-Bacrot,E (2717) Bastia 2006 1-0 (47)}) 11. Rad1 $146 {Radjabov wählt einen sehr direkten Aufbau.} (11. Rae1 $5 h6 12. h3 e5 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. e4 dxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Rxe4 Nf6 $11 {0-1 Bareev,E-Kobalia,M/Kazan 2005/CBM 109/[Lutz] (62)}) (11. Rfe1 $5 h6 12. h3 e5 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. e4 dxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 exd4 17. Nxd4 Nf6 18. Bf3 Be5 19. Bc3 Qb6 20. Rad1 Bd7 $11 {½-½ Shabalov,A-Najer,E/Las Vegas 2004/CBM 100 ext (37)}) 11... h6 $6 {Vielleicht sollte man hier nach Verbesserungen für Schwarz suchen.} ({Es ist die Frage, ob (analog zu 9...h6 10.?ad1 e5) nun 11...e5 möglich ist. Zwar steht der schwarze Turm aktiver, jedoch kann in einigen Varianten der Bauer auf h7 hängen.} 11... e5 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. e4 (13. dxe5 Nxe5 $11) 13... exd4 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Nf6 16. Rde1 $5 (16. Nxd4 Bg4 17. f3 Rc8 18. Qb1 Qb6 $13) 16... Bd7 17. Rxe8+ Bxe8 18. Re1 Rc8 19. Qb1 h6 $5 {und die Stellung sollte sich langsam ausgleichen.}) 12. e4 dxe4 $146 (12... dxc4 {ist angesichts der Gegenüberstellung von ?d1 und ?d8 riskant:} 13. Bxc4 b5 14. Be2 e5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Bf4 (16. Nxe5 $5 Bxe5 17. Bxh6 Qc7 18. f4 Qa7+ 19. Kh1 Bd4 20. Qd3 $40) 16... Qc7 17. Rxd6 Qxd6 18. Bxe5 Rxe5 19. Rd1 Qc7 20. Nxe5 Qxe5 21. Rd8+ $40) ({RR} 12... e5 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 exd4 16. Nxd4 Qh4 17. Nf3 Qh5 18. Bh7+ Kh8 19. Qf5 Nf6 20. Qxh5 Nxh5 21. Bb1 Bg4 22. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Kg8 25. Re4 Nf6 26. Rd4 Re8 27. h3 {Tsvetkov,A (2403)-Khegay,D (2507) Sochi 2025 1-0 (54)}) ({RR} 12... e5 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 exd4 16. Nxd4 Qh4 17. Nf3 Qh5 18. Bh7+ Kh8 19. Qf5 Nf6 20. Qxh5 Nxh5 21. Bb1 Bg4 22. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Kg8 25. Re4 Nf6 26. Rd4 Re8 27. h3 {Tsvetkov,A (2403)-Khegay,D (2507) Sochi RUS 2025 1-0 (54)}) 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. b4 Bf8 17. c5 $16 {Weiß hat eine klare Initiative erreicht. Seine Figuren stehen deutlich aktiver und er hat seine Mehrheit am Damenflügel in Bewegung gesetzt.} Qc7 18. Bc3 a5 19. a3 axb4 20. axb4 f5 $5 {Schwarz sucht eine radikale Lösung seiner Stellungsprobleme, findet jedoch keine Erleichterung. Der ?e6 wird schwach.} (20... Nf6 $2 21. Be5 Qe7 22. Bd6 $18) 21. Bd3 b6 22. Rfe1 Bb7 (22... bxc5 23. Bxf5 $16) 23. Bc4 Be4 24. Qb3 Kh8 25. Bxe6 Nf6 26. Nh4 $18 {Weiß hat einen Mehrbauern und Angriff am Königsflügel.} bxc5 27. Bxf6 c4 28. Qxc4 (28. Bxc4 gxf6 29. Ng6+ Kg7 30. Nxf8 Kxf8 31. f3 $18 {ist ebenfalls sehr gut für Weiß}) 28... Qxc4 29. Bxc4 gxf6 30. f3 Bxb4 (30... Bc6 31. Ng6+ Kg7 32. Nxf8 Kxf8 33. b5 $18) 31. Rd7 Rg8 (31... Bxe1 $2 32. Ng6#) 32. Rf1 Rg7 (32... Bc2 33. Bxg8 Kxg8 34. Rc1 $18) 33. Rxg7 Kxg7 34. fxe4 Bc5+ 35. Kh1 fxe4 36. Nf5+ Kg6 37. Ng3 e3 38. Bd3+ Kf7 39. Ne2 Ke7 40. g3 Ra2 41. Kg2 Rd2 42. Bc4 Bb6 43. Kf3 Kd6 44. Ke4 Ke7 45. Rb1 Rd6 46. Kf3 Rc6 47. Bd5 Rd6 48. Be4 Ke6 49. Rb5 Kd7 50. Nf4 Bd4 51. Rd5 Ba7 52. Rxd6+ Kxd6 53. Ng2 Ke5 54. Nxe3 h5 55. h4 1-0 [Event "Dos Hermanas"] [Site "Dos Hermanas"] [Date "1995.??.??"] [Round "9"] [White "Salov, Valery"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2715"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Salov,Valery"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "1995.04.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 047"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Hecht} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. e4 e5 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. exd5 O-O ({RR} 9... exd4 10. Nxd4 O-O 11. Be2 Nb6 12. O-O Nbxd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Rd1 Qe7 15. Bf3 Re8 16. g3 Bh3 17. Bd2 Bc5 18. Bxd5 Bxd4 19. Bc3 Bxc3 20. Qxc3 {½-½ (20) Karpov,A (2700)-Kasparov,G (2710) Moscow 1984}) 10. Be2 Re8 $146 {N} (10... exd4 11. Nxd4 Nb6 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Be7 14. Qb3 Nbxd5 15. Rd1 Qa5 16. O-O Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bd7 $1 $10 {Mascarinas-Flear,Aosta 1989}) ({RR} 10... exd4 11. Nxd4 Nb6 12. O-O Nbxd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Nf3 Nf4 15. Bxf4 Bxf4 16. Bd3 g6 17. Be4 Qb6 18. Rad1 Be6 19. Bd5 Rfe8 20. Bxe6 Qxe6 21. Qa4 Bh6 22. Rfe1 Qc6 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Qxc6 bxc6 25. Kf1 {Kolski,J-Winter,W Lodz 1935 ½-½}) ({RR} 10... exd4 11. Nxd4 Nb6 12. Bg5 Nbxd5 {½-½ (12) Krishna Teja,N (2368)-Henderson de la Fuente,L (2419) London 2017}) ({RR} 10... exd4 11. Nxd4 Nb6 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Be7 14. Qb3 Nbxd5 15. Rd1 Qa5 16. O-O Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bd7 18. Qxb7 Rab8 19. Qa6 Qxc3 20. Nb3 Rfd8 21. Bg3 Rb4 22. Rc1 Qb2 23. Rb1 Qc2 24. Rfd1 Qe4 25. Bf3 {Mascarinas,R (2465)-Flear,G (2500) Aosta 1989 0-1 (36)}) 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Qc7 (12... e4 $5 13. Nxe4 $4 Rxe4 14. Qxe4 Qa5+) 13. O-O-O (13. Bxf6 $5 Nxf6 14. dxe5 Bxe5 15. Nxe5 Rxe5 16. O-O-O Bf5 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Rxd3 Rc8 $44) 13... e4 14. Nd2 g5 $1 15. Bg3 Nb6 16. Nf1 Bf4+ 17. Ne3 Qd8 $3 18. d6 Qxd6 19. Kb1 Be6 20. d5 $1 Nfxd5 21. Nexd5 (21. Ncxd5 Nxd5 22. Bc4 (22. Bxf4 gxf4 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. Bc4 Re5 25. Qd2 e3 $1) 22... Nxe3 23. fxe3 Qe7 (23... Qc7 24. Bxe6 Qxc2+ 25. Kxc2 Bxg3 26. Bd7 $16) 24. Bxe6 Bxg3 25. Bxf7+ Qxf7 26. hxg3 Rac8 $132) 21... Nxd5 $8 (21... Bxd5 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. Bc4 $16) 22. Rxd5 Bxd5 23. Rd1 Bxa2+ 24. Kxa2 Qe6+ 25. Qb3 (25. Nd5 Rac8 26. Qb3 Rc5 $132) 25... Qxb3+ 26. Kxb3 Bxg3 27. hxg3 Rad8 $1 $8 28. Nxe4 Rxd1 29. Nf6+ Kf8 30. Bxd1 {Hecht: ??<->??. Der w? findet keinen Stützpunkt.} Rd8 {} (30... Re1 $5) 31. Bf3 Ke7 32. Nd5+ Ke6 33. Ne3 Rd2 34. Nd1 (34. Bxb7 h5 $10) 34... f5 35. Kc3 Rd7 36. Ne3 Ke5 37. g4 Rc7+ $1 38. Kb3 f4 39. Nc4+ Ke6 40. Na5 b6 41. Nc6 Kd6 $10 42. Nd4 Ke5 43. Nb5 $5 (43. Nc6+ $10) 43... Re7 44. Kc3 a6 45. Na3 b5 46. Be2 Rc7+ 47. Kd2 Rd7+ 48. Bd3 f3 (48... b4 49. Nc4+ Kd4 50. Na5 Kc5 $10) 49. g3 Rd4 50. Nc2 Rxg4 51. b3 h5 52. Ke3 (52. Bg6 $2 h4 53. Bh5 hxg3 54. Bxg4 g2 55. Ne1 Kf4 56. Nxf3 Kxg4 57. Ng1 a5 $19) 52... a5 $8 (52... h4 $2 53. Kxf3 h3 54. Kxg4 h2 55. f4+ Kd5 56. Be2 $18) 53. Bxb5 Re4+ 54. Kxf3 g4+ 55. Kg2 Kd6 56. f3 $2 (56. Ne3 Kc5 57. Ba4 $14) 56... Re5 $1 57. Bc4 gxf3+ 58. Kxf3 Rc5 59. Ne3 Ke5 60. Ke2 a4 $1 $10 61. bxa4 (61. b4 Rc7 62. Kd3 a3 63. Kc3 Rg7 64. Nf1 Rg4 $15) (61. bxa4 {Hecht} Kd4 $10 {und Te5 =}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 26th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2009.02.25"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "153"] [EventDate "2009.02.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 129"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 Nxg4 8. Rg1 Qf6 9. Rxg4 Qxf3 10. Rxg7 Nf6 11. h3 {This move (keeping the h2 pawn and preventing ...?f6-g4) was played by Aronian against Morozevich (see CBM 117, with GM M.Marin's annotations). Below you will see other practical examples.} (11. Rg5 {is the main theoretical line - see my survey in CBM 127.}) ({RR} 11. Bd2 Ng4 12. Nd1 Nxh2 13. Bg2 Qf6 14. Rxh7 Rg8 15. Bh3 Nf3+ 16. Kf1 Ng5 17. Rh4 Nxh3 18. Rxh3 e5 19. Rh1 Bf5 20. Qb3 dxc4 21. Qxb7 Bd3+ 22. Ke1 Qf3 23. Qxa8+ Kd7 {0-1 (23) Mamedyarov,S (2753)-Anand,V (2786) Moscow 2013}) 11... Qf5 $6 $146 {Hardly a good novelty. In the endgame White keeps a small but clear edge due to his better pawn structure.} (11... e5 $6 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Rg5 $1 {[%CAl Rg5e5,Rf1g2]} Nd7 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Rf5 (15. Bd2 d4 16. Bg2 Qf6 17. exd4 Bxd4 18. O-O-O $16 {1-0 Chytilek,R (2320)-Franta,J/Litomysl 1996/EXT 1998 (25)}) 15... Qh1 16. Bd2 d4 17. exd4 Bxd4 18. O-O-O O-O 19. Bh6 Re8 20. Rg5+ Kh8 21. Rxd4 Qxf1+ 22. Rd1 Re1 23. Bg7+ Kg8 24. Be5+ {1-0 Tisdall,J (2492)-Sidselrud,S (2150)/Norway 2002/EXT 2003}) (11... h6 $5 {, preventing ?g7-g5, looks quite good for Black:} 12. Bd2 (12. Qe2 $5 Qxe2+ (12... Qf5 $5) 13. Bxe2 Kf8 14. Rg1 dxc4 15. e4 Bb4 16. f3 b5 17. Kf2 a6 18. Bf4 Bb7 19. Rac1 Nd7 20. b3 cxb3 21. axb3 $44 {1-0 Le Quang,L (2542)-Neelotpal,D (2485)/Cebu City 2007/CBM 120 ext (38)}) 12... e5 (12... Bd7 13. Qb3 Ke7 14. c5 Bc7 15. Qxb7 $14 {1-0 Le Quang,L (2583)-Garnelis,J (2188)/Vung Tau 2008/EXT 2009 (37)}) 13. Rg3 (13. cxd5 exd4 14. exd4 Kf8 15. Rg1 Bf5 16. Qb3 Re8+ 17. Be3 Rg8 $132 {1/2 Siebrecht,S (2451)-Haba,P (2546)/Kallithea 2008/CBM 127 (37)}) 13... Qh5 14. cxd5 exd4 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4+ Qe5 17. Qxe5+ Bxe5 18. Rf3 cxd5 19. Bb5+ Ke7 20. exd4 Bd6 21. Kf1 Be6 $11 {1/2 Aronian,L (2744)-Morozevich,A (2741)/Morelia/Linares 2007/CBM 117/[Marin,M] (29)}) (11... Kf8 $5 12. Rg5 (12. Rg1 $143 Rg8 13. Rxg8+ Kxg8 14. Bd2 dxc4 15. Bxc4 e5 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. Bf1 Bf5 $17 {0-1 Splichal,S (2167)-Michenka,J (2351)/Karvina 2003/EXT 2005 (41)}) 12... Qh1 {needs testing}) ({RR} 11... Bd7 12. Bg2 Qh5 13. e4 dxe4 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Bf4 O-O-O 16. Qa4 a6 17. Rc1 Rdg8 18. Rg3 Qf5 19. Be5 e3 20. Qc2 exf2+ 21. Qxf2 Qxf2+ 22. Kxf2 Rxg3 23. Kxg3 Rg8+ 24. Kh2 Ne8 25. Be4 f6 26. Bf4 {Polak,T (2444)-Kucza,K (2263) Krakow POL 2026 1-0 (58)}) 12. Qxf5 exf5 13. cxd5 cxd5 $146 (13... Nxd5 $5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Bd2 $14) ({RR} 13... Nxd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Bd2 Ke7 16. Rc1 Be6 17. h4 h6 18. Bd3 Rag8 19. Rxg8 Rxg8 20. Ke2 Rg4 21. Rh1 Rg8 22. Kf1 Kf6 23. Be2 Rc8 24. Bc3 f4 25. Bf3 b5 26. Ke2 b4 27. Bd2 Rc2 28. e4 {Sadhwani,R (2555)-Nihal,S (2620) Chess.com INT 2021 0-1 (32)}) ({RR} 13... Nxd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Bd2 Ke7 16. Rc1 Be6 17. h4 h6 18. Bd3 Rag8 19. Rxg8 Rxg8 20. Ke2 Rg4 21. Rh1 Rg8 22. Kf1 Kf6 23. Be2 Rc8 24. Bc3 f4 25. Bf3 b5 26. Ke2 b4 27. Bd2 Rc2 28. e4 {Sadhwani,R (2555)-Nihal,S (2620) Chess.com INT 2021 0-1 (32)}) 14. Nb5 Bb4+ 15. Bd2 Bxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Ke7 17. Bd3 Be6 (17... Bd7 $5) 18. Nc7 $5 {A good idea - to exchange the theoretically "bad" e6 bishop, in fact, the main defender of the black pawns, using the opportunity that Black can't recapture with his f7 pawn.} Rag8 19. Nxe6 Kxe6 20. Rxg8 Nxg8 $6 {[%mdl 4096] Too "subtle".} ({Any beginner would play the simple} 20... Rxg8 {, and he would be right:} 21. Rc1 Rg2 22. Ke2 Rh2 23. Kf3 $1 (23. Rc7 Rxh3 24. Rxb7 Rh2 {[%CAl Rf6g4]}) 23... Rxh3+ 24. Kg2 Rh5 25. Rc7 Rg5+ 26. Kf3 Ng4 {[%CAl Rg4h2] - Black's counterplay must be strong enough to survive.}) 21. Ke2 (21. Rc1 Ne7 22. Rc7 Rb8 {[%CAl Ye6d6]}) 21... Ne7 22. Kf3 $1 (22. Rc1 Rc8 23. Rxc8 Nxc8 24. Kf3 {was probably insufficient for the victory. GM M.Carlsen decides to keep rooks on the board.}) 22... Rc8 23. a4 $1 Rc7 24. a5 h6 25. h4 Kf6 26. h5 Nc8 27. Kf4 Nd6 28. Rg1 Rc8 29. f3 Ke6 {Black is completely passive.} 30. Rg7 Rh8 31. Bc2 $1 {The "two weaknesses", attacked by the stronger side, should be as far from each other as possible, then it is more difficult for the defender to hold both; therefore - h6 and d5, rather than f5.} Rc8 32. Bb3 Rh8 33. Rg1 Rc8 34. Rg7 Rh8 35. Rg2 Rc8 36. Rg1 $22 {The black knight must prevent e3-e4, the rook can't leave the 8th rank in view of ?g8-h8, and if it leaves the c-file, White plays ?c1 threatening ?c5 and ?c7; finally, pawn moves create new weaknesses.} Ne8 $1 {The lesser evil.} (36... Rb8 37. Rc1 Rc8 38. Rc5 $1 Rxc5 39. dxc5 Nc4 40. e4 fxe4 41. Bxc4 dxc4 42. Kxe4 $18) (36... Nc4 37. Bxc4 dxc4 (37... Rxc4 38. Rg7) 38. Ra1 {[%CAl Ya1a4,Ya4b4]}) (36... b6 37. axb6 axb6 38. Ra1 $16) 37. e4 fxe4 38. fxe4 Nf6 39. e5 $1 Ne4 $1 (39... Nxh5+ 40. Ke3 {[%CAl Rg1h1]}) ({The endgame after} 39... Rg8 40. Rxg8 Nxg8 {is very difficult for Black:} 41. Bd1 Ne7 42. Bg4+ f5 43. Bh3 $22 b6 (43... Nc6 44. Bxf5+ Ke7 45. Bc8 Nxa5 46. Kf5) 44. a6 b5 45. Bf1 b4 (45... Nc6 46. Bxb5 Nxd4 47. Bd3 $22 $16) 46. Bd3 Nc6 47. Bxf5+ Ke7 48. Ke3 {and White should gradually win.}) 40. Ke3 b6 $6 {Black unnecessarily opens up the a-file for his opponent. "Don't move pawns on the side where you are weaker!"} (40... Ng5 $142 $14 41. Rf1 $140 Ne4) 41. axb6 axb6 42. Kd3 (42. Bd1 $5 Rc4 (42... Ra8 43. Bc2 Ng5 44. Rf1) 43. Bg4+ $1 (43. Rg8 Rb4 $132) 43... f5 (43... Ke7 44. Bf3 Rb4 45. Bxe4 dxe4 46. Rg2 $16) 44. exf6+ Kxf6 45. Bf3 {[%CAl Rg1g6]} Kf5 46. Bxe4+ dxe4 47. Rf1+ Ke6 48. Kxe4 Rc2 49. d5+ Ke7 50. b4 {with a promising rook ending.}) 42... Nf2+ 43. Ke2 Ne4 44. Ke3 f6 $6 (44... Ng5 $5 {was still possible although White could now invade along the a-file:} 45. Ra1 f6 $1 46. exf6 Ne4 47. f7 $1 Rf8 48. Ra6 Rxf7 49. Rxb6+ Nd6 {with good drawing chances (S.Zagrebelny).}) 45. Rg6 Rc1 46. Rxh6 $2 (46. exf6 $1 Re1+ 47. Kd3 Nxf6 48. Bxd5+ Kf5 (48... Kxd5 49. Rxf6 b5 50. Rb6 $18) 49. Bf3 {(I.Ganiev)} Rb1 50. Kc3 (50. Kc2 $143 Rf1 51. Be2 Rf2) 50... Re1 51. Kc4 {and White should gradually win}) 46... Rh1 47. Bc2 Rh3+ $2 {Obvious but wrong!} (47... Re1+ $1 48. Kd3 (48. Kf4 Rf1+ 49. Kg4 Rg1+) 48... Rh1 {and White can't make any progress (S.Zagrebelny).}) 48. Kf4 $1 Rh4+ 49. Kf3 {When a rook and a knight are jumping around your king, you must sometimes display real acrobacy!} Nd2+ 50. Ke2 $2 {This move seriously complicates White's task.} (50. Kg3 $142 $1 Rxd4 51. Rxf6+ Kxe5 52. Rf5+ Ke6 53. h6 Rc4 (53... Ne4+ 54. Bxe4 dxe4 55. h7 Rd8 56. Rh5 Rh8 57. Kf4 $18) 54. h7 Rxc2 55. Re5+ $1 (55. Rf8 $143 Ne4+ 56. Kg4 Rh2 57. h8=Q Rxh8 58. Rxh8 Kd6) (55. h8=Q $143 Ne4+ $1 56. Kf4 Rf2+ 57. Ke3 Kxf5) 55... Kxe5 56. h8=Q+ Kd6 57. Qf8+ Kc7 58. Qf7+ Kb8 59. Qxd5 Nf1+ 60. Kh4 {- with his pieces scattered all over the board, Black can't organize successful defence.}) 50... Rh2+ 51. Kd1 Nc4 52. Rxf6+ Ke7 53. Bg6 Rd2+ 54. Kc1 (54. Ke1 $5 Rxd4 55. h6 Rh4 (55... Nxe5 $143 56. Rxb6 Rh4 (56... Nxg6 57. Rxg6 Rh4 58. Rb6) 57. Bf5) 56. Bf5 d4 57. Re6+ (57. Rc6 d3 $1) 57... Kf7 58. b3 Ne3 59. Rf6+ Ke7 60. Bc8 Rh2 61. Rd6 $16) 54... Rxd4 55. b3 $1 (55. h6 Rh4 56. Bf5 {is now impossible due to} Rh1+ 57. Kc2 Ne3+ 58. Kd3 Nxf5 59. Rxf5 Rxh6 $11) 55... Nxe5 56. Rxb6 Rh4 ({The rook endgame after} 56... Nxg6 57. hxg6 {should be winning for White.}) 57. Bf5 $1 Nf3 $2 (57... Rh1+ 58. Kc2 (58. Kd2 Nc4+ $3 59. bxc4 Rxh5 $11 {S.Zagrebelny}) 58... Nf3 {[%CAl Rf3d4]} 59. Bg4 ({or} 59. Rb7+ Kf6 60. Bg6 Ne5) 59... Rh2+ 60. Kc3 Ng5 {and White can hardly win.}) 58. h6 $1 {The pawn finally moves forward!} Nd4 59. h7 $1 Nxf5 60. Rb8 Nd4 61. Kb2 $1 Kd6 62. h8=Q Rxh8 63. Rxh8 {This is a technically winning endgame but some work still has to be done.} Kc5 64. Rh5 Nc6 65. Rh4 Nb4 66. Ka3 {White must disorganise Black's defence. First, he forces the advance of the black d-pawn, then he must try to push his own pawn at an appropriate moment.} d4 (66... Nc2+ 67. Ka4 d4 68. Rh5+) 67. Rh5+ Nd5 68. Kb2 Kc6 69. Ka3 Kc5 70. Rh4 Nb4 71. Rh8 Nc6 $2 {This makes White's task much easier.} (71... Nd5 72. Rd8 $1 $18 {[%CAl Ya3b2]}) (71... Nc2+ $142 72. Kb2 Nb4 73. Rc8+ Nc6 ({or} 73... Kd5 74. Ka3) 74. Ka3 Kd5 {It is still difficult for White to reach victory; e.g.} 75. b4 $2 ({first he must play} 75. Rc7 Kd6 76. Rh7 {etc.}) {is premature and leads to a draw after} 75... d3 76. Rh8 d2 77. Rh1 Kc4) 72. Rh5+ Kd6 73. b4 {Now, with the black king cut off, everything is over.} d3 (73... Ne5 74. Kb3 Kd5 75. b5 $18) 74. Rh3 Ne5 75. Kb3 d2 76. Kc2 Nc6 77. Rh4 1-0 [Event "World-ch Anand-Gelfand +1-1=10"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2012.05.18"] [Round "6"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2012.05.11"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 149"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Marin,Mihail} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. Qc2 c5 $1 {The c-pawn advance at this moment is one of the great discoveries in the Slav with 5...a6. Black is ready to prove, that White's move 6.?c2 is only a somewhat dubious contribution to the battle with tension on the c4,d4/c5,d5 box.} 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Be2 Be6 9. O-O Nc6 10. Rd1 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 {Black is making a smart choice with swap of the knights, as the ambitious recapture with the rook will cost White a vital tempo.} (11... Rc8 $6 12. Nxe6 (12. Nxc6 Rxc6 13. Qd3 Bd6 14. e4 dxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Qc7 $11 {½-½ Krush,I (2449)-Delchev,A (2572)/Andorra 2003}) 12... fxe6 13. e4 d4 14. Qb3 Qd7 15. Na4 $6 (15. e5 $5 Nxe5 16. Be3 Bc5 (16... Nc6 17. Bxd4 Nxd4 18. Rxd4 Qxd4 19. Qxe6+ Kd8 20. Rd1 Qxd1+ 21. Bxd1 $40) 17. Bxd4 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 Qxd4 19. Qxe6+ Kd8 20. Rd1 Qxd1+ 21. Bxd1 $14) 15... Na5 16. Qb6 Nc4 17. Qxd4 Qxa4 18. b3 e5 19. Qd3 Qa5 20. bxc4 Bc5 $44 21. Be3 (21. Bd2 Qc7 22. Rab1 $16) 21... O-O 22. Bxc5 Qxc5 23. Rab1 $14 {½-½ Krasenkow,M (2633)-Bareev,E (2729)/Wijk aan Zee 2003 (36)}) 12. Rxd4 (12. exd4 Be7 (12... Bd6 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 g5 15. Bg3 Bxg3 16. hxg3 h5 17. Qd2 Rg8 18. Rac1 h4 19. Qe3 hxg3 20. Qxg3 Qb8 21. Qe5 Nd7 22. Qe3 Qd6 {1-0 Grischuk,A (2704)-Rublevsky,S (2649)/chessassistantclub.com INT 2004 (51)} 23. Nxd5 Qxd5 24. Bc4 Qf5 25. d5 $18) 13. Bg5 (13. Qb3 b5 14. Bg5 Qd6 15. Bf3 Rd8 16. a4 b4 17. Ne2 O-O 18. Bf4 Qb6 19. Be5 Qa5 20. Nf4 Rfe8 21. Rdc1 Rc8 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Nxd5 $16 {1-0 Fridman,D (2562)-David,A (2580)/Turin 2006 (91)}) 13... O-O 14. Qb3 b5 15. Bf3 Rb8 (15... Qd6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 {½-½ Lalic,B (2527)-Malakhatko,V (2555)/Bergamo 2004}) 16. Rac1 Kh8 17. h3 h6 18. Bf4 Rc8 19. Be5 Rc4 20. Be2 Rc6 21. a4 b4 22. Na2 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 a5 $11 {½-½ Volkov,S (2636)-Motylev,A (2674)/Novokuznetsk 2008 (42)}) 12... Bc5 (12... Bd6 13. e4 Be5 (13... O-O 14. exd5) (13... Rc8 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Qd1 Rxc3 16. bxc3 Bc5 17. Qa4+ Bd7 18. Re4+ Be7 19. Qd4 Nf6 20. Re3 O-O 21. c4 $16 {1-0 Aleksandrov,A (2659)-Hossain,E (2413)/Kolkata 2004 (47)}) 14. Rd1 Qc7 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Qa4+ Bd7 17. Bb5 Bxc3 18. Qe4+ Kf8 19. Bxd7 $16) 13. Rd1 Qe7 $5 {The ability to analyse with the help of computers is enhanced before the world title match by the impact of grandmasters checking as many lines as possible. In practice Black had nothing to worry about after the natural 13...?c8, but there might be something under the surface that these great masters understand better.} (13... Rc8 14. e4 (14. Qd3 O-O 15. b3 Qd7 16. Bb2 Bf5 17. Qd2 d4 18. Na4 dxe3 19. Qxd7 exf2+ 20. Kf1 Nxd7 21. Nxc5 Nxc5 22. Ba3 g6 23. Rac1 b6 $11 {½-½ Li,C (2703)-Bu Xiangzhi (2668)/Beijing 2012 (43)}) 14... Nxe4 15. Qa4+ Bd7 16. Qb3 Nxf2 17. Rxd5 Ng4+ 18. Rxc5 Rxc5 19. Bxg4 Bxg4 20. Qb4 Qe7 21. Bf4 Rc6 $19 {0-1 Mamedyarov,S (2719)-Aronian,L (2786)/Moscow 2009 (25)}) 14. Bf3 (14. Qa4+ Bd7 15. Qb3 Be6 16. Bf3 O-O 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Rfd8 $44) 14... O-O {Black may try to hold on to the d5-pawn, but it does not mean that his life will reamain easy. The sacrifice of the d5-pawn for the initiative is not an unknown guest in the 1.d4 openings.} (14... Rd8 15. b3 O-O 16. Bb2 Rc8 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Bxd5 Bxe3 19. Qe2 Nxd5 20. Rxd5 Bg5 21. Re5 Qf6 22. Re1 h6 (22... Bf4 23. Re4 Qh6 24. g3 Bc1 25. Bd4 {1-0 Ragger,M (2614)-Kobalia,M (2672)/Aix-les-Bains 2011 (73)} Bg5 26. a4 $14) 23. h4 Qg6 24. hxg5 Rc2 25. Qe3 Rxb2 26. gxh6 Qxh6 27. Qxh6 gxh6 $11 {½-½ Lenic,L (2623)-Rublevsky,S (2678)/Aix-les-Bains 2011 (29)}) 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 17. Rxd5 Rac8 18. Bd2 {[%mdl 4] The last thing Gelfand would like is to play with a spare pawn, but very crumpled pieces. White is giving up on the spare pawn in the interest of the immediate mobilisation of the pieces.} (18. Qd3 Rcd8 $1 (18... Rfd8 $6 19. g3 Rxd5 20. Qxd5 Rd8 21. Qf3 b5 22. b3 Qe6 23. Bb2 $16) 19. e4 f5 20. Be3 Bxe3 21. Qxe3 Qxe4 22. Qxe4 fxe4 23. Rad1 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 h6 $11) 18... Bxe3 19. Bc3 Bb6 20. Qf5 Qe6 $1 21. Qf3 {The polite retreat admits, that White will not be able to fight for a real advantage. After the natural exchange of the queens Black would get ample counterplay against the f2-pawn.} (21. Qxe6 fxe6 22. Rd2 (22. Rd7 Rxf2 $17) 22... Rcd8 23. Re2 Rf5 24. g3 Rdf8 25. Rf1 e5 26. Kg2 (26. Bxe5 Re8 27. Rfe1 Bxf2+ 28. Rxf2 Rfxe5 $11) 26... Bd4 $11) 21... f6 $146 ({RR} 21... Rfe8 22. g3 Qe2 23. Kg2 Qxf3+ 24. Kxf3 Re7 25. Rad1 f6 26. Rd7 Rc7 27. Rxc7 Rxc7 28. Rd8+ Kf7 29. Bd4 Bxd4 30. Rxd4 Ke6 31. Ke3 Rc2 32. Rb4 b5 33. a4 bxa4 34. Rxa4 Rxb2 35. Rxa6+ {½-½ (35) Gustafsson,J (2629)-Bartel,M (2674) Dortmund 2012 CBM 150 [Marin,Mihail]}) 22. h4 (22. Rad1 Qc6 23. h4 Rfd8 $11) 22... Qc6 23. h5 Rfd8 24. Rxd8+ {Gelfand will be able to perform at least a small dance to show his ambition, hoping to get a small advantage.} (24. Rad1 Rxd5 25. Rxd5 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 $11) 24... Rxd8 25. Qxc6 bxc6 26. Re1 Kf7 27. g4 Bd4 $1 {All rook endgames are drawn and it is even more valid in case of truly equal positions. Anand is forcing the game into the calm waters of full equality.} 28. Rc1 (28. Kg2 Bxc3 29. bxc3 Rd5 $11) 28... Bxc3 29. Rxc3 Rd4 (29... Rd4 30. Rxc6 Rxg4+ 31. Kf1 Ra4 32. a3 Ra5 33. Rc7+ $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE-Wch"] [Site "Elista"] [Date "1996.06.26"] [Round "11"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Kamsky, Gata"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2735"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "132"] [EventDate "1996.06.06"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "18"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 054"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Hecht} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Re8 9. Rd1 Qe7 10. a3 b6 11. e4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Bb7 14. Bf4 (14. Bg5 Nf6 (14... Qf8 $6 15. Ne5 $1 $16) (14... f6 $5 15. Bf4 $1 e5 16. Be3 Nf8 17. Qc2) 15. Qh4 h6 (15... Rad8 16. Bd3 c5 (16... h6 17. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 18. Qxh6 Rd7 19. Ng5 Qd8 20. Bh7+ Nxh7 21. Nxh7 f5 22. Nf6+ Kf7 23. Nxd7 $18) 17. Bxh7+ {1-0 Gladishev,O-Feher,G/Budapest Spring op (05)/1994/}) (15... c5 $5) 16. Bf4 Bxf4 $6 (16... c5 $1 17. dxc5 Bxf4 18. Qxf4 e5 $1 19. Qe3 Ng4 20. Qc3 Qxc5 21. Qe1 Rad8 22. b4 Qc6 $10) 17. Qxf4 c5 18. Ne5 $14 {1-0 Cifuentes Parada,R-Kadimova,I/Linares op/1996/ (35)}) (14. Ne5 f5 (14... Nf6 15. Qh4 Nd7 16. Qe4 Nf6 17. Qh4 {½-½ Savon,V-Bykhovsky,Av/Kurgan/1993/}) (14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Bc7 $13) 15. Qe3 Rad8 16. b4 c5 17. Bb2 cxb4 18. Nxd7 bxa3 19. Bxa3 Bxa3 20. Qxa3 Qxa3 21. Rxa3 Rxd7 22. Rxa7 Red8 23. Rb1 Be4 24. Rxd7 Rxd7 25. Rxb6 Rxd4 26. f3 Bd3 27. Bxd3 Rxd3 28. Rxe6 {Dydyshko,V-Tisdall,J/Moscow olm (02)/1994/½-½ (55)}) (14. Bd3 f5 15. Qe2 c5 16. Bc2 Rad8 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Be3 Qf6 19. Bxc5 bxc5 20. Ba4 Rf8 21. Re1 Be4 22. Bc2 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Qxb2 {Bezold,M-Bykhovsky,Av/Tel Aviv ASA (02)/1994/½-½ (64)}) 14... Bxf4 15. Qxf4 c5 (15... e5 $1 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. Qxe5 Rxe5 19. Bf3 Rae8 $10 (19... Re7 20. c5 $14)) 16. Qc7 Rab8 (16... Nf6 17. Qxe7 Rxe7 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. Ne5 a5 20. Rd6 $14) 17. b4 $1 (17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. Qxe7 Nf3+ (18... Rxe7 19. dxe5 $14) 19. gxf3 (19. Bxf3 Rxe7 20. Bxb7 Rexb7 $10) 19... Rxe7 20. dxc5 (20. b4 $5) 20... bxc5 21. b4 Kf8 (21... cxb4 22. axb4 $14) 22. Rd2 (22. bxc5 Rc7 23. Rab1 Rbc8 $10) 22... Rc7 23. f4 Ke7 24. f3 {½-½ Dokhoian,Y-Bangiev,A/BL 9293/1993/ (45)}) (17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Qxe7 Rxe7 19. b4 Ne4 20. Rd3 e5 $5 21. Rad1 f6 $13) 17... Rec8 18. Qf4 Bxf3 $146 (18... cxb4 19. axb4 Qxb4 20. Rxa7 $14) ({RR} 18... cxd4 19. Nxd4 e5 20. Nf5 Qf6 21. Qg4 Nf8 22. Nd6 Rd8 23. c5 bxc5 24. bxc5 Ne6 25. Bc4 Bc6 26. Bxe6 fxe6 27. f3 Bd5 28. Rac1 {1-0 (28) Neiman,E (2330)-Marzolo,C (2200) Auxerre 1996}) 19. Bxf3 cxd4 (19... cxb4 20. axb4 Rxc4 21. Rxa7 Rd8 22. b5 $14) 20. Qxd4 Rc7 21. Be2 Rbc8 22. Ra2 h6 23. Rad2 Nf6 24. Qe5 Rd7 $1 25. Rxd7 Nxd7 26. Qd4 Nf6 27. h3 (27. f4 Kf8 28. h3 $14) 27... Kf8 28. Rc1 Nd7 29. Bf3 e5 $6 (29... a5 $1 30. Qc3 (30. bxa5 bxa5 31. Qc3 Qc5) 30... axb4 31. axb4 Qf6 $10) 30. Qd3 g6 31. Rd1 Rc7 32. Be2 $1 (32. Bd5 Nf6 $10) 32... Kg7 33. Qc3 Nf6 34. Qe3 h5 35. Bf1 Rc6 36. Rc1 Qd6 $6 (36... a5 $1 37. Qe1 axb4 38. axb4 Rc7 $10) 37. g3 Nd7 38. c5 $1 bxc5 39. Bb5 Rc7 40. Bxd7 Rxd7 41. Rxc5 f6 42. h4 Qe6 43. Kh2 Qa6 44. Qf3 Qf1 $2 (44... Rf7 45. Rc6 Qb5 $14) 45. Rc6 Rf7 46. Qe3 $2 (46. a4 Qa1 47. Ra6 Qd4 48. b5 e4 $5 49. Qe3 Qxe3 50. fxe3 $16) 46... Qb5 $1 47. Qc5 $6 (47. Qf3 $14) 47... Qxc5 48. Rxc5 {Hecht:  ab Zug 61 T+f+g vs T+e mit anfälligem sBe5} g5 $1 49. hxg5 fxg5 50. Kg2 (50. Rxe5 Rxf2+ 51. Kg1 Rf3 52. Rxg5+ Kh6 53. Ra5 Rxg3+ 54. Kh2 Rg7 $10) 50... Kf6 51. b5 Kf5 52. a4 h4 53. a5 Rb7 $2 (53... Rh7 $1 54. Rc4 (54. gxh4 Rxh4 $10) 54... h3+ 55. Kh2 g4 56. b6 axb6 57. axb6 Rb7 58. Rb4 Kg5 59. Rb5 Kf5 60. Kh1 Kf6 $10) 54. f3 Ke6 $6 (54... Rh7) 55. b6 $1 axb6 56. Rb5 h3+ 57. Kxh3 (57. Kh2 $5) 57... Rh7+ 58. Kg4 bxa5 59. Rxa5 Rb7 $1 (59... Kf6 $2 60. Ra6+ Kf7 61. Ra7+ Kg6 62. Rxh7 $18) (59... Rg7 60. Ra6+ Kd5 61. Rf6 e4 62. Rf5+ Kd4 63. fxe4 Kxe4 64. Rxg5 Ra7 65. Rg8 $18) 60. Ra6+ Ke7 $1 (60... Kf7 $4 61. Kxg5 Rb3 62. Rf6+ Kg7 63. g4 $18) 61. Kxg5 Rb3 62. Kg4 (62. Rf6 e4 $1 $10) 62... Kf7 63. Rh6 Ra3 64. Rh5 Kf6 65. Rf5+ Ke6 66. Kg5 e4 (66... e4 67. Kg4 Rxf3 68. Rxf3 exf3 69. Kxf3 Kf5 $10) 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Anand-Gelfand +1-1=10"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2012.05.12"] [Round "2"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2012.05.11"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 149"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. b3 Bb4 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Bd6 10. Rc1 e5 $1 {This move might be the best reaction to White's concentration of forces in the centre. The first player is well mobilised, but his pieces are too passive.} 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. e4 {The honest ambition to open up the position at the moment, when White should be better prepared for the real contact of pieces is laudable. Gelfand obviously does not believe in any real chances of getting an advantage against the isolated d5-pawn after 12.dxe5.} (12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Ne2 (14. h3 Bd7 15. Ne2 Rc8 16. Rxc8 (16. Bc3 Bxc3 17. Nxc3 Qa5 18. Qe1 Qb6 19. Qd2 Rc7 20. Ne2 Rfc8 $11 {½-½ Bukavshin,I (2502)-Rublevsky,S (2682)/Taganrog 2011 (45)}) 16... Qxc8 17. Qb1 Qb8 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. Bc3 Bxc3 20. Rxc3 Rxc3 21. Nxc3 Qd6 22. Ne2 $11 {0-1 Pavlovic,M (2541)-Rublevsky,S (2684)/Valjevo 2011 (34)}) 14... Bd7 (14... Bg4 15. f3 Bh5 (15... Bd7 16. Bc3 Qe7 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. Qd2 Rfe8 19. Rc3 g6 20. Bb1 Bb5 21. Re1 Bxe2 22. Rxe2 d4 23. Rd3 dxe3 24. Rdxe3 Qc5 $15 {0-1 Meszaros,M (2414)-Gurevich,M (2617)/Forni di Sopra 2011 (39)}) 16. Bc3 Qd6 (16... Re8 17. Qd2 $14) 17. Bxe5 (17. h3 Bg6 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. Qd2 Rfe8 20. Bxe5 Qxe5 21. Rc3 Rac8 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rc1 $14 {½-½ Wojtaszek,R (2593)-Perez Garcia,R (2432)/Burguillos 2008 (53)}) 17... Qxe5 18. Qd2 Rfe8 (18... Bg6) 19. Rc3 Bg6 (19... Rac8 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. g4 Bg6 22. f4 Qe7 23. f5 Nxg4 24. fxg6 hxg6 $11) 20. Bxg6 hxg6 21. Qd4 $14 {1-0 Aronian,L (2763)-Morozevich,A (2774)/Yerevan 2008 (56)}) (14... Ne4 15. Bb4 (15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Bc3 Bg4 17. Bxe5 Qxd1 18. Rfxd1 Bxe2 19. Rd7 Rac8 20. Rdc7 Rxc7 21. Rxc7 f6 22. Bd4 Rf7 23. Rc8+ Rf8 24. Rc7 Rf7 25. Rc8+ Rf8 26. Rc7 {½-½ Khismatullin,D (2659)-Jakovenko,D (2726)/Moscow 2010}) 15... Re8 16. f3 Qh4 17. Nf4 g5 18. Be1 (18. Bxe4 dxe4 19. g3 Qh6 20. Nd5 Bh3 $11) 18... Qh6 19. fxe4 gxf4 20. exd5 fxe3 21. Bg3 Bxg3 22. hxg3 $14) (14... Bxh2+ 15. Kxh2 Ng4+ 16. Kg3 Ne5 17. Qc2 $18 {.}) (14... Ng4 15. h3 Nf6 16. Bc3 Qe7 17. Qc2 Bxc3 18. Qxc3 Bd7 19. Nd4 Rfc8 20. Qa5 Qd6 21. Be2 g6 22. Bf3 h5 23. Qd2 Qa3 24. Rc3 Rxc3 25. Qxc3 Rc8 $11 {1-0 Dreev,A (2705)-Godena,M (2527)/Warsaw 2005 (58)}) 15. Bc3 Qb8 16. h3 Rc8 17. Qd2 Bxc3 18. Rxc3 Qe5 19. Rfc1 g6 20. a4 Kg7 21. a5 Rxc3 22. Qxc3 Qxc3 23. Rxc3 $11 {½-½ Goloshchapov,A (2580)-Antoniewski,R (2585)/Germany 2011 (36)}) 12... dxe4 {The exchange of the pawns on the e4-square must be better than the slightly reckless swap on d4.} (12... exd4 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 h6 15. Nxd4 Nf6 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. Bxf5 Ba3 18. Rc4 Qxd5 19. Qc2 Be7 20. Bc3 Rad8 21. Re1 Rfe8 22. Be4 Qb5 23. Bf3 $16 {½-½ Shankland,S (2580)-Erenburg,S (2616)/Philadelphia 2012 (66)}) 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Nf6 $146 {[%mdl 4] Anand has done his homework and it is obvious that the whole system underwent serious scrutiny before the match. The knight move might be more precise than the simple 14...exd4 as it leaves White more options to fight for an advantage.} (14... exd4 15. Rc4 (15. Bg5 Nf6 16. Rc4 h6 17. Rxd4 (17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Qxd4 Be7 $11) 17... hxg5 18. Rxd6 Qe7 19. Bb1 (19. Bd5 Bg4 20. Re1 Qc7 21. Qd2 Bxf3 22. Bxf3 g4 23. Rxf6 gxf6 24. Re4 f5 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. Qf6+ Kg8 $11) 19... Bg4 20. Re1 Bxf3 21. Rxe7 Bxd1 22. Rxd1 Rfd8 23. Rde1 b5 $11 {½-½ Goganov,A (2480)-Rublevsky,S (2682)/Taganrog 2011 (37)}) 15... Nc5 (15... Nf6 16. Bb1 Bg4 17. Bg5 h6 18. Bh4 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 g5 20. Bg3 Bxg3 21. fxg3 Kg7 22. Qxb7 $14 {½-½ Riazantsev,A (2688)-Matlakov,M (2630)/St Petersburg 2011 (46)}) 16. Bg5 f6 17. Bd5+ Kh8 18. Bc1 Bxh2+ 19. Nxh2 Qxd5 20. Rxd4 Qf7 21. Ba3 b6 22. Rd6 Rb8 23. Rxb6 Rxb6 24. Bxc5 Re6 25. Bxf8 Qxf8 $11 {½-½ Riazantsev,A (2710)-Antoniewski,R (2559)/Warsaw 2011 (65)}) 15. dxe5 (15. Bg5 exd4 $11) 15... Nxe4 16. exd6 Qxd6 17. Be3 Bf5 $146 {The presence of opposite coloured bishops together with a perfect pawn symmetry is a significant equalising factor.} (17... Be6 18. Qxd6 Nxd6 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Nd4 $14) ({RR} 17... Bg4 18. Qxd6 Nxd6 19. Ne5 Be6 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. Bb6 Rdc8 22. Nd3 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Nxc8 25. Be3 f6 26. f3 Kf7 27. Kf2 Ne7 28. Bd2 Nd5 29. Nf4 Nxf4 30. Bxf4 Ke7 31. Ke3 Kd7 32. Kd4 {Vidit,S (2664)-Bu,X (2722) Hengshui 2019 ½-½ (46)}) 18. Qxd6 Nxd6 19. Nd4 (19. Bf4 Rad8 20. Rc7 Rfe8 21. Bxd6 (21. h3 Nb5 22. Rxb7 Nc3 23. Bg3 Nxa2 $11) 21... Rxd6 22. Rxb7 g6 23. Ng5 Rf6 $11) 19... Rfe8 20. Nxf5 (20. Bf4 Re4 21. Nxf5 Nxf5 22. g3 Re2 $11) 20... Nxf5 21. Bc5 (21. Rc7 b5 22. g4 Nxe3 23. fxe3 Rac8 24. Rfxf7 Rxc7 25. Rxc7 Rxe3 $11) 21... h5 {Under the microscope the bishop might aspire to be stronger than the knight, but in real life chess the position is fully balanced.} 22. Rfd1 Rac8 23. Kf1 f6 24. Bb4 Kh7 25. Rc5 (25. Rc5 Kg6 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 35th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2007.06.24"] [Round "2"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2772"] [BlackElo "2733"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2007.06.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 119"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. e4 Nxe4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Qxe4 c5 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Bxe7 Qa5+ 12. Ke2 {This extravagant move (introduced by GM Ivan Sokolov) is more promising than the cowardly} (12. Nd2) 12... Kxe7 13. g3 {White continues his development and Black can't make use of the centralized position of the white king.} cxd4 (13... Nf6 14. Qe5 b6 15. Bg2 Rd8 16. Nd2 $1 Ba6 (16... Rxd4 $2 17. Nb3 Qb4 18. Bxa8 Qxc4+ 19. Kf3 {I.Sokolov}) 17. Bxa8 Rxa8 18. Qc7+ $1 Kf8 19. dxc5 Ne8 20. Qf4 Qxc5 21. Rhd1 Nf6 22. Rac1 Kg8 23. Nb3 Qb4 24. Kf1 $16 {½-½ Sokolov,I-Ribli,Z/Bosna i Hercegovina 1998/Inf 72/[Sokolov,I] (31)}) 14. Bg2 $1 (14. Qxd4 e5 15. Qd2 Qc7 $1 16. Qg5+ Kf8 17. Rc1 (17. Ke1 f6 18. Qe3 Nc5 {½-½ El Gindy,E-Magerramov,E/Abu Dhabi 2002/CBM 089 ext}) 17... f6 (17... e4 $1 18. Nd2 Ne5 $36 {L.Bruzon}) 18. Qe3 Nc5 19. Bg2 (19. b4 $142 {L.Bruzon}) 19... Bg4 20. Kf1 Rd8 21. Ne1 a5 22. h3 Be6 23. Kg1 Kf7 24. Kh2 Rd7 25. Rf1 Rhd8 $17 {0-1 Borgo,G-Bruzon Bautista,L/Saint Vincent 2004/CBM 098 ext (38)}) 14... Nf6 15. Qxd4 Rd8 16. Qf4 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (16. Qe3 Ng4 17. Qg5+ Qxg5 18. Nxg5 Bd7 19. b3 f6 (19... h6 20. Nh3 Rab8 21. f4 (21. Nf4 Ne5 {[%CAl Yb7b5]}) 21... Bc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Ng1 e5 24. h3 Nf6 $15 {0-1 Mastrovasilis,A-Shirov,A/Chalkidiki 2002/CBM 092 (38)}) 20. Nh3 Rab8 21. Nf4 Ne5 22. Rhd1 b5 $1 23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. Rxd3 bxc4 25. bxc4 Rb2+ 26. Ke3 Bc8 $15 {0-1 Nikolaidis,I-Gurevich,M/Cannes 2005/CBM 105 ext (48)}) (16. Qe5 $2 Rd2+ $1 17. Ke1 Qxe5+ 18. Nxe5 Rxb2 19. Nd3 Rc2 20. c5 Rb8 21. Kd1 Rc4 $19 {0-1 Crouch,C-Kelly,B/Lichfield 2000/CBM 077 ext (47)}) 16... Bd7 17. Ne5 Be8 (17... Rac8 $142 $1 {[%CAl Yc8c5]} 18. Rhd1 $140 Ba4 19. b3 Rc5 $1 20. Nd3 Rf5) 18. Rhd1 Qb6 19. b3 Rxd1 $146 ({RR} 19... Rac8 20. Rac1 h6 21. Qe3 Qxe3+ 22. Kxe3 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rc7 24. f4 Nd7 25. Nf3 h5 26. Nd4 a6 27. a4 g6 28. a5 Nb8 29. Rc1 Nc6 30. Bxc6 Bxc6 31. b4 f6 32. Kd3 e5 33. Re1 Kd6 34. fxe5+ {Ramesh,R (2470)-Savchenko,S (2571) Benasque 2007 ½-½ (47)}) 20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 $2 {Black thoroughly calculated tactical consequences of White's capture on b7 but underestimated the positional ones!} (21... Kxd8 $142 $14) 22. Bxb7 Qa5 23. Qe3 $1 {[%mdl 32]} (23. a4 Qb6 24. Qf3 Bxa4 $1 25. bxa4 Qb2+ 26. Kf1 Qxe5 27. Qa3+ Qd6 28. c5 $14 {(which GMs Peter-Heine Nielsen, Alexey Dreev and I discussed while waiting for our planes at the Madrid airport that Sunday) is less convincing. The World Champion finds a purely positional solution.}) 23... Qxa2+ 24. Kf1 Qa5 25. Bf3 {[%csl Gc4] It turns out that the c-pawn is much stronger with two pairs of minor pieces on the board!} Qb6 26. c5 Bb5+ 27. Kg2 Qc7 28. c6 a6 29. Qc5+ Ke8 30. b4 $22 {Black has only kingside pawn moves (which only weaken his position) or...} Nd5 31. Bxd5 exd5 32. Qxd5 {White has won a pawn but he still has to overcome some technical difficulties.} Kf8 $1 33. f3 f6 34. Nd7+ Ke7 35. Qg8 Kd6 36. Nc5 (36. Qxh7 Kxc6 37. Nc5 Qe5 38. Qc2 $16) 36... Qe7 {Black decides on a more active defense.} (36... Kxc6 {forced} 37. Qxh7 (37. Qe6+ Qd6 38. Qc8+ Qc7 {brings nothing})) 37. Qc8 $1 Bxc6 (37... Qe2+ $2 38. Kh3) 38. Qxa6 Qe3 39. Qd3+ Qxd3 40. Nxd3 {[%mdl 4096] In this endgame White's outside passed pawn gives him excellent winning chances but don't forget that a bishop is stronger than a knight when play develops on both sides.} Be8 (40... Bd5 $5 41. Kf2 Kc6 42. Ke3 Kb5 {[%CAl Rd5c4] apparently didn't help after} 43. f4 Bc4 44. Kd4 {etc.}) (40... Kd5 41. Nf4+ Kd4 42. Ne6+ Ke3 43. Nxg7 Bxf3+ 44. Kh3 $18) 41. Kf2 Kd5 42. Nf4+ Kc4 43. Ne6 Kxb4 44. Nxg7 Bf7 {White now must make use of the fact that the black king is far away from the kingside, further weakening the black pawns.} 45. Nf5 Kc5 46. Nh6 Bb3 (46... Be6 47. Ng4 Bxg4 48. fxg4 Kd4 49. Kf3 Ke5 50. Ke3 $18 {?}) 47. Ng4 f5 48. Nf6 h6 49. Ke3 Kd6 50. Kf4 Ke6 51. Ng8 Bc2 (51... h5 52. Kg5 Bd1 53. f4 {[%CAl Yg8f6]}) 52. Nxh6 Kf6 53. g4 fxg4 54. fxg4 Kg6 55. Nf5 Bd3 56. h4 Be2 57. h5+ Kh7 58. Kg5 Bd3 59. Kh4 Kg8 60. Nd6 Kg7 61. g5 Bc2 62. Nc4 1-0 [Event "Poikovsky Karpov 11th"] [Site "Poikovsky"] [Date "2010.06.07"] [Round "6"] [White "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2707"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2010.06.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 137"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. b3 Bb4 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Bd6 10. Rc1 {A relatively fresh idea.} (10. Qc2 {and}) (10. e4 {are more common.}) 10... Re8 11. h3 h6 {For this line - see Malkhov - Fressinet in CBM 112 (annotations by GM Ch.Lutz). However, later practice has provided some new examples.} 12. e4 (12. Re1 dxc4 13. bxc4 e5 14. Qc2 Qe7 15. c5 Bc7 16. e4 exd4 17. Na4 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Qxe5 19. f4 Qe7 $13 {0-1 Scekic,M (2371)-Erenburg,S (2563)/New Jersey 2008/CBM 125 Extra (47)}) (12. Qc2 $5 {looks quite flexible:} e5 (12... b6 $2 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Nxd5 $1 $16 {0-1 Gajewski,G-Potkin,V/Pardubice 2005/CBM 107 ext (43)}) 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 {We have again reached an IQP position which is typical for this line. White has the problem that ther ?d2 is unharmoniously placed. Wir haben wieder die für dieses Abspiel typische Isolani-Stellung erreicht. Weiß hat das Problem, dass der ?d2 nicht harmonisch steht.} 16. Ne2 Ne4 {Black prevents ?d2-c3, which would create a pleasant plus for White.. So verhindert Schwarz ?d2-c3, was Weiß ein bequemes Plus verschaffen würde.} 17. Bxe4 $1 (17. Rfd1 Bf5 18. Be1 Qb6 19. Nd4 Bxd4 20. exd4 Rac8 21. Qb1 Qg6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. f3 Nd6 24. Bxf5 Qxf5 25. Qxf5 Nxf5 $15 {1/2 Navara,D-Motylev,A/Wijk aan Zee 2006/CBM 111(41)}) (17. Be1 Bb8 $5 {It looks wrong to retreat the active ?e5, but on the other hand Black can now set up a bishop-queen battery against the white king..} 18. f3 Nf6 19. Qd2 Qe7 20. Bf2 Bd7 21. Rfe1 Qe5 22. Ng3 Ba7 23. Qb4 Rac8 24. Rxc8 Bxc8 25. Nf1 Nd7 26. Rc1 Qe6 27. Bb1 Ne5 $11 {1-0 Malakhov,V (2694)-Fressinet,L (2625)/Moscow 2006/CBM 112/[Lutz] (83)}) 17... dxe4 18. Bc3 $1 {A typical exchange of Black's strong bishop.} Bxc3 (18... Bb8 $5 {must be checked, e.g.} 19. Rfd1 (19. Ng3 $5) 19... Qg5 20. Kf1) 19. Qxc3 Qg5 20. Ng3 (20. Kh2 Bd7 21. Rfd1 Rac8 22. Qd4 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Bc6 24. Rd1 Kh7 25. Qd6 Re7 26. Qb8 Re8 27. Qf4 Qxf4+ 28. Nxf4 $14 {1-0 Petrosian,T (2602)-Vysochin,S (2550)/Ohrid 2009/CBM 133 (62)}) 20... Bd7 21. Rfd1 Bc6 22. Rd6 Rad8 23. Rcd1 Rxd6 24. Rxd6 g6 25. Ne2 h5 26. Qd2 Qc5 27. h4 Bb5 28. Nf4 $14 {1-0 Ftacnik,L (2573)-Iskusnyh,S (2463)/Dresden 2007/CBM 118 (50)}) 12... dxc4 13. bxc4 $1 (13. Bxc4 {, not making use of the b3-pawn, is a bit illogical:} e5 14. d5 cxd5 15. Bxd5 Ba3 16. Rc2 Nb6 17. Bc1 Bb4 18. Bb2 Nbxd5 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Bf5 21. Rc4 Bd6 $15 {1/2 Volkov,S (2623)-Motylev,A (2644)/Moscow 2008/CBM 122 Extra (51)}) 13... e5 14. c5 (14. d5 $6 {weakens the dark squares too much:} Nc5 15. Bb1 cxd5 16. cxd5 b5 17. Be3 Bd7 18. Nd2 Rc8 19. Qf3 Qe7 20. Ne2 Rc7 21. g4 Rec8 22. Ng3 Nh7 23. Qg2 Na4 $36 {1/2 Krylov,M (2489)-Kobalia,M (2648)/St Petersburg 2009/CBM 132 Extra (46)}) 14... Bc7 (14... Bf8 $143 {[%csl Rf8]} 15. Na4 exd4 16. Re1 Qc7 17. Bb1 Rb8 18. Nxd4 Ne5 19. Nf3 Be6 20. Bf4 Nfd7 21. Nd4 Rbd8 22. Nxe6 Rxe6 23. Qb3 $14 {1-0 Panelo Munoz,M (2414)-Almeida Toledano,D (2303)/Canovelles 2008/CBM 126 Extra (25)}) 15. Be3 exd4 16. Bxd4 $14 {[%csl Gc5] A typical position. White's strong c5-pawn "holds" Black's queenside (...b7-b6 would weaken the c6 pawn), and White can exploit his kingside pawn advantage.} Nh5 $146 (16... Ne5 17. Bxe5 Bxe5 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Na4 Be6 20. f4 Qd4+ 21. Kh1 $14) (16... Qe7 17. Na4 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. Nxe5 Qxe5 20. Nb6 Rb8 21. f4 Qd4+ 22. Kh2 $14 Nxe4 $4 23. Rc4) ({RR} 16... Ne5 17. Bxe5 Bxe5 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Na4 Qe8 20. f4 Re7 21. Nb6 Rb8 22. e5 Nd5 23. Nc4 f5 24. exf6 Nxf6 25. Nd6 Qf8 26. f5 Bd7 27. Bc4+ Kh7 28. Qd3 Re5 29. Qg3 {1-0 (29) Yang,D (2485)-Hendrickson,N (2146) Saint Louis 2012}) 17. e5 $1 Nf4 18. Bc4 Ne6 $146 {This novelty doesn't change the unfavourable evaluation.} (18... b6 $6 19. Qb3 Ne6 20. cxb6 Nxb6 21. Bxb6 Bxb6 22. Rfd1 Qc7 23. Ne4 Qa7 24. Qc2 $16 {1-0 Gajewski,G (2575)-Kempinski,R (2613)/Karpacz 2008/CBM 126 Extra (31)}) (18... Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Qxd1 20. Rfxd1 Bxe5 21. Nxe5 Rxe5 22. Rd8+ Kh7 23. Na4 $16) (18... Qe7 19. Qb3 $1 $14) 19. Bxe6 Rxe6 20. Ne4 Nf8 (20... Rb8 $5 $14 21. Nd6 $140 b6) 21. Nd6 {[%csl Gd6]} Bd7 $6 {A strange pawn sacrifice.} (21... Rg6 $142 22. Kh1 Be6 23. Nxb7 $140 Qc8 (23... Qd7 $5) (23... Qe7 $5) 24. Nd6 Bxd6 25. exd6 Bxh3 26. Rg1 Bg4 $132) 22. Nxb7 Qe7 23. Nd6 Rg6 24. Kh1 Be6 25. Ba1 $5 {White gives back his material advantage to parry Black's threats and simplify the position.} (25. Qe2 {was also possible, e.g.} Bd5 26. Rfe1 Ne6 27. Be3) 25... Bxa2 26. Nf5 Qd8 (26... Qe6 27. N3h4 Rg5 28. Nd4 $1 Qd7 29. f4 Bd5 30. e6 $1 Nxe6 31. fxg5 Nxd4 32. Kg1 $16) 27. Qxd8 Bxd8 28. N3d4 Kh7 (28... Bd5 29. Ne3 Be4 30. f3 Bg5 31. f4 Bd8 (31... Bh4 32. Ndf5 Bd8 33. Nd6) 32. Kh2 $16) (28... a5 $5) 29. Ne3 Ne6 30. f4 Nxd4 31. Bxd4 Re6 32. Ra1 Bd5 33. Nxd5 cxd5 $16 {[%csl Gc5][%mdl 4096] ?} 34. Rfd1 $6 {This plan (the attack of the d5-pawn) is probably wrong.} (34. Rfb1 $142 {[%CAl Yb1b7]}) 34... Be7 35. Bf2 Rd8 36. Rab1 g5 $1 {[%csl Re5]} 37. fxg5 (37. f5 $5 Rxe5 38. c6 Bd6 (38... Rc8 39. c7 $1 Rxf5 40. Bg3 Bd8 $8 41. cxd8=Q Rxd8 42. Ra1 $16) 39. Bg3 Ree8 40. c7 Bxg3 $8 41. cxd8=Q Rxd8 42. Rd3 $1 $14) 37... hxg5 38. Rb7 Kg6 $2 {Missing his chance.} (38... Rxe5 $1 39. c6 (39. Bg3 Re6 40. c6 Rc8) 39... Rc8 40. c7 Bd6 $1 41. Bg3 Re6 $11) 39. c6 Rc8 40. c7 {[%csl Gc7]} Bf8 (40... Rxe5 41. Bg3 $18 {[%CAl Yb7b8]}) (40... Rc6 41. Bb6 {[%CAl Rb7b8]}) 41. Rxd5 Ree8 42. g4 Bg7 43. Bg3 {Black is completely paralysed; White can collect the a6-pawn, bring his king to the queenside or play e5-e6, depending on Black's reply.} 1-0 [Event "Linares 26th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2009.02.28"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "186"] [EventDate "2009.02.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 129"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 h6 8. Bd2 dxc4 $1 {GM Lars Schandorff extensively deals with this system in his survey (CBM 125). And indeed, Black obtains a good position here.} 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. e4 Be7 12. g5 hxg5 13. Nxg5 b4 {Or else:} (13... Rc8 14. Rg1 Nf8 15. e5 b4 16. Na4 N6d7 17. Ne4 c5 18. Nexc5 Bxc5 19. Nxc5 Nxc5 20. dxc5 Qd4 21. Be3 Qxe5 22. Bb5+ Ke7 23. O-O-O $36 {1-0 Harika,D (2455)-Van den Bersselaar,J (2164)/Gibraltar 2008/CBM 122 Extra (26)}) (13... Kf8 14. Rg1 b4 15. Na4 c5 16. e5 Ne8 17. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 18. Qg6+ Kf8 19. Qxe6 cxd4 20. Qf5+ Ndf6 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Nc5 Bd5 23. Rc1 $36 {1-0 Petrosian,T (2616)-Pruess,D (2425)/Las Vegas 2008/CBM 124 Extra (33)}) (13... Qb6 14. O-O-O Qxd4 15. Be3 Qb4 (15... Qe5 16. f4 Qb8 17. Rhg1 (17. Kb1 $1 $36) 17... Bc5 18. Qd2 Qc7 19. Bxc5 Nxc5 20. e5 b4 $2 (20... Nd5) 21. exf6 bxc3 22. Qd4 $1 gxf6 23. Nh7 cxb2+ 24. Kb1 Nd7 25. Qxd7+ Qxd7 26. Nxf6+ Ke7 27. Nxd7 $18 {1-0 Miedema,R (2208)-Ris,R (2377)/Venlo 2007/EXT 2009 (39)}) 16. f4 a6 (16... Qa5 17. f5 e5 18. Rhg1 Bc5 19. Bxc5 Nxc5 20. Kb1 $36 Ncd7 $2 21. Qb3 Rf8 22. Ne6 $1 fxe6 23. Bh5+ Kd8 24. fxe6 Nxh5 25. Rxd7+ Kc8 26. Qd1 Rh8 27. Qd6 $18 {1-0 Nielsen,P (2653)-Smeets,J (2518)/Warsaw 2005/CBM 108 (33)}) 17. f5 exf5 18. e5 Nxe5 19. Qxf5 Neg4 20. Bxg4 Qxg4 21. Qe5 Nd7 22. Rxd7 Qxd7 23. Rd1 Qg4 24. Qxg7 Rf8 25. Nce4 $44 {1/2 Nyback,T (2575)-Smeets,J (2525)/Germany 2007/CBM 118 (67)}) (13... c5 $5 {deserves serious attention:} 14. dxc5 (14. d5 $142 $5 {, which needs practical tests}) 14... b4 $1 {better than} (14... Nxc5 15. Bxb5+ Nfd7 (15... Kf8 16. O-O-O $36) 16. Rg1 a6 17. Be2 (17. e5 axb5 $1 (17... Bxg5 18. Bxg5 Qc7 19. Bxd7+ Qxd7 20. Rd1 Qc7 21. Rd6 Rxh2 {1-0 Czakon,J (2484)-Savchenko,S (2508)/Montpellier 2006/CBM 113 ext (40)}) 18. Nxf7 Qb8 $1 19. Nxh8 Nxe5 $1 $36 {[%csl Re1]} 20. O-O-O $140 Rxa2 $3 21. Nxa2 Be4 22. Qc3 Ned3+ 23. Kb1 Nb4+ 24. Ka1 Nc2+ 25. Kb1 Nd4+ $19) 17... Ne5 18. Rd1 Ncd3+ $6 (18... Qc7 $13) 19. Kf1 Nxf2 $2 (19... Rxh2 20. Be3 Bxg5 21. Rxg5 Qxg5 22. Bxg5 Rxf2+ 23. Kg1 Nf3+ 24. Bxf3 Rxc2 25. Rxd3 Rxb2 $14) 20. Kxf2 Bc5+ 21. Kg2 Qf6 22. Rgf1 Qh6 23. Bf4 Be3 24. Bxe5 Qxg5+ 25. Bg3 {1-0 Nyback,T (2634)-Kojima,S (2272)/Beijing 2008/CBM 126 Extra}) 15. Na4 Rh4 $1 16. c6 Rc8 $1 17. Bb5 (17. cxd7+ Nxd7) 17... a6 18. cxd7+ Nxd7 19. Bxd7+ Qxd7 20. Qb3 Qb5 21. Nc3 bxc3 22. bxc3 f6 23. Qxb5+ axb5 24. Nf3 Rxe4+ $19 {0-1 Epiney,F (2382)-Bubir,S (2398)/IECG 2007/CBM 125/[Schandorff] (41)}) 14. Na4 c5 $1 {Even now this move is correct. Before the present encounter it had only been played in a computer-assisted game in a Freestyle event.} (14... Qa5 15. Rg1 c5 16. e5 cxd4 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. Rc1 (18. a3 $1) 18... Rxh2 $2 (18... Rc8 $1 $13) 19. Qc7 Qxc7 20. Rxc7 Bc8 21. Bxb4 $18 {1-0 Watson,J (2400)-Pozarek,S (2185)/Philadelphia 1993/EXT 1999 (43)}) (14... Rc8 15. e5 Nd5 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Qg6+ Kf8 18. Rg1 Bf6 19. exf6 Qxf6 20. Qg3 $16 e5 21. dxe5 Qxe5 $2 22. Nc5 $1 Qxg3 23. Nxd7+ Ke8 24. Rxg3 Kxd7 25. Rxg7+ $18 {1-0 Jankovic,A (2525)-Sriram,J (2408)/Kavala 2006/CBM 113 ext (31)}) (14... Qc7 15. e5 (15. O-O-O $5) 15... Nd5 16. Rg1 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Rxh2 18. Bg4 c5 19. Rc1 Kf8 (19... c4 20. Bxe6 $1) 20. Nxc5 Nxc5 21. Qxc5+ Qxc5 22. Rxc5 $14 {1-0 Nyback,T (2585)-Jaracz,P (2490)/Dresden 2007/CBM 118 (48)}) 15. Nxc5 (15. dxc5 $6 Rh4 $1 {- see above 13...c5.}) 15... Nxc5 16. dxc5 Rc8 17. Qa4+ $146 (17. Bxb4 Nd7 18. Bb5 O-O 19. Bxd7 Qxd7 20. h4 f6 21. Nf3 Qb5 22. Bc3 Rxc5 23. O-O-O e5 24. Rde1 Rc7 $44 {1/2 "Rybusia"-"Badbishop1"/playchess.com 2007 (64)}) ({RR} 17. Bxb4 Nd7 18. Bb5 O-O 19. Bxd7 Qxd7 20. h4 f6 21. Nf3 Qb5 22. Bc3 Rxc5 23. O-O-O e5 24. Rde1 Rc7 25. Nd2 Bc5 26. f3 Ba6 27. Kb1 Bd4 28. Ka1 Bxc3 29. bxc3 Rd8 30. Nb1 Qd3 31. Qxd3 Rxd3 {Rybusia-Badbishop1 Playchess.com INT 2007 ½-½ (64)}) 17... Bc6 18. Bb5 Bxb5 19. Qxb5+ Qd7 20. Qxd7+ Nxd7 21. Ke2 Rh4 22. Rac1 Rxc5 23. Rxc5 Bxc5 $15 {[%mdl 4096] So, Black has recaptured the sacrificed pawn and obtained a slightly better endgame due to the weakness of White's h- and a-pawns.} 24. f4 $6 (24. f3 {was probably more accurate (I.Ganiev).}) 24... e5 $1 25. h3 exf4 26. Nf3 Rh6 $17 {[%csl Ra2,Re4,Rh3]} 27. Bxf4 Re6 (27... Rg6 $5) 28. Nd2 Bd4 29. Rb1 (29. a3 Bxb2 30. axb4 Bc3 {loses a pawn anyway}) 29... Ra6 30. a3 $5 (30. Kd3 $5 Bf6) 30... bxa3 31. bxa3 Rxa3 32. Nc4 Ra2+ 33. Kd3 Bf2 34. Bd6 {White has given up a pawn but activated his pieces, and it is not easy for Black to convert his material advantage.} Nb6 (34... a5 35. Rb7 Nc5+ 36. Bxc5 Bxc5 37. Ne5 $132) 35. Bb4 Nxc4 36. Kxc4 Bb6 37. Kd5 Rg2 38. Rb3 Rg5+ 39. e5 Bc7 $2 {Exchanging the bishops is a wrong decision. Rook endgames are famous for their drawish tendencies, and this one is no exception.} (39... Rg1 $142 $17 {I.Ganiev}) 40. Bd6 Bxd6 41. Kxd6 Rg6+ 42. Kd5 Rb6 43. Rc3 Kd7 44. Rf3 Ke7 45. Rc3 Rb7 (45... Rb5+ 46. Kd4 Kd7 47. Rg3 $1 g6 48. Rf3 Ke7 49. Rc3 {doesn't change much}) 46. Rc6 g6 47. Ra6 {[%csl Ga6]} Kf8 (47... Rc7 48. Ra1 Kd7 49. Ra6 Kc8 {is senseless due to} 50. e6 fxe6+ 51. Rxe6 Rg7 52. Ke5 {winning the g6 pawn with a draw.}) 48. Ke4 Kg7 49. Kf4 Re7 50. Ra5 Kh6 51. Kg4 a6 {Black has no other way to make progress but the resulting ending is theoretically drawn.} 52. Rxa6 {There is no need for an engine-driver to look for new ways like} (52. Kf4 {Amazingly, Magnus Carlsen's train finally derails anyway!}) 52... Rxe5 53. Rb6 Re3 54. Ra6 f5+ 55. Kh4 Re4+ 56. Kg3 Kg5 57. Ra3 Re2 58. Kf3 Rh2 59. Kg3 Rb2 60. Ra8 (60. Rc3 {was good enough, e.g.} f4+ 61. Kf3 Rh2 62. Rc5+ Kh4 63. Kxf4 Rf2+ (63... Rxh3 64. Rg5 $1) 64. Ke3 Rf6 (64... Rb2 65. Rc6) 65. Ra5 Kxh3 66. Rg5 Kh4 67. Rg1 g5 68. Rh1+ $11) 60... Rb3+ 61. Kg2 Kf4 62. Ra4+ Ke3 63. h4 (63. Kg3 $5) 63... Rb6 (63... f4 64. Ra6 $11) 64. Kg3 Rd6 65. Rf4 Rd1 66. Rf3+ Ke4 67. Rf4+ Ke5 68. Ra4 f4+ 69. Kg2 Rd2+ 70. Kf3 Rd3+ 71. Kg2 Rg3+ 72. Kh2 (72. Kf2 $2 Rh3 73. Ra5+ Kf6 74. Ra6+ Kg7) 72... Kf5 73. Ra6 Re3 74. Ra5+ Re5 75. Ra2 $1 {This is the so-called Vaisser system of defence (applied by GM Anatoly Vaisser in one of his games).} Kg4 (75... Re6 76. Rg2 f3 77. Rg5+ Kf4 78. Kg1 Ra6 79. Kf2 {and Black can't make progress.}) 76. Rg2+ $1 Kh5 77. Kh3 {Black can't attack the h4 pawn and protect his g6 pawn at the same time!} Ra5 78. Rg1 Ra3+ 79. Kh2 Ra6 80. Kh3 Ra5 81. Rg2 Rc5 82. Rg1 f3 {The last attempt.} 83. Kg3 $6 (83. Rf1 $1 Rf5 (83... Rc3 {doesn't change anything}) 84. Rf2 Rf4 85. Kg3 Rf8 86. Kh3 {was much simpler}) 83... Rf5 84. Rf1 $4 {[%mdl 8192] A terrible mistake. Losing concentration at the end of the game is the main problem for Magnus (see also his game vs Radjabov).} (84. Kf2 $1 {was now the only way to a draw:} Rf6 85. Rh1 Kg4 86. Rg1+ Kxh4 87. Rh1+ Kg4 (87... Kg5 88. Rg1+ Kh6 89. Rh1+ Kg7 90. Rh3) 88. Rg1+ Kf4 89. Rg3 Ke4 90. Rg4+ Ke5 91. Rg5+ Ke6 92. Rg3 $11) 84... f2 $22 {and White must let the black king forward.} 85. Kh3 Rf3+ 86. Kg2 Kg4 87. h5 {Desperation.} Rg3+ $1 88. Kh2 (88. Kxf2 Rf3+ 89. Kg2 Rxf1 90. Kxf1 Kxh5 $19) 88... Kf3 $1 89. Ra1 Rg2+ $1 90. Kh1 (90. Kh3 Rg1) 90... Rg5 91. Ra3+ Kf4 92. Ra4+ Kg3 93. Ra3+ Kh4 (93... Kh4 94. Ra1 Rg1+ 95. Rxg1 fxg1=Q+ 96. Kxg1 Kxh5 $19) 0-1 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 3rd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2008.08.20"] [Round "3"] [White "Morozevich, Alexander"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2008.08.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 Nxg4 8. Rg1 Nxh2 {This acceptance of the Shabalov-Shirov gambit is absolutely logical and one may wonder why it is not particularly popular in GMs' practice. As often happens, the reasons are mostly historical. In 1992, at the dawn of the whole system, White scored some convincing victories in this line (not at the highest level, though), after which it was given up for long. Today we are observing the process of rediscovering and developing it.} 9. Nxh2 Bxh2 10. Rxg7 Nf8 11. Rg2 Bd6 (11... Bc7 {is another option, which has its merits and drawbacks.}) 12. e4 (12. Bd2 {is too slow due to} Ng6 $1 (12... Bd7 13. O-O-O a6 14. e4 Rc8 15. Re1 Be7 16. f4 b5 17. c5 dxe4 18. Nxe4 f5 19. Nd6+ $6 (19. Be2 $1 fxe4 20. Bh5+ Ng6 21. Qxe4 $40 {Ftacnik}) 19... Bxd6 20. cxd6 Kf7 $13 {Ftacnik,L 0-1 Garcia Ilundain,D (2420)-Illescas Cordoba,M (2555)/Leon 1992/CBM 031/[Ftacnik] (36)}) (12... h5 $5 13. O-O-O h4 14. f4 Qf6 15. Bd3 Bd7 16. Kb1 Rh5 17. Rh1 $13 {1/2 Rout,I-Shaw,T (2300)/Canberra 1996/CBM 051 ext (48)}) 13. O-O-O Nh4 14. Rg1 Nf3 15. Rh1 h5 16. Kb1 Qf6 17. Bc1 Bd7 18. Be2 h4 19. Qd3 dxc4 20. Qe4 Ng5 21. Qc2 Qe7 22. f4 Nh7 23. Ne4 Bc7 24. Bxc4 O-O-O $15 {0-1 Szafraniec,T (2395)-Reschke,H (2455)/ICCF 2002/ICCF Telechess CBM 112 (39)}) 12... Ng6 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] This logical move turns out to be a novelty.