[Event "FIDE Grand Chess Prix 1 All Pools 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.02.11"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {Two major Italian experts clash $1} Nf6 4. d3 Bc5
5. O-O ({Their latest encounter in the line went} 5. c3 d6 6. O-O h6 7. b4 Bb6
8. Nbd2 O-O 9. Re1 Ne7 10. Bb3 c6 11. a4 Ng6 12. a5 Bc7 13. d4 Re8 {and Black
held his own later in Dominguez Perez,L (2758)-So,W (2772) Saint Louis 2021})
5... O-O 6. h3 d6 7. c3 a5 8. Re1 Be6 {A solid move.} ({Unsurprisingly, So has
experience in the line with the reversed colors as well.} 8... h6 9. Bb3 Be6
10. Ba4 Ba7 11. d4 Bd7 12. Bc2 exd4 13. cxd4 Nb4 14. Nc3 Nxc2 15. Qxc2 c5 16.
Be3 cxd4 17. Bxd4 Bxd4 18. Nxd4 Qb6 {as in So,W (2780)-Nakamura,H (2777) Chess.
com INT 2018}) 9. Bb5 Ba7 10. Nbd2 Ne7 11. d4 Ng6 12. Ba4 ({The world champion
faced instead:} 12. Nf1 c6 13. Bd3 a4 14. Ng3 b5 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Qc2 Bb6 17. b3
h6 18. Rac1 {Alekseenko,K (2702)-Carlsen,M (2856) Warsaw 2021}) 12... Nh5 13.
Nf1 Nhf4 14. Ng3 c6 15. Bc2 Qd7 16. Nf5 {All these opening moves were very
logical, but still, the speed with which they were executed by both players
was remarkable. They were practically blitzing $1} f6 17. Be3 $5 $146 {After
spending more than seven minutes on the clock (half of the time allowance) So
went for} ({The predecessor saw:} 17. h4 d5 18. Bxf4 Nxf4 19. dxe5 dxe4 20.
Qxd7 Bxd7 21. Bxe4 fxe5 22. Ne3 Rae8 {with a bishop pair to compensate for the
weakened pawn structure, Sjugirov,S (2680) -Hovhannisyan,R (2643) Warsaw 2021})
17... Kh8 {But this did not solve Black's problems.} ({Stronger was the
immediate central break} 17... d5 $1 {when Black was seemingly solving his
opening problems, say after} 18. dxe5 (18. N3h4 dxe4 19. Bxe4 exd4 {getting
rid of the central pawns and the pressure.}) 18... fxe5 (18... Bxe3 $5 {
might well work as White cannot gain material with} 19. fxe3 {due to the
little trick} Nxg2 $1 20. Kxg2 dxe4) 19. Bxa7 Rxa7 20. Ng5 {This also seems
scary for Black, as the light-squared bishop is vulnerable, but the machine
claims enough compensation after} a4 $3 {I swear I will never understand these
moves $1} 21. Nxe6 Qxe6 22. Bxa4 Qf6) 18. dxe5 fxe5 ({Certainly not the endgame
} 18... dxe5 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Red1 Rfd8 21. Nd6 $1 {when White clearly
dominates.}) 19. Ng5 d5 ({The logical followup of the king maneuver would have
been} 19... Bg8 {to save the bishop. However, after} 20. Bxa7 Rxa7 21. g3 {
Black's knight will be miserable.} ({Or} 21. h4 $5)) 20. Nxe6 ({There was also
the interesting pawn sacrifice} 20. g3 dxe4 21. Qxd7 Bxd7 22. Nd6 Nxh3+ 23.
Nxh3 Bxh3 24. Bxe4 {when White has more than enough for the sacrificed
material.}) 20... Qxe6 {The only move.} ({Otherwise Black's center will
collapse after} 20... Nxe6 21. Bxa7 Rxa7 22. exd5 cxd5 23. Ne3) 21. Bxa7 {
Slightly discombobulating the black pieces.} ({The immediate} 21. Qg4 {was
there too, when Black can trade massively with} Bxe3 22. fxe3 dxe4 23. exf4
Qxf5 24. Qxf5 Rxf5 25. Bxe4 Rxf4 26. Bxg6 hxg6 27. Rxe5 {and although White
still keeps some edge, Black should be able to hold.}) 21... Rxa7 22. Qg4 Qf6 {
A key moment of the game $1 So goes for an aggressive idea which will cost him
two valuable tempi.} ({He should have brought the queenside rook into the game
at once instead with} 22... b5 $1) ({Or} 22... b6 {followed by Ra7-f7.}) 23.
Rad1 {Obvious and good. The center should be pressurized. And just like
yesterday, Dominguez makes sure that all his pieces will be participating.} ({
With little time on the clock one tries not to burn any bridges, although} 23.
g3 $5 {would have been still an excellent idea. Say,} h5 24. Qf3 Nxh3+ 25. Kh2
Ng5 26. Qxh5+ {when White is on top.}) 23... h5 ({It was not too late for}
23... b6) 24. Qf3 Qg5 25. Qg3 $1 {Very strong $1 Black needs to retreat.} Qf6 (
{As} 25... Qxg3 26. fxg3 $1 {leads to an immediate central collapse.}) 26. Kh2
$1 {An excellent preparation.} Raa8 (26... h4 {only helps White improve his
queen with} 27. Qg4) 27. Qf3 Nh4 {So forces matters, but unfortunately for him,
Dominguez has enough resources to repel the assault.} ({With the white king
away from the pin} 27... Qg5 {backfires due to} 28. g3 dxe4 29. Qxe4 Nd5 30. h4
{and White is close to winning.}) 28. Nxh4 Qxh4 29. exd5 Nxg2 {This was the
point $1} 30. Qd3 $1 {So had this covered.} ({Certainly not} 30. Qxg2 $2 Rxf2)
30... e4 {But White also has something up his sleeve.} 31. Rxe4 $1 Qxf2 {
But the cold-blooded} ({Unfortunately for Black, the line} 31... Nf4 32. Qe3
cxd5 {does not work due to the timely in-between checks} 33. Rxd5 Nxd5 34. Rxh4
Nxe3 35. Rxh5+ $1 Kg8 36. Bb3+ Rf7 37. fxe3) 32. Kh1 $3 {settles the dust and
it becomes obvious whose king is safer. The attacking pair of a queen and
knight needs two tempi to coordinate, but there is no time for that.} ({
Anything else was losing, for instance} 32. Re2 Ne1+ 33. Rxf2 Rxf2+ 34. Kg1
Nxd3 {and Black wins material.}) 32... Nh4 ({Or} 32... g6 33. Re2) 33. Rxh4 {
And White mated after} g6 34. Rxh5+ 1-0