[Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.29"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,81,32,32,30,-13,6,6,26,24,9,9,18,9,9,22,48,35,50,33,35,35,3,9,6,-6,38,38,53,2,10,2,74,-9,-9,-30,-2,-8,3,-17,-18,-35,-35,-39,-28,-47,-55,-60,-55,-44,-44,-79,-62,-70,-70,-98,-46,-41,-33,-33,-59,-59,0,-59,118,115,129,130,335,358,288,288,288,513,513,513,557,438,371,582,746,785,764,882]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 O-O 7. e3 c5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O c4 {D35: Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation.} ({RR} 9... h6 10. Rc1 Bg4 11. dxc5 d4 12. Ne4 dxe3 13. fxe3 Nd5 14. Bc4 Nxf4 15. exf4 Qc7 16. Qd2 Rad8 17. Qe3 b6 18. cxb6 Qxb6 19. Qxb6 axb6 20. Be2 Nb4 21. a3 Nd5 22. Nd4 Bxe2 23. Nxe2 f5 24. N4c3 {Vitiugov,N (2733)-Zvjaginsev,V (2659) Taganrog 2011 ½-½ (34)}) 10. Bc2 Nh5 {Threatens to win with ...Nxf4.} ({RR} 10... a6 11. Ne5 Be6 12. Bg5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Ng4 14. Bf4 f6 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. h3 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nf6 18. a4 b5 19. Be5 Ne4 20. f3 Qg5 21. Bf4 Qg6 22. fxe4 Bxh3 23. Qxd5+ Kh8 24. Qg5 {1-0 (24) Bluebaum,M (2640)-Rustemov,A (2525) chess.com INT 2024}) 11. Be5 f6 {White has an edge.} 12. Bg3 $146 ({Predecessor: RR} 12. Ng5 {feels hotter.} g6 13. Nxh7 fxe5 14. Bxg6 (14. Nxf8 Bxf8 15. dxe5 Be6 16. Bxg6 Ng7 17. f4 Bc5 18. f5 Bxe3+ {1-0 Olafsson,H (2510)-Einarsson,H (2215) Reykjavik op 1988 (9)} 19. Kh1 Nxe5 20. fxe6 Nxg6 21. Nxd5 Bg5 22. Qf3 Ne5 23. Qe4 Qd6 24. Rad1 Nd3 25. Rf7 Re8 26. Qg6 {1-0 (26) Olafsson,H (2510)-Einarsson,H (2215) Reykjavik 1988}) 14... Nf6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Qh5) 12... f5 13. Be5 Be6 14. b3 Qa5 15. Ne2 b5 16. Nf4 Nxf4 17. exf4 Qd8 18. Re1 {and Bxg7! would now be decisive} Qd7 19. Re3 Rae8 20. h4 h6 21. g3 a6 22. Kg2 Bf7 23. Qd2 Bb4 24. Qe2 Bh5 25. a4 {Black has won the opening battle and is better. But he completely loses the thread over the next few moves.} Ba5 (25... Be7) 26. axb5 axb5 27. Bd1 Bxf3+ $2 {Sindarov: \"When he took bishop on f3, he thinks he's immediately winning, but I like to play defense and do some tricks $1\" A really strange decision.} (27... Bb6 $1 {is one of the many moves Esipenko could have played to keep an advantage.}) 28. Qxf3 {Sindarov noted that now he has space for his pieces, with the queen coming to h5 and the a1-rook free to move on the a-file. White wants to play bxc4.} Bb6 $6 (28... Bd2 $5 29. bxc4 (29. Re2 c3 $11) 29... Bxe3 (29... dxc4 30. Re2 $17) 30. cxd5 Nxe5 (30... Nxd4 31. Qxe3 Qxd5+ 32. Kh2 $17) 31. dxe5 Bd4 $19) 29. Ra6 $1 {Sindarov called this \"a really good counterattack,\" while Esipenko was suddenly short of time to figure things out.} Nxd4 (29... Bxd4 $2 {looks promising, but Sindarov had seen} 30. Rxc6 $1 Bxe5 31. Rc5 $1 {and White is suddenly on top.}) 30. Qh5 Rxe5 $1 {The only move not to lose on the spot.} 31. Rxe5 Qc6 $2 {[%eval 338,16] [%wdl 1000,0,0] It's got difficult and this loses.} (31... Bc7 $1 $16 {[%eval 80,21] [%wdl 228,772,0] is a better try.} 32. Re3 b4) (31... Qb7 {can be met by} 32. Qg6 $1 {and if} Qxa6 $2 {then} 33. Re7 $1 {is suddenly an unstoppable checkmate.}) 32. bxc4 $1 $18 {Overworked Piece} bxc4 {From here Black is dead lost, but in fact} (32... dxc4+ {doesn't seem to help either, e.g.,} 33. Bf3 Qf6 34. Re8 $1 Nxf3 35. Rxf8+ Qxf8 36. Qxf3 Qc5 37. Ra8+ Kh7 38. h5 {and the weakness of the black king is fatal.}) 33. Ba4 $1 {Sindarov is suddenly on top of his game.} Qc5 {White is clearly winning.} (33... Qb7 34. Re8 $1 Qxa6 35. Rxf8+ Kxf8 36. Qe8# {is another case of the a6-rook being inedible.}) 34. Qg6 {Prevents Nc6.} Ba7 35. Re8 Rxe8 36. Qxe8+ Kh7 37. Qg6+ Kg8 38. Bd7 c3 39. Qe8+ Kh7 40. Qg6+ Kg8 {The players make the time control, so Sindarov can pause to choose the cleanest kill. [#]} 41. Re6 $1 {Black resigned, since there's no defense.} (41. Re6 Nxe6 42. Bxe6+ Kh8 43. Qe8+ Qf8 44. Qxf8+ Kh7 45. Bf7 h5 46. Qg8+ Kh6 47. Qh8# {is one checkmate.}) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.29"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D50"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2754"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,52,22,32,32,3,17,6,26,4,45,44,61,36,48,3,33,5,3,0,1,-19,6,-41,-43,-28,-12,-28,46,12,8,25,30,30,19,18,32,21,12,12,19,9,16,12,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Bg5 Be7 8. e3 O-O {D50: Queen's Gambit Declined: Dutch-Peruvian Gambit.} 9. Rd1 Be6 {Bluebaum: \"He chose an extremely solid line which I thought is possible, but of course I didn’t know that he’s going to choose that.\"} 10. Bb5 $5 {This unusual move, seemingly targeting nothing, is a novelty. The more natural-looking} (10. Bd3) (10. Qa4 {or}) (10. Be2 {are more popular.}) 10... h6 11. Bh4 a6 12. Ba4 Nc6 13. Qd3 Ne4 14. Bxe7 Nxe7 15. O-O $146 ({Predecessor: RR} 15. Nd4 Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Rc8 17. Qd2 Bg4 18. f3 Bd7 19. Bb3 Qb6 20. O-O Rfd8 21. Qf2 Bb5 22. Nxb5 Qxb5 23. e4 a5 24. Rd2 a4 25. Bxd5 Nxd5 26. Rfd1 Rc5 {½-½ Piorun,K (2655)-Nguyen,T (2577) POL-chT Ekstraliga Legnica 2021 (7.1) ½-½ (26) Piorun,K (2655)-Nguyen,T (2577) Legnica 2021}) 15... Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Rc8 $5 {Bluebaum noted this is a small inaccuracy, with} (16... Bg4 {more precise. At this point Wei had 53 minutes against Bluebaum's 1 hour 53 minutes.}) 17. Qe5 $5 {In hindsight, Bluebaum felt this was too concrete. He suggested something like} (17. Qd3 Bg4 18. Qe2 {and e.g. after} Qb6 19. Bb3 Qg6 {White still has a small pull against the isolated d-pawn.}) 17... Rc4 $1 {The position is equal.} 18. Bb3 Re4 $1 19. Qc3 (19. Qxe4 {is a fun line, though it doesn't bring any real dividends:} dxe4 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Bxe6 fxe6 22. Nd4 e5 23. Nb3 b6 {and, with the white knight restricted, Black is fine.}) 19... Bg4 20. Rd2 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Qd7 $1 {Calculating tactics well has never been a problem for Wei. and ...Rc8! would now be decisive} 22. fxe4 {A solid choice. Bluebaum wondered if there was anything more, but it seems there isn't. White can play on, but after, e.g.} (22. Rfd1 Re6 23. Bxd5 Nxd5 24. Rxd5 Rg6+ 25. Kf1 Qh3+ 26. Ke2 Rf6 27. e4 Qxh2 {there's no reason White should be better.}) 22... Qg4+ 23. Kh1 Qf3+ 24. Kg1 Qg4+ 25. Kh1 Qf3+ 26. Kg1 Qg4+ {A very decent start for two players, both competing in the Candidates for the first time.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.29"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B23"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,101,22,22,56,72,112,48,50,66,73,11,22,19,2,21,5,-10,-1,-1,-1,-45,-12,-55,11,-19,48,33,26,34,61,61,61,44,41,36,71,60,60,20,11,6,32,25,31,55,37,10,68,54,49,51,51,51,51,34,34,39,45,42,44,22,54,40,40,19,11,11,46,75,75,77,85,85,126,126,133,120,119,138,145,145,146,146,146,137,141,143,141,134,158,157,187,192,222,223,244,253,310,330,422,304,517,515]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 {The Grand Prix Attack, a relatively rare choice at the highest level. Most likely Giri did not want to see this surprise.} g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5+ Bd7 6. a4 Nc6 7. O-O a6 8. Bc4 e6 9. d3 Nge7 ({RR} 9... Nd4 10. Nxd4 cxd4 11. Ne2 h5 12. Qe1 Ne7 13. f5 exf5 14. Bg5 Be5 15. Qh4 Be6 16. exf5 Bxc4 17. dxc4 gxf5 18. Kh1 Qc7 19. Nxd4 Qxc4 20. Rae1 Ng6 21. Qf2 f4 22. Bxf4 Nxf4 23. Qxf4 O-O-O 24. Qf5+ {Thorfinnsson,B (2377)-Ahlander,B (2393) Reykjavik ISL 2026 ½-½ (53)}) 10. f5 {[#]} exf5 (10... O-O {is what Giri recommends in his course.}) 11. Qe1 Be6 $5 $146 {The best line for Black appears to be to go for} (11... Nb4 {but facing a prepared opponent in such a line could be terrifying. Here's just a sample of the madness that might follow:} 12. Ng5 d5 13. exd5 Nxc2 14. Qg3 O-O 15. d6 Nc6 16. Nxh7 Kxh7 17. Bg5 Bd4+ 18. Kh1 Qxg5 $1 19. Qxg5 Nxa1 20. Rxa1 Kg7 {and it seems Black is doing OK.}) ({RR} 11... Ne5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Bg5 f6 14. Be3 Qc7 15. Rb1 f4 16. Bf2 a5 17. g3 Bh3 18. gxf4 Bxf1 19. Qxf1 exf4 20. Qh3 b6 21. Qe6 Kd8 22. Nb5 Qd7 23. Qxb6+ Ke8 24. Nc7+ Kf8 25. Ne6+ {1-0 (25) Liyanage,R (2359)-Begunov,K (2325) chess.com INT 2023}) ({RR} 11... h6) 12. exf5 gxf5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12... Bxc4 13. dxc4 Qd7 14. Nd5 gxf5 15. Bh6 Bxh6 16. Nf6+ Kd8 17. Nxd7 Kxd7 18. Rd1 Rae8 19. Ne5+ Nxe5 20. Qxe5 Nc8 21. Qxf5+ {1-0 Weeramantry,S (2047)-Lundstrom,B (1883) Denver op 2019 (2)}) 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Qxe6 Qd7 15. Qc4 O-O-O {The black king position is very shaky, while the isolated f-pawn is ugly and, as we'll see, goes on to fall in this game.} 16. Bg5 Rde8 17. Rae1 Ng6 18. Nd5 Kb8 19. Nf6 Bxf6 20. Bxf6 Rhf8 21. Bc3 f4 {Maybe the start of trouble.} (21... Rxe1 22. Rxe1 Re8 23. h3 Rxe1+ 24. Bxe1 {would hold.}) 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Re1 Rf8 24. Qe6 {White is more active.} Qxe6 25. Rxe6 Kc7 26. Ng5 Kd7 $6 {Black is close to equality, but never quite gets there.} (26... Nd8 $1 {seems to be a better try, driving back the white pieces.} 27. Re2 h6 28. Ne4 Rf5) 27. Re4 Rf5 (27... h6 28. Nh7 $1 Rf5 29. Nf6+ Kc7 {is a tricky position.}) 28. Nxh7 {This knight is out of play but if it returns black will be in a lot of trouble.} d5 29. Re2 d4 30. Be1 Nce5 (30... Nge7 $1 {Still here Black is close to holding on.}) 31. Re4 $36 Ng4 32. h3 Ne3 33. c3 Nd5 $5 (33... dxc3 $1 {is a counter intuitive move that would hold.} 34. bxc3 Kd6 $1) 34. h4 $1 {This loose pawn makes all the difference.} ({Stronger than} 34. cxd4 Rh5 35. dxc5 Rxh7 $17) 34... dxc3 35. bxc3 Rh5 36. Ng5 Nf6 $2 {[%eval 373,16] [%wdl 1000,0,0] Aiming for a concrete defense, but this loses. Black cannot hold the game after this.} (36... b5 {It turns out it's not so easy for White to win if Black plays on the other wing instead.}) (36... b6 $16 {[%eval 127,21] [%wdl 853,147,0]}) 37. Re6 $1 $18 Rxg5 38. Rxf6 Rg4 {[#]} 39. h5 $1 Ne5 40. h6 $1 Nf3+ 41. Kf1 Nxe1 42. Kxe1 Rxg2 43. Rxf4 Rh2 44. Rf6 {White has just one extra pawn in a rook endgame, that most notoriously drawish of endgames, but the h-pawn has advanced too far.} Rh3 45. Kd2 Rh2+ 46. Ke3 Rh3+ 47. Ke4 c4 48. dxc4 Rxc3 49. Kf5 Ke7 50. Rb6 Rxc4 51. h7 $1 {The h-pawn can be stopped, but only at the cost of allowing White to eliminate the black queenside pawns and queen the a-pawn. Giri resigns.} (51. h7 Rh4 52. Rxb7+ Kd6 53. Kg5 Rh2 54. Rb6+ Ke5 55. Kg6) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.29"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "165"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,165,22,16,10,-30,11,-48,-6,-7,-2,-2,33,1,39,27,10,2,0,13,21,21,21,3,-11,17,-9,-64,15,0,0,8,12,12,12,12,12,12,21,-5,-5,-48,38,45,45,40,35,40,32,47,43,42,42,41,61,41,52,52,92,74,69,69,69,69,88,47,75,61,73,73,73,73,196,186,180,75,109,103,107,73,79,80,120,75,84,84,84,77,84,86,84,86,89,91,115,91,128,132,260,260,263,267,230,249,272,271,272,269,259,259,259,259,246,269,253,269,251,251,251,252,255,255,259,255,255,255,255,259,309,191,181,259,259,259,623,234,251,271,264,219,219,179,177,177,178,178,178,178,177,177,177,177,177,177,181,177,181,177,177,61,61,61,170,170,170,170,324,326]} 1. Nf3 {Mark Crowther} d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d4 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. O-O ({White can also start with} 5. d3 {which, however, provides his opponent an additional choice.} Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 a5 7. O-O Nf6 8. Ne4 Nxe4 9. dxe4 e5 10. Ne1 {1-0 Martinez Alcantara,J (2656)-Xiong,J (2656) 3rd Thursday Feb 5th Chess.com INT blitz 2026 (5)}) 5... Bc5 6. e3 {Mark Crowther: 'A13: English Opening: 1...e6.'} ({RR} 6. d3 {Mark Crowther} Nf6 7. Bg5 (7. Nbd2 {Mark Crowther} O-O 8. Nb3 Be7 9. e3 dxe3 10. Bxe3 Ng4 11. d4 Nxe3 12. fxe3 a5 13. Nc1 Bf6 14. Nd2 Bg5 15. Qe2 Nxd4 16. exd4 Qxd4+ 17. Rf2 Be3 18. Nf3 Bxf2+ 19. Kf1 Qc5 20. Nb3 Qb4 {Singh,S (2385)-Starosta,M (2205) Budapest HUN 2026 ½-½ (64)}) 7... h6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Nbd2 Qd8 10. Ne1 O-O 11. f4 a5 12. a3 a4 13. Nc2 Bd7 14. Qe1 Na5 15. Qf2 Bc8 16. Kh1 Ra6 17. Ne4 Ba7 18. Nb4 Rb6 19. Nc5 Rd6 20. Ne4 Rd7 {Duda,J (2724)-Carlsen,M (2853) Warsaw POL 2023 0-1 (90)}) 6... Nge7 7. Nxd4 $5 {This leads to a fresh position right from the start. Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({RR} 7. d3 {Mark Crowther} O-O 8. Qe2 Ng6 9. Nbd2 e5 10. Ne4 Be7 11. exd4 exd4 12. a3 a5 13. Re1 a4 14. Qc2 h6 15. Rb1 Be6 16. Nfd2 Qc8 17. f4 Bh3 18. Bh1 Re8 19. Nf2 Bf5 20. Nf3 Bc5 21. Bd2 Re3 {Soham,K (2319)-Priyanka,N (2345) Hanoi VIE 2023 1-0 (50)}) ({RR} 7. exd4 {Mark Crowther} Nxd4 8. Ng5 Nef5 9. Ne4 Be7 10. d3 O-O 11. Nbc3 Bd7 12. b3 c5 13. Bf4 Bc6 14. h4 Rc8 15. h5 b6 16. Qg4 f6 17. Qd1 g5 18. Bc1 Nh6 19. Ne2 f5 20. Nxd4 cxd4 21. Nd2 Bxg2 {Hamann,S-Sigurjonsson,B Lidkoping 1969 ½-½ (49)}) 7... Nxd4 8. b4 {Mark Crowther: 'The position is equal.'} Bxb4 9. exd4 {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} O-O 10. Qb3 $146 {\"We both knew that this position exists and could not really remember any details. Besides that I play d4-d5 at some version.\" (Caruana)} ({The predecessor was a blitz game which went Mark Crowther: 'Predecessor:'} 10. Bb2 c6 11. Qb3 Ba5 12. Nc3 Nf5 13. Ne2 Bxd2 14. Rfd1 Bg5 15. a4 {1-0 Strybuk,A (2437)-Svane,R (2624) Titled Tuesday intern op 07th Jan Early Chess.com INT blitz 2025 (11) with compensation for the pawn in} Bf6 {Mark Crowther} 16. a5 {1-0 Strybuk,A (2437)-Svane,R (2624) Titled Tuesday intern op 07th Jan Early Chess.com INT blitz 2025 (11)}) 10... Ba5 ({Obviously} 10... Qxd4 {is plain wrong to} 11. Qxb4 Qxa1 12. Qxe7 $18 ({or perhaps even better} 12. Nc3 $18)) 11. Nc3 Nf5 $1 {Nakamura is trying to resolve the tension in the center in the most promising way.} ({White's compensation is out of question after} 11... Qxd4 12. Qa3 Bxc3 13. dxc3 Qd8 14. Bf4) 12. Ba3 ({A good resolution for Black would have been} 12. d5 exd5 13. cxd5 Nd4) 12... Re8 {No rush. Caruana has to make a concession regarding the center.} ({There are too many loose black pieces after} 12... Nxd4 13. Qa4) 13. d5 Nd4 ({Simpler seems} 13... exd5 {intending to meet} 14. cxd5 $6 {with} ({However, White can play for the initiative with} 14. Rae1 $5 Rxe1 ({or} 14... Bxc3 15. dxc3 dxc4 16. Rxe8+ (16. Qxc4 Be6 $1) 16... Qxe8 17. Qxc4 {and the two bishops guarantee White long-term compensation.}) 15. Rxe1 Bxc3 16. dxc3 dxc4 17. Qxc4 {and White is pressing.}) 14... Nd4 15. Qb2 Bb6 {and Black already looks even better.}) 14. Qa4 b6 {A solid, human move.} ({Black's knight is in trouble in the line} 14... Bxc3 15. dxc3 Ne2+ 16. Kh1 exd5 17. cxd5 Nxc3 $2 ({However, the machine suggests that} 17... Bf5 $1 {is perfectly fine for Black.}) 18. Qc4 Ne2 19. Rae1 $18) 15. Rae1 Bd7 16. Qd1 c5 $1 {A nice move that secures a portion of the center while supporting the powerful knight.} 17. Bb2 ({Nakamura is most welcoming} 17. dxe6 Bxe6 18. Bxa8 $2 Qxa8 {when the light-squared dominance leads to Black's advantage.}) 17... Rb8 18. a4 a6 {Mark Crowther: 'Wards off Nb5'} 19. dxe6 Bxe6 20. Nd5 {\"This was almost like a kind of a draw offer.\" (Caruana)} Qd6 {\"I thought he was trying to play for something, maybe.\" (Caruana) Mark Crowther: 'Caruana wondered if black was even being ambitious here.'} ({White expected} 20... b5 {Mark Crowther: 'should lead to complete equality one way or another.'} 21. axb5 axb5 22. Bxd4 (22. cxb5 {Mark Crowther} Bxd5 23. Rxe8+ Qxe8 24. Bxd5 Ne2+ 25. Kg2 Qxb5) 22... cxd4 23. cxb5 Rxb5 24. Qa4 {\"and it is a draw in many ways.\" (Caruana) For example,} Qb8 25. Re4 Bxd5 26. Rxe8+ Qxe8 27. Bxd5 Bxd2) 21. Bxd4 cxd4 22. Re4 {The problem with the d4-pawn is that it forces Nakamura to enter an opposite-colored bishop endgame but with major pieces on the board.} Bxd5 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Bxd5 {\"I still thought it is going to be a draw here.\" (Caruana)} Bb4 {Sending the bishop back in business. The engine still suggests full equality, but it is much easier to play this as White. His bishop is significantly more valuable, and this is all that matters in these endgames.} ({\"He was clearly concerned that after\"} 24... g6 {A move that Caruana liked for Black.} 25. Bb7 {\"I win a pawn here, but he can even achieve d4-d3 and Bd4 in this structure.\" (Caruana) For example,} ({White's initiative is put under a lid after} 25. h4 h5) 25... d3 $1 26. Bxa6 ({White should likely settle for a draw with} 26. Re1 Rxe1+ 27. Qxe1 Qd7 28. Bxa6 Qxa4) 26... Re2 {and Black is becoming too active.}) 25. h4 $1 {Now problems start to emerge on the light squares.} a5 {Nakamura kept the material balance, but let the opponent have the initiative—a much more precious advantage when handling opposite-colored bishops.} (25... g6 26. h5 $1 {is unpleasant for Black already.}) 26. d3 Qf6 {Perhaps only here did really Black go wrong.} ({The centralization} 26... Qe5 $1 27. Qf3 Re7 28. h5 g6 $1 {would have kept Black's position viable.} 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. Qg4 Qf5 $1 {When White is missing one tempo to regroup with} 31. Qh4 Kg7 32. Kg2 Qf6) 27. Kg2 Qe5 28. Qf3 Qf6 ({Here} 28... Re7 {is not as effective due to} 29. h5 $1 g6 30. hxg6 hxg6 31. Qg4 Qf5 32. Qh4 {In comparison to the line from above, White has his king on the g2-square, and this substantially improves his coordination, say} Re2 33. Be4 Qe5 34. Rh1) 29. Qg4 {Mark Crowther: 'Black shouldn't have any trouble holding here if he finds the right plan, but instead he drifts into trouble.'} Bc5 (29... g6 $1 {(Mark Crowther) is a very clean way to hold.} 30. h5 Qf5 31. Qxd4 Bc5 32. Qc3 Re2) 30. h5 $1 {Fixing aims on the light squares. White's edge is now indisputable.} h6 31. Rh1 Qg5 32. Qd1 Qe7 ({White feared} 32... Qe5 33. Rh4 Qe2 {but realized in the post-mortem that he can keep the queens alive with} 34. Qh1 $3 {With the strongest pieces on the board, White's step-by-step attack is crushing. One nice line is} Qxd3 35. Qh3 $1 Re7 36. Qc8+ Kh7 37. Re4 $3 Rxe4 38. Bxf7 {with inevitable mate.}) (32... Qf6 {Mark Crowther}) 33. Bc6 Rc8 34. Re1 {\"Once I got the e-file, I thought I have very serious winning chances.\" (Caruana) Mark Crowther: 'Now white has taken over the e-file there's real trouble.'} Qc7 35. Bd5 {Caruana methodically increases the pressure against the f7-target.} Kf8 36. Qg4 Rd8 37. Qe4 ({To a beautiful win leads the idea} 37. Qf5 $1 Re8 (37... Kg8 38. Be4 $1) 38. Rh1 $3 {and Black is helpless against the flip of the white rook to the f4-square.}) 37... Kg8 38. Qf5 Qd7 39. Qf3 Rf8 40. Re5 {White even has multiple ideas. He may even consider running his pawn up to the g6-square.} Bd6 41. Rf5 Qe7 42. Qg4 Be5 43. Rf3 Bf6 44. Rf4 Qd8 45. Be4 Re8 46. Rf5 Qd7 ({In the brief after-the-game analysis, Caruana asked his opponent why he did not go for the rook swap with} 46... Re5 $2 {But Nakamura calculated the winning} 47. Rxf6 Rxe4 48. dxe4 Qxf6 49. Qc8+ Kh7 50. Qf5+ $1 $18) 47. Qf4 Bg5 48. Qf3 Qc7 {According to Caruana, a pawn sacrifice, as \"Nakamura never misses tactics.\" Mark Crowther: '[#]'} ({But White is right that there is not much to be done as} 48... Rf8 49. c5 {is pretty grim for Black.} ({And White can still win a pawn with} 49. Rd5 {As} Qxa4 $2 {is a disaster due to} 50. Qf5)) 49. Rxf7 $1 {This should have been the decisive blow $1 Mark Crowther: '!!' Mark Crowther: 'Winning another pawn which is good but there's still work to do.'} Qxf7 50. Bd5 {Mark Crowther: 'Pin'} Re6 {Mark Crowther: 'aiming for ...Qxf3+.'} 51. Qg4 Kf8 52. Bxe6 {Caruana is winning. He won a valuable pawn and kept the attack running. Mark Crowther: '+-'} Qe8 53. Bd7 ({Also great is the regrouping} 53. Qf3+ Bf6 54. Bf5 $3) 53... Qa8+ 54. Kg1 Bf6 55. Qe6 Qd8 56. Bc6 Qe7 57. Qc8+ Qd8 ({Any wrong step might lead to an instant mate} 57... Kf7 $4 58. Bd5+) 58. Qb7 Be5 59. Bd5 ({Perhaps a bit more determined is} 59. Be4 $5 Qc7 60. Qa8+ Qb8 61. Qc6) 59... Qc7 60. Qa8+ Ke7 61. Qg8 Kd6 {An attempt to safeguard his king $2} 62. Be4 {Caruana is not afraid of it.} ({If he were, he would have stopped it with} 62. Qf8+ $1 Qe7 63. c5+ $3 bxc5 64. Qa8 Qd7 65. Bc4 $18) 62... Ke7 {[%eval 442,17] [%wdl 1000,0,0] Mark Crowther: '?'} ({Perhaps Black should have tried to run for the hills with} 62... Kc5 $5 {[%eval 222,21] [%wdl 1000,0,0] Mark Crowther: 'would have set new problems.'} 63. Qd5+ (63. Qe8 {Mark Crowther} Kb4) 63... Kb4 64. Qb5+ Kc3 {The king seems safer here, although the engine finds a way to make his life difficult here as well with} (64... Ka3 {Mark Crowther}) 65. Qb1 Qc5 66. Qa1+ Kc2 67. Bf3 $3 Kxd3 68. Qc1 Qb4 69. Bg2 Bd6 70. Bf1+ Ke4 71. Qc2+ Ke5 72. Qg6 $1 $18 {Still, this seemed like a practical chance.}) 63. Bg6 Bf6 64. Qf7+ Kd6 65. Qd5+ Ke7 66. Bf5 {Mark Crowther: 'Dodges Qd7'} Be5 {[%eval 899,14] [%wdl 1000,0,0] Mark Crowther: '?'} ({Black cannot chase the enemy consistently with} 66... Qd6 67. Qa8 Qd8 68. Qc6 Qd6 69. Qc8 Qd8 70. Qe6+ Kf8 71. Bg6) (66... Kf8 {[%eval 351,24] [%wdl 1000,0,0] Mark Crowther} 67. Kg2 Be5) 67. f4 {Apparently, Caruana had the pure bishop endgame on his mind at this stage of the game.} ({Missing} 67. Qe6+ $1 Kd8 68. f4 {Mark Crowther: 'wins.'} Bf6 {when Black is completely paralyzed, and the zugzwang does the job after} 69. Kh2 $1) 67... Bf6 68. Kg2 Qd6 69. Qb7+ Kf8 70. Kf3 Qe7 71. Qe4 {Practically forcing the trade.} Qxe4+ ({If} 71... Qd6 72. Bg6) 72. dxe4 $1 {The point. The connected passers should do the job. Mark Crowther: 'KB-KB. White is a pawn up.'} Be7 73. e5 Bb4 74. Bd3 $1 Be1 {Nakamura is hitting the pawns, but they are well supported.} 75. g4 Ke7 76. Ke4 Bg3 77. f5 ({To a neat win leads} 77. g5 $1 hxg5 78. fxg5 {Caruana might have dismissed it due to} Ke6 {But here an important tactic} 79. c5 $3 {would have wrapped up the game after} bxc5 (79... Bxe5 80. Bc4+) 80. Bc4+ Ke7 81. h6 $18) 77... Kd7 ({The passers are also unstoppable after} 77... Bf2 78. Kd5 Kd7 (78... Be3 79. Kc6) 79. g5 $1 hxg5 80. f6 $18) 78. Kd5 ({Missing another chance for} 78. g5 $1 hxg5 79. f6 (79. c5 {Mark Crowther} bxc5 80. f6 gxf6 81. h6 c4 82. Bxc4 Bxe5 83. Kd5 d3 84. Bxd3 g4 85. h7 g3 86. Bf5+ Kd8 87. h8=Q+) 79... gxf6 {and now the grandiose move} 80. Kd5 $3 ({Not} 80. h6 {which White apparently saw and rejected due to} Ke6 $3 81. h7 $4 {and White even loses after} (81. c5 $3 {is remarkably still best but only enough for a draw after} f5+ $1 82. Kf3 Bxe5 83. cxb6 g4+ 84. Kg2 f4 85. h7 (85. b7 Kf7) 85... Kd6) 81... Bxe5 82. h8=Q f5+ $19)) 78... Bh4 79. f6 $4 {[%eval 70,21] [%wdl 123,877,0] Hallucination $1 Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'Suddenly white isn't winning anymore.'} ({The correct plan is} 79. Kxd4 {[%eval 493,19] [%wdl 1000,0,0] Mark Crowther: '+-'} Bf2+ (79... Ke7 {Mark Crowther} 80. Kd5) 80. Kd5 Be3 (80... Bh4 {is more stubborn, but White also wins with the complicated line} 81. Bf1 Bd8 (81... Bg5 82. Bh3 $1) 82. c5 bxc5 83. Bb5+ Ke7 84. g5 hxg5 85. Be2 Kf8 86. h6 $1) 81. f6 gxf6 82. exf6 Ke8 83. Bg6+ Kf8 84. Kc6 Bd4 85. g5 $3 hxg5 86. h6 $18) 79... gxf6 {Mark Crowther: '?'} 80. e6+ Ke7 $4 {[%eval 571,17] [%wdl 1000,0,0] Nakamura returns the favor $1 Mark Crowther: '?'} ({White did not even have the time to panic when spotting} 80... Kc7 $3 {[%eval 81,20] [%wdl 217,783,0] Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'Almost immediately after he moved Nakamura realised this move must be better and he was right, this holds.'} 81. Bg6 ({Nothing changes} 81. c5 bxc5 82. Bb5 Kd8) 81... d3 $1 {This is indeed a draw after} 82. Bxd3 (82. e7 d2 83. Bc2 Kd7) 82... Kd8 $1) 81. Kc6 {Now it is back to normal, as the c-passer will cost Black the bishop. Mark Crowther: '+-!' Mark Crowther: 'White is clearly winning.'} Kxe6 82. Kxb6 Be1 83. c5 {Mark Crowther: 'A very hard battle.'} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.30"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,101,12,2,17,-44,-22,-65,-62,-23,17,-5,20,40,39,49,49,21,21,1,35,7,5,-7,6,-13,-9,3,-1,-13,15,0,38,-12,19,10,89,10,40,31,42,33,39,13,60,60,60,54,84,65,58,59,66,55,92,92,93,46,57,37,40,16,29,47,41,84,91,82,73,75,75,75,107,107,110,106,131,112,118,112,122,133,131,131,131,131,131,153,138,138,199,145,143,74,67,21,26,63,63,23,45,45,14,24]} 1. c4 {Mark Crowther} e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 {Curiosamente, Esipenko repete a mesma abertura que Caruana utilizou contra Nakamura na primeira rodada. O GM americano decide jogar de forma diferente desta vez.} Nf6 (3... d4 {foi jogada por Nakamura ontem.}) 4. Nf3 c5 (4... Be7 {leva a uma provável transposição para a linha principal da Catalã (quando as Brancas jogam d2-d4) ou para sistemas sólidos quando as Brancas jogam b2-b3 primeiro. A posição está equilibrada, mas as Pretas não têm muitas chances de vitória.}) (4... dxc4 {é uma alternativa confiável.}) 5. cxd5 Nxd5 (5... exd5 6. d4 {Transpõe para uma Defesa Tarrasch, outrora uma favorita de Kasparov. Ele deixou de utilizá-la após enfrentar dificuldades para defender as posições contra Karpov.}) 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 (7. Nc3 {é uma alternativa importante. A partida pode continuar com} O-O 8. d4 ({Or} 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. d4 Nc6 (9... c4 {é duvidoso, já que as Brancas obtêm uma estrutura de peões melhor após} 10. b3 $1) 10. dxc5 Bxc5 {e a teoria continua profundamente no meio-jogo.}) 8... Nc6 9. e4 Ndb4 $1 {novamente com muita teoria de abertura. Em geral, as posições variam de igualdade a uma leve vantagem para as Brancas, em posições sem risco para o primeiro jogador.}) 7... cxd4 (7... O-O {é impreciso, já que as Brancas podem explorar a possibilidade de capturar em c5 e fazer o bispo se mover pela segunda vez.} 8. dxc5 $1 Bxc5 9. Qc2 {com uma posição agradável.}) 8. Nxd4 O-O 9. Qb3 $1 {O computador concorda que esta é a melhor tentativa de obter vantagem. Mark Crowther: 'D02: 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2...Nf6 3 Bf4.'} (9. Nc3 {permite que as Pretas igualem.} Nxc3 10. bxc3 e5 $1 11. Nb5 Qa5 (11... Nc6 {também é bom.}) 12. Nd6 $5 $146 {é forçado, mas é um lance natural.} Bxd6 (12... Rd8 $4 {perde após} 13. Nxc8 Rxd1 14. Nxe7+ Kf8 15. Rxd1 Kxe7 16. Bxb7 {ganhando material.}) (12... Nc6 {também é aceitável, embora as Brancas fiquem mais confortáveis após} 13. Nxc8 Raxc8 14. Qb3) 13. Qxd6 Nc6 {com chances iguais. As Pretas têm bom desenvolvimento e uma estrutura de peões melhor em troca do par de bispos.}) (9. e4 {é menos perigoso:} Nb4 10. Nc3 N8c6 {com boas chances de igualar.}) 9... Nc6 $1 {A melhor forma de responder ao último lance das Brancas, embora não seja a mais popular.} ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 9... Qb6 10. Qxb6 axb6 (10... Nxb6 11. Nc3 {é melhor para as Brancas. O poderoso bispo em g2 da Catalã incomoda a posição das Pretas.}) 11. Bxd5 exd5 12. Nc3 {As Pretas devem conseguir igualar com lances precisos de computador, mas é claramente melhor jogar de Brancas.} Bf6 {Mark Crowther} 13. Be3 Rd8 14. Rfd1 Bg4 15. f3 Be6 16. Ndb5 Nd7 17. Nc7 Rac8 18. N7xd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Re8 21. Bd4 Nf6 22. Re5 Rxe5 23. Bxe5 Nd5 24. Rd1 {Wells,P (2318)-Patel,Z (2062) Peterborough ENG 2026 1-0 (62)}) (9... Na6 {Este é o lance mais frequentemente jogado, de acordo com o meu banco de dados. As Brancas obtêm vantagem após} 10. Rd1 Nc5 {e aqui tanto 11.Dc4 quanto 11.Df3 mantêm a pressão.} 11. Qc4 (11. Qf3)) 10. Nxc6 (10. Rd1 {já foi jogado em algumas partidas por correspondência:} Nxd4 11. Rxd4 Qb6 {Um lance novo.} 12. Qxb6 axb6 $1 13. Bxd5 Rd8 14. Nc3 Bf6 {A partida está prestes a ser simplificada, e o empate é o resultado mais provável.}) 10... bxc6 11. e4 {Mark Crowther: 'White is slightly better.'} Nf6 {É difícil dizer se este lance ou 11...Cb6 é melhor. Em ambos os casos, as Brancas mantêm uma pequena vantagem.} (11... Nb6 12. Bf4) ({RR} 11... Nb4 {Mark Crowther} 12. Rd1 Qb6 13. Be3 c5 14. Nc3 Ba6 15. Rd7 Rfe8 16. Rad1 Bf8 17. e5 Rad8 18. Be4 Rxd7 19. Rxd7 Bc8 20. Rd2 Ba6 21. a3 Nd5 22. Qa4 Nc7 23. b4 Rc8 24. bxc5 Bxc5 25. Qd7 Nd5 26. Na4 {Maghsoodloo,P (2701)-Ivanisevic,I (2601) Belgrade 2022 1-0 (35)}) 12. h3 {Um lance novo. Esipenko havia gasto bastante tempo para chegar a esta posição, então não acredito que isso tenha sido preparação. A ideia é bastante razoável: o bispo está pronto para ir a e3 sem ser incomodado por um possível ...Cg4. Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({Mark Crowther: 'Predecessor:'} 12. Nc3 Qc7 {Mark Crowther} 13. h3 Rb8 14. Qc2 Bc5 15. Ne2 Bb6 16. Bf4 e5 17. Bg5 Nd7 18. Be7 {½-½ Javakhishvili,L (2451)-Muzychuk,A (2525) Tbilisi FIDE GP (Women) 2024 (9)}) ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 12. Bf4 Qa5 {Mark Crowther} 13. Qc3 Qxc3 14. Nxc3 Rd8 15. Rfd1 Ba6 16. Bf3 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Rd8 18. Rc1 c5 19. Na4 c4 20. Be3 Bb5 21. Nc3 Bc6 22. Bxa7 Rd2 23. Rb1 Bb4 24. Be3 Rd8 25. Rc1 Ba5 26. Ne2 Bxe4 {Biriukov,N (2365)-Zaleski,L (2116) Krakow 2018 1-0 (34)}) ({RR} 12. Qc2 {Mark Crowther} Ba6 13. Rd1 Qa5 14. Nc3 Rfd8 15. Bf4 Nd7 16. h3 Ne5 17. Nd5 cxd5 18. Bxe5 Rac8 19. Bc3 Bb4 20. Bxb4 Qxb4 21. Qb3 Qa5 22. exd5 Bc4 23. Qe3 Bxd5 24. Bxd5 Rxd5 {½-½ (24) Rashkovsky,N (2510)-Krogius,N (2545) Sochi 1977}) 12... Ba6 {As Pretas têm várias alternativas.} (12... Qb6 $5 {Esipenko provavelmente queria responder a esse lance natural com} 13. Be3 {mas é difícil dizer se as Brancas conseguem demonstrar uma vantagem concreta após} c5 {A posição, no entanto, permanece confortável de jogar com as Brancas.}) (12... Qa5 {também é possível, quando as Brancas podem continuar com o típico} 13. Be3) (12... e5 {neste caso, o bispo pode ir para e6 em vez de a6.} 13. Be3) (12... Qc7 {parece um pouco passivo, mas também é razoável.}) 13. Rd1 Qb6 (13... Qa5 {A dama não pode permanecer por muito tempo em a5, já que é imediatamente atacada após} 14. Bd2) 14. Be3 Bc5 (14... c5 {Sem verificar com o engine, achei que isso era muito perigoso para as Pretas por causa de} 15. Nc3 {com a ideia de jogar e4-e5 em seguida. O computador, como de costume, não se impressiona tanto, embora as Brancas estejam pressionando após} Rad8 $1 16. e5 Nd7 17. f4) 15. Bxc5 Qxc5 {A abertura foi um sucesso para Esipenko. Especialmente após perder uma batalha dura ontem, é uma boa estratégia jogar uma posição sólida, com chances de vencer a partida sem nenhum risco, exatamente o que ele conseguiu aqui. Mas Nakamura é um dos melhores defensores da elite e certamente não gostaria de começar o torneio com duas derrotas.} 16. Qc3 (16. Nc3 $1 {é mais enérgico, mantendo as damas no tabuleiro. A ideia principal é mostrada após} Rab8 $6 17. Na4 $1 Qa5 18. Qc2 {quando o cavalo chega a c5 e as Brancas têm uma vantagem clara.}) 16... Qb6 $1 (16... Qxc3 $2 {A troca de damas leva a um final desagradável para as Pretas, com uma estrutura de peões ruim.} 17. Nxc3) 17. Nd2 c5 18. b3 Rad8 19. Nc4 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 {As Brancas têm a vantagem de bispo contra cavalo em uma posição aberta. A estrutura de peões também parece ser um fator positivo, mas o próximo lance de Nakamura torna essa avaliação menos clara.} e5 $1 {Ajustando a casa d4 para a torre.} 21. Rac1 Rxd1+ $6 {As Pretas agora terão que sofrer mais do que o necessário.} (21... Rd4 $1 {é a continuação natural do lance anterior.} 22. Rxd4 cxd4 23. Qc7 {Suspeito que Nakamura não tenha gostado desse tipo de posição, com a coluna c sob controle das Brancas. Com a engine ligada, posso dizer com segurança que, após} Re8 {o peão passado em d4 é forte o suficiente para garantir chances iguais para as Pretas.}) 22. Rxd1 a5 {Com fraquezas em a5, c5 e e5, as Pretas estão à beira da catástrofe. Um jogador menos experiente provavelmente sucumbiria rapidamente, mas Nakamura mantém tudo sob controle apesar da aparência desagradável de sua posição.} 23. Rc1 (23. Qc3 $5 {era possível imediatamente:} Qc7 24. Qe3 {com a ideia de Bf1-c4, com uma vantagem agradável.}) 23... Rc8 24. Qc3 {Mark Crowther: 'The plan is to put the bishop on c4 and claim something.'} Qc7 25. h4 h6 (25... g6 {também é possível, com a ideia de jogar h7-h5 em seguida.}) 26. Rc2 g6 27. Qe3 Qd8 $5 (27... Kg7 {também era possível, já que 28.Bh3 não é tão forte quanto parece:} 28. Bh3 Rd8 {Or} 29. Qxc5 Rd1+ 30. Kg2 Qxc5 31. Rxc5 Rd2 32. Rxe5 Rxa2 {com contrajogo suficiente para segurar o empate.}) 28. Rd2 Qb6 29. Bf1 (29. Qxh6 {permite que as Pretas ativem após} c4 $1 30. bxc4 Rxc4 {com igualdade.}) 29... Kg7 30. a4 (30. Bc4 {As Pretas conseguem jogar} a4 $1 {eliminando uma das fraquezas.}) 30... Rc6 $1 {Um excelente plano. As Pretas pretendem jogar ...Td6 em seguida.} 31. Rc2 (31. Bc4 Rd6 {com a ideia de Td4, quando as Pretas já não estão mais pior.}) 31... c4 {Talvez esta seja uma boa decisão prática, sacrificando um peão para alcançar um final empatado. É difícil para mim avaliar, já que durante a partida eu nunca teria certeza se o final de torres é realmente empate, então eu procuraria maneiras de manter o equilíbrio material. Ainda assim, é importante ter em mente que sacrificar material para defender um final teoricamente empatado é uma estratégia importante para desenvolver a sua tenacidade.} (31... Rd6 $1 {é bom para as Pretas:} 32. Qxc5 (32. Rxc5 $4 {até perde:} Ng4 33. Qc3 Rc6 $1 34. Rxc6 Qxf2+ 35. Kh1 Qh2#) 32... Qxb3 33. Rc3 (33. Qxd6 Qxc2 34. Qxe5 Qxa4) 33... Qb2 {com igualdade.}) 32. Qxb6 Rxb6 33. Bxc4 (33. bxc4 {não é suficiente para uma vantagem:} Nxe4 34. c5 Rc6 35. Bg2 f5 {com um final empatado.}) 33... Nxe4 {Mark Crowther: '='} 34. Re2 f5 35. f3 Nd6 (35... Nc5 {é uma boa alternativa:} 36. Rxe5 Nxb3 {Isso provavelmente levará a um final de torres semelhante ao da partida.}) 36. Rxe5 Nxc4 37. bxc4 {Mark Crowther: 'KR-KR. White is a pawn up.'} Rb4 38. Rxa5 Rxc4 {Finais de torres com um peão passado a mais na ala podem ser muito difíceis de defender, mas neste caso a estrutura de peões das Brancas facilita a defesa, já que os peões podem ser rapidamente atacados.} 39. Ra7+ Kf6 40. a5 Rc3 {As Pretas precisam ser rápidas.} (40... Rc2 $4 {Parece bastante natural cortar o rei das Brancas, mas este é um lance perdedor, já que as Brancas podem melhorar a posição da torre.} 41. Ra6+ Kg7 42. Rb6 $1 {seguido de a5-a6 e da marcha do rei para a ala da dama.}) 41. Kf2 {Mark Crowther: 'This is a technical draw.'} Rc2+ 42. Ke3 Rc3+ 43. Ke2 Rc2+ {Mark Crowther: '!'} 44. Kd3 Rg2 $1 {O contrajogo das Pretas chega bem a tempo.} 45. Ra6+ Kf7 46. Kd4 (46. Rb6 Rxg3 47. Ke3 Rg2 {A torre retorna para defender contra o peão passado.}) 46... Rxg3 47. Ke5 Rxf3 48. Ra7+ {Mark Crowther: 'The position is equal.'