[Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Toronto"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1"] [White "Mickey"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B56"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2789"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2024.03.26"] [EventCountry "CAN"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 {There is a reason the Najdorf Sicilian exists: it's (in good part) to play ...e5 (against most, not all of White's 6th move options) without allowing White's pieces to jump into the b5 square. Nevertheless, the move is not a novelty and has been played by some fine players, so while I don't think this line will achieve the status of the Najdorf, or probably even of the other main 5th move alternatives (the Classical, the Scheveningen, or the Dragon), it's not as bad as you might think from a quick look at theory.} 6. Bb5+ Nbd7 7. Nf5 a6 8. Ba4 {Possibly best.} (8. Bxd7+ Qxd7 9. Bg5 {is where the refutation would be, if it existed. However, Black is okay (though not completely equal) after} (9. Ne3 {was Caruana's choice in an earlier game. It's a decent, logical move, fighting for the prize on d5. White is =/? here too, notwithstanding the eventual result of the game.} Be7 10. Ned5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Bd8 12. Be3 O-O 13. a4 Qc6 14. Bb6 Kh8 15. Bxd8 Rxd8 16. O-O Be6 17. Nc3 d5 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Qg4 Be6 20. Qg3 f6 21. Rad1 h6 22. Qe3 b5 23. axb5 axb5 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. h3 b4 26. Ne4 Qxc2 27. Qb6 Rd1 28. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 29. Kh2 Qd4 30. Qb8+ Kh7 31. Qb7 Kg6 32. Ng3 Qxf2 33. Qe4+ Kf7 34. Qb7+ Kg8 35. Qa8+ Kh7 36. Qe4+ Kh8 37. Qa8+ Bg8 38. Qb7 Qf4 39. Qc8 h5 40. Qe8 g6 41. Qxg6 h4 42. Qh5+ Kg7 43. Qxh4 Qxh4 44. Nf5+ Kg6 45. Nxh4+ Kg5 46. Kg3 e4 47. Nf3+ exf3 48. Kxf3 Bd5+ 49. Kf2 Kf4 50. g3+ Ke4 51. Ke2 Be6 52. g4 b3 53. Kd2 Kf3 54. Kc3 Kg3 {0-1 Caruana,F (2773)-Gokerkan,C (2516) Titled Tuesday intern op 13th Jun Late Chess.com INT blitz 2023 (4)}) 9... Nxe4 $1 10. Nxg7+ Bxg7 11. Nxe4 O-O $1 12. Qxd6 Qg4 (12... f6 {is more common but probably a little less good.} 13. Be3 Qg4 14. f3 Qxg2 15. Rf1 $14) 13. Nf6+ Bxf6 14. Qxf6 Re8 $11 {/? White is a little better, but it's not enough to prove anything in a correspondence game:} 15. O-O Bd7 16. h3 Qh5 17. Qh6 (17. Bh6 Qg6 18. Qxg6+ hxg6 19. c4 Be6 20. b3 a5 21. Be3 a4 22. Rfd1 f6 23. Rab1 {½-½ Oren,I (2181)-Saxena,A (2263) Afroasian-ch13 sf-C email ICCF email 2012}) 17... Qxh6 18. Bxh6 Bc6 19. Bd2 Rad8 20. Bc3 f6 21. f3 Kf7 22. Rf2 h5 23. Kh2 Rd5 24. Re1 Kg6 25. f4 exf4 26. Rxe8 Bxe8 27. Rxf4 Rf5 28. Rd4 Rf1 29. Kg3 Bc6 30. Rd2 Kg5 31. Re2 h4+ {½-½ Wosch,A (2300)-Osipov,S (2263) FICGS class M 000111 email FICGS email 2022 (1)}) 8... b5 9. Bb3 Nc5 10. Bg5 {White's play here, as in some Najdorf lines (e.g. 6.Be3 e5 7.Nf3; also some old-fashioned 6.Bc4 games), is all about achieving a death grip on the d5 square. White would like to take on f6 and drop the knight back to e3. The dream is to wind up with all the minor pieces off the board except a gleaming, shimmering white knight on d5 against a sad, shuffling black bishop on e7.