[Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C11"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2859"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] {[%evp 0,72,26,22,47,18,47,48,78,28,19,-12,10,19,33,13,31,14,12,7,33,13,10,18,29,35,28,16,19,6,32,29,23,14,30,45,19,41,20,27,33,3,-27,-27,-63,-60,-83,-70,-69,-119,-125,-125,-133,-134,-133,-100,-100,-229,-242,-277,-278,-278,-297,-276,-308,-298,-244,-315,-291,-413,-393,-420,-368,-707,-672]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. a3 (9. dxc5 {is the other main move, and saw Carlsen suffer a rare loss a few weeks ago.} Bxc5 10. Bxc5 Nxc5 11. Bd3 Qb6 12. Qf2 b4 13. Ne2 a5 14. O-O Ba6 15. f5 exf5 16. Nf4 Ne7 17. e6 f6 18. Rac1 O-O 19. c3 Qd6 20. Bxa6 Rxa6 21. cxb4 Ne4 22. Qe3 axb4 23. Nd4 Rxa2 24. Nb5 Qe5 25. Rc7 Re8 26. Qb6 Ng5 27. Rxe7 Rea8 28. Qc7 Qe3+ 29. Kh1 {1-0 (29) Gukesh,D (2732)-Carlsen,M (2856) chess24.com INT 2022}) 9... Qa5 10. Be2 (10. dxc5 {is common here as well.}) 10... b4 11. Nd1 Rb8 12. O-O c4 {Only played once or twice before.} (12... bxa3 {is far more common and the clear choice of the computer. Now watch as more than half the pieces get vacuumed off the board, resulting in a dead drawn position that has led to 12 draws in 12 games. (Which makes one wonder: was this a game of chicken? Did Giri play this prospectless line because he thought that the (almost) always aggressive Carlsen would prefer to choose something inferior over an easy draw with the black pieces?)} 13. Qxa5 Nxa5 14. dxc5 axb2 15. Nxb2 Rxb2 16. Rxa5 Rxc2 17. Bxa6 Bxc5 18. Bxc5 Rxc5 19. Rxc5 Nxc5 20. Bxc8 O-O 21. Bxe6 fxe6 $11) 13. a4 (13. c3) ({and} 13. Qc1 {also favor White.}) 13... Be7 $146 (13... b3 14. cxb3 Rxb3 15. Nc3 Be7 16. Rfc1 Rb8 17. Rab1 Nb6 18. b3 cxb3 19. Rxb3 Bd7 20. Rcb1 Bb4 21. Qc2 O-O 22. Na2 Qxa4 23. Bd3 Nc4 24. Bxh7+ Kh8 25. Bc1 Be7 26. Ng5 Rxb3 27. Rxb3 Bxg5 28. fxg5 g6 29. Bxg6 Kg7 30. Rb7 Nxd4 31. Qxa4 Bxa4 32. Bh5 Bc6 33. Ra7 Nb5 34. Rxa6 Bb7 35. Ra4 Rc8 36. Bf4 d4 37. Rb4 Nca3 38. Bc1 Bd5 39. Ra4 Rc2 40. Bxa3 Rxg2+ 41. Kf1 Rxa2 42. Rb4 {0-1 (42) Sakai,H (2116)-Rambaldi,F (2563) Columbus 2017}) 14. Qe1 b3 15. c3 (15. Bd2 $16 {may improve, first chasing Black's queen from the a-pawn before (possibly, possibly not) playing c3.}) 15... Nb6 16. f5 $6 (16. h4 $142) (16. g4 $142) 16... exf5 17. Qg3 g6 18. Bg5 $6 (18. Bh6 $142 {is better, reserving g5 for the knight.} Be6 19. Ng5 $14) 18... Be6 19. Bf6 $2 Bxf6 20. exf6 Nd7 $19 {In principle Giri's idea was correct. Black has a bunch of vulnerable-looking dark squares, so swapping the dark-squared bishops and creating possible entry points on d6, e5 and elsewhere is the standard thing to do. Unfortunately for him, Carlsen will be able to safely collect the f-pawn and then plant his knight on e4, spreading gloom and doom over White's half of the board. It turns out, though, that both players have miscalculated:} 21. Ng5 Rc8 $2 (21... Nxf6 $1 22. Qd6 Rb6 $1 {The key move, which both players probably missed.