[Event "Sinquefield Cup 2nd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2014.09.02"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B35"] [WhiteElo "2877"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "Roiz,M"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2014.08.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "23"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 {This move could be a surprise for Magnus, since the Najdorf is the main Sicilian weapon of his opponent.} 3. Nf3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bb3 Qa5 {The main idea of this move is preventing White from building up an aggressive Dragon setup with 9.f3, 10.Qd2 and 11.0-0-0.} ({Black has a large choice of alternatives here. The most common are:} 8... d6) (8... a5) ({and} 8... Ng4) 9. f3 (9. O-O {is more popular and leads to a long strategic battle. In the following game Magnus Carlsen had an excellent position playing on the Black's side:} d6 10. h3 (10. Nd5 Re8 11. Nxf6+ Bxf6 12. c3 Ne5 13. h3 Qa6 14. Nc2 Nd3 15. Qf3 Be6 16. Bd4 Bxd4 17. Nxd4 Bc4 $11 {1-0 Grischuk,A (2764)-Ivanchuk,V (2757)/London ENG 2013 (39)}) 10... Bd7 11. f4 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bc6 13. Qd3 Nd7 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Nd5 $6 Qc5+ 16. Kh1 e6 17. Nc3 Nf6 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. f5 Qe5 $15 {1-0 Morozevich,A (2760)-Carlsen,M (2864)/Moscow RUS 2013 (53)}) 9... e6 $5 {An interesting way to change the character of play. Maxime is ready for the creation of an isolated pawn, while Black's pieces are becoming quite active.} (9... d5 10. exd5 Nb4 11. Qd2 Nbxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Rd8 {doesn't fully equalise:} 15. c4 e6 16. Be4 Bxd4 17. Bxd4 Rxd4+ 18. Kc3 $14) (9... d6 10. Qd2 {would transpose to ''Dragon stuff''.}) 10. O-O (10. Qd2 d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 exd5 13. O-O-O Be6 $11 {0-1 Lopez Gracia,F (2218)-De la Villa Garcia,J (2466)/Zaragoza 2001}) 10... d5 11. exd5 exd5 $6 {A serious inaccuracy. The knight is not placed well on f6, so the dark-squared bishop remains quite useless. In such a situation, White's pressure on the isolated pawn becomes annoying.} (11... Nxd5 12. Nxd5 (12. Bxd5 exd5 13. Qd2 Re8 14. Rad1 Be6 $11) 12... exd5 13. c3 Re8 14. Re1 (14. Qd2 Ne5 15. Bh6 Nc4 16. Bxc4 Bxh6 17. Qxh6 dxc4 18. Rfe1 Bd7 $11) 14... Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Rxe1+ 16. Qxe1 Bxd4+ 17. cxd4 Qd8 {Black should be able to neutralise White's slight pressure.}) 12. Qd2 Re8 13. Rad1 $146 {A natural novelty in a rare position.} ({White's advantage is also indisputable after:} 13. Rfe1 Be6 14. Bf2 $14 (14. Nxc6 $6 bxc6 15. Nxd5 Qxd2 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bxd2 Bxb2 $11 {0-1 Distaso,A (1974) -Georgiev,V (2586)/Campobasso 2010/EXT 2013 (63)})) 13... Bd7 14. Nxc6 { For some reasons, White prefers to change the pawn structure.} ({The weak Pd5 would be quite vulnerable after} 14. Bf2 $5 Rad8 15. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 16. Rxe1 $14 ({ Or} 16. Qxe1 $14)) 14... bxc6 {GM Vachier Lagrave doesn't mind to getting rid off his isolated pawn. Still, Black's position is rather passive, while White has full control of the dark squares.} (14... Bxc6 15. Bd4 Qc7 16. Rfe1 $14) 15. Nxd5 {Perhaps, Carlsen's decision on the previous move was connected with a concrete approach.} ({Another way to handle the position was:} 15. Rfe1 $5 Re5 16. Na4 Qxd2 17. Bxd2 Rae8 18. Kf2 $14) 15... Qxd2 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bxd2 ({After} 17. Rxd2 {Black's best practical decision should be:} Rxe3 (17... Be6 18. Kf2 (18. Ba4 Rac8 19. Bxa7 Bxb2 20. Bf2 $14) 18... Bxb2 19. Rfd1 $14) 18. Rxd7 Re7 19. Rfd1 Rae8 20. c3 Rxd7 21. Rxd7 Re7 22. Rd6 Bg5 23. Rxc6 Bc1 $14 { the character of play here is similar to the text.}) 17... Bxb2 {Correctly accepting the challenge.} ({After} 17... Be6 $6 18. Bc1 $1 Bxb3 19. cxb3 $16 { there would be no compensation for a pawn.}) 18. Bc3 Bxc3 19. Rxd7 Rf8 { A sad necessity.} 20. Rfd1 $14 {White's advantage is clear in this endgame, but Black has definite drawing chances.} Kg7 (20... a5 21. Rc7 a4 22. Bc4 $14) 21. Rb7 {Magnus is trying to keep both rooks on the board.} ({It was possible to win a pawn immediately:} 21. Rc7 Ba5 22. Rxc6 Rac8 23. Rcd6 Rfd8 $14 { but this would allow Black to release the pressure.}) 21... Ba5 {Bringing the bishop to a secure spot.} (21... g5 22. Rd6 (22. Rdd7 Rad8 23. Rxf7+ Rxf7 24. Rxf7+ Kg6 25. Rc7 $14) 22... Rac8 23. g3 Ba5 24. Kg2 $14) 22. Rdd7 Bb6+ 23. Kf1 Rad8 {Now White cannot avoid an exchange.} 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Rxf7+ Kh8 26. Ke2 Re8+ {Black's moves are quite forced now - otherwise White may make progress.} 27. Kd3 Rd8+ 28. Kc3 Ba5+ {This move seems inaccurate, as it allows White to activate the king.} ({After} 28... Rd1 $142 29. g4 h5 (29... Rh1 30. Rf6 Rxh2 31. Rxc6 Re2 32. Kb4 $16) 30. gxh5 gxh5 31. Rf5 Kg7 32. Rxh5 Kg6 33. Rh4 Rf1 { White has 2 extra pawns, but the activity of Black's rook makes the task difficult.}) 29. Kb2 ({There was no reason to deviate from} 29. Kc4 $1 Bb6 30. Rf6 Rd2 ({or} 30... c5 31. Kb5 Rd2 32. g4) 31. g4 c5 32. Kb5 Rxh2 33. g5 h6 34. Rxg6 hxg5 35. Rxg5 $16 {with excellent winning chances.}) 29... Bb6 30. g4 Rd2 31. h4 (31. g5 h5 32. gxh6 Rxh2 33. Ba4 c5 $14) 31... Rh2 {Now White cannot avoid the simplifications.} 32. Ba4 (32. g5 h5 33. gxh6 Rxh4 34. a4 Rxh6 $14) 32... h5 (32... Rxh4 33. Bxc6 h5 34. gxh5 gxh5 35. Be4 {leads to the text.}) 33. gxh5 Rxh4 34. Bxc6 gxh5 35. Be4 {Black is still in danger, but the passed h-pawn is an important factor now.} Rh1 36. f4 ({After} 36. c4 h4 37. Rh7+ Kg8 38. Rh5 h3 39. c5 Bc7 40. c6 Kf8 $1 (40... h2 41. f4 Rf1 42. Rxh2 Rxf4 43. Bd5+ Kg7 44. Re2 Rd4 45. Bh1 Kf6 {is less clear}) 41. Rh7 h2 {Black should be able to save a half point. For instance:} 42. Rxc7 Rb1+ 43. Bxb1 h1=Q 44. Rh7 Qg2+ 45. Bc2 Qxf3 46. c7 Qf6+ 47. Kb3 Qf3+ 48. Kb4 Qf4+ 49. Kb5 Qe5+ 50. Kc6 Qe6+ 51. Kb7 Qd5+ 52. Kb8 Qb5+ $11) 36... Rh3 37. c3 ({It looks like} 37. c4 $5 { was the best chance:} Bd4+ 38. Kc2 Rc3+ 39. Kd2 Rxc4 40. Rh7+ Kg8 41. Rxh5 Ra4 42. Bd5+ Kg7 $14 {Some accuracy is required, but a draw is the most probable result here.}) 37... h4 38. f5 ({After} 38. Kb3 Re3 39. Bf5 Ba5 40. Rh7+ Kg8 41. Rxh4 Rxc3+ 42. Ka4 Bd8 43. Be6+ Kg7 44. Rg4+ Kf6 45. f5 Bb6 {White could hardly make any progress either.}) (38. Kc2 Re3 39. Bf5 Kg8 40. Rh7 Ba5 { is more or less the same.}) 38... Re3 $11 {Now Black has sufficient counterplay.} 39. Re7 (39. Bd5 Rd3 40. Be6 h3 41. f6 Rf3 {is safe for Black as well}) 39... Ba5 (39... Bc5 40. Re6 h3 41. f6 Kg8 $11) 40. c4 h3 41. Re6 { The only way to stop the h-pawn.} h2 (41... Kg7 42. Bd5 Rxe6 43. fxe6 Kf6 $11) 42. Bd5 Rxe6 43. fxe6 Bd8 44. Kb3 Kg7 {Of course, White has only a symbolic advantage here.} 45. Kb4 Kf6 46. Kb5 h1=Q (46... Be7 47. Kc6 (47. c5 Ke5 $11) 47... Ke5 48. Kd7 Kf6 $11) 47. Bxh1 Kxe6 48. c5 Kd7 49. Ka6 Kc7 50. Kxa7 Be7 51. c6 Bc5+ {White's 2 extra pawns are of no value, so a draw was agreed.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tromsoe ol (Men) 41st"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2014.08.05"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B25"] [WhiteElo "2877"] [BlackElo "2735"] [Annotator "Marin,M"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2014.08.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Poland"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "POL"] 1. e4 {For a moment, this move made me curious: will we see a fierce theoretical dispute in the Najdorf?!} c5 2. Nc3 {Not really! Just some complex positional struggle with mobile pawn chains and all pieces on the board. In the '60s, the Closed Sicilian used to be a deadly weapon in Spassky's hands. Players like Geller and Larsen (the latter also with reversed colours, 1.c4 e5) were crushed during Spassky's campaigns for the world title.} d6 ({The man who did find an antidote to Spassky's treatment of the Sicilian was Viktor Korchnoi. During their 1968 Candidates final he twice answered} 2... e6 { followed by ...d7-d5. Black had some light pressure in both games but they ended in draws. In order to win the match, Spassky found no other solution than... winning with Black and switching to 1. d4 when playing with White. It remains an open question what would Carlsen do against 2...e6. True, he twice faced this move, but this happened in 2002 when he was rated 2171...}) 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 g6 5. d3 Bg7 6. Be3 ({Spassky almost always played} 6. f4 {The aforementioned games went} e5 7. Nh3 exf4 (7... Nge7 8. O-O Nd4 9. f5 gxf5 10. Qh5 $44 h6 11. Rf2 Be6 12. Be3 Qd7 13. Raf1 O-O-O 14. Nd5 fxe4 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Bxd4 cxd4 17. Rxf7 Qe8 18. Bxe4 Rf8 19. Bf5 Qxf7 20. Qxf7 Rxf7 21. Bxe6+ Rfd7 22. Rf7 Kc7 23. Bxd7 Rxd7 24. Rxd7+ Kxd7 25. Kg2 {The complications petered out in an ending which is more pleasant for White. Hort did not defend the best way and lost in Spassky,B (2630)-Hort,V (2620) Bugojno 1978 MCL [Bulletin] (1-0, 41)}) 8. Bxf4 Nge7 9. O-O h6 10. Rb1 O-O 11. a3 Be6 12. Be3 Ne5 13. Nf4 Bd7 14. Kh1 Rc8 15. Qd2 Kh7 16. h3 {It is interesting to compare Spassky's regrouping starting from this moment with Carlsen's.} Bc6 17. g4 Qd7 18. Rf2 b6 19. Rbf1 Bb7 20. Qe2 Rce8 21. Bc1 Kg8 22. Qe3 b5 23. Qg3 b4 24. axb4 cxb4 25. Nd1 {[%CAl Gd1e3] Black's play surely was more harmonious than Wojtaszek's, but this did not prevent White from including practically all his pieces in the inevitable attack. In principle, the position is unclear yet, but White's attacking potential eventually prevailed in Spassky,B (2610) -Portisch,L (2625) Geneve 1977 (1-0, 40)}) 6... e5 {Black adopts Botvinnik's English triangle with reversed colours, a system I had recommended in my English Opening books. I have to add a small correction: the system is good unless you are facing Carlsen. But does this not apply for any other opening?!} 7. Nh3 {This way of developing the knight was also one of Spassky's favourites. I must confess that when following Carlsen's play I have every time the temptation to compare him with another World Champion from the past: now Fischer, later Lasker, but today we surely have Boris Vassilievich in the background. On more concrete terms, what could be the great idea behind the last move? Shouldn't the knight (after f2-f4) go to f3, controlling the important central d4- and e5-squares? Actually, it would be of little use to put pressure on such well defended squares, so it is a good idea to be heading for the only weakness in Black's setup, the d5-square. After the planned f2-f4, the prospect of a knight jump to f4-d5 somwehat restricts Black's options.} ({ The vast majority of the games continue with} 7. Qd2 {for instance} Nge7 8. f4 Nd4 9. Nf3 O-O 10. O-O exf4 11. Bxf4 Nxf3+ 12. Rxf3 Qb6 {Adams,M (2708) -Kramnik,V (2760) Las Vegas 1999 CBM 072 [Donev] (1/2-1/2, 78)}) 7... Nge7 8. f4 Nd4 {Since the knight will be forced to retreat after only four moves, this looks like a mere loss of time.} ({But Black must have feared that after the natural} 8... O-O {White would carry out the thematic attack} 9. f5 gxf5 10. Qh5 Nd4 11. O-O-O {(which, under slightly difficult circumstances occurred in one of Spassky's games, above!) Black is under no immediate threats, but the weakness of the light squares and of his king's position may accumulate into a promising positional white attack.}) 9. O-O O-O 10. Qd2 Bd7 {This move may be all right, but instinctively I would feel that it does not keep Black's harmony.} (10... Rb8 {getting ready for either ...B6 and ...Bb7 or ...B5-b4, looks more flexible.} 11. Rf2 f6 $1 {A typical method of restricting White's kingside activity. It occurs in the English triangle quite often, too (in its mirrored version f2-f3, of course).} 12. Raf1 (12. fxe5 dxe5 $15 {[%CAl Gc8e6]} 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bxh3 15. Bxh3 Qxd5) 12... Be6 13. Nd5 (13. Kh1 Qd7 14. Ng1 b5 {Lutovac,M (2200)-Ciocaltea,V (2465) Bar 1977 (0-1, 65)}) 13... Bxd5 14. exd5 Nef5 15. g4 Nxe3 (15... Nh6 $1) 16. Qxe3 {Shaw,J (2280)-Sher,M (2510) Hastings 1995 (0-1, 52)} f5 $15) ({The immediate} 10... f6 $5 {is also interesting, but has never been tested between strong players.}) 11. Nd1 $5 { A multi-purpose move. White prepares to expell the d4-knight and to consolidate his h3-knight at the same time.} Qc8 $6 $146 {Another disharmonious move.} (11... exf4 $6 12. Nxf4 Ne6 13. c3 Nxf4 14. Bxf4 Be6 15. Bh6 (15. d4 $5) 15... d5 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qf4 Rc8 18. Ne3 $36 {Jurkovic,H (2270)-Hulak,K (2530) Pula 1994 (1/2-1/2, 44)}) (11... b6 $5 $146 {(See also my next comment)} 12. c3 Ndc6 13. Ndf2 Qc7 14. Rae1 Rad8) 12. Ndf2 Ndc6 13. c3 b5 $2 ({One rule I knew as a kid is that if there is some tension in the centre Black should consolidate his c5-pawn with} 13... b6 {In this concrete position, the idea would be meeting} 14. fxe5 {with} dxe5 {, preventing the radical activation of the h3-knight.}) 14. fxe5 $1 Nxe5 15. Bh6 $14 {The most precise move order. Such a positive move as Nh3-f4 should not obstruct the bishop. Besides, exchanging the g7-bishop will weaken the kingside and turn Black's queenside counter-attack into something similar to an infantry assault without the support of the artilery.} N7c6 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Nf4 Qd8 {After the bishop exchange, it looks natural to return with the queen to the dark squares, for both defensive and offensive purposes. But I cannot help comparing the two rival Majesties, suggesting an advantage for the white queen. From d2, it also controls dark squares on both wings, but it does not prevent the connection of the rooks! Ironically, Black will manage to connect rooks only on move 29, but that will be just a speeding up of the defeat!} 18. Rad1 Rc8 19. Qe2 {Controlling the g4-square and taking the queen out of the e5-knight's range (d3-d4, ...Nc4) in order to prepare the central expansion.} h5 $6 {The final phase of the game induces the thought that Black should have abstained from this weakening of the kingside. But the sad thing is that Black has no active plan available and has to live with the positional threat of d3-d4.} 20. d4 cxd4 21. cxd4 Ng4 22. h3 Nxf2 23. Qxf2 {White's progress over the past moves is obvious, while for Black it remains difficult to formulate a coherent plan.} Ne7 {Black's worries regarding the d5-square are justified, but the knight stands awfully on e7.} 24. Rd3 $1 {With the centre firmly in White's hands, such rook lifts tend to be rather annoying. But, ironically, this move would not have been possible had Black not occupied the b5-square with the pawn!} b4 {The threat ...Bb5 arrives too late. Things will start happening on the kingside.} 25. Rf3 Qe8 $2 {Black surely did not know what to do with his queen in this game. It looks as if the strongest piece is searching on purpose for the most passive squares.} ({Black spent a tempo on over-defending f7, since} 25... Bb5 $2 {would allow the decisive blow} 26. Nxh5+ $1) ({A safer way to parry the sacrifice on h5 was} 25... Kg8 26. g4 $1 { This is slightly less strong than in the game, but quite annoying anyway.} (26. d5 Bb5 27. Re1 Qc7 $14 {[%csl Re7]}) (26. Nxh5 $6 gxh5 27. Rxf7 Ng6 28. e5 Qg5 $132) 26... hxg4 27. hxg4 Bxg4 28. Rg3 Qd7 29. d5 a5 30. Qd4 {[%CAl Gg2h3, Gg4h3,Rg3h3,Rh3h8]} f6 {[%csl Ge6]} 31. Bh3 Bxh3 32. Nxh3 Rf7 33. Nf4 $16) 26. g4 {With the black pawn on h7, this would have just been a way to increase the positional domination by blocking the enemy structure with g4-g5. But the way it is, the open file will be opened, with fatal consequences for Black.} ({ White's positon was so good already that there was another, much simpler, win: } 26. d5 {[%csl Ga7,Gg7][%CAl Gf2d4,Gd4b4]} a5 27. Qd4+ Kg8 (27... f6 28. Ne6+ Bxe6 29. Rxf6 $18) 28. Qf6 {[%CAl Gf6d6] Black's lack of coordination is pathetic.}) 26... hxg4 27. hxg4 Bb5 (27... Bxg4 {would just open another file for White's attack:} 28. Rg3 Qd7 29. Bh3 $1 {Attacking the main defender of the g-file.} f5 (29... Bxh3 30. Nh5+ {is curtains.}) 30. d5 {with such threats as Qd4+ and Ne6+.}) 28. Re1 Qd8 {This queen surely has moved a lot. And it did it with short steps, as if it was the least mobile piece on board, the king.} 29. g5 Qb6 $6 {The first relatively long queen move loses by force, but it is hard to give an advice for Black. Apart from the game manoeuvre he threatens Rh3 with combined threats along the h-file and on f6. White would win with simple moves even if Black had restricted himself to a status quo policy.} ( 29... a5 30. d5 {[%csl Ra7][%CAl Gf2d4,Gf3h3,Rd8b6]} Rh8 31. Bh3 $18 {[%CAl Gh3c8]} Rc7 32. Ne6+ fxe6 33. Rf7+ Kg8 34. Rg7+ Kxg7 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Bxe6+ Kh7 37. Qf7#) (29... Bd7 30. Rf1 {[%csl Gf7]}) (29... Rb8 30. Rh3 a5 31. Rh6 a4 ( 31... Rh8 32. Ne6+ $1) 32. Nh5+ gxh5 33. Qf6+ Kg8 34. Qh8#) 30. Bh3 Rcd8 31. Be6 {Quite a nasty visit!} Be8 32. Nd5 (32. Rh3 {with the threat Nh5+ followed by Qf6+ and Rxh5 is more spectacular. Had Black retreated his rook to b8 rather than d8, this might have been Carlsen's choice. But with the d8-square unavailable to the black queen, his solution is simple and effective.}) 32... Nxd5 33. Bxd5 {Black resigned... in what looks a "normal" position. It would be so with the h-file closed. Under the given circumstances, the threat Rh3 followed by Qf6+ is decisive.} 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 3rd"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2015.06.18"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2876"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Szabo,Kr"] [PlyCount "152"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. c3 (4. d4 {is the main line.}) 4... Ngf6 5. Qe2 a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bc2 e6 8. d4 Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. Re1 O-O 11. Nbd2 cxd4 12. cxd4 Rc8 $146 {The first new move in the game.} (12... Qc7 13. Nf1 Rfc8 14. Bd3 b4 15. Ng3 a5 16. Bg5 Bf8 17. Rac1 Qb6 18. Be3 Qd8 19. h3 $14 {Rasik-Laznicka, Prague 2015, and White is slightly better.}) (12... Qb6 13. b3 (13. e5 $2 { was bad, as} dxe5 14. dxe5 Ng4 $1 {should have been played} 15. Ne4 Ndxe5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 $15 {and Black has a healthy P up.}) 13... Rfc8 14. Bd3 {and White looks slightly better.}) 13. Nf1 Re8 14. Ng3 Bf8 15. Be3 Rc7 16. Bd3 {White's position is more comfortable. He has some space advantage and his pieces are active.} e5 ({In the event of} 16... Qa8 17. Bd2 $14 {and it is obviously favourable for White .}) 17. d5 {The right reaction. White closes the centre and neutralises the b7-B.} Nc5 18. Bc2 b4 $6 {Giri wanted to avoid 19.b4, but this is an inaccuracy, which involves weaknesses on Black's queenside.} (18... Qd7 {was more solid, but} 19. Bg5 (19. b4 Na4) 19... Be7 20. Nf5 $36 {and White has some initiative.}) 19. a3 $1 {White immediately takes advantage of Black's previous move.} b3 20. Bxc5 {White simply accepts the P.} (20. Bd3 $5 { was also possible.}) 20... Rxc5 21. Bxb3 Qb6 22. Bc4 (22. Ba4 {was the alternative,} Rec8 23. b4 R5c7 24. Nd2 {and White looks nicely placed.}) 22... Rec8 23. Bd3 g6 24. Nf1 {A logical manoeuvre, because the N on g3 was already not very useful. White prepares for Ne3-c4.} Bh6 25. Ne3 a5 26. b4 $1 {A very nice reply by Carlsen! The b4-P is not takeable, White's position is much better.} (26. Nc4 $6 {was too early, as} Qc7 {and the N has to escape.}) 26... axb4 27. axb4 R5c7 ({In the event of} 27... Rc3 28. Nc4 $1 Qxb4 (28... Qd8 29. Na5 Ba8 30. b5 $16 {followed by Nc6.}) 29. Rab1 R8xc4 30. Bxc4 Qxc4 31. Rxb7 Rc2 32. Qxc4 Rxc4 33. h4 Nxe4 34. Rd7 $16 {and White has a hopeful endgame.}) 28. b5 (28. Nc4 {was also fine,} Qxb4 29. Reb1 Rxc4 30. Bxc4 Qxc4 31. Qxc4 Rxc4 32. Rxb7 $16) 28... Qc5 29. h3 ({The engine suggests the logical} 29. Nd2 $16 { followed by Ndc4.}) 29... Nh5 30. Qb2 Qb6 31. Qb4 {Carlsen activates his Q and he is threatening Nc4.} Bxe3 32. Rxe3 Rc3 33. Rae1 f5 $6 {A brave attempt by Giri. He would like to create complications, but this is too dangerous.} (33... Nf6 {was more solid, but} 34. Ra1 {and White will slowly, but surely consolidate and exploit the fact that he is a P up.}) 34. exf5 Nf4 35. Be4 $1 R3c5 (35... R3c4 36. Qb1 $18) ({or} 35... R8c4 36. Qb1 $18 {with a decisive attack.}) 36. fxg6 hxg6 37. Bxg6 $1 {A brilliant tactical blow by Carlsen!} Rxb5 {Still the best practical chance.} (37... Nxg6 {could have been met by} 38. Qg4 $1 Kf7 39. Qe6+ Kg7 40. Nh4 $1 $18 {and mate soon.}) 38. Qe4 $6 { Well, this was the straightforward and human reply. On the other hand White missed a fantastic winning move!} (38. Bf7+ $3 {What a brilliant sacrifice!} Kxf7 39. Qe4 $18 {and Black cannot prevent the threats of Qf5+ and Ng5+, even then it is not obvious how the attack proceeds, but Black simply cannot save himself.}) 38... Rf8 $1 39. Nxe5 $6 (39. Nh4 $1 {should have played} Bxd5 40. Qa4 {and White should be better, but in a practical game, it is not easy yet.}) 39... dxe5 40. Rg3 Rxd5 $1 {The only move to survive which Giri did. Black's position looks very dangerous, but at this moment White doesn't have a forced win.} 41. Qb1 {Black also had several threats, so Carlsen simplifies.} (41. Rb1 {could have been met by} Rd1+ $1 42. Kh2 Rxb1 43. Bf5+ Kh8 44. Qxe5+ Qf6 45. Qc7 Rf7 46. Qb8+ Rf8 47. Qc7 Rf7 $11 {and repetition of moves.}) 41... Qxb1 42. Bxb1+ Kh8 43. Be4 Rd7 44. Bxb7 Rxb7 45. Rxe5 {White has three Ps for the N, only he has any chance to win, but objectively this is a draw.} Rh7 46. Re4 Rhf7 47. Kh2 Kh7 48. Rf3 Kg6 49. h4 Nh5 50. Rxf7 Rxf7 51. Re2 Nf4 52. Rd2 Nh5 53. g3 Nf6 54. Kg2 Rd7 55. Ra2 {Carlsen tries everything, but Black can hold.} (55. Rxd7 Nxd7 56. g4 Ne5 $11 {is also drawish.}) 55... Rd5 56. Ra4 Re5 57. g4 Re4 58. Rxe4 Nxe4 59. Kf3 Nd6 60. Kf4 Nf7 61. Ke4 Kf6 62. f4 Nd6+ 63. Kd5 Nb5 64. h5 Nc3+ 65. Kd4 Nb5+ 66. Kc4 Nd6+ 67. Kc5 Ke6 68. Kc6 Nf7 69. Kc7 Nh6 70. g5 Nf7 71. g6 Nh6 72. Kd8 Kf5 73. Ke7 Kxf4 74. Kf8 Kg5 75. g7 Kxh5 76. g8=Q Nxg8 {and finally the draw!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 3rd"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2015.06.21"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B91"] [WhiteElo "2876"] [BlackElo "2781"] [Annotator "Szabo,Kr"] [PlyCount "89"] [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. Nf3 c5 2. e4 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 e5 7. Nde2 Be7 8. Bg2 b5 (8... O-O {is the other main line.}) 9. Nd5 {A quite rare move, because sometimes White delays this N move.} Nbd7 10. Nec3 Bb7 11. a4 Nxd5 $146 { A novelty by Grischuk.} (11... bxa4 12. Rxa4 O-O 13. O-O Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 f5 16. Qe2 Nc5 17. Rc4 $14 {Mestre Bellido-Colon Garcia, Catalunya 2013, and White was more comfortable.}) (11... O-O 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8 Bxa8 14. Nxb5 (14. O-O $5) 14... Bxd5 (14... Nxd5 15. exd5 Qa5+ 16. Nc3 $14 {and White is a healthy P up.}) 15. exd5 Qa5+ 16. Nc3 Rb8 17. O-O Bd8 18. Kh1 Qb4 19. Qe2 Bb6 20. Nb1 $1 $14 {Lutikov-Magerramov, Moscow 1983.}) 12. Nxd5 Nf6 13. axb5 ( 13. Nxe7 $5 {was also an interesting option,} Qxe7 14. axb5 axb5 15. Rxa8+ Bxa8 16. Qd3 $14 {and White has a slight advantage.}) 13... Nxd5 14. exd5 axb5 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. Qd3 O-O 17. O-O ({The greedy} 17. Qxb5 $2 {does not work, because of} Qa1 18. O-O Ba6 $17 {and Black wins an exchange.}) 17... Bc8 ({ The solid} 17... Qa6 {was also possible.}) 18. Be3 Bd7 19. Rc1 {The start of a deep plan.} (19. f4 Bf6 $11) 19... h6 20. Qd1 Qb7 21. Ra1 Ra8 22. h4 Ra6 23. b3 Bd8 24. c4 bxc4 25. bxc4 Bb6 26. c5 $1 {The only practical chance! With this move Carlsen creates complications.} Bxc5 27. Bxc5 dxc5 28. d6 Qb6 (28... Rxa1 $1 {was more accurate,} 29. Qxa1 e4 30. Qe5 Qb1+ 31. Kh2 e3 $1 32. fxe3 c4 $11 {and Black has also a dangerous passed-P.}) 29. Rxa6 Qxa6 30. Bd5 $1 {White's P on d6 and the weakness on f7 create a slightly uncomfortable position for Black. With a couple of accurate moves Black should be out of trouble, but in a practical game, it is always difficult.} Qc8 $2 {A passive retreat.} (30... Qb6 $1 {was more accurate} 31. Be4 (31. Qh5 Qb1+ $1 {an important resource,} 32. Kg2 Qf5 $11 {with equality.}) (31. Kg2 Be8 $11) 31... c4 32. Qd5 Qb8 33. Qxe5 c3 $11 {is also drawish.}) 31. Qb3 $1 {Now White exerts some pressure, it is difficult for Black to find moves.} Be8 32. Qc3 $1 {Another accurate move, now White gains back a P.} c4 (32... Qf5 $1 {was the best reply,} 33. Qa5 $5 { A very nice deep move by Mr. Houdini!} (33. Qxc5 g5 $1) 33... Qd7 34. Qxc5 Qb5 {and the passed d-P gives White a slight edge, but Black should hold with perfect play.}) 33. Bxc4 Bd7 34. Qb3 Qe8 35. Qf3 Kf8 36. h5 $6 (36. Bd5 $1 $16 {was more accurate to avoid Black's counterplay.}) 36... Kg8 $2 {An error in reply.} (36... e4 $1 {should have played} 37. Qc3 (37. Qe3 Qe5 38. Qb6 e3 $1) 37... e3 $1 38. Qxe3 (38. fxe3 Qe4 $132) 38... Qxe3 39. fxe3 Bc6 $11 {and Black will survive.}) 37. Qe4 {Now White is fine again.} Bc6 38. Bd5 Bd7 { Of course Black can't exchange the Bs, because the d-P is decisive.} 39. Kg2 Kh8 {Black can only defend passively.} 40. f4 {A tricky move by Carlsen, moreover just on move 40! So still Grischuk needs to play 1 move before the time control.} exf4 $2 {Losing immediately, but it was a difficult situation especially in time trouble.} (40... f5 41. Qxe5 Qxh5 42. Qe7 Kh7 43. Bf3 (43. Qxd7 $2 {is bad, because of} Qe2+ $11 {and perpetual checks.}) 43... Qe8 44. Qxe8 Bxe8 45. Bd5 Bd7 46. Kf3 $18 {should be winning for White.}) (40... f6 $1 {was tougher} 41. fxe5 fxe5 42. g4 (42. Qf3 Qb8) 42... Qc8 {and Black has some chance to survive.}) 41. Qxe8+ Bxe8 42. Bxf7 $1 $18 {This is the point! Now Black has no hope left.} Bc6+ 43. Kf2 fxg3+ 44. Kxg3 Bd7 45. Bg6 {and Black resigned.} (45. Bg6 Kg8 46. Kf4 Kf8 47. Ke5 (47. Bf5 Ba4) 47... Kg8 48. Bf5 Ba4 49. d7 Bxd7 50. Bxd7 {and thanks to the g7-P, Black gets a zugzwang.} Kh7 ( 50... Kf7 51. Be6+ Ke7 52. Kf5 $18) 51. Kf5 Kg8 52. Kg6 Kh8 53. Kf7 Kh7 54. Bf5+ Kh8 55. Kf8 $18) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates"] [Site "London"] [Date "2013.03.27"] [Round "10"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2872"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Nielsen,PH"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2013.03.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Magnus Carlsen: "My game against Gelfand in round 10, annotated by Peter Heine Nielsen below, represents the level of chess I aspired to play at in the Candidates. Although I did not succeed in every game, I take great comfort in having reached the main objective which was to qualify for the World Championship match against V. Anand. I would like to express my gratitude to Peter Heine and the other seconds for their valuable help in reaching this goal."} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 {Openingwise the players are basically 2 opposites. While Carlsen moves around a lot, Gelfand, both in the WC-match with Anand and in this Candidates tournaments stayed completely loyal to the Grünfeld against 1.d4 and the Sveshnikov against 1.e4.} 3. Bb5 $5 {Sveshnikov was right! At least judged by the current trends, White players seems to concede that the actual Sveshnikov Sicilian is fine for Black, and that 3.Bb5 is the way to fight for the advantage. As Sveshnikov claimed years back. Anand did well with Bb5 in the match, and later both Caruana and Ponomariov posed Gelfand some problems.} e6 4. O-O ({In round 7 Magnus played} 4. Bxc6 {against Radjabov, and after} bxc6 5. b3 d6 6. O-O $5 {tried this idea, deviating from 6.e5 which was both played by McShane and Grischuk against Radjabov. The idea is that after 6...e5 we have a position known from 3...d6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.0-0 only with the white pawn on b3 instead of b2. Not a huge difference, but definitely leading to a playble position for White. Here Radjabov played} Ne7 $5 {and in a complex position, Magnus hallucinated, and was suddenly lost, but saved the game after inaccurate play by Radjabov.}) 4... Nge7 5. Re1 a6 $5 { In the Tashkent Grand Prix against Caruana and Ponomariov, Gelfand chose 5... Nd4, but part of the reason behind being able to succesfully repeat his openings, is having small surprises within them, and for this candidates he had prepared 5.. .a6, and employed it already succesfully with Grischuk in round 6.} 6. Bf1 d5 7. exd5 $5 {I was seconding Magnus in London, but also got help from other seconds online. They suggested this line, thinking it leads to a moderately pleasant position, with a long game ahead, which should suit Magnus style excellently.} ({Grischuk played} 7. d3 {and we saw an unusually sharp fight for pawn structure with big decisions early on:} d4 $5 8. e5 $5 Nd5 9. c4 $5 dxc3 10. bxc3 Rb8 11. Bb2 b5 $5 {and after a tactical error by Grischuk Gelfand got a winning position, although the game ended in a draw.}) 7... Nxd5 8. d4 Nf6 9. Be3 cxd4 (9... Be7 {might be slightly more accurate as after} 10. c4 O-O 11. Nc3 cxd4 12. Nxd4 {instead of 12...Bd7 also 12...Qc7 indenting ... Rd8 is possible.}) 10. Nxd4 Bd7 11. c4 {This is the concept. White has a bit more space and a queenside majority. Black of course a healthy and solid position though.} Nxd4 (11... Be7 12. Nc3 O-O 13. Nf3 $5 {White has been quite succesful with, and this is an argument for Gelfand's choice, securing relieving exchanges before it is too late.}) (11... Bb4 $5 {is a principled choice, but after} 12. Nc3 Bxc3 13. bxc3 O-O 14. Bf4 {White's activity more than compensates for the structural weaknesses. After} Nxd4 $5 15. cxd4 Bc6 {surprisingly suddenly we have the typically Nimzo pawn structure, very similar to game 11 in the Anand-Gelfand match, where Gelfand had a pleasant position with the 2 bishops, before that game was drawn.}) 12. Bxd4 Bc6 13. Nc3 Be7 14. a3 $5 {Magnus was happy with this decision, as he thought the interpolation of a3/a5 is probably favouring White.} (14. Qd3 O-O 15. Rad1 {This was played in the stem game Kinmark (that's actually an anagram of Kramnik as my Swedish friends have pointed out!) -Paoli 1975, also being slightly more pleasant for White.}) 14... a5 $5 {The principled approach, and what one would expect from Gelfand.} (14... O-O 15. b4 {is what White wants, but as usual only a slight edge.}) 15. Qd3 O-O (15... a4 $6 {is an ambitious attempt, but after} 16. Rad1 O-O 17. Qg3 {White's initiative becomes too strong.}) 16. Rad1 Qc7 17. Be5 Qb6 18. Qg3 Rfd8 (18... Nh5 $5 19. Qh3 Nf6 { would be an interesting way to defend, as now Bc7 no longer annoys Black, and Black is threatening ...Rfd8.} 20. Bd3 h6 21. Bd4 Qc7 22. b4 $1 {and White still keeps an edge though.}) 19. Rxd8+ (19. Nd5 {Magnus said at the press-conference that he had wasted quite some time on this move, which fails due to a small tactic:} exd5 20. Bd4 Bc5 21. Bxf6 Bxf2+ $1 {leading to a drawish ending.}) 19... Qxd8 20. Rd1 Qb6 (20... Qf8 $5 {Speelman mentioned this move at the press conference, to which Gelfand quite rightly replied that from a practical perspective it has no huge relevance. Gelfand's plan was hampering Black's queenside play in an ambitious manner, but this more defensive move does have some bite, as the following tactic:} 21. b4 $5 axb4 22. axb4 Nh5 $1 23. Qg4 Bxb4 24. Qxh5 f6 $1 25. Bd3 g6 $1 {amazingly holds up for Black, as after} 26. Bxg6 $2 (26. Qg4 $1 fxe5 27. Qxe6+ Qf7 28. Qxe5 Ra5 { and Black has enough compensation to draw here}) 26... hxg6 27. Qxg6+ Qg7 { and due to the mate on g2, White can't take on f6 with the queen, and thus suddenly ends up a piece short! Instead of 21.b4, probably 21. Bd3!? is stronger, and White remains comfortably placed.}) 21. Bd4 Qb3 22. Rd3 (22. Rd2 {is more modest, but White still has a pleasant game after eg.} a4 23. Qc7 Nd7 24. Be3 Bd8 25. Qg3 {But the game puts much more direct pressure on Black.}) 22... Qc2 23. b4 $1 axb4 24. axb4 Nh5 25. Qe5 (25. Qe3 $5 {This computer move also keeps an edge, the main point being} Bxb4 26. Qg5 g6 (26... f6 $1 { a much better fighting chance} 27. Qxh5 e5 28. Qf5 Rf8 $1 {() and although White is better, Black keeps definite figthing chances}) 27. Ne4 $1 Bxe4 28. Qe5 $1 {and Black's position suddenly collapses.}) 25... Bf6 {The toughest defence.} ({Both players saw} 25... Ra1 26. Nd1 $1 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Qxd1 28. Qb8+ Bf8 29. Bc5 h6 30. Qxf8+ Kh7 {and now} 31. Qd6 $1 {is the key bringing back the queen for defence, and the ensuing endings will just be winning for White due to the queenside majority and the pair of bishops.} (31. Qxf7 $2 Be4 $1 { however would completely reverse the situation, as ...Bd3 can't be stopped.})) 26. Qxh5 Bxd4 27. Rxd4 Qxc3 28. Qa5 $1 {The point behind 23.b4, without this, White wouldn't even be better. But now with this intermezzo, White just manages to coordinate in time, and thus his queenside majority secures a huge edge.} Rf8 29. Qb6 e5 {The only way to fight.} 30. Rd1 (30. Rd8 $5 g6 31. b5 Be4 32. Rd7 {transposes to the line below.}) 30... g6 31. b5 Be4 32. Qf6 $6 ( 32. h4 $5) (32. Rd7 {This seems almost winning, the idea being Qd6 next, and if now ...Bf5, then Rxb7.} Qe1 33. Qd6 $16) 32... h5 $6 (32... Bf5 $1 {A very good fighting chance,} 33. Rd5 Be6 34. Qxe5 Qxe5 35. Rxe5 Rc8 {as this could be easily drawn for Black, White should probably not liquidate into this ending. An important line is} 36. c5 Kf8 37. Bd3 Bd7 $1 {followed by ...f6 winning back the pawn.}) 33. h4 Bf5 34. Rd5 Qc1 $5 (34... Be6 35. Qxe5 Qxe5 36. Rxe5 Rc8 37. c5 Kf8 38. Bd3 Bd7 {is now different, as ...f6 would weaken the g6-pawn, and thus h4/h5 greatly favours White.}) 35. Qxe5 Be6 36. Rd4 Ra8 37. Qe2 {Gelfand has reasonable activity for the pawn, but in time pressure commits a few inaccuracies, which Magnus punished mercilessly.} Kh7 $6 (37... Qa1 38. Qd1 Kg7 {eg. was a much tougher defence} 39. c5 $2 Qc3 $1 {being one resource.}) 38. Rd1 Qc3 39. Qe4 Ra1 $2 {But ...Ra7 as the computer thinks, fights on. But it is impossible for a human to play.} 40. Rxa1 Qxa1 41. c5 $1 { The time control has been reached, but now White is completely winning, as nothing stops his pawns marching forward.} Qc3 42. Qxb7 (42. b6 {would indeed be safer, but Magnus missed Gelfand's reply to his next move.}) 42... Qe1 $5 ( 42... Qxc5 43. b6 {followed by Qa6, and the pawn just queens.}) 43. b6 { Magnus said at the press conference that he quite quickly recovered from the shock, and that despite losing the bishop on f1, it doesn't really change much, as what matters is that the white pawns are queening.} Bc4 44. Qf3 $1 Qxf1+ 45. Kh2 Qb1 46. b7 Qb5 47. c6 Bd5 48. Qg3 $1 {Controlling g2, and h4, eliminating even any small attempts at counterplay, and simultaneously queening the b-pawn made Gelfand resign. Probably Magnus' best game in London. He achieved only a small edge in the opening, but with some precise tactics managed to enlarge it, and then increased it to decisive proportions in Gelfand's time trouble. This gave Carlsen the sole lead, but much more was still to happen...} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates"] [Site "London"] [Date "2013.03.29"] [Round "12"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2872"] [BlackElo "2757"] [Annotator "Kritz,L"] [PlyCount "180"] [EventDate "2013.03.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Mueller,Ka} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e6 ({Wenn Schwarz ganz prinzipiell spielen will, kann er mit} 3... e5 {fortfahren:} 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7 {mit vielen theoretischen Varianten.}) 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 { Das ist die populärste und wohl auch die stärkste Fortsetzung gegen das Paulsen-System.} (7. Bd3 Nf6 8. O-O Nxd4 $1 {Ich finde das Nehmen sehr gut für Schwarz.} 9. Bxd4 Bc5 10. Bxc5 (10. Bxf6 $2 gxf6 11. Qg4 Kf8 12. Kh1 h5 13. Qh4 Be7 14. f4 b5 $132) 10... Qxc5 11. Kh1 d6 12. f4 e5 $132) (7. Be2 Nf6 8. O-O Bb4 9. Na4 Be7 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8 13. Bd4 c5 14. Be5 Rb6 $132 {Auch hier hat Schwarz gute Aussichten.}) 7... Nf6 8. O-O-O Bb4 9. f3 Ne7 $5 {Diese Variante war und bleibt eine der größten Fragen, die Weiß noch zu beantworten hat.} (9... b5 10. Bf4 Ne5 11. Nc6 $3 {Dank dieses Tricks bekommt Weiß eine sehr angenehme Stellung.} Nd3+ (11... Qxc6 12. Bxe5 Bb7 13. Qg5 $16) (11... Bxc3 12. bxc3 $1 Qxc6 13. Bxe5 $16) (11... dxc6 12. Bxe5 $16) 12. cxd3 Qxc6 13. Kb1 O-O 14. Rc1 $14) (9... Ne5 {Die Hauptvariante!} 10. Nb3 b5 11. Qe1 {Nun droht Nxb5.} Be7 12. f4 Ng6 13. e5 Ng4 14. Ne4 $132 {Beide Seiten haben ihre Chancen.}) 10. Nb3 $2 {Dieser Zug wird selten gespielt und das zurecht. Besser ist 10.Nde2.} (10. Nde2 d5 (10... b5 11. Bf4 e5 12. Bg5 Bb7 13. Kb1 $14) 11. Bg5 dxe4 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Qd4 exf3 14. Qxb4 fxe2 15. Bxe2 f5 $13 {Es sieht so aus, als ob Weiß genug Kompensation für den Bauern hat, aber etwas Konkretes gibt er auch wieder nicht. Es hat noch niemand einen eindeutigen Weg zum Vorteil in dieser Stellung gezeigt.}) 10... d5 11. e5 { Weiß steht schon schlechter. Nach dem Partiezug bekommt er keine einzige Chance zum Spielen.} (11. Kb1 Bxc3 12. bxc3 O-O 13. e5 Nd7 14. f4 a5 15. Nd4 Nc5 16. Nb5 Qc6 17. Bxc5 Qxc5 18. Qd4 b6 19. Qxc5 bxc5 $15 {0-1 Cernousek,L (2417)-Chloupek,S (2317)/ Czechia 2009/EXT 2011 (40)}) 11... Nd7 $15 {Es ist sehr komisch, dass Carlsen diese Variante gewählt hat. Ich vermute, dass er etwas verwechselt hat, weil Weiß hier einfach eine schlechte Bauernstruktur bekommt, ohne jegliche Kompensation.} 12. f4 b6 13. Bd4 {Etwas stärker war doch a3, dann behält man zumindest den schwarzfeldrigen Läufer.} (13. a3 Bxc3 14. Qxc3 Qxc3 15. bxc3 Bb7 16. Kd2 Kd8 17. Be2 Kc7 $15 {1-0 Piorun,K (2445) -Vovk,Y (2549)/Warsaw 2008/CBM 125 Extra (44)}) 13... Nc5 {Jetzt ist die Stellung von Weiß schon kritisch.} 14. a3 $2 {Und wieder nicht die beste Entscheidung! Offensichtlich hat Carlsen einfach einen schlechten Tag erwischt. } (14. Bxc5 $1 Bxc5 (14... bxc5 15. a3 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 c4 17. Nd4 $132) 15. Kb1 O-O (15... Bb4 $2 16. Nb5 $1 $16) 16. Bd3 Bd7 $15) 14... Ne4 15. Qe1 Nxc3 16. Bxc3 (16. axb4 Nxd1 $19) 16... Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Qxc3 18. bxc3 $17 {Nach nur 18 Zügen hat Weiß alle Chancen auf aktives Spiel verloren und muss nun ums Remis kämpfen. Gegen einen Spieler von solcher Klasse wie Ivanchuk kann man solche Stellungen kaum halten.} a5 $6 {Als erstes kommt der "schlechte" Läufer raus, wobei das auch einen Nachteil hat - das Feld b5 wird geschwächt. } 19. Nd4 (19. c4 $5 O-O 20. cxd5 Nxd5 21. g3 a4 22. Nd4 Ne3 23. Re1 Bb7 $17) 19... Ba6 20. Bd3 $1 {Wenn Schwarz auf d3 nimmt, wird die weiße Bauernstruktur sofort verbessert.} (20. Nb5 $6 Kd7 21. Bd3 Bxb5 $1 22. Bxb5+ Kc7 $17 {Dieses Materialverhältnis ist das schlechteste für Weiß.}) 20... Kd7 (20... Bxd3 $4 21. cxd3 $14) 21. Kd2 Nc6 $1 {Ivanchuk spielt sehr genau. Man muss alle starken Figuren von Weiß abtauschen, um dann gegen die Schwächen spielen zu können.} 22. Rb1 (22. Nb5 f6 $1 23. exf6 gxf6 $17 { Schwarz wird bald zu ...e5 kommen.}) (22. Bb5 Bxb5 23. Nxb5 g5 $1 {Typischer Zug für diese Bauernstruktur.} 24. g3 Rag8 $17) 22... Bxd3 $1 {Jetzt kann Schwarz auf d3 nehmen, weil Weiß nicht mit dem Bauern zurückschlagen kann.} 23. Kxd3 (23. cxd3 Nxd4 24. cxd4 Kc6 25. Rb2 Kb7 26. Rhb1 Ra6 $15 {Demnächst kommt Rc8-Rc6 und dann wird sich der Turm a6 befreien können.}) (23. Nxc6 Bxc2 24. Kxc2 (24. Rxb6 Be4 25. Nd4 Rhb8 $19) 24... Kxc6 $19) 23... Rab8 {Weiß kann die Stellung wahrscheinlich halten, wenn er die Türme auf der b-Linie verdoppelt.} 24. Nb5 $2 (24. Rb2 f6 25. Nxc6 Kxc6 26. Re1 Rhf8 27. g3 $15) 24... g5 $1 {Jetzt kommt Schwarz auch noch von der anderen Seite.} 25. g3 Rhg8 26. c4 (26. Nd6 gxf4 27. gxf4 f6 $19) (26. Rhg1 Ne7 $17) 26... gxf4 {Das Nehmen auf c4 war gut genug.} (26... dxc4+ 27. Kxc4 gxf4 28. gxf4 Rg4 $19 { Beide Bauern e5 und f4 hängen.}) 27. gxf4 Ne7 $2 {Ivanchuk macht ebenfalls einen Fehler. Nach 27... .dxc4 könnte Weiß aufgeben.} (27... dxc4+ 28. Kxc4 ( 28. Kc3 Ne7 $19) 28... Rg4 29. Rhf1 Nxe5+ $19) 28. Rhg1 {Nun hat Schwarz das Feld g4 nicht mehr zur Verfügung.} dxc4+ 29. Kxc4 Nd5 (29... Rbc8+ 30. Kb3 Nd5 31. Rxg8 Rxg8 32. Rd1 Kc6 33. c4 Nxf4 34. Rd6+ Kb7 (34... Kc5 $4 35. Nc3 $18) 35. Rd7+ $14) 30. Nd6 Kc6 31. Nxf7 Nxf4 {Auch nach 31....Rgf8 steht Schwarz besser.} (31... Rgf8 32. Ng5 Rxf4+ 33. Kb3 Re8 34. Rbe1 h6 35. Ne4 Rh4 $15) 32. Kb3 {Vermutlich waren beide Spieler schon in Zeitnot.} (32. Rbd1 $1 Rxg1 (32... Nd5 33. Kd4 $11) 33. Rxg1 b5+ 34. Kb3 Kc5 35. Rf1 Ne2 36. c3 b4 37. cxb4+ axb4 38. Ng5 $1 (38. axb4+ Rxb4+ 39. Kc2 Rf4 40. Rxf4 Nxf4 41. Ng5 h6 42. Nf7 h5 43. Kd2 Kd4 $19) 38... Nd4+ 39. Kb2 bxa3+ 40. Kxa3 $15 {Schwarz steht besser, aber Weiß hat gute Chancen, um Remis zu halten.}) 32... Kc5 (32... Rgf8 $5 33. Ng5 Rf5 34. Rbf1 Rg8 35. Nxh7 Rxg1 36. Rxg1 Rxe5 $15) 33. Ng5 h6 34. Ne4+ Kd4 35. Nf6 Rxg1 36. Rxg1 Rc8 $1 {Genau gespielt! Schwarz muss seinen Turm aktivieren.} (36... Kxe5 $4 37. Nd7+ $18) 37. Re1 (37. Rd1+ Kxe5 38. Ng4+ Ke4 39. Nxh6 Ne2 $17) 37... Rc3+ 38. Kb2 Rf3 (38... Rh3 $4 39. Re4+ $18) 39. Re4+ Kc5 40. Nd7+ Kd5 41. Nf6+ Kc5 42. Nd7+ Kc6 $1 {Schwarz will natürlich weiter spielen, seine Stellung ist viel besser, weil sein König sehr stark ist.} 43. Nf6 (43. Rd4 Nd5 44. c4 Rf2+ 45. Kb3 a4+ $1 46. Kxa4 b5+ 47. cxb5+ (47. Ka5 bxc4 48. Nb8+ Kc5 $19) 47... Kxd7 48. Rh4 Re2 $17) 43... Ng6 {Nun droht einfach Nxe5.} 44. Rc4+ Kb5 45. Re4 $2 {Mueller,Ka: 'The passive solution makes life difficult for Carlsen.'} ({The active} 45. Rc8 $1 {Mueller,Ka draws easier, e. g.} Nxe5 46. Ne4 Re3 47. Nd6+ Ka4 48. Rf8 b5 (48... Rf3 49. Rxf3 Nxf3 50. c4 Nd2 51. Ka2 Nb3 52. Ne4 Nc1+ 53. Kb2 Nd3+ $11) 49. Rf4+ b4 50. axb4 axb4 51. Rf8 Ka5 52. Rb8 Re2 53. Kb3 $11) 45... Rf5 $17 {Schwarz hat wieder sehr großen Vorteil. Weiß kann den Bauern nicht halten.} 46. Ne8 $6 ({The computer suggestion} 46. a4+ {Mueller,Ka} Kc5 47. Kb3 Nxe5 48. c3 {is better.}) 46... Kc5 47. Nc7 $6 ({Again the computer solution} 47. Kb3 {Mueller,Ka} Rxe5 48. Rc4+ Kd5 {is objectivly better, but White's house already looks very shaky. }) 47... Nxe5 $1 48. Rh4 Kd6 49. Nb5+ Kd7 50. a4 h5 51. Nd4 Rg5 52. Re4 Nc4+ 53. Kc3 Re5 $1 54. Rh4 $6 {Mueller,Ka: 'The rook is a bit misplaced here.'} ( 54. Re2 $5 {Mueller,Ka is called for.}) 54... Nd6 55. Kd3 Rd5 56. c4 Rg5 57. Nf3 Rc5 58. Nd2 Rf5 59. Nb3 Nb7 60. Rh3 Kd6 61. Kc3 Nc5 $1 62. Nxc5 Kxc5 63. Re3 (63. Rh4 {Mueller,Ka} e5 64. Kd3 Kb4 $19) 63... e5 $2 {Mueller,Ka: 'Until now Ivanchuk has played his initiative forcefully. But now he loses control for a short moment.'} (63... h4 $1 {Mueller,Ka wins, e.g.} 64. Rxe6 (64. Kd3 e5 65. Ke4 (65. Kc3 e4 66. Rxe4 Rf3+ 67. Kc2 Rh3 $19) 65... Rf4+ 66. Kxe5 Rxc4 67. Ra3 Kb4 68. Ra1 Rc2 $19) 64... Rf3+ 65. Kb2 (65. Kd2 Rh3 $19) 65... Rh3 66. Re5+ Kb4 67. Rb5+ (67. Re2 Kxa4 $19) 67... Kxc4 68. Rxb6 Rxh2+ 69. Ka3 Rh3+ 70. Kb2 Rd3 71. Rb5 Rd5 $19) 64. h4 Kd6 65. Rd3+ Ke6 (65... Kc6 {Mueller,Ka} 66. Rd5 Rf3+ 67. Kc2 Rh3 68. Rxe5 Rxh4 69. Kc3 Rh1 70. Re6+ Kc5 71. Re5+ Kd6 72. Rb5 Kc6 73. Kd4 h4 74. Rh5 h3 75. Rh6+ Kd7 76. Kd5 h2 77. Rh7+ Ke8 78. Kc6 Kf8 79. Rh3 Kg7 80. Kb7 $11) 66. Rg3 (66. Rd5 $2 {Mueller,Ka} Rf3+ (66... e4 $2 67. Kd4 Rxd5+ 68. cxd5+ Kf5 69. d6 Ke6 70. Kxe4 Kxd6 71. Kd4 Kc7 72. Kc3 $11) 67. Kc2 Rf4 68. Kc3 Rxh4 69. Rb5 Rh3+ 70. Kd2 (70. Kb2 e4 71. Rxb6+ Ke5 72. c5 Kd4 73. Re6 Rc3 $19) 70... e4 71. Rxb6+ Ke5 72. c5 Rd3+ 73. Ke2 Rc3 74. Rb5 h4 75. Rxa5 (75. c6+ Kd4 $19) 75... h3 76. c6+ Kd6 77. Rh5 h2 78. Rh6+ Kc7 79. Kd2 Ra3 80. a5 Ra1 $19) 66... Kf6 67. Rd3 Rf4 68. Rd6+ Kf5 69. Rxb6 Rxh4 70. c5 Rxa4 ( 70... Ke4 {Mueller,Ka} 71. c6 (71. Kc4 $11) 71... Kd5 72. Rb5+ Kxc6 73. Rxe5 $11) 71. Rh6 $2 {Mueller, Ka: 'The large drawish tendency of rook endings still saves White, but over the board it is next to impossible to defend this position.'} (71. c6 {Mueller, Ka} Ke6 (71... Ra1 $6 {is met by} 72. Kb2 {when} Ra4 {is the only move to draw for Black.}) 72. Rb5 Kd6 73. c7 Kxc7 74. Rxe5 { is a tablebase draw, e.g.} h4 75. Rh5 Kb6 76. Rh6+ Kc5 77. Rh5+ Kd6 78. Kb3 Rd4 79. Rxa5 Rd5 80. Ra6+ Ke5 81. Rh6 Rd4 82. Kc3 Ra4 83. Kd2 Kf5 84. Ke2 Kg5 85. Rh8 $11) 71... Ke4 $1 {Mueller, Ka: 'Ivanchuk's king crosses over to deal with the passed c-pawn himself.'} 72. Rd6 (72. Rxh5 {Mueller,Ka} Kd5 73. c6 Rc4+ 74. Kd3 Rxc6 $19) (72. c6 {Mueller, Ka} Kd5 73. Kd3 Rd4+ 74. Ke3 Rc4 $19) 72... Rd4 $1 73. Ra6 (73. Rxd4+ {Mueller, Ka} exd4+ 74. Kc4 d3 75. c6 (75. Kc3 Kd5 76. Kxd3 Kxc5 $19) 75... d2 76. c7 d1=Q 77. c8=Q Qc2+ $19) 73... Kd5 74. Rxa5 (74. c6 {Mueller,Ka} Rc4+ 75. Kd3 Rxc6 76. Rxa5+ Ke6 $19) (74. Rh6 {Mueller,Ka} Kxc5 75. Rxh5 Kd5 $19) 74... Rc4+ 75. Kd3 Rxc5 76. Ra4 Rc7 ({The computer move} 76... e4+ {Mueller,Ka wins quicker as} 77. Rxe4 $6 {runs into} Rc3+ 78. Kxc3 Kxe4 79. Kd2 Kf3 80. Ke1 Kg2 $19 {[%csl Gg1,Gg2]}) 77. Rh4 Rh7 78. Ke3 Ke6 79. Ke4 Rh8 80. Ke3 Kf5 81. Ke2 Kg5 82. Re4 Re8 83. Ke3 h4 84. Ke2 h3 85. Kf2 h2 86. Kg2 h1=Q+ 87. Kxh1 Kf5 88. Re1 Rg8 $1 {Mueller,Ka: 'The cut off decides.'} 89. Kh2 (89. Rg1 {Mueller,Ka} Rxg1+ 90. Kxg1 Ke4 91. Kf2 Kd3 $19 {[%csl Gd3, Ge3,Gf3]}) 89... Kf4 90. Rf1+ Ke3 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates"] [Site "London"] [Date "2013.03.23"] [Round "7"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2872"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Marin,M"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2013.03.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. b3 {The Anand setup, not easy to handle with White and maybe too complex for the style of Carlsen, who rarely embarks such early battles of principle.} d6 (5... e5 6. Nxe5 Qe7 7. Bb2 (7. d4 d6 {Anand,V (2791)-Gelfand,B (2727)/Moscow 2012/CBM 149/[Stohl,I] (1-0, 77)}) 7... d6 8. Nc4 d5 {Anand,V (2791)-Gelfand,B (2727)/Moscow 2012/CBM 149/[Kritz, L] (1/2, 25)}) 6. O-O ({Radjabov must have felt confident about this position, since he had had it twice recently:} 6. e5 dxe5 7. Nxe5 Qd5 8. Nf3 Qe4+ 9. Kf1 Qf5 10. Nc3 (10. Na3 Nf6 {Grischuk,A (2761)-Radjabov,T (2784)/Moscow 2012/CBM 149/[Kritz,L] (1/2, 41)}) 10... Nf6 11. d3 {McShane,L (2706)-Radjabov,T (2784)/ Moscow 2012/CBM 149/[Radjabov] (0-1, 48)}) 6... Ne7 ({It is instructive to followe how a living legend fought for the control on the dark squares by somewhat extravagant means.} 6... e5 7. Re1 g5 8. d3 h6 9. c3 Bg7 10. Na3 Ne7 11. Nc4 O-O 12. Ne3 f5 {This youthful way of playing, with ...f5 and ...g5, yielded Korchnoi many impressive wins throughout his career; the latest remarkable example is his win against Caruana in Gibraltar 2011.} 13. b4 f4 $36 {Boehnisch,M (2374)-Kortschnoj,V (2552)/Velden 2009/CBM 129 Extra (0-1, 40)}) 7. e5 {This is the modern treatment of the problem of the dark squares in the centre. There are other ways, though:} (7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 e5 9. Qe3 f6 10. c4 d5 $132 {Dolmatov,S (2550)-Whitehead,J (2325)/Chicago 1983/EXT 99 (1/2, 43)}) ( 7. c3 Ng6 8. d4 {Becerra Rivero,J (2480)-Blanco Fernandez,A (2345)/Havana 1994/ EXT 97 (1/2, 61)} cxd4 9. cxd4 Ba6 10. Qc2 Rc8 11. Rd1 Be7 12. Nc3 Qa5 $132) 7... Ng6 8. exd6 Bxd6 (8... e5 {may define the central structure too soon:} 9. Na3 Bxd6 10. Nc4 $14) 9. Nc3 {Maybe this move is not bad, but in the game Carlsen will not manage to justify this way of developing the knight. So, I do not know whether to attach the question mark to the last move or simply to the whole of the following sequence.} (9. d4 {remains an alternative:} cxd4 $140 10. Qxd4 O-O 11. Ba3) ({but} 9. Na3 O-O 10. Nc4 {looks more flexible. True, without a pawn on e5, Black can play} Be7 {keeping c5 well defended and followed by ...f6 and ...e5 later.}) 9... e5 10. Re1 O-O 11. d3 f5 $1 {The start of a courageous plan; Black does not fear any ghosts. Black has two relatively weak pawns, on c5 and e5, but he can defend them well enough. White seems to have comfortable play, but soon he will end up short of constructive plans.} 12. Ba3 Be6 13. Na4 Qe7 14. c4 Rad8 15. Qe2 Bc8 {Black has completed his superb regrouping plan and is ready to launch the attack. It looks as if the colours have been switched, since it is Black who dictates the events after the opening. Having been outplayed, White needs some tactical inventiveness to stay in the game, but he will fail here, too.} 16. Qe3 { Not a good square and area for the queen, that goes without saying.} (16. Rad1 Nf4 (16... e4 17. dxe4 fxe4 18. Qxe4 Qxe4 19. Rxe4 Bxh2+ 20. Kxh2 Rxd1 21. Bxc5 $44) 17. Qc2 Rde8 $36) 16... f4 $5 {[%CAl Gc8g4] Not the only possible plan.} ( 16... Nf4 17. Bb2 (17. Bxc5 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Bxc5 19. Qc3 e4 20. Ne5 Bd6 21. Nxc6 Qc7 22. Nxd8 Bxh2+ 23. Kf1 Be5) (17. Nxe5 Nxg2 18. Kxg2 f4 19. Qe4 Bxe5 20. Qxe5 Qh4 21. Bb2 Qh3+ 22. Kg1 Rf6 $19) 17... e4 18. dxe4 fxe4 19. Qxe4 Nh3+ 20. Kf1 Qg5 $5 21. Re2 (21. Nxg5 Rxf2#) (21. Re3 Nxf2 22. Kxf2 Bxh2 $40) 21... Rxf3 22. Qxf3 Bg4 $40) 17. Qe4 $6 {Playing with fire again. This square is supposed to be left available for the knight.} (17. Qe2 Bg4 18. h3 Bh5 19. Qe4 {At least now there is some stability for the queen in the centre.}) 17... Kh8 { Unnecessarily cautious, but good enough. The attack is very much on still.} ( 17... Rf5 $5 18. Rad1 Nh4 (18... Rh5 19. d4 cxd4 20. Nxd4) 19. h3 Rh5 20. Nxh4 Qxh4 21. Qf3 Rg5 22. Kf1 Rf8 $40 {/\...Rf6, /\...Rg3, /\...Rxg2!?}) 18. Rad1 Bg4 19. Rd2 Bxf3 {The problem with this plan is that White has chances to consolidate on the light squares if he does not get killed by the attack.} 20. Qxf3 Nh4 21. Qe4 $2 {But this loses at once, or should have done so...} ({ He should have defended the h3-c8 diagonal with} 21. Qg4 {, although the position reemains dangerous after} Rf5 $40 {/\...Rdf8, ...h5}) 21... f3 22. g3 Ng2 $19 23. Nc3 (23. Red1 Qe6 $19 {[%CAl Ge6h3]}) 23... Qe6 $2 {Offering White an unexpected chance to stay in the game.} (23... Nxe1 24. Qxe1 Bc7 {[%CAl Gc7a5]} 25. d4 Qf7 $19 {Black is an exchange up and keeps mating threats. I doubt that even a player with Carlsen's survival skills would have continued playing on in this position.}) 24. Re3 $3 $17 {[%csl Gf3]} Nxe3 25. fxe3 { Suddenly, White has got some space and stability on the light squares. He should lose, of course, but Black still needs to find a constructive plan for breaking open the fortress.} f2+ $2 $15 {Hallucinating. There is no attack after this and White is more or less OK with one pawn for the exchange.} 26. Rxf2 Rxf2 27. Kxf2 Rf8+ 28. Ke2 Qh3 29. Qh1 Be7 30. Ne4 Qg4+ 31. Kd2 Qh3 32. Ke2 h5 33. Bb2 Qg4+ 34. Kd2 Qh3 35. Ke2 Qg4+ 36. Kd2 Qh3 37. Ke2 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Anand +3-0=7"] [Site "Chennai"] [Date "2013.11.22"] [Round "10"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2870"] [BlackElo "2775"] [Annotator "Szabo,Kr"] [PlyCount "130"] [EventDate "2013.11.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "CBM 158"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.01.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.01.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Since Carlsen had won the previous game too, he had 3 points advantage and actually this was the last game of their match.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ { A logical decision by Carlsen. He avoids the sharp lines after 3.d4. Apart from this, Carlsen usually employs this move.} Nd7 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 6. Bxd7+ Bxd7 7. c4 Nf6 ({A few months ago they had a game against each other with } 7... e5 8. Qd3 b5 9. Nc3 bxc4 10. Qxc4 Be6 11. Qd3 h6 12. O-O Nf6 13. Rd1 Be7 14. Ne1 O-O 15. Nc2 Qb6 16. Ne3 Rfc8 17. b3 {and White had a stable position, Carlsen-Anand, Stavanger 2013.}) 8. Bg5 e6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. O-O {The most natural move.} (10. Rd1 Bc6 11. O-O O-O 12. Qd3 Qc7 13. a4 Rfd8 14. Rfe1 Rac8 15. Nd4 Be8 16. b3 Qc5 17. Be3 Qa5 18. Bd2 Qc5 19. h3 Nd7 20. Be3 Qa5 $11 { and Black has a completely fine position, Fressinet-Ponomariov, Elancourt 2013. }) 10... Bc6 ({The immediate} 10... O-O {could have been met by} 11. e5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 Be8 13. Rad1 {White has gained some space, but thanks to his stable position, Black can hold the game.}) 11. Qd3 {White prepares for Nd4.} (11. Rad1 {transposes to 10.Rd1.}) 11... O-O 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. b3 $146 {Carlsen would like to stabilise his position.} (13. Rac1 Qa5 14. Bd2 Qd8 15. Bg5 b6 16. Nxc6 Rxc6 17. Ne2 Qa8 18. f3 Rfc8 19. Be3 Nd7 20. b3 Qb7 $11 {Schoeneberg-Danailov, Leipzig 1986}) 13... Qc7 14. Nxc6 ({The natural} 14. Rfd1 {was also possible.} Rfd8 15. Nxc6 (15. Rac1 Be8 {and Black can keep his B.}) 15... Qxc6 16. Rac1 { similar to the game.}) 14... Qxc6 15. Rac1 h6 (15... Rfd8 16. Rfd1 {and White is solid.}) 16. Be3 Nd7 17. Bd4 Rfd8 18. h3 (18. Rfd1 Qc7 {is also similar.}) 18... Qc7 19. Rfd1 Qa5 20. Qd2 {White is threatening with Nd5!} ({In the event of} 20. Qg3 {Black can reply with} Qg5 ({or} 20... Bf8 {.})) 20... Kf8 (20... Bg5 {was easier, but I think Anand didn't want to exchange the bishops so quickly.} 21. Be3 (21. f4 Bf6 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 $11) 21... Bxe3 22. Qxe3 Ne5 $11 { with a balanced middlegame.}) 21. Qb2 Kg8 22. a4 (22. Qd2 {was a repetition of moves.}) 22... Qh5 23. Ne2 Bf6 {After the B exchange suddenly the d6 P will be very weak.} ({Probably} 23... Qg6 $1 {was more exact, as} 24. f3 b6 {followed by Nc5 and the e7 B is able to hold the d6 P.}) 24. Rc3 $1 {The R is very useful on the 3rd rank.} Bxd4 25. Rxd4 {Now White has a comfortable position, because the d6 P can be attacked by tripling on the d-file.} Qe5 26. Qd2 Nf6 ( 26... Nc5 {was also possible} 27. Re3 Qf6 28. a5 {and still Black needs to play some exact moves.}) 27. Re3 Rd7 28. a5 Qg5 $2 {A mistake, which allows White's strong reply!} (28... Rcd8 {was important to protect the d7 R.}) 29. e5 $1 Ne8 30. exd6 $2 {White returns the error, but I think Carlsen was only thinking about the draw and becoming the new World Champion.} ({Nevertheless} 30. Nc3 $1 {was the strongest answer. White keeps the tension and the N is ready to go to e4 or a4 too.} Rc6 31. f4 Qe7 32. Red3 $16 {and Black is in a big trouble.}) 30... Rc6 {Now Black immediately gains back the d6 P.} 31. f4 Qd8 32. Red3 Rcxd6 33. Rxd6 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Qxd6 35. Qxd6 Nxd6 36. Kf2 {I think Carlsen wanted this endgame, which is an easy draw for him without any problem. } Kf8 37. Ke3 Ke7 38. Kd4 Kd7 39. Kc5 Kc7 40. Nc3 Nf5 41. Ne4 Ne3 42. g3 f5 43. Nd6 g5 44. Ne8+ Kd7 45. Nf6+ Ke7 46. Ng8+ (46. Nh5 {was also possible, but White didn't want to risk} Kf7 47. Kb6 Kg6 48. Kxb7 Kxh5 49. Kxa6 gxf4 50. gxf4 e5 51. Kb6 exf4 52. a6 f3 53. a7 f2 54. a8=Q Kh4 (54... f1=Q $6 55. Qe8+ { and the e3 N is lost.}) 55. Qf3 f1=Q 56. Qxe3 f4 57. Qe6 h5 {with a drawish queen endgame.}) 46... Kf8 47. Nxh6 (47. Nf6 Ke7 {was a repetition of moves.}) 47... gxf4 48. gxf4 Kg7 49. Nxf5+ exf5 50. Kb6 Ng2 51. Kxb7 Nxf4 52. Kxa6 Ne6 53. Kb6 f4 54. a6 f3 55. a7 f2 56. a8=Q f1=Q 57. Qd5 {Carlsen has achieved his aim; he has no way to lose, the position is completely drawn.} Qe1 58. Qd6 Qe3+ 59. Ka6 Nc5+ 60. Kb5 Nxb3 61. Qc7+ Kh6 62. Qb6+ Qxb6+ 63. Kxb6 Kh5 64. h4 Kxh4 65. c5 Nxc5 {and Magnus Carlsen is the new World Champion! Congratulations to him!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 1st"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2013.05.09"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2868"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Szabo,Kr"] [PlyCount "118"] [EventDate "2013.05.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 155"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 6. Bxd7+ Bxd7 7. c4 e5 8. Qd3 b5 $5 {A very logical move. Black attacks White's P centre in order to lessen the pressure against d5.} 9. Nc3 (9. Na3 {has also been played, but} Qb6 10. O-O h6 11. b3 Nf6 12. Re1 Be7 13. Nd2 O-O 14. Nf1 Bc6 15. Ng3 Bd7 16. Be3 Qb7 17. Nc2 bxc4 18. bxc4 Rfc8 $132 {and Black looks nicely placed, Tiviakov-Babula, Dresden 2007.}) 9... bxc4 10. Qxc4 Be6 11. Qd3 (11. Qc6+ { leads only to repetition of moves after} Bd7 12. Qc4 Be6 $11) (11. Nd5 Qa5+ 12. Qc3 (12. Bd2 Bxd5 13. exd5 Qb5 $13) 12... Qxc3+ 13. Nxc3 h6 14. b3 Rc8 15. Bb2 Nf6 16. O-O Be7 17. Rfd1 O-O 18. Nd2 Rc6 $13 {D.Howell-Shanava, Istanbul ol 2012}) 11... h6 {This important move avoids B or Ng5.} ({In the event of} 11... Nf6 $6 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. O-O {followed by Nd5 with a slight advantage for White.}) 12. O-O Nf6 13. Rd1 $146 {The first novelty in the game. The idea can be seen in the next moves.} (13. Be3 Be7 14. Nd2 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Qxd5 17. Qxd5 Bxd5 18. Rfc1 Kd7 19. Nc4 Bxc4 20. Rxc4 Rhc8 $11 { Yu Ruiyuan-Zhou Jianchao, Tianjin 2013. Black equalised.}) 13... Be7 14. Ne1 $5 {A very typical plan in these P structures. The white N goes to c2-e3 and d5.} O-O 15. Nc2 Qb6 16. Ne3 Rfc8 17. b3 {A prophylactic move, Carlsen prepares for Bd2.} ({The immediate} 17. Ned5 {is probably too early, as} Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Rab8 (19... Qb4 20. b3) 20. b3 Rc2 21. Be3 Qb4 {and it is not so easy to improve the position with White.}) 17... a5 18. Bd2 Qa6 {Anand decides to exchange the Q.} 19. Be1 Nd7 20. f3 {Carlsen protects the e4 P, which wasn't hanging at the moment, but after the exchange of Q, than Ncd5 Nc5 and the P is protected.} Rc6 21. Qxa6 Rcxa6 22. Ned5 $1 (22. Ncd5 {was also possible} Bd8 ( 22... Bg5 23. Nc4 $14) 23. Rac1 $14 {and White is slightly better.}) 22... Bd8 23. Nb5 {This is the point of why Carlsen put the e3 N on d5.} Rc8 (23... Rc6 { was more precise} 24. Rac1 (24. Bf2 Rb8) 24... Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Bxd5 26. exd5 Nf6 27. Nxd6 Nxd5 {and still Black can hope for equalisation.}) 24. Bf2 (24. Rac1 { was an interesting alternative.} Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Bxd5 26. exd5 Bb6+ 27. Bf2 $14) 24... Kh7 {A prophylactic move, which avoids Ne7 checks.} 25. Kf1 $14 {Another logical move by Carlsen. The K is coming towards the centre.} Rcc6 $6 (25... g6 {was another option preparing for Kg7.} 26. Rac1 Rac6 27. Be3 $14) 26. Rac1 Bg5 27. Rc3 (27. Rxc6 $1 {was stronger} Rxc6 28. Ndc7 Rc2 29. Nxe6 fxe6 30. Rxd6 $16 {and White is better.}) 27... Bxd5 28. Rxd5 Rxc3 29. Nxc3 Rc6 30. Be1 Nc5 31. Nb5 (31. h4 $5 Bd8 (31... Be7 32. Ke2 $14) 32. Nb5 Nb7 33. Ke2 $14) 31... Nb7 32. h4 Be3 33. Ke2 Bc5 34. h5 Bb4 35. Bd2 $6 ({In the event of} 35. Bxb4 axb4 36. a3 bxa3 37. Nxa3 g6 38. hxg6+ Kxg6 39. Nc4 {is still also slightly better for White.}) 35... g6 36. a3 Bxd2 37. hxg6+ Kxg6 38. Kxd2 h5 39. g3 f6 40. Na7 Rc7 41. Nb5 Rc6 42. Ke2 Kf7 $11 {Anand has made some precise moves, so he has levelled the position.} 43. b4 axb4 44. axb4 Ke6 45. Rd3 Rc4 46. Rb3 d5 47. Kd3 Rc6 48. exd5+ Kxd5 49. Rc3 f5 50. Nc7+ Kd6 51. Ne8+ Kd5 52. Rxc6 Kxc6 53. Ng7 Nd6 54. Nxh5 e4+ 55. fxe4 Nxe4 56. Kd4 Kb5 57. g4 fxg4 58. Kxe4 g3 59. Nxg3 Kxb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 1st"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2013.05.12"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2868"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Marin,M"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2013.05.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 155"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. O-O a6 ({If Black delays attacking the bishop with} 4... Ngf6 5. Re1 a6 {White could regroup properly:} 6. Bf1) 5. Bd3 $5 {A relatively unexplored move.} ({The main stream goes} 5. Bxd7+ Bxd7) 5... Ne5 $5 {But this is really rare. Black accepts the weakness of the doubled pawns in order to cross White's plans of central expansion with c2-c3, Bc2 and d2-d4.} (5... Ngf6 {is examined in Stohl's extensive comments to Caruana,F (2786)-Topalov,V (2769)/Bucharest 2012/CBM 152/[Stohl,I] (1/2, 81)}) 6. Nxe5 { White has nothing better than picking up the gauntlet. It is not such a bad option, by the way.} ({If} 6. Be2 Nxf3+ 7. Bxf3 Nf6 {the bishop does not stand well in front of the f-pawn.}) 6... dxe5 7. a4 Nf6 {I must confess that I do not quite understand why Black allows the blocking a4-a5 move while White does not play it! It will be only nine moves later that Black will eventually play . ..b7-b6.} ({The more logical (and, in my opinion, better)} 7... b6 {has been played only in one game between lower rated players, so there must be something beyond my understanding.} 8. b3 {Mudrak,J (2313)-Rychlik,H (2044) Nachod 2012 (1-0, 48)}) 8. b3 $146 (8. Re1 g6 (8... b6 9. Na3 Bb7 10. Nc4 Nd7 11. b3 e6 12. Bb2 Qg5 13. Re3 g6 14. Rg3 Qf6 15. Qe2 $16 {Trent,L (2429) -Sutovsky,E (2684)/Caleta 2013/CBM 153 (0-1, 43)}) 9. Qe2 Bh6 10. Na3 b6 11. b3 O-O 12. Bb2 Qc7 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. f3 Nd7 15. Bc4 Nb8 {[%CAl Gb8c6,Gc6d4] and Black managed to equalise gradually in Flores Rios,M (2482)-Iturrizaga Bonelli, E (2555)/Sao Paulo 2009/CBM 131 Extra (1/2, 30)}) ({I would play} 8. a5 { without thinking twice!}) 8... Be6 ({If Black keeps developing normally, White will gain a lot from having saved the tempo Rf1-e1 with respect to the two games above; moreover, the rook is better placed on f1 in view of a possible f2-f4.} 8... g6 9. Bb2 Qc7 10. Na3 Bg7 11. Nc4 Nh5 (11... Nd7 12. f4 $40) 12. a5 $16) 9. Bb2 ({For once,} 9. a5 {oes not work>} Bxb3 $17) 9... Bxb3 10. Qe2 ( 10. Bxa6 Rxa6 11. cxb3 Nxe4 12. Re1 Nf6 13. Bxe5 e6 14. Na3 {is not too clear. White has a nice blockade, but on the other hand Black's structure is more compact.}) (10. Bxe5 $2 Qxd3 $1) 10... c4 (10... Be6 11. Bxe5 $14) 11. Bxc4 Bxc4 12. Qxc4 $14 {The unusual exchanges have left White with the better development and better pawn control in the centre.} Rc8 13. Qb3 Qc7 14. d3 e6 ( 14... Qxc2 15. Qxb7 $16) 15. Nd2 Nd7 16. Nc4 ({This was the last moment when White could block the queenside with} 16. a5 {Why did Carlsen refrain from such a strategically advantageous move? Surely not because of} Qxc2 $2 17. Rac1 Qxb3 18. Rxc8+ Ke7 19. Nxb3 $18) 16... b6 {The worst is over for Black now. The c4-knight will face the constant threat of ...b6-b5, which makes the c2-pawn vulnerable.} 17. Kh1 Rb8 18. Qc3 f6 19. g3 b5 20. axb5 axb5 21. Ne3 Qxc3 22. Bxc3 b4 23. Bd2 b3 24. cxb3 Rxb3 25. Ra8+ Rb8 {Safest} (25... Kf7 26. Rc1 Rxd3 27. Bb4 {would offer White a dangerous initiative.}) 26. Rxb8+ Nxb8 27. Rc1 Kd7 28. Rb1 Nc6 $11 {Black's position is absolutely normal and the king's activity fully compensates for the slight delay in development.} 29. Nc4 Be7 30. f4 exf4 31. gxf4 Rb8 32. Rxb8 Nxb8 33. Kg2 Nc6 34. Bc3 Bc5 35. Kf3 Nd4+ 36. Bxd4 Bxd4 37. f5 g6 38. fxe6+ Kxe6 39. h3 h5 40. Na5 Bb6 41. Nc4 Bd4 42. Na5 Bb6 43. Nc4 Bd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Anand +3-1=7"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2014.11.15"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B41"] [WhiteElo "2863"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Kasimdzhanov,R"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2014.11.08"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This game has already entered chess history, and not in a good way. Hardly any other game caused so much astonishment, and left even experts so perplexed. Mutual blunders shocked the public at large; a strange opening choice from Vishy left me, amongst others, struggling for an explanation.} 1. e4 {[%emt 0: 00:04]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:06] The same opening choice from Anand as in game 4, but...} 3. d4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:15] This time Magnus is prepared!} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 5. c4 {[%emt 0:00:43] A very popular move these days, alternatives are 5.Bd3 and 5.Nc3.} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 6. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:08] Quite natural, but in fact not the most solid continuation. } (6... Qc7 7. a3 b6 {leads to pretty normal Hedgehog positions} (7... Nxe4 8. Nxe4 Qe5 {is very risky for Black})) 7. Qd3 {[%emt 0:01:34]} Nc6 $6 {[%emt 0: 00:15] Vishy choosing this line is rather odd - Black gets a passive position without any counterplay.} (7... Qc7 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. Qxc3 Nxe4 10. Nb5 $1 { is just bad for Black: 1-0 (31) Nepomniachtchi,I (2730)-Svidler,P (2753) Dubai 2014}) ({But} 7... d5 {is a pretty good move, with decent chances to equalize.} ) 8. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:02:24]} dxc6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 9. Qxd8+ {[%emt 0:03:23]} Kxd8 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 10. e5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:01:28]} (10... Ne4 { looks more active: after} 11. a3 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 b6 13. Be3 Kc7 14. Bd3 Nc5 ( 14... Nxc3 15. a4 b5 {feels quite risky too}) 15. Bc2 a5 16. O-O-O Ba6 17. Rd4 {isn't as bad for Black as the game, but still kind of sad.}) 11. Bf4 {[%emt 0: 02:58]} (11. f4 {gives Black counterplay} f6 12. exf6 Nxf6 (12... gxf6 $5)) 11... Bxc3+ {[%emt 0:09:17]} 12. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Kc7 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 13. h4 {[%emt 0:03:55]} b6 {[%emt 0:01:21]} (13... h5 14. Rh3 {and maybe Black is just no longer in time to defend f7.}) 14. h5 {[%emt 0:01:38]} h6 $6 {[%emt 0: 07:45] Very understandable, but in fact a rather risky approach.} ({Letting the white pawn get to h6 after} 14... Bb7 15. h6 g6 {does not look great, but in fact Black has only one weakness to defend now, the pawn on f7, and he might be able to do it.} 16. O-O-O c5 17. Rh4 Rhf8 18. Bg3 Rae8 {and I don't see how White should progress here.}) 15. O-O-O {[%emt 0:03:58]} Bb7 {[%emt 0: 01:18]} 16. Rd3 {[%emt 0:02:04]} c5 {[%emt 0:07:41]} 17. Rg3 {[%emt 0:01:41]} Rag8 {[%emt 0:01:39]} 18. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:45]} Nf8 {[%emt 0:04:29] Now we can take stock of what has happened - Black is passive and worse; or, as Kramnik nicely put it, the starting position in chess is not so bad for Black that he should go for something like this :)} 19. Be3 {[%emt 0:01:26]} g6 {[%emt 0:10: 20] Black just can't allow Rh4-g4.} (19... Nd7 20. Rh4 Nxe5 21. Bf4 f6 22. Rhg4 {is no improvement.}) 20. hxg6 {[%emt 0:02:49]} Nxg6 {[%emt 0:03:20]} 21. Rh5 { [%emt 0:00:34]} Bc6 {[%emt 0:06:24]} 22. Bc2 {[%emt 0:02:55]} Kb7 {[%emt 0:04: 17] So far White has played immaculately, but around here strange things start happening.} 23. Rg4 {[%emt 0:08:35] In fact the rook is pretty vulnarable here, and does not do very much at all.} (23. Kd2 Ne7 $1 24. Rxg8 Rxg8 25. g3 Bf3 26. Rxh6 Rd8+ 27. Kc1 {Black is still fighting here, but White should convert in the long run} (27. Ke1 Nc6)) 23... a5 {[%emt 0:05:45]} (23... Ne7 24. Rxg8 Rxg8 25. g3 Bf3 26. Rxh6 Ng6 {is similar to the previous line.}) 24. Bd1 {[%emt 0: 01:37]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:05:17]} 25. Bc2 {[%emt 0:03:46]} Rdg8 {[%emt 0:02:23]} 26. Kd2 $4 {[%emt 0:01:03] A move that should have changed modern chess history. White really needs to centralise his king, but it would be nice to achieve it without blundering all his pawns.} (26. Kd1 Nf8 $1 27. Rf4 Be8 {is suddenly awkward for White}) (26. Rg3 $5 {might be the best; although it becomes clear, that White lost a lot of time, shuffling his pieces around.}) 26... a4 $4 { [%emt 0:01:00] As they say, "returning the favour". I can't think of any other example, where Vishy with loads of time on his clock had failed to spot tactics that simple.} (26... Nxe5 $1 27. Rxg8 Nxc4+ 28. Ke2 Rxg8 29. g3 Nxe3 30. Kxe3 Bd5 {with a reasonably simple techical task.}) 27. Ke2 {[%emt 0:01:31] Back in control.} a3 {[%emt 0:02:42]} 28. f3 {[%emt 0:01:20]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:09: 34]} 29. Ke1 {[%emt 0:08:04]} (29. Bxg6 fxg6 30. Rxg6 Ba4 31. Rxe6 Bc2 { feels less clear than White would ideally like.}) 29... Rd7 {[%emt 0:01:18]} 30. Bc1 {[%emt 0:01:58]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:03:54]} 31. Ke2 {[%emt 0:08:42]} Ba4 { [%emt 0:00:25]} 32. Be4+ {[%emt 0:02:26]} Bc6 $2 {[%emt 0:00:09] The last of so many mistakes in this game.} ({After} 32... Ka7 $1 33. Bxa8 Kxa8 34. Bxa3 ( 34. Rh1 Bc2) 34... Rd1 35. Rxh6 Ra1 {Black gets a surprising ammount of counterplay} 36. Ke3 $1 {perhaps the best, but far from simple} (36. Rh7 Rxa2+ $13) (36. Rg5 Rxa2+ 37. Ke1 Nf4 (37... Rxa3 38. Rh7 $16) 38. Bc1 Nd3+ 39. Kf1 Bb3 (39... Nxc1 40. Rg7) 40. Rg7 Bxc4 41. Kg1 Kb7 42. Rxf7+ Kc6 43. Bg5 Rc2 { is a mess}) 36... Nxe5 37. Rg7 Nxc4+ 38. Kf4 Nd6 39. Ke5 Rd1 40. Bc1 {and White will prevail, probably :)}) 33. Bxg6 {[%emt 0:01:27]} fxg6 {[%emt 0:00: 19]} 34. Rxg6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Ba4 {[%emt 0:05:18]} 35. Rxe6 {[%emt 0:03:43]} Rd1 {[%emt 0:04:02]} 36. Bxa3 {[%emt 0:02:10]} Ra1 {[%emt 0:01:53]} 37. Ke3 { [%emt 0:01:55]} Bc2 {[%emt 0:03:43]} 38. Re7+ {[%emt 0:00:36] Luck always favours the winner.} Ka6 39. Rxh6 Rxa2 40. Bxc5 1-0 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Anand +3-1=7"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2014.11.12"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B40"] [WhiteElo "2863"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Kasimdzhanov,R"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2014.11.08"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This outwardly very quiet game was in fact full of content and also very interesting from a psychological point of view. The day before Magnus had lost in a somewhat embarassingly one-sided fashion, and it was very interesting to see how he would cope in a new situation.} 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} c5 $1 { [%emt 0:00:08] No Berlin today! Thanks from all the fans all around the world! :)} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:05] Vishy has played 2...d6 most of his life, but not today. Is 3.Bb5 really that strong?} 3. g3 {[%emt 0:00:16] What Black had in store after 3.d4, we'll see in game 6.} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:44]} 4. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 5. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:30]} exd5 { [%emt 0:00:08]} 6. O-O {[%emt 0:00:30]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:01:09]} 7. d4 {[%emt 0:00: 57]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 8. Be3 {[%emt 0:05:55]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:05:06]} 9. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:46]} Bg4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:14] A nice improvement, typical of high-class preparation.} ({After the usual} 9... O-O 10. h3 {Black has had some problems in recent games:} Re8 11. Nc3 (11. Re1 h6 12. Nd2 Bd6 13. c3 Bd7 {1/2-1/2 (37) Short,N (2696)-Caruana,F (2675) Wijk aan Zee 2010}) 11... Bb4 12. Nce2 Bd6 13. c3 Bd7 14. Nf4 Bxf4 15. Bxf4 $14 {1/2-1/2 (54) Adams,M (2740) -Kryvoruchko,Y (2678) Tromsoe 2013}) 10. Qd3 {[%emt 0:03:32]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:03: 27]} 11. Nd2 {[%emt 0:06:52]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:39] Black has got a pretty comfortable IQP position.} 12. N2f3 {[%emt 0:01:24]} Rfe8 {[%emt 0:06:27]} 13. Rfe1 {[%emt 0:05:36]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:05:45]} 14. c3 {[%emt 0:07:37]} h6 {[%emt 0: 02:43]} 15. Qf1 $1 {[%emt 0:09:04] Quite impressive, and not because this move changes anything in the evaluation - the position reamains around equality - but it does manage to create some threats (h3, Nh4, Bh3 in some lines) from nothing.} Bh5 {[%emt 0:17:25] Played after some thought.} ({Vishy could also have gone for more ambitious} 15... Ne4 $5 {when after} 16. h3 (16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Nd4 Bh5 $13) 16... Bh5 17. Nh4 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 f5 $1 {Black's play should not be underestimated.}) 16. h3 {[%emt 0:06:42]} (16. Nh4 {was perhaps more challenging} Bc5 $1 (16... Ng4 17. Qb5 Nxe3 18. Rxe3 Rxe3 19. fxe3 $14) 17. Nhf5 Bb6 $11) 16... Bg6 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 17. Rad1 {[%emt 0:05:24]} Rad8 { [%emt 0:08:41] Both sides have completed the development, and White faces a really difficult task of coming up with a plan of action. He decides to change the structure in the centre - this decision could not possibly have been an easy one.} 18. Nxc6 $5 {[%emt 0:08:44]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 19. c4 {[%emt 0: 00:07]} Be4 $6 {[%emt 0:08:16] Nothing could be more natural than this, but now Black starts sliding into trouble.} (19... Bc2 $1 {forces the rook to occupy a worse square} 20. Rc1 (20. Rd2 Be4 {and the threat of ...Bb4 gains some time}) 20... Be4 21. Bd4 dxc4 22. Qxc4 (22. Bxf6 Bd3) 22... Bd5 $11) 20. Bd4 {[%emt 0:09:36]} Nh7 {[%emt 0:02:17]} 21. cxd5 {[%emt 0:02:46]} Bxd5 { [%emt 0:00:16]} (21... cxd5 22. Qa6 {feels risky in the long run.}) 22. Rxe8+ { [%emt 0:06:18]} Rxe8 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 23. Qd3 $1 {[%emt 0:01:55] The white queen comes back into the game, and Black has problems due to queenside weaknesses and vulnerable pieces along the d-file.} Nf8 {[%emt 0:13:26]} 24. Nh4 $2 {[%emt 0:03:29] Letting go way too easily.} (24. Bc3 $1 {kept it very tough for Black} Rd8 (24... Ne6 25. Nh4) (24... Ng6 25. Qd4 Bf8 26. Nh2) 25. Nh4 Bc5 26. Nf5 Bxg2 27. Qxd7 Rxd7 28. Rxd7 Nxd7 29. Kxg2 $14) 24... Be5 $1 { [%emt 0:05:01] That's exactly the difference.} 25. Bxd5 {[%emt 0:04:04]} Qxd5 { [%emt 0:02:21]} 26. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:01:13]} Qxe5 {[%emt 0:00:13] Now it's about equal again.} 27. b3 {[%emt 0:01:06]} Ne6 {[%emt 0:02:55]} 28. Nf3 {[%emt 0:03: 23]} Qf6 {[%emt 0:00:51]} 29. Kg2 {[%emt 0:01:06]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:05:54]} 30. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:03:49]} (30... Rxd1 31. Qxd1 Qe7 32. Qd3 Qc5 { might have been simpler.}) 31. Rxd5 {[%emt 0:04:27]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 32. Ne5 {[%emt 0:01:11]} (32. Qe5 $5 Qd8 33. Nd4 Nxd4 34. Qxd4 Qd7 {I wonder if White has chances here...}) 32... Qf5 {[%emt 0:03:20]} 33. Nd3 {[%emt 0:03:22]} Nd4 {[%emt 0:01:51]} 34. g4 $5 {[%emt 0:05:29] This unexpected move still poses some problems.} Qd7 {[%emt 0:05:29]} (34... Nxe2 35. gxf5 Kf8 36. Kf3 Nc3 37. a4 Ke7 38. Ke3 Kd6 {is ok for Black, but I can understand the reluctance to go for a knight ending.}) (34... Qg6 35. Qe8+ (35. Qe3 Nf5 36. Qe8+ Kh7) 35... Kh7 36. Nf4 Qe4+ 37. Qxe4+ dxe4 {same here}) (34... Qe4+ $2 35. Qxe4 dxe4 36. Nc5) 35. Qe5 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Ne6 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 36. Kg3 {[%emt 0:03:39]} Qb5 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 37. Nf4 {[%emt 0:00:57]} Nxf4 {[%emt 0:01:19]} 38. Kxf4 { [%emt 0:00:05]} Qb4+ {[%emt 0:02:10]} (38... g5+ $1 39. Kg3 Qa6 40. a4 Qd3+ 41. Qe3 Qd1 {is quite a simple draw.}) 39. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} d4 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 40. Qe8+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Qxf7 {[%emt 0:05:34]} Qd2 $1 {[%emt 0:05:46] Probably found by elimination, as the most natural} (41... Qc3+ $2 42. Ke4 d3 43. Qf3 $16 {leads nowhere good.}) 42. Qf5+ {[%emt 0:08:35]} (42. Ke4 $5 d3 43. Kd4 Qe2 44. Qf5+ Kg8 45. Qxd3 Qxf2+ 46. Kd5 Qxa2 47. Kc6 { looks strong, but in fact there is too little material remaining to give chances} Qf2 $1) 42... Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 43. h4 {[%emt 0:06:47]} Qxa2 { [%emt 0:11:13]} 44. Qe6 {[%emt 0:01:40]} Qd2 {[%emt 0:05:48]} 45. Qe8+ { [%emt 0:06:15]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 46. Qe4+ {[%emt 0:00:09]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00: 13]} 47. Qe8+ {[%emt 0:00:38]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:06] Again, Magnus managed to (almost) outplay his mighty opponent from an equal position, but a slightly careless 24.Nh4, allowing 24...Be5! pretty much led to a draw.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2015.01.25"] [Round "13"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Saric, Ivan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2666"] [Annotator "Gormally,D"] [PlyCount "98"] [EventDate "2015.01.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 165"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Qc7 5. O-O Nd4 6. Re1 a6 7. Bc4 {White has other choices here of course.} (7. e5 {is very forcing but Black should be ok in most of these lines.} Nxb5 8. exf6 Nxc3 9. fxg7 Bxg7 10. dxc3 d6 11. Ng5 (11. Bf4 e5 12. Bg3 h6 {should also be ok for Black}) 11... Bf5 12. a4 Qc6 13. Qe2 Bf6 {White has nothing} 14. Ne4 Bxe4 15. Qxe4 Qxe4 16. Rxe4 d5 {1/2-1/2 Anand,V (2753)-Kramnik,V (2807) Linares 2003}) (7. Bf1 Ng4 $1 {this seems like a logical response, relocating the knight to a useful central square} 8. g3 Nxf3+ 9. Qxf3 Ne5 10. Qe2 e6 11. Bg2 d6 12. d3 Be7 13. Be3 O-O 14. a4 Nc6 { and with good control over the central square d4 Black stood well in Harikrishna,P (2726)-Zhigalko,S (2678) Dubai 2014.}) 7... b5 $5 {A risky, but playable variation. I'm not convinced this would have been preparation though as it's not easy to predict what sort of opening Carlsen will play- as Short said in his typical droll style, Carlsen plays "condom" openings, ie he uses them once then throws them away. This may be slightly harsh although it's well known that Carlsen just likes to get a playable position out of the opening then use his great understanding to outplay the guy later on.} (7... d6 { is much more common. Of course this is intended to prevent e5 and now Black has ideas of ...Bg4 or perhaps ...b5 so White is almost obliged to play} 8. Nd5 Nxd5 9. exd5 g6 10. Nxd4 cxd4 11. d3 h6 12. b4 Bg7 13. Qe2 Bf6 14. Qf3 Kf8 { with some slight pressure for White in the game Kasparov,G (2847)-Leko,P (2736) Linares 2003. Although I doubt it is much and the game ended in a draw. In general these anti-Sicilian lines have been pretty much worked out and it's difficult to prove any advantage - on the plus side however you are probably in less danger of losing with White than you are in some of the sharp main lines.}) 8. Nd5 (8. Bd5 Rb8 (8... Bb7 9. Bxb7 Qxb7 10. e5 {is slightly awkward for Black;} Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 Qxf3 12. gxf3 {with a nice lead in development}) 9. e5 $6 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qc6 {looks better for Black if anything as the bishop will find its way to an excellent diagonal on b7.}) 8... Nxd5 9. Bxd5 Rb8 10. Nxd4 ( 10. c3 Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 e6 12. Bb3 {was another way to play for White. Perhaps this isn't the most exciting opening in the world although I'm sure Carlsen would have been confident of outplaying Saric from an equal position.} c4 13. Bc2 Bb7 14. d4 cxd3 15. Bxd3 Bc5 $11) 10... cxd4 11. d3 e6 12. Bb3 Bd6 13. Qh5 {Carlsen defends against the threat on h2 actively. That's one of the things you notice when following the games of the best players in the world - they are always looking for the most ambitious way to play the position.} ({By contrast a move like} 13. g3 {while not obviously bad, looks rather passive. In general you don't want to weaken your king like this, as if the game opens up later it may come back to haunt you. I'm sure a Speelman, or perhaps even Deep Blue circa 1997, would not hesistate to play} h5 $1 {creating counter-attacking chances on the kingside.}) 13... Bb7 14. f4 $1 Bxf4 15. Bxf4 {Perhaps not the best way to follow up his idea.} (15. Rf1 $1 {was more consistent, although this seems to lead to a draw with best play. Not a bad result for Carlsen in the context of the tournament- it would ensure victory for him. But I doubt he cared much about this and was surely thirsting for revenge for the defeat he suffered at Ivan's hands at the last olympiad.} Qe5 { Presumably this is why Carlsen rejected this line, as this seems like a good tactical response.} 16. Qf3 Bxh2+ (16... Bxc1 17. Qxf7+ Kd8 18. Raxc1 {looks unpleasant for Black} Kc7 19. c3 $16 Bc6 20. Qf2) 17. Kh1 Bg3 (17... O-O $2 { is just weak and drops a piece after} 18. Qh3 Bg3 19. Rf3) 18. Qxf7+ Kd8 19. Bd2 Kc7 {and now with the bishop on g3 ensuring that the White king is probably just as much danger as its counterpart, objectively he should bail out to a draw with} 20. Ba5+ Kc6 21. Bd5+ $1 Kd6 (21... exd5 $2 22. Rf5 Qd6 ( 22... Rbf8 23. exd5+ Kc5 24. Qxd7 $18)) 22. Bb4+ Kc7 23. Ba5+ $11) 15... Qxf4 16. Rf1 Qe3+ 17. Kh1 O-O 18. Rf3 Qh6 19. Qe5 a5 $1 {A very strong idea. This is the problem for White in many of these anti-Sicilian lines - the bishop become a target on b3. If White plays a3, then after the response ...a4 pushing the bishop back to a2, the c2-pawn will become vulnerable. And if he plays a4 then the b-file is opened, which should give Black good counterplay.} 20. a4 Bc6 21. axb5 Rxb5 22. Qxd4 Qd2 23. Raf1 Qb4 24. Qf2 (24. Qxb4 $2 Rxb4 { would of course be a disaster for White - ...a4 is coming when b2 drops.}) 24... f6 25. Rf4 $1 {Typical of Carlsen, I think people underesimate how tricky he is. Here he defends against the threat of ...a4 with a tactical idea. } Re5 (25... a4 $2 26. e5 $1) 26. Rb1 a4 27. Ba2 Rb8 28. c3 Qb6 {Black has a very comfortable game here and maybe even stands better.However over the next part of the game, as he so often does, Carlsen outplays his opponent.} 29. Qd2 Rb5 30. Rf2 Qc7 31. h3 h6 32. Qe3 Rg5 33. d4 Kh8 34. Re1 Bb5 35. e5 $1 { I must admit watching the game on the live webcam at this point, I was fully convinced that Carlsen would win. (when you watch chess a lot, you get used to Carlsen winning.) Suddenly the rook on g5 seems stranded on the kingside with little to do. But credit to Saric he doesn't collapse and has just enough trumps to hold the game.} f5 $1 {An essential move.} (35... fxe5 36. dxe5 { might not seem to bad according to an engine, but from a human perspective the threat of Bb1 and Qe4 will be extremely difficult to deal with.} Bc6 37. Bb1 Qd8 $6 38. Qd3 g6 39. Qd6 $1 {and White is dominating.}) 36. d5 exd5 37. Bxd5 Bc4 $1 {This is the problem. Carlsen still has the initiative, but more and more material is coming off the board meaning that the game is becoming very drawish.} 38. Rd1 Re8 39. Bxc4 Qxc4 40. Rxd7 Qb5 $1 {The last accurate move that Saric has to find.} 41. e6 Qc6 42. Qf3 (42. Re2 Rg6 $1 {also offers White nothing.}) 42... Qxe6 43. Rd5 Qe1+ 44. Rf1 Qe2 45. Rxf5 Rxf5 46. Qxe2 Rxe2 47. Rxf5 Rxb2 48. Ra5 Rc2 49. Rxa4 Rxc3 {In the press conference afterwards, I was told later that Carlsen looked very dejected. Every other chess player in the world would be delighted to win the strongest tournament on the calendar but instead Carlsen is fuming that he doesn't beat a much lower rated player with the white pieces - that's probably why he's the best!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 75th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2013.01.26"] [Round "12"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B32"] [WhiteElo "2861"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Gormally,D"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2013.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 153"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] {One of the most keenly awaited clashes in the chess world these days, is the quite regular battles between the Norwegian Wunderkind Magnus Carlsen, and the highly entertaining, often explosive, American player Hikaru Nakamura. The only problem is from Nakamura's point of view, these clashes have become worryingly one-sided. For all Nakamura's incredible talent, he has yet to beat Carlsen in a classical game - a fact that must frustrate the American, who has defeated pretty much everyone else at the top of the world's elite at some time or another. So you may ask, why is this clash so interesting? Well I think Nakamura brings out the best in Carlsen, as the American's ultra aggressive style tends to force Magnus into full combat from an early stage of the game, when most of the time the Norwegian is happy enough grinding away in an endgame. Their round 12 clash in Wijk aan Zee was a good example of this - Nakamura played an adventurous opening, but Carlsen soon clamped down on his aggressive ideas, before quickly turning to his own deadly intentions.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 {Probably not the opening Carlsen was expecting, but Nakamura is very similar to Ivanchuk - he can play pretty much anything, and play it pretty well.} 6. g3 $1 {Very typical of Carlsen's style - he is not actively trying to refute openings, like a Kasparov, but rather just building up a slight advantage, before viciously outplaying the opposition in the middlegame and endgame. But beware of drawing him into a battle - just because his natural style is to grind, doesn't mean he can't mix it with the best of them. Aware of the dangers of being ground down in 80 moves, Nakamura now lashes out with a spiky lunge on the kingside - however this is a risky strategy, as his king will never now be completely safe in any part of the board.} h5 $5 {I used to play some guy on the Internet chess club, in the one minute pool, who would thrust his h-pawn down the board at any opportunity. In fact he rarely bothered to wait this long, he would invariably start with 1..h5! (I think his name was something like Soong Loong, and he would gleefully mock me everytime he beat me with one of his horrible openings.) Funnily enough his strategy was far more dangerous than it seemed at first glance - particularly when you only have 1 minute on your clock! Doubtless Nakamura himself has had to face down Soong Loong many times as well, as a one time regular visitor of the ICC. In this particular example though you could argue that Nakamura's advance makes perfect sense- with White already commited to an early fianchetto - he is looking to soften up Carlsen's kingside and get some action going down the h-file.} (6... Be6 {was a more passive approach - if Black is not careful White will nurse a strategic advantage to the end of the game, due to the long-term hole on d5.} 7. Bg2 Be7 8. N1c3 Nf6 9. Nd5 O-O 10. O-O Qc8 11. a4 Qd7 12. Na3 Bh3 13. Bxh3 Qxh3 14. Be3 Rfd8 15. c3 h6 16. Qd3 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Bg5 18. Rfe1 Rd7 19. Rad1 Ne7 20. Qb3 Bxe3 21. Rxe3 a6 22. Nc2 Qe6 23. Qxe6 fxe6 24. Red3 d5 25. Ne3 Rad8 26. Nc4 Ng6 27. a5 d4 28. Nb6 Rd6 29. h4 h5 30. Kf1 Kf7 31. Ke2 Ke7 32. b4 Nf8 33. Nc4 Rc6 34. Nxe5 Rxc3 35. Rxc3 dxc3 36. Rxd8 Kxd8 37. Kd3 Ke7 38. Kxc3 Kd6 39. Kd4 { 1-0 Ivanchuk,V (2735)-Maidla,V (2370)/Tallinn 1996/CBM 050 ext}) 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3 b5 (8... h4 9. Bg2 h3 $5 (9... Nf6 {keeping the tension, was also possible} 10. Bg5 hxg3 11. hxg3 Rxh1+ 12. Bxh1 Be7 {when Black seems fine}) 10. Bf1 b5 11. Nd5 Nce7 $6 {slightly eccentric play which backfires -} (11... Nf6 12. Bg5 Qa5+ 13. Bd2 Qd8 {and White probably has nothing better than returning to g5 with the bishop}) 12. Bg5 f6 13. Be3 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 Rb8 15. O-O-O Ne7 16. Qxd6 Qxd6 17. Rxd6 Nf5 18. Rb6 Rxb6 19. Bxb6 Nd6 20. f3 Be6 21. Bc5 Be7 22. Be2 Nb7 23. Bxe7 Kxe7 24. b3 Nd6 25. c3 g6 26. Nc2 a5 27. Rd1 f5 28. exf5 gxf5 29. Bf1 f4 30. gxf4 exf4 31. Nd4 Bd7 32. Ne2 Bc6 33. Nxf4 Bxf3 {[%emt 0:00:17] 1-0 Nunn,J (2600) -Short,N (2635)/Wijk aan Zee 1990/CBM}) 9. Nd5 {White now has ideas of playing Be3 and c4 - threatening to make speedy progress on the queenside, a very typical strategy for White in these sorts of systems. By contrast, what aggressive plan can Black muster? Not such an easy question to answer, and even the ever-inventive Nakamura can't seem to provide an convincing recipe.} Nge7 10. Bg2 Bg4 $6 ({In the after game press conference, Carlsen explained that he expected} 10... Nxd5 11. exd5 Ne7 {which he seemed to think was fairly acceptable for Black.} 12. c4 Bd7 {and with ideas like ... h4 and also Nf5-d4 coming, Black is more than ok, although of course the game remains very sharp. Instead of this, Naka seems to "drift".}) 11. f3 Be6 12. c3 h4 13. Nc2 {Magnus is building up slowly, ignoring Black's aggressive intentions on the kingside - he doesn't believe that it's going to go anywhere. Before he commits to any actions on the queenside, he first takes the d4-square under control - now a4 is in the air.} Bxd5 $6 {This exchange is only risky for Black, as the light-square weaknesses in his position now become appreciable.} ({Black could of course exchange rooks on the h-file, but that would only work out in White's favour -} 13... hxg3 14. hxg3 Rxh1+ 15. Bxh1 {and now while White has ideas of playing a4, or even f4, Black really lacks a plan.}) ({It looks unpleasant, but perhaps} 13... f6 {with the idea of putting the king on f7 would have been the safest, as then} 14. f4 {is not particularly dangerous, as f5 will lead nowhere and the e5-square is solidly defended.}) 14. exd5 Na5 15. f4 $1 {Of course! Carlsen now switches to full Kasparov turbo boost mode, his intentions becoming every more aggressive with every passing move.} Nf5 $6 ({Carlsen felt that} 15... hxg3 16. hxg3 Rxh1+ 17. Bxh1 Qd7 {was more accurate, with the idea of ...Qh3.} 18. Bg2 exf4 19. Bxf4 Ng6 {seems ok for Black.}) 16. g4 $1 h3 17. Be4 Nh4 {Kasparov, commenting on the game afterwards, seemed to elude to the idea that this was the decisive error, suggesting that Black needed to play} (17... Qh4+ 18. Kf1 Ne7 ({The misguided attempt to "attack" with} 18... Nh6 19. g5 Ng4 {only backfires on Black, after} 20. Qe2 {White is already threatening Bf5, trapping the errant knight}) {However after the calm reply} 19. Qe2 {it is not obvious what Black's follow-up is. In fact as we shall see, Black has not stepped over the line just yet.}) 18. O-O g6 19. Kh1 {A useful prophylatic move. Just in case, White tidies his king away.} Bg7 ({Carlsen was not afraid of} 19... f5 { indicating that after} 20. Bd3 e4 21. Be2 {Black's "initiative" has come to a halt and the weakness incurred on e6 is likely to become significant, with Nd4 coming.}) 20. f5 $5 {I admit that this probably wouldn't have been my choice, but then I'm not the world number one!} ({White had a number of useful options, including the immediate} 20. Nb4) 20... gxf5 21. gxf5 Ng2 $2 {But only this mistake really sends Black plummeting over the precipice. Nakamura tries to increase his control over the dark squares, but this turns out to be far too slow.} ({The game would have remained reasonably unclear after either} 21... Bf6) ({Or} 21... Bh6) 22. f6 $1 {Probably the single greatest reason why Carlsen has risen to such giddy heights lately, and now holds an unshakeable grip over the world number one spot. Unlike other elite grandmasters, who occasionally let tactical mistakes by their opponents go by, Carlsen seems to have a shark-like ability to smell the blood in the water - and subsequently he will ruthlessly pounce on the slightest slip. This he has in common with the great champions of sport - like Federer, Messi and Woods - his ruthless streak and instinctive ability to sense when his opponent is weakening, and subsequently likely to make a mistake. It would seem that Carlsen has Nakamura's "number" and seems to know exactly when the American will err. (talking about "having someone's number", I believe I've lost pretty much every blitz game I've ever played against Nakamura since he became a strong grandmaster, which just gives an example of the difference between these top guys and lesser mortals like myself.) This impetuous pawn wanders deep into the black kingside, forcing the ignomonious retreat of the black bishop.} Bf8 { A sorry retreat, but there was little better.} ({Black loses material after} 22... Bxf6 23. Qf3 Rh4 24. Bg5 $1) ({And} 22... Bh6 {is no longer possible - White wins on the spot with} 23. Qh5 {as ...Qf6 is clearly no longer possible.} ) 23. Qf3 {Looking at Black's useless knights on g2 and a5, the phrase "knights on the rim are dim" never seemed more pertinent. Completely devoid of any meaningful counterplay, all Black can do now is thrash around uselessly waiting for the killer blow.} Qc7 24. Nb4 Nb7 25. Nc6 {The final nail in Black's coffin. The knight on c6 and pawn on f6 form an unbreakable cage around the black king.} Nc5 26. Bf5 Nd7 27. Bg5 Rg8 28. Qh5 Nb6 29. Be6 Rxg5 30. Qxg5 fxe6 31. dxe6 1-0 [Event "Bilbao Masters 9th"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2016.07.15"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B50"] [WhiteElo "2855"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Roiz,M"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2016.07.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Be2 {This side system isn't as harmless as it looks - White is aiming for building up a strong pawns centre.} g6 5. O-O Bg7 6. Bb5+ Nc6 {Sergey chooses a relatively rare theoretical continuation.} (6... Bd7 {is much more popular. There are some practical tests:} 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 (7... Nbxd7 8. Re1 O-O 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 d5 11. e5 Ne4 12. Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Bxd2 Qb6 14. Re3 Rac8 15. h4 $14 {Sagalchik,G (2525)-Serper,G (2535) New York 1996}) 8. Re1 O-O 9. d4 Na6 10. d5 c4 11. Nbd2 Nc5 $132 {Adams,M (2685)-Anand,V (2735) Dortmund 1996}) 7. d4 Qb6 (7... O-O 8. d5 Nb8 9. Re1 Bg4 10. Nbd2 Nbd7 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Nxf3 a6 13. Bf1 b5 14. Bf4 $14 {Chadaev,N (2580)-Gelfand,B (2738) Astana 2012}) (7... Bd7 8. d5 Ne5 9. Bxd7+ Nfxd7 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. a4 O-O 12. Bf4 Qb6 13. Qe2 c4 14. Bxe5 Bxe5 15. a5 Qb3 16. Na3 $14 {Lombardy,W - Hort,V Zagreb 1969}) 8. Ba4 ({The drawback of protecting the bishop by means of} 8. Na3 {was admitted by} cxd4 9. cxd4 d5 $1 $11 {in Rasik,V (2516)-Zhigalko,A (2601) Czechia 2013}) 8... cxd4 9. cxd4 O-O 10. d5 {This position was seen only in 1 preceding game!} Nb8 $146 {This move looks somewhat artificial, but the knight is heading to c5 or e5.} ({The previously played} 10... Na5 11. Nc3 ({White hardly can pretend on having advantage also after} 11. Re1 Bg4 12. Nbd2 Rfc8 13. h3 Bd7 14. Bc2 e6 $132) 11... Bg4 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Rac8 14. Qe2 Nc4 {was fine for Black in Palit,S (2421)-Gopal,G (2558) Kolkata 2014}) 11. Nc3 ({Delaying the development of Nb1 would hardly bother Black:} 11. Re1 Bg4 12. Nbd2 Qc7 13. h3 Bd7 14. Bc2 Rc8 15. Bb1 a5 $132) 11... Bg4 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Nbd7 14. Rb1 ({The more aggressive} 14. Be3 Qxb2 15. Rfc1 {only leads to simplifications:} Qa3 16. Rab1 Nc5 17. Bxc5 Qxc5 18. Rxb7 Nxe4 $1 19. Qxe4 Bxc3 20. Qf3 Qa3 $11) 14... Rfc8 {Black has completed a harmonious setup. The position is closed yet, so White's bishops do not guarantee White any advantage.} 15. Bc2 Ne5 (15... a6 $5 16. Qe2 Qa5 17. Bd2 Ne5 $132) 16. Qe2 Nfd7 17. Bg5 {The Pe7 isn't really hanging, but the presense of White's bishop on g5 is somewhat annoying.} h6 ({Deserves some attention also} 17... Bf6 $5 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Kh2 Nc4 20. Bd3 Qd4 $11 {The activity of Black's pieces doesn't allow to develop a serious attack on the kingside.}) 18. Bh4 g5 {A double-edged decision. Black manages to secure the Ne5, but this advance exposes the light squares around the king.} 19. Bg3 Qa6 ({Another interesting way of handling the position was} 19... Ng6 $5 20. Rfc1 Be5 21. Bxe5 Ndxe5 22. g3 Rc4 $132) 20. Qd1 Rc4 $2 {The first cause of Sergey's troubles!} ({There was no reason from deviating from the most aggressive} 20... Nc4 21. Bd3 Qb6 ( 21... Nc5 22. Be2 Bxc3 23. bxc3 Qxa2 24. Ra1 Qb3 25. Qd4 {looks risky for a human eye}) 22. Qe2 Nde5 $132) 21. Kh1 {This is the point! Most of Black's pieces are on the queenside, so White manages to develop a powerful attack now. } Rac8 22. f4 gxf4 23. Bxf4 Qb6 {The queen is coming into defence, but it takes a long time...} 24. Qh5 Nf6 ({The pawn sac wouldn't bring Sergey any relief:} 24... Qd8 25. Bxh6 Nf6 26. Qh4 Ng6 27. Qg5 Qf8 28. Bxg7 Qxg7 29. Rf5 $16) 25. Qf5 Qd8 (25... Ng6 26. Bd2 Qd8 27. Bb3 R4c7 28. Be3 $16) 26. Bb3 Rd4 27. Bxe5 dxe5 {As it often happens, the presense of bishops of different colours favours the attacking side!} 28. Rbd1 ({Worth attention is also} 28. Rbc1 $5 Qd7 29. Qxd7 Nxd7 30. Ne2 Rxc1 31. Rxc1 Rd2 (31... Rxe4 32. Ng3 Rf4 33. Rc7 $36) 32. Rc8+ Bf8 33. Ng3 $36 {Even though liquadating into the endgame is Black's undisputable achievement, the position is still very unpleasant.}) 28... Qd7 29. Qf3 Rb4 ({Perhaps, it was better to swap the rooks, though after } 29... Rxd1 30. Qxd1 b5 31. Qd3 a6 32. Ne2 $36 {it wouldn't easy to find a constructive defenseve plan.}) 30. Rd2 $1 {The rook would be very useful along 2nd rank.} Rf8 31. g4 $1 {As usual, World Champion's play is very energetic and impressive.} a5 $2 {Black cannot afford wasting a tempo for counter-attacking measures.} ({The only way to provide resistance was} 31... Nh7 32. h4 Rb6 33. Rg1 Rf6 34. Qg3 $16 {White still has to find a way to make progress.}) 32. Rg2 Nh7 33. h4 {Now White's attack lasts itself.} Rb6 34. g5 Kh8 ({In case of} 34... Rg6 35. Rfg1 Kh8 36. Ba4 Qc8 37. Rh2 $18 {Black would be almost paralysed.}) 35. Rfg1 f5 {A desperate attempt to complicate the matters.} 36. Qh3 Rb4 37. gxh6 Bxh6 {The king is too exposed, so White has many winning ways now.} 38. Qg3 (38. Rg6 Bf4 39. Qg2 $18 (39. d6 $18)) 38... Nf6 39. Qg6 Ng4 40. Rxg4 1-0 [Event "Bilbao Masters 9th"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2016.07.13"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B91"] [WhiteElo "2855"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "CB"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2016.07.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Ne2 {Schränkt die schwarze Auswahl etwas ein. Je nachdem, was Schwarz im zweiten Zug zieht, könnte Weiß auf d4 verzichten.} d6 3. Nbc3 a6 { Das deutet darufhin, dass Schwarz die Najdorf-Variante spielen will.} 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8. O-O O-O {Nun ist eine Position des Fianchetto-Systems der Drachenvariante auf dem Brett.} 9. b3 ({Alternativen:} 9. h3) (9. a4) 9... Nc6 10. Nxc6 (10. Nde2 Bg4 11. Bb2 Qc8 12. Qd2 Bh3 13. f3 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 b5 {1-0 (60) Bykova,E-Rudenko,L Frauen-WM, Leningrad 1953}) 10... bxc6 11. Bb2 Qa5 12. Na4 Bg4 13. Qe1 {Damentausch?} Qh5 14. f3 Bh3 15. g4 $5 ( 15. Rd1) (15. c4) 15... Qh6 16. Rd1 $14 g5 17. Bc1 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qg6 19. h4 ( 19. Nb6 $5 Rab8 20. Nc4 h5 21. h3 $14) 19... gxh4 20. Qxh4 d5 {[#]} 21. g5 $2 { Zu impulsiv. Nun gerät Weiß in Nachteil.} (21. exd5 cxd5 (21... Qxc2+ 22. Rd2 Qg6 23. dxc6 Rac8 $11) 22. Qg5 Qxc2+ 23. Rd2 Qc6 24. Bb2 $11) 21... dxe4 22. f4 {Für den Bauern erhält Weiß zu wenig Spiel. Vor allem steht der Sa4 viel zu weit weg vom Geschehen.} (22. fxe4 Nxe4 {mit Bauerngewinn und sehr unsicherem weißen König.}) 22... e6 23. c4 Rfd8 24. Rde1 Ne8 25. Nc5 Nd6 26. Qf2 f5 27. Bb2 {[#]} Nf7 {Früher oder später kommt e5 und das schwarze Bauernübergewicht im Zentrum wird spürbar.} 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Qg3 Rd6 30. Rd1 Rad8 31. Rxd6 Rxd6 32. Qc3+ Kg8 33. Rf2 Qh5 (33... e5 $5 34. fxe5 ({Oder} 34. Qg3 Qh5 {mit der Idee} 35. Z0 Rd1 36. Z0 Qh1#) 34... Qxg5+ $18) 34. Qh3 Qd1 35. Qe3 e5 36. Qg3 (36. fxe5 Rg6 $1 ({Auf} 36... Nxe5 {kann Weiß vielleicht} 37. Nxe4 fxe4 38. Qxe4 {probieren. Nach} Qg4+ 39. Qxg4 Nxg4 40. Re2 {muss Schwarz noch etwas arbeiten.})) 36... Rg6 37. Kh2 exf4 38. Qxf4 {Weiß verwaltet eine Ruine, die im Folgenden rasch eingerissen wird.} Qh5+ 39. Kg1 Qd1+ 40. Kh2 Qh5+ 41. Kg1 Nxg5 42. Qb8+ Kg7 43. Qe5+ Kh6 44. Qf4 Qd1+ 45. Kh2 Qd4 46. b4 Kg7 47. Qc7+ Kh8 48. Qc8+ Rg8 49. Qxf5 Nf3+ 50. Kh3 Qd6 (50... Qd6 51. Rg2 Qh6+ { und Matt.}) 0-1 [Event "Paris GCT blitz"] [Site "Paris"] [Date "2016.06.12"] [Round "16"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2855"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Besenthal,K"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2016.06.11"] [EventType "tourn (blitz)"] [EventRounds "18"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 173"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. a4 Ngf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. a5 Bg7 7. O-O a6 8. Bc4 O-O 9. d3 Nb8 10. Nd5 Nc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Bd2 Bg4 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Nd7 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 {Diagramm [#]} 16. Rab1 $6 (16. Ra2 {war besser.}) 16... Qd8 17. h4 Nxa5 18. Ba2 Nc6 19. h5 e6 20. g3 $2 (20. c3 $1 {hätte zunächst einmal den Sc6 limitiert.}) 20... b5 21. Kg2 Qf6 22. Qd1 a5 23. hxg6 hxg6 24. Rh1 Nb4 $6 ( 24... a4 $1) 25. Bc3 ({Sofort} 25. Qg4 {war interessant:} Nxa2 26. Bg5 Qd4 27. Qh4 Rfc8 28. c3 Nxc3 29. bxc3 Qxc3 30. Be7 f5 31. exf5 gxf5 32. Rbe1) 25... Qg5 26. f4 Qe7 27. Qg4 $2 {Diagramm [#] Jetzt funktioniert dieser Zug gar nicht mehr - ungewöhnlich für Carlsen.} Nxa2 28. Qh3 f6 29. Qh7+ Kf7 30. Rh6 Rg8 31. Bxa5 Kf8 32. Rh3 Qf7 33. c3 Ra8 34. Bb6 Ra6 35. Bd8 Ke8 36. Bc7 Kd7 37. e5 Rh8 38. Qxh8 Bxh8 39. Rxh8 Kxc7 40. Rbh1 dxe5 41. R1h7 Qxh7 42. Rxh7+ Kd6 43. Kf3 exf4 44. gxf4 b4 45. c4 Nc1 46. Ke3 Nb3 0-1 [Event "Leuven GCT blitz"] [Site "Leuven"] [Date "2016.06.19"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B53"] [WhiteElo "2855"] [BlackElo "2789"] [Annotator "Besenthal,K"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2016.06.19"] [EventType "tourn (blitz)"] [EventRounds "18"] [EventCountry "BEL"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 173"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 7. c4 $6 Nc6 8. Qd3 Qg4 {Diagramm [#]} 9. Nc3 $6 (9. O-O {war besser geeignet, das Bauernopfer zu rechtfertigen. Schwarz würde noch einen Haufen Zeit investieren müssen, um 1. den Bauern zu schlagen und 2. seine Entwicklung zu beenden. Derweil hätte Weiß bereits die Schwächen in der schwarzen Stellung attackieren können, z.B. den Punkt b7.} Qxe4 (9... Nxe4 10. Be3 O-O-O 11. Nbd2 Nxd2 12. Qxd2 e5 13. Qd5 Qg6 14. Ng5 Rd7 15. f4) 10. Qb3 $13) 9... Qxg2 $1 10. Rf1 Rc8 11. a3 g6 12. Bd2 Bg7 13. O-O-O O-O 14. Kb1 Qh3 15. Rg1 Rfe8 16. Rg3 Qe6 17. Ng5 Qd7 18. f4 Na5 19. c5 dxc5 20. Qf1 Nb3 21. Be3 Nd4 22. f5 Rf8 23. Qh3 Rfd8 24. Rf1 Nh5 25. Rgg1 Nb5 26. Nd5 Nc7 {Diagramm [#] Mit diesem Zug hatte Schwarz den Vorteil tatsächlich zunächst verspielt.} 27. Nxf7 $1 Nxd5 28. exd5 Qxd5 29. Bc1 $2 {Doch dann ließ dieser Fehlgriff Carlsens die Partie wieder ein wenig in die schwarze Richtung kippen.} Qxf7 30. fxg6 Qd5 31. Rg5 $2 (31. gxh7+ $1 Kh8 32. Rg5 Qe4+ 33. Ka1 $15) 31... Qe4+ 32. Ka1 hxg6 33. Rfg1 Rc6 34. Qb3+ c4 35. Qxb7 c3 36. Rxg6 cxb2+ 37. Bxb2 Rc1+ 0-1 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.30"] [Round "7"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2853"] [BlackElo "2771"] [Annotator "Roiz,M"] [PlyCount "132"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3 Be6 9. Qd3 Nbd7 10. Nd5 O-O {Alexander Grischuk chooses a tricky order of moves. Now it's hard to suggest anything better than 11.0-0.} ({In case of} 10... Bxd5 11. exd5 O-O {Black has to deal with a more aggressive approach -} 12. g4 $5) 11. O-O ({After} 11. c4 b5 $1 12. cxb5 axb5 13. O-O Bxd5 14. exd5 Nb6 15. Bxb6 Qxb6 16. Qxb5 Qa7 $44 {Black had an excellent compensation for a pawn in 1/2 Svidler,P (2672)-Gelfand,B (2692)/Haifa 2000}) 11... Bxd5 12. exd5 Rc8 $5 {Provoking the c2-c4 advancement.} (12... Nc5 {is much more popuar here. }) 13. c4 ({Black has nothing to worry about after} 13. a4 Nb6 14. Bxb6 Qxb6 15. a5 Qc7 $132) 13... Ne8 {That move is connected with a typical plan of regrouping the k-side pieces.} (13... a5 14. Kh1 Re8 15. Rad1 Bf8 16. Nd2 g6 17. b3 Bg7 18. a3 h5 19. f3 b6 20. b4 $14 {1-0 Short,N (2645)-Cheparinov,I (2713)/Wijk aan Zee 2008}) 14. Qd2 {An exchange of bishops would definitely suit Black, so Magnus prevents it for a while.} ({Dubious is:} 14. Bg4 $6 e4 $1 15. Qxe4 Nef6 16. Qd4 Nxg4 17. Qxg4 Ne5 18. Qe2 Nxc4 19. Bd4 Bf6 $15 {0-1 Medvegy,Z (2462)-Shariyazdanov,A (2612)/Oberwart 2000/EXT 2001 (51)}) ({ Black gets a comfortable play after} 14. Rac1 Bg5 15. Nd2 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Nef6 $11 {0-1 Pinter,G (2384)-Seres,L (2444)/Budapest 2000/CBM 079 ext (29)}) 14... b6 {A double-edged move. Alexander restricts the activity of Nb3, but the weakness of c6-spot may tell in the long run.} ({Another Najdorf expert Alexander Areschenko has opted for:} 14... f5 $5 15. f4 g6 16. Na5 (16. Kh1 Nef6 17. fxe5 Ne4 18. Qe1 dxe5 19. Na5 Rb8 20. b4 Bh4 $1 21. g3 f4 $132) 16... exf4 17. Bxf4 Nef6 $132 {Black had a decent counterplay in 0-1 Hovhannisyan,R (2592)-Areshchenko,A (2701)/Martuni 2014}) 15. Rac1 $146 {A natural innovation. The rook may support he thematic c4-c5 advancement, while the a1-spot is vacant for the knight's route.} ({The previously played} 15. f4 {should be met by:} f5 (15... Qc7 16. Rac1 Nc5 (16... Nef6 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Qe1 Bd6 19. Qh4 Rfe8 20. Kh1 $14) 17. Nxc5 bxc5 18. Bd3 $14 {1-0 Tsiros,F (2147)-Marosi,L (2211)/Gyor HUN 2014}) 16. Rae1 a5 $132) ({The saim can be said about} 15. Rae1 a5 (15... g6 16. Bh6 Ng7 17. f4 $14) 16. f4 f5 $1 $132 ({Now} 16... g6 $6 { looks too passive in view of:} 17. f5 Ng7 18. Bd3 Nxf5 19. Bxf5 gxf5 20. Rxf5 Rxc4 21. Qe2 $36)) 15... a5 ({The more aggressive way of handling the position was:} 15... f5 16. f3 f4 17. Bf2 Bh4 18. Bd3 g6 $132 {, but Alexander's plan wasn't based on the f7-f5 advancement.}) 16. Na1 g6 {An original way of handling the position. As was mentioned before, Black deviates from the usual f7-f5 advancement in order to keep the f5-spot vacant for the knight.} 17. b4 ( 17. Nc2 Ng7 18. Bh6 (18. Bd3 f5 19. f3 f4 20. Bf2 Bh4 $132) 18... Re8 19. g4 f5 $132) 17... Ng7 ({No doubt, the naive} 17... axb4 $6 {would be strongly met by: } 18. Nc2 $1 f5 19. Bh6 Rf7 20. Nxb4 Nef6 21. Nc6 $14) 18. bxa5 bxa5 ({It was possible to exchange the powerful dark-squared bishop at cost of a pawn:} 18... Nf5 $5 19. Bxb6 Nxb6 20. axb6 Qxb6 21. Nc2 Qa7 $44) 19. Bd3 ({After} 19. Nb3 $6 Nf5 20. Nxa5 Nxe3 21. fxe3 Bg5 22. Nc6 Qb6 23. Rc3 Ra8 {White's position is getting unpleasant from practical point of view - the extra pawn has no much value here.}) 19... Nc5 20. Bc2 {That retreat gives Black more time for activating their pieces.} ({Deserved a serious attention} 20. Rb1 $5 Nxd3 21. Qxd3 Qc7 22. Rfc1 Rb8 (22... Nf5 23. Bb6 Qd7 24. Nb3 $14) 23. Rb5 Nf5 24. a4 Nxe3 25. Qxe3 {The arising complex position contains strategic risk for both sides, but White's play seems somewhat easier.}) 20... a4 {A consistent continuation - the Na1 is out of moves now.} ({However, there was no reasons for rejecting the more aggressive} 20... f5 $5 21. f3 a4 22. Rb1 Bf6 {and Black is not worse at the very least.}) 21. Rb1 e4 $6 {A dubious pawn sacrifice. Perhaps, Alexander has overestimated the effect of knight's appearance on f5.} (21... f5 $142 22. Rb4 (22. Rb5 $6 Nd7 $1 23. Qb4 f4 24. Bc1 f3 $40) 22... Qa5 23. Rd1 Bd8 $132) 22. Bxc5 ({It was possible to postpone that exchange:} 22. Qe2 $5 f5 (22... Nf5 23. Bxc5 Rxc5 24. Qxe4 $14) (22... Qd7 23. Bxc5 Rxc5 24. Bxe4 $14) 23. Bxc5 Rxc5 24. Bxa4 Bf6 25. Nb3 Rc8 26. g3 $14) 22... Rxc5 23. Bxa4 $6 {Returning the favoure. Now Alexander's 21 move fully justifies.} ({At the same time, after} 23. Qe2 $1 f5 (23... Qc7 24. Bxa4 Rxc4 25. Bb5 Rc3 26. Qxe4 $14) 24. Bxa4 Ra5 25. Bb5 $14 {it would be not easy to develop an attack, so Black doesn't have a sufficient compensation for a pawn.} ) 23... Rxc4 24. Bc6 Nf5 25. Qe2 Rc3 26. Qxe4 {Finally White has won a pawn, but now Black's pieces are much more active than before.} Ra3 27. Qe2 ({ Nothing promises:} 27. Nc2 Rxa2 28. Nb4 Ra3 29. Bb5 Bf6 30. Nc6 Qb6 31. Be2 Qc5 $11) ({Another way to protect the Pa2 was:} 27. Qc4 Bf6 28. Nc2 Rc3 29. Qa4 Be5 $44 {, but Black gets a decent compensation either.}) 27... Bf6 28. Nb3 Qe7 29. Qxe7 ({White hardly may play for a win with such a passive pieces:} 29. Rfe1 Qa7 30. Nc1 Nd4 31. Qe4 Rb8 32. Rxb8+ Qxb8 33. Qe8+ Qxe8 34. Rxe8+ Kg7 $11) 29... Nxe7 30. Nd2 Rxa2 $11 {The extra pawn is gone, so the position is completely equal now.} 31. Nc4 (31. Ne4 Be5 32. f4 Bd4+ 33. Kh1 Nf5 $11) 31... Rd8 32. g4 $6 {An over-ambitious decision. White pushes for a win, but exposing the king that way is risky.} (32. Rfd1 $142 Kg7 33. g3 $11) 32... Bd4 $1 {Immediately exploiting White's inaccuracy. The bishop is coming to c5, where it will puts a strong pressure on the Pf2. At the same time, White's bishop is not doing much.} 33. Rbd1 $6 {One more mistake, which leads to a loss of pawn.} ({It looks like White shouldn't be able to solve the problems quite easily after} 33. Rb7 Kf8 34. Kg2 g5 35. Kf3 Ng6 36. Ke4 $1 Rxf2 37. Rxf2 Bxf2 38. h3 $11 {activating all the pieces.}) 33... Bc5 34. Rd2 {It is necessary to exchange the opponent's active rook.} Rxd2 35. Nxd2 Nxc6 36. dxc6 Rc8 37. Ne4 Rxc6 38. Rd1 {The arising endgame must be very unpleasant for Magnus, but White still has good drawish chances due to a limited material ballance.} h6 39. h4 Kf8 40. Kg2 Ke7 41. Rc1 {Preventing Black from advancing the passer for a while.} Rc8 42. Kf3 Ke6 43. Rc2 Rc7 44. h5 $1 {Correctly swapping more pawn on the k-side.} (44. Rc1 Bb6 45. Re1 Rc2 $17) 44... gxh5 ({ Comparing to the previous note,} 44... Bb6 $6 {can be strongly met by:} 45. Re2 $1 Bd4 46. g5 $1 hxg5 47. hxg6 fxg6 48. Kg4 {and draw becomes unavoidable.}) 45. gxh5 Bb6 {Obviously, sooner or later Black has to unpin the bishop.} 46. Re2 Bd4 $1 {Alexander manages to find an excellent resourse - the bishop's transfer to e5 would pose White more problems.} 47. Kg3 ({Unfortunately,} 47. Ng3+ Be5 48. Ra2 Rc3+ 49. Kg2 {leads to a hopeless rook's ending:} Bxg3 50. fxg3 Rc5 51. g4 f5 $19) 47... d5 (47... f5 $5 48. Ng5+ Kf6 49. Nh3 Rg7+ 50. Kf3 Be5 $17) 48. Nd2+ Kf5 49. Kg2 (49. Nf3 Bf6 50. Ra2 d4 51. Ra5+ Ke4 52. Nd2+ Kd3 53. Nf3 Kc2 $17) 49... Be5 50. Nf3 Bf6 51. Ra2 Rd7 52. Ne1 {Obviously, White's only plan is to set-up blockade.} Rc7 $6 ({There was no reason to deviate from: } 52... Kg4 53. Ra6 Bg7 54. Nd3 Kxh5 55. Kf3 Kg5 $17 {grabbing the second pawn, though White still in the game due to activity of all the pieces.}) 53. Kf3 Bg5 54. Ra5 Ke5 55. Ke2 {Now it is not easy to make any progress.} Ke4 56. Ra4+ d4 57. f3+ Kd5 58. Ra5+ Kc4 ({Correctly rejecting} 58... Rc5 59. Rxc5+ Kxc5 60. f4 Bf6 61. Kd3 Kd5 62. Nf3 Bg7 63. Nh4 $11) 59. Nd3 {Provoking the exchange of rooks.} ({Possibly,} 59. Ra4+ $5 {would be a better choice from practical point of view:} Kc3 60. Ra3+ Kb4 61. Ra8 Re7+ 62. Kd1) 59... Re7+ 60. Re5 Re6 $5 {Alexander is trying to change the static character of position.} ({It looks like White should be able to achieve a draw after} 60... Kc3 61. Rxe7 Bxe7 62. Ne5 Kc2 63. Nd3 f6 64. Nf4 Bd6 65. Nd3 f5 66. Ne1+ Kc3 67. Nd3 { and White's knight has enough spots.}) 61. f4 $1 {The only move.} ({White cannot afford changing the pawn structure:} 61. Rxe6 $2 fxe6 62. Ne5+ (62. f4 Be7 63. Kd2 Kd5 $19) 62... Kc3 63. Nd3 Be7 64. Ne5 Bf6 65. Nd3 Bh4 66. Ne5 Bg3 67. Nd3 e5 68. Nc5 Kc4 69. Nd3 Kd5 $19 {[%csl Rh5][%CAl Gd5e6,Ge6f5]}) 61... Bf6 62. Rxe6 fxe6 {A critical moment.} 63. Nf2 $2 {A decisive mistake.} ({ The precise} 63. Kd2 {would allow Magnus to save a half point:} Kd5 64. Ke2 Bd8 (64... Ke4 65. Nc5+ Kxf4 66. Nxe6+ Kg4 67. Kf2 Kxh5 68. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 69. Kg2 $11) 65. Kf3 Bc7 66. Nf2 Bd6 67. Nd3 $11) 63... Be7 64. Ng4 ({Hopeless was also:} 64. Nd3 Kc3 65. Nf2 Kc2 66. Nd3 Bf8 67. Ne1+ Kc3 68. Nd3 Bd6 $19) 64... Kc3 65. f5 ({Or} 65. Kd1 Bf8 66. Nf2 d3 67. Ng4 Kd4 68. Ke1 Ke4 $19) 65... exf5 66. Nxh6 Kc2 $1 ({White resigns, in view of:} 66... Kc2 67. Nxf5 d3+ 68. Kf3 Bc5 $19 {[%csl Gc5,Rf5][%CAl Gd3d2]}) 0-1 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin Tiebreak"] [Site "New York"] [Date "2016.11.30"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B55"] [WhiteElo "2853"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Navara,D"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2016.11.30"] [EventType "match (rapid)"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 176"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.01.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] {It is very hard to win with Black on demand. On the other hand, it not easy to play such a game with White, either. The subconscious desire to make a draw might lead to concessions and gradually to a deterioration of one's position. Magnus coped with this task excellently. He played for the win while not avoiding a possible move repetition, thus forcing Sergey to make further concessions.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Nb3 Be7 ( 6... d5 {is a decent move, but White should not have too many problems after} 7. Bg5 {. The main continuation} Be6 (7... d4 $5 {deserves serious attention. It has already been played by strong players like Vachier-Lagrave, Cheparinov and Navara. Black can achieve a double-edged position without making too many concessions.}) 8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. Qxd5 Bxd5 11. Nc3 {leads to an equal endgame which is fairly safe for White.