} Bxf5 {A good move, but one that's well-known here and standard in similar positions.} 11. exf5 Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 {White has tried at least five different moves here, most commonly 13.Qd5. He's a little better, but turning his more pleasant position and his grip on d5 into something concrete is going to be challenging.} 13. O-O (13. Qf3 {is another good option, also best met by the move we'll see in the game.} e4 $1 14. Nxe4 Bxb2 15. O-O $1 O-O 16. Rad1 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 Qf6 18. g3 a5 19. Qd3 Rab8 20. Rfe1 Be5 (20... Rfc8 {followed by ...Rc5 could be marginally better.}) 21. Kg2 h6 22. Re3 Rfc8 23. Qe2 a4 24. Bd5 Kf8 25. Rd2 Rc3 26. Be4 Rc5 27. Qd1 Qe7 28. Ree2 Rd8 29. Rd5 Qc7 30. Red2 Re8 31. Re2 Rd8 32. Red2 {½-½ Boehnke,H (2371)-Ordobas Martinez,V (2388) EU-ch 2022 sf14 email ICCF email}) 13... e4 $146 (13... O-O {had been played in four previous games, and once it's played we reach 28 prior games in the database. (Some feature GMs, but no super-GMs.)}) 14. Nxe4 $14 (14. Qd5 O-O 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Bxb2 17. Rad1 $14) 14... Nxe4 15. Re1 (15. Qd5 {will transpose to the 14.Qd5 line given above:} O-O 16. Qxe4 Bxb2 17. Rad1 $14) 15... O-O 16. Rxe4 Bxb2 17. Rb1 {White is a little better, as his pieces are all more active than their counterparts. Someday it might be equal due to the opposite-colored bishops, but with all the heavy pieces still on the board the opposite-colored bishops favor White. He has pressure against f7, while Black's bishop gives him...nothing. (For now.)} Bf6 18. Qd5 (18. Bd5 $142 Rc8 19. c4 $14) 18... Rc8 19. Qb7 Rc5 (19... d5 $1 20. Re2 Qd6 21. Rd1 Rb8 $1 {does a very nice job of keeping the a-pawn safe, shutting down the diagonal to f7 and activating the heavy pieces. White can cash in with} 22. Qxd5 {, but after} Qxd5 23. Bxd5 Rfd8 {Black is fine. Now the opposite-colored bishops do matter, and the damage to White's structure (split queenside pawns and a doubled f-pawn devaluing his kingside majority) renders the position very drawish.}) 20. Qxa6 Rxf5 21. Rd1 d5 22. Rb4 Bc3 $2 {Going for complications, but it is a mistake.} (22... Qe7 $1 23. Qxb5 $1 (23. Rxb5 $4 Qe2 24. Rf1 Rxf2 $1 25. Rxf2 Qe1+ 26. Rf1 Bd4+ 27. Kh1 Qxf1#) 23... h5 $44) 23. Rxb5 $16 Rxf2 (23... Rf6 {is objectively better, but it's still bad for Black and isn't the point of Nakamura's last move.