[Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.23"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2643"] [BlackElo "2759"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {It's an odd-numbered round, so it's time for Firouzja to lose again.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Bb4 6. Nf3 (6. e3 {is more common and more successful, and there's a concrete point to it - it's not a bit of statistical randomness. After} h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Ne4 ({or} 8... h5 9. h3 Ne4 10. Nge2) {White can play} 9. Nge2 (9. a3 {is good, too, and there's also}) (9. Qc2 Bf5 10. Bd3 Nc6 11. Nge2 $14)) 6... Nbd7 (6... h6 7. Bh4 O-O 8. e3 Bf5 $11 {is equal according to both the engine and hundreds of games' worth of results.}) 7. e3 (7. Qc2) 7... h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Ne4 10. Nd2 Nxg3 11. hxg3 Nb6 12. Bd3 Be6 13. a3 Bd6 14. Qf3 $146 (14. Qc2 {was played in a couple of previous games, both won by Black (who was the higher-rated player both times).} c6 $11 {Now the position has transposed to a more common position, though still one which has scored well for Black.}) 14... g4 15. Qe2 c6 $11 16. Rh5 Nd7 $1 17. e4 $5 (17. O-O-O Nf6 18. Rhh1 Qe7 19. e4 dxe4 20. Ndxe4 O-O-O 21. Nxd6+ Qxd6 22. Bc4 Bxc4 23. Qxc4 Nd5 $11 {would be a "normal" continuation. Donchenko decides to mix it up instead.}) 17... Nf6 18. exd5 $5 cxd5 $8 (18... Nxh5 $2 19. dxe6 Nf6 20. exf7+ Kxf7 21. O-O-O Qe7 22. Nde4 $16 {is bad for Black, despite his small material advantage.}) 19. Rh1 Kf8 20. Qe3 $6 (20. Nb3) 20... Kg7 $17 {Black is in excellent shape: two bishops and excellent prospects for play on the queenside. His kingside looks a bit loose, but there's no way for White to do anything with it at the moment; besides, White's own king is less than ideally situated.} 21. Nb5 $2 {A bad move, but it paid off.} (21. Bc2 $142) 21... Rc8 $2 (21... Bf8 $19 {was better, preserving the "extra" bishop. Black will play ...Qb6 - something he wanted to do in any case - and the knight will be shaky on b5.}) 22. Nxd6 Qxd6 $17 23. Kf1 Qb6 $6 (23... Bd7 $142 $17 {was best, intending ...Rce8 and to trade on f4 when White moves the queen there.}) 24. Rb1 $11 Bd7 25. Kg1 Rce8 26. Qf4 {Alas for Black, White's queen is well placed here, while Black's queen has nothing more to do on b6.} Bb5 $6 {It's a desirable trade, but White doesn't have to go along with it.} (26... Re7 $142 $11) 27. Bf5 Be2 (27... h5 $1 $14 {/? looks scary, but White can't do too much with the check on g5.}) 28. Rh4 $16 Qb5 $2 (28... h5 $1 {was still best.}) 29. Rc1 Bd3 30. Rc5 Qa6 31. Bxg4 (31. Rxg4+ $1 Nxg4 32. Qxg4+ Kf8 33. Rxd5 $18 {was even better, but Black is in deep trouble in any case.}) 31... Re1+ 32. Kh2 h5 (32... Bg6 $142) 33. Bf3 $2 (33. Bh3 $142 $18) 33... Rh6 $4 (33... Qe6 $1 $11 {/? Black is ready to play ...Qf5 to get the queens off the board (better late than never!), and even though he's a pawn down (and might even be two pawns down soon after 34.Rc7 is played) his position is excellent. His pieces are very active, while White's king and the rook on h4 are clumsily placed.}) 34. Rc7 $18 {Now Black is finished.} Rh7 (34... Qe6 35. g4 $1) 35. Bxh5 {Mission accomplished. (See the comment at the start of the game.) But don't worry: tomorrow we have an even-numbered round, so Firouzja can collect his next full point.