[Event "WCh 2024"] [White "Gukesh, Dommaraju"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Site "Singapore SIN"] [Round "5.1"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "2024.11.30"] [ECO "B22"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2728"] [PlyCount "80"] [GameId "2117684803748076"] [EventDate "2024.11.25"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 {We have reached rock bottom.} exd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 (6. O-O {is a common alternative.}) 6... c4 7. Bc2 Bd6 8. Qe2+ Qe7 9. Qxe7+ Kxe7 10. O-O Re8 11. Re1+ Kf8 12. Rxe8+ Kxe8 13. Bg5 {Necessary, as otherwise Black develops all his minor pieces to their best squares. Here Black will remain bottled up for a while.} Nbd7 14. Nbd2 {Looking to play Re1+ followed by Ne5, with some initiative.} h6 $1 (14... b5 15. Re1+ Kf8 16. Ne5 $11 {/? "and I don't know how to continue. Bf4 is coming, with some threats" - Ding.}) 15. Bh4 Nh5 $1 {Ding's last moves were good ones, but they shouldn't have taken him 40 minutes to play.} 16. Re1+ Kf8 17. g4 $146 {Fighting to keep the initiative. It was mentioned in the press conference that Gukesh has played g4 in all three of his white games. That's true, and it reflects his fighting spirit. That said, he was also in trouble in all three games, and there's a very real sense in which g4 made those troubles happen. As I said about Gukesh's 30...f5!? in the last game, don't try this at home: he is a trained professional.} (17. Nf1 g5 18. Bg3 Nxg3 19. Nxg3 (19. hxg3 $146 Nf6 {was noted as extremely solid by Gukesh, who added that Black may well continue with ...Be6 as well as ...b5-b4.} 20. Ne3 b5 $11 {is fine for Black, who will enjoy his own play on the queenside starting with ...b4.}) 19... Bxg3 (19... Nf6 $11 {Ding}) 20. hxg3 Nf6 21. a4 Bd7 22. Ne5 Be8 23. Nf3 {Implicitly offering a draw. White had nothing, and nothing better, in any case. As the higher-rated player Black feels obliged to try a while longer, but there's not much water in this desert, and a draw is soon agreed in any case.} Rc8 24. Nd2 b6 25. Nf1 Bd7 26. Ne3 Rb8 27. Ra1 Ke7 28. f3 h5 29. Kf2 Kd6 30. Ke2 Re8 31. Kd2 Rg8 32. Ke2 Re8 33. Kd2 Rg8 34. Ke2 Re8 {½-½ Damjanovic,V (2364)-Kramer,J (2503) EU-ch 24th Petrovac 2024 (10)}) 17... Nf4 (17... Nhf6 $143 18. Ne5 $14 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Nxg4 20. Nf3 h5 21. e6 fxe6 22. Rxe6 Ngf6 23. Rd6 $14 {is genuinely dangerous for Black. White's bishops are great, while Black is passive and undeveloped. Unless Black spots the idea of ...a5 and ...Ra6 here, his position will be lost or very nearly so.} (23. Nd4 $14)) 18. Bg3 Nb6 (18... g5 {is a good alternative to the text, looking to play ...Nf6 next.} 19. h4 Nf6 $11) (18... Nf6 19. Ne5 g5 20. Bxf4 gxf4 21. h3 $11 {, intending Ndf3 and then g5, was mentioned by Ding after the game. He later continued the variation:} b5 22. Ndf3 a5 23. g5 hxg5 24. Nxg5 Ra7 $11 {, reporting that he had seen this during the game but was apparently sure about its evaluation.}) 19. g5 (19. Ne5 Bxe5 20. Rxe5 (20. dxe5 Nd3 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. h3 (22. Re3 Nc4 23. Rxd3 Nxb2 24. Rxd5 Bxg4 25. Rb5 Nd1 $11 {/? was a variation Ding considered and showed at the press conference.} (25... Na4 26. Rb4 $11)) 22... Nc4 23. Nxc4 dxc4 {is likewise equal-ish, but "more equal" for Black than for White.}) 20... Nd3 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. f3 Nc4 23. Nxc4 dxc4 {can only be better for Black, as the passed pawn on d3 is more important than White's momentary lead in development. White should hold without much trouble, but the point is that it's White, not Black, who must do the holding.}) 19... hxg5 20. Nxg5 {Threatening mate in three.} Bd7 21. Ngf3 (21. Nf1 $11) 21... Re8 22. Ne5 Bxe5 23. dxe5 $2 {After this careless move Black not only takes over the initiative, but is even playing for a win.} (23. Rxe5 $11) 23... Nd3 $1 24. Bxd3 cxd3 25. f3 ({White would like to play} 25. b3 $6 {, of course, keeping Black's knight out of c4. Unfortunately for Gukesh, the freshly weakened c3 becomes a problem.} Rc8 $1 26. Nb1 {is probably best. Black is clearly better after} (26. Rc1 $6 {tries to maintain the status quo, but Black makes progress with} d4 $1 27. c4 Nd5 $1 $17 {/-+ The knight heads for c3.}) 26... Bg4 27. Kg2 Be2 $17) (25. Bf4 $1 {was best, intending to meet} Nc4 {with} (25... Na4 $1 $15 {/?}) (25... Re6 $1 $15 {/?}) 26. b3 {, with something near enough to equality.}) 25... Nc4 $17 26. Nxc4 dxc4 27. Re4 Bc6 $2 {This makes White's defensive task much easier.} (27... Be6 $1 {followed by ...Rc8 keeps the bind, and Black's rook will lift to c6 or c5 to bother White's a- and b-pawns. It's hard to say if the position is "mathematically" winning, but White has no way to force a draw, and he'll have to suffer for a long time without any guarantee of success. Ding seems to have missed the rook lift idea.} 28. Rd4 Rc8 $17) 28. Rd4 $1 (28. Rxc4 $4 Rd8 $19) 28... Bxf3 (28... b5 29. Kf2 $11) 29. Kf2 $1 (29. Rxc4 $4 d2) 29... Bc6 $6 {Essentially a draw offer. Black goes from a pawn up to a pawn down to create a fortress.} ({After} 29... Bh5 30. Ke3 {and now} Rc8 ({or} 30... b5 $15 {keeps a slight edge.})) 30. Rxc4 Rd8 31. Rd4 Rxd4 32. cxd4 Bd5 33. b3 Ke7 34. Ke3 Ke6 35. Kxd3 g6 36. Kc3 a6 {With a dead draw, as everything is protected and White has nothing to attack.} 37. Kd3 Kf5 38. Ke3 Ke6 39. Kd3 Kf5 40. Ke3 Ke6 1/2-1/2