} Ke8 49. a6 Ra3 50. Ke6 Kd8 51. Kf6 (51. Kf6 {Muitos lances levam ao empate, por exemplo:} g5 52. hxg5 hxg5 53. Kxf5 Ra5+) 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.30"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D30"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,59,30,30,30,-13,6,6,30,13,13,-2,9,-14,18,-60,5,-16,14,2,31,12,31,12,12,31,34,9,12,18,15,3,52,14,-4,13,4,1,-1,2,3,0,8,7,12,6,8,8,4,4,15,10,0,0,10,10,8,9,7,8,10,8]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nd7 4. g3 (4. Bg5 {was another, relatively recent, encounter where Caruana had already tired this opening.} Be7 5. Bxe7 Nxe7 6. e3 O-O 7. Nc3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 c5 {½-½ Dubov,D (2795)-Caruana,F (2751) Wch Blitz op Doha 2025 (17)}) 4... dxc4 5. Bg2 Rb8 6. a4 b6 ({RR} 6... a6 7. a5 Bd6 8. Nfd2 b5 9. axb6 Nxb6 10. O-O Ne7 11. Nxc4 Nxc4 12. Qa4+ Qd7 13. Qxc4 Qb5 14. Na3 Qxc4 15. Nxc4 Rb4 16. Nxd6+ cxd6 17. e3 d5 18. Ra2 Kd7 19. Bd2 Rb3 20. Bf3 Rb8 21. Be2 {Schoppen,C (2588)-Balacek,T (2396) Katowice POL 2026 1-0 (45)}) 7. Nfd2 a5 $146 {The top engine move.} ({Predecessor: RR} 7... Qf6 $2 8. Nxc4 Bb4+ 9. Nc3 Ba6 10. Na3 $16 {½-½ Matlakov,M (2602)-Aronian,L (2756) Wch Rapid op Doha 2025 (12)} Ne7 11. Nc2 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 O-O 13. O-O e5 {½-½ Matlakov,M (2602)-Aronian,L (2756) Wch Rapid op Doha 2025 (12)} 14. a5 Bb7 15. e4 Qg6 16. Re1 Rfe8 17. axb6 axb6 18. h4 Nf6 19. d5 Nc8 20. Ba3 h6 21. Qe2 Nd6 22. Bxd6 {Matlakov,M (2606)-Aronian,L (2729) Doha QAT 2025 ½-½ (34)}) ({RR} 7... Ba6 8. O-O Ngf6 9. Nc3 c5 10. Nb5 cxd4 11. Nxc4 Bc5 12. Bf4 O-O 13. Bc7 Qe7 14. Bxb8 Nxb8 15. b4 Bxb4 16. Qxd4 Bc5 17. Qb2 Bb7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Ne5 a6 20. Nd4 Ne4 21. Rad1 a5 22. Nd3 {Gelfand,B (2684)-Deac,B (2618) Bucharest 2019 ½-½}) 8. Nxc4 Ba6 9. Nba3 Bb4+ {An interesting inclusion. Black argues the bishop is worse on d2 than on c1, which is a theme in the Catalan, but not exactly in this position.} 10. Bd2 Bxa3 11. Nxa3 Ne7 12. O-O O-O 13. b4 {Provoking the bishop to d2 allowed White to support this push in one move. On the other hand, the computer confirms equality anyway.} axb4 14. Bxb4 c5 15. Bc3 Nf5 $6 (15... cxd4 16. Bxd4 Nf5 17. Bb2 Nc5 {is the most accurate path to equality, the computer shows.}) 16. Nb5 $6 {The game fizzles out quickly after this.} (16. d5 $1 {could have given White a slight advantage.}) (16. Nc2 {was another consideration, which could have given an edge.}) 16... Bxb5 17. axb5 cxd4 18. Bxd4 Nxd4 19. Qxd4 Nc5 20. Rad1 Qxd4 21. Rxd4 Rfd8 22. Rfd1 Rxd4 23. Rxd4 Kf8 24. Rd6 Ke7 25. Rc6 Rd8 26. f4 (26. Rxb6 Rd1+ 27. Bf1 Rb1 28. e3 {This is just one possible line.} Ne4 29. Rb7+ Kf6 {White has an extra pawn, but it's under control. Black has enough counterplay, for example against f2, and it's difficult to effectively push the b-pawn without losing it.}) 26... Rd6 27. Rc7+ {The players find a repetition.} Rd7 28. Rc6 Rd6 29. Rc7+ Rd7 30. Rc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.30"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C11"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,91,30,22,47,26,37,19,82,64,78,-3,9,20,13,20,57,35,38,15,13,17,47,21,4,4,48,7,28,0,15,24,24,13,31,17,22,28,33,12,14,8,0,-18,-18,-5,3,-20,0,0,-8,18,20,18,5,1,-6,-60,-61,-60,-67,-64,-68,-60,-66,-67,-67,-73,-66,-68,-69,-74,-73,-70,-68,-68,-73,-75,-75,-75,-75,-75,-76,-76,-75,-76,-34,-75,-31,-91,-83,-83,-83,-83]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 a6 9. Bd3 {C11: French: Classical System: 4 e5 and 4 Bg5 dxe4.} O-O 10. O-O {[%eval 2,19] [%wdl 23,958,19] White is more active.} (10. dxc5 $16 {[%eval 79,20] [%wdl 307,692,1] Threatens to win with Na4.} Nxc5 11. Bxc5 (11. O-O-O) 11... Bxc5 12. Bxh7+ {is a scarey looking line that black would have to have prepared.}) 10... f6 $11 11. exf6 Nxf6 12. Kh1 (12. dxc5 d4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 $17) 12... b6 $146 ({RR} 12... c4 $5 13. Be2 $8 Bb4 $11 14. Qe1 Ne4 {1-0 Wegener,O (2406)-Martinovic,S (2556) BL2-Ost 2324 Germany 2023 (1.4)} 15. Ng5 Nxg5 16. fxg5 Rxf1+ 17. Qxf1 Bd7 18. Nd1 Qe7 19. Bf3 Be8 20. c3 Bd6 21. Nf2 Bg6 22. Qe2 b5 23. Re1 Re8 24. Qd2 Rf8 25. Ng4 Qf7 26. Qe2 Bd3 27. Qd1 {Wegener,O (2406)-Martinovic,S (2556) Germany GER 2023 1-0 (73)}) ({RR} 12... Ng4 13. Bg1 Qc7 14. h3 Nf6 15. dxc5 Nd7 16. Rae1 Nxc5 17. Bxc5 Bxc5 18. Ng5 h6 19. Nxe6 Bxe6 20. Rxe6 Rad8 21. f5 Be7 22. Be2 Bg5 23. Nxd5 Qc8 24. Qd1 Rxf5 25. Bg4 Rdxd5 26. Bxf5 Rxf5 27. Rxf5 {Schlegel,I (2238)-Wichmann,C (2269) Germany GER 2026 1-0 (86)}) 13. Ne5 (13. a3 Qc7 14. Rae1 Rb8 15. Ne5 {This looks very similar to the text game.} Bd6 16. Nxc6 Qxc6 17. Be2 Qc7 18. g3 Bb7 19. Bf3 Rbd8 20. Qg2 Kh8 {½-½ Ralison,M (2046)-Sharma,D (2356) Reunion op 17th St Denis 2015 (8)}) (13. b3 {is about equal.}) 13... Qc7 14. Rae1 $146 ({Predecessor:} 14. Nxc6 Qxc6 15. Rae1 c4 16. Be2 b5 17. Bf3 b4 18. Ne2 {0-1 Heyn,W (1972)-Ress,J (2156) SA-2013-0-00348 LSS email}) 14... Bd6 (14... Bb7) 15. Nxc6 $2 {Of course White doesn't want to trade away the powerful knight on e5, but it seems Wei didn't find a good way to deal with the pressure on d4.} (15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Na4 $1 {is the concrete solution the computer finds, countering the pressure on e5 with White's own pressure on c5.} Ne7 17. c3) 15... Qxc6 16. Be2 Ra7 $6 {The wrong plan, made more apparent with the aid of the computer, of course.} (16... c4 17. Bf3 b5 18. a3 a5 {with an advantage and, perhaps more importantly, a clear plan for Black: push ...b4 and play on the queenside.}) 17. Bf3 Raf7 $11 (17... c4) 18. f5 $1 {Wei finds the reason Black's move was inaccurate. The second player's center isn't stable, and there are now tactics on the a2-g8 diagonal.} c4 (18... exf5 19. dxc5 bxc5 20. Nxd5 {is the point.}) 19. Bg5 Bb4 $1 20. Qe2 Bxc3 21. fxe6 Re7 22. bxc3 Rxe6 23. Qd2 Ne4 {We see more liquidation.} 24. Bxe4 Rxf1+ 25. Rxf1 Rxe4 26. Bf4 {And now an opposite-color bishop endgame with heavy pieces still on the board. But the game is still balanced.} Re7 27. Be5 {Opposite bishops and equal position} Qg6 28. Qf4 Rf7 29. Qxf7+ Qxf7 30. Rxf7 Kxf7 {And now it's a dead draw. The game is going to be drawn.} 31. Kg1 Bf5 32. Kf2 Bxc2 33. Bc7 b5 34. a3 Ke6 35. Ke3 Kf5 36. h3 h5 37. g3 g5 38. Bd8 Bd3 39. h4 Kg4 40. Bxg5 Kxg3 41. Bd8 Be4 42. Be7 Kg2 43. Bd8 Kf1 44. Kd2 Kf2 45. Be7 Kf3 46. Bd8 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.30"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Black "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,84,30,22,22,22,55,-5,53,16,14,-4,-7,-44,-2,12,-1,-10,41,9,11,4,67,9,74,49,46,10,4,-49,-1,-25,7,5,18,-12,-11,2,-3,-3,12,-17,-24,-19,8,8,27,22,16,12,12,16,13,13,19,29,23,26,24,25,32,32,41,56,35,47,49,57,58,58,60,9,11,5,2,1,5,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,8,0,14]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nd3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 $1 6. Nf4 {C42: Petroff Defence: 3 Nxe5 and unusual White 3rd moves.} c6 {Repels Nd5} 7. f3 Nf6 8. d4 Bf5 ({RR} 8... Nbd7 9. Qxe7+ Bxe7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. Kf2 Re8 12. g4 Nb6 13. c3 Nfd5 14. h4 Nxf4 15. Bxf4 Nd5 16. Bd2 b5 17. a4 Bd7 18. axb5 cxb5 19. Na3 a6 20. Nc2 Bc6 21. b3 Nb6 22. c4 bxc4 23. bxc4 {Kabylbek,Y (2193)-Atwell,R (2337) chess.com INT 2026 0-1 (70)}) 9. c3 ({RR} 9. c4 h5 10. Nc3 Na6 11. Kf2 Nb4 12. Qd1 O-O-O 13. Nd3 d5 14. c5 Nxd3+ 15. Bxd3 Ne4+ 16. fxe4 dxe4 17. Be2 Qf6 18. Be3 Bxc5 19. Rf1 Qh4+ 20. Kg1 Bd6 21. Rxf5 Qxh2+ 22. Kf1 Qh1+ 23. Bg1 g6 {Carlsen,M (2859)-Rapport,R (2740) Wijk aan Zee NED 2023 1-0 (36)}) 9... Qxe2+ 10. Bxe2 h5 11. Na3 $146 {This seems a little bit odd but it is at least new.} ({Predecessor: RR} 11. Kf2 Nbd7 12. h4 O-O-O 13. Nd2 {1-0 Sivuk,V (2514)-Kacharava $146 (2424) EU-ch 20th Skopje 2019 (8)} d5 14. Nf1 Bd6 15. Ng3 Bc2 16. Bd2 Nf8 17. Rac1 Bxf4 18. Bxf4 {1-0 Sivuk,V (2514)-Kacharava,N (2424) EU-ch 20th Skopje 2019 (8)} Bg6 19. Bg5 Rd6 20. Rhe1 Re6 21. Bf1 Ne8 22. Ne2 Bf5 23. Red1 Nd6 24. b3 b5 25. Ng3 Bg6 {Sivuk,V (2514)-Kacharava,N (2424) Skopje 2019 1-0 (42)}) 11... Na6 12. Nc4 Nc7 13. Ne3 Bh7 14. h4 Kd7 {Black has a slightly passive position, but White's advantage is small and not so easy to convert to something concrete.} (14... Ne6 {is indicated by the computer as the most accurate way to equalize.}) 15. Kf2 Re8 $6 (15... d5 {would have prevented the pawn sacrifice that's indicated on the next move.}) 16. g3 (16. d5 $1 {was a fascinating pawn sacrifice that could have given White a significant advantage. The point is that this move disrupts Black's coordination. Seems like the right idea.} cxd5 17. g3 {For example, Black would have wanted to play ...d5 and ...Bd6. Now that's not possible, so if he develops with} Be7 18. Rd1 {White threatens to regain the pawn and then to pressure the remaining isolani on d6.}) 16... Ne6 17. Nh3 d5 18. Ng5 Bg6 19. Bf1 Nh7 20. Bh3 Nhxg5 21. hxg5 Kc7 22. Nf5 {Black equalizes directly after this move.} (22. Ng2 Bd6 23. Re1 Bc2 24. Bxe6 Rxe6 25. Bf4 {And White steers toward a better knight vs. bishop endgame, though the advantage is still minimal.}) 22... Bxf5 23. Bxf5 g6 24. Bc2 {White has the two bishops, but there's no advantage.} Bd6 25. Be3 (25. f4 {is met with the undermining} h4) 25... Re7 26. Rae1 Rhe8 27. f4 Ng7 28. Kf3 Kd7 29. Bf2 Rxe1 30. Bxe1 {Keeping rooks on, at least.} Rf8 31. g4 f5 32. gxh5 Nxh5 33. Bd2 Rh8 34. Bd3 Rh7 35. Bxf5+ {This forces further liquidation. White had no advantage anyway.} gxf5 36. g6 Rg7 37. Rxh5 $11 Ke6 $1 38. Rh6 Kf6 39. Be1 Rxg6 40. Rh7 Rg7 41. Rh6+ Rg6 42. Rh7 Rg7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.31"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,81,22,29,23,6,6,6,4,4,26,4,4,10,22,22,50,42,42,35,43,34,42,48,46,28,55,39,66,7,28,29,0,-57,-24,-20,-21,-17,-7,-7,-7,-19,0,-33,-15,-19,8,0,-6,0,0,-8,-10,-23,-19,-29,-27,-51,-29,-29,-26,-24,-29,-35,-42,-39,-21,-34,-32,-29,-32,-40,-34,-37,-25,-29,-24,-26,-30,-30,-26,-30,-30,-29]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 O-O 7. e3 c5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O Be6 11. Rc1 Rc8 12. Bd3 $146 ({RR} 12. Ne5 Bd6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Qa4 Bxf4 15. Qxf4 c5 16. Rfd1 Rb8 17. b3 Rb4 18. Qe5 Re8 19. Na4 c4 20. Qa1 Qe7 21. Rd4 cxb3 22. axb3 Rxb3 23. Nc5 Rb6 24. Ra4 Ra8 25. h3 h6 26. Bd3 Rc6 {Tal,M-Keres,P Tbilisi 1959 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 12. Ne5 Bd6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Qa4 c5 15. Bg3 Qb6 16. b3 Bxg3 17. hxg3 a5 18. Qb5 Qxb5 19. Bxb5 Rb8 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. Be2 g6 22. f3 h5 23. Kf2 Rdc8 24. Rd2 Rb4 25. Ba6 Ra8 26. Bd3 Rc8 {Khismatullin,D (2660)-Zvjaginsev,V (2680) Magnitogorsk 2011 0-1 (72)}) ({RR} 12. Nb5 Qe7 13. h3 Rfd8 14. Nbd4 Bb6 15. a3 h6 16. Qa4 Bd7 17. Bb5 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Bxd4 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Bxd7 Qxd7 21. Qxd4 a6 22. Be5 Rc4 23. Qd3 Ne4 24. b3 Rc5 25. f3 Ng5 26. Bxg7 Qb5 {Bluebaum,M (2679)-Rustemov,A (2525) chess.com INT 2026 1-0 (63)}) ({RR} 12. Nb5 Ne4 13. Nd2 Nxd2 14. Qxd2 Bb4 15. Qd3 Be7 16. Nd4 Nxd4 {½-½ (16) Schussler,H (2365)-Despotovic,M (2365) Smederevska Palanka 1979}) 12... h6 13. h3 a6 14. Bb1 $146 {White is slightly better.} ({Predecessor:} 14. a3 Qe7 15. Bb1 Rfd8 16. Nd4 Nxd4 17. exd4 Bd6 18. Qd2 Bxf4 19. Qxf4 Nh5 20. Qe5 {½-½ Tjiam,D (2379)-Pliester,L (2374) Bussum op 2009 (5)}) 14... Qe7 15. Re1 Rfd8 16. Re2 {[%eval -10,22] [%wdl 9,970,21]} (16. Nd4 $142 {[%eval 30,21] [%wdl 48,948,4]}) 16... d4 17. exd4 Nxd4 18. Rd2 {[%CAl Rf3d4]} Nxf3+ 19. Qxf3 Rxd2 20. Bxd2 Rd8 21. Be3 Bxe3 22. Qxe3 Kf8 (22... Qb4 {keeps more tension.} 23. Qe2 Qf4 24. Rd1 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 g6) 23. a3 Bd7 24. Qxe7+ Kxe7 25. Re1+ Be6 26. Ne4 b6 27. Rc1 Rd4 28. Nc3 {[%eval -73,22] [%wdl 0,850,150] [#]} (28. Ng3 $11 {[%eval -22,22] [%wdl 0,994,6] remains equal.}) 28... Bc4 {[%eval -18,22] [%wdl 0,995,5]} (28... Nd5 $1 $17 {[%eval -73,22] [%wdl 0,850,150][%CAl Rd5c3] Threatens to win with ...Nxc3.} 29. Nxd5+ Bxd5 (29... Rxd5 30. Be4 $15)) 29. Rd1 Rxd1+ 30. Nxd1 $15 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KBN-KBN} Nd5 {[%eval 0,44] [%wdl 1,997,2]} (30... Kd6 $15 {[%eval -36,25] [%wdl 0,985,15] feels stronger.}) 31. Ne3 Nxe3 32. fxe3 $11 {KB-KB} g5 {The position is equal.} 33. g3 Kd6 34. Kf2 Ke5 35. h4 f6 36. Bc2 a5 37. Kf3 Be6 38. Bd3 Bd7 39. Bc2 Bc8 40. Bd3 Bd7 41. Bc2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.31"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2745"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "IND"] [BlackTeam "UZB"] [WhiteClock "0:30:47"] [BlackClock "0:32:10"] {[%evp 0,80,22,12,19,6,6,-10,17,17,4,5,3,15,59,59,50,27,33,3,29,-33,-6,-5,53,56,56,40,63,63,66,66,58,-17,48,20,8,9,53,42,44,-46,-5,-22,-25,-45,-22,-9,-9,-43,-10,-31,-31,-61,56,49,38,38,52,3,25,22,60,-3,22,16,7,-32,-32,-132,-111,-428,-480,-550,-550,-550,-495,-638,-557,-497,-552,-552,-441]} 1. d4 {Mark Crowther: 'Postny,Evgeny'} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 {O Gambito da Dama Recusado é uma das defesas mais sólidas disponíveis para as Pretas, mas também pode levar a partidas explosivas, como esta demonstra.} 5. Bf4 {Antigamente, desenvolver o bispo em g5 era a linha principal indiscutível, mas isso mudou — o lance do bispo para f4 é mais popular hoje em dia.} O-O 6. e3 c5 {A abordagem mais direta. 6...Cbd7 é super sólido, quando as Brancas podem fechar a posição com 7.c5 e começa uma partida de manobras lentas. 6...b6 também é jogável.} ({RR} 6... Nbd7 7. c5) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Re8 $5 {Um lance moderno que já foi tentado por Carlsen, Anand e Nepomniachtchi, entre outros jogadores de destaque.} ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 9... Qa5 {é o lance mais popular. Você pode conferir no arquivo das Partidas do Dia a minha análise da partida Giri–Erdogmus, disputada este ano no torneio Tata Steel.}) 10. Bg5 {10.0-0-0 e 10.b4 são alternativas importantes. Sindarov disse que não conseguia se lembrar de sua preparação para esse lance, então começou a calcular. Mark Crowther: 'D37: Queen's Gambit Declined: 5 Bf4.'} (10. O-O-O) ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 10. b4 Bd6 ({RR} 10... e5 11. Bg5 d4 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Nd5 e4 14. bxc5 exf3 15. O-O-O) 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. c5 ({RR} 12. Be2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Ne5) 12... Qe7 13. Rd1 Rd8 14. Be2 e5 15. O-O Bg4 16. Rfe1) ({RR} 10. Rd1 e5 11. Bg5 d4 12. Nd5 Be7 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Bd3 g6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. O-O Bg4) ({RR} 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 d4 12. Rd1 Bg4 13. O-O Qe7 14. Na4 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 dxe3 16. Nxc5 e2 17. Bxe2 Qxe2) 10... d4 $5 {Um lance corajoso.} ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 10... Be7 {é muito sólido e foi jogado por Carlsen em uma partida de blitz.} 11. Rd1 ({RR} 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxe7 Qxe7) ({RR} 11. O-O-O Bd7 ({RR} 11... Qa5 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. cxd5) 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Rxd5 Rc8) 11... Qa5 {Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 12. Be2 (12. Bd3 h6 13. Bh4 dxc4 ({RR} 13... a6 14. O-O ({RR} 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxe7 Ncxe7) 14... dxc4) 14. Bxc4 a6 15. O-O b5 16. Ba2 Bb7 17. Bb1 ({RR} 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Ne4 ({RR} 18. Rd7 Re7) 18... Be7 19. Rd7 ({RR} 19. Nc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Red8) 19... Qb6 20. Bb1 g6 21. h4 Rac8) 17... Rad8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 ({RR} 19. Qh7+ Kf8) 19... Be7 20. Nc5 Bxc5 21. Qxc5 b4 22. Rc1 ({RR} 22. Qxa5 Nxa5 23. axb4 Nc4 24. b3 Bxf3 25. Rxd8 ({RR} 25. gxf3 Nd2) 25... Rxd8 26. bxc4 Be2 27. Rc1 Bxc4) 22... bxa3 23. bxa3 Qxc5 24. Rxc5 Ne7 25. Rfc1 {Anand,V (2792)-Carlsen,M (2863) Sochi 2014 CBM 164 [Postny,Evgeny] ½-½ (41)} {RR} Bxf3 26. gxf3) 12... Ne4 13. Bxe7 (13. cxd5 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 15. bxc3 exd5 16. Bxe7 Nxe7 17. Nd4 Bd7) 13... Nxe7 {com igualdade em Firouzja–Carlsen, final de blitz do Speed Chess de Londres 2026.} 14. O-O Nxc3 15. bxc3 h6 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Rd3 e5 18. c4 Nf6 19. Rb3 Qc7 20. h3 b6 21. Rc1 Be6 22. Rc3 Nd7 23. Nd2 Nc5 24. Ne4 Rad8 25. Bg4 {Firouzja,A (2759)-Carlsen,M (2840) London ENG 2026 1-0 (49)}) 11. Bxf6 (11. O-O-O {é interessante:} e5 12. Nd5 Be6 (12... Be7 13. Nxe7+ Qxe7 14. exd4 Nxd4 ({RR} 14... Bg4 15. dxe5 ({RR} 15. d5 Nd4 16. Qd3 Bxf3 17. gxf3 b5) 15... Nxe5 16. Be2 b5 ({RR} 16... h6 17. Be3) 17. Rhe1 bxc4 18. Bxc4 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Qc7 20. Be2) 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Rxd4 ({RR} 16. Kb1 h6 17. Bh4) 16... Qe5 17. Be3 b5 18. c5 Bf5 19. Bd3 Rac8 20. b4 Bxd3 21. Rxd3) 13. Bd3 h6 $1 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. Bxh6 Rc8 {com uma posição complicada. Nepomniachtchi venceu uma partida incrível. Drygalov,S – Nepomniachtchi, Aeroflot Open A de Moscou 2025.}) 11... Qxf6 (11... gxf6 $2 12. O-O-O {é claramente melhor para as Brancas.}) 12. Ne4 {Mark Crowther: 'White is slightly better.'} Qf5 {Há algumas partidas por correspondência nessa posição. A partida rapidamente se torna muito aguda e relevante do ponto de vista da teoria de abertura. Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({RR} 12... Qg6 13. O-O-O Bf8 14. exd4 e5 15. d5 Bf5 16. Bd3 Nd4 17. Nxd4 exd4 18. Ng3 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Qa6 20. Kb1 Rac8 21. Rc1 Rc5 22. Qxd4 Rec8 23. Rhd1 Rxc4 24. Rxc4 Rxc4 25. Qd3 Qg6 26. Nf5 Rf4 27. Ne3 {Isik,A (2316)-Eke,S (2063) Denizli 2022 1-0 (70)}) 13. b4 {Sindarov ficou surpreso com esse lance. As Brancas têm duas opções interessantes.} (13. O-O-O $5 dxe3 14. fxe3 Bxe3+ 15. Kb1 {As Brancas têm boa compensação pelo peão sacrificado, mas tudo pode acontecer após} Qf4) (13. Bd3 $1 {é o meu favorito:} dxe3 14. O-O $1 (14. O-O-O {foi mencionado por Sindarov na entrevista após a partida.} exf2 15. Kb1 Rd8 {com uma luta de dois gumes. Sua avaliação de que as Pretas não estão piores está absolutamente correta.}) 14... exf2+ 15. Kh1 {As Pretas precisam jogar com muita precisão para sobreviver agora.} Rd8 $1 (15... Nd4 $2 {perde para} 16. Qxf2 $1 ({Mas não} 16. Nxd4 $2 Bxd4 17. Nd6 Qf4 $1 (17... Qh5 18. Nxe8 Bd7 19. Nxg7 (19. Nd6 Be5 20. h3)) 18. Nxe8 Be5 {quando as Pretas dão mate.})) (15... Qh5 16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 {com a iniciativa para as Brancas.}) 16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Rxf2 {As Pretas conseguem se manter, mas é muito mais confortável jogar com as Brancas.}) 13... Nxb4 $5 {[%eval 60,21] [%wdl 128,872,0] Apenas esse lance é uma novidade. Ele parece muito natural do ponto de vista humano, sacrificando uma peça pela iniciativa, mas provavelmente não é o melhor lance de forma objetiva. Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({Mark Crowther: 'Predecessor:'} 13... Bf8 14. b5 {No mínimo, não é forçado.} Ne5 15. Nxd4 Qg6 {mais tarde terminou em empate em Machycek–Wydornik, ICCF por e-mail 2014.} 16. g3 a6 17. Bg2 Bd7 18. bxa6 bxa6 19. c5 Rac8 {½-½ Machycek,L (2394)-Wydornik,R (2196) FIN jub50 sf11 email ICCF email 2014}) (13... Be7 $5 {é a recomendação do meu computador. Algumas linhas intrigantes são mostradas, por exemplo:} 14. exd4 ({Ou} 14. b5 Ne5 15. Nxd4 Qg6 {com a ideia de f7-f5, com compensação pelo peão.}) 14... a5 $1 15. b5 Nxd4 $1 16. Nxd4 Qe5 17. O-O-O Rd8 18. Qd3 f5 {e parece que as Pretas têm jogo suficiente, mas devo admitir que esses lances são difíceis para o meu cérebro processar.}) 14. axb4 {Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'A sharp opening'} Bxb4+ 15. Kd1 dxe3 {As Pretas sacrificaram uma peça por dois peões (se as Brancas capturarem em e3), mas o rei branco está preso no centro. A dama em f5 é uma peça ativa, mas também precisa lidar com alguns problemas. A avaliação do computador é de que “as Brancas estão ligeiramente melhor”, com uma vantagem de 0.50, mas o que isso significa em uma partida humana $2 O jogador que calcular melhor provavelmente sairá vencedor nessa posição tensa.} 16. Bd3 {[%eval 31,19] [%wdl 24,975,1]} (16. fxe3 $1 {[%eval 69,19] [%wdl 158,842,0] é mais simples e mais eficaz. Mark Crowther: 'is more appropriate.'} Rd8+ {Talvez Praggnanandhaa não quisesse permitir esse xeque, mas após} 17. Ke2 {As Brancas lutam pela vantagem.}) 16... Qg6 $1 {Um excelente lance, preparando f7-f5. Mark Crowther: 'Sindarov liked this move very much.'} (16... Qh5 $2 {remove a dama da diagonal, mas perde na hora após} 17. Qa4 $1 {com um ataque duplo.}) 17. fxe3 (17. Qa4 {agora é ruim, já que após} Rd8 18. Ke2 f5 {As Pretas têm a iniciativa.}) 17... f5 {Mark Crowther: '!'} 18. Ng3 {Mark Crowther: 'Strongly threatening Qa4.'} Bc5 {[%eval 56,19] [%wdl 84,916,0] O computador não se impressiona com esse lance, mas Sindarov gostou de sua posição nesse momento. As Pretas planejam b6-Bb7, com a iniciativa. O problema é que as Brancas podem jogar o forte 19.e4 $1.} (18... Qf6 $11 {[%eval 4,19] [%wdl 5,992,3]} 19. Ke2 b6) 19. Qc3 $2 {[%eval -53,18] [%wdl 0,928,72] Praggnanandhaa certamente não viu o próximo lance das Pretas. Mark Crowther: 'The game turns here.'} (19. Ke2 {defende o peão em e3, mas as Pretas podem seguir o plano geral com} b6 {seguido de Bb7, com uma excelente posição.}) (19. e4 $1 {[%eval 56,19] [%wdl 84,916,0] é a continuação correta. Mark Crowther: '?'} Rd8 20. Ke2 f4 $1 {A melhor chance.} (20... Qh6 {Esse lance foi sugerido por Sindarov, mas após} 21. Rhd1 $1 {o xeque em e3 não é tão perigoso quanto parece, e as Brancas têm vantagem.}) 21. e5 $1 {Esta é a justificativa do jogo das Brancas.} Rxd3 22. Qxd3 Qxd3+ 23. Kxd3 fxg3 24. hxg3 {As Brancas têm qualidade a mais por um peão, mas os bispos das Pretas são poderosos e a partida está longe de decidida.}) 19... e5 $1 {O peão não pode ser capturado e agora as Pretas estão no controle. Mark Crowther: '?!' Mark Crowther: 'Black has compensation.'} 20. Bc2 {As Brancas precisam recuar.} (20. Nxe5 $2 {perde material após} Qf6 21. Kc2 Rxe5 $19) 20... e4 {Mark Crowther: '!'} 21. Nd2 (21. Nd4 {é possível, mas a posição parece assustadora após} f4 $1 22. Nge2 {Aqui as Pretas têm alguns lances promissores.}) 21... Rd8 22. Kc1 Qg5 23. Re1 Qe7 {Sindarov joga com calma, melhorando sua dama e preparando Bb4. Embora a posição seja objetivamente equilibrada, na prática é muito mais fácil jogar com as Pretas.} 24. Re2 $6 {[%eval -116,18] [%wdl 0,294,706] Corretamente criticado por Sindarov.} (24. Rd1 {[%eval -28,20] [%wdl 1,980,19] mantém a partida equilibrada. Mark Crowther: '=' Mark Crowther: 'keeps the balance.'}) 24... Bb4 {Mark Crowther: '?'} 25. Qb2 {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} a5 {[%eval -74,16] [%wdl 0,809,191]} ({Better is} 25... Be6 $1 {[%eval -119,17] [%wdl 0,260,740]} 26. Nb3 g6 (26... Bxc4 27. Nxf5 Qc7 28. Rf2 $15)) 26. Nb3 Ra6 {As Pretas simplesmente reforçam a posição.} 27. Nd4 Qg5 {[%eval -2,24] [%wdl 4,991,5] Mark Crowther: '?!'} (27... g6 {[%eval -75,18] [%wdl 0,798,202] é uma boa alternativa. A dama está bem posicionada em e7 e as Pretas podem completar o desenvolvimento com Bd7 em seguida. Mark Crowther: '?'}) 28. Kb1 {Mark Crowther: '='} h5 {As Pretas seguem avançando e melhorando a posição. Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'Black has the initiative.'} 29. Ka2 h4 30. Nf1 Bd7 31. Rd1 {Ambos os jogadores estavam com pouquíssimo tempo nesse momento. É muito mais fácil jogar lances naturais com as Pretas, enquanto as Brancas precisam ter cuidado a cada passo.} Rc8 32. Nd2 Rb6 {Mark Crowther: '!'} 33. c5 $2 {[%eval -248,15] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Um sacrifício de peão que se explica pelo apuro de tempo e pelo desejo natural de buscar alguma atividade em uma posição passiva. Mark Crowther: 'a serious mistake.'} (33. Rb1 {mantém tudo protegido.}) 33... Rxc5 (33... Bxc5 {é ainda melhor, segundo o computador.}) 34. Qb3+ {[%eval -354,18] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Praggnanandhaa segue direto para uma linha perdedora.} (34. Bb3+ {é melhor, mas após} Kh7 35. Nc4 Ra6 {as Pretas também estão ganhas.}) (34. Nc4 {[%eval -172,20] [%wdl 0,18,982]} Rh6 (34... Rxc4 35. Bb3 $16 {[%mdl 64] Pin}) 35. Nb3 Rxc4 36. Rxd7) 34... Kh8 {Mark Crowther: '-+'} 35. Qf7 $2 {[%eval -561,17] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Mark Crowther: '[#]'} (35. Nxe4 {[%eval -329,20] [%wdl 0,0,1000] keeps fighting.} fxe4 36. Rf1) 35... Rxc2+ $1 {Jogado instantaneamente. As Pretas estão completamente ganhas.} 36. Kb1 (36. Nxc2 Be6+ {perde a dama.}) 36... Rxd2 37. Rdxd2 Bxd2+ 38. Ka2 Bxe3 39. Qxd7 Bxd4 40. Qxd4 Qf6 {As partidas de Sindarov costumam ser grandes batalhas — ele está mostrando que sua boa forma recente continua e que é um sério candidato ao título.} 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.31"] [Round "3.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2754"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "37"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,37,22,13,15,6,25,0,6,12,63,66,83,12,20,-5,-5,-5,2,9,9,7,36,38,33,32,63,41,38,27,49,31,31,9,54,74,230,230,302,306]} 1. Nf3 {Roiz,Michael} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 g6 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. Qa4+ {The third most popular move.} ({RR} 7. O-O Nc6 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 9. d3 O-O 10. Be3) ({RR} 7. Qb3) ({RR} 7. Ng5 e6 8. Nge4 Na6 9. d3 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. Bg5 f6 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Nc3 Be6 14. Bf4 Qd7 15. d4 Rad8 16. Rc1 cxd4 17. Qxd4 g5 18. Bd2 Nc5 19. Qb4 d4 20. Ne4 d3 21. e3 Nxe4 {Vitiugov,N (2729)-Kramnik,V (2796) Nizhnij Novgorod 2013 ½-½ (49)}) 7... Nc6 8. Ng5 ({RR} 8. Qc4 Ndb4 9. O-O Qa5 ({RR} 9... Na6 10. d3 O-O 11. Qh4) 10. a3 Be6 (10... Nc2 11. Rb1 Be6 12. Qh4 Bb3 13. d3 N2d4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Be3 Nf5 16. Qe4 O-O 17. Bd2 Rfe8 18. Qxb7 Rab8 19. Ne4 Rxb7 20. Bxa5 Rb5 21. Bc3 Nd4 22. Rfe1 Reb8 {Neef,M (2481)-Yoo,C (2573) Charlotte USA 2022 ½-½ (98)}) 11. axb4 Qxa1 12. Qxc5 Rc8 13. Qe3 O-O) ({RR} 8. O-O O-O 9. Qc4 Nxc3 10. dxc3 Qb6 11. Qh4 Rd8) 8... Nb6 $146 {The first new move, which caused Caruana to think for about eight minutes. An interesting new idea.} ({Predecessor: RR} 8... e6 {is by far the main move.} 9. Nge4 Nb6 10. Qb5 (10. Qd1 Qe7 11. d3 h6 12. Be3 Nd4 13. a4 O-O 14. a5 Nd7 15. O-O {1-0 Artemiev,V (2701)-Raja,R (2521) Qatar Masters op-A Doha 2024 (7)}) ({RR} 10. Qa3 O-O 11. Qxc5 Nd4 12. O-O f5 13. Nd6 Nc2 14. Rb1 Bd4) 10... c4 ({RR} 10... O-O 11. Nxc5 Nd4 12. Qd3 Qe7 13. Nb3 e5) 11. Na4 $2 (11. d3 $5) (11. O-O) ({RR} 11. b3 O-O 12. bxc4 Nd4 ({RR} 12... f5 13. Nc5 a6 14. Qb3 Nd4 15. Qd1 Nxc4) 13. Qb1 Nxc4 14. O-O f5 15. Nc5 Qb6 16. Nb3 Bd7 ({RR} 16... Nb5 17. Nxb5 Qxb5 18. d3 Nb6 19. Bb2) 17. Nxd4 Qxd4 18. e3 Qd6 19. Qxb7 Rab8 20. Qxa7 Bc6) 11... O-O ({RR} 11... f5 12. Nxb6 axb6 13. Nc3 Bd7 14. Qxc4 Nd4 15. Qd3 Bc6 16. Bxc6+ bxc6) 12. Nxb6 axb6 13. Qxc4 e5 14. Qc2 ({RR} 14. d3 Be6 15. Bg5 Bxc4 ({RR} 15... Qb8 16. Qc1 Nd4 17. Nc3) 16. Bxd8 Rfxd8 17. dxc4 f5 (17... Nd4 18. Rc1 Rxa2 19. e3 Nc6 20. Rb1 Ra4 21. b3 Ra3 22. g4 Rd3 23. Ke2 {Hjartarson,J (2585)-Malisauskas,V (2510) Moscow 1994 ½-½ (39)}) 18. Nc3 e4) 14... Be6 ({RR} 14... Nd4 15. Qb1 f5 16. Nc3 e4 17. d3 b5 18. Be3 b4 19. Nd1 Re8) 15. Nc3 ({RR} 15. Qb1 f5 16. Nc3 b5 17. Nxb5 Bd5 18. f3 e4) ({RR} 15. O-O Nd4 16. Qd1 Bb3 17. axb3 Rxa1) 15... b5 $2 {0-1 So,W (2779)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2731) Sinquefield Cup 3rd Saint Louis 2015 (1)} ({RR} 15... Nd4 16. Qb1 Qd7 17. O-O Rfc8) 16. Bxc6 ({RR} 16. Nxb5 Bd5 17. e4 Bxa2 18. O-O Qb6 19. Na3 Nd4) ({RR} 16. b4 Nd4 17. Qb1 Bf5 18. e4 Be6 19. O-O) 16... bxc6 17. b3 ({RR} 17. Ne4 Bxa2 18. O-O Qd4) 17... Bf5 18. d3 ({RR} 18. e4 Bh3 19. d3 Qd7 20. Be3 Bg2 21. Rg1 Bf3) 18... e4 19. dxe4 Bxe4 20. Nxe4 Bxa1 21. O-O Re8 22. f3 ({RR} 22. Be3 Bg7 23. Nc5) 22... Bd4+ 23. e3 {So,W (2779)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2731) Saint Louis 2015 CBM 168 [Roiz,Michael] 0-1 (35)} ({RR} 23. Kg2 f5 24. Nf2 ({RR} 24. Bg5 Qd5 25. Nf6+ Bxf6 26. Bxf6 Qe6) 24... Qe7 25. e4 Qc5 26. Qb1 Qc3) {RR} 23... f5 24. exd4 fxe4 25. fxe4 Qxd4+ 26. Kg2 Qxe4+ 27. Qxe4 Rxe4) ({RR} 8... Nxc3 9. dxc3 O-O 10. Ne4) 9. Bxc6+ {Caruana has played this kind of trade on the black side of the King's Indian Defense. He now does it with White. The position is equal.} bxc6 10. Qxc6+ Bd7 11. Qxc5 h6 $1 12. Nf3 Rc8 13. Qa5 Bh3 {Black is two pawns down, but with full compensation based on the white king being stuck in the center and the domination on the light squares.} 14. Qb5+ {Caruana thought for about 18 minutes before playing this move, and by now he was 50 minutes down on the clock.} Nd7 (14... Bd7 $6 15. Qd3 {And now Black cannot play ...Bh3 without allowing a queen trade.}) (14... Kf8 {Caruana thought this was the critical move. He calculated} 15. d4 Nc4 16. Qd5 {This was his bailout option, but he also considered 16.Be3.} (16. Be3 $5 {\"Black has very strong compensation, but it's not very concretely bad for White or anything,\" said Caruana.})) 15. Rg1 O-O (15... Bg4 {Knowing what happens in the game, it may have been time to remove the bishop from h3. It has already done its job, stopping castling.} 16. Kf1 Bh3+ {is a cute repetition that the computer finds. White is unable to castle by hand.} 17. Ke1 Bg4 18. Qa4 Bxf3 19. exf3 O-O {is another way the game might continue. Black has full compensation based on White's king position and the ruined pawn structure, even two pawns down.}) (15... Be6 {is really the best idea.}) 16. g4 $1 {Caruana thought he might be better by this point.} Rc5 $2 {[%eval 90,17] [%wdl 374,626,0] Chasing the queen to where it wants to go. From b3, it x-rays the bishop on h3. Already Caruana had seen the Nd1 maneuver. [#]} (16... Nf6 $1 $11 {[%eval 23,19] [%wdl 21,977,2] was the only move already, attacking g4.} 17. Qa4 {Caruana calculated the line} (17. g5 hxg5 18. Nxg5 Bd7 {And the bishop gets out. White's king is still in the center, and the bishop remains undeveloped.}) (17. Ne5 h5 {This is the key move to extricate the bishop from danger.}) 17... h5 (17... Qc7 {Defending a7 and connecting the rooks. Black has a response if White attempts to win the bishop.} 18. Rg3 h5 $1 {And if} 19. Rxh3 (19. gxh5 Bd7 {Black recaptures on h5 and the bishop is saved.}) 19... hxg4 {Black regains the piece.}) 18. gxh5 Nxh5 19. d4 {and thought White was better. The engine confirms.}) ({Wei Yi considered and rejected} 16... f5 $2 17. g5) ({Caruana also considered} 16... h5 $2 17. gxh5 Rc5 18. Qb7 (18. Qb3 Be6) 18... Rxh5 19. Rg5 {He saw all of these moves and said the position was still very complicated. The engine eval is over +1, very good for White, but it wasn't so clear to Caruana.}) 17. Qb3 $1 $16 {aiming for d4.} Ne5 $4 {[%eval 319,14] [%wdl 1000,0,0] An obvious and losing move.} ({The computer suggests the following line, though White is better in all cases.} 17... Nf6 18. d4 $1 Rc8 19. g5 {This was the line Caruana calculated.} ({The engine shows} 19. Ne5 $1 {White has to find these two moves to keep a large advantage. At least the game is still messy.} Qxd4 20. Nxg6 Nxg4 21. Nd1 Rfe8 22. Rg3 Rb8 23. Nxe7+ Kf8 24. Qd3 Qb4+ 25. Bd2 Qxe7 26. Rxh3 {White is still two pawns up and Black will have to prove the compensation. Still, this is messier than the game, which lasts just two more moves.}) 19... hxg5 20. Nxg5 Bf5 21. e4 Nxe4 $2 (21... Rxc3 $1 {The engine points this out.} 22. bxc3 Nxe4 {with great compensation.}) 22. Ngxe4 Qxd4 23. Be3 Qe5 {White is better, though Caruana said he was still trying to figure this position out.}) (17... Qc7 $16 {[%eval 91,20] [%wdl 390,610,0] keeps fighting.}) 18. Nxe5 $18 Rxe5 19. Nd1 {Black simply resigns. He's going to lose the bishop for, at most, a pawn. He's already two pawns down. and a piece has gone west.} (19. Rg3 Qa8 {And Black has some counterplay, maybe. This is what Wei saw and he missed the move played in the game.}) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.03.31"] [Round "3.4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2810"] [BlackElo "2754"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,81,22,-5,6,-5,-18,-18,-15,-35,-2,-2,0,11,11,-4,21,9,24,22,36,30,48,-3,26,25,46,-3,-8,0,7,-18,-6,-16,37,-23,-30,-29,-21,-37,-24,-30,-34,-31,-31,-41,-30,-28,-26,-37,-18,-37,-28,-32,-23,-39,-35,-36,-33,-28,-35,-50,-7,-26,-34,-34,-16,-19,9,-14,-8,-16,6,-4,2,1,0,0,-1,0,20,9,13,-6]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nf6 {A28: English Opening: Four Knights Variation.} 7. Be2 Bg4 ({RR} 7... Bc5 8. O-O O-O 9. Be3 Bb6 10. Na4 Bg4 11. Rc1 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nd4 13. Nc5 Rb8 14. Rc4 Nxf3+ 15. Qxf3 Nd7 16. b4 Re8 17. Rd1 Bxc5 18. bxc5 Nf8 19. c6 b6 20. d4 exd4 21. Rcxd4 Qe7 22. Qg3 {Caruana,F (2822)-Karjakin,S (2782) Stavanger 2018 1-0 (53)}) ({RR} 7... Be7 8. O-O Bg4 9. Be3 O-O 10. Rc1 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Nd4 12. Bxd4 Qxd4 13. Qb3 Qb6 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Bd6 16. Rc3 f5 17. Rfc1 g6 18. Rc4 Qxb3 19. axb3 a5 20. g3 Rf7 21. Kg2 Ra6 22. Ra1 {Meirkhanuly,A (2277)-Gharibyan,M (2487) chess.com INT 2026 0-1 (36)}) 8. Be3 {Against Bc5} Qd7 9. O-O Bxf3 $146 ({RR} 9... O-O-O 10. Qa4 a6 11. Rac1 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nd4 13. Bd1 Qxa4 14. Nxa4 Kb8 15. f4 exf4 16. Bxf4 Ne6 17. e5 Nd5 18. Bd2 b5 19. Nc3 Nb4 20. Rxf7 Nxd3 21. Bg4 Nxc1 22. Bxc1 Bc5+ 23. Kf1 Rhe8 24. Ne4 {Strache,M (2275)-Meister,J (2422) Germany GER 2024 0-1 (39)}) ({RR} 9... O-O-O 10. Qa4 a6 11. Rac1 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Nd4 13. Bd1 Qxa4 14. Nxa4 Kb8 15. f4 exf4 16. Bxf4 Ne6 17. e5 Nd5 18. Bd2 b5 19. Nc3 Nb4 20. Rxf7 Nxd3 21. Bg4 Nxc1 22. Bxc1 Bc5+ 23. Kf1 Rhe8 24. Ne4 {Strache,M (2275)-Meister,J (2422) Germany GER 2024 0-1 (39)}) 10. Bxf3 Nd4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 10... Rd8 11. Nd5 Be7 12. d4 exd4 13. Bxd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 c6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Qxa7 O-O 17. Rad1 Bd4 18. Qa4 c5 {½-½ Denk,S (1946)-Kraich,K (2100) Regionalliga NW 0809 Bayern 2008 (3.3)}) 11. g3 Bc5 12. Rc1 Bb6 13. Bg2 O-O 14. Na4 Rfd8 15. a3 h6 16. Re1 Rac8 17. h3 Ne6 18. Nxb6 axb6 19. Bf1 c5 20. Qe2 Nd4 21. Bxd4 Qxd4 22. Rc4 Qd7 23. b4 Ne8 24. bxc5 bxc5 25. Qb2 Nd6 26. Rcc1 Re8 27. Rb1 b5 28. Rec1 Qe6 29. Qb3 c4 30. Qb4 Rc7 31. a4 bxa4 32. Qxa4 Qe7 33. Rc3 Rec8 34. Bg2 cxd3 35. Rxd3 Ne8 36. Qa3 Qxa3 37. Rxa3 Rc1+ 38. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 39. Bf1 Nf6 40. Kg2 g6 41. Ra5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.01"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B95"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Peter Doggers"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "RUS"] [BlackTeam "NED"] [WhiteClock "0:00:12"] [BlackClock "0:09:00"] {[%evp 0,68,22,22,72,72,92,48,85,41,48,33,68,58,107,45,73,30,28,11,17,8,40,-17,-18,-3,13,-22,-48,-48,-28,-27,-38,-76,46,45,56,-39,-25,-59,-50,-57,-59,-86,-69,-94,-61,-90,-106,-103,-76,-119,-119,-119,-159,-384,-184,-194,-224,-238,-227,-227,-215,-225,-194,-226,-532,-590,-600,-600,-600]} 1. e4 {Mark Crowther} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Bd3 $5 {A move that's not mentioned in Giri's Najdorf Lifetime Repertoire on Chessable, but the Dutchman was still prepared for it.} Be7 8. Qe2 {Mark Crowther: 'B95: Sicilian Najdorf: 6 Bg5 e6, unusual White 7th moves.'} Nxe4 {Mark Crowther: 'Discovered Attack'} 9. Nxe4 Bxg5 {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} 10. Nf5 Be7 ({RR} 10... exf5 {Mark Crowther} 11. Nxg5+ Kf8 12. h4 h6 13. Nf3 Qe7 14. O-O-O Nc6 15. Rhe1 Be6 16. Bc4 Re8 17. Qd2 Rd8 18. Nd4 d5 19. Bb3 Qf6 20. Qe3 Nxd4 21. Rxd4 g5 22. Qd2 gxh4 23. Qb4+ Qe7 24. Rxh4 Qxb4 25. Rxb4 {Hausner,I (2480)-Ftacnik,L (2565) Czech Republic 1994 ½-½ (61)}) 11. Nxg7+ Kd7 $146 {Mark Crowther: 'This was preparation from Giri although he never expected so see it over the board.'} ({Giri was surprised to hear that there is one game in the database that went Mark Crowther: 'Predecessor:' Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 11... Kf8 $6 12. Nh5 d5 $6 13. Neg3 Nc6 14. O-O Bd7 15. c4 {and White was doing well in Orgovan-Stempin, Bydgoszcz 1980.} d4 {Mark Crowther} 16. a3 a5 17. Rad1 Qc7 {½-½ Orgovan,S (2240)-Stempin,P (2255) Bydgoszcz U20 1980} 18. b3 {Mark Crowther} Rd8 19. Rfe1 h6 20. Ne4 f5 21. Nef6 Bc8 22. Qf3 Bxf6 23. Nxf6 Qf7 24. Nh5 e5 25. Qh3 e4 26. Bb1 {Orgovan,S (2240)-Stempin,P (2255) Bydgoszcz 1980 ½-½}) 12. O-O Nc6 13. c4 Kc7 {Mark Crowther: 'A sharp opening'} ({Giri kept mentioning in the press conference that he is working on a second course. This author wouldn't be surprised if he is going to recommend} 13... h5 $5 14. Nxh5 f5 15. Neg3 Kc7 {here, when the open file might play more comfortably for Black than having the extra pawn on h7.}) 14. Nh5 Bd7 15. Rfd1 Rc8 16. b4 $1 {Esipenko couldn't remember after the game if he had played b2-b4 on the right move number, but it seems he did.} Nxb4 {[%eval 39,17] [%wdl 44,955,1] Slightly risky.} ({Safer was Mark Crowther: 'Black could try'} 16... Kb8 {[%eval -22,18] [%wdl 2,978,20] Mark Crowther: '='} 17. Qb2 Ne5) 17. Rab1 {Mark Crowther: '?'} Nxd3 $6 ({It's more accurate to start with} 17... Ba4 {Mark Crowther: 'This is black's best try.'} 18. Rd2 {and only then play} Nxd3 19. Rxd3 Kb8 {but it's part of a long engine line:} 20. Ra3 d5 21. Rxa4 dxe4 22. Qxe4 Rc7 23. Rxa6 Bc5 {and Black is OK.}) 18. Qxd3 $2 {[%eval -139,19] [%wdl 0,101,899] Mark Crowther: '[#]'} ({After} 18. Rxd3 $1 {[%eval 82,22] [%wdl 271,729,0] Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'is the only move to be better for white.'} Bc6 {White gets} 19. c5 {in and after} d5 {the point is} 20. Ng5 $1 {when White does have a dangerous initiative.}) 18... Ba4 $1 {This remarkable intermediate move saves the day for Black. The whole c4-c5 idea is gone now which means Black's king is safe and their bishop pair, open g-file, and central pawns are starting to play a decisive role. Mark Crowther: '?!' Mark Crowther: 'Black continues to play with concentration.'} 19. Rd2 Kb8 20. Rdb2 {[%eval -204,16] [%wdl 0,3,997] Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'This irrational position is hard to play but white has gone from better to lost in only a few moves.'} (20. Qd4 $17 {[%eval -132,19] [%wdl 0,142,858] (Mark Crowther) is a better defense.} Bc6 21. Nxd6) 20... Bc6 {Mark Crowther: '-+'} 21. c5 {[%eval -324,17] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (21. Nf4 $142 {[%eval -178,20] [%wdl 0,12,988] Mark Crowther} Ka8) 21... dxc5 22. Qxa6 Qd5 {Black is taking over. Mark Crowther: 'Hitting absolutely everything.'} 23. f3 Rc7 24. Nhg3 Rd8 25. Nf2 c4 26. Nge4 f5 27. Nc3 Qc5 28. Re2 Bf6 29. Na4 Bxa4 30. Qxa4 c3 31. Qc2 Bg5 32. Kf1 Qc4 33. Rd1 Rd2 34. Rdxd2 cxd2 {0-} 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.01"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Peter Doggers"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "CHN"] [BlackTeam "USA"] [WhiteClock "0:07:20"] [BlackClock "0:03:48"] {[%evp 0,123,22,22,72,50,78,94,79,79,62,57,65,78,138,89,89,97,115,73,62,57,89,82,66,48,48,48,51,25,36,16,44,45,45,28,36,33,45,29,33,32,43,-23,25,18,9,11,6,6,-9,-19,-36,-68,30,35,72,56,52,6,6,6,5,-25,-55,-69,-69,-62,-66,-83,-82,-84,-84,-85,-71,-72,-80,-80,-92,-88,-102,-149,-153,-180,-153,-153,-88,-88,-95,-99,-91,-101,-98,-114,-105,-111,-108,-114,-114,-115,-116,-121,-119,-119,-92,-119,-119,-128,-123,-124,-119,-128,-124,-128,-128,-128,-34,-39,-9,-5,-4,-3,-2,-2,-2,-2]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 ({Afterward Nakamura noted that he knew the risks of playing the Dragadorf he was taking because of the following game:} 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. a4 b4 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Bb7 12. Bc4 Nd7 13. a5 Nf6 14. Ne2 O-O 15. Ra4 Rc8 16. b3 Rc5 17. Rxb4 Rxd5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Rb6 {Kramnik-Nakamura, Stavanger (blitz) 2017. White was winning here but eventually let it slip to a draw.}) 3... Nf6 4. Bc4 $5 a6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 g6 {Nakamura was hoping to catch his opponent off-guard with this slightly risky system.} 7. f3 b5 ({RR} 7... h5 8. Be3 Bg7 9. Qd2 b5 10. Bb3 Nbd7 11. a4 bxa4 12. Nxa4 Bb7 13. O-O-O Qc7 14. Kb1 Rb8 15. Qe2 e5 16. Ne6 fxe6 17. Bxe6 Ke7 18. Bb3 Bc8 19. Rd3 Nf8 20. Rhd1 Ne6 21. Rxd6 Re8 22. Nb6 {Demski,M (2119)-Aroven,M (2125) Wroclaw POL 2025 1-0}) 8. Bb3 Bb7 {Mark Crowther: 'Around here Wei Yi starting using lots of time.'} 9. Be3 Nbd7 10. a4 $6 {[%eval 11,21] [%wdl 27,962,11] Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({Better is Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 10. Qd2 {[%eval 76,19] [%wdl 277,722,1] and White is doing quite well here. Mark Crowther: '?'} Qc7 (10... Bg7 11. O-O-O Nc5 12. Kb1 Rc8 13. Bh6 Nxb3 14. cxb3 Bxh6 15. Qxh6 b4 16. Na4 Qa5 17. Rc1 Qh5 18. Rxc8+ Bxc8 19. Rc1 Bb7 20. Qxh5 Nxh5 21. Rc7 Bxe4+ 22. fxe4 O-O 23. Rxe7 Rc8 24. g3 Nf6 {Qatan,S (1637)-Al Mamari,M (1527) Muscat 2022 1-0 (34)}) 11. O-O-O Rc8 12. Kb1 Ne5 13. g4 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Qxc4 15. Nb3 Bg7 16. Bd4 O-O 17. Na5 Qc7 18. Nxb7 Qxb7 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. exd5 Rh8 22. Rhe1 h5 23. h3 Qa7 24. Re4 hxg4 {Inants,A (2288)-Arnold,M (2504) Budapest 2011 ½-½}) 10... bxa4 11. Bxa4 Bg7 12. Nc6 {Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({Predecessor:} 12. O-O O-O 13. Qe2 Rc8 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Qf2 Ne5 16. Bb3 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Qxc4 18. Nb3 {½-½ Gerlach,F (1956)-Schimnatkowski,L (1970) Ruhrgebiet Verbandsklasse Gruppe 3 1617 Germany 2016 (7.1)}) 12... Qc7 13. Na5 O-O 14. Bxd7 Nxd7 {Black has equalized here.} 15. Bd4 Bh6 16. O-O e6 17. Qe1 Rab8 18. Qh4 Bg7 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Qf2 Bc8 21. Nd1 Nf6 22. c4 d5 23. cxd5 exd5 24. e5 Ng8 25. Nc3 Ne7 26. Rfc1 Qd8 27. Rd1 {Mark Crowther: 'Hoping for Nxd5!.'} Be6 {Mark Crowther: 'With Wei Yi short of time Nakamura's instincts were to keep things complicated.'} 28. Nc4 {Mark Crowther: '[#] Pin'} Nf5 29. Nd6 (29. Rxa6 $2 Qc8 30. Rxe6 fxe6 $19) 29... Nxd6 30. exd6 Qxd6 31. Qd4+ Kg8 32. Nxd5 (32. Ne4 Qb6 33. Nf6+ Kg7 34. Qxb6 Rxb6 35. Nxd5 Rxb2 $15) 32... Bxd5 33. Qxd5 Qb6+ 34. Qd4 Qxd4+ 35. Rxd4 Rxb2 36. Rxa6 {Mark Crowther: '='} Rc8 {Mark Crowther: 'This position is of course completely equal but Wei Yi's very uncertain attitude during the game continued and he got himself into trouble. He needs a rook off or to defend g2 reliably.'} 37. h4 {Mark Crowther: 'Still not a problem but time trouble is coming.'} (37. Ra1 Rcc2 38. Rg4 h5 39. Rg5 Kg7 40. f4 f6 41. Rg3 h4 42. Rg4 f5) 37... Rcc2 38. Rg4 h5 39. Rg5 ({Easier was} 39. Rg3 {Mark Crowther: 'This is the simplest.'} Rb4 40. Rh3 Rcc4 (40... Rbb2) 41. Ra2 Rxh4 42. Rxh4 Rxh4 43. Kf2 {(Nakamura)}) 39... Rc4 {Now the h-pawn drops, and it becomes a bit tricky for White.} 40. Kh2 $2 {[%eval -329,14] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Mark Crowther: 'Final move before time control and he finds a losing move. What he missed is Kg3 is very bad.'} ({Here White should have played} 40. Ra1 {[%eval 0,31] [%wdl 2,996,2] Mark Crowther: '='} Rxh4 41. Rga5 Rd4 42. R5a2 Rbb4 43. Kh2 {(Nakamura)}) 40... Rxh4+ {Mark Crowther: '-+'} 41. Kg1 (41. Kg3 Rh1 42. Ra4 Kg7 43. Rd4 Rf1 44. Rgd5 Rff2) 41... Rb1+ 42. Kf2 Rhh1 {\"Now I became optimistic about my chances.\" (Nakamura)} 43. Ra2 Kg7 {[%eval -122,19] [%wdl 0,197,803]} ({The winning move was} 43... h4 $1 44. Rg4 (44. Ke3 Rhe1+ 45. Re2 Rf1 46. Kf4 Rb3 47. Re3 Rb2 48. Rg4 Rh1 49. Re4 Kg7 50. Rc4 (50. Ke5 h3) 50... f5 51. Rg5 Kh6 52. Ra4 Rhb1) 44... Rhf1+ 45. Ke3 (45. Ke2 Rbe1+ 46. Kd2 Re8 47. Ra3 Rf2+ 48. Kd3 h3) 45... h3 46. gxh3 Rb3+ 47. Ke2 Rfxf3 48. h4 Kg7 {followed by Rbe3+ and Re5 cutting off the king.}) 44. Re5 $6 {[%eval -240,18] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (44. Ke3 $17 {[%eval -122,19] [%wdl 0,197,803]}) 44... Kh6 45. Ree2 Rhf1+ $2 {[%eval -31,21] [%wdl 0,988,12] Mark Crowther: 'Nakamura chooses the wrong plan and Wei Yi escapes.'} ({Mark Crowther: 'Better is'} 45... Kg5 {[%eval -227,18] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Mark Crowther: '-+' Mark Crowther: 'and ...Rhf1+ would now be decisive'} 46. Ra4 (46. Rec2 f5) 46... f5 {would still have won because White cannot prevent ...h5-h4. Nakamura felt this second win was really the one he should have calculated properly.}) 46. Kg3 {Mark Crowther: '?'} Kg5 {Mark Crowther: '(...h4+)'} 47. Ra4 Rh1 48. Ree4 $1 {A crucial setup that prevents ...h5-h4. White is safe.} Rb2 {Even though the evaluation doesn't change, Nakamura in his recap called this a blunder because it allows a rook trade after which White is completely safe.} (48... f5 {was a better try when White needs to find} 49. Rh4 Rhg1 50. Rhb4 Rbe1 51. Ra8 Re2 52. f4+ Kh6 53. Rh8+ Kg7 54. Rbb8 {(Nakamura)}) 49. Rab4 Rxb4 50. Rxb4 h4+ 51. Kf2 f5 52. Ra4 Rb1 53. Rc4 Ra1 54. Rb4 Rd1 55. Ra4 Rb1 56. Rc4 Rb2+ 57. Kg1 h3 58. gxh3 f4 59. h4+ Kxh4 60. Rxf4+ Kg3 61. Rg4+ Kxf3 62. Rxg6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.01"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D28"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,71,23,23,14,6,6,6,40,38,41,42,67,67,62,-7,44,20,20,14,20,-11,7,20,17,-6,-10,12,10,-43,-43,-50,0,0,42,-79,-9,-9,7,24,113,75,110,100,100,101,117,65,75,58,128,111,120,53,151,117,154,156,134,197,226,202,228,227,217,189,191,226,154,135,232,248,683,758]} 1. d4 {Mark Crowther} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 dxc4 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nc6 (6... a6 {é o lance clássico do Gambito da Dama Aceito.}) 7. Qe2 {Claro que há muitas sutilezas nessa abertura. Levar a dama para e2, seguido de Td1, é um plano clássico; a outra ideia é desenvolver imediatamente o cavalo para c3, como já foi tentado muitas vezes.} a6 {As Pretas preparam b7-b5.} 8. Nc3 b5 9. Bd3 $5 (9. Bb3 {Esta posição, que também pode surgir com uma ordem de lances diferente, é bem conhecida. As Pretas devem continuar com} Bb7) 9... Bb7 (9... cxd4 {também é possível:} 10. exd4 Nb4 11. Be4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Nd5 13. Bg5 f6 14. Rfe1 Be7 15. Bd2 {Isso aconteceu em Tregubov–Duboue, Campeonato Francês em L’Alpe d’Huez 2024. Aqui, as Pretas podem jogar} Kf7 {com uma posição sólida.}) 10. a4 b4 ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 10... c4 $5 {é jogável.} 11. Bc2 b4 12. Ne4 Na5 13. Nxf6+ gxf6 14. e4 {Svane–Anton Guijarro, Campeonato Mundial por Equipes de Rápido, Londres 2025. Agora, as Pretas devem jogar} Qc7 $1 {com chances para ambos os lados.} (14... h5 {Mark Crowther} 15. d5 Bc5 16. Be3 Qb6 17. Bxc5 Qxc5 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. Rad1 Rd8 20. e5 f5 21. Ng5 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Bd5 23. Nh3 b3 24. Bb1 Nc6 25. Nf4 {Svane,R (2626)-Anton Guijarro,D (2642) London ENG 2025 1-0 (50)})) 11. Ne4 Na5 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 {Isso é muito semelhante à segunda partida do match Ding–Nepomniachtchi, disputado em 2023. Nesse caso, as Brancas tinham um peão em h3 e a dama em d1.} 13. dxc5 $1 {Um lance novo. Sindarov tinha isso preparado e teve sorte de revisá-lo antes da partida. Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({Mark Crowther: 'Predecessor:' Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 13. Rd1 $6 {foi testado em Turna–Banduka, Banska Stiavnica 2007. As Pretas podem jogar} c4 $1 (13... Qb6 {Mark Crowther} 14. Rb1 c4 15. Bxc4 Nxc4 16. Qxc4 Be4 17. Ra1 Qb7 18. Ne1 Rg8 19. g3 {0-1 Turna,S (2278)-Banduka,Z (2115) SVK-ch op-A Banska Stiavnica 2007 (9.27)} Bd6 {Mark Crowther} 20. Qf1 f5 21. f3 Bd5 22. e4 fxe4 23. fxe4 Bxe4 24. Bf4 Qd5 25. Rac1 h5 26. Bxd6 Qxd6 27. Ng2 Bc6 {Turna,S (2278)-Banduka,Z (2115) Banska Stiavnica 2007 0-1 (71)}) 14. Bxc4 Nxc4 15. Qxc4 Rg8 {com a iniciativa.}) 13... Nb3 {O lance crítico. Mark Crowther: '[#]'} (13... Bxc5 {também é possível, mas após} 14. e4 Nb3 15. Rb1 Nxc1 16. Rbxc1 {As Brancas têm alguma iniciativa, por exemplo:} Qb6 17. Nd2 {Seguido de Cc4.}) 14. c6 $1 {Um detalhe tático importante. Caruana já estava gastando muito tempo neste momento. Sindarov havia alcançado algo quase impensável: uma abertura que Caruana não conhecia $1} (14. Rb1 Nxc5 {é bom para as Pretas.}) 14... Bxc6 {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} 15. Nd4 $1 {Forçando as Pretas a capturar em d4.} Nxd4 {As alternativas são muito piores.} (15... Nxa1 $2 16. Nxc6 Qb6 (16... Qd6 17. Bxa6 {com uma iniciativa vencedora. As Pretas não podem capturar o cavalo em c6, devido à cravada com Bb5.}) 17. Nd4 $1 Bc5 18. Bc4 {O cavalo das Pretas está preso em a1 e inevitavelmente será capturado mais adiante.}) (15... Qd5 $6 {foi analisado por ambos os jogadores durante a coletiva de imprensa.} 16. Nxc6 (16. f3 {também é bom para as Brancas.}) 16... Qxc6 17. Rb1 {com a vantagem.}) 16. exd4 Rg8 $1 {Caruana e Sindarov disseram que isso foi um grande erro, mas o computador discorda.} (16... Qxd4 $6 {As Pretas devem esperar antes de capturar esse peão.} 17. Be3 Qd5 18. f3 {com excelente compensação pelo peão. As Brancas conseguem gerar ameaças muito rapidamente.}) 17. g3 $1 (17. Be4 {é tentador, mas após} Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Qd5 $1 19. Qxd5 exd5 20. Bf4 Kd7 {as Pretas conseguem igualar, apesar de uma estrutura de peões um tanto estranha.}) (17. Bxa6 {Mark Crowther} Rxg2+ 18. Kh1 Qd6 19. Qh5 Rxh2+ 20. Kg1 Rxh5 21. f4 Qxd4+) 17... f5 $2 {[%eval 129,19] [%wdl 836,164,0] Agora as Brancas conseguem estabilizar a posição com uma vantagem posicional significativa, já que o rei das Pretas não tem para onde ir e o peão em a6 é uma fraqueza evidente. Mark Crowther: '?!' Mark Crowther: 'Caruana has been caught in the opening and spent a long time here, he didn't find the best.'} ({Mark Crowther: 'Better is'} 17... Qxd4 $1 {[%eval 56,20] [%wdl 82,918,0] é necessário: Mark Crowther: '?'} 18. Be3 Qd5 19. f3 f5 $1 {Isso é forçado: é importante impedir que o bispo das Brancas vá para e4. Certamente não é muito agradável jogar com as Pretas, mas a posição é defensável, por exemplo:} 20. Bxa6 {Um lance humano natural.} (20. Kh1 {é a primeira escolha do computador.}) 20... Bc5 $1 {com igualdade.}) 18. Bc4 {Jogada com a clara intenção de sacrificar o bispo em e6.} (18. Bxa6 {Mark Crowther} Qd5 19. f3 Bd6) 18... Rg4 $6 {Jogado após mais uma longa reflexão. A essa altura, Caruana já estava com pouco tempo e em uma posição ruim — seu destino estava praticamente selado.} (18... Bd5 {Com a casa d5 indisponível para a dama, as Brancas podem simplesmente capturar o peão em a6.} 19. Bxa6 {com um peão a mais sólido.}) (18... Qxd4 {provavelmente é a melhor chance.} 19. Bxe6 Qe4 $1 20. Qxe4 Bxe4 {Mark Crowther: 'is not very appetising.'} (20... fxe4 21. Bf5 {é desesperador para as Pretas.}) 21. Bc4 {As Brancas têm um final muito melhor, mas pelo menos, sem damas no tabuleiro, fica mais fácil para as Pretas encontrarem lances.}) 19. Be3 {O peão em a6 está pendurado, e as Brancas também têm um plano com d4-d5 em algum momento, destruindo a estrutura de peões das Pretas.} (19. Bxa6 $6 {Mark Crowther} Qd5 (19... Qxd4 20. Bb5 $16) (19... Rxd4 20. Be3 $16) 20. f3 Bg7 $11 (20... Qxd4+ $2 21. Be3 $18)) (19. Bxe6 {Mark Crowther} Re4 20. Bxf7+ Kxf7 21. Qh5+ Kg8 $19) 19... Bd5 20. Rac1 {Simples e bom: o peão em a6 não vai fugir.} (20. Bxa6 {Também é possível capturá-lo imediatamente.} Bd6 (20... Be7 {Mark Crowther} 21. Rfc1 Kf8) 21. Bc4 {com a vantagem.} Bxc4 22. Qxc4 f4 {Isso foi mencionado por Sindarov na análise pós-jogo, mas o computador mostra um caminho para as Brancas vencerem:} 23. Qc6+ Kf8 24. Bxf4 $1 Bxf4 25. Qf3 h5 26. h3 {Seguido de capturar o bispo em f4.}) 20... Be7 21. Bxa6 {Mark Crowther: '!'} Kf8 22. Bb5 {As Brancas têm um peão a mais, mas isso não é tudo: as peças das Pretas carecem de coordenação.} Bf6 {[%eval 191,20] [%wdl 994,6,0]} (22... h5 $16 {[%eval 123,20] [%wdl 787,213,0] Mark Crowther}) 23. Rfd1 {Mark Crowther: '+-'} Kg7 24. Bc6 $1 {Uma excelente solução. Sindarov devolve o peão para remover o bloqueio na casa d5.} Ra5 {[%eval 249,16] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} (24... Bxc6 {A ideia das Brancas pode ser vista após} 25. Rxc6 Rxa4 26. d5 $1 {quebrando a resistência das Pretas, por exemplo:} exd5 27. Qc2 {Atacando a torre e o peão em f5. Tudo desmorona.}) (24... h5 {[%eval 193,20] [%wdl 995,5,0] (Mark Crowther) keeps fighting.} 25. Bxd5 Qxd5) 25. Bxd5 Rxd5 26. Rc5 $1 Rd7 {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} (26... Bxd4 {Após essa captura, as Brancas podem simplesmente jogar} 27. Rxd5 Qxd5 28. a5 {As peças das Pretas estão todas presas à defesa do bispo em d4, enquanto o peão passado da coluna “a” começa a avançar.}) 27. d5 $1 exd5 (27... Re4 {é uma chance prática melhor, mas as Brancas também estão completamente ganhas aqui.} 28. b3 {Mark Crowther}) 28. Qf3 Bxb2 {Mark Crowther: 'Black is just winning and now cleans up efficiently.'} (28... d4 {não altera a avaliação. Uma possível continuação é} 29. Rxf5 Rg6 30. Bd2 d3 31. Bxb4 Bxb2 32. Ba5 {e o peão em d3 será capturado em breve.}) 29. Rcxd5 ({Weaker is} 29. Qxf5 {Mark Crowther} Rg6 30. Rb5 (30. Rcxd5 Rxd5 31. Qxd5 Qxd5 $16) 30... Bf6 $18) 29... Rxd5 30. Rxd5 Qe8 31. Rxf5 Rg6 32. h4 Bc3 33. h5 Ra6 34. Qg4+ Kh8 35. Bd4+ f6 36. Rc5 {Sindarov derrota seu co-líder e rival mais perigoso em uma verdadeira obra-prima. Ele demonstra excelente preparação e grandes ambições no início do torneio.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.01"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Peter Doggers"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "GER"] [BlackTeam "IND"] {[%evp 0,74,22,14,29,3,17,6,4,4,31,34,68,38,38,28,22,-23,1,-16,-17,-17,14,-9,22,-3,-5,-10,1,4,6,-9,-9,-34,31,15,-1,7,7,16,12,-5,7,8,0,-1,-14,0,0,-9,3,-32,-11,-11,-20,-5,-4,-5,-4,-9,-5,-8,10,1,3,3,3,5,18,11,43,0,19,11,48,0,27]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 a6 {Vishy Anand's weapon against Boris Gelfand in the 2012 world championship is still a solid option.} 6. Qc2 (6. b3 {is an important alternative, incidentally, Garry Kasparov's choice back in 1991 against... Gelfand.}) 6... c5 {An insignificant loss of tempo. Black doesn't mind playing an IQP position.} 7. cxd5 exd5 8. dxc5 {Mark Crowther: 'D45: Semi-Slav: 5 e3.'} Bxc5 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O Be6 11. a3 Rc8 12. b4 Bd6 13. Bb2 O-O 14. Rac1 {This natural move is new here.} (14. Qb1 Bb8 15. Rd1 Qc7 16. g3 Rfd8 17. b5 axb5 18. Nxb5 Qe7 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 20. Nbd4 Rd7 {Rustemov-Erenburg, Germany 2006}) 14... Ne5 15. Nxe5 (15. Rfd1 {is more complex.} Ne4 16. h3 Re8 17. Qb1) 15... Bxe5 {Mark Crowther: 'The position is equal.'} 16. Qb1 {Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({Predecessor: Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 16. Qd2 Qd7 17. Rfd1 Rxc3 18. Bxc3 Ne4 19. Qe1 Nxc3 20. Rxc3 Bxc3 21. Qxc3 Rc8 22. Qd2 {1-0 Binder,M (1815)-Bachner,K (1819) AUT-ch U14 St Poelten 2009 (2)} Qa4 23. Qd3 g6 24. h3 h5 25. Bf3 b5 26. Rd2 Bf5 27. Qxd5 Qxa3 28. Qd6 a5 29. bxa5 Qxa5 30. Rd5 Be6 {Binder,M (1815)-Bachner,K (1819) St Poelten 2009 1-0 (35)}) 16... Qd6 17. f4 ({After} 17. h3 {Black is ready to trade the pawn with} d4 {because} 18. Rfd1 $2 {is bad:} Bb3 19. Rd2 Qe6 20. exd4 Bf4) 17... Bxc3 18. Bxc3 Ne4 {Thanks to this strong knight, Black is not worse at all.} 19. Be5 Qd7 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Rc1 f6 22. Bb2 Nd6 23. Rxc8+ Qxc8 24. Qc1 Nc4 {White has nothing, so Bluebaum decides to liquidate right away.} 25. Bxc4 Qxc4 26. Qxc4 dxc4 {Mark Crowther: '='} 27. e4 f5 28. exf5 Bxf5 29. Kf2 Kf7 30. Ke3 g6 31. Kd4 Bd3 32. Ke5 Bf1 33. g3 Bh3 34. Kd5 Bf1 35. Ke5 Bh3 36. Kd5 Bf1 37. Ke5 Bh3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.03"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R.."] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A06"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,61,22,30,21,20,20,4,17,-31,-1,-14,-7,-1,10,-19,30,28,23,16,14,25,62,30,50,25,40,30,45,-2,34,40,76,-19,93,53,63,60,82,74,62,47,62,51,66,28,55,30,23,23,56,49,57,25,19,19,37,19,14,4,40,14,4,0]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. b3 Be7 5. Bb2 O-O 6. Be2 c5 {A13: English Opening: 1...e6.} 7. cxd5 Nxd5 ({RR} 7... exd5 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nc6 10. Nc3 Be6 11. O-O Qd7 12. Rc1 a6 13. Nxe6 Qxe6 14. Na4 Rad8 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Rxc5 Ne4 17. Rc1 Qg6 18. Bf3 f5 19. Qd3 Kh8 20. Rfd1 Ng5 21. Bxd5 Nb4 22. Qc4 {Tleukhanov,Y (2311)-Koridze,L (2092) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (32)}) 8. Nc3 ({RR} 8. a3 b6 9. d3 Bb7 10. Nbd2 Nc6 11. Qc2 Bf6 12. O-O Bxb2 13. Qxb2 Qf6 14. Qxf6 Nxf6 15. Rab1 Nd5 16. Rfc1 Rac8 17. g3 Rfd8 18. Kf1 Kf8 19. Ke1 h6 20. h4 g6 21. Ne4 a5 22. Nc3 Nxc3 {Laznicka,V (2638)-Nguyen,T (2569) Pardubice 2020 1-0 (64)}) 8... b6 $146 ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. Qb1 b6 10. g4 f5 11. h4 Nxc3 12. dxc3 fxg4 13. Ng5 Bxg5 14. hxg5 Rf5 15. Bxg4 Ne5 16. Bxf5 exf5 17. c4 Nf3+ 18. Ke2 Qxg5 19. Rxh7 Kxh7 20. Qh1+ Kg6 21. Qxf3 Qg4 22. Rd1 Be6 23. Qxg4+ {Real,T (2267)-Solakian Van Eyll,J (2285) Chalons en Champagne 2021 1-0 (50)}) ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bb4+ 12. Kf1 Be7 13. g3 Bh3+ 14. Kg1 Bf6 15. Bg4 Bxg4 16. Qxg4 Rc8 17. Kg2 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Rc2 19. Rhc1 Rd2 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Qf3 Qb2 22. Rd1 Rd8 23. Rxd2 {Andreikin,D (2695)-Asish Panda (1903) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (41)}) 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. O-O Be6 11. d4 Nd7 {[%CAl Bb8d7,Bd7f6,Bf6e4][%mdl 32]} 12. Ba6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12. Rc1 Bf6 13. h3 Qe7 14. Qd2 Rfc8 15. Ba6 Rc7 16. Rfe1 Nb8 17. Bd3 a5 18. e4 {1-0 Keymer,V (2667)-Rychagov,A (2549) Titled Tuesday intern op 24th May Late Chess.com INT blitz 2022 (10)}) 12... Nf6 13. Qe2 Bd6 14. Rac1 Qe7 15. Ne5 Ne4 16. Rfd1 Rae8 17. f3 Nf6 18. Qf2 Qc7 19. Bd3 {White is more active.} Rc8 20. f4 Qe7 21. Qf3 Rc7 22. Rd2 Bc8 23. Rdc2 Bb7 {[%CAl Oc5c4]} (23... a5 {simplifies} 24. a4 Be6 25. dxc5 bxc5 26. Bc3 Ra8) 24. Qg3 h6 25. h3 Qe6 26. Kh1 Rfc8 27. Kh2 Re8 28. Kh1 Rec8 29. Kh2 Re8 30. Kh1 Rec8 31. Kh2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.03"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,55,22,22,22,22,23,-3,44,16,29,-1,-1,-1,24,11,15,6,-3,-57,-44,-52,-61,-58,-70,-70,-65,-88,-57,-45,-43,-44,-16,-33,-38,-60,0,-34,-29,-38,21,19,15,57,111,152,313,320,357,357,357,334,1390,1390,29997,29998,29999,-30000]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nc4 {Caruana is trying to get a position that his opponent doesn't know so well, in that he succeeded.} Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 (6. bxc3 {is more common.}) 6... d5 7. Ne3 c6 {Caruana: \"I knew that this position exists.\"} ({RR} 7... Be6 8. Bd3 Nd7 9. O-O Bc5 10. b4 Be7 11. c4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Bxc4 13. Nxc4 O-O 14. Rb1 Nb6 15. Na5 {1-0 (15) Tsydypov,Z (2495)-Xie Jianjun (2357) Senta SRB 2026}) 8. Bd2 $146 {This already seems to be a new move.} ({Predecessor: RR} 8. Qd4 Nd7 9. c4 Qf6 10. Qxf6 Nxf6 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Bd2 Bc5 13. O-O-O O-O 14. Bc3 Ne4 15. Bd4 Bxd4 16. Rxd4 Nxf2 17. Rg1 Re8 18. Rxd5 g6 {½-½ Mamedov,R (2689)-Kuzubov,Y (2637) Lvov rapid Cup 2017 (11) ½-½ (18) Mamedov,R (2689)-Kuzubov,Y (2637) Lvov 2017}) ({RR} 8. Bd3 Bd6 (8... Nd7 9. O-O Nf6 10. Nf5 Bxf5 11. Bxf5 Be7 12. Re1 O-O 13. Bg5 Re8 14. Qf3 Nd7 15. Bxe7 Rxe7 16. Rxe7 Qxe7 17. Bxd7 Qxd7 18. Qe3 {½-½ (18) Mariotti,S-Toth,B Castelvecchio Pascoli 1974}) 9. Bd2 O-O 10. Qh5 g6 11. Qf3 Re8 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 Be6 14. Ng4 Bxg4 15. Qxg4 Nd7 16. f4 Nf6 17. Qf3 Ne4 18. Be3 b6 19. Rad1 Nxc3 20. Rde1 Ne4 21. f5 Bc5 22. fxg6 fxg6 {Havold,E (1216)-Haug,R (1160) Molde 2003 ½-½ (32)}) 8... g6 {The position is equal.} 9. f4 $1 {Obviously double-edged, but the idea is to push the f-pawn further against the black king position, while if White castles queenside, the weakening of his own king won't be critical.} Bg7 10. Qf3 Nd7 (10... f5 $5 {is one radical solution Black could consider.}) 11. O-O-O Nc5 12. f5 $1 O-O (12... Bd7 {is the computer choice, but there are long forced lines:} 13. Nxd5 $1 cxd5 14. Qxd5 Rc8 15. Re1+ Kf8 16. Be3 Na4 17. Bc4 Be8 18. Rhf1 {and White keeps an initiative.}) 13. g4 Ne4 {Caruana was more worried about Black going directly for his king with a move such as} (13... Na4 $5) 14. Bd3 Re8 $2 {[%eval 94,14] [%wdl 431,569,0] Both players felt this was a critical moment. Bluebaum: \"I was just wondering what kind of an idiot I am to even allow Bxe4 $1\" A dispirited Bluebaum said that he made many mistakes today, he starting here, he didn't even know why he allowed his knight to be captured.} (14... Nxd2 $1 $14 {[%eval 37,18] [%wdl 49,950,1] was suggested by Caruana, and after, e.g. with more or less equality was correct.} 15. Rxd2 Re8 (15... a5) 16. h4 {Black has counterplay with} d4 $1) 15. Bxe4 $1 $16 Rxe4 {Caruana: \"I had little risk, so I was happy. It’s very sharp, but here I’m safe.\"} 16. h4 $1 Be5 17. c4 $1 (17. Kb1) 17... Qb6 18. c3 $1 Qa5 $2 {[%eval 252,16] [%wdl 1000,0,0] A poor move.} (18... Bd7 $1 $16 {[%eval 77,18] [%wdl 222,778,0] is given as a key move to keep up resistance.}) 19. h5 $1 $18 g5 {[#]} (19... Qxa2 $2 {gives White nothing and allows} 20. hxg6 $1 {The problem is checks just allow the white king to hide on b1:} Qa1+ 21. Kc2 Qa4+ 22. Kb1) 20. cxd5 {[%eval 167,16] [%wdl 974,26,0] Not bad, but not the best.} (20. Nxd5 $142 $1 {[%eval 280,18] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} cxd5 21. Bxg5 {is apparently even better, but that just illustrates what a dire situation it is for Black.}) 20... Rf4 21. Qe2 cxd5 22. Kb1 Ra4 $6 {[%eval 483,16] [%wdl 1000,0,0] \"There’s basically no more moves for Black,\" said Caruana about the position after this move. He suggested There are no good moves but this loses fairly quickly.} (22... Qa6 {[%eval 248,17] [%wdl 1000,0,0] but after} 23. c4 $1 {it's also a miserable position for Black.} (23. Qxa6 bxa6)) 23. c4 {Discovered Attack} Qa6 24. Nxd5 {Discovered Attack} f6 25. Bc3 Qxc4 {[%eval 32750,20] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} (25... Bxf5+ $18 {[%eval 483,18] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} 26. gxf5 Rxc4 27. Bxe5 Rf8) 26. Nxf6+ $1 {Finishing in style $1 It's also winning to play White mates.} (26. Qxc4 Rxc4 27. Bxe5 fxe5 28. Rc1 {but much less fun.}) 26... Bxf6 {Bluebaum decides to fall on his sword. Other moves only delay checkmate.} 27. Qe8+ $1 Kg7 28. h6# {A rare pawn-checkmate, and an even rarer example of checkmate on the board in a Candidates game $1} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.03"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D31"] [WhiteElo "2810"] [BlackElo "2745"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,82,22,21,21,-1,6,4,26,38,35,35,53,-10,-10,-9,27,0,32,-29,-31,-31,-15,-40,-31,-31,-41,-116,-96,-96,-116,-105,-107,-107,-107,-96,-96,-69,-69,-171,-154,-219,-206,-253,-147,-219,-219,-228,-170,-166,-199,-243,-155,-158,-165,-165,-165,-165,-150,-153,-156,-154,-168,-160,-153,-168,-170,-164,-186,-201,-209,-206,-203,-197,-186,-196,-217,-217,-217,-217,-217,-220,-244,-252,-219]} 1. d4 {Mark Crowther} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 {Nakamura decide optar pelo Gambito Marshall, provavelmente buscando uma posição complexa e de luta, já que precisava jogar pela vitória a todo custo. No entanto, como veremos, seu adversário estava melhor preparado nessa variante. Além disso, acredito que variantes forçadas de abertura não são exatamente o estilo de Nakamura.} dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxd4 7. Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8. Be2 Na6 9. Bd6 {Este lance, 9.Ba5 e 9.Bc3 são igualmente possíveis e bastante teóricos. O lance jogado na partida é considerado o teste mais crítico. Mark Crowther: 'Nakamura said before the game that he felt he had to go for it today.'} (9. Bc3) (9. Ba5) 9... Qxg2 10. Bf3 (10. Qd2 {Certa vez joguei esse lance em uma partida importante da Copa do Mundo. Mark Crowther: '!?'} Nf6 (10... e5 $5 {também é possível.}) 11. Bf3 Qg6 12. O-O-O e5 13. Bxe5 O-O $6 (13... Be6 {é melhor.}) 14. Ne2 {com iniciativa para as Brancas em Leitão–Shulman, Copa do Mundo da FIDE, Khanty-Mansiysk 2007.}) 10... Qg5 {Mark Crowther: 'A sharp opening'} 11. Ne2 Ne7 ({RR} 11... Bd7 {Mark Crowther} 12. b4 Ne7 13. Ng3 Nf5 14. Ne4 Qh4 15. Rg1 Rd8 16. Rxg7 Bc8 17. Rg4 Qh6 18. Be5 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 f6 20. Bxf6 Rf8 21. Bg5 Qh3 22. Ke2 Nd4+ 23. Rxd4 Qxf3+ 24. Kd2 e5 25. Rd8+ Kf7 26. Nd6+ {Vakhidov,J (2506)-Mahdavi,R (2490) chess.com INT 2026 0-1}) 12. Ng3 {Uma posição crítica para todo o sistema de abertura.} O-O $5 {Nakamura fez uma declaração já famosa dizendo que esse lance não estava em seu arquivo de abertura. Mais uma vez, Sindarov surpreende o adversário na abertura. Mark Crowther: 'Nakamura said that this move was not in his files. He now thought for an hour.'} ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 12... e5 13. Qb3 {Mark Crowther} O-O 14. h4 Qf6 15. Ne4 Qe6 16. O-O-O Re8 17. Rhg1 Nf5 18. Bh5 Nd4 19. Qd3 g6 20. f4 c5 21. fxe5 Nb4 22. Qf1 Qf5 23. Rxd4 cxd4 24. Nf6+ Kh8 25. Bxb4 Rxe5 26. Bd1 Be6 27. Bd6 {Abdusattorov,N (2716)-Erigaisi,A (2712) Doha QAT 2023 1-0 (49)}) (12... Nf5) 13. h4 $2 {[%eval -88,18] [%wdl 0,641,359] Nakamura pensou por mais de uma hora antes de jogar este lance. Essa decisão é muito estranha, já que a partida segue de forma semelhante após 13.h4 e 13.Ce4, mas o cavalo está muito melhor em e4 do que em g3. Tenho certeza de que, se estivesse em sua melhor forma, o GM americano teria feito o lance de cavalo sem pensar muito, guiado por sua intuição. Mark Crowther: 'N' Mark Crowther: 'Sindarov knew he was better here and with a huge time advantage as well.'} ({Mark Crowther: 'Predecessor:' Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 13. Ne4 {[%eval 0,19] [%wdl 7,986,7] Mark Crowther: '=' Mark Crowther: 'is the only move.'} Qa5+ (13... Qh4 {Mark Crowther} 14. Rg1) 14. b4 Qd8 {Este é o lance que Nakamura considerou e que o fez descartar 13.Ce4.} (14... Nxb4 $5 {parece ruim, mas na verdade é jogável.} 15. O-O $1 (15. Kf1 {Achei esse lance lógico para deixar a coluna g disponível para a torre, mas não é o melhor.} Rd8 16. Qb3 Rxd6 $1 17. Nxd6 e5 {e as Pretas não estão pior nessa posição caótica e desequilibrada.}) 15... Re8 16. Qd2 c5 17. Bxe7 (17. Bxc5 $2 Nbc6) 17... Rxe7 18. Rad1 {Ainda há muitas complicações aqui, e as Pretas provavelmente podem se defender com uma sequência de lances precisos, que Sindarov sem dúvida estudou.} (18. Nf6+ {é tentador, mas após} gxf6 19. Kh1 Kf8 $7 20. Qh6+ Ke8 {o ataque não é decisivo. O computador avalia a posição como 0.00; isso significa que qualquer coisa pode acontecer em uma partida prática.})) 15. Rg1 {Mark Crowther: 'and the game goes on, Sindarov probably had quite a lot prepared.'} Ng6 $1 (15... f6 16. Qe2 $1 {com a ideia de rocar. As Brancas têm uma iniciativa perigosa.} (16. Qc2 $2 {Venkatesan-Smeets, EU-ch U16 Praga 2024.} Nf5 $1 (16... e5 {Mark Crowther} 17. Rd1 Nf5 18. b5 Qa5+ 19. Qd2 Qxd2+ 20. Rxd2 Nxd6 21. Rxd6 cxb5 22. Nxf6+ {½-½ Venkatesan,K (2202)-Smeets,K (2322) EU-ch U16 Prague 2024 (6)} Kh8 {Mark Crowther} 23. Nd7 Bxd7 24. Bxb7 Nc5 25. Bxa8 Rxa8 26. cxb5 Bxb5 27. Rd5 Rc8 {Venkatesan,K (2202)-Smeets,K (2322) Prague CZE 2024 ½-½ (72)}) 17. Bxf8 Qxf8 {com iniciativa para as Pretas.}) (16. Qb3 {foi apontado por Nakamura em sua análise.} Nf5 17. Bxf8 {As Pretas podem capturar tanto com o rei quanto com a dama, mas a posição parece melhor para as Brancas, embora ainda muito complicada.})) (15... Nf5 16. Be5 $1 {com a iniciativa.}) 16. h4 $1 {Um lance difícil.} f5 $5 (16... Nxh4 17. Rxg7+ Kxg7 18. Be5+ f6 19. Bxf6+ Rxf6 20. Qxd8 Nxf3+ 21. Ke2 Rf8 22. Qd6 e5 {Essa linha foi demonstrada no vídeo de Nakamura. As Pretas conseguem escapar com uma sequência de lances precisos.}) 17. Ng5 h6 {e a complicação continua. É fácil concluir que Nakamura simplesmente estava em uma posição muito ruim, tentando demonstrar compensação em uma posição em que seu adversário tinha uma preparação muito superior.}) 13... Qa5+ {Mark Crowther: '?'} 14. b4 Nxb4 15. O-O {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} (15. Bxe7 $2 {(Mark Crowther) loses.} Nd5+ (15... Nxa2+ 16. Kf1 $18) 16. Kf1 Nxe7 $19) (15. Qd2 {Mark Crowther} Nc2+ 16. Kd1 Qxd2+ 17. Kxd2 Nd4 (17... Nxa1 18. Bxe7 Re8 19. Bc5 $15) (17... Rd8 $2 18. Kxc2 Rxd6 19. Rad1 $19) 18. Bxe7 Re8 $19 (18... Nxf3+ $2 19. Ke3 $19)) 15... Re8 {As Pretas estão melhor, já que a atividade das Brancas não é suficiente para compensar três peões. Além disso, Sindarov tinha uma grande vantagem no tempo.} 16. Qd2 (16. Qe1 $1 {é a melhor chance. A dama pode ir para e5 em algumas linhas, mas a ideia principal é impedir que as Pretas joguem ...Cf5. Mark Crowther: 'was probably forced.'} c5 17. Rd1 {As Pretas ainda têm uma clara vantagem após} Ng6 $1 18. h5 Nh4) 16... c5 17. Rad1 Nf5 18. Nxf5 exf5 {As Pretas conseguiram simplificar a posição, mas a partida ainda não está decidida.} 19. Qf4 (19. Be5 $5 {Mark Crowther}) 19... Nc6 20. Kh1 $2 {[%eval -274,18] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (20. Kh2 $1 {[%eval -133,21] [%wdl 0,136,864] Esta foi a última vez em que Nakamura realmente pôde lutar para salvar a partida. O rei fica melhor colocado em h2 na linha após Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'is a better defense but it was incredibly difficult to decide on this.'