}) ({There is a nice trap:} 6... a5 7. c4 $6 (7. Bb5+ Nc6 8. Nc3) 7... Nxe4 $1 8. fxe4 Qh4+ 9. Kd2 a4 {with Black's edge. To be honest, I failed to find 7...Nxe4 myself several years ago. But it would be too naive to expect Magnus to miss it.}) 7. c4 a5 {Now White's bishop cannot go to b5 anymore. Both sides have created considerable weaknesses in their camps, viz. the squares d4 (White) or b5 and d5 (Black).} 8. Be3 a4 9. Nc1 O-O 10. Nc3 Qa5 11. Qd2 Na6 (11... Be6 {might have been a bit more flexible. I would like to play Be7-d8-b6 to exchange the bad bishop, but White can probably prevent it. Black should rather play ...Rc8, attacking the c4-pawn.} 12. b3 $5 axb3 13. Nxb3 {might well be critical from the theoretical point of view.}) 12. Be2 Nc5 13. O-O Bd7 14. Rb1 Rfc8 15. b4 $1 {It is important to protect the c4-pawn. White opens the a-file, but Black's rook cannot penetrate.} axb3 16. axb3 Qd8 17. Nd3 $14 {White has achieved a pleasant position. His pawn structure is better and Black does not have adequate counterplay.} Ne6 18. Nb4 Bc6 (18... Nf4 $5 {might have been an option, the idea being} 19. Bxf4 Qb6+ ({or even} 19... exf4 20. Nbd5 Nxd5 21. Nxd5 g5 {Still, it is hard to imagine Black winning such a position. The text maintains more tension.}) 20. Be3 Qxb4) 19. Rfd1 h5 $1 {I like this decision. Black starts counterplay on the dark squares around White's king.} (19... Ne8 { followed by Bg5 might have been objectively better, but it led to a worse endgame after} 20. Nbd5 Bg5 21. Nb6 Qxb6 22. Bxb6 Bxd2 23. Rxd2 {.}) 20. Bf1 h4 21. Qf2 (21. Nbd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Nf4 {might objectively be better for White, but giving up the control of the d5-square looks unnecessary.}) 21... Nd7 ( 21... Nh5 {allows both} 22. Ncd5 ({and} 22. Nxc6 bxc6 23. c5)) 22. g3 {The computer dislikes this move, but it is not easy to suggest anything better. Komodo's suggestion 22.Kh1 is too mysterious for me and} ({direct continuations like} 22. Nxc6 bxc6 23. b4 {also have their drawbacks, as the d4-square could eventually become weak after something like} c5 $5 {.}) 22... Ra3 $6 (22... Bg5 {might have been a better try. White had better not take the d6-pawn:} 23. Bxg5 (23. Rxd6 $6 Qf8 $1) 23... Qxg5 24. Rxd6 (24. Nc2 $1 $14) 24... Qe7 25. Rbd1 Nd4 26. R6xd4 $1 exd4 27. Ncd5 $13) 23. Bh3 Rca8 24. Nc2 R3a6 25. Nb4 Ra5 {Sergey bravely avoids the repetition, but his position remains worse.} 26. Nc2 b6 27. Rd2 Qc7 28. Rbd1 Bf8 29. gxh4 $5 {A somewhat surprising decision. White opens the kingside, as Black cannot exploit the weakness of the f4-square.} Nf4 30. Bxf4 ({The computer suggests} 30. Bxd7 Qxd7 31. Kh1 {and takes on f4 later, but White's continuation is also fairly strong. }) 30... exf4 31. Bxd7 $1 Qxd7 32. Nb4 Ra3 33. Nxc6 Qxc6 34. Nb5 Rxb3 ({ Black could hardly play for the win after} 34... Ra1 {.}) 35. Nd4 Qxc4 36. Nxb3 Qxb3 {White has a material advantage. It is not easy to convert, as his king is a bit exposed. On the other hand, Black's bishop is passive and his king is not safe, either.} 37. Qe2 Be7 38. Kg2 Qe6 39. h5 Ra3 40. Rd3 Ra2 41. R3d2 Ra3 42. Rd3 Ra7 43. Rd5 Rc7 44. Qd2 Qf6 (44... Qh6 45. Rf5 Rc5 46. Qxf4 Qxf4 47. Rxf4 Rg5+ 48. Rg4 Rxh5 {might have been a bit more tenacious, but it would have been equivalent to a resignation in the match.}) 45. Rf5 Qh4 46. Rc1 Ra7 47. Qxf4 Ra2+ 48. Kh1 Qf2 49. Rc8+ Kh7 {It looks as if Black were suddenly winning, but Magnus had foreseen everything and finished the match in style.} 50. Qh6+ $3 {and Black resigned before an inevitable mate. It was a fascinating conclusion to a very tense match. Sergey Karjakin deserves every credit for his strong play. He and his team prepared for the match excellently and could have won it. He showed that it is possible to play against Magnus on equal terms and that the Norwegian's throne isn't unshakeable. But I also believe that Magnus deserves the title. He has been the world's number 1 for many years and he is the strongest player in the world. He did not lose in the classical part of the match and eventually prevailed in rapid chess.} 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.27"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2853"] [BlackElo "2779"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 ({Two rounds later Carlsen went for the classical} 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3 Be6 9. Qd3 Nbd7 10. Nd5 O-O ({After} 10... Bxd5 11. exd5 O-O {Black must reckon with the sharp} 12. g4 $5) 11. O-O (11. c4 b5 $1 $132) 11... Bxd5 12. exd5 {However, Black has counter-chances in the strategic struggle even without radically changing the position; a reasonable alternative is} Rc8 ({Here the most often played move is } 12... Nc5 13. Nxc5 (13. Qd2 $143 Nfe4 14. Qb4 a5 15. Qb5 Qc7 16. Qc4 Rac8 17. Rfd1 f5 18. c3 Qd8 19. Qb5 b6 20. Nd2 Nxd2 21. Bxd2 Bf6 $36 {Ponomariov,R (2744)-Anand,V (2810) Wijk aan Zee 2011/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 141.}) 13... dxc5 14. Bf3 Qc7 15. c4 g6 (15... Bd6 $142 $1 16. g3 Rae8 $132) 16. Rae1 h5 $6 17. Bg5 Ne8 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Qe3 Nd6 20. b3 Rfc8 21. Qxe5 Qxe5 22. Rxe5 $16 {Nakamura,H (2775)-Topalov,V (2793) Thessaloniki 2013/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 155.}) 13. c4 Ne8 ( 13... a5 $5 14. Rad1 b6 15. Nd2 Nc5 16. Qc2 Nfd7 17. f3 Bg5 18. Bf2 f5 19. Kh1 Qf6 20. Nb1 Qh6 21. Nc3 {Shirov,A (2718)-Polgar,J (2676) Linares 2001/} Bf4 22. g3 Be3 $132 {For more details see the notes to this game by Ftacnik in CBM 082. }) 14. Qd2 b6 15. Rac1 a5 16. Na1 g6 17. b4 Ng7 18. bxa5 bxa5 19. Bd3 Nc5 20. Bc2 a4 21. Rb1 e4 22. Bxc5 Rxc5 23. Bxa4 Rxc4 24. Bc6 Nf5 25. Qe2 Rc3 26. Qxe4 Ra3 $11 {[%csl Ra2] Carlsen,M (2853)-Grischuk,A (2771) Saint Louis 2015 White can't retain the extra pawn and the position is drawish. Subsequent mistakes even cost Carlsen the full point.}) 6... e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Nbd7 {Both players have experience with this line with both colours, especially So.} ({ The fashionable continuation here, with many top-level annotated games, is} 8... h5 9. Nd5 Bxd5 10. exd5 Nbd7 11. Qd2 g6 (11... Qc7 12. c4 g6 13. O-O-O Nb6 14. Qa5 Bh6 15. Bxh6 Rxh6 16. Kb1 Nfd7 17. Qd2 Rh8 18. Rc1 Na4 19. Be2 a5 20. Na1 Kf8 21. Nc2 Kg7 22. Na3 {Topalov,V (2771)-Wojtaszek,R (2698) ECC Rhodes 2013} Qd8 23. Nb5 Qf6 $13 {For more details see the notes to this game by Wojtaszek in CBM 157.}) 12. Be2 ({A recent example is} 12. O-O-O Nb6 13. Kb1 ( 13. Qa5 Bh6 14. Bxh6 Rxh6 15. Kb1 Rc8 16. Qb4 Kf8 17. c4 Kg7 18. g3 Rh8 19. Rc1 Qc7 20. Bh3 Rce8 21. Rhd1 Re7 22. a3 Rd8 23. Nd2 {brought White success in Anand-Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 2008 (CBM 122), but Black can improve with} e4 $1 24. fxe4 Nxe4 25. Nxe4 Rxe4 26. Bg2 Re2 27. c5 dxc5 28. Rxc5 Qd6 $132 { Yeremenko,A (2456)-Schmidt,G (2435)email 2009/ I already mentioned this in the notes to So-Dominguez (CBM 161).}) 13... Nbxd5 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Na5 Rb8 16. Bc4 Nb6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 Bd8 20. Rd3 Bc7 21. Bb3 Ke7 22. Rhd1 Rhd8 23. Rxd8 Bxd8 24. Nc4 $11 {Grischuk,A (2771)-Topalov,V (2816) Saint Louis 2015/ The opposite-coloured bishops indicate the point was split shortly afterwards.}) 12... Bg7 (12... Qc7 13. Rc1 Bg7 14. O-O O-O 15. c4 b6 16. Na1 Kh7 17. h3 Ng8 18. g4 Qd8 19. gxh5 Qh4 20. hxg6+ fxg6 21. Bd3 Bh6 22. Rf2 Bxe3 23. Qxe3 Ne7 $44 {So,W (2731)-Dominguez Perez,L (2768) Havana 2014 For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 161.}) 13. O-O (13. Na5 Qc7 14. c4 e4 15. O-O exf3 16. gxf3 O-O 17. b4 Rfe8 18. Rac1 Rxe3 $5 19. Qxe3 Re8 20. Qd2 { Caruana,F (2844)-Gelfand,B (2748) Baku 2014} Qb6+ $1 21. Kh1 Bh6 $44 {For more details see the notes to this game by Kr. Szabo in CBM 163.}) 13... b6 14. Rae1 O-O 15. c4 Rc8 16. h3 Nh7 17. Na1 a5 18. Nc2 Bf6 19. Na3 Bh4 20. Rb1 f5 21. Nb5 f4 22. Bf2 Bxf2+ 23. Rxf2 Nc5 24. Qc2 Qf6 25. b3 Ng5 26. Bd3 Kg7 27. a3 Nf7 28. b4 Nxd3 29. Qxd3 Qf5 30. Qxf5 gxf5 31. Rc2 {So,W (2762)-Wojtaszek,R (2744) Wijk aan Zee 2015} axb4 32. axb4 Kf6 $132 {For more details see the notes to this game by Pavlovic in CBM 165.}) 9. Qd2 ({An alternative is the immediate} 9. g4 {After} b5 {White can even spurn castling and play on the queenside with} (9... Nb6 10. g5 Nh5 11. Qd2 Rc8 ({and even more often} 11... Be7 $13 {is the older main line, which was extensively tested in the past decade.})) 10. g5 b4 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Bf5 13. Bd3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Be7 15. h4 O-O 16. a3 bxa3 17. Rxa3 a5 18. Qb5 Qc7 19. Nxa5 Rfb8 20. Qc6 Qxc6 $2 (20... Bd8 $1 $132) 21. dxc6 d5 22. Ra2 Bd8 23. cxd7 Rxa5 24. Rxa5 Bxa5+ 25. Ke2 $16 {Topalov,V (2772) -Wojtaszek,R (2735) Tromso olm 2014/ For more details see the notes to this game by Kr.Szabo; this line is analysed also in the notes to Navara-Grischuk, Tromso olm 2014 in CBM 162.}) 9... b5 10. O-O-O Be7 ({Rare and maybe possible, but definitely more risky is} 10... h5 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Nb6 13. Qc3 Rb8 ( 13... Nfd7 14. Na5 $14 {Repp,H (2497)-Avotins,M (2488) email 2010 This game was quoted already in the notes to the aforementioned game So-Dominguez (CBM161).}) 14. a4 Be7 15. Qc6+ (15. axb5 O-O 16. Bxb6 Qxb6 17. bxa6 Rfc8 18. Bc4 Nd7 $36) 15... Nfd7 16. Na5 Bg5 17. f4 exf4 18. Bd2 O-O 19. Qxd6 Nf6 20. Qxd8 Rbxd8 21. Nc6 Rd7 22. axb5 axb5 23. Bxb5 Nbxd5 24. c4 Nc7 25. Ba4 Ne6 26. Kb1 Ra8 27. Ba5 Rb7 $132 {1/2-1/2, Pereira,N-Cintins,I email 2011}) 11. g4 b4 { Another crossroads and Black opts for a sideline.} ({The main continuation} 11... O-O 12. g5 b4 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 a4 {has been around for more than 10 years, with numerous practical, email and engine games creating a complex theoretical labyrinth. Lately White has been trying to get an edge with } 16. fxe6 axb3 17. cxb3 fxe6 18. Bh3 Rxa2 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Ng3 Nc7 21. Bc4 Qa8 22. Rhf1 Rxf1 23. Rxf1 Ra1+ 24. Kc2 Rxf1 25. Bxf1 d5 26. Qf2 g6 27. h4 Qf8 28. Qxf8+ Nxf8 {He has a pull in the resulting endgmae, but Black seems to hold:} 29. Ba7 (29. Kd3 Nfe6 30. exd5 Nxd5 31. Bf2 Ndf4+ 32. Ke4 (32. Kc4 h6 $1 ) 32... Bd6 33. Bc4 Nc5+ 34. Kf3 Nfd3 35. Bxd3 Nxd3 36. Ne4 Be7 37. Bg3 Kg7 38. Nd2 (38. Ke3 Nf4 $1 39. Bxf4 exf4+ 40. Kxf4 Bd8 $44 {should also be enough to hold according to A.Kovacevic.}) 38... Nc5 39. Bxe5+ Kf7 40. Ke3 Ke6 41. Kd4 Kf5 $132 {Lafarga Santorroman,D (2659)-Hefka,V (2571) email 2012}) 29... dxe4 30. Bb8 Nfe6 31. Nxe4 h6 32. Bc4 hxg5 33. hxg5 Kg7 34. Kd3 Kf8 35. Ke3 Bd8 36. Bxe6 Nxe6 37. Bxe5 Nxg5 $11 {Radjabov,T (2726)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2757) Tashkent 2014}) ({Apart from the text move, another less played alternative is } 11... Nb6 12. g5 Nh5 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bd7 15. Na5 Qc7 16. Kb1 O-O 17. Rg1 $5 (17. c4 f6 18. Rc1 b4 $5 19. gxf6 Rxf6 20. Qxb4 Rb8 21. Qd2 Rxf3 22. Be2 (22. c5 $1 $13) 22... Rh3 23. Bxh5 $6 Rxh5 24. Ka1 {Dominguez Perez,L (2726) -Nepomniachtchi,I (2714) Beijing rpd 2014} Bd8 $36) 17... g6 (17... f6 $6 18. g6 $40) 18. c4 f6 19. Rc1 b4 (19... Bf5+ $5 20. Ka1 Bd8 21. Nc6 fxg5 22. Nxd8 Qxd8 23. Bxg5 Qd7 $13 {has been tested in email games; although White scored well, the position remains tense.}) 20. Qxb4 Rab8 21. Qc3 $5 (21. Qd2 Bd8 22. Nc6 Bxc6 23. dxc6 Qxc6 24. Bd3 Qxf3 25. c5 d5 26. Rgf1 Qh3 27. gxf6 Nxf6 28. Bxa6 Qe6 29. c6 Bc7 $14 {/~~, Tossutti,J (2091)-Saglione,E (2474) email 2008}) 21... fxg5 (21... Bd8 22. Nb3 $14) 22. Bxg5 (22. c5 $1 e4 23. Nc6 Bxc6 24. cxd6 Qxd6 25. dxc6 Bf6 26. Qc4+ Kg7 27. Rc2 $36 {[%csl Gc6] Inarkiev}) 22... Bxg5 23. Rxg5 Nf4 24. c5 Bb5 25. Nb3 Rfe8 $6 (25... a5 $132) (25... e4 $5 $13 { Inarkiev}) 26. Bxb5 Rxb5 27. cxd6 Qxd6 28. Qc6 Qd8 29. Nc5 $1 $16 {Inarkiev,E (2675)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2714) Moscow 2015}) 12. Nd5 {Very natural, but White has tried other retreats as well:} (12. Ne2 a5 13. Kb1 h6 14. Ng3 a4 15. Nc1 d5 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. gxf5 d4 18. Bf2 O-O 19. Rg1 Kh8 20. Bb5 a3 $1 (20... Nc5 21. Nd3 a3 $2 22. Nxe5 axb2 23. Bxd4 Rxa2 24. Kxa2 Qa5+ 25. Kxb2 Qxb5 26. Rxg7 $1 Kxg7 27. Ng4 {Svidler,P (2735)-Sutovsky,E (2697) Mallorca olm 2004}) 21. b3 Nc5 22. Be1 Bd6 23. Bc4 Qe7 24. Nd3 Nxd3 25. cxd3 Nh5 26. Rg4 Nf4 $11 {Rivas Romero,G (2322)-Panduro,R (2163) email 2011}) (12. Na4 {has scored really well, but still lacks more relevant examples. An untested reacton is} Qc7 $5 (12... d5 13. g5 d4 14. Bxd4 Nxe4 15. fxe4 exd4 16. h4 Ne5 {Gyugyi,P (2117)-Francisco, V (2033) email 2003} 17. Nxd4 $36) (12... O-O 13. Qxb4 d5 $44) 13. g5 Nxe4 $1 14. fxe4 Qc6 15. Qxb4 Rb8 16. Na5 Rxb4 17. Nxc6 Rxe4 18. Bd2 Rxa4 19. b3 Rh4 $132) 12... Bxd5 13. exd5 Nb6 14. Na5 (14. Qxb4 Nfxd5 15. Bxb6 Nxb6 16. f4 O-O $142 (16... Qc7 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Qe4 O-O 19. h4 $1 ({More concrete than} 19. Kb1 a5 20. a4 {1/2-1/2, Morozevich,A (2774)-Dominguez Perez,L (2695) Sarajevo 2008}) 19... a5 20. a4 g6 21. Bb5 f5 22. gxf5 $5 (22. Qg2 f4 23. Nd2 (23. Qf3 $142) (23. h5 $5) 23... Bb4 $1 24. g5 Rac8 25. Nf3 Bc3 $36 {Ponomariov,R (2704) -Bu,X (2637) WChT Beersheba 2005}) 22... gxf5 23. Qg2+ Kh8 24. Rhf1 Bxh4 25. Kb1 Rac8 26. c4 Qf7 27. c5 Qxb3 28. cxb6 $16 {[%csl Gb6,Rh8] Ruiz Vidal,P (2346)-Hervet,G (2357) email 2009}) 17. fxe5 a5 $1 18. Qe1 (18. Qc3 Rc8 19. Qxa5 Qc7 20. Bd3 Ra8 21. exd6 Bxd6 22. Qb5 {1/2-1/2, Zidu,J (2579)-Casabona,C (2598) email 2011} Rxa2 23. Bxh7+ Kxh7 24. Qd3+ Kg8 25. Qxd6 Qb7 $132) (18. Qe4 d5 19. Qf3 a4 20. Nd4 Qc7 21. Kb1 Rab8 22. Bb5 Nc4 23. Bxc4 dxc4 24. Qc6 Qxe5 25. Rhe1 Qg5 26. Qxa4 Bb4 $11 {Dothan,Y (2589)-Lafarga Santorroman,D (2639) email 2007}) 18... a4 19. Nd4 Bh4 20. Qe2 $6 (20. Qe4 $142 a3 21. b3 d5 $13) 20... Qg5+ (20... a3 $5 {/\} 21. b3 Nd5 $36) 21. Kb1 Qxe5 22. Nf3 Qf6 23. a3 ( 23. Nxh4 a3 $1 24. c3 Qxh4 $15) 23... Rab8 24. c3 Nc4 25. Qxc4 Qxf3 26. Bd3 Rfc8 $17 {Morozevich,A (2788)-Anand,V (2798) Mainz rpd 2008}) 14... Nbxd5 ( 14... Nfxd5 $143 $6 15. Nb7 $1 (15. Nc6 Qc7 16. Nxb4 (16. Nxe7 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Kxe7 18. Qg5+ Kf8 $15 {Roiz,M (2611)-Sutovsky,E (2607) Rishon Le Ziyyon blitz 2006}) 16... Nxb4 17. Qxb4 Rc8 18. Bd3 Nc4 19. Qa4+ Qc6 20. Qxc6+ Rxc6 21. Bf2 {Karjakin,S (2679)-Ponomariov,R (2721) Tomsk rpd 2006} Bg5+ 22. Kb1 Nd2+ 23. Ka1 d5 $132) 15... Qc7 16. Bxb6 Nxb6 17. Nxd6+ Kf8 18. f4 e4 (18... Rd8 19. fxe5 Nc8 20. Bc4 $1 Bxd6 21. Qf4 f6 22. exd6 Rxd6 23. Rxd6 Qxd6 24. Qe4 g5 25. Rd1 $18 {Dzhumaev,M (2529)-Saravanan,V (2394) Rochefort 2009}) (18... exf4 19. Qxf4 f6 20. g5 $1 $40) 19. Nxe4 Rd8 20. Bd3 Nd5 21. f5 Qa5 {Inarkiev,E (2628) -Amonatov,F (2567) Ramenskoe 2006} 22. Kb1 Nc3+ 23. Nxc3 bxc3 24. Qf4 $5 $16) 15. Nc4 {[%mdl 512] Carlsen opts for a positional pawn sacrifice instead of regaining material:} (15. Nc6 Qc7 16. Nxb4 Nxb4 17. Qxb4 O-O 18. Qb6 $142 $1 { makes life far more difficult for Black:} (18. g5 $2 Rfc8 19. Qa4 Rab8 $1 20. Bd3 (20. gxf6 Rb4 $19) 20... Nd7 21. Qe4 g6 22. Bxa6 Rb4 23. Qd3 Rcb8 24. b3 Nc5 25. Bxc5 Qxc5 26. Qd5 Qa7 27. Bc4 Bxg5+ 28. Kb2 Ra4 29. a3 Ra5 30. Qe4 Be3 31. c3 Rxa3 32. Ra1 Ra8 {0-1, Svidler,P (2728)-Karjakin,S (2678) Wijk aan Zee 2007}) 18... Qc8 19. g5 Nd7 20. Qa5 Rb8 (20... Nc5 21. Bc4 Qf5 22. Qd2 Rfc8 23. h4 Rab8 24. Qd5 Rb4 25. b3 a5 26. Rhf1 a4 27. f4 $16 {Inarkiev,E (2656) -Sjugirov,S (2562) EU-ch Budva 2009}) 21. h4 Qb7 22. b3 Qxf3 23. Rh3 Qg4 24. Qxa6 Ra8 25. Qc4 Qxc4 26. Bxc4 Rxa2 27. Rd5 Rc8 28. Rb5 Kf8 29. Kb1 Rxc4 30. bxc4 Ra4 $14 {/=, Cavajda,I (2456)-Norrelykke,S (2346) email 2011}) 15... Nxe3 ({Inserting} 15... h6 16. h4 {is hardly ideal, as Black can now as good as forget about castling kingside:} Nxe3 17. Nxe3 d5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Qxd5 Qxd5 20. Rxd5 Bf6 21. Ra5 Ke7 22. Rxa6 Rxa6 23. Bxa6 Rd8 24. Bd3 Kd6 25. h5 Bg5+ 26. Kb1 $14 {/+/-, Dominguez Perez,L (2695)-Predojevic,B (2651) Sarajevo 2008}) 16. Nxe3 {[%csl Re7,Gf1] White plays for light-square control, with ^- on the board he is the one with the stronger bishop.} ({Less logical is} 16. Qxe3 Qc7 17. h4 O-O 18. g5 Nd7 (18... Nh5 $5 19. Nb6 Nf4 20. Nxa8 Rxa8 $44) 19. f4 f5 20. gxf6 (20. Rh2 $5 $44 {[%CAl Yh2d2]}) 20... Rxf6 21. fxe5 dxe5 22. Qe4 Rd8 23. Bd3 g6 24. Ne3 {Franklin,S (2307)-Burrows,M (2123) England 2013} Rf4 $15) 16... O-O (16... Nd7 17. Nd5 Bh4 18. Qxb4 Nc5 19. Qb6 O-O 20. Qxd8 Rfxd8 21. b4 Ne6 22. Kb2 Kf8 23. c3 a5 24. a3 Ra7 25. Bc4 g6 26. Rhf1 Kg7 {Perez Garcia,R (2432)-Razmyslov,A (2387) Burguillos 2008} 27. Bb3 $14) 17. Bc4 $146 {[%mdl 40] Consistent with the previous move, Carlsen shows a different strategy from his predecessors - White doesn't hurry with his attack and first increases his central control.} (17. h4 a5 18. Kb1 Rc8 19. Bd3 Rc5 20. Nf5 Nd5 (20... g6 21. Qh6 gxf5 22. g5 (22. Bxf5 e4 23. fxe4 Re8 24. g5 Rxf5 25. exf5 Ng4 26. Qh5 Ne5 $13) 22... Ne4 23. fxe4 f4 24. Rdg1 Kh8 25. h5 Rg8 26. g6 Rg7 27. gxf7 Rxf7 28. Bc4 Bg5 $1 29. Rxg5 Rxc4 30. Rhg1 Rxe4 31. Qe6 Rf8 32. Qh6 Rf7 33. Qe6 Rf8 { 1/2-1/2, Papp,P (2254)-Gara,T (2377) Kisvarda 2012}) 21. Rhe1 Kh8 22. Bc4 $6 ( 22. Be4 $11) 22... Nc3+ $1 23. bxc3 Rxc4 24. Nxe7 Qxe7 25. Qxd6 Qxd6 26. Rxd6 Rxc3 (26... f6 $1 $15) 27. Rxe5 Rxf3 28. Rxa5 $11 {Shomoev,A (2571)-Bodnaruk,A (2425) St Petersburg 2012}) 17... Nd7 (17... Rc8 18. Bb3 $5 {retains the tension.} (18. Qxb4 d5 19. Qb7 d4 20. Qxa6 Nd7 $5 $44)) (17... d5 18. Qe2 $5 ( 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Qxd5 Qc7 $5 $132 (19... Qxd5 20. Rxd5 Bg5+ 21. Kb1 Bf4 22. Rd7 $14)) 18... d4 19. Nf5 $13 {/+/=}) 18. h4 $1 (18. Kb1 Bg5 $1 19. Qxd6 Bxe3 20. Qxd7 Bd4 $11 {eases Black's task and solves his opening problems.}) 18... a5 (18... Bxh4 $2 19. Qh2 g5 20. Nf5 $16) (18... Nb6 19. Bd5 $5 (19. Qxb4 d5 $132) 19... Rb8 20. Be4 $44) 19. g5 Rc8 20. Bd5 Nb6 21. Kb1 Qc7 $6 {White has a strong bind and it's not so easy to say where Black went wrong. Perhaps this is the moment and the queen shouldn't stray too far from the kingside. Possibly a better alternative is} (21... Rc5 22. Rhf1 Kh8 (22... Re8 23. Be4 $5 $44 (23. f4 exf4 24. Rxf4 Nxd5 25. Nxd5 Bf8 $132 {[%CAl Yd8a8,Ye8e5]})) 23. f4 exf4 (23... f6 24. g6 $5 hxg6 25. f5 $44) 24. Rxf4 f6 25. Rdf1 $44 (25. g6 hxg6 26. Rg4 Qe8 $1 27. Rdg1 Nxd5 28. Nxd5 Qf7 $11)) 22. Rhf1 {[%CAl Yf3f4]} (22. Rhg1 $143 {[%CAl Yg5g6]} Kh8 23. h5 Qd8 24. Qg2 Rc5 $132) 22... Nxd5 (22... Kh8 23. f4 exf4 24. Rxf4 {/\} f6 25. g6 hxg6 26. Rg4 $40 {[%csl Rg6,Rh8]}) (22... Qc5 23. f4 Nxd5 24. Nxd5 Bd8 25. f5 f6 $5 $14) 23. Nxd5 {[%csl Gd5] The B is replaced by a N - any minor piece on d5 is a powerhouse!} Qb7 24. f4 f5 { A natural attempt to curb White's kingside expansion, but it loosens Black's kingside.} (24... f6 25. g6 $5 h6 26. Ne3 $36 {[%CAl Ye3f5]}) (24... exf4 25. Qxf4 $36 {[%CAl Yh4h6,Yg5g6]}) 25. Qe3 e4 (25... Rce8 26. Qh3 {and Black can sooner or later hardly avoid the stabilising e4 advance.} (26. h5 $5 $36) (26. fxe5 dxe5 27. Qxe5 Bxg5 28. Qc7 Qxc7 29. Nxc7 Rc8 30. Ne6 Bxh4 $132)) 26. h5 $36 {[%csl Gg5,Rg8,Gh5]} Rc5 27. h6 g6 (27... Rxd5 $2 28. Qb3 $18) (27... Rf7 28. Qb3 $36 {/\} a4 29. Nxe7+ Qxe7 30. Qxa4 $16 {[%csl Rb4,Rd6]}) ({Komodo initially recommends} 27... gxh6 28. gxh6 Kf7 {, but after} 29. Nxe7 (29. Qd4 Rg8 $13) 29... Kxe7 30. Qd4 Qc6 31. Rg1 $36 {[%csl Rd6,Re7,Rh7] White is on top even without the Nd5 - Black's K and P are vulnerable.} Rxc2 $2 32. Rg7+ Rf7 33. Qa7+ Qc7 34. Qa8 $1 {[%CAl Ra8d5]} Qc4 35. Qb7+ Qc7 36. Qd5 $18) 28. Qb3 Rf7 29. a4 {A generally useful move, but more energetic and concrete was} ( 29. Rf2 {[%CAl Yf2d2,Yd5e3]}) ({or} 29. Rd4 $142 $1 $16 {immediately.}) 29... Bd8 30. Rd4 Kf8 (30... Rc6 $5 31. Rfd1 Qd7 $14 {/\} 32. Ne3 $2 Bb6) 31. Rfd1 Rc6 (31... Rd7 32. Ne3 Be7 33. Nc4 $36 {[%CAl Rc4d6,Rc4e5]}) 32. Ne3 $1 Bb6 33. Nc4 $6 (33. Rxd6 $142 Rxd6 34. Rxd6 Bc7 35. Rd5 $5 {seems simpler} (35. Re6 Bxf4 36. Nd5 Bxg5 37. Qc4 {was pointed out by Ramirez, after} Bxh6 (37... Rd7 38. Qd4 $1 Kf7 39. Rd6 $1 Rxd6 40. Qg7+ $18) 38. Qc5+ Kg8 39. Nf6+ Rxf6 40. Rxf6 $36 {Black has more than enough material, but his pieces are uncoordinated.}) {/\} 35... Bxf4 36. Rxa5 Bxg5 37. Rb5 $16) 33... Bxd4 $6 { [%mdl 64] So misses a good tactical chance} (33... Rxc4 $5 {, when White's advantage is not as convincing, as it was in the game:} 34. Qxc4 $1 (34. Rxc4 Rd7 $1 $15 {[%csl Rc4][%CAl Rd6d5]} (34... d5 $2 35. Rxd5 Qxd5 36. Rc8+ $18)) 34... Bxd4 (34... Qc7 35. Qa6 $1 (35. Qxc7 $6 Bxc7 $14) 35... Qb7 36. Qxb7 Rxb7 37. Rxd6 Be3 38. Rf1 $16) 35. Rxd4 Qd7 (35... Qc7 $2 36. Qa6 $1 {[%CAl Rd4c4, Rd4d6]}) (35... Rc7 36. Qe6 Qc6 37. Qf6+ Kg8 38. Qd8+ Kf7 39. c4 $1 {[%CAl Rd4d6]} Ke6 40. Qf6+ Kd7 41. Rd5 $1 $16) 36. Qd5 $36 (36. Qa6 $5)) 34. Nxa5 Qb6 35. Nxc6 Bc5 (35... Qxc6 36. Rxd4 $18 {[%csl Rb4,Rd6,Rf8]}) 36. Qd5 e3 { Seeking practical chances.} ({Passive defence is disgusting:} 36... Qc7 37. Nd4 $16 (37. a5 Qc8 $16)) 37. a5 Qb5 (37... Qb7 $2 38. Qxc5 $18) ({A more resilient try was} 37... Qc7 $142 38. a6 (38. c3 $5 b3 $8 (38... bxc3 39. b4 c2+ 40. Kxc2 Bxb4 41. Kd3 $1 $18) 39. a6 $16) 38... Qc8 39. Re1 (39. a7 $5 Qa8 40. Qa2 $16) 39... Qxa6 40. Rxe3 b3 $1 41. Rxb3 $1 Qf1+ 42. Ka2 Qa6+ 43. Ra3 $8 Bxa3 44. bxa3 $16) 38. Nd8 $1 $18 Ra7 (38... Re7 39. Ne6+ Ke8 40. Nd4 Qb7 41. Nc6 e2 (41... Rf7 42. Qe6+ Kf8 43. Nd8 $18) 42. Re1 Re4 43. a6 Qf7 (43... Qxa6 44. Qg8+ Kd7 45. Nb8+) 44. a7 $5 Bxa7 (44... Qxd5 45. a8=Q+ Kd7 46. Qd8+ Kxc6 47. Qa8+ $18) 45. Qa5 $1 $18 {and White wins a piece with a continuing attack.} (45. Qxf7+ Kxf7 46. Nxa7 $16)) 39. Ne6+ Ke8 (39... Ke7 40. Nd4 $18 {[%CAl Rd4c6]}) 40. Nd4 $6 {Doesn't squander the advantage, but prolongs the game.} ({ Much simpler was} 40. Nxc5 Qxc5 41. Qg8+ Kd7 42. Qxh7+ Kc6 43. Qxg6 Re7 (43... e2 $2 44. Qe8+) 44. Qg8 $18 (44. Qh5 e2 45. Re1 $18)) 40... Qxa5 41. Qg8+ Kd7 42. Qxh7+ Kc8 43. Qg8+ Kb7 44. c3 $1 bxc3 (44... Qa4 45. Qb3 Qxb3 46. Nxb3 $18 {is similar to the game.}) 45. Qb3+ Qb6 (45... Qb4 46. bxc3 Qxb3+ 47. Nxb3 $18) 46. Qxb6+ ({Carlsen has had enough excitement, but it was tempting to keep the queens on board with} 46. Nb5 $18) ({or} 46. Qxc3 $5 {- here Black's king is still more exposed, than its counterpart.}) 46... Kxb6 (46... Bxb6 {gives White a pleasant choice:} 47. Ne2 $5 (47. Nb5 $16) (47. bxc3 Bxd4 48. cxd4 Kc6 49. Re1 Re7 50. Kc2 Kd5 51. Kd3 Re4 52. Rxe3 Rxf4 53. Rh3 Rxd4+ 54. Ke2 Re4+ 55. Kf2 Re8 56. Rd3+ Kc5 57. Re3 Ra8 58. Re6 Ra2+ 59. Ke3 Ra3+ 60. Kd2 Ra2+ 61. Kc1 Ra1+ 62. Kb2 Rh1 63. Rxg6 f4 64. Rf6 Rh5 65. Rf8 $18 {[%CAl Rg5g6]}) 47... cxb2 48. Rxd6 Ra1+ 49. Kxb2 Re1 50. Nc1 Bc7 51. Rxg6 Bxf4 52. Nd3 Re2+ 53. Kc3 $18) 47. bxc3 $18 {[%csl Gh6] The powerful o^ makes long-term resistance futile.} Bxd4 48. Rxd4 $1 Kc6 (48... e2 49. Rxd6+ Kc5 50. Re6 $18) (48... Kc5 49. Kc2 Re7 50. Kd1 e2+ 51. Ke1 Re3 52. Ra4 Rxc3 53. Ra8 Rh3 54. Kxe2 d5 55. Ra6 Kd4 56. Rxg6 Ke4 57. Rg7 Kxf4 58. h7 $18) 49. Kc2 Ra2+ 50. Kd1 Rf2 51. Ke1 Kd7 52. Ra4 Ke6 53. Ra8 Rh2 54. c4 $5 (54. Rg8 Kd5 55. Re8 $1 $18 (55. Rxg6 $2 Ke4 $132)) 54... Kf7 55. Rb8 $22 Ke6 (55... Rh4 56. Ke2 $18) (55... e2 56. Kd2 $18) 56. Rg8 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.23"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2853"] [BlackElo "2816"] [Annotator "Szabo,Kr"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. O-O Ngf6 (4... a6 {is the another main line, but after} 5. Bd3 Ngf6 {White doesn't have to play 6.Re1, he can immediately answer with} 6. c3 {followed by Bc2, d4.}) 5. Re1 a6 6. Bd3 b5 7. c4 g5 $5 $146 {A very interesting and ambitious novelty by Topalov. Nowadays ...g5 becomes typical in these type of position. In case of White captures the P Black has some play on the g-file and in case of White ignores, Black continues with ... g4 and takes some pressure in the centre.} ({Last year Nakamura played} 7... Ne5 {against Carlsen,} 8. Bf1 Nxc4 9. a4 Bd7 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 e5 12. axb5 exd4 13. Bxc4 axb5 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Bb3 Be7 16. Qxd4 $14 {and White had a comfortable position, Carlsen-Nakamura, Zuerich rapid 2014.}) 8. Nxg5 {Carlsen takes the gauntlet.} (8. cxb5 $5 {was the alternative,} g4 9. e5 $5 dxe5 10. Ng5 Nb6 {with a very complicated position.}) 8... Ne5 9. Be2 bxc4 10. Na3 (10. Nc3 $5 {was also possible,} Rg8 11. d4 cxd3 12. Bxd3) ({or} 10. Nf3 $5 Nd3 11. Bxd3 cxd3 12. e5 $1 Nd5 (12... dxe5 13. Nxe5 {and White has a dangerous initiative since} Bb7 $2 {loses instantly,} 14. Qa4+ $1 Nd7 15. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 16. Qb3+ Kg7 17. Qxb7 $18 {and White wins.}) 13. Na3 Rg8 $132 {with a double-edged fight.}) 10... Rg8 11. Nxc4 $6 {A pretty piece sacrifice, but objectively this is not so good!} (11. Nf3 $6 {could have been met by} Nd3 12. Bxd3 cxd3 13. Nc4 (13. e5 dxe5 14. Nxe5 Qd5 $17) 13... Be6 $15 {and Black looks fine.}) ({Probably} 11. d4 {was the most accurate, but} cxd3 12. Bxd3 h6 13. Nf3 Nxd3 14. Qxd3 d5 $1 $132 {and Black has a nice counterplay.}) 11... Nxc4 (11... Rxg5 $2 {is bad, because of} 12. d4 $16 {and White is better.}) 12. d4 {This was the point of the piece sacrifice.} Nb6 13. Bh5 (13. dxc5 dxc5 14. Qxd8+ Kxd8 15. Nxf7+ Ke8 16. Ng5 e5 $15 {and two Ps are not enough.}) 13... Nxh5 14. Qxh5 Rg7 (14... Rg6 $1 {was more accurate. The R is much more active, and after} 15. Qxh7 Rg7 16. Qh8 cxd4 17. Nh7 Rxh7 18. Qxh7 e5 $17 {and Black has a wonderful position.}) 15. Nxh7 Qd7 (15... Bg4 16. Qh4 Rxh7 17. Qxh7 cxd4 18. Bh6 Bxh6 19. Qxh6 e5 20. f4 {and still White has some counterchance.}) 16. dxc5 dxc5 17. e5 $2 {Decisive mistake.} (17. Nxf8 {was the only move} Qh3 $1 ( 17... Qg4 18. Qxg4 Rxg4 19. Nh7 f6 20. Ng5 $1 fxg5 21. g3 $1 $18 {followed by f3 and the R is trapped.}) 18. Qxh3 Bxh3 19. g3 Nc4 (19... Kxf8 20. Bh6 { might even favour White as Black's pieces are not well coordinated.}) (19... Rg8 20. Nh7 f6 $13) 20. Bh6 Rg8 $13) 17... Qc6 $1 ({The natural} 17... Bb7 $4 { is losing immediately, as} 18. Nf6+ exf6 19. exf6+ $18) 18. f3 ({Now} 18. Nf6+ {could have been met by} Kd8 $1 $17 {and Black is better.}) 18... Qg6 $1 { A good move, Black forces to exchange of Qs and he avoids White's practical chances.} 19. Nf6+ Kd8 $1 {The black K simply slides over to safety.} 20. Qxg6 Rxg6 21. Ne4 Bb7 22. h4 Rc8 23. h5 Rg8 24. Bd2 Nc4 25. Bc3 Bh6 26. Rad1+ Ke8 27. Rd3 Bf4 $1 $19 {Very precise play by Black, his position should be winning. } 28. Nf2 Bc6 29. Nh3 Bg3 30. Re2 Bb5 31. Rd1 Bc6 32. Nf2 Bxe5 $1 {A beautiful tactical solution! White's position is now hopeless.} 33. Ng4 (33. Bxe5 Bxf3 34. Rde1 Bxe2 35. Rxe2 Nxe5 36. Rxe5 f6 $19) 33... Bxc3 34. bxc3 Kf8 35. Kf2 Rh8 36. Ne5 Nxe5 37. Rxe5 Be8 38. g4 f6 39. Re6 Bb5 40. Rde1 Rc7 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 4th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2016.04.21"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Grandelius, Nils"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B29"] [WhiteElo "2851"] [BlackElo "2649"] [Annotator "Nielsen,PH"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2016.04.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Magnus had a good start to Norway Chess, beating Harikrishna and then drawing with a very solidity minded Topalov. Next was the young Swedish top player Grandelius who in the qualifier had edged out local favourite Hammer. Nils announced at the press-conference that he was afraid of no-one, and would stay loyal to his style, and certainly kept his word even when facing the World Champion:} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 $6 {A line the Swedish team had prepared for the 2015 European championship in Reykjavik, and with which he made a draw against Adams. After the game he was asked when he made his mistake, and said " On move two!" It is true that the line most likely is dubious, but the decisive mistake did only come later though.} 3. e5 $1 {Part of the reason that 2...Nf6 is not very popular is that after 3.Nc3 Black's best option most likely is just 3...d6 which after 4.d4 transposes back to main-line Sicilians as in the Grandelius game with e.g. Harikrishna recently. However Nils' clever point is that then he would have avoided Magnus' pet-line 3.Bb5+! But 3.Nc3 in a way is kind of the lazy reaction to 2...Nf6, so one could argue that Nils actually forces Magnus to play the best move!} Nd5 4. Nc3 Nxc3 (4... e6 { used to be Black's try years back, when:} 5. Nxd5 exd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qxd5 Qb6 9. Bc4 $1 {led to complications favourable for White, which lead to Black players abandoning the line.}) 5. dxc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Qb6 $5 {This however is Black's new idea, resurrecting the line. Earlier Black played a setup with the queen on c7 followed by long castling, but then White gets easy development with Bd3 Qe2 0-0-0 etc. Now however Black tries forcing a weakness. If after 7.Rb1 long castling is ruled out altogether, and 7.b3 at least gives Black a target on c3 White should aim for 0-0-0. Which lead Magnus to the conclusion that...} 7. Qc1 $5 {was the way to handle the position. Of course the queen can be said to be awkwardly placed on c1, but despite the d-file being open it was not of much use there anyway, and while 0-0-0 being as a minimum postponed, White does have the simple plan of Bd3 and 0-0, while on the other hand for Black it is much harder to come up when a sensible way to finish his development.} f6 $5 {Nils took his time, and then played the principled move. Ipatov has tried 7...h6 8.h4 d5 but after 9.exd6 exd6 10.Qe3+ is an obvious improvement with a pleasant position for White. Now however Black tries undermining the white centre. Intending either the bold ...g5 as well as ...d6 exd6 e5!.} 8. Bc4 $5 {A logical developing move, that makes 8... d6 look less attractive as: 9.exf6 gxf6 10.Qe3!? when despite Black getting his huge centre, it looks more like White's speedy development is the relevant factor. Black might have to play 10...e5, but then White gets a grip on the white squares in return. Nils shows no fear, and again plays the principled move:} g5 $5 9. Bg3 $5 (9. exf6 {was a similar piece sacrifice to the game. After} gxf4 10. Qxf4 {it even looks like White has won some time, but the knight on f3 is a less strong attacking piece than the bishop on g3, and concretely after} Na5 $1 {there seems to be no effective follow-up for White.}) 9... g4 10. exf6 $1 {I praised Nils' courage, but one has to give credit for Magnus' lack of fear too. The piece sacrifice is purely intuitive, believing White's compensation to be sufficient.} gxf3 11. Qf4 $5 {Played quickly, and very much planned when sacrificing the piece. It aims at both the f7- and c7-squares, hoping to catch the black king in the centre, and not caring about Black getting a tempo to take on g2. White however had an interesting alternative, and if 12...h5! seems to hold in the game continuation, 11.0-0 might actually be very relevant for the theoretical debate of 2...Nf6, should such a debate exist...} ({After} 11. O-O {The best seems to be} Na5 $1 {when} ( 11... fxg2 12. Re1 {just helps White.}) ({So Black should either go for} 11... e6 {when however} 12. Qf4 {looks very dangerous for Black as e.g} Kf7 13. Rad1 d5 $2 (13... Na5 14. Bd3) 14. Rxd5 $1 {crashes through.}) 12. f7+ Kd8 13. Bd5 Qg6 {looks like the critical line with a strange position where to me it looks like White has at least sufficient compensation for the sacrificed piece.}) 11... fxg2 $5 {Greedy and good.} ({If directly} 11... Na5 {then Magnus pointed out in the post mortem that , however} 12. f7+ $1 (12. fxe7 Bxe7 13. Bf7+ Kf8 $1 {was an important resource for Black, as he should not fear the discovered check, and now threatens ...Qf6 consolidating, practically speaking forcing White to give a perpetual.} (13... Kd8 14. O-O $18) 14. Be6+ $11) 12... Kd8 13. Bd5 {gives White great compensation similar to the game.}) (11... h5 {allows White options with 0-0 making ...h5 lose its point, so Black's move order is the correct one.}) 12. Rg1 Na5 $2 {A very logical move, but possibly the losing mistake!} ({The absolutely only way is} 12... h5 $1 {stopping long castling due to ...Bh6 as well as having the option of disturbing the white bishop by ...h4. The best probably is} 13. Rxg2 $5 {when} (13. fxe7 Bxe7 14. Qf7+ ({and also} 14. O-O-O Kd8 {seems to hold up decently as well}) 14... Kd8 15. Qg7 Re8 16. O-O-O Na5 17. Bf7 Qf6 $1 {defends just in time.}) ({Trying to continue similarly to the game with} 13. f7+ $6 Kd8 14. O-O-O {runs into} ({and } 14. Rxg2 d6 15. O-O-O Kc7 16. Bh4 Bg4 {also defends well.}) 14... h4 $1 15. Bxh4 Qc7 $1 {when White's attack seems too slow.}) 13... Kd8 $1 14. fxe7+ (14. O-O-O $6 Bh6 15. Qxh6 Rxh6 16. Bf4 d6 {unfortunately defends}) 14... Bxe7 15. O-O-O h4 16. Bxh4 Bxh4 17. Rg8+ Rxg8 18. Qxh4+ Kc7 19. Bxg8 {which leads to an equal position. Black has an extra piece but White's attack and the h-pawn balances the position.}) 13. f7+ (13. fxe7 Bxe7 14. Bf7+ Kf8 $1 {again is strong, forcing White to limit himself to a draw by perpetual check.}) 13... Kd8 14. Bd5 {A key position in the game. At first it looks like Black has survived the worst. His king will be safe on c7, and having "lured" White's pawn to f7, his e7-d6-c5 construction looks solid. At first the computer agrees, but after a few minutes comes to the realisation that White is winning. Grandelius thought for half an hour, but came to the same result. Yes Black's king is safe, but there is no reasonable plan for stopping a White rook from invading on g8.} Bh6 $6 {Nils decided to sacrifice a rook for some counterplay, but it is insufficient.} (14... d6 15. O-O-O Kc7 16. Rxg2 Bh3 17. Rgg1 { is the illustrative mainline. After} Nc6 {he even pauses for} 18. Kb1 {as then} Ne5 ({and} 18... Bd7 19. Bh4 Ne5 20. Rg8 Ng6 21. Qe4 Bc6 22. c4 {leaves Black in a hopeless position, despite his extra piece.}) {is met by} 19. Qh4 $1) 15. Qe5 Rf8 16. Bh4 $1 {This is the problem. Mate is threatened on e7, and Black has to give up the rook to lure the white bishop away from attacking the c6-square as 16...Nc6 17.Bxc6 Rxf7 18.Rxg2 wins on the spot.} Rxf7 17. Bxf7 Nc6 18. Qg3 Qxb2 19. Rd1 Qxc2 20. Bd5 {Materialistically speaking it is not that bad for Black, but add on top a white attack, and the overall situation becomes hopeless.} Qf5 21. Rxg2 Bf4 22. Qf3 $5 (22. Qxf4 $5 Qxf4 23. Rg8+ Kc7 24. Bg3 {was simple and strong, but Magnus plays for the maximum.}) 22... Kc7 23. Rg5 Qf8 24. Bg3 $6 {After the game he expressed his dissatisfaction with this inacurracy. Taking on c6 first, and only then Bg3 would have been simpler. } e5 25. Rh5 $6 (25. Bxc6 $1 {actually was still possible, as Nils intended:} Qe7 $5 {while tactically creative, getting out of the f-file pin, and preparing a discovered check in the e-line, still falls short after} 26. Rh5 dxc6 27. Qe4 $1 {attacking h7, and thus winning comfortably for White.}) 25... a5 26. Rxh7 Ra6 27. Rf7 Qe8 28. Kf1 Bxg3 29. hxg3 Qh8 30. Kg2 Nd8 31. Rf8 Qg7 32. Rh1 Rh6 33. Rxh6 Qxh6 34. Qf6 Qxf6 35. Rxf6 d6 36. Kf3 b5 37. g4 Kd7 38. Rh6 {And here Grandelius resigned. Even if the rather dull technical phase in the end dragged out the game a bit, the fireworks right at the start made it an amazing and atypical game for a supertournament, and gave Magnus a tournament lead, which he kept till the end.} 1-0 [Event "Norway Masters blitz 4th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2016.04.18"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2851"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "CB"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2016.04.18"] [EventType "tourn (blitz)"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 171 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.04.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.04.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. a3 a6 7. Be3 Be7 8. f4 b5 9. Nxc6 Qxc6 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. O-O Nf6 12. Kh1 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Be4 Qd7 15. Bxd5 Bxd5 16. Nxd5 Qxd5 17. Qxd5 exd5 18. Bd4 f6 19. g3 Kf7 20. Kg2 Rhe8 21. Kf3 Rac8 22. Rf2 Bc5 23. Rd1 Re4 24. Bxc5 Rxc5 25. Rd3 {[#] Objectively the rook ending is equal but that can be said of many endgames Carlsen has won. } b4 $2 ({Better is} 25... a5 {After} 26. Rxd5 {Black has} Rxf4+) 26. Rxd5 Rxd5 ({Now} 26... Rxf4+ 27. gxf4 Rxd5 28. axb4 {costs a pawn.}) 27. Kxe4 Rb5 28. a4 Ra5 29. b3 Rc5 30. c4 bxc3 31. Rc2 Ke6 32. Kd4 Rd5+ 33. Kxc3 Kf5 34. Kc4 Rd8 35. b4 Kg4 36. b5 axb5+ 37. axb5 h5 38. b6 Rc8+ 39. Kd3 Rb8 40. Rb2 h4 41. gxh4 Kxf4 42. b7 Ke5 43. h5 f5 1-0 [Event "Fujitsu Siemens Giants"] [Site "Frankfurt"] [Date "2000.06.25"] [Round "9"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2851"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,D"] [PlyCount "70"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Bg5 12. Nc2 Rb8 13. a3 {It's amazing that Kasparov is not going for the main line 13.a4. That might be a sign that Black is doing fine there. In this case the system with early 12. ... Bg5 and 13. ... Rb8 is not worse than more popular Black's set-ups in 9.Nd5 line.} a5 ( 13... O-O {I always thought this move is more precise, but it may be a subjective approach. Interesting what Kasparov had here in mind, as the earlier practice couldn't show anything for White.} 14. h4 {This can be the move to emphasise the drawback of 13. ... 0-0. The future practice will give an answer.} (14. Ncb4 Bb7 15. h4 Bh6 16. g4 Bf4 $13) 14... Bh6 15. g4 Bf4 16. Qf3 Be6 17. Nxf4 Qf6 18. Nb4 Nxb4 19. axb4 exf4 $13) 14. Bd3 Ne7 15. Nxe7 Qxe7 16. Qe2 {This set-up (Bd3 and Qe2) is the most logical after Black's 13. ... a5.} O-O {Interesting novelty. Black hopes to get initiative after Bxb5.} ( 16... Bd7 17. b4 a4 (17... axb4 18. Nxb4 O-O 19. Nd5 Qe6 20. O-O $14) 18. Ne3 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 O-O 20. c4 bxc4 21. Bxc4 Rfc8 22. Rc1 Be6 23. Bxe6 Rxc1+ 24. Qxc1 Qxe6 25. O-O Rc8 26. Qd2 Qb3 27. Rc1 Rxc1+ 28. Qxc1 h5 29. h4 g6 30. f3 Kg7 31. Kf2 Qa2+ 32. Kf1 Qb3 33. Ke2 Qa2+ 34. Kf1 Qb3 35. Ke2 Qa2+ 36. Kf1 {1/2-1/2 Korneev,O-Illescas Cordoba,M/Cala Galdana 1999}) (16... Qb7 17. O-O O-O 18. b4 a4 19. c4 $14 {1-0 De Firmian,N-Sutovskij,E/Essen 1999 (42)}) 17. O-O (17. Bxb5 f5 18. Bc4+ (18. a4 fxe4 19. Qxe4 Bb7 (19... Bf5 20. Qe2 $13) 20. Qc4+ Kh8 ( 20... d5 21. Qe2 $13) 21. O-O Rf4 22. Qe2 Rbf8 $44 {Black has enough compensation, as White cannot easily use his extra pawn and Black is ready for an active play.}) 18... Kh8 19. b4 fxe4 20. O-O Bb7 21. Rad1 $13 {Black's position looks promising, although a creative play is required.}) 17... Bd7 18. b4 {Fixing the weakness on b5. I would say that White is slightly better, as his play is easier, but Black's position is quite solid.} axb4 (18... a4 19. c4 bxc4 20. Bxc4 $14) 19. Nxb4 Rfc8 20. c4 {White must play it anyway soonet or later. His plan is to advance a-pawn and try to use the fact that black Bishop on g5 cannot defend the queenside.} bxc4 21. Bxc4 Be6 22. Bd5 Qd7 23. Qa6 (23. Rfb1 $142 Bg4 (23... Rc3 24. a4) (23... Qa4 $2 24. Bxe6 fxe6 25. Qg4) 24. Qa6 $14) 23... Rc3 24. Rfd1 (24. Rfb1) 24... Bg4 25. Rdb1 Rbc8 {Black succeeded to neutralize White's positional factors by getting very good dynamic. The position remains very unclear, but one can say that Black improved the position of all pieces, while White didn't advance his a-pawn yet.} 26. a4 (26. Bb7 $5 {Here or on the next move White could've tried to bring the Knight into play.} Rb8 27. Nd5) 26... h5 {Naturally Black is looking for counterplay on the kingside. 26. ... h5 is also a defending move: Black needs "Luft" for his King anyway.} 27. a5 (27. Bb7) 27... Bh4 28. Qb7 {understandable desire to swap Queens.} (28. f3 Rxf3 (28... Bxf3 29. gxf3 Rxf3 30. Ra2) 29. gxf3 (29. Bb7 Rcc3 30. Nd5 Rc2 {is just winning for Black}) 29... Bxf3 {and Black has at least perpetual, although probably not more than that.} 30. Rb2 Qg4+ 31. Kf1 Qh3+ 32. Kg1) 28... R3c7 (28... R8c7 {this is probably more precise than the game (see comments to 31.Nc6).} 29. a6 Bh3 30. gxh3 Qxh3 31. Qb6 R7c5 $1) 29. a6 (29. Qa6) 29... Bh3 $1 {threatening first of all Qg4.} 30. gxh3 (30. f3 $13) 30... Qxh3 31. Qb6 $2 (31. Nc6 $1 {last chance to defend was to keep away black Rooks. By the way, that's why on the move 28 was better to leave one Rook on c3.} Qg4+ (31... Bxf2+ $2 {loses, as the King walks to the queenside} 32. Kxf2 Qxh2+ 33. Ke3 Qg3+ 34. Kd2 Qf2+ 35. Kc3 Qe3+ 36. Kb4 Qc5+ 37. Ka4) 32. Kf1 Qh3+ 33. Ke2 (33. Kg1 Qg4+ $11) 33... Qg4+ 34. Kd2 Qf4+ 35. Kc3 Bxf2 $13) 31... Bg5 $2 (31... Rc5 $1 {Very strong move, which cuts white Queen from defending f2. The threat Bxf2 followed by Rc2 looks decisive.} 32. Nd3 (32. a7 Bxf2+ 33. Kxf2 Rc2+ 34. Nxc2 Rxc2+ 35. Ke1 Qc3+ 36. Kf1 Qf3+ {and mate.}) (32. Qb7 Bxf2+ 33. Kxf2 Rc2+ $19) (32. Rf1 {doesn't help either} Bxf2+ $1 $19) (32. Bc6 Qg4+ 33. Kf1 Qf3 $19) 32... Qxd3 33. Rf1 Qf3 34. Ra2 Rc1 {with a very strong attack.} 35. Ra1 Qg4+ $1 (35... R8c5 {strange enough, but this seem to achieve nothing as the pawn on c5 is in Wj\hite's favour:} 36. Qxc5 $1 Qg4+ 37. Kh1 Rxa1 38. Rxa1 Qf3+ 39. Kg1 dxc5 40. Ra2 {the Rook is well placed on a2, and the difference with the other line is that the pawn on c5 stands bad, because the Queen doesn't control the square a7 after Qe3:} Qg4+ 41. Kf1 Qh3+ 42. Kg1 Bxf2+ 43. Rxf2 $11 Qe3 44. a7) 36. Kh1 Rxa1 37. Rxa1 Qf3+ 38. Kg1 Rc2 39. Rf1 Bxf2+ 40. Qxf2 Rxf2 41. Rxf2 Qe3 42. Kg2 (42. Bxf7+ Kh7 43. Bd5 h4 $19) 42... Kh7 $1 43. Ra2 Qa7 {and Black must be winning.}) 32. Nd3 (32. a7 Bf4 33. a8=Q Bxh2+ 34. Kh1 $11) 32... Qg4+ ({There was no point to complicate things with} 32... Qxd3 $2 33. a7 Qh3 34. Qb3 $1 $18 (34. Qxc7 Qg4+ 35. Kf1 Qh3+ 36. Ke1 Rxc7 37. a8=Q+ Kh7 {and although White is a Rook up, Black has some chances.})) 33. Kf1 Qh3+ 34. Kg1 Qg4+ 35. Kf1 Qh3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2000.01.28"] [Round "11"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2851"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,D"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2000.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 075"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 {Kasparov used to play 9.Nd5 here.} gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. c3 Bg7 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Nc2 Be6 {Two rounds before, Leko played 13. ... 0-0 14.Nce3 Bg6 !? with Judith Polgar. Although he reached a rather comfortable draw in that game, against Kasparov he decided to go for a main line.} 14. a4 {This move was never popular. Last year Anand tried it in two games (once in this position against Lautier, Monte Carlo, 1999 and once in a slightly different one against Khalifman, Beograd, 1999), but haven't got anything out of the opening. Kasparov has an interesting idea in his mind, but it seems that Black is OK even after that.} O-O 15. axb5 axb5 16. Rxa8 Qxa8 17. Nce3 (17. Nc7 Qa2 { [%csl Gb2]}) (17. Bxb5 Nd4 {[%CAl Gb7g2] and the practice has shown that in both cases Black faces no problems at all.}) 17... Qb7 18. g4 $5 {[%csl Gd5, Ge4,Gf5] This is what Kasparov prepared for this game. White prevents f7-f5 and tries to use his extra piece on the white squares.} (18. Bd3 f5 19. O-O Kh8 $11 {0,5 Anand-Lautier/Monte Carlo 1999 (23).}) 18... Ne7 $1 19. Bg2 Nxd5 20. Bxd5 (20. Nxd5 {This is not in the spirit of the position. White needs the Knight on e3 for controlling the f5-square.} Qd7 21. g5 f5 $132) 20... Qe7 21. h4 {Well, this is more a prophylactic move than an attacking one. White covers the weaknesses of the black squares. On the other hand making so many pawn moves is quite risky, and if Black will succeed to open the position, White can find himself in trouble.} (21. Bxe6 $2 fxe6 $17 {[%CAl Gf8f2]}) (21. Be4 $5 ) 21... Rc8 {Right plan - fighting for d5 square and looking for counterplay in the center.} 22. g5 (22. Be4 Rc5) 22... Rc5 {/\23. ... Bd5 and 24. ... Qb7.} 23. Be4 {White cannot blockade the d-pawn anymore.} d5 $1 24. Nxd5 (24. Bxd5 $2 Bxd5 25. Nxd5 Qb7 $19) 24... Bxd5 25. Bxd5 e4 $132 26. Ke2 (26. Qb3 e3 27. O-O Qd7 $36) 26... Qe5 27. Bb3 Qc7 28. Qg1 $5 {Unusual move, trying to open the position of the Black's King.} (28. Qd2 Rf5 29. Rd1 Qh2 $40) 28... b4 {Black has enough counterplay.} 29. g6 hxg6 30. Qxg6 Kf8 31. Qg3 {White should go for a draw. Playing for an attack is simply too risky, due to bad position of the King on e2.} (31. Qg4 $2 bxc3 32. Rg1 (32. bxc3 Rxc3 (32... Rb5 $5 33. Rg1 f5 ( 33... Qxc3 34. Rg3 Qb2+ 35. Kf1 Rxb3 36. Qc8+ Ke7 37. Qc7+ Ke8 38. Qc6+ $11) 34. Qg5 Rxb3 35. Qxf5+ Kg8 36. Qd5+ Qf7 37. Qxf7+ Kxf7 38. Rg4 $17) 33. Rg1 Qe5 34. Qd7 Qf6 $17 {and Black defends everything.}) 32... f5 33. Qg6 cxb2 34. Rd1 Rc2+ 35. Kf1 Rxf2+ $1 36. Kxf2 Qh2+ 37. Ke3 Qh3+ 38. Kf2 Bd4+ 39. Rxd4 Qf3+ $19 ) 31... Qxg3 (31... Be5 $2 32. Qg4 bxc3 33. Rg1 $40) 32. fxg3 bxc3 33. bxc3 Rxc3 34. Bd5 Rxg3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2000.01.30"] [Round "13"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Polgar, Judit"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2851"] [BlackElo "2658"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2000.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 075"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 {Kasparov is undoubtedly the greatest expert on the Najdorf, lately he also plays this most aggressive move.} (6. f3 $5 {can lead to the same positions and prevents Ng4.} Qb6 (6... e5 7. Nb3 h5 $5 8. Be3 Be7 9. a4 Be6 10. a5 Nbd7 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Bf5 13. Qd2 Rc8 14. c4 Bh4+ 15. g3 Bf6 16. Be2 e4 17. f4 Bh3 18. Kf2 g6 19. Rac1 O-O 20. Rhd1 Re8 21. Na1 Bg7 22. b4 Nf6 23. Kg1 Ng4 $132 {Yagupov, I-Rashkovsky,N/Linares op/2000/}) 7. Nb3 e6 8. g4 (8. Qe2 Nbd7 9. Be3 Qc7 10. g4 h6 11. h4 b5 12. Rg1 Ne5 13. g5 hxg5 14. hxg5 Nh5 15. a4 b4 16. Na2 Bb7 17. O-O-O Rc8 18. Rd2 d5 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 exd5 21. f4 Nc4 $17 {Antoniewski, R-Kempinski,R/POL-chT Suwalki/ 1999/}) 8... Nc6 9. Qe2 Qc7 10. Be3 b5 11. O-O-O Be7 12. Kb1 Nd7 13. Qf2 Bb7 14. g5 Rc8 15. Rg1 O-O 16. h4 b4 17. Na4 Nce5 18. Nb6 Nxb6 19. Bxb6 Qb8 20. Bh3 $1 Nc4 21. Ba7 Qc7 22. h5 a5 23. g6 Bf6 24. Bd4 $14 {Leko,P-Topalov,V/EU-chT Batumi/1999/}) 6... Ng4 {Judit has no fear, Kasparov's own pet move was used against him only once before by Topalov in rapid chess.} (6... e6 7. f3 b5 8. g4 h6 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Bb7 11. h4 b4 12. Na4 Qa5 (12... d5 $2 13. Bh3 g5 14. Bg2 $1 gxh4 15. Rxh4 dxe4 16. g5 Nd5 17. Rxe4 Qa5 (17... hxg5 18. Bxg5 Qa5 19. f4 Rh2 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxe6+ Kf7 22. Qd3 Bg7 23. Qf5+ Kg8 24. Rxd5 Qxa4 25. Re7 {1-0, Kasparov,G-Van Wely,L/ Wijk aan Zee/2000/}) 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Rxe6+ Kf7 20. Qd3 $1 Kxe6 21. Qe4+ Ne5 22. Bh3+ Kd6 23. Bc5+ Qxc5 24. Nxc5 Kxc5 25. Qxe5 $18) 13. b3 Nc5 14. a3 Nxa4 15. axb4 Qc7 16. bxa4 d5 17. e5 Nd7 18. f4 Nb6 19. f5 $1 {The author of this inspired novelty is the Russian junior Grischuk, it puts the whole line under a serious threat.} Nc4 $142 $5 (19... Nxa4 20. fxe6 Nc3 21. exf7+ Kxf7 22. Bd3 $1 Bxb4 23. Rdf1+ Kg8 24. Qf2 Re8 (24... Rf8 $2 25. Qxf8+ $1 $18) (24... Na2+ 25. Kb2 Bc3+ 26. Kb1 $1 $40) (24... Ba3+ 25. Kd2 Bb4 26. Qf5 Ne4+ (26... Re8 27. e6 Ne4+ 28. Kd1 Qg3 29. Qf7+ Kh7 30. Rf3 Qb8 31. Rf6 {1-0, Zulfugarli, M-Cvitan,O/Batumi EU-chT/ 1999/}) 27. Kd1 Rf8 28. Qe6+ Kh7 29. g5 Rhg8 30. gxh6 g6 31. h5 Bc8 32. hxg6+ Rxg6 33. Qxg6+ Kxg6 34. Rfg1+ Kh7 35. Rg7+ {1-0, Grischuk,A-Ibrahimov,R/Batumi EU-chT/1999/}) 25. e6 Rf8 26. Qf7+ $1 Rxf7 27. exf7+ Qxf7 28. Rxf7 Kxf7 29. Rf1+ Ke7 (29... Kg8 30. Bg6 Ba3+ 31. Kd2 Ne4+ 32. Kd3 Nd6 33. Ne6 {1-0, Grischuk,A-Popov,V/St Petersburg/1999/}) 30. Nf5+ Kd8 31. Nxg7 Ba3+ 32. Kd2 Ne4+ 33. Bxe4 dxe4 34. Rf7 Kc8 35. Nf5 $16 {Selin,O-Rogovoi, M/St.Petersburg Petroff mem/2000/}) 20. Qe1 $1 (20. Bxc4 dxc4 $5 (20... Qxc4 21. fxe6 Bxb4 22. exf7+ Kxf7 23. Qd3 Qa2 24. Rdf1+ Kg8 25. Kd1 a5 $1 26. Qf5 Qa1+ 27. Ke2 Ba6+ 28. Nb5 Qxa4 29. Qe6+ $11 {Tiviakov,S-Danailov,S/Wijk aan Zee-B/2000/}) 21. fxe6 c3 22. exf7+ Kxf7 23. Rhf1+ Kg8 24. Qd3 Bxb4 25. Ne6 Qxe5 26. Nxg7 Rb8 27. Rde1 Be4 28. Qc4+ Bd5 29. Qd4 Qxd4 30. Bxd4 Bc4 $19 { Mrdja,M-Vera,R/Aosta op/2000/}) 20... Nxe3 21. Qxe3 Bxb4 22. fxe6 O-O 23. g5 Bc3 24. Rd3 Rac8 25. Rxc3 Qxc3 26. Qxc3 Rxc3 27. gxh6 gxh6 28. Bd3 $44 { Hracek,Z-Stohl,I/SVK-chT 9900/2000/}) 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 ( 10. Be2 h5 {Kasparov's choice in the aforementioned game was} 11. Nf5 $5 { Black still has his problems after this move.} (11. Bxg4 {Until lately this was considered the main move, but Black is doing well here:} hxg4 $5 12. O-O Nc6 13. Nf5 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Qa5 $1 15. Qxg4 f6 $1 16. Rab1 (16. Qf3 Ne5 17. Qe3 Bxf5 18. exf5 Rc8 19. Qa7 Kf7 20. Qxb7 Rxc3 21. Rfd1 Qc5 22. Rd2 Qc6 $44 { =,Ye Jiangchuan-Sutovskij,E/Shenyang/1999/}) 16... Qxc3 17. Rfd1 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. g3 b5 20. c4 bxc4 21. Qf3 c3 22. Rbc1 Bb7 23. Qxc3 Bxe4 24. Nxd6+ exd6 25. Re1 Qxc3 26. Rxc3 d5 27. f3 Kf7 $11 {Shirov,A-Kasparov,G/Sarajevo/1999/}) ( 11. h3 $2 h4 $1 $17) 11... Bxf5 12. exf5 h4 $5 (12... Qa5 $143 13. O-O Bxc3 14. bxc3 Qxf5 15. Rb1 $1 Nd7 (15... Qd7 16. Qd5 Nc6 17. Qxg5 O-O-O 18. Bf3 $36) 16. Rxb7 Ngf6 17. Re1 Kf8 18. h3 Re8 19. Bxa6 h4 20. Bd3 Qd5 21. Rb5 Nc5 22. Bh2 Rg8 23. Rb4 Nxd3 24. cxd3 Qxa2 25. Rb5 Rg6 26. Rf5 $14 {[%csl Rf8,Rg5,Rh4] ?, Kasparov,G-Topalov,V/Sofia rapid m/1998/}) 13. Bxd6 $5 (13. Bxh4 Qa5 $1 (13... Bxc3+ $2 14. bxc3 Qa5 15. Bxg5 Nxh2 16. Kd2 Nd7 17. Kc1 Qxc3 18. Rb1 Nc5 19. Qd5 Rc8 20. Bd2 Qg7 21. Be3 $18 {Shirov,A-Polgar,J/Prague m/1999/}) 14. Bxg4 ( 14. Bxg5 $6 Nxf2 15. Kxf2 Qxf5+ 16. Bf3 Qxg5 17. Nd5 Ra7 $36 {[%CAl Gg7b2, Gg5d2] with excellent play on the weakened dark squares.}) 14... Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Qxc3+ 16. Kf1 Rxh4 $15) (13. Bxg4 hxg3 14. fxg3 Bxc3+ $5 15. bxc3 Nc6 $44 { [%csl Rc2,Rc3,Ge5,Rf5,Rg2,Rg3][%CAl Yc6e5] /\Ne5,?}) 13... Nxf2 14. Kxf2 exd6 (14... Qb6+ 15. Kf1 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Qxd6 (16... exd6 17. Rb1 $36) 17. Qxd6 exd6 18. Rb1 $14) 15. Nd5 Nc6 $14 {/<=>}) 10... Nf6 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] Surprisingly Judit is the first to come up with a novelty. Although this move is not quite in keeping with Black's dark-square strategy, it's not easy to pinpoint it's drawbacks.} ({The more logical and until now universally played alternative was } 10... Ne5 11. Nf5 (11. Be2 Nbc6 12. Nf5 Bxf5 13. exf5 Nd4 $1 $36 {is ineffective.}) (11. f3 Nbc6 12. Bf2 e6 13. Qd2 Ng6 14. O-O-O Be5 15. Kb1 Bd7 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Bd4 Qc7 18. Qf2 Bxd4 19. Qxd4 O-O-O 20. Bc4 Ne5 21. Bb3 Rhg8 22. Qf2 $11 {Nunn,J-Bosch,J/Bundesliga 9900/1999/}) 11... Bxf5 12. exf5 Qa5 ( 12... Nbc6 $6 13. Nd5 $1 e6 (13... O-O 14. Be2 e6 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. Ne3 d5 17. O-O Qb6 18. Ng4 Rf5 19. c3 Qxb2 20. Rb1 Qxc3 21. Rxb7 Rf7 22. Qb1 Rxb7 23. Qxb7 Re8 24. Qxa6 Nxg4 25. Bxg4 Nd4 26. Rb1 $16 {Shirov,A-Polgar,J/Prague m /1999/}) 14. fxe6 fxe6 15. Ne3 Qa5+ 16. c3 d5 17. Be2 O-O 18. O-O Rad8 19. Qb3 b5 20. Rad1 Qb6 21. Rfe1 Qc5 22. Qc2 b4 23. cxb4 Qxb4 24. Bxa6 Ra8 25. a3 Qb6 26. Bf1 Nd4 27. Qb1 Ndf3+ 28. gxf3 Nxf3+ 29. Kg2 Nxe1+ 30. Rxe1 Qxb2 31. Qg6 $18 { Anand,V-Gelfand,B/Haifa rapid/2000/}) ({Also deserving attention is} 12... Nbd7 $5 13. Nd5 Rc8 14. c3 Qa5 (14... Nf6 15. Be2 Nxd5 16. Qxd5 Qd7 17. O-O Rc5 18. Qe4 Qc6 19. Qc2 Bf6 20. Rac1 Nd7 21. a3 Be5 $2 22. b4 Rxc3 23. Qd2 Bf6 24. Bf3 Qc7 25. Rxc3 Bxc3 26. Rc1 Bxd2 27. Rxc7 Kd8 28. Rc2 {1-0, Luther,T-Bouaziz,S/ Cappelle op/2000/}) 15. Be2 Nb6 16. Nxb6 Qxb6 17. Qb3 Qxb3 18. axb3 Nd7 19. Bf3 Rc7 20. Ke2 h5 21. h4 g4 22. Be4 Be5 23. Bxe5 Nxe5 24. Rhd1 Nd7 25. g3 Kf8 26. Rd4 Kg7 27. b4 Kf6 $11 {Schumi,M-Lakos,N/Budapest/1999/}) 13. Qd5 Nbc6 14. Qxa5 Nxa5 15. Nd5 Rc8 16. O-O-O e6 17. Ne3 (17. f6 $5) 17... Ke7 18. Be2 h5 19. Rhf1 d5 20. f4 gxf4 21. Bxf4 Nac4 22. Bg5+ Kd6 23. Bxc4 Nxc4 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. Nxc4+ Rxc4 26. Rf7 Rg8 27. h4 Be5 $132 {Svidler,P-Georgiev,K/FIDE WCh Las Vegas/1999/ }) 11. Bc4 {The most aggressive development, but it isn't an ideal solution.} ( {It seems too early for} 11. e5 dxe5 12. Bxe5 Qb6 {[%csl Re5][%CAl Yb8d7]} ( 12... O-O $5 $132 {/\Nbd7,?e5})) (11. Nf5 $6 Bxf5 12. exf5 Qa5 13. Bd3 Nd5 $15 ) ({Possible, but also an unclear alternative is} 11. Qd2 Nc6 12. Nb3 (12. Nxc6 $143 bxc6 13. e5 $6 Nh5 $1 $17) 12... b5 $13) ({The solid} 11. Be2 $5 Qb6 12. Nb3 $14 {is probably the most promising.}) 11... Qb6 {A logical sortie.} (11... Nc6 $2 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. e5 $16 {[%csl Ra6,Rc6,Rf7] ?}) 12. O-O (12. Nb3 { doesn't go well together with 11.Bc4, after} Nc6 $11 {Black's position is satisfactory.}) 12... O-O (12... Nxe4 $2 13. Nxe4 Qxd4 (13... Bxd4 14. Qh5 $16 {->}) 14. Nxd6+ $1 (14. Qe2 $143 O-O 15. c3 Qb6 16. Kh1 Bf5 17. f4 $44) 14... exd6 15. Qe2+ $1 (15. Re1+ $2 Kd8 16. Qe2 Bd7 $1 17. Rad1 Re8 $17) 15... Kd8 16. Rad1 $40 {+- Black can hardly survive the raging attack.}) ({Also risky, but deserving more attention is} 12... Qxb2 13. Qd3 $5 {napr.} (13. Nde2 O-O { -12...0-0}) 13... Qa3 $13 (13... Nxe4 $2 14. Nxe4 $142 $1 (14. Qxe4 $6 Qxc3 15. Bxd6 O-O 16. Ne2 (16. Bd3 Re8 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. Qxe7 Bxd4 $17) 16... Qf6 $5 ( 16... Bf5 17. Nxc3 Bxe4 18. Nxe4 Bxa1 19. Bxb8 Raxb8 20. Rxa1 $14) 17. Bxe7 Re8 $11) 14... Qxd4 15. Nxd6+ exd6 16. Qe2+ $1 $18 {[%CAl Ra1d1] ->,/\Rad1 is the same as above.})) 13. Nde2 {[%mdl 512] Kasparov typically isn't interested in preserving the material balance.} (13. Nb3 $11 {was the solid move.}) 13... Qxb2 14. Bb3 Qa3 $8 (14... Nh5 $6 15. a4 $1 Nxg3 16. fxg3 Bxc3 17. Ra2 $14 { /+/-}) 15. f4 {[%csl Ra2,Rc2,Rg5,Rh6] Garri has given a pawn for nebulous compensation, he is trying to create sufficient play against Black's >>. If he doesn't succeed, his position on the other flank is hopelessly weakened.} Nc6 ( {Another try was} 15... Nh5 16. Qd3 (16. Nd5 Nc6 $1 $17 {practically forces White to sacrifice the exchange.}) 16... Nxg3 (16... gxf4 17. Bxf4 Nxf4 18. Rxf4 Qc5+ 19. Kh1 Nc6 20. Raf1 Ne5 21. Qg3 $44 {/=/+ is similar.}) 17. Qxg3 Nc6 18. Kh1 Qc5 19. Rad1 gxf4 20. Rxf4 $15 {[%csl Gg7] Although White has some initiative, Black with the strong dark-squared B has good defensive chances.}) 16. Kh1 Be6 (16... Nh5 $5 17. Qd3 Qc5 $15 {/\} 18. Bf2 $2 Nxf4 $17) 17. Qd3 ( 17. Qd2 Nh5 18. Bh2 (18. fxg5 $2 Nxg3+ 19. Nxg3 Qa5 $1 $17 {with no compensation.}) 18... Nxf4 19. Nxf4 gxf4 20. Bxf4 Qa5 21. Rf3 Qh5 $15 {[%csl Ge5][%CAl Rc6e5] /-/+,/\Ne5}) 17... Rac8 (17... Nh5 18. fxg5 $5 hxg5 19. Bf2 { is less convincing.}) (17... gxf4 18. Nxf4 Ne5 {/\} 19. Qe2 Bc4 $1 $17) 18. fxg5 hxg5 19. Nd5 Rfe8 (19... Nxd5 $6 20. exd5 Nb4 21. Qd2 Bxd5 22. Qxg5 $40 { [%csl Rg8] ?g8 dangerously exposes Black's K.} (22. Bxd5 $6 Rxc2 23. Qxg5 Rxe2 $17)) 20. Rad1 $1 {A brave, but objectively correct decision.} (20. Nxf6+ Bxf6 21. Bxe6 Qxd3 22. Bxf7+ Kxf7 23. cxd3 Kg7 $5 24. Rab1 (24. Rac1 Nd4 $17 {/=/+}) 24... b5 $17 {/=/+ leads to a perspectiveless K, in which White must heavily fight for a draw.}) 20... Nb4 21. Qf3 $6 (21. Nxb4 Qxb4 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. e5 Ne4 $17 {/\} 24. Nd4 $2 Qxd4 $1 25. Qxd4 Nxg3+ 26. Kh2 Nxf1+ 27. Kg1 Ng3 28. Qg4 Bxe5 29. Qxg5+ Kf7 30. Rd3 Rg8 31. Rf3+ Bf6 $19) (21. Qe3 $142 $1 Nbxd5 ( 21... Bxd5 22. exd5 Rxc2 23. Nd4 $44) 22. exd5 Bxd5 (22... Nxd5 23. Qxg5 Nf6 24. Bxe6 fxe6 25. Bxd6 exd6 26. Rxf6 Qc5 27. Qg4 $14) 23. Rxd5 $1 Nxd5 24. Qf3 $40 e6 25. Qxf7+ {gives White at least a perpetual. FRITZ6} Kh8 26. Qh5+ Kg8 27. Qg6 Re7 (27... Qb2 28. Rf7 {[%csl Rg7][%CAl Yc2c3]} Rf8 29. Qxe6 Rxf7 30. Qxc8+ Kh7 31. Bxd5) 28. Nd4 $18 Rf8 29. Rxf8+ Kxf8 30. Nxe6+ Rxe6 31. Qxe6) 21... Nbxd5 (21... Bxd5 $6 {prematurely gives up the important B.} 22. exd5 {/\ } a5 23. Nd4 a4 $2 24. Nb5 Qb2 25. Rb1 $16) 22. exd5 Bd7 {[%CAl Ra6a4]} 23. c3 $1 {[%CAl Rb3c2,Rf3d3,Gb1h7] In a difficult situation, when his Bb3 is out of play and under threat (a5-a4) Kasparov finds the only way preserve some initiative. He intends to attack on the b1-h7 diagonal.} a5 $6 {Ignoring White's idea is not ideal.} (23... g4 24. Qd3 $5 (24. hxg4 Bxg4 25. Qd3 Bh5 $17 ) 24... gxh3 25. gxh3 Bxh3 26. Rf2 Bd7 27. Rg1 $13 {is perhaps possible, but it seems incosistent to open files for White's R.}) (23... Bb5 $142 $1 24. Rfe1 (24. Nd4 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Qb2 $5 $17 {is hardly sufficient.}) 24... Qb2 $15 { /-/+ and Black should be able to convert his advantage.}) 24. Qd3 a4 25. Bc2 Qc5 $2 {[%CAl Rd7b5] /\Bb5 Sometimes it's difficult to think about prophylaxis in the middle of a tough fight, but after} (25... Kf8 $1 $15 {there still isn't anything concrete for White.}) 26. Rxf6 $1 {[%mdl 576] [] Unleashes some dangerous tactics, in which Black loses her way.} exf6 (26... Bxf6 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Nf4 gxf4 (28... Qxc3 $2 29. Ng6+ fxg6 30. Bxg6 $18) 29. Bxf4 e5 $8 (29... e6 $2 30. Bg6 Bg7 31. Bh6 Qxc3 32. Rf1 f5 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Bg5+ Bf6 35. Qg7+ $1 $18) 30. Bg6 Ke7 $8 (30... Bg7 $2 31. Bh6 Ke7 32. Bg5+ $1 f6 33. Bxf6+ $1 Kxf6 34. Rf1+ Ke7 35. Qh4+ Bf6 36. Qxf6#) 31. Qxf7+ Kd8 32. Qxf6+ Kc7 33. Bxe8 Rxe8 34. Bh6 $14 {[%csl Rc7,Gh1] /+/- White is a pawn up with a better K, he has winning chances.}) 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Nd4 {[%CAl Rc2a4,Rc2f5] /\Bf5,Ba4!} Re5 $8 (28... Re3 29. Bxa4 $1 (29. Bf5 Rxg3 30. Bxd7 Qxd5 31. Ne6+ $16) 29... Bxa4 30. Nf5 Ke8 (30... Bxd1 31. Bxd6+ $18 {is the same.}) 31. Bxd6 Bxd1 32. Qg8+ Kd7 33. Qxf7+ Kd8 34. Bxc5 Re1+ 35. Kh2 Rxc5 36. Nxg7 $18) (28... Qxc3 $2 29. Bxd6+ $18) 29. Bxe5 ({Unconvincing is} 29. Bf5 Bxf5 30. Nxf5 Rxf5 31. Qxf5 Rd8) 29... fxe5 $2 {The decisive mistake.} (29... dxe5 $142 $8 30. Nf5 (30. Bf5 $2 exd4 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. cxd4 Qc4 $5 33. Qf5 Qxa2 $15 {[%csl Ga4] o^a}) 30... Bxf5 31. Qxf5 {Although White is still a pawn down, with his o^d5 , absolute light-square control and the poor scope of the Bg7 he is better. But at least Black's K is relatively safe and he can put up a blockade on the dark squares after e.g.} Rd8 32. Bxa4 Rd6 $14 {with drawing chances.} (32... Rxd5 $2 33. Rxd5 Qxd5 34. Qc8+ Ke7 35. Qe8+ Kd6 36. Qd7+ Kc5 37. Qc7+ $18)) 30. Ne6+ $1 Bxe6 $8 (30... fxe6 $2 31. Rf1+ Ke7 32. Qxg7+ Kd8 33. Rf7 $18) 31. dxe6 $40 { [%csl Rf8][%CAl Re6e7] /\e7+- Here the Kf8 is under heavy fire. With ^- on the board an attack is always very dangerous. Black will start losing pawns and still want be able to solve the permanent problem-his K.} Rc7 (31... Qxc3 32. Bxa4 $40 (32. Bg6 $5 $18)) (31... Qf2 32. Bxa4 (32. Bd3 Qf6 (32... Rc7 33. Rf1 Qc5 34. Qg6 $18) 33. exf7 Qxf7 34. Rf1 Bf6 35. Qf5 $18) 32... Qh4 (32... fxe6 33. Qd3 $1 Qc5 34. Rf1+ Kg8 35. Bc2 $18) 33. Qf5 Rc7 34. Bd7 Qf4 35. Qb1 $1 Qc4 36. Rf1 f6 37. Re1 $40 {/\} Qxc3 38. Qg6 $1 Qxe1+ 39. Kh2 $18) 32. Bxa4 (32. Bg6 $5 {/\} fxg6 33. Rf1+ Ke7 34. Qg8 $1 d5 35. Rf7+ Kd6 36. Qd8+ Kxe6 37. Rxc7 $18) 32... d5 (32... fxe6 33. Qg6 Rf7 (33... Re7 34. Rf1+ Kg8 35. Bc2 {mates.}) 34. Qxe6 b5 35. Bb3 $18) 33. Qf5 Qc4 34. Bd7 Qf4 35. Qb1 $1 $18 {[%CAl Rd1f1] / \Rf1} fxe6 {[%mdl 128] This exposes Black's K and White quickly finishes his attack.} (35... Qc4 $142 36. Qc1 (36. Rf1 f6 37. Re1 $1 e4 (37... Qxc3 38. Qg6 $1 $18) 38. Qd1 Qxc3 39. Rxe4 $1 Ke7 $8 (39... dxe4 40. Qd6+ Kg8 41. e7 $18) 40. Qxd5 $16) 36... Bf6 (36... f6 37. Qa3+ Rc5 38. Qa8+ Ke7 39. Qe8+ $18) 37. Qa3+ Qc5 38. Qa8+ Kg7 39. exf7 Qf8 40. Qxf8+ Kxf8 41. Be6 $16 {/+- This K should be technically won.}) 36. Bxe6 (36. Rf1 $2 Rxd7 37. Rxf4+ gxf4 $15 {[+]} ) 36... Ke7 37. Bxd5 Rd7 38. c4 $5 (38. Rf1 Qxf1+ (38... Qa4 39. Rf7+ Ke8 40. Qg6 $1 $18) 39. Qxf1 Rxd5 40. Qf5 $18) 38... Qe3 (38... Kd8 {/\Kc8-b8} 39. Rf1 Qe3 40. Bxb7 $18 {[%CAl Rb7c6] /\Bc6}) 39. Qh7 Kd8 (39... Ke8 40. Bc6 $1 bxc6 41. Qg8+ Bf8 42. Qe6+ Re7 43. Qg6+ Rf7 44. Qxc6+ $18) 40. Rb1 (40. Qg8+ Kc7 41. Rb1 $18) 40... Qf4 41. Be6 Re7 42. Bg4 Rf7 (42... e4 43. Qg8+ Bf8 44. Qd5+ Ke8 45. Rd1) 43. Qd3+ Qd4 (43... Kc7 44. Qd5 Kb8 45. Be6 $18 {wins the R.}) 44. Qg6 {[%CAl Rg6f7,Rb1d1] /\Qf7,Rd1} 1-0 [Event "Kasparov-The World"] [Site "Internet MSN"] [Date "1999.06.21"] [Round "1"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "The World"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B52"] [WhiteElo "2851"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "1999.06.21"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "1"] [EventCountry "NET"] [SourceTitle "CBM 074"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.02.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.02.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ {When in 1991 Ivanchuk used this move to beat Kasparov and win Linares, the champion's comment was he played for a draw. But times are changing, due to efforts of players like Rublevsky and Baklan the line has gained extra popularity. White can fight for a tiny advantage without risking a sharp theoretical struggle in the open Sicilian variations.} Bd7 { The most solid, but the least ambitious move.} ({The aforementioned game went} 3... Nd7 4. d4 Ngf6 5. O-O $5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 a6 7. Bxd7+ Bxd7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. c4 e6 (10... Rg8 11. Nc3 (11. Kh1 Bg7 12. Qe3 Rc8 13. Nbd2 Kf8 14. b4 f5 15. Rac1 fxe4 16. Nxe4 Bc6 17. Rfe1 Qd7 18. b5 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Bf6 20. h3 Rg6 21. Nd4 Rc5 22. bxa6 bxa6 23. Ne2 Qf5 $15 {Levi,E-Wang Zili/Penang/1991/}) 11... e6 12. Rfe1 Be7 13. Rad1 Rc8 14. b3 Qa5 15. e5 fxe5 16. Nxe5 Bc6 17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. Ne4 Kd8 19. a4 Kc8 20. Qe3 Qh5 21. g3 Rd8 22. Nc3 Rd7 23. Rd3 Bd8 24. Red1 Bb6 $132 {Shvartz,M-Sulskis,S/FS10 GM Budapest/1994/}) 11. Nc3 Rc8 12. Kh1 h5 13. a4 h4 14. h3 Be7 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Qc7 17. Nd2 Qc5 18. Qd3 Rg8 19. Rae1 Qg5 20. Rg1 Qf4 21. Ref1 b6 22. Ne2 Qh6 {Ivanchuk,V-Kasparov,G/Linares/1991/} 23. f4 $36 {()}) 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 (4... Nxd7 5. O-O (5. c4 $142 $5 {is the only move which gives White chances for an edge.}) 5... Ngf6 6. Qe2 e6 7. b3 g6 8. Bb2 Bg7 9. d4 cxd4 10. Bxd4 O-O 11. Rd1 b5 12. Qxb5 Nxe4 13. Qe2 d5 14. c4 Rc8 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Qb2+ Qf6 17. Qxf6+ Ndxf6 18. Nbd2 Rfd8 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20. cxd5 Nc3 21. Rd2 Rxd5 22. Kf1 Rdc5 23. Re1 Nd5 {1/2,Ivanchuk,V-Kasparov,G/Las Palmas/1996/}) 5. c4 {White plans to get a Maroczy-like position after d4. If Black prevents this radically, he compromits his B.} (5. O-O Nf6 6. Re1 Nc6 7. c3 e6 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 d5 10. e5 Ne4 $11 {[%csl Gf8] is totally innocuous, here the Bf8 is a good piece.}) 5... Nc6 ({The "antipositional"} 5... e5 { [%csl Gc1,Rf8] isn't played often nowadays, although the advantage of the better B in a closed position is very difficult to realize:} 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. d3 g6 8. a3 Bg7 9. Rb1 Nge7 10. b4 b6 11. O-O O-O 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. cxd5 Nd4 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15. Bd2 Rac8 16. Qb3 b5 $1 $11 {with a quick draw being the most probable result.} ({However, Black shouldn't underestimate the position, a splendid example is the following BK:} 16... Rc7 $6 17. Rbc1 Rfc8 18. b5 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 20. Bxc1 Qc7 21. Qc4 $1 Qxc4 22. dxc4 f6 23. Kf1 Bf8 24. a4 Be7 25. Ke2 Kf7 26. Bd2 f5 27. exf5 gxf5 28. Kd3 Bf6 29. f3 h5 30. a5 Ke8 31. a6 $14 {/+/-,Spassky,B-Byrne,R/San Juan Candidates/1974/})) 6. Nc3 (6. d4 { was until lately considered drawish becasue of} Qg4 $6 (6... cxd4 $142 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8. Nc3 {-6.Nc3}) 7. d5 (7. O-O Nxd4 8. Nxd4 Qxd1 $11) 7... Qxe4+ 8. Be3 Nd4 9. Qa4+ b5 (9... Kd8 $5 10. Nbd2 Nc2+ 11. Ke2 Qg6 12. Rab1 Nxe3 13. fxe3 $1 Qxg2+ 14. Kd3 Nf6 15. Rhg1 Qh3 16. Ng5 Qh5 17. b4 $40 {Finkel}) 10. Qa6 Nc2+ 11. Kd1 $1 (11. Kd2 Qd3+ $1 12. Kc1 Rb8 13. Qxa7 Rd8 14. Qb7 Nxa1 $11 {Stean, M-Geller,E/Moscow/1975/}) 11... Rd8 (11... Rb8 12. Nbd2 Qf5 13. Qxa7 Rd8 14. Rc1 Nxe3+ 15. fxe3 b4 16. a3 bxa3 17. bxa3 Nf6 18. Rb1 e5 19. Rb7 $16 { Miroshnichenko,E-Jirovsky,M/Pardubice op/1999/}) 12. Qxb5+ Rd7 13. Nbd2 Qg6 14. Rc1 Nxe3+ 15. fxe3 Nf6 16. b4 Ne4 17. Nxe4 Qxe4 18. bxc5 Qd3+ 19. Nd2 dxc5 20. Rf1 Qxe3 21. Rb1 Qe5 22. Qxc5 f6 23. Qc8+ Rd8 24. Qc6+ Kf7 25. Nf3 Qc3 26. Qe6+ Ke8 27. Nd2 $1 $32 {[%csl Rf8,Rh8] ->,Baklan,V-Ftacnik,L/Bundesliga/1998/}) (6. O-O Ne5 $5 7. d3 e6 8. Nc3 Ne7 9. Be3 Nxf3+ (9... N7c6 $5) 10. Qxf3 Nc6 11. Qg3 g6 12. Rad1 Bg7 13. Nb5 Rd8 14. d4 a6 15. dxc5 axb5 16. Rxd6 Qc8 {1/2,Comas Fabrego,L-Vallejo Pons,F/Andorra la Vella/1999/} 17. cxb5 Rxd6 18. cxd6 Nd4 $13 ) 6... Nf6 ({After} 6... Ne5 {Black can already run into the dangerous} 7. d4 $1 Nxf3+ 8. gxf3 e6 $5 (8... cxd4 9. Qxd4 e6 10. Be3 Ne7 11. O-O-O $1 {Take care of delayed castling!} Nc6 12. Qd2 Rd8 13. Rhg1 Qc8 14. f4 g6 15. Kb1 Be7 16. Qe2 O-O 17. h4 Na5 18. h5 Bf6 19. Bd4 Bxd4 20. Rxd4 Qc5 21. Rdd1 Nxc4 22. Rg5 Qb4 23. Ka1 a6 24. f5 $40 {Rublevsky,S-Becerra Rivero,J/WChT Luzern/ 1997/} ) 9. Be3 $142 (9. dxc5 dxc5 10. Bf4 a6 11. O-O Qc6 12. Qe2 Ne7 13. Bg3 h5 14. h4 Ng6 15. f4 Bd6 16. e5 Be7 17. Ne4 {Jansa,V-Nezar,M/Bonnevoie/1999/} O-O-O $15) 9... Nf6 10. f4 $5 $14) ({Kasparov himself advocated the interesting} 6... g6 7. d4 Bg7 $5 8. d5 $5 ({After} 8. Be3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nf6 10. f3 O-O $11 { White's Be3 is misplaced (this piece belongs on g5) and Black has nothing to fear.}) 8... Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Na5 10. Nd2 e5 $1 11. O-O Ne7 $5 (11... Nf6 $6 12. f4 exf4 13. Rxf4 Nh5 14. Rf1 O-O 15. e5 $1 dxe5 16. Ne4 Kg7 17. g4 Nf4 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. Nxc5 Qc7 20. Qd4+ Kg8 21. d6 Qd8 22. Rxf4 Nc6 23. Qd5 Qb6 24. Kh1 Rae8 25. Nd7 Qb2 26. Raf1 {1-0,Rublevsky,S-Martinovic,S/JUG-chT/1999/}) 12. f4 exf4 13. Rxf4 g5 $13 {/\Ng6 Bologan}) 7. O-O (7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qg4 (8... g6 9. f3 Bg7 10. Nde2 $5 {avoids the game continuation.}) 9. Qxg4 Nxg4 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bf4 Rb8 $5 12. h3 (12. b3 g6 13. Rc1 Bg7 14. c5 Bd4 15. O-O e5 16. Bg3 Bxc5 17. h3 Nf6 18. Bh4 Nh5 19. Na4 Bd4 20. Rxc6 Kd7 21. Rfc1 Rhc8 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rxc8 Kxc8 24. Kf1 Kd7 25. f3 f5 $11 {/=/+,Zhang Zhong-Sutovskij,E/Shenyang/ 1999/}) 12... Ne5 $1 (12... Nf6 13. O-O-O $14 {[%CAl Re4e5] /\e5|^} (13. e5 $6 Nh5 14. Bh2 dxe5 15. Bxe5 Rxb2 $13)) 13. Bxe5 dxe5 14. Na4 e6 15. Ke2 f5 $11 { and White can't effectively activate his << majority.}) 7... g6 (7... Ne5 { is also playable, but it has been indicated the other N is better placed on e7 instead of f6 in these lines.}) ({Rather passive and less popular is} 7... e6 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Be7) 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bg7 10. Nde2 $8 (10. Be3 $2 Ng4 $17) (10. f3 $2 Nxe4 $1 $17) 10... Qe6 $5 {[%mdl 8] An important novelty, Black wants to destroy White's [+] at any cost.} ({But even the older move gives Black sufficient <=> after accurate play:} 10... O-O 11. f3 (11. Bg5 $6 Qe6 $11 ) 11... a6 12. a4 Qd8 $1 13. Kh1 Nd7 14. Rb1 Qa5 15. Nd5 (15. Be3 Nde5 16. b3 Nxc4 $1 17. bxc4 Bxc3 18. Bb6 Qe5 19. f4 Qg7 20. e5 Bb4 21. exd6 exd6 22. f5 Rae8 23. Nd4 a5 $13 {Oral,T-Dworakowska,J/Koszalin op/1999/}) 15... e6 16. b4 Qd8 17. Ne3 Qc7 18. Bb2 a5 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. b5 Nb4 21. Qd4+ {1/2,Rublevsky, S-Huzman,A/Yerevan olm/1996/}) 11. Nd5 {Kasparov accepts the challenge, other moves cause Black no problems at all.} (11. Qb3 O-O 12. Nf4 (12. Qxb7 Rfc8 $36) 12... Qc8 13. Nfd5 e6 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Bh6 Rd8 16. Rac1 Ne5 17. Ne2 $2 (17. Qd1 $1 $11) 17... Qc6 18. Qc2 Rac8 19. b3 d5 20. exd5 exd5 21. Nd4 Qd7 22. c5 Ng4 23. Be3 Re8 24. Qd3 Nxe3 25. fxe3 Bg5 26. Rfe1 Qe7 $17 {Damljanovic, B-Stohl,I/EU-chT Batumi/1999/}) 11... Qxe4 {Consistent.} (11... Rc8 $6 12. f3 $14 {[%csl Re6]}) 12. Nc7+ Kd7 13. Nxa8 Qxc4 $1 (13... Rxa8 14. Qb3 $1 Ne5 15. f3 Qc6 16. Nd4 $14) 14. Nb6+ $5 {White spoils Black's P to create himself objects of attack.} (14. b3 $143 Qa6 15. Bb2 Rxa8 $15 {[%csl Gd6,Ge7][%CAl Yd7f8] /\Ke8-f8,[+] With two pawns for the exchange and a solid [+] only Black can be better.}) 14... axb6 {[%csl Rb6,Rb7]} 15. Nc3 {White must prepare the development of his B.} (15. Be3 $143 Nd5) (15. Bg5 $143 Ne4 $36) 15... Ra8 ( 15... b5 $142 $5 16. Be3 (16. Bg5 Ne4 17. Nxe4 Qxe4 18. Qb3 Qc4 $15) 16... Ra8 (16... b4 17. Na4 Kc7 18. Nb6 $132 {?c7 Black's K doesn't belong on the ?.}) (16... Ne5 $5 $13) 17. Rc1 Ke8 $13 {/=/+}) 16. a4 $1 Ne4 {This doesn't seem ideal.} (16... Nb4 $142 $5 17. Qf3 (17. Bg5 Nfd5 $36) 17... Qc6 $13) (16... Ke8 $6 17. Nb5 $1 $14 {[%csl Rb6][%CAl Yb2b3,Yc1e3] /\b3,Be3,>.} Qe4 25. Qf7 Bd4 (25... d5 $5 26. f3 Qe5 $132) 26. Qb3 $1 (26. h4 $6 d5 {[%csl Gb6] [%CAl Rb6b4] /\b5-b4,o^b} (26... Nb4 $142 27. h5 Nd3 28. Bxe7 $1 $16)) 26... f4 (26... Ne5 27. Rd1 Bc5 $5 $13 {was also possible, but Black understandably doesn't want to leave the long /^ with his B.}) 27. Qf7 Be5 28. h4 b5 29. h5 Qc4 (29... b4 $5 30. h6 Qd3 31. h7 (31. Bxf4 Nd8 $1 32. Qh5 Bxf4 33. h7 Be5 34. Qxe5 dxe5 35. h8=Q Nc6 $11 {/=/+}) 31... b3 32. Bxf4 Bd4 (32... Bh8 33. Qg8 b2 34. Qxh8 Nd4 $5 (34... Qxf1+ 35. Kxf1 b1=Q+ 36. Ke2 Qe4+ 37. Be3 Ne5 $11) 35. Re1 (35. Kh2 Qxf1 36. Qxd4 b1=Q 37. h8=Q Qh1+ 38. Kg3 Qg6+ $19) 35... Ne2+ 36. Kh2 b1=Q 37. Rxb1 Qxb1 38. g3 Qg1+ 39. Kh3 Nxf4+ 40. gxf4 Qh1+ $11) 33. Be3 b2 $142 (33... Be5 34. g4 $5 (34. Bf4 $11) 34... b2 35. Qf5+ Qxf5 36. gxf5 Ke8 ( 36... Nb4 37. Rb1 Nc2 38. Bg5 Bh8 39. Rxb2 Bxb2 40. f6 $18) (36... Nd8 $5) 37. Bg5 Bh8 38. Rb1 Ne5 39. Rxb2 $1 Nf3+ 40. Kg2 Nxg5 41. Rxb7 Nf7 42. Rb8+ Nd8 43. Kf3 $16) 34. Qa2 $5 (34. Bxd4 Qxf1+ 35. Kxf1 b1=Q+ 36. Ke2 Qe4+ $1 $19 {/\} 37. Be3 $2 Nd4+ 38. Ke1 Qb1+ 39. Kd2 Qc2+ 40. Ke1 Qe2#) 34... Bh8 35. Qb1 Qxb1 36. Rxb1 Nb4 37. Kf1 Nc2 38. Ke2 Na3 39. Rxb2 Bxb2 40. Bc1 $1 Bh8 41. Bxa3 Ke6 $11) 30. Qf5+ {If White wants to win, he can't avoid the exchange of Q, but naturally he doesn't unite Black's P.} Qe6 31. Qxe6+ (31. Qd3 $6 {enables Black to force a draw:} Qg4 (31... b4 $5 $13 {/=/+}) 32. Qxb5 f3 33. Qxb7+ Kd8 34. Qb6+ Kd7 $11) 31... Kxe6 32. g3 fxg3 $6 {This doesn't lose, but why give White connected o^?} (32... b4 33. Bxf4 Bxf4 34. gxf4 Nd4 35. h6 Kf7 36. Rd1 Ne2+ 37. Kf1 Nxf4 38. Rd4 Ng6 39. Rxb4 Kg8 $11) (32... Nd4 $5 $11) 33. fxg3 b4 (33... Bxg3 $2 34. h6 Be5 35. h7 Nd4 36. Rf8 {[%CAl Rg5f6] /\Bf6!} Bg7 37. Kf2 $1 $19) 34. Bf4 Bd4+ (34... Bxf4 $2 35. Rxf4 b3 36. h6 b2 37. Rf1 $19) (34... Bh8 $142 $1 $11 {Kasparov}) 35. Kh1 $8 {The only move to keep alive White's winning chances.} b3 (35... Ne5 36. Bxe5 dxe5 $5 $11 {Kasparov}) 36. g4 Kd5 ( 36... b2 37. g5 Nb4 38. g6 Nd3 39. h6 $1 b1=Q (39... Nxf4 40. g7 $18) 40. Rxb1 Nxf4 41. Re1+ $1 Be5 42. g7 Kf7 43. Rg1 Bxg7 44. Rxg7+ Kf6 45. Rg8 $18 {King}) (36... Nb4 37. g5 Nd3 38. h6 Nxf4 39. Rxf4 b2 40. Rf1 Be3 $5 41. h7 Bd4 42. Kg2 Bc3 43. Kg3 b5 44. Kg4 b4 45. Kh5 b3 46. Kg6 (46. g6 $2 Bg7 $11) 46... d5 47. Rb1 $22 {[%CAl Yb1e1,Yg6f7,Yg5g7] Black has to allow Re1, followed by Kf7, g6-g7.}) 37. g5 e6 $1 {Black needs f5 for his N and the long /^.} (37... e5 $2 38. Bc1 b2 (38... e4 39. g6 Ne7 40. Bg5 $18) 39. Bxb2 Bxb2 40. h6 e4 (40... Ne7 41. Rf6 $1 e4 42. h7 Bxf6 43. gxf6 Ng6 44. f7 $18) 41. g6 Ne7 (41... e3 42. g7 Ne7 43. Rf7) 42. g7 Ke6 43. Rf8 {[%CAl Rf8e8] /\Re8} Bf6 44. g8=Q+ Nxg8 45. h7 $1 Ne7 46. Rxf6+ $18) 38. h6 (38. g6 $143 Ne7 39. Rd1 $5 (39. Bg5 Nf5 40. Kg2 b2 $1 (40... Bg7 $6 41. Rxf5+ exf5 42. h6 Bxh6 43. Bxh6 b2 (43... Ke6 $2 44. Bg7 $18) 44. g7 b1=Q 45. g8=Q+ Kc6 $11) 41. h6 Kc4 {[%CAl Rc4a2] /\Kb3-a2-+}) 39... Kc4 40. Bxd6 Nf5 $11) 38... Ne7 39. Rd1 e5 ({Insufficient is} 39... Kc4 40. h7 Ng6 41. Bxd6 b2 42. Ba3 $1 $16 {/\} Kb3 43. Bxb2 Bxb2 44. Rd6 $18) 40. Be3 {[%mdl 4096] Now the game by force transpoes to a QK.} Kc4 41. Bxd4 exd4 42. Kg2 b2 43. Kf3 Kc3 44. h7 Ng6 45. Ke4 Kc2 46. Rh1 d3 (46... b1=Q $2 47. Rxb1 Kxb1 48. Kxd4 $18 {[%CAl Rd4f5] /\Ke4-f5}) 47. Kf5 b1=Q (47... Nh8 $2 48. g6 b1=Q 49. Rxb1 Kxb1 50. g7 d2 51. gxh8=Q d1=Q 52. Qg8 $18 {White's K will hide on b8.}) (47... d2 $143 48. Kxg6 d1=Q 49. Rxd1 Kxd1 50. h8=Q b1=Q+ 51. Kf7 {and Black's Q is more passive, the K will hide from the checks anyway, e.g.} Qa2+ 52. Ke7 Qe2+ 53. Kd8 $14 {/+/-}) 48. Rxb1 Kxb1 49. Kxg6 d2 50. h8=Q d1=Q 51. Qh7 $1 $36 {[%csl Gg5] Formally Black is a pawn up, but White is playing for a win due to his more advanced o^. However, with precise defence Black should be able to hold, as it's not easy for White to hide his K from the typical shower of checks.} (51. Kf7 $2 Qd5+) 51... b5 $6 (51... Ka1 $142 $1 52. Qg7+ Ka2 $11) 52. Kf6+ Kb2 $2 (52... Ka1 $142 $1 {was already necessary, now with a strong maneuver Kasparov achieves already probably a won position.}) 53. Qh2+ Ka1 54. Qf4 $1 $16 {/+- White's K is now safe.} b4 55. Qxb4 Qf3+ 56. Kg7 d5 57. Qd4+ Kb1 58. g6 Qe4 $2 (58... Qf5 $142 $1 {was the last chance, although Kasparov published 24KB of analysis to prove he is winning anyway.}) 59. Qg1+ Kb2 60. Qf2+ $1 Kc1 61. Kf6 d4 62. g7 (62. g7 Qc6+ 63. Kg5 Qd5+ 64. Qf5 Qd8+ (64... Qg2+ 65. Qg4 Qd5+ 66. Kh4 Qh1+ (66... Qg8 67. Qf4+ Kc2 68. Qf8 Qh7+ 69. Kg5) 67. Kg3 Qe1+ 68. Kf4 Qd2+ 69. Kf5 Qc2+ 70. Kg5 Qc5+ 71. Kh4 Qe7+ 72. Qg5+) 65. Kh6 Qg8 66. Qc5+ Kb1 67. Qxd4 Qe6+ 68. Kg5 $18) 1-0 [Event "KasparovChess GP g/60"] [Site "Internet"] [Date "2000.02.13"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Van Wely, Loek"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2851"] [BlackElo "2646"] [Annotator "Van Wely/Cifuentes"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2000.02.09"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "NET"] [SourceTitle "CBM 076"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. g4 h6 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Bb7 11. h4 b4 12. Na4 Qa5 13. b3 Be7 $5 {Ftacnik: 'Van Wely avoids confrontation in the line 13..Nc5, that Kasparov knows so well.'} ( 13... Nc5 14. a3 $13) 14. Kb1 (14. Rh2) (14. Bd3) (14. Bh3 g5 $1 15. Bg2 Rg8 $13) (14. Bg2) (14. Be2) 14... Nc5 (14... d5 $6 15. Bh3 dxe4 (15... g5 16. hxg5 hxg5 17. Bxg5 dxe4 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. g5 e3 20. Qxe3 Nd5 21. Qe1 $1 (21. Qg1 Bxg5 (21... Rg8) (21... Nf4)) 21... Nf4 (21... Bxg5 22. Nxe6) 22. Bxe6 $1 (22. Bg4 Rxh1 23. Qxh1 Qxg5) 22... Rxh1 23. Bd7+ $1 $18) 16. g5 hxg5 17. hxg5 Nd5 18. g6 $1 O-O-O 19. fxe4 Nc3+ 20. Nxc3 bxc3 21. Qe2 Nc5 22. gxf7 Rxh3 23. Rxh3 Bxe4 24. Bc1 e5 25. Ne6 $1 Rxd1 26. Rh8+ Kd7 27. f8=Q {1-0 Korneev,O-Herrera,I/ Open, Malaga ESP 1999 (27)}) 15. Nxc5 (15. a3 Nxa4 16. axb4 Qc7 17. bxa4 d5 18. e5 (18. Bf4 e5 19. Bg3 dxe4) 18... Nd7 19. f4 Nb6 20. Bf2 Nxa4 21. Rh3 Rc8 22. Be1 Nb6 $13) (15. Nb2 $2 Ncxe4 $1) 15... dxc5 16. Ne2 Rd8 (16... c4 $5 17. Bg2 cxb3 (17... c3 18. Qe1 $14) 18. axb3 Rd8 19. Qc1 Nd7 20. g5 h5 21. Qb2 e5 22. Ng3 $13) 17. Qc1 Nd7 (17... c4 18. Bg2 (18. Nf4 e5 19. Nh5 Nxh5 20. gxh5 cxb3 21. axb3 Rxd1 22. Qxd1 Bc5 $1 23. Bxc5 (23. Bxa6 Bxe3 24. Bxb7 O-O (24... Bd4 25. Bc6+ Ke7 26. Ba4 Rc8) 25. Qd5 Qa7 26. Bc6 Bd4 27. Ba4 Rc8 $44) 23... Qxc5 24. Bc4 Ke7 25. Rg1 (25. Qd2 a5 26. Rd1 Bc6) 25... Rg8 26. Rg2) (18. bxc4 Nd7 $44) 18... cxb3 19. axb3 Rxd1 (19... Nd7 {see 16..,c4}) 20. Rxd1 Nd7 21. Qd2 $14) (17... Rxd1 18. Qxd1 c4 19. bxc4 Qc7 (19... e5 20. Ng3 $14) 20. Nf4 Bc5 $11) 18. Ng3 Ne5 19. Be2 (19. Rxd8+ Qxd8 20. Be2 c4 (20... Bxh4 21. Nh5 Rg8 22. Qb2 $14) 21. bxc4 Qc7 $13) 19... Rxd1 20. Qxd1 (20. Rxd1 Bxh4) 20... Qc7 { Ftacnik: 'Black can be satisfied with the outcome of the opening, the only problem is a safe location for his king.'} 21. Bf4 (21. f4 Ng6) 21... Bd6 $6 ( 21... g6 $5 {/\Bf6, x Ng3}) (21... O-O 22. g5 $14) 22. Nh5 $1 g6 (22... O-O 23. g5 $1 $14) 23. Nf6+ Ke7 24. g5 h5 (24... hxg5 $2 25. Bxg5 Kf8 26. f4 $16) ( 24... Rd8 $2 25. gxh6 Nc4 26. Bxd6+ Rxd6 27. Qg1 Na3+ 28. Kc1 Rd8 29. Qg5 $18) 25. Be3 Nc6 (25... Rd8 $5 26. f4 (26. Qd2) 26... Ng4 27. Bxg4 Bxf4 $1 28. Qf3 ( 28. Bxf4 Rxd1+ 29. Rxd1 Qxf4 30. Rd7+ Kf8 31. Rd8+ $11) 28... Bxe3 29. Qxe3 ( 29. Bxe6 Qf4 30. Qxf4 Bxf4 31. Bd5 Bc8) 29... hxg4 30. Nxg4 Rd4 31. Nf6 Qe5 32. Re1 a5 $13) 26. f4 {'!' Ftacnik.} Rd8 27. Qf1 Nd4 (27... Qa5 28. e5 Bc7 29. Bf3 Bb6 $13) 28. Bd3 (28. Bxa6 $6 Ra8 $1 29. Bxb7 Qxb7 30. e5 Bc7 31. Bxd4 cxd4 $132) 28... Kf8 29. Rg1 Kg7 $1 30. Bxd4 (30. f5 Bh2 $5 (30... exf5 $2 31. exf5 Bh2 32. fxg6 fxg6 33. Ne8+ Rxe8 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. Qxg6+ Kf8 36. Rf1+ $18) 31. fxg6 fxg6 32. Rg2 Be5 $13) 30... cxd4 31. e5 Be7 (31... Bc5 32. Qe2 a5) (31... Bc5 $5) 32. Qe2 a5 $6 (32... Rc8 $142) 33. f5 {'!' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'The attack is performed with lot of phantasy, black must be careful not to land in a difficult position.'} exf5 34. Bxf5 d3 (34... gxf5 $2 35. Qxh5 Rh8 36. Ne8+ $1 Rxe8 37. g6 $18) (34... a4 35. Nxh5+ $5 gxh5 36. g6 Rh8 (36... f6 37. Qxh5 Rh8 38. Qxh8+ Kxh8 39. g7+ $18) 37. Qh2 (37. gxf7+ Kxf7 38. Qf2 Ke8 39. Qxd4 Bc5 40. Bg6+ Ke7 41. Qc4 Qxe5 42. Qf7+ Kd8 43. Rd1+ Kc8 44. Qd7+ Kb8 45. Qxa4 Be7 $19) 37... Qc3 38. gxf7+ Kxf7 39. e6+ Ke8 40. Qb8+ Qc8 41. Qe5 $13) 35. Bxd3 (35. cxd3 Qb6 $13) 35... Bc5 36. e6 $2 {Ftacnik: 'This fine combination only leads to a draw while the best move 36.Rf1! would keep the flame burning.' } (36. Rf1 $5 Bd4 (36... Bc8 37. e6 Bxe6 38. Bxg6 fxg6 39. Qxe6 Qe7 $14) 37. Bc4 Qxe5 (37... Ba6 38. e6 Bxc4 39. bxc4 fxe6 40. Qxe6 $18) (37... Rf8 38. Qd3 Bxe5 39. Nd7 $18) 38. Nxh5+ $1 Kh8 $8 (38... gxh5 39. Qxh5 $18) 39. Qxe5+ { '+-' Ftacnik.} (39. Nf4 $18) 39... Bxe5 40. Nf4 $14) 36... Bxg1 37. e7 Bc6 38. Qe5 $11 1/2-1/2 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2000.01.18"] [Round "3"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Van Wely, Loek"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2851"] [BlackElo "2646"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2000.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 075"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. g4 h6 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Bb7 11. h4 b4 12. Na4 d5 13. Bh3 g5 (13... Qa5 14. b3 Nc5 (14... e5 15. g5 exd4 16. Bxd4 $16) (14... g5 $8 15. hxg5 (15. Bf1 dxe4 16. hxg5 Nd5 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. fxe4 Bg7 19. exd5 Qxd5 20. Qxd5 Bxd5 21. Rxd5 exd5 22. gxh6 Ke7 23. Bg2 {1-0 Zezulkin,J-Stocek,J/Passau/1999/ (29)}) 15... hxg5 16. Bxg5 $5 dxe4 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. g5 $36) 15. Nxc5 (15. g5 Nxa4 (15... Nfd7 16. g6 e5 17. gxf7+ Kxf7 18. exd5 exd4 19. Bxd4 Bd6 20. Rhg1 Rag8 21. Be6+ Ke8 22. Rg6 {1-0 Nedev,T-Palac,M/Yerevan/1996/ (28) 1-0}) (15... hxg5 16. hxg5 Nfd7 17. g6 Rxh3 18. gxf7+ Kxf7 19. Rxh3 Nxa4 20. bxa4 Ne5 21. Nb3 Qxa4 22. Bd4 Ng6 23. Rg1 Bd6 24. Rxg6 Kxg6 25. Qg2+ {1-0 Zezulkin,J-Suchan,R/Wisla/1998/ (25)}) 16. bxa4 Nd7 (16... hxg5 17. hxg5 Rxh3 18. Rxh3 Nd7 19. g6 Qxa4 20. gxf7+ Kxf7 21. Kb1 e5 22. Nb3 Rc8 $6 23. Rh5 $1 $18 {1-0 Tiviakov,S-Rashkovsky,N/Linares/ 1999/ (30)}) (16... Qxa4 17. Kb1 $1 $16 (17. gxf6 Qxa2 $44)) 17. g6 Nc5 18. gxf7+ Kxf7 19. Nb3 {Tiviakov: 'at his disposal. After'} Nxb3+ 20. axb3 { 1-0 Gunawan,R-Paschall,W/New York/1994/ (34)}) 15... Bxc5 16. a4 dxe4 17. g5 Nd5 18. g6 f5 19. fxe4 Nxe3 20. Nxe6 Bc6 21. exf5 Ke7 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Rhe1 { 1-0 Arakhamia,K-Zatulovskaya,T/Palma de Mallorca/1989/TD (27) 1-0}) (13... Ne5 14. g5 Nc4 (14... Nfd7 15. b3 Qa5 16. g6 $1 (16. f4 Nc4 $132) 16... Nxg6 17. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 18. Bxe6 $44 Bd6 19. Qg2 Ndf8 $8 20. exd5 {1-0 Korneev,O-Mrdja,M/ Cutro/1997/ (34)}) 15. Qe2 Qa5 16. b3 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Nd7 18. exd5 O-O-O 19. dxe6 fxe6 20. Nxe6 Re8 21. Rxd7 {1-0 Nedev,T-Aleksieva,S/Star Dojran/1996/ (21) 1-0} ) 14. Bg2 $1 gxh4 (14... dxe4 15. hxg5 exf3 16. Bxf3 Bxf3 17. Nxf3 Nxg4 18. Bd4 $40) 15. Rxh4 dxe4 (15... Nxe4 16. fxe4 Qxh4 17. exd5 exd5 18. Bxd5 $1 (18. Nf5 Qxg4 19. Bxd5 Qxf5 $1 20. Bxb7 Rd8 $13) 18... Bxd5 19. Nf5 Qd8 20. Qxd5 $18) 16. g5 Nd5 (16... exf3 17. Nxf3 Nd5 (17... Ne4 18. Qd4 $16) 18. Bd4 $16) 17. Rxe4 (17. Bf2 exf3 18. Bxf3 Be7 $17) 17... hxg5 $2 {This move clearly helps white to tighten the mating net around the black king. It would be nice to know, what Kasparov intended after the better move 17...Qa5!?} (17... Nxe3 18. Nxe6 $1 (18. Rxe3 hxg5 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Rxe6+ Kf7 (20... Be7 21. Qxg5) 21. Qxd7+ Qxd7 22. Rxd7+ Kxe6 23. Rxb7 Rh2 $1 $19) 18... fxe6 19. Rxe6+ Kf7 20. Rxe3 $18) (17... Qa5 $5 18. f4 (18. b3 Nc5 $19) 18... O-O-O $1 $13 (18... Qxa4 19. Nxe6 Qxa2 20. Nc5+ Be7 21. Qd4 $18) (18... Nxe3 19. Rxe3 Qxa4 20. Bxb7 $18) 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Rxe6 Qxa4 21. Bxd5 Nc5 $17) 18. Bxg5 Qa5 (18... Qxg5 $2 19. Qxg5 Bh6 20. Nxe6 $1 Bxg5+ 21. Nxg5+ $18) 19. f4 $1 (19. Nxe6 $2 fxe6 20. Rxe6+ Kf7 $19) 19... Rh2 (19... Qxa4 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxe6+ Ne7 (21... Kf7 22. Bxd5 $18) 22. Bxb7 Nc5 23. Rxe7+ Bxe7 24. Bxa8 Qxa2 25. Bc6+ Kf8 26. Bxe7+ $18) 20. Nxe6 fxe6 (20... Be7 21. Ng7+ Kf8 22. Bxe7+ Kxg7 23. Rg1 $18) 21. Rxe6+ Kf7 ( 21... Be7 22. Rxe7+ Kf8 23. Rxd7 Qxa4 24. Rxb7 $18) 22. Qd3 $3 {[%mdl 128] Impressive attacking move, black king is suddenly very lonesome in the face of many white pieces.} Bg7 (22... Kxe6 23. Bxd5+ Bxd5 24. Qg6+ Nf6 25. Qxf6+ Kd7 26. Rxd5+ Qxd5 27. Nb6+ Kc7 28. Nxd5+ $18) (22... Kg8 23. Qg6+ Kh8 (23... Bg7 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Re7 Rh7 26. Bh6 Kf8 27. Rde1 $18) 24. Re2 Ne7 25. Bxe7 Bg7 26. Rxd7 Qxa4 27. Bxb7) 23. Qf5+ Kg8 24. Rxd5 Qxa4 25. Re7 1-0 [Event "Sarajevo Bosnia 30th"] [Site "Sarajevo"] [Date "2000.05.27"] [Round "10"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Georgiev, Kiril"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2850"] [BlackElo "2675"] [Annotator "Hansen,Cu"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2000.05.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "BIH"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 077"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Ftacnik} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be3 Nbd7 7. f3 g6 {Back in the 80´s Ki. Georgiev was one of the leading experts in the Sicilian Dragon. However then he changed his opening-repertoire and the Najdorf Sicilian became his main opening against 1. e4. In this game the Bulgarien Grandmaster tries to combine the two openings. The choice when facing Kasparov is difficult: play a main line then the worlds nr. 1 is at least well at home in - or play a off-beat line that he does less well - because it is of dubious value.} 8. Qd2 b5 $6 {even taking into consideration that blacks opening setup is not the best, this is in my opinion a basic mistake. I think black should play b7-b5 but only after white has castled Q-side. If white does not put his K on c1 then blacks b-P should stay at home.} (8... Bg7 $142 9. O-O-O b5 {Even in that case white is probably substantionally better} (9... b5 10. g4 Bb7 11. h4 Nb6 12. h5 Rg8 {Xie Jun-Chiburdanidze/World Championshop match Manila 1990})) 9. a4 $1 {'!?' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Beating black's flexible set up is anything but easy. Kasparov hopes to benefit from slightly better pawn structure on the queenside. '} bxa4 (9... b4 {Ftacnik} 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. Nc6 Qc7 12. exd5 $14) 10. Nxa4 $16 {[%csl Rd7] Blacks Q-side has been weakened and the postion of Nd7 makes it difficult to get the kind of counterplay/exchanges that is normal for Dragon-positions: Nc6-a5 controlling c4 or Nc6xNd4} Bg7 11. Be2 Bb7 {[%CAl Yd6d5]} 12. c4 (12. O-O {Ftacnik} d5 $1) 12... O-O 13. O-O Nc5 14. b4 (14. Nxc5 {Ftacnik} dxc5 15. Nb3 Qxd2 16. Nxd2 Nd7 $11) 14... e5 {'?' Ftacnik. An inventive move, however it does not solve blacks basic problems. Ftacnik: 'Positionally wrong, since black's central pawns will become very exposed. '} ( 14... Nxa4 {Ftacnik} 15. Rxa4 Qc7 16. Ra5 $14) (14... Ne6 {Ftacnik} 15. Nb3 Qc7 16. Na5 $14) 15. bxc5 exd4 16. Bg5 $1 Re8 (16... dxc5 {Ftacnik} 17. Nxc5 (17. e5 d3 $1 18. exf6 (18. Bxd3 Qd4+ 19. Be3 Qxe5 20. Nxc5 Rfe8 $14) 18... Qd4+ 19. Be3 Bh6 20. f4 Bxf4 21. Rxf4 Qxa1+ 22. Bd1 Rfe8 23. Rf1 $16) 17... Qc7 18. Nxb7 Qxb7 19. e5 Nd7 20. f4 $16) (16... Bc6 {Ftacnik} 17. Nb6 Rb8 18. Nd5 $16) 17. cxd6 Qxd6 18. c5 Qc6 (18... Qc7 {Ftacnik} 19. Nb6 $1 Ra7 20. Rfc1 $16) 19. Bc4 {[%csl Ra6,Rd4][%CAl Yc4g8,Yg5d8,Ya4b6]} Bc8 (19... Rad8 {Ftacnik} 20. Rfb1 $16 ) 20. Nb6 Ra7 (20... Rb8 {Ftacnik} 21. Rfc1 $16) 21. Rfc1 {Ftacnik: 'Black has problems to hold back white' pieces, since his own forces suffer from lack of coordination.'} Nd7 22. Bd5 Qc7 23. Nc4 {'!' Ftacnik. White can convert his advantage into a win in several ways. A funny way of doing so would have been the antipositional:} (23. Na8 $5 {However Kasparovs move is nicer and most probably better}) (23. Na8 $5 {Ftacnik} Qe5 24. f4 Qb8 25. Rab1 Rxa8 26. Rxb8 Rxb8 27. c6 $18) 23... Qxc5 24. Na5 Qf8 25. Nc6 h6 26. Bh4 Rc7 27. Be7 $18 { '!' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Witty move is a triumph of white's perfect piece play, black queen is unusually trapped on f8 square. '} (27. Ne7+ {Ftacnik} Rxe7 28. Rxc7 g5 29. Bg3 $16) 27... Rxc6 28. Bxf8 Rxc1+ 29. Rxc1 Nxf8 30. Qf4 Be6 31. Rc7 Bxd5 32. exd5 f5 33. d6 Rd8 34. Qh4 1-0 [Event "Linares 18th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2001.03.06"] [Round "10"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B45"] [WhiteElo "2849"] [BlackElo "2663"] [Annotator "Golod,V"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2001.02.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4 Bb7 $5 9. Be2 (9. c4 $5 {In my opinion, this very interesting reaction on the previous move of black.See comments to Shabalov,A-Vescovi,G/Paget Parish, 2001/CBM 81(0-1)(Golod,V)(33)}) 9... c5 {/^a8-h1,/\Qc7(?e5)} 10. O-O {With the idea c4 and Nd6.} ({Dubious immediately:} 10. c4 {in view of:} Ne3 $1 11. Bxe3 Bxe4 12. f3 Bc6 $11) 10... Qc7 11. Nd6+ ({Also it deserves attention:} 11. c4 $5 {You can see comments to Shirov,A-Kramnik,V/Frankfurt,2000/CBM 78(1/2-1/ 2)(Golod,V)(93) (Golod,V)}) ({After:} 11. f4 {black has two equals options: 11. ..c4 or 11... f5}) 11... Bxd6 12. exd6 Qc6 13. f3 c4 {/\Rc8,Qd6} 14. Qd4 { [%csl Rc4,Rg7]} O-O 15. Bxc4 {With the idea:16.Bb3 or 16.Bd3 and 17.c4} Rfc8 $146 {[%mdl 8] Black do not take away back at pawn"d6".Black want to exchange the queens and to receive ^-(multi-coloured bishops) in the endgame.} ({ Was checked in the three previous games.} 15... Qxd6 $5 {See comments to Anand, V-Leko,P/Dortmund,1999/CBM 72(1/2-1/2)(Golod,V)(29)}) 16. Bxd5 $5 ({In the following meeting of the same contenders was checked up:} 16. b3 $5 {See comments to Kasparov,G-Grischuk,A/Cannes,2001/CBM 82 (1/2-1/2)(rapid)(Golod,V) (48)}) 16... Qxd5 ({Badly:} 16... Qxd6 {because of:} 17. Bh6 $1 gxh6 $8 (17... f6 $2 18. Qg4 Qb6+ 19. Rf2 $18) 18. Qg4+ Kf8 19. Bxb7 Qb6+ 20. Rf2 Qxb7 21. c3 {+/=/+/-}) 17. Qxd5 Bxd5 18. Rf2 $14 {Shipov,S makes the following comments in "Club Kasparov": "White has a pawn up.Their task - competently to place at pawns of queen side.I have in a kind b2-b3 and c2-c4".} Rc6 19. Bf4 Rac8 (19... f6 $5 {[%CAl Ge6e5]} 20. Rd2 $14 {[%csl Rd5]}) 20. Rc1 ({Dubious:} 20. c3 $6 { in view of:} a5 {[%CAl Ga5a4] and white practically it will be impossible to move pawns of the queen side.}) 20... Ra6 (20... f6 $143 21. b3 e5 22. Be3 { [%csl Ra7]} Rc3 23. Re2 {/\Bf2-e1 and c4 +/=/+/-} (23. Bxa7 $2 Ra8 {[%csl Ra2, Ra7]} 24. Rd2 Be6 25. Bf2 Rxa2 $44 {[%CAl Ge6b3]})) ({Weakly:} 20... Bxa2 $2 { because of:} 21. Ra1 {[%csl Ra2,Ra7]}) 21. a3 ({Senselessly:} 21. b3 {in view of:} Rxa2 22. c4 $140 Rxf2 23. Kxf2 Bb7 24. b4 a6 {[%csl Yb7][%CAl Yb7a6] +/=/= }) 21... f6 22. Be3 {[%csl Ra7]} ({Can be recommended:} 22. Rd2 $5 {[%csl Rd5] directed against a move "e5".}) 22... Ra4 {[%csl Ya4][%CAl Ya4h4]} (22... e5 $6 23. f4 $36) (22... Kf7 $5) 23. Ra1 $1 {[%CAl Gb2b3,Gc2c4]} e5 24. b3 Ra6 25. c4 {Shipov."White have achieved the purpose. The difficulties of black accrue".} Be6 26. Rd2 Rb8 $1 {[%csl Rb3,Rc4]} 27. Rd3 Rb7 {[%csl Rb3,Yb7,Yd3,Rd6][%CAl Ge6f5,Yb7a7]} (27... Bf5 $6 28. Rc3 $140 Rxd6 (28... Kf7 $142) 29. Bxa7 $16) 28. g4 $1 {Shipov."Reflects threat. At a case white will open the second front on king side".} h5 29. h3 hxg4 30. hxg4 f5 $2 {[%mdl 16384] Shipov."The disputable decision. Alexander opens game, and, probably, it will take advantage at white rooks.Pawn "e5" turns to a target".} (30... Rc6 $5 $14 { [%csl Rb3,Rc4][%CAl Ga7a5,Ga5a4]}) 31. Bc5 $1 {[%csl Yc5][%CAl Yc5d6]} Rc6 32. b4 $1 $16 {Now both white rooks are free from protection of pawns.} (32. Bb4 $6 Rcb6 {[%csl Rb3][%CAl Ga7a5]}) 32... fxg4 33. fxg4 Rc8 ({More stubborn resistance after:} 33... Bxc4 $5 34. Re3 Be6 35. Rxe5 Rc8 $16) 34. Re1 Bxc4 35. Rc3 Bb5 ({It is not known or better:} 35... Be6 36. Rxe5 Bxg4 $140 $6 (36... Kf7 $142 {+/-/+-}) 37. Rg5 Be6 38. Rcg3 $18 {[%csl Gg3,Gg5,Rg7]}) 36. Rxe5 Rf8 37. Bxa7 $1 {[%csl Rb5,Ge5] Shipov."Greed - not defect, and advantage of the strong chess player".} Bc6 38. Be3 Rbb8 39. Bg5 {[%csl Gd6][%CAl Gc3c6]} Rb5 40. Rcc5 Rb6 41. b5 $18 {The further resistance is senseless.The rest is the matter of technics.} Bf3 42. Be7 Ra8 43. Rg5 Rxa3 44. Bf6 $40 {[%csl Rg8]} Kf7 (44... Rxd6 $2 45. Rxg7+ Kf8 46. Rc8#) 45. Bb2 {[%csl Ra3,Rg7]} (45. Bb2 Re3 46. Rxg7+ Ke6 (46... Ke8 47. Rc8#) (46... Kf8 47. Rf5+ Ke8 48. Rg8#) 47. Rg6+ Kf7 48. Rf6+ Kg7 49. Rg5+ Kh7 50. Rf7+ Kh6 51. Rh5+ Kg6 52. Rg7#) 1-0 [Event "World Cup of Rapid Chess-A"] [Site "Cannes"] [Date "2001.03.21"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B45"] [WhiteElo "2849"] [BlackElo "2663"] [Annotator "Golod,V"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2001.03.21"] [EventType "tourn (rapid)"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4 Bb7 $5 9. Be2 (9. c4 $5 {In my opinion, this very interesting reaction on the previous move of black.See comments to Shabalov,A-Vescovi,G/Paget Parish, 2001/CBM 81(0-1)(Golod,V)(33)}) 9... c5 {/^a8-h1,/\Qc7(?e5)} 10. O-O {With the idea c4 and Nd6.} ({Dubious immediately:} 10. c4 {in view of:} Ne3 $1 11. Bxe3 Bxe4 12. f3 Bc6 $11) 10... Qc7 11. Nd6+ ({Also it deserves attention:} 11. c4 $5 {You can see comments to Shirov,A-Kramnik,V/Frankfurt,2000/CBM 78(1/2-1/ 2)(Golod,V)(93) (Golod,V)}) ({After:} 11. f4 {black has two equals options: 11. ..c4 or 11... f5}) 11... Bxd6 12. exd6 Qc6 13. f3 c4 {/\Rc8,Qxd6} 14. Qd4 { [%csl Rc4,Rg7]} O-O 15. Bxc4 {With the idea:16.Bb3 or 16.Bd3 and 17.c4} Rfc8 { Black do not take away back at pawn"d6".Black want to exchange the queens and to receive ^-(multi-coloured bishops) in the endgame.} (15... Qxd6 $5 {See comments to Anand,V-Leko,P/Dortmund,1999/CBM 72(1/2-1/2)(Golod,V)(29)}) 16. b3 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] This time,Garry Kasparov wants to save two bishops.} ({ Was checked in the three previous games:} 16. Bxd5 $5 {You can see comments to Kasparov,G-Grischuk,A/Linares,2001/CBM 82 (1-0) (Golod,V)(45)}) 16... Qxd6 17. Bb2 {[%csl Gb2,Gd4] /^a1-h8} Qb6 $5 ({Shipov makes the comments concerning next move of black in "Club Kasparov":} 17... e5 18. Qd3 {(it's best reaction to 17...e5)} (18. Qe4 $6 Nb6 $1 19. Qxb7 $140 (19. Bxf7+ $4 Kxf7 20. Qxb7 Rxc2 21. Rab1 $140 Qd2 $19 {[%csl Rb2,Rg2]}) (19. Qxe5 Qxe5 20. Bxe5 Nxc4 21. bxc4 Rxc4 $11) 19... Nxc4 20. bxc4 Qc5+ $1 (20... Rab8 $143 {[%csl Rb2]} 21. Qxa7 Rxb2 22. Rfd1 $14) 21. Kh1 Rab8 22. Qxd7 Rxb2 {+/=/=}) (18. Qxe5 $6 Qxe5 19. Bxe5 Ne3 $11 {[%csl Rc4,Rf1]}) 18... Qb6+ 19. Kh1 Ne3 20. Bxe5 Rxc4 $5 (20... Nxf1 $140 $6 21. Bxf7+ $3 Kxf7 (21... Kh8 22. Rxf1 $16) 22. Qxd7+ Kf8 (22... Kg6 $143 23. Qxg7+ Kf5 (23... Kh5 $2 24. Qg4+ Kh6 25. Bg7#) 24. Re1 $1 { [%csl Rf5][%CAl Gg7g4]} Ne3 $140 25. Rxe3 Qxe3 26. Qf6#) 23. Qxg7+ Ke8 24. Re1 $16 {[%csl Ge1,Re8]}) 21. bxc4 Nxf1 22. Rxf1 $14) 18. Rf2 ({Senselessly:} 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. c4 Qxd4+ 20. Bxd4 Bb7 $11) 18... Qxd4 19. Bxd4 Nb4 {[%csl Rc2] [%CAl Gd7d5] Black want to begin to move central pawns.} 20. c3 ({Looks more poorly:} 20. a3 Nc6 ({Pretty dubious:} 20... d5 {in view of:} 21. axb4 dxc4 $140 22. Bxa7 (22. Rxa7 $6 Rxa7 23. Bxa7 cxb3 24. cxb3 Rc1+ 25. Rf1 Rxf1+ 26. Kxf1 Bd5 {[%csl Rb3]} 27. Ke2 (27. b5 Bxb3 28. b6 Bd5 $11) 27... Bxb3 28. Ke3 Kf8 29. Kd4 Ke8 $11) 22... cxb3 23. cxb3 {[%CAl Gb4b5] +/=/+/-}) 21. Bb2 d5 22. Bd3 a5 $11 {[%CAl Gb7a6]}) 20... Nc6 ({A little worse is:} 20... d5 21. Bb5 Nc6 22. Bxc6 Rxc6 23. Re1 f6 24. f4 Ba6 25. Rd2 {+/=/=}) 21. Be3 d5 {In exchange for advantage of the white in queen side, black has a advantage in the centre.} 22. Bf1 a5 {[%CAl Ga5a4]} 23. a4 {Now for white it will be very heavy to advance in movement PP in the queen side.} Ne7 24. Rc1 f6 ({Can be recommended: } 24... Ba6 $5) 25. Bb5 {[%csl Rc8,Re6][%CAl Gb5d7]} Nf5 26. Bd2 ({Dubious:} 26. Bd7 Nxe3 27. Bxe6+ Kf8 28. Bxc8 Rxc8 29. Re2 (29. Rd2 $5 Nf5) 29... Nf5 ( 29... d4 $143 30. Ree1) 30. Ree1 {and it is possible to prefer only a position of black.}) 26... Rc7 {[%csl Yc7][%CAl Gf5d6,Yc7d7]} 27. Bd3 Nd6 28. Be1 Ba6 $1 {At last,bishop on this /^a6-f1.} 29. Bc2 ({After bishops was exchange:} 29. Bxa6 $6 Rxa6 {black has a positional advantage.}) 29... Kf7 $11 30. Rd1 { [%csl Rd6][%CAl Gc3c4]} ({Impossibly now and then:} 30. Bxh7 {because of:} g6 { [%csl Rh7][%CAl Gf7g7,Ga8h8]}) 30... Nb7 {It is necessary to prevent progress: c3-c4} 31. b4 Bc4 {This eternal point for the bishop!} 32. g4 {[%csl Yg4][%CAl Yg4f5]} Nd6 33. b5 {It is impossible to stand under a pressure.} Nb7 34. Rfd2 Nc5 {[%csl Ra4][%CAl Gc4b3]} 35. Rb1 {[%csl Yb1]} Rac8 36. Bf2 Rb7 37. h4 { /\Bxh7} g6 38. Kg2 e5 39. h5 Ne6 {[%csl Rf4] This more reliable decision,than:} (39... gxh5 $5 40. Rh1 (40. gxh5 $6 Ke6 $15) 40... Ne6 41. Bg3 (41. Be3 $5) 41... Ng7 42. gxh5 h6 43. Bf2 $11) 40. hxg6+ hxg6 41. Rh1 {<->h} Nf4+ 42. Kg3 Kg7 43. Be3 $1 Ne2+ 44. Kf2 Nxc3 45. Rh6 {[%csl Rg6]} d4 ({A slightly dubiously:} 45... e4 {because of:} 46. g5 $1 $44 (46. Ke1 $6 {[%csl Rg7][%CAl Gd2h2]} Ne2 $1 $15 {[%csl Rc2]})) 46. Rxg6+ Kf7 47. Bh6 Rg8 48. Rxg8 {After this move Grischuk is agreed for draw, because of next variant:} (48. Rxg8 Kxg8 49. g5 fxg5 50. Bxg5 {with approximately equal position.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "World Cup of Rapid Chess KO"] [Site "Cannes"] [Date "2001.03.24"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B45"] [WhiteElo "2849"] [BlackElo "2663"] [Annotator "Golod,V"] [PlyCount "116"] [EventDate "2001.03.24"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Ndb5 Bb4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Nxc3 d5 9. exd5 {It's main line.} (9. Bd3 $5 {See comments to Ponomariov, R-Kortschnoj,V/Donetsk,2001/ CBM 81(1/2-1/2) (Golod,V)(63)}) 9... exd5 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O d4 $1 {It's best move.} 12. Ne2 $5 (12. Ne4 {Nowadays- 12.Ne4 is not actual.See comments to Leko,P-Timman,J/Wijk aan Zee,2001/CBM 81(1/2-1/2) (Golod,V)(52)}) 12... Bg4 $5 {Shipov makes the following comments in "Club Kasparov":"Black provoke white on a move f2-f3,which will weaken a point e3.At a case, the black bishop passes on g6".} (12... Re8 $5 {See comments to Bosch, J-Janssen,R/Wijk aan Zee,1999/CBM 69(1/2-1/2)(Golod,V) (37) Besides,12...Qd5; 12...a6;12...h6;12...Ng4;12...Qd6;and 12...Qb6-was checked in the previous games.}) 13. Bg5 Qd6 14. Re1 $5 {[%mdl 4]} (14. Qd2 $5 {You can see comments to Leko,P-Grischuk,A/Linares,2001/CBM 82(1/2-1/2) (Golod,V)(48)}) 14... Rfe8 { This move,undoubtedly,is better,than:} (14... a5 15. Qd2 Nd5 16. h3 Bxe2 17. Bxe2 $14 {Mainka,R-Stein,B/Dortmund,1987(1-0)(34)}) (14... h6 15. Bf4 Qd5 16. Qd2 Rfe8 17. f3 Bf5 18. Ng3 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 $14 {Schlosser,M-Stein,B/Budapest, 1987(1/2-1/2)(31)}) ({or} 14... Rad8 15. Qd2 Ne5 16. Ng3 Rfe8 17. Qf4 Nxd3 18. Rxe8+ Nxe8 19. Qxg4 Ne5 20. Qe4 $14 {Gurevich,V-Mashinskaya,I/Koszalin,1999 (1/ 2-1/2)(42)}) 15. Qd2 ({Does not give advantage:} 15. f3 Bh5 16. Qd2 (16. Nf4 h6 17. Nxh5 hxg5 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Qd2 Ne5 20. Re4 {1/2-1/2 Short,N-Chandler,M/ Hastings,1987(20)}) 16... Bg6 $1 17. Qf4 Qxf4 18. Nxf4 Bxd3 19. Nxd3 Nd5 $11 { Krakops,M-Luckans,A/Riga,1998/Inf 72/(184) (Berzinsh,R) (19)}) ({and also:} 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qd2 Bf5 17. Ng3 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Qg6 19. Qxg6 hxg6 {+/=/= Feher, G-Abdul Rahim,S/Eger,1992 (1/2-1/2)(47)}) 15... Bxe2 $1 (15... Rac8 $143 16. Ng3 (16. Qf4 $5) 16... Ne5 17. Bf4 Nh5 $6 (17... Qc5 $5) 18. Re4 $1 {[%csl Gd2, Rd4,Rg4][%CAl Ge4d4,Gf4e5]} Nxg3 19. Bxg3 f5 20. Rxe5 {1/2-1/2 Mikhalchishin, A-Guseinov,A/Baku 1983/MCL (20)} (20. Rxe5 Rxe5 21. h3 Bh5 $140 22. Bxf5 $16)) (15... Rad8 $6 16. Qf4 Qxf4 17. Nxf4 Re5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Re4 $14 {Trygstad, K-Luckans,A/Herculane,1994(1-0) (52)}) (15... Bh5 $6 16. b4 (16. Nf4 $5) 16... Rad8 17. Rad1 a6 18. f3 Bg6 $11 {Grachev,B-Karaev,M/Serpukhov,1999(1/2-1/2)(32) }) 16. Bf4 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] The important intermediate move.} ({Was checked in the previous games:} 16. Rxe2 Rxe2 17. Qxe2 Re8 18. Qf3 Ne5 (18... Nd5 $6 { Berzinsh,R} 19. Bd2 $14) 19. Qf4 (19. Qxb7 {Berzinsh,R} Nxd3 20. cxd3 (20. Bxf6 $143 Nxf2) 20... Ng4 21. g3 h6 22. Bf4 Qe6 $44) 19... Nfd7 (19... Qb6 $5 20. Bxf6 Nxd3 21. Qxd4 (21. Qg3 Qxf6 22. Qxd3 Qb6 $11 {Kudrin,S-Rogers,I/London, 1988(1/2-1/2)(33)}) 21... Qxf6 22. Qxf6 gxf6 23. cxd3 Re2 24. Rb1 Rd2 $44 { Dworakowska,J-Ptacnikova,L/Istanbul,2000(0-1)(56)}) 20. Qe4 Qg6 $8 {You can see comments to Berzinsh,R-Luckans,A/Latvia,1998/Inf72/184 (1-0(Berzinsh,R)(44) }) 16... Qd7 17. Rxe2 (17. Bxe2 $5 {[%CAl Ge2f3] From my point of view,this move brings white at least slight advantage:} Ne4 18. Qd3 Nc5 (18... Rac8 19. Rad1) 19. Qc4 $14) 17... Rxe2 18. Qxe2 ({Now a slightly worse is:} 18. Bxe2 { because of:} Ne4 19. Qd3 Nc5 20. Qc4 Re8 21. Bf3 Qf5 22. Bg3 $140 Ne5 23. Bxe5 Qxe5 24. h3 d3 $1 $11) 18... Re8 {Black occupy a <->e.} 19. Qf1 Qe6 20. h3 { +/=/=} h6 {Both contenders are engaged in preventive measures.} 21. Rd1 Nd5 22. Bg3 Nf6 23. Bf4 {Sometimes it is desirable to repeat the moves.} Nd5 24. Bd2 Ne3 $1 {[%mdl 64] Brilliant tactical resource!} 25. fxe3 dxe3 26. Qe2 ({ Leads to equal pawns endgame:} 26. Re1 exd2 $8 27. Rxe6 Rxe6 {[%CAl Ge6e1]} 28. Be2 (28. Kh2 $2 Re1 29. Qf5 g6 (29... d1=Q $4 30. Qc8+ {[%csl Gd3,Rg8]}) 30. Qc8+ Kg7 31. Be2 Rxe2 32. Qd7 Ne5 33. Qd4 g5 $17 {[%csl Gd2][%CAl Gf7f6]}) 28... Nd4 29. Kf2 Rxe2+ (29... Nxe2 $143 30. Qd1 Nd4 31. Qxd2 Re2+ 32. Qxe2 Nxe2 33. Kxe2) 30. Qxe2 Nxe2 31. Kxe2 Kf8 32. Kxd2 Ke7 $11) 26... exd2 27. Qxe6 Rxe6 28. Rxd2 {[%mdl 4096] Now white has a slight positional advantage in endgame, at the expense of presence of the bishop.} Kf8 {The king in endgame should be closer to the centre.} 29. Bc4 {<->d} Re7 30. Kf2 {+/=/=} Rc7 { [%CAl Gf8e7]} 31. Be2 Ke7 32. c3 Ne5 {[%csl Ye5] Hardly white it will be possible to take essential benefits from the rule position.} 33. Rd4 Rc6 34. a4 Rb6 $5 35. b4 $140 Rc6 {[%csl Rc3]} 36. Re4 f6 37. c4 b6 {Grischuk has constructed an impenetrable fortress.} 38. Ke3 Rd6 $6 (38... Rc7 $142) 39. c5 $1 {Attempt to move from a dead point leads to simplification of a position, but all the same leaves to white chances of a win.} bxc5 40. bxc5 Rd5 {[%csl Rc5]} 41. Rb4 $8 {[%csl Ra7,Re7][%CAl Gb4b7]} Rxc5 42. Rb7+ Kd6 43. Rxa7 ({ A much worse is:} 43. Rxg7 Ra5 44. Bb5 a6 $11) 43... Rc3+ 44. Kf2 g5 45. Ra6+ ( {Can be recommended:} 45. a5 $5 $14 {[%csl Ye2][%CAl Ga5a6]}) 45... Rc6 46. Ke3 Rxa6 47. Bxa6 f5 48. Bc8 $2 {Decisive mistake.It is necessary:} (48. Be2 $5 Kc5 49. a5 {with small chance to a win.}) 48... Nc4+ $1 49. Kf3 Nb6 {[%csl Ra4,Rc8] Now drawn game is inevitable.} 50. Bxf5 Nxa4 $11 51. Kg4 Ke5 52. Bc2 Nc5 53. Kh5 Kf6 54. Kxh6 Ne6 55. g3 Nd4 56. Bd3 Nf3 57. Be2 Ne5 58. Kh5 Ng6 1/2-1/2 [Event "World Cup of Rapid Chess-A"] [Site "Cannes"] [Date "2001.03.21"] [Round "4"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Lautier, Joel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B49"] [WhiteElo "2849"] [BlackElo "2658"] [Annotator "Ribli,Z"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2001.03.21"] [EventType "tourn (rapid)"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 {Früher bevorzugte der "beste Spieler der Welt" (nach der Braingames-WM, die er ohne eine Gewinnpartie gegen Kramnik verlor. ist es schwer zu sagen, dass er Weltmeister ist) die Variante 6.Be3 a6 7.Be2.} a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Be3 Bb4 { Wäre es logisch, gegen Kasparov mit 8...d6 die Scheweninger Variante zu wählen? Die spielt Kasparov nämlich selbst auch mit Schwarz.} 9. Na4 Be7 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8 13. Bd4 c5 14. Be5 Rb6 15. Qd3 d6 (15... O-O 16. b3 d6 17. Bb2 Nd7 18. Rad1 Bf6 19. Bc1 a5 (19... c4) 20. f4 Rd8 21. Qh3 Nf8 22. Bd2 Qa8 23. Bd3 a4 24. Rde1 axb3 25. axb3 Ng6 26. g3 Rbb8 27. Qg2 (27. Be3) 27... Bd4+ 28. Kh1 d5 {0-1 Korneev,O-Halkias,S/Ubeda 2000/CBM 75/[Ribli] (51)}) 16. Bc3 O-O 17. b3 d5 18. e5 $146 {[%mdl 4] Kasparov (und sein Team) findet immer etwas Neues. Bemerkenswerter Weise spielte Kasparov zuvor selbst die übliche Fortsetzung 18.exd5. Der Textzug scheint - auf den ersten Blick - nicht logisch, denn normalerweise sollte Weiß versuchen, die Stellung für sein Läuferpaar zu öffnen. Aber so einfach ist das Schachspiel eben nicht... Der Textzug verschafft Weiß Raum und Initiative am Königsflügel.} (18. exd5 Nxd5 19. Bd2 Nb4 20. Qc4 (20. Qe4 Bf6 21. c3 Rd8 22. Rad1 Nd5 23. Bd3 g6 24. c4 Nb4 25. Qf3 Be5 26. Bg5 Rd7 27. Bb1 Nc6 28. h4 Nd4 29. Qe4 Bg7 30. h5 {1-0 Shirov, A-Almasi,Z/Monaco MNC 2001/The Week in Chess 332 (61)}) 20... Rd6 21. Bxb4 cxb4 22. Qxb4 Qxc2 23. Bxa6 Rxa6 24. Qxe7 Rxa2 25. Rxa2 Qxa2 26. b4 h6 { 1/2-1/2 Kasparov,G-Anand,V/Frankfurt 2000/CBM 78 (33)}) 18... Nd7 19. f4 f5 ( 19... f6 20. exf6 {Das ist unsere Partiefortsetzung.}) (19... c4 $5 20. bxc4 dxc4 21. Qg3 (21. Qxc4 $4 Rc6 $19) (21. Qe4 f5 22. exf6 Nxf6 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 $11) 21... Qc7 (21... Bb4 22. Rfd1 $14) (21... Nc5 22. Bd4 $14) 22. Rfd1 $14) 20. exf6 {Natürlich muss Weiß den Bauern schlagen - sonst bekäme Schwarz ein sehr starkes Zentrum.} Bxf6 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 (21... Rxf6 22. Rae1 $14 {[%csl Re6] [%CAl Ge2g4,Gg4c8]}) 22. Bf3 (22. Rae1) 22... Kh8 (22... Qc7 23. Rae1 $14) ( 22... c4 23. Qd4 $14 {[%csl Gd4]} (23. Qe3 $14)) 23. Rae1 {Weiß hat eine aktive Figurenstellung und die bessere Bauernstruktur. Die schwarze Stellung ist solide aber ohne Gegenspiel.} a5 {Das ist ein typisches Motiv - Schwarz möchte seinen schwachen a-Bauern abtauschen.} (23... Rb4 24. Qe3 $14) 24. Re2 {[%CAl Gf1e1,Ge1e6]} Rd8 25. Rfe1 a4 $6 {Dieser automatische Zug ist weniger stark.} (25... Rdd6 $14) 26. bxa4 $1 Qa6 (26... Rb4 $142 27. Rxe6 (27. a5 Rxf4 28. Rxe6 Re4 $5 29. Re7 $14) 27... Rxf4 (27... Rxa4 28. Qf5 {Droht 29.Rxf6 gxf6 30.Qxf6+.} Rf8 29. Bxd5 Nxd5 30. Qxd5 Raxf4 31. c4 $16) 28. Qe3 (28. a5 Re4 29. Re7 $14) 28... Re4 (28... Rxa4 29. Bxd5 $16) 29. Bxe4 Qxe6 30. Bf3 $14) 27. Qxa6 Rxa6 28. Rxe6 Rxa4 {Weiß hat einen Bauern mehr, aber es hängt auf a2 und f4.} 29. Rc6 c4 (29... Rc4 30. Re2 $16) (29... Rxf4 30. Rxc5 $16) (29... Rxa2 30. Rxc5 d4 31. Rc7 $16) 30. g4 $1 {[%mdl 32] Weiß mobilisiert seine Reserven am Königsflügel. Es droht g4-g5 mit Vertreibung des Nf6.} Ra3 (30... Rxa2 31. g5 Ng8 32. Re2 $14) 31. Kg2 Rxa2 32. Re2 Ra4 (32... Kg8 33. g5 Ne4 34. Bxe4 dxe4 35. Rxc4 $16) (32... h6 33. g5 hxg5 34. fxg5 $16) 33. g5 $16 Ng8 34. Rce6 $1 Ra7 (34... d4 35. Re8 Rxe8 36. Rxe8 Ra5 $18 {[%csl Rg8][%CAl Rf3g4, Rg4e6,Re6g8]}) 35. Re8 {[%csl Rg8]} Rad7 (35... Rxe8 36. Rxe8 Rd7 37. Bg4 Re7 38. Rd8 $18) 36. Bg4 Rd6 37. R2e7 $1 $18 {[%CAl Rg4e6,Re6g8] Und Schwarz gab auf, denn gegen 33.Be6 nebst 34.Bxg8 gibt es keine Verteidigung.} 1-0 [Event "Linares 18th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2001.02.24"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Polgar, Judit"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2849"] [BlackElo "2676"] [Annotator "Ernst,T"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2001.02.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3 Nbc6 12. Bf2 Be6 13. Qd2 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Qa5 15. a3 Rg8 16. h4 Rc8 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. O-O-O Nc4 19. Bxc4 Bxd4 20. Qxd4 Rxc4 21. Qa7 Qc7 22. Kb1 Rc5 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. exd5 Kf8 25. Rd2 $2 (25. Rh7 $1 {Kasparov} Rxc2 26. Qe3 Qc5 $1 (26... Rxg2 27. Rc1 Qd7 28. Ka1 $14) 27. Qe4 Rxg2 28. Re1 $1 {An important zwischenzug.} Qc7 29. Rc1 Qd7 30. Ka1 $14) 25... Kg7 26. b4 b5 27. Qxa6 Rc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2001.01.21"] [Round "7"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2849"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2001.01.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 081"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. g4 h6 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Bb7 11. h4 b4 12. Na4 Qa5 13. b3 Nc5 14. a3 Nxa4 15. axb4 Qc7 16. bxa4 d5 17. e5 Nd7 18. f4 Nb6 19. Rh3 {Is is a bit special, that both players have caused the explosive popularity of this position on the highest level, even though then they have played with reverse colours! Kasparov goes for the much lesser analysed move than the main line 19.f5.} (19. f5 $5) 19... Nc4 20. Qc3 Rc8 (20... Qe7 21. Bxc4 dxc4 22. Bd2 $16) 21. Bd2 Be7 (21... Nxd2 $5 22. Qxd2 Be7 23. a5 $14) 22. Be1 Rb8 (22... Qb8 23. Qb3 h5 24. g5 g6 25. Rc3 $16) (22... O-O 23. g5 $40) 23. f5 $1 (23. Bxc4 dxc4 24. Qe3 Bg2 $5 25. Rh2 Bc6 $11) 23... Bc8 24. Bxc4 dxc4 (24... Bxb4 $2 25. Bb5+ Kd8 26. Nc6+ $18) (24... Qxc4 $2 25. Qxc4 dxc4 26. Nc6 $16) 25. Qf3 Bd7 (25... Bxb4 $2 26. Bxb4 (26. Qc6+ $6 Qd7 (26... Qxc6 $2 27. Nxc6 $18) 27. Qxc4 Bxe1 28. Rxe1 O-O $14) 26... Rxb4 27. Nc6 $1 Rxa4 (27... Bb7 28. Qa3 $18) 28. Rd8+ Qxd8 29. Nxd8 Kxd8 30. Qc6 $18) 26. fxe6 fxe6 (26... Bxe6 27. Nxe6 fxe6 28. c3 $16) 27. g5 $1 { [%mdl 128] In is quite possible that white's preparation was reaching all the way to this position. Both kings are not especially safe, but black's seems more exposed.} (27. Qe4 $2 O-O) (27. c3 Bxa4 28. Nxe6 Qxe5 29. Bg3 Qxe6 30. Bxb8 Bxd1 31. Kxd1 $13) 27... hxg5 (27... Bxb4 28. Qh5+ $1 Ke7 29. Qg6 Qxe5 30. Rf3 Rhf8 31. Bg3 c3 32. Rxc3 $1 (32. Bxe5 $2 Ba3#) 32... Rf4 33. Rf3 $16) 28. hxg5 Rxh3 (28... Bxg5+ $5 29. Kb1 Rxh3 30. Qxh3 Bh6 31. Qh5+ Kf8 32. Bc3 Kg8 33. Rg1 Bf4 34. Ne2 $16) 29. Qxh3 Qxe5 (29... Bxg5+ 30. Kb1 Ke7 $5 (30... Qxe5 31. Nf3 Qf6 32. Qh8+ $18) (30... Bh6 31. Nxe6 (31. Qh5+) 31... Qxe5 32. Nxg7+ $1 Qxg7 33. Qh5+ Kf8 (33... Kd8 34. Bh4+ Kc7 35. Qc5+ Kb7 36. Rd6 $16) 34. Rxd7 Qxd7 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Bc3 $16) 31. Qh7 Qxe5 32. Bc3 (32. Nf3 Qf6 33. Nxg5 Qxg5 34. Bh4 Rxb4+ 35. Ka2 Rxa4+ 36. Kb1 (36. Kb2 $2 c3+ $19) 36... Rb4+ $11) 32... Bf6 33. Nc6+ Bxc6 34. Bxe5 Rxb4+ 35. Kc1 Bxe5 $13) 30. Qh5+ $1 Kf8 (30... Kd8 $2 31. Nc6+ $18) (30... g6 31. Qxg6+ Kf8 32. Bd2 Qg7 33. Qxe6 $1 $18) 31. Nf3 $1 {White enjoys excellent piece coordination.} (31. Bd2 Qxd4 (31... Kg8 $5) 32. Rf1+ Bf6 33. c3 Qd3 34. Rf3 Qd5 35. Qh8+ Kf7 36. Rxf6+ gxf6 37. Qh7+ Ke8 ( 37... Kf8 38. gxf6 $18) 38. Qh8+ Kf7 39. Qxf6+ Ke8 40. Qh8+ Ke7 41. Qxb8 Qh1+ 42. Kb2 Qd1 43. Qf4 Qb3+ 44. Kc1 Bxa4 $11) 31... Qe3+ (31... Qa1+ 32. Kd2 Rd8 ( 32... Bxb4+ 33. Ke2 Qxa4 34. Qh8+ Ke7 35. Qxg7+ $18) (32... Qb2 33. Ke3 $1 Rd8 34. c3 $18) 33. Qh8+ (33. Ke3 $1 Bc5+ (33... Qxd1 34. Qh8+ Kf7 35. Ne5#) 34. bxc5 Qxd1 35. Qh8+ Ke7 36. Qxg7+ Ke8 37. g6 $18) 33... Kf7 34. g6+ $1 Kxg6 ( 34... Kf6 35. Qh4+ Kxg6 36. Qg4+ Kf7 37. Rxa1 $18) 35. Qxd8 Qxd1+ 36. Kxd1 Bxd8 37. Ne5+ Kf5 38. Nxd7 $18) 32. Kb2 $1 (32. Bd2 Qa3+ 33. Kb1 Rxb4+ $1 (33... Bd6 34. Qh8+ Kf7 (34... Ke7 35. Qxg7+ Ke8 36. Ne5 $18) 35. g6+ Kf6 36. Qh4+ Kxg6 37. Rg1+ Kf7 38. Qh5+ Kg8 39. Rxg7+ Kxg7 40. Bh6+ $18) 34. Bxb4 Qxb4+ 35. Kc1 Qa3+ 36. Kd2 Qb2 37. Qh8+ Kf7 38. Qh4 $14) (32. Kb1 Be8 33. Qh8+ Kf7 $13) 32... Be8 $2 (32... Rb7 33. Qh8+ Kf7 34. Bc3 Qxf3 35. g6+ Kxg6 36. Qxg7+ Kf5 37. Qf7+ Kg4 38. Rd4+ Kg3 39. Be1+ $18) (32... Bxb4 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Qxb8 $18) (32... Bxa4 $1 33. Bc3 (33. Qh8+ Kf7 34. Qxb8 Qxf3 35. Rd4 (35. Ra1 $2 Bxc2 $1 36. Kxc2 Qb3+ $19) 35... Bxg5 $14) 33... Rxb4+ $1 (33... Bxb4 $2 34. Qh8+ Ke7 35. Qxg7+ Ke8 36. Qg6+ Ke7 (36... Kf8 37. Rd8+ $1 Rxd8 38. Bxb4+ $18) 37. Qh7+ Ke8 38. Qh5+ Ke7 39. Bf6+ Kf8 40. Qh8+ Kf7 41. g6+ Kxg6 42. Qg7+ Kf5 43. Nh4+ Ke4 44. Qg4+ Qf4 45. Qxe6+ Qe5+ 46. Qxe5#) 34. Bxb4 Bxb4 35. Qh8+ Kf7 36. g6+ Kf6 ( 36... Kxg6 $2 37. Rg1+ Kf5 38. Qh7+ Kf4 39. Qh4+ Kf5 40. Qg4+ Kf6 41. Qxg7+ Kf5 42. Qg6+ Kf4 43. Qg4#) 37. Qh4+ Kxg6 38. Rg1+ Kf7 39. Qxc4 Qb6 $13) 33. Qh8+ Kf7 34. Bc3 (34. Bc3 Rxb4+ 35. Bxb4 Qxf3 (35... Bxb4 36. g6+ Kf6 37. Qxe8 $18) 36. g6+ Kxg6 37. Rg1+ $18) 1-0 [Event "London Classic 4th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2012.12.04"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Jones, Gawain CB"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B53"] [WhiteElo "2848"] [BlackElo "2644"] [Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2012.12.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 152"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 $5 {The Hungarian variation, that should never be underestimated. Either a quick development or a Hedgehog-like setup could be White's weapons here} a6 (4... Nc6 {the main line, naturally} 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 {and now White follows with Nc3-Bg5-0-0-0 or c4 straight away, with a rich battle either way.}) 5. h3 $5 {A setup with Qe3, Be2, c4, Nc3 is sought by White. A decision that proved to be very good, since Black's troubles started already after his 15th move.} Nc6 6. Qe3 g6 7. c4 Bg7 8. Be2 Nf6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. O-O Nd7 11. Rb1 $1 {The expansion with b4 is always a good plan, and when Black plays ...a5 to stop that (and also secure c5 for his N), White gets the b5-square for the c3-N.} a5 (11... b6 {was another way to fight, Bb7, Rc8 coming. Play could go like this:} 12. b4 Bb7 13. Rd1 Rc8 14. Na4 $5 $14 {and the b6-P will be slightly harassed.}) (11... Qb6 $5 {Possibly an interesting novelty, forcing an early Q-exchange, that should work in Black's favour.} 12. Nd5 Qxe3 13. Bxe3 Nf6 {And I feel Black is ok, with natural developing moves coming}) 12. b3 Nc5 13. Bb2 f5 {This is part of Black's plan - if he doesn't try this, White is just building up an advantage with Rfd1, Nb5, and a3-b4 later.} 14. exf5 Bxf5 15. Rbd1 $14 {This is the kind of position where Black has to be careful, since central files are open and both black Ps are still there. Highly typical of the Accelerated Dragon's Maroczy like positions. Personally, I like White's chances in these structures. It just feels like Black's position is highly unstable and moves like Ba3, Ng5, Nd5, Nb5 must be watched all the time.} a4 16. Ba3 $1 Qa5 (16... Bxc3 $6 { a highly concrete decision, that should be considered and could go like this:} 17. Qxc3 Ne4 18. Qe3 $1 (18. Qc1 {would also be decent} axb3 19. axb3 Rxa3 20. Qxa3 Nc3 {Even here, White claims a small edge with a simple move like 21.Rfe1, because of Black's unstable central pawns and his open K} 21. Rfe1 $14) 18... axb3 19. Bb2 {ideas like this should be considered, because it feels like 16... Bxc3 should backfire somehow. Now g4 is a threat and in the event of 19...Rxa2, then simply 20.Qb3, with huge compensation} Rxa2 20. Qxb3 $16) 17. Nb5 (17. b4 $5 {was attractive, but was probably not leading to much:} Nxb4 18. Bxb4 Qxb4 19. Nd5 Qa5 20. Nxe7+ Kh8 21. Nxf5 gxf5 $14 {Keeping the pieces in a tense position with 17.Nb5 is always more interesting than doing this. Of course, 18. ..Rf6! may change the whole evaluation and induce White to choose this line instead.}) 17... axb3 18. axb3 Qxa3 {White was claiming a small, comfortable advantage already, but this looks drastic. I mean, Black is far from stable, and he's not even going to take on b3. There will be some piece play, indeed. But it doesn't look right.} (18... Rf6 $1 {This is what I'm talking about - if Black wants to claim a good position, he has to do it in a concrete fashion, which probably was the thought process that occurred to Gawain, but he overestimated the Q-sacrifice and didn't consider this odd-looking R activation (I would hardly take this move seriously while analysing during a game)} 19. Bxc5 (19. b4 {leads to a crazy position as well:} Nxb4 20. Bxb4 Qxb4 21. Nc7 Qa5 22. Nxa8 Re6 $1 23. Qd2 Bc3 24. Qd5 Be4 $44 {and Black's strong piece positioning (and a P) surely compensate for the exchange}) (19. Ng5 h6 20. g4 {would be another direct try to refute Black's idea} hxg5 21. gxf5 Rxf5 22. Bxc5 Re5 $13 {same idea, on the 5th rank now :)}) 19... Re6 $1 {The point, now the e2-B becomes a target} 20. Qc1 Rxe2 21. Bd4 Nxd4 22. Nfxd4 Re5 $13) 19. Nxa3 Rxa3 20. Nd2 $16 {Slowly White coordinates so as to exchange some pieces, when Black's problems will become bigger and bigger} Bd4 21. Qg3 Be5 $6 (21... Kg7 $5 {a small K-improvement was possible, maintaining some positional pressure.