[Event "Olympiad-42"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2016.09.09"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Solak, Dragan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B08"] [WhiteElo "2635"] [BlackElo "2857"] [Annotator "Pavlovic,M"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2016.09.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 175"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Turkey"] [BlackTeam "Norway"] [WhiteTeamCountry "TUR"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Nf3 a6 {The Pirc is very popular among players who are playing only to win even with Black. This particular setup that the World Chamion is using gives Black additional ways of handling this position. Playing in a flexible way Black is hoping to get some good versions of usual Pirc positions.} 5. Be2 Nf6 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 {White has opted for a classical setup.} Nc6 $5 {Another interesting provocative move.} (7... b5 8. e5 $1 Nfd7 9. a4 b4 10. Nd5 Nc6 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. Bg3 e6 14. Ne3 dxe5 15. d5 Nd4 16. dxe6 fxe6 17. Nd2 Bb7 18. Bc4 Nb6 19. Ba2 Nd5 20. Ndc4 $44 {1-0 (125) Malakhov,V (2694)-Morozevich,A (2711) Moscow (blitz) 2015}) 8. d5 {Another recent game saw:} (8. h3 e5 9. Be3 exd4 10. Nxd4 Bd7 11. Bf1 Re8 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Bd4 b5 14. a3 Bb7 15. f3 c5 16. Bf2 Qc7 17. Qd2 Rad8 18. Rad1 h6 19. Bg3 Qb6 20. Kh1 d5 21. exd5 Rxe1 22. Qxe1 Nxd5 23. Nxd5 Rxd5 $11 {1-0 (59) Wang Hao (2717)-Mamedov,R (2650) Huai'an (blitz) 2016}) 8... Na7 $5 {As far as I know Nepomniachtchi was, or still is, Carlsen's second, so I am not surprised to see Carlsen using such an unusual retreat.} 9. h3 b5 $5 (9... c6 10. Bf1 Nb5 11. Na4 Nd7 12. c4 Nc7 13. Nc3 Nc5 14. Nd4 cxd5 15. exd5 e5 16. dxe6 N5xe6 17. Be3 d5 18. Nxe6 Bxe6 19. Bb6 Qd6 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. Nxd5 Qc5 22. Qd2 Rad8 23. Rad1 Rd7 24. b4 Qc6 25. Rxe6 Qxe6 26. Nf6+ Bxf6 27. Qxd7 {½-½ (65) Malakhov, V (2694)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2705) Moscow (blitz) 2015. White is better.}) 10. Bf1 Bb7 11. a4 {I am not very fond of this move, because the knight on a2 doesn't look as good as its counterpart on a7; obviously the knight on a7 has many more potential manoeuvres available to it.} (11. Bf4 c6 12. dxc6 Nxc6 13. a4 b4 14. Nd5 Nd7 {Black is fine again, this is reminiscent of Sicilian Dragon positions.}) 11... b4 12. Na2 a5 13. c4 (13. c3 c5 14. Nd2 Nc8 15. Nc4 Nb6 { Black is fine.}) 13... e6 {Somehow already I don't see any particular problems for Black.} 14. Bg5 h6 15. Be3 Re8 16. Bd3 exd5 17. exd5 c6 18. dxc6 Nxc6 { Now we see that the knight from a7 is back while the knight on a2 is out of play.} 19. Nc1 Nd7 20. Qc2 Qf6 21. Rb1 Nce5 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. Be2 d5 $17 24. cxd5 Bxd5 {Black is controlling all aspects of the game.} 25. Nb3 Rac8 26. Nc5 {White has had a problem all through the game with the knight on a2. Finally it has come out but only to be lost on the c5-square.} Bf8 27. Rbc1 Bxc5 28. Bxc5 Qg5 29. g3 Nd7 30. h4 Qd8 31. Bb5 Rxe1+ 32. Rxe1 Rxc5 $19 33. Qd2 h5 34. Qd4 Qf6 35. Qe3 Bc6 36. Qe8+ Nf8 37. Qc8 Rc2 38. Bxc6 Qxf2+ 39. Kh1 Qxe1# 0-1 [Event "Tashkent FIDE GP"] [Site "Tashkent"] [Date "2014.11.02"] [Round "11"] [White "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B07"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2844"] [Annotator "Havasi,G"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2014.10.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UZB"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 g6 {Caruana sometimes plays 1...g6 if he wants to play for a win.} 2. e4 d6 3. c4 Bg4 $5 {This is a rare, but interesting move.} ({After} 3... Bg7 4. d4 Nf6 {the game would transpose to the King's Indian Defence.