[Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Site "Yekaterinburg"] [Round "5.1"] [Annotator "GM Elshan Moradiabadi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "2020.03.22"] [WhiteElo "2763"] [BlackElo "2842"] [PlyCount "83"] [TimeControl "60"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:0:0]} d5 {[%emt 0:0:0] } 2. c4 {[%emt 0:0:0]} c6 {[%emt 0:0:0] It seems that the Slav is Caruana's main weapon against d4 in this edition of the Candidates.} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:0:0]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:0:0]} 4. e3 {[%emt 0:0:0]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:0:0]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:0:0] } e6 {[%emt 0:0:4]} 6. Nh4 {[%emt 0:0:5]} Be4 {[%emt 0:0:7] } 7. f3 {[%emt 0:0:7]} Bg6 {[%emt 0:0:6]} 8. Bd2 {[%emt 0:0:23]} Be7 {[%emt 0:0:37] } 9. Nxg6 {[%emt 0:0:55]} hxg6 {[%emt 0:0:6]} 10. Qc2 {[%emt 0:0:8] } Nbd7 {[%emt 0:10:3]} 11. 0-0-0 {[%emt 0:1:5]} Nb6 $146 {[%emt 0:7:33] Caruana's novelty.} (11... Qc7 12. h4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 b5 14. Bd3 a6 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Rc8 17. Kb1 Nf6 18. Rc1 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Qd7 20. Be1 f5 21. Qc2 c5 22. Bb4 c4 23. Bxe7 Qxe7 24. Qf2 Kf7 25. g4 b4 26. h5 gxh5 27. gxh5 c3 28. Qg3 Rh6 29. Qe5 Kg8 30. Rh2 Kh7 31. Rg2 Qc7 32. Qxc7 Rxc7 33. Rg5 g6 34. Rxg6 Rxg6 35. hxg6+ Kxg6 36. bxc3 bxc3 37. Kc2 f4 38. e4 Rc4 39. Rd1 Kf7 40. d5 Ra4 41. Kb3 c2 42. Rc1 Rd4 43. Kc3 Ra4 44. Kb3 Rd4 45. dxe6+ Kxe6 46. Kxc2 Rc4+ 47. Kb2 Rb4+ 48. Kc3 a5 49. Kd3 Ra4 50. Rc2 Ra3+ 51. Ke2 a4 52. Kf2 Rd3 53. Kg2 a3 54. Rc5 Re3 55. Rf5 Re2+ 56. Kh3 Rxa2 57. Kg4 Ra1 58. Kxf4 a2 59. Ra5 Kf7 60. Ra7+ Kf6 61. Ra6+ Kf7 62. e5 Ke7 63. Kf5 Rf1 64. Ra7+ Kf8 65. Rxa2 Rxf3+ 66. Ke6 Re3 67. Ra8+ {1/2-1/2 (67) Lupulescu,C (2643)-Bu,X (2721) Douglas 2019} )(11... dxc4 {This is also plausibly a good move.} 12. Bxc4 b5 13. Be2 $1 (13. Bd3 a6 14. Ne4 Rc8 15. Kb1 0-0 16. h4 c5 {and Black at least neutralizes White's play on the kingside if he is not already better.} 17. Nxc5 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Rxc5 19. Qb3 Qc7 20. g4 a5 {and Black looks better.} )a6 14. Kb1 Rc8 (14... c5 $5 $146 {is also convincingly good.} )15. Bc1 c5 16. d5 exd5 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Rxd5 Qc7 19. h4 Rxh4 20. Rxh4 Bxh4 21. f4 Be7 22. Qd1 Nf6 23. Re5 Nd7 24. Rd5 Nf6 25. Re5 Nd7 26. Rd5 {1/2-1/2 (26) Lupulescu,C (2525)-Miron,L (2432) Bucharest 2019} )12. c5 {[%emt 0:6:15]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:0:22]} 13. Kb1 {[%emt 0:1:30] } Qb8 $6 {[%emt 0:9:58] seems like a waste of time to me.} (13... b6 $5 14. cxb6 axb6 {followed by b5 seems very interesting, but White is in time to play.