} 1-0 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.23"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D31"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,67,32,-27,4,4,11,4,13,6,16,21,42,39,38,30,37,16,78,2,2,20,45,31,80,24,-1,-18,-14,-2,19,1,33,29,19,22,22,-3,31,36,6,12,20,-6,24,15,-9,-39,-26,0,-40,-42,-23,-74,-38,-7,-14,-28,-27,-114,-19,-46,6,-12,-18,-46,-72,-56,-26,-78]} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. g4 {Still played sometimes, this is the classic move.} (7. Nge2 {may be more common in recent years.}) 7... Be6 $1 8. h3 (8. h4 {has largely been "tamed", provided one meets} Nd7 9. h5 {with Karpov's} Nh6 $1) 8... Nd7 9. Bd3 h5 ({The aggressive and very direct} 9... g5 10. Bh2 h5 {may be even better.}) 10. gxh5 Ngf6 (10... Ndf6 {is more popular, and was played by Giri himself a few years ago.} 11. h6 Nxh6 12. Qc2 Qd7 13. Nf3 Bf5 14. Ne5 Bxd3 15. Nxd3 Nh5 16. Bh2 Qxh3 17. O-O-O Qf5 18. Qb3 b5 19. f3 O-O 20. e4 Qxf3 21. Ne5 Qe3+ 22. Kb1 b4 23. Nxc6 bxc3 24. Nxe7+ Kh7 25. Rhe1 Qf2 26. Be5 f6 27. Bd6 Rfd8 28. Bc5 Qxb2+ 29. Qxb2 cxb2 30. exd5 Rd7 31. d6 Ng3 32. Kxb2 {½-½ Radjabov,T (2757)-Giri,A (2783) Tata Steel-A 81st Wijk aan Zee 2019 (12)}) 11. h6 g6 12. Qc2 Nh5 13. Bh2 {Best.} (13. Nge2 Nxf4 14. Nxf4 Nf8 $11 {is fine for Black.}) ({As for} 13. Bxg6 $4 {, don't do it. There is no attack after} Nxf4 14. exf4 fxg6 15. Qxg6+ Bf7 $19 {, and White's pawn structure is absolute garbage.}) 13... Rxh6 14. O-O-O Ndf6 15. Kb1 $146 (15. Nf3 Ne4 16. Rdg1 Rc8 17. Kb1 Qa5 18. Ka1 Nhf6 19. Bf4 Rh5 20. Ng5 Nxg5 21. Rxg5 Rxh3 22. Rxh3 Bxh3 23. f3 Kd7 24. Rg1 Be6 25. Na4 c5 26. Nxc5+ Bxc5 27. dxc5 Rxc5 28. Qd1 d4 29. Bb1 Rc4 30. Qd3 Ra4 {½-½ Dunlop,G (2503)-Malchev,E (2394) olm21 sf02 email ICCF email 2016 [2]}) 15... Bd6 $11 {Black has no problems here, and if anything White's structure could cause him some problems later on.} 16. Nf3 Bxh2 17. Rxh2 Ng7 18. Ne5 (18. Ne2 $142) 18... Bf5 (18... Nd7 $142 $11 {/?}) 19. f3 Bxd3 20. Rxd3 Ne6 21. e4 Kf8 (21... Rh5 $142) 22. Qb3 (22. Ng4 $142 $14) 22... Qe7 23. exd5 Nxd5 24. Nxd5 cxd5 25. a3 (25. f4 $1 Rh5 26. Rf2 Rf5 27. Rg3 $1 $11 Nxd4 (27... Kg7 $11) 28. Qc3 Nb5 29. Qb3 Nd4 30. Qc3 $11) 25... Kg7 (25... Rh4) 26. f4 Rh5 27. Rf2 Rf5 28. Rd1 $6 (28. Rg3 $1 Rh8 29. Qxd5 Rxf4 30. Rxf4 Nxf4 31. Qe4 Rh4 32. Rg4 Rxg4 33. hxg4 g5 $11) 28... Rd8 $6 (28... Rh8 $15) 29. Ka2 (29. Rg1 $142) 29... Qh4 (29... Rh8 $1) 30. Rff1 b6 31. Qa4 Qe7 32. Qb3 $6 Qh4 $6 (32... Rh8 $1 $15 {/?}) 33. Qa4 Qe7 34. Qb3 $6 1/2-1/2 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.23"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Gukesh, D."] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2742"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,62,32,39,11,17,43,7,35,48,34,2,34,15,-1,55,69,44,50,63,56,74,58,55,29,21,-3,28,37,38,28,43,39,30,34,34,24,12,24,13,15,18,42,31,25,-2,24,-2,25,11,10,0,6,15,-7,-7,7,-2,8,-8,-17,-10,-6,-10,-2]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Nc3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Bf5 12. Bg5 Qa5 13. Nh4 Be6 14. Bxe6 Qxg5 15. Nf3 Qa5 16. Bb3 Nd7 {Played 50 times.} (16... Qxc3 $2 {was played exactly once, and it went badly for Black.} 17. Ng5 $18 {is totally winning for White. Not only are there threats against f7 and h7 (especially after Qh5), but White also threatens 18.Ne4 Qb4 19.a3, winning the bishop.