} (12... dxe4 {is usually played. White obtains good attacking possibilities after} 13. Nxe4 (13. Qxe4 $143 Ng6 (13... Bd7 14. c5 Be7 15. Bf4 Ng6 16. Bh2 $40 {1-0 Dang Bich Ngoc (2192)-Pham Bich,N (2111)/Phu Quoc 2007/CBM 116 ext (26)}) 14. Be3 (14. Bg5 Be7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. O-O-O Bd7 {0-1 Schmidt,U (2154)-Pritz,T/Baden 2003/EXT 2007 (37)}) 14... Qe7 15. O-O-O Bd7 16. f4 O-O-O 17. Re2 $6 f5 18. Qf3 Qh4 {0-1 Moreto Quintana,A-Acosta Garcia,A (2215)/Euskadi 1996/EXT 2001 (36)}) 13... Be7 14. Bh6 (14. Qc3 f5 15. Nd2 Bf6 {1/2 Tripoteau,N (2301)-Coursaget,N (2318)/St Lorrain 2004/EXT 2005}) 14... f5 (14... Ng6 15. O-O-O Bd7 16. Bg7 Rg8 17. Be5 Qa5 18. Kb1 O-O-O 19. Nd6+ Bxd6 20. Bxd6 c5 21. dxc5 Ba4 22. b3 Bc6 23. Rh2 $16 {1-0 Johannessen,L (2521)-Leer Salvesen,B (2341)/Molde 2004/CBM 101 ext (55)}) 15. Nc3 Bd7 (15... Qxd4 16. Bg7 Bf6 17. Bxh8 Bxh8 18. Qe2 $14) 16. O-O-O Qa5 17. d5 $1 O-O-O 18. Qe2 Re8 $2 19. Qe5 Ng6 20. Rxg6 $18 {1-0 Kotsur,P (2572)-Mohandesi,S (2358)/Dubai 2003/CBM 093 ext (31)}) 13. Bg5 (13. e5 Be7 14. cxd5 exd5 (14... cxd5 15. Nb5) 15. Bd3 {was possible but White understandably refrained from opening up Black's c8 bishop. Here is a recent example:} Bh3 16. Rg3 Qd7 17. Be3 $6 (17. Na4 $5) 17... Bg4 18. Kd2 Nxe5 $1 19. dxe5 d4 20. Rag1 dxe3+ 21. Kxe3 h5 22. Ne4 O-O-O 23. Nd6+ Bxd6 24. Rxg4 Bc5+ 25. Ke2 Qxd3+ {0-1 Lichmann,P (2375)-Dzalbo,A (2102)/Herceg Novi MNE 2008/The Week in Chess 724}) (13. cxd5 exd5 14. e5 Be7 {is the same}) 13... Be7 (13... f6 $5 14. Be3 Nh4 15. O-O-O $5 Nxg2 16. Bxg2 {is waiting for tests.}) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. O-O-O dxe4 16. Nxe4 f5 17. Nd2 {[%CAl Yc4c5,Yd2c4]} c5 18. dxc5 (18. Nb3 $5 cxd4 19. Nxd4 Bd7 20. Rg3 O-O-O 21. c5 $44) 18... Bd7 {All this was played by Vladimir Kramnik very quickly - he certainly followed his home analysis. Black gives the pawn back but completes his development.} (18... Qxc5 {is more risky. The position is extremely complex: Black will eventually prepare castling but what will White achieve in the meantime? Apparently, a paradoxal} 19. Qd3 $5 {is the best option} (19. Nb3 Qc7 (19... Qe5 20. Rg3) 20. Qc3 e5 (20... Qe5 21. Qb4) 21. c5 Bd7 22. Na5 O-O-O 23. Nc4 $44) {e.g.} 19... Qe7 (19... Nf4 20. Qc3 e5 $2 21. Re1) (19... Qc7 20. Qh3 {[%CAl Rg2g6]} Rf8 (20... Nf4 21. Qc3 e5 22. Rg3 {[%CAl Rd2f3,Rd1e1]}) 21. Nf3 Nf4 22. Qg3 $36) 20. Qc3 Rg8 21. Rg3 Bd7 22. Bg2 $44) 19. b4 O-O-O (19... a5 $5 20. b5 Qxc5 21. Nb3 Qb4 $13) 20. Rg3 {[%CAl Yg3d3,Yd3d6]} e5 $146 {It is easier to play this position with White Black has a lot of possibilities but it is more difficult to find a logical plan for him.} (20... Rhg8 $5 {is a possible option} 21. Rd3 $140 Nf4 22. Rd6 Bc6 $13) ({RR} 20... Rhg8 21. Ra3 Kb8 22. Bg2 Ne5 23. Bh1 Rg4 24. Qc3 Qg7 25. b5 Be8 26. Kc2 Nxc4 27. Nxc4 Qxc3+ 28. Rxc3 Rxd1 29. Kxd1 Rg1+ 30. Kc2 Rxh1 31. Nd6 Bd7 32. c6 bxc6 33. bxc6 Bxc6 34. Rxc6 a5 35. Kd2 {Mahalakshmi,M (1997)-Brunello,M (2275) Pune 2014 ½-½ (105)}) ({RR} 20... Nf4 21. Ra3 Kb8 22. Nf3 Bc6 23. Nd4 Bd7 24. Nb3 h5 25. b5 h4 26. Qd2 e5 27. Qa5 a6 28. Rd6 Bc8 29. Rb6 Qg5 30. Kc2 Qg4 31. Nd2 Ne2 32. bxa6 Rd4 33. Qb4 Rxd2+ 34. Qxd2 Qxc4+ 35. Kd1 {Lodici,L (2105)-Brunello,M (2315) Forni di Sopra 2014 0-1 (46)}) {The text move is rather weakening but still it is not so bad.} 21. Rd3 Be6 $4 {[%mdl 8192] But this is a terrible mistake.} (21... e4 22. Rd6 Ne5 $13) 22. Ra3 $1 {Unexpectedly, Black has no good way to protect his a7 pawn and therefore - his king!} a6 (22... Kb8 23. Qa4 a6 24. c6 {if necessary, followed by c4-c5, and the a6 pawn falls.}) 23. c6 $1 bxc6 (23... Qxb4 24. cxb7+ Kc7 (24... Qxb7 25. c5) 25. Rxa6 Rd6 26. Rxd6 Qxd6 27. Qa4 Qc6 28. Qa3 {with a crushing attack.}) 24. c5 Qg5 (24... Rd4 25. Rxa6 Rxb4 26. Rxc6+ Kd7 27. Rb6 $18) 25. Rxa6 Kd7 26. Bc4 $1 Bxc4 27. Qxc4 Ne7 28. Kc2 (28. Qf7 {was even simpler:} Ra8 29. Kb2 $18) 28... Ke8 29. Nf3 Qf6 30. Rd6 $1 Rxd6 31. cxd6 1-0 [Event "Dos Hermanas"] [Site "Dos Hermanas"] [Date "1997.04.11"] [Round "9"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "1997.04.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 059"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Lutz,Christopher} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Bd2 $6 (10. Rd1 {erscheint mir kritischer.}) ({RR} 10. Rd1) 10... c5 ({RR} 10... b5 11. Bd3 c5 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Qb3 Qh5 16. Be2 Bb7 17. Nd4 Qg6 18. Bf3 Bxf3 19. Nxf3 Ne4 20. Bb4 Rfc8 21. Rac1 Ng5 22. Nxg5 Qxg5 23. Bd6 Nb6 24. Bf4 Qd5 25. Qxd5 {Lin,X (1762)-GUERRA,R (2003) Wellington NZL 2025 0-1 (58)}) 11. Bd3 (11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. a4 ({RR} 12. a4 b6 13. e4 Qc7 14. h3 Bb7 15. Rfe1 Ncd7 16. Bf1 ({RR} 16. Bd3) 16... Rac8 17. Rad1 Qb8 18. Qb1 h6) 12... b6 13. e4 Qc7 14. h3 Bb7 15. Rfe1 Ncd7 16. Bf1 $6 (16. Bd3 $11 {Kramnik}) 16... Rac8 17. Rad1 Qb8 18. Qb1 h6 $15 {0-1 Costa,J-Kramnik,V/Manila olm 1992 (30)}) (11. a4 Qc7 12. Qd3 cxd4 13. exd4 b6 14. Rac1 Bb7 15. Bb3 Rac8 16. Rfe1 Qb8 17. h3 Rfd8 $11 {1-0 Vyzmanavin,A-Novikov,I/URS-ch57 Leningrad 1990 (32)}) ({RR} 11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. Be2 b5 13. b4 Ncd7 14. Ne4 Be7 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bc3 Bb7 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Qb2 Qe7 19. Rfc1 Nd5 20. a3 Rfc8 21. Ne5 Nb6 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rc1 Rxc1+ 24. Qxc1 Qd6 25. Nd3 Nd7 {Karpov,A (2745)-Anand,V (2765) Biel 1997 CBM 060 [Lutz,Christopher] ½-½ (41)}) ({RR} 11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. a4 b6 13. e4 Qc7 14. h3 Bb7 15. Rfe1 Ncd7 16. Bf1 Rac8 17. Rad1 Qb8 18. Qb1 h6 19. Bc1 Bb4 20. Nd2 Ne5 21. Na2 Bc5 22. b4 Neg4 23. hxg4 Nxg4 24. Nf3 Bxf2+ 25. Kh1 Bxe1 {Costa,J (2425)-Kramnik,V (2590) Manila 1992 0-1}) 11... h6 12. Rad1 (12. Rfd1 $5) 12... cxd4 $146 ({RR} 12... Qc7 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Nf6 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. Bc3 Be7 17. Ne5 Nd5 18. Bxd5 exd5 19. Nd3 Qc6 20. Nf4 Be6 21. Qd2 Rfd8 22. Rc1 Qd6 23. Nh5 f6 24. Qd3 Bf7 25. Ng3 Rac8 26. Nf5 Qd7 27. Ba5 {Szabo,G (2553)-Diermair,A (2416) Plovdiv 2012 1-0 (49)}) 13. exd4 Qc7 14. Rc1 Qb8 15. Rfe1 b5 16. Ne4 Bb7 (16... Nxe4 $2 17. Bxe4 Bb7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Qc6 Qxc6 20. Rxc6 Be7 21. d5 $16) 17. Nxd6 Qxd6 $11 {Die Drohung ...?xf3 nötigt Weiß zum Damentausch. Schwarz hat keine Probleme mehr.} 18. Qc7 Qxc7 19. Rxc7 Rab8 (19... Bxf3 $2 {würde zwar die weiße Bauernstellung ruinieren, hinterläßt jedoch einen geschwächten schwarzen Damenflügel, z.B.} 20. gxf3 Rfc8 21. Rec1 Rxc7 22. Rxc7 Nb6 23. Rc6 Nfd5 (23... Nbd5 24. b3 {? a4}) 24. Ba5 {[%csl Ra6,Rc6] × a6, c6}) 20. Ba5 Rfc8 21. Rec1 Nd5 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Ne5 Nb8 25. Be4 f6 26. Bxd5 exd5 27. Bc7 fxe5 28. Bxb8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 26th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2009.02.20"] [Round "2"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2791"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "2009.02.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 129"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 Bb7 11. a3 a6 {A well-known theoretical position (see e.g. CBM 124, annotations to Svidler - Karjakin), in which the World Champion applies an interesting novelty:} 12. Ng5 $5 $146 {[%mdl 520] GM Vadim Zviagintsev played this move against me in a similar position. It had also been played on move 11 (instead of 11.a3) several times.} (12. b4 {is common and, in my opinion, good enough for some edge.}) 12... Bxh2+ 13. Kxh2 Ng4+ 14. Kg1 Qxg5 15. f3 Ngf6 16. e4 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] White has sacrificed a pawn but obtained a bishop pair and a strong pawn centre. It is curious that the sacrifice of the h2 pawn is becoming quite popular in the Meran system - see e.g. Kramnik-Shirov in CBM 127.} Qh4 17. Be3 (17. Qf2 $5 {was played by Zviagintsev in the above-mentioned game (in a different position) but here it is not so worthwhile due to} Qxf2+ 18. Kxf2 e5 ({or} 18... c5) 19. Be3 exd4 20. Bxd4 c5) 17... e5 18. Ne2 Nh5 {Here is a game played at the Aeroflot Open next day:} (18... Rad8 19. Qd2 h6 20. Bf2 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Rfd1 exd4 23. Nxd4 c5 (23... Ne5 $5) (23... g6 $5) 24. Nf5 g6 25. Nd6 Bc6 26. Bf1 c4 27. Be3 g4 28. Bh6 gxf3 29. gxf3 Ne5 30. Be2 Nh5 31. Kf2 Rd7 32. Bxf8 Kxf8 33. Nc8 Nf4 34. Rxd7 Bxd7 35. Nb6 Bc6 36. Ke3 g5 37. Rd1 f6 38. Rd6 Kf7 39. Bf1 $14 {1/2 Gajewski,G (2581)-Salem,A (2473)/Moscow RUS 2009/The Week in Chess 746 (69)}) 19. Qd2 {[%CAl Re3g5]} h6 20. Rfd1 Rae8 $146 {Starting a dubious plan of kingside counterplay with insufficient forces.} (20... Ng3 {M.Leskiv} 21. b4 $5) (20... a5 $5) ({RR} 20... exd4 21. Bf2 Qg5 22. Nxd4 Qxd2 23. Rxd2 Ne5 24. Bf1 Rfd8 25. Rad1 Rd7 26. Nb3 Rxd2 27. Rxd2 Re8 28. Rd6 Nf4 29. Bd4 Nfg6 30. Nc5 Bc8 31. Bxe5 Nxe5 32. f4 Ng6 33. g3 Ne7 34. Bg2 f6 35. e5 {Norri,J (2330)-Nyback,T (2635) Finland 2011 ½-½ (50)}) 21. Bc2 Re6 22. Bf2 Qe7 (22... Qg5 23. Qxg5 hxg5 24. dxe5 Nxe5 25. Bb3 Rg6 26. Bd4 g4 $5 27. Kf2 $1 $14 {[%csl Rg6]}) 23. g4 $1 {Very bold.} (23. dxe5 Nxe5 24. Nd4 Rg6 25. Nf5 $44 {was simpler but less energetic.}) 23... Rg6 24. Kf1 Nhf6 25. Ng3 Nxg4 $5 {Logical, even if this piece sacrifice is not quite correct. Otherwise, after, say,} (25... Qe6 26. Nf5 {the position of Black´s pieces is very awkward.}) 26. fxg4 Qh4 27. Nf5 Qxg4 (27... Qh3+ 28. Ke1 Rxg4 29. Qe3 Qh2 (29... Qg2 30. Qe2 {[%CAl Rf5e3]}) 30. Ke2 exd4 31. Qxd4 Ne5 32. Rh1 Qf4 33. Qe3 $16) 28. Qc3 $1 (28. Ne7+ $143 Kh7 29. Nxg6 fxg6 $132 {[%CAl Gf8f2]}) 28... Re8 29. Qg3 Qh5 30. Qh4 Qf3 31. Rd3 Qg2+ 32. Ke2 exd4 (32... Rg4 33. Rg3 $1 $18) 33. Rg3 $4 {[%mdl 8192] A terrible blunder.} (33. Ne7+ {was now quite appropriate, e.g.} Rxe7 (33... Kh7 34. Rg1 Qxg1 35. Bxg1 Rxg1 36. Rg3 Rxg3 37. Qxg3 Rxe7 38. Qd6 $18) 34. Qxe7 Rf6 (34... Qg4+ 35. Rf3 Rf6 $2 36. Qd8+ $1 Nf8 37. Qxf6 gxf6 38. Rg1 $18) 35. Rf1 Qg4+ 36. Ke1 c5 37. Qd8+ Kh7 (37... Nf8 $2 38. Qxf6 gxf6 39. Rg3) 38. e5 Rg6 39. Rg3 (39. Qh4 $143 Qe6) 39... Qf4 $1 40. Qxd7 Qc1+ 41. Bd1 Rxg3 42. Qxb7 Re3+ 43. Bxe3 Qxe3+ 44. Be2 Qc1+ 45. Kf2 Qe3+ 46. Kg2 Qxe2+ 47. Rf2 Qg4+ 48. Kh1 Qh5+ 49. Kg1 Qg5+ 50. Qg2 {Uff!} Qxe5 51. Rxf7 {and this unusual position should be favorable for White}) (33. Rxd4 $143 Ne5 34. Rg1 Qf3+ 35. Kf1 c5 $132) 33... Rxg3 34. Qxg3 (34. Nxg3 Ne5 35. Qh1 Qxh1 36. Rxh1 c5 {is also poor.}) 34... Rxe4+ 35. Kd2 Rg4 $1 {White probably overlooked this move.} (35... Qxg3 $143 36. Bxg3 Re6 37. Nxd4 $44) 36. Qxg2 Rxg2 37. Ke2 c5 $19 {5(!) pawns for a piece are more than enough. The rest is clear.} 38. Rg1 Ne5 39. Rxg2 Bxg2 40. Kd2 h5 41. b4 $6 Nc4+ 42. Kc1 Nxa3 43. Bd1 cxb4 {7-0 for the moment!} 44. Bxh5 g6 45. Ne7+ Kf8 46. Nxg6+ fxg6 47. Bxg6 Ke7 48. Bxd4 {White has eliminated most of the enemies but the remaining ones easily bring Black the victory.} Kd6 49. Bd3 Nc4 50. Bg7 a5 51. Be2 Be4 52. Bf6 a4 53. Bg7 Kd5 {[%CAl Yb4b3,Ya4a3]} 0-1 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 39th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2011.07.22"] [Round "2"] [White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2701"] [Annotator "Ponomariov,Ruslan"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2011.07.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 144"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. d4 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. Rd1 {Probably White will not play this again, after the present game, since Black easily solves all of his opening problems.} ({I would advise White to look into} 11. e4 $5 {since he has few other active plans.} e5 12. h3 Re8 (12... exd4 {is not dangerous:} 13. Nxd4 Nc5 14. Rd1 $1 {and everything is under control}) 13. Rd1 Qc7 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Be3 a6 17. a4 Rac8 18. Rac1 {White's moves look very logical. Black still has some problems with the ?b7} Qe7 19. f3 Bb8 20. Qf2 g6 21. Ne2 Nd7 {and here, for example, it is worth considering} 22. f4 $5 $14 ({together with} 22. b3 {1/2 Sasikiran,K (2676)-Negi,P (2622)/New Delhi IND 2011 (48)})) 11... b4 $1 $146 {A strong idea. Black wants to solve the problems of activating the ?b7 as soon as possible. For some reason, until now, this has only been played in computer games, with such strong GMs as Shirov, Kramnik, Grachev, Potkin, etc preferring otehr moves, as I had noted in my preparation.} (11... a6 {transposes to 9...a6}) (11... Qe7) (11... Qc7) (11... Qb8) (11... Rc8) 12. Na4 ({On} 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 {Black woudl even have more possibilities} Nf6 ({But also interesting is} 13... f5 $5 14. Bd3 (14. Bxc6 $4 Rc8) 14... c5 {although things are no so simple. White also has an object of attack in the pawn e6. But he should play very energetically, eg.} 15. e4 $1 Rc8 (15... Qe8 16. Ng5 $1 {[%csl Re6][%CAl Gg5e6,Gd3c4]}) 16. Qe2 cxd4 17. Bc4 (17. exf5 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Ne5) 17... Bxe4 18. Bxe6+ Kh8 19. Nxd4 Qe7 20. f3 Bc5 21. Bb3 Qe5 22. Be3 Bb7 23. Qd2 $1 $14 {and although all this is not forced, of course, it well illustrates both sides' possibilities.}) 14. Bd3 c5 15. dxc5 Rc8 16. Qe2 Rxc5 {leads to a transposition into the game.}) ({During the game, I also thought about the active} 12. e4 $6 bxc3 13. e5 {but after the simple} cxb2 14. Bxb2 (14. Qxb2 $6 Rb8 15. exd6 c5 $1 $36) 14... Be7 15. exf6 Nxf6 $15 {Black has an extra pawn and his game seems easier to play.}) 12... c5 {This is the idea of Black's previous move, otherwise there was no point in weakening his pawn structure. Admittedly, for some reason, Anish spent some time on it. Maybe he was checking something in the complications?} 13. dxc5 Rc8 14. Qe2 {I could not see anything that good for White, so I decided to play simply and solidly.} ({White only brings problems down on his own head by} 14. Ng5 Bxh2+ $1 {The simplest} ({although there is also the cunning} 14... Kh8 $5) 15. Kxh2 Ng4+ 16. Kg1 Qxg5 $36 {[%csl Rg1,Rg2][%CAl Gb7g2,Gg5g2,Gg4e3]} {After} 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Rxd7 Bc6 19. Rd4 Qh4 $19 {the computer thinks White can already resign!}) ({If White tries to win a pawn by} 14. Bxh7+ Nxh7 15. Rxd6 {then} Bxf3 16. gxf3 Qg5+ 17. Kf1 ({Or} 17. Kh1 Nxc5 18. Nxc5 Rxc5 19. Qe2 Rfc8 20. Bd2 Qh5 $1 $44) 17... Nxc5 18. Nxc5 Rxc5 $36 {and in both cases Black has more than enough compensation for the pawn, as White has still not completed the development of his queenside, and the pawn protection of his king is damaged.}) 14... Nxc5 15. Nxc5 Rxc5 16. Bd2 {White already has to be accurate, and this is at the very start of the game!} ({For example, after} 16. e4 $6 {there is the tactical blow} Nxe4 $1 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 {although by finding some unlikely moves, White can maintain the balance and not fall into a bad position:} 18. Rxd6 $1 (18. Qxe4 Bxh2+ 19. Kxh2 Qxd1 $17) 18... Bxf3 19. Qd2 $8 Rd5 20. Rxd5 Bxd5 21. Qxb4 $11) ({RR} 16. e4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. Rxd6 Bxf3 19. Qd2 Rd5 20. Rxd8 Rfxd8 21. Qe1 Rd1 22. Bg5 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Rd5 24. Be7 Bg4 25. Bxb4 h5 26. Bc3 f6 27. f3 Bf5 28. Re2 e5 29. Rd2 Rc5 30. Kf2 Kf7 {Navara,D (2712)-Carlsen,M (2835) Wijk aan Zee 2012 ½-½ (81)}) 16... a5 $146 ({Black gets nothing from} 16... Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Rd5 18. Be1 $1 Rxd3 19. Rxd3 Bxh2+ 20. Kxh2 Qxd3 21. Bxb4 {and material is still equal.}) ({But there is the interesting} 16... Qa8 $5 17. e4 (17. Bxb4 $4 Bxf3 $19) 17... Rh5 $5 {Preventing e4-e5.} 18. Re1 a5 {and Black has quite an active position and pressure on the long diagonal.}) ({RR} 16... Qa8 17. Be1 a5 18. Rac1 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rd8 20. Bc4 Rc8 21. Qd1 Rd8 22. Qe2 Rc8 23. Qd1 Rd8 {½-½ (23) Ftacnik,L (2547)-Miton,K (2624) Slovakia 2013}) ({RR} 16... Qa8 17. e4 Rh5 18. Re1 Rd8 19. h3 Bc5 20. Rac1 h6 21. g4 Rxh3 22. Rxc5 Rxd3 23. Qxd3 Nxe4 24. Rxe4 Bxe4 25. Rc8+ Qxc8 26. Qxe4 Qd8 27. Bxb4 Qd1+ 28. Ne1 h5 29. g5 Qg4+ 30. Qxg4 hxg4 31. a4 {Kojima,S (2307)-Aryan,C (2051) Kecskemet 2012 1-0 (42)}) 17. e4 Qb8 ({After} 17... Rh5 18. h3 Qa8 {White is not obliged to spend a tempo on ?e1 and can play} 19. Be3 $1 {Preparing ?d2} g6 (19... Bxe4 $2 20. Bxe4 Nxe4 21. Ng5 $1) 20. Nd2 Be5 21. f3 $1 Bxb2 22. Rab1 Be5 23. Nc4 {with god compensation for the pawn, since the balck pieces are temporarily uncoordinated.}) 18. h3 Bf4 $6 {If Black has played the opening superbly, and solved all of his problems easily, and even having some chance of hoping for more, then starting from this moment, his play gives rise to many questions. For example: why exchange dark-squared bishops, when White is a little cramped and exchanges help him?} ({For example, he could have played the simple} 18... Rd8 19. a3 Rcc8 $1 {and I do not think that Black can have any problems at all. White cannot attack the weak pawn on b4, becauser he must think the whole time about his pawn pawn on e4.}) 19. a3 $1 $14 {Creating counterplay on the queenside. Even so, it is surprising that Anish lost this position in a few moves.} Bxd2 20. Nxd2 Ba8 $6 {Another strange move. Why limit his own bishop, which has fewer squares from a8 than from b7?} ({Of course, compared with a move ago, now Black has definite problems with the defence of his queenside, eg.} 20... bxa3 21. Rxa3 Rd8 (21... Ba8 22. Nb3 Re5 23. Rxa5) 22. Nb3 Rcc8 23. Rda1 $1 {and the pawn on a5 cannot be saved.} (23. Nxa5 Bxe4) {But even here, the most White can get is an ending with an extra exchange after} 23... Qf4 24. g3 Qe5 25. Nxa5 Bxe4 26. Re1 Rxd3 27. Qxd3 Qxb2 28. Nc4 Bxd3 29. Nxb2 Bb5 {which should objectively be drawn because all the pawns are on one side.}) ({Another more accurate move than the text was} 20... h6) ({or} 20... Qf4) 21. Qe3 Rc7 22. a4 $1 {Whilst Black cannot attack the e4-pawn, White fixews the weakness on a5. Now Black has no objects of attack, as the e4-pawn is no longer a weakness, but splendidly shuts out the black bishop and restricts the ?f6. The b-file is now closed, which means that the black queen will not be able to get at the b2-pawn either. Black faces a long and cheerless defence, because of the chronic weakness of his queenside.} Bc6 {It is already hard to know what to advise Black.} ({For example,} 22... Rd8 23. f3 $1 Rcd7 24. Nc4 Qc7 25. Rac1 {and White's position is much easier to play.}) 23. Nb3 Qa7 ({Keeping queens does not change the seriousness of the situation:} 23... Qa8 24. Rdc1 Rfc8 25. Rc5 $1 $16 {[%csl Ra5]}) 24. Qxa7 Rxa7 25. f3 $1 {All according to plan.} Rd8 $2 {The decisive mistake. Now Black simply loses by force.} ({Even though it was passive, he had to play} 25... Rb8 26. Rdc1 Be8 27. Rc5 $140 Nd7 {and White wins material}) 26. Bb5 Rxd1+ ({Nor is there any help from the strange-looking} 26... Bd7 27. Rd4 Kf8 28. Rad1 Ke7 29. Nc5 e5 30. Rd6 $18 Rc7 31. Nxd7 Nxd7 32. R1d5 f6 33. Kf2 {and Black will soon be in zugzwang.}) 27. Rxd1 {Now we see how much better it would have been if Black had created luft for his king at move 20, instead of the pointless manoeuvre he played.} Bxb5 28. axb5 Kf8 29. Nc5 $1 $18 Ra8 ({He also loses after} 29... Rc7 30. b6 Rxc5 31. b7 Rb5 32. Rd8+ Ke7 33. b8=Q Rxb8 34. Rxb8 Kd6 35. Rb5 Nd7 36. Rxa5 $18) 30. b6 Ke7 31. b7 Rb8 32. e5 ({It was also possible to play for domination:} 32. b3 $5 {after which Black has no constructive moves. But the text wins by force.}) 32... Nd5 33. Ra1 Kd8 34. Rxa5 (34. Rxa5 Kc7 35. Na6+) 1-0 [Event "Biel GM 45th"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2012.08.01"] [Round "9"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2713"] [BlackElo "2778"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2012.07.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 150"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 b5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. e4 {White tries to use this rare move order (without castling for either side) for an immediate advance in the centre. A double-edged continuation!} e5 11. dxe5 (11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 O-O 13. O-O (13. Rd1 $5) 13... exd4 14. Nxd4 {0-1 Meskovs,N (2347)-Olsarova,T (2244)/Pardubice CZE 2012/The Week in Chess 925 (30)} Qc7 $11) (11. O-O O-O {leads to a well-known position, usually arising from other move orders, with earlier castling.}) 11... Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. f4 (13. h3 Qe7 14. O-O a6 15. a4 O-O 16. Be3 Rfe8 17. Ne2 Rad8 18. Rad1 Bb8 19. Rfe1 h6 20. Bc5 Bd6 21. Bxd6 Rxd6 22. f4 Rdd8 23. Ng3 Qb4 24. Nf5 c5 25. e5 c4 26. Bf1 Ne4 $132 {1-0 Moskalenko,V (2534)-Barrientos Chavarriaga,S (2433)/Barcelona 2005/CBM 108 ext (69)}) (13. Ne2 $5 Bd6 (13... O-O $142) (13... Qd6 $5 14. f4 $140 Qb4+) 14. Bd2 Nd7 $6 (14... O-O) 15. Ng3 Ne5 16. Be2 O-O 17. f4 Nd7 18. e5 Bc7 19. O-O-O a6 20. Bb4 Re8 21. Bg4 {1-0 Zherebukh,Y (2563)-Versporten,W (2092)/Plovdiv 2010/CBM 139}) 13... Bd4 14. e5 Nd5 $146 (14... Ng4 $6 15. Ne4 O-O 16. Nd6 Ba6 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Bf5 b4 19. Qxc6 Bb6 20. Qf3 Nh6 21. Be4 Rb8 22. f5 $18 {0-1 Zueger,B (2413)-Bosiocic,M (2555)/Sibenik CRO 2012/The Week in Chess 917 (29)}) 15. Ne4 (15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16. Be4 Qc4 $1 (16... Qd7 17. Bd2 $14) 17. Qxc4 bxc4 $132 {[%csl Rb2]}) 15... Nb4 16. Qb3 Nxd3+ 17. Qxd3 O-O 18. Nd6 Bc5 19. Be3 Bxd6 20. exd6 Qh4+ 21. g3 Qh5 $132 22. Rc1 $146 {It was safer to evacuate the king:} (22. O-O c5 $1 23. f5 $1 $13 Qh3 $140 24. Rf2) ({RR} 22. O-O c5 23. f5 c4 24. Qd2 Rfd8 25. Rae1 Rd7 26. Bxa7 h6 27. Bc5 Kh7 28. a3 Rad8 29. Bb4 f6 30. Re6 Qh3 31. Rf4 Qh5 32. Qe2 Qf7 33. Rd4 Bc6 34. Rd2 Ra7 35. Bc5 Rb7 36. h4 Re8 {Ning,K (2341)-Wang,J (2380) Hangzhou 2018 1-0 (51)}) 22... c5 $6 (22... Qh3 $142 23. Rc5 Rad8 $36 {[%CAl Yb7c8]}) 23. Rxc5 Qh3 24. Rg1 Qxh2 25. Rc2 Qh3 26. Rc7 {[%csl Gc7,Gd6]} Bf3 27. Kd2 (27. d7 Bg4 {[%CAl Yf8d8]}) (27. Kf2 $5 Bh1 (27... Bg4 28. Qd5) 28. d7 {retaining better prospects due to his strong d7-pawn, which paralyses Black's rooks.}) 27... Qe6 (27... Rfd8 28. Bc5 $14) 28. Bc5 Bg4 29. b3 Bf5 30. Re1 $4 {[%mdl 8192] White has consolidated his position; his d6-pawn guarantees him good chances. But now he suddenly blunders a rook!} (30. Qe3 Qd5+ 31. Kc1 $14) 30... Qxe1+ 0-1 [Event "Biel"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "1992.??.??"] [Round "13"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2715"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Hansen,Curt"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1992.07.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 031"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1992.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1992.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Ftacnik} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Re8 (10... Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. Bg5 (12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bg5 h6 (14... Re8 15. Rad1 Qe7 16. Kh1 h6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Bd3 Rad8 19. f4 {½-½ Bukic-Sherbakov Bled Open 1992}) 15. Bh4 Qb6 16. Rad1 Rfe8 $10 {Nielsen,PH-Knaak Bad Lauterberg 1991}) (12. Rd1 Qc7 13. h3 Rfe8 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nd4 Ned7 16. Bf3 b4 17. Na4 Ne5 18. Be2 Ng6 $15 {Kosic-Piket,J AUS WchJ 1988}) 12... h6 13. Bh4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Qc7 15. Bg3 Bxg3 16. hxg3 $14 {Pliester-Van de Outeweetering Dieren Open 1988}) 11. Rd1 (11. Bd2 Bb7 12. Ng5 e5 $10 {Adorjan,A-Kuczynski Polanica Zdroj 1992}) (11. e4 e5 12. Rd1 Qc7 13. Bg5 exd4 14. Rxd4 b4 $15 {?15.?a4 c5 Tabatadze-Shirov Frunze Open 1989} (14... b4 {Ftacnik} 15. e5 Nxe5 16. Na4 c5 17. Rd2 Bb7 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rad1 Rg5 $1 $40 {Tabatadze,T-Shirov,A/Frunze op/1989/})) 11... Qc7 12. b3 (12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Ng5 f5 16. Qd4 $14 {Brenninkmeijer-Shirov Ter Apel 1991} (16. Qd4 {Ftacnik} Be7 17. Nf3 Nf7 18. Qc3 a6 19. a4 b4 20. Qc2 c5 21. b3 Rb8 22. Bb2 Rb6 23. Bc4 $16 {Brenninkmeijer,J-Shirov,A/Ter Apel/1991/})) 12... e5 13. h3 Bb7 (13... a6 14. Bb2 exd4 15. Nxd4 Bb7 16. Nf5 Bf8 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. Rxd5 Re6 $132 {Tukmakov-Shabalov Biel Open 1992}) 14. Bb2 a6 (14... exd4 $5 15. Nxd4 a6) (14... Rad8 {Ftacnik}) 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. a4 $1 {?b7} Rad8 $146 (16... Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Bh2+ (17... Rad8 {Ftacnik} 18. axb5 axb5 19. Nxb5 $1 cxb5 20. Qxc7 Bxc7 21. Bxb7 $16) 18. Kh1 Be5 $10) ({RR} 16... Ng6 17. Bd3 Rad8 18. Ne4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 c5 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. axb5 axb5 22. Rd2 Bf8 23. Rad1 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 h6 25. Qf5 Re6 26. Rd8 Qc7 27. Qd5 Rd6 28. Rxd6 Bxd6 29. h4 Bf8 30. Qd3 Qa5 31. h5 {Arlandi,E (2460)-Illescas Cordoba,M (2615) Lisbon 1993 0-1 (56)}) ({RR} 16... Ng6 17. Rac1 Qe7 18. Nd4 Qe5 19. Nf3 Qe7 20. Nd4 Qe5 21. Nf3 {½-½ (21) Browne,W (2560)-Gurevich,D (2525) Modesto 1995}) 17. Ng5 $1 $14 Qe7 (17... Qb8 18. Nce4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Bf8 20. Nc5 $16) (17... Bf8 18. Nge4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 {×c5,?20.axb5 axb5 21.Lxb5}) (17... h6 {Ftacnik} 18. Nge4 Be7 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 20. Ne4 Be7 21. Nc5 $16) 18. Nce4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Bb4 (19... Bc7 20. Ba3 b4 (20... Qe6 21. Nc5) 21. Bb2 $16) 20. Ng3 $16 {?b7,?b4,?e5} f6 (20... g6 {Ftacnik} 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rd1 $14) 21. Bxe5 Qxe5 (21... fxe5 {Ftacnik} 22. Bd3 g6 23. Be4 $14) 22. Bd3 h6 {×g6,×f5} (22... g6 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. Qxg6+ Kh8 (24... Kf8 {Ftacnik} 25. Nf5 Qc7 26. Qxf6+ Kg8 27. Nh6+ Kh7 28. Nf7 $18) 25. Qh6+ (25. Nh5 $2 Qg5) 25... Kg8 26. Nh5 $16) 23. Bg6 Rf8 24. Nf5 c5 (24... Qc7 {Ftacnik} 25. Qe4 c5 26. Qe6+ Kh8 27. Nh4 $16) 25. axb5 axb5 (25... Be4 26. Qc4+) 26. Ra7 Qc7 (26... Rxd1+ 27. Qxd1 Qc7 28. Nxh6+ (28. Qd5+ Bxd5 29. Rxc7 Bf7 30. h4 $5 {?31.h5?}) 28... gxh6 29. Be4 $16) 27. Nh4 {?28.?h7+ ?h8 29.?g6+} Rxd1+ $8 (27... Rd7 {Ftacnik} 28. Bh7+ Kf7 29. Qg6+ Ke7 30. Nf5+ $18) 28. Qxd1 Ra8 (28... Rd8 {Ftacnik} 29. Qg4) 29. Qg4 $1 Qc6 (29... Rxa7 30. Qe6+ (30. Qe6+ {Ftacnik} Kf8 31. Qe8#)) (29... Kh8 30. Rxa8+ Bxa8 31. Qe6 Bc6 32. Bf5 $18 {??g6+}) (29... Qc8 {Ftacnik} 30. Rxa8 Qxa8 31. Qe6+ Kh8 32. Bf5 $18) 30. Rxb7 Qxb7 31. Qe6+ Kh8 (31... Kf8 {Ftacnik} 32. Be4 Qc8 33. Ng6#) 32. Be4 {Hansen,Cu} (32. Be4 Ra1+ 33. Kh2 Qb8+ 34. f4 c4 35. Ng6+ Kh7 36. Ne7+ (36. Ne5+ {Ftacnik} Kh8 37. Nf7+ Kg8 38. Nd8+ Kh8 39. Qe8+) 36... Kh8 37. Qf5 $18) 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Kazan"] [Date "2011.05.06"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2011.05.05"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Rd1 b5 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. Bd2 c5 13. Ne4 c4 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Be2 Bb7 16. b3 {For this line - see the theoretical article in CBM 142.} Rfc8 (16... Bd5 17. Qb2 Ne4 18. Ba5 Rac8 (18... Rfc8 $5 19. Ne1 $140 c3 20. Qc1 c2 $1) 19. Ne1 (19. Rac1 cxb3 20. axb3 b4 $1) 19... c3 $1 20. Qc1 c2 $1 21. Rd3 (21. Nxc2 $6 Nxf2) 21... Nxf2 $1 22. Kxf2 Qxh2 23. Nf3 Qd6 $44 {1-0 Rodshtein,M (2625)-Paikidze,N (2455)/Moscow RUS 2011/CBM 142/[Krasenkow] (45)}) 17. Qb2 Rab8 (17... Bd5 $5 {leads to variations similar to the previous annotation.}) 18. Rdc1 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (18. Rac1 Ne4 19. Be1 (19. Ba5 $5 Qd5 20. Ne1 Qg5 $132) 19... Nb6 20. Ba5 cxb3 21. axb3 b4 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rc1 {1-0 Wojtaszek,R (2711)-Smeets,J (2669)/Solingen GER 2011/The Week in Chess 851 (32)} Nc3 $132) 18... Ne4 (18... Be4 $5 19. Ba5 (19. Ne1 Nd5 20. f3 Bg6 21. e4 c3 $1) 19... Qd5) 19. Ba5 Bd5 (19... cxb3 20. axb3 b4 {is too late:} 21. Bf1 Nc3 22. Nd2) (19... Qd5 $5 20. Rab1 Ba8) 20. Ne1 f5 (20... cxb3 21. axb3 b4 {is poor again:} 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Nd3) 21. f3 Nef6 22. Rab1 $146 {It turns out that Black has just lost time. Still, White's advantage is minimal.} ({RR} 22. Nc2 h5 23. Be1 g5 24. Nb4 h4 25. Qd2 Kf7 26. Nxd5 exd5 27. a4 Kg6 28. axb5 axb5 29. Bf1 Nh5 30. bxc4 dxc4 31. e4 Ng7 32. g3 {½-½ (32) Valenzuela Fuentealba,L (2474)-Salinas Herrera,P (2405) Punta Arenas 2014}) ({RR} 22. Qd2 cxb3 23. axb3 Bxb3 24. Bb4 Qb6 25. Nd3 Bc4 26. Nc5 Nxc5 27. Bxc5 Qc6 28. Bxc4 bxc4 29. Rxc4 Nd7 30. Rcc1 Qd5 31. Qa2 Rc6 32. Qxd5 exd5 33. Ba3 Rbc8 34. Rxc6 Rxc6 35. Bb4 Kf7 36. Ra2 Rb6 {Airapetian,G (2444)-Frolyanov,D (2556) Lipetsk 2020 0-1 (64)}) 22... g5 (22... e5 $5 23. dxe5 (23. Nc2 e4) 23... Qxe5 24. Qxe5 Nxe5 25. Bc3 Nfd7 26. Rd1 Bf7 {keeping good chances to equalize.}) 23. Qd2 Kf7 (23... g4 $142) 24. Bb4 Qb6 25. Ba5 Qd6 26. bxc4 bxc4 27. Rxb8 Qxb8 28. Qb4 Qa8 $6 (28... g4 $1 $132) 29. Bxc4 Qc6 30. Nd3 $1 Bxc4 31. Nb2 Qd5 ({Even here after} 31... Rb8 32. Qxc4 Qb5 $1 33. Qxb5 axb5 34. a3 Ra8 35. Bb4 Nd5 36. Nd3 Nxb4 37. axb4 Ra3 {White can hardly win.}) (31... Qb5 {is probably less accurate:} 32. Nxc4 (32. Rxc4 Rb8 33. Nd3 Nd5) 32... Kg7 33. Qb3 $1 Rxc4 34. Qxc4 Qxa5 35. Qxe6 Qd2 36. Rb1 f4 37. exf4 Qxd4+ 38. Kh1 Qxf4 39. Qxa6 $14) 32. Nxc4 Kg8 33. Rc3 $6 {White is tied up, and it was very difficult for him to consolidate his material advantage.} (33. Qb3 $1 {was probably the best try although after} g4 (33... Rxc4 $6 34. Qxc4 Qxa5 35. Qxe6+ Kg7 36. h3 $16 Qd2 $2 37. Rc7) 34. fxg4 fxg4 {Black keeps good chances to survive.}) 33... f4 (33... g4 $5 $44) 34. exf4 (34. Nb6 Nxb6 35. Qxb6 Rxc3 36. Bxc3 fxe3 37. Qxa6 Kf7 $132) (34. Qa4 g4 $1 $132) (34. Nd2 $5 Rb8 (34... Rxc3 35. Qxc3 Qxa2 36. e4 $14) 35. Qa4 fxe3 (35... Rb2 36. e4 Rxa2 37. exd5 Rxa4 38. dxe6 Rxa5 39. Rc8+ Kg7 40. exd7 Nxd7 41. Rc7 Rd5 42. Ne4 Kf8 43. Nxg5 $16) 36. Rxe3 Rb2 37. Nb3 g4 $132) 34... Qxd4+ 35. Ne3 Qxc3 36. Qxc3 Rxc3 37. Bxc3 gxf4 38. Nc4 Nd5 39. Bd4 Nb4 40. a3 Nc6 {White's advantage in this endgame is purely symbolic.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dos Hermanas"] [Site "Dos Hermanas"] [Date "1997.04.11"] [Round "9"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2700"] [Annotator "Gelfand,Boris"] [PlyCount "126"] [EventDate "1997.04.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 059"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal Hecht Lutz} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. Bd2 (11. Rd1 $142 {Lutz}) 11... Rc8 $146 (11... a6 $5 {-49/496}) (11... Qb8 $5 {Lutz} 12. a4 Rc8 13. Rfc1 a6 14. h3 Be7 $13 {0-1 Bagirov,V-Knaak,R/Jyvaskyla op 1994 (75)}) (11... a6 $5 {Lutz} 12. e4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. f4 Bd4+ 16. Kh1 b4 17. Nd1 Qb6 $13 {0-1 Douven,R-Piket,J/NLD-ch 1990 (41)}) ({RR} 11... Re8 12. Ng5 ({RR} 12. a3 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Bf3 Qb8 16. h3 c5) ({RR} 12. Rfd1 Qc7 ({RR} 12... Qb8) ({RR} 12... Qe7) 13. Rac1 Rac8 14. Ne4 ({RR} 14. b4 e5) 14... Nxe4 15. Qxe4 c5 16. Qh4 Be7 17. Qh3 c4) 12... Bf8 ({RR} 12... e5 13. Nce4 ({RR} 13. Rad1 exd4 14. exd4 h6 15. Nge4 Nxe4 16. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 17. Kxh2 Qh4+ 18. Kg1 Qxe4)) ({RR} 12... Qb8) 13. Bf3 Rc8 ({RR} 13... Rb8) 14. Nce4 ({RR} 14. a3 a5 15. Nce4) 14... h6 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 a5 18. a3 b4 19. Qa4 Bd6 ({RR} 19... e5 20. axb4 exd4 21. Bf5 c5 22. Bxc8 Qxc8 23. bxa5 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Qg4+) 20. axb4 axb4 21. Bxb4 Ra8 22. Ba5 Bxh2+ 23. Kxh2 Qh4+ 24. Kg1 Qxe4 25. Qb3 Ba6 ({RR} 25... c5 26. f3 c4 27. Qc3) 26. Rfc1 {Zhou,J (2615)-Korobov,A (2687) Moscow 2019 CBM 189 [Krasenkow,Michal] ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 11... a6) ({RR} 11... a6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Qe7 14. Rac1 Rac8 15. Rfd1 Nf6 16. Qh4 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. a4 Rfd8 19. axb5 axb5 20. b4 Bd6 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Bxb5 Be4 23. Ba6 Rd8 24. Bc3 Bxf3 25. gxf3 Bxh2+ 26. Kxh2 {Cukrowski,F (2417)-Terkiewicz,B (2211) Bialystok POL 2025 0-1}) 12. Rfd1 $146 (12. a3 $5 a5 13. Rfd1 $14) (12. e4 e5 (12... b4 {Lutz} 13. Na4 c5) 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. f4 Bd4+ 16. Kh1 b4 17. Na4 c5) ({RR} 12. Rac1 a6 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Qe7 15. Qh4 Qxh4 16. Nxh4 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Bf3 Bxf3 19. Nxf3 Nb6 20. Rc2 Bd6 21. Rfc1 Rxc2 22. Rxc2 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Nxc8 24. e4 Nb6 25. b3 Nd7 26. Be3 Bc5 {Bielicki,C (2333)-Lemos,D (2550) Buenos Aires 2011 ½-½ (31)}) ({RR} 12. Rac1 a6 13. a4 e5 14. Rfd1 exd4 15. Nxd4 Re8 16. Nf5 Bf8 17. Be1 Qc7 18. b4 g6 19. Nd4 Qb8 20. Qb2 Bg7 21. Qb1 Ne5 22. h3 Red8 23. Nb3 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Re8 25. Nc5 Bc8 26. a5 Ned7 {Garcia,R (2390)-Tchimino,J (2165) Buenos Aires 1996 1-0 (47)}) 12... b4 13. Ne4 (13. Na4 $5 {Lutz}) 13... Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Qe7 {? ...?f6, ...c5} 15. a3 (15. Qh4 $5 Rfd8 16. Qxe7 Bxe7 17. a3 bxa3 18. b4 a5 19. bxa5 Ra8 20. Rdb1 Ba6 21. Kf1) (15. Rac1 Nf6 16. Qh4 c5 {×Bd2} 17. dxc5 Rxc5) (15. Bd3 $5 f5 16. Qh4) 15... bxa3 16. bxa3 $6 (16. b4 $5 Nf6 (16... Rb8 17. Rxa3 c5 18. Qc2 (18. Qb1) 18... cxb4 19. Rxa7 $13) 17. Qb1 a5 18. bxa5 Ra8 $13) 16... Nf6 (16... Bxa3 $6 {Lutz} 17. Qd3) 17. Qh4 c5 $11 (17... Bxa3 $6 {Lutz} 18. Ne5 $36 {? ?c4, ? ?fb1}) 18. dxc5 Bxc5 (18... Rxc5 19. Bb4 Rd5 20. Bxd6 Qxd6 21. Qb4 $14) 19. Bb4 a5 (19... Be4 20. Nd2 Bg6 21. Rdc1 $14) 20. Bxa5 Bxa3 {Die Stellung ist natürlich völlig ausgeglichen. Um so erstaunlicher, daß Karpow in der Folge ernsthafte Probleme bekommt.} 21. Bd3 Bc5 22. Ne5 (22. Bc3 Ne4) 22... h6 23. h3 Ra8 24. Bc3 Ne4 25. Qxe7 Bxe7 26. Bd4 Bh4 27. g3 (27. Bxe4 $11) 27... Bf6 28. h4 $6 (28. Nd7 Bxd4 29. exd4 Rxa1 30. Rxa1 Rd8 $11) 28... Rxa1 29. Bxa1 (29. Rxa1 Nd2) 29... Ra8 30. Bd4 Ra2 31. Ra1 Rd2 32. Bxe4 Bxe4 33. Nc4 Rc2 34. Na3 Rc6 35. Bxf6 gxf6 { Hecht Springer im Niemandsland, geschwächte weiße K-Position. Weiße Vorwärtsverteidigung durch K-Aktivierung nach Bauernopfer. Mattangriff gegen Freibauern. Taktik} 36. Nb5 $6 (36. Kf1 $11) 36... e5 37. Na7 $2 Rc5 38. Kh2 (38. g4 Bf3 39. Kh2 Rc4 40. Kg3 Bxg4 $17) (38. Kf1 $5 Bf3 39. Ke1 Kg7 40. Kd2) 38... h5 39. g4 hxg4 40. Kg3 f5 41. h5 Kh7 (41... Kg7 $5 42. Ra6 (42. Rd1 Bd5 43. Rb1) 42... f6) 42. Ra6 Rc1 43. Kh4 Rf1 (43... Rh1+ 44. Kg5 Bf3 $3 45. Kf6 (45. Rf6 g3) (45. Rd6 Rxh5+ 46. Kf6 (46. Kxh5 g3+) 46... f4 47. exf4 exf4 $19) 45... f4 46. exf4 exf4 47. Ra3 g3 (47... Rf1 $5) 48. fxg3 fxg3 49. Rxf3 g2 50. Rg3 Rf1+ 51. Ke7 g1=Q 52. Rxg1 Rxg1 53. Nc6 f5 $19) 44. Rf6 Rxf2 45. Nc8 $1 Bd5 $2 (45... Kg7 46. Kg5 g3 47. h6+ Kf8 48. Rd6 (48. Nd6 Ke7) 48... Ke8 49. Rd1 (49. h7 Rh2) 49... Bc2 (49... Rh2 50. Nd6+ Kf8 51. Rg1 g2 52. Nxe4 fxe4 53. Kf5 $11) 50. h7 (50. Rg1 f4) 50... Rh2 51. Nd6+ (51. Rd2 g2 $19) 51... Kd7 (51... Kf8 52. Rg1) 52. Rd2 g2 53. Nxf5+ Ke8 54. h8=R+ Rxh8 55. Ng7+ Ke7 56. Rxg2 f6+ 57. Kg4 Be4 $19) (45... Rh2+ 46. Kg5 g3 47. Rxf7+ Kg8 48. Kf6 $18) 46. Nd6 Rh2+ 47. Kg5 g3 48. Nxf5 { Hecht Was für ein Unterschied zur position vor etwa 10 Zügen, als alle weißen Figuren im Niemandsland verstreut ihr kümmerliches dasein fristeten. Karpov hat es verstanden, seine Figuren zu höchster Aktivität zusammenzuschweißen. Alle Achtung!} Be6 (48... g2 49. Rh6+ Kg8 50. Kf6 $18 (50. Kf6 {Hecht} g1=Q 51. Ne7+ Kf8 52. Rh8+ $18)) (48... Rxh5+ 49. Kxh5 g2 50. Rh6+ Kg8 51. Ne7+ Kf8 52. Nf5 f6 53. Rh8+ (53. Rh8+ Kf7 54. Rh7+ Ke6 55. Ng7+ $11) 53... Bg8 54. Nh6 $11) 49. Nxg3 Rg2 50. Kh4 Rh2+ 51. Kg5 Rg2 52. Kh4 Kg7 53. Rf1 (53. Rf3 $11) 53... Rh2+ 54. Kg5 Rg2 55. Kh4 f6 56. Nf5+ Kh7 57. e4 Bd7 (57... Re2 58. Nd6 Re3 59. Rxf6 Rh3+ 60. Kg5 Rg3+ 61. Kh4 Rg4+ 62. Kh3 Rg6+ 63. Rxe6 Rxe6 64. Nf5 $11) 58. h6 (58. Rf3 Rh2+ 59. Kg3 (59. Kg4 Re2 60. Kg3 Rxe4 61. Ne7 Rg4+ 62. Kf2 $11) 59... Rxh5 60. Ne3 $11) 58... Re2 (58... Rg5 59. Ne7 $11) 59. Nd6 Kg6 60. Kg3 Re3+ 61. Rf3 Re1 62. Kg2 Rd1 63. h7 Kxh7 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-Cup 30th"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2014.09.17"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Navara, David"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2722"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "98"] [EventDate "2014.09.14"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Novy Bor"] [BlackTeam "SOCAR"] [WhiteTeamCountry "CZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "AZE"] 1. c4 {Ftacnik,Lubomir} c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 exd4 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 h6 13. b3 {This move became popular after the rapid game of the World Championship play-off Gelfand - Anand (2012). It was annotated and the whole line thoroughly examined by GM Lubomir Ftacnik in CBM 149.} (13. Nxd4 {is the main theoretical continuation.} {RR} Bxh2+ ({RR} 13... Ne5 14. Nf5 Nxd3 15. Qxd3 Be5 16. Rd1 Qf6 17. Ng3 Rd8 18. f4 Bxf4 19. Bxf4 Qxf4 20. Qc3 Qg5 21. Ne4 Qg6 22. Qd4 Bf5 23. Nc3) 14. Kxh2 Qh4+ 15. Kg1 Qxd4 16. Qd2 Qh4 17. Qf4 Qxf4 18. Bxf4 Nf6 19. Bc4 Bf5 20. Rfe1 Rfe8 21. Re5 Rac8 22. Bb3 Rxe5 23. Bxe5 Nd7 24. Bd4) ({RR} 13. Re1 Nf6 14. Nxd4 Nxd5 15. Be4 Nf6 16. Nf5 Bb4 17. Rd1 Qa5 18. Ne3 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Be6) ({RR} 13. Nxd4 Qh4 14. Nf3 ({RR} 14. f4 Nf6 15. Nb5 Rd8 16. Nxd6 Rxd6 17. Bd2 Rxd5 18. Be1 Qh5 19. Bc3 Bf5 ({RR} 19... Ng4 20. h3 Ne3 21. Rae1 Nxc2 22. Re8#) 20. Bxf5 Qxf5 21. Qxf5 Rxf5 22. Rad1 Nd5 23. Bd2 Rc8) 14... Qh5 15. Bh7+ ({RR} 15. Be2 Nf6 16. g3 Bh3 17. Re1 Rac8 18. Qd1 Rfe8 19. Be3 Qxd5 20. Qxd5 Nxd5 21. Bxa7 Bb4 22. Bb5 Bxe1 23. Bxe8 Bxf2+ 24. Bxf2) 15... Kh8 16. Qf5 g5 ({RR} 16... Qxf5 17. Bxf5 Nf6 18. Bc2 ({RR} 18. Bxc8 Rfxc8 19. Rd1 Rc5 20. Be3 Rxd5 ({RR} 20... Rb5) 21. Rxd5 Nxd5 22. Rd1 Nxe3 23. Rxd6 Ng4 24. h3 Nf6 25. Ne5 Kg8 26. g4 Rc8 27. Kg2 Kf8) 18... Bg4 ({RR} 18... b6 19. Bb3 Bb7 20. Rd1 Rad8 21. Be3 Be7 22. Bf4 Bxd5 23. Ne5 Kg8 24. Kf1 Rfe8 25. Bxd5 Rxd5 26. Nc6 Bc5) ({RR} 18... Nxd5 19. Rd1 Nb4 ({RR} 19... Be6 20. Bb3) 20. Bb3 Bc7 ({RR} 20... Be7 21. Ne5 Kg8 22. Ng6) ({RR} 20... Bc5 21. Ne5 Kg8 22. Nd7) 21. Be3 Nc6 22. Bc5) 19. Bb3 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Nh5 ({RR} 20... Nd7 21. f4 Rfe8 22. Kg2 Nf8 23. f5 Re4 24. Bd2 Nd7 25. Rae1 Rd4 26. Be3 Rb4 27. Rd1 Kg8 28. Rd4 Rxd4 29. Bxd4 Kf8 ({RR} 29... Rc8) 30. Rc1 Nf6 31. h3) 21. Be3 Nf4 22. Rfd1 Rfd8 23. Bc4 Kg8 24. a4 Ng6 25. Rac1 Nh4 26. f4) ({RR} 16... Nf6 17. Qxh5 Nxh5 18. Bc2 Nf6 19. Rd1) 17. h4 ({RR} 17. Be3 Ne5 ({RR} 17... Nb6 18. Bd4+) ({RR} 17... Kg7 18. Bd4+ f6 19. Qe6 Bf4 20. Qe4 Ne5 21. Bxe5 fxe5 22. Rac1 Rf7 23. Rc3 g4 24. Nh4 Bxh2+ 25. Kxh2 Qxh4+ 26. Kg1 Qg5 27. Qc2) 18. Qf6+ Kxh7 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Qxe5) ({RR} 17. b3 Kg7 18. Bb2+ f6 19. Qe6 Bf4 20. Qe4 Nc5 21. Qe7+ Rf7 22. Qxc5 Kxh7 23. Rfe1 Bg4 24. Re7 Bxf3 25. Rxf7+ Kg8 26. h3 Kxf7 27. Re1) ({RR} 17. Bd2) 17... Nb6 ({RR} 17... Ne5 18. Qf6+ Kxh7 19. Nxe5 ({RR} 19. Qxd6 Nxf3+ 20. gxf3 Qxf3 21. Qxf8 Bh3) 19... Bxe5 20. Qxe5 Qxh4 21. Bd2) 18. Qf6+ Kxh7 19. Qxd6 Bg4 20. Nh2 ({RR} 20. Ne5 Rad8 21. Qb4 Bf5 22. hxg5) ({RR} 20. hxg5 Bxf3 21. gxf3 hxg5 22. Kg2 g4) 20... Rad8 ({RR} 20... Qxh4 21. Qb4 Bh5 22. Qxh4 gxh4) 21. Qb4 Bf5 22. hxg5 ({RR} 22. g4 Qxh4) 22... Nxd5 23. Qxb7 ({RR} 23. Qd2 Rg8 24. gxh6 Bh3) 23... hxg5 24. Qb3 Rh8 ({RR} 24... Kg6 25. Qf3 Qh6 26. Qg3 Rh8 27. Bd2 Nf6) 25. Qf3 ({RR} 25. Qg3 Kg6 26. Be3 Rh7) 25... g4 26. Qg3 Nf6 27. f3 Rhg8) 13... Ne5 (13... Nb6 {requires further examination. A practical example:} 14. Bc4 (14. Be4 $5) 14... Bd7 (14... Qf6 $5) (14... Nxc4 $5 15. bxc4 Qc7 {[%CAl Yb7b5]}) 15. Bb2 Rc8 16. Qd3 $14 {1-0 (27) Dmochowska,A (1790)-Maslova,P (1900) Budva 2013}) 14. Nxe5 ({RR} 14. Nxd4 Nxd3 15. Qxd3 Re8 16. Bb2 Re5 17. Rfe1 Rxd5 18. Qf3 Re5) 14... Bxe5 15. Re1 (15. f4 Bf6 16. Ba3 Re8 17. d6 Bd7 18. Qd2 Bc6 19. Rac1 Qd7 20. Rfe1 Qg4 21. Bf1 g5 22. Bc5 Qxf4 23. Qxf4 gxf4 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. Rd1 Rd8 $11 {1-0 (52) Bacrot,E (2702)-Sumets,A (2622) Fujairah City 2012}) 15... Re8 (15... Qxd5 16. Ba3 Rd8 ({RR} 16... Re8 17. f4) ({RR} 16... Bd6 17. Be4) 17. Qe2 (17. Bc4 Qa5 18. Qg6 Rd7 19. Qh5 Qxa3 20. Qxe5 Rd8 21. Rad1 $14 {L.Ftacnik}) 17... Qa5 $4 (17... Bd6 $1 $14) 18. Be7 Rd5 19. b4 Qc7 20. Qe4 Bxh2+ 21. Kh1 Rf5 22. Rac1 {1-0 (22) Navara,D (2700)-Shomoev,A (2581) Yerevan ARM 2014}) ({RR} 15... Qxd5 16. Ba3 Rd8 17. Bc4 Qa5 18. Qg6 Rd7 19. Qh5 Qxa3 20. Qxe5 Rd8 21. Rad1) 16. Bb2 (16. f4 $5 Bf6 17. Rxe8+ Qxe8 18. Bd2 Qd8 19. Re1 $14 {L.Ftacnik}) ({RR} 16. f4 Bf6 17. Rxe8+ Qxe8 18. Bd2 Qd8 19. Re1 Bg4 20. Qc5 Rc8 21. Qb5 b6) 16... Bd7 17. g3 (17. Qd2 {is more accurate but still harmless due to} Qg5 $1 18. Qxg5 hxg5) 17... Rc8 (17... Qa5 $1 {apparently gives Black an excellent position.}) 18. Qd2 Qf6 {This is also inaccurate, I guess.} (18... Bh3 $142 $1 {[%CAl Rd8d5]} 19. Be4 Qb6 20. Rad1 Bf6 {, and the d4-pawn is untouchable.}) 19. Bf1 $146 {David Navara deviates from the stem game but goes his own way instead of following Ftacnik's recommendation.} (19. a4 $2 Qf3 $1 20. Be4 ({RR} 20. Qe2 Qxd5 21. Bc4 Qd6 22. Qh5 g6 23. Qxh6 Bg7 24. Qd2 Bc6) 20... Qxb3 $17 {1/2 (32) Gelfand,B (2727)-Anand,V (2791) Moscow 2012 CBM 149 [Ftacnik,L]} {RR} 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Rc4 23. Qd3 Qxd3 24. Bxd3 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Rd4 26. Rd1 Rxa4) (19. Qb4 $5 {[%CAl Rf2f4]} Qf3 $5 (19... Qb6 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Kg2 $14 {L.Ftacnik}) 20. Qxb7 Rc7 21. Qa6 Qxd5 22. Be4 $14) ({RR} 19. a4 Qf3 20. Be4 Qxb3 21. Reb1 Bxg3 ({RR} 21... Rc4 22. a5 ({RR} 22. Bxd4 Rxd4 23. Qxd4 Bxd4 24. Rxb3 Bxa1) 22... Bf6 23. Qd3 Qxd3 24. Bxd3 Rc5) 22. Ra3 Qb6 ({RR} 22... Qc4 23. Rc1 Bf4 24. Qxf4 Qe2 25. Rxc8 Bxc8 26. Bg6 fxg6 27. Qxd4 Qg4+ 28. Qxg4 Bxg4 29. Re3) 23. Bxd4 Bxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Qd6+ 25. Rg3 Rxe4 26. Bxg7 Kh7 ({RR} 26... Rg4 27. Qxh6 Qxh6+ 28. Bxh6 Rxg3 29. Kxg3 b6) 27. Rxb7 Rg8 ({RR} 27... Rg4 28. Qxh6+ Qxh6+ 29. Bxh6 Rxg3 30. Kxg3 Bxa4 31. Bf4 a6) 28. Qxh6+ ({RR} 28. Qd3 Qf4 ({RR} 28... f5 29. Bb2) 29. Kg2 ({RR} 29. f3 Qh4+ 30. Kg2 Bh3+ 31. Kf2 Bf5 32. fxe4 Rxg7 33. Rxf7 Rxf7 34. exf5 Qf4+ 35. Kg2 Qxf5) 29... Rxg7 ({RR} 29... Qf5 30. Rxd7 Qxd7 31. Qxe4+ f5 32. Qe5 Rxg7 33. d6) 30. Rxd7 Qe5 31. d6 Qd4 32. Qb3) 28... Qxh6+ 29. Bxh6 Rxg3 30. Kxg3 Bc8 31. Rc7 Kxh6 32. Rxc8 Rxa4 {½-½ (32) Gelfand,B (2727)-Anand,V (2791) Moscow 2012 CBM 149 [Ftacnik,Lubomir]}) ({RR} 19. Qb4 Qb6 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Kg2) 19... g5 $1 {[%mdl 32] Preventing f2-f4. Black's d4-pawn is now safe.} 20. Bg2 $6 {It was not a good idea to allow ...d4-d3.} (20. Rac1 $142 $11) 20... Bf5 21. Rac1 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 d3 {[%csl Gd3]} 23. Bxe5 (23. Re1 Re7 24. Bxe5 Rxe5 25. Re3 $5 {is relatively better but Black still has the upper hand after} Rxe3 26. fxe3 Qe5) 23... Qxe5 24. g4 Qe2 $1 {White probably overlooked this tactical trick.} 25. Qxe2 dxe2 26. Re1 Bxg4 {[%mdl 4096] Black has won a pawn and gradually brings home his material advantage.} 27. f3 Bf5 28. Kf2 Bd3 29. f4 gxf4 (29... Kg7 $5) 30. d6 b6 31. d7 Rd8 32. Bc6 {White's bishop will be pushed away from this square.} Kf8 33. Rc1 (33. Kf3 Ke7 34. Kxf4 Kd6) 33... Ke7 34. Rc3 Kd6 35. Rxd3+ Kxc6 36. Rf3 Rxd7 37. Rxf4 Re7 38. Ke1 Kb5 39. Rf6 ({After} 39. h4 a5 {White can hardly save the game as well.}) 39... Kb4 40. Rxh6 Ka3 41. Rf6 (41. h4 Kxa2 42. b4 {was more stubborn but Black should win anyway.}) 41... Kxa2 42. Rf3 Re4 43. Rxf7 a5 44. Rf6 b5 45. Rf5 b4 46. Rxa5+ Kxb3 47. Rh5 Kc3 48. Rc5+ Kb2 49. Rh5 b3 0-1 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2000.07.10"] [Round "4"] [White "Bareev, Evgeny"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2702"] [BlackElo "2762"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2000.07.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 078"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.10.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.10.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 Bd6 {Eigentlich gilt dieser Zug als eher beschwerlich, aber Anand hat eine neue alte Idee wiederentdeckt.} 7. e4 {Dass Bareev sofortiges 7.e4 (statt 7.0-0 0-0 8.e4) spielt, zeigt den Respekt vor Anands neuer Idee.} (7. O-O O-O 8. e4 dxc4 (8... dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 h6 (10... e5 $2 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Bxh7+ Kxh7 14. Qh5+ Kg8 15. Qxe5 $16) 11. Bc2 e5 12. Re1 $14 {ist die alte Hauptvariante dieses Systems.}) 9. Bxc4 e5 {ist die Variante, die Anand anwenden wollte, z.B.} 10. Bg5 Qe7 11. Re1 Rd8 12. Qb3 $5 exd4 13. e5 Nxe5 14. Ne4 $5 b5 $1 15. Nxd6 Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3 Qxd6 17. Bxb5 Bd7 18. Bd3 Re8 19. h3 Nd5 $17 {0-1 Lautier,J-Anand,V/Monaco 2000/CBM 75/[Lutz] (72)}) 7... dxe4 $1 {Durch die weiße Zugfolge ist 7...dxc4 verhindert.} (7... dxc4 $6 8. Bxc4 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Bxe5 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Bxf7 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Nxe4 14. O-O $14) 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 e5 {Hier zeigt sich ein Nachteil von sofortigem 7.e4: Jetzt kann Schwarz diesen Zug ohne Vorbereitung von ...h7-h6 spielen. Weiß verbleibt dennoch mit einer leichten Initiative.} 10. O-O exd4 11. Qxd4 Qf6 12. Rd1 (12. Bg5 Qxd4 13. Nxd4 Nc5 14. Bf5 O-O 15. Rad1 Re8 16. Be3 {½-½ Akopian,V-Anand,V/Dortmund 2000/CBM 78 (16)}) ({RR} 12. Be3 O-O 13. Rad1 Bc7 14. Qd3 h6 15. Bd4 Ne5 16. Qc3 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Qg5 18. Rfe1 Bg4 19. Bxg4 Qxg4 20. h3 Qg5 21. Re4 f5 22. Re6 Rad8 23. Rde1 Qf4 24. Be5 Bxe5 25. R6xe5 Rd2 26. R5e2 Rfd8 {Omelja,A (2438)-Mendez Acosta,A (2025) Vecindario ESP 2024 ½-½ (77)}) 12... Be7 (12... Qxd4 13. Nxd4 Bc7 14. Nf5 g6 15. Nd6+ Bxd6 16. Rxd6 Nc5 17. Bf3 Be6 18. Bg5 O-O 19. Rc1 Bf5 20. Rd2 Ne4 21. Bxe4 Bxe4 {½-½ Bagaturov,G-Anastasian,A/Protvino 1993/CBM 35 (21)}) (12... Bc7 {1-0 Milov,V-Godena,M/Saint Vincent 2000/CBM 78/[Lutz] (87)}) 13. Be3 ({RR} 13. Bc2 Qxd4 14. Nxd4 Nc5 15. Re1 g6 16. Bh6 Ne6 17. Rad1 Nxd4 18. Rxd4 Be6 19. b3 Bf8 20. Bxf8 Kxf8 21. f4 Re8 22. Kf2 Kg7 23. Be4 Rd8 24. Red1 Rxd4 25. Rxd4 Kf6 26. c5 Rc8 27. Ra4 a6 {Piket,J (2632)-Anand,V (2790) Monte Carlo 2001 ½-½ (42)}) 13... Qxd4 14. Nxd4 Nf6 $146 ({RR} 14... Nc5 15. Bf3 Bd7 16. b4 Ne6 17. Nf5 g6 18. Nd6+ Bxd6 19. Rxd6 Ke7 20. Rad1 Rhd8 21. a4 b6 22. Kf1 Be8 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Rxd8 Kxd8 25. Ke2 Ke7 26. g3 Kd6 27. Kd3 f6 28. Bg2 g5 29. Be4 {Neuman,P (2416)-Suran,J (2397) Bayern 2003 ½-½ (43)}) 15. Bc2 O-O 16. h3 Re8 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. Bxf5 $14 {Mit dem Läuferpaar kann Weiß risikolos auf Gewinn spielen, aber Anand verteidigt sich zäh.} Bf8 19. Bc2 a6 20. Rac1 Rad8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. g4 g6 23. Kg2 Ne8 24. f4 Be7 25. Kf3 Ng7 26. f5 Ne8 27. Re1 Rd7 28. Re2 (28. fxg6 $5 $14 {ist beachtenswert, um dem Lc2 etwas mehr Luft zu geben und so die Stärke des Läuferpaares zu betonen.}) 28... g5 29. b3 f6 30. c5 a5 31. Rd2 Rxd2 32. Bxd2 Bxc5 33. Bxa5 Nd6 {Anand hat eine Defensivaufstellung gefunden: Der Springer verteidigt die Felder c4 und e4, während der Läufer die Diagonale g1-a7 kontrolliert.} 34. a4 Bd4 35. Bc7 (35. b4 Bc3 $1) 35... Bc5 36. Ba5 Bd4 37. Be1 Kf8 38. Ke2 Ke7 39. Kd3 Bg1 40. b4 h6 41. Bb3 Ba7 42. Be6 Bg1 43. h4 Ba7 44. h5 Bg1 45. Bc3 Bf2 46. Bb2 Bg1 47. Ba3 Bf2 48. Bc4 Be1 49. b5 cxb5 50. Bxb5 Bf2 51. Bb4 b6 52. Bc6 Bg1 53. Ke2 Bd4 54. Kd3 Bg1 55. Bd5 Bf2 56. Ke2 Bg1 57. Kd3 Bf2 58. Bf3 Bg1 59. Be2 Bf2 60. Ba3 Bg1 61. Bb4 Bf2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 16th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1999.02.23"] [Round "3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2751"] [BlackElo "2714"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1999.02.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 070"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.06.08"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.06.08"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 e5 $5 {Schwarz spielt ...e5, ohne daß die Rochade bereits geschehen ist. Dadurch ergeben sich für beide Seiten einige neue Möglichkeiten.} (7... O-O 8. O-O e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 {führt zu weißem Vorteil.}) 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. Nb5 $5 {Es wäre interessant zu wissen, was Ivanchuk auf 9.e4 geplant hat bzw. warum Kramnik dies nicht gespielt hat. Gemäß 'Theorie' steht Weiß dann besser:} (9. e4 dxe4 (9... exd4 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Qa5+ 12. Bd2 Qxd5 13. O-O $44 {Ftacnik}) 10. Nxe4 Bb4+ (10... Nxe4 11. Bxe4 exd4 12. O-O Nf6 13. Bg5 Qc7 14. Bxf6 Qxc2 15. Bxc2 gxf6 16. Nxd4 $16 {Browne}) 11. Kf1 $16 {½-½ Browne,W-Kortschnoj,V/San Francisco 1995/CBM 46/[Ftacnik] (22)}) 9... Bb4+ $5 $146 (9... Bb8 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. Bd2 (12. f4 $6 Bb8 13. Bd2 O-O $6 (13... a6 $1 14. Nd4 O-O $11 {Tsesarsky}) 14. Rc1 Bd7 15. Nc7 Bxc7 16. Qxc7 Qxc7 17. Rxc7 $14 {1-0 Tsesarsky,I-Kaganskiy,G/Israel 1998/CBM 65/[Tsesarsky] (55)}) 12... O-O 13. Bc3 $14) 10. Bd2 (10. Kf1 $6 e4 11. Nc7+ Ke7 12. Nxa8 exd3 13. Qxd3 b6 {und der ?a8 geht verloren.}) 10... Bxd2+ 11. Nxd2 {Kritisch erscheint 11.?xd2:} (11. Qxd2 $5 e4 (11... exd4 12. Qb4 $16) (11... O-O 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Ng4 14. f4 $16) 12. Qb4 Qe7 $5 (12... Qb6 13. Nd6+ Kf8 14. Bb5 Kg8 (14... exf3 15. Nxc8+ $18) 15. Ng5 a6 16. Rc1 $16) (12... exd3 13. Nd6+ Kf8 14. Nxc8+ Ke8 15. Nd6+ Kf8 16. Nf5+ Kg8 17. Ne7+ Kf8 18. Nc6+ $18) 13. Nc7+ (13. Nd6+ Kf8 $17) 13... Kd8 14. Qxe7+ Kxe7 15. Nxa8 exd3 16. Nc7 a6 17. Ne5 Nb6 18. Rc1 $16 {Momentan kommt der weiße Springer nicht raus, aber ich sehe auch nicht, wie Schwarz an ihn heran kommt.}) 11... O-O 12. Rc1 (12. dxe5 Nxe5) 12... e4 13. Be2 Nb6 $146 {E scheint mir, als hätte Schwraz seine Probleme jetzt gelöst.} ({RR} 13... a6 14. Nc7 Ra7 15. Qb3 b5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Qa5 18. a3 Nf6 19. Qc5 Rd7 20. b4 Qd8 21. O-O Re8 22. Qg5 h6 23. Qh4 Rd5 24. Rc2 Rg5 25. Rfc1 Bb7 26. Kh1 Nd5 27. g3 Qf6 28. Kg1 {Jackelen,T (2368)-Hector,J (2505) Germany 1999 ½-½ (42)}) 14. Qc7 Qxc7 15. Nxc7 Rb8 16. f3 Bd7 17. Nb5 (17. fxe4 dxe4 18. O-O Rbc8 $11 {? ...?bd5}) 17... exf3 18. gxf3 Na4 {Schwarz wickelt zum Unentschieden ab.} 19. b3 Bxb5 20. Bxb5 Rfc8 21. Rxc8+ Rxc8 22. Bxa4 Rc1+ 23. Kf2 Rxh1 24. Nf1 Kf8 25. Kg2 (25. Kg2 Rxf1 26. Kxf1 Ke7 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2009.12.07"] [Round "6.2"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2723"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2009.11.21"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 134"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. Bd2 e5 13. Rac1 a6 14. b4 {With the help of a tactical motif White is trying to prevent the freeing manoeuvre ...c6-c5.} Rfe8 (14... exd4 15. exd4 Rfe8 16. h3 Qb8 (16... Bxb4 17. Nxb5 axb5 18. Bxb4 Nd5 19. a3 Nxb4 20. axb4 Qd6 21. d5 cxd5 22. Bxb5 Rec8 $11) 17. Qb3 Nd5 18. Nxd5 cxd5 {½-½ Sorokin,M (2560)-Suvrajit,S (2391)/Mumbai 2003}) 15. Bd3 (15. h3 h6 16. Nh4 exd4 17. exd4 Nb6 18. Nf5 Bh2+ 19. Kh1 Bf4 20. Bd3 Rad8 21. Ne2 Nbd5 22. Nxf4 Nxf4 23. Bf1 Ne4 24. Be1 c5 25. bxc5 Nxh3 26. f3 Qf4 {0-1 Grooten,H (2344)-Muir,A (2359)/Hinckley Island 2008 (93)} 27. Nh4 Ng3+ 28. Bxg3 Qxg3 29. Nf5 Nf2+ 30. Kg1 Nh3+ $11) 15... Bxb4 16. Ng5 $146 (16. Nxb5 $2 axb5 17. Bxb4 e4 $19) ({RR} 16. Bxh7+ Nxh7 17. Nd5 Qd8 18. Nxb4 e4 19. Ne5 Nxe5 {½-½ (19) Yim,S (2272)-Wu,S (2082) Sunnyvale USA 2023}) ({RR} 16. Bxh7+ Nxh7 17. Nd5 Qd8 18. Nxb4 e4 19. Ne5 Nxe5 {½-½ (19) Yim,S (2272)-Wu,S (2082) Sunnyvale USA 2023}) 16... h6 $2 {[%mdl 4] Karjakin's defensive task was not very pleasant. His solution to the problem of the h7-weakness will be convincingly refuted by White.