}) 22. f4 {This 'weakness' also helps White to gain some space.} Bf6 23. Bg4 Nd4 24. Kh1 Bc2 25. Rde1 Kh8 26. Re3 h5 27. b4 $1 h4 (27... Nd3 $1 28. Bd1 $1 {disturbing completely Black's harmony} h4 $1 (28... Nf5 29. Qxg6 Nxe3 30. Bxc2 Nxc2 31. Ne4 $18 {and the material advantage becomes a deadly attack}) 29. Qxg6 Nf2+ 30. Rxf2 Bxg6 31. Rxa3 {also good for White, but perhaps the most stubborn idea.}) 28. Qf2 Nd3 29. Qg1 $18 {Now everything is hanging and Ne4 is a very strong threat.} Nf5 30. Bxf5 gxf5 31. Nf3 Rc3 32. c5 Bb3 33. Ne1 Bd4 34. Nxd3 dxc5 (34... Rxd3 {wouldn't change anything:} 35. Rxd3 Bxg1 36. Rxb3 Bd4 37. cxd6 exd6 38. Rd3 $18) 35. Qf2 Rf7 36. Rc1 cxb4 37. Rxc3 bxc3 38. Qe1 1-0 [Event "Baku FIDE GP"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2014.10.03"] [Round "2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2844"] [BlackElo "2748"] [Annotator "Szabo,Kr"] [PlyCount "74"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 h5 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. Nd5 Bxd5 (10... Nxd5 11. exd5 Bf5 {is the alternative line for Black.}) 11. exd5 g6 12. Be2 {This is the most popular reaction nowadays.} Bg7 (12... Qc7 {is the another main move.}) 13. Na5 {Caruana deviates from his own game against Gelfand with this move. White takes under control the b7 P and he prepares for some queenside play by c4, b4.} ({In Wijk aan Zee Caruana played} 13. O-O O-O 14. Rac1 b6 15. h3 Re8 16. g4 {also with an extremely complex game, which was later won by Caruana.}) 13... Qc7 {Of course Black can't move with his b-pawn, because of Nc6.} ({Still} 13... Rb8 {was possible} 14. O-O O-O 15. c4 e4 $13 {with an unclear middlegame in Leko-Wojtaszek, Istanbul 2012.}) 14. c4 e4 {Black immediately starts his counterplay in the centre, he also opens the diagonal for his strong B and his d7 N is ready to go to e5.} (14... O-O {has also been tried.}) 15. O-O ({In the event of} 15. f4 $6 Ng4 $1 16. Bxg4 hxg4 17. O-O f5 18. Rab1 Nc5 $15 {and Black looks nicely placed, N.Mamedov-Korobov, Moscow 2011.}) 15... exf3 16. gxf3 $5 $146 {The first new move in the game. This looks a strange at first sight, but White's kingside is safe. It is more important to control the g4- and e4-squares.} (16. Bxf3 {could have been met by} O-O {and Black prepares for Rae8 followed by Ne4. } (16... Ng4 17. Bf4)) 16... O-O 17. b4 Rfe8 18. Rac1 {Until this moment both sides have been making their most useful developing moves. Now suddenly Gelfand offers a fantastic sacrifice!} ({In the event of} 18. Bf4 $2 {to avoid the text move, Black can win with a nice tactical line} Nxd5 $1 19. cxd5 Qb6+ 20. Kg2 Bxa1 21. Rxa1 Rxe2+ $1 22. Qxe2 Qd4 $19 {and Black is winning!}) 18... Rxe3 $1 {A great positional exchange sacrifice! Black wants to gain the dark squares with Kh7, Bh6, all his pieces are becoming very active.} ({The natural } 18... Re7 {to double the Rs on the e-file allows White to play} 19. Bf4 Rae8 20. Rf2 $1 $14 {followed by Bf1 and White has a comfortable middlegame.}) 19. Qxe3 Re8 {Now Black's all pieces are becoming very active.} 20. Qd2 {Still White wants to control the c1-h6 diagonal.} ({In the event of} 20. Qf2 Bh6 $1 21. f4 Re4 $44 ({or} 21... Ne4 $44 {and Black has an excellent compensation!})) 20... Kh7 $6 {Black continues his main plan, he is threatening to play Bh6. Nevertheless it was a little bit slow.} (20... Qb6+ $1 {was the strongest reply,} 21. Kh1 Bh6 $1 {This is the point! Black could save Kh7, because the e2 B is hanging.} 22. f4 (22. Qxh6 Rxe2 $36 {with a strong initiative.}) 22... Ne4 $44 {and Black has enough compensation.}) 21. Nb3 {A very logical move. The N was already out of play on a5 and now he is preparing for c5.} ({The engine suggests} 21. Kg2 $1 {This avoids the unpleasant Qb6!} Bh6 22. f4 Ne4 23. Qd3 {and White has a comfortable position.}) 21... Bh6 22. f4 Ne4 23. Qe1 ( {Now} 23. Qd3 $2 {does not work, as} Qb6+ {followed by Qxb4.}) 23... Ndf6 24. Bd3 Qd7 $1 {A very nice reply by Gelfand. His last piece is also coming into the attack!} 25. Rc2 $1 {White also continues with a strong reply. He would like to play Re2, moreover he avoids the Qg4 with Rg2.} Qh3 26. Qd1 {A logical move, but this is an inaccuracy, allowing a tactical blow for Black.} (26. Bxe4 Rxe4 27. Qc3 (27. Qg3 $2 {is weak, because of} Qf5 $1 {and White is in trouble. }) 27... Qf5 28. Nd4 Rxd4 29. Qxd4 Qxc2 30. Qxf6 Bg7 31. Qxf7 Qe2 $1 {and White can't avoid the perpetual check.}) ({The computer suggests the strange} 26. Qe2 $1 Nf2 (26... Ng3 $2 {is met by} 27. Qf3 $1 $18) 27. Bxg6+ $1 fxg6 28. Qxf2 Re4 29. Nd2 Rxf4 30. Qe2 $16 {and still Black has some pratical chances, but White should be better.}) 26... Bxf4 $1 {Gelfand immediately takes his chance!} 27. Qf3 ({White could have forced a draw with} 27. Rxf4 Qe3+ 28. Rff2 Nxf2 29. Rxf2 Ng4 30. Qf3 Nxf2 31. Qxf7+ Kh8 32. Qf6+ $11 {with perpetual check.}) 27... Qxf3 28. Rxf3 Ng5 $1 {Another nice reaction.} 29. Rf1 ({Of course} 29. Rxf4 $2 {does not work, as} Nh3+ $19 {and Black wins.}) 29... Re3 $1 30. Nc1 $6 {Too passive.} ({Probably} 30. Be2 $142 {was more accurate to avoid Black's dangerous reply.}) 30... Ng4 $1 {Very aggressive play by Gelfand! Still White has a material advantage, but Black is very active; White's position becomes very difficult.} 31. c5 $1 {The best chance his passed c-pawn.} dxc5 32. bxc5 Re8 $2 {A decisive mistake! This was Black's first passive move, which immediately is bad.} ({The difficult} 32... Be5 $1 { was the correct reply,} 33. c6 (33. d6 Rh3 $1 34. d7 {and now} Bxh2+ $1 35. Kg2 (35. Rxh2 Rxh2 36. d8=Q Nh3#) 35... Ne3+ 36. Kf2 Bc7 $19 {a very nice variation by Mr.Houdini and Black is completely winning.}) 33... bxc6 34. dxc6 Bc7 $1 35. Re2 Rh3 {and White is under pressure on the kingside.}) 33. h4 $2 { Returns the compliment. White wants to free his king's position, but he missed his chance.} (33. Kh1 $1 {was the strongest answer and now Black can't continue his attack. For example:} Ne3 (33... Nh3 34. Kg2 $18) (33... Be3 34. c6 $18) 34. Re2 $1 $18 {and White is winning.}) 33... Re3 $3 {This brilliant move forces perpetual check! Suddenly Black comes back with his R, because now the g3 square is unprotected.} 34. hxg5 Rg3+ 35. Kh1 (35. Rg2 $2 {loses to} Be3+ 36. Kh1 Rh3+ $19 {and mate.}) 35... Rh3+ 36. Kg2 Rg3+ 37. Kh1 Rh3+ { What a wonderful fight!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tashkent FIDE GP"] [Site "Tashkent"] [Date "2014.10.21"] [Round "1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2844"] [BlackElo "2757"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. Rg1 {White is waiting with the g4-g5 move with a useful rook development. The heavy artillery can later dream about transfer to the queenside via the 4th rank.} Nb6 (12... b4 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. exd5 a5 15. g5 Nh5 16. Kb1 a4 17. Nc1 $14) 13. Na5 (13. g5 Nh5 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 Rc8 16. Na5 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Qxa5 18. Kb1 Qc7 19. Bd3 g6 20. h4 Rb8 21. Be4 {1/2 (21) Zhigalko,S (2647)-Borovikov,V (2599) Alushta 2010}) 13... Rc8 { Vachier Lagrave occupies the semi-open c-file with a rook, Black needs to think about a sensible queenside counter-attack.} (13... Qc7 14. g5 Nh5 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Qxa5 18. Kb1 $11) 14. g5 Nh5 15. Kb1 Qc7 {The whole line was worked out to a great degree, but Black retains some flexibility in his options. Two ideas worth mentioning are an attempt to save tempo with the immediate 15...g6 or even the spoiling of White's plan by moving to f4.} (15... g6 16. a3 (16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Qxa5 19. c4 (19. Bd3 $5) 19... Nf4 (19... Rb8 20. Rg4 Ng7 21. h4 Nf5 22. Bf2 Bd8 23. cxb5 axb5 24. Bd3 b4 25. Qb3 $44 {1/2 (61) Anand,V (2791)-Karjakin,S (2706) Nice 2009}) 20. Bxf4 exf4 21. cxb5 axb5 22. Qxb5 Qa7 $13) 16... Qc7 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Qxa5 20. Rg4 (20. Bd3 Rfd8 21. Rg4 Rb8 22. Rh4 $1 { A very strong move. Now Black can't avoid Rxh5 and Qe4 with a decisive attack.} Qc7 23. Rxh5 $1 gxh5 24. Qe4 f5 25. Qxf5 Bf8 26. g6 $18 {1-0 (37) Ter Sahakyan, S (2567)-Wei,Y (2418) Athens 2012}) 20... Ng7 21. h4 Qc7 22. c4 Ne6 23. Bd3 Qb8 24. cxb5 Nc7 25. Qb3 d5 26. h5 Nxb5 $11 {1-0 (47) Svidler,P (2756)-Sjugirov,S (2653) Loo 2014}) (15... Nf4 16. a3 g6 (16... Qc7 17. Bxf4 exf4 18. Nd5 Nxd5 ( 18... Bxd5 19. exd5 Qc5 20. Rg4 Rfe8 21. h4 Bf8 22. Rxf4 Nxd5 23. Nb3 {1/2 (25) Leko,P (2735)-Anand,V (2772) Wijk aan Zee 2013}) 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Qxd5 Qxa5 21. Bd3 g6 22. h4 Rc5 23. Qe4 Re5 24. Qxf4 Rb8 25. c3 Qb6 26. Bc2 a5 27. Bb3 $36 {1/2 (45) Dominguez Perez,L (2712)-Van Wely,L (2641) Wijk aan Zee 2010}) 17. h4 Qc7 (17... d5 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Qxa5 22. Bd3 Rfd8 23. Qb3 Rc5 24. Be4 $14) 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 20. exd5 Nxd5 {This is forced, otherwise Nc6 is very unpleasant.} 21. Qxd5 Qxa5 22. Rg4 $1 Rc5 23. Qb3 d5 24. Rxf4 Qc7 25. Rfd4 Qh2 26. c3 Rd8 27. Qc2 $1 {1-0 (41) Anand,V (2783)-Topalov,V (2793) Stavanger 2013}) (15... b4 16. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 17. exd5 Qxa5 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. Bh3 Kf7 $2 20. g6+ $1 hxg6 21. Qg2 $18) 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Qxa5 19. Bd3 {The transfer of the rook via g4 deserves serious attention now or on the next move. Caruana has to seek positional compensation for the sacrificed pawn and maximising the impact of his pieces must surely be a sensible strategy.} (19. Rg4 $5 Qc7 20. Bd3 Qc6 ( 20... g6 21. h4 Qd7 22. a4 bxa4 23. Bxa6 Rb8 24. Rd3 Ng7 25. Ra3 Ne6 {0-1 (68) Zhigalko,A (2538)-Dydyshko,V (2574) Minsk 2007} 26. Rc4 $11) 21. Qxc6 Rxc6 22. a4 bxa4 23. Rxa4 d5 24. Rxa6 Rc7 25. c3 g6 26. Ra5 Rb8 27. Rxd5 Rxc3 28. Rxe5 Ba3 {1-0 (37) Kramnik,V (2777)-Vallejo Pons,F (2663) Monte Carlo 2004} 29. Bc1 $14) 19... g6 20. c4 (20. Rg4 Nf4 21. Bxf4 exf4 22. h4 Rc5 23. Qd4 Re5 24. Be4 Qc7 25. Bd5 Rc8 26. c3 b4 27. Qxb4 Rb8 28. Qd4 Re2 29. Rd2 Re1+ 30. Kc2 $16 { 1-0 (38) Zherebukh,Y (2586)-Onischuk,V (2498) Alushta 2011}) 20... Nf4 21. Bxf4 exf4 22. cxb5 axb5 23. Qxb5 Qa7 {Black has given up the queenside pawns, but open files against the white king promise serious compensation in the complicated middlegame with opposite coloured bishops. Please note that the second player enjoys relative safety for his monarch.} 24. Be4 (24. Rge1 Rc7 25. Bc4 (25. Rc1 Rb7 26. Qd5 Bxg5 27. Qxg5 Qd4 28. Bb5 h6 29. Qg1 Qxg1 30. Rxg1 Rxb5 31. Rc4 $11) 25... Rb8 26. Qd5 Bf8 (26... Bxg5 $15) 27. Bb3 Qf2 28. Qd3 Qxh2 29. Re2 Qh3 $15 {0-1 (55) Gonzalez de la Torre,S (2459)-Sarralde Osua,R (2351) Zornotza 2014}) 24... Rc7 25. Bd5 (25. Qd5 Rb8 26. Qd4 Qa6 27. Rc1 Rxc1+ 28. Rxc1 Bxg5 29. Bd5 Bf6 30. Qxf6 Qd3+ 31. Ka1 Qxd5 32. Qxf4 $11) 25... Qf2 $1 {An excellent strategy of combining attack on both flanks. The elimination of the h2-pawn will play a great role later in the game.} (25... Rb8 26. Qd3 Bf8 27. Bb3 Qf2 $15) 26. Qb3 (26. h3 $2 Bxg5 $1 $17) 26... Qxh2 27. a4 Qf2 28. Rc1 Ra7 {The choice between exchanging the rooks and keeping more pieces on the board was important and difficult for Black. The defender would like to slow down the advance of the a-pawn.} (28... Rc5 29. Rxc5 dxc5 30. Rd1 Qe3 31. Ka2 Bxg5 32. a5 $11) 29. Qb4 Qe3 30. Rcd1 (30. Qb5 Rxa4 $1 31. Qxa4 Qd3+ 32. Qc2 Qxd5 33. Qc6 Qd3+ 34. Rc2 Qf5 $15) 30... Qe5 31. Qb5 Kg7 (31... Rc7 32. Bc6 Rfc8 33. Qxe5 dxe5 34. Be4 Ra7 35. b3 $11) 32. Bc6 Rc8 33. Rg2 $2 {[%mdl 32] The critical moment of the middlegame as Caruana has probably missed the very strong reply by Black. The g5-pawn will fall and endgames will be painful for White.} (33. Rde1 $1 Qd4 34. Rd1 Qf2 35. Rdf1 Qd2 36. Rc1 $11) 33... d5 $1 34. Bxd5 (34. Rxd5 Qe1+ 35. Ka2 Qe6 36. Rc2 (36. Bd7 $2 Rxa4+ 37. Qxa4 Qxd5+ $19) 36... Bxg5 37. Kb1 Bf6 $17) (34. Qxd5 Qxd5 35. Bxd5 Rxa4 $17) 34... Rc5 $5 ( 34... Rb8 35. Re2 Qf5+ 36. Qd3 Qxd3+ 37. Rxd3 Bxg5 38. Bc6 h5 $17) 35. Qb3 Bxg5 {Black will be a pawn up and his king remains very safe. Both aspects give him excellent winning chances as White struggles to get his pieces aligned.} 36. Bc4 (36. Qb6 Rxd5 37. Rxd5 Qxd5 38. Qxa7 Bf6 39. Rc2 Qd1+ 40. Rc1 Qxf3 41. Qc5 h5 $17) 36... Bf6 37. Re2 Qf5+ 38. Re4 (38. Bd3 Qg5 39. Rdd2 h5 $17) 38... Re5 {Move 40 has a very tainted reputation in practical chess. The main time control with all forms of time trouble for one or both players have influenced too many games in chess history. Vachier Lagrave dis not suspect that the advance of the h-pawn would promise him an easier win.} (38... h5 $1 39. Bd3 Qg5 40. Re8 Qg2 41. Bb5 h4 $19) 39. Rde1 Rxe4 (39... h5 $1 40. Bd3 Rxe4 41. Rxe4 Qg5 $19) 40. Rxe4 Re7 (40... h5 $1 41. Qb5 Qh3 42. Rxf4 Qh2 43. Rxf6 Qg1+ 44. Ka2 Kxf6 $19) 41. Bd3 Rxe4 42. Bxe4 Qd7 43. Qb5 {Caruana is desperate, as he has understood that with queens on the board he will not be able to stop Black's h-pawn running towards h1.} (43. a5 h5 44. a6 h4 45. Bb7 (45. Qb7 Qd1+ 46. Ka2 h3 47. Bd5 (47. a7 Qa4+ 48. Kb1 h2 $19) 47... Qa4+ 48. Kb1 h2 49. Qxf7+ Kh6 $19) 45... h3 46. a7 h2 47. a8=Q h1=Q+ 48. Ka2 Qc1 49. Qaa3 (49. Qb4 Kh6 $19) 49... Qdd2 $19) 43... Qxb5 44. axb5 Bd4 45. Kc2 h5 46. b6 (46. Bd3 f5 47. Bc4 Kf6 48. Kd3 Bb6 $19) 46... Bxb6 47. Kd1 f5 48. Bc6 g5 49. Bd7 Kf6 50. Ke2 g4 {Unfortunately for White it is impossible to stop the pawns on the kingside as Black can boast of 4 against one.} 51. Kf1 Kg5 (51... Kg5 52. Kg2 h4 53. Kh2 h3 54. Bb5 Kh4 $19) 0-1 [Event "Grand Slam Final 5th"] [Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao"] [Date "2012.10.12"] [Round "9"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B52"] [WhiteElo "2843"] [BlackElo "2780"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2012.09.24"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BRA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 151"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ {During the whole tournament Carlsen consistently and mostly sucessfully avoided any heated theoretical debates in the openings, opting for lines such as 2.d3, or a quick exd5 against the French Defence.} ({ Also in this game he avoids the Open Sicilian with} 3. d4 {, his last Najdorf against the World Champion was rather disappointing:} cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 e6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nce2 Qc7 10. b3 e5 $5 11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. exf5 d5 $1 13. Bxd5 Rd8 14. c4 Nxd5 15. cxd5 Qa5 16. Qd2 Qxd2 17. Bxd2 Rxd5 18. Be3 Nc6 {1/2,Carlsen,M (2814)-Anand,V (2810)/Wijk aan Zee/2011/}) 3... Bd7 { The most solid response and the result of our game will hardly change this long-standing verdict.} ({However, there have been some recent developments after the more enterprising} 3... Nd7 $5 {- see the notes to Bologan-Topalov, ECC Eilat 2012.}) 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 {This continuation is White's best chance to fight for an opening edge - he puts his pawns on the light squares, as he has just exchanged the light-squared bishops.} (5. O-O {occurs only rarely in top-level games and is generally considered too soft:} Nf6 (5... Nc6 6. Qe2 g6 7. c3 Bg7 8. Rd1 e5 $5 9. b4 cxb4 10. cxb4 Nge7 11. d4 exd4 12. Bb2 O-O 13. b5 Ne5 14. Nxd4 Rac8 15. Nd2 d5 16. h3 Rfe8 17. Rab1 Qc7 18. Rbc1 Qb6 19. Rxc8 Nxc8 $5 20. exd5 Nd6 21. Qf1 Rc8 $44 {[%csl Rb5,Rd5] Short,N (2698) -Anand,V (2811)/London/2011/}) 6. Qe2 ({Simply boring is} 6. Re1 Nc6 7. c3 e6 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 d5 10. e5 Ne4 11. Nbd2 Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Be7 13. Rc1 O-O 14. Rc3 Rfc8 15. a3 Bd8 16. Qb1 Ne7 17. Rec1 Rxc3 18. Rxc3 Rc8 19. Qc2 h6 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Qxc8 Nxc8 $11 {1/2,Kuzubov,Y (2623)-Areshchenko,A (2691)/UKR-ch Kiev/2012/} ) 6... Nc6 7. Rd1 g6 8. c3 Qg4 9. Re1 Ne5 10. Nxe5 Qxe2 11. Rxe2 dxe5 12. Na3 Bg7 13. Nc4 Nd7 14. d3 O-O 15. a4 b6 16. Be3 Rfd8 17. Rd2 Rac8 18. g4 Nf8 19. f4 exf4 20. Bxf4 Ne6 21. Be3 Bf6 22. Rad1 Bg5 23. Kf2 Bf4 24. h4 h6 $11 { Mamedov,R (2634)-Negi,P (2664)/Istanbul olm/2012/}) 5... Nf6 {Black intends to develop his kingside first and possibly use the c-file before he plays Nc6.} ({ The alternative is} 5... Nc6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. Nde2 $5 { seems more testing, as after} (9. Be3 {commits the bishop, Black has reasonable counterplay after} Nf6 10. h3 $5 (10. f3 O-O 11. O-O a6 12. a4 e6 13. Nde2 (13. Rc1 Ne5 14. b3 d5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Rfe8 18. Bf2 Qxd5 19. Qc2 Qd7 20. Rcd1 Rac8 21. Qb1 Qc7 22. Rfe1 Nd7 $11 {Adams,M (2722) -Dominguez Perez,L (2725)/London/2012/}) 13... Rac8 14. Rc1 Rfe8 15. Bf2 Qe7 16. b3 Nd7 17. Nd4 Nb4 18. Kh1 Nc5 19. Bg1 h5 20. Rb1 Qd8 21. Nde2 Qc7 22. Qd2 Red8 23. Nd1 Nc6 24. Ne3 f5 $5 25. exf5 gxf5 26. Nc2 Qf7 27. Nf4 Ne7 {Tiviakov, S (2656)-Nakamura,H (2775)/Hoogeveen/2012/ (30)} 28. Rfd1 $13) 10... O-O 11. O-O a6 12. a4 Rfc8 13. b3 e6 (13... Qd8 14. Qd2 Nd7 15. Rab1 Nc5 16. Rfd1 Na5 17. Qc2 Rab8 18. b4 Nxc4 19. bxc5 Na3 20. Qb3 Nxb1 21. Nxb1 dxc5 22. Ne6 Qa5 23. Nxg7 Kxg7 24. Nc3 b5 25. axb5 axb5 26. Nd5 Qa4 27. Qb2+ f6 28. Ra1 Qxe4 29. Ra7 {1-0 Spasov,V (2581)-Georgiev,K (2423)/Sunny Beach 2012/CB37_2012}) 14. Rc1 d5 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. e5 Ne8 17. f4 a5 (17... Qd8 $5 $11 {prevents both a5 and Ne4.}) 18. Ne4 Bf8 19. Rf3 Qd8 20. Nc5 Rcb8 21. Bf2 Nc7 22. Qe2 Rb4 23. Kh2 Be7 $14 {/<=>,Carlsen,M (2826)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2730)/Moscow/2011/}) 9... Nf6 10. f3 O-O 11. O-O a6 12. a4 e6 {White can develop his bishop more actively with} 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 Rfd8 15. Rb1 Qc7 16. Kh1 Rd7 17. Rc1 Re8 18. Nd5 exd5 $6 ( 18... Qd8 $1 19. Nxf6+ Bxf6 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 $11) 19. cxd5 Qb6 20. Bf2 Qxb2 21. dxc6 bxc6 22. Rxc6 Rdd8 23. Rxa6 Qb4 24. Rb6 Qc4 25. Nd4 $14 {/+/-,Caruana,F (2773)-Anand,V (2780)/Sao Paulo/Bilbao/2012/ This game was played earlier. Although Black's position is quite playable, Anand presumably wanted to give the encounter with Carlsen a different character.}) 6. Nc3 g6 (6... Nc6 7. d4 ( 7. O-O g6 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bg7 {[%CAl Rf6e4]} 10. Nde2 Qe6 $5 $13 {Kasparov, G (2851)-The World/Internet/1999/ leads to complications, which Black ultimately doesn't have to fear. See the notes to this game in CBM 74.}) 7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 {and now: More often than not Black avoids these complications and simply develops with} g6 {Now White can avoid the continuation from Kasparov-The World with} (8... Qg4 {is an attempt to force quick simplification: However, here Black has to reckon mainly with} 9. Qxg4 (9. O-O Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Nxd4 (10... Rc8 11. Nde2 g6 12. f3 Bg7 13. b3 Nd7 14. Be3 O-O 15. Rac1 b6 16. Nd5 Rfd8 17. Nec3 e6 18. Nf4 Nc5 19. Nfe2 a6 20. Rd2 Rd7 21. Rcd1 Bf8 22. Bf4 Rcd8 23. Bg5 Rc8 24. h3 h6 25. Bf4 Rcd8 26. g4 Kg7 27. Kg2 Be7 28. Be3 Rb7 29. Nd4 Rc8 30. Nxc6 Rxc6 31. Bf4 b5 $132 {Rozentalis,E (2623) -Alterman,B (2580)/ISR-chT/2010/}) 11. Rxd4 Rc8 12. Bg5 Nd7 13. Rc1 g6 14. Nd5 h6 15. Be3 Bg7 16. Rdd1 a6 17. b4 e6 18. Nb6 Nxb6 19. Bxb6 Ke7 20. c5 Be5 21. Rd3 Rc6 22. a4 Rhc8 23. a5 dxc5 24. Bxc5+ Ke8 25. Rcd1 Bf6 26. Kf1 Rd8 27. Ke2 Rcc8 $11 {Cheparinov,I (2621)-Lupulescu,C (2546)/EU-ch Warsaw/2005/}) 9... Nxg4 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bf4 {A more enterprising try is the sacrificial} g5 $5 (11... Rb8 12. h3 Ne5 13. Bxe5 dxe5 14. Na4 (14. O-O-O e6 15. Na4 h5 16. Rd3 Rh6 17. Rhd1 Rg6 18. g3 Rf6 19. f3 Rg6 20. g4 hxg4 21. hxg4 Rh6 22. a3 Be7 23. Kc2 Rh2+ 24. R1d2 Rh1 25. Rd1 Rh2+ 26. R1d2 Rh1 27. c5 Rb5 28. b4 a5 29. Rb3 $14 { Laznicka,V (2593)-Gashimov,V (2658)/Moscow/2007/}) 14... e6 15. Ke2 Kd7 16. Rhd1+ Kc7 17. Rd3 Be7 18. Rad1 Rhd8 19. Rxd8 Bxd8 20. a3 a5 21. c5 Be7 22. Kd3 f5 23. f3 Rd8+ 24. Kc2 Rb8 25. Kc3 fxe4 26. fxe4 Rf8 27. b4 axb4+ 28. axb4 Bh4 29. Nb6 Rf7 30. Kb3 Bf2 31. Rd6 Bd4 32. Nc4 Rf1 33. Na5 $18 {Ni Hua (2705) -Shengelia,D (2569)/ESP-chT Sabadell/2008/}) 12. Bxg5 Bg7 $5 (12... Ne5 13. b3 Rg8 14. Bh4 Rg4 (14... Bg7 15. Kd2 a5 16. Rab1 a4 17. Nxa4 Bh6+ 18. Kc2 Rg4 ( 18... Rxg2 $142 $132) 19. Bg3 Nxc4 20. bxc4 Rxa4 21. Rb8+ Kd7 22. Kb3 Ra7 23. f3 Rg5 24. e5 dxe5 25. Rd1+ Ke6 26. a4 $36 {Zhang Zhong (2608)-Petrosian,T (2581)/Tiayuan/2005/}) 15. Bg3 Bg7 16. Kd2 Ng6 17. f3 Rg5 18. f4 $142 (18. Rag1 Bd4 19. Rc1 Kd7 20. Ne2 Bb6 21. h4 Ra5 22. Rc2 Rg8 23. Be1 Ne5 24. Nf4 Ra3 25. Ke2 Bd4 $44 26. Bb4 {1/2,Baklan,V (2585)-Atalik,S (2585)/YUG-chT Vrnjacka Banja/1998/}) 18... Rg4 (18... Ra5 19. a4 Rb8 20. Kc2 f5 21. Rae1 Kd7 22. Rhf1 e6 23. exf5 Rxf5 24. Ne4 Rbf8 25. Rd1 d5 26. Nc5+ Kd6 27. Nd3 $14 {/+/-,Soltau, A (2632)-Ugge,A (2567)/corr/2005/}) 19. Raf1 h5 20. Nd1 Bh6 21. Nf2 Bxf4+ 22. Ke2 Rg5 23. Nh3 Rxg3 24. hxg3 Bxg3 25. Ng5 $14 {/~~ Atalik}) 13. Ke2 Rb8 14. Nd1 (14. Rab1 $5 Rg8 15. Bf4 Bd4 $44) 14... Rb4 15. Rc1 Bxb2 16. Rb1 Ba3 17. Rb3 Rxb3 18. axb3 Kd7 19. Ne3 Rg8 20. h4 Nxe3 21. Bxe3 Rxg2 22. Kf3 Rg8 23. Ra1 Bb4 $11 {Jansa,V (2490)-Trapl,J (2340)/Ostrava/1976/}) 9. Nde2 Bg7 10. f3 { - 5...Nc6 , which transposes back to Caruana-Anand, mentioned above.}) 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. f3 ({The other main try is} 9. h3 {, when} Qc7 $5 {has recently become popular:} 10. Qe2 (10. b3 {allows the simplifying operation} Qa5 11. Bd2 Nxe4 $1 12. Nxe4 Qe5 13. Qb1 f5 14. Bc3 Qxe4+ 15. Qxe4 fxe4 16. Nb5 Bxc3+ 17. Nxc3 Rf8 18. Nxe4 (18. O-O Na6 19. Rfe1 Nc5 20. Rad1 Kd7 21. Re3 Rac8 22. Rd4 Rf4 23. Nd5 Rf7 24. Rd2 Rc6 25. b4 Na4 26. Rxe4 e6 27. Ne3 Nc3 28. Red4 e5 29. R4d3 Ne4 30. Re2 Ke6 $11 {Bologan,V (2665)-Naiditsch,A (2712)/ESP-chT Melilla/2011/}) 18... Rf5 (18... Nc6 19. Rd1 Rf5 20. O-O O-O-O 21. f4 Rdf8 22. g3 Kd7 23. Nc3 a6 24. Nd5 b5 $132 {Movsesian,S (2751)-Dominguez Perez,L (2717)/ Wijk aan Zee/2009/}) 19. O-O Kd7 20. Rad1 Na6 21. Rfe1 Raf8 22. Re2 Re5 23. g3 Nc5 $11 {1/2,Movsesian,S (2711)-Svidler,P (2741)/EUCup Ohrid/2009/}) 10... Nc6 11. Nc2 O-O 12. O-O a6 (12... Rfc8 13. b3 a6 14. Bb2 (14. Bd2 $5) 14... Qa5 15. Ne3 Nd4 16. Qe1 Ne6 17. Rb1 Nf4 18. Ba1 b5 19. Ncd5 Qxe1 20. Nxf6+ Bxf6 21. Rfxe1 Bxa1 22. Rxa1 Kf8 23. Kf1 Nd3 24. Red1 Nc5 $11 {Alavkin,A (2460)-Kokarev, D (2603)/Kazan/2009/}) 13. Bd2 e6 14. Rac1 Rfe8 15. Be3 $146 (15. Ne3 Nd4 16. Qd3 Nd7 17. Kh1 Nc5 18. Qb1 Rac8 19. b4 Nd7 20. Qd3 Qb8 21. f4 b5 $132 { /=/+,Malakhov,V (2715)-Hracek,Z (2606)/EU Cup Ohrid/2009/}) 15... Ne5 16. Na3 Rac8 17. b3 Qa5 18. Nab1 d5 19. f4 Nc6 20. e5 Nh5 21. Qf2 $6 (21. g4 Ng3 22. Qf2 Nxf1 23. Bb6 Qb4 24. Bc5 $11) 21... d4 $1 22. Bxd4 Nxd4 23. Qxd4 g5 $1 24. fxg5 Bxe5 25. Qf2 Bf4 (25... Ng3 $1 26. Rfe1 Bd6 $40 {Safarli}) 26. Ne4 Bxc1 27. Rxc1 Qe5 28. Re1 Kh8 29. Nbd2 $36 {Tiviakov,S (2656)-Hou,Y (2623)/ Hoogeveen/2012/}) (9. O-O Nc6 $132 {once again leads to Kasparov-The World.}) 9... Qc7 $5 {With f3 instead of h3 this move is still rare - Black doesn't have the blow on e4 from the previous note!} ({The standard continuation is} 9... O-O 10. Be3 (10. O-O Rc8 11. b3 d5 $1 {is Ivanchuk's brilliant idea, Black easily equalised in the stem game} 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 e6 14. Be3 exd5 15. cxd5 Na6 16. Rc1 Rxc1 17. Qxc1 Nb4 18. Qd2 Nxd5 19. Ne2 Qe7 {1/2,Delchev,A (2577)-Ivanchuk,V (2704)/EU-ch Istanbul/2003/}) (10. Bg5 {is rare and for a good reason - here Black easily gets a good position with the accurate} Nc6 $1 (10... Rc8 11. b3 Qd8 12. Qd2 Nc6 13. Nde2 a6 14. a4 Nd7 $132) 11. Nde2 a6 12. a4 Qc7 $1 13. b3 Qa5 14. Qd2 b5 $1 15. cxb5 axb5 16. O-O (16. Nxb5 Nxe4 $36) 16... bxa4 17. bxa4 Rfc8 (17... Nd7 $5 {[%csl Ra4][%CAl Yd7c5,Yd7b6]}) 18. Rfb1 Nd4 19. Nxd4 Rxc3 20. Kh1 Qc5 (20... Rc5 $15) 21. Rd1 Rc4 22. Be3 Qa5 23. Qd3 Rc3 24. Qe2 Nd7 25. h3 Qa6 26. Qe1 Rc4 27. a5 Nc5 28. Rab1 {Gharamian,T (2471) -Savchenko,S (2545)/Metz/2007/} Na4 $15 {[%csl Ra5][%CAl Ra4c3]}) 10... Rc8 ( 10... Nc6 $5 11. O-O a6 12. a4 e6 {transposes to a satisfactory position from the 5...Nc6 lines, mentioned in the above notes.}) 11. b3 a6 12. a4 e6 (12... Nc6 13. O-O Qd8 14. Rb1 e6 15. Nde2 Qa5 16. Qxd6 Ne8 17. Qd2 Rd8 18. Qe1 Rd3 19. Nd1 Qb4 20. Nc1 Rd7 21. Qxb4 Nxb4 22. Nf2 Nc2 23. Bc5 b6 24. Bxb6 Na3 25. Ncd3 Nxb1 26. Rxb1 $14 {Balogh,C (2664)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2705)/Saint Louis/ 2012/}) 13. Rc1 (13. Nde2 Nc6 14. O-O d5 $1 15. exd5 exd5 16. c5 Re8 17. Bf2 Rad8 18. Nd4 Qc7 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Bd4 a5 21. Ra2 Rb8 22. Ne2 Qb7 23. Qa1 Nh5 $17 {Laznicka,V (2610)-Wojtaszek,R (2635)/CZE-chT/2007/}) 13... Nc6 14. O-O d5 15. exd5 exd5 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. cxd5 cxd5 (17... Nxd5 $142 $5 $11) 18. Bd4 Rd8 19. Qd3 Qb7 20. Ne2 Ne8 21. Rc3 Nc7 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Nd4 Ne6 24. Nxe6+ fxe6 25. Rfc1 Rac8 26. Qe3 Rxc3 27. Rxc3 Qe7 28. Rc6 e5 $132 {Ni Hua (2625) -Areshchenko,A (2570)/Moscow/2005/}) (9... Nc6 10. Nde2 {and we are again back in Caruana-Anand.}) 10. b3 Qa5 {Black's idea is to lure the bishop to b2 instead of its usual deployment on the c1-h6 diagonal (e3 or g5).} (10... Nc6 11. Be3 Qa5 12. Rc1 Nh5 13. Nde2 $5 ({White avoids the endgame after} 13. O-O Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 15. Qxd4 Qc5 $11 {/+/=}) 13... O-O 14. O-O Kh8 15. Qd5 Qa6 16. Qd2 Qa5 17. Kh1 f5 18. exf5 gxf5 19. Nd5 Qd8 (19... Qxd2 $142 $14) 20. Rfd1 Be5 21. Ndf4 Qe8 22. c5 Nxf4 23. Nxf4 dxc5 24. Rxc5 (24. Nd3 $1 $36) 24... Rd8 25. Qe1 Rxd1 26. Qxd1 {Kasparov,S (2500)-Varga,C (2349)/Pardubice/2007/} Bd6 $132) ({A similar type of position arises after} 10... O-O 11. Be3 Qa5 12. Qd2 Nc6 13. Rc1 $11 {/+/=,Loaiza,Y (1902)-Ramirez,H (2089)/Puerto Boyaca/2012/ White's space advantage gives him a slight pull.}) 11. Bb2 (11. Bd2 {also deserves consideration, but} Nc6 {is still fine for Black after} 12. Nd5 (12. Nde2 O-O $132) 12... Qd8 13. Bc3 e6 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. O-O Rd8 $11) 11... Nc6 12. O-O O-O 13. Nce2 $146 {[%mdl 40] Although objectively this novelty is not particularly dangerous, it's in keeping with White's strategy to avoid excessive simplification and retain fighting chances. } (13. Kh1 Nd7 (13... Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Qxc3 17. Qxe7 a5 $44) 14. Nd5 Rfe8 15. Bc3 Qd8 16. Nb5 (16. Qd2 $142 $5) 16... Bxc3 17. Ndxc3 a6 18. Nd4 Qb6 19. Nc2 Rac8 20. Qd2 Qc5 21. Qe3 Nce5 22. Rac1 b5 23. f4 Ng4 { Bolshagin,V (2061)-Kokarev,D (2583)/Moscow/2011/} (23... Qxe3 24. Nxe3 Nd3 25. Rcd1 bxc4 26. Rd2 Nb4 27. Nxc4 Nb6 $11) 24. Qf3 $13) (13. Nd5 Nxd5 {is simpler: } (13... Qc5 14. b4 Qxc4 (14... Nxb4 15. Nxe7+ Kh8 16. Rf2 $5 Qxc4 (16... Nd7 $5 $132) 17. Qa4 a5 18. a3 Qc7 19. Nxg6+ hxg6 20. axb4 $14) 15. Nxc6 Nxd5 16. Rc1 Qxa2 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. exd5 bxc6 19. Qd4+ $44 (19. dxc6 $44)) 14. exd5 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 16. Qxd4 b5 $11 {<=>}) 13... Rfd8 {Anand returns to the idea of pushing d5 either after preparation (e6), or directly as in the game.} (13... Nd7 14. Kh1 (14. Bc3 $6 Qxc3 15. Nxc3 Bxd4+ $15) 14... a6 $13) 14. Bc3 (14. Kh1 $5 {/\} Qb6 (14... Nd7 $5) 15. Qd2 {prevents the following central break. However, Black's position remains solid and he can react differently already on move 14.}) 14... Qb6 15. Kh1 d5 $1 16. Nxc6 ({This is the only way to keep the tension in the position.} 16. exd5 $143 Nxd5 $1 17. cxd5 Rxd5 {wins the piece back and already Black can claim a slight edge:} 18. Qe1 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Bxd4 20. Bxd4 Rxd4 (20... Qxd4 21. Qxe7 Rd7 22. Qe2 Rad8 $15) 21. Qxe7 Rad8 $15 {[%CAl Ra2h2,Gd8d2]}) (16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 {-16.exd5}) 16... bxc6 17. Qe1 $1 {[%CAl Rc3a5]} Rdc8 $6 ({Leaving the d-file perhaps isn't a direct mistake, but it's certainly unnatural. The most logical response was} 17... a5 {/\} 18. e5 Nd7 $5 19. e6 (19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Bd4 Qb4 21. Bc3 Qb6 $11) 19... d4 20. Bd2 $5 (20. Bxd4 Bxd4 21. Nxd4 Qxd4 22. Rd1 Qa7 23. exd7 Rxd7 $11) (20. exf7+ Kxf7 21. Bd2 e5 22. Ng3 Kg8 23. Ne4 Nc5 $11 {/<=>}) 20... Nc5 $5 (20... fxe6 21. Nf4 e5 22. Ne6 $44) 21. exf7+ Kxf7 $11) 18. e5 Ne8 (18... Nd7 $143 19. e6 Bxc3 ( 19... fxe6 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Nf4 e5 22. cxd5 $36) 20. Nxc3 Nf6 21. exf7+ Kxf7 22. Rd1 $5 $14 dxc4 23. Ne4 Nxe4 24. Qxe4 cxb3 25. f4 $40 {[%CAl Rf4f5]}) 19. e6 $5 {[%mdl 128] Carlsen possibly felt his opponent's insecurity and goes for a direct attack. His approach pays off with surprising speed, but Black could have defended better.} ({The alternative was} 19. f4 e6 $5 {is safer.} (19... dxc4 20. f5 $1 {[%CAl Re5e6]} (20. bxc4 Qa6) 20... gxf5 21. Rxf5 $44) (19... Nc7 20. f5 e6 21. f6 Bf8 $13)) 19... fxe6 20. Nf4 (20. Bxg7 {is harmless:} Nxg7 21. Nf4 Qc7 22. Nxe6 Qd6 23. Nxg7 Kxg7 $11) 20... Bxc3 21. Qxc3 $44 d4 (21... Ng7 22. Rae1 (22. Qe5 Qb8 $11) (22. c5 Qc7 23. Nd3 $5 $44 {[%csl Re5]} (23. Qxg7+ Kxg7 24. Nxe6+ Kf6 25. Nxc7 Rxc7 $15 {[%csl Gc6,Gd5,Ge7] [+]})) 22... d4 23. Qd2 c5 24. g4 {transposes back to the game}) 22. Qd2 $5 (22. Qe1 c5 23. Nxe6 Rc6 24. Nf4 e6 25. Nd3 a5 $14 {/<=> is pleasant and almost riskless for White. However, here Black's defence is simpler than in the game, so Carlsen ambitiously envisages a different route for his queen.}) 22... c5 23. Rae1 Ng7 24. g4 $1 {[%csl Rf5] Limits Black's knight and prepares the follwing manoeuvre, which is easy to overlook.} Rc6 $2 {And sure enough, Anand goes astray and fails to meet White's most dangerous idea. Black had better options, leading to balanced positions:} (24... Qc6 25. Nh3 (25. Re5 $44 {[%CAl Yh1g2, Yf1e1]}) 25... Rf8 26. Qh6 Rxf3 27. Kg1 Rxf1+ 28. Rxf1 Qe4 29. Qxh7+ (29. Ng5 $4 Qxg4+ 30. Kh1 Qh5) (29. Rf4 Qe3+ 30. Kg2 Qd2+ 31. Kg1 Qe3+ $11) 29... Kxh7 30. Ng5+ Kg8 31. Nxe4 Rc8 32. Ng5 Rc6 33. Rf7 Rd6 34. Kf2 Rd7 35. Rf4 $14 { [%csl Rc5,Re6,Re7,Rg7]}) (24... Rf8 {White would have possibly preferred to change his plan with} 25. Nd3 $44 (25. Nh3 Rf6 $5 (25... Qc6 {-24...Qc6}) 26. Qh6 g5 27. Qxg5 Qc6 28. Ng1 $5 (28. Nf4 h6 29. Qe5 Raf8 30. Re4 Qd6 $36) 28... a5 29. Re5 $13)) (24... Qd6 25. Re4 (25. Nh3 e5 26. Qh6 Ne6 27. Ng5 Nxg5 28. Qxg5 Qf6 29. Qxe5 Qxe5 30. Rxe5 Rc7 $11) 25... a5 $5 (25... Rf8 26. Nd3 $44 ( 26. Kg2 $44)) 26. Rfe1 Rf8 $132 {[%CAl Ya5a4]}) 25. Nh3 $1 $40 {[%CAl Rd2h6, Rh3g5] Suddenly Black is in trouble - his queen joins the defence one move too late.} Ne8 (25... Qd8 26. Qh6 Kh8 27. Ng5 Qg8 28. Re4 {[%CAl Re4f4]} Rf8 (28... e5 29. Rxe5 Ne6 30. Kg2 $16 {[%csl Re7]}) 29. Rg1 $5 {[%CAl Rg1g3,Rg3h3]} Rf6 30. Rg3 Ne8 31. Rh3 Rf7 $8 32. Rxe6 $5 (32. Nxf7+ Qxf7 33. Re2 $14 {/+/-}) 32... Rxe6 33. Nxe6 Nf6 34. Nxc5 g5 35. Rg3 $16) 26. Qh6 Nf6 27. Ng5 d3 $6 { Hastens the end.} (27... Qa6 28. Re5 Qc8 29. Rfe1 Qf8 30. Qxf8+ (30. Qh3 $5 $40 ) 30... Rxf8 31. Nxe6 Rfc8 32. Nf4 $16) 28. Re5 $1 Kh8 (28... Qc7 29. Nxe6 Rxe6 (29... Qxe5 30. Qg7#) 30. Rxe6 $18) (28... Qd8 29. Nxe6 Rxe6 30. Rxe6 d2 31. Rd1 Qd3 32. Qe3 $18) (28... Rd8 29. Nxh7 $1 Nxh7 30. Qxg6+ Kf8 (30... Kh8 31. Rh5) 31. Qxh7 d2 32. Qh8+ Kf7 33. Qh5+ Kf8 34. Rd1 $18 {[%CAl Re5g5,Rh5g6]}) 29. Rd1 $18 {[%csl Rd3,Rd8][%CAl Gg5f7] Here White has no immediate mate, but Black remains completely paralysed, as due to Nf7 he has no access to the d8-square.} Qa6 30. a4 $5 (30. Rxd3 Qxa2 31. Re1 $1 Re8 (31... Kg8 32. Red1 Qa5 33. f4 $1 $18 {[%CAl Rg5h7]}) 32. Red1 Qb2 33. Rd8 Rc8 34. Nxe6 Ng8 35. Rxc8 Rxc8 36. Qe3 $18 {also wins, but Carlsen doesn't want to give Black even the slightest chance.}) (30. a4 Qc8 31. Rxd3 Qg8 32. Rde3 $18 {[%csl Rc5,Re6]}) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2017.01.24"] [Round "9"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Van Wely, Loek"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B81"] [WhiteElo "2840"] [BlackElo "2695"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2017.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 h6 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. h3 { The position on the board is well known in the version when Black' has already played ...a6. Naturally other moves are possible in this move order and the best score has been when the knight has been exchanged: 8...Nxd4.} g5 (8... Nxd4 9. Qxd4 e5 (9... Bd7 10. f4 Bc6 11. Be3 b5 (11... Qa5 12. O-O-O Nd7 13. Kb1 Nb6 14. b4 e5 15. bxa5 exd4 16. Rxd4 Nd7 17. Nd5 O-O-O 18. Rhd1 Nc5 19. Nb4 $18 {1-0 (37) Short,N (2685)-Sax,G (2600) Debrecen 1992}) 12. O-O Nd7 13. a4 bxa4 14. Nxa4 Be7 15. Nc3 a5 16. Qc4 Qc8 17. Ra2 O-O 18. Rfa1 Bd8 19. Rd1 { 1/2-1/2 (19) Ivanov,A (2537)-Ulybin,M (2586) Moscow 2004}) 10. Qd3 (10. Qa4+ Bd7 11. Qb3 b5 12. O-O Be7 13. f4 O-O 14. g5 hxg5 15. fxg5 Nh5 16. h4 Qb6+ 17. Kh2 Be6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 $14 {1/2-1/2 (24) Sax,G (2570)-Votava,J (2515) Germany 1997}) 10... Be6 11. f4 (11. Be3 Be7 12. O-O-O O-O 13. f4 Qa5 14. g5 hxg5 15. fxg5 Nh7 16. h4 Bxa2 17. Qb5 Qxb5 18. Nxb5 Rfc8 19. Nxa7 Rc7 20. Nb5 Rc6 21. Kd2 $16 {1/2-1/2 (64) Zhang,Z (2596)-Movsesian,S (2629) Mallorca 2004}) 11... Rc8 12. Be3 (12. f5 Bc4 13. Qe3 b5 14. b3 b4 15. Nd1 Bb5 16. c4 bxc3 17. Nxc3 Bc6 18. Qxa7 d5 19. exd5 Bb4 20. Bd2 Bd7 21. Qe3 O-O 22. Rc1 e4 $17 { 0-1 (34) Wahls,M (2609)-Boensch,U (2533) Germany 1999}) 12... Qa5 13. f5 Bc4 14. Qd2 Be7 15. a3 Qc7 16. Kf2 b6 17. Rac1 Ba6 18. Rhd1 Qb8 19. Kg1 Bb7 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. exd5 $11 {1-0 (76) Bacrot,E (2719)-Kempinski,R (2620) Germany 2015}) ( 8... Be7 9. Be3 O-O (9... Ne5 10. f4 Nc4 11. Bf2 Bd7 12. b3 Qa5 13. Qd3 Na3 14. O-O Rc8 15. Nce2 O-O 16. c3 Rfd8 17. Rac1 Nb5 18. a4 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 a6 20. Rfe1 $11 {1/2-1/2 (32) Hort,V (2595)-Andersson,U (2585) Valetta 1980}) (9... Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Bd7 11. f4 Bc6 12. O-O-O Qa5 13. Kb1 Nd7 14. Qd2 Nb6 15. Qe2 Rc8 16. Bd4 O-O 17. h4 e5 18. Bxb6 axb6 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Rc5 21. f5 b5 $11 { 0-1 (39) Palac,M (2605)-Sokolov,A (2568) Metz 2001}) 10. Qe2 (10. O-O Nxd4 11. Qxd4 e5 12. Qd3 Be6 13. Rfd1 a6 14. Ne2 Qc7 15. Ng3 Rfd8 16. Nf5 Bf8 17. g5 Nh5 18. h4 hxg5 19. hxg5 g6 $11 {0-1 (36) Ismagambetov,A (2508)-Yu,Y (2675) Tabriz 2014}) 10... Nxd4 11. Bxd4 e5 12. Be3 Be6 13. O-O-O Rc8 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Bd7 16. Be4 Bg5 17. Kb1 a6 18. Rdg1 Qe7 19. h4 Bxe3 20. Qxe3 f5 $11 {1-0 (67) Grischuk,A (2606)-Ehlvest,J (2627) New Delhi/Teheran 2000}) (8... a6 {The transposition to the known line with ...a6 is certainly playable, but it makes more sense for Black to try using the tempo for a more useful activity.} 9. Be3 (9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. e5 Nd5 11. exd6 Bxd6 12. Ne4 Be5 13. O-O Qc7 14. c4 Nf4 15. Bxf4 Bxf4 16. Qf3 O-O 17. Rad1 Rb8 18. b3 $11 {0-1 (58) Ganguly,S (2668) -Vachier Lagrave,M (2804) Doha 2016}) 9... Be7 (9... Ne5 10. f4 (10. Qe2 g5 ( 10... Qc7 11. f4 Nc4 12. Bc1 Bd7 13. b3 Nb6 14. Qd3 Rc8 15. Bb2 e5 16. Nde2 Be7 17. O-O-O Bc6 18. Kb1 Nbd7 19. Rhf1 Nc5 20. Qe3 $16 {1-0 (79) Leko,P (2743) -Sasikiran,K (2573) Istanbul 2000}) 11. f4 gxf4 12. Bxf4 Nfd7 (12... Bd7 13. O-O-O Rc8 14. Kb1 Be7 15. Rhf1 Rxc3 16. bxc3 Qc7 17. Qe1 Nc4 18. Bc1 Ne5 19. Ka1 Ba4 20. g5 hxg5 21. Bxg5 $14 {1/2-1/2 (27) Timofeev,A (2677)-Movsesian,S (2747) Dagomys 2009}) 13. O-O-O b5 14. Qf2 Bb7 15. Kb1 Qb6 16. Rhf1 Be7 17. Be3 Qc7 18. Nf3 Rh7 19. Bd4 $11 {1-0 (36) Nakamura,H (2710)-Ponomariov,R (2727) San Sebastian 2009}) 10... Nc4 11. Qe2 Nxe3 12. Qxe3 Qb6 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Nd7 15. O-O-O Be7 16. h4 Qc7 17. Rde1 Nb6 18. b3 Bd7 19. Qg3 Rc8 20. Ne4 Nd5 21. Nd6+ Bxd6 22. exd6 Qc5 23. Bxd5 Qxd4 24. Bxb7 Qa1+ $11 {1/2-1/2 (27) Svidler,P (2726)-Movsesian,S (2747) Odessa 2009}) 10. f4 Nd7 (10... Qc7 11. Qd2 Na5 12. b3 Nc6 13. O-O-O Nxd4 14. Bxd4 e5 15. Be3 exf4 16. Bxf4 Be6 17. Rhe1 O-O 18. Ne2 Ne8 19. Nd4 Bf6 20. g5 hxg5 21. Bxg5 $11 {1/2-1/2 (39) Svidler,P (2735)-Sokolov,A (2591) Germany 2005}) 11. O-O Nxd4 12. Qxd4 O-O 13. Qd2 Rb8 14. Ne2 b5 15. Rad1 Qc7 16. f5 Nf6 17. Ng3 Bb7 18. Kh1 Rbd8 19. Bxh6 gxh6 20. Qxh6 d5 21. g5 Qxg3 22. Rd3 $16 {1-0 (29) Anand,V (2804)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2723) Stavanger 2015}) (8... Bd7 9. Be3 (9. f4 a6 10. Be3 Be7 11. Qe2 Qc7 12. O-O-O (12. Nb3 b5 13. a3 Rc8 14. O-O Nh7 15. Rad1 O-O 16. Qf2 b4 17. Na4 bxa3 18. bxa3 Nb8 19. Nb6 Rce8 20. c4 $16 {1-0 (37) Short,N (2660)-Sokolov,A (2596) Bazna 2008}) 12... Rc8 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bd4 b5 15. e5 dxe5 16. Bxe5 Qb7 17. Rhg1 b4 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Qc7 21. Qf3 g6 22. Kb1 O-O $11 { 0-1 (54) Adams,M (2719)-Van Wely,L (2655) Dortmund 2005}) (9. O-O Be7 10. Be3 a6 11. f4 Qc7 12. a4 Rc8 13. Nb3 Na5 14. Nxa5 Qxa5 15. Qd2 Rc4 16. Rad1 Bc6 17. Qd3 Rb4 18. b3 O-O 19. g5 hxg5 20. fxg5 Nd7 21. Na2 $16 {1-0 (47) Short,N (2650)-Sokolov,A (2605) Rotterdam 1989}) 9... Ne5 (9... a6 10. Qe2 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 e5 12. Be3 Rc8 13. O-O Be7 14. f4 exf4 15. Rxf4 Be6 16. Rd1 {1/2-1/2 (16) Bruzon Batista,L (2648)-Ehlvest,J (2597) Merida 2006}) 10. Qe2 Rc8 11. f4 (11. O-O-O Rxc3 12. bxc3 Qa5 13. f4 Qxc3 14. fxe5 dxe5 15. Rd3 Qa1+ 16. Kd2 Bb4+ 17. c3 Qb2+ 18. Nc2 Ba5 19. Qd1 Bc6 20. Qb1 Qxb1 21. Rxb1 $16 {1-0 (29) Naiditsch, A (2697)-Ponomariov,R (2727) Villarrobledo 2009}) 11... Nc4 12. O-O-O Qb6 13. b3 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 e5 15. Nd5 Qc5 16. c4 exd4 17. Rxd4 Nxd5 18. exd5+ Kd8 19. Qc3 Be7 20. b4 Qb6 $19 {0-1 (25) Naiditsch,A (2689)-Ponomariov,R (2739) Moscow 2009 }) 9. Nxc6 {Carlsen has never been known as a great expert in theory and he decides to try a sound positional approach by activating the bishop on g2.} (9. Be3 Ne5 10. Qe2 Bd7 11. O-O-O Rc8 12. Ndb5 Rc6 13. f4 gxf4 14. Bxf4 Qb8 15. Rhf1 Be7 16. g5 hxg5 17. Bxg5 Ng8 18. h4 a6 19. Nd4 Rxc3 20. bxc3 Qc7 21. Qe1 $14 {1-0 (44) Forster,R (2463)-Atlas,V (2475) Switzerland 2002}) 9... bxc6 10. e5 Nd5 (10... dxe5 11. Bxc6+ Bd7 12. Bxa8 Qxa8 13. Rg1 Bc6 14. Qe2 $16) 11. exd6 Qxd6 $6 {If Van Wely would like to play the line again he should look into the much more natural recapture with the bishop. The queen comes to the fore way too soon and will become vulnerable on d6.} (11... Bxd6 $5 12. Ne4 Be5 13. c4 Nf4 $11) 12. O-O Ba6 13. Re1 Be7 14. Ne4 Qc7 15. c4 Nb4 (15... Bxc4 $2 16. Qd4 $18) (15... Nf4 16. Bxf4 gxf4 17. Qa4 $16) 16. b3 {In order not to criticise the choice of the much better player I will just note, that developing the bishop to e3 would have been unpleasant for Black.} (16. Be3 $5 Rd8 17. Qb3 Rd3 18. Nc3 $16) 16... Rd8 17. Qf3 Nd3 18. Rd1 Nxc1 19. Raxc1 Qf4 { The opening has not helped Black to full equality as White has the better pieces and pawn structure.} (19... O-O 20. Nf6+ Kg7 21. Nh5+ Kg8 22. Qc3 f6 23. Rxd8 Bxd8 24. Rd1 $16) 20. Rxd8+ Bxd8 (20... Kxd8 $2 21. Rd1+ Ke8 22. Qc3 $18) 21. Qxf4 gxf4 22. Nc5 Bc8 23. Bxc6+ {Losing a pawn in a simple position is dangerous, especially against a player with very good endgame technique.} Ke7 24. Bf3 (24. Rd1 h5 25. g5 $16) 24... Bb6 25. Nd3 Rd8 26. Nb4 Bd7 (26... Rd2 27. c5 $16) 27. c5 {The concept of restricting the opponent's pieces represents a powerful strategic measure. Rather than advancing towards the promotion square the pawn is helping to limit the dark-squared bishop.} Ba5 28. Rc4 Rc8 (28... Bc7 29. Na6 Be5 30. a4 $16) 29. c6 Bxb4 {Van Wely had no better choice than transposition to the rook endgame a pawn down.} (29... Be8 30. Rxf4 $16) 30. Rxb4 Bxc6 31. Bxc6 Rxc6 32. Rxf4 {[%mdl 4096] A rather instructive moment and typical for Carlsen. Instead of givig Black the chance for real counterplay in the line 32.Rb7 the world champion prefers rather to work longer in an endgame with an extra pawn.} (32. Rb7+ Kf6 33. Rxa7 Rc2 34. a4 e5 $16) 32... a5 (32... Ra6 33. a4 Rb6 34. b4 $16) 33. Kg2 (33. Rc4 Rd6 (33... Rxc4 34. bxc4 Kd6 35. f4 Kc5 36. h4) 34. Rc5 a4 35. bxa4 Rd3 36. Kg2 Ra3 37. Ra5 Rxa2 38. Kg3 $16) 33... Rc5 34. h4 Rd5 35. Kf3 f6 {Once the pawn is missing all the choices in the endgame become difficult. Black can wait and slowly die or fight back and hope for a small miracle.} (35... Rd3+ 36. Ke2 Rh3 37. h5 f5 38. Ra4 fxg4 39. Rxa5 $16) 36. Ke3 h5 (36... Rb5 37. f3 Rd5 38. Rc4 $16) 37. f3 hxg4 (37... Rb5 38. Rc4 Kf7 39. Rc6 Rd5 40. a4 $16) 38. fxg4 Rd1 39. Ra4 Re1+ (39... Rh1 40. h5 f5 41. Rxa5 Kf6 42. gxf5 Rxh5 43. Kf4 $16) 40. Kf3 Re5 41. Rc4 Rd5 42. h5 {The passed pawn on h5 will play an important role as Black will have to watch out for its sudden rush forward.} Rd2 43. Ra4 Rd5 44. Ke3 Rg5 45. Rc4 Kd6 (45... f5 46. h6 Kf6 47. gxf5 Rh5 48. fxe6 Rxh6 49. Re4 Ke7 50. Kd4 $18) 46. Kf4 Rd5 $6 (46... e5+ 47. Kg3 Rg8 48. Kf3 $18) 47. Rc8 $1 Rd4+ 48. Kg3 {White is not active effectively on both flanks and the defence becomes overwhelmed.} Kd7 (48... Rd3+ 49. Kh4 Kd7 50. Ra8 Rd1 51. Kg3 $18) 49. Ra8 Rd3+ 50. Kg2 (50. Kf4 Rh3 51. Rxa5 $18) 50... Rd2+ 51. Kf3 Rd3+ (51... Rxa2 $2 52. h6 $18) 52. Ke4 Rh3 53. Rxa5 e5 54. Kf5 Rf3+ 55. Kg6 e4 56. h6 e3 57. h7 Rh3 (57... e2 58. h8=Q e1=Q 59. Rd5+ Kc6 60. Qa8+ $18) 58. Ra7+ Kd6 59. Ra8 { Defending a worse endgame against Carlsen is well known to be a task which is not for the faint-hearted....} (59. Ra8 e2 60. Re8 Rh4 61. Rxe2 Rxg4+ 62. Kh5 Rg5+ 63. Kh4 Rg1 64. Rh2 $18) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2017.01.15"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2840"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2017.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Some experts believe that Rado must be a tough opponent for Magnus. Part of it is Wojtaszek's experience as Vishy Anand's primary opening theory specialist during his preparation for the World Championship matches, which we assume included their going over every game Carlsen ever played. There's also a memorable upset win Radoslaw scored two years ago on the same stage at the 2015 Tata Steel tournament.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a3 $5 {Just like that Carlsen goes off the theoretical path as early as on move 6, repeating Karjakin's experiment from round one. We can safely assume Wojtaszek was not prepared to face it.} e5 {It is largely a matter of taste. Rado goes the Najdorf way,} ({while some of us would prefer the Scheveningen Variation after} 6... e6 7. f4 Nc6 8. Nf3) 7. Nf5 ({Much more common is} 7. Nf3 {if the word "common" can be applied to the 6.a3 line at all. Russian GM Dvoyris played it a couple of times, and there also was a recent blitz game Harikrishna-Giri. All in all, the white pawn on a3 does not look out of place, and a tempo spent on that move is the same tempo White often loses by stopping over on e3 with his dark-squared bishop on its way to g5.}) 7... d5 8. Bg5 d4 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 $2 {I ablosutely loathe this move. In the name of preserving his pawn structure intact Black invites another white knight to come up to the centre of the board.} (9... gxf6 10. Ne2 Qb6 ({or} 10... Qa5+ 11. Qd2 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 Be6) 11. Rb1 (11. b4 a5 $132) 11... Be6 12. Qc1 Nd7 { has to be absolutely fine for Black.}) 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. Qg4 $1 {Carlsen immediately hits on the right idea.} Bxf5 ({The point was to answer} 11... g6 { with} 12. Qg3 Nc6 13. Nxd4 $1) 12. Qxf5 {Already here it became painfully clear that White will win this game. Magnus always wins when he can get his pieces to safe squares, and the opponent doesn't have any dynamic possibilities.} Bd6 13. h4 $5 Nc6 14. Bc4 b5 15. Bb3 Ne7 16. Qg4 O-O 17. Rh3 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Ra7 19. Rg3 Qf6 20. a4 {This move indicates Magnus's desire to open a second front. He must have felt his kingside intiative alone wouldn't be enough.} Bb4+ $2 {And Wojtaszek just plays along!} (20... b4 {had to be the right move simply because it does not accommodate the opponent's intentions.}) 21. Kf1 bxa4 22. Rxa4 a5 23. Ra1 Rc7 24. Bb3 Ra8 25. Kg1 Bf8 26. Qh5 g6 27. Qg4 Ra6 28. h5 Qf4 29. Qe2 Qf6 30. Qb5 Qc6 $4 ({I don't see anything wrong with.} 30... Rc5) 31. Qxe5 Re7 32. Qf4 a4 33. Bd5 Qc7 34. Qd2 Qb6 35. Ra2 Rc7 36. Rf3 Qb4 37. Qe2 Rb6 38. hxg6 hxg6 39. g3 Kg7 40. Kg2 Rd7 41. Qd1 Rf6 42. Rxf6 Kxf6 43. c3 dxc3 44. Rxa4 {We have seen enough games like this. What are these guys thinking... playing passively against Magnus Carlsen?} 1-0 [Event "Linares 19th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2002.02.25"] [Round "3"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B49"] [WhiteElo "2838"] [BlackElo "2757"] [Annotator "Ribli,Z"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2002.02.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 088"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 {Kasparov spielt gerne die sogenannte Klassische Variante, aber auch die andere Hauptvariante mit 6.Be3 und 7.Bd3.} a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Be3 Bb4 {Dieser Zug ist heutzutage sehr populär. Anstelle des Textzuges kann Schwarz mit 8...d6 oder 8...Be7 9.f4 d6 die Scheweninger Variante wählen.} 9. Na4 Be7 {Das ist die beste Fortsetzung - der Läufer muss früher oder später das Feld b4 verlassen. Die Alternative wäre hier 9...0-0.} 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8 13. Bd4 {Das ist der Schlüsselzug für Weiß, heutzutage wird dieser Zug oft gespielt - die Alternative ist 13.e5.} O-O {Dieser Zug ist eine Seltenheit - gewöhnlich spielt Schwarz 13...c5.} (13... c5 14. Be5 Rb6 15. Qd3 d6 16. Bc3 O-O 17. b3 d5 18. e5 (18. exd5 Nxd5 19. Bd2 Nb4 20. Qc4 Rd6 21. Bxb4 cxb4 22. Qxb4 Qxc2 23. Bxa6 Rxa6 24. Qxe7 Rxa2 $11 {So verlief die Partie Kasparov-Anand, Frankfurt (rapid) 2000.}) 18... Nd7 19. f4 f5 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Bf3 { 1-0 Kasparov,G-Lautier,J/Cannes 2001/CBM 82/[Ribli] (37)}) (13... Qc7 14. e5 Nd5 15. b3 c5 16. Bb2 Rb6 17. Bc4 Nb4 18. Qe2 a5 19. Rad1 O-O 20. Rd2 Nc6 21. Rfd1 Rd8 22. Bc3 g6 23. Bb5 Nd4 24. Bxd4 cxd4 25. Rxd4 d6 {1/2-1/2 Onischuk, A-Epishin,V/Germany 1999/GER-chT (48)}) 14. e5 {Die Partiefortsetzung ist sehr logisch. In der ersten Runde dieses Turniers spielte Weiß stattdessen 14.Qd3 (Shirov - Anand).} (14. Qd3 Qc7 15. b3 a5 16. Rad1 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 (17... cxd5 $5) 18. Bf3 Rfd8 19. c4 Nf6 20. Qc3 Bd6 21. g3 c5 $5 (21... e5 22. Be3 $14) 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Qxf6 Be7 24. Qh6 {1/2-1/2 Shirov,A-Anand,V/Linares 2002/CBM 88 (52)}) 14... Nd5 15. c4 (15. b3 Nf4 16. Bc4 c5 17. Be3 Ng6 18. f4 Rb6 $5 19. Qe2 d5 20. exd6 Rxd6 21. Qf2 $14 {1-0 Ivanchuk,V-Lautier,J/Monte Carlo 2000/ CBM 76/[Ribli] (41)}) 15... Nf4 (15... c5 16. cxd5 cxd4 17. d6 (17. Qxd4 $5) 17... Bg5 18. f4 Bd8 19. Rc1 Qb7 20. b3 f6 {1/2-1/2 Polzin,R-Heissler,J/ Germany 1999/GER-chT (45)}) 16. Bf3 $14 {Weiß hat Raumvorteil und das Läuferpaar. Andererseits hat die Stellung einen eher geschlossenen Charakter, und Schwarz besitzt eine wenn auch etwas passive, so doch solide Stellung.} ( 16. g3 Nxe2+ 17. Qxe2 c5 18. Bc3 f6 19. Rad1 $14 fxe5 20. Bxe5 Rb6 21. Rd2 Bf6 22. Bxf6 Rxf6 23. Rfd1 Rf7 24. Rd3 {1-0 Tseshkovsky,V-Tregubov,P/Krasnodar 2000/EXT 2001 (68)}) 16... Qc7 17. Re1 Ng6 (17... f6 $6 18. exf6 Bxf6 $2 19. Bc5 $16) 18. c5 {[%csl Gc5,Ge5] Der Textzug legt die schwarzen Zentrumsbauern fest.} f6 {Schwarz muss das stolze weiße Bauernzentrum sprengen.} 19. exf6 Bxf6 (19... gxf6 $6 20. Qc2 $16) 20. Be4 Nf4 {[%csl Yd5][%CAl Gf4d5]} (20... Bxd4 21. Qxd4 $14) 21. Bxf6 Rxf6 22. Qc2 {[%CAl Gb8b2,Gf6f2] Weiß besitzt spürbar die Initiative. Die schwarze Bauernstruktur ist geschwächt, aber seine Türme stehen gut auf den halboffenen Linien.} h6 (22... Rh6 {[%CAl Gc7h2,Gh6h2]} 23. g3 Nd5 $14 (23... Nh3+ $6 24. Kg2 Rf8 25. f4 g5 26. f5 Nf4+ $2 27. gxf4 Qxf4 28. h3 exf5 29. Bd3 $18)) 23. Rad1 Nd5 {[%csl Gd5]} 24. g3 { Die weißen Figuren sind besser koordiniert, aber Weiß gelingt es nicht, konkrete Drohungen aufzustellen.} a5 {Das ist ein für diese Variante typischer Zug. Der Pa6 war immer ein potentieller Schwachpunkt.} 25. a3 Rff8 ( 25... Rbf8 26. Re2 $14) 26. Re2 Qd8 27. Rd4 $5 {[%CAl Gd4a4,Gd4h4][%mdl 32] Weiß möchte den Turm auf der vierten Reihe mobilisieren. In einigen Varianten kann der Pa5 schwach werden.} Rb7 {Ein guter prophylaktischer Zug. Später kann Schwarz entweder die Türme auf der b-Linie verdoppeln oder - wie in unserer Partie - Ra8 spielen.} 28. Bh7+ Kh8 29. Bd3 Qf6 30. Ra4 Ra8 (30... Rfb8 $2 31. Rxa5 Rxb2 32. Qxb2 $18) 31. Qd2 {[%csl Ra5]} Qd8 32. Bb1 $6 { Es ist verständlich, dass Weiß Qd3 ziehen möchte, aber der Textzug lässt Schwarz zu Rb5 kommen.} (32. Kg2 $14) 32... Rb5 33. Rh4 Qe7 $2 {Ein auf den ersten Blick natürlicher scheinender Zug. Schwarz übersieht aber das folgende taktische Motiv.} (33... Qf8 34. Qd3 Nf6 35. b4 axb4 36. axb4 $11) { [#]} 34. Rxh6+ $1 $16 {[%mdl 64]} Kg8 (34... gxh6 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Re5 $18) 35. Rh4 $2 {Wieder ein natürlich wirkender Zug. Sein Nachteil ist aber, dass Weiß anschließend nicht (so einfach) Bg6 spielen kann.} (35. Bh7+ $1 Kf7 36. Bg6+ $16) 35... Rab8 {[%csl Rb2][%CAl Rb8b1]} 36. Bh7+ Kf7 37. Qd3 Qg5 $1 { [%csl Gg5] Die Dame steht ausgezeichnet auf g5 - Weiß kann weder Bg6+ noch Rg4 spielen, und die schwarze Dame kann später über c1 aktiv ins Spiel eingreifen.} 38. Qd4 {[#]} Rxb2 $1 {[%CAl Gg5c1] Damit gewinnt Schwarz das Material zurück.} 39. Bg6+ (39. Rxb2 Qc1+ 40. Kg2 Rxb2 41. Bg6+ Kxg6 42. Rg4+ Kh5) 39... Kg8 (39... Qxg6 $2 40. Rxb2) (39... Kxg6 $2 40. Rg4 Rxe2 41. Rxg5+ Kxg5 42. Qxg7+ Kf5 43. Qh7+ Kf6 44. Qh4+ $18 {Und Weiß gewinnt den Turm - mit 45.Qh5+ oder 45.Qg4+.}) 40. Bh7+ (40. Rxb2 Qc1+ 41. Kg2 Qxb2) 40... Kf7 41. Bg6+ (41. Rg4 Qc1+ 42. Kg2 Nf6) 41... Kg8 42. Bh7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Eurotel Trophy sim"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2001.10.18"] [Round "1"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Babula, Vlastimil"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2838"] [BlackElo "2566"] [Annotator "Gershon,A"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2001.10.18"] [EventType "simul"] [EventRounds "1"] [EventCountry "CZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 086"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7 6. Nd2 Nf6 7. Nf1 Bg4 8. f3 Be6 9. Ne3 O-O (9... a6 10. a4 Nb4 11. O-O d5 12. exd5 Nbxd5 13. Nexd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Bxd5 15. Qe2 Be6 16. Qxe5 Bf6 17. Qe2 O-O 18. Ne4 Be7 19. Be3 Rc8 $44 { Kucypera,A-Krupa,M/ Brzeg Dolny POL 2001/0-1 (48)}) 10. O-O Nd7 (10... a6 11. a4 Nb4 12. Qe2 Rb8 13. Bd2 Nh5 14. g3 Bg5 15. Rf2 Nc6 16. Raf1 Nd4 17. Qd1 Bxe3 18. Bxe3 Bh3 19. f4 Nf6 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 22. Bh6 $40 {Golubev, M-Parligras,M/ Bucharest ROM 2001/1-0 (26)}) 11. Ned5 Nb6 12. Nxb6 Qxb6 13. Nd5 Bxd5 $6 (13... Qd8 {Ftacnik} 14. f4 $14) 14. Bxd5 {White's going for a small but long term advantage, the light squared B.} Nb4 15. Bc4 Rad8 16. f4 exf4 17. Rxf4 {[%csl Rf7]} d5 (17... Bg5 $2 {Ftacnik} 18. Rxf7 $1 Rxf7 19. Bxf7+ Kxf7 20. Bxg5 $16) 18. exd5 Nxd5 19. Rf5 Nc7 (19... Qe6 {Ftacnik} 20. Qf3 Qe1+ 21. Qf1 Qxf1+ 22. Kxf1 $14) 20. Qf3 $14 Qg6 (20... Bf6 {Ftacnik} 21. c3) (20... Ne6 {Ftacnik} 21. c3 $14) 21. a4 Ne8 {[%CAl Ye8d6]} 22. Be3 {Ftacnik: 'Open position and bishops pair slightly favour Kasparov even though black's position is rock solid.'} b6 (22... Nd6 {Ftacnik} 23. Rxc5 $16) 23. Bb3 Nd6 24. Rd5 (24. Rf4 $4 Bg5 $19) 24... Qf6 25. Rf1 Qxf3 (25... Qxb2 $5 26. Qg3 { [%csl Rf7][%CAl Ge3f4,Gf4e5] is not a position you want to be defending against Kasparov} (26. d4 $143 Qc3 {'!' Ftacnik.} (26... c4 27. Bc1 Qa1 28. Bg5 $18) (26... cxd4 $2 {Ftacnik} 27. Bxd4 Qa3 28. Qg3 $18) 27. dxc5 Nc4 28. Rxd8 Bxd8 29. cxb6 (29. Bf4 {Ftacnik} Qd4+ 30. Qf2 $14) 29... Qxe3+ (29... Ne5 { Ftacnik} 30. Qf2 Qxe3 31. Qxe3 Bxb6 $11) 30. Qxe3 Nxe3 31. Rxf7 $1 Bxb6 (31... Rxf7 32. bxa7 $18) 32. Rf3+ Nc4+ (32... Nd5+ {Ftacnik} 33. Kf1 Rxf3+ 34. gxf3 $14) 33. Kf1 Rxf3+ 34. gxf3 Kf7 $11)) 26. Rxf3 Bf6 $1 {Forcing white to play c2-c3, thus weakenning the 'd3' pawn which allows black to swap one pair of R and make his defensive task easier} 27. c3 Nc8 28. g4 {'!' Ftacnik.} Rxd5 29. Bxd5 Rd8 (29... h6 {- game}) 30. Bc4 Nd6 31. Ba2 h6 32. Bf4 (32. Bxh6 $6 Bxc3 33. bxc3 gxh6 $14) 32... g5 33. Bg3 Kg7 34. Kf1 a6 $2 {creating another weakness (either b6 or c5 P)} 35. Bf2 Rc8 36. Bg3 Rd8 37. Ke2 b5 {'?!' Ftacnik. } (37... Re8+ {Ftacnik} 38. Re3 Rxe3+ 39. Kxe3 Be7 40. d4 $14) 38. a5 {[%csl Ra6]} (38. axb5 axb5 39. Bxd6 Rxd6 40. Rf5 {woulf have been less strong as in the game white has another weakness to play against}) 38... b4 39. Bxd6 { '!' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Babula will be badly suffering in a position with opposite colour bishops, since a6 and f7 are prefect targets.'} (39. Kd2 $4 bxc3+ 40. bxc3 Ne4+ 41. Kc2 Nxc3 $17) 39... Rxd6 40. Kd2 {[%csl Ra6,Rc5,Rf7]} Rd7 41. Rf5 (41. Bc4 Bd8 42. Rf5 Bxa5 43. Rxc5 Bc7 44. h3 a5 $132) 41... Rb7 42. Kc2 ({of course not:} 42. Rxc5 $4 bxc3+ 43. bxc3 Rb2+ $19) 42... bxc3 43. bxc3 Rb5 (43... Re7 {Ftacnik} 44. Bc4 Re5 45. Rf1 $1 (45. Rxe5 {Ftacnik} Bxe5 46. Kb3 Bxh2 47. Bxa6 Bc7 48. Ka4 f5 $132) 45... Re2+ 46. Kb3 Rxh2 47. Bxa6 Bd8 48. Ra1 $18) 44. Bc4 Rxa5 45. d4 {White has a huge advantage due to the more advanced passed pawn and the much more active pieces '!' Ftacnik.} Kg6 46. dxc5 Be7 (46... Kg7 {Ftacnik} 47. Kb3 Ra1 48. c6 $18) 47. c6 $1 (47. Bxf7+ $2 Kg7 48. c6 Rxf5 49. gxf5 Bd6 50. Be6 Kf6 $11) 47... Bd8 (47... Rxf5 $4 48. gxf5+ Kxf5 49. c7 $18) 48. Bxf7+ Kg7 49. Bd5 Rc5 50. c4 {The rest is agony.} Bf6 51. Kd3 Bb2 52. Rf2 Ba1 53. Ke4 Kg6 54. Ra2 1-0 [Event "Eurotel Trophy sim"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2001.10.20"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Hracek, Zbynek"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B38"] [WhiteElo "2838"] [BlackElo "2610"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,I"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2001.10.18"] [EventType "simul"] [EventRounds "1"] [EventCountry "CZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 086"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Ftacnik} c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. e4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Bg7 (7... Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 {-another mainline.}) 8. Be3 O-O 9. Be2 Nxd4 {The best. Another continuations are worse:} (9... Qb6 10. Nxc6 $1 (10. Qd2 $14 Nxe4 $4 11. Nxc6 $18) (10. Na4 $6 Qa5+ 11. Nc3 Nxd4 (11... Qb6) 12. Bxd4 Be6 13. O-O Rfc8 14. Nd5 (14. b3 {-like in this game, with a little difference: K is allocated on g1 instead of h1.}) 14... Bxd5 15. exd5 Nd7 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qd4+ Kg8 18. f4 Qc5 $11 {1-0 Schmeisser,A-Brunner,N/Selestat 2000/EXT 2001 (48)}) 10... Qxc6 (10... Qxe3 $2 11. Nxe7+ Kh8 12. Qxd6 Be6 13. Qd2 $16) 11. Rc1 $14 {1-0 Gasthofer,V-Konotop,V/Briansk 1995/EXT 98 (27)}) ( 9... Nd7 10. Nb3 $1 (10. O-O $6 Qb6 $1 11. Ncb5 $8 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 13. Qxd4 Qxd4+ 14. Nxd4 Nc5 $11 {1/2-1/2 Liang Jinrong-Pigusov,E/Beijing 1996/CBM 54 ext (61)}) 10... b6 11. Rc1 Nc5 12. Nd4 Bb7 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. O-O $14 {1-0 Kuzmin,A-Serra,J/Benasque 1999/EXT 2001 (35)}) ({Worth of attention} 9... e6 $5 {[%CAl Gd6d5]} 10. Qd2 d5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Rd1 Qe7 (12... Qa5 13. O-O Rd8 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. exd5 exd5 16. Nb5 Qxd2 17. Rxd2 $14 {1/2-1/2 Beckwith, P-Djerkovic,M/Toronto 1998/CBM 65 ext (26)}) 13. exd5 (13. Bg5 {[%csl Rf6] [%CAl Gg5e7,Ge4e5]} Qb4 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Qxd2+ 17. Rxd2 exd5 $11) 13... exd5 14. cxd5 (14. O-O Be6 15. Na4 Rfd8 16. Bc5 Qc7 17. Qc1 $11 {1-0 Vranesic,Z-Ross,D/Ontario 1980/EXT 98 (74)}) 14... cxd5 15. O-O Rd8 16. Bd4 $14) (9... Qa5 10. Nb3 $1 Qd8 11. Qd2 Be6 12. Rc1 $14 {1-0 Lau,R-Relange,E/ Germany 1999/GER-chT2 (43)}) 10. Bxd4 ({Here White can't play} 10. Qxd4 $2 { because of} Ng4 $15) 10... Be6 (10... Nd7 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. Qd4+ f6 13. Rd1 a5 14. f4 a4 (14... Qb6 15. Qd2 Qc6 16. Nd5 Re8 17. O-O Nc5 18. Bf3 Be6 19. e5 $14 {[%csl Rc6]}) 15. h4 Qa5 16. Qe3 Qc5 17. Qf3 $14 {1-0 Rodriguez,A-Enjuto Velasco,R/Malaga 2000/CBM 74 ext (20)}) 11. O-O (11. Rc1 Nd7 12. Be3 a6 13. O-O Qa5 $1 $132 (13... Rc8 14. b3 b5 15. Nd5 bxc4 (15... Bxd5 16. Qxd5 $14) 16. Rxc4 Rxc4 17. Bxc4 a5 18. Qd2 $14 {1/2-1/2 Portisch,L-Yermolinsky,A/Yerevan 1996/EXT 97 (48)})) 11... Qa5 (11... Nd7 12. Bxg7 (12. Be3 Qa5 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. cxd5 Rfc8 15. Qb3 Nc5 $15 {0-1 Perera,P-Ivkov,B/Las Palmas 1989/EXT 97 (40)}) 12... Kxg7 13. f4 $14) (11... Nh5 12. f4 Bxd4+ 13. Qxd4 Ng7 (13... Qb6 14. Qxb6 axb6 15. f5 $16 {[%csl Rh5][%CAl Ge2h5]}) 14. b3 Qa5 15. b4 Qc7 16. Rac1 Rfc8 17. Qe3 $14 (17. b5 b6 18. Bd3 Qc5 19. Qxc5 Rxc5 $15 {1-0 Arias,L-Juarez Flores,G/Guatemala City 2000/CBM 77 ext (75)})) 12. Kh1 $1 $146 {This move is novelty. White had tried here various possibilities:} (12. Qd2 Rfc8 13. b3 a6 14. Rfd1 (14. Be3 b5 $15) 14... Nd7 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 $132 {[%CAl Gb7b5,Ga5c5]}) ( 12. a3 Nd7 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. Qd4+ f6 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 Qb6 {This is one of opening main ideas: to simplify position by total exchanges and space advantage neutralization and good counterplay on dark squares in endgame.} 17. Qxb6 Nxb6 18. Kf2 Rfc8 19. b3 a5 20. Rac1 Rc5 21. Rfd1 Rac8 22. Rb1 R5c7 23. a4 Nd7 24. Ke3 Nc5 $11 {1/2-1/2 Lautier,J-Milos,G/Palma de Mallorca 1989/TD (42)}) ({Can be recommended also} 12. Rc1 Rfc8 13. b3 Nd7 (13... Rab8 14. f4 $5 $14 ( 14. Qd2 a6 15. Rfd1 b5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nd5 Qxd2 18. Nxf6+ exf6 (18... Kg7 $5 19. Rxd2 (19. Nh5+ Kh6 20. Rxd2 Kxh5 21. f4+ Kh6 $11) 19... Kxf6 $11) 19. Rxd2 bxc4 20. Bxc4 Bxc4 21. Rxc4 Rxc4 22. bxc4 Rb6 $11 {1/2-1/2 Buckley,S-Plantet,S/ Paris 1996/Juniors (32)})) (13... a6 14. f4 (14. a4 Nd7 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Qd4+ f6 17. Kh1 Qb4 18. Bd1 Nc5 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 b5 $132 {1/2-1/2 Bartos, A-Paulovic,M/CZE 1997/EXT 98 (64)}) 14... b5 15. f5 Bd7 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nd5 Bg5 18. Rc2 Bc6 19. Kh1 b4 (19... Bxd5 $2 20. Qxd5 {[%csl Rf7,Rg5]} Bf6 21. c5 $16 {1/2-1/2 Iljushin,A-Nevostrujev,V/Smolensk 2000/CBM 77 (58)}) 20. Bd3 $14) 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. f4 a6 16. f5 gxf5 17. Qd4+ f6 18. exf5 Bf7 ({Not} 18... Bxf5 19. b4 Qa3 20. Qe3 {[%csl Re7,Rf5]} e6 21. g4 Bg6 22. Qxe6 $18) 19. Bf3 Rab8 20. Bd5 $14 {1-0 Sunye Neto,J-Limp,E/BRA 1995/EXT 97 (61)}) (12. Nd5 $6 $11 { Premature jump} Bxd5 13. exd5 Nd7 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Qd4+ Kg8 16. Rfe1 Rfe8 $132 {1/2-1/2 Ibragimov,I-Filippov,V/Novgorod 1995/EXT 2000 (51)} (16... Qb6 $11)) ( {Worth of attention} 12. f4 $5 Rac8 13. b3 Rfe8 14. Rc1 a6 15. a4 Rb8 16. Kh1 ( {White avoids from} 16. Qd2 $2 Nxe4 $1) 16... Rec8 17. Qd3 Qd8 18. Rcd1 $14 { 1-0 Iljushin,A-Kurnosov,I/St Petersburg RUS 2001/The Week in Chess 345 (42)}) 12... Rfc8 13. b3 Nd7 14. f4 Bxd4 15. Qxd4 Qc5 16. Qd3 {White can avoid QQ exchange - K placed on h1.} f6 17. Qg3 (17. f5 $6 {Ftacnik} Ne5) 17... Rf8 $2 $16 (17... Re8 $142 18. Rad1 $14 (18. b4 Qxb4 19. Rab1 Qa3 20. Rxb7 Nc5 $15)) 18. Rad1 $2 $14 ({Very strong was} 18. b4 $1 Qc7 $5 (18... Qxb4 19. f5 Bxc4 20. Rab1 Qc5 21. fxg6 $16) (18... Qc6 19. c5 (19. Nd5 Rfe8 20. Bf3 Bf7 21. e5 Qxc4 22. Rfc1 $16) 19... dxc5 20. f5 Bf7 21. Bb5 Qc8 22. fxg6 Bxg6 (22... hxg6 23. Nd5 Qd8 24. Rad1 Ne5 25. Nxf6+ exf6 26. Rxd8 $18) 23. Nd5 Rf7 24. Nc7 $16 { [%csl Ra8,Rf7][%CAl Gb5c4]}) 19. Nd5 Qd8 (19... Bxd5 20. cxd5 a5 21. Rfc1 Qd8 22. a3 $16 {[%CAl Ge2g4]}) 20. Ne3 $16) 18... Rae8 {[%csl Re7][%CAl Ge8e7] Now Pe7 is protected.} 19. h3 (19. b4 $6 Qxb4 20. Rb1 Qa3 21. f5 Bf7 22. Rxb7 Nc5 $15) (19. h4 $5 $14 {[%CAl Gh4h5]}) 19... Qa5 20. Bg4 {'!?' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Very creative method of fighting for the advantage, black's pieces are somewhat cramped.'} (20. b4 $6 Qxb4 21. Rb1 Qa3 22. Rxb7 Nc5 $15) 20... Bxg4 21. Qxg4 (21. hxg4 Nc5 22. Rf3 (22. f5 g5 23. Rd2 Nd7 24. Rfd1 Ne5 25. Nd5 $11) 22... Rf7 23. g5 fxg5 24. Qxg5 Ref8 25. Nd5 (25. f5 Rg7 (25... Ne6 26. Qh6 Qe5 27. Nd5 $40) 26. Nd5 gxf5 27. Nxe7+ Kh8 28. Qh6 Nxe4 29. Ng6+ Rxg6 30. Qxf8+ Rg8 31. Qf7 Qxa2 {[%csl Rg2]} 32. Rg1 Qb2 $44) 25... Qd8 26. e5 Kh8 27. b4 Ne4 28. Qg4 $132) 21... f5 (21... Qxc3 $2 22. Qxd7 $16 Qc2 23. Qxb7 Qxa2 24. Ra1 $16) 22. Qf3 fxe4 23. Nxe4 Qxa2 $2 $16 {Black lets White recieve advantage again.} (23... b5 $142 $1 24. cxb5 Qxb5 $14) (23... Nb6 {Ftacnik} 24. a4 $14) 24. Ra1 (24. Ng5 {Ftacnik} Rf5 (24... Nc5 $2 {Ftacnik} 25. b4 Na6 26. Qd5+ Kh8 27. Qd4+ Kg8 28. f5 $16) 25. Ne6 (25. Ra1 {Ftacnik} Qb2 26. Rxa7 Nc5 27. Ne4 Qxb3 $11) 25... Nc5 26. Nxc5 dxc5 27. Ra1 Qd2 28. Rxa7 Ref8 $11) 24... Qb2 25. Rxa7 Qd4 (25... Rb8 {Ftacnik} 26. Qd3 $16) 26. Rxb7 (26. Raa1 $6 {Ftacnik} Ne5 27. Qe2 Rxf4 $15) 26... Ne5 27. Qe2 Nd3 28. f5 $2 $11 {After this mistake Black equalizes by force. '?!' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Hracek was not happy about his position, but this Kasparov's move gives him chances to survive.'} ({ Right was} 28. g3 $1 d5 (28... h6 29. Rf3 Qa1+ 30. Kh2 Qa8 31. Rb5 Nc1 32. Qc2 $18) 29. Ng5 (29. Nf2 $1 {Ftacnik} dxc4 30. Nxd3 cxd3 (30... Qxd3 {Ftacnik} 31. Qxd3 cxd3 32. Rd1 $16) 31. Qe6+ Kh8 32. Rd7 Qc3 33. Rd1 $16) 29... e5 {'!' Ftacnik.} 30. Nxh7 (30. fxe5 {Ftacnik} Rxf1+ 31. Qxf1 Nxe5 $13) 30... exf4 31. Nf6+ (31. Re7 Rxe7 32. Qxe7 Rf5 33. gxf4 (33. g4 {Ftacnik} Nf2+ 34. Rxf2 Qxf2 35. gxf5 Qf1+ $11) 33... Nf2+ 34. Rxf2 Qxf2 35. Nf6+ Rxf6 36. Qxf6 Qf1+ $11) 31... Qxf6 32. Qxd3 d4 (32... Qc6 33. Qxd5+ Qxd5+ 34. cxd5 fxg3 35. Rxf8+ Rxf8 36. Kg2 $18) 33. Qf3 Qf5 34. g4 Qe4 35. c5 Qxf3+ 36. Rxf3 Re3 37. Kg2 Rc3 38. Rxc3 dxc3 39. Rb4 $18 {[%csl Gc5][%CAl Gb4c4]}) 28... Rxf5 $8 29. Rxf5 gxf5 30. Qh5 (30. Ng3 {Ftacnik} Nf4 31. Qf3 e6 $14) (30. Nf6+ {Ftacnik} Qxf6 31. Qxd3 Qa1+ 32. Kh2 Qe5+ $11) 30... Ra8 31. Rxe7 (31. Qxf5 $2 Qxe4 $17) (31. Qg5+ Kh8 32. Qxe7 Ra1+ 33. Kh2 Qg1+ 34. Kg3 Qe3+ 35. Kh2 Qg1+ $11) 31... Ra1+ 32. Kh2 Qg1+ 33. Kg3 Qe1+ 34. Kh2 Qg1+ 35. Kg3 Qe1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Eurotel Trophy"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2002.05.01"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B34"] [WhiteElo "2838"] [BlackElo "2711"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,I"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2002.04.28"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "CZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 089"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.08.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.08.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nxc6 { According to modern opening theory, this variation shouldn't promise to White any advantage, but Kasparov has his own opinion...} bxc6 8. e5 Ng8 9. f4 f6 10. Bd4 Qa5 11. Qd2 {This continuation leads to P sacrifice and very rich activity of White.} (11. Qe2 fxe5 12. Bxe5 Nf6 (12... Bxe5 13. Qxe5 Qxe5+ 14. fxe5 Nh6 15. O-O-O Rf8 16. Re1 Bb7 17. Ne4 O-O-O 18. Nc5 $14 {1-0 Radulski,J-Tsvetkov,I/ Tsarevo BUL 2001/The Week in Chess (53)}) 13. Qc4 (13. O-O-O O-O 14. Bd4 d5 { [%CAl Gc8g4]} (14... Rf7 15. Qe3 Rb8 $132) 15. Qe1 (15. Qxe7 $2 Bg4 16. Rd3 Rae8 17. Qxa7 Re1+ 18. Kd2 (18. Nd1 Qxa7 19. Bxa7 Ne4 $17) 18... Rd1+ 19. Ke3 Re8+ 20. Kf2 Ne4+ 21. Kg1 Bxd4+ 22. Qxd4 Nxc3 23. bxc3 Rde1 $17) 15... Rb8 16. a3 Rb7 17. Nb1 Qxe1 18. Rxe1 Bh6 19. g3 $14 {1-0 Kovchan,A-Vokarev,S/Swidnica 1999/EXT 2000 (53)}) 13... Qb6 14. O-O-O d5 15. Qa4 O-O 16. Bd4 Qc7 17. Be5 Qb6 18. Bd4 Qc7 19. g3 Bg4 20. Rd2 Bf3 21. Bg2 Bxg2 22. Rxg2 e6 {[%CAl Gc6c5]} 23. Qa3 Rac8 {[%csl Rc5][%CAl Gc6c5]} 24. Re1 c5 $11 {1/2-1/2 Ulibin,M-Serper,G/ Tbilisi 1989/CBM 12 (27)}) (11. exf6 Nxf6 12. Bc4 d5 13. Bd3 Rb8 14. Qd2 O-O 15. Ne2 Qxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Nd7 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Nd4 Rf6 19. Rae1 Kf7 20. b3 c5 21. Nf3 Rxf4 22. Ng5+ Ke8 23. Nxh7 Rb6 24. g3 $11 {1-0 Tseitlin,M-Mikac,M/Ostrava 1991/CBM 26 (51)}) 11... fxe5 (11... Nh6 12. exf6 exf6 13. Bc4 d5 14. O-O-O dxc4 (14... Be6 15. Rhe1 Kf7 16. Rxe6 $1 $18 {1-0 Kovalev,A-Roizman,A/Minsk 1981/MCD (21)}) 15. Qe2+ Kf7 16. Rhe1 Qb4 17. a3 Qd6 18. g3 $13 {[%csl Rc4] [%CAl Gc3e4,Ge2c4]}) (11... c5 12. Be3 Rb8 13. Bc4 Nh6 14. Nd5 (14. O-O Ng4 $132 {0-1 Pieri,F-Eberlein,W/Metz 1990/EXT 99 (24)}) 14... Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 fxe5 16. fxe5 Ng4 17. Bxc5 Nxe5 18. Bb3 $16) 12. fxe5 c5 (12... Bxe5 13. O-O-O Nf6 14. Re1 Bxd4 15. Qxd4 O-O 16. Rxe7 Qg5+ 17. Kb1 d5 18. Bd3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Varavin,V-Khasin,A/Elista 1994/CBM 44 (47)}) 13. Be3 (13. Bf2 Bxe5 14. Bc4 Rb8 15. Bg3 Bxg3+ 16. hxg3 Nf6 17. O-O Ba6 18. Qf4 Rb4 19. Rae1 Kd8 20. Rxe7 $1 $16 {1-0 Mansurov,V-Ponomariov,B/Yalta 1995/EXT 97 (55)}) 13... Bxe5 14. Bc4 Nf6 15. O-O Ba6 $1 $146 {[%mdl 4] Novelty. Black decided to simplify position even with giving back a P...} ({In a couple of games played with this variation was } 15... Bb7 16. Rae1 (16. Bf4 $6 Bd4+ 17. Kh1 Ba6 $44 {1/2-1/2 Haag,E-Hennings, A/Zinnowitz 1966/EXT 2000 (24)}) 16... O-O-O 17. Nd5 (17. Qe2 $2 d5 $19 { 0-1 Pieri,F-Nielsen,P/Forli 1992/TD (29)}) 17... Qxd2 18. Nxe7+ Kb8 19. Bxd2 Ne4 (19... Ng4 20. h3 Bd4+ 21. Kh1 Ne5 22. Bb5 Rde8 (22... Bxb2 23. Rb1 Rde8 24. Rxb2 Rxe7 25. Ba6 d5 26. Rfb1 $18 {[%csl Rb7]}) 23. c3 Rxe7 24. cxd4 cxd4 25. Bb4 $16 {1-0 Sikorova,O-Slepankova,R/Ostrava 1997/EXT 98 (43)}) 20. Bf4 Bxf4 21. Rxf4 Nd6 22. Bd5 $14 {1-0 Sikora,J-Kutynec,V/Prerov 1995/EXT 97 (62)}) 16. Bxa6 Qxa6 17. Bxc5 d6 (17... Qc4 18. Be3 $44) 18. Rae1 ({Or} 18. Bd4 Bxd4+ 19. Qxd4 Qb6 $11) 18... O-O 19. Bd4 Bxd4+ 20. Qxd4 {[%csl Re7][%CAl Ge1e7]} e5 21. Qd3 {This QQ exchange is equivalent to draw offer...} (21. Qd2 $6 Qb6+ 22. Kh1 Qxb2 23. Rb1 Qa3 $15) 21... Qxd3 (21... Qb6+ 22. Kh1 Qxb2 23. Nd5 $44) 22. cxd3 {It was possible to agree for draw here...} Rab8 23. b3 Kg7 24. Rc1 Rfc8 25. h3 (25. Ne4 $11) 25... a5 26. g4 h6 27. Kg2 (27. Kf2 d5 28. Ke2 d4 29. Ne4 Nxe4 30. dxe4 $11) 27... Rxc3 {Elegant exchange combination...} (27... d5 $132) 28. Rxc3 Nd5 29. Rc6 Ne3+ 30. Kf2 Nxf1 31. Kxf1 a4 32. bxa4 Rb1+ 33. Ke2 Rb2+ 34. Ke3 Rxa2 35. Rxd6 Rxa4 36. Re6 Ra2 1/2-1/2 [Event "EUR-ASIA m 30'"] [Site "Batumi"] [Date "2001.09.19"] [Round "11"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B36"] [WhiteElo "2838"] [BlackElo "2704"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,I"] [PlyCount "139"] [EventDate "2001.09.17"] [EventType "team (rapid)"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 086"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Nxd4 (7... Bg7 $5 8. Be3 O-O 9. Qd2 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Be6 11. Rc1 Qa5 12. Be3 (12. Be2 { -mainline.}) 12... Rfc8 {If we'll compare this position with position in this game, we'll find - Black has one tempo more!Why? Because instead of 3 tempi: Qxd4,Qd4-d2 and Be3 White spent 4: Qd2, Bc1-e3,Be3xd4,Bd4-e3. First of all, maybe one tempo in this position is not so important, White has steady space advantage in both cases. Second, White can play 12.Be2 - see above..} 13. b3 a6 (13... Nd7 14. Nd5 Qxd2+ (14... Qd8 15. Be2 $14 {1/2-1/2 Lanzani,M-Cebalo,M/ Milan ITA 2000 (29)}) 15. Bxd2 Bxd5 16. cxd5 a6 {1/2-1/2 Sax,G-Cebalo,M/Bled 2000/EXT 2001 (16)}) 14. Na4 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Nd7 16. Bd3 Rab8 17. f4 f5 { This type of position we'll see later during this game analysis.} 18. Nb6 Nxb6 19. Bxb6 Bd7 20. Rhf1 Bf6 21. g3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Ghitescu,T-Ostojic,P/Olot 1974/ EXT 99 (21)}) 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 Be6 11. Rc1 Qa5 12. Bd3 (12. b3 Rfc8 13. Nb5 $5 (13. Nd5 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 Nxd5 15. exd5 Bd7 $11 {1-0 Krejci, J-Kurochkin,V/Moravia 1996/EXT 98 (47)}) (13. Be2 Nd7 14. O-O a6 15. Nd5 Qxd2 16. Bxd2 Bxd5 17. exd5 Bd4+ 18. Kh1 Kg7 19. Bg5 Bb2 20. Rc2 Bf6 21. Be3 Rc7 22. Rfc1 a5 $11 {[%csl Gb4,Gc5] 0-1 Panov,V-Geller,E/Skopje 1967/MCD (53)}) 13... Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 Nd7 15. Nd4 Nc5 16. h4 a5 17. h5 Bd7 18. Be2 $132 {0-1 Kortschnoj,V-Anand,V/London 1994/CBM 42 ext (51)}) (12. Nd5 {-mainline.}) 12... Rfc8 13. b3 (13. Nd5 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 Nxd5 15. cxd5 Bd7 $11) 13... a6 (13... Nd7 14. Nd5 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Bxd5 16. exd5 Ne5 17. Be2 a5 18. g4 a4 19. b4 a3 20. f4 Nd7 21. Kd3 Bb2 22. Rc2 $14 {1-0 Rossmann,H-Hanasz,W/Zinnowitz 1975/EXT 2000 (42)}) 14. Ne2 {Except of this rare move, Nc3 can jump to a4 or d5(mainline) with the same idea: to exchange QQ and to recieve space advantage.} (14. Na4 { -most popular continuation.} Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Nd7 16. f4 f5 17. Rhe1 (17. exf5 Bxf5 18. Bxf5 gxf5 19. Nb6 Nxb6 20. Bxb6 Rc6 $11 {1/2-1/2 Kaplan,J-Tarjan,J/ Los Angeles 1974/EXT 98 (25)}) (17. Nb6 Nxb6 18. Bxb6 Kf7 19. Rhd1 Rc6 20. Be3 Bb2 $132 {1-0 Korneev,O-Merino Garcia,R/Albacete 2000/CBM 78 ext (40)}) 17... Kf8 (17... Rc6 18. Bf2 (18. Nc3 Rac8 19. Bf2 Kf8 20. exf5 Bxf5 21. Nd5 $132 { 1/2-1/2 Mc Clelland,S-Perelshteyn,E/New York 1998/EXT 99 (54)}) 18... Re8 ( 18... Nc5 $2 19. Nxc5 dxc5 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Bxc5 $16 {1-0 Liebert,H-Rossmann, H/Potsdam 1974/EXT 98 (28)}) 19. Nc3 (19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Bxf5 gxf5 21. Nc3 Kf7 $132) 19... Nc5 $11) (17... Rc7 18. Nc3 Bxc3+ 19. Rxc3 Nf6 20. exf5 Bxf5 21. Bd4 Kf7 $14 {1/2-1/2 Timoscenko,G-Ivanov,A/Ashkhabad 1978/MCL/ (70)}) (17... Kf7 $2 18. g4 $16) 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Be2 h5 20. Bf3 Rc7 21. Nc3 e6 $14 { 1/2-1/2 Polugaevsky,L-Timman,J/Hilversum 1973/MCD (21)}) (14. Nd5 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Nxd5 16. cxd5 Bd7 $11) (14. O-O b5 15. Nd5 Qxd2 16. Bxd2 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Bd4+ 18. Kh1 Bd7 $11 {0-1 Rawlinson,A-Doss,J/Dallas 2000/EXT 2001 (65)}) 14... Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Nd7 16. Nf4 Nc5 17. Be2 a5 18. h4 $1 $14 {Much better} ({than} 18. Nd5 $6 $11 Bxd5 19. cxd5 (19. exd5 $10) 19... a4 $1 20. Bxc5 $1 (20. b4 $2 Nb3+ $3 $17 21. axb3 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 a3 $1 $17 {0-1 Polgar,J-Antunes,A/Yerevan 1996/EXT 97/[Makarichev] (58)}) 20... axb3 21. axb3 Ra2+ (21... dxc5 22. f4 $10 ) 22. Rc2 $11) {It is not so easy to find proper plan, position of Black is passive.} 18... Na6 {[%CAl Ga6b4]} (18... a4 19. b4 Na6 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rb1 $14 {[%csl Ge2,Ge3]}) (18... h6 $142 $5 19. g4 $14) 19. Rb1 Nb4 20. a3 Nc6 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. f4 {White has pair of BB and space advantage, but Black can play on the dark squares.} Kf7 23. h5 Nd4 24. Bd3 e5 {Black tries to build blockade on the dark squares.} 25. f5 g5 $1 {Good P sacrifice!} (25... gxf5 26. exf5 a4 27. b4 Nb3+ 28. Ke2 $16) 26. h6 $1 {White refuses to take aP} ({in view of} 26. Bxg5 $6 Bf6 27. Be3 Rg8 $44 {[%CAl Gg8g2,Gf6g5,Gg5e3] with sufficient counterplay on the g-line.}) 26... Bf6 27. g4 Nf3+ 28. Ke2 Nd4+ 29. Kf2 e6 $2 { [%mdl 8192] Serious mistake.} ({Right was} 29... a4 30. b4 Rc7 $14) ({Or} 29... Rc6 $14) 30. Rh5 $2 $14 {[%mdl 8192] Kasparov doesn't use his opponent's mistake. Why? Maybe in rapid game he has thought about some plan and played too fast?} ({It was necessary to play} 30. Bxd4 $1 exd4 31. fxe6+ Kxe6 32. e5 dxe5 33. Bxh7 $1 ({not} 33. Bf5+ $2 Kf7 34. Bxc8 Rxc8 35. Rhe1 Kg6 $44) 33... Rh8 34. Bf5+ $16 {[%csl Rd4,Ge4,Re5,Gh6]}) 30... Rc7 $1 {Kasimdzhanov recognizes his mistake and repair his game! R on c7 protects on Ph7.} ({ Badly was} 30... Rg8 $2 {because of the same tactical operation, like on previous move:} 31. Bxd4 $1 exd4 32. fxe6+ Kxe6 33. e5 dxe5 34. Bxh7 $16) 31. a4 ({Now badly is} 31. Bxd4 exd4 32. fxe6+ Kxe6 33. e5 $2 {[%csl Rh7][%CAl Gc7h7] because Ph7 is protected!}) (31. Bxg5 Bxg5 32. Rxg5 Kf6 33. Rh5 (33. Rg7 $6 Rxg7 34. hxg7 Kxg7 (34... Rg8 $1 35. Rh1 Rxg7 36. Kg3 Nxb3 37. Rh6+ Kf7 38. Rxe6 h5 $132) 35. g5 exf5 36. exf5 Nxf5 $1 37. Be4 Rf8 38. Bxb7 Nd4+ $15) 33... Rg8 34. Kg3 (34. Rg1 Rg5 35. Rxg5 Kxg5 36. b4 axb4 37. axb4 $44 {[%csl Gd4,Ge5, Gf6,Gg5]}) 34... b5 $44 {[%csl Gd4,Ge5,Gf6,Gg5]} (34... exf5 35. exf5 d5 36. a4 Rg5 $44 {With sufficient compensation in all noted variations because of blockade on dark squares.})) 31... Rg8 32. Rhh1 Re8 33. Rhd1 Ra8 34. Bd2 Rc6 35. Bc3 Rb6 ({In my opinion, much better is} 35... Rc7 {- to continue to protect on Ph7. White hasn't any active plan, and the game will be drawn.}) 36. Bxd4 $5 exd4 37. e5 Bxe5 $2 $16 ({Much better was} 37... dxe5 38. fxe6+ (38. c5 Rc6 39. fxe6+ Kxe6 40. b4 axb4 41. Rxb4 Rxc5 42. Bxh7 $132) 38... Rxe6 $44) 38. fxe6+ Ke7 (38... Kxe6 $2 39. Bxh7 Rh8 40. Bf5+ Kf6 41. h7 $18) 39. Ke2 $1 { [%CAl Gd1f1]} ({Not} 39. Bxh7 $2 Rh8 40. Bf5 Rxh6 $132) 39... Rf8 40. Rf1 Bf4 ( {On} 40... Rxf1 $2 {goes} 41. Kxf1 $1 ({or} 41. Rxf1 Rxb3 42. Rf7+ Kxe6 43. Rxh7 Rb2+ 44. Kf3 Rb3 45. Ke4 Rb2 46. c5 $1 (46. Kf3 Rb3 47. Ke4 $11) (46. Rc7 Rf2 $17 {[%csl Re4][%CAl Gf2f4]}) 46... dxc5 47. Bc4+ Kd6 48. Rg7 Bf6 49. Rf7 ( 49. Rg6 Ke7) 49... Be7 50. h7 Rh2 51. Kf5 Rh6 52. Rg7 Rh3 (52... Rf6+ 53. Kxg5 $1 $18) 53. Kg6 $18 {[%CAl Gg7g8]}) 41... Kxe6 42. Bxh7 d5 43. c5 $18) 41. Bf5 Rh8 42. Kd3 Be5 43. Be4 Bf4 44. Bf5 Be5 45. Kc2 $1 Bf4 46. Rbd1 Be3 47. Be4 Kxe6 48. Bd5+ Kd7 49. Rf7+ Kc8 $18 {[%csl Rb6,Rc8] Domination.} 50. Rg7 ({ White also can implement another, slow plan:} 50. Rd3 {[%csl Gb3][%CAl Gd3b3]} Kb8 51. Kd1 Ka7 52. Ke2 Ka6 53. Kf3 Bc1 54. Ke4 Bb2 55. Kf5 Bc1 56. Kf6 Bf4 57. Rg7 Rf8+ 58. Ke7 Rh8 59. Kf7 $18 {[%csl Rh7][%CAl Gg7g8]}) 50... Bf4 (50... Kb8 51. Be4 d5 52. Bxd5 Rxh6 53. Rxb7+ Kc8 $16) 51. Rxd4 Be5 52. Rd3 Rf8 53. Rxh7 Rf2+ 54. Rd2 ({Simplier wins} 54. Kd1 $18 {[%csl Rb7,Gh6][%CAl Gh6h8,Gd3f3]}) 54... Rxd2+ 55. Kxd2 Rxb3 56. Re7 Rh3 57. h7 b6 58. Be4 Kd8 59. Rb7 Bd4 60. Bf5 Ke8 61. Rd7 Be5 62. Rb7 Bd4 63. Bg6+ Kd8 64. Bh5 Ra3 65. Rxb6 Kc7 66. Rb5 Rxa4 67. Rxg5 Rb4 68. Kd3 Bb2 69. Rxa5 Kd7 70. Ra8 1-0 [Event "Botvinnik Memorial m"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2001.12.02"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B41"] [WhiteElo "2838"] [BlackElo "2802"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "143"] [EventDate "2001.12.01"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 087"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 {The first surprise, Kramnik used to play different Sicilians earlier (Sveshnikov, Rauzer).} 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 {Also Kasparov avoids his usual repertoire. Until now he played exclusively} (5. Nc3 Qc7 {and only now chose between} 6. Be2 {and} (6. Bd3)) 5... Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 { Black is not interested in the unclear complications after} (6... Bb4 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Nxc6 dxc6 9. e5 Qa5 $5 10. exf6 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Qxc3+ 12. Bd2 Qxd3 13. fxg7 Rg8 $13) 7. a3 d6 $6 {Rare and rather passive. Black voluntarily limits his Bf8, which still could have found scope on c5 or even d6. Therefore more flexible is} (7... Nc6 {or}) (7... b6) ({Also interesting is} 7... Nxe4 $5 8. Nxe4 (8. Nxe6 dxe6 9. Nxe4 Be7 $11) 8... Qe5 9. Bd3 $5 (9. Qd3 d5 $11) 9... Qxd4 10. O-O $44 {when White's lead in development gives him the initiative.}) 8. Be3 b6 9. Rc1 Nbd7 10. Be2 Bb7 11. f3 Be7 12. O-O O-O $14 {Kasparov,G (2838) -Kramnik,V (2809) Botvinnik mem 5' Match blitz 2001 (6) 1-0 A typical Hedgehog position, which until now occured in Kramnik's practice mostly with White. White has the usual () and can prepare advances on both flanks, but Black is not devoid of <=> and his position has no obvious >< points. These positions can arise also from different openings-the English or the Nimzoindian-see the 6-th blitz game of the match.} 13. Kh1 Rac8 14. b4 {[%mdl 4] |^<< White sets his sights on Black's << and shows why this version of the Hedgehog is not too fashionable nowadays-Kasparov demonstrates White's ideal plan.} Qb8 15. Qd2 Bd8 {[%CAl Yd8c7,Yd6d5] /\Bc7,d5 A typical manoeuvre, Black still can't play d5 due to the > This idea has been introduced already by Fischer in 1970.}) 17. Na4 Bc7 18. Bg1 {Protects h2.} Rcd8 19. Rb1 $1 $36 Ba8 {Black must defend against c5 and postpone any active intentions.} (19... d5 20. exd5 exd5 21. c5 b5 22. c6 $5 ( 22. Nb2 Ne5 $132) 22... Bf4 23. Qd3 bxa4 24. cxb7 $16) 20. Qc1 h6 21. Nb2 (21. c5 b5 $1 22. c6 Ne5 $13 {therefore White first improves his pieces.}) 21... Nf8 22. Nd3 Ng6 23. a4 Qc8 24. b5 {Tempting, but probably not the best.} ({ Kasparov afterwards indicated} 24. a5 $1 bxa5 25. b5 $36 {/\} Bb6 $2 26. Nxe6 $1 $16) 24... a5 25. Nc6 (25. e5 Nxe5 26. Nxe5 dxe5 27. Nc6 (27. c5 $5 $13) 27... Bxc6 28. bxc6 e4 $132) 25... Bxc6 26. bxc6 e5 $1 {[%mdl 256] Good defence, maybe Garri relied upon} (26... Ne7 27. e5 $1 dxe5 28. c5 $16 { and the whole << is in White's hands. Kramnik realizes he must keep the position closed.}) 27. Bxb6 Ne7 28. c5 ({More circumspect and without any risk was} 28. Be3 $5 Nxc6 29. Rcb2 $36) 28... d5 29. Bxc7 Qxc7 30. Rb7 Qxc6 31. Rb5 Ng6 32. exd5 Nxd5 33. Nf2 $6 (33. Rxa5 $142 e4 $5 34. fxe4 Rxe4 35. Bf3 Rxa4 36. Rxa4 Qxa4 37. c6 $14 {still forces Black to fight for equality.}) 33... Ngf4 34. Bf1 (34. Rxa5 Qc7 35. Rb5 Nc3 $1 $13 {also costs White an exchange and leads to a similar position as in the game.}) 34... Ne6 35. Rxa5 Qc7 $1 36. Rb5 (36. Ra6 $143 Nb4 $17) (36. Qe1 $143 Ne3 $1 $17) 36... Nd4 37. Rc4 (37. Rcb2 $5 Nxb5 38. axb5 $44) 37... Nxb5 38. axb5 Rb8 {The o^ are too dangerous and Kramnik is more than willing to give his N for the, which leads to an approximately equal K.} 39. b6 (39. Ng4 Rxb5 40. Nxh6+ Kf8 41. Nf5 $44) (39. Rc2 $5 $13 {keeps the tension, but can hardly aspire for an advantage.}) 39... Nxb6 40. cxb6 Qxb6 41. Qe1 Rec8 42. Rxc8+ Rxc8 43. Ng4 Re8 44. Bd3 $2 {Weakens the back rank and causes problems.} (44. g3 $11) (44. h3 $11) 44... Qd4 45. Be4 (45. Qe4 Qa1+ 46. Bb1 Rd8 $36) 45... f5 $1 {The visibly disconcerted Kasparov overlooked this tactical thrust, which enables Black's R toi reach the <->a after all.} 46. Bxf5 Ra8 47. Bb1 Qb2 48. h4 Ra1 49. Kh2 Qxb1 (49... Rxb1 50. Qxe5 $15 {is similar.}) 50. Qxe5 Qh1+ 51. Kg3 Qe1+ 52. Qxe1 Rxe1 $15 {[%mdl 4096] Black had to exchange Q, otherwise he couldn't avoid a perpetual. The resulting K gives him some winning chances, e.g., in the game Vidmar-Alekhine, Sam Remo 1930 the World Champion realized his advantage. Kasparov defends more actively, but also slips at a crucial moment.} 53. Kf4 Re2 54. Ne3 g6 55. g4 Kf7 56. h5 $5 g5+ (56... gxh5 57. gxh5 Rh2 58. Kg4 $11 {[%csl Rh6][%CAl Re3f5] /\Nf5 will tie down at least one piece to the defence of the >e3 oder a1-c2 --> e3/b4} 14. Nd2 {bringt den Springer über zweitgenannte Route auf den Weg Richtung d5 - wo er allerdings nie ankommen wird} (14. Qc4 Qxc4 15. Bxc4 Nf6 16. Bd5 Nxd5 17. Rxd5 Rc8 {ist die optimale Figurenverteilung für Weiß, doch auch hier ist der Sb3 zu weit vom Idealziel d5 entfernt - zudem kann Schwarz schnell seine Entwicklung vollenden und mit .. .f5 das weiße Zentrum attackieren.} 18. c3 g6 19. Ke2 Kd7 20. Rhd1 Ke6 21. Nd2 f5 22. a4 Rhd8 23. c4 Rc6 24. b3 Rf8 25. f4 exf4 26. Kf3 Rc5 27. Re1 Kd7 28. Rxc5 dxc5 29. exf5 Rxf5 30. Ne4 h5 31. Nc3 g5 32. h3 Bd6 33. Nd5 Be5 34. h4 gxh4 35. Rh1 Rg5 36. Rxh4 Rg3+ 37. Ke4 Bd6 38. Rxh5 Rxb3 39. Rh6 Rb2 40. Nf6+ Kc6 41. Kf5 Bb8 42. a5 { 1/2-1/2 (42) Vachier Lagrave,M (2766)-Wojtaszek,R (2733) Biel 2014}) (14. c3 $5 O-O 15. O-O b5 16. Na1 {[%CAl Ga1c2,Gc2b4,Gc2e3] wäre die Alternative gewesen: Der Vorteil von dem Sc2 ist klar ersichtlich: Schwarz muss sich um beide Problemfelder gleichzeitig kümmern}) 14... O-O 15. O-O (15. Nc4 $6 { funktioniert ohne Rochade nicht} Nf6 16. Qd3 b5 17. Ne3 Qa5+ {[%csl Ga2]}) 15... b5 16. c3 g6 17. a3 {mit der möglichen Drohung c4 - folgende Konstellation wäre für Weiß gut} Rab8 (17... Rfe8 $2 18. c4 Nb6 19. Qd3 bxc4 20. Nxc4 Nxc4 21. Qxc4 Qxc4 22. Bxc4 $16) 18. Rfe1 Rfd8 19. Qa2 (19. Nf1 $2 Nf6 20. Qd3 d5 $15) 19... Nc5 20. Bf1 Bg5 21. Nb3 {spätestens hier ist klar, dass der weiße Plan nicht aufgegangen ist, der Springer hat auf b3 keine Zukunft} Qc6 22. Na5 Qc7 23. Nb3 Qc6 24. Rd5 Nd7 25. Rd3 Nc5 26. Rf3 $5 (26. Rd5 { mit Remisschluss wäre eine logische Folge gewesen. Doch Carlsen findet eine interessante Ressource, der Partie noch einmal Leben einzuhauchen.}) 26... Rd7 {Diagramm [#]} 27. Na5 Qa8 28. Qd5 Qxd5 29. exd5 {Schwarz ist von seinem Problemfeld d5 erlöst und kann nun seine Bauernmehrheit auf den Vormarsch bringen. Weiß hingegen hat mit b4 nebst c4 und Spiel auf den weißen Feldern einen ebenso konkreten Plan.} e4 30. Rh3 f5 31. Nc6 Rb6 32. b4 Na4 33. c4 Rc7 34. Rb3 {soweit verlief in diesem Partiestadium alles logisch, nun ist es für beide Seiten schwer die Stellung wirklich zu verstärken ohne große Schwächen zu kreieren.} Bd2 {gibt das Zugrecht ab, allerdings steht der Turm auf d1 schlechter als auf e1} (34... Bf6 35. f3 $13) 35. Rd1 Bg5 36. g3 Bf6 37. Rc1 Rbxc6 $5 {nicht erzwungen, da c5 wohl nicht drohte, aber aussichtsreich} ( 37... Kg7 38. f3 $5 $13 (38. c5 $2 Rbxc6 39. dxc6 Rxc6 $15)) 38. dxc6 Rxc6 39. Rbb1 Bg5 40. Rc2 d5 41. c5 d4 42. Rd1 Bf6 $1 (42... d3 $2 43. Bxd3 exd3 44. Rxd3 $16) 43. Rcd2 Nc3 {wickelt in ein Endspiel ab, dass mit etwas genauem Spiel von Schwarz remis ist} 44. Rxd4 Nxd1 45. Rxd1 Bb2 46. Rd8+ Kf7 47. Ra8 Bxa3 48. Bxb5 Rc7 (48... axb5 $2 49. Rxa3 $16) 49. Rxa6 Bxb4 50. c6 Ke7 51. Rb6 Bd6 52. Rb7 1/2-1/2 [Event "London Classic 7th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2015.12.13"] [Round "9"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2747"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2015.12.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 d6 3. Bb5+ {The World Champion switches his allegiance between the text move and the Open Sicilian with} (3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 { Recently in Qatar he was on both sides of the board after} 6. Be2 ({For the alternative} 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Nbd7 9. Qd2 b5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 { Carlsen,M (2853)-So,W (2779) Saint Louis 2015 see the notes to this game in CBM 168.}) 6... e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5 Nc6 $5 ({A rare continuation; a far more usual one is} 8... Be6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qd3 Be7 11. Nd5 Nd7 12. Rd1 Bxd5 13. Qxd5 Qc7 14. Nd2 O-O 15. O-O b5 16. c3 g6 17. a3 Rab8 18. Rfe1 Rfd8 19. Qa2 Nc5 20. Bf1 Bg5 21. Nb3 Qc6 22. Na5 Qc7 23. Nb3 Qc6 24. Rd5 Nd7 25. Rd3 Nc5 26. Rf3 Rd7 27. Na5 Qa8 28. Qd5 Qxd5 29. exd5 e4 30. Rh3 f5 $132 {Carlsen,M (2834) -Giri,A (2784) Doha 2015}) 9. Qd3 (9. Bxf6 $5 Bxf6 10. Nd5) 9... Nb4 $5 $146 10. Qd2 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nd5 $6 (12. a3 $142 Bg5 13. Qd1 Nc6 14. Qd3 Be6 $11) 12... Nxd5 13. Qxd5 Qc7 14. O-O-O Be7 15. Kb1 Be6 16. Qd3 O-O 17. f4 exf4 18. Nd4 Bd7 19. Rhf1 Bf6 20. Rxf4 Be5 21. Rff1 Rac8 22. c3 b5 23. Nf3 Be6 $36 { Duda,J (2663)-Carlsen,M (2834) Doha 2015}) 3... Nd7 {This ambitious reaction used to be a favourite of Kasparov, later it was taken up by Topalov. All this is described in a survey in CBM 153; currently the text is experiencing a good level of popularity among other top players as well.} ({One of these is Vachier Lagrave, but in the rapid tiebreak later that day he preferred the more sedate} 3... Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. f3 Qc7 (9... O-O 10. Be3 Nc6 11. Rc1 (11. O-O a6 12. Qd3 Ne5 13. Qe2 Rac8 14. b3 b5 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. cxd5 e6 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. Rac1 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Rd1 Nc6 21. Nc2 Qc7 22. Qd2 Rd8 23. Bg5 Rd7 24. Bf4 Qb6+ 25. Be3 Qc7 {½, Safarli,E (2657)-Areshchenko,A (2682) Reykjavik 2015}) 11... Nxd4 (11... a6 $5 12. a4 (12. O-O Nxd4 13. Bxd4 b5 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. cxd5 Bh6 $1 16. Rc2 Rfc8 $11) 12... Rac8 13. b3 e6 14. O-O d5 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. e5 Ne8 17. f4 f6 $132) 12. Bxd4 Rfc8 13. b3 Nh5 14. O-O Bxd4+ 15. Qxd4 Nf6 16. Rfe1 Rc7 17. Rcd1 Qc6 18. Nb5 Rd7 19. Nxa7 Qc5 20. Qxc5 dxc5 21. Nb5 Rxa2 22. e5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nh5 24. g3 Rb2 25. Rd8+ Kg7 26. Re8 Rb1+ 27. Kg2 Rb2+ 28. Kg1 Rb1+ 29. Kg2 Rb2+ 30. Kh3 e6 31. Re7 Rxb3 {Carlsen,M (2834)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2773) London plof 2015} 32. Nd6 Rxf3 33. Kg2 Rc3 34. Rxf7+ Kg8 35. Rxb7 $36) 10. b3 Qa5 {was Anand's choice against Carlsen 3 years ago, although he lost the game, it remains viable:} 11. Bb2 (11. Bd2 Nc6 12. Nde2 O-O 13. O-O a6 14. Kh1 Rac8 15. Rb1 e6 16. a4 Qc5 17. Be1 Rfd8 18. Bh4 h6 19. Rc1 Qh5 20. Bf2 Qa5 21. Be1 Qb6 22. Bf2 Qa5 23. Be1 Qb6 {1/2, Iordachescu,V (2588)-Wojtaszek,R (2746) FRA-chT Montpellier 2015}) 11... Nc6 12. O-O O-O 13. Kh1 (13. Nce2 Rfd8 14. Bc3 Qb6 15. Kh1 d5 $1 $132 {Carlsen,M (2843)-Anand,V (2780) Sao Paulo/Bilbao 2012. See the notes to this game in CBM 151}) 13... Rfe8 14. Nce2 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 b5 16. cxb5 Qxb5 17. Rc1 Rec8 18. Nc3 Qb7 19. Qd3 Rc6 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nd5 Rac8 22. Nxf6+ exf6 23. Rxc6 Qxc6 24. h3 Kg7 25. Rd1 Qc2 26. Qxc2 Rxc2 27. a4 Rc6 28. b4 Rc4 29. Rxd6 Rxb4 30. Ra6 Rb7 $11 {Duda,J (2599)-Gajewski,G (2643) Germany 2015}) 4. O-O {We'll check the main alternatives:} (4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 6. Bxd7+ (6. Be2 Ngf6 7. O-O {gives Black a choice between Dragon, Hedgehog and Najdorf setups:} e5 (7... g6 8. Nc3 (8. e5 $5 $32) 8... Bg7 9. Rd1 O-O 10. e5 Nh5 $6 ( 10... Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Nd7 12. Nxf7 Bxd4 13. Nxd8 Bxf2+ 14. Kh1 Rxd8 15. Bg5 $44) 11. Qh4 dxe5 12. Bg5 Nhf6 (12... f6 13. Be3 {[%csl Rh5]} e6 14. Rd6 $32 Kh8 15. Rad1 Qe7 16. Bc4 Nf4 17. Bxf4 exf4 18. Qxf4 e5 19. Qe3 $36 {Fressinet,L (2717) -Cheparinov,I (2682) Dubai blitz 2014}) 13. Bh6 Bxh6 14. Qxh6 Ng4 15. Qh4 Ngf6 16. Qh6 Ng4 17. Qg5 Ngf6 18. Nxe5 Qc7 19. Nc4 b5 20. Ne3 Bb7 21. Rd4 Rfc8 22. a4 Nf8 23. Rh4 bxa4 24. Rc4 Qd8 25. Rcxa4 $36 {1/2-1/2 (56) Krnan,T (2428) -Hansen,E (2583) Guelph 2015}) (7... Qc7 8. c4 e6 9. b3 b6 10. Nc3 Bb7 11. Rd1 Be7 12. h3 Rd8 13. Qe3 O-O 14. Ba3 Rfe8 15. Rac1 h6 16. b4 Rc8 17. Bb2 Qb8 18. Bd3 Nh7 19. Ne2 Ba8 20. e5 Ng5 21. Nxg5 Bxg5 22. f4 Be7 23. Be4 Bxe4 24. Qxe4 Red8 25. Nd4 Bf8 26. Nxe6 $5 fxe6 27. exd6 $44 {Svidler,P (2739)-Grischuk,A (2746) Khanty-Mansiysk 2011}) 8. Qe3 Nc5 (8... d5 9. exd5 Bc5 $2 (9... Nxd5 $142 10. Qd2 (10. Qe4 N5f6 11. Qh4 Be7 $13) (10. Qb3 Nc5 11. Qa3 Qc7 $11) 10... N5f6 $132) 10. Qd2 O-O (10... e4 11. Nd4 {/\} Nxd5 $2 12. Nf5) 11. c4 e4 12. Nd4 Ne5 13. b4 Ba7 14. Nc3 Bg4 15. c5 a5 16. a3 Nxd5 (16... Bb8 17. Rb1 $16) 17. Nxe4 Bb8 18. f3 Nf4 19. Nd6 $1 Bxd6 20. cxd6 Nxe2+ 21. Qxe2 Qxd6 22. Nb5 $18 {Hou,Y (2629)-Giri,A (2750) Biel 2014}) 9. Nc3 Be7 10. b3 O-O 11. Ba3 Ne6 12. g3 Qa5 13. Bb2 Nc5 14. Nd2 Be6 15. a4 Rfe8 16. Nc4 Qc7 17. a5 Rad8 18. Rfd1 Qc6 19. Nd2 h6 20. Bf3 Bf8 $132 {Fressinet,L (2711)-Grandelius,N (2587) Malmo 2014}) 6... Bxd7 7. c4 (7. O-O Nf6 (7... Rc8 8. c4 (8. Bg5 $5 h6 9. Bh4 Nf6 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. c4 Rg8 12. Qd3 f5 13. exf5 Rc5 14. f6 Bh3 15. Ne1 Bxg2 16. Nxg2 Rcg5 17. Kh1 Rxg2 18. Nc3 e6 19. Ne4 Qc7 20. Rad1 $14 {/~~, Morozevich,A (2711) -Khismatullin,D (2651) Poikovsky 2015}) 8... e5 9. Qd3 Qc7 $5 (9... b5 10. Na3 Qb6 11. cxb5 (11. Be3 Qb7 12. Nd2 Be7 13. Rfc1 Nf6 14. cxb5 Rxc1+ 15. Rxc1 axb5 16. Bg5 Nh5 17. Bxe7 Kxe7 18. g3 Nf6 19. Nc2 Rc8 20. Rd1 Bg4 21. Re1 Be6 22. Nb4 Qb6 23. a3 Qb7 24. Qe3 h6 $11 {Wang Hao (2734)-Wojtaszek,R (2716) Shamkir 2014}) 11... Bxb5 (11... axb5 12. Bd2 Be7 13. Rac1 Rxc1 14. Rxc1 Nf6 15. Bb4 Bc6 16. Bxd6 Nxe4 17. Bxe7 Kxe7 18. Nxe5 Qxf2+ 19. Kh1 Qb6 {Kosintseva,T (2483) -Ushenina,A (2494) Beijing rpd 2014} 20. Qd4 $1 $18) 12. Nxb5 Qxb5 13. Qxb5+ axb5 14. a4 bxa4 15. Rxa4 Nf6 16. Bg5 Be7 17. Rd1 O-O 18. g3 Rc2 {Kravtsiv,M (2623)-Areshchenko,A (2677) Lvov 2015} 19. Rd2 $5 $14) 10. Nfd2 b5 11. b3 Nf6 12. Nc3 Be7 13. Ba3 O-O 14. Rac1 Qb6 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Bb4 Bc6 17. a3 Rfd8 18. Rc2 Nd7 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Qxd5 Nf6 22. Qd3 Qb7 23. h3 h6 24. Re1 Rd8 {1/2, Kovalenko,I (2682)-Cheparinov,I (2683) Warsaw 2015}) (7... e5 { often only transposes after} 8. Qd3 Rc8 {- 7...Rc8}) 8. Nc3 e5 9. Qd3 h6 10. Nd2 (10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nd2 b5 12. a3 O-O 13. Nf1 Bg4 14. f3 Be6 15. Ne3 Qb6 16. Kh1 Rfc8 17. Qe2 Qc6 18. Bd2 Bd8 19. Be1 Bb6 20. Bh4 Bxe3 21. Qxe3 {Duda,J (2658)-Ponomariov,R (2710) Berlin blitz 2015} Ne8 $11) 10... b5 11. a4 Rb8 12. Rd1 Be7 13. axb5 axb5 14. Nf1 b4 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Qxd5 O-O 17. Ne3 Be6 18. Qd3 Qc7 19. Bd2 Rfc8 20. c3 bxc3 21. Bxc3 Qb7 22. Nd5 Bg5 23. h3 Ra8 24. Ne3 Bxe3 25. Qxe3 Rxa1 26. Rxa1 Ra8 $11 {Anand,V (2816)-Topalov,V (2816) Saint Louis 2015}) 7... e5 (7... Nf6 8. Bg5 (8. Nc3 g6 9. O-O Bg7 10. Qd3 O-O 11. a4 Rc8 12. Rb1 Bc6 13. Re1 Nd7 14. b4 Nb6 15. b5 Bd7 {[%csl Rc4]} 16. Nd2 Be6 17. Nd5 Nxa4 18. Ba3 Qd7 19. h3 Rfe8 $17 {Svidler,P (2727)-Karjakin,S (2762) WCup Baku blitz 2015}) 8... e6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. O-O Bc6 11. Qd3 O-O 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. b3 Qc7 14. Nxc6 Qxc6 15. Rac1 h6 16. Be3 Nd7 17. Bd4 Rfd8 18. h3 Qc7 19. Rfd1 Qa5 20. Qd2 Kf8 21. Qb2 Kg8 22. a4 Qh5 23. Ne2 Bf6 24. Rc3 Bxd4 25. Rxd4 Qe5 26. Qd2 $14 {Carlsen,M (2870)-Anand,V (2775) WCh Chennai 2013}) 8. Qd3 b5 9. Nc3 bxc4 10. Qxc4 Be6 (10... Nf6 $5 11. Bg5 Be6 12. Qc6+ Bd7 13. Qc4 Be6 14. Qd3 Be7 15. O-O O-O 16. Rac1 Nh5 17. Be3 Nf6 18. Bg5 Nh5 19. Be3 Nf6 20. Bg5 {1/2, Alekseev,E (2642)-Khismatullin,D (2642) St Petersburg rpd 2015}) 11. Qd3 h6 12. O-O Nf6 13. Rd1 Be7 14. Ne1 O-O 15. Nc2 Qb6 (15... Qb8 16. Ne3 Rc8 17. Ned5 ( 17. b3 $5) 17... Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bd8 19. b3 Rc6 20. Be3 Qb5 21. Rac1 Rxc1 22. Bxc1 Qxd3 23. Rxd3 f5 24. Ne3 Rc8 25. Rxd6 Rxc1+ 26. Nf1 Kf7 27. exf5 Bxf5 28. Rxd8 Bb1 $15 {Munoz Pantoja,M (2456)-Kulaots,K (2581) Barcelona 2013}) 16. Ne3 Rac8 (16... Rfc8 17. b3 Qb7 (17... a5 18. Bd2 Qa6 19. Be1 Nd7 20. f3 Rc6 21. Qxa6 Rcxa6 22. Ned5 Bd8 23. Nb5 $14 {Carlsen,M (2868)-Anand,V (2783) Stavanger 2013}) 18. Bd2 Bd8 19. Rac1 Bb6 20. Ncd5 Bxd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. Qxd5 Qxd5 23. exd5 Kf8 24. Kf1 Ke7 25. Ke2 h5 26. f3 Kd7 27. Kd3 f5 28. h3 g6 29. Rxc8 { 1/2, Solozhenkin,E (2464)-Kulaots,K (2574) Jyvaskyla 2015} Rxc8 30. Rc1 $11) 17. Rb1 Rfd8 18. Bd2 Qb7 19. Be1 Rd7 20. f3 Bd8 21. Ncd5 Bxd5 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. Qxd5 Bb6+ 24. Kf1 Bd4 25. Qxb7 Rxb7 26. Rd2 Kf8 27. Bf2 Bxf2 28. Kxf2 Ke7 $11 { Cornette,M (2533)-Dorfman,J (2571) Nimes 2014}) (4. c3 Ngf6 5. Qe2 a6 6. Ba4 e5 (6... b5 7. Bc2 Bb7 8. O-O e6 9. d4 Be7 10. a4 O-O 11. Nbd2 cxd4 12. cxd4 Qb6 13. a5 Qc7 14. Bd3 Rfc8 15. Nb3 Nf8 16. g3 Ng6 17. Bd2 Qd8 18. Ne1 Rc7 19. f3 Rac8 20. Ng2 Nd7 21. h4 h6 22. Ne1 Ngf8 23. Ng2 Nh7 24. Kh2 Nhf6 $11 {Wang,H (2729)-Wojtaszek,R (2715) Dubai blitz 2014}) 7. O-O Be7 8. d4 b5 9. Bc2 cxd4 $5 (9... O-O 10. Rd1 Qc7 11. a4 $5 (11. d5 $6 Rb8 12. a4 c4 13. axb5 axb5 14. b4 cxb3 15. Bxb3 Nc5 16. Bc2 Bd7 17. Ba3 Ra8 18. Nbd2 Na4 19. Bxa4 Rxa4 20. Bb4 Rfa8 21. Rxa4 bxa4 22. Nb1 Bg4 23. Na3 Nh5 24. Qe3 Nf4 25. Ra1 f5 $36 { Kryvoruchko,Y (2707)-Carlsen,M (2881) Dubai rpd 2014}) 11... Rb8 12. axb5 axb5 13. Na3 Ba6 14. d5 Qb7 15. b4 Bd8 16. Bd3 Ra8 17. Bg5 c4 18. Bc2 Nh5 19. Bxd8 Rfxd8 20. Nh4 g6 21. Qe3 Qb6 22. Qxb6 Nxb6 23. g3 Nf6 24. Ng2 Ne8 25. Ra2 Bc8 26. Rda1 Bd7 $11 {Caruana,F (2808)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2731) Saint Louis 2015}) 10. cxd4 O-O {was Topalov's choice. He already inserted the swap on d4 with Carlsen in Wijk 2012, but there Black's queen already was on c7, which limits his options.} 11. Nc3 Bb7 12. a3 Rc8 13. Rd1 exd4 14. Rxd4 Re8 15. Bg5 Qc7 16. Re1 Nf8 17. Qd1 Ne6 18. Rd2 Nxg5 19. Nxg5 Qc5 20. Nf3 Bf8 21. h4 h6 22. Rd4 Qa7 23. Bb3 Rc5 24. Qd2 Qa8 25. Qf4 Qc8 26. Red1 a5 27. Nh2 Rxc3 $1 28. bxc3 Rxe4 29. Rxe4 Bxe4 $36 {Kamsky,G (2741)-Topalov,V (2771) Zug 2013}) ({An unusual, but rather harmless try was} 4. a4 Ngf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. a5 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 a6 9. Bc4 b5 10. axb6 Nxb6 11. Bb3 Bb7 12. Re1 e6 13. e5 dxe5 14. Nxe5 Nfd5 15. Na4 Nxa4 16. Bxa4 Nb6 17. Qg4 Qd4 18. Qxd4 cxd4 19. Bc6 Rfb8 20. h3 a5 21. b3 Nd5 22. Bxb7 Rxb7 23. Nc4 Rba7 24. Bd2 a4 25. b4 Rb7 26. Reb1 Rb5 27. Nd6 Rb6 28. Nc4 Rb5 29. Nd6 Rb6 30. Nc4 Rb5 {1/2, Giri,A (2778)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2765) EU-chT Reykjavik 2015}) 4... a6 5. Bd3 {The modern way.} (5. Bxd7+ Bxd7 6. d4 {- 4.0-0 transposes to the lines above.}) 5... Ngf6 (5... Ne5 $6 { prematurely compromises Black's pawns:} 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. a4 Nf6 8. b3 (8. Na3 Be6 9. Qe2 g6 10. Bc4 Qd6 $6 11. Bxe6 Qxe6 12. a5 Bh6 13. d4 Bxc1 14. d5 Qg4 15. Qxg4 Nxg4 16. Rfxc1 Nf6 17. f3 Nd7 18. Nc4 O-O 19. Ra3 f6 20. Rb3 Rab8 21. Rd1 $36 {1-0 (53) Hracek,Z (2638)-Esen,B (2565) Warsaw 2013}) 8... Be6 (8... Qd4 $2 9. Bb2 $1 Qxb2 10. Nc3 {[%csl Rb2][%CAl Ra1a2]}) 9. Bb2 Bxb3 10. Qe2 ( 10. Bxa6 $5) 10... c4 11. Bxc4 Bxc4 12. Qxc4 Rc8 13. Qb3 Qc7 (13... Nxe4 $5 14. Bxe5 Nc5 {gives Black more chances for sufficient counterplay.}) 14. d3 e6 15. Nd2 Nd7 {Carlsen,M (2868)-Svidler,P (2769) Stavanger 2013} 16. a5 $1 {White's superior pawn-structure gives him a long-term advantage.} (16. Nc4)) ({However, the knight swap idea deserves attention in a different form:} 5... g6 6. c3 (6. Re1 Bg7 7. c3 Ne5 $5 8. Be2 Nxf3+ 9. Bxf3 e5 10. d4 $6 (10. d3 Ne7 $11 { hardly gives White anything, but this violent break seems simply incorrect.}) 10... cxd4 11. cxd4 exd4 12. Na3 Ne7 13. e5 dxe5 14. Nc4 Nc6 15. Bxc6+ bxc6 16. Nxe5 Be6 $1 17. Nxc6 Qb6 18. Ne5 O-O 19. b3 Rfd8 20. Bb2 Rac8 21. Rc1 Rc5 22. Rxc5 Qxc5 23. Nd3 Qb5 24. Qd2 Bf5 $17 {Motylev,A (2685)-Wojtaszek,R (2716) Shamkir 2014}) 6... Bg7 7. Bc2 Ne5 (7... c4 $5 8. b3 b5 $13) 8. Nxe5 dxe5 9. a4 b6 10. Na3 Nf6 11. Nc4 Nd7 12. b4 cxb4 (12... Qc7 $5) 13. cxb4 Nb8 14. Bb2 Nc6 15. f4 Nxb4 16. Nxe5 f6 (16... O-O $142 17. d4 $14) 17. Nf3 Nd3 18. Bxd3 Qxd3 19. Qb1 Qxb1 20. Rfxb1 Bb7 21. d3 Kf7 22. Bd4 b5 23. axb5 axb5 24. Rxa8 Rxa8 25. Rxb5 $14 {Kobalia,M (2627)-Motylev,A (2696) Vladivostok 2014}) 6. Re1 { This line is the topic of a more recent survey in CBM 169 by Kr.Szabo.} ({ The main alternative is} 6. c3 b5 (6... g6 $143 7. Bc2 Bg7 8. d4 Qc7 9. a4 O-O 10. d5 b6 11. c4 e6 12. Nc3 exd5 13. cxd5 Re8 14. h3 Rb8 15. Qe2 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Rxe5 17. Be3 Re8 18. Bd3 Bb7 19. Rac1 Re7 20. Qd2 Qd7 21. b3 Bc8 22. Bh6 Bh8 23. Qe2 Re8 24. Rfe1 $36 {Caruana,F (2786)-Topalov,V (2769) Bucharest 2012/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 152.}) 7. Bc2 Bb7 8. Re1 { , also analysed by the Hungarian GM. This may (not necessarily) lead to positions, resembling the Ruy Lopez: The most popular reaction is} e5 (8... Qc7 9. a4 (9. d4 $6 cxd4 10. cxd4 Rc8 {[%csl Re4]}) 9... b4 10. d3 g6 11. Nbd2 bxc3 12. bxc3 Bg7 13. a5 O-O 14. h3 Bc6 15. d4 (15. Nc4 $5 $11) 15... cxd4 16. cxd4 Rab8 17. Ra2 Rfc8 18. d5 Bb5 19. Nd4 Nc5 20. Nxb5 Rxb5 21. Nc4 Nfd7 (21... Ncxe4 $5 22. Bxe4 Nxe4 23. Rxe4 f5 $15) 22. Bd2 Rcb8 23. Qe2 Ne5 24. Nb6 Ned7 25. Nc4 Ne5 26. Nb6 Ned7 {1/2, Ganguly,S (2619)-Wojtaszek,R (2715) Dubai rpd 2014}) (8... c4 $5 9. a4 e6 (9... e5 10. axb5 axb5 11. Rxa8 Qxa8 12. Na3 Be7 13. Nxb5 O-O 14. Qe2 Rc8 15. d4 cxd3 16. Bxd3 Nc5 17. Nd2 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Ba6 19. c4 Bxb5 20. cxb5 Qb7 21. b3 Rb8 22. Bb2 Qxb5 23. Qxb5 Rxb5 24. Rc1 Rb8 $14 { /=, Karjakin,S (2762)-Cheparinov,I (2672) Rhodes 2013}) 10. axb5 (10. d4 cxd3 11. Bxd3 bxa4 12. Qxa4 Be7 13. e5 dxe5 14. Nxe5 O-O 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. Nd2 Qc7 18. h3 Rfd8 19. Ne4 Nd5 20. Ng5 h6 21. Nf3 Rac8 22. Bh7+ Kh8 23. Be4 a5 24. Qe2 Bf6 $132 {Sebag,M (2483)-Salgado Lopez,I (2616) Montpellier 2015 }) 10... axb5 11. Rxa8 Qxa8 12. Na3 Bxe4 13. Bxe4 Nxe4 14. d3 cxd3 15. Nxb5 Qb7 16. Qxd3 d5 17. Be3 Bc5 18. c4 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 O-O 20. cxd5 Qxb5 21. Qxe4 Nf6 22. Qe2 Qxe2 23. Rxe2 Nxd5 $11 {Stevic,H (2600)-Cheparinov,I (2681) CRO-chT Bol 2015}) (8... e6 9. d4 Be7 (9... cxd4 10. cxd4 Be7 11. Nbd2 O-O 12. Nf1 Rc8 ( 12... Nb6 13. Ng3 Rc8 14. Bd3 Re8 15. Qe2 Nfd7 16. b3 d5 17. e5 Nb8 18. Nh5 Nc6 19. Nxg7 Kxg7 20. Qe3 Rh8 21. Qh6+ Kg8 22. Ng5 Bxg5 23. Bxg5 Ne7 24. Bxe7 { 1-0, David,A (2585)-Kempinski,R (2630) Porto Rio 2015} Qxe7 25. Re3 $18) 13. Ng3 Re8 14. h3 Bf8 15. Bd2 Qc7 16. Rc1 Qb8 17. Ba5 g6 18. Qd2 Qa8 19. a3 Rc4 20. Bd3 Rxc1 21. Qxc1 Rc8 22. Qd2 Qa7 23. h4 e5 24. Bc3 Ng4 25. Bb1 Bg7 26. Ba2 exd4 27. Bxd4 Bxd4 28. Nxd4 Nde5 29. Rd1 $16 {Svidler,P (2740)-Papaioannou,I (2633) Rhodes 2013}) 10. Nbd2 Qc7 $5 (10... O-O 11. e5 Nd5 12. Ne4 Qc7 $5 13. Nfg5 h6 14. exd6 Bxd6 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Ne4 Qc6 17. f3 Rfd8 18. Qd3 cxd4 19. Qxd4 Rac8 20. Bb3 Qb6 21. Bd2 Nc5 22. Nxc5 Rxc5 23. Qf2 Rcc8 24. Rad1 Qxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Nb6 26. Bc1 Bd5 $11 {Rozentalis,E (2606)-Esen,B (2589) Tromso olm 2014}) 11. Nf1 (11. e5 $5 $13) 11... O-O 12. Ng3 Rfe8 13. h3 Rac8 14. Bd3 (14. Re2 Bf8 15. Be3 g6 16. Rc1 Bg7 17. Bb1 e5 18. d5 c4 19. Qd2 Nc5 20. Bh6 Bxh6 21. Qxh6 Qe7 22. Rf1 Qf8 23. Qg5 Nfd7 24. Nh2 Qe7 25. Qd2 Rf8 26. Ng4 Qh4 27. Re3 Nf6 28. Nh2 Rce8 29. Nf3 Qh6 30. Nh2 Bc8 $11 {Havasi,G (2302)-Erdos,V (2621) Hungary 2015}) 14... Bf8 15. Bd2 g6 16. Qe2 Bg7 17. a4 e5 $5 18. d5 c4 19. Bc2 Nc5 20. Nh2 Rb8 21. Ra3 Bc8 22. axb5 axb5 23. Ng4 Bxg4 24. hxg4 Ra8 25. Rea1 Rxa3 26. Rxa3 Qb7 $11 {Hou,Y (2629)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2766) Biel 2014}) (8... Rc8 9. a4 b4 10. a5 Qc7 (10... e6 11. d3 bxc3 12. bxc3 Be7 13. h3 O-O 14. Bf4 Bc6 15. Nbd2 Bb5 16. Bh2 Re8 17. Bb3 Bxd3 18. c4 d5 19. cxd5 exd5 20. e5 c4 21. Bc2 {Nakamura,H (2814)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2705) WCup Baku 2015} Bxc2 22. Qxc2 c3 $15) 11. d3 bxc3 12. bxc3 e6 13. h3 Be7 14. Bf4 O-O 15. Nbd2 Bc6 16. Nc4 Bb5 17. Nfd2 Rfd8 18. Bg3 Ne8 19. Kh2 Rb8 20. Ne3 Ne5 21. Qe2 Nc6 22. Nb3 Ne5 23. Nd2 Nc6 24. Ndc4 Nf6 25. Kh1 Ne5 26. f4 Nxc4 27. dxc4 Bc6 28. Nd1 g6 29. Bh2 Nh5 $132 {/=/+, Nakamura,H (2814)-Grischuk,A (2771) Saint Louis 2015/ Grischuk spoiled a good position in his habitual time trouble; for more details see the notes to this game in CBM 168 by Mokal.}) 9. d4 Be7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Nf1 Re8 12. Ng3 Bf8 (12... cxd4 $5 13. cxd4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Bf8 $11 {Mekhitarian}) 13. d5 g6 (13... c4 $142 $132) 14. b3 Nb6 15. Rb1 c4 16. bxc4 Nxc4 17. a4 Qc7 18. axb5 axb5 19. Rxb5 Na3 20. Rb3 Nxc2 21. Qxc2 Nd7 22. Be3 Ba6 23. Ra3 Bb5 24. Rea1 Rxa3 25. Rxa3 Rb8 26. Ra7 Qc8 27. h3 Nb6 28. Qc1 Nc4 29. Bh6 Qc5 30. Nh5 $1 $18 {->, Harikrishna,P (2706)-Nakamura,H (2789) Wijk aan Zee 2014}) 6... b5 { Black usually fights the intended central expansion by flank activity.} ({ However,} 6... g6 7. c3 Bg7 8. Bc2 b5 {is also viable. Compared with Caruana-Topalov above, White has spent time on playing Re1 and the extra tempo gave Black counterplay after} 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Bb7 11. Nc3 O-O 12. h3 Nb6 13. a3 Rc8 14. Qe2 e6 15. Bd3 Nh5 16. a4 b4 17. a5 bxc3 18. axb6 c2 19. Bxc2 Qxb6 20. Bd3 Bxd4 21. Nxd4 Qxd4 22. Bh6 Rfe8 23. Bxa6 Bxa6 24. Rxa6 Rb8 25. Bc1 {Svidler,P (2745)-Papaioannou,I (2638) EU-chT Reykjavik 2015} Nf6 $132) 7. c4 { The only way to emhasise the difference between the two alternatives on move 6. } (7. c3 g5 $6 (7... Bb7 8. Bc2 {-6.c3 transposes to lines from the previous notes.}) 8. Bc2 g4 9. Nh4 c4 10. a4 Bb7 11. axb5 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13. d4 e6 14. g3 Be7 15. Bh6 Rg8 16. Nd2 d5 17. e5 Ne4 18. Ng2 Nb6 19. Ne3 Bc6 20. Nxg4 Na4 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Bc1 Nb6 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 $18 {Hansen,E (2547)-Pert, R (2434) England 2013 This was an unsuccessful predecessor of the Black's sudden flank attack...}) (7. a4 b4 {after} 8. c3 (8. Bc4 Bb7 9. d3 e6 $11) 8... Bb7 9. Bc2 Qc7 {once again transposes to positions from the 6.c3 line (Ganguly-Wojtaszek above)}) 7... g5 $5 {[%mdl 64] Earlier in 2015 Topalov surprised Carlsen with this tactical sortie and scored a full point. Since then the line has been tested further, especially at the blitz and rapid WCh in Berlin. This time Magnus was obviously prepared...} (7... Ne5 8. Bf1 { Safer is} Bd7 $5 (8... Nxc4 9. a4 Bd7 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 e5 12. axb5 exd4 13. Bxc4 axb5 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Bb3 Be7 16. Qxd4 O-O 17. Nc3 b4 (17... Bc6 18. Bf4 Re8 19. f3 b4 20. Nd5 Nxd5 21. exd5 Bg5 22. Rxe8+ Qxe8 23. Kf2 Bf6 24. Qe3 Ba4 25. Qxe8+ Bxe8 26. Bxd6 Bxb2 27. Bxb4 $14 {Balogh,C (2648)-Gajewski,G (2650) Budapest 2014}) 18. Qxb4 Rb8 19. Qc4 Be6 20. Nd5 Bd8 21. h3 h6 22. Bf4 Qb7 23. Bc2 $36 {Carlsen,M (2872)-Nakamura,H (2776) Zuerich rpd 2014/ Although Black eventually drew both games, it's obvious he is struggling here.}) 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. cxb5 (10. Nc3 $5 b4 11. Nd5) 10... axb5 11. d3 e6 12. Be3 Bd6 13. Nd2 O-O 14. Nb3 Qe7 15. Qe2 $11 {½, Brkic,A (2597)-Popilski,G (2500) Bad Gleichenberg 2014}) 8. Nxg5 (8. cxb5 g4 9. e5 (9. Nh4 $5 $13) 9... dxe5 10. Ng5 Bg7 (10... e6 11. Nc3 h5 12. Qe2 Nd5 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Bg6+ Ke7 15. d4 Bh6 16. Nxd5+ exd5 17. dxc5 Kf6 18. Bc2 Qe7 19. c6 Bxc1 20. cxd7 Bxb2 21. dxc8=Q Raxc8 22. Rab1 Bd4 23. bxa6 $16 {Mamedov,R (2657)-Anand,V (2803) Berlin rpd 2015}) (10... Nb6 11. Qb3 $14) 11. Qe2 (11. Nc3 O-O 12. bxa6 (12. Qe2 {-11.Qe2}) 12... e6 13. Nge4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Rxa6 15. Qe2 f5 16. Bd3 Rd6 17. Bc4 e4 18. d3 Ne5 19. dxe4 f4 $40 {Mamedov,R (2657)-Grischuk,A (2774) Berlin rpd 2015}) 11... O-O 12. Nc3 Nb6 13. bxa6 c4 14. Bc2 Bxa6 15. Qxe5 h6 16. Nge4 Nfd5 17. Qf5 (17. Qh5 $142) 17... Bc8 (17... e6 $1 $36) 18. Qh5 Nf4 19. Qc5 Bd4 20. Qc6 Be6 21. Nc5 Qd6 22. Qxd6 exd6 23. d3 Nxg2 24. Rxe6 (24. Kxg2 dxc5 25. Bxh6 Rfd8 $44) 24... fxe6 25. Nxe6 Bxc3 26. Nxf8 Ne1 27. Bd1 Bf6 28. Ne6 Nxd3 $15 {Bartel,M (2622)-Grischuk, A (2774) Berlin rpd 2015}) (8. e5 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Bf1 (10. Qe2 Bg7 11. cxb5 Nd5 $13) 10... b4 (10... bxc4 $5 11. Na3 $5 $13) 11. d3 g4 12. a3 e6 13. axb4 cxb4 14. Bg5 Rg8 15. Be3 (15. Bh4 $1 $36) 15... Bd6 (15... Qc7 $142) 16. Nd2 a5 17. Nb3 (17. c5 $1 Bc7 18. Qa4+ $36) 17... Bb7 18. d4 exd4 19. Nxd4 Ne4 20. Qa4+ Kf8 21. Bh6+ (21. g3 $142 $13) 21... Rg7 22. Bxg7+ $6 Kxg7 $40 { Bartel,M (2622)-Bocharov,D (2560) Berlin rpd 2015}) 8... Ne5 9. Be2 (9. Bf1 { also deserves attention:} Bh6 $5 (9... Rg8 10. cxb5 $5 $14 {/\} Rxg5 $2 11. d4) (9... bxc4 10. d4 $1 cxd3 (10... cxd4 11. f4 $36) 11. f4 Nc6 12. Bxd3 h6 13. Nf3 e6 14. Nc3 Bb7 15. b3 Be7 {1/2, Barski,R (2336)-Borovikov,V (2564) Heusenstamm 2015} 16. Bb2 $36 {This illustrates the main drawback of the enterprising 7...g5!? - if Black's activity peters out, his king remains constantly vulnerable.}) (9... Nxc4 10. Bxc4 bxc4 11. Qa4+ Bd7 12. Qxc4 e6 13. Nc3 $14 {/+/-}) 10. d4 cxd4 11. Qxd4 Rg8 12. f4 Nc6 $14 {/<=>}) 9... bxc4 10. Nc3 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (10. Na3 $143 $6 Rg8 11. Nxc4 $2 (11. d4 cxd3 12. Bxd3 h6 13. Nf3 Nxd3 14. Qxd3 d5 $132 {Kr.Szabo}) 11... Nxc4 12. d4 Nb6 13. Bh5 Nxh5 14. Qxh5 Rg7 (14... Rg6 $142 $17) 15. Nxh7 Qd7 16. dxc5 dxc5 17. e5 $2 (17. Nxf8 Qh3 18. Qxh3 Bxh3 19. g3 Rg8 20. Nh7 f6 21. e5 Rh8 22. Nxf6+ exf6 23. exf6+ Kf7 $11) 17... Qc6 18. f3 Qg6 19. Nf6+ Kd8 20. Qxg6 Rxg6 21. Ne4 Bb7 $17 {/+-, Carlsen,M (2853)-Topalov,V (2816) Saint Louis 2015/ See the notes to this game by Kr.Szabo in CBM 168.}) ({Another interesting untested continuation is} 10. Nf3 Nd3 11. Bxd3 cxd3 12. Nc3 (12. e5 Nd5 $13) (12. Qb3 $5 ) 12... Rg8 13. e5 Ng4 $5 $132 {However, Carlsen's developing move seems both safer and stronger.}) 10... Rb8 $6 {A rather dubious attempt to circumvent White's preparation.} ({More natural is the analogous} 10... Rg8 {, but Grischuk was obviously reluctant to give up his kingside castling rights:} 11. f4 (11. d4 cxd3 12. Bxd3 h6 13. Nf3 Bg4 (13... Nxd3 14. Qxd3 $14 {and contrary to the line above, with the knight on c3 instead of a3 White can fight for an edge.}) 14. Be2 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Qd7 16. Bf4 Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Qg4 18. Qxg4 Rxg4 19. g3 Nh5 20. Be3 Bg7 $132) 11... Nd3 12. Bxd3 cxd3 13. Qa4+ Bd7 14. Qc4 e6 15. Qxd3 Nh5 16. Qf1 $5 h6 (16... Nxf4 17. d4 Qxg5 18. Bxf4 $14) 17. Nh3 Bg7 18. d3 Rb8 $13 {/+/=}) 11. Rf1 {This refined reaction cost Carlsen 20 minutes, so now it's obvious both players are out of their book.} (11. f4 $5 Nd3 12. Bxd3 cxd3 13. Qa4+ Nd7 (13... Bd7 14. Qxa6 $16) (13... Qd7 14. Qc4 h6 15. Qxf7+ Kd8 16. Nh3 $5 Qg4 17. Nf2 $14) 14. Qc4 e6 15. Qxd3 $14 {seems simple and good - Black has yet to prove he has sufficient compensation.}) 11... h6 12. Nf3 Nd3 13. Ne1 $1 {The point behind the 11th move - White immediately swaps the nagging knight.} (13. Qa4+ $6 Qd7 14. Qxc4 Nf4 $36 {[%csl Rg2][%CAl Rh8g8,Rb8b4] is dangerous for White to say the least.}) 13... Nxb2 (13... Rg8 {is an engine suggestion, but it's hardly a radical improvement:} 14. Kh1 $5 $14 {is perhaps the best choice - Black may regret his king in the centre later on.} (14. Nxd3 cxd3 15. Bxd3 Bh3 16. g3 Bg7 $5 (16... Bxf1 17. Qxf1 $14) 17. Re1 Ng4 $44) (14. Bxd3 cxd3 15. Nxd3 Bg7 (15... h5 $5) 16. Nf4 $14)) 14. Bxb2 (14. Qc2 Nd3 15. Nxd3 cxd3 16. Bxd3 Rg8 (16... Bg7 17. Bb2 Nh5 18. Rab1 $14) 17. Ne2 $5 { is perhaps better for White, but the text move is simpler - Magnus exchanges the undeveloped bishop and his remaining pieces have superior coordination.}) 14... Rxb2 15. Bxc4 {[%csl Rb2][%CAl Rc4b3]} Rb4 16. Qe2 {[%csl Ra6]} Bg7 17. Nc2 Rb6 (17... Rb2 $6 18. Ne3 {[%CAl Rc4b3,Re3c4]} Nd7 19. Rac1 $16 {and Black's rook remains misplaced.}) 18. Rab1 $5 {Exchanging one rook reduces Black's chances for effective counterplay; White can then turn his attention to the kingside.} O-O 19. Rxb6 Qxb6 20. Ne3 e6 21. f4 {After a series of natural moves White has good attacking chances.} Kh8 (21... Bb7 22. f5 $16 { [%csl Re6]}) (21... Qc6 $5 $14) 22. f5 (22. e5 dxe5 23. fxe5 {is tempting, but inconclusive:} Nh7 $5 (23... Nd7 24. Ng4 Qc7 25. Nxh6 Bxh6 (25... Nxe5 26. Qh5 Nxc4 27. Rf3 f5 28. Rh3 Bd4+ 29. Kh1 Qg7 30. Ne2 $1 Nxd2 31. Nxd4 Ne4 32. Qe2 Qh7 33. Nc6 Kg7 34. Qb2+ Rf6 35. Ne7 Nf2+ 36. Qxf2 Rxh6 37. Qb2+ Kf7 38. Rxh6 Qxh6 39. Nxc8 $18) 26. Qh5 Kg7 27. Qg4+ Kh8 28. Qh4 Kh7 (28... Kg7 29. Rf6 $1 Rh8 30. Qg4+ Kf8 31. Rxf7+ Kxf7 32. Qxe6+ Kg7 33. Qf7#) 29. Bd3+ Kg7 30. Qg4+ ( 30. Rf6 Rh8 31. Rg6+ $1 Kf8 (31... fxg6 32. Qe7+ Kg8 33. Bxg6 Nxe5 $8 34. Qxc7 $18) 32. Rxh6 Rxh6 33. Qxh6+ Ke8 $14) 30... Kh8 31. Rf5 $1 Nxe5 32. Qh4 f6 33. Qxh6+ Kg8 34. Rxf6 Rxf6 35. Qxf6 Nxd3 36. Qg6+ $16) 24. Ng4 (24. Qh5 Qc7 25. Ng4 Qd7 $132) 24... Qd8 $14) 22... a5 (22... Rg8 $5 23. Kh1 $14) 23. a4 Qd8 24. h3 (24. Ba6 Bd7 25. Bb5 Bc8 26. fxe6 fxe6 27. Nc4 Bb7 $14 {is not too convincing.}) ({Therefore Magnus patiently improves his position, but this move does not only provide breathing space, but also weakens the kingside. Therefore} 24. Qd3 $5 {deserves attention, keeping all the options open.}) 24... Qe7 25. Ba6 Bxa6 {Grischuk seeks kingside counterplay.} (25... Bd7 26. Bb5 Bc8 27. fxe6 Bxe6 (27... fxe6 28. Nc4 $16 {[%csl Ra5][%CAl Re4e5]}) 28. Nf5 $16) 26. Qxa6 Nh5 27. Rf3 $6 {Starts slipping up.} (27. Ne2 $5 $36) (27. Qxa5 Be5 (27... Ng3 28. Rf3 Be5 29. Qb5 {/\} Bxc3 30. dxc3 Nxe4 31. Qd3 d5 32. c4 Ng5 33. Rf1 d4 34. Ng4 $16) 28. fxe6 Qxe6 29. Ne2 $14) 27... Rg8 28. Nb5 $6 { Continues the trend, with two pieces out of the action White will suddenly be in danger.} (28. Qxa5 Qh4 $44) (28. Ne2 Qh4 29. Qd3 (29. fxe6 Qe1+ 30. Nf1 fxe6 31. Qc4 Be5 32. Qxe6 Rxg2+ 33. Kh1 $1 Rh2+ 34. Kg1 Rg2+ $11) 29... d5 $5 (29... Be5 30. Ng4 Rxg4 31. hxg4 Nf6 32. g3 Qxg4 33. fxe6 fxe6 34. Nf4 h5 $44 {<=>}) 30. Ng4 Nf6 $11) (28. fxe6 $142 fxe6 (28... Qxe6 29. Qxa5 $14) 29. Ne2 $14) 28... Be5 $1 29. Ng4 Qh4 {The concentration of Black's forces is alarming.} ({ The text move is more convincing than} 29... Nf4 30. f6 Qf8 31. Kf1 Nxg2 $13) 30. fxe6 $2 {[%mdl 8192] A tactical error, but not the last one...} (30. Nxe5 { allows Black to force a draw, but White had already squandered his advantage.} Qe1+ (30... dxe5 31. Nd6 Nf4 32. Nxf7+ Kh7 33. Nxe5 Rxg2+ 34. Kf1 Rg7 35. Ng6 ( 35. fxe6 $2 Nxh3 $19) 35... Nxg6 36. fxg6+ Rxg6 37. Qc6 Qh5 $11) 31. Rf1 (31. Kh2 $2 dxe5 32. Nd6 Ng3 $19) 31... Rxg2+ 32. Kxg2 Qg3+ $11) (30. Nxd6 Bd4+ $1 31. Ne3 $8 (31. Nf2 $2 Nf4 32. Nxf7+ Kh7 $17) (31. Kf1 $2 Rxg4 32. Nxf7+ Kh7 33. Qb7 Rg7 $17) 31... Qe1+ 32. Qf1 Qxd2 33. Ndc4 Qc3 34. fxe6 fxe6 35. Kh2 Be5+ $13) 30... fxe6 $2 (30... Rxg4 $1 31. hxg4 Qh2+ 32. Kf2 (32. Kf1 Nf4 33. Qa8+ Kg7 34. Ke1 Qxg2 35. Rxf4 Bxf4 36. Qxa5 (36. e7 Qxd2+ 37. Kf1 Bg3 38. Qf8+ Kg6 39. Qg8+ Kf6 40. e5+ dxe5 41. e8=N+ Ke7 $19) 36... Qg1+ 37. Ke2 Qxg4+ $19) 32... Nf4 33. Rg3 Nxe6 34. Rf3 Nf4 $1 (34... Kg7 $40 {D.King} 35. Na3 $5 (35. Nc3 Qh4+ 36. g3 Qh2+ 37. Ke1 Ng5 38. Qd3 Nxf3+ 39. Qxf3 Bxg3+ 40. Kd1 Qg1+ 41. Kc2 Be5 $19) 35... Qh4+ 36. g3 Qh2+ 37. Ke1 Ng5 38. Qd3 Nxf3+ 39. Qxf3 Qg1+ ( 39... Bxg3+ 40. Kd1 Qg1+ 41. Kc2 Be5 42. Nc4) 40. Ke2 Qd4 $17) 35. Rg3 Ng6 36. Rf3 Kg7 {[%CAl Rg6h4]} 37. Nc7 Nh4 38. Ne6+ Kh7 $1 39. Rxf7+ Kg6 40. Rf5 (40. Rf8 Qxg2+ 41. Ke3 Qh3+ 42. Kf2 Qg3+ 43. Ke2 Qxg4+ 44. Kd3 Qh3+ $1 45. Kc2 Qxe6 $19) 40... Qxg2+ 41. Ke3 Qg3+ 42. Ke2 Qxg4+ 43. Ke3 Nxf5+ 44. exf5+ Kxf5 $19) ( 30... Nf4 $2 31. Kf1 $1 {[]} (31. Nxd6 Qe1+ 32. Rf1 Qxd2 33. Nxf7+ Kh7 34. Rf2 Bd4 $19) 31... fxe6 (31... Rxg4 $2 32. exf7 Kg7 33. Qc8 $18) 32. Nxd6 Rxg4 33. Nf7+ Kh7 34. Nxe5 Rxg2 35. Ng4 (35. Rxf4 Qxh3 36. Rh4 Qxh4 37. Kxg2 Qg5+ $11) 35... Rxg4 36. hxg4 Qxg4 37. Kf2 Qg2+ 38. Ke3 Qg1+ 39. Rf2 (39. Kxf4 $4 Qg5#) 39... Qg3+ $11) 31. Nxe5 dxe5 ({A simpler way is} 31... Qe1+ 32. Rf1 $8 (32. Kh2 $2 Nf4 $1 (32... Ng3 33. Nf7+ (33. Ng4 Ne2 $19) 33... Kh7 34. Ng5+ Rxg5 35. Qb7+ Rg7 36. Qxg7+ Kxg7 37. Rxg3+ Kh7 $19) 33. Ng6+ Rxg6 34. Qc8+ Kh7 35. Qc7+ Rg7 36. Qxg7+ Kxg7 37. Rxf4 Qxd2 $19) 32... Rxg2+ 33. Kxg2 Qg3+ 34. Kh1 Qxh3+ $11) 32. Qxe6 Qe1+ $2 {The decisive error.} (32... Qg5 $8 33. Rf2 (33. g4 Nf4 34. Qf5 Qg7 (34... Qe7 35. Na7 $8 Rg5 (35... Rf8 $2 36. Nc6) 36. Qc8+ Rg8 $11) 35. Rxf4 exf4 36. Qxc5 $11) 33... Nf4 34. Qg4 Qxg4 35. hxg4 Rxg4 36. Kh2 Rg6 37. g3 Ne6 $132) 33. Kh2 {[%CAl Re6e5,Re6h6]} (33. Rf1 $142 $1 Qxd2 (33... Qxe4 34. Qxh6+ Qh7 35. Qe3 Qg7 36. g4 $18) (33... Rxg2+ 34. Kxg2 Qxd2+ 35. Kg1 $1 Qe3+ 36. Rf2 $18 {transposes into the game.}) 34. Qxe5+ Ng7 (34... Rg7 35. g4 $18) 35. Rf7 $18) 33... Rxg2+ (33... Qxd2 $142 $5 {was more resilient:} 34. Qxe5+ (34. Rf2 Rxg2+ $1 35. Rxg2 Qf4+ 36. Kh1 Qf1+ 37. Rg1 Qf3+ 38. Kh2 Qf2+ 39. Rg2 Qf4+ $11) 34... Rg7 (34... Kh7 35. Rf7+ $18) 35. Rf8+ Kh7 36. Qf5+ Rg6 37. Rf7+ (37. Qf7+ $5 Rg7 38. Qf2 Qxf2 39. Rxf2 $16) 37... Ng7 38. Qf3 $16) 34. Kxg2 Qxd2+ $6 (34... Qe2+ 35. Rf2 $1 (35. Kg1 Qxf3 36. Qxh6+ Kg8 37. Qe6+ Kf8 38. Qf5+ $18) 35... Nf4+ 36. Kg3 Qxf2+ (36... Nh5+ 37. Kh4 Qxf2+ 38. Kxh5 $18) (36... Qd3+ 37. Rf3 Qxf3+ 38. Kxf3 Nxe6 39. Nd6 Kg7 40. Nc4 Ng5+ 41. Ke3 Nxh3 42. Nxa5 Nf4 43. Nb7 $18 {[%csl Ga4]}) 37. Kxf2 Nxe6 38. Nd6 c4 39. Nxc4 Nc5 40. Kf3 Nxa4 41. Kg4 $5 Nc5 42. Kf5 $18 {The knight endgame is beyond saving, but now Black just remains a rook down.}) 35. Kg1 Qe1+ 36. Rf1 $1 Qe3+ 37. Rf2 Qe1+ (37... Qg3+ 38. Kf1 Qd3+ 39. Ke1 Qxe4+ 40. Kd2 Qb4+ 41. Kc2 Qxa4+ 42. Kb2 Qxb5+ 43. Kc1 Ng7 44. Rf8+ Kh7 45. Qg8+ Kg6 46. Qf7+ Kh7 47. Rg8 $18) 38. Kg2 ( 38. Kg2 Qxe4+ 39. Kh2 {and the checks are over. A dramatic final round with a lucky outcome for Magnus!}) 1-0 [Event "London Classic 7th Tiebreak"] [Site "London"] [Date "2015.12.13"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B52"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah/CB Website"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2015.12.13"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ {After having played the same line successfully against Grischuk in the classical game earlier in the day, Magnus does not flinch from giving it another go.} Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. f3 (9. O-O O-O 10. f3 Rc8 11. b3 d5 $1 $11 {is known to be an equalising idea since a long time. Hence f3 is more accurate than 0-0.}) 9... O-O 10. Be3 Nc6 11. Rc1 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Rfc8 13. b3 {This is a position with small but stable edge for White.} Nh5 $5 14. O-O Bxd4+ 15. Qxd4 Nf6 16. Rfe1 $1 {Magnus brings his rooks to the central files.} Rc7 17. Rcd1 Qc6 18. Nb5 (18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. exd5 $14 Qc5 20. Qxc5 dxc5 21. Rd2 {is also a pleasant position but maybe Black can defend this as e7 is the only weakness right now.