}) 17. Qd3 Nf6 18. Rfe1 Rae8 19. h4 $146 (19. g3 {was played in 10/10 games, including one where Vidit had White (and lost, though it had absolutely nothing to do with the opening).}) 19... g6 20. g3 {transposing back to four of the 19.g3 games.} Kg7 21. Kg2 {And now we're back to 9 of the 10 games, including the Vidit game.} h6 22. Nd2 Qd8 (22... Qc7 23. Qf3 c5 24. Nc4 b5 25. Ne3 Qc8 26. Rab1 a6 27. a4 Qa8 28. Nd5 Qd8 29. axb5 axb5 30. dxc5 Bxc5 31. Rxe8 Rxe8 32. Rd1 Re5 33. Nf4 Qc7 34. Rd2 Re7 35. h5 g5 36. Nd5 Nxd5 37. Rxd5 b4 $2 (37... Bd6 38. Rxb5 Be5 $14) 38. Qd3 $2 (38. Qf5 $18) 38... Bb6 $2 (38... Re5 $11) 39. Bc2 $1 $18 Re6 40. Qh7+ Kf8 41. cxb4 $2 (41. Rf5 $1 bxc3 42. Bb3 $18) 41... Qc6 $11 42. Be4 Qc4 43. Bf3 $14 g4 $2 (43... Qc3 $1 $14) 44. Bd1 $4 (44. Rd7 $1 gxf3+ 45. Kh2 $1 $18 {and White will deliver a speedy checkmate.}) 44... Qxd5+ {0-1 Vidit,S (2730)-Deac,B (2700) Airthings Masters Play In Chess.com INT rapid 2023 (2)}) 23. Qf3 h5 $146 {The position is equal, and the game between the countryman and fellow Candidates soon ends in a draw.} (23... Bc7 24. Rxe8 Qxe8 25. Rb1 Qe7 26. Bd1 Rb8 27. Qd3 h5 28. Bf3 c5 29. dxc5 Qxc5 30. Rxb7 Bb6 31. Rxb8 Qxf2+ 32. Kh3 Bc7 33. Ne4 Nxe4 34. Bxe4 Bxb8 35. Qd4+ Qxd4 36. cxd4 Kf6 37. Bc6 a5 38. Kg2 Ba7 39. d5 Ke7 40. Kf3 Bb8 41. Bb5 Bc7 {½-½ Ochsner,B (2491)-Papp,G (2589) DEN-chT 1920 58th Denmark 2019 (6.3)}) 24. a4 Bc7 25. Bc4 Qd7 26. Qd3 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Re8 28. Rxe8 Qxe8 29. Kf1 Qe7 30. Bb3 a6 31. Qf3 Qe8 {This was almost as exciting and dramatic as Wei Yi vs. Ding Liren from round 7.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.23"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Maghsoodloo, Parham"] [Black "Warmerdam, Max"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D32"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2625"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {Dutch fans and those with weak stomachs may wish to move on the next game.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 cxd4 {Another Von Hennig-Schara Gambit! He used it in round 7 against Gukesh, with a good news-bad news outcome. The good news is that it worked nicely and he managed to reach an equal ending. The bad news: he lost it anyway. We're in for more of the same here, except this time he achieved a winning position before losing in heartbreaking fashion at the end.} 5. Qxd4 Nc6 6. Qd1 exd5 7. Qxd5 Qc7 (7... Bd6 {is the most common move here nowadays, while}) (7... Bd7 {is the old move, now out of fashion.}) (7... Be6 {is relatively rare, but isn't so bad.} 8. Qxd8+ Rxd8 9. e3 (9. Bg5 f6 $1 10. Bd2 Nb4 11. Rc1 Nxa2 12. Nxa2 Bxa2 13. Ra1 Bc4 $11 14. Rxa7 Ba6 15. b4 Ne7 16. b5 Bxb5 (16... Nc8 17. Ra8 (17. Rxa6 $5 bxa6 18. bxa6 $11) 17... Bxb5 $11) 17. Ra2 $1 $11 (17. Rxb7 Ra8 $1 $11)) 9... a6 $1 {isn't so bad, but if Black is interested in positions that aren't so bad he might consider trying something other than the Von Hennig-Schara Gambit.} (9... Nb4 {looks good at first sight, but} 10. Bb5+ Ke7 11. Kf1 $1 $16 {leaves the burden of proof on Black.})) 8. Nf3 Nf6 9. Qd3 $146 {A novelty, but one suggested by you-know-what.} Be6 10. e3 a6 11. Ng5 Nb4 12. Qb1 Bc4 $11 {Another success for Warmerdam in this gambit. And in a moment, it will get even better.} 13. Nge4 $2 (13. a3 Bxf1 14. Rxf1 Nc6 $11) 13... O-O-O $1 $19 {White is lost, simple as that. Black threatens to do terrible things to White on the d3 square, and White's solution is to give up the exchange and hope for the best.