}) 24. Rbxd5 $1 $18 (24. Kxf2 $2 Qh4+ 25. Kg1 Bd4+ $1 26. Kh1 (26. Rxd4 $4 Qe1#) 26... Be5 27. h3 (27. g3 Bxg3 28. Rd2 Bf4 29. Rbxd5 $8 Qe1+ 30. Kg2 Bxd2 $11) 27... Qg3 28. Kg1 Qh2+ 29. Kf2 $8 (29. Kf1 $2 Qh1+ 30. Ke2 Qxg2+ 31. Ke3 Qxh3+ 32. Kf2 Re8 $19) 29... Qg3+ 30. Kf1 Qf4+ 31. Kg1 Qh2+ $11) 24... Qh4 25. Qd3 $1 Rf6 26. g3 $1 Qb4 {Caruana played an excellent game overall, but he made the same mistake twice and it cost him half a point. The d5 rook wants to go to d7, and he should use the d1-rook to get rid of Black's active rook on f6.} 27. Kg2 $2 (27. Rf1 $1 $18 {Between the pressure on f7 and the opportunity to gradually advance his passers on the queenside, White will make Black suffer for a long time. The advantage is decisive, even if converting it to a win is not going to be automatic.}) 27... Bb2 $2 (27... g6 $1 $16) 28. Rf5 $2 (28. Rd7 {is much better, intending Rf1. It's a speedier way of achieving what 28.Rf5 is intended to do.} g6 (28... Kh8 {is better, though it's no cure.} 29. a4 $18 {White will continue with Qc4 and/or Rf1, eliminating Black's remaining active pieces and relying on his queenside passers to do the job.}) 29. Rf1 Kg7 30. a4 h5 31. Rxf6 Bxf6 32. Qc4 Qxc4 33. Bxc4 $18 {Black is too tied down to cope with the pressure against f7 and White's queenside pawns.}) 28... g6 $6 (28... Rxf5 $142 29. Qxf5 g6 30. Qf3 Qe7 $11 {/? No Rd7 now - compare 28.Rd7.}) 29. Rxf6 $6 (29. Rb5 $142 Qe7 30. Bd5 Bc3 $1 {Otherwise White's advantage is nearly winning once again.} 31. Rb7 Qe5 32. Rf1 Rxf1 33. Kxf1 Bd4 $1 34. Qe4 Qxe4 35. Bxe4 Rc8 $14 {/?}) 29... Bxf6 $11 30. Qf3 Qe7 31. a4 Kg7 {Black has stabilized everything on the kingside. Still, White does have his queenside pawns, so Black isn't completely safe yet.} 32. a5 {Missing Black's next move, which pretty much brings the game to an end. It's not clear how White can make progress in any case, but after this move even the hope of progress is blown out like a candle.} Ra8 $3 {This wins the a-pawn, unless White wants to allow an immediate perpetual.} 33. Rd5 (33. Qxa8 Qe2+ 34. Kh3 $8 Qh5+ 35. Kg2 Qe2+ $11) 33... Ra7 (33... Qc7 $11) 34. Rb5 Qd8 (34... Qe1 35. a6 Rxa6 36. Rb7 Qd2+ $11) 35. Rd5 Qc7 36. h4 Rxa5 {This lets White win the f-pawn in return for the a-pawn, but this doesn't prove of any great value.} 37. Rxa5 Qxa5 38. Qb7 Qd8 39. Qxf7+ Kh6 40. Kh3 Qe7 41. Qc4 Qe3 {White's c-pawn isn't going anywhere and White's king is at least as vulnerable as his counterpart. Having made the time control, Caruana recognizes that there is no progress to be made or any real problems to be posed, and decides to call it a day.