[Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Site ""] [Round "1.3"] [Annotator "Malcolm"] [Result "0-1"] [Date "2020.03.17"] [WhiteElo "2763"] [BlackElo "2774"] [PlyCount "146"] 1. Nf3 { Notes by IM Malcolm Pein} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Ndb5 Ne5 8. Bf4 Nfg4 9. e3 ({A crazy line leads to a draw} 9. Qa4 g5 10. Bxe5 Qxf2+ 11. Kd1 Nxe5 12. Nc7+ Kd8 13. Nxa8 Qd4+ 14. Kc2 Nxc4 15. Kb3 (15. e4 Qd2+ (15... Ne3+ $2 16. Kb3 Qd2 17. a3 Qc2+ 18. Ka2 Qxa4 19. Nxa4 Nxf1 20. Rhxf1 b5 21. N4b6 axb6 22. Nxb6 Bb7 23. Rxf7 Bc6 24. Rd1 Be7 25. Rf3 Kc7 26. Nxd7 Rd8 27. Rc3 {1-0 (27) Nakamura,H (2776)-Karjakin,S (2760) Zuerich 2015 CBM 165 [RR] } )16. Kb3 Qxb2+ $1 17. Kxc4 Bg7 18. Qa5+ b6 19. Qxg5+ f6 20. Qb5 $1 (20. Qxg7 $4 Ba6+ 21. Nb5 (21. Kd4 Qf2# )Bxb5# )Ba6 $1 21. Qxa6 f5 $11 )Nd2+ 16. Kc2 Nc4 $11 )a6 10. h3 axb5 11. hxg4 Nxc4 12. Rc1 {Cooked up at home} (12. Qb3 {Is theory} )d5 13. b3 Bb4 $1 14. bxc4 Ra3 15. Be5 f6 16. Bd4 Qa5 17. Be2 Bxc3+ 18. Rxc3 $1 Rxc3 19. Kf1 b4 $1 {Giri started to think, a bad sign, Black is fine} 20. g5 e5 21. Bxc3 bxc3 22. gxf6 gxf6 23. Qb1 $6 { Mystifying} (23. cxd5 Bf5 (23... Qxa2 $5 24. Qd3 Bd7 25. Qxc3 Qxd5 26. Rh4 0-0 {White has some play but Black should be fine} )24. Bd3 $1 {White has a safer king long term} )Qc7 24. Qd3 (24. cxd5 c2 25. Qc1 Bf5 )b5 $1 25. Qxc3 bxc4 {White's next is forced now or next move else the pawn phalanx decides} 26. e4 dxe4 27. Rh4 Be6 28. Rxe4 0-0 29. Bxc4 (29. Rh4 $5 )Kg7 $1 30. Qb3 (30. Qb4 Rb8 31. Bb5 (31. Bxe6 Rxb4 32. Rxb4 Qc1+ 33. Ke2 Qc2+ 34. Kf1 Qc1+ 35. Ke2 h5 {Looks no better than the game} )Bxa2 {Must have looked unappealing. Giri sacs the queen to try and creat a fortress as the remaining pawns are all on the kingside. I've not exhaustively analysed this but it seems it does not work with best play} )Rb8 31. Bxe6 (31. Qa4 Bd7 32. Qd1 Bf5 33. Rh4 (33. Rg4+ Kh8 $17 )Rb1 )Rxb3 32. Rg4+ Kf8 33. Bxb3 Qc1+ 34. Kg2 Qc6+ 35. Kg1 h5 $1 {White craves a stable setup but is never allowed to achieve one} 36. Rg8+ (36. Rh4 Qf3 37. Bc4 f5 38. Bf1 Ke7 {with f5-f4 to come} )Ke7 37. Rg7+ Kd6 38. Rh7 (38. Rg6 Qf3 39. Rg8 h4 )Qf3 39. Rh8 (39. Bf7 Qd1+ 40. Kg2 Qb1 $1 41. Rxh5 Qb7+ {wins the bishop} )e4 40. Rd8+ Ke7 (40... Kc7 41. Rg8 f5 42. Rg6 h4 43. gxh4 f4 )41. Bd1 Qc3 42. Rd5 h4 $1 43. gxh4 f5 {Giri seeks salvation with R+P vs Q+P and nearly gets it} 44. Rxf5 Qe1+ 45. Kg2 Qxd1 46. Rg5 Qa1 47. Rg4 Qb1 {In the long run White cannot hang on to the rook pawns. He needs to get his king to e1 or e2 but Nepo was aware of that} 48. Rg3 Qxa2 49. Rh3 (49. Kf1 Qd2 $1 {Is the key to stop Ke1/e2 when it's a draw for reasons we will see} )(49. h5 Qd5 50. Re3 Kf6 51. h6 Kg6 (51... Qg5+ 52. Kf1 Qxh6 $2 53. Ke2 $11 )52. Rg3+ Kxh6 53. Kf1 Qd1+ 54. Kg2 Kh5 55. Re3 ({If} 55. Kh2 Qf1 )Qd4 56. Kf1 Qxe3 $1 57. fxe3 Kh4 58. Kg2 Kg4 $19 )Qd5 50. Kf1 Qd1+ 51. Kg2 Qg4+ 52. Rg3 Qh5 $1 (52... Qxh4 53. Kf1 $1 $11 )53. Ra3 Qd5 54. Kg1 Kf6 55. Rg3 Qd1+ 56. Kg2 Kf5 57. Rg5+ Kf4 58. Rg3 Qd5 59. Kf1 Qd2 60. Kg2 Qd1 61. Re3 Kf5 62. Rg3 Kf6 63. Rh3 Kg6 64. Rg3+ Kh5 65. Rh3 Qb1 66. Re3 Kxh4 {Now the plan to penetrate with the king to e1. To achieve this Black has to break the road block on the third rank} 67. Rg3 Kh5 68. Rh3+ (68. Rg8 e3 69. fxe3 Qa2+ )Kg4 69. Rg3+ Kf4 70. Re3 Qd1 71. Ra3 Ke5 72. Rg3 Kd4 73. Re3 Qd3 $1 (73... Qd3 $1 74. Rxd3+ exd3 75. Kf1 Kc3 76. Ke1 Kc2 )(73... Qd3 $1 74. Rg3 Kc3 75. Rg7 Kd2 76. Rg3 Ke2 )0-1