[Event "TCEC Season 17 Superfinal"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2020.04.22"]
[Round "83.1"]
[White "Stockfish 20200407DC"]
[Black "LCZero v0.24-sv-t60-3010"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "3851"]
[BlackElo "3840"]
[Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2020.??.??"]
{[%evp 0,91,19,17,53,51,56,40,40,47,60,48,85,97,105,77,77,89,70,49,49,46,50,0,
57,72,72,80,71,56,51,29,8,8,0,-52,0,-14,38,5,0,0,196,2,18,-11,162,162,60,60,94,
-9,-54,-61,22,-267,132,0,0,86,59,59,59,234,234,180,168,121,443,437,800,800,
1111,1149,1149,1081,1118,1147,1399,1537,2158,2401,2087,29982,29983,29986,29989,
29990,29993,29994,29997,29998,29999,-30000]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4.
Nxd4 Qb6 {This looks a bit dodgy, but its overall score in the database isn't
too bad - though it looks like it has suffered some in its relatively rare
outings at the GM level. It certainly didn't fare well here, as LCZero won the
rematch game, albeit nowhere near as spectacularly as this game. (It was a
187-move slog, featuring an incomprehensible endgame.)} 5. Nb3 a6 6. Nc3 d6 7.
Bf4 Nf6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. O-O-O O-O {All the moves were pre-programmed to this
point (the competition preselects all the openings for the entire match), and
from here the engines were on their own.} 10. f3 ({The only predecessor was
yet another win for White:} 10. g4 Nxg4 11. Rg1 Ne5 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. Be3 b5 14.
f4 Nc4 15. Bd4 g6 16. Qh5 Nd7 17. Qh6 Bf6 18. Rd3 Bxd4 19. Nxd4 Re8 20. Rh3 Nf8
21. e5 d5 22. Bd3 Nxe5 23. fxe5 Qxe5 24. Qh4 Bb7 25. Rf3 Rac8 26. Nce2 Rc7 27.
Rf6 Ree7 28. Kd2 Red7 29. a3 Kg7 30. Nf4 Rc8 31. Rg5 Qc7 32. Nfxe6+ Nxe6 33.
Rxe6 Qa5+ 34. b4 Qxa3 35. Nf5+ Kg8 36. Ne7+ Rxe7 37. Rxe7 Qc3+ 38. Ke2 d4 39.
Qf4 {1-0 (39) Polgar,J (2670)-Short,N (2660) Dortmund 1997}) 10... Rd8 {
Transposing to a few earlier games.} ({With Black in the next game, Stockfish
chose the uninspiring} 10... Ne8 {, running without being asked.} 11. h4 Qc7
12. Bg5 b5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. h5 Nc6 15. h6 {True Alpha/Leela Zero-style chess
- not that computers invented the idea of pushing a pawn to h6. Anyway, White
is already much better, and as noted above, ground out a win in another 172
moves, which I'll spare you.}) 11. g4 Qc7 12. g5 Ne8 ({More suffering for
Black:} 12... Nh5 13. Be3 b5 14. a3 Bb7 15. f4 d5 16. exd5 b4 17. axb4 Bxb4 18.
Qf2 Rc8 19. Be2 Bxc3 20. Bxh5 Bxd5 21. Rxd5 exd5 22. bxc3 Qxc3 23. Kb1 a5 24.
Qd2 a4 25. Bxf7+ Kxf7 26. Qxd5+ Kf8 27. Bc5+ Rxc5 28. Qxc5+ Qxc5 29. Nxc5 Ra5
30. Ne6+ Kf7 31. Nd4 Rd5 32. c3 Nd7 33. Kc2 h6 34. h4 hxg5 35. hxg5 Nc5 36. Ra1
Kg6 37. Nb5 a3 38. Nxa3 Kf5 {1-0 (38) Petrosian,S (2393)-Koop,T (2152) Germany
2005}) 13. h4 b5 14. Be3 $146 ({Still more suffering for Black:} 14. Qf2 b4 15.
Na4 Nd7 16. Be3 Rb8 17. Nd2 d5 18. exd5 exd5 19. b3 Nd6 20. Bf4 Nb6 21. Nxb6
Rxb6 22. Bd3 Rc6 23. h5 Qa5 24. h6 g6 25. Qd4 Bf8 26. Kb1 Nb7 27. Rhe1 Nc5 28.
Bf1 Ne6 29. Qf6 Rxc2 30. Kxc2 Nxf4 31. Qxf4 Qxa2+ 32. Kd3 Bf5+ 33. Ke2 Qb2 34.
Kf2 Bc5+ 35. Kg2 a5 36. Kh1 {1-0 (36) Bittencourt,J (2448)-Santiago,Y (2185)
Rio de Janeiro 2007}) 14... Nd7 15. g6 {The first sacrifice, albeit a very
standard one.} hxg6 16. h5 b4 17. Ne2 Ne5 18. Ned4 a5 19. hxg6 Nxg6 20. Qh2 Bf6
({Black would like to play} 20... a4 $4 {, of course, but there's a problem.}
21. Qh7+ Kf8 22. Qh8+ Nxh8 23. Rxh8#) 21. Bd3 a4 22. e5 $1 axb3 23. exf6 Nxf6 (
23... bxa2 $4 {fails for a familiar reason:} 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Qh8+ Nxh8 26.