} ) 18... Rd7 19. Nxa7 Qc5 20. Qxc5 dxc5 21. Nb5 Rxa2 22. e5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nh5 24. g3 Rb2 25. Rd8+ Kg7 26. Re8 Rb1+ (26... Rxb3 27. Rxe7 Rxf3 28. Nd6 $16 { Black's biggest problem is his knight on h5.}) 27. Kg2 Rb2+ 28. Kg1 Rb1+ 29. Kg2 Rb2+ 30. Kh3 e6 31. Re7 Rxb3 32. Kg4 (32. Nd6 Rxf3 33. Kg2 Rc3 34. Rxf7+ Kg8 35. Rxb7 $16 {was a better way to gain an edge.}) 32... Kf8 33. Rxb7 h6 34. Rc7 f5+ 35. exf6 Nxf6+ 36. Kf4 g5+ 37. Ke5 Ne8 38. Rxc5 Re3+ 39. Kd4 Rxf3 { Maxime was playing with great speed and already had a big time advantage. Now his position was also pretty much defensible.} 40. Re5 Rf2 41. Rxe6 Rxh2 42. c5 h5 43. Nd6 $6 (43. Nc3 $14) 43... Nxd6 44. cxd6 Kf7 45. Re3 h4 46. g4 h3 47. Ke5 Rh1 48. d7 Ke7 49. Kf5+ Kxd7 50. Kxg5 {It seems as if White is completely winning here because he just keeps an eye on the pawn with the rook. For eg. h2 is met with Re2, the black king is cut off and the white king moves to the h-file and starts pushing the g-pawn down the board. However, there is a study like solution for Black to draw the game.} Kd6 (50... h2 51. Re2 Kd6 $1 { The only move. Black has to wait till the white king goes to the h-file before leaving the h1 square with his rook.} 52. Kh5 (52. Kg6 Rg1 $11) 52... Rc1 $1 53. Rxh2 Rc8 $3 {The only way to make a draw. The threat of skewering the rook from h8 makes it impossible to push the pawn to g5 which would be a theoretical win.} 54. Re2 Rh8+ 55. Kg5 Rg8+ 56. Kh5 Rh8+ $11) 51. Kh5 Rf1 $2 ( 51... h2 $1 52. Re2 Rc1 53. Rxh2 Rc8 $1 {and just like in the previous variation Black makes a draw.}) 52. Rxh3 Ke7 53. Kg6 $1 {Shouldering!} Rf6+ 54. Kg7 Rf7+ 55. Kg6 Rf6+ 56. Kg5 Ra6 (56... Kf7 57. Rh7+ $18) 57. Rf3 {The basic Lucena position will be reached pretty soon and Black will have to resign. A very interesting game especially with a nice touch in the rook endgame.} 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 5th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2017.06.08"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2832"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2017.06.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 179"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 g6 {The reason that this move is not very popular is that many consider 6.h3 to be more useful generally than 6...a6 in the normal Dragon. That, however, is truly up for debate.} 7. g3 Nc6 8. Be3 {An example of h3 being useful, normally this runs into ...Ng4.} Bg7 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O Nd7 11. b3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bxd4 13. Qxd4 { Black plays unambitiously, hoping to defend a solid though slightly worse position.} b6 14. Nd5 Bb7 15. c4 e5 {The weakness on d6 is not easy to target, while Black hopes to use the break b5 and the control over the dark squares to create counterplay.} (15... b5 {immediately was also possible.}) 16. Qe3 (16. Qd2 {keeping pressure on d6 rather than on b6, seemed more logical. Black is going to play b5 anyway.}) 16... b5 17. Rac1 bxc4 18. Rxc4 Bxd5 19. exd5 { The eternal fight between the bishop and the knight. In this instance the knight doesn't have many good anchor squares (it will get kicked out of c5 if it goes there), on the other hand the bishop on g2 creates no great impression. } a5 20. Rfc1 Nc5 21. a3 f5 $6 {Black gains space, but truly he simply weakens his position.} (21... a4 {it's strange Nakamura did not go for this option} 22. bxa4 $1 (22. b4 {strategically Black usually does not want to allow this, but after} Nb3 {the knight heads for the d4-square}) 22... Qd7 {and the knight is superb on c5.}) 22. b4 axb4 23. axb4 Nd7 24. Rc6 f4 25. gxf4 $1 {Black has to decide how to lose a pawn.} exf4 (25... Rxf4 26. Rxd6 Qe7 27. Re6 $1 Qxb4 28. d6 $1 {and with the bishop activated Black's position is difficult, but not without resources:} (28. Rc7 {might be more precise}) 28... Ra3 29. Qe2 Qd4 { with counterplay.}) 26. Qe6+ Rf7 27. Qxd6 Qg5 {Again Black finds resources. Thanks to the exchange of the g-pawn, White's king is exposed and Nakamura clings on to this as his hope to battle White's passed pawns.} 28. Kh1 (28. Rc8+ Rxc8 (28... Kg7 29. h4 $1 {doesn't work for Black}) 29. Rxc8+ Kg7 30. Kh1 f3 31. Bf1 {was a better version of the game.}) 28... f3 29. Bf1 Nf6 {The game is certainly sharp. White is up material but his king is weak, and so are his pawns. Black's king isn't particularly safe either, and any move can prove to be a fatal mistake.} 30. Qe6 $6 {Now Nakamura finds strong counterplay.} (30. Qg3 Qxg3 31. fxg3 Ra2 32. b5 Rb2 {is better for White, despite the passed position of the f2-pawn.}) 30... Kg7 {Unpinning the rook is an obvious start.} 31. Rc7 Rxc7 $1 32. Rxc7+ Kh6 $1 {Black's king now hides on h6, where it is much safer than on g8. With the weakness of White's king it is Carlsen who has to be careful.} 33. Qe1 Ra2 34. Re7 Ng4 {Forcing the result.} (34... Qxd5 { and Black isn't in much danger, but he is not better either.}) 35. hxg4 Qh4+ 36. Kg1 Qxg4+ 37. Kh1 Qh4+ 38. Kg1 Qg4+ 39. Kh1 Qh4+ 40. Kg1 Qg4+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Paris GCT Blitz"] [Site "Paris"] [Date "2017.06.25"] [Round "16"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2832"] [BlackElo "2796"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2017.06.21"] [EventType "tourn (blitz)"] [EventRounds "18"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 179"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nf3 h6 { Common, but perhaps unnecessary.} (7... Be7 8. Bg5 Be6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. O-O O-O 11. Nd5 Nd7 $11) 8. Nd2 b5 (8... Be6 {allows the white knight to continue the journey to the d5-square.} 9. Nc4 b5 10. Ne3) 9. Nf1 $1 {Magnus finds a back door entrance.} Bb7 10. Bf3 Nbd7 11. Ne3 Nb6 12. O-O Rc8 13. Qd3 g6 14. Rd1 Be7 15. a4 $1 b4 16. Na2 a5 17. c3 $2 ({There wasn't much wrong with the greedy} 17. Qb5+ Bc6 18. Qxa5 Ra8 19. Qxb4 Rxa4 20. Qb3) 17... b3 18. Nb4 {One can tell Magnus is trying to muscle his way through. While he's pretty good at that too, still, this isn't how he normally plays.} axb4 19. a5 bxc3 $5 { Maxime values the initiative above material. It's admirable under any circumstances, but it also happens to be a pretty good strategy in blitz, where active play is often rewarded.} (19... Nbd7 20. cxb4 O-O {Objectively speaking Black is better here.}) 20. axb6 c2 21. Rd2 Qxb6 22. Ra3 O-O 23. Rxb3 Qa7 $6 ({The tournament situation called for trying to win at any cost, so} 23... Qa6 24. Qxa6 Bxa6 25. Rxc2 Rxc2 26. Nxc2 Rc8 27. Rc3 Rxc3 28. bxc3 Kg7 29. Nb4 Bb7 {seemed too bland.}) 24. Ra3 Qd4 $6 25. Qb3 $1 Qxd2 26. Bxd2 c1=Q+ 27. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 28. Nf1 Bxe4 {Black has compensation, but it's hard to see him winning this.} 29. Qe3 $1 Rc4 30. Qxh6 d5 31. Bxe4 $1 {For a while Carlsen played it right.} Ng4 (31... Bxa3 32. Bxg6 fxg6 33. Qxg6+ Kh8 34. bxa3 d4 35. h4 {is practically hopeless for Black - see MVL-Nakamura from the rapid.}) 32. Qh3 Rxe4 33. Rc3 Rb4 34. Rc2 Kg7 35. Qd3 Nf6 36. Qg3 e4 37. Qe5 Re8 {Under better circumstances it would be hard to bet on Magnus losing this game, but the combination of time trouble and frustration ultimately made it possible.} 38. Ne3 $6 (38. Ng3 d4 39. Qg5 d3 40. Nf5+ Kg8 41. Rc8 {leads White nowhere in terms of obtaining winning chances} Rxc8 42. Nxe7+ Kg7 43. Nxc8 $4 (43. Nf5+ { may still be enough for a draw}) 43... Rxb2 {and the back rank weakness kills.} ) ({The most practical would have been to play} 38. h4) 38... d4 39. Ng4 d3 40. Rc1 Bd8 41. Qc3 Rb7 42. Ne3 Rc7 43. Qd2 Rxc1+ 44. Qxc1 Bb6 45. Kf1 Bxe3 46. Qxe3 Rb8 47. Qd4 Rb5 48. Ke1 Rg5 49. g3 Rd5 50. Qc3 d2+ 51. Kd1 Rd3 52. Qe5 Rd5 53. Qf4 g5 $2 (53... Rd3 {strongly threatening e4-e3 would have forced repetition:} 54. Qe5 Rd5 55. Qc3 Rd3) 54. Qe3 Kg6 55. h3 (55. h4 gxh4 56. gxh4) 55... Rd3 56. Qb6 Kg7 57. b4 $4 {Oh, horror.} Nd5 {Blunders aside, one has to give credit to Maxime for uncompromising play. He sensed Magnus wasn't at his best at the moment and seized his chance.} 0-1 [Event "Paris GCT Rapid"] [Site "Paris"] [Date "2017.06.21"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2832"] [BlackElo "2796"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2017.06.21"] [EventType "tourn (rapid)"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 179"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bg5 Nbd7 9. a4 b6 10. Nd2 h6 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. Nc4 Bb7 13. a5 $1 {A new idea.} (13. Qd3 O-O 14. Ne3 Rc8 $11) 13... b5 14. Nb6 Nxe4 {MVL is not the kind of guy to back down.} ({Objectively speaking there wasn't much worng with the simple} 14... Rb8) 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Bf3 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Ra7 18. c4 $1 (18. Qc6+ Kf8 19. O-O g6 {Black's devopment problems are easily solved, and} 20. c4 {is no longer effective on account of} Rc7) 18... d5 $1 {Both players are on top of their game.} (18... bxc4 19. Qc6+ Kf8 20. Qxc4 g6 21. O-O Kg7 22. Rfd1 { offers White a nice, long-term compensation.}) 19. cxb5 Bb4+ 20. Ke2 Bxa5 21. Nxd5 axb5 {This only seems dangerous for Black. Maxime has everything under control.} (21... O-O 22. b4 Bb6 23. bxa6 Bd4) 22. b4 Bb6 23. Rxa7 Bxa7 24. Ra1 Bb8 25. Qd3 O-O {Finally!} 26. Qxb5 e4 {Not a bad move in itself, but, perhaps, unnecessary.} ({After the logical sequence,} 26... Qh4 27. g3 (27. h3 Rd8 28. Ne3 Bd6) 27... Qh5+ 28. Kf1 Qxh2 29. Ra8 Bd6 30. Rxf8+ Bxf8 31. Qc6 {one way or another Black would deliver perpetual check}) 27. g3 Be5 $2 {Strangely enough, the bishop is more vulnerable here.} 28. Rd1 Qg5 29. Kf1 $1 f5 (29... Qh5 30. Ne3) 30. Qe2 $5 {A sneaky move that MVL failed to read.} Kh8 $4 (30... Bb8 31. b5 Kh8 {still aiming at f5-f4.}) (30... f4 31. Qxe4 fxg3 32. hxg3 Bxg3 {gets hit by} 33. Ne7+ Kh8 34. Ng6+) 31. f4 $1 {Just like that White wins a piece and the game is over.} exf3 32. Qxe5 Qh5 33. Nf4 Qxh2 34. Ng6+ Kh7 35. Nxf8+ Kh8 36. Ng6+ Kh7 37. Nh4 Qh1+ 38. Kf2 Qxd1 39. Qxf5+ 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2014.03.30"] [Round "14"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B23"] [WhiteElo "2830"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Roiz,M"] [PlyCount "188"] [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. e4 {Levon is known as a real expert in 1.d4, so already his first move was surprising.} c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Bc4 {White deviates from the main theoretical lines and chooses an aggressive side variation. This setup is usually connected with pushing the f-pawn at an early stage of the game.} a6 $5 { A rather rare, but principled response. Black is ready to meet the f2-f4 advance with d6-d5 quite soon.} 4. a3 {Securing the light-squared bishop.} ({ The following illustrative line shows, that White can hardly save a tempo by deviating from this prophylactic move:} 4. d3 e6 5. f4 Nf6 6. Nf3 d5 7. Bb3 dxe4 8. Nxe4 (8. dxe4 $6 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 b5 $15) 8... Nxe4 9. dxe4 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 b5 $11 (10... b6 $5)) 4... e6 5. d3 Nf6 6. Ba2 Nc6 7. Nf3 {Aronian chooses the most solid way of development.} ({A double-edged position could arise after the most ambitious} 7. f4 Be7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O b5 $132) 7... Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Re1 b5 10. Ne2 $5 {Such a fresh and complex position is rarely seen on move 10! Both sides have definite winning chances, so Sergei Karjakin could be satisfied at this moment.} Bb7 {This developing move is the most natural.} ({ One preceding game saw} 10... c4 11. Ng3 cxd3 {0-1 Kende,G (2198)-Llaneza Vega, P (2272)/Hungary 2008/EXT 2009 (37)} 12. cxd3 Bb7 13. d4 {but this change of pawn structure helps White.}) 11. Ng3 d5 $146 {Sergey decides to fix the pawn structure and restrict White's light-squared bishop. However, this decision has a clear drawback: now White gets good attacking prospects due to a space advantage.} (11... Ne5 $5 {is worth considering:} 12. Ng5 (12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Be3 Qc7 $11) 12... h6 13. Nh3 c4 $132) 12. e5 Nd7 13. c3 d4 $1 ({Sergey correctly prevents White from consolidating their centre be means of d3-d4:} 13... Qb6 $6 14. d4 a5 15. Bb1 cxd4 16. cxd4 $14) 14. cxd4 cxd4 $6 {Now White keeps threatening attacking potential!} ({I guess, Sergey has refuted} 14... Nxd4 $1 15. Nxd4 cxd4 {in view of} 16. Qg4 {and the activation of White's queen looks scary. However, Black is doing ok here:} Kh8 {and White hardly has anything better than} 17. Qxd4 (17. Nh5 Rg8 (17... g6 $5) 18. Qxd4 (18. Qf4 Nc5 $1 19. Qxf7 Qd7 20. Nf4 Raf8 21. Bxe6 Rxf7 22. Bxd7 Nxd7 23. e6 Rxf4 24. Bxf4 Nc5 $15) 18... Nc5 19. Qe3 Qxd3 20. Nf4 Qxe3 21. Bxe3 Rgd8 $11) 17... Nc5 18. Be3 Nxd3 19. Red1 Qxd4 20. Bxd4 Nf4 $11) 15. Bf4 Nc5 {Black has some space advantage on the queenside, but creating any serious threats is a tough task at this stage of the game.} (15... h6 16. Ne4 Qb6 17. Rc1 Rad8 18. h4 $14) 16. Rc1 b4 17. Bg5 $6 {Levon is interested in exchanging the dark-squared bishops. In this case the Ng3 would get a nice route to d6.} ({However, it looks like the direct attack by means of} 17. Nh5 $1 {was very dangerous. For instance,} Kh8 ({Even worse is} 17... Re8 18. Rxc5 $1 Bxc5 19. Nxg7 Kxg7 20. Ng5 h6 (20... Re7 21. Ne4 $18) 21. Qg4 hxg5 22. Bxg5 Kf8 23. Bxd8 Raxd8 24. h4 $16) 18. Rxc5 $1 ({But not} 18. Nxg7 $2 b3 $1 (18... Kxg7 19. Rxc5 Bxc5 20. Ng5 h6 21. Qg4 hxg5 22. Bxg5 $18) 19. Bxb3 Nxb3 20. Qxb3 Na5 $1 21. Qa4 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rg8 $15) 18... Bxc5 19. Ng5 Be7 (19... h6 20. Nxg7 $1 Kxg7 21. Qg4 $18) (19... b3 20. Nxh7 $1 bxa2 (20... Kxh7 21. Qg4 g6 22. Nf6+ Kg7 23. Bh6+ Kxh6 24. Qh4+ Kg7 25. Qh7#) 21. Qg4 g6 22. N7f6 $18) 20. Qg4 (20. Nxh7 Kxh7 21. Nxg7 Kxg7 22. Qg4+ Kh7 23. Qh5+ $11) 20... g6 21. Ng3 $36) 17... b3 (17... Bxg5 18. Nxg5 Qxg5 19. Rxc5 Qe7 20. Qc2 Rac8 21. Rc1 Qd7 22. Qd2 bxa3 23. bxa3 Ne7 $11) 18. Bb1 { This is a risky decision - the Bb1 is completely out of play. However, Aronian is fighting for a win and avoids any simplifications.} ({Accepting the challenge} 18. Bxb3 {leads to a balanced position:} Nxb3 19. Qxb3 Bxg5 20. Nxg5 Na5 $1 (20... Qxg5 21. Qxb7 Nxe5 22. Qe4 Ng6 23. Rc4 $14) 21. Qa4 (21. Qb4 Rb8 22. Rc5 Qxg5 23. Qxa5 h5 $44) 21... Bc6 22. Rxc6 Nxc6 23. Nxh7 Kxh7 24. Qxc6 $11) 18... h6 $2 {Sergey understimates White's strong 20th move.} ({It looks like both players have overlooked} 18... Bxg5 $1 19. Nxg5 Nd7 $1 {with a preferable position for Black:} ({after} 19... Qxg5 $6 20. Rxc5 $14 {White is better due to his control over the c-file.}) 20. Qxb3 (20. Nf3 Rb8 21. Qd2 h6 22. Qf4 Ne7 23. Ne4 Ng6 24. Qg3 Nb6 $15) 20... Rb8 21. Nf3 (21. N5e4 Ba8 22. Qc2 Ncxe5 $15) 21... Na5 22. Qd1 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Rxb2 $15) 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Ne4 $1 {This excellent resource allows White to liberate the Bb1.} Nxe4 (20... Nd7 21. Nd6 Nb6 22. Nxb7 Qxb7 23. Qxb3 $16) 21. dxe4 $14 {White is in firm control now.} Rab8 (21... Rfd8 22. Qxb3 Rab8 23. Qd1 Ba8 24. Re2 $16) 22. Qxb3 (22. Nxd4 {would be inaccurate:} Nxe5 23. Qxb3 Rfd8 24. Qe3 a5 $44 {[%CAl Gb7a6]}) ( {But Levon could get rid of the Pb3 in a different version:} 22. Bd3 $5 Rfd8 23. Qxb3 Ba8 24. Qc2 a5 25. Red1 $14) 22... Ba8 23. Qc2 Rb6 24. Rcd1 $6 { One of the most critical mistakes - White's play is too slow.} ({This seems the last chance for Levon to fight for a win in this game:} 24. b4 a5 25. bxa5 Nxa5 26. Qc5 Qxc5 27. Rxc5 Nc6 28. Bd3 Rb3 29. Bb5 $14) (24. Red1 Rfb8 25. b4 a5 26. bxa5 Nxa5 27. Nxd4 Qxa3 28. Qd3 $14) 24... Rfb8 25. Re2 $6 {Mistakes rarely come alone!} ({After} 25. b4 a5 26. bxa5 Nxa5 27. Nxd4 Qxa3 $44 { Black has enough compensation, but there was no reason for avoiding this line.} ) 25... Qb7 $6 {Sergey errs as well.} ({He could maintain winning chances by accepting the challenge:} 25... Rxb2 $1 26. Qxb2 Rxb2 27. Rxb2 Qxa3 28. Rbd2 Bb7 29. Nxd4 Nxe5 $15 {the strong Pa6 is really dangerous.}) 26. Rdd2 Rb3 27. Qd1 {According to his style, Levon is continuing to fight for a win.} (27. Nxd4 Nxd4 28. Rxd4 Rc8 $1 (28... Rxb2 $2 29. Qxb2 Qxb2 30. Rxb2 Rxb2 31. Rb4 $16) 29. Qd1 (29. Qd2 $4 Rxb2 30. Qxb2 Qxb2 31. Rxb2 Rc1+) 29... Rxb2 $11) 27... Qc7 28. Qc1 $6 {Allowing a dangerous sacrifice.} ({After} 28. Nxd4 $142 Nxd4 29. Rxd4 Rxb2 30. Rxb2 Rxb2 31. Bd3 $11 {the game should end in a draw.}) 28... Rxf3 $1 29. gxf3 Qxe5 {Now Black has a dangerous initiative. White's king is very weak, so Black has not much risk there.} 30. Rd3 Qh5 31. Qf4 (31. e5 g6 $1 32. Rc2 Qxe5 33. Rc5 Qd6 34. b4 Kg7 35. f4 Ne7 $15) 31... Ne5 (31... Rb5 $5 32. h4 Ne5 33. b4 a5 $44) 32. Rc2 $2 {Levon is looking for some activity, but now the rook comes into attack.} ({At the same time, after the cool-blooded} 32. Kg2 $1 Rd8 33. Qg3 (33. Rd1 Ng6 34. Qg4 Qe5 $44) 33... Nxd3 34. Bxd3 $11 { White should be able to hold the balance.}) 32... Rb5 $1 {That's the point. White has no time for taking the Ba8.} 33. h4 (33. Rc8+ Kh7 34. Rxa8 Ng6 35. Qg3 Rg5 36. Rxd4 Qxf3 37. Rdd8 Qe2 38. Bd3 Qe1+ 39. Kg2 e5 $1 40. Bxa6 Nf4+ 41. Kf3 Rxg3+ 42. fxg3 Ne6 $19) 33... Bb7 ({Missing the strong} 33... Bc6 $142 $1 34. Rcd2 Rc5 35. Rd1 Ba4 $19 {with a decisive advantage. However, this looks like a very tough line.}) 34. Rcd2 Rb6 (34... a5 $5) 35. Kf1 $6 {White's task is extremely hard. A human can hardly avoid mistakes in such a scary position.} (35. Kg2 Ng6 (35... Nxd3 36. Bxd3 e5 37. Qf5 $15) 36. Qg4 Qxg4+ 37. fxg4 Bxe4+ 38. Kg3 e5 $17) 35... Nxd3 $2 ({Once again, Sergey could activate his bishop with colossal effect:} 35... a5 $1 36. Rxd4 Ba6+ 37. Bd3 (37. Kg2 Rb3 $1 $19) 37... Nxd3 38. R4xd3 Rb3 39. Qd6 Bxd3+ 40. Rxd3 Qb5 41. Ke2 Rxb2+ 42. Ke1 Qc4 $19) 36. Bxd3 $15 {Now White's pieces are much better coordinated.} e5 37. Qg3 ({Levon could maintain good drawing chances in the endgame:} 37. Qg4 $5 Qxg4 38. fxg4 a5 39. Rc2 a4 40. Ke2 Kf8 41. Kd2 f6 42. f3 $15) 37... Rf6 (37... Rg6 $5) 38. Be2 Rf4 39. Rxd4 Rxh4 40. Rd8+ Kh7 {The Kf1 is permanently under pressure, but now White's rook is active.} 41. Kg2 (41. Ke1 Rf4 42. Kd2 Qh1 $36 ) 41... Rf4 42. Rd1 g5 $1 {A good positional idea. Now Black always has a dangerous attacking resource g5-g4.} 43. Qh3 (43. b4 $5 Kg7 (43... g4 44. Rd6 $1 gxf3+ 45. Bxf3 Bxe4 46. Bxe4+ Rxe4 47. Qd3 $132) 44. a4 $15) 43... Qg6 44. Kf1 Rh4 45. Qg3 Qe6 46. Kg2 Rf4 {Sergey is waiting and doesn't change the pleasant character of position.} (46... f5 $5 {is not trivial for humans:} 47. exf5 Qxf5 48. Bd3 e4 49. fxe4 Bxe4+ 50. Kf1 Rh1+ 51. Ke2 Rh3 52. Qc7+ Kg6 $17) 47. Rc1 Qd6 48. Rd1 Qf6 49. Rc1 a5 50. b4 axb4 51. axb4 {The b-pawn is not so strong yet, but now there is} Qd6 52. Rh1 Kg7 (52... f5 $1 53. Rd1 (53. Qxg5 fxe4 54. Kg1 Rf7 $19) 53... Qxb4 54. Kg1 Bc8 $17) 53. b5 Bc8 $6 {The bishop can hardly find a better square than b7.} ({A much more energetic move would be } 53... Qd2 $1 54. Bc4 f5 55. Qh3 Qd6 56. Bd5 Bxd5 57. exd5 g4 $17) 54. Qh2 $1 Qg6 55. Qh5 (55. Rc1 $5 g4 56. Kf1 $1 gxf3 57. Bxf3 $1 Bd7 58. Be2 Qxe4 59. Rc4 Qb1+ 60. Kg2 $15) 55... Qf6 56. Qh2 Kh7 57. Qg3 Bb7 {Admitting the previous mistake. White has some pressure along the h-file now, so it's not easy to make progress.} 58. Rc1 Qd6 59. Rd1 Qf6 60. Rc1 Qd6 61. Rh1 Kg7 62. Qh3 Rh4 63. Qg3 $6 ({It looks like Levon could solve his problems by means of nice tactical measures:} 63. Rd1 $1 Qg6 (63... Qxd1 64. Bxd1 Rxh3 65. Kxh3 h5 66. b6 Kf6 67. f4 exf4 68. Bxh5 $11) 64. Qg3 Qf6 65. Kg1 $11) 63... Rf4 64. Qh3 Rf6 65. Rd1 Qc5 66. Qg3 (66. Rd8 Qc1 67. Qh1 Qb2 $15) 66... Rf4 67. Rh1 $6 { One more inaccuracy leads to a very difficult position.} ({It was necessary to keep the rook active:} 67. Bf1 $1 Qc2 68. Rd6 Qc7 69. Rd1 Bc8 $15) 67... Qc2 $1 68. Qh2 Rf6 69. Re1 Qd2 $1 {Now White is doomed to a passive defence.} 70. Kf1 Rf4 71. Rd1 Qc3 72. Kg2 $2 {Decisive mistake.} (72. Qg2 Qc2 73. Re1 f5 $17 { looks horrible, but at least White is still in the game.}) 72... Qb2 $1 { Now Black is dominating. White cannot keep the material balance any longer.} 73. Rh1 (73. Kf1 Bc8 $1 74. Qg2 Rh4 $19) 73... Rh4 74. Qg3 Rxh1 75. Kxh1 Qxe2 76. Qxe5+ Kh7 $19 {Black is a piece up. The rest was just an agony. A painful defeat for Levon Aronian.} 77. Kg2 Qc4 $1 78. Qe7 (78. Qf5+ Kg7 79. Qe5+ f6 80. Qe7+ Qf7 $19) 78... Bc8 79. b6 Ba6 80. Kh2 Qb3 81. Qa7 (81. Kg2 Kg7 82. Qe5+ f6 83. Qc7+ Qf7 $19) 81... Bf1 82. Kg1 Bh3 83. f4 gxf4 (83... g4 84. Kh2 Bf1 85. Kg1 Be2 86. b7 Qd1+ 87. Kh2 Bf3 88. b8=Q Qh1+ 89. Kg3 Qh3#) (83... Qd1+ 84. Kh2 Qh5 85. b7 Qf3 86. b8=Q Qg2#) 84. Qc7 Qd1+ 85. Kh2 Qh5 86. Qxf4 Bc8+ 87. Kg2 Qg5+ 88. Kf3 Qxf4+ 89. Kxf4 Kg6 90. Ke5 h5 91. Kd6 h4 92. Kc7 Ba6 93. Kb8 h3 94. Ka7 h2 0-1 [Event "Zuerich Kortschnoj-A"] [Site "Zuerich"] [Date "2001.04.28"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Piket, Jeroen"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2827"] [BlackElo "2628"] [Annotator "Gershon,A"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2001.04.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "CBM 083"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.07.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.07.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 36]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 Be7 5. d3 d6 6. Nd2 Nf6 7. Nf1 Na5 {A novelty according to my database} (7... Be6 8. Ne3 a6 9. a3 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Ncd5 b5 12. Ba2 Rc8 13. c3 Nb8 14. a4 Nbd7 15. Qf3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Psakhis,L-Sanchez,J/Ubeda ESP 2001/The Week in Chess 326 (28)}) (7... O-O 8. Ne3 Nd4 (8... a6 9. a4 Rb8 10. O-O Be6 11. Ned5 Na5 12. Ba2 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bg5 14. f4 exf4 15. c3 Nc6 16. Bxf4 Bxf4 17. Rxf4 Ne7 18. Qh5 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Nxd5 20. Qxd5 $14 {1-0 Salmensuu,O-Bekker Jensen,D/Gausdal 2000/CBM 77 ext (32)}) 9. O-O Be6 10. a4 Rb8 11. Bd2 (11. Ncd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bg5 13. Be3 h6 14. Kh1 Kh8 15. c3 Nc6 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qe2 Kg7 18. g3 Bh3 19. Rg1 h5 20. f4 $36 {1-0 Adams, M-Rabiega,R/Frankfurt 2000/CBM 76 ext (57)}) 11... h6 12. Kh1 Rc8 13. g3 Nc6 14. Ncd5 Qd7 15. c3 Bd8 16. f4 Bh3 17. Rg1 Ng4 18. Qe2 Nxe3 19. Bxe3 Be6 20. f5 Bxd5 21. Bxd5 $16 {1-0 Yakovich,Y-Bekker Jensen,D/Gausdal 2000/CBM 77 ext (37)} ) ({the main variaiton here is:} 7... Bg4) 8. Ne3 Nxc4 9. dxc4 {White always has a long term small advantage in this line. It's interesting to watch how world's No.1 hadles such a position.} O-O 10. Qf3 {[%csl Re4][%CAl Gc3d5,Yf3e4, Gg2g5,Gh2h4,Gc1d2,Ye1c1] Preparing to play on the K side.} g6 (10... Be6 $142 { [%CAl Ga7a6,Ga8b8,Gb7b5] perhaps it would be better not to touch the K side pawns.}) 11. g4 {Begining to assault} Be6 12. h4 Qd7 (12... a6 $5 13. h5 (13. a4 b5 14. cxb5 axb5 15. g5 (15. Nxb5 d5 $5 {[%csl Re1]} 16. exd5 Nxd5 {[%csl Rh4] yielding black nice compensation for the P}) 15... Nh5 16. Nxb5 f6 $44) 13... b5 14. Ncd5 (14. cxb5 axb5 $132) 14... bxc4 15. g5 Nxh5 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. exf5 Nf4 19. f6 Qe6 20. Bd2 $40 {[%CAl Gh1h6,Ge1c1]}) 13. Rg1 Kh8 14. a4 $1 {no counterplay. Black has waitied too much, and no he is completely deprieved of counterplay} Rg8 15. b3 {[%CAl Gc1b2,Ge1c1]} Raf8 16. Bb2 {[%CAl Yb2h8]} h5 (16... Ne8 {[%CAl Gf7f5]} 17. O-O-O {[%CAl Gc3d5] nothing black would do can change white's plan now}) 17. g5 Nh7 18. Qg3 $16 { [%CAl Gf2f4]} f6 19. f4 fxg5 (19... exf4 $2 20. Qxf4 {[%CAl Gc3d5]} fxg5 21. Ncd5+ Rg7 22. Qg3 Bd8 (22... Bf6 23. Nxf6 Nxf6 24. Qxg5 $18) 23. O-O-O $18) 20. fxg5 Rg7 21. O-O-O a6 22. Ncd5 Bd8 23. Rd3 $1 {[%csl Rd6][%CAl Gg1d1] The 'd6' pawn in the key to black's position. Once it's gone his position will collapse in two moves.} Qf7 (23... Rgf7 $2 24. Nb6 $3 Bxb6 25. Rxd6 $1 Qxd6 $8 (25... Qc7 26. Qxe5+ $18) 26. Bxe5+ Qxe5 27. Qxe5+ Rg7 28. Qxe6 $18) 24. Rf1 Qe8 25. Nf6 $1 Qc6 {the N is untouchable} (25... Nxf6 26. gxf6 Bxf6 27. Rxd6 {[%csl Re5]} Qe7 28. Rxf6 Qxf6 (28... Rxf6 29. Qxe5 $18) 29. Bxe5 $18) (25... Bxf6 26. gxf6 Rxf6 27. Rxf6 Nxf6 28. Rxd6 Nxe4 (28... Nd7 29. Bxe5 Nxe5 30. Qxe5 $18) 29. Qxe5 $18) 26. Rfd1 Bc7 27. Nfd5 Bb8 (27... Bd8 28. Nb4 $1 cxb4 (28... Qxe4 29. Rxd6 $18) 29. Rxd6 Qxe4 30. Rxe6 $18) 28. a5 {White's not in hurry. Black's position is solid, but extremely passive.} Kg8 {removing to K form the annoying confrontation against white's B} (28... Rgf7 29. Bc3 (29. Nc7 $4 { Immediately, doesn't work because of the placeing of white's K} Bxc7 30. Rxd6 Bxd6 31. Rxd6 Rf1+ $1 32. Nxf1 Rxf1+ 33. Kd2 Qxd6+ $19 {[%CAl Gd6d2]}) 29... Rf3 30. Qg1 R3f7 31. Kb2) 29. Bc3 Rgf7 30. Kb2 Rf4 $4 {a blunder in bad position and, what i guess, was a serious time trouble.} (30... Kh8 31. Nc7 $1 Bxc7 32. Rxd6 Bxd6 (32... Qxe4 33. Qxe5+ Qxe5 34. Bxe5+ Kg8 35. Rxe6 Bxe5+ 36. Rxe5 Rf4 37. Rh1 $18) 33. Rxd6 Qxd6 34. Bxe5+ Kg8 35. Bxd6 $18 {[%csl Rg8,Rh7]} ) (30... Qe8 $142 31. Nf6+ Nxf6 32. gxf6 Rxf6 33. Rxd6 Bxd6 34. Rxd6 Bg4 35. Rxf6 Rxf6 36. Nd5 Rf7 37. Bxe5 $18) 31. Ne7+ 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2011.11.24"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B52"] [WhiteElo "2826"] [BlackElo "2730"] [Annotator "RR"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2011.11.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 g6 8. Nc3 Bg7 9. Be3 Nf6 10. h3 O-O 11. O-O a6 12. a4 Rfc8 13. b3 e6 14. Rc1 d5 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. e5 Ne8 17. f4 a5 18. Ne4 Bf8 19. Rf3 Qd8 20. Nc5 Rcb8 21. Bf2 Nc7 22. Qe2 Rb4 23. Kh2 Be7 24. Rc2 Qf8 25. Nd7 Qd8 26. Nc5 Qf8 27. cxd5 Nxd5 28. g3 Qc8 29. Be1 Rb6 30. Rc4 Rab8 31. Qd1 Bxc5 32. Rxc5 Qf8 33. Qc2 Nb4 34. Bxb4 Rxb4 35. Rxa5 Qd8 36. Rc5 Rxb3 $1 (36... Rd4 $2) 37. Rxb3 Rxb3 38. Qxb3 Qd2+ 39. Kh1 Qe1+ 40. Kg2 Qe2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Khanty-Mansiysk ol (Men) 39th"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.25"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B23"] [WhiteElo "2826"] [BlackElo "2697"] [Annotator "CB"] [PlyCount "57"] [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 "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Spain"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "ESP"] [TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 a6 3. Nge2 d6 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 g6 6. d3 Bg7 7. Be3 Nf6 8. h3 Bd7 9. Qd2 b5 10. Bh6 Bxh6 11. Qxh6 Nd4 12. Nxd4 cxd4 13. Ne2 e5 14. O-O Ng8 15. Qd2 {#It is hard to understand black's plan here. In terms of development he is now behind two tempi (white's queen is developed and he has castled already), and though one might argue the bad bishop has been exchanged off, the bishop also helps keep the king safe around the dark squares.} Ne7 16. f4 O-O 17. g4 f6 18. Rf2 Nc6 19. Raf1 Qa5 20. c3 Qxa2 21. g5 fxg5 22. f5 Qf7 23. cxd4 {#} Rae8 $6 ({Not} 23... exd4 {because of} 24. Qxg5 Qf6 25. Qg3 g5 ({Or} 25... Qe5 26. Nf4 Rf7 27. Qh4) 26. h4 g4 27. Qxg4+ Kh8 28. Qg5 Qxg5 29. hxg5 Rg8 30. e5 $1 dxe5 31. g6 $1 hxg6 32. f6 Ra7 33. Bd5 {Threatening Rh2.}) ({ Instead} 23... Qf6 {was better.} 24. dxe5 dxe5 25. Nc3 Ne7 26. d4 exd4 27. fxg6 (27. e5 Qxe5 28. Bxa8 Bxf5 29. Re1 dxc3 30. Rxe5 cxd2 31. Rxd2 Rxa8 32. Rxe7) 27... Qxg6 28. Qxd4 Bc6 {with a balanced position.}) 24. d5 Nd4 25. Nxd4 exd4 26. f6 g4 27. hxg4 Bxg4 28. Qf4 h5 29. Qxd6 1-0 [Event "ISR-Kasparov handicap"] [Site "Tel Aviv"] [Date "1998.05.19"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Alterman, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B36"] [WhiteElo "2825"] [BlackElo "2615"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,I"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1998.05.19"] [EventType "simul"] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ISR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 065"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a5 (10... Be6 11. Rc1 (11. Nb5 a6 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. Be2 d5 $132 {1/2-1/2 Haensel,T-Grafl,F/GER-chJM U15 Pinneberg 1996 (31)}) (11. Bd3 Nd7 12. O-O Ne5 13. b3 Qa5 14. Rac1 Rfc8 (14... Nxd3 15. Qxd3 a6 $11) 15. Rfd1 a6 $11 {0-1 Rudolph,R-Friedman,A/St.Martin op 1993 (18)}) 11... Qa5 12. Nd5 $14 {Main line}) (10... Qa5 11. Rc1 $1 $14 (11. a3 Be6 12. b4 Qd8 13. Rc1 Rc8 14. Nb5 (14. Nd5 $132) 14... a6 15. Nd4 Bd7 $132 {Savon,V-Tal, M/Suhumi 1972/1/2-1/2 (69)}) (11. Nb5 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 b6 13. a4 Nd7 14. Ra2 Bb7 15. Be2 Rfc8 16. a5 Bc6 17. axb6 axb6 18. Na7 Bb7 19. Rha1 Rc7 20. Nb5 Rcc8 { Richardson,K-Estrin,J/corr W-7ch f 1975/1-0 (48)} 21. Ra7 $14) (11. Be2 Be6 12. Nd5 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Nxd5 14. cxd5 Bd7 15. Rac1 Rfc8 $11 {1/2-1/2 Averbakh, Y-Georgadze,T/Polanica Zdrój 1976 (20)})) (10... a6 11. Rc1 Bd7 12. b3 Qa5 13. Be2 Rfc8 14. Bd4 Bc6 15. O-O Nd7 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Kh1 (17. f4 b5 18. Qd4+ Kg8 19. cxb5 axb5 20. b4 Qb6 $11 {Hobusch,W-Rosenhahn,E/3.DDR-PK/E L62/64/75 S.917 1975/1/2-1/2 (53)}) 17... Kg8 18. f4 b5 19. Qb2 bxc4 20. Bxc4 Nf6 21. Rce1 Qh5 22. Qf2 Bb5 23. e5 Bxc4 24. bxc4 Ng4 25. Qg3 Rxc4 $15 {Suetin,A-Forintos,G/ Budapest 1970/1-0 (86)}) 11. Be2 (11. b3 $6 a4 12. b4 (12. Rc1 axb3 13. axb3 Qa5 14. Bd3 Nd7 15. O-O Nc5 $11) (12. bxa4 Nd7 13. Rb1 Nc5 $15) 12... Be6 ( 12... b5 13. cxb5 Bb7 14. Rd1 $14) 13. Rd1 Qc8 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 (15. cxd5 Nxe4 $19) 15... e6 $1 (15... b5 $6 16. cxb5 Ne4 17. Qd3 $8 Qc3+ 18. Qxc3 Bxc3+ (18... Nxc3 19. Rd2 Rac8 20. b6 Nb1 21. Rd1 (21. Ba6 Rc1+ (21... Ra8 22. b5 Bc3 23. Ke2 Nxd2 24. Bxd2 Bxd2 25. Kxd2 Rab8 26. b7 e6 27. Rc1 exd5 28. Rc8 Kg7 29. Kc3 Kf6 30. Kb4 Ke7 31. Kxa4 $16 (31. Ka5 d4 32. Kxa4 Kd7 33. Kb4 $16)) (21... Nxd2 22. Kxd2 Rc3 23. Rc1 Rxc1 24. Kxc1 $16) 22. Rd1 Rxd1+ 23. Kxd1 Nc3+ 24. Kd2 Nxd5 25. b5 $14) 21... Nc3 22. Rd2 Nb1 $11) 19. Ke2 Nf6 20. a3 $16) 16. dxe6 Qxe6 17. Kf2 Rfe8 18. Bf4 Rad8 19. Bd3 d5 20. c5 Qc6 21. Rhe1 Rxe1 22. Rxe1 b6 23. Rc1 bxc5 24. Rxc5 Qb7 25. a3 (25. Rc7 Qb6+ 26. Kf1 Nh5 $15) 25... Nh5 26. Be3 d4 27. Bh6 Qe7 $132) 11... a4 12. O-O Qa5 13. Rac1 Bd7 (13... Be6 $5 14. Nd5 Rfe8 (14... Bxd5 15. Qxa5 Rxa5 16. cxd5 $16) (14... Nxd5 15. Qxa5 Rxa5 16. cxd5 Bc8 17. Rc7 Bxb2 18. Rxe7 f5 19. Bh6 (19. Rc7 $5 $16) 19... Bd4+ 20. Kh1 Rd8 21. Bd3 $16) 15. Qxa5 Rxa5 16. Nc7 Rc8 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Rfd1 Kf7 19. Rc2 $14) 14. c5 (14. Rfd1 Rfd8 15. Bf1 (15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. cxd5 Qxd2 17. Rxd2 Rdc8 18. Rdc2 Rxc2 19. Rxc2 Rc8 20. Rxc8+ Bxc8 21. Bb5 Bxb2 22. Bxa4 $11) 15... Bc6 16. Qf2 Nd7 17. Nd5 Re8 18. b4 axb3 19. axb3 $14) 14... Bc6 (14... dxc5 $4 15. e5 $18 {[%csl Rd7]}) (14... Rfd8 15. cxd6 Bc6 {This game}) 15. cxd6 Rfd8 16. Nb1 (16. Nd5 $6 Qxd2 (16... Bxd5 17. Qxa5 (17. dxe7 Re8 18. exd5 Qxd2 $1 ( 18... Nxd5 19. Qxa5 Rxa5 20. Rfd1 (20. Rc5 Nxe3 21. Rxa5 Nxf1 22. Kxf1 Bxb2 23. Rb5 Bf6 24. Rxb7 Rxe7 $11) 20... Bxb2 (20... Nxe3 21. Rd8 Ra8 22. Rxa8 Rxa8 23. Bb5 Bxb2 24. Rb1 Bd4 25. e8=Q+ Rxe8 26. Bxe8 $18) 21. Rc5 Rxc5 (21... Nxe3 22. Rc8 $1 Rxc8 23. Rd8+ Kg7 24. Rxc8 (24. e8=Q Rxd8 25. Qxd8 Rd5 26. Qe8 a3 $44) 24... Re5 25. e8=Q Rxe8 26. Rxe8 $16) 22. Bxc5 Nxe7 23. Bb5 Nc6 24. Bxa4 $14) 19. Bxd2 Nxd5 $11) 17... Rxa5 18. dxe7 Re8 19. Bb6 Raa8 20. exd5 Nxd5 21. Bc5 Bxb2 22. Rc2 b6 23. Bxb6 Ba3 24. Bf2 Rxe7 25. Rd1 (25. Bb5 Ne3 26. Bxe3 Rxe3 $11) 25... Rxe2 26. Rxe2 Nc3 $11) 17. Nxe7+ Kh8 18. Bxd2 Rxd6 19. Bb4 $18) 16... Qxd2 17. Nxd2 (17. Bxd2 exd6 18. Rfd1 d5 19. e5 Nd7 20. f4 Re8 21. Bg4 $11) 17... exd6 (17... Rxd6 18. Nc4 (18. e5 Re6 19. exf6 Rxe3 20. Kf2 Bh6 $15) 18... Rdd8 19. Nb6 Ra5 20. Rfd1 $14) 18. Nc4 d5 19. Nb6 Ra5 20. e5 Nd7 21. f4 Nf8 (21... Bb5 22. Bxb5 Rxb5 23. Nxd7 Rxd7 24. Rc8+ Bf8 25. f5 $18) 22. Bd2 ( 22. Rfd1 Ne6 23. Bd2 Rc5 24. Rxc5 (24. Bf3 Rxc1 25. Bxc1 f6 26. Nxd5 (26. exf6 Bxf6 27. Nxd5 Bd4+ $17) 26... fxe5 27. Ne7+ Kf7 28. Nxc6 bxc6 29. Rxd8 Nxd8 30. fxe5 Bxe5 31. g3 $16 (31. Kf2 $16)) 24... Nxc5 25. Bb4 (25. g4 d4 26. Kf2 g5 $132) 25... Ne6 26. g3 $16) 22... Ra7 23. Be3 (23. Rfd1 $14) 23... Ra5 24. Bd2 Ra7 25. Be3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sofia m 25'"] [Site "Sofia"] [Date "1998.05.02"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2825"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Kostakiev,D"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1998.05.02"] [EventType "match (rapid)"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 065"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {King} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Be2 (10. Qd2 $14 {Dobrev,Iv-Mollov,E/tt ch Bg 1994}) ( {King: The idea of playing the knight in to f5 has been tried before - even a move earlier - though without success:} 10. Nf5 {King} Bxf5 11. exf5 Qa5 12. Qd3 Nd7 13. Be2 Nc5 14. Qd2 Bxc3 15. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 16. bxc3 Nf6 17. f3 Rc8 $17 { King: Florean,A-Istratescu,A/ROM-ch Herculane 1996/0-1 (56). Who cares about the bishops: White's pawns are just a mess.}) 10... h5 {[#] King: Kasparov has considerable experience with this variation, though normally from the Black side. Still, he knows his way around well. 11 Bxg4 and 11 h4 are the main moves now, but Kasparov tries out a little explored side line:} 11. Nf5 (11. Bxg4 hxg4 (11... Bxg4 12. f3 Bd7 13. Bf2 Nc6 14. O-O (14. Qd2 Ne5 15. b3 $1 { Anand-Kasparov/Frankfurt/1998/ CBM 65 [Anand]}) 14... e6 15. Nxc6 (15. Nce2 { 0-1 Shirov,A-Kasparov,G/Ciudad de Linares XIV 1997/CBM 57/[Knaak] (18)}) 15... Bxc6 16. Qd2 Be5 {1-0 Apicella,M-Zhu Chen/Open, Cappelle la Grande FRA 1998}) 12. O-O Bxd4 13. Qxd4 f6 {0-1 Shirov,A-Salov,V/Hoogovens, Wijk aan Zee NED 1998 (16)}) (11. h4 Nc6 12. Nxc6 (12. Nb3 gxh4 13. Rxh4 (13. Bxh4 Be6 (13... Bxc3+ {Rashkovsky,N - 50/275}) 14. Qd2 Qb6 15. Nd5 (15. Bxg4 $2 {Rashkovsky,N}) 15... Bxd5 16. exd5 Nce5 17. Qa5 {0-1 Konguveel Ponnuswamy-Rodriguez Amador/It (open), Ubeda (Spain) 1997}) 13... Be6 14. Qd2 Qb6 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 Nce5 17. O-O-O Ng6 {N} 18. Rh3 $140 Bh6 19. f4 Qe3 20. Bxg4 Qxd2+ 21. Nxd2 hxg4 22. Rh2 $1 $14 {Morozov-.Ninov,N/mem Lascurain cor 1996}) 12... bxc6 13. hxg5 Rb8 14. Qc1 Qa5 15. Kf1 Qb4 $11 {Grodzensky,S-.Ninov,N/mem cor Lascurain 1996 (50)} ) (11. h3 h4 12. hxg4 hxg3 13. Rxh8+ Bxh8 14. fxg3 Nc6 15. Nb3 Be5 16. Qd2 Be6 17. Qc1 {1/2-1/2 Shirov,A-Sadler,M/Oviedo rapid 1992/TD 92\09}) 11... Bxf5 12. exf5 {King: Kasparov has made a canny choice. It's a dynamic way for White to play the position and, I would say, perfect for rapid play, especially when backed up by home preparation. White isn't too worried about his pawn structure but relies on open lines for his rooks and bishops to exploit the looseness in Black's position.} Qa5 (12... h4 {King King: is a major alternative. It is hard to say what is White's best reply:} 13. Bxg4 (13. Bxd6 Nxf2 14. Kxf2 exd6 (14... Qb6+ 15. Kf1 Bxc3 16. bxc3 exd6 17. Rb1 Qc5 18. Bf3 $40) 15. Nd5 Nd7 16. Re1 O-O 17. c3 Nf6 $11) 13... hxg3 14. fxg3 Qa5 (14... Qb6 $5 15. Nd5 Qxb2 16. Rb1 Qe5+ 17. Be2 (17. Kf2 $5 Qd4+ 18. Qxd4 Bxd4+ 19. Ke2) 17... Ra7 18. O-O Nd7 $13) 15. O-O Qb6+ 16. Kh1 Qxb2 17. f6 Qxc3 18. fxg7 Qxg7 19. Rb1 Nc6 20. Rxb7 Ne5 21. Bf5 Rd8 22. h3 Rh6 23. c3 d5 24. Qd4 Rhd6 25. Re1 f6 26. Rc7 Kf8 27. Rb1 Qf7 28. Rbb7 Qe8 29. Kh2 Nc6 30. Qg4 Ne5 31. Qd4 Nc6 32. Qc5 Ne5 33. g4 Nd7 34. Qa7 Ra8 35. Qd4 Ne5 36. h4 Nc6 37. Qe3 Rad8 38. hxg5 $138 {1-0 Florean,A-Ardeleanu,A/ROM-ch Herculane (6) 1996}) 13. O-O Bxc3 14. bxc3 {[#]} Qxf5 $6 $146 (14... Nf6 $142 $5 15. Re1 (15. Bf3 $1 d5 (15... h4 $2 16. Bxd6 exd6 17. Bxb7 Ra7 18. Qxd6 Nbd7 19. Rfe1+ Kd8 20. Rad1 $18) (15... Nc6 16. Rb1 (16. Bxd6 $2 O-O-O $19) 16... O-O-O 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. Qf3 $40) 16. c4 Nbd7 17. Re1 $40) 15... Nc6 16. Bf3 d5 17. c4 (17. Qb1 $5 b5 (17... O-O-O 18. c4 g4 19. cxd5 Nxd5 20. Bxd5 Qxd5 $13) 18. c4 $1 h4 19. Bd6 Rd8 20. cxd5 Rxd6 21. dxc6 g4 22. Be4 g3 23. Bf3 Rd2 24. Kh1 Rxf2 25. Rf1 Rxf1+ 26. Qxf1 gxh2 27. Kxh2 Qc7+ 28. Kg1 h3 $15) 17... O-O-O 18. cxd5 Nxd5 $15 19. c4 (19. Qe2) 19... Ndb4 20. Qb3 h4 21. a3 hxg3 22. axb4 gxf2+ 23. Kxf2 Qxf5 {0-1 Sziebert Adam-Anka,E/It (open) Balatonbereny (Hungary) 1993} (23... Qxf5 {King} 24. b5 Rd3 25. Qxd3 Qxd3 26. bxc6 Qd4+ 27. Kf1 Qxc4+ 28. Be2 Qf4+ 29. Bf3 g4 30. Re4 Qf6 31. cxb7+ Kb8 {0-1 Sziebert,A-Anka,E/Balatonbereny op 1993})) 15. Rb1 $1 Nd7 (15... Qd7 16. Qd5 Nc6 17. Qxg5 b5 18. c4 Nd4 19. Bd3 $16) 16. Rxb7 Ngf6 17. Re1 Kf8 (17... Kd8 18. Bf3 Rc8 19. Qe2 e5 $132) (17... h4 $2 {King} 18. Bxd6) (17... O-O $2 {King} 18. Bd3 Qc5 (18... Qd5 19. Rxd7 $18) 19. Rxe7 $18) 18. h3 {King: If Black could coordinate his forces then he would have a fine game, but he never manages it as Kasparov keeps him busy in defence with his active rooks and bishops. The opening can be counted as a success for White.} Re8 (18... g4 19. h4 Qc5 20. Qd4 e5 21. Qc4 $16) 19. Bxa6 h4 20. Bd3 Qd5 21. Rb5 Nc5 22. Bh2 Rg8 23. Rb4 Nxd3 24. cxd3 Qxa2 25. Rb5 Rg6 (25... g4 26. Bf4 Ra8 27. Bh6+ Ke8 28. Bg5 gxh3 29. Qf3 $16) 26. Rf5 g4 27. hxg4 Nxg4 28. Qf3 { [#]} (28. Rf4 {King: was also good:} Nxh2 29. Rxh4 Ng4 30. Rxg4 Rxg4 31. Qxg4 Qd2 32. Re3 Qxc3 33. d4) 28... f6 (28... h3 $1 29. Qxh3 Qd2 30. Rb1 Qc2 $11) 29. Rh5 Nxh2 $2 (29... Qd2 $142 30. Rd1 (30. Qe2 Qxe2 31. Rxe2 Rb8 $11) 30... Nxh2 31. Kxh2 Qxc3 $14) 30. Kxh2 Qd2 31. Re4 $1 $18 Qxc3 32. Rexh4 Rg8 33. Rg4 $1 Qb3 34. Rxg8+ Qxg8 35. Qh3 {[ A la Rety: The Q should be behind the R - when attaking the oponent's K ]} Qg6 (35... Kg7 36. Rh4 $1 $18) 36. Rh6 Qg5 37. Rh8+ Kf7 38. Qh7+ Ke6 39. Rxe8 1-0 [Event "Linares 15th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1998.02.26"] [Round "5"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B91"] [WhiteElo "2825"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "43"] [EventDate "1998.02.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 064"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.06.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.06.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 e5 7. Nde2 Nbd7 8. a4 b6 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. h3 Be7 11. g4 Nc5 12. Ng3 g6 13. Bh6 (13. O-O O-O 14. Re1 Re8 15. Be3 Rc8 16. Qd2 Bf8 17. Rad1 Qc7 18. Bg5 Nfd7 19. Bh6 Be7 20. Re3 Nf8 21. Nce2 Nfe6 22. f4 exf4 23. Nxf4 Nxf4 24. Bxf4 Rcd8 25. Re2 Ne6 26. Be3 Bf6 { 1/2-1/2 Wolf,V-Gerbert,P/BL8081 1981/BL 80}) (13. g5 Nfd7 14. h4 Ne6 (14... f5 $5) 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. Qxd5 Nd4 17. Kd1 b5 18. a5 Rc8 19. c3 Rc5 20. Qa2 Nc6 21. Bd2 Ncb8 22. b4 $14 {1-0 Matulovic,M-Palac,M/EUCup f 1996/CBM 56 (43)}) 13... Ne6 14. Qd2 Rc8 15. O-O-O $5 (15. O-O $5 {normal}) 15... Rc4 16. Kb1 Qc7 (16... g5 $2 17. Nf5 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Rxe4 20. Qd5 Rxa4 21. Qc6+ Qd7 22. Qa8+ Nd8 23. Bg7 Rg8 24. Bxe5 $40) 17. Rhe1 Rd4 18. Qc1 Rb4 19. Bd2 Rd4 20. Bh6 Rb4 21. Bd2 Rd4 22. Bh6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sofia m 25'"] [Site "Sofia"] [Date "1998.05.03"] [Round "4"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B43"] [WhiteElo "2825"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Kostakiev,D"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1998.05.02"] [EventType "match (rapid)"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 065"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 ({A Dracon's early b7-b5 for comparaison with the text:} 2... d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 b5 7. f4 $146 g6 8. e5 Ng8 9. O-O dxe5 10. fxe5 Bg7 11. Be3 Qc7 $5 12. Ndxb5 $5 $14 {Kostakiev,D-Ivanov,Ivan/ ch Bg cor 1997-1998}) 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 b5 {[#]} 7. O-O ( 7. a3 d6 8. f4 Bb7 9. Bf3 Nd7 10. O-O Ngf6 11. Kh1 Be7 12. Qe1 O-O {1/2-1/2 Savova-Dgingarova/ 1995 (19)}) (7. Be3 Bb7 8. a3 (8. Bf3 {1/2-1/2 Golod, V-Miladinovic,I/Lvov-Belgrade 1993/EXP 38 (20)}) (8. f3 {1-0 Sulliman,O-Moraza, M/Dubai olm 1986/TD 86\02 (17)}) 8... Nf6 {0-1 Vranesic,Z-Ivkov,B/Amsterdam izt 1964/IZT (18)}) (7. f4 b4 $15) 7... b4 $1 $15 {[#]} (7... Nc6 {1-0 Zagrebelny Sergey-Gokhale C S/It (open), Calcutta (India) 1997 (12)}) (7... Bb7 8. Bf3 (8. Re1 Nc6 9. Nxc6 (9. Bf1 {Oll,L} b4 $6 $146 10. Nd5 $1 Qd8 11. Bf4 Rc8 12. Nxc6 Rxc6 13. Qd2 Nf6 14. Rad1 Bc5 15. Nxb4 Rc8 16. Bg5 a5 {+/- Oll, L-Movsesian,S/Polanica Zdroj 1996/Inf 67/[Oll,L]} (16... a5 {Oll,L} 17. Nd3 Be7 18. Ne5 $16)) 9... dxc6 10. e5 Ne7 (10... Bb4 $1 {N} 11. Bd2 Rd8 12. a4 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ne7 14. Bd3 Ng6 15. Qg4 O-O 16. axb5 cxb5 17. c4 h5 18. Qg3 Rd7 { [%emt 0:00:48] -/+ Dimitrov,V-Cvitan,O/Haifa 1989/Inf}) 11. Bd3 Rd8 (11... O-O-O 12. a4 c5 13. axb5 c4 14. bxa6 Bc6 15. Nb5 Bxb5 16. a7 Kb7 {0-1 Marciano, D-Korneev,O/It (open) Ubeda (Spain) 1996}) 12. Qe2 c5 13. Bg5 (13. Bf4 Ng6 14. Bg3 Be7 15. a4 {1/2-1/2 Mariotti,S-Cebalo,M/Zt (cat.6) Budva (Yugoslavia) 1981} ) 13... h6 14. Qh5 Rd4 15. Be3 Rd7 16. Bf4 c4 17. Be4 b4 18. Nd1 Nd5 19. Bg3 Bc5 20. c3 O-O {0-1 Dimitrov,V-Vyzhmanavin,A/Burgas 1993}) 8... Nc6 (8... d6 9. Re1 Nd7 10. a4 bxa4 {0-1 Simeonov,S-Kurtenkov,A/Bankya tt ch Bg 1991 (18)}) 9. Nxc6 (9. a4 b4 10. Nxc6 dxc6 $1 {N} (10... bxc3 {- 44/(202)}) 11. Nb1 Nf6 12. Nd2 a5 $11 {[%emt 0:00:48] = Paglietti,N-Gheorghiu,F/Biel (open) 1989/Inf}) 9... Bxc6 (9... dxc6 10. a4 (10. e5 Qxe5 11. Re1 Qd6 {1-0 DOBREV,I-SPASOV,L/tt - ch Bg Varna 1995/ [kostakiev,d] (19)}) 10... Nf6 11. Qe2 e5 12. Bg5 {1/2-1/2 Hansen Sune Berg-Perdomo Carlos Andres/It (open), Ubeda (Spain) 1997}) 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. exd5 Rc8 {1-0 Barua Dibyendu-Bischoff Klaus/It (open), Calcutta (India) 1997 (16)}) 8. Na4 Bb7 9. c3 {[#]} (9. Bf3 $11) 9... Nf6 $6 (9... Bxe4 $5 10. cxb4 $140 Bxb4 11. Be3 Nc6 12. f3 Bd5 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Nb6 Rb8 15. Nc4 d5 $17) 10. cxb4 Bxb4 (10... e5 $5 11. Nf3 (11. Nf5 Bxe4) 11... Bxb4 $6) 11. Be3 (11. f3 d5 12. Bg5 Bd6 $15) 11... O-O (11... Nxe4 $6 12. Rc1 Nc6 13. Rc4 Be7 14. Nxe6 dxe6 15. Rxe4 Bd6 16. f4 Rd8 $14) (11... Bxe4 $142 $1 12. Rc1 Nc6 $17) 12. Rc1 Nc6 13. Qd3 Qa5 14. Nc5 Ne5 15. Qb1 Bxc5 16. Nb3 {[#]} Qc7 (16... Bxe4 $5 17. Qa1 (17. Nxa5 $6 Bxb1 18. Rxc5 (18. Bxc5 Rfc8 $15) 18... Bd3 $1 $17 ) 17... Qc7 $15) 17. Rxc5 Qb8 18. f3 d5 19. Na5 Rc8 (19... Nfd7 20. Rc3 $16) 20. b4 Nc6 $6 (20... Ned7 $142 21. Rxc8+ (21. Nxb7 Qxb7 $132) 21... Bxc8 (21... Qxc8 22. Rc1 Qb8 23. exd5 Nxd5 24. Qe4 N7f6 25. Qd4 $11) 22. Rd1 Bb7 23. Nxb7 $14) 21. Nxb7 Qxb7 22. Rfc1 dxe4 23. fxe4 Nd7 24. R5c3 Nde5 (24... Nce5 25. a3 Rxc3 26. Rxc3 Rd8 27. Qc2 Nf6 28. Bd4 $16) 25. a4 Rd8 26. b5 axb5 27. Qxb5 Qxb5 28. axb5 Nb4 29. Rb1 Ra2 30. Bf1 Rc2 31. Rxc2 Nxc2 32. Bc5 $18 {[^^+ passed Pb5 >>NN]} Nd4 (32... f5 33. exf5 Rd5 34. Ba7 $18) 33. b6 Ndc6 34. b7 h5 (34... Nd7 35. Bd6 Ndb8 36. Bc7 Rd7 37. Bxb8 Nxb8 38. Rc1 $18) 35. Bb6 Rd2 36. Ba5 Rd4 37. Bc3 1-0 [Event "London Classic 8th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2016.12.15"] [Round "6"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B96"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2779"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,M"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2016.12.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 176"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.01.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] {While the tournament leader, Wesley So, was scoring another victory against out-of-form Veselin Topalov, two of his chasers, said to be the most probable challengers for the world title in 2018, clashed in a principled battle.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {Nakamura played the Najdorf System against Caruana in their last decisive classic game (US Championship, Saint Louis, April 2016)... and lost! Since then Fabiano and Hikaru only met in rapid (or semi-rapid, as in the "Champions Showdown" last month) and blitz events, and Nakamura always replied 1...e5 to 1.e4. Does he think that the Najdorf is a "more serious" opening than 1...e5 :-)?} 6. Bg5 {This "main" move is a rare guest in Caruana's practice. He plays various systems against the Najdorf but lately his main weapon has been the English Attack, starting with 6.f3 (that's what he played against Nakamura in Saint Louis). However, it looks like Hikaru was not surprised.} e6 7. f4 h6 {Apparently, Nakamura had never played this line before the present game. However, Caruana didn't miss it out when preparing to play 6.Bg5.} 8. Bh4 Qb6 {This aggressive continuation is probably more popular on move 7 but it is by no means new in this position, too.} 9. a3 {One of the main theoretical moves. White indirectly protects his b2-pawn and prepares to oust Black's queen by means of Bh4-f2.} (9. Qd2 { , sacrificing the b2-pawn, is the main alternative.}) 9... Be7 ({Of course,} 9... Qxb2 $4 {loses the queen due to} 10. Na4) (9... Nbd7) (9... Nc6 {and even} ) (9... Bd7 {are the other moves frequently seen in practice.}) 10. Bf2 Qc7 11. Qf3 Nbd7 12. O-O-O b5 13. g4 {Both sides have made typical attacking knight pawn moves; however, their impet is slowed down by the rook pawns, which have already moved to a3 and h6...} g5 {...and besides, Black has a possibility to strike a sudden counterblow, with an obvious idea to gain the e5-square for his knight.} 14. h4 $5 gxf4 15. Be2 {This apparently strange sequence of moves was seen for the first time in a correspondence game and later, at the super-GM level, in Giri - Vachier-Lagrave (Stavanger 2016). White creates the g4-g5 threat and protects the g4-pawn in case of ...Nd7-e5 Qf3xf4.} b4 $5 { Played instantly, which means that this move was prepared at home. In his annotations for ChessBase Magazine, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave examines a lot of moves but not this one! However, it was obviously no secret for yesterday's opponents.} ({The French grandmaster played} 15... Rg8 {in the above-mentioned game, to which, according to his analysis, White could have sacrificed a pawn:} 16. g5 $1 {with a powerful attack} ({instead of} 16. Rdg1 {, played by Anish Giri})) ({To understand the idea of 15...b4, we must take a look at the following line:} 15... Ne5 16. Qxf4 Nexg4 $1 17. Bxg4 e5 {(looks very strong but White has an adequate riposte)} 18. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 19. Qf3 {- White avoids serious material losses and keeps up a strong attack on Black's uncastled king, e.g.} Bxg4 20. Qxg4 Nf6 21. Qf3 exd4 22. Bxd4 {regaining the piece since} Qd8 $2 {is clearly bad due to} 23. e5 {(Indicated by Vachier-Lagrave).}) 16. axb4 Ne5 17. Qxf4 Nexg4 18. Bxg4 e5 {Now we see the difference.} ({In the event of} 18... e5 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. Qf3 {Black can simply play} Nxb4 {. White's d4 knight can't retreat, the only way for him to avoid losing a piece is} 21. Be1 a5 22. Bxb4 axb4 {, opening the a-file for Black, after which the latter obtains excellent counterplay. However, White has another option...}) 19. Qxf6 $1 {This queen sacrifice is not difficult, in fact, but what followed next was really amazing.} Bxf6 {.} 20. Nd5 Qd8 21. Nf5 $3 {After this move Hikaru fell into deep thought for the first time in this game!} ({In his analysis he obviously expected} 21. Nc6 Bxg4 22. Nxd8 Bxd8 {This endgame is unclear, both sides have their advantages and drawbacks. Black has more weaknesses but his bishop pair should not be underestimated. Instead, Fabiano renounces restoring the material balance! I must say that such "real" queen sacrifices are an Achilles' heel of analysis engines. They almost always evaluate positions with, say, two minor pieces for a queen in favour of the strongest piece, while in reality, in human play, there may be a more than sufficient compensation for the material. Therefore such positions should be analysed and evaluated "manually", and kudos to Caruana and his team for doing that! P.S. Readers of the Chessbase website rightly indicated that engines start appreciating 21.Nf5 at some depth so my above comment is probably not quite relevant in this case; however, it remains valid in many similar situations!}) 21... Rb8 $6 {Black prevents 22.Bb6 but allows 22.Nxf6+ Qxf6 23.Nxd6+ (or 23.Rxd6), which proves to be fatal for him.} ({He could have parried both threats by just trading White's dangerous knight:} 21... Bxf5 22. Bxf5 Rb8 {but then the weakness of light squares around his king could have become decisive. Computer engines show equality here, which means that Black's position is almost hopeless :-). White could have played} 23. Rd3 {with idea Ra3 or Rc3} ({or simply} 23. c4)) 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Rxd6 $6 {Alas, White fails to find the strongest but very difficult continuation, which means that either Caruana did not analyse 21... Rb8 at all or forgot his analysis. I bet for the former suggestion since the variations are really amazing and must stick out in one's memory:} (23. Nxd6+ $1 Ke7 ({to} 23... Kf8 {White has an amazing move} 24. Bf5 $3 {followed by Bf2-c5, and Black's king, "pressed against the ropes", is completely helpless}) (23... Qxd6 {is hopeless due to} 24. Rxd6 Bxg4 25. Rxa6 {with a decisive material advantage for White}) 24. Bc5 $3 Qf4+ {(forced)} (24... Bxg4 25. Nb5+ {followed by mate on c7}) 25. Kb1 Qxg4 (25... Bxg4 {again leads to a mate after } 26. Nf5+) 26. Nxc8+ Ke8 (26... Kf6 27. Rhf1+ Kg7 28. Rg1 $18 {with decisive material gains for White}) 27. Nd6+ Kd7 {(again the only move)} (27... Ke7 28. Nf5+ Ke8 29. Rhg1 $18 {- Black's queen can't retreat in view of Nf5-g7#}) 28. Nxf7+ Kc7 {(other retreats are worse)} ({e.g.} 28... Ke6 29. Nxh8 Rxh8 30. Rhf1 {with an inevitable deadly check on d6}) 29. Bd6+ Kb7 {(once again, there are no better king moves)} 30. Bxb8 Rxb8 31. Nxe5 {, and White keeps a rook, knight and three pawns for the queen, which is quite enough to win, since} Qxe4 $6 32. Nd7 {loses an exchange, after which two rooks easily deal with Black's lone queen.}) 23... Be6 {Black is ready to castle. However, his position is still poor.} 24. Rhd1 ({Another way to meet Black's castling was} 24. Be3 Rxb4 $1 ({if} 24... O-O {then} 25. Nxh6+ Kh8 (25... Kg7 26. Rg1) 26. Nxf7+ $1 Qxf7 27. Rxe6 {, and Black's king is helpless.}) ({an attempt to free Black's queen: } 24... Qg6 {fails to} 25. Rxe6+ $3 fxe6 26. Bh5 $1 Qxh5 27. Ng7+) 25. Rxa6 O-O ({In the event of} 25... Bxf5 26. Rxf6 Bxg4 27. Bxh6 Rxe4 {White keeps an extra pawn and good winning chances}) 26. Nxh6+ Kh8 27. Bf5 $1 (27. Nxf7+ Qxf7 28. Rxe6 {is now premature due to} Rxe4 {; White must prepare that blow}) 27... Qd8 28. Nxf7+ $1 Rxf7 29. Rxe6 Rxf5 $1 {(Black must get rid of White's terrifying bishop)} 30. Rh6+ (30. exf5 Rg4 $1 {is less clear}) 30... Kg8 31. Rg1+ Kf7 32. Rh7+ Ke6 33. exf5+ Kxf5 $16 {Despite an approximate material parity, White has a clear advantage: a passed h4-pawn, and Black's "centralised" king is in danger; still, the outcome of the game is not quite certain.}) 24... O-O 25. h5 $1 {(threatening 26.Bh4)} Qg5+ ({Black couldn't bring himself to put his queen into the corner by} 25... Rfe8 26. Bh4 Qh8 { but that was the most stubborn defence. White should probably continue positionally:} 27. Ne3 $1 (27. Ne7+ {is not enough due to} Rxe7 28. Bxe7 Bxg4 29. Rd8+ Rxd8 30. Rxd8+ Kh7 31. Rxh8+ Kxh8 {, and Black should not lose this endgame with opposite-coloured bishops}) 27... Qg7 28. Rg1 Kf8 29. Rdd1 $16 { Black's position is very difficult to defend, of course.}) 26. Be3 Qf6 ({ Of course, not} 26... Qxg4 27. Nxh6+) 27. Nxh6+ Kh8 28. Bf5 {Caruana spent some time calculating the blow on f7 but finally prefered a strong positional continuation, making Nxf7+ a more powerful threat.} (28. Nxf7+ {was possible but Black had the following defence:} Rxf7 29. Rxe6 Qh4 $1 30. Bf5 { (threatening 31.Rh6+ since Black will be unable to reply 31...Rh7)} Rxf5 $1 { (here, too, Black must eliminate this bishop)} 31. exf5 (31. Rh6+ {was a good alternative:} Kg8 32. Rg1+ Kf7 33. Rh7+ Ke6 34. exf5+ Kxf5 35. Rf1+ Ke6 36. Rh6+ Kd5 37. Bd2 $16 {with a favourable position, similar to the one examined in the 24.Be3 line}) 31... Qxb4 {, and the forced line} 32. Rh6+ Kg8 33. Rg1+ Kf7 34. Rh7+ Kf6 35. Rg6+ Kxf5 36. Rf7+ Ke4 37. Rg4+ Kxe3 38. Rxb4 Rxb4 { leads to a rook endgame with an extra pawn for White, which, I believe, should be winning for him despite Black's passed e-pawn. But, of course, calculating this line and evaluating the final position is a very difficult task over the board.}) 28... Qe7 $2 {Nakamura succumbs to the pressure. His move doesn't parry the Nxf7+ threat.} (28... Rxb4 $2 29. Nxf7+ Qxf7 30. Rxe6 {was obviously hopeless}) (28... Rbd8 {doesn't work due to the simple} 29. Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Rxd8+ Qxd8 31. Bxe6 {, and White gets a third piece for the queen;} Qh4 {doesn't help here due to} 32. Nxf7+ Kg7 ({or} 32... Kh7 33. Kb1) 33. Bh6+ $1 Kh7 34. b3 {: Black can't take the e4-pawn in view of the knight fork; well, he can take the h5-pawn but White keeps a decisive material advantage anyway}) ({to} 28... Qh4 {White can reply} 29. Rg1 $1 {threatening 30.Bg5} (29. Nxf7+ Rxf7 30. Rxe6 Rxf5 {leads to a position arising after 28.Nxf7+}) 29... Qxh5 {(what else?)} 30. Nxf7+ $1 Rxf7 (30... Bxf7 {is also hopeless due to} 31. Rh6+ Qxh6 32. Bxh6 Rg8 33. Rh1) 31. Rxe6 Rg7 32. Rd1 {- Black will never survive with such a poor king!}) (28... Rfe8 {was the most stubborn defence. White can continue} 29. Rg1 ({or} 29. c3) ({but not} 29. Rxa6 $2 Ra8 {, and Black obtains counterplay}) 29... Rxb4 30. Rxa6 {with a huge advantage.}) 29. b5 $6 {The idea of this move is either to close the b-file or to deflect Black's rook from the 8th rank. However, such "niceties" were excessive!} ({Black prepared to meet} 29. Nxf7+ Rxf7 30. Rxe6 {with} Qxb4 {followed by} 31. Rh6+ Kg8 32. Rg1+ Rg7 ({but not} 32... Kf8 33. Rh8+ Ke7 34. Rxb8 Qxb8 35. Bc5+ $18) 33. Be6+ Kf8 {. Here both players missed the excellent move} 34. Bc5+ $3 ({instead of the obvious} 34. Rh8+ Ke7 35. Rxg7+ Kd6 $1 36. Rd7+ Kxe6 37. Rxb8 Qxb8 $16 {, which both definitely calculated and concluded that Black could successfully continue resistance}) 34... Qxc5 35. Rh8+ Ke7 36. Rxg7+ Kd6 37. Rxb8 Qe3+ (37... Kxe6 38. Rb6+ $1 Qxb6 39. Rg6+ {- a simple skewer combination}) 38. Kb1 Qe1+ 39. Ka2 Qa5+ 40. Kb3 Kxe6 {(the bishop can be taken now but White simply queens his h-pawn)} 41. h6 $18) 29... Qe8 $2 {Here are the lines demonstrating White's idea:} (29... axb5 30. Nxf7+ Rxf7 31. Rxe6 {, and in the event of} Qb4 32. Rh6+ Kg8 {White can simply play} 33. c3 {parrying all future threats}) (29... Rxb5 30. Nxf7+ Rxf7 31. Rxe6 Qb4 32. Rd8+ {(the point! The invasion of this rook breaks Black's defences)} Rf8 33. Rh6+ Kg7 ({or} 33... Kg8 34. Be6+ Kg7 35. Rd7+) 34. Rd7+ Rf7 35. Rg6+ Kh8 (35... Kf8 36. Rd8+ Ke7 37. Bg5+) 36. Rd8+ Rf8 (36... Kh7 37. Rc6+ Rxf5 38. Rc7+ {and mate}) 37. Rxf8+ Qxf8 38. Bg5 {with an inevitable deadly check on f6.}) ({Black could have parried the Nxf7+ threat by means of} 29... Rbe8 {but with the passed a-pawn after} 30. bxa6 {, White should win.}) 30. Nxf7+ Rxf7 31. Rxe6 Qxb5 {The same defence as after the immediate 29.Nxf7+ but here Black's queen is placed worse than on b4.} 32. Rh6+ {BLACK RESIGNED foreseeing the following line. Nakamura's opening surprise (15. ..b4) was met with an excellent counter-surprise (21.Nf5!!). Black's queen was absolutely powerless against White's minor pieces. Of course, the unsafe position of Black's king made the greatest contribution to his defeat. Unfortunately, Caruana didn't find the simplest paths to a win on several occasions but he never let his advantage slip and finally brought it home.} ({ After} 32. Rh6+ Kg8 33. Rg1+ Rg7 34. Be6+ Kf8 35. Rh8+ ({of course, the beautiful} 35. Bc5+ {wins here, too, but it is unnecessary now}) 35... Ke7 36. Rxg7+ Kd6 {Black is not threatening mate on e1, and ...Qxb2+ will be completely harmless; therefore, White can simply continue} 37. Rh6 $18 { with decisive threats.}) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2015.01.16"] [Round "6"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B31"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2015.01.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 165"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 {Magnus is in a fighting mood - no Berlin after beating Aronian the day before!} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {On the other hand Caruana lost to Wojtaszek and is in a different frame of mind - no Open Sicilian either!} (3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 {The last game between our 2 protagonists featured} g6 ({Carlsen hasn't played Sveshnikov structures with Black since 2010. In Wijk he faced} 4... e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Be7 (6... g6 $5 7. Be3 Be6 8. N1c3 a6 9. Na3 Nf6 10. Be2 Bg7 11. Nc2 Rc8 12. Rc1 O-O 13. O-O Ne7 14. Na3 Nc6 15. Re1 Nd4 16. f3 Qb6 17. Rb1 Nxe2+ 18. Rxe2 Qb4 19. Rd2 Rfd8 20. c5 Qa5 21. Rxd6 Bf8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Qe2 Bxc5 $15 {Ivanchuk,V (2715)-Jobava,B (2727)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3 Be6 9. Nc2 Bg5 10. Be2 Bxc1 11. Rxc1 Nf6 12. O-O O-O 13. Qd2 Qb6 14. Rfd1 Rfd8 15. b3 h6 (15... Rac8 {is a more standard setup.}) 16. h3 Qa7 17. Bf3 Ne7 18. Ne3 Nc6 19. Bg4 Nd4 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. Nc2 Nxc2 22. Rxc2 Rd7 23. Qe2 Rad8 24. Rd3 $11 {/+/=, Carlsen,M (2862)-Hou,Y (2673)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/ White has a very slight edge due to his more flexible pawn structure, but he managed to increase his pressure only in the late middlegame.}) 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a5 11. b3 a4 $6 ({Risky, as the pawn will be vulnerable. The solid move is} 11... Be6 12. Rb1 Nd7 13. Be2 Nc5 14. O-O Qb6 15. Rfc1 Rfc8 {then} 16. Kh1 Qb4 17. Bg5 a4 $1 18. Bxe7 axb3 19. axb3 Nxb3 $11 {Van Wely,L (2691)-Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2627)/Istanbul olm/2012/ /\} 20. Qd1 Bxc4 21. Bxc4 Qxc4 22. Rxb3 Qxb3 $1 23. Qxb3 Rxc3 {[%CAl Rc3c1,Ra8a1] wins the Q back.}) 12. b4 {[%csl Ra4]} Be6 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Be2 Nb6 15. Nb5 $5 $146 ({ More ambitious than} 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 $14) 15... a3 (15... Rc8 16. Na3 $14 ) 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. h4 $1 h5 18. g4 hxg4 19. fxg4 e5 20. Nb3 (20. Nb5 $5) 20... Bc6 (20... Na4 21. h5 Be6 $14) ({or} 20... Be6 {are engine suggestions, but they seem too passive. Carlsen seeks central counterplay, but doesn't equalise either.}) 21. Bf3 f5 22. gxf5 gxf5 23. Na5 $1 f4 24. Bf2 $36 {[%csl Rd6,Rg8] Caruana,F (2801)-Carlsen,M (2877)/Saint Louis/2014/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 162 by Roiz.}) ({Magnus uses the bishop sortie himself:} 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Qc7 (4... e5 5. O-O ({Rather soft; a more critical line is} 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nxe5 Nxe4 7. Nxe4 Qd5 8. Qe2 Qxe5 9. f4 $13) 5... d6 6. d3 Be7 7. Bg5 O-O 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. Nd5 Be6 10. Bc4 g6 11. c3 Bg7 12. a3 Kh8 ( 12... Ne7 $5 $11) 13. b4 f5 14. Rb1 b6 $6 {Caruana,F (2774)-Carlsen,M (2864)/ Moscow blitz/2013/} 15. Nxb6 axb6 16. Bxe6 Rxa3 17. bxc5 bxc5 18. Rb3 $14 { [%csl Ge6,Rg7]}) 5. O-O Nd4 6. Re1 a6 7. Bc4 b5 8. Nd5 Nxd5 9. Bxd5 Rb8 10. Nxd4 cxd4 11. d3 e6 12. Bb3 Bd6 13. Qh5 Bb7 14. f4 Bxf4 15. Bxf4 Qxf4 16. Rf1 Qe3+ 17. Kh1 O-O 18. Rf3 Qh6 19. Qe5 a5 20. a4 Bc6 21. axb5 Rxb5 22. Qxd4 Qd2 $11 {Carlsen,M (2862)-Saric,I (2666)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 3... g6 {The most usual move, but in the past Carlsen has slso played other standard alternatives:} (3... e6 {became more fashionable after Anand-Gelfand in 2012 After} 4. O-O ({Anand preferred} 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. d3 ({or} 5. b3)) 4... Nge7 { Caruana's specialty is the rare} 5. d4 $5 (5. c3 {is played very often.}) ({ The same goes for} 5. Re1 Ng6 (5... a6 $142 6. Bf1 d5 $132) 6. c3 d5 7. Qa4 Be7 8. d4 O-O $5 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Nbd2 Be7 12. Nc4 Qd8 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Nd4 c5 15. Nc6 Qc7 16. Nxe7+ Nxe7 17. Qa5 Qxa5 18. Nxa5 Ba6 19. Bg5 Rfe8 20. Rad1 h6 21. Bxe7 Rxe7 22. c4 Kf8 23. Rd6 Bb7 24. Red1 Ke8 {Wang,H (2752) -Carlsen,M (2861)/Wijk aan Zee/2013/} 25. a3 $14 {[%CAl Yb2b4]}) 5... cxd4 6. Nxd4 Ng6 (6... Qb6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Ng6 9. c4 Be7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Rb1 Qc7 12. Be3 e5 $6 (12... Nf4 13. Bc2 e5 $14 {/~~ Caruana}) 13. g3 $1 d6 14. b4 Be6 15. Qd2 Rac8 16. b5 Bd8 17. Rfc1 Qd7 18. bxc6 Rxc6 19. Nd5 $36 {Caruana,F (2779)-Gelfand,B (2764)/Elancourt/2013/ For more details see the notes by Caruana in CBM 157.}) 7. Be3 (7. Be2 Bc5 $5 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. c4 d6 10. Nc3 a6 11. Kh1 e5 12. Nd5 Ba7 13. Bg4 O-O 14. Bxc8 Rxc8 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Nxe3 Nge7 17. Rc1 a5 18. c5 dxc5 19. Nxc5 Nd4 20. Qd3 Qd6 $11 {Caruana,F (2839)-Nakamura,H (2767) /London rpd/2014/}) 7... Be7 8. Be2 O-O 9. c4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Bf6 11. Qd2 b6 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. f3 Qe7 14. a4 Rad8 15. Ra3 Be5 16. a5 f5 $6 (16... bxa5 $13 {/\} 17. Rxa5 d5 {[%CAl Re5h2,Re7c7]}) (16... Bd6 17. Rb3 Bc5 $132) 17. axb6 axb6 18. exf5 Rxf5 19. Bd3 Rh5 20. h3 Bb8 21. Bxg6 hxg6 22. Bxb6 Rf8 23. Ne2 Rh4 24. Qd3 Kh7 25. Bf2 $14 {/+/-, Caruana,F (2779)-Radjabov,T (2723) /Bucharest/2013/ For details see the notes to this game by Rogozenco in CBM 157.}) (3... d6 { Nowadays more topical is} 4. O-O (4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. e5 $5 (5. O-O e5 6. c3 Nf6 7. Re1 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 ({The simple} 8... Bxf3 {is quite solid:} 9. Qxf3 Be7 10. d3 O-O 11. Nd2 Ne8 12. Nc4 Nc7 13. b4 cxb4 14. cxb4 Ne6 15. Be3 Qd7 16. Rac1 Rfc8 17. Rc2 Rab8 18. a3 Bd8 19. Rec1 Bb6 20. Qg4 {Rublevsky,S (2679)-Tregubov, P (2599)/Krasnoyarsk/2007/} Bxe3 21. fxe3 c5 $11) 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nd7 11. Be3 Be7 12. Nbd2 O-O (12... exd4 13. Bxd4 O-O 14. Nf1 $14) 13. Qc2 Qc7 14. Rac1 Rfc8 15. Qd3 Qb7 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Rc3 Rab8 18. Rec1 {Palac,M (2604)-Tomic,B (2418)/Sarajevo/2012/} c5 $132) 5... Bg4 (5... d5 6. h3 $5 $14 {gives White excellent practical results}) 6. h3 Bh5 7. O-O e6 (7... dxe5 8. g4 e4 $13) 8. Re1 (8. d3 d5 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. Re1 Nc8 $1 11. Qe2 Nb6 12. b3 Be7 13. Bb2 O-O 14. Nb1 a5 15. a4 c4 $1 16. dxc4 dxc4 17. Rd1 Qb8 18. Nbd2 cxb3 19. cxb3 Nd5 20. Rac1 Qb6 $15 {Kabanov,N (2502)-Caruana,F (2767)/EU-ch Plovdiv/2012/}) (8. exd6 $142) 8... Ne7 (8... d5 $5) 9. exd6 Nd5 10. d3 Bxd6 11. Nbd2 O-O {and Black's piece play should compensate for his split pawns:} 12. Nc4 (12. Ne4 h6 13. Ng3 Bg6 14. Ne4 Bh5 15. Ng3 Bg6 16. Ne4 {½, Rabiega,R (2501)-Boensch,U (2540)/ Austria/2002/}) 12... Bc7 13. Qe2 Kh8 14. Bd2 Nb4 15. Bxb4 cxb4 16. Qe3 Qd5 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nfe5 Rfe8 19. Qf3 f6 20. Nxg6+ hxg6 21. Re4 f5 22. gxf5 exf5 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Qxd5 cxd5 25. Ne3 {Caruana,F (2757)-Gelfand,B (2740)/Zuerich blitz/2013/} d4 $132 {[%CAl Ye8e2]}) 4... Bd7 (4... Bg4 $5 5. h3 Bh5 {is for the more aggressively minded.}) 5. Re1 Nf6 ({After} 5... a6 {Black must also reckon with} 6. Bxc6 $5 Bxc6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Rc8 9. c4 Nf6 10. Nc3 Bd7 11. b3 b5 12. Bg5 bxc4 13. Nd5 h6 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Qf3 h5 16. h3 Bh6 17. Nf5 Bf8 18. bxc4 e6 19. Rab1 Bc6 20. Qc3 $18 {Anand,V (2793)-Nakamura,H (2775)/London blitz/2014/}) 6. c3 (6. h3 e6 7. c3 d5 $5 8. d3 (8. e5 $2 Nxe5) 8... a6 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bc2 dxe4 11. dxe4 e5 12. a4 Be7 13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Bg5 Be6 16. Na3 b4 17. Nb1 $6 (17. cxb4 cxb4 18. Nb5 Qb8 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Bd3 O-O 21. Nh4 Rd8 $13) 17... O-O 18. Ba4 h6 19. Bh4 Rd8 20. Nbd2 g5 21. Bg3 Nd7 22. Bb3 Nf8 23. Qc2 f6 24. Nc4 Qa6 {Bologan,V (2732)-Carlsen,M (2837)/Biel/2012/} 25. Nfd2 $11) 6... a6 7. Bf1 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 g6 10. d3 Bg7 11. Be3 Nd7 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Qd1 b5 14. Nf3 b4 15. Qa4 Qc7 16. d4 Rfb8 17. Rab1 e6 (17... Na7 $6 18. cxb4 Rxb4 19. Qc2 Nc6 20. dxc5 dxc5 21. a3 Rb7 22. Rec1 $36 {Efimenko,Z (2649)-Markos,J (2590)/Slovakia/2014/}) (17... a5 $5 18. Rec1 Qb7 19. Qd1 Rc8 20. Bc4 Nb6 21. Bf1 Nd7 22. Bc4 Nb6 {½, Haug,J (2121)-Lissang,C (2273)/ Stockholm/2014/}) 18. Rec1 (18. Qc2 a5 19. a4 Rc8 20. Bb5 bxc3 21. bxc3 cxd4 22. cxd4 Qb7 23. Qd1 Nb4 24. d5 exd5 25. exd5 Qc7 $132 {Partenie,M (2130) -Ulbig,S/email/2011/}) 18... Ra7 19. Qd1 a5 20. Bf4 bxc3 21. bxc3 Rxb1 22. Rxb1 cxd4 23. cxd4 Nxd4 24. Nxd4 Bxd4 25. Qxd4 e5 26. Qd2 exf4 27. Qxf4 $14 { Ottesen,S (2399)-Hansen,L (2182)/email/2010/}) (3... Nf6 4. e5 ({More usual is } 4. Nc3 {- 3.Nc3}) 4... Nd5 5. O-O (5. Nc3 Nc7 $132) 5... g6 6. c3 Bg7 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nc7 9. Nc3 Nxb5 10. Nxb5 O-O 11. Bf4 a6 12. Nc3 d6 13. exd6 exd6 14. h3 d5 15. Re1 Be6 16. Qd2 Re8 17. Re2 Qb6 18. Rae1 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. Qxd4 Bxd4 21. Nxd5 Rac8 22. Bd6 Kh8 23. Nc7 Red8 24. Nxe6 Rxd6 $11 {Zvjaginsev, V (2636)-Bacrot,E (2722)/Moscow/2009/}) 4. Bxc6 {Caruana mostly plays the text move.} ({The main alternative is} 4. O-O Bg7 5. Re1 (5. c3 Nf6 {is usually just a transposition}) 5... Nf6 6. c3 (6. e5 Nd5 7. Nc3 Nc7 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Ne4 Ne6 (9... b6 10. Nf6+ Kf8 11. Ne4 h6 12. d3 g5 $5 (12... Kg8 13. h3 Kh7 $132) 13. Ng3 Be6 14. Qe2 Qd5 15. c4 Qd7 16. b3 f5 17. exf6 exf6 18. Bb2 Re8 19. Qc2 h5 20. Re3 h4 21. Ne4 Rh6 22. Rae1 h3 23. g3 Bf7 $13 {Rapport,R (2693) -Moiseenko,A (2699)/Biel/2013/}) 10. d3 O-O 11. Be3 b6 12. Qd2 Nd4 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. Bh6 c5 15. h4 Qd5 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Ng3 Bb7 18. f3 Qe6 19. b3 { ½, Bacrot,E (2714)-Moiseenko,A (2699)/W Cup Tromsoe/2013/}) 6... O-O 7. h3 (7. d4 d5 8. e5 Ne4 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nbd2 cxd4 11. cxd4 c5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Nb3 Nxb3 14. Qxb3 Bg4 15. Nd4 Qb6 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. b3 Rfc8 18. a4 Bd7 19. f4 e6 20. Ba3 Bh6 21. g3 g5 22. Ra2 b5 $132 {Vegjeleki,A (2224)-Latronico,N (2441)/ email/2010/}) 7... Qb6 $5 (7... e5 8. d3 d6 9. a3 {[%CAl Yb2b4] is perhaps slightly more promising for White.}) 8. Ba4 (8. Bf1 e5 9. d3 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Qb3 Qxb3 12. axb3 Rd8 13. g3 f6 14. Nbd2 Nc7 15. Nc4 Bf5 16. Rd1 Be6 17. Be3 Bf8 18. Nfd2 Nd5 19. Re1 Bf7 20. g4 b6 $15 {Kamsky,G (2741)-Christiansen,L (2579)/USA-ch Saint Louis/2013/}) 8... Rd8 9. d3 (9. d4 d5 $1 10. e5 Ne4 $132) 9... d5 10. e5 Nd7 11. d4 Nf8 $1 12. Na3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bf5 14. Be3 Ne6 15. Qd2 Be4 16. Ng5 $1 (16. Rad1 $2 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Rac8 18. f4 Kh8 19. Bb5 Bh6 20. Be2 Ng7 21. Nb5 Nf5 22. Nc3 e6 23. Bg4 Nh4 24. Kh1 Rg8 $40 {[%csl Rh1][%CAl Yg6g5] Muminova,N (2315)-Hou,Y (2661)/Sharjah/2014/ After thorough preparation Black gradually broke through on the kingside.}) 16... Nxg5 17. Bxg5 f6 $11 {Hou Yifan}) 4... dxc6 (4... bxc6 {is somewhat more risky, as was seen a few rounds later:} 5. O-O Bg7 6. Re1 Nf6 (6... Nh6 7. c3 O-O 8. d4 {also gives White chances to fight for an advantage}) 7. e5 Nd5 8. c4 Nc7 9. d4 cxd4 10. Qxd4 O-O (10... d6 11. Bh6 $1 $36) 11. Qh4 f6 12. Nc3 Ne6 13. Ne4 fxe5 14. Nfg5 Nxg5 15. Bxg5 Qb6 16. c5 $5 Qxb2 17. Rad1 $44 d5 $6 (17... Qxa2 $142 $5 {[%csl Ga7]}) 18. cxd6 exd6 19. Rxd6 Bf5 20. Nf6+ Bxf6 21. Bxf6 Rab8 $2 22. Qc4+ Rf7 23. Red1 Qb1 24. h3 {1-0, Van Wely,L (2667)-Hou,Y (2673)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 {[%mdl 32] White has swapped his light-squared B and places his pawns strategically on the light squares, Black continues developing naturally and a positional battle starts.} ({Carlsen is not attracted by} 6... b6 7. O-O e5 8. Be3 Ne7 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Nc4 f6 11. a3 a5 $2 {[%csl Ra5,Rb6]} (11... Nd5 $142 $1 $13) 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 b5 15. Ncd2 cxb4 16. Qa2+ Kh8 17. Bc5 g5 18. Ra1 Bd7 19. Qa5 Qe8 20. Qxb4 Rf7 21. Ra7 Bf8 22. d4 $16 { Caruana,F (2716)-Kuznetsov,V (2427)/RUS-chT Olginka/2011/}) 7. Nc3 b6 ({ Basically a useful move, but Black usually plays it a bit later, preferring} 7... O-O 8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 ({Caruana probably would have played} 9. O-O { , transposing to our game.}) 9... e5 10. Bh6 Qd6 11. O-O-O (11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. g3 $146 a5 13. Nh4 a4 14. a3 b5 15. Qe3 Rb8 16. f4 exf4 17. gxf4 Nh5 {[%csl Re1]} 18. Ne2 Qf6 19. Nf3 Qxb2 20. Kf2 Qf6 21. Rag1 b4 22. Qxc5 {Hansen,E (2577)-Saric,I (2680)/Doha/2014/} Nxf4 23. Nxf4 Qxf4 24. axb4 f5 $1 $36) 11... a5 12. Nh2 (12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. g4 a4 14. Ne2 b5 15. Ng3 b4 16. Qg5 Re8 17. Nd2 a3 18. bxa3 h6 19. Qe3 Be6 20. Nb3 Rxa3 21. Qxc5 Qb8 $40 {Shirov,A (2697)-Leko, P (2722)/Dortmund/2002/}) 12... a4 13. Ng4 Nh5 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Ne2 f6 16. g3 a3 17. b3 f5 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Qe3 Rae8 20. f3 Nf6 21. Nxf6 Qxf6 $132 { Pedersen,H (2527)-Serradimigni,R (2477)/email/2006/}) 8. Be3 ({Black gets in the central advance even after} 8. Bf4 Nd7 9. Qd2 h6 10. a3 e5 11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O h5 13. Rfb1 a5 14. b3 O-O 15. Bh6 Rd8 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qe3 Ba6 18. a4 Nf8 19. Ne2 Qf6 20. Ng5 Qd6 21. f4 exf4 22. Nxf4 Qd4 23. Re1 Ra7 24. Kh2 Qxe3 25. Rxe3 Re7 $11 {Chadaev,N (2574)-Alekseev,E (2691)/Irkutsk/2010/}) 8... e5 $6 { Strategically sound, but right now rather careless...} (8... O-O $142 9. O-O ( 9. Qd2 e5 {see 7...0-0 above}) 9... Ne8 (9... e5 $5 {leads back to the game}) 10. Qd2 e5 (10... Nc7 11. Bh6 Ne6 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. Ne2 $14) 11. Bh6 f6 12. Nh2 Qe7 13. Bxg7 Nxg7 14. f4 exf4 15. Qxf4 Ne6 16. Qh4 Nd4 17. Rf2 Rf7 18. Raf1 f5 19. Qf4 Be6 20. e5 g5 21. Qd2 c4 22. Rd1 cxd3 23. Qxd3 Rd8 $15 {Veinger,I (2597)-Wills,M (2500)/corr/1996/}) 9. O-O $6 ({White misses an opportunity to play} 9. Nxe5 $1 Nxe4 10. Qf3 $1 f5 11. Bf4 (11. Nxg6 $5 hxg6 12. dxe4 O-O 13. Qg3 $14) 11... Qe7 12. Nxc6 ({A simpler way is} 12. dxe4 Bxe5 13. O-O-O $1 $36) 12... Qe6 (12... Ng5+ $142 $1 13. Nxe7 (13. Qe3 Qxe3+ 14. fxe3 Nf7 {[%csl Rc6]} ) 13... Nxf3+ 14. gxf3 Kxe7 $44) 13. dxe4 Qxc6 14. Nd5 (14. O-O-O $142 $1 $14) 14... Kf7 15. O-O-O fxe4 16. Qxe4 Re8 17. Qf3 Bf5 18. Rhe1 Rad8 19. c4 Qa4 20. Qb3 Qxb3 21. axb3 Be4 22. f3 Bxd5 23. Rxe8 Kxe8 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. cxd5 Kd7 26. Kc2 b5 $2 (26... Bf6 {/\} 27. Bb8 Kc8 $11) 27. Bb8 $1 a6 28. f4 $18 {[%CAl Rb8e5] Macieja,B (2430)-Pyda,Z (2305)/Polanica Zdroj/1996/}) 9... O-O 10. a3 { As with Kuznetsov, Caruana concentrates on the queenside.} ({However, White far more often plays} 10. Qd2 Qd6 11. Bh6 Nh5 12. Ne2 (12. Rae1 f6 13. Ne2 Be6 14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. b3 a5 16. a4 Rfd8 17. Qe3 b5 18. Ra1 Bf7 19. Nh2 c4 $132 { Nijboer,F (2510)-Piket,J (2670)/Amsterdam/1995/}) 12... f6 13. b3 (13. a3 a5 14. Nh2 Ra7 15. Rad1 Be6 16. Bxg7 Rxg7 17. Ng4 Rd7 {½, Vachier Lagrave,M (2458)-Lautier,J (2666)/Val d'Isere/2004/}) (13. Bxg7 Nxg7 14. Nh2 Ne6 $11) 13... Be6 (13... g5 14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. Ng3 h5 16. h4 $1 Bg4 {Jansa,V (2449) -Zwardon,V (2383)/CZE-chT/2013/} 17. hxg5 {/\} Bxf3 18. g6 $1 $40) ({Lautier's } 13... a5 $5 {deserves attention even here.}) 14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. Qh6 Rad8 16. Nd2 Bc8 (16... Nh5 $142 $5) 17. f4 exf4 18. Rxf4 Qe5 19. Raf1 Qg5 20. Qxg5 fxg5 21. Rxf8+ Rxf8 22. Nc4 Rxf1+ 23. Kxf1 $14 {Magem Badals,J (2573)-Alsina Leal,D (2531)/Barcelona/2011/}) 10... Qe7 (10... Qd6 $5) 11. Qb1 $146 (11. Qe2 $6 { only helps Black in improving his knight with} Nh5 12. Rfb1 Nf4 13. Qd2 Ne6 $11 {/=/+, Fougerit,V (2233)-Desbonnes,S (2332)/France /2009/}) (11. Qd2 {also prepares queenside activity:} Nh5 12. b4 $1 cxb4 13. axb4 Qxb4 14. Rfb1 $14 { [%CAl Rb1b6,Re3b6] wins the pawn back with an edge.}) 11... Nh5 $5 {Carlsen wants to develop his own play on the opposite flank.} (11... a5 12. Na4 $5 { [%csl Rb6]} (12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 cxb4 15. Na4 Nd7 16. Nxb6 Nxb6 17. Bxb6 Bb7 18. Qa5 Ra8 19. Qc5 Qxc5 20. Bxc5 Ra2 $11)) (11... Rd8 $5 { Korotylev, /\} 12. b4 c4 $1 13. dxc4 Ba6 $11 14. Qb3 (14. b5 $2 cxb5 15. cxb5 Bb7) 14... Qe6 15. Nd2 Rxd2 16. Bxd2 Bxc4 $11) 12. b4 f5 $6 {This seems too hasty, as it gives White a free hand on the queenside.} (12... Nf4 $142 $1 13. bxc5 bxc5 $13 {[%CAl Yf4e6,Yf7f5] improves the knight, f5 can come later.}) 13. bxc5 f4 14. Bd2 bxc5 (14... Qxc5 15. Qb3+ Kh8 16. Qb4 $36 {swaps queens and quashes Black's attacking ambitions.}) 15. Qb3+ {Very direct and logical.} ({ The engines recommend} 15. Qb2 Be6 16. Na4 $14 {[%csl Rc5,Re5][%CAl Yb2c3, Ya4b2]} (16. Rfb1 $5 {is also interesting, stopping Rab8.})) 15... Be6 16. Qa4 Rac8 ({After} 16... Qd7 $5 {[%CAl Ye6h3] White should probably play the prophylactic} 17. Kh2 $5 $14 (17. Ng5 c4 18. Qa6 f3 $5 $132)) 17. Qa5 (17. Qa6 $142 $5 g5 18. Rfb1 {[%CAl Yb1b7] forces Black to lose a tempo with} Rf7 19. Na4 g4 20. hxg4 Bxg4 21. Qc4 $36) 17... g5 $1 {[%mdl 640] Carlsen throws caution (and a pawn) to the winds and concentrates on his attack.} ({After} 17... c4 18. Na4 c5 19. Nb2 $14 {Black must defend his weaknesses.}) 18. Na4 ({ Consistent,} 18. Nh2 c4 $132 {is a concession.}) 18... g4 19. hxg4 Bxg4 20. Qxc5 Qf6 21. Nh2 $6 {Gives the attack a new impulse.} (21. Rfb1 Qg6 22. Kf1 Ng3+ $1 23. Ke1 (23. fxg3 fxg3 {/\} 24. Ke2 Qh5 25. Rf1 Qh2 26. Qg1 Rxf3 $1 $19 ) 23... Nxe4 $5 24. Qc4+ Be6 25. Qxe4 Bf5 (25... Qxg2 $2 26. Ke2 Bd5 27. Rg1) 26. Qc4+ (26. Qe2 Qxg2 $44 {|^}) 26... Be6 $11 {and repetition seems to be a logical outcome.}) (21. Rfe1 Rf7 $5 $13 {[%CAl Yg7f8,Yg8h8,Yc8g8]} (21... Qg6 22. Kf1 Ng3+ 23. fxg3 fxg3 24. Ke2 Qh5 25. Kd1 $1 $16)) 21... f3 $1 22. Nxg4 $8 (22. gxf3 $2 Bxf3 $19) (22. g3 $6 Bh3 $36 (22... Qg6 $5 $15 {/-/+})) 22... Qg6 23. Qe7 $1 {[]} ({The queen must quickly return, White can't afford} 23. Ne3 $2 Bh6 $19 (23... Nf4 $19)) 23... fxg2 (23... Qxg4 $2 24. Qg5 $16 {leads to a premature queen swap.}) 24. Rfb1 (24. Rfe1 Qxg4 25. Qg5 Qxg5 26. Bxg5 Nf4) 24... Qxg4 25. Qg5 Qe2 26. Qe3 Qg4 27. Qg5 Qxg5 $1 ({Carlsen spurns} 27... Qe2 $11 {, Black already risks nothing by continuing the fight.}) 28. Bxg5 Nf4 { [%CAl Rf4h3]} 29. Bxf4 $2 {A serious error with disastrous consequences.} ({ The series of forced moves continued with} 29. Kh2 $1 {[]} Kh8 $1 (29... Bf6 30. Bh6 Bg7 $11) (29... c5 $5 30. Rg1 c4 31. Bxf4 exf4 32. Rxg2 cxd3 33. cxd3 f3 $44) 30. Re1 (30. Ra2 c5 31. Bxf4 exf4 32. Kxg2 f3+ $40 {[%csl Ra2]}) 30... h6 31. Bh4 (31. Bxf4 exf4 32. e5 f3 $17) 31... Bf6 $15 {[%csl Gg2] Black holds the initiative, but the game is far from over.}) 29... exf4 30. Kxg2 f3+ 31. Kf1 $6 ({Black should gradually win after} 31. Kh3 Bxa1 32. Rxa1 Kf7 $17 { , as his Pf3 remains very much alive. However, this was still more resilient, as now White's king can't escape the mating net.}) 31... Rf4 $1 32. c3 ({ Caruana most probably overlooked} 32. Ke1 Rd8 $1 (32... Bxa1 $2 33. Rxa1 { [%CAl Ye1d2,Yd2e3,Ya4c5] is actually OK for White}) 33. Kd2 Rxe4 {[%CAl Re4a4, Re4e2]} 34. Nc3 Bh6+ 35. Kd1 Rh4 {with mate to follow.}) 32... Rd8 $1 33. d4 ( 33. Rd1 Rh4 34. Ke1 Bh6 $1 $19 {[%CAl Rh4h1]}) (33. Ke1 Rxd3 $19 {[%CAl Rf4h4, Rf4e4]}) 33... Bh6 {Black already had a choice:} (33... Rxe4 34. Nc5 Rh4 35. Ke1 Bxd4 36. cxd4 Rdxd4 37. Rb8+ Kf7 38. Rf8+ Kxf8 39. Ne6+ Kf7 40. Nxd4 Rh1+ $19) (33... Bxd4 $142 $1 {and taking the bishop leads to mate after} 34. cxd4 Rh4 35. Ke1 (35. Kg1 Kh8 {[%CAl Rd8g8]}) 35... Rxd4 $19) 34. Ke1 Rxe4+ 35. Kd1 c5 $1 $19 {Now the only winning move.} (35... Re2 $143 $6 36. Rb2 $15) 36. Kc2 (36. Nxc5 Re2 37. Nb3 Rde8 $19 (37... Kh8 $19 {[%CAl Rd8g8]})) 36... cxd4 37. Kd3 Re2 38. c4 Rxf2 (38... Rd2+ $142 $1 39. Ke4 Rxf2 $19) 39. Rd1 (39. Rb2 { prolongs White's suffering, his position remains hopeless after} Rxb2 40. Nxb2 Rb8 41. Nd1 Kf7) 39... Re2 {[%CAl Re2e3] Black's passed pawns will soon clinch the point.} 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2015.01.25"] [Round "13"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2757"] [Annotator "Vachier Lagrave,M"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2015.01.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 165"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 {No more Caro-Kann against Fabiano!} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nde2 h5 8. g3 {I have plenty of experience on this line from both sides, although mostly with Black. At first sight it might seem a bit slow, and it is why it was not the most popular option until 2013. Then ideas have been found for White to create pressure by gradually removing Black's counterplay, generally connected with long term plans on the kingside. This was urged as well by the fact that immediately playing for the control of the d5-square is not enough for an edge:} (8. Bg5 Be6 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. Nec3 g6 12. Bc4 Bh6 {Unexpectedly, this bishop controls a few key squares, preventing notably Ne3.} 13. O-O O-O 14. Bb3 (14. a4 Nc6 15. Qd3 Rc8 16. Bb3 Nd4 $11) 14... Nc6 15. Qd3 Rc8 16. Rad1 Nd4 17. Ne2 Nxb3 18. Qxb3 b5 19. a4 { is the latest example in this line. Here} Rb8 {would have guaranteed me at least an equal position.}) 8... Be6 (8... Be7 9. Bg2 b5 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Ra7 12. Be3 Be6 13. Qd2 Rb7 14. Nc3 Nd7 15. Nd5 $14) (8... b5 9. Nd5 Nbd7 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Nec3 Be7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. Bg2 {is also more pleasant for White. In general playing ...b5 too fast gives White good control of the d5-square, without having to part with his dark squared bishop, which apparently has got itself a great summer-house on g5.}) 9. Bg2 Nbd7 {I've always been faithful to this line instead, allowing White to prevent an expansion on the queenside. My main hope is to get a good control of the centre. Still, there is a serious danger of not managing anything on the queenside, nor the d5-break in the centre, while White calmly improves on the kingside.} 10. a4 Be7 {More precise than} (10... Rc8 11. Be3 Nb6 12. Bg5 $1 {remember this cute double bishop move! } Be7 13. b3 {which was the course of my game with Judit Polgar. I certainly was not satisfied with the outcome of the opening as now my Nb6 is out of place and d5 is not happening:} d5 $6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. exd5 Bf5 16. Be4 $16) 11. O-O {I warmly recommend readers interested in this line to investigate the move order subtleties, for instance between the text move and 11.Be3 or 11.a5 right away.} Rc8 (11... Qc7 $6 12. Be3 Rc8 13. a5 O-O 14. b3 Rfe8 {was the course of another of my games, this time with White. Here the obvious} 15. f4 d5 16. exd5 Bc5 17. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 18. Kh2 Bf5 19. Ra4 {and Black doesn't have enough compensation.}) 12. Be3 (12. a5 {now allows} Rc5 {and although this pawn grab appears a bit reckless after} 13. Be3 Rxa5 14. Rb1 {and the Ra5 has no way back, but being a pawn up Black certainly has resources.}) 12... Nb6 { A very ambitious option, and although I couldn't remember all the details of my preparation I felt quite confident going for it.} 13. b3 (13. Bg5 {the same double bishop move as in Judit's game against me! But White has now castled and this might give Black some counterplay:} Nh7 (13... Qd7 14. a5 Na8 15. h4 $1 $14) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. a5 Nd7 {and White is not too confident on the kingside with h4 coming as} 16. f4 h4 17. b3 Ndf6 18. f5 Bd7 {is a bit awkward. }) 13... d5 $1 {otherwise, there is simply no point to 12...Nb6.} 14. Bxb6 (14. a5 d4 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Bxd4 Bc5 $1 {is ok for Black.}) 14... Qxb6 15. Nxd5 ( 15. exd5 {is not the most logical approach:} Bf5 16. a5 Qc7 17. Qd2 O-O { and White can't make any pawn advance on the queenside, where he's supposed to make a difference. The lack of good available squares for his knights also makes it perfectly logical why he would exchange one pair of those.}) 15... Nxd5 16. exd5 Bd7 $1 {Generally, when you sacrifice pawns, you want to push your pieces forward. But the bishop has to make way for the f7-pawn. Now for an assessment of the position: I have no clue whether White is better, but he is struggling to move his queenside pawns because of the fantastic job the Be7 is doing. Meanwhile on the kingside, my pawn majority can start rolling. Still, I need to be careful not to allow White to create a blockade, and especially the battle for the e4-square will be crucial as White's knight can get there quite quickly.} 17. c4 Qd6 $5 {After a long period of thought trying to remember my analysis starting with 17...Bc5, I decided to keep on being very ambitious as obviously Fabiano was not very comfortable with his position and getting already quite low on time. Also, I couldn't find a concrete way for him to make use of my apparent loss of time, while preventing d6 is very useful in any case.} (17... Bc5 {was actually part of my preparation, but I didn't like to allow} 18. d6 $1 {allowing White to bale out as his knight will get to d5 soon.}) (17... Bb4 $6 {would be a logical move as well, preventing both a5, Nc3 and Re1. But here White has another powerful recycling at his disposal with} 18. Nc1 $1) 18. a5 $6 {This is too slow. Even though it is understandable to prevent Black from going ...a5 and ...b6, shutting down White's majority, White needs too much time to get it rolling so he should for now focus on the kingside.} (18. h4 g5 $1 19. hxg5 Bxg5 {and ...h4 might come soon, and White is not preventing f5 for now so he still has no blockade on e4. Still is was quite playable.}) (18. f4 e4 $1 {was not to Fabiano's taste. I was mainly focused on 18...exf4, but I like this option more.} (18... h4 19. f5 $5 {Now White has a blockade on e4 but his queenside is also vulnerable after} b5 $13) (18... exf4 19. Nxf4 h4 20. g4 O-O 21. Nd3 b6 {looks unclear.}) 19. Nd4 (19. f5 Qe5) 19... f5 {and Black's dark squared bishop is on his way to becoming an unrivalled monster all over the board, while the Bg2 is lacking any prospects at all.}) (18. Nc3 f5 19. Re1 h4 20. g4 g6 $5 21. Qe2 Bf6 { might have been the best option available. But White's king is not safe after the unavoidable e4 which is coming later on.}) 18... f5 (18... h4 $6 19. g4 { only helps White when Black hasn't played ...f5 yet.}) 19. Qd3 h4 20. g4 O-O $1 (20... fxg4 21. Nc3 O-O 22. Kh1 {is quite playable, but offering a nice central square and thereby giving up most of my initiative for one lame pawn is not in my habits.}) 21. Nc3 $6 {This move feels logical but White had to prevent 21...e4 now, although it took me a lot of time to find the logical follow-up.} (21. gxf5 Bxf5 22. Qe3 (22. Qd2 Qg6 23. Kh1 Be4 24. f3 Bg5 $1 { with a strong attack}) 22... Qg6 {looked very threatening to me, but White might be alright after the cool-headed} 23. Kh1 (23. Qxe5 $2 Bxh3) 23... Bc5 24. Qd2 $1 {to my great surprise Black has no forced win, but probably no advantage at all as well as White is threatening b4.} Bd3 25. Rad1 Bc2 26. Rc1 Bd3 $11) 21... e4 22. Qe3 Bd8 $1 {After hitting a wall in the very logical line 22...Qe5 23.f4, I was also investing a considerable amount of time in slow play like 22...g6 when I suddenly realised there was another way to create the typically lethal Q+B battery. A few seconds later, my hand was lashing out the moves and I knew my position was already close to winning.} 23. Bxe4 {White's best hope. He gives up a piece but the bishop pair is a bit less scary for now, and especially the Bd7 might be restricted by White's pawns.} ( 23. f4 exf3 24. Rxf3 Bc7 25. g5 Rfe8 $1 26. Qf2 Qh2+ 27. Kf1 Bd6 $1 {followed by 28...Bc5 is curtains.}) (23. gxf5 Bc7 24. Rfe1 Qh2+ 25. Kf1 Bf4 26. Qxe4 Bxf5 27. Qf3 Bg3 $1 $19) 23... fxe4 (23... Bc7 $1 24. f4 fxe4 {was more precise with the idea} 25. Nxe4 (25. c5 Qh6 26. d6 Bd8 $17) 25... Rce8 $1 $17) 24. Nxe4 Qf4 25. Qxf4 Rxf4 26. f3 Be7 {I am aiming for the ideal setup Bb4, Rcf8 followed by Be8-g6 and White will have too many weaknesses. White bringing his king to the centre is thus no surprise although it accelerates his fate.} 27. Kf2 (27. Kg2 Bb4 28. Ra2 Rcf8 29. Rff2 Kh7 30. Rfe2 Kh6 31. Re3 Be8 $1 {and the extra piece shall prevail.}) 27... Rcf8 28. Ke3 Be8 $1 { Bg6 is now a very serious threat and the Ne4 can't move as it would expose the Ke3 too much. Fabiano tries cleverly to create a new chain of pawns.} 29. c5 Bb5 30. b4 $1 Rxe4+ $1 {An obvious shot. Black's remaining pieces will work together in perfect harmony.} (30... Bxf1 $2 {would probably not be my option even without the tactical shot at my disposal. Now after} 31. Rxf1 {BLACK SHALL NOT PASS, at least, that is what it feels like with not any of Black's remaining pieces or pawns able to make a breakthrough.}) 31. Kxe4 Re8 {White's king is suddenly under fire and he can't run away, being hindered by his own pawns.} 32. Kf4 (32. Kd4 Bf6# {I don't use the word "cute" lightly, but this is one hell of a cute checkmate!}) (32. f4 Bxc5+ 33. Kf3 Be2+ 34. Kg2 Bxf1+ $19 ) (32. Kf5 Bf6 {this is not the only way to Rome.} 33. g5 (33. Rae1 Bd3+ 34. Kf4 g5#) 33... Bd7+ 34. Kg6 Re5 35. gxf6 Be8+ $19) 32... g5+ 33. Kf5 Kf7 $1 { Closing the door.} 34. Rfe1 (34. Rad1 Bf6 35. Rfe1 Bd3+ 36. Rxd3 Rxe1 37. f4 Rf1 $19) 34... Bd3+ 35. Re4 (35. Ke5 Bxc5# {I also have a thing for that one.}) 35... Bf6 {And mate follows. Obviously, I'm delighted with the course of the game, starting from my preparation to the flow of moves leading to my strong attack, which did not stop after the exchange of queens. It also helped me finish my successful tournament on a high note, and it didn't take me long to fulfill my New Year's resolution to win a last round again after one and a half years!} 0-1 [Event "ISR-Kasparov handicap"] [Site "Tel Aviv"] [Date "1998.05.19"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Smirin, Ilia"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B43"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2595"] [Annotator "Har Zvi,R"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1998.05.19"] [EventType "simul"] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ISR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 065"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This was the most interesting game in the entire match,it was the only game that Kasparov was really in great danger of losing,but of course managaed to avoid that too} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bd3 Qb6 7. Nb3 (7. Be3 $6 Bc5) 7... Qc7 8. O-O (8. a4 b4 9. Ne2 Bb7 10. Ned4 Nf6 11. Qe2 Nc6 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. e5 Ng8 14. O-O Ne7 15. Bg5 Ng6 16. Rfe1 Bb7 17. Rad1 h6 18. Bd2 Be7 19. Qg4 h5 20. Qc4 Rc8 $36 {Svidler,P-Ehlvest,J/EU-chTM 1997/ EXP 57/1/2-1/2 (47)}) (8. Be3 Bb7 9. O-O d6 10. a3 Nd7 11. f4 Ngf6 12. Qe2 Be7 13. Rae1 O-O $13 {Kaminski,U-Kveinys,A/Dresden op 1996/1/2-1/2 (49)}) (8. f4 d6 9. Qf3 Nd7 10. O-O Ngf6 11. Bd2 b4 $5 (11... Be7 12. Rae1 Bb7 (12... O-O $2 13. e5 $1 Bb7 14. Qh3 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. Rxe5 Qxe5 17. Rxf6 $16) 13. Qh3 $14) ( 11... Bb7 12. a4 b4 13. Nd1 Nc5 14. Nf2 $14) 12. Nd1 Bb7 13. Nf2 (13. Bxb4 $2 Qb6+) (13. Ne3 a5 $13) 13... a5 14. c3 $6 (14. g4 $5 Nb6 (14... h6 15. c3 $1 $14) (14... Nc5 15. Bb5+ (15. Nxc5 Qxc5 16. Be3 Qc6 17. g5 Nd7 $13 18. Bd4 $6 e5 19. fxe5 dxe5 20. Be3 Bc5 $11) 15... Bc6 (15... Nfd7 16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. Bxd7+ Kxd7 18. c3 $16) 16. e5 (16. Bxc6+ Qxc6 17. g5 Nfd7 18. Nd4 Qb7 $13) 16... Nd5 17. Bxc6+ Qxc6 $13) 15. g5 Nfd7 $13) (14. a3 $5 a4 (14... d5 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Bxb4 axb4 17. e5 $16) (14... bxa3 15. Rxa3 a4 16. Rfa1 Nb6 17. Bb5+ $16) 15. Nd4 bxa3 16. Nb5 Qc6 $14) 14... bxc3 15. Bxc3 Be7 16. Rac1 Qb6 $1 17. g4 $6 ( 17. Bd4 Qd8 $13 {/\ 18...e5, 18...a4} (17... Nc5 18. Rc4 a4 19. Nxc5 dxc5 20. Be5 O-O $14)) 17... a4 18. Bd4 (18. Nd4 Nc5 19. Bb5+ Nfd7 $13 20. b4 $6 axb3 21. axb3 Bf6 22. b4 $2 Nxe4 $1 $17) 18... Qd8 (18... Nc5 19. Nxc5 dxc5 20. Bc3 O-O 21. g5 Nd7 $14) 19. Nd2 O-O 20. g5 Ne8 $13 {0-1 Shirov,A-Svidler,P/Fontys 1997/CBM 61/[Svidler] (35)}) (8. Qe2 Bb7 9. Bd2 b4 10. Nd1 Nf6 11. f4 Nc6 12. Nf2 d6 13. O-O Be7 14. Rae1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Mortensen,E-Kengis,E/Koge op 1997/CBM 60/[Mortensen,E] (41)}) 8... Nf6 (8... Bb7 9. Bd2 (9. f4 d6 10. Qe2 Nd7 (10... Nf6 $13 11. e5 dxe5 (11... b4) 12. fxe5 $40) 11. Bd2 Ngf6 $11 {0-1 Wang Zili-Yakovich,Y/ST Lee Cup 4th 1997/CBM 61/[Ribli] (46)}) (9. a4 b4 10. Ne2 Nf6 11. Bf4 e5 12. Be3 d5 13. f3 Nbd7 14. Ng3 g6 $15 {0-1 Leiber,B-Kengis,E/Bad Zwesten op 1997/EXP 57 (30)}) (9. Qe2 Nc6 10. f4 d6 11. Bd2 Nf6 12. Rae1 Be7 13. a3 O-O 14. f5 Rae8 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. Be3 Ne5 17. Nd4 Bd8 18. h3 Qd7 19. Nf3 Ng6 20. Qd2 Qc6 21. Nd4 Qc8 22. Nf3 Qc6 23. Nd4 Qc8 {1/2-1/2 Khalifman, A-Hansen,C/Skolernes Skakklub 1997}) 9... Nf6 10. Qe2 h5 11. h3 b4 12. Nd1 Nc6 13. c3 d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Be4 Nf6 16. Bf3 a5 $13 {0-1 Dimitrov,V-Georgiev,V/ BUL-ch rapid 1995/EXT 95ch (41)}) 9. Re1 (9. f4 Bb7 10. Qf3 (10. e5 b4 (10... Nd5 11. Ne4 $14) 11. Ne2 (11. exf6 bxc3 12. Qe1 gxf6 13. bxc3 Rg8 $132) 11... Nd5 (11... Qc6 12. Rf3) 12. Ng3 Be7 (12... Qb6+ $6 13. Kh1 Ne3 14. Bxe3 Qxe3 15. Nh5 $16) (12... d6 $5 13. Qe2 {/\ f5}) 13. Qe2 $14 {/\ 14.f5}) 10... d6 11. a4 b4 12. Ne2 Nbd7 13. Kh1 Be7 14. Bd2 d5 15. e5 Ne4 16. Be3 O-O 17. Qh3 Rae8 $1 18. Nbd4 (18. Ned4 {Chuchelov} Ndc5 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. a5 Bc8 $1 {and 21..f5} ) 18... Ndc5 19. Rf3 $6 Bc8 $15 {0-1 Van de Plassche,B-Chuchelov,V/BEL-chT 1997/CBM 62/[Chuchelov] (34)}) (9. Qe2 {Ribli} Nc6 10. Bg5 Be7 11. a4 b4 12. Nd1 O-O 13. f4 d6 14. Ne3 Re8 15. a5 Nd7 16. Bxe7 Rxe7 17. Qh5 Nf6 18. Qh4 { 1/2-1/2 Michalek,J-Berezjuk,S/CZE-chT9495 1995 (30)}) 9... Bd6 $5 $146 { A new move and a very good decision by Smirin, who decides to divert from the main moves and play a new interesting move which I am sure will become one of the main moves here.} 10. g3 b4 (10... h5 $4 11. e5 $1 Bxe5 12. Rxe5 Qxe5 13. Bf4) 11. Ne2 {an interesting move which I thought about during the game,is Nb1, the idea is very simple to put the knight on "c4"} (11. Nb1 $5 {[%CAl Gb1d2, Gd2c4]}) 11... Nc6 12. Ned4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 h5 $5 {an active idea,very much in Smirin's style.the idea is to open the "h" file with h4-hxg3 and have some dangerous threats along this file,plus the "g3"pawns becomes very weak in certain position and black might think about a sacrifise there} 14. Bf1 $1 { a good move,the bishop's place when you play -g3 is ofcourse "g2" so Kasparov waste's no time immeidately transfering the bishop to "g2" where is both defend the king and put pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal and another important factor opens the "d" file for white's heavy pieces in some variations} h4 15. Bg2 hxg3 16. hxg3 Bb7 17. Bd2 {this is a critical position,all the pieces are in the game and some very important decisions must be taken now,black's king has to saty in the center [ the best place for him ] and black must try and create some threats since if not white will simply organize his pieces and then black's king will not be safe any more.it seems to me that whit has better chances in this position} Bc5 18. c3 $1 {white wants to open the position as much as possible} (18. Nb3 Nxe4 $1 19. Nxc5 (19. Bxe4 $4 Qxg3+) 19... Nxc5 $13) 18... Qb6 19. Qe2 d5 (19... Bxd4 $6 20. cxd4 Qxd4 21. Bf4 $1 $36 {[%CAl Ga1d1,Yf4d6] with strong initiative for white}) 20. e5 Ne4 21. Be3 Qc7 (21... bxc3 $6 22. bxc3 Nxc3 23. Qg4 $1 $40 {this is a very dangerous line for black here are few examples} Bf8 $5 (23... g6 $5 24. Rac1 (24. Nxe6 Qxe6 ( 24... fxe6 25. Bxc5 Qxc5 26. Qxe6+ Qe7 27. Qxg6+) (24... Bxe3 25. Rxe3 Qb2 26. Rae1) 25. Qxe6+ fxe6 26. Bxc5 $14) 24... Qb4 25. a3 $5)) 22. c4 $1 Qxe5 23. Nb3 $2 (23. Nc6 Bxc6 24. Bxc5 $16) (23. cxd5 exd5 (23... Nxg3 $6 24. Qg4 $16) ( 23... Bxd4 $6 24. Bxd4 Qxd4 25. Qxe4 Qxe4 (25... Qxb2 26. Rab1 $18) 26. Bxe4 $16) 24. Nc6 Bxc6 (24... Qd6 25. Na5 $16) 25. Bxc5 $16) 23... Bxe3 24. Qxe3 Qh5 $5 (24... dxc4 25. Bxe4 (25. Nd2 $4 Nxd2 26. Qxe5 Nf3+ 27. Kf1 (27. Bxf3 Bxf3 { [%CAl Gh8h1]}) 27... Nxe5 28. Bxb7 Ra7 $19) (25. Nd4 Qh5 $1 $19) 25... Bxe4 26. Qxe4 Qxe4 27. Rxe4 cxb3 28. axb3 $11) 25. Qb6 Rb8 26. c5 (26. cxd5 Qh2+ 27. Kf1 Nxg3+ 28. fxg3 Qxg2+ 29. Kxg2 Bxd5+ $19) 26... Qh2+ 27. Kf1 O-O (27... Nxg3+ $5 28. fxg3 Qxg3 29. c6 (29. Qxb4 $2 Rh4 30. Qd2 (30. Qc3 $2 Rf4+ 31. Kg1 Qf2+ $19 ) 30... a5 $1 $19) 29... Qf4+ 30. Kg1 Qh2+ 31. Kf1 Rh6 $40) 28. c6 Ba8 29. Qxa6 f5 $1 {this is really nice,black rook which should have attacked white's king along the "h" file is doing now the same job on the "f" file} 30. c7 Rbe8 31. Nd4 (31. Rac1 f4 $1 32. c8=Q Nxg3+ (32... fxg3 33. Qxe8 $1 Rxe8 34. Rc8 $18) 33. fxg3 fxg3+ 34. Ke2 Qxg2+ 35. Kd1 (35. Kd3 Qf3+ 36. Re3 Qf5+ 37. Kd2 Qf2+ 38. Re2 Qf4+ $11) 35... Qf3+ 36. Kd2 Qf4+ 37. Re3 Qf2+ 38. Re2 (38. Kd1 $2 Qxe3 {[%csl Rd1]} 39. Qc5 d4 $19) 38... Qf4+ $11) (31. Rec1) 31... Nd2+ $1 (31... f4 {this was the move everyone was talking during and also after the game,it seems as a very good chance for Smirin to beat Kasparov but it was a right decision from Smirin who did not see the next variation but I am sure felt it's very dangerous for him} 32. Nf3 Nxg3+ 33. fxg3 fxg3 34. Re2 d4 35. Ke1 $3 (35. c8=Q Bxf3 36. Qaxe6+ Rxe6 37. Qxe6+ Kh8 38. Qh3+ Qxh3 39. Bxh3 Bg4+ $19) 35... Bxf3 36. Bxf3 Qg1+ 37. Kd2 Qxa1 38. c8=Q Rxc8 (38... Qxb2+ 39. Qc2) 39. Qxe6+ Kh8 40. Qh3+ $18) 32. Ke2 Qxg2 33. c8=Q $1 Qe4+ (33... Rxc8 34. Qxe6+) 34. Kd1 (34. Kxd2 Qxd4+ 35. Ke2 Qe4+ 36. Kd2 (36. Kf1 Qh1+ 37. Ke2 Qe4+) 36... Qd4+ $11) 34... Qxd4 35. Qaxe6+ $1 {a right decision by Kasparov,maybe in a normal game he would have thought about playing 35.Qc2 [ although I think anyway it's very dangaerous for white ] but in a simul game he is playing for a victory over a team and if I am not mistaken at this moment he was completely winning against Sutovski and better against huzman so why he should try and win here??} (35. Qc2 Ne4+ (35... Nb3+ $5 36. Qcd3 Qxd3+ 37. Qxd3 Nxa1 38. Kd2) 36. Kc1 f4 $40) 35... Rxe6 36. Qxe6+ Rf7 37. Qe8+ Rf8 38. Qe6+ Rf7 39. Qe8+ (39. Qe8+ Kh7 40. Rh1+ Kg6 41. Qe6+ Rf6 (41... Kg5 $2 42. f4+ Kg4 43. Qg6+ Kf3 44. Qh5+ $18) 42. Qe8+ Rf7 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "USA-ch"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.04.04"] [Round "6"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Kamsky, Gata"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2817"] [BlackElo "2659"] [Annotator "Moradiabadi,E"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2017.03.29"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 178"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] {The world no. 3 and defending champion scored his first victory of the tournament by essaying a number of strong moves in 'always firey' white side of the Sicilian Sveshnikov to move to joint second place at the hand of Gata Kamsky, whose enterprising chess has not paid off so far as he is on -2 after 6 rounds.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 $5 {No more 'Karpov' style of handling Sveshnikov. Caruana wants blood!} (9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 {is of course the most common way of handling the Sveshnikov.}) 9... gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. Bd3 $5 { Another less common choice by Caruana. He might have caught Gata off-guard as the development of the game from here is all in Caruana's favor.} Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. c3 f5 14. Nc2 f4 {After a long thought, Kamsky chose a rare and slightly passive move. By pushing this pawn, Black kills all of his active play in the centre with ...d5 and ...f5 as we will see in the game. Recent handling of this line by two strong teenagers of the chess world seem to promise more chances for Black than Kamsky's choice. Although, I am sure Fabiano might have something there.} (14... Qg5 15. O-O (15. g3 $6 Bb7 16. Qe2 O-O 17. h4 Qf6 18. O-O-O d5 19. f3 Rfc8 20. Kb1 a5 21. Ne3 b4 22. cxb4 axb4 23. Nxf5 Bf8 24. Rc1 b3 25. a3 Rcb8 26. Qe3 Kh8 27. exd5 Bxd5 28. Rhe1 Re8 29. g4 Qe6 30. Rc3 Ra5 31. Kc1 Bc5 32. Qh6 Qg6 33. Be4 Be6 34. h5 Qxh6+ 35. Nxh6 Be7 36. Nf5 Bg5+ 37. Ne3 Rd8 38. Kb1 Ra4 39. Rd1 Rad4 40. Rdc1 h6 41. Ka1 Rd2 42. Rb1 Kg7 43. Nc4 Re2 44. Bf5 Bxf5 45. gxf5 Rc8 46. Rg1 Rc2 47. Rg4 e4 48. Rxb3 R2xc4 49. fxe4 Re8 50. Re3 Re5 51. b3 Rc2 52. b4 Kf6 53. Re1 Re8 54. Rd1 Ra8 55. Rd3 Re2 56. b5 Rc8 57. Rb3 Rc1+ 58. Rb1 Rcc2 59. Rb3 Be3 60. e5+ Kxe5 { 0-1 (60) Firouzja,A (2475)-Aravindh,C (2506) Moscow 2016}) 15... Bb7 16. f3 O-O 17. exf5 d5 {if I were to try my chances I would have chosen this line but Kamsky might think that it is not a wise decision to opt for the main line against a player like Caruana.}) 15. Qh5 h6 {Extremely rare.} (15... O-O 16. O-O-O Be6 17. g3 {1-0 (69) Lafarga Santorroman,D (2639)-Kerr,S (2580) ICCF email 2007. In fact there are only four games in this line, three of which are in correspondence chess with two draws and a win for White.}) 16. Nb4 Be6 $4 { After almost 20 minutes thought, Kamksy blunders a pawn! The game is basically over after this!} (16... Bb7 17. O-O O-O 18. Rfe1 Qg5 19. Qxg5 hxg5 20. f3 Rab8 21. a4 a5 22. Nc2 {1/2-1/2 (22) Besztercsenyi,T (2270)-Ladanyi,T (2215) Hungary 1999}) 17. Nxa6 O-O 18. Nb4 f5 {Kamsky tries to complicate matters but Caruana's technique is flawless in this game.} 19. O-O $1 (19. exf5 Bf7 20. Qe2 (20. Qf3 e4 {with complications}) 20... d5 {is unnecessary}) 19... fxe4 20. Bxe4 Rac8 21. Rad1 {White is dominating light squares. The game is strategically over!} Rc4 22. Qg6 Rxe4 {Desparation....} 23. Qxe4 f3 24. Nd5 Qg5 25. g3 Rf7 26. Kh1 Bh3 27. Rfe1 Bf5 28. Qb4 Bf8 29. Qxb5 h5 30. Ne3 {} Bh3 31. Qc4 Qg6 32. a4 Kh8 33. Qh4 Be6 34. a5 e4 35. Qd8 Kh7 36. a6 Bh6 37. Qb6 h4 38. g4 Bxg4 39. Rg1 Bxe3 40. Qxe3 {Time control is reached and Gata decides that he has had 'enough'.} 1-0 [Event "USA-ch"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.04.08"] [Round "10"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Shabalov, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B72"] [WhiteElo "2817"] [BlackElo "2556"] [Annotator "Quintiliano,R"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2017.03.29"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 178"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 {I have played the Sicilian Dragon my entire life, and It was interesting to imagine how Shabalov, a very aggressive player and one of the especialists in this variation, would play this line against such a strong and well prepared opponent as Caruana.} 6. Be3 a6 {And there is, the Dragondorf, a hybrid of the Dragon and the Najdorf variations, as the name suggests. With this move Black deviates from the most studied and theoretical paths of the Sicilian Dragon, having possibilities to play a quick ...b5 and start concrete operations on the queenside. This variation is rarely seen among grandmasters.} 7. f3 b5 (7... Bg7 {allows another setup for White} 8. Bc4 b5 9. Bb3 Bb7 10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. O-O-O {and now Black tries a different plan to seek counter-chances} Nc5 (11... Rc8 12. Kb1 Ne5 13. Bh6 Bxh6 14. Qxh6 Rxc3 $6 15. bxc3 Qc7 {[%csl Ge8,Gh8] in general this exchange sacrifice would give good compensation for Black, but here the rook cannot enter into the action, so this compensation is not enough} 16. Kb2 Qc5 17. Rhe1 $16 {[%CAl Yf3f4] ;Korneev,O (2611)-Williams,S (2466) Gausdal GM-A 2005 (5) 1-0}) 12. Bh6 Bxh6 13. Qxh6 e5 14. Nde2 Nxb3+ 15. axb3 b4 16. Na4 Qc7 {but even here after} 17. Rd2 {[%csl Gd6][%CAl Yh1d1] White is clearly better, for example} (17. Qg7 $6 Ke7) 17... d5 18. Qg5 $5 Qe7 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Qxe7+ Kxe7 21. Nc5 Bc6 22. Re1 Kf8 $2 23. Nd7+ $1 {Timman,J (2565)-Shanava,K (2519) Baku President's Cup 3rd 2008 (7) 1-0}) 8. Qd2 Bb7 9. g4 $1 {This looks like the most unpleasant line for Black. It is the third move in the database, but is Giri's and Caruana's choice, for example, and also the move which gave the better results for White.} h6 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. h4 {This move invites Black to play aggressively on the queenside.} ({Giri prefered the preventive} 11. a3 Rc8 12. h4 Qa5 13. Nb3 Qc7 14. Qf2 $1 {and after} e6 $6 15. Kb1 Qb8 16. Bh3 $16 {[%CAl Gg4g5] ;Giri,A (2776)-Ivanisevic,I (2643) Qatar Masters op 2014 (3) 1-0 Black has an extremely unpleasant position -}) 11... Rc8 $6 {This seems slow to me.} (11... b4 {looks to be the better try} 12. Nce2 e5 13. Nb3 a5 {these advances are thematic in this variation, trying to play by advancing in queenside or with a well timed d5} 14. Kb1 (14. Rh3 $5 {[%CAl Yg4g5]}) 14... d5 {now White can play} 15. Bh3 $5 $146 {[%CAl Yg4g5] which looks complicated for both} a4 (15... dxe4 $2 16. g5 exf3 (16... hxg5 17. hxg5 {[%csl Gd7,Gf6,Gh8] [%CAl Yh3d7]}) 17. gxf6 Nxf6 18. Qe1 $1 Qc7 19. Ned4 $1 $18) 16. Nbc1 dxe4 17. g5 $1 exf3 (17... hxg5 18. hxg5 Rxh3 $2 19. Rxh3 Nh5 20. f4 $16) 18. gxf6 Nxf6 19. Qe1 $1 Qc7 20. Ng3 $13 {with a very complicated battle.}) 12. Bd3 {After this natural move, Black already has an unpleasant position, because White is totally developed and ready to play g5, while Black doesn't have counterplay on the queenside.} b4 {Trying the same thematic idea, but now White's position is much improved in comparison with the other variations.} (12... Ne5 {could had offered better chances} 13. Kb1 $1 {after this preventive move, White is totally ready to start active play on the kingside} (13. g5 b4 $1 14. Nce2 hxg5 15. hxg5 Rxh1 16. Rxh1 Nxd3+ 17. Qxd3 Nd7 $132) 13... Nfd7 14. h5 {like in the game is also interesting} (14. g5 hxg5 15. hxg5 Rxh1 16. Rxh1 {with an pleasant position also}) 14... g5 15. Be2 {[%CAl Gd4f5]} e6 16. Nb3 Qc7 17. a3 {[%CAl Gf3f4] Black has a solid position for now, but sooner or latter White can play f4, opening the kingside and pressing against the h6-pawn. The computer's evaluation is not so advisable in such positions, because it always defends perfectly, but in practice it is very difficult to play such positions, especially for aggressive and dynamic players.}) 13. Nce2 e5 $2 {This will leave Black with a already losing position.} (13... d5 $142 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. h5 $1 g5 {in this position White has like 2 or 3 good options, this is why such positions are difficult to play, Black has to be always finding the only moves to keep playing} 16. Nf5 (16. Bf5) 16... Nxe3 17. Qxe3 e6 18. Be4 $36) 14. Nb3 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 (15... Bxd5 16. Rhf1 (16. g5 hxg5 17. hxg5 Rxh1 18. Rxh1 Nh5 {here the computer gives the forced strike} 19. Bxg6 $1 Bxb3 20. Be4 { [%csl Gb3,Gh5]}) 16... a5 17. g5 hxg5 18. hxg5 a4 19. Na1 Nh5 20. Bxg6 $1 $16) 16. h5 $1 {Almost always, White tries to break Black's position in the Dragon opening in the h-file, but here the weakness of the f5-square is much more important.} g5 (16... Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Qg5 {it was Black's last chance to complicate matters} 18. f4 $1 Qxg4 19. hxg6 $1 Bxh1 20. Rxh1 {[%CAl Yh1g1, Yg6g7]} fxg6 21. Rg1 Qe6 22. Ned4 $1 Qe7 23. Bxg6+ Kd8 24. fxe5 Qxe5 25. Qd2 { [%csl Rd8] Black's defence is just very difficult here, White has too many threats} h5 {[%CAl Gf8h6]} 26. Kb1 $1 Bh6 27. Qd1 Rf8 28. Bxh5 $18 {[%CAl Yh5g4,Yd4e6,Gg1e1]}) 17. Ng3 $18 {[%csl Gf5] It's a curious thing that in this position White is already winning by +2, even without being a single pawn up. This happens because Black's position is very committed, the king cannot leave the centre easily and White just has to finish the development in the centre and launch an attack, which will be deadly.} Qc7 18. Rhe1 Be7 (18... Rd8 19. Nf5 Be7 20. Kb1 Kf8 21. Nxe7 Kxe7 (21... Nxe7 22. Qxb4) 22. f4 $1 $18) 19. Nf5 N7f6 20. Bf2 $1 {The sad thing about such positions is that after almost any move White retains a big advantage, so it is a matter of time until something horrible happen to Black.} Kf8 21. Nxe7 Nxe7 22. Bg3 Nd7 23. Nd4 $1 Qa5 (23... Qb6 24. Bf5 $1 exd4 25. Bxd7 Rd8 26. Qxd4 Qxd4 27. Rxd4 Bc6 28. Be5 $1) 24. Kb1 {And the good thing about such positions is that if you are on the winning side, you don't have to worry about playing like a machine, and can just win without giving chances to your opponent.} (24. Bf5 Qxa2 (24... Nxf5 25. Nxf5 Qxa2 26. Qxb4+ Kg8 27. Rxd7 $18) 25. Qxb4 Rc4 26. Qxb7 Qa1+ 27. Kd2 Rxd4+ 28. Ke2 $18 {[%csl Rd7]}) 24... Qb6 (24... exd4 25. Bd6 {[%csl Ge7]} Re8 26. Bf5 Qb6 27. Qh2 $18) (24... Bd5 25. Nb3 Qb6 26. Bxe5 Nxe5 27. Rxe5 Bxf3 28. Rf1 Bxg4 29. Nc5 $1 Rxc5 30. Qf2 $18 {[%csl Rc5,Rf7]}) 25. Bf5 Rc4 (25... exd4 26. Bxd7 Rd8 27. Qxd4 Qxd4 28. Rxd4 Bc6 29. Be5 $1 $18) 26. Ne6+ $1 {Not so difficult, but beautiful. Now White breaks inside all Black's defences.} fxe6 27. Qxd7 exf5 28. Bxe5 Rh7 29. Bd6 Bc8 30. Bxe7+ Kf7 31. Qd3 Rc3 (31... Rf4 32. Bd6 {[%CAl Yd3b3,Ge1e7]}) 32. Qd8 Qxd8 33. Rxd8 1-0 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 4th"] [Site "Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden"] [Date "2017.04.20"] [Round "5"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B96"] [WhiteElo "2817"] [BlackElo "2803"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2017.04.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 178"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 h6 8. Bh4 Qb6 9. a3 {Caruana was facing a difficult choise, as computers have played hunderds of thousands games in the line with b2-pawn sacrifice. It seems to be more prudent to avoid crazy lines analysed till move 30.} (9. Qd2 Qxb2) 9... Be7 10. Bf2 Qc7 11. Qf3 Nbd7 12. O-O-O b5 13. g4 Bb7 14. h4 $146 {[%mdl 8] On the high level this seems to be the novelty. White has been frustrated about the idea g7-g5 after the bishop moves, hence the move that prevents it.} (14. Bd3 g5 15. f5 Ne5 16. Qe2 Nxd3+ 17. cxd3 e5 18. Nc2 h5 19. gxh5 Nxh5 20. Kb1 Nf4 $15 {1/2-1/2 (45) Azarov,S (2626)-Wojtaszek,R (2700) Loo 2013}) (14. Bg2 g5 (14... Rc8 15. Kb1 g5 (15... g6 16. f5 gxf5 17. gxf5 e5 18. Nb3 Rg8 19. Rd2 Nb6 20. Bxb6 Qxb6 $15 {1/2-1/2 (60) Wan,Y (2494)-Gao,R (2475) China 2013}) 16. f5 ( 16. Qh3 Nc5 17. Rhe1 h5 18. Nf5 Ncxe4 19. Bxe4 Nxe4 20. Bd4 Rg8 21. Nxe7 Kxe7 22. gxh5 gxf4 23. Qh4+ $16 {1-0 (37) Nakamura,H (2779)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2804) London 2016}) 16... e5 17. Nb3 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Qxc2+ 19. Ka2 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Qxf2 21. Rhf1 Qb6 $17 {0-1 (54) Kanmazalp,O (2437)-Solodovnichenko,Y (2587) Teplice 2016}) 15. h4 (15. f5 e5 16. Nb3 h5 17. h3 Rc8 18. Rhe1 Nb6 19. Kb1 Nc4 20. Rd3 Bc6 21. Qe2 $11 a5 {1/2-1/2 (88) Henriquez Villagra,C (2517)-Salem,A (2656) Doha 2016}) 15... gxf4 16. g5 Ne5 17. Qxf4 Nh5 (17... Nfg4 18. g6 Rf8 19. Bg3 h5 20. gxf7+ Rxf7 21. Qd2 Nc4 22. Qe2 $11 {1-0 (59) Yu,Y (2662)-Sethuraman,S (2553) Kocaeli 2013}) 18. Qd2 hxg5 19. hxg5 O-O-O 20. Kb1 Nc4 21. Qc1 Qc5 22. g6 Bg5 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Bxc5 Bxc1 25. Kxc1 {1-0 (35) Naiditsch,A (2702) -Guliyev,N (2545) Le Port Marly 2012} dxc5 $11) 14... d5 15. e5 (15. exd5 $2 Nxd5 16. Bg2 Rc8 $17) 15... Ne4 16. Rh3 {Vachier Lagrave has entered the very top section of the world rating list. White is aware of the fact that an advantage will not be easy to come by.} (16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Qe3 Bd5 18. Bg2 Qb7 $11) 16... Nxf2 17. Qxf2 b4 18. axb4 (18. Nb1 $6 bxa3 19. Nxa3 Nc5 $15) 18... Bxb4 19. f5 $1 {Very often the top players resemble the dangerous big cats (think lions, tigers, pumas). They can strike at any moment and their claws are very dangerous. Black must be on the alert and try to minimise the danger.} Nxe5 20. fxe6 O-O $1 21. Qg1 {White is not ready to sacrific his valuable e6-pawn, but it means the investment of a tempo in a sharp position.} (21. g5 fxe6 22. Qg3 Rae8 23. gxh6 Rf6 24. hxg7 Bd6 $11) 21... Rae8 22. g5 h5 23. Be2 { The computer is not very happy about this move, but the position remains very sharp and dangerous if Black begins to play for a win.} (23. exf7+ Qxf7 24. Bg2 Ng6 25. Rf3 Nf4 26. Rdf1 Qc7 $11) 23... g6 (23... fxe6 $5 24. Bxh5 Re7 25. Kb1 Nc4 $15) 24. exf7+ Qxf7 25. Nb3 Nc4 {Black is instinctively gravitating towards one critical position, that is not completely equal. There were other solutions promising complete equality.} (25... Bc8 26. Rg3 Qf4+ 27. Kb1 Bxc3 28. Rxc3 Qxh4 29. Rxd5 Qe4 $11) 26. Rf3 Qg7 (26... Qe7 27. Rxf8+ Rxf8 28. Bxc4 dxc4 29. Nd2 Bc5 30. Qg3 $11) 27. Rxf8+ Rxf8 (27... Qxf8 28. Bxc4 dxc4 29. Qb6 cxb3 30. Qxg6+ Kh8 31. Qxh5+ Kg8 32. Qg6+ $11) 28. Qd4 Qxd4 29. Rxd4 Rc8 $6 { Vachier Lagrave can not believe, that the endgame with an extra pawn could be unpleasant. Too bad, as it will not be so bad, just really annoying.} (29... Rf2 $5 30. Bxc4 dxc4 31. Rxc4 Rf1+ 32. Kd2 a5 33. Nc5 Bxc5 34. Rxc5 Rf4 35. Rb5 Bh1 36. Rxa5 Rxh4 $11) 30. Bd3 (30. Ne4 Be7 31. Ned2 Nxd2 32. Kxd2 Rf8 $11) 30... Nxb2 $1 (30... Bxc3 31. bxc3 Ne5 32. Na5 $14) 31. Rxb4 Nxd3+ 32. cxd3 Rxc3+ 33. Kd2 Rc7 34. Ke3 Bc8 (34... Kg7 $5 35. Kd4 Rf7 36. Ke5 Bc8 37. Nc5 a5 $11) 35. Kd4 Kf7 36. Nc5 Ra7 37. Kxd5 a5 38. Rf4+ $6 {Time trouble has destroyed and also saved many a position. Caruana has not realised, that the simple retreat to b3 could have been pretty unpleasant for Black.} (38. Rb3 $1 Ra8 39. d4 $14) 38... Bf5 39. Kc6 Ke7 40. Rd4 (40. Ra4 Bd7+ 41. Nxd7 Rxd7 42. Rxa5 Rd6+ 43. Kc5 Rxd3 $11) 40... a4 41. Kb6 Ra8 42. Nxa4 (42. Kb7 Ra5 43. Kb6 $11) 42... Bxd3 43. Nc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.25"] [Round "3"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2816"] [BlackElo "2816"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 {no 7...g5 like in Carlsen-Topalov!} cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 6. Bxd7+ Bxd7 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nc3 e5 9. Qd3 h6 10. Nd2 {a rare plan, but it's been seen before. White tries to remaneuver his pieces to exploit the weaknesses on d6 and d5. Black on the other hand is quite solid, with good development, not to mention a potentially strong pair of bishops.} b5 {makes plenty of sense to avoid the knight from coming to c4. White must justify his play by attacking on the queenside aggressively.} 11. a4 Rb8 12. Rd1 Be7 13. axb5 axb5 14. Nf1 {The knight heads to d5 anyway, but this seems to be too slow. Black forces the hand of the knight on c3 before White can install his knight on e3.} b4 $1 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Qxd5 (16. exd5 O-O {is already even worse for White. His isolated pawn on d5 will be weak in the long run.}) 16... O-O 17. Ne3 Be6 18. Qd3 Qc7 19. Bd2 Rfc8 {Black has more than sufficient pressure on the queenside. He isn't better, but White has no hopes for an advantage. Because of White's control of d5 he is still ok.} 20. c3 bxc3 21. Bxc3 Qb7 22. Nd5 {Now it is just a matter of time until White wins one of the bishops for his knight, leading towards a drawish endgame. It is safer for Black to exchange his dark square bishop than his light square bishop to retain opposite colored bishops.} Bg5 23. h3 Ra8 24. Ne3 Bxe3 25. Qxe3 Rxa1 26. Rxa1 Ra8 27. Rxa8+ Qxa8 28. f3 {Clearly, this game isn't going anywhere. The draw is in sight.} Qc6 29. Kf2 f6 30. Kg1 Qc5 31. Qxc5 dxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.27"] [Round "5"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2816"] [BlackElo "2731"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3 Be6 9. Qd3 {The idea of putting the queen on d3 to support a knight on d5 is common, it hasn't been seen in top level chess in this particular position.} Nc6 10. a3 {preventing Nb4 ideas and preparing Nd5.} d5 $5 {Black breaks through before White can establish his bind. However this doesn't fully equalize just yet.} 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 (12... Bxd5 13. O-O-O {seems dangerous for Black. But perhaps after} (13. O-O $1 $14) 13... Bxg2 $5 { he can get away with capturing the pawn.}) 13. O-O-O Qxd3 (13... Qxg2 {just looks suicidal, even if the computers can navigate the complications.}) 14. Bxd3 O-O-O (14... Bxb3 $6 15. cxb3 O-O {doubles the pawns, but the bishop on the lightsquares is too strong to control.}) 15. Nc5 Bd5 16. c4 {Black doesn't want to give up the pair of bishops, but that means that this bishop must take quite a tour.} Bxg2 17. Rhg1 e4 $1 {An important move.} 18. Be2 (18. Rxg2 exd3 19. Rxg7 Ne5 $11 {is not entirely clear.}) 18... Bf3 19. Bxf3 exf3 20. Rxg7 Rxd1+ 21. Kxd1 Rd8+ 22. Kc1 Ne5 {Black's structure isn't the best, and h7 is hanging, but he has good compensation. His pieces are active and Black's pawn on f3 is annoying.