} 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Qxe6+ Ne7 $19) 22. Nxe6 $2 (22. Qe3 $1 Kd8 {Best.} (22... Nd8 23. g4 $1 fxg4 24. Bxg4 Rc6 25. Qe1 $1 $16) 23. g4 $1 $44) 22... fxe6 23. Qd6 Nf8 $19 {White's queen and f-pawn are great, but they're not enough. Black will repel the attack and win with his extra pawn (soon two).} 24. Bxc4 $5 {A good practical try, fueling the attack.} dxc4 25. Ne3 Qc7 26. Nxc4 Kf7 $1 27. d5 Nd8 28. dxe6+ Nfxe6 29. Ne5+ Kxf6 {It's over. Black is a full piece ahead, and White cannot generate any real threats.} 30. Nd7+ Kf7 31. Qd5 Re8 32. Rad1 Kg7 (32... Nc6) 33. g4 f4 34. a5 Nf7 35. Rfe1 Rcd8 36. h4 f3 {Threatening ...Qg3(+). White's queen can retreat to f3; that's great for the king's safety, but then he loses the second knight. It's time to give up, and he did.} 0-1 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Le, Quang Liem"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2731"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bd6 9. O-O e5 10. h3 a6 11. a3 Bd7 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bd2 Qe7 15. f4 Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Bb5 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Bxb5 axb5 19. e4 Qd4+ 20. Kh2 Qc4 21. Rac1 Qxc2 22. Rxc2 c6 23. Rd2 Rfd8 24. Rfd1 Rxd2 25. Rxd2 Kf8 26. Rd4 f6 27. Kg3 Ke7 28. Kf3 b6 29. Ke3 c5 30. Rd3 Ra4 31. Rb3 b4 32. axb4 c4 33. Ra3 Rxb4 34. Ra7+ Kd6 35. Rxg7 b5 36. Kd4 Rxb2 37. e5+ fxe5+ 38. fxe5+ Kc6 39. e6 Rd2+ 40. Ke3 c3 41. Rg8 Kd6 42. Rd8+ Kxe6 43. Rxd2 cxd2 44. Kxd2 Kf5 45. Kc3 Kf4 46. Kb4 Kg3 47. Kxb5 Kxg2 48. h4 h5 49. Kc4 Kg3 50. Kd3 Kxh4 51. Ke2 Kg3 52. Kf1 Kh2 53. Kf2 h4 54. Kf1 h3 55. Kf2 Kh1 56. Kg3 h2 57. Kf2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E46"] [WhiteElo "2678"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd2 d5 6. Nf3 b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bd3 Re8 9. O-O Bd6 10. Nb5 Be7 11. Ne5 c5 12. f4 Bb7 13. Be1 Nc6 14. Bh4 Ne4 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Qb3 Nxe5 17. fxe5 Bd5 18. Bxe7 Qd7 19. Qc3 Qxb5 20. Bd6 cxd4 21. Qxd4 Rac8 22. a4 Qc4 23. Rfd1 Be6 24. a5 Qb3 25. Ra3 Qb5 26. axb6 axb6 27. Rc3 h5 28. h3 Ra8 29. Rc7 Ra4 30. Qc3 Rea8 31. Ba3 Rc4 32. Rxc4 Bxc4 33. Qb4 Qxb4 34. Bxb4 Bd3 35. Rc1 Re8 36. Bc3 Kh7 37. Bd4 b5 38. Rc7 Kg6 39. Rc6+ Kf5 40. Rc7 Kg6 41. Rc6+ Kf5 42. Rc7 Kg6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E34"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2718"] [PlyCount "118"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. dxc5 dxc4 8. e3 h6 9. Bh4 Nbd7 10. Bxc4 Qa5 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 Qxc5 13. Be2 b6 14. Rfd1 Bb7 15. c4 Rac8 16. Rac1 Rfd8 17. Nd4 Ne5 18. Qa4 a6 19. Nb3 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Qc7 21. f3 Nxc4 22. Bxc4 Qxc4 23. Qxc4 Rxc4 24. Rd8+ Kh7 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Rd7 Bc8 27. Rxf7+ Kg6 28. Rf8 a5 29. h3 a4 30. Nd2 Rc1+ 31. Kh2 f5 32. f4 Bb7 33. Rb8 Bd5 34. Nf3 Bxf3 35. gxf3 Rb1 36. Kg3 b5 37. a3 Rb3 38. Rb7 Rxa3 39. Rxb5 Rxe3 40. Ra5 a3 41. Ra7 Rb3 42. Re7 Kf6 43. Ra7 Rc3 44. Kf2 Rc2+ 45. Kg3 a2 46. h4 Kg6 47. Kh3 Kh5 48. Kg3 Re2 49. Ra6 Kg6 50. Ra7 Kf6 51. Kh3 h5 52. Kg3 Rb2 53. Kh3 Rc2 54. Kg3 Re2 55. Kh3 e5 56. Ra6+ Ke7 57. fxe5 f4 58. Ra7+ Ke6 59. Rxa2 Rxa2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Le, Quang Liem"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2731"] [BlackElo "2728"] [PlyCount "211"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nbd7 6. O-O c6 7. a4 a5 8. Nc3 Bb4 9. Qc2 O-O 10. Na2 Bd6 11. Qxc4 e5 12. Qc2 Re8 13. Rd1 Qe7 14. e4 h6 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Be3 Bc7 18. f3 Be6 19. Nc1 Rad8 20. Nd3 Nd7 21. Nf2 Qb4 22. Rd3 Bb6 23. Qc3 Bxe3 24. Rxe3 Nc5 25. Bf1 Rd2 26. Qxb4 axb4 27. Rc1 Nxa4 28. b3 Nc3 29. Nd3 Na2 30. Ra1 Rd8 31. Nf4 b5 32. Nxe6 fxe6 33. e5 Rb2 34. f4 Rdd2 35. f5 Kf7 36. fxe6+ Kxe6 37. h4 Rbc2 38. Bh3+ Ke7 39. Rf3 Rc3 40. Raf1 Rxf3 41. Rxf3 Rd8 42. e6 Rf8 43. Rd3 c5 44. Rd7+ Kf6 45. Rc7 c4 46. bxc4 b3 47. e7 Re8 48. cxb5 b2 49. Rc6+ Ke5 50. Re6+ Kd5 51. Bf5 b1=Q+ 52. Bxb1 Kxe6 53. Bxa2+ Kxe7 54. Bd5 Kd6 55. Bc6 Re2 56. Kf1 Rb2 57. Kg1 Ke5 58. Kf1 Kf5 59. Bd7+ Ke4 60. Bc6+ Ke3 61. Kg1 Kd4 62. Kf1 Rc2 63. Ke1 Ke5 64. Kf1 Kf5 65. Bd7+ Kf6 66. Bc6 Rb2 67. Bd7 Ke5 68. Bc6 Kd6 69. Be8 Kc5 70. Bc6 Kc4 71. Bd7 Kd3 72. Bc6 Ke3 73. Kg1 g6 74. Kf1 Kd4 75. Be8 Ke4 76. Bc6+ Kf5 77. Bd7+ Ke5 78. Bc6 Rc2 79. Be8 Kf6 80. Bc6 g5 81. hxg5+ Kxg5 82. Bd7 Rd2 83. Bc8 Rd8 84. Bb7 Kg4 85. Kf2 Rd2+ 86. Ke3 Rb2 87. Bc6 Kxg3 88. Kd4 h5 89. Kc5 h4 90. Bd7 Kf4 91. Kd6 h3 92. Bxh3 Rxb5 93. Bd7 Rh5 94. Be8 Rh1 95. Bf7 Rd1+ 96. Ke6 Ra1 97. Kd5 Kf5 98. Be6+ Kf6 99. Bh3 Ra5+ 100. Kd4 Rh5 101. Bc8 Ke7 102. Ke4 Kd6 103. Kf4 Rc5 104. Bg4 Rc4+ 105. Kf5 Rxg4 106. Kxg4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.2"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2678"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 a6 7. Re1 Ba7 8. a4 O-O 9. b4 h6 10. Nbd2 Ne7 11. Bb3 Ng6 12. d4 Re8 13. Qc2 c6 14. Bb2 d5 15. exd5 cxd5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Rxe5 Rxe5 18. dxe5 Ng4 19. Rf1 Nxe5 20. c4 Nxc4 21. Nxc4 dxc4 22. Bxc4 Be6 