[Event "Tata Steel-A 87th playoff "] [White "Praggnanandhaa,Rameshbabu"] [Black "Gukesh,Dommaraju"] [Site ""] [Round ""] [Annotator "Havanur,Nagesh"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "2025.02.02"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2777"] [PlyCount "123"] 1. d4 d5 ({The position in the game can also arise via the Anti-Nimzo Move Order.} 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 d5 )2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 c5 5. Be2 Bd6 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. O-O (7. c4 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 {1/2 -1/2 (36 moves) was played in Ding, Liren-Gukesh,D, FIDE World Championship (10) 2024} )O-O 8. c4 dxc4 (8... Nc6 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 {transposes to the game cited above.} )9. Bxc4 a6 {This move could have waited.} (9... Nc6 { developing a piece is preferable.} )10. Qxd8 {Returning the compliment. This tame move going for exchange of queens loses a tempo.} ({With} 10. Nc3 { White in turn would have developed a piece. If} Qxd1 11. Rfxd1 {White occupies the d-file first.} )Rxd8 11. Nbd2 ({Again the more natural} 11. Nc3 { made sense.} )Bd7 {A non-standard move. Gukesh avoids any improvement by Pragg on 10...b5, a move known to him.} (11... b5 12. Be2 Bb7 13. Rac1 Nbd7 { was seen in Praggnanandhaa-Wesley So, New York 2024 (0-1, 82 moves)} )12. Rac1 Be7 13. Be2 {This cautious move loses control of d5.} ({I see nothing wrong with} 13. Nd4 Nc6 14. N2f3 )(13. Bb3 Nc6 {is not bad either for White.} )Nd5 {This could have waited.} (13... Nc6 {could have completed development.} )14. Bg3 Bb5 {He wanted to get rid of the bad bishop first.} ({Otherwise} 14... Nc6 {is again possible.} )15. Bxb5 axb5 16. a3 Nc6 {Finally, all Black pieces are in play.} 17. Rfd1 {He wants to play Ne4. An immediate knight move would allow the Black rook more freedom to operate on the d-file. So White takes charge of the file before he moves the knight.} ({If} 17. Nb3 b4 18. axb4 Ndxb4 $15 )Rac8 18. Kf1 $1 {In an endgame the king has to remain active.} Nb6 $1 {This is not a retreat, but a regrouping move. The knight is set to take control of light squares on the queenside.} 19. Ne4 {This move allows the Black rook to enter the d-file.} (19. Ke2 $5 {followed by Rc2 would have prevented any possible attack on the b-pawn.} )Nc4 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 $2 { Obvious and wrong.} ({But then it was not easy to see} 20... Nxd8 $1 {(with a little threat of 21..Nxe3)} 21. Ke2 Nc6 22. Rc2 f6 $11 )21. Rc2 $2 ({Pragg in turn misses} 21. a4 $1 N6a5 22. axb5 Bb4 23. b3 Nb6 24. Nd4 Nd5 25. Ke2 $16 )Rd1+ 22. Ke2 Rb1 23. Nc3 $2 {The wrong knight!} ({He had to play} 23. Nd4 $1 Nxd4+ 24. exd4 Rxb2 25. Rxb2 Nxb2 26. Bd6 Kf8 27. Bxe7+ Kxe7 $11 )Rxb2 24. Rxb2 Nxb2 25. Nxb5 Nc4 26. Kd3 {In hunt for the Black pawn on b7.} Nxa3 27. Nxa3 Bxa3 28. Kc4 Na7 29. Bb8 Nc8 30. Kb5 f6 $2 {Gukesh is trying to prevent Pragg from having an outpost on e5 with his knight. and he misses an opportunity to get rid of the active White bishop.} (30... Bd6 $1 31. Bxd6 Nxd6+ 32. Kb6 Kf8 33. Kc7 Ke7 $15 {was preferable.} )31. Nd2 Kf7 $2 {Again an inaccuracy.} ({He still had} 31... Bd6 32. Bxd6 Nxd6+ 33. Kc5 Nc8 $15 )32. Nc4 Bf8 33. Na5 Bd6 34. Bxd6 Nxd6+ 35. Kb6 Ne4 36. f3 Nc3 37. Kxb7 (37. Nxb7 $2 Nd5+ 38. Kc5 Nxe3 {and Black has won a pawn.} )e5 38. Kc6 Nd1 39. Nc4 Ke6 40. e4 g6 41. Kc5 f5 {Black's counterplay has taken shape out of nowhere.} 42. Kb4 fxe4 43. fxe4 Nf2 44. Nd2 Kd6 {Gukesh makes a couple of harmless moves to gain time on the clock.} (44... Kf6 {was the way to make progress on the kingside.} )45. Nc4+ Ke6 46. Nd2 Kf6 $1 {Now he is on the right track.} 47. Kc4 Ng4 48. Nf1 Nf2 49. Kd5 Nd3 50. Ne3 Nf4+ 51. Kd6 $1 {Rightly targeting Black's most vunerable point, the pawn on e5.} Nd3 $4 {A terrible oversight.} (51... h5 $1 {would have prevented White's next move and the position becomes level.} 52. Nd5+ Kg5 53. h4+ Kxh4 54. Nxf4 exf4 55. e5 Kg3 56. e6 Kxg2 57. e7 f3 58. e8=Q f2 59. Qe4+ Kg1 60. Qxg6+ Kf1 61. Qxh5 Kg2 $11 {with a theoretical draw.} )52. Ng4+ $18 {Now it's all over.} Kg5 53. Nxe5 Kf4 $1 {He would rather lose the knight to put an end to the march of the White pawn.} (53... Nxe5 $4 54. Kxe5 $18 {made it too easy for White.} )54. Nxd3+ Kxe4 55. Nf2+ Ke3 56. Ng4+ Kf4 57. Nf6 h5 58. Ke6 h4 59. Kf7 Kf5 60. Kg7 g5 61. h3 Kf4 62. Kg6 {Putting an end to the heroic resistance of his adverasry.} 1-0