} 14. Nxf6 $1 gxf6 15. Bxc4 Qxc4 16. Qe4 $1 Qxe4 (16... Nd3+ $2 17. Kf1 {is a dead end for Black, as he can't keep his queen on the a6-f1 diagonal.}) 17. Nxe4 f5 $1 18. Ng3 Nc2+ 19. Ke2 Nxa1 20. Bd2 Bg7 $1 21. Rxa1 f4 (21... Rd5 $142) 22. Nf5 Bxb2 23. Rb1 Ba3 24. exf4 Rhe8+ {White's not so badly off materially, but it's going to be tough for him to create a passed pawn on the kingside, while Black's majority is relatively easy to advance.} 25. Be3 Bf8 $6 (25... Re4 $142) 26. g4 (26. Kf3 $142) 26... b5 (26... Re4 $142) 27. Kf3 Rd3 28. Ng3 Ra3 29. Ne4 $5 (29. Rb2) 29... Rxa2 30. Nf6 Rxe3+ $2 {Understandable, but bad.} (30... Re7 31. Nxh7 Bg7 32. f5 Bc3 $19) 31. fxe3 Rxh2 $11 {It would seem that the win should be easy from here. White is many moves away from creating a passed pawn on the kingside, while Black's 2-0 queenside majority should be mobile. The problem for Black is that White's pieces are active, and he can generate counterplay.} 32. Nd5 Kb7 33. Rc1 Bd6 34. e4 Rh3+ 35. Ke2 $1 h6 (35... f6 36. g5 $1 fxg5 37. e5 $11) 36. e5 Bb8 37. Rd1 $6 (37. Ra1 $1 $11) 37... a5 38. Ra1 $2 (38. Rb1 $1 b4 (38... Kc6 39. Ne7+ Kc5 40. Rc1+ Kb6 41. Nc8+ Ka6 42. Nd6 $11) (38... Ka6 39. Rc1 $11) 39. Nxb4 $1 axb4 40. Rxb4+ $11 {and it seems that White will be able to reach one of the two drawn endings one can foresee from here: R vs. R + B, or K, B + h-pawn vs. K.}) 38... a4 $19 {Now Black is winning again.} 39. Rb1 $1 Kc6 $1 40. Nb4+ Kb6 41. Kd2 Rh4 (41... Rg3 $142 $19) 42. Nd5+ $1 Ka5 $1 43. Rc1 $1 {Going for counterplay, and it pays off.} (43. Nb4 Bc7 44. Nc6+ Ka6 45. Nb4+ Kb7 46. Nd5 Ba5+ $1 47. Ke3 Rh3+ $1 48. Ke4 Rb3 $19) 43... Rh2+ 44. Kd3 a3 45. Rc8 Ba7 46. Rc7 Rh3+ 47. Ke4 Bf2 (47... Bb6 48. Rc8 b4 49. Ra8+ Kb5 50. Rb8 b3 $1 51. Rxb6+ Kc5 52. Rb8 b2 $1 53. Rc8+ Kb5 54. Rb8+ Kc6 $19) 48. Rxf7 Bc5 (48... b4 {wins, but it isn't easy.} 49. e6 b3 50. e7 b2 51. Rf8 $1 (51. e8=Q b1=Q+ 52. Ke5 Qe1+ $19) 51... b1=Q+ 52. Ke5 Qe1+ 53. Kd6 Rd3 $1 54. e8=Q Qb4+ $1 55. Ke6 Qe4+ 56. Kf6 Bd4+ 57. Kf7 Qxd5+ 58. Kg6 Bc5 $19) 49. Rc7 $1 a2 50. Rc8 Ka4 51. e6 $1 Ra3 $2 (51... Ba3 $1 {is, like 48...b4, a move that wins but requires Black to solve multiple challenges along the way.} 52. e7 (52. Rc3 $5 a1=Q 53. Rxh3 Bd6 54. e7 Bxe7 55. Nxe7 Qf1 $19) 52... Bxe7 53. Ra8+ Kb3 54. Nxe7 Kb2 $1 55. Rxa2+ Kxa2 {It's not self-evident that Black is winning here. With plenty of time on the clock Warmerdam might have reached this position and had time to work it out, but while he wasn't in dire time trouble he didn't have a lot of time, either.} 56. Nd5 Rg3 $1 {The only winning move.} 57. Kf5 (57. g5 h5 58. f5 h4 $1 (58... Rxg5 $2 59. f6 Rg8 60. Nc3+ Kb3 61. Nxb5 Rf8 62. Kf5 $11) 59. Kf4 Rg1 60. Nc3+ Ka1 61. Ne2 (61. Nxb5 h3 $19) 61... h3 $1 62. Nxg1 h2 $19) 57... Ka3 58. g5 h5 $1 $19 {Again the only winning move, but a relatively obvious one this time around.}) 52. Rxc5 $1 a1=Q 53. e7 {Incredibly, White's king is safe in the middle of the board, and although he's a queen down and not yet threatening to promote (54.e8Q Qe1+) Black cannot win here.} Qh8 $4 {Oh no...} (53... Qb1+ 54. Ke5 Rd3 55. Kf6 Qg1 {Here White has three moves that draw, and all three are striking.} 56. Rxb5 $1 (56. Nc3+ $5 Rxc3 57. Rxc3 Qd4+ 58. Ke6 $1 Qxc3 59. e8=Q Qe3+ 60. Kf7 $1 Qxf4+ 61. Kg6 Qxg4+ 62. Kxh6 $11 {is a tablebase draw.