} ({If Black wants to play a less usual position, he can play} 4... Bg4 $5)) 4. d4 Bxf3 (4... Bg7 {is more popular.}) 5. Qxf3 e5 (5... Bg7 {is more popular} 6. d5 (6. Qd1 c6 7. Nc3 Qb6 8. Be3 Qxb2 9. Na4 Qb4+ 10. Bd2 Qa3 11. Bc1 Qb4+ 12. Bd2 Qa3 13. Bc1 { 1/2 Gelfand-Morozevich, Moscow 2008}) 6... Nd7 7. Be2 Ngf6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. O-O c6 10. Rb1 a6 $13 {Buhmann-Salgado Lopez, Belfort 2012}) (5... Nc6 {has also been tried} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Qd1 e5 8. d5 Nd4 9. Nc3 c5 $13 {Cmilyte-Kazhgaleyev, Koszalin 1999}) 6. d5 Nd7 $146 {This move is a novelty.} ({The very logical} 6... Bh6 {was played before} 7. Nd2 Nd7 8. Bd3 Ngf6 9. O-O O-O 10. Rb1 a5 $13 { Rahman-Torre, Bled 2002}) 7. Nc3 ({If White avoids the exchange of the bishops by playing} 7. Bd2 {Black answers} Bh6 8. Bc3 Ngf6 $13) 7... h5 {Black gains some space on the kingside and postpones ...Bh6.} ({It would also be very logical to exchange the "bad" bishop by playing} 7... Bh6) 8. Bd3 {White wants to activate his bishop via d3-c2-a4.} Ngf6 (8... Bh6 {was again possible.}) 9. O-O h4 10. Bc2 (10. b4 a5 $1 $13) (10. h3 Nh5 $13) 10... Be7 {After this move, Black will castle artifically by playing Kf8-g7.} 11. Ba4 {White activates his bishop.} (11. Be3 $5 {is also good} Kf8 (11... Nh7 12. b4 Bg5 13. c5 $36) 12. b4 Kg7 13. Ba4 $14 (13. a3 $14)) 11... Kf8 12. b4 $6 {This move is an inaccuracy because} (12. Be3 $1 {was better and after} Kg7 13. b4 {the game transposes to 11.Be3.}) 12... a5 $1 13. bxa5 (13. a3 Nb6 $132) 13... Rxa5 ( 13... Nc5 {was also possible} 14. Bc2 Rxa5 $132) 14. Bxd7 Qxd7 (14... Nxd7 { seems better} 15. Rb1 b6 $13) 15. a4 Kg7 16. Rb1 b6 17. Rb5 Ra6 (17... Rha8 { is also good.}) 18. Bd2 Nh7 {Black prepares for ...Bg5 in order to get rid of the bad bishop.} 19. Qe2 (19. h3 {was more logical:} Bg5 20. Bxg5 Nxg5 21. Qe3 f6 22. f4 $11) 19... Bg5 20. Bxg5 Nxg5 21. h3 Qe7 22. Rbb1 ({White could have waited with a move like} 22. Qd3 {and it will be very hard to make progress for Black} {after} Nh7 23. Rb2 {and} Ra5 {White even seizes the initiative with } 24. f4 $1) 22... Ra5 $1 {Black prevents c5 and improves his rook.} 23. Qe3 { This move seems a bit useless.} (23. f4 {was a better try, but Black is also slightly better after} exf4 24. Rxf4 Qe5 25. Qe3 Rc5 $1 26. Rb4 f5 $132 { , but this is still better than the game}) ({If White does nothing and waits with} 23. Rb5 Rha8 24. Ra1 {Black can reorganise his forces with} Nh7 $1 $15 ( 24... R5a6 $5 {is also possible disturbing White's coordination, not allowing Rxa5 followed by Nb5})) 23... Nh7 $1 {The knight was already useless on g5, Black is going to play ...Nf6.} 24. f4 $5 {White seizes the best practical chance, otherwise his position is much worse.} (24. Rb5 Rha8 $15) 24... Nf6 { This move allows White some nice moves, which give him enough activity.} (24... Rc5 $1 {was a strong intermediate move and Black is better after} 25. Qd3 { This move is practically forced. The advantage of Rc5 will become clear after 24...Nf6 fxe5 Qxe5.... and there is no Rf4.} ({In the event of} 25. Rb4 { , the rook is very badly placed on b4} exf4 26. Rxf4 Nf6 $15) 25... Nf6 $15 ( 25... exf4 26. Rxf4 $36)) 25. fxe5 $1 {White does the right thing, opens the position.} (25. f5 {can seem to be dangerous in connection with doubling on the f-file, but black has good resources} Nh5 $1 26. Rf2 Nf4 $132 {followed by ...g5}) 25... dxe5 (25... Qxe5 {is also logical to occupy the e5-square with the queen, but this move allows White some activity on the kingside with} 26. Rf4 $1) 26. Rb5 $1 {And White also comes up with a strong counter-move.} Rha8 27. Qg5 $2 {This move is a blunder.} (27. Qf2 $1 {was better and White seems to hold the position after a line like} Ne8 28. Rxa5 Rxa5 29. d6 $1 Nxd6 30. Nd5 Qd8 31. Nf6 Nf5 32. Ng4 $11) 27... Nxd5 $1 {Caruana doesn't miss such an opportunity.