23. Bxe6 fxe6 24. Re1 Qd7 25. Kh1 Rd8 26. Qe2 Qf7 27. f3 Bd4 28. b5 axb5 29. Bxd4 Rxd4 30. axb5 Qd7 31. h3 Rd5 32. b6 Rd6 33. Qe3 Qd8 34. Rb1 Rc6 35. Qb3 Kh8 36. Qe3 Kg8 37. Qb3 Kh8 38. Qe3 Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D85"] [WhiteElo "2859"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] {[%evp 0,63,24,30,19,10,31,31,80,74,51,46,43,51,51,51,51,17,23,20,31,37,37,9,29,4,-3,0,19,25,38,34,30,34,21,27,24,55,40,30,40,50,68,112,124,119,189,155,179,168,191,193,193,200,190,197,181,191,211,207,316,238,238,249,287,266]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8. Rc1 O-O 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. Be2 Qa5 11. Qd2 (11. O-O {is more popular among the big dogs.}) 11... Nd7 12. h3 (12. d5 c4 13. Bd4 {is an alternative.}) 12... Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Nb6 14. O-O cxd4 (14... Nc4 {also equalizes.}) 15. cxd4 Qxd2 16. Bxd2 Bxd4 17. Rc7 Rfc8 $6 (17... e6 $142 $11) 18. Rxe7 $14 Rc2 19. Bf4 Rxa2 20. e5 Kf8 $2 (20... Ra5 $1 $14) 21. Rxb7 $18 {And just like that, White is winning. Black's king is weak and his position is full of tactical liabilities.} Re8 22. Bd1 (22. Bh6+ $1 Kg8 23. Rd1 $1 {was even stronger. For example:} Bxf2+ 24. Kh2 {and now the big problem is e5-e6. If Black takes it with the pawn, then the 7th rank opens, but taking with the rook is impossible because of a back rank checkmate.} Bh4 25. Rf1 $1 Rf2 26. Rc1 $1 Na8 {How else to prevent Rcc7?} (26... Bd8 27. Bc6 Rxe5 28. Rd1 $18 {is finito.}) 27. Bc6 Rc8 28. e6 $1 $18) 22... Rb2 (22... Ra3 23. Bc1 $1 Rd3 24. Be2 Rc3 25. Bb2 Bxe5 26. Bxc3 Bxc3 27. Ba6 $18) 23. Bc1 $1 {White's bishops will only look tame for a moment. Come back in three moves.} Rb1 24. Bc2 Rb5 25. Bh6+ Kg8 26. Ba4 {The end.} Nxa4 27. Rxb5 Nc3 28. Rb7 a5 (28... Bxe5 29. Re1 f6 30. Kf1 $18 {and then 31.f4.}) 29. Re1 a4 30. Be3 Bxe3 (30... Bxe5 31. Bd4 $18) 31. Rxe3 Nd5 32. Rf3 1-0 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D73"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] {[%evp 0,115,24,19,27,-17,19,2,23,11,0,-1,16,11,12,12,53,46,38,70,29,32,32,47,43,48,25,5,36,17,14,-16,4,15,-9,-16,-1,-7,-3,-47,-20,-22,5,16,19,17,28,6,35,40,68,40,58,57,65,59,57,57,57,57,80,85,88,88,90,78,89,91,88,64,88,74,93,93,98,92,135,128,138,138,138,143,120,108,135,97,91,94,93,99,146,135,127,134,136,181,189,194,231,235,235,234,244,244,247,256,239,273,273,242,241,273,277,277,326,334,352,347]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 Nf6 5. c4 c6 6. cxd5 cxd5 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Qb3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. O-O Nc6 11. Nd2 e6 12. e4 Na5 13. Qc2 (13. Qd1 {is also popular.}) 13... Bd7 $146 (13... b6 {had been more or less automatic.