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Toronto"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1"] [White "Abasov, Nijat"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D53"] [WhiteElo "2632"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2024.03.26"] [EventCountry "CAN"] {[%evp 0,31,24,24,29,7,6,9,12,-2,35,14,34,14,31,30,61,30,35,21,22,25,0,-2,13,-6,9,24,27,31,23,18,18,-14]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c5 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. exd4 Nc6 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 a6 (11... Nh5 12. Bxe7 Nxe7 {is another good, solid approach.}) 12. Rc1 (12. a4) (12. a3) 12... b5 13. Bb3 Bb7 {Black is ready to play ...Nb4 and take permanent control over d5, so White decides to bail out in search of a very drawish position.} 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. d5 exd5 (15... Bxc3 16. dxc6 $5 (16. Rxc3 exd5 17. Bxd5 Rc8 $11) 16... Bxe1 17. cxb7 Bxf2+ 18. Kf1 $1 Rb8 19. Qxd8 Rfxd8 20. Kxf2 Rxb7 21. Ke3 $11) 16. Nxd5 $146 (16. Bxd5 Rb8 $146 17. Nxb5 axb5 18. Bxc6 Bxb2 $11) 16... Na5 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Qd4 Qxd4 (18... Bxf3 19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. gxf3 Nxb3 21. axb3 {is entirely drawn, notwithstanding White's extra set of doubled pawns.}) (18... Qg6 $2 19. Bc2 $16) 19. Nxd4 Rad8 20. Rcd1 {The position is as drawish as it looks. This is a (mildly) bad result for both players: Abasov is throwing away the white pieces, and Nepo isn't getting a chance to make something happen against the tournament's weakest player.} Nxb3 21. Nxb3 Bd5 22. f3 Bxb3 23. axb3 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Rc8 25. Rd2 Kf8 26. Re2 Rd8 27. Kf2 Rd4 28. Re4 Rd1 29. Re1 Rd2+ 30. Re2 Rd4 31. Re4 Rd1 32. Re1 Rd2+ 33. Re2 Rd4 34. Re4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Toronto"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, Rameshbabu"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C83"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2747"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2024.03.26"] [EventCountry "CAN"] {[%evp 0,33,29,29,29,29,29,14,25,9,-5,13,13,-64,10,10,12,12,12,0,20,0,1,13,2,-3,2,-23,-38,-65,-56,-81,-63,-81,-13,-55]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Bc2 (10. Nbd2 {is the principal alternative, inviting the long lines beginning with} Nc5 11. Bc2 d4 12. Nb3 d3 13. Bb1 Nxb3 14. axb3 Bf5 {and so on.}) 10... Bg4 11. Qe1 Nc5 12. Nbd2 Ne6 13. Kh1 (13. h3 Bh5 14. Nh2 {is the most common approach, while}) (13. Qe2 {, though rare, was tested in a couple of super-GM games, including once last year against Pragg himself.