} 28. Qxe7 Nxe7 $17 29. Rd1 Rxb5 (29... Nc6 {was also good} 30. Rd7 Rc8 $17 {and White's activity slowly disappears}) 30. cxb5 Kf8 (30... Kf6 { is also good} 31. Rd7 Rc8 $17) 31. Kf2 Ke8 32. Ke3 f5 (32... Rd8 $17) 33. Nd5 $2 ({Nor is there any hope after} 33. Rd2 Rd8 $17) 33... Rxa4 34. Nxc7+ Kf7 35. exf5 Nxf5+ 36. Kf3 e4+ 37. Kf4 e3+ 38. Kf3 Ra2 39. Rf1 Rd2 40. Na8 Rd6 41. Ra1 Nd4+ 42. Ke4 e2 43. Re1 Nxb5 0-1 [Event "Grand Slam Final 5th"] [Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao"] [Date "2012.09.25"] [Round "2"] [White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B07"] [WhiteElo "2697"] [BlackElo "2843"] [Annotator "CB"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2012.09.24"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BRA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 151"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. dxe5 ({Zur Hauptvariante der Philidorverteidigung führt} 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O) 4... dxe5 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 6. Nf3 (6. Bg5 Be6 7. O-O-O+ Nbd7 8. Nf3 Bd6 {ist Zugumstellung.} ( 8... Kc8 $5)) ({Die Alternative ist} 6. Bc4 Be6 (6... Ke8 $5) 7. Bxe6 fxe6) 6... Bd6 7. Bg5 Be6 8. O-O-O Nbd7 {Laut Datenbankstatistik macht Schwarz mit dieser Position bemerkenswerte 64%} 9. Nb5 Ke7 10. Nxd6 cxd6 11. Bb5 ({Auf} 11. Nd2 {folgt auch} h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. Bg3) 11... Rhd8 ({Bisher sah man hier} 11... Nc5 {z.B.:} 12. Rhe1 a6 13. Bf1 Rac8 14. Kb1 b5 15. Nd2 h6 16. Bxf6+ Kxf6 $11 { Rajkovic,L (2208)-Colovic,D (2356) Vrnjacka Banja 2007, 0-1 (43)}) 12. Nd2 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 a6 15. Bxd7 {Das Läuferpaar ist hier nichts wert.} Rxd7 16. f3 Rc8 17. Kb1 Nh5 18. Nf1 ({Auch nach} 18. Bf2 Nf4 19. g3 Nh3 20. Be3 (20. Bb6 Rc6 21. Be3 f5) 20... f5 {liegt die Initiative bei Schwarz.}) 18... f5 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Ne3 Bg6 21. Rd2 Ke6 22. b3 b5 23. Kb2 d5 {Fast zwangläufig ist Weiß aus der Eröffnung heraus in eine passive Position geraten.} 24. Re1 Nxg3 25. hxg3 h5 26. c3 {Schwarz drohte b5-b4 oder d5-d4 und das Feld c3 wird schwach.} d4 27. cxd4 Rxd4 28. Rxd4 exd4 {mit der kleinen Pointe, dass Weiß keinen wirksamen Springerabzug hat.} 29. Nc2+ (29. Nc4+ Kf6 {und der Springer gerät auf Abwege.} (29... Kd5 $4 30. Nb6+)) 29... Kd5 30. Nb4+ Kd6 31. Rc1 (31. Nxa6 Rc2+ 32. Ka3 Rxg2 {und die weißen Königsflügelbauern fallen.}) 31... Rxc1 32. Kxc1 h4 33. gxh4 gxh4 34. Nxa6 ({Die Alternative war} 34. Kd2 a5 (34... Ke5 35. Ke2 Kf4 36. Kf2 a5 37. Nd5+ Ke5 38. Ne7 Be8 {reicht wohl auch für Schwarz. }) 35. Nc2 (35. Nd3 Bxd3 36. Kxd3 Ke5 $19) 35... Bxc2 36. Kxc2 {mit gewonnenem Bauernendspiel für Schwarz.} Ke5 37. Kd3 Kf4 38. Kxd4 Kg3 $19) 34... Bd3 35. Nb4 Bf1 36. Kd2 Bxg2 37. Ke2 Bh3 38. a4 (38. Nd3 Bf5 39. Nf2 b4 40. f4 h3 41. Kf3 Kd5 42. Nd1 Bb1 $19) 38... Bf5 39. axb5 d3+ 40. Ke3 h3 41. Nxd3 Bxd3 42. Kd4 0-1 [Event "Biel GM 51st"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2018.07.23"] [Round "2"] [White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B08"] [WhiteElo "2779"] [BlackElo "2842"] [Annotator "Nielsen,Peter Heine"] [PlyCount "158"] [EventDate "2018.07.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 186"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 d6 {The players also faced each other in the last round of the Stavanger tournament, where both tried to bluff the other by following joint preparations for the 2016 World Championship match. As neither "blinked", the game came to a quick conclusion with a repetition. In Biel however, inspired by his win in the first round, Magnus immediately tries taking the game to uncharted waters by playing the Pirc:} 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bf4 $5 {Maxime varies from his usual 4.Be3, afterwards at the press conference saying that he knew this line, having studied it from Black's perspective via the 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 move order.