} 15. a3 $5 (15. e4 b5 16. exd5 exd5 17. g4 Qb6 18. g5 Nh5 19. Bxb5 0-0 {and Black definitely has good practical compensation.} )b5 16. Na2 Qb6 17. Rc1 Rc8 18. Bb4 Bxb4 19. Nxb4 0-0 {with an unclear position.} )14. h4 {[%emt 0:8:37]} g5 $2 {[%emt 0:19:13] This looks like a decisive mistake to me.} 15. Be1 $2 {[%emt 0:1:20] This gives up most of White's advantage.} (15. e4 $1 Rxh4 16. Rxh4 gxh4 17. e5 Nh5 18. Qh7 Ng3 19. Bd3 {and White's initiative is close to decisive.} )g4 {[%emt 0:2:27]} 16. e4 {[%emt 0:0:0]} gxf3 {[%emt 0:4:34]} 17. gxf3 {[%emt 0:5:18]} b6 {[%emt 0:1:17] Now or never.} 18. exd5 {[%emt 0:3:49]} exd5 {[%emt 0:1:28]} 19. cxb6 {[%emt 0:0:0]} axb6 {[%emt 0:0:25]} 20. Ne2 {[%emt 0:2:30]} Qa7 {[%emt 0:4:25]} 21. b3 {[%emt 0:4:15]} Nh5 $6 {[%emt 0:1:22] I am not sure what does this move do, though it is hard to suggest a good move for Black. The position is open and his king is in the center.} (21... g6 {is a better waiting/preventive move. } )22. Ng3 {[%emt 0:2:29]} g6 {[%emt 0:5:48]} 23. Nxh5 {[%emt 0:4:4]} Rxh5 {[%emt 0:0:32]} 24. f4 $6 {[%emt 0:0:24] Principled but slow.} (24. Bh3 Kf8 25. Bg4 Rh8 26. h5 Nf6 27. Bg3 {Looks deadly decisive.} )Kf8 {[%emt 0:0:0]} 25. Be2 {[%emt 0:4:30]} Rh8 {[%emt 0:0:49]} 26. Bd3 {[%emt 0:5:26]} c5 {[%emt 0:9:17]} 27. Bc3 {[%emt 0:5:25]} (27. Bd2 {followed by f5 seems like game over.} cxd4 28. f5 )cxd4 $2 {[%emt 0:13:49] Now White is totally winning.} (27... c4 28. bxc4 Nf6 {was the only way to avoid White's bishops to activate.} )28. Bxd4 {[%emt 0:0:40]} Bf6 {[%emt 0:0:11]} 29. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:2:11]} (29. Bb5 Bxd4 30. Rxd4 Nf6 31. f5 {This is the first easy win that Giri misses.} )Nxf6 {[%emt 0:0:7]} 30. f5 {[%emt 0:0:13]} gxf5 {[%emt 0:0:54]} 31. Bxf5 {[%emt 0:0:26] } b5 {[%emt 0:0:49]} 32. Rh2 {[%emt 0:6:19]} (32. Qb2 Rh6 33. h5 Qa6 34. Qd2 {and Black's king is exposed to several threats.} )Rh5 {[%emt 0:1:12] } 33. Re2 $4 {[%emt 0:7:11] Spoils most of White's advantage.} (33. Rf2 {Threatening Bg6, would have been decisive.} Qb6 34. Rdf1 $18 )d4 {[%emt 0:3:40]} 34. Re5 $6 {[%emt 0:6:8] and this lets go of the remaining advantage.} (34. Be4 Re8 35. Bd3 {would have maintained some of White's colossal initiative.} )Ng4 $1 {[%emt 0:0:15] Now it is a forced draw.} 35. Rc5 {[%emt 0:0:8]} Ne3 {[%emt 0:1:28]} 36. Rc8+ {[%emt 0:0:9]} Rxc8 {[%emt 0:0:22] } 37. Qxc8+ {[%emt 0:0:0]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:0:13]} 38. Rc1 {[%emt 0:0:38] } Nd5 {[%emt 0:5:54]} 39. Re1+ {[%emt 0:3:4]} Ne3 {[%emt 0:0:0]} 40. Rc1 {[%emt 0:1:39]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:0:7]} 41. Re1+ {[%emt 0:56:0]} Ne3 {[%emt 0:50:31]} 42. Rc1 {[%emt 0:7:56] A sad missed opportunity for Giri, who lost a big chance to get back to the tournament.} 1/2-1/2