[Event "Candidates 2020-21"] [Site "Yekaterinburg, Russia"] [Date "2021.04.26"] [Round "13"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A05"] [WhiteElo "2789"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "Llewellyn,Alan"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] {[%evp 0,43,38,25,25,-5,30,9,9,10,65,34,22,5,15,30,30,7,23,6,6,4,16,13,7,7,19, 3,19,1,1,-4,-4,-13,-10,25,67,67,67,67,72,41,52,23,65,44]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 { This is the Queen's Fianchetto Defence} 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 g6 5. d4 Bg7 6. d5 Na6 7. Nc3 Nc5 $11 8. O-O O-O 9. Qc2 a5 10. Rd1 Ne8 11. Bf4 Nd6 12. b3 Re8 13. Be5 e6 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Rab1 e5 16. Nd2 f5 17. a3 Qf6 18. b4 axb4 19. axb4 Na6 20. e4 f4 21. Ne2 fxg3 22. fxg3 c5 23. bxc5 Nxc5 24. Rxb6 Qd8 25. Rdb1 (25. Rxd6 Qc7 26. Rxd7+ Nxd7 $11) 25... Qc7 26. Nc3 Rf8 27. R6b2 Ba6 (27... Rf6) 28. Nd1 Rab8 $6 $14 (28... Ne8 29. Nf2 Nf6 30. Rb6 Rab8 $14) 29. Rxb8 Rxb8 30. Rxb8 Qxb8 31. Qb2 $1 {playing for a draw...} Qxb2 (31... Qa7 $4 32. Qxe5+ Kg8 33. Qd4 $18) 32. Nxb2 Nc8 33. Kf2 Nb6 34. Bf1 d6 35. Ke3 Kf6 36. Be2 Ke7 37. Nb1 Bc8 (37... Nxe4 $4 38. Kxe4 Nxd5 39. cxd5 Bxe2 40. Nd3 h6 41. Ke3 Bg4 42. Nc3 Bc8 43. Nb4 Kd7 44. Ne4 Bb7 45. Nf6+ Kc7 46. Ng8 h5 47. Nc6 Bxc6 48. dxc6 Kxc6 49. Ne7+ Kc5 50. Nxg6 Kc4 51. Ke4 d5+ 52. Kxe5 d4 53. Nf4 d3 54. Nxd3 Kxd3 55. h3 Ke3 56. g4 hxg4 57. hxg4 Kf3 58. g5 $18) 38. Nc3 Bd7 39. Bd1 Be8 40. Bc2 Bd7 41. Bd1 Be8 42. Bc2 {White is a pawn up but its quite unlikely White will burst the baracade...besides with Anish Giri losing Ian only needs a draw to secure his position as candidates winner to challenge Magnus Carlsen for the World Championship in Dubai in November.} 1/2-1/2