} c6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Qd2 O-O 7. h3 {Played after some hesitation. A solid positional approach, even thought from the agressive Frenchman, one might have expected h4, Bh6 and mate!} Qa5 8. e5 $6 { A somewhat pessimistic decision, forcing an equal ending, instead of a slightly better middlegame with e.g. 8.Bd3.} dxe5 9. dxe5 Nd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd2+ 11. Bxd2 cxd5 12. O-O-O Nc6 13. Bc3 {White's plan takes form. He protects the pawn on e5 stabilising the centre, and claiming that in the upcoming race White is quicker on the kingside than Black is on the queenside.} e6 14. h4 h6 {Precaution against White's plan of h5, but the engines suggest a more provocative alternative just playing 14...Bd7 and if 15.h5 then answering with ...h6! as now Black threatens ...g5 and if 16.hxg6 fxg6 he gets counterplay in the f-file as well as a possible ...g5.} 15. Bd3 Bd7 16. Rhe1 Rfc8 17. Rd2 $6 { A miscalculation.} ({White needed to be more careful,} 17. Bd2 $1 {being the correct plan, intending after} Rab8 18. Kb1 b5 {to play} 19. a3 $1 a5 20. b3 $1 {effectively shutting down the queenside being ready to answer ...a4 with b4, and ...b4 with a4! One could argue that White then would have a free hand on the kingside, but Black's solidity there still makes the position rather equal, even so a much better scenario compared to what happens now:}) 17... Rab8 18. Rde2 b5 19. Nd4 b4 20. Nxc6 Bxc6 21. Bd4 Bb5 $1 {Black starts exerting pressure. MVL admitted he underestimated this move, expecting Black first to protect his a7-pawn by moving it to a5, but forgetting that Bxa7 with a2 unprotected allows Black to just play ...Ra8 and win back the pawn under favourable circumstances.} 22. Kd2 h5 23. f4 Bf8 24. g4 $5 {A very temporary pawn sacrifice, speeding up White's counterplay, trying to get to Black's king first:} hxg4 25. Rg1 Bc5 26. Bxc5 Rxc5 27. Rxg4 Kf8 $1 {King-safety being the main concern, evacuating the danger area just in time.} 28. Rh2 Bxd3 29. Kxd3 Rc4 $1 {Another key moment, MVL mentioned this as a crucial move he missed and Black is now better as he combines exerting pressure along the 4th rank and the c-file. From a practical point of view correct, but White still has a hidden defence:} 30. h5 gxh5 31. Rxh5 Ke7 32. Rgh4 $2 {An outright blunder finally changing Black's position from practically better, to a real substantial edge.} (32. Rh6 $1 {with the idea of} Rbc8 33. Rf6 $1 Rxc2 $2 34. Rg7 $1 {shows that Black's attack is not as dangerous as it might seem at first sight, as here White's king remains safe, and White gets to attack just in time.}) 32... Rg8 33. f5 Rg3+ 34. Kd2 Rg2+ 35. Kd1 Rcxc2 36. f6+ {MVL had pinned his hopes on this, but while he does get some counterplay, the difference in king-safety is a huge difference. In the above line the white king felt at least somewhat safe at d3, while now on d1 mating threats are imminent.} Kd7 37. Rxb4 a5 38. Rb8 Rcf2 39. Ke1 Kc6 $1 (39... Rxb2 40. Rxb2 Rxb2 41. Rh7 $1 {creates counterplay, so Black's trick is to keep the mating threats against the white king, while trying to walk his own into safety.}) 40. Rc8+ Kb5 $6 {The computer points to this logical move made just before the time-control as being inaccurate!} (40... Kb6 41. Rh7 Re2+ 42. Kf1 Rgf2+ 43. Kg1 Rf4 44. Rxf7 Rxe5 {winning for Black, as unlike in the game White now has no efficient 45.Rb7+.}) 41. Rh7 d4 42. Rg8 $5 {Resourceful and creative as ever, even in the most dire of situations, the Frenchman manages to cause confusion.} Re2+ $1 43. Kf1 Rgf2+ $1 44. Kg1 Rf4 $1 45. Rxf7 Rxe5 46. Rc7 Rxf6 $6 {Technically still winning, but} (46... d3 $1 {pushing the passed pawn was a much cleaner solution.} 47. Rb8+ Ka4 $1 48. Rc3 {might have felt threatening, but} Rg5+ $1 {mates in two!