} 23. Ne4 $1 Kd7 (23... Nxc4 24. Rxf7 Re8 $14) 24. Rxh7 Ke6 25. Nd2 Rc8 26. Kc2 (26. Rh6+ $1) 26... Nxc4 27. Nxc4 Rxc4+ 28. Kd3 Rg4 29. h3 Ra4 30. Rh6+ f6 31. Rh7 Ra5 32. Ke4 Rb5 33. Bd4 Bd6 34. Rh6 Be5 35. Bxe5 Rxe5+ 36. Kxf3 Rf5+ {White is up a pawn, but converting it is very difficult black is too active and it is hard to make progress with a weak h-pawn.} 37. Ke2 Re5+ 38. Kf1 Rb5 39. b4 Rd5 40. Rg6 a5 41. bxa5 Rxa5 42. Rg3 Ra4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Amber-rapid 20th"] [Site "Monte Carlo"] [Date "2011.03.23"] [Round "10"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2815"] [BlackElo "2747"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2011.03.12"] [EventType "tourn (rapid)"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "MNC"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 142"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Nf3 a6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Qd2 {The natural move of the queen is by no means a sideline, but it has some catching to do to the two main alternatives.} (10. h3) (10. Be2 ) 10... Nc6 11. Nb3 Be6 12. h4 gxh4 13. Bxh4 Qb6 {Grischuk might have been a bit surprised by the twist in the opening. Black's main defence could well be tied to the rook move 13...Rc8, even though the move order is probably not so important here.} (13... Rc8 14. O-O-O (14. f3 Nge5 15. Bf2 h5 16. Be3 Na5 17. Qf2 Nac4 18. Bxc4 Nxc4 19. Bd4 Bxd4 20. Qxd4 Kd7 21. Na4 Kc7 22. O-O-O Qg8 $11 {1/2-1/2 Zezulkin,J (2465)-Kempinski,R (2530)/Koszalin 1997 (36)}) 14... Nb4 ( 14... b5 15. Nd5 Nge5 16. c3 (16. f4 $2 Nc4 17. Bxc4 bxc4 18. Na1 Bxd5 19. exd5 c3) 16... Nc4 17. Bxc4 $2 (17. Qc2 Bxd5 18. exd5 (18. Rxd5) 18... Nb4 19. Qf5 Nxa2+ 20. Kb1 Nxb2) (17. Qe1 $13) 17... bxc4 18. Nd4 Bxd5 $2 (18... Bxd4 $1 19. cxd4 Bxd5 20. exd5 c3 21. bxc3 (21. Qc2 cxb2+ (21... Nb4 22. Qa4+) 22. Kxb2 ( 22. Kb1 Nxd4 23. Qa4+ Nb5) 22... Nb4 (22... Nxd4 23. Qa4+ Nb5 24. Rhe1 Rc7 $13) 23. Qa4+ Kf8 24. Qb3 Rb8 25. Ka1) 21... Nb4 22. Rh3 Nxd5 $15) 19. exd5 (19. Nf5 Bxe4 20. Nxg7+ Kf8 21. Qf4 Kxg7 22. Qxe4 Ne5 $15) 19... Nxd4 (19... Bxd4 20. dxc6 $1 Be5 21. f4 Bg7 22. Rhe1 $16) 20. cxd4 c3 21. bxc3 Qa5 22. Rh3 $14 { 1/2-1/2 Hennigan,M (2415)-Hodgson,J (2625)/Dundee 1993 (50)}) 15. Kb1 Qb6 16. f3 a5 $2 (16... Ne5 17. Bf2 $16) (16... Ne3 $1 17. Bf2 $8 Rxc3 $1 (17... Nxf1 18. Rhxf1 $14) 18. bxc3 Nxd1 19. Bxb6 Nxc3+ 20. Kc1 $8 Nbxa2+ 21. Kb2 Nxe4+ 22. Qd4 $8 Bxd4+ 23. Bxd4 Ng3 24. Bxh8 Nxh1 25. Kxa2 Ng3 26. Bd3 f6 $1 27. Bh7 Nf5 $1 28. Bxf5 Bxf5 $10 {Shirov}) 17. fxg4 Rxc3 18. bxc3 Nxa2 19. Bf2 $1 $18 (19. Kxa2 $2 a4 20. Rb1 axb3+ 21. cxb3 O-O $40) 19... Qc6 20. Kxa2 a4 21. Bd4 axb3+ 22. cxb3 Qa4+ 23. Kb1 Qxb3+ 24. Kc1 $18 {1-0 Shirov,A (2670)-Oll,L (2585)/Wijk aan Zee 1993 (33)}) 14. O-O-O Rc8 (14... h5 15. Kb1 Nce5 16. Nd4 Rc8 17. Rh3 ( 17. f3 Bh6 18. f4 Ng6 19. Bg5 $14) 17... Ng6 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Qg5 {0-1 Szuk,B (2315)-Tzoumbas,A (2215)/Szombathely 1993 (35)} Rh6 $19) 15. Kb1 (15. f3 Bxc3 $5 16. Qxc3 Nce5 17. Qd4 Qxd4 18. Nxd4 Ne3 19. Re1 Nxf1 20. Rexf1 Bd7 21. b3 f6 22. Kd2 Kf7 23. Bf2 $11 {1/2-1/2 Leko,P (2555)-Topalov,V (2645)/Cap d'Agde 1994 (54)}) 15... h5 $2 {For better or worse this idea of opening the c1-h6 diagonal is flawed. Black had to find the courage for the principled solution with the elimination of the dangerous c3-knight.} (15... Bxc3 $5 16. Qxc3 Rg8 17. Qd2 Nb4 18. Rc1 a5 19. a4 Ne5 $13) 16. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 (16... Qa7 $2 17. f3 Nge5 18. Bf2 $16) 17. exd5 Nce5 18. Re1 (18. Be2 Bf6 (18... Bh6 19. Qe1 Bg7 20. c3 $16) 19. Bxg4 Nxg4 20. f3 Bxh4 21. Rxh4 Ne5 22. Re1 $16) 18... Ng6 19. f3 { [%mdl 128] The black king is stuck in the centre and will duly become an target for White's attack.} Bh6 (19... Bf6 20. Bg5 Bxg5 21. Qxg5 N4e5 22. c3 $16) 20. Qe2 N4e5 (20... Ne3 21. Bf2 Rxc2 22. Qxc2 Nxc2 23. Bxb6 Nxe1 24. Bf2 Nxg2 25. Bxg2 $16) 21. Bf2 Qc7 22. Qe4 {The second player is definitely soft on the light squares and will sorely miss his absent bishop.} (22. c3 Qd7 23. Nd4 $16) 22... Bg7 23. Bd4 (23. Nd4 Bf6 24. Nf5 $16) 23... Bf6 (23... h4 24. c3 Bh6 25. Bf2 $16) 24. Be2 Nd7 (24... Bh4 25. Rxh4 Nxh4 26. Qxh4 Qxc2+ 27. Ka1 Qf5 28. Bc3 $18) 25. Bd3 Be5 (25... Bxd4 26. Qxd4 Rg8 27. Rxh5 $18) 26. Qf5 { Objectively strongest was to start advancing the kingside pawns as that would help to break up Grischuk's central setup.} (26. g3 $1 Nf6 (26... Bxg3 $2 27. Bxh8 Bxe1 28. Rxe1 $18) 27. Qe2 h4 28. Bxg6 fxg6 29. f4 Bxd4 30. Nxd4 Nxd5 31. Qe6 Qc4 32. Qxd6 $16) 26... Nf4 27. Bxe5 dxe5 (27... Nxd3 $6 28. cxd3 dxe5 29. Rc1 Qb8 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Rc1 Qb8 32. d4 $18) 28. g3 Nxd3 (28... Nxd5 29. Rxh5 Rxh5 30. Qxh5 e6 31. a3 $16) 29. Qxd3 Qc4 (29... Nf6 30. Qf5 h4 31. Rxh4 Rxh4 32. gxh4 Nxd5 33. Rxe5 e6 34. h5 $16) 30. Qd2 b6 (30... Qc7 31. f4 $16) 31. Rh4 Qc7 32. f4 {The misery for Black continues in a new form. Carlsen has safely secured his queenside and is now ready to use all his forces in the attack.} f6 (32... exf4 $2 33. d6 $18) 33. g4 (33. Qe2 $5 a5 34. Rxh5 Rg8 35. fxe5 Nxe5 ( 35... Qc4 36. e6 Ne5 37. Qf2 $18) 36. Nd4 Qc5 37. Rxe5 fxe5 38. Qh5+ Kd7 39. Qf5+ Ke8 40. d6 $1 $18) 33... a5 34. Rxh5 Rg8 (34... Rxh5 35. gxh5 a4 36. Nc1 Qc4 37. Nd3 Qxd5 38. h6 $18) 35. g5 $1 {The opening of the position is still the main goal. Good chess play can be both simple and attractive.} a4 36. Nc1 a3 (36... fxg5 37. fxe5 Nxe5 38. Rh7 a3 39. Nd3 Nxd3 40. Qxd3 $18) 37. gxf6 exf6 (37... axb2 38. Kxb2 Rg2 39. Rh8+ Nf8 40. Ne2 $18) 38. fxe5 fxe5 (38... Nxe5 39. Nd3 $18) 39. Nd3 {The only cover for the black king is now the poor, hopelessly weak pawn e5.} axb2 40. Nxe5 Nxe5 41. d6 (41. Rhxe5+ Kd8 42. Qf2 $18 ) 41... Qd7 42. Qd5 Kf8 43. Qxe5 Rc5 44. Rf1+ {Testing Carlsen's attacking prowess is appealing for fans, but a hard task for any brave player undertaking the challenge.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 73rd"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2011.01.23"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2814"] [BlackElo "2751"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2011.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 141"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.03.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.03.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3 {A tricky move order.} ({After one sees the game, a legitimate question is if White can't play} 8. g4 {immediately. This is also nothing new, as Black hasn't castled yet, he can afford to play} h6 $1 {After} 9. f4 exf4 10. Bxf4 Nc6 11. h3 Be6 12. Qd2 d5 13. O-O-O dxe4 14. Qe3 Qc8 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 { Black has opened the [+] for his <=>, so} O-O {is already appropriate.} 17. Kb1 f5 18. Qe3 Nb4 19. Bd3 fxg4 20. Be4 Bf5 21. Nd4 Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Qc4 23. b3 Qf7 24. Ne6 {Shirov,A (2700)-Van Wely,L (2655)/Tilburg/1997/ should have led to a balanced K after} Qf5 $1 $11) ({For the standard} 8. O-O {see the notes to Ponomariov-Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2011.}) 8... O-O (8... b5 $6 {prematurely weakens the << and} 9. a4 $1 b4 10. Nd5 $16 {causes serious problems.}) ({ However,} 8... Be6 $142 $1 {is safer than the text move, as now} 9. g4 (9. O-O O-O {-8.0-0}) {allows [+]<=> with} 9... d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. O-O Nc6 (12... O-O 13. Nc5 (13. c4 Bc6 14. Qxd8 Bxd8 15. Nc5 {Peresipkin,V-Bukhman, E/Kaliningrad /1972/} a5 $5 {[%CAl Yb7b6,Yb8d7] /\b6,Nd7=}) 13... Bc6 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Rfd1 Re8 (15... Nd7 16. Nxd7 Rxd7 17. Rxd7 Bxd7 18. Bf3 Rc8 19. c3 Bc6 20. Bxc6 Rxc6 $11) 16. c4 a5 17. Rac1 b6 18. Nd3 Nd7 19. a3 Bf8 20. Rb1 Nc5 $11 {Firman,N (2551)-Yilmaz,M (2477)/Kharkov/2011/}) 13. c3 (13. Nc5 Bxc5 14. Bxc5 h5 $13) 13... O-O 14. Qc2 $6 (14. Nc5 $13) 14... Qc7 15. Rad1 Be6 16. f3 Rad8 17. Bd3 g6 $15 {[%csl Rf3,Rg4] ?, Ninclaus,W-Baert,J/Gent/2010/}) 9. g4 $1 Be6 {Around here the surprised Nakamura started thinking.} (9... Nc6 10. g5 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 d5 12. Ng3 d4 13. Bd2 a5 14. h4 a4 15. Nc1 Be6 16. Bd3 Bb4 17. a3 Bxd2+ 18. Qxd2 f5 19. gxf6 Qxf6 20. Be4 Bg4 21. Nd3 Bf3 22. Bxf3 Qxf3 23. Qe2 $18 {Yemelin,V (2530)-Nevostrujev,V (2490)/Kazan/2005/}) (9... a5 10. g5 Nfd7 11. h4 a4 12. Nd2 Nb6 13. Bxb6 $1 Qxb6 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. Nc4 Nc6 16. c3 b5 17. Nce3 Rb8 18. Rg1 Kh8 19. a3 f6 20. Bg4 fxg5 21. Bxc8 Rxc8 22. Qg4 Rf4 23. Nxf4 exf4 24. Nd5 Ne5 25. Qe6 Nf3+ 26. Ke2 Nxg1+ 27. Rxg1 $18 {[%csl Gd5] Yemelin,V (2522)-Loginov,V (2499)/St Petersburg/2001/}) ({There is hardly anything better than the natural text move.} 9... h6 $6 {is suicidal:} 10. h4 $1 $40) 10. g5 Nfd7 ({Dolmatov has had excellent results with this line and his games are very instructive, e.g.} 10... Ne8 11. Qd2 Nd7 12. f4 g6 13. O-O-O Ng7 14. h4 Rc8 15. Kb1 f5 16. h5 $40 gxh5 17. Bxh5 fxe4 18. Qh2 Rxc3 19. bxc3 Bf5 20. Bg4 $1 Bxg4 21. Qxh7+ Kf7 22. Rdf1 Bf3 23. Rh6 Rg8 24. fxe5 Nxe5 25. Qxe4 Ke8 26. Rxf3 Nxf3 27. Qxf3 Bxg5 28. Qd5 $1 {1-0,Dolmatov,S (2600)-Zakharov,A (2426) /Linares/2000/ See the notes by Ftacnik in CBM 75.}) 11. h4 $5 {This extremely aggressive move order might be in fact more testing than the more usual continuation} (11. Qd2 {and now:} a5 $142 $5 (11... Nb6 12. O-O-O N8d7 { is rather slow, after} 13. Kb1 Rc8 14. h4 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Rxc4 {White has a pleasant choice of attacking continuations:} 16. f3 {[%CAl Yc3d5] /\Nd5} (16. h5 $5 f5 17. exf5 Rxf5 18. Nd5 (18. g6 $14) 18... Bxg5 19. Bxg5 Rxg5 20. Ne3 Rc6 21. Na5 Rb6 22. Nac4 $36) (16. f4 exf4 17. Bxf4 Ne5 18. Nd4 Qc8 19. Nd5 ( 19. h5 $142 $36 {is similar to Carlsen's set-up} Rb4 $2 {runs into} 20. Nf5 $1 Bxf5 21. Nd5 $18) 19... Bxd5 20. exd5 $14 (20. Nf5 $6 Re8 21. Qxd5 Bf8 $132 { Stellwagen,D (2585)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2573)/Wijk aan Zee B /2007/})) 16... Qc7 (16... f5 17. Nd5 $1 {/\} fxe4 18. Na5 $16) 17. h5 b5 (17... Rc8 18. g6 fxg6 19. hxg6 hxg6 20. Nd5 Qd8 21. c3 R4c6 22. Rdg1 Nf8 23. f4 exf4 24. Nxf4 $40 { Rogers,I (2575)-Huebner,R (2595)/Wellington/1988/}) 18. g6 Nf6 (18... b4 $5 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. Qxd5 Nf6 $14) 19. Rdg1 b4 20. Na4 $1 (20. Bh6 bxc3 21. gxh7+ Nxh7 $8 22. Rxg7+ (22. Qg2 Bg5 23. Bxg5 f6 $13) 22... Kh8 23. Qg2 Bf6 24. Rg1 Qd8 { Williams,B-Frost,L/corr/1997/} 25. Rg3 Rc8 26. Bxf8 Qxf8 $13) 20... Rc6 21. Bh6 Ne8 22. Bxg7 (22. gxh7+ Kxh7 23. Bxg7 Nxg7 24. h6 Ne8 25. Qg2 d5 $1 {/\} 26. Qg7+ Nxg7 27. hxg7+ Bh3 28. Rxh3+ Rh6 $19) 22... Kxg7 23. h6+ Kg8 24. g7 $16 { Hellers,F (2520)-Gavrikov,V (2580)/Brocco/1990/}) 12. f4 (12. a4 Nc6 {[%CAl Yc6b4] The outpost on b4 guarantees Black at least reasonable <=>, Carlsen at his post-game press-conference admitted he was worried about a5 motifs and wanted to avoid such situations.} (12... Na6 {is also possible, only after} 13. Nd5 {Black should play} Nb4 $1 $132 (13... Bxd5 $6 14. exd5 Nac5 15. Nxc5 Nxc5 16. h4 Qc8 17. Bb5 Bd8 18. Qe2 Bb6 19. O-O-O Nb3+ 20. Kb1 Nd4 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 22. c3 Bc5 23. Bd3 f5 24. gxf6 Rxf6 25. Qe4 Rh6 26. f4 $36 {[%csl Rc5,Gd3] ^-->, Dolmatov,S (2565)-Ljubojevic,L (2610)/Madrid/1988/ Another model Dolmatov game, in which White's attack suceeded because of his better B and despite the simplification.})) 13. f4 (13. h4 Nc5 (13... Nb4 14. O-O-O Rc8 15. Kb1 Nb6 16. Na1 f5 17. gxf6 Rxf6 18. Rhg1 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Bxc4 20. h5 Qf8 $13 {Mertens,M (2454)-Tiemann,H (2492)/corr/2006/}) 14. Nxc5 dxc5 15. Qxd8 Raxd8 16. Nb5 Nd4 17. Nxd4 cxd4 18. Bd2 b6 19. Bd3 Rc8 20. Ke2 f5 $15 {Vogt,L (2480)-Balashov,Y (2545)/Halle /1976/}) (13. Nd5 Nb4 $1 14. Nxa5 $2 Bxd5 15. Qxb4 Be6 16. Bd2 d5 17. Qb5 dxe4 18. Bc4 Bxg5 19. Bb4 e3 $19 {->,Antal,G (2473)-Vajda,L (2537)/ Budapest/2003/}) (13. O-O-O Nb4 14. Kb1 f5 $5 15. gxf6 Nxf6 16. Rhg1 Rc8 17. Bh6 Rf7 18. Bf3 Qd7 19. Rg3 d5 $1 $15 {Sheretyuk,A (2426)-Ljubicic,L (2516)/ corr/2008/}) 13... f5 (13... Nb4 14. f5 Bxb3 15. cxb3 d5 16. exd5 $14 (16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Bxg5 18. Bxg5 Qxg5 19. Qxd7 Qh4+ $11)) (13... exf4 $5 14. Bxf4 Bxb3 15. cxb3 Nc5 16. Bc4 Ne5 17. Bxe5 dxe5 18. h4 Qxd2+ 19. Kxd2 Ne6 $11) 14. exf5 (14. gxf6 $5 Bxf6 15. O-O-O) 14... Bxf5 15. fxe5 dxe5 (15... Ndxe5 16. O-O-O Nb4 17. Nd4 Bh3 $13) 16. O-O-O Nb4 17. Rhf1 Be6 18. Rxf8+ Qxf8 19. Rf1 Qc8 20. Bb5 Qc7 21. Bxd7 {1/2,Khalifman,A (2628)-Gelfand,B (2713)/FIDE WCh Las Vegas/1999/} Qxd7 $11) (12. Bb5 Na6 13. O-O-O {Sadvakasov,D (2509)-Ashley,M (2482)/Los Angeles/2000/} Nc7 $132) 12... a4 13. f5 axb3 14. fxe6 fxe6 15. cxb3 Nc6 16. h4 (16. Bc4 Nd4 $1 17. O-O-O Nb6 $132) 16... Nc5 17. Bc4 Na5 (17... Qc8 $5) 18. Bxc5 Nxc4 19. bxc4 dxc5 20. O-O-O Qxd2+ {Even despite the seemingly miserable Be7 White doesn't have an advantage, as his >> is vulnerable and Black's R are active.} 21. Kxd2 (21. Rxd2 Rad8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. b3 Kf7 24. Ne2 Kg6 $132 {[%csl Rg5,Rh4] Stefan,C (2111)-Zirek,M (2137)/corr/2002/}) 21... Rad8+ 22. Ke2 Rd4 23. Rhf1 Rfd8 24. b3 h6 $11 25. gxh6 gxh6 26. h5 Bg5 $11 { Dolmatov,S (2550)-Gelfand,B (2585)/Klaipeda/1988/}) 11... Nb6 $6 (11... Nc6 $142 $5 {White can maybe avoid this with} 12. f4 {, but} (12. Qd2 a5 $132 ( 12... Rc8 13. Nd5 f5 $6 14. f3 Kh8 15. O-O-O f4 16. Bf2 Re8 17. Nxe7 Nxe7 18. Qxd6 $16 {Romanishin,O-Marjanovic,S/Yerevan /1971/}) {, now} 13. a4 {only transposes to the above note.} (13. f4 a4 14. f5 axb3 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. cxb3 Nc5 $13 {/\} 17. O-O-O $2 Rxa2)) 12... f5 {is far from clear.}) (11... a5 12. f4 exf4 (12... a4 13. f5 $36 {is a better version of the above line, as White has already played the useful h4.}) 13. Bxf4 Ne5 14. Nd4 Nbc6 15. Qd2 $5 $14 ( 15. Ndb5 f5 16. Nd5 fxe4 17. Nbc7 Bxd5 18. Qxd5+ Kh8 19. Ne6 Qb6 20. Nxf8 Rxf8 21. Bxe5 Qf2+ 22. Kd1 dxe5 23. Rf1 {Delchev,A (2583)-Colovic,A (2385)/Subotica/ 2003/} Qxf1+ 24. Bxf1 Rxf1+ 25. Ke2 Rxa1 26. Qd7 Nd4+ 27. Kf2 e3+ 28. Kg2 (28. Kxe3 Rf1) 28... Bf8 29. Qc8 (29. Qf7 $2 Ne6 $1 30. Qxe6 e2 31. Qf7 Rf1) 29... Kg8 30. Qc4+ $11)) (11... b5 {allows White to profit from his Q on d1 with} 12. Bg4 (12. Nd5 $5) 12... Nc5 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. g6 h6 15. Qg4 Qc8 16. O-O-O Na4 17. Ne2 Nc6 18. Kb1 Rf6 19. Rh3 d5 20. Qh5 Bf8 21. Rf3 Rxf3 22. Qxf3 d4 23. Bxh6 $40 {Smagin,S (2535)-Gallagher,J (2445)/Hastings/1990/}) 12. Qd2 ({ Carlsen didn't like the immediate} 12. f4 exf4 13. Bxf4 {due to} d5 $1 (13... Nc6 14. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 15. exd5 Ne5 16. Qd4 Rc8 17. O-O-O Nbc4 18. Nd2 b5 19. Nxc4 Nxc4 20. Bd3 Re8 21. Kb1 Ne5 22. Bxe5 dxe5 23. Qg4 e4 24. Bxe4 Rc4 25. Qg2 Bd6 26. Bd3 $16 {Dolmatov,S (2600)-Ye Jiangchuan (2593)/Shenyang/1999/}) 14. Nd4 Nc6 15. e5 Nd7 16. Nf3 Qb6 17. Nxd5 Qa5+ 18. Nc3 Ndxe5 $36 {Tseitlin,M (2540) -Degraeve,J (2515)/Budapest/1996/}) (12. Nd5 Nxd5 (12... N8d7 13. Qd3 Bxd5 14. exd5 Rc8 15. Nd2 f5 16. gxf6 Nxf6 17. c4 Na4 18. Qa3 b5 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Bxb5 Nb6 $13 {Milos,G (2620)-Mekhitarian,K (2280)/Guarulhos/2005/}) 13. exd5 Bf5 14. Bd3 Qd7 15. Rg1 a5 16. a4 Na6 17. c3 Nc7 $132 {Schmidt Schaeffer,S (2275) -Gallagher,J (2500)/SIU-chT/1993/}) 12... N8d7 (12... a5 $5 13. f4 (13. a4 Nc6 {Smagin,S (2355)-Rashkovsky,N (2470)/Moscow/1984/} 14. O-O-O Nb4 15. f4 $5 { is a suggestion by Shipov, who likes White's chances.}) 13... a4 (13... exf4 14. Bxf4 Nc6 15. Nd4 Ne5 16. b3 (16. O-O-O $14 {is better, later White can kick the N away after it occupies c4.}) 16... a4 17. h5 axb3 18. cxb3 Nbd7 19. g6 Bh4+ 20. Kd1 Nc5 21. Kc2 Bf6 22. h6 Nxg6 23. hxg7 Re8 24. Be3 Bxg7 25. Bb5 Bg4 26. Qg2 h5 27. Bc4 b5 28. Bxb5 Qa5 29. a4 Rac8 30. Bc4 Nxb3 31. Qf1 Ne5 32. Nxb3 Nxc4 33. Bd4 Ne3+ {0-1 Yevseev,D (2589)-Rashkovsky,N (2510)/Krasnoyarsk 2003/CBM 098}) 14. f5 Nc4 15. Bxc4 (15. Qc1 $6 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 d5 $1 $15) 15... Bxc4 16. Nc1 {[%csl Gf5,Gg5,Gh4][%CAl Yb2b3,Yc3d5] is probably the critical position. White's >>() in connection with ides like b3 and Nd5 could give him an edge, if he manages to consolidate, but this is not so simple after} Nc6 {/\ } 17. b3 axb3 18. cxb3 d5 $1 19. exd5 Nd4 $1 $44) 13. f4 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] A promising novelty.} ({Previously White played almost exclusively} 13. O-O-O { , but Carlsen wanted to gain access to the d4 square and once and for all stop the} a5 $5 {ideas.} (13... Rc8 14. Kb1 $36 {leads to a position we have already considered above in the note to 11.h4!?}) 14. Kb1 a4 15. Nc1 Rc8 (15... Qc8 16. a3 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Qxc4 18. N1a2 f5 19. gxf6 Nxf6 20. f3 Rf7 21. Nb4 $14 { Horvath,A (2464)-Flumbort,A (2436)/Budapest/2002/}) (15... f5 $5) 16. a3 f5 17. Nd5 (17. f3 $5 {[%CAl Yc1a2,Ya2b4] /\N1a2-b4+/=}) 17... Bxd5 18. exd5 Nc4 $11 { Andersen,M (2020)-Flumbort,A (2499)/Gausdal/2008/}) (13. h5 Rc8 (13... a5 $142 $1) 14. O-O-O Qc7 15. g6 Rfd8 16. Rdg1 d5 {Maslik,W-Kammel,H/corr/1986/} 17. gxh7+ Kh8 18. Bh6 $1 $18) 13... exf4 14. Bxf4 Ne5 15. O-O-O $14 {Ponomariov,R (2723)-Karjakin,S (2678) Corus Wijk aan Zee 2007 (9) 1-0 Now the position resembles games from the 6.Be3 e5 line, in which White has been able to play f4 in one go. One possible model example from White's point of view is} Rc8 ( 15... Nbc4 16. Bxc4 $5 (16. Qd4 Rc8 17. Kb1 f6 $5 $132) 16... Nxc4 17. Qd3 $14 {[%CAl Yb3d4,Yd4f5,Yc3d5] /\Nd4-f5,Nd5}) 16. Kb1 Qc7 {I think Black shouldn't have hesitated so long with the N sortie. Here} (16... Nbc4 17. Bxc4 Nxc4 18. Qd3 f6 19. Nd4 Bg4 20. Rdg1 fxg5 21. Bxg5 h5 $5 $14 {deserves attention.}) 17. h5 (17. Nd4 Nbc4 18. Bxc4 Nxc4 19. Qd3 Qb6 {forces the N to return, or a weakening of the << with} 20. b3 {[%csl Ra3,Rb2]}) (17. Ka1 $5 $14) 17... Rfe8 $6 ({Again Black should have considered} 17... Nbc4 $5 18. Bxc4 (18. Qd4 $5 Na3+ 19. Kc1) 18... Nxc4 19. Qd3 (19. Qg2 $2 Nxb2) 19... Na3+ 20. Kc1 Qc4 $132) 18. Ka1 $1 {A nice prophylactic move, designed to take the sting out of the line} (18. Nd4 Nbc4 19. Qe1 Qb6 20. Bc1 $2 Na3+ 21. Ka1 Qxd4 $1 $17) 18... Bf8 (18... Nbc4 19. Bxc4 Nxc4 20. Qd3 $14 {is less effective now, but still seems preferable to the text move.}) 19. Nd4 $36 {[%mdl 128] White finally activates his N and his |^ inexorably grows, culminating in a combinational atttack.} Qc5 ({In the post-mortem Nakamura suggested} 19... g6 $5 {/\Bg7 , but this fails to } 20. hxg6 (20. h6) 20... hxg6 (20... fxg6 21. Bxe5 dxe5 22. Nxe6 Rxe6 23. Nd5 $18) 21. Bxe5 (21. Nxe6 Rxe6 22. Be3 Bg7 (22... Nbc4 23. Bxc4 Nxc4 24. Bd4 Bg7 25. Qh2 $18) 23. Bd4 $40) 21... dxe5 22. Nxe6 Rxe6 (22... fxe6 23. Qe3 $18 { [%CAl Re3h3,Re2g4,Rd1f1,Rf1f6] > protects everything important and White is ready to roll.}) 20. g6 $1 $40 Nec4 (20... fxg6 21. hxg6 Nxg6 (21... h6 22. Nxe6 Rxe6 23. Bxe5 dxe5 (23... Rxe5 24. Qf4 Qc7 25. Bg4 Rb8 26. Rdf1 $18) 24. Bg4 Rxg6 (24... Rd6 25. Bxc8 Rxd2 26. Be6+ Kh8 27. Rxd2 $18 {[%csl Rh8] ?h8}) 25. Bxc8 $16) 22. Nxe6 Rxe6 23. Bg4 Nxf4 24. Qxf4 Rf6 25. Qh2 $16) 21. Bxc4 Nxc4 22. Qd3 {Here Carlsen considered Black's position beyond saving - in a practical game it's certainly almost impossible to defend and Nakamura quckly went down in flames.} fxg6 ({ Slightly more resilient was} 22... h6 $5 {, but after} 23. Qg3 $16 {White is still clearly on top.}) (22... b5 23. gxh7+ Kh8 24. h6 g6 25. Nxe6 Rxe6 (25... fxe6 26. e5 $1 $18) 26. Nd5 $16 {/+-}) 23. hxg6 (23. Nxe6 Rxe6 24. Qh3 Rce8 25. hxg6 h6 26. Nd5 {[%CAl Rh3f5,Rf5f7] /\Qf5-f7} Rxg6 27. Qf5 Ree6 28. Rdf1 { [%CAl Rf5f8,Rf4h6]} Ref6 29. Nxf6+ Rxf6 $16 {is promising, but Carlsen already wants more and sees no need to force matters.}) 23... h6 24. Qg3 Qb6 (24... Nxb2 25. Kxb2 Qb4+ 26. Nb3 d5 27. exd5 Qa3+ 28. Kb1 $19 {is just desperation.}) 25. Bc1 Qa5 $6 {[%CAl Yc8c3,Yc4b2] Black toys with ideas as Nb2 and Rc3, but his Q goes offside.} (25... Ne5 26. Nd5 Bxd5 27. exd5 $40 {gives him an extra tempo in comparison with the game, but White's attack is still very strong.}) 26. Rdf1 $1 {Carlsen refrains from} (26. Nxe6 Rxe6 27. Nd5 $16 {and calmly piles up the pressure.}) 26... Ne5 {[%CAl Rc8c3] /\Rc3} (26... Nxb2 27. Nxe6 Qxc3 (27... Rxc3 28. Qf2 $18) 28. Qxc3 Rxc3 29. Kxb2 $18) (26... Qe5 27. Qf2 $1 Qc5 (27... Rc7 28. Nxe6 Qxe6 29. Nd5 Rd7 30. Bxh6 $18) (27... Re7 28. Rh4 $5 $18 (28. Nxe6 Qxe6 29. Nd5 $18 {[%CAl Rc1h6] /\Bh6})) 28. Rhg1 $1 {[%CAl Rc1h6] /\Bh6,g7+-}) 27. Nd5 Bxd5 28. exd5 $18 {[%csl Rh6][%CAl Rd4f5] /\Nf5,> and continued} 9. d3 e5 10. Nbd2 Be7 11. Nf1 O-O 12. Ng3 Re8 13. h3 Bf8 {Here, out of the many possibilities Ivanchuk chose} 14. Nh2 {but after} d5 {Grischuk did not face any serious problems and went on to draw the game later. 1/2-1/2 Ivanchuk,V (2704)-Grischuk,A (2810)/Beijing 2014/CBM 163 Extra (54)}) 9... b4 ({The first blitz game between Karjakin and Grischuk in June 2014 went -} 9... e5 10. axb5 axb5 11. d4 Be7 12. d5 $5 Ra8 $132 {0-1 Karjakin,S (2771)-Grischuk,A (2792)/ Flor & Fjaere 2014/CBM 160 Extra (73)}) 10. a5 ({The second blitz game played in September 2014 saw -} 10. d4 $5 cxd4 11. cxd4 Qc7 12. Bd3 Nxe4 13. Qe2 Nef6 14. Bxa6 e6 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. Nbd2 $14 {[%csl Ga4] 1-0 Karjakin,S (2777) -Grischuk,A (2789)/Moscow 2014/CBM 162 Extra (43). With a slight edge for White due to the o^.}) 10... Qc7 11. d3 bxc3 12. bxc3 e6 13. h3 {[%CAl Gc1f4, Gf4h2] Trying to avoid the harassment of the B after it is developed to f4.} Be7 14. Bf4 ({Instead} 14. Nbd2 O-O {would transpose to a game that came from a different move order. It went} 15. Nf1 $5 (15. Nc4 d5 $132) 15... Rfd8 16. Bg5 Nf8 17. Qd2 Ng6 18. N1h2 d5 19. e5 Ne4 $1 $132 {0-1 Sivuk,V (2519) -Artemiev,V (2636)/Loo 2014/CBM 160 (75)}) 14... O-O 15. Nbd2 Bc6 16. Nc4 (16. d4 cxd4 17. cxd4 Bb5 $132) 16... Bb5 17. Nfd2 (17. e5 $5 Nxe5 (17... dxe5 $6 18. Nfxe5 $1 {[%CAl Ge5g6]} Nd5 19. Ng6 $1 Qd8 (19... Nxf4 20. Nxe7+ Kh8 21. Nxc8 $16) 20. Nxf8 Nxf4 21. Nxd7 $16) 18. Nfxe5 Nd5 19. Bg3 dxe5 20. Nxe5 { [%CAl Gc3c4]} Nxc3 21. Qd2 Nd5 22. Nxf7 Qd7 23. Ne5 $14 {[%csl Rc5,Rd3,Re6]}) 17... Rfd8 (17... e5 18. Bg3 $14 {[%CAl Gc4e3,Ge3f5,Ge3d5]}) (17... Ne5 18. Bxe5 dxe5 19. Nb6 Rcd8 20. Ndc4 $11) 18. Bg3 Ne8 ({Black must have already started considering} 18... Ne5 $5 19. Nxe5 dxe5 20. Nf3 Bd6 $11) 19. Kh2 { Both sides are using a waiting strategy, improving there pieces. White has not found a favourable position to play d4 so he is likely to go for the f4-plan. Meanwhile Black feels that he is ready for that Kingside activity which is characteristic of the Sicilian.} (19. Ba4 $5 Rb8 (19... Bxa4 20. Qxa4 $14) 20. Qc2 Bf6 $13) 19... Rb8 20. Ne3 Ne5 21. Qe2 (21. d4 $6 Nd3 $15) 21... Nc6 22. Nb3 Ne5 23. Nd2 Nc6 24. Ndc4 Nf6 25. Kh1 {[%CAl Gg3h2,Gf2f4]} (25. f4 g6 { [%CAl Gg6h5] /\...Nh5}) 25... Ne5 26. f4 {Finally, the dance of the Ns comes to an end.} ({It would be inadvisable to play} 26. Nxe5 dxe5 {[%csl Rd3,Ge5, Ge6][%CAl Gd8d3] giving Black a typical advantageous o/o with unpleasant pressure down the d<->.}) ({Worth considering was} 26. Na3 $5 {aiming to play f4 without allowing N exchanges.}) 26... Nxc4 27. dxc4 (27. Nxc4 d5 (27... Bxc4 28. dxc4 g6 $13 (28... e5 $5 {Trying to shut down White's Bs.})) 28. exd5 exd5 29. Nb6 (29. Qxe7 Qxe7 30. Rxe7 dxc4 31. dxc4 Bxc4 $15 {[%CAl Gb8b1,Gd8d1]}) 29... Re8 $132) 27... Bc6 {In this Nimzo/Sicilian structure there does not seem to be any reason for Black to worry. Although he does not have the d4-square like he does often in positions with the White P on b3 instead of c3, he does have the dark squared B which he usually has to part with to get the White Ps doubled on c<->.} 28. Nd1 (28. e5 Ne4 29. Bxe4 Bxe4 $15 {[%csl Ge4, Ge7] ^^}) (28. Ng4 Nxg4 29. Qxg4 Rb2 $15) 28... g6 29. Bh2 Nh5 {As is usual in similar situations, Black does not mind provoking the White g-P forward.} 30. Qe3 Bh4 31. g3 Be7 32. Kg1 Re8 (32... Bf8 $5 33. g4 Nf6 34. Nf2 Bg7 35. g5 Nd7 $15) 33. e5 (33. g4 Nf6 34. Nf2 Nd7 $15) 33... Ng7 (33... Ba8 $142 {[%CAl Gc7c6,Gc6h1] /\...Qc6, would be a thematic move. But after} 34. g4 {the move} f5 $1 {would not be an easy move to find in time pressure.} (34... Qc6 35. Be4 Qxe4 36. Qxe4 Bxe4 37. Rxe4 Ng7 $15) (34... Ng7 35. Nf2 Qc6 36. Qe4 $13) 35. exf6 (35. gxh5 Qc6 36. Be4 (36. Qg3 Bh4 $1 37. Qxh4 Qg2#) 36... Qxe4 $17) 35... Nxf6 36. Nf2 Rb2 $36) (33... dxe5 34. fxe5 f5 (34... Ba8 $5) 35. exf6 Bd6 { [%CAl Gc6h1,Gd6h2]} 36. Ba4 Bxa4 37. Rxa4 Nxf6 $15) 34. g4 f5 (34... dxe5 $5 35. fxe5 Ba8 36. Nf2 Rb2 $15) 35. exf6 (35. gxf5 exf5 $19 {[%csl Re5][%CAl Ge8e1,Ge7h4,Gg7e6]}) (35. g5 dxe5 36. fxe5 Ba8 $19 {[%csl Re5,Rg1,Rg5][%CAl Ga8h1]}) (35. exd6 Bxd6 $17 {[%csl Rf4,Rg1][%CAl Ge8f8,Gd6f4,Gf8f4]}) 35... Bxf6 36. Nf2 Bh4 (36... Rb2 $142 37. Re2 (37. Ne4 $6 Bxe4 38. Bxe4 Rb3 (38... Reb8) 39. Rec1 Bd4 $1 $19) 37... Ba8 (37... Nf5 $5 38. gxf5 exf5 39. Qd3 Rxe2 40. Qxe2 Bxc3 41. Rd1) 38. Qd2 (38. Nd3 $4 Bxc3 39. Nxb2 Bd4 $19) (38. Nd1 Qc6) 38... Qb7 (38... Qc6 39. Ne4) 39. Ne4 Be7 $40 {[%csl Rg1][%CAl Gd6d5,Gg7f5, Ga8h1] /\...d5 or...Nf5.}) 37. Re2 Bxf2+ $6 {This decision is probably the result of time pressure. The dark squared B seemed more valuable.} (37... Rb2 38. Nd3 Rb7 $13) 38. Rxf2 Rf8 39. Bg3 Rbe8 $6 {This passive move is most likely the result of the same problem stated above, time.} ({With the White K still not very comfortable, activity was the way to counter White's ^^ advantage. For example} 39... Rb2 40. Rd2 (40. h4 Ba8 41. h5 $6 Qb7 $15) 40... Ba8 $132) 40. Kh2 Rf7 (40... e5 $2 41. fxe5 (41. f5 $14) 41... Rxf2+ 42. Qxf2 dxe5 43. Qxc5 $16) 41. Rd1 $14 {[%csl Gc2,Gg3][%CAl Gc2h7,Gg3h4,Gh4g5,Gg5h6, Gh3h4,Gh4h5,Gf4f5] White has come out slightly better after the time control. Both his Bs have good scope. The P-structure on the >> is quite fluid and Black's pieces are somewhat passive. White's main plans would be manoeuvering the dark-squared B to h6 or playing h4-h5 or even f5 at the right moments. Black, on the other hand will have to wait and look to counter in the center in order to open lines towards the White K.} Rd7 (41... Qxa5 $6 42. Rxd6 $16) 42. Rfd2 Qd8 (42... Red8 43. f5 gxf5 44. gxf5 exf5 45. Qg5 {[%csl Rd6,Rf5] [%CAl Gg3c7,Gg5g8,Gc2f5]} Be4 (45... Kh8 46. Bxf5 Nxf5 47. Qxf5 $18 {[%csl Rd6, Rh8]}) 46. Bxe4 fxe4 47. Qd5+ Kh8 48. Qxe4 $16 {[%csl Rd6,Rh8]}) 43. h4 (43. Qf2 $5 $14 {[%CAl Gg3h4]}) 43... Rf8 {[%CAl Gg7e8,Gd7h7] Black braces for h5.} 44. Rf2 (44. h5 $6 gxh5 45. Qd3 Ne8 $15) 44... Kh8 {Black could have considered taking the P here itself.} ({After} 44... Qxa5 $142 $5 45. h5 gxh5 46. f5 exf5 47. gxf5 Qd8 $13 {The position is complicated but White does not get the domination he got in the game because of} 48. f6 $2 Rxf6 {[%csl Rd1] [%CAl Gb1b8]}) 45. Rb1 {[%CAl Gb1b6]} (45. h5 $6 gxh5 46. f5 exf5 47. gxf5 h4 $17) 45... Qxa5 $8 46. h5 $40 gxh5 47. f5 exf5 48. gxf5 Qd8 $6 ({Black's best bet now was} 48... Ne8 {[%CAl Ga5c3] keeping the Q active for a while. But even then after} 49. Rb8 {[%csl Re8]} ({If White continued as in the game then after} 49. f6 Rdf7 50. Bh4 Rg8 {he may have to look for other ideas as} 51. Qh6 $2 {does not work due to} Qxc3) 49... h4 $8 (49... Rdf7 50. Bxd6 Nxd6 51. Rxf8+ Rxf8 52. Qe5+ $18) 50. Bxh4 Rdf7 51. Rc8 Bd7 52. Rd8 $14 {White keeps the chances}) 49. f6 $1 Ne8 (49... Rxf6 50. Rxf6 Qxf6 51. Rb8+ Rd8 52. Qd3 { [%csl Rd8,Rf6]} Kg8 (52... Nf5 53. Qxf5 $18) 53. Qxh7+ Kf7 54. Rxd8 Qxd8 55. Bg6+ Ke6 $8 56. Qxg7 $18) 50. Bh4 Rdf7 51. Qh6 $1 {[%CAl Gc2g6,Gg6h7,Gb1g1] / \Bh7 or Bg6 or Rg1} Rg8 (51... Nc7 52. Rg1 {[%CAl Gg1g7]} Rg8 53. Rg7 $18) 52. Re1 $6 {[%CAl Ge1e7]} ({Simpler was} 52. Rg1 Rxg1 (52... Qc7 53. Rxg8+ Kxg8 54. Rf1 $1 d5+ (54... Qd7 55. Rg1+ Kh8 56. Bxh7 $18) 55. Bg3 Qd7 56. Be5 $18 { [%CAl Gf1g1,Gc2h7]}) 53. Kxg1 {[%CAl Gc2g6,Gg6h7,Gh6f8]} Qd7 (53... Nc7 54. Qg7+ $1 $18) 54. Bf5 Qb7 55. Bxh7 $18) 52... d5 $1 53. Qxh5 ({For the sake of establishing the truth we can have a look at} 53. Re6 $5 Qc7+ 54. Rf4 $1 { because working this move out properly in the game with the second and final time control approaching would definitely not be easy.} (54. Qf4 Rg4 55. Qxc7 Rxh4+ 56. Kg3 Rg4+ 57. Kh3 Nxc7 58. Rxc6 Rxc4 59. Bd1 Rxc3+ 60. Kg2 Ne8 61. Rc8 (61. Bxh5 $2 Rxf6) 61... Re3 62. Bxh5 Kg8 63. Bxf7+ Kxf7 $11) 54... dxc4 (54... Rg4 $5 55. Bg5 $18 {[%CAl Gc2h7]} (55. Bg3 $18)) (54... d4 55. Re7 Rg2+ 56. Kh3 Rxc2 57. Rxc7 Rxc3+ 58. Kh2 Nxc7 59. Qxh5 $16) 55. Re7 (55. Bxh7 Rxh7 56. f7 Rxh6 57. Rxh6+ Kg7 58. Rg6+ Kxg6 59. fxg8=Q+ Ng7 60. Qxc4 $13) 55... Rg2+ 56. Kh3 Rxc2 57. Rxc7 Nxc7 58. Qxh5 $16) (53. Re7 {does not achieve the same result as Re6 because Black manages to exchange all major pieces after} Qd6+ 54. Qf4 (54. Rf4 $2 Rxe7 $19 {[%CAl Gd6h6]}) 54... Qxf4+ 55. Rxf4 Rxe7 56. fxe7 Rg4 $1 57. Rxg4 (57. Rf8+ Kg7 58. Bg3 dxc4 59. Be5+ Kh6 $11) 57... hxg4 58. cxd5 Bxd5 59. Kg3 $11) 53... Qd6+ 54. Re5 {Bravely keeping the Qs on the board. } ({Also interesting was} 54. Qe5 $5 Rg4 (54... Qxe5+ 55. Rxe5 dxc4 56. Rxc5 Rg4 57. Rxc6 Rxh4+ 58. Kg3 Rh5 59. Ba4 $14) 55. cxd5 Qxe5+ 56. Rxe5 Rxh4+ 57. Kg3 Rc4 (57... Rh6 58. dxc6 Nxf6 59. Rg5 $1 $18 {[%csl Gc6][%CAl Gf2f7,Gf2d2, Gd2d8,Gc2h7] dominating all important lines of communication}) 58. dxc6 Rxc3+ ( 58... Nxf6 59. Rf3 $16) 59. Kh4 Nxf6) 54... d4 $138 {Time remaining after this move - White: 9 minutes, Black: 2 minutes.} (54... dxc4 55. Bg3 $16) 55. cxd4 $6 (55. Bg3 $142 Nxf6 (55... d3 56. Qxf7 $18) 56. Qxf7 Ng4+ 57. Kg1 Qh6 58. Qxh7+ Qxh7 59. Bxh7 Nxe5 (59... Kxh7 60. Re7+ Rg7 61. Rxg7+ Kxg7 62. Rf4 $16) 60. Bxg8 Nf3+ 61. Rxf3 Bxf3 62. Bd5 $1 $18) 55... Qxd4 {[%csl Rh4]} 56. Re7 Rxe7 57. fxe7 Qd6+ $6 $138 ({Black had to find} 57... Qg7 $1 {[%CAl Gg7g1]} 58. Bg5 Qe5+ $132 {with sufficient counterchances.}) 58. Kh3 Bd7+ $6 (58... Qe6+ $142 59. Qf5 (59. Bf5 Qe3+ 60. Kh2 Qe5+ $11) 59... Rg6 60. Qxe6 Rxe6 61. Bf5 Re3+ 62. Kg4 $14) 59. Bf5 Qd3+ 60. Rf3 Bxf5+ 61. Qxf5 Qxf5+ 62. Rxf5 $18 { The dust has settled down and White has come out with a dominating position. Nakamura flawlessly exploits his advantage in study-like fashion.} Kg7 63. Bg3 $1 {[%CAl Gg3e5,Gf5f8]} h6 64. Be5+ Kh7 (64... Kg6 65. Rf8 {transposes to the game.}) 65. Rf7+ Kg6 66. Rf8 Kh7 67. Bf4 a5 (67... h5 68. Kh4 Rg4+ 69. Kxh5 $18 ) 68. Bxh6 a4 69. Be3 $1 a3 70. Bxc5 a2 71. Bd4 Nc7 72. Ba1 Ne8 (72... Rg1 73. Rh8+ Kg6 74. Rg8+ $18) 73. c5 Nc7 74. c6 Ne8 75. Kh4 Nc7 76. Kh5 Ne8 77. c7 { Grischuk's time pressure and Nakamura's courageous play summarise the game. Hikaru went on to tie for second after this last round encounter.} (77. c7 Nxc7 (77... Ng7+ 78. Bxg7 Rxg7 79. e8=Q $18 {[%CAl Gf8h8]}) 78. Rf7+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Bazna Kings 4th"] [Site "Medias"] [Date "2010.06.21"] [Round "7"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B35"] [WhiteElo "2813"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Carlsen,M"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2010.06.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 137"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {This was my best game in the tournament. After an interesting tactical skirmish in the middlegame I kept the pressure on in the endgame, and it paid off, as it often does :) Dies war meine beste Partie im Turnier. Nach einem interessanten taktischen Scharmützel im Mittelspiel hielt ich den Druck im Endspiel aufrecht, und es zahlte sich aus, wie so oft :)} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 {Not really surprising, as Radjabov has frequently used the Dragon over the past few years. Nicht wirklich überaschend, denn Radjabov hat den Drachen im Lauf der letzten Jahre häufig angewendet.} 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 Qa5 {This one, however, was rather unexpected. He refuses to transpose to the Dragon after all. Das kam aber schon recht unerwartet. Er weigert sich doch noch, in den Drachen überzugehen.} 8. O-O O-O 9. Bb3 d6 10. h3 Bd7 11. Re1 {The other main line here is 11.f4. Das andere Hauptabspiel hier ist 11.f4. } Rfc8 12. Qe2 {Not the most usual move, but I recalled the game Akopian-Bacrot from last year, where White was held convincingly and thought it would make sense to deviate early on. Nicht der üblichste Zug, aber ich erinnerte mich an die Partie Akopian-Bacrot aus dem letzten Jahr, wo Weiß überzeugend auf Distanz gehalten wurde, und hielt es für sinnvoll, frühzeitig abzuweichen.} Qh5 {A normal manoeuvre in this line. After the queen swap Black would obviously be fine with his extremely solid structure. Ein normales Manöver in diesem Abspiel. Nach dem Damentausch stünde Schwarz mit seiner extrem soliden Struktur offensichtlich gut.} 13. Nf3 h6 {This, in connection with his next move, is also a well established plan. Dies, in Verbindung mit seinem nächsten Zug, ist ebenfalls ein wohl etablierter Plan.} 14. Rad1 g5 15. Nd5 {There really wasn't much else to do, as Black's plan of... g5-g4 had to be countered somehow, and Nd4 clearly wasn't an option. Etwas anderes gab es eigentlich nicht, denn der schwarze Plan ...g5-g4 musste irgendwie gekontert werden, und Nd4 war eindeutig keine Möglichkeit.} Nxd5 ( 15... g4 {is now well met by 16. Nh2. wird jetzt gut mit 16.Nh2 beantwortet.}) (15... Nxe4 16. Bd4 $1 {is also inadvisable. ist ebenfalls nicht ratsam.}) ( 15... Qg6 {also deserves to be mentioned, not for its merits, but for the refutation: 16.Ne5! ist verdient es ebenfalls, erwähnt zu werden, nicht wegen der Güte des Zuges, sondern wegen der Widerlegung: 16.Ne5!}) 16. Bxd5 $1 { Clearly the best practical decision. I checked it for a while to make sure, that I am not worse in any of the main lines. The move does not lead to an advantage for White, but it is much more challenging for Black than Eindeutig die beste praktische Entscheidung. Ich prüfte sie eine zeitlang, um sicherzugehen, dass ich in keinem der Hauptabspiele schlechter stand. Der Zug führt zwar nicht zu einem Vorteil für Weiß, stellt Schwarz aber vor wesentlich größere Aufgaben als} (16. exd5 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Qxe2 18. Rxe2 Bxe5 { which was actually played in an earlier game Bologan-Malakhov. In fact, Black might even have a slight initiative here, as he has a clear plan of pushing the queenside pawns, and 19.Bd4 can even be met by 19... f6!? , was übrigens in einer früheren Partie Bologan-Malakhov gespielt. Tatsächlich könnte Schwarz hier sogar eine leichte Initiative haben, da er den klaren Plan besitzt, die Damenflügelbauern vorzustoßen, und 19.Bd4 kann sogar mit 19... f6!? beantwortet werden.}) 16... Bxb2 {Clearly the best move, but as he spent quite a bit of time on it, his first real think in the game, I felt quite good about my chances nevertheless. Klar der beste Zug, aber da er dafür doch ein bisschen Zeit verbrauchte, sein erstes wirkliches Nachdenken in der Partie, hatte ich trotzdem ein ganz gutes Gefühl bezüglich meiner Chancen.} (16... e6 17. Bxc6 (17. Bb3 Bxb2 18. Rxd6 Be8 {is probably okay for Black. ist wohl okay für Schwarz.}) 17... Bxc6 18. Bd4 e5 (18... Bf8 19. c4 $14) 19. Bc3 {should leave White with some advantage, as the many weaknesses in the black position should be worth the price of giving Black the bishop pair. sollte Weiß einigen Vorteil überlassen, denn die vielen Schwächen in der schwarzen Stellung sollten den Preis wert sein, Schwarz das Läuferpaar zu geben.}) 17. Rb1 (17. Qb5 {is harmless, as Black has the pleasant choice of ist harmlos, denn Schwarz hat die angenehme Wahl zwischen} Be5 (17... Bf6 18. Qxb7 Be8 { is the other decent option, when Black should have a good game due to my relatively misplaced queen. ist die andere anständige Möglichkeit, wonach Schwarz gutes Spiel haben sollte aufgrund meiner relativ deplatzierten Dame.}) 18. Qxb7 Bxh3 19. gxh3 Qxf3 20. Bxc6 Qxh3 21. Qd7 g4 22. f4 $1 {with a perpetual. mit Dauerschach.}) 17... Bc3 $1 {Once again the sharpest move is also the best. Einmal mehr ist der schärfste Zug auch der beste.} (17... Bf6 18. Rxb7 Be8 19. Qa6 {gives White the initative due to the neat trick gibt Weiß die Initative wegen des feinen Tricks} e6 20. Rxa7 $1 (20. Bb3 {is probably better for White as well. ist wahrscheinlich auch besser für Weiß.}) 20... Nxa7 21. Bxa8 Rxa8 22. Bxa7) 18. Rxb7 Bxh3 (18... Bxe1 {was the obvious alternative, and naturally what I had calculated the most, as it at least temporarily wins an exchange. In the end, it should probably lead to a draw. war die offensichtliche Alternative und natürlich das, was ich am meisten berechnet hatte, da es zumindest vorübergehend eine Qualität gewinnt. Letztendlich sollte es wohl zu einem Remis führen.} 19. Rxd7 Bc3 20. Qb5 a6 { A useful zwischenzug Ein nützlicher Zwischenzug} (20... Ne5 {gives White the extra option of gibt Weiß die zusätzliche Möglichkeit zu} 21. Rxe7 Rab8 22. Qf1 $1 {retaining my active rook and clearly better chances , was meinen aktiven Turm und klar bessere Chancen behauptet.}) 21. Qb6 Ne5 22. Rxe7 Rab8 23. Rb7 Rxb7 24. Qxb7 Rf8 25. Qc7 {and here I concluded that White would at least not be worse after 25... Nxf3+ 26. gxf3 Be5 27.Kg2. In fact, White might be a bit better here, as my bishops are really powerful. und hier folgerte ich, dass Weiß nach 25... Nxf3+ 26. gxf3 Be5 27.Kg2 zumindest nicht schlechter stehen würde. Tatsächlich könnte er hier ein bisschen besser stehen, denn meine Läufer sind wirklich kraftvoll.} g4 $1 {However, as pointed out by the engines, ruins things a bit. allerdings, wie von den Engines angezeigt, ruiniert die Sache ein bisschen.} 26. hxg4 Qxg4 27. Kf1 (27. Nh2 Qd1+ 28. Nf1 Qg4 {leads to the same result führt zu dem gleichen Resultat.}) 27... Bb4 $1 28. c3 Nxf3 29. gxf3 Qxf3 {and as often happens in chess, perpetual check is the logical result in the end. und wie es so oft im Schach geschieht, ist am Ende Dauerschach das logische Resultat.}) 19. Nxg5 {I spent quite a bit of time on this one, as I really wanted to make the tempting Hierfür verbrauchte ich ziemlich viel Zeit, denn ich wollte unbedingt das verlockende} (19. gxh3 Bxe1 20. e5 {work. Unfortunately, it leads nowhere after the simple zum Funktionieren bringen. Leider führt dies zu nichts nach dem einfachen} Nxe5 ( 20... e6 21. Bxe6 {was my main point, which would lead to an elegant draw: war meine Hauptpointe, was zu einem eleganten Remis führen würde:} Nxe5 $8 (21... fxe6 22. Qd3 {and wins. und gewinnt.}) 22. Nxe5 Qxe2 23. Bxf7+ Kh8 {The only move that doesn't lose immediately, but enough to force me to give perpetual check Der einzige Zug, der nicht sofort verliert, aber genau, um mich zu ewigem Schach zu zwingen.} 24. Ng6+ Kh7 $8 (24... Kg7 25. Bd4+ Qe5 26. Nxe5 dxe5 27. Bxe5+ Kf8 28. Be6 {and the white attacking forces are way too strong: und die weißen Angriffskräfte sind viel zu stark:} Rxc2 29. Bd6+ Ke8 30. Rg7 Bxf2+ 31. Kf1 {and mates! nebst Matt!}) 25. Be8+ Kg8 $8 26. Bf7+ $11) 21. Rxe7 Bc3 $1 {and White has already run out of steam. und Weiß ist bereits der Dampf ausgegangen.}) 19... Qxe2 20. Rxe2 {I still had hopes of retaining an initiative here, but following his next move, made after a considerable amount of thought, those hopes were more or less dashed. In general, I felt that we both handled the complications that started on move 16 very well. Hier hatte ich noch immer Hoffnungen, eine Initiative zu behaupten, aber nach seinem nächsten Zug, gespielt nach beträchtlichem Nachdenken, waren diese Hoffnungen mehr oder weniger dahin. Allgemein hatte ich das Gefühl, dass wir beide die im 16. Zug begonnenen Komplikationen sehr gut bewältigt hatten.} Bg4 $1 (20... hxg5 21. gxh3 Bf6 22. f4 Nd4 23. Rf2 $5 {is what I was counting on. Even though Black should still make a draw here, White has some chances as ist, worauf ich gezählt hatte. Obwohl Schwarz hier noch immer Remis machen sollte, hat Weiß einige Chancen, denn} (23. Rg2 {also forces some accurate play from Black: verlangt Schwarz ebenfalls genaues Spiel ab:} Nxc2 24. Bd2 e6 25. Bb3 Nd4 26. fxg5 Bd8 $1 (26... Be5 27. g6 f6 28. h4 {is not a good idea for Black. ist keine gute Idee für Schwarz.}) 27. g6 Rc7 28. Rxc7 Bxc7 29. gxf7+ Kxf7 { and Black is relatively safe. und Schwarz steht relativ sicher.}) 23... Nxc2 24. fxg5 Nxe3 25. gxf6 Nxd5 26. exd5 {does not seem to be a 100% draw yet, although a few more good moves will probably do the job for Black. scheint noch kein 100-prozentiges Remis zu sein, obwohl ein paar gute Züge die Sache für Schwarz wahrscheinlich klarmachen werden.}) 21. Nf3 {Retreating is the only way to continue the fight, though with limited hope of success. Der Rückzug ist der einzige Weg, den Kampf fortzusetzen, wenngleich mit begrenzten Hoffnungen auf Erfolg.} (21. Nxf7 {is why I thought that 20...Bg4 wouldn't work ist der Grund, weshalb ich dachte, dass 20...Bg4 nicht funktionieren würde.} Bxe2 22. Ne5+ {and now every move but one would lead to the complete collapse of the black position. Check for yourselves! und jetzt würde jeder Zug außer einem zum kompletten Zusammenbruch der schwarzen Stellung führen. Überlegen Sie selbst!} (22. Nxd6+ Kh8 23. Nxc8 Rxc8 { is obviously not a very bright winning attempt ist offensichtlich kein besonders intelligenter Gewinnversuch}) 22... Kh8 $1 {is once again the only move, and once again entirely sufficient. I had missed this little detail in my preliminary calculations. ist einmal mehr der einzige Zug, und einmal mehr völlig ausreichend. Dieses kleine Detail hatte ich in meinen Vorausberechnungen übersehen.} 23. Nxc6 e6 {This is the (relatively obvious) point, which would not have been possible after any other king move. Now White is lucky to have a bailout with Das ist die (relativ offensichtliche) Pointe, die nach jedem anderen Königszug nicht möglich gewesen werde. Nun kann Weiß sich glücklich schätzen, einen Rettungsanker zu haben mit} 24. Ne7 exd5 25. Ng6+ $11) 21... e6 22. Bxc6 Rxc6 23. Bxh6 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Ra6 {A very reasonable approach, steering the game towards a rook ending that is almost certainly drawn. Eine sehr vernünftige Herangehensweise, die Partie wird in Richtung eines Turmendspiels gesteuert, das fast sicher remis ist.} (24... a5 { preparing ...Rac8 would also have been a decent idea, as zur Vorbereitung von . ..Rac8 wäre ebenfalls eine vernünftige Idee gewesen, denn} 25. f4 Bg7 { looks like slightly improved version of the game. wirkt wie eine leicht verbesserte Version der Partie.}) 25. Rc7 Bg7 26. Bxg7 Kxg7 {On the other hand, I felt obliged to try at least a little with my extra pawn and therefore nominal advantage. I was encouraged by the fact that he had spent quite a bit of time on the preceding complication, and had about 15 min left here. Even though that is not really time trouble, it is not completely comfortable either if the position is just a little complicated. Additionally, Gelfand looked set to beat Nisipeanu already, and the prospect of a one-point lead instead of half a point was in no way discouraging. Andererseits fühlte ich mich verpflichtet, mit meinem Mehrbauern und ergo nominalem Vorteil es zumindest zu versuchen. Ermutigt wurde ich dabei durch die Tatsache, dass er über der vorangegangenen Komplikation ziemlich viel Zeit verbraucht und hier etwa noch 15 Minuten hatte. Auch wenn dies noch keine richtige Zeitnot ist, ist es auch nicht völlig bequem, wenn die Stellung nur ein bisschen kompliziert ist. Außerdem sah es bereits so aus, als würde Gelfand Nisipeanu schlagen, und die Aussicht auf einen ganzen Punkt Vorsprung statt eines halben war keineswegs demotivierend.} 27. c3 $5 {It might look weird to move the pawn one square instead of two, but I thought I was being quite clever as I would probably play f4 at some point anyway. Then it might be a good thing that once the c-pawn is captured in some lines, the e4-f4 pawn pair will not be in danger as well. Es mag seltsam wirken, den Bauern ein Feld zu bewegen anstatt zwei, aber ich hielt mich für ziemlich clever, denn an irgendeiner Stelle würde ich wahrscheinlich sowieso f4 spielen. Dann könnte es eine gute Sache sein, dass, wenn der c-Bauer in einigen Varianten geschlagen wird, das Bauernpaar e4-f4 nicht ebenfalls in Gefahr ist.} Rb8 28. f4 {The only way to play for a win is to create some threats to his king at some point. The text prepares Re3-g3, as well as e4-e5. Der einzige Weg, auf Gewinn zu spielen, besteht darin, an irgendeinem Punkt ein paar Drohungen gegen seinen König aufzustellen. Der Textzug bereitet Re3-g3 vor wie auch e4-e5.} Rbb6 {Preparing a rook exchange with ...Rc6, when it would be a 100% certain draw. Bereitet einen Turmtausch mit ...Rc6 vor, wonach es ein 100% sicheres Remis wäre.} ( 28... Rb1+ 29. Kg2 Ra1 30. Rb2 Rb6 31. Rd2 Ra6 32. Rd3 {would be very similar to the game. wäre ganz ähnlich der Partie.}) 29. Rd7 {The only way to continue playing for a win. Der einzige Weg, weiter auf Gewinn zu spielen.} Rc6 30. Re3 Rxa2 31. e5 dxe5 32. fxe5 Rc5 $6 {Falling right in with my plans. Fällt direkt auf meine Pläne herein.} (32... Kg6 $1 33. Rf3 Rc5 34. Rfxf7 Rxe5 35. Rxa7 Rxa7 36. Rxa7 Rc5 37. Ra3 Kf5 {would have brought the game to its logical conclusion. hätte die Partie zu ihrem logischen Abschluss gebracht.}) 33. Rg3+ $1 {Now Black is forced to the eight rank, Nun wird Schwarz auf die achte Reihe gezwungen,} Kf8 ({as denn} 33... Kh6 $4 34. Rd8 Kh7 35. Rd4 {would have been an inglorious end for Black. wäre ein unrühmliches Ende für Schwarz gewesen.}) 34. Rf3 Rxe5 35. Rfxf7+ Ke8 {However, it's still a draw. Trotzdem, es ist immer noch Remis.} 36. Rfe7+ Kf8 37. Rh7 Kg8 38. Rdg7+ Kf8 39. Rb7 Kg8 $6 {Now Black's task is very complicated indeed. Jetzt ist die Aufgabe von Schwarz tatsächlich sehr kompliziert.} (39... Rg5+ 40. Kf1 Kg8 41. Rxa7 (41. Rhe7 Rf5 $1) 41... Rxa7 42. Rxa7 Rc5 43. Ra3 Kf7 44. Ke2 Kf6 45. Kd3 Rd5+ {was still a relatively straightforward draw. war noch immer ein relativ geradliniges Remis.}) 40. Rhg7+ Kh8 41. Rge7 Rg5+ 42. Kf1 Rc2 43. Rbc7 a5 $2 { This seems to me to be the decisive mistake. Dies scheint mir der entscheidende Fehler zu sein.} ({He could probably still have held the position with Er hätte die Stellung wahrscheinlich immer noch halten können mit} 43... Rg6 $1 44. Re8+ Rg8 45. Rxe6 Rf8 {which is the big difference compared to the game , was der große Unterschied verglichen mit der Partie ist.} 46. Re2 Rc1+ 47. Kg2 Rg8+ 48. Kf3 Rg7 {It is hard to say whether this is winning for White or not, but my feeling is that it is closer to a draw than a win for White. Es ist schwer zu sagen, ob dies für Weiß gewonnen ist oder nicht, aber mein Gefühl sagt, dass es einem Remis näher ist als einem Gewinn für Weiß.}) 44. Rxe6 a4 45. Ra6 Rg4 (45... Rg7 {is probably what he had been counting on, but after the accurate ist wahrscinlich, worauf er sich verlassen hatte, aber nach dem genauen} 46. Rh6+ $1 Kg8 47. Rc8+ Kf7 48. Ra6 {now Black is still in a real bind, as the g7-rook cannot move due to Rc7+ and Ra8 with mate. ist Schwarz jetzt noch immer richtig gebunden, da der g7-Turm wegen Rc7+ und Ra8 mit Matt nicht ziehen kann.} Ra2 49. c4 a3 50. c5 Ra1+ 51. Ke2 a2 52. Kf3 {and White should win. und Weiß sollte gewinnen.}) 46. c4 {This pawn naturally cannot be taken by either rook due to the check on a8. Dieser Bauer ist natürlich von keinem der beiden Türme zu nehmen wegen des Schachs auf a8. } Rg7 47. Rxg7 Kxg7 48. Rxa4 {This is a technical win. Dies ist ein technischer Gewinn.} Kf6 49. Kg2 Ke5 50. Ra5+ $1 {My only problem was the passive rook on a4. Now it will be activated either in front of, or the other side of the c4-pawn. Mein einziges Problem war der passive Turm auf a4. Nun wird er aktiviert, entweder vor dem oder auf der anderen Seite des c4-Bauern.} Ke6 (50... Kf4 51. Rc5 $18) (50... Kd4 51. Rd5+ $1 Kxc4 52. Rd8 {cuts off the king and wins easily: schneidet den König ab und gewinnt leicht:} Ra2 53. Kg3 Ra7 54. f4 Rg7+ 55. Kf3 Rf7 56. Kg4 Rg7+ 57. Kf5 $18) 51. Rc5 Kd6 52. Rd5+ Ke6 53. Rd4 Ke5 54. Rh4 Rc3 55. c5 {Exploiting the opportunity to advance the pawn. The pawn endings are always won. Nutzt die Gelegenheit, den Bauern vorzurücken. Die Bauernendspiele sind immer gewonnen.} Kf5 56. Rh8 $1 { The most accurate. Am genauesten.} Kf4 57. Rc8 Ke5 58. c6 Kd6 59. f3 { Preparing Kg3 and Kg4 followed by f4 and so forth. Bereitet Kg3 und Kg4 vor, gefolgt von f4 und so weiter..} Rc5 60. Kg3 Rg5+ 61. Kh4 Rg1 62. f4 Ke7 63. c7 Rc1 {Sets a final trap. Stellt eine letzte Falle.} (63... Kd7 64. Rd8+ Kxc7 65. Rd2 {wins easily. gewinnt leicht.}) 64. Kg5 (64. Rh8 {or Rg8 was not to be recommended! oder Rg8 war nicht zu empfehlen!}) 1-0 [Event "Nanjing Pearl Spring 2nd"] [Site "Nanjing"] [Date "2009.10.05"] [Round "7"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2813"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,D"] [PlyCount "85"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O O-O 14. c4 f5 15. Qh5 Rb8 16. exf5 e4 17. Rae1 Bb7 18. Qg4 Rfe8 19. cxb5 d5 20. bxa6 Bc6 21. Rc1 {After Shirov's success in this variation versus Carlsen (Sofia 2009), Topalov decides to try a rare continuation too. But the Norwegian came well prepared and shows how to neutralize White's last move.} (21. b3 Kh8 $146 22. Nc2 Be5 23. Be2 d4 24. Bc4 Rg8 25. Qh3 Rg7 26. g3 Rbg8 27. Qh6 Qc7 $2 (27... Ba8 $44) 28. Nb4 Ba8 29. Nd5 $18 {1-0 Shirov,A (2745)-Carlsen,M (2770)/Sofia 2009 (30)}) 21... exd3 $1 $146 {This novelty practically leads to a draw by force.} (21... Ba8 $2 {allows} 22. Rc7 {with a large advantage for White in all variations:} Qe5 (22... Qxc7 $2 23. f6 {with mate}) 23. Bb5 Rf8 (23... Re7 24. f6 Qxf6 25. Rc8+ Rxc8 26. Qxc8+ Bf8 27. Qxa8 Qxb2 28. Qxd5 Qxa3 29. Qg5+ Kh8 30. Rd1 $18) (23... Red8 24. a7 Rb6 25. Rc8 $1 Rbd6 (25... Rxc8 26. f6 Qxf6 27. Qxc8+ Bf8 28. Qxa8 $18) 26. Rfc1 $18) (23... Rec8 24. Rxc8+ Rxc8 25. f6 $18 ) 24. Rfc1 Qxb2 (24... d4 25. R1c5 Qf6 26. a7 Rbd8 27. Bc6 $18) 25. a7 Rbd8 26. R7c2 Qf6 27. Bc6 $16 {/+-}) (21... Bd7 22. Be2 Rxb2 23. Rc7 Qd6 {1-0 Koeller,O (2290)-Schelle,A (2150)/Aschach 1998 (28)} 24. Rxd7 Qxd7 25. Bb5 Rxb5 26. Nxb5 d4 27. Nc7 Rc8 28. Nd5 $18) 22. Rxc6 {[%CAl Gf5f6]} Qe2 (22... Kh8 23. Qf3 $5 ( 23. b3 $2 Qxa3) 23... Bxb2 24. Nb1 Qe4 (24... Qd7 25. Rc5 Rb5 26. Rxb5 Qxb5 27. Nd2 $16) (24... Qe2 25. Qxd5 Rbd8 26. Rd6 $18) 25. Qxe4 dxe4 26. Nd2 $16) 23. h3 (23. f3 $4 d2 $19) (23. Qg3 $4 d2 $19) (23. Qxe2 $2 dxe2 24. Re1 Rxb2 $17) 23... Rxb2 24. f6 Qxg4 25. hxg4 Rxa2 (25... Bf8 26. Nb1 Rxa2 {is the same as the game}) 26. Nb1 (26. Nb5 $2 d2 $19 {[%CAl Ge8e1]}) (26. fxg7 Rxa3 $11) 26... Bf8 27. Rc3 (27. Rd1 {makes little sense, since White does not threaten to take the pawn due to the check on e1. Therefore Black can continue with the simple} h6 {and after for instance} 28. g3 {-} Rc2 $11 {[%CAl Gf8c5]}) 27... Rxa6 ({Also possible is} 27... d2 28. Rd3 Bb4 29. Rxd5 Rxa6 30. Nxd2 Bxd2 31. Rxd2 Rxf6 $14) 28. Rxd3 Rxf6 {After more or less forced sequence of moves the players have achieved a position, which with elementary accuracy from Black is a draw.} 29. Rxd5 ({Or} 29. Nc3 Bc5 $11 {with the idea to take on f2 followed by a check on e1.}) 29... Bb4 $1 {The most White can achieve now is 4-rooks endgame 3 versus 2 on the kingside. All Black has to do is to be ready to exchange the minor pieces as soon as the white knight moves from b1.} 30. g3 Re2 31. Kg2 Be1 32. Rf5 Rxf5 33. gxf5 Bb4 34. Rc1 h5 35. Rc4 ({Also after} 35. Kf3 Rb2 36. Ke3 Kg7 {Black is completely out of danger.}) 35... Rb2 36. Nc3 Bxc3 37. Rxc3 Rb5 38. Rf3 Kg7 39. Kh3 Kh6 40. Kh4 Rb1 41. Kh3 Rb5 42. Kh4 Rb1 43. Kh3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2015.09.19"] [Round "3.3"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Lu, Shanglei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B72"] [WhiteElo "2813"] [BlackElo "2599"] [Annotator "CB"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "2015.09.11"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 169"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {Täuscht die Najdorf-Variante an.} 6. Be2 g6 {Und nach dem kleinen 6.Le2 doch Drachen.} 7. Be3 Bg7 8. Qd2 {Topalov bereitet aber nun doch die lange Rochade vor. Im Unterschied zur ähnlichen Position in der richtigen Drachenvariante hat Weiß Le2, Schwarz a6 eingeschoben.} Nc6 9. f3 d5 {Kommt etwas früh.} (9... O-O 10. O-O-O d5) 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 Bxd4 {Mit dem Tausch des Lg7 verliert der Drachen stets viel Gift.} 13. Qxd4 O-O 14. O-O-O Be6 15. Qc5 Qb8 16. g3 a5 17. Na4 Rd8 ({Hier ging} 17... Nf4 {mit der Absicht.} 18. gxf4 (18. Bc4 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Nd5 $11) 18... Qxf4+ 19. Kb1 Qxa4 $17) 18. a3 (18. c4 Nb4 19. a3 Na2+ 20. Kb1 Qb3 $11) 18... h5 19. Rd2 Qc7 20. Rhd1 h4 21. f4 {[#]} Rab8 $2 22. c4 $18 Nf6 (22... hxg3 {reicht nicht:} 23. cxd5 gxh2 24. dxe6 Rxd2 25. exf7+ Kxf7 26. Kxd2 Rd8+ 27. Bd3 Qxf4+ 28. Qe3 Qxa4 29. Rf1+ $19) 23. Qe5 Rdc8 ({Nun scheitert} 23... Qxe5 {am Zwischenzug.} 24. Rxd8+) 24. Nc5 {Auf a6 gibt es noch ein Problem.} Bf5 25. Qxc7 Rxc7 26. Na6 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2015.09.17"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Lu, Shanglei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B76"] [WhiteElo "2813"] [BlackElo "2599"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2015.09.11"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 169"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O d5 10. Qe1 e6 11. h4 Qc7 12. Ndb5 Qb8 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Qd2 a6 16. Bf4 Be5 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. Re1 Qg3 19. Nc3 Bf5 20. Nxd5 Rfd8 21. Bc4 Rac8 22. Kb1 h5 23. Qc3 {Black is down a pawn and his position looks very sketchy. His king on g8 does not feel safe and his attack on the c2 pawn isn't quite that strong yet.} Qxg2 $6 {well, at least Black recovers his material... for now} 24. Ne3 $1 Qxf3 25. Rhf1 $6 (25. Ref1 $1 {prevents what happened in the game. For example} Qg3 (25... Qe4 26. Nxf5 $18) 26. Qf6 $1 $18 { Threatening mate with Bxf7+ and the f5 bishop. Black is positively lost.}) 25... Qg3 26. Rg1 (26. Bxf7+ $1 Kh7 (26... Kxf7 27. Qc4+ Kf6 (27... Kg7 28. Nxf5+ gxf5 29. Rg1 $18) 28. Nxf5 {gets swiftly mated.}) 27. Nxf5 Qxc3 28. bxc3 gxf5 29. Rxf5 $18) 26... Qe5 27. Nxf5 Qxc3 28. bxc3 Kf8 29. Nh6 (29. Ng3 Ne5 30. Rxe5 Rxc4 31. Ne4 {is an extra piece that White should eventually convert.} ) 29... Ne5 30. Bxf7 $6 (30. Bb3 Nc4 (30... f6 31. Rxe5 fxe5 32. Rxg6 $18) 31. Bxc4 Rxc4 32. Ref1 {should be winning somehow.}) 30... Nf3 31. Bxg6 Nxe1 32. Rxe1 $2 (32. Bxh5 $1 $18 {keeps the knight on e1 trapped!}) 32... Kg7 33. Bf5 Rc6 $1 34. Re7+ Kf8 35. Rf7+ Ke8 {Strangely, now White is forced into a very awkward position with his minor pieces.} 36. Rh7 Rd1+ 37. Kb2 Rb6+ 38. Ka3 Rdd6 {the knight is trapped} 39. Rh8+ (39. Nf7 Rd5 {is a double attack on the bishop and a5... mate!}) 39... Ke7 40. Ng8+ Kf7 41. c4 Rdc6 $1 42. Bd3 Kg7 { Black wins back the exchange and eventually drew the game.} 43. Rxh5 Kxg8 44. Rd5 Rc7 45. h5 Kg7 46. c5 Rb1 47. c4 Rh1 48. Kb4 Rh2 49. a4 Kh6 50. Ka5 Rb2 51. Be4 Rb3 52. Re5 Rb2 53. c6 bxc6 54. Re6+ Kxh5 55. Rxc6 Re7 56. Bd5 Kg5 57. Rxa6 Kf5 58. Bc6 Ke5 59. Bb5 Rb7 60. Ra8 Kd6 61. Ka6 Rc7 62. Rd8+ Kc5 63. a5 Rh7 64. Rb8 Ra2 65. Rb6 Rg7 66. Rc6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-Cup 31st"] [Site "Skopje"] [Date "2015.10.23"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2813"] [BlackElo "2734"] [Annotator "Szabo,Kr"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2015.10.18"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "MKD"] [SourceTitle "CBM 169"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Socar"] [BlackTeam "Novy Bor"] [WhiteTeamCountry "AZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "CZE"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 h5 9. Nd5 Bxd5 10. exd5 Nbd7 11. Qd2 g6 12. O-O-O ({Last year Topalov chose} 12. Be2 Qc7 13. Rc1 Ng8 $5 14. O-O Ne7 15. Bg5 $1 f6 16. Be3 O-O-O 17. c4 Nf5 18. Bf2 $1 Kb8 19. Qc3 Bh6 20. Rcd1 $36 {Topalov-Dominguez Perez, Tromso ol 2014, and White had a nice position.}) 12... Nb6 {Topalov was the first to play this move with Black in 2008 against Anand.} 13. Qa5 ({Two month ago Grischuk played} 13. Kb1 {against Topalov,} Nbxd5 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Na5 Rb8 16. Bc4 Nb6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 Bd8 20. Rd3 Bc7 21. Bb3 Ke7 22. Rhd1 Rhd8 $11 {Grischuk-Topalov, Saint Louis 2015, with an equal endgame.}) 13... Bh6 {This is the point!} 14. Bxh6 Rxh6 15. g3 (15. Kb1 Rc8 (15... Kf8 $5) 16. Qb4 Kf8 17. c4 Kg7 18. g3 Rh8 19. Rc1 Qc7 20. Bh3 Rce8 21. Rhd1 Re7 22. a3 Rd8 23. Nd2 Nbd7 (23... e4 $5) 24. Qc3 a5 25. Bxd7 Nxd7 26. f4 $14 { Anand-Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 2008, and White had a comfortable position.}) 15... Kf8 16. Kb1 Kg7 17. Be2 $146 {A novelty by Topalov.} (17. f4 {was tried in a correspondence game,} h4 18. fxe5 dxe5 19. d6 Nbd7 20. Bg2 Qxa5 21. Nxa5 e4 22. Nxb7 Rh5 23. c4 Rb8 24. c5 Nxc5 25. Nxc5 Rxc5 $11 {Bell-Ísólfsson, ICCF 2014, with an equal endgame.}) 17... Rh8 18. c4 Rc8 19. Rc1 Nfd7 20. Rhd1 Rc7 ({ In the event of} 20... h4 21. g4) ({or} 20... Nc5 21. Nd2 Nbd7 22. Qa3 $13 { with an unclear position.} (22. Qxd8 Rhxd8 23. b4 Na4 $11)) (20... Re8 $5) 21. Qa3 $1 {A very nice move by Topalov; now the d6-P is under pressure and it is not easy to protect.} Nc8 22. Nd2 (22. c5 $6 {is too early, as} Nxc5 23. Nxc5 dxc5 24. Rxc5 Rxc5 25. Qxc5 Nd6 {and Black has a great blockade on d6.}) 22... Nf6 (22... f5 $5) 23. h3 $1 Re7 24. g4 hxg4 25. fxg4 (25. hxg4 $6 {could have been met by} Rh2 $132) 25... e4 26. g5 Nd7 27. Bg4 e3 28. Qc3+ Kg8 (28... Kh7 $5 {was an interesting alternative.}) 29. Nf3 Ne5 30. Nxe5 Rxe5 31. Re1 ({ Probably} 31. c5 $1 {was stronger} Ne7 (31... e2 32. Re1 Rxd5 33. c6 $1 bxc6 34. Qf6 $1 Qxf6 35. gxf6 Na7 36. Rxe2 $16 {and White is better.}) 32. c6 Qc7 33. Qa3 $36 {and White has a dangerous initiative.}) 31... Nb6 32. Qd4 $1 Nd7 33. Rc3 e2 34. Rc2 Rxg5 $6 {A dubious move, which gives up the important e-file.} (34... b5 {was more accurate} 35. cxb5 axb5 36. Rcxe2 Rxe2 37. Rxe2 Ne5 38. Qf4 $14 {and White is slightly better.}) 35. Bxd7 $1 {Otherwise ...Ne5. } Qxd7 36. Rcxe2 Kh7 37. a3 $1 {A very strong and deep move. White opens an airhole in his back rank and now he is ready for action!} ({The immediate} 37. Re7 {could have been met by} Qf5+ 38. Ka1 b5 {.}) 37... b5 $2 {Loses immediately, but Black's position was already difficult.} (37... Rf8 {was tougher, but} 38. Re7 Qxh3 39. Rxb7 $16 {and White's chances are much better.}) 38. Re7 $1 $18 {The best move, White's pieces are very active, Black has no hope left.} Qf5+ 39. Ka2 Rg8 40. Re8 Qd7 41. R8e7 Qf5 42. R1e4 1-0 [Event "Siemens Giants"] [Site "Frankfurt"] [Date "1999.06.29"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B66"] [WhiteElo "2812"] [BlackElo "2751"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,I"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "1999.06.29"] [EventType "tourn (rapid)"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 072"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 256]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O h6 9. Be3 Be7 10. f3 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 b5 12. Kb1 Bb7 (12... Rb8 13. Qa7 (13. g4 b4 14. Ne2 e5 15. Qd3 Be6 16. h4 Qa5 17. c4 bxc3 18. Nxc3 O-O 19. g5 Rfc8 20. Bd2 Qa3 $17 {0-1 Kiss,G-Jovanovic,S/Budapest FS09 IM 1996 (26)} ) 13... Nd7 14. Bd3 Qa5 15. Ne2 O-O 16. Nd4 Rb7 17. Nc6 Rxa7 18. Nxa5 Rc7 $11) (12... Qa5 13. e5 (13. g4 b4 14. Ne2 e5 15. Qb6 Qxb6 16. Bxb6 Be6 17. Ng3 g6 18. Bd3 Nd7 19. Bf2 Nc5 20. h4 Kf8 21. h5 Bg5 (21... Nxd3 22. Rxd3 a5 $11) 22. Be2 $14 (22. Nf1 $11 {1/2-1/2 Narings,N-Werle,J/Dutch Open, Dieren NED 1997 (57)})) (13. a3 Bb7 14. h4 Rc8 15. Be2 h5 16. e5 dxe5 17. Qxe5 O-O 18. Rd3 Bc6 19. Rhd1 Qc7 20. Qxc7 {1/2-1/2 Dutreeuw,M-David,A/Antwerp BEL 1999 (20)}) 13... dxe5 14. Qxe5 Bb7 15. Bd3 O-O $11 (15... Rc8 16. Bd4 O-O 17. Be4 Bxe4 18. Nxe4 Rfd8 19. Qg3 Ne8 $11 {0-1 Yudasin,L-Greenfeld,A/Rishon le Zion 1996 (31)})) 13. h4 Rc8 (13... d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16. c4 bxc4 17. Bxc4 Qxd4 18. Bxd4 O-O $11 {1/2-1/2 Gipslis,A-Lerner Konstantin Z/Yurmala (Latvia) 1983 (50)}) ( 13... Qa5 14. Qd2 Rc8 15. Bd3 Nd7 16. Qe1 Ne5 17. h5 Qc7 18. Rc1 Bf6 19. Qg3 b4 (19... Nc4 20. Bxc4 Qxc4 21. Qxd6 Bxc3 22. bxc3 Rd8 (22... Qxc3 23. Bd4 Qc6 24. Qxc6+ Rxc6 25. Bxg7 Rg8 26. Bxh6 Rxg2 27. Bf4 $16) 23. Qc5 Rc8 24. Qxc4 Rxc4 25. Rcd1 Ke7 26. Rd3 e5 27. Rhd1 Bc6 28. Bb6 Rc8 29. Kb2 $14) 20. Nd1 Qa5 { 1/2-1/2 Lanka,Z-Varga,P/Cannes 1995 (20)}) 14. Be2 d5 (14... Qa5 15. Bd3 (15. Qa7 Qc7 16. Bd3 Nd7 17. g3 (17. Ne2 Nc5 $19 {[%csl Ra7]}) 17... Bf6 18. Bf4 Bxc3 19. bxc3 e5 20. Bd2 Nc5 $19 {[%csl Ra7]}) 15... b4 16. Qa7 Qc7 17. Na4 $132) 15. exd5 Nxd5 (15... Bxd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Bd3 (17. Qxg7 Bf6 18. Qg3 Rxc2 19. Kxc2 Nxe3+ 20. Kb1 Nxd1 21. Rxd1 Qb6 $11) 17... Bf6 18. Qe4 Qc7 19. Bf2 Nf4 (19... Nc3+ 20. bxc3 Qxc3 21. Kc1 Qb2+ 22. Kd2 Qxa2 23. Ke2 $16) 20. Bg3 Be5 $11) 16. Nxd5 (16. Qxg7 Bf6 $19) 16... Bxd5 17. Qxg7 Bf6 18. Qg4 Bxa2+ $1 $11 19. Kxa2 Qa5+ 20. Kb1 Bxb2 {Lasker's combination.} 21. Kxb2 Qc3+ 22. Ka2 Qxc2+ 23. Ka1 Qc3+ 24. Ka2 Qc2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 16th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1999.02.27"] [Round "6"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B45"] [WhiteElo "2812"] [BlackElo "2694"] [Annotator "Golod,V"] [PlyCount "95"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4 Bb7 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (8... Qc7 $5 {-see comments to Hector,J-Ziegler,A/ Goteborg 1999/CBM 69(1-0)(Golod,V)(37) Besides:8...Qa5;8...f5;8...Qh4;8...Ba6; 8...Be7;8...Qb6;8...c5 and 8...h6-was checked in the previous games.}) 9. Be2 ( {Can be recommended:} 9. c4 $5 Nb4 $1 ({Badly:} 9... Bb4+ {in view of:} 10. Bd2 Qh4 11. Bd3 $1 (11. Qf3 $143 {[%csl Rb7,Re8][%CAl Ge4d6]} f5 12. exf6 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 O-O $1 ({Loses:} 13... Nxf6 $2 14. Nd6+ Ke7 15. Nxb7 Rhb8 16. Qa3+ $18) 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Ng3 (15. Qg3 $2 Qh6+ $15) 15... Rxf6 $44) 11... Ba6 ({ Loses right away:} 11... Ne3 $2 12. Qf3 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Nf5 14. g4 $18 {[%csl Rd6][%CAl Ge4d6]}) 12. g3 $1 (12. Bxb4 $2 Nxb4 13. Nd6+ Ke7 14. Be4 {[%csl Rb4] [%CAl Ga2a3]} Qf4 15. a3 Qxe5 16. axb4 Bxc4 17. Nxc4 Qxe4+ 18. Ne3 Qxb4+ 19. Qd2 $11) 12... Bxd2+ (12... Qd8 $2 13. Be2 $18) 13. Qxd2 Qh5 14. cxd5 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Qxe5 16. O-O cxd5 17. Nc3 {+/-/+-}) ({Also badly:} 9... Qh4 {because of:} 10. Qd4 $1 {[%csl Rd5,Rh4][%CAl Ge4d6,Gg2g3]}) 10. c5 $140 Qh4 11. g4 {[%CAl Gc1g5]} (11. Bd3 $5) 11... Be7 $5 $13 (11... h5 $2 12. Qb3 a5 13. a3 Qxg4 14. f3 $18)) 9... c5 $5 {/^a8-h1,/\Qc7(?e5)} 10. O-O {with the idea c4,Nd6} ({ Worse is:} 10. c4 {in view of:} Ne3 $1 11. Bxe3 Bxe4 12. f3 Bc6 $11) 10... Qc7 11. Nd6+ ({After:} 11. f4 {black has two equals options:} c4 {and} (11... f5)) 11... Bxd6 12. exd6 Qc6 $5 {[%csl Gb7,Gc6,Rg2]} ({Another alternative is:} 12... Qb6) 13. f3 ({Dubious:} 13. Bf3 {because of:} c4) 13... c4 {/\Rc8,Qd6} 14. Qd4 {[%csl Rc4,Rg7]} O-O 15. Bxc4 {with the idea:16.Bb3 and 17.c4} Qxd6 16. Bb3 Qb6 $1 {Black transfers to nearly equal endgame.} 17. Rd1 Rfc8 18. Qxb6 ( 18. c4 $143 Qxd4+ (18... e5 $2 19. Qf2 $1 (19. Qxb6 $143 Nxb6 20. Be3 Nxc4 $14) 19... Qxf2+ 20. Kxf2 Nb6 21. Be3 $16) 19. Rxd4 Nb6 {/\d5=}) 18... Nxb6 { [%mdl 4096] +/=/=} 19. a4 $5 {[%csl Yb6,Rd7][%CAl Ga4a5]} ({Senseless:} 19. Be3 {in view of:} d5 $11 {[%CAl Gb6c4]} (19... Bd5 $2 20. Bxb6 axb6 21. Bxd5 exd5 22. c3 {[%csl Rb6,Rd5,Rd7] +/=/+/-K})) 19... d5 (19... Bd5 $2 {is refuted by:} 20. a5 Nc4 ({Loses:} 20... Bxb3 $2 {because of:} 21. axb6 Bxc2 (21... Rxc2 $143 22. Bf4 $1 {[%CAl Gb6b7]} Bd5 23. Rxd5 exd5 24. b7 $18) 22. Rd2 $1 {[%csl Ra8, Rc2,Rc8][%CAl Gb6b7,Gd2c2]} Rab8 $8 23. bxa7 Ra8 24. Rxd7 $18) 21. Ra4 $1 { /\Rd4(?c4)|^}) 20. a5 Nc4 ({Worse is:} 20... Nd7 21. a6 Bc6 22. Ra5 $14) 21. a6 Bc6 22. Bxc4 $1 {only chance struggle for advantage.} dxc4 23. Be3 {[%csl Ra7]} Bd5 {Black's plan is: Rc6,f6,Kf7} 24. Ra5 Rc6 25. Rda1 {[%csl Ya1]} f6 26. h4 $5 {[%CAl Yh4g5]} ({Also can be recommended:} 26. Rb5 Rd6 (26... Rc7 $5) 27. Raa5 {+/=/=}) 26... Kf7 27. Rb5 Rc7 {[%csl Yc7] /\Rd8} 28. Kf2 Rd8 29. Raa5 Ke7 30. Kg3 ({In my opinion better is:} 30. g4 $5) 30... h5 $5 {[%CAl Yh5g4]} 31. b4 cxb3 $8 32. cxb3 Rg8 $5 {/\g5(?g2)} 33. Rc5 Rd7 34. b4 g5 35. Rc2 $5 { with the idea Rac5,Rc7(?a7)} ({Dubious:} 35. hxg5 fxg5 {/\g4}) 35... g4 36. Kf2 (36. f4 $6 Rb8 $132) 36... g3+ $1 37. Ke1 e5 38. Rd2 (38. b5 Rgd8 $132 { [%csl Re1]} ({Badly:} 38... Rb8 {because of:} 39. b6 $1 axb6 40. a7 Ra8 41. Bxb6 {+/=/+/-})) 38... Rgd8 39. Rc5 Ke6 40. b5 Rb8 $11 {[%csl Rb5]} 41. Rd3 Rbd8 42. Rd2 (42. b6 {-see 44.b6}) 42... Rb8 43. Rd3 Rbd8 44. b6 axb6 45. Rb5 Bc4 $1 ({Worse is:} 45... Bc6 {because of:} 46. Rxd7 Kxd7 ({Badly:} 46... Rxd7 47. Rxb6 Kd6 $8 (47... Rc7 $2 48. a7 $18) (47... Kd5 $2 48. a7 Rxa7 $8 (48... Rd8 49. Rb8 $18) 49. Rxc6 Ra3 (49... Ra1+ 50. Rc1 $18) 50. Bc1 (50. Rc5+ $2 Kd6 51. Bh6 (51. Bc1 Ra2 $1 $14) 51... Ra2 $1 $14) 50... Ra2 51. Rxf6 Rxg2 52. Be3 {+/-/+-}) 48. a7 Rd8 49. Rb8 Kd7 $16) 47. Rxb6 Ra8 48. a7 $1 {+/=/+/-}) 46. Rxb6+ Kf5 47. Rxd7 Rxd7 48. a7 (48. Rc6 Bb5 49. Rb6 Bc4 $11) (48. a7 Rxa7 49. Rxf6+ Kxf6 50. Bxa7 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Hoogovens"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "1999.01.17"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Van Wely, Loek"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2812"] [BlackElo "2636"] [Annotator "Van Wely/Cifuentes"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "1999.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 069"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 O-O 12. Nc2 Bg5 13. a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 a5 (14... Kh8 15. b4 $1) 15. Bb5 $5 Bb7 (15... Ne7 $5) (15... Bd7 16. O-O Rb8 17. Na3 (17. c4 Na7 18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. Rxa5 Rxb2 20. c5 Nc6 21. Ra6 Rfb8 22. Rb6 Bd8 23. Rxb8 Rxb8 24. Nde3 Bc7 25. Nf5 Rd8 26. Qg4 g6 27. Nce3 Kh8 28. Qg5 Qe6 29. Nd5 gxf5 30. Nf6 fxe4 31. g4 Nd4 32. Qh6 Qxf6 33. Qxf6+ Kg8 34. cxd6 Rxd6 35. Qe7 Ne6 36. Rc1 Rd2 37. Qe8+ {1-0 Paraschiv,I-Cusmir,C/cr 1984/FatBase 98 (37)} ) 17... Kh8 18. Qe2 f5 19. f3 fxe4 20. fxe4 Rxf1+ 21. Kxf1 Qe8 22. Kg1 Bd8 23. h3 Ne7 24. c4 Nxd5 25. exd5 Bb6+ 26. Kh1 Rb7 27. Bxd7 Rxd7 28. Nb5 Qf8 29. Ra3 e4 30. Ra1 e3 31. Rf1 Qe8 32. Rf4 h6 33. Qf3 Rd8 34. Re4 Qg6 35. Re6 Qb1+ 36. Kh2 e2 37. Qxe2 Bg1+ 38. Kg3 Rf8 39. h4 Bf2+ 40. Kg4 Qf5# {0-1 Zielinski, M-Pyda,Z/Gdynia POL-ch sf 1987/FatBase 98 (40)}) (15... Na7 16. Bc4 Bd7 17. Ra2 Nc8 18. O-O Nb6 19. Nxb6 Qxb6 20. Bd5 Rac8 21. Na3 Qa6 22. Qf3 Kh8 23. b3 f5 24. Nc4 a4 25. exf5 Rc5 26. Rd1 Rxf5 27. Qg4 e4 28. Qxe4 Qb5 29. Rxa4 h5 30. Ra8+ {1-0 Gufeld,E-Gavrikov,V/URS 1978/FatBase 98 (30)}) 16. Nce3 (16. O-O Kh8 (16... Ne7 17. Bc4 Bc6 18. Ra2 Qb8 19. Nce3 Nxd5 20. Nxd5 Qb7 21. b3 Kh8 22. Qd3 Bd8 23. Rfa1 Rb8 24. b4 axb4 25. Ra7 Qc8 26. Nxb4 Bb6 27. R7a6 f5 28. exf5 Bd7 29. g4 Qc5 30. R1a2 g6 31. Nd5 gxf5 32. Nxb6 Rxb6 33. Rxb6 Qxb6 34. Ra6 Qb8 35. Rxd6 Ba4 36. Ra6 Bb3 37. Bxb3 Qxb3 38. Ra7 Qg8 39. h3 fxg4 40. h4 Ra8 41. Qxh7+ Qxh7 42. Rxa8+ {1-0 Brumm-Hoyer,T/GER-N 1988}) 17. Nce3 Na7 18. Bd3 g6 19. Nc4 Nc6 20. Ncb6 Rb8 21. Qg4 Na7 22. b4 Nc8 23. bxa5 Nxb6 24. Nxb6 Bd2 25. Ra3 f5 26. Qe2 Bh6 27. c4 Bc6 28. Bc2 Rf7 29. Rd1 Bf8 30. c5 Qf6 31. Nc4 dxc5 32. exf5 Re8 33. fxg6 hxg6 34. Rh3+ Rh7 35. Rxh7+ Kxh7 36. Be4 Bb5 37. Rb1 { 1-0 Tiviakov,S-Hansen Sune Berg/it op Groningen NED 1997}) 16... Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Ne7 18. O-O Rb8 (18... d5 $5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Re1 f6 22. h3 Rc8 23. c4 Bc6 24. Qb3 Bxb5 25. cxb5+ Kh8 26. Rea1 Qb6 (26... Qd2 27. Rxa5 Rc1+ 28. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 29. Kh2 Qd2 30. Qa4) 27. Rxa5 Rb8 $14) 19. Qd3 Qb6 20. Bc4 Bc6 ( 20... Rfc8 21. Rd1) 21. Ra2 Rfd8 (21... Qc5 $5) 22. b3 Qc5 (22... Qb7 23. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 24. exd5 Bb5 25. Rxa5 Bxc4 26. bxc4 Rdc8 27. Rfa1 Ra8 $16) 23. Rfa1 Ra8 24. h4 $1 h6 (24... h5 25. Qd1 $1 Bxe4 26. Qxh5 d5 (26... Bg6 27. Qg5 d5 28. b4 Qc7 29. Bb3 d4 30. h5 $40) 27. Qxe5 Ng6 28. Qg5 f6 29. Qg4 dxc4 30. Qxe4 cxb3 31. Qe6+ Kh8 32. Qxb3 Nxh4 33. Ra4 $14 {Kasparov}) 25. h5 Bb7 $6 (25... Rdc8 $5 26. Ng4 (26. Rd1 Rd8) 26... Kf8 27. Rd1 Rd8 28. Rad2 Rab8) 26. Rd1 Bc6 27. Rda1 Bb7 28. Bd5 $1 Bxd5 29. exd5 Rdc8 30. b4 $1 $18 {xNe7} Qxc3 31. Qxc3 Rxc3 32. Rxa5 Rb8 (32... Re8 33. g4 $1) 33. Ra7 $1 Kf8 34. Rd7 Nc8 35. Rd8+ Ke7 36. Rg8 Rxb4 37. Ra8 Kd7 38. Rxg7 (38. g3 $1) 38... Rc1+ 39. Kh2 Rf4 40. Ng4 Ne7 41. Ra7+ Ke8 42. g3 Rf5 43. Rh7 1-0 [Event "Dortmund 44th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2016.07.15"] [Round "5"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2812"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"] [PlyCount "170"] [EventDate "2016.07.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qf3 $5 { One of the most popular ways to fight the Taimanov variation nowadays. Black has a number of options here, like ...Ne5, ...Nf6, ...b5, ...Nxd4, ...d6, etc. Caruana chooses another trendy response:} Bd6 {Intending to place the bishop on e5.} (7... Nf6 8. O-O-O d6 9. Qg3 Bd7 10. Kb1 b5 11. Bxb5 axb5 12. Ndxb5 Qb8 13. Nxd6+ Bxd6 14. Qxd6 Qxd6 15. Rxd6 Ne5 16. Bf4 Ng6 17. Bg3 e5 18. f3 Ke7 19. Rd3 Rhc8 20. b3 h5 21. h4 Be6 22. Kb2 $16 {1-0 (52) Balogh,C (2635)-Bellaiche, A (2499) Biel 2016}) 8. O-O-O Be5 9. g3 $1 {Preparing f4.} Nf6 (9... b5 10. Qe2 Bb7 11. f4 Bxd4 12. Bxd4 Nxd4 13. Rxd4 Qc5 14. Qd2 Bc6 15. Bg2 {White has an easy game and a comfortable advantage already.} b4 16. Nd5 $5 (16. Nd1 $14 { was solid and good, following up with Ne3 and Rd1.}) 16... exd5 17. exd5 Bb5 18. d6 Rc8 $2 (18... Bc6 $1 {exchanging the bishops, with excellent chances to defend the position:} 19. Re1+ Kf8 20. Re5 Qb6) 19. Re1+ Kf8 20. Re5 $44 { 1-0 (69) Sethuraman,S (2639)-Bai,J (2507) Gibraltar 2016}) 10. Qe2 O-O 11. f4 Bxd4 12. Bxd4 Nxd4 13. Rxd4 d6 14. Qd2 (14. Qc4 $5 $146 {looks very good! White tries to make the pressure on d6 even more discomforting for Black.} Qb8 (14... Qxc4 15. Bxc4 b5 (15... Ne8 16. a4 $5 $16) 16. Bd3 Ne8 17. Re1 (17. e5 $5 {is also an option. In any case, White will play a4 and try to attack Black's weakness on a6 and/or advance his own queenside as well.}) 17... e5 18. fxe5 dxe5 19. Rd5 f6 20. Rc5 $1 $16 {preparing a4 (so after ...b4, White has Nd5)}) (14... Qc5 15. Qxc5 dxc5 16. Rd6 b5 17. e5 Bb7 18. Rg1 Ne4 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. Bg2 Bxg2 21. Rxg2 $16 {and after Rgd2, White has a very comfortable endgame and clear targets on the queenside}) 15. Qb4 Ne8 16. Qb6 $5 {Stopping Black's ...b5.} Bd7 17. Be2 Bc6 18. Rhd1 $16) 14... b5 15. a3 Bb7 16. Bg2 Rfd8 17. Rd1 {I think White has achieved a very comfortable position here, but it is not easy to continue improving after Black's next move. And if we compare with the positions after 14.Qc4, without the queens White has a lot more freedom to play a4! Here it would be very dangerous to do something like that.} Ne8 18. Bh3 (18. Bf1 {has also been played already:} Nf6 $2 (18... Rdb8 $1 $132 {- a bizarre move, preparing ...Bc6 and ...a5.}) 19. e5 Nd5 20. exd6 Rxd6 21. Bg2 $16 {1-0 (34) Hansen,E (2580)-Barbosa,E (2438) Montevideo 2015}) 18... Rab8 19. Rd3 Bc6 {Preparing strong counterplay with ...a5 and ...b4.} 20. e5 { Something had to be done in the center.} Qb7 $1 (20... d5 $6 21. Ne2 $1 $16) 21. f5 (21. exd6 a5 $1 22. f5 b4 (22... exf5 $5) 23. fxe6 {has to be tried, but Black's position remains resilient:} bxc3 24. Qxc3 (24. exf7+ Qxf7 25. Qxc3 Be4 $13) 24... fxe6 25. Bxe6+ Kh8 $13) 21... b4 (21... exf5 22. Bxf5 b4 23. axb4 Qxb4 24. b3 $13) 22. axb4 Qxb4 23. b3 {After having created some action on the queenside, Black has to do something against f5, since his attack is hard to continue after b3.} exf5 24. Kb2 (24. Bxf5 {transposes to 21...exf5.}) 24... g6 $6 (24... a5 {would lead the position to a balanced endgame:} 25. Bxf5 (25. exd6 a4 $1 26. Nd5 Qxd2 27. R1xd2 Kf8 $1 28. Bxf5 Rxd6 $11) 25... a4 26. Nd5 (26. Rd4 Qb6 27. Nxa4 Bxa4 28. Rxa4 dxe5 $13) 26... Qxd2 27. R1xd2 Kf8 28. Ne3 axb3 29. cxb3 Ke7 30. Bh3 {threatening Nf5} g6 31. Nc4 dxe5 32. Nxe5 Rxd3 33. Nxc6+ Kd6 34. Rxd3+ Kxc6 $11) 25. Bg2 $1 {Exchanging bishops to prepare Nd5, now White obtains the preferable position.} Bxg2 26. Qxg2 Rdc8 27. Nd5 Qe4 28. Qxe4 fxe4 29. Re3 Kg7 30. Rxe4 dxe5 31. Rxe5 Nd6 32. Ne3 $14 {As usual, Kramnik emerges in a slightly better endgame, with a superior pawn structure and more active pieces!} Rc6 33. Re7 Nf5 $6 {A delicate decision, ruining his own pawn structure.} (33... a5 34. Rd4 $14 {would also be uncomfortable for Black, since his pieces don't have clear squares to go, and the a-pawn could be a problem.}) 34. Nxf5+ gxf5 35. Rd4 Rh6 36. Rf4 (36. Re2 $5 {was another way to play it, keeping his own structure and slowly advancing his queenside (and also his king to a3, a4, etc.)}) 36... Rxh2 37. Rxf5 Rf8 38. Ra7 Rg2 39. Rf3 h5 40. b4 $6 {The 40th move! Kramnik needed to be more prophylactic before starting to push his pawns. He was probably in time trouble and chose a more obvious continuation.} (40. Rc3 $1 Kh6 41. Rxa6+ Kg5 {Black has some counterplay, but I feel White has great winning chances with the proper advance of the queenside pawns:} 42. Rac6 f5 43. b4 $16) 40... Rc8 $1 41. Rfxf7+ Kh6 $6 (41... Kg6 $1 {keeping an eye on the f7-rook to avoid Rxa6+.} 42. Rfc7 Rxc7 43. Rxc7 Rxg3 44. Rc6+ Kg5 45. Rxa6 h4 46. Ra8 h3 47. Rh8 Kf4 48. b5 Ke4 $1 {A very important resource! Black wants to play ...Kd4, and if c3 now .. .Rg5!, which is not possible had the black king moved to e5 directly on move 48.} (48... Ke5 $2 49. c3 $1 Kd5 50. Kb3 Kc5 51. Rh5+ Kb6 52. Kb4 $18) 49. Rh6 (49. c3 Rg5) 49... Kd5 50. b6 Rg7 51. Rxh3 Kc6 {reaching a theoretical drawn endgame. For example:} 52. Rh6+ Kb5 53. Kb3 Kc5 54. Ka4 Rg1 $1 $11 {the only move to avoid Ka5.}) 42. Rxa6+ (42. Rfc7 $2 Rxc7 43. Rxc7 Rxg3 44. Rc6+ Rg6 $11 {Probably because of this Caruana played ...Kh6, so that he would have ...Rg6 in this variation.} (44... Kg5 $11 {would be a lot more complicated, but it's also a draw, as analysed in the line with 41...Kg6.})) 42... Kg5 43. Ra5+ Kg6 44. Rf3 Rcxc2+ 45. Kb3 Rb2+ 46. Ka4 Ra2+ 47. Kb5 Rae2 48. Ra6+ (48. Rd3 $1 { Preparing Kc6 and then use the d3-rook as a shield for the checks.} Rc2 49. Kb6 $18 {and Black is helpless against the advance of the b-pawn.}) 48... Kg5 49. Rc6 Kg4 50. Rfc3 Re5+ 51. Kb6 Rb2 $1 52. R6c4+ Kf5 53. Rf4+ Kg5 54. Rd4 Kf5 55. Kc6 Re6+ 56. Kd7 Rb6 57. Rc5+ $2 (57. g4+ $3 {a counter-intuitive winning move, and a very difficult one! White exchanges the last two pawns on the kingside and forces a winning endgame.} hxg4 58. Rc5+ Kf6 59. Rf4+ $1 {This is the key, the g-pawn can be taken with check.} Kg6 60. Rxg4+ {It is funny that any king move here runs into a forced exchange:} Kf6 (60... Kf7 61. Rf5+ Rf6 62. Rxf6+ Kxf6 63. Kc6 $18) (60... Kh7 61. Rh5+ Rh6 62. Rxh6+ Kxh6 63. Kc6 $18) 61. Rc6+ Rxc6 62. Kxc6 $18) 57... Kg6 {Now White cannot win the game anymore.} 58. Rc6+ Rxc6 59. Kxc6 Rb3 $1 {With both pawns on the kingside still alive, Black has this strong counterplay, securing him a very difficult half point.} 60. b5 (60. g4 {doesn't win anymore:} h4 $1 $11) 60... Rc3+ 61. Kd6 Rxg3 $11 62. b6 (62. Rb4 {doesn't change anything:} Rd3+ 63. Kc7 Rc3+ 64. Kb8 Kg5 65. b6 h4 66. b7 h3 $11) 62... Rb3 63. Kc6 Kg5 64. Rd5+ Kg4 65. Rb5 Rc3+ 66. Kd7 Rd3+ 67. Ke7 Re3+ 68. Kf7 Rf3+ 69. Kg6 h4 $1 70. b7 Rf8 71. Rg5+ (71. b8=Q Rxb8 72. Rxb8 h3 73. Rb4+ Kg3 74. Kg5 h2 75. Rb3+ Kg2 $11) 71... Kh3 (71... Kf4 $4 72. Rf5+ Rxf5 73. b8=Q+ $18) 72. Rb5 Kg2 73. Rg5+ Kh3 74. Rb5 Kg2 75. Kh5 h3 76. Rb2+ Kg1 77. Rb1+ Kg2 78. Rb2+ Kg1 79. Kg4 h2 80. Rb1+ Kg2 81. Rb2+ Kg1 82. b8=Q Rxb8 83. Rxb8 h1=Q 84. Rb1+ Kg2 85. Rxh1 Kxh1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge 4th"] [Site "Zuerich"] [Date "2015.02.14"] [Round "1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2811"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Pavlovic,M"] [PlyCount "82"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 {A popular line nowadays, played by Bobby Fischer on a very few occasions a long time ago, has now resurfaced again. I guess that 6.Bg5 is in crisis as well as 6.Be3, otherwise I don't really see why would anybody would play such a passive move with White.} e5 7. Nde2 h5 {A very popular line, it is a direct attempt to stop a g4 expansion or Ng3.} 8. g3 Nbd7 9. Bg5 Be7 10. a4 Nc5 $5 {I can't say if this is new or not. In today's chess with so many games played every day it is difficult to draw a line as to what is new and what is not.} (10... b6 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. O-O O-O 13. Qd2 Rc8 14. Rfd1 Re8 15. Qe3 Rc4 16. b3 Rc5 17. Rd3 Qc7 18. Rad1 Qc6 19. h4 b5 20. axb5 axb5 21. Bh3 Bf8 22. Bxd7 Nxd7 23. Qf3 Qc8 { 1/2-1/2 (53) Shirov,A (2675)-Oparin,G (2543) Moscow (rapid) 2014; with a complicated struggle ahead of us.}) 11. Bg2 Be6 12. a5 b5 (12... O-O 13. g4 $5 {Although interesting, there is no real need for this; White can play 13.0-0 and transpose to the game.} b5 14. axb6 hxg4 15. b7 Rb8 16. Ng3 Qb6 17. hxg4 Qxb2 18. Bd2 Bxg4 19. f3 Be6 20. Rb1 Qa3 21. Rh2 $13 {1-0 (34) Romm,M-Dolin,B corr. 2014}) 13. axb6 Qxb6 14. b3 O-O 15. O-O a5 16. Qd2 Rfc8 17. Rfd1 a4 { An intuitive pawn sacrifice, there are interesting computer generated ideas as an option:} (17... Rc6 18. Ra3 Rac8 19. Rda1 Ncxe4 $5 20. Nxe4 Rxc2 21. Qd3 Nxe4 22. Be3 Nxf2 23. Kxf2 Qd8 24. Rxa5 Bf8 25. R5a2 Rxa2 26. Rxa2 d5 27. Kg1 d4 28. Bd2 Qb6 $44) ({A logical attempt is} 17... Qb4 $5 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Qxd6 Rd8 20. Qc6 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Rc8 22. Qb5 Qxb5 23. Nxb5 a4 24. bxa4 Nxa4 25. Rc1 Be7 $11) 18. bxa4 Bc4 19. a5 $1 $14 {White has an initiative: the black pawn sacrifice didn't fully pay off and White is gaining momentum.} Qd8 (19... Rxa5 20. Bxf6 Rxa1 21. Bxe7 Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1 $16) 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Qxd6 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 Nb7 23. Rd2 Rxa5 {Black should have considered an alternative to be played sooner or later:} (23... h4 $5 24. Nd5 Rxa5 25. Rxa5 Nxa5 26. Nxf6+ gxf6 27. Nc3 Be6 28. Nd5 Bxd5 29. exd5 Nc4 30. Rd3 Nd6 31. Rb3 hxg3 32. fxg3 Rxc2 33. Rb6 Rc1+ 34. Kh2 Nf5 {Black has good counterplay in this endgame.}) 24. Rb1 Nc5 25. Nd5 Bd8 26. h4 $1 Ra3 27. Nec3 Rca8 28. Rdd1 Ba5 {Black has accumulated all his forces on the queenside but still that won't be enough.} 29. Nb5 Ra2 30. Bf3 g6 31. Ne7+ (31. Nd6 $1 Bxd5 32. Rxd5 Rxc2 33. Ra1 {with an unpleasant position for Black.}) 31... Kg7 32. Nc6 Na4 33. Nd6 Be6 34. Rb7 Rxc2 35. Nxe5 $2 {A serious mistake after which White loses the thread in the game.} (35. Nxf7 $1 Nc5 (35... Bxf7 36. Nxe5 Rc7 37. Rxc7 Bxc7 38. Nxf7 $16) 36. Rb5 Bxf7 37. Rxa5 Rxa5 38. Nxa5 {White is a pawn up.}) 35... Nc5 36. Re7 Kf8 {The rook is trapped now, the position has changed dramatically in Black's favour.} 37. Nc6 (37. Rxf7+ Bxf7 38. Ndxf7 Bc7 39. Nd6 Kg7 40. Ndc4 Raa2 41. Rd5 Bb8 42. Rxc5 Bxe5 43. Rxe5 Rxc4 44. Rg5 Rcc2 45. Bxh5 Rxf2 $17) 37... Nb3 38. e5 Bb6 39. Rb7 $2 {A big mistake but a logical one; previous moves had been played to save the rook and not to sac it so Rb7 is consequently played, unfortunately for White it just loses.} Bxf2+ 40. Kg2 Bc5+ 41. Kh1 Raa2 0-1 [Event "Dortmund 44th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2016.07.09"] [Round "1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2810"] [BlackElo "2798"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2016.07.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 {Another installment of the ongoing theoretical fight between Caruana and MVL in the Najdorf.} ({ Another battling ground was the} 6. h3 e5 7. Nde2 h5 {line: Caruana failed to make any inroads after the standard} 8. g3 (8. Ng1 {is an original idea, which has been tested mostly with shorter time controls. White has been scoring heavily here, but the knight manoeuvre looks too artificial:} b5 9. Nf3 Bb7 10. Ng5 Be7 (10... b4 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. Bc4 $1 Nf6 (12... Nf4 13. Nxf7 Qc7 14. Bb3 $44) 13. Bxf7+ (13. Nxf7 Qc7 14. Bb3 Rg8 $13) 13... Ke7 14. O-O Nc6 15. a3 a5 16. Be3 g6 17. Bxg6 Rg8 18. Bf5 Bc8 19. axb4 Bxf5 20. exf5 axb4 { Nepomniachtchi,I (2714)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2758) Beijing blitz 2014} 21. Qd3 $5 $36 {[%CAl Yf2f4]}) 11. Qf3 (11. a3 $142 $13 {Bosch}) 11... Nbd7 (11... Nc6 $5 12. Be3 Nd4 13. Bxd4 exd4 14. Nb1 {Narayanan,S (2464)-Marek,M (2326) Pardubice 2015} O-O 15. Bd3 Nd7 $17) 12. a4 b4 13. Nd5 O-O 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Bd3 Nc5 16. O-O d5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Qg3 Nxd3 19. cxd3 Nd7 20. Qh4 f6 21. Ne4 Qf7 22. f3 Bxe4 23. dxe4 Nc5 $15 {Svidler,P (2727)-Sasikiran,K (2639) Berlin rpd 2015}) 8... Be6 9. Bg2 b5 (9... Nbd7 10. a4 Be7 11. O-O Rc8 12. Be3 Nb6 13. b3 d5 $5 14. Bxb6 Qxb6 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Bd7 17. c4 Qd6 18. a5 f5 19. Qd3 h4 $44 { Caruana,F (2820)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2757) Wijk aan Zee 2015 This positional sacrifice brought Black a resounding victory - see the notes by MVL himself in CBM 165.} 20. Rab1 e4 21. Qd4 Bf6 22. Qe3 hxg3 23. fxg3 Qc5 24. Qxc5 Rxc5 25. Rbc1 Rxa5 26. c5 {Niegsch,N (2096)-Kramer,J (2254) Willingen 2015} Bb5 $36) 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Be3 (11. a4 $5 b4 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 Bf5 14. Bd2 Rb8 15. Qe1 Be7 16. Bxb4 Qb6 17. c3 Nc5 18. a5 Qb5 19. Bxc5 {Saric,I (2680)-Duda,J (2599) Doha 2014} Qxc5 20. b4 Qa7 $44 {For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 164 by Havasi.}) 11... Be7 12. Nd5 (12. f4 Rc8 13. b3 Nc5 14. f5 Bd7 15. Bg5 Qb6 16. Kh1 Bc6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. h4 Qb7 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Bd8 21. Qe1 Kf8 22. Rc1 Nd7 23. Qb4 Qb6 24. a4 bxa4 25. Qxa4 Nf6 26. c4 a5 $15 {Nigmatov,O (2330)-Lu,S (2614) Tashkent 2016}) 12... Nxd5 13. exd5 Bf5 14. f4 Qc8 15. Rc1 O-O 16. b3 exf4 17. Bxf4 Qc5+ 18. Nd4 Bf6 19. Be3 Rfe8 $5 20. Nxf5 Rxe3 21. Kh1 Re5 22. c4 b4 23. Qxh5 g6 24. Qg4 Rxf5 25. Rxf5 Ne5 26. Rxe5 Bxe5 27. Rf1 Qd4 $11 {[%csl Ge5,Rg2] ^-, Caruana,F (2805)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2723) Stavanger 2015}) ({Fabiano goes for the English attack, but wants to avoid} 6. Be3 Ng4 { Maxime plays this with success, one recent example went} 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h4 (10. h3 {is far more popular and principled}) 10... Nc6 11. Nxc6 (11. Nb3 gxh4 12. Rxh4 h5 $13) 11... bxc6 12. Bc4 Qa5 13. Qf3 Ne5 $5 $146 ( 13... Be6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Qxg4 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 Qxc3+ 17. Ke2 Qc4+ 18. Kd2 Qd4+ {½, Ivanchuk,V (2731)-Dominguez Perez,L (2754) Beijing blitz 2013}) 14. Bxe5 Qxe5 15. Bxf7+ Kd8 16. hxg5 Rb8 17. Bb3 (17. Nd1 Qxg5 18. Qh5 Qxg2 19. Qa5+ Kd7 20. Be6+ Ke8 21. Qh5+ Kd8 $11) 17... Rf8 18. Qe3 Qxg5 19. Qxg5 hxg5 $44 20. f3 $6 (20. Nd1 Be5 21. c3 Rf4 $44) 20... g4 21. Ke2 a5 22. Na4 Ba6+ 23. c4 $2 (23. Ke3 c5 $36) 23... Rb4 24. Rac1 gxf3+ 25. gxf3 Bd4 26. Rc2 c5 27. Rh2 Rg8 28. Rc1 Bc8 29. Nc3 Be6 $17 {Vallejo Pons,F (2684)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2765) EU-chT Reykjavik 2015}) 6... e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 {At this branching point Vachier Lagrave always preferred the text-move.} ({Contrary to e.g. Topalov, Gelfand, Dominguez, Wojtaszek etc., who have often essayed} 8... h5 {This line still remains popular:} 9. Qd2 (9. Nd5 Bxd5 10. exd5 Nbd7 11. c4 ({Less committal is} 11. Qd2 $142 g6 {, transposing to the main line.}) 11... a5 $1 12. Be2 a4 13. Nd2 g6 14. Nb1 Bh6 15. Bxh6 Rxh6 16. Nc3 Qb6 17. Qd2 Rh8 18. O-O-O Kf8 19. g4 hxg4 20. fxg4 a3 21. b3 Rh3 22. g5 Rxc3+ 23. Qxc3 Ne4 $15 { Shirov,A (2684)-Giri,A (2798) Zuerich blitz 2016}) 9... Nbd7 10. Nd5 (10. a4 Be7 11. Be2 Nb6 12. O-O Rc8 13. Rfd1 O-O 14. a5 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Rxc4 16. Nc1 Qc8 17. N1e2 Rd8 18. Bg5 Qc7 19. Kh1 b5 20. axb6 Qxb6 21. b3 Rc6 22. Qd3 Rdc8 $132 {Salgado Lopez,I (2618)-Ponomariov,R (2715) Gjakova 2016}) 10... Bxd5 11. exd5 g6 {Recently Black has had more problems after} 12. O-O-O {, but the reputation of the line remains OK:} (12. Be2 Bg7 13. O-O b6 14. c4 (14. a4 O-O 15. c3 Nh7 16. a5 b5 17. Nc1 Bf6 18. Nd3 Bg5 19. Nb4 f5 20. Nc6 Qf6 21. b4 Bxe3+ 22. Qxe3 h4 23. c4 bxc4 24. Bxc4 h3 25. g3 f4 26. Qe2 Ng5 27. Kh1 Rae8 $132 {[%CAl Re5e4] Caruana,F (2804)-Giri,A (2782) Paris blitz 2016}) 14... O-O 15. Rae1 (15. Rac1 Re8 16. Rc2 h4 17. Bg5 h3 18. g3 a5 19. Be3 Nc5 20. Qd1 Nxb3 21. axb3 Nd7 22. Re1 Nc5 $11 {Inarkiev,E (2660)-Areshchenko,A (2661) Germany 2016}) 15... Re8 (15... Rc8 16. Kh1 a5 17. Bg5 Qc7 18. Na1 e4 19. Nc2 exf3 20. gxf3 Ne5 21. b3 Qd7 22. Nd4 Rfe8 23. Nb5 Nh7 24. Be3 Rb8 25. Bd1 Nf6 26. Bc2 $36 {Ponomariov,R (2712)-Wojtaszek,R (2727) Huaian rpd 2016}) 16. h3 a5 17. Na1 b5 18. c5 (18. cxb5 Nb6 19. Bg5 $5 Nbxd5 $13) 18... Qb8 $1 19. cxd6 Rd8 (19... e4 $5 $132) 20. Rc1 Nb6 21. Bxb5 (21. Bc5 $142 Nbxd5 22. a4 bxa4 23. Bc4 Rxd6 24. Bxd6 Qxd6 $44) 21... Nbxd5 22. Bc6 Nxe3 23. Qxe3 Ra6 24. d7 Nxd7 25. Bxd7 Rxd7 26. Nb3 Rad6 $15 {Bacrot,E (2695)-Areshchenko,A (2654) Ajaccio 2016}) 12... Nb6 13. Qa5 (13. c4 $146 Rc8 14. Na5 Nbxd5 15. Bg5 b6 16. Nb7 Qc7 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 (17... Bh6 $5 18. Bg5 Bxg5 19. Qxg5 Qxb7 20. Kb1 Qe7 21. Qxe7+ Nxe7 22. Rxd6 Rc6 $11) 18. Nxd6+ Bxd6 19. Qxd6 Nd7 20. Be2 a5 21. b3 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 Ke7 23. Rhd1 Rc7 24. Kb2 Rb8 25. R6d5 Ke6 26. Rd6+ Ke7 27. R6d5 Ke6 28. a3 Nf6 29. Rd6+ Ke7 30. R6d2 {Dominguez Perez,L (2713)-Ponomariov,R (2706) Dortmund 2016} Rd7 $11) 13... Bh6 14. Bxh6 Rxh6 15. g3 Kf8 16. Kb1 Kg7 17. Be2 Rh8 18. c4 Rc8 19. Rc1 Nfd7 ({Contrary to previous examples White didn't play Qb4 and left his queen on a5. A possible improvement might be} 19... Nbd7 $5 $11) 20. Rhd1 Rc7 (20... Nc5 21. Nd2 $5) 21. Qa3 Nc8 22. Nd2 Nf6 (22... Qe7 $142 $5) 23. h3 Re7 24. g4 $1 hxg4 25. fxg4 e4 26. g5 Nd7 27. Bg4 e3 28. Qc3+ {Topalov,V (2813)-Wojtaszek,R (2734) Skopje 2015} Kh7 $1 29. Nf3 Rhe8 30. h4 $14) 9. Qd2 O-O (9... Nbd7 10. O-O-O b5 11. g4 {leads to another crossroads: After} b4 ( 11... O-O {tranposes back into the game.}) (11... Nb6 {is a specialty of Ian Nepomniachtchi, as mentioned least year in the notes to Carlsen-So:} 12. g5 ( 12. Qf2 Nfd7 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. exd5 Nc4 15. Kb1 a5 16. Nd2 Qc7 17. h4 a4 18. a3 O-O 19. Bd3 Nf6 20. Be4 b4 21. axb4 Rfb8 22. Nxc4 Qxc4 23. Bd2 Nxe4 24. fxe4 Qxe4 25. Rhf1 Qxd5 $17 {Sevian,S (2573)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2705) Ashdod rpd 2015 }) 12... Nh5 13. Na5 (13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bd7 15. Na5 Qc7 16. Kb1 O-O 17. Rg1 g6 18. c4 f6 19. Rc1 Bf5+ 20. Ka1 Bd8 21. Nc6 fxg5 22. cxb5 $146 (22. Nxd8 Qxd8 23. Bxg5 Qd7 24. h4 Rac8 25. Be2 Nf4 26. Bxf4 exf4 27. h5 Rfe8 28. hxg6 hxg6 29. Bd3 bxc4 30. Bxc4 Re3 $132 {Horvat,M (2423)-Granski,M (2507) email 2012}) 22... axb5 23. Bxb5 Nf4 24. Nxd8 Qxd8 25. Rc6 Qe7 26. Bc4 Kh8 27. Qb4 Rfd8 28. Bb6 Rd7 29. a4 Qf7 30. Qb5 Rb7 31. a5 Bd7 32. Rc1 Rbb8 33. Ba2 Qf5 {Dominguez Perez,L (2732)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2703) Sochi 2016} 34. Qc4 $13) 13... Qc7 14. Kb1 O-O 15. Rg1 b4 ({Ian possibly forgot the game} 15... d5 $1 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Qf2 Nf4 19. Nb3 Qc6 20. Bxf4 exf4 21. Bd3 g6 $11 {/=/+, Nepomniachtchi,I (2624)-Sjugirov,S (2588) Dagomys 2009}) 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Qxa5 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. Bh3 Nf4 20. Bxf4 Rxf4 21. Bxe6+ Kh8 22. Qe2 Raf8 23. Bd5 g6 24. Qe1 Qc5 25. Be4 $14 {Ponomariov,R (2706)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2719) Almaty blitz 2016}) 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nb6 14. f4 (14. Na5 Nbxd5 15. Nc4 $5 $44 { Carlsen,M (2853)-So,W (2779) Saint Louis 2015 We have already mentioned this game above, for detailed notes see CBM 168.}) 14... Nfxd5 15. Bxb6 Nxb6 16. Qxb4 {Black also has} d5 $5 ({Last year we analysed only} 16... Qc7 {and}) ( 16... O-O 17. fxe5 a5 $5 $44) 17. Qc3 (17. Qa5 e4 18. c4 O-O 19. c5 Nd7 20. Qxd8 Rfxd8 21. Rxd5 Nxc5 22. Rxd8+ (22. Rxc5 Bxc5 23. Nxc5 Rac8 24. b4 a5 25. a3 axb4 26. axb4 Rb8 27. Na6 Rbc8+ $11) 22... Rxd8 23. Nxc5 Bxc5 24. Bxa6 Be3+ 25. Kc2 Rd2+ 26. Kc3 Rf2 27. f5 h5 $11 {Hall,R (2640)-Van der Hoeven,D (2629) email 2012}) 17... Rc8 18. Qxe5 O-O 19. Qe3 Qc7 20. c3 a5 21. Kb1 (21. Nd4 Bd6 $11) 21... a4 22. Nd4 a3 (22... Bc5 $5 $44) 23. b3 Qxc3 24. Qxc3 Rxc3 25. Bg2 Re8 26. Rhe1 Kf8 27. g5 Bb4 28. Rxe8+ Kxe8 29. Nb5 Re3 $132 {½, Petukhov,V (2150)-Kaan,J (2142) email 2014}) 10. O-O-O Nbd7 (10... a5 11. a4 Na6 12. g4 Nb4 13. Kb1 Qc7 14. g5 Nh5 15. Bb5 Rac8 16. Rhg1 f5 17. gxf6 Nxf6 18. Qg2 Nh5 19. Nc1 Bf6 20. Nd3 Nxd3 21. Rxd3 Nf4 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. Rxd5 Be5 25. c3 Rf6 26. Qf2 b6 27. Ba6 Rb8 28. Bd3 $14 {Topalov,V (2772)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2768) Saint Louis 2014 See the notes to this game in CBM 162 by Havasi. Afterwards MVL abandoned the line with 10...a5.}) 11. g4 b5 12. h4 { Caruana tries a new approach.} ({Earlier in blitz he went for} 12. a3 Nb6 13. Na5 Rc8 14. g5 (14. Kb1 Qc7 (14... d5 $1 15. Nb7 Qd7 16. Bxb6 d4 $40) 15. g5 Nh5 16. h4 Ng3 17. Rh2 (17. Rg1 Nxf1 18. Rgxf1 f6 19. gxf6 Rxf6 20. Bg5 Rg6 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxe7 Qxe7 23. Rxf4 $14 {Demchenko,A (2589)-Najer,E (2681) Gjakova 2016}) 17... Nxf1 18. Rxf1 Rfd8 19. Bxb6 Qxb6 20. Nd5 Qa7 21. h5 $36 Bf8 22. h6 g6 23. f4 Bxd5 24. exd5 Re8 25. Nc6 Qd7 26. fxe5 dxe5 27. Rhf2 e4 28. Rxf7 e3 29. Qe2 Qxf7 30. Rxf7 Kxf7 {Caruana,F (2795)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2788) chess. com INT blitz 2016} 31. Qf3+ Kg8 32. d6 e2 33. Qb3+ Kh8 34. Qc3+ Kg8 35. Ne7+ Rxe7 36. dxe7 Rxc3 37. e8=Q $18) 14... Nh5 15. Kb1 $142 (15. h4 Ng3 16. Rh2 Nxf1 (16... d5 $5) (16... Na4 $1 {/\} 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Nc3 $17) 17. Rxf1 b4 18. axb4 d5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Nxd5 {Caruana,F (2795)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2788) chess.com INT blitz 2016} Qxd5 21. Qxd5 Bxd5 22. Rd2 Ba8 $11) 15... g6 ( 15... Qc7 16. h4 {- 14.Kb1}) 16. h4 Ng3 17. Rh2 Nxf1 18. Rxf1 Na4 19. Nxa4 bxa4 20. Rd1 Qc7 21. h5 d5 22. exd5 Bxd5 23. hxg6 Be6 24. Rdh1 Bf5 25. gxh7+ Kh8 26. Qd5 (26. Qe1 Rfd8 27. Bb6 Bxc2+ 28. Ka1 Qxb6 29. Qxe5+ Bf6 30. gxf6 Qd4 $132 { ½, Efremov,A (2541)-Riccio,E (2606) email 2011}) 26... Be6 27. Qb7 Qxb7 28. Nxb7 Rc7 {½, Wuerschner,M (2438)-Jensen,E (2501) email 2013} 29. Na5 Rb8 $44) ({Black holds the balance in the more forcing line} 12. g5 b4 {and now: There are no important new developments after} 13. Ne2 (13. Na4 Nh5 14. Qxb4 d5 15. Qa5 Qxa5 $5 (15... Bxg5 16. Bxg5 Qxg5+ 17. Kb1 dxe4 18. Nd4 Qf6 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. fxe4 Ndf6 21. b3 (21. Nc3 $5) 21... Nxe4 22. Bc4 Qf5 23. Rhf1 Nf4 24. Bd3 Qg6 25. Rg1 Qf5 26. Rgf1 Qg6 27. Rg1 Qf5 28. Rgf1 {½, Dominguez Perez,L (2734) -Vachier Lagrave,M (2754) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015 For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 167 by Ftacnik.}) 16. Nxa5 d4 17. Bd2 Bxa2 18. Nc6 (18. Bh3 Be6 19. Bg4 g6 20. Bxh5 gxh5 21. Nc6 Bd6 22. Bb4 Bxb4 23. Nxb4 Rfc8 24. Nd3 { Manole,G-Secrieru,I email 2005} Bc4 $132) 18... Bd6 19. Nc3 Be6 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. exd5 Nb6 22. f4 e4 23. Ba5 Nxd5 24. Rxd4 Rfc8 25. Ne5 Nhxf4 26. Nc4 Be7 27. Bd2 Re8 28. Rxe4 Bxg5 $11 {Inarkiev,E (2686)-Wojtaszek,R (2722) Gjakova 2016}) 13... Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 a4 16. fxe6 axb3 17. cxb3 (17. exf7+ Rxf7 18. cxb3 Rxa2 19. Ng3 Rxf1 20. Rhxf1 Ra1+ 21. Kc2 Qc8+ 22. Kd3 Qa6+ 23. Kc2 Qc6+ $11 { Lu Shanglei (2619)-Wen,Y (2614) Xinghua 2016}) 17... fxe6 18. Ng3 $6 ({The main line} 18. Bh3 $142 Rxa2 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Ng3 Nc7 {is still considered tenable - see Radjabov-Vachier Lagrave, Tashkent 2014.}) 18... Rf3 19. Kb1 Qa5 20. Bc4 Bxg5 (20... d5 $1 21. exd5 Nb6 $40) 21. a4 Nc5 22. Nf5 {½, Hracek,Z (2613)-Ragger,M (2695) Germany 2015 Now the position is not so clear anymore after} Nxa4 (22... Bxe3 23. Nxe3 Kh8 $5 $15) 23. Bxg5 Nc3+ 24. Kc2 Nxe4 25. Ra1 Nxd2 26. Rxa5 Rxa5 27. Bxe6+ Kh8 28. Bxd2 $13) ({Similar to 12.a3 is} 12. Rg1 Nb6 13. Na5 Rc8 14. g5 Nh5 15. Kb1 g6 (15... Qc7 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Qxa5 19. Bd3 g6 20. c4 (20. Rg4 $5 $44) 20... Nf4 21. Bxf4 exf4 22. cxb5 axb5 23. Qxb5 Qa7 24. Be4 Rc7 25. Bd5 Qf2 26. Qb3 Qxh2 27. a4 Qf2 28. Rc1 Ra7 $132 {Caruana,F (2844)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2757) Tashkent 2014 For details see the notes to this game in CBM 163 by Ftacnik.}) 16. a3 Qc7 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bd7 19. h4 (19. Bd3 Bd8 20. Nc6 Bxc6 21. dxc6 d5 22. c3 Qxc6 23. Bc2 d4 24. cxd4 {Dominguez Perez,L (2726)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2758) Beijing rpd 2014} Bb6 $1 25. Be4 Qd6 $11) 19... Bd8 20. Nc6 Bxc6 21. dxc6 Qxc6 22. Bh3 Rc7 23. Qxd6 Qxc2+ 24. Ka1 Nf4 25. Bg4 b4 26. Rc1 Qb3 27. Bxf4 exf4 28. Rxc7 bxa3 29. Rg2 Bxc7 30. Qxc7 Rb8 {Saric,I (2666)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2757) Wijk aan Zee 2015} 31. Qc1 axb2+ 32. Rxb2 Qa4+ 33. Ra2 Qd4+ 34. Rb2 $11) 12... Nb6 13. Qf2 ( 13. Bxb6 $6 Qxb6 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 a5 16. Kb1 a4 17. Nc1 b4 18. h5 h6 19. Bc4 Nd7 20. Nd3 Rab8 21. Rhe1 Bg5 22. Qf2 Qa5 23. Nc1 Nb6 24. Re4 Rfc8 $40 { Nosov,M (2169)-Borovikov,V (2584) Alushta 2009}) (13. g5 Nh5 14. Na5 $5 (14. Qf2 Nc4 15. Bxc4 bxc4 16. Nc5 Qc7 17. N5a4 Rab8 18. Nb6 Nf4 19. Bxf4 Rxb6 20. Be3 Rb7 21. Kb1 Rfb8 22. Bc1 Qa5 23. Qd2 Rb4 24. Ka1 Qb6 25. Nd5 Bxd5 26. c3 Ra4 27. exd5 Qb3 {0-1 (27) Rizouk,A (2493)-Iotov,V (2417) Padron 2004}) 14... Rc8 (14... b4 $6 15. Nc6 bxc3 16. Qxc3) 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Bd7 17. Rg1 g6 18. Kb1 Qc7 19. c4 Bd8 20. Nc6 Bxc6 21. dxc6 Qxc6 22. cxb5 axb5 23. Bh3 Rc7 24. Bg4 Be7 25. Rc1 Qb7 26. Rxc7 Qxc7 27. Rc1 Qb7 28. Qc2 Qd5 29. Rd1 {½, Chacon, P (2537)-Dothan,Y (2589) email 2007}) ({Too slow is} 13. h5 $6 b4 14. Nb1 a5 15. g5 Nfd7 16. g6 h6 17. gxf7+ Rxf7 18. Rg1 Kh8 $36 {/\} 19. Bxh6 Bxb3 $17) 13... Rb8 (13... Nc4 14. Bxc4 bxc4 15. Nc5 Qc7 16. N5a4 Rab8 17. h5 Qc6 18. Nb6 Bd8 19. g5 Ne8 20. Nbd5 f5 $14 {/<=>, Szalanczy,E (2420)-Vaulin,A (2520) Kecskemet 1992}) ({A more usual reaction is the immediate} 13... Nfd7 14. Kb1 ( 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 Nc4 16. Bd3 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Qb6 18. Qe2 (18. Qxb6 Nxb6 19. Na5 Rac8 20. Be4 g6 21. Nc6 Bd8 22. g5 Nd7 23. c3 Kg7 24. Rhg1 f5 25. gxf6+ Nxf6 $15 {Shabalov,A (2595)-Naiditsch,A (2657) Moscow 2006}) 18... a5 19. Nd2 Nc5 20. Ne4 a4 21. Kb1 a3 22. b3 Rfc8 23. Bxb5 Nxe4 24. fxe4 Rc3 25. Bc6 Rb8 26. Rd3 Rxd3 27. Qxd3 Bxh4 28. Rf1 Bg5 29. c3 g6 30. Kc2 Kg7 $11 {Perelshteyn, E (2601)-Sevillano,E (2548) Reno 2006}) 14... Qc7 (14... Nc4 15. Bxc4 bxc4 16. Nc1 Qc7 17. N1e2 Rfb8 18. Ka1 a5 19. Ng3 a4 20. a3 Qb7 21. Rb1 d5 22. Nf5 Bf8 23. exd5 Bxd5 24. Rhd1 $14 {Santana Penate,G (2590)-Ajoy,M (2328) email 2007}) 15. Nd5 (15. g5 b4 $1 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bf5 18. Bd3 Bxd3 19. cxd3 a5 20. Rc1 Qb7 21. Rc6 a4 22. Nd2 Qb5 23. Qe2 b3 24. a3 Qxd5 $17 {Svidler, P (2713) -Kasparov,G (2812) Wijk aan Zee blitz 1999}) 15... Bxd5 16. exd5 Nc4 17. Bd3 a5 18. Bg5 Ndb6 19. Qe1 Rfb8 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. Nd4 Qf6 22. Nc6 e4 23. Bxc4 Nxc4 24. Rd4 e3 25. g5 Qxf3 26. Nxb8 Rxb8 $44 {Manso Gil,A (2301) -Benlloch Guirau, A (2382) email 2007}) 14. g5 (14. Kb1 Qc7 15. g5 Nh5 16. Bh3 b4 17. Ne2 Bxh3 18. Rxh3 {Aroshidze,L (2230)-Gashimov,V (2370) Baku 1999} Rfc8 19. Rc1 Nc4 20. Nd2 d5 21. exd5 Nxd2+ 22. Bxd2 Qc4 $15) (14. Nc5 b4 15. N3a4 Nxa4 16. Nxa4 Qc7 17. Kb1 Bd7 18. Nb6 Bxg4 19. Bxa6 Be6 20. b3 {Cherkasov, N-Pisulinski,J (2345) Polanica Zdroj 1992} Qc6 21. Bd3 d5 $132) 14... Nfd7 $146 {[%mdl 8] Here this move is new.} (14... Nh5 $5 {also deserves attention:} 15. Nc5 (15. Be2 { Waardenburg,L (1580)-Chang,H (1757) Borne 2013} Qc7 $5 $15 {[%CAl Yb6c4] /\Nc4} ) 15... b4 16. Nb1 $5 (16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Ne2 Nc4 18. Bh3 Qd7 19. Bg4 g6 $13 { looks dangerous, but Black isn't without counterplay.}) 16... Bxa2 (16... d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Bh3 Qd6 20. Bg4 (20. Bc5 Qxc5 21. Qxc5 Bxc5 22. Bxe6+ Kh8 23. Bxd5 Be3+ 24. Nd2 Rfd8 $36) 20... Nhf4 21. Bxf4 Rxf4 22. Rhe1 Rc8 $14 {/<=>}) 17. Nxa6 (17. b3 a5 18. Kb2 $44) 17... Nc4 $5 (17... Rb7 18. Nxb4 $16) 18. Nxb8 Qxb8 19. b3 Nxe3 20. Qxe3 Nf4 21. Bc4 Qc7 $44 {[%CAl Yd6d5,Ye7c5] }) 15. f4 (15. Na5 Rc8 {is now useless -} 16. Nd5 $2 {runs into} Nxd5 17. exd5 Qxa5 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. Kb1 d5 20. Bh3 Rc6 $17) (15. Kb1 Rc8 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bf5 $13) 15... exf4 {Black naturally doesn't want to allow f5.} (15... f5 16. Bh3 $1 $36 (16. gxf6 Nxf6 $15)) (15... Na4 16. Nd5 (16. f5 $5 Nxc3 17. bxc3 $40) 16... Bxd5 17. exd5 $36) 16. Bxf4 Rc8 {[%CAl Yc8c3]} 17. Nd5 (17. Bxd6 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Qc7 (18... Rxc3 19. bxc3 Qc7 20. Qd4 $16) 19. Rd4 f6 $132) ({ Caruana changes the character of the positon, but the restrained} 17. Qg3 $5 Re8 18. Kb1 $14 {was perhaps more promising.}) 17... Nxd5 (17... Bxd5 $6 18. exd5 {[%csl Gf1] is a positional concession, the Bf1 is potentially very strong and also the tactics don't work:} f6 19. Qh2 {/\} (19. g6 $5 hxg6 20. Qg2 $36) 19... fxg5 20. hxg5 Rxf4 $2 21. Qxh7+ Kf7 22. Qh5+ g6 (22... Kf8 23. Qh8+ Kf7 24. g6+ Kxg6 25. Qh5+ Kf6 26. Rg1 $18) 23. Qh7+ Ke8 24. Qxg6+ Rf7 25. Rh8+ Nf8 26. Kb1 $5 $18 {[%CAl Rf1e2,Re2h5]}) 18. exd5 Bg4 19. Be2 (19. Re1 f6 $132) 19... Bxe2 20. Qxe2 Re8 21. Qf3 Qc7 22. Nd4 Nb6 23. Rhe1 (23. Nc6 $6 Nxd5 $15) ({White can try to play on the f-file with} 23. Kb1 Qc4 24. Bc1 {[%CAl Gf1f7] , but Black gets counterplay after} Qxd5 (24... Bf8 $5) 25. Qxd5 Nxd5 26. Nxb5 axb5 27. Rxd5 Rc5 28. Rhd1 f6 $132) 23... Bf8 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 {Black's pieces seem passive, but he has play on the open files and against the Pd5.} 25. Nf5 (25. Nc6 $6 Rc8 {[%CAl Rb6d5]}) (25. Rf1 Qc4 26. Bxd6 Qxd5 27. Bxf8 Qxf3 28. Rxf3 Kxf8 $11) 25... Qc4 {Possibly not ideal.} (25... g6 $5 26. Nh6+ Bxh6 27. gxh6 Nd7 28. h5 Nf6 29. hxg6 (29. Bxd6 Qxd6 30. Rf1 gxh5 31. Qxf6 Qxf6 32. Rxf6 Re5 33. Rxa6 Kf8 $132) 29... fxg6 $13 {[%CAl Yf6e4] might be tenable for Black, but one can understand MVL is reluctant to weaken his >>.}) (25... Nc4 26. h5 Ne5 $132) 26. b3 (26. Kb1 $143 Nxd5 27. Bxd6 Nb4 $11 (27... g6 $5 28. Bxf8 gxf5 29. Bh6 f4 30. c3 Ne3 31. Rd4 Qe6 $11 {[%CAl Re6g6]})) 26... Qb4 27. c3 Rc8 28. Rd3 {[%mdl 512] An interesting pawn-sacrifice.} ({White can also fight for an advantage with} 28. Kc2 Qc5 29. Ng3 $5 (29. Kb2 a5 30. Ng3 a4 31. Ne4 Qc7 $13) 29... Qa3 (29... b4 30. Ne4 Qa5 31. a4 bxc3 (31... bxa3 32. Nxd6 Bxd6 33. Bxd6 Re8 34. Rf1 $14) 32. Bxd6 Nc4 33. Bxf8 Kxf8 34. Rd3 $36 Rb8 (34... Ne5 $2 35. Qf5) (34... Na3+ 35. Kc1 c2 36. Rc3 $16) 35. Rxc3 Ne5 36. Qd1 $16) 30. Kb1 $5 Na4 31. bxa4 Rxc3 32. Qf2 g6 $5 (32... Qb4+ 33. Qb2 Qxa4 34. Qxc3 Qxd1+ 35. Kb2 Qxd5 36. Qe3 $14) 33. Bc1 Rxc1+ 34. Rxc1 Qd3+ 35. Qc2 (35. Rc2 Qd1+ 36. Kb2 Bg7+ 37. Ka3 Qg4 38. axb5 axb5 39. Ne4 Qxe4 40. Rc8+ Bf8 $132) 35... Qxg3 36. axb5 axb5 37. Qe4 h6 $14) 28... Nxd5 29. Bd2 (29. Bxd6 $2 Rxc3+ 30. Rxc3 Qxc3+ 31. Qxc3 Nxc3 $15) 29... Nb6 $8 (29... Qa3+ $2 30. Kb1 {[%csl Ra3]} Nb6 31. Be3 (31. Nh6+ $5 gxh6 32. gxh6 $40) 31... Nc4 (31... Nd7 32. Qb7) 32. Bc1 $18) 30. Kb1 Qc5 31. Be3 Qc7 (31... Qc6 32. Qxc6 Rxc6 33. Nd4 Rc7 34. Nxb5 axb5 35. Bxb6 $14) 32. Qf4 {[%mdl 256] Now Black consolidates his defensive ranks. White had more testing continuations, but Fabiano was running short of time.} (32. Bf4 $5 Rd8 (32... Qc6 $5) 33. h5 $44) (32. Nh6+ $5 gxh6 33. gxh6 {[%CAl Re3b6,Rf3g4]} Nd7 34. Qf5 (34. Qg4+ Kh8 35. Qg5 f6 36. Bd4 Qd8 37. Rg3 Bxh6 38. Qxh6 Qe7 $11 {[%CAl Yd7e5]}) 34... Ne5 (34... f6 35. Bd2 Kh8 36. Rg3 $18 {[%CAl Rf5d5,Rf5e6]}) 35. Bd4 Bxh6 $1 (35... Ng6 36. h5 $1 $18 { [%CAl Rh5g6,Rf5f6]}) 36. Bxe5 dxe5 37. Rd7 Qxd7 38. Qxd7 Rxc3 39. Qe8+ (39. Qd6 Bf8 40. Qxa6 b4 $132) 39... Bf8 40. Qxe5 Rc6 $11) 32... Re8 $1 33. h5 (33. Nxd6 $142 $1 Rxe3 (33... Bxd6 $2 34. Qxd6 Qxd6 35. Rxd6 $16) 34. Qxe3 (34. Rxe3 $2 Nd5 $19) 34... Bxd6 35. Qe8+ Bf8 36. Rd8 Qc5 37. b4 Qf5+ 38. Kc1 Qf1+ 39. Kc2 Qf5+ $11) 33... Re6 (33... Re5 34. Bd4 Re1+ 35. Kc2 (35. Kb2 $2 Nc4+ 36. bxc4 bxc4 $19) 35... Nd5 36. Nh6+ $1 gxh6 37. Qg3 Nb4+ (37... Bg7 38. gxh6 f6 39. Rd2 Qe7 $11) 38. Kd2 Be7 39. gxh6+ Kf8 40. Kxe1 Nxd3+ 41. Qxd3 Qc6 $132) 34. Kc2 Qc6 (34... Nd7 $5 $15) 35. Bxb6 $2 $138 {Now the advantage unequivocally passes to Black.} (35. Nd4 Qg2+ 36. Qf2 $5 (36. Rd2 Qe4+ $15) 36... Qxf2+ 37. Bxf2 Re5 38. Nc6 Re2+ 39. Rd2 Rxd2+ 40. Kxd2 $44 Nd5 41. a4 $1 bxa4 42. bxa4 Be7 43. Bh4 {[%CAl Rc3c4]} Bf8 $11) (35. Qg4 {[%CAl Rf5d4,Rf5h6]} Re4 (35... Nd5 36. Nd4 (36. Nh6+ gxh6 37. gxh6+ Kh8 38. Bd4+ Re5 39. Kb2 f6 40. Qf3 Re6 41. Qf5 Re2+ 42. Ka1 Bxh6 (42... Re1+ $11) 43. Qxd5 Qxd5 44. Bxf6+ $11) 36... Qc5 37. Nxe6 Nxe3+ 38. Rxe3 Qxe3 39. Nxf8 Kxf8 40. Qc8+ Ke7 41. Qc7+ Ke6 42. Qc8+ $11) 36. Qg2 Qe8 37. Qh3 $44) 35... Qxb6 36. Rf3 (36. Nd4 Re7 37. Rf3 d5 $15) 36... Qb7 $17 37. Ne3 $6 (37. Rf2 $142) 37... Re4 38. Qg3 Re5 39. Qf4 (39. g6 fxg6 40. hxg6 Qe4+) (39. Rf4 Be7 40. Nf5 Qh1 $40) 39... Rxg5 $1 $19 40. h6 gxh6 41. Rf2 Qd7 42. Nf5 Qe6 {White has no compensation at all and after the time-control it makes little sense to plod on 3 pawns down.} 0-1 [Event "Siemens Giants"] [Site "Frankfurt"] [Date "1999.07.01"] [Round "8"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B66"] [WhiteElo "2810"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "McShane,L"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "1999.06.29"] [EventType "tourn (rapid)"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 072"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O h6 9. Be3 Bd7 10. f3 b5 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Ne2 Qc7 13. Kb1 Bb7 14. h4 Rc8 15. Rh3 (15. g4 {Continuing with the natural kingside attack, fails to} Nxe4 $1 16. fxe4 Bxe4 {attacking h1 and c2}) 15... h5 {Preventing g4, but now if Black castles kingside g4 may turn out to be even stronger, opening lines immediately.} 16. Nd4 Nd7 17. Bg5 {Inconveniencing Be7} g6 18. Rh1 d5 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Bf4 Qb7 ({Perhaps better is} 20... Qb6 {guarding d6 and thus preventing White's Bd6 as in the game.}) 21. Nb3 Bg7 22. Bd6 $1 {Keeping the king in the middle.} Qc6 23. Ba3 Nb6 24. Bd3 Nc4 25. Bxc4 bxc4 (25... Qxc4 26. Rhe1 {threatening Qxd5, is awkward.}) 26. Nd4 Qb6 27. Qg5 {Kasparov has managed to shut out the black bishops and start to work his own on a3, with a crude threat on e7.} Bf8 28. Bxf8 Rxf8 {Now Black's dark squares are loose.} 29. Rhe1 Rb8 30. b3 Rd8 31. Ne2 $1 {On f4 or c3 it will put further pressure on the d5 bishop that glues Black's position together} cxb3 32. axb3 Rd7 33. Kb2 {Calmly stopping any nonsense on b3.} Qd8 34. Qf4 Qc7 $2 {A blunder, but with White's knight coming to c3 and then eyeing up d6 and f6 via e4 Black is in big trouble on the dark squares anyway.} 35. Rxd5 $1 exd5 (35... Qxf4 36. Nxf4 Rxd5 37. Nxd5) 36. Nd4+ {36...Re7 37.Qxc7 or 36...Kd8 37.Ne6+ both win.} 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 5th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.08.03"] [Round "2"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B22"] [WhiteElo "2809"] [BlackElo "2807"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,M"] [PlyCount "220"] [EventDate "2017.08.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 ({cf.} 1. e4 c5 2. c3 ({and also} 2. Nf3 a6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 e6 6. Be2 Nf6 7. O-O Nc6 8. Bf4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Be7 10. Nc3 Qd8) 2... d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 e6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Be2 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. Na3 cxd4 9. Nb5 Qd8 10. cxd4 $6 a6 11. Nc3 {- see below}) 1... d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Be2 cxd4 {This rare move leads to positions arising from the Alapin Sicilian but with an extra tempo for White. However, it is unclear whether the tempo gives White any real benefit.} (7... Nbd7 $5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. a3 b5 10. b4 Be7 11. Bb2 Bb7 12. Nbd2 Nb6 13. Rc1 O-O 14. Ne5 Bd6 15. Ndf3 Bd5 {1/2 (15) Maisuradze,N (2308)-David,A (2602) Orsay 2009}) (7... Nc6 $5 8. dxc5 (8. Ne5 cxd4 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. exd4 Bd6 11. Nc3 Qc7 12. h3 O-O 13. Be3 Rd8 14. Qc2 {1-0 (22) Lemos,D (2292)-Caramia,J (2187) Villa Ballester 2006} a5 $11 { [%CAl Yc8a6]}) 8... Qxd1 ({or} 8... Bxc5 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8) 9. Rxd1 Bxc5 { transposes to the 7.dxc5 system.}) 8. exd4 Nc6 9. Nc3 Be7 {Compare this position to the annotation to move 1!} 10. Be3 (10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 Nd5 12. Bxe7 Ncxe7 13. Qd2 Bd7 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Ne5 O-O 16. Rac1 Rc8 17. Bf3 Qe7 18. Bxd5 exd5 {1/2 (18) Teichmann,R-Blackburne,J Ostend 1905}) 10... Ng4 {A strange manoeuvre. Fabiano Caruana definitely overlooked something. But even after that Black's position is very solid!} (10... O-O $5 11. Rc1 Bd6 12. Bg5 (12. a3 $5) 12... h6 13. Bxf6 (13. Bh4 Bf4) 13... Qxf6 14. Ne4 Qf4 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Qb3 b5 17. Rfd1 Rd8 18. Bd3 Bb7 19. Be4 Rab8 20. Qe3 Nb4 $11 {1/2 (35) Jordaan, W-Mujica,H LSS 2006}) 11. Bf4 Nf6 {After this move we get a position arising from some side Sicilian lines - see, e.g. another line in the annotation to move 1 (in brackets).} (11... Bd6 12. Qd2 $5) 12. Rc1 (12. Qd2 $6 O-O 13. Rfd1 b5 14. Ne5 Bb7 15. Bf3 Rc8 $11 {1/2 (37) Wolf,C (2148)-Muse,D (2393) Germany 2016}) (12. Qa4 O-O 13. Rfd1 Nb4 14. Ne5 Nbd5 15. Bg5 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxd5 {1/2 (16) Wittmann,W (2365)-Paehtz,E (2421) Germany 2006}) 12... O-O 13. Na4 { An active move. White tries to prevent his opponent's comfortable development. Alas, in vain.} (13. a3 Bd7 14. Ne5 Be8 15. Be3 Rc8 16. Bd3 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Qxd5 18. f4 Nxe5 19. fxe5 Rxc1 20. Qxc1 Bc6 $11 {1-0 (37) Hristodorescu,D (2267) -Filipek,J (2416) Brasschaat 2002}) (13. Bd3 Nb4 14. Bb1 b5 15. a3 Nbd5 16. Be5 Bb7 17. Qd3 g6 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. Rc7 Bd8 20. Rc5 Qd7 $11 {1/2 (55) Crouch, C-Franklin,M (2335) London 1974}) 13... Nd5 14. Bg3 Bd6 15. Bd3 (15. Ne5 Nce7 16. Qb3 Nf5 17. Rfd1 {1-0 (63) Sturc,G (2137)-Obdrzalkova,A (2153) Slovakia 2002} f6 18. Nf3 Nxg3 19. hxg3 Bd7 $11) 15... Nce7 16. Qb3 (16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Nc5 b6 18. Ne4 Qd8 $11) 16... b6 17. Be4 Rb8 18. Rfe1 Bb7 19. Nc3 Nxc3 20. Bxb7 $6 {After this move White gets an isolated central pawn in a simplified position, which is rather favourable for Black although his edge is minimal.} ( 20. bxc3 $11) 20... Nxa2 $1 21. Qxa2 Rxb7 22. Qxa6 Rc7 23. b3 {A strange move.} (23. Be5 $15 {/=}) 23... Nf5 24. Rxc7 (24. Be5 $5) 24... Qxc7 25. Qb5 h6 26. d5 $6 {This move increases Black's advantage a little bit: he gets a B vs N in an open position; besides, White's double g-pawns will be another headache for him.} (26. Be5 $5) 26... exd5 27. Qxd5 Nxg3 28. hxg3 Rd8 29. Qb5 g6 30. Ne5 Qc5 {With B vs N, it is usually favourable to exchange queens and not rooks.} 31. Qxc5 Bxc5 {[%mdl 4096]} 32. Kf1 Kg7 33. Ke2 $2 {[%mdl 8192] A sudden but typical blunder: when your position consequently deteriorates, you often lose patience.} (33. g4 $5 {but even after that White faces a long defence.}) 33... Bb4 $1 34. Rc1 Re8 {[%csl Re5]} 35. f4 f6 36. Rc7+ Kh8 37. Rc6 {The only chance to create technical problems for Black.} fxe5 38. Rxb6 exf4+ 39. Kf3 Re3+ 40. Kxf4 Bd2 41. Rxg6 Kh7 42. Kf5 Rxb3 {This endgame is difficult to win but Black's important trump is that he can trade rooks despite the "wrong" corner!} 43. Rd6 Bg5 44. Rd7+ Kg8 45. Kg4 Bf6 46. Kf5 Bg7 47. g4 Rb2 48. g3 Rb5+ 49. Ke4 Bf6 50. Rd3 Rb4+ 51. Kf3 Bg5 52. Rd5 Rb3+ 53. Kg2 Kf7 54. Rd6 Ke7 55. Rc6 Rd3 56. Ra6 Rd6 57. Ra3 ({Here is the point:} 57. Rxd6 $2 Kxd6 58. Kf3 Ke5 59. Ke2 Kd4 60. Kf3 Be3 61. Kg2 Ke4 62. Kh2 Kf3 63. Kh3 Kf2 64. Kh2 Kf1 65. Kh1 (65. Kh3 Kg1) 65... Bg1 $22 66. g5 hxg5 {, and there is no stalemate as White has another g-pawn! Therefore Black wins.}) 57... Ke6 58. Kf3 Ke5 59. Ra5+ Rd5 60. Ra3 Kd4 61. Ra4+ Kd3 62. Ra3+ Kd2 63. Ra1 Rc5 64. Kf2 Rc2 65. Rb1 Bf6 66. Kg2 Ke3+ 67. Kh3 Kf2 68. Rb5 Re2 69. Rb6 (69. Rd5 $5 Re5 {[%CAl Yf6g5]} (69... Bg5 $4 70. Rf5+ Ke1 71. Rxg5 $1 $11)) 69... Bg5 70. Rb5 Bd2 $1 71. Kh2 Kf1+ 72. Kh1 (72. Kh3 Kg1 73. Rb1+ Be1 74. g5 h5 $1 $19) 72... Re4 73. Rf5+ Ke2 74. Kg2 Rxg4 {Black has won a pawn but he can't trade rooks anymore.} 75. Rf2+ Kd3 76. Rf6 Rd4 77. Rf1 Ke4 78. Rf8 Bg5 79. Rf1 Be3 80. Rf8 Rd2+ 81. Kh3 Bg1 82. Kg4 Ke5 83. Rf5+ Ke6 84. Rf1 Bd4 85. Rh1 Bg7 86. Kf3 Kf5 87. Rh5+ Kg6 88. Rb5 Rd3+ 89. Kf4 Bf8 90. Rb6+ Bd6+ 91. Ke4 Rd1 92. Kf3 Kf5 93. Rb5+ Be5 94. Rb6 h5 95. Rh6 Kg5 96. Re6 Bd6 97. Re8 Rc1 98. Re6 Rd1 99. Re8 Rg1 100. Kf2 Rc1 101. Kf3 Kf5 102. Re3 Bc5 103. Rd3 Ke5 104. Rd2 Rc3+ 105. Kg2 Ke6 106. Kh3 $2 { White goes for a R vs R+B endgame but it is lost as he can't avoid the Philidor position!} (106. Rd8 $142 Bd6 107. Rg8 {continuing resistance.}) 106... Bd6 $1 107. Kh4 (107. Rg2 Kf5 {[%CAl Yf5g5,Yh5h4]}) 107... Bxg3+ 108. Kxh5 Kf5 109. Rd5+ $2 {This ends the game immediately.} (109. Rb2 $142 Rc1 110. Rb5+ Be5 111. Rb4 {reaching the Philidor position. However, after his dramatic game against Svidler from the Candidates tournament-2016 (which apparently cost him a World Championship match), Fabiano Caruana must know the way to win by heart.}) 109... Be5 110. Kh4 Rc4+ (110... Rc4+ 111. Kh3 Rc2 $19) 0-1 [Event "London Classic 8th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2016.12.17"] [Round "8"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B91"] [WhiteElo "2809"] [BlackElo "2771"] [Annotator "Prasanna,V"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2016.12.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 176"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.01.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Kramnik has started with this move quite a number of times in 2016 so it must not have been a complete surprise for Anish Giri. Kramnik in the past has mentioned he likes to try to outplay his younger opponents in a positional struggle and this game is no different.} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {The most popular modern Sicilian Najdorf is on the board. It is not a surprise as Anish has been using it with Black in his past 10 games against e4. } 6. g3 {Even though the game started with the Sicilian Kramnik opts for one of the quietest responses against the Najdorf.} e5 7. Nde2 Be6 8. Bg2 h5 { Anish shows the depth of his preparation. Even though ...h5 is no longer a surprise idea in the Najdorf. It has never been played in the position and it is usually played to hinder White's g4-plan.} 9. Bg5 {Kramnik refuses to transpose to familiar theory and keeps the position fresh and novel.} (9. h3 { transposes to the 6.h3 Fischer variation.}) 9... Nbd7 10. Qd2 Be7 11. a4 Rc8 12. O-O Nf8 13. Bxf6 {Kramnik tries to keep the position under control and in positional territory.} (13. a5 N8h7 $1 (13... h4 14. Bxh4 Rxh4 15. gxh4 Ng6 16. f4 Nxh4 17. Nd5 (17. Kh1 Nxg2 18. Kxg2)) 14. Be3 h4 15. f4 Nf8 {leads to a dynamically balanced position with chances for both sides. Facing a new idea at the board, Kramnik's decision is both practical and sound.}) (13. Rfd1 N8h7 14. Be3 Ng4) 13... Bxf6 14. Rfd1 {The game moves into the slow manoeuvring phase.} Be7 15. Nd5 h4 16. Nec3 (16. Nxe7 Qxe7 17. Ra3 hxg3 18. hxg3 Bg4 19. f3 Be6 20. Rd3 Bc4 21. Rxd6 Ne6) 16... Nh7 (16... Rc6 17. Ra3 Nd7 18. Rb3 Qc8) 17. Ra3 Rc6 18. Rb3 Qb8 19. Na2 (19. Nxe7 Kxe7 20. Nd5+ Bxd5 21. exd5 Rc4 (21... Rc7) 22. Re1 hxg3 23. hxg3 Qc8 24. f4) 19... Bxd5 20. Qxd5 Qc8 21. Nb4 Nf6 22. Qd2 Rc5 23. Rc1 hxg3 24. hxg3 g6 25. Rd3 Kf8 26. c3 Kg7 27. Rd1 Qd7 28. b3 Qg4 29. c4 Nxe4 {An interesting decision. Anish decides to solve his positions dynamically instead of with passive defence.} (29... Rcc8 {was also okay for Black.} 30. Nc2 Qh5 31. Ne3 Ng4 32. Nxg4) 30. f3 Nxd2 31. fxg4 Nxc4 32. bxc4 Rxc4 33. Nd5 Bd8 34. Ra1 (34. Rb1 {could have given White some chances. It was important to stay active and on the offensive. After the move in the game Black has no troubles whatsoever.} Rxg4 35. Rxb7 Rxa4 36. Rf3 Rf8 37. Bh3 $1 { [%csl Re6]} e4 38. Rf1 Ra3 39. Nf4 Kg8 40. Kg2 Ra2+ 41. Rf2 Rxf2+ 42. Kxf2 { Of course the most likely result is a draw but Black still has to be careful.}) 34... Rxg4 35. a5 e4 36. Rb3 Rh5 37. Ne3 Rgg5 38. Kf2 Rxa5 39. Rxa5 Rxa5 40. Bxe4 b5 41. Rd3 Be7 42. Kf3 Ra1 43. Nd5 Bd8 44. Nf4 Be7 45. Rc3 d5 46. Bxd5 Ra3 {White has absolutely no objective chances after the exchange of rooks - a draw was agreed.