}) 14. e5 (14. Ba3 $142 Re8 15. e5 $14) 14... Rc8 (14... Qc7 $142 $11) 15. h4 $1 Qc7 16. Ba3 Rfe8 17. Rac1 (17. Rfc1 $142) 17... Nc4 (17... Bb5 $11 {comes with tempo; this is why it was better to move the other rook to c1.}) 18. Nxc4 Qxc4 19. h5 (19. Qd2 $142 $14) 19... Qa4 $11 20. Qb2 Rc6 (20... Bb5 $142 $11) 21. Bd6 $14 Bh6 22. f4 Rec8 23. Rf2 (23. Rf3 $142) 23... Rb6 $6 (23... Bf8 $142) 24. Qd2 Rxd6 25. exd6 {Black overestimates the "fortressness" of his position.} Qa3 26. Qb2 Qxb2 27. Rxb2 b6 28. Bf1 Bg7 {Threatening to take on d4.} 29. Rd2 Rc6 30. Bb5 Rxd6 31. Bxd7 (31. a4 $1 $18) 31... Rxd7 32. Kf2 $18 {There is no fortress, and White goes on to win.} Rc7 33. Ke3 Rc4 34. Rcc2 gxh5 35. Kd3 h4 36. gxh4 Bf6 37. h5 h6 38. Re2 Kf8 39. f5 Ke7 40. fxe6 fxe6 41. Re3 Bg5 42. Rf3 e5 43. dxe5 Ke6 44. Re2 Bf4 45. Rf1 b5 46. Rb1 a6 47. a3 Bg5 48. Rb4 Rc8 49. a4 Be7 50. Rg4 Bg5 51. axb5 axb5 52. Rb4 Rb8 53. Rb1 Be7 54. Reb2 Rg8 55. Rxb5 Rg3+ 56. Kc2 Rg2+ 57. Kb3 Bg5 58. Re1 1-0 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2678"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 (8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 (11. O-O {is considerably more popular. This is why White doesn't get h3 "for free" in the game; with the bishop on f1 instead of d3 the option of castling, waiting for Black to make the exchange, doesn't exist.}) 11... Rxa6 12. b5 cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 {used to happen regularly and still occurs from time to time; this was the line in Anand's one win in his two world championship matches against Carlsen.} b4 15. Nb5 a4 16. Rc1 Ne4 17. Ng5 Ndf6 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. f3 Ra5 20. fxe4 Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 23. exd5 Rxd5 24. Qxb6 Qd7 25. O-O Rc8 26. Rc6 g5 27. Bg3 Bb4 28. Ra1 Ba5 29. Qa6 Bxc7 30. Qc4 e5 31. Bxe5 Rxe5 32. dxe5 Qe7 33. e6 Kf8 34. Rc1 {1-0 (34) Anand,V (2792)-Carlsen,M (2863) Sochi 2014}) 8... b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. O-O (12. b5 cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 {is the alternative, which has been played many times both in this setting and without h3. (See the note to move 8.)}) 12... Qa8 13. Rb1 axb4 14. axb4 Qb7 15. Qc2 Rfa8 16. Rfc1 (16. Nd2 $14) 16... b5 $11 17. Nd2 Bd8 (17... R8a7 $146 18. Nb3 Qa8 $11 {looks safe as houses, as they say across the pond.}) 18. Nb3 Bc7 {Not so much trading bishops as trading squares: Black gives up a5 to get e5.} 19. Bxc7 Qxc7 $14 20. Ra1 e5 21. Qb2 (21. dxe5 $1 $14 {is better, clearing d4 for the knight.}) 21... e4 22. Rxa6 Rxa6 23. Ra1 Qa7 24. Rxa6 Qxa6 $11 {It is impossible to win this, but it is possible to lose it.