}) 47. Rb8+ Ka6 48. Rc6+ Ka7 49. Rg8 Rf7 50. Rg6 Re1+ 51. Kg2 d3 $2 (51... Re2+ 52. Kg3 Re3+ 53. Kg2 e5 $19) 52. Rd6 $1 Re2+ 53. Kh3 d2 54. Rg8 $1 {White simply wants to double in the d-file making sure the d-pawn goes nowhere as well as if Black starts defending with both rooks on the 2nd, then there is an easy perpetual on d7 and d8. It is no longer a matter of Black being winning, but about finding any practical chances.} Kb7 55. Rgd8 d1=Q $5 56. Rxd1 Rxb2 57. Re1 Rf6 58. Rd6 Rxa2 59. Kg3 $5 (59. Rdxe6 Rxe6 60. Rxe6 {then} Rf2 $1 {cutting the white king off as well as 60...Rb2!? leads to a tablebase win.}) (59. Rb1+ $145 Kc7 60. Ra6 Rg6 $15) 59... Rb2 60. Re5 Rb3+ 61. Kg2 a4 62. Ra5 $2 (62. Rh5 Rf7 63. Rxe6 $17) 62... a3 63. Rda6 Rff3 $1 64. Ra7+ $5 {At least it looks like counterplay, even if Black's king easily zig-zags out of the danger zone.} (64. Rxe6 Rfc3 $1 {sets up an interesting formation, where Black threatens a mating attack on the 2nd and 1st ranks, while if} 65. Re2 {then} Rc6 $1 {followed by ...Ra6 or ...Rb2 wins easily.}) 64... Kc6 65. R7a6+ Kd7 66. Ra7+ Kd6 67. R7a6+ Ke7 68. Re5 Rfc3 $1 { Again not caring about the e6-pawn.} 69. Rexe6+ Kd7 70. Kf2 Rb2+ 71. Re2 Rh3 72. Kg2 Rxe2+ 73. Kxh3 a2 74. Kg3 Kc7 75. Kf3 Kb7 76. Ra4 Rh2 77. Ke3 Kb6 78. Kd3 Kb5 79. Ra8 Kb4 {And as Magnus' king was just in time, MVL resigned.} 0-1 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2010.01.21"] [Round "5"] [White "Smeets, Jan"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B07"] [WhiteElo "2657"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Kramnik,V"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2010.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 135"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.03.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.03.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 d6 $1 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 a6 5. Be2 (5. Qd2 {is more common: ist geläufiger:} b5 6. f3 Nbd7) 5... Bg7 6. Qd2 (6. h4 $5 {After 5.Be2 this continuation seems more logical. Nach 5.Be2 sieht diese Fortsetzung logischer aus.} b5 7. h5) 6... b5 7. Bh6 O-O 8. e5 (8. h4 b4 $1 9. Nd5 Nxe4 10. Qe3 Bxh6 11. Qxh6 e6 12. Ne3 Qf6) (8. Bxg7 $142 {It is already time for White to think about equalising. Es wird für Weiß bereits Zeit, ans Ausgleichen zu denken.} Kxg7 9. Bf3 $11 e5 10. Nge2 Nbd7 11. O-O Bb7 12. d5) 8... dxe5 9. Bxg7 Kxg7 10. Bf3 (10. dxe5 Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Rd8+ 12. Ke3 Ng4+ 13. Bxg4 Bxg4 14. h3 Bf5 $15) 10... c6 (10... Ra7 11. dxe5 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 Rd8+ 13. Ke3 Nfd7 $15 14. Rd1 Rf8 15. Kf4 Nc5) 11. dxe5 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 Rd8+ 13. Ke3 Ng4+ (13... Nfd7 14. Rd1 Rf8 15. Kf4 $1 f6 16. exf6+ Nxf6 17. Kg3 Bf5 18. Re1 $13) 14. Bxg4 Bxg4 $15 15. h3 Bf5 {Black has to be fast, otherwise White will consolidate and equalise. Schwarz muss schnell sein, ansonsten wird sich Weiß konsolidieren und ausgleichen.} (15... Be6 16. f4 c5 17. Ne4 Bd5 18. Nf3 $11 Nc6 19. Rhd1 Nb4 20. Ne1) 16. g4 {The most principled and probably the best move here. Der prinzipiellste und vermutlich beste Zug hier.} (16. Nf3 Bxc2 (16... c5 17. Ne4) 17. Nd4 b4 18. Nxc2 bxc3 19. bxc3 Nd7 20. f4 Nb6 21. Nd4 c5 $15) (16. Rc1 Nd7 17. g4 Be6 18. Nf3 Nb6 $15) 16... Bxc2 $1 (16... Be6 17. Nge2 Nd7 18. f4 b4 19. Ne4 $11) 17. Rc1 b4 $1 (17... Rd3+ 18. Ke2 Rxc3 19. bxc3 Be4 20. Nf3 Nd7 21. Rhd1 Bd5 {Black definitely has enough for the exchange, but probably not more really. Schwarz hat definitiv genug für die Qualität, aber wohl nicht wirklich mehr.} 22. Ke3 Nb6 $13) 18. Rxc2 bxc3 19. Nf3 (19. Rxc3 Rd1 $1 $17 {and the pin seems to be more than annoying. und die Fesselung ist offenbar mehr als lästig.}) 19... cxb2 20. Rb1 Rd5 21. e6 $6 {Too delicate, it was better just to take the b2-pawn immediately with good drawing chances. Zu heikel, besser war es, einfach sofort den b2-Bauern zu nehmen, mit guten Remischancen.