}) (56. Rc4+ $5 bxc4 (56... Ka3 $6 57. Re4 Rxd5 58. e8=Q $14 {is more dangerous for Black than for White.}) 57. e8=Q+ $11) 56... Kxb5 (56... Qd4+ 57. Kf7 $11) 57. e8=Q+ $11) (53... Qf1 54. Kf5 $1 Qd3+ 55. Ke6 $1 Qe4+ 56. Kf7 Qh7+ 57. Kf8 Qh8+ 58. Kf7 $11) (53... Ra2 54. Kf5 Qh8 55. Nf6 Re2 56. Re5 Rxe5+ 57. Kxe5 Qb8+ 58. Ke6 b4 59. e8=Q+ Qxe8+ 60. Nxe8 b3 61. Nf6 b2 62. Ne4 Kb4 63. Nd2 Kc3 64. Nb1+ Kc2 65. Na3+ Kb3 66. Nb1 Kc2 $11) 54. Rc8 $1 $18 Qh7+ (54... Qxc8 55. Nb6+ Ka5 56. Nxc8 Ra1 57. f5 b4 58. f6 b3 59. Nd6 $1 {Otherwise, Black draws.} Kb4 60. e8=Q Re1+ 61. Kd3 Rxe8 62. Nxe8 b2 63. Kc2 Ka3 64. Kb1 $18) 55. f5 {White's king is extraordinarily safe. It's as if everything in the position has conspired against Black. If the h-pawn weren't there, he'd have ...Qh1+. If the king were just about anywhere else, he could have taken the rook on the last move. If the rook had been almost anywhere else, he'd have had a safe check on the e-file. But as it is, he's just stuck, helpless against White's e-pawn's promotion.} Rg3 56. e8=Q Rxg4+ 57. Ke5 (57. Ke5 Qg7+ 58. Kd6 Qb7 59. Ra8+ Kb3 60. Qe3+ Kb2 61. Qd2+ Kb1 62. Nc3#) 1-0 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.23"] [Round "9.5"] [White "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C24"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2682"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 d5 {It would be nice if it was this easy to put an end to the Italian Game. But as mom and dad always said, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. That's not to say that this is bad, but it doesn't equalize.} ({Alas, the boring, over-played} 4... Bc5 {is best.}) 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 f6 {Black's position isn't as bad as it looks, but White has done well here. Pushing the f-pawn in such positions is often going to have negative consequences down the road, even if it's "officially" (i.e. according to the computer) okay at the time.} 8. Bb3 {Very rare, and probably played for its surprise value.} (8. d4 Nb6 9. Bb3 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Qxd4 exd4 12. Bf4 Bf5 {is only a little better for White according to Stockfish, but in practice White has been killing Black with a +6-0=4 record.}) 8... a5 $146 (8... Bg4 $1 $146 {is Black's best move.}) 9. c3 $14 Nb6 10. Nh4 $5 {Immediately aiming to exploit the weaknesses created by ...f6.} (10. a4 $14 {/? is objectively better, but Abdusattorov's move works like gangbusters.}) 10... g6 $2 (10... Qd7 $1 11. Qh5+ Kd8) 11. a4 $18 {Just 11 moves in and White is winning. A happy day for Abdusattorov!} Bd6 $6 (11... Qd7 12. d4 Qg4 {was the best try.} 13. Nf3 Be6 14. d5 Rd8 15. c4 $18) 12. d4 Qe7 13. Be3 $2 $16 (13. Bh6 $1 Bd7 14. dxe5 fxe5 15. Nf3 {and here Black can't play ...h6.}) 13... Bd7 14. dxe5 fxe5 15. Nf3 h6 {Now Black has a chance to survive.} 16. Nbd2 O-O-O (16... Bf5 {first was a little better.}) 17. Ne4 Bf5 $6 (17... Be6 $142) 18. Nfd2 Nd7 $2 19. Bd5 $1 $18 {White is winning again, and there won't be any second chances.} Nc5 20. Qe2 {Heading to c4 or b5.} Nb8 21. Rad1 Nba6 22. Nxd6+ cxd6 (22... Qxd6 23. Nc4 Qe7 24. Nxa5 c6 25. Bc4 $18 {and maybe Black will resign before b4.}) (22... Rxd6 23. Nc4 $18 {is essentially the same.}) 23. Nc4 Qc7 24. Qd2 {Threatening b4, which leaves Black without a good reply. A disastrous game for JVF.