} 25. f3 $6 h5 $6 (25... exf3 $142 $15) 26. Na5 (26. fxe4 Nxe4 27. Nxe4 dxe4 28. d5 $1 cxd5 29. Qc3 Qa3 $8 30. c6 Nb6 31. Qc5 Na8 $8 (31... Qxb3 $2 32. Qxb6 $18) 32. Qxd5 Qxb4 $8 33. Kh2 (33. Qd8+ Kh7 34. Qxa8 Qxb3 35. Qb8 Qxe3+ 36. Kh2 Qc1 37. c7 Qf4+ $11) 33... Qe7 34. Qxb5 Qd6+ 35. Kg1 Nc7 $11) 26... exf3 27. gxf3 Qc8 $11 28. Qh2 Nf8 29. Kf2 Ng6 30. Qd6 $5 Qxh3 31. Nxc6 {The position is still equal, but now it's anything but drawish.} h4 32. Ne2 $2 {This well-motivated attempt to give the king some protection turns out to be losing.} (32. Nxd5 $8 Nxd5 33. Qd8+ $8 Kh7 34. Qxd5 Qg3+ 35. Kf1 h3 36. Qh5+ Kg8 37. Qg4 Qh2 $11) 32... Nh5 $19 33. Ng1 Qh1 34. Ne2 Ng3 $1 35. Nxg3 Qh2+ 36. Ke1 hxg3 37. Kd1 Qh1+ 38. Kc2 g2 0-1 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Le, Quang Liem"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D39"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2731"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] {[%evp 0,91,23,18,18,-2,-3,-4,-4,-8,33,-7,46,30,30,30,23,41,41,24,24,6,22,1,10,6,22,28,24,-20,-26,-15,20,7,22,-16,-16,-14,-14,26,33,57,50,35,35,-19,1,-2,-2,-2,12,11,4,-5,14,-21,79,78,65,51,156,194,189,221,203,203,221,223,271,81,82,50,20,40,40,35,38,105,113,54,652,629,588,790,790,663,790,790,782,851,869,869,29985,29986]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qa5 9. Bd2 (9. Bxf6 {is more entertaining, but Black has figured things out to the point where he almost never loses with it.}) 9... Qc5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Nb3 Qe7 12. Bd3 Nc6 13. O-O O-O {All very standard; there are 150 games from this position in the database. 116 of them saw 14.a3, and there were 30 with 14.Qe2. Le's next move is a novelty.} 14. Kh1 $146 {The engine is not impressed, but what matters here is how much Duda can figure out in a 15-minute game (unless he has looked at the move at home, which, while not impossible, is somewhat unlikely, as the engine thinks the move takes White from slightly better to slightly worse.} Ne5 15. Be2 Ng6 16. a3 Bd6 $6 (16... Bxc3 $142 $1 17. Bxc3 Rfd8 $15) 17. f4 $14 e5 18. f5 Nf4 19. Bf3 h6 20. g3 Nd3 21. Qc2 Nc5 22. g4 ({Or} 22. Nxc5 Bxc5 23. g4 $14) 22... Nxb3 23. Qxb3 Bc6 24. g5 hxg5 25. Bxg5 Bc5 26. Qc2 {After a stretch of very good play by both sides, Duda errs.} Rfc8 $2 (26... Rfd8 $1 {is better, transferring the defensive duties for the knight on f6 to the rook, freeing the queen for other jobs (and to break the pin).} 27. Qg2 Rd6 $11) 27. Qg2 $18 Qd6 28. Rad1 Bd4 29. Rg1 {Taking advantage of Black's awkward defensive setup, though} (29. Qg3 $1 $18 {was even better, looking to play Qh4 next.