} O-O 14. Re1 Qd7 15. Qd3 g6 16. Qf1 f6 17. h3 Bxh3 18. gxh3 fxe5 19. Nxe5 Nxe5 20. Rxe5 Nf4 21. Re3 Bc5 22. Rf3 Qe7 23. Kh1 Ne2 24. Bd1 Nxc1 25. Rxc1 Qg5 26. Nb3 Bd6 27. Qg2 Qe5 28. Re3 Qf4 29. Bf3 Rae8 30. Rce1 Rxe3 31. Rxe3 Rf5 32. Nd4 Re5 33. Bxd5+ Kh8 34. Rxe5 Qxe5 35. Be4 c5 36. Ne2 c4 37. Kg1 b4 38. Qf3 a5 39. Kf1 a4 40. Qe3 a3 41. bxa3 Bc5 42. Qf4 Qxf4 43. Nxf4 bxc3 44. Ne2 {1-0 Vachier Lagrave,M (2741)-Praggnanandhaa,R (2688) Chessable Masters Div 2 Win Chess.com INT rapid 2023 (2.1)}) 13... Bh5 (13... O-O {was played in another game featuring a current Candidate:} 14. Ng1 f6 15. exf6 Rxf6 16. f4 g6 17. f5 Bxf5 18. Bxf5 gxf5 19. Ndf3 f4 20. Nh3 Qd7 21. b3 Raf8 22. Bb2 Bc5 23. c4 d4 24. Nf2 bxc4 25. bxc4 Rf5 26. Rd1 Ng5 27. Nxg5 Rxg5 28. Ne4 Re5 29. Nxc5 Rxc5 30. Ba3 Re5 {½-½ Gukesh,D (2744)-Yakubboev,N (2640) TUR-chT Ankara 2023 (7.3)}) 14. Nb3 $146 {A point of Kh1 was of course to clear g1 for the rook, so White invites the exchange on f3.} Bxf3 15. gxf3 Bg5 $8 {A good, standard move, looking to eliminate White's bishop pair and, more immediately, to prevent f3-f4. If White could safely achieve that Black would immediately be in desperate trouble.} 16. Rg1 Bxc1 17. Nxc1 Qh4 $1 {Black must fight for the kingside before White consolidates with moves like Qe3, Nd3/e2, and f4. Once the f-pawn is safely rolling, Black is in trouble.} 18. Rg4 Qh5 19. Nd3 O-O 20. Qe2 {Preparing Rag1 and f4, so Black strikes first.} f5 $1 $11 21. exf6 $8 Rxf6 $11 {The chances are level, but the position is full of imbalances. White has the g- and e-files, Black the f-and h-files. Black's structure is better, but White's minor pieces may be more active. (White's knight may jump into e5, while the White bishop is good where it is but also has potential on b3, at least until Black can play ...c6.) From here till the end both players fight for the initiative, and the result is a creditable draw, even if Firouzja did miss a minor opportunity.} 22. f4 Rh6 (22... Ne7 $142) (22... Raf8 $142) 23. f3 $14 Rf8 24. Qf2 (24. Re1 $142) 24... Rff6 $11 25. Re1 (25. Qd2 $142) 25... Qf7 26. Qg3 (26. Qe3 $142) (26. Bb3 $142) 26... Rh5 27. a4 Rfh6 (27... g6 {is arguably a little better, playing for stability. Pragg is more ambitious.}) 28. Re2 Rh3 $5 {Continuing the "all-in" approach.} ({There were more solid options available, like} 28... Rf6 $11) ({and} 28... Ne7) 29. Qe1 Rxf3 $5 {Playable, but it's more dangerous for Black than for White.} (29... Qh5 $5 30. Rgg2 Ne7 $1 31. Kg1 Rg6 $1 32. Rxg6 Qxg6+ 33. Kf1 Qh5 $1 34. Rf2 Qf7 $1 35. a5 $1 $14) (29... Qf6 $11) 30. Nc5 $1 {It's possible that Pragg missed or underestimated this move. Now Black must find a precise move to maintain equality.} Qh5 $6 {White had an opportunity here, but it's not obvious and the objective evaluation is only stably in White's favor at the end of a long line. Firouzja didn't have much time here, either, so it's not surprising that he went for the shiny object instead.