} (16... Nf8 17. Nxb5 axb5 18. Bxb4 exd4 19. exd4 Qf4 20. Bd2 Qxd4 21. Bc3 Qf4 22. Bxf6 Qxf6 23. Ne4 Qe7 24. Nd6 Red8 $11) 17. Nxb5 axb5 (17... Qa5 18. Bxb4 Qxb4 19. Nc7 hxg5 20. Rb1 Qe7 21. Nxe8 Rxe8 22. Rxb7 $18) 18. Bh7+ $1 Kf8 {The black king never really planned the trip to f8, but at this moment he was left without any options.} (18... Kh8 $4 19. Nxf7#) (18... Nxh7 19. Qxh7+ Kf8 20. Bxb4+ c5 21. Rxc5 $18) 19. Bxb4+ c5 (19... Re7 20. dxe5 Nxe5 (20... Qxe5 21. Nf3 Qe6 22. Bf5 $18) 21. Bd6 Qb6 22. Qf5 $18) 20. dxc5 Bc6 (20... hxg5 21. c6+ Re7 22. cxd7 $18) 21. Be4 Nb8 {The fact, that this passive and unappealing move is the best defence indicates, that the second player is not only missing tha pawn but also struggling with serious problems.} (21... hxg5 22. Bxc6 Qxc6 23. Rd6 Qc7 24. c6 Nc5 25. Qxc5 $18) (21... Bxe4 22. c6+ Kg8 23. Nxe4 $18) 22. Nh7+ Nxh7 (22... Ke7 23. Nxf6 Kxf6 24. Rd6+ Ke7 (24... Re6 25. f4 Ra4 26. Qc3 $18) 25. Rcd1 Ra6 26. Bxc6 Nxc6 27. Qf5 Ra7 28. Qh7 Nxb4 29. Qxg7 $18) 23. Bxh7 g6 $6 {Karjakin is trying to solve the situation in a principled way and indirectly forces White to sacrifice on the g6-square. Unfortunatelly for him his scattered pieces will not be able to resist White's attack.} (23... Ra4 24. a3 Na6 25. Qb1 Nxb4 26. axb4 Rd8 27. Bc2 $16) 24. Rd6 Re7 (24... Ra4 25. a3 Na6 26. Bxg6 $18) 25. h4 (25. Rf6 Nd7 26. Qxg6 Nxf6 27. Qxh6+ Ke8 28. Qxf6 Re6 29. Qg7 Qd8 30. Qg4 $16) 25... h5 26. Bxg6 fxg6 $1 27. Qxg6 Rxa2 {The simple mathematics concerning the number of attacking and defensive pieces around the black king does not bode well for the stressed monarch.} (27... Rg7 28. Qf6+ Kg8 29. Rd8+ Kh7 30. Qf5+ $18) 28. Rcd1 Rf7 (28... Rd7 29. Rf6+ Rf7 30. Rd8+ Ke7 31. Rxf7+ Kxd8 32. Rf8+ $18) 29. Qh6+ Rg7 (29... Ke7 30. Re6#) 30. Qf6+ (30. Rg6 $18) 30... Kg8 31. Rd8+ Kh7 32. Qf5+ $1 {Gelfand is dilligently creating small miracles in order to use the attacking potential of his rooks with tempo.} Rg6 33. Qxh5+ Rh6 (33... Kg7 34. Qh8+ Kf7 35. Qf8+ Ke6 36. R1d6+ $18) 34. Qf5+ (34. Qf5+ Kg7 35. Qf8+ Kg6 36. R1d6+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-39"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.27"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2724"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2010.09.21"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 139"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackTeam "Hungary"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"] [BlackTeamCountry "HUN"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Rd1 b5 11. Bd3 Qc7 {Probably more accurate than} (11... Bb7 12. Ng5 $5) 12. Bd2 {This move is hardly dangerous for Black but what else can be suggested?} (12. e4 e5 13. h3 h6 14. Be3 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Qd6 18. Rac1 Bxe3 19. fxe3 Qb6 20. Qf2 Bb7 21. e4 Qxf2+ 22. Kxf2 Rfc8 23. b4 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Rc8 25. Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. Nd2 Nb6 27. Nb3 Kf8 28. Nc5 Ke7 $11 {1/2 Akobian,V (2612)-Shulman,Y (2632)/Saint Louis 2009/CBM 130 (33)}) (12. h3 Bb7 13. Ng5 h6 14. Nge4 Be7 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Rac8 18. Bd2 c5 19. dxc5 Bxc5 20. Rac1 Qb6 21. Qb1 Rfd8 {1/2 Fridman,D (2650)-Vasquez,R (2507)/ICC INT 2009/CBM 129 Extra}) (12. a3 $5 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. b4 Be7 (14... Bd6 $1 $11) 15. Bb2 Kh8 ({but not} 15... Bb7 $2 16. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Qxc7 Nxc7 19. Rxd7) 16. Rac1 Bb7 17. Qe2 Qb6 18. Ng5 h6 19. Nce4 $14 {1-0 Lputian,S (2634)-Dreev,A (2690)/Taiyuan 2004/CBM 102 (40)}) (12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Nf6 14. Bd3 c5 (14... h6 $143 $6 15. e4 Be7 16. e5 Nd5 17. Qe2 $14 {1-0 Banikas,H (2582)-Nyback,T (2644)/ICC INT 2009/CBM 129 Extra (41)}) 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. a4 bxa4 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 18. Rxa4 Bb7 19. Bd2 Rfd8 20. Bc3 Be7 21. Raa1 Nd5 22. Ba5 Rdc8 23. Nd4 g6 $11 {1-0 Eljanov,P (2751)-Akopian,V (2694)/Astrakhan 2010/CBM 137 (64)}) (12. a4 Bb7 (12... b4 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Nf6 15. Bd3 c5 16. b3 (16. Bd2 Bb7 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. Qxc5 Bxc5 19. a5 Rfd8 20. Be1 Nd5 21. Ne5 f6 22. Nc4 {1-0 Roselli Mailhe,B (2399)-Gerzhoy,L (2485)/Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2010/The Week in Chess 829 (41)} Rac8 $11) 16... cxd4 17. Qxc7 Bxc7 18. Nxd4 Bb7 $11 {1-0 Eljanov,P (2716)-Aronian,L (2768)/Jermuk 2009/CBM 132/[Eljanov] (43)}) 13. e4 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. h3 Rad8 (16... Rac8 $143 17. Be3 Rfe8 18. Rac1 Qb8 19. b4 a5 $6 20. bxa5 b4 21. Ne2 c5 22. f3 $16 {1/2 Akobian,V (2628)-Nyback,T (2643)/Wijk aan Zee 2010/CBM 135 (47)}) 17. Be3 Rd7 18. Rd2 Rfd8 19. Rad1 h6 {1/2 Pashikian,A (2647)-Grigoriants,S (2560)/Moscow 2010/CBM 135}) 12... c5 13. dxc5 Qxc5 14. a4 (14. Ne4 Qxc2 15. Bxc2 {1/2 Jussupow,A (2587)-Stellwagen,D (2616)/Amsterdam 2008/CBM 126}) 14... bxa4 15. Rxa4 Bb7 16. Rc4 $6 (16. Ne4 $11) 16... Qa7 $6 ({Missing} 16... Bxf3 $1 17. Rxc5 (17. gxf3 Qh5) 17... Bxd1 18. Nxd1 Nxc5 {, and 2 rooks should be stronger than the white queen.}) 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 $14 {White is now slightly better due to his more active pieces.} Rac8 $146 (19... Rfc8 $142 20. Qd4 $6 Rxc4) ({RR} 19... Nf6 20. Qc2 Qe7 21. e4 e5 22. Ba5 Rfb8 23. Qd2 Rb5 24. Bc3 Ne8 25. Rc6 Bb4 26. h3 g6 27. Qd3 Qb7 28. Qc4 Bxc3 29. bxc3 a5 30. Rd5 Rb1+ 31. Kh2 a4 32. Nxe5 a3 33. Rd7 Qb3 34. Qd4 {Vovk,Y (2577)-Sadzikowski,D (2370) Mrzezyno 2011 1-0 (38)}) 20. Qd4 $1 {[%mdl 2048] This tactical trick forces new concessions from Black.} Bc5 (20... Bb8 21. Bb4 Qxd4 22. Rcxd4 Nc5 $14) 21. Qc3 Rcd8 (21... Rc7 $142 $1 22. Qc2 Rfc8 23. Bc3 f6 $14) 22. Qc2 $1 Rfe8 (22... Bb6 23. Bb4 Rfe8 24. Bd6 {[%csl Gd6]}) 23. Ng5 g6 24. Ba5 Bb6 25. Bc3 $1 {[%CAl Rg5h7]} e5 26. Ne4 Re6 27. Bb4 $1 Kg7 28. Rc6 $1 {White's subtle manouvres have brought him a huge positional advantage. Black now decides to ruin his pawn structure to avoid the total domination of the white pieces.} Nf6 (28... Rxc6 $2 29. Qxc6 {[%CAl Rb4e7]}) (28... Rde8 $2 29. Rxe6 Rxe6 30. Qc8 $18) (28... Ree8 29. Rdd6 {[%csl Gc6,Gd6]} Qb7 30. Qc4 Rc8 31. Bc3 $18) 29. Rxe6 fxe6 30. Nxf6 Kxf6 31. Ra1 (31. Rxd8 $5 Bxd8 32. Qe4 {[%CAl Rb4d6,Re4f3] winning a pawn at once.}) 31... Qb7 32. Bc3 a5 33. Qa4 g5 (33... Qd5 $142 $5 34. h3 g5 {putting up more stubborn resistance.} 35. h4 $140 h6 36. Qg4 Kg6) 34. h4 $1 h6 35. Qg4 Qh7 36. Qh5 Qg6 (36... Rg8 37. Bxa5 $18) 37. Bxe5+ Kf7 38. Qf3+ Kg8 39. Qc6 {suddenly trapping the bishop!} 1-0 [Event "Astana"] [Site "Astana"] [Date "2001.05.31"] [Round "9"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2712"] [BlackElo "2722"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2001.05.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "KAZ"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 084"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O e5 {Möglicherweise wird der Karpov-Komplex 6.?c2/7.?d3 durch diesen Zug mehr oder weniger entschärft, denn es entsteht nahezu forciert ein Endspiel, in dem die weißen Gewinnaussichten äußerst minimal sind.} 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 h6 13. Rd1 $5 {Ein neuer Versuch im Kampf um den Vorteil.} (13. Be3 {war bislang die Hauptfortsetzung.} exd4 14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. Bxd4 Nf6 16. Bf5 Qa5 $1 (16... Bxf5 $6 17. Qxf5 Qc8 18. Qb5 a6 19. Qb6 Qc7 20. Qxc7 Bxc7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Rfe1 Rfe8 23. Rad1 $14 {1-0 Karpov,A-Kramnik,V/Vienna 1996/CBM 55/[Lutz] (59)}) 17. Bxc8 Rfxc8 18. Qb3 Qd5 19. Bxf6 Qxb3 20. axb3 (20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. axb3 Be7 $1 $44 {½-½ Bareev,E-Dreev,A/Elista 1998/CBM 65/[Lutz] (25) Schwarz stellt den Läufer nach f6 und hat Kompensation. Für Weiß ist es sehr schwer, den Mehrbauern zu verwerten.}) 20... gxf6 21. Rfd1 Rd8 22. g3 Bc5 23. Kg2 Bb6 24. Rac1 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Rc8 26. Rd2 Rc5 27. Nh4 h5 28. f4 Rb5 29. Rd3 Rc5 30. Rd2 Rb5 31. Rd3 Rc5 {½-½ Kramnik,V-Shirov,A/Frankfurt 2000/CBM 78/[Lutz] (31)}) 13... Qc7 (13... exd4 14. Nxd4 Nf6 15. Bf3 Qa5 16. g3 Bg4 17. Bxg4 Nxg4 18. h3 Nf6 19. Nf5 Rac8 20. Qd3 Bc5 21. Qf3 Rcd8 22. Bxh6 gxh6 23. Nxh6+ Kg7 24. Nf5+ Kg6 25. Nh4+ Kg7 26. Nf5+ Kg6 27. Nh4+ {½-½ Degerman,L-Tella,J/Stockholm 1999/CBM 68 ext (27)}) 14. Qxc7 (14. Be3 $5 exd4 15. Qxc7 Bxc7 16. Nxd4 Nf6 17. Nb5 Be5 18. Bf3 Bf5 19. Bd4 Bxd4 20. Rxd4 Bd7 21. Nd6 Bc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Rc1 $14 {1-0 Loncar,R-Bukal,V/Zadar 1998/EXT 2000 (39)}) (14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. Qxc7 Bxc7 16. Bf5 exd4 17. Nxd4 Nf6 18. Be3 Bb6 19. Bxc8 Raxc8 20. Nf5 Bxe3 21. Nxe3 Rfd8 22. Kf1 g6 23. Ke2 Kg7 $11 {1-0 Pihlajasalo,A-Aura,K/Espoo 1997/EXT 2000 (58)}) ({RR} 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Qxc7 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Bxc7 {½-½ (24) Van Kampen,R (2475)-Nasanjargal,U (2075) Vung Tau 2008}) 14... Bxc7 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Be3 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Be5 18. Bc5 Re8 19. Re1 Bd7 $1 {Damit hat Schwarz seine Probleme gelöst. Shirov hat alles genau berechnet.} 20. Bxb7 Rab8 21. Rxe5 Rxe5 22. Bd6 Ree8 23. Bxb8 Rxb8 24. Be4 Rxb2 25. Rd1 $146 Be8 26. Rd8 Kf8 27. a4 (27. Bc6 $4 Rb1+) 27... Ke7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Astrakhan FIDE GP"] [Site "Astrakhan"] [Date "2010.05.14"] [Round "5"] [White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2010.05.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 137"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 Qe7 10. h3 c5 11. Rd1 {A rare continuation.} (11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. e4 {is usually played here.}) ({RR} 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. e4 Bd6 13. Nd4 Ne5 14. Bb3 Bd7 15. Be3 Ng6 16. Rad1 Rfd8 17. Nf3 Bc6 18. Rfe1 Rdc8 19. Qb1 Bb4 20. Bd2 Rd8 21. a3 Bc5 22. Na4 Bd6 23. Nc3 Qc7 24. Ba2 a6 25. Be3 b5 {Karpov,A (2730)-Anand,V (2650) Brussels 1991 0-1 (70)}) 11... b6 $5 (11... a6 $5 12. a4 (12. a3 $6 b5 13. Be2 Bb7 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. b4 Nce4 $15 {1/2 Jurek,J (2373)-Szuhanek,R (2444)/Aschach 2005/CBM 110 ext (23)}) (12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Ne4 b5 14. Nxc5 Nxc5 15. Be2 Bb7 16. Bd2 Rac8 $11 {1/2 Drasko,M (2445)-Todorovic,G (2415)/Pula 1990/TD (40)}) (12. e4 b5 13. e5 $5 (13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Be2 Ncd7 15. Bg5 Ne5 16. Nd4 h6 17. Bh4 Ng6 $13 {0-1 Pushkov,N (2541)-Vitiugov,N (2382)/St Petersburg 2001/EXT 2002 (41)}) 13... bxc4 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Bb7 $1 16. exd6 (16. Qxb7 $2 Nxe5 $1) 16... Bxe4 17. dxe7 Rfe8 $11) 12... b6 (12... Nb6 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Bb3 Qc7 15. e4 Nbd7 16. Qe2 Nh5 17. e5 Ng3 18. Qe1 b6 19. Bf4 Nf5 20. Ne4 $16 {1-0 Schlosser,P (2560)-Chiburdanidze,M (2540)/Lippstadt 1996/EXT 1998 (36)}) (12... h6 13. e4 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Ne5 15. Bf1 Bb4 16. Be3 Bd7 17. f4 Nc6 18. e5 $16 {0-1 Banikas,H (2520)-Gausel,E (2511)/Bled 2002/EXT 2003 (52)}) (12... Rd8 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. e4 $14) 13. b3 (13. d5 $5) 13... Bb7 14. Qe2 e5 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Bb2 e4 17. Nd4 Qe5 18. g3 Rad8 19. Rd2 Qg5 20. Rad1 Bc7 $13 {0-1 Schmidt,W (2406)-Cyborowski,L (2550)/Lubniewice 2003/EXT 2004 (34)}) ({RR} 11... a6 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. e4 b5 14. Be2 Bb7 15. e5 Nd5 16. Bg5 f6 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Bh6 Rfc8 19. Qd2 Bb4 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Qf4 Bd6 22. Qh4 Ne5 23. Nd4 Ng6 24. Qh5 Qf7 25. Nxe6 Qxe6 26. Rxd5 {Silva,L (2334)-Santos,A (2288) Oeiras 2015 1-0 (32)}) 12. dxc5 (12. d5 exd5 13. Bxd5 (13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Rb8 $11) 13... Rb8 14. e4 (14. Nb5 $5 Nxd5 15. Rxd5 Bc7 $3 16. e4 $1 (16. Nxc7 Nf6 $1 $11) (16. Nxa7 $2 Bb7) 16... Ne5 $1 $13) 14... Ne5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Be3 Be6 17. Bxe6 Qxe6 18. f3 Rfd8 $11 {1/2 Lomineishvili,M (2397)-Barbini,D/Cappelle la Grande 1999/EXT 2000 (37)}) 12... Bxc5 13. e4 Bb7 $146 {Black has developed his pieces quite comfortably and has no serious problems.} ({RR} 13... Bd6 14. Bb5 Ne5 15. Nd4 a6 16. Be2 Bb7 17. Be3 Bc5 18. f4 Nc6 19. Bf3 Rfd8 20. Qf2 Nxd4 21. Bxd4 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Rd8 23. Rad1 Ra8 24. Ra1 Rd8 25. Rad1 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 e5 27. fxe5 Qxe5 28. Ne2 {Zhou,W (2584)-Yu,R (2309) China 2010 0-1 (49)}) 14. Bg5 Rfd8 (14... h6 $1 15. Bh4 Bb4 $1 $132) 15. Qe2 $6 (15. Bb5 $142 $1 h6 16. Rxd7 Rxd7 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. Qc1 Kg7 20. Qf4 $14 {[%csl Rg7]}) 15... h6 16. Bh4 g5 $1 17. Bg3 Nf8 $6 (17... Bb4 $5 18. e5 Bxc3 19. exf6 (19. bxc3 Ne4) 19... Bxf6 {and White hardly has sufficient compensation for the pawn.}) 18. Ne5 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Rd8 20. Bd3 (20. Rxd8 Qxd8 21. h4 $5) 20... Bd4 21. Bb1 a6 22. h4 $2 {A strange pawn sacrifice, which Black gratefully accepts. Every move should be made in-time (see annotation to move 20)!} (22. Qd2 $5 b5 $1 23. Nf3 Bb6 24. Bd6 Qd7 25. Qe2 $36) 22... gxh4 23. Bf4 Bxe5 24. Bxe5 Ng6 25. Bd4 b5 26. a3 $6 {White should have aimed for an endgame with opposite-coloured bishops:} (26. e5 Nd5 (26... Nf4 $4 27. Qc2) 27. Nxd5 Bxd5 28. Qg4 Qg5 29. Qxg5 hxg5 30. Bxg6 fxg6 31. Be3 g4 32. Bg5 Rc8 $140 33. Rc1 $1 {, and he should not lose.}) 26... Nf4 27. Qf3 N6h5 $6 (27... e5 $1 28. Be3 Rxd1+ 29. Nxd1 (29. Qxd1 N6h5 {[%CAl Ye7g5]}) 29... Bc8 $1 30. Bxf4 Bg4 31. Qc3 exf4 $17) 28. Be3 {After this move Black gradually converts his material advantage.} (28. g3 $142 Qg5 29. Kh2 hxg3+ 30. fxg3 Rxd4 $8 31. Rxd4 Ng6 $44) 28... Rxd1+ 29. Qxd1 $6 (29. Nxd1 $142 Qg5 30. Kh2 {[%CAl Rg2g3]} Qe5 31. Kg1 $17) 29... Qg5 30. Qf3 e5 31. Nd5 Bc8 $1 32. Kh2 Bg4 33. Bxf4 exf4 34. Qd3 f3 $1 35. gxf3 Be6 {[%CAl Rh4h3]} 36. Qe3 Qe5+ 37. f4 Qxb2 38. Bd3 Bxd5 39. exd5 Nf6 40. Kh3 Qa1 41. Be4 Nxe4 42. Qxe4 Qxa3+ 43. Kxh4 Qd6 44. Qf5 b4 45. Qg4+ Kf8 46. Qc8+ Kg7 47. Qc4 a5 48. Kg3 a4 49. Qc6 Qg6+ $1 50. Kf3 Qd3+ 0-1 [Event "WchT 7th"] [Site "Bursa"] [Date "2010.01.06"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2781"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2010.01.05"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 134"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Armenia"] [BlackTeam "Israel"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "ISR"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Rd1 b5 11. Bf1 (11. Be2 {is the main line but the text move may well become popular after the present game}) (11. Bd3 {is also possible.}) 11... c5 $1 12. a4 (12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Ng5 (13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 $1 {- that's why 11.?f1 is considered less accurate than 11.?e2! -} 15. Qc2 Qb6 16. a4 Bb7 17. axb5 axb5 18. Bd2 Be4 $11 {1/2 Hansen,C (2610)-Ivanchuk,V (2704)/Malmo 2003/CBM 095 (24)}) 13... Qb6 $1 (13... Bb7 $143 14. Nce4 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Be7 16. Nd6 Bd5 17. e4 Bxd6 18. exd5 Rc8 19. Qe2 exd5 20. Rxd5 Nf6 21. Rd3 $14 {1-0 Karpov,A (2725)-Polgar,Z (2530)/Madrid 1992/CBM 030/[Ftacnik] (57)}) 14. Nce4 Be7 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16. Bd3 h6 17. Nh7 {1/2 Shariyazdanov,A (2594)-Zakharstov,V (2484)/Elista 2001/CBM 083}) 12... b4 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Rb8 15. Qd3 $146 (15. b3 $6 Bb7 16. Qd3 cxd4 17. exd4 Qa5 $15 {0-1 Saladen,R (2287)-Abreu Delgado,A (2488)/Cali 2001/CBM 083 ext (35)}) 15... cxd4 $146 {A premature exchange.} (15... Bb7 $5 16. e4 (16. dxc5 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Qg5+ 18. Bg2 Nxc5 $1 19. Qxd6 $140 $2 Rbd8 20. e4 Qf6) 16... c4 $1 17. Qxc4 Bxe4 18. Bg5 Nf6 19. Qxa6 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Ra8 $44) (15... Qc7 $5 {S.Zagrebelny}) ({RR} 15... Qc7 16. e4 cxd4 17. Qxd4 Bc5 18. Qd3 Ne5 19. Nxe5 Qxe5 20. Qf3 Ra8 21. Qf4 Qxf4 22. Bxf4 Bb7 23. Rac1 Rfc8 24. Rc4 Bf8 25. f3 a5 26. Kf2 h6 27. b3 Rxc4 28. Bxc4 Bc5+ 29. Ke2 Bc6 30. Bc7 {Sasikiran,K (2690)-Kuipers,S (2381) Cappelle la Grande 2011 1-0 (41)}) 16. Qxd4 Be7 17. Qf4 Bf6 18. a5 $1 {[%csl Ra6,Rb4]} Qe7 19. e4 e5 20. Qe3 $14 Nc5 $6 (20... Rd8 21. Bc4 Nf8 $14) 21. Rd5 $1 Ne6 (21... Nd7 22. Bd2 $16) 22. Nxe5 Bb7 23. Nd7 $1 (23. Ng4 Bxd5 24. exd5 Nd4 25. Bxa6 $14 {S,Zagrebelny}) 23... Bxd5 24. Nxf8 Ba8 (24... Bb7 25. Nxe6 Qxe6 26. Qa7 $1 $16) 25. Nxe6 Qxe6 {White has won a pawn but is yet to complete his development.} 26. Qa7 (26. e5 $142 $1 $16 {S.Zagrebelny} Bxe5 $140 27. f4 Bf6 28. Qxe6 fxe6 29. Bxa6 Rd8 30. Be2) 26... Rd8 $132 27. Be3 $1 {White gives up his material advantage but his passed a-pawn will be very strong.} Bxe4 (27... Bxb2 28. Rd1 $1) 28. Re1 Bxb2 29. Qb6 $1 {[%mdl 2048]} (29. Bb6 Ra8 30. Qxa8+ Bxa8 31. Rxe6 fxe6 32. Bxa6 Bd5 33. Bd3 Kf7 {is hardly winning for White.}) 29... Rc8 (29... Qf6 30. Bc5 $1) 30. Bf4 $1 (30. Bxa6 $6 Qg4) 30... g5 $5 {Desperation.} 31. Bg3 $6 {A mystery.} ({Why not} 31. Bxg5 $16 {?}) 31... b3 $5 {Very creative but hardly effective.} 32. Re3 $2 {This move gives away White's whole advantage.} (32. Qxe6 fxe6 33. Rxe4 {was quite good:} Bf6 34. Re1 b2 35. Bd3 Rc1 36. Rf1 {and then the white dark-squared bishop will push the black rook back, e.g.} Bc3 37. Bc7 $1 h6 (37... Be1 38. Be5 $1 b1=Q 39. Bxb1 Rxb1 40. Bc3 $18) 38. Bb6 e5 $1 39. Be3 Be1 40. g3 $16 {followed by ?g2, f4 etc.}) 32... Bf6 (32... Qd5 {[%CAl Rc8c1] was a simpler equalizer:} 33. Qxb3 Qxb3 34. Rxb3 Bf6 35. Bxa6 Rc5 36. Ra3 (36. Bb5 $2 Bd5 37. Rb1 Ba2 38. Rb4 Bc3) 36... Bb2 37. Rb3 Bf6 $11) 33. Rxe4 Qxe4 34. Qxf6 Qg6 $2 {It was essential to prevent Bg3-e5:} (34... Re8 $1 35. Qxg5+ Qg6 36. Qd2 Qf6 $11 {S.Zagrebelny}) 35. Qd4 h6 36. Be5 $1 {White now controls everything and brings his advantage home.} Re8 37. h4 Qf5 38. Bh8 Qh7 39. Qd7 Qe4 40. Bc3 gxh4 41. Bd3 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.15"] [Round "4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2790"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2016.03.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 ({RR} 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 {½-½ (31) Sedlak,N (2564)-Gonda,L (2507) Budapest 2017}) 7... O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nd4 Neg4 14. g3 Re8 (14... g6 15. Nb3 a5 16. h3 Ne5 17. f4 Nc4 18. e5 a4 19. Bxc4 bxc4 20. Nd2 Bc5+ 21. Kh2 Nd5 22. Nde4 Bd4 23. Nxd5 cxd5 24. Nf6+ Kh8 25. Qd2 $16 {1-0 (53) Bluebaum,M (2580)-Loiseau,Q (2419) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015}) (14... Bxg3 15. hxg3 Qxd4 16. Qd1 $1 Qxd1 17. Rxd1 {gives White excellent compensation for the pawn in the endgame. Here is a typical example:} Rfe8 18. f3 Ne5 19. Be3 a5 20. Rac1 h5 21. b3 a4 22. b4 Bc8 23. Bd4 a3 24. f4 Nc4 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Bxc4 bxc4 27. Rd6 $16 {1/2 (41) Lenic,L (2621)-Grachev,B (2687) Legnica 2013}) (14... Bc5 15. Nf5 Qb6 (15... Re8 $142 {transposing to the game}) 16. Bxg4 Nxg4 17. b4 $1 Bd4 (17... Bxb4 18. Qb2 Bxc3 19. Qxc3 f6 20. Ba3 $16 {1-0 (54) Khismatullin,D (2680)-Ponkratov,P (2610) Izhevsk 2014}) 18. Bb2 Be5 19. Qe2 Nf6 20. Na4 Qc7 21. Nc5 Bc8 22. Nd4 a5 23. a3 Bh3 24. Rfc1 $14 {1-0 (58) Cori,J (2612)-Ankit,R (2508) Pune 2014}) 15. Nf5 Bc5 16. Bf4 (16. Kg2 Bc8 $5) 16... Qb6 $1 {Both sides must play actively.} (16... b4 17. Bxg4 Nxg4 18. Na4 Bf8 19. Nc5 Bc8 20. Rad1 Qa5 21. Nd6 $16 {1-0 (48) Levin,F (2489)-Ashton,A (2395) Gallipoli 2014}) (16... Ne5 17. Rad1 Qb6 18. Kg2 Bb4 19. f3 a6 20. Qb3 Bf8 21. Nd6 $14 {1/2 (21) Gledura,B (2395)-Fodor,T (2462) Zalakaros 2014}) 17. Kg2 (17. Bxg4 {is not too promising:} Nxg4 18. Kg2 (18. b4 $6 {is untimely now; Black grabs a pawn without any risk:} Bxb4 19. Qb2 Bf8 20. Bd6 Bxd6 21. Nxd6 Re6 22. Rad1 Qc7 23. Qd2 Nf6 24. Rfe1 Ne8 25. Nf5 b4 26. Na4 c5 $17 {1-0 (60) Lingnau,C (2407)-Schreiner,T (2331) Germany 2015}) (18. Qe2 Nf6 19. e5 Bf8 20. Be3 c5 $1 21. exf6 Qxf6 22. g4 b4 23. Nd1 g6 24. Ng3 Qc6 25. f3 Ba6 26. Qf2 Bxf1 27. Nxf1 c4 $132 {0-1 (34) Sebenik,M (2511)-Diermair,A (2426) Bad Gleichenberg 2013}) (18. Rac1 Rad8 19. Nd1 Bf8 20. Nde3 Nxe3 21. Bxe3 c5 22. f3 g6 23. Nh4 Qe6 24. Bxc5 Bxc5+ 25. Qxc5 Qxa2 $11 {1-0 (44) Banusz,T (2585)-Pourramezanali,A (2432) Dubai 2015}) 18... Rad8 19. f3 Ne5 20. Rad1 Bf8 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 22. Rd1 Qf6 23. Bxe5 Qxe5 24. Qd2 b4 25. Ne2 c5 $11 {1/2 (34) Onischuk,A (2665)-Sethuraman,S (2623) Tsaghkadzor 2015}) 17... g6 (17... Nxf2 {proved insufficient for equality in the following game:} 18. e5 Nd7 (18... N6g4 19. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 20. Bxg4 Bf8 21. Bf3 Nc5 22. Be3 $1 Rxe5 23. Bd4 {[%CAl Rd4e5,Rb2b4]} Qc7 $8 24. Bxe5 Qxe5 25. Rad1 $14) 19. b4 $1 Bxb4 20. Rxf2 Nxe5 21. Ne4 (21. Nxg7 c5+ 22. Kh3 Bc8+ 23. g4 Kxg7 24. Bxe5+ Rxe5 25. Rxf7+ Kxf7 26. Qxh7+ Ke6 27. Qg6+ {1/2 (33) Wagner,D (2481)-Shirov,A (2685) Germany 2014}) 21... c5 22. Kf1 Bxe4 23. Qxe4 Ng6 24. Qd5 Nxf4 25. Ne7+ Kh8 26. Rxf4 c4 27. Nc6 Bc3 28. Rb1 Rac8 29. Bf3 $16 {1-0 (75) Giri,A (2768)-Shirov,A (2691) Hoogeveen 2014}) 18. h3 $1 Ne5 $146 {[%mdl 8]} ({The line played in the previous game looks quite decent for Black:} 18... gxf5 19. hxg4 Bd4 $5 (19... Nxe4 20. gxf5 $14) 20. gxf5 Bxc3 (20... Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Rxe4 22. f3 $14 {[%CAl Yf1h1]}) 21. bxc3 c5 22. f3 Rxe4 23. Rae1 Rxf4 $1 24. gxf4 Nd5 $44 {1/2 (40) Svane,R (2543)-Shirov,A (2715) Skopje 2015}) {However, the text move is hardly worse.} 19. Nh6+ (19. Bg5 $142 {but after} Ned7 20. Nh6+ Kg7 21. f4 Bd4 22. Bf3 b4 $1 {Black's position is satisfactory, e.g.} 23. Ne2 (23. e5 Nd5 24. Nxd5 cxd5 25. Ng4 Rac8 26. Qd2 Rc4 $13) (23. Na4 Qa6 $1 24. Be2 (24. Qb3 c5 25. Qxf7+ Kh8) 24... Qa5 25. Qc4 Rxe4 26. Qxf7+ Kh8 $13) 23... c5 24. Qb3 $1 Rf8 $13 (24... Rxe4 $143 25. Qxf7+ Kh8 26. Nxd4 cxd4 27. Rae1 $1)) 19... Kg7 20. Bg5 Bd4 (20... Ned7 {is not necessary now.}) 21. Bxf6+ {This knight should be eliminated, otherwise it can become dangerous, e.g.} (21. f4 Nc4 22. Bxc4 bxc4 23. f5 Nxe4 $1 24. Nxe4 Rxe4 25. fxg6 c5 $17) 21... Kxf6 22. f4 Nc4 23. Bxc4 bxc4 24. f5 $1 {White must urgently create counterplay. If Black consolidates his position, he will be clearly better due to his bishop pair and weakness of White's king.} c5 $1 (24... Kg7 {is risky for Black:} 25. fxg6 fxg6 (25... Kxh6 26. gxf7 $40) 26. Rf7+ Kxh6 27. Raf1 $1 {[%CAl Rc3a4]} (27. Na4 Qa5 28. Qc1+ g5 {[%csl Ra1]}) 27... Be3 28. Nd1 $1 Bc8 29. R1f3 $40) 25. fxg6+ Kxg6 26. Nxf7 Rf8 27. Nd5 {This leads to a perpetual.} (27. Kh2 $143 Rxf7 28. e5+ Kg7 29. Rxf7+ Kxf7 30. Qxh7+ Ke6 {, and White has no clear draw.}) 27... Qxb2 28. Ne7+ Kg7 29. Nf5+ Kg6 30. Ne7+ Kg7 31. Nf5+ Kg6 $146 32. Ne7+ {The game looks home-cooked, both players probably followed their analyses (certainly Black did!).} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 39th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2011.07.28"] [Round "7"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Le, Quang Liem"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2715"] [Annotator "Le,Quang Liem"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2011.07.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 144"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal Krasenkow,Michal} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Rd1 b5 11. Bd3 Qc7 ({RR} 11... Bb7 12. Ng5) 12. Bd2 {This line has been quite topical lately, with most of the games being played in 2010 and 2011.} (12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Nf6 14. Bd3 c5 ({RR} 14... h6 15. e4 Be7 16. e5 Nd5 17. Qe2)) ({RR} 12. e4 e5 13. h3 h6 14. Be3 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Qd6 18. Rac1 Bxe3 19. fxe3 Qb6 20. Qf2 Bb7 21. e4 Qxf2+ 22. Kxf2 Rfc8 23. b4 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Rc8 25. Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. Nd2 Nb6) ({RR} 12. h3 Bb7 13. Ng5 h6 14. Nge4 Be7 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Rac8 18. Bd2 c5 19. dxc5 Bxc5 20. Rac1 Qb6 21. Qb1 Rfd8) ({RR} 12. a3 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. b4 Be7 ({RR} 14... Bd6) 15. Bb2 Kh8 ({RR} 15... Bb7 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Qxc7 Nxc7 19. Rxd7) 16. Rac1 Bb7 17. Qe2 Qb6 18. Ng5 h6 19. Nce4) ({RR} 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Nf6 14. Bd3 c5 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. a4 bxa4 17. Qxc5 Bxc5 18. Rxa4 Bb7 19. Bd2 Rfd8 20. Bc3 Be7 21. Raa1 Nd5 22. Ba5 Rdc8 23. Nd4 g6) ({RR} 12. a4 Bb7 ({RR} 12... b4 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Nf6 15. Bd3 c5 16. b3 ({RR} 16. Bd2 Bb7 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. Qxc5 Bxc5 19. a5 Rfd8 20. Be1 Nd5 21. Ne5 f6 22. Nc4 Rac8) 16... cxd4 17. Qxc7 Bxc7 18. Nxd4 Bb7) 13. e4 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. h3 Rad8 ({RR} 16... Rac8 17. Be3 Rfe8 18. Rac1 Qb8 19. b4 a5 20. bxa5 b4 21. Ne2 c5 22. f3) 17. Be3 Rd7 18. Rd2 Rfd8 19. Rad1 h6) 12... c5 ({RR} 12... Bb7 13. b4 e5 14. a3 h6 15. Rac1 Rac8 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Rfe8 18. Bc3 exd4 19. exd4 Nf6 20. Bf5 Rcd8 21. Ne5 Bc8 22. Bd3 Be6 23. Bb2 Bxe5 24. dxe5 Nd5 25. Bf1 Rc8 26. Qc5 Red8 27. h3 {Maiorov,N (2444)-Rzap,F (2271) Warsaw POL 2026 1-0 (36)}) 13. dxc5 (13. Ne4 c4 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Be2 Bb7 16. b3 {is another theoretical discussion. For more details - see the article in CMB 142.} {RR} Bd5 17. Qb2 Ne4 18. Ba5 Rac8 ({RR} 18... Rfc8 19. Ne1 c3 20. Qc1 c2) 19. Ne1 ({RR} 19. Rac1 cxb3 20. axb3 b4) 19... c3 20. Qc1 c2 21. Rd3 ({RR} 21. Nxc2 Nxf2) 21... Nxf2 22. Kxf2 Qxh2 23. Nf3 Qd6) ({RR} 13. Ne4 c4 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Be2 Bb7 16. b3 Rfc8 17. Qb2 Rab8 ({RR} 17... Bd5) 18. Rdc1 ({RR} 18. Rac1 Ne4 19. Be1 ({RR} 19. Ba5 Qd5 20. Ne1 Qg5) 19... Nb6 20. Ba5 cxb3 21. axb3 b4 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rc1 Nc3) 18... Ne4 ({RR} 18... Be4 19. Ba5 ({RR} 19. Ne1 Nd5 20. f3 Bg6 21. e4 c3) 19... Qd5) 19. Ba5 Bd5 ({RR} 19... cxb3 20. axb3 b4 21. Bf1 Nc3 22. Nd2) ({RR} 19... Qd5 20. Rab1 Ba8) 20. Ne1 f5 ({RR} 20... cxb3 21. axb3 b4 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Nd3) 21. f3 Nef6 22. Rab1 g5 ({RR} 22... e5 23. dxe5 ({RR} 23. Nc2 e4) 23... Qxe5 24. Qxe5 Nxe5 25. Bc3 Nfd7 26. Rd1 Bf7) 23. Qd2 Kf7 ({RR} 23... g4) 24. Bb4 Qb6 25. Ba5 Qd6 26. bxc4 bxc4 27. Rxb8 Qxb8 {Gelfand,B (2733)-Mamedyarov,S (2772) Kazan 2011 CBM 143 [Krasenkow,Michal] ½-½ (40)}) 13... Qxc5 ({The natural} 13... Nxc5 {runs into} 14. Bxb5 Bb7 (14... axb5 15. Nxb5 Qb6 16. Nxd6 Qxd6 17. Bb4) 15. Be2 Ng4 16. h3 Bh2+ 17. Kf1 Nxf2 18. Kxf2 Ne4+ 19. Qxe4 $14) 14. b4 $146 {This new move creates no problem for Black.} ({The game Ivanchuk - Leko, Khanty Mansiysk 2010 saw} 14. a4 bxa4 (14... b4 $5 {is also playable.}) 15. Rxa4 Bb7 16. Rc4 ({RR} 16. Ne4) 16... Qa7 ({Black could have improved with} 16... Bxf3 $1 17. Rxc5 ({RR} 17. gxf3 Qh5) 17... Bxd1 18. Qxd1 Nxc5 $11) ({RR} 16... Bxf3 17. Rxc5 Bxd1 18. Nxd1 Nxc5) 17. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rac8 ({RR} 19... Rfc8 20. Qd4 Rxc4) 20. Qd4 Bc5 ({RR} 20... Bb8 21. Bb4 Qxd4 22. Rcxd4 Nc5) 21. Qc3 {and later on, the Ukrainian managed to convert his slight positional advantage into a full point. However, it is clear that Black was fine after the opening.} {RR} Rc7 22. Qc2 Rfc8 23. Bc3 f6) (14. Ne4 Qxc2 15. Bxc2 Be7) ({RR} 14. a4 bxa4 15. Rxa4 Bb7 16. Rc4 Qa7 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rac8 20. Qd4 Bc5 21. Qc3 Rcd8 22. Qc2 Rfe8 ({RR} 22... Bb6 23. Bb4 Rfe8 24. Bd6) 23. Ng5 g6 24. Ba5 Bb6 25. Bc3 e5 26. Ne4 Re6 27. Bb4 Kg7 28. Rc6 Nf6 {Ivanchuk,V (2754)-Leko,P (2724) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 CBM 139 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (39)} ({RR} 28... Rxc6 29. Qxc6) ({RR} 28... Rde8 29. Rxe6 Rxe6 30. Qc8) ({RR} 28... Ree8 29. Rdd6 Qb7 30. Qc4 Rc8 31. Bc3)) ({RR} 14. Ne4 Qxc2 15. Bxc2) ({RR} 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Qxc2 16. Bxc2 Be7 17. Be4 Ra7 18. Nd4 Bb7 19. Bxb7 Rxb7 20. Rac1 Bf6 21. Bb4 Ra8 22. Nc6 Nb6 23. Bc3 Rc8 24. Bxf6 gxf6 25. Ne7+ Rxe7 26. Rxc8+ Nxc8 27. Rd8+ Kg7 28. Rxc8 Rd7 {Jurek,J (2289)-Froewis,G (2423) Aschach 2013 ½-½ (61)}) 14... Qc7 15. a4 bxa4 16. Qxa4 $6 {White's queen is not well placed on the queenside.} (16. Nxa4 Qxc2 17. Bxc2 Bb7 $11) 16... Bb7 17. Qa5 Qb8 $36 {Black's position is already more comfortable, with all his pieces being very active and aiming at several targets.} 18. Be2 Rc8 (18... Bxf3 {is premature, as after} 19. Bxf3 Bxh2+ (19... Bxb4 20. Qa4 Nc5 21. Qc2 Ra7 22. Rab1) 20. Kf1 Bc7 21. Qa2 {White has good compensation for the pawn.}) 19. Rdc1 (19. b5 $2 {is bad because of} Rc5) 19... Ne5 (19... Ng4 $5 20. h3 (20. g3 Nge5 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. e4 Nc4 $15) 20... Bxf3 (20... Bh2+ 21. Kf1 Bxf3 22. gxf3 $1 Nxf2 $2 23. f4 Nxh3 24. Qh5) (20... Nge5 21. Nxe5 Bxe5) 21. Bxf3 Bh2+ 22. Kf1 Bc7 23. Qb5 $1 (23. Qa4 Nh2+ 24. Ke2 Nxf3 25. gxf3 Nb6 26. Qb3 Be5 $15) 23... axb5 24. Rxa8 Nh2+ 25. Ke2 Qxa8 26. Bxa8 Rxa8 27. Nxb5 Bd8 28. Rh1 Be7 29. Rxh2 Ra2 30. Nc3 Rb2 31. Nd1 $11) 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. f4 (21. h3 {is probably more solid. White just has to play accurately to hold the balance.}) 21... Bc7 22. Qa3 g5 $5 (22... e5 23. f5 e4 24. h3 Bh2+ 25. Kh1 Be5 {also looks promising for Black, but I slightly prefer the text move.}) 23. Rf1 (23. Na4 $1 {is the way to equality. It requires precise calculations, while Nakamura was in time trouble here.} Rd8 (23... Ne4 24. Nc5 $1 Nxd2 25. Nd7 Qa7 26. Nf6+ Kg7 (26... Kh8 27. Qd3 Ne4 28. Nxe4 gxf4 29. Rc5) 27. Nh5+ Kg8 (27... Kh8 28. Rxc7 Rxc7 29. Qb2+ f6 30. Qxf6+ Kg8 31. Qxg5+ Kf8 32. Qh6+ Kg8 33. Qxe6+ Rf7 34. Rd1 Be4 35. Kf2 Rd8 36. Rxd2 Rxd2 37. Nf6+ Kh8 38. Qe8+ Kg7 39. Nh5+ Kh6 40. Qxe4 $14) 28. Nf6+ $11) (23... gxf4 24. exf4 Bxf4 (24... Ne4 25. Nc5 Nxd2 26. Qg3+ Kh8 27. Qc3+ Kg8 28. Qg3+ $11) 25. Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. Bxf4 Qxf4 27. Rf1 Qd4+ 28. Kh1 $44) 24. Bc3 Ne4 (24... Nd5 25. Bb2 a5 (25... gxf4 $2 26. e4) 26. b5 $13) 25. Nc5 gxf4 26. Bf3 Nxc5 (26... Nxc3 27. Nxb7 Nb5 28. Qa2) 27. bxc5 Bxf3 28. Rab1 Qc8 29. gxf3 $11) (23. g3 $2 gxf4 24. gxf4 Kh8 $17) 23... Rd8 24. Rad1 Bc6 25. Kh1 $6 {Natural, but gives Black a nice advantage. However, it is difficult to suggest a sensible move for White.} ({Of course} 25. fxg5 $4 {is horrible, because White will be mated soon after} Bxh2+ 26. Kh1 Qg3 27. Bf3 Bg1 $1 28. Kxg1 Ng4) ({Perhaps the best move is} 25. Qc1 $5 {In spite of his unpleasant position. White is still holding,}) 25... Qb7 26. Bf3 g4 (26... Bxf3 27. Rxf3 (27. gxf3 g4 28. e4 (28. Na4 gxf3 29. Nc5 Qd5 30. e4 Nxe4) 28... Rd3 29. Be1 Rxd1 30. Nxd1 Qb5 31. Rg1 Qe2 32. Qe3 Qxd1 33. Bh4 Bb6 $1 34. Rxd1 Bxe3 35. Bxf6 gxf3 $15) 27... g4 (27... Rd3 28. Be1 Rxd1 29. Nxd1 g4 30. Rf1 $15) 28. Rff1 Rac8 {with more or less similar play to the game continuation.}) 27. Bxc6 Qxc6 28. Qa2 Rd3 29. Rc1 Rad8 30. Be1 Rxe3 $2 {Hasty! This mistake throws away Black's advantage.} (30... Nd5 $1 {would have keept good winning chances instead} 31. Ne2 (31. Nxd5 Qxc1 32. Nf6+ Kf8 $1 $19) 31... Qb7 32. e4 Ne3 33. Rg1 Rd1 34. Qb1 Rxc1 35. Qxc1 Bb6 $17 {Black's pieces dominate the board.}) 31. Qf2 (31. Qb2 $1 {is stronger:} Ne4 32. Nxe4 (32. Nd1 Rxd1 33. Rxd1 Qb5 34. Bh4 Qh5 35. Rc1 Qxh4 36. Rxc7 Ng3+ 37. Kg1 Ne2+ 38. Kh1 $11) 32... Qxe4 33. Qf6 Re2 34. Qg5+ Kf8 35. Bf2 Qg6 36. Bc5+ Kg7 37. Qe7 Qe4 38. Bf2 Bxf4 39. Qxd8 Bxc1 40. Bd4+ Kg6 41. Qf6+ Kh5 42. Qxf7+ Kg5 43. Qf6+ Kh5 44. Qf7+ $11 {and this long forced line ends up in perpetual check!}) 31... Qc4 (31... Rdd3 32. b5 $1 axb5 33. Qh4 Bd8 (33... Rxc3 34. Qxf6 Rxc1 35. Qg5+ $11 {(this's the reason why White had to play 32.b5! - to take the b4-square for the bishop)} Kf8 36. Bb4+ Bd6 37. Qd8+ Kg7 38. Qg5+) 34. Qg5+ Kh8 35. Bf2 Rh3 36. Ne2 Qb7 37. Qc5 Rh6 38. Qf8+ Ng8 39. Bd4+ Rxd4 40. Nxd4 Qd5 41. Nf5 Qxf5 42. Qxd8 Qh5 43. h3 gxh3 44. g3 $11) (31... Rh3 $2 32. Ne2 Qb7 33. Rxc7 $18) 32. Bd2 Red3 33. Nb1 {White is out of danger now.} Qd5 34. Rxc7 Ne4 35. Qh4 (35. Qa7 $2 Ra8 $1 (35... Qh5 36. Be1 g3 37. h3 Qe2 38. Qg1 $8 (38. Kg1 Nf2 $1 39. Bxf2 Rd1 $19) 38... Rd1 39. Nc3 Rxe1 40. Nxe2 Nf2+ 41. Qxf2 gxf2 42. Ng3 Rdd1 43. Kh2 Rxf1 44. Nxf1 Rxf1 45. Kg3 Rb1 $15) 36. Qb6 Nxd2 37. Nxd2 Rxd2 $17) 35... Nxd2 36. Qxg4+ Kh8 37. Qh4 Qf5 38. Nxd2 Rxd2 {The position is simplified to an equal ending. Black's king is a bit exposed, but that should not be a big problem if he plays carefully.} 39. h3 Qg6 40. Rf2 Kg7 41. Kh2 h6 42. Rc6 Rxf2 43. Qxf2 Qd3 44. f5 Qxf5 45. Qxf5 exf5 46. Rxa6 {The draw is inevitable.} Rd3 47. Rc6 Rb3 48. Rc4 Kg6 49. g3 Rb2+ 50. Kg1 Kg5 51. Kf1 Kf6 52. Ke1 Ke5 53. Kf1 Rb3 54. Kf2 Rb2+ 55. Kf1 Rb3 56. Kf2 Rb2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Shanghai Masters"] [Site "Shanghai"] [Date "2010.09.04"] [Round "2"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "2010.09.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 138"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 (10. Bd3 {can actually transpose into Meran lines with the continuation 8...?d6, for example} Bb7 {The most topical line is} 11. a3 (11. e4 e5 12. h3 Re8 (12... exd4 13. Nxd4 Re8 14. Rd1 Qc7 15. Bg5 h6 16. Be3 Rad8 17. Rac1 a6 18. Nf5 Bf4 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Bxe3 21. d6 Bxf2+ 22. Qxf2 Qb6 23. Ne7+ $44 {Navara,D (2638)-Grigoriants,S (2565)/EU-ch Budva/2009/}) 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Be3 Qe7 16. Rfd1 a6 17. Ne2 c5 18. Bxc5 Qc7 19. f3 Bxb2 20. Qxb2 Qxc5+ 21. Qd4 Qe7 22. Bc2 Bd5 $6 (22... Bc8 $142 23. Bb3 Be6) 23. exd5 Qxe2 24. Bb3 a5 25. d6 $36 {Topalov,V (2791)-Aronian,L (2757)/Nanjing/2008/ Both these games featured the Meran, not Anti-Meran move order.}) 11... a6 12. b4 a5 13. Rb1 axb4 14. axb4 Qe7 15. e4 e5 16. Ne2 (16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Ne2 Qe6 19. f4 Ra2 20. Qd1 {has fallen into oblivion due to the fantastic} Ba1 $3 {?} 21. e5 $2 c5 $1 22. exf6 Bd4+ 23. Rf2 Bxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Qd5 25. Bb2 Qxg2+ 26. Ke1 c4 27. Bc2 Bf3 28. fxg7 Re8 $19 {Gelfand,B (2737)-Anand,V (2799)/Nice blindfold rpd/2008/}) 16... Bxb4 17. Ng3 {The last word in this complex line is} Ba3 $5 (17... g6 18. dxe5 Ng4 19. e6 fxe6 20. Bg5 Qd6 21. Be2 Rf7 22. e5 $5 (22. Rbd1 Qf8 23. Nd4 (23. h3 Ngf6 (23... Nge5 $5 24. Nd4 Nc5) 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Ng5 Re7 26. Qb3 Ba5 {Pashikian,A (2647)-Esen,B (2513)/WChT Bursa/2010/} 27. Rd6 $44) 23... Nxf2 24. Nxe6 Nxd1 $1 25. Nxf8 Bc5+ 26. Kh1 Rxf1+ 27. Nxf1 Nf2+ {1/2,Kasimdzhanov,R (2672)-Leko,P (2756)/Jermuk/2009/}) 22... Ngxe5 23. Ne4 Nxf3+ 24. Bxf3 Qf8 25. Bg4 Re8 26. Rfd1 Ne5 27. Bh3 $44 {Shabalov,A (2578)-Mulyar,M (2405)/Toronto/2010/}) 18. Nf5 Qe8 19. Bg5 (19. Rb3 Bxc1 20. Rxc1 g6 21. Nd6 Qb8 {and White probably has nothing better than} 22. Nxb7 Qxb7 23. d5 cxd5 24. Rxb5 $11) 19... Nh5 20. Qc3 (20. Be3 $5 $44) 20... exd4 21. N3xd4 Qe5 22. Qd2 Bc5 23. Be2 Ndf6 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Qg5 Nd7 {Bukavshin,I (2430)-Potkin,V (2626)/Irkutsk/2010/} 26. Nxb5 $5 $132 {?} cxb5 27. Rxb5 {[%CAl Rb5c5,Rb5b7] ??b7, ?c5}) 10... Bb7 11. a3 ({White plays} 11. Rd1 {more often, but even here Black can employ the idea we will see in the game:} Qc7 12. e4 e5 13. g3 (13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nd4 {allows} Neg4 $1 {- we will still see this motif.} (14... Ned7 $5 {is playable as well:} 15. g3 Rfe8 16. a3 a6 17. Nf5 Be5 18. Bf3 g6 19. Nh6+ Kg7 20. Bg5 c5 21. Ng4 Nxg4 22. Bxg4 f5 $5 23. exf5 Bd4 $44 {Akopian,V (2712)-Aronian,L (2768)/Jermuk/2009/}) 15. g3 Bc5 16. Bxg4 Nxg4 17. Bf4 Qb6 18. Nce2 Rfe8 19. a4 a6 20. a5 Qa7 21. f3 Ne5 22. Kg2 Bf8 23. Nf5 c5 24. Nc3 c4 {Gelfand,B (2741)-Inarkiev,E (2669)/Astrakhan/2010/} 25. b3 $5 $132 {- see also Inarkiev's notes in CBM 137.}) 13... Rfe8 {After} 14. dxe5 (14. a3 a6 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Bg5 Neg4 $5 (16... Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Qe7 {is the solid choice, gradually preparing c5=.}) 17. h3 Bxg3 18. hxg4 Nxg4 19. Rf1 (19. Be3 Nxe3 20. fxe3 Re6 $44 {leads to the position from our game, the only difference is that Black's ? is more active on c7 than on b8.}) 19... h6 20. Bc1 (20. Be3 Nxe3 21. fxe3 c5 22. a4 b4 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. exd5 Rxe3 25. Rad1 Qf4 26. d6 Qg4 $40 {Chmelik,J (2390)-Dikmen,A (2348)/corr /2000/}) 20... Rad8 21. Nh4 (21. Kg2 Bh4 22. a4 b4 23. Nd5 Qd6 24. Nf4 c5 25. Rd1 Qe7 26. Rxd8 Qxd8 $36 {×e4, Samraoui,A (2455)-Pecha,M (2349)/corr/2001/}) 21... Bxf2+ 22. Rxf2 Qg3+ 23. Rg2 Qe1+ 24. Bf1 Qxh4 25. Qe2 h5 26. Be3 $13 {Cottegnie,F (2298)-Canizares Cuadra,P (2114)/corr/2007/}) 14... Nxe5 15. Bg5 {Black once again has 2 main options:} Neg4 $5 {is again possible and more enterprising.} (15... Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Qe7 $142 {is the sedate line, in which Black should gradually equalise:} (16... Be5 $6 17. Bxf6 gxf6 (17... Bxf6 $2 18. Nxb5 $16) 18. Bg4 $36) 17. Ne2 Be5 18. Bg2 Qb4 19. Rd2 Rad8 20. Rad1 Rxd2 21. Rxd2 c5 22. a3 Qa5 23. Be3 c4 24. f3 a6 $11 {Boccia,M (2488)-Schmidt,T (2538)/corr/2007/}) 16. Bxf6 ({Here without a3 provoking the sacrifice} 16. h3 Bxg3 17. hxg4 Nxg4 18. Rf1 h6 19. Bd2 {is risky mainly due to} b4 $1 (19... Bd6 20. Nd4 Bc8 21. Kg2 (21. Bxg4 $142 Bxg4 22. Be3 $14) 21... Qe7 22. Rh1 $6 Qf6 $1 23. Bxg4 Bxg4 24. Be3 Qg6 25. Kf1 b4 26. Nb1 Qf6 $36 {Andersen,L (2096)-Novak,J (2282)/corr/2004/ also gave Black serious long-term compensation.}) 20. Na4 Re6 21. Nc5 Rg6 22. e5 Bxe5 23. Kh1 Bd4 24. Bd3 Bxf2 {0-1 De Sa,A (2397)-Persson,C (2594)/ICCF email 2006/Corr 2008} 25. Be1 Bxc5 26. Bxg6 (26. Qxc5 Rg5 $1 $19) 26... Bb6 27. Qe4 Nf6 28. Qc4 Re8 29. Rd1 Nd5 $17 {Ayrosa,P (2257)-Scherer,R (2331)/corr/2007/}) 16... Nxf6 17. Rac1 Qe7 18. Nd4 g6 19. Bf3 Rac8 20. Nb3 a6 21. Bg2 c5 $5 22. Rxd6 Qxd6 23. e5 Rxe5 24. Bxb7 Rce8 $44 {Illescas Cordoba,M (2626)-Harikrishna,P (2612)/Mallorca olm/2004/}) 11... Re8 {A rare move.} ({Aronian until now has played this line only with Black, preferring the more usual} 11... a6 12. b4 a5 13. Rb1 axb4 14. axb4 Nd5 (14... Qe7 $142 15. Qb3 Nd5 $132) 15. Ne4 $5 Be7 (15... Bxb4 $2 16. Neg5 {[%CAl Rc2h7,Re3e4] ?,?h7, e4+-}) 16. Nc5 Nxc5 17. bxc5 Qc7 18. Rd1 Ra4 19. e4 Nf6 20. Bg5 Rfa8 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. e5 Be7 23. h4 Qd8 24. h5 Ra2 25. Qe4 Qd5 26. Bd3 Qxe4 27. Bxe4 h6 28. Ne1 Bd8 29. Nc2 Ba5 $14 {Onischuk,A (2699)-Aronian,L (2773)/EU Cup Ohrid/2009/}) 12. Rd1 (12. e4 e5 13. Bg5 $6 (13. Rd1 $142 Qc7 14. g3 {transposes into the lines from the notes above.}) 13... h6 14. Bh4 exd4 15. Nxd4 Qb8 16. Nf3 a5 $1 17. e5 (17. Bd3 b4 $15) 17... Bxe5 18. Nxe5 Qxe5 19. Bf3 b4 20. axb4 axb4 21. Rxa8 Bxa8 22. Na4 c5 $17 {Grivas,E (2460)-Sadler,M (2575)/Cannes/1995/}) (12. Bd2 e5 13. Rad1 a5 14. h3 exd4 15. Nxd4 b4 16. Na4 c5 17. Nb5 Bf8 18. b3 Qb8 19. Nb2 Be4 $36 20. Bd3 $4 Qxb5 {0-1,Speelman,J (2536)-Wells,P (2513)/Hinckley Island/2009/}) 12... Qb8 (12... Qc7 13. e4 e5 $13 {seems equally playable. The only possible drawback could be some ?xb5 blow, but there is no obvious way Whote can bring this about.}) 13. e4 e5 14. g3 a6 {A typical move.} (14... a5 {is less harmonious, but also not easy to refute:} 15. dxe5 (15. Bg5 $5) 15... Nxe5 16. Bg5 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Be5 18. Rac1 {Here the ? is well placed on b8, as White doesn't have the ?xf6 and ?xb5 motif, mentioned in the note to 11.a3.} h6 19. Be3 Bxc3 20. Qxc3 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Rxe4 22. Rd7 Rc4 23. Qd2 Rxc1+ 24. Qxc1 Qc8 25. Qd2 c5 26. Qd6 {1/2,Wang Rui (2396)-Lukacs,P (2475)/Budapest/1999/} Qc6 $11) 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Bg5 (16. Nd4 Bc5 (16... Ng6 17. Bf3 c5 18. Nf5 Be5 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 c4 21. Bg2 Ne7 22. d6 Nxf5 23. d7 {Drozdovskij,Y (2552)-Sedlak,N (2519)/Ajaccio/2006/} Bxg2 24. dxe8=Q+ Qxe8 25. Kxg2 Nd4 26. Qe4 Nb3 $44) (16... g6 17. Bg5 (17. f4 c5 $1) 17... Ned7 {?c5?}) 17. h3 (17. Ncxb5 cxb5 18. Qxc5 Nxe4 (18... Bxe4 19. a4 $5 $14) 19. Qb6 Nf6 $132) 17... Qa7 18. Be3 g6 19. Rd2 Bb6 20. f4 $6 Ned7 21. e5 Nxe5 $1 22. fxe5 Rxe5 23. Bf2 c5 24. Nf3 {Czakon,J (2482)-Pakleza,Z (2446)/San Sebastian/2007/} (24. Ndxb5 $5 $15) 24... Rxe2 $1 25. Rxe2 Bxf3 $17 {[%csl Rg1] ?g1}) 16... Neg4 $146 {[%mdl 584] Shirov likes to set the board on fire and uses the sacrificial idea we have already seen above in a very similar position. Technically a novelty, this move is already mentioned in the Rybka4 book and leads to great complications instead of some drawish liquidation like} (16... Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Be5 18. Rac1 h6 (18... c5 $11) 19. Be3 c5 20. Bxc5 Bxc3 21. Qxc3 Nxe4 22. Bxe4 Bxe4 23. Bd6 Qb7 24. Qc7 Rac8 25. Qxb7 Bxb7 $11 {Maric,A (2405)-Vajda,S (2375)/EU-chTW Novi Sad/2009/}) ({RR} 16... Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Be5 18. Rac1 h6 19. Be3 c5 20. Nd5 Nxd5 21. exd5 c4 22. b3 Rc8 23. bxc4 Rxc4 24. Qb3 Ra4 25. Bc5 Bd6 26. Qe3 Qf8 27. Bg2 Rd8 28. h4 Bc8 29. Re1 Bd7 30. Bxd6 Qxd6 31. Qe7 {Keymer,V (2502)-Saric,I (2692) Germany 2019 ½-½ (60)}) 17. h3 {Aronian decides to go for it.} (17. Nd4 Be5 (17... h6 18. Nf5 Be5 19. Bh4 $5 {?} g5 $2 20. Bxg5 hxg5 21. Qc1 $40) 18. Nf5 g6 {seems OK for Black.}) 17... Bxg3 (17... Bc5 18. hxg4 Qxg3+ 19. Kh1 Bxf2 (19... Qh3+ 20. Nh2 Bxf2 21. Rd3 Bg3 22. Bf1 Qxh2+ 23. Qxh2 Bxh2 24. Bxf6 $16) 20. Nh2 $14 {is less clear-cut.}) 18. hxg4 Nxg4 19. Be3 $5 (19. Rf1 h6 20. Bd2 c5 $1 {[%csl Rg1] once again gives Black excellent compensation, which can easily grow into a full-blooded ? - his pieces are active, White's ? vulnerable.}) 19... Nxe3 {Black has no way to improve his position and he shouldn't allow ?c5.} (19... Bh2+ {is too co-operative:} 20. Kg2 $1 Nxe3+ 21. fxe3 $14 Qg3+ $2 22. Kh1 $18) 20. fxe3 {Here White's ? is far better placed, but on the other hand his ? are split and consolidating the extra piece is very difficult.} Re6 $44 21. Bf1 Qa7 22. Bh3 (22. Nd4 Rf6 23. Rd2 Bc8 $13) ({Aronian wants to activate his ?, but perhaps more promising was} 22. Rd3 $5 {An unforced sample line is} Rg6 (22... c5 23. Rd7 $14) 23. Bg2 Re8 24. Rad1 Bc8 25. Ne2 $14) 22... Rh6 (22... Qxe3+ $2 23. Kg2 Rg6 24. Bf5 Qh6 25. Rd7 $18 {White comes out a whole ? up and will convert his material advantage.}) 23. Kg2 {Logical, but} (23. Qd3 Bc7 (23... Re8 24. Bd7 $14) 24. Bf5 $5 $13 {also deserved attention.}) 23... Bc7 24. Bf5 ({White is not intent on protecting the ?e3,} 24. Rd3 c5 25. Nd5 c4 26. Rd4 Bd6 {??c5?} 27. a4 $5) 24... Qxe3 $1 (24... Re8 25. Rh1 $1 $14 {?} Rxh1 26. Rxh1 g6 27. Bd7 Rd8 28. Nd5 $36) 25. Rd7 {Both players were running short of time. Aronian could have already bailed out with the more circumspect} (25. Nd5 cxd5 26. Qxc7 g6 $1 (26... Qb6 27. Qxb6 Rxb6 28. e5 $36) 27. Qxb7 gxf5 $1 28. Qxa8+ Kg7 {and White already must go for} 29. exf5 $8 Qe2+ 30. Kg3 $8 Rh3+ 31. Kxh3 Qxf3+ $11) 25... Qf4 {[%CAl Rh6h2]} 26. Qf2 (26. Ne2 Rg6+ 27. Bxg6 Qg4+ 28. Kf2 Qxd7 29. Bf5 Qe7 30. Rd1 Rd8 $15) 26... Bc8 (26... g6 27. Ne2 Rh2+ (27... Qh2+ {leads to the same position}) 28. Nxh2 Qxh2+ 29. Kf1 Qxf2+ 30. Kxf2 Bb6+ 31. Kf3 Bc8 32. Bh3 (32. Re7 Kf8 $11) 32... Bxd7 33. Bxd7 Rd8 34. Rd1 $11 {/?}) 27. Ne2 Rh2+ 28. Nxh2 Qxh2+ 29. Kf3 $6 $138 {After a series of forced moves White creates problems for himself.} ({With} 29. Kf1 $1 Qxf2+ (29... Qh1+ 30. Qg1 {is similar}) 30. Kxf2 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 c5 32. a4 $11 {/? he is in no danger of losing.}) 29... Qh5+ 30. Bg4 (30. Kg2 $2 Bxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 $40) 30... Qg5 31. Rad1 Bxd7 32. Rxd7 Be5 $15 {With the ? on the board White must be careful.} 33. b3 (33. Qc5 Qf6+ 34. Kg2 h5 $15 (34... Re8 $15)) 33... h5 34. Bf5 g6 35. Bh3 Bb2 (35... Rd8 36. Qb6 $132) ({However,} 35... Re8 $142 $15 {seems more logical than the text-move.}) 36. Nf4 Qf6 (36... Bxa3 37. Qg2 Qxg2+ 38. Bxg2 {[%CAl Ye4e6] ?e5-e6?}) 37. Kg2 Bxa3 38. e5 Qg5+ (38... Qxe5 39. Ne6 Qe4+ (39... Qb2 40. Rd2 Qxb3 41. Qf6 Bf8 42. Rd7 Qa2+ 43. Kg3 Qb3+ 44. Kh4 Qc4+ $11 45. Kg5 $2 Qc1+ 46. Nf4 $2 Qc5+ 47. Kh4 Qf2+ $19)) 39. Kh1 Qxe5 40. Nxh5 $6 $138 (40. Ne6 $1 Qe4+ 41. Kh2 Qe5+ 42. Kh1 $11) 40... Rf8 $6 $138 (40... Be7 $1 $17 {prevents ?f6.}) 41. Nf6+ Kg7 42. Ng4 Qc3 43. Kg2 Bc1 (43... a5 44. Qe2 Bb2 45. Rd3 Qc1 46. Rd1 $11) (43... Bb2 $5) 44. Qf3 $1 Qxf3+ 45. Kxf3 $132 {Black's ? are vulnerable and he will soon lose one of them.} a5 46. Rc7 (46. Ne5 $5 a4 47. bxa4 bxa4 48. Nd3 Bg5 49. Nc5 $11) 46... Bb2 47. Rxc6 a4 48. bxa4 bxa4 49. Bf1 Ra8 50. Rc7 a3 {Now the game heads towards a peaceful conclusion.} ({The only way to continue the fight was} 50... Bd4 $5 {?} 51. Bc4 Ra7 $15 {when White is still forced to fight for the draw.}) 51. Bc4 a2 52. Rxf7+ Kh8 53. Bxa2 Rxa2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Jermuk FIDE GP"] [Site "Jermuk"] [Date "2009.08.21"] [Round "11"] [White "Akopian, Vladimir Eduardovic"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2712"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2009.08.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ARM"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 132"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Inarkiev,Ernesto} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 ({RR} 10. Bd3) 10... Bb7 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. e4 ({RR} 12. Bd2) 12... e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nd4 Ned7 ({RR} 14... Neg4 15. g3 ({RR} 15. h3 Bh2+ 16. Kf1 Nxf2 17. Kxf2 b4 18. Na4 c5) 15... Bc5 16. Bxg4 ({RR} 16. h3 Bxd4 17. Rxd4 Qb6) ({RR} 16. Bf4 Qb6 17. Bxg4) 16... Nxg4 17. Bf4 Qb6 18. Nce2 Rfe8 19. a4 ({RR} 19. Bc7 Qxc7 20. Qxc5 Rxe4 21. Nxb5 Qa5 22. Nec3 Re5 23. Qd4 cxb5 24. Qxg4 Rae8) 19... a6 ({RR} 19... a5) ({RR} 19... bxa4) 20. a5 Qa7 21. f3 Ne5 ({RR} 21... Rad8 22. Qc3 b4 ({RR} 22... Bxd4+ 23. Rxd4 ({RR} 23. Nxd4 b4 ({RR} 23... Nf6 24. Be3 Qb8 25. Nf5) 24. Qc4 ({RR} 24. Qxb4 c5) 24... Rd7 25. Qxb4 Red8 ({RR} 25... c5 26. Qa4 Bxe4 27. Nc6 Bxc6 28. Qxc6 c4+ 29. Qb6) 26. Qb6 Qxb6 27. axb6) 23... Rxd4 24. Qxd4 c5 ({RR} 24... Qxd4+ 25. Nxd4 Ne5 26. Bxe5 Rxe5 27. Nb3 Kf8 ({RR} 27... c5 28. Rd1 Kf8 29. f4 Rxe4 30. Nxc5 Re7 31. Rd8+) 28. Rc1) 25. Qd6) ({RR} 22... Rxd4 23. Rxd4 ({RR} 23. Nxd4 Rd8 24. fxg4 Bxd4+ 25. Kf1 c5 26. Be3 Bxe4) 23... Rd8 ({RR} 23... Bxd4+) 24. Be3) 23. Qc4 g5 24. h3 ({RR} 24. Bxg5 Ne5 25. Qc1 Rxd4 26. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 27. Kg2 Bc8) ({RR} 24. Bc7 Rd7 25. Bb6 Bxb6 26. axb6 Qxb6 27. fxg4 Rxe4 28. Qc2 Re5 ({RR} 28... Rde7) 29. Kf1 c5 30. Nf5 Be4 ({RR} 30... Bd5) 31. Qc4 Qc6 32. Rxd7 Qxd7 33. Qxa6 Bxf5 34. gxf5 Qxf5+ 35. Kg1 Qc2 36. Qf6 Qxe2 37. Ra8+ Re8 38. Qxg5+ Kh8) 24... h5 ({RR} 24... gxf4 25. hxg4) 25. hxg4 hxg4 26. Bxg5 gxf3 27. Bxd8 fxe2 28. Bf6 exd1=Q+ 29. Rxd1) 22. Kg2 Bf8 ({RR} 22... Bxd4 23. Nxd4 ({RR} 23. Rxd4 c5 24. Rd2 Nxf3) 23... c5 24. Bxe5 ({RR} 24. Nf5 Nxf3) 24... Rxe5 25. Nf5) 23. Nf5 ({RR} 23. Bxe5 Rxe5 24. Nxc6 Rc5) 23... c5 24. Nc3 c4 ({RR} 24... Bc6 25. Nd5) 25. Bxe5 ({RR} 25. Nd5 Nd3 ({RR} 25... Bxd5 26. Rxd5 Nd3) 26. Nc7 Nxf4+ 27. gxf4 Bxe4 28. fxe4 Qxc7) ({RR} 25. Be3 Qb8 ({RR} 25... Bc5 26. Bxc5 Qxc5 27. Nd6) 26. Bf4 ({RR} 26. Nd5 Nd3 27. Nb6 Rxe4 28. Nxa8 ({RR} 28. fxe4 Qe5) 28... Qe5) 26... Qc8 27. Bxe5 Rxe5 28. Nd6 Bxd6 29. Rxd6 f5) ({RR} 25. b3 cxb3 ({RR} 25... Nd3 26. Be3 Qb8 27. bxc4 bxc4 28. Rab1) ({RR} 25... b4 26. Be3 Qb8 ({RR} 26... Bc5 27. Bxc5 Qxc5 28. Na4 Qxa5 ({RR} 28... Qc6 29. Nb6) 29. Nd6 cxb3 30. Qxb3) 27. Nd5 c3 28. Bb6) ({RR} 25... Qc5 26. Nd5 cxb3) 26. Qxb3 Qc5 27. Nd5) 25... Rxe5 26. Qc1 ({RR} 26. Qf2 Qxf2+ 27. Kxf2 g6 28. Ne3 ({RR} 28. Nd6 Bc6) 28... Rc8) ({RR} 26. Qd2 b4 27. Na4 Rxe4 28. Nb6 ({RR} 28. fxe4 Bxe4+) 28... Rae8 29. Re1 c3 30. bxc3 bxc3 31. Qxc3 Re2+ 32. Kf1 Rxe1+ 33. Rxe1 Qb8) 26... b4 27. Qf4 ({RR} 27. Na4 Rxe4 28. fxe4 Bxe4+ 29. Kf1 Bxf5 30. Qxc4 Bh3+) ({RR} 27. Nd5 Bxd5 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. exd5 g6 30. Ne3 Re8) 27... Rxf5 28. Qxf5 Bc8 ({RR} 28... bxc3 29. Rd7 ({RR} 29. bxc3 Bc8 30. Qe5) 29... cxb2 30. Qxf7+ Kh8 31. Rb1 c3 32. Rxb7 Qd4) 29. Qe5 {Gelfand,B (2741)-Inarkiev,E (2669) Astrakhan 2010 CBM 137 [Inarkiev,Ernesto] 0-1 (49)}) ({RR} 14... Ng6 15. g3 Rfe8 16. Bxb5 cxb5 17. Ndxb5 Bxe4 18. Qa4 Qc5 19. Nxd6 Bf3 20. Nxe8 Rxe8 21. Be3 Qc8 22. Qb5 Bc6 23. Qc5 Ne5 24. Kf1 Qa6+ 25. Kg1 Nf3+ 26. Kg2 Ng5+ 27. Nd5 Nxd5 28. Rxd5 Ne6 29. Qd6 {Vidyarthi,V (2409)-Nyzhnyk,I (2576) Las Vegas USA 2024 0-1 (31)}) 15. g3 Rfe8 {Black has a clear task ahead of him: complete his development. Any other activities would turn out to be premature.} (15... b4 16. Na4 Rfe8 17. Nf5 Bf8 18. Bf4 Qa5 19. f3 Nb6 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Nd6 Bxd6 22. Rxd6 $16 {1-0 Adorjan,A (2505)-Piket,J (2495)/Novi Sad 1990 (61)}) 16. a3 $146 {The acceptance of the pawn sacrifice is quite risky; analysis suggests that holding back is better.} (16. Bxb5 $6 cxb5 17. Ndxb5 Bxe4 18. Nxc7 Bxc2 19. Rxd6 Re1+ 20. Kg2 Rc8 21. Rd2 Bg6 22. N7b5 Ne5 $1 (22... a6 23. Nd4 Nc5 24. Re2 $14 {1-0 Bu Xiangzhi (2569)-Zvjaginsev,V (2671)/Moscow 2003 (51)}) 23. Nxa7 Re8 24. b4 Bh5 25. g4 (25. Bb2 Bf3+ 26. Kh3 g5 27. Rxe1 g4+ 28. Kh4 h6 $19) 25... Bxg4 26. Bb2 Bf3+ 27. Kh3 Rxa1 28. Bxa1 g5 $17) ({RR} 16. Bf3 Be5 17. Bg2 a6 18. f3 c5 19. Nde2 c4 20. Be3 h5 21. b4 h4 22. f4 Ng4 23. Qd2 Bxc3 24. Nxc3 Ndf6 25. h3 Nxe3 26. Qxe3 Nh5 27. Ne2 Nxg3 28. Nxg3 hxg3 29. e5 Bxg2 30. Kxg2 f6 {Kabatianski,A (2423)-Ernst,S (2556) Apeldoorn 2010 ½-½ (49)}) 16... a6 17. Nf5 Be5 18. Bf3 {Gaining an advantage against the perfectly coordinated black pieces is rather problematic.} (18. Be3 c5 (18... Bxc3 19. Qxc3 Rxe4 20. Rd2 c5 (20... Re5 21. Bf4 Ne4 22. Bxe5 Nxe5 23. Rd7 $1 Qxd7 24. Qxe5 Nf6 25. Nxg7 $1 Kxg7 26. Qg5+ Kf8 27. Qxf6 $16) 21. Rad1 Rd8 22. f3 (22. Bg5 $14) 22... Ree8 23. Bf4 Qc6 24. Qa5 Ra8 25. Rd6 $14) 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 c4 $11) 18... g6 19. Nh6+ Kg7 20. Bg5 (20. Ng4 Nxg4 21. Bxg4 Nf6 22. Bf3 c5 23. Be3 $11) 20... c5 21. Ng4 {The retreat of the knight from the edge of the board is certainly desirable, but White is inadvertently exposing himself to serious risk. The most sensible choice would seem to be the modest retreat of the bishop in order to benefit from the mobility of the kingside pawns.} (21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. exd5 f6 23. Be3 Bd6 $11) (21. Bg2 $5 c4 22. f4 Qb6+ 23. Kf1 (23. Kh1 Bxc3 24. Qxc3 Nc5 25. Bxf6+ (25. Ng4 $2 Ncxe4 $19) 25... Qxf6 26. Qxf6+ Kxf6 27. e5+ Kg7 28. Bxb7 Nxb7 29. Ng4 Nc5 $15) 23... Bb8 $1 24. Qf2 (24. e5 $2 Ba7 $19) 24... Qxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Nc5 (25... Ba7+ 26. Kf1 Nc5 27. e5 $14) 26. Bxf6+ Kxf6 27. e5+ Kg7 28. Bxb7 Nxb7 29. Ng4 Nc5 $11) 21... Nxg4 (21... c4 22. Nxe5 (22. a4 b4 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. exd5 Nxg4 25. Bxg4 b3 $17) 22... Nxe5 23. Be2 Neg4 24. Qd2 Qe5 $11) 22. Bxg4 f5 $5 {[%mdl 128] It is nearly impossible to award a correct value sign to this move. Aronian is not afraid of the risk and begins a fascinating concept. Objectively the strongest move might have been the move of the knight to f6.