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Baku ol (Men) 42nd"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2016.09.08"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B31"] [WhiteElo "2808"] [BlackElo "2739"] [Annotator "Moradiabadi,E"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2016.09.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 175"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "United States of America"] [BlackTeam "Ukraine"] [WhiteTeamCountry "USA"] [BlackTeamCountry "UKR"] {In one of the crucial matches in round six, or probably the entire tournament, the US team narrowly edged the strong Ukrainian team 2.5-1.5 to clinch clear second on the table. The US team had had a pleasant performance so far. They had never been in danger in any of their matches (well a bit against the Czechs, maybe) and their "big three" have constantly scored for them. This time Caruana won with very fine technique on board 1 against Eljanov.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {This is not an odd choice by Fabiano. He has employed the "Rossolimo" in the past in a handful of games.} g6 {By far, the most common continuation.} 4. Bxc6 bxc6 {This came as a surprise to me. 4...dxc6 is considered the solid continuation here. Eljanov's immediate reply implies that he had this line thoroughly investigated or maybe he was just afraid of Caruana's strength in handling the "main line" like this game which took place in the very same country few months earlier.} (4... dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 (5... Bg4 6. Nbd2 {is an unconventional handling of Rossolimo by Mr. "Fire on board", legendary Alexei Shirov. However, his adventure against future world championship contender, Anish Giri, did not end well.} Bg7 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Nxf3 Nf6 9. e5 Nd5 10. O-O Nc7 11. Be3 Ne6 12. Re1 Qc7 13. Bd2 Rd8 14. Re4 Nd4 15. Bc3 Nb5 16. Qd2 O-O 17. Rae1 Nxc3 18. Qxc3 Rd5 19. b3 b5 20. Qd2 Qb6 21. Qe3 Qa5 22. c4 bxc4 23. dxc4 Rdd8 24. Qe2 e6 25. h4 Rd7 26. h5 Rfd8 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. g3 Qc3 29. Kg2 a5 30. Re3 Rd3 31. Rd1 {1-0 (31) Giri,A (2778)-Shirov, A (2689) Reykjavik 2015}) 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bf4 b6 (8... Nd7 9. Qd2 e5 10. Bh6 Qe7 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. O-O-O (12. O-O {is less aggressive and a lesser number of players have opted for it.}) 12... a5 13. a4 (13. Kb1 a4 14. Ne2 b5 15. Rdg1 c4 16. h4 f6 17. Ng3 Nb6 18. d4 h5 19. a3 c5 20. dxe5 fxe5 21. Qe3 Ra6 22. Qg5 Qxg5 23. hxg5 c3 24. Nxe5 Nc4 25. Nxc4 bxc4 26. f3 Rb6 27. Ne2 cxb2 28. Rd1 Be6 29. Nc3 Rfb8 30. Rd2 Kf7 31. Rhd1 Ke7 32. Nd5+ Bxd5 33. Rxd5 Rc6 34. Rd7+ Kf8 35. R7d5 Kf7 36. Rd7+ Kf8 37. Re1 Ke8 38. Rd5 Ke7 39. f4 Rd6 40. Red1 Re6 41. Rd7+ Kf8 42. e5 Rc6 43. g4 hxg4 44. Rh1 Kg8 45. Rdh7 Rf8 46. Kxb2 g3 47. Kc3 g2 48. Rh8+ Kf7 49. Rxf8+ Kxf8 50. Rg1 Rb6 51. Rxg2 Rb1 52. Kxc4 Ra1 53. Rg3 Rf1 54. Kxc5 Rxf4 55. Kd5 Ke7 56. Rh3 Rg4 57. Rh7+ Kf8 58. c4 Rg3 59. c5 Rd3+ 60. Kc4 {1-0 (60) Motylev,A (2677)-Jones,G (2578) Aix les Bains 2011}) 13... Rd8 14. h4 f6 15. Qe3 Nf8 16. Rdg1 Bg4 17. Nh2 Be6 18. g4 c4 19. dxc4 Bxc4 20. g5 h5 21. gxh6+ Kh7 22. f4 exf4 23. Qxf4 Nd7 24. Rxg6 Kxg6 25. Rg1+ Kh7 26. Rg7+ Qxg7 27. hxg7 Be6 28. Ng4 Bxg4 29. Qxg4 Ne5 30. Qe6 Rd7 31. Qxf6 Re8 32. Qf8 {1-0 (32) Brkic,A (2585)-Stany,G (2476) Biel 2016}) 9. Qd2 Re8 10. O-O-O a5 11. Ne5 b5 12. Qe3 Qb6 13. Bh6 Bh8 14. f4 a4 15. Rhf1 e6 16. g4 a3 17. b4 Nd7 18. Nxd7 Bxd7 19. e5 f5 20. Ne2 Bg7 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. h4 fxg4 23. h5 gxh5 24. Ng3 Kh8 25. Nxh5 Re7 26. Nf6 Be8 27. f5 exf5 28. Rxf5 Qc7 29. Rg5 Rg7 30. Rh1 Bg6 31. Rxg4 Qf7 32. Kb1 cxb4 33. Qd4 Bf5 34. e6 Rxg4 35. exf7 Rxd4 36. Ne8 {1-0 (36) Caruana,F (2804)-Radjabov,T (2726) Shamkir 2016}) 5. O-O Bg7 6. Re1 {} Nh6 {Well, recent results in this line have been very promising for Black. Results in games among top GMs in 2016 show that Black is actually doing very well in this line. So, probably we are witnessing a shift in fashion of how to handle the Rossolimo with Black.} (6... Nf6 7. e5 Nd5 { was played against Caruana recently by none other than the legendary Garry Kasparov.} 8. c4 Nc7 9. d4 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Ne6 (10... O-O 11. Qh4 f6 12. Nc3 Ne6 13. Ne4 fxe5 14. Nfg5 Nxg5 15. Bxg5 Qb6 16. c5 Qxb2 17. Rad1 Qxa2 18. Bxe7 Rf4 19. Qg3 a5 20. Bg5 Rxe4 21. Rxe4 Ba6 22. h4 Bc4 23. Rde1 Bf7 24. h5 a4 25. h6 Bh8 26. Qh4 Bd5 27. Rb4 Qc2 28. Bf6 g5 29. Bxg5 a3 30. Rg4 Kf7 31. Bd8 Qxc5 32. Qh5+ {1-0 (32) Jakovenko,D (2738)-Cornette,M (2590) Montpellier 2015}) 11. Qh4 d6 12. Nc3 dxe5 13. Nxe5 Qd6 14. Nf3 h6 15. Be3 g5 16. Qe4 O-O 17. Qc2 f5 18. Rad1 Qc7 19. Nd4 $6 (19. Na4 $1 f4 20. Bd2 g4 21. Nh4 {White's knights are placed in awkward positions but their future is going to be bright!} Nd4 22. Qe4 f3 23. g3 Ne2+ 24. Kh1 Rb8 25. b3 Rf6 26. Nc5 {and White will start to dominate.}) 19... Nxd4 20. Bxd4 e5 21. Bc5 Re8 22. Bd6 Qf7 23. c5 e4 24. Ne2 Ba6 25. Nd4 Bd3 26. Qa4 f4 27. Nxc6 f3 28. Nb4 Be2 29. Rc1 e3 30. Qb3 exf2+ 31. Kxf2 Bd4+ 32. Kg3 Qxb3 33. axb3 f2 34. Rh1 Re3+ 35. Kxf2 Rae8 36. Nc6 Rf3+ 37. Ke1 Bb5+ 38. Ne7+ Rxe7+ 39. Bxe7 Re3+ 40. Kd2 Re2+ 41. Kd1 Rxe7 42. Re1 Rc7 43. b4 Bxb2 44. Rb1 Bc3 45. Re6 Rd7+ 46. Kc2 Bd3+ 47. Kxc3 Bxb1 48. Rxh6 Be4 49. b5 Kg7 50. Ra6 Bxg2 51. c6 Re7 52. Kd4 Kf7 53. Ra2 Bf3 54. Kc5 Re5+ 55. Kb4 Be2 56. Rxa7+ Ke6 57. Rb7 Kd6 58. h3 Bxb5 59. Rxb5 Re4+ 60. Kc3 {1/2-1/2 (60) Caruana,F (2795)-Kasparov,G (2812) Saint Louis 2016}) 7. c3 O-O {The players are following the main line according the most recent games.} 8. h3 {Less common than 8.d4.} f5 (8... f6 {used to be the way people often handled this position. Black prevents e5 and plans to retreat his badly placed knight on h6 to f7. Black hopes to create a pawn mass in the centre, White's queenside is somewhat weakened and his pieces are a bit cramped. That is what I knew from from my past experience with this position. Eljanov, however, has a more radical approach to solve his opening "issues".}) (8... d5 {is another way which Gelfand employed against Inarkiev in their recent match.} 9. d3 c4 $5 10. dxc4 (10. exd5 cxd5 11. dxc4 dxc4 12. Na3 Qc7 13. Bxh6 Bxh6 14. Qe2 Rb8 15. Qxe7 Qxe7 16. Rxe7 Rxb2 17. Rxa7 {is dynamically balanced.}) (10. d4 dxe4 11. Rxe4 Nf5 12. Nbd2 Be6 13. Rxe6 $1 {A thematic sacrifice by Adams.} (13. Re1 Nd6 14. Qe2 Rc8 15. b4 cxb3 16. axb3 c5 $1 {and Black has nothing to worry about}) 13... fxe6 14. Qe2 e5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Qxe5 Qd5 17. Qe2 Nd6 18. b3 ({Maybe} 18. Nf3 {[%CAl Gc1h6,Gf3e5] was a better option}) 18... cxb3 19. axb3 e5 20. Ba3 Rfe8 21. Bxd6 exd4 22. Qc4 dxc3 23. Nf3 Qxc4 24. bxc4 Re4 25. Rc1 Rxc4 26. Ne5 Rd4 27. Bc7 a5 28. Rxc3 a4 29. Nc4 Rd1+ 30. Kh2 Rb1 31. Bd6 Rb3 32. Rc2 a3 33. Nxa3 Rbxa3 34. Bxa3 Rxa3 35. Rxc6 Ra7 36. g4 Kg7 37. h4 h6 38. Rc5 Kf6 39. Kg3 g5 40. Rc6+ Kg7 41. h5 Ra3+ 42. Kg2 Ra4 43. Kf3 Rf4+ 44. Kg3 Ra4 45. Rc7+ Kg8 46. Rc2 Kg7 47. f3 Ra3 48. Kf2 Kg8 49. Ke2 Kg7 50. Rd2 Kg8 51. Rd7 Rb3 52. Rd3 Rxd3 53. Kxd3 Kf7 54. Kd4 Kf6 55. Kd5 Kf7 56. Ke5 Ke7 57. Kf5 Kf7 58. Ke5 { 1/2-1/2 (58) Adams,M (2738)-Harikrishna,P (2752) Baku 2016}) 10... dxe4 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Rxe4 e5 13. Re1 f6 14. Nbd2 Nf7 15. Nb3 a5 16. Be3 a4 17. Bb6 Re8 18. Nc5 Bf5 19. Nh4 Bc8 20. Rad1 f5 21. Nf3 e4 22. Nd4 Ne5 23. b3 axb3 24. axb3 Bf8 25. Ra1 Rxa1 26. Rxa1 Bh6 27. Bc7 Nd7 28. Nxd7 Bxd7 29. b4 e3 30. f4 Bg7 31. Kf1 e2+ 32. Kf2 Be6 33. Nxe6 Bxc3 34. Be5 Bxa1 35. Nc7 Re7 36. b5 Bxe5 37. fxe5 Rxc7 38. b6 Re7 {0-1 (38) Inarkiev,E (2730)-Gelfand,B (2734) Magas 2016}) 9. e5 Nf7 10. d3 {} Rb8 {A very rare move.} (10... Ba6 11. c4 e6 12. Nc3 g5 13. Be3 h5 14. h4 g4 15. Ng5 Nxe5 16. Bxc5 Ng6 $5 17. g3 Re8 18. Qa4 Bb7 19. Qb4 Ba6 20. Qa3 Bb7 21. Qb4 Ba6 22. Qa3 Bb7 23. Qb4 {1/2-1/2 (23) Inarkiev,E (2730)-Gelfand,B (2734) Magas 2016}) 11. Na3 $146 (11. Nbd2 d6 12. e6 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Nf3 Bg7 15. Qa4 h6 16. Qh4 f4 (16... g5 17. Nxg5 $1 (17. Bxg5 hxg5 18. Nxg5 Rf6 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Qh5 Kg8 $11) 17... Rf6 {[%CAl Yh6g5]} 18. Nf7 Qf8 19. Qc4 Qe8 20. b3 Rb6 21. Bd2 (21. Bf4 Bxe6 22. Rxe6 d5) 21... Bxe6 22. Rxe6 d5 23. Qh4 Rxe6 24. Nxh6+ $13) 17. Bxf4 Rf5 18. Qg4 Qf8 19. Bg3 Qf6 20. Nh4 Rg5 21. Qe2 a5 22. Rab1 a4 23. a3 c4 24. dxc4 c5 25. Kh2 Bb7 26. b4 Bc6 27. Nf3 Rf5 28. bxc5 Rxb1 29. Rxb1 dxc5 30. Nh4 {1-0 (30) Bok,B (2611) -Kotronias, V (2541) Moscow 2016}) 11... Ba6 12. Nc4 {After somewhat deep thought, Caruana decides to keep things simple.} Bxc4 13. dxc4 {Judgement time: The opening phase is over and we the game is entering the middlegame phase. White has more space and both parties' pawn structures are a bit funky. Black's main plan will be putting pressure on e5 otherwise White's excessive space would become a decisive factor in this game.} d6 14. e6 Ne5 {The fewer the pieces on the board the happier Black would be.} 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 {} 16. Bh6 Bg7 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rb1 {Caruana plans to advance his pawns on the queenside. } Qa5 {Eljanov carefully prevents any active plans of White for the moment.} 19. a4 Rf6 {} 20. Re3 Qa6 21. b3 Qc8 {Eljanov combines attack and defence. He brings back his queen to c8 to keep his pieces coherent while having an eye on White's "strong" weakness on e6.} 22. Qe1 a5 $6 {The first inaccuracy, Eljanov voluntarily gives White a passed pawn. In my opinion, "patience" was the best policy.} (22... Rf8 23. b4 Qa6 24. bxc5 Rxb1 25. Qxb1 dxc5 26. Qd3 Qxa4 27. Re1 (27. Qd7 Kf6 $1) 27... Qa5) ({Or} 22... f4 23. Re4 f3 24. g3 Qa6 {and it is not easy to see how White can improve.}) 23. b4 axb4 24. cxb4 cxb4 25. Rxb4 Ra8 $6 (25... Rxb4 26. Qxb4 Rxe6 27. Rxe6 Qxe6 28. Qc3+ (28. a5 Qe5 {[%CAl Ge5a1, Ye5a5,Ge5h2]}) 28... Kf7 29. a5 Qc8 30. Qb3 Ke8 31. c5 dxc5 32. Qg8+ Kd7 33. Qxh7 Qc7 34. Qxg6 Qe5 35. a6 c4 36. a7 Qa1+ 37. Kh2 Qxa7 38. Qxf5+ Kd6 39. Qf4+ Kd5 {should lead to a draw. I know that it is easy to sit and check these lines with engines while at the first glance it looks ugly for Black but I am sure Eljanov could have estimated the safety of this position intuitively.}) 26. Qa1 ({I love this strategic pseudo pawn sacrifice.} 26. c5 $1 dxc5 27. Rc4 {[%CAl Ge1c1,Ge3e5]}) 26... f4 27. Re4 f3 28. g4 Kg8 29. Qd1 {Fabiano plays fast and maintains his grip.} Rxe6 30. Qxf3 Rxe4 $2 (30... d5 {would have given Black a lot of activity which probably would have secured equality for Black.}) 31. Qxe4 {Judgement time 2: We are entering the endgame phase in this game. The last exchange gave White a lot of play as his queen is very nicely placed in the centre and it will soon target the black king while keeping an eye on his distant passed pawn on the a-file. White also controls the b-file which makes his rook more active than Black's rook. The main advantage of White is that his major pieces are capable of combining both attack and defence while the black pieces are only in a defensive position. Evaluation? White is better!} Qc7 32. c5 $1 {Of course!} dxc5 33. Qc4+ Kg7 34. Qc3+ Kg8 {} 35. Qc4+ {} Kg7 36. Qxc5 Qd6 $6 (36... Ra5 37. Qe3 Qd6 38. Rd4 Rd5 39. Rxd5 cxd5 40. a5 d4 41. Qd3 e5 42. a6 e4 43. Qxe4 d3 44. a7 d2 45. a8=Q d1=Q+ 46. Kg2 Q1d4 47. Qab7+ Kh6 48. Qxd4 Qxd4 49. Qe7 {looks over for Black, but Black has a trick up his sleeve:} Qf6 50. Qe3+ (50. Qxf6 {leads to stalemate!}) 50... Kg7 {Practically, it is very dispiriting to have to defend this position but I think with correct defence Black should have good drawing chances.}) 37. Qc3+ Qf6 38. Qe3 Rf8 39. Re4 {} Rf7 {Black is just too passive.} 40. Re5 $1 { I love the harmony among White's pieces! All for one (promoting the a-pawn), one for all!} Qd6 41. a5 {White is winning.} Qd1+ 42. Kg2 Qa1 {Finally Eljanov gets to activate his queen. Unfortunately for him, it is too late!} 43. Qe2 e6 44. a6 {The rest is just trivial considering that Caruana is in charge!} Qd4 ( 44... Ra7 45. Rxe6 Qxa6 46. Qe5+ {and mate follows.}) 45. Rxe6 c5 46. Re7 Qd5+ {} 47. f3 {} c4 {} 48. Rxf7+ Qxf7 {} 49. Qe5+ Kh6 50. Qe3+ {} Kg7 {} 51. Qd4+ Kh6 {} 52. a7 Qb7 53. h4 {Black stopped White's pawn but now mate is unavoidable. A neat demonstration of simple chess by Fabiano Caruana. In the 1920s the US had the famous grandmaster Isaac Kashdan who was considered by many, including 4th world champion Alexander Alekhine, as one of the main contenders for the world champion title. Kashdan's nickname was 'der Kleine Capablanca' (German for "The little Capablanca") for his talent of grinding wins out of even positions. Since Fabiano's performance was better and beyond, I would like to call him 'Der große Capablanca' !!!!} 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2015.09.17"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Kovalyov, Anton"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2808"] [BlackElo "2616"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2015.09.11"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 169"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Nf6 8. f3 e5 9. Nb3 Be6 10. Be3 h5 11. Qd2 Nbd7 12. Nd5 {White players find it difficult to achieve an advantage against the clever 10.Be3 h5 line. The main theoretical discussion has shifted towards the variation with the move of the white knight to d5.} Bxd5 13. exd5 Qc7 14. c4 a5 15. a4 {Very solid but somewhat alibistic line serving the purpose of totally stabilising the defence of the queenside against Black's counterplay. If White wants to test the opponent's skills in this type of position he will probably have to resort to the more flexible move 15.Rc1.} (15. Rc1 a4 (15... b6 16. Be2 g6 17. O-O Bg7 18. Na1 O-O 19. Nc2 Nc5 20. Na3 h4 (20... Nh7 21. Nb5 Qe7 22. Bd1 f5 23. Bc2 $16 {1-0 (53) Zakhartsov,V (2529)-Kovchan,A (2488) Kharkov 2005}) 21. Nb5 Qe7 22. b3 Nh5 23. Bd1 f5 24. a3 $14 {1/2 (52) Goloshchapov,A (2556)-Anisimov,P (2500) Sochi 2006}) 16. Na1 e4 (16... g6 17. Be2 Bg7 (17... Ng8 18. O-O Bh6 19. f4 Ne7 20. fxe5 Bxe3+ 21. Qxe3 Nxe5 22. Nc2 Nf5 23. Qf2 Qc5 $11 {0-1 (49) Aguera Naredo,J (2417)-Van Kampen,R (2581) Basel 2013}) (17... Qa5 18. Qxa5 Rxa5 19. Nc2 Bh6 20. Bxh6 Rxh6 21. Na3 Nc5 22. Kd2 $11 {0-1 (52) Kuipers,S (2381)-Van Kampen,R (2529) Netherlands 2011}) 18. Nc2 Nc5 19. Na3 (19. O-O O-O 20. Na3 Rac8 21. Nb5 Qe7 22. Rfe1 $14 {1-0 (46) Varadi,V (2388)-Ardelean,G (2503) Hungary 2012}) 19... b6 20. O-O O-O 21. Nb5 Qe7 22. Rb1 Nfd7 23. b4 axb3 24. axb3 $14 {1-0 (38) Saric,I (2622)-Ardelean,G (2510) Legnica 2013}) 17. Nc2 exf3 18. gxf3 Ne5 19. Nd4 Be7 20. Be2 O-O 21. O-O Rfe8 22. Kh1 Bf8 23. Rg1 $14 {1/2 (52) Mekhitarian,K (2543)-Kovchan,A (2579) Wijk aan Zee 2013}) 15... b6 16. Be2 (16. Qf2 g6 17. Be2 Bg7 18. O-O O-O 19. h3 Nc5 20. Ra3 Nfd7 21. g4 hxg4 22. hxg4 f5 23. gxf5 gxf5 $11 {0-1 (42) Apicella,M (2501)-Areshchenko,A (2566) Cappelle-la-Grande 2003}) 16... g6 17. O-O Bg7 18. Rae1 O-O 19. h3 {Caruana does not object to the safe concentration of his forces in the centre and the kingside, as the other flank was closed against counterplay.} Rfe8 (19... Nc5 20. Nxc5 bxc5 21. Bd1 Nd7 22. b3 f5 23. Bc2 Nf6 24. Qd1 Nh7 25. g4 $14 { 0-1 (43) Nolte,R (2420)-Gopal,G (2604) Olongapo City 2010}) 20. g4 Rab8 21. g5 {White is openly admitting that his strategy has limits and it is not easy to improve the position further.} Nh7 22. Qc2 Nc5 23. Nxc5 (23. Nd2 Qd7 24. Kg2 Nxa4 25. Ne4 Nc5 $11) 23... dxc5 $2 {[%mdl 32] The Argentinian player of Russian origin lives in Canada and belongs to the most promising young GMs on the American continent. Unfortunately for him his judgement in this critical position has simply failed him. Recapturing with the d-pawn is strategically inferior and Black will be devoid of any counterplay. After the correct 23... bxc5! the game would most likely have ended with a draw.} (23... bxc5 $1 24. b3 e4 25. h4 (25. fxe4 Qe7 26. Bd3 Be5 $15) 25... exf3 26. Bxf3 Nf8 $11) 24. Kg2 Qd8 (24... h4 $2 25. Qe4 $18) 25. h4 Rb7 26. Bd3 Nf8 27. Bf2 Rbe7 28. Bg3 Qd6 29. Re4 {Caruana will concentrate all his pieces, aiming at Black's weakness on e5. Unfortunately the defender can only wait and exercise his patience.} Nd7 30. Rfe1 Kf8 31. Qb3 {The Italian/American superstar understands very well that it is not that easy to break Black's stronghold in the position. White's queen will be threatening to sneak in via the b5-c6 axis, which is very dangerous.} (31. R1e2 Kg8 32. Qb1 Nb8 (32... f5 33. gxf6 Nxf6 34. R4e3 Bh6 35. Bxg6 Bxe3 36. Bxe8 $16) 33. Qe1 Nd7 34. R4e3 Kf8 $16) 31... Bh8 (31... f5 $5 32. gxf6 Qxf6 (32... Nxf6 33. R4e2 Kf7 34. Qc2 Nh7 35. f4 $18) 33. Qb5 $16) 32. Qb5 $1 Bg7 (32... f5 33. gxf6 Nxf6 34. R4e2 Kf7 35. Rg1 $16) 33. R4e3 Bh8 34. R1e2 Bg7 35. Be4 Rc8 {Kovalyov relents and prepares to reshuffle his forces for the protection of the c6-square.} (35... Kg8 36. Qc6 $1 Qxc6 37. dxc6 Nb8 38. Rb3 $16) 36. Bc2 Ree8 37. Qb3 Red8 38. Re4 Re8 39. R4e3 Red8 40. Qc3 $1 { Defence belongs to the most difficult skills for any chessplayer, as it is too easy to get it not quite right. Black is suddenly unable to pile up his rooks on the e-file and will perish.} Kg8 (40... Re8 41. Qe1 Qb8 42. f4 $1 exf4 43. Bxf4 Rxe3 44. Bxb8 Rxe2+ 45. Qxe2 $18) 41. Qe1 Rf8 42. Re4 f5 {Kovalyov bows to the necessity to do something against the impending idea f3-f4 with an immediate decision.} (42... Rfe8 43. f4 Qe7 44. fxe5 $18) (42... Rfd8 43. f4 exf4 44. Bxf4 Qf8 45. Re7 Bxb2 46. R2e6 fxe6 47. Qxe6+ Kh8 48. Rh7+ $18) 43. gxf6 Rxf6 44. Rxe5 $1 (44. Bxe5 Nxe5 45. Rxe5 Rcf8 $16) 44... Nxe5 (44... Nf8 45. Re7 Qd8 46. Qd2 $18) 45. Bxe5 Qf8 46. Bxf6 Qxf6 {The queen is hoping to get some activity and complicate the progress of the white pieces.} (46... Bxf6 47. Bxg6 Qh6 (47... Qg7 48. Kh3 $18) 48. Be8 $18) 47. Qg3 Rf8 48. Bxg6 Qd4 49. b3 Qd1 50. Re7 Kh8 51. Bd3 $1 {In a completely winning position Caruana enjoys the task of finding the most precise continuations.} Qd2+ (51... Rg8 52. Qg6 $18) 52. Kh3 Qb2 (52... Qh6 53. d6 Qf6 54. Be4 $18) 53. Be4 Qa1 54. Qg2 { White has managed to crush all the dreams of counterplay and is ready to advance his passed pawn on the d-file.} Rf4 (54... Rd8 55. d6 Qf6 56. Qg5 Qxg5 57. hxg5 Bf8 58. Rb7 Bg7 (58... Rxd6 59. g6 $18) 59. g6 $18) 55. Qg5 Rxe4 ( 55... Qf6 56. Re8+ Bf8 57. Qxh5+ $18) 56. Qxh5+ Kg8 57. Rxe4 Qf1+ {Kovalyov feels obliged to give some checks and hope for the utterly impossble miracle.} 58. Kg4 Qg2+ 59. Kf5 Qc2 60. Kg6 Qg2+ 61. Qg4 {The game is very instructive for the typical plans in this line. Black lost due to his unfortunate recapture on the c5-square with the d-pawn.} 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 5th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2017.06.16"] [Round "9"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B97"] [WhiteElo "2808"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2017.06.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 179"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd3 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 Be7 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Be2 Qa5 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. g4 h6 { Lots of theory here, in this modern take on the Poisoned Pawn.} 15. Rg1 { Caruana seeks his own way.} ({The originators of the whole line, the Azeri stars Radjabov, Gashimov and Mamedov, split their efforts between} 15. Qh3) ({ and} 15. e5) 15... Bd7 16. g5 hxg5 17. Rxg5 Nc6 {Hikaru decides to gives back the pawn right away. By doing this he utilises a common approach of side-stepping the bulk of opponent's preparation. The drawback is in settling for an inferior move.} ({I'm sure Fabi had some home cooking ready for} 17... Rh7 {but likely, it was not} 18. e5 dxe5 19. Ne4 $2 Nxe4 20. Qxe4 Bxg5 21. Qxh7 Bxd2+ 22. Kxd2 Qa5+ 23. Kd1 Qd5 $17) 18. Rxg7 O-O-O (18... Nxd4 19. Qxd4 { and Black cannot castle.}) 19. Ncb5 $1 axb5 20. Nxb5 Ne5 $1 (20... Qb8 { gets trashed by} 21. Rxe7 Nxe7 22. Nxd6+ Kc7 23. Bf4) 21. Nxc7 Nxd3+ 22. cxd3 Ng8 $2 ({The redemption could only be found in an incredible computer-generated idea:} 22... Rxh2 $3 23. Rxe7 Rh1+ 24. Bf1 Rf8 {and Black wins his piece back.}) 23. Na8 ({Also,} 23. Ba5 Rxh2 24. Kd2 {was quite good for White.}) 23... Kb8 24. Nb6 Bc6 25. Bf4 {In the immortal words of Roman Dzindzi, White has the pawn and the compensation.} e5 26. Bg3 Bf6 27. Rf7 Be8 28. Rf8 Bg7 29. Rf2 Ne7 30. Bg4 Nc6 31. Rfb2 Nd4 32. Nd5 b5 33. a4 Bh6 34. axb5 Rg8 35. h3 Kb7 36. Ne7 Rf8 37. Nc6 $1 {The shortest way to victory.} Bxc6 38. bxc6+ Kxc6 39. Bf2 {Now White threatens to eliminate Nd4 with checkmate to follow. Hikaru had no choice, but he knew it wasn't going to be enough.} Rxf2 40. Kxf2 Rf8+ 41. Kg2 Be3 42. Rb8 Rxb8 43. Rxb8 d5 44. Rc8+ Kd6 45. Rd8+ Ke7 46. Rd7+ Kf6 47. exd5 e4 48. dxe4 Bf4 49. h4 Nb5 50. h5 Be5 51. Bf5 Kg5 52. Bg6 Nd6 53. Re7 Nc4 54. Re6 Bf6 55. d6 Ne5 56. Bf5 Nd3 57. Rxf6 Kxf6 58. d7 Ke7 59. h6 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.30"] [Round "7"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2808"] [BlackElo "2731"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ {Another bb5+ Sicilian!} Nd7 4. c3 Ngf6 5. Qe2 a6 6. Ba4 e5 7. O-O Be7 8. d4 b5 9. Bc2 O-O {Clearly this structure resembles a Spanish more than anything else. Black has already expanded on the queenside, and has his knight on d7, which has always made me think that his position is superior to a normal Spanish.} 10. Rd1 Qc7 11. a4 Rb8 (11... Bb7 {was also possible, after} 12. d5 c4 {Black has some kind of Breyer type of counterplay after Nc5.}) 12. axb5 axb5 13. Na3 Ba6 {Apparently MVL missed the idea of d5 followed by b4, which perhaps gives White a minimal advantage, but it isn't anything exciting.} 14. d5 Qb7 15. b4 Bd8 $1 {Remaneuvering the bishop is Black's best bet in keeping equality.} 16. Bd3 Ra8 17. Bg5 c4 18. Bc2 Nh5 19. Bxd8 (19. Nxe5 $5 {Wins a pawn, but definitely not the game:} Bxg5 20. Qxh5 Bf6 21. Nc6 (21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22. Qf3 $44 {with plenty of compesantion thanks to the strong dark squared bishop.}) 21... Bxc3 22. Ne7+ Kh8 23. e5 g6 24. Bxg6 fxg6 25. Nxg6+ Kg7 26. Nxf8 {Is something the Frenchman considered, and it gets quite crazy, but Black should be better in this material balance.}) 19... Rfxd8 20. Nh4 g6 21. Qe3 Qb6 22. Qxb6 Nxb6 {White's space advantage doesn't matter much here. It's too difficult to create any kind of play. The game is eventually drawn after this.} 23. g3 Nf6 24. Ng2 Ne8 25. Ra2 Bc8 26. Rda1 Bd7 27. Nb1 Rxa2 28. Rxa2 Ra8 29. Rxa8 Nxa8 30. Nd2 Nb6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 5th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2017.06.11"] [Round "5"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B53"] [WhiteElo "2808"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Hillarp Persson,T"] [PlyCount "98"] [EventDate "2017.06.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 179"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 {The point of this move is to get Black to put the knight on f6 before playing d4. In this way White avoids some of Black's most popular antidotes.} (3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 {and Black has three main options:} a6 (4... Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 {(Compare this position to the one that arises after 5... Nc6 later.)} 6. Qd3 {is one of those awkward lines that are aimed at getting a Maroczy setup, even at the price of playing some strange moves.} (6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Nc3 {, is similar to the game, but here Black can also play} h6 {, intending e7-e5 and Nf6.}) 6... g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. c4 Nf6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. h3 a6 11. Bxc6 Bxc6 12. Nd4 {could be called a tabiya.}) (4... Nf6 {has become more popular lately and White usually continues} 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. c4 $5 (6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 7. c4 Nc6 8. Qd3 Qg4 9. Nc3 (9. O-O Qxe4 10. Qb3 Rb8 $2 (10... Ne5 $1 {and White has little to show for having squandered the centre.}) 11. Nc3 $36 { Bozinovic,B (1969)-Vucinic,G (2294) Veliko Gradiste 2016}) 9... Qxg2 10. Rf1 Rc8 {Carlsen,M (2855)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2789) Leuven 2016, was good for Black. }) 6... g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. Qd3 {with another typical Maroczy/ Bb5+-Sicilian.}) 5. c4 Nc6 6. Qe3 $5 {The let's-put-the-queen-on-a-strange-square has gone so far that "strange" has aquired a different meaning. If it works it is good and work it does.} g6 7. h3 Bh6 8. Qc3 Qa5 9. Qxa5 Nxa5 10. Bxh6 Nxh6 11. Nc3 Be6 12. b3 (12. Nd5 $1) 12... O-O 13. Nd4 Nc6 14. Nxe6 $2 fxe6 $15 {0-1 (49) Muzychuk,M (2528)-Edouard,R (2636) Cap d'Agde 2015}) 3... Nf6 ({After} 3... a6 $5 {White's only decent way to avoid the Najdorf is} 4. g3 $5 {when Black can choose between a Dragon setup and a more traditional Taimanov- or Najdorf-fianchetto.}) 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 a6 ({White is hoping for} 5... Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. Bg5 e6 9. O-O-O {which is a whole different ball game. The last I checked, theory seemed to agree that Black is all right here, but with the rise of the machines it is quite possible that this verdict has changed.} Be7 10. Qd3 {[%CAl Gf3d4]} Qa5 11. h4 {leads to a sharp game, but whether it is balanced I don't know.}) 6. e5 $1 {Otherwise Black gets a perfect Sicilian with Nc6 on the next move.} Nc6 7. Qa4 dxe5 8. Nxe5 Bd7 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 {White has gained the bishop pair, but Black has a harmonious position and develops fast. Intuitively I would not evaluate this position as "better for White", as my silicon friend does, but the more I look at it the more I feel that I perhaps should.} 10. Bd2 {A logical move that paves the way for 0-0-0, but there is also something to be said for the alternative, more positional way:} (10. Be3 {White is aiming to play g3, Bg2, Rd1 and then take it from there. Black cannot sit idly by and wait, but needs to find a way to derail White's effort.} e6 (10... g6 $6 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. g3 Bg7 13. Bg2 O-O 14. O-O Rac8 15. Bf4 Qb6 16. Qb3 Qxb3 17. axb3 $14) 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. g3 Bb4 (12... Be7 $6 13. Bg2 Rc8 14. O-O O-O 15. Bf4 Qb6 16. Qb3 {and again White gets a comfortable endgame advantage.}) 13. Bg2 O-O 14. Qb3 Ng4 15. Bf4 e5 16. Be3 Bxc3+ 17. Qxc3 Nxe3 18. fxe3 Rad8 {and Black is closing in on equality. Still, this line clearly shows that Black is under some pressure.}) ( 10. Bg5 {is less logical since it is Black's queenside that ought to be attacked. After} e6 11. g3 Bb4 {White cannot play} 12. Bg2 $4 {due to} b5 13. Qb3 Nd4 $1) 10... g6 {With white's king evacuating towards the queenside, it is a good idea to aim the bishop towards b2.} 11. O-O-O Bg7 12. Bg5 {This is a new move.} (12. Be3 Qc8 13. h3 $6 (13. g3 $5 {is more to the point, but I feel Black should be fine here.}) 13... O-O 14. g4 {This arrangement is too slow for White as it does not threaten the king while Black is not afraid to have the knight kicked away from f6.} b5 15. Qb3 $6 Na5 (15... e6 $1 {[%csl Rb3]}) 16. Qb4 {Blehm,P (2420)-Janssen,R (2345) Calicut 1998, was unclear.}) 12... Qg4 (12... Qf5 {is more ambitious. Perhaps Nakamura wanted to avoid Kramnik's preparation, thinking "he probably thought I would keep the queens on, so I'll swap them!". Maybe not.} 13. h4 (13. Bxf6 $2 Qxf6 {is absolutely horrendous for White}) 13... O-O 14. f3 b5 15. Qf4 Qxf4+ 16. Bxf4 Rad8 {and Black's pieces are working together very well.}) 13. Bxf6 {From a general which-piece-ought-to-be-swapped point of view, this move is a bit surprising, but it soon becomes obvious that it is a good move.} Qxa4 14. Nxa4 ({Not} 14. Bxg7 $2 Qf4+ 15. Kb1 Rg8 $19) 14... Bxf6 15. c3 $1 {This move restricts both the knight and the bishop. Black has no equivalent move to neutralise White's minor pieces and thus Black's queenside comes under pressure.} e6 {At some point Black must take control of d5 and this is as good a time as any.} ({ The active} 15... b5 {doesn't solve Black's problems:} 16. Nc5 (16. Nb6 Ra7 17. g3 e6 18. Bg2 Nb8 $5 19. Rd3 O-O 20. Rhd1 $36) 16... O-O {and although there are other ways to get some advantage, the principled} 17. Nd7 {seems the simplest. After} Rfe8 18. Nxf6+ exf6 19. g3 Ne5 20. h3 Rac8 21. Kb1 {Black's knight is not quite at par with the bishop.}) (15... Rc8 16. g3 Rc7 17. Nb6 e6) 16. g3 Rc8 17. Bg2 Be7 18. Rd2 h5 $1 {Since there is no way to exchange one's way out of the pressure, priority number one becomes getting some counterplay.} (18... O-O 19. Nb6 Rc7 20. Rhd1 Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Nxd8 22. Kc2 {and White has terrific pressure on the queenside.}) 19. Rhd1 (19. h4 $2 {would reduce White's winning chances significantly as the kingside pawns are set to be chewed on by Black's bishop.}) 19... h4 20. Nb6 (20. g4 $2 Bg5) 20... Rc7 21. Na8 {This kind of repetition saves time and also sends a message to the opponent about who is in the driver's seat.} Rc8 22. Nb6 Rc7 (22... Rd8 23. b4 hxg3 24. hxg3 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 Rh2 26. Bxc6+ bxc6 27. a4 {, followed by Nc4, is difficult for Black as both a6, c6 and - at some point - f7 are weak.}) 23. f4 $1 hxg3 24. hxg3 Rh5 (24... g5 $6 25. f5 $1 exf5 26. Nd5 Rc8 27. Rf2 {is just awful for Black. Observe that} Rh2 $2 {fails due to} 28. Nb6 $1 {followed by Bxc6+ and Rxh2.}) 25. Na8 $1 Rc8 26. Rd7 $1 {A wonderful concept built on the strength of the unopposed bishop.} Rh2 (26... Rxa8 27. Rxb7 Rc8 (27... Nd8 28. Rxe7+ Kxe7 29. Bxa8 $16) 28. Bxc6+ Rxc6 29. Rb8+ {and Black has to give up the bishop.}) 27. Be4 $1 Re2 28. Bxc6 $2 {This move ruins it for Kramnik.} ({ The best move is} 28. Bf3 $1 {The point is that if Black plays} Re3 {, then} ( 28... Rh2 29. Nb6 Rd8 30. Rxb7 $16) 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30. Nc7+ Kf8 31. Rh1 Bf6 32. Rh7 Bg7 {looks almost exactly like the game, with the exception of the placement of Black's active rook. In the game it is on e2, but here it is on e3. But how can this be better for White? Now the rook is not just active but also threatening a pawn! However, what is most important is that the rook is not just on a casual stroll, window shopping for g-pawns, but on an important mission to protect the e6-pawn. If the rook moves away White will strike with Nxe6! So, White can continue with} 33. Kd2 $1 {and the rook ends up in a pickle:} Re4 (33... Rxg3 $1 {might be the best still although} 34. Nxe6+ fxe6 35. Rdxg7 Rg2+ 36. Kc1 $1 (36. Ke3 Rxb2 37. Ra7 Kg8 {is less clear.}) 36... Rg1+ 37. Kc2 Rg2+ 38. Kb3 Rb8+ 39. Rb7 Rxb7+ 40. Rxb7 Rg4 41. Ra7 Rxf4 42. Rxa6 g5 43. Rxc6 Kf7 44. a4 g4 45. Rd6 {and White should win.}) 34. b3 c5 35. Rh1 c4 36. b4 e5 37. f5 $1 gxf5 38. Rh5 Rg4 39. Rxf5 Rxg3 40. Ke2 $1 f6 41. Kf2 Rg4 ( 41... Rxc3 $2 42. Ne6+) 42. a4 {with complete domination.}) 28... bxc6 29. Nc7+ Kf8 30. Rh1 Bf6 31. Nxa6 Ra8 $1 {Black's activity is no less valuable than White's extra pawn.} 32. Nb4 (32. Rh7 $2 Rxa6 33. Rhxf7+ (33. Rdxf7+ Kg8) 33... Ke8) 32... c5 33. Nd3 Rxa2 34. Kb1 Ra8 $1 35. Nxc5 Rb8 36. Rb7 Rxb7 37. Nxb7 Rg2 38. Rh3 g5 $1 {Improving the scope of the bishop and opening up a road towards g4 for the king.} 39. fxg5 Bxg5 40. Nc5 Be7 $1 {If White's knight goes to d3, the bishop will control it from d6. If the knight goes to e4, then the bishop is already in the right spot and Black can play f7-f5.} 41. Nd3 Bd6 42. Nf4 Rf2 43. Rh4 (43. b4 Ke7 $1 {and White cannot go forward with the pawns without the support of the king.} (43... Bxf4 44. gxf4 Rxf4 45. Kb2 Ke7 46. Kb3 f5 {also works, but there is no reason for Black to hurry with such an exchange.})) 43... Ke7 44. Rg4 Rf1+ 45. Kc2 Rf2+ 46. Kb3 Rd2 47. Rg8 Rf2 48. Rg4 Rd2 49. Rg8 Rf2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 5th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.08.04"] [Round "3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B25"] [WhiteElo "2807"] [BlackElo "2742"] [Annotator "Quintiliano,R"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2017.08.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 {The Closed Sicilian is a very rare choice at the top level...} d6 3. Nge2 {But ok, Caruana is going to open with d4, just a different move order...} Nf6 4. g3 {And there is! Definitely, a Closed Sicilian.} g6 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. d3 Bg7 7. h3 Rb8 {The plans for both sides are easy to understand: White can play in the centre or on the kingside, while Black should push his queenside pawns in order to gain space and give more power to the Bg7.} 8. a4 { This move is not so useful for White, because he can't avoid b5 anyway, and, as the game shows, Black is the side who can activate his rook using the a-file in such positions.} (8. Be3 {or}) (8. f4 {are more common options, for example} Bd7 9. Be3 b5 10. Qd2 b4 11. Nd1 O-O 12. O-O {and compared to te game, Black doesn't have the idea of Ra8, instead, he should try something like} a5 { [%CAl Ya5a4,Yf6e8,Ya4a3] leading to interesting positions.}) 8... a6 9. f4 Bd7 ({Of course, not} 9... b5 $4 10. e5) 10. Be3 b5 11. axb5 axb5 12. Qd2 {Another necessary move in these variations, freeing the d1-square for the knight in case of ...b4.} b4 13. Nd1 O-O 14. O-O Qc7 {[%CAl Yb8a8]} 15. g4 Ra8 16. Rb1 { It's better to avoid this exchange, as on b1 the rook protects b2 and the first rank.} (16. Rxa8 Rxa8 {is usually better for Black, as the rook can enter any time on the 7th or 8th rank with the initiative on the queenside.}) 16... Ra2 17. f5 {White should play this move in order to try to open the kingside and to play Bh6 trading the strong g7-bishop, but now Black gains a nice central post for his knight, As far as i know about these positions, this is enough to keep a solid position.} Ne5 18. Bh6 Qa7 $1 19. Kh1 Bb5 {Black is preparing to put some pressure on White's queenside.} 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Nf4 { After a calm and natural opening with both sides making their plans, the game is about to become funny.} (21. g5 {would be inaccurate as after} Nh5 $1 { this knight does a good job stopping White's initiative on the kingside.}) 21... c4 22. g5 $1 (22. dxc4 Bxc4 23. Rg1 Qb7 {and Black is ok.}) (22. Qxb4 { looks risky} cxd3 $1 23. Nxd3 (23. cxd3 Bxd3 24. Nxd3 Nxd3 25. Qd2 Ne5 { is pretty solid for Black}) 23... Ra4 $1 {a nice tactical point} 24. Qb3 (24. Qxb5 Rb8 $19 {[%csl Rb5]}) 24... Bxd3 25. cxd3 Rb8 26. Qc3 Rab4 $17 {Black has strong domination on the dark-squares.}) 22... Nfd7 23. Ne3 $6 {This allows Black to achieve a slightly better position.} (23. Qxb4 $1 {now looks better than before} cxd3 (23... Rb8 $2 24. Qd2 cxd3 25. cxd3 Qd4 26. Nc3 Ra6 27. Nce2 Qa7 28. d4 $16) 24. cxd3 Bxd3 25. f6+ $1 {this possibility for White makes the difference} exf6 26. Nxd3 Nxd3 27. gxf6+ Kh8 (27... Nxf6 28. Qxd6 $18 {[%csl Rd3,Rf6]}) 28. Qd2 (28. Qxd6 N3e5 29. Qd2 Ra6 {[%csl Gf6]}) 28... N3c5 29. Nc3 (29. Qxd6 Ra6 30. Qd4 Re8 $44 {[%CAl Yc5e4] Black has good activity in return for the pawn}) 29... Ra6 30. b4 Ne6 31. b5 Ra3 32. Nd5 $14 {[%csl Gb5,Gf6] it's going to be a difficult defence for Black, as White has pawns on both sides that are pretty annoying.}) 23... b3 $2 {Black rushes to increase the tension on the queenside, but actually this is bad.} (23... cxd3 {looks interesting, but there are some very complicated lines after} 24. cxd3 (24. Nxd3 b3 $1 25. c4 Bxc4 26. Nxc4 Nxc4 27. Qc3+ Nde5 $15 28. Qxb3 $2 Nd2) 24... Nc5 {[%csl Yd3] the pressure on d3 forces White to look for active options} 25. Ned5 $1 {now Black should find the right way} (25. Qf2 {is good also, but not so dangerous for Black} Ncxd3 26. Qh4 Nxf4 27. Qh6+ $1 Kg8 28. Rxf4 {[%CAl Yf4h4]} f6 $8 29. fxg6 (29. Rh4 Rf7) 29... Nxg6 30. gxf6 $1 Rxf6 31. Rxf6 exf6 32. Nf5 Ra1 $1 33. Rxa1 Qxa1+ 34. Kh2 Qa7 35. Nxd6 Bd7 $13) 25... Nexd3 $1 ( 25... Ncxd3 $2 26. f6+ Kh8 (26... exf6 $2 {it is wrong because now the queen gains access to h6} 27. gxf6+ Kh8 28. Nxd3 Nxd3 29. Qh6 Rg8 30. Ne7 $18) 27. Nxd3 Bxd3 28. fxe7 Re8 29. Qxb4 Bxb1 (29... Bxf1 30. Bxf1 {[%CAl Yf1b5]}) 30. Qxd6 $1 Qb8 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Rxb1 {and Black is losing, but in a very difficult line to calculate} Rxb2 33. Rxb2 Qxb2 34. Qd6 {[%CAl Rd5f6]} Kg7 35. Bf1 $3 (35. Nf6 Qc1+ 36. Kh2 Qf4+ $11) 35... Qa1 36. Qf6+ Kg8 37. Qa6 $1 Qxa6 38. Bxa6 $18 {[%CAl Ya6b5,Yd5f6]}) (25... Bxd3 $5 26. Nxd3 Ncxd3 27. f6+ Kh8 28. fxe7 Re8 29. Rf6 Qd4 $1 30. Qe2 $14) 26. Nxe7 $1 {in this almost irrational position, it is impossible to calculate exactly, but the best move is} (26. f6+ $6 exf6 27. gxf6+ Kh8 28. Nxd3 $2 Bxd3 29. Qh6 Rg8 30. Ne7 Ne6 $1 31. Nxg8 Bxf1 32. Rxf1 Kxg8 $19) 26... Bc4 $1 {[%csl Gd5] keeping d5 more or less under control} 27. Ned5 (27. Nfd5 Nd7) 27... Nb3 28. Qc2 Ne5 $13 {with a very complicated and double-edged position.}) 24. d4 $1 bxc2 25. Nxc2 Nd3 { Black's position looks good, but White has a nice manoeuvre to create some problems.} 26. Nd5 $1 e5 27. Nc3 Qa5 $8 (27... Ra5 $2 28. b4 $1 cxb3 29. Nxb5 Rxb5 30. Qxd3 $18) 28. dxe5 N7xe5 (28... dxe5 {looks bad after} 29. Ne3 N7c5 ( 29... Rb8 30. Rfd1 {[%csl Ra2]}) 30. Qd1 $1 {[%csl Ra2]} Rxb2 31. Rxb2 Nxb2 32. Qd6 $1 {now White has a deadly attack} Nd7 (32... Nbd3 33. Qf6+ Kg8 34. Ng4 $18 ) 33. fxg6 hxg6 (33... fxg6 34. Qe7+ Kg8 35. Rxf8+ Nxf8 36. Ng4 $18) 34. Nf5+ $1 Kh7 (34... gxf5 35. Qh6+ Kg8 36. exf5 {[%CAl Gf5f6]}) 35. Ne7 $1 Kg7 (35... Qxc3 36. Rxf7+ $1) 36. Nxg6 $1 fxg6 37. Qe7+ Kg8 38. Rxf8+ Nxf8 39. Nd5 Nh7 40. Nf6+ Nxf6 41. gxf6 $18 {[%CAl Re7g7]}) 29. Nd4 $6 {But now Black can reach a solid position by sacrificing an exchange.} ({A better move was} 29. Qe3 $1 { [%csl Ra2]} Rxb2 30. Rxb2 Qxc3 (30... Nxb2 31. Rb1 {[%csl Rb2,Rb5]} Ned3 32. Qd4+ Kg8 33. Nd5 $18) 31. Rxb5 Qxc2 32. Rd5 $1 {Black's compensation here looks greater than it actually is, for example} Qb2 (32... Rd8 33. Qb6) (32... c3 33. Rxd6 Qd2 34. Qd4 $1 c2 $2 35. Qxe5+ $1 Kg8 36. fxg6 hxg6 37. Rxg6+ $1 fxg6 38. Qe6+ {with mates}) 33. Rxd6 Qb8 34. Qd4 $16) 29... Bd7 30. Rfd1 Qc5 $1 31. Nxa2 Qxd4 $44 {Now Black has a nice position, good posts for his pieces, and White is unable to create any dangerous ideas .} 32. Rf1 Bc6 33. Nc3 Rb8 34. Qe2 Rb3 35. Nd1 Nc5 36. Nc3 Ncd3 37. Nd1 Nc5 {After mobilising all his pieces, Nepomniachtchi doesn't see a clear way to improve his position and goes for a repetition.} (37... gxf5 $5 {was a worthy try, but White is able to keep the equilibrium} 38. Rxf5 (38. exf5 $2 Nf4 $19) 38... Nc5 39. Nc3 Nxe4 $1 40. Bxe4 $1 (40. Nxe4 $2 Bxe4 41. Bxe4 Rxh3+ 42. Kg2 Re3 $19) 40... Rxc3 41. Bxc6 (41. bxc3 $2 Qxe4+ 42. Qxe4 Bxe4+ $19 {[%csl Rb1,Rf5]}) 41... Rxh3+ 42. Kg2 Qh4 {but Black does not have any advantage after} 43. Rxe5 $1 Rh2+ 44. Kf1 (44. Kg1 Rxe2 45. Rxe2 Qg4+ 46. Rg2 Qf5 $1 {is the same}) 44... Rxe2 45. Rxe2 Qh3+ 46. Kg1 (46. Bg2 $2 Qf5+ {[%csl Rb1]}) 46... Qg4+ 47. Rg2 Qf5 $1 {[%csl Yb1][%CAl Yf5c5]} 48. Rf1 Qc5+ 49. Rgf2 Qxc6 50. Rxf7+ Kg6 51. R1f6+ Kxg5 52. Rf5+ Kg4 53. Rf2 $1) 38. Nc3 {A very interesting game, full of tense moments and difficult positions to calculate and evaluate.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2016.08.09"] [Round "5"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B56"] [WhiteElo "2807"] [BlackElo "2819"] [Annotator "Pavlovic,M"] [PlyCount "93"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 Nc6 6. Nc3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 { We transposed to a regular f3 Sicilian, not that popular in this move order, but still played from time to time.} 8. Be3 Be6 9. Nd5 Bxd5 10. exd5 Nb4 11. c4 a5 12. Be2 {I have the impression that a slightly different move order could improve White's desired set up:} (12. Qd2 b6 13. Nc1 Na6 14. Ne2 $1 O-O 15. Nc3 Nd7 16. Be2 {Black waisted a move on b6 (for a reason) and this helps White to get what he wants.}) 12... Na6 13. Nd2 $5 O-O 14. Nb1 Nd7 15. Qd2 f5 16. Nc3 Bh4+ $1 17. g3 f4 18. Bf2 Bg5 19. Qc2 Nac5 {Another knight move is not without sense:} (19... Ndc5 20. Kf1 e4 $1 21. Nxe4 Nb4 22. Qb1 Nxe4 23. Qxe4 Re8 24. Qb1 Qd7 $44) 20. Kf1 Qe8 21. Re1 $5 (21. Kg2 e4 22. Nxe4 Nxe4 23. Qxe4 Qxe4 24. fxe4 Ne5 $44) 21... e4 $5 (21... Qh5 22. Kg2 $14) 22. Bxc5 $1 Nxc5 23. Nxe4 Nxe4 24. Bd3 fxg3 25. Bxe4 Qh5 $2 (25... g2+ 26. Qxg2 Qh5 27. Rg1 Bf6 28. Qg4 Qxg4 29. Rxg4 Be5 30. Kg2 b6 {The position is most likely drawish.}) 26. Kg2 $1 gxh2 27. Rxh2 Bh4 28. Bxh7+ Kh8 29. Be4 Rf4 30. Kh1 {White is winning of course.} Qe5 {The idea is ...g5.} 31. Rg1 (31. c5 dxc5 32. Qxc5 g5 33. Qb6 Qg7 34. d6 {it looks that White will prevail here.}) 31... g5 32. Qc3 $6 Qxc3 33. bxc3 Kg7 {A huge part of the advantage is gone.} 34. Rb1 Rf7 35. Rb6 Ra6 36. Rhb2 Rxb6 37. Rxb6 Bf2 $1 38. Rxd6 Rf6 39. Rd8 Rf8 40. Rd6 Rf6 41. Rd8 Rf8 42. Rxf8 Kxf8 43. d6 Bc5 44. d7 Ke7 45. Bf5 Be3 46. Kg2 Bd2 47. Kf2 {This is just draw.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 5th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.08.08"] [Round "6"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B96"] [WhiteElo "2807"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Quintiliano,R"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2017.08.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {The 6.Bg5 variation has always been a very aggressive and principled weapon against the Najdorf, but in the last two years we have seen its practice growing considerably among the elite, Caruana being the one who has presented more interesting and dangerous ideas for White. In this game, he again manages to surprise his opponent, no less than one of the greatest world specialists in the Najdorf with the Black pieces.} e6 (6... Nbd7 {is an interesting option for Black, but curiously MVL never gave a chance to this move.}) 7. f4 h6 { MVL likes this move before ...Qb6.} (7... Qb6 {used to be the main move, and at the level of these guys, theory was so deeply developed that the likely result seems to be a draw. Until recently, when Caruana showed his prepararions and played} 8. Qd3 $5 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 Be7 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Be2 Qa5 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. g4 h6 15. Rg1 $5 $146 {Caruana had studied this simple-looking but interesting move} (15. Qh3 {[%CAl Gg4g5] ;Gashimov,V (2759) -Grischuk,A (2736) WchT 7th Bursa 2010 (4.1) 0-1 is one of the points behind 8. Qd3, and was played in one of the most fascinating games that I've ever seen -} ) 15... Bd7 (15... Nc6 16. g5 $6 {Hector,J (2497)-Sagit,R (2406) SWE-ch Stockholm 2017 (5) 0-1} Nxd4 17. Qxd4 hxg5 18. Rxg5 Kf8 $15) 16. g5 hxg5 17. Rxg5 Nc6 $6 {Black focussed just on finishing his development as soon as possible, but he missed an important idea for White in this process} (17... Rh7 $5) 18. Rxg7 O-O-O $2 (18... Nxd4 19. Qxd4 Rf8 20. Rb3 $1 {a mysterious move, which I'm totally sure Caruana had prepared, as the rook can be useful in the third rank for attacking purposes either if Black keeps his king in the centre, or if he plays 0-0-0}) 19. Ncb5 $1 {after this unexpected blow, Black needs to find the correct defence to keep things even} axb5 20. Nxb5 Ne5 $8 (20... Qb8 21. Rxe7 $1) 21. Nxc7 Nxd3+ 22. cxd3 Ng8 $2 (22... Rxh2 $1 23. Rxe7 Rh1+ 24. Bf1 Rf8 $1 {[%csl Gc7][%CAl Yf8f1,Yh1f1] and Black is regaining the piece} 25. Rc1 Kb8 26. Nxe6 (26. Ke2 Rh2+ 27. Ke3 e5 $1 {[%CAl Gf6g4] is even dangerous for White}) 26... Bxe6 27. Bh6 $1 Rxh6 28. Rxe6 Rh1 29. Kd2 (29. Ke2 Ng4) 29... Nxe4+ 30. dxe4 Rhxf1 31. Rxf1 Rxf1 32. Rxd6 Kc7 $11 {and the variation ends in a drawish endgame. Modern theory!}) 23. Na8 $1 Kb8 24. Nb6 Bc6 25. Bf4 $16 { Caruana,F (2808)-Nakamura,H (2785) Norway Chess 5th 2017 (9) 1-0 and White converted his material advantage -}) 8. Bh4 Qb6 9. a3 Be7 10. Qd3 $5 $146 { Caruana's new idea for this game, but actually it is not his idea, as he said in the interview after game that it was a suggestion of his friend, Norwegian GM Torbjorn Hansen.} ({Earlier this year, another game between the same players went} 10. Bf2 Qc7 11. Qf3 Nbd7 12. O-O-O b5 13. g4 Bb7 ({Caruana won another beautiful game against} 13... g5 14. h4 gxf4 15. Be2 $1 b4 16. axb4 Ne5 17. Qxf4 Nexg4 18. Bxg4 e5 {and Caruana now played} 19. Qxf6 $1 Bxf6 20. Nd5 Qd8 21. Nf5 $1 {[%csl Gd5,Gf5][%CAl Yf2b6] a surprisingly strong queen sacrifice, as it's very difficult for Black's pieces to find good squares, especially the queen} Rb8 $2 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Rxd6 $16 {Caruana,F (2823) -Nakamura,H (2779) London Classic 8th 2016 (6) 1-0}) 14. h4 d5 $1 {A typical Sicilian counter-blow in the centre for Black} 15. e5 Ne4 {Caruana,F (2817) -Vachier Lagrave,M (2803) Grenke Chess Classic 4th 2017 (5) 1/2-1/2 and Black is in the way to get a good position -}) 10... Nbd7 {Cautious, Vachier-Lagrave avoids the complicated lines which mean stepping along a totally unknown path.} (10... Nxe4 $5 {leads to interesting positions} 11. Bxe7 Nxc3 (11... Qxb2 $5 { seems kind of risky, but actually Black is not worse in the ensuing complications} 12. Nxe4 Qxa1+ 13. Kf2 Kxe7 14. Nf5+ $1 exf5 15. Qxd6+ Ke8 16. Bb5+ $1 axb5 17. Rxa1 fxe4 18. Qe5+ Kd8 19. Rd1+ Bd7 20. Qxg7 Re8 {and despite White's temporary activity, and some pawns dropping on the kingside, Black has too many pieces for the queen} 21. Qxf7 Rxa3 {it's likely that Caruana had studied this endgame a lot, but I like Black's chances}) 12. Qxc3 (12. Bxd6 $5) 12... Kxe7 13. O-O-O Rd8 {White seems to have enought compensation for the pawn, as he can develop a quick initiative on the kingside} 14. g4 $5 Nc6 15. Bg2 Nxd4 16. Rxd4 Bd7 17. Rhd1 Rac8 18. Qd2 d5 19. f5 $40) (10... Qxb2 $6 { even for a strong player like Vachier-Lagrave, this is playing with fire} 11. Nb3 {[%CAl Ga1a2]} Nxe4 $8 12. Nxe4 Bxh4+ 13. Kd2 $1 (13. g3 Bf6) 13... Nc6 $8 (13... O-O 14. Nc3 Bf6 15. Na4 {[%csl Rb2]}) (13... Bf6 14. Nxd6+ Ke7 15. Nc4 Rd8 16. Nxb2 Bxb2 17. Ra2 Bf6 18. g3 $14) 14. Nxd6+ Kf8 (14... Ke7 15. Nc4 Qf6 16. Qd6+ Ke8 17. g3 e5 18. Bg2 $1) 15. Nc4 Qf6 16. g3 {[%csl Rh4] and after} b5 17. Nd6 e5 18. Ne4 Qe7 19. gxh4 $14 {Black can try to fight because of the exposed Kd2, but objectively White is clearly better.}) (10... Nc6 {This is possible also.}) (10... d5 $5 {Caruana said this move is also an option for Black.}) 11. O-O-O g5 $6 {This doesn't look good for Black, and his position will become somewhat uncomfortable.} (11... Nc5 12. Qe2 Nfxe4 $6 {again this idea leaves White with a pleasant position} 13. Nxe4 Bxh4 14. Nf5 $1 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Be7 (15... d5 16. Nxg7+ Kf8 17. Qe5 f6 18. Qe2 Kxg7 19. g3 $14) 16. Nxe7 Kxe7 17. Bc4 {and White has good compensation} Kf8 (17... Re8 18. Rhe1 Qc5 19. Bb3 Bd7 20. f5 $36) 18. Rhe1 g6 19. g4 $1 {and still is not easy for Black to finish development} d5 $2 20. Qe5 Rg8 21. Bd3 $16 {[%CAl Yf4f5]}) (11... O-O 12. g4 $36) (11... Qc7 12. Qg3 g5 $6 (12... O-O 13. Be2 Nc5 14. Bf3 {looks promising for White}) 13. fxg5 Nh5 14. Qe3 (14. Qg4 hxg5 15. Bxg5 Ne5 16. Qh4 Ng6 17. Qg4 Ne5 $11) 14... Qc5 15. Kb1 hxg5 16. Bf2 $14) 12. fxg5 Ne5 ({ Caruana said} 12... Ng4 {could be a better version for Black, but after} 13. Qd2 $1 {White has the advantage, like in the game} Qd8 (13... Qc5 14. Be2 hxg5 15. Na4 $1 Qc7 16. Bxg5) (13... hxg5 14. Bxg5 Bxg5 15. Qxg5 Nf2 16. Nd5 $1 exd5 17. Nf5 f6 18. Qg7 $18) 14. Nf3 Nge5 15. Bf2 $1 hxg5 16. Be3 b5 $5 (16... Rg8 17. Be2 {[%csl Ge8] Despite his solid position, Black has problems to find a good place for his king}) 17. Be2 $1 (17. Nxg5 Ng4 18. Nf3 Nxe3 19. Qxe3 Qc7 $44) 17... Rg8 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Bd4 $16 {[%CAl Yh1f1,Ye2h5] White has a clear plan, which is Rhf1-Bh5 and Black is in trouble.}) 13. Qd2 Nh7 {[%csl Gh7] Black regains the pawn, but the knight is in an awkward position on h7.} 14. Nf3 hxg5 15. Bf2 ({Caruana also considered} 15. Bg3 Qc7 16. Qd4 f6 {and Black is kind of solid, but then} 17. h4 $1 {[%CAl Yh1h8] is a good way to exploit the advantage in development opening the h-file} Nf8 18. Be2 gxh4 19. Bxh4 Bd7 {Black is finishing development, but White's pieces enjoys more freedom and activity, for example} 20. Bf2 Rxh1 21. Rxh1 O-O-O 22. Qa7 Nc6 23. Qe3 $16 { [%CAl Yc3a4,Yh1h6]}) 15... Qc7 16. Be2 $16 {White has a clear advantage, as his pieces are all well developed and his plan to exploit the advantage is pretty easy.} Bd7 17. h4 $1 {[%csl Gh7][%CAl Yh1h8] In general, when you are ahead in development, a good way to proceed is to open the position and create concrete threats, and here the h-file is especially good due to the Nh7.} Rg8 ( 17... O-O-O 18. Nxg5 {White just wins a pawn.}) 18. h5 $1 {[%csl Gh5] A good practical choice, creating a strong passed pawn and keeping the Nh7 passive.} ( 18. hxg5 Nxg5 19. Rh5 {also attracted Caruana's attention, and in fact, after} Ngxf3 20. gxf3 O-O-O 21. f4 Ng4 22. Bd4 {White still definitely has the advantage, although, as Caruana said, it is not so easy to see how to increase this advantage} (22. Bxg4 Rxg4 23. Rh7 $14)) 18... g4 $1 {Black should play this move before White can do it.} (18... O-O-O 19. Nxe5 dxe5 20. g4 $1 { [%csl Yh5,Gh7] and Black is strategically lost - Caruana.}) 19. Nxe5 dxe5 20. Bh4 $1 {I like this move because it forces the exchange of the dark-squared bishops, and White will be able to attack the weak g4-pawn.} Bc6 21. Qe3 Bxh4 22. Rxh4 Qe7 $1 {This is a smart idea by Vachier-Lagrave.} 23. Rxg4 $2 { Strangely, after taking this pawn, White cannot win the game!} (23. Qg3 $1 { was better} Qg5+ 24. Kb1 Nf6 {[%csl Ye4,Yh5] Caruana stopped his calculations at this point, but White keeps the advantage with} 25. Rf1 $1 (25. h6 {is also good} Rh8 26. Rf1 Rxh6 27. Rxh6 Qxh6 28. Qf2 Ke7 29. Qc5+ Ke8 30. Qxe5 $16) 25... Nxh5 26. Qf2 $1 {[%csl Rf7,Rg4] and now Black is the one who has some problems to defend his pawns} f5 (26... Rf8 27. Rxg4 Qe7 28. g3 O-O-O 29. Rh4 Ng7 30. Rh7 $16) 27. Bxg4 $1 {and Black is almost lost, for example} Nf4 28. Bf3 O-O-O 29. exf5 Bxf3 30. gxf3 Qxf5 (30... exf5 31. Qc5+) 31. Qa7 $18) 23... Rxg4 24. Bxg4 Qg5 $1 {After the exchange of queens, Black is able to creat a solid blockade and White's material advantage is not enough to win.} 25. Qxg5 Nxg5 26. Bf3 Ke7 27. Kd2 Rh8 28. Rh1 f5 $1 29. Ke3 Kf6 30. b4 b5 {There's no way to break Black's position. Again, Caruana surprised us with interesting ideas in the 6.Bg5 Najdorf, but Vachier Lagrave made a surprising escape!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2003.01.18"] [Round "6"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2807"] [BlackElo "2712"] [Annotator "Roiz,M"] [PlyCount "40"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 e5 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7 6. O-O (6. Nd2 {Is another popular line.}) 6... Nf6 7. Ng5 O-O 8. f4 Bg4 {This logical move can be reasonable alternative to the main 8...exf4} (8... exf4 9. Bxf4 h6 10. Nf3 Be6 {is the main line. The practice shows, that white has good chances to fight for the opening adventage here.} 11. Nd5 (11. Qd2 d5 $1 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 Bxd5 14. Rae1 Re8 15. Kh1 Bxf3 16. Rxf3 Nd4 $11 {0.5-0.5 Drozdov,I-Landa,K/ Noyabrsk 1995}) 11... Bxd5 12. exd5 Nb4 (12... Na5 13. Nh4 $1 Nxc4 14. dxc4 Qd7 15. Bd2 Qg4 16. Nf5 Rfe8 17. Rf3 Kh7 18. Qf1 $36 {1-0 Kovalev,A-Sveshnikov,E/ Rowy 1999}) 13. Bd2 Nbxd5 14. Nh4 Nc7 15. Nf5 d5 16. Bb3 $36 {-see comments to Macieja,B-Bobras,P/POL-ch 59th Warsaw 2002[Postny]}) 9. Qe1 exf4 (9... Nd4 $6 10. fxe5 dxe5 11. Qh4 $1 h6 12. Nxf7 Rxf7 13. Bxf7+ Kxf7 14. Qxg4 Nxc2 15. Rb1 Qd4+ 16. Kh1 Qxd3 17. Bxh6 $2 (17. Qe2 $16) 17... gxh6 18. Rbd1 Qa6 19. Nd5 Rd8 20. Rf3 Rxd5 21. exd5 Nd4 $13 {0.5-0.5 Gdanski,J-Tomczak,R/POL-ch 59th Warsaw 2002}) 10. Bxf4 Nd4 11. Qd2 Qd7 (11... h6 12. Nh3 $5 Qd7 13. Bg3 {[%CAl Gh3f4]} Bxh3 14. gxh3 Qxh3 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 $44 {[%csl Gd5,Rf7][%CAl Gc2c3,Gf1f7]} ) 12. a4 (12. h3 Bh5 13. Kh2 b5 14. Bb3 Nxb3 15. axb3 b4 16. Ne2 d5 17. e5 Ne8 {[%CAl Ge8c7,Gc7e6]} 18. Nf3 Nc7 19. Bg5 f6 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Bxf6 Rxf6 22. Nfg1 Qd6+ {0.5-0.5 Nikolenko,O-Neverov,V/Czestochowa op 1992}) 12... h6 13. Nf3 (13. Nh3 {is not actual now:} Bxh3 14. gxh3 Qxh3 15. Kh1 Nh5 16. Nd5 Bg5 $1 { [%csl Rg3][%CAl Gh5g3]}) 13... Nxf3+ 14. gxf3 Be6 (14... Bh3 $6 15. Rf2 Be6 $2 16. Bxh6 gxh6 17. Qxh6 $18 {[%CAl Gf2g2]}) 15. Kh1 {[%CAl Gf1g1]} Kh7 {[%csl Rh6][%CAl Gh7h6]} 16. Bb5 $6 {After this move black is out of danger.} (16. Rae1 $142 $1 Bd8 (16... Rfe8 $4 17. Bb5) 17. Bb5 $1 Qc7 18. d4 $14) 16... Qd8 17. d4 cxd4 18. Ne2 (18. Qxd4 Nh5 19. Be3 Bf6 20. Qd3 Be5 $1 21. f4 $140 Bxc3 22. Qxc3 f5 $1 23. Bd3 Bd7 $1 $15 {[%CAl Gd7c6]}) 18... Nh5 19. Bg3 Nxg3+ ( 19... a6 $1 20. Bd3 Nxg3+ 21. hxg3 Qb6 22. a5 Qc5 $15) 20. hxg3 Bg5 (20... Bg5 21. f4 Bf6 22. Nxd4 a6 23. Be2 $11) (20... a6 $142 {-19...a6}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 20th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2003.03.09"] [Round "14"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2807"] [BlackElo "2736"] [Annotator "Erenburg/Schluricke"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2003.02.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2006"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.11.24"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.11.24"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 {Diese Variante war bis vor kurzem nicht so populär. Die Hauptidee dieser Fortsetzung besteht darin, das Sweschnikow-System zu vermeiden, in welchem Schwarz in letzter Zeit recht gute Resultate erzielte. Aus diesem Grund wurde diese Variante zu einem häufigen Gast in der modernen Praxis, auch bei Turnieren auf höchster Ebene.} e5 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7 6. O-O {[%mdl 4]} (6. Nd2 {ist die Alternative.}) 6... Nf6 { Am besten. Von zweifelhaftem Ruf sind 6...Be6?! und 6...Bg4?!:} (6... Be6 $6 { Gershon} 7. Nd5 $1 Nf6 8. Ng5 $1 Bxd5 9. exd5 Nb8 10. f4 (10. Bb5+ Nbd7 11. Ne6 fxe6 12. dxe6 O-O 13. exd7 a6 14. Bc4+ d5 15. Bb3 Qxd7 16. f4 e4 17. c4 dxc4 18. Bxc4+ Kh8 19. dxe4 $16 {Frolov,D-Aleksandrov,D/ St Petersburg 1997/1-0 (42) }) 10... exf4 $6 (10... Nbd7 $142) 11. Bxf4 $16 O-O 12. Qe2 Nbd7 (12... h6 $142 $16) 13. Rae1 Re8 14. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 15. Qe6+ Kf8 16. g4 $1 $18 {Volokitin, A-Kozul,Z/ Portoroz 2001/1-0 (20)}) (6... Bg4 $6 {Kupreichik} 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nd5 Nf6 9. Ne3 Nd4 10. g4 Bg6 11. c3 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Qd7 (12... O-O $142 $14) 13. g5 Nh5 14. Nd5 Bd8 15. Qg4 a6 16. a4 f5 $6 (16... h6 $142 $16) 17. exf5 Qxf5 18. Qg2 Bf7 19. f4 $18 O-O 20. fxe5 Qxe5 21. Bd2 $18 {1-0 Kupreichik,V-Vaulin,A/ Tula 2002 (21)}) 7. Ng5 $1 {Die prinzipiellste Fortsetzung. Damit gewinnt Weiß die Zeit zum Hebel f2-f4 und bekommt gefährliches Spiel auf der halboffenen f-Linie.} O-O 8. f4 {Die Ausgangsstellung dieser Variante.} exf4 { [%mdl 32768] Hier hat Schwarz eine Vielzahl von Möglichkeiten:} ({Eine sehr logische Folge und auch eine der Haupterwiderungen ist} 8... h6 {, welche häufig über Zugumstellung zur Partiefortsetzung führt. Schwarz vertreibt den weißen Springer aus seiner aktiven Stellung und erhält so das Feld e6 für seinen weißfeldrigen Läufer. Viel beliebter ist aber} 9. Nf3 (9. Nh3 $5 {Die Idee dieses Zuges ist, die f-Linie für den Turm offen zu halten.} Bg4 { kommt ebenfalls in Betracht.} (9... exf4 10. Bxf4 Ne5 11. Bxe5 dxe5 12. Nd5 Be6 13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. Bxe6 Qd4+ 15. Kh1 (15. Nf2 {Atlas} fxe6 16. c3 Qd6 17. Qe2 $14) 15... fxe6 16. c3 Qd6 17. Qe2 Rad8 18. Rf3 Be7 19. Rxf8+ Bxf8 20. Nf2 c4 21. Rd1 Qb6 22. h3 $14 {Atlas, V-Nataf,I/ AUT-chT 2000/1/2-1/2 (43)}) 10. Qe1 Bxh3 11. gxh3 exf4 12. Bxf4 Nh5 13. Be3 Bg5 14. Kh1 Ne5 15. Bb3 Qd7 16. Bxg5 hxg5 17. Qe3 Nf4 18. Qg3 Qxh3 19. Qxg5 Ne6 20. Qg3 Qxg3 21. hxg3 Nd4 22. Nd5 Rae8 23. Rad1 Nec6 24. c3 Nxb3 25. axb3 f5 $11 {Landa,K-Kozlov,V/ Vladivostok op 1990/1/2-1/2 (64)}) 9... exf4 ({Auf} 9... Be6 $6 {gelang es Weiß nach} 10. f5 $1 {in Vorteil zu kommen:} Bxc4 11. dxc4 Nd4 12. Qd3 a6 13. a4 Qd7 14. a5 Bd8 15. Nd2 $1 Rb8 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 $1 $16 {Kovalev,A-Votava,J/ Passau op 1995/1-0 (53)}) {Nach} 10. Bxf4 {führt} Be6 {zur Partie.}) ({Meines Erachtens hat Schwarz keinerlei Probleme im Abspiel} 8... Bg4 {und erreicht recht mühelos eine gleiche Stellung.}) 9. Bxf4 h6 (9... Na5 {ist eine äußerst logische Fortsetzung. Schwarz beabsichtigt, den starken weißfeldrigen Läufer des Gegners zu tauschen, der häufig unangenehme Drohungen gegen seinen Königsflügel aufstellt. Doch nach dem Tausch auf c4 wird Weiß eine recht bequeme Bauernstruktur erhalten, die ihm erlaubt, ernsten Druck in der d-Linie auszuüben.}) 10. Nf3 Be6 (10... Ng4 $6 {räumt Weiß einen bequemen Vorteil ein:} 11. h3 $1 (11. Nd5 $5 Nge5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 (12... dxe5 13. Be3 $16 { [%CAl Gd1h5]}) 13. Qd2 $14) 11... Nge5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Be3 Bd6 $6 (13... Nd4 $142 $5 14. Qh5 Be6 $1 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Rxf8+ Bxf8 $14) 14. Qh5 Be6 15. Nd5 $40 (15. Bxh6 $1 {Comp Fritz8} gxh6 $140 16. Qxh6 {[%CAl Gf1f3,Yf3g3]} Be7 17. Rf3 Bh4 18. Nd5 $18 {[%CAl Rd5f6]}) 15... Rc8 $2 (15... Nd4 $2 16. Nf6+ $1 gxf6 17. Bxh6 Re8 18. c3 $18) (15... Be7 $142 $16) 16. Rf3 $18 {[%CAl Gd5f6]} (16. Nf6+ $1 $18) 16... Nb4 17. Ne7+ Qxe7 18. Rg3 Bxc4 19. Rxg7+ Kxg7 20. Bxh6+ { 1-0 Delchev,A-Fernandez Siles,L/ Albacete op 2003 (20)}) 11. Nd5 $1 {Kramnik wählt die aggressivste Fortsetzung.} (11. Qd2 {gestattet Schwarz den Durchbruch} d5) 11... Bxd5 (11... Qd7 12. Qd2 Bxd5 13. exd5 $143 $6 (13. Bxd5 $142 $5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Nb4 15. c4 b5 (15... Qf5 16. d4 $16) 16. a3 Na6 17. Rae1 $14 {und die weißen Chancen sind vorzuziehen.}) 13... Nb4 14. Rae1 Rae8 15. a3 Nbxd5 16. Bxh6 gxh6 17. Qxh6 Qf5 18. Ng5 Qg6 19. Nxf7 $2 (19. Qxg6+ fxg6 20. Ne6 Rf7 21. Ng5 Rff8 22. Ne6 $11) 19... Qxf7 20. Rf3 Qh7 $17 {Mitkov, N-Kurajica,B/ Oberwart op 1991/0-1 (44)}) 12. exd5 $1 {Das ist die einzige Methode, um Vorteil zu kämpfen. Danach hat Schwarz einige Schwierigkeiten, die weiße Initiative zu neutralisieren.} ({Nach} 12. Bxd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 { gleicht Schwarz mit} Ne5 $1 {aus. Im Fall von} 14. Nxe5 ({Auf} 14. Qd2 { erwidert Schwarz} Ng6 {und erreicht gleiches Spiel.} 15. Bg3 Bf6 16. Rae1 (16. c4 Re8 17. Rae1 Qd7 18. d4 cxd4 19. Nxd4 Rxe1 20. Rxe1 Be5 $11 {Al Modiahki, M-Shariyazdanov,A/ Dubai op 2000/1/2-1/2 (44)}) 16... Qd7 (16... Qb6 {Illescas} 17. c4 Rfe8 18. b3 Rxe1 19. Rxe1 (19. Qxe1 $5 a5 20. h4 $36) 19... a5 {Polgar, J-Illescas Cordoba,M/ Madrid 1995/0-1 (40)} 20. Qc2 $14) 17. c4 b5 18. b3 a5 19. d4 bxc4 20. bxc4 cxd4 21. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 22. Qxd4 Rac8 23. h3 f6 24. Qe4 Ne5 25. Bxe5 fxe5 26. Rxf8+ Rxf8 27. c5 Qa7 28. Qe3 Qxc5 29. Qxc5 dxc5 30. Rxe5 c4 {1/2-1/2 Vouldis,A-Krasenkow,M/ Kavala op 2001 (30)}) 14... dxe5 15. Bxe5 Qxd5 $11 {ist die Stellung erneut absolut gleich.} 16. Bc3 Rae8 $11 {Podlesnik, B-Sveshnikov,E/ Ljubljana 2002/0-1 (53)}) 12... Na5 ({Die prinzipiellste Erwiderung auf} 12... Nb4 {lautet} 13. Bd2 $1 ({Der Punkt ist, dass Weiß nicht sofort mit} 13. Nh4 $6 {einen Angriff auf den schwarzen König einleiten kann, da Schwarz die starke Riposte} Nfxd5 $1 {hat.}) {Ich glaube, dass Schwarz in dieser Stellung vor ernsten Problemen steht. Nach} 13... Nbxd5 14. Nh4 $1 {ist seine Stellung sowohl nach 14...Nb6 als auch nach 14...Nc7 unangenehm:} Nc7 (14... Nb6 15. Nf5 $40 Nxc4 $6 (15... d5 $142 16. Qe1 $1 dxc4 $2 (16... Bd6 $142 {Sutovsky} 17. Qh4 Ne8 18. Qg4 $1 $44 {->}) 17. Nxe7+ Kh7 $2 (17... Kh8 $142 18. Rxf6 gxf6 19. Bxh6 $16) 18. Rxf6 $1 $18 gxf6 19. Qe4+ Kh8 20. Bc3 $1 Qd6 21. Nf5 {1-0 Tiviakov,S-Ledger,S/ Catalan Bay op 2003 (21)} (21. Rf1 $1 $18 {Comp Fritz8})) 16. dxc4 $16 Nh7 17. Bf4 (17. Qg4 {Sutovsky} Bg5 18. Qg3 $16 {/\ h4 >< d6} (18. Rad1)) 17... Bf6 18. Bxd6 Re8 19. Qg4 Bd4+ 20. Kh1 Qg5 21. Qf3 Bxb2 22. Rab1 Bf6 23. Rxb7 $16 {Smirin,I-Avrukh,B/ ISR-ch Tel Aviv 2002/1-0 (33)}) 15. Nf5 d5 16. Bb3 $44 Kh7 17. c3 Ng8 18. Qf3 Bg5 19. Be1 Ne7 20. h4 Nxf5 21. Qxf5+ g6 22. Qh3 Be7 23. h5 a5 24. Bd2 g5 25. d4 $16 {Macieja, B-Bobras,P/ POL-ch Warsaw 2002/1-0 (46)}) 13. Nh4 $1 {Der direkte Weg für den Springer zum idealen Vorposten f5.} Nxc4 {Es wurde auch 13...Qd7?! und 13... b5?! versucht, aber Schwarz konnte den Angriff in beiden Fällen nicht parieren.} ({Zu erwägen ist jedoch} 13... g5 $5 {, das bisher noch nicht gespielt wurde, z.B.:} 14. Nf5 $5 gxf4 15. Nxh6+ (15. Re1 Re8 16. Bb5 Bf8 17. Bxe8 Nxe8 18. Qd2 Qg5 $1 $14) (15. Rxf4 Kh7 $16) 15... Kh7 16. Nf5 Rg8 17. Qe1 {Meyer,CD} (17. Rxf4 $5 Rg6 $1 (17... Rg5 18. Qf3 Nxc4 19. dxc4 Bf8 20. Rf1 $44 ) 18. Qf3 Nxc4 19. dxc4 Bf8 20. Rf1 Bg7 21. Qe3 $13) 17... Rg5 18. Nxe7 Re5 19. Qh4+ Kg7 20. Rxf4 Qxe7 21. Raf1 Nh5 $1 22. Qg4+ Qg5 23. Rxf7+ Kh6 $13 {unklar, z.B.} 24. Qd7 Qe3+ 25. R1f2 (25. Kh1 $4 Ng3+ $1 $19) 25... Qe1+ 26. Rf1 Qe3+ $11) (13... Qd7 $6 {Meyer,CD Einfach und stark ist dagegen} 14. Bd2 $142 $1 { , und Weiß erhält seine erwünschte Druckstellung:} (14. Bxh6 $6 {ist zu übermütig!} Nxc4 (14... gxh6 15. Nf5 Nxc4 {ist nur Zugumstellung.}) 15. Nf5 gxh6 16. dxc4 Rfe8 $2 {Schwarz revanchiert sich für das provokante Opfer auf schlimme Weise.} (16... Kh8 $142 $1 {wäre hingegen der Härtetest:} 17. Nxh6 Nh7 $1 18. Qd3 Bg5 19. Qc3+ f6 20. Nf5 Rae8 21. h4 Re5 $13 {/ =/+}) 17. Nxh6+ Kg7 (17... Kh7 $142 {Comp Fritz8} 18. Qd2 Rg8 {[%CAl Gg8g6]} 19. Nxg8 Rxg8 $16) 18. Qd2 $18 {Gallagher, J-Heidrich,M/ BL0203 GER-chT 2003/1-0 (32)}) 14... Nxc4 15. dxc4 $16 {-> 14... Qd7?! - Kovalev,A-Sveshnikov,E/ Rowy op 1999}) (13... b5 $6 14. Nf5 $1 bxc4 15. Bxh6 gxh6 16. Nxh6+ Kh7 17. Nf5 cxd3 $2 (17... Rh8 $142 18. Qe1 Nxd5 19. Qe4 $44) 18. Qxd3 Kh8 19. Rae1 $1 $18 {Sutovsky,E-Smirin,I/ ISR-ch Tel Aviv 2002/1-0 (24)}) 14. dxc4 Nxd5 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] Diese Neuerung ist eine Verstärkung.} ({Der vormals gespielte Ausgleichsversuch mit} 14... Qd7 $6 {scheiterte:} 15. Bd2 $1 Qg4 (15... Ng4 $143 16. Nf5 Ne5 17. Qh5 $16 { / +-}) 16. Nf5 $16 Rfe8 {Kovalev,A-Sveshnikov,E/ Rowy op 1999/1-0 (52)} 17. Bxh6 $1 $16) 15. Qxd5 (15. Ng6 {Meyer,CD} fxg6 16. Qxd5+ Kh7 17. Rae1 Qd7 18. c3 Rae8 $11) 15... Bxh4 16. Rad1 $1 $14 {Meines Erachtens sind die weißen Chancen leicht besser, doch Schwarz kann mit genauem Spiel Remis erreichen.} ( 16. Bxd6 {Meyer,CD} Be7 17. Be5 $14) 16... b6 $1 (16... Qb6 {Meyer,CD} 17. Bxd6 Rad8 18. b4 (18. Qe5 Rfe8 19. Qf4 Bf6 20. Bc7 Rxd1 21. Bxb6 Bd4+ 22. Kh1 Ree1 23. Qxf7+ $11 {Dauerschach}) 18... cxb4+ (18... Qxb4 19. Qf5 Qxc4 20. Bxf8 Rxf8 21. Rd7 $14 Bf6 22. Rxb7 Bd4+ 23. Kh1 Qxa2 24. c3 g6 25. Qf3 Bg7 26. Rc7 Qa5 27. Rxf7 Rxf7 28. Qxf7+ Kh7 29. c4 Qc3) 19. c5 Qb5 20. Qe4 Bg5 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. Rf5 $14) 17. Bxd6 (17. Qf3 {Meyer,CD} Bf6 (17... Be7 18. Qg3 Bh4 19. Qg4 Bf6 20. Bxd6 Re8 21. Bxc5 Qc8 22. Qxc8 Raxc8 23. Bd4 Bxd4+ 24. Rxd4 $14) 18. Bxd6 Bd4+ 19. Rxd4 cxd4 20. Bxf8 Qxf8 21. Qd5 Re8 (21... Rd8 {Leko} 22. Rxf7 Rxd5 23. Rxf8+ Kxf8 24. cxd5 Ke7 25. Kf2 Kd6 26. Kf3 Kxd5 $11) 22. Qxd4 Re2 $11 ) 17... Be7 18. Be5 Bg5 $5 (18... Qxd5 {Leko} 19. cxd5 $14) 19. Bd6 (19. Qf3 $5 Qe7 20. Rfe1 {Meyer,CD} (20. Rde1 {Leko} Rae8 (20... Qd7 $5) 21. Qg3 $1 Qd7 $1 22. h4 Rxe5 23. Qxe5 Bxh4 $132) 20... Rfe8 21. Qg3 Rad8 $11) 19... Be7 20. Bf4 Bf6 $1 21. c3 (21. Qf3 {Meyer,CD} Qc8 22. c3 Qe6 (22... Qf5 23. Bxh6 Qxf3 24. Rxf3 Bxc3 25. Rxc3 gxh6 26. Rg3+ Kh7 27. Rd7 Rad8 28. Rgd3 Rxd7 29. Rxd7 $16) ( 22... Re8 23. Bxh6 Qe6 24. Rd5 Bxc3 25. bxc3 gxh6 $14) 23. Rd5 $14 (23. Bxh6 Qxc4)) 21... Qxd5 $5 22. cxd5 Rad8 23. Bxh6 $5 (23. Rfe1 {Meyer,CD} Rd7 24. Be5 Bxe5 25. Rxe5 c4) 23... Bxc3 24. bxc3 gxh6 25. Rfe1 (25. c4 {Meyer,CD} Rfe8 $11 ) (25. Rf6 $5 {Leko} Kg7 26. Rc6 $11) 25... Rd7 26. c4 a6 $1 27. a4 b5 $1 $11 28. axb5 axb5 29. cxb5 Rb8 30. d6 Rxb5 31. Re7 Rbb7 32. Rxd7 Rxd7 33. Kf2 Kg7 34. Kf3 Kf6 $11 35. Rd5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 12th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "11"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2715"] [Annotator "Boensch,U"] [PlyCount "69"] [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. e4 {Ftacnik} c5 2. Nc3 (2. Nf3 {Ftacnik} e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Qc7 10. f4 a6 11. a4 b6 12. Bf3 Rb8 13. Qe2 Na5 14. Rad1 (14. Nd2 Bb7 15. g4 Rfc8 16. Qg2 Nd7 17. g5 Nc4 18. Nxc4 Qxc4 19. h4 b5 20. axb5 axb5 21. Rac1 b4 22. Nd1 b3 23. cxb3 Qxb3 24. Rxc8+ { Fichtl,J-Jansa,V/CSSR ch/1974/}) (14. g4 Nc4 15. g5 Nd7 16. Bc1 Re8 17. Bg2 b5 $10 {Spassky,B-Garcia Martinez,S/Moskva/1975/}) (14. Rae1 Nc4 15. Bc1 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Kh1 b4 18. Nd1 Ba6 19. Nf2 Rfe8 20. Nd3 e5 21. g3 d5 22. exd5 e4 23. Bxe4 Bd6 24. Qg2 {Grottke,HJ-Vogt,L/DDR ch/1977/0-1 (30)}) 14... Nc4 15. Bc1 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Qf2 b4 18. Ne2 d5 19. f5 e5 20. Ng3 d4 21. Nh5 Qb6 22. Nxf6+ Bxf6 23. Rfe1 Ba6 24. g4 {Cabello,FJ-Arroyo,E/Candas op (04)/1992/0-1 (42)}) 2... d6 3. Nge2 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bc4 Qb6 7. Nb3 (7. Nde2 e6 8. O-O Be7 9. a4 O-O 10. Be3 Qc7 11. Ng3 a6 12. Qe2 Bd7 13. f4 Rac8 14. Bd3 Rfe8 $10 {Saltaev,M-Tseitlin,MS Tiraspol (5) 1994 0-1 63}) 7... e6 8. Bf4 Ne5 9. Be2 Be7 (9... a6 10. Bg3 $146 (10. Be3 Qc7 11. f4 Nc4 12. Bxc4 Qxc4 13. Qf3 d5 14. e5 Ne4 15. Nxe4 Qxe4 16. Qxe4 dxe4 17. O-O-O $16 {[%emt 0:00:41] Zaitzev,I-Serper,G Moskow7 op 1991 1-0}) 10... h5 $1 11. h3 Qc7 12. f4 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Qxc4 14. Qf3 h4 15. Bh2 Bd7 16. O-O-O Rc8 17. Rhe1 b5 18. Qf2 $2 (18. a3 $13) 18... Qc7 19. e5 b4 20. Rd3 dxe5 21. fxe5 bxc3 22. Rxc3 Qxc3 $5 (22... Qb8 ) 23. bxc3 Ba3+ 24. Kd2 $2 (24. Kb1 $13) 24... Nd5 $17 {[%emt 0:00:33] Ivanchuk,V-Kramnik,V Linares (06) 1993 0-1}) (9... Bd7 10. O-O Be7 11. Be3 Qc7 12. f4 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Qxc4 14. Bd4 O-O 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Nd5 $10 {[%emt 0:00: 48] Zaitzev,I-Kiselev,S Podolsk 1991 1-0}) 10. Be3 Qc7 11. f4 Nc6 (11... Ng6 12. O-O O-O 13. g3 Bd7 14. h4 Rfc8 15. h5 Nf8 16. Bf3 h6 17. Rf2 e5 $10 { [%emt 0:00:22] Zaitsev,I-Makarov,M Podolsk 1992 1/4}) (11... Nc4 12. Bxc4 (12. Nb5 Qc6 13. Bxc4 Qxc4 14. Qd3 $13) 12... Qxc4 13. Qf3 $36) 12. Bf3 a6 13. O-O O-O (13... b5 $6 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Nd7 16. Bxc6 Qxc6 17. Nd4 (17. Na5 Qc7 18. Qf3 Qxa5 19. Qxa8 O-O $44) 17... Qb7 18. Qg4 $40) 14. a4 b6 15. g4 Rb8 16. g5 Nd7 17. Bg2 Re8 (17... Nc5 18. f5 $1 $16) (17... g6 {Ftacnik} 18. f5 $40 ( 18. Rf3 Nc5)) 18. Rf3 Nc5 $6 (18... Na5 $5) 19. Rh3 g6 20. Qg4 Nb4 (20... e5 { Ftacnik} 21. f5 Nb4 22. Qh4 h5 23. Bf3 Nxc2 24. Nd5 Qd8 25. Bxh5 Bxf5 26. Bg4 $18) 21. Qh4 h5 22. Bf3 $1 Bf8 (22... Nxc2 23. Bxh5 $18) 23. Bxh5 gxh5 (23... Bg7 $5 24. Bd4 (24. Bd1 $14) 24... e5 25. f5 $3 exd4 26. Bxg6 fxg6 (26... dxc3 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. f6 $18) 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Rf1 $3 gxf5 29. exf5 Re1 $1 (29... dxc3 30. f6 $18) 30. Rxe1 dxc3 31. Rhe3 Ne6 32. fxe6 Bxe6 33. Rf1+ $18) 24. Qxh5 Bg7 25. Bd4 e5 (25... Bxd4+ {Ftacnik} 26. Nxd4 Kf8 27. g6 $1 (27. Qh6+ Ke7 28. Qf6+ Kd7 29. Rh7 Re7 30. g6) 27... Bb7 28. Qg5 $18) 26. f5 $1 Nxe4 (26... exd4 $2 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. f6 $18) (26... Kf8 $5) 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Nxe4 Bxf5 ( 28... exd4 {Ftacnik} 29. f6) 29. Qxf5 exd4 30. Nf6 $3 $18 Qxc2 31. Nxd4 $1 Qxb2 (31... Qxf5 32. Nxf5 Red8 33. Nh7+ (33. Rh7 {Ftacnik} Bxf6 34. gxf6 Ke8 35. Re1+ $18) 33... Kg8 34. Ne7+ Kh8 35. Nf6+ $18) 32. Rd1 Re5 (32... Re1+ {Ftacnik } 33. Rxe1 Qxd4+ 34. Rhe3 Bxf6 35. gxf6 Nd5 36. Qh5 $18) 33. Nd7+ Ke7 34. Nxe5 Bxe5 35. Qe4 $1 1-0 [Event "Horgen CS"] [Site "Horgen"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "5"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B93"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "Boensch,U"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "1994.09.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 043"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 Nbd7 7. Be2 e5 8. fxe5 (8. Nf5 Nc5 9. Ng3 Qb6 10. Rb1 Bd7 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. Be3 Qc6 $10 {[%emt 0: 00:53] Short, N-Gelfand,B Tilburg (03) 1990 0-1}) 8... dxe5 (8... Nxe5 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Qd2 O-O 11. O-O Be6 12. Nf5 Bxf5 13. Rxf5 Rc8 14. Kh1 Qb6 15. Rb1 Ned7 $10 {[%emt 0:00:51] Polgar,J-Gelfand,B Munich 1991 1/2}) 9. Nf5 Qb6 $146 (9... Qc7 10. O-O Nc5 11. Ng3 Be6 12. Bg5 Ncd7 13. Nh5 Nxh5 14. Bxh5 Bc5+ 15. Kh1 Nb6 $10 {Wahls, M-Gelfand,B Munich 1991 0-1 60}) 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Qc5 12. Qb3 Nf6 13. Bc4 Qb4+ 14. Qxb4 Bxb4+ 15. c3 Bf8 (15... Bxf5 16. exf5 Bc5 17. Bd2 $14 {^^}) 16. Bd3 (16. Rf1 b5 (16... Be6 17. Bxe6 fxe6 $10) 17. Bb3 Bb7 $13) 16... Be6 17. Rf1 O-O-O $10 18. Bc2 Ne8 $6 (18... Bc4 19. Rf3 Ng4 20. Ne3 Nxe3 21. Bxe3 $10) 19. Bb3 $1 $14 Rd7 20. Bg5 Bc5 (20... Bxf5 $2 21. exf5 Bc5 22. Rd1 $16) 21. Ke2 Bxb3 22. axb3 f6 23. Bc1 $1 Nd6 24. Nxd6+ Rxd6 25. b4 Ba7 (25... Bb6 26. b5 a5 $2 (26... Bc7 27. bxa6 bxa6 28. Be3 $16) 27. b4 $18) 26. b5 Rhd8 27. Ra2 $1 Kb8 28. bxa6 bxa6 29. b3 Kb7 30. Rd2 Kc6 31. Rxd6+ Rxd6 32. g4 $16 Rd7 33. Bd2 Bb6 34. Ra1 Kb7 35. h4 Rd8 36. h5 Rd6 37. Be1 Bc7 38. b4 Bb6 39. Ra2 Rc6 40. Ra1 Rd6 41. Bd2 Rd7 42. Rf1 Kc6 (42... a5 43. b5 $16) (42... h6 $16 ) 43. c4 $3 Bd4 (43... Rd4 44. h6 $3 Rxe4+ (44... gxh6 45. Rxf6+ Kb7 46. Be3 $18) 45. Kf3 Rd4 46. hxg7 Rd8 47. Ke4 $18) 44. h6 $1 $18 Kb7 45. c5 a5 46. Rc1 Rc7 (46... Kc6 47. b5+ Kxb5 48. c6 Rc7 49. hxg7 $18) 47. c6+ $1 (47. c6+ Kc8 ( 47... Ka6 48. hxg7 $18) 48. b5 Bb6 49. Bxa5 Bxa5 50. Ra1 $18) 1-0 [Event "Moscow ol (Men)"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1994.12.05"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B87"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "Shipov,S"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "1994.12.01"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 045"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "Belarus"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "BLR"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. O-O Be7 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. Qg3 O-O (10... Nc6 $5) 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. Rad1 Bd7 (12... Bf6 13. Bg5 (13. f4 $2 Bxd4+ $1 14. Rxd4 Qa7 $17) 13... Bxg5 14. Qxg5 Qc5 15. Qd2 Bd7 16. Rfe1 $14 {Ehlvest,J-Gavrikov,V/Moscow/1988/}) 13. Nf3 (13. f4 Nc6 ( 13... Kh8 $1) 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. f5 Kh8 16. Be3 b4 17. Na4 Rb8 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Rxf8+ Bxf8 20. Rf1 Qe7 21. e5 $1 $16 {Sokolov,A-Gelfand,B/Odessa/1989/}) (13. a3 Nc6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Bf4 (15. f4 Bf6 16. f5 Qe7 17. Qg4 Kh8 18. Bd2 $10 { Shtyrenkov,V-Vaulin,A/Budapest/1991/}) 15... Qb7 16. Rfe1 a5 17. e5 dxe5 18. Bxe5 $14 {Short,N-Kasparov,G/London(Wm/20)/1993/}) 13... Nc6 (13... b4 $6 14. Ne2 a5 15. Nf4 $1 Kh8 (15... a4 $2 16. Bxg7 Nxg7 17. Nh5 $18) 16. Bg5 Nf6 ( 16... Bxg5 17. Nxg5 $40) 17. Qh4 $16 {Kasparov,G-Gelfand,B/Linares/1993/}) ( 13... a5 14. a4 b4 15. Ne2 Nc6 16. Nf4 Bf6 17. Nd3 e5 18. Be3 Be7 19. Nd2 Nf6 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Kh1 Be6 $10 {Short,N-Kasparov,G/London(Wm/18)/1993/}) 14. Bf4 ( 14. Bg5 Bxg5 15. Nxg5 Rd8 16. f4 $6 (16. Rd2 $5) 16... h6 17. Nf3 b4 $1 18. Ne2 Nf6 19. e5 Ne4 $1 20. Qh4 dxe5 21. fxe5 Nc5 $17 {Sax,G-Wojtkiewicz,A/Budapest/ 1993/}) 14... Qb7 {N/} (14... Rd8 15. Rfe1 Bc8 16. e5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 Rxd1 18. Rxd1 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Qc6 $10 {Winants,L-Wojtkiewicz,A/Wijk aan Zee/1994/}) 15. Rfe1 b4 16. Ne2 (16. Nd5 $6 exd5 17. exd5 Ne5 18. Nxe5 dxe5 19. Bxe5 Bf6 20. d6 Rd8 $17) (16. Na4 Na5 $1 $13) 16... e5 $1 17. Bg5 $1 (17. Be3 Nf6 18. Nd2 Be6 $10) 17... Be6 (17... Bxg5 18. Qxg5 Be6 19. Ng3 $14) 18. Nh4 Na5 19. Bd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Bxg5 21. Qxg5 Nc4 22. Ng3 $5 (22. b3 Nb6 23. Rdd1 Qxe4 $5 24. Nd4 Qb7 25. Ndf5 $44) 22... Nxb2 23. Ngf5 $44 f6 (23... Nc4 $32) 24. Qg3 Rc8 25. Qb3 Nc4 $8 26. a3 (26. c3 $32 g6 27. Nxd6 Nexd6 28. Rxd6 Rf7 29. Rdd1 $10) 26... g6 (26... Nxa3 $2 27. Rc5+ (27. Rb5+ Qf7) 27... Kh8 28. Rxc8 Qxc8 29. Ng6+ $1 hxg6 30. Qh3+ Kg8 31. Ne7+ $18) 27. Ne3 (27. Nxd6 Nexd6 28. Rxd6 Kh8 29. Rd5 Nxa3 $17) 27... Nxe3 28. Rxe3 Rf7 29. axb4 Qc6 30. c3 Nc7 31. Rdd3 $15 Nb5 32. Nf3 Kg7 33. h4 h5 (33... Rfc7 $5 34. h5 Qb7 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Nh4 Rc4 $36) 34. Nd2 Rfc7 35. Qa2 Qb7 36. Qa1 Rc6 37. Rg3 Qc7 38. Qd1 $1 (38. Qd1 Kh7 (38... Kf7 39. Qb3+ Kg7 40. Qd1 $10) 39. Nb1 Rc4 40. Qf3 $132) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 11th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1993.??.??"] [Round "11"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B87"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2690"] [Annotator "Anand,V"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1993.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 034"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1993.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1993.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Speelman,J Boensch} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. O-O Be7 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. Qg3 O-O 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. Rad1 (12. Rfe1 $6 {Boensch} Bd7 13. a4 b4 14. Nce2 Kh8 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Qxg5 Nf6 17. Ng3 Nc6 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Rad1 Rad8 $10 {[%emt 0:00:36] Kasparov,G-Gelfand,B Paris Immopar (4f/1) 25min 1991 1-0}) 12... Bd7 (12... Bf6 $5 {Boensch} 13. Bg5 Bxg5 14. Qxg5 Qc5 15. Qd2 Bd7 16. Rfe1 $14 {[%emt 0:00:47] Ehlvest,J-Gavrikov,V URS-ch 1988 1/2}) 13. Nf3 $1 {Kasparov and Gelfand already played one game in this variation(Immopar 1991) and though Garry won he was highly unconvincing. This was played after the rest day and two Kasparov wins so he was expected to come out with guns blazing!} (13. f4 {Boensch} Nc6 (13... Kh8 $5 14. Bg5 Nc6 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16. f5 e5 17. Ne6 fxe6 18. fxe6 Rxf1+ 19. Rxf1 Nf6 20. exd7 Qxd7 $10 {[%emt 0:00:23] Tischbierek,R-Gruenberg,HU DDR-ch Zittau 1989 1/2}) 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. f5 Kh8 16. Be3 b4 17. Na4 (17. Ne2 $2 e5 $15) 17... Nf6 $1 (17... Rb8 $2 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Rxf8+ Bxf8 20. Rf1 Qe7 21. e5 $16 {Sokolov,A-Gelfand, B URS-ch 1989 1-0 64}) 18. fxe6 Nxe4 19. Qh3 fxe6 20. Qxe6 Bf6 $10 {Damasko, R-Arnason,J Novi Sad olm (12) 1990 1/2 61}) (13. a3 {Boensch} Nc6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. f4 Bf6 16. f5 Qe7 17. Qg4 Kh8 18. Bd2 Bxc3 19. Bxc3 e5 $14 {[%emt 0:00:41] Stirenkov,V-Vaulin,A Budapest Festival (9) 1991 1-0}) 13... b4 $2 {Too provocative} (13... Kh8) (13... Nc6 $1) (13... a5 {Speelman,J} 14. e5 (14. a4 $14) 14... a4 15. Rd4 axb3 (15... g6 16. Bd5 $1 $16) 16. Bxg7 Nxg7 17. Rg4 bxa2 18. Rxg7+ Kh8 19. Ne4 a1=Q 20. Rxh7+ Kxh7 21. Neg5+ Bxg5 $8 (21... Kg6 22. Nxe6+ Kf5 23. Nfd4+ Ke4 24. Qf3+ Kxe5 25. Qf5#) 22. Nxg5+ Kg6 $8 {This is probably drawn now - Kasparov's opening preparation!} (22... Kh6 $2 23. Qh4+ Kg6 24. Qh7+ Kxg5 25. f4+ Kg4 26. Qh3#)) 14. Ne2 {This is the direction it's going anyway} a5 (14... Kh8 $5 {Boensch}) 15. Nf4 $1 Kh8 (15... a4 $4 {Boensch} 16. Bxg7 Nxg7 17. Nh5 Bf6 18. Nxf6+ Kh8 19. Qh4 h5 20. Qg5 $18) 16. Bg5 Nf6 ( 16... Bxg5 17. Nxg5 a4 18. Qh4 Nf6 19. Bxe6 (19. Nh5 Nxh5 20. Qxh5 h6 21. Nxf7+ $16) 19... Bxe6 20. Nfxe6 fxe6 21. Nxe6 Qe7 22. Nxf8 Qxf8 $16) (16... f6 $4 { Boensch} 17. Bxe6 fxg5 18. Ng6+ hxg6 19. Qh3#) 17. Qh4 (17. e5 {Speelman,J} Ne4 18. Bxe7 Nxg3 19. exd6 Qc8 20. hxg3 a4 21. Bxf8) 17... Bb5 $2 (17... a4 18. Nh5 $18 (18. Nh5 {Boensch} axb3 19. Nxf6 Bxf6 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qxf6+ Kg8 22. Ng5 ( 22. Rd3 {Speelman,J} Bb5 (22... Qd8 23. Qh6 $18) 23. Rxb3 $1 Qd8 (23... Bxf1 24. Ne5 Rc8 25. Qh6 $1) (23... Qc4 $2 24. Nd2) (23... Re8 24. Nd4 Bxf1 25. Qh6 $1 Qc3 $8 26. bxc3 $18) 24. Qh6 f5 (24... f6 25. Ne5 $18) 25. Ng5 $1 (25. Nd4 Qf6 26. Qxf6 Rxf6 27. Nxb5 $18) 25... Ra7 26. Nxe6 Qf6 27. Rg3+ Kf7 28. Qxf8+ Kxe6 29. Qxb8 $18) 22... Bb5 23. Qh6 f6 24. Qxf8+ $1 Kxf8 25. Nxe6+ $18)) ( 17... Nc6 $16) (17... Nc6 {Boensch} 18. Nh5 (18. Ba4 {Speelman,J} Rae8) (18. c3 bxc3 19. bxc3 (19. Bc2 $6 cxb2 20. e5 $2 (20. Bb1) 20... Nxe5 21. Nxe5 Qxc2 $1 22. Nxd7 Nxd7 23. Bxe7 Rfb8 $13)) 18... Nxh5 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. Qxe7 Rae8 $1 21. Qxd6 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 Bb5 $13) 18. Nd4 $1 {Gelfand overlooked this} Be8 (18... Bxf1 19. Ndxe6 fxe6 20. Bxe6 $1 h6 (20... g6 21. Nxg6+ Kg7 22. Qh6#) 21. Bxh6 $18 (21. Bxh6 {Boensch} gxh6 22. Qxh6+ Nh7 23. Ng6#)) 19. Ndxe6 fxe6 20. Nxe6 Qa7 21. e5 $1 dxe5 22. Nxf8 Bxf8 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Rd8 Nd7 (24... Qe7 25. Qg4 $1 (25. Qc4 Kg7 26. Qg8+ Kh6 27. Rd3 Bg6) 25... Bg6 (25... Bg7 26. Qc4 Qf8 27. Qe6 $18) 26. Qc4 Qg7 27. Qc8 $1 $18) 25. Qg4 (25. Qg4 {Boensch} Bg7 26. Qe6 $18 ) 1-0 [Event "Novgorod"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2695"] [Annotator "Kharitonov,Andrei"] [PlyCount "48"] [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. e4 {Ribli} c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Be3 Nf6 8. O-O Ne5 9. h3 (9. f4 Neg4 10. Bc1 Bc5 11. Be2 (11. Nce2 e5 12. h3 exd4 13. hxg4 Nxg4 $17) 11... Qb6 12. Bxg4 Bxd4+ 13. Kh1 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Nxe4 $17) 9... Bc5 (9... b5 $6 10. f4 Nc4 11. Bxc4 Qxc4 12. Qd3 Bb7 13. a4 Qxd3 14. cxd3 b4 15. Nce2 Bc5 16. Kf2 d6 17. Nb3 Bxe3+ 18. Kxe3 a5 19. Ned4 $16 {Tal, M-Kochyev,A/Leningrad/1977/1:0 (40)}) 10. Kh1 (10. f4 $6 Nc6 11. Nce2 (11. Be2 Qb6 12. Na4 Bxd4 13. Nxb6 Bxe3+ 14. Kh2 Bxb6 $17) 11... Qb6 12. c3 Qxb2) (10. Qe2 d6 11. f4 Ng6 12. Rae1 O-O 13. Kh1 b5 14. Nb3 (14. Qf2 Bb7 (14... Bd7 $5) 15. f5 exf5 16. Nxf5 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 Qd8 18. Qg3 d5 $2 (18... Ne8 $142 19. h4 Kh8 20. h5 Ne5 $13) 19. e5 $40 {[%emt 0:00:25] Liu,Sh-Veroci,Z/Tbilisi izt/ 1982/1: 0 /}) 14... Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Bb7 16. e5 $6 dxe5 17. fxe5 Nd7 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. Nd4 Rad8 $17 {Vakulienko,V-Kharitonov,A/Smolensk/1992/0:1 (51)}) 10... d6 11. f4 Ned7 (11... Nc6 $2 12. e5 $1 $16 {Kasparov,G-Anand,V/Tilburg/1991/1:0 (29) Inf 53/181/}) (11... Ng6 {Ribli} 12. Qd2 Bd7 $13 {Topalov,V-Haba,P/Budapest zt-B/ 1993/CBM34/}) 12. a3 (12. Qf3 b5 13. Nb3 (13. Qg3 {Ribli} Bb7 14. a3 O-O 15. Qh4 $6 Qb6 16. Qf2 e5 $15 {Smagin,S-Matulovic,M/Jugoslavija/1992/INF54,188/}) 13... Bb7 14. a4 b4 15. Ne2 $13 {Tal,M-Najdorf,M/Belgrade(m/1)/1970/0,5 (41)}) (12. a4 {Ribli} b6 13. Qe1 Bb7 14. Qg3 g6 15. Rae1 Nh5 16. Qf2 O-O $13 { Short,N-Ribli,Z/ Brussels SWIFT 25`/1992/EXP29/}) 12... O-O 13. Qe1 Qb6 $6 ( 13... b5 $142 {Ribli} 14. Qh4 Qb6 15. Qf2 e5 16. Nf5 g6 $13 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Ne7+ Kg7 19. Ncd5 Nxd5 20. Nxd5 Qd6 $13) 14. Qf2 (14. Na4 $5 Qc7 (14... Qa7 15. Nxc5 dxc5 (15... Nxc5 16. b4 Nxd3 17. cxd3 $16) 16. Nf3 $16) 15. b4 (15. Qh4 $13 {Ribli}) 15... Ba7 (15... Bxd4 16. Bxd4 b5 17. Nc3 e5 18. Be3 exf4 19. Rxf4 $14) 16. c4 $14) 14... e5 (14... Qxb2 $2 15. Na4 $18) 15. fxe5 (15. Na4 $6 exd4 16. Nxb6 dxe3 $17) (15. Nf5 $5 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Qxe3 17. Nxe3 $14) 15... dxe5 16. Nf5 (16. Na4 $6 exd4 (16... Qd8 $1 17. Nf5 (17. Nxc5 $2 Nxc5 18. Nc6 $2 Nxd3 $19) 17... Bxe3 18. Qxe3 b5 19. Nc3 Bb7 $13) 17. Nxb6 dxe3 18. Nxd7 exf2 19. Nxc5 $16 (19. Nxc5 {Ribli} Re8 20. Rxf2 b6 21. Nb3 Nxe4 $10)) 16... Bxe3 17. Nxe3 $6 (17. Qxe3 $142 Qxe3 18. Nxe3 b5 (18... b6 19. Nc4 $14) 19. b4 Bb7 20. a4 $14) 17... Qxb2 $1 18. Ned5 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 b5 (19... Qd4 $5 20. Qg3 (20. Ne7+ {Ribli} Kh8 21. Qxd4 exd4 22. Nf5 Ne5 23. Nxd4 Rd8 24. Nf3 Nxf3 25. Rxf3 Be6 $10) 20... Qc5 21. Rf3 f6 22. Raf1 Kh8 {/\ Qd6, Nc5-/+}) 20. Qg3 (20. Rfb1 { Ribli} Qd4 21. Qxd4 exd4 22. a4 Bb7 $10) 20... Nc5 $2 (20... Bb7 $2 21. Rfb1 Qd4 22. Ne7+ Kh8 23. Nf5 $18) (20... Kh8 $5 21. Qh4 f6 22. Ne7 Rf7 23. Nf5 Nf8 $17) 21. Rab1 (21. Nf6+ $2 Kh8 22. Qh4 (22. Nh5 Ne6 $17) 22... h6 $17 (22... h6 {Ribli} 23. Nh5 Be6 24. Qg3 Rg8 $15)) 21... Qxa3 22. Ra1 Qb2 23. Rab1 Qa3 ( 23... Qd4 $4 24. Rb4 $18) 24. Ra1 Qb2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 11th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1993.??.??"] [Round "13"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kamsky, Gata"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Boensch,U"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "1993.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 034"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1993.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1993.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 a6 7. f3 Nbd7 (7... Nc6) (7... b5) 8. g4 h6 9. Rg1 $146 (9. h4 b5 (9... Qb6 10. Qd2 (10. a3 Ne5 $13 (10... Qxb2 $2 11. Na4 $18)) 10... Qxb2 11. Nb3 Ne5 12. Be2 Qa3 13. Kf2 b5 14. Qe1 d5 15. g5 Nfd7 16. exd5 Bb7 17. Rd1 Rc8 18. f4 Nc4 19. Bc1 Qe7 $13 { [%emt 0:00:32] Nunn,J-Ribli,Z BL 8788 1988 1/2}) (9... Qc7 10. Bh3 Nb6 11. Qe2 Bd7 12. O-O-O Nc4 13. Bf2 b5 14. g5 hxg5 15. hxg5 Nh5 16. g6 $14 {[%emt 0:00: 30] Thorhallsson, T-Silseth,S Gausdal Troll (8) 1992 1-0}) 10. Rg1 g6 11. g5 hxg5 12. hxg5 Nh5 13. a4 b4 $1 14. Nc6 Qc7 15. Nxb4 Bg7 16. Nd3 Rb8 $44 { [%emt 0:00:52] Short,N-Kasparov,G London m 1987 0-1}) 9... Qb6 (9... b5 $5) 10. a3 Ne5 11. Bf2 Qc7 (11... Qxb2 $2 12. Na4 $18) 12. f4 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Qxc4 14. Qf3 e5 $6 (14... h5 $5 15. h3 hxg4 16. hxg4 e5 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. gxf5 $14) 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. gxf5 $16 d5 $2 (16... Rh7 17. O-O-O Be7 $16) 17. fxe5 Nxe4 18. Rg4 $1 $18 h5 19. Rh4 Bc5 (19... Be7 20. Nxe4 Bxh4 21. Nd6+ $18) 20. O-O-O Bxf2 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Qxf2 Rc8 $6 23. Kb1 Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Rh3 Qd5 26. Rc3 Kd7 ( 26... Qxe5 27. Qb6+ Ke8 28. Qxb7 $18) 27. Qb6 Rd8 28. Rc5 Qd1+ 29. Ka2 Ke8 30. Qxb7 Qg4 (30... e3 31. e6 $18) 31. e6 $1 fxe6 32. Re5 Qg5 33. h4 Qxh4 34. Rxe6+ Kf8 35. f6 (35. f6 gxf6 36. Qe7+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Riga Tal Memorial"] [Site "Riga"] [Date "1995.??.??"] [Round "10"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kengis, Edvins"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B47"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2575"] [Annotator "Ribli,Z"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1995.04.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "LAT"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 047"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Dolmatov} c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 { Zum ersten Mal spielt Kasparov diese Variante, vorher spielte er Be3 und Bd3.} a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Kh1 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bc5 10. Qd3 h5 $6 {Ich denke, dass dieser Zug fuer Schwarz nicht gut ist.} (10... b5 $5 11. f4 Bb7 12. Bf3 h5 $5 $13 { Jetzt geht schon. Anand,V-Ivanchuk,V/Buenos Aires Sicilian/1994/CBM44/} (12... O-O $5)) 11. Bg5 $5 {Ganz in Mode.} (11. f4 {Dolmatov} Ng4 12. e5 d6 13. Ne4 ( 13. exd6 Qxd6 14. Ne4 Qxd3 $10) 13... d5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 $10) 11... b5 (11... Ng4 $5 {Dolmatov} 12. f4 Nf2+ 13. Rxf2 Bxf2 14. e5 Bc5 15. Ne4 $44) 12. f4 Bb7 ( 12... Ng4 {Dolmatov} 13. e5 Bb7 (13... Nf2+ 14. Rxf2 Bxf2 15. Ne4 $16) 14. Bf3 $16) 13. e5 $5 {Eine Neuerung gegenueber 13.Bf3.} (13. Bf3 Ng4 $2 14. e5 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 O-O 16. Ne4 d5 17. exd6 Bxd6 18. h3 $16 {Tseshkovsky,V-Tregubov,P/ Sochi/1994/INF61,195/}) 13... Nd5 (13... Ng4 {Dolmatov} 14. Bf3 $1 Nf2+ 15. Rxf2 Bxf2 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 17. Ne4 $18) 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. a4 $2 {Weiss verliert ein wichtiges Tempo.} (15. Bf3 $1 $14) (15. Bf3 {Dolmatov} Bc4) 15... Qc6 16. Bf3 Bxf3 17. Rxf3 bxa4 (17... O-O 18. Bf6 $1 $40) (17... g6 $16 {Dolmatov}) 18. f5 Rb8 19. Raf1 O-O $2 {Schwarz hoffte, dass er seinen Koenig in Sicherheit gebracht hat.} (19... Rf8 $5 {Schwarz sollte seinen Koenig in der Mitte halten, weil sein Koenigsfluegel (siehe 10...h5) deutlich geschwaecht.}) (19... Rxb2 $5 20. fxe6 Qxe6 21. Rxf7 Qxf7 22. Rxf7 Kxf7 23. Qxd7+ Kg6 24. h4 a3 $14 {Schwarz hat wegen seines starken a3-Bauern gute Rettungschancen.}) 20. Bf6 $1 {Eine unangenehme Ueberraschung. Alle weisse Figuren greifen den schwarzen Koe- nig an, der steht allein ohne Hilfe.} Qb5 (20... gxf6 21. Rg3+ Kh8 (21... Kh7 { Dolmatov} 22. Qe2 $18) 22. Qe2 $18) 21. Rg3 g6 (21... Qxd3 22. Rxg7+ Kh8 23. Rg5+ Kh7 24. Rxh5+ Kg8 25. Rh8#) 22. Qd1 exf5 23. Rxf5 Rb6 24. Qxh5 {Ribli} 1-0 [Event "PCA/Intel-GP"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "2"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Horvath,Ta"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "1994.04.??"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 041"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 Nf6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 O-O 12. Nc2 Rb8 13. a3 a5 (13... Ne7 $5) 14. h4 Ne7 $1 15. Nce3 (15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. Ne3 f5 $13) 15... Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Be6 17. g3 (17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Qxd6 Rfd8 19. Qc5 b4 $5 20. Be2 (20. Qxa5 $2 Qf4 $19 ) 20... Rdc8 21. Qxa5 bxc3 22. b4 (22. bxc3 $2 Rb2 $17) 22... c2 (22... Bc4 $5) 23. O-O Qf4 24. Rac1 Qxe4 25. Rfe1 Qxh4 26. Qxe5 $13) 17... Qd7 18. Bg2 Bd8 19. O-O Bb6 20. Qd2 Rfc8 21. Rfd1 Bxd5 22. Qxd5 b4 23. axb4 axb4 24. Qxd6 Qg4 $1 25. Qd3 (25. Qxe5 $2 bxc3 26. bxc3 Bxf2+ $1 27. Kxf2 Rb2+ 28. Kg1 Qe2 $19) 25... bxc3 26. bxc3 g6 27. Rab1 Rd8 28. Qf3 Rxd1+ 29. Rxd1 Qxf3 30. Bxf3 Rc8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Novgorod"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "4"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Horvath,Ta"] [PlyCount "70"] [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. e4 {Ftacnik} c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 Nf6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 O-O 12. Nc2 Rb8 13. h4 (13. a3 a5 14. h4 {Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V/PCA Moscow/1994/}) 13... Ne7 (13... Be6 14. Nce3 a5 15. Qf3 b4 16. Bc4 bxc3 17. bxc3 Rb2 18. g3 a4 19. O-O Be7 20. Rab1 Qb8 21. Rxb2 Qxb2 22. Qd1 a3 23. Qa4 Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:24] Yurtaev,L-Holmsten,A/ Helsinki op (03)/ 1992/1-0 /}) (13... g6 {Ftacnik} 14. Qd2 Bg7 15. h5 Be6 16. Nce3 Ne7 17. g3 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Rc8 19. Rd1 Rc5 20. Ne3 Rc6 21. b3 Qa8 22. Bh3 $36 {Shmuter, L-Beshukov,S/Sochi/1993/1-0 (37)}) 14. Nxf6+ (14. Nce3 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Be6 (15... Bb7 {Ftacnik} 16. g3 b4 17. c4 Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Qb6 19. Rd1 $14 { Smagin,S-Gorelov, S/URS/1982/0.5 (37)}) 16. g3 $14) 14... gxf6 15. Qd2 (15. Ne3 {Ftacnik} f5) 15... Bb7 (15... f5 $5 16. Qg5+ (16. h5 Kh8 17. O-O-O fxe4 18. Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 Nf5 20. Rd2 Be6 $13) (16. exf5 Bxf5 17. Ne3 Be6 $10) (16. Bd3 fxe4 17. Bxe4 d5 18. Qg5+ Ng6 19. Bxg6 fxg6 20. Qxd8 Rxd8 21. O-O-O $14) 16... Ng6 17. exf5 Qxg5 18. hxg5 Bxf5 19. Nb4 $1 $14 (19. Ne3 Be6 20. O-O-O Rfd8 $13)) 16. Bd3 d5 17. exd5 Qxd5 18. O-O-O e4 (18... Qxa2 {Ftacnik} 19. Qh6 e4 20. Be2) 19. Be2 Qxa2 (19... Qxd2+ 20. Rxd2 Rfd8 21. Rhd1 Rxd2 22. Rxd2 Kf8 $14) (19... Qe5 $5 {Ftacnik} 20. Qd6 Nf5 $1) 20. Qh6 Qe6 (20... f5 {Ftacnik} 21. Qg5+ Ng6 22. h5 $18) (20... Nd5 {Ftacnik} 21. Rh3 $40) 21. Nd4 Qb6 (21... Qe5 22. Rh3 (22. f4 {Ftacnik} exf3 23. gxf3 (23. Bd3 Ng6 24. Nf5 (24. Bxg6 fxg6 25. Rhe1 Qh5) 24... Qf4+ $1) 23... Ng6 24. Rhg1 Kh8 (24... Rfd8 $2 25. h5 Qh2 26. Nf5 Rxd1+ 27. Bxd1 $18) 25. Kb1 Rg8 (25... Qf4 $2 26. Rxg6 $18)) 22... Kh8 (22... Ng6) 23. f4 $1 exf3 24. Bd3 Ng6 25. g3 $1 Be4 26. Bxe4 Qxe4 27. h5 Ne5 28. Qxf6+ Kg8 29. Nf5 $18) 22. Rh3 Kh8 23. Bg4 (23. Rg3 {Ftacnik} Rg8) 23... Rg8 24. Ne6 $5 Rg6 (24... fxe6 25. Qxf6+ Rg7 26. Rd7 Re8 (26... Qc5 27. b4 $18 (27. Rg3 $1 Bc6 28. Bxe6 $18)) 27. Bxe6 (27. Rg3 $18 {Ftacnik}) (27. Rxe7 $6 Rexe7 28. Qf8+ Rg8 29. Qxe7 Qxf2) 27... Nf5 28. Rg3 $1 (28. Rxg7 Nxg7 29. Rg3 Qc7 30. Bf7 Qe5 31. Qxg7+ Qxg7 32. Rxg7 Rf8 $19) 28... Qxf2 (28... Qxe6 29. Qxe6 Rxe6 30. Rd8+ $18) 29. Rgxg7 Qf1+ 30. Kc2 (30. Rd1 Qxd1+ 31. Kxd1 Nxg7 32. Bb3 e3 33. h5 $18) 30... Ne3+ 31. Kb3 Bd5+ 32. Bxd5 Qd1+ 33. Kb4 Qa4+ 34. Kc5 Rc8+ 35. Rc7 $18) (24... Rxg4 $2 25. Ng5 $1 {Ftacnik} Rxg5 (25... fxg5 26. Qxb6 ) 26. hxg5 Kg8 27. gxf6 $18) (24... Qxf2 {Ftacnik} 25. Rf3 $1 Rg6 26. Qxg6 Qxb2+ 27. Kxb2 Nxg6 28. Rxf6 fxe6 29. g3 $16) (24... Ng6 {Ftacnik} 25. h5) 25. Qf4 Re8 $2 (25... Bd5 $142 $1 26. Bh5 (26. Ng5 $1 fxg5 27. Qe5+ Rg7 28. Qxe7 f5 29. Qe5 fxg4 30. Rxd5 gxh3 31. Rd7 Rbg8 32. Rxg7 Rxg7 33. Qe8+ $10) (26. Nd4 { Ftacnik} b4 $1 $40) 26... Bxe6 27. Bxg6 Nxg6 (27... Bxh3 $2 28. Rd6 $1) 28. Qxf6+ Kg8 29. Rg3 b4 $19) (25... Rbg8 {Ftacnik} 26. h5 Rxg4 27. Qxf6+ R4g7 28. h6 Qxe6 29. hxg7+ Rxg7 30. Rd8+ Ng8 31. Rxg8+ $1 Kxg8 32. Qd8+) 26. Rd6 $1 (26. h5 $6 {Ftacnik} Rxg4 27. Qxf6+ Kg8) 26... Nd5 (26... Qa5 $5 {Ftacnik} 27. h5 ( 27. Nc5 $5 $40) 27... Qa1+ (27... Rxg4 28. Qxg4 fxe6 29. Qxe6) 28. Kc2 Qa4+ 29. Kb1 Rxg4 30. Qxf6+ Kg8 31. Qxe7 (31. Rg3 e3 32. Rxg4+ Qxg4 33. Qxe7 Bc6 $1 34. Rxc6 $140 Qd1+ (34... Qe4+ $2 35. Kc1 Qxc6 36. Qg5+ $18) 35. Ka2 Qa4+ $10) 31... Bc6 $1 32. Rd8 Qd1+ $1 33. Rxd1 Rxe7) (26... Qa7 {Ftacnik} 27. h5 Rxg4 28. Qxg4 fxe6 29. Rg3 $1 Rg8 (29... Nf5 30. Rxe6 $1) 30. Rd8 $1 $18) 27. h5 $3 (27. Rxb6 {Ftacnik} Nxf4 28. Nxf4 Rxg4) 27... Nxf4 (27... Qa5 28. hxg6 Qa1+ 29. Kc2 Nb4+ 30. cxb4 Rc8+ 31. Nc5 $18) (27... Rg7 {Ftacnik} 28. Qh6) (27... Rxg4 { Ftacnik} 28. Qxg4 Rg8 29. Qxg8+ Kxg8 30. Rxb6 Nxb6 31. Rg3+ Kh8 32. Nc5 $18) ( 27... fxe6 {Ftacnik} 28. hxg6 Nxf4 29. Rxh7+ Kg8 30. Rxb6) (27... Rxe6 {Ftacnik } 28. hxg6 Nxf4 29. Rxh7+ Kg8 30. gxf7+ Kf8 31. Rh8+ Kxf7 32. Bxe6+ Nxe6 33. Rxb6 $18) (27... Rgg8 {Ftacnik} 28. Rxd5 $1 Rxe6 29. Bxe6 Qxe6 30. Rd6 $16) 28. hxg6 Qxd6 (28... Nd3+ {Ftacnik} 29. Rhxd3 $1 (29. Kb1 Qxf2 30. Rxh7+ Kg8 31. Rg7+ Kh8 32. Rh7+ $10) 29... exd3 (29... Qxf2 30. gxf7 $18) (29... Qa5 30. gxf7 Qa1+ 31. Kd2 Qxb2+ 32. Ke1 Qc1+ 33. Bd1 Rf8 34. Rd8 $1) 30. gxf7) (28... Nxh3 { Ftacnik} 29. gxf7 $1) 29. Rxh7+ Kg8 30. gxf7+ Kxh7 31. fxe8=Q Nxe6 32. Bf5+ $1 Kg7 33. Qg6+ Kf8 34. Qxf6+ $18 Ke8 35. Bxe6 Qf8 $2 (35... e3 {Ftacnik} 36. fxe3 Bxg2 37. Bf7+ Kd7 38. Be8+ Kc7 39. Qg7+ Kd8 40. Bxb5 Bf3 41. Ba4 $18) (35... Qf8 $2 {Ftacnik} 36. Bd7+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Amsterdam Euwe Memorial"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "1995.05.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Lautier, Joel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Lautier,J"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "1995.05.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 047"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Knaak Ftacnik Kasparov} c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. O-O Ne5 9. h3 Bc5 10. Kh1 d6 11. f4 Ned7 12. a3 b5 13. Bxb5 $5 axb5 14. Ndxb5 Qb6 $6 (14... Qc6 15. Bxc5 dxc5 16. e5 Ba6 17. a4 (17. Nd6+ $5 Ke7 18. Rf2 (18. exf6+ $2 Nxf6 $19) (18. Re1 $2 Rhd8 19. exf6+ Nxf6 20. Nf5+ Kf8 $19) 18... Rhd8 19. Rd2 $44) 17... Nd5 (17... Bxb5 $2 18. axb5 $18) 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Nd6+ Ke7 (19... Kf8 $6 20. Qh5 g6 21. Qh6+ Ke7 (21... Kg8 22. Nf5 $18) 22. Rfe1 Raf8 23. Qg7 $40 {/\ Nf7}) 20. Re1 (20. Qh5 $2 Bxf1 21. Qxf7+ (21. Qg5+ $2 Kf8 22. Nf5 Qg6 $1 $19) 21... Kd8 22. Rxf1 Kc7 $17) 20... h5 21. Qf3 $44 {/\ c4}) 15. Bxc5 dxc5 16. Nd6+ $6 (16. e5 Ba6 (16... Ng8 $2 17. Nd5 $1 exd5 18. Nd6+ Ke7 19. Qxd5 $18) 17. a4 $1 Bxb5 (17... Nd5 {Ftacnik} 18. Nd6+ Ke7 19. Nxd5+ exd5 20. Qh5 {/\ 21.Nf5} (20. Qxd5 {/\ 21.Nf5}) 20... Bxf1 21. Qxf7+ Kd8 22. Qxd5 $13) 18. Nxb5 Nd5 (18... Ne4 $2 19. Qf3 f5 20. exf6 Ndxf6 21. Nc3 $1 {Kasparov} Qb4 (21... Qb7 22. Rae1 Nd6 23. Rxe6+ Kd7 24. Rxd6+ $18) 22. Rfe1 $16 (22. Rfe1 O-O 23. Nxe4 $18)) 19. Nd6+ (19. c4 {Knaak} Ne7 20. Nd6+ Kf8 21. Qh5 g6 (21... Ng6 22. f5 Ngxe5 23. fxe6 Qxd6 24. exd7 $36) 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Rad1 $40) 19... Ke7 20. Qh5 g6 (20... Raf8 $2 21. Qg5+ $16) 21. Qh4+ (21. Qh6 $6 Ne3 $1 {/\ Nf5}) 21... Kf8 (21... f6 $2 22. Qh6 Rag8 23. Nc8+ $1 Rxc8 24. Qg7+ $18) 22. Qh6+ Ke7 23. Qg7 Raf8 (23... Rhf8 24. Qxh7 $40) 24. Nxf7 Rxf7 25. Qxh8 Nxf4 26. Rf3 $14 {/\ Raf1, g3, /\ a5}) 16... Ke7 17. Nxc8+ $2 (17. e5 Ba6 (17... Ne8 18. Nc4 Qa6 19. b3 {/\ f5}) 18. Rf2 (18. exf6+ $2 Nxf6 19. Nde4 Rhd8 20. Qf3 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 Qxb2 $19) (18. Re1 $2 Rhd8 19. exf6+ Nxf6 20. Nf5+ Kf8 $19) (18. Rf3 $5 {Knaak} Rhd8 $1 19. Qe1 Kf8 20. exf6 Qxd6 21. fxg7+ Kxg7 22. Ne4 $13) 18... Rhd8 19. Rd2 Qxb2 $5 20. Na4 Qb8 21. Qe1 (21. exf6+ Nxf6 22. Rb1 Qc7 23. Rb6 $17) 21... Kf8 (21... Ne8 $2 22. Qh4+ $40) 22. exf6 Nxf6 $15) 17... Rhxc8 18. e5 Ne8 $17 19. Qh5 (19. f5 $2 {Knaak} Nxe5 20. fxe6 Qxe6 $1) (19. b3 $5 $13 {[%csl Rd7,Re8] Knaak}) 19... h6 (19... Qxb2 $5 20. Ne4 (20. Qh4+ $1 {Knaak} f6 21. Ne4 Qxc2 22. Rae1 $40) (20. f5 Qxc3 21. fxe6 Nxe5 22. Rxf7+ (22. Rae1 g6 23. exf7 gxh5 24. f8=Q+ Kd7 25. Qf5+ Kd6 $13) 22... Kxe6 (22... Nxf7 23. Qxf7+ Kd6 24. Rd1+) 23. Qf5+ Kd6 24. Rd1+ Kc6 25. Qe6+ Kb5 26. Rb1+ Ka4 $13 27. Rf4+ c4 28. Qe7 Rc7 29. Qf8 Rac8 30. Rb4+ Ka5) ( 20. Rad1 $6 Qxc3 21. Rxd7+ Kxd7 22. Qxf7+ Kc6 23. Qxe6+ Kc7 $1 24. Qf7+ (24. Rb1 Rd8 $19) 24... Kb6 $19) 20... h6 $17) 20. Rae1 (20. f5 $2 Nxe5 21. fxe6 Qxe6 22. Rae1 f6 $19) 20... f5 $1 (20... Qxb2 $2 21. f5 $1 Qxc3 22. fxe6 fxe6 23. Rf7+ Kd8 24. Rd1 (24. Rxd7+ $2 Kxd7 25. Qf7+ Kc6 26. Qxe6+ Kc7 27. Qe7+ ( 27. Rf1 Qb2 $1 $19) 27... Kb6 $1 28. Rb1+ Ka5 $19) 24... Ra7 25. Rf8 $40 (25. Qh4+ {Knaak} g5 26. Qxh6 Qxe5 27. Qf8 Qe1+ 28. Rxe1 Nxf8 29. Rxa7 $16)) 21. Rf3 (21. exf6+ Ndxf6 (21... Nexf6 {Ftacnik} 22. Qg6 Kf8 $19) 22. Qg6 Kf8 $19) 21... c4 $6 (21... Qxb2 $142 $19) (21... Qc6 {Ftacnik} 22. Rd1 c4 $19) (21... Qxb2 { Knaak} 22. Rd1 Nf8 $17) 22. g4 $8 (22. Rg3 Qf2 $19) 22... fxg4 23. Qxg4 {/\ f5} (23. hxg4 Qc6 24. Ree3 (24. g5 $2 g6 $19) (24. Ne4 $2 Nc5 $19) 24... Rcb8 $17) 23... Ra5 $1 {>< e5} (23... Qxb2 $2 {Knaak} 24. f5) 24. Ne4 Qc6 $6 {[%CAl Gc6h1]} (24... Qxb2 $1 25. Nd6 Nxd6 26. exd6+ Kxd6 (26... Kf8 $2 27. f5 $1 $40) 27. Qxe6+ Kc7 28. Rd1 (28. Qxc4+ Rc5 $17) 28... Nb6 $17) 25. Nd6 $1 {[%csl Gd6, Ge8,Gg7]} Nxd6 26. exd6+ (26. Qxg7+ {Ftacnik} Nf7 $19) 26... Kf8 (26... Qxd6 27. Qxg7+ Kd8 28. Qxh6 $15) 27. Rg1 $2 $138 (27. Rxe6 Re8 (27... Nf6 $4 28. d7 $1 Qxd7 29. Rxf6+ $18) (27... h5 28. Qg2 $15 {/\ Re7}) 28. Re7 (28. Rxe8+ { Ftacnik} Kxe8 29. Qe6+ (29. Kh2 {Knaak} Qxd6 30. Qxg7 {=/=/+}) 29... Kf8 $17 ( 29... Kf8 30. Kg2 Ra6 $17)) 28... Rxe7 29. dxe7+ Kxe7 30. Qxg7+ Kd8 $15) 27... g5 $1 $19 28. Rgg3 (28. fxg5+ Rf5 29. Rgg3 Ne5 30. Qh5 Rxf3 31. Qxh6+ Kg8 32. Qxe6+ Rf7+ $19) (28. Qh5 Nf6 29. Qxh6+ Kf7 30. Rgg3 Rf5 $19) 28... Rf5 29. Qh5 Nf6 30. Qxh6+ Kf7 31. Kg1 Rg8 (31... Rg8 {Ftacnik} 32. Re3 Rg6 33. Qh8 Qxd6 $19 ) 0-1 [Event "Moscow ol (Men)"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1994.12.08"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Lautier, Joel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2645"] [Annotator "Moiseev,V"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "1994.12.01"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 045"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "France"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. e4 {Horvath,T Ftacnik} c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bf4 e5 8. Bg5 a6 9. Na3 b5 10. Nd5 Be7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. c3 O-O 13. Nc2 Rb8 14. h4 $5 (14. a3 a5 (14... Ne7 15. Ncb4 Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:45] Karpov, An-Lautier,J (06)/ Ubeda m/1994/1/2-1/2/ ;CBM}) 15. h4 Ne7 16. Nce3 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Be6 18. g3 Qd7 19. Bg2 Bd8 $13 {Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V/Moscow PCA/1994/1/ 2-1/2/30/}) 14... Ne7 (14... g6 {Ftacnik} 15. g3 Bg7 16. h5 $14) (14... Be6 { Horvath,T} 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 (15... Qxf6 $2 16. Qxd6 Rbc8 17. Qd2 Rfd8 18. Qg5 $16 ) 16. Ne3 b4 $5 $13 (16... Ne7 17. Bd3 $16 d5 $2 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Qh5 $16)) 15. Nxf6+ $1 (15. Nce3 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Bb7 17. g3 b4 $1 18. c4 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Qb6 $10 {Smagin,S-Gorelov, S/URS/1982/1/2-1/2/37/}) 15... gxf6 16. Bd3 $1 (16. Qd2 Bb7 17. Bd3 d5 18. exd5 Qxd5 19. O-O-O e4 20. Be2 Qxa2 21. Qh6 Qe6 22. Nd4 Qb6 $13 {[%emt 0:00:43] Kasparov,G-Kramnik, V/Novgorod/1994/1-0/ CBM}) 16... d5 ( 16... f5 {Ftacnik} 17. exf5 Bxf5 (17... Nxf5 18. Qh5 (18. Nb4 $1 $16 {Horvath,T }) (18. Nb4 $1 $16 {Horvath,T}) 18... e4 19. Be2 $16) 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Qd3 $16 ) 17. exd5 Qxd5 (17... f5 {Horvath,T} 18. Ne3 e4 19. Bc2 f4 20. Ng4 f5 21. Ne5 Qd6 22. Qd4 Bb7 23. O-O-O $16) 18. Ne3 Qe6 19. Qh5 e4 (19... f5 $5 20. O-O-O ( 20. Nxf5 $4 Nxf5 21. g4 Qh6 $19) (20. g4 $6 Qg6 $1 21. Nxf5 $4 (21. Qg5 Qxg5 22. hxg5 e4 23. Bc2 f4 $13) 21... Bxf5 22. Bxf5 Qxh5 $19) 20... Qg6 21. Qe2 $36 (21. Qg5 {Ftacnik} f6 22. Qxg6+ hxg6 23. Bc2 $14)) 20. Bc2 b4 (20... f5 $16 { Ftacnik}) 21. c4 Kh8 (21... f5 {Ftacnik} 22. Qg5+ Kh8 23. Qf4 Rb7 24. h5 $16) ( 21... Rd8 $5 {Horvath,T}) 22. O-O-O $16 (22. Qc5 $5 $16 {Ftacnik}) 22... f5 23. Qg5 Rb6 (23... Rg8 24. Qf4 Rb6 25. h5 $16) (23... Qe5 {Ftacnik} 24. Ng4 Qe6 25. Nf6 Ng8 26. Nd5 $18) (23... f6 {Horvath,T} 24. Qf4 Qe5 25. Qxe5 fxe5 26. Rd6 Bb7 27. Ba4 $1 $16) 24. h5 Rc6 (24... Qf6 $142 {Ftacnik} 25. Qf4 Qh6 26. g3 Qxf4 27. gxf4 $16) (24... f6 {Horvath,T} 25. Qf4 Qe5 26. Qxe5 $14) 25. Kb1 (25. h6 $6 Rg8 26. Rd8 Qf6) 25... Rc5 $2 (25... h6 $142 26. Qf4 $16) (25... Qe5 { Ftacnik} 26. Ng4 Qe6 27. h6) (25... Qf6 $16 {Horvath,T}) 26. h6 Qe5 (26... Rg8 27. Rd8 $1 Ng6 28. Nd5 $18 (28. Rxg8+ {Horvath,T} Kxg8 29. Qd8+ Nf8 30. Nd5 f6 31. Rh3 Kf7 32. Rg3 $18)) (26... Ng6 {Ftacnik} 27. Rd8 $18) 27. Rh5 $1 $18 Rg8 (27... Ng6 28. Rd8 $1 $18 {[%emt 0:00:30] /\ 29 Ng4, 29 Rf8 Nf8 Qd8} Kg8 29. Ng4 fxg4 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. Qd8+ Qe8 32. Qxe8+ Kxe8 33. Rxc5 $18) (27... Nc6 28. Rd5 (28. Ng4 $1 {Ftacnik} fxg4 29. Qg7+ Qxg7 30. hxg7+ Kxg7 31. Rxc5 $18) 28... Rxd5 29. cxd5 $18) 28. Ng4 $3 (28. Ng4 $3 Qe6 (28... fxg4 29. Qxe5+ Rxe5 30. Rxe5 $18) (28... Rxg5 29. Nxe5 Rxe5 (29... Rxh5 30. Rd8+ Ng8 31. Nxf7#) 30. Rxg5 Nc6 31. Ba4 $18) 29. Rd8 $1 {[%emt 0:00:30] /\ Qg7} Ng6 (29... Qg6 30. Qxe7 fxg4 31. Rxg8+ $18) 30. Rxg8+ Kxg8 31. Qd8+ Nf8 32. Nf6+ $18 (32. Rg5+ $18 )) 1-0 [Event "FRA-chT"] [Site "Auxerre"] [Date "1993.??.??"] [Round "9"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Salov, Valery"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B31"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2685"] [Annotator "Salov,V"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "1993.??.??"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 037"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1993.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1993.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. O-O Bg7 6. Re1 f6 7. d4 $5 { Matulovic} (7. c3) 7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 e5 (8... Nh6 9. Bxh6 Bxh6 10. Nf5 Bf8 11. e5 $36) 9. Nb3 Nh6 10. c4 Nf7 (10... d6 11. Nc3 Be6 12. c5 d5 13. Nd4 exd4 14. exd5 dxc3 15. Rxe6+ Kf7 16. Rd6 $40) 11. c5 $1 O-O 12. Na3 $2 (12. Qc2 $142) 12... a5 $1 13. Nc4 $2 (13. Be3 $142) 13... a4 14. Nb6 Ra7 (14... Ra6 15. Nxc8 axb3 16. Nb6 Rxa2 17. Rxa2 bxa2 18. Be3 {/\Qd1-b3}) 15. Nxc8 (15. Nd2 d5 $1 $17 ) 15... Qxc8 16. Nd2 Qa6 $1 17. Qc2 Ng5 $2 (17... Rb8 $1 18. Nc4 Rb4 $17) 18. Nc4 Ne6 19. Be3 Rb8 20. Red1 Bf8 21. Nb6 Rbb7 22. Nc8 $1 Ra8 23. Nb6 $1 $10 Raa7 24. b4 axb3 25. Qxb3 Qb5 26. Qxb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Horgen CS"] [Site "Horgen"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "9"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Shirov, Alexei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Horvath,Ta"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "1994.09.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 043"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Ftacnik} c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bf4 e5 8. Bg5 a6 9. Na3 b5 10. Nd5 Be7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. c3 Bb7 (12... O-O 13. Nc2 Rb8 14. h4 Ne7 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. Qd2 $40 {[%emt 0:00:43] Kasparov, G-Kramnik,V/Novgorod/ 1994/1-0/ CBM}) 13. Nc2 Nb8 14. a4 bxa4 15. Rxa4 (15. Nce3 {Ftacnik} Nd7 16. Qxa4 O-O 17. Rd1 (17. Bc4 Bg5 18. O-O Bxe3 19. fxe3 Nc5 20. Qc2 Qh4 21. Bd3 f5 $17 {Hoepfl,T-Ankerst,Mil/Dortmund op/1992/0-1 (32)}) 17... Bg5 18. Qc2 Nc5 19. Nf5 $1 g6 20. b4 $1 Bxd5 21. Rxd5 Nb7 22. h4 Bf6 23. Nh6+ Kg7 24. Ng4 {Zapata, A-Shirov,A/Manila/1992/0-1 (47)}) 15... Nd7 (15... O-O $5 16. Nce3 (16. b4 Nd7 17. Nce3 Bg5 $13) 16... Nd7 17. Nc4 (17. Ra3 { Ftacnik} Bg5 18. Nc4 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Be7 20. Bd3 Nf6 {0-1/Tatai,S-Iruzubieta,J/ Cannes op/0-1 (20)}) 17... Bc6 $1 (17... Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Nb6 19. Nxb6 Qxb6 20. Rb4 Qc5 21. Bc4 $14) 18. Ra2 Nc5 $13) 16. Rb4 $1 Nc5 (16... Bc6 17. Rc4 Rc8 ( 17... Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Nb6 19. Qc6+ Ke7 20. Rb4 $16) 18. Ncb4 $16) 17. Rxb7 $1 Nxb7 18. b4 Bg5 (18... Qc8 19. Nce3 Bd8 20. Bc4 O-O 21. Qd3 a5 22. O-O Kh8 $14) (18... O-O {Ftacnik} 19. h4 a5 20. Bc4 $44) 19. Na3 O-O 20. Nc4 a5 21. Bd3 (21. Ncb6 {Ftacnik} Ra7 $13 (21... axb4 22. Nxa8 bxc3 $5 23. Nab6 Bd2+ 24. Ke2 Nc5 25. f3 f5 26. exf5 e4 $40)) 21... axb4 22. cxb4 Qb8 (22... Rb8 $5 {Ftacnik} 23. h4 Bh6 24. Qg4 Kh8 25. O-O Qc8) 23. h4 Bh6 (23... Bd8 $5 {/\ Bc7,Nd8,Ne6}) ( 23... Bd8 {Ftacnik} 24. g3 $44) 24. Ncb6 Ra2 25. O-O (25. Nd7 $6 {Ftacnik} Qa7 26. O-O Ra8 $1) 25... Rd2 (25... Qa7 {Ftacnik} 26. Bc4 Rd2 27. Qf3 Nd8) 26. Qf3 Qa7 (26... Qe8 {Ftacnik} 27. g4 (27. Ba6 $2 Nd8 28. Nc4 Rd4 29. Nxd6 Qe6 30. Nf5 Qxa6 31. Nxd4 exd4 $19) (27. Nc7 Qe7 28. Nbd5 Qxh4 $17) 27... Bf4 28. Nxf4 exf4 29. Nd5 Nd8 30. Nxf4 $10) 27. Nd7 Nd8 (27... Rd8 28. Ne7+ Kh8 29. Qxf7 Rxd3 (29... g6 30. Nf6 Bg7 31. Ne8 $18) 30. Nf8 $18) (27... Qa3 28. Ne7+ Kh8 29. Nxf8 Rxd3 30. Qxf7 Qb3 31. Ne6 $18) (27... Ra8 {Ftacnik} 28. Bc4 (28. Ne7+ Kh8 29. Qxf7 Rxd3 30. Nf8 Qa2 $1) 28... Nd8 29. N5b6 $36) (27... Nc5 {Ftacnik} 28. Nxf8 Nxd3 29. Qf5 $1 g6 30. Qd7 Qxd7 (30... Qb8 31. Nxh7 $40) 31. Nxd7 $16) 28. Nxf8 Kxf8 29. b5 Qa3 (29... Ne6 30. b6 Qa3 31. b7 Qb3 (31... Rb2 32. Bb5 $1 Qa7 33. Qc3 $18) 32. Rb1 Rb2 33. Rxb2 Qxb2 34. Ba6 Nc5 (34... Nd4 35. Qc3 $18) 35. Qf5 $18) 30. Qf5 $1 Ke8 (30... Rxd3 {Ftacnik} 31. Qd7 g6 (31... Ne6 32. Qc8+) 32. Qxd8+ Kg7 33. b6 $18) (30... Ne6 {Ftacnik} 31. Qxh7 $18) 31. Bc4 Rc2 (31... Qa4 32. Nc7+ Ke7 33. Qc8 $1 Rc2 34. Bxf7 $1 Nxf7 35. Nd5#) 32. Qxh7 $1 Rxc4 (32... Qc5 {Ftacnik} 33. Bb3 Rb2 34. Qg8+ Kd7 35. Bd1 $18) 33. Qg8+ Kd7 34. Nb6+ Ke7 35. Nxc4 Qc5 (35... Qb4 {Ftacnik} 36. Nb6 Qxb5 37. Nd5+ Kd7 38. Ra1 $18) 36. Ra1 $1 Qd4 (36... Qxc4 {Ftacnik} 37. Ra7+ Ke6 38. Qe8+ Kf6 39. Qxd8+ Kg6 40. Qxd6+ f6 41. Qc6 $18) 37. Ra3 Bc1 38. Ne3 (38. Ne3 {Ftacnik} Bxa3 39. Nf5+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Moscow ol (Men)"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1994.12.14"] [Round "13.1"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B84"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Speelman,J"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "1994.12.01"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 045"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "England"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. e4 {Boensch Ftacnik} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {After only managing to defeat the Najdorf one in 9 games as White during the London World Championship match, Nigel Short decides to test the merits of Black's structure for himself.} 6. Be2 $1 {Played after ten minutes thought. Kasparov invites Short to enter the main line with 6...e5 knowing full well that the Englishman had a bad experience with this sort of structure in the thirs game of his match against Gata Kamsky in Linares this year.} e6 7. f4 {The first psychological blow has worked out in Kasparov's favour. Short is now in Kasparov's favourite territory, the Scheveningen variation of the Sicilian.} Be7 8. O-O Qc7 9. Qe1 (9. g4 Nc6 10. g5 Nd7 11. Be3 O-O 12. f5 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 Rd8 14. a4 Ne5 15. f6 Bf8 16. Qb6 $16 {[%emt 0:00:45] Ivanchuk,V-Hellers,F (1) Tilburg (2) 1993 1-0}) (9. Kh1 b5 10. Bf3 Bb7 11. e5 dxe5 12. fxe5 Nfd7 13. Bxb7 Qxb7 14. Qg4 Nc6 15. Nxc6 Qxc6 16. a4 $16 {[%emt 0:00:26] Sokolov, A-Jacques,R St Martin op (05) 1992 1-0}) 9... Nbd7 (9... Nc6 10. Be3 Bd7 11. Qg3 h5 12. Rad1 g6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bd4 h4 15. Qe3 Rh7 16. a4 $16 {[%emt 0:00: 34] Gavrikov,V-Summermatter,D SWZ-GP Suhr (4) 1991 1-0}) (9... O-O {Boensch} 10. Kh1 b5 11. Bf3 Bb7 12. e5 Ne8 13. f5 dxe5 14. fxe6 Bxf3 15. exf7+ Rxf7 16. Nxf3 Nd7 17. Bg5 Nef6 18. Rd1 Raf8 $10 {Damjanovic,V-Poluljahov,A Belgrade Beopromet (08) 1993}) 10. Bf3 (10. a4 b6 11. Bf3 Bb7 12. Kh1 Rd8 $1 13. Be3 ( 13. e5 {Boensch} dxe5 14. fxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxb7 Rxd4 $13) 13... O-O 14. Qg3 Nc5 15. f5 e5 16. Bh6 Ne8 17. Nb3 Nd7 $1 18. Rad1 Kh8 19. Be3 Nef6 20. Qf2 Rfe8 21. Rfe1 Bf8 22. Bg5 h6 23. Bh4 Rc8 $15 {Polgar, J-Kasparov,G Linares 1994.}) 10... O-O 11. Kh1 Kh8 (11... Re8 {Ftacnik} 12. g4 Nf8 13. g5 N6d7 14. Be3 Nb6 15. Rd1 Nc4 16. Bc1 Bd7 17. Qf2 Rac8 18. f5 Ne5 19. f6 gxf6 20. gxf6 Bxf6 21. Rg1+ Nfg6 22. Be2 {Boleslavsky,I-Kan,I/Moscow-ch/ 1942/1-0 (51)}) (11... Rd8 {Ftacnik} 12. b3 Nf8 13. Bb2 Ng6 14. Nce2 e5 15. Nf5 Bf8 16. c4 b5 17. Rc1 Bb7 18. cxb5 Qb6 19. bxa6 Bxa6 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Bc3 Bd3 22. Rd1 {Unzicker,W-Gligoric,S/ Oberhausen EUchT (6)/1961/1-0 (39)}) (11... Rb8 {Boensch} 12. a4 b6 $14) 12. a4 (12. g4 {Ftacnik} Ng8 13. Bg2 b5 14. Rf3 b4 15. Nce2 Ndf6 16. g5 Nxe4 17. Rh3 Bb7 18. Be3 Qd7 19. Qh4 h6 20. Rg1 e5 21. fxe5 Nxg5 22. e6 {Eisinger,M-Milic,B/ Oberhausen EUchT (6)/1961/0-1 (40)}) 12... Rb8 13. g4 $1 {And now the problem with Black's setup is clearly seen. The knight on d7 is better placed on c6 as the knight f6 needs to retreat to d7 after this thematic push.} b6 14. g5 (14. e5 {Ftacnik} dxe5 15. Nc6 Bd6 16. g5 Ne8 17. Nxb8 Qxb8 $44) 14... Ne8 15. Bg2 Bb7 16. b3 Qd8 (16... g6 {Ftacnik} 17. Bb2 Ng7) 17. h4 {After 17.Bb2, the sacrifice on g5 is not really possible but prevention of the idea is good anyway as Black has a very passive position anyway.} (17. Bb2 {Ftacnik} e5 $1 18. Nf5 exf4 (18... exf4 {Boensch} 19. h4 f6 $10)) 17... g6 18. Bb2 Ng7 19. Rd1 Rc8 20. f5 $1 e5 (20... gxf5 {Ftacnik} 21. exf5 Bxg2+ 22. Kxg2 exf5 23. Nd5 $16 ) (20... exf5 {Boensch} 21. exf5 Bxg2+ 22. Kxg2 f6 (22... Re8 23. Qf2 Bf8 24. Nd5 $16) 23. Nd5 $1 Ne5 24. c4 fxg5 25. Ne6 Nxe6 26. Bxe5+ dxe5 27. Qxe5+ Bf6 28. Qxe6 $16) 21. f6 (21. Nde2 f6 $1 (21... gxf5 {Boensch} 22. exf5 Bxg2+ 23. Kxg2 f6 24. Ng3 fxg5 25. hxg5 Bxg5 26. Rxd6 $13)) 21... exd4 (21... Nxf6 { Ftacnik} 22. gxf6 Bxf6 23. Nf3 $18) 22. fxe7 Qxe7 23. Rxd4 $16 {And with the two bishops and Black's diabolically weak a1-h8 diagonal, Kasparov makes no mistakes.} f6 (23... Ne5 24. Qd2 Rfd8 (24... Rcd8 {Ftacnik} 25. Nd5 Bxd5 26. Rxd5 Rfe8 27. Rd1 f6 28. Rxd6 $18) 25. Nd5 Bxd5 26. Rxd5 Kg8 27. Rd1 $16) 24. Qd2 fxg5 25. Rxf8+ Rxf8 26. Rxd6 $1 {An important pawn to capture as Black's only hope of blunting the bishop on b2 is to secure the e5 square.} (26. hxg5 $16 {Ftacnik}) 26... Ne5 27. Rxb6 (27. hxg5 {Ftacnik} Qc7 $16 (27... Nf3 { Boensch} 28. Rd7 Qe5 29. Bxf3 Rxf3 30. Rd8+ Ne8 31. Nd1 $18)) 27... gxh4 (27... Qc7 {Ftacnik} 28. Qd6 Qxd6 29. Rxd6 gxh4 30. Nd5 Nf7 31. Rb6 $16) 28. Nd5 Bxd5 29. Qxd5 {And now Black can only cling on to e5 for a short time before White comes crashing through.} Re8 (29... h3 {Ftacnik} 30. Qxe5 hxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Qxe5 32. Bxe5 $18) 30. Bh3 (30. Bxe5 {Ftacnik} Qxe5 31. Qxe5 Rxe5 32. Rxa6 $18) 30... Qc7 (30... Qg5 {Ftacnik} 31. Re6 Rxe6 32. Bxe6 $18) 31. Re6 $1 Rxe6 ( 31... Nxe6 {Ftacnik} 32. Bxe6 $18) 32. Bxe6 Nc6 33. Qg5 (33. Bd7 {Ftacnik} Qf4 $1 $132) (33. Qd7 {Boensch Das Endspiel gewinnt leicht.} Qxd7 34. Bxd7 Nb4 ( 34... Nb8 35. Be6 h5 36. b4 Kh7 37. Bf7 $18) 35. c4 Nd3 36. Bd4 $18) 33... Qd6 (33... Qg3 {Ftacnik} 34. Qxg3 hxg3 35. Kg2 $18) (33... Nb4 {Ftacnik} 34. Qf6 $18) 34. Bd5 Nb4 35. Qf6 Qxf6 36. Bxf6 Nxc2 (36... Nxd5 {Ftacnik} 37. exd5 Kg8 38. Bxg7 Kxg7 39. b4 Kf6 40. b5 axb5 41. a5 $18) 37. Bc3 h6 38. b4 Kh7 39. b5 axb5 40. axb5 Nh5 (40... Ne8 {Ftacnik} 41. b6 Nd6 42. e5 $18) 41. b6 Ng3+ 42. Kh2 {An almost effortless win by the World Champion and one which compliments his own deep understanding of the Sicilian from both sides.} 1-0 [Event "Amsterdam Euwe Memorial"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "1995.05.17"] [Round "5"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B76"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2630"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "1995.05.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 047"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 Bh6+ 14. Be3 Bxe3+ 15. Qxe3 Qb6 16. Qxe7 Be6 17. Qa3 Rfd8 (17... a5 18. Bd3 Qb4 19. Be4 Qxa3 20. bxa3 Ra6 21. Rd6 Rc8 22. Rhd1 Kg7 23. R1d3 (23. Bd5 Bxd5 24. R1xd5 { Hoffmann,M-Tolnai,T/Budapest GM/1992/0.5 (30)}) 23... Rb6 24. Rc3 {Popovic, P-Tolnai,T/OST-chT9394 (02)/1994/0.5 (46)}) (17... Qf2 18. Qa5 (18. Rd2 Qe1+ 19. Rd1 Qf2 20. Rd2 Qe1+ 21. Rd1 Qe5 22. Kb1 Rab8 23. b3 c5 24. Qb2 $13 { Schabanel,S-Van Dongen,P/Paris-ch (8)/1991/0.5 (41)}) 18... Rab8 19. h4 (19. b3 Qe3+ 20. Qd2 Qe5 21. Qd4 Qa5 22. Qb2 Rfd8 23. Bd3 Qg5+ 24. Rd2 $13 { Fusi-Genser/AUT-chU20/1994/0.5 (54)}) 19... Rb6 20. h5 Rfb8 21. b3 Qe3+ 22. Qd2 Qc5 23. Qd4 Qa5 24. hxg6 $16 {Riveron-Cabrera,A/Jiguani/1991/1-0 (30)}) 18. Ba6 (18. Be2 $6 Bxa2 $1) 18... c5 19. Be2 c4 (19... Rab8 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 $16 ) 20. f4 Rd4 (20... c3 21. Qxc3 Bxa2 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. b3 $18) 21. Rxd4 Qxd4 22. g3 c3 (22... Qf2 23. Qf3 $16) 23. Qxc3 Qxc3 24. bxc3 Bxa2 25. Kb2 (25. c4 $2 Rc8) 25... Be6 26. c4 Kf8 (26... a5 27. Ra1) 27. Ra1 a5 28. c5 Ke7 29. c4 Bd7 (29... Kd7 30. Bf3 Ra6 31. Kc3 $16) 30. Bf3 Rb8+ (30... Ra6 31. Kc3 f6 32. Bb7 Ra7 33. Re1+ Kf8 34. c6 $18) 31. Kc3 a4 32. Ra3 (32. c6 Rb3+ 33. Kd4 Rxf3 34. cxd7 Kxd7 35. Rxa4 $16) 32... Rc8 33. Kd4 h5 34. Bb7 Rd8 (34... Rc7 35. Ba6 Bf5 36. Bb5 Bc2 37. Bxa4 Bxa4 38. Rxa4 $18) 35. Kc3 h4 36. gxh4 Rh8 37. Bd5 ( 37. c6 Be6 38. Rxa4 Kd6 39. Ra2 Rxh4 40. Rf2 $16) 37... Rxh4 38. Kb4 (38. c6 Be6) 38... Rxh2 (38... Rxf4 39. c6 Be6 40. Bxe6 fxe6 (40... Kxe6 41. Rd3 $1 $18 ) 41. Kc5 Rh4 42. Rxa4 Rxh2 43. Ra8 $1 $18) 39. c6 Be6 (39... Bf5 40. Kc5 Bc2 41. c7 Rh8 42. Bb7 Bf5 43. Rxa4 $18) 40. Bxe6 fxe6 (40... Kxe6 41. Kc5 Rh8 42. Rxa4 $18) 41. Kc5 Kd8 42. Rxa4 (42. Rxa4 Rf2 43. Ra8+ Kc7 44. Ra7+ Kc8 45. Rg7 $18) 1-0 [Event "Linares 27th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2010.02.18"] [Round "5"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2736"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "137"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Nf6 8. h3 Nc6 9. g4 Qb6 10. Nde2 $146 {The new move in this sharp line represents the novelty, but it definitely is not the most exciting part of the fascinating fight. The knight hopes to get more quickly to the kingside from the e2-square. } (10. Nb3 e6 11. Be3 (11. Bg2 Be7 12. Be3 Qc7 13. g5 Nd7 14. f4 b5 15. Qd2 Bb7 16. O-O-O Nb6 17. Bxb6 Qxb6 18. h4 b4 19. Ne2 a5 20. Nbd4 a4 21. Kb1 Qc5 22. h5 Nxd4 23. Nxd4 a3 $15 {1/2-1/2 Naiditsch,A (2689)-Grischuk,A (2736)/Moscow 2009 (47)}) 11... Qc7 12. Qe2 (12. g5 Nd7 13. f4 b5 14. a4 b4 15. Ne2 Bb7 16. Bg2 Na5 17. Nxa5 Qxa5 18. O-O Be7 19. f5 exf5 20. exf5 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rc8 22. Ng3 Ne5 23. f6 gxf6 24. gxf6 Bf8 25. Nf5 $14 {0-1 Pikula,D (2513)-Damljanovic,B (2590)/Vrsac 2007 (42)}) (12. f4 b5 13. Bg2 Bb7 14. O-O Be7 15. g5 Nd7 16. Qe1 Nb6 17. Rd1 b4 18. Ne2 Nc4 19. Bc1 e5 20. Kh1 a5 21. fxe5 dxe5 $17 {1-0 Magem Badals,J (2531)-Fluvia Poyatos,J (2469)/Lleida 2009 (35)}) 12... b5 13. f4 Bb7 14. Bg2 Be7 15. O-O-O Nd7 16. Qf2 Na5 17. Nxa5 Qxa5 18. Kb1 Rc8 19. Bd4 O-O 20. e5 Bxg2 21. Qxg2 dxe5 22. fxe5 Nc5 23. Ne4 Nxe4 24. Qxe4 $11 {0-1 Dominguez Perez,L (2719)-Grischuk,A (2736)/Moscow 2009 (44)}) 10... e6 (10... Bxg4 $5 11. hxg4 Nxg4 12. Nd4 $1 (12. Be3 Nxe3 13. fxe3 Qxe3 14. Rh3 $16) 12... Nxd4 13. Nd5 Qc5 14. c3 Nxf2 15. Kxf2 Ne6+ 16. Be3 $16) 11. Bg2 Be7 12. b3 h6 13. Qd2 { Topalov playes a clever move avoiding the problems lurking in the knight move to c4 after the obvious 13.Bb2.