} (30... Nxc5 $2 31. Re8+ Qf8 32. Rxf8+ Kxf8 33. Qe2 Rfh3 34. Rg2 Ne6 35. axb5 axb5 36. Bg6 $3 Rxg6 37. Rxg6 Nxf4 38. Qg4 $18) (30... Ncd8 $2 31. f5 $1 Rxf5 32. Bxf5 Qxf5 33. Rgg2 $18) (30... Nf8 $1 {was best, when the position is objectively equal but at least practically more pleasant for White after} 31. axb5 axb5 32. f5 $44) 31. Nxe6 $6 {It's a nice idea, even if it's only good enough for a draw if Black passes the best on move 32.} ({The slower} 31. Reg2 $1 {offered White an advantage - a decisive advantage at that, unless Black finds the spectacular} Ne5 $1 {Now White can prove an advantage, but only with very precise play.} 32. fxe5 $1 ({White can only take with the pawn, closing the e-file, as} 32. Qxe5 $4 {allows mate in two.} Rf1+ 33. Rg1 Qxh2#) 32... Qf7 $1 {Again the only move.} 33. Bd3 $1 (33. Rg1 $4 Rf2 34. R4g2 Rxh2+ $1 35. Rxh2 (35. Kxh2 Qh5+ 36. Kg3 Rf3#) 35... Qf3+ 36. Rgg2 (36. Rhg2 Qh3+ 37. Rh2 Rxh2#) 36... Rf1+ 37. Qxf1 Qxf1+ 38. Rg1 Qf3+ 39. Rgg2 Nxc5 $19) 33... Nxc5 34. Rxg7+ Qxg7 35. Qg1 $1 Ne6 36. Rxg7+ Nxg7 37. Qg5 $1 Rh5 38. Qd8+ Rf8 39. Qxd5+ Kh8 40. axb5 axb5 41. Qxb5 $16) 31... Qxg4 32. Ng5 $1 {This looks crushing at first sight, but Black has a defense - two, actually.} Ne5 $1 (32... Ne7 $1 33. Rxe7 Rxh2+ 34. Kxh2 Qxf4+ 35. Kg2 Qg4+ 36. Kh1 Qh5+ 37. Kg2 Qg4+ $11) 33. Rxe5 (33. fxe5 $4 Qxg5 $19) (33. Bxh7+ Rxh7 34. Nxh7 $4 (34. Rxe5 Rxh2+ $11) 34... Qxf4 $19) 33... Rxh2+ $1 {Forcing a draw, which was itself forced.} 34. Kxh2 Qh5+ 35. Kg2 Qg4+ 36. Kh1 Qh5+ 37. Kg2 Qg4+ 38. Kh1 Qh5+ 39. Kg2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Toronto"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1"] [White "Gukesh, Dommaraju"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "42"] [EventDate "2024.03.26"] [EventCountry "CAN"] {[%evp 0,23,29,27,24,10,16,6,28,26,18,15,6,10,13,19,0,2,-5,-12,23,35,34,30,52,29]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 {Vidit has played the Tarrasch before, so it's not a shock. Still, it is surprising to see it played in a Candidates tournament.} 4. e3 (4. cxd5 {is the most principled move, but maybe Gukesh currently feels about the Dubov Tarrasch the way many players feel about the Marshall Gambit or the Berlin ending: if Black knows what he's doing, then it's just a draw.}) 4... Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Bd6 9. Ra2 {Not a novelty, but it's a rare bird. The idea is clear: to play Rd2 and exert serious pressure down the d-file. Moves like Bb2 and cxd5 aren't running away.} (9. Bb2) ({and} 9. cxd5 {are far more common.}) 9... Ne5 10. Rd2 Nxf3+ $146 (10... O-O) (10... Qc7) 11. gxf3 O-O 12. Bb2 ({The immediate} 12. Ne4 $2 {is well met by} Be5 $17 {, but after 12.Bb2 it is a threat.}) 12... a5 $1 $11 {Otherwise White will have all the fun. Black needs counterplay before White kills him down the d- and/or g-files.