} (24. Qd2 Nb3 25. Nb6+ Qxb6 26. Bxb6 Nxd2 27. Bxd8 Kxd8 28. Rxd2 $18) 1-0 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.23"] [Round "9.6"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C24"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] 1. e4 e5 (1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nde2 h5 8. Ng1 $5 {I thought this was a novelty when Nepo played it in this game, and that's what the databases of the time suggested. It seems, however, that it was played a couple of years earlier in a correspondence game - so props to one Horst Wilshusen, despite the result of that game and his not using the g5 square until much later.} b5 9. Nf3 Bb7 10. Ng5 b4 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. Bc4 Nf6 13. Bxf7+ Ke7 14. O-O Nc6 15. a3 a5 16. Be3 g6 17. Bxg6 Rg8 18. Bf5 Bc8 19. axb4 Bxf5 20. exf5 axb4 21. Ne6 Qc8 22. Bg5 Rxa1 23. Qxa1 Qb7 24. h4 Kf7 25. Qd1 Ne7 26. Nd8+ {1-0 Nepomniachtchi,I (2714)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2758) Beijing Sportaccord blitz 2014 (5)}) 2. Bc4 {The Bishop's Opening isn't particularly dangerous, but it's at least a little fresher than the Giuoco Borianissimo.} Nf6 3. d3 c6 {The most principled move.} (3... Bc5) ({and} 3... Nc6 {are also playable, but won't lead to an Italian game as White will either play the knight to e2 or else develop it to f3 after playing f2-f4.}) 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb3 Bb4+ {This handy check has been known for some time. The point is to either swap the bishop, pin a knight on c3, or induce 6.c3 and thus take that square away from White's knight.} 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Nbxd2 (7. Qxd2) 7... a5 8. a4 {Probably best, but 8.a3 and 8.c3 are also playable.} Nbd7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Re8 11. exd5 cxd5 12. Nb1 $1 {A nice move, though not a novelty, emphasizing the value of the c3 square for White's knight. It also reminds me, ironically, of one of my favorite novelties by Nepo himself - see the note to Black's first move. (Or rather, a near-novelty, as it turns out.)} b6 (12... Nc5 13. Rxe5 Rxe5 14. Nxe5 Nxb3 15. cxb3 d4 16. Nd2 Be6 17. Ndc4 Nd5 18. Qd2 Nb4 19. Re1 Bd5 20. Qe2 Ra6 21. Qh5 g6 22. Qh3 Re6 23. Rd1 Qe7 24. f4 f6 25. Nf3 Nxd3 26. f5 Re3 27. fxg6 hxg6 28. Qh6 Bxf3 29. Qxg6+ Kf8 30. Qh6+ Ke8 31. Qh8+ Kd7 32. Qh3+ Kd8 33. gxf3 Re1+ 34. Rxe1 Nxe1 35. Qg4 Qe2 36. Qxd4+ Kc8 37. Qc5+ Kb8 38. Qd6+ Ka7 39. Qb6+ Kb8 40. Qd8+ Ka7 41. Qxa5+ Kb8 42. Qd8+ Ka7 43. Qd4+ Kb8 44. Qf2 Nxf3+ 45. Kg2 Ne1+ 46. Kg3 Qd3+ 47. Qe3 Qd1 48. Na3 Nd3 49. Nb5 Ne5 50. Qa7+ Kc8 51. Qc5+ Nc6 52. Qf5+ Kb8 53. Qxf6 Qxb3+ 54. Qf3 Qg8+ 55. Qg4 Qd8 56. Qf4+ Ka8 57. Nc7+ Ka7 58. Qe3+ Kb8 59. Ne6 Qg8+ 60. Ng5 Qg7 61. Qd2 Nd4 62. h4 Qc7+ 63. Kg2 Qc6+ 64. Kg3 Qc7+ 65. Kg2 Qc6+ 66. Kg3 {½-½ Klek,H (2281)-Rodshtein,T (2298) BL 1516 (Women) Germany 2015 (6.3)}) 13. Nc3 Bb7 14. Nb5 Qb8 (14... Re7 15. Rc1 Bc6 16. Nd6 g6 17. c4 Nc5 18. cxd5 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Nxd5 20. Nc4 Nf4 21. Nfxe5 Nfxd3 22. Nxd3 Nxd3 23. Rxe7 Nxc1 24. Qxd8+ Rxd8 25. g3 Rd4 26. Nxb6 Rb4 27. Nd7 Rxb2 28. Ne5 Re2 29. Kf1 g5 30. Rc7 {½-½ Libiszewski,F (2499)-Pourkashiyan,A (2313) Reykjavik op 2023 (8)}) 15. d4 $1 $146 {Finally varying from the original 12.Nb1 game.