} (22... Bd4 23. Nxb5 $1 (23. Nd5 Qe5 (23... Qd6 24. Bxd7 Qxd7 25. Bf6+ $1 $16) (23... Bxd5 24. Rxd4 Be6 25. Bxe6 Rxe6 26. Rd5 $14) 24. Bxd7 Qxg5 25. Bxe8 Rxe8 26. Rxd4 (26. a4 Bxd5 27. exd5 Qxd5 $44) 26... cxd4 27. f4 Qh5 28. Qd3 Bxd5 29. Qxd4+ Kg8 30. Qxd5 Qe2 $11) 23... axb5 24. Rxd4 Ne5 25. Be2 Nc4 26. Rxc4 $1 bxc4 27. f3 $14) (22... Nf6 23. Bxf6+ Bxf6 24. Rd7 Qb6 $11) 23. exf5 (23. Bf3 Bxc3 (23... h6 24. Bxh6+ Kxh6 25. Qd2+ g5 26. h4 Rad8 27. Qxg5+ Kh7 28. Qxf5+ Kh8 29. Qh5+ Kg8 $11) 24. Qxc3+ Ne5 25. Bg2 fxe4 26. Rac1 c4 27. Bf4 Kg8 28. b3 $11) 23... Bd4 $1 (23... Qc6 $2 24. Rxd7+ $1 Qxd7 25. f6+ $18) 24. f6+ $5 {It was extremely difficult for White to resist such an attractive check. If he could have judged all the risks involved Akopian would probably have chosen a slightly more peaceful, but also sufficiently impressive solution in the form of a knight move to the centre.} (24. Nxb5 $2 Qc6 $19) (24. Nd5 $1 Qc6 (24... Qd6 25. Rxd4 $1 cxd4 26. Nc7 Rec8 27. Bf4 Qd5 (27... Ne5 28. Qe2 $1 Re8 29. Ne6+ $18) 28. f3 (28. Nxd5 Rxc2 29. Nc7 h5 (29... Rg8 $2 30. fxg6 Nf6 31. Ne6+ Kxg6 32. Bf5+ Kxf5 33. Nxd4+ Ke4 34. Nxc2 $16) 30. Bh3 g5 31. Ne6+ Kg8 32. Nxd4 Rc4 33. Be3 Ne5 $11) 28... Nf6 29. Rc1 Nxg4 30. Nxd5 Rxc2 31. Rxc2 Bxd5 32. Rc7+ Kf6 33. fxg4 Bf3 34. fxg6 Kxg6 $14) 25. Rxd4 cxd4 26. Qxc6 Bxc6 27. Nc7 Ne5 28. Nxe8+ Rxe8 29. Rc1 d3 30. Kf1 Nxg4 31. Rxc6 Re2 32. f6+ Kf7 33. Rc7+ Kf8 34. h3 Rxf2+ 35. Kg1 Rf5 $11) 24... Kh8 (24... Nxf6 $2 25. Bxf6+ Kxf6 (25... Bxf6 26. Rd7+ $18) 26. Rxd4 $1 cxd4 27. Nd5+ Bxd5 28. Qxc7 $18) 25. Rxd4 $2 {In the most critical moment White has become afraid, that he may not get away from the opponent's mating attack. The only correct solution was to be consistent and continue with the attractive idea of counterplay with 25.f7! till the end.} (25. f7 $1 Qc6 (25... Rf8 $2 26. Ne4 Qe5 27. Rxd4 Qxd4 (27... cxd4 28. Bxd7 Rxf7 (28... Bxe4 29. Qxe4 Qxe4 30. Bf6#) 29. Bc6 Qc7 (29... Rc8 30. Qb3 $18) 30. Rc1 $18) 28. Rd1 Bxe4 29. Qe2 Qc4 30. Rxd7 h5 31. Qe3 hxg4 32. Bf6+ Kh7 33. Qg5 $18) 26. fxe8=Q+ Rxe8 27. Ne4 Rxe4 28. Bf3 Re1+ 29. Rxe1 Qxf3 30. Re8+ Kg7 31. Kf1 Qg2+ 32. Ke1 Bf3 (32... Qh1+ 33. Kd2 Qxa1 (33... Qd5 34. f4 Bxb2+ 35. Qd3 Qxd3+ 36. Kxd3 Bxa1 37. Re7+ Kg8 38. Rxd7 $16) 34. Re7+ Kg8 35. Rxd7 $16) 33. Rd1 $1 Qh1+ 34. Kd2 Bxd1 35. Qxd1 Qd5 36. h4 Ne5 37. Re7+ Kf8 38. Kc2 Qe4+ 39. Kb3 Qd5+ $11) 25... cxd4 26. f7 Qc6 $1 {The key moment for Black has arrived. Aronian will very logically exploit the central attacking idea of the attack along the a8-h1 diagonal.} (26... Re5 27. Bxd7 (27. Bf4 $2 Nf6 28. Bxe5 Qxe5 $19) 27... Rxg5 28. Qd2 $1 Qxd7 29. Qxg5 Qxf7 30. Ne4 Bxe4 31. Qe5+ Kg8 32. Qxe4 $11) 27. fxe8=Q+ Rxe8 28. f3 h5 $1 29. Qf2 {White is now forced to drink the bitter lees of the glass he poured for himself with his halfhearted play. All the defensive ideas endi in unhappy positions; the choice of move must have been very difficult.} (29. Bxd7 Qxf3 30. Bf6+ Kh7 31. Bxe8 Qh1+ 32. Kf2 Qxh2+ 33. Ke1 Qxc2 34. Bxd4 Qd3 35. Bf2 Bg2 36. Ne2 Qe4 $19) (29. Bh3 Ne5 $1 30. Bg2 Nxf3+ 31. Kh1 Ne1 $1 32. Bxc6 Bxc6+ 33. Qe4 Bxe4+ 34. Nxe4 Rxe4 35. Bf6+ Kg8 36. Rd1 Re2 $1 37. Bxd4 Nf3 38. Bg1 Rxb2 $17) (29. Qd2 hxg4 30. Ne4 Kg8 31. Rc1 Qe6 (31... Qd5 32. Bf6 gxf3 33. Qh6 Kf7 34. Qg7+ $11) 32. Bf4 Bxe4 33. fxe4 Qxe4 34. Rd1 Qd5 35. Qd3 Re6 $17) 29... hxg4 30. Qxd4+ {Somewhat more of a choice was preserved by the move of the knight to e4, but the game could not have been saved.} (30. Ne4 Kg8 $1 31. Rc1 Qd5 $1 32. Rd1 (32. Rc5 Qe6 33. Rc7 gxf3 34. Rxb7 Qxe4 35. Rxd7 Qb1+ 36. Qf1 f2+ 37. Kxf2 Qf5+ 38. Bf4 Qxd7 $19) 32... Rxe4 33. fxe4 Qxe4 34. Kf1 Qh1+ 35. Qg1 Qf3+ 36. Ke1 Qe4+ 37. Kf1 (37. Kd2 Nc5 $19) (37. Kf2 Nc5 38. Qf1 d3 $19) 37... Ne5 38. Rxd4 Qb1+ 39. Kf2 Qxg1+ 40. Kxg1 Nf3+ $19) 30... Kg8 31. Ne4 (31. Rd1 Qxf3 32. Nd5 Re2 33. Ne7+ Kh7 $19) 31... gxf3 $2 {Black's disappointment after the game must have been enormous. His only weak move has thrown away a very attractive game with fascinating content. It is impossible to guess, what was disturbing him after the obvious crowning of the concept with 31...?e5!} (31... Ne5 $1 32. Nf6+ (32. Kf2 Nxf3 33. Rc1 Qxe4 34. Qxe4 Bxe4 $19) (32. Rf1 Nxf3+ 33. Rxf3 Rxe4 34. Rf8+ Kxf8 35. Qh8+ Kf7 36. Qh7+ Ke8 37. Qg8+ Kd7 38. Qd8+ Ke6 39. Qf6+ Kd5 $19) 32... Kf7 33. Qc3 Nxf3+ 34. Kf2 Qb6+ 35. Be3 Qxf6 $19) 32. Nf2 Nc5 (32... Re2 33. Rd1 Qb6 34. Qxb6 Nxb6 35. h4 $11) 33. Bh6 Re7 34. Rf1 (34. Qd8+ Qe8 35. Qxe8+ Rxe8 36. b4 Nd7 37. Ng4 $11) 34... Ne4 {The lion's share of the advantage is gone and a frustrated Aronian is ready to settle for a draw.} 35. Nxe4 Qxe4 36. Qxe4 Bxe4 37. Re1 Kf7 38. Bg5 Re6 39. Kf2 Ba8 40. Rxe6 Kxe6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Nanjing Pearl Spring 1st"] [Site "Nanjing"] [Date "2008.12.17"] [Round "6"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2791"] [BlackElo "2757"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "143"] [EventDate "2008.12.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 128"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 (10. a3 {- see Topalov-Aronian and Svidler-Karjakin in CBM 124.}) 10... Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. h3 {A useful waiting move, however, rarely played.} (12. dxe5 {is the main line.}) 12... Re8 {This leads to the 12.dxe5 line with a transposition of moves. Practice has also seen:} (12... exd4 {(Black's main option)}) (12... Qb8) (12... h6) (12... a6) 13. dxe5 (13. Be3 $5 exd4 $5 14. Nxd4 (14. Bxd4 b4) 14... Nc5) 13... Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Be3 Qe7 {Alternatives:} (15... a6 16. f4 $1 (16. Ne2 c5 17. Rad1 c4 18. Bxc4 Qc7 19. Bd3 Qxc2 20. Bxc2 Bxe4 {½-½ Sargissian,G-Potkin,V/Warsaw 2005/CBM 108}) (16. Rae1 c5 17. Bxc5 Rc8 18. b4 Nd7 19. Nd5 Nxc5 20. bxc5 Bd4 21. Qb3 Bxc5 22. a4 {½-½ Bernard,C-Boudre,J/Massy 1993/EXT 1997}) (16. Rad1 Qc7 (16... Qe7 $5 17. Ne2 Bd6 18. Nd4 g6 19. Nb3 c5 $1 20. Nxc5 Rac8 21. b4 Nxe4 22. Bxe4 Bxe4 23. Qd2 Rcd8 24. Bd4 Be5 $11 {0-1 Akesson,R-Ernst,T/Gothenburg 2005/CBM 107 ext (57)}) 17. f4 Bxc3 18. bxc3 c5 19. e5 Nd5 (19... c4 20. Bf5 g6 21. Bg4 Be4 22. Qd2 Nxg4 23. hxg4 Bd3 24. Rf3 Qe7 25. Bd4 b4 26. cxb4 Qd7 27. Bc3 Qxg4 $11 {1-0 Koentges,M-Craciun,G/ICCF WS 2005/ICCF CBM 125 (67)}) 20. Bxh7+ $6 (20. Bd2 g6 $13) 20... Kh8 21. Rfe1 g6 22. Bxg6 fxg6 23. Qxg6 Re7 $17 {0-1 Krzyzanowski,P-Feldmann,G/IECG 2002/Telechess CBM 105 (36)}) 16... Bd4 17. Bxd4 Qxd4+ 18. Kh2 g6 19. e5 Nd5 20. Nxd5 cxd5 21. Rad1 Qb6 22. Rde1 Rac8 23. Qe2 Rc7 24. f5 $36 {½-½ Renaze,L-Flear,G/Cap d'Agde 2006/EXT 2007 (42)}) (15... Bd4 $5 16. Bxd4 Qxd4 17. Rad1 Qc5 {[%CAl Rb5b4]} (17... Qb6 18. Kh2 c5 19. Bxb5 Bxe4 20. Qa4 Re6 21. Rfe1 a6 22. Bd7 Nxd7 23. Nxe4 Nf8 24. Qc2 Rae8 25. Re3 $14 {0-1 Itter,E-Wong,K/IECG 2005/Telechess CBM 119 (42)}) 18. Rfe1 a6 19. Qc1 h6 20. Nd5 $2 (20. Qf4 Re6 $11) 20... Nxe4 21. Ne7+ Kf8 22. Bxe4 Qxc1 23. Ng6+ fxg6 24. Rxc1 Re6 $15 {½-½ Gutman,G-Shalimov,V/Alushta 1999/EXT 2001 (58)}) 16. Rfd1 {Or else:} (16. Rae1 a6 17. Ne2 (17. Nb1 c5 18. Bxc5 Qc7 19. b4 Rad8 20. Kh1 Qd7 21. Re3 Bf4 22. Rf3 Nxe4 23. Rxf4 Qxd3 24. Qxd3 Rxd3 $17 {0-1 Jelen,I-Soln,P/Krsko 1997/CBM 061 ext (30)}) (17. Rd1 Rac8 18. Rfe1 c5 $11 {1-0 Bieker,P-Thier,F/DESC 2004/Telechess CBM 109 (33)}) 17... c5 $1 (17... Bd6 18. Nd4 g6 19. Nb3 Nd7 20. Na5 Ne5 21. Nxb7 Qxb7 22. Be2 Rac8 23. f4 Nd7 24. Bg4 Rc7 25. e5 Bb4 26. Rd1 $16 {1-0 Bonin,J-Shabalov,A/New York 1992/EXT 1997 (40)}) 18. Bxc5 Qc7 19. Bd4 Bh2+ 20. Kh1 Nxe4 21. Rc1 Qd6 22. Rfd1 Rac8 23. Nc3 Qb8 $15 {0-1 Sanchez Rodenas,A-Pinho,J/ICCF 2003/CBM 110 (43)}) (16. Ne2 Bc7 $5 (16... Rad8 17. Rad1 Bc7 {½-½ Trufanov,A-Chubakov,A/Tomsk 2003/CBM 095 ext (42)} 18. Bc5 $5) 17. Rad1 $5 (17. Ng3 $6 Bxg3 18. fxg3 Nxe4 19. Rf4 Ng5 20. Re1 g6 21. Rff1 Ne6 22. a3 Red8 23. Kh2 a5 24. Bb6 Rd7 25. a4 Rd5 26. Qc3 b4 27. Qc2 Rxd3 28. Qxd3 Ba6 29. Qf3 Bxf1 30. Rxf1 Qb7 $17 {0-1 Kulczycki,M-Kuhne,D/LSS 2006/Telechess CBM 123 (45)}) (17. Nd4 Nxe4 18. Rfd1 Qe5 19. Nf3 Qe7 20. Bxe4 Qxe4 21. Qxe4 Rxe4 22. Rd7 Rc8 23. Bxa7 Re2 $11 {1-0 Kolar,J-Sherwood,R/IECG 2002/Telechess CBM 95 (40)}) (17. Bc5 Qe5 18. f4 Qxc5+ 19. Qxc5 Bb6 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. e5 Nd5 22. Ng3 Rad8 23. Be4 f6 $11 {0-1 Likavsky,T-Buhmann,R/Austria 2005/EXT 2006 (119)}) 17... Bb6 (17... Nxe4 $5) 18. Nd4 Qc7 (18... Nxe4 $2 19. Rfe1 Bxd4 20. Bxd4 f5 (20... c5 21. Bxb5 $1 cxd4 22. Bxe8 Rxe8 23. f3) 21. f3 c5 22. Bf2 c4 23. Bf1 $18 {1-0 Bonin,J-Alexopoulos,G/New York 1994/EXT 2004 (30)}) 19. Rfe1 Rad8 20. Nf3 c5 21. Bxb5 Bxe4 22. Qe2 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Re7 24. Ng5 Ba8 25. Bf4 {½-½ Mayer,C-Lifshitz,S/IECC 2005/Telechess CBM 113}) (16. Rfe1 a6 17. Ne2 Bd6 (17... c5 $1) 18. Nd4 Bb4 19. Nf5 Qe6 20. Bd2 c5 $6 21. Bxb4 cxb4 22. e5 $16 {1-0 Kuzubov,Y-Shalimov,V/Alushta 2002/EXT 2003 (46)}) (16. a4 $5 {needs more tests} Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nxe4 18. Rfe1 Qh4 19. axb5 cxb5 20. Bxb5 Rec8 21. Bd4 Nd6 22. Bf1 $4 (22. Bd3 $14) 22... Qxd4 {0-1 Ivanov,S-Kounalakis,E/Sunny Beach 2008/CBM 126 Extra (29)}) 16... a6 17. Ne2 c5 $1 {[%CAl Gb7e4] A typical sacrifice in this kind of position, in order to recapture this pawn on e4.} 18. Bxc5 Qc7 19. f3 $1 {White prefers to give up his b2-pawn while keeping Black's ?b7 and ?f6 restricted.} Bxb2 20. Qxb2 Qxc5+ 21. Qd4 Qe7 22. Bc2 $146 ({RR} 22. Rab1 Rad8 23. Qb4 Rd6 24. Nc3 Nh5 25. Bf1 Rxd1 26. Nxd1 Qg5 27. Bxb5 axb5 28. Qxb5 Qxb5 29. Rxb5 Bxe4 30. fxe4 Ng3 31. e5 Ne2+ 32. Kf1 Nd4 33. Rc5 h5 34. e6 Nxe6 35. Rxh5 Ra8 36. Nc3 Ra3 {Kraemer,M (2516)-Shirov,A (2749) Germany 2010 ½-½ (38)}) 22... Bd5 $2 {A curious idea but White manages to prove the strength of his d5-pawn.} (22... Rac8 $142 23. Bb3 a5 $14 {/=}) 23. exd5 Qxe2 24. Bb3 (24. Rac1 $5) 24... a5 25. d6 a4 $6 {Now Black's queenside pawns become weak.} (25... Rad8 $142 26. Rac1 a4 27. Bc2 $16) 26. Bd5 Rac8 $6 (26... Nxd5 27. d7 $1 Red8 28. Qxd5 $16 {[%csl Gd7]}) 27. Rd2 Qe5 28. Qxe5 Rxe5 29. Bb7 $1 Rd8 (29... Rb8 30. d7 Rd8 31. Bc6) 30. Rb1 g6 (30... Re6 31. Bc6 $1 Rdxd6 32. Rxd6 Rxd6 33. Bxb5 a3 34. Rb3) 31. Bc6 Rc5 32. Bxb5 Rb8 33. Rdb2 a3 34. Rb3 Rc2 $6 {After this move White keeps two extra pawns but} (34... Kg7 35. d7 Rd5 36. Bc4 Rxb3 37. Rxb3 Rxd7 38. Rxa3 {is obviously hopeless.}) 35. Rxa3 Rd2 36. Ra7 Nd5 (36... Rxd6 37. a4 Rd2 38. Rc1 $18 {[%CAl Rc1c7]}) 37. d7 Kg7 38. Re1 Ne3 (38... Nf4 39. a4 Nxg2 {- game}) 39. a4 (39. Rxe3 {was good enough:} Rxb5 40. Re7 Rf5 (40... Rbb2 41. Rxf7+ Kh6 42. Rxh7+ Kg5 43. Ra5+ Kf6 44. Ra6+ Kf5 45. Rf7+ Kg5 46. Kh1 $18) 41. a4 g5 42. a5 Kg6 43. a6 Ra5 44. Re2 $18) 39... Nxg2 40. Re4 (40. Re7 $142 {[%CAl Re7f7]} Rd8 (40... Rf8 41. Re8) 41. Re8 Nh4 42. Bc6 $18) 40... g5 41. Rc7 Nh4 42. Rc3 Rb7 43. Re2 $4 {[%mdl 8192] A sudden blunder in a winning position.} (43. Re7 Rb6 (43... Rb8 44. Re8) 44. Ree3 $18 {[%CAl Rc3d3]}) 43... Rbxd7 $14 {White still keeps winning chances due to his strong a-pawn.} 44. Kf2 R7d5 45. Rxd2 Rxd2+ {[%mdl 4096]} 46. Ke3 Ra2 47. Kd4 Ng2 48. Kc4 Nf4 49. Kb3 Ra1 50. Kb2 Re1 51. Rc5 Kf6 $6 {It was more important to bring the knight back:} (51... Ne6 $1) 52. a5 Re5 $4 {The resulting endgame is lost for Black.} (52... Ne6 {was not so good now due to} 53. Rc6 {[%CAl Yc6b6,Ya5a6]}) (52... Re7 {was probably the most stubborn defence.}) 53. Rxe5 Kxe5 54. a6 Ne6 55. a7 Nc7 56. Bc6 f5 57. Kb3 Kd6 {White was threatening to bring his king forward and push the black knight away from c7 (using zuzgwang if necessary); preventing that, Black allows the white king to move to the kingside, after which White can already take the black knight by a7-a8?.} 58. Bb7 Kc5 59. Kc2 Kd4 60. Kd2 h6 61. Ke2 $22 Ke5 62. Ke3 Kf6 63. Bc6 Ke7 64. a8=Q Nxa8 65. Bxa8 Kf6 66. Bc6 (66. Kd4 {was already possible} g4 $140 67. f4 $1) 66... Ke5 67. Bb5 Kd5 68. Ba6 Ke5 69. h4 $1 Kd5 (69... gxh4 {is obviously hopeless.}) 70. hxg5 hxg5 71. Bc8 Ke5 72. Bd7 $22 (72. Bd7 Kf6 73. Kd4 $18) 1-0 [Event "Fujitsu Siemens Giants"] [Site "Frankfurt"] [Date "2000.06.24"] [Round "7"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2751"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2000.06.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 078"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.10.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.10.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 c6 3. c4 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. O-O Bd6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Qc2 e5 {Diese Variante führt mehr oder weniger forciert zu einem schlechteren Endspiel für Schwarz, in dem die Remisaussichten aber sehr groß sind.} 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 h6 13. Be3 exd4 14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. Bxd4 Nf6 16. Bf5 {Kramnik hatte diese Stellung schon einmal auf dem Brett, allerdings auf der anderen Seite, gegen Karpov. Er erlitt damals eine Niederlage und strebt nun natürlich mit Weiß den ganzen Punkt an. Allerdings verteidigt Shirov sich besser als damals Kramnik.} Qa5 (16... Bxf5 $6 17. Qxf5 Qc8 18. Qb5 a6 19. Qb6 Qc7 20. Qxc7 Bxc7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Rfe1 Rfe8 23. Rad1 $14 {1-0 Karpov,A-Kramnik,V/Vienna 1996/CBM 55/[Lutz] (59)}) 17. Bxc8 Rfxc8 18. Qb3 Qd5 19. Bxf6 (19. Rfd1 Qxb3 20. axb3 Ne4 21. Bxa7 (21. Rxa7 $146 Rxa7 22. Bxa7 Rc2 23. Bd4 $14 {1-0 Solozhenkin,E-Komarov,D/Reggio Emilia 1998/CBM 69/[Lutz] (45)}) 21... Rc2 22. Ra4 Bc5 23. Bxc5 Rxa4 24. bxa4 Nxc5 25. h4 Nxa4 26. Rd7 Rxb2 27. Rxf7 Kg8 28. Rc7 b5 29. Nd4 {½-½ Tkachiev,V-Relange,E/Hastings Premier 9798 1998/CBM 63/[Lutz]}) 19... Qxb3 20. axb3 $146 {Kramnik verzichtet auf den Mehrbauern und nutzt das gewonnene Tempo, um seine Figuren zu aktivieren. Im Vergleich zur Partie Karpov-Kramnik (s.o.) ist jedoch der weiße Damenflügel schwach, so dass Shirov keine Probleme hat, das Unentschieden zu sichern.} (20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. axb3 Be7 $1 $44 {½-½ Bareev,E-Dreev,A/Elista 1998/CBM 65/[Lutz] (25) Schwarz stellt den Läufer nach f6 und hat Kompensation. Für Weiß ist es sehr schwer, den Mehrbauern zu verwerten.}) ({RR} 20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. axb3 Be7 22. Rad1 Bf6 23. Rd2 Rd8 24. Rfd1 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 Rc8 26. g4 Rc5 27. Kg2 Rb5 28. Rd3 Bxb2 29. Nh4 h5 30. Nf5+ Kf6 31. Nd6 Rb4 32. gxh5 Ke6 33. Nc4 Bg7 34. h6 Bxh6 {Girel,J (2484)-Loiret,S (2163) Cappelle la Grande FRA 2025 1-0 (42)}) 20... gxf6 21. Rfd1 Rd8 22. g3 $146 ({RR} 22. Kf1 a6 23. Rac1 Kg7 24. Rd4 Be5 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Nxe5 fxe5 27. Rc7 Rd2 28. Rxb7 Rxb2 29. Rb6 h5 30. Rxa6 Rxb3 {½-½ (30) Kapnisis,S (2480)-Mastrovasilis,D (2612) Achaia 2012}) ({RR} 22. Kf1 a6 23. Rac1 Kg7 24. Rd4 Be5 25. Rb4 Rd7 26. Nxe5 fxe5 27. Rb6 Rad8 28. g4 Rd4 29. Rc4 R8d7 30. Rxd4 Rxd4 {½-½ (30) Banikas,H (2608)-Shulman,Y (2624) Bursa 2010}) 22... Bc5 23. Kg2 Bb6 24. Rac1 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Rc8 26. Rd2 Rc5 27. Nh4 h5 28. f4 Rb5 {Der schwache weiße Damenflügel macht sich bemerkbar.} 29. Rd3 Rc5 30. Rd2 Rb5 31. Rd3 Rc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dos Hermanas"] [Site "Dos Hermanas"] [Date "1997.04.05"] [Round "4"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "33"] [EventDate "1997.04.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 059"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Yakovich,Yuri} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. b3 a6 (12... Rac8 13. Rb1 (13. Bb2 Qb8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 c5 16. Qh4 c4 17. Rdc1 Nf6 18. d5 Nxd5 19. bxc4 bxc4 20. Bxc4 Be7 21. Qg3 Qxg3 22. hxg3 Nb6 $11 {½-½ Zvjaginsev,V-Galkin,A/RUS-ch 1996 (42)}) ({RR} 13. Bb2 Qb8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 c5 16. Qh4 c4 17. Rdc1 Nf6 18. d5 Nxd5 19. bxc4 bxc4 20. Bxc4 Be7 21. Qg3 Qxg3 22. hxg3 Nb6) 13... Rfe8 14. b4 a5 15. a3 axb4 16. axb4 Ra8 $11 {½-½ Zviaginsev,V-Shabanov,Y/RUS-chT 1996 (28)}) ({RR} 12... Rac8 13. Rb1 Rfe8 14. b4 a5 15. a3 axb4 16. axb4 Ra8) 13. Ne4 (13. Bb2 c5 $11 {× c3}) (13. a4 $5 b4 14. Ne4) 13... Nxe4 14. Qxe4 c5 ({RR} 14... e5 15. Qh4 Rae8 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Bb2 Nxf3+ 18. Bxf3 Re6 19. g3 c5 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. Qg5 Rg6 22. Qd5 Qe7 23. Rac1 h6 24. Rc2 Kh7 25. Qf5 Kg8 26. Qd5 Kh8 27. Ba3 b4 28. Bb2 f5 29. Qf3) 15. Qh4 Nf6 16. Bb2 $146 ({RR} 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bb2 Qe7 18. b4 Ba7 ({RR} 18... Bd6 19. Bxf6 ({RR} 19. Bd3 h6) 19... gxf6 20. Bd3 ({RR} 20. Rxd6 Qxd6 21. Rd1 Qc6 22. Bd3 f5 23. Qg5+ ({RR} 23. Ng5 Qxg2#) 23... Kh8 24. Qf6+) 20... f5 21. Ng5 f6) 19. a3 Rfe8 20. Rac1 Rad8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Be5 Rd7 23. Nd4 Nd5 24. Qxe7 Nxe7 25. Nb3 f6 26. Bd4 Bxd4 27. Nxd4 Bd5 28. f4 Kf7 29. Kf2 e5 {½-½ (29) Mittelman,G (2387)-Zoler,D (2464) Israel 2010}) ({RR} 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bb2 Qe7 18. b4 Bxb4 19. Bd3 ({RR} 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Bd3 f5 21. Ng5 f6 22. Nxe6 Qxe6 23. Qxb4 Kh8 24. Bf1 ({RR} 24. Qf4 Rg8 25. f3 Qe5) 24... Rfd8) 19... e5 ({RR} 19... Ne4 20. Bxe4 Qxh4 21. Nxh4 Bxe4 22. Rd4) ({RR} 19... Rfd8 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Bxh7+ ({RR} 21. Qxb4 Rxd3) 21... Kh8 22. Ng5) ({RR} 19... h6 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qxh6 f5 22. Ng5 f6 23. Qg6+ Kh8 24. Nxe6 Qxe6 25. Bxf5) 20. Nxe5 ({RR} 20. Bxe5 Ne4 21. Bxe4 Qxh4 22. Nxh4 Bxe4 23. Rd4 Bc3 24. Rxe4 Bxa1 25. Bxa1 Rac8 26. Bb2 Rc2 27. Rb4 Rd8) 20... Ne4 21. Qf4 ({RR} 21. Qh5) 21... f5 ({RR} 21... Bc3) 22. Bc2 Bc3 ({RR} 22... Z0 23. Bb3+ Kh8 24. Ng6+ hxg6 25. Qh6#) ({RR} 22... Nc3 23. Bb3+ Kh8 24. Rd2) 23. Bb3+ Kh8 24. Rd7 Qf6 25. Bxc3 ({RR} 25. Nf7+ Kg8 26. Bxc3 Nxc3 27. Qe5) 25... Nxc3 26. Re1 Bc8 ({RR} 26... Rae8 27. Rf7 Rxf7 28. Nxf7+ Kg8 29. Nd6+ Kh8 30. Nxe8 Ne2+ 31. Kf1 Bxg2+ 32. Kxe2 Qb2+ 33. Kd1 Be4 34. f3) ({RR} 26... Be4) 27. Rd6 Qe7 ({RR} 27... Qxd6 28. Ng6+) 28. Rh6 {1-0 (28) Zvjaginsev,V (2650)-Filippov,V (2595) Samara 1998 CBM 067 [Yakovich,Yuri]} {RR} gxh6 ({RR} 28... g5 29. Qd4) 29. Ng6+ hxg6 30. Qxh6+ Qh7 31. Qxf8+ Qg8 32. Qxg8#) 16... Qe7 17. dxc5 (17. dxc5 Bxc5 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Prague Cez Trophy m"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2015.06.16"] [Round "4"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Navara, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2751"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2015.06.13"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "CZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 167"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. a3 a5 {Ein aggressives Konzept. Zurückhaltender und solider ist 11...a6.} 12. Ng5 h6 13. Nge4 Be7 14. Rd1 Qb6 15. Nxf6+ $146 ({RR} 15. Rb1 Nd5 16. Ng3 N5f6 17. Qe2 Rfe8 18. f4 b4 19. Na4 Qa7 20. e4 c5 21. e5 Nd5 22. f5 Nxe5 23. fxe6 Nxd3 24. Rxd3 Bf6 25. Nxc5 Ba6 26. Nxa6 Rxe6 27. Qd1 Qxa6 28. Qf3 Re1+ 29. Kf2 Rae8 {Ludvik,T (2305)-Gukesh,D (2520) Tegernsee 2019 0-1 (31)}) 15... Bxf6 16. Bd2 e5 {Mit diesem Vorstoß will Schwarz seine Stellung befreien. Doch Weiß gelingt es, den Druck aufrecht zu erhalten.} 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Bf5 Rad8 ({Nach} 18... exd4 19. exd4 Rad8 20. Be3 {verhindert Weiß den schwarzen Vorstoß ...c5 und steht besser.} c5 $2 21. dxc5 Nxc5 22. Ne4 $18) 19. Ne4 Be7 ({Nach} 19... exd4 20. Bxd7 Rxd7 21. Nxf6 gxf6 22. exd4 {hat Schwarz eine zerrüttete Bauernstellung, aber keine Stellung, die Freude macht.}) 20. b4 axb4 ({Nach} 20... exd4 {gewinnt der Zwischenzug} 21. bxa5 {einen Bauern.}) 21. Bxb4 Bxb4 22. axb4 exd4 23. Rxd4 {Die Spannung im Zentrum hat sich geklärt und Weiß steht klar besser. Das liegt vor allem am Läufer auf b7 - wie schlecht dieser Läufer ist, zeigt die Partie.} Nf6 24. Nd6 {Verhindert ...Lc8.} Nd5 25. Qc5 Qxc5 26. bxc5 Ra8 {Das kostet einen Bauern, aber wie soll Schwarz seinen Läufer schützen?} ({Nach} 26... Ba8 {spielt Weiß} 27. e4 {und wenn der schwarze Springer zieht, folgt 28.Sxf7+.}) 27. Rxa8 Bxa8 28. e4 Nc3 29. Nxf7+ Kg8 {Den Springer kann Schwarz natürlich nicht nehmen.} 30. Rd7 Na4 31. Ra7 Nxc5 32. Nd6 Rb8 33. e5 Bb7 34. f4 Kf8 35. Kf2 {Der weiße König marschiert zum Damenflügel und die schwarzen Freibauern erweisen sich als ungefährlich.} Ra8 36. Rxa8+ Bxa8 37. Ke3 b4 38. Kd4 Na4 39. Kc4 c5 {Endlich hat der Läufer Luft. Aber das kommt zu spät, denn Schwarz kann seine Bauern am Damenflügel nicht mehr retten.} 40. g3 Bf3 41. Kb5 Bd1 42. Nc8 b3 43. Kxa4 b2+ 44. Ka3 Bg4 45. Kxb2 Bxf5 46. Nd6 Be6 47. Ne4 {Schwarz verliert auch noch den c-Bauern. Das Endspiel mit den zwei Minusbauern wollte sich Navara nicht mehr zeigen lassen.} 1-0 [Event "Las Palmas"] [Site "Las Palmas"] [Date "1996.12.21"] [Round "10"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2765"] [Annotator "Kramnik,Vladimir"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "1996.12.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 057"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Lutz,Christopher Shamkovich Karpov Dolmatov} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 exd4 ({Shamkovich: It is interesting that Kramnik played this position against Karpov few months earlier Karpov,A-Kramnik,V/Vienna Millenium/1996 and chose..} 10... dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 h6 13. Be3 exd4 14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. Bxd4 Nf6 16. Bf5 Bxf5 17. Qxf5 Qc8 18. Qb5 a6 19. Qb6 Qc7 20. Qxc7 Bxc7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 {White has a better endgame}) 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 h6 13. Nxd4 Qh4 (13... Bxh2+ {is risky in view of} 14. Kxh2 Qh4+ 15. Kg1 Qxd4 16. Be3 Qxd5 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 {with initiative}) 14. Nf3 Qh5 15. Bh7+ (15. Qc4 {Dolmatov} Nc5 16. Bc2 g5 17. b4 Na6 18. Qd3 {Orr,M-Kaidanov,G/Dublin/1991/}) 15... Kh8 16. Qf5 {} g5 $5 {? 17...?g7 Shamkovich: The original lunge. Kramnik chooses to avoid simplifications, but he doesn't create serious threats. Jeroen Piket in the game against Ivan Sokolov (Sokolov,I-Piket,J/It Nussloch/1996) continued with ...} (16... Qxf5 {and after} 17. Bxf5 Nf6 18. Bc2 Bg4 19. Bb3 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Nh5 21. Be3 Nf4 22. Rfd1 {White got an advantage}) (16... Nf6 {Dolmatov} 17. Qxh5 Nxh5 18. Bc2 Nf6 19. Rd1) 17. h4 $5 {? 18.g4} ({Karpov could react carefully} 17. Be3 Ne5 (17... Nb6 $4 18. Bd4+ {wins}) (17... Kg7 {Dolmatov} 18. Bd4+ f6 $13) 18. Qf6+ Kxh7 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Qxe5 {but decided to punish the opponent immediately}) (17. b3 $5 {Karpov}) (17. Bd2 $5 {Karpov}) 17... Nb6 (17... Ne5 $6 {is dubious} 18. Qf6+ Kxh7 19. Nxe5 (19. Qxd6 $2 Nxf3+ 20. gxf3 Qxf3 {and now} 21. Qxf8 {is impossible because of} Bh3 {and Black is winning}) 19... Bxe5 20. Qxe5 Qxh4 21. f4 {with attack}) 18. Qf6+ Kxh7 19. Qxd6 Bg4 20. Nh2 {interesting play could have occured after} (20. Ne5 Rad8 21. Qb4 Bf5 22. hxg5 {with unclear position}) (20. hxg5 {Dolmatov} Bxf3 21. gxf3 hxg5 (21... Rad8 $132 {Kramnik}) 22. Kg2 g4 $10) 20... Rad8 (20... Qxh4 {Dolmatov} 21. Qb4 Bh5 22. Qxh4 gxh4 $10) (20... gxh4 $2 {Dolmatov} 21. Nxg4 Qxg4 22. Qxh6+) 21. Qb4 Bf5 22. hxg5 (22. g4 $2 {does not work} Qxh4) 22... Nxd5 (22... hxg5 {Karpov} 23. g4) 23. Qxb7 (23. Qd2 {Karpov} Rg8 24. gxh6 $140 $2 Bh3) 23... hxg5 24. Qb3 $1 {with the idea 24... Rd6 25.Qg3 Rh6 26.f3 Rg8 27.Ng4, refuting the attack.} ({Karpov realized that taking the second pawn is dangerous. It looks like there is no time for this:} 24. Qxa7 Rd6 $1 {with the following Rh6 gives Black a dangerous attack. Yet White has a defense:} (24... Rh8 {Karpov} 25. Qa3 Kg6 26. Qg3 Nf6 $36) 25. Nf3 Rh6 26. Nxg5+ Kg8 27. f3 $1 ({of course not} 27. Nh3 Bxh3 28. Bxh6 Qg4 {wins}) 27... Qh2+ 28. Kf2 Qh4+ 29. Kg1 Qh2+ {draw by perpetual check}) 24... Rh8 {Kramnik finds another way to continue the attack} (24... Kg6 {Dolmatov} 25. Qf3 Qh6 26. Qg3 Rh8 27. Bd2 Nf6 $132) 25. Qf3 ({This is better than} 25. Qg3 Kg6 26. Be3 Nxe3 27. fxe3 Rd2) 25... g4 26. Qg3 Nf6 {Threatening 27... Ne4. Black mobilized all his forces for the final lunge, so White must find the way to rescue his King} 27. f3 Rd3 { The critical position of the fierce skirmish ? 28...?e4 29.?f4 g3-+} 28. Nxg4 {At first glance, White could have continued with 28.fxg4, which seems more promising. Yet Black has enough resources to maintain the initiative} (28. fxg4 Rxg3 29. gxh5 Be4 $1 30. Rxf6 Rxg2+ 31. Kf1 Rxh2 32. h6 (32. Rxf7+ $6 Kg8 33. Rxa7 $2 (33. Rf4 {Right is} Bd3+ 34. Kg1 R8xh5 35. Rg4+ Kf7 36. Rg2 R2h3 {Black has a full compensation for a pawn}) 33... R8xh5 34. Re7 Rf5+ 35. Ke1 Bd3 {wins}) (32. Be3 Rh1+ 33. Bg1 Kg7 34. Rf4 f5 35. Ke2 R8xh5 36. Bd4+ Kg6 37. Rxh1 Rxh1 38. Bxa7 Rh2+ 39. Rf2 Rxf2+ 40. Bxf2 f4 {looks drawish}) (32. Rh6+ Kg7 33. Rxh8 Rh1+ 34. Kf2 Kxh8 35. b3 Rxh5 36. Bb2+ Kh7 {game is even}) 32... Bd5 {and Black is no worse}) 28... Bxg4 (28... Nxg4 {Karpov} 29. fxg4 Rxg3 30. gxh5 Be4 31. Rxf7+ Kg8 32. Rf2 Rxh5 33. Bf4 $16) 29. fxg4 Qg6 $146 {?? Kramnik} (29... Qc5+ $1 {Dolmatov} 30. Be3 (30. Qf2 Qxf2+ 31. Kxf2 (31. Rxf2 Nxg4 32. Rxf7+ $2 (32. Rf1 $10) (32. Rf1 Kg6 {? ?d3-d5-h5}) 32... Kg6 33. Rf1 (33. Rf3 Rd1+ 34. Rf1 Rh1+ 35. Kxh1 Rxf1#) 33... Rd7 34. g3 Rdh7 35. Bf4 Rh1+ 36. Kg2 R8h2+ 37. Kf3 Rxf1+ (37... Kf5 $1 $19) 38. Rxf1 Kf5 $19 39. Bd6 Rc2) 31... Re8 $44) ({RR} 30. Be3 Rxe3 31. Qf2 Nxg4 32. Qxf7+ Kh6) 30... Rxe3 31. Qf2 Nxg4 32. Qxf7+ Kh6) ({RR} 29... Qc5+ 30. Qf2 Qxf2+ 31. Rxf2 ({RR} 31. Kxf2 Re8 32. Kg1 Nxg4 33. Bf4 ({RR} 33. Rxf7+ Kg6 34. Rf1 Re2) 33... Re2 34. Rf3 ({RR} 34. b3 Rc3) 34... Rxf3 35. gxf3 Nf2) 31... Nxg4 32. Rf3 ({RR} 32. Rxf7+ Kg6 33. Rf1 ({RR} 33. Rf3 Rd1+ 34. Rf1 Rh1+ 35. Kxh1 Rxf1#) 33... Rd7 34. g3 Rdh7 35. Bf4 Rh1+ 36. Kg2 R8h2+ 37. Kf3 Rxf1+ 38. Rxf1 Kf5) ({RR} 32. Rf1 Kg6) 32... Rd1+ 33. Rf1 Rd5 34. Bf4 {½-½ (34) Grabliauskas,V (2435)-Fridman,D (2490) Pula 1997 CBM 057 Extra [Lutz,Christopher]} {RR} Kg6 35. Rf3 Rdh5 36. Rh3 Rxh3 37. gxh3 Rxh3) 30. Qc7 (30. Be3 $1 {Dolmatov} Nxg4 31. Rxf7+ Qxf7 32. Qh4+ $18 (32. Qh4+ {Karpov} Kg7 (32... Nh6 $145 $1 33. Qxh6+ Kg8 34. Qg5+ Qg7 35. Qxg7+ Kxg7 36. Bxa7 Rc8 $1 $13) 33. Qxg4+ Qg6 34. Bd4+ $18)) 30... Kg8 (30... Nxg4 $1 {Dolmatov} 31. Rxf7+ (31. Qxf7+ $4 Qxf7 32. Rxf7+ Kg6 33. Rf1 Rd5 $1 34. Bf4 Rdh5 35. g3 Rh1+ $1 36. Kg2 R8h2+ 37. Kf3 Kf5 $1 $19) 31... Kg8 32. Rf1 Rh2 $10 (32... Qh5 {Karpov} 33. Qb8+ Kg7 34. Qxa7+ Kg8 35. Qb8+ Kg7 $10)) 31. Bf4 (31. g5 $5 {Karpov}) 31... Rh4 {} (31... Qh7 32. Qc8+ Kg7 33. Qf5 Qh1+ 34. Kf2 Qh4+ 35. Kg1 (35. Ke2 Rd5 $1 36. Qc2 Qxg4+ {wins}) 35... Qh1+ {draw}) (31... Nxg4 {Karpov} 32. Rae1 $18) 32. Bg3 (32. Qc8+ {Karpov} Kh7 33. Be5 $6 (33. Qf5) 33... Rxg4 34. Rxf6 Rxg2+ 35. Kh1 $5 Rg1+ $1 (35... Qe4 36. Qh8+ $1 Kxh8 37. Rh6+ Kg8 38. Rh8#) 36. Rxg1 Qe4+ 37. Rf3 $1 Qxf3+ 38. Rg2 Qd1+ {= Fritz}) (32. Be5 {Karpov} Rxg4 33. Rf2 $18) (32. Rae1 {Karpov} Rxg4 33. Rf2 $18) (32. g5 $18 {Karpov}) 32... Rxg3 {Black must sacrifice the exchange.} ({If} 32... Rxg4 33. Rxf6 $1 Qxf6 34. Qc8+ {with the winning fork}) 33. Qxg3 (33. Qb8+ $142 $5 {Dolmatov} Kg7 (33... Kh7 34. Qxg3 Qh6 35. Qd3+ Kg7 36. g5 Rh1+ 37. Kf2 $18) 34. Qxg3 Qh6 35. g5 Rh1+ 36. Kf2 Ne4+ 37. Kf3 $18) 33... Qh6 $1 {The attack is in progress. The threat is 34... Rh1+ 35.Kf2 Ne4+} 34. Qf3 $1 {It looks like this is the only move} (34. Rf4 {Karpov} Nd5 $1) (34. g5 {Dolmatov} Rh1+ 35. Kf2 Ne4+ 36. Kf3 (36. Ke3 {Karpov} Nxg3 37. gxh6 Rxf1 38. Rxf1 Nxf1+) 36... Nxg3 37. gxh6 Rxf1+ 38. Rxf1 Nxf1 39. b4 Kh7 40. Ke4 Kxh6 41. a4 Kg5 42. b5 {Can Black win?}) 34... Rh1+ 35. Kf2 Qd2+ 36. Kg3 Qd6+ 37. Kf2 (37. Qf4 Ne4+ 38. Kf3 Nd2+ 39. Kg3 Ne4+ {draw}) 37... Qd2+ 38. Kg3 Qd6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Vienna Millenium"] [Site "Vienna"] [Date "1996.08.10"] [Round "2"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2765"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "1996.08.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AUT"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 055"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Lutz,Christopher Hecht Ftacnik} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 {Die modernere Fortsetzung gegenüber 7.?e2.} O-O 8. O-O {Die wesentliche Pointe von 7.?d3 besteht darin, die Auswahl an schwarzen Systemen zu reduzieren:} e5 {Nach 7.?e2 0-0 8.0-0 e5 hat Schwarz gute Aussicht auf Ausgleich. Nun jedoch hat Schwarz Probleme.} (8... dxc4 9. Bxc4 Qe7 {führt zu Varianten nach 7.?e2 dxc4 8.?xc4 ?e7.}) (8... b6 {ist hier nicht so gut spielbar wegen} 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 $2 11. Bxe4 $18) 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 {Nur so macht der weiße Aufbau Sinn.} (10. Nb5 {Ftacnik} Bb8 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. h3 a6 14. Nd4 $14) 10... dxe4 (10... exd4 {ist der andere kritische Zug, vgl. Chernin,A-Savchenko,S/EUcup Gr7 Bratislava; CBM 55. Allerdings hat es Schwarz auch dort nicht leicht.}) (10... exd4 {Ftacnik} 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 h6 (12... Nf6 13. Nxd4 Nxd5 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. Be4 Nf6 16. Nf5 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 Qf6 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Bf4 Qb6 20. Rad1 Be6 21. Rd6 Qb5 22. Be5 Rae8 23. a4 Qc4 24. Rd4 {1-0 Vera,R-Oms Pallise,J/Pamplona op/1995/}) 13. Nxd4 Qh4 (13... Bxh2+ 14. Kxh2 Qh4+ 15. Kg1 Qxd4 16. Rd1 $16 {?}) 14. Nf3 (14. f4 Nf6 (14... Bc5 $2 15. Be3 Re8 16. Bf2 Qxf4 17. Ne6 $1) 15. Nb5 Rd8 16. Nxd6 Rxd6 17. Bd2 Rxd5 18. Be1 Qh5 19. Bc3 Bf5 (19... Ng4 $2 20. h3 Ne3 $2 21. Rae1) 20. Bxf5 Qxf5 21. Qxf5 Rxf5 22. Rad1 Nd5 23. Bd2 {½-½ Sokolov,I-Morovic Fernandez,I/Leon (07)/1995/ (48)}) 14... Qh5 15. Bh7+ (15. Qc4 Nc5 16. Bc2 g5 17. b4 Na6 18. Qd3 Qg6 19. Qxg6+ fxg6 20. a3 Bf5 21. Bb3 Rac8 22. Be3 Rc3 23. Nd4 Be5 24. Nxf5 Rxb3 25. Nd4 Bxd4 26. Bxd4 {½-½ Orr,M-Kaidanov,G/Dublin Telecom/1991/ (41)}) 15... Kh8 16. Qf5 Qxf5 17. Bxf5 Nf6 18. Bc2 (18. Bxc8 Rfxc8 19. Rd1 Rc5 20. Be3 Rxd5 21. Rxd5 Nxd5 22. Rd1 Nxe3 23. Rxd6 Ng4 24. h3 Nf6 25. Ne5 Kg8 {Rohde,M-Ramayrat,C/USA-op (03)/1987/½-½ (52)}) 18... Bg4 19. Bb3 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Nh5 21. Be3 Nf4 22. Rfd1 Rfd8 23. Bc4 {Sokolov,I-Piket,Je/Nussloch (06)/1996/1-0 (63)}) 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 h6 13. Be3 (13. Rd1 exd4 14. Nxd4 Nf6 15. Bf3 Qa5 16. g3 Bg4 17. Bxg4 {½-½ Dlugy,M-Dreev,A/New York op (02) ;EXP 16 1990 ½-½ Dlugy,M-Dreev,A/New York op (02) ;EXP 16 1990}) 13... exd4 14. Bh7+ $1 $146 {In Erwartung des folgenden Endspiels wird der schwarze König deplaziert.} (14. Bxd4 Nf6 15. Bf5 Qa5 16. Bxc8 Rfxc8 17. Qb3 Qd5 18. Qxd5 (18. Bxf6 Qxb3 19. axb3 gxf6 {mit den Ideen ...?c2 oder ...?e5 ist befriedigend für Schwarz.}) 18... Nxd5 19. Rad1 Rd8 20. g3 Nb4 {½-½ Blanco Fernandez,A-Hoffman,A/Capablanca mem (04) ;CBM 48 1995 ½-½ Blanco Fernandez,A-Hoffman,A/Capablanca mem (04)/1995/}) 14... Kh8 15. Bxd4 Nf6 16. Bf5 $14 Bxf5 (16... Qa5 17. Bxc8 Rfxc8 (17... Raxc8 18. Qb3 $14) 18. Qb3 Qd5 19. Bxf6 ({RR} 19. Rfd1 Qxb3 20. axb3 Ne4 21. Bxa7 ({RR} 21. Rxa7 Rxa7 22. Bxa7 Rc2 23. Bd4) 21... Rc2 22. Ra4 Bc5 23. Bxc5 Rxa4 24. bxa4 Nxc5 25. h4 Nxa4 26. Rd7 Rxb2 27. Rxf7 Kg8 28. Rc7 b5 29. Nd4) 19... Qxb3 20. Bxg7+ {Hier wirkt sich die Stellung des ?h8 aus !} ({RR} 20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. axb3 Be7) 20... Kxg7 21. axb3 $16 Rc2 22. Nd4 Rxb2 $2 23. Nf5+ $18) ({RR} 16... Qa5 17. Bxc8 Rfxc8 18. Qb3 Qd5 19. Bxf6 Qxb3 20. axb3 gxf6 21. Rfd1 Rd8 22. g3 Bc5 23. Kg2 Bb6 24. Rac1 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Rc8 26. Rd2 Rc5 27. Nh4 h5 28. f4 Rb5 29. Rd3 Rc5 30. Rd2 Rb5 31. Rd3 {Kramnik,V (2758)-Shirov,A (2751) Frankfurt 2000 CBM 078 [Lutz,Christopher] ½-½ (31)}) ({RR} 16... Qa5 17. Bxc8 Rfxc8 18. Qb3 Qd5 19. Bxf6 Qxb3 20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. axb3 Be7 22. Rad1 Bf6 23. Rd2 Rd8 24. Rfd1 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 Rc8 26. g4 Rc5 27. Kg2 Rb5 28. Rd3 Bxb2 29. Nh4 h5 30. Nf5+ Kf6 31. Nd6 {Girel,J (2484)-Loiret,S (2163) Cappelle la Grande FRA 2025 1-0 (42)}) 17. Qxf5 Qc8 (17... Qd7 18. Qxd7 Nxd7 19. Rad1 Rfd8 20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. Rxd6 Ne5 22. Nd4 $1 Rxd6 23. Nf5+ Kf6 24. Nxd6 $16) 18. Qb5 $146 (18. Qxc8 Raxc8 (18... Rfxc8 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rad1 $14) 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rad1 Rfd8 $14 {Karpov}) (18. Nh4 $5 {Kramnik}) ({RR} 18. Nh4 Qxf5 19. Nxf5 Rfd8 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Nxh6 Kg7 22. Nf5+ Kg6 23. Nxd6 Rxd6 24. Rfd1 Rad8 25. Rxd6 Rxd6 26. g3 Rd2 27. Rb1 f5 28. Kg2 Rd3 29. b3 Rd2 30. a4 Rd3 31. b4 f4 32. gxf4 Kf5 {Gligoric,S (2470)-Kosic,D (2530) Niksic 1996 ½-½ (52)}) ({RR} 18. Nh4 Be7 19. Rac1 Qxf5 20. Nxf5 Bd8 21. Rfe1 Kh7 22. g3 Re8 23. Nd6 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Ba5 25. Re7 Bb4 26. Bxf6 Bxd6 27. Rxf7 Kg6 28. Rd7 Kxf6 29. Rxd6+ Ke7 30. Rg6 Kf7 31. Rg4 Rd8 32. Ra4 a6 {Gomez Esteban,J (2490)-Manso Gil,A (2260) Mondariz 1997 1-0 (58)}) 18... a6 (18... Ne4 {Ftacnik} 19. Rac1 $14) 19. Qb6 (19. Qb3 Qe6 20. Qxe6 fxe6 21. Rfe1 Rfe8 $14 {Karpov}) 19... Qc7 (19... Bc7 {Ftacnik} 20. Qb3 Bd8 (20... Ne4 $2 21. Rac1 $18) 21. Ne5 $16) 20. Qxc7 Bxc7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Rfe1 Rfe8 23. Rad1 $14 (23. g3 $5 {Karpov war möglicherweise noch genauer. Aber auch so behält Weiß einen kleinen, aber dauerhaften Vorteil. Karpows Endspielführung ist lehrreich.}) 23... Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 { Hecht Dauerhafte Schwäche der schwarzen B-Struktur führt zu weißem Spiel an diesem Flügel mit S+K-Einsatz dort. Schwarzes Gegenspiel am D-Flügel. Nach beiderseitiger Freibauernbildung aufregendes Finale. Weißer Hauptvorteil: die schlechte schwarze K-Stellung, die zu Mattdrohungen führt.} Rd8 25. g3 Rd7 26. Re2 Kg7 27. Nh4 Rd5 (27... Be5 {Ftacnik} 28. Kg2 $14) 28. Re7 Rc5 29. Rd7 b5 (29... Kf8 $1 {Ftacnik} 30. b4 Rc1+ (30... Ke8 31. bxc5 Kxd7 32. Nf5 h5 33. Ng7 Kc6 34. Nxh5 Be5 35. h4 Kxc5 36. Ng7 f5 37. Nxf5 $16) 31. Kg2 Ke8 32. Rd3 $14) 30. b4 Rc2 31. Nf5+ Kg6 32. Ne3 Rc1+ 33. Kg2 Be5 (33... f5 {Ftacnik} 34. Nd5 Be5 35. Ra7 $16) 34. Ra7 Rc6 35. Nd5 Bd6 (35... Rd6 {Ftacnik} 36. Ne7+ Kh5 37. f4 Bc3 38. Kh3 $18) 36. a3 Kf5 37. Ne3+ (37. Rxf7 $2 {Ftacnik} Ke6) 37... Kg6 (37... Ke6 {Ftacnik} 38. g4 $5 (38. Kf3 Be5 39. Ke4 f5+ $1) 38... Bb8 39. Rb7 Bf4 40. Nf5 Rc3 41. Rb6+ Ke5 42. Rxa6 $16) 38. Kf3 Be5 39. Nd5 Kg7 40. Ne7 Rc3+ (40... Re6 $5 {Ftacnik} 41. Kg4 Bb2 42. h4 Bxa3 43. Nf5+ Kf8 (43... Kg6 44. h5+ Kh7 45. Rxf7+ Kh8 46. Nxh6 Bxb4 47. Kf5 Rc6 48. Kg6 f5+ 49. Kg5 Be1 50. f4 Bxg3 51. Nxf5 Bf2 52. Ne7 Rd6 53. h6 $18) 44. Ra8+ (44. Nxh6 Bxb4 45. Rxf7+ Ke8 46. Kf5 (46. Rb7 Bc5 47. f4 Re7 48. Rb8+ Kd7 49. Nf5 Re8) 46... Re2 47. Kg6 Rxf2 (47... Bc3 48. Ng4 $16) 48. Ng4 Rg2 49. Nxf6+ Kd8 50. g4 $16) 44... Re8 45. Rxa6 Bxb4 46. Rxf6 Re6 47. Rxe6 fxe6 48. Nd4 $16) 41. Kg4 Rxa3 42. f4 Bc3 43. Kh5 (43. Nf5+ {Ftacnik} Kg6) 43... Bxb4 44. Nf5+ Kg8 45. Ra8+ {} Kh7 (45... Bf8 {Ftacnik} 46. Nxh6+ Kg7 47. Ra7 Kh8 (47... Kh7 48. Rxf7+ Bg7 49. Nf5 $18) (47... Bc5 48. Rxf7+ Kh8 49. Kg6 $18) 48. Nxf7+ (48. Rxf7 Bxh6 49. Kxh6 Kg8 50. Kg6 Rc3 51. Rxf6 $18) 48... Kg8 (48... Kg7 49. Nh6+ Kh8 50. Kg6 $18) 49. Kg6 Ra2 (49... b4 {Hecht} 50. Ra8 $18) 50. Ra8 Rxh2 51. g4 Rh7 (51... b4 52. g5 fxg5 53. fxg5 Rf2 54. Nh6+ Kh8 55. Ng4 Rf1 56. Nf6 $18) (51... Rh1 52. Kxf6 Rh7 53. Ne5 b4 54. g5 $18) 52. Rxf8+ Kxf8 53. Kxh7 Kxf7 (53... b4 54. Nd6 b3 55. Nc4 $18) 54. g5 fxg5 55. fxg5 b4 56. g6+ $18) 46. Ra7 Kg8 (46... Bc3 {Ftacnik} 47. Rxf7+ Kg8 48. Nxh6+ Kh8 49. Kg6 $18) 47. Nxh6+ Kf8 48. Rxf7+ Ke8 49. Kg6 Bc3 (49... Ra2 {Ftacnik} 50. h4 Bc3 51. Nf5) (49... f5 $5 {[%CAl Gc3h8] Hecht}) 50. Nf5 b4 (50... a5 $2 {Ftacnik} 51. Nd6+ Kd8 52. Nxb5 $18) 51. Rb7 {} Ra2 (51... b3 {Ftacnik} 52. Nd6+ Kd8 (52... Kf8 $2 53. Kh7 $1 (53. Rf7+ {Hecht} Kg8 54. Nf5 $18 {[%CAl Rf5h6]}) 53... b2 54. Rf7#) 53. Kf5 {[%CAl Rf5e6]} Ra2 54. Rxb3 $18) 52. h4 a5 (52... Kd8 {Ftacnik} 53. h5 Kc8 54. Nd6+ Kd8 55. h6 Rh2 56. h7 f5 57. Nxf5 $18) 53. h5 a4 (53... Kd8 54. h6 Kc8 55. h7 Rh2 56. Rg7 {[%CAl Rf5h4]} Rxh7 57. Rxh7 a4 (57... b3 {Hecht} 58. Nd6+ Kd8 59. Kf5 $18 {[%CAl Rf5e6]}) 58. Nd6+ Kb8 59. Rb7+ Ka8 60. Rb5 $18) 54. h6 Rh2 55. h7 {} Kd8 (55... a3 {Ftacnik} 56. Nh4 (56. Nd6+ {Hecht} Kd8 57. Kf5 a2 58. h8=Q+ Rxh8 59. Ke6 Re8+ 60. Nxe8 {[%CAl Rb7b8]} Kc8 61. Nd6+ Kd8 62. Rd7#) 56... f5 57. Rg7 $1 Bxg7 58. Kxg7 a2 59. h8=Q+ Kd7 60. Kf7 $18) (55... b3 {Ftacnik} 56. Nh4 f5 57. Rg7 Bxg7 58. Kxg7 b2 59. h8=Q+ Kd7 60. Qb8 a3 61. Nxf5 $18) 56. Nh4 f5 57. Rxb4 (57. Rg7 $5 {Ftacnik} Bxg7 58. Kxg7 $18) 57... Rh3 58. Rxa4 Rxg3+ 59. Kxf5 (59. Kxf5 {Ftacnik} Rh3 60. Ra8+ Kc7 61. h8=Q Bxh8 62. Rxh8 $18) 1-0 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 17th"] [Site "Novi Sad"] [Date "2009.10.27"] [Round "6"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2773"] [BlackElo "2730"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2009.10.22"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 133"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Armenia"] [BlackTeam "Spain"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "ESP"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. a3 a5 (11... a6 {is more popular - see annotations to Kasimdzhanov - Leko by GM L.Ftacnik in CBM 132}) (11... Qe7 {is played quite often, too.}) 12. e4 (12. Ng5) (12. Bd2 {are quite harmless alternatives.}) 12... e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. h3 (15. f4 $6 Bd4+ 16. Kh1 Ng4 17. h3 Qh4 18. Qe2 h5 19. f5 Nf2+ 20. Rxf2 Qxf2 21. Qxf2 Bxf2 22. Bf4 Rfd8 $17 {0-1 Milov,V (2676)-Bareev,E (2653)/Bastia 2007/EXT 2008 (30)}) 15... Ba6 $146 {[%CAl Yb5b4][%mdl 8] A curious novelty. Black finds a way to trade this passive bishop. The other moves seen in practice don't promise him equal chances, either due to this bishop or because of weaknesses arising in his camp:} (15... c5 $5 {is a surgical approach, which hardly works here:} 16. Bxb5 (16. Nxb5 c4 17. Bxc4 Nxe4 18. Be3 {is less convincing}) 16... Bxc3 (16... Qb6 17. a4 $5) 17. bxc3 (17. Qxc3 $5 Nxe4 18. Qc2) 17... Bxe4 18. Qe2 Qd5 19. f3 Bf5 20. c4 $1 Qd4+ 21. Be3 Qe5 22. Qf2 Rfc8 23. Rad1 $16 {[%csl Rc5] 1/2 Epishin,V (2615)-Dokhoian,Y (2545)/Moscow 1991/URS-ch (52)}) (15... Nh5 $6 16. Ne2 Re8 17. f4 Bd4+ 18. Kh2 Qb6 $6 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. Qe2 Nf6 21. Be3 Qd7 22. Bc5 $16 {1-0 Maric,A (2443)-Tkeshelashvili,S (2286)/New Delhi 2000/CBM 079 ext (30)}) (15... Re8 16. Be3 (16. f4 $6 Bd4+ 17. Kh2 g6 $132 {[%CAl Yc6c5]}) 16... Qc7 (16... Bd4 $6 17. Rfe1 h6 18. Rad1 Bxe3 19. Rxe3 Qb6 20. Qe2 Rad8 21. e5 Nd7 22. e6 $16 {1-0 Fressinet,L (2654)-Maksimenko,A (2505)/Germany 2008/CBM 124 (33)}) (16... Bxc3 $6 17. bxc3 c5 18. Bxb5 (18. Rfd1 $5 Qe7 19. f3 $14) 18... Bxe4 19. Qd1 Qxd1 20. Rfxd1 Rec8 21. c4 $1 {[%csl Rc5] This arrangement (?b5, ?c4), as you see, is quite typical after the exchange on c3.} a4 22. Ra2 Bc6 23. Rb2 Ne4 24. f3 Nc3 25. Rc1 Nxb5 26. cxb5 $18 {1-0 Peralta,F (2546)-Tissir,M (2440)/La Laguna 2008/CBM 123 Extra (61)}) (16... Qe7 17. Ne2 Bc7 18. Bc5 Bd6 19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. f4 $2 (20. Rad1 $14) 20... c5 $1 21. e5 Qb6 22. Rf2 c4 23. Bf5 Nd5 $36 {0-1 Bhat,V (2473)-Stripunsky,A (2556)/ICC INT 2009/The Week in Chess 781 (33)}) 17. f3 $5 (17. f4 Bxc3 18. bxc3 c5 19. e5 c4 $1 20. Be2 Ne4 21. Rfb1 Bc6 22. Bf3 f5 $13 23. a4 bxa4 24. Be2 Qf7 {0-1 Nielsen,P (2629)-Grachev,B (2610)/Plovdiv 2008/CBM 124 (40)}) (17. Rad1 Rad8 18. Ne2 Bd6 19. Nd4 Nh5 20. Rfe1 Nf4 21. Bf1 Ne6 22. Nxe6 Rxe6 23. f4 f6 $14 {1/2 Kramnik,V (2785)-Anand,V (2801)/Moscow 2007/CBM 121 Extra (47)}) 17... Rad8 18. Rad1 Nh5 19. Ne2 Nf4 20. Nxf4 Bxf4 21. Bxf4 (21. Bf2 a4 22. e5 Bxe5 23. Bxh7+ Kh8 $11 {1/2 Sokolov,I (2658)-Erdos,V (2576)/Sibenik 2008/CBM 126 Extra (43)}) 21... Qxf4 22. Qc5 $1 Qf6 23. Qb6 Qd4+ 24. Qxd4 Rxd4 25. Be2 Red8 26. Rxd4 Rxd4 27. Kf2 Rd2 28. Rb1 Kf8 29. Ke3 Rd8 30. a4 bxa4 31. Ra1 Rb8 32. Rxa4 Bc8 33. Rxa5 Bd7 34. Ra7 Be6 35. Rc7 $16 {V.Bologan}) (15... h6 16. Be3 Re8 17. Rad1 $14 (17. Ne2 $2 Bxb2 {0-1 Manea,A (2357)-Savchenko,S (2557)/Bucharest 2008/CBM 126 Extra (36)})) (15... b4 16. axb4 axb4 17. Rxa8 Bxa8 18. Ne2 $5 $14 (18. Na4 Bd4 19. b3 c5 20. Bb2 Bxb2 21. Nxb2 Qd4 22. Re1 Re8 23. Na4 g6 $15 {0-1 Saldano Dayer,H (2449)-Fier,A (2595)/Campinas 2009/CBM 130 Extra (44)})) 16. Be3 (16. Rd1 $5 Qe7 $140 17. Be3 (17. f4 $2 Bd4+ 18. Kf1 Bb6 {[%CAl Re7c5]}) 17... b4 18. Na4 Bxd3 19. Rxd3 Nxe4 20. Re1 $44 {?}) 16... b4 $1 17. Bxa6 bxc3 18. Bc4 $6 (18. Rad1 $142 Qe7 (18... Qb8 19. Bd3 Qxb2 20. f4 Bc7 21. Rc1 $44) 19. Bd3 $1 cxb2 20. f4 Bd6 $1 21. Qxb2 (21. e5 $2 Bxa3) 21... Nxe4 22. Qc2 Bc5 23. Bxe4 Bxe3+ 24. Kh1 $11) 18... cxb2 19. Rad1 Qb8 $146 {Black fails to exploit White's inaccuracy, and the advantage passes to the Armenian grandmaster. His bishop will now be well-placed on c4.} (19... Qe7 $142 $1 20. Bc5 (20. f4 Bd6 {- the e4 pawn is now unprotected!} 21. e5 Bxa3) 20... Qc7 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 {[%CAl Yc6c5,Ye5d4] - Black has excellent compensation for the exchange.}) ({RR} 19... Qe7 20. Bc5 Qc7 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. g3 c5 23. f4 Bd4+ 24. Kh2 Qb7 25. Rfe1 Rb8 26. Ba2 g6 27. e5 Nd5 28. Rd3 a4 29. Qd2 Qc6 30. Qc2 Qb7 31. Qd2 Qc6 32. Qc2 {½-½ (32) Dubov,D (2629)-Shirov,A (2695) Moscow 2013}) ({RR} 19... Qe7 20. Bc5 Qc7 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. g3 g5 23. f4 gxf4 24. gxf4 Bxf4 25. Qxb2 Nh5 26. Rd3 Qe7 27. Rf2 Be5 28. Qe2 Nf6 29. Kh1 Kh8 30. Rg2 Rb8 31. Ba2 Ne8 32. Qe3 Nd6 33. Rd1 Qf6 34. Rf2 {Duda,J (2750)-Firouzja,A (2793) Madrid 2022 ½-½ (41)}) 20. f4 Bc7 21. e5 {[%csl Gc4,Ge5,Gf4]} Bb6 (21... Nd5 $142 22. Bd4 Rd8 $14) 22. Bf2 $1 Bxf2+ 23. Rxf2 Rd8 $5 {[%mdl 512] A desperate decision but after the knight retreats White gets a clear advantage.} (23... Nd5 24. Bxd5 cxd5 25. Qxb2 $16 {[%csl Rd5]}) (23... Nh5 24. Kh2 $16 {[%CAl Rg2g4]}) 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. exf6 {It was equally good to decline the offer:} (25. Qxb2 {[%csl Gc4,Rc6] The white bishop is much stronger here than the black knight. E.g.} Ne4 (25... Nd5 26. Qb7 Qc8 27. Rb2 $1 $16) 26. Rf3 $1 {[%CAl Yf3d3]} Qd1+ 27. Rf1 Qd8 28. e6 fxe6 29. Bxe6+ Kh8 30. Re1 $16) 25... Rb8 26. Ba2 Qxf6 {Surprisingly, it is not so easy for White to convert his material advantage. He fails to find an appropriate way.} 27. g3 (27. Bb1 $1 g6 28. f5 {(developing an initiative on the kingside) was probably the right plan.} g5 29. Rd2 {[%CAl Yd2d7]}) 27... g6 28. Kh2 Qe7 29. a4 Qa3 $132 {[%csl Ra4]} 30. Bb1 {Too late!} Rb3 $1 31. Rg2 Qxa4 32. f5 Qb5 33. Qe4 Qb8 {[%csl Rg2]} 34. Qxc6 Rb6 35. Qd7 Rb7 36. Qd1 Rb3 37. Qe1 a4 38. Re2 Kf8 (38... Kg7 $5 39. f6+ Kxf6 40. Qf2+ Kg7 41. Re7 Kh6 42. Rxf7 Qd6 {- White can't make any progress.}) 39. Re3 $6 {After the rook exchange White can't win anymore.} (39. f6 $1 {would have given him some winning chances, e.g.} Rf3 (39... a3 40. Re7 $1 {[%CAl Re7f7]} Qd8 41. h4 $1 {, then the white queen moves forward}) 40. Be4 $1 Rxf6 41. Qc3 Qb6 42. Kg2 $1 (42. Rxb2 $143 Rf2+ {- the rook exchange is unfavorable for White here, too}) 42... Qa6 43. Qxb2 {killing the main enemy} a3 $140 44. Qa2 Re6 45. Rf2 $1) 39... Rxe3 40. Qxe3 {[%mdl 4096]} Qb4 41. f6 a3 42. h4 h5 43. Qa7 Ke8 {White now has a lot of checks but nothing more.} 44. Qa8+ (44. Ba2 Qd2+ 45. Kh3 Qd7+ 46. Qxd7+ Kxd7 {can be risky for White.}) 44... Kd7 45. Qd5+ Kc8 46. Qxf7 Qd2+ 47. Kh3 Qd1 48. Qe6+ Kc7 $1 49. Qe5+ Kd7 50. Qe7+ Kc8 51. Qe4 Qf1+ 52. Kh2 Qf2+ 53. Qg2 Qxf6 54. Qa8+ Kc7 55. Qa7+ Kd8 56. Qa5+ Kd7 57. Kg2 Qc6+ 58. Kf2 Qf6+ 59. Kg2 Qc6+ 60. Kh2 Qf6 61. Qa4+ Kc7 62. Qa7+ Kd8 63. Qc5 Qe6 64. Qa5+ Kc8 65. Qc3+ Kd8 66. Qa5+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Montecatini Terme"] [Site "Montecatini Terme"] [Date "2000.07.30"] [Round "3"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2719"] [BlackElo "2746"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2000.07.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 079"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.11.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.11.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 (5... dxc4 6. Bxc4 c5 {führt zum angenommenen Damengambit.}) 6. O-O Bd6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. e4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 {Damit sind wir wieder in einer Variante, die Anand wiederbelebt hat. Anscheinend steht Schwarz besser, als man lange Zeit geglaubt hat.} 10. Be3 (10. Bg5 Qe7 11. Re1 Rd8 12. Qb3 $5 exd4 13. e5 Nxe5 14. Ne4 $5 b5 $1 15. Nxd6 Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3 Qxd6 17. Bxb5 Bd7 18. Bd3 Re8 19. h3 Nd5 $17 {0-1 Lautier,J-Anand,V/Monaco 2000/CBM 75/[Lutz] (72)}) 10... Qe7 {Die Dame gehört in diesem System nach e7.} (10... b5 11. Bd3 a6 12. a4 b4 13. Ne2 c5 $2 14. dxe5 Bxe5 15. Qc2 Ng4 16. Bf4 Qc7 $6 17. Nxe5 Ngxe5 18. Rac1 Qb6 19. Rfd1 Re8 20. Bxe5 Nxe5 21. Qxc5 Qg6 22. Ng3 h5 23. Nf5 $1 $16 {1-0 Mikhalchishin,A-Kupreichik,V/Ashkhabad 1978/MCL/[Bulletin] (48)}) (10... Qc7 11. Rc1 exd4 12. Bxd4 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. h3 Be6 (14... Rd8 $2 15. Bxe5 $1 {, dieser Trick wird durch die Damenstellung auf c7 möglich.}) 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Bxe5 Qxe5 17. Qb3 Nh5 18. Rcd1 Nf4 19. g3 Nxh3+ 20. Kg2 Rf6 21. f4 Qh5 22. e5 Rh6 23. Qc4 Rf8 24. Qe2 Qg6 25. Rd4 c5 26. Rc4 Rh4 27. f5 {1-0 Kortschnoj,V-Godena,M/Batumi 1999/CBM 74 (27)}) 11. Bb3 (11. Qc2 exd4 12. Bxd4 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bxe5 Qxe5 15. Be2 Be6 16. Rad1 Rad8 17. h3 Qc5 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Rd1 Rd4 20. Rxd4 Qxd4 21. Qd3 Qxd3 22. Bxd3 Kf8 23. Kf1 {½-½ Marshall,F-Alekhine,A/Hamburg 1910/HCL (23)}) 11... exd4 12. Bxd4 Ne5 (12... Nxe4 $2 13. Re1 Nxc3 14. Bxc3 $18) 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bxe5 (14. h3 $2 Rd8 {, man vergleiche mit Kortschnoj,V-Godena,M (siehe oben)}) 14... Qxe5 15. f4 Qc5+ 16. Kh1 Be6 17. Bxe6 ({RR} 17. e5 Rfd8 18. Qf3 Bxb3 19. exf6 Bc4 20. Rfe1 Qf5 21. fxg7 Rd4 22. g3 Rd2 23. g4 Qc2 24. f5 Rd3 25. Re3 Qxb2 26. Rxd3 Bxd3 27. Rd1 Qxc3 28. Rxd3 Qa1+ 29. Rd1 Qxa2 30. Qe4 Qb2 31. Qe7 Qb3 {Veinberg,N (2406)-Musyuk,L (2322) Israel ISR 2026 ½-½ (35)}) 17... fxe6 18. Qb3 {Weiß hat die etwas bessere Bauernstellung, aber Schwarz steht aktiv. Weiß hat nicht viel.} Rae8 $146 ({RR} 18... Rf7 19. e5 Nd5 20. Ne4 Qe3 21. Qxe3 Nxe3 22. Rf3 Nd5 23. Raf1 Raf8 24. g3 h6 25. h4 b6 26. Kh2 Rd7 27. Rd1 Rfd8 28. Rfd3 Rf8 29. a3 c5 30. Nd6 Rfd8 31. h5 Nc7 32. Kg2 Nb5 33. R3d2 {Toth,B (2316)-Karl,H (2163) Switzerland 2012 ½-½ (46)}) 19. e5 Ng4 $5 {Schwarz sucht aktives Spiel am Königsflügel. Außerdem kann, falls Weiß den ?c3 nach d6 bringen sollte, schnell mit ...?h6-f7 dessen Abtausch angestrebt werden.} (19... Nd5 {kam auch in Betracht.} 20. Ne4 (20. Nxd5 Qxd5 21. Qe3 Qb5 22. b3 Rd8 $132) (20. Qxb7 Nxf4) 20... Qb6 21. Nd6 Qxb3 22. axb3 Ra8 $13 {Weißß hat einen schönen Springer auf d6, aber der ?d5 steht auch nicht schlecht.}) 20. g3 Re7 21. Rae1 Qb6 22. Qa3 (22. Qxb6 axb6 23. Ne4 Rd7 24. Nd6 Nh6 $11 {nebst ...?f7.}) 22... Rd7 23. Ne4 Rd4 24. Qe7 c5 {[%csl Re4,Rh1][%CAl Yb6c6,Yc6h1] Öffnet die Diagonale a8-h1 für die Dame.} (24... Rxe4 $6 25. Qxe6+ Kh8 26. Rxe4 Nf2+ 27. Rxf2 Qxf2 28. Qc4 Qxb2 29. e6 $36) 25. Nd6 Qc6+ 26. Kg1 Qd5 $11 {Angesichts der offenen weißen Königstellung hat Schwarz genügend Gegenspiel.} 27. Qxb7 (27. h3 $2 Rd3 $19 {?} 28. Ne4 Ne3) 27... Qxb7 28. Nxb7 Rb8 29. Nxc5 Rxb2 30. Rd1 Rc4 31. Rc1 Rd4 32. Nxe6 (32. Rb1 Rxa2 33. Rb8+ Kf7 34. Rb7+ Ke8 35. Nxe6 Rdd2 $11) 32... Rdd2 33. Rc8+ Kf7 34. Ng5+ Ke7 35. Rc7+ Ke8 36. Nf3 Rg2+ 37. Kh1 Nxh2 38. Nh4 Nxf1 39. Nxg2 Nxg3+ 40. Kg1 Ne2+ 41. Kf1 Ng3+ 42. Kg1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Jermuk FIDE GP"] [Site "Jermuk"] [Date "2009.08.16"] [Round "7"] [White "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2716"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "Eljanov,Pavel"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2009.08.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ARM"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 132"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Before this game I had had 6 draws in a row! Frankly speaking, I thought that it was highly possible that this would be my next one! Vor dieser Partie hatte ich 6 Remis in Serie! Offen gestanden hielt ich es für höchst wahrscheinlich, dass dies mein nächstes sein würde!} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 {This is the first time in my life that I had played this move. Dies ist das erste Mal in meinem Leben, dass ich diesen Zug gespielt hatte.} Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Rd1 b5 11. Bd3 {Quite a rare move and it looks like there is a good reason for that. Ein recht seltener Zug, und dies offenbar aus gutem Grund.} Qc7 12. a4 $146 {This was my idea. Das war meine Idee.} b4 $1 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Nf6 15. Bd3 c5 16. b3 $146 ({RR} 16. Bd2 Bb7 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. Qxc5 Bxc5 19. a5 Rfd8 20. Be1 Nd5 21. Ne5 f6 22. Nc4 b3 23. Be2 Rab8 24. Nd2 Bxe3 25. fxe3 Nxe3 26. Nc4 Nxd1 27. Bxd1 Rbc8 28. Ne3 Rd3 29. Kf2 Rc5 30. Be2 Rd4 {Roselli Mailhe,B (2399)-Gerzhoy,L (2485) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 1-0 (41)}) 16... cxd4 17. Qxc7 Bxc7 18. Nxd4 Bb7 $11 {During my preparation I thought somehow that this endgame should be a bit better for White. But here I realised that Black has no problems at all. Levon neutralised my preparation without any pressure! Bei meiner Vorbereitung hatte ich gedacht, dass dieses Endspiel irgendwie einen Tick besser für Weiß sein sollte. Doch hier wurde mir klar, dass Schwarz keinerlei Probleme hat. Levon hatte meine Vorbereitung ohne jeglichen Druck neutralisiert!} 19. Bb2 Rac8 20. Rac1 Be5 $1 21. f3 {This is the only active plan to restrict the black pieces by playing f3 and e4. Dies ist der einzige aktive Plan, um die schwarzen Figuren mit f3 und e4 zu hemmen.} h5 (21... Nd5 22. Kf2 Nc3 23. Bxc3 Rxc3 24. Rxc3 bxc3 25. Rc1 $14) 22. Kf2 a5 (22... Bxh2 {was possible and maybe the strongest as I got a more pleasant position in the game. war möglich und vielleicht auch am stärksten, denn in der Partie erhielt ich eine angenehmere Stellung.} 23. g3 h4 24. gxh4 Be5 25. f4 Bb8 26. Nf3 $132) (22... Nd7 23. Be2) 23. Bc4 $1 {A very important move as I should stop Black's main idea to transfer the knight to c5. Ein ganz wichtiger Zug, denn ich sollte die Hauptidee von Schwarz unterbinden, den Springertransfer nach c5.} (23. g3 Nd7 {and I need to be careful already. und ich muss bereits aufpassen.}) 23... Nd5 (23... Bxh2 24. Nxe6 $1 {The point of 23.?c4! Die Pointe von 23.?c4!} fxe6 (24... Ne4+ 25. Ke1) 25. Bxe6+ Kh7 26. Bxc8 Ne4+ 27. Ke1 Bxc8 28. Rxc8 Rxc8 29. fxe4 $16) 24. g3 Nb6 25. Bb5 Rfd8 (25... Bd5 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. Rd2 $1 Bf6 28. e4 Bb7 29. Ke3 $14) 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. e4 h4 {Levon said after the game that this move is wrong, but on the other hand I don't see full equality for Black anyway. Levon sagte nach der Partie, dass dieser Zug falsch sei, aber andererseits sehe ich auch sonst keinen vollen Ausgleich für Schwarz.