[Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.03.01"] [Round "1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Tabatabaei, M. Amin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C24"] [WhiteElo "2772"] [BlackElo "2643"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O O-O 6. h3 d5 {In the past, such aggression was deemed premature; however, the strong computers nowadays prove over and over that practically anything can be played.} 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nbd2 Be6 9. Ne4 Bb6 {Tabatabaei chooses to stay on the more active diagonal while still blitzing. Giri's next move, though, made him revise his beliefs about the situation.} (9... Be7 10. Nfg5 Bxg5 11. Nxg5 Qd6 12. Nxe6 Qxe6 13. f4 {Guadamuro Torrente,A (2107)-Tamajon Castilla,F (1960) Campillos 2007}) 10. b4 $146 {Quite a novelty $1 Giri is coming armed to the teeth for the game. White attacks the opponent's center from the flank, while opening the long diagonal for the bishop.} ({The predecessor saw:} 10. a4 f6 11. b4 a6 12. a5 Ba7 13. Bd2 Kh8 14. Re1 Nce7 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. bxc5 Bf7 {with White eventually emerging victorious in Nepomniachtchi,I (2773)-Abdusattorov,$146 (2651) chess24. com INT 2022}) ({Please note that the immediate assault} 10. Nfg5 Bf5 11. Qf3 { is parried by the simple and effective} Nd4 $1) 10... Ndxb4 ({After} 10... Ncxb4 {White likely did not intend to take the pawn at once with} 11. Nxe5 { due to} ({However, without the black knight close to the center, the maneuver} 11. Nfg5 $1 Bf5 12. Qf3 {makes perfect sense as} Bg6 {is bad due to} 13. c3 { when White wins a piece} Nc6 14. Bxd5 Qxd5 15. Nf6+) 11... Bd4) 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Rb1 {As a result of his fruitful preparation, Giri managed to spoil the opponent's pawn structure, and besides the weakness of the e-pawns, he can also enjoy a powerful attacking outpost on the e4-square.} h6 {Tabatabaei decided to part with the extra pawn at once.} ({However, it made sense to keep it, at least for the time being, especially when} 12... Nd5 $5 13. Nfg5 { does not yield White anything significant in the line} Qe7 14. Qg4 Nf6) 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Rxb4 a5 {This looks suspicious. Why voluntarily weaken the queenside $2} ({Both} 14... Qd7 $5) ({And even the immediate} 14... Qh4 $5 { looked better, as White has no way of exploiting the x-raying power of the rook.}) 15. Rb1 Qh4 {Black does not have enough power to create trouble on the kingside, and after some preparation, Giri starts to show who is in charge.} 16. Qe2 Rad8 ({The drawbacks of the queenside weakening may easily start to be felt. For example, the obvious} 16... Rf7 {leads to White's huge edge after} 17. Rxb6 $1 cxb6 18. Nd6) 17. Kh2 Qe7 18. f4 Nd7 19. Rf3 {The white pieces constantly find beautiful working places.} Nf6 20. Bd2 (20. Rb5 $5 {to provoke another weakness also made sense.}) 20... Qa3 21. Nc3 ({The other way to play it was} 21. Bc3 Nxe4 22. dxe4 Qa4 23. Rg3) 21... Rde8 22. Qe5 $1 {A very neat queen maneuver $1} Nd7 23. Qb5 Qe7 (23... c6 24. Qc4 {is actually what White wants.}) (23... Re7 24. Qc4) 24. Qc4 {The queen is perfect on the c4-square. Once the black queen has been removed from the active position, White can start working on the enemy's weaknesses.} Kh8 25. Ne4 c6 {And, as strange as it sounds, this is a decisive weakening. It is, however, difficult to find a way to avoid this move.} 26. d4 $1 {Tabatabaei might have missed this. The kingside rook immediately rushes toward the now weak b7-pawn.} ({Black probably expected something along the line of} 26. Bc3 Kh7 27. Rg3 Rf7 { and here, too, Black suffers.}) 26... Rb8 27. Rfb3 Qd8 28. Qxe6 Bxd4 29. Rxb7 { Plain and simple, White nets a pawn.} ({Aparently, Giri did not like the complications after} 29. Rd3 c5 30. c3 Nf6 31. cxd4 ({But there is a winning move in this line for White.} 31. Nd6 $1) 31... Re8) 29... Rxb7 30. Rxb7 Nc5 31. Nxc5 Bxc5 32. Rd7 Qf6 33. Qxf6 Rxf6 34. Bc3 {This was a bit rushy though.} ({The patient} 34. Kg3 $1 Bb4 35. Be3 {would have saved White some energy.}) 34... Rxf4 35. Bxg7+ Kg8 36. Bxh6 Ra4 37. g4 $1 {The quality of the pawns is by far more important than their quantity.} Rxa2 38. g5 Rxc2+ 39. Kg3 {The white pawns are moving fast while threatening mate and, therefore, Black's position remains gloomy.} Be3 ({Nothing changes.} 39... Rc4 40. g6 Rd4 41. Rg7+ Kh8 42. Rf7 Kg8 43. h4) 40. Rd8+ Kh7 41. Kg4 Rd2 42. Re8 Bc5 43. Kh5 Rd5 44. Ra8 Bd4 45. h4 Bc3 46. Bf8 $1 {Takes the sixth rank under control.} (46. Rc8 Rd6 47. Kg4 {should have worked too.}) 46... Bd4 47. Rc8 a4 ({Or else} 47... c5 48. Rc7+ Kg8 49. Be7) 48. Ra8 c5 49. Rxa4 Rd8 50. Ra7+ Kg8 51. Be7 Rc8 52. Kg6 ({The other winning way was} 52. Bf6 $1 Bxf6 53. gxf6 c4 54. Kg6 c3 55. Rg7+ Kf8 56. Rh7 {when White is also in time.}) 52... c4 53. Rd7 $1 {Everything is well calculated, Giri is in time to capture the black rook.} Bh8 ({Or mate in case of} 53... Bb2 54. Bf6 c3 55. Rh7) 54. Bf6 c3 55. Rh7 Bxf6 56. gxf6 Rc6 57. Rd7 Rc8 58. Rg7+ {PLAY CHESS, NOT WAR.} 1-0