[Event "FTX Crypto Cup KO 2021"]
[Site "Chess24"]
[Date "2021.05.25"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A70"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2860"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2021.05.26"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventCountry "NET"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
{[%evp 21,59,53,68,56,125,121,121,118,140,90,162,162,188,184,281,258,342,297,
337,318,297,236,241,216,221,162,444,446,438,391,391,391,391,391,391,391,391,
389,384,381]} 1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7.
e4 Bg7 8. h3 O-O 9. Bd3 a6 (9... b5 {has profiled itself as the most promising
(and arguably only satisfactory) continuation.} 10. Bxb5 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Qa5+ 12.
Nfd2 Qxb5 13. Nxd6 Qa6 14. N2c4 Nd7 15. O-O Nb6 16. Nxb6 Qxb6 17. Nxc8 Raxc8
18. Rb1 Rfd8 19. Bf4 Qb7 20. d6 Bf8 21. Qd3 Bxd6 22. Bxd6 Rc6 23. Rfd1 Rcxd6
24. Qxd6 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Kg7 $146 (25... c4 $5 $11 {/+/=}) 26. Rd2 Qa6 27. a3 Qc4
28. Re1 h5 29. Rde2 h4 30. Re4 Qb3 31. Rxh4 Qxb2 32. Rc4 $14 {Kolev,A-Suba,M/
Mallorca op/2000/}) 10. a4 Nbd7 {[%csl Rb2,Gc2,Rc3,Gd3,Rd4,Re3,Ge4,Rf2,Gf3,Gg2]
[%CAl Ge4d5,Gc6b7,Gc6b5,Gd5c4,Rd4e5,Rf6g7,Rf6g5,Re5f4,Rf3g5,Rf3e5,Rc1f4]} (
10... Re8 11. O-O c4 12. Bc2 $16 {This line is playable without the moves a4
and a6, which allows an immediate b5.}) 11. O-O Qc7 12. Re1 {is the legacy
move (12.Bf4). A70: Modern Benoni: 6 e4 g6 7 Nf3.} (12. Bf4 Re8 (12... c4 13.
Bc2 Re8 14. Bh2 Nh5 15. a5 Bh6 16. Kh1 Bf8 17. Nd4 Nc5 18. f4 b5 19. axb6 Qxb6
20. e5 Bb7 21. e6 fxe6 22. Nxe6 Nxe6 23. dxe6 Qxb2 24. Na4 Qg7 25. Nb6 Rad8 26.
Nd5 Rxe6 27. f5 Re5 28. Ra5 Rde8 29. Ba4 Rd8 30. fxg6 hxg6 31. Nf6+ Nxf6 32.
Rxe5 Ne4 33. Be8 Nf6 34. Ba4 Ne4 35. Qd4 dxe5 36. Qxd8 Qe7 37. Qb6 Nd6 38. Bc6
Bxc6 39. Qxc6 Kh7 40. Rd1 a5 41. Rd5 Nf7 42. Rd7 Qe8 43. Qd5 Kg8 44. Bxe5 Bg7
45. Bc7 {1-0 (45) Zhou,W (2548)-Zhang,P (2640) China 2008}) 13. Qd2 Nh5 14. Bh6
Ne5 15. Nxe5 Bxh6 16. Qxh6 dxe5 17. Rfc1 Bd7 18. Bf1 Nf6 19. Qe3 b6 20. Nb1 a5
21. b3 Rf8 22. Na3 Ne8 23. Bb5 Nd6 24. Bxd7 Qxd7 25. Nc4 $16 {Salov,
V-Hjartarson,J/Amsterdam/1989/}) 12... c4 (12... Ne8 $14) (12... Re8 13. Bf4
Rb8 14. Bc4 (14. Qd2 c4 15. Bc2 $36 {/\} Nc5 16. e5 $1 dxe5 17. d6 $16) 14...