} (27... Bf6 28. Ke3 e5 29. Ne2 Rc2 30. Bc1 (30. Rd2 $2 Bxe4 $1) 30... Bc8 31. Rd6 Na8 32. Kd3 Rc7 33. Bb2 $16) (27... g5 28. Ke3 Bg7 29. Rc1 $14) (27... Rd8 28. Ke3 $14) 28. gxh4 Bf6 29. Ke3 $1 ({Rybka prefers the greedy Rybka bevorzugt das gierige} 29. Kg3 Rd8 30. Be2 Nc8 {but I don't see how to regroup my pieces here. , aber ich sehe nicht, wie ich hier meine Figuren umgruppieren soll.}) 29... Bxh4 30. Ne2 Bg5+ {Dieser Zug missfiel Levon ebenfalls. Aber es sieht so aus, als wäre er ebenfalls nicht schlecht. Levon disliked this move also. But it looks like it is also not bad.} 31. f4 Bd8 {Now my pawn chain is not so strong and I need to bear in mind ...f5. Nun ist meine Bauernkette nicht mehr so stark, und ich muss mit ...f5 rechnen.} 32. Rg1 g6 33. Bd4 Na8 $2 {But this is a real mistake. Aber das ist ein echter Fehler.} ({Black should play Angezeigt war} 33... Kf8 $1 34. h4 $5 (34. Rg3 Ke7 35. Rh3 Nd7 $11) 34... Ke7 35. h5 gxh5 36. Rg7 {with the initiative but Black should hold I believe. mit Initiative, aber Schwarz sollte sich meines Erachtens halten können.}) 34. f5 $1 {Now all the black pieces are too far away. Nun stehen sämtliche schwarzen Figuren zu weit abseits.} exf5 35. exf5 Bd5 36. fxg6 Bxb3 37. Nf4 f6 (37... fxg6 38. Nxg6 Rc7 39. Bc6 $5 Rxc6 40. Ne5+ Kf8 41. Nxc6 Bc7 42. h4 $18) (37... Kf8 38. h4 {I don't believe that Black can survive here. Ich glaube nicht, dass Schwarz hier überleben kann.}) 38. Bd7 Rc2 {After this my task is very simple. Danach ist meine Aufgabe sehr einfach.} (38... Rc7 39. Bf5 Nb6 40. h4 Nd5+ 41. Nxd5 Bxd5 42. h5 $16 {White should win also. sollte Weiß ebenfalls gewinnen.}) 39. Bf5 $1 Rxh2 40. Rc1 Bc7 (40... Nb6 41. Be6+ (41. Kf3 Kg7 42. Kg3 Rh8 43. Kg4 Rh2 44. Rc6 Nxa4 45. Nh5+ $18) 41... Bxe6 42. Nxe6 Rg2 43. Rc6 Nxa4 44. Nf4 $1 Rg1 45. Ke2 $18) 41. Bxf6 $1 {I was lucky to reach the time control just at this moment! Ich hatte Glück, just in diesem Moment die Zeitkontrolle zu erreichen!} ({As after Denn nach} 41. Be6+ $2 Bxe6 42. Nxe6 b3 $1 {it's amazing but I don't see how to win: sehe ich verblüffender Weise keinen Gewinn:} 43. Nxc7 b2 44. Bxb2 Nxc7 45. Rxc7 Rxb2 $11) 41... Bb6+ 42. Kf3 Nc7 43. Kg3 1-0 [Event "Grand Slam Final 1st"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2008.09.13"] [Round "10"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2777"] [BlackElo "2781"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2008.09.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 Bd6 10. O-O O-O 11. Qc2 h6 {A rare, rather second-rate move in this popular position.} (11... a6 {- see Svidler-Karjakin in CBM 124}) 12. e4 (12. Bd2 {is less energetic:} Qe7 (12... a5 13. Rfd1 (13. h3 Qe7 14. Rfe1 b4 15. axb4 axb4 16. Na4 e5 17. e4 Nh5 18. g3 Ra5 19. Bf1 Rfa8 20. b3 Qf6 21. dxe5 Nxe5 $13 {1-0 Rausis,I (2521)-Fargere,F (2330)/Basel 2007/CBM 116 ext (51)}) 13... Rc8 14. Be2 Qc7 15. Rac1 Rfe8 16. h3 Qb8 17. Qb1 e5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Rxe5 20. Bf3 $14 c5 $6 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Qd3 Qe7 23. Nxb5 $16 {0-1 Wang Yue (2598)-Zhang Pengxiang (2623)/Wuxi 2006/CBM 113 ext (36)}) 13. b4 a5 14. bxa5 Bxa3 15. e4 e5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Ng4 18. Be2 Nxe5 19. f4 Nd7 20. Kh1 Bb4 21. e5 Rfd8 22. Rfb1 Nf8 23. Nd5 Qc5 24. Ne7+ Kh8 25. Qxc5 Bxc5 26. Bb4 Bxb4 27. Rxb4 Ne6 $13 {0-1 Kachiani Gersinska,K (2420)-Dreev,A (2645)/Bad Wiessee 1998/EXT 2001 (39)}) (12. h3 $5 a5 13. e4 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Be3 Re8 17. Rad1 Qe7 18. Ne2 Rad8 (18... c5 $1 19. Bxb5 Bxe4 20. Qxc5 Qxc5 21. Bxc5 Reb8 22. a4 Bxb2 $13) 19. f4 Bd6 20. Ng3 $16 {1-0 Fressinet,L (2640)-Sebag,M (2471)/Cap d'Agde 2006/CBM 115 (33)}) 12... e5 13. dxe5 (13. Rd1 Qe7 14. Nh4 exd4 15. Nf5 Qe6 16. Nxd4 Qe5 17. Nf3 Qe7 18. Nh4 Bc5 19. Nf5 Qe6 20. Bf4 Ne5 21. b4 Bb6 22. Be2 Rfd8 23. Be3 Ng6 {1/2 Mukherjee,A (2514)-Khromov,S (2481)/RCCA 2004/ICCF CBM 120}) 13... Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. h3 a6 (15... Nh5 $5 16. f4 $140 Bd4+ 17. Kh2 Qh4) 16. Be3 c5 $146 {It is a logical idea to open up the way for the b7-bishop by means of this pawn sacrifice. There was probably no sense in waiting, e.g.} (16... Re8 17. f4 $1 (17. Rad1 $143 Qe7 18. Ne2 {gives Black an excellent opportunity to play} c5 $1 19. Bxc5 Qc7 $132) 17... Bd4 18. Bxd4 Qxd4+ 19. Kh2 c5 20. e5 $14) ({RR} 16... Re8 17. Rad1 Qe7 18. Ne2 c5 19. Bxc5 Qc7 20. Bd4 Nxe4 21. Qxc7 Bxc7 22. Nc3 Nxc3 23. Bxc3 Rad8 24. Bc2 Bd5 25. Rd3 Bc4 26. Rxd8 Bxd8 27. Re1 Rxe1+ 28. Bxe1 Bf6 29. b3 Bd5 30. a4 Kf8 31. axb5 {Moranda,W (2568)-Potkin,V (2684) Warsaw 2011 ½-½ (41)}) ({RR} 16... Re8 17. f4 Bxc3 18. bxc3 c5 19. e5 c4 20. Bf5 Bc8 21. Rad1 Bxf5 22. Qxf5 Qc8 23. Qc2 Qb7 24. Rd4 Nd7 25. Rd6 Nf8 26. Rfd1 Re6 27. Rd8 Re8 28. R8d6 f6 29. Bd4 Ne6 30. Qf5 fxe5 31. Bxe5 {Leko,P (2705)-Bukavshin,I (2657) Moscow 2015 1-0 (51)}) 17. Bxc5 Re8 18. Rad1 Qc7 19. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 $6 {Black fails to find a difficult defence:} (19... Bxd5 $1 20. exd5 Rac8 21. b4 (21. Rc1 Nxd5) 21... Bh2+ 22. Kh1 Bd6 23. Bf5 Rcd8 {regaining the d5-pawn with good drawing chances.}) 20. exd5 Bxb2 {Black has regained the material in a simpler way but White has obtained a strong passed pawn, which makes a big difference.} 21. d6 Qc6 22. f3 Rec8 23. Bh7+ Kh8 24. Be4 Qxc5+ 25. Qxc5 Rxc5 26. Bxb7 Rd8 27. Rfe1 Be5 $6 (27... Re5 28. Rxe5 Bxe5 29. d7 a5 30. Rd5 Bc7 31. Kf2 {is probably winning for White but}) ({the prophylactic} 27... Kh7 $1 {was much stronger:} 28. Bxa6 (28. d7 Rc7 29. Bc8 Rdxc8 30. dxc8=Q Rxc8 {must be a draw}) 28... Rc6 (28... Bxa3 $5 29. d7 Bb4 30. Re8 Ba5 31. Rxd8 Bxd8 32. Rb1 Kg6 33. Bxb5 Kf6) 29. Bxb5 Rcxd6 30. Rxd6 Rxd6 31. a4 Kg6 {and White can hardly win}) 28. d7 a5 29. f4 Bc7 30. Bd5 $1 {The second weakness (f7) proves decisive.} Kh7 31. Bxf7 Rf5 (31... Bxf4 32. Re6 {[%CAl Rf7g6]}) 32. Ba2 Rxf4 33. Bb1+ Kg8 34. Bg6 {With a simple threat: 35.?e8+ ?f8 37.?f1.} Bb6+ 35. Kh1 Bc5 (35... Rdf8 36. Re8 Bd8 37. Rc1 $18) 36. Rc1 $6 (36. Re8+ $142 Rf8 37. Rd3 a4 {(what else?)} (37... b4 $2 38. Rd5) 38. Re5 Bf2 39. Rxb5 $18) 36... Bf8 37. Red1 Bxa3 $2 (37... Rc4 {gave Black some chances to survive.}) 38. Rc8 Rff8 39. Be8 Be7 40. Re1 {"trapping" the black bishop} Bg5 41. g3 a4 42. h4 Bf6 43. Re6 {[%CAl Re6f6]} 1-0 [Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2015.05.25"] [Round "10"] [White "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2738"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Roiz,Michael"] [PlyCount "129"] [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. d4 {[%emt 0:00:02] Krasenkow,Michal} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} ({The solid} 3... b6 {is Karjakin's main weapon here, but the Meran wasn't a surprise for Dmitry either.}) 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 5. e3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 6. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 7. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:39]} 8. O-O {[%emt 0:01:38]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} ({Perhaps, the most solid here is} 8... e5 {, but it doesn't leave Black any real winning chances.}) 9. Bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 10. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:12]} b5 {[%emt 0:03:22]} 11. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:15] At the moment, this seems the only way to set Black any problems after 9...a6.} Qc7 {[%emt 0:01:14]} ({Leaving the queen on the d-file} 11... Bb7 {allows} 12. Ng5 $1 Bxh2+ 13. Kxh2 Ng4+ 14. Kg1 Qxg5 15. f3 Ngf6 16. e4 $14 {with more than sufficient compensation for a pawn.}) 12. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} c5 {[%emt 0:01:31] This thematic advance shouldn't be delayed.} ({The natural-looking} 12... Bb7 {leads to a very passive position:} 13. b4 $1 e5 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 $14 {1-0 Barsov,A (2507)-Jumabayev,R (2571)/Guangzhou 2010}) 13. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:24]} c4 {[%emt 0:00:32]} ({Releasing the tension offers White a small, but stable advantage:} 13... cxd4 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Be4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Bb7 17. Qxb7 Nc5 18. Bb4 Nxb7 19. Bxd6 Nxd6 20. Rxd4 $14 {1-0 Sargissian,G (2683)-Nezad,H (2402)/Caleta 2012/CBM 147 (45)}) 14. Nxd6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qxd6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 15. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:47] In the resulting position White has to prove, that the bishop pair is an important factor.} 16. b3 {[%emt 0:00:05] It definitely makes sense to swap one pair of q-side pawns and get more space for the pieces.} Rfc8 {[%emt 0:10:27]} ({This position has been tested many times in practice, and it looks like Black has no clear win to solve all the problems:} 16... Bd5 17. Qb2 Rfc8 18. Rac1 Ne4 19. Be1 f6 20. Ba5 Rab8 21. Ne1 f5 22. f3 Nef6 23. Nc2 $14 {1-0 Bukavshin,I (2629)-Artemiev,V (2660)/Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2014 (79)}) (16... Rac8 17. Qb2 Ng4 18. h3 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Qh2+ 20. Kf1 Ngf6 21. Bb4 Rfe8 22. Qa3 $14 {1-0 Predke,A (2464)-Frolyanov,D (2564)/Samara RUS 2012 (39)}) (16... Be4 17. Qb2 Rfc8 18. Ne1 Nd5 19. Rac1 cxb3 20. axb3 Bg6 21. Nd3 $14 {1-0 Farago,I (2497)-Hertneck,G (2531)/Austria 2012/CBM 146 Extra (66)}) ({RR} 16... Bd5 17. Qb2 Ne4 18. Ba5 Rac8 ({RR} 18... Rfc8 19. Ne1 c3 20. Qc1 c2) 19. Ne1 ({RR} 19. Rac1 cxb3 20. axb3 b4) 19... c3 20. Qc1 c2 21. Rd3 ({RR} 21. Nxc2 Nxf2) 21... Nxf2 22. Kxf2 Qxh2 23. Nf3 Qd6) 17. Qb2 {[%emt 0:01:02]} Rab8 {[%emt 0:03:44]} ({RR} 17... Bd5) 18. Rac1 {[%emt 0:03:00]} ({RR} 18. Rdc1 Ne4 ({RR} 18... Be4 19. Ba5 ({RR} 19. Ne1 Nd5 20. f3 Bg6 21. e4 c3) 19... Qd5) 19. Ba5 Bd5 ({RR} 19... cxb3 20. axb3 b4 21. Bf1 Nc3 22. Nd2) ({RR} 19... Qd5 20. Rab1 Ba8) 20. Ne1 f5 ({RR} 20... cxb3 21. axb3 b4 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Nd3) 21. f3 Nef6 22. Rab1 g5 ({RR} 22... e5 23. dxe5 ({RR} 23. Nc2 e4) 23... Qxe5 24. Qxe5 Nxe5 25. Bc3 Nfd7 26. Rd1 Bf7) 23. Qd2 Kf7 ({RR} 23... g4) 24. Bb4 Qb6 25. Ba5 Qd6 26. bxc4 bxc4 27. Rxb8 Qxb8 28. Qb4 Qa8 ({RR} 28... g4) 29. Bxc4 Qc6 30. Nd3 Bxc4 31. Nb2 Qd5 ({RR} 31... Rb8 32. Qxc4 Qb5 33. Qxb5 axb5 34. a3 Ra8 35. Bb4 Nd5 36. Nd3 Nxb4 37. axb4 Ra3) ({RR} 31... Qb5 32. Nxc4 ({RR} 32. Rxc4 Rb8 33. Nd3 Nd5) 32... Kg7 33. Qb3 Rxc4 34. Qxc4 Qxa5 35. Qxe6 Qd2 36. Rb1 f4 37. exf4 Qxd4+ 38. Kh1 Qxf4 39. Qxa6) 32. Nxc4 Kg8 {Gelfand,B (2733)-Mamedyarov,S (2772) Kazan 2011 CBM 143 [Krasenkow,Michal] ½-½ (40)} {RR} 33. Qb3 g4 ({RR} 33... Rxc4 34. Qxc4 Qxa5 35. Qxe6+ Kg7 36. h3 Qd2 37. Rc7) 34. fxg4 fxg4) ({RR} 18. Ne1 Ne4 19. Ba5 cxb3 20. axb3 b4 21. Rdc1 Bd5 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Nd3 Rb8 24. Bf1 h6 25. Ra4 Ndf6 26. f3 Ng5 27. e4 Bc6 28. Rxb4 Rxb4 29. Nxb4 Bxe4 30. fxe4 Ngxe4 31. Nd3 Ng4 32. g3 f5 {Jakovenko,D (2713)-Vasquez Schroder,R (2542) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013 1-0 (49)}) 18... h6 $146 {[%emt 0:12:20] Sergey comes up with an unsuccessful novelty - Black cannot afford such a waste of tempi for prophylaxis.} ({The more active approach} 18... Ne4 $5 {looks more attractive for Black} 19. Be1 ({RR} 19. Ba5 Qd5 20. Ne1 Qg5) 19... Nb6 20. Ba5 cxb3 21. axb3 b4 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rc1 Rxc1+ (23... Nc3 24. Bf1 Bxf3 25. gxf3 Nbd5 $132) 24. Qxc1 Nc3 25. Bf1 $14 {1-0 Wojtaszek,R (2711)-Smeets,J (2669)/Germany 2011/EXT 2012 (32)}) ({RR} 18... Ne4 19. Be1 Nb6 20. Ba5 cxb3 21. axb3 b4 {½-½ (21) Georgiev,K (2666)-Gustafsson,J (2633) Porto Carras 2011}) ({RR} 18... Ne4 19. Be1 Nb6 20. Ba5 cxb3 21. axb3 b4 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rc1 Nc3) ({RR} 18... Ne4 19. Be1 Bd5 20. Rc2 h6 21. Rdc1 Rc6 22. Ne5 Nxe5 23. dxe5 Qc7 24. f3 Nc5 25. e4 Nd3 26. Bxd3 cxd3 27. Rxc6 Bxc6 28. Qc3 Qd7 29. Rd1 Rd8 30. Bh4 Qd4+ 31. Qxd4 Rxd4 32. Kf2 a5 33. Ke3 {Farago,I (2447)-Zimina,O (2330) Bergamo 2013 1-0 (50)}) 19. Ne5 $1 {[%emt 0:22:31] Dmitry finds the best way to exploit Black's inaccuracy. The positional threat of 20.f3, followed by 21.e4 makes Black's position unpleasant.} cxb3 {[%emt 0:11:39] Black hardly can keep the tension any longer.} 20. axb3 $1 {[%emt 0:17:01]} (20. Nxd7 {would be quite toothless:} Nxd7 21. axb3 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 e5 23. Ba5 exd4 24. Bc7 Qg6 25. f3 Re8 26. Qxd4 Qe6 27. Rc3 Nf6 28. e4 Nd5 $1 {Black is close to equality.}) 20... Rxc1 {[%emt 0:05:14]} (20... Qb6 21. Nd3 a5 22. f3 a4 23. e4 axb3 24. Be3 $16) 21. Rxc1 {[%emt 0:01:00]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:11:40]} 22. dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:05] The pawn structure is acceptabable for Black, but there are concrete problems with uncoordinated pieces.} Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 23. f3 $1 {[%emt 0:17:58] Jakovenko is on the top again. The restricting strategy is definitely the best approach.} (23. Bf3 Ne4 24. Be1 Rc8 $14) 23... Ng4 $2 {[%emt 0:02:12] Inviting more troubles. Perhaps, this decision was connected with a miscalculation.} (23... Nd7 24. e4 (24. Bb4 Rc8 25. Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. Qc3 Bb7 27. Bd6 Qc6 28. Qxc6 Bxc6 29. e4 a5 30. Kf2 a4 $14 {is also somewhat better for White, but Black's defensive task is easier here.}) 24... Qxe5 25. Qxe5 Nxe5 26. Bf4 f6 27. Rc7 Bc8 28. Kf2 $14 {led to an unpleasant endgame, where Black is doomed to a passive defence. However, it was the lesser evil.}) 24. Bb4 $1 {[%emt 0:04:25]} (24. e4 Qxe5 25. Qxe5 Nxe5 26. Bf4 {would transpose to the above-mentioned line, but Jakovenko correctly goes for more.}) 24... Rd8 {[%emt 0:09:05]} (24... Nxe3 {wouldn't change matters:} 25. Bd6 Rd8 (25... Rc8 $2 {fails to} 26. Rxc8+ Bxc8 27. Qc3 $18 {with a double attack.}) 26. Rc5 {leads to the same.}) 25. Bd6 {[%emt 0:01:40]} Nxe3 {[%emt 0:01:55]} 26. Rc5 {[%emt 0:04:45] The queen is trapped now.} Rxd6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 27. Rxd5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rxd5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 28. Qc3 {[%emt 0:17:41]} Nf5 {[%emt 0:00:03] Luckily for Sergey, Black is able to avoid further material losses.} 29. Kf2 {[%emt 0:09:12]} ({After} 29. Qc7 {the bishop is gone, but Black is still in the game after} Rd2 30. Qb8+ Kh7 31. Qxb7 Rxe2 32. Qxf7 Rxe5 33. Qd7 Re3 $16) 29... Rd7 {[%emt 0:00:39] Black's position is very difficult, but there are some hopes for building a fortress.} 30. g4 {[%emt 0:01:12]} ({Another promising way of handling this position was} 30. Bd3 $5 Ne7 31. h4 $16 {seizing more space on the kingside, so the potential threat of ?b1, followed by ?c2 becomes annoying.}) 30... Ne7 {[%emt 0:01:43]} 31. f4 {[%emt 0:01:38]} g6 {[%emt 0:04:52] This decision looks scary, since the king is getting more exposed. However, there is nothing better.} ({For instance,} 31... Nd5 {doesn't give real drawing chances:} 32. Qd4 Rc7 ({Or} 32... Nf6 33. Qa7 $1 Nd5 34. Qb8+ Kh7 35. Bd3+ g6 36. f5 {with a decisive attack.}) 33. Bd3 Kf8 34. f5 $18) 32. h4 {[%emt 0:00:20] Step by step White puts more pressure on the opponent's king.} Kg7 {[%emt 0:01:03]} ({After} 32... Be4 33. Qe3 Bc2 34. h5 {Black's position looks too shaky as well.}) 33. Bd3 {[%emt 0:01:32] GM Jakovenko is not in a rush.} ({There was nothing wrong with} 33. h5 Nd5 34. Qd4 gxh5 35. f5 $1 $18) 33... Nc6 {[%emt 0:02:58]} (33... Nd5 34. Qd4 f5 (34... Kg8 35. f5 $18) 35. exf6+ Nxf6 36. Qc3 $18) 34. Be4 {[%emt 0:02:03]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 35. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:34]} ({Of course,} 35. Bxb7 $6 Rxb7 {would help Black, though} 36. h5 {is also annoying here.}) 35... Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 36. f5 $1 {[%emt 0:02:11] A decisive advance.} b4 {[%emt 0:04:10]} 37. f6+ {[%emt 0:00:09]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 38. Qc1 {[%emt 0:02:06] Obviously, the bishop is untouchable.} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 39. Be2 $18 {[%emt 0:00:03] The attack is unstoppable now.} Nd3+ {[%emt 0:02:47]} (39... Kh7 40. Qc5 Nd3+ 41. Bxd3 Rxd3 42. Qe7 $18) 40. Bxd3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxd3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Ke2 {[%emt 0:11:14]} ({Only not} 41. Qxh6 $2 Rf3+ 42. Ke1 Rxf6 $16) 41... Rf3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 42. g5 {[%emt 0:16:16]} (42. Qc7 {was also possible:} Rxf6 43. Qxb7 e5 (43... g5 44. hxg5 hxg5 45. Qe7 Kg7 46. Qxb4 Rf4 47. Qd6 Rxg4 48. Qxa6 $18) 44. Qb8+ Kh7 45. Qxb4 $18) 42... Rc3 {[%emt 0:00:47]} ({Or} 42... hxg5 43. hxg5 Rc3 44. Qf4 $18 {and the king is helpless.}) 43. Qf4 {[%emt 0:00:31]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:07:44]} 44. Qd6 {[%emt 0:04:25] White is dominating over the board now.} ({Jakovenko had a pleasant choice here:} 44. h5 Kh7 45. hxg6+ Kxg6 46. gxh6 $18) (44. gxh6 Kh7 45. Qxb4 Bd5 46. Qd6 Kxh6 47. Qd7 Rf8 48. Qe7 $18) 44... Be4 {[%emt 0:12:24]} ({Unfortunately for Karjakin, there is no time to fix the pawn structure:} 44... h5 45. Qd7 Rb8 46. Qc7) 45. gxh6 $1 {[%emt 0:01:35]} g5 {[%emt 0:01:10]} (45... Bf5 46. Qd7 Rf8 47. Qe7 $18) 46. Qxb4 {[%emt 0:01:10]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:01:27]} 47. hxg5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:51] Black has managed to parry the direct threats, but the material advantage is too big now.} 48. Qb7 {[%emt 0:06:46]} Rc2+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 49. Kd1 {[%emt 0:02:11]} Bg6 {[%emt 0:01:32]} 50. b4 {[%emt 0:04:17]} Rc4 {[%emt 0:01:03]} 51. Qe7 {[%emt 0:04:22]} Bh5+ {[%emt 0:02:47]} 52. Ke1 {[%emt 0:01:23]} Re4+ {[%emt 0:05:44]} 53. Kf2 {[%emt 0:01:25]} Rg4 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 54. Qc5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Rf4+ {[%emt 0:00:38]} 55. Kg3 {[%emt 0:01:57]} Rf5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (55... Rg4+ 56. Kh3 Kg6 57. Qc2+ Kxg5 58. h7 $18) 56. Qe3 {[%emt 0:02:52]} Bg6 {[%emt 0:05:58]} 57. Kh4 {[%emt 0:00:20] Protecting the pawn, so the queen can move. The rest is quite easy.} Rd5 {[%emt 0:02:07]} (57... Rb5 {was slightly more tenacious:} 58. Qf4 Rb6 59. b5 $1 axb5 (59... Rxb5 60. Qd6 $18) 60. Qc7 Ra6 61. Qc8 Ra4+ 62. Kg3 $18 {[%CAl Gc8f8]}) 58. Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:01:00]} 59. Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:48]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:01:22]} 60. Qa7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rd3+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 61. Kf4 {[%emt 0:05:37]} Rh3 {[%emt 0:01:59]} (61... Rd5 62. Qa8 Rd4+ 63. Ke3 Rd3+ 64. Ke2 Kxg5 65. Qg8+ Kxf6 66. h7 Bxh7 67. Qxh7 $18) 62. Ke5 {[%emt 0:01:48]} Rh4 {[%emt 0:02:15]} 63. Qe7 {[%emt 0:01:29]} (63. Qxa6 {was also good enough.}) 63... Rh5 {[%emt 0:06:41]} 64. Qf8 {[%emt 0:01:02]} Rxg5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 65. Kd6 {Excellent positional play by Dmitry Jakovenko.} ({Black resigns in view of:} 65. Kd6 Kxf6 66. Qd8+ Kg6 67. h7 Kxh7 68. Qxg5 $18) 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o. f"] [Site "Lausanne"] [Date "1998.01.07"] [Round "8.5"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "110"] [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. d4 {Lutz} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Rd1 (10. Bd2 c5 11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. Be2 b5 13. b4 Ncd7 14. Ne4 Be7 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bc3 Bb7 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 $11 {Karpov,A-Anand,V/Biel/1997/0.5 (40)}) 10... b5 (10... Qc7 11. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 b5 (12... e5 13. Qh4 Nf6 14. e4 exd4 15. e5 $1 $40 {Epischin,V-Brenninkmeier,J/Wijk/1992/}) 13. Bd3) 11. Be2 (11. Bf1 c5 $6 (11... Qc7 $5) 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Ng5 Bb7 14. Nce4 Nxe4 (14... Rc8 $2 15. Nxf6+ $18) 15. Nxe4 Be7 (15... Rc8 16. Nxc5 Rxc5 17. Qe2 Qc7 18. Bd2 Ne5 19. Bb4 Rc2 20. Qh5 Rxb2 21. Rac1 Rc2 22. Bd6 Nf3+ 23. gxf3 Rxc1 24. Bxc7 Rxd1 25. f4 $16 {½-½ Arlandi,E-Luther,T/Turin op 1996 (48)}) 16. Nd6 Bd5 (16... Bxd6 17. Rxd6 Bd5 18. e4 Rc8 19. Qd1 Bc6 20. Be3 $16) 17. e4 Bxd6 18. exd5 Rc8 (18... e5 19. a4 $14) 19. Qe2 exd5 20. Rxd5 Nf6 21. Rd3 Qc7 22. g3 Bc5 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. Rxe3 Rfe8 {Karpov,A-Polgar,Z/Madrid 1992/1-0 (57)}) (11. Bd3 Bb7 12. e4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Bxb5 Bxh2+ 16. Kh1 Qe7 17. Be2 Be5 18. Bf3 c5 19. Be3 Rfe8 20. Kg1 Bxc3 21. bxc3 Bxe4 22. Bxe4 Nxe4 23. Rab1 Qe5 {Greenfeld,A-Horvath,C/Montecatini Terme op 1997/½-½ (61)}) 11... Qc7 (11... c5 $6 12. dxc5 Bxc5 (12... Nxc5 13. b4 $16) 13. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 (13... Qb6 14. Nxc5 Nxc5 15. b3 Bb7 16. Bb2 Be4 17. Qc1 Ncd7 18. Bd4 Qb7 19. Qb2 Rfc8 20. Rac1 {Bukic,E-Atalik,S/Ljubljana LSK 1997/0-1 (57)}) 14. Qxe4 Ra7 (14... Qc7 $2 15. b4 Bb6 16. Bb2 Bb7 17. Qg4 $16) 15. b4 Bb7 16. Qf4 Bxf3 (16... Be7 $2 17. Ne5 Bd5 18. Rxd5 exd5 19. Nc6 $16) 17. Bxf3 Be7 18. Bb2 Qb8 $1 19. Rac1 (19. a4 $2 Qxf4 20. exf4 bxa4 21. Rxa4 Nb6 $15) 19... Bf6 20. Bxf6 Nxf6 21. a3 {½-½ Dautov,R-Luther,T/Bad Zwesten op 1997 (38)}) 12. Ne4 (12. e4 e5 13. g3 (13. h3 Bb7 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Bg5 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Be5 17. Bxf6 gxf6 $11) 13... Re8 14. a3 Bb7 (14... exd4 15. Nxd4 c5 $2 16. Ndxb5 $1 axb5 17. Nxb5 $18) 15. Bg5 exd4 (15... h6 $6 16. dxe5 Bxe5 (16... Nxe5 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Qd2 $1 Rad8 19. Qxh6 $16) 17. Nxe5 hxg5 18. Nxd7 Nxd7 19. Qd2 Nf6 20. Qxg5 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Rxe4 22. Bf3 Re5 (22... Qe5 23. Qd2 Rc4 24. Qd7 $16) 23. Rd7 $1 Qxd7 (23... Rxg5 24. Rxc7 Rb8 25. Re1 $18) 24. Qxe5 {1-0 Epishin,V-Polgar,Z/Madrid 1992 (44)}) 16. Nxd4 Be5 $5 $13) 12... Nxe4 (12... Be7 13. Nxf6+ Nxf6 14. e4 $14) 13. Qxe4 e5 14. Qh4 ({RR} 14. h3 Bb7 15. Qc2 c5 16. Ng5 Nf6 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. Qxc5 Bxc5 19. Nf3 e4 20. Nd4 Rfd8 21. a4 b4 22. Nb3 Be7 23. Bd2 Bd5 24. Na5 h6 25. Rac1 Rac8 26. Bxa6 Ra8 27. Nc6 Bxc6 28. Rxc6 b3 {Wang,H (2435)-Tenuunbold,B (2119) Paracin SRB 2025 1-0 (49)}) 14... Re8 (14... h6 $6 {Kramnik,V-Piket,J/Wijk aan Zee 1998/CBM 63}) 15. Bd3 ({RR} 15. a4 e4 16. Nd2 Re6 17. g3 Be7 18. Qf4 Bd6 19. Qh4 Be7 20. Qf4 Bd6 {½-½ (20) Karpov,A (2735)-Anand,V (2770) Monte Carlo 1998}) 15... h6 (15... Nf6 16. dxe5 Bxe5 $14) 16. Bc2 exd4 $146 (16... Bb7 17. e4 Rad8 18. Be3 $11) ({RR} 16... Bb7 17. e4 Rad8 18. Be3 exd4 19. Nxd4 Ne5 20. Nf5 Ng6 21. Qh5 Bf8 22. h4 c5 23. Qg4 h5 24. Qxh5 Bxe4 25. Rxd8 Qxd8 26. Bxe4 Rxe4 27. Rd1 Qf6 28. Qf3 Re6 29. h5 Ne5 30. Qh3 Nc4 31. b3 {Schlosser,P (2505)-Haimovich,T (2280) Herzliya 1998 ½-½ (31)}) ({RR} 16... c5 17. d5 c4 18. e4 Qd8 19. Qg3 Qf6 20. a4 Bb7 21. axb5 axb5 22. Rxa8 Rxa8 23. Nh4 Kh7 24. Nf5 Bc5 25. h4 b4 26. Qh3 Bc8 27. g4 b3 28. Bb1 Ra1 29. Bd2 Qg6 30. h5 Qb6 31. Qf3 {Fyllingen,R (2386)-Carlsen,M (2543) Moss 2005 1-0 (47)}) 17. Qxd4 (17. Nxd4 Nf6 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Rad8 20. Bd2 Be5 $11) (17. exd4 Be7 18. Bg5 Bxg5 19. Nxg5 Nf6 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Qd6 22. Re1 Be6 $11) 17... Bf8 18. b3 Nf6 19. Qh4 (19. Bb2 Bg4 20. Rac1 Rad8 $15) 19... g5 (19... Bg4 20. Bb2 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Be7 22. Kh1 $5 $14) 20. Qg3 (20. Qd4 {Lutz} Bg7 {?} 21. Bb2 Nh5) 20... Qxg3 21. hxg3 {White is not without chances since black has weakened his kingside and especiallt f5 square is quite vulnerable.} c5 {Lutz: Die Kontrolle der d-Linie und der geschwächte schwarze Königsflügel wird durch die schwarze Mehrheit am Dmaenflügel ausggeglichen.} 22. Bb2 Bg7 (22... Be7 $5) 23. Rd6 Be6 24. Rad1 Rec8 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Be4 Ra7 27. Bd5 (27. Bf5 $5 Bxf5 28. Rxf6 Bc2 29. Rd2 Kg7 30. Rdd6 $14) 27... Bxd5 (27... Be7 $2 28. Rxe6 $18) 28. R1xd5 (28. Rxf6 Kg7 29. Rd6 Bxf3 30. gxf3 c4 $11) 28... Kg7 29. Rd2 Be7 (29... c4 $1 30. bxc4 Rxc4 $11) 30. Rb6 Bd8 31. Rbd6 Be7 32. R6d5 a5 (32... c4 $1 33. Rc2 Rac7 $11) 33. Kf1 a4 34. Ke2 axb3 35. axb3 Ra3 36. b4 $1 Rc3 (36... cxb4 37. Rxb5 $14) 37. bxc5 R3xc5 38. Rxc5 Rxc5 39. Nd4 Bf6 (39... h5 40. Rb2 Bf6 41. Kd3 Kg6 42. Rb1 Bxd4 43. exd4 Rf5 44. f3 $14) 40. g4 b4 41. Rb2 (41. Nf5+ Kg6 42. Rd6 Rc2+ 43. Kf3 h5 44. Ne7+ Kg7 45. Nf5+ Kg6 $11) 41... Rc4 42. Kd3 Rc3+ 43. Kd2 (43. Ke4 b3 $1 44. Nxb3 Rxe3+ 45. Kxe3 Bxb2 $11) 43... Bxd4 44. exd4 Rc4 45. Kd3 Rc3+ 46. Kd2 Rc4 47. Kd3 Rc3+ 48. Ke4 (48. Kd2 $11) 48... b3 49. f3 Kf6 (49... Rc2 50. Rxb3 Rxg2 51. d5 $14) 50. d5 Rc4+ 51. Kd3 Rf4 52. Rxb3 Ke5 53. Rb6 (53. Rb5 Rd4+ 54. Ke3 Rxd5) 53... Kxd5 54. Rxh6 Ke5 (54... Ra4 $2 55. Rf6 Ra3+ 56. Ke2 Ra2+ 57. Ke3 $18) 55. Ke3 (55. Ra6 f6 56. Ra5+ Ke6 57. Ke3 Rb4 $11) 55... Ra4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FRA-chT Top 12"] [Site "Montpellier"] [Date "2015.06.09"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Navara, David"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2751"] [BlackElo "2778"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2015.05.30"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Mulhouse Philidor"] [BlackTeam "Clichy-Echecs 92"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 exd4 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 h6 13. b3 (13. Nxd4 Qh4 14. Nf3 Qh5 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Qf5 Qxf5 17. Bxf5 Nf6 18. Bxc8 Rfxc8 19. Be3 Rd8 20. Rfd1 Be7 21. d6 Rxd6 22. Re1 Bd8 23. Kf1 Kg8 24. Rad1 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Bc7 26. Bd4 Ne8 27. Ke2 a6 28. Bc3 Nd6 29. Rd5 f6 30. Kd3 Re8 31. Bd4 Kf7 32. Be3 {½-½ (32) Vachier Lagrave,M (2754)-Giri,A (2776) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015}) 13... Nf6 14. Bb2 Nxd5 15. Qc4 Nb4 $146 (15... Nf6 16. Qxd4 Bc7 17. Bc4 Qxd4 18. Nxd4 a6 19. Rfe1 b5 20. Be2 Ba5 21. Red1 Bb7 22. Nf5 Rfe8 23. Bxf6 Rxe2 24. Bxg7 Kh7 25. Bd4 Kg6 26. Ne3 f5 27. Kf1 Rd2 28. Bb6 Bb4 29. Rxd2 Bxd2 30. Rd1 Bb4 31. Rd7 Be4 32. f3 Bb1 33. Bd4 Bf8 34. Nd5 Bxa2 35. Nf4+ Kg5 36. g3 h5 37. Rh7 {1-0 (37) Yuffa,D (2471)-Ovod,E (2325) Moscow 2015}) 16. Rad1 ({RR} 16. Be4 Re8 17. Rae1 Be6 18. Qxd4 Bf8 19. Bxb7 Rb8 20. Be4 Nxa2 21. Bb1 Qxd4 22. Nxd4 Nb4 23. Nxe6 Rxe6 24. Rxe6 fxe6 25. Re1 Nd3 26. Bxd3 Rxb3 27. Bc4 Rxb2 28. Rxe6 Kh7 29. Bd3+ Kg8 30. Bc4 Kh7 {Xu,M (2374)-Chen,Q (2424) China 2019 ½-½ (32)}) 16... Nxd3 17. Rxd3 Be7 $146 ({RR} 17... Qb6 18. Bxd4 Qb4 19. Qxb4 Bxb4 20. Bc3 Bf5 21. Rd5 Be6 22. Bxb4 Bxd5 23. Bxf8 Kxf8 24. Rd1 Bxf3 25. gxf3 Ke7 26. Re1+ Kd6 27. Rd1+ Kc6 28. Rc1+ Kb6 29. Rc4 Rd8 30. Rb4+ Kc6 31. Rc4+ Kd6 32. Rd4+ {Wang,H (2717)-Ding,L (2766) Huaian 2016 ½-½ (85)}) 18. Nxd4 {[%CAl Gd3d8]} Qb6 $1 $11 19. Nb5 Be6 20. Qd4 Qxd4 21. Bxd4 Rfc8 $1 22. Bxa7 Rc2 23. Be3 Bf5 (23... Raxa2) 24. Rd5 Be6 25. Rd3 Bf5 26. Rd5 Be6 27. Rdd1 Bg4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2015.05.22"] [Round "8"] [White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "63"] [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. d4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 5. e3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 6. Qc2 {[%emt 0:01:10]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 7. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:12]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:29]} 8. O-O {[%emt 0:00:04]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:14] This is known to lead to somewhat one-sided play, but if Black knows what he is doing during the struggle a draw is the most probable result.} 9. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 10. e4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} exd4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 11. Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 12. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 13. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Qh4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 14. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qh5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 15. Bh7+ {[%emt 0:00:32]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 16. Qf5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Qxf5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 17. Bxf5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 18. Bxc8 {[%emt 0:01:24]} Rfxc8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 19. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:03:04]} 20. Rfd1 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 21. d6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Rxd6 {[%emt 0:02:36]} 22. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:52]} Bd8 $146 {[%emt 0:02:21]} ({Black deviates from an earlier game of his opponent, continuing with} 22... Bf8 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2722)-Anand,V (2783) Paris/St Petersburg 2013 (½-½, 44)}) 23. Kf1 {[%emt 0:22:34]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:01:06]} 24. Rad1 {[%emt 0:02:29]} Rxd1 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 25. Rxd1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bc7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 26. Bd4 $146 {[%emt 0:01:30]} ({RR} 26. Ke2 Kf8 27. g3 a6 28. h4 Rd8 29. Bc5+ Ke8 30. Rxd8+ Bxd8 31. Kd3 Kd7 32. Bd4 Ke6 33. Ne5 Bc7 34. Nf3 Bd8 35. Ne5 Bc7 36. Nf3 Bd8 37. Ne5 {½-½ (36) Guo,Q (2436)-Gu,T (2255) Xinghua 2016}) 26... Ne8 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 27. Ke2 {[%emt 0:06:16]} a6 {[%emt 0:01:15]} 28. Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:41]} Nd6 {[%emt 0:03:01]} 29. Rd5 {[%emt 0:01:03]} f6 {[%emt 0:01:04]} 30. Kd3 {[%emt 0:11:05]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 31. Bd4 {[%emt 0:01:53]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 32. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Biel Credit Suisse"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "1997.07.25"] [Round "4"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2765"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "1997.07.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 060"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.09.29"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.09.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Bd2 $6 {M.E. kann Weiß mit 10.?d2 nicht auf Vorteil hoffen, besser ist wahrscheinlich 10.?d1.} (10. Rd1) 10... c5 11. dxc5 (11. Bd3 h6 12. Rad1 cxd4 13. exd4 Qc7 14. Rc1 Qb8 15. Rfe1 b5 16. Ne4 Bb7 17. Nxd6 Qxd6 $11 {½-½ Topalov,V-Kramnik,V/Dos Hermanas 1997/CBM 59 (27)}) 11... Nxc5 12. Be2 $146 (12. a4 b6 13. e4 Qc7 14. h3 Bb7 15. Rfe1 Ncd7 16. Bf1 (16. Bd3 $11 {Kramnik}) 16... Rac8 17. Rad1 Qb8 18. Qb1 h6 $15 {0-1 Costa,J-Kramnik,V/Manila olm 1992/TD 92\02 (30)}) 12... b5 13. b4 Ncd7 14. Ne4 Be7 $146 ({RR} 14... Qc7 15. Qxc7 Bxc7 16. Nxf6+ Nxf6 17. Rfc1 Bd6 18. Nd4 Bb7 19. Nc6 Ne4 20. Be1 Rac8 21. Na5 Ba8 22. f3 Nf6 23. e4 Bf4 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. a4 Be5 26. Rd1 bxa4 27. Bxa6 Rb8 28. Nc4 Bc7 29. b5 {Khasin,A (2420)-Grinberg,I Ozery 1997 1-0 (38)}) 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bc3 Bb7 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Qb2 Qe7 19. Rfc1 Nd5 20. a3 Rfc8 $11 {Weiß hat wegen der Schwächung des Feldes c5 einen symbolischen Vorteil, mehr nicht.} 21. Ne5 Nb6 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rc1 Rxc1+ 24. Qxc1 Qd6 25. Nd3 Nd7 26. f3 Kf8 27. Qc3 f6 28. Qc2 Qc6 29. Qxc6 Bxc6 30. e4 Ke7 31. Kf2 e5 32. Bd1 Kd6 33. Bb3 Nf8 34. Ke3 g5 35. g3 Bb7 36. Nc5 Bc8 37. Kd2 a5 38. Kc3 a4 39. Bg8 h6 40. Bf7 Be6 41. Bh5 Bd7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Grand Slam Final 2nd"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2009.09.07"] [Round "2"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2730"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2009.09.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 132"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. O-O cxd4 13. Nxd4 Be7 14. Re1 O-O 15. Qg4 Re8 16. Bb5 (16. Bh6 {is another option.}) 16... Kh8 17. Bd2 (17. Nc6 $143 Qc7 $1 (17... Bxc6 18. Bxc6 Rc8 19. Bb7 (19. Bb5 Qc7 20. Bf4 Red8 21. Ba6 Rb8 22. b3 Nxf4 23. Qxf4 Kg8 24. Re3 Nc5 25. Nxc5 {1/2 Sriram,J (2458)-Pataki,G (2367)/Paks 2003/CBM 097 ext}) (19. Bxd5 $5 exd5 20. b3) 19... Rc7 (19... Rc2 $5) 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Bf4 Nc5 22. Nxc5 Bxc5 23. Red1 Bb6 24. Bg3 d4 $11 {1/2 Cvitan,O (2527)-L'Ami,E (2565)/Turin 2006/CBM 113 (31)}) 18. Nxe7 Rxe7 19. Qc4 Qa5 20. Bxd7 Rxd7 21. Nc5 Rc7 22. Nxb7 Qb6 23. Qe4 Qxb7 $15 {/=1/2 Greenfeld,A (2575)-Coelho,L (2392)/Sao Paulo 2008/CBM 123 Extra (40)}) (17. Qf3 Rf8 18. Qh3 Rc8 19. Bd3 g6 20. Bh6 Rg8 21. Qg4 {1/2 Gonzalez Garcia,J (2447)-Perez Candelario,M (2474)/Mallorca 2004/CBM 104}) 17... a6 (17... Rc8 $5 18. a3 a6 19. Bd3 Nc5 (19... bxa3 20. bxa3 Qc7 21. Qg3 Red8 22. Rab1 Nf8 23. Rb3 Qd7 24. Nb2 Ng6 25. Nxe6 $5 fxe6 26. Bxg6 hxg6 27. Qxg6 Kg8 28. Rh3 $16 {1-0 Szabo,V-McDonald,G/LSS 2007/Telechess CBM 125 (47)}) 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Qh3 (21. Nb3 $5) 21... g6 22. Re4 f5 23. exf6 Qxf6 $132 {0-1 Smirnov,A (2454)-Yevseev,D (2529)/St . Petersburg 2009/CBM 130 Extra (34)}) ({RR} 17... Rc8 18. a3 a6 19. Bd3 bxa3 20. bxa3 Nc5 21. Nxc5 Bxc5 22. Rab1 Qd7 23. Qh3 g6 24. Nf3 Be7 25. Ng5 Bxg5 26. Bxg5 Rc3 27. Red1 Qc7 28. Qh4 Ba8 29. Be4 Kg8 30. Bxd5 Bxd5 31. Bf6 Qc5 32. Rb4 {Riazantsev,A (2686)-Shirov,A (2749) Plovdiv 2010 1-0 (65)}) 18. Bc6 Qc7 $146 {[%mdl 8] GM Alexey Shirov improves on his own play against Kramnik.} (18... Bxc6 19. Nxc6 Qc7 20. Rac1 Qb7 21. Nxe7 Rxe7 22. b3 a5 23. Nb2 N7b6 24. Nc4 Nxc4 25. bxc4 f5 26. Qh4 Nb6 27. Re3 $14 {1/2 Kramnik,V (2772)-Shirov,A (2726)/Dresden 2008/CBM 128 (44)}) ({RR} 18... Bxc6 19. Nxc6 Qc7 20. Rac1 Qb7 21. Nxe7 Rxe7 22. b3 a5 23. Nb2 N7b6 24. Nc4 Nxc4 25. bxc4 f5 26. Qh4 Nb6 27. Re3 Rf7 28. Rh3 g6 29. Rd3 Nd7 30. Rd6 Qe4 31. Qxe4 fxe4 32. Be3 Kg8 33. Rxe6 {Kramnik,V (2772)-Shirov,A (2726) Dresden 2008 ½-½ (44)}) 19. Rac1 Nxe5 $5 {To avoid pressure like in Kramnik-Shirov, Black must go for tactical complications, probably analysed at home.} 20. Bxb7 $1 (20. Rxe5 $143 Qxe5 21. Bxb7 f5 22. Qe2 Qxd4 23. Bxa8 Rxa8 24. Rc4 Qf6 25. Rc6 Rd8 $1 $11) 20... Nxg4 (20... Qxc1 21. Qe2 Qc4 22. Qxe5 Bf6 23. Bxd5 Qxd5 24. Qxd5 exd5 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. Nb3 $16 {?S.Zagrebelny}) 21. Rxc7 Nxc7 22. Bxa8 Rxa8 23. Nc6 Nd5 $6 {A serious inaccuracy.} (23... Bf8 $142 24. Bxb4 Nd5 25. Bxf8 Rxf8 {keeping a symmetrical distribution of material, although White's queenside pawn advantage gives him something of an edge.}) 24. Nxe7 Nxe7 25. Bxb4 {[%mdl 4096] '1/2 Jones,P (2139)-Hassim,U (2193)/LSS 2008/Telechess CBM 131' - definitely too early!} Nd5 26. Bd2 $16 {The bishop is stronger than the knight in positions with a passed pawn or potential passed pawn. Black's strong d5 knight gives him only partial compensation.} Rc8 27. Rc1 (27. f3 $5 Ngf6 28. Rc1 {preventing Black's counterplay (S.Zagrebelny).}) 27... Rxc1+ 28. Bxc1 Ne5 $6 (28... Nb4 29. Bd2 $1 (29. a3 Nd3) 29... Nxa2 30. Nc5 Ne5 31. b3 a5 32. Bxa5 Nc6 33. Bd2 Nab4 {(S.Zagrebelny) was probably better than the text. It is useful for Black to avoid the exchange of knights as two knight can give him more counterplay.}) 29. Nc5 Nb4 30. b3 $1 Nxa2 31. Bb2 $1 Nc6 32. Nxa6 {Black's a2 knight is now doomed to an exchange.} Kg8 33. Kf1 f6 34. Ke2 Nab4 {Otherwise it can be trapped!} (34... Kf7 35. Kd3 {[%csl Ra2][%CAl Rb2a3]}) 35. Nxb4 Nxb4 36. Ke3 {White's plan is quite traditional: to move the b-pawn forward, deflecting the black king, and then invade Black's defenseless kingside.} Kf7 (36... e5 37. Ke4 Kf7 38. Bc3 Nc6 39. Kd5) 37. Kd4 Nc2+ $6 {This plan (to capture the g2 pawn and give up the knight for White's b-pawn) fails as the resulting endgame is winning for White. However, Black's position is difficult in any case.} (37... Ke8 38. Kc4 Nd5 39. b4 Kd7 40. Bd4 $16 {[%CAl Yb4b5,Yc4c5]}) 38. Kc5 Ne1 39. Kc6 Nxg2 40. b4 Nf4 41. b5 Nd5 42. Kd6 (42. Bd4 $5 {[%CAl Yb5b6] was simpler, according to GM S.Zagrebelny.}) 42... Kg6 (42... Ke8 43. Bd4 Kd8 44. b6 Kc8 45. Kxe6 $18 {S.Zagrebelny} {e.g.} Nf4+ 46. Kf7 Nh5 47. Kg8) 43. Bd4 Kg5 44. b6 Nxb6 45. Bxb6 e5 46. Ke6 {[%CAl Re6f7]} e4 (46... Kg4 47. Kf7 Kh3 48. Kxg7 f5 49. Kf6 $18) 47. Kf7 f5 48. Kxg7 h5 49. Kf7 f4 50. Ke6 Kg4 51. Ke5 Kf3 52. h4 $1 1-0 [Event "Tashkent FIDE GP 2nd"] [Site "Tashkent"] [Date "2012.11.27"] [Round "5"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2786"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2012.11.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UZB"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 152"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. b3 {A harmless continuation.} Bb7 11. Bb2 b4 {Black wants to immediately push ...c6-c5.} (11... a6 {is another option.}) 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Nf6 14. Bc2 (14. Bd3 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Qe2 (16. Qc2 Rc8 17. Rad1 Qe7 18. Bxf6 {1/2 Kortschnoj,V (2598)-Grachev,B (2610)/Dagomys 2008/CBM 124 (36)} gxf6 19. Bxh7+ Kg7 20. Be4 Bxe3 21. Qe2 Bxe4 22. Qxe3 Bg6 $11) 16... Qe7 17. Rac1 Rac8 18. Bxf6 (18. Ba6 Ne4 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Rc4 Be7 21. Rfc1 Bf6 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Nd4 Rxc4 24. Rxc4 Rc8 25. h3 f5 $11 {1/2 Moiseenko,A (2677)-Potkin,V (2611)/Moscow 2010/CBM 135 (29)}) 18... Qxf6 (18... gxf6 19. Ba6 Bb6 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. Nd2 $14 {0-1 Li Shilong (2557)-Zhou Weiqi (2563)/Xinghua Jiangsu 2009/CBM 131 (60)}) 19. Ba6 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Qxf3 21. gxf3 Rc6 22. Bb7 Rc7 23. Rfd1 Bb6 24. Rxc7 Bxc7 25. Rd4 Ba5 26. Kf1 Rd8 27. Rc4 g6 $11 {1/2 Grigoriants,S (2564)-Belov,V (2625)/Irkutsk 2010/CBM 138 (33)}) 14... c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Ng5 Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 Be7 $6 (17... Rfd8 $2 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Bxh7+ Kg7 20. Be4 fxg5 21. Bxb7 Rab8 22. Ba6 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rb6 24. Bd3 Rd6 25. Kf1 $16 {1-0 Brodsky,M (2563)-Debashis,D (2454)/St Petersburg RUS 2012/The Week in Chess 939 (69)}) (17... Kh8 $1 {(the idea from the famous Carlsen - Anand game, Morelia - Linares 2007, where a similar position arose) was probably the most appropriate, e.g.} 18. Bxf6 (18. Rac1 Rac8) 18... gxf6 19. Rd7 (19. Nxh7 $2 Rg8 20. g3 Kg7 {[%csl Rh7]}) 19... fxg5 20. Rxb7 Bb6 $11) 18. Nxh7 $1 Nxh7 19. Rd7 $146 (19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Rd7 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Bh4 {1/2 Lupulescu,C (2616)-Inarkiev,E (2695)/Plovdiv 2012/CBM 148 (47) is less dangerous for Black}) ({RR} 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Rd7 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Bh4 22. Be5 a5 23. Rad1 Rfd8 24. Kf3 Rxd7 25. Rxd7 f6 26. Bd6 Kg6 27. Rc7 f5 28. Be5 Bf6 29. Rc5 Bxe5 30. Rxe5 Kf6 31. Rb5 g6 32. h4 Ra7 33. Kf4 Rh7 {Lupulescu,C (2616)-Inarkiev,E (2695) Plovdiv 2012 ½-½ (47)}) 19... Bf6 ({Of course, the rook endgame after} 19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bf6 21. Bxh7+ Kxh7 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Rc1 {can be difficult for Black.}) 20. Bxf6 Bc8 21. Bxh7+ Kxh7 22. Rd8 Rxd8 23. Bxd8 {[%mdl 4096]} a5 {Black's plan is simple: to get rid of all the queenside pawns, after which the game should end in a draw.} 24. f3 e5 {[%CAl Yc8e6,Ya5a4]} 25. Rc1 Be6 26. Be7 Ra7 27. Bd6 f6 28. Rc6 Bd5 ({The asymmetric structure after} 28... a4 29. Bxe5 $1 axb3 (29... Bd7 30. Bd4 Bxc6 31. Bxa7 {is also questionable}) 30. axb3 Bxb3 {was something Black wanted to avoid.}) 29. Rb6 a4 $5 30. Rxb4 axb3 31. axb3 Ra1+ 32. Kf2 Rb1 33. Rh4+ ({It was probably better to try} 33. e4 Bxb3 34. Rb7 {. After the text move White keeps his b-pawn but his rook finds itself in an extremely awkward position.}) 33... Kg8 34. b4 g5 $1 35. Rg4 (35. Rh3 Rb2+ 36. Kg3 $6 Kg7 $11 ({but not} 36... Be6 $2 37. Rh6 Kg7 38. Bxe5 $3)) 35... Be6 36. Rg3 {[%csl Rg3]} Bc4 37. e4 Rb2+ 38. Kg1 Rb1+ 39. Kf2 Rb2+ 40. Ke1 Kf7 {Despite two extra pawns, White can't make any progress.} 41. Bc5 Be6 (41... Ra2 $5 42. Kd1 Bf1) 42. h3 (42. Kd1 $5 Bc4 43. Kc1 Ra2 44. Kb1 Re2 {changes nothing.}) 42... Bc4 43. h4 gxh4 44. Rg4 Bb5 45. Rxh4 Re2+ 46. Kd1 Rxg2 47. f4 Kg6 48. fxe5 fxe5 49. Rh8 Rg4 50. Rg8+ Kh5 51. Rh8+ Kg6 52. Rg8+ Kh5 53. Rh8+ Kg6 54. Rg8+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 35th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2007.06.30"] [Round "6"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2738"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "130"] [EventDate "2007.06.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 119"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 {The Zviagintsev system has attained some popularity. It is still unclear how White can obtain an advantage.} 9. O-O O-O 10. Ne2 {Transfering the knight to the kingside. White has a lot of other options:} (10. a3) (10. a4) (10. b3) (10. Bd2 {(the most popular)}) (10. Qe2) (10. e4) (10. Ne4) (10. Ng5) (10. h3) 10... a6 {[%CAl Yc6c5]} (10... Bb7 11. Ng3 a6 12. e4 e5 13. Re1 Re8 14. Bc2 exd4 15. Nxd4 Ne5 16. Bg5 Ng6 17. Ndf5 Be5 18. Qf3 h6 19. Be3 c5 20. Bxc5 Qc7 21. b4 Bxa1 22. Rxa1 $44 {1-0 Vitiugov,N-Sedlak,N/Moscow RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 641 (34)}) (10... Re8 11. Ng3 g6 12. a4 bxa4 13. Rxa4 Bb7 14. e4 Be7 15. Bd2 c5 16. Ba5 Qb8 17. e5 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Nd5 19. Be4 Qb5 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Rfa1 cxd4 22. Rxd4 Nxe5 23. Qxd5 a6 24. Bc3 Nc6 25. Rdd1 Qxd5 26. Rxd5 Bb4 27. Bxb4 {½-½ Nakamura,H-Ehlvest,J/Santo Domingo 2003/CBM 097 ext}) 11. e4 $6 {This is apparently premature.} (11. a4 $142 Rb8 (11... Bb7 $5 12. Ng3) 12. axb5 (12. e4 e5 13. Bg5 (13. axb5 axb5 14. b4 $5) 13... c5 14. axb5 axb5 15. Ng3 $6 cxd4 16. Nf5 Nc5 17. N3h4 Ne6 18. Bd2 g6 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Qb3 b4 $17 {0-1 Tonoian,A-Grachev,B/Moscow 2006/CBM 110 ext (32)}) 12... axb5 13. e4 e5 14. Ng3 (14. b4 $5) 14... exd4 15. Nxd4 Ne5 16. Be2 Bc5 17. Nb3 Bb6 18. Qxd8 Rxd8 19. Bf4 Re8 20. Rfc1 h6 21. Na5 Bd7 22. Bxe5 Rxe5 23. Nxc6 Bxc6 24. Rxc6 Nxe4 25. Rxb6 Rxb6 26. Ra8+ Kh7 27. f4 Nxg3 28. Bd3+ Rf5 29. hxg3 g6 30. Bxf5 gxf5 31. Rd8 b4 32. b3 {½-½ Bareev,E-Grachev,B/Sochi 2006/CBM 111 ext}) 11... e5 {[%mdl 32]} 12. Bg5 (12. Ng3 exd4 13. Nf5 {doesn't bring White enough of an attack for the sacrificed pawn:} Ne5 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. f4 Qc7 17. f5 Re8 18. Bf4 Qb6 19. e5 Nd5 20. Bg3 f6 21. Qh5 Bb7 22. Rae1 c5 23. Re4 fxe5 24. Bxe5 Nf6 25. Bxf6 Bxe4 $19 {0-1 Housieaux,D-Brunner,N/Marseille 2006/CBM 113 ext (31)}) (12. Be3 c5 $1 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Bxc5 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qc7+ 17. Kg1 Qxc5 $15 {[%csl Rg1]}) 12... h6 13. Bh4 c5 $1 14. d5 c4 {In this structure the white knight has nothing to do on e2.} 15. Bc2 Nc5 16. Nd2 $146 {[%CAl Yb3b2]} ({RR} 16. b4 cxb3 17. axb3 g5 18. Bg3 Re8 19. Nd2 Nh5 20. Nc3 Nxg3 21. fxg3 Bf8 22. Kh1 b4 23. Na4 Nxa4 24. Rxa4 Bd7 25. Ra2 Bb5 26. Rf3 Bc5 27. Bd3 Bd4 28. h3 Kg7 29. Kh2 Qb6 30. Qf1 f6 {Braun,A (2542)-Erdos,V (2597) Deizisau 2011 1-0 (59)}) 16... g5 {This looks too bold but White has no pieces on the kingside to make use of this weakening.} (16... Bd7 $5 {was a good alternative keeping the ...g7-g5 option for the future:} 17. b3 cxb3 18. axb3 Qe7 {[%CAl Yf8c8,Ya6a5,Ya5a4]}) 17. Bg3 Nh5 18. b3 cxb3 19. Nxb3 Bg4 $5 {Black wants to provoke f2-f3. In that case (apart from the general weakening of White's position) after ...?h5xg3 ?e2xg3 White will have no possibility of ?d1-h5.} 20. Qd2 (20. Nxc5 Nxg3) (20. h3 $5 Nxg3 $5 21. fxg3 Bd7 {and then White can try to make use of the f-file for counterplay.}) 20... Rc8 21. Nxc5 Rxc5 22. f3 $2 {Meeting Black's expectations.} ({Again} 22. h3 $1 {is more appropriate.}) 22... Nxg3 $1 23. Nxg3 Bd7 24. Nf5 Bxf5 25. exf5 Kg7 $17 {Black's queenside pawn advantage is the determining factor in this position; besides, his blockading bishop is more active than White's. White is completely passive and has no counterplay whatsoever.} 26. Be4 Qb6 27. Kh1 b4 28. Qd1 Rfc8 29. Qa4 Kf6 30. Rab1 Ra5 31. Qd7 (31. Qb3 {looks too gloomy.}) 31... Qc7 $1 (31... Rd8 $143 32. Qc6 Qxc6 33. dxc6 Rxa2 34. Rfd1 $132) 32. Qxc7 Rxc7 $19 {[%mdl 4096] The endgame is completely hopeless for White despite the opposite-coloured bishops.} 33. Rf2 Ra3 34. g4 Rcc3 35. Rfb2 a5 36. Rb3 a4 37. Rxc3 Rxc3 38. Kg2 Bc5 39. Kf1 b3 40. axb3 a3 41. Ra1 Rxb3 42. Ra2 Rc3 43. Ke2 Ke7 44. Kd1 Bd4 45. Kd2 f6 46. Bd3 Kd6 47. Be4 Kc5 48. h3 Kd6 49. Kd1 Bc5 50. Rc2 Rb3 51. Ra2 Bb4 52. Kc2 Re3 53. Kb1 Re1+ 54. Kc2 Re3 55. Kb1 Kc5 56. Rc2+ Bc3 57. Ka2 Kb4 58. Rc1 Re2+ 59. Bc2 Rd2 60. Rb1+ Kc4 61. Rc1 Kb4 62. Rb1+ Bb2 63. Be4 Ka4 64. Rd1 Rf2 65. Kb1 Kb3 0-1 [Event "Grand Slam Final 1st"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2008.09.08"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2737"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2008.09.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Marin,Mihail} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 {This second main continuation has lately been somewhat neglected in the light of all the excitement after} (5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 ({In Foros 2008, Carlsen was twice successful with} 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 {, but his wins had little to do with the opening battle.}) 6... dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 {After his loss to Anand in Morelia 2008 (see CBM 123), Carlsen has avoided this sacrificial line with White (the exception being one rapid game against Van Wely).}) 5... Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 {Currently a topical sideline.} ({The main moves are 9.e4 and especially} 9. O-O {and now:} {The older} a6 {still seems a safer choice:} (9... b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Bd6 12. a3 bxa3 13. b3 Nf6 14. Nd2 Qc7 15. Bf3 Bxh2+ 16. Kh1 Bd6 17. Nc4 Be7 18. Bxa3 O-O 19. Bc5 $5 $146 (19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Ra5 Rfd8 21. Kg1 c5 $1 22. Rxc5 Ne4 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Qg4 Bd3 25. Ra1 Rac8 26. Raa5 Rb8 27. Qd1 Be4 28. Qa1 Rb7 $11 {/?, Topalov,V (2813)-Kramnik,V (2743)/WCh Elista/2006/}) 19... Rfd8 (19... Bxc5 $142 20. dxc5 Rfd8 {?} 21. Nd6 Nd7 $132) 20. b4 Bxc5 21. bxc5 a5 22. Re1 Ba6 23. Nb6 Rab8 24. Rxa5 Bb5 25. Qa1 Nd5 (25... Bd3 $5 $14) 26. Ra7 Rb7 27. Rxb7 Qxb7 28. Qa5 {Aronian,L (2737)-Grischuk,A (2728)/Sochi/2008/} Rb8 $1 $14 (28... Nxb6 29. Qxb5 $16)) 10. e4 c5 11. d5 c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Nd4 Nc5 15. Be3 e5 16. Nf5 (16. Nf3 Be7 17. Ng5 O-O $1 $44 {0-1 Kasimdzhanov,R (2678)-Kasparov,G (2804) Linares 22nd 2005 (9) is one of Kasparov's last contributions to opening theory - see}) {Another option is} 16... g6 $5 (16... Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Qg4 $5 Nf6 19. Qh3 g6 20. Bg5 gxf5 21. Bxf6 Rg8 22. Rfe1 $1 Rxg2+ (22... Qc6 23. Rxe5+ Kf7 24. Be4 Qxf6 25. Rxf5 Bxe4 26. Rxf6+ Kxf6 27. Qh4+ Kf5 28. Qxh7+ Rg6 29. Re1 Rd8 30. Qh5+ Rg5 31. Qf7+ {1-0, Akopian,V (2700)-Ippolito,D (2397)/Gibraltar op/2007/}) 23. Kf1 Rxf2+ $1 (23... Rg6 $2 24. Rxe5+ Kf7 25. Qxh7+ {1-0, Grigoryan,A (2509)-Soozankar,A (2253)/Urmia/2008/}) 24. Kxf2 Qb6+ 25. Ke2 Qxf6 26. Bxf5 $13 {is risky, but probably playable for Black.}) 17. Nh6 (17. Bg5 Ncxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Bf6 gxf5 21. Bxh8 Bd6 $44 {?}) 17... Bg7 18. Qf3 Ne6 19. Qh3 Bc8 20. Qh4 (20. Qg3 $142) 20... Qe7 21. Rfe1 Nd5 22. Qxe7+ Nxe7 23. Nd5 Bb7 24. Ng4 Nd4 25. Bd1 Nxd5 26. exd5 O-O-O 27. Bg5 Rxd5 $17 {Morozevich,A (2758)-Anand,V (2792)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) 9... b4 (9... Bd6 10. O-O O-O 11. Qc2 h6 12. e4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. h3 a6 16. Be3 c5 17. Bxc5 Re8 18. Rad1 Qc7 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Bxb2 21. d6 Qc6 22. f3 Rec8 23. Bh7+ Kh8 24. Be4 Qxc5+ 25. Qxc5 Rxc5 26. Bxb7 Rd8 27. Rfe1 Be5 28. d7 $16 {[%csl Gd7] ?d7, Topalov,V (2777)-Ivanchuk,V (2781)/Bilbao/2008/}) (9... a6 10. b4 a5 11. Rb1 axb4 12. axb4 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. O-O ({or even} 14. e4 $5) 14... Bd6 15. Qc2 $14 {is somewhat better for White, therefore the text move is the most usual reaction, considered to be the main line.} (15. e4 $14)) 10. Ne4 {This continuation brought new life into the whole line.} (10. axb4 Bxb4 11. O-O c5 12. Na2 a5 13. Nxb4 axb4 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. dxc5 O-O $11 {is equal and sterile.}) 10... Nxe4 ({The text move is a more solid alternative, than} 10... c5 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 12. O-O Qb6 13. axb4 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxb4 15. Qa4 $5 (15. Bd2 Rg8 16. f3 Rg5 17. Bxb4 Qxb4 18. Rf2 Rc5 19. Qd2 Qb6 20. b4 Rc7 21. Nb5 Rcc8 22. Bf1 Ke7 23. Qd4 a6 24. Rd2 Bd5 25. Qxb6 Nxb6 26. Nd4 Bc4 $11 {Moskalenko,V (2520)-Dreev,A (2650)/Alushta/1994/}) 15... a5 16. Bb5 O-O-O 17. Bc6 Nc5 18. Bxb7+ Kxb7 19. Qc2 e5 20. Nf3 Rc8 21. Bd2 Rhg8 22. Bxb4 Qxb4 23. Qf5 Rg6 24. Rfc1 a4 25. Rc3 Qg4 26. Qxg4 Rxg4 27. Rac1 $14 {Mammen,H-Stuart,A/corr/1996/}) 11. Bxe4 bxa3 {Now Black hardly plays anything else.} ({The popularity of 10.?e4 started with the following game:} 11... Qc7 12. axb4 $1 Bxb4+ 13. Bd2 Bxd2+ 14. Nxd2 c5 15. Qc2 Qb6 16. dxc5 Qxc5 17. Qa4 Rb8 18. O-O O-O 19. Qxd7 Rfd8 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 $2 (20... Kf8 $1 21. Qa4 Rxd2 $44) 21. Qxf7 Rxd2 22. Ra4 Qg5 23. g3 e5 24. Rh4+ Qxh4 25. gxh4 Rd6 26. h5 Be4 27. Qe7 Rbb6 28. Qxe5 Re6 29. Qf4 {1-0, Gelfand,B (2670)-Anand,V (2725)/Biel izt/1993/}) 12. O-O {This ? sacrifice in the interests of development replaced the former alternative} (12. bxa3 Bd6 {Even the attempt to breathe life into the position with} 13. Nd2 $5 {is hardly sufficient after} (13. O-O O-O 14. Bb2 Rb8 15. Qc2 c5 16. Bxb7 Rxb7 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Rfd1 Qe7 19. a4 {1/2, Karpov,A (2735)-Anand,V (2770)/WCh Lausanne/1998/CBM 063}) (13. Bd2 Rb8 14. O-O (14. Qa4 c5 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Ba5 Qb8 18. Rd1 O-O {1/2, Karpov,A (2775)-Kramnik,V (2730)/Dortmund/1995/}) 14... O-O 15. Bb4 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Nd4 Qb6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qd2 Qd5 21. Qc3 h6 22. Rac1 Ne5 23. h3 Rfb8 24. Qc5 Qe4 25. Qc2 Qd5 26. Qa4 Qe4 27. Qc2 Qd5 {1/2, Karpov,A (2770)-Kramnik,V (2775)/Monte Carlo rpd/1996/}) 13... Qc7 14. Nc4 Be7 15. O-O O-O 16. Rb1 Rab8 $5 (16... Nf6 17. Bf3 Ba6 18. Qc2 Rac8 19. e4 Nd7 20. Be2 c5 21. d5 exd5 22. exd5 Bxc4 23. Bxc4 Nb6 24. Rb3 Bf6 25. Be3 Be5 26. g3 $14 {Beliavsky,A (2654)-Galkin,A (2587)/FIDE WCh New Delhi/2000/}) 17. Qa4 Nb6 18. Qa5 Ba8 19. Nxb6 axb6 $11 {Beliavsky}) 12... Nf6 (12... Bd6 13. b3 (13. b4 Nf6 14. Bd3 a5 $5 15. bxa5 Qxa5 16. Ne5 O-O 17. Nc4 Qc3 18. Bxa3 Bxa3 19. Rb1 Ba6 20. Rb3 Qxc4 21. Rxa3 Qd5 22. Rxa6 Rxa6 23. Bxa6 c5 24. dxc5 {1/2, Tomashevsky,E (2646)-Jakovenko,D (2710)/RUS-ch Moscow/2007/}) 13... Nf6 {transposes into the 9.0-0 b4 line above.