} 13. cxd5 $5 (13. b5 $142 Qe7 14. cxd5 Rd8 $11) (13. c5 $142 axb4 14. axb4 Be7 $11 (14... Be5 $11)) 13... e5 $11 {Taking on b4 may have been better, but this is also a good move. The d5-pawn really gets in White's way, limiting the queen, the rook, and the knight - and potentially the light-squared bishop as well. Black's e-pawn blunts the b2-bishop, and meanwhile Black's queenside pressure is going to result in speedy counterplay.} (13... axb4 $142 $1 14. dxe6 (14. axb4 $143 Nxd5 15. Rg1 g6 $15) 14... bxc3 15. exf7+ ({or} 15. Rxd6 Qc7 16. exf7+ Kh8 {, which comes to the same thing.}) 15... Kh8 16. Rxd6 Qc7 17. Bc1 Qxf7 $11 {/?}) 14. Nb5 axb4 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 (15... bxa3 $4 16. Bxe5 $18) 16. axb4 Qxb4 17. Qc2 (17. Bxe5 $142 Nxd5 $11) 17... Bg4 $5 {Something of a draw offer.} (17... Nxd5 18. Bxe5 Be6 19. Qb2 $11) (17... Re8 {keeps the pot simmering.}) 18. Bc3 $8 (18. fxg4 $4 Rfc8 19. Qd3 Ne4 20. Bh3 (20. Bg2 Nxd2 21. Qxd2 Ra1+ 22. Bxa1 Rc1+ 23. Ke2 Qxg4+ {This is the point of 20.Bh3.} 24. Bf3 Qc4+ 25. Qd3 Rc2+ $19) 20... Ra2 $19) 18... Qa3 19. Bb2 ({If White wanted to continue, there was} 19. fxg4 {(This time it's playable.)} Rfc8 $8 20. Qb2 $8 Rxc3 21. Qxa3 Rcxa3 22. Bg2 Nxg4 23. d6 Rd8 24. Ke2 Ra6 25. Rc1 Kf8 26. Bh3 $11 {, but as it's obviously White who's aiming to achieve a draw down a pawn in the ending, it makes far more sense to make the draw immediately by repeating moves.}) 19... Qb4 20. Bc3 Qa3 21. Bb2 Qb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Women's Candidates"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Goryachkina, Aleksandra"] [Black "Lagno, Kateryna"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2553"] [BlackElo "2542"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,72,19,22,51,40,43,44,59,37,52,24,24,16,-2,9,9,10,-11,-11,14,-15,3,-15,-11,-16,3,-26,-22,-42,-1,-1,-2,-20,0,-101,-2,-48,-2,-53,-54,-50,-48,-46,-31,-58,-26,-29,-34,-32,-25,-14,0,0,9,14,7,12,7,0,0,9,9,0,0,-10,0,-30,0,0,-2,-27,0,0,0]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. O-O Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 a6 7. Bf1 e5 8. Na3 Be7 9. Nc2 O-O 10. h3 Re8 11. d3 h6 12. Ne3 Bf8 13. Nh2 Be6 14. Qf3 Ne7 15. Nhg4 Nxg4 16. hxg4 g6 17. Nf5 Kh7 18. Ng3 Bg7 19. g5 h5 20. Be2 Rf8 21. Bd1 Qd7 22. Bb3 Bxb3 23. axb3 Qe6 24. Qd1 Rad8 25. Be3 Nc6 26. Nf1 f5 27. gxf6 Qxf6 28. Qd2 Qe6 29. Bg5 Bf6 30. Bxf6 Rxf6 31. Ne3 Rdf8 32. Re2 R6f7 33. Nd5 Qg4 34. Ne3 Qe6 35. Nd5 Qg4 36. Ne3 Qe6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Women's Candidates"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Muzychuk, Anna"] [Black "Salimova, Nurgyul"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C43"] [WhiteElo "2520"] [BlackElo "2432"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,80,18,22,16,16,23,19,7,15,14,14,11,11,11,24,20,19,19,19,17,11,29,6,-2,1,35,7,7,5,26,28,26,32,38,45,35,42,35,1,68,47,24,-15,25,25,26,5,5,-44,-51,0,0,4,0,-2,-5,-10,0,-5,9,-3,12,14,13,16,7,0,2,-16,-12,-11,-13,-20,-10,-10,-9,-10,-10,-10,-10,-10,-10]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nxd7 