Nb6 (14... Nh5 $5 15. Bh2 Ne5 16. Be2 (16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. d6 Qd8 18. Qf3 Rf8 19.
g4 Qg5 20. Kh1 Nf6 21. Qg3 Re8 22. f4 exf4 {Belmonte,D-Acosta,T/Salta/1993/}
23. Qxf4 Qxf4 24. Bxf4 Be6 25. d7 Bxc4 $44) 16... Nxf3+ (16... Qe7 17. Nxe5
Bxe5 18. Bxe5 (18. Bxh5 Bxh2+ 19. Kxh2 Qe5+ 20. g3 Qxh5 21. Qxh5 gxh5 22. f4
$14 {Hrbolka,L-Orsag,M/Plzen/1999/}) 18... Qxe5 19. Bxh5 Qxh5 20. Qxh5 gxh5 21.
f4 f6 22. Kf2 Re7 23. Re3 Bd7 {Szelenyi,N-Juhasz,J/HUN-chT/1998/} 24. a5 b5 25.
axb6 Rxb6 26. Ra2 $36 {[%csl Ra6,Rd6,Rf6,Rh5,Rh7] _|_?}) 17. Bxf3 Nf6 18. e5
dxe5 19. d6 Qa5 (19... Qd7 20. Bxe5 Re6 21. Qd2 Ne4 22. Nxe4 Rxe5 23. Bg4 $1 f5
24. Ng5 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Bd4 26. b4 $1 Qxd6 27. Qa2+ Kg7 28. Qf7+ Kh6 29. h4 $18
{Kozul,Z-Kljako,D/Bled op/1993/}) 20. Bxe5 Bd7 {Lima,D-Peralta,E/Sao Paulo/
1991/} 21. Qd2 $14) 15. Bf1 {[%CAl Re4e5] /\e5} Nfd7 16. Rc1 {Not the only
promising move for White.} (16. Qd2 f6 17. a5 Na8 18. Rec1 Ne5 19. b4 cxb4 20.
Nd1 Qe7 21. Nxe5 fxe5 22. Be3 b5 23. axb6 Nxb6 24. Qxb4 Nd7 25. Qe1 $16 {
Brumen,D-Kljako,D/Pula op/2000/}) (16. a5 $5 Na8 17. Nd2 (17. Ra3 $5 b5 18.
axb6 Rxb6 19. Qa1 $16) 17... b5 18. axb6 Naxb6 19. Bxa6 Bxa6 20. Rxa6 Ne5 21.
Qe2 c4 22. Bxe5 Bxe5 23. Qe3 Rb7 (23... Bxc3 $1 24. bxc3 Nxd5 25. Qd4 Qc5 26.
Nxc4 Nxc3 $1 27. Qxc3 d5 $14) 24. Na4 Nxa4 25. Rxa4 c3 26. bxc3 Qxc3 27. Nf3
$16 {Karpov,A-Timman,J/FIDE WCh Kuala Lumpur/1990/}) 16... Ne5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5