} (13... Qe7 14. Qc2 $14)) (12... axb2 13. Bxb2 Nf6 (13... Be7 $143 14. Qc2 h6 15. Bxc6 Rc8 16. d5 exd5 17. Bxd7+ Qxd7 18. Qb3 d4 19. Rxa7 Bd5 20. Qb6 $16 {Najer,E (2616)-Potkin,V (2470)/Ubeda/2001/}) 14. Bd3 {-12...?f6.}) ({RR} 12... Bd6 13. Nd2 Qc7 14. Nc4 Be7 15. b4 Ba6 16. Bd3 Bxb4 17. Ne5 Bb5 18. Qc2 Rc8 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Bxa3 Bxa3 21. Rxa3 Bxd3 22. Rxd3 O-O 23. Ra1 c5 24. dxc5 Rxc5 25. Rxd7 Rxc2 26. g3 Rcc8 27. Raxa7 {Aronian,L (2803)-Mamedyarov,S (2757) Beijing 2013 ½-½}) ({RR} 12... Bd6 13. b3 Nf6 14. Nd2) ({RR} 12... Be7 13. b3 ({RR} 13. Qc2) 13... Nf6 14. Bd3 Qa5 ({RR} 14... Qb6 15. Bxa3 Bxa3 16. Rxa3 c5 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. b4 Qb6 19. Qa4+ Bc6 20. Qa5 O-O 21. Nd4 Bd5 22. Rfa1) 15. b4 Bxb4 16. Bxa3 Bxa3 17. Qb3 O-O 18. Rxa3 Qc7 19. Qc2 Rfc8 20. Rfa1 a5 21. Rc3 g6 22. Ne5 Nd7 23. Nxd7 Qxd7 24. Rc5 Ba6 25. Bxa6 Rxa6 26. Raxa5 Rb6 27. g3) 13. Bd3 axb2 ({RR} 13... Be7) 14. Bxb2 a5 {Introduced into practice by Kramnik, the alternatives were:} (14... Be7 15. Qb1 Rb8 (15... O-O 16. Ba3 $44) 16. Rxa7 Qb6 17. Qa2 O-O 18. Rb1 Ra8 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Qc4 Ba6 21. Qc2 Bxd3 22. Qxd3 Qb5 23. Ne5 Rb8 24. Qxb5 Rxb5 25. Nc4 c5 {1/2, Ivanchuk,V (2695)-Kramnik,V (2725)/New York rpd/1994/ Black gradually overcame his problems and fully equalized, nevertheless in Mexico 2007 he sought a safer alternative.}) (14... Bb4 15. Qb3 $1 ({RR} 15. Qa4 Qe7 16. Ba3 Bxa3 17. Qxa3 Qxa3 18. Rxa3 Ke7 19. Rb1) 15... a5 16. Ba3 Qb6 (16... Qe7 17. Rfb1 $14) 17. Ne5 O-O 18. Nc4 Qc7 19. Bxb4 axb4 20. Qxb4 Rfd8 21. Ne5 g6 22. Rxa8 Rxa8 23. Rc1 Nd5 24. Qb2 Ra4 25. h3 Rb4 26. Qa3 Qb6 27. Be4 Rb3 28. Qd6 Qc7 29. Qc5 $16 {1-0 Moiseenko,A (2632)-Huzman,A (2589)/Montreal/2008/}) ({RR} 14... Be7 15. Qc2 O-O 16. Ne5 Qc7 17. Ba3 Rfc8 18. Rfb1 c5 19. Bxc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Qxc5 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Rxb7 Rxe5 23. Raxa7 Rf8 24. h3 g5 25. g4 Rd5 26. Be2 Rd2 27. Bf3 h6 28. Kg2 Rdd8 29. Kg3 {Ivanchuk,V (2607)-Daneshvar,B (2600) Doha QAT 2025 ½-½ (62)}) ({RR} 14... Be7 15. Qb1 Rb8 16. Rxa7 Qb6 17. Qa2 O-O 18. Rb1 Ra8 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Qc4 Ba6 21. Qc2 Bxd3 22. Qxd3 Qb5 23. Ne5 Rb8 24. Qxb5 Rxb5 25. Nc4 c5) ({RR} 14... Bb4 15. Ba6 Qb6 16. Qa4 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 O-O 18. Ne5 c5 19. Nd3 Rfb8 20. Qc4 Qb5 21. Rfc1 cxd4 22. Qxb5 Rxb5 23. Nxb4 Rxb4 24. Rxa7 Rbb8 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 26. Bxd4) 15. d5 $146 {[%csl Re8][%CAl Ga1h8][%mdl 640] A stunning novelty, White sacrifices another ? to open the ? a1-h8 and create more space for a direct ? against the ? in the ?. A blow against a heavily protected point is usually very effective - if not otherwise, than at the very least psychologically. In the following course of the game Aronian initially defends quite well, but later practically inexplicably falls to pieces.} (15. Qa4 Bb4 16. Ba3 ({RR} 16. Ne5 O-O 17. Nxc6 Qd5 18. Rfc1 ({RR} 18. Qxb4 Qxc6) 18... Rfc8 19. Bb5) 16... Nd5 ({RR} 16... Bxa3 17. Qxa3 Qe7 18. Rfb1 Ra7 19. Ne5 Qxa3 20. Rxa3 Ke7 ({RR} 20... O-O 21. Rba1 Rfa8 22. Nc4 a4 23. Nb6) 21. Ba6 Ba8 22. Rxa5) 17. e4 (17. Be4 $5 {Marin} {RR} Bxa3 18. Bxd5 Qxd5 19. Qxa3 c5 20. Rfc1 c4 21. e4 Qxe4 22. Rxc4) ({RR} 17. Be4 O-O 18. Bxd5 Bxa3 ({RR} 18... cxd5 19. Bxb4 axb4 20. Qxb4 Ba6 21. Rfc1) 19. Bxc6 ({RR} 19. Bxe6) 19... Bxc6 20. Qxc6 Bb4 21. Ne5) 17... Nb6 18. Qb3 Qe7 19. Rab1 ({RR} 19. Rfb1 Nd7 20. Bxb4 axb4 21. Rxa8+ Bxa8 22. Qxb4 Qxb4 23. Rxb4 Ke7) 19... Bxa3 ({RR} 19... Nd7 20. Bxb4 axb4 21. Qxb4 Qxb4 22. Rxb4 Ra7 23. Rfb1) 20. Qxb6 Bb4 21. Ne1 ({RR} 21. d5 exd5 ({RR} 21... cxd5 22. Rfc1 Rc8 23. Bb5+) 22. exd5 O-O 23. dxc6 Bc8) 21... O-O 22. Nc2 Rfd8 {is too tame - White regains the ?, but his ? evaporates.} 23. Nxb4 axb4 24. Qxb4 Qxb4 25. Rxb4 Ba6 26. Bxa6 $11 {1/2, Gelfand,B (2733)-Kramnik,V (2769)/WCh Mexico City/2007/}) ({Interesting, but not quite clear is} 15. e4 $5 Bb4 16. Qc2 Nd7 17. Rfd1 (17. d5 cxd5 18. Bxg7 Rg8 19. Bd4 Rc8 $132) 17... Rc8 18. Qb1 O-O 19. d5 cxd5 20. exd5 Nf6 $2 (20... Bxd5 $1 21. Bxh7+ Kh8 $13) 21. dxe6 Qe7 22. Ng5 h6 23. Bh7+ Kh8 24. Bxf6 Qxf6 25. Nxf7+ Rxf7 26. exf7 Qxf7 27. Be4 $18 {Moiseenko,A (2632)-Illescas Cordoba,M (2603)/ESP-chT Cala Mayor/2008/ This game was played only a few days earlier, than ours.}) ({As yet untested, but plausible altrnatives are} 15. Qb3 $5 Rb8 (15... Bb4 16. Ba3 {transposes into Moiseenko-Huzman above.}) 16. Bc3 Ba6 17. Qd1 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 $32) ({or} 15. Ne5 $44) ({RR} 15. Qb3 Rb8 16. Bc3 Ba6 17. Qd1 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Bb4 19. Rfc1 Nd5 20. Bxb4 Nxb4 21. Qa3 Rb5 22. Ne5 Qd5 23. Qc3 O-O {½-½ (23) Lauber,A (2517)-Schenk,A (2509) Germany 2010}) ({RR} 15. Qa4 Bb4 16. Ba3 Nd5 17. e4 Nb6 18. Qb3 Qe7 19. Rab1 Bxa3 20. Qxb6 Bb4 21. Ne1 O-O 22. Nc2 Rfd8 23. Nxb4 axb4 24. Qxb4 Qxb4 25. Rxb4 Ba6 26. Bxa6 {½-½ (26) Gelfand,B (2733)-Kramnik,V (2769) Mexico City 2007 CBM 120 [Marin,Mihail]}) 15... Nxd5 {Black must take the ?.} (15... cxd5 $143 $2 16. Bb5+ Nd7 17. Ne5 Bc8 18. Rc1 (18. Qh5 g6 19. Qf3 $18) 18... Bd6 19. Rxc8 $18) (15... Qxd5 16. Qc2 (16. Qb1 $44) (16. Ne5 $44) 16... Qc5 17. Qe2 Be7 (17... Qh5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Qb2 $36) 18. Bd4 Qd5 19. Rfd1 $32) (15... exd5 16. Nd4 $5 {[%csl Rc6][%CAl Yd4f5,Yd1a4] ??f5,?a4,×c6} Bb4 (16... Be7 17. Nf5 {?} O-O $2 18. Nxg7 $1 Kxg7 19. Qg4+ Kh8 20. Bxf6+ Bxf6 21. Qf5 $18) 17. Nf5 g6 18. Nh6 $44) 16. Ne5 Nf6 {Aronian prevents a ? sortie to h5, but invests another tempo.} (16... Bb4 17. Qh5 Qc7 18. Rfc1 $44 (18. Nf3 $5 Bc3 19. Bxc3 Nxc3 20. Qc5 Nd5 21. Rfb1 $44)) (16... Nb4 17. Qh5 Qc7 18. Rfd1 $44) (16... Qc7 $5 $13) 17. Qa4 $32 Bb4 (17... Bd6 $5 {is an attempt to stabilize the position by returning both extra ?s:} 18. Ng4 $5 $13 (18. Nxc6 Qd7 19. Nxa5 (19. Bb5 O-O 20. Rfc1 Rfc8 $11) 19... Qxa4 20. Rxa4 Bd5 (20... Ke7 21. Bxf6+ Kxf6 (21... gxf6 22. Rb1 Bd5 23. e4 Bc7 24. exd5 Rxa5 25. Rxa5 Bxa5 26. Rb7+ $36) 22. Nxb7 Bxh2+ 23. Kxh2 Rxa4 $14 {/=}) {?} 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. e4 Bc6 $11)) 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 $8 (18... Qxd3 $2 19. Ne5+ $18) (18... Qd7 $2 19. Bb5 Ba6 20. Bxa6 Rxa6 21. Nxb4 $18) 19. Qxc6+ Ke7 20. Rfd1 {White has regained one ? and Black's ? has remained in the ?. However, Black's ? are finally connected and this should suffice to gradually contain White's ?.} Rc8 21. Qf3 (21. Qa6 Qd6 22. Qb7+ (22. Qxd6+ Bxd6 23. Rxa5 Ra8 $11) 22... Qc7 {[%CAl Yh8d8] ??hd8= only helps Black.}) 21... Qb6 (21... Qc7 22. Ba6 Rcd8 23. Rdc1 Qb8 24. Rc6 $36) 22. Bd4 Qb8 (22... Qc6 $5 23. Qg3 Rhd8 {??f8=} 24. Qxg7 $2 Rxd4 $1 25. exd4 Rg8 $19) 23. Ba6 Rcd8 24. Bb7 $5 {Carlsen wants to keep maximum tension in the position and spurns immediately simplifying alternatives. However, objectively even his choice doesn't promise that much.} (24. Rdc1 e5 25. Bc5+ Bxc5 26. Rxc5 Rhe8 27. Rcxa5 Kf8 $11) (24. Rab1 Rd6 $5 {?} 25. Bc5 Bxc5 26. Rb7+ Nd7 27. Rxb8 Rxb8 $11) 24... h5 {[%csl Gb7,Gd4,Re7,Gg1] Black starts to crack up. Perhaps Aronian cherished higher ambitions with his extra ?, but White has suffcient long-term compensation with his ? and safer ?.} ({Definitely safer was} 24... e5 $142 $5 25. Bb6 (25. Bb2 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Rd8 27. Rxd8 Kxd8 $11) 25... Rd6 $1 26. Rxd6 Qxd6 27. Bxa5 Bxa5 (27... Rb8 $11) 28. Rxa5 Qb4 29. Rxe5+ $8 (29. Ra1 $2 e4 $17) 29... Kd6 30. Rd5+ Nxd5 31. Qxd5+ Ke7 (31... Kc7 32. Ba6 $11) 32. Qe5+ Kf8 33. Qb8+ Ke7 34. Qe5+ $11) 25. h3 ({The luft is useful, but more forceful was} 25. Rab1 $5 Ng4 26. g3 f6 27. h3 Ne5 28. Qg2 $44 {/?}) 25... h4 $6 {Pointless, as the ? still can't be activated via h5. Black still had} (25... e5 $142 $11 {This is similar to 24...e5 and although h3 is more useful than h5, he should be able to hold the balance.}) 26. Rab1 $36 e5 (26... Rd6 27. Rdc1 $1 {[%CAl Rd4e5] ??e5?}) 27. Rxb4 $1 {[%mdl 64] Time has come for tactical solutions.} axb4 $2 {This loses by force.} (27... exd4 28. Rbxd4 $16 {or}) (27... Rxd4 28. Rbxd4 exd4 29. exd4 $16 {[%csl Re7] ? leads to a difficult position due to Black's exposed ?, but it was definitely more resilient.}) 28. Bc5+ Ke6 $8 (28... Ke8 29. Bc6+ Rd7 (29... Nd7 30. Qf5 Qc7 31. Qg5 $18) 30. Rxd7 $1 Nxd7 31. Qf5 Qc7 32. Qg5 f6 33. Qxg7 $18) 29. Ra1 $1 $18 Rd6 (29... Rd2 30. Ra6+ (30. Ra8 $18) 30... Kd7 31. Bxb4 $1 {?} e4 32. Qf5+ Kd8 (32... Ke8 33. Re6+ $1) 33. Qa5+ Ke8 34. Qb5+ Rd7 35. Bc6 $18) 30. Bxd6 Kxd6 (30... Qxd6 31. Ra6 $18) 31. Qc6+ Ke7 32. Ra8 {This nets White a decisive material advantage.} Qd6 33. Qxd6+ (33. Rxh8 $18) 33... Kxd6 34. Rxh8 b3 35. Ba6 Nd7 (35... e4 36. Rb8) 36. Rxh4 Nc5 (36... Nc5 37. Bc4 $18 (37. Be2 $18)) 1-0 [Event "Sochi FIDE GP"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2008.08.14"] [Round "13"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2737"] [BlackElo "2728"] [Annotator "Aronian,Levon"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2008.07.31"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {This game was played in the last round. Being half a point clear of the field, I was feeling in an excellent mood. Adding in the fact that I have in recent times had an excellent score with white against Grischuk, I did not fear any sort of reverse.} d5 {Really, a Slav? Having spent a whole pre-tournament training session on the Slav, I had been counting on my opponent being cunning enough to chosee some other line.} 2. c4 c6 {Yes!} 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 {Given that after 4.?f3, Sasha plays 4...dxc4, whereas I had decided on playing a Meran, the text is the most accurate move-order.} e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 {Sasha admitted after the game that he had not expected such treachery. Previously, I have always played 6.?c2.} dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O b4 {A rare move. The usual choice is 9...a6, but it turned out that Sasha had showed this to my friend Vova Potkin, something about which he was now not so happy.} 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Bd6 12. a3 {Not having looked at this line at all, I decided to transpose to the line 9.a3.} ({RR} 12. Qc2 Rc8 13. a3 f5 14. Bd3 c5 15. Qe2 c4 16. Bb1 bxa3 17. e4 fxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Qe7 20. Ng5 axb2 21. Bxb2 Qxg5 22. Qxe6+ Qe7 23. Rfe1 Kd8 24. Qh3 Qf7 25. Re6 c3 26. Bc1 Bf4 {Dreev,A (2698)-Grischuk,A (2732) Mainz 2003 0-1 (46)}) 12... bxa3 ({RR} 12... a5 13. Qc2 Qc7 14. axb4 axb4 15. Rxa8+ Bxa8 16. Bd2 Ke7 17. Rc1 Qa5 18. Bxc6 Rc8 19. Qa4 Qc7 20. Bb5 Qxc1+ 21. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 22. Bf1 Be4 23. Qb5 Rc2 24. Ne1 Rxb2 25. f3 Bg6 26. e4 b3 27. Bd3 {Gajdzica,M (1968)-Slawinski,M (1905) Jastrzebia Gora POL 2023 1-0 (49)}) 13. b3 {Given that the greatest theretician of our galaxy, Kramnik, recently played 13.?d2 here, the text must be considered old-fashioned.} Nf6 14. Nd2 Qc7 $146 {This is what Kramnik played against Topalov at Elista.} ({As I anticipated, an active player such as my opponent did not go for the line} 14... Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qh4+ 17. Kg1 Qxe4 18. f3) ({RR} 14... Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qh4+ 17. Kg1 Qxe4 18. f3 Qg6 19. Bxa3 h5 20. Qd2 Qg3 21. Qa5 h4 22. Ra2 f6 23. e4 h3 24. d5 Qe5 25. Qb4 O-O-O 26. dxc6 Ba6 27. Bb2 hxg2 {0-1 (27) Churkin,V (2319)-Efanov,N (2425) Anapa 2009}) ({RR} 14... Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qh4+ 17. Kg1 Qxe4 18. f3 Qg6 19. Bxa3 h5 20. Bc5 h4 21. e4 Qg3 22. Qe1 Qxe1 23. Rfxe1 a6 24. f4 f6 25. Re3 {½-½ (25) Czarnota,P (2531)-Balogh,C (2616) Germany 2009}) 15. Bf3 {It is always nice to play such an unhurried move.} Bxh2+ 16. Kh1 Bd6 17. Nc4 Be7 18. Bxa3 O-O {During the game, I was convinced that Kramnik had first taken on a3 and only then castled and played ?e7. Without thinking too long, I decided to take advantage of my opponent's originality. Great was my surprise when, some time later, I discovered that it had been I who had first deviated from theory.} 19. Bc5 {This excellent move gives Black some problems.} Rfd8 {While my opponent had a long think, I realised the advantage of not having a pawn on h2 - one does not need to waste a tempo making luft for the king!} 20. b4 {Here I had a choice: the simple 20.?c2 was probably better than the move played in the game, but I wanted to regain the pawn.} Bxc5 {In this way, Black activates the ?b7. Other continuations are more passive.} 21. bxc5 a5 22. Re1 ({I did not like} 22. Qc1 {because of the possibility} Ba6 23. Rxa5 Bxc4 24. Rxa8 Rxa8 25. Qxc4 g5 {with good play for Black.}) 22... Ba6 {The only move. Black faced the threat of e4, and the establishment of the knight on d6.} 23. Nb6 Rab8 {A strange move.} ({I considered the correct move to be} 23... Ra7 24. Rxa5 Bb5 25. Rxa7 Qxa7 26. Qa1 {with a slightly worse, but very solid position for Black.}) 24. Rxa5 Bb5 25. Qa1 Nd5 {This is all very natural of course.} 26. Ra7 Rb7 27. Rxb7 Qxb7 28. Qa5 {I was pleased with this nice tactic. Now on 28...?xb6 there is 29.?xb5.} Qe7 (28... Nxb6 29. Qxb5) 29. Ra1 Qg5 {A trappy, but poor move. Black threatens the e3-pawn, but this is completely unimportant.} ({A bad endgame resulted from} 29... Nc7 30. Qa7 e5 31. d5 cxd5 32. Nxd5 Nxd5 33. Bxd5) ({, but after} 29... g6 {it is not easy for White to break through, since the ending after} 30. Qa7 Qxa7 31. Rxa7 Nxb6 32. cxb6 Rb8 33. b7 Kg7 {is not dangerous.}) 30. Nxd5 {The product of laziness. Ideally, I should have brought the queen back first, and only then thought about exchanges, but I did not want to have to calculate too many variations.} exd5 31. Qc7 g6 {A decisive mistake, which I failed to exploit. The only way to continue the fight was by 31...?f8.} 32. Ra7 {Played mechanically and weakly.} (32. Bg4 {with similar ideas to the game, wins.}) 32... Qf6 {Mutual blindness.} ({After} 32... Rf8 {I would have been forced to find more complicated ways to strengthen the position.}) 33. Bg4 {At last. It is hard to stop ?d7, winning a pawn.} Re8 34. Kg1 ({Of course not} 34. Bd7 {because} Qxf2 {with perpetual check.}) 34... Kg7 35. Bd7 Re7 ({More stubborn was} 35... Rf8 {, but after} 36. Qe5 Qxe5 37. dxe5 {his passivity should prove fatal to Black.}) 36. Qd8 {The rest is easy.} h5 ({On} 36... Re4 {White of course plays} 37. Qb8 {and then ?a8.}) 37. Ra8 {The rest does not require any commentary.} Kh6 38. Rc8 Kh7 39. Bxc6 Bxc6 40. Rxc6 Qxc6 41. Qxe7 Kg7 42. Kh2 (42. Kh2 {On} Kg8 {the simplest is} 43. Qd8+ Kg7 44. Qb6 {and a new queen soon appears.}) 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o. f"] [Site "Lausanne"] [Date "1998.01.04"] [Round "8.3"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "37"] [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. d4 {Lutz} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 bxa3 12. bxa3 Bd6 13. O-O {Lutz: Der nachfolgende Plan der Läuferentwicklung ist an dieser Stelle neu. Karpow hatte gegen Kramnik zweimal 13.?d2 versucht, allerdings ohne großen Erfolg.} (13. Bd2 Rb8 (13... Qc7 14. Bb4 c5 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxc5 Nxc5 18. Qd4 Qb5 19. Qxg7 Nd3+ 20. Kd2 O-O-O 21. Nd4 Nc5) 14. O-O $5 (14. Qa4 c5 (14... Qc7 15. Rb1 c5 16. Rxb7) 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Ba5 Qb8 (17... Qc8 18. O-O O-O 19. Rac1 Nb6 20. Qe4 Rc7 21. Ng5 g6 22. Qh4 h5 23. g4 Be7 24. gxh5 Rxc1 25. hxg6 Rxf1+ 26. Kg2 Rxf2+ $3 27. Kxf2 fxg6+ $19) 18. Rd1 O-O {½-½ Karpov,A-Kramnik,V/Dortmund 1995} (18... O-O 19. Rxd7 Qe8 20. Ne5 Bd6 21. O-O Bxe5 22. Rfd1 Rxd7 23. Qxd7 Qb8 $14)) (14. Rb1 O-O 15. O-O Nf6 $10) 14... O-O (14... c5 $6 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. Bc3 $1 (16. d5 exd5 17. Bc3 Nf6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Qxd5 Rd7 20. Qa8+ Qd8 $14) 16... O-O 17. d5 Qe7 18. e4 f6 $8 19. Qc2 Nb6 $6 20. dxe6 Qxe6 21. Rfe1 Nc4 22. Rad1 $5 (22. a4 Ne5 23. Bxe5 Bxe5 24. Rac1 Bd4 $10) 22... Nxa3 23. Qc1 Nc4 24. Nh4 $1 {Gurevich,M-Novikov,I/Antwerp op/1995/0-1 (93)}) 15. Bb4 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Nd4 Qb6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qd2 Qd5 21. Qc3 h6 22. Rac1 Ne5 23. h3 Rfb8 24. Qc5 Qe4 25. Qc2 Qd5 26. Qa4 Qe4 27. Qc2 Qd5 {½-½ Karpov,A-Kramnik,V/Monaco rapid 1996}) ({RR} 13. Bd2 Rb8 14. O-O O-O 15. Bb4 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Nd4 Qb6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qd2 Qd5 21. Qc3 h6 22. Rac1 Ne5 23. h3 Rfb8 24. Qc5 Qe4 25. Qc2 Qd5 26. Qa4 Qe4 27. Qc2 Qd5 {Karpov,A (2770)-Kramnik,V (2775) Monte Carlo 1996 ½-½}) ({RR} 13. Bd2 Rb8 14. O-O O-O 15. Bb4 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Nd4 Qb6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qd2 Qd5 21. Qc3 h6 22. Rac1 Ne5 23. h3 Rfb8 24. Qc5 Qe4 25. Qc2 Qd5 26. Qa4 Qe4 27. Qc2 {½-½ (27) De Freitas,M (1760)-De Morais,L (1764) Corumba 2015}) 13... O-O 14. Bb2 (14. Bd2) 14... Rb8 $146 ({RR} 14... Nf6 15. Bd3 c5 {½-½ (15) Trohimchuk,S-Shakhov,A (2170) Rostov on Don 1996}) 15. Qc2 c5 {The only exciting moment in the whole game, black trusts his counterplay with bishop looking to white's kingside. Der einzige kleine Höhepunkt der Partie.} (15... f5 $5 16. Bxc6 Rc8 17. d5 (17. Qb3 Rxc6 18. Qxb7 Rb6 $19) 17... exd5 18. Qc3 $1 (18. Nd4 Bxc6 19. Nxc6 Bxh2+ 20. Kxh2 Qc7+ $15) 18... Rf7 19. Bxb7 Rxc3 20. Bxc3 Nb6 (20... Qc7 21. Bxd5 Qxc3 22. Ng5 Ne5 23. Rac1 Qxa3 24. Rc8+ Bf8 25. Bxf7+ Nxf7 26. Ne6 $18) 21. Ba6 $13) 16. Bxb7 (16. Bxh7+ Kh8 17. Bd3 (17. Be4 $2 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Rxb2 $19) (17. dxc5 Bxf3 18. gxf3 (18. cxd6 Qg5 19. g3 Qg4 $19) 18... Rxb2 19. Qxb2 Be5 $17) 17... Bxf3 18. gxf3 Bxh2+ (18... cxd4 19. Bxd4 Qh4 20. f4 Qg4+ $11) (18... Qh4 $5 {Lutz}) 19. Kxh2 Qh4+ 20. Kg2 Qg5+ $11) 16... Rxb7 17. dxc5 (17. Rab1 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Qb8 $11) 17... Bxc5 18. Rfd1 Qe7 19. a4 (19. Qc3 Nf6 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge 4th"] [Site "Zuerich"] [Date "2015.02.14"] [Round "1"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2777"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2015.02.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 165"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 ({RR} 12... Rc8 13. O-O Nxc5 14. Bb5+ Nd7 15. Bg5 Be7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Qd4 O-O 18. Qxa7 Bc6 19. Bxc6 Rxc6 20. Qd4 Rfc8 21. b3 Nc3 22. Rfe1 h6 23. Nb2 Nb6 24. h3 Rd8 25. Qg4 {½-½ (25) Piket,J (2590)-Kaidanov,G (2555) Cala 1991}) 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. O-O (14. Bb5+ Kf8 {has been considered acceptable for Black for quite some time now.}) 14... Be7 $146 {A new move in a well-known position. 14...h6 is very popular and has been played by Aronian himself as black.} ({RR} 14... Qb6 15. Ng5 g6 16. Qf3 O-O 17. Qh3 h5 18. Ne4 Be7 19. Bh6 Rfd8 20. Qg3 Kh7 21. Ng5+ Bxg5 22. Bxg5 Rd7 23. Rad1 Ba6 24. Rfe1 Bxd3 25. Rxd3 Rc7 26. Qh4 Rac8 27. g4 Rh8 28. gxh5 Kg8 29. h6 {Orlov,G (2453)-Mayaud,R (2201) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (35)}) ({RR} 14... h6 15. Qa4+ Ke7 16. Ba6 Qb6 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. Qc2 Rac8 19. Qe4 Rhd8 20. Bd2 Ke8 21. Rfc1 Be7 22. h3 Qa6 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. a4 b3 25. Rc1 Rxc1+ 26. Bxc1 Bb4 27. Nd2 Qxa4 28. Qc4 Nb6 29. Qc7 {Holm,S (2321)-Nielsen,P (2626) Copenhagen 2002 0-1 (39)}) 15. Qe2 Qb6 16. Ng5 h6 17. Ne4 Rd8 18. Qf3 {It is logical to add pressure on the kingside as it is the only place where White can hope to start an initiative.} Ba6 19. Rd1 O-O 20. Qg3 Kh8 (20... Bxd3 $2 21. Bxh6 $18) 21. Qh3 Kg8 $2 (21... Bxd3 22. Rxd3 Kh7 23. Rg3 {looks scary for Black, but is probably nothing} Qd4 $1 24. Rxg7+ Kxg7 25. Bxh6+ Kg6 26. Bxf8 Rxf8 27. Qg4+ $11) 22. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 23. Qxh6 f5 24. Qg6+ Kh8 25. Qh6+ Kg8 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Qh6+ {And the worst mistake of all: agree to a draw!} (27. Qh6+ Kg8 28. Qg6+ Kh8 29. Ng3 $1 {Black has to deal with a couple of threats. The most immediate of them is Ng5, which checkmates Black.} Bc5 $8 (29... Rd7 30. Qh6+ $1 Kg8 31. Bxa6 Qxa6 32. Rxd5 $1 Rxd5 33. Qg6+ Kh8 34. Nh5 $18 {Any time that Black defends on g8 with a rook he allows Qh6 checkmate.}) 30. Qh6+ Kg8 31. Nh5 Bxf2+ 32. Kh1 Qc7 33. Qxe6+ Qf7 34. Qxf7+ Kxf7 35. Bxa6 {and with two extra pawns White has some real winning chances. It's still a long way to go as Black is rather active, but it is clear that Aronian would prefer this position than drawing. It is unclear what he missed.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 23rd"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "1995.07.15"] [Round "2"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2730"] [Annotator "Von Gleich,Alexander"] [PlyCount "36"] [EventDate "1995.07.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 048"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Ftacnik,Lubomir Novikov,Igor A} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 bxa3 12. bxa3 Bd6 13. Bd2 ({RR} 13. O-O O-O 14. Bb2 ({RR} 14. Bd2) 14... Rb8 15. Qc2 c5 ({RR} 15... f5 16. Bxc6 Rc8 17. d5 ({RR} 17. Qb3 Rxc6 18. Qxb7 Rb6) 17... exd5 18. Qc3 ({RR} 18. Nd4 Bxc6 19. Nxc6 Bxh2+ 20. Kxh2 Qc7+) 18... Rf7 19. Bxb7 Rxc3 20. Bxc3 Nb6 ({RR} 20... Qc7 21. Bxd5 Qxc3 22. Ng5 Ne5 23. Rac1 Qxa3 24. Rc8+ Bf8 25. Bxf7+ Nxf7 26. Ne6) 21. Ba6) 16. Bxb7 ({RR} 16. Bxh7+ Kh8 17. Bd3 ({RR} 17. Be4 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Rxb2) ({RR} 17. dxc5 Bxf3 18. gxf3 ({RR} 18. cxd6 Qg5 19. g3 Qg4) 18... Rxb2 19. Qxb2 Be5) 17... Bxf3 18. gxf3 Bxh2+ ({RR} 18... cxd4 19. Bxd4 Qh4 20. f4 Qg4+) ({RR} 18... Qh4) 19. Kxh2 Qh4+ 20. Kg2 Qg5+) 16... Rxb7 17. dxc5 ({RR} 17. Rab1 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Qb8) 17... Bxc5 18. Rfd1 Qe7 19. a4 {½-½ (19) Karpov,A (2735)-Anand,V (2770) Lausanne 1998 CBM 063 [Ftacnik,Lubomir]} ({RR} 19. Qc3 Nf6)) 13... Rb8 (13... Qc7 14. Bb4 (14. Qa4 O-O 15. Ba5 Nb6 16. Qc2 h6 17. Nd2 (17. Bb4 c5 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. dxc5 Rfc8 {nebst ?d7 und Ausgleich}) 17... Rfc8 (17... e5 18. dxe5 Bxe5 19. Rc1 $14) (17... Qe7 $1 {visiert die weiße Schwäche a3 an und sichert dadurch ausreichendes Gegenspiel} 18. O-O Bxa3 (18... Rac8 $2 19. Bb4 Bxb4 20. axb4 Qxb4 $2 21. Rxa7 $18)) 18. Nc4 Bf8 19. Rb1 $16) 14... c5 (14... Bxb4+ 15. axb4 a5 16. bxa5 (16. O-O axb4 17. Rxa8+ Bxa8 18. Qc2 Nf6) 16... Rxa5 17. O-O Rxa1 18. Qxa1 O-O 19. Rc1 c5 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. dxc5 Rc8 22. Qa5 Qd5 (22... Qc7 23. Qxc7 Rxc7 24. c6 $16) 23. e4 Qxe4 (23... Qh5 24. h3 h6 {und Schwarz kann sich halten}) 24. c6 h6 25. h3 Nf6 26. Qa6) 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxc5 Nxc5 18. Qd4 Qb5 (18... Qb2 $1 19. O-O Qxd4 20. Nxd4) 19. Qxg7 Nd3+ 20. Kd2 O-O-O 21. Nd4 Nc5) ({RR} 13... Qc7 14. Bb4 c5 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxc5 Nxc5 18. Qd4 Qb5 19. Qxg7 Nd3+ 20. Kd2 O-O-O 21. Nd4 Nc5) 14. Qa4 $146 (14. Rb1 O-O 15. O-O (15. Qc2 Nf6 16. Bd3 c5 $1 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Bxh7+ Nxh7 19. Qxc5 Qd3 $132) 15... Nf6 $10) ({RR} 14. O-O c5 ({RR} 14... O-O) ({RR} 14... c5 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. Bc3 ({RR} 16. d5 exd5 17. Bc3 Nf6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Qxd5 Rd7 20. Qa8+ Qd8) 16... O-O 17. d5 Qe7 18. e4 f6 19. Qc2 Nb6 20. dxe6 Qxe6 21. Rfe1 Nc4 22. Rad1 ({RR} 22. a4 Ne5 23. Bxe5 Bxe5 24. Rac1 Bd4) 22... Nxa3 23. Qc1 Nc4 24. Nh4) 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. Bc3 ({RR} 16. d5 exd5 17. Bc3 Nf6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Qxd5 Rd7 20. Qa8+ Qd8) 16... O-O ({RR} 16... Nf6 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Qxd8+ Kxd8 19. Rab1) 17. d5 Qe7 18. e4 f6 19. Qc2 Nb6 ({RR} 19... exd5 20. exd5 Nb6) 20. dxe6 Qxe6 21. Rfe1 Nc4 22. Rad1 ({RR} 22. a4 Ne5 23. Bxe5 Bxe5 24. Rac1 Bd4) 22... Nxa3 23. Qc1 ({RR} 23. Qd3 Rb3) 23... Nc4 24. Nh4 Re8 25. f4 Bf8 26. Nf3 Qf7 ({RR} 26... h6) 27. e5 fxe5 28. fxe5 ({RR} 28. Ng5 Qf5) 28... h6 {Gurevich,M (2585)-Novikov,I (2580) Antwerp 1995 CBM 050 [Novikov,Igor A] 0-1 (93)}) ({RR} 14. O-O O-O 15. Bb4 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Nd4 Qb6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qd2 Qd5 21. Qc3 h6 22. Rac1 Ne5 23. h3 Rfb8 24. Qc5 Qe4 25. Qc2 Qd5 26. Qa4 Qe4 27. Qc2 Qd5 {½-½ (27) Karpov,A (2770)-Kramnik,V (2775) Monte Carlo 1996}) ({RR} 14. O-O O-O 15. Bb4 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Nd4 Qb6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qd2 Qd5 21. Qc3 h6 22. Rac1 Ne5 23. h3 Rfb8 24. Qc5 Qe4 25. Qc2 Qd5 26. Qa4 Qe4 27. Qc2 {½-½ (27) De Freitas,M (1760)-De Morais,L (1764) Corumba 2015}) ({RR} 14. O-O O-O 15. Bb4 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Nd4 Qb6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qd2 Qd5 21. Qc3 h6 22. Rac1 Ne5 23. h3 Rfb8 24. Qc5 Qe4 25. Qc2 Qd5 26. Qa4 Qe4 27. Qc2 Qd5) ({RR} 14. Rb1 O-O 15. O-O Nf6) 14... c5 (14... Qc7 15. Rb1 c5 16. Rxb7 (16. Ba5 Bxe4 (16... Qc8 17. Bxb7 (17. dxc5 Bxe4) (17. Rxb7 Rxb7 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Ne5 Bd6 (19... f6 20. Nxd7 Rxd7 21. O-O O-O 22. Rc1 $16) 20. Nxd7 (20. Nc4 Be7 (20... Bb4+ 21. Bxb4 Qxc4 22. Bxb7 Qc1+ 23. Qd1 $18)) 20... Rxd7 21. O-O (21. Bc6 Ke7 22. O-O Rc7 23. Rc1 Qb8 24. Bxc7 Qxc7 25. g3 Rc8 26. Qh4+ Kf8 27. Qxh7 Bxa3 28. Rc4 $14) 21... O-O 22. Rd1 f5 23. Bf3 Rff7) 17... Rxb7 18. Rxb7 Qxb7 19. O-O) 17. Bxc7 Rxb1+ 18. Kd2 Bxc7 19. Rxb1 Bxb1 20. Qxa7 $16 Bb6)) ({RR} 14... Qc7 15. Rb1 c5 16. Rxb7) 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Ba5 Qb8 (17... Qc8 18. O-O O-O 19. Rac1 Nb6 20. Qe4 Rc7 21. Ng5 g6 22. Qh4 (22. Bc3 Bxa3 (22... Nd5 23. Bb2) 23. Nxh7 (23. Qh4 f5 (23... f6 $1 24. Bxf6 Bxc1 $19) 24. Bg7 $3 Kxg7 (24... Rxg7 25. Rxc8) 25. Rxc7+ Qxc7 26. Nxe6+ $18) 23... f5 24. Qe5 Rxh7 $19) 22... h5 23. g4 {Der abenteuerlichste Versuch, der zwar objektiv schlecht ist, aber sehr zur Erheiterung der kiebitzenden Laien - wie Ihrem Berichterstatter- beitrug.} Be7 24. gxh5 Rxc1 25. hxg6 Rxf1+ 26. Kg2 Rxf2+ $3 (26... Qc6+ $2 27. e4) 27. Kxf2 fxg6+ $19) ({RR} 17... Qc8 18. O-O O-O 19. Rac1 Nb6 20. Qe4 Rc7 21. Ng5 g6 22. Qh4 h5 23. g4 Be7 24. gxh5 Rxc1 25. hxg6 Rxf1+ 26. Kg2 Rxf2+ 27. Kxf2 fxg6+) 18. Rd1 O-O (18... O-O 19. Rxd7 ({RR} 19. Rxd7 Qe8 20. Ne5 Bd6 21. O-O Bxe5 22. Rfd1 Rxd7 23. Qxd7 Qb8) 19... Qe8 20. Ne5 Bd6 (20... Rb1+ 21. Ke2 Rxh1 {Diese Stellung wurden von den beiden Kontrahenten über eine Stunde kontrovers diskutiert, wobei Karpow an die weißen Angriffschancen und Kramnik an die Verteidigungsfähigkeit glaubte. Einige der rasant vorgeführten Varianten seien kurz angeführt.} 22. Qc6 (22. Bc3 Qc8 23. Qg4 h5 (23... g6 24. Nxg6 $3 hxg6 (24... Qxd7 25. Ne7#) 25. Qh4 Qa6+ 26. Kf3 Qc6+ 27. e4 $18) 24. Qxh5 (24. Qg5 Be7 $3 $17) 24... Be7 (24... Bd6 25. Rxf7 Qxc3 26. Rxf8+ Bxf8 (26... Kxf8 27. Qf7#) 27. Qf7+ {Weiß hat Minimum Dauerschach, aber Karpow probierte weiter...} Kh7 28. Qg6+ Kh8 (28... Kg8 $2 29. Qxe6+) 29. Qxe6 $5 Qc2+ 30. Kf3 Qd1+ 31. Ke4 {Karpow, und wenn auch hier Dauerschach das wahrscheinlichste Ergebnis ist, so wurde doch herzhaft weiter gezockt, wobei die inzwischen vom A-Open herüberkommenden GM s lebhaft mit herum zockten.}) 25. Rxe7 Qxc3 26. Kf3 Qc2 27. Kg3 Rf1 28. Ng4 Qf5 29. Qxf5 exf5 30. Ne5 $13) (22. Nxf7) 22... Rc1 23. Bd2) 21. O-O Bxe5 22. Rfd1 Rxd7 23. Qxd7 Qb8 $14) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sofia MTel Masters 4th"] [Site "Sofia"] [Date "2008.05.14"] [Round "6"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "139"] [EventDate "2008.05.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 124"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. a3 Bb7 ({RR} 10... a5 11. Bd2 Bb7 12. Rc1 Qb8 13. e4 e5 14. dxe5 Bxe5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Be2 Rd8 17. Qe1 Qd6 18. Bg5 h6 19. Bh4 Qd2 20. Nd5 Qxe1 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 22. Rfxe1 Kg7 23. Red1 c5 24. Rxc5 Rxd1+ 25. Bxd1 {Krasenkow,M (2636)-Sargissian,G (2676) Wijk aan Zee 2008 1-0 (45)}) 11. h3 {A prophylactic move anticipating 11...e5.} (11. Qc2 {- see Svidler-Karjakin in this issue (Baku section).}) ({RR} 11. b4 a6 12. Bb2 e5 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 f5 15. Bc2 e4 16. Bb3+ Kh8 17. Ne5 Qe7 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. f4 Be7 20. Kh1 a5 21. Bc3 axb4 22. axb4 Rxa1 23. Qxa1 Ra8 24. Qb2 Qd8 25. Rg1 Qf8 {Narayanan,S (2516)-Naveen Kumar P (2090) chess.com INT 2026 ½-½ (89)}) 11... e5 $146 (11... Qe7 12. Ng5 e5 13. Qc2 h6 14. Nge4 Bb8 15. Bd2 a5 16. Rfe1 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Nf6 18. dxe5 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Qxe5 20. f4 Qe7 21. Nc5 Ba7 22. Nxb7 Qxb7 23. Bxa5 Bxe3+ 24. Rxe3 Rxa5 25. Rc1 b4 26. axb4 {½-½ Ostenstad,B-Stokke,K/Hamar 2007/CBM 119 ext}) (11... Re8 $5 12. e4 (12. Qc2 e5 {- game}) 12... e5 13. Bg5 a6 (13... h6 14. Bh4 a6 15. Bc2 Rc8 16. Qd2 c5 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Rad1 Qb6 {½-½ Braun,A-Ribli,Z/Germany 2007/CBM 118}) 14. Re1 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Bc2 Qb6 17. Be3 Rad8 18. Qe2 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 Qxe3 20. Rxe3 Nb6 21. Bb3 h6 $11 {0-1 Tomic,I-Pekarik,B/Croatia 2005/EXT 2007 (54)}) ({RR} 11... a5 12. Qc2 Rc8 13. e4 b4 14. axb4 axb4 15. Na4 c5 16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Bxc5 18. e5 Nh5 19. Rd1 g6 20. Bh6 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Qh4 22. Bxf8 Qg3+ 23. Kf1 Qxh3+ 24. Ke1 Kxf8 25. Ba6 b3 26. Qd2 {Bhat,V (2483)-Bruzon Batista,L (2592) Balaguer 2008 ½-½ (56)}) ({RR} 11... Qe7 12. Bd2 a6 13. e4 e5 14. b4 exd4 15. Nxd4 c5 16. Nf5 Qe6 17. Re1 Rfd8 18. Qb1 Rac8 19. f4 cxb4 20. axb4 Bxb4 21. Qxb4 Nc5 22. Bb1 Rxd2 23. Nxb5 axb5 24. Qxd2 Ncxe4 25. Bxe4 Nxe4 26. Rxe4 {Mareco,S (2470)-Zambrana,O (2479) Santos 2008 ½-½}) 12. Qc2 Re8 13. Bd2 Qe7 14. Ng5 $146 (14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Nf6 16. dxe5 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 {½-½ Gligoric,S-Trifunovic,P/Bled 1961/MCL}) 14... h6 15. Nge4 Bc7 16. Rfe1 Bb6 17. Ng3 Rad8 18. Rad1 Qf8 19. Nce2 {[%mdl 32] Typical lengthy manoeuvring in a roughly equal but complex position.} a6 (19... a5 $5) 20. b4 h5 $6 {This pawn will eventually be weak.} (20... Nd5 {looks more solid.}) 21. Bc3 h4 22. Ne4 Nd5 23. Nc5 Nxc5 24. dxc5 Bc7 25. Bb2 Bc8 $6 (25... Nf6 $5 {in order to make White's access to the h4-pawn more difficult.}) 26. Bh7+ Kh8 27. Bf5 Bxf5 28. Qxf5 $14 {The weakness of Black's h4-pawn is now obvious.} Qe7 29. Nc3 Nxc3 30. Bxc3 Kg8 31. Qe4 Qe6 {Giving up the pawn at once for activity.} (31... Qf6 32. Qg4 Qe7 33. e4 {[%CAl Rc3d2,Rd2g5]} Rxd1 34. Rxd1 Rd8 35. Rxd8+ Qxd8 36. Be1 {[%CAl Yf2f3]}) 32. Qxh4 ({Paradoxically,} 32. Rxd8 {, giving up the open file, was probably more accurate:} Rxd8 (32... Bxd8 33. Rd1 Be7 $14 {is probably better}) 33. Qxh4 f6 (33... Qb3 $2 34. Bxe5) (33... Rd3 34. Rc1 Qb3 35. Qe7 Qxa3 36. Rb1 $1 Qxc3 37. Qxc7 $16) 34. Qe4 Qb3 35. Ba1 Rd5 36. Qf5 {[%CAl Rf5c8]} Rd8 37. Rf1 Kf7 (37... Qxa3 $2 38. Qe6+) 38. h4 Qxa3 $140 39. Qf3 Rd5 40. Qh5+ Ke7 41. Qh8 Kf7 42. Qc8 $16) 32... Qb3 $1 33. Rc1 (33. Rxd8 $4 Bxd8 $19) 33... Qxa3 $2 ({After} 33... Rd3 $1 {White has nothing better than a lucky perpetual after} 34. Qe4 (34. Ba1 Qxa3 35. Qe4 Rd5) 34... Rxc3 35. Qxc6 Re7 36. Qa8+ Kh7 37. Qe4+ Kg8 $1) 34. Qe4 {[%CAl Re4c6,Re4c2] With an unexpected double threat: to win the crucial c6 pawn and to trap the black queen.} a5 (34... Rd5 $2 35. Qc2 Qa4 36. Qb2 $18 {[%CAl Rc1a1]}) 35. Qxc6 axb4 36. Bxb4 Qxb4 37. Qxc7 {The white c-pawn is stronger than the black b-pawn.} Rc8 38. Qa7 Re6 39. Red1 Qe4 (39... Rec6 40. Qe7 R6c7 41. Qxe5 Rxc5 42. Rxc5 Qxc5 43. Rd8+ Kh7 44. Rd5 $18) 40. Qd7 Rec6 41. Qb7 b4 42. Rd7 {White combines the threat of the pawn advance with the attack on Black's b-pawn and his weakened king.} Qf5 43. Rd5 Rg6 44. Kf1 b3 45. Qxb3 $18 {Two extra pawns are quite enough to win.} Qg5 46. g3 Qf5 47. Kg2 Rf6 48. Rd2 Qf3+ 49. Kh2 Rd6 $5 50. Qa2 (50. Rxd6 $5 Qxf2+ 51. Kh1 Qf3+ 52. Kg1 Qxg3+ 53. Kf1 $18) 50... Rxd2 51. Qxd2 Rc6 52. Kg1 Rh6 53. Qd1 Qc6 54. h4 Rf6 55. Qg4 g6 56. h5 Kg7 57. e4 Kh6 58. hxg6 fxg6 59. Kg2 Kg7 60. Qe2 Rf7 61. Rc4 g5 62. Qh5 Qf6 63. Rc2 Qd8 64. c6 Qd3 65. Qxg5+ Kf8 66. Qh6+ Kg8 67. Rd2 Qxe4+ 68. Kh2 Rf8 69. c7 Qf5 70. f3 1-0 [Event "Baku FIDE GP"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2008.04.27"] [Round "6"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2746"] [BlackElo "2732"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2008.04.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 124"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. a3 Bb7 11. Qc2 a6 12. b4 {In my opinion, after this move, "killing" the b7 bishop, White should get the better chances.} a5 13. Rb1 axb4 14. axb4 Qe7 15. e4 e5 16. Ne2 (16. dxe5 {is played more frequently.}) 16... Bxb4 (16... Rfe8 17. Bd2 Ra3 18. Rb3 Rxb3 19. Qxb3 exd4 20. Nexd4 c5 21. Nf5 Qf8 22. Bxb5 Bxe4 23. Nxd6 Qxd6 24. Rd1 Bxf3 (24... Rb8 $5) 25. gxf3 $14 {1-0 Gligoric,S-Nikcevic,N/Niksic 1997/CBM 059 ext (55)}) (16... Ra4 17. dxe5 Bxe5 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Nc3 Ra6 20. Be2 $14 {1-0 Najer,E-Hachatrian,V/St Petersburg 2000/CBM 076 (74)}) 17. Ng3 (17. dxe5 Ng4 18. Bg5 Qc5 19. e6 fxe6 20. Nf4 (20. Qb3 Nde5 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. Be3 Qe7 23. Bxb5 Bd6 24. Bc4 Nxc4 25. Qxc4 Ba6 26. Qc2 Bb5 $11 {½-½ Silva,M-Johansson,S/ICCF Email 2001/ICCF tele 9/2002 (38)}) 20... Nde5 21. Nxe6 Nxf3+ 22. gxf3 Qe5 23. fxg4 Qxe6 24. h3 c5 25. Bxb5 Qe5 26. f4 Qxe4 27. Qxe4 Bxe4 28. Bc4+ Kh8 $11 {½-½ Einarsson,T-Karacsony,Z/ICCF Email 2003/ICCF Telechess CBM 102 (53)}) 17... g6 $6 (17... exd4 18. e5 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 c5 $5 20. f4 (20. Rxb4 cxb4 21. Re1 Qe6 22. Nf5 Ne4 23. Nc6 Bxc6 24. Nxd4 b3 25. Qe2 Nc3 26. Qxe6 fxe6 27. Nxc6 {½-½ Najer,E-Galkin,A/Kolontaevo 1997/EXT 1999} Ra2 $17) 20... c4 21. Bxc4 bxc4 22. Qxc4 Nd5 23. Nf5 Qe6 24. Rxb4 Nxb4 25. Qxb4 Qxf5 26. Qxb7 Qc2 $132 {½-½ Flores Gutierrez,C-Dothan,Y/ICCF Email 2001/ICCF Telechess (33)}) 18. dxe5 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] An important novelty.} (18. Bg5 Ra4 (18... Bd6 $5) 19. d5 Rc8 20. Qe2 Qd6 21. Nh4 Bc5 22. Nhf5 $5 $13 {1-0 Grachev,B-Poliakov,A/Pardubice 2007/CBM 119 ext (52)}) 18... Ng4 19. Bg5 Qc5 20. e6 Nde5 $6 (20... fxe6 {needs testing, i.e.} 21. Qb3 Nde5 22. Qxe6+ Rf7 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 {etc.}) 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. Bf6 $1 Qxc2 $6 (22... Nxd3 $142 23. Qxd3 fxe6 (23... Qd6 24. Qf3) 24. e5 $44 Qc3 25. Qe4 $5) ({RR} 22... Bc3 23. e7 Rfe8 24. Ne2 Ra3 25. Ra1 Rxa1 26. Rxa1 Ng4 27. Bh4 Qd6 28. Bg3 Be5 29. Rd1 Bxg3 30. hxg3 Qxe7 31. Nd4 Qf6 32. Nb3 Ra8 33. Bf1 Rd8 34. Re1 h5 35. Nc5 Bc8 36. Nd3 h4 37. e5 {Shi,Y (1794)-Wu,S (1701) Liaocheng CHN 2024 ½-½ (46)}) 23. Bxc2 Bd6 $146 (23... Ng4 24. e5 $1) ({RR} 23... Ng4 24. e5 Ba3 25. exf7+ Kxf7 26. Ne4 Nxf6 27. exf6 h6 28. Bb3+ Ke8 29. Rbd1 Rd8 30. Be6 Rd5 31. Bxd5 cxd5 32. Nc3 Rxf6 33. Nxd5 Rf7 34. Nc3 Bc6 35. Rfe1+ Re7 36. Rxe7+ Kxe7 37. Rb1 b4 38. Na2 {Cvitan,O (2528)-Ostovic,M (2304) Zagreb 2012 1-0 (71)}) 24. Bb3 fxe6 25. Bxe6+ Nf7 26. f4 $14 {White's central pawns are more dangerous than Black's queenside pawns.} Bc8 27. Bb3 Re8 28. f5 Bxg3 29. hxg3 Rxe4 $2 {A decisive mistake.} (29... gxf5 $1 {was necessary, e.g.} 30. exf5 c5 31. Bd5 Ra6 {with a defensible position.}) 30. Ra1 $1 Rxa1 31. Rxa1 {[%CAl Ra1a7,Ra1a8] The decisive invasion along the a-file is inevitable.} Kf8 $6 (31... gxf5 {was more stubborn but after} 32. Ra7 Be6 33. Bxe6 Rxe6 34. Ra8+ Nd8 35. Rxd8+ Kf7 36. Bg5 {White should convert his extra piece.}) 32. Ra7 Ne5 33. Rxh7 Nc4 34. fxg6 Be6 35. Bc2 Re2 36. Bd3 Re3 37. Bf5 Bd5 38. Kf2 Re8 39. Bd7 Nd6 40. Bg7+ 1-0 [Event "UKR-ch 83rd"] [Site "Lvov"] [Date "2014.11.14"] [Round "4"] [White "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2719"] [BlackElo "2711"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2014.11.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Gutman,Lev Krasenkow,M} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 b4 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Bb7 11. Nd2 ({RR} 11. O-O) ({RR} 11. Qa4 Qc7 12. Bd2 c5 13. Bxb7 Qxb7 14. O-O Bd6 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Ne5 Qd5 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Qa5 O-O 19. Bxb4 Bxb4 20. Qxb4 Rab8 21. Qa3 Rfd8 22. b3 e5 23. h3 h6 24. Rac1 Rb5 25. Rc5 Qe7 {Buker,M (2097)-Ozer,O (1802) Antalya 2013 1-0 (59)}) ({RR} 11. O-O Rc8 12. b3 Be7 13. Bb2 Nf6 14. Bd3 O-O 15. Qe2 c5 16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Qb6) 11... Qc7 ({RR} 11... Rc8 12. a3 ({RR} 12. O-O Qc7 13. Nc4 Be7 14. a3 bxa3 15. b3 Nf6 16. Bf3 O-O 17. Bxa3 c5 18. dxc5 Bxc5) 12... bxa3 13. O-O ({RR} 13. b3 Qa5 14. O-O) 13... Ba6 14. Re1 Bd6 ({RR} 14... Bb4 15. bxa3 Ba5) 15. b3 Qe7 16. Nc4 Bxc4 17. bxc4 O-O ({RR} 17... Bxh2+ 18. Kxh2 Qh4+ 19. Kg1 Qxe4 20. f3 Qg6 21. Bxa3) 18. Qd3 f5 19. Bf3 e5 ({RR} 19... c5 20. Bxa3) 20. c5 Bb8 21. Bxa3 ({RR} 21. Qd1 e4 22. Be2 Nf6 23. Rxa3) 21... e4 22. Qb3+ Kh8 23. Be2 Nf6 ({RR} 23... f4) 24. Rab1 ({RR} 24. Bc1 h5) 24... h5 ({RR} 24... f4) 25. Qb7 ({RR} 25. g3 h4 26. Rb2 Ng4 27. Reb1) 25... Qe8 26. Rb3 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2684)-Mamedyarov,S (2729) London 2012 CBM 151 [Krasenkow,M] 0-1 (45)} ({RR} 26. g3 h4)) ({RR} 11... Be7 12. O-O O-O ({RR} 12... Qc7 13. b3 O-O 14. Bb2 f5 15. Bf3 e5 16. Nc4 e4 17. Be2 c5 18. Rc1 ({RR} 18. d5 Bd6) 18... Rad8 19. Qc2) 13. b3 ({RR} 13. Nc4 Qc7 14. b3 c5) ({RR} 13. Nb3 Qb6 14. Qc2 g6 15. a3 bxa3 16. bxa3 c5 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. Rb1 Qc8 19. dxc5) 13... Nf6 14. Bf3 Nd5 15. Bb2 ({RR} 15. Ne4 f5 16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Nc3) 15... c5 16. dxc5 ({RR} 16. Ne4 Ba6 17. Be2 Bxe2 18. Qxe2 cxd4 19. Bxd4 f5 20. Nc5 Qd6 21. Rac1 e5 22. Bb2 Rac8) 16... Bxc5 17. Nc4 Qe7 18. Rc1 Rac8 19. Rc2 Rfd8) ({RR} 11... Be7 12. b3 Nf6 13. Bf3 Nd5 14. Bb2 O-O 15. O-O c5 16. Ne4 Ba6 17. Re1 c4 18. bxc4 Bxc4 19. Nc5 a5 20. a3 Rb8 21. h3 Bb5 22. axb4 Nxb4 23. Bc3 Qc7 24. Qb3 Bxc5 25. dxc5 Rfc8 26. Red1 {LCZero 0.31-dag-c93c6a8-BT4-6 (3652)-Stockfish dev-20250118-8e3e22 (3683) tcec-chess.com INT 2025 ½-½ (37)}) ({RR} 11... Be7 12. O-O O-O 13. b3 Qb8 14. Bb2 Rc8 15. Rc1 c5 16. dxc5 Rxc5 17. Qg4 g6 18. Qf3 Bxe4 19. Nxe4 Rf5 20. Qe2 Qb7 21. Rfd1 Rd5 22. Rxd5 Qxd5 23. Qc2 Rd8 24. Rd1 Qa8 25. h3 f5 26. Nd6 {Anton Guijarro,D (2666)-Abdusattorov,N (2751) Prague CZE 2026 ½-½ (41)}) 12. b3 $146 ({RR} 12. O-O Bd6 13. a3 Ba6 14. Re1 Bxh2+ 15. Kh1 Bd6 16. axb4 Bb5 17. Nb3 f5 18. Bf3 Qd8 19. g3 Bxb4 20. Bd2 Bxd2 21. Qxd2 O-O 22. Rec1 e5 23. Bxc6 Bxc6+ 24. Rxc6 Qe8 25. dxe5 Nxe5 26. Qd5+ Kh8 {Savina,A (2407)-Girya,O (2365) Dagomys 2010 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 12. a3 c5 13. Qf3 Rb8) ({RR} 12. O-O Bd6 13. a3 Ba6 14. Re1 Bxh2+ 15. Kh1 Bd6 16. axb4 Bb5) ({RR} 12. O-O c5 13. Qf3 Rb8 14. b3 cxd4 15. exd4 Nf6 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 17. Qg3 g6 18. Nc4 Rd8 19. Bg5 Qe7 20. Na5 Rd6 21. Rac1 Bg7 22. Nb7 Qxb7 23. Qxd6 Qd7 24. Qb8+ Ke7 25. Qxb4+ Kd8 26. Qa5+ Ke8 {Wilde,M-Rahner,F Baden 1992 1-0}) ({RR} 12. a3 c5 13. Qf3 Bxe4 14. Nxe4 Rc8 15. O-O Be7 16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Qxc5 18. axb4 Qb6 19. b5 O-O 20. Ra6 Qxb5 21. Rxa7 Qc5 22. Rd7 Bf6 23. e4 Qb5 24. Rd3 Bxb2 25. Rb3 Qxf1+ 26. Kxf1 Rxc1+ {Gutov,A (2412)-Gordievsky,D (2397) Sochi 2012 ½-½ (44)}) 12... c5 13. Qf3 $146 ({RR} 13. Bb2 Bxe4 ({RR} 13... Be7 14. Rc1 O-O 15. O-O Rac8 16. dxc5 Nxc5 ({RR} 16... Ba6 17. Nc4) 17. Qg4 f6 18. Rfd1 Rf7 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Bd4 Qa6 21. Rc2 Rff8 22. h4) 14. Nxe4 c4 15. bxc4 Qxc4 16. Nd2 ({RR} 16. Qe2 Qd5 17. f3 a5 18. O-O Be7) 16... Qb5 ({RR} 16... Qd5 17. O-O Be7 18. e4 Qb5 19. d5 O-O 20. Nf3 ({RR} 20. dxe6 fxe6 21. Qg4 Rf7 22. Nf3 Bf6 23. e5 Nxe5 24. Bxe5 Bxe5 25. Nxe5 Qxe5 26. Qxb4 Rb8) 20... exd5 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Nd4 Qb7 23. Nf5+ Kh8 24. Nxe7 dxe4 25. Qd4+ f6 26. Rad1 Ne5 27. Nd5 Rae8 28. Qxe4) 17. Qe2 Qxe2+ ({RR} 17... a6 18. a4 ({RR} 18. a3 Be7 19. axb4 O-O ({RR} 19... Qxb4 20. Ra2 Rc8 21. Qd3 Nb6 22. O-O Qb5) 20. Qxb5 axb5 21. Ke2 Bxb4) 18... Qb7 ({RR} 18... Qxe2+ 19. Kxe2 Bd6 20. Rhc1 Ke7 21. Rc6 Rhc8 22. Rac1 Rxc6 23. Rxc6) 19. O-O Be7 20. d5 ({RR} 20. e4 O-O 21. Nb3 Rfc8) 20... Qxd5 21. e4 Qg5 22. Nf3 Qh5 23. Rfc1 ({RR} 23. Rac1 O-O 24. Rc7 Bd6 25. Rxd7 Bxh2+ 26. Kh1 Bf4+ 27. Kg1 Bh2+) 23... Nf6 24. Rc7 Bd6 25. Qc2 ({RR} 25. Rc2 Be7) 25... O-O ({RR} 25... Bxc7 26. Qc6+ Ke7 27. Qxc7+ Kf8 28. Rd1 h6 29. Qc6 Re8 30. Be5) 26. Rc4 Be7 27. h3 Rfd8 28. Ne5 a5 29. Nc6 Rd7) 18. Kxe2 Nb6 19. a3 Kd7 20. Rhb1 ({RR} 20. axb4 Bxb4 21. Rhc1 a5 22. Ba3 Rhb8 23. e4 Bxd2 24. Kxd2 Nc8) 20... bxa3 ({RR} 20... a5 21. axb4 Bxb4 22. Ba3 Nd5 23. Bxb4 axb4 24. Kd3) 21. Bxa3 Bxa3 22. Rxa3 Rhb8 23. g4 ({RR} 23. Rba1 Nc8 24. Ne4) 23... Nc8 24. Nb3 Rb6 25. Rc1 ({RR} 25. Nc5+ Kd8 26. Rba1) 25... Rab8 26. Nc5+ Kd8 27. Nd3 R8b7 {Wojtaszek,R (2727)-Vaibhav,S (2597) Douglas 2018 EXT 2020 [Gutman,Lev] 1-0 (50)}) ({RR} 13. Bb2 Bxe4 14. Nxe4 c4 15. bxc4 Qxc4 16. Nd2 Qa6 17. Qe2 Qb7 18. O-O Be7 19. Rac1 O-O 20. e4 Rac8 21. Rfd1 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Bg5 23. Rc2 Bxd2 24. Rxd2 Rc8 25. h4 Nb6 26. d5 Nc4 27. Rd4 Qc7 {Arakelyan,M (2347)-Smirnov,M (2359) Durres ALB 2025 ½-½ (53)}) 13... Bxe4 14. Nxe4 Rd8 15. O-O c4 16. bxc4 Qxc4 17. a3 a5 18. axb4 axb4 19. Qg3 Qd5 20. f3 f5 21. Ng5 Be7 22. Ra6 f4 23. exf4 Qxd4+ 24. Qf2 Qxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Nc5 26. Rb6 O-O 27. Nxe6 Rf6 28. f5 Nxe6 29. Rxe6 Bc5+ 30. Ke2 Rxf5 31. Be3 Bxe3 32. Kxe3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Reggio Emilia 53rd"] [Site "Reggio Emilia"] [Date "2011.01.01"] [Round "1"] [White "Morozevich, Alexander"] [Black "Navara, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2708"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2010.12.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 140"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 ({RR} 8... Bb7 9. a3 Bd6 10. O-O O-O {½-½ (26) Levin,E (2500)-Yevseev,D (2520) St Petersburg 2010}) 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 Bb7 11. a3 a6 12. b4 a5 13. Rb1 axb4 14. axb4 Qe7 15. e4 e5 16. Ne2 Bxb4 17. Ng3 g6 18. dxe5 Ng4 19. Bg5 Qc5 20. e6 {This line was examined in CBM 124 (annotations to Svidler - Karjakin).} (20. Bf4 Rfe8) 20... fxe6 (20... Nde5 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. Bf6 $1 Qxc2 $2 (22... Ng4 23. e5 Nxf6 24. exf6 fxe6 25. Qb3 $16 {1/2 Thejkumar,M (2439)-Shreyansh,D (2287)/Mumbai 2010/CBM 136 Extra (70)}) (22... Nxd3 $142 23. Qxd3 fxe6 24. e5 Qc3 25. Qe4 $5 $44) 23. Bxc2 Bd6 24. Bb3 fxe6 25. Bxe6+ Nf7 26. f4 $14 {1-0 Svidler,P (2746)-Karjakin,S (2732)/Baku 2008/CBM 124/[Krasenkow] (40)}) 21. Qb3 Nde5 22. Qxe6+ Rf7 $1 (22... Kg7 $2 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 24. Rxb4 Nxd3 25. Be7) 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 24. Be2 (24. Be3 Qd6) 24... Bc8 25. Qb3 Bc3 $6 {The pieces are in the wrong positions.} (25... Ba5 $142 26. Be3 Qe7 $1 27. f4 $140 Be6 28. Qc2 Nc4) (25... Ra4 $5) 26. Be3 {1/2 Levin,E (2500)-Yevseev,D (2520)/St Petersburg 2010/CBM 137 GM Alexander Morozevich proves that it is too early to agree a draw here!} Qa3 $146 (26... Bd4 $5 27. Rbc1 Qa7 28. Bxd4 Qxd4 29. Kh1 $36 {[%CAl Yf2f4]}) 27. f4 $1 Ng4 28. Qxa3 Rxa3 29. Bc5 Ra4 30. Rbd1 $16 {[%csl Rc6][%CAl Yd1d6] White has a lot of positional factors in his favour: he controls the crucial d-file (and the a-file is unimportant); his passed pawns are more mobile than Black's (moreover, Black's c6-pawn is rather weak); the black king is exposed; finally, White's pieces are generally better co-ordinated (look at Black's hanging g4-knight!). All that guarantees him a big advantage. In fact, White wins at least a pawn.} Ba5 (30... Bf6 $142 31. Rd6 Be7 32. Rxc6 Bd7 33. Rc7 Bxc5+ 34. Rxc5 $16) 31. Rd6 Nf6 32. Bd1 $1 {[%csl Rf7,Rg8][%CAl Rd1b3]} Nxe4 33. Nxe4 Rxe4 34. Bb3 Rc4 35. Bxc4 bxc4 36. Ra1 Bc7 37. Ra8 Bxd6 38. Bxd6 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 1st"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2006.11.12"] [Round "6"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2733"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2006.11.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 116"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.02.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.02.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. Nxc5 Nxc5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. O-O h6 15. Nd2 {This old theoretical line was examined by GM C.Lutz in CBM 73 (annotations to Bacrot-Fressinet). However, he didn't pay enough attention to Black's most serious option.} Nc3 $1 16. Qc2 Qd5 17. Nf3 Rd8 18. Ne1 Bd4 $1 19. Bd2 Nb5 (19... Ne4 $143 20. Bxb4 Bxe5 21. Rd1 Bd4 (21... Ng5 22. a4 Nh3+ 23. Kh1 a6 24. Bxa6 Qxd1 25. Bb5+ $18 {1-0 Vaganian,R-Bergez,L/Belgium 2002/EXT 2004 (30)}) 22. Qe2 a6 23. Bxa6 Bxa6 24. Qxa6 e5 25. Qa4+ Rd7 26. Rc1 $18 {1-0 Dautov,R-Dreev,A/Tbilisi 1989/CBM 012/[Bulletin] (43)}) 20. Nf3 $146 {An unsuccessful novelty.} (20. Bxb4 {is crucial, denying Black's right to castle. Still, Black has no problems:} Bxe5 (20... Bb6 21. Qc4 Nd4 22. Qxd5 Rxd5 23. Bd6 Nf5 24. Bc4 Rd4 25. Bb5+ Kd8 26. Ba3 Rd5 27. Bc4 Rxe5 28. Nd3 Re4 29. Rfd1 Kc7 30. Rac1 Kb8 31. Nc5 $16 {1-0 Polugaevsky,L-Mecking,H/Manila 1975/Inf 20 (57)}) (20... Qxe5 $5 21. Nf3 $6 (21. Rd1 $142) 21... Bxf3 22. gxf3 Nd6 23. Qc6+ Ke7 24. Rae1 Qg5+ 25. Kh1 Qf4 26. Re4 $2 Qxf3+ 27. Kg1 Qxd3 28. Qc7+ Ke8 29. Qc6+ Kf8 30. Bxd6+ Kg8 $19 {0-1 Morais,V-Sandstroem,B/ICCF 1997/ICCF Telechess CBM 112 (44)}) 21. Rc1 (21. Rd1 $5 a6 (21... Nd4 $142 22. Qc5 Nc6 $1 $11) 22. Bxb5+ Qxb5 23. Rxd8+ Kxd8 24. Nd3 Qd5 25. f3 Bd4+ 26. Kh1 Qc6 27. Qd2 $16 {[%csl Rd8] 1-0 Giulian,P-Bryson,D/Edinburgh 1988/TD (35)}) (21. Bc4 Nd4 22. Bxd5 Nxc2 23. Bxb7 Nxb4 24. a3 Nd3 25. Nxd3 Rxd3 26. Rad1 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Bxb2 28. Bc6+ Ke7 29. Rd7+ Kf6 30. Rxa7 Rd8 $11 {½-½ Taylor,G-O'Donnell,T/Canada 1989/EXT 97 (40)}) 21... a6 (21... Bd6 $5 22. Bxd6 Rxd6 23. Bxb5+ Qxb5 24. Qc7 Qb6 25. Nf3 O-O $11 {1-0 Nigametzianov,M-Kmet,A/Dagomys 2004/EXT 2005 (35)}) 22. Qa4 Bd6 (22... Qd7 23. b3 Nd4 24. Qa3 Bf6 25. Bc5 Nb5 26. Qb4 Bb2 27. Rd1 Nc3 28. Rd2 Nd5 29. Qc4 Bc3 30. Rc2 Bf6 31. Be2 {½-½ Sander,I-Kahl,F/ICCF Email 2001}) 23. Bxd6 Rxd6 24. Qb4 (24. Rc4 f5 $6 (24... Qe5 $11) 25. Be2 Rc6 26. b3 Qd7 27. Nd3 O-O 28. Nc5 Qc8 29. Nxb7 Qxb7 30. Bf3 Rxc4 31. bxc4 Nc3 32. Qa5 $14 {½-½ Seres,L-Ceteras,M/Gyor 1991/EXT 97 (69)}) 24... O-O (24... Rd7 25. Rc5 Qd4 26. Rc4 Qd6 27. Be4 Qxb4 {½-½ Shalimov,V-Sumets,A/Kharkov 1999/EXT 2000}) 25. Rc5 Qd4 26. Rc4 Qb6 27. a4 Na7 28. a5 Qxb4 29. Rxb4 Nb5 $11 30. Bxb5 $6 axb5 31. Rb3 Ra8 $17 {0-1 Magerramov,E-Bagirov,V/USSR 1976/Inf 21 (55)}) 20... Bb6 $1 (20... Bxe5 21. Bxb5+ Qxb5 22. Nxe5 Qxe5 23. Qa4+ Kf8 (23... Rd7 24. Bxb4 {[%csl Re8]}) 24. Rad1 $14) 21. Bc4 Qc5 $146 (21... Qc6 $143 22. Bxb4 Nd4 23. Qc3 Nxf3+ 24. gxf3 Rd4 (24... Bd4 25. Qb3 Bxe5 26. Rfd1) 25. Be2 {and Black has problems due to his uncastled king (V.Emelin).}) ({RR} 21... Qc6 22. Bxb4 Nd4 23. Qc3 f5 24. Rfd1 Kf7 25. Bd6 Nxf3+ 26. Qxf3 Qxf3 27. gxf3 Bxf3 28. Rd2 h5 29. Be2 Be4 30. Kf1 g5 31. b4 g4 32. Rad1 h4 33. Bc5 Rxd2 34. Rxd2 Bxc5 35. bxc5 Rc8 36. Rd4 {Kummer,H (2331)-Zilka,S (2525) Austria 2013 0-1 (43)}) 22. Be3 Qc6 23. Qe2 Nc7 24. Rac1 Bxe3 25. fxe3 $6 {Too optimistic.} (25. Qxe3 $142 Qb6 26. Qxb6 axb6 27. Bb3 Nd5 $11) 25... O-O 26. Bd3 Qb6 27. Nd2 Ba6 (27... Nd5 $5 28. Nc4 Qc5 {was an attempt to play for a win.}) 28. Bxa6 (28. Bxa6 Qxa6 29. Qxa6 Nxa6 30. Nb3 {and the activity of White's pieces compensates his destroyed pawn structure.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.28"] [Round "13"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 {A specialty of Gelfand.} b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 bxa3 12. O-O Nf6 ({A new move in Kramnik's games. Against Topalov in Elista, he played Una jugada nueva para las partidas de Kramnik. Contra Topalov en Elista jugó} 12... Bd6 {and only after y solo después de} 13. b3 {he attacked the enemy bishop with atacó el alfil enemigo con} Nf6 {. Topalov came up with the novelty . Topalov produjo la novedad} 14. Nd2 $5 {Topalov,V (2813)-Kramnik,V (2743)/Elista 2006/CBM 115/[Marin,M] (½-½, 54). , highlighting the drawbacks of the bishop's early development to d6. subrayando las desventajas del desarrollo temprano del alfil a d6.}) (12... Be7 $5 {Schwarz gibt den schwarzen Peter an Weiß zurück und weigert sich einfach, auf b2 zu nehmen.} 13. b3 (13. Qc2 {Gelfand,B (2710)-Bareev,E (2726)/Moscow 2002/CBM 091/[Lutz] (0-1, 53)}) 13... Nf6 14. Bd3 Qa5 (14... Qb6 15. Bxa3 Bxa3 16. Rxa3 c5 17. dxc5 Qxc5 18. b4 Qb6 19. Qa4+ Bc6 20. Qa5 O-O 21. Nd4 Bd5 22. Rfa1 $14 {Moiseenko,A (2657)-Yevseev,D (2557)/Cappelle la Grande 2006/CBM 110 ext (1-0, 45). The structure is almost symmetrical, but White has the more active piece placement.}) 15. b4 $5 Bxb4 16. Bxa3 Bxa3 17. Qb3 O-O 18. Rxa3 Qc7 {Black has managed to castle and preserve his extra-pawn, but the b7-bishop is passive and his structure is weak.} 19. Qc2 Rfc8 20. Rfa1 a5 21. Rc3 g6 22. Ne5 Nd7 23. Nxd7 Qxd7 24. Rc5 {The a5-pawn cannot be saved anymore now and White will maintain the better structure anyway.} Ba6 {Exchanging the bad bishop, but weakening the c6-pawn.} 25. Bxa6 Rxa6 26. Raxa5 Rb6 27. g3 Rcb8 28. Ra1 Rb2 29. Qe4 R8b5 30. Rxc6 {Gelfand,B (2709)-Vallejo Pons,F (2663)/Monaco 2004/CBM 099 ext (1-0, 41). and White converted his material advantage.}) 13. Bd3 axb2 (13... Be7 {would transpose above.}) 14. Bxb2 a5 $146 ({A new idea in this position. Kramnik delays the development of the f8-bishop, preparing the advanced b4-square for it. Una idea nueva en esta posición. Kramnik retrasa el desarrollo del alfil, preparandole la casilla de b4.} 14... Be7 {would transpose to an older game by Kramnik. transpondría a una partida antigua de Kramnik, contra Ivanchuk en Nueva York 1994.} 15. Qb1 Rb8 16. Rxa7 Qb6 17. Qa2 O-O {and Black managed to hold:} 18. Rb1 Ra8 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Qc4 Ba6 21. Qc2 Bxd3 22. Qxd3 Qb5 23. Ne5 Rb8 24. Qxb5 Rxb5 25. Nc4 c5 {½-½ Ivanchuk,V (2695)-Kramnik,V (2725)/New York 1994/CBM 041 ext}) (14... Bb4 15. Ba6 $6 (15. Qa4 $1 {would most likely transpose to our main game. If Black wants to spare the move ...a5, he could get into trouble:} Qe7 16. Ba3 Bxa3 17. Qxa3 Qxa3 18. Rxa3 Ke7 19. Rb1 $16) 15... Qb6 16. Qa4 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 O-O 18. Ne5 c5 19. Nd3 Rfb8 20. Qc4 Qb5 21. Rfc1 cxd4 22. Qxb5 Rxb5 23. Nxb4 Rxb4 24. Rxa7 Rbb8 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 26. Bxd4 {½-½ L'Ami,E (2593)-Smeets,J (2525)/Hoogeveen NED 2006/TWIC 625}) ({RR} 14... Be7 15. Qc2 O-O 16. Ne5 Qc7 17. Ba3 Rfc8 18. Rfb1 c5 19. Bxc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Qxc5 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Rxb7 Rxe5 23. Raxa7 Rf8 24. h3 g5 25. g4 Rd5 26. Be2 Rd2 27. Bf3 h6 28. Kg2 Rdd8 29. Kg3 {Ivanchuk,V (2607)-Daneshvar,B (2600) Doha QAT 2025 ½-½ (62)}) 15. Qa4 Bb4 16. Ba3 $146 {This exchange is essential in order to question Black's queenside stability.