} (21. Rbxb2 $142 Nd7 (21... e6 22. Rd2 $11 Nd7 23. Rxd5 cxd5 24. Rb7 Rd8 25. Ra7 Nb8 26. Rb7) 22. e6 Ne5 23. exf7 Rd3+ 24. Ke4 Rxf3 25. Kxe5 Rxh3 26. Rxc6 Kxf7 27. Rb7 Rf3 28. Re6 Re8 29. Rxa6 Rxf2 $15) 21... c5 (21... fxe6 $5 {actually also was possible, but I wanted to activate my knight as soon as possible. war tatsächlich ebenfalls möglich, aber ich wollte schnellstens meinen Springer aktivieren.} 22. Rbxb2 c5 23. Rb6 Kf7) 22. exf7 Nc6 23. Rbxb2 Rad8 24. Ke4 Kxf7 (24... Nb4 $1 $17 {The most precise, since after Am genauesten, denn nach} 25. Rc3 {Black has hat Schwarz} R8d6 $1 26. Ne5 Re6 27. f4 Rd4+ 28. Kf3 Nd5 29. Rxc5 Rxf4+ 30. Kg3 Rxe5 31. Rxd5 Rxg4+ 32. hxg4 Rxd5 33. Rf2 Kf8) 25. Rc3 Nd4 26. Ne5+ ({Since my opponent already was in time trouble, I expected him to simplify the position with Da mein Gegner bereits in Zeitnot war, erwartete ich, dass er die Stellung vereinfachen würde mit} 26. Nxd4 Rxd4+ 27. Ke3 { and the chances are fifty fifty for Black to win and for White to manage a draw. , wonach die Gewinnchancen für Schwarz und die Remischancen für Weiß fifty-fifty sind.} c4 28. Rbc2 Rd3+ 29. Ke2 R8d6 30. Rxc4 Rxh3 31. Ra4 h5 $17) 26... Ke8 {More human. Menschlich.} (26... Kf6 $5 {is the computer style move. ist der Zug im Computerstil.} 27. Rb6+ R5d6 28. Rb2 Nc6) 27. Rb6 $2 (27. Rb7 $1 $15 Nb5 $140 28. Re3 $1 {A very difficult move to find in time trouble, and now if Black forces the rook endgame, he can't win it. Ein in Zeitnot sehr schwer zu findender Zug, und wenn Schwarz jetzt das Turmendspiel forciert, kann er es nicht gewinnen.} Rxe5+ 29. Kxe5 Nd6 30. Rc7 Nc4+ 31. Kf4 Rd4+ 32. Kg5 Nxe3 33. fxe3 Rc4 34. Kh6 Rc2 35. Kxh7 Kf7 36. h4) 27... Nb5 28. Rc2 (28. Re3 $142 {was the only way to stay in the game, although the white position is difficult. war der einzige Weg, in der Partie zu bleiben, obwohl die weiße Stellung schwierig ist.} R5d6 29. Rxd6 Nxd6+ 30. Kf4 c4 31. Rc3 Rc8 $17 32. Ke3 Rc5 33. f4 g5) 28... R5d6 $1 29. Nc4 (29. Rxd6 exd6 30. Nc6 Rc8 31. Nb4 Kd7 32. Nd5 Re8+ 33. Kd3 Rf8 34. f4 Nc7 35. Nxc7 Kxc7 36. Rf2 d5 $19) 29... Rd3 $19 30. Ne3 Ra3 (30... R3d4+ $142 {was simpler, achieving a technically winning endgame. war einfacher, was ein technisch gewonnenes Endspiel erreicht.} 31. Kf3 R4d6 32. Rxd6 exd6) 31. Rb2 (31. Rxc5 $142 {probably would not save him, but allows White to resist for a while. würde ihn wohl nicht retten, erlaubt Weiß aber, eine Weile Widerstand zu leisten.} Rxa2 32. Nd5 Kf7) 31... c4 { Now Black is completely winning. Nun steht Schwarz komplett auf Gewinn.} 32. Ke5 c3 33. Rc2 Rd2 {I was now trying to choose the most accurate way to win, although probably there were shorter ones. I did not bother to search for one, there is no point in such a position. Nun versuchte ich, den genausesten Gewinnweg zu wählen, obwohl es wahrscheinlich kürzere gab. Danach suchte ich gar nicht erst, das hat in einer solchen Stellung keinen Sinn.} 34. Rc1 Rxf2 35. Nd5 c2 36. Nb4 Re3+ 37. Kd5 Rd2+ 38. Kc6 Rc3+ 39. Kb7 Nd6+ 40. Ka8 { Despite his active king, White is not doing great, it seems. Trotz seines aktiven König ist es um Weiß offenbar nicht gut bestellt.} a5 0-1 [Event "RUS-ch 64th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2011.08.15"] [Round "7"] [White "Galkin, Alexander"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B07"] [WhiteElo "2598"] [BlackElo "2781"] [Annotator "Marin,M"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2011.08.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 144"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {It would have been interesting to make bets during the first few moves, regarding which opening will actually be played. After each move, the expectations will change drastically, as we will see.} d6 {So, Kramnik invites his opponent to the Pirc, an opening that he has included in his repertoire just a few years ago.