} (13. Bb2 Ne5 14. Qd2 Nc4 $1 15. Na4 Qc6 16. Nd4 Qxa4 17. bxa4 Nxd2 18. Kxd2 Bd7 $11) 13... g5 $5 {Grischuk is a very gifted man, with a healthy confidence in his own abilities. The radical prevention of the f2-f4 advance weakens the position forever. The modest castling seems timid in comparision.} (13... O-O 14. Bb2 Nd7 15. Nf4 $13) 14. Ba3 Ne5 (14... O-O 15. f4 Nd7 16. O-O-O Qf2 17. Rhg1 gxf4 18. Nxf4 (18. Bxd6 Bxd6 19. Qxd6 Qe3+ 20. Qd2 Qxd2+ 21. Rxd2 e5 22. Rgd1 Nf6 $11) 18... Qxd2+ 19. Rxd2 Nc5 20. Kb1 $14) 15. O-O-O Qxf2 {At first glance Black's courage is quite breathtaking. The conflict in the centre starts at the moment, when White is much better prepared for the complications.} (15... Bd7 16. Bxd6 Bxd6 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 18. Rxd6 h5 19. f3 $14) 16. Bxd6 Bxd6 (16... Qxg2 $2 17. Bxe7 Nfd7 18. Bd6 $18) 17. Qxd6 Nfd7 18. Nd4 Qf6 (18... Qxg2 19. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 20. Qxe6+ Kd8 21. Qxe5 Rf8 22. Qg7 Rf2 23. Nd5 Qxe4 24. Qh8+ Qe8 (24... Rf8 25. Qxf8+ Nxf8 26. Nf6+ $18) 25. Qxe8+ Kxe8 26. Nc7+ Kf7 27. Nxa8 $18) 19. Qa3 {The great critical moment of the game. Topalov must have realised, that getting serious advantage is not so easy. Objectively speaking his initiative is good only for a moderate plus.} (19. Na4 $5 Rb8 (19... Qe7 20. Qc7 Qd8 21. Qc3 O-O 22. Qg3 $16) 20. Rhf1 Qe7 21. Qc7 b5 22. Nf3 Nxf3 23. Rxf3 (23. Rxd7 Qxd7 24. Qxb8 Qd2+ 25. Kb2 O-O 26. Bxf3 bxa4 $11) 23... bxa4 24. Rxd7 Qxd7 25. Qxb8 O-O 26. Rd3 Qc6 $14) (19. Rd2 Qe7 20. Qc7 Qd8 $1 21. Qxd8+ Kxd8 $14) (19. Kb2 Qe7 20. Qc7 Qd8 21. Qxd8+ Kxd8 22. a4 Ke7 23. a5 h5 $14) 19... Qe7 20. Qb2 O-O (20... b5 21. Nc6 (21. Nd5 exd5 22. Nf5 Qd8 23. exd5 (23. Rxd5 f6 24. Qc3 Rb8 $13) 23... Qb6 24. d6 Bb7 $15) (21. Nf3 O-O 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. Kb1 f6 $11) 21... Qc5 (21... Nxc6 22. Nd5 exd5 (22... Qf8 23. Nc7+ Ke7 24. Nxa8 Bb7 25. Rxd7+ Kxd7 26. Rd1+ Kc8 27. Nb6+ $16) 23. Qxh8+ Qf8 24. Qxf8+ Kxf8 25. exd5 Nce5 26. d6 Rb8 $11) 22. Nd5 Qxc6 23. Nf6+ Ke7 (23... Nxf6 $2 24. Qxe5 Ke7 25. Rhf1 $18) 24. Nxd7 Bxd7 25. Qxe5 Rac8 26. Rd2 Rhd8 $11) 21. Nf5 $6 {The Bulgarian star must have prepared for the event psychologically with a goal to play with maximum sharpness and risk. The knight sacrifice is spirited, but objectively speaking not good enough.} (21. Nce2 b5 22. Ng3 b4 (22... Bb7 23. Ngf5 exf5 24. Nxf5 Qd8 25. Nxh6+ Kh7 26. Nf5 $40) 23. Ndf5 exf5 24. Nxf5 Qc5 25. h4 Qc3 26. hxg5 Qxb2+ 27. Kxb2 Re8 $13) 21... exf5 22. Nd5 Qc5 23. exf5 a5 $1 {[%mdl 2048] Excellent defence by a Grischuk in splendid form. The rook will help the black king from the 6th rank.} (23... Re8 24. Kb1 (24. h4 $2 gxh4 25. Rxh4 Nd3+ 26. Rxd3 Re1+ $19) 24... a5 (24... b5 25. h4 Qf2 26. Ne7+ Rxe7 27. Bxa8 $13) (24... f6 25. h4 Kg7 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. Rh5 Rh8 28. b4 Qd6 29. Rxh8 Kxh8 30. Nc3 Qf8 31. Nd5 $13) 25. h4 Nxg4 26. hxg5 Nde5 27. Bh3 $1 Bxf5 28. Bxg4 Nxg4 29. gxh6 $13) 24. h4 gxh4 25. Rxh4 Ra6 (25... Qf2 $2 26. Rxh6 Qxg2 27. f6 $18) 26. Kb1 (26. Rdh1 $2 Nd3+ $19) (26. f6 Rxf6 27. Nxf6+ Nxf6 28. Rxh6 Nd3+ (28... Bxg4 29. Qd4 Qa3+ 30. Kb1 Bxd1 31. Qxd1 Qe7 32. Qh1 Kg7 $17) 29. Rxd3 Qg5+ 30. Kb1 Qxh6 31. Rd6 Kg7 $17) 26... Qf2 27. Ne7+ {The crisis is reaching its maximum as White is facing near oblivion with his scattered pieces and only murky attacking chances.} (27. Rh2 Nxg4 28. Ne7+ Kh7 29. Nxc8 Nc5 30. Rf1 Qd2 31. Rg1 Rxc8 32. Bxb7 Qxh2 33. Rxg4 Rg8 34. Rxg8 Kxg8 35. Bxa6 Qg1+ 36. Qc1 Qxc1+ 37. Kxc1 Nxa6 $19) 27... Kg7 (27... Kh7 $1 28. Rdh1 Qxg2 29. Qc1 Nxg4 30. Ng6 fxg6 31. Rxg4 ( 31. Rxh6+ Kg7 (31... Nxh6 $2 32. Qxh6+ Kg8 33. Qh7#) 32. Qg5 Nxh6 33. Qxg2 Nxf5 $19) 31... Qxh1 32. Qxh1 Rxf5 33. Re4 Ne5 $17) 28. Rh2 f6 $2 $138 {The following phase of the game is truly imperfect. Grischuk was seriously short of time and Topalov could not find the patience in his heart..} (28... Qg3 29. Nxc8 Qxh2 30. Bxb7 Rf6 31. Qc3 Qe2 $19) 29. g5 $2 (29. Qc1 $1 Nxg4 (29... Rh8 30. Nxc8 Qg3 31. Rdh1 $18) 30. Nxc8 Nc5 (30... Nxh2 31. Rxd7+ Rf7 32. Rxf7+ Kxf7 33. Bxb7 Ra7 34. Nxa7 Qxa7 35. Qxh6 $18) 31. Rd2 Qxf5 32. Bh3 Rxc8 33. Bxg4 Qxg4 34. Rdg2 Qg5 35. Qe1 $16) 29... fxg5 30. Nxc8 Raf6 $1 31. Ne7 (31. Qc3 Qc5 32. Qxc5 Nxc5 33. Ne7 Ng4 34. Rhh1 Nf2 $17) 31... R8f7 (31... Qg3 $1 32. Rhh1 (32. Rdh1 Ng4 $17) 32... Qxg2 33. Ng6 Re8 $19) 32. Nd5 Nf3 $2 (32... Ng4 33. Nxf6 Ndxf6 34. Bd5 Qxh2 35. Bxf7 Kxf7 36. Qc3 Qe5 $17) 33. Bxf3 Qxh2 34. Nxf6 (34. Qd4 Qe5 35. Nxf6 Qxf6 $11) 34... Nxf6 35. a4 {The smoke has nearly cleared and White is back in the game with his potentially strong bishop.} (35. Qd4 Re7 $15) 35... Qf4 (35... Re7 36. Qd4 Qe5 37. Qb6 Qxf5 38. Bxb7 h5 $13) 36. Bd5 Rd7 37. Re1 Qxf5 38. Bc4 (38. Be6 Qf2 39. Qe5 Re7 40. Qxa5 g4 41. Qb4 Rc7 $11) 38... Qf2 {The last nervous move shortly before the time control. The queen should have aimed for the c5 square.} (38... Qc5 $1 39. Qc3 (39. Re6 Qg1+ 40. Ka2 Qd4 41. Re7+ Kh8 42. Qxd4 Rxd4 43. Rxb7 g4 $17) 39... g4 40. Ka2 b6 $15) 39. Qe5 Qd4 40. Qf5 Qg4 41. Qxa5 Rd1+ 42. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 43. Kb2 Qd6 (43... Qd4+ 44. Ka2 g4 45. Qc7+ Qd7 46. Qe5 Qe8 47. Be6 h5 $11) 44. Qa7 $1 {White can claim some small chances with his long range bishop in an exciting ending.} Qe5+ 45. Ka2 Qe4 (45... Qc7 46. a5 Ne4 47. Qd4+ Nf6 48. b4 g4 $13) 46. Bd3 Qc6 47. a5 Nd5 48. Qd4+ $1 Nf6 {Unfortunately for the defence the knight has to retreat.} (48... Kf7 $2 49. Bc4 Ke6 50. c3 Kd6 51. b4 h5 52. Kb3 g4 53. Qd2 $16) (48... Kf8 49. Qh8+ Ke7 50. Qg7+ Kd8 51. Qf8+ Kc7 52. c4 Nf4 53. Bf5 $16) 49. Qe5 Kf8 (49... Kf7 50. Bc4+ Kg6 51. Qe6 Qc7 $1 (51... Qxe6 52. Bxe6 Ne4 (52... g4 53. Bc8 $18) 53. Bc8 Nd6 54. Bxb7 Nxb7 55. a6 $18) 52. Bd3+ Kg7 53. Qf5 Qf7 54. Qe5 $14) 50. c4 (50. Kb2 g4 51. Bc4 Kg7 52. Qe7+ Kg6 53. Be6 $16) 50... g4 51. Bf5 Kf7 52. Qb8 Ne8 $2 {The permanent struggle is finally bearing fruits for the inventive Topalov as his opponent is finally showing signs of wear and tear.} (52... Ke7 $1 53. Bc8 Qc5 54. Qxb7+ Kd8 55. Qa6 (55. a6 Qxc8 56. Qb6+ Ke7 57. c5 g3 58. Qb7+ Qxb7 59. axb7 g2 60. b8=Q g1=Q $15) 55... Qf2+ 56. Ka3 Qc5+ 57. b4 Qe3+ 58. Ka4 Ne4 $11) 53. Qf4 (53. Qh2 Qc5 54. Qh5+ Ke7 55. Bxg4 Qxh5 56. Bxh5 Kd8 57. b4 $18) 53... Qc5 $2 {Shocked and in disbelief Black gives in and loses the unbelievably complex fight.} (53... Nf6 $1 54. Qxh6 Qd6 55. Bxg4 Qe5 56. Qd2 Nxg4 57. a6 bxa6 58. Qd7+ Kf6 59. Qxg4 $16 ) 54. Bxg4+ Nf6 55. Qf5 Qd4 56. Bf3 Qf2+ 57. Ka3 Kg7 58. Ka4 {The advance of the white king represents the proverbial last straw in the position. Black is helpless.} b6 (58... Qa2+ 59. Kb4 Qf2 60. Kb5 Qe3 61. b4 $18) 59. axb6 Qxb6 60. c5 Qa7+ 61. Kb5 Qb8+ 62. Kc4 Qg8+ 63. Kc3 Qe8 64. b4 Qe1+ 65. Kc4 Qf1+ 66. Kb3 Qb5 67. Bd1 Qc6 68. Bc2 Kf7 69. Bd3 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 3rd"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2015.06.22"] [Round "6"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B81"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2723"] [Annotator "Pavlovic,M"] [PlyCount "57"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 {Until recently this old idea used by Bobby Fischer was completely forgotten for a long time; it has now resurfaced with a big impact. It has become one of the main ideas for White!} e6 {This is one of a few possible lines like 6...g6 or 6...e5.} 7. g4 h6 8. Bg2 Nc6 9. Be3 Be7 10. f4 Nd7 11. O-O Nxd4 {Black could have refrained from taking early on d4 by playing...} (11... O-O {and now one possible example might be...} 12. Nce2 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Nc5 14. a4 Bd7 15. a5 b5 16. axb6 Qxb6 17. b3 Rab8 18. Qd2 {1/2-1/2 (43) Gonzaga Grego,L-Carroll,P corr. 2014; with an interesting game ahead of us.}) 12. Qxd4 O-O 13. Qd2 {This is one of those games where you can't really tell at which moment Black went wrong. Can we completely rule out the possibility that the whole plan for Black is just too slow?} Rb8 {I have no doubts that Vachier has analysed consequences of the direct 13...b5, let us see a recent example:} (13... b5 14. e5 d5 15. Ne2 Bb7 16. Nd4 Qc7 17. Rae1 Rfe8 18. f5 Nxe5 (18... Bc5 $5 19. b4 Bb6 20. f6 Nxe5 21. Bf4 gxf6 22. c3 {with an attack}) 19. fxe6 Bh4 20. exf7+ Nxf7 21. Re2 Nd6 22. Bf4 Qb6 23. Bxd6 Qxd6 24. Nf5 Qc5+ 25. Kh1 Bg5 26. Qe1 $14 {1-0 (31) Gharamian, T (2657)-Burg,T (2518) Munich 2015}) 14. Ne2 b5 15. Rad1 Qc7 16. f5 Nf6 17. Ng3 {Due to Bxh6 ideas the black position looks a bit compomised. So far nothing new in our game, but what it seems is that Anand has discovered that Bxh6 actually will lead to a dangerous attack.} Bb7 (17... Re8 18. Bd4 {is logical, but Anand probably realised the full potential of this position and I think he had something else in his mind...} (18. Kh1 $1 Bf8 19. g5 hxg5 20. Bxg5 Nh7 21. f6 {with dangerous attack}) 18... e5 19. Be3 Bb7 20. Bxh6 gxh6 21. Qxh6 Nh7 ( 21... d5 22. exd5 Qb6+ 23. Kh1 Bf8 24. Qh4 Red8 $13) 22. f6 Bf8 23. Qh5 Qc5+ 24. Kh2 Qe3 25. h4 Qh6 26. Qxh6 Bxh6 27. g5 Bf8 28. g6 $1 $16 {1-0 (40) Navara, D (2716)-Grischuk,A (2795) Tromso 2014}) 18. Kh1 {Preparatory move.} ({In the event of the direct attempt} 18. Bxh6 gxh6 19. Qxh6 d5 20. g5 Qxg3 21. Rd3 Bc5+ 22. Kh1 Be3 $1 {looks like a key defensive idea for Black.}) 18... Rbd8 $2 ( 18... exf5 19. Rxf5 $14) (18... d5 19. Bf4 $5 (19. e5 Qxe5 20. Bf4 Qxb2 21. Bxb8 Rxb8 22. fxe6 fxe6 23. Qe3 Bc8 24. Nf5 exf5 25. Qxe7 Bd7 {White is an exchange up, but Black has already too few pawns and the position is in equilibrium.}) 19... e5 20. Bxh6 gxh6 21. Qxh6 Rfd8 22. g5 Bf8 23. Qh4 Nxe4 24. Nh5 Rd6 25. b3 {Despite the fact that the computer gives few defensive ideas for Black, it is far from easy to find them in a tournament game.}) 19. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 20. Qxh6 d5 21. g5 $1 {No more defence for Black! Anand obviosly worked out the line nicely.} Qxg3 22. Rd3 $1 Nh5 (22... Nxe4 23. f6 Bxf6 24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Rxg3 e3+ 26. Kg1 Bg7 (26... Bd4 27. Re1 e2+ 28. Kh2 Bg7 29. Qh5 $18) 27. Qh5 Be4 28. c3 Rd2 29. Qh4 Bg6 30. Rxe3 $18) (22... Qe5 23. gxf6 Bxf6 24. Rf4 $1 $18) 23. g6 $1 fxg6 24. fxg6 Rxf1+ 25. Bxf1 Nf6 26. Rxg3 dxe4 27. Be2 e3+ 28. Kg1 Bc5 29. Kf1 1-0 [Event "Gashimov Memorial"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2016.05.26"] [Round "1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "Iotov,V"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2016.05.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 173"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qf3 $1 { The line which persuaded me away from playing my most favourite variation against 1.e4 - the Taimanov Defence. It is not a winning variation, but it is definitely a dangerous option to be considered when learning this great opening.} Nf6 (7... Ne5 8. Qg3 h5 9. Nf5 $3 f6 $1 (9... exf5 $6 10. Nd5 Qb8 11. Bb6 h4 12. Qc3 Nc6 13. Bc7 Qa7 14. O-O-O Nf6 15. Bc4 $40) 10. O-O-O exf5 11. Nd5 Qc6 12. Bb6 f4 13. Qxf4 $44) 8. O-O-O Nxd4 $1 (8... Ne5 {In my opinion, a flawed continuation. I am not clear on why this move is so popular in high level games.} 9. Qg3 b5 10. f4 (10. Bxb5 $5 axb5 11. Ndxb5 Qb8 12. Bf4 d6 13. Rxd6 Nh5 14. Qg5 Bxd6 15. Nxd6+ Qxd6 16. Bxe5 Ra5 17. f4 Nxf4 18. Nd5 Rxd5 19. exd5 Ne2+ 20. Kb1 Qxd5 21. Qxg7 Rf8 22. b3 $14 {1-0 Morozevich,A (2692) -Bukavshin,I (2657)/Moscow RUS 2015}) 10... Neg4 11. Bg1 $1 (11. e5 Nxe3 12. Qxe3 (12. exf6 $4 Nxd1 13. fxg7 Rg8 14. Nd5 exd5 15. gxf8=R+ Kxf8 16. Qf3 Nxb2 17. Kxb2 b4 $19 {0-1 Popilski,G (2522)-Adhiban,B (2630)/Caleta ENG 2015}) 12... b4 13. Ne4 Nd5 $6 (13... Nxe4 $142 $1 14. Qxe4 Bb7 15. Qd3 Rc8 $17) 14. Qg3 $6 (14. Qe1 $14) 14... Bb7 15. f5 $40 {0-1 Ivanisevic,I (2623)-Bukavshin,I (2616)/ St Petersburg RUS 2014}) (11. Bd2 Qa7 $1 (11... b4 12. Na4 Qa7 13. e5 Qxd4 14. exf6 Nf2 15. Qf3 Rb8 16. Bc3 Qxd1+ 17. Qxd1 Nxd1 18. fxg7 Bxg7 19. Bxg7 Nf2 20. Bxh8 Nxh1 21. Be5 $16 {1/2-1/2 Edouard,R (2641)-Neiksans,A (2627)/Drancy FRA 2016}) 12. Be1 $8 b4 13. Na4 h5 14. e5 Nd5 $132) 11... b4 12. Na4 $1 Nh6 13. Qe3 $1 Be7 14. Bd3 O-O 15. Kb1 $1 (15. h3 d5 16. e5 Ne4 17. g4 Bd7 18. Bxe4 dxe4 19. b3 $11 {1/2-1/2 Salgado Lopez,I (2616)-Matlakov,M (2694)/Montpellier FRA 2015}) 15... d5 16. e5 Ne4 17. Nb3 $16) (8... Be7 $5) 9. Bxd4 e5 10. Be3 ( 10. Qg3 d6 11. Be3 Be6 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. Rxd5 O-O $11) 10... d6 11. h3 b5 12. Bd3 $6 (12. a3 $142 {Preventing Black's advances on the queenside. There is no need to develop a piece for the sake of developing.} h6 $1 (12... Be6 13. g4 Be7 14. g5 Nd7 15. h4 Rb8 16. Bh3 $16) (12... Rb8 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Bg5+ 16. Kb1 Qd8 17. g3 $16 {[%csl Yd5,Rg5][%CAl Gh3h4,Gf1h3]}) 13. g4 Rb8 14. g5 hxg5 15. Bxg5 Be7 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nd5 Bg5+ 18. Kb1 Qd8 19. Rg1 $14) 12... b4 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 $11 a5 $1 {Harikrishna wastes no time in preparing his queenside attack!} 15. Kb1 (15. Qg3 f5 $1 16. Qg5 Qf7 17. Bb5+ Bd7 18. Bxd7+ Qxd7 19. f4 g6 20. g4 Be7 21. Qh6 Bf8 22. Qg5 Be7 $11) (15. g4 $5 Be7 16. Qe4 Ba6 17. Bxa6 Rxa6 18. f4 O-O 19. Kb1 Raa8 $1 $11) 15... Be7 16. g4 O-O 17. g5 Ba6 18. Qe4 g6 $6 {Creating a possible weakness for no reason is never a good idea. Such a move allows h4-h5 ideas, whereas the simple 18...Bxd3 would have kept Black's king in check.} (18... Bxd3 $1 19. cxd3 $1 {[%csl Yc6][%CAl Gd1c1,Gc1c6]} (19. Qxd3 f5 20. gxf6 Bxf6 $15) 19... f5 20. gxf6 Bxf6 21. Rc1 Qd7 22. Rc6 Be7 23. Qc4 Qf5 24. Qe4 Qd7 $11 ) 19. h4 $1 $14 Rfc8 20. Rc1 $6 (20. h5 $142 {It is never an easy decision to ignore the opponent's threat, but a necessary one in order to fight for the advantage!} Bxd3 21. cxd3 $1 (21. Qxd3 $6 Qc4 $1 $11) 21... Qc2+ 22. Ka1 a4 23. Rc1 Qe2 24. Rxc8+ Rxc8 25. hxg6 hxg6 26. Qxb4 a3 27. Qxa3 Qf3 28. Rb1 Qxd5 29. Qa4 $16) 20... Qd7 (20... Bxd3 21. cxd3 Qd7 22. Rc6 Rxc6 23. dxc6 Qe6 24. f4 Rc8 25. Rc1 Bd8 {[%csl Ya5,Gc6,Yd8][%CAl Gd8a5]} 26. c7 $1 Bxc7 27. fxe5 dxe5 ( 27... d5 28. Qd4 Qd7 29. Qc5 $16) 28. Qc4 Qd6 29. Rc2 $16 {[%CAl Gd3d4]}) 21. Bxa6 Rxa6 22. f4 Qf5 23. Qxf5 gxf5 {Positionally speaking, a very flawed endgame for Black due the pawn structure. White is simply a "pawn up" on the queenside!} 24. c3 $1 bxc3 25. Rxc3 Rxc3 26. bxc3 Ra8 27. Kc2 Rb8 (27... Rc8 28. Rf1 $1 f6 29. fxe5 fxe5 30. Rxf5 Rc4 31. h5 Ra4 32. Kb2 Rh4 33. g6 hxg6 34. hxg6 Rg4 35. Bb6 a4 36. Rf7 $16) 28. Rf1 $1 {Fixing the centre takes away any possible counterplay. It is the way of the technical player!} (28. fxe5 dxe5 29. c4 $16 {[%csl Gc4,Gd5]}) 28... e4 29. a4 (29. Rb1 $2 Rxb1 30. Kxb1 Bd8 31. h5 Kf8 32. Kb2 Ke8 33. Kb3 Kd7 34. Ka4 Ke8 35. Kb5 Kd7 36. c4 Bc7 $11 {Such an endgame may seem difficult to resist. However, the passed pawn on e4 manages to save the position!}) 29... Kf8 30. h5 Ke8 31. Rg1 Kd7 32. Bd4 Kc7 $2 (32... Ke8 $1 $132 {Having the king closer to the kingside would be the best way to defend this position.}) 33. g6 fxg6 34. hxg6 hxg6 35. Rxg6 Rf8 36. Rg7 Kd7 37. c4 $4 {[%csl Yc4]} (37. Kb3 {[%CAl Gb3c4,Gc4b5]} Ke8 38. Kc4 $16) 37... Ke8 $11 38. Kc3 Bh4 39. Ra7 Be1+ 40. Kc2 Rg8 41. Ra8+ Kf7 42. Ra7+ Ke8 43. Ra8+ { Caruana undoubtedly dominated for most of the game. It is only by luck that Harikrishna managed to save this game and get a draw!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gashimov Memorial"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2016.06.03"] [Round "8"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2748"] [Annotator "Bronznik,V"] [PlyCount "116"] [EventDate "2016.05.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 173"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c4 b4 12. Nc2 O-O {Of all three main continuations (the other two are 12...a5 and 12...Rb8) this is the most flexible - the a5-square still remains free, so that if circumstances permit Black can rapidly bring his queen to c5 via a5 whilst he can decide later where the a8-rook is best placed. Von allen drei Hauptfortsetzungen (die anderen zwei sind 12...a5 und 12...Rb8) ist es die flexibelste - das Feld a5 bleibt noch frei, somit kann Schwarz unter Umständen seine Dame schnell über a5 nach c5 bringen, während der Turm a8 später entscheiden kann, wohin er am besten gehört.} (12... a5) (12... Rb8) 13. h4 $5 {With this move White prevents his opponent from activating his Bf6 with Bf6-g5, and prepares (of course in conjunction with g2-g3) the move Bf1-h3 (although Bf1-g2 is not excluded) and at the same time gains space on the kingside. Damit verbietet Weiß dem Gegner, den Bf6 mittels Bf6-g5 zu aktivieren, bereitet (natürlich in Zusammenhang mit g2-g3) den Zug Bf1-h3 vor (obwohl auch Bf1-g2 nicht ausgeschlossen ist) und gewinnt gleichzeitig Raum am Königsflügel.} ({ It has long been known that after Es ist seit langem bekannt, dass Schwarz nach } 13. Ncxb4 Nxb4 14. Nxb4 Qb6 {Black has absolutely no problems, e.g. überhaupt keine Probleme hat, z. B.} 15. Nd5 (15. Nd3 $2 Qd4 $17) (15. Qb3 Bd8 $1 16. Nd5 Qd4 $44 {[%CAl Rd4e4,Rd8a5,Rf7f5]}) 15... Qxb2 16. Bd3 Bd8 17. O-O Be6 18. Qb3 Qxb3 19. axb3 Rb8 20. Rfb1 Bxd5 21. cxd5 a5 22. Ra4 Bb6 $11 { Anand,V (2798)-Radjabov,T (2744)/Bilbao 2008}) ({The most popular option is Die populärste Option ist} 13. g3 {- White does not yet define whether he will play h2-h4 and where he will post the Bf1 - that could be either g2, or (after h2-h4) the h3-square. - Weiß legt noch nicht fest, ob er h2-h4 spielen und wohin er den Bf1 bringen wird - es kann sowohl g2, als auch (nach h2-h4) das Feld h3 sein. But in addition Black would also have the extra option aber außerdem würde Schwarz dann über die zusätzliche Option} Bg5 {(it was not available to him during the game!), which often links well with the idea Qd8-a5-c5, e.g. verfügen (in der Partie wurde sie ihm verwehrt!), die sich oft gut mit der Idee Qd8-a5-c5 verbinden lässt, z.B.} ({In this case In diesem Fall würde} 13... a5 14. h4 {would lead by transposition of moves to the main game durch Zugumstellung zur Hauptpartie führen} (14. Bg2 Bg5 15. O-O {is considered rather harmless nowadays on account of gilt heutzutage wegen} Ne7 {e.g. als ziemlich harmlos, z.B.} 16. Nce3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Be6 18. Qd3 Qc7 19. Rad1 Rfd8 20. b3 a4 21. Rd2 Nc6 22. Rfd1 axb3 23. axb3 {(Fabri,L (2330) -Domancich,E (2305)/email 2013)} Ra5 $1 {[%CAl Yc7a7]} 24. Nc2 Qa7 $11 { Kotronias})) ({Another possible move is möglich ist auch} 13... Be6 {after which Black is prepared, according to circumstances to exchange this bishop on d5, e.g. , wonach Schwarz bereit ist, unter Umständen diesen Läufer auf d5 abzutauschen, z. B.} 14. Bg2 (14. h4 a5 {- 13.h4 a5 14.g3 Be6}) 14... Bg5 15. O-O Qa5 $5 (15... a5 16. Qd3 Bxd5 17. cxd5 Nb8 18. h4 Bh6 19. a3 Na6 20. axb4 Nxb4 21. Nxb4 axb4 22. Qc4 {Hou,Y (2621) - Ushenina,A (2497)/EU-Cup (Women) Rhodes 2013 and Henriquez Villagra,C (2511) - Gelfand,B (2741)/FIDE World Cup Baku 2015; with some pressure for White. mit etwas Druck für Weiß.}) 16. Qd3 Qc5 17. Kh1 (17. a3 a5 18. axb4 Nxb4 19. Ncxb4 axb4 20. Qb3 Bxd5 21. cxd5 g6 $11 {Chigaev,M (2519)-Shirov,A (2702)/Riga 2015}) 17... Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Rab8 $11 19. Rad1 $6 (19. b3) 19... b3 20. axb3 Rxb3 $36 {Muzychuk,A (2549)-Fressinet,L (2702)/Cap d'Adge rapid 2015}) 14. Bg2 (14. h4 Bh6 15. Bh3 Be6 16. Kf1 Qa5 17. Kg2 Qc5 18. Qd3 (18. b3 {[%CAl Rd5c7]} Ra7 19. Qd3 a5 20. Rad1 a4 21. g4 f6 $13 {Andriasian,Z (2585)-Timofeev,A (2681)/Belgorod 2010}) 18... a5 19. Rhf1 Ra7 20. b3 Bxd5 (20... a4 $5 {Palliser}) 21. Qxd5 Rd8 22. Rfd1 Qb6 23. Qb5 Qc7 24. Qa4 g6 25. Rd3 Nd4 26. Nxd4 exd4 27. Qb5 Qc5 28. f4 Bg7 $11 {Popov,I (2605) -Caruana,F (2767)/Plovdiv 2012}) 14... Qa5 $5 (14... a5 {- 13...a5 14.Bg2 Bg5}) 15. O-O Qc5 16. b3 (16. Kh1 a5 17. f4 exf4 18. gxf4 Bh6 $13 {Shirov,A (2710) -Krasenkow,M (2607)/Jurmala rapid 2012}) 16... a5 17. Kh1 a4 $132 {Caruana,F (2808)-Mamedov,R (2657)/FIDE World Cup Baku 2015}) ({A very frequently seen alternative is also Eine sehr verbreitete Alternative ist auch} 13. Be2 { - with the idea of continuing with 0-0, Be2-g4 or with 0-0, Qd1-d3, Ra(f)d1. Recently it has been seen less and less often at the very top level, which in my opinion can be explained by the fact that Black has found quite safe ways of showing that he has satisfactory counter-chances, e.g. - mit der Idee, weiter mit 0-0, Be2-g4 bzw. mit 0-0, Qd1-d3, Ra(f)d1 fortzusetzen. In der letzten Zeit wird sie auf hohem Niveau immer seltener gespielt, was sich m.E. damit erklären lässt, dass Schwarz dort ganz sichere Wege fand, Ausgleich bzw. ausreichende Gegenchancen nachzuweisen, z.B.} a5 14. O-O Bg5 15. Qd3 ({ after nach} 15. Bg4 Bb7 16. Qd3 {in his recent book on the Sveshnikov Variation GM Kotronias recommends empfiehlt GM Kotronias in seinem aktuellen Buch über die Sveshnikov-Variante} Nb8 {with the main line mit dem Hauptabspiel} 17. a3 $1 Na6 $1 18. axb4 axb4 19. Ncxb4 Nxb4 20. Nxb4 Qb6 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. Qxd5 Rxa1 23. Rxa1 Qxb2 24. Rd1 g6 25. g3 h5 26. Bd7 Be7 $11 { , to which I cannot object. , wogegen ich nichts einzuwenden habe}) 15... Be6 16. Rad1 (16. a3 bxa3 17. Rxa3 Rb8 18. b3 Rb7 {[%CAl Yf7f5,Yd8d7,Yf8b8,Yd8b8] (Kotronias)}) (16. Rfd1 Rb8 17. b3 g6 18. Bf3 Kh8 19. Qe2 {[%CAl Yd1d3,Ya1d1]} Qd7 20. Rd3 Nd8 {[%CAl Yd8b7,Yb7c5]} 21. a3 bxa3 22. Nxa3 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 Rxb3 24. Qd1 Rb4 25. Rxd6 Qc7 $11 {Amonatov,F (2608)-Frolyanov,D (2587)/Izhevsk 2010 }) 16... Bxd5 $5 17. exd5 (17. cxd5 Nb8 18. Bg4 Na6 $11 {[%CAl Ya6c5] Asrian,K (2635)-Ni,H (2607)/Taiyuan 2006}) (17. Qxd5 Qb6 18. b3 Rfd8 {[%CAl Yb6c5]} 19. Qb5 Qc7 20. g3 Bf6 $11 {[%CAl Yc6d4] Noble,M (2520)-Valenis,J (2501)/email 2012 }) 17... Nb8 18. c5 Na6 (18... dxc5 $6 19. d6 $44 {appears to be rather risky for Black, which is confirmed by the results in this line scheint für Schwarz ziemlich riskant zu sein, was auch von seinen Ergebnissen in diesem Abspiel bestätigt wird}) 19. c6 f5 20. Qh3 Nc5 21. Ne3 g6 22. Nc4 a4 23. g3 b3 24. a3 Ra7 25. Bd3 e4 26. Bb1 Re7 $13 {Wunderlich,H (2655) - Lafarga Santorroman,D (2643)/email 2012}) 13... a5 {Not just to overprotect the a5-pawn, but also intending, by means of a5-a4, to conquer more space on the queenside. Nicht nur um den Bauern a5 zu überdecken, sondern auch mit der Absicht, mittels a5-a4 weiteren Raum am Damenflügel zu erobern.} (13... Be6 14. g3 a5 {leads to the game by transposition of moves. führt durch Zugumstellung zur Partie.}) 14. g3 Be6 ({An option worth considering is Eine beachtenswerte Option ist} 14... a4 {, e.g. , z.B.} 15. Bg2 (15. Ndxb4 $6 Nxb4 16. Nxb4 Qb6 17. a3 Bd8 18. Bd3 Qb7 19. O-O Bb6 {[%csl Gb6,Gc8,Rh3][%CAl Rb6d4] Sikula,V (2520) - Konnyu,J (2375)/Hungary 2010; with very good compensation. mit sehr guter Kompensation.} ) (15. Qd2 Be6 16. Nce3 (16. Ncxb4 Nd4 $44) (16. Ndxb4 Qb6 17. a3 Na5 18. Rd1 Qb7 19. Ne3 Nb3 20. Qc3 Nd4 21. Bd3 Bd8 $44 {[%csl Gd8,Ge6,Rh3][%CAl Rd8b6] Iordachescu,V (2583) - Yu,Y (2721)/FIDE World Cup Baku 2015} 22. O-O Bh3) 16... Qa5 $5 {[%CAl Rf6d8]} 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 $13 {[%CAl Yc6d4,Yb4b3] Oparin,G (2564) - Fier,A (2636)/Linares 2015}) (15. Bh3 Be6 {- 14...Be6 16.Bh3 a4!?}) 15... Be6 16. O-O b3 17. axb3 axb3 18. Rxa8 Qxa8 19. Nxf6+ gxf6 20. Ne3 Nd4 21. f4 Qc6 22. Kh2 Nc2 $1 23. Nxc2 bxc2 24. Qxc2 Qxc4 25. Qd2 Qd4 26. Qxd4 exd4 27. Rd1 Rb8 28. Rxd4 Rxb2 29. f5 Ba2 30. Rxd6 Bc4 31. Kg1 Rb1+ 32. Kf2 Rb2+ 33. Kf3 Kg7 {Dominguez Perez,L (2729) - Gelfand,B (2747)/Tsaghkadzor 2015, , and despite being a pawn down Black had no problems holding the draw. und trotz seines Minusbauern hatte Schwarz keine Schwierigkeiten, Remis zu halten.}) 15. Bh3 { This is the most active post for the bishop: in several variations Bh3-f5 or Bh3xe6 is now an option; in addition, in the event of Be6xd5 it would deprive the opposing major pieces of the c8- and d7-squares. Hier steht der Läufer am aktivsten: in mehreren Varianten kommt nun Bh3-f5 oder Bh3xe6 in Frage, außerdem würde er im Falle Be6xd5 den gegnerischen Schwerfiguren die Felder c8 und d7 nehmen.} ({The main alternative is Die Hauptalternative ist} 15. Bg2 {[%CAl Ye1g1,Yh1f1] - here the bishop controls the e4- and d5-squares; on the other hand it is not so active there as on h3. After this Black has several possibilities available to him, e.g.: - hier kontrolliert der Läufer die Felder e4 und d5, andererseits ist er da nicht so aktiv, als auf h3. Danach verfügt Schwarz über mehrere Möglichkeiten, z. B.:} a4 {- 14...a4 15.Bg2 Be6 } (15... Bxd5 16. cxd5 Nb8 17. Ne3 Na6 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. Nc4 Nc5 20. O-O Re8 21. Qe2 Be7 22. Bh3 Ra8 23. Nd2 a4 24. Rc4 Qb6 25. Rfc1 Ra5 26. Kg2 Bf8 27. Nf3 Qb5 28. Qd2 b3 29. a3 Ra7 30. Ne1 g6 31. h5 $14 {Svetushkin,D (2621) - Illescas Cordoba,M (2609)/Melilla 2011}) (15... g6 {[%CAl Yf6g7]} 16. Nxf6+ (16. Qd3 h5 $5 17. O-O Bg7 18. b3 Rb8 19. Rfd1 Qd7 20. Rd2 a4 21. Qf3 Qd8 22. Qe2 Qa5 23. Rad1 Rfd8 $11 {Hansen,O (2488) - Larsen,L (2451)/email 2012}) (16. h5 $6 Bg5 17. Qd3 a4 18. hxg6 fxg6 $1 19. O-O Ra7 20. f4 exf4 21. gxf4 Bh6 $36 {[%CAl Ra7f7,Rd8h4] Lundberg,G (2287) - Colin,S (2293)/email 2009}) 16... Qxf6 17. b3 a4 18. O-O Qd8 $5 {[%CAl Yd8b6,Yb6c5]} ({I prefer this idea of Palliser's, whereas after diese Idee von Palliser gefällt mir am besten, während nach} 18... axb3 19. axb3 Rxa1 20. Qxa1 Qd8 21. Rd1 {Morozevich,A (2788) - Shirov,A (2741)(Moscow 2008, White's advantage was an academic one Weiß über einen akademischen Vorteil verfügte}) 19. h5 Qb6 20. h6 Qc5 21. Qf3 f6 {(Palliser) - Black has not only a solid position, but also opportunities for counterplay on the queenside and is certainly not worse. (Palliser) - Schwarz hat nicht nur eine feste Position, sondern auch Gegenspielmöglichkeiten am Damenflügel und steht bestimmt nicht schlechter}) (15... Rb8 16. O-O Be7 (16... b3 $5 17. Nce3 Nd4 18. axb3 Nxb3 19. Ra3 Nd4 $11 {Jensen,K (2181) - Kosic,B (2356)/email 2013}) 17. Qd3 Qd7 18. Rad1 Bd8 19. b3 Qa7 $13 {[%CAl Yd8b6,Ya5a4] Kantans,T (2496) - Zhigalko,S (2647)/Jurmala rapid 2016}) (15... Nd4 $5 16. Nxd4 (16. O-O Bxd5 17. cxd5 Rc8 $132 {Palliser}) (16. Nce3 g6 $5 $13 {[%CAl Yf6g7]}) 16... Bxd5 17. cxd5 exd4 18. O-O Rc8 19. Qd2 d3 20. Rac1 Qb6 21. Rc6 Rxc6 22. dxc6 Be5 23. Qxd3 Qxc6 24. b3 Rc8 25. f4 Bf6 26. Rd1 Be7 27. Kh2 Qc2 $11 {Gao,R (2533) - Xiu,D (2557)/China 2015})) 15... Rb8 {[%CAl Rb4b3]} ({The main continuation here is Die Haupfortsetzung ist hier} 15... a4 {[%CAl Rb4b3,Rc6d4] It would be all the more interesting to know what Caruana would play against it, as (so far as I know) White's achievements in this position have been really modest, e.g.: Es wäre desto interessanter zu erfahren, was Caruana dagegen spielen würde, als es (soviel ich weiß) die weißen bisherigen Errungenschaften in dieser Stellung recht bescheiden sind, z. B.:} 16. b3 (16. Bxe6 $6 fxe6 17. Ndxb4 Nxb4 18. Nxb4 Qb6 19. Qd2 Be7 20. a3 Rf3 {[%csl Rc4,Re1, Re4,Rf2][%CAl Ra8f8,Ra8c8]} 21. c5 ({in Nisipeanu, L.-D. (2684) - Shirov,A (2740) /Foros 2008 and Kislik,E (2357) - Antal,G (2526)/Budapest 2010 White decided on in den Partien Nisipeanu, L.-D. (2684) - Shirov,A (2740) /Foros 2008 und Kislik,E (2357) - Antal,G (2526)/Budapest 2010 entschied sich Weiß für} 21. Rf1 $2 {, after which , worauf} Rc8 $1 {would be very strong, e.g. sehr stark wäre, z. B.} 22. Rc1 Qb7 23. Qe2 Rb3 $17 {[%CAl Rd6d5]}) 21... Qxc5 22. Rc1 Rxf2 23. Rxc5 Rxd2 24. Kxd2 dxc5 25. Nd3 {- my database contains five games with this position, and in all of them White managed to get a draw, but he can hardly call that a success for the opening - meine Datenbank zählt fünf Partien mit dieser Stellung, und in allen ist es dem Anziehenden gelungen, Remis zu erreichen, aber als einen Eröffnungserfolg darf er das eher nicht betrachten}) (16. Ncxb4 $6 Nxb4 17. Bxe6 (17. Nxb4 $2 Bxh3 18. Rxh3 Qc8 19. g4 Qxc4 $17 {Jedinger (2185) - Kainz,J (2265)/email 2010}) 17... fxe6 18. Nxb4 {- 16.Bxe6?! fxe6 17.Ndxb4 Nxb4 18.Nxb4}) (16. Nce3 Nd4 17. Kf1 b3 18. Kg2 Rb8 19. axb3 Rxb3 20. Rxa4 Rxb2 21. Qa1 Qb8 22. Ra2 Rxa2 23. Qxa2 Bd8 24. h5 Qb7 25. Qa3 Qc6 $11 26. Qa7 Bxd5 {½:½ Krivic,D (2566) - Pirs,M (2550)/ email 2012}) (16. Kf1 b3 17. axb3 (17. Nce3 Nd4 {- 16.Nce3 Nd4 17.Kf1 b3}) 17... axb3 18. Nce3 Rxa1 (18... Ra2 $5) (18... Nd4 $5) 19. Qxa1 Nd4 20. Kg2 Qa8 $11 {Rasulov,V (2491) - Mamedov,R (2642)/Baku 2015}) 16... Kh8 (16... Bxd5 17. cxd5 Nd4 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. O-O Re8 $11 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2632) - Ni,H (2701)/ Sochi 2009}) (16... Nd4 $5 17. Nxd4 exd4 18. Rc1 Re8 19. Bg2 axb3 20. axb3 Bxd5 21. cxd5 Rc8 {Van der Bos,H (2435) - Shulman,B (2412)/email 2009; , and Black is at least no worse. , und Schwarz steht mindestens nicht schlechter.}) 17. Kf1 Bxd5 18. exd5 (18. cxd5 Nd4 $11 {½:½ Popov,I (2650) - Zhigalko,S (2655)/ Minsk rapid 2015}) 18... Nd4 19. Nxd4 exd4 20. Kg2 d3 21. Rb1 axb3 22. axb3 Bd4 23. Qxd3 Qf6 24. Qf5 Qxf5 25. Bxf5 Ra2 26. Rhf1 Re8 27. Bd3 g6 $44 {Bodnaruk,A (2456) - Zhigalko,S (2655)/Minsk rapid 2015}) 16. Qd3 ({In the event of Im Falle von} 16. b3 {Black has several options at his disposal; I would like to draw your attention to the following two: verfügt Schwarz über mehrere Optionen, wobei ich Sie auf zwei folgende Möglichkeiten aufmerksam machen möchte: Bu Black can also act in a similar fashion to the main game: Schwarz kann aber auch analog der Hauptpartie agieren:} Qd7 $5 {[%CAl Yf6d8]} ({ The safest continuation appears to me to be Die sicherste Fortsetzung scheint mir} 16... Nd4 {, e.g. zu sein, z. B.} 17. Nxd4 (17. Kf1 Bxd5 18. cxd5 Nb5 { [%CAl Yb5c3]}) 17... exd4 18. Nxf6+ (18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Nf4 d3 20. O-O Bxa1 21. Nxe6 Qe7 22. Nxf8 Bc3 23. Nxh7 Qxe4 24. Ng5 Qe2 25. Qc1 Re8 26. Qf4 Bf6 27. Qf5 d2 28. Qd5+ Kh8 29. Nf3 Bc3 30. Qh5+ Kg8 31. Qd5+ Qe6 32. Qg5 Qf7 33. Kg2 Qb7 34. Rd1 Qc6 35. Qg6 Re1 36. Qc2 Rxd1 37. Qxd1 Qe4 {½:½ Stephan,J (2489) - Dos Reis (2477)/email 2007}) (18. Kf1 a4 19. Kg2 Bxd5 20. cxd5 Ra8 $11) 18... Qxf6 19. Bg2 d3 20. O-O Qd4 21. Re1 f5 22. Qd2 fxe4 23. Bxe4 Bf5 24. Bxf5 Rxf5 25. Qe3 Qxe3 26. Rxe3 d5 27. Rxd3 dxc4 28. bxc4 Rc8 29. Rc1 Rfc5 30. Rd4 a4 31. Kf1 b3 32. axb3 axb3 33. Ke2 b2 34. Rb1 Rxc4 35. Rxc4 Rxc4 36. Rxb2 Kf7 { with an obvious draw. mit offensichtlichem Remis.}) 17. Nxf6+ (17. Bxe6 $6 fxe6 18. Nde3 Bd8 19. O-O Bb6 $36 {Polivanov,A (2391) - Iljin,T (2442)/Donetsk 2008} ) 17... gxf6 18. Bg2 (18. Bf5 {would cost a pawn here, unlike in the game, and would thus be a mistake. würde hier im Unterschied zur Partie einen Bauern kosten und wäre somit ein Fehler}) 18... f5 19. Qd2 Kh8 20. O-O-O Rbd8 21. Qh6 f6 22. c5 Nd4 23. Nxd4 exd4 24. Rxd4 Qc7 $13) 16... Qd7 $5 {Mamedyarov allows his opponent to compromise the black pawn structure on the kingside, but in return White must give up his strong Nd5 for the passive Bf6. If White decides not to do that, Black plays Bf6-d8 gaining a tempo over the plan Bf6-e7, Qd8-d7, Be7-d8. The alternatives: Mamedyarov erlaubt dem Gegner, die schwarze Bauernstruktur am Königsflügel zu kompromittieren, aber dafür muss Weiß seinen starken Nd5 gegen den passiven Bf6 abtauschen. Entscheidet sich der Anziehende dagegen, spielt Schwarz Bf6-d8 mit Tempogewinn gegenüber dem Plan Bf6-e7, Qd8-d7, Be7-d8. Die Alternativen:} (16... Nd4 17. Nxd4 (17. Kf1 $5 { [%CAl Yf1g2]}) 17... exd4 18. Kf1 $5 (18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Bg2 Rbc8 20. b3 d5 21. cxd5 {(Poetsch,H (2346) - Uwira,O (2249)/2012)} Rc3 22. Qd2 Re3+ $1 23. fxe3 dxe3 24. Qxe3 Qxa1+ 25. Kf2 Qxa2+ 26. Qe2 Qxb3 27. dxe6 fxe6+ 28. Bf3 a4 $44) 18... Bxd5 19. cxd5 Qe7 20. Kg2 Rfe8 21. f3 a4 22. Rac1 $14) (16... a4 17. b3 Ra8 $5 (17... Bxd5 18. cxd5 Na5 19. O-O Qe8 20. Ne3 {[%CAl Rd3a6]} Bd8 21. Nf5 Rb6 22. Qe3 $36 {[%CAl Rf1c1] Caruana,F (2782) - Van Wely,L (2672)/Wijk aan Zee 2014}) 18. Rd1 axb3 19. axb3 Ra2 20. Kf1 Bxd5 21. cxd5 Nd4 22. Nxd4 exd4 23. Kg2 Qa8 24. Rd2 Rxd2 25. Qxd2 Qa3 26. Qc2 Qa6 {[%CAl Rd4d3]} 27. Rd1 h5 28. Bd7 Rd8 29. Bc6 Rc8 $11 {Saitou,A (2213) - Piccoli,F (2268)/email 2013}) (16... Be7 {[%CAl Yd8d7,Ye7d8]} 17. b3 (17. Rd1 b3 $1 18. axb3 Bxd5 19. cxd5 Nb4 20. Qd2 Nxc2+ 21. Qxc2 Rb4 $11 {Kulon,K (2251) - Savina,A (2382)/Fermo 2009}) 17... Qd7 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. O-O Rbd8 $11 {Morozov,D (2376) - Stepanov, K (2356)/email 2014}) 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 18. Bf5 $5 $146 (18. Bg2 f5 19. O-O-O $5 { (Korotylev)} (19. Rd1 Rbd8 20. Qe3 f4 $5 (20... Kh8 $5) 21. gxf4 f5 $44 { So,W (2577) - Pascua,H (2174)/Manila 2008}) 19... b3 $5 20. axb3 Rfc8 21. Qxd6 $5 (21. exf5 Bxf5 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23. Rxd6 Bxc2 24. Kxc2 Nd4+ 25. Rxd4 exd4 26. Ra1 Re8 27. Bf1 Re5 $11) 21... Qb7 $5 22. exf5 Bxc4 $1 23. b4 $1 Qb5 {[%CAl Rc6b4]} 24. Qh6 Nxb4 25. f6 Na2+ 26. Kd2 Rd8+ 27. Ke1 Rxd1+ 28. Kxd1 Qd7+ 29. Ke1 Qg4 30. Qd2 Be6 $44) (18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. O-O-O {(Korotylev)} Rfd8 $13) { Unlike after 18.Bg2, after the move in the game Black no longer has available the resource of f6-f5, but in return in many variations the advance d6-d5 becomes possible. Im Unterschied zu 18.Bg2 steht dem Schwarzen nach dem Partiezug die Ressource f6-f5 nicht zu Verfügung, dafür aber wird in vielen Varianten der Vorstoß d6-d5 möglich.} 18... Qb7 {[%CAl Rb7h1,Rb4b3,Re6f5]} ({ It was also worth considering Beachtung verdiente auch} 18... Bxf5 $5 19. exf5 a4 {[%CAl Rb4b3]} ({after nach} 19... Rfd8 20. Ne3 Nd4 21. O-O $14 {White is slightly better according to GM Korotylev steht Weiß laut GM Korotylev etwas besser}) 20. b3 Rfd8 {[%CAl Rd6d5] , e.g. , z. B.} 21. Rd1 (21. bxa4 d5 22. cxd5 Qxd5 23. Qxd5 Rxd5 24. O-O Ra5 $11) 21... axb3 22. axb3 d5 $1 23. cxd5 ( 23. Qxd5 $6 Qxf5 $36) 23... Nd4 $1 24. Nxd4 Qxd5 25. O-O exd4 26. Rd2 Rbc8 27. Rfd1 Rc3 28. Qxd4 Qxd4 29. Rxd4 Rxd4 30. Rxd4 Rxb3 $11) (18... Rfd8 $5 { [%CAl Re6f5,Rd6d5]}) 19. Ne3 {The knight takes control of the d5- and f5-squares, but in doing so gives up the d4-point. Of course, there are other continuations too, but none of them promised an advantage, e.g.: Der Springer nimmt unter Kontrolle die Felder d5 und f5, gibt aber dabei den Punkt d4 auf. Natürlich gab es auch andere Fortsetzungen, aber keine davon versprach einen Vorteil, z. B.:} (19. O-O b3 20. Ne3 (20. axb3 Qxb3 21. Qd1 Bxf5 22. exf5 Rfd8 $132 {[%csl Rb2,Rc4][%CAl Rd6d5]}) 20... Nd4 21. Qd1 $5 Bxf5 22. Nxf5 Nxf5 23. exf5 Rfd8 $1 {[%CAl Rd6d5]} (23... bxa2 24. Rxa2 $14 {Korotylev}) 24. axb3 Qxb3 25. Qxb3 Rxb3 26. Rxa5 Rxb2 27. Rd5 Rc2 28. Rfd1 Rc8 29. Rxd6 Kg7 30. Rd7 R2xc4 $11) (19. O-O-O Bxf5 (19... Rfd8 $5 {[%CAl Re6f5,Rd6d5] /\20...Bxf5 21.exf5 d5 22.exd5 Nd4 23.Nxd4 Rxd5}) (19... a4 $5) 20. exf5 e4 $5 (20... Rfd8 $5) (20... a4 $5) 21. Qxd6 (21. Qxe4 $2 b3 22. axb3 Qxb3 23. Kd2 Ne5 $17) (21. Qe3 Ne5 22. b3 Nd3+ 23. Kb1 d5 24. cxd5 Qxd5 25. Ne1 Rfd8 26. f3 Qe5 27. Nxd3 exd3 28. Rxd3 Rxd3 29. Qxd3 Qxg3 $11) 21... b3 22. axb3 Qxb3 23. Qxf6 Nb4 24. Nxb4 Rxb4 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. Qf6+ $11) (19. Bxe6 $6 fxe6 20. O-O (20. Qxd6 $2 Nd4 $1 { (Korotylev)} 21. Nxd4 Qxe4+ 22. Kd2 Rbd8 $1 23. f3 $8 Rxd6 24. fxe4 Rxd4+ 25. Ke3 Rxc4 $17) 20... Rbd8 $36) 19... Nd4 20. O-O (20. Nd5 $6 Nxf5 21. exf5 Bxd5 22. cxd5 Rfc8 $36) 20... b3 (20... Nf3+ $5 21. Kg2 Nd4 {[%csl Rg2][%CAl Rd4f5, Rb7g2] (with the king on g2 White can play neither Qd3-d1 nor Ne3-g4) (mit dem König auf g2 kann Weiß weder Qd3-d1 noch Ne3-g4 spielen)} 22. f3 b3 {- and with the pawn on f3 White no longer has the resource of Qd3-d1-h5. - und mit dem Bauern auf f3 Weiß gibt es die Ressource Qd3-d1-h5 nicht mehr.}) ({ A further idea would be Eine weitere Idee wäre} 20... Kh8 $5 21. Qd1 $140 Rg8 22. Qh5 Rg7 23. Qh6 Qe7 $13) 21. a3 ({Korotylev's suggestion of Gefährlicher sieht der Vorschlag von Korotylev} 21. Qd1 {looks more dangerous - his idea of bringing the queen to the kingside should not be taken lightly by Black. However, he can ward off the danger with exact play: aus - die Idee, die Dame nach Königsflügel zu bringen, darf Schwarz nicht auf die leichte Schulter nehmen. Mit genauen Spiel kann er die Gefahr jedoch abwehren:} Bxf5 (21... bxa2 22. Rxa2 Kh8 {[%CAl Yf8g8]} 23. Qh5 (23. Rxa5)) 22. Nxf5 Nxf5 23. exf5 Rfd8 24. axb3 Qxb3 25. Qxb3 Rxb3 26. Rxa5 Rxb2 27. Rd5 Rc2 28. Rfd1 Rc8 29. Rxd6 Kg7 30. Rd7 R2xc4 $11) 21... Kh8 22. Rac1 Rbc8 23. Rfe1 {Caruana is planning Qd3-d1, but first employs his king's rook on the defence of the e4-pawn. He is prepared to sacrifice the exchange to this purpose. Caruana plant Qd3-d1, beteiligt aber zuerst seinen Königsturm an der Verteidigung des Bauern e4. Dabei ist er bereit, die Qualität zu opfern.} (23. Nd5 Kg7 $13 {[%csl Rc4] [%CAl Rc8c5,Rf8c8]}) 23... Rc5 $5 {Mamedyarov does not aim at winning material and trusts in active play - after the move in the game White has to reckong with the doubling of his opponent's rooks in the c-file, and in addition in the variation with the exhcnage of all the minor pieces on f5 the Rc5 supports the advance d6-d5. Mamedyarov verzichtet auf Materialgewinn und setzt auf aktives Spiel - nach dem Partiezug muss Weiß mit der Verdoppelung der gegnerischen Türme auf der c-Linie rechnen, außerdem unterstützt der Rc5 in den Variante mit dem Tausch aller Leichtfiguren auf f5 den Vorstoß d6-d5.} ( 23... Nf3+ 24. Kg2 Nxe1+ 25. Rxe1 {(~/= Korotylev)} Rg8 26. Qd1 a4 27. Qh5 Rg7 28. Qh6 Qe7 29. Nd5 Qd8 30. Nxf6 Bxf5 (30... Qf8 $2 {[%CAl Rg7g3]} 31. Kf1 $1 { [%CAl Rf6h7]} Bxf5 32. exf5 Rxc4 33. Nxh7 Rxh4 34. Qxh4 Rxh7 35. Qxa4 $16) 31. exf5 Rxc4 32. Nh5 Rg8 33. Nf6 Rg7 {with a repetition of moves. mit Zugwiederholung.}) 24. Qd1 Bxf5 25. Nxf5 Nxf5 26. exf5 Rd8 $5 {[%csl Gd8][%CAl Rd6d5]} (26... d5 27. cxd5 Rxd5 28. Qf3 Rb8 29. Red1 Rxd1+ 30. Qxd1 Kg7 31. Rc3 Qe4 32. Qd3 Qxd3 33. Rxd3 a4 34. Rc3 Rd8 35. Rc4 Rd2 $11) 27. Qh5 Kg7 28. Rc3 ( 28. Qg4+ Kf8 (28... Kh8 29. Qh5 {(Korotylev)} Qd7 $5 {[%CAl Rd6d5,Gd7f5]} ( 29... Kg7 30. Qg4+ {with a repetition of moves mit Zugwiederholung}) 30. Red1 $11) 29. Qh5 Ke7 30. Qxh7 Rdc8 31. Qg7 Rxc4 32. Rxc4 Rxc4 33. h5 Qc6 34. h6 Rc1 35. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 36. Kg2 Qc6+ 37. Kh2 Qc2 38. Kg2 Qc6+ {mit Remis. mit Remis.}) 28... h6 ({The move in the game prevents White from taking on e5 after d6-d5, as would be the case in the variation with Der Partiezug verhindert, dass Weiß nach d6-d5 auf e5 nimmt, wie es in der Variante} 28... d5 29. Rxe5 { Moreover, even then that would not mean anything bad for Black: der Fall wäre. Übrigens wäre es auch dann für Schwarz noch nichts schlimmes bedeuten:} Rxc4 (29... fxe5 $4 30. Qg5+ $18) 30. Rce3 Rc1+ 31. Kh2 Qb5 {[%CAl Rb5f1]} 32. Re7 Rf8 33. Re2 Qc4 34. R7e3 Qd4 35. Qf3 Qd1 36. Rxb3 Qg1+ 37. Kh3 Qf1+ 38. Kh2 ( 38. Kg4 $4 h5+ 39. Kxh5 Rc4 $19) 38... Qg1+ {with perpetual check. mit Dauerschach.}) 29. Ree3 $6 {It is hard to understand why Caruana asks his opponent to play a5-a4 which in any case is useful for Black, and thus degrades the position of his own rook: now White can neither double his rooks on the c-file (for the defence of the c4-pawn), nor on the d-file, the advance d6-d5 being linked to the threat of the fork with d5-d4, and in addition now the first rank could under certain circumstances tend towards weakness. Es ist schwer zu verstehen, wozu Caruana den Gegner bittet, a5-a4 zu spielen, was für den Nachziehenden ohnehin nützlich ist, und dabei die Position seines eigenen Turmes verschlechtert: nun kann Weiß seine Türme weder auf der c-Linie (für die Verteidigung des Bauern c4), noch auf der d-Linie verdoppeln, der Vorstoß d6-d5 wird mit der Gabeldrohung d5-d4 verbunden, und außerdem kann sich jetzt die erste Reihe unter Umständen als schwach erweisen.} (29. Qg4+ $142 Kh7 30. Rd1 d5 {(according Korotylev) (so weit Korotylev)} 31. Qf3 a4 32. cxd5 Rxc3 33. Qxc3 Rxd5 34. Rxd5 Qxd5 35. Qb4 {mit Remis. mit Remis.}) 29... a4 {Suddenly White finds himself in a very unpleasant situation: the threats 30...d5 and above all 30...Rc8 are extremely annoying, whils his own activity on the kingside has run into sand. Plötzlich ist Weiß in eine sehr unangenehme Situation geraten: die Drohungen 30...d5 und vor allem 30...Rc8 sind äußerst lästig, während seine eigene Aktivität am Königsflügel im Sand verlaufen ist.} 30. Qe2 (30. g4 $2 Rh8 {[%csl Rh5]}) (30. Qg4+ $5 Kh7 ( 30... Kf8 31. Qh5 Kg7 32. Qg4+) 31. Red3 d5 32. cxd5 Rxc3 33. Rxc3 Rxd5 34. Qf3 Qd7 35. Rc7 Rd1+ 36. Kg2 e4 $1 37. Qc3 (37. Qh5 $143 $6 Qxc7 38. Qxd1 Qe5) 37... Qxf5 38. Rc5 $1 (38. Rxf7+ $2 Kg6 39. Rf8 Rd3 40. Rg8+ Kh7 41. Qc8 Qxc8 42. Rxc8 Rd2 $19) 38... Qe6 39. Rc6 Qe5 $1 40. Qc4 Kg7 41. Qe2 Qd5 42. Qg4+ Kh7 43. Rc5 $1 Qxc5 44. Qxd1 {with a difficult, but perhaps neverheless tenable endgame. mit einem schwierigen, aber vielleicht doch haltbaren Endspiel.}) 30... d5 (30... Rdc8 $142 $1 {(Korotylev) , e.g. , z.B.} 31. f4 $5 (31. Qd3 Qc6 32. Re4 d5 33. cxd5 Rxc3 34. bxc3 Qxc3 35. Rg4+ Kh7 36. Qxc3 Rxc3 37. Rb4 Rd3 $19) 31... Qd7 32. fxe5 dxe5 33. Qg4+ Kh7 34. Red3 Qc7 {with considerable winning chances. mit beträchtlichen Gewinnchancen.}) 31. Qf3 $2 (31. cxd5 Rcxd5 (31... Rdxd5 32. Qf3 Qb5 33. Kg2 Rd2 34. Rcd3 $1 $15 {Korotylev}) 32. Qf3 Qd7 $15) 31... Rdc8 $1 {Now things look quite gloomy for White. Jetzt wird es für Weiß ganz düster.} 32. cxd5 Rxc3 33. Rxc3 Rxc3 34. Qxc3 Qxd5 $19 35. Qb4 h5 (35... e4 $1 36. Qxa4 Qd1+ 37. Kg2 Qc2 38. Qd4 e3 39. Qxe3 Qxb2 40. g4 Qc2 41. g5 b2 42. gxf6+ Kh7 43. Qg3 Qc6+ 44. Kh2 Qxf6 $19) 36. Qxa4 Qd3 $2 { Although Mamedyarov - unlike his opponent - had sufficient time, he did not make use of it. As a consequence of that he now makes a mistake and suddenly gives Caruana a chance to save the game. Obwohl Mamedyarov - im Unterschied von seinem Gegner - genügend Zeit hatte, machte er davon keinen Gebrauch. Als Folge davon begeht er jetzt einen Fehler und gibt Caruana plötzlich eine Chance, die Partie zu retten.} ({The correct move was Richtig war} 36... e4 { , e.g. , z.B.} 37. Qb4 (37. Qa7 Qe5 38. g4 hxg4 39. h5 Qxb2 40. h6+ Kxh6 41. Qxf7 Kg5 $19) 37... Qd1+ 38. Kh2 (38. Kg2 e3 39. fxe3 Qe2+ 40. Kh3 Qxb2 $19 { Korotylev}) 38... e3 39. fxe3 Qc2+ 40. Kg1 Qxb2 $19) 37. g4 $1 Qb1+ 38. Kg2 Qxb2 39. gxh5 Qc2 40. Qg4+ Kh7 41. h6 $2 {In the time trouble phase Caruana drew a lucky ticket, but right on move 41 he throws it away! In der Zeitnotphase hat Caruana ein Glücksticket bekommen, aber gerade mit dem 41. Zug wirft er es weg!} ({The continuation he needed to play was Die "gesuchte Fortsetzung" war} 41. Qa4 $1 {e.g. z.B.} Qc3 (41... Qd3 42. Qb4 $1 e4 (42... Kg7 43. h6+ Kh7 44. Qf8 Qe4+ 45. Kf1 Qc4+ 46. Kg2 $11) 43. Qe7 Qf3+ 44. Kf1 Qxh5 45. Ke1 $1 (45. Qxf6 {is weaker on account of ist schwächer wegen} Qd1+ 46. Kg2 Qg4+ 47. Kf1 Qg7 48. Qe7 b2 49. Qb4 Qe5 {, even if this position could perhaps still be held with , auch wenn diese Stellung mit} 50. Kg2 {. vielleicht noch zu halten ist}) 45... b2 46. Qb4 (46. Qxe4 $4 Qh6 $19 {[%CAl Rh6c1]}) 46... Qxh4 47. Qxb2 {with a draw mit Remis}) (41... Kh6 42. Qe8 Kxh5 43. Kg3 $1 Qc3+ 44. f3 Qe1+ 45. Kg2 Kxh4 46. Qh8+ Kg5 47. Qg7+ Kf4 48. Qg4+ Ke3 49. Qe4+ Kd2 50. Qb4+ Ke2 51. Qc4+ $11) 42. Qe8 Qc4 (42... Kg7 $4 43. h6+ $18) 43. Qb8 {, and Black can make no further progress because his queen cannot protect the f7-pawn and at the same time support its own passed pawn, e.g. , und Schwarz kommt nicht weiter, weil seiner Dame es nicht möglich ist, den Bauern f7 zu decken und gleichzeitig ihren Freibauern zu unterstützen, z.B.} Qg4+ (43... Kg7 44. h6+ Kh7 45. Qf8 Qg4+ 46. Kf1 Qd1+ $11) 44. Kf1 Qh3+ 45. Kg1 Kg7 46. h6+ Kh7 47. Qf8 Qg4+ 48. Kf1 Qd1+ $11) 41... Kxh6 42. Qg8 Qxf5 43. Qf8+ Kh5 $19 44. f3 Kxh4 45. Qb4+ Qf4 46. Qxb3 Qd2+ 47. Kf1 Kg3 48. f4+ Kxf4 49. a4 f5 50. Qb5 Qd1+ 51. Kf2 Qc2+ 52. Kf1 f6 53. Qb4+ e4 54. Qb5 Kg3 55. Qe2 Qxe2+ 56. Kxe2 f4 57. a5 f3+ 58. Kf1 e3 0-1 [Event "Gashimov Memorial"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2016.05.30"] [Round "5"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B31"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2726"] [Annotator "Szabo,Kr"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2016.05.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 173"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bf4 (8. Be3 {is much more popular.}) 8... b6 {A rare move.} ({Radjabov had already played in a blitz game the common} 8... Nh5 {,} 9. Be3 b6 10. g4 Nf6 11. Qd2 e5 12. Bh6 Qd6 13. Qe3 Ne8 14. Ne2 f6 {Grischuk-Radjabov, Astana blitz 2012, with a balanced position.}) 9. Qd2 Re8 10. O-O-O a5 11. Ne5 $5 $146 { An interesting novelty by Caruana.} (11. g4 a4 12. Be5 b5 13. g5 (13. Ne2 $5) 13... Nh5 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Ne2 e5 (15... Qd6 $5) 16. Ng3 Nxg3 17. fxg3 { (Dolzhikova-Aslanian, Nikolaev 2008)} Qe7 {with a balanced middlegame.}) 11... b5 {Black also continues his attack on the queenside.} 12. Qe3 ({The greedy} 12. Nxc6 $6 {is too dangerous, as} Qb6 13. Ne5 a4 $36 {and Black has a strong initiative for the P.}) 12... Qb6 13. Bh6 Bh8 14. f4 a4 {Both players continue their plan.} 15. Rhf1 e6 $6 {Black wants to prevent f5, but this is too passive.} ({Probably} 15... Nd7 {was more accurate} 16. Nxd7 Bxd7 17. e5 (17. f5 $2 {is bad, because of} a3 $1 {and thanks to the h8-B Black has a strong attack.}) 17... f5 $1 $132 {with a double-edged fight.}) 16. g4 a3 $6 {Another inaccuracy.} ({In the event of} 16... b4 17. Nb1 b3 18. cxb3 axb3 19. a3 $14 { followed by Nd2-c4 White is more comfortable.}) 17. b4 $1 {A very smart solution for the queenside.} Nd7 18. Nxd7 Bxd7 19. e5 $1 {White doesn't hurry to take on c5. First he completely closes in the h8-B, moreover he frees the e4-square for the N.} f5 $8 {The only move, otherwise Ne4 is too dangerous.} 20. Ne2 Bg7 {Black tries to exchange his passive B.} 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. h4 $1 { A very strong reaction; White simply concentrates on the attack on the kingside.} fxg4 23. h5 {The h-P is like a battering ram!} gxh5 24. Ng3 (24. f5 $5 {was also very strong.}) 24... Kh8 25. Nxh5 $18 {White has a decisive attack on the queenside. Black can't avoid Nf6.} Re7 26. Nf6 Be8 27. f5 exf5 28. Rxf5 Qc7 29. Rg5 Rg7 30. Rh1 Bg6 31. Rxg4 Qf7 {Black tries hard to defend himself, but his position is hopeless.} 32. Kb1 {A cool-blooded reply by Caruana.} ({Nevertheless} 32. Qxc5 {was stronger:} Qxa2 33. Qxc6 Qb2+ 34. Kd2 $18 {and White is winning.}) 32... cxb4 33. Qd4 Bf5 $6 {Loses immediately, but Black's position was already bad.} (33... Qa7 $142 {was tougher.}) 34. e6 $1 { Another strong blow, this isn't the only winning move.} Rxg4 35. exf7 Rxd4 36. Ne8 $1 {What a brilliant finish!} 1-0 [Event "Linares 22nd"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2005.03.03"] [Round "8"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Roiz,M"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2005.02.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 106"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.06.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.06.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 d6 ({Another common order of moves nowdays is-->} 4... Be7 5. d3 Nf6) 5. d3 Be7 6. Nd2 Bg5 {Black immediately takes care of his dark-squared bishop.} ({Another popular continuation here is: } 6... Nf6 7. Nf1 Bg4 8. f3 Be6 9. Ne3 {with a long strategical battle.}) 7. h4 {That agressive move is the only way to fight for the opening advantage.} Bxd2+ {Black chooses a safe continuation. Now he could complete the development without weaking his pawn structure.} ({The alternative is:} 7... Bh6 8. Qh5 g6 ({Deserves attention:} 8... Qd7 $5 {not weakening the kside} 9. Nd5 (9. Nb5 Nd8 $1) 9... Rb8 10. c3 b5 11. Bb3 Nce7 12. Ne3 c4 13. dxc4 Bxe3 14. fxe3 Nf6 15. Qf3 O-O 16. O-O Ba6 17. cxb5 Qxb5 18. Bc4 Qc6 19. Bxa6 Qxa6 20. c4 h5 21. b3 Ng4 $132 {1/2-1/2 Leko,P-Kramnik,V/Monte Carlo MNC 2004/The Week in Chess 489 (35)}) 9. Qd1 {-->see comments to 1-0 Adams,M-Haznedaroglu,K/Mallorca 2004/CBM 104_01/[Roiz] (36)}) 8. Bxd2 {White has got a pair of the bishops. On the other hand,the position is closed enough,so he should play very energetically in order to make the bishops powerful.} Nf6 {That position was tested many times on the highest level.} 9. O-O {A latest attempt to fight for the opening advantage which connected with an idea of f2-f4.} Be6 {A very logical move-black takes control of ''d5'' and leaves an opportunty of queen-side castle.} ({The following example prove,that black should play very carefully:} 9... Bg4 10. Qe1 Be6 11. f4 Bxc4 12. dxc4 h5 $6 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Bg5 Ne7 $2 15. Rd1 Qb6 16. Qg3 $18 {1-0 Svidler,P-Van Wely,L/Wijk aan Zee NED 2005 (20)}) 10. f4 $146 {White allows black to exchange the bishops,as it will make the Pd6 very vulnerable.} ({Another possibility was:} 10. Nd5 O-O 11. Bg5 Bxd5 12. Bxd5 h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Qg4 Ne7 15. Bb3 Rad8 16. Rae1 Qf4 17. Qh3 Nc6 18. c3 Qd2 19. Rb1 b5 20. Qe3 Qxe3 21. fxe3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Svidler,P-Shirov,A/Monte Carlo MNC 2005 (51) with a somewhat better chances for white,although black should hold on.}) 10... Bxc4 (10... O-O $6 11. f5 (11. fxe5 dxe5 (11... Nxe5 12. Bg5 $36) 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Be3 Nd4 $11) 11... Bxc4 12. dxc4 $36 {[%csl Rd6] [%CAl Gd2g5]}) 11. dxc4 h5 $1 {A typical defensive idea in such a positions. Black exploits a drawback of 7.h4 and gets a nice square for his knight.} 12. f5 (12. fxe5 dxe5 (12... Nxe5 13. Bg5 $16 {[%CAl Gc3d5]}) 13. Bg5 Qxd1 14. Raxd1 Ng4 15. Nd5 $1 ({Nothing promises} 15. Nb5 $6 O-O 16. Rd7 f6 17. Bc1 b6 { and black is at least not worse.}) 15... O-O 16. Ne7+ Nxe7 17. Bxe7 Ne3 (17... Rfc8 18. Rd7 b6 (18... Ne3 19. Rf3 Nxc2 (19... Nxc4 20. Rxb7 Nd2 21. Re3 Rcb8 22. Rxb8+ Rxb8 23. Re2 $16) 20. Bd6 $1 $16 f6 $140 21. Rg3 $18) 19. Rf3 f6 20. a4 $16) 18. Rd7 Nxf1 19. Bxf8 Ng3 20. Bxc5 Nxe4 21. Be3 b6 $132 {[%CAl Gf7f5, Gf5f4]}) 12... Ng4 13. f6 {White chooses a very energetical continuation. He tries to use some vulnerablity of Ke8.} ({Black has a very solid position after:} 13. Bg5 f6 14. Bc1 Qd7 15. Nd5 Ne7 $11 {and white cannot put much pressure on Pd6,while black has a reasonable chances on the king-side which connected with g7-g6 in future.}) 13... gxf6 {Black's knight is placed well on g4,so he shouldn't remove it.} (13... Nxf6 $143 14. Bg5 Qd7 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Rxf6 O-O-O 17. Nb5 $1 Qe7 18. Qf3 $36 (18. Rxd6 $2 a6)) 14. Nd5 Ne7 $1 { It necessary to swap the knights as soon as possible.} (14... f5 $2 {[%CAl Gd8h4] is wrong in view of:} 15. Bg5 $1 f6 16. Nxf6+ Nxf6 17. Rxf5 O-O 18. c3 $1 $18 {[%CAl Gd1f3,Gf3g3] with a decisive attack.}) 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16. Rxf6 Ng8 $1 {That ugly move is an effective defensible resourse which allows to simplify the position.} 17. Rf5 Qxh4 18. Be3 $5 {White finds an interesting opportunity of keeping the pressure.} ({A drawn endgame could arise after} 18. Qf3 f6 19. Bg5 Qg4 20. Bxf6 Qxf3 21. Rxf3 Nxf6 22. Rxf6 Ke7 23. Raf1 Raf8 $11) 18... Qe7 $1 ({Dangerously looks:} 18... Qxe4 $6 19. Qxd6 Qxe3+ (19... Qxf5 20. Bxc5 $18 {[%CAl Ga1d1,Gd6f8]}) 20. Kh1 f6 $8 21. Qe6+ Ne7 22. Qxf6 Rh6 $8 23. Qf7+ Kd7 24. Rd1+ Rd6 25. Rxd6+ Kxd6 26. Qf6+ Kd7 27. Rxe5 Qc1+ 28. Kh2 Re8 29. Qe6+ Kd8 30. Qd6+ Kc8 31. Qxc5+ $36) 19. Rxh5 {White has no clear attacking prospects,so at least he takes the pawn back.} Rxh5 20. Qxh5 O-O-O {So,black has successfully completed the development. The only drawback of his position is a somewhat ugly statement of Ng8.} (20... Qe6 21. b3 O-O-O 22. Bg5 f6 23. Bh4 $14) 21. Bg5 {Delivering the bishop to h4,there it will put pressure on Pf6.} ({Hardly better was} 21. Rf1 Rf8 22. b4 Kb8 (22... cxb4 $6 23. Bxa7 $36) 23. a3 b6 {and black is closed to equality.}) 21... f6 22. Bh4 Qe8 $1 {An additional accurate move. White cannot avoid a trade of queens without letting black to activate his pieces.} 23. Qf5+ ({After} 23. Qf3 Qe6 24. b3 Rf8 25. Rf1 Nh6 $132 {[%CAl Gh6g4] black gets a good couterchances.}) 23... Qd7 24. Rf1 ( 24. Qg6 Qe8 25. Qxe8 Rxe8 26. Rf1 Rf8 $11) 24... Qxf5 25. Rxf5 Rf8 26. Rh5 ({ White has no other useful plan of improvement. For instance,} 26. g4 Nh6 27. Rxf6 Rxf6 28. Bxf6 Nxg4 $11) 26... Kd7 27. Rh8 {In that endgame white has only a symbolical advantage,since black easily hold his weaknesses.} Ke6 28. g4 ({ White couldn't breakthrough also after:} 28. Kh2 Rc8 29. Kh3 Ne7 30. Rh6 Ng8 31. Rh7 Ne7 32. Kg4 Rg8+ $11) 28... Rc8 29. Kg2 Ne7 $11 {Ofcourse,black has nothing to worry about after exchange of the rooks.} 30. Rh6 Ng8 31. Rh8 ({ White cannot make progress after:} 31. Rh7 Ne7 32. Kf3 Rg8 33. c3 b6 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Leon 21st"] [Site "Leon"] [Date "2008.06.01"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B85"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "CB"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2008.05.30"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 124 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.07.03"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.07.03"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Be3 Be7 9. f4 d6 10. Qe1 O-O 11. Qg3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. a3 Bb7 14. Rae1 Rad8 15. Bd3 {variando ligeramente el orden empleado en la primera} Rfe8 16. Kh1 Rd7 {finalmente por transposición se ha llegado a la misma posición que el la primera partida} 17. Nd1 {Anand intenta un nuevo plan en lugar de 17.f5 que resultó inofensiva para las negras.} g6 ({también se puede jugar inmediatamente} 17... d5 {después de por ejemplo:} 18. Be5 (18. e5 Ne4 19. Qe3 Rc8 {y las negras tienen todo bajo control.}) 18... Qd8 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Ne3 Bc6 {y la posición mantiene un tenso equilibrio.}) 18. Bc3 ({se había jugado } 18. f5 e5 19. Bc3 Kh8 20. Ne3 Bxe4 21. fxg6 Bxg6 22. Nf5 Nd5 {y las negras acabaron ganando tras oscuras complicaciones en la partida Socko,B -Ftacnik,L Graz 2008}) 18... Nh5 19. Qh3 Bf6 20. e5 $5 {empieza el baile} dxe5 21. fxe5 Bg5 22. Qg4 Qd8 23. Nf2 Bh4 24. Re2 Qg5 $6 {una decisión precipitada : el final resultante es favorable a las blancas.} 25. Qxg5 Bxg5 26. Ne4 Bxe4 27. Rxe4 {Las blancas están mejor gracias a la pareja de alfiles y sobre todo a la posible ruptura a4 que dejará muy débil el flanco de dama de las negras.} Rc8 28. g4 $1 {dejando el caballo sin juego} Ng7 29. a4 $1 {golpeando los puntos débiles de las negras.} Rd5 30. axb5 axb5 31. Ra1 Be7 32. Ra7 b4 $1 { la mejor defensa: antes de que las blancas jueguen Tb7} 33. Bxb4 Bxb4 34. Rxb4 Rxe5 35. Rbb7 Rf8 36. b4 Ne8 37. Rb8 $6 (37. Ra5 Re1+ 38. Kg2 Nf6 39. Kf3 { y las blancas están mejor}) 37... Nf6 38. Rxf8+ Kxf8 39. b5 Nxg4 40. b6 Nf2+ 41. Kg1 Nxd3 42. b7 Re1+ $1 {es importante que rey esté en g2 para dar un doble en e1} 43. Kg2 Rb1 44. cxd3 (44. Ra8+ Kg7 45. b8=Q Rxb8 46. Rxb8 Ne1+ 47. Kf2 Nxc2 {y las negras están mejor}) 44... Kg7 45. Kf3 Rb4 46. d4 $1 {Las blancas llevan rápidamente el rey en ayuda del peón de b7} g5 47. Ke4 Kf6 48. Kd3 h5 49. Kc3 Rb1 50. Kc4 g4 51. Kc5 h4 52. Kc6 Rc1+ 53. Kd6 Rb1 54. Kc6 Rc1+ 55. Kd6 Rb1 56. Kc6 {Las blancas no pueden jugar a ganar} ({veamos una línea ilustrativa} 56. Kc7 Rc1+ 57. Kb8 g3 58. hxg3 hxg3 59. Ra2 Kg5 60. Rb2 f5 61. Ka7 Rc7 62. Ka6 Rxb7 63. Rxb7 f4 64. Rg7+ Kh4 65. Rf7 Kg4 {y los peones negros decidirían la lucha.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Leon 21st"] [Site "Leon"] [Date "2008.06.01"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B85"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "CB"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2008.05.30"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 124 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.07.03"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.07.03"] [SourceQuality "1"] {La final de la XXI edición del Torneo Magistral Ciudad de León, enfrenta al campeón del mundo, número 1 del ranking mundial y siete veces ganador en León Viswanathan Anand contra el jugador más en forma del momento: el genial GM ucraniano, reciente vencedor en Sofia y número 2 mundial en la próxima lista de la FIDE, Vassily Ivanvchuk. Anand e Ivanchuk son viejos conocidos que llevan casi dos décadas enfrentándose en los torneos más importantes del mundo. Las bases de datos recogen 114 enfrentamientos de los cuales 63 han sido a ritmo clásico y 51 a ritmos rápidos: Anand domina en ambas modalidades por +15-6=42 y +12-8=31 respectivamente. Sin duda la Final 2008 en León ofrece uno de los encuentros más emocionantes que puede disfrutar el buen aficionado.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 {Ivanchuk es famoso por su enciclopédico conocimiento de la teoría de aperturas: para la ronda de hoy elige el sistema Scheveningen} 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Be3 Be7 9. f4 d6 10. Qe1 ({fue tema principal en el ya lejano match Kasparov-Anand jugado en las Torres Genelas de Nueva York en 1995.} 10. a4) 10... O-O 11. Qg3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. a3 Bb7 14. Kh1 Rad8 15. Rae1 Rd7 16. Bd3 Re8 17. f5 $5 { Anand introduce una novedad} ({En partida reciente entre dos jovenes talentos emergentes se produjo una lucha espectacular.} 17. e5 dxe5 18. Bxe5 Qd8 19. Ne4 Nh5 20. Qe3 Nf6 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Nc5 Bxg2+ 23. Kxg2 Bd4 24. Bxh7+ Kh8 25. Qh3 Bxc5 26. Re5 Bd4 27. Re4 Bf6 28. Qh5 g6 29. Bxg6+ Kg7 30. Qh7+ Kf8 31. Bh5 Rd2+ 32. Kh1 Bg7 33. Bxf7 Kxf7 34. f5 Rxh2+ 35. Qxh2 Rh8 36. fxe6+ Ke7 37. Rf7+ Ke8 38. Qxh8+ Bxh8 39. Kg2 Qd5 40. Rff4 Bxb2 41. c4 bxc4 {0-1 Ni Hua -Jakovenko,D Nizhniy Novgorod 2007}) 17... e5 18. Be3 Kh8 19. Bg5 Nh5 20. Qh4 Bxg5 21. Qxg5 ({No conduce a nada} 21. Qxh5 Bd2 22. Rd1 Bxc3 23. bxc3 d5 $1 {y las negras están bien.}) 21... Nf6 {El juego ha sido hasta aquí rapidísimo: Anand 17mn. Ivanchuk 19mn.} 22. Rf3 Qc5 23. Rg3 Rg8 {El enroque del negro es seguro. Ivanchuk domina las sutilezas dee la posición extraordinarimante e inicia ahora el contrajuego en el flanco de dama.} 24. Rh3 b4 25. axb4 Qxb4 26. Rb1 Rc7 {las negras parecen haber creado amenazas muy peligrosas pero...} 27. Rh6 $1 {Anand encuentra un bonito recurso que mantiene el equilibrio.} d5 $1 { Ivanchuk juega a ganar:} ({sólo da tablas} 27... Rxc3 28. Rxf6 gxf6 29. Qxf6+ Rg7 30. Qd8+ Rg8 31. Qf6+ {y las blancas dan jaque perpetuo.}) 28. exd5 ({ contra} 28. Rxf6 {las negras evitan las tablas con} Qe7) 28... Qb6 29. Na4 Qd6 30. Rh4 Bxd5 31. Nc3 Rb8 {renovando la amenaza de capturar en c3. Ambos jugadores tienen 7 minutoa en el reloj para el resto de la partida.} 32. Qc1 { Anand pasa a la defensiva, las piezas de Ivanchuk están perfectamentecoordinada s.} e4 $1 {la jugada más agresiva} ({la alternativa es retirar el alfil con por ejemplo} 32... Ba8) 33. Bxe4 (33. Nxd5 Qxd5 34. Qf4 Rcc8 35. Bxe4 {es quizás una defensa más tenaz} Nxe4 36. Qxe4 Qxe4 37. Rxe4 Rxc2 {las blancas sostienen el final.}) 33... Nxe4 34. Nxe4 Qc6 35. Qe3 { la posición es incierta: Anand tiene por fin ventaja de tiempo: Ivanchuk dispone de tan solo 2 mn. para el resto de la partida} Qxc2 36. Rg1 $6 ({ es mejor} 36. Re1 {aunque tras} f6 {las negras estarian mejor.}) 36... f6 $1 { las negras están mejor tras esta jugada que se adelanta las amenazas blancas.} 37. Qd4 Rd7 {la mejor jugada, según Rybka la posición es ya muy favorable al negro.} 38. Nxf6 $2 gxf6 39. Qxf6+ Rg7 40. Rg4 Qxb2 $1 {el detalle que se le ha escapado a Anand. Las blancas abandonan. Una lección magistral de Ivanchuk. } 0-1 [Event "Sofia MTel Masters 2nd"] [Site "Sofia"] [Date "2006.05.18"] [Round "7"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2804"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2006.05.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 113"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.07.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.07.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 b5 8. Qd2 b4 {Topalov is showing remarkable skill at using provocative moves in sharp Sicilian lines. Black has only one piece firmly developed, but he is the first to start active operations.} 9. Na4 Nbd7 10. c4 {Facing Topalov´s invention Anand is using a novelty enhancing the control of the center.} (10. O-O-O Qa5 ( 10... d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Bc4 Bb7 (12... N7f6 13. Bg5 Qc7 14. Bxd5 Nxd5 15. Rhe1 Bb7 16. Qe2 Qd6 17. Kb1 h6 18. Bh4 Nf4 19. Qf2 Qc7 20. Nf5 $16 {0-1 Leko, P (2763)-Topalov,V (2788)/San Luis 2005 (40)}) 13. Rhe1 Qa5 14. Nxe6 fxe6 15. Bb6 Qxa4 16. Bxd5 Be7 17. Bxb7 Nxb6 18. Rxe6 O-O 19. Rxe7 Qxa2 20. Qd4 Rf6 21. Bxa8 {1-0 Wang Hao (2519)-Nava,R (2317)/Instanbul 2005}) 11. b3 Bb7 12. a3 (12. g4 Nc5 13. a3 Nxa4 14. axb4 Qc7 15. bxa4 Nd7 16. Nb3 d5 17. Na5 Rc8 18. c4 Ba8 19. c5 Nxc5 20. bxc5 Bxc5 21. Bxc5 Qb6 22. Nc4 Qxc5 23. Qd4 Ke7 24. Qxc5+ Rxc5 25. Be2 dxc4 $17 {0-1 Andreev,E (2470)-Sasikiran,K (2670)/Cappelle la Grande 2006 (47)}) 12... Qc7 13. axb4 d5 14. c4 dxe4 15. f4 (15. Kb2 Be7 16. Be2 O-O 17. Bf4 e5 18. Bg3 g6 19. Nc2 Rfd8 20. Qe3 Bc6 $11 {1-0 Motylev,A (2638) -Cheparinov,I (2625)/Wijk aan Zee 2006 (42)}) 15... Nd5 16. Nc2 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Be7 18. Rxd7 Qxd7 19. Nb6 Qc7 20. Nxa8 Bxa8 21. Be2 O-O $17 {1-0 Ponomariov,R (2738)-Grischuk,A (2719)/Sochi 2006 (32)}) (10. g4 h6 11. O-O-O Ne5 12. b3 Bd7 13. Nb2 Qa5 14. a4 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. f4 Nxg4 17. Nc4 Qc7 18. f5 Ngxe3 19. fxe6 Nxd1 20. exd7+ Qxd7 $19 {1-0 Fierro Baquero,M (2273)-Choisy,M (2152)/ Guingamp 2006 (29)}) (10. Bc4 Qa5 11. b3 Bb7 12. a3 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. O-O Nxe3 15. Qxe3 Qe5 16. Qd2 Qd6 17. f4 bxa3 18. Rad1 Nb6 19. Qa5 Nxc4 20. bxc4 Qb4 21. Qxb4 Bxb4 $17 {0-1 Ewaldt,M (2099)-Ftacnik,L (2612)/Hamburg 2005 (31)}) 10... bxc3 11. Nxc3 (11. Qxc3 Bb7 12. Rc1 (12. Nc6 $6 Nxe4 $1 13. fxe4 (13. Nxd8 Nxc3 14. Nxb7 Nxa4 15. b3 Nc3 16. Bd2 Nd5 17. Rc1 $13) 13... Qh4+ 14. Kd1 Rc8 $17) 12... Rc8 13. Qb3 Rxc1+ 14. Bxc1 Qb8 $11) 11... Bb7 12. Be2 (12. Bc4 d5 $5 13. exd5 Nb6 14. Bb3 Nfxd5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 $11) 12... d5 $6 {The annotator is probably crossing the silver line of praising the winner, but in my opinion immediate opening of the center is too risky for Black. The lesser moratls than Topalov would have preferred 12...Be7 finishing the development with equal chances.} (12... Be7 13. O-O O-O 14. Rac1 (14. b4 d5 15. exd5 Bxb4 16. dxe6 Nd5 17. e7 Nxe7 18. Rab1 Bxc3 19. Qxc3 Nd5 20. Qa3 Nxe3 21. Qxe3 Re8 $11) 14... Ne5 $11) 13. exd5 Nxd5 (13... Bxd5 14. O-O Bb7 15. Rac1 $14) 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. O-O (15. Rc1 Bd6 16. Nf5 Be5 17. O-O O-O 18. f4 Bf6 19. Rfd1 $14) 15... Qb8 $1 {In the post mortem Topalov was praising this move, that prepares Bd6 and prevents b2-b4.} (15... Be7 16. Nf5 $5) 16. Nf5 $1 (16. f4 Bb4 17. Qc2 O-O 18. Rac1 Bc5 $11) 16... Qe5 17. Ng3 Bb4 $1 (17... Qxe3+ $6 18. Qxe3 Bc5 19. Qxc5 Nxc5 20. Rfc1 Nb7 (20... Nd7 21. Bxa6 $1 $16) 21. Nh5 O-O 22. Nf4 $16) 18. Qxb4 $6 {The first dubious decision by the great Indian player. It was much better and safer to centralize the pieces, since Black still had to finish his development.} (18. Qd4 $5 O-O 19. Ne4 Rfb8 20. Rfd1 $14) 18... Qxe3+ 19. Kh1 Rb8 $5 {[%mdl 4] Topalov deserves great praise for playing actively and striving for win, the much more modest 19...Qb6 was good only for equality.} ( 19... Qb6 20. Qa3 f5 (20... a5 21. Nh5 Qb4 22. Nxg7+ Kf8 23. Nh5 $14) 21. Nh5 Kf7 $11) 20. Qd6 (20. Qa4 $5 Rxb2 (20... h5 21. Rfe1 Qf2 22. Nf5 h4 23. h3 g6 $15) 21. Rac1 Ke7 $15) 20... Rb6 (20... Rxb2 $2 21. Rac1 $14 (21. Rfc1)) (20... Qb6 21. Qxb6 Rxb6 22. Rac1 Ke7 $11) 21. Qc7 (21. Nf5 Qg5 $1 22. Rac1 $1 (22. Qc7 exf5 $19) 22... Bb7 (22... Rxd6 23. Rc8+ Qd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Nxd6 Ke7 26. Nc4 Rc8 $15) 23. Qc7 exf5 24. Rcd1 (24. Rfe1 O-O 25. Qxd7 Rxb2 26. Rb1 Bc8 $17) 24... O-O 25. Rxd7 Rxb2 26. Qe5 $1 Qf6 27. Qxf6 gxf6 $17) 21... Rc6 (21... Qc5 22. Qxc5 Nxc5 23. Rac1 Nb7 24. b3 $14) 22. Qb7 Rc2 $5 {Daring and courageous it is Black who plays for a win out of the opening!} (22... Qb6 $11) 23. Qxa6 O-O 24. b3 $2 {It is hard to believe, that Anand has missed the spirited move 24.Qa4! with an unclear position.} (24. Qa4 $1 Rc7 (24... Rxe2 $2 25. Nxe2 Nc5 26. Qd4 $16) (24... Rd2 $2 25. Qxd7 $18) 25. Bb5 Nf6 $13) (24. Qd3 $6 Qxd3 25. Bxd3 Rxb2 26. a4 Nc5 $15) 24... Ne5 (24... Ra8 25. Qd6 (25. Qd3 Qxd3 26. Bxd3 Rcxa2 27. Rxa2 Rxa2 $15) 25... Nf6 $5 $17) 25. Rae1 (25. f4 $2 Ng4 $1 (25... Nd3 26. Bf3 Nf2+ 27. Rxf2 Qxf2 $19) 26. Bf3 Nxh2 $19) 25... Qd2 ( 25... Qf4 $5) (25... Ra8 $2 26. Bd1 $1 Qc5 (26... Qxe1 27. Qxa8+ Bxa8 28. Rxe1 Rc1 29. Rf1 $14) 27. Qxa8+ Bxa8 28. Bxc2 $16 Nxf3 $2 29. Rc1 $1 $18) 26. Rd1 Qf4 {Black is now exercising so much pressure, that the missing pawn does not even deserve to be mentioned.} 27. Bb5 (27. Qa7 g6 $5 $44 (27... h5 28. Nxh5 $5 $13) (27... Nc6 $5) 28. Rd4 Qe3 $17) 27... h5 (27... Rxg2 $2 28. Rxd5 $1 (28. Kxg2 $2 Bxf3+ 29. Kg1 Qe3+ 30. Rf2 Bxd1 $19) 28... Rxg3 29. hxg3 Qxg3 30. Rd2 Nxf3 31. Qd6 $16) 28. Ne2 (28. Nxh5 $6 Qh4 $1 29. Rxd5 (29. Ng3 $2 Ng4 $19) 29... exd5 30. Ng3 Qf4 $17) 28... Qe3 29. a4 (29. Nd4 Rxg2 $5 (29... Rd2 30. Rxd2 Qxd2 31. Nc6 Ng6 $5 $44) 30. Kxg2 Ra8 31. Qd6 Rxa2+ 32. Kh3 $13) 29... Rb2 (29... h4 30. h3) (29... Nxf3 $2 30. Rxd5 $1 Nxh2 31. Kxh2 exd5 32. Rf5 $13) 30. Qd6 (30. Ng1 $2 Ng4 $1 31. Nh3 (31. Rxd5 Nf2+ 32. Rxf2 Qxf2 33. Rg5 Rb1 $19 ) 31... Qe5 $1 $19) 30... Rc8 31. Rde1 Nxf3 $5 32. gxf3 {Anand must have been a bit tired of the need to defend very carefuly against myriad of dangers, so he missed possibly better defense with 32.Rxf3!?} (32. Qg3 $2 Nxe1 $1 33. Qxe3 Nxg2 34. Qg3 $8 Nf4+ 35. Kg1 Nxe2+ 36. Bxe2 Rxe2 37. Re1 Rb2 $19) (32. Rxf3 $5 Bxf3 33. Qg3 Bxg2+ 34. Kxg2 (34. Qxg2 Qxb3 $17) 34... Qe4+ 35. Qf3 (35. Kg1 h4 36. Qf4 Qg6+ 37. Kh1 h3 $17) 35... Qxf3+ 36. Kxf3 Rxb3+ 37. Kf2 g5 $15) 32... Bxf3+ 33. Rxf3 Qxf3+ 34. Kg1 Qe3+ 35. Kf1 Qf3+ (35... Rc5 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Bd3+ $1 (37. Qd3+ $4 Rf5+ $19) 37... f5 38. Qh4 Qf3+ 39. Kg1 Re5 40. Rf1 $11) 36. Kg1 Qxb3 37. Qe5 Rd8 38. Qc3 Qxc3 39. Nxc3 h4 40. Re4 Rb3 {White pieces are pretty loose and there is no counterplay.} 41. Ne2 (41. Rc4 Rd2 $17) 41... g5 42. Re5 Rd5 43. Rxd5 exd5 44. Bc6 Ra3 45. Nd4 (45. Bxd5 Rxa4 $17) 45... Kg7 46. Bxd5 Rd3 47. Nf5+ Kf6 48. Be4 Rd1+ 49. Kg2 Rd2+ 50. Kf3 (50. Kg1 Ke5 $19) 50... Rxh2 51. Ne3 Ra2 52. Bc6 Ra3 {Black now has too many passed pawns and White is still unable to fully coordinate his pieces.} 53. Kf2 Ra1 54. Bd7 Ke5 55. Kf3 Ra3 56. Kf2 Ke4 57. Bc6+ (57. Ng2 h3 58. Bc6+ Kd4 $19) 57... Kf4 58. Ng2+ Ke5 59. Ne3 Ra2+ 60. Kf3 f5 61. Bd7 h3 (61... h3 62. Nxf5 h2 63. Ng3 Ra3+ 64. Kg2 Rxg3+ 65. Kxh2 Kf4 $19) 0-1 [Event "Leon 19th"] [Site "Leon"] [Date "2006.06.11"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2804"] [Annotator "Estremera,S/Mellado,J"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2006.06.11"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 112 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.07.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.07.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 {Anand elige una variante sólida en vista de la situación del marcador} ({es la variante más utilizada por el GM indio} 6. Be3) 6... Nbd7 {una línea poco habitual} (6... e5 {jugó Anand en la primera partida de su match con Bruzón en este torneo}) 7. O-O g6 8. Be3 b6 {novedad} (8... Bg7 {se ha jugado en varias partidas}) 9. Nd5 Bb7 10. c4 e5 $6 {una posición inédita en la que aparecen a la vez jugadas que pertenecen aparentemente a diferentes esquemas} ({no es recomendable} 10... Nxe4 11. Bf3) ({la continuación más sana es} 10... Bg7) 11. Nc2 Bxd5 12. exd5 Bg7 13. Nb4 O-O 14. Nc6 Qc7 15. b4 {[#] Anand ha jugado con increible rapidez el raro esquema elegido por el negro y además parece haber conseguido una posición ventajosa.} h5 16. a4 a5 17. bxa5 bxa5 18. Rb1 Ne4 19. Qc2 f5 20. Rb5 {Fritz da gran ventaja a las blancas, sin duda el campeón mundial ha arriesgado quizás en demasía acuciado por la necesidad de ganar.} Kh7 21. Rfb1 Nec5 22. Bd2 e4 23. Bxa5 Qc8 24. Bb4 {[%emt 0:13:40] Anand 18:20 Topalov:} Qe8 25. a5 f4 26. Re1 Qf7 27. Bxc5 Nxc5 {[#]} 28. Rxc5 { Anand sacrifica la calidad por el peón de e4 y consigue una posición con gran ventaja y sin apenas riesgo.} dxc5 29. Qxe4 Rfe8 30. Qf3 Qf6 31. Rd1 Qd6 32. Rb1 Qc7 33. Bd3 Kh6 34. h4 {las blancas amenazan Rb6 con ataque de mate} Bf8 {[#]} 35. g4 $1 {la forma más rápida de precipitar los acontecimientos} fxg3 ({pierde} 35... hxg4 36. Qxg4 Qg7 37. Qg5+ Kh7 38. h5) 36. Qf6 gxf2+ 37. Kg2 (37. Kf1 Qg7 38. Qg5+ Kh7 39. Qxh5+ Kg8) 37... Qg7 38. Qg5+ Kh7 39. Qxh5+ Kg8 40. Qxg6 Qxg6+ 41. Bxg6 Re1 42. Kxf2 Rxb1 43. Bxb1 {La posición es muy favorable a las blancas que tienen tres peones por la calidad, pero la realización técnica de esta ventaja no es nada fácil. Anand puede jugar con las tablas y el torneo en la mano....} Bd6 44. Ke3 Kg7 45. h5 Bc7 46. Be4 Kh6 47. Bg6 Kg5 48. Ke4 Ra6 {[%emt 0:04:04] Anand: 10:50 Topalov} 49. Be8 Ra8 50. Bg6 Bd6 51. Ke3 Bf4+ 52. Kf3 Bh2 53. Ke3 Bd6 54. Ke4 Bc7 55. Ke3 Kf6 56. Ke4 Bg3 57. Kf3 Bd6 58. Ke3 Ra6 59. Ke4 Bc7 60. Be8 Ra8 61. Bg6 Kg5 {Y se acuerdan tablas} (61... Kg5 {[#] en este momento Fritz indica que las blancas ganan con} 62. Ne5 $1 Ra6 (62... Bxa5 63. d6 Kf6 64. Kd5) (62... Rxa5 63. d6 Bxd6 64. Nf7+ ) 63. Be8 Kf6 64. Nd7+ Ke7 65. Nxc5 Rxa5 66. Ne6 Kxe8 67. Nxc7+ Kd7 68. Ne6 Ra1 69. c5 {ganando}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "London Classic 7th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2015.12.11"] [Round "7"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Vachier Lagrave,M"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2015.12.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] {From the beginning of the event, I had been feeling much more comfortable with Black opening-wise, and my +1 score was still enough to tie for first place, but probably not for too long. Thus I was in the mood for a lively game. } 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3 Be6 9. Nd5 ({Deviating from our game in Saint-Louis which went} 9. Qd3 { allowing} Nc6 10. a3 d5 {which is a different story.}) 9... Nbd7 10. Qd3 O-O 11. c4 b5 12. Nd2 (12. cxb5 axb5 13. O-O Bxd5 14. exd5 Nb6 $1 15. Bxb6 Qxb6 16. Qxb5 Qa7 {gives Black adequate compensation with a lot of activity on the queenside as well as on the dark squares, say as soon as the dark-squared bishop reaches b6.}) 12... Nc5 (12... Rc8 13. b4 $1 {and suddenly Black is lacking a freeing move.}) 13. Bxc5 dxc5 14. b3 Bxd5 (14... Nxd5 15. cxd5 Bd7 { is also playable and maybe the best option available to Black. But getting my knight to d6 was too appealing to me.}) 15. cxd5 (15. exd5 $2 e4 {is obviously wrong for White.}) 15... Ne8 16. O-O Nd6 17. a4 {A logical move to press on the queenside, delaying any decision as to which pawns to attack. Here at first I couldn't see a suitable plan to get activity as an immediate ...f5 would be too hasty, but as usual in these positions there is an unexpected concrete option.} (17. Nf3 c4 $1 18. bxc4 bxc4 19. Qc2 Bf6 {and Black gets his counterplay in time.}) (17. Qc2 Rc8 18. a4 c4 19. axb5 cxb3 20. Qxb3 axb5 21. Ra6 Bg5 $11) 17... Bg5 18. Nf3 Bf4 $1 {You wouldn't expect this bishop to be stable on this square. Or in the words of Levon : "a very impressive move as it looks so awful".} 19. axb5 (19. g3 f5 20. Qc3 (20. gxf4 $6 fxe4 21. Qe3 exf3 $15) 20... fxe4 21. Ne1 b4 $1 22. Qxc5 Bd2 {looks good for Black.}) 19... f5 { Why not?} (19... axb5 20. Rxa8 Qxa8 21. g3 f5 22. Nh4 fxe4 23. Qc3 Bg5 24. Qxc5 Qb8 {is fine for Black, but not more. I was already inclining towards pushing my luck.}) 20. Nd2 Qg5 $2 {After pondering my decision for a while, I couldn't evaluate the resulting position so I took the gamble. My mind was probably influenced by the fact Vishy had missed the earlier idea with Bf4 and clearly wasn't feeling comfortable, but I wouldn't have taken the gamble had I been strong enough to realise I was going one step too far!} (20... axb5 21. exf5 Rc8 $1 {A nice move which had escaped my mind. Now Black is absolutely fine.} 22. Ra6 c4 23. bxc4 bxc4 $11) 21. Rad1 $2 {A very strange attempt to keep things under control in the centre, as it gives away the a-file.} (21. Nc4 $1 { was the obvious reaction. I thought it would give double-edged play after} fxe4 22. Qh3 Nxb5 {but my knight getting to d4 is no help after} 23. Nb6 $1 Nd4 ( 23... Rae8 24. Nd7 Nd4 25. Bc4 Nf3+ 26. Kh1 Nxh2 27. d6+ Kh8 28. Nxf8 Rxf8 29. g3 $1 Nxf1 30. gxf4 $18) 24. Bc4 Nf3+ 25. Kh1 Nxh2 26. d6+ Kh8 27. Nxa8 Nxf1 28. Nc7 $18 {and Black is helpless against Ne6.}) 21... axb5 22. exf5 Ra3 $1 { After a while, I found this excellent reaction allowing me to keep the fight going.} (22... Ra2 23. Ne4 Nxe4 24. Qxe4 Qh4 25. g3 Bxg3 26. Qxh4 Bxh4 27. Bxb5 {is just fine for White.}) 23. Ne4 (23. Qc2 c4 $5 (23... Bxd2 24. Rxd2 Rxb3 25. Qxb3 Qxd2 26. Bxb5 Rb8 27. Qd3 {is just a draw.}) 24. bxc4 Rh3 $1 {was an idea I had in mind. It seems to work better than I would have expected after} 25. Nf3 (25. g3 Bxg3 $1 26. hxg3 (26. fxg3 $2 Qe3+ 27. Kg2 Qxe2+ 28. Kxh3 Rf6 $19) 26... Nxf5 $1 27. Ne4 (27. Bg4 $1 {is the only defence but after} Qxg4 28. Qe4 Qh5 {(not the only move here) the attack keeps on going. A beautiful line is} 29. g4 Qg5 30. Qg2 Rh4 31. Nf3 Nd4 $3 32. Nxh4 (32. Rxd4 Rxf3 $19) (32. Nxg5 Ne2#) 32... Ne2+ 33. Kh2 Qxh4+ 34. Qh3 Qg5 $1 35. Rde1 Nf4 36. Qg3 Rf6 37. Re3 Rh6+ 38. Kg1 bxc4 {and Black definitely has the upper hand.}) 27... Qh6 28. Bf3 Nd4 29. Rxd4 Rxf3 $1 $19) 25... Qh6 $1 26. gxh3 (26. g3 bxc4 $1 27. gxf4 $2 e4) 26... Qxh3 27. Rfe1 e4 28. Bf1 Qg4+ $1 29. Kh1 Qxf3+ 30. Bg2 Qh5 31. h3 bxc4 32. Rd4 $13) 23... c4 24. Qc2 $4 {The pressure pays off, with Vishy clearly having overlooked something. He probably wasn't too sure about his other options and missed my obvious reply.} (24. Qf3 $1 Qh6 (24... Bxh2+ 25. Kxh2 Qh4+ 26. Kg1 Qxe4 27. Qxe4 Nxe4 28. bxc4 Nc3 29. Rd2 Nxe2+ 30. Rxe2 bxc4 31. Rxe5 Rd3 $11) 25. g3 Rxb3 26. Qg2 Bg5 27. f6 $1 Nxe4 28. Qxe4 Qg6 $1 (28... Bxf6 29. Rb1 {makes White's life too easy; his Qe4 is just what the doctor ordered to get enough counterplay and control of the position.}) 29. Qxg6 hxg6 30. Rb1 $1 Rxb1 31. Rxb1 Rc8 32. Bg4 Rb8 33. Be6+ Kf8 34. fxg7+ Kxg7 35. d6 c3 36. Bb3 {and the game peters out to a likely draw.}) (24. Qb1 {looks dangerous but might be ok as well:} Bxh2+ (24... Qh6 $5 25. g3 Rxb3 26. Qc2 Nxf5 27. d6 $1 Qh3 28. Bxc4+ bxc4 29. Qxc4+ Kh8 30. Qe6 $1 {and White is hanging on by a thread.}) 25. Kxh2 Qh4+ 26. Kg1 Rxb3 (26... Nxe4 27. Qb2 Ra6 28. d6 $1 $11) 27. Nxd6 $1 Rxb1 28. Rxb1 Rf6 29. g3 Qh3 30. Rxb5 Rxd6 31. Bxc4 {is likely to end in a draw.}) 24... Qxf5 {It is quite hard to understand what Vishy actually missed.} 25. Qb2 Rxb3 26. Qxb3 cxb3 27. Nxd6 {Here I should still be careful not to allow exchanges which would give White drawing chances. But my passed pawn combined with attacking possibilities on White's king gave me enough confidence to think I would win this game.} Qg6 28. Nxb5 e4 ({Vishy mentioned to me this option after the game:} 28... Qc2 $1 29. Bd3 Qc5 $1 {and White's knight cannot get back into play.} 30. d6 e4 31. Be2 b2 32. d7 Rd8 {is just over.}) 29. d6 b2 {...e3 and ...Bc1 are two of the tempting options now on Black's agenda.} 30. Nd4 {An interesting try which I missed. But I had enough time on the clock to make sure everything worked out for me.} (30. d7 Rd8 31. Bc4+ Kh8 32. Rfe1 Qc6 $19) 30... Qxd6 $1 (30... Bxd6 31. Bc4+ Kh8 32. Ne6 Rb8 33. Rxd6 b1=Q 34. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 35. Bf1 Rb8 {is also enough to win, especially as White can't get his knight out in time:} 36. Nd8 Qf5 $1 37. Ne6 Qe5 38. Ra6 e3 $19) 31. Bc4+ Kh8 32. Ne6 Bxh2+ 33. Kh1 Rxf2 $1 {Not the only winning move, but definitely the most pretty. All Black's pieces are hanging, but White is in the same situation and the b-pawn might decide the game in several cases.} 34. Ng5 $5 (34. Rxf2 Qxd1+ 35. Kxh2 Qd6+ $19) (34. Rxd6 Bxd6 $1 (34... Rxf1+ $4 35. Kxh2) 35. Rg1 Rc2 36. Bd5 e3 37. Ng5 Rc5 $1 38. Nf7+ Kg8 39. Nxd6+ Rxd5 40. Nc4 Rh5#) 34... Bg3 $1 {The threat of ...Qh6 forces White to throw in the towel.} (34... Bg3 35. Rxd6 Rxf1+ 36. Bxf1 Bxd6 {and the b-pawn is unstoppable. }) 0-1 [Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2015.05.25"] [Round "10"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B76"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2799"] [Annotator "Pavlovic,M"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nf6 { [%emt 0:00:05]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 6. Be3 {[%emt 0:00: 18]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 7. f3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:04]} 8. Qd2 { [%emt 0:00:06]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 9. O-O-O {[%emt 0:00:24]} d5 {[%emt 0:00: 05] The Dragon is not a usual guest in such tournaments, but this opening is still alive and can create problems in preparation.} 10. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 11. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 12. Bd4 { [%emt 0:00:04] Probably the best and safest line for White against the Dragon, let's see.} Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 13. Qxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:05] } 14. Na4 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:07] The modern approach.} 15. Bc4 { [%emt 0:01:17]} Nb6 $5 {[%emt 0:00:06] A novelty at such an early stage of the game is a rarity in the Dragon.} 16. Bb3 {[%emt 0:06:42]} Nxa4 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 17. Qxa4 {[%emt 0:11:55]} c5 {[%emt 0:01:05]} 18. Rhe1 {[%emt 0:20:15]} (18. h4 {this move was probably heavily analysed by Nakamura as to me it appears as the critical attempt to play for an advantage} Rb8 19. c3 {the main computer move...} (19. a3 Qb6 20. h5 c4 $1 21. Qxc4 Be6 22. Qd4 Qxd4 23. Rxd4 Bxb3 24. cxb3 Rxb3 25. hxg6 Rc8+ 26. Kb1 hxg6 {we have reached an equal endgame}) 19... h5 $5 (19... Qb6 20. h5 c4 (20... Bf5 21. Qf4 $1) 21. Qxc4 Be6 22. Qh4 $16) ( 19... Qg3 20. h5 Bf5 21. hxg6 hxg6 22. Qh4 Qxh4 23. Rxh4 Kg7 24. g4 Be6 (24... Bc8 25. g5 Bb7 26. Rdh1 Rh8 27. Rxh8 Rxh8 28. Rxh8 Kxh8 29. Bxf7 Kg7 30. Bc4 Bxf3 31. Kd2 $16) 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. Rh3 Rfd8 27. Rdh1 Rd5 28. f4 e5 {White has some initiative in this endgame}) 20. g4 hxg4 21. h5 Rb6 $5 22. hxg6 (22. fxg4 c4 23. Qxc4 (23. Bxc4 Qf4+ 24. Kb1 Qe4+ 25. Ka1 Be6 26. Bb3 Qxa4 27. Bxa4 Bxg4 28. Rdg1 Bf5 {with a similar endgame, again Black is close to equality}) 23... Qxc4 24. Bxc4 Bxg4 25. Rdg1 Bf5 {around equal}) 22... Rxg6 23. fxg4 Bxg4 24. Bc2 $5 Bxd1 25. Qh4 Bh5 26. Qxh5 Qf4+ 27. Kb1 Kg7 28. Qh7+ Kf6 29. Bxg6 fxg6 30. Re1 e6 31. Qxa7 {a long computer line but even here White has little or nothing at all.}) 18... e6 {[%emt 0:03:15]} 19. Qe4 {[%emt 0:08:36] Again White has an option here:} (19. h4 Rb8 20. c3 Qg3 21. Re2 Bb7 22. Red2 Bd5 $5 23. Bxd5 exd5 {again we can say that Black has counterplay.}) 19... Ba6 { [%emt 0:23:41]} 20. Bxe6 {[%emt 0:19:01]} (20. Qe5 Rfc8 21. Qxc7 Rxc7 22. c4 Kf8 {looks perfectly ok for Black.}) 20... Bb7 {[%emt 0:01:39]} 21. Bd5 { [%emt 0:00:06]} Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 22. Qxd5 {[%emt 0:07:45]} Qxh2 {[%emt 0: 02:59] I don't see anything spectacular for White, it looks equal now. Obviously Black did a good preparation; the entire Nb6 idea looks interesting.} 23. Qg5 {[%emt 0:01:51]} Rfe8 {[%emt 0:03:19]} 24. Rh1 {[%emt 0:20:20]} Qe5 { [%emt 0:00:14]} 25. Qxe5 {[%emt 0:03:19]} Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 26. Rd7 { [%emt 0:00:05]} h5 {[%emt 0:02:11]} 27. g4 {[%emt 0:01:09]} hxg4 {[%emt 0:01: 22]} 28. fxg4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Re4 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 29. Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:47]} Rf8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 30. Rxa7 {[%emt 0:01:39]} Rxg4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 31. Rc7 { [%emt 0:05:03]} c4 {[%emt 0:04:09]} 32. Kd2 {[%emt 0:00:27]} f5 {[%emt 0:09:20] } 33. a4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} c3+ {[%emt 0:01:49]} 34. Kxc3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rxa4 { [%emt 0:00:02]} 35. b4 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:22:51]} 36. Rd1 {[%emt 0: 04:02]} (36. Rf4 Ra6 $1 37. Kd3 (37. Kc4 Rab6 38. c3 Rf6 39. b5 g5 40. Rf1 g4 41. Rc5 Rbf8 {and Black gets counter play}) 37... Rd6+ 38. Ke3 Re8+ 39. Kf3 Rd1 {Again Black is active in the endgame which gives him fair chances.}) 36... Raxb4 {[%emt 0:00:28] Now it is just a draw.} 37. Rdd7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rg4 { [%emt 0:00:43]} 38. Rg7+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 39. Rh7+ { [%emt 0:00:05]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 40. Rhg7+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kh8 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} 41. Rh7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 3rd"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2015.06.24"] [Round "8"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2802"] [BlackElo "2723"] [Annotator "Pavlovic,M"] [PlyCount "93"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Qd3 b5 $146 {I didn't find a single game with this move, usually they go 8...0-0.} ({One possible line might be} 8... O-O 9. Bg5 Be6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Rd1 Be7 12. Nd5 {with interesting play.}) 9. a4 b4 10. Nd5 Bb7 {Ok so we have a game practically from scratch, which is rare especially in the Najdorf Sicilian!} 11. Nxf6+ Bxf6 12. Bd2 a5 13. c3 bxc3 14. Bxc3 Nc6 15. O-O O-O 16. Rfd1 Re8 $6 {Preparing the Be7-f8 manoeuvre but tactically wrong.} (16... Be7 {and now the direct attempt is probably ok for Black:} 17. Qb5 Qc7 18. Rdc1 Ba6 19. Qd5 Bxe2 20. Bxa5 Rxa5 21. Nxa5 Qxa5 22. Rxc6 (22. Qxc6 Bg5 23. Rc2 Bd3 24. Rc3 Be2 $11) 22... Qxd5 23. exd5 Ra8 $13) 17. Bf3 $1 Be7 18. Qb5 $16 {Now already the advantage is on the white side.} Qc8 (18... Qc7 19. Nxa5 Nxa5 20. Bxa5 Qxa5 21. Qxb7 $16) 19. Bg4 {It was possible to take at once on a5...} (19. Bxa5 Rb8 20. Bc3 Ba8 21. Qc4 Nd4 22. Qxc8 Nxf3+ 23. gxf3 Rexc8 24. Nd2 Rb6 {There is no doubt that White is better.}) 19... Qxg4 20. Qxb7 Rec8 $6 {Confronted with early problems Black is going for tactics.} (20... Nb4 21. Bxb4 axb4 (21... Rab8 22. Qd5 Rxb4 23. Nxa5 Rxb2 24. Nc4 $16) 22. a5 Qe2 23. Rd2 Qc4 24. Qd5 Rec8 25. g3 $14) (20... Qc8 21. Qxc8 Rexc8 22. Rd5 $16) 21. Nxa5 Nxa5 22. Qxe7 Nb3 23. f3 Qf4 24. Ra3 Nd4 25. Raa1 {White had an interesting choice here:} ( 25. Bd2 $5 Ne2+ 26. Kf2 Qxh2 27. Kxe2 Qxg2+ 28. Ke3 d5 $1 29. Qxe5 dxe4 30. fxe4 Rc2 {computers are not unhappy with Black's chances here, but I would be.} ) 25... Ne2+ 26. Kh1 Nxc3 27. bxc3 h5 28. Qxd6 Rxc3 29. Qd5 Ra6 30. Qb5 Rac6 31. Qf1 $6 {A serious mistake that gives Black chances to escape.} (31. a5 h4 32. h3 Rc2 33. Rg1 Rg6 34. Qd7 $1 Rcxg2 35. Rxg2 Rxg2 36. Qc8+ Kh7 37. Qf5+ Qxf5 38. exf5 Rd2 39. a6 Rd8 40. a7 Ra8 41. Ra6 {and White should win.}) 31... h4 32. h3 Rc2 {Now it is rather difficult to progress for White.} 33. Re1 (33. a5 Rg6 34. a6 Rg3 $1 {and White is going to be mated!}) 33... Qd2 34. Red1 Qg5 35. Re1 Qd2 36. Rad1 Qb4 $6 {Black is making another mistake thus giving White one more chance to play on.} (36... Qf2 $1 37. Qxf2 Rxf2 38. a5 (38. Rc1 Rg6 39. Rg1 Rd6 $11) 38... Ra2 39. Ra1 Rcc2 $11) 37. Qd3 Kh7 38. Qd8 Rf6 39. Rc1 { Probably in time trouble White could still create problems with:} (39. Rg1 $1 Qxa4 40. Rd5 Qa3 41. Rxe5 Rc1 42. Rh5+ Kg6 43. Rg5+ $1 $16) 39... Qxa4 { It is just equal now.} 40. Rxc2 Qxc2 41. Qd1 Qf2 42. Rf1 Qg3 43. Qd7 Rg6 44. Rg1 Rf6 45. Rf1 Rg6 46. Rg1 Rf6 47. Rf1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 4th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2009.11.13"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2739"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "61"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2 Nbd7 9. g4 h6 10. O-O-O Ne5 $5 {The knight move is equally revolutionary as Topalov's pet idea of 10...b5-b4. Black is moving the knight, that is already developed and prepares real counterplay.} 11. Qe1 $146 {White has yet to find an idea, that would put the daring concept of the opponent under pressure. Carlsen comes with a new move, but it's merit might be modest.} (11. g5 hxg5 12. Bxg5 Bb7 13. Rg1 Qa5 14. a3 Rc8 15. Kb1 Rxc3 16. Qxc3 Qxc3 17. bxc3 Rxh2 18. Bf4 Rh5 19. Rg5 Rxg5 20. Bxg5 $11 {0-1 Motylev,A (2651)-Grischuk,A (2704)/ Moscow 2004 (34)}) (11. a3 Bb7 12. Kb1 (12. h4 Rc8 13. Rg1 Qa5 (13... g6 14. g5 hxg5 15. hxg5 Nfd7 16. f4 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Rxc4 18. f5 Nc5 19. fxe6 Nxe6 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Bd4 $16 {1-0 Bologan,V (2669)-Dobrov,V (2487)/chessassistantclub.com INT 2004 (30)}) 14. g5 hxg5 15. hxg5 Nfd7 16. g6 Nxg6 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Rxg6 Kf7 19. Rg3 Nf6 20. Bd3 e5 21. Qf2 Rxc3 22. Bb6 Qa4 23. bxc3 Qxa3+ 24. Kd2 $11 {1/2-1/2 Shirov,A (2714)-Guliyev,N (2526)/Port Barcares 2005 (42)}) 12... Rc8 13. Be2 Nfd7 14. f4 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Rxc4 16. Rhe1 Be7 17. Bf2 O-O 18. h4 Nc5 19. g5 h5 20. b3 Rxc3 21. Qxc3 Nxe4 22. Qe3 Qa5 $17 {0-1 Grischuk,A (2719)-Belov,V (2543)/playchess.com INT 2004 (54)}) (11. Bd3 Bb7 12. Rhe1 (12. a3 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. Bf4 Nxf3 16. Nxf3 Bxf3 17. Qe3 Bxh1 18. Be4 Bxe4 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Qxe4 Rd5 $15 {0-1 Erenburg,S (2585)-Volokitin,A (2662)/Mainz 2006 (74)}) 12... b4 13. Nce2 d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Kb1 Bc5 16. Bg1 Qb6 17. f4 Nxg4 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Bg6+ Kd7 20. Bxc5 Qxc5 21. Nd4 Kc8 $17 {0-1 Landa,K (2600)-Najer,E (2653)/Sochi 2006 (29)}) (11. f4 Nexg4 12. Bg1 b4 13. Na4 Nxe4 14. Qe1 d5 15. f5 Bd6 16. fxe6 Bxe6 17. Nb6 Qxb6 18. Nxe6 Qa5 19. Nxg7+ Kf8 $17 {1-0 Azarov,S (2544)-Najer,E (2608)/playchess.com INT 2004 (26)}) 11... Qc7 ( 11... Bb7 12. a3 Qc7 $14) 12. h4 {Careful players would surely consider the modest a3 idea, that complicates Black's counterplay for some time.} (12. a3 Bb7 $14) 12... b4 13. Nce2 (13. Na4 Qb7 14. b3 Bd7 $13) 13... Nc4 (13... d5 14. Bf4 (14. g5 hxg5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Bxg5 Bb7 $11) 14... Bb7 15. Kb1 dxe4 16. fxe4 Bd6 17. Rg1 Rd8 $15) 14. Nf4 (14. Bf2 e5 (14... d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Ng3 $14) 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. gxf5 a5 $13) 14... Nxe3 (14... e5 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 exd4 17. Bxd4+ Be7 18. Bxg7 Rg8 19. Bxh6 $14) 15. Qxe3 Qb6 {Ponomariov has an ambition of his own and the queen moves hopes to complicate opponent's life with pressure along the dark squares.} (15... Bd7 16. Be2 e5 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 Be7 19. Nf5 Bxf5 20. gxf5 Bf6 $11) (15... Be7 16. Nd3 a5 17. Bh3 Nd7 18. g5 $14) 16. Bc4 $1 Qc5 $2 {Your humble annotator is amazed by the level of neglect both players will display when dealing with hidden issue of time. Black is repeatedly playing with the queen in a situation, when his general development could use some attention.} (16... e5 17. Bxf7+ Kxf7 18. Qb3+ Ke8 19. Ng6 exd4 (19... Rh7 20. Ne6 Be7 21. g5 $18) 20. Nxh8 Ra7 21. Ng6 $16) ( 16... Be7 17. g5 $18) (16... Nd7 $1 17. Qe2 (17. Nfxe6 fxe6 18. Bxe6 Bb7 19. Qb3 O-O-O $13) 17... Ne5 18. Bb3 Bd7 $14) 17. Qb3 $1 d5 (17... Ra7 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Nfxe6 Bxe6 20. Nxe6 Qb5 21. Nf4 $16) 18. exd5 Bd6 19. Nfxe6 $1 { [%mdl 128] In higher sense an obvious move. Carlsen has to use his initiative and the sacrifice of a piece for three pawns destroys the e6 stronghold in Scheveningen/Najdorf Sicilian. What is more it creates a dangerous intruder of his own on the same most critical square!} (19. Ndxe6 fxe6 20. Nd3 Qa5 21. dxe6 Bb7 $13) 19... fxe6 20. dxe6 Be7 (20... Kf8 21. Nf5 Be7 22. Nxe7 Qxe7 23. g5 Nh5 24. Qe3 $18) 21. Qd3 (21. Nf5 O-O (21... Bb7 22. Nxg7+ Kf8 23. Nf5 $18) 22. Nxe7+ Qxe7 23. g5 Ne8 24. gxh6 Kh8 $16) 21... O-O 22. Bb3 $2 {The next moves by both players are strange crimes against the logic of attack and defence. White's advantage is based partly on the fact, that Black is badly behind in mobilizing his pieces. Peaceful retreat of the bishop throws away the lion share of the winning advantage!} (22. g5 $1 Nh5 (22... hxg5 23. hxg5 Qxg5+ 24. Kb1 Nh5 25. Nc6 $18) 23. gxh6 Nf4 24. Qe4 Qxc4 25. hxg7 Rd8 26. Qxf4 Bxe6 27. Qh6 Qxa2 28. Qh8+ Kf7 29. Qh7 Kf6 30. g8=N+ Rxg8 31. Rhe1 $18) 22... Rd8 $2 { Ponomariov was probably programmed to be beaten badly on the given day. An independent chess mind would otherwise surely concentrate on a developing move with the bishop, that would more or less complete the development and nearly equalize the chances.} (22... Bb7 $1 23. g5 (23. Nf5 Rad8 24. Qe2 (24. Qxd8 $2 Rxd8 25. Rxd8+ Kh7 26. Nxe7 Bxf3 $17) 24... Kh7 $11) 23... Nh5 24. gxh6 Nf4 25. Qe3 gxh6 26. Rhg1+ Kh8 27. Rg4 Qc7 $11) 23. g5 $1 Nh7 (23... hxg5 24. Qg6 g4 25. Nf5 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Bf8 27. e7+ Kh8 28. exf8=Q+ Qxf8 29. Rd8 $18) (23... Kh8 24. gxf6 Bxf6 25. Qf5 Qb6 26. Bd5 $18) 24. gxh6 Qh5 (24... Qxd4 25. Qxd4 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 gxh6 27. Rg1+ Kf8 28. Rf4+ $18) (24... gxh6 25. Rhg1+ Kh8 26. Qg6 Qe5 27. Nf5 Rxd1+ 28. Kxd1 Bb7 29. Nxe7 $18) 25. Qe4 $1 Qxh6+ 26. Kb1 Ra7 {The pieces of the defender are badly scatered on the board with no common purpose. The final execution of White's attack will be brutal and impressive.} (26... Rxd4 27. Rxd4 Rb8 28. Qe5 Ra8 29. Qd5 Rb8 30. Qd8+ $1 Nf8 (30... Bxd8 31. Rxd8+ Nf8 32. e7+ $18) 31. Qxe7 $18) 27. Nf5 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Qf6 29. Rd7 $1 {Chess beauty on the highest level and a modern form of small combination!} Bxd7 30. exd7+ Kf8 {The choice for the defender is not always so deeply rotten as in this moment. At least both ways of going down have undeniable charm...} (30... Kh8 31. Nxe7 Rxd7 32. Qa8+ Nf8 33. Qxf8+ $1 Qxf8 34. Ng6+ Kh7 35. Nxf8+ $18) 31. Qd5 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 2nd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2014.09.04"] [Round "8"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B36"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2877"] [Annotator "Roiz,M"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2014.08.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "23"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a5 ({The most popular continuations here are} 10... Be6) ({and} 10... Qa5 {but the text move is also well known.}) 11. b3 { Restricting Black's activity on the queenside.} ({Another way to handle the position was shown by 13th World Champion:} 11. Be2 a4 12. O-O Qa5 13. Rac1 Bd7 (13... Be6 $5) 14. c5 Bc6 15. cxd6 Rfd8 16. Nb1 Qxd2 17. Nxd2 exd6 18. Nc4 d5 19. Nb6 Ra5 20. e5 Nd7 21. f4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Kasparov,G (2825)-Alterman,B (2615)/ Tel Aviv 1998/CBM 065/[Tsesarsky] (25)}) 11... a4 $6 {This move is quite risky from a strategic point of view: the a-pawn may become a target, while Black has a couple of weak squares on the queenside.} ({In the following recent game Black had a solid, but rather passive position:} 11... Bd7 12. Be2 Bc6 13. O-O Nd7 14. Rfd1 Nc5 15. Rac1 Qb6 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. cxd5 Qb4 18. Rc2 Qxd2 19. Bxd2 $14 {1-0 Khismatullin,D (2671)-Vorobiov,E (2587)/Vladivostok RUS 2014}) ({ The most reasonable setup is connected with:} 11... Be6 12. Rb1 (12. Be2 $5 Nd7 13. O-O Nc5 14. Rac1) 12... Nd7 13. Be2 Nc5 14. O-O Qb6 15. Rfc1 Rfc8 16. Kh1 ( 16. Nd5 $5 {deserves a serious attention, but after} Bxd5 17. cxd5 Qb4 { Black is a tempo up compared to Khismatullin-Vorobiov,2014.}) 16... Qb4 17. Bg5 a4 18. Bxe7 axb3 19. axb3 Nxb3 $11 {1/2-1/2 Van Wely,L (2691)-Iturrizaga,E (2627)/Istanbul TUR 2012 (122)}) 12. b4 Be6 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Be2 {Fabiano is not in a hurry.} ({Black's position also looks unpleasant after} 14. Nd5 f5 ( 14... a3 15. Nf4 Rc8 16. Be2 $14) 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Be2 $14) 14... Nb6 15. Nb5 $5 $146 {This ambitious continuation is a novelty. Having a serious space advantage, White wants to keep as many pieces as it possible.} ({In the preceding game Black was able to defend an inferior position after:} 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Bd7 17. a3 (17. O-O a3 18. c5 dxc5 19. bxc5 $14) 17... e6 18. dxe6 Bxe6 19. O-O d5 20. c5 d4 21. Bf2 Qd7 22. Bd3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Felgaer,R (2586)-Cuenca Jimenez,J (2477)/La Massana AND 2013}) 15... a3 {Desperately looking for any kind of counterplay.} ({After} 15... Rc8 16. Na3 f5 17. exf5 gxf5 18. O-O $16 {Black's position lacks any active ideas.}) 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. h4 $1 {Once again, Caruana chooses the most ambitious way to handle the position.} (17. O-O Na4 18. f4 Qc7 19. Kh1 $14 {was a quiet alternative. White maintains a stable advantage.}) 17... h5 (17... e6 18. h5 Qe7 19. Nb3 $16 {followed by 20.c5 is extremely unpleasant.}) 18. g4 $1 {Now Black is under a direct attack. } hxg4 19. fxg4 ({Correcty deviating from} 19. h5 e5 20. Nb3 gxf3 21. Bxf3 Be6 22. Qh2 Nd7 $132) 19... e5 {This is an obvious positional concession, but Magnus had no choice.} (19... Be5 20. h5 Na4 21. Nf3 $40) 20. Nb3 (20. Nb5 $5 { also deserved serious attention:} Bxb5 21. cxb5 d5 22. h5 d4 23. Bh6 $36) 20... Bc6 21. Bf3 f5 {Now Black's king is exposed, but Black cannot sit and wait anymore.} 22. gxf5 (22. Na5 $5 Rxa5 (22... f4 23. Bf2 Qc7 24. h5 $16) 23. bxa5 Na4 24. gxf5 gxf5 25. Bg5 $16) 22... gxf5 23. Na5 {Keeping an eye on the light-squared bishop.} f4 (23... Rxa5 24. bxa5 Na4 25. Bg5 {leads to a position from the previous note. Black has some practical chances, but objectively there is no compensation for an exchange.}) 24. Bf2 $16 {White's monarch feels quite safe now, while Black has numerous weaknesses.} Na4 25. Nxc6 (25. Rg1 Kh8 26. Ke2 Bf6 27. h5 $16) 25... bxc6 26. O-O {Caruana doesn't mind spending some time on removing his king from the centre.} ({Also good enough was} 26. h5 Bf6 27. Rg1+ Kh8 28. Ke2 $16) 26... c5 {In such a difficult situation, Magnus is trying to fix the pawn structure in order to set up some kind of blockade.} (26... Bf6 27. Kh1 Kh8 (27... Bxh4 $2 28. Rg1+ Kh8 29. Rg2 $18) 28. Rg1 Qe7 29. Rg2 Rf7 (29... Rg8 30. Bg4 Rg7 31. Rcg1 Rag8 32. Qe2 $16) 30. Bg4 Rh7 31. Bf5 Rh6 32. b5 Bxh4 33. Rh2 $16) (26... Rf6 27. Kh1 Rh6 28. Rg1 Kh8 29. Rg2 Bf6 30. h5 $16) 27. b5 Bf6 28. Kh1 Nb6 $2 {This could be a decisive mistake.} ({A better move was} 28... Ra7 $142 29. Rg1+ Kh8 30. h5 Nb6 31. Rg6 Rg8 32. Bg4 Rag7 33. Bf5 $16) ({The pawn was untouchable:} 28... Bxh4 29. Rg1+ Kh8 30. Rg2 {with a decisive attack.}) 29. Rcd1 $2 {Wrong rook!} ({ Fabiano misses a clear win:} 29. Rfd1 $1 Be7 30. Bxc5 Kh8 31. Bf2 Bxh4 $140 32. Bxb6 Qxb6 33. Qxd6 $18 {and the 2 strong passed pawns will decide the game.}) 29... Kh8 $1 30. Qxd6 $6 {Underestimating Black's defensive resources in the resulting endgame.} ({After} 30. Bg4 Bxh4 31. Qxd6 Qxd6 32. Rxd6 Bxf2 33. Rxb6 Be3 $14 {Black gets excellent drawish chances.}) ({It was still possible to pose serious problems by means of} 30. Be2 $1 Be7 31. Rg1 Rf6 32. Qd3 Qd7 33. Qf3 $36) 30... Qxd6 31. Rxd6 Nxc4 {[%CAl Gc4e3] The knight is heading to e3, forcing White to exchange the dark-squared bishop.} 32. Rd5 (32. Rd7 {also achieves nothing special:} Rad8 33. Bxc5 (33. Rfd1 Ne3 34. Bxe3 fxe3 35. Be2 c4 36. Rxd8 (36. Bxc4 Rc8 37. Bd3 Bxh4 $11) 36... Rxd8 37. Rxd8+ Bxd8 38. Bxc4 Bxh4 39. b6 Bd8 40. b7 Bc7 $11) 33... Rxd7 34. Bxf8 Rd2 35. Rc1 Ne3 36. b6 Rxa2 37. Bxa3 Rxa3 38. b7 Rb3 39. Rc8+ Kg7 40. b8=Q Rxb8 41. Rxb8 Bxh4 $11) 32... Ne3 33. Bxe3 fxe3 34. Be2 Bxh4 {Magnus should be happy with his position at this moment.} 35. Rf5 ({After} 35. Rxf8+ Rxf8 36. Rd3 {the easiest way is} c4 $1 37. Rxe3 Rc8 38. Rc3 (38. Rxa3 c3 39. Bd3 Bf2 40. Bc2 Bd4 41. Rb3 Rf8 $11) 38... Be1 39. Rxc4 Rxc4 40. Bxc4 Ba5 $11) 35... Rxf5 36. exf5 Rd8 $11 { Liquidating into a drawish bishop endgame.} 37. Rxd8+ (37. Rxe5 Rd2 38. Rxe3 Rxa2 $11) 37... Bxd8 38. Kg2 Kg7 39. Kf3 Kf6 40. Ke4 c4 41. Bxc4 Bb6 42. Bd3 ({ A draw was agreed in view of} 42. Bd3 Bd4 43. Kd5 Ba7 44. Kc6 e4 45. Be2 Kxf5 46. b6 Bxb6 47. Kxb6 Kf4 48. Kc5 Kg3 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 2nd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2014.09.02"] [Round "6"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B46"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Postny,E"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2014.08.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "23"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. O-O Nf6 9. Re1 Be7 10. e5 {Topalov has some experience handling this variation as White.} (10. Qf3 O-O 11. Bg5 d4 12. Na4 e5 13. b3 Nd7 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 $11 { 1/2-1/2 (64) Topalov,V (2772)-Mamedyarov,S (2757) Sofia 2007}) 10... Nd7 11. Qg4 {This game appeared only a couple of weeks after I completed a survey on this line, which already included a couple of Caruana games. The current game is another important contribution.} Kf8 {This move used to be in a shadow of the main continuation 11...g6. However, recently Black has experienced problems, allowing White's bishop to sneak to h6.} (11... g6 12. Bh6 Rb8 13. Nd1 $1 Rb4 14. c4 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Qa5 16. Ne3 Nxe5 17. Qd4 f6 18. Qc3 $6 (18. a3 Qb6 19. Qh4 $1 Rxb2 20. Bg7 $16) 18... Qc5 19. Rac1 $14 {1-0 (44) Caruana,F (2791)-Svidler,P (2753) Dubai 2014}) 12. Na4 {Fabiano has played this line as Black as well.} (12. Qe2 c5 13. b3 Bb7 14. Bb2 g6 15. Nd1 Qb6 16. c4 d4 17. Bc1 h5 18. Be4 h4 19. f4 Kg7 20. Nb2 a5 $11 {1/2-1/2 (50) Solak,D (2632)-Caruana,F (2801) Tromsoe 2014}) 12... Qa5 $146 {A novelty, but Caruana responded quickly, clearly hinting at thorough preparation.} (12... h5 13. Qf4 (13. Qe2 c5 14. c4 d4 15. Bd2 Bb7 16. Be4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 a5 18. f4 g6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (38) Filipenko, A (2309)-Tunik,G (2437) Togliatti 2014}) 13... Kg8 14. Bd2 g6 $6 (14... a5 $5 { [%CAl Gc8a6]}) 15. c4 Kg7 16. b4 $16 {0-1 (58) Leon Hoyos,M (2484)-Granda Zuniga,J (2621) Cali 2007}) (12... c5 13. c4 (13. b3 {would transpose to the game Karjakin-Ivanchuk with a slightly different order of moves.} Bb7 14. c4 d4 15. Bd2 Qc7 16. Qf4 g5 $1 17. Qg3 h5 $132 {1/2-1/2 (37) Karjakin,S (2786) -Ivanchuk,V (2757) Loo 2013}) 13... Qa5 14. Qd1 d4 15. Bd2 Qc7 16. Qe2 Rb8 17. b3 Bb7 18. Rad1 h5 19. Nb2 g6 20. Bf4 Kg7 $11 {0-1 (41) Andreev,E (2501)-Popov, I (2632) Taganrog 2013}) 13. Re2 $1 {Veselin unleashed a novelty, but went into a deep thought already on the next move. Fabiano appeared to be better prepared for this line.} (13. Bg5 Bxg5 14. Qxg5 h6 15. Qf4 g5 16. Qg4 h5 17. Qxg5 Qxa4 18. Qd8+ Kg7 19. Qg5+ $11) 13... h5 (13... Qb4 {was another option to swap queens.} 14. Qxb4 Bxb4 15. c4 Bb7 16. a3 Be7 17. Bd2 {White keeps some slight pressure on the queenside.}) 14. Qf4 g5 15. Bd2 Qc7 $6 {That was a tough dilemma. Topalov decided to keep the queens on the board. However, having pushed forward the kingside pawns, it would have been safer to swap queens, even at the cost of spoiling the structure.} (15... gxf4 16. Bxa5 { The Pf4 is now a clear target, but it's not easy for White to get it.} Rg8 ( 16... c5 17. c4 d4 18. Be4 Rb8 19. b3 $14) 17. Kf1 Bb7 18. c4 (18. b4 Ke8 19. Rb1 Bd8 20. Bxd8 Kxd8 {is also decent for Black.}) 18... h4 19. h3 c5 20. cxd5 Rg5 $1 {[%csl Re5]} (20... Bxd5 $2 21. Be4 $16) 21. Rae1 Bxd5 22. Be4 Rxe5 23. Bc7 Rxe4 24. Rxe4 Bxe4 25. Rxe4 f3 26. gxf3 Rc8 $11 {White's play could, probably, be improved upon somewhere along the variation, but the conclusion is clear: Topalov should have traded queens.}) 16. Qg3 h4 17. Qg4 Rg8 $6 (17... h3 18. Bxg5 hxg2 19. Bxe7+ Kxe7 20. Qg5+ Kf8 21. c4 Rg8 22. Qf4 $16) (17... c5 {was worth trying. White can develop a ferocious attack, but has to calculate very precisely.} 18. Bxg5 Bxg5 19. Qxg5 c4 20. Bf5 $1 exf5 21. Rae1 $3 { A remarkable follow-up. Such quiet moves, when you just sacrificed a piece, are very difficult for a human player to make.} (21. e6 $2 fxe6 22. Rxe6 Ne5 $13) 21... Rg8 22. Qxh4 Rg6 (22... Nb8 $2 23. e6 $1 Bxe6 24. Nb6 $1 Qxb6 25. Rxe6 fxe6 26. Qf6+ Ke8 27. Rxe6+ Qxe6 28. Qxe6+ Kf8 29. Qxf5+ Kg7 30. Qxd5 $18) 23. e6 Nf6 24. Qh8+ Ng8 25. exf7 Kxf7 (25... Qxf7 26. Qd4 Rc6 27. Nb6 Rb8 28. Nxd5 {White has already three pawns for a piece and his attack is in full swing.}) 26. Re8 Qd6 27. Nb6 Bd7 (27... Qxb6 $2 28. R1e7+ $1 Nxe7 29. Qf8+ Ke6 30. Qxe7#) 28. Rxa8 Qxb6 $16) (17... Nxe5 $5 {was an interesting possibility to change the unfortunate course of the game.} 18. Rxe5 Qxe5 19. Bc3 Qf4 20. Qxf4 gxf4 21. Bxh8 f6 {Black has lost a piece, but White's dark-squared bishop is locked in and will be captured soon.} 22. Nb6 Rb8 23. Bxa6 $1 Rxb6 24. Bxc8 Kf7 25. Re1 {Provoking e6-e5 in order to weaken the light squares.} e5 26. Rb1 Kg8 27. Bxf6 Bxf6 28. a4 e4 29. b4 Bc3 30. b5 {White is a pawn up, but opposite coloured bishops yield Black chances to hold.}) 18. Rae1 c5 19. c4 $16 dxc4 ({White keeps a big advantage also after} 19... d4 20. Qh5 Bb7 21. b3 { Later on the knight can be transferred to d3.}) 20. Bxc4 Bb7 21. h3 Rd8 22. Bc3 Nb8 23. Re3 Nc6 $2 (23... Rg7 $1 {was a necessary prophylactic move.} 24. Rd3 Rxd3 25. Bxd3 Nc6 {Black's position is not a piece of cake, but the fight is still on.}) 24. Bxe6 $1 {The decisive blow!} fxe6 (24... Nd4 25. Bf5 {leads to a position where White has a pawn and a compensation.}) 25. Rf3+ Ke8 ({After} 25... Kg7 26. Qh5 Rdf8 27. Rf6 $1 {is crushing.} Rxf6 (27... Bxf6 28. exf6+ Rxf6 29. Rxe6 $18) 28. exf6+ Bxf6 29. Qxg5+ $18 ({or} 29. Nxc5 $18 {[%CAl Gc5e6]})) 26. Qxe6 Rg7 27. Qh6 Nd4 28. e6 $1 {The most precise and effective.} Nxf3+ 29. gxf3 Bf8 (29... Rg8 30. Qh5+ Kf8 31. Qf7#) 30. Qh5+ Ke7 31. Bxg7 (31. Bxg7 Bxg7 32. Qf7+ Kd6 33. e7 {is more than enough.}) 1-0 [Event "Bucharest m"] [Site "Bucharest"] [Date "2006.04.09"] [Round "4"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Nisipeanu, Liviu Dieter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B65"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2693"] [Annotator "Kritz,L"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2006.04.06"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [SourceTitle "CBM 113"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.07.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.07.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. O-O-O O-O (8... Qb6 {Sehr interessante Varianten entstehen nach} 9. Be3 $5 (9. f3 {sichert den stabilen Vorteil} Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Rxd4 a6 $14 {->7.... Qb6}) (9. Nb3 O-O 10. f3 Rd8 11. Nb5 Rd7 12. Qe1 a6 13. N5d4 $14) 9... Ng4 $8 { Mit einer Folge von einigen Zügen kann sich Schwarz ins Remis retten:} 10. Nxc6 (10. Ndb5 Nxe3 11. Qxe3 Qxe3+ 12. fxe3 O-O 13. Nxd6 Rd8 $44) 10... Nxe3 ( 10... Qxc6 $4 11. Bb5 $18) 11. Nxe7 Nxd1 12. Na4 (12. Bb5+ $2 Kxe7 13. Qg5+ Kf8 14. Rxd1 a6 $17) 12... Qxf2 (12... Qc7 13. Nxc8 Rxc8 14. Bb5+ Ke7 15. Rxd1 $18) 13. Qxd6 Bd7 $1 (13... Ne3 14. Bb5+ Bd7 15. Bxd7+ Kf8 16. Ng6+ Kg8 17. Qf8+ Rxf8 18. Ne7#) 14. Nc5 Ne3 $1 15. Qxd7+ (15. Bd3 Qxg2 16. Qxd7+ Kf8 {->15.Qd7}) 15... Kf8 16. Bd3 Qxg2 17. Re1 (17. Nxe6+ fxe6 18. Re1 Qg5 $15) 17... Qf2 ( 17... Qg5 $2 18. Qxb7 Rd8 19. Nc6 Ng2+ 20. Kb1 Nxe1 21. Nd7+ Kg8 (21... Ke8 22. Nde5 Qf6 23. Nxd8 $18) 22. h4 $3 Qxh4 23. Nde5 $18) 18. Rd1 (18. Rh1 Qg2 $11) 18... Nxd1 19. Qd6 Qe3+ 20. Kxd1 Qg1+ 21. Ke2 (21. Kd2 Qg5+ 22. Kd1 Qxe7 $19) 21... Qg2+ 22. Ke1 Qg1+ $11) 9. f4 (9. f3 a6 10. h4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 b5 12. Kb1 $132 {Ist die andere Hauptvariante, die zu kompliziertem Spiel, ähnlich dem Englischen Angriff im Najdorf, führt.}) 9... Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. h4 $5 { Ein sehr seltener Zug, der anscheinend die Wirkung eines Überraschungseffektes hatte - nach wenigen Zügen stand Weiß fast schon auf Gewinn.} (11. Bc4 {ist die uralte klassische Variante.} Bd7 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 (13. Qxe5 Qb6 14. Qe2 Bc6 $132) 13... Bc6 14. Bd2 Nd7 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. Rhe1 $14 {Die Stellung ist sehr kompliziert und wurde schon tausend Mal gespielt, allerdings hat Weiß hier etwas bessere Chancen.}) 11... e5 (11... h6 {Stellt keine konkrete Drohung auf, da das Nehmen auf g5 sehr gefährlich ist.} 12. Kb1 Rd8 13. Be2 (13. g4 $5) 13... a6 14. Bf3 b5 15. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 16. e5 dxe5 17. Qc5 Rb8 18. Ne4 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Bxh4 20. Nd6 $1 Qb6 ( 20... Bd7 21. Nb7 $18) 21. Qxb6 Rxb6 22. Nxc8 Rb8 23. Na7 exf4 24. Rd6 $16 { Dvoyris - Aseev (UDSR, 1990)}) 12. Qe3 exf4 $6 {Das sofortige Nehmen ist zweifelhaft. 12....Be6 kommt in Betracht.} (12... Be6 $5 13. f5 $5 (13. a3 exf4 14. Bxf4 {Hier entsteht die Stellung wie in der Partie, nur dass Weiß statt den d6 Bauer zu gewinnen, a3 gezogen hat. Was natürlich vorteilhaft für Schwarz ist.}) (13. Bxf6 $2 exf4 14. Qxf4 Bxf6 $17) 13... Bxa2 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. g4 $44) (12... h6 $2 13. Nd5 $1 (13. Bxf6 $2 exf4 $1 (13... Bxf6 14. f5 $16 ) 14. Qxf4 Bxf6 15. Rd5 Qc7 16. Qxd6 Qxd6 17. Rxd6 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Be6 $44) 13... Nxd5 $8 14. Rxd5 Bxg5 (14... Qc7 15. Qg3 $1 $16) 15. hxg5 Qxa2 16. gxh6 Qa1+ 17. Kd2 Bg4 18. Qg3 $1 Qd1+ 19. Ke3 Qc1+ 20. Rd2 exf4+ 21. Qxf4 Qe1+ 22. Kd3 f5 23. Kd4 $3 {/\Bc4} Qxe4+ 24. Qxe4 fxe4 25. Bc4+ Kh7 26. Ke3 $16) 13. Bxf4 Be6 ( 13... Rd8 14. h5 h6 (14... Bg4 15. Be2 $16) 15. Bc4 Bg4 16. Rdf1 Rac8 17. Bb3 $14 {Die weißen Figuren schauen alle in Richtung des schwarzen Königs, was ja sowieso sehr unangenehm ist. Und wenn man dann noch gegen Topalov spielt, dann sollte man solche Stellungen überhaupt vermeiden.}) 14. Bxd6 {Eiskalt!} Bxd6 (14... Ng4 15. Qf4 Bxd6 16. Rxd6 Rac8 17. Rxe6 Rxc3 (17... fxe6 18. Qxg4 $18) 18. bxc3 fxe6 19. Qxg4 Qxa2 20. Kd2 Rd8+ 21. Bd3 $18) 15. Rxd6 Rac8 ({Nach } 15... Bxa2 {war wohl} 16. Rxf6 $3 {geplant} gxf6 17. Rh3 Kh8 18. Qh6 Rg8 ( 18... Qe5 19. Nxa2 $18) 19. Qxf6+ Rg7 20. Rg3 Rag8 21. Rg5 $1 Qc7 22. Nxa2 $18) 16. a3 Rc6 {Der Turm auf d6 stört zwar sehr, aber wenn man ihn auf diese Art los wird, bleibt man einfach mit einem Minusbauern ohne kompensierendes Gegenspiel. Allerdings ist es auch nicht einfach, etwas anderes zu finden.} ( 16... Rfd8 17. Rxd8+ Rxd8 18. Be2 $16) (16... Rfe8 17. Be2 Bf5 18. Rd4 (18. Rxf6 $5 gxf6 19. Qg3+ Kh8 20. exf5 Rxc3 21. Qxc3 Qxc3 22. bxc3 Rxe2 23. Rd1 Rxg2 24. Rd7 $14) 18... Qb6 19. Bf3 $16) (16... Qe5 $5 17. Rd2 (17. Qd4 Qf4+ 18. Qd2 Qe5 19. Rd4 b5 $5 $13) 17... Rc5 18. Be2 $14) 17. Rxc6 bxc6 18. Be2 $16 {Schwarz hat zwar noch ein kleines Gegenspiel gegen den Bauern e4 und evtl. auf der b-Linie, das reicht aber nicht aus, um den weißen Mehrbauern vollständig zu kompensieren.} Nd7 19. Rd1 Qc7 20. g3 Rb8 21. Qd4 Qxg3 22. Qxa7 Nf6 23. Kb1 h5 24. a4 Bg4 25. Bxg4 hxg4 26. Qd4 Qxh4 27. e5 Nd5 28. Nxd5 cxd5 29. Rg1 Qh2 30. Rxg4 Rc8 31. Rxg7+ Kh8 32. Rg4 Rc4 33. Qd1 Rxg4 34. Qxg4 Qxe5 35. c3 Kh7 36. Qd4 Qe6 37. a5 f5 38. b4 Qe2 39. Qxd5 Kg6 40. Qd6+ Kg5 41. a6 f4 42. Qc5+ Kg4 43. a7 1-0 [Event "Amsterdam Euwe Memorial"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "1991.??.??"] [Round "4"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Salov, Valery"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2800"] [BlackElo "2645"] [Annotator "Salov,V"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "1991.05.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1991.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1991.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Blatny,P} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. c3 d5 (5... a6 6. Ba4 d5 7. exd5 Qxd5 8. d4 Bd7 9. Re1 Rd8 $6 10. c4 $1 Qxc4 11. Nbd2 $44 {Spassky,B - Timman,J, Amsterdam(m/1)1977}) 6. exd5 Qxd5 7. Re1 $1 {TN} (7. d4 cxd4 8. c4 Qd6 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Nc3 a6 12. Ba4 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Ne5 $10 { Timman-Sveshnikov,Wijk aan Zee 1981}) 7... Bd7 8. Na3 Ng6 (8... Nf5 $2 9. Bf1 Be7 $2 10. Nb5 Rc8 11. c4 $18) (8... a6 $6 {Blatny,P} 9. Nc4 $1 Nc8 (9... axb5 10. Nb6 Qd6 11. Nxa8 Na5 12. d4 c4 13. b4 cxb3 14. axb3 $18) 10. Bxc6 Bxc6 11. Nce5 Be7 12. c4 Qd6 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. Ne5 Qc7 15. Qa4+ Kf8 16. d4 $16 { Kaidanov-Petrienko,Minsk 1986}) 9. Bf1 Be7 10. d4 $1 cxd4 11. Nb5 Rc8 (11... O-O-O 12. cxd4 $13) 12. Nfxd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 a6 (13... e5 14. Nb5 $16) 14. g3 b5 $4 (14... e5 $2 15. Nf5 $1 Qxd1 16. Nxg7+ Kf8 17. Rxd1 Bg4 18. Bh6 Kg8 19. Rd2 Bf8 20. h3 $18) (14... Qd6 $5 15. Nf5 Qxd1 16. Nxg7+ Kf8 17. Rxd1 Bc6 18. Bh6 Kg8 19. Nh5 Bf3 $13) (14... Qc5 $5) 15. Bg2 $4 (15. a4 $1 Bf6 (15... bxa4 16. Bxa6 Rb8 17. c4 $1 $16) 16. Nxe6 $1 Qxd1 17. Nxg7+ Kd8 (17... Kf8 18. Rxd1 Bg4 19. f3 $1 $18) 18. Rxd1 Bxg7 19. axb5 axb5 20. Bxb5 Rc7 21. Bg5+ $18) 15... Qc5 {Now Black is back in the game. Oof!} 16. h4 Bf6 $8 17. Be3 Qc7 18. Nf5 (18. h5 Ne7 19. h6 O-O 20. hxg7 Bxg7 21. Qh5 e5 $132) 18... O-O 19. Nd6 Rcd8 $8 20. Nb7 Rc8 $8 21. Nd6 (21. Nc5 Bc6 22. Nxa6 Qb7 $44) 21... Rcd8 22. Nb7 Rc8 23. h5 $1 {Does he really want to win?} Ne5 $8 (23... Bc6 $2 24. Bxc6 Qxc6 25. Na5 Qc7 26. hxg6 Qxa5 27. gxf7+ Rxf7 28. Qd6 $16 {Kindly proposed by the world champion in the post-mortem.}) 24. Bf4 Bc6 25. Bxc6 Qxc6 26. Bxe5 Bxe5 27. Rxe5 Qxb7 28. h6 Qe7 $8 (28... g6 $2 29. Qd4 Rc4 30. Rxb5 $1 $18) (28... Rfd8 $6 29. Qg4 g6 30. Qg5 Qf3 31. Rc5 $1 $16) 29. hxg7 Rfd8 30. Qe2 (30. Qf3 {Blatny,P} Rd2 31. Kg2 Rc5 32. Rxc5 Qxc5 33. Rh1) 30... Rc5 $1 $10 31. a4 Rxe5 32. Qxe5 bxa4 33. Qe4 Qc5 34. Rxa4 a5 (34... Rd1+ 35. Kg2 Qh5 36. Qa8+ Kxg7 37. Rh4 Qd5+ $10) 35. Qe2 Qg5 36. Rf4 Rd7 37. Qf3 Qd5 38. Qxd5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 2nd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2014.09.04"] [Round "8"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B36"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2877"] [Annotator "Roiz,M"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2014.08.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "23"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a5 ({The most popular continuations here are} 10... Be6) ({and} 10... Qa5 {but the text move is also well known.}) 11. b3 { Restricting Black's activity on the queenside.} ({Another way to handle the position was shown by 13th World Champion:} 11. Be2 a4 12. O-O Qa5 13. Rac1 Bd7 (13... Be6 $5) 14. c5 Bc6 15. cxd6 Rfd8 16. Nb1 Qxd2 17. Nxd2 exd6 18. Nc4 d5 19. Nb6 Ra5 20. e5 Nd7 21. f4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Kasparov,G (2825)-Alterman,B (2615)/ Tel Aviv 1998/CBM 065/[Tsesarsky] (25)}) 11... a4 $6 {This move is quite risky from a strategic point of view: the a-pawn may become a target, while Black has a couple of weak squares on the queenside.} ({In the following recent game Black had a solid, but rather passive position:} 11... Bd7 12. Be2 Bc6 13. O-O Nd7 14. Rfd1 Nc5 15. Rac1 Qb6 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. cxd5 Qb4 18. Rc2 Qxd2 19. Bxd2 $14 {1-0 Khismatullin,D (2671)-Vorobiov,E (2587)/Vladivostok RUS 2014}) ({ The most reasonable setup is connected with:} 11... Be6 12. Rb1 (12. Be2 $5 Nd7 13. O-O Nc5 14. Rac1) 12... Nd7 13. Be2 Nc5 14. O-O Qb6 15. Rfc1 Rfc8 16. Kh1 ( 16. Nd5 $5 {deserves a serious attention, but after} Bxd5 17. cxd5 Qb4 { Black is a tempo up compared to Khismatullin-Vorobiov,2014.}) 16... Qb4 17. Bg5 a4 18. Bxe7 axb3 19. axb3 Nxb3 $11 {1/2-1/2 Van Wely,L (2691)-Iturrizaga,E (2627)/Istanbul TUR 2012 (122)}) 12. b4 Be6 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Be2 {Fabiano is not in a hurry.} ({Black's position also looks unpleasant after} 14. Nd5 f5 ( 14... a3 15. Nf4 Rc8 16. Be2 $14) 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Be2 $14) 14... Nb6 15. Nb5 $5 $146 {This ambitious continuation is a novelty. Having a serious space advantage, White wants to keep as many pieces as it possible.} ({In the preceding game Black was able to defend an inferior position after:} 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Bd7 17. a3 (17. O-O a3 18. c5 dxc5 19. bxc5 $14) 17... e6 18. dxe6 Bxe6 19. O-O d5 20. c5 d4 21. Bf2 Qd7 22. Bd3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Felgaer,R (2586)-Cuenca Jimenez,J (2477)/La Massana AND 2013}) 15... a3 {Desperately looking for any kind of counterplay.} ({After} 15... Rc8 16. Na3 f5 17. exf5 gxf5 18. O-O $16 {Black's position lacks any active ideas.}) 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. h4 $1 {Once again, Caruana chooses the most ambitious way to handle the position.} (17. O-O Na4 18. f4 Qc7 19. Kh1 $14 {was a quiet alternative. White maintains a stable advantage.}) 17... h5 (17... e6 18. h5 Qe7 19. Nb3 $16 {followed by 20.c5 is extremely unpleasant.