} (15. Nh4 Bc6 16. Nf5 g6 17. Nh6+ Kg7 18. Qd2 Bxb5 19. axb5 Qd6 20. Qg5 Qb4 21. Nf5+ Kh8 22. Ne3 Qd6 23. d4 exd4 24. Nxd5 Nxd5 25. Qxd5 Qxd5 26. Bxd5 Rxe1+ 27. Rxe1 Rc8 28. Bb3 a4 29. Bxa4 Nc5 30. Bb3 Nxb3 31. cxb3 Rc2 32. Kf1 Rxb2 33. Re8+ Kg7 34. Rb8 d3 35. Ke1 Re2+ 36. Kd1 Rxf2 37. Rxb6 Rxg2 38. Rd6 Rg5 39. b6 Rb5 40. Rxd3 Rxb6 41. Kc2 g5 42. Rg3 Kg6 43. Kc3 f5 44. Rg1 f4 45. Rb1 Kf5 46. Kd4 Rd6+ 47. Kc5 Rd8 48. b4 f3 49. b5 Kf4 50. b6 f2 51. b7 Kf3 52. b8=Q Rxb8 53. Rxb8 f1=Q 54. Rf8+ Kg2 55. Rxf1 Kxf1 {0-1 Stockova,Z (2383)-Khademalsharieh,S (2324) Olympiad Women-41 Tromsoe 2014 (4.2)}) 15... e4 16. Nd2 Bc6 (16... Nf8 $1 17. c4 Qf4 $1 18. g3 Qh6 $1 19. Re3 $1 dxc4 20. Nxc4 Nd5 21. Ncd6 $1 Nxe3 $8 22. Nxf7 {This is already a challenging line to find, but here Black needs to play something *amazing*:} Qe6 $3 {I can't recall ever seeing a move quite like this before. This bombshell equalizes, and everything else loses.} 23. Bxe6 Nxd1 24. Bb3 Nxb2 $1 25. Nfd6+ Kh8 26. Rb1 Nd3 {Here White can take the perpetual, or go for an equal ending after} 27. Nf7+ Kg8 28. Nbd6 Nd7 $1 29. Nxe8 Rxe8 30. Ne5+ Kf8 31. Nxd7+ Ke7 32. Nxb6 Rd8 $11) 17. c4 Bxb5 18. axb5 Qf4 19. g3 Qf5 20. cxd5 Rad8 (20... h5 $1 $11 {/?}) 21. f3 (21. Qc2 $142 $1 Rc8 22. Qb1 Qh3 23. d6 Rcd8 $14) 21... exf3 22. Qxf3 Qg5 $2 (22... Qxf3 $1 23. Nxf3 Kf8 24. Rac1 (24. d6 Ne4 25. Bxf7 Kxf7 26. Rxe4 Rxe4 27. Ng5+ Kg6 28. Nxe4 Nf6 29. Nd2 Rxd6 30. Nc4 Rd5 31. Nxb6 Rxb5 $11 {Black will make a comfortable draw even though White will keep an extra pawn.}) 24... Rxe1+ $8 25. Nxe1 Re8 26. Nf3 Re3 27. Rc3 Rxc3 28. bxc3 Ne4 29. c4 Nd6 $11 {White's majority is going nowhere.}) 23. Nc4 $16 {/+-} h5 $6 (23... Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 a4 $1 25. Bxa4 $1 Qxd5 26. Qxd5 Nxd5 27. Bb3 Kf8 28. Rd1 $1 $16 {/+-}) 24. d6 $18 Kf8 {To stop Re7...hopefully.} (24... h4 25. Re7 $1 $18) 25. Re7 $1 {Anyway!} Rxe7 26. dxe7+ Kxe7 27. Re1+ (27. Qe2+ $1 Kf8 28. Nd6 $18) 27... Kf8 28. Nd6 Qd2 {This slightly annoying move is the reason 27.Qe2+ was more precise.} 29. Qc3 Qxc3 30. bxc3 {Black "escapes" to a lost endgame.} g6 31. h3 (31. Bxf7 $142 Nb8 32. Re6 Kg7 33. c4 $18) 31... a4 $1 32. Ba2 a3 33. Kg2 Ra8 34. Kf3 Ra5 35. Kf4 Ra8 36. Kg5 {Go, king, go!} Rd8 37. Bxf7 Nb8 38. Kxf6 Rxd6+ 39. Be6 Nd7+ 40. Kxg6 Ne5+ $5 {Cute and creative, but to no avail.} 41. Kf6 (41. Rxe5 a2 42. Re1 $4 (42. Rf5+ $1 Ke8 43. Rf1 $18 {takes care of business.}) 42... Rxe6+ 43. Rxe6 a1=Q $19 {was the dream.}) (41. dxe5 Rxe6+ 42. Kf5 $18) (41. Kf6 Nd7+ 42. Kf5 $18) 1-0 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.23"] [Round "9.7"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Black "Ju, Wenjun"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C58"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2549"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,65,27,29,19,16,19,22,8,-11,-11,-11,-3,-1,-1,11,13,-13,-1,-57,44,10,17,-37,12,7,26,15,28,10,40,-22,-22,-22,21,18,28,47,78,56,59,35,34,13,60,55,84,106,109,113,122,122,180,171,194,194,351,351,356,356,351,365,390,281,339,464,506,522]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 {This is the sort of Italian Game that's tolerable to watch.} d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 (8. Be2 h6 9. Nh3 {is the other relatively promising try.}) 8... Nd5 9. h4 (9. Nf3 Bd6 10. O-O Nf4 11. Nc3 Nxd3 12. cxd3 O-O 13. Re1 c5 14. b3 {is an important alternative.