Rxh8#) 24. Nxb3 Bb7 (24... Rxa2 $2 {doesn't lose as straightforwardly as the
blunders in the last two notes, but it surrenders a valuable tempo that makes
White's win too easy.} 25. Rdg1 Kf8 26. Bxg6 fxg6 27. Rxg6 Qf7 {is one of
Black's more reasonable options, but even so White has numerous crushing
replies, including} 28. Rxg7 Qxg7 (28... Kxg7 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. Qh8#) 29. Bh6
Qxh6+ 30. Qxh6+ Kf7 31. Qf4 $18 {and although the material disparity isn't so
bad, the weakness of Black's king and his loose pieces makes White's task a
piece of cake. (Or since it's an engine, a slice of pi.)}) 25. Bh6 $3 {Sure,
why not? It's a slight pity the bishop didn't come from g5, in which case it
would perform what problemists call a Rundlauf (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Rundlauf), but it's pretty enough anyway.} Bxf3 (25... gxh6 26. Qxh6 Bxf3 27.
Bxg6 fxg6 28. Qh8+ Kf7 29. Rh7+ Nxh7 30. Qxh7+ Ke8 31. Qxc7 Bxd1 32. Kxd1 $18 {
and although it seems as if Black has done nothing but capture White pieces
over the past eight moves, it is White who enjoys a decisive material
advantage.}) 26. Bxg7 $1 Nh5 (26... Kxg7 27. Qh6+ Kg8 28. Bxg6 fxg6 29. Qh8+
$18 {transposes to the preceding variation.}) 27. Bf6 $1 Qa7 (27... Nxf6 28.
Bxg6 Bxh1 29. Rxh1 fxg6 30. Qh8+ Kf7 31. Rh7+ $18 {is essentially another
version of the same thing.}) (27... Bxh1 28. Qxh5 $18) (27... Bxd1 28. Kxd1
Nxf6 (28... Ra5 29. Nxa5 Qxa5 30. Bxd8 Qxd8 31. Qxh5 $18) 29. Bxg6 Kf8 (29...
fxg6 30. Qh8+ {etc. - you know the drill.}) 30. Qh6+ Ke7 31. Qg7 Rf8 32. Rf1
Rxa2 33. Qxf6+ Ke8 34. Qxe6+ Kd8 35. Qf5 $18 {Black is okay if you count the
material, but if you look at king safety it's not surprising that White is the
equivalent of a rook ahead.}) 28. Bg5 {To h6, g7, f6, and g5 on successive
moves. Very nice.} Rdc8 (28... Bxd1 29. Kxd1 {only makes White's job easier;
the bishop needs to stay on f3 to guard the knight, which is Black's last line
of defense.}) (28... Bxh1 29. Rxh1 $18 {harms Black for the same reason.}) 29.
Rdf1 $1 {The bishop must be forced to leave the N@h5's defense.} Bg4 {Black
tries...} 30. Rfg1 Bf3 {...and tries...} 31. Qh3 Qb7 {...and tries...} 32. Nd4
{...but to no avail. The kingside is lost; so LC0 tries to gin up some
counterplay on the queenside.} b3 (32... Bxh1 33. Qxh5 Kf8 34. Bxg6 Ke8 35. Rf1
$18 {It will be soon be mate.}) 33. a3 Rxa3 {Might as well.} 34. bxa3 bxc2 35.
Qxf3 {Black has a little play; unfortunately, he's down a rook (or a rook and
a minor piece for three pawns) and White still has an attack.} Qb1+ 36. Kd2 Qb2
37. Nxc2 Qc3+ 38. Kd1 Qb3 39. Rxh5 Rxc2 {The B@d3 is pinned and Black
threatens mate in two. That's the good news; the bad news is that White is a
rook and a minor piece ahead, and has the pleasant choice between a completely
winning defensive move like 40.Bd2 (which isn't *just* a defensive move) and
the elegant mating finish in the text.} 40. Rh8+ $1 Nxh8 (40... Kxh8 41. Qf6+
Kg8 42. Qd8+ Kh7 43. Bxg6+ {forces mate:} fxg6 44. Qe7+ Kg8 45. Qe8+ Kg7 46.
Bh6+ Kf6 47. Bg7+ Kf5 48. Qxg6+ Kf4 49. Qg4+ Ke3 50. Bh6+ Kd3 51. Rg3#) 41.
Bh7+ Kxh7 42. Qxb3 Rg2 {Anything to make the game last another move.} 43. Rxg2
Ng6 44. Bf6 d5 45. Qh3+ Kg8 46. Qh8# 1-0