}) 18. g4 $1 {Now Black is under a direct attack. } hxg4 19. fxg4 ({Correcty deviating from} 19. h5 e5 20. Nb3 gxf3 21. Bxf3 Be6 22. Qh2 Nd7 $132) 19... e5 {This is an obvious positional concession, but Magnus had no choice.} (19... Be5 20. h5 Na4 21. Nf3 $40) 20. Nb3 (20. Nb5 $5 { also deserved serious attention:} Bxb5 21. cxb5 d5 22. h5 d4 23. Bh6 $36) 20... Bc6 21. Bf3 f5 {Now Black's king is exposed, but Black cannot sit and wait anymore.} 22. gxf5 (22. Na5 $5 Rxa5 (22... f4 23. Bf2 Qc7 24. h5 $16) 23. bxa5 Na4 24. gxf5 gxf5 25. Bg5 $16) 22... gxf5 23. Na5 {Keeping an eye on the light-squared bishop.} f4 (23... Rxa5 24. bxa5 Na4 25. Bg5 {leads to a position from the previous note. Black has some practical chances, but objectively there is no compensation for an exchange.}) 24. Bf2 $16 {White's monarch feels quite safe now, while Black has numerous weaknesses.} Na4 25. Nxc6 (25. Rg1 Kh8 26. Ke2 Bf6 27. h5 $16) 25... bxc6 26. O-O {Caruana doesn't mind spending some time on removing his king from the centre.} ({Also good enough was} 26. h5 Bf6 27. Rg1+ Kh8 28. Ke2 $16) 26... c5 {In such a difficult situation, Magnus is trying to fix the pawn structure in order to set up some kind of blockade.} (26... Bf6 27. Kh1 Kh8 (27... Bxh4 $2 28. Rg1+ Kh8 29. Rg2 $18) 28. Rg1 Qe7 29. Rg2 Rf7 (29... Rg8 30. Bg4 Rg7 31. Rcg1 Rag8 32. Qe2 $16) 30. Bg4 Rh7 31. Bf5 Rh6 32. b5 Bxh4 33. Rh2 $16) (26... Rf6 27. Kh1 Rh6 28. Rg1 Kh8 29. Rg2 Bf6 30. h5 $16) 27. b5 Bf6 28. Kh1 Nb6 $2 {This could be a decisive mistake.} ({A better move was} 28... Ra7 $142 29. Rg1+ Kh8 30. h5 Nb6 31. Rg6 Rg8 32. Bg4 Rag7 33. Bf5 $16) ({The pawn was untouchable:} 28... Bxh4 29. Rg1+ Kh8 30. Rg2 {with a decisive attack.}) 29. Rcd1 $2 {Wrong rook!} ({ Fabiano misses a clear win:} 29. Rfd1 $1 Be7 30. Bxc5 Kh8 31. Bf2 Bxh4 $140 32. Bxb6 Qxb6 33. Qxd6 $18 {and the 2 strong passed pawns will decide the game.}) 29... Kh8 $1 30. Qxd6 $6 {Underestimating Black's defensive resources in the resulting endgame.} ({After} 30. Bg4 Bxh4 31. Qxd6 Qxd6 32. Rxd6 Bxf2 33. Rxb6 Be3 $14 {Black gets excellent drawish chances.}) ({It was still possible to pose serious problems by means of} 30. Be2 $1 Be7 31. Rg1 Rf6 32. Qd3 Qd7 33. Qf3 $36) 30... Qxd6 31. Rxd6 Nxc4 {[%CAl Gc4e3] The knight is heading to e3, forcing White to exchange the dark-squared bishop.} 32. Rd5 (32. Rd7 {also achieves nothing special:} Rad8 33. Bxc5 (33. Rfd1 Ne3 34. Bxe3 fxe3 35. Be2 c4 36. Rxd8 (36. Bxc4 Rc8 37. Bd3 Bxh4 $11) 36... Rxd8 37. Rxd8+ Bxd8 38. Bxc4 Bxh4 39. b6 Bd8 40. b7 Bc7 $11) 33... Rxd7 34. Bxf8 Rd2 35. Rc1 Ne3 36. b6 Rxa2 37. Bxa3 Rxa3 38. b7 Rb3 39. Rc8+ Kg7 40. b8=Q Rxb8 41. Rxb8 Bxh4 $11) 32... Ne3 33. Bxe3 fxe3 34. Be2 Bxh4 {Magnus should be happy with his position at this moment.} 35. Rf5 ({After} 35. Rxf8+ Rxf8 36. Rd3 {the easiest way is} c4 $1 37. Rxe3 Rc8 38. Rc3 (38. Rxa3 c3 39. Bd3 Bf2 40. Bc2 Bd4 41. Rb3 Rf8 $11) 38... Be1 39. Rxc4 Rxc4 40. Bxc4 Ba5 $11) 35... Rxf5 36. exf5 Rd8 $11 { Liquidating into a drawish bishop endgame.} 37. Rxd8+ (37. Rxe5 Rd2 38. Rxe3 Rxa2 $11) 37... Bxd8 38. Kg2 Kg7 39. Kf3 Kf6 40. Ke4 c4 41. Bxc4 Bb6 42. Bd3 ({ A draw was agreed in view of} 42. Bd3 Bd4 43. Kd5 Ba7 44. Kc6 e4 45. Be2 Kxf5 46. b6 Bxb6 47. Kxb6 Kf4 48. Kc5 Kg3 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2015.01.16"] [Round "6"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B31"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Stohl,I"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2015.01.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 165"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 {Magnus is in a fighting mood - no Berlin after beating Aronian the day before!} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {On the other hand Caruana lost to Wojtaszek and is in a different frame of mind - no Open Sicilian either!} (3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 {The last game between our 2 protagonists featured} g6 ({Carlsen hasn't played Sveshnikov structures with Black since 2010. In Wijk he faced} 4... e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Be7 (6... g6 $5 7. Be3 Be6 8. N1c3 a6 9. Na3 Nf6 10. Be2 Bg7 11. Nc2 Rc8 12. Rc1 O-O 13. O-O Ne7 14. Na3 Nc6 15. Re1 Nd4 16. f3 Qb6 17. Rb1 Nxe2+ 18. Rxe2 Qb4 19. Rd2 Rfd8 20. c5 Qa5 21. Rxd6 Bf8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Qe2 Bxc5 $15 {Ivanchuk,V (2715)-Jobava,B (2727)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3 Be6 9. Nc2 Bg5 10. Be2 Bxc1 11. Rxc1 Nf6 12. O-O O-O 13. Qd2 Qb6 14. Rfd1 Rfd8 15. b3 h6 (15... Rac8 {is a more standard setup.}) 16. h3 Qa7 17. Bf3 Ne7 18. Ne3 Nc6 19. Bg4 Nd4 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. Nc2 Nxc2 22. Rxc2 Rd7 23. Qe2 Rad8 24. Rd3 $11 {/+/=, Carlsen,M (2862)-Hou,Y (2673)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/ White has a very slight edge due to his more flexible pawn structure, but he managed to increase his pressure only in the late middlegame.}) 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a5 11. b3 a4 $6 ({Risky, as the pawn will be vulnerable. The solid move is} 11... Be6 12. Rb1 Nd7 13. Be2 Nc5 14. O-O Qb6 15. Rfc1 Rfc8 {then} 16. Kh1 Qb4 17. Bg5 a4 $1 18. Bxe7 axb3 19. axb3 Nxb3 $11 {Van Wely,L (2691)-Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2627)/Istanbul olm/2012/ /\} 20. Qd1 Bxc4 21. Bxc4 Qxc4 22. Rxb3 Qxb3 $1 23. Qxb3 Rxc3 {[%CAl Rc3c1,Ra8a1] wins the Q back.}) 12. b4 {[%csl Ra4]} Be6 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Be2 Nb6 15. Nb5 $5 $146 ({ More ambitious than} 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 $14) 15... a3 (15... Rc8 16. Na3 $14 ) 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. h4 $1 h5 18. g4 hxg4 19. fxg4 e5 20. Nb3 (20. Nb5 $5) 20... Bc6 (20... Na4 21. h5 Be6 $14) ({or} 20... Be6 {are engine suggestions, but they seem too passive. Carlsen seeks central counterplay, but doesn't equalise either.}) 21. Bf3 f5 22. gxf5 gxf5 23. Na5 $1 f4 24. Bf2 $36 {[%csl Rd6,Rg8] Caruana,F (2801)-Carlsen,M (2877)/Saint Louis/2014/ For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 162 by Roiz.}) ({Magnus uses the bishop sortie himself:} 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Qc7 (4... e5 5. O-O ({Rather soft; a more critical line is} 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nxe5 Nxe4 7. Nxe4 Qd5 8. Qe2 Qxe5 9. f4 $13) 5... d6 6. d3 Be7 7. Bg5 O-O 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. Nd5 Be6 10. Bc4 g6 11. c3 Bg7 12. a3 Kh8 ( 12... Ne7 $5 $11) 13. b4 f5 14. Rb1 b6 $6 {Caruana,F (2774)-Carlsen,M (2864)/ Moscow blitz/2013/} 15. Nxb6 axb6 16. Bxe6 Rxa3 17. bxc5 bxc5 18. Rb3 $14 { [%csl Ge6,Rg7]}) 5. O-O Nd4 6. Re1 a6 7. Bc4 b5 8. Nd5 Nxd5 9. Bxd5 Rb8 10. Nxd4 cxd4 11. d3 e6 12. Bb3 Bd6 13. Qh5 Bb7 14. f4 Bxf4 15. Bxf4 Qxf4 16. Rf1 Qe3+ 17. Kh1 O-O 18. Rf3 Qh6 19. Qe5 a5 20. a4 Bc6 21. axb5 Rxb5 22. Qxd4 Qd2 $11 {Carlsen,M (2862)-Saric,I (2666)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 3... g6 {The most usual move, but in the past Carlsen has slso played other standard alternatives:} (3... e6 {became more fashionable after Anand-Gelfand in 2012 After} 4. O-O ({Anand preferred} 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. d3 ({or} 5. b3)) 4... Nge7 { Caruana's specialty is the rare} 5. d4 $5 (5. c3 {is played very often.}) ({ The same goes for} 5. Re1 Ng6 (5... a6 $142 6. Bf1 d5 $132) 6. c3 d5 7. Qa4 Be7 8. d4 O-O $5 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Nbd2 Be7 12. Nc4 Qd8 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Nd4 c5 15. Nc6 Qc7 16. Nxe7+ Nxe7 17. Qa5 Qxa5 18. Nxa5 Ba6 19. Bg5 Rfe8 20. Rad1 h6 21. Bxe7 Rxe7 22. c4 Kf8 23. Rd6 Bb7 24. Red1 Ke8 {Wang,H (2752) -Carlsen,M (2861)/Wijk aan Zee/2013/} 25. a3 $14 {[%CAl Yb2b4]}) 5... cxd4 6. Nxd4 Ng6 (6... Qb6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Ng6 9. c4 Be7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Rb1 Qc7 12. Be3 e5 $6 (12... Nf4 13. Bc2 e5 $14 {/~~ Caruana}) 13. g3 $1 d6 14. b4 Be6 15. Qd2 Rac8 16. b5 Bd8 17. Rfc1 Qd7 18. bxc6 Rxc6 19. Nd5 $36 {Caruana,F (2779)-Gelfand,B (2764)/Elancourt/2013/ For more details see the notes by Caruana in CBM 157.}) 7. Be3 (7. Be2 Bc5 $5 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. c4 d6 10. Nc3 a6 11. Kh1 e5 12. Nd5 Ba7 13. Bg4 O-O 14. Bxc8 Rxc8 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Nxe3 Nge7 17. Rc1 a5 18. c5 dxc5 19. Nxc5 Nd4 20. Qd3 Qd6 $11 {Caruana,F (2839)-Nakamura,H (2767) /London rpd/2014/}) 7... Be7 8. Be2 O-O 9. c4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Bf6 11. Qd2 b6 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. f3 Qe7 14. a4 Rad8 15. Ra3 Be5 16. a5 f5 $6 (16... bxa5 $13 {/\} 17. Rxa5 d5 {[%CAl Re5h2,Re7c7]}) (16... Bd6 17. Rb3 Bc5 $132) 17. axb6 axb6 18. exf5 Rxf5 19. Bd3 Rh5 20. h3 Bb8 21. Bxg6 hxg6 22. Bxb6 Rf8 23. Ne2 Rh4 24. Qd3 Kh7 25. Bf2 $14 {/+/-, Caruana,F (2779)-Radjabov,T (2723) /Bucharest/2013/ For details see the notes to this game by Rogozenco in CBM 157.}) (3... d6 { Nowadays more topical is} 4. O-O (4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. e5 $5 (5. O-O e5 6. c3 Nf6 7. Re1 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 ({The simple} 8... Bxf3 {is quite solid:} 9. Qxf3 Be7 10. d3 O-O 11. Nd2 Ne8 12. Nc4 Nc7 13. b4 cxb4 14. cxb4 Ne6 15. Be3 Qd7 16. Rac1 Rfc8 17. Rc2 Rab8 18. a3 Bd8 19. Rec1 Bb6 20. Qg4 {Rublevsky,S (2679)-Tregubov, P (2599)/Krasnoyarsk/2007/} Bxe3 21. fxe3 c5 $11) 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nd7 11. Be3 Be7 12. Nbd2 O-O (12... exd4 13. Bxd4 O-O 14. Nf1 $14) 13. Qc2 Qc7 14. Rac1 Rfc8 15. Qd3 Qb7 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Rc3 Rab8 18. Rec1 {Palac,M (2604)-Tomic,B (2418)/Sarajevo/2012/} c5 $132) 5... Bg4 (5... d5 6. h3 $5 $14 {gives White excellent practical results}) 6. h3 Bh5 7. O-O e6 (7... dxe5 8. g4 e4 $13) 8. Re1 (8. d3 d5 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. Re1 Nc8 $1 11. Qe2 Nb6 12. b3 Be7 13. Bb2 O-O 14. Nb1 a5 15. a4 c4 $1 16. dxc4 dxc4 17. Rd1 Qb8 18. Nbd2 cxb3 19. cxb3 Nd5 20. Rac1 Qb6 $15 {Kabanov,N (2502)-Caruana,F (2767)/EU-ch Plovdiv/2012/}) (8. exd6 $142) 8... Ne7 (8... d5 $5) 9. exd6 Nd5 10. d3 Bxd6 11. Nbd2 O-O {and Black's piece play should compensate for his split pawns:} 12. Nc4 (12. Ne4 h6 13. Ng3 Bg6 14. Ne4 Bh5 15. Ng3 Bg6 16. Ne4 {½, Rabiega,R (2501)-Boensch,U (2540)/ Austria/2002/}) 12... Bc7 13. Qe2 Kh8 14. Bd2 Nb4 15. Bxb4 cxb4 16. Qe3 Qd5 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nfe5 Rfe8 19. Qf3 f6 20. Nxg6+ hxg6 21. Re4 f5 22. gxf5 exf5 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Qxd5 cxd5 25. Ne3 {Caruana,F (2757)-Gelfand,B (2740)/Zuerich blitz/2013/} d4 $132 {[%CAl Ye8e2]}) 4... Bd7 (4... Bg4 $5 5. h3 Bh5 {is for the more aggressively minded.}) 5. Re1 Nf6 ({After} 5... a6 {Black must also reckon with} 6. Bxc6 $5 Bxc6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Rc8 9. c4 Nf6 10. Nc3 Bd7 11. b3 b5 12. Bg5 bxc4 13. Nd5 h6 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Qf3 h5 16. h3 Bh6 17. Nf5 Bf8 18. bxc4 e6 19. Rab1 Bc6 20. Qc3 $18 {Anand,V (2793)-Nakamura,H (2775)/London blitz/2014/}) 6. c3 (6. h3 e6 7. c3 d5 $5 8. d3 (8. e5 $2 Nxe5) 8... a6 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bc2 dxe4 11. dxe4 e5 12. a4 Be7 13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Bg5 Be6 16. Na3 b4 17. Nb1 $6 (17. cxb4 cxb4 18. Nb5 Qb8 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Bd3 O-O 21. Nh4 Rd8 $13) 17... O-O 18. Ba4 h6 19. Bh4 Rd8 20. Nbd2 g5 21. Bg3 Nd7 22. Bb3 Nf8 23. Qc2 f6 24. Nc4 Qa6 {Bologan,V (2732)-Carlsen,M (2837)/Biel/2012/} 25. Nfd2 $11) 6... a6 7. Bf1 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 g6 10. d3 Bg7 11. Be3 Nd7 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Qd1 b5 14. Nf3 b4 15. Qa4 Qc7 16. d4 Rfb8 17. Rab1 e6 (17... Na7 $6 18. cxb4 Rxb4 19. Qc2 Nc6 20. dxc5 dxc5 21. a3 Rb7 22. Rec1 $36 {Efimenko,Z (2649)-Markos,J (2590)/Slovakia/2014/}) (17... a5 $5 18. Rec1 Qb7 19. Qd1 Rc8 20. Bc4 Nb6 21. Bf1 Nd7 22. Bc4 Nb6 {½, Haug,J (2121)-Lissang,C (2273)/ Stockholm/2014/}) 18. Rec1 (18. Qc2 a5 19. a4 Rc8 20. Bb5 bxc3 21. bxc3 cxd4 22. cxd4 Qb7 23. Qd1 Nb4 24. d5 exd5 25. exd5 Qc7 $132 {Partenie,M (2130) -Ulbig,S/email/2011/}) 18... Ra7 19. Qd1 a5 20. Bf4 bxc3 21. bxc3 Rxb1 22. Rxb1 cxd4 23. cxd4 Nxd4 24. Nxd4 Bxd4 25. Qxd4 e5 26. Qd2 exf4 27. Qxf4 $14 { Ottesen,S (2399)-Hansen,L (2182)/email/2010/}) (3... Nf6 4. e5 ({More usual is } 4. Nc3 {- 3.Nc3}) 4... Nd5 5. O-O (5. Nc3 Nc7 $132) 5... g6 6. c3 Bg7 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nc7 9. Nc3 Nxb5 10. Nxb5 O-O 11. Bf4 a6 12. Nc3 d6 13. exd6 exd6 14. h3 d5 15. Re1 Be6 16. Qd2 Re8 17. Re2 Qb6 18. Rae1 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. Qxd4 Bxd4 21. Nxd5 Rac8 22. Bd6 Kh8 23. Nc7 Red8 24. Nxe6 Rxd6 $11 {Zvjaginsev, V (2636)-Bacrot,E (2722)/Moscow/2009/}) 4. Bxc6 {Caruana mostly plays the text move.} ({The main alternative is} 4. O-O Bg7 5. Re1 (5. c3 Nf6 {is usually just a transposition}) 5... Nf6 6. c3 (6. e5 Nd5 7. Nc3 Nc7 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Ne4 Ne6 (9... b6 10. Nf6+ Kf8 11. Ne4 h6 12. d3 g5 $5 (12... Kg8 13. h3 Kh7 $132) 13. Ng3 Be6 14. Qe2 Qd5 15. c4 Qd7 16. b3 f5 17. exf6 exf6 18. Bb2 Re8 19. Qc2 h5 20. Re3 h4 21. Ne4 Rh6 22. Rae1 h3 23. g3 Bf7 $13 {Rapport,R (2693) -Moiseenko,A (2699)/Biel/2013/}) 10. d3 O-O 11. Be3 b6 12. Qd2 Nd4 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. Bh6 c5 15. h4 Qd5 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Ng3 Bb7 18. f3 Qe6 19. b3 { ½, Bacrot,E (2714)-Moiseenko,A (2699)/W Cup Tromsoe/2013/}) 6... O-O 7. h3 (7. d4 d5 8. e5 Ne4 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nbd2 cxd4 11. cxd4 c5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Nb3 Nxb3 14. Qxb3 Bg4 15. Nd4 Qb6 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. b3 Rfc8 18. a4 Bd7 19. f4 e6 20. Ba3 Bh6 21. g3 g5 22. Ra2 b5 $132 {Vegjeleki,A (2224)-Latronico,N (2441)/ email/2010/}) 7... Qb6 $5 (7... e5 8. d3 d6 9. a3 {[%CAl Yb2b4] is perhaps slightly more promising for White.}) 8. Ba4 (8. Bf1 e5 9. d3 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Qb3 Qxb3 12. axb3 Rd8 13. g3 f6 14. Nbd2 Nc7 15. Nc4 Bf5 16. Rd1 Be6 17. Be3 Bf8 18. Nfd2 Nd5 19. Re1 Bf7 20. g4 b6 $15 {Kamsky,G (2741)-Christiansen,L (2579)/USA-ch Saint Louis/2013/}) 8... Rd8 9. d3 (9. d4 d5 $1 10. e5 Ne4 $132) 9... d5 10. e5 Nd7 11. d4 Nf8 $1 12. Na3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bf5 14. Be3 Ne6 15. Qd2 Be4 16. Ng5 $1 (16. Rad1 $2 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Rac8 18. f4 Kh8 19. Bb5 Bh6 20. Be2 Ng7 21. Nb5 Nf5 22. Nc3 e6 23. Bg4 Nh4 24. Kh1 Rg8 $40 {[%csl Rh1][%CAl Yg6g5] Muminova,N (2315)-Hou,Y (2661)/Sharjah/2014/ After thorough preparation Black gradually broke through on the kingside.}) 16... Nxg5 17. Bxg5 f6 $11 {Hou Yifan}) 4... dxc6 (4... bxc6 {is somewhat more risky, as was seen a few rounds later:} 5. O-O Bg7 6. Re1 Nf6 (6... Nh6 7. c3 O-O 8. d4 {also gives White chances to fight for an advantage}) 7. e5 Nd5 8. c4 Nc7 9. d4 cxd4 10. Qxd4 O-O (10... d6 11. Bh6 $1 $36) 11. Qh4 f6 12. Nc3 Ne6 13. Ne4 fxe5 14. Nfg5 Nxg5 15. Bxg5 Qb6 16. c5 $5 Qxb2 17. Rad1 $44 d5 $6 (17... Qxa2 $142 $5 {[%csl Ga7]}) 18. cxd6 exd6 19. Rxd6 Bf5 20. Nf6+ Bxf6 21. Bxf6 Rab8 $2 22. Qc4+ Rf7 23. Red1 Qb1 24. h3 {1-0, Van Wely,L (2667)-Hou,Y (2673)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 {[%mdl 32] White has swapped his light-squared B and places his pawns strategically on the light squares, Black continues developing naturally and a positional battle starts.} ({Carlsen is not attracted by} 6... b6 7. O-O e5 8. Be3 Ne7 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Nc4 f6 11. a3 a5 $2 {[%csl Ra5,Rb6]} (11... Nd5 $142 $1 $13) 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 b5 15. Ncd2 cxb4 16. Qa2+ Kh8 17. Bc5 g5 18. Ra1 Bd7 19. Qa5 Qe8 20. Qxb4 Rf7 21. Ra7 Bf8 22. d4 $16 { Caruana,F (2716)-Kuznetsov,V (2427)/RUS-chT Olginka/2011/}) 7. Nc3 b6 ({ Basically a useful move, but Black usually plays it a bit later, preferring} 7... O-O 8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 ({Caruana probably would have played} 9. O-O { , transposing to our game.}) 9... e5 10. Bh6 Qd6 11. O-O-O (11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. g3 $146 a5 13. Nh4 a4 14. a3 b5 15. Qe3 Rb8 16. f4 exf4 17. gxf4 Nh5 {[%csl Re1]} 18. Ne2 Qf6 19. Nf3 Qxb2 20. Kf2 Qf6 21. Rag1 b4 22. Qxc5 {Hansen,E (2577)-Saric,I (2680)/Doha/2014/} Nxf4 23. Nxf4 Qxf4 24. axb4 f5 $1 $36) 11... a5 12. Nh2 (12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. g4 a4 14. Ne2 b5 15. Ng3 b4 16. Qg5 Re8 17. Nd2 a3 18. bxa3 h6 19. Qe3 Be6 20. Nb3 Rxa3 21. Qxc5 Qb8 $40 {Shirov,A (2697)-Leko, P (2722)/Dortmund/2002/}) 12... a4 13. Ng4 Nh5 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Ne2 f6 16. g3 a3 17. b3 f5 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Qe3 Rae8 20. f3 Nf6 21. Nxf6 Qxf6 $132 { Pedersen,H (2527)-Serradimigni,R (2477)/email/2006/}) 8. Be3 ({Black gets in the central advance even after} 8. Bf4 Nd7 9. Qd2 h6 10. a3 e5 11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O h5 13. Rfb1 a5 14. b3 O-O 15. Bh6 Rd8 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qe3 Ba6 18. a4 Nf8 19. Ne2 Qf6 20. Ng5 Qd6 21. f4 exf4 22. Nxf4 Qd4 23. Re1 Ra7 24. Kh2 Qxe3 25. Rxe3 Re7 $11 {Chadaev,N (2574)-Alekseev,E (2691)/Irkutsk/2010/}) 8... e5 $6 { Strategically sound, but right now rather careless...} (8... O-O $142 9. O-O ( 9. Qd2 e5 {see 7...0-0 above}) 9... Ne8 (9... e5 $5 {leads back to the game}) 10. Qd2 e5 (10... Nc7 11. Bh6 Ne6 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. Ne2 $14) 11. Bh6 f6 12. Nh2 Qe7 13. Bxg7 Nxg7 14. f4 exf4 15. Qxf4 Ne6 16. Qh4 Nd4 17. Rf2 Rf7 18. Raf1 f5 19. Qf4 Be6 20. e5 g5 21. Qd2 c4 22. Rd1 cxd3 23. Qxd3 Rd8 $15 {Veinger,I (2597)-Wills,M (2500)/corr/1996/}) 9. O-O $6 ({White misses an opportunity to play} 9. Nxe5 $1 Nxe4 10. Qf3 $1 f5 11. Bf4 (11. Nxg6 $5 hxg6 12. dxe4 O-O 13. Qg3 $14) 11... Qe7 12. Nxc6 ({A simpler way is} 12. dxe4 Bxe5 13. O-O-O $1 $36) 12... Qe6 (12... Ng5+ $142 $1 13. Nxe7 (13. Qe3 Qxe3+ 14. fxe3 Nf7 {[%csl Rc6]} ) 13... Nxf3+ 14. gxf3 Kxe7 $44) 13. dxe4 Qxc6 14. Nd5 (14. O-O-O $142 $1 $14) 14... Kf7 15. O-O-O fxe4 16. Qxe4 Re8 17. Qf3 Bf5 18. Rhe1 Rad8 19. c4 Qa4 20. Qb3 Qxb3 21. axb3 Be4 22. f3 Bxd5 23. Rxe8 Kxe8 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. cxd5 Kd7 26. Kc2 b5 $2 (26... Bf6 {/\} 27. Bb8 Kc8 $11) 27. Bb8 $1 a6 28. f4 $18 {[%CAl Rb8e5] Macieja,B (2430)-Pyda,Z (2305)/Polanica Zdroj/1996/}) 9... O-O 10. a3 { As with Kuznetsov, Caruana concentrates on the queenside.} ({However, White far more often plays} 10. Qd2 Qd6 11. Bh6 Nh5 12. Ne2 (12. Rae1 f6 13. Ne2 Be6 14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. b3 a5 16. a4 Rfd8 17. Qe3 b5 18. Ra1 Bf7 19. Nh2 c4 $132 { Nijboer,F (2510)-Piket,J (2670)/Amsterdam/1995/}) 12... f6 13. b3 (13. a3 a5 14. Nh2 Ra7 15. Rad1 Be6 16. Bxg7 Rxg7 17. Ng4 Rd7 {½, Vachier Lagrave,M (2458)-Lautier,J (2666)/Val d'Isere/2004/}) (13. Bxg7 Nxg7 14. Nh2 Ne6 $11) 13... Be6 (13... g5 14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. Ng3 h5 16. h4 $1 Bg4 {Jansa,V (2449) -Zwardon,V (2383)/CZE-chT/2013/} 17. hxg5 {/\} Bxf3 18. g6 $1 $40) ({Lautier's } 13... a5 $5 {deserves attention even here.}) 14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. Qh6 Rad8 16. Nd2 Bc8 (16... Nh5 $142 $5) 17. f4 exf4 18. Rxf4 Qe5 19. Raf1 Qg5 20. Qxg5 fxg5 21. Rxf8+ Rxf8 22. Nc4 Rxf1+ 23. Kxf1 $14 {Magem Badals,J (2573)-Alsina Leal,D (2531)/Barcelona/2011/}) 10... Qe7 (10... Qd6 $5) 11. Qb1 $146 (11. Qe2 $6 { only helps Black in improving his knight with} Nh5 12. Rfb1 Nf4 13. Qd2 Ne6 $11 {/=/+, Fougerit,V (2233)-Desbonnes,S (2332)/France /2009/}) (11. Qd2 {also prepares queenside activity:} Nh5 12. b4 $1 cxb4 13. axb4 Qxb4 14. Rfb1 $14 { [%CAl Rb1b6,Re3b6] wins the pawn back with an edge.}) 11... Nh5 $5 {Carlsen wants to develop his own play on the opposite flank.} (11... a5 12. Na4 $5 { [%csl Rb6]} (12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 cxb4 15. Na4 Nd7 16. Nxb6 Nxb6 17. Bxb6 Bb7 18. Qa5 Ra8 19. Qc5 Qxc5 20. Bxc5 Ra2 $11)) (11... Rd8 $5 { Korotylev, /\} 12. b4 c4 $1 13. dxc4 Ba6 $11 14. Qb3 (14. b5 $2 cxb5 15. cxb5 Bb7) 14... Qe6 15. Nd2 Rxd2 16. Bxd2 Bxc4 $11) 12. b4 f5 $6 {This seems too hasty, as it gives White a free hand on the queenside.} (12... Nf4 $142 $1 13. bxc5 bxc5 $13 {[%CAl Yf4e6,Yf7f5] improves the knight, f5 can come later.}) 13. bxc5 f4 14. Bd2 bxc5 (14... Qxc5 15. Qb3+ Kh8 16. Qb4 $36 {swaps queens and quashes Black's attacking ambitions.}) 15. Qb3+ {Very direct and logical.} ({ The engines recommend} 15. Qb2 Be6 16. Na4 $14 {[%csl Rc5,Re5][%CAl Yb2c3, Ya4b2]} (16. Rfb1 $5 {is also interesting, stopping Rab8.})) 15... Be6 16. Qa4 Rac8 ({After} 16... Qd7 $5 {[%CAl Ye6h3] White should probably play the prophylactic} 17. Kh2 $5 $14 (17. Ng5 c4 18. Qa6 f3 $5 $132)) 17. Qa5 (17. Qa6 $142 $5 g5 18. Rfb1 {[%CAl Yb1b7] forces Black to lose a tempo with} Rf7 19. Na4 g4 20. hxg4 Bxg4 21. Qc4 $36) 17... g5 $1 {[%mdl 640] Carlsen throws caution (and a pawn) to the winds and concentrates on his attack.} ({After} 17... c4 18. Na4 c5 19. Nb2 $14 {Black must defend his weaknesses.}) 18. Na4 ({ Consistent,} 18. Nh2 c4 $132 {is a concession.}) 18... g4 19. hxg4 Bxg4 20. Qxc5 Qf6 21. Nh2 $6 {Gives the attack a new impulse.} (21. Rfb1 Qg6 22. Kf1 Ng3+ $1 23. Ke1 (23. fxg3 fxg3 {/\} 24. Ke2 Qh5 25. Rf1 Qh2 26. Qg1 Rxf3 $1 $19 ) 23... Nxe4 $5 24. Qc4+ Be6 25. Qxe4 Bf5 (25... Qxg2 $2 26. Ke2 Bd5 27. Rg1) 26. Qc4+ (26. Qe2 Qxg2 $44 {|^}) 26... Be6 $11 {and repetition seems to be a logical outcome.}) (21. Rfe1 Rf7 $5 $13 {[%CAl Yg7f8,Yg8h8,Yc8g8]} (21... Qg6 22. Kf1 Ng3+ 23. fxg3 fxg3 24. Ke2 Qh5 25. Kd1 $1 $16)) 21... f3 $1 22. Nxg4 $8 (22. gxf3 $2 Bxf3 $19) (22. g3 $6 Bh3 $36 (22... Qg6 $5 $15 {/-/+})) 22... Qg6 23. Qe7 $1 {[]} ({The queen must quickly return, White can't afford} 23. Ne3 $2 Bh6 $19 (23... Nf4 $19)) 23... fxg2 (23... Qxg4 $2 24. Qg5 $16 {leads to a premature queen swap.}) 24. Rfb1 (24. Rfe1 Qxg4 25. Qg5 Qxg5 26. Bxg5 Nf4) 24... Qxg4 25. Qg5 Qe2 26. Qe3 Qg4 27. Qg5 Qxg5 $1 ({Carlsen spurns} 27... Qe2 $11 {, Black already risks nothing by continuing the fight.}) 28. Bxg5 Nf4 { [%CAl Rf4h3]} 29. Bxf4 $2 {A serious error with disastrous consequences.} ({ The series of forced moves continued with} 29. Kh2 $1 {[]} Kh8 $1 (29... Bf6 30. Bh6 Bg7 $11) (29... c5 $5 30. Rg1 c4 31. Bxf4 exf4 32. Rxg2 cxd3 33. cxd3 f3 $44) 30. Re1 (30. Ra2 c5 31. Bxf4 exf4 32. Kxg2 f3+ $40 {[%csl Ra2]}) 30... h6 31. Bh4 (31. Bxf4 exf4 32. e5 f3 $17) 31... Bf6 $15 {[%csl Gg2] Black holds the initiative, but the game is far from over.}) 29... exf4 30. Kxg2 f3+ 31. Kf1 $6 ({Black should gradually win after} 31. Kh3 Bxa1 32. Rxa1 Kf7 $17 { , as his Pf3 remains very much alive. However, this was still more resilient, as now White's king can't escape the mating net.}) 31... Rf4 $1 32. c3 ({ Caruana most probably overlooked} 32. Ke1 Rd8 $1 (32... Bxa1 $2 33. Rxa1 { [%CAl Ye1d2,Yd2e3,Ya4c5] is actually OK for White}) 33. Kd2 Rxe4 {[%CAl Re4a4, Re4e2]} 34. Nc3 Bh6+ 35. Kd1 Rh4 {with mate to follow.}) 32... Rd8 $1 33. d4 ( 33. Rd1 Rh4 34. Ke1 Bh6 $1 $19 {[%CAl Rh4h1]}) (33. Ke1 Rxd3 $19 {[%CAl Rf4h4, Rf4e4]}) 33... Bh6 {Black already had a choice:} (33... Rxe4 34. Nc5 Rh4 35. Ke1 Bxd4 36. cxd4 Rdxd4 37. Rb8+ Kf7 38. Rf8+ Kxf8 39. Ne6+ Kf7 40. Nxd4 Rh1+ $19) (33... Bxd4 $142 $1 {and taking the bishop leads to mate after} 34. cxd4 Rh4 35. Ke1 (35. Kg1 Kh8 {[%CAl Rd8g8]}) 35... Rxd4 $19) 34. Ke1 Rxe4+ 35. Kd1 c5 $1 $19 {Now the only winning move.} (35... Re2 $143 $6 36. Rb2 $15) 36. Kc2 (36. Nxc5 Re2 37. Nb3 Rde8 $19 (37... Kh8 $19 {[%CAl Rd8g8]})) 36... cxd4 37. Kd3 Re2 38. c4 Rxf2 (38... Rd2+ $142 $1 39. Ke4 Rxf2 $19) 39. Rd1 (39. Rb2 { prolongs White's suffering, his position remains hopeless after} Rxb2 40. Nxb2 Rb8 41. Nd1 Kf7) 39... Re2 {[%CAl Re2e3] Black's passed pawns will soon clinch the point.} 0-1 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.26"] [Round "4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2853"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 {The Sveshnikov Sicilian. It goes in and out of fashion, and Carlsen playing it might bring some attention back to a defense that is largely overlooked, despite the fact that there is no definite refutation of it.} 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Ne7 {One of several possibilities Black has at his disposal. Krasenkow likes to play this move.} 12. Nc2 Nxd5 13. Qxd5 Rb8 14. Nb4 Bb7 15. Qd3 O-O 16. Be2 a5 17. Nd5 b4 {Giri took some time to get to this position, but Carlsen reached it relatively quickly. Black shouldn't have any real problems in this position. This vriation has been played a couple of times. White might be able to pressure slightly on the light squares but it won't big a big deal.} 18. O-O bxc3 19. bxc3 Bg5 20. Rab1 Qd7 21. Rb3 Bc6 22. Rfb1 Rxb3 23. Rxb3 g6 24. Rb6 Rc8 25. h3 Bxd5 {Even this move was maybe unnecessary.} (25... h5 26. Ra6 Bxd5 {is safer:} 27. Qxd5 Rc5 $1 {a nice intermezzo.} 28. Qxd6 Qxd6 29. Rxd6 Rxc3 $11) 26. Qxd5 Rxc3 27. Rxd6 Qe7 28. Bd1 Rc7 29. g3 Kg7 {White has a very minor amount of pressure, but this is way closer to a draw. Black's bishop isn't the greatest but White can't create threats, so it will eventually remaneuver.} 30. Ba4 Bc1 31. Rc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 17th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2000.03.03"] [Round "4"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2851"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2000.02.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 076"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O Be6 9. f4 Qc7 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. exd5 Nbd7 12. c4 (12. Be3 Nb6 13. Bxb6 Qxb6+ 14. Kh1 O-O 15. c4 Rac8 16. Rc1 g6 17. c5 dxc5 18. fxe5 Nd7 19. Bg4 Nxe5 20. Bxc8 Rxc8 21. Qe2 {1-0 O'Donovan,R-O'Shaughnessy,C/IRL-ch/1994/ (28)}) 12... O-O ( 12... Nb6 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Nd2 Bd6 15. Qe1 e4 16. Rxf6 gxf6 17. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 18. Kh1 Be5 19. d6 Qd8 20. c5 Nd7 21. Bg4 {1-0 Chatterjee,L-Sharma,D/Calcutta/1997/ (39)}) 13. Kh1 Rfe8 14. Be3 (14. a4 a5 15. Be3 b6 16. Rc1 Rab8 17. Bd3 Nc5 18. Nxc5 bxc5 19. fxe5 dxe5 20. b3 {1-0 Grigorov,J-Szekely,P/Ruse/1978/ (49)}) 14... exf4 15. Bxf4 Bf8 (15... Ne5 16. Bxe5 dxe5 17. c5 Bxc5 18. Rc1 b6 19. Nxc5 bxc5 20. b4 Qb7 21. Rxf6 gxf6 22. bxc5 $44) 16. Rc1 Qb6 (16... Ne5 17. Nd4 Qb6 18. Rc2 Neg4 19. Bxg4 Nxg4 20. Nf5 Ne5 21. b3 Qd8 {0-1 Wolff,P-Morovic Fernandez,I/Buenos Aires/1997/ (40)}) 17. Rc2 {Anand has prepared this move long time ago, but finding a coherent plan in the next few moves will be very difficult.} g6 18. Bf3 Rac8 19. Nc1 (19. Re1 $5 Qb4 (19... Ne5 20. c5 Qb4 21. Bxe5 dxe5 22. d6 Bxd6 23. Bxb7 $14) 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Bd2 $14) 19... Ne5 20. b3 h5 21. h3 Bg7 22. Ne2 (22. Re2 Nxf3 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Qxf3 Ne4 $11) 22... Nxf3 23. gxf3 Qc5 24. Rc1 b5 25. Qd2 $2 {White misses his chance to improve the position of his modestly located knight.} (25. Nd4 bxc4 (25... Nxd5 26. cxd5 Qxd4 27. Qxd4 Bxd4 28. Bxd6 $11) 26. bxc4 Nd7 27. Nb3 Qa3 $15) 25... bxc4 26. bxc4 h4 27. Bg5 Nh5 28. Bxh4 Rb8 $1 29. Ng1 $2 (29. Rc2 $142 $13) (29. Ng3 Qc8 $1 30. Nxh5 Rb2 31. Rc2 Qxh3+) (29. Bf2 Qa3 $15) 29... Rb2 30. Rc2 Qxc4 $1 { White have missed this simple combination that pulls apart his defenses.} 31. Rxc4 (31. Rxb2 Bxb2 32. Rb1 Qxh4 $17) 31... Rxd2 32. f4 (32. Rc6 g5 33. Bf2 Bd4 $1 $19 34. Re1 Rb8 $19) 32... Rxd5 0-1 [Event "Fujitsu Siemens Giants"] [Site "Frankfurt"] [Date "2000.06.24"] [Round "6"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B85"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2851"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "60"] [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. e4 {Wells} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. a4 Nc6 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. f4 Qc7 11. Kh1 Re8 12. Bf3 Bd7 13. Nb3 b6 14. g4 Bc8 15. g5 Nd7 16. Bg2 Bb7 17. Qh5 Nb4 18. Rf2 g6 19. Qh3 Bf8 20. Raf1 Bg7 21. Bd4 {Wells: 'White would like to exchange this key defensive piece. Nothing surprising that black is not enthusiatic about this...'} (21. f5 exf5 22. exf5 Bxg2+ 23. Rxg2 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Nd5 25. Bd4 Ne5 $13 26. f6 $140 h5 $1) 21... e5 $5 {[%mdl 8] '!' Wells. It is very likely, that Kasparov knew this idea from home. Black sacrifices the pawn for the bishops pair and activity of most pieces.} 22. fxe5 (22. Be3 exf4 23. Bxf4 Re7 $11) 22... Nxe5 23. Bxe5 Rxe5 24. Rxf7 { Wells: '...not even that shocking that it should be thought worth a pawn, However, opening the f-file and allowing white to crash in on f7 shows a deep judgment and a feeling for what is really important in the position.'} Re7 ( 24... Qxf7 $2 25. Rxf7 Kxf7 26. Qd7+ Re7 27. Qxd6 $18) 25. Rxe7 (25. R7f2 Rae8 26. Rd1 Re5 $132) 25... Qxe7 {Wells: 'The smoke has cleared. White's f7 invasion was easily repelled, and black has a stong pair of bishops and pressure on e4 which provides full compensation for the pawn.'} 26. Qe3 Re8 $1 (26... Nxc2 $2 27. Qd3 Nb4 28. Qc4+ d5 29. exd5 $18) 27. Qxb6 {The only moment where white could probably have shown more ambitions with the smart move 27. Qd2!?} (27. Qd2 $5 Qc7 28. Nc1 $14) 27... Bxc3 28. bxc3 Bxe4 29. Qxb4 (29. Bxe4 $2 Qxe4+ 30. Kg1 Nxc2 $15) 29... Bxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Qxg5+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sarajevo Bosnia 30th"] [Site "Sarajevo"] [Date "2000.05.29"] [Round "11"] [White "Movsesian, Sergei"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2668"] [BlackElo "2851"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2000.05.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "BIH"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 077"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 2]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2 Nbd7 9. O-O-O Bb7 10. g4 Nb6 11. Qf2 Nfd7 12. Kb1 Rc8 13. Bd3 Rxc3 $5 14. bxc3 Qc7 15. Ne2 Be7 16. g5 O-O 17. h4 Na4 $1 {Kasparov improves on the older game, white compromised queenside pawn structure offers great attacking chances for black pieces.} (17... d5 18. h5 dxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. fxe4 Nc4 21. Bc1 b4 22. cxb4 Bxb4 23. Rh3 {1-0 Zagrebelny,S-Lingnau,C/Berlin/1993/ (31)}) 18. Bc1 $6 (18. h5 Ne5 19. h6 g6 $13) 18... Ne5 19. h5 d5 $1 20. Qh2 (20. h6 g6 21. Qg3 Bd6 22. Qg2 Rc8 $17) 20... Bd6 21. Qh3 Nxd3 22. cxd3 (22. Rxd3 $2 dxe4 23. Rxd6 Qxd6 24. h6 g6 $19) 22... b4 $1 (22... Nxc3+ 23. Nxc3 Qxc3 24. Bb2 Qb4 25. g6 Be5 (25... dxe4 $2 26. h6 $1 Be5 27. d4 $18) 26. d4 Bf4 27. gxf7+ Kxf7 28. Qg4 Bh6 $13) 23. cxb4 (23. c4 dxc4 24. h6 g6 25. dxc4 Rc8 $40) 23... Rc8 24. Ka1 (24. Qf1 dxe4 25. fxe4 Qc2+ 26. Ka1 Be5+ 27. d4 Bxe4 28. Ba3 Bd5 $19) 24... dxe4 (24... Qc2 25. Rd2 Be5+ 26. d4 Bxd4+ 27. Rxd4 (27. Nxd4 $2 Qxc1+ 28. Rxc1 Rxc1#) 27... Qxe2 28. Qf1 Qc2 $13) (24... Bxb4 $5 25. Qh2 Qc2 26. Rde1 ( 26. g6 Nc3 $19) 26... Bxe1 27. Rxe1 Qxd3 $19) 25. fxe4 (25. dxe4 $2 Be5+ 26. Nd4 Bxd4+ 27. Rxd4 Qxc1+) 25... Bxe4 $1 {[%mdl 128] Even to an untrained eye it becomes clear, that black is achieving success in the attack with much higher speed than his opponent.} 26. g6 (26. dxe4 Be5+ $19) (26. Rhg1 Qc2 27. Nd4 Be5 28. Qe3 Bd5 $19) 26... Bxh1 27. Qxh1 Bxb4 28. gxf7+ (28. gxh7+ Kh8 $19) 28... Kf8 (28... Qxf7 29. Bd2 Bxd2 30. Rxd2 Nb6 $19) 29. Qg2 Rb8 $1 30. Bb2 ( 30. Bd2 Ba3 31. Bc1 Bxc1 32. Rxc1 Qb6 33. Nc3 Nxc3 $19) 30... Nxb2 31. Nd4 (31. Kxb2 Bd2+ 32. Ka1 Bc3+ $19) 31... Nxd1 $1 {The final combination is simple, but esthetically very pleasing.} 32. Nxe6+ Kxf7 (32... Kxf7 33. Qxg7+ (33. Nxc7 Bc3+) 33... Kxe6 34. Qxc7 (34. Qh6+ Kf5) 34... Bc3+ $19) 0-1 [Event "London Classic 7th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2015.12.04"] [Round "1"] [White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2850"] [Annotator "CB"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2015.12.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "7200+1605"] [WhiteClock "1:03:14"] [BlackClock "0:59:43"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 O-O (11... Ne7 12. Nc2 Nxd5 13. Qxd5 Rb8 14. Nb4 Bb7 15. Qd3 O-O 16. Be2 a5 17. Nd5 b4 18. O-O bxc3 19. bxc3 Bg5 20. Rab1 Qd7 21. Rb3 Bc6 22. Rfb1 Rxb3 23. Rxb3 g6 24. Rb6 Rc8 25. h3 Bxd5 26. Qxd5 Rxc3 27. Rxd6 Qe7 28. Bd1 Rc7 29. g3 Kg7 30. Ba4 Bc1 31. Rc6 {1/2-1/2 (31) Giri,A (2793)-Carlsen,M (2853) Saint Louis USA 2015}) (11... Bg5 12. Nc2 O-O 13. a4) 12. Nc2 Rb8 13. a4 $6 {wurde hinterher von Carlsen als ungenau kritisiert - Vachier-Lagrave verwechselte vermutlich die Varianten} (13. Be2) ( {oder das aggressivere} 13. h4 {versprechen Weiß mehr Aussichten}) 13... bxa4 14. Ncb4 Nxb4 15. cxb4 Bb7 16. Rxa4 Qc8 (16... Bxd5 {wäre vielleicht eine Möglichkeit gewesen, die Spannung noch weiter aufrecht zu halten} 17. Qxd5 Qd7 18. b3 Rfc8 19. Ra1 (19. Bc4 $2 Rxc4 20. Qxc4 Rc8 $19) 19... Qg4 $1 (19... Rxb4 20. Bxa6 {und hier kann Weiß nicht schlechter stehen}) 20. h3 Qg5 {und Weiß hat Probleme, den König aus dem Zentrum zu bekommen}) 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 18. Bd3 Bc6 19. Rxa6 Rxb4 20. O-O Rd4 21. Qf3 Bxe4 {führt forciert ins Dauerschach, doch Schwarz hat keine vorteilsversprechenden Fortsetzungen zur Verfügung} 22. Bxe4 Qxa6 23. Qg4+ Kh8 24. Qf5 Rxe4 25. Qxf6+ Kg8 26. Qg5+ Kh8 27. Qf6+ Kg8 28. Qg5+ Kh8 1/2-1/2 [Event "World Cup of Rapid Chess KO"] [Site "Cannes"] [Date "2001.03.24"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2849"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2001.03.24"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Bangiev} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 b5 8. g4 Nfd7 {'!?' Bangiev. Bangiev: 'Ein merkwürdiger, seltener Zug, der allerdings mit einem interessanten Plan verbunden ist. Schwarz versucht damit den Springer auf b6 zu postieren, bevor Weiß dies mittels des Manövers Qd2-f2 verhindern könnte.'} 9. Qd2 Nb6 {'!' Bangiev.} 10. O-O-O N8d7 (10... b4 {Bangiev Es ist zu früh.} 11. Nb1 $14) 11. Qf2 (11. Bd3 {Bangiev} Ne5 $5) 11... Bb7 12. Bd3 Rc8 {Bangiev: 'Schwarz hat eine gute aktive Ausgangsposition erreicht. Alle Leichtfiguren des Nachziehenden stehen zum Angriff am Damenflügel bereit.'} (12... Ne5 $2 {Bangiev} 13. Nxe6 $1) 13. Nce2 Nc5 14. Kb1 Nba4 (14... d5 {Bangiev} 15. e5) (14... Be7 {Bangiev} 15. h4 d5 16. e5) ( 14... Qc7 {Bangiev} 15. h4 e5 $6 16. Nb3 Nxd3 17. cxd3 Qc2+ 18. Ka1 Na4 19. Rd2 $14) 15. h4 Qc7 {'|^' Bangiev. Bangiev: '/\e5'} 16. Rc1 {'?!' Bangiev.} (16. Ng3 {[%CAl Gf2c2] Bangiev} e5 (16... Nxb2 {Bangiev} 17. Kxb2 Na4+ 18. Kc1 $13) (16... Nxd3 {Bangiev} 17. cxd3) 17. Nb3 (17. Ndf5 {Bangiev} g6) 17... Nxb2 $5 ( 17... d5 $13 {Bangiev}) 18. Kxb2 Na4+ 19. Kc1 d5 (19... Qc3 {Bangiev} 20. Ne2 Qb2+ 21. Kd2 d5 22. Ke1) 20. Ne2 (20. exd5 $2 {Bangiev} Qc3 (20... Ba3+ $5 { Bangiev} 21. Kd2 Bb4+ $17) 21. d6 Bxd6 22. Bxb5+ axb5 23. Rxd6 Bxf3 $1 {/\Qb2} 24. Bd4 exd4 25. Qe1+ Kf8 26. Qxc3 Nxc3) 20... d4 21. Bd2 Ba3+ 22. Kb1) 16... d5 {'!' Bangiev.} (16... e5 $5 {Bangiev}) 17. e5 {'?!' Bangiev.} (17. exd5 { Bangiev} Bxd5 18. Nb3 {Durch die Vereinfachung der Stellung versucht man in der Regel den gegnerischen Druck zu verringern.} Bd6 (18... Bxb3 {Bangiev} 19. cxb3 Nb6 20. Rhd1) (18... Nxd3 {Bangiev} 19. cxd3) 19. Nxc5 Nxc5 20. h5 $132) 17... Qxe5 18. f4 $6 {Grischuk might have been ashamed to use the exposed queen for the move repetition with a draw, but his brave attitude will bring him only sorrow.} (18. Bf4 $1 Qf6 19. Bg5 Nxd3 (19... Qe5 {Bangiev} 20. Bf4 $11 ) 20. cxd3 Qe5 (20... Qg6 $2 21. Rxc8+ Bxc8 22. Nf4 $18) 21. Bf4 $11) 18... Qd6 19. g5 Be7 20. h5 f5 {'-/+!' Bangiev.} (20... Nxd3 21. cxd3 Nc5 22. Rhd1 b4 $17 ) (20... O-O 21. f5 e5 22. f6 exd4 23. fxe7 Qxe7 24. Nxd4 $40) 21. Nf3 $6 (21. gxf6 Bxf6 $17) (21. Bxf5 exf5 22. Nxf5 Qd7 23. Nxg7+ Kf8 24. h6 d4 $17) 21... Ne4 22. Bxe4 (22. Qe1 O-O $17) 22... dxe4 23. Ne5 Bd5 (23... Bxg5 $2 24. b3 Nc3+ 25. Nxc3 Rxc3 26. Rhd1 Qc7 (26... Bd5 27. Bd4 $14) (26... Qxe5 27. fxe5 Bxe3 28. Qg3 $16) 27. Rd7 $14) 24. Rh3 $6 (24. Bd4 $1 e3 25. Qxe3 Bxh1 26. Rxh1 Qd5 $15) (24. h6 {Bangiev} g6 25. Bd4) 24... Nxb2 $1 {[%mdl 128] '-+!' Bangiev. The decisive small combination, white king has no chance to survive without the proper pawn shelter.} 25. Bd4 (25. Kxb2 Qa3+ 26. Kb1 Qxa2#) 25... Na4 26. h6 gxh6 27. g6 (27. Qh4 $5 Rf8 28. Qxh6 Qb4+ 29. Rb3 (29. Ka1 Bc5 $19) 29... Qd2 30. Qh5+ Kd8 31. Be3 Qa5 32. Nf7+ Kc7 $17) 27... hxg6 28. Nxg6 Rg8 29. Nxe7 (29. Ne5 Qb4+ 30. Ka1 Rc3 $1 31. Bxc3 Qa3 $19) 29... Qxe7 30. Ka1 Kd7 31. Qe1 ( 31. Rg3 Qb4 $19) 31... Rg2 32. Re3 Rc4 33. Be5 Qb4 34. Qh4 (34. Qxb4 Rxb4 35. Rh1 Rf2 $19) 34... Rxe2 $1 {The position was ripe for a tactical solution, the a2-square becomes indifensible.} 35. Rxe2 Qa3 36. Rg1 (36. Rb1 Rc3 37. Rb3 Rxb3 $19) 36... Rc3 $1 37. Rg7+ Kc6 38. Rc7+ Kb6 39. Bd4+ Kxc7 0-1 [Event "Linares 18th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2001.02.27"] [Round "4"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2849"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2001.02.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 Qb6 7. Nb3 e6 8. Qe2 Qc7 9. g4 b5 10. Be3 b4 $5 (10... Nc6 11. g5 Nd7 12. Qf2 Nce5 13. O-O-O b4 14. Nb1 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Qxc4 16. N1d2 Qc7 17. Kb1 Bb7 18. Rc1 a5 19. c4 Nc5 20. Nxc5 dxc5 21. h4 a4 {1/2-1/2 Prasad,D-Ruck,R/Istanbul/2000/ (41)}) 11. Na4 Nbd7 12. Qc4 {Grischuk is indirectly admitting, that he is afraid for the fate of his knight on a4.} (12. g5 Nxe4 $1 13. fxe4 Qc6 14. a3 Qxa4 15. Qc4 Bb7 $15) 12... Qxc4 13. Bxc4 d5 14. exd5 (14. Bd3 dxe4 15. Bxe4 Nxe4 16. fxe4 Bb7 $17) 14... Ne5 15. Be2 (15. Nb6 Nxc4 16. Nxc4 Nxd5 17. Bc5 Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Ra7 $15) 15... Nxd5 16. Bd4 Bd6 (16... Nc6 17. Bc5 Bxc5 18. Naxc5 h5 19. a3 $13) 17. Bc5 { Black has yet to grab any advantage, but white is helping with a tad too cautios play. Much better impression made the natural move 17.Rd1.} (17. Rd1 $5 ) (17. O-O-O Nf4 $15) 17... Be7 (17... Bc7 18. a3 bxa3 19. Bxa3 Ne3 20. Nd4 h5 $15) 18. a3 $1 a5 19. Bd4 f6 20. Nac5 (20. O-O bxa3 21. bxa3 Bd7 22. Nac5 Nf4 $1 $15) 20... O-O (20... a4 $6 21. axb4 Nxb4 22. Kd2 $1 Nxc2 23. Kxc2 axb3+ 24. Nxb3 $14) 21. O-O $6 (21. Bxe5 fxe5 22. axb4 Nxb4 23. Kd1 Nd5 $13) (21. Kf2 bxa3 22. Rxa3 Nc6 23. c3 $15) 21... bxa3 22. Rxa3 (22. bxa3 a4 23. Nc1 Rd8 $17) 22... Nf4 23. Bb5 Rb8 24. Bxe5 (24. Rxa5 Bd8 25. Bxe5 fxe5 26. Rfa1 (26. c4 Bxa5 27. Nxa5 Ne2+ 28. Kg2 Nd4 $17) 26... Bxa5 27. Rxa5 Rd8 $15) 24... Nh3+ $1 {[%mdl 2048] Kasparov is like a fish in a watter in positions with myriad of possibilities, black pieces are springing to life due to the white's problems with piece coordination.} 25. Kg2 Rxb5 26. Bg3 (26. Kxh3 fxe5 27. c4 Rxc5 ( 27... Rb4 28. Rxa5 e4 29. Nd4 Rxc4 30. Ncxe6 Bxe6 31. Nxe6 Rxf3+ 32. Rxf3 exf3 33. Kg3 $11) 28. Nxc5 Bxc5 29. Rxa5 Bd4 $15) 26... Ng5 27. Bf2 $2 (27. c4 $5 Rxc5 (27... Rb4 28. h4) 28. Nxc5 Bxc5 29. Rxa5 Bb6 30. Rb5 Be3 $13) 27... Bb7 $1 $17 28. Bg1 (28. Nxb7 Bxa3 29. bxa3 Rxb7 30. h4 Nf7 $17) 28... Rc8 29. h4 Bxf3+ {The great swapping operation is leading to the very pleasant rook ending for black.} (29... Nxf3 30. Rxf3 (30. Nxb7 Nxh4+ 31. Kh3 Bxa3 $19) 30... Bxc5 31. Bxc5 Rbxc5 32. Nxc5 Rxc5 33. c3 h5 $1 $19) 30. Rxf3 Nxf3 31. Kxf3 Bxc5 32. Nxc5 Rbxc5 33. Bxc5 Rxc5 34. c3 (34. c4 g6 35. b3 e5 $19) 34... h5 $1 35. gxh5 Rxh5 36. b4 axb4 37. cxb4 Rxh4 (37... Rxh4 38. Ra8+ (38. Rb3 $2 Rh3+ $19) 38... Kf7 39. Rb8 Kg6 40. b5 Kf5 41. b6 Rb4 $19) 0-1 [Event "Linares 18th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2001.02.23"] [Round "1"] [White "Leko, Peter"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B97"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2849"] [Annotator "Tyomkin,D"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2001.02.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This is always difficult to annotate those games on the highest level, especially when Kasparov is one of the players....} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Nb3 Be7 9. Qf3 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. Bd3 b5 12. a3 Rb8 13. Rhe1 {As it was proved in two games of this tournament, this line isn't dangerous for black.} b4 {After Polgar's 13...h6, black wasn't worse anywhere:} (13... h6 {1/2-1/2 Leko,P-Polgar,J/Linares 2001/ CBM 82_01 (27)}) 14. axb4 Rxb4 15. Kb1 (15. Qe2 $2 {Tyomkin,D} h6 $1 16. h4 ( 16. Bh4 $5 Nxe4 $1 17. Bxe7 (17. Qg4 Ndf6 (17... Nxc3 18. Qxg7 Rf8 19. Bxe7 Kxe7 20. bxc3 Rxf4 21. Qxh6 Rf6 22. Qh4 $132) 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Qxg7 Rg8 20. Qxh6 Rxg2 $13) 17... Nxc3 18. bxc3 Qxc3 19. Bxd6 Rxb3 20. Qh5 {[%csl Re6]} (20. f5 {but always black can make a draw}) (20. Be5 $2 Nxe5 21. Qxe5 O-O) 20... Nf6 21. Qc5 $44) (16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. e5 dxe5 18. f5 Nb6 $1) 16... hxg5 17. hxg5 Nc5 (17... Nh5 $5 18. Rh1 Nc5 (18... g6 19. g4 d5 20. exd5 (20. gxh5 d4 $5 21. hxg6 Qxf4+ 22. Kb1 Rxh1 23. Rxh1 dxc3 24. g7 $1) 20... Qxf4+ 21. Kb1 Qxg4 22. dxe6 Qxe2 23. exd7+ Bxd7 24. Bxe2 Bxg5 25. Bxa6 $11) (18... d5 19. exd5 Qxf4+ 20. Kb1 Qxg5 21. dxe6 fxe6 22. Qxe6 $44) 19. Rxh5 (19. Nxc5 $2 dxc5 {[%csl Rf4] [%CAl Gc5c4]}) 19... Rxh5 20. Qxh5 Nxb3+ $15) (17... Nh7 $5 18. Rh1 $44 { [%csl Re8,Rh7,Rh8] Black has piece up,but in other hand the pin on the h-file and strong position in the center give white a good compensation}) 18. gxf6 gxf6 (18... Nxb3+ 19. cxb3 Bxf6 20. Bc4 Bb7 $13) (18... Bxf6 $6 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. e5 dxe5 21. Ne4 $36) 19. Nxc5 $2 (19. Nd2 $142) 19... dxc5 $17 {[%csl Gf4] [%CAl Gc5c4] 0-1 Campora,D-Morovic Fernandez,I/Buenos Aires 1997/CBM 60/ [Tyomkin,D] (34)}) (15. Qh3 e5 $1 {and like in the game Leko-Polgar, but with an extra tempo for black (saved on h6).}) 15... Bb7 16. Qh3 Nc5 17. Nxc5 $146 ( 17. Na2 $4 {Tyomkin,D} Nxd3 18. Bxf6 (18. Qxd3 Rxe4) 18... Rxb3 $1 19. Bxg7 Nxe1 20. Qxb3 Rg8 $19 {Ellison,D-Collinson,A/Balatonbereny op 1992/0-1(29)}) 17... dxc5 {After 17...Qxc5 white can reach the draw by 18.Na2, which Kasparov tried to avoid.} (17... Qxc5 $5 18. Na2 (18. e5 Nd7 $1 {[%CAl Rc5c3]} 19. Na2 ( 19. Bxe7 $4 Qxc3) 19... Bxg5 20. Nxb4 Bxf4 $15) (18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. e5 dxe5 20. fxe5 Bxe5 21. Bg6 Rxb2+ 22. Kxb2 Bxc3+ 23. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 24. Kxc3 hxg6 25. Rb1 Bc8 $8 $15) 18... Ra4 (18... Rb6 $5) 19. Nc3 (19. e5 Qa5 20. b4 $8 Rxb4+ 21. Nxb4 Qxb4+ 22. Kc1 Nd5 23. Bxe7 Nc3 $1 {[%CAl Rc3a2]} 24. Kd2 $1 Kxe7 25. Qh4+ Kd7 $17) 19... Rb4 $11) 18. e5 Nd5 {Another very sharp alternative leads to the complications, probably with the draw at the end:} (18... c4 19. exf6 (19. Be2 Qb6 $1 20. Kc1 $1 (20. exf6 Rxb2+ 21. Kc1 Rxc2+ $3 22. Kxc2 Qb3+ $19) 20... Rxb2 21. Bxc4 Nd5 22. Bxe7 Nxe7 {[%CAl Ge8g8]}) 19... gxf6 20. Rxe6 (20. Bxh7 { Kasparov} Qb6 $1 (20... fxg5 21. Rxe6 $1) 21. Rxe6 Qxe6 22. f5 Rxb2+ $1) (20. Bh6 cxd3 21. Qxd3 f5 $132) (20. Bf5 fxg5 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Qh5+ Kf8 23. Qh6+ ( 23. Bxe6 Rxb2+ $1 {[%CAl Gc7b6,Gb6e6]}) 23... Ke8 24. Qh5+ $11) 20... cxd3 ( 20... fxg5 21. Bxh7 $1 $16) 21. Bxf6 dxc2+ 22. Kxc2 fxe6 23. Qh5+ (23. Bxh8 Be4+ $19) 23... Kf8 24. Qh6+ Ke8 25. Qh5+ $11 (25. Bxh8 Be4+ 26. Kc1 Bg6 $17)) 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. c3 $14 {White just looks a little bit better here, and black didn't solve all the opening problems yet, like he can not caslte so far.} Rb3 $5 {That's an attempt to complicate the game by following sacrifice of exchange, and to play for a win. Another possibility led to the worse position of black, but with the good chances for a draw.} (20... Rb6 21. c4 $14) 21. Bc2 Qb7 22. Bxb3 Qxb3 23. Rxd5 $6 {White may try to keep the material advantage, and I didn't find the clear way for black to create sufficient compensation:} ( 23. Bxe7 $142 Qa2+ (23... Be4+ 24. Rd3 $1 Bg6 (24... Bf5 25. g4 $1) 25. Kc1 $1 Kxe7 26. Qh4+ f6 27. exf6+ gxf6 28. Rd2 Qa2 29. Kd1 Rb8 30. Qg4 $1 $16 { [%CAl Rf4f5]}) (23... Kxe7 24. Qh4+ Kd7 25. Kc1 Qa2 26. Re2 Rb8 $140 $2 27. Qxh7 Qa1+ 28. Qb1 $1) 24. Kc1 (24. Kc2 Bb3+) 24... Qa1+ 25. Kc2 Qa4+ 26. Kd3 ( 26. Kd2 Qxf4+ {-26.Kd3}) 26... Qc4+ (26... Kxe7 27. Qh4+ Kd7 28. Ke3 $16 { [%CAl Ge3f2]}) 27. Kd2 Qxf4+ 28. Qe3 Qxe3+ 29. Kxe3 Kxe7 30. c4 $1 $16) 23... Qxd5 24. Bxe7 Kxe7 25. Qh4+ Kd7 26. Qg4 {[%CAl Re1d1,Rg4g7]} Kc6 $1 {Black doesn't mind about the pawn g7;} 27. Qe2 $1 {[%CAl Ye2e4,Re1d1] Imrpoving the queen and threatening Rd1 as well;} (27. f5 Qd3+ 28. Ka2 Qxf5 29. Qxg7 Rb8 { and black is fine;}) (27. Qxg7 $6 Rb8 {and black has a draw at least;}) 27... Rd8 $8 28. Qxa6+ {White has reached a pawn, but black saves the game thanks to his centralized pieces;} Kc7 29. Qa7+ Kc6 30. Qa6+ Kc7 31. Qa5+ Kb7 {31...Kc6 helps white to bring the queen to the defence through a4;} (31... Kc6 32. Qa4+ {[%CAl Ya4c2]}) 32. Qb5+ Kc7 33. Qa5+ Kb7 34. Qb5+ Kc7 35. Qe2 h5 $5 {Good positional move- black captures some space over the kingside and prevents g2-g4;} (35... Qd2 36. g4 $1) 36. g3 g6 37. c4 {That's the only thing white can do here;} Qd2 38. Qe3 Rd4 {Now white is forced to trade queens anyhow, but the rook ending is safe for black because of the active rook;} 39. Qxd2 Rxd2 40. Re3 (40. h4 Rd4 41. Rc1 Rd3 42. Rc3 Rxc3 43. bxc3 $11) 40... Rxh2 41. Rf3 Kc6 (41... Rh3 {[%CAl Rh5h4]} 42. Ra3 $11) 42. Ka2 Rh3 {[%CAl Rh5h4]} 43. Rb3 h4 {Kasparov is who tries to win in this ending, but easily holds the defence here;} 44. gxh4 Rxh4 45. Rf3 Rh5 {[%CAl Rh5f5,Gg6g5] That is the last chance of black to do something.} 46. Rg3 $8 {Easily repeling the threat.} Rh2 { [%CAl Gh2f2]} (46... Rf5 47. Rg4 $11 g5 {white can reach the draw now by different ways, here is one of them:} 48. fxg5 Rxe5 49. g6 fxg6 50. Rxg6 { and the draw is obvious.}) 47. Rf3 Rc2 48. Kb3 Rc1 49. Rf2 Kb6 50. Rf3 Ka5 51. Rf2 Re1 {[%CAl Re1e3]} 52. Ka3 {[%CAl Yb2b3]} Ra1+ (52... Re3+ 53. b3 {and black king can't get b4 square.}) 53. Kb3 Rc1 54. Rf3 Kb6 55. Rf2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 18th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2001.03.03"] [Round "7"] [White "Polgar, Judit"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2676"] [BlackElo "2849"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2001.02.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2 Nbd7 9. O-O-O Bb7 10. g4 Nb6 11. Qf2 Nfd7 12. Bd3 Rc8 13. Nce2 Be7 14. h4 (14. Kb1 O-O 15. g5 d5 16. g6 hxg6 17. h4 Nc4 18. Bxc4 Rxc4 19. h5 g5 20. b3 Rc8 21. f4 dxe4 22. fxg5 Bxg5 23. Rhg1 {1-0 Conquest,S-Yakovich,Y/Saint Vincent/2000/ (38)}) 14... O-O (14... Nc5 15. Kb1 Qc7 16. Bg5 Nba4 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. g5 O-O 19. Ng3 f6 20. Nh5 {1-0 Polgar,J-Svidler,P/Cannes/2001/ (62)}) 15. Kb1 Na4 ( 15... d5 16. g5 dxe4 17. fxe4 Nc4 18. Bc1 Qb6 19. Qg2 Nde5 20. h5 Rfd8 21. Bxc4 Rxc4 22. Be3 {1-0 Adams,M-Georgiev,K/Elenite/1993/ (32)}) 16. g5 Ndc5 (16... d5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Nf4 Ndc5 19. Nb3 Nxd3 20. Rxd3 Qd7 21. Rhd1 Rfd8 {1/2-1/2 Nevednichy,V-Badea,B/Bucharest/1994/ (37)}) 17. Ng3 (17. Qg3 Qc7 18. Rd2 Rfe8 19. h5 Bf8 20. g6 fxg6 21. hxg6 h6 22. Qh2 {1-0 Grischuk,A-Georgiev,K/Mulhouse/ 2001/ (43)}) 17... Qc7 18. Nb3 (18. h5 d5 $15) 18... d5 19. e5 (19. exd5 Nxd3 20. Rxd3 Bxd5 $15) 19... Qxe5 20. Bd4 Qc7 21. f4 Ne4 (21... Rfd8 22. Nxc5 Nxc5 23. h5 $13) 22. Bxe4 $2 {Only this move tilts the balance towards black's advantage, Polgar could have fought for a full compensation with 22.Qe3.} (22. Qe3 Bd6 23. Nh5 e5 24. fxe5 Bxe5 25. Rhf1 $44) 22... dxe4 23. Rhe1 Bd6 (23... f5 24. Nh5 Rf7 25. Be5 $13) 24. Nh5 e5 25. c3 $1 f6 (25... exd4 26. Qxd4 f5 27. Qxd6 (27. gxf6 $2 Rfd8 28. fxg7 Be7 $1 (28... Bxf4 29. Qf6 $16) 29. Nf6+ Bxf6 30. Qxf6 Re8 $19) 27... Qxd6 28. Rxd6 Rfd8 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. Nd4 Rd5 $15) 26. gxf6 (26. Nxg7 $2 Qxg7 27. gxf6 Qxf6 28. Qg3+ Qg6 29. Qxg6+ hxg6 $19) 26... exd4 (26... Nxb2 $6 27. Qxb2 exd4 28. Nxd4 $13) 27. Nxd4 g6 $2 {[%mdl 256] The defense is difficult art even for the world's best players, Kasparov misses the great shot 27...Ba3!!} (27... Nc5 28. Rg1 Rf7 29. Nxg7 Kh8 30. Nde6 $40) ( 27... Ba3 $3 28. Rg1 (28. fxg7 Rf7) (28. Ne6 Qf7 29. Nxf8 Bxb2 30. Re3 (30. fxg7 $2 Nxc3+ 31. Kxb2 Qxa2+ 32. Kc1 Ne2#) 30... Nxc3+ 31. Rxc3 Bxc3 32. fxg7 Qxh5 $19) 28... g6 29. f5 Bxb2 30. fxg6 Nxc3+ 31. Kxb2 Nxd1+ 32. Rxd1 hxg6 33. Qg2 Kh7 $19) 28. f5 $1 (28. Ne6 Qc6 29. Nxf8 Bxf8 30. Ng3 Ba3 $19) 28... gxh5 ( 28... gxf5 $2 29. Qg1+ Kf7 30. Nxf5 $18) 29. Ne6 Nxc3+ (29... Qb8 $2 30. Qg1+ Bg3 31. Re3 Rxf6 32. Rxg3+ Kh8 33. Rg7 $18) (29... Qd7 $2 30. Qg2+ Kf7 31. Qg7+ Ke8 32. Nxf8 $18) 30. bxc3 (30. Ka1 $2 Qa5 31. bxc3 Qxc3+ 32. Kb1 Rc4 $19) 30... Qxc3 31. Rxd6 {Now black will have to be content with a perpetual, as his king on g8 is far from safe.} (31. Qg2+ Bg3 $17) 31... Qb4+ 32. Ka1 Qc3+ ( 32... Qxd6 $2 33. Qg2+ Kf7 34. Qg7+ Ke8 35. Qxb7 Rb8 36. Qxe4 $18) 33. Kb1 Qb4+ 34. Ka1 Qc3+ 35. Kb1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 18th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2001.02.25"] [Round "3"] [White "Shirov, Alexei"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B84"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2849"] [Annotator "Kostakiev,D"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2001.02.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 082"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Do you remember the clasic game Alekhine - Botvinik where the P's army e4,f4, g4 was put forward in an early attack? Here we shall see somthing simmilar against a7-a6 instead of g7-g6.} 1. e4 {Alekhine,A-Botvinnik,M Nottingham 1936 1/2-1/2} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Be3 O-O 9. g4 {According to "MEGA-2001" - 9.g4 was used in 1982 twice by Nielsen,T. So far this move had very small adherence. The last one before this game was Lanka 1987. The statistic is more favorable for Black} d5 {(!) "Counter P,s blow in center to the side P's attack" said the old masters. Here is concerned one typical middle game problem: "When in the opening we could (or should) move twice with a pawn or piece without breaking the principles for fast mobilization.} (9... Nc6 10. g5 Nd7 {.../43/. 0-1 Nielsen,T-Yrjola,J/ Luzern 1982/EXT 97-B (26)}) 10. e5 Ne4 ({The pressure over Pe4 who took place in the text, can be escaped by:} 10... Nfd7 $5 11. g5 $140 Nc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qd3 c5 14. Bf2 Rb8 $15) 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. g5 (12. O-O Qc7 13. c3 b5 { 0-1 Nielsen,T-Houshan,B/Luzern 1982/EXT 97-B (69)}) 12... Qb6 $146 {[#]} (12... Qc7 13. Qd2 b5 (13... Rd8 14. O-O-O Nc6 15. Kb1 b5 {1/2-1/2 Lanka,Z-Van Wely,L/ Pula 1997/CBM 57 ext (17)}) 14. O-O-O Bb7 15. Kb1 {1/2-1/2 Ghinda,M-Sokolov,A/ Luzern 1985/MCD (21)}) (12... f6 13. gxf6 gxf6 14. Bc4 Kh8 (14... fxe5 15. Nxe6 Bh4+ 16. Ke2 Bxe6 17. Bxe6+ Kh8 18. Qxd8 Rxd8 $18) 15. Nxe6 Bxe6 16. Qxd8 Bxd8 17. Bxe6 fxe5 18. fxe5 Nc6 19. Bd5 Nxe5 20. O-O-O $16) 13. Nf5 (13. Rb1 $5) 13... Qa5+ 14. Bd2 Qc5 (14... Qc7) 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. c3 b5 (16... Nc6 17. Qa4 {/\Xe4}) 17. Be3 (17. Qc2) 17... Rd8 18. Qc2 Bb7 19. Kf2 (19. O-O $142 Nd7 20. Rad1) (19. a4 $5) 19... Nd7 (19... h6) 20. b4 Nf8 21. h4 Qc7 22. h5 Nd7 23. h6 g6 24. a4 Nb6 25. axb5 axb5 26. Kg3 Nc4 27. Rxa8 Rxa8 28. Bxc4 Qxc4 29. Rd1 Bd5 30. Rd4 Qf1 31. Qd1 Ra1 32. Qxf1 Rxf1 33. Kg4 Rf3 34. Bg1 Rxc3 35. Rd2 Kf8 36. Bc5+ Ke8 37. Re2 Rc1 38. Kg3 Kd7 39. Kf2 Kc6 40. Be3 Rb1 41. Bc5 Rc1 42. Bd6 Rh1 43. Re3 Rh2+ 44. Kg3 Rc2 45. Bf8 Ra2 46. Bc5 Ra1 47. Kf2 Rc1 48. Bd6 { Conclusion: shall be prematurate to say that early g2-g4 is much more logic and promissing whene used against g7-g6. inspite of the facts that It is proved by the misleading number of partisans and statistic.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 20th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2003.03.09"] [Round "14"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B72"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2847"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,D"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2003.02.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 094"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 {A very popular move order lately. The main purpose is to avoid Sveshnikov Sicilian.} g6 {Although Kasparov has very good memories in Dragon against Anand (remember their New-York match in 1995), this choice is rather surprising, as Kasparov didn't play any more Dragon games after that match. Sveshnikov aficionados are forced to play either 3...e5, or 3...Nf6, in case they wouldn't like to have any other line of Opening Sicilian.} 4. d4 { Now White switched to the Opening Sicilian. This is main advantage of 3.Nc3 comparing with most Anti-Sicilian lines. It is more flexible.} cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bb3 d6 (8... Na5 $2 {was refuted by Fischer almost half a century ago:} 9. e5 Ne8 10. Bxf7+ Kxf7 (10... Rxf7 11. Ne6 {wins the queen}) 11. Ne6 $1 dxe6 (11... Kxe6 12. Qd5+ Kf5 13. g4+ Kxg4 14. Rg1+ { and mate}) 12. Qxd8 $18 {Fischer-Reshevsky, New York, 1958.}) 9. h3 {A surprise from Anand, I suspect a pleasant one for Kasparov. Vishy doesn't feel like entering the main lines. Dragon must have been a surprise again for him, after so many years...} Na5 (9... Bd7) 10. O-O b6 {This is a simple set-up for Black, enough for equality. As usual in lines where White castles short in Dragon (the so-called Classical Dragon), Black has a good play right from the opening. Nevertheless White's position contains certain poison - he hopes to create some pressure in the center. Black needs to be careful and play precisely, otherwise he might easily end up in a position with no counterplay.} 11. Re1 {White also chooses a clear plan. He intends Bg5, followed by Nd5. After that it is likely that the e-file will be opened and White will get his pressure on e7.} (11. Qd3) 11... Bb7 12. Bg5 Nxb3 13. axb3 h6 14. Bh4 Qd7 $1 { Kasparov succeeds to improve even in such a sideline of Dragon. As we'll see, by controling square f5 Black is taking measures against White's plan with Nd5. Strictly speaking, this is not a novelty, though. In the game Aleksis-Abramovic given below Black also played 14...Qd7! (although the position was reached by a slightly different move order), but later White won convincingly and that's why nobody payed attention to 14...Qd7 before.} (14... a6 {was the usual move, considered a must, after which White can be happy with his position:} 15. Nd5 e6 (15... Nxd5 16. exd5 g5 $2 17. Nf5 $1 {the difference to the game - White can play Nf5, threatening besides Nxe7 also Qg4. } Re8 18. Bg3 $16) 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 {and although it is about equal, White has practically no risk of losing and can slowly try to make progress.}) 15. Qd2 (15. Nd5 $2 Nxd5 16. exd5 g5 17. Bg3 Bxd5 {and Black is just a pawn up, since White cannot exploit the unprotected position of Black's bishop on d5.}) 15... Nh5 $146 {In opposite to the previous game played with this position, Kasparov takes full advantages of his rook on f8.} (15... Rfe8 16. Rad1 Nh5 17. Nde2 b5 18. Ng3 Nxg3 19. Bxg3 a5 20. e5 Qc6 21. f3 a4 22. exd6 exd6 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Qxd6 Ra8 $6 25. bxa4 bxa4 26. Rd3 Qe8 27. Kh2 h5 28. Qb6 Ba6 29. Re3 Qd7 30. Be5 Bh6 31. Qf6 Kh7 32. Ne4 Qe8 33. Ng5+ {1-0 Aleksic, N-Abramovic,B/Barcelona 1991.}) 16. f3 (16. Nde2 g5 17. Bg3 f5 $5 18. exf5 Qxf5 $36) 16... e5 $5 {A very powerful play by Kasparov. Suddenly White is facing serious problems in a relatively safe opening variation.} 17. Nde2 ({Kasparov would have surely enjoyed the position after} 17. Ndb5 d5 18. Nxa7 ({or} 18. exd5 a6 19. Na3 b5 $17) 18... d4 19. Ncb5 f5 20. exf5 gxf5 {when white knights are stuck on far away from the king.} (20... Rxf5 {followed by Raf8 with strong initiative as well.})) 17... f5 {Black's chances are already preferable from the practical point of view - he has the initiative. However, White didn't make any obvious mistakes and his position surely contains enough resources.} 18. Red1 {A strange-looking move. The rook might be needed either on e1 or f1.} (18. Rad1 $5) 18... fxe4 19. fxe4 g5 20. Bf2 g4 (20... Nf4 $5 21. Qxd6 $140 $2 Nxe2+ 22. Nxe2 Qf7 $17 {[%csl Rf2][%CAl Gb7e4]}) 21. h4 (21. Qxd6 $2 Qf7 22. Be3 (22. Bh4 gxh3 23. Rf1 Nf4 24. Nxf4 exf4 $17) 22... gxh3 23. Rf1 Nf6 $1 (23... Nf4 $5) 24. g3 (24. Rf3 hxg2 {[%csl Rg1]}) 24... Nxe4 $5 $17 25. Nxe4 $140 $2 h2+ $19) 21... Nf4 22. Qxd6 {Otherwise White's pressure on the d-file is worth little, but taking on d6 is surely a "walking on the edge strategy".} (22. Bg3 $5 {[%CAl Gd1f1]}) (22. Ng3 $5) 22... Qf7 (22... Nxe2+ $5 23. Nxe2 Qf7 {[%CAl Gb7e4]}) 23. Nxf4 $1 {A concrete approach. Anand improves Black's pawn structure, but on the other hand with his next move Anand forces the trade of queens, which favours White - his king won't be in danger anymore, at least not very soon.} exf4 24. Qd7 Qxd7 25. Rxd7 Rf7 {Even in endgame Black's position is preferable thanks to his very strong kingside pawns, but with accurate play White has no real problems to make a draw. He still controls the d-file and if Black ever takes on c3 and e4, then arising endgame with opposite-coloured bishops will be drawish.} 26. Rd6 (26. Rad1 Raf8 $5) 26... Kh7 27. Rad1 Re8 {Kasparov tries to avoid the inevitable trade of his bishops.} ({After} 27... Bxc3 28. bxc3 Bxe4 {most precise is} 29. Re1 $11) 28. Rd7 Ree7 29. Rxe7 Rxe7 30. Bd4 Rd7 31. Nd5 {The most precise way to draw the game.} (31. Bxg7 $2 Rxd1+ 32. Nxd1 Kxg7 33. Nc3 Kf6 $19) 31... Bxd5 32. Bxg7 Bc6 {No more resources to fight. Finally the previsible opposite-coloured bishop endgame will arise.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 20th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2003.02.24"] [Round "3"] [White "Leko, Peter"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B80"] [WhiteElo "2736"] [BlackElo "2847"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "173"] [EventDate "2003.02.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 094"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. g4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 b5 12. g5 Nd7 13. h4 Qc7 14. Kb1 b4 15. Na4 Bb7 16. b3 Bc6 {The whole variation is used by black only by players of the Kasparov's and Kramnik's format. White has reasonably high chances of developing dangerous attack on the kingside.} 17. Nb2 a5 18. h5 Ne5 (18... a4 19. h6 (19. g6 h6 20. gxf7+ Rxf7 21. Bh3 e5 $1 22. Be6 exd4 23. Qxd4 axb3 24. cxb3 Ne5 $17) 19... g6 20. Nd3 axb3 21. cxb3 d5 22. Qb2 f6 23. Bh3 $14) 19. Be2 a4 20. Nc4 Bb5 (20... Nxc4 21. Bxc4 d5 22. exd5 exd5 23. Bd3 Bd6 $15) 21. Nb6 Rab8 22. h6 (22. Bxb5 Nxf3 23. Qxb4 Nxd4 24. Qxd4 axb3 25. cxb3 Rxb6 $15) 22... Bxe2 23. Qxe2 g6 (23... Rxb6 $2 24. hxg7 Rc8 25. Bxb6 Qxb6 26. Qh2 $1 $18) 24. f4 Nc6 (24... axb3 25. cxb3 (25. fxe5 bxa2+ 26. Kxa2 Rxb6 27. Bxb6 Ra8+ 28. Kb1 Qc3 $19) 25... Nc6 26. Qb2 Nxd4 27. Qxd4 f6 28. Nc4 Rbd8 $11) 25. Nxa4 Nxd4 26. Rxd4 e5 27. Rc4 (27. Rd5 exf4 28. Rf1 f6 29. Rxf4 fxg5 30. Rxf8+ Bxf8 $11) 27... Qa5 28. f5 (28. Qd2 exf4 29. Qxf4 Qxg5 30. Qxg5 Bxg5 31. c3 bxc3 32. Nxc3 f5 $11) 28... Bxg5 29. Rc6 Rfd8 $2 {Black is leaving the defensive location of his rook on the f8 square and thus accepts rather high risk.} (29... Rbd8 30. Qg4 Be3 $11) 30. Qg4 Be7 (30... Bf4 $2 31. fxg6 hxg6 32. Qh4 $1 $18) 31. Rd1 ( 31. fxg6 hxg6 32. Qf3 Bg5 33. h7+ Kg7 34. Qg4 Be7 35. c4 bxc3 36. Nxc3 Ra8 37. Qh3 $16) 31... Qa7 32. c3 Bf8 (32... Kh8 33. fxg6 fxg6 34. cxb4 Rf8 35. Nc3 Rf2 36. Rc8+ Bf8 37. Rxb8 Qxb8 38. Qg3 $14) 33. fxg6 hxg6 (33... fxg6 34. Qe6+ Kh8 35. cxb4 Re8 36. Qf6+ Kg8 37. Rc4 $14) 34. h7+ Kh8 (34... Kxh7 35. cxb4 Kg8 36. Rc4 Qd7 $11) 35. cxb4 Rxb4 36. Qf3 Rdb8 (36... f5 $5 37. exf5 (37. Nc3 Qb7 38. Nd5 Qxc6 39. Nxb4 Qxe4+ 40. Qxe4 fxe4 $15) (37. Qg2 Qxa4 38. Qxg6 Rxb3+ 39. axb3 Qxb3+ 40. Kc1 Qe3+ 41. Rd2 Be7 $17) 37... Qxa4 38. fxg6 Rdb8 39. Rc3 e4 40. Qf5 Rxb3+ 41. Rxb3 Rxb3+ 42. axb3 Qxb3+ 43. Kc1 $11) (36... Qxa4 $2 37. Qf6+ Bg7 38. Qxd8+ Kxh7 39. Rc3 $1 $18) 37. Nc3 Qb7 (37... R4b7 38. Rh1 f5 39. exf5 gxf5 40. Qxf5 Rxh7 41. Rxh7+ Qxh7 42. Qxh7+ Kxh7 43. Ne4 $14) 38. Rcxd6 $2 {Leko in time trouble did not have the chance to consider the advantages of the correct continuation 38.Nd5!} (38. Nd5 $1 Qxc6 39. Nxb4 Qb7 40. Nd5 $14) 38... Rxb3+ 39. Ka1 (39. axb3 $2 Qxb3+ 40. Kc1 Qb2#) 39... Rxc3 (39... Rb2 $5 40. R6d2 Rxd2 41. Rxd2 Kxh7 $17) 40. Qf6+ (40. Qxc3 Bxd6 $19) 40... Kxh7 (40... Bg7 41. Rd8+ Rxd8 42. Qxd8+ Kxh7 43. Rh1+ Bh6 44. Qg5 Kg7 45. Qxh6+ Kf6 46. Qh4+ Ke6 47. Rf1 $11) 41. Rb6 $1 {This beautiful move is not able to save the game, but serves as an excellent parade in the defense of the endangered position.} Qc7 (41... Qxb6 42. Rh1+ Bh6 43. Qxf7+ Kh8 44. Rxh6#) 42. Rh1+ (42. Rxb8 Rc1+ 43. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 44. Rb1 Qc3+ 45. Rb2 Bc5 46. Qxf7+ Kh6 $17) 42... Bh6 43. Rxb8 (43. Qg5 Rc1+ $1 44. Qxc1 (44. Rxc1 Qxb6 $19) 44... Qxc1+ 45. Rxc1 Rxb6 $19) 43... Rc1+ 44. Rxc1 (44. Rb1 $2 Qc3#) 44... Qxc1+ 45. Rb1 Qc3+ 46. Rb2 Qe1+ 47. Rb1 Qc3+ 48. Rb2 Kg8 $1 {[%mdl 4096] After this witty move white has no chance to prevent the loss of an exchange, his opponent will enjoy advantage of two spare pawns in the queens endgame.} 49. a4 Bc1 50. Qb6 Kg7 51. Ka2 Bxb2 52. Qxb2 Qc4+ 53. Ka3 Qxe4 54. a5 g5 55. Qd2 Qf4 (55... Kg6 56. a6 g4 57. a7 g3 58. Qd6+ f6 59. Qb8 $13) 56. Qd8 (56. Qxf4 exf4 57. a6 f3 58. a7 f2 59. a8=Q f1=Q $19) 56... Qc1+ $6 {The best prove, that in Linares the participants were human and no computers. Kasparov became nervous in the winning position and instead of the correct advance of the g pawn he began to give checks to the opponent's king.} (56... g4 $1 57. a6 g3 58. a7 Qf3+ 59. Kb4 g2 60. Qg5+ Kh7 $19) 57. Kb4 Qb2+ (57... g4 58. a6 Qe1+ 59. Kc5 $17) 58. Kc5 Qc3+ 59. Kb5 Qb3+ 60. Kc5 Qc3+ 61. Kb5 Qb3+ 62. Kc5 Qe3+ 63. Kb4 Qe4+ 64. Kc5 Qc2+ 65. Kb5 Qe2+ 66. Kb6 Qe3+ 67. Kc6 g4 68. a6 g3 69. a7 g2 (69... Qxa7 $2 70. Qg5+ Kh7 71. Qh5+ Kg7 72. Qg5+ $11) 70. a8=Q Qe4+ 71. Qd5 Qc2+ (71... Qxd5+ 72. Kxd5 g1=Q 73. Kxe5 Qg5+ $17) 72. Kd6 (72. Kd7 Qf5+ 73. Ke8 g1=Q $19) (72. Kb5 Qb2+ 73. Kc6 g1=Q $19) 72... Qg6+ 73. Kc7 $1 {Leko is defending like a lion and his great opponent will be very frustrated by spoiling enormous chances for win.} (73. Kxe5 $2 g1=Q $19) 73... g1=Q 74. Qxe5+ Qf6 (74... f6 75. Qe7+ Kh6 76. Qef8+ Qg7+ 77. Kc6 Qd4 $17) 75. Qh8+ Kxh8 76. Qxf6+ Qg7 77. Qh4+ Kg8 78. Kd6 (78. Qd8+ Kh7 79. Qh4+ Qh6 80. Qe4+ Kg7 81. Qd4+ Qf6 82. Qg4+ Kh6 83. Qh3+ Kg6 84. Qg2+ Qg5 $17) 78... Qg6+ 79. Ke5 Kg7 80. Qe7 Qg3+ 81. Kf5 Qg6+ 82. Ke5 Qh6 83. Kf5 Qg6+ {The end of the game was even marred by the discussions about the result due to the few seconds on the Leko's clock and several repetitions of the position after 84.Ke5. White is not able to improve his position and the arbiters have proclaimed the game a draw.} (83... Qh5+ 84. Qg5+ Qxg5+ 85. Kxg5 $11) 84. Ke5 Kh7 85. Qh4+ Kg8 86. Qd8+ Kg7 87. Qe7 1/2-1/2 [Event "RUS-The World"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2002.09.10"] [Round "8"] [White "Akopian, Vladimir"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2678"] [BlackElo "2838"] [Annotator "Rabinovich,Al"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "2002.09.08"] [EventType "schev (rapid)"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 091"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.11.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.11.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "The World"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 {A well known position,where white can choose between several interesting continuations:} 5. b3 (5. c3 $5 { The most popular move nowdays.} a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bc2 Bb7 8. Qe2 d5 9. e5 d4 $132 {0-1 Grischuk,A-Kasparov,G/Moscow RUS 2002/The Week in Chess 395 (58)}) (5. Nc3 a6 6. Bxc6 Nxc6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qc7 9. Re1 Bd6 10. Kh1 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Be5 12. Qd3 O-O 13. Bg5 b5 $11 {1/2-1/2 Smirin,I-Eljanov,P/Moscow RUS 2002/The Week in Chess 379 (20)}) (5. d4 $6 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Qb6 7. Be3 $5 Nxd4 8. a4 e5 9. c3 a6 10. cxd4 axb5 11. d5 Qf6 12. Nc3 $44 {[%CAl Gc3b5,Gb5c7] 1/2-1/2 Campora, D-Hatanbaatar,B/Istanbul 2000/EXT 2001 (69)}) (5. Re1 a6 (5... Ng6 6. c3 Bd6 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 O-O 9. Nc3 $14 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] 1-0 Nedev,T-Krasenkow,M/ Halkidiki GRE 2002/The Week in Chess 412 (38)}) 6. Bf1 d5 7. exd5 Qxd5 8. Bd3 Ng6 9. Be4 Qd6 10. c3 Be7 11. d4 O-O 12. Be3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bd7 14. Nc3 $14 { 1-0 Benjamin,J-Hahn,A/Seattle USA 2002/The Week in Chess 374 (32)}) 5... a6 6. Bxc6 Nxc6 7. Bb2 b5 8. c4 (8. Na3 Nd4 9. c4 Qa5 10. d3 Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 Bb7 12. Nc2 Qd2 13. Rac1 Bd6 14. Bxg7 Rg8 15. Bb2 Qh6 $36 {1/2-1/2 Azmaiparashvili, Z-Almasi,Z/Dos Hermanas 2001/CBM 83 (26)}) 8... bxc4 9. bxc4 Rb8 10. Bc3 d6 ( 10... Bb7 {Probably the same like in the text.} 11. d3 d6 12. Na3 e5 13. Nc2 Be7 14. Ne3 O-O 15. Nd5 Nd4 16. Bxd4 cxd4 17. Qa4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Akopian, V-Eljanov,P/Moscow RUS 2002/The Week in Chess 379 (65)}) (10... Qc7 11. d3 (11. Na3 f6 $6 12. Nh4 Nd8 13. f4 Be7 14. Nc2 O-O 15. Qh5 Bb7 16. Rae1 Rf7 17. f5 $40 {[%CAl Gf1f3,Gf3h3,Ge1e3,Ge3g3] 1-0 Kuzmin,G-Popov,R/Krasnodar 1998/EXT 2000 (25)}) 11... Rg8 $6 12. Nbd2 g5 13. Ne1 Rg6 14. Nc2 Bd6 15. Qh5 {1-0 Shirov,A-Kramnik,V/Frankfurt 1996/EXT 98 (34) And black got nothing but a bad position.}) 11. Na3 $1 $14 {Very good choise of opening for white.Getting a slightly better position without any real counter chances for black.} (11. d3 e5 12. Nbd2 Be7 13. Ne1 f5 14. exf5 Bxf5 15. f4 O-O 16. g4 $2 Bd7 $17 {[%csl Rg1,Rg4] 0-1 Girinath,P-Goloshchapov,A/Calcutta IND 2002/The Week in Chess 384 (32)}) 11... e5 {Unfortunatly it is forced.} 12. Nc2 Be7 13. Ne3 O-O 14. d3 Qe8 {Avoiding 15.Qa4} (14... g6 $5 {[%CAl Gf7f5]}) 15. Rb1 (15. Qa4 $2 Nd4 $15) 15... Rxb1 (15... Be6 16. Rxb8 Qxb8 17. Nd5 $14) 16. Qxb1 Bd8 17. Nd2 {[%CAl Gf2f4] The biggest advantage of white is the fact that black doesn't have any real plan,the only black's active idea is the one which played in the game..... } g6 18. Nd5 f5 (18... Be6 19. Qb7 a5 20. f4 $16) 19. exf5 gxf5 $2 $16 { [%mdl 16384]} (19... Bxf5 $142 20. Ne4 Qd7 {Still not that clear.White is still slightly better,but black pieces control the important squares.}) 20. f4 $1 {[%csl Rc8,Rd8,Re8,Rf8,Rg8] White immediatly punishes black for activity and black pieces find themselves not capble of defending the center.} Rf7 ( 20... Be6 21. Qe1 $16) 21. Qe1 {[%CAl Ge1e8]} Rg7 (21... Bb7 22. Nf3 e4 23. Nd2 $18) 22. Nf3 Qg6 23. g3 $18 {Black is complitely hopeless.} Rf7 (23... e4 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. dxe4 fxe4 26. Nd2 Ba5 27. Qa1+ Kf7 28. f5 $18 {[%CAl Gd2e4]}) 24. fxe5 f4 25. exd6 fxg3 (25... fxg3 26. Qe8+ Rf8 27. Qxf8+ Kxf8 28. Ne5+ $18) 1-0 [Event "FIDE GP"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2002.06.03"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2702"] [BlackElo "2838"] [Annotator "Kostakiev,D"] [PlyCount "116"] [EventDate "2002.06.01"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 090"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.09.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.09.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {In this game we can see the typical middle game technique. Black shall occupy the open vertical "c" by the heavy pieces [Q and R] without hurrying up to castle. So the White's PP attack on the K's side shall be neutralized .} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 $1 {In my oppinion Nge7 is the right developement even after after 4...Bxc6} 5. c3 (5. Re1 {Has also its partisans}) 5... a6 6. Ba4 b5 (6... d5 7. exd5 exd5 8. d4 c4 {1-0 Adams,M-Hennigan,M/ Birmingham 2001/CBM 84 ext (17)}) 7. Bc2 Bb7 ({In the first known game where 4. ..Nge7 was applied was:} 7... d5 8. d4 cxd4 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd4 Bb7 11. a4 b4 12. a5 Bd6 13. Qg4 Nf6 {1-0 Benko,P-Stenborg,A/Dublin 1957/MCD (33)}) 8. Qe2 d5 ({Often used is} 8... Ng6 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 {1/2-1/2 Adams,M-Lautier,J/Wijk aan Zee NED 2002/The Week in Chess 376 (29). (29)}) 9. e5 d4 (9... Qb6 $5 { Gershon}) 10. Be4 Nd5 (10... Ng6 $143 {Gershon} 11. cxd4 cxd4 12. d3 Be7 13. Nbd2 (13. a4 O-O 14. Na3 Qb6 15. Bd2 Rfc8 {1/2-1/2 Zhang Zhong-Wu Wenjin/ HeiBei CHN 2001/The Week in Chess 351 (73)}) 13... Qd7 (13... Qc7 14. Nb3 O-O 15. Bd2 Rfc8 16. Rac1 Qb6 17. h4 $36 {1-0 Smirin,I-Krasenkow,M/Dos Hermanas ESP 2001/The Week in Chess 337 (72)}) 14. Nb3 {1-0 Smirin,I-Finegold,B/ Philadelphia USA 2001/The Week in Chess 351 (53)} (14. Nb3 {Oratovsky,M} Rd8 15. Bd2 Nb4 16. Nfxd4 Nc6 17. Nf3 Nb4 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. d4 O-O 20. Rfc1 Qd5 21. Nc5 Nc6 22. Be3 $16 {1-0 Smirin,I-Finegold,B/Philadelphia USA 2001/The Week in Chess 351 (53)})) 11. cxd4 Nxd4 (11... cxd4 {Gershon} 12. d3 Be7 13. Nbd2 Nf4 14. Qd1 Ng6 15. Nb3 Qb6 16. Re1 Rd8 17. h4 h6 18. h5 Nf8 19. Bf4 Nd7 20. Rc1 Ndb8 {1/2-1/2 Moreno Carnero,J-Magem Badals,J/Cala Galdana 1999/EXT 2000 (33)}) 12. Nxd4 cxd4 13. a4 $146 ({About} 13. d3 {Gershon wrote: 'White has given black a lot of space , while getting prepared to attack black's K side castle. However, black monarch feels very comfortably in the center as well'.} Qc7 $1 { 0-1 Schneider,D-Gulko,B/Seattle 2002/CBM 87/ (32) a multitasking move: attacking the 'e5' pawn, defending the B and taking over the 'c' file.}) 13... b4 14. d3 Qc7 15. f4 $6 {Shirov} (15. Qh5 $142 g6 (15... Be7 16. Nd2 $1 g6 17. Qh6 Qxe5 18. Nf3 Qd6 19. Re1 $44) 16. Qg5 Bg7 17. f4 $1 {/\Nd2}) 15... Rc8 16. Nd2 Ne3 17. Rf3 Bxe4 $1 {Abolishing the strongest White piece and doubling the Pe4 and Pe5.} 18. dxe4 (18. Nxe4 Qc2 $17) 18... d3 $1 $17 19. Qxd3 Nc2 20. Rb1 Ne1 21. Qxa6 Nxf3+ 22. Nxf3 {Now follows a lesson how to win with RR against NR+P.} Qc4 23. Qb5+ Qxb5 24. axb5 Bc5+ 25. Kf1 O-O ({Direct decision escaping 0-0 is:} 25... Rb8 $5 26. Bd2 (26. Ke2 Rxb5 27. Be3 Ke7) 26... Rxb5 27. Rc1 Kd7 $17) (25... Ke7 $143 26. Bd2 Kd7 27. Ke2 Kc7 28. Ng5 Rcf8 (28... Rhf8 29. Nxh7 Rh8 30. Ng5 Rxh2 31. Nxf7 Rxg2+ 32. Kd3 Kb6 33. Rc1 Rg3+ 34. Ke2 $15) 29. Be3 Bxe3 30. Kxe3 $15) 26. Ke2 (26. Bd2 Rb8) 26... Rb8 27. Be3 Rxb5 28. Rc1 Bxe3 29. Kxe3 Rbb8 30. Nd4 Rfc8 31. Rd1 Rc4 (31... Ra8 $5) 32. g4 Rd8 33. h4 g6 34. h5 gxh5 35. gxh5 h6 36. f5 Kh7 37. f6 Rd7 38. Rd2 Kh8 39. Rd1 Rc2 40. Ra1 (40. Nxc2 $142 Rxd1 41. Nxb4 Rh1 $17) 40... Rxb2 $19 41. Ra8+ Kh7 42. Re8 Ra2 43. Nc6 b3 44. Rb8 Ra6 45. Nd4 Ra3 46. Nxb3 Rd1 47. Rb7 Rb1 48. Rxf7+ Kg8 49. Rg7+ Kf8 50. Kd4 Raxb3 51. Ra7 Rd1+ 52. Kc4 Rb8 53. Kc3 Rc8+ 54. Kb2 Rd4 55. Rh7 Rc6 56. Rb7 Rdc4 57. Kb3 Rc3+ 58. Kb2 Rc2+ 0-1 [Event "Eurotel Trophy"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2002.04.30"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Polgar, Judit"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2677"] [BlackElo "2838"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,D"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2002.04.28"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "CZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 089"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.08.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.08.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 {Garry Kasparov played Sveshnikov Sicilian from Black side earlier as well, but mostly in simuls or advanced chess. This year he won in Linares (classical game, of course) against Alexey Shirov, which means that he more or less included Sveshnikov Sicilian in his repertoire on a stable basis. The present game is another reason for Sveshnikov Sicilian adherents to be happy. Undoubtly the fact that the World Number One started to play Sveshnikov Sicilian will have consequences and the theory of this opening will develop quicker.} 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 {In above-mentioned game against Alexey, Kasparov played "the classical" 10. ... f5. Although these two options (10. ... f5 and 10. ... Bg7) can lead later to same positions, I would rather separate them and consider as two independent lines, because in each case White can choose a different type of position.} 11. c3 f5 12. Bd3 (12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Nc2 {Is another main line.}) 12... Ne7 13. Nxe7 Qxe7 14. O-O O-O 15. Nc2 {Like in other main lines of the Sveshnikov Sicilian, this is a strategically complicated position. White has a better pawn structure, possibilities to play in the center and on the queenside, a better control over d-file. Quite a lot, which defines that objectively White must have the advantage. However, in Sveshnikov Sicilian Black's position often contains a lot of hidden potential. The bishop pair, pawn majority in the center and the open g-file are strong arguments in his favour. In the long run with a precise play White might well be slightly better, but in any case there is a tough battle ahead and White cannot afford to make mistakes and allow Black to take the initiative. The present game is a superb demonstration of Black's potential.} f4 $5 {15. ... Rb8 or 15. ... Bb7 are more popular than the text move. 15. ... f4 is in a way less flexible, but more determined - Black shows his clear intentions to start a kingside attack.} 16. a4 {The logical continuation - White starts immediately activity on the queenside.} (16. Qh5 { Preventing Black from playing Qg5 deserves attention as well.}) 16... bxa4 { Black is practically forced to abandon the queenside and for that purpose 16. . .. bxa4 is better than 16. ... Bb7, because it keeps the a-file closed for a while.} (16... Bb7 17. axb5 axb5 18. Rxa8 Bxa8 19. Nb4 f5 20. f3 Kh8 21. Kh1 Bf6 22. Qe2 Rc8 23. Ra1 $16 {1-0 Luther,T-Richter,M/Nova Gorica 2000 (49)}) 17. Rxa4 Qg5 18. f3 (18. Qe2 Bf6 19. Nb4 Kh8 20. Nd5 Bd8 21. f3 Rg8 22. Rf2 Qh5 23. Qf1 Be6 {Looked good for Black in Sameeh,H-Halkias,S/Tanta City 2002.}) 18... Bf6 {The start of impressive trip.} 19. Bc4 {In connection with the next move an innacuracy. White attacks pawn d6, but for some reasons didn't take it.} ( 19. Nb4 $142) 19... Kh8 20. Rf2 $6 (20. Qxd6 {This was the logical follow-up, although it looks quite risky, since Black activates the rook. The direct assault fails, though:} Rd8 21. Qb6 Rd2 22. Rf2 ({or} 22. Ne1 Bh3 23. Rf2 Rd1 24. Kf1 Rg8 25. Ke2 Rgd8 26. Bd5) 22... Bd8 23. Qc6 Rd1+ 24. Bf1 Rb8 25. Rb4 $1 {protecting against Bb6.}) 20... Be7 (20... Bd8 $2 21. Qxd6) 21. Nb4 {Now it seems that White is in time to place the knight on d5. However, Kasparov demonstrates that once kingside bishop swithches to the diagonal a7-g1, White can hardly resist the attack.} (21. Bd5 {doesn't help White from preventing Bd8-b6:} Rb8 22. Nb4 Bd8 23. Nc6 Bb6 {Of course.} 24. Nxb8 Bh3 25. Qf1 Rg8 { is similar to the game - White can't protect g2.}) 21... d5 $1 {As mentioned in the annotations after move 15.Nc2, once Black finds a way to coordinate his pieces, White will have a tough life.} 22. Bxd5 ({White cannot prevent Bc5, for instance:} 22. Qxd5 Be6) 22... Bc5 23. Bxa8 Rg8 {White is a rook up, but apparently the position is absolutely lost.} 24. Kf1 (24. Qf1 Bh3 25. Kh1 Bxf2 26. Qxf2 Bxg2+ 27. Kg1 Bxf3+ 28. Kf1 Bg2+ 29. Ke1 Rxa8 $19) 24... Bxf2 25. Ke2 Qxg2 26. Kd3 Be3 {The rest is clear.} 27. Bd5 Qxh2 28. Kc4 Rg1 29. Qd3 Bh3 { A nice demonstration of Black's superiority. Judith managed to escape with the king, but the endgame is lost due to the power of Black's bishops.} 30. Kb3 Bf1 31. Qc2 Qxc2+ 32. Kxc2 Kg7 {Black wins in many ways. The simple advance of h-pawn or 32. ... Be2 followed by Bxf3 decides quickly. Kasparov leaves the option which pawn to queen (h or f) for later.} 33. c4 Be2 34. Rxa6 Bd1+ 35. Kd3 Bxf3 {So kasparov decided that f-pawn has a shorter way to f1...} 36. Nc6 Rd1+ 37. Kc3 Bg4 38. Nxe5 Bd4+ 39. Kc2 Bxe5 40. Ra7 Re1 41. Rxf7+ Kg6 42. c5 Re2+ 43. Kc1 f3 44. Bc4 Rxe4 45. Bd5 Rf4 0-1 [Event "Linares 19th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2002.03.10"] [Round "14"] [White "Shirov, Alexei"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2715"] [BlackElo "2838"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,D"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2002.02.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 088"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bxb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Ra4 13. b4 {Up to the present game the piece sac in connection with this pawn advance brought Shirov two nice victories. Actually the move 13.b4 was lately the reason for popularity of the whole bishop sacrifice line. Probably it is time to have a closer look to 13.b4. White obviously wants to open files on the queenside and it also defends pawn e4 in a very original and active manner. The move is not new at all and was first played in 1979, but never considered dangerous because of the answer 13. ... Rxb4. However, the things proved far from clear after 14.Nbc7 Kd7 15.0-0, when Black must play very precise in order to avoid a quick disaster. Black tried several different ways after that, but it became more or less obvious that White has a good compensation for the piece. In the former Soviet Union the inventor of the b4 idea was considered Latvian Master Alvis Vitolinsh. It is not possible to say now if he played it before the first officially recorded game with 13.b4 ( Tringov,G-Cvetkovic,S/Vrnjacka Banja 1979), because in chess databases many Soviet tournaments are absent. Interesting is another factor. Certain is that after two decades another originally Latvian player contributed to its revival - Alexey Shirov. Maybe we should name the move 13.b4 the Latvian Variation? However, the present game is a serious blow against "Latvian Variation". The psychological effect of this game might be so strong that we won't see 13.b4 soon in the practice again, that's why I thought it is better to give this short historical background now. } (13. Nbc7+ Kd7 14. b4 {would avoid Black's option 13. ... Qh4, since now 14.. .Qh4 makes less sense (because the king went on d7 already, see next comment). Maybe in this case Black can consider taking on b4 with the knight, although it wasn't played it in the practice yet.} Rxb4 (14... Nxb4 $5 15. c3 Nxd5 16. Qxa4+ Kxc7 17. exd5 Bb7 $13 {White will soon double rooks on the b-file, while Black should be trying to trade queens. It's difficult to give a precise evaluation of the position without practical games played with it.}) 15. O-O $13) 13... Qh4 {Repeating McShane's idea. Strange that nobody played it after the game Luther,T-McShane,L/Lippstadt 2000.13... Qh4 has several ideas. First of all the counterplay on the kingside is typical for Black in 11.Bxb5 line. Secondly (and most important) Black makes available square d8 for his king, thus keeping open the diagonal c8-h3 for the bishop. And finally the queen attacks pawn e4.} (13... Nxb4 $2 {This doesn't work now because White wins a piece:} 14. Ndc7+ {That's the difference. White gives check with another knight.} Kd7 15. c3 $16) (13... Rxb4) 14. O-O Rg8 15. f4 {A slightly dubious novelty. Or let put it this way - the move was already recommended in the annotations to McShane's game and one would expect that Shirov had analyzed the arising complications, but the game proved the opposite.} ({After} 15. c3 f4 {White forced a draw in the above-mentioned game:} 16. Qxa4 Rxg2+ 17. Kxg2 Qg4+ {1/2-1/2 Luther,T-McShane,L/Lippstadt 2000. Probably this is the logical outcome, unless Black can invent something instead of 15...f4 to play for more than a draw, but I doubt that.}) 15... Kd8 {Shirov failed to find a way and collapsed in a few moves. I accept that there are ways for White to improve, but on the other hand Black has always enough counterplay, at least for a draw by perpetual in most of the cases.} 16. c3 (16. Nb6 $5 Rxb4 17. Nxc8 (17. Nxd6 Rd4 $19) 17... Kxc8 18. Qd5 (18. Nxd6+ Bxd6 19. Qxd6 Rc4 $1 $19)) 16... Ra6 17. a4 {Makes possible the move Ra1-a2 later.} (17. Ndc7 Rb6 18. a4 fxe4 {see 18. Nbc7}) 17... fxe4 18. f5 $6 (18. Ndc7 {This was certainly more stubborn. Now in the following variations White is still struggling:} Rb6 (18... Bh3 19. Ra2) (18... exf4 19. Nxa6 f3 20. Ra2 Bxa6 21. Qd5 $1 Qh3 22. g3 Bxb5 23. axb5 Ne5 24. b6 {and probably Black has nothing more than a draw with Rxg3 at one point. }) 19. a5 Rb7 20. a6 Rxc7 21. Nxc7 Kxc7 22. a7 Bb7 23. a8=Q Bxa8 24. Rxa8) 18... Bb7 {The diagonal c8-h3 was closed by 18.f5, so the bishop finds a better one - the long diagonal, which will prove fatal for White. By the way, one can say that the long diagonal is also full of pieces. Well, watch this:} 19. Ra2 e3 $1 20. Nxe3 Qe4 21. Re1 Nxb4 $1 $19 {The decisive combination - White cannot hold g2. Who said that the long diagonal is full of pieces?} 22. cxb4 Bh6 {Attacking the defender - a well-known and effective motif.} 23. Kh1 Bxe3 24. Qe2 {The rest doesn't need comments - Black is absolutely winning.} ( 24. Rxe3 Qxg2+ 25. Rxg2 Bxg2+ 26. Kg1 Bf3+ 27. Kf2 Bxd1 {with a rook up.}) 24... Rc6 25. a5 Qxb4 26. Nxd6 Rxd6 27. Qxe3 Qd4 28. Qc1 Qd5 0-1 [Event "Biel GM 45th"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2012.07.29"] [Round "3"] [White "Bologan, Viktor"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2732"] [BlackElo "2837"] [Annotator "Kritz,L"] [PlyCount "80"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 {Dieser Zug wurde zuletzt oft gespielt. Die anderen Hauptvarianten sind 3...g6 und 3...e6.} (3... g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 $14 {Weiß hat die etwas angenehmere Stellung.}) (3... e6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. d3 $132 {Hier spielt Weiß gegen den schlechten schwarzen Läufer c8 und hat eine bessere Bauernstruktur. Die entstehenden Stellungen sind jedoch sehr kompliziert.}) 4. O-O (4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. O-O e5 6. c3 Nf6 7. Re1 Bg4 $132 {mit gleichen Chancen.}) 4... Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. h3 {Eine relativ seltene Fortsetzung. Der Hauptzug ist 6.c3.} (6. c3 a6 7. Bf1 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 g6 10. d3 Bg7 11. Be3 Nd7 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Qd1 Rc8 $132 {Kasparov - Vachier Lagrave (Clichy, 2011)}) 6... e6 {Gut spielbar ist hier auch 6...a6.} (6... a6 7. Bf1 e5 8. c3 Be7 9. d4 Qc7 10. d5 Nd8 $132 { Die Stellung ist sehr ähnlich zu Spanischen Strukturen, jedoch sieht es so aus, als ob Schwarz schon alles erreicht hat, was man in einem typischen Spanier erreichen will.}) 7. c3 d5 {Wenn Schwarz das Spiel gleich vereinfachen will, kann er 7...Ne5 spielen.} (7... Ne5 8. Bxd7+ Qxd7 9. d4 Nxf3+ 10. Qxf3 cxd4 11. cxd4 d5 12. e5 Ng8 13. Nc3 Ne7 14. Qd3 Nc6 $11 {Rozentalis - Chernyshov (Bad Wiessee, 2009)}) 8. d3 {Das logische 8.e5 funktioniert hier überhaupt nicht.} (8. e5 $2 Nxe5 $1 $19) 8... a6 9. Ba4 b5 {Das sofortige Nehmen auf e4 wäre etwas besser, weil Weiß dann keine extra Möglichkeiten bekäme.} (9... dxe4 10. dxe4 b5 11. Bc2 {->9....b5}) 10. Bc2 (10. exd5 $5 Nxd5 (10... bxa4 11. dxc6 Bxc6 12. Ne5 $16) 11. c4 Nb6 (11... bxa4 12. cxd5 Nb4 13. dxe6 Bxe6 14. Nc3 $16) 12. Bb3 Be7 13. Nc3 bxc4 14. dxc4 O-O 15. Bf4 $14) 10... dxe4 11. dxe4 e5 $1 {Sonst würde Weiß selbst e5 spielen.} (11... Be7 12. e5 Nd5 13. Be4 $14) 12. a4 (12. Nbd2 Be7 13. Nf1 Be6 14. Ne3 O-O $11 {Weiß kann üblicherweise keinen großen Nutzen aus dem Feld d5 ziehen, weil Schwarz die Kontrolle darüber hat.}) 12... Be7 13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Bg5 { Nach 15.Na3 hätte Schwarz mehr Probleme zu lösen:} (15. Na3 Qb8 $1 (15... Qa6 $6 16. Bg5 $1 Be6 (16... h6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Qd6 Be7 19. Qd3 c4 20. Qd5 $14) 17. Nxb5 $3 Qxb5 18. Nxe5 $1 $16) 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Qd5 Qb6 $11) 15... Be6 16. Na3 b4 17. Nb1 $2 {Weiß hat sich nicht getraut, den Springer auf b5 zu stellen und gerät in eine schwierige Lage.} (17. cxb4 $1 cxb4 18. Nb5 Qb8 19. Bxf6 gxf6 (19... Bxf6 20. Nd6+ Ke7 21. Nf5+ Bxf5 22. exf5 Rd8 23. Qe2 Kf8 24. Bb3 $14) 20. Bd3 O-O 21. Nh4 $36) 17... O-O {Weiß hat zu viel Zeit verloren.} 18. Ba4 h6 19. Bh4 ({Das Nehmen auf c6 funktioniert nicht:} 19. Bxc6 Qxc6 20. Nxe5 Qc7 21. Bf4 Bd6 $19) 19... Rd8 20. Nbd2 g5 $5 {Schwarz will den weißen schwarzfeldrigen Läufer ausschalten.} 21. Bg3 Nd7 22. Bb3 (22. Bxc6 Qxc6 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 24. Bxe5 Qd7 $19) 22... Nf8 23. Qc2 {Nun hätte man den Bauern nehmen können, aber Schwarz würde auch dann Kompensation haben.} ( 23. Bxe6 Nxe6 24. Nxe5 bxc3 25. bxc3 Nxe5 26. Bxe5 Qa2 27. Re2 c4 28. Qe1 Qa4 $44) 23... f6 24. Nc4 (24. Bxe6+ Nxe6 25. Qb3 Kf7 26. Nc4 Qa6 27. Ne3 h5 28. Nd5 c4 29. Qd1 h4 $36 {Weiß hat einen sehr starken Springer auf d5, aber der Rest seiner Figuren macht nichts.}) 24... Qa6 25. Qe2 $2 {Das ist ein Fehler, der dazu führt, dass Schwarz endgültig die Initiative übernimmt.} (25. Ne3 c4 26. Qe2 bxc3 27. bxc3 Rd3 28. Nxc4 Rxc3 29. Ne3 Qxe2 30. Bxe6+ Nxe6 31. Rxe2 $11) 25... Rb8 $1 26. Ne3 Qxe2 27. Bxe6+ Nxe6 28. Rxe2 Ra8 $1 {Der Bauer b2 wird nun zum Angriffsziel schwarzer Figuren.} 29. h4 Ra2 30. Kf1 Kf7 {Schwarz hat es nicht eilig - er aktiviert seine Figuren und bringt den König ins Zentrum, immer eine gute Strategie im Endspiel.} 31. Bh2 Na5 32. hxg5 hxg5 33. Rd2 b3 {Die Frage wäre immer noch, wie kommt Schwarz voran, doch Weiß hilft ihm.} 34. Bxe5 $2 {Nun verliert Weiß forciert.} (34. Ke1 $1 {und das Spiel läuft noch.}) 34... g4 $1 {Das gewinnt am sichersten.} (34... fxe5 35. Nxe5+ Ke8 36. Ke2 $15 {Schwarz hat natürlich Vorteil, doch Weiß will seinen König nach g4 bringen, den Springer auf c4 stellen und Schwarz wird sich noch quälen müssen.}) 35. Nxg4 Nc4 36. Re2 (36. Rd7 fxe5 37. Nfxe5+ Nxe5 38. Nxe5+ Ke8 39. Rd2 Bg5 40. Re2 Nf4 $19 {und der Bauer b2 geht verloren.}) 36... Nxb2 { Nun ist das Spiel vorbei, der Bauer b2 ist viel wichtiger als die Figur.} 37. Nd2 c4 38. Bg3 Nd3 39. f4 Nexf4 40. Bxf4 Ra1+ 0-1 [Event "Qatar Masters op"] [Site "Doha"] [Date "2015.12.23"] [Round "4"] [White "Duda, Jan Krzysztof"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah/CB Website"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2015.12.20"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "QAT"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5 Nc6 9. Qd3 Nb4 $5 $146 {This move was made quite quickly by Magnus and hence he was clearly prepared.} 10. Qd2 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nd5 $6 (12. a3 {is met by} Bg5 13. Qd1 Nc6 14. O-O Be6 15. Qd3 O-O 16. Rad1 $11 {and White has a much better position than what happened in the game.}) 12... Nxd5 13. Qxd5 Qc7 14. O-O-O Be7 15. Kb1 Be6 16. Qd3 O-O $15 {Black has a very pleasant position due to the following reasons: 1. He has the bishop pair. Although the bishop on e7 is not particularly great it can be activated either on g5 or after White plays f4 it can be strong on the a1-h8 diagonal. 2. The d5-square is weak, however the knight on b3 is at least three moves away from it and cannot really take advantage of it. 3. And last but not least Black has a clear plan of attack on the queenside with b5-b4, a5-a4. White also can push his pawns down the board but somehow he lacks the firepower in that zone.} 17. f4 exf4 18. Nd4 Bd7 19. Rhf1 Bf6 20. Rxf4 Be5 {The bishop on e5 is really strong now.} 21. Rff1 Rac8 22. c3 b5 23. Nf3 Be6 24. Nd4 Bc4 25. Qf3 b4 $1 {White's king position is slowly but surely getting ripped open whereas White has not yet started his play on the kingside.} 26. cxb4 Qb6 $1 27. Bxc4 Rxc4 28. Nc2 Rfc8 { The f7 pawn is not really so important as the king can hide safely on f7. Yet it made sense to take the pawn and then play Rd2.} 29. Rd2 (29. Qxf7+ Kh8 30. Rd2 Qc6 31. Qf2 Qxe4 (31... a5 {was played by Magnus in the game.}) 32. Re2 $14 {and White should defend this position and might well be slightly better.}) 29... Qc6 (29... Qc7 $1) 30. Qxf7+ Kh8 31. Qf2 a5 32. a3 $2 (32. bxa5 {is a computer move but it looks extremely scary and I won't be surprised if there is a mate somewhere around the corner.} Rb8 33. b3 Rc3 $40) 32... axb4 33. Nxb4 Qxe4+ 34. Ka2 Rxb4 $1 35. axb4 Ra8+ 36. Kb3 Rb8 37. Ka2 Qxb4 {The queen, rook and bishop combine to launch a winning attack against the white king.} 38. Rc1 Qa4+ 39. Kb1 Qe4+ 40. Rcc2 Bxb2 41. Qf3 Qe1+ 42. Rd1 Bd4+ (42... Bd4+ 43. Kc1 Be3+ {with a winning position. A fine game by Magnus Carlsen who had very little difficulty in crushing his talented young opponent.}) 0-1 [Event "Linares 21st"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2004.02.19"] [Round "1"] [White "Shirov, Alexei"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2736"] [BlackElo "2831"] [Annotator "McShane,L"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2004.02.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 100"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Ftacnik} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Nbd7 9. Qd2 b5 10. a4 b4 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Nb6 13. Bxb6 Qxb6 14. a5 Qb7 15. Bc4 g6 16. Ra4 Rb8 17. Qd3 Ra8 18. Qd2 Rb8 19. Nc1 {Ambitious play from Shirov, as White can choose to continue alternating his attack between the a6/b4 pawns, with a draw.} h5 {'!?' Ftacnik.} 20. Nd3 Bh6 (20... Nxd5 { Ftacnik} 21. Bxd5 (21. Nxe5 dxe5 22. Bxd5 Qd7 23. Ra1 Bc5 $11) 21... Qxd5 22. Nxb4 Qb5 23. b3 $14) 21. Qe2 O-O 22. Nxb4 {White has won a pawn and looks to be winning another on a6. But practice shows that Black will gain dangerous compensation on the dark squares, particularly on the kingside. White's king will have difficulty finding a comfortable home.} Qd7 $5 {'N' Ftacnik. The first new move of the game. Several top level clashes have seen 22...e4 recently, which is also razor-sharp. Ftacnik: 'Kasparov is always very well prepared, but even he can not change the verdict of the given position. Black is hopinhg the get sufficient counterplay for the fatally weak a6 pawn. '} 23. Nc6 (23. b3 {Ftacnik} Qxa4 $5 (23... e4 $13) 24. bxa4 Rxb4 25. Bb3 Ra8 26. O-O Nd7 $14) 23... Rxb2 24. O-O h4 {'!' Ftacnik.} (24... e4 {Ftacnik}) 25. Bb3 { Boxing in the rook and preparing to swing the other rook over from a4, but now Kasparov begins his counterplay in earnest.} (25. Bxa6 $2 {Ftacnik} Nxd5 $19) 25... h3 26. g3 e4 $1 {A thematic sacrifice to create weaknesses in White's position. But if the counterplay peters out and Shirov can grab the a6 pawn, Black will be lost.} 27. fxe4 {Ftacnik: 'The choice in the future will probably be more ambitious approach with 27.f4!? '} (27. f4 $5 {Ftacnik} Re8 28. Qxa6 Bg7 29. Qe2 $16) 27... Qg4 $1 {'!?' Ftacnik.} (27... Ng4 $5 {Ftacnik} 28. e5 $1 Be3+ 29. Kh1 Nf2+ $1 30. Kg1 $1 (30. Rxf2 Bxf2 31. Ra1 Bc5 32. Qxa6 dxe5 $13)) 28. Qd3 {'!' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Shirov is careful and avoids devilish traps after alternative moves.'} (28. Qxg4 Be3+ $1 29. Kh1 Nxg4 { and with Ng4-f2+ to follow, Black will have at least a draw.}) (28. Qe1 { Ftacnik} Rb1 $3 29. Qxb1 Be3+ 30. Rf2 Qf3 31. Qf1 Ng4 $19) (28. Qxa6 $2 { Ftacnik} Be3+ 29. Kh1 Rb1 $1 30. Rxb1 Qf3#) 28... Qg5 29. e5 $5 {'!' Ftacnik.} dxe5 30. Rh4 (30. d6 {Ftacnik} e4 31. Qd4 Qe3+ (31... Ng4 $5) (31... Bg7 $5) 32. Qxe3 Bxe3+ 33. Kh1 Ng4 34. Raa1 (34. d7 $2 Nf2+ 35. Kg1 Nd1+ 36. Kh1 Rb1 $3 $19) 34... Nf2+ 35. Kg1 (35. Rxf2 Bxf2 36. d7 e3 $17) 35... Nd3+ 36. Kh1 Nf2+) 30... e4 31. Qd4 (31. Rxe4 {Ftacnik} Nxe4 32. Qxe4 Qe3+) (31. Qd1 $5 {Ftacnik}) 31... Ng4 (31... Qe3+ {Ftacnik} 32. Qxe3 Bxe3+ 33. Kh1 Bd2 $1 (33... Kg7 34. Ne5 g5 35. Rxh3 g4 36. Rh4 Bg5 37. Rxg4 Nxg4 38. Nxg4 $14) 34. d6 Kg7 (34... e3 35. Bc4 Kg7 36. Bxa6 $11) 35. g4 e3 36. g5 Nh7 37. Nd4 Nxg5 $17) 32. Rxh6 { '!' Ftacnik. Simplifying to a draw by perpetual. Ftacnik: 'Kasparov has a magical ability to create very original and dangerous tactical fireworks on the board. The very tempting 32.Ne7+ might have ended tragicaly for white.'} ({ An incredible variation given by Jon Speelman goes} 32. Ne7+ Kh7 $1 33. Qxe4 Qxh4 $3 34. Rxf7+ (34. gxh4 {Ftacnik} Be3+ 35. Qxe3 Nxe3 36. Rc1 Rb8 $19) 34... Kh8 $1 35. Nxg6+ (35. Qd4+ {Ftacnik} Qf6 $3 36. Rxf6 (36. Qxf6+ Nxf6 37. Nxg6+ Kg8 38. Rxf8+ Bxf8 $19) 36... Rxf6 $19) 35... Kg8 36. d6 Rb1+ 37. Rf1+ Kg7 38. Rxb1 Qg5 {and Black is winning.} 39. Nf4 {Ftacnik} Qc5+ $19) (32. Re1 {Ftacnik} Qe3+ $3 33. Qxe3 Bxe3+ 34. Kh1 Nf2+ 35. Kg1 Nd3+ 36. Kf1 Nxe1 37. Kxe1 Rb1+ $15 ) 32... Nxh6 {'!' Ftacnik.} (32... Qxh6 {'?' Ftacnik.} 33. d6 $1 {rather than 33.Qxb2 Qe3+, leaves Black with problems stopping the advance of the d-pawn.} Qe3+ {Ftacnik} 34. Qxe3 Nxe3 35. Rc1 $16) 33. Qxb2 ({Here} 33. d6 Rxb3 $1 ( 33... Nf5 {Ftacnik} 34. Qxb2 Nxg3 $1 35. Bxf7+ Kh7 36. Bg8+ Rxg8 37. Rf7+ Kh6 $19) 34. cxb3 Nf5 {gives Black enough play.}) 33... Qe3+ 34. Rf2 (34. Kh1 $2 { Ftacnik} Qe2 $19) 34... Qe1+ (34... Ng4 {was possible, but after} 35. Qd4 (35. c3 {Ftacnik} Nxf2 36. Qxf2 Qxc3 37. Bd1 $14) 35... Qe1+ {'=' Ftacnik.} 36. Rf1 Qe2 37. Rf2 {Black would risk a lot in playing on with 37...Nxf2}) 35. Rf1 Qe3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Reykjavik rapid"] [Site "Reykjavik"] [Date "2004.03.21"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Short, Nigel D"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B84"] [WhiteElo "2702"] [BlackElo "2831"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2004.03.18"] [EventType "k.o. (rapid)"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "ISL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 100"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 2]} 1. e4 {McShane} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Be3 O-O 9. g4 {'!?' McShane.} b5 10. g5 Nfd7 11. a3 Bb7 { Short is trying a radical approach against Kasparov, he goes for all out attacking chess.} 12. Rg1 Nc5 (12... Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. f5 Kh8 15. Qd4 Qc7 $13) 13. f5 Kh8 (13... e5 14. Nb3 (14. f6 exd4 15. Qxd4 Nc6 16. fxe7 Qxe7 17. Qf6 Nxe4 18. Qxe7 Nxe7 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. O-O-O Rae8 $15) 14... Nxb3 (14... Nxe4 $2 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. f6 $16) 15. cxb3 Kh8 16. Nd5 $14) 14. Bd3 (14. Bf3 Nc6 15. Nxc6 Bxc6 16. h4 Nd7 $11) 14... Nc6 15. Qh5 (15. f6 gxf6 16. h4 Ne5 17. b4 Ncxd3+ 18. cxd3 Rc8 19. Qd2 fxg5 20. hxg5 f5 $15) 15... g6 (15... Ne5 $2 16. g6 fxg6 17. fxg6 h6 18. Bxh6 $18) 16. Qh4 Re8 (16... Nxd3+ 17. cxd3 Nxd4 18. Bxd4+ e5 19. Be3 d5 20. Rg3 Re8 (20... d4 21. Qh6 Rg8 22. Rh3 Rg7 23. f6 $16) 21. exd5 Bxd5 22. Nxd5 Qxd5 23. fxg6 fxg6 24. Qe4 $11) 17. O-O-O (17. Nxe6 Nxe6 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. O-O-O Bf8 $13) 17... Nxd3+ 18. Rxd3 Ne5 19. fxe6 $5 {Excellent idea since Kasparov is rather limited on three rows white sets his sight on kingside attack.} (19. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 (19... Nxd3+ $2 20. cxd3 Qd7 21. Bd4+ Kg8 22. Qh6 $18) 20. Bd4 Qc7 21. fxg6 Bf8 22. Rf1 Qg7 23. Rf7 Qxg6 24. Bxe5+ dxe5 25. Rxb7 $18) 19... fxe6 20. Nxe6 $5 (20. Rdd1 Bf8 21. Rdf1 Bg7 $11) 20... Qd7 21. Nf4 Nxd3+ 22. cxd3 {McShane: 'The exchange sacrifice has opened the diagonal to Black's king and attained an excellent outpost on d5.'} Kg8 23. Bd4 d5 (23... Rf8 24. Qh6 Rf7 25. Nxg6 $18) (23... Bd8 24. Nxg6 d5 25. Qh6 $18) 24. Nxg6 $2 {[%mdl 128] Wrong direction! Short has build up a dream attacking set up, but nows insists on opening the kingside instead of solid grab of a central pawn.} ({McShane: It is very tempting to rip open Black's king position, but after the simpler} 24. Ncxd5 $1 {McShane: 'White should be in control.'} Rac8+ 25. Kb1 (25. Kd2 Bxd5 26. Nxd5 Rf8 27. Qg4 Qd6 28. Qg3 Qxg3 29. Rxg3 $16) 25... b4 26. Qh6 Bd8 27. Nf6+ Bxf6 28. gxf6 $18) 24... dxe4 25. Nxe7+ Rxe7 26. Bf6 (26. Bc5 Re6 27. dxe4 Rc8 28. g6 Rxg6 29. Rxg6+ hxg6 30. b4 Re8 $15) (26. g6 {McShane: 'would be decisive here if it weren't for '} Qxd4 { McShane: 'This vital tempo gives Kasparov the time to survive the attack.'} 27. gxh7+ Kh8 28. Rg8+ Rxg8 29. hxg8=R+ Kxg8 30. Qxe7 $11) 26... exd3 (26... Qxd3 $2 27. Rd1 Qe3+ 28. Kb1 Rc7 29. g6 $18) 27. g6 (27. Bxe7 Qxe7 28. Kd2 Re8 ( 28... Rc8 29. Rg3 $13) 29. Re1 Qxe1+ 30. Qxe1 Rxe1 31. Kxe1 Kf7 (31... Bc8 $2 32. Nd5 $1 Kf7 33. Nf4 Bf5 34. Kd2 $16) 32. Kd2 Kg6 33. Kxd3 Kxg5 $15) 27... d2+ $1 {Such an advance pawn is rarely a good sign for an opponent, black will achieve wonders with his counterplay.} 28. Kc2 (28. Kb1 Re1+ 29. Rxe1 dxe1=Q+ 30. Qxe1 Qf5+ 31. Ka1 Qxf6 $19) (28. Kd1 Bf3+ 29. Kc2 d1=Q+ 30. Nxd1 Qf5+ 31. Kc1 Qc5+ 32. Bc3 Qxg1 $19) 28... Qf5+ 29. Kxd2 (29. Kd1 Bf3+ 30. Kxd2 Rd7+ 31. Kc1 hxg6 (31... h5 32. Qg5 Qxg5+ 33. Rxg5 Rc8 $17) 32. Qh8+ (32. Qh6 Kf7 33. Bh4 Qh5 34. Qf4+ Kg8 35. Qf6 Bg4 $17) 32... Kf7 33. Qg7+ Ke6 34. Re1+ Kd6 35. Be7+ Kc7 $19) 29... Rd7+ 30. Kc1 h5 $1 (30... hxg6 31. Qh8+ Kf7 32. Qg7+ Ke6 33. Re1+ Kd6 34. Rd1+ Kc6 35. Rxd7 Qxd7 36. Qxg6 $11) 31. Bg5 (31. Bd4 Rf8 32. h3 Bg2 $1 33. g7 Rc8 34. Qg3 Bxh3 35. Qe3 Qe6 $19) 31... Bf3 32. Bh6 Re8 { McShane: 'With all his heavy pieces active, Kasparov is almost winning, but a blunder soon decides the game.'} 33. Qb4 (33. Qf2 Bg4 34. Qb6 Qd3 $19) 33... Qe6 {It becomes obvious, that white has failed to achive his goals.} (33... Bg4 34. g7 Qe6 35. Qf8+ Kh7 36. Kb1 Rdd8 $19) 34. Qf4 Bg4 35. h3 Bf5 36. g7 (36. Qf3 a5 $1 37. Qxh5 (37. Nxb5 Qe1+ 38. Rxe1 Rxe1+) 37... b4 $19) 36... Qe1+ $1 0-1 [Event "Astana"] [Site "Astana"] [Date "2001.05.22"] [Round "3"] [White "Morozevich, Alexander"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B87"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2827"] [Annotator "Winants,L"] [PlyCount "114"] [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"] {[%mdl 4101]} 1. e4 {Ftacnik} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 {L'une des grandes conceptions de Bobby Fischer : La diagonale du Fou introduit l'offensive vers f7.} e6 {Les Noirs installent une barricade, mais les Blancs ne tarderont pas à l'assiéger via f4-f5 et peut-être même g4-g5-g6.} 7. Bb3 b5 {La meilleure réplique : Les Noirs lancent une contre-attaque vers le pion central.} ({Apparemment trop lent serait} 7... Be7 8. f4 O-O (8... b5 9. e5 dxe5 10. fxe5 Nfd7 11. Bxe6 $1) 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. f5 e5 11. Nde2 b5 12. a3 Bb7 13. g4 {Avec une forte attaque. (Fischer)}) 8. O-O Be7 9. Qf3 {Menace 10. e5, pour transférer la Dame sur l'aile Roi avec gain de temps. On retrouve cette idée dans la partie Fischer-Olafsson disputée en 1960.} Qc7 ({Il n'était évidemment pas question de jouer} 9... Bb7 {à cause de} 10. Bxe6 $1) 10. Qg3 O-O 11. Bh6 Ne8 {Accélère la mobilisation des troupes, tout en provoquant un embouteillage sur la huitième traverse.} 12. Rad1 Bd7 {Kasparov et Morozevich avaient déjà abordé cette variante à diverses reprises.} ({Le coup} 12... Nc6 {présenterait une erreur instructive :} 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. Nd5 $1 Bd8 15. Rd3 Bb7 16. Rc3 Qd7 17. Rc7 $3 {Les Blancs gagnent la Dame ou font mat :} Bxc7 18. Nf6+ $1) 13. f4 {La suite logique. On pourrait pourtant aussi jouer} (13. Nf3 {Parties Kasparov-Gelfand, Linares 1993 et Short-Kasparov, 18e du match, Londres 1993.}) (13. a3 {Short-Kasparov, 20e du match, Londres 1993.}) 13... Nc6 14. f5 {L'affaire se précise !} ({ Morozevich avait déjà essayé} 14. Bg5 {contre Gelfand, lors du tournoi olympique d'Istanbul 2000.}) 14... Nxd4 15. Rxd4 {Chaque coup accroît la pression. Les Noirs doivent maintenant tenir compte d'une percée en e5, suivie du sacrifice sur g7 et de l'arrivée d'une Tour vers g4.} Bf6 16. Rd3 Be5 {Ftacnik: 'The first independent move in the game, Kasparov has prepared the risky version of the defense.' Un choix discutable : Le Fou bloque le Pe4, pour y empêcher l'accès du Nc3, mais facilite les mouvements de la Tour sur la troisième rangée.} ({Après} 16... b4 {Kasparov craignait} 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. e5 (18. Nd5 exd5 19. Bxd5+ Kh8 20. Bxa8 gxh6) 18... Bxe5 19. Rxf8+ Kxf8 20. Qf3+ Bf6 21. Ne4 {avec des chances réciproques.}) 17. Qg4 b4 {'!' Ftacnik.} 18. f6 ({Il n'y avait rien à espérer de} 18. fxe6 Bxe6 19. Bxe6 bxc3 20. Bd5 cxb2 $1 {etc.} (20... Qc8 $1 $15 {Ftacnik})) 18... g6 {'!' Ftacnik.} (18... Qb6+ {Ftacnik} 19. Kh1 Bxf6 20. Rxf6 bxc3 21. Bxg7 $1 cxb2 22. Bxf8+ Kxf8 23. Rf1 $16) 19. Ne2 {La tâche des Noirs devient de plus en plus délicate : Comment éviter 20.Qh4 suivi de Rh3 ?} (19. Nd1 $5 {Ftacnik}) 19... a5 { Au bout d'une longue réflexion, Kasparov décide d'encercler le Bb3. Supposons :} ({a)} 19... Bb5 20. Qh4 Bxd3 21. cxd3 {Les Blancs conservent tous les atouts en mains.}) ({b)} 19... Nxf6 20. Qh4 Nh5 21. g4 Ng7 22. Rh3 { L'attaque perce.}) (19... a5 {[#]}) 20. Bxf8 {Cette prise gagne du matériel aux dépens de l'offensive.} ({Peut-être fallait-il essayer} 20. Qh4 a4 21. Bg5 h5 (21... axb3 $2 22. Qh6 bxa2 23. Rh3 {conduirait au mat.}) 22. g4 { avec de folles complications qui dépassent les capacités humaines. (Kasparov) . Tâchons d'aller plus loin : Les variantes qui suivent n'ont pas la prétention d'être exhaustives, mais seulement de donner un aperçu du labyrinthe.} axb3 23. gxh5 Qc5+ ({Certainement pas} 23... bxa2 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. Rh3 {Le Roi est pris au piège.}) 24. Kh1 ({Sur} 24. Be3 $2 Bxf6 25. Rxf6 Qxh5 $1 {gagne.}) 24... Nxf6 25. hxg6 (25. Rxf6 Bxf6 26. Bxf6 Qxh5 {Les Blancs ont trop de chose en prise}) (25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Qxf6 (26. Rxf6 bxc2 27. hxg6 c1=Q+ 28. Nxc1 Qxc1+ 29. Kg2 Qxb2+ 30. Kg3 fxg6 31. Rxg6+ Kf7 {Et la prétendue victime sort du bois en excellente santé.}) 26... Bc6 {ou même 26. .. Qxh5, les Noirs n'ont rien à craindre.}) 25... fxg6 26. Bxf6 Bxf6 27. Rxf6 Rxf6 (27... Qh5 28. Qxh5 gxh5 29. Rg3+ Kh7 30. Rxf8 Rxf8 31. Rxb3 Rf2 32. Rxb4 $1 {Prenant un deuxième pion}) (27... Kg7 28. Rxg6+ Kxg6 29. Nf4+ Kf7 ({Si} 29... Rxf4 30. Rg3+ Kf7 31. Qxf4+ Ke7 32. Qh4+ $1 {Le mat suit}) 30. Rf3 Ke8 31. Ng6 d5 32. Rxf8+ Qxf8 33. Nxf8 bxc2 (33... bxa2 $2 {perd brillament après} 34. Ng6 a1=Q+ 35. Kg2 Kf7 36. Qh7+ Kf6 37. e5+ Kg5 38. h4+ Kg4 39. Qh6 $1) 34. Qh5+ Kxf8 35. Qh6+ Ke7 36. Qg5+ Kf7 (36... Kd6 $2 37. e5+ Kc7 38. Qc1) 37. Qh5+ {Echec perpétuel}) 28. Qxf6 Qh5 29. Nf4 (29. Rg3 Be8) 29... bxc2 $1 30. Nxh5 c1=Q+ 31. Kg2 Qc2+ 32. Kh1 (32. Kg1 $2 Qc5+ $1) 32... Qb1+ 33. Kg2 Qc2+ { Nulle !}) 20... Kxf8 21. Qh4 (21. c3 $5 {Ftacnik} Bb5 22. Re3 bxc3 23. bxc3 Nxf6 $44 24. Qg5 Qc5 25. Kh1 Kg7 $17) 21... a4 22. Qxh7 Qa7+ {Pour assurer la défense de la Tour, après l'échec sur h8.} 23. Kh1 Nxf6 {Ftacnik: 'With the help of the defended rook a8 black has managed to liquidate the danger on the kingside, bishop on e5 is a sufficient counterweight of the white spare exchange.'} 24. Qh6+ Ke7 25. Bc4 Qc5 {Les Blancs disposent d'une qualité de plus, mais leurs forces sont dispersées. Les Noirs jouissent encore des deux Fous, celui de e5 contrôle même l'échiquier tout entier.} (25... Bc6 $5 { Ftacnik} 26. Qh4 (26. Ng3 {Ftacnik} Bxb2 27. Rdf3 Qc5 28. Bd3 Rg8 $15) 26... g5 $5 27. Qxg5 Rg8 28. Qe3 Qb7 $15) 26. b3 axb3 27. Bxb3 {'?!' Ftacnik. Rend la qualité, pour regrouper l'ensemble des troupes et empêcher l'intrusion de la Tour en a2.} (27. axb3 $1 {Ftacnik} d5 (27... Bc6 {Ftacnik} 28. Ng3 Ra2 29. Rdf3) 28. Qg5 dxc4 29. Rd5 $3 exd5 30. Qxe5+ $14) 27... Bb5 28. Nf4 {Prépare le sacrifice sur g6 ou e6.} Bxf4 29. Qxf4 Qe5 30. h3 (30. Rxd6 {Ftacnik} Qxf4 31. Rxf4 Kxd6 32. Rxf6 Ra7 $15) 30... g5 31. Qf2 g4 {La Rd3 peut attendre !} 32. Qb6 (32. Qxf6+ {menait probablement à la nullité, mais le coup joué ne gâche rien.}) 32... Nd7 33. Qf2 Nf6 34. Qb6 Rh8 {Même à court de temps, Kasparov ne veut pas entendre parler de la répétition des coups !} 35. Rxd6 $2 {Ftacnik: 'The decisive mistake in the game, Morozevich had to insert the check on c7 and the game would remain in the balance.' La faute décisive : Il fallait jouer} (35. Qc7+ Nd7 36. Rxd6 $1 Rxh3+ (36... Qxd6 $2 37. Rxf7+ Kxf7 38. Qxd6 $18) (36... Qxe4 $2 37. Rxf7+ Kxf7 38. Bxe6+ Kg7 39. Rxd7+) 37. gxh3 Qxe4+ 38. Kg1 (38. Kh2 $2 Qe2+) 38... Qe3+ 39. Rf2 Qe1+ (39... g3 40. Rdd2) 40. Kg2 Qe4+ {échec perpétuel.}) 35... Qxd6 36. Qxd6+ (36. Qxb5 {Ftacnik} gxh3 37. e5 hxg2+ 38. Kxg2 Qd2+ $19) 36... Kxd6 37. Rxf6 Rh7 $1 {L'avantage reste du côté des Noirs, dont le Roi est nettement plus actif.} (37... gxh3 { Ftacnik} 38. Rxf7 Bc6 39. Rf6 hxg2+ 40. Kxg2 Bxe4+ 41. Kg3 Bf5 $15) 38. Kh2 Ke5 39. Rf2 gxh3 40. gxh3 Bc6 {'!' Ftacnik. [#] La pointe des coups précédents : la chute du Pe4 entraîne la débâcle des Blancs. Notez aussi la bonne position de b4 qui retient à fois a2 et c2.} 41. Bc4 ({Si} 41. Re2 Bxe4 42. c3 bxc3 43. Rxe4+ Kxe4 44. Bc2+ Ke3 45. Bxh7 f5 {Et le Pc3 va à Dame.}) 41... Bxe4 {Ftacnik: 'Despite equality in the number of pawns endgame is very difficult for white, black enjoys better pawn structure and more active king.'} 42. Re2 {Menace Rxe4.} (42. Bb3 {Ftacnik} f5 $17) 42... f5 43. Bd3 {La meilleure chance, autrement les pions liés l'emporteraient facilement.} Kf4 { Pour soutenir le pion passé et barrer la route au Roi blanc.} 44. Bxe4 (44. Re1 {Ftacnik} Bd5 $17) 44... fxe4 45. Rf2+ Ke3 46. Rf8 e5 47. Re8 Rc7 48. Rxe5 Kf4 49. Rb5 Rxc2+ 50. Kg1 e3 51. Rxb4+ Kf3 52. Rb1 ({Une variante instructive : } 52. Rb8 Rc1+ 53. Kh2 e2 54. Rf8+ Ke3 55. Re8+ Kd3 56. Rd8+ Kc3 57. Rc8+ Kb2 58. Re8 e1=Q 59. Rxe1 Rxe1 60. Kg3 Re4 $1 {Coupe le passage du Roi et gagne. Par exemple,} 61. h4 Kxa2 62. h5 Kb3 63. h6 Re6 64. h7 Rh6) 52... Rg2+ 53. Kh1 e2 54. a4 Kf2 55. a5 Rg5 56. Kh2 Rxa5 57. h4 Ra3 $1 {Abandonne.} 0-1 [Event "Astana"] [Site "Astana"] [Date "2001.05.20"] [Round "1"] [White "Shirov, Alexei"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B84"] [WhiteElo "2722"] [BlackElo "2827"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,L"] [PlyCount "74"] [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. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. Be2 Qc7 8. O-O b5 9. a4 b4 10. Na2 Nxe4 11. c3 (11. Nxb4 Nd7 12. f4 d5 13. c3 Bb7 14. Bd3 Be7 15. Qe2 Ndc5 16. Bc2 O-O 17. Nd3 Rfe8 18. Kh1 Bf8 19. Rae1 {1-0 Votava, J-Dydyshko,V/Schoeneck/1996/ (37)}) 11... b3 (11... bxc3 $6 12. Rc1 $40) 12. Qxb3 (12. Nb4 Nd7 (12... d5 13. f3 Nf6 14. f4 Bd6 15. Nd3 O-O 16. Qxb3 Nbd7 17. Rac1 Nc5 18. Nxc5 Bxc5 19. Qd1 Bb7 20. b4 Ba7 21. Bd3 {1-0 Lanka,Z-Stohl,I/ Koszalin/1999/ (38)}) 13. f4 Ndf6 14. a5 Bb7 15. c4 Be7 16. f5 d5 17. Qxb3 Nc5 18. Qa2 e5 19. Nb3 d4 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Qa4+ {1-0 Antoniewski,R-David,P/CZE/ 2000/ (52)}) 12... Be7 13. Bf3 Bb7 (13... d5 $6 14. c4 $14) 14. Qc2 Nf6 (14... d5 15. Rac1 Bd6 16. h3 O-O 17. c4 Rc8 18. Rfd1 $11) 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. b4 O-O 17. b5 $6 {Shirov is not suspecting, that the miserable location of the knight a2 will cost him dearly.} (17. c4 Rc8 18. Rfc1 Nbd7 19. Qe2 $11) 17... Ng4 18. Bf4 (18. Qe2 Nxe3 19. fxe3 d5 20. c4 dxc4 21. Qxc4 Qe4 $15) (18. Bd2 Ne5 $15) 18... e5 19. Qe2 exd4 (19... Nxh2 20. Bxh2 exd4 21. Rfe1 $14) 20. Qxg4 axb5 21. axb5 (21. cxd4 Rxa4 $17) 21... Qxb5 22. cxd4 (22. Rfe1 Qb2 23. Qd1 Rxa2 24. Rxa2 Qxa2 25. Rxe7 dxc3 $17) 22... Qc4 $1 {[%mdl 2048] Despite the simple character of the position black is much better, since he fully dominates knight a2.} 23. Rae1 (23. Rfc1 Qxd4 24. Re1 Nc6 $17) 23... Nc6 (23... Rxa2 24. Rxe7 Qxd4 25. Qg3 Nc6 $17) 24. Nc1 (24. Rc1 Qxd4 25. Rfd1 Qf6 26. Nc3 Ne5 $15) 24... Qxd4 25. Ne2 (25. Qf3 Rfc8 26. Rd1 Qb4 $17) 25... Qa4 26. Qg3 (26. Qf3 Ne5 27. Qg3 Ra5 28. Nc3 Qd7 $17) 26... Rfd8 27. Nc3 Qb3 28. Re3 (28. Rb1 Qc4 29. Rfc1 d5 $17) 28... d5 $1 {Another excellent move, modest d pawn turns into a dangerous marching machine.} 29. Bh6 (29. Ne2 Qb4 $17) 29... Bf8 30. Ne4 Qb2 31. Nc5 (31. Bg5 dxe4 32. Bxd8 Rxd8 33. Rxe4 f5 $19) 31... Bxc5 32. Rc3 Bxf2+ ( 32... Bd4 33. Rxc6 Re8 34. Be3 Ra1 $19) 33. Rxf2 Ra1+ 34. Rf1 Qb6+ 35. Re3 (35. Be3 Rxf1+ 36. Kxf1 Qb1+ 37. Rc1 Qd3+ $19) 35... Rxf1+ 36. Kxf1 Qd4 37. Qc7 (37. Bg5 Ra8 $19) 37... Qc4+ (37... Qc4+ 38. Kf2 gxh6 $19) 0-1 [Event "Chess Classics Giants"] [Site "Frankfurt"] [Date "1998.06.17"] [Round "2"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2825"] [Annotator "Anand,V"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1998.06.17"] [EventType "tourn (rapid)"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 065"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Kasparov had lost against Vlady in the first round, so I could imagine that he was in a particularly aggressive state.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 {Kasparov played 6...e5 all the time against Topalov in Leon. Maybe the presence of the computer-second influenced his choice. He has experimented with all the main-lines (6...e6,6...e5 and 6...Ng4) , but he almost always plays 6...Ng4 against me.} 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Be2 {In Linares, I played 10.Qd2 here, but here I wanted to try something else.} h5 11. Bxg4 Bxg4 12. f3 Bd7 13. Bf2 Nc6 14. Qd2 Ne5 15. b3 $1 {In Geneva, I castled twice. Thereafter, presumably under the influence of these games, I looked elsewhere for White's advantage. Peter Leko pointed this out to me and we soon realized that White is in very good shape here.} e6 16. Nde2 $1 Rc8 {An important moment - if you wonder later in the game why Black can't simply castle on the queenside!} 17. Bd4 {Neutralizing Black's "Dragon bishop"} b5 18. Nd1 $3 {The reason White shouldn't castle too early. The knight is superbly placed on e3. Against Kamsky (our 9th match game in Las Palmas, I executed a similar manoeuvre - but the knight went from e3 to c3 via d1.) Here the reverse manoeuvre, but I was equally pleased.} Rg8 {Perhaps Black should have started with a5-a4 as then White would not have the option of playing cxb3, but I don't think this improves Black's prospects. Incidentally, Black's king is stuck on e8 for the rest of the game.} 19. Ne3 a5 20. O-O-O a4 21. Kb1 axb3 22. cxb3 {Helpful to have the c-file open, but 22. axb3 was also good for White.} Ra8 23. Bc3 Ra6 24. Nc2 {Now Nb4 threatens to force the rook to b6, so his next move if forced.} Bf8 25. Nb4 Ra8 26. Nd4 Be7 27. Rhe1 Qc8 28. Bb2 Qb7 29. Ndc2 $6 {Just enjoying the position.} f6 30. Nd4 $1 {Correcting my last move - if Black had a little more time, he could consolidate.} h4 (30... Kf7 31. g3 {/\ f4}) 31. g3 g4 32. f4 Nf3 33. Nxf3 gxf3 34. f5 $1 {Once the knight gets to d5...} hxg3 35. hxg3 Rxg3 36. Qh2 $1 Rg5 ( 36... Rg7 37. Qh5+) 37. Bc1 Rg7 38. Qh5+ (38. Qh8+ {Is also interesting, but I wanted to keep it simple.}) 38... Rf7 39. Qxf3 {Kasparov didn't want to look at his position anymore. However, his resignation needs to be explained.} (39. Qxf3 exf5 {This is the only move.} 40. Nd5 fxe4 41. Rxe4 $1 (41. Qxe4 Bc6 $13) 41... Bc6 42. Rxe7+ $1 Rxe7 43. Nxf6+ Kd8 44. Rxd6+ Kc7 45. Qf4 $1 $18 { Black's king is too exposed to survive and the opposite colored bishops make it worse.}) 1-0 [Event "Linares 15th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1998.03.04"] [Round "10"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2825"] [Annotator "Atlas,V"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1998.02.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 064"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.06.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.06.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Nb3 Nge5 (11... f5 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. h4 Qd7 14. O-O-O Nb4 15. Nd4 Rc8 16. a3 Rxc3 17. bxc3 Qa4 18. Kb2 Nd5 19. hxg5 hxg5 20. Qxg5 Bxd4 21. Rxh8+ Bxh8 22. Qh5+ {1-0 Anand,V-Gelfand,B/Biel 1997 (36)}) 12. f3 b5 13. Bf2 Rb8 (13... Na5 14. Nxa5 Qxa5 15. Nd5 (15. O-O-O Be6 16. Kb1 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Bxc3 18. Qxc3 Qxc3 19. bxc3 Bxc4 {1/2-1/2 Ye Jiangchuan-Forster,R/ Geneva op 1997}) 15... Qxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Rb8 17. c3 Bb7 (17... Nc6 18. a3 O-O 19. Be2 f5 20. exf5 Rxf5 21. Ne3 {1/2-1/2 Tiviakov,S-Oll,L/Beijing 1997 (61)}) 18. a4 Bxd5 19. exd5 O-O 20. Be2 Rfc8 21. axb5 axb5 22. Ba7 Rb7 23. Ra5 Nc4+ 24. Bxc4 bxc4 25. Be3 {1/2-1/2 Aronian,L-Olafsson,H/Erevan olm 1996}) 14. Nd4 (14. O-O-O Bd7 15. Nd4 Qa5 16. Kb1 O-O 17. h4 g4 18. f4 Nc4 19. Bxc4 bxc4 20. Ka1 Qb6 21. b3 cxb3 22. cxb3 Rfc8 {1/2-1/2 Wallace,J-Szekely,P/Budapest FS05 GM 1995 (40)}) (14. Nd5 e6 15. Ne3 a5 16. a4 bxa4 17. Rxa4 O-O 18. Be2 Ng6 19. O-O Nf4 20. Rb1 Rb4 21. Rxb4 Nxe2+ 22. Qxe2 axb4 23. Qb5 Qc7 24. h4 Qb7 25. Qe2 Ne5 {1/2-1/2 Leko,P-Milos,G/Yopal 1997 (43)}) 14... Bd7 15. Be2 (15. h4 g4 16. f4 g3 17. Bg1 Ng4 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. exf5 Nf2 20. Bxf2 gxf2+ 21. Qxf2 Qa5 22. Qg3 Kf8 23. a4 b4 24. Nd1 Nd4 25. Rc1 Nxf5 {0-1 Schneider,B-Heissler,J/BL9697 1997 (39)}) 15... Nc4 $1 16. Bxc4 bxc4 17. Rb1 Rg8 $1 18. Nxc6 (18. h4 $6 {would be a wrong choice in view of} g4 $1 $36) (18. O-O {was a plausible alternative here. Now both but natural} Nxd4 (18... h5 $2 19. Nxc6 Bxc6 20. Qxg5) ({and} 18... g4 $6 19. Nxc6 (19. fxg4 $5) 19... Bxc6 20. fxg4 {yield White a superior position,}) 19. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 20. Qxd4 Qb6 {easily equalizes.}) 18... Bxc6 19. h3 (19. O-O {falls short after} g4 $1 20. fxg4 Bxc3 21. Qxc3 Rxg4 22. Qh8+ Kd7 $40 {/^a8-h1, >