[Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.5"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2705"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2021.01.27"] {[%evp 0,97,22,27,26,15,28,18,42,36,56,0,31,32,39,21,24,3,46,9,10,10,-3,6,21, -5,18,3,3,-9,15,3,44,13,22,8,27,14,22,20,30,16,16,16,10,10,18,10,6,17,18,26,27, 13,41,35,39,38,38,29,77,51,44,42,41,44,52,47,42,36,36,33,41,40,43,37,43,43,70, 62,60,63,62,56,65,59,64,64,64,67,80,79,64,84,84,95,95,103,277,281]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. e3 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 Bg4 6. c3 e6 7. Qb3 {The main move in this reversed Slav defense type of position. Otherwise Black wants to play Qd8-b6 himself.} ({Relevant:} 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Nxf3 Bd6 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Bb5 O-O 11. O-O Ne7 12. Rc1 Ng6 13. Bh2 Bd6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 {Le,Q (2709)-Xiong,J (2709) chess24.com INT 2020}) 7... Qc8 {A solid reply.} (7... Qb6 {is still possible here too.}) 8. h3 Bh5 9. Be2 $5 {[%mdl 4] An interesting side line and a very natural move.} Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Qd1 $146 {Also a logical novelty. Giri is side-stepping the queenside expansion with tempi.} ({The predecessor saw Black gaining space on the queenside with the help of:} 11. Rfe1 c4 12. Qd1 b5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nh4 Qd8 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. Bf3 Nd7 17. e4 Nb6 18. Qe2 b4 {Johnson,L (2323)-Bartholomew,J (2539) Minneapolis 2014}) 11... Nd7 ({Here:} 11... c4 { can be met with:} 12. a4 {and then White can attack the c4 pawn with b2-b3.}) 12. Re1 {The e3-e4 break is always on White's agenda.} Qd8 {Wojtaszek brings his queen back in the game.} ({Therefore it made sense to take the e4 square under control with:} 12... Bg6 $5) 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. b4 Nd7 15. a3 {Now White is ready for both c3-c4 and e3-e4.} Nb6 ({Interesting here was the provocative play:} 15... a5 $5 16. e4 Nf6 17. e5 Nd7 18. b5 Na7 19. a4 Nc8 {Black lost loads of tempi, and is doing fine!}) 16. Rc1 f6 {Very logical again. Black wants to expand in the center.} (16... a5 $5) 17. e4 e5 ({White would be a little better in the endgame after:} 17... dxe4 18. Nxe4 Qxd1 19. Rexd1 { thanks to his queenside majority.}) 18. Be3 Bf7 {Probably missing White's next idea.} (18... Kh8 $5 {might have been more accurate.}) 19. Bxb6 $1 {Just like yesterday, Wojtaszek suffers from a sudden bishop-for-a-knight trade.} axb6 $1 {The best reaction.} ({After:} 19... Qxb6 20. exd5 Bxd5 {First the white pawns will grab space:} 21. c4 Bf7 22. c5 Qc7 {Then the bishop pair would be taken care of with:} 23. Bc4) 20. exd5 Bxd5 21. a4 {Intending to swap the opponent's light-squared bishop.} f5 {To which Wojtaszek initiates massive trades.} (21... Bf7 22. Bc4 {is a bit better for White.}) 22. b5 e4 23. bxc6 exf3 24. Bxf3 bxc6 25. Bxd5+ cxd5 26. Nf3 Bf6 {The outcome of the exchangeds looks drawish, but Black still needs to solve certain problems. Since his bishop can attack only one color, he experiences difficulties while attacking the enemy pawns on light squares as well as when defending on that color.