} 2. d4 Nf6 3. f3 {White prefers to threaten with a transposition to the Sämisch King's Indian, after c4 and Nc3.} c5 {Declining the offer and launching a new invitation to the Benoni!} ({I must confess that recently I got tricked by this move order. I played} 3... g6 4. Be3 Nbd7 { , being ready for either the Pirc or the KI, but then got out of my preparation rather soon.} 5. Qd2 $1 {Inviting Black to define his intentions.} ({I was ready for} 5. c4 Bg7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Qd2 c5 {, which I had studied with a pupil of mine some time ago.}) 5... c6 ({In the Pirc, I do not tend to develop the bishop too soon:} 5... Bg7 6. Nc3 {followed by Bh6.}) 6. c4 (6. Nc3 b5 {was my last hope.}) 6... a6 7. Nc3 e5 8. O-O-O {Perez Mitjans,O (2452) -Marin,M (2548) Barcelona 2011 (1-0, 42). Finally, I got trapped in a variation that I had never studied and eventually lost.}) 4. Ne2 {After all probabilities, it will now become a Sicilian English Attack.} (4. d5 {may transpose to a Benoni, although some deviations are possible:} g6 (4... e6 5. c4 b5 {Dreev,A (2676)-Saldano Dayer,H (2414)/Chalkidiki 2002/CBM 092/[Erenburg] (1-0, 31)}) 5. c4 Bg7 6. Ne2 O-O 7. Nec3 e6 {Sadler,M (2667)-Tkachiev,V (2634)/ Enghien les Bains 1999/CBM 070/[Tsesarsky] (0-1, 44). The position looks like a Benoni, but the disposition of White's knights is slightly different.}) (4. c3 {would lead to an Alapin Sicilian! One interesting way to fight for the initiative is} e6 (4... cxd4 5. cxd4 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Nge2 e5 9. d5 Nbd7 10. Be3 {unexpectedely leads to a genuine Sämisch KI!! Usually, the exchange of the c-pawns takes place after d4-d5, ...c6xd5, as happened in some of Kasparov's games.}) 5. dxc5 d5 $5 {Shibut,M (2336)-Khachian,M (2473)/ Minneapolis 2005/CBM 107/[Rogozenko] (0-1, 22)}) 4... e6 5. Be3 {Renewing the invitation to a Sicilian.} (5. dxc5 Qa5+ 6. Nbc3 dxc5 (6... Qxc5 $5 7. Nd4 a6 8. Be3 {leads to a Scheveningen in which Black may wonder why he had developed his queen so soon.}) 7. Be3 a6 8. g3 Be7 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O Rd8 11. Qe1 Nc6 12. Kh1 Qc7 13. f4 b6 14. h3 Bb7 $13 {Kurnosov,I (2419)-Zablotsky,S (2381)/ Vladimir 2002/CBM 087 ext (1-0, 40)}) 5... d5 $5 $146 {A new possibility pops up: the French!} 6. dxc5 {Finally, the game takes an independent course. The game belongs to B07. In other words, it is a Pirc, as I had announced a long time ago!} (6. e5 Nfd7 7. f4 Nc6 {looks nice for Black. White's minor pieces are far from optimally placed for the French structure.}) 6... Nbd7 {The players are not too interested in solving the pawn tensions at this stage of the game. Development is more important.} 7. Nbc3 (7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Bd4 Bxc5 $11 9. Bxg7 $2 Qb6 $40) 7... dxe4 8. b4 b6 $5 {Very sharp.} ({He could have carried out a similar break under less complicated circumstances with:} 8... a5 9. a3 exf3 10. gxf3 axb4 11. axb4 Rxa1 12. Qxa1 b6 $132 13. c6 $2 Ne5 $17) 9. c6 Bxb4 $1 10. cxd7+ Bxd7 $44 {At the cost of a piece, Black has obtained the freer development and the possibility of taking the king to a safe place. White will remain underdeveloped for almost all the rest of the game and his king will be under permanent attack.} 11. a3 Ba5 12. Qd4 Qe7 13. fxe4 e5 { Somehow, the central structure ressembles the Sicilian now, but maybe it is now too late to speak about the opening.} 14. Qd3 O-O 15. Bg5 Rac8 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 $1 17. O-O-O (17. Qxd7 Qh4+ 18. g3 Qxe4 {[%CAl Ga5c3]} 19. O-O-O Qxh1 $17) 17... Be6 18. Nd5 {The most natural way to try getting developed. Otherwise, the knights would have remained immobile.} Bxd5 19. exd5 e4 $1 {[%CAl Gf6a1] / \ 20...Qa1#} 20. Qd4 (20. Qb3 Qa1+ 21. Qb1 Qxa3+ 22. Qb2 Qc5 $40) 20... Qd6 21. h4 $6 {After giving up his a3-pawn, White's material advantage will become almost insignificant, while his king will be even more exposed.