} (16. Ne5 O-O $1 17. Nxc6 Qd5 18. Rfc1 (18. Qxb4 $2 {[%csl Ge7]} Qxc6 $1 $19) 18... Rfc8 19. Bb5 {and White's position looks a bit hanging.}) ({RR} 16. Ne5 O-O 17. Nxc6 Qd5 18. Rfc1 Rfc8 19. Bb5 Rab8 20. Rc2 Bxc6 21. Bxc6 Qd8 22. Rac1 Nd5 23. h3 h6 24. Qa2 Bf8 25. Ba3 Bxa3 26. Qxa3 Nb4 27. Rc5 Rxc6 28. Rxc6 Nxc6 29. Rxc6 Qd5 30. Rc5 Qe4 {Mamedyarov,S (2747)-Ding,L (2766) Huaian 2016 1-0 (63)}) 16... Nd5 ({Black should not release the tension with} 16... Bxa3 {, because this would cause him problems with his devlopment:} 17. Qxa3 Qe7 18. Rfb1 Ra7 19. Ne5 Qxa3 20. Rxa3 Ke7 (20... O-O 21. Rba1 Rfa8 22. Nc4 a4 23. Nb6 $16) 21. Ba6 $1 Ba8 22. Rxa5 $14) 17. e4 ({White had an important alternative here.} 17. Be4 $5 {Undermining Black's control over the b4-square without weakening his own structure.} O-O (17... Bxa3 18. Bxd5 Qxd5 19. Qxa3 c5 20. Rfc1 $14 c4 21. e4 $5 $16 Qxe4 $140 22. Rxc4 {[%csl Ge8]}) 18. Bxd5 Bxa3 (18... cxd5 19. Bxb4 axb4 20. Qxb4 Ba6 21. Rfc1 $14 {[%csl Gc5,Ge5,Gf3] Black is in no immediate danger, but in the long run the knight might prove to be stronger than the bishop, while White's major pieces are more active than Black's already.}) 19. Bxc6 ({If White is not convinced about the merits of his position in the main line, he could try the intermediate} 19. Bxe6 $5) 19... Bxc6 20. Qxc6 Bb4 21. Ne5 $14 {Optically, White stands better, because of his stronc centre and the control over the c6-s}) 17... Nb6 18. Qb3 Qe7 19. Rab1 (19. Rfb1 {looks more natural, but would lead to mass simplifications after} Nd7 20. Bxb4 axb4 21. Rxa8+ Bxa8 22. Qxb4 Qxb4 23. Rxb4 Ke7 $11 {[%CAl Gc6c5] and the freeing move ...c5, with absolute equality, cannot be prevented.}) 19... Bxa3 ({Now,} 19... Nd7 {does not work out so well:} 20. Bxb4 axb4 21. Qxb4 Qxb4 22. Rxb4 Ra7 23. Rfb1 $36) 20. Qxb6 Bb4 21. Ne1 {This looks too slow.} ({Gelfand could have complicated the game with} 21. d5 $5 exd5 (21... cxd5 $2 22. Rfc1 Rc8 23. Bb5+ $18) 22. exd5 O-O 23. dxc6 {, although after} Bc8 {the pair of bishops and the potentially dangerous a-pawn would compensate for White's far advanced pawn.}) 21... O-O 22. Nc2 Rfd8 23. Nxb4 axb4 24. Qxb4 Qxb4 25. Rxb4 Ba6 26. Bxa6 {White's advantage is purely symbolic. La ventaja de las blancas es puramente simbolica.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bucharest Kings 6th"] [Site "Bucharest"] [Date "2012.11.13"] [Round "6"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2763"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,Dorian"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2012.11.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 152"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Lutz,Christopher} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 {The Meran Variation.} 9. a3 (9. O-O {and}) (9. e4 {are the main moves, but 9.a3 is also currently fashionable at the highest level. For instance, among many other top GMs it was successfully played by Carlsen and Kramnik. Even Topalov used it on the White side before.}) ({RR} 9. O-O) ({RR} 9. e4) 9... Bd6 ({RR} 9... b4) 10. O-O ({RR} 10. b4 a5 11. Rb1 axb4 12. axb4 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. e4 dxe4 15. Bxe4 Nf6 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. O-O O-O 19. Re1 Rfe8 20. Bc2) 10... O-O ({RR} 10... a6 11. b4 a5 12. Bd2 axb4 13. axb4 O-O 14. Qb3 Qe7 15. e4 e5 16. Ne2 exd4 17. Rxa8 Rxa8 18. Nexd4 Nxe4 19. Nf5) 11. Bd2 ({RR} 11. e4 e5 12. Bg5 a6 ({RR} 12... Re8 13. Re1 ({RR} 13. Kh1 h6 14. Bh4 exd4 15. Nxd4 Nc5 16. Bc2 Be5 17. Nde2 Qxd1 18. Raxd1 a5 19. f4 Bxc3 20. Nxc3 b4 21. Bf2 Ncxe4 22. Nxe4 Nxe4 23. Bb6 Nf6 24. Ba4 Re4 25. Rd4 Re2 26. Rb1 c5 27. Rd6) 13... exd4 14. Nxd4 Qb8 15. h3 a6 16. Bc2 Bh2+ 17. Kf1 Be5 18. Nf5 Qc7 19. Qf3 a5 20. Rac1 b4 21. Na4 h6 22. Bxh6 gxh6 23. Nxh6+ Kg7 24. Nf5+ Kf8 25. g3 c5 26. Qe3 Ng8 27. Bb3) 13. d5 h6 14. Bh4 g5 15. Bg3 cxd5 16. exd5 Re8 17. Re1 Qb8 18. Bf5 Nb6 19. Qc1 Nbxd5 20. Nxg5 Nxc3 21. bxc3 e4 22. Nxf7 Kxf7 23. Qxh6 Rg8 24. Rad1 Qf8 25. Qe3 Bc5 {Layhe,S (1881)-Ponting,A (1905) Scarborough ENG 2025 1-0 (48)}) 11... a5 ({RR} 11... Qe7 12. Ng5 ({RR} 12. Qc2 h6 13. Ne2 Rfc8 14. b4 a5 15. e4 e5 16. Qb2 Re8 17. Bc3) ({RR} 12. Rc1 a6 13. Ne4 c5 14. Nxd6 Qxd6) 12... h6 13. Nge4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 c5 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Be2 ({RR} 16. Bxb5 cxd4 17. Qa4 dxe3 18. Bxe3 Qd5 19. f3 Nb6) 16... Rfd8 17. Ba5 Nb6 18. dxc5 Qxc5 19. Qc1 Qg5 20. e4 Bxe4 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Bxb5 Bd3 23. Bc6 Bxf1 24. Bxa8 Rxa8 25. Kxf1 Rc8 26. Bd2 {Gelfand,B (2710)-Shirov,A (2697) Dortmund 2002 CBM 090 [Lutz,Christopher] ½-½ (39)}) ({RR} 11... e5 12. Qc2 Qe7 13. Ng5) 12. Ng5 h6 $146 ({RR} 12... Be7 13. Rc1 b4 14. axb4 axb4 15. Nce4 h6 16. Nxf6+ Nxf6 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Qb6 19. Qb3 Rfc8 20. Rfd1 c5 21. dxc5 {½-½ (21) Krasenkow,M (2604)-Ragger,M (2670) Belfort 2012}) 13. Nge4 Be7 14. Qc2 Rc8 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16. Ne4 c5 {As a rule of thumb, if Black succeeds in playing c6-c5 in the Meran he is doing fine. The present game is no exception.} 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 $5 {One can only admire Topalov's fighting spirit.} ({Black could easily keep equal prospects with} 17... Bxf6 18. dxc5 Bxb2 {which actually has been played before. In that case the position is very drawish. For instance} 19. Bh7+ Kh8 20. Qxb2 Kxh7 21. Rac1 Bc6 22. f3 Qc7 23. Bc3 f6 24. Rfd1 Rfd8 25. Rd6 Rxd6 26. cxd6 Qxd6 27. Bxa5 {and both games in GM practice which achieved this position ended in a draw soon.}) ({RR} 17... Bxf6 18. dxc5 Bxb2 19. Bh7+ Kh8 20. Qxb2 Kxh7 21. Rac1 Bc6 22. f3 Qc7 23. Bc3 f6 24. Rfd1 Rfd8 25. Rd6 Rxd6 26. cxd6 Qxd6 27. Bxa5) 18. Rae1 $5 {Vassily Ivanchuk chooses the most ambitious continuation for White. This creative rook move has several ideas. First of all, the e-file is very likely to open soon and then the rook will be active on e1. Secondly, White is ready to place the queen on d1 (on its way to h5) without breaking the connection between the rooks. True, the rook on f1 is out of play for the moment, but apparently the Ukrainian GM considered this not such an important factor.} ({After} 18. Bxb5 cxd4 19. Qb3 f5 20. exd4 {White can hope to remain with an extra pawn, but in any case Black will have sufficient activity. Instead, Ivanchuk fights for the initiative himself.}) ({In the event of the immediate} 18. Qd1 f5 19. Qh5 cxd4 {White is missing the rook on e4 to support the e3-e4 advance.}) ({RR} 18. Bxb5 cxd4 19. Qb3 f5 20. exd4) ({RR} 18. Qd1 f5 19. Qh5 cxd4) 18... f5 ({The main idea behind 18.?ae1 can be seen in the following variation:} 18... cxd4 19. Qd1 dxe3 $2 20. Rxe3 {and White builds a strong attack.}) ({RR} 18... cxd4 19. Qd1 dxe3 20. Rxe3) 19. Qd1 Bg5 20. e4 Qxd4 (20... c4 {might have been more unpleasant for White, since after} 21. Bc2 Qxd4 22. Bxg5 Qxd1 23. Rxd1 hxg5 24. exf5 exf5 25. Bxf5 Rc5 {Black can try to play for a win without any risk. His queenside pawn majority is obviously more valuable than his opponent's majority on the kingside.}) 21. Bc3 $1 ({Ivanchuk avoids the line from the previous variation, which would have happened after} 21. Bxg5 hxg5 22. exf5 c4 23. Bc2 Qxd1 24. Rxd1) ({RR} 21. Bxg5 hxg5 22. exf5 c4 23. Bc2 Qxd1 24. Rxd1 exf5 25. Bxf5 Rc5) 21... Qd8 {The queen goes to d8 in order to be able to support the bishop's retreat to f6, if necessary.} 22. Bxb5 (22. f4 Bf6) ({RR} 22. f4 Bf6) 22... Bxe4 (22... fxe4 23. Qh5 Kh7 24. Rd1 Bd5 25. Bc4 {looks dangerous for Black from the practical point of view.}) ({RR} 22... fxe4 23. Qh5 Kh7 24. Rd1 Bd5 25. Bc4) 23. Qh5 Bd2 ({Again} 23... Kh7 24. Rd1 Bd5 25. Bc4 {is something Topalov wanted to avoid.}) ({RR} 23... Kh7 24. Rd1 Bd5 25. Bc4) 24. f3 (24. Rd1 Qg5 25. Qxg5+ Bxg5 26. Bxa5 Bf6 27. Bc3 Bxc3 28. bxc3 $11) ({RR} 24. Rd1 Qg5 25. Qxg5+ Bxg5 26. Bxa5 Bf6 27. Bc3 Bxc3 28. bxc3) 24... Bxc3 25. bxc3 Bd3 26. Bxd3 (26. Rd1 c4 27. Qxh6 Qe7 28. Rfe1 Rfd8 {and the position is equal too, since the black queen comes to f8 to protect the king.}) ({RR} 26. Rd1 c4 27. Qxh6 Qe7 28. Rfe1 Rfd8) 26... Qxd3 27. Rxe6 fxe6 28. Qg6+ Kh8 29. Qxh6+ Kg8 30. Qg6+ Kh8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 3rd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2008.08.18"] [Round "1"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2008.08.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 bxa3 12. O-O Bd6 {About this line - see CBM 115, annotations to Topalov-Kramnik by GM M.Marin (as well as Avrukh - Al-Modiahki in CBM 95).} 13. Nd2 {A rare move (not a formal novelty, though) paving a new way, which may gain popularity after this game.} (13. b3 {and}) (13. b4 $5 {are main options.}) 13... Qc7 (13... O-O 14. b3 (14. Nc4 $5) 14... Ba6 $5 (14... Qb8 15. h3 Bb4 16. Bxa3 Bxa3 17. Rxa3 f5 18. Bf3 c5 19. Qe2 cxd4 20. exd4 Re8 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Nc4 $14 {1/2 Arencibia Rodriguez,W (2542)-Abreu Delgado,A (2480)/Santa Clara 2002/CBM 088 ext (33)}) 15. Re1 Bb5 16. Bf3 a6 17. Nc4 Bb4 18. Bd2 Qe7 19. Qc1 Bxd2 20. Qxd2 e5 21. Qa5 exd4 22. exd4 Qd8 23. Qxa3 $14 {1-0 Mikhalevski,V (2592)-Miton,K (2580)/Lubbock USA 2008/The Week in Chess 724 (32)}) 14. Nc4 $1 {[%mdl 512] That's the point: White gives up an unimportant (second!) pawn to obtain pressure.} Bxh2+ ({RR} 14... Be7 15. b4 Ba6 16. Bd3 Bxb4 17. Ne5 Bb5 18. Qc2 Rc8 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Bxa3 Bxa3 21. Rxa3 Bxd3 22. Rxd3 O-O 23. Ra1 c5 24. dxc5 Rxc5 25. Rxd7 Rxc2 26. g3 Rcc8 27. Raxa7 Rcd8 28. Re7 Rde8 29. Rec7 {Aronian,L (2803)-Mamedyarov,S (2757) Beijing 2013 ½-½}) 15. Kh1 Nb6 (15... Bd6 16. Nxd6+ Qxd6 17. b3 $1 {and Black can't castle.}) (15... axb2 $6 16. Bxb2) 16. Nxb6 $146 ({RR} 16. b3 Nxc4 17. bxc4 Bd6 18. Qh5 g6 19. Qh6 Bf8 20. Qh3 Be7 21. Bxa3 Bxa3 22. Rxa3 O-O 23. Rb1 Rfb8 24. Qh2 Rc8 25. Qxc7 Rxc7 26. Ra5 Kf8 27. Kh2 Ke7 28. g4 h6 29. Kg3 Kd6 30. Rh1 c5 {Nebolsina,V (2377)-Girya,O (2435) Moscow 2010 ½-½ (52)}) 16... axb6 17. g3 Bxg3 18. fxg3 Qxg3 (18... a2 $5 19. b3) 19. Qh5 Ra5 $6 {This adventure doesn't pay off but after} (19... g6 20. Qh2 Qxh2+ 21. Kxh2 f5 22. Bf3 axb2 23. Rxa8+ Bxa8 24. Bxb2 {, despite four pawns for a piece, Black's position is inferior due to the weakness of dark squares.}) 20. Qxf7+ Kd8 21. Bg2 Rg5 22. Qf3 Qxf3 23. Bxf3 axb2 24. Bxb2 $16 {Now Black has only three pawns for the missing bishop, and his b7 bishop resembles a big pawn. White's bishop pair gradually tear down Black's position.} Rf8 25. Be4 Rf6 26. Rxf6 gxf6 27. Kh2 Kc7 28. Bc3 {[%CAl Yc3e1,Ye1g3]} e5 29. dxe5 fxe5 30. Rf1 Kd6 31. Rf7 Bc8 32. Rxh7 Be6 33. Rh6 c5 34. Bd3 Kd7 35. Bb5+ Ke7 36. e4 Rg4 37. Bc6 Rg5 38. Be1 Rg4 39. Bg3 Bc4 40. Bxe5 Bd3 41. Bd6+ Kf7 42. Bd5+ Kg7 43. Re6 c4 44. Kh3 Rg1 45. Be5+ Kf8 46. Rxb6 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 4th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2009.11.11"] [Round "6"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2786"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2009.11.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 133"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. O-O h6 15. Nd2 O-O $6 (15... Qc7) (15... Nc3 {are probably better alternatives.}) 16. Ne4 Bd4 17. Nd6 Bc6 18. Bh7+ $1 Kxh7 19. Qxd4 f6 20. Bd2 fxe5 21. Qe4+ $1 Kg8 22. Qxe5 Qd7 {This old line was examined by GM Ch.Lutz in CBM 96 (annotations to Radjabov-Shirov and V.Milov - Nielsen). The overall verdict (White keeps an opening advantage) remains untouched.} 23. Rac1 $1 (23. Rfe1 $143 Rad8 24. Ne4 (24. Nc4 Nb6 25. Nxb6 Qxd2 26. Qxe6+ Kh8 27. Qxc6 Qxf2+ 28. Kh1 axb6 $11 {0-1 Radjabov,T (2644)-Shirov,A (2735)/Sarajevo 2003/CBM 096/[Lutz] (51)}) (24. Qxe6+ Qxe6 25. Rxe6 Nc7 (25... Nf4 $44) 26. Rg6 Kh7 27. Rg4 Rxd6 28. Bxb4 Rfd8 29. Bxd6 Rxd6 $132 {Kasimdzhanov,R}) 24... Rf5 25. Qg3 (25. Qd4 $6 Nf4 $1 26. Qxd7 Rxd7 27. Bxf4 Rxf4 28. Nc5 (28. Ng3 Rd2 29. Re2 Rxe2 30. Nxe2 Re4 31. Ng3 Rc4 $17 {0-1 Le Quang,K (2315)-Werner,D (2315)/Budapest 2006/CBM 113 ext (76)}) (28. f3 $142 Bxe4 29. Rxe4 Rxe4 30. fxe4 Rd4 31. Rc1) 28... Rd2 29. f3 Rc4 30. Rec1 Rxc1+ 31. Rxc1 Bd5 $17 {0-1 Milov,V (2574)-Nielsen,P (2625)/Istanbul 2003/CBM 096/[Lutz] (37)}) 25... Nf6 26. Nxf6+ Rxf6 27. Bxb4 Kh7 28. Qc3 Rg6 {1/2 Tukmakov,V (2565)-Dreev,A (2570)/Odessa 1989/URS-ch}) (23. b3 Rad8 24. Nc4 Rf5 25. Qe1 Bb5 26. f4 Nb6 27. Bxb4 Nxc4 28. bxc4 Bxc4 $11 {1/2 Mikhalchishin,A (2538)-Maksimenko,A (2517)/Murska Sobota 2006/EXT 2008 (34)}) 23... Rad8 24. Nc4 Rf5 $146 {This "new" move just loses a pawn.} (24... Nb6 $6 25. Bxb4 Nxc4 26. Rxc4 Qd5 27. Qxd5 Bxd5 28. Rc3 Rf7 29. a3 $16 {1-0 Bruzon Bautista,L (2602)-Dominguez,L (2612)/Havana 2004/CBM 100 ext (61)}) (24... Ba8 25. Qg3 Rf6 26. Ne5 Qe8 27. Rc4 a5 28. Rg4 Qf8 29. Qh4 $1 (29. Rd4 Nf4 30. Rxf4 Rxd2 31. Rxf6 Qxf6 32. Rc1 Qd8 33. h4 Rd1+ 34. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 35. Kh2 Qc2 36. Qf4 Qe4 $11 {1-0 Vaganian,R (2623)-Johannessen,L (2495)/Germany 2003/EXT 2004 (53)}) 29... Ne7 30. Bxh6 Nf5 31. Bxg7 Nxg7 (31... Nxh4 32. Bxf6+ Ng6 33. Rxg6+ Kh7 34. Rc1 $1 $18 {1-0 Quezada,Y (2502)-Fernandez,E (2219)/Manicaragua 2005/Inf 93/[Quezada,Y] (38)}) 32. Ng6 Rxg6 33. Rxg6 $18 {Camacho,G (2322)-Corrales,F (2501)/Cuba (rapid) 2005/Inf 93}) (24... Bb5 {is the relatively best:} 25. b3 a5 (25... Rf6 $5 $14) 26. Rfe1 Rf6 27. Qg3 Ne7 28. Bf4 Rg6 29. Qh3 Nd5 30. Be5 $14 {1-0 Vaganian,R (2653)-Klimov,S (2507)/Togliatti 2003/CBM 094 ext (58)}) ({RR} 24... Nb6 25. Bxb4 Nxc4 26. Rxc4 Qd5 27. Qxd5 Bxd5 28. Rc3 Rf7 29. a3 Kh7 30. h3 Rb8 31. Rc5 Rbb7 32. Rfc1 Rfd7 33. f3 Rf7 34. Kf2 Rfd7 35. Bc3 Kg6 36. b4 Rf7 37. Ke3 Rfd7 38. g3 Rf7 39. f4 {Bruzon Batista,L (2602)-Dominguez Perez,L (2612) Havana 2004 1-0 (61)}) ({RR} 24... Ba8 25. Qg3 Rf6 26. Ne5 Qe8 27. Rc4 a5 28. Rg4 Qf8 29. Rd4 Nf4 30. Rxf4 Rxd2 31. Rxf6 Qxf6 32. Rc1 Qd8 33. h4 Rd1+ 34. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 35. Kh2 Qc2 36. Qf4 Qe4 37. Qxe4 Bxe4 38. Nc4 a4 39. Kg3 {Vaganian,R (2623)-Johannessen,L (2495) Germany 2003 1-0 (53)}) 25. Qg3 {[%CAl Rc4e5,Rd2h6]} Nf6 26. Bxh6 Ne4 27. Qg4 Nf6 28. Qg6 Qe7 (28... Rh5 $142) 29. Bg5 (29. Ne3 Be8 (29... Rh5 30. Qxg7+ Qxg7 31. Bxg7 Kxg7 32. Rxc6) 30. Nxf5 exf5 31. Qg5 Kf8 (31... Kh7 32. Qe3) 32. Rfe1 gxh6 33. Qxh6+ Qg7 34. Qh4 {leads to a completely winning position but White prefers a simpler course.}) 29... Be8 30. Bxf6 Qxf6 (30... Rxf6 31. Qg5 $18) 31. Qxf6 gxf6 {[%mdl 4096] The endgame with an extra pawn is technically winning for White.} 32. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 33. Rxd1 Rc5 34. b3 Bb5 35. Ne3 f5 36. f4 Kf7 37. Kf2 a5 38. Rd8 $2 {Allowing strong counterplay. It was better to start advancing the kingside pawns:} (38. h4 {or}) (38. h3 {[%CAl Yg2g4]}) 38... Rc1 39. Rb8 ({According to GM Boris Gelfand, he had missed} 39. Ra8 a4 $1 40. bxa4 (40. Rb8 Bc6 41. Rxb4 Ra1 $1) 40... Ra1 41. axb5 b3 $1 {and White's win is under doubt.}) 39... Bd3 $6 (39... Be8 $1 {[%CAl Rc1a1] created serious (perhaps too serious to overcome) technical problems for White. If} 40. Nc4 {then} Rc2+ 41. Kg3 Ke7 (41... Rxa2 $5 {is possible, too:} 42. Nd6+ Ke7 43. Nxe8 Rb2 44. Nc7 Rxb3+ 45. Kh4 Rb2 46. Kh3 Kd6 $1 47. Na6 (47. Nb5+ Kc5) 47... Kc6 $1 {and Black's strong queenside pawns compensate for White's poorly placed knight.}) 42. Nxa5 (42. Rb7+ Kf6 43. Ra7 a4) 42... Rxa2 43. Ra8 (43. Nc4 Bc6) 43... Kf7 {[%CAl Ye8b5] and White can't win.}) 40. Rb7+ Kf6 $6 {The black king now comes under attack.} (40... Kg6 41. Rd7 $1 Bb1 (41... Be4 42. Ra7 Rb1 $140 43. Nc4) 42. Rd2 {[%CAl Re3c4]}) (40... Ke8 $142 $1 {probably forcing} 41. Ra7 Rb1 42. Rxa5 Rb2+ 43. Kg3 Be4 44. h3 Re2 45. Nc4 Rxg2+ 46. Kh4 Kd7 {and it is still difficult for White to win.}) 41. Ra7 Rb1 42. g4 $1 {[%mdl 192]} (42. Rxa5 $2 Rb2+ 43. Kg3 Be4 $132 {[%CAl Rb2e2]}) 42... fxg4 (42... Rb2+ 43. Kg3 Rxa2 (43... fxg4 44. Nxg4+ Kf5 45. Rxa5+ $18) 44. g5+ Kg6 45. Ng2 $1 $18 {[%CAl Rg2h4] B.Gelfand}) 43. Nxg4+ Kf5 44. Ne5 $18 {[%csl Rd3,Rf5] A curious example of domination!} Ke4 (44... Bc2 45. Ke3 {[%CAl Ra7f7]} Re1+ 46. Kd2 $18) (44... Bf1 45. Kf3 $18) (44... Bb5 45. Rxa5 $18) 45. Nxd3 Kxd3 46. Rxa5 Ke4 47. Re5+ Kxf4 48. Rxe6 Rh1 49. Kg2 Rc1 50. Re2 Rc3 51. Kf2 Rc1 52. Rd2 Ke4 53. Kg3 Rc8 54. h4 Ke5 55. Re2+ Kf5 56. Rf2+ Kg6 57. Rf4 Rc2 58. Rxb4 Rxa2 59. Rb5 Rd2 60. h5+ Kf6 61. h6 Rd7 62. Rh5 Rh7 63. Kf4 Kg6 64. Rh3 Kf6 65. Ke4 Ke6 66. Kd4 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2007.11.14"] [Round "5"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D47"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2736"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2007.11.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. O-O cxd4 13. Re1 g6 14. Bg5 Qa5 15. Nd2 {This line was examined by GM Christopher Lutz in several CBM issues, most recently in CBM 111, annotations to Dreev-Harikrishna.} Rc8 (15... Ba6 {is the classical main line. However, White sacrifices a piece by means of} 16. Nc4 Bxc4 17. Bxc4 Bg7 18. Qxd4 $1 Qxa4 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Qxd5 {, and this position is quite dangerous for Black. Here are some recent examples:} Nb6 21. Qd6 Qd7 22. Qxb4 Bf8 23. Qh4 $1 Bg7 (23... Be7 24. Bf6 h6 25. e6 fxe6 26. Rad1 Nd5 27. Bxe7 Qxe7 28. Qe4 $16 {½-½ Muir,A-Bryson,D/Cumbernauld SCO 2007/The Week in Chess 622 (35)}) 24. Rad1 Qa4 25. Rd4 Qxa2 26. Be7 $1 Qe6 27. Bb4 Bf8 (27... a5 28. Red1 f6 29. Bc5 Rb8 30. Rd6 Qxe5 31. Rxb6 Rxb6 32. Qa4+ Kf7 33. Qd7+ Kg8 34. Qc8+ Kf7 35. Rd7+ Ke6 36. Rd8+ {1-0 Radziewicz,I-Muir,A/Budapest 2006/CBM 110 ext}) 28. Qf6 Rg8 29. Rd6 $1 Qf5 30. Rxb6 Qxf6 31. exf6+ Kd7 32. Ra1 $1 Kc7 33. Rb5 Kc6 34. Raa5 Rd8 35. Be1 $1 $16 {½-½ Dreev,A-Harikrishna,P/Khanty Mansiysk 2005/CBM 111/[Lutz] (61)}) 16. Nc4 (16. Ne4 $143 h6 $1 (16... Nxe5 $143 17. Bf1 Be7 $6 (17... Nd7 18. Qxd4 $44) 18. Qxd4 Bxg5 19. Nd6+ $1 (19. Bb5+ $2 Bc6 20. Qxe5 O-O 21. Bxc6 Rxc6 22. Qxg5 Qxa4 $17 {0-1 Kryschilovskij,A-Yevseev,D/St Petersburg 2005/CBM 106 ext (49)}) 19... Kd7 20. Qxe5 Bf4 21. Nxb7 Qxa4 22. Qxh8 $1 $18 {Quezada,Y}) 17. Bh4 g5 18. Bg3 Nf4 19. b3 Nxe5 20. Nf6+ Ke7 21. Be4 Bxe4 22. Nxe4 Qd5 $17 {Quezada,Y-Fernandez,A/Cuba 2006/Inf 97/[Quezada,Y]}) 16... Rxc4 $1 {[%mdl 512] This exchange sacrifice is the the idea of 15...?c8.} 17. Bxc4 Bg7 {[%csl Re5]} 18. Rc1 Nxe5 $1 (18... O-O $143 $2 19. Bb3 $1 Bxe5 20. Rxe5 Nxe5 21. Nc5 Bc8 22. Qxd4 Nc6 23. Qh4 $40 f6 24. Bh6 g5 25. Qe4 f5 26. Qe1 Rd8 27. Nb7 Bxb7 28. Qxe6+ Kh8 29. Bxd5 {1-0 Petrosian,T-Kosteniuk,A/Moscow 2006/CBM 112}) 19. Bf1 $146 {An attempt at improvement on the previous games, which were hardly satisfactory for White as far as the outcome of the opening was concerned:} (19. Rxe5 $6 Bxe5 20. Qe2 Nc7 21. Bh6 Bd6 22. Bb3 Qf5 23. Rd1 Ke7 24. Rxd4 Rd8 25. Rd1 Nd5 26. g4 Nf4 27. gxf5 Nxe2+ 28. Kf1 Ba6 $19 {0-1 Carlsen,M-Karjakin,S/Bilbao ESP 2007/The Week in Chess 676 (42)}) (19. Nc5 Qxc5 20. Ba6 Nc3 $4 (20... Qb6 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Qa4+ Nd7 23. Qb5 N5b6 24. Qxb4 Bf6 $1 {parrying White's attack}) 21. Bxb7 {1-0 Hansen,L-Palac,M/Crete GRE 2007/The Week in Chess 678}) (19. Bb3 Nd7 20. Bd2 O-O 21. a3 Rb8 22. Qe2 Ba6 23. Qd1 Bb7 24. Qe2 Nc3 $5 25. bxc3 bxc3 26. Bf4 Rd8 27. Bd6 Nb6 $13 {½-½ Rainer Zufall,R-Klosterfrau/playchess.com INT 2006/EXT 2007 (43)}) 19... Nd7 20. a3 O-O 21. Bd2 Rb8 22. Qb3 Ba8 $146 ({RR} 22... Bf8 23. Rc4 N7b6 24. Nxb6 Qxb6 25. a4 a5 26. Rc2 Qd8 27. Bb5 Qd6 28. Qg3 Qxg3 29. hxg3 b3 30. Rc4 Nb4 31. Bf4 Ra8 32. Rc7 Bd5 33. Be5 Bg7 34. f4 Nc2 35. Re2 f6 36. Bd6 Ne3 37. Bc5 {David,V (2386)-Berescu,A (2465) Avoine 2011 0-1 (48)}) 23. Rc4 Ne5 24. Rc5 Qd8 25. axb4 {White has eventually won this pawn but Black has no problems due to his strong centralization.} d3 $1 26. Qd1 Nd7 {Black starts repeating moves. Instead, he could have continued fighting for a win by means of} (26... Qh4) 27. Rc4 Ne5 28. Rc5 {Accepting the silent draw offer.} (28. Rce4 $6 Qd6 29. Nc5 Rd8 {[%csl Re4] is too risky.}) 28... Nd7 29. Rc4 Ne5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o. f"] [Site "Lausanne"] [Date "1998.01.01"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D48"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "215"] [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. d4 {Stohl,Igor Lutz} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 {The Semi-Slav has quite often in the past been a battle-ground for Karpov and Anand, ever since their candidates match in 1991.} 6. Bd3 {In Brussels 1991 the position after} (6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 Qe7 {arose 3 times.} ({Last year in Biel Anand came up with} 9... a6 $5 10. Bd2 c5 11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. Be2 b5 13. b4 Ncd7 14. Ne4 Be7 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bc3 Bb7 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Qb2 Qe7 19. Rfc1 Nd5 20. a3 Rfc8 21. Ne5 Nb6 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rc1 Rxc1+ 24. Qxc1 Qd6 25. Nd3 Nd7 $11 {Karpov,An-Anand,V/Biel A 1997/}) ({RR} 9... a6 10. Bd2 c5 11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. Be2 b5 13. b4 Ncd7 14. Ne4 Be7 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bc3 Bb7 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Qb2 Qe7 19. Rfc1 Nd5 20. a3 Rfc8 21. Ne5 Nb6 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Rc1 Rxc1+ 24. Qxc1)) ({RR} 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 Qe7) 6... dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 {This is the move Anand uses most often. But sometimes he varies with} (8... b4 9. Ne4 Be7 10. O-O Bb7 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. a3 O-O 13. axb4 Bxb4 14. e4 h6 15. e5 $1 (15. Qc2 a5 {transposes to another Karpov-Anand game, in which Black had sufficient counterplay.} 16. e5 Nd7 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 Qb8 19. Rd1 c5 20. Bf4 $6 cxd4 21. Rxd4 Rc8 22. Qe2 Nf8 23. h4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Ng6 25. h5 Nxf4 26. Rxf4 Ra7 27. g4 Bf8 28. g5 Rb7 $15 {Karpov,An-Anand,V/Moscow Alekhine m 1992}) ({RR} 15. Qc2 a5 16. e5 Nd7 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 Qb8 19. Rd1 c5 20. Bf4 cxd4 21. Rxd4 Rc8 22. Qe2 Nf8 23. h4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Ng6 25. h5 Nxf4 26. Rxf4 Ra7 27. g4 Bf8 28. g5 Rb7) 15... Nd7 16. Bc2 Re8 17. Qd3 Nf8 18. Qe4 Ng6 19. Rd1 Qe7 20. Qg4 c5 $5 21. Bxg6 fxg6 22. Qxg6 Qf7 23. Qxf7+ Kxf7 24. dxc5 Bxc5 25. Be3 Bxf3 26. gxf3 Bxe3 27. fxe3 Re7 $14 {Karpov,An-Anand,V/Monte Carlo act 1996}) ({RR} 8... b4 9. Ne4 Be7 10. O-O Bb7 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. a3 O-O 13. axb4 Bxb4 14. e4 h6 15. e5 Nd7 16. Bc2 Re8 17. Qd3 Nf8 18. Qe4 Ng6 19. Rd1 Qe7 20. Qg4 c5 21. Bxg6 fxg6 22. Qxg6 Qf7 23. Qxf7+) 9. O-O ({Another attempt to gain an advantage is} 9. e4) (9. a3 {is too soft, as game 3 shows.}) ({RR} 9. e4) ({RR} 9. a3) 9... a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 Qc7 $5 {The c5-c4 advance is part of Black's plan, by this flexible move he tries to realize it at a more suitable moment. Maybe Anand wanted to avoid Kasparov's continuation} (11... c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. Nd4 Nc5 14. b4 $5 $13) ({RR} 11... c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. Nd4 Nc5 14. b4) 12. dxe6 ({Ineffective is} 12. b3 Be7 13. a4 exd5 $1 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 O-O 16. axb5 axb5 17. Rxa8 Rxa8 18. Bxb5 Nf6 19. Bb2 Nxd5 20. Re1 Bf6 21. Ne5 Rd8 22. Qc1 h6 23. Bc4 Re8 24. f4 {Krasenkov,M-Timman,J/EUchT Pula 1997} Re7 $1 $11) ({An interesting situation arises, if White also makes a prophylactic move-} 12. Bc2 $5 {Now delaying c4 is risky, after} Be7 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Ng5 Qc6 15. f4 $1 (15. Qf3 h6 16. Qh3 hxg5 17. Qxh8+ Kf7 18. Qh3 g4 $44) ({RR} 15. Qf3 h6 16. Qh3 hxg5 17. Qxh8+ Kf7 18. Qh3 g4) 15... h6 16. Nf3 O-O-O 17. Qe2 Rhf8 18. e5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Qxd5 20. a4 b4 {Gelfand,B-Drejev,A/ Biel A 1995} 21. Rd1 Qc6 22. a5 $1 $40 {would favor White.}) ({RR} 12. b3 Be7 13. a4 exd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 O-O 16. axb5 axb5 17. Rxa8 Rxa8 18. Bxb5 Nf6 19. Bb2 Nxd5 20. Re1 Bf6 21. Ne5 Rd8 22. Qc1 h6 23. Bc4 Re8 24. f4 Re7) ({RR} 12. Bc2 Be7 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Ng5 Qc6 15. f4 h6 16. Nf3 O-O-O 17. Qe2 Rhf8 18. e5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Qxd5 20. a4 b4 21. Rd1 Qc6 22. a5) 12... fxe6 13. Bc2 {Of course Karpov doesn't repeat the pseudoactive} (13. Ng5 $6 Qc6 14. Qe2 c4 15. Bc2 Bc5 16. Be3 O-O 17. Rad1 h6 18. Nf3 Qc7 19. Nd4 Rae8 20. a3 Ne5 21. h3 Ng6 $15 {Karpov,An-Anand,V/Monte Carlo act 1994}) ({RR} 13. Ng5 Qc6 14. Qe2 c4 15. Bc2 Bc5 16. Be3 O-O 17. Rad1 h6 18. Nf3 Qc7 19. Nd4 Rae8 20. a3 Ne5 21. h3 Ng6) 13... c4 {The main move.} (13... O-O-O $143 $6 14. Ng5 Ne5 15. Qe2 Re8 16. f4 $1 Nc6 17. Nf3 g5 $5 18. e5 $1 g4 19. exf6 gxf3 20. Qxf3 Nd4 21. Qh5 Be7 22. f7 Rd8 23. Be4 b4 24. Bxb7+ Kxb7 25. Ne2 Bf6 26. f5 exf5 27. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 28. Kh1 Rhf8 29. Rxf5 Rd7 30. Bf4 $36 {Sadler,M-Drejev,A/WChT Luzern 1997}) ({RR} 13... O-O-O 14. Ng5 Ne5 15. Qe2 Re8 16. f4 Nc6 17. Nf3 g5 18. e5 g4 19. exf6 gxf3 20. Qxf3 Nd4 21. Qh5 Be7 22. f7 Rd8 23. Be4 b4 24. Bxb7+ Kxb7 25. Ne2 Bf6 26. f5 exf5 27. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 28. Kh1) 14. Qe2 ({Another topical problem is the position after} 14. Nd4 Nc5 15. Be3 e5 16. Nf3 $1 Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Re1 Bd6 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Ng5 $44 {?}) ({RR} 14. Nd4 Nc5 15. Be3 e5 16. Nf3 Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Re1 Bd6 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Ng5) 14... Bd6 $8 (14... O-O-O 15. a4 $5 $40 {is very risky.}) ({RR} 14... O-O-O 15. a4) 15. Nd4 ({An older alternative is} 15. Ng5 Nc5 16. f4 h6 $1 17. Nh3 e5 $132 (17... Nd3 $5 $13) ({RR} 17... Nd3)) ({RR} 15. Ng5 Nc5 16. f4 h6 17. Nh3 e5) 15... Nc5 16. f4 e5 17. Ndxb5 $5 $146 {A new and violent sacrificial attempt to wrest the initiative. White destroys Black's ? pawn chain at the cost of a piece. Lutz: Gleich in der 1.Matchpartie wartet Karpow mit einer bemerkenswerten Neuerung auf. Bislang wurde 17.?f5 versucht, was dem Weißen nicht viel verspricht.} ({Not too promising is the older} 17. Nf5 O-O ({RR} 17... Nd3 18. Nxd6+ ({RR} 18. Bxd3 cxd3 19. Qxd3 Bc5+ 20. Kh1 O-O 21. fxe5) 18... Qxd6 19. fxe5 Nxc1 20. Raxc1 Qxe5 21. Rf5 Qd4+ 22. Kh1 O-O-O 23. a4 Qd2 24. Qxd2 Rxd2 25. axb5 axb5 26. Rc5+ Kb8 27. Rxb5) ({RR} 17... O-O-O 18. Nxd6+ Qxd6 19. fxe5 Qxe5 20. Rf5 Qc7 21. a4 ({RR} 21. Bf4 Qc6 22. a4) 21... Nfxe4 ({RR} 21... Ne6) 22. Nxe4 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Rhe8 24. Bf4 Qb6 25. Qe3) 18. Nxd6 (18. Rd1 Nd3 $1 (18... Rad8 $2 19. Rxd6 $1 Rxd6 20. fxe5 $16 {RR} Re6 21. exf6 Rfxf6 22. Nd4 Re8 23. Bg5 Rg6 24. Bh4 Qd7 25. Rd1 Nd3 26. Rxd3 cxd3 27. Qxd3 Rg4 28. Bf2) ({RR} 18... Rad8 19. Rxd6 Rxd6 20. fxe5) 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Bxd3 cxd3 21. Rxd3 Qc7 $44 {[%csl Re4] ??,×e4} ({RR} 21... Qe6 22. f5 Qc6 23. Bg5 b4 24. Bxf6 bxc3 25. Bxe5 Rae8 26. Bxc3 Rxe4 27. Qf2 Rg4 28. Rd2) {RR} 22. Bd2 ({RR} 22. fxe5) 22... exf4 23. Nd5 Qc5+ 24. Kh1 Qc4 25. Nxf6+ Rxf6 26. Re1 Re8 27. Rf3 Rxe4 28. Qxc4+ Rxc4) ({RR} 18. Rd1 Nd3 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Bxd3 cxd3 21. Rxd3 Qc7) 18... Qxd6 19. fxe5 Qxe5 20. Rf5 Qc7 21. Bg5 ({RR} 21. Bf4 Qc6 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23. exd5 Qd7 24. Qg4 Bxd5 25. Rd1 Rxf5 26. Bxf5 Qf7 27. Bd6 Nd3 28. Bxd3 Qa7+ 29. Kh1 cxd3 30. Rxd3 Qf2) 21... Nfxe4 $1 22. Rxf8+ Rxf8 23. Nxe4 Qe5 24. Nf6+ $8 gxf6 25. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 26. Qh5+ $11 {½,Kasparov,G-Akopian,V/Jerevan olm 1996} (26. Qh5+ {Lutz} Kg8 27. Qg6+ {½-½ Kasparov,G-Akopian,V/Erevan olm 1996}) {RR} 26... Kg8 27. Qg6+ {RR} Kh8 28. Qh6+) ({RR} 17. Nf5 O-O 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. fxe5 Qxe5 20. Rf5 Qc7 21. Bg5 Nfxe4 22. Rxf8+ Rxf8 23. Nxe4 Qe5 24. Nf6+ gxf6 25. Bxh7+ Kxh7 26. Qh5+) 17... axb5 18. Nxb5 Qb6 19. Nxd6+ (19. Qxc4 $2 Ba6 $17) ({RR} 19. Qxc4 Ba6) 19... Qxd6 20. fxe5 Qxe5 21. Rf5 Qe7 (21... Qc7 $2 22. Qxc4 Rc8 23. Bf4 {?} Qc6 24. Re5+ Kf8 25. Rxc5 $1 $18) ({Perhaps possible was also the provocative} 21... Qd6 $5 22. Qxc4 (22. e5 Qe6 23. Bh6 Nfe4 $1 24. Bxg7 Rg8 $15) ({RR} 22. e5 Qe6 23. Bh6 Nfe4 24. Bxg7 Rg8) 22... Ne6 $5 $13 (22... Ncxe4 $143 $2 23. Bxe4 Nxe4 24. Qf7+ Kd8 25. Qxb7 Qd1+ 26. Rf1 Qd4+ 27. Be3 $1 Qxe3+ 28. Kh1 $18) ({RR} 22... Ncxe4 23. Bxe4 Nxe4 24. Qf7+ Kd8 25. Qxb7 Qd1+ 26. Rf1 Qd4+ 27. Be3 Qxe3+ 28. Kh1)) ({RR} 21... Qc7 22. Qxc4 Rc8 23. Bf4 Qc6 24. Re5+ Kf8 25. Rxc5) ({RR} 21... Qd6 22. Qxc4 Ne6) ({RR} 21... Qd4+ 22. Be3 Qxb2 23. Rb1 Qxa2 24. Re5+ Kf7 25. Bxc5) 22. Qxc4 Rc8 $6 {Is the pawn really poisoned? Lutz: Während die vorhergehenden Züge weitgehend forciert waren, hat Schwarz nun eine Reihe von Alternativen :} (22... Ncxe4 $5 23. Bf4 (23. Qb5+ Kf8 ({RR} 23... Kf7 24. Bb3+ Kf8 ({RR} 24... Kg6 25. Rg5+ Nxg5 26. Qxg5#) 25. Re5 Qd6 26. Be3 Ba6) 24. Re5 ({RR} 24. Bf4 Bc8) 24... Qd6 $1 {?} 25. Qxb7 $4 ({RR} 25. Be3) 25... Qd4+ $19 {RR} 26. Be3 Qxe3+ 27. Kh1 Nf2+ 28. Kg1 Nh3+ 29. Kh1 Qg1+) ({RR} 23. Qb5+ Kf8 24. Re5 Qd6 25. Qxb7 Qd4+) 23... Rc8 $1 (23... Nd6 $2 24. Ba4+ Kf8 25. Rxf6+ $1 Qxf6 26. Bxd6+ Qxd6 27. Rf1+ $18 {?}) ({RR} 23... Nd6 24. Ba4+ Kf8 25. Rxf6+ Qxf6 26. Bxd6+ Qxd6 27. Rf1+) 24. Qb5+ (24. Ba4+ Kf8 25. Qe2 Rc5 $1 $15 {doesn't seem to give White sufficient compensation.}) (24. Qb3 {Lutz} Bd5 25. Rxd5 (25. Qb5+ Bc6 26. Qb3 (26. Qc4 $2 Qa7+ $19) 26... Bd5 {mit Zugwiederholung}) 25... Nxd5 26. Re1 (26. Qxd5 $2 Qa7+ $19) 26... Qc5+ 27. Kh1 O-O 28. Bxe4 Rxf4 29. Bxd5+ Kh8 30. Bf3 $14 {und die Chancen liegen bei Weiß.}) ({RR} 24. Ba4+ Kf8 25. Qe2 Rc5) 24... Bc6 25. Qb3 ({RR} 25. Qc4 Qa7+) 25... Bd5 $5 {and Black has at least a draw.} {Losing is} 26. Rxd5 $2 ({RR} 26. Qb5+) 26... Nxd5 27. Qxd5 ({RR} 27. Re1 Qc5+ 28. Kh1 O-O 29. Bxe4 Rxf4 30. Bxd5+ Kh8 31. Bf3) 27... Qa7+ $19) (22... Nfxe4 $2 23. Bf4 {[%CAl Rf5e5] ??e5} Ba6 24. Ba4+ $1 $18) ({II)} 22... Nfd7 $6 {Lutz} 23. Bg5 Qe6 24. Rxc5 Nxc5 25. Qxc5 Rc8 26. Qb5+ Bc6 27. Qb4 $16) ({III)} 22... Ncd7 $5 $15 {Anand: Kramnik, who said that he checked all this way back in 1991 with some friends. Lutz: kam auch stark in Betracht.} 23. Bf4 (23. Bg5 Rc8) (23. e5 Nxe5 24. Qb5+ (24. Rxe5 Qxe5 25. Bf4 Qe7 $17) ({RR} 24. Rxe5 Qxe5 25. Bf4 Qe7) 24... Nc6 {führt zu nichts, da Schwarz im nächsten Zug zur Rochade kommt.}) ({RR} 23. Bg5 Rc8) ({RR} 23. e5 Nxe5 24. Qb5+ Nc6) 23... Rc8 24. Qb3 Ba6 $5 $132 {? ...?c4} (24... Rxc2 $6 {ist zu phantasievoll} 25. Qxc2 Bxe4 26. Qc8+ Kf7 27. Qc4+ {Prosaisch, aber effektiv.} (27. Rxf6+ Nxf6 28. Qxh8 Qc5+ 29. Kh1 Qf2 {gibt Schwarz zumindest Dauerschach}) ({RR} 27. Rxf6+ Nxf6 28. Qxh8 Qc5+ 29. Kh1 Qf2) 27... Qe6 28. Qxe6+ Kxe6 29. Ra5 $16 {mit klarem Vorteil im Endspiel.}) ({RR} 24... Rxc2 25. Qxc2 Bxe4 26. Qc8+ Kf7 27. Qc4+ Qe6 28. Qxe6+ Kxe6 29. Ra5)) ({RR} 22... Ncxe4 23. Bf4 Rc8 24. Qb5+ Bc6 25. Qb3 Bd5 26. Rxd5 Nxd5 27. Qxd5 Qa7+) ({RR} 22... Nfxe4 23. Bf4 Ba6 24. Ba4+) ({RR} 22... Nfd7 23. Bg5 Qe6 24. Rxc5 Nxc5 25. Qxc5 Rc8 26. Qb5+ Bc6 27. Qb4) ({RR} 22... Ncd7 23. Bf4 Rc8 24. Qb3 Ba6) 23. Qb5+ Ncd7 $8 (23... Rc6 $143 24. Be3 $40) (23... Nfd7 $143 24. Bg5 $40 (24. Bg5 {Lutz} Qe6 25. Rd1 $16) {RR} 24... Qe6 ({RR} 24... Qd6 25. Re1) 25. Rd1 ({RR} 25. Rxc5 Rxc5 26. Qxb7 Rxc2 27. Qa8+ Kf7 28. Rf1+ Kg6 29. Qxh8 Qxe4) {RR} 25... Ba6 26. Qa5) (23... Qd7 {Lutz} 24. Rxc5 $18) (23... Kf7 {Lutz} 24. e5 $18) ({RR} 23... Rc6 24. Be3) ({RR} 23... Nfd7 24. Bg5) ({RR} 23... Qd7 24. Rxc5) ({RR} 23... Kf7 24. e5) 24. Qxb7 (24. Ba4 Bc6 (24... Qxe4 $4 25. Re5+) ({RR} 24... Qxe4 25. Re5+) 25. Qa6 O-O $142 $1 (25... Nb6 26. Bxc6+ (26. Qa5 $5) ({RR} 26. Qa5) 26... Rxc6 27. Qb5 $36) ({RR} 25... Nb6 26. Bxc6+ Rxc6 27. Qb5) 26. Bxc6 Nb8 27. Bd5+ (27. Qc4+ Kh8 28. Rc5 (28. e5 {Lutz} Rxc6 29. Qf4 Nfd7) ({RR} 28. e5 Rxc6 29. Qf4 Nfd7) 28... Nxc6 $1 29. Rxc6 $2 Qa7+ 30. Kh1 Qd7 $19) ({RR} 27. Qc4+ Kh8 28. Rc5 Nxc6 29. Rxc6 Qa7+ 30. Kh1 Qd7) 27... Nxd5 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 29. Qc4 Kh8 $5 30. Bd2 $11 (30. Bd2 Qa7+ 31. Kh1 Qf2 32. Qc1 Nf6 $19) {RR} 30... Qa7+ 31. Kh1 Qf2 32. Qc1 Nf6) ({RR} 24. Ba4 Bc6 25. Qa6 O-O 26. Bxc6 Nb8 27. Bd5+ Nxd5 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 29. Qc4 Kh8 30. Bd2) 24... Rxc2 25. Bg5 (25. e5 $2 Qc5+) ({Tricky was} 25. Ra5 $5 Kf7 $142 $1 {erscheint mir beachtenswert.} (25... Qd6 26. Be3 $1 Qd3 {wird von M.Gurewitsch vorgeschlagen, aber} (26... Rf8 27. e5 Qd3 28. Qf3 $1 $16) ({RR} 26... Rf8 27. e5 Qd3 28. Qf3) 27. Ra3 Qe2 28. e5 Rxb2 29. Qc6 $40) (25... O-O $2 26. Qb3+) (25... Qe6 $2 26. Ra8+ Ke7 27. Rxh8 Qg4 28. Qb4+ Nc5 29. Bd2 $18) ({RR} 25... Qd6 26. Be3 Qd3 27. Ra3 Qe2 28. e5 Rxb2 29. Qc6) ({RR} 25... O-O 26. Qb3+) ({RR} 25... Qe6 26. Ra8+ Ke7 27. Rxh8 Qg4 28. Qb4+ Nc5 29. Bd2) 26. Qb3+ {Ein hübsches Echo-Motiv : Zuerst holt die weiße Dame den schwarzen Turm ab ...} (26. e5 $6 Rb8) ({RR} 26. e5 Rb8) 26... Qe6 $1 27. Qxc2 Qb6+ {...und dann holt die schwarze Dame den weißen Turm ab.} 28. Be3 Qxa5 29. Qc4+ Kg6 $132) ({RR} 25. e5 Qc5+) ({RR} 25. Ra5 Kf7 26. Qb3+ Qe6 27. Qxc2 Qb6+ 28. Be3 Qxa5 29. Qc4+ Kg6) 25... Qd6 (25... Qxe4 $143 $2 26. Qxe4+ Nxe4 27. Re1 Ndc5 (27... Rc4 28. b3 Rd4 29. Rf2 $1 Ndf6 (29... h6 30. Rd2 $1) ({RR} 29... h6 30. Rd2) 30. Rf4 $16) ({RR} 27... Rc4 28. b3 Rd4 29. Rf2 Ndf6 30. Rf4) 28. b4 $16) (25... O-O {Lutz} 26. Qb3+ $18 {(A.Karpow)}) ({RR} 25... Qxe4 26. Qxe4+ Nxe4 27. Re1 Ndc5 28. b4) ({RR} 25... O-O 26. Qb3+) 26. Qa8+ (26. Bxf6 gxf6 {-26.?a8+} (26... Nxf6 $2 27. Qa8+ Kf7 28. Qxh8 Qd2 29. Rxf6+ Kxf6 30. Rf1+ $18) ({RR} 26... Nxf6 27. Qa8+ Kf7 28. Qxh8 Qd2 29. Rxf6+ Kxf6 30. Rf1+)) ({RR} 26. Bxf6 gxf6) 26... Kf7 $2 {A tactical oversight, which costs Black the game. According to Anand, he overlooked White's crushing 31-st move. Lutz: Schwarz hat eine Remis-Kombination im Sinn, die jedoch brilliant widerlegt wird. Karpow hatte in seiner Hausanalyse 26...?b8 als Bestes erachtet.} (26... Qb8 $142 $8 27. Qxb8+ (27. Re5+ $2 Kf7) ({RR} 27. Re5+ Kf7) 27... Nxb8 28. Bxf6 ({RR} 28. e5 Ne4 29. Rc1 Rxc1+ 30. Bxc1) 28... gxf6 29. Rf2 Rxf2 30. Kxf2 Nc6 $11) ({RR} 26... Qb8 27. Qxb8+ Nxb8 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Rf2 Rxf2 30. Kxf2 Nc6) 27. Qxh8 Qd4+ (27... Qb6+ $143 28. Kh1 Qxb2 29. Raf1 Rxg2 30. Qxh7 $18) ({RR} 27... Qb6+ 28. Kh1 Qxb2 29. Raf1 Rxg2 30. Qxh7) 28. Kh1 Qxe4 29. Rf3 Rxg2 $5 ({RR} 29... Rxb2 30. Rd1) 30. Kxg2 Ne5 31. Qxg7+ $1 $18 {Lutz: Dank dieser Pointe wickelt Weiß in ein klar vorteilhaftes Endspiel ab.} (31. Bxf6 Qxf3+ 32. Kg1 Qe3+ $11) (31. Raf1 Nxf3 32. Rxf3 (32. Bxf6 Ne5+ 33. Kf2 Qf3+ $11) 32... Qe2+ 33. Kg1 $5 (33. Rf2 Qg4+) (33. Kg3 Qe1+ 34. Kh3 (34. Rf2 Qg1+ 35. Kf3 Qg4+ 36. Ke3 Qxg5+ $11 (36... Qxg5+ {Lutz} 37. Ke2 Qg4+ 38. Kd3 Qe4+ $11 {mit Dauerschach (A.Karpow).})) 34... Qe6+ $11) 33... Qxf3 34. Bxf6 Qg4+ $1 35. Kf2 Qf4+ 36. Ke1 Qe3+ 37. Kd1 (37. Kf1 Qf4+ $11) 37... Qg1+ 38. Kc2 Qxh2+ $11 {[%CAl Rg7f6] ?gf6}) 31... Kxg7 $146 32. Bxf6+ Kg6 (32... Kh6 $5 {Lutz (A.Karpow)}) 33. Bxe5 Qxe5 34. Rg1 (34. Rf2 $142 $5 $18 {is even more convincing.}) 34... h5 $8 35. b3 (35. b4 $5) 35... Qe2+ 36. Rf2 Qe4+ 37. Kf1+ $6 {Lutz: Verliert den a-Bauern, wonach der Gewinn sehr schwierig wird.} (37. Kh3+ $142 $1 Kh6 (37... Kh7 {Lutz} 38. Rf7+ Kh6 39. Rf6+ Kh7 40. a4 {(A.Karpow)}) 38. Rf6+ Kh7 39. Rg3 $18) 37... Kh6 38. Rg3 Qb1+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Rgf3 Qg6+ 41. Kf1 Qb1+ 42. Kg2 Qg6+ 43. Kh1 Qb1+ 44. Rf1 $8 (44. Kg2 $4 Qg6+ {leads to threefold repetition.}) 44... Qxa2 {[%CAl Yh1c4,Yb3b7] Although Karpov hasn't played this phase too accurately, his win still isn't endangered. White gradually strengthens his position by advancing his ? and preparing the advance of his passed pawn. Black has no reaslitic hopes for perpetual check, as White's ? control the whole board. White also more than once utilizes the fact, that all pawn endgames are hopeless for Black.} 45. Rf6+ Kg7 46. Rf7+ Kh8 47. Rf8+ Kg7 48. R8f7+ Kg8 49. R7f3 Kg7 50. h3 Qc2 51. R1f2 Qe4 52. Kg2 Qb4 (52... Kg6 53. Rd2 {[%CAl Rg2f2,Rf3e3] ??f2,?e3}) 53. Re2 Qd4 54. Re7+ Kg6 55. Re6+ Kg7 56. Rg3+ Kf7 57. Rge3 Qd5+ 58. Kg3 {[%csl Rh5][%CAl Rg3h4] ??h4,?h5} Qg5+ {Otherwise Black would lose his ?.} 59. Kf2 Qh4+ 60. Ke2 Qd4 61. R6e4 Qa1 (61... Qb2+ $142 $16 {Lutz (A.Karpow)}) 62. Kd3 Kf6 63. Re6+ Kf5 64. b4 Qc1 65. Kd4 Qc8 66. b5 Qd8+ 67. Kc5 Qc7+ 68. Kb4 Qf4+ 69. Kb3 Qc7 70. b6 Qd7 71. R3e5+ Kf4 72. Re4+ Kg3 73. Re3+ Kh2 74. Kc4 h4 (74... Qb7 75. Rd6 Kg2 76. Rd2+ Kf1 77. Kb5 $18) 75. Kc5 Qc8+ 76. Kd5 Qd8+ 77. Ke4 Qd7 78. Kf5 Kg2 79. Kg5 Qg7+ 80. Kxh4 Kf2 (80... Qh7+ 81. Kg5 Qg7+ 82. Rg6 $18) 81. R3e5 $5 Qh8+ ({White will advance his b-pawn after} 81... Qg3+ 82. Kh5 Qxh3+ 83. Kg6 Qg2+ 84. Rg5 Qb7 85. Rf5+ {[%CAl Rf5f7] ??f7 But now Karpov remains with 2 extra pawns.}) 82. Kg4 Qg7+ 83. Kf5 Qh7+ 84. Kf6 Qh4+ (84... Qxh3 $2 85. Re2+ Kf1 86. Re1+ Kf2 87. R6e2+ $18) 85. Kf7 Qh7+ 86. Ke8 Qb7 87. h4 Qb8+ 88. Kf7 Qb7+ 89. Kg6 Qb8 90. h5 Qg8+ 91. Kf5 Qh7+ 92. Kf6 Kf3 93. Re3+ Kf2 94. Re2+ Kf3 95. R2e3+ Kf2 96. Kg5 Qg8+ 97. Kh4 Qd8+ 98. Kh3 Qd1 99. Re2+ Kf3 100. Kh2 Qd8 101. R6e3+ Kf4 102. b7 Qb6 103. Re4+ Kf3 104. R2e3+ Kf2 105. Re7 Qd6+ 106. Kh3 Qb8 107. R3e5 Kg1 108. Rg7+ (108. Rg7+ Kf2 109. Rf7+ Kg1 110. Re1#) 1-0 [Event "Dos Hermanas"] [Site "Dos Hermanas"] [Date "1996.05.27"] [Round "6"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D48"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2775"] [Annotator "Lutz,Christopher"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "1996.05.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "100 Jahre Schach"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.04.19"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.04.19"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Stohl: A crucial game between the two highest rated players in the world. Their score in decided normal games is now 2:2, with Kramnik being the first one to win with Black. In den vergangenen Jahren haben Viswanathan Anand und Wladimir Kramnik sich als die Nummer 2 und 3 der Welt hinter Kasparow etabliert. Während jedoch Anand in den persönlichen Begegnungen gegen Kasparow befangen wirkt und häufig nicht seine Chancen wahrnimmt, geht Kramnik ohne großen Respekt in die Partien gegen den Weltmeister. Als Ergebnis entstanden bisher zahlreiche bemerkenswerte Schlachten zwischen den beiden. Die nachfolgende Partie ist eine der schönsten Siege für Kramnik: Kasparow bringt eine Neuerung, aber Kramnik widerlegt diese am Brett und kann mit einem intuitiven Turmopfer die Partie für sich entscheiden. Ich stütze mich auf die Kommentare von Wladimir Kramnik im Informator 66/382 sowie auf verschiedene Kommentatoren im ChessBaseMagazin 53. Ich habe hier nur einen kleinen Teil der taktischen Varianten angegeben. Der Leser möge sich ermutigt fühlen, selbst in die Komplikationen einzusteigen und eigene Forschungen zu betreiben.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 {Die Semi-Slawische Verteidigung war lange Zeit Kramniks Haupteröffnung gegen 1.d4, ehe er sich in den letzten Jahren dem Nimzo-Inder und dem Abglehntem Damengambit zuwandte.} 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 {Mit diesem Zug beginnt das sogenannte Reynolds-System, eines der kompliziertesten Abspiele im Semi-Slawen. Kasparow hatte natürlich einen Grund für seine Variantenwahl.} c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 {Der ?d5 ist natürlich ein Keil in der schwarzen Stellung, gelingt es Schwarz, diesen Bauern zu einer Entscheidung zu zwingen, kann er mit einem guten Spiel dank seiner Mehrheit am Damenflügel rechnen.} 13. Nd4 Nc5 14. b4 {This move was close to become popular in the beginning of 90th.} cxb3 15. axb3 b4 {Der Kampf spitzt sich zu: Schwarz will das weiße Zentrum zerstören, Weiß pocht auf seinen Entwicklungsvorsprung und die sich öffnenden Linien.} 16. Na4 Ncxe4 17. Bxe4 {Stohl: Kasparov's novelty is designed to make use of Black's ? stuck on e8. Dies war Kasparows vorbereitete Neuerung.} (17. dxe6 {wurde in Yakovich,Y-Sorokin,M (Calcutta op 1991) probiert, aber nach} Rd8 18. exf7+ Kxf7 19. Be3 Bd6 20. h3 Rhe8 {spielten alle schwarzen Figuren mit.}) 17... Nxe4 18. dxe6 {Bis hier hin hatte Kasparow gerade mal 6 Minuten verbraucht, erst nach der Antwort Kramniks (der schon eine halbe Stunde verbraucht hatte) begann er selbst zu denken.} Bd6 {Das schwarze Läuferpaar wird im weiteren Verlauf eine verheerende Wirkung entfalten.} 19. exf7+ Qxf7 {Stohl: An exciting, if probably not fully correct concept. Now Black will be forced to sacrifice a piece to get his ? out of the center. Kramnik nimmt die Herausforderung an. Sein Zug beinhaltet das Opfer einer Figur.} 20. f3 {Wenn Schwarz noch einen Zug für die kurze Rochade hätte, stände er klar besser, da seine Figuren wesentlich wirksamer sind.} Qh5 {Zieht der ?e4, dann ist ?e1+ sehr unangenehm.} (20... O-O $2 21. fxe4 Bxh2+ 22. Kxh2 Qxf1 23. Qxf1 Rxf1 24. Nc5 $16 {(Kramnik) ist hier nicht ausreichend.}) 21. g3 (21. fxe4 $2 Qxh2+ 22. Kf2 O-O+ 23. Nf3 Bxe4 {oder}) (21. h3 $2 Qe5 {geben Schwarz kräftigen Angriff.}) 21... O-O $5 {Nach einem Rückzug des ?e4 würde 22.?e1+ den schwarzen König ins Gedränge bringen. Das Figurenopfer wird durch den schlafenden weißen Damenflügel und die geschwächte weiße Königsstellung motiviert. Ob es restlos korrekt ist, bezweifele ich allerdings. Es gab zwei andere Möglichkeiten, die Figur zu geben, davon ist die eine wahrscheinlich besser als der Partiezug.} ({I)} 21... Bxg3 $2 22. hxg3 O-O (22... Nxg3 23. Qe1+) 23. Ra2 Nxg3 24. Rh2 $16 {(Kramnik) ist falsch.}) ({II)} 21... Nxg3 $1 {ist dagegen gut für Schwarz, wie Kramnik analysiert:} 22. hxg3 (22. Qe1+ Ne4 23. Ra2 O-O $40) (22. Re1+ Kf7 23. Nc6 Nf5 24. Qd5+ Kf8 $17) 22... O-O 23. Ra2 Bxg3 24. Rg2 Be5 {und Schwarz hat genügend Kompensation für die Minusfigur: zwei Bauern, ein starkes Läuferpaar, Spiel gegen den weißen König und den ?f3, der ?a4 steht abseits ...}) 22. fxe4 {Kasparow nahm die Figur sicherlioh nicht gern, aber andernfalls steht er einfach schlechter.} Qh3 {Stohl: Black doesn't have even a single pawn for the piece, but his attack is unexpectedly dangerous. Kasparov surprisingly cracks under the pressure.} 23. Nf3 $146 {In den nächsten Zügen greift Kasparow mehrmals fehl - ein Trost für den Normal-"Schächer", dass selbst der Weltmeister gelegentlich vor der Komplexität des Schachspiels in die Knie geht. Es gibt zwei Fortsetzungen, die Weiß Aussicht auf Vorteil einräumen.} ({I)} 23. Ra2 $5 {wird von Kramnik angegeben:} Bxe4 (23... Bxg3 24. Nf5 $1 Rxf5 25. Rxf5 Bxe4 26. Rg5 Bh4 27. Qg4 $18) 24. Re1 (24. Rxf8+ Rxf8 25. Rf2 Rxf2 26. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 27. Ke3 Bg6 $15 {Black will gain a third pawn for the piece with a continuing initiative.}) 24... Bb7 (24... Rae8 25. Re3 Bb7 26. Rxe8 Rxe8 27. Qf1 Qg4 28. Nf5 Qe4 29. Qc4+ Qxc4 30. bxc4 $16) 25. Qd3 $14) ({II)} 23. Qe2 $1 Bxg3 (23... Bxe4 $2 24. Bf4 Bxf4 25. Qxe4 Bxg3 26. Qe6+ Qxe6 27. Nxe6 Rxf1+ 28. Rxf1 $16) (23... Rxf1+ 24. Qxf1 Qg4 25. Qf3 $16) (23... Be5 24. Bb2 Bxg3 25. hxg3 Qxg3+ 26. Qg2 Qe3+ 27. Kh2 Bxe4 28. Qxg7+ $1 $18) (23... Rfe8 24. Nc5 $5 Bxc5 25. Qc4+ Kh8 26. Qxc5 Bxe4 27. Ra2 $16) 24. Nf5 Be5 25. Bb2 Bxb2 (25... Bxe4 26. Ne7+ Kh8 27. Bxe5) (25... Rae8 26. Bxe5 Rxe5 27. Qc4+ Kh8 28. Qxb4 $16) 26. Qxb2 Qg4+ 27. Ng3 $16) ({RR} 23. Ra2 Bxe4 24. Re1 Bb7 25. Qd3 Rac8 26. Bg5 Rf7 27. Ne6 Bb8 28. Nac5 Ba7 29. Be3 Rf3 30. Rd1 Qxe6 31. Nxe6 Bxe3+ 32. Kg2 Rf6+ 33. Kh3 Rxe6 34. Re1 Rce8 35. Qc4 Kh8 36. g4 g5 37. Ree2 Rf8 {Stamenkovic,Z (2415)-Kosic,D (2515) Niksic 1997 0-1 (40)}) 23... Bxg3 {} 24. Nc5 $2 {Hier hatte Kasparow zwei bessere Möglichkeiten.} ({I)} 24. hxg3 $2 Qxg3+ 25. Kh1 Bxe4 $19) ({II)} 24. Ra2 $5 Bxe4 25. hxg3 Rad8 26. Qe1 Rxf3 27. Rxf3 Bxf3 28. Rh2 Qg4 29. Rd2 $13) ({III)} 24. Qe2 $5 Rxf3 25. Rxf3 Bxh2+ 26. Qxh2 Qxf3 27. Qg2 Qxg2+ (27... Qd1+ 28. Kh2 $10) (27... Qxb3 $6 28. Bh6 {und Weiß übernimmt die Initiative}) 28. Kxg2 Bxe4+ 29. Kg1 {, und das Endspiel sollte mit einem Unentschieden enden.}) 24... Rxf3 $1 25. Rxf3 $2 {Und hier verpasst Kasparow die letzte Möglichkeit, in ein schlechtes Endspiel einzulenken.} (25. Ra2 $1 Rxf1+ 26. Qxf1 Qxf1+ 27. Kxf1 Rc8 28. Be3 Bf4 $1 29. Nxb7 Bxe3 30. Rxa6 Bf4 $17 {(Kramnik). Weiß kann noch Hoffnung schöpfen.}) 25... Qxh2+ 26. Kf1 Bc6 $1 {White now has an extra ?, but his ? is so exposed that he has no defense in the long run. Spätestens hier wird Kasparow begriffen haben, dass heute nicht sein Tag ist. Kramnik spielt glänzend, trotz Minusturm erlaubt er sich einen stillen Zug von entscheidender Kraft, die Drohung ist ...?b5+ und ...?d8. Lediglich von akademischen Interesse ist, dass 24...?h1+ Dauerschach erzwingt.} (26... Qh1+ 27. Ke2 Qh2+ 28. Ke3 Qh6+ 29. Kd3 $2 (29. Ke2 Qh2+ $10) 29... Qd6+ 30. Ke2 Qxc5 31. Rxg3 Qh5+ 32. Ke1 (32. Rf3 Bxe4 $17) 32... Qe5 $19) 27. Bg5 {Kontrolliert das Feld d8. Es gibt aber keine Rettung mehr.} ({I)} 27. Be3 Bb5+ 28. Nd3 Rd8 29. Bg1 Qh3+ 30. Ke2 Qg2+ 31. Bf2 Bxf2 32. Rxf2 Qxe4+ $19) ({II)} 27. Qd3 Qh1+ 28. Ke2 Qe1#) ({III)} 27. Ra5 $5 {ist mit einem überraschendem Turm-Rückopfer verbunden.} Bc7 28. Qd4 $5 (28. Ra1 Qh1+ 29. Ke2 Qg2+ 30. Ke3 Qg5+ 31. Kf2 Qxc5+ $19) 28... Bxa5 29. Bb2 Qh6 (29... Bb5+ 30. Nd3 Bxd3+ 31. Qxd3 Qh1+ 32. Kf2 Bb6+ 33. Kg3 {, und die Situation bleibt unklar}) 30. Rg3 Ra7 {Weiß hat zwar kurzfristig die Initative übernommen, aber letztlich sollte sich das schwarze Extramaterial durchsetzen, z.B.} 31. Ne6 Rf7+ 32. Kg1 Qxe6 33. Rxg7+ Kf8 34. Qc5+ Ke8 35. Rg8+ Kd7 36. Qxa5 Qxe4 37. Qd8+ Ke6 38. Qc8+ Kd6 39. Qb8+ Rc7 40. Qf8+ Re7 41. Qb8+ Kc5 42. Rg5+ Bd5 43. Qc8+ Kb6 44. Qb8+ Bb7 45. Qd6+ Bc6 46. Bd4+ Kb7 47. Qxb4+ Kc8 48. Rg8+ Kd7 {, und Weiß gehen die Schachgebote aus. Auch wenn dieser Verteidigungsversuch knapp scheitert, zeigt er doch, dass der Verteidiger immer ein Rückopfer des Materials in Betracht ziehen sollte.}) 27... Bb5+ (27... Qh1+ $2 28. Ke2 Qg2+ 29. Ke3 {führt zu nichts}) 28. Nd3 Re8 $1 {Mit der Aktivierung der letzten passiven Figur ist das weiße Schicksal endgültig besiegelt.} 29. Ra2 (29. Be3 Rd8 $19) (29. Qd2 Qh1+ 30. Ke2 Rxe4+ 31. Re3 Qh5+ 32. Kf1 Qxg5 $19) (29. Rc1 Qh1+ 30. Ke2 Rxe4+ 31. Kd2 Qg2+ $19) (29. Rb1 Rxe4 30. Rf8+ Kxf8 31. Qf3+ Kg8 32. Qxe4 Qf2#) 29... Qh1+ $6 {Schwarz konnte hier sofort mattsetzen, aber das ist nur ein kleiner Schönheitsfehler.} (29... Bxd3+ $1 30. Rxd3 (30. Qxd3 Qh1+ 31. Ke2 Qe1#) 30... Qh1+ 31. Ke2 Qg2+ 32. Ke3 Rxe4#) 30. Ke2 Rxe4+ (30... Bxd3+ $2 31. Kd2 $1) 31. Kd2 (31. Be3 Qg2+ 32. Rf2 Qxf2#) 31... Qg2+ 32. Kc1 (32. Nf2 Rd4+) 32... Qxa2 33. Rxg3 (33. Rf8+ Kxf8 34. Qf3+ Bf4+ 35. Bxf4 Qa1+ 36. Kd2 Qc3+ $19) 33... Qa1+ 34. Kc2 Qc3+ 35. Kb1 Rd4 {Hier hatte Kasparow genug gesehen und gab auf. Sicherlich eine der beeindruckendsten Partien der 90er Jahre.} ({Es könnte so weitergehen:} 35... Rd4 36. Bf6 Bxd3+ 37. Ka2 Bb1+ 38. Qxb1 Rd2+ {nebst Matt.}) 0-1 [Event "World-ch Tournament"] [Site "Mexico City"] [Date "2007.09.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Morozevich, Alexander"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D48"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2007.09.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "MEX"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Lutz,Christopher Lutz,Christopher} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 {There was a time when one could play the Reynolds Attack just by inspiration. Now, (almost) everything is deeply analyzed... Es gab mal eine Zeit, da konnte man den Reynolds-Angriff einfach nach Inspiraton spielen. Heute ist (fast) alles tief ausanalysiert... Hubo un tiempo cuando era posible jugar el Ataque Reynolds por pura inspiración. Ahora (casi) todo está tan bien analizado...} c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Nd4 ({RR} 14. Ng5 Nc5) 14... Nc5 15. Be3 e5 ({RR} 15... Rd8) ({RR} 15... O-O-O) ({RR} 15... Rd8 16. Qe2 e5 ({RR} 16... Bd6 17. f4 e5 18. Ndxb5 axb5 19. Nxb5 Qe7 20. Nxd6+ Qxd6 21. fxe5 Qxe5 22. Rf5 Qxb2 23. Rb1 Qxb1+ 24. Bxb1 Nd3 25. e5 Nd5 26. Bg5 Ne7 27. Rf1 Rd5 28. Qg4 Nxe5 29. Qe6 Nf3+ 30. Rxf3 Rxg5 31. Be4) ({RR} 16... Be7 17. f4 g6 18. e5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Qg4 Qb7 21. Rad1 Rd7 22. b3 Be4 23. bxc4 Bxc2 24. Nxc2 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 bxc4 26. Kh1 Kf7 27. f5 exf5 28. Qxc4+ Ne6 29. Nd4 Qd7 30. Rb1 Rc8 31. Qxa6) 17. Nf5 ({RR} 17. Nf3) 17... g6 ({RR} 17... Ne6 18. Rad1 g6 19. Rxd8+ Kxd8 20. Nd5 Nxd5 21. exd5 gxf5 22. dxe6 Qc6 23. Rd1+ Kc8 24. Qf3 f4 25. Qxc6+ Bxc6 26. Bb6 Kb7 27. Ba5 Rg8) ({RR} 17... Nd3 18. Bg5 Bc5 19. Rad1 O-O 20. Bxf6 Rxf6 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. Rxd3 Rdf8 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. Rxd5) 18. Bg5 Qf7 19. Nd5 Bxd5 ({RR} 19... Nxd5 20. exd5 Rxd5) 20. exd5 gxf5 ({RR} 20... Rxd5 21. Rad1) 21. Qxe5+ Be7 22. d6 Rxd6 23. Qxc5 O-O 24. Qxf5 ({RR} 24. Rae1) 24... Rd5 25. Qf4 Qh5 26. h4 ({RR} 26. Bxf6 Bxf6) 26... Ng4 27. Bxh7+ Kh8 ({RR} 27... Kg7 28. Qc7) 28. Bg6 Rxf4 29. Bxh5 Bxg5 30. hxg5 {Radjabov,T (2599)-Anand,V (2757) Dubai 2002 CBM 089 [Lutz,Christopher] ½-½ (51)}) ({RR} 15... O-O-O) 16. Nf5 {The more active continuation. Die aktivere Fortsetzung.} (16. Nf3 {looks slightly more refined, by aiming to take advantage of the weakness of the e6-square, but Kasparov proved that Black can ignore the threat ?g5 with sieht etwas raffinierter aus mit der Idee, aus der Schwäche des Feldes e6 Vorteil zu ziehen. Doch Kasparov wie nach, dass Schwarz die Drohung ?g5 ignorieren kann, und zwar mit} Be7 $5 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2678)-Kasparov,G (2804)/Linares 2005/CBM 106/[Lutz] (0-1, 36).} ({RR} 16... Rd8 17. Qe2 Be7 18. a4 Ncxe4 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 ({RR} 19... Nxe4 20. axb5 axb5 21. Ra7) 20. Bxe4 Nxe4 21. axb5 axb5 22. Ra7) ({RR} 16... Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Re1 Bd6 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Ng5 Bd3 21. Qf3) ({RR} 16... Bxe4 17. Nxe4 Ncxe4 18. Bxe4) ({RR} 16... Nfxe4 17. Nxe4) ({RR} 16... Bd6 17. Nd5) {RR} 17. Qe2 ({RR} 17. Nd5) 17... O-O 18. Ng5 Rae8 19. b4 cxb3 20. axb3 h6 21. b4 Ncd7 22. Bb3+ Kh8 23. Rac1 hxg5 24. Nxb5 Qb8 25. Nc7 Bxe4 26. Nxe8 Qxe8 27. f3 Bd5) ({RR} 16. Nf3 Be7 17. Ng5 O-O ({RR} 17... Qc6 18. Nd5 h6 19. Bxc5 ({RR} 19. Nf3) 19... Bxc5 20. Ne6 Kf7 21. Nxc5 Qxc5 22. Nxf6 gxf6 23. Qd7+ Qe7 24. Qf5 ({RR} 24. Rad1) 24... Qe6 25. Qh5+ Ke7 26. b3 c3 27. b4 Rag8 28. Qe2 Qc4 29. Qxc4 bxc4 30. Rfe1 Rd8 31. Re3 Rd4 32. f3) ({RR} 17... h6 18. Bxc5 hxg5 19. Be3 g4 20. Qe2 O-O-O 21. a4 b4 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23. exd5 Bxd5 24. Qxg4+ Kb8 25. Rfd1 Bf6 26. Rd2 Bb7 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Be4 Rd4 29. Bxd4 exd4 30. Bxb7 Kxb7 31. Rc1 Qe5 32. Qd7+) 18. Bxc5 Bxc5 19. Ne6 Qb6 20. Nxf8 Rxf8 21. Nd5 ({RR} 21. Qe2 Qe6) ({RR} 21. a4 Bxf2+ 22. Kh1 Bd4 23. axb5 axb5) 21... Bxd5 22. exd5 Bxf2+ 23. Kh1 ({RR} 23. Rxf2 Ng4 24. Qxg4 Qxf2+ 25. Kh1 Qf1+ 26. Rxf1 Rxf1#) 23... e4 24. Qe2 ({RR} 24. a4 Rd8 25. axb5 axb5 26. Qe2 e3 27. Rad1 Qd6 28. Bf5 Qf4 29. Bh3 g6) ({RR} 24. d6 e3 25. Bf5 g6 26. Bh3 Kg7) 24... e3 25. Rfd1 ({RR} 25. Rad1 Qd6 26. Bf5 Kh8 27. Rxf2 exf2 28. Qxf2 Re8) 25... Qd6 26. a4 g6 27. axb5 axb5 28. g3 Nh5 ({RR} 28... Qe5 29. d6 Nh5 30. d7 Nxg3+ 31. hxg3 Qxg3 32. Bf5) 29. Qg4 Bxg3 30. hxg3 ({RR} 30. Qe6+ Qxe6 31. dxe6 Bh4) ({RR} 30. Rg1 Bxh2 ({RR} 30... Bf2 31. Qxh5 Bxg1 32. Rxg1 Rf1 33. Qg4 Rf2 34. Qe6+ Qxe6 35. dxe6 Rxc2) 31. Qxh5 ({RR} 31. Bxg6 hxg6 32. Qxg6+ Qxg6 33. Rxg6+ Kh7 34. Re6 Bf4) 31... Bxg1 32. Rxg1 Rf1) 30... Nxg3+ {Kasimdzhanov,R (2678)-Kasparov,G (2804) Linares 2005 CBM 106 [Lutz,Christopher] 0-1 (36)}) 16... g6 $5 $146 {Immediately questioning the stability of the enemy knight. Stellt sofort die Stabilität des feindlichen Springers in Frage.