} Nd4 21. Rxd4 $1 cxd4 22. Rg1 g6 23. h5 {Aqui as Brancas têm boas chances práticas. Uma possível continuação é} Qd8 $1 24. Bd5 Be6 25. Bxb7 Rc8 $1 26. c5 {e não é fácil para as Pretas converterem a vantagem, pois as Brancas estão muito ativas.}) 20... Nd4 {Mark Crowther: '-+'} 21. Rg1 {Mark Crowther: '[#] Threatening mate with Rxg7+!.'} (21. Be5 {Mark Crowther} Qa6 22. Bxd4 cxd4 23. Rg1 {might continue to fight.}) 21... g6 {Mark Crowther: 'Essentially the game is over.'} (21... Nxf3 $2 {permite um empate após} 22. Rxg7+ Kxg7 23. Rg1+ Nxg1 (23... Kh8 24. Qxf3 {e as Pretas estão em perigo.}) 24. Qg5+) 22. Bd5 {[%eval -343,15] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (22. Rxd4 {[%eval -242,19] [%wdl 0,0,1000] é menos perigoso com o rei em h1: Mark Crowther: '?'} cxd4 23. h5 (23. Qxd4 {Mark Crowther}) 23... Qc3 $1 {O bispo não pode ir para d5 devido a um xeque em h3.}) 22... Be6 23. Bxb7 Ne2 {As Pretas conseguem simplificar a partida, mantendo uma vantagem material decisiva.} 24. Qd2 Qxd2 25. Rxd2 Nxg1 26. Bxa8 Rxa8 27. Kxg1 Rd8 28. Bf4 Rxd2 29. Bxd2 Bxc4 30. Be3 Bxa2 31. Bxc5 a5 {Finais com bispos de cores opostas tendem ao empate, mas uma vantagem de três peões é demais.} 32. f4 {Mark Crowther: 'Black is clearly winning.'} f6 33. Kf2 Kf7 34. Ba3 Ke6 35. Bf8 a4 36. Ke3 Kf7 37. Bb4 h6 38. Kf2 g5 39. Kg3 Bd5 40. Ba3 Be4 41. Bc1 gxh4+ {As Pretas simplesmente levam o rei para a ala da dama e avançam o peão até que o bispo das Brancas seja capturado. O bispo em e4 protege firmemente o peão em f5. 0-} 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.03"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E05"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2754"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,84,30,-18,6,-21,-21,-35,-45,-45,-10,-58,-2,3,27,-24,2,-14,1,0,48,67,52,76,98,25,25,35,38,40,33,36,32,12,12,12,14,14,11,18,11,13,31,29,23,17,49,33,44,22,23,0,0,8,11,8,43,62,14,0,4,4,0,0,25,0,22,19,21,23,23,0,19,17,23,22,18,18,18,19,18,18,14,14,18,18,17]} 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 c5 $5 {A new move that ultimately gave Wei Yi an effortless draw.} (9... Bc6 {has been played in almost 4,000 top-level games.}) ({RR} 9... b5 10. Qc2 Nc6 11. Bd2 Nd5 12. Nc3 Ncb4 13. Qc1 bxa4 14. Nxa4 Bb5 15. Re1 a5 16. Nc5 c6 17. Ne5 Qc7 18. h4 Rfd8 19. Ra3 Bf6 20. Bg5 Qe7 21. e4 Nb6 22. Rf3 Rxd4 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Ng4 {Caruana,F (2786)-Sarana,A (2693) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (54)}) 10. dxc5 {Giri stopped to think, but not for too long, and in what followed, White's edge gradually faded away.} Bc6 $146 ({Predecessor: RR} 10... Bb5 11. Qc2 Bc6 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nbd2 Rc8 15. Nb3 Bd5 16. a5 Bxb3 17. Qxb3 Nxc5 18. Qb4 Qd5 19. Nd2 Qe5 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Qxb2 22. Qxb2 Bxb2 23. Ra2 {½-½ Magai,V (2492)-Khazhatuly,A (1906) Moscow Botvinnik Memorial Cup 2024 (8.23) ½-½ (23) Magai,V (2492)-Khazhatuly,A (1906) Moscow RUS 2024}) 11. Nc3 a5 {Black sacrificed a pawn. White is slightly better.} 12. Ne5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nbd7 14. Nd3 Nxc5 15. Nxc5 Qc7 16. Be3 {[#]} Rac8 17. N3e4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Bxc5 19. Rac1 b6 20. Rfd1 Qe7 {The position is equal.} 21. Bxc5 Rxc5 22. Rxc5 Qxc5 $11 23. Rd7 g6 24. b3 Qc3 25. Qf3 Qxf3+ 26. exf3 {KR-KR} Rc8 27. Rd6 b5 28. axb5 Rb8 29. b6 Kf8 30. Rc6 Rb7 31. g4 Ke8 32. h4 Kd7 33. Rc5 Rxb6 34. Rxa5 Ke7 35. h5 h6 36. f4 Rxb3 37. hxg6 fxg6 38. Ra7+ Kf6 39. Rh7 h5 40. gxh5 gxh5 41. Rxh5 Rd3 42. f3 Rd5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.05"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C43"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2754"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,60,22,22,22,22,41,46,46,50,50,-6,13,-8,-8,-27,-27,-24,-33,-64,-45,-45,-45,-69,-33,-47,-59,-37,-34,-71,-48,-64,-43,-105,-25,-29,-73,-50,-16,-16,-35,-58,-27,-98,-68,-68,94,-41,-33,-24,-19,-67,11,62,162,-63,-47,-392,-392,-336,-315,-315,-1510] 0-} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Qe2 {Um lance muito raro, jogado em apenas 82 partidas, o que é praticamente nada dentro do gigantesco universo da Defesa Petroff. Vale notar que, aparentemente, os jogadores de elite estão cada vez menos dispostos a testar ideias nas variantes principais da Petroff e buscam cada vez mais uma pequena vantagem, ou simplesmente uma posição jogável, recorrendo a ideias pouco conhecidas.} d5 5. Nxe5 Be7 ({RR} 5... Be6 6. f3 Nf6 7. c3 Bd6 8. Nd3 O-O 9. Qd2 b6 10. Be2 c5 11. O-O Nc6 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. Kh1 d4 14. Nf4 Qb6 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Bc4 Rae8 17. Re1 Ne5 18. Bb3 c4 19. Bd1 d3 20. b3 {liebre-2020 (1925)-Mestre-Demas (1921) lichess.org 2024 1-0 (39)}) 6. f3 ({RR} 6. Nd2 Nxd2 7. Bxd2 Nd7 8. Nxd7 Qxd7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. Bf4 Bf6 11. Qd2 Qa4 12. Kb1 Bf5 13. Be5 Bxe5 14. dxe5 Rad8 15. f3 d4 16. Bd3 Bxd3 17. cxd3 Rfe8 18. f4 c5 19. Rc1 b6 20. h4 f6 {Mnatsakanian,E (2425)-Mijailovic,Z (2330) Budapest 1991 0-1 (32)}) 6... Nd6 7. Nc3 Nf5 {Crowther,Mark: 'N'} ({Crowther,Mark: 'RR'} 7... c6 $1 {A ideia das Brancas não parece muito convincente, com o computador já indicando uma posição confortável para as Pretas. No entanto, hoje em dia as decisões de um jogador de xadrez, especialmente conduzindo as peças brancas, nem sempre devem se basear na avaliação do computador; caso contrário, será impossível encontrar novas ideias.} 8. Bf4 O-O 9. O-O-O Nd7 10. Nd3 a5 11. h4 b5 12. a3 Nc4 13. Qe1 b4 14. axb4 axb4 15. Nb1 Ra2 16. Nxb4 Bxb4 17. Qxb4 Rxb2 18. Qa4 Qb6 19. Nc3 Rb1+ 20. Nxb1 Qb2# {0-1 (20) Nguyen Thanh Tra,M-Dam,T Ho Chi Minh City 2005}) 8. Qf2 O-O 9. Bf4 {Crowther,Mark: '!'} f6 {É natural expulsar o cavalo ativo.} 10. Nd3 Nc6 11. Ne2 Nb4 12. Nxb4 Bxb4+ 13. c3 Bd6 {Acredito que, para suas ambições, Esipenko mais ou menos conseguiu o que queria da abertura: uma luta em uma posição nova, com chances de desequilibrar a partida com roques em lados opostos (considerando que ele fará o roque grande). Mas agora vem um erro com consequências sérias.} 14. Bd2 $2 {[%eval -104,16] [%wdl 0,453,547] Crowther,Mark: 'Clearly a case of mixing up preparation.'} (14. O-O-O {[%eval 13,18] [%wdl 16,979,5] Na dúvida, faça o roque. Gosto sempre de repetir esse conselho, especialmente quando o computador concorda. As Brancas planejam jogar g2-g4 na sequência, continuando o avanço de peões na ala do rei, com uma batalha interessante pela frente. Crowther,Mark: '='} Re8 15. Bd2 {was almost certainly intended, now he can't even castle Queenside.}) 14... Qe8 $1 {Um lance muito forte que traz más notícias para as Brancas. O roque grande torna-se impossível, já que a dama preta inevitavelmente irá para a4. Isso dificulta a conclusão do desenvolvimento sem criar algum tipo de fraqueza. Crowther,Mark: '?!'} 15. Kd1 {Um lance realmente triste de se fazer. Crowther,Mark: 'The best try.'} (15. O-O-O $6 Qa4 $1 {Essa é a ideia das Pretas, quando a partida praticamente termina imediatamente, por exemplo:} 16. a3 Bxa3 17. bxa3 Qxa3+ 18. Kb1 Ne3 $1 {abrindo caminho para o bispo ir para f5.}) (15. g4 {é natural, mas após} Ne7 16. Bg2 f5 $1 {as Pretas rapidamente conseguem explorar as fraquezas na posição das Brancas.} 17. g5 f4 $1 {com vantagem decisiva, já que a estrutura de peões das Brancas é fraca demais.}) (15. g3 {As Brancas não têm tempo para concluir o desenvolvimento, por exemplo:} Qb5 16. b3 Re8 17. Bg2 Nxg3 $1 18. hxg3 Bxg3 19. Qxg3 Qxe2#) 15... Qa4+ 16. Kc1 (16. b3 {was probably a better try.}) 16... b5 $5 {Tentando rapidamente criar um caminho para um ataque contra o desajeitado rei branco.} (16... Bd7 {é muito natural, concluindo o desenvolvimento e preparando um plano como Tac8 seguido de c7-c5. Crowther,Mark: '!?'} 17. g4 {As Pretas nem precisam se preocupar em mover o cavalo atacado.} Rae8 $5 {As Brancas não podem capturar o cavalo, pois isso traz o bispo das Pretas para o ataque.} (17... Rac8 $5)) 17. Nf4 {[%eval -144,18] [%wdl 0,112,888]} (17. g4 {[%eval -88,18] [%wdl 0,642,358] Talvez jogar isso primeiro tivesse sido uma ideia melhor, mas a posição das Brancas continua precária após Crowther,Mark: '?'} Ne7) 17... c5 $1 {Aproveitando o fato de que as Brancas não podem capturar em c5, já que o cavalo em f4 está sob ataque.} 18. Bd3 cxd4 19. Bc2 Qa6 20. cxd4 Bd7 {Com a abertura da coluna c, é difícil acreditar que as Brancas consigam sobreviver.} 21. Kb1 Rac8 {Crowther,Mark: 'The problem is the Ra1.'} (21... b4 {é muito bom para as Pretas, avançando imediatamente e abrindo mais uma diagonal para a dama e o bispo. Após} 22. Bd3 Qb7 {as Pretas podem continuar com o avanço do peão de a, entre outros planos possíveis. O rei das Brancas está em uma situação constrangedora.}) 22. Bd3 Rc4 $5 {Um sacrifício de qualidade temático, que não pode ser aceito.} ({A move like} 22... Rfe8 {também é bastante bom.}) 23. Ne2 (23. Bxc4 {Aqui, ambas as capturas deixam as Pretas ganhas: com o peão de b, para atacar pela coluna b, ou com o peão de d, para colocar um cavalo em d5 e seguir avançando os peões. O bispo de casas claras fará muita falta.} dxc4 (23... bxc4)) 23... Ne7 {O recuo é útil porque agora as Pretas podem, potencialmente, trocar os bispos com ...Bf5, e um plano com b4-Bb5 também é possível sem deixar o cavalo em f5 desprotegido. Crowther,Mark: '!'} (23... b4 {é possível, mas após} 24. b3 {as Pretas precisarão sacrificar a torre, deixando a posição mais aguda do que o necessário.}) 24. g4 {É difícil recomendar qualquer coisa para as Brancas.} (24. a3 Bf5) 24... Rfc8 {[%eval -68,19] [%wdl 0,829,171]} (24... f5 {é interessante, criando também uma frente de ataque na ala do rei. Crowther,Mark: '!?'}) 25. h4 $2 {[%eval -257,15] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Crowther,Mark: 'Now white collapses.'} (25. a3 $1 {[%eval -68,19] [%wdl 0,829,171] é essencial, impedindo b5-b4. Incrivelmente, o computador não considera a posição das Brancas tão ruim quanto eu acredito que seja. Crowther,Mark: '?!'}) 25... b4 $1 {Crowther,Mark: '?!'} 26. b3 {[%eval -356,14] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (26. Bf4 {[%eval -248,17] [%wdl 0,1,999]} Bxf4 27. Nxf4) 26... Bb5 $3 {Um lance bonito, finalizando a partida com estilo. Crowther,Mark: '!'} 27. bxc4 {[%eval -731,19] [%wdl 0,0,1000] As Pretas ameaçavam ...Tc1+ com mate.} (27. Nf4 {[%eval -333,15] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} Bxf4 28. bxc4 dxc4 29. Be4) 27... Bxc4 {As Brancas têm uma torre a mais, mas será que a torre em a1 pode realmente ser considerada $2} 28. Bc2 (28. Bxc4 Qxc4 {with a decisive attack.}) 28... Bd3 29. Bc3 {A única forma de evitar o mate — temporariamente.} bxc3 30. Nc1 Rb8+ (30... Rb8+ {A partida termina em mate após} 31. Nb3 Qa3 32. Bxd3 Rxb3+ 33. axb3 Qxb3+ 34. Kc1 Bf4+) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.05"] [Round "6.2"] [White "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "170"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,170,22,18,18,4,12,4,4,4,10,-35,-12,-28,1,1,11,6,33,43,79,69,69,-13,125,57,51,33,33,25,36,16,16,44,-1,12,22,24,24,10,64,58,48,48,61,60,43,44,34,28,9,1,10,18,4,-38,2,-1,-1,4,5,4,13,-6,19,26,84,55,57,46,74,78,81,65,73,72,69,72,99,82,124,105,107,103,147,114,223,200,200,208,217,238,226,220,220,221,207,220,220,234,250,252,252,258,258,258,253,253,253,253,253,253,253,226,253,249,249,249,249,226,253,249,253,253,253,253,253,249,235,240,240,236,249,249,249,226,243,225,243,225,225,104,242,172,242,243,243,193,243,153,182,94,253,253,253,124,120,120,116,96,26,25,25,25,26,25,25,25,25,25,25,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1 dxc4 9. Bxc4 c5 10. O-O cxd4 11. Ne4 (11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Qb3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc3 14. Rxc3 Bxc6 15. Bb5 Bd5 16. Bc4 Bc6 17. Bb5 Bd5 18. Bc4 Bc6 {½-½ Nihal,S (2716)-Sargsyan,S (2656) Chess.com Play In4 Chess.com INT blitz 2026 (9)}) 11... Qe7 12. exd4 {A principled but rare choice.} (12. a3 Ba5 13. Qxd4 {preserving an intact pawn structure is much more common.}) 12... Rd8 13. Qe2 Nc6 {Giri already had a serious think here, while Sindarov kept blitzing out his moves.} 14. Rfd1 Ba5 15. Bb5 Bd7 16. Nc5 Be8 17. d5 $1 {Sindarov follows his prep.} exd5 18. Qxe7 Nxe7 19. Nxb7 Rdb8 {By this point Giri was already down 50 minutes on the clock, but as Sindarov pointed out, it's not so easy to hustle someone on time in a technical endgame.} 20. Nxa5 Rxb5 21. Nb3 a5 22. Rd2 a4 23. Nbd4 Rb7 {[#]} 24. h3 $146 ({RR} 24. Ne5 Rc8 25. Rxc8 Nxc8 26. b3 axb3 27. axb3 Nd6 28. Nd3 Nb5 29. Nb4 Nxd4 30. Rxd4 Ra7 31. Rd1 Rb7 32. Rd4 Rc7 33. f3 Rc1+ 34. Kf2 Rb1 35. Rd3 Rb2+ 36. Kg1 Rb1+ 37. Kf2 Rb2+ 38. Kg1 Rb1+ {½-½ Ruck,R (2531)-Dizdar,G (2541) AUT-chT 0607 Austria 2006 (7) Ruck,R (2531)-Dizdar,G (2541) Austria 2007 ½-½ (38)}) 24... Rab8 25. b3 axb3 26. axb3 {The knight has a beautiful outpost on d4 while defending b3. Meanwhile White can target the d5-pawn.} f6 27. g4 h5 28. Ne1 hxg4 29. hxg4 Ng6 30. f3 Ne5 31. Kf2 g5 32. Nd3 Bd7 33. Kg3 Nxd3 (33... Rc8 34. Rxc8+ Bxc8 {is probably the way to complete equality.}) 34. Rxd3 Rb6 35. Rd2 Kf7 36. Rc5 R8b7 {Giri already makes clear his plan to give up the d5-pawn.} 37. Rh2 (37. Rxd5 Be6 38. Rd8 Rd7 39. Rxd7+ Bxd7 40. Rc2 {is, as in the game, close to equality.}) 37... Rd6 38. Kf2 Kg7 $6 {[%eval 85,21] [%wdl 275,725,0] Now black has to be careful.} (38... f5 $11 {[%eval 28,22] [%wdl 9,991,0]}) 39. Ra5 Rb4 40. Ke3 Rdb6 41. Rxd5 $5 {[%eval 0,34] [%wdl 2,996,2] It seems this wasn't the best time to take this pawn. Allowing black to sacrifice the exchange to achieve a fortress.} (41. Kd3 {, for instance, poses more problems.} Rb7 (41... Rxb3+ 42. Nxb3 Rxb3+ 43. Kd4 {is better for White than in the game because of the active king. Note} Rxf3 $4 {can't be played because of} 44. Ra7 {pinning and winning the bishop.}) 42. Kc3 R4b6 43. Re2 Rc7+ 44. Kb2 Kf7 45. Rxd5 Rcb7 46. Re3 {In this line White has won the pawn without allowing simplifications, though a win is still far off.}) (41. Rc2 $16 {[%eval 91,22] [%wdl 359,641,0]} Rb7 42. Rxd5) 41... Be6 (41... Rxb3+ 42. Nxb3 Rxb3+ 43. Rd3 Rxd3+ 44. Kxd3 f5 {is also very playable.}) 42. Rd8 Rxb3+ 43. Nxb3 Rxb3+ $11 44. Kf2 Rb2+ {Giri heads for an endgame he correctly judges to be drawn, but} (44... Bxg4 $3 {draws on the spot. Funnily enough this is a draw. Giri of course didn't see this.} 45. fxg4 Rb2+ 46. Kg3 Rb3+ 47. Kg2 Rb2+ 48. Kg1 Rb1+ 49. Kg2 Rb2+ {The king can't leave the h2-rook unprotected, so the game ends in a draw by perpetual check.}) 45. Kg3 Rxh2 46. Kxh2 {Sindarov noted that having two pawns each instead of one makes this endgame harder for Black to hold. As he explained: \"When I analyzed I think he was surviving in every position with only moves, and the moves were really not so hard. I think a lot to do some tricks, but there's really nothing here $1\"} Kf7 {The position is a theoretical draw, Giri was never in any trouble.} 47. Kg3 Ke7 48. Ra8 Kf7 49. Ra7+ Kf8 50. Kf2 Ke8 51. Ke3 Kf8 52. Kd4 Ke8 53. Kc5 Kf8 54. Rb7 Ba2 55. Rc7 Bb3 56. Kd6 Ba2 57. Rc2 Bb3 58. Rb2 Bc4 $1 {An only move, e.g.,} (58... Bf7 $2 {loses to, e.g.} 59. Rb8+ Kg7 60. Rb5 Kf8 61. Rf5 Kg7 62. Ke7 {and pawns start to fall.}) 59. Rb4 Ba2 60. Rb5 (60. Ra4 $11 {[%eval 0,29] [%wdl 1,998,1]} Bb3 61. Ra8+ Kg7 62. Ra7+ Kf8) 60... Kf7 61. Rb7+ Kf8 62. Rb2 Bc4 63. Rf2 Bb3 64. Rf1 Bc4 65. Ra1 Bb3 66. Ra3 Bc4 67. Ra5 Kf7 68. Ra7+ Kf8 69. Kd7 Kf7 70. Rc7 Bb3 71. Rc5 Be6+ 72. Kc6 Bb3 73. Rf5 Be6 74. Kd6 Bb3 75. Rb5 Ba2 76. Rb4 Kf8 77. f4 {[%eval 96,19] [%wdl 431,569,0]} gxf4 $1 $16 78. Rxf4 Kg7 79. Ke7 Kg6 80. Rxf6+ Kg5 81. Rf2 Bb3 82. Rg2 Bd1 83. Ke6 Bxg4+ 84. Ke5 Kh5 $1 (84... Kh4 $4 {It's never too late to lose a drawn position.} 85. Kf4 Bc8 86. Rg8 Kh5 (86... Bd7 87. Rh8#) 87. Rxc8) 85. Rxg4 Kxg4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.05"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,80,22,23,23,0,6,4,4,4,18,7,24,54,52,56,37,23,39,20,28,30,30,30,39,55,40,40,40,-8,-11,-4,4,-19,-18,21,21,50,44,2,-7,-20,23,21,32,15,81,26,33,30,64,63,63,50,73,70,70,70,61,62,81,85,106,100,127,124,114,67,139,99,122,93,107,113,109,17,10,10,17,12,15,23,15]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 h6 {Nakamura pointed out he was repeating a 2023 The American Cup game he'd played against Sam Sevian, but Bluebaum was ready.} 5. a3 c6 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 Bd6 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Bxe4 O-O 11. O-O e5 12. Bc2 {A rare move, if not a new one—Nakamura admitted it got him out of book.} Bc7 $1 $146 {\"Very crafty, I'm proud of finding it $1\" said Nakamura. It cost him 33 minutes.} ({RR} 12... f5 13. c5 Be7 14. dxe5 Nxc5 15. Qe2 Qe8 16. Nd4 Kh8 17. Be3 Qg6 18. Rad1 Ne6 19. Nb3 Nc7 20. f4 b6 21. Qf3 c5 22. Nc1 Rb8 23. Ne2 Bb7 24. Qh3 Nd5 25. Bc1 Rbd8 26. Ng3 Bc8 27. Ne2 {Grigoriants,S (2550)-Prohaszka,P (2562) Budapest HUN 2022 ½-½ (31)} Nc7 28. Nc3 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 Qc6 30. Be3 Bb7 31. Rd2 {½-½ Grigoriants,S (2553)-Prohaszka,P (2563) HUN-ch 70th Budapest 2022 (1)}) 13. Re1 exd4 $1 14. Qxd4 Ne5 $1 {Played after a 20-minute think. Nakamura explained that after, e.g.,} (14... Re8 15. Rxe8+ Qxe8 16. Bd2 {White is threatening Bc3 and Rae1, with a brutal attack against Black's kingside.}) 15. Qe4 Nxf3+ {[#]} 16. Kh1 $1 $146 {Again a computer move that Bluebaum blitzed out. The threat of mate on g7 means the knight can't be captured.} (16. Qxf3 Qh4 17. h3 Qxc4 (17... f5 18. b4 Bd7 19. Bb2 Rae8 20. c5 Qf4 21. Bb3+ Kh7 22. Qxf4 Bxf4 23. Red1 Bc8 24. Re1 Bc7 25. Rad1 g5 26. Bf6 Kg6 27. Be7 Rh8 28. h4 Rh7 29. Bd6 Rxe1+ 30. Rxe1 Bxd6 31. cxd6 gxh4 32. f4 Kf6 33. Kh2 Bd7 34. a4 Rg7 35. a5 b6 36. axb6 axb6 37. Ba2 c5 38. bxc5 bxc5 39. Re5 Rg3 40. Re7 Ra3 41. Bg8 Bc6 42. Rc7 Be4 43. Bc4 Ra8 44. Rf7+ Kg6 45. Re7 Rd8 {1-0 Aradhya,G (2202)-Ghosh,D (2469) IND-ch Rapid Mahilong 2025 (5)}) 18. Re7 Qxc2 19. Rxc7 a5 {is the long line Nakamura had calculated.}) 16... g6 17. Qxf3 Qh4 18. h3 Bd7 $1 (18... Qxc4 {no longer worked, as Nakamura pointed out, giving} 19. Bxh6 Qxc2 $4 20. Qf6 {and checkmate to follow.}) (18... Be6 $2 19. Re4 {is the problem with the natural move.}) 19. Be3 (19. Re4 $2 {can now be met by} Rae8 $3 {with the point that} 20. Rxh4 $4 {runs into} Re1#) 19... Rfe8 20. Rad1 Rad8 21. Bxa7 (21. b3 h5 22. Bh6 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Bb6 24. Kg1) 21... Qxc4 {Nakamura felt the worst was over by this point, but he was in for another shock.} (21... Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Qg5 {is better, in hindsight.}) 22. Bb6 $3 {Just when Nakamura \"thought I was finally out of danger,\" he was hit by this blow. Luckily he noted he has only moves to stay in the game, so they weren't hard to find.} Rxe1+ (22... Bxb6 $4 {loses to} 23. Bb3 $1 {as Black can no longer defend the f7-square with ...Qf4.}) 23. Rxe1 Qxc2 24. Bxc7 Re8 25. Rxe8+ Bxe8 $11 26. Be5 {White retains checkmating threats with the bishop and queen, but Nakamura noted he was more worried by} (26. Qe3 {He also pointed that with no white pawns involved in the attack, there was always likely to be a defense.}) 26... Qb1+ 27. Kh2 Qf5 28. Qe3 Qe6 29. Qd4 g5 30. Bh8 Kf8 31. f4 gxf4 32. Qxf4 Ke7 33. Bg7 (33. Bc3 {was suggested by Nakamura as the last chance to apply pressure.}) 33... h5 {Nakamura breathed a sigh of relief here.} 34. Bc3 Kd7 35. Kh1 b5 36. Ba5 Qd5 37. Qb8 Qd1+ 38. Kh2 Qd6+ 39. Qxd6+ Kxd6 40. Kg3 f6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.05"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D17"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,75,22,23,15,-3,34,31,34,23,27,5,11,-45,36,-9,66,83,51,55,68,68,66,42,82,24,50,40,45,45,26,22,22,33,33,33,21,12,18,18,21,20,19,8,-1,-1,-5,0,-1,0,1,-15,34,-29,-7,-36,0,0,40,-22,-23,-23,-51,-42,-42,-38,-51,-58,-53,-16,-14,-16,-16,-16,-16,-16,-16,-16]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Qc7 $5 {Already a very rare move.} (6... Nbd7 {is vastly more common.} 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. h4 f6 12. Qc1 Be6 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. a5 a6 15. Ra4 O-O-O 16. Bh3 Bxh3 17. Rxh3 Qd7 18. Rh1 Bd6 19. Kf1 h5 20. Kg2 Ng4 21. Rd1 Bxf4 22. Qxf4 Qe6 23. Rad4 Rxd4 24. Rxd4 Qe5 25. b4 Re8 26. Qd2 f5 27. Na4 Nf6 28. Nb6+ Kc7 29. e3 Qe7 30. Qd3 g6 31. Qc4 Rd8 32. Rxd8 Kxd8 33. Qf4 Qe4+ 34. Qxe4 fxe4 35. f3 Ke7 36. fxe4 {1-0 Maghsoodloo,P (2691)-Nakamura,H (2804) Titled Tuesday intern op 01st Jul Late Chess.com INT blitz 2025 (7)}) 7. Nxc4 Na6 {Caruana blitzes out a bold new idea.} 8. f3 Rd8 9. e4 Be6 10. Ne5 ({RR} 10. Be3 Nb4 11. Nd2 a5 12. Be2 g6 13. O-O Bg7 14. Bc4 Bxc4 15. Nxc4 O-O 16. Qb3 Nh5 17. e5 g5 18. Rad1 Nf4 19. Kh1 Ne6 20. Ne4 h6 21. Bf2 Rd7 22. Nb6 Rdd8 23. Nc4 Rd7 24. Nb6 Rdd8 {Vlasak,L (2440)-Bauer,T (2172) Germany GER 2026 ½-½}) 10... Nb4 11. Be3 a5 {[#]} 12. Bc4 $146 ({RR} 12. Rc1 g6 13. f4 Bg7 14. Be2 O-O 15. O-O Nd7 16. Nf3 Nc5 17. d5 b6 18. dxe6 Rxd1 19. exf7+ Kh8 20. Rcxd1 Nc2 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Ng5 Ne3 23. Ne6 Qc8 24. Nxf8 Qxf8 25. e5 {½-½ Kaufman,D (2447)-Atalik,S (2438) Pozarevac Rudar GM 08 2025 (6) ½-½ (25) Akhmedov,D (2447)-Atalik,S (2438) Pozarevac SRB 2025}) (12. Qd2) 12... Nd7 13. Bxe6 Nxe5 $1 14. O-O $1 {Praggnanandhaa had to dig deep, but he found all the best moves—what a position $1} fxe6 15. Bf4 $1 {Strictly the only move, pinning the knight.} Nbd3 $1 {Again the only move—now the tension recedes.} 16. Qxd3 $1 Nxd3 17. Bxc7 Rxd4 18. Rfd1 Rd7 19. Bxa5 {And as Caruana lamented—a fighting opening has resolved into a drawish endgame.} g6 20. Ne2 Bg7 21. Bc3 Bxc3 22. Nxc3 Kf7 23. a5 Rhd8 24. a6 bxa6 25. Rxa6 Rd6 26. h4 Rb8 27. Rd2 h6 28. Nd1 g5 29. h5 Ne5 30. Rxd6 exd6 $11 31. Ra7+ Kf8 32. Kf1 (32. Rh7 $2 Nf7 33. Kf2 Kg8 34. Rxf7 Kxf7 $19) 32... d5 33. exd5 cxd5 34. Ra6 Ke7 35. Ra7+ Kf8 36. Ra6 Ke7 37. Ra7+ Kf8 38. Ra6 {A very well-played game, though as Caruana pointed out, neither play was ever in great danger.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.04"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A14"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,92,22,20,18,6,7,-40,-31,-30,-10,-49,5,-22,1,-11,-16,-3,1,-26,-8,-62,-28,-20,-7,-23,-1,4,47,50,28,-17,3,3,17,7,2,2,11,-17,7,7,-8,12,14,18,17,27,-1,25,24,47,52,30,45,37,38,27,21,29,27,29,34,9,34,22,30,11,5,11,0,13,0,0,0,0,0,-50,-53,-47,0,0,0,0,0,-22,-19,-20,-20,-20,-38,-50,-64,-28,-18]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. b3 c5 7. Bb2 Nc6 8. e3 b6 9. Qe2 Bb7 10. Rd1 {Up to this point Caruana had used less than two minutes on his clock, but the next move sends him into a deep think.} Qd7 $5 {This move is rare compared to A14: English Opening: 1...e6 with b3 by White.} (10... Qc7 {but it's notable it was once played by Mikhail Tal against another legend, Ulf Andersson.}) 11. d4 $1 {Caruana reacts well, but the position nevertheless fizzles out.} cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Qc8 $146 ({Predecessor: RR} 13... Qc7 14. cxd5 Bxd5 15. e4 Bc6 16. Nc3 e5 17. Be3 Rad8 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Rd1 Rxd1+ 20. Qxd1 {½-½ Asadli,V (2572)-Gadimbayli,A (2470) AZE-ch Prelim 75th Nakhchivan 2021 (8)} Qd6 21. f3 Qxd1+ 22. Nxd1 Bb4 23. Kf2 Kf8 24. Bf1 Nd7 25. Bc4 Ke7 26. Ke2 Nf8 27. Bd2 Bxd2 28. Kxd2 {Asadli,V (2572)-Gadimbayli,A (2470) Nakhchivan 2021 ½-½ (37)}) 14. cxd5 Bxd5 15. Nc3 (15. e4 {may have been a try.}) 15... Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qb7+ 17. Qf3 Qxf3+ 18. Kxf3 Rfc8 19. Rd3 Nd7 20. Rdd1 f6 21. Nb5 a6 22. Bb2 axb5 23. Rxd7 Bf8 24. Bd4 b4 25. Bxb6 {White wins a pawn, but the b4-pawn kills the white queenside, so that the extra pawn isn't felt at all.} Ra6 26. Bd8 Rd6 27. Rxd6 Bxd6 $11 28. Bb6 Rc6 29. Ba7 Rc2 30. Bd4 e5 31. Ba7 Kf7 32. e4 Ke6 33. g4 g6 34. Be3 Be7 35. h3 f5 36. gxf5+ gxf5 37. Rc1 {The only way the rook can move is to give up a pawn, and things soon liquidate to a draw.} Rxa2 38. Rc6+ Kd7 39. Rc4 fxe4+ 40. Kxe4 Rb2 41. Kxe5 Rxb3 42. Kd5 Ra3 43. Re4 Ra5+ 44. Kc4 Rh5 45. Bd2 Rxh3 46. Bxb4 Bxb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.05"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D17"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Qc7 (6... Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. h4 f6 12. Qc1 Be6 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. a5 a6 15. Ra4 O-O-O 16. Bh3 Bxh3 17. Rxh3 Qd7 18. Rh1 Bd6 19. Kf1 h5 20. Kg2 Ng4 21. Rd1 Bxf4 22. Qxf4 Qe6 23. Rad4 Rxd4 24. Rxd4 Qe5 25. b4 Re8 26. Qd2 f5 27. Na4 Nf6 28. Nb6+ Kc7 29. e3 Qe7 30. Qd3 g6 31. Qc4 Rd8 32. Rxd8 Kxd8 33. Qf4 Qe4+ 34. Qxe4 fxe4 35. f3 Ke7 36. fxe4 {1-0 Maghsoodloo,P (2691)-Nakamura,H (2804) Titled Tuesday intern op 01st Jul Late Chess.com INT blitz 2025 (7)}) 7. Nxc4 Na6 8. f3 Rd8 9. e4 Be6 10. Ne5 ({RR} 10. Be3 Nb4 11. Nd2 a5 12. Be2 g6 13. O-O Bg7 14. Bc4 Bxc4 15. Nxc4 O-O 16. Qb3 Nh5 17. e5 g5 18. Rad1 Nf4 19. Kh1 Ne6 20. Ne4 h6 21. Bf2 Rd7 22. Nb6 Rdd8 23. Nc4 Rd7 24. Nb6 Rdd8 {Vlasak,L (2440)-Bauer,T (2172) Germany GER 2026 ½-½}) 10... Nb4 {[%CAl Od8d4]} 11. Be3 a5 {[#]} 12. Bc4 $146 (12. Rc1 g6 13. f4 Bg7 14. Be2 O-O 15. O-O Nd7 16. Nf3 Nc5 17. d5 b6 18. dxe6 Rxd1 19. exf7+ Kh8 20. Rcxd1 Nc2 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Ng5 Ne3 23. Ne6 Qc8 24. Nxf8 Qxf8 25. e5 {½-½ Kaufman,D (2447)-Atalik,S (2438) Pozarevac Rudar GM 08 2025 (6)}) (12. Qd2) ({RR} 12. Rc1 g6 13. f4 Bg7 14. Be2 O-O 15. O-O Nd7 16. Nf3 Nc5 17. d5 b6 18. dxe6 Rxd1 19. exf7+ Kh8 20. Rcxd1 Nc2 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Ng5 Ne3 23. Ne6 Qc8 24. Nxf8 Qxf8 25. e5 {½-½ (25) Akhmedov,D (2447)-Atalik,S (2438) Pozarevac SRB 2025}) 12... Nd7 {[%CAl Bf6d7,Bd7e5,Be5d3][%mdl 32]} 13. Bxe6 {[%csl Ge5][%CAl Re6f7]} Nxe5 {[%mdl 64]} 14. O-O $1 {[%CAl Oe3f4]} fxe6 15. Bf4 $1 {[%mdl 64]} Nbd3 16. Qxd3 Nxd3 17. Bxc7 Rxd4 18. Rfd1 Rd7 19. Bxa5 g6 20. Ne2 Bg7 21. Bc3 Bxc3 22. Nxc3 Kf7 23. a5 Rhd8 24. a6 bxa6 25. Rxa6 Rd6 26. h4 Rb8 27. Rd2 h6 28. Nd1 g5 29. h5 Ne5 30. Rxd6 exd6 $11 {[%mdl 4096]} 31. Ra7+ Kf8 32. Kf1 (32. Rh7 $2 Nf7 33. Kf2 Kg8 34. Rxf7 Kxf7 $19) 32... d5 33. exd5 cxd5 34. Ra6 Ke7 35. Ra7+ Kf8 36. Ra6 Ke7 37. Ra7+ Kf8 38. Ra6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.04"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E42"] [WhiteElo "2810"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,46,22,23,29,6,4,4,4,4,36,26,25,13,18,14,29,5,21,12,16,17,17,24,45,12,18,11,11,9,16,8,16,-6,1,1,1,4,16,-24,5,-15,-1,-1,10,-13,10,10,-2]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Nge2 c5 6. a3 Ba5 7. Bd2 O-O 8. d5 exd5 {E42: Nimzo-Indian: Rubinstein: 4...c5 5 Ne2.} 9. Nxd5 Nxd5 {The position is equal.} 10. cxd5 {[#]} Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 Ba6 12. Ng3 Bxf1 13. Kxf1 $146 {We've got an interesting position where White's awkward king potentially gives hope to Black.} ({Predecessor: RR} 13. Nxf1 d6 14. Ng3 Nd7 15. O-O f5 16. Rae1 b5 17. f4 c4 18. e4 fxe4 19. Nxe4 {0-1 Kasparov,S (2462)-Rotstein,A (2557) San Martino di Castrozza op 3rd 2002 (6)} Qb6+ 20. Kh1 Rae8 21. h3 h6 22. Ng3 Nc5 23. f5 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Nd3 25. Re7 Qd4 26. Qc3 Nf2+ 27. Kh2 Qxc3 {Kasparov,S (2462)-Rotstein,A (2557) San Martino di Castrozza 2002 0-1 (53)}) 13... d6 14. h4 Nd7 15. e4 Qf6 16. Re1 g6 17. h5 Ne5 18. Rh3 b5 19. Kg1 c4 20. Qh6 {This is where the forcing play begins. [#]} (20. Rf1 {would have completed \"castling by hand\" for Nakamura, but it's an open question if White would want to play a position such as} Nd3 21. Qh6 Qg7 22. Qg5 Rae8 23. f4 f6 24. Qg4 f5 25. Qh4) 20... Ng4 21. Qd2 Ne5 22. Qh6 Ng4 23. Qd2 Ne5 {After serious thought, Praggnanandhaa takes the draw, putting him 2.5 points behind the leader.} (23... Rae8 {is certainly playable, but if anything the computer gives a slight edge for White.}) (23... h6 $2 {allows White to demonstrate ideas such as} 24. e5 $1 Nxe5 25. Ne4 $1 {with a big advantage.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.04"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "168"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,168,22,-15,6,4,4,-3,4,-23,-16,-54,-11,0,22,-13,-14,-13,1,0,-2,-33,5,7,1,21,18,4,-1,3,19,-1,10,-42,9,2,21,32,35,33,36,15,24,17,27,24,27,33,47,23,34,32,50,39,32,24,75,44,75,27,89,59,112,76,62,69,102,87,87,87,101,97,68,46,97,52,79,67,101,97,52,46,78,33,101,78,105,104,90,67,90,89,104,88,106,73,94,77,88,72,74,71,80,54,50,39,55,45,47,45,39,37,39,45,63,58,59,55,55,7,59,11,7,28,35,31,51,57,59,59,59,44,59,54,59,54,54,52,54,20,52,0,35,-11,-1,-18,-2,-2,20,-2,33,18,54,4,26,-6,14,0,-1,-14,-15,-8,17,-10,-9,-47,-1,0,-1,-21,0]} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 10. h4 h5 11. Nge2 ({Relevant:} 11. Nh3 Nd7 12. Nf4 Bd6 13. g3 a5 14. Kd2 Nb6 15. b3 Kf8 16. Bd3 Kg7 17. Rhg1 Bxd3 18. Nxd3 f5 19. a3 Ra7 20. Rgb1 Rha8 21. Ra2 Kf6 22. Ke2 Ke7 23. Rbb2 Nd7 24. Kf3 Nf6 25. Ne2 Ne4 26. Nef4 Nf6 27. Rc2 Ra6 28. Nc5 R6a7 29. Rab2 Rc8 30. b4 b5 31. Ncd3 Rcc7 32. Rc1 Ra6 33. Rbc2 axb4 34. axb4 Ke8 35. Rb2 Kd8 36. Rc3 Kc8 37. Rbc2 Kb8 38. Rb2 Kc8 39. Rcc2 Rca7 40. Ne2 Nd7 {½-½ Sarana,A (2683)-Martinez Alcantara,J (2656) Shymkent 2026 (9)}) ({RR} 11. Rd1 Nd7 12. Bd3 Rg8 13. Nge2 Bd6 14. Kf1 Bxd3 15. Rxd3 f5 16. g3 Ke7 17. Kg2 Nf6 18. Rdd1 Ne4 19. Nc1 a5 20. N3e2 a4 21. Nd3 Ra5 22. Rc1 Rh8 23. Rc2 Rg8 24. Rb1 Rb5 25. Nef4 Nf6 {Caruana,F (2804)-Dominguez Perez,L (2749) Saint Louis USA 2024 1-0 (55)}) 11... Bd6 12. g3 Nd7 {The position is equal.} 13. Bg2 $146 {[#]} ({RR} 13. Nf4 Kf8 14. f3 Kg7 15. Kf2 Rhe8 16. Be2 Re7 17. Rhe1 Rae8 18. Bf1 Nf8 19. Bh3 Ne6 20. Ng2 Kh6 21. Rg1 Ng7 22. Rad1 Nf5 23. Bxf5 Bxf5 24. Nf4 Bg6 {0-1 (24) Liedl,W (2272)-Salamon,W (2130) Austria 2016}) ({RR} 13. Bh3 O-O-O 14. Nf4 Bxf4 15. exf4 f5 16. Rc1 Kb8 17. b4 Rhe8+ 18. Kd2 Nf6 19. f3 Re6 20. Rhe1 Ne8 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Re1 Bf7 23. g4 hxg4 24. fxg4 fxg4 25. Bxg4 Ng7 26. Re5 Rh8 27. Rg5 Ne8 {Nguyen Quang Anh (2031)-Ejsymont,B (1932) chess.com INT 2025 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 13. Nf4 Kf8 14. Be2 Kg7 15. Kd2 Nf8 16. Bd3 Bxf4 17. gxf4 Bxd3 18. Kxd3 f5 19. b4 a6 20. a4 Kf6 21. Rhg1 Ng6 22. Rg5 Nxh4 23. Rh1 Ng6 24. Rhxh5 Rxh5 25. Rxh5 Ne7 26. Rh6+ Ng6 27. a5 Kg7 {Shuvalova,P (2487)-Ju,W (2563) chess.com INT 2024 ½-½ (37)}) 13... Kf8 $146 ({Predecessor:} 13... a5 14. Bf3 Nb6 15. O-O-O a4 16. Nf4 Nc4 17. Nce2 Be7 18. Nxg6 fxg6 19. Nf4 Kf7 20. Be2 Nd6 21. Bd3 f5 22. Bc2 a3 23. b3 Nb5 24. Ne2 Bb4 25. Rdf1 Bc3 26. Bd3 Bb2+ 27. Kc2 Nd6 28. Nf4 Rae8 29. Re1 Ne4 30. Bxe4 Rxe4 31. Nd3 Rhe8 32. Ne5+ R4xe5 33. dxe5 Bxe5 34. Kd3 Bd6 35. Rc1 Re4 36. Ke2 Bb4 37. Rc2 Re8 38. f3 Re7 39. Kd3 Ba5 40. Re2 Bb6 41. e4 dxe4+ 42. fxe4 Rd7+ 43. Kc2 {1-0 Smietanska,W (2070)-Kampmann,H (2160) Titled Tuesday intern op 08th Oct Early Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (11)}) 14. O-O Kg7 15. a3 a5 16. b3 Rhe8 17. Rfc1 Ra7 18. Na4 Bf5 19. Bf3 Kh6 20. Nb2 Ra6 21. Nc3 {[%CAl Be2c3,Bc3a4,Ba4c5,Bc5d3,Bd3f4][%mdl 32]} Ra7 22. Kg2 Bg6 23. Be2 Rea8 24. Nd3 Bf5 25. Na4 Be4+ 26. Kf1 Bf5 27. Nac5 Nb6 28. Nb2 {[%CAl Bd3b2,Bb2a4,Ba4c3][%mdl 32]} Be7 29. Nba4 Nc8 30. Nd3 Nd6 31. Nc3 Bg6 32. Nf4 Ne8 33. Na4 Nd6 34. Nc5 Ne8 35. Ra2 Bd6 36. Nfd3 Be7 37. Na4 Nd6 38. Nf4 Ne8 39. Nb6 {[%CAl Of4d5]} Rd8 40. Nd3 Nd6 41. Nf4 Re8 42. Kg1 {[%CAl Bf1g1,Bg1h2,Bh2g2][%mdl 32]} Bd8 43. Na4 Be7 44. Bf1 Bf5 45. Nc5 Rea8 46. Kh2 Ne8 47. Na4 Nd6 48. Nc3 Ne8 {[%CAl Bd6e8,Be8f6,Bf6e4][%mdl 32]} 49. Bd3 Bxd3 50. Nxd3 f5 51. Kg2 Nf6 52. Na4 Bd6 53. Nac5 Kg7 54. Rcc2 Ne4 55. Na4 Nf6 56. Nc3 Ne4 57. Ne2 Nf6 58. Nb2 Ne4 59. Na4 Nf6 60. Nac3 Ne4 61. Kf3 Nf6 62. Nf4 Kh6 63. Nd3 Ne4 64. Ne2 Kg7 65. Rc1 Nf6 66. Kg2 Ne4 67. Ne1 Nf6 68. Rd1 Ne4 69. Rd3 Nf6 70. Nc2 Ne4 71. Rb2 Ra6 72. Kf1 Nf6 73. Ra2 Ne4 74. Kg2 R6a7 75. Ne1 Nf6 76. Nf3 Ne4 77. Nd2 Nf6 78. Nb1 Ne4 79. Rb2 Ra6 80. Rd1 Rb6 81. Rc1 Rba6 82. Nec3 Rb6 83. Na4 Rba6 84. Nac3 Rb6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.04"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C28"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2745"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,72,22,22,22,22,22,22,20,17,9,-18,-32,-29,34,6,75,-44,-5,-13,0,5,10,13,9,-30,-17,-35,-9,-75,-75,-57,-3,5,13,13,1,5,-7,0,-16,-27,-31,-31,-6,-46,-46,-46,-23,-25,-25,-46,-60,-143,-129,-145,-140,-128,-124,-118,-118,-98,-178,-170,-177,-185,-176,-150,-150,-153,-153,-252,-252,-252,-588]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 {O GM chinês gosta de jogar essa variante de vez em quando. Com Sindarov demonstrando grande preparação nas aberturas, é natural optar por algo mais tranquilo.} Na5 {Um dos lances principais, capturando o perigoso bispo de casas claras. 4...Bb4 e 4...Bc5 também são muito populares.} (4... Bb4) (4... Bc5) 5. a3 {Um lance raro, forçando as Pretas a capturarem imediatamente o bispo.} (5. Nge2 {é o lance principal.}) (5. Bb3 Nxb3 6. axb3 d5 7. exd5 Bb4 8. Bg5 Qxd5 9. Nf3 {foi jogado em Wei–Artemiev, no TechM GCL rápido de Mumbai 2025.}) (5. Qf3 $5 Nxc4 6. dxc4 d6 7. Nge2 Be7 8. h3 O-O 9. Ng3 c6 10. O-O {levou a uma leve vantagem para as Brancas em Wei–Abdusattorov, no Superbet Rapid de Varsóvia 2024.}) 5... Nxc4 6. dxc4 Bc5 {Alguns jogadores preferem desenvolver o bispo em e7, o que pode ser feito imediatamente ou após ...d7-d6, já que, nesse caso, as Pretas não precisam se preocupar com a cravada em g5 nem com um ataque ao bispo após b2-b4. Mas não há nada de errado com o lance jogado na partida.} (6... d6) ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 6... Be7 7. Nf3 d6 8. Qd3 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. Be3 Be6 11. g4 Nd7 12. Rg1 c6 13. O-O-O a6 14. h4 b5 15. cxb5 axb5 16. g5 h5 17. g6 f6 18. Qe2 Bg4 19. Rxg4 hxg4 20. Nd2 f5 21. exf5 {Klys,K (2265)-Sherwood,F (1907) chess.com INT 2026 1-0 (33)}) 7. Nf3 d6 8. Qd3 {Mark Crowther: 'The position is equal.'} ({Da mesma forma, contra Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 8. Qe2 {as Pretas devem responder com} Be6 $1 (8... h6 $6 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. Qxe3 {permitiu às Brancas trocarem os bispos e alcançarem uma leve vantagem em Dubov–Oparin, no Chess.com Classic Play rapid 2024.} b6 11. O-O-O Be6 12. Nxe5 Qc8 13. Nf3 O-O 14. b3 Re8 15. Nd4 a6 16. f3 Nd7 17. g4 Nc5 18. Rhg1 Kh7 19. f4 b5 20. f5 Bd7 21. g5 Bxf5 22. gxh6 g6 {Dubov,D (2707)-Oparin,G (2676) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (31)})) 8... Be6 $1 {Desenvolvendo e impedindo ...Be3, já que, após a troca, o peão em c4 fica em perigo. Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 8... h6 {permite} 9. Be3 $1 (9. h3 Be6 10. Na4 O-O 11. Bd2 Nd7 12. g4 a6 13. b3 Ba7 14. Rd1 Qe7 15. Qe2 Rfe8 16. Kf1 Nf8 17. Nc3 c6 18. a4 Rad8 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Ng6 21. Kg2 Rd7 22. Rd2 Qd8 23. Rhd1 {Biolek,R (2460)-Van Hoolandt,P (2191) Imperia 2005 1-0 (76)})) ({RR} 8... a6 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nd5 Qd8 12. O-O-O O-O 13. Ne3 Be6 14. h3 Qe8 15. Nd2 b5 16. Rhf1 Bxe3 17. fxe3 Qc6 18. g4 Rfb8 19. Rf2 bxc4 20. Qc3 Rb6 21. Rg1 Rab8 22. h4 Rxb2 23. h5 {Schmidt,D (2071)-Schulz,J (2218) Hannover 2014 0-1 (40)}) 9. Bg5 {A boa e velha cravada é sempre desagradável de enfrentar.} a5 {Impedindo b2-b4. Mark Crowther: 'N' Mark Crowther: 'The best move, preserving the bishop.'} ({Mark Crowther: 'Predecessor:'} 9... h6 {é perigoso, já que após} 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. b4 {As Pretas têm que jogar o bispo em d4, algo que claramente não querem fazer. Em caso de} Bb6 $2 {ele perde uma peça após} (11... Bd4) 12. c5 $1 dxc5 13. bxc5 Bxc5 (13... Rd8 14. Qe2 O-O 15. cxb6 cxb6 {1-0 Horackova,M (2355)-Zimmermann,B (2495) ICCF-Cup6/7 sf corr ICCF corr 1990}) 14. Qb5+) 10. Nd5 c6 $1 {Excelente senso de posição e, de forma alguma, uma decisão óbvia. Acho que muitos jogadores prefeririam capturar em d5, com receio de peões dobrados (um dos conceitos mais superestimados no xadrez).} (10... Bxd5 11. cxd5 {As Brancas provavelmente podem contar com uma pequena vantagem nesse caso, graças à vantagem de espaço.}) 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 12. Bh4 $1 (12. Be3 {Em geral, é bom trocar os bispos quando o adversário tem o par, mas aqui provavelmente é mais importante manter o peão de f6 sob ataque (a principal ideia de 12.Bh4), para prender a dama das Pretas à sua defesa. Aqui é possível jogar} Qb6 {com uma boa posição.}) 12... Rg8 (12... Ke7 {is an engine suggestion, I can see the point but who would really do this?} 13. O-O) 13. O-O a4 {Um lance natural, ganhando espaço na ala da dama.} (13... Ke7 {again is a suggestion. If this line is repeated this could be chosen.} 14. Kh1 a4 15. Nd2 Rg4) 14. b4 $1 axb3 15. cxb3 {Ambos os jogadores estão demonstrando excelente xadrez. As Brancas calcularam corretamente que é possível sacrificar o peão em a3.} Bg4 $5 {Uma ideia muito engenhosa, preparando para capturar o cavalo e colocar o bispo em d4.} (15... Bxa3 {é perigoso para as Pretas após} 16. Ra2 {(preparando para dobrar as torres na coluna a.)} Bc5 (16... Ra6 {provavelmente é melhor, com apenas uma leve vantagem para as Brancas após} 17. Rfa1 Bc5 18. Rxa6 bxa6 19. Rxa6) 17. Bxf6 $1 {Uma ideia tática que restabelece a igualdade material.} Qb8 18. Rxa8 Qxa8 19. Ng5 $1 {com a iniciativa.}) (15... Rxa3 {na verdade é jogável. As Pretas têm uma ideia interessante na linha principal.} 16. Rxa3 Bxa3 17. Ra1 {Este é o lance óbvio, mas talvez colocar a torre em d1 seja melhor.} (17. Rd1 $1 {Isso ameaça capturar em e5 e mantém alguma iniciativa.}) 17... Bc5 {Mark Crowther: 'is about equal.'} 18. Bxf6 $1 {Parece que as Pretas estão em apuros, mas após} Rxg2+ $1 (18... Qxf6 $2 19. Ra8+ {perde material.}) 19. Kxg2 Qxf6 {Há uma compensação bastante razoável pela qualidade sacrificada. Os bispos são poderosos e o rei das Brancas está inseguro.}) (15... Qd7 $5) 16. b4 (16. Kh1 $5 Rg6 17. a4 Qd7 18. Bg3 f5 19. Nh4 fxe4 20. Qxe4 Rg8) 16... Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Bd4 {Mark Crowther: 'and white has a decision to make.'} 18. Bxf6 {É difícil criticar esse lance, embora o computador não goste tanto assim. Mas como um humano resistiria a capturar um peão livre enquanto ataca a dama $2 A alternativa é mover a torre primeiro e só depois pensar nesse peão. Mark Crowther: '?!'} (18. Ra2) (18. Rab1) (18. Rad1) 18... Qd7 {As Brancas estão com um peão a mais, mas o problema é que não conseguirão manter a vantagem material por muito tempo.} 19. Rad1 {Mark Crowther: '?'} (19. Ra2 Qe6 20. Rc2 {Essa sequência natural leva a uma posição perdida para as Brancas e demonstra o potencial da posição das Pretas.} Rg6 21. Bh4 Qg4 $1 22. Qxg4 Rxg4 23. Bg3 Rxe4 {Seguido de f5-f4 ou h5-h4, com vantagem decisiva.}) 19... Qe6 $1 {O peão de c4 não pode ser defendido.} 20. h3 {Um lance útil, dando uma casa de escape ao rei.} (20. h4) 20... Qxc4 (20... Rg6 {é mais preciso, evitando um possível sacrifício de qualidade em d4. Após Mark Crowther: '!?'} 21. Bh4 {Mark Crowther: '?'} Qxc4 {As Pretas têm uma leve vantagem, já que o bispo em d4 é muito forte. Mark Crowther: '='}) 21. Rd3 (21. Rxd4 $1 {Esse sacrifício de qualidade é uma excelente tentativa prática, mas entendo que seja muito difícil escolher esse lance durante a partida. Mark Crowther: 'seems to equalise.'} exd4 (21... Qxd4 22. Rd1 Rxa3 $1 {Um contra-ataque necessário, caso contrário a posição das Pretas se torna perigosa.} (22... Qc4 23. Rxd6 Qc1+ 24. Kh2 Qf4+ 25. Qxf4 exf4 {Aqui, apenas as Brancas estão pensando na vitória.}) 23. Rxd4 Rxf3 24. Rxd6 Rxf6 25. Rxf6 Ke7 {com um final de torres que deve terminar em empate com o melhor jogo.} 26. Rf5) 22. Rd1 {O peão de d será capturado no próximo lance (é ruim para as Pretas jogar 22...c5, pois 23.e5 é devastador), quando as Brancas têm compensação total pela qualidade.}) 21... Qe6 22. Rfd1 (22. Rxd4 $5 {Mais uma vez, as Brancas podem considerar o sacrifício de qualidade. Mark Crowther: 'again is probably best.'} exd4 23. Bxd4 O-O-O 24. Re1) 22... Rg6 (22... c5 $5 {As Pretas poderiam evitar o sacrifício típico e começar a avançar na ala da dama.}) 23. Bh4 (23. Rxd4 {é possível novamente.} exd4 (23... Rxf6 {leva a um final empatado após} 24. Qg3 Rg6 25. Rxd6 Qxd6 26. Rxd6 Rxg3 27. fxg3 Rxa3 28. b5) 24. Bxd4 {com compensação.} O-O-O 25. Kh2 Re8 26. g3 Qxe4 27. Qxf7 {with complications.}) 23... Kf8 (23... c5 {é novamente um bom plano. Mark Crowther: '!'}) 24. Qh5 (24. Rb1) 24... Kg8 (24... c5 {is interesting.} 25. Bg5 c4 26. Rf3 Rc8) 25. Kh1 (25. Rf3 Rh6 26. Qg5+ Rg6 27. Qf5) 25... c5 $1 {As Brancas estão agora em grandes dificuldades posicionais. As Pretas têm um plano de ação claro, enquanto não está evidente o que as Brancas podem fazer. Para piorar a situação, Wei Yi estava com pouco tempo no relógio.} 26. f4 {Wei Yi é um jogador de ataque, então tenta desesperadamente criar algumas chances ativas. Acho que foi uma boa decisão prática. Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'In a difficult position this doesn't improve things.'} (26. bxc5 dxc5 {É importante capturar com o peão, já que avançá-lo rumo à promoção é o plano vencedor.} 27. Qe2) 26... exf4 27. Qf3 Re8 $6 {Uma imprecisão rara de Sindarov não apenas nesta partida, mas em todo o torneio até agora. Mark Crowther: 'Not bad but not the best and allows Wei Yi back in the game.'} (27... Be5 $1 {é mais forte, quando as Pretas consolidam um peão a mais e ficam com uma posição praticamente ganha. Mark Crowther: 'is very strong.'}) 28. Bf2 $1 {Após a troca de bispos, as fraquezas de peões de ambos os lados se acentuam, e a possibilidade de simplificação ajuda as Brancas. Como é bem conhecido, ao defender um final, o lado defensor deve acolher as trocas de peões.} Bxf2 29. Qxf2 Qxe4 30. Rxd6 $2 {[%eval -372,14] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Um erro fatal. Mark Crowther: 'The losing move.'} (30. bxc5 $1 {[%eval -44,20] [%wdl 0,973,27] é necessário, quando após Mark Crowther: '?'} dxc5 31. Rf3 $1 {O peão de f4 é capturado e as Brancas têm excelentes chances de empate.} Qe2 32. Rd8 $1 {is the saving idea.}) 30... Rxd6 {Mark Crowther: '-+'} 31. Rxd6 {Mark Crowther: '='} Qe3 $1 {As Brancas não podem trocar as damas, pois o peão passado em e3 é decisivo. Assim, precisam perder um tempo movendo a dama, enquanto o peão de c começa a avançar. Mark Crowther: 'Sindarov didn't take long to play this.'} 32. Qf3 (32. Qxe3 fxe3 {Aqui, as Pretas vencem forçado:} 33. Rd1 c4 34. Kg1 e2 35. Re1 c3 36. Kf2 c2 37. a4 Rd8 $1 {seguido de Td1.}) (32. Qh4 {Wei Yi picked up his Queen and almost played this move before realising it just lost and putting it back on its original square.} Qg3 {wins.} (32... f3 33. Qg4+ Kf8 34. Qxf3 Qxf3 35. gxf3 c4 {is maybe what Wei Yi originally analysed.})) 32... c4 $1 33. Qg4+ Kf8 34. Rd1 {Mark Crowther: 'Black is clearly winning.'} c3 35. Qg5 {[%eval -856,15] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Tentando um último recurso. Mark Crowther: 'There's no fixing white's position but this now ends the game almost immediately.'} (35. Qf5 $142 {[%eval -485,16] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} Qg3 36. Rg1) 35... f3 $1 {Sindarov é um calculista magnífico e finaliza a partida com estilo. Mark Crowther: '-+'} (35... c2 $4 {permite xeque perpétuo.} 36. Qh6+ Kg8 (36... Ke7 37. Qd6#) 37. Qg5+) 36. Qxe3 Rxe3 {Mark Crowther: 'and one of the pawns will queen.'} (36... Rxe3 {As Pretas vencem com facilidade, por exemplo:} 37. gxf3 c2 38. Rc1 Re2 39. Kg1 Rd2 {seguido de Td1.}) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.07"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2745"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,48,22,-15,4,-40,-40,-32,-28,-32,8,-11,16,23,16,-26,13,-13,10,19,25,25,42,23,29,37,32,33,29,57,53,51,76,64,64,55,47,50,71,66,66,66,100,70,61,68,77,68,69,69,71]} 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bd6 {This modern approach is quite fashionable, even running to Chessable courses.} 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 Nc6 7. e3 ({Relevant:} 7. a3 a5 8. Qc2 a4 9. c5 Be7 10. Nc3 Bd7 11. Bf4 Nh5 12. Bd2 f5 13. Nxa4 g5 14. e3 g4 15. Ne1 Nxd4 16. exd4 Bxa4 17. b3 Bb5 18. Nd3 Nf6 19. a4 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 Qd7 21. a5 Ne4 22. b4 c6 23. Bf4 Bf6 24. Rab1 h5 25. Rfd1 h4 26. Qe3 Kf7 27. Bxe4 dxe4 28. Bd6 Rh8 29. Rb2 Kg6 30. Rdb1 Qg7 31. Rd1 Rh5 32. Qb3 hxg3 33. Bxg3 Qd7 34. Ra2 Qd5 35. Qxd5 exd5 36. b5 cxb5 {0-1 Lazavik,D (2605)-Carlsen,M (2840) London SpeedChess Final blitz 2026 (1.10)}) ({RR} 7. b3 dxc4 8. bxc4 e5 9. c5 Be7 10. dxe5 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Ne4 12. Ba3 Bxc5 13. Bxc5 Nxc5 14. Nc3 Be6 15. Nb5 Bc4 16. Nxc7 Rac8 17. Rdc1 Na5 18. Nd2 Rxc7 19. Nxc4 Nab3 20. axb3 Nxb3 21. Rcb1 Nxa1 {Giri,A (2777)-Artemiev,V (2699) chess24.com INT 2021 0-1 (35)}) 7... Re8 {This seems to be a new move, and got Esipenko thinking.} 8. Nbd2 $146 {[#]} ({RR} 8. b3 dxc4 9. bxc4 e5 10. Bb2 exd4 11. exd4 Bf5 12. Na3 Qd7 13. Nb5 Na5 14. Nxd6 cxd6 15. Rc1 Rac8 16. d5 Ne4 17. Qd4 f6 18. Nh4 Nc5 19. Nxf5 Qxf5 20. Ba3 b6 21. Qh4 Qg5 22. Qd4 Nab7 {Ambartsumova,K (2385)-Ter Sahakyan,S (2613) chess.com INT 2026 0-1 (74)}) ({RR} 8. Re1 a5 9. a3 h6 10. Nfd2 b6 11. Nc3 Bf8 12. b3 Bb7 13. Bb2 dxc4 14. bxc4 e5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. f4 Nc5 17. Nde4 Nd3 18. Re2 Nxb2 19. Qxd8 Rexd8 20. Rxb2 a4 21. c5 Na5 22. cxb6 Nc4 {Yeletsky,I (2460)-Bardyk,A (2332) Sochi RUS 2025 ½-½ (117)}) 8... a5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 8... b6 9. b3 Qe7 10. a3 a5 11. Bb2 Bb7 12. Qc2 h6 13. Rfc1 Qd8 14. Ne5 Ne7 15. Nd3 Nf5 16. c5 Be7 17. Ne5 Rb8 18. b4 bxc5 19. dxc5 axb4 20. axb4 Ba8 21. Ra4 Nd7 22. Nxd7 Qxd7 23. c6 Qd8 24. Qb3 Bf6 25. Bxf6 Qxf6 26. b5 Nd6 27. Bf1 Qd8 28. Qb4 Nc8 29. Qc5 Nb6 30. Ra6 g6 31. Rca1 Kg7 32. Ra7 e5 33. e4 dxe4 34. Nxe4 Re6 35. h4 Re8 36. R1a6 g5 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. Qe3 {1-0 Fischer,S (1927)-Frenzel,L (1609) GER OS-518 email GER email 2024}) 9. b3 a4 10. Bb2 Bb4 11. a3 Bxd2 12. Nxd2 axb3 13. Qxb3 Na5 14. Qc2 Bd7 15. Rfc1 {It was at this point that Sindarov stopped to think for 15 minutes and concluded his best option was to sacrifice the pawn on c7.} (15. Rfe1) 15... dxc4 (15... Bc6 {was his original plan, but he didn't like:} 16. cxd5 exd5 (16... Bxd5 {Sindarov described this as impossible. White can continue with} 17. e4 $1 {or just taken the pawn on c7.}) 17. Bc3 {Sindarov feared White's plan of bringing this bishop to b4.}) 16. Nxc4 Bc6 17. Nxa5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 {[#] And now Nc4 would win.} Qd5+ 19. Kg1 Rxa5 20. Qxc7 {White has picked up a pawn, but has a bad bishop, while the f6-knight can become a monster if it ever gets to h3 or f3.} h5 21. Qe5 {An exchange of queens kills Black's attacking intentions.} Qd8 22. Qc7 {The position is equal.} Qd5 {Esipenko here decides simply to concede a draw, though he could have chosen to play on.} 23. Qe5 (23. Bc3 Raa8 24. Qe5 Qf3 25. Qf4 Qd5 26. h4 {doesn't look particularly convincing for White, but as they say, a pawn is a pawn $1}) 23... Qd8 24. Qc7 Qd5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.07"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C28"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,103,20,20,20,17,17,17,9,9,18,15,48,43,32,-2,32,30,32,27,29,27,60,49,63,40,45,49,38,9,20,23,44,12,29,13,8,-1,-9,-6,-6,-6,-17,-51,43,18,103,38,38,41,41,41,43,8,18,-30,58,-16,53,81,77,81,60,42,73,89,111,111,111,93,93,87,87,87,1,29,29,31,31,31,31,31,120,31,54,32,85,19,17,17,17,17,17,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Nc6 4. d3 Bb4 5. Nf3 d5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Bxc3 8. bxc3 Bg4 9. Re1 ({RR} 9. Ba3 Nxc3 10. Qe1 Bxf3 11. gxf3 Nd5 12. Rb1 Qg5+ 13. Kh1 O-O-O 14. Rg1 Qh5 15. Rg3 f5 16. Rb5 f4 17. Rg4 Nd4 18. Qe4 Nxb5 19. Bxd5 Rxd5 20. Qxd5 Nxa3 21. Rxg7 Rd8 22. Qe6+ Kb8 23. Kg2 Qe8 {Duda,J (2732)-Alekseenko,K (2679) chess.com INT 2024 ½-½ (36)}) ({RR} 9. Bd2 O-O 10. a4 a6 11. h3 Bh5 12. Re1 Re8 13. a5 h6 14. Bb3 Qd7 15. Ba4 Nf4 16. Bxf4 exf4 17. Rxe8+ Rxe8 18. d4 Qf5 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Qd3 Qxd3 21. cxd3 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rd8 23. Rb1 c5 {Schmakel,S (2449)-Ringoir,T (2525) Middleton, WI USA 2025 ½-½ (38)}) 9... O-O 10. Bd2 Bh5 $146 {C28: Vienna Game: 2...Nf6 3 Bc4 Nc6.} ({Predecessor:} 10... Qd6 11. Rb1 Bh5 12. h3 Rad8 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nh4 Nb6 15. Bb3 Na5 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Qf3 c6 18. c4 Nxb3 19. Rxb3 {1-0 Aronian,L (2745)-Giri,A (2768) Warsaw Superbet Rapid 2023 (3)}) ({RR} 10... Re8 11. Rb1 (11. h3 Bh5 12. Rb1 Nb6 13. Bb5 Qd6 14. g4 Bg6 15. Nh4 Rad8 16. Bg5 f6 17. Be3 Nd5 18. Qd2 a6 19. Bxc6 Qxc6 20. Nxg6 hxg6 21. c4 {½-½ (21) Roeberg,F (2265)-Taggatz,M (2205) Austria 2000}) 11... Nb6 12. Bb3 Qf6 13. Re4 Bh5 14. Qe2 Bg6 15. Re3 Re7 16. Bc1 Qd6 17. Nh4 Nd5 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Bxd5 Qxd5 20. Rb3 Rae8 21. f3 b6 22. Qe1 Na5 23. c4 Qd6 24. Rb1 Nc6 25. c3 {Emms,J (2305)-Condie,M (2410) Southampton 1986 0-1 (39)}) 11. a4 Kh8 12. a5 Rb8 13. Bb5 {[#]} Nde7 14. Ra4 {and g4 would now be decisive} Qd5 15. Bc4 Qd6 16. Bc1 f6 {[%eval 66,17] [%wdl 167,833,0]} (16... f5 $11 {[%eval 0,17] [%wdl 9,982,9]} 17. Qe2 b5 18. axb6 cxb6) 17. Ba3 $14 Qd7 {[#]} 18. Bb5 {[%eval 6,20] [%wdl 12,982,6] A strong pair of Bishops.} (18. Bb3 $1 $16 {[%eval 78,19] [%wdl 263,737,0]}) 18... Rfd8 $11 19. Rh4 Bf7 {[%eval 59,17] [%wdl 125,874,1]} ({Better is} 19... Qf5 $11 {[%eval -30,19] [%wdl 2,963,35]}) 20. Bxe7 $1 $14 Qxe7 21. d4 {Repels Qc5} Bg6 22. a6 Qd6 23. Bd3 Bxd3 24. Qxd3 h6 25. axb7 {White is more active.} Rxb7 26. g4 Kg8 27. Rh5 Qd7 28. h3 (28. dxe5 $2 Qxg4+ 29. Kf1 Rxd3 $19) 28... Qf7 {Dodges Qg6} 29. Qe4 Qd5 30. Qe2 Re8 31. c4 Qf7 32. Qe4 {Counterplay Black} (32. dxe5 {simplifies} Nxe5 33. Nxe5 Rxe5 34. Rxe5 fxe5 35. Rd1) 32... Qxc4 {The position is equal.} 33. Rxh6 $3 {Not a killer move, but probably not what you want to face with Black when you have eight minutes on your clock.} gxh6 {The good news for Bluebaum, however, is that his replies are forced.} 34. Qg6+ Kf8 35. Qxf6+ (35. Qxh6+ $6 Ke7 36. dxe5 Kd8 (36... Qxc2 $2 37. exf6+ Kd7 38. Qg7+ {[%mdl 64] Deflection} Kd6 39. f7 $18) 37. Rd1+ Kc8 38. exf6 Rb6 $17 (38... Qxc2 39. Rd2 $17)) 35... Kg8 (35... Qf7 $2 {leaves the c6-knight undefended, but it's worse than that.} 36. Qxh6+ Kg8 37. Ng5 $1 {Now White is winning.} (37. Qxc6 {is likely a draw.}) 37... Qd5 38. Qg6+ Kf8 39. Nh7+ Ke7 40. Qg5+ Kd6 41. Nf6 {is not the kind of thing Black wants to contemplate.}) 36. Qg6+ (36. Qxh6 Re7 37. Qg6+ (37. dxe5 $2 Qxc2 38. Kg2 Rb2 $19) 37... Kf8 $17) 36... Kf8 37. Qf6+ Kg8 38. Qg6+ Kf8 39. Qxh6+ ({Of course not} 39. dxe5 $6 {too greedy.} Re6 (39... Qe6 40. Qh7 Rd8 $17) 40. Qf5+ Ke8 $19) 39... Kg8 40. Qg6+ Kf8 41. Qf6+ Kg8 42. Ng5 {Wei plays on instead of forcing an immediate draw.} Nxd4 $1 {A key move. It was clear that Bluebaum had most of the rest of the game worked out.} 43. Qg6+ Kf8 44. Qf6+ Kg8 45. Qg6+ Kf8 46. Qh6+ Ke7 $1 {Essential.} (46... Kg8 $2 47. Qh7+ Kf8 48. Qh8+ Ke7 49. Qxe5+ {and Black is busted.}) 47. Rxe5+ Kd8 48. Qf6+ {It turns out that this is equal and white has nothing better than to repeat.} Kd7 49. Qg7+ Kd8 {The king has to keep defending the rook.} 50. Qf6+ Kd7 51. Qg7+ Kd8 52. Qf6+ {A great fight $1} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.07"] [Round "8.3"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D24"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Mark Crowther"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,87,20,23,18,4,13,4,4,4,42,20,45,51,74,74,109,83,64,52,59,52,46,12,70,51,49,49,37,28,9,29,44,9,34,52,52,52,57,63,53,53,55,55,55,77,60,66,43,65,76,66,66,12,29,16,13,-13,12,2,44,44,50,25,27,43,43,57,57,57,50,61,142,146,168,138,110,92,174,130,55,350,413,441,446,446,446,235,261,230]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 b5 6. e5 Nd5 {[#]} 7. Nxb5 Nb6 8. Be2 {White is slightly better.} Be7 9. O-O O-O {Giri checked with Praggnanandhaa after the game if he hadn't mixed up his prep. The Indian hadn't, but he was surprised by the novelty that followed.} ({RR} 9... Nc6 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Rd1 Rb8 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. Qf4 Nb4 14. Qg4 Kh8 15. Ne4 f5 16. exf6 gxf6 17. Nc5 Rg8 18. Qxe6 Bc8 19. Qe4 Rg4 20. Qb1 Qd5 21. Be3 Bf5 22. Qc1 Nc2 23. g3 Rbg8 24. Ne1 {Mamedyarov,S (2738)-Tabatabaei,M (2675) chess.com INT 2023 0-1}) 10. a4 $1 {Black is already under heavy pressure.} ({RR} 10. Qc2 Ba6 11. a4 Nc6 12. Rd1 Qd7 13. Be3 Kh8 14. h3 Rab8 15. Nc3 Nb4 16. Qb1 N6d5 17. Ne4 Nxe3 18. fxe3 Nd3 19. Bxd3 cxd3 20. Nf2 Rb3 21. Nxd3 Rfb8 22. Nfe1 Qd5 23. Nf4 Qb7 24. Ned3 Qe4 {Hurov,D (1632)-Dubnevych,M (2320) Lviv UKR 2026 0-1 (38)}) 10... Ba6 11. Na3 $1 $146 {Judit Polgar and David Howell wondered if Praggnanandhaa had underestimated this retreat, taking aim at the c4-pawn.} ({Predecessor: RR} 11. b3 cxb3 12. Qxb3 c6 13. Nc3 Bxe2 14. Nxe2 N8d7 15. Nf4 Nd5 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. a5 {1-0 Tilicheev,V (2540)-Lagunow,R (2428) Pfalz op 10th Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2019 (5)} f6 18. exf6 Bxf6 19. Bf4 Nc5 20. Qb5 Ne4 21. Rac1 Qe8 22. Qb7 Qa4 23. Rc7 Rab8 24. Qxa7 Ra8 25. Qb7 Rfb8 {Tilicheev,V (2540)-Lagunow,R (2428) Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2019 1-0 (34)}) ({RR} 11. Be3 Nc6 12. Nd2 Bxb5 13. axb5 Nxd4 14. Nxc4 Nf5 15. Bf4 Nd5 16. Bd2 Bc5 17. Na5 Nd4 18. Bc4 Bb6 19. Qg4 f5 20. exf6 Nxf6 21. Qd1 Qe8 22. Nb3 Nxb5 23. Qe2 Nd6 24. Qxe6+ Kh8 25. Bc3 Qxe6 {Stern,R (2531)-Lagunow,R (2409) Germany 2018 ½-½ (42)}) 11... c5 12. a5 Nd5 {Removing one defender of c4.} 13. Bxc4 Qxa5 $6 {A bold decision, but safer was This leaves black on the back foot.} (13... Bxc4 14. Nxc4 Nc6 15. dxc5 Bxc5 {and playing a healthy position, even if a pawn down. was probably a better way of going about things.}) 14. Nc2 Qb6 {Now the queen is awkwardly tied to defending the black bishop.} 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Re1 (16. dxc5 {seems wilder.} Bxc5 17. b4 $1 {is a strong alternative.} Bxb4 $2 {isn't possible due to} (17... Be7 18. Re1) 18. Nxb4 Qxb4 19. Ba3 $1) 16... Bb7 {[%eval 107,19] [%wdl 589,411,0]} ({Better is} 16... Bc8 $14 {[%eval 51,21] [%wdl 80,919,1]}) 17. Bg5 $5 {Giri called this \"such a lazy move\" and in general said he made a lot of lazy decisions, but you could also call them pragmatic—gaining an edge on the clock counts as well.} (17. Ne3 cxd4 18. Nf5 $1 {is one try for more.}) 17... Bxg5 18. Nxg5 {And now e6 would win.} h6 19. dxc5 {White has a strong passed pawn} Qxc5 20. Nf3 Nc6 21. Ncd4 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 (22. Qxd4 Rfc8 $11) 22... Bc8 23. Qd2 {White is much more active. The black rooks are passive.} Rb8 24. Rec1 (24. b3 $5) 24... Qb6 25. b3 {The knight is a beautiful piece on d4, but there's still work to do.} Bd7 26. h3 Rfc8 27. Rd1 Rc5 28. Kh2 a5 29. f4 f6 $6 {A weakening move, though with a concrete plan which could have paid off. In real terms this is what puts black in trouble.} (29... Rbc8 $11 {is sounder.}) 30. Re1 Re8 (30... Qb4 31. Qf2 fxe5 32. Rxe5 Rf8) 31. Re2 fxe5 32. fxe5 Qc7 33. Rae1 a4 34. bxa4 Bxa4 35. Kh1 {The moment of truth. Black can save the day here, but only with what Giri called \"such a high-class exercise.\" The engine's don't think white is much better, if at all. But black getting the Ba5 into the game or not will decide this game.} Qf7 $2 {[%eval 162,21] [%wdl 981,19,0] Now the e-pawn essentially becomes unstoppable. This move loses the game for Black.} (35... Bb5 $1 $11 {[%eval 28,20] [%wdl 10,990,0] and Black stays safe.} 36. Re3 Ba4 $3 {actually holds. The point is that Black wants to play ...Bc2-e4 and then grab the pawn on e5. Stopping that with} 37. R3e2 {would just be a draw by repetition.} (37. e6 Bc2 38. e7 Be4 39. Ne6 Qxe7 40. Nxc5 Qxc5 {is one way of playing on, but it's very unlikely White can win this position.})) 36. e6 $1 $18 Qg6 {[%eval 220,18] [%wdl 999,1,0]} (36... Qc7 $16 {[%eval 151,19] [%wdl 961,39,0]} 37. Re5 Bc2) 37. Rf2 Rc4 38. Rf4 h5 $2 {[%eval 374,17] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} ({A quiet move such as} 38... Kh7 {[%eval 195,19] [%wdl 998,2,0] is more resilient, but Black's position remains borderline lost. is a better defense.} 39. e7 Rc7) 39. Qf2 Bc2 {Praggnanandhaa finally implements the play with ...Bc2-e4, but the e-pawn is too far gone. Too late.} 40. e7 {White is clearly winning.} Be4 41. Rf8+ Kh7 42. Rxe8 Qxe8 {[#]} 43. Rxe4 $3 {Winning in style $1 Not a hard calculation for Giri.} (43. Qf8 Rc8 44. Ne6 {also works.}) 43... dxe4 44. Qf5+ $1 {Here Praggnanandhaa waited for Giri to return to the table and then resigned.} (44. Qf5+ g6 45. Qf8 Rc8 46. Ne6 $1 {White threatens checkmate with Ng5.} Qxf8 47. exf8=Q Rxf8 48. Nxf8+) (44. Qf5+ {If the king moves to plausible squares, the rook will be picked up by check e.g.} Kg8 45. Qe6+ Kh8 46. Qxc4) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.07"] [Round "8.4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2810"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "133"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,133,22,-15,15,14,14,-24,-10,-41,-35,-25,-3,-13,9,-4,-26,-19,-15,-15,13,-25,15,35,24,44,36,9,16,4,44,48,43,37,37,33,29,37,61,32,32,24,25,19,56,69,35,35,32,33,33,43,51,27,35,36,40,41,46,46,37,57,57,32,22,22,22,6,6,6,6,6,64,95,95,87,97,72,56,71,103,110,102,35,108,89,135,131,195,207,216,216,222,217,220,225,224,224,230,230,231,226,230,231,231,216,227,231,231,232,247,231,231,226,210,225,228,228,226,225,226,226,225,227,225,220,225,224,224,203,209,210,231,267,292,287]} 1. c4 {Mark Crowther} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bf4 {Uma variante sólida da Abertura Inglesa. Este é apenas o sexto lance mais popular para as Brancas.} (6. g3) (6. e4) (6. a3) 6... d5 $1 {A melhor maneira de jogar em busca da igualdade.} 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Bd2 {As Brancas têm uma estrutura de peões ligeiramente superior, mas as Pretas têm bom desenvolvimento, e isso é suficiente para igualar.} Bb4 10. Qa4 {Caruana provavelmente não esperava essa abertura, e muito menos esse lance, já que pensou por 20 minutos.} ({RR} 10. a3 {Mark Crowther} Bxc3 11. bxc3 O-O 12. e4 Nf6 13. Qc2 e5 14. Be2 Be6 15. Be3 Qa5 16. O-O Rab8 17. c4 Rfd8 18. h3 h6 19. Rfc1 Rd7 20. Bd3 Nh5 21. Qc3 Qxc3 22. Rxc3 Nf4 23. Bf1 Rb2 24. Re1 a5 {Erigaisi,A (2775)-Niemann,H (2725) Kolkata IND 2026 1-0 (58)}) 10... a5 {Uma novidade que certamente foi criada sobre o tabuleiro. Mark Crowther: 'N'} ({Mark Crowther: 'RR'} 10... Qb6 {é o lance crítico. Uma partida importante seguiu com:} 11. a3 Bxc3 12. bxc3 O-O (12... Qb2 {Mark Crowther} 13. Rc1 O-O 14. e4 Nf6 15. Bd3 Rd8 16. Bc2 Rb8 17. e5 Rb5 18. O-O Rxd2 19. exf6 gxf6 20. Qe4 Rf5 21. Qg4+ Rg5 22. Qe4 Rf5 23. Qg4+ Rg5 24. Qe4 {½-½ (24) Romanov,E (2654)-Erdos,V (2661) Germany 2014}) 13. e4 Nf6 14. Bd3 Ng4 15. O-O Rd8 16. Qc2 Ba6 17. Bxa6 Qxa6 {com igualdade em Niemann–Vidit, Charity Cup do Chess24, rápido 2022.} 18. Bf4 {Mark Crowther} Qc4 19. Rfd1 e5 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1 h5 23. Bg5 Qxc3 24. h3 Nf6 25. Qd8+ {Niemann,H (2642)-Vidit,S (2723) chess24.com INT 2022 ½-½ (40)}) ({Predecessor:} 10... Rb8 {Mark Crowther} 11. e4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Ba5 13. Rd1 O-O 14. Be2 Qc7 15. O-O Bb7 16. g3 Rbd8 17. Qc4 Bb6 {½-½ Artemiev,V (2700)-Grischuk,A (2742) RUS-chT 29th Sochi 2022 (7.4)}) 11. e4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Be7 13. Be2 (13. Qxc6+ {é ganancioso demais. As Pretas têm excelente compensação pelo peão após} Bd7 14. Qc4 O-O) 13... O-O 14. Bf4 Ba6 15. Bxa6 Rxa6 {Caruana conseguiu igualar a partida e, em circunstâncias normais, não deveria ter tido dificuldades para fazer o empate. No entanto, recentemente Nakamura tem se mostrado um adversário complicado para ele quando joga de Pretas, e esse fator psicológico, ou talvez o fato de já não ter mais chances de vitória, provavelmente prejudicou seu jogo.} 16. Rd1 Qb6 17. O-O Qb5 18. Qc2 {Nakamura disse em seu vídeo de análise que já tinha tudo isso preparado previamente.} Bc5 (18... Qc4 {foi o lance que Nakamura havia estudado, impedindo c3-c4. $146ão é o mais preciso, já que após} 19. Rd4 $1 {As Brancas podem retirar a dama.}) (18... Rb6 $1 {é o melhor, quando as Pretas igualam sem problemas. A ideia é responder a c3-c4 com a dama indo para b2.} 19. Rb1 {Atacando a dama, mas retirando a torre da importante coluna d.} (19. Rd7 Bc5) (19. c4 Qb2) 19... Qa6 {com chances iguais.}) 19. c4 $1 Qb7 20. Be5 {Embora o computador ainda aponte igualdade, na prática a posição das Brancas é mais confortável e há chances de jogar por algo além do empate. Esse tipo de “igualdade” é aquele que estamos acostumados a ver terminando em vitória para Carlsen em tantas partidas.} Qe7 (20... f6 {é possível, mas as Brancas mantêm alguma pressão após} 21. Bd6 Bxd6 22. Rxd6) 21. Qd3 {Mark Crowther: 'Black has equality but his position is harder to play. What Nakamura does from now on is extremely impressive.'} f6 {A sétima fileira será a ruína das Pretas nesta partida. Sabendo disso, é possível recomendar um lance diferente aqui. Mark Crowther: '?!' Mark Crowther: 'If we're looking for where black went wrong then maybe this isn't wise.'} (21... h6 $5 22. Qg3 (22. Bd6 {Mark Crowther} Bxd6 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Rxd6 Rb8 $11) 22... Qg5 23. Rd7 (23. Qc3 {também é possível.}) 23... Qxg3 24. hxg3 Rb6 {As Pretas estão perto do empate.}) 22. Bd6 Bxd6 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Rxd6 {Mark Crowther: '=' Mark Crowther: 'The engine gives equality, but this is not easy for Caruana at all.'} Rb8 25. Rxe6 (25. h4 $5 {também é possível, primeiro dando um pouco de ar ao rei, mas é difícil resistir à tentação de simplesmente capturar o peão.}) 25... Rb2 (25... Kf7 {leva a um empate fácil após} 26. Rd6 Ra7 $1 27. Rxc6 Rb2 {O peão em a2 será capturado e as Pretas ficam ativas com um peão passado distante.}) 26. Re7 Rab6 27. Ra7 {Mark Crowther: '!' Mark Crowther: 'An extremely good practical chance.'} (27. h4 {Mark Crowther} Rb7 $11) 27... Rxa2 $2 {O verdadeiro início dos problemas das Pretas.} (27... Rb7 $1 {É importante controlar a sétima fileira.} 28. Rxa5 R7b4 29. g3 Rxc4 {Apesar de estarem com um peão a menos, as torres das Pretas são muito ativas.}) 28. h3 $1 (28. h4 {é menos preciso, já que o peão pode ser atacado por uma torre preta mais adiante.}) 28... h5 $2 {[%eval 298,16] [%wdl 1000,0,0] O lance perdedor.} (28... Rab2 $1 {[%eval 76,18] [%wdl 170,830,0] era necessário, quando após Mark Crowther: '?' Mark Crowther: 'At some point Caruana had to give up material to cover his second rank, after which he would probably have held.'} 29. Rxa5 Rb7 {As Pretas vão sofrer um pouco, mas o empate pode ser alcançado.}) 29. Rd1 {Dobrar as torres na sétima fileira é um sonho realizado. As Pretas farão algo semelhante, mas as Brancas podem criar ameaças muito mais sérias com suas torres. Mark Crowther: '+-' Mark Crowther: 'and suddenly white is winning. All very instructive.'} Rbb2 30. Rd8+ {Mark Crowther: '!'} Kh7 31. Rdd7 Rxf2 32. Rxg7+ Kh8 {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} ({Após} 32... Kh6 33. h4 {O rei das pretas está preso em uma rede de mate.}) 33. Rh7+ {Mark Crowther: '!'} Kg8 34. Rag7+ (34. Rhb7 $2 {é um grande erro, já que as pretas podem escapar do mate com} Rxg2+ 35. Kf1 Kh8 {e a torre pode ir para g8, se necessário.}) ({Inferior is} 34. Rxh5 {Mark Crowther} Rxg2+ 35. Kh1 Rgd2) 34... Kf8 {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} 35. Rf7+ {Mark Crowther: '!'} Kg8 (35... Ke8 $2 36. Rb7 Rxg2+ 37. Kf1 {As Brancas darão mate em b8 ou em h8.}) 36. Rhg7+ Kh8 37. Rg6 {Ameaçando e4-e5. Mark Crowther: 'Nakamura has conjured a win out of almost nowhere.'} Rf4 (37... a4 38. e5 a3 39. exf6 {As Brancas dão mate antes que o peão de a seja promovido.}) 38. Rfxf6 Rxf6 39. Rxf6 Kg7 40. Rxc6 Rc2 41. Rc5 Kg6 {Mark Crowther: 'White is clearly winning.'} 42. Rxa5 Rxc4 43. Re5 {As Brancas chegam a um final com dois peões a mais, e a vitória é fácil para um jogador como Nakamura.} h4 44. Kf2 Rc2+ 45. Kf3 Rc3+ 46. Kg4 Rg3+ 47. Kxh4 Rxg2 {Mark Crowther: 'This is a completely hopeless endgame for black.'} 48. Rf5 {Como Nakamura explicou bem em seu vídeo, às vezes é possível empatar mesmo com dois peões a menos se eles estiverem separados por apenas uma coluna, mas aqui eles estão separados por duas.} Rg1 49. Rf4 Ra1 50. Kg3 Rg1+ 51. Kf3 Rf1+ 52. Ke3 Re1+ 53. Kd4 Ra1 54. Rf5 {Caruana certamente ficou muito frustrado com esta partida, o que explica por que continuou jogando nesta posição.} Rh1 55. Rf3 Ra1 56. h4 Ra4+ 57. Ke5 Ra5+ 58. Kf4 Rh5 59. Kg4 Re5 60. Rf4 Kh6 61. Kf3 Kg6 62. Ke3 Ra5 63. Rg4+ Kf6 {Mark Crowther: '[#]'} 64. Rg5 {Mark Crowther: '!'} Ra1 (64... Rxg5 65. hxg5+ Kxg5 66. Kd4 Kf6 67. Kd5 Ke7 68. Ke5 {com uma vitória trivial.}) (64... Ra3+ {Mark Crowther} 65. Kf4) 65. Rf5+ Kg6 66. h5+ Kh6 67. e5 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.08"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D55"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 7.1"] [PlyCount "182"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,182,20,-15,5,4,7,4,12,12,18,18,21,14,56,49,51,51,29,45,22,22,25,48,38,44,49,30,30,44,44,33,41,17,17,29,27,27,34,21,19,40,31,53,30,35,61,32,60,56,32,41,71,80,62,62,71,64,68,49,55,51,57,70,77,51,55,51,74,55,55,55,60,66,62,66,66,66,62,68,68,62,92,91,89,90,135,71,69,68,70,67,62,68,75,75,59,64,48,72,72,65,60,76,65,81,73,66,73,73,66,49,46,48,56,48,46,0,48,46,48,46,56,55,60,60,60,62,62,48,49,48,49,48,48,48,48,48,48,48,49,42,21,26,14,2,6,4,62,62,47,20,49,55,55,41,55,55,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,49,48,49,25,48,49,49,48,49]} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 {D55: Queen's Gambit Declined: 4 Bg5 Be7: Lines without ...h6 and 6...h6 7 Bxf6.} 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Nxd5 exd5 {White has an edge.} 10. dxc5 Qxc5 11. Be2 Nc6 ({RR} 11... Qb4+ 12. Qd2 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Nc6 14. Bb5 Na5 15. Rhc1 a6 16. Bf1 Nc6 17. Nd4 Bd7 18. Rc5 Nxd4 19. exd4 Bc6 20. Re1 Rfe8 21. Rcc1 Kf8 22. h4 Rxe1 23. Rxe1 Re8 24. Rxe8+ Kxe8 25. Kc3 a5 26. Bd3 {Ostojic,N (2034)-Dimitrijevic,D (2021) Novi Pazar SRB 2025 ½-½ (50)}) 12. O-O {Not much happening anymore} Qb6 13. Qd2 {[%CAl Of1d1]} (13. Qc2 {is more complex.} d4 14. Qe4 dxe3 15. Ng5) 13... Rd8 $146 ({Predecessor:} 13... Be6 14. Rfd1 Rac8 15. h3 Rc7 16. b3 Rfc8 17. Rac1 a5 18. Ng5 Nb4 19. Rxc7 Rxc7 {1-0 Ulko,J (2476)-Golovanov,V (1966) Moscow Victory Day op 2011 (1)}) ({RR} 13... Be6 14. Rfd1 Rac8 15. h3 Rc7 16. b3 Rfc8 17. Rac1 a5 18. Ng5 Nb4 19. Rxc7 Rxc7 20. Bd3 h6 21. Nf3 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Qb4 23. Nd4 Qc3 24. Qb5 Kh7 25. Qe8 Rc8 26. Qe7 Qc7 27. Qxc7 Rxc7 28. Kf1 {Ulko,J (2476)-Golovanov,V (1966) Moscow 2011 1-0 (63)}) 14. Rfd1 Bg4 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 d4 17. Bxc6 dxe3 18. Qxe3 bxc6 19. Qc3 (19. Qxb6 {simplifies} axb6 20. Kf1 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Kf8 22. a3) 19... h6 20. Rac1 c5 21. b3 (21. Qxc5 $2 {is the wrong capture.} Rxd1+ 22. Kh2 Rxc1 $19) 21... Qa6 22. Rd2 Rxd2 23. Qxd2 $11 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KQR-KQR} Qb6 24. Qe3 Rc8 25. Rc4 {[%CAl Ob3b4]} a5 26. g3 h5 27. h4 g6 28. Qc3 Kh7 29. Qe5 Qc7 {[%eval 82,18] [%wdl 235,765,0]} (29... Qa7 $11 {[%eval 0,35] [%wdl 2,997,1]}) 30. Qe3 {[%eval 0,26] [%wdl 2,997,1] White has more active pieces.} (30. Qxc7 $16 {[%eval 82,18] [%wdl 235,765,0]} Rxc7 31. Kf1) 30... Qd6 31. Kh2 Kg8 32. Qc3 Qb6 33. Qc2 Kg7 34. Qe2 Kg8 35. Qe3 Kg7 36. Ra4 Kg8 37. Re4 Kg7 38. Rf4 Qc7 39. Ra4 Kg8 40. Qc3 Qb6 41. Rxa5 c4 $1 42. Kg1 {[#]} ({Weaker is} 42. bxc4 Qxf2+ 43. Kh3 Kh7 $17) 42... Qc6 {...Rd8 is the strong threat.} 43. Re5 cxb3 44. Qxc6 Rxc6 45. axb3 $14 {KR-KR. White is a pawn up.} Rb6 46. Re3 {[#]} f6 47. f4 Kf7 48. Kf2 g5 49. fxg5 fxg5 50. hxg5 Kg6 51. Ke2 Kxg5 52. Kd2 Rb8 $1 53. Kc3 Rc8+ 54. Kb2 Rb8 55. Re7 {The position is equal.} Kg4 56. Rg7+ Kf5 $1 57. Ka2 Ra8+ 58. Kb1 Rc8 59. Kb2 Rb8 60. Rd7 Kg4 61. Rd5 Rh8 62. Rd3 Rb8 63. Kc3 Rc8+ 64. Kd2 Rb8 65. Ke2 Rb4 66. Rc3 Rb8 67. Kf2 Kg5 68. Rd3 Rb7 69. Kf3 Rb8 70. Ke4 Kg4 71. Rc3 Re8+ 72. Kd5 Rd8+ 73. Ke5 Rb8 74. Kd6 Kh3 75. Kd5 Kg4 76. Re3 Kh3 77. Kc4 Rc8+ 78. Kd3 Rb8 79. Kc3 Rc8+ 80. Kb2 Rb8 81. Re5 Kg4 $1 {Prevents Rg5+} 82. Rc5 Rh8 83. Rc3 Rb8 84. Rd3 Kh3 85. Kc3 Rc8+ $1 86. Kd2 {Strongly threatening b4.} Rb8 87. Ke2 Kg4 88. Kf2 Kg5 89. Kg2 Rb7 90. Kf3 Rb8 91. Rc3 Rf8+ {Not much happened in this game. Weighted Error Value: White=0.04 (flawless) /Black=0.04 (flawless) Mistake: White=1 Black=1 Inaccurate: White=1 --- OK: White=30 Black=36 Best: --- Black=3 Strong: --- Black=5} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.08"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,86,20,37,41,17,17,17,17,17,18,18,42,-5,-2,-16,-3,-8,-21,-37,14,-15,-5,-1,-1,-25,8,-10,11,-10,0,11,30,-7,5,-17,5,-7,-18,-21,-1,-9,8,5,16,-35,-23,-23,-21,-59,-15,-61,-60,-57,-55,-68,-65,-51,-45,-67,-65,-62,-58,-62,-61,-64,-53,-42,-63,-48,-53,-84,-84,-79,-79,-87,-87,-99,-103,-135,-107,-107,-74,-140,-105,-179,-1024,-1143,-1216] 0-} 1. e4 {Tactical Analysis 7.1} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. Nbd2 d6 7. c3 a5 {Esta é uma das melhores formas de enfrentar a Abertura Italiana. Há muito debate sobre diferentes ordens de lances e se as Pretas devem jogar ...a5 ou ...a6, mas, contra a forma como Giri conduziu a partida, ganhando espaço na ala da dama, é muito difícil para as Brancas demonstrarem qualquer iniciativa aqui. Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3.'} 8. h3 Be6 9. Bb5 {A única desvantagem de jogar …a7-a5 é que a casa b5 fica disponível para o bispo das Brancas.} Ba7 {Um lance profilático típico, antecipando o avanço central d3-d4. Tactical Analysis 7.1: '!' Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'The position is equal. is now more promising than 9...h6.'} 10. Re1 Ne7 $1 {Uma manobra bem conhecida. O cavalo vai para g6 e as Pretas podem jogar …c7-c6.} 11. d4 Ng6 12. Bd3 ({RR} 12. Ba4 {Tactical Analysis 7.1} exd4 13. cxd4 d5 14. e5 Nh5 15. Nf1 Nhf4 16. Bxf4 Nxf4 17. Qd2 Ng6 18. Bc2 c5 19. Rad1 Rc8 20. Ng3 cxd4 21. Bd3 Re8 22. Ng5 Bd7 23. f4 f6 24. e6 Ba4 25. Nxh7 Bxd1 26. Bxg6 Bc2 {Giri,A (2760)-Le,Q (2728) Miami 2022 0-1 (46)}) ({RR} 12. Nf1 {Tactical Analysis 7.1} c6 13. Bd3 Nh5 14. Be3 Nhf4 15. Bc2 Qc8 16. Ng5 Bd7 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Bxa7 Rxa7 19. Re3 h6 20. Nf3 Rd8 21. N1d2 Ra8 22. Qf1 b5 23. h4 a4 24. a3 Bg4 25. g3 Bh3 26. Qc1 Ng2 {Zhigalko,S (2572)-Oro,F (2516) chess.com INT 2026 0-1 (54)}) 12... Nh5 {O cavalo está indo em direção a f4. Ambos os lados jogaram relativamente rápido até aqui, gastando cerca de 10 minutos, mas agora Caruana começou a pensar.} 13. Nf1 Nhf4 14. Ng3 {Este lance não parece ideal, pois, com a troca do cavalo pelo bispo de casas claras, a posição das Pretas se torna muito confortável e a abertura pode ser considerada um sucesso para Giri. Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'N'} ({Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'RR'} 14. Bc2 {foi jogado por alguns GMs fortes e parece mais desafiador. Uma possível continuação é} Qd7 {O sacrifício em h3 é um pouco assustador, mas as Brancas conseguem manter o controle.} (14... Qf6 {Tactical Analysis 7.1} 15. Ng3 Nh4 16. Nxh4 Qxh4 17. Be3 g6 18. Qf3 Qf6 19. Kh2 Kg7 20. Ne2 Nh5 21. Qxf6+ Nxf6 22. f4 Nd7 23. g4 f6 24. b3 c5 25. fxe5 fxe5 26. d5 Bf7 27. c4 Bg8 28. Kg2 Bb6 {Arnold,M (2286)-Walter,A (2127) Schwaebisch Gmuend 2018 ½-½ (36)}) 15. Ne3 exd4 16. cxd4 (16. Nxd4 {Tactical Analysis 7.1} Rae8 17. Nef5 d5 18. Bxf4 Nxf4 19. Qg4 Bxd4 20. cxd4 Ng6 21. h4 dxe4 22. Bxe4 Bxf5 23. Bxf5 Qd6 24. h5 Nf4 25. g3 Nd5 26. Bc2 c6 27. Bb3 Nf6 28. Qg5 Qxd4 {Bilych,O (2433)-Kelires,A (2505) Sitges ESP 2023 1-0 (73)}) 16... Rae8 {com uma grande luta pela frente, mas as Pretas estão bem. Antipov-Kantor, Saint Louis op 2026.}) 14... Nxd3 {É importante capturar o bispo antes que ele possa retornar a f1. Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'N'} ({Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'Predecessor:'} 14... exd4 {primeiro também é possível, quando as Pretas capturam o bispo no lance seguinte.} 15. cxd4 Nxd3 16. Qxd3 d5 $1 17. e5 f6 {com uma boa posição para as Pretas. Como podemos ver, a abertura das Brancas foi inofensiva, um caso raro em que Caruana e sua equipe não conseguiram criar problemas para o adversário. Sklokin-Lu, Budapeste 2024,} 18. exf6 {Tactical Analysis 7.1} Qxf6 19. Bg5 Qf7 20. Kh2 c6 {½-½ Sklokin,S (2329)-Lu,M (2441) Budapest One Week GM-A 12 2024 (6)}) 15. Qxd3 a4 $5 {Simplesmente ganhando espaço na ala da dama.} (15... exd4 {pode transpor para a partida mencionada no comentário anterior. As Brancas também podem capturar com o cavalo:} 16. Nxd4 {com uma posição equilibrada.}) 16. d5 {Um lance surpreendente, pois facilita a tarefa das Pretas. Provavelmente Caruana apenas quis evitar que as Pretas capturassem em d4.} (16. Be3 {é uma tentativa melhor, mantendo a tensão central.}) 16... Bd7 17. Bg5 f6 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. fxe3 {Um lance necessário, caso contrário o cavalo das Pretas pode ir para f4 e as Pretas simplesmente ficam melhor.} b5 $1 {A nice positional idea, preparing Qb8-b6.} 20. b4 axb3 21. axb3 Qb8 {A posição das Pretas é muito mais fácil de jogar, mas a vantagem ainda não é substancial.} 22. c4 Qb6 23. Nf5 Rfe8 24. N3h4 b4 $1 {Gosto muito da decisão de Giri. Pode parecer contra-posicional fechar a ala da dama, mas a ideia é apoiar a torre em a3, garantindo o controle da coluna “a”.} 25. Kh2 {As Brancas fazem um lance útil. O problema é que não têm um plano ativo.} Ra3 26. Rab1 {É necessário ceder a coluna “a”, já que capturar em a3 e deixar as Pretas com um peão passado está fora de cogitação.} Ra2 27. Qd1 {Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'Qg4 is the strong threat.'} Nxh4 28. Nxh4 Rea8 {Ainda não é fácil quebrar a resistência das Brancas, já que elas não têm fraquezas.} 29. Re2 Qa7 30. Rc1 Qb6 31. Nf3 $6 {O retorno do cavalo é passivo. Teria sido melhor levá-lo a f5 para tentar alguma atividade.} (31. Nf5) 31... h6 (31... R8a3 {é uma continuação natural, preparando para triplicar as peças pesadas na coluna “a”.}) 32. Ne1 $6 {O cavalo continua sua infeliz jornada.} (32. Nh4 {era melhor.}) 32... Kh7 {Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'Black is much more active.'} 33. Rxa2 Rxa2 34. Nc2 $6 {A cada lance da jornada do cavalo até c2, a posição das Brancas foi se deteriorando gradualmente, até se tornar crítica neste momento. Em c2, o cavalo não consegue defender a fraqueza em e4, fato explorado por Giri com seu próximo lance.} (34. Rc2 {oferece melhores chances de defesa.}) 34... Be8 $1 {O bispo vai para g6. As Pretas estão ganhas.} 35. Qd3 Bg6 (35... Qa5 {é uma boa alternativa, impedindo o próximo lance das Brancas.}) 36. Ra1 {[%eval -194,19] [%wdl 0,2,998] Tactical Analysis 7.1: '[#]'} (36. Rd1 $17 {[%eval -137,21] [%wdl 0,88,912] Tactical Analysis 7.1}) 36... Rxa1 $6 {[%eval -107,22] [%wdl 0,387,613] A troca de torres facilita a tarefa das Brancas.} (36... Rb2 $1 {[%eval -194,19] [%wdl 0,2,998] leva a uma partida fácil; as Brancas estão paralisadas. Se o cavalo iniciar o caminho de volta, então após Tactical Analysis 7.1: '-+!' Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'and ...c6 should not be overlooked'} 37. Ne1 (37. Ra4 {Tactical Analysis 7.1} c5) 37... c6 $1 38. Nf3 cxd5 39. cxd5 Qc5 {seguido de Dc3, as Pretas vencem.}) 37. Nxa1 {Tactical Analysis 7.1: '-+' Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'Endgame KQB-KQN'} c5 $6 {Este lance joga fora a vitória.} (37... Qa5 {mantém a pressão:} 38. Nc2 h5 {As Brancas vão sofrer por muito tempo, mas ainda têm algumas chances de empate.}) 38. Kg3 $2 {[%eval -365,16] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Um lance horrível, provavelmente causado pela falta de tempo. Em circunstâncias normais, Caruana, sem dúvida, teria encontrado o lance correto. Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'This costs White the game.'} (38. dxc6 $1 {[%eval -86,19] [%wdl 0,709,291] Tactical Analysis 7.1: '?'} Qxc6 39. Nc2 $1 {Este é o ponto. As Brancas chegam a tempo de iniciar um contra-ataque contra o peão em b4.} Bxe4 (39... Qb7 {não altera a avaliação:} 40. Qxd6 Qxe4 41. Nxb4 Qxe3 42. Nd5 {com igualdade. O peão de c é forte.}) 40. Nxb4 Qa8 41. Qd2 {com um empate.}) 38... Qa7 39. Qb1 (39. Nc2 Qa2 {A dama invade a posição das Brancas.}) 39... h5 (39... Qf7 {Giri afirmou que se arrependeu de não ter jogado esse lance seguido de f5. Mas, nesse caso, os fãs de xadrez teriam sido privados do belo desfecho desta partida.}) 40. Kf3 h4 {As Pretas estão prontas para o plano decisivo com Df7 seguido de f5.} 41. Kg4 {As Brancas tentam uma ideia desesperada.} (41. Nc2 Qf7 42. Ne1 f5 (42... Bh5+ 43. Kf2 Qg6 {também vence facilmente.})) 41... Qe7 42. Qd3 {[%eval -32729,21] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Tactical Analysis 7.1: '?' Tactical Analysis 7.1: '[#]'} (42. Qe1 {[%eval -368,19] [%wdl 0,0,1000] é melhor, mas ainda assim está completamente perdido, por exemplo: Tactical Analysis 7.1: '-+'} Bxe4 (42... Kg8 {pode ser ainda melhor.}) 43. Qxh4+ Kg8 44. Kg3 Bd3 {Pobre cavalo em a1.}) 42... f5+ $3 {Uma maneira linda de encerrar a partida. Tactical Analysis 7.1: '!'} 43. exf5 {Tactical Analysis 7.1: '[#]'} Kh6 $3 {As Brancas ou levam mate ou perdem a dama. Tactical Analysis 7.1: '!' Tactical Analysis 7.1: 'Weighted Error Value: White=0.42/Black=0.08 (flawless) Loses game: White=1 --- Mistake: White=2 Black=1 Inaccurate: White=5 Black=1 OK: White=17 Black=17 Brilliant: --- Black=1'} (43... Kh6 44. Kf3 (44. fxg6 e4 {ameaçando a dama e o mate em g5.}) 44... e4+ $1 45. Qxe4 Bh5+ 46. Kf4 Qg5#) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.08"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D50"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2754"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 7.1"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,111,20,23,21,4,4,4,4,10,44,32,32,32,56,21,86,47,46,36,53,30,26,14,10,-17,-13,25,30,4,16,30,30,20,21,14,-5,-26,14,12,34,18,35,0,62,30,77,71,42,64,48,48,61,45,60,53,46,47,47,47,112,42,63,87,104,58,100,236,222,113,108,177,181,171,181,103,134,214,218,88,178,128,120,91,137,20,100,0,0,29,40,-11,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,23,33,40,39,0,15,0,-10,14,20,-15,-25,-27,-12,-44]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. Bg5 cxd4 6. Nxd4 dxc4 7. e3 Be7 8. Bxc4 O-O 9. O-O Bd7 {D50: Queen's Gambit Declined: Dutch-Peruvian Gambit.} 10. Nf3 $146 ({RR} 10. Qe2 a6 (10... Nc6 11. Rfd1 Nxd4 12. Rxd4 Qc7 13. Bb5 Bxb5 14. Qxb5 a6 15. Qb3 Rac8 16. Rad1 Rfd8 {½-½ (16) Vitiugov,N (2722)-Lysyj,I (2594) Cheliabinsk 2020}) 11. Rfd1 Qc7 12. Rac1 e5 13. Nd5 Qd8 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Nf3 Bg4 16. h3 Bh5 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nh4 Nc6 19. Nxg6 hxg6 20. Bd5 Nb4 21. Bb3 e4 22. f4 Nd3 23. Rc2 Rac8 24. a3 b5 {Rossi,G-Vogel,A Zuerich 1982 0-1}) ({RR} 10. Qb3 Nc6 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Rfd1 Qa5 13. Bf4 Rfd8 14. h3 h6 15. Ne2 Nd5 16. a4 Nxf4 17. Nxf4 Rxd1+ 18. Rxd1 Rd8 19. Rxd8+ Bxd8 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. Qxe6+ Kh7 22. Qg6+ Kh8 23. Qf7 Bf6 24. Ng6+ Kh7 {Fedoseev,V (2692)-Firouzja,A (2767) chess.com INT 2024 ½-½}) 10... Nc6 11. e4 Rc8 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11... e5 12. h3 Rc8 13. a3 a6 14. Rc1 b5 15. Bb3 Rb8 16. Be3 b4 17. axb4 Bxb4 {1-0 Iniyan,P (2586)-Harika,D (2487) Chennai Quantbox-B 2025 (2)}) 12. Qe2 Ng4 13. Bf4 Bf6 14. Bd6 Re8 15. Rad1 Nge5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Bb3 Qb6 18. Bxe5 Nxe5 19. Kh1 Rcd8 20. Qh5 Nc6 21. e5 Qb4 {Against Ne4} (21... Nd4 $5) 22. Rd3 Qf4 $2 {[%eval 129,20] [%wdl 834,166,0] This one slip almost costs Wei Yi the game.} (22... Rf8 $1) (22... h6 $14 {[%eval 44,16] [%wdl 41,959,0]}) 23. Rf3 $1 $16 Qxe5 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 {This exchange of the f-pawn for the e-pawn would be OK for Black, if not for Praggnanandhaa's next move.} 25. Rd1 $1 {Hitting the d7-bishop. Everything now is forced $1} Bc8 {( ? ...Rxd1+)} 26. h3 $1 {Praggnanandhaa has to solve the problem of the back rank before grabbing material.} Rxd1+ 27. Nxd1 Rg8 28. Re3 $1 {Again the only move to pose problems.} Qd6 29. Nc3 $1 {White is much more active.} (29. Bxe6 $2 Qxd1+ 30. Kh2 Qd6+ 31. Kg1 Rf8 $19) 29... Nd4 {[%eval 291,15] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} (29... h6 {[%eval 164,21] [%wdl 983,17,0] might work better.} 30. Re2 (30. Bxe6 Rf8 $11) 30... Nd4) 30. Ne4 $1 $18 Qe5 31. f4 $1 Qf5 32. Nd6 $1 {Introducing the threat of smothered mate $1} Qc5 (32... Qxf7 $4 33. Nxf7#) 33. Qe7 $1 {Again an only move.} (33. Nxb7 $2 Qc1+ $19) (33. Nc4 b5 34. Re5 Qb4 $19) 33... Qc1+ $1 34. Kh2 h6 {Defending against the smothered mate. [#]} 35. Re4 $1 Nxb3 36. axb3 Kh7 37. Rc4 $1 (37. Nxb7 Qd2 $16) 37... Qd2 38. Qc7 $5 {The first slight hesitation.} (38. Nxc8 $1 {is winning, but you need to see the white king will ultimately escape checks... on a2 $1} Rxc8 39. Rxc8 Qxf4+ 40. Kg1 Qe3+ 41. Kf1 Qd3+ 42. Ke1 Qe4+ 43. Kd1 Qd3+ 44. Kc1 Qf1+ 45. Kc2 Qxg2+ 46. Kb1 Qxh3 47. Ka2) (38. Rxc8 Qxf4+ 39. Kh1 Rxc8 40. Nxc8 Qc1+ 41. Kh2 Qxc8 $17) 38... b5 $1 {The best try—Wei is Praggnanandhaa's match in complications $1} 39. Re4 (39. Rc2 $1 Qxf4+ 40. g3 {is strong.}) (39. Nxb5 Ba6 40. Rc2 Qd5 41. Nxa7 Qxb3 $14) 39... Qd3 {Black keeps attacking the white pieces so that the bishop on c8 can't be captured.} 40. Re1 Qd2 41. Rf1 Ba6 {[#]} 42. Qc6 $2 {[%eval 26,20] [%wdl 8,992,0] Only this move spoils the win.} (42. b4 $1 $18 {[%eval 257,21] [%wdl 1000,0,0] is needed, giving the c5-square for the queen.} Qxb4 (42... Qd4 43. Qc2+ g6 44. Qc5 $1) 43. Qc2+ g6 44. Qc6 {and now the bishop is trapped.}) 42... Rd8 $1 $11 {The saving move $1 The bishop can't be taken without the knight falling.} 43. Nf7 (43. Nxb5 $2 Qe2 44. Qf3 Bxb5 $19) 43... Rd7 $1 44. Qe4+ (44. Qxe6 $2 Bb7 45. Qf5+ g6 46. Ng5+ hxg5 47. Qxg5 Rf7 (47... Qxb2 48. Re1 $15) 48. Qh4+ Kg7 $19) 44... g6 {[#]} 45. f5 $1 {A beautiful try for more.} (45. Qxe6 {doesn't win because of} Bb7 $1 46. Rf2 Qxf2 47. Ng5+ $1 {The only move. White has to be able to take on d7 with check.} hxg5 48. Qxd7+ Kh6 49. fxg5+ Kxg5 50. Qxb7) 45... exf5 (45... gxf5 $2 {now does lose to} 46. Qxe6 Bb7 47. Qxf5+ {and a quick checkmate.}) 46. Qe8 Qd4 $1 $132 {Yet another only move in the game. Against Qh8+. Black is not holding back} (46... Kg7 {might seem to hold, but loses to} 47. Ne5 $1 {hitting d7 and g6.}) 47. Rf3 Rc7 48. Ne5 Rg7 $1 49. Nf7 {Prevents Qe4} Rg8 50. Qe7 {White has compensation.} Qg7 $1 51. Rd3 {The position is equal.} Bc8 {Inhibits Rd7. Strongly threatening ...Rf8.} 52. Rc3 {and Rc7! would now be decisive} (52. Qxa7 $2 Be6 (52... Qxb2 53. Ng5+ {[%csl Oh7][%mdl 64] Discovered Attack (Double check)} Kh8 54. Qh7#) (52... Rf8 $2 53. Qb8 $19) 53. Qb6 Bxf7 $19) 52... Rf8 $1 {The only moves go on.} 53. Rc7 $1 {Intending Ng5+! and mate.} (53. Qxa7 $2 {perishes.} Rxf7 54. Qe3 f4 $19) 53... Kg8 $1 54. Nd6 Qxe7 55. Rxe7 a6 56. Nxc8 {The bishop finally drops, but it's only a draw. A fantastic game, but one that didn't help either player's chances. Black escapes into a draw. Weighted Error Value: White=0.11 (very precise) /Black=0.08 (flawless) Missed win: White=1 --- Mistake: --- Black=2 Inaccurate: White=1 Black=1 OK: White=21 Black=24 Best: White=6 Black=7 Strong: White=2 Black=3} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.08"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2745"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 7.1"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,119,12,23,10,-3,4,4,4,10,12,15,90,52,126,115,115,65,88,57,57,28,28,28,27,21,47,19,40,8,25,6,6,-10,-14,-10,-44,-36,-46,-66,-89,-82,-30,-124,-77,-77,-77,-70,-70,-56,-43,-26,-35,-35,-47,-47,-45,-45,-46,-46,-51,-47,-56,-54,-12,-4,-29,-23,-30,-20,-23,-18,-24,-30,-45,-42,-53,-73,-84,-43,-69,-94,-97,-97,-65,-100,-39,-40,-33,-34,-23,-25,-16,-20,-1,-1,-1,-25,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 dxc4 {A very rare move that surprises Bluebuam.} ({10,000 top-level games have featured} 5... O-O 6. e3) 6. e4 {D37: Queen's Gambit Declined: 5 Bf4.} b5 7. Nxb5 Bb4+ 8. Bd2 {White is slightly better.} Bxd2+ 9. Nxd2 O-O $146 {The position is already new.} ({Predecessor: RR} 9... a6 10. Nc3 Qxd4 11. Nxc4 e5 12. f3 Be6 13. Qa4+ Nfd7 14. Rd1 Qc5 15. Nd5 O-O {1-0 Lubbe,N (2500)-Fries Nielsen,J (2375) Fredericia 2016 (4)} 16. Be2 c6 17. Nde3 a5 18. Kf2 Nb6 19. Qc2 N8d7 20. Rd2 a4 21. Rhd1 Ra7 22. Qc3 g6 23. Rc1 Nc8 24. a3 {Lubbe,N (2500)-Fries Nielsen,J (2375) Fredericia 2016 1-0 (58)}) 10. Bxc4 $5 {[%eval 28,18] [%wdl 29,969,2] White is more active.} (10. e5 $1 $16 {[%eval 94,19] [%wdl 425,575,0] is given by the computer, but Sindarov of course had something prepared here e.g.} Nd5 11. Bxc4 Bb7) (10. Nxc4 $6 Nxe4 11. Bd3 Bb7 $11) 10... a6 $11 11. Nc3 {Nb3 is the strong threat.} Qxd4 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. O-O-O $5 {Here it was Sindarov's turn to be surprised, as he felt this wasn't in Bluebaum's style.} (13. O-O {is a very playable alternative.}) 13... Qb6 14. f4 Nbd7 15. g4 $5 (15. Bd3 {is safer.}) 15... Nc5 16. g5 Ne8 {...Nd6 is in the air} 17. Bb3 $2 {[%eval -91,17] [%wdl 0,614,386] \"A horrible move, I didn’t want to play it,\" said Bluebaum, who said he couldn't believe in the correct} (17. h4 $1 $11 {[%eval -19,18] [%wdl 3,979,18] remains equal.} Nd6 18. h5 $1 {Bluebaum didn't think he could defend this position, but it seems objectively it's OK for White.}) 17... Nd6 $17 18. Bc2 a5 (18... Bc6 $1 {immediately is stronger, but Sindarov will open up the b-file this way soon.}) 19. Nc4 (19. Nb3 $1 {is a better defense.}) 19... Nxc4 20. Qxc4 Rfb8 21. Qd4 $2 {[%eval -142,16] [%wdl 0,90,910] [#]} ({White should try} 21. b3 $1 {[%eval -84,18] [%wdl 0,707,293] is needed.}) 21... Bc6 $1 22. b3 {[%eval -187,12] [%wdl 0,8,992]} (22. Ne2 $17 {[%eval -127,20] [%wdl 0,181,819]}) 22... a4 $1 $19 {This is the point at which Bluebaum thought he had around a 90 percent chance of losing.} 23. Nxa4 {[%eval -315,15] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (23. b4 {[%eval -183,17] [%wdl 0,10,990] is the sad \"defense\" suggested by the computer, simply giving up a pawn. was the only defense.} Qxb4 24. Qxb4 Rxb4 25. Rhe1) 23... Nxa4 24. bxa4 {[#]} Bxa4 $2 {[%eval -21,20] [%wdl 1,992,7] If Sindarov doesn't win the 2026 FIDE Candidates we may look back on this move as a huge turning point.} (24... Qa5 {is a strong move Sindarov was considering to avoid the queen trade, and it leaves Black on the verge of victory—the a-pawn is going nowhere.}) (24... Qb7 $1 {is less intuitive, but seems to be a clincher, combining threats along the b-file and the a8-h1 diagonal.}) 25. Qxb6 $11 {Bluebaum very gratefully accepts the transition into an endgame where there are excellent chances to hold.} cxb6 26. Bb3 Bxb3 27. axb3 {Endgame KRR-KRR} Ra2 28. Kb1 Rba8 29. f5 $1 {This is the move Sindarov said he'd overlooked, after which he realized he wouldn't be able to win, though an alternative for White is} (29. Rd8+ $1 Rxd8 30. Kxa2 $15 Rd4 31. Re1 Kf8 {and he should also hold. Sindarov felt he would have been winning if he had an extra tempo to play ...g6, but this Rd8+ trick also saves the day there.}) 29... exf5 {Now the game fizzles out into a draw.} 30. exf5 {The position is equal.} R2a5 31. Rhf1 g6 32. fxg6 hxg6 33. h4 Ra2 34. Rd8+ {Deflection} Rxd8 35. Kxa2 {KR-KR} Rd4 36. Rh1 b5 37. Kb2 b4 38. Kc2 Kg7 39. Rh2 f5 40. gxf6+ Kxf6 41. Rh1 Kf7 42. Rh2 Kg8 43. h5 g5 44. h6 Rh4 45. Rg2 g4 46. Kd3 Kh7 47. Ke4 Kxh6 48. Kf5 Rh5+ 49. Kf4 Rh3 50. Kxg4 Rxb3 51. Kf4 Rc3 52. Rb2 b3 53. Ke4 Rc4+ 54. Kd3 Rb4 55. Kc3 Rb8 56. Rb1 b2 57. Kc2 Rc8+ 58. Kxb2 Rb8+ 59. Kc2 Rxb1 60. Kxb1 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.19 (very precise) /Black=0.11 (very precise) Missed win: --- Black=1 Mistake: White=5 --- Inaccurate: White=4 Black=3 OK: White=22 Black=23 Best: White=3 Black=1 Strong: --- Black=2} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.09"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,80,17,17,17,25,50,10,41,-1,27,31,9,-7,-10,-10,12,-23,-7,-10,-28,-28,-17,-8,-30,-30,-10,-44,1,-11,12,2,30,15,20,27,29,28,28,13,31,17,14,20,31,19,29,33,26,21,21,17,37,18,19,6,-9,-13,-15,-15,-14,-14,-14,-30,0,-10,7,4,0,0,5,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nc4 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d4 (6. Ne3 Be6 7. c4 Nc6 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. Ncd5 Qd8 10. b3 Be7 11. Bb2 O-O 12. g3 Nxd5 13. cxd5 Bf6 14. dxc6 Bxb2 15. Rb1 Bd4 16. cxb7 Rb8 17. Bg2 d5 18. Qb5 Qd6 19. O-O c5 20. Nc2 a6 21. Qd3 Bf6 22. Ne3 Rfd8 23. f4 Rxb7 24. f5 Bc8 25. Nxd5 Bd4+ 26. Kh1 Rbd7 27. f6 gxf6 28. Rbe1 Be5 29. Qc4 Bb7 30. Ne3 Bxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Qxd2+ 32. Re2 Qd4 33. Ng4 Qxc4 34. bxc4 Rd2 35. Rxd2 Rxd2+ {0-1 Aronian,L (2747)-Fedoseev,V (2739) Warsaw Superbet Blitz 2025 (8)}) 6... Nc6 7. c3 d5 8. Ne3 Be6 9. Nd2 f5 10. Nxe4 fxe4 {[#]} 11. f3 $146 (11. Qb5 Qd6 12. Qa4 Be7 13. Bb5 O-O 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. b4 Qf4 16. Qc2 Qh4 17. Qe2 Bd6 18. g3 Qh3 19. Bd2 Rf3 20. Qf1 Raf8 21. Qxh3 Bxh3 22. Nd1 h6 23. Rb1 a6 24. Be3 R3f6 25. Nb2 Bg2 26. Rg1 Bf3 27. Na4 Rb8 28. Kd2 Rff8 29. Nc5 Bxc5 30. bxc5 Bg4 31. h4 Kf7 32. Rb3 Rb5 33. Rgb1 Ke7 34. a4 Rxb3 35. Rxb3 Bc8 36. a5 Kd7 37. Rb1 Kd8 38. Bf4 Kd7 39. Rg1 Rf7 40. Rg2 Kd8 {½-½ Kroencke,M (2034)-Welsch,D (1794) Erfurt op Seniors 29th 2019 (2)}) ({RR} 11. Qb5 O-O-O 12. Be2 Kb8 13. Bd2 g5 14. O-O-O Bg7 15. Qa4 Qd6 16. Rdf1 Ne7 17. f3 exf3 18. Bxf3 Rhf8 19. h4 gxh4 20. Rxh4 h6 21. Rfh1 Nf5 22. Nxf5 Bxf5 23. Qd1 Qa6 24. Bg4 Be4 25. Bf3 Bf5 {Hacche,D (2067)-Levi,E (2120) Melbourne 2012 0-1 (91)}) 11... exf3 12. Qxf3 O-O-O 13. Bd3 Qd7 14. O-O g6 15. Nc2 Bg7 16. Bg5 Rdf8 17. Qg3 Rxf1+ 18. Rxf1 Rf8 19. Qh4 Rxf1+ 20. Bxf1 Bf8 21. Ne3 Qf7 22. Qf2 Qxf2+ 23. Kxf2 Nd8 24. Bd3 Nf7 25. Bf4 Kd7 26. h4 c5 27. Nc2 c4 28. Be2 Be7 29. g3 g5 30. hxg5 Nxg5 31. Ke3 Bf5 32. Ne1 a6 33. Nf3 Nxf3 34. Bxf3 $11 Ke6 35. a3 b5 36. Bc7 Bg5+ 37. Bf4 Be7 38. Bc7 Bg5+ 39. Bf4 Be7 40. Bc7 Bg5+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.09"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,105,13,18,18,4,10,10,10,10,26,14,7,2,35,15,30,-8,5,5,52,41,41,41,32,-36,-36,-36,-11,-75,-8,-8,-8,-8,17,-8,-8,-65,-25,-91,-3,9,9,52,89,0,157,162,209,244,244,244,251,217,220,210,232,232,241,241,241,191,211,232,248,283,228,222,325,242,238,230,230,229,225,233,212,213,208,198,242,251,242,215,214,215,243,227,238,226,227,219,240,215,230,198,246,253,246,246,303,348,269,526,583,427,537,611]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 {Sindarov afirmou que revisou essa linha pela manhã, mas que não esperava que Praggnanandhaa a utilizasse. O GM indiano, de fato, escolheu esse lance em uma de suas partidas no Tata Steel Chess deste ano, mas não é algo frequente em seu repertório. O fato de Sindarov ainda assim tê-la revisado demonstra o nível de preparação e comprometimento do provável candidato ao título mundial.} 5. Bf4 Bb4 {Isso pode levar a variantes muito agudas, como a partida demonstra.} 6. cxd5 exd5 ({Em um torneio no início do ano, joguei a opção mais passiva} 6... Nxd5 {já que, infelizmente, não tenho a preparação nem a capacidade de cálculo de Praggnanandhaa. Senti que minha posição estava ligeiramente pior após} 7. Bd2 N5f6 8. Qc2 c5 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Bxc3 cxd4 11. Bxd4 {Di Berardino–Rafael Leitão, Florianópolis 2026. A partida terminou empatada posteriormente.}) 7. e3 Ne4 8. Qc2 g5 $1 {Este lance ousado é o ponto principal do jogo anterior das Pretas. Ele começa a perseguir o bispo das Brancas.} 9. Bg3 (9. Be5 $1 {é o lance mais frequentemente jogado, e Sindarov disse que misturou sua preparação, sendo este o lance presente em seu arquivo. Ele afirmou que há algumas linhas longas em que as Brancas jogam por dois resultados, exatamente o que ele queria para esta partida. Crowther, Mark: 'is a definite alternative. Sindarov hinted that he forgot this was his intention. But he knew the other line too.'} Rg8 10. h3 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Qe7 12. Bb5+ Kf8 13. Bd3 f6 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Nc4 Be6 16. Nd2 f5 17. a3 Ba5 18. f3 exf3 19. Nxf3 Kg7 20. O-O Kh8 21. Ne5 c6 22. Na4 Raf8 23. Nc5 Bc8 24. e4 f4 25. b4 Bc7 26. Qc3 Qg7 27. Ra2 Rd8 28. Ncd3 Rd6 29. Rc2 Bb6 30. Nc5 Bd8 31. Rd2 Bf6 32. Nf3 Be7 33. Ne5 b6 34. Ncd3 Ba6 35. Rfd1 h5 36. Nf2 Rh6 37. Qb3 Kh7 38. Qf7 Qxf7 {0-1 Anton Guijarro,D (2666)-Gukesh,D (2754) Prague Masters 8th 2026 (9)}) 9... h5 10. Bd3 h4 11. Bxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4+ Kf8 {Imagino que muitos tenham ficado chocados com a forma como essa partida se desenrolava, especialmente no caso de Sindarov, já que ele não precisava mais assumir riscos. No entanto, não devemos esquecer que ambos os jogadores estavam familiarizados com essa posição. Crowther, Mark: '!'} 13. Be5 f6 14. Nxg5 $5 (14. d5 $2 Qe7 15. h3 (15. d6 $2 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 cxd6 $19) 15... Nxe5 $19 (15... fxe5 $2 16. Qc4 $19)) 14... Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Nxe5 16. dxe5 fxg5 17. f4 {Um lance natural e uma novidade. Praggnanandhaa pensou por mais de 20 minutos antes de responder. No entanto, um compatriota seu, o IM Krushager, já havia analisado esse lance em seu curso de aberturas. Crowther, Mark: 'N'} ({RR} 17. O-O Kg7) 17... h3 {Até onde sei, o primeiro lance completamente desconhecido. É uma das primeiras escolhas do computador. Crowther, Mark: 'The players have been taking their time but this is all well known.'} (17... Kg7 {é analisado no curso de Krushager:} 18. O-O {é natural e parece muito perigoso; as Pretas precisam jogar com grande precisão. Eu tentei encontrar uma forma de conduzir essa posição de Pretas sem o auxílio do computador, e simplesmente não consegui achar uma boa opção, mas a engine mostra o caminho (o que seria bastante difícil de descobrir durante a partida sem uma análise prévia). Vale destacar que essa posição já ocorreu antes em uma partida do Titled Tuesday (o torneio que sempre parece antecipar importantes novidades teóricas), mas com uma ordem de lances diferente, começando com 17.0-0.} (18. f5 {é o lance indicado no curso, mas talvez a tarefa das Pretas seja mais fácil neste caso.} Bxf5 $1 19. Qxf5 Rf8 20. Qe4 Qe7 {e fica claro que as Pretas estão bem, já que o rei das Brancas também não está seguro.}) 18... Bd7 $3 {A ideia das Pretas é que, após} (18... Qe7 $2 19. f5 {1-0 Sarana,A (2668)-Kravtsiv,M (2598), 1ª edição do Titled Tuesday de 21 de fevereiro, Chess.com INT blitz 2023 (6), com grande vantagem para as Brancas em} (19. fxg5 $1 {é ainda melhor, quando as Brancas estão ganhas.} Qxg5 20. e6) 19... Kh6 20. Rad1 Rb8 21. g3 Re8 22. e6 b6 23. gxh4 Bb7 24. Qe5 gxh4 25. Rd4 Rg8+ 26. Kf2 Rbf8 27. Ke1 Qg5 28. e7 Re8 29. Qe6+ Kh7 30. f6 Rg6 31. Rd8 Qc5 {Sarana,A (2668)-Kravtsiv,M (2598) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (38)}) 19. f5 (19. Rad1 {também é possível, com grandes complicações após} Bc6 20. Qc4 Qe7 21. fxg5 {onde o meu computador aponta igualdade.}) 19... Bc6 20. f6+ (20. Qg4 Kh6 21. Rad1 Qe7 {e as Pretas conseguem se manter na partida.}) 20... Kh6 21. Qf5 {por mais assustador que pareça, as Pretas agora têm igualdade com 21...Dd2 ou 21...Dd5. Há muitas linhas interessantes nos lances seguintes, mas não quero sobrecarregar o leitor com variantes demais.} Qd5 (21... Qd2)) 18. Rd1 {Crowther, Mark: 'N'} (18. g3 $2 {ajuda as Pretas, pois agora é mais fácil estabelecer um bloqueio.} Qd7 {and if} 19. f5 Qc6 $1 {trocando as damas.} 20. Qxc6 bxc6 21. Ke2 Ke7 22. e4 Ba6+ 23. Kf3 Bd3 24. Ke3 Rhd8 25. Rhd1 Bc2 26. Rdc1 Ba4 27. Rab1 c5 28. Rf1 a5 29. Rb7 Rd7 30. Rf2 Rad8 31. Rfb2 Bd1 32. e6 Rd3+ 33. Kf2 Rc8 34. R7b5 Rxc3 35. Rd2 Bh5 36. Rd7+ Kf6 37. Rh7 Rc2+ 38. Ke3 Re2+ 39. Kd3 Rd8+ 40. Rd7 Rxd7+ 41. exd7 Ke7 {0-1 Schulenberg,H (2174)-Luca,A (2203) Mostert mem WS op-4 email ICCF email 2006}) (18. O-O {também é interessante:} hxg2 19. Rf2 {com jogo pouco claro. As Pretas agora têm três lances razoáveis: 19...De8, 19...Rg7 ou 19...g4.} Kg7 {was being treated as a main line in commentary.}) 18... Qe7 {Crowther, Mark: 'After 30 minutes thought.'} (18... Qe8 {Sindarov disse na entrevista após a partida que ficou receoso com esse lance durante o jogo, mas que começou a calcular e encontrou a forma de jogar com as Brancas. Sua capacidade de cálculo é impressionante. Crowther, Mark: 'was the move that concerned Sindarov.'} 19. f5 $1 hxg2 20. Rg1 {As Pretas precisam ter cuidado aqui. Aparentemente, 20...Bd7 é o melhor lance, algo muito difícil de encontrar para um humano.} Bd7 (20... Rh4 {Sindarov mostrou a seguinte linha:} 21. Qxg2 Qxe5 22. Qxg5 Qxc3+ {e disse que tinha pelo menos um empate, mas que calcularia caso essa posição surgisse no tabuleiro para verificar se poderia encontrar algo mais. Fantástica capacidade de cálculo e avaliação.}) 21. Qb4+ c5 22. Qxc5+ Qe7 23. Qxe7+ Kxe7 $11) 19. g3 (19. O-O $5 hxg2 20. Rf2 {Isso parece perigoso para as Pretas, mas elas têm} Qh7 $1 {uma forma de escapar com igualdade, embora as variantes sejam assustadoras. Para ser sincero, toda essa linha exige muita precisão das Pretas.}) 19... gxf4 {As Pretas têm várias alternativas interessantes.} (19... Bd7 $5) (19... Bg4 $5 {Talvez este seja o lance mais difícil de enfrentar.} 20. Rd4 $1 {A única resposta aceitável.} Qa3 $5 21. O-O Qxa2 22. Rf2 Qa1+ 23. Rf1 Qb2 {O comentarista sempre sente um certo alívio quando pode mostrar uma repetição de lances para encerrar a análise de uma posição caótica.}) 20. O-O $1 Rh6 {Um bom lance, cobrindo a importante casa f6.} (20... Kg7 {pode levar a uma transposição após} 21. exf4 $5 (21. Rxf4 {leva a linhas semelhantes às da partida.}) 21... Qc5+ 22. Rd4 Qc6 23. f5 Qxe4 24. Rxe4 {O computador avalia essa posição como igual, e acredito que todos prefeririam jogar com as Brancas.}) (20... Be6 {permite às Brancas o perigoso} 21. Qg6 $1 {embora as Pretas ainda estejam na partida após}) 21. Rxf4+ (21. exf4 {também é lógico, preparando o avanço dos peões passados.} Bg4 (21... Qc5+ 22. Rd4 Qc6 {também é jogável.}) 22. Rd4 Qe6 $5 23. f5 Qxa2 24. Rf2 Qa1+ 25. Rf1 {e, mais uma vez, fico aliviado ao encontrar uma repetição de lances.}) 21... Kg8 {Sindarov ficou surpreso com esse lance.} (21... Kg7 {é mais lógico, mas, no fim, a mesma posição surge no tabuleiro: Crowther, Mark: 'Seemed to be Sindarov's main line.'} 22. Rdf1 Be6 (22... a5 $5 {Acredito que esse lance do computador seja impossível de encontrar, mas ele tem a ideia bastante lógica de levar a torre de a para a6. Pelo menos, parece lógico depois que vemos, mas quem ousaria jogar assim e correr o risco de parecer um tolo em caso de derrota $2} 23. Rf6 (23. Rf7+ Qxf7 24. Rxf7+ Kxf7 25. Qf4+ Kg7 26. Qg5+ {Aparentemente, com empate.}) 23... Ra6 $1 {é o ponto.}) 23. Rf6 Rah8 $1 {com o rei em g7, as Pretas conseguem conectar as torres.} 24. Qf4 $1 Rg6 (24... Qe8 {é o mesmo após} 25. Qg5+ Rg6 26. Rxg6+ Qxg6 27. Qxg6+ Kxg6 28. Rf6+) (24... Rh5 25. g4 $18) 25. Rxg6+ Kxg6 26. Qf6+ Qxf6 27. Rxf6+ Kg5 28. Rxe6 Rd8 {Veremos essa posição na anotação do lance perdedor da partida. Crowther, Mark: 'with a two result game according to Sindarov.'}) 22. Rdf1 {Crowther, Mark: '!'} Bd7 $4 {[%eval 221,14] [%wdl 999,1,0] Um erro grosseiro que perde a partida na hora. Sindarov, sempre impressionante em seus cálculos, havia visto tanto a continuação vencedora quanto a defesa correta. Crowther, Mark: '?' Crowther, Mark: 'White is suddenly close to winning.'} (22... Be6 23. Rf6 {Aqui as Pretas precisam encontrar o único lance:} Qh7 $3 {Qualquer outro lance perde.} (23... Rxf6 24. Rxf6 {com um ataque decisivo.}) 24. Qxh7+ Kxh7 25. Rxh6+ Kxh6 26. Rf6+ Kg5 27. Rxe6 Rd8 $1 {As Pretas devem conseguir empatar com um bom jogo. De qualquer forma, acredito que Sindarov não ficaria muito preocupado com isso, já que seu plano era jogar por dois resultados, exatamente o que está acontecendo nesta posição.} 28. Rf6 (28. Re7 Rd1+ 29. Kf2 Rd2+ 30. Kf3 Rxh2 {com um empate provável.}) 28... Rd1+ 29. Rf1 Rd2 {A ideia das Pretas é que, no caso de} 30. e6 {elas podem jogar} Rg2+ $1 31. Kh1 Re2 {com empate.}) 23. Rf7 {Crowther, Mark: '+-!'} Qxf7 (23... Qe6 {perde para o preciso} 24. R7f6 $1 (24. Qf4 {não ganha após} Be8 $1) (24. R1f6 $2 {é tentador, mas as Pretas se salvam com} Qg4 $1) 24... Rxf6 25. Rxf6 {com um ataque decisivo.}) (23... Qe8 24. R1f6 {e as Pretas não têm nada melhor do que capturar a torre em f7, transpondo para a partida.}) 24. Rxf7 Kxf7 25. Qf4+ $146 {tenho certeza do que Praggnanandhaa deixou passar, mas agora ele perde o bispo e as Brancas ficam com uma vantagem material decisiva.} Kg7 26. Qg5+ Kh7 27. Qe7+ Kg8 28. Qxd7 {Sindarov converte sua vantagem com técnica impecável.} Rf8 29. Qg4+ {Crowther, Mark: 'White is winning and in fact wraps things up very quickly.'} (29. Qxc7 Rb6 30. Qc4+ Rf7 31. Qg4+ Kf8 32. Qc8+ Ke7 33. Qc7+ (33. Qxh3 Rb1+ 34. Kg2 Rb2+ 35. Kg1 Rb1+ 36. Kg2 Rb2+ 37. Kh1 Rb1+ 38. Kg2 $11) 33... Ke8 34. Qc8+ Ke7 35. Qc5+ Ke8 36. Qc8+ Ke7 $11) 29... Kh8 30. a4 a5 31. Qg5 Rh7 32. e6 Re8 33. Qxa5 b6 (33... Rxe6 34. Qa8+ Kg7 35. Qxb7 {e o peão da coluna “a” avança.}) 34. Qe5+ Kg8 35. Qg5+ Rg7 36. Qf5 Rge7 37. Qg4+ (37. Qxh3 Rxe6 38. Kf2 Re4 $18) 37... Kf8 38. Qxh3 Rxe6 39. Kf2 (39. Qh8+ Ke7 40. Qd4 Rd6 41. Qe4+ Kd8 $16) 39... R8e7 (39... Rxe3 40. Qh6+ {seguido da captura da torre.}) 40. Qh8+ Kf7 41. g4 {Peões passados devem ser avançados.} Re4 (41... Rxe3 42. Qh5+ Kg7 43. Qg5+) 42. Qh5+ Kg7 43. Qg5+ Kf7 44. Kf3 Rxa4 45. h4 Ra5 46. Qh6 Rae5 47. Qh7+ Kf8 48. Qh8+ Kf7 49. e4 b5 (49... Ke6 50. h5) 50. h5 c5 {[%eval 719,16] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} (50... Rg5 $142 {[%eval 460,15] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} 51. Qh6 Ree5) 51. h6 Rg5 52. Qd8 Rg8 53. Qd5+ {Sindarov agora é virtualmente o campeão do torneio. Mais do que isso, sua performance é extraordinária, e o nível de jogo que ele apresentou tem poucos paralelos na história do xadrez. Estou realmente impressionado, e certamente não sou o único. Crowther, Mark: 'There is nothing left to hope for.'} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.09"] [Round "10.3"] [White "Wei Yi"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C15"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,78,39,18,50,31,69,30,30,33,64,45,47,47,43,33,50,-15,-5,-5,-24,-19,-12,-23,0,-7,2,20,28,15,10,10,10,16,31,28,29,8,7,7,23,-2,-3,-6,9,-33,-15,-36,-31,-33,-2,-28,-9,-17,12,8,-3,12,13,11,4,13,11,16,16,4,37,45,45,46,53,44,44,44,44,38,51,38,38,39,48]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nge2 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Nxc3 Nbc6 ({RR} 6... b6 7. Qg4 O-O 8. e5 Ba6 9. Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Bg5 Kh8 11. O-O-O Qd7 12. Rd3 c5 13. Rh3 Ng8 14. Ne2 f5 15. Qh5 g6 16. Qxg6 Qf7 17. Nf4 Nc7 18. Rd1 Rac8 19. Rdd3 cxd4 20. Rxh7+ Qxh7 21. Rh3 {Bortnyk,O (2598)-Yanchenko,R (2467) Chess.com INT 2021 1-0}) 7. Bf4 ({RR} 7. e5 Nf5 8. Be3 O-O 9. Bd3 Ncxd4 10. Bxd4 Nxd4 11. Bxh7+ Kxh7 12. Qxd4 b6 13. O-O-O Ba6 14. Qg4 f5 15. Qh5+ Kg8 16. h4 Qe8 17. Qg5 f4 18. h5 Kh7 19. Qg4 Qf7 20. Ne2 {½-½ (20) Polasek,J (2344)-Huss,A (2202) Prague CZE 2025}) 7... dxe4 8. Qd2 $146 ({RR} 8. Nxe4 Nd5 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bh4 O-O 11. f3 Ne3 12. Qd2 Nxf1 13. Rxf1 Qxd4 14. O-O-O Qxd2+ 15. Rxd2 e5 16. Rfd1 b6 17. Bf2 Be6 18. Nc3 a6 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Rad8 21. c4 Nd4 22. Bxd4 Rxd5 {Machado Caldeira,A-Sequera Paolini,J Lomas de Zamora 1984 0-1 (75)}) 8... e5 9. dxe5 Qxd2+ 10. Bxd2 (10. Kxd2 Ng6 11. Bg3 Bf5 12. Re1 O-O-O+ 13. Kc1 Rd4 14. e6 Bxe6 15. Nxe4 Bc4 16. Bxc4 Rxc4 17. h4 Nd4 18. c3 Ne6 19. Nd2 Rg4 20. Kc2 Ne7 21. Re5 g6 22. h5 Rf8 23. hxg6 hxg6 24. Re4 Rxe4 25. Nxe4 f5 26. Rh7 Nc6 27. Nd2 f4 28. Bh2 Kd8 29. f3 Ne5 30. Bg1 Rf7 31. Rh6 c5 32. Rh8+ Kc7 33. Ne4 b6 34. Bf2 Rf8 35. Rh7+ Rf7 36. Rh6 Rg7 37. Rh8 g5 38. a4 g4 39. Rh5 g3 {1-0 Christiansen,J (2659)-Gomez,J (2365) Manny Pacquiao op General Santos City 2026 (2)}) 10... Bf5 11. O-O-O O-O-O 12. Re1 Nxe5 13. Nxe4 f6 14. Ng3 Bg6 $1 {[#]} 15. f4 $146 (15. b4 Nf5 16. Nxf5 Bxf5 17. Bc3 Nc6 18. g4 Bg6 19. Bc4 Rhe8 20. Be6+ Kb8 21. f4 Re7 22. f5 Bf7 23. b5 Ne5 24. Bxf7 Rxf7 25. Bxe5 fxe5 26. Rxe5 b6 27. Rhe1 Rd4 28. h3 h5 29. R1e4 Rxe4 30. Rxe4 hxg4 31. hxg4 Kc8 32. Re6 Rd7 33. c3 Kb7 34. Kc2 a6 35. a4 axb5 36. axb5 Kc8 37. Re4 Kb7 38. Rd4 Rf7 39. Kd3 c6 40. bxc6+ Kxc6 41. Ke4 b5 42. Kf4 g6 43. Ke5 gxf5 44. Ke6 Rf8 {1-0 Kolla,B (1966)-Bivor,A (2140) Bhubaneswar op 16th 2025 (6)}) 15... N5c6 16. Bc4 Nd5 17. Rhf1 h5 18. f5 Bf7 19. Ne4 h4 20. g4 hxg3 $11 21. hxg3 Ne5 22. Be2 Ne7 23. g4 Bd5 24. Nc5 N7c6 25. Bc3 Rh2 26. Nd3 Bc4 27. Nxe5 Bxe2 28. Nxc6 bxc6 29. Rg1 Rd5 30. g5 Rxf5 31. gxf6 gxf6 32. Rg6 Bf3 33. Rxf6 Rxf6 34. Bxf6 Rh1 35. Rxh1 Bxh1 $11 36. Kb1 Bg2 37. Kc1 Bh1 38. Kb1 Bg2 39. Kc1 Bh1 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.09"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D31"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,72,17,-15,7,4,7,-16,18,-2,15,3,46,58,47,25,32,31,29,15,9,18,19,6,12,-8,-3,-12,-6,-18,-2,-19,11,-25,21,-5,16,23,23,4,15,-13,15,0,41,25,55,61,61,54,57,52,62,22,22,19,15,9,26,23,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 h6 {You can't accuse Nakamura of not trying. He plays a sideline in the QGD.