} (21. Kb2 { was necessary, although Black would have good play anyway:} Rfe8 22. h4 b5 $44 {[%CAl Gc8c4,Gb5b4,Ga5b6,Gb6c5]}) 21... Qxa3+ 22. Qb2 Qc5 $40 23. Rh3 {The counterattack initiated by this move is too slow.} (23. h5 $5 {[%CAl Gh5h6] may cause a bit more confusion.} h6 24. Rh4 f5) 23... e3 24. Rg3 Bd2+ 25. Kb1 g6 26. h5 Rfe8 $1 {Anticipating the threats with developing moves.} 27. hxg6 ( 27. h6 Re5 $1 {[%csl Gc2]}) 27... hxg6 28. Rh3 Re5 $1 $15 {[%CAl Gc5d5]} 29. Nc1 Bc3 30. Qb3 $2 (30. Qa2 Re4 31. Nb3 Rb4 32. Ba6 Rc7 $40 {/\...b5, ...Ra4}) 30... Re4 $19 31. Na2 (31. Qa2 Rb4+ 32. Nb3 a5 $19) 31... Qa5 32. Ba6 Rb4 33. Bxc8 Rxb3+ 34. cxb3 e2 35. Nxc3 Qxc3 $1 {An imaginative attacking game, reminding us of Kramnik's youth, when he frequently played the sharp lines of the Rauzer Sicilian.} 0-1 [Event "Wch Rapid"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2013.06.08"] [Round "13"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B07"] [WhiteElo "2717"] [BlackElo "2779"] [Annotator "Grivas,E"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2013.06.06"] [EventType "swiss (rapid)"] [EventRounds "15"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.06.25"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.06.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteClock "0:00:51"] [BlackClock "0:00:57"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Nge2 Nbd7 7. O-O c5 8. h3 Rb8 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. a4 b6 11. Re1 Bb7 12. Nf4 Nfd7 13. Bd2 Rc8 14. Qe2 { White has played the opening without any concrete plan and without fantasy. Black got what he wanted - a lively middlegame with many pieces on the board. He now opted for a 'Hedghog' structure.} a6 15. Red1 e6 16. Be1 $6 ({Too passive. White should have gone for a forced variation:} 16. b4 $1 Bxc3 (16... Nxa4 $5 17. Nxa4 b5 18. Nc3 Bxc3 19. Bxc3 Rxc3 20. Rxd6 Qc8 21. Qd1 $13) 17. Bxc3 Nxe4 (17... Nxa4 18. Be1) 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rxc3 20. Rxd6 Qc7 21. Rad1 Nf6 22. Qd4 $11 {.}) 16... Qe7 17. Qe3 Ne5 18. b3 Rfd8 (18... f5 $5 { was good for Black here.}) 19. Rac1 h5 $1 {Trying to create more weaknesses on the white kingside - White is lacking any good plan...} 20. Nfe2 Kh7 21. f4 Nc6 22. Na2 b5 23. axb5 axb5 24. Bc3 e5 $1 25. Re1 Ne6 26. Nb4 Nxb4 27. Bxb4 h4 $1 {White's kingside is falling apart.} 28. Rf1 hxg3 29. f5 {What else?} Nf4 $2 ({ Black mixes his ideas! He should have gone for the simple} 29... Bh6 30. fxg6+ fxg6 31. Qxg3 Bxc1 {was even better.}) 30. Nxf4 Bh6 31. Qxg3 Bxf4 32. Rxf4 $1 exf4 33. Qxf4 Qe5 $2 ({Black's last chance was laying on} 33... Qf6 34. fxg6+ Qxg6 35. Qh4+ Kg7 36. c4 Re8 $15 {.}) 34. Qf2 $2 ({The obvious} 34. Qh4+ Kg8 35. c4 $1 Qd4+ 36. Kh1 Qg7 37. fxg6 fxg6 38. Bc3 Qh7 39. Qg4 {was offering White very good compensation for the exchange.}) 34... Kg8 $2 ({Many mistakes in a row, but this is a rapid game - not much time to think! Black could have gained a good advantage with} 34... gxf5 $1 35. c4 Qf6 36. Bc3 Qg6 {.}) 35. Re1 $2 (35. c4 $1 {again was fine:} g5 36. Bc3 Qe7 (36... Qf4 37. Qxf4 gxf4 38. Bf6 $14) 37. f6 Qf8 38. Qb6 $13 {.}) 35... Re8 36. Qd2 d5 37. fxg6 fxg6 38. Rd1 dxe4 39. Qh6 Qh5 $1 {Now the queens are exchanged and Black shouldn't have any problem to bring the bacon home.} 40. Qxh5 gxh5 41. Bf1 Re5 42. Bd6 Rd8 43. Be2 Re6 44. Bb4 Rxd1+ 45. Bxd1 Re5 46. Kf2 e3+ 47. Ke2 Bc8 48. Bd6 Rd5 49. Bf4 Bxh3 50. Ke1 Bg4 $1 51. Bxg4 hxg4 52. c4 bxc4 53. bxc4 Rf5 (53... Rc5 54. Bxe3 Rxc4 {was winning as well.}) 54. Bxe3 g3 55. c5 Kf7 56. Ke2 Ke6 57. Bd4 Kd5 58. Bg1 Rf8 59. Be3 g2 60. Bf2 Rf7 $1 {Losing a tempo, forcing the white king to e1.} 61. Ke1 (61. Ke3 Kxc5 62. Ke2+ Kd5 63. Ke3 Rf5 64. Ke2 Ke4 $19 {.}) 61... Re7+ $1 62. Kd2 Rh7 (62... Rh7 {White resigned, as} 63. Ke2 Rh1 {wins the bishop.}) 0-1