} (14. Nxe5 {can lead to a more or less forced draw:} Re8 15. Nc4 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qh4+ 17. Kg1 Bg4 18. Rxe8+ Rxe8 19. Qf1 Re6 20. Ne3 Rh6 21. f3 Qh2+ 22. Kf2 Bxf3 23. Qg1 Qf4 24. Ne2 Bxe2+ 25. Kxe2 Nc6 26. Kd1 Qa4+ 27. b3 Qd4 28. Rb1 Qxd3 29. Ra1 {½-½ Knoblauch Becker,M (1936)-King,A W-ch WS/H/924 email ICCF email 2022} Qd4 30. Rb1 Qd3 $11)) 9... Qc7 $11 {Less forcing than 9...h6, but it's good, too.} (9... h6 10. Qh5 {is White's idea with 9.h4, but it seems harmless after the forced (but strong)} Qf6 11. Ne4 (11. Nh7 Rxh7 12. Bxh7 g6 13. Qe2 $8 Nf4 14. Qf3 Bb7 15. Nc3 c5 16. Ne4 Qg7 17. d3 f5 18. Qg3 O-O-O 19. Bxf4 exf4 20. Qxg6 fxe4 21. Qxg7 Bxg7 22. Bxe4 Bxe4 23. dxe4 Bxb2 $11 {1-0 Carnicelli,V (2344)-Barp,A (2436) Rome La Regina op 3rd 2023 (3)}) (11. Nxf7 $2 {should be avoided:} Nf4 ({Of course not} 11... Qxf7 $4 12. Bg6 $18) 12. Qxe5+ Kxf7 13. Qxa5 Bd6 $1 $19 (13... Nxd3+ $2 14. cxd3 Bd6 {is only very slightly better for Black.}) 14. Kf1 Nxd3 15. cxd3 Bf5 16. Qc3 Qg6 17. h5 Bxd3+ 18. Kg1 Qe4 19. Qb3+ Kf8 20. Qd1 Bxb1 21. d4 Bc2 22. f3 Qf5 23. Qf1 Re8 24. Bd2 Bd3 25. Qc1 Qd5 26. Rh4 Bf5 27. Be3 Kg8 28. Kf2 Be7 29. Rh1 Bf6 30. Rd1 Kh7 31. g4 Bh4+ 32. Ke2 Bg5 {0-1 Meyer,F (2085)-Krastev,A (2134) Hofheim Spring op-A 5th 2017 (6)}) 11... Qe6 12. b3 (12. Ng5 Qf6 {just repeats.}) 12... g6 (12... Nf4 13. Qf3 Bb7 $11) 13. Qe2 f5 14. Nec3 Bg7 $11 (14... Nf4 $11)) 10. b3 $146 (10. Nc3 h6 $11) (10. O-O h6 $11) (10. Be2 $146 {is, surprisingly, a novelty. Unsurprisingly, it's also met by} h6 $11) 10... h6 11. Ne4 f5 12. Nec3 Nf6 (12... Nf4 $142 13. Bf1 {Chess coaches, don't show this variation to your students.} Bb7 14. g3 $1 c5 15. Rg1 Ne6 16. Qh5+ Qf7 17. Qxf7+ Kxf7 18. d3 Nd4 19. Kd1 {Black has full compensation for the pawn, and can either play aggressively or make an immediate draw by repetition.} Nf3 20. Rh1 Nd4 21. Rg1 Nf3 $11) 13. Bb2 (13. Be2 $1 Kf7 14. Bb2 Bd6 15. d3 Rd8 16. Nd2 e4 17. O-O Kg8 18. dxe4 fxe4 19. Qe1 Re8 20. Nd1 $11 {/?}) 13... Bd6 $11 (13... Bb4 14. a3 Bd6 15. b4 Nb7 16. Bc4 a5 $11) 14. Na3 e4 15. Qe2 $1 O-O 16. Ba6 Be6 $2 {Surprisingly, developing a piece while leaving the Ba6 stranded on the edge of the board is an error. Again, this is not a game to show the kids!} (16... Bxa6 $1 17. Qxa6 Ng4 18. Nc4 Nxc4 19. Qxc4+ Kh7 {leaves White with nothing better than to accept a repetition.} 20. Rf1 $1 Nh2 21. Rg1 Ng4 22. Rf1 Nh2 $11 {etc.}) 17. Nc4 $16 Bb4 18. O-O-O Nb7 $6 (18... Rae8 19. Kb1 Kh8 20. Na4 $16 {A knight on the rim is terrific - at least if it opens the long diagonal for the bishop and has hopes of reaching c5.}) 19. Bxb7 $6 (19. Na4 $1 $16 {/+-}) 19... Qxb7 20. f3 (20. a3 $142) (20. Rhe1 $142) 20... Rae8 (20... Nh5 $142 $1 21. Rhe1 $16) 21. Ne5 (21. a3 $1) 21... c5 $6 (21... Nh5 $1) 22. Rhe1 (22. fxe4 $1 Bxc3 23. Bxc3 Nxe4 24. Rhe1 $1 $18) 22... exf3 $2 (22... Kh7) 23. gxf3 $18 {After all the oddities, White is clearly winning, for familiar, classically approved reasons. He's up a pawn, the centralized knight on e5 is fantastic, Black's pieces are restricted, and White is going to have wonderful play on the g-file and the long dark-squared diagonal.} Nh5 24. Rg1 (24. a3 $1 Ba5 25. Nb5 $1 {is even better.}) 24... c4 $6 (24... Bf7 $142) 25. Nxc4 Qe7 {The point of the last move (White doesn't have Ng6 in reply), but this exchange is very much in White's favor.} 26. a3 $1 Bxc3 27. Bxc3 Qxh4 28. Qe5 {Threatening Rxg7+.} Qe7 29. Rde1 {Now threatening 30.Nd6.} Qd7 30. Nd6 Re7 31. Qh2 $1 Nf6 32. Qxh6 Qxd6 33. Bxf6 {Everything is collapsing in Black's position.} 1-0