} ({Inserting the moves Der Einschub der ZÜg} 16... Rd8 17. Qe2 {before playing vor} g6 $6 {is not an improvement for Black. ist keine Verbesserung für Schwarz:} 18. Bg5 $1 Qb6 (18... gxf5 19. Bxf6 {[%csl Rd8,Rh8]}) 19. Ne3 Be7 20. Ned5 Nxd5 21. exd5 Qc7 (21... Bxg5 22. Qxe5+ {[%csl Rg5,Rh8]}) 22. Bxe7 (22. Bh6 $16) 22... Qxe7 {Ehlvest,J (2593)-Milman,L (2473)/ICC INT 2006/CBM 114 ext (1-0, 67)} 23. Rad1 O-O 24. a3 $14) ({Black can capture the central pawn with Schwarz kann den Zentrumsbauern mit} 16... Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 {, but White generally obtains a strong initiative for the small material investment. Here is a recent example. einsacken, doch Weiß erlangt generell eine starke Initiative für die geringe Materialinvestition. Hier ein aktuelles Beispiel.} 18. Qg4 $5 (18. a4 Qc6 19. axb5 axb5 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Qg4 g6 22. Nh6 Nf6 23. Qg3 Bxh6 24. Bxh6 Kf7 25. f4 exf4 26. Bxf4 Re8 27. Bg5 Re6 $132 {Lautier,J (2630)-Kramnik,V (2775)/Monte Carlo 1996/CBM 052 ext (½-½, 35)}) (18. Re1 g6 19. Nh6 Nf6 20. Bf4 Bd6 21. Bxe5 O-O-O $1 $15 {Klimov,S (2509)-Yevseev,D (2550)/St Petersburg 2005/CBM 106 (0-1, 32)}) 18... Nf6 (18... Qc6 $2 19. Bxe4 Qxe4 20. Nxg7+ $1 $18 {unexpectedely leads to mate in two, with the cooperation of White's queen and bishop. führt unerwartet zweizügig zum Matt, unter Zusammenarbeit von Dame und Läufer von Weiß.}) (18... Nd6 19. Rad1 $36) 19. Qh3 g6 (19... Rd8 $5) (19... Kf7 $5) 20. Bg5 gxf5 21. Bxf6 Rg8 22. Rfe1 Qc6 $2 (22... Rxg2+ 23. Kf1 Rxf2+ $1 24. Kxf2 Qb6+) 23. Rxe5+ Kf7 {Optically, it seems that White's pieces are hanging, while the g2-square is under pressure. Optisch sieht es so aus, als ob die weißen Figuren hängen, während das Feld g2 unter Beschuss steht.} 24. Be4 $3 {The strongest move, leading to a forced win for White. Der stärkste Zug, der zu einem forcierten Gewinn für Weiß führt.} Qxf6 (24... fxe4 25. Qxh7+ Rg7 (25... Bg7 26. Qh5+ Kxf6 27. Qf5#) (25... Kxf6 26. Rf5+ Ke6 27. Qf7+ Kd6 28. Rd1+ $18) 26. Bxg7 Bxg7 27. Rf5+ $18) 25. Rxf5 Bxe4 26. Rxf6+ Kxf6 27. Qh4+ Kf5 28. Qxh7+ Rg6 29. Re1 Rd8 (29... Bxg2 30. Qh5+ Kf6 31. Re6+ $1 $18 {[%csl Yg2,Yg6]}) 30. Qh5+ Rg5 31. Qf7+ {1-0 Akopian,V (2700)-Ippolito,D (2397)/Gibraltar 2007/CBM 116 ext}) 17. Nh6 {Rather straightforward. Ziemlich direkt.} ({The main alternative is} 17. Bg5 {when Black's best continuation is} Nfxe4 (17... gxf5 $2 18. Bxf6 $16 {[%CAl Yc3d5,Yd1h5]}) (17... Qc6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Ne3 $14 {[%csl Gc4,Rd5][%CAl Ya2a4]}) 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. Bf6 gxf5 $5 (20... Rg8 $6 21. Ng3 Bb7 22. Re1 $36) 21. Bxh8 (21. Qh5+ Qf7 22. Qxf7+ Kxf7 23. Bxh8 Bd6 $1 24. Rfd1 Bd3 $19 {[%csl Gh8]}) 21... Bd6 $15 {Black has a nice domination in the centre, while his king is safe now. Schwarz hat eine schöne Dominanz im Zentrum, während sein König jetzt sicher steht.}) ({RR} 17. Bg5 Nfxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Bf6 gxf5 21. Bxh8 Bd6 22. Bf6 Kf7 23. Bh4 Rg8 24. Qh5+ Ke6 25. f3 Bd3 26. Rfd1 Qg7 27. g4 fxg4 28. Qxg4+ Qxg4+ 29. fxg4 Rxg4+ 30. Bg3 h5 31. Kg2 h4 {Robertson,J (2119)-Taylor,M (2367) England 2018 0-1 (40)}) 17... Bg7 {Strategically, Black is more than OK. He has a mobile queenside majority and the d4-square at his disposal for the knights. Besides, all his pieces are actively placed; with one exception, the king: His Majesty cannot be transferred to the kingside, while long castling involves certain dangers. Strategisch ist die Stellung von Schwarz mehr als okay. Er hat eine mobile Damenflügelmajorität und das d4 Feld für seine Springer zur Verfügung. Außerdem stehen alle seine Figuren aktiv, mit einer Ausnahme, dem König: Ihre Majestät kann nicht zum Königsflügel überführt werden, während die lange Rochade gewisse Risiken birgt. Estrategicamente, las negras están muy bien. Tienen una mayoría móvil de peones en el flanco de dama y disponen de la casilla de d4 para sus caballos. Además, todas sus figuras están muy activas. Con una sola excepción, el rey, que no puede ser llevado al flanco de rey, mientras que el enroque largo supone ciertos peligros... Hay ciertas situaciones semejantes (incluso el caballo en h6) en las Sicilianas.} 18. Qf3 $146 ({RR} 18. Bg5 Ne6 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nd5 Qg7 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Ng4 Qg5 23. Qd6 Qxg4 24. Qxe5 Ke7 25. f4 Rhf8 26. Rf2 Rxf4 27. Bd1 Qh4 28. g3 Rxe4 29. Qxe6+ Kxe6 30. gxh4 Re1+ 31. Rf1 Rxf1+ 32. Kxf1 Rf8+ {Chiang,S (2098)-Mulyar,M (2383) Wheeling 2013 0-1 (50)}) 18... Ne6 19. Qh3 (19. Rad1 Nd4 $1 20. Bxd4 $2 exd4 21. Rxd4 $2 Qe5 $1 $19 {[%csl Rd4,Gf6,Rh6]}) 19... Bc8 $5 20. Qh4 $6 ({Anand's next move was not easy to anticipate, but objectively speaking the slightly riskier Anands nächster Zug war nicht leicht vorauszusehen, aber objektiv gesehen kommt das leicht riskantere} 20. Qg3 {comes into consideration. The queen does not feel uncomfortable after in Betracht. Die Dame fühlt sich nach} Nh5 21. Qh4 Bf6 22. Qg4 {, for instance nicht unwohl, zum Beispiel} Nd4 23. Nd5 {and one can feel that Black's pieces have neglected the control of the crucial d5-square. und man spürt, dass die schwarzen Figuren die Kontrolle des kritischen Feldes d5 vernachlässigt haben.}) 20... Qe7 21. Rfe1 (21. Ng4 Nxg4 22. Qxg4 Nd4 23. Qd1 Be6 $15 24. Nd5 $6 Qd6 $1 $17 {and White loses stability in the centre. und Weiß verliert die Stabilität im Zentrum.}) 21... Nd5 $1 {The culmination of Black's defensive plan. After the exchange of queens, the king will feel much safer and Black would maintain the favourable aspects of his position. Der Höhepunkt des Verteidigungsplan von Schwarz. Nach dem Damentausch wird sich der König viel sicherer fühlen, während die günstigen Aspekte seiner Position erhalten bleiben. La culminación del plano defensivo delas negras. Después del cambio de damas, el rey se sentirá mucho más seguro, mientras que los aspectos favorables de la posición persistirán.} 22. Qxe7+ Nxe7 23. Nd5 ({Since the remote times when I played 1.e4, I remember that it is always useful to play Seit den fernen Zeiten, als ich noch 1.e4 spielte, habe ich mir gemerkt, dass es immer nützlich ist, Desde los tiempos que yo jugaba 1.e4, me acuerdo que en las Sicilianas siempre es útil jugar} 23. a4 {before jumping with the knight to d5. However, there is a small tactical detail here: after einzuschalten, bevor man mit dem Springer nach d5 hüpft. Hier gibt es aber ein kleines taktisches Detail: Nach antes de saltar con el caballo a d5. Sin embargo, en esta posición hay un pequeño detalle: después de} Nf4 {the h6-knight feels uncomfortable. fühlt sich der h6-Springer nicht wohl. el caballo de h6 se siente muy incómodo.}) (23. Ng4 h5) 23... Bb7 24. Ng4 {Hoping to get some counterplay against the e5-pawn in case of the immediate double capture on d5. Hofft, im Fall des sofortigen Doppelschlagens auf d5 etwas Gegenspiel gegen den e5 Bauern zu bekommen. Esperando obtener contrajuego contra el peón de e5 en caso de la captura doble inmediata en d5.} Nd4 25. Bd1 (25. Bxd4 exd4 26. Nc7+ Kf7 27. Nxa8 Rxa8 {[%csl Gb2][%CAl Yd4d3]} 28. e5 d3 29. Bd1 {looks quite unattractive for White. Black's pawns will be hard to stop in the near future. sieht ziemlich unattraktiv für Weiß. Die schwarzen Bauern werden in naher Zukunft schwer zu stoppen.}) 25... Nxd5 26. exd5 O-O-O 27. Bg5 Rxd5 $17 {White has lost an important pawn without any compensation. However, Black's kingside structure is far from optimal, which offers White chances to stay alive for a while. Weiß hat ohne jegliche Kompensation einen wichtigen Bauern eingebüßt. Doch die gegnerische Struktur am Königsflügel ist bei weitem nicht optimal, was ihm Chancen bietet, eine Weile am Leben zu bleiben. Las blancas han perdido un importante peón sin compensación alguna. Sin embargo, la estructure negra del flanco de rey es algo imperfecta, lo que les permite a las blancas sobrevivir por algún rato.} 28. b3 c3 29. Ne3 Rc5 30. Rc1 Rc7 31. b4 Kb8 32. h3 h6 33. Bh4 Nf5 (33... c2 $5 34. Be2 (34. Nxc2 Rhc8 $19) 34... Rc3 $19) 34. Nxf5 gxf5 35. Bc2 Rc4 36. Be7 e4 37. Bb3 Rd4 38. Bc5 (38. Rxc3 $2 Rd7 $1 $19 {[%csl Rc3,Re7]}) 38... Rd3 39. Be6 Bc8 40. Bb3 Re8 41. Bf7 Re5 42. Be3 Re7 43. Bg6 Be6 44. h4 Bxa2 45. Bxf5 Bd5 46. Bc5 Re8 47. f3 Kb7 48. fxe4 Bc6 {White has managed to win his pawn back, but his king is very exposed. Weiß ist es gelungen, seinen Bauern zurückzugewinnen, doch sein König ist sehr exponiert. Las blancas han conseguído recuperar el peón, pero su rey se encuentra muy expuesto.} 49. Kf2 Rd2+ 50. Ke3 Be5 ({Not the only good move. Black could have created a second passed pawn with Nicht der einzige gute Zug. Schwarz hätte einen zweiten Freibauern bilden können mit No es la única jugada buena. Las negras podían haber creado un segundo peón pasado con} 50... a5 $5 {since , denn ya que} 51. bxa5 $2 {is impossible because of ist unmöglich wegen es imposible por} Rd5 $1 {winning one of the bishops. mit Gewinn eines der beiden Läufer. ganando uno de los alfiles.}) 51. Kf3 Red8 52. Re3 Rg8 53. g4 Rh2 54. h5 Rd8 55. g5 Rxh5 56. Be7 Re8 $6 ({Slowing down the rhythm. Black would have obtained a practically decisive attack with Verlangsamt den Rhythmus. Mit Bajando un pcoo el ritmo. las negras podían haber obtenido ataque practicamente decisivo con} 56... Rd2 {for instance hätte Schwarz einen praktisch entscheidenden Angriff erlangen können, z.B. por ejemplo} 57. Rcxc3 Rhh2 {Threatening mate in two and practically forcing the next move. Droht Matt in zwei und erzwingt praktisch den nächsten Zug. Amenazando mate en dos y practicamente forzando la jugada siguíente.} 58. gxh6 Be8 $1 {when the king cannot survive the combined attack of all Black's pieces. Anand's failure to win this game might have been caused by the fact that he expected to achieve his goal by purely technical means, not by a sharp attack. If this is true, Morozevich's merit consists of having faced his mighty opponent with such a dificult psychological task. , wonach der König dem kombinierten Angriff sämtlicher schwarzen Figuren nicht überleben kann. Anands Versäumnis, diese Partie zu gewinnen, wurde vielleicht verursacht durch die Tatsache, dass er erwartete, sein Ziel allein mit technischen Mitteln zu erreichen, nicht mit einem scharfen Angriff. Wenn dies zutrifft, besteht die Leistung Morozevichs darin, seinem mächtigen Gegner eine derart schwierige psychologische Aufgabe vorgesetzt zu haben. y el rey no puede sobrevivir al ataque combinado de todas las figuras negras. El fracaso de Anand puede haber sido causado por el hecho de que el esperaba ganar por métodos puramente técnicos y no por un ataque agudo. Si esto es verdad, es el mérito de Morozevich de haberle provocado a su fortisimo rival un problema sicológico tan complejo.}) 57. Kg4 Rh2 58. Bf6 Rg2+ ({Anand's decision to force a draw looks premature. He could have maintained his advantage with Anands Entscheidung, Remis durch Zugwiederholung zu forcieren, wirkt verfrüht. Er hätte seinen Vorteil behaupten können mit La decisión de Anand de frozar las tablas parece premátura. Las negras conservarían la ventaja después de} 58... Rg8 59. Kf3 ({If Nach After} 59. Bxe5 Rxg5+ {Black would win the f5-bishop because of the pin of the central pawn. würde Schwarz aufgrund der Fesselung des Zentralbauern den f5-Läufer gewinnen. las negras recuperarían el alfil de f5 por la clavada del peón entral.} 60. Kf4 (60. Kf3 Rxf5+ $17) 60... Rf2+ 61. Rf3 Rxf3+ 62. Kxf3 Rxf5+ $17) 59... Rxg5 $1 60. Bxg5 hxg5 $17 {with total domination. mit totaler Dominanz. con dominación total.}) 59. Kh3 Rh2+ 60. Kg4 Rg2+ 61. Kh3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Novgorod"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "2"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D48"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Kharitonov,Andrei Y"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1994.08.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 043"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. d5 Qc7 (10... c4 11. dxe6 (11. Bc2 Qc7 (11... e5 12. O-O Qc7 13. Ne2 Rb8 14. Ng3 h6 15. Bd2 $14 {Karpov,A-Kamsky,G/Las Palmas/1994/0,5 (52)}) 12. O-O Bc5 13. Qe2 e5 14. Bd2 O-O 15. a3 Ne8 16. b4 Bd4 17. a4 Rb8 18. axb5 axb5 19. Ra5 $14 {Karpov,A-Morovic Fernandez,I/Las Palmas/1994/0,5 (38)}) 11... cxd3 12. exd7+ Qxd7 13. O-O Bb7 14. Re1 Be7 15. e5 Nd5 16. Qxd3 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 O-O 18. Bg5 Rac8 19. Qe3 Bxg5 20. Nxg5 Rc2 21. b3 $14 {Karpov,A-Lutz,Ch/BRD/1994/0,5 (45)}) 11. O-O (11. dxe6 fxe6 12. b3 $5 c4 13. bxc4 bxc4 14. Bb1 Bb4 15. Bd2 Qa5 16. Qc1 $14) 11... Bb7 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. Bc2 (13. b3 $5 b4 (13... Bd6 $2 14. Bxb5) (13... c4 14. bxc4 bxc4 15. Bc2 $14) 14. Na4 Nxe4 15. Re1 $36) 13... c4 14. Ng5 Nc5 15. e5 Qxe5 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Qxd6 Bxd6 18. Be3 O-O 19. Rad1 Be7 20. Bxc5 Bxc5 21. Nxe6 Rfc8 22. h3 (22. Nxc5 Rxc5 23. Re7 Rb8 $1 $13 {Karpov}) 22... Rab8 $1 (22... b4 23. Na4 Ba7 24. Nxg7 Kxg7 25. Re7+ $18) (22... Bf8 $6 23. g4 h6 24. f4 Bf3 25. Rd2 Bc6 26. g5 hxg5 27. fxg5 Nd7 28. Nxf8 Nxf8 29. Rd6 $16 {Karpov,A-Kramnik,V/Linares/1994/1:0 (40)}) ({RR} 22... Bb6 23. Nxg7 Kxg7 24. Re7+ Kf8 25. Rxb7 Rab8 26. Rxb8 Rxb8 27. g4 h6 28. Kg2 Bc7 29. Nd5 Nxd5 30. Rxd5 Rd8 31. Rxd8+ Bxd8 32. Kg3 a5 33. b3 cxb3 34. Bxb3 a4 35. Bc2 Ba5 36. Kf4 Be1 37. f3 {So,W (2754)-Sindarov,J (2776) Warsaw POL 2026 1-0 (45)}) 23. Nxc5 (23. a3 Ba7 $13) (23. g4 Bf3 24. Rd2 Bb6 $13) 23... Rxc5 24. Re6 $146 ({RR} 24. Rd6 Rc6 25. Rd4 Kf8 26. g4 h6 27. f4 Re8 28. Rxe8+ Nxe8 29. Kf2 Rc5 30. Bg6 Nf6 31. Rd8+ Ke7 32. Rb8 Bc8 33. Ke3 Rc6 34. Be4 Nxe4 35. Kxe4 Kd6 36. Nd5 c3 37. Nxc3 Kc7 38. Rxc8+ Kxc8 {Dukhov,A (2340)-Yagupov,I (2415) Bryansk 1995 0-1 (48)}) ({RR} 24. Rd6 b4 25. Na4 Rd5 26. Rb6 Rb5 27. Rxb5 {½-½ (27) Gelfand,B (2685)-Shirov,A (2695) Biel 1995}) 24... b4 25. Na4 Rg5 $1 26. g3 Rh5 27. h4 Bf3 28. Rd4 Bd5 29. Re7 Bf7 30. f4 (30. f4 Rhb5 $15) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 3rd"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2015.06.18"] [Round "3"] [White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D48"] [WhiteElo "2723"] [BlackElo "2798"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2015.06.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 167"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 Qc7 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. Bc2 Bd6 14. Ng5 Nf8 15. f4 O-O-O 16. Qe1 e5 17. f5 h6 18. Nf3 N8d7 19. Kh1 Rhe8 $146 ({RR} 19... c4 20. Bd2 Qc6 21. Rc1 Nc5 22. a4 b4 23. Nd5 Nxd5 24. exd5 Qxd5 25. Bxb4 e4 26. Nd2 e3 27. Nf3 Rhe8 28. Qe2 Kb8 29. Bxc5 Qxc5 30. Bb1 Bc7 31. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 32. Rxd1 Qb4 33. Ba2 Re4 34. Bb1 {Wilhelmi,C (2445)-Pavasovic,D (2505) Lippstadt 1998 0-1 (59)}) 20. Bd2 Qc6 21. Rd1 Nb6 22. Nd5 $2 (22. Be3 $13) 22... Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd7 24. Ba5 e4 25. Ng1 Bc7 26. d6 Bxa5 27. Qxa5 e3 28. Ne2 Qc6 0-1 [Event "Linares 27th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2010.02.18"] [Round "5"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D48"] [WhiteElo "2781"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2010.02.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 135"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.03.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.03.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. a4 Bb7 10. b3 $5 $146 {This new move is hardly dangerous for Black.} (10. O-O {and}) (10. Qe2 {are usually played.}) ({RR} 10. e4 b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6 cxb2 13. fxg7 bxa1=Q 14. gxh8=Q Qa5+ 15. Ke2 c5 16. Qxh7 cxd4 17. Bd2 Bxf3+ 18. gxf3 Qa2 19. Rg1 Rb8 20. Qc2 Qxc2 21. Bxc2 Qc7 22. Bd3 Rb2 23. Rd1 Nc5 24. Kf1 Qc6 {Aradhya,G (2383)-Durarbayli,V (2612) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (39)}) 10... bxa4 $146 ({RR} 10... b4 11. Ne4 c5 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 13. Bb2 cxd4 14. exd4 Qc7 15. Rc1 Qf4 16. Be2 Bd6 17. g3 Qh6 18. O-O Ke7 19. Ne1 Rhc8 20. Bf3 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Qg5 22. Nd3 h5 23. Nc5 h4 24. Nxd7 Kxd7 25. Qb7+ {Akobian,V (2625)-Shankland,S (2731) Saint Louis 2019 ½-½ (40)}) 11. Nxa4 c5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 {The only thing White can hope for is, that Black's a6-pawn is slightly weaker than White's b3-pawn, but it is not enough to claim any advantage.} 14. O-O O-O 15. Bb2 Bxf3 $5 {A risky concept. White's double pawns are not weak and don't compensate his bishop pair.} (15... a5 $11) {Fortunately, the position is so drawish that it is not so easy to spoil it.} 16. gxf3 a5 17. f4 Be7 18. Bc4 Ne4 19. Qc2 Bf6 20. Rfd1 Qc7 21. Qxe4 Bxb2 22. Ra2 Bf6 23. f5 $1 exf5 24. Qxf5 $14 {[%csl Gc4][%CAl Gc4f7]} Rfd8 25. Rd5 $1 {White now wins the a5-pawn, but this material advantage can hardly be converted.} Qb6 26. Rb5 Qd6 27. Rbxa5 Rxa5 28. Rxa5 g6 29. Qf3 Kg7 30. Kg2 Qc7 31. Rd5 {It would be much more favorable for White to exchange queens rather than rooks, but that is rather impossible to achieve.} Rxd5 32. Qxd5 Bc3 33. Kf1 f5 34. Kg2 Qe7 35. Kf1 Qc7 36. h3 Qh2 37. Qf3 Bf6 38. b4 Qc7 39. Qd5 Qe5 40. Qf7+ Kh6 41. b5 Qd6 42. Qb7 f4 43. Qf3 fxe3 44. fxe3 Bd8 45. Ke2 Bb6 46. h4 Qe5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 12th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "11"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D48"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "1994.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 040"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Kharitonov,Andrei Y Ernst Kortschnoj Hansen,Cu} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. d5 c4 11. dxe6 ({RR} 11. Bc2 Qc7 ({RR} 11... e5 12. O-O Qc7 13. Ne2 Rb8 14. Ng3 h6 15. Bd2) 12. O-O Bc5 13. Qe2 e5 14. Bd2 O-O 15. a3 Ne8 16. b4 Bd4 17. a4 Rb8 18. axb5 axb5 19. Ra5) 11... fxe6 ({RR} 11... cxd3 12. exd7+ Qxd7 13. O-O Bb7 14. Re1 Be7 15. e5 Nd5 16. Qxd3 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 O-O 18. Bg5 Rac8 19. Qe3 Bxg5 20. Nxg5 Rc2 21. b3) 12. Bc2 Bb7 (12... Qc7 {Ernst} 13. O-O Bc5) ({RR} 12... Qc7 13. O-O {½-½ (22) Hanssen,G (2275)-Serper,G (2560) Oslo 1994}) 13. O-O Qc7 14. Ng5 (14. e5 {Hansen,Cu} Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Bg5 (17. Qe2 Be7 18. Qxe6 Qxe6 19. Rxe6 Kf7 $15 {Ashley,M-Polgar,Zso/New York/1992/}) 17... O-O-O 18. Qe2 Qc6 19. Qxe6+ Qxe6 20. Rxe6 Bc5 $15 {Greenfeld,A-Pinter,J/Beersheba/1988/}) 14... Nc5 (14... Qc6 {Hansen,Cu} 15. Qf3 Bc5 16. Qh3 Ke7 17. Nf3 b4 18. Ne2 Nxe4 19. Ned4 Qb6 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 21. Qg4 Bxd4 22. Qxe4 Bf6 23. Qxc4 $16 {Gligoric,S-Ljubojevic,L/Linares/1981/}) 15. e5 (15. Qe2 Bd6 16. f4 h6 17. Nh3 Nd3 18. e5 Bc5+ 19. Kh1 Nd5 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. b3 O-O 22. bxc4 bxc4 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 {Kragelj,I-Volzhin,A/Ljubljana op (8/17)/1992/0-1 (35)}) (15. Be3 h6 16. Nh3 Bd6 17. f4 e5 18. fxe5 Bxe5 19. Nf4 O-O 20. Nfd5 Qd6 21. Nxf6+ Rxf6 22. Rxf6 gxf6 23. Qh5 Bd4 24. Qg6+ {Kempinski,R-Royer,S/Cappelle op (02)/1993/1-0 (26)}) (15. f4 h6 (15... Rd8 16. Qe2 h6 17. Nh3 Nd3 18. e5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Rxd5 20. Be3 Bc5 21. Nf2 Nxf2 22. Bxf2 Bxf2+ 23. Rxf2 O-O 24. Qg4 {Anikaev,Y-Mikhalchishin,A/USSR 28/589/1979/1-0 (38)}) 16. e5 hxg5 (16... Nd3 17. Bxd3 O-O-O 18. Nf3 Rxd3 19. Qe2 Bc5+ 20. Kh1 Nd5 21. Ne4 Rf8 22. Ne1 Rd4 23. Nxc5 Qxc5 24. Qg4 {Gligoric,S-Yusupov,A/Vrbas 30/576/1980/0-1 (42)}) 17. Bg6+ Ke7 18. Qe2 Nfd7 19. f5 Kd8 20. fxe6 Nxe6 21. Bf5 Kc8 22. Rd1 Bc5+ 23. Kh1 Nd4 24. Qg4 {Ftacnik,L-Panchenko,AN/Sochi/1977/0-1 (30)}) (15. Qf3 {Hansen,Cu} Bd6 16. Qh3 O-O-O 17. b4 (17. f4 {0,5/Seirawan,Y-Ribli,Z/Skelleftea Wcup/1989/}) 17... cxb3 18. Bxb3 Kb8 19. Be3 h6 20. Nxe6 Nxe6 21. Bxe6 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Bxe4 23. a4 $16 {Klauser,M-Pelletier,Y/SWZ-ch/1993/}) 15... Qxe5 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Qxd6 $1 (17. Be3 Qc6 18. Qf3 Qxf3 19. gxf3 Nd3 20. Bxd3 cxd3 21. Rad1 h6 22. Nxe6 Kf7 23. Bc5 Bxc5 24. Nxc5 {Mackay,I-Swan,I/SCO-ch100/1993/1-0 (40)}) 17... Bxd6 18. Be3 $5 (18. Nxe6 {Hansen,Cu} Nxe6 19. Rxe6+ Kd7 20. Re2 (20. Bf5 Kc7 21. Re1 (21. Bh6 gxh6 22. Rxf6 Raf8 $15 {Herb,P-Speelman,J/French tt/1992/}) 21... Rhe8 $15 {Rieke,T-Kreuzkamp,R/2.BLW/1990/}) 20... Rae8 $15 {Lakic,N-Stanojoski,Z/ch-YU/1992/}) 18... O-O (18... Nd3 19. Bxd3 cxd3 20. Nxe6 Kf7 21. Bc5 (21. Nf4 b4 22. Na4 Bxf4 23. Bxf4 Nd5 24. Bg3 Rac8 25. Rad1 $16) 21... Rhe8 22. Ng5+ Kg6 23. Bxd6 Kxg5 24. Red1 b4 25. Bxb4 Rad8 $16) 19. Rad1 Be7 (19... Rfd8 $2 20. Rxd6 Rxd6 21. Bxc5 $18) 20. Bxc5 Bxc5 21. Nxe6 Rfc8 22. h3 (22. Nxc5 Rxc5 23. Re7 Bc6 24. b4 Rg5 25. g3 Re8 $13) ({RR} 22. Nxc5 Rxc5 23. Re7 Rb8) 22... Bf8 (22... Ba7 23. Nxg7 (23. g4 h6 24. Bf5 b4 $13) 23... b4 24. Re7 $1 (24. Nb1 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Kxg7 26. Re7+ Kf8 27. Re6 Kf7 28. Rxa6 (28. Rdd6 Bd4 $1) 28... Bc5 29. Rxa8 Rxa8 30. a3 bxa3 31. bxa3 Bxa3 32. Rd4 $14) 24... bxc3 25. Rxb7 cxb2 26. Nf5 Rcb8 27. Rc7 $1 $16) (22... b4 23. Na4 Ba7 24. Nxg7 $1 Bxg2 $1 (24... Kxg7 25. Re7+) 25. Kxg2 Kxg7 26. Re7+ Kh8 27. Rd6 $36) (22... Bb6 {Hansen,Cu} 23. Nxg7 $16) (22... Bb4 $5 {Hansen,Cu}) (22... Rab8 $5 {Kortschnoj} {RR} 23. a3 ({RR} 23. g4 Bf3 24. Rd2 Bb6) 23... Ba7) ({RR} 22... Bb6 23. Nxg7 Kxg7 24. Re7+ Kf8 25. Rxb7 Rab8 26. Rxb8 Rxb8 27. g4 h6 28. Kg2 Bc7 29. Nd5 Nxd5 30. Rxd5 Rd8 31. Rxd8+ Bxd8 32. Kg3 a5 33. b3 cxb3 34. Bxb3 a4 35. Bc2 Ba5 36. Kf4 Be1 37. f3 {So,W (2754)-Sindarov,J (2776) Warsaw POL 2026 1-0 (45)}) ({RR} 22... Rab8 23. Nxc5 Rxc5 24. Re6 b4 25. Na4 Rg5 26. g3 Rh5 27. h4 Bf3 28. Rd4 Bd5 29. Re7 Bf7 30. f4 {½-½ (30) Kramnik,V (2725)-Shirov,A (2740) Novgorod 1994 CBM 043 [Kharitonov,Andrei Y]} {RR} Rhb5) ({RR} 22... b4 23. Na4 Ba7 24. Nxg7 Kxg7 25. Re7+) 23. g4 $146 h6 (23... b4 24. Na4 Bf3 (24... Rab8 25. Nb6 Rc6 26. Nxc4 $5 Rxc4 27. Bb3 $36) 25. Rd4 Rab8 26. Nxf8 Kxf8 27. Rf4 $18) 24. f4 Bf3 (24... b4 25. Na4 Bf3 26. Rd4 Rab8 27. Kf2 $16) (24... Re8 {Hansen,Cu} 25. g5 $16) 25. Rd2 (25. Rd4 Re8 26. Kf2 Rxe6 27. Rxe6 Bc5 28. Kxf3 Bxd4 $14) 25... Bc6 (25... b4 26. Na4 c3 27. bxc3 bxc3 28. Rf2 Bd5 29. Nb6 Bxe6 30. Rxe6 Bc5 31. Nxa8 Rxa8 32. Rc6 $16) 26. g5 hxg5 27. fxg5 Nd7 (27... Nh5 $2 {Kortschnoj} 28. Bg6 Ng3 29. Kh2 $18) 28. Nxf8 (28. Ne4 Ne5 $1 29. Rf1 Nd3) (28. Rd4 b4 (28... Re8 $5) 29. Rh4 $5 bxc3 30. Bh7+ Kf7 (30... Kh8) 31. Nd8+ $3 Rxd8 32. Rf4+ Nf6 33. g6#) (28. Be4 {Hansen,Cu} Nc5 29. Bf5 Re8 $132) 28... Nxf8 (28... Rxf8 29. Re6 (29. Rd6 $14 {Hansen,Cu}) 29... Nb8 30. Re7 $16) (28... Kxf8 $2 29. Bh7 g6 $8 30. Rf2+ Kg7 31. Re7+ Kh8 32. Bxg6 $18) 29. Rd6 (29. Re7 Rd8 $1) 29... b4 (29... Bd7 30. Be4 Rab8 31. Bd5+ Kh8 32. Re4 $40) (29... Ra7 $5 {Hansen,Cu} 30. Bf5 (30. h4 $5) 30... Rcc7 31. Nd5 Bxd5 32. Rxd5 $14) (29... Re8 {Kortschnoj} 30. Rxe8 Bxe8 31. Nd5 $16) 30. Ne4 (30. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 31. Rxd5 c3 (31... Rd8 $5 $14 {Hansen,Cu}) 32. g6 $1 (32. Bb3 Kh7 $1 (32... Kh8 33. g6 $18)) 32... a5 33. Rb5 $1 a4 34. Be4 $1 Rab8 (34... cxb2 35. Bd5+ Kh8 36. Bf7 $18) 35. Bd5+ Kh8 36. Re5 $18) 30... Be8 (30... Nd7 {Hansen,Cu} 31. Ng3 {??e7/??f5}) (30... Bxe4 {Ernst} 31. Bxe4 $16) 31. Ng3 Rd8 (31... c3 $5 {Hansen,Cu} 32. Nf5 cxb2 33. Ne7+ Kh8 34. Nxc8 Rxc8 35. Rd2 $14) 32. Nf5 Rxd6 (32... a5 33. Be4 Rac8 34. Bd5+ Kh7 35. Bxc4 $18) 33. Nxd6 Bg6 $2 (33... Bb5 34. Re4 c3 35. Rxb4 cxb2 36. Rxb2 $16) (33... Bd7 $1 34. Be4 (34. h4 Be6 35. Re4 b3 36. axb3 cxb3 $132) (34. Nxc4 Bxh3 35. Bb3 Kh7 $14) (34. g6 Be6 $1) 34... Rd8 35. Bd5+ Kh7 36. Bxc4 (36. h4 Bf5 $1) 36... Bxh3 37. Rd1 $14) (33... Bf7 $1 {Ernst} 34. Nxf7 (34. Re7 $1 Bd5 35. g6 $16 (35. Nf5 Ne6 36. Rd7 Bf3 37. Kf2 Bh5 $16)) 34... Kxf7 35. g6+ Kf6 36. Rf1+ Kg5 37. Rf7 Kh6 $1 (37... Rd8 38. Rxg7 Rd2 39. Rg8 $16) 38. Rc7 a5 39. Rxc4 Ra6 $16) 34. Bxg6 Nxg6 35. Nxc4 Rd8 36. Re4 (36. Kh2 {Kortschnoj} Rd5 37. Rg1 Nh4 $10) 36... b3 (36... Rd1+ 37. Kg2 (37. Kh2 {Hansen,Cu} Ra1 38. Re6 Nh4 39. Kg3 Nf5+ 40. Kg4 $18) 37... Ra1 38. h4 Rxa2 39. h5 Nf8 40. g6 $1 a5 41. Re8 a4 42. Kg3 Ra1 43. Nd6 a3 44. Nf5 Rf1 45. Ne7+ Kh8 46. bxa3 bxa3 47. Ra8 $18) 37. axb3 (37. a3 $1 $16 {Hansen,Cu}) (37. a4 $1 $16 {Kortschnoj}) 37... Rd3 38. Kg2 (38. Re3 Rxe3 (38... Rd5 $132 {Hansen,Cu}) 39. Nxe3 Nf4 40. Kh2 Nd3 41. Nc4 Nc1 42. Kg3 $1 Nxb3 43. h4 $16) 38... Rxb3 39. h4 Nf8 (39... Rb4 $5 {Hansen,Cu} 40. Kg3 $1 (40. h5 Ne5 41. Rxe5 (41. Nd6 Rxb2+ 42. Kg3 Rb6 43. Nf5 Rb3+ 44. Kg2 Rb2+ $10) 41... Rxc4 42. Kf3 $14) 40... Ne5 41. Nd6 Rxe4 (41... Rb3+ 42. Kf4 Nd3+ 43. Kf5 $16) 42. Nxe4 Kf7 43. Nc5 a5 44. h5 $16) 40. Re8 (40. Re8 Kf7 (40... Rb4 41. Rc8 Kf7 $1 (41... g6 $16 {Hansen,Cu}) (41... Kh7 $14 {Kortschnoj})) 41. Ra8 (41. Nd6+ Kg8 42. g6 Rxb2+ 43. Kf3 Rb6 44. Rd8 a5 45. h5 a4 46. Nf5 Rb3+ (46... Rf6 47. Kg4 Re6 48. Ra8 $18 Rf6 49. Kg5 Re6 50. Nxg7 $1 $18) 47. Kf4 Rb4+ 48. Kg5 Rb5 49. Ra8 (49. h6 gxh6+ 50. Kf6 Rb6+ 51. Nd6 Rb3 52. g7 Rf3+ 53. Nf5 Rxf5+ 54. Kxf5 Kxg7 55. Ra8 Kf7 56. Ra7+ Ke8 57. Rxa4 $16) 49... a3 50. Kf4 Rb4+ 51. Ke3 Rb3+ 52. Ke2 Rb2+ 53. Ke1 Rb1+ 54. Kd2 Rf1 55. Ne7+ Kh8 56. Rxa3 Ne6 57. Ra6 Nf8 58. Ra8 $18) 41... Rb4 42. Ne5+ Ke6 43. Nd3 (43. Re8+ Kf5 44. Nd3 Rg4+ 45. Kh3) 43... Rd4 44. Nc5+ (44. Rxa6+ Kd5 $14) 44... Kd5 45. Nxa6 Ne6 $14) 1-0 [Event "World-ch Anand-Kramnik +3-1=8"] [Site "Bonn"] [Date "2008.10.20"] [Round "5"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D49"] [WhiteElo "2772"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2008.10.14"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 127"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 ({Apart from inviting Black into the Meran with the text-move, Kramnik equally often played also} 6. Qc2 Bd6 {Here he preferred positional follow-ups (7.?d3, 7.b3), his most recent try was} 7. e4 ({Kramnik never played the ultra-sharp} 7. g4 {, but he had to face it lately:} Nxg4 8. Rg1 Nxh2 9. Nxh2 Bxh2 10. Rxg7 Nf8 11. Rg2 Bd6 12. e4 Ng6 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. O-O-O dxe4 16. Nxe4 f5 17. Nd2 c5 18. dxc5 Bd7 19. b4 O-O-O 20. Rg3 e5 21. Rd3 $13 Be6 $2 22. Ra3 a6 23. c6 $1 bxc6 24. c5 Qg5 25. Rxa6 Kd7 26. Bc4 $18 {?,Morozevich,A (2788)-Kramnik,V (2788)/Tal mem Moscow/2008/}) 7... Nxe4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Qxe4 c5 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Bxe7 Qa5+ 12. Ke2 $5 Kxe7 13. g3 cxd4 (13... Rd8 $5) 14. Bg2 Nf6 15. Qxd4 Rd8 16. Qf4 Bd7 17. Ne5 Rac8 $5 {?} (17... Ba4 18. b3 Rd2+ 19. Kf1 $5 (19. Qxd2 Qxe5+ 20. Qe3 Qb2+ 21. Qd2 {1/2,Laznicka,V (2594)-Atalik,S (2564)/Polanica Zdroj/2007/}) 19... Qc3 20. Re1 Be8 21. Bxb7 Rad8 22. Kg2 $14 {Atalik}) (17... Be8 18. Rhd1 Qb6 (18... Kf8 $5 19. Bxb7 Rab8 20. Rxd8 Qxd8 $1 21. Rd1 Qb6 $1 22. Bc6 $5 (22. Ng6+ hxg6 23. Qxb8 Ne4 $1 24. Rd8 Qxf2+ 25. Kd1 Qf1+ 26. Kc2 Qxc4+ 27. Kb1 Qf1+ $11) 22... Qxb2+ 23. Kf1 $44 {[%csl Gc4] ?c4 is a line, mentioned by Kramnik.}) 19. b3 Rac8 $5 (19... Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 22. Bxb7 Qa5 23. Qe3 Qxa2+ 24. Kf1 Qa5 25. Bf3 $16 {Kramnik,V (2772)-Gelfand,B (2733)/Dortmund/2007/}) 20. Rac1 h6 21. Qe3 Qxe3+ 22. Kxe3 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rc7 24. f4 Nd7 25. Nf3 h5 26. Nd4 a6 27. a4 g6 28. a5 Nb8 $1 29. Rc1 Nc6 $14 {/=,Ramesh,R (2470)-Savchenko,S (2571)/Benasque/2007/}) 18. Rhd1 Ba4 19. b3 Rc5 $11 {Krasenkow}) 6... dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 {Already the choice of Rubinstein's older move in Game 3 must have been the first surprise for Kramnik, as Anand avoided it in his earlier practice.} ({Recently he tried Zvjaginsev's} 8... Bd6 {with success:} 9. O-O O-O 10. b3 Bb7 11. Bb2 a6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Nf6 14. Bc2 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Ng5 Qxd1 17. Raxd1 Kh8 18. g3 h6 19. Bxf6 hxg5 20. Bb2 Rac8 21. Rc1 Rfd8 22. Rfd1 Bf3 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. a3 b4 25. a4 f5 26. Kf1 f4 27. Be4 $2 (27. gxf4 gxf4 28. exf4 Rd2 29. Bg6 $132) 27... Bxe4 28. Rxc5 Rd1+ 29. Ke2 Rb1 $17 {/-+,Carlsen,M (2690)-Anand,V (2779)/Morelia/Linares/2007/}) ({However, his main choice always used to be} 8... Bb7 {and now:} {His last game in this line against Kramnik went} 9. a3 (9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Nd4 Nc5 15. Be3 e5 16. Nf5 (16. Nf3 Be7 17. Ng5 O-O $1 18. Bxc5 Bxc5 19. Ne6 Qb6 $44) 16... g6 $5 $146 (16... Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Qg4 $5 Nf6 19. Qh3 $44) 17. Nh6 Bg7 18. Qf3 Ne6 19. Qh3 Bc8 20. Qh4 $6 (20. Qg3 $5 $13) 20... Qe7 21. Rfe1 Nd5 $1 22. Qxe7+ Nxe7 23. Nd5 Bb7 24. Ng4 Nd4 25. Bd1 Nxd5 26. exd5 O-O-O 27. Bg5 Rxd5 $17 {1/2 Morozevich,A (2758)-Anand,V (2792)/Mexico City 2007/CBM 120 (61)}) 9... Bd6 ({Anand in his practice adopted also the more usual} 9... b4 {-for more details see Carlsen-Aronian, Bilbao 2008 (CBM 126).}) 10. O-O O-O 11. Qc2 a6 (11... a5 12. e4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. h3 Re8 16. Be3 Qc7 17. Rad1 Rad8 18. Ne2 Bd6 19. Nd4 Nh5 20. Rfe1 Nf4 21. Bf1 Ne6 22. Nxe6 Rxe6 23. f4 f6 24. Qb3 Qf7 25. Bb6 a4 26. Qa2 Rd7 27. Be2 g6 28. e5 $1 $16 {Kramnik,V (2785)-Anand,V (2801)/Moscow exh/2007/ Although this was only a rapid "advanced chess" game and Anand later against Gelfand successfully played the stronger main move, preparing for Bonn he probably nevertheless felt this line would better suit his opponent.}) 12. b4 a5 13. Rb1 axb4 14. axb4 Qe7 15. e4 e5 16. dxe5 (16. Ne2 $5 Bxb4 17. Ng3 g6 18. dxe5 Ng4 19. Bg5 Qc5 20. e6 Nde5 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. Bf6 Qxc2 23. Bxc2 Bd6 24. Bb3 $36 {Svidler,P (2746)-Karjakin,S (2732)/Baku/2008/}) 16... Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Ne2 Qe6 19. f4 Ra2 20. Qd1 Ba1 $1 21. e5 c5 $3 22. exf6 Bd4+ 23. Rf2 Bxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Qd5 25. Bb2 Qxg2+ 26. Ke1 c4 $19 {Gelfand,B (2737)-Anand,V (2799)/Nice blindfold rpd/2008/}) 9. e4 c5 10. e5 ({The second main branch} 10. d5 {is often directly connected with the 8...?b7 line, e.g.,} c4 11. Bc2 Qc7 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. O-O Bb7 ({However, this move-order forces White to reckon with other alternatives as well:} 13... Bd6 {and especially}) (13... Bc5 $5)) 10... cxd4 11. Nxb5 ({The gambit} 11. Ne4 Nd5 12. O-O $44 {is in itself quite rare and Anand could be almost sure this wouldn't occur in Bonn.}) 11... axb5 {An important crossroads, where Black has two alternative options:} ({The least played is} 11... Ng4 {, but even here White doesn't seem to have a clear road to an undisputed advantage:} 12. Qa4 Bb7 13. Nbxd4 Qb6 14. O-O Bc5 15. h3 Bxf3 16. hxg4 Bd5 17. Nf3 (17. Nb3 O-O $1 18. Qxd7 Bxb3 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Qd3+ Kg8 21. Qxb3 Qxb3 22. axb3 Rfb8 $44 {leads to an ?, which Black should easily hold despite the material deficit.}) 17... Qb7 18. Qf4 O-O 19. g5 Rfd8 $1 $44 {[%CAl Yd7f8,Yf8g6] ??f8-g6} 20. Be3 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Qxf3 22. gxf3 Bxe3 23. fxe3 Nxe5 24. Be4 Rab8 25. b3 f5 26. gxf6 $11 {1/2,Moiseenko,A (2632)-Hoffmann,M (2477)/Bad Wiessee/2006/}) (11... Nxe5 {occurs about as often, as the text-move, here Black also holds his own:} 12. Nxe5 axb5 13. Bxb5+ ({An old, but inncuous try is} 13. Qf3 Bb4+ 14. Ke2 Rb8 15. Qg3 Qd6 16. Nf3 Qxg3 17. hxg3 Bd6 18. Nxd4 Bd7 19. Bd2 Be5 20. Bf4 Bxf4 21. gxf4 Ke7 22. Rac1 Rhc8 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 $11 {Ragozin,V-Botvinnik,M/Moscow/1946/}) ({After} 13. O-O Qd5 14. Qe2 Ba6 15. Bg5 Be7 16. f4 O-O 17. Rf3 Bb7 18. Rg3 {the best is} Rxa2 $5 19. Rxa2 Qxa2 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nd7 Be7 22. Nxf8 (22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Rxg7+ $11) 22... Bxf8 23. h4 Qa1+ 24. Kh2 Qc1 25. Qe5 Qxb2 26. h5 Qb4 27. Bxb5 Bd5 28. Bd3 Qe7 29. Kh3 Qc5 30. Kh2 Qe7 31. Be4 Bxe4 32. Qxe4 Qc5 $11 {Sasikiran,K (2536)-Abdulla,A (2367)/BCF-ch Scarborough/1999/}) 13... Bd7 14. Nxd7 Qa5+ 15. Bd2 Qxb5 16. Nxf8 Rxf8 17. a4 (17. b3 Kd7 $5 $13) 17... Qc4 18. b3 Qd3 19. Qf3 Qe4+ $1 20. Qxe4 Nxe4 21. b4 Ke7 22. f3 (22. Ke2 e5 (22... Rfc8 23. Rhc1 Rxc1 24. Bxc1 Nc3+ 25. Kd3 Nxa4 26. Kxd4 Rd8+ 27. Kc4 $14 {/=,Kruppa,Y (2561)-Vysochin,S (2494)/Kiev/2000/}) 23. Rhc1 Nxd2 24. Kxd2 Rfb8 25. Rc4 Ke6 $132 {1/2,Dias,S (2470)-Czukor,J (2450)/corr/2003/}) 22... Nc3 23. Bxc3 dxc3 24. Ke2 Rfd8 25. Rhd1 c2 26. Rdc1 (26. Rxd8 Rxa4 $1 27. Rc8 Rxa1 28. Rxc2 Rb1 $11) 26... Rd4 27. Rxc2 Rxb4 $11 {Kramnik,V (2751)-Kasparov,G (2812)/Wijk aan Zee/1999/ However, Anand was not interested how Kramnik intended to improve on this game - instead he wanted to present some new ideas of his own!}) 12. exf6 gxf6 (12... Qb6 {is the move, played already in Botvinnik's times:} 13. fxg7 Bxg7 14. O-O Nc5 $6 (14... Bb7 $142 15. Re1 O-O $14) 15. Bf4 Bb7 16. Re1 Rd8 $2 ({Safer is simplification with} 16... Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 $14 {, but this doesn't fully solve Black's problems with his vulnerable ?, characteristic for the whole 12..?b6 line.}) 17. Rc1 Rd5 18. Be5 Bxe5 19. Rxe5 Rxe5 20. Nxe5 Nxd3 21. Qxd3 f6 22. Qg3 $1 fxe5 23. Qg7 Rf8 24. Rc7 $18 {Botvinnik,M-Euwe,M/WCh Den Haag/Moscow/1948/ With the text move Black a.o. prepares a relatively safe haven for his ? in the ? on e7 - we can follow this motif in many games with this line, including this one.}) 13. O-O (13. Nxd4 $143 Qb6 14. Be3 Bb4+ 15. Kf1 Bc5 16. Bxb5 e5 $1 17. Bxd7+ Bxd7 $44 18. Qf3 Qa6+ 19. Ne2 Rg8 (19... Be7 $1 {[%CAl Yh8g8,Yd7c6,Yf6f5] ??g8, ?c6,f5?} 20. Kg1 Bc6 21. Qh5 Rg8 22. Ng3 Qd3 23. Rd1 Qg6 24. Qxg6 fxg6 $15 {Chernin}) 20. Bxc5 Bc6 21. Qf5 $1 (21. Qh5 $2 Bxg2+ 22. Ke1 Bxh1 23. Qxh7 O-O-O 24. Rc1 Kb8 25. Qxf7 Bd5 26. Qh5 Qd3 27. Qh4 Bc4 {0-1,Alterman,B (2585)-Chernin,A (2615)/Groningen/1993/}) 21... Bxg2+ 22. Ke1 Bxh1 23. Rd1 $1 Qe6 (23... Qc6 24. Qxh7 Qxc5 25. Qxg8+ Ke7 26. Qg4 $13) 24. Qxh7 Qg4 25. Qd3 Bc6 26. Qd6 Qe6 27. Qc7 Rc8 28. Qa7 Ra8 $10 {Chernin}) 13... Qb6 14. Qe2 {White for the time being ignores the ?d4 and proceeds to activate his pieces first.} ({Too soft is} 14. Be4 Bb7 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. Nxd4 Rg8 17. f3 Ne5 18. Qe2 Bc5 19. Be3 Rd8 (19... Qb6 20. Nc2 Ke7 $11) 20. Rad1 Nc4 21. Bf2 Qb6 22. b3 Bxd4 23. bxc4 bxc4 24. Rc1 Bxf2+ 25. Rxf2 Rg5 26. Qxc4 Rgd5 $11 {Kamsky,G (2695)-Kramnik,V (2710)/Linares/1994/}) 14... Bb7 $1 {Anand demonstrated this idea already in game 3. Although this position arose in earlier games, it was mainly via the different move-order 12...?b6 13.0-0 ?b7!? 14.?e2 gxf6, so the World Champion deserves full credit for the text-move. The alternatives are:} (14... Ba6 {is somewhat weaker due to} 15. a4 $5 (15. Rd1 $44 {is also unpleasant}) 15... Nc5 16. axb5 Bb7 17. Rxa8+ Bxa8 18. Nxd4 $1 Qd6 19. b6 $1 Nxd3 ({Po} 19... Qxd4 $2 20. Bb5+ Ke7 21. Be3 Qd5 22. f3 $18 {?}) 20. Qxd3 Qxb6 21. Be3 Qb7 22. f3 Be7 23. Rc1 $1 (23. Bh6 Bf8 24. Nf5 Qd5 25. Qxd5 Bxd5 26. Bxf8 Rxf8 27. Ne3 Bc6 28. Rc1 Bd7 29. Rc7 Ke7 30. Rb7 Rc8 31. b3 Kd8 32. Ng4 Ke7 33. Nxf6 Kxf6 34. Rxd7 Rc3 $44 {?,Bareev,E (2675)-Karjakin,S (2658)/WCht Beersheba/2005/}) 23... O-O 24. Nc6 $36 {?}) ({Less clear is the situation after} 14... b4 15. Rd1 Bc5 16. Bf4 h5 $5 (16... Bb7 17. Be4 Ba6 18. Qd2 Rd8 19. Rac1 e5 20. Bh6 $44 {Here Lutz give the unforced, but pretty line} Qe6 21. Re1 Rg8 22. Nxd4 $5 Bxd4 23. Rc6 Qxa2 24. Qxd4 $1 exd4 25. Bd5+ Ne5 26. Bxa2 $16) 17. Rac1 Rg8 18. Nh4 (18. Nd2 Bb7 19. Be4 f5 20. Nc4 Bxe4 21. Nxb6 Rxg2+ 22. Kf1 d3 23. Rxd3 Rxf2+ $44 {De Jong,J (2237)-Delemarre,J (2464)/Leeuwarden/2004/ promises Black at least a draw.}) ({Also unclear is} 18. Bg3 Rxa2 19. Nxd4 h4 20. Bxh4 Bb7 21. Nf3 Rxb2 22. Qxb2 Bxf3 23. Bf1 Bxd1 24. Rxd1 Rg4 25. Bg3 $13) 18... Rg4 (18... Rxa2 $5) 19. Bg3 Ba6 20. Nf3 Bxd3 21. Qxd3 Rxa2 22. Qh7 Rxb2 23. Qxh5 Rxg3 24. hxg3 b3 $13 {Dreev,A (2657)-Pavasovic,D (2597)/CRO-chT Sibenik/2008/ Although Black went on to lose the game, at this moment he can harldy be worse.}) 15. Bxb5 ({The first practical reaction of the chess world to Game 3 came already one day earlier, than Game 5 was played. After} 15. Bf4 {(allegedly recommended by Mikhalchishin)} Bc6 16. Rfc1 Nc5 {White played the ambitious} 17. Bg3 ({A risky attempt to achieve more than} 17. Nxd4 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Rd8 19. Be3 Bc5 20. Qc2 Bxd4 21. Bxd4 Rxd4 22. Qxc6+ Qxc6 23. Rxc6 O-O $11) 17... Rd8 18. Rc2 Qb7 19. Re1 Rg8 20. Nh4 Rg5 21. f3 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Rc5 23. Rce2 Qd7 $15 {Moiseenko,A (2678)-Colovic,A (2458)/ECC Kallithea/2008/ Although White won, this is definitely no refutation of the whole line.}) 15... Rg8 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] Anand is the first to deviate from Game 3 and present Kramnik with a new surprise instead of} (15... Bd6 {Kramnik's choice was the natural} 16. Rd1 ({The direct} 16. Nxd4 $2 {runs into} Rg8 $1 (16... Qxd4 $6 17. Rd1 Bxh2+ 18. Kxh2 Qh4+ 19. Kg1 Bxg2 20. Bxd7+ Ke7 21. Kxg2 Rhg8+ 22. Kf3 Qh5+ 23. Ke3 Qc5+ {can lead to a perpetual, even after the fighting} 24. Kd2 Rad8 25. Qf1 Rxd7+ 26. Ke1 Rxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Rd8+ 28. Bd2 Qb4 29. Qe2 Qxb2 30. Rc1 Qxa2 $11 {a draw is the most plausible result.}) 17. Nf3 Ke7 18. Bxd7 (18. a4 $2 Ne5 19. Ne1 Rxg2+ $19) 18... Qc5 $1 {[%CAl Rg8g2,Rd6h2,Yd5h5] ??g2,?h2,?h5} (18... Ba6 19. Qc2 $13 {would be a relief for White, the exchange is not interesting at this point.}) 19. Rd1 (19. Bg5 Rxg5 $1 20. Nxg5 Qxg5 21. f4 Qc5+ 22. Kh1 Kxd7 $19) 19... Bxh2+ $5 (19... Qh5 20. Rxd6 $5 $132 {?} Bxf3 $2 21. Rxe6+ Kxd7 22. Rd6+ $1 Kxd6 23. Bf4+ $40) 20. Kf1 (20. Nxh2 Rxg2+ 21. Kf1 Rxh2 $19) 20... Ba6 21. Rd3 Qf5 22. Ne1 Rad8 $17) (16. a4 $5 {is a possible alternative, protecting the ?b5 improves White's chances in the coming tactical skirmish.}) 16... Rg8 17. g3 (17. Rxd4 $2 Rxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Qxd4 $17 {?}) (17. a4 $5) 17... Rg4 $1 $146 (17... Bc5 $2 18. b4 $1 Bxb4 19. Nxd4 Bd5 20. Rb1 Qc5 21. Be3 Rxa2 22. Qd3 Ra3 23. Qxh7 Rf8 24. Nxe6 {1-0,D'Israel,D (2259)-Gerbelli Neto,E (2234)/Americana/2000/}) 18. Bf4 (18. Bxd7+ $6 Kxd7 19. Ne5+ fxe5 20. Qxg4 Qc6 21. f3 Qxf3 $17 {[%csl Gd4,Ge5,Ge6,Gf7] ?}) (18. Nd2 Ke7 $1 19. Bxd7 (19. Qxg4 Qxb5 $36) 19... Rag8 20. Bb5 (20. Qb5 Qc7 21. Nc4 Qxd7 (21... Bxg3 $2 22. hxg3 Rxg3+ 23. Kf1 Rg1+ 24. Ke2 {leads nowhere for Black.}) 22. Nxd6 Kxd6 $11 {/?}) 20... d3 21. Qxd3 Rxg3+ 22. hxg3 Rxg3+ 23. Kf1 Rxd3 24. Bxd3 Qd4 $44) 18... Bxf4 (18... Ke7 $2 19. Bxd6+ Qxd6 20. Nxd4 $1 $18 {?} Rxd4 21. Rxd4 Qxd4 22. Rd1) 19. Nxd4 {At this moment Anand was an hour(!) up on the clock, but now he had his first long think...} ({After} 19. Rxd4 {Shipov recommended} Kf8 $5 (19... Bxf3 $6 20. Qxf3 Qxd4 21. Rd1 $1 $16) (19... O-O-O 20. Rad1 Bd5 21. Bc4 $1 Bb7 $5 $14) 20. Bxd7 Rd8 21. Rad1 Rxd7 22. Rxd7 Bxg3 23. hxg3 Rxg3+ 24. Kh2 Bxf3 25. Qe3 Rg2+ 26. Kh3 Qxe3 27. fxe3 Rxb2 $11) 19... h5 $5 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxd7 Kf8 22. Qd3 Rg7 $1 ({Black wants more, than an equal ? after} 22... Bxg3 23. hxg3 h4 24. Qd6+ $5 Qxd6 25. Rxd6 Bd5 $11) 23. Rxg7 Kxg7 24. gxf4 Rd8 $44 {Kramnik,V (2772)-Anand,V (2783)/WCh Bonn (3)/2008/}) 16. Bf4 {Kramnik still played this move quite fast.} ({After} 16. Rd1 {Black can transpose into Game 3, but he also has} Ra5 $5 (16... O-O-O 17. Bf4 $14 {is not ideal. We have already indicated Black's ? feels safer in the ?.}) 17. Bxd7+ (17. a4 Rxb5 $1 18. axb5 Ne5 $44 {?}) 17... Kxd7 18. Rxd4+ Qxd4 19. Nxd4 Bxg2 20. Qd2 Bh3+ 21. Kh1 Bg2+ $11) 16... Bd6 17. Bg3 f5 {Anand continues to harass the ?g3. Here his preparation once again proved to be deeper, than his opponent's - now Kramnik thought for about 45 minutes.} ({A serious positional error is} 17... Bxg3 $2 18. hxg3 $36 {[%csl Re8,Gg1] , as here the ?g1 is far safer, than it's counterpart}) 18. Rfc1 $5 {An interesting fighting reaction.} (18. Rfd1 $6 f4 19. Bh4 {allows} Ra5 $1 $36 {?} 20. a4 Rxb5 21. axb5 Ne5 22. Nxe5 Rxg2+ 23. Kf1 Rxh2 24. Nf3 Rh1+ 25. Kg2 Rxh4 $17 {?}) (18. Nxd4 f4 (18... Rxg3 19. hxg3 Qxd4 20. Rfd1 Qb6 21. Rd2 Ba6 $13 {/= is risky, bur perhaps also possible.}) 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Qxe6+ Kf8 21. Qf5+ Kg7 22. Bd3 Qc6 $5 23. Qxh7+ Kf8 24. Qf5+ $11 {leads to a perpetual.}) ({Other moves, deserving attention, are} 18. a4 {, or}) (18. Ne5 $5 d3 $5 (18... Bxe5 19. Qxe5 f6 20. Qe2 $14 {?} f4 $2 21. Qh5+) 19. Bxd7+ (19. Qxd3 Bxe5 20. Bxd7+ Kf8 $15) 19... Ke7 20. Qe1 (20. Nxd3 $6 Bxg3 21. hxg3 Rxg3 {?}) 20... Bxe5 21. Qxe5 Kxd7 $132) ({RR} 18. Bxd7+ Kxd7 19. Ne5+ Ke7 20. Nc4 Ba6 21. Bxd6+ Qxd6 22. Nxd6 Bxe2 23. Rfe1 Kxd6 24. Rxe2 e5 25. f4 f6 26. fxe5+ fxe5 27. Rf1 Rgf8 28. a3 d3 29. Rd2 e4 30. Rc1 Rac8 31. Rxc8 Rxc8 32. Kf2 Ke5 {Cramling Bellon,A (2094)-Obon Temprano,S (2194) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (36)}) 18... f4 19. Bh4 Be7 {The bishop's role on d6 is over, so it returns to free the e7-sqaure for Black's ?.} ({Takticku pointu 18.tahu bieleho ukazuje variant The tactical points of White's 18-th move are:} 19... Ra5 $6 20. a4 Rxb5 $2 21. axb5 (21. Qxb5 $5 $16) {?} 21... Ne5 22. Nxe5 Rxg2+ 23. Kf1 Rxh2 24. Ra8+ $1 Bxa8 25. Rc8+ $18) ({, or} 19... Bd5 20. Rc2 Qb7 21. Rac1 $36 {[%CAl Yb5c6] ??c6} Bxf3 $2 22. Qxf3 Qxf3 23. Rc8+ $18) 20. a4 Bxh4 $146 ({RR} 20... Qd6 21. Ra3 Ra5 22. Rd3 Bxh4 23. Nxh4 Rxb5 24. axb5 Ne5 25. f3 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 Rg5 27. Qxh7 d3 28. Rd1 Qd4+ 29. Kh1 d2 30. h3 Qxb2 31. Qd3 Rd5 32. Qe2 Bc8 33. b6 Qc1 34. Kh2 Kf8 35. g3 {Kazhgaleyev,M (2643)-Zherebukh,Y (2531) Cappelle la Grande 2010 0-1 (39)}) ({RR} 20... Rd8 21. Bxe7 Kxe7 22. b4 Qd6 23. Bd3 Qd5 24. Kf1 Rg7 25. Rc7 Rdg8 26. Bb5 Qxf3 27. Rxd7+ Kf6 28. Qxf3 Bxf3 29. Rxd4 Ke5 30. Rd3 Rxg2 31. Re1+ Be4 32. Rh3 Rg1+ 33. Ke2 f3+ {0-1 (33) Cruz Lopez Claret,C (2342)-Alsina Leal,D (2503) Villava 2009}) 21. Nxh4 Ke7 $1 {[%csl Ge7][%CAl Yg8g2] The possible threat ?g2 again enters the equation.} 22. Ra3 {White boosts his ?, but on the other hand disconnects his rooks and Black can turn his attention to the ? c.} ({Rybka pleads for the radical} 22. g3 $5 $13 {/? This weakens the long ?, but removing the ? from g2 enables White to actively use his ? in the near future.}) 22... Rac8 {[%CAl Gc8c1]} 23. Rxc8 {Another debatable decision.} ({With all ? on the board after} 23. Rd1 {, the ?c would not play such an important role.}) 23... Rxc8 24. Ra1 Qc5 25. Qg4 (25. Qd2 Qd6 (25... f3 $5 26. Nxf3 Bxf3 27. gxf3 Qd5 $44) 26. Rd1 (26. b4 Ne5 $36 {is at least unclear, White's ? still don't play a major role.}) 26... Ne5 27. Kf1 (27. Qxf4 $4 Nf3+ $19) 27... f3 28. Qg5+ Kf8 29. Qh6+ Ke7 $11) 25... Qe5 {Black intuitively keeps his ? closer to his ?.} ({Another interesting alternative is} 25... Qc2 $5 {[%csl Gd4] to support the ?d4} 26. Bxd7 (26. Qxf4 d3 $44 {and it's already reasonable to bail out with} 27. Nf5+ exf5 28. Re1+ Kf8 (28... Kd8 29. Qxf5 Bc6 30. Bxd3 $44 {/?}) 29. Bxd7 d2 30. Qh6+ Kg8 31. Qg5+ $11) 26... Kxd7 27. Qxf4 Ke8 $44 {?} 28. Qxd4 $2 Rc4 $1 $19 {[%csl Rh4] and Black wins the stray ?h4}) 26. Nf3 Qf6 {[%CAl Yd7e5] ??e5 This move is also connected with a hidden trap.} 27. Re1 (27. Nxd4 $2 Qxd4 28. Rd1 Nf6 29. Rxd4 Nxg4 30. Rd7+ Kf6 31. Rxb7 Rc1+ 32. Bf1 Ne3 $1 $19 {Suprisingly enough, this motif occurs later in the game!}) ({Harmless is} 27. Bxd7 Kxd7 28. Nxd4 Ke7 29. Rd1 Rc4 $11 {Kramnik still wants more and keeps the tension.}) 27... Rc5 $5 {Black insists on ?e5.} (27... Rc2 28. b4 (28. Rd1 Rxb2 29. Nxd4 Qg6 30. Qxg6 hxg6 31. Nxe6 Rxb5 32. axb5 Kxe6 $11 {is drawish}) 28... Rc3 {-27...?c5!?} (28... Rb2 $6 29. Rc1 $1 Rxb4 30. Ne1 $36 {??c7})) 28. b4 Rc3 {[%CAl Rb7f3,Yd7e5] ??f3,?e5} 29. Nxd4 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Black's forces already exert unpleasant pressure, but the text-move is an unforced and decisive tactical miscalculation.} (29. Bxd7 Kxd7 30. Nd2 Qg6 $15) (29. Nd2 $5 $13 {still leads to a murky position and the outcome of the game remains open.}) 29... Qxd4 30. Rd1 Nf6 31. Rxd4 Nxg4 32. Rd7+ Kf6 33. Rxb7 Rc1+ 34. Bf1 Ne3 $1 $19 35. fxe3 (35. h3 Rxf1+ 36. Kh2 Rxf2 $19) 35... fxe3 (35... fxe3 {[%CAl Re3e2] ?e2} 36. Rc7 $8 Rxc7 37. g3 Rc1 38. Kg2 Rc2+ 39. Kf3 Rf2+ $19 {a Black remains a whole ? up.}) 0-1 [Event "World-ch Anand-Kramnik +3-1=8"] [Site "Bonn"] [Date "2008.10.17"] [Round "3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D49"] [WhiteElo "2772"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Anand,Viswanathan"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2008.10.14"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 127"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 $5 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6 gxf6 13. O-O Qb6 14. Qe2 (14. Be4 Bb7 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. Nxd4 Rg8 $132) 14... Bb7 $5 15. Bxb5 $1 Bd6 $5 16. Rd1 (16. Nxd4 $5 Qxd4 (16... Rg8 17. g3 $1 {is the computer improvement on the above-mentioned game.}) 17. Rd1 Bxh2+ $1 (17... Qc5 $2 18. Be3 Qc7 19. Rac1 Qb8 20. Bxd7+ Kxd7 21. Qb5+ Ke7 22. Rxd6 $1 {wins immediately.}) 18. Kxh2 Qh4+ 19. Kg1 Bxg2 $1 20. Bxd7+ Ke7 21. Kxg2 Rhg8+ {usually black just mates in such scenarios, here black has to find a perpetual.} 22. Kf3 Qh5+ 23. Ke3 Qc5+ 24. Kd2 Rad8 $1 25. Rf1 (25. Qf1 Rxd7+ 26. Ke1 Rxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Qh5+ 28. Ke1 Qh2) 25... Rxd7+ 26. Ke1 Rc8 $1 27. Qe3 Qa5+ 28. Bd2 Rxd2 29. Qxd2 Qe5+ 30. Qe2 Qa5+ $11) 16... Rg8 17. g3 $1 Rg4 $1 18. Bf4 (18. Nd2 Ke7 $3 19. Bxd7 (19. Qxg4 Qxb5 {is just bad for white.}) 19... Rag8 $1 20. Bb5 (20. Qb5 Qc7 {just intensifies the pressure against g3.}) 20... d3 $5 {The most solid.} 21. Qxd3 Rxg3+ 22. hxg3 Rxg3+ 23. Kf1 Rxd3 24. Bxd3 Qd4 $1 25. Nc4 Bb4 26. a3 Bg2+ $1 27. Kxg2 Qg4+ {forcing perpetual.}) 18... Bxf4 19. Nxd4 $5 (19. Rxd4 {is also very complicated.}) 19... h5 (19... Rg6 $5 20. a4 $5 {Maybe this cool computer-move is what Kramnik was planning on?} (20. Bxd7+ $6 Kxd7 21. Nxe6+ Bd6 $1 22. Nf4 Rg5) (20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxd7 Kf8 22. Bd3 Be5 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. Qc4 Ke8 25. Rh7 Bd4 $1 26. Rxb7 Bxf2+ 27. Kf1 Qxb7 28. Qxe6+ Kf8 29. Qxf6+ Kg8 30. Qxg6+ Kh8 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Qg5+ Kh8 33. Qe5+ Kh7 34. Kxf2 Rf8+ 35. Kg1 Qb6+ 36. Kg2 Rf2+ 37. Kh3 Qh6+ 38. Kg4 Qg6+ {with perpetual.})) 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxd7 Kf8 22. Qd3 Rg7 $146 (22... Bc8 $2 23. Rh7 $18) (22... f5 $2 23. Qc3 $18) (22... Bxg3 $5 {This seems to be just a forced draw} 23. hxg3 h4 $1 24. Rd6 (24. Kf1 $2 hxg3 25. fxg3 Rg5 $1 {wins for black.}) 24... Qc5 25. b4 Qe5 26. Rd8+ Rxd8 27. Qxd8+ Kg7 28. Qe7+ Kh6 29. Qf8+ Rg7 30. Qh8+ Rh7 31. Qf8+ {with a perpetual.}) ({RR} 22... Bxg3 23. hxg3 h4 24. Rd6 Qc5 25. b4 Qe5 26. Rd8+ Rxd8 27. Qxd8+ Kg7 28. Qe7+ Kh6 29. Qf8+ Rg7 30. Qh8+ Rh7 31. Qf8+ {½-½ (31) Loiseau,Q (2093)-Billon,O (1991) Nimes 2009}) 23. Rxg7 Kxg7 24. gxf4 Rd8 $1 (24... Kh6 25. a4 Rg8+ 26. Kf1 Bg2+ (26... Rg2 27. Qd2 Rxh2 28. Ra3 $14) 27. Ke2 $16) 25. Qe2 (25. Qc4 $2 Rd4 $19) (25. Qb3 $5 Kh6 26. a4 (26. Kf1 $2 Bd5 27. Bc4 Bxc4+ 28. Qxc4 Rd2 {and f2 collapses.}) 26... Rg8+ 27. Kf1 Rg2 28. Qe3 Qxe3 29. fxe3 Rxh2 $11) 25... Kh6 26. Kf1 Rg8 27. a4 $1 (27. f5 $2 Bg2+ $1 28. Ke1 Bc6 $1 29. Qd2+ Kh7 30. Bxc6 Qxc6 31. Ke2 Qb5+ 32. Kf3 Rg4 33. Re1 Qc6+ 34. Ke2 Qc4+ 35. Kf3 (35. Kd1 Rd4 36. fxe6 Rxd2+ 37. Kxd2 Qb4+ 38. Kd1 Qd4+ $19) 35... Rd4 $19) 27... Bg2+ 28. Ke1 Bh3 $1 (28... Bc6 {is enough for a draw.}) 29. Ra3 $2 (29. Rd1 $1 Bf5 $5 {An amazing move. White is ok, but would you be able to calmly play Qf1 or h3?} (29... Rg1+ 30. Kd2 Rg2 31. Qe3 $1 (31. Ke1 $2 Bg4 $1 32. Qf1 Rxh2 {and whites position collapses.}) 31... Rxf2+ 32. Be2 Rxe2+ $5 (32... Qa5+ 33. Kc1 Qc7+ 34. Kb1 Bf5+ 35. Bd3 $1 Bxd3+ 36. Qxd3 {also fails short.}) 33. Qxe2 Bg4 34. Qd3 Qxb2+ 35. Qc2 Qd4+ 36. Kc1 Bxd1 37. Qxd1 $11) (29... Bg4 $2 30. Qe3 $1 Qxe3+ 31. fxe3 Bxd1 32. Kxd1) 30. Qe3 $2 Rg1+ 31. Bf1 Qa6 $1) 29... Rg1+ 30. Kd2 Qd4+ 31. Kc2 Bg4 $2 {Despite being 75 minutes ahead on the clock, by now I had caught up. I wanted to provoke f3} (31... Bf5+ $1 32. Rd3 $1 (32. Kb3 Rc1 $1 33. a5 (33. Ra2 Bc2+ $1 34. Qxc2 Rxc2 35. Kxc2 Qxf2+ 36. Kb3 Qe3+ 37. Kc2 Qxf4 38. a5 Qxh2+ $19) 33... Qd5+ $1 {This move wins, but there are a lot of incredibly difficult moves in the winning line.} (33... Rc2 $6 34. Qxc2 $1 Bxc2+ 35. Kxc2 Qc5+ 36. Kb1 Qxb5 37. a6 Qd5 38. a7 Qa8 39. Ka1 $1 Qh1+ (39... Kg6 40. b4 $1) 40. Ka2 Qd5+ $11) (33... e5 $6 34. Ra4 $1 {I had come upto here in my calculations and didnt see a way forward} Be6+ (34... Qc5 $1 35. Bc4 Bc2+ 36. Qxc2 Rxc2 37. Kxc2 Qxf2+ {But this is a good version for white compared to earlier lines.}) 35. Bc4 {Oddly enough black dosent have a win:} Bg4 36. f3 Bf5 {Followed by ?d1 seem to secure counterplay for a draw.}) 34. Bc4 (34. Ka4 Bc2+ 35. Kb4 (35. b3 Bxb3+ 36. Rxb3 Qd4+ 37. Rb4 Qa1+ $19) 35... Qd6+ 36. Kc4 Bd1+ $19) (34. Kb4 Qc5+ 35. Ka4 (35. Kb3 Bc2+ 36. Ka2 Qd5+ 37. Bc4 Qh1 38. Qxc2 Rxc2 $19) 35... Bc2+ 36. b3 Bxb3+) 34... Qb7+ 35. Ka4 (35. Bb5 Bc2+ 36. Ka2 Qh1 {mates.}) 35... Rc2 $3 {This quite move is the point} 36. Ba6 Qd7+ 37. Qb5 Rc4+ 38. Kb3 Qd3+ 39. Ka2 Qb1+ 40. Kb3 Rc2 41. Ra2 $8 Be4 $3 42. Bb7 Qd1 43. Ka3 Bxb7 44. Qxb7 Rc4 45. b3 Qd6+ 46. Kb2 Qd2+ 47. Ka3 Qxa5+ 48. Kb2 Qc3+ 49. Ka3 Rc5 $19 {and finally all white resistance is broken.}) (32. Bd3 Rg2 $5 (32... Bg4 $5 33. f3 $8 Bh3 {transposes to the game.}) 33. Bxf5 Rxf2 34. Bd3 Rxe2+ 35. Bxe2 Qe4+ 36. Bd3 Qxf4 37. a5 Qxh2+ 38. Kb1 h4 39. a6 Qg1+ 40. Ka2 Qa7 $19 {and despite the mess, blacks pawns should prevail.}) 32... Rg4 $5 {This could be best} (32... Ra1 $6 {is preferred by the computers, but:} 33. Qe3 Bxd3+ 34. Qxd3 Qxf2+ 35. Qd2 {is the usual story, black cant swap queens due to whites passed pawns.}) 33. Kb3 Bxd3 34. Qxd3 Qxf2 {keeps winning chances for black.}) 32. f3 $2 {Returning the favour.} (32. Rd3 $1 {was a golden opportunity, as black has nothing more than:} Bf5 33. Kb3 Bxd3 34. Qxd3 Qxf2 (34... Qxf4 35. Qe3 {as usual cant be allowed.}) 35. Qd8 $1 {securing a perpetual.}) 32... Bf5+ 33. Bd3 Bh3 $6 {Played instantly since this was my reason for provoking f3, but there was a stronger move:} (33... Bxd3+ $1 {this wins the house instantly.} 34. Rxd3 (34. Qxd3 Rg2+) 34... Qc4+) 34. a5 (34. Qe4 Rg2+ 35. Kd1 Qg1+ 36. Qe1 Qxh2 $1 $19 {and ?g1 cant be stopped, winning instantly.}) (34. Qd2 Rg2 35. Be2 Bf5+ 36. Kc1 Qg1+ 37. Qd1 Qxh2 38. Kd2 {Here many moves win, but I will give the comp line because its funny} h4 $1 39. a5 Qxf4+ 40. Kc3 h3 41. a6 h2 42. a7 Rxe2 43. Qxe2 h1=Q 44. a8=Q Qc7+ $1 {This wins, but also the only move which doesnt lose!} 45. Kb4 Qb6+ 46. Ka4 Qh4+ $1 $19) 34... Rg2 35. a6 Rxe2+ 36. Bxe2 Bf5+ 37. Kb3 (37. Bd3 Bxd3+ 38. Rxd3 Qc4+) (37. Kc1 Qxf4+ 38. Kd1 Qd4+ 39. Kc1 Qe5 $1 $19) 37... Qe3+ 38. Ka2 Qxe2 39. a7 Qc4+ 40. Ka1 Qf1+ 41. Ka2 Bb1+ (41... Bb1+ 42. Kb3 Qxf3+ {is simple enough.}) 0-1