} 27. Re6 ({More danngerous seems:} 27. Qb3 $5 {At once, with the idea to meet:} Qd7 {With:} 28. Ne5 Bxe5 29. Rxe5 {Then in the line:} Rxa4 ({Instead:} 29... Qxa4 30. Qxd5+ Kh8 31. Rxf5 {drops a pawn.}) 30. Rxd5 {Black has the saving resource:} Ra3 $1 { But the rook endgame remains difficult for him after:} 31. Rxd7+ Rxb3 32. Re1 Kh8 33. Ree7 Rg8 {Thanks to the powerful seventh-rank rooks.}) 27... Kh8 28. Qb3 Qd7 29. Rxb6 Rxa4 ({Even easier might have been:} 29... Qxa4 30. Qxd5 Bxc3 $1) 30. Rd1 Raa8 31. Rxd5 ({Or:} 31. Qxd5 Qxd5 32. Rxd5 Bxc3 {as in the game.}) 31... Qc7 32. g3 Qxc3 33. Qxc3 Bxc3 {Probably everybody thought: "Ah, yet another booring Giri draw." Indeed, it is hard to imagine that the game will continue at all. However, White has a small pull thanks to his active rooks and the fact that the knight is better designed for play on just one flank. Giri keeps trying.} 34. h4 Kg8 35. Rb7 Rad8 36. Rc5 Rc8 37. Rd5 Rcd8 38. Rdb5 Rd6 39. Rc7 Ba1 40. Kg2 Ra6 {The last time-control move. Wojtaszek did not dare to change the pawn structure.} ({However:} 40... h5 $1 {would have been his safer choice. It looks ugly, and is ugly, but it seems to work as the white knight cannot get close enough to the enemy king and Black is ready to swap more pawns after:} 41. Ng5 f4) 41. h5 $1 {Now this pawn is always looking to go forward and expose the seventh rank.} Ra2 {Another tough decision to make: to let the pawn to h6 or not? It seems as Black chose correctly.} ({ After:} 41... h6 42. Nh4 {The knight has established itself close to the black king, all sorts fo back-rank mates start to hang in the air and if Black tries to swap pawns:} f4 {he would not succeed due to:} 43. Ng6 f3+ 44. Kh3 Re8 45. Rb3) 42. Rd5 Ra6 {Defending nicely.} 43. Nh4 $1 ({And counter-attacking in case of:} 43. Rdd7 Rh6) 43... g6 {Finally Wojtaszek was forced to change the pawn structure.} 44. h6 f4 ({Here, a better defense seems to be:} 44... Rf7 $1 45. Rd8+ Rf8 46. Rdd7 g5 47. Nf3 g4 48. Ng5 Rxh6 49. Nxh7 Be5 {and Black should hold.}) 45. g4 $1 {No more trades! This pawn should be taken for free.} f3+ $1 {The only move.} ({As otherwise White will seal the kingside and come for the pawn in the line:} 45... Bf6 46. g5 Ba1 47. Nf3) 46. Kg3 {The pawn is surrounded, the black king is in danger. How bad is it?} ({Not:} 46. Nxf3 Ra4 $1) 46... Rb6 {This is still good.} ({However, the Polish GM missed a brilliant saving idea:} 46... Rd6 $3 {would have annoyed the white rooks, and if either of them is traded then Black can finally take a breath:} 47. Ra5 (47. Rxd6 Be5+ 48. Kh3 Bxd6 49. Rg7+ Kh8 50. g5 Bc5 51. Kg3 Bd6+) 47... Ra6 $1 { and it should be a draw.}) 47. Rcd7 Rb3 48. g5 {It seems as White would go for the f3 pawn with Rd5-d3 and keep fighting further.} Bb2 {And this abruptly finished the game:} ({The computer claims that Black should still survive after say:} 48... Rf7 $1 49. Rd8+ Rf8 50. Rxf8+ Kxf8 51. Nxf3 Ke7) ({Or even thanks to:} 48... Rb4 {with the idea:} 49. Rxh7 Rxh4 $1 {But this does not mean that Black's defense would not be enormously difficult.}) 49. Rxh7 $1 ({ It transpired that the pawn on g5 played an important role in the attack as well.} 49. Rxh7 Kxh7 50. Rd7+ Kh8 51. Nxg6+ Kg8 52. h7#) 1-0