18. Bxe5 dxe5 $146 (18... Rxe5 $143 19. f4 Re8 20. e5 $1 Bf5 (20... dxe5 21. d6
$16) 21. a5 Nc8 22. e6 c4 23. g4 Qc5+ 24. Kh1 Bd3 25. Bxd3 cxd3 26. Qxd3 Qf2
27. Ne4 $18 {Adler,J-Kljako,D/Bled op/1992/}) 19. Qd2 {Despite the improvement
on move 18 Black hasn't solved the opening problems. Khalifman decides to play
for the attack, a positional course was also enticing:} (19. a5 Nd7 20. Qa4 (
20. Ra1 $14) 20... b5 21. axb6 Rxb6 22. Qa5 $1 $36 {[%csl Ra6,Rc5]}) 19... Nd7
$6 {Ignoring development backfires.} (19... Bd7 $5 20. a5 (20. d6 Qd8 21. a5
Nc8 $132) (20. b3 Nc8 21. d6 Nxd6 22. Nd5 Qd8 23. Rxc5 Rc8 $11) (20. b4 cxb4
21. Nb5 Qd8 22. Nd6 a5 $5 $44) 20... Nc8 21. Nb1 Nd6 22. Na3 $14) 20. d6 $1 Qa5
21. Red1 $32 {[%csl Gd6,Rf6,Rg7,Rh6] o^d6,?g8} Kg7 (21... b5 22. axb5 axb5 23.
Ra1 (23. Nd5 Qxd2 24. Rxd2 c4 25. Ra1 $36) 23... Qb4 24. Ra7 $16 (24. Nd5 Qxe4
25. Ra7 Bb7 $14)) 22. Qe3 b6 {[%csl Ra5] ?a5} (22... b5 23. axb5 axb5 24. Nd5
$16) 23. b3 $1 Bb7 24. Bc4 {White patiently prepares his attack, Black's Q is
offside.} Bc6 25. Bd5 Rbc8 26. f4 $1 $40 {[%mdl 128]} b5 (26... f6 27. f5 $16)
27. axb5 axb5 28. fxe5 Rxe5 (28... Nxe5 29. Qxc5 $5 (29. Bxc6 Rxc6 30. Rd5 $16)
29... Bxd5 30. Qxd5 Rxc3 31. d7 Nxd7 32. Qd4+ $16) 29. Qf4 Bxd5 (29... f6 30.
Bxc6 Rxc6 31. Ra1 $5 (31. Qg4 $16) 31... Qxc3 32. Ra7 $40) (29... f5 $142 30.
Bxc6 Rxc6 31. exf5 (31. Rd5 Qb4 $1 32. Rxe5 Qd4+ 33. Kh2 Nxe5 34. Nxb5 Qxe4 35.
Qxe4 fxe4 $14) (31. Ra1 $5 Qxc3 32. Ra7 Rxe4 33. Rxd7+ Kf6 34. Qh6 $40) 31...
Rxf5 32. Qe4 $16) 30. Nxd5 Qd8 31. Ne7 $18 Ra8 (31... Rxe7 32. dxe7 Qxe7 33.
Qd6 Qxd6 34. Rxd6 $18) 32. Nc6 Qg5 $8 33. Qxg5 Rxg5 34. Ra1 Rxa1 (34... Rc8 35.
Ne7 Rd8 36. Ra5 $18) 35. Rxa1 c4 (35... Kf6 36. Rf1+ $1 (36. Ra7 Ne5 $1 $11)
36... Ke6 (36... Kg7 37. Nd8 $18) 37. Nd8+ Kxd6 38. Nxf7+ $18) 36. bxc4 bxc4
37. Ra7 c3 (37... Rc5 38. Nd4 Nf8 39. d7 $18) 38. Nd4 $1 Rc5 39. Nc2 Rb5 {
Black loses his N even after} (39... Nf8 40. d7 Ne6 41. Ra6 $1 (41. Ra8 Rb5 42.
d8=Q Nxd8 43. Rxd8 Rb2 $11) (41. Nd4 Nd8 42. Ra8 c2 43. Nxc2 Rxc2 44. Rxd8 Rd2
45. e5 $18) 41... Rc7 (41... Nd8 42. Ra8 $18) 42. Rxe6 Rxd7 43. Rc6 $18) 40.
Rxd7 Rb2 41. Ne3 Re2 42. Nd5 {1-0 (42) Khalifman,A (2667)-Polgar,J (2656)
Hoogeveen 2000 CBM 080 [Stohl,I]} (42. Nd5 c2 43. Rc7 Re1+ 44. Kf2 c1=Q 45.
Rxc1 Rxc1 46. d7 Rc2+ 47. Kf3 $18)) 13. Bf1 $16 Re8 14. Bf4 {White is better.}
Rb8 15. Bh2 $5 {[%mdl 4] Exploring less charted territory.} b5 (15... b6 $16)
16. axb5 $18 axb5 {[#]} 17. Nd4 $1 Qc5 (17... Ne5 $142) 18. Nc6 {[#]} Bb7 $146
({Predecessor:} 18... Rb6 19. Rc1 Bb7 20. b4 cxb3 21. Nb1 {1-0 (21) Hahn,M
(2206)-Beckers,M (2046) Schwaebisch Gmuend 2014}) 19. Nxb8 Rxb8 20. Ra5 Bc8 21.
Qa1 Ne8 22. Ra8 Bd4 23. Bg3 {aiming for Rxb8.} Nef6 $2 {[#]} (23... Rxa8 {
might work better.} 24. Qxa8 Nb6) 24. Rxb8 Nxb8 25. Ne2 Be5 {White is winning.}
26. Bxe5 dxe5 27. b4 Qxb4 28. Rb1 Qc5 29. Qxe5 Nbd7 30. Qd4 {Black got
outplayed after the opening. Weighted Error Value: White=0.12/ Black=0.42} 1-0