Bxd7 7. O-O Bd6 8. Nc3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Qh5 f5 11. Rb1 b6 12. Re1 c6 13. Bg5 Qc7 14. c4 Be8 15. Qf3 dxc4 16. Bxc4+ Bf7 17. Bxf7+ Rxf7 18. h3 f4 19. Bh4 Bf8 20. Re6 Rc8 21. c4 Qd7 22. Qe4 f3 23. Re1 fxg2 24. Bg3 Rd8 25. Rd1 Re7 26. Rxe7 Qxe7 27. Qxe7 Bxe7 28. Kxg2 Kf7 29. Kf3 Bd6 30. Ke4 Bxg3 31. fxg3 Re8+ 32. Kd3 Re6 33. d5 Rg6 34. dxc6 Rxc6 35. Kc3 Ke7 36. Kb4 Rc5 37. Re1+ Kd7 38. Rd1+ Ke7 39. Re1+ Kd7 40. Rd1+ Ke7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Women's Candidates"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Lei, Tingjie"] [Black "Tan, Zhongyi"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2550"] [BlackElo "2521"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Bg4 8. Qc2 O-O 9. h3 Be6 10. Nf3 Ne4 11. Nxe4 Bxh4 12. Nc5 Bc8 13. Nxh4 Qxh4 14. Be2 c6 15. b4 Re8 16. O-O Qg5 17. Kh1 Nd7 18. b5 Nxc5 19. Qxc5 Re6 20. bxc6 Rg6 21. Bf3 bxc6 22. Qa5 h5 23. Qc7 Qh4 24. Qf4 Qxf4 25. exf4 Rf6 26. Rfe1 Kf8 27. Rac1 g6 28. Kh2 Rxf4 29. Rxc6 Rxd4 30. Rd1 Rxd1 31. Bxd1 a5 32. Kg3 Be6 33. Kf4 Ke7 34. a3 Rb8 35. Rc5 Rb2 36. Rxa5 Rxf2+ 37. Bf3 Kf6 38. Ra6 Rf1 39. h4 Rh1 $6 (39... Ke7 $17) 40. Kg3 $2 (40. Bxd5 Rxh4+ 41. Kg3 Rd4 42. Bxe6 fxe6 43. Ra8 $11 {is not difficult to calculate, but it's not trivial for humans to assess this as equal.}) 40... Ke5 $19 41. a4 Kd4 42. Ra8 Ke3 43. Re8 g5 44. Rxe6+ $1 {The best try.} fxe6 45. hxg5 h4+ (45... Ra1 $142) 46. Kg4 h3 47. g6 Kf2 48. Kf4 Ra1 (48... hxg2 49. Bxg2 Rg1 $1 $19) 49. g7 Rxa4+ 50. Kg5 Ra8 51. gxh3 Kxf3 52. h4 Rg8 (52... Rg8 53. Kf6 Rxg7 54. Kxg7 Kg4 {There is no Reti maneuver to save White.} 55. Kf6 Kxh4 56. Kxe6 d4 $19) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Women's Candidates"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Vaishali, Rameshbabu"] [Black "Koneru, Humpy"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2475"] [BlackElo "2546"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,72,18,22,16,17,20,-4,13,25,25,3,19,22,14,6,13,-8,-8,-3,-8,-42,-22,-26,20,14,13,9,11,22,0,-20,7,14,22,30,34,17,-12,5,8,7,10,7,3,6,0,-4,-2,1,0,-38,-42,-34,-7,10,-1,-33,-26,-31,-9,-6,-16,-12,0,3,6,6,9,0,9,0,9,-1,26]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 h6 6. b4 Be7 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. O-O d5 9. Bb3 a6 10. a3 Be6 11. Re1 b5 12. Bb2 dxe4 13. dxe4 Bxb3 14. Qxb3 a5 15. Nf1 Qc8 16. Ne3 Qe6 17. Nd5 Rfd8 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Rad1 Bd6 20. Rd5 Rdb8 21. Red1 Qe6 22. Qc2 Ne7 23. R5d3 Nc8 24. Nd2 Nb6 25. Bc1 Be7 26. Nf1 Qc6 27. Ne3 axb4 28. cxb4 Qxc2 29. Nxc2 Rd8 30. Kf1 Rxd3 31. Rxd3 Rd8 32. Ke2 Rxd3 33. Kxd3 Kf8 34. Be3 Nc4 35. Kc3 Ke8 36. f3 h5 37. Ba7 Nd6 38. Bc5 Nb7 39. Ba7 Nd6 40. Bc5 Nb7 41. Ba7 Nd6 1/2-1/2