} 4. cxd5 (4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e3 Be7 6. b3 O-O 7. Bd3 b6 8. O-O Bb7 9. Bb2 Nbd7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Rc1 a6 12. Qc2 Bd6 13. Ne2 Ne4 14. Ne5 Re8 15. f3 Nef6 16. f4 Ne4 17. Ng3 Ndf6 18. Nf5 Bc8 19. Nxd6 cxd6 20. Nf3 Bd7 21. Qe2 Bb5 22. Bxb5 axb5 23. a3 Qd7 24. Rc2 Ng4 25. Re1 Rac8 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. h3 Ng3 28. Qd3 Nf6 29. Rc1 Re8 30. Bc3 Nf5 31. Bd2 Ne4 32. Bb4 Nf6 33. Re1 Ne4 {1-0 Erigaisi,A (2775)-Murzin,V (2652) Tata Steel India Blitz Kolkata 2026 (1)}) 4... exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bd6 {[#]} ({RR} 6... Bf5 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 Nf6 9. Nge2 Nbd7 10. O-O Be7 11. Ng3 O-O 12. f3 c5 13. Nf5 Re8 14. Rad1 Bf8 15. Nb5 Nh5 16. Bd6 Qb6 17. Bxf8 Rxf8 18. Ne7+ Kh8 19. Nxd5 Qc6 20. Nbc3 Rad8 21. e4 {Giri,A (2764)-Nihal,S (2670) chess.com INT 2022 1-0 (64)}) 7. Nge2 $146 {A new move, but Nakamura navigates the novelty without any problems.} ({RR} 7. Bxd6 {has been played in over 20 games.} Qxd6 8. Bd3 Ne7 9. Qc2 Qf6 10. Nge2 Bf5 11. Bxf5 Qxf5 12. Qxf5 Nxf5 {½-½ (12) Stremavicius,T (2532)-Ali Marandi,C (2561) Paleochora 2022}) (7. Bg3 Nf6 8. Bd3 O-O 9. Nge2 Re8 10. Qc2 Bg4 11. Nf4 Nh5 12. Nxh5 Bxh5 13. Qb3 b6 14. Rc1 Bxg3 15. hxg3 Bg4 16. Ne2 Qd6 17. Qc3 Rc8 18. Nf4 Nd7 19. O-O c5 20. dxc5 bxc5 21. Qc2 Qe5 22. b3 a5 23. Qc3 Be6 24. Bb5 Qd6 25. Rfd1 Nf6 26. Nd3 Qb6 27. a4 Ne4 28. Qe5 Nd6 29. Nf4 Nxb5 30. axb5 Rab8 31. Rc3 c4 32. bxc4 dxc4 33. Rb1 Rc5 34. Qd4 Rxb5 35. Rxb5 Qxb5 36. Nxe6 fxe6 {1-0 Sevian,S (2694)-Svane,R (2625) Titled Tuesday intern op 08th Apr Late Chess.com INT blitz 2025 (5)}) ({RR} 7. Qf3 Nf6 (7... Bxf4 8. Qxf4 Qf6 9. Qc7 Ne7 10. Nf3 O-O 11. Bd3 Nf5 12. Qf4 Qd6 13. Ne5 f6 14. Ng6 Qxf4 15. Nxf4 Nd6 16. h4 Bf5 17. Bxf5 Nxf5 18. h5 Nd7 19. O-O-O Nd6 20. Rhe1 f5 21. b3 Nf6 {Lobanov,S (2526)-Piorun,K (2557) Goa IND 2025 ½-½ (64)}) 8. Bd3 O-O 9. h3 a5 10. Nge2 Na6 11. g4 Bxf4 12. Qxf4 Qc7 13. f3 Qxf4 14. Nxf4 Ne8 15. h4 Nd6 16. Kf2 Re8 17. Rac1 Nc7 18. Na4 Be6 19. Nc5 Re7 20. g5 Kh8 21. Rhg1 Rg8 {Sargsyan,S (2659)-Khamdamova,A (2403) Tashkent UZB 2026 1-0 (38)}) 7... Na6 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. Ng3 Nc7 10. Bd3 Nf6 11. h3 Bd7 12. Qb3 b6 13. O-O O-O 14. Rad1 Rfe8 15. Rfe1 Rad8 16. Bb1 Ne6 17. e4 dxe4 18. Ncxe4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Qb8 (19... Qf4 20. Re3 Ng5 21. Rde1 Nxe4 22. Bxe4 Qd6) 20. Qc2 Nf8 21. Re3 Kh8 22. a3 Re7 $6 {Allowing an incredible resource that the computer finds.} 23. Nc5 {Now we see liquidation.} (23. Ng5 $1 Rde8 24. Nf3 $3 {Incredibly difficult. White's point is} Rxe3 25. fxe3 Rxe3 $2 (25... Rc8 26. Ne5 {with a slight edge for White.}) 26. Ne5 {And the rook is trapped after, say,} Kg8 27. Qd2 Rb3 28. Ba2 {Hitting f7 behind the rook.}) 23... Rxe3 24. Nxd7 Rxd7 25. fxe3 c5 {The most straightforward way to liquidate.} 26. dxc5 Rxd1+ 27. Qxd1 bxc5 $11 28. Ba2 Qxb2 29. Bxf7 Qxa3 30. Qd6 Qxe3+ 31. Kh2 Nd7 32. Qxd7 {Allowing a perpetual check.} Qe5+ 33. Kh1 (33. Kg1 $5 Qe1+ $8) 33... Qe1+ 34. Kh2 Qe5+ 35. Kh1 Qe1+ 36. Kh2 Qe5+ 37. Kg1 $5 (37. g3 Qe2+ 38. Kg1 Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qe2+ 40. Kg1 $11) 37... Qe1+ $8 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.11"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,85,18,18,18,4,10,4,54,10,22,22,22,19,22,22,57,55,58,48,30,48,48,-2,24,29,25,18,47,34,47,31,37,20,51,20,25,16,38,44,72,40,102,108,108,77,101,86,86,88,94,88,100,79,89,68,61,68,61,65,58,32,40,25,56,49,48,64,87,73,39,69,44,40,42,26,54,58,34,40,23,20,20,19,22,7,6,-9]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 O-O 7. Nf3 c5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O {In a must-win game, Giri has at least accomplished the goal of reaching an imbalanced position. White can play against the isolated pawn, though Black is okay.} Be6 11. Qa4 {No 2500-rated player has ever tried this, though it's not technically a novelty.} (11. Rc1 {has been played in over 200 games.}) ({RR} 11. Ne5 Bd6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qa4 Bxf4 14. Qxf4 c5 15. b3 Qa5 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. Qa4 Qxa4 18. Nxa4 c4 19. bxc4 dxc4 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Nc5 Bd5 23. f3 Rc8 24. Na4 Be6 25. e4 Nd7 {Mikhalchishin,A (2535)-Beliavsky,A (2620) Moscow 1981 1-0 (37)}) ({RR} 11. Nb5 Rc8 12. Rc1 Qe7 13. Nfd4 h6 14. Nb3 Bb4 15. a3 a6 16. axb4 axb5 17. Nd4 Qxb4 18. Nxb5 Rfd8 19. Nd4 Nxd4 20. Qxd4 Qxd4 21. exd4 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Bd6 Bd7 25. f3 Ne8 {Grigoryan,K (2481)-Adly,A (2589) Goa IND 2025 ½-½ (71)}) 11... h6 $146 ({RR} 11... Qb6 12. Qc2 (12. Nb5 Rac8 13. b4 Nxb4 14. Rab1 Bd7 15. a3 Na6 16. Ne5 Be8 17. Rfc1 Nc7 18. Qxa7 Bxb5 {0-1 (18) Kos,E (2220)-Magamedov,M Bela Crkva 1989}) 12... Be7 13. Rad1 Rac8 14. Qb1 Bb4 15. Nb5 Ne4 16. Ng5 Nxg5 17. Bxg5 h6 18. Bf4 Rfd8 19. a3 Be7 20. Nd4 Nxd4 21. exd4 Bf6 22. Be3 Bd7 23. Rfe1 Ba4 24. Rd2 Rc6 25. g3 Bb5 26. Bf3 {Budde,V (2335)-Kavalek,L (2590) Germany 1982 ½-½ (53)}) 12. Rfd1 $146 (12. h3 Qe7 13. Rfd1 a6 14. Rac1 Rfc8 15. Qc2 Na5 16. Qb1 Nc4 17. Nd4 b5 18. Bf3) 12... Qb6 13. Qb5 a6 14. Qxb6 Bxb6 15. Na4 Ba7 16. Bd6 Rfc8 17. Bc5 Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Ne5 19. Rac1 Ned7 20. Nd3 Kf8 21. Nd4 Ke7 22. f3 Ne8 23. Kf2 Nd6 24. g4 g5 (24... Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Rc8 26. Rd1 Nb8) 25. h4 $1 Nc4 (25... a5 26. Ra1) 26. Rh1 Nce5 {White is pushing a little bit.} 27. Nxe5 Nxe5 28. Rcd1 Rh8 29. Kg3 Nc6 30. Nxe6 $6 {This decision was criticized by Howell and Polgar as unnecessary. The game kind of peters out here, even if the engine shows a slight white advantage.} (30. f4 $1 {White could decide later if he wants to exchange the knight for bishop. Why now $2} gxf4+ 31. exf4 Rhg8 32. Rhe1 Kd6 33. h5 {is the computer's best line, with serious pressure.}) 30... fxe6 31. f4 Rag8 32. fxg5 $6 {This doesn't net any advantage. We just see liqudation. The game is dead equal.} (32. Bd3) 32... hxg5 33. hxg5 (33. h5 Rf8 {Black is okay.} ({But not} 33... Ne5 34. e4 $1 dxe4 35. Rd4)) 33... Ne5 34. Rxh8 Rxh8 $11 35. e4 dxe4 36. Rd4 Rg8 37. Rb4 b5 38. Rxe4 Rxg5 39. a4 Nf7 40. axb5 axb5 41. Rd4 Nd6 42. Kf2 Rc5 43. Ke3 {Giri offers a draw and it's accepted.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.11"] [Round "11.2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Wei Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A14"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,44,18,28,28,10,10,-28,-28,-23,-6,-28,-7,4,-8,-24,-15,-14,-14,-1,3,-5,1,-9,-9,-28,-28,-34,10,0,-3,-48,-13,-4,11,23,23,6,23,-38,23,24,15,-20,15,40,24]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 Nc6 $1 13. e3 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nbd2 Bd3 16. Rd1 Nb4 17. Qc3 ({RR} 17. Nc4 Bc2 18. Rf1 Bd3 19. Rd1 Bc2 20. Rf1 Bd3 {½-½ (20) Thybo,J (2578)-Svane,R (2614) Batumi GEO 2025}) 17... a5 18. Nb3 $146 (18. Nc4 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 c6 20. h4 Rc8 21. Rac1 Qe7 22. Nh2 h5 23. b3 b6 24. e4) ({RR} 18. Nc4 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 c6 20. h4 Rc8 21. Rac1 Qe7 22. Nh2 h5 23. b3 b6 24. e4 Qd7 25. e5 Be7 26. Qe2 g6 27. Be4 Nd5 28. Qf3 Kg7 29. Rc2 Rfd8 30. Nf1 Qe8 31. Kg2 Qd7 32. Ne3 Nb4 {Chan,K (2274)-Eggleston,D (2345) Stockholm SWE 2024 ½-½ (35)}) 18... Be4 19. Rdc1 (19. Nxa5 Rxa5 20. Qxb4 Qa8 $1 {is Wei Yi's point.}) 19... Nd3 20. Rd1 Nb4 21. Rdc1 Nd3 22. Rd1 Nb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.11"] [Round "11.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E05"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2745"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,115,18,18,21,6,10,-32,-28,-23,-19,-23,-7,-7,44,38,24,-8,2,21,4,16,16,-14,3,-33,6,-3,-9,-46,-29,-36,-18,-19,-1,-52,-8,-79,-34,15,-17,-17,0,-52,0,-22,16,14,14,9,12,0,0,0,5,0,0,0,0,0,0,-2,33,33,83,77,82,74,82,76,82,82,76,73,169,50,20,30,28,-34,7,25,42,59,55,61,119,86,128,112,115,115,108,108,108,126,118,80,80,80,98,46,46,46,38,35,35,37,102,26,30,0,28,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. Nf3 {Crowther, Mark} d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 {The tournament leader revealed that he was expecting the Catalan and prepared the following line for it.} 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Be3 Nd5 12. Qc1 Rb8 13. Nc3 Nxe3 ({RR} 13... a5 {Crowther, Mark} 14. Rb1 Ba6 15. Rd1 Rfd8 16. f3 Rb4 17. Bf2 Rdb8 18. Rd2 f5 19. Rc2 Qd7 20. Be1 R4b7 21. Bf2 Nb4 22. Rd2 Nd5 23. Rc2 Nb4 24. Rd2 Nd5 25. Rc2 {½-½ (25) Theodorou,N (2639)-Sindarov,J (2726) chess.com INT 2026}) 14. Qxe3 Rxb2 {Crowther, Mark: '[#]'} 15. Rab1 $146 {Caruana knew that he was following a game of Theodorou, but this last move is a novelty. The American GM revealed that he did not prepare at all for the last two games.} ({In the predecessor, the Greek GM had chosen the wrong rook Crowther, Mark: 'RR'} 15. Rfb1 $6 {Which allowed} Rb6 $1 16. Nd5 Rxb1+ 17. Rxb1 Qd6 18. Nc3 h6 {And this was a better version of the game continuation.} 19. Rb5 Rd8 20. Rc5 Bb7 21. f3 Bd5 22. Qe5 Rd7 23. Qxd6 cxd6 {0-1 Theodorou $146 (2646)-Eljanov,P (2682) Bundesliga 2526 Germany 2025 (6.1)} 24. Rc8+ {Crowther, Mark} Kh7 25. Kf2 g5 26. e4 Bb7 27. Rxc4 d5 28. Ra4 Rc7 29. Ra3 Rc4 {Crowther, Mark: 'Theodorou,N (2646)-Eljanov,P (2682) St. Pauli GER 2026 0-1 (46)'} 30. Ke3 a5 31. exd5 exd5 32. Kd3 Ba6 33. Ke3 Bb7 34. Nb5 Ba6 35. Nd6 Rc6 36. Nxf7 Rc2 37. Nxg5+ hxg5 38. f4 Bc4 39. Rxa5 Rc3+ 40. Kd2 Rd3+ 41. Kc2 gxf4 42. Rxd5 f3 43. Rf5 Kg6 44. Rf4 Ra3 {0-1 Theodorou,N (2646)-Eljanov,P (2682) Bundesliga 2526 Germany 2025 (6.1)}) 15... Rxb1 ({Now} 15... Rb6 $2 {is a mistake as after} 16. Nd5 {Black cannot capture on b1 with a check.}) 16. Rxb1 a6 {\"This seems like a very important move, to stop the white rook from coming on the fifth rank.\" (Caruana) \" I knew this line up to here, computer says it is equal, but he is always playing for two results.\" (Sindarov)} 17. f3 {Crowther, Mark: 'This was the first move that was new. Caruana made it up over the board.'} Bd7 18. Kf2 {\"Natural, good moves.\" (Sindarov) Caruana is preparing for a possible endgame.} Bc6 {\"I knew I needed to place the bishop here and then the queen to d6, and then any move should be equal, but it is a little bit unpleasant.\" (Sindarov) Crowther, Mark: 'Sindarov knew the basic setup he wanted.'} 19. d5 {Crowther, Mark: '!'} Bd7 20. Rb7 ({Black’s idea was to exchange the pawn after} 20. dxe6 Bxe6 {\"and with the queens on the board I will have zero problem.\" (Sindarov)}) 20... Qd6 21. Ne4 Qxd5 22. Rxc7 e5 {\"Probably a wrong move.\" (Sindarov)} ({Black intended instead} 22... h6 {when he thought he would be fine after Crowther, Mark: 'was the main alternative Sindarov considered but he spotted a serious problem with it.'} 23. Qc5 ({\"But I did not like:\"} 23. Rc5 $3 Qd1 {When the Uzbek GM saw} (23... Qa8 {Crowther, Mark} 24. Nf6+) 24. Nf6+ $3 gxf6 (24... Kh8 25. Rh5 $1 {leads to the same.}) 25. Rh5 $1 {and it is mate.}) 23... Qxc5+ 24. Nxc5 Rc8 {\"and I think it should be equal.\" (Sindarov)}) (22... Rc8 $1 {is advocated by the machine, when after Crowther, Mark: 'was Nepomniachtchi's first reaction in commentary and he's just correct.'} 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Qb6 h6 {Black should be holding. Sindarov even mentioned ideas of sacrificing his bishop in order to get his c-passer in motion.}) 23. Qc5 Be6 {Perhaps this is inaccurate.} ({Black needs to look for the exchange of the rooks, and he seems to be closer to it after the simple-hearted:} 23... Qxc5+ $5 24. Nxc5 ({If} 24. Rxc5 Rc8 $1 {and Black executes his main idea.}) 24... Bc8 (24... Bh3 {(Crowther, Mark) this isn't a move a human would think of.}) 25. Ne4 Be6 26. Nd6 ({In comparison to the game} 26. Nc3 {means an extra tempo for Black who can use it with} Ra8) 26... f6 27. Nxc4 Rc8 $1 {It should be holdable.}) 24. Qxd5 Bxd5 25. Nc3 $1 {\"I was very happy when this endgame arose. It is risk-free, the knight on c3 can never be touched.\" (Caruana) Crowther, Mark: 'This isn't a very pleasant position now.'} Be6 26. Rc5 $1 {Softening the bishop and completely missed by Black.} ({He only expected} 26. Rc6 Ra8 {\"trying to survive somehow.\" (Sindarov)}) 26... f6 27. Rc6 {Crowther, Mark: 'Sindarov confessed to having missed this idea.'} Kf7 {Crowther, Mark: '?!'} ({It is interesting to see that the machine prefers to keep the other pawn with} 27... Bc8 28. Rxc4 {but this is obviously better for White.}) 28. Rxa6 Rb8 {Crowther, Mark: 'Going for counterplay but Sindarov was very worried he was lost here.'} 29. Ra7+ Kg6 (29... Kf8 {Crowther, Mark}) 30. Re7 ({It seems as this was a good moment to send the king in for the passer's support with} 30. Ke1 Rb2 31. Kd1 h5 32. a4 {when White is certainly better.}) 30... Rb6 {Crowther, Mark: 'Sindarov was extremely relieved to see this. He felt he should get enough counterplay now.'} 31. g4 {\"Maybe he does not need to play this move, as I got some chances from the kingside.\" (Sindarov) Crowther, Mark: '?!'} ({Black suggested instead a setup like} 31. Ke1 {Crowther, Mark: 'was Svidler's post-game suggestion helping to control the Rook counterplay.'} f5 32. h4 {followed by a king march towards the c2-square and then the a-passer is free to go. This would have been far more difficult to hold, if even possible.}) (31. h4 $5 {(Crowther, Mark) The engine suggestion.}) 31... h5 $1 {Searching for counterplay at once.} 32. gxh5+ Kh6 33. Ke1 Bf5 $1 {Sindarov already had the idea of transferring his rook to the seventh rank.} 34. Rc7 ({\"He cannot play:\"} 34. Kd2 Rd6+ 35. Kc1 {Due to} Rd7 $1 {(Sindarov) and Black gets his counterplay on the kingside as the king is ready to pick up the h5-pawn.}) (34. Kd1 Rd6+ {might lead to the same.}) 34... Be6 35. Kd2 Rd6+ {Executing his counterplay idea.} ({There was also the sit-and-wait policy} 35... Rb2+ 36. Kc1 Rb6) 36. Kc2 Rd7 $1 {The point $1 Black frees his king. Crowther, Mark: 'Sinadov realised he could take rooks off safely.'} 37. Rc6 ({Black is safe in the pure minor piece endgame thanks to his active king in the exemplary line} 37. Rxd7 Bxd7 38. a4 Kxh5 39. a5 Bc8 40. Nb5 Kh4 41. Nd6 Ba6 42. Nf5+ Kh3 43. Nxg7 Kxh2 44. Ne8 c3 $1 {And yes, the bishop is not bad at all $1}) 37... Bf7 38. a4 Ra7 $1 {\"And it is not easy to push his pawn.\" (Sindarov)} 39. Kb2 ({Nothing changes} 39. Rc5 Kxh5) 39... Kxh5 40. Ka3 {While debating about his counterplay between the king marches with …Kh5-g5 or …Kh5-h4, Sindarov realized that there is a much more practical option to reach the time control move.} Rb7 $1 {A mandatory move anyway. Crowther, Mark: '=!' Crowther, Mark: 'Precise and equal.'} (40... Kh4 $6 {might not do the job after} 41. Nb5 Rb7 42. Kb4 Kh3 43. Rc7 Bd5 44. a5 Kxh2 45. a6 Rb8 46. Kc5 $1) 41. Nb5 Kg5 $1 {The king is heading toward the e2-pawn, but would not mind supporting its own from the d2-square as well $1} 42. Rc5 ({The initial impression is that White is making decisive progress with} 42. Kb4 Kf4 43. a5 {Alas, there is} ({There was also} 43. Rc7 {To which Black planned} Rxc7 44. Nxc7 Ke3 45. a5 Kd2 $1 46. a6 c3 {(Sindarov)}) 43... Rxb5+ $3 44. Kxb5 Be8 45. a6 c3 46. a7 Bxc6+ 47. Kxc6 c2 48. a8=Q c1=Q+ $19 {And it is Black who is winning.}) 42... Kf4 43. a5 Ke3 {The counterplay is good enough for Black to keep his precious lead. Crowther, Mark: '!'} 44. a6 Rb6 45. a7 Ra6+ 46. Kb4 Be8 {Crowther, Mark: '!' Crowther, Mark: 'The only move.'} 47. Rc7 ({If} 47. Rc8 Bxb5 48. a8=Q Rxa8 49. Rxa8 c3 $3 {\"and only Black can play for a win.\" (Sindarov)}) 47... Kxe2 ({\"Probably if I take:\"} 47... Bxb5 48. Kxb5 Ra1 49. Kxc4 Kxe2 ({But in the studio, Svidler mentioned that} 49... g5 $3 {is a nice saving nuance, as Black can escape the checks after} 50. Kb3 Ra6 51. Rc3+ Kf2 $3) 50. Kb3 $3 {\"I am just losing.\" (Sindarov) Indeed, the king cannot hide itself from the checks.}) 48. Nc3+ Kxf3 49. Rxg7 e4 {The a7-passer is worth the bishop, especially when one gets these pretty passers $1} 50. Re7 f5 51. Rxe8 Rxa7 52. Rf8 Rh7 53. Rxf5+ Kg2 54. Nxe4 Kxh2 55. Nf6 ({Sindarov expected some more torture with} 55. Kxc4 {but it is also a draw, of course.}) 55... Rc7 56. Rc5 Rxc5 57. Kxc5 c3 58. Ng4+ {Crowther, Mark: '!'} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.11"] [Round "11.4"] [White "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Black "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,83,18,18,18,18,50,-2,14,6,34,4,1,13,7,20,43,-32,15,9,14,1,5,9,29,31,25,13,13,18,21,20,62,19,-12,-26,-5,-39,10,10,14,35,35,35,65,42,77,28,38,-4,37,-17,-2,25,21,21,34,34,34,-30,26,-62,-48,-44,0,0,0,0,0,-56,-67,-174,-95,-140,-140,-140,-91,-195,-91,-195,-191,-195,-181,0,0,-181]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nd3 (4. Nf3 {Curiously, nobody has played the main move against Bluebaum's Petroff in this tournament.}) (4. Nc4 {has also been tried in this event.}) 4... Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nf6 ({RR} 5... Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Be6 9. O-O-O Nc6 10. Nf4 Bf5 11. g4 Bg6 12. f3 Ne5 13. Be2 b5 14. h4 Bxh4 15. Nxg6 Nxg6 16. f4 Re8 17. Bf3 Rb8 18. Bc6 Rf8 19. Bxa7 Bg3 20. Rdf1 {Mirzaliyeva,L (1762)-Vidruska,R (2050) chess.com INT 2026 1-0}) 6. Nf4 d5 ({RR} 6... c6 7. d4 d5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. Qe2+ Qe7 10. Qxe7+ Kxe7 11. f3 Nbd7 12. Kf2 Nf8 13. Nce2 Bd7 14. h4 Re8 15. g4 h6 16. Bd2 Ne6 17. Nxe6 Bxe6 18. Nf4 Kd8 19. g5 Ng8 20. Nh5 Bf8 21. Rae1 {Mamedyarov,S (2817)-Yu,Y (2764) Chess.com INT 2019 ½-½ (90)}) 7. d4 Be7 8. Qf3 $146 ({RR} 8. Be3 c6 9. Bd3 Na6 10. a3 Nc7 11. f3 c5 12. b3 b6 13. O-O O-O 14. Qd2 Re8 15. Rfe1 Bd6 16. Bf2 Ne6 17. Nfxd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 cxd4 19. c4 dxc3 20. Nxc3 Ba6 21. Nd5 Bxd3 22. Qxd3 Bc5 {Dzagnidze,N (2510)-Tan,Z (2513) Kazan 2019 ½-½ (32)}) 8... c6 9. Bd3 O-O 10. h3 Na6 $6 (10... Nbd7 {Considering White's move in the game, this was an improvement.} 11. O-O Re8 {The knight goes to f8 and, as they say, \"there is no mate.\"} 12. Nce2 Nf8) 11. Bxa6 $1 bxa6 12. Nd3 a5 13. O-O Ba6 14. Re1 Re8 $2 (14... Bxd3 $1 {It was time to chop of this knight, before it gets to e5.}) 15. Bg5 $2 (15. Ne5 $1 {immediately was strongest, but we will see this move in the game.}) 15... Qb6 $2 {[%eval 168,16] [%wdl 962,38,0]} (15... Bxd3 $14 {[%eval 47,19] [%wdl 74,925,1] Again had to be played.} 16. Qxd3 Qc7) 16. Ne5 $1 $18 Rac8 (16... Bc8 {was a move suggested by Nepomniachtchi on the FIDE broadcast, intending the solid ...Be6. But Black is not in time.} 17. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Qh5+ {White wins.} g6 20. Qxh7+ Bg7 21. Rxe8) (16... Qxd4 17. Nxc6 {wins a piece.}) 17. Re3 {White already has a winning advantage.} Qxd4 18. Rae1 $2 {[%eval 37,19] [%wdl 46,953,1] A natural move and one that lets the advantage slip.} (18. Qf5 $1 $18 {[%eval 181,20] [%wdl 980,20,0] was the only winning move.} h6 19. Rd1 $1 (19. Bf4) 19... Qb4 20. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 (20... Qh4 {This was the saving move in the game, but here the queen on f5 allows} 21. Bg5) 21. Rg3+ {with a mating attack.}) 18... h6 $14 (18... Qb4 {allows us to show a beautiful queen sacrifice.} 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Qxf6 $3 gxf6 21. Rg3+ Kf8 22. Nd7#) 19. Nd7 (19. Bxh6 Qh4 $1 {is the point that Bluebaum found. And if} 20. Bf4 $2 (20. Ng4 {is a bailout.} Nxg4 21. Qxg4 Qxh6 22. Rxe7) 20... d4 {wins.}) 19... Nxd7 20. Rxe7 Rxe7 21. Rxe7 Ne5 22. Qe3 Qb4 23. Qxe5 hxg5 24. b3 (24. Qxg5 $6 Qxb2 25. Qd2 Ra8 $15) (24. Rxa7 $5 Bb7 25. Ne2 $11 (25. Qxg5 $2 Qb6 $19)) 24... Rf8 25. Rc7 Qb6 {Until now, with lower time, Bluebaum has defended very well. We will skip to the potentially decisive moment.} 26. Na4 $40 Qb5 {[%eval 92,18] [%wdl 377,623,0]} (26... Qb4 $14 {[%eval 32,20] [%wdl 13,987,0]}) 27. Kh2 Qb4 28. c3 Qa3 29. Rxa7 Bb5 30. Nb6 Qxa2 $2 {[%eval 106,18] [%wdl 594,406,0]} (30... Qc5 $1 $11 {[%eval 14,23] [%wdl 4,995,1] The queen has to stay connected to the game, hitting the knight on b6 and the pawn on f2.} 31. Qe3 Qxe3 32. fxe3 Rb8) 31. Qe3 $1 $16 Qxb3 {[%eval 203,16] [%wdl 999,1,0]} (31... d4 $1 $16 {[%eval 107,20] [%wdl 606,394,0]} 32. Qxd4 (32. cxd4 Qe2) 32... Qxb3 {was best, again connecting the queen back into the game.} 33. Rxa5 {But White is still better. The threat is c4 and potentially going after the g5-pawn.}) 32. Nd7 $1 $18 Rc8 33. Ne5 $1 Re8 $2 {[%eval 459,16] [%wdl 1000,0,0] White is winning, but he's unable to find the finishing blow with just five minutes left for six moves.} (33... d4 $16 {[%eval 126,23] [%wdl 842,158,0]} 34. Qxg5 Bc4 (34... dxc3 $2 35. Nxf7 Qxf7 36. Rxf7 $18)) 34. Qf3 $2 {[%eval 0,47] [%wdl 1,997,2]} (34. Rxf7 $1 {wins.} Rxe5 {Removing the rook's defender.} 35. Qa7 {This is the point you have to see. The game just ends here.}) (34. Qxg5 {was the move Judit polgar suggested, and it does win.} Qxc3 35. f4 {But 34.Rxf7 is much, much cleaner.}) 34... d4 $1 $11 35. Nxf7 Rf8 36. Nh6+ gxh6 37. Qe4 Bd3 $1 {Bluebaum is just in time to defend.} 38. Qe5 (38. Qxd3 $4 Qb8+ {wins the rook.}) 38... Rf7 39. Ra8+ Rf8 40. Ra7 Rf7 41. Ra8+ Rf8 42. Ra7 {Praggnanandhaa, several pawns down, has to agree to the draw.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.12"] [Round "12.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, R.."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,92,28,-15,10,-25,-25,-30,0,-2,-2,-2,21,-8,64,11,0,-34,27,27,51,23,79,-55,83,4,49,49,31,28,21,5,7,11,11,11,11,5,5,0,0,0,12,-31,-9,-31,-36,-31,-35,-41,-36,-60,-26,-11,-10,-16,-16,-16,-8,-24,-22,-35,-35,-38,-36,-36,-36,-36,-36,-66,-65,-72,-59,-64,-48,-29,-20,-23,-1,0,0,-47,-1,-61,-18,-18,-18,-106,-69,-45,-42,-69,-53,-53,-57]} 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. O-O (5. d3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 a5 7. O-O Nf6 8. Ne4 Nxe4 9. dxe4 e5 10. Ne1 Be6 11. Qc2 Bxe1 12. Rxe1 O-O 13. Bd2 Qe7 14. b3 Rfd8 15. a3 Qc5 16. Rec1 Ra6 17. Qd3 Rb6 18. h4 h5 19. Kh2 f6 20. f4 Bg4 21. Bf3 Bxf3 22. exf3 exf4 23. gxf4 f5 24. Rg1 Ne7 25. b4 Qc6 26. c5 Rb5 27. Qc4+ Kf8 28. Rg5 axb4 29. axb4 b6 30. Rxh5 Ke8 31. Rg1 bxc5 32. Rxg7 Kd7 33. Rxe7+ {1-0 Martinez Alcantara,J (2656)-Xiong,J (2656) 3rd Thursday Feb 5th Chess.com INT blitz 2026 (5)}) 5... Nh6 6. e3 {[#]} ({RR} 6. d3 Nf5 7. Na3 Bxa3 8. bxa3 e5 9. Rb1 O-O 10. a4 Re8 11. Nd2 Nd6 12. Ba3 h5 13. h4 Nf5 14. Re1 Re6 15. Nf3 Rg6 16. Ng5 Rxg5 17. hxg5 Qxg5 18. Kh1 h4 19. g4 Ng3+ 20. fxg3 hxg3 {Carlsen,M (2837)-Xiong,J (2636) chess.com INT 2025 0-1}) 6... g6 $146 (6... Be7 7. d3 O-O 8. exd4 Nf5 9. d5 exd5 10. Nc3 dxc4 11. dxc4 Nd6 12. Qe2 Re8 13. Nd5 Bf8 14. Be3 Nf5 15. Rad1 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bd7 17. Qf2 f6 18. Qc2 Qc8 19. Nh4 Bg4 20. Rde1 Nb4 21. Qb1 c6 22. Nf4 g5 23. h3 gxf4 24. hxg4 fxe3 25. a3 e2 26. Rf4 Qd7 27. Be4 Na6 28. Rxe2 Nc5 29. Nf5 Re5 30. b4 Ne6 31. Rff2 a5 32. c5 axb4 33. axb4 Ng5 34. Bg2 Qe6 35. Qd3 Nf7 36. Rxe5 {0-1 Matlakov,M (2673)-Maghsoodloo,P (2719) Budapest Hetenyi Memorial 2023 (4)}) ({RR} 6... Nf5 7. e4 Nfe7 8. e5 d3 9. a3 a5 10. b3 b6 11. Bb2 Bb7 12. Nc3 Nf5 13. Re1 h5 14. h4 Qd7 15. Ne4 Be7 16. Qb1 Rd8 17. Nfg5 Qc8 18. f4 a4 19. b4 Ncd4 20. Qxd3 Nb3 21. Qc2 {Melaa,S (2328)-Tari,A (2636) Bergen 2025 0-1 (46)}) ({RR} 6... Nf5 7. e4 Nfe7 8. e5 d3 9. b3 Nd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Nc3 Qxe5 12. Bb2 Qd6 13. Nb5 Qd7 14. Be5 Ng6 15. Nxc7+ Kd8 16. Nxa8 Nxe5 17. c5 Bxc5 18. Rc1 Qd4 19. Qh5 f6 20. Kh1 Bd7 21. f4 {Liyanage,R (2384)-Cina',V (2316) Seville ESP 2026 ½-½ (85)}) ({RR} 6... Nf5 7. e4 Nd6 8. Qe2 f6 9. e5 Nf7 10. exf6 gxf6 11. d3 Be7 12. Nbd2 f5 13. Rb1 a5 14. b3 h5 15. Nh4 Bxh4 16. gxh4 Qxh4 17. f4 Bd7 18. a3 Rg8 19. Nf3 Qe7 20. Kh1 O-O-O 21. b4 {Vanapalli,V (2265)-Park,E (2393) Schaumburg USA 2023 1-0 (59)}) 7. b4 $1 {[%CAl Bb2b4,Bb4b5][%mdl 32]} dxe3 8. Bb2 exf2+ 9. Rxf2 f6 10. b5 {[%mdl 1024]} Na5 11. Qe2 a6 12. Ng5 {[%mdl 64]} Bc5 {[%mdl 64]} 13. Ne4 $1 (13. Nxe6 $6 Bxf2+ 14. Kxf2 Bxe6 15. Qxe6+ Qe7 16. Qxe7+ Kxe7 $17) 13... Bxf2+ 14. Qxf2 Ng4 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16. Bxf6 Rf8 17. Bxd8 Rxf2 18. Kxf2 Kxd8 19. Na3 axb5 20. cxb5 Ra7 21. b6 cxb6 22. Nb5 Ra8 23. Nc3 Bd7 24. Rb1 Kc7 25. Rb4 {[%eval -43,17] [%wdl 0,975,25]} (25. Bf1 $11 {[%eval -4,22] [%wdl 1,997,2]}) 25... Rf8+ {[%eval -7,22] [%wdl 1,997,2]} (25... Nc6 $15 {[%eval -43,17] [%wdl 0,975,25]} 26. Rh4 h5) 26. Ke3 $11 Bc6 27. Be4 Kd6 28. Bd3 Kc5 29. a3 e5 30. Ne4+ Bxe4 31. Rxe4 {[%mdl 4096]} Nc6 32. a4 Kd6 33. Rc4 Rd8 34. h4 Rf8 35. Rc1 Nb4 36. Be4 Ra8 37. Rf1 Rxa4 38. Rf7 Ra3+ 39. d3 Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Nb4 41. Rxh7 {[%CAl Of3e2]} Nxd3 42. Kg2 Ra2+ 43. Kg1 Ra1+ 44. Kg2 Ra2+ 45. Kg1 Ra1+ 46. Kg2 Ra2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.12"] [Round "12.2"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,104,28,28,28,4,4,4,10,10,44,24,24,-2,-8,-8,20,32,11,24,34,33,45,5,10,15,15,9,4,-5,4,-6,-12,-12,-12,-14,-20,-69,-32,-34,-16,-46,-44,-5,3,-19,-8,-19,-24,-22,-22,-16,-10,3,16,47,15,-24,30,17,24,34,61,45,41,31,31,23,30,31,16,36,16,29,19,32,24,24,30,35,35,27,0,20,23,23,31,43,43,50,42,30,34,1,0,0,0,0,0,-48,-48,-48,0,0,0,-48,0]} 1. d4 {https://lichess.org/broadcast/-/-/nVyDIDPf} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Qc2 (6. Bg5 Bb4 7. e3 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Ne4 10. Nd2 Nxg3 11. hxg3 c6 12. Qc2 Nf6 13. a3 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Kf8 15. Bd3 Kg7 16. c4 Be6 17. cxd5 cxd5 18. O-O Rc8 19. Qb2 b6 20. Rfc1 g4 21. Rxc8 Bxc8 22. Rc1 h5 23. Qb4 Be6 24. Kf1 h4 25. gxh4 Rxh4 26. Ke2 Rh2 27. Rg1 g3 28. fxg3 Bg4+ 29. Kf2 Qc7 30. Nf1 Ne4+ 31. Bxe4 dxe4 32. Nd2 Qc2 33. d5 Rh6 34. Rf1 Qd3 35. Qd4+ Rf6+ {0-1 Yakubboev,N (2686)-Aronian,L (2729) Chess.com Play In4 Chess.com INT blitz 2026 (8)}) 6... Bb4 7. Bf4 ({RR} 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 c5 9. e3 O-O 10. Be2 Qc7 11. a4 c4 12. Nd2 b6 13. O-O Re8 14. Re1 Bb7 15. Nf1 a6 16. f3 b5 17. Ba3 bxa4 18. Qxa4 Bc6 19. Qc2 a5 20. Reb1 Nb6 21. Qd2 Nc8 {Le,Q (2728)-Erigaisi,A (2710) Biel SUI 2023 1-0 (42)}) 7... O-O ({RR} 7... Ne4 8. e3 g5 9. Be5 Rg8 10. h3 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Qe7 12. Bb5+ Kf8 13. Bd3 f6 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Nc4 Be6 16. Nd2 f5 17. a3 Ba5 18. f3 exf3 19. Nxf3 Kg7 20. O-O Kh8 21. Ne5 c6 22. Na4 {Anton Guijarro,D (2666)-Gukesh,D (2754) Prague CZE 2026 0-1 (56)}) 8. e3 Nh5 $146 {[%CAl Bf6h5,Bh5g7,Bg7f5,Bf5d6][%mdl 32]} ({RR} 8... c5 9. Be2 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 c4 11. O-O Re8 12. Nd2 Nf8 13. Rfe1 Ng6 14. Bg3 Bd7 15. Bf3 Bc6 16. h4 h5 17. e4 dxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Rxe4 Qd5 21. Rae1 Rxe4 22. Qxe4 Qxe4 23. Rxe4 {Beydullayeva,G (2402)-Velikic,A (2258) lichess.org 2024 [https://lichess.org/broadcast/-/-/nVyDIDPf] 1-0 (58)}) ({RR} 8... c5 9. Be2 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 c4 11. O-O Re8 12. Nd2 Nf8 13. Rfe1 Ng6 14. Bg3 Bd7 15. Bf3 Bc6 16. h4 h5 17. e4 dxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Rxe4 Qd5 21. Rae1 Rxe4 22. Qxe4 Qxe4 23. Rxe4 {Beydullayeva,G (2402)-Velikic,A (2258) Rhodes GRE 2024 1-0 (58)}) 9. Bg5 {[%CAl Bf4g5,Bg5h4,Bh4g3][%mdl 32] [#]} f6 $146 (9... Ndf6 10. Bh4 h6 11. Bd3 Qe7 12. Ne5 g5 13. Bg3 c5 14. Qe2 Kg7 15. O-O Nxg3 16. hxg3 Be6 17. f4 Rad8 18. Rab1 Bg4 19. Qe1 Bc8 20. a3 Ba5 21. b4 cxb4 22. axb4 Bb6 23. Na4 Bc7 24. b5 Bd6 25. b6 a6 26. Rc1 Bb8 27. Qe2 h5 28. Bb1 Ng4 29. Qd1 Rfe8 30. Rc5 gxf4 31. exf4 Bd6 32. Qd3 Rh8 33. Rcc1 Rh6 {½-½ Hansen,J (2317)-Perry,W (2268) W-Cup22 sf06 email ICCF email 2019}) 10. Bh4 Nb6 $1 11. Be2 g6 12. Nd2 Ng7 $1 13. Bg3 c6 14. h3 Nf5 15. Bh2 Bd6 16. O-O Bxh2+ 17. Kxh2 Nd6 18. b4 Bf5 19. Qb3 Kg7 20. b5 {[%eval 5,24] [%wdl 11,982,7]} (20. Kg1 $14 {[%eval 49,21] [%wdl 82,917,1]}) 20... cxb5 21. Nxb5 Nxb5 22. Bxb5 Rf7 23. Rfc1 Rc7 24. Rxc7+ Qxc7+ 25. Kg1 Rc8 26. Qb4 Kf7 27. Nb3 Nc4 $1 28. Rc1 Qe7 29. Qa4 Nd6 30. Rxc8 Bxc8 31. Be2 $1 b6 32. Bf3 $1 Qb7 33. Nc1 Bf5 34. Ne2 Be4 35. Nc3 {[%eval 0,56] [%wdl 2,997,1]} (35. Bxe4 $14 {[%eval 47,22] [%wdl 31,969,0]} Nxe4 36. Qc2) 35... Bxf3 $11 36. gxf3 {[%mdl 4096]} Nf5 37. Qb3 Ne7 38. e4 {[%CAl Rc3d5]} Qd7 39. Kg2 {[%CAl Rc3d5]} Ke6 40. a4 g5 {[%CAl Bg6g5,Bg5g4][%mdl 32]} 41. Qc2 f5 42. Qb3 fxe4 43. fxe4 Kf6 44. Nxd5+ Nxd5 45. exd5 g4 46. Qc4 gxh3+ 47. Kh2 Qf5 {[%CAl Of5f3]} (47... Qg4 $5 48. Qc6+ $8 Kf7 $11) 48. Qc6+ Kg5 {[%CAl Of5f3]} 49. d6 Qxf2+ 50. Kxh3 Qe3+ 51. Kg2 Qd2+ 52. Kg3 Qd3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.12"] [Round "12.3"] [White "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,66,28,28,20,4,10,10,4,10,17,-9,33,23,23,26,35,28,28,33,26,32,33,44,45,41,64,25,44,36,51,54,68,29,32,24,32,42,54,-19,47,45,69,49,65,45,46,45,45,44,52,42,36,1,-2,-2,0,0,12,0,23,0,8,0,16,0,1,0,10]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 h6 {Nakamura repeats this unusual variation.} 5. g3 (5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 Bd6 7. Bxd6 Qxd6 8. e3 Bf5 9. Nh4 Bh7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. Bxh7+ Kxh7 12. Qb3 Nbd7 13. O-O Rab8 14. a4 c6 15. a5 g6 16. Nf3 Kg7 17. Qa3 Ne8 18. a6 b5 19. Qxd6 Nxd6 20. Rfc1 Rfc8 21. b3 b4 22. Na4 Rb5 23. Ne1 c5 24. dxc5 Nxc5 25. Nxc5 Rcxc5 26. Rxc5 Rxc5 27. Nd3 Rb5 28. f3 Nc4 29. Kf2 Na5 30. Rc1 Nxb3 31. Rc7 d4 32. Rxa7 Nc5 33. Nxc5 Rxc5 34. exd4 Rc6 {1-0 Abdusattorov,N (2751)-Praggnanandhaa,R (2758) Tata Steel-A 88th Wijk aan Zee 2026 (2)}) 5... Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O dxc4 8. Ne5 Nc6 $1 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nxc6 Qe8 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. Qa4 a5 13. Qxc4 Ba6 14. Qc5 Qxc5 15. dxc5 {[#]} Rfd8 $146 (15... Nd5 16. Re1 Nxc3 17. bxc3 f6 18. f3 Kf7 19. Kf2 Rfd8 20. Be3 Bc4 21. a3 Rab8 22. Rab1 e5 23. g4 Ke6 24. h4 Rb3 25. Rxb3 Bxb3 26. Rh1 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. h5 c6 29. Bd2 a4 30. e4 Bb3 31. Be3 Bc4 32. f4 Bd3 33. Kf3 Bc2 34. f5+ Ke7 35. Bd2 Bd1+ 36. Kg3 Bc2 37. Kf3 Bd1+ 38. Kg3 Bc2 39. Kf3 {½-½ Firouzja,A (2757)-Liang,A (2684) Titled Tuesday intern op 04th Mar Late Chess.com INT blitz 2025 (9)}) ({RR} 15... Nd5 16. Re1 Nxc3 17. bxc3 e5 18. f3 a4 19. Rb1 Bc4 20. a3 Bb3 21. Rb2 Ra5 22. Be3 Rd8 23. Kf2 f6 24. Rc1 Kf7 25. Ke1 Ke6 26. c4 g5 27. Rd2 Raa8 28. Rd3 h5 29. Kd2 g4 30. f4 {Aditya,M (2595)-Tari,A (2623) Samarkand UZB 2023 ½-½ (37)}) ({RR} 15... Nd5 16. Re1 Nxc3 17. bxc3 f6 18. f3 Kf7 19. Kf2 Rfd8 20. Be3 Bc4 21. a3 Rab8 22. Rab1 e5 23. g4 Ke6 24. h4 Rb3 25. Rxb3 Bxb3 26. Rh1 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. h5 c6 29. Bd2 a4 30. e4 {Firouzja,A (2757)-Liang,A (2684) chess.com INT 2025 ½-½ (39)}) ({RR} 15... Nd5 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Re1 Rfe8 ({RR} 17... a4 18. Bd2 d4 19. Bf4 Rfe8 20. Rad1 Bxe2 21. Rxd4 c6 22. h3 Bf3 23. Re3 Rxe3 24. fxe3) 18. e3 a4 19. Bd2 Bc4 20. Bc3 f5 21. f3 c6 22. Kf2 Kf7 23. h4 h5 24. Red1 Re6 25. Rd4 g6 26. Rf4 Ke7 27. a3 Rf8 28. Rd1 Rf7 29. Rdd4 Ke8 30. Rxc4 {Atalik,S (2438)-Rohit,S (2215) Belgrade 2025 0-1 (69)}) 16. Re1 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Rxd5 18. Be3 a4 {[%mdl 1024]} 19. f3 f6 20. Kf2 c6 21. Red1 Bc4 {[%CAl Oc4a2]} 22. Rd4 Rxd4 23. Bxd4 $11 {[%mdl 4096]} Rd8 24. Bc3 h5 25. Ke1 e5 26. Rd1 Rxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Bxa2 28. e4 Bb3+ 29. Kd2 Bc4 30. Ba5 Bb3 31. Bc3 Bc4 32. Ba5 Bb3 33. Bc3 Bc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.12"] [Round "12.4"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C27"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Crowther, Mark"] [PlyCount "153"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,153,28,18,18,18,18,18,18,17,17,-25,-25,-6,-8,-8,22,4,36,3,6,36,5,13,18,8,40,6,6,18,24,14,19,7,-7,-16,-1,-19,-17,-39,-52,-47,-56,-45,-29,-20,-3,-12,-35,-22,-35,-58,-67,-112,-112,-166,-41,-16,0,0,0,0,0,-69,-111,-81,-80,-80,-44,-72,-67,-113,-124,-117,-117,-131,-131,-136,-136,-124,-124,-169,-122,-122,-96,-100,-83,-110,-94,-91,-78,-78,-58,-119,-125,-118,-118,-154,-156,-196,-204,-164,-177,-171,-180,-151,-151,-162,-176,-176,-151,-179,-223,-214,-230,-364,-285,-285,-285,-396,-302,-282,-154,-162,-155,-155,-155,-162,-143,-170,-168,-193,-156,-144,-144,-182,-130,-156,-130,-148,-148,-148,-130,-130,-89,-148,-130,-148,-148,-126,-89,-148,-148,-146,-133,-148]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 O-O 5. f4 exf4 (5... d5 6. Nxd5 Be6 7. Nf3 Bxd5 8. Bxd5 Nxd5 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. fxe5 Nc6 11. c3 Nxe5 12. d4 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 Qxf3 14. gxf3 Rfe8+ 15. Kf2 Bd6 16. Bd2 f5 17. h4 c5 18. Rhe1 cxd4 19. cxd4 Kf7 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Rc1 Ke6 22. Ke3 Be7 23. h5 Bf6 24. Kd3 Rd8 25. Be3 g6 26. hxg6 hxg6 27. Rh1 Rh8 28. Rxh8 Bxh8 29. Kc4 Bf6 30. d5+ Kd7 31. Bxa7 Bxb2 32. Be3 Bf6 33. f4 Bd8 34. a4 Kd6 35. Bd2 {½-½ Gurel,E (2648)-Svane,F (2640) FIDE World Cup Goa 2025 (2.1)}) 6. Bxf4 c6 7. d4 Bb4 8. Nge2 $146 ({RR} 8. e5 d5 9. Bd3 Ne4 (9... Bg4 10. Be2 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Bxe2 12. Nxe2 Ne4 13. O-O f6 14. exf6 Qxf6 15. Qd3 Nd7 16. c4 Qe6 17. cxd5 cxd5 18. Ng3 Rae8 19. Rae1 Qg6 20. Nxe4 Rxe4 21. Rxe4 Qxe4 22. Qxe4 dxe4 {Veiergang,O (2193)-Degraeve,R (2448) Cappelle la Grande FRA 2026 0-1 (43)}) 10. Nge2 (10. Bxe4 dxe4 (10... Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 dxe4 12. Ne2 Be6 13. O-O c5 14. Ng3 Nc6 15. Be3 f5 16. exf6 Rxf6 17. Rxf6 Qxf6 18. Nxe4 Qg6 19. Ng3 Rd8 20. Qd2 Bd5 21. a3 Na5 22. Qd3 Qxd3 {Abdrlauf,E (2381)-Hauge,L (2472) Kragero 2020 ½-½ (36)}) 11. Nge2) 10... Bg4 11. Bxe4 dxe4 12. O-O c5 (12... Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qd5 14. h3 Bh5 15. g4 Bg6 16. h4 e3 17. h5 Be4 18. Bxe3 Bf3 19. Qe1 Qe4 20. Nf4 Nd7 21. Qf2 Bxg4 22. Rae1 Be6 {Aronian,L (2765)-Caruana,F (2786) Warsaw 2022 1-0 (45)}) 13. Nxe4 Qxd4+ 14. Nxd4 Bxd1 15. Raxd1 cxd4 16. Rxd4 Ba5 17. Kh1 Bb6 18. Rd3 Nc6 19. Rd7 Rae8 20. Rxb7 Nxe5 21. Nd6 Re6 22. Bxe5 Rxe5 {Ohanyan,E (2379)-Bernadskiy,V (2601) Lichess.org INT 2022 1-0 (72)}) 8... Nxe4 9. O-O d5 10. Nxe4 dxc4 11. c3 Be7 12. N2g3 {[#]} Na6 $146 (12... Be6 13. Qf3 Qd5 14. Rae1 Nd7 15. Nh5 Qf5 16. Nhg3 Qd5 17. Nh5 Qf5 {½-½ Eberl,H (2321)-Douglas,S (2391) WS MN/045 email ICCF email 2009}) 13. Qe2 Nc7 14. Qxc4 Nd5 15. Bd2 a5 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. Rxf5 g6 18. Rf3 f5 19. Nc5 b5 20. Qf1 Bxc5 21. dxc5 a4 22. c4 bxc4 23. Qxc4 Re8 $1 24. Re3 Rxe3 25. Bxe3 Rb8 26. Bh6 Qf6 27. Rd1 $1 g5 28. Rxd5 cxd5 29. Qxd5+ $15 {The position is equal but black must be the one with hopes.} Qf7 30. Qd2 f4 $36 31. c6 $2 {[%eval -417,13] [%wdl 0,0,1000] Should be losing.} (31. Qd4 $15 {[%eval -46,22] [%wdl 0,970,30]}) 31... Qa7+ $19 32. Kh1 Qc5 $2 {[%eval -13,22] [%wdl 1,995,4]} (32... Qe3 $19 {[%eval -366,23] [%wdl 0,0,1000] would have been a nice echo of Sindarov's win against Wei Yi.} 33. Qd5+ Kh8 34. Qd1 Re8) 33. c7 $11 Re8 34. h3 $6 {[%eval -130,21] [%wdl 0,126,874]} (34. h4 $1 $11 {[%eval -5,23] [%wdl 1,997,2]}) 34... Qxc7 $17 35. Bxg5 f3 36. gxf3 Qc4 37. Kg1 Qxa2 38. Kf2 {[%eval -199,18] [%wdl 0,2,998]} (38. Bf6 $17 {[%eval -110,21] [%wdl 0,349,651]}) 38... Qe6 39. h4 Rb8 40. Bf4 Qb6+ (40... Rf8 41. Qd4 Qc6 42. Kg3 Rf5) 41. Kg3 Rd8 42. Qe2 {[%eval -214,19] [%wdl 0,1,999]} (42. Qc1 $17 {[%eval -126,21] [%wdl 0,153,847]}) 42... Qc6 43. h5 Kf7 $2 {[%eval -15,22] [%wdl 1,995,4]} (43... Rd5 $1 $19 {[%eval -166,18] [%wdl 0,14,986]} 44. Qe4 Rc5 45. Qxc6 Rxc6) 44. Qe5 $11 Qd5 45. Qc7+ Rd7 46. Qc2 Qxh5 47. Qc4+ Kf8 48. Qb4+ Kg8 49. Qc4+ Rf7 50. Qc8+ Rf8 {[%eval -66,23] [%wdl 0,903,97]} (50... Kg7 $11 {[%eval -29,26] [%wdl 0,990,10]} 51. Qc3+ Kg8) 51. Qc4+ $15 Qf7 52. Qxa4 Qg6+ (52... h5) 53. Kh2 h6 (53... Qf5 54. Qb3+ Qf7 55. Qxf7+ Kxf7 56. Kg3 Ke6) 54. Qb3+ $2 {[%eval -204,19] [%wdl 0,1,999]} (54. Qc4+ $11 {[%eval -26,23] [%wdl 0,992,8]} Kh7 55. Qc7+ Rf7 56. Qe5) 54... Kh7 $19 55. Bg3 Rg8 56. Qb7+ $2 {[%eval -368,15] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (56. f4 {[%eval -182,26] [%wdl 0,5,995]}) 56... Rg7 57. Qb8 Qc2+ 58. Kh3 Qf5+ 59. Kg2 Qc2+ {Doesn't spoil anything yet.} (59... h5 $1 {adding another piece to the attack finishes things. It's not immediate but by general reasoning correct.}) 60. Kh3 Qd1 61. Qf4 Qh1+ 62. Bh2 Qf1+ $1 63. Kh4 Qe1+ $1 $19 {[%eval -171,22] [%wdl 0,10,990]} 64. Bg3 Qh1+ (64... Qe7+ 65. Kh3 Rf7) 65. Bh2 Qb1 $2 {[%eval -5,25] [%wdl 1,997,2]} 66. Bg3 $2 {[%eval -181,20] [%wdl 0,5,995]} (66. Qe3 $11 {[%eval -5,25] [%wdl 1,997,2]}) 66... Re7 {[%eval -66,21] [%wdl 0,898,102]} 67. b4 $15 Qh1+ 68. Bh2 Qe1+ 69. Bg3 Qb1 70. Kh3 Qf1+ 71. Kh4 (71. Kg4 Rg7+ 72. Kh4 Qh1+ 73. Bh2) 71... Qb5 72. Kh3 {[%eval -54,20] [%wdl 0,950,50]} (72. Kg4 $11 {[%eval 0,38] [%wdl 2,996,2]}) 72... Qd5 73. Kg2 Re2+ 74. Bf2 Re7 (74... Re5 {was Giri's first thought, he stopped on the way but time trouble intervened. It's not winning either but at least wouldn't allow the immediate repetition that happened.}) 75. Bg3 Qa2+ 76. Kh3 Qd5 {Giri was short of time and uncertain, this allows the three fold repetition.} 77. Kg2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.14"] [Round "13.1"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,91,28,18,18,18,50,14,33,35,35,-37,-4,-11,16,-51,-17,6,59,6,62,57,43,30,21,13,15,8,51,42,28,63,88,44,76,25,22,30,51,52,166,166,116,40,40,40,40,29,76,29,29,44,44,59,73,36,32,-46,-19,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-26,-19,0,0,0,0,0,0,-35,17,40,87,41,26,37,56,95,94,141,87,138,138,92,181,172]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Be7 6. d4 d5 7. Bd3 $1 Bb4+ (7... Bf5 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 O-O 10. Re1 Nd6 11. Bd5 Na6 12. a3 c6 13. Bb3 Nc7 14. Nc3 Ndb5 15. Nxb5 Nxb5 16. d5 Bg4 17. dxc6 Bxf3 18. gxf3 bxc6 19. Be3 Bf6 20. Rc1 Bxb2 21. Rxc6 Nd4 22. Rc4 Nxb3 23. Qxb3 Qa5 24. Rb1 Bf6 25. Rc5 Qa6 26. Rc7 Be5 27. Rb7 Qg6+ 28. Kf1 Bxh2 29. Rd1 Rab8 30. Rdd7 Rxb7 31. Qxb7 h5 32. Bxa7 h4 33. Qe4 Qxe4 34. fxe4 Be5 35. Kg2 g5 36. Be3 g4 37. Bd4 {1-0 Vachier Lagrave,M (2732)-Duda,J (2732) Titled Tuesday intern op 06th Feb Late Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (7)}) 8. Kf1 {Wei had played this once, against Yu Yangyi, in 2017.} c6 {[#]} ({RR} 8... O-O 9. a3 Be7 10. cxd5 Nf6 11. Nc3 Nbd7 12. h4 Nb6 13. Bg5 Nfxd5 14. Qc2 h6 15. Re1 Re8 16. Ne5 Bxg5 17. hxg5 Qxg5 18. Bh7+ Kf8 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Qc5+ Ne7 21. Re3 Bf5 22. Rh5 Qxh5 23. Nd7+ {Wei,Y (2738)-Yu,Y (2753) Danzhou 2017 1-0 (64)}) ({RR} 8... Be7 9. cxd5 Nf6 10. Nc3 Nxd5 11. Qb3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nd7 13. Qc2 h6 14. Bf4 Nf6 15. Re1 O-O 16. h4 Nd5 17. Bd2 c6 18. Ng5 f5 19. Ne6 Bxe6 20. Rxe6 f4 21. Bc4 Qd7 22. Qe4 Rae8 23. Re5 {Ciric,P (2280)-Skomial,M (2100) Thessaloniki GRE 2026 0-1 (37)}) 9. Qc2 $146 {Wei Yi criticized his own move and didn't like his position.} ({RR} 9. Qb3 {is the main move.} Be7 10. cxd5 Nf6 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bg5 {½-½ Mamedov,R (2680)-Kuzubov,Y (2646) TUR-chT Kocaeli 2017 (10.5)} cxd5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nxd5 Nc6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. d5 Ne7 17. Rd1 Rd8 18. Be4 Nf5 19. h3 Nd6 20. Bb1 Bd7 21. Kg1 Bb5 22. Bd3 Bxd3 23. Rxd3 Rac8 {Mamedov,R (2680)-Kuzubov,Y (2646) Kocaeli 2017 ½-½ (37)} 24. Kh2 Ne4 25. Rd4 Ng5 26. Rhd1 Nxf3+ 27. gxf3 Qd6+ 28. Kg2 b6 29. Re4 h6 30. Qe3 Kh7 31. Qe2 Rc5 32. Red4 Qg6+ 33. Kh2 Rc2 34. R1d2 Rc1 35. Rd1 Rc2 36. R1d2 Rc1 37. Rd1 Rc2 {½-½ Mamedov,R (2680)-Kuzubov,Y (2646) TUR-chT Kocaeli 2017 (10.5)}) 9... O-O 10. a3 Ba5 {Keeping an eye on the c3-square.} 11. Bf4 Nd7 12. Nc3 {Allowing Black to show why he put the bishop on a5.} Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qa5 {[%eval 15,21] [%wdl 18,978,4]} (13... Re8 {[%eval -21,18] [%wdl 3,974,23]}) 14. cxd5 $11 cxd5 15. c4 b6 16. Nd2 ({Esipenko spent time looking at this move, and he showed some lines.} 16. Ng5 Ndf6 (16... Nxg5 17. Bd2 $1 Qa6 {And the queen is badly placed.}) 17. f3 Nxg5 18. Bd2 dxc4 19. Bxa5 cxd3 20. Qd2 {The engine actually shows this line, and Esipenko calculated it. He didn't like this for Black, though the engine only gives White a slight edge.} Ne6) 16... f5 17. Kg1 Bb7 18. f3 {[%eval 1,19] [%wdl 7,986,7]} (18. h4 $14 {[%eval 42,19] [%wdl 53,946,1]}) 18... Rac8 {[%eval 52,17] [%wdl 84,915,1]} (18... g5 {Esipenko mentioned this as an option, and he should have played it. White prevents it on the next move.}) (18... Ndc5 {In this position, the computer shows that this is possible. The obvious point is that White cannot take the knight.} 19. dxc5 $4 Qxc5+ 20. Kf1 Qf2#) 19. h4 $1 $14 (19. fxe4 fxe4 20. Bxe4 Rxf4 $15 (20... dxe4 $2 21. Be3 $19)) 19... Ndc5 $2 {[%eval 130,16] [%wdl 814,186,0] \"Everything is out of control,\" said Wei about this position. The good news is that the sacrifice is unsound.} (19... h6) (19... Ba6) 20. dxc5 $2 $16 {This doesn't work.} Qxc5+ 21. Kh2 Qf2 22. Kh3 $1 {Everything else is at least equal for black.} (22. Nxe4 Qxh4+ 23. Kg1 Qxf4 $15) 22... Qd4 23. Bxe4 $1 {This is the move Esipenko missed from afar, when he sacrificed his knight.} (23. Rhf1 $2 {Wei Yi showed that this move wasn't possible. Black is better after} Nc5) (23. fxe4 $2 fxe4 {Black hits both bishops. This is perhaps why Esipenko thought his knight was secure on e4.} 24. Bxe4 Rxf4 $14) 23... fxe4 24. Bg3 e3 25. Nb3 Qf6 26. c5 Ba6 27. Rac1 $1 bxc5 28. Qd1 $6 {[%eval 18,23] [%wdl 7,992,1] Black has fought his way back into the game but blunders again.} (28. Nxc5 $1 $16 {[%eval 133,18] [%wdl 875,125,0]} Bc4 {Both players didn't see any continuation for White here, but the computer shows} 29. Nb7 $3 d4 30. Qe4 Rce8 {The players thought Black was even better here, but after another brilliant move} 31. Qb1 $1 {White is winning, though to a human eye the connected pawns still look a bit dangerous $1}) 28... Bc4 $2 {[%eval 62,20] [%wdl 93,907,0]} (28... d4 $1 $11 {[%eval 18,23] [%wdl 7,992,1] had to be played.} 29. Nxc5 Qf5+ (29... d3 30. Qb3+ (30. Nxd3 Qf5+ 31. Kh2 Qxd3 $11) 30... Kh8 31. Nxa6 (31. Nxd3 Qf5+ 32. Kh2 Qxd3 $14) 31... Qxa6) 30. Kh2 $16 Rxc5 31. Qxd4 {Esipenko did not like this position, but the computer shows equality after} Rfc8 32. Qxe3 {Even here, Esipenko thought White was clearly better.} (32. Rxc5 Qxc5 33. Qe4 $11)) (28... Qf5+ 29. Kh2 d4 30. Nxd4 cxd4 31. Qxd4 {is also playable.}) 29. Na5 $14 Qe6+ 30. Kh2 Ba6 31. Nb3 Bc4 32. Na5 Ba6 33. Nb3 Bc4 34. Re1 $1 Rfe8 {[%eval 176,17] [%wdl 989,11,0]} (34... h6 $16 {[%eval 99,18] [%wdl 483,517,0]}) 35. Na5 $1 $18 Ba6 36. Nb3 Bc4 37. Na5 Ba6 38. Qa4 Red8 {[%eval 206,15] [%wdl 998,2,0]} (38... c4 39. Rcd1 {Black has given up the dark squares.}) (38... Qb6 {[%eval 166,18] [%wdl 981,19,0]}) 39. Nb3 Bc4 40. Na5 Ba6 {Both players make time control and it's +2 advantage for white according to the engine evaluation.} 41. Nb3 Bc4 42. Rc3 e2 {[%eval 293,21] [%wdl 1000,0,0] After this, Black loses the pawn.} ({Wei calculated some incredible lines here.} 42... Bxb3 {[%eval 180,19] [%wdl 992,8,0]} 43. Qxb3 c4 44. Rcxe3 cxb3 45. Rxe6 d4 46. R6e2 Rc2 ({He also showed} 46... d3 47. Rb2 d2 48. Rd1 Rc2 49. Rxb3 Rc1 50. Rxd2 Rxd2 51. Bf4 {He had calculated all of this. White wins.}) 47. Rxc2 bxc2 48. Bf4 d3 49. Bd2 Rb8 50. Kg3 (50. Rc1 Rb7) 50... Rb1 {Wei thought this was unclear, but White has an only winning move.} 51. Rc1 {And the king approaches the pawns, decisively.}) 43. Nc1 (43. Qxa7 d4 44. Nxc5 Rxc5 45. Qxc5 dxc3 $17) 43... Qa6 44. Qc2 (44. Qxa6 Bxa6 45. Nxe2 d4 $16) 44... Re8 45. Nd3 Qf6 46. Rxe2 {White is up a piece and the black initiative has run out of steam.} (46. Rxc4 dxc4 47. Qxc4+ Kh8 $14) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.14"] [Round "13.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2745"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "116"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,116,28,25,25,4,10,10,12,22,22,19,22,16,22,19,58,33,36,36,69,57,62,49,55,63,56,18,20,18,40,32,29,19,7,43,26,27,16,22,40,29,44,53,18,21,21,16,21,22,26,34,34,0,0,0,14,0,18,27,35,38,38,36,26,30,29,29,82,19,16,0,0,0,-6,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-1,0,0,0,-16,0,-3,0,0,0,0,0,9,34,34,97,32,32,31,30,30,21,40,40,40,26,20,20,19,19,13,19,13,16,16,16]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 c5 8. Nge2 Nc6 9. O-O Bg4 (9... cxd4 10. exd4 Bd6 11. Qd2 Re8 12. Ng3 Bxf4 13. Qxf4 Be6 14. Rad1 Qb8 15. Nge2 Qxf4 16. Nxf4 Rad8 17. h4 h6 18. f3 g5 19. hxg5 hxg5 20. Nfe2 Kg7 21. Kf2 Rh8 22. Rh1 Rxh1 23. Rxh1 Rh8 24. Rxh8 Kxh8 25. a3 Kg7 26. Ke3 Ne8 27. f4 f6 28. f5 Bf7 29. g4 Nd6 30. b3 Kf8 31. Nc1 Ke7 32. Be2 Ne8 33. Bf3 Nc7 34. N1e2 Kd6 35. Kd3 Ne7 36. Ng3 Be8 37. Kd2 Nb5 38. Nxb5+ Bxb5 39. Be2 {½-½ Lazavik,D (2605)-Carlsen,M (2840) London SpeedChess Final blitz 2026 (1.18)}) 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. h3 Bxe2 12. Nxe2 d4 {White is a little bit better, nothing more, but black will have to be precise.} ({RR} 12... Bd6 13. Qb3 Bxf4 14. Nxf4 Qd6 15. Rfd1 Rfd8 16. Rac1 Rab8 17. Bb5 Ne7 18. Be2 b6 19. Bf3 Qe5 20. Qc3 Qxc3 21. Rxc3 Rd7 22. g4 g5 23. Ne2 Rc8 24. Rdc1 Rxc3 25. Rxc3 Kf8 26. Nd4 Ke8 27. Be2 {Maghsoodloo,P (2720)-Rustemov,A (2525) chess.com INT 2026 ½-½ (58)}) 13. e4 {[#]} (13. Rc1 $5 Bb6 14. e4) 13... Re8 $146 ({RR} 13... Nd7 14. a3 (14. Rc1 a5 15. a3 Qb6 16. Qd2 a4 17. Ng3 Rac8 18. Rc2 Nce5 19. Bxe5 Nxe5 20. Rfc1 Rc6 21. f4 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Rfc8 23. Kf1 Qb3 24. Ke2 b6 25. Qxb3 axb3 26. Rd2 g6 27. Kf3 Be7 28. Rxc6 {Mammadzada,G (2412)-Huseynova,L (2032) Baku AZE 2025 0-1 (34) Mammadzada,G (2412)-Huseynova,L (2032) Baku 2025 0-1 (34)}) 14... Re8 15. Rc1 Rc8 16. b4 Bf8 17. Bb1 {½-½ David,A (2528)-Mastrovasilis,A (2497) Paphos op 1st 2023 (5)} a5 18. Nxd4 axb4 19. axb4 Nxb4 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Nf5 Ne5 22. Qb3 Qe6 23. Qg3 Nbc6 24. Rd1 Ng6 25. Bc7 b5 26. h4 Nge5 27. h5 g6 28. Rd5 {David,A (2528)-Mastrovasilis,A (2497) Paphos CYP 2023 ½-½ (31)} Nc4 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. Bd3 Nb4 31. Bxc4 {½-½ David,A (2528)-Mastrovasilis,A (2497) Paphos op 1st 2023 (5)}) 14. Ng3 Nd7 {Sindarov said his preparation ended somewhere around here, where he started to think on his own.} 15. a3 (15. Bc4 {is preferred by the engines.} Qf6 16. Bd2 d3 17. Bc3) 15... Nde5 {Black is getting closer to equality.} (15... Bf8 {is also roughly the same.}) 16. Bxe5 (16. Bb1 d3 17. Ba2 Qh4 18. Qc1) 16... Nxe5 17. f4 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Qb6 $1 $11 {Going for the queen trade.} 19. e5 Qa6 (19... Qxb2 {is also about equal.} 20. Ne4 Qb6 21. Rab1 Qc6 22. Nxc5 (22. Rfc1 b6) 22... Qxc5) 20. Qxa6 $6 {After this move, Sindarov said he felt no pressure. Black is quite equal here.} (20. Qf3 {was the move Sindarov suggested to keep some attacking chances. was Sindarov's suggestion at keeping things complicated.} d3+ 21. Kh1 Rad8 22. Rad1 d2 {This is equal.}) (20. Rad1) 20... bxa6 21. Ne4 Bb6 22. Nd6 Re6 23. Nc4 f6 24. Rad1 fxe5 25. fxe5 Rd8 26. Rf4 d3+ 27. Kf1 Bc7 28. Re4 (28. Rf3 {Sindarov showed the following line as \"the maximum\" White could get, which is still a draw.} Bxe5 29. Rfxd3 Rxd3 30. Rxd3 Bc7 31. Kf2 (31. Rd7 {allows} Bg3) 31... Kf7 32. Rd7+ Re7) 28... Rd5 29. Kf2 Bxe5 30. Rxe5 Rexe5 31. Nxe5 Rxe5 32. Rxd3 $11 {This endgame is equal but white is the one who will be trying.} Rb5 33. b3 Kf7 34. a4 Rb7 35. Ke2 Ke6 36. Re3+ Kd6 37. Kd2 a5 38. Rg3 g6 39. Kc3 Rc7+ 40. Kb2 Rc5 41. h4 Re5 42. Rg4 Kc6 43. Rc4+ Kd6 44. g4 Re2+ 45. Ka3 {Black keeps white's King bottled in forever and that's enough to hold.} h6 46. Rd4+ Kc6 47. Rf4 Rh2 48. g5 hxg5 49. Rf6+ Kb7 50. hxg5 Rg2 51. Rxg6 {White can't make progress from here. Any b4 is met by Rg3+ and then axb4. The g pawn is controlled.} a6 52. Rg8 Ka7 53. Rg7+ Kb6 (53... Kb8 {is just as good and perhas even simpler.} 54. g6 Kc8 55. Rh7) 54. g6 Kc6 55. Ra7 Kb6 56. Rg7 Kc6 57. Ra7 {Nothing to be done now, white repeats for a draw.} Kb6 58. Rg7 Kc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.14"] [Round "13.3"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D53"] [WhiteElo "2810"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,81,28,-15,4,4,10,10,10,-28,18,14,49,49,43,31,34,38,38,14,0,0,50,22,19,17,17,0,0,-5,-5,-5,-3,-7,-3,-8,-8,-31,-35,-44,-35,-43,-42,-28,7,-16,0,0,0,-2,0,-2,2,17,28,23,34,12,48,27,27,0,39,16,28,16,28,0,18,11,29,7,8,-13,25,0,0,0,0,-34,-29,-22,-22,-26]} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nf3 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. e3 O-O 9. Qb3 c6 10. Bd3 Qb6 ({Relevant:} 10... Nd7 11. O-O Re8 12. h3 Nb6 13. Qc2 Nc4 14. Rfe1 Nd6 15. b4 a6 16. a4 Be6 17. a5 Rc8 18. Na4 Rc7 19. Ne5 g6 20. g4 Bh4 21. Nc5 Bc8 22. Re2 f5 23. f4 Rg7 24. Rg2 Rf8 25. Rf1 g5 26. Qe2 gxf4 27. exf4 Ne4 28. gxf5 Ng3 29. Qf3 Rxf5 30. Ng4 Qd6 31. Bxf5 Bxf5 32. Re1 h5 33. Re8+ Kf7 34. Nxb7 Qxb4 35. Rb2 Qxb2 36. Nd6+ Kg6 37. Nxf5 Nxf5 38. Ne5+ Kh7+ 39. Ng4 hxg4 40. hxg4 {0-1 Hakobyan,A (2613)-Maghsoodloo,P (2701) Yerevan Asrian Memorial Rapid 2025 (6)}) ({RR} 10... Re8 11. O-O Nd7 12. Qc2 Be7 13. Rae1 Nf6 14. Ne5 a6 15. Na4 Be6 16. f4 Rc8 17. a3 a5 18. Rc1 Bd6 19. h3 Ne4 20. f5 Bd7 21. Bxe4 Bxe5 22. dxe5 dxe4 23. Qxe4 c5 24. e6 Bxa4 25. Qxa4 {Abdusattorov,N (2727)-So,W (2752) Toronto CAN 2023 1-0 (36)}) 11. Qc2 Be6 ({RR} 11... Bg4 12. Nd2 Nd7 13. O-O Rac8 14. Rab1 Be6 15. f4 c5 16. f5 cxd4 17. fxe6 dxc3 18. exd7 Qxe3+ 19. Kh1 Rc6 20. Rbe1 Qxd2 21. Bh7+ Kh8 22. Re8 g6 23. Rxf8+ Kg7 24. Qxd2 cxd2 25. d8=Q Bxd8 26. R1xf7# {Ilinca,F (2450)-Coicev,M (2340) Timisoara ROU 2026 1-0}) 12. O-O Nd7 13. Na4 $146 ({RR} 13. h3 Qc7 14. Rac1 Qd6 15. Ne2 Rfc8 16. Nf4 Nf8 17. Rfd1 g6 18. Qb3 Rc7 19. Rc3 Bd7 20. Rdc1 Ne6 21. Nxe6 Bxe6 22. Qc2 Kg7 23. a3 a5 24. Nh2 Bd7 25. f4 Qe7 26. Qf2 b6 27. Nf3 c5 {Sarana,A (2697)-Samant,A (2512) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (51)}) ({RR} 13. h3 Qc7 14. Rac1 Qd6 15. Ne2 Rfc8 16. Nf4 Nf8 17. Rfd1 g6 18. Qb3 Rc7 19. Rc3 Bd7 20. Rdc1 Ne6 21. Nxe6 Bxe6 22. Qc2 Kg7 23. a3 a5 24. Nh2 Bd7 25. f4 Qe7 26. Qf2 b6 27. Nf3 c5 {Sarana,A (2697)-Samant,A (2512) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (51)}) ({RR} 13. h3 Qc7 14. Rac1 Qd6 15. Ne2 Rfc8 16. Nf4 Nf8 17. Rfd1 g6 18. Qb3 Rc7 19. Rc3 Bd7 20. Rdc1 Ne6 21. Nxe6 Bxe6 22. Qc2 Kg7 23. a3 a5 24. Nh2 Bd7 25. f4 Qe7 26. Qf2 b6 27. Nf3 c5 {Sarana,A (2697)-Samant,A (2512) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (51)}) 13... Qb4 14. a3 {[#]} Qe7 $146 ({Predecessor:} 14... Qd6 15. b4 b6 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. Ba6 Rc7 18. Nc3 Bd8 19. Qb3 Nb8 20. Bf1 g6 21. b5 Rc8 22. bxc6 a6 23. Qb4 Qc7 24. Ne5 Nxc6 25. Nxc6 Qxc6 26. Ne2 a5 27. Qb3 a4 28. Qb4 Qb7 29. Rxc8 Qxc8 30. Nf4 Bg5 31. Nxe6 Qxe6 32. g3 Kg7 33. Rb1 Be7 34. Bh3 Qd6 35. Qxd6 Bxd6 {½-½ Hildebrand,G (2131)-Lemke,B (2095) GER DSF C21 f email ICCF email rapid 2022}) 15. b4 b5 16. Nc5 Nxc5 17. bxc5 a5 18. a4 {[%eval -40,18] [%wdl 1,960,39]} (18. h3 $11 {[%eval 8,19] [%wdl 7,990,3]}) 18... b4 $15 {Black is maybe a fraction better but it doesn't turn out to be anything.} 19. Rae1 Qd7 20. Nd2 g6 21. f4 Bf5 22. Bxf5 Qxf5 23. Qxf5 gxf5 24. Nf3 Kh7 25. Kf2 Rae8 26. Ke2 Rg8 27. g3 Re6 28. Kd3 Rg7 29. Rg1 h5 30. h3 Kg8 31. Ref1 Bd8 32. Ne5 Bc7 33. Nf3 Bd8 34. Rf2 Rh6 35. Rfg2 Kf8 36. Ke2 Rg8 37. Rh2 Rg7 38. Ne5 Bc7 39. Nd3 Ke7 40. Kf3 Rg8 41. Rhg2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.14"] [Round "13.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E13"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,85,28,25,28,4,10,10,10,10,31,-25,1,-36,-28,-9,-10,-7,-7,13,-14,-30,18,-15,-26,-26,-19,-28,-23,-31,22,-34,1,-48,-26,-28,11,43,30,26,5,5,5,1,84,65,106,105,148,33,44,62,92,88,96,76,113,110,70,119,129,129,126,126,126,157,123,151,164,103,109,91,91,104,104,113,113,108,108,108,108,108,108,104,116,41,52,62]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Ne4 8. Qc2 Bb7 9. e3 d6 10. Bd3 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 f5 12. c5 Nd7 (12... bxc5 13. Qb3 Bd5 14. c4 Nxg3 15. cxd5 Nxh1 16. dxe6 g4) ({RR} 12... O-O 13. cxd6 cxd6 14. Qb3 Qe7 15. a4 Nc6 16. Bxe4 fxe4 17. Nd2 Na5 18. Qb4 Rfd8 19. h4 Nc6 20. Qb1 d5 21. hxg5 hxg5 22. f3 Kg7 23. fxe4 Rh8 24. O-O Rh6 25. Nf3 Rah8 26. Nh2 Kg8 27. exd5 {Voege,T (2298)-Wilgosz,J (1820) Lienz AUT 2025 1-0 (33)}) 13. cxd6 cxd6 14. O-O {[#]} Qe7 $146 {A new move. Four moves had been played previously.} ({RR} 14... Ndf6 15. c4 O-O 16. a4 Rf7 17. a5 bxa5 18. Nd2 Rc8 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20. f3 Nxg3 21. hxg3 Ba6 22. Qe2 e5 23. g4 exd4 24. gxf5 dxe3 25. Qxe3 Bxc4 26. Bxc4 Rxc4 27. Rab1 Qc8 28. Rfd1 Qc5 29. Qxc5 {Wagner,D (2571)-Donchenko,A (2569) Drancy 2016 0-1 (51)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. Qa4 Bc6 16. Qa3 Nxg3 17. fxg3 Qc7 18. Nd2 Nf6 19. Rae1 O-O 20. e4 fxe4 21. Nxe4 Nxe4 22. Rxf8+ Rxf8 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Qf7 25. h4 Qf1+ 26. Kh2 Rf2 {0-1 (26) Voege,T (2272)-Zhigalko,S (2572) Chess.com INT 2022}) ({RR} 14... h5 15. h4 Qe7 16. Bxe4 Bxe4 17. Qe2 gxh4 18. Bxh4 Nf6 19. Ng5 Bc6 20. c4 Ne4 21. Nxe4 Qxh4 22. Nxd6+ Ke7 23. d5 Rag8 24. f4 Ba8 25. Nb5 Rg3 26. Rf3 exd5 27. Qb2 d4 28. Nxd4 Rf8 29. Qa3+ {Moiseenko,A (2712)-Lupulescu,C (2643) Yerevan 2014 1-0 (48)}) (14... O-O 15. Nd2 Ndf6 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. f3 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Rc8 19. Rac1 Qe7 20. e4 f4 21. g4 e5 22. Qa4 Bc6 23. Bb5 Qd7 24. Qb3+ Kg7 25. a4 Qf7 26. Qb4 Rfd8 27. Rfd1 a5 28. Qb2 h5 29. dxe5 hxg4 30. Rxd6 Rxd6 31. exd6 Qf6 32. Rd1 gxf3 33. Bxc6 Rxc6 34. Qd2 f2+ 35. Kxf2 Rc8 36. Qd4 Kf7 37. Qd5+ Qe6 38. Qxg5 Rg8 39. Qxf4+ Ke8 40. d7+ Ke7 41. d8=Q+ Rxd8 42. Qc7+ {1-0 Moiseenko,A (2561)-Idani,P (2605) Chess.com Classic Div 3 W Chess.com INT rapid 2024 (1.3)}) 15. Bxe4 Bxe4 16. Qe2 Bb7 17. Nd2 h5 $2 {[%eval 72,21] [%wdl 184,816,0] A mistake, but one that Polgar and Howell couldn't punish without some help from the evaluation bar. White will give up the bishop. Too amibtious.} (17... O-O-O) (17... O-O {Castling in either direction was playable.}) (17... Rc8) (17... e5 $11 {[%eval -6,20] [%wdl 3,991,6] Howell pointed to this as the most natural move.}) 18. Nc4 $1 $16 {Hitting d6, so forcing Black to continue with his move.} f4 19. exf4 h4 {Black traps the bishop, but at what cost $2} 20. fxg5 $1 hxg3 21. fxg3 {White has three pawns for the piece, as well as good play against the king.} Rc8 $2 {[%eval 294,14] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} (21... O-O-O {is met with} 22. Rf7 $1 {The point is} Qxf7 (22... Qxg5 23. Nxd6+ Kb8 24. Nxb7 {is also a disaster.} Kxb7 25. Qxe6) 23. Nxd6+) (21... Rg8 $16 {[%eval 133,18] [%wdl 877,123,0] is the computer suggestion, and it suggests that perhaps Black can survive (though the evaluation climbs as the computer thinks longer).} 22. Qh5+ Kd8 23. h4 Kc7 24. Rf7 {Good luck surviving this against Fabiano Caruana.}) 22. g6 $1 $18 {With a rook coming to the seventh rank, White is already winning.} Ba6 23. g7 $1 Rg8 24. Qh5+ Kd8 25. Rf7 {The queen is trapped.} Bxc4 (25... Nf6 26. Qg6) 26. Rxe7 Kxe7 27. Qg6 Nf6 28. d5 $1 Nxd5 (28... Bxd5 29. Rf1 {is now possible, as the bishop covered the f1-square.}) 29. h4 Nf6 30. h5 {The connected passers cost another piece.} Nxh5 31. Qxh5 Rxg7 32. Rd1 Bd5 33. Qh4+ (33. Qh6 Rf7 34. Qh4+ {may be more precise.}) 33... Kd7 34. Qa4+ Kd8 35. Rf1 Rxc3 36. Rf8+ Kc7 37. Qxa7+ Bb7 38. Qb8+ $2 {Played with just under five minutes for three more moves.} (38. Rb8 $1 {would have ended the game. The point is} Kc6 (38... Rc1+ {Black can check a few times, but it won't change the tactical motif.}) 39. Rc8+ {Black drops one of the rooks.}) (38. g4 Rc1+ 39. Kh2 Rc4 40. Rb8 Kc6 41. Rc8+ Rc7 42. Rxc7+ Kxc7 43. Kh3) 38... Kc6 39. Qe8+ Kc5 40. Qxe6 $6 {[%eval 10,22] [%wdl 3,996,1] The position is objectively drawn now. It hasn't been easy to exploit white's advantage and now he's no longer better.} (40. a4 $1 $16 {[%eval 79,23] [%wdl 201,799,0] was the only move to keep some advantage, according to the engine, but it's no longer winning.} Rcxg3 41. Qb5+ (41. Qxe6 Rxg2+ 42. Kf1 Ba6+ 43. Ke1 Rg1+ 44. Kd2 R7g2+ 45. Kc3 Rc1+ 46. Kb3 Bc4+ $19) 41... Kd4 42. Qb2+ (42. Qb4+ Ke5 43. Qb2+ (43. Qxb6 Rxg2+ 44. Kf1 Be4 $11) 43... Kd5 44. Qb5+ (44. Qxb6 Rxg2+ 45. Kf1 Ke5 $16)) (42. Qxb6+ Kc3 $16) 42... Kc5 {And it's far from clear how White should continue.}) 40... Rcxg3 $11 41. Rf5+ Kc6 $1 42. Rf2 Kc7 43. Rf7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.15"] [Round "14.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,80,28,18,72,50,79,48,89,42,48,40,68,33,71,57,49,55,41,9,8,-20,-7,-50,6,2,9,-16,94,94,83,53,108,60,91,79,118,104,122,71,55,4,64,15,60,-45,9,-17,-17,8,3,-60,-60,-210,-143,-143,-71,-73,-68,-139,-139,-139,-115,-151,-147,-209,-137,-290,-295,-375,-375,-377,-371,-371,-371,-393,-331,-338,-337,-1054,-1145,-1147,-1162]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Qd3 g6 7. Bg5 Bg7 8. O-O-O O-O ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. e5 Bf5 11. exf6 Bxd3 12. fxg7 Rg8 13. Bxd3 Rxg7 14. Rhe1 f5 15. Bc4 h5 16. Re6 Qb6 17. Be3 Qb4 18. Bb3 Kd7 19. Na4 Kc7 20. Bb6+ Kd7 21. Bd4 Rag8 22. a3 Qxb3 23. cxb3 {Vallejo Pons,F (2698)-Karjakin,S (2771) Dubai 2014 1-0 (93)}) 9. Be2 Nc6 ({RR} 9... b5 10. f4 Bb7 11. Bf3 Nbd7 12. Kb1 Qc7 13. Rhe1 b4 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Nf6 16. Nc6 Bxc6 17. dxc6 a5 18. f5 a4 19. g4 Ra5 20. Bd2 Rb8 21. g5 Ne8 22. fxg6 hxg6 23. h4 Rc5 24. h5 {Kuipers,S (2453)-Kurt,S (2291) Netherlands NED 2026 1-0 (34)}) 10. Nb3 $6 {[%eval -32,18] [%wdl 5,936,59]} (10. Qe3 $11 {[%eval 4,17] [%wdl 20,966,14]}) 10... Be6 11. Qe3 $146 (11. f4 a5 12. f5 Bd7 13. h4 a4 14. Nd2 a3 15. b3 Ne5 16. Qg3 Rc8 17. h5) ({RR} 11. f4 a5 12. f5 Bd7 13. h4 a4 14. Nd2 a3 15. b3 Ne5 16. Qg3 Rc8 17. h5 Qa5 18. Rh3 Rc5 19. hxg6 fxg6 20. Rdh1 Rfc8 21. Nc4 Nxc4 22. Bxc4+ Rxc4 23. bxc4 Rxc4 24. Qd3 Rxc3 25. Qxc3 Qxc3 {Pinheiro,I (2320)-Della Corte,A (2160) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (57)}) ({RR} 11. f4 a5 12. f5 Bd7 13. h4 a4 14. Nd2 a3 15. b3 Ne5 16. Qg3 Rc8 17. h5 Qa5 18. Rh3 Rc5 19. hxg6 fxg6 20. Rdh1 Rfc8 21. Nc4 Nxc4 22. Bxc4+ Rxc4 23. bxc4 Rxc4 24. Qd3 Rxc3 25. Qxc3 Qxc3 {Pinheiro,I (2320)-Della Corte,A (2160) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (57)}) 11... Rc8 12. Kb1 Ne5 13. h3 $2 {[%eval -98,16] [%wdl 0,525,475]} (13. Bxf6 $15 {[%eval -52,18] [%wdl 2,874,124]} Bxf6 14. f4) 13... Rxc3 $1 $17 14. bxc3 (14. Qxc3 Nxe4 15. Qe3 Nxg5 16. f4 Nc6 17. fxg5) 14... Qc7 15. f4 Ned7 16. Rd4 b5 17. g4 $2 {[%eval -171,15] [%wdl 0,28,972]} (17. f5 $17 {[%eval -120,17] [%wdl 0,268,732]} gxf5 (17... Bc4 18. Bxc4 bxc4 19. Nd2 $14) 18. Nd2 (18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Bd3 Bxd3 $11)) 17... Nb6 $1 $19 18. f5 Bc4 19. Bxc4 Nxc4 20. Qe1 $2 {[%eval -221,18] [%wdl 0,1,999]} (20. Qg3 $142 {[%eval -184,18] [%wdl 0,9,991]}) 20... a5 21. Bc1 Nd7 22. h4 Rc8 23. fxg6 hxg6 24. h5 a4 25. hxg6 fxg6 26. e5 (26. Nd2 Na3+ 27. Bxa3 Qxc3 $19) 26... Ncxe5 27. Na1 Qc6 28. Rh3 Nf6 29. g5 Nd5 30. Bd2 Rf8 31. Rdh4 Rf3 32. Kc1 (32. Rxf3 $2 Nxf3 33. Qe6+ Kf8 $19) 32... Qd7 33. Qh1 Qf5 34. Rh8+ Bxh8 35. Rxh8+ Kf7 36. Qh7+ Ke6 37. Qg8+ Qf7 38. Qc8+ Nd7 39. Rh2 {[%eval -880,11] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} (39. Nb3 $142 {[%eval -471,17] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} N5b6 40. Nd4+ Ke5 41. Nc6+ (41. Nxf3+ $2 Qxf3 42. Qg8 Qf1+ 43. Kb2 Nc4+ $19) 41... Kf5 42. Qg8 (42. Nd4+ $2 Kg4 $19) 42... Rf1+ 43. Be1 Rxe1+ 44. Kd2 Qxg8 45. Rxg8) 39... Rf1+ 40. Kb2 N5b6 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.15"] [Round "14.2"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R.."] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,66,28,25,28,4,10,10,10,10,12,7,33,23,26,22,28,3,-12,-10,-10,-34,61,61,89,-5,66,66,66,78,46,46,86,57,41,25,25,48,111,111,26,95,14,3,47,0,0,0,0,0,-4,0,0,-1,22,11,31,0,0,21,21,21,21,21,21,21,33,33,36]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 h6 5. g3 (5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 Bd6 7. Bxd6 Qxd6 8. e3 Bf5 9. Nh4 Bh7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. Bxh7+ Kxh7 12. Qb3 Nbd7 13. O-O Rab8 14. a4 c6 15. a5 g6 16. Nf3 Kg7 17. Qa3 Ne8 18. a6 b5 19. Qxd6 Nxd6 20. Rfc1 Rfc8 21. b3 b4 22. Na4 Rb5 23. Ne1 c5 24. dxc5 Nxc5 25. Nxc5 Rcxc5 26. Rxc5 Rxc5 27. Nd3 Rb5 28. f3 Nc4 29. Kf2 Na5 30. Rc1 Nxb3 31. Rc7 d4 32. Rxa7 Nc5 33. Nxc5 Rxc5 34. exd4 Rc6 {1-0 Abdusattorov,N (2751)-Praggnanandhaa,R (2758) Tata Steel-A 88th Wijk aan Zee 2026 (2)}) 5... Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Ne5 $146 ({RR} 7. O-O c6 8. b3 Nbd7 9. Qc2 b6 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Bb7 12. Rd1 Qc8 13. Nc3 Bd6 14. Bb2 Qc7 15. a3 e5 16. b4 exd4 17. Nxd4 Be5 18. Nf5 Rad8 19. f4 Bxc3 20. Qxc3 c5 21. Nxg7 Bxg2 {Braun,A (2579)-Van Foreest,L (2350) Germany 2016 1-0}) ({RR} 7. O-O dxc4 8. Ne5 Nc6 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nxc6 Qe8 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. Qa4 a5 13. Qxc4 Ba6 14. Qc5 Qxc5 15. dxc5 Rfd8 16. Re1 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Rxd5 18. Be3 a4 19. f3 f6 20. Kf2 c6 21. Red1 Bc4 {Sindarov,J (2745)-Nakamura,H (2810) Pegeia CYP 2026 ½-½ (33)}) ({RR} 7. O-O dxc4 8. Ne5 Nc6 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. Qa4 Rb8 11. Bxc6 Bd7 12. Bxd7 Qxd7 13. Qxc4 Rb4 14. Qd3 Rxd4 15. Qf3 Nd5 16. Be3 Rb4 17. Rfd1 c6 18. Bd4 Qb7 19. Be5 f6 20. Nxd5 exd5 21. Bc3 Re4 {Altman,J (2222)-Kung,T (2169) Oak Brook, IL USA 2026 ½-½ (38)}) ({RR} 7. cxd5 exd5 8. O-O c6 9. Re1 Bb4 10. Bd2 Bf5 11. Qb3 Bxc3 12. Bxc3 Qb6 13. Bb4 Re8 14. Qa3 Qd8 15. Nd2 Nbd7 16. f3 Bg6 17. e4 dxe4 18. fxe4 a5 19. Bd6 Nb6 20. Bc5 Nfd7 21. Bd6 Nf6 {Dora,B (1520)-Jachym,D (1855) Hungary 2015 0-1 (38)}) ({RR} 7. O-O b6 8. Ne5 Bb7 9. Qa4 Qe8 10. Qc2 a6 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Bxe4 14. Qxe4 Nd7 15. Nc6 Bd6 16. Re1 a5 17. Bd2 Kh8 18. Rac1 Rc8 19. Bc3 Nf6 20. Qf3 Qd7 21. Rcd1 Rfe8 {Bukal,V-Sgorlon,F Caorle 1982 1-0 (35)}) 7... Nc6 {[#]} 8. Nxc6 $146 (8. O-O Nxe5 9. dxe5 Nd7 10. cxd5 Nxe5 11. Qd4 Ng6 12. Rd1 e5 13. Qc4 Bd6 14. e4 a6 15. Qe2 Bc5 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Qd6 18. Rac1 Bd7 19. a3 Rfd8 20. Nb1 Rac8 21. Nd2 Be8 22. Nc4 Qf6 23. Qa7 Rb8 24. Ne3 Qe7 25. Bh3 Kh8 26. Kg2 Bd7 27. Bf5 Bxf5 28. Nxf5 Qd7 29. Qc5 Rbc8 30. h4 Nf8 31. Qe7 Ng6 32. Qc5 Re8 33. Qb4 Rb8 34. Rc3 c6 35. Rcd3 cxd5 36. Rxd5 Qc6 37. Rd6 Qc2 {½-½ Theodorou,N (2564)-Nogerbek,K (2529) Wch Blitz op Doha 2025 (13)}) 8... bxc6 9. c5 e5 $1 10. dxe5 Ng4 11. Qd4 f6 $1 12. f4 (12. Nxd5 Kh8 13. f4 fxe5 (13... cxd5 14. h3 $15) 14. fxe5 cxd5 $19) 12... Rb8 13. h3 $1 fxe5 14. fxe5 Nf2 15. Rh2 Ne4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Be3 (17. Qxd8 Rxd8 18. b3 Bf5 19. Be3) 17... Bf5 18. O-O-O (18. Bxe4 $2 Qxd4 19. Bxd4 Bxe4 $19) 18... Bg5 $1 $11 19. Qc4+ (19. Bxe4 $2 Qxd4 20. Rxd4 Bxe3+ 21. Kc2 Bxd4 $19) 19... Kh8 20. Rxd8 Bxe3+ 21. Rd2 Rfd8 22. Qc3 Bxd2+ 23. Qxd2 Rxd2 24. Kxd2 Rxb2+ $11 25. Ke3 Kg8 26. Bxe4 Be6 27. Rh1 Kf7 28. h4 Rxa2 (28... Ke7 $5) 29. Rb1 Ra3+ 30. Kd4 Ra4+ 31. Ke3 Ra3+ 32. Kd4 Ra4+ 33. Ke3 Ra3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.15"] [Round "14.3"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,56,28,25,28,10,10,2,10,11,11,-56,-35,-63,-23,-33,10,28,32,-25,-3,-30,-48,-172,7,8,28,-42,-12,-34,-27,-241,-95,-95,-95,-115,-52,-143,-181,-206,-212,-272,-209,-209,-180,-211,-196,-158,-80,-84,-95,-114,-121,-116,-83,-220,-207,-240,-262]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd2 dxc4 (7... Re8 8. a3 Bf8 9. Rd1 h6 10. h3 a6 11. Qc2 b6 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. O-O Bd6 15. b4 Nb8 16. Qb3 Ne4 17. a4 Nxd2 18. Rxd2 Nc6 19. Nxd5 Nxd4 20. Nxd4 Bxd5 21. Bc4 Bxc4 22. Qxc4 Qh4 23. Rc1 Re4 24. Qc6 Ree8 25. Nf5 Qxb4 26. Rd4 Qa5 27. Nxd6 cxd6 28. Qxd6 b5 29. axb5 axb5 30. Rb1 Red8 31. Qe5 Rxd4 32. exd4 Rd8 33. Qxb5 Qxb5 34. Rxb5 Rxd4 35. Rb8+ Kh7 36. g3 g6 37. Kg2 {½-½ Vidit,S (2720)-Caruana,F (2776) Chess.com Classic Play In Chess.com INT blitz 2025 (8)}) 8. Bxc4 Bd6 9. Ng5 ({RR} 9. Qc2 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. O-O-O Qe7 13. Kb1 Be6 14. Bd3 Rfd8 15. f4 Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Nd5 17. Bd2 h6 18. e4 Nb4 19. Bxb4 Qxb4 20. f5 Bd7 21. e5 Ba4 22. b3 Bc6 23. Rhe1 a5 {Korobov,A (2688)-Radjabov,T (2765) Chess.com INT 2020 ½-½ (38)}) 9... a6 10. Qc2 ({RR} 10. f4 Nb4 11. a3 b5 12. Bxb5 axb5 13. Qxa8 Nc2+ 14. Kf2 Ng4+ 15. Ke2 Nxa1 16. Rxa1 e5 17. dxe5 Bxe5 18. Qe4 g6 19. h3 Bxc3 20. Bxc3 Re8 21. Qd4 Qxd4 22. Bxd4 Nh6 23. Rc1 Nf5 24. Nf3 Re7 {Vantika,A (2375)-Ouellet,M (2331) Samarkand UZB 2025 1-0 (40)}) 10... h6 {[#]} 11. h4 $146 (11. Nge4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Be7 13. Rd1 Kh8 14. O-O Qe8 15. f4 Bd7 16. a3 Rd8 17. b4 Nb8 18. Rc1 Bc6 19. Nf2 Bd6 20. e4 f5 21. Be3 Nd7 22. e5 Be7 23. Bxe6 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Qg6+ 25. Kh1 Qxe6 26. Qxc7 Qd5+ 27. Kg1 g5 28. Qc4 Qf3 29. Nd1 Qg4+ 30. Kh1 gxf4 31. Bxf4 Bg5 32. Ne3 Qh3 33. Qe2 Nb6 34. Rcd1 Rc8 35. e6 Rc3 36. Bxg5 hxg5 37. e7 Re8 38. Nxf5 Qh7 39. Qe5+ Kg8 40. Qe6+ Kh8 {1-0 Mirzoev,A (2565)-Tsatsalashvili,K (2271) Balaguer op 13th 2008 (6)}) ({RR} 11. Nge4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Be7 13. Rd1 Kh8 14. O-O Qe8 15. f4 Bd7 16. a3 Rd8 17. b4 Nb8 18. Rc1 Bc6 19. Nf2 Bd6 20. e4 f5 21. Be3 Nd7 22. e5 Be7 23. Bxe6 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Qg6+ 25. Kh1 Qxe6 {Mirzoev,A (2565)-Tsatsalashvili,K (2271) Balaguer 2008 1-0 (41)}) 11... Re8 (11... Nb4 $5 12. Qb1 b5 $11 (12... hxg5 $2 13. hxg5 Re8 14. gxf6 $18)) 12. a3 $1 b5 13. Ba2 Bb7 $1 14. O-O-O $2 {[%eval -243,17] [%wdl 0,3,997] Really very bad.} b4 $1 $19 15. d5 Nd4 $1 16. exd4 bxc3 17. dxe6 cxd2+ 18. Qxd2 fxe6 19. Nxe6 Qc8 20. Qa5 Bd5 $1 {White could just resign.} 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. Nxg7 Kxg7 23. Qxd5 Qe6 24. Qxe6 Rxe6 25. g3 Rf8 26. Rd2 Ref6 27. Rf1 Rf3 28. Kd1 Rxg3 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [Site "Pegeia, Cyprus"] [Date "2026.04.15"] [Round "14.4"] [White "Sindarov, Javokhir"] [Black "Wei Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C48"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2754"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {[%evp 0,64,28,18,18,18,18,18,22,21,5,9,24,25,25,25,25,10,18,15,25,34,34,33,12,32,15,12,35,27,27,27,29,11,17,17,17,17,13,8,12,12,12,9,9,11,11,13,14,8,11,8,7,7,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. e5 dxc3 7. exf6 Qxf6 8. dxc3 Bc5 9. Qe2+ $1 Qe6 10. O-O Qxe2 11. Bxe2 d5 12. Bf4 (12. c4 Be6 13. cxd5 Bxd5 14. Bb5+ c6 15. Re1+ Kd7 16. Bd3 Rae8 17. Bd2 Rxe1+ 18. Rxe1 Re8 19. Rxe8 Kxe8 20. a4 g6 21. Kf1 Bd6 22. g3 c5 23. b3 Ke7 24. Ke2 b6 25. h4 h5 26. Be3 Ke6 27. Ba6 Be5 28. Kd3 Bg2 29. Ke2 Bd5 30. Kd3 Bg2 31. Ke2 Bd5 32. Kd3 Bg2 {½-½ Liang,A (2719)-Aronian,L (2729) USA-ch Cup Elim Saint Louis rapid 2026 (3.2)}) 12... c6 13. c4 {[#]} ({RR} 13. Rfe1 Be6 14. a4 a5 15. c4 O-O 16. cxd5 Bxd5 17. Bd3 Rfe8 18. Kf1 Bd4 19. c3 Bb6 20. Rxe8+ Rxe8 21. b4 Rd8 22. Be2 Bb3 23. bxa5 Bxa5 24. Rb1 Bxa4 25. Rxb7 Bxc3 26. Bc4 h6 27. Be3 Kh7 {Blohberger,F (2513)-Amin,B (2636) Viernheim GER 2026 ½-½ (60)}) 13... dxc4 $146 (13... Be6 14. cxd5 Bxd5 15. Rfe1 O-O 16. Bd3 Rfe8 17. a4 a5 18. Bd2 b6 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Re1 Rxe1+ 21. Bxe1 g6 22. Kf1 f5 23. c4 Be6 24. f4 Kf7 25. Ke2 Bd4 26. b4 axb4 27. Bxb4 c5 28. Bd2 Bd7 29. a5 bxa5 30. Bxa5 Bc6 {½-½ Baidetsky,V (2497)-Bluebaum,M (2658) Mitropa Cup Apolda 2024 (2.1)}) ({RR} 13... Be6 14. cxd5 Bxd5 15. Rfe1 O-O 16. Bd3 Rfe8 17. a4 a5 18. Bd2 b6 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Re1 Rxe1+ 21. Bxe1 g6 22. Kf1 f5 23. c4 Be6 24. f4 Kf7 25. Ke2 Bd4 26. b4 axb4 27. Bxb4 c5 28. Bd2 {Baidetskyi,V (2497)-Bluebaum,M (2658) Apolda GER 2024 ½-½}) ({RR} 13... Be6 14. cxd5 Bxd5 15. Rfe1 O-O 16. Bd3 Rfe8 17. a4 a5 18. Bd2 b6 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Re1 Rxe1+ 21. Bxe1 g6 22. Kf1 f5 23. c4 Be6 24. f4 Kf7 25. Ke2 Bd4 26. b4 axb4 27. Bxb4 c5 28. Bd2 {Baidetskyi,V (2497)-Bluebaum,M (2658) Apolda GER 2024 ½-½}) ({RR} 13... Be6 14. cxd5 Bxd5 15. Rfe1 O-O 16. Bd3 Rfe8 17. a4 a5 18. Bd2 b6 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Re1 Rxe1+ 21. Bxe1 g6 22. Kf1 f5 23. c4 Be6 24. f4 Kf7 25. Ke2 Bd4 26. b4 axb4 27. Bxb4 c5 28. Bd2 {Baidetskyi,V (2497)-Bluebaum,M (2658) Apolda GER 2024 ½-½}) 14. Bxc4 O-O 15. Rfe1 Bd7 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 Rfe8 18. Rae1 Rxe3 19. Rxe3 Re8 20. Rxe8+ Bxe8 $11 21. f4 Kf8 22. Kf2 Ke7 23. Ke3 f6 24. c3 Kd6 25. Bd3 h6 26. a3 c5 27. g3 b6 28. Bc2 Bd7 29. Bd3 Be8 30. Bc2 Bd7 31. Bd3 Be8 32. Bc2 Bd7 1/2-1/2