}) 29... Nh7 $2 (29... Ne8 $142) 30. Ne2 (30. Qg3 $1) 30... Nxg5 (30... f6 $142) 31. Qxg5 Qf8 32. Nxd4 f6 33. Qh6 (33. Qh4 $142 exd4 34. Rg6) 33... exd4 34. Rg3 $2 {A big mistake.} (34. Rg6 $18 {was much better, so that Rag1 would not just hit g7, but f6 as well.}) (34. Rxg7+ Qxg7 35. Rg1 {is also a surprisingly easy win.} Qxg1+ (35... Rc7 36. Qxf6 $18) 36. Kxg1 Rf8 37. Bd1 $1 Be8 38. Bb3+ Bf7 39. Qg6+ Kh8 40. Bxf7 Rg8 41. Bxg8 Rxg8 42. Qxg8+ Kxg8 43. Kf2 $18 {This is not the fastest win, but it's a very easy, very human way to finish things off.}) 34... g5 (34... Rc7 {is also good.}) 35. Qh5 Rc7 $2 (35... Be8 $142) (35... Qf7 $142) 36. Rh3 Qg7 37. e5 $1 {Without this move, Black would be completely fine. White's clearly winning again, though a little work remains.} Bxf3+ 38. Qxf3 Rac8 39. Rg1 $2 {A big error, possibly in time trouble, that goes unpunished (probably for the same reason).} (39. Qd5+ Qf7 40. e6 $18) 39... fxe5 $2 (39... Rc5 $1 40. exf6 Qxf6 41. Rxg5+ Qxg5 42. Rg3 Qxg3 43. Qxg3+ Kf8 $14) 40. f6 {No more reprieves. The rest is a massacre.} Qg6 41. Qd5+ Rf7 42. Qxe5 Rxf6 43. Rxg5 Rc1+ 44. Kg2 Rc2+ 45. Kg3 Re2 46. Qxf6 1-0 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2859"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] {[%evp 0,62,23,23,51,51,39,33,56,32,48,37,42,7,24,35,41,31,32,32,38,4,5,2,3,-3,8,17,16,5,4,11,9,-11,-8,-17,10,-14,0,-24,-26,-40,-20,-46,-34,-45,-49,-38,-15,-147,-131,-331,-216,-445,-445,-879,-385,-256,-215,-223,-227,-379,-389,-387,-300] In round 2 Giri came back from a 2-0 deficit against Praggnanandhaa to force a blitz playoff, which he won. Pragg is an incredible talent, but what happened there isn't going to happen against Carlsen.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. Re1 a6 6. Bf1 Ng6 7. c3 Be7 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 d5 10. e5 O-O 11. Nc3 {The computer really likes White, but Black's results, especially with 11...f6 (which the computer further dislikes), have been excellent.} Bd7 12. g3 f6 13. exf6 Rxf6 $146 (13... Bxf6) 14. Bg5 Rf8 15. Bxe7 Ngxe7 {Why isn't White much better here? Black has a couple of trumps: the f-file and White's isolated d-pawn. On the other hand, White has the c5 and e5 squares, the weakness of e6 to play against, and the better bishop. Give Giri a second chance in this position, when he hasn't been psychologically beaten down and in his worst form, and even against Carlsen he should be a significant favorite.} 16. Bg2 (16. Na4 $142 $16 {is as natural as a praying mantis eating her mate. Black can and should prevent Nc5, but after} b6 17. Bh3 Nf5 18. Ne5 $16 {Black's position is still unpleasant.}) 16... Nf5 17. Qd2 h6 18. Rad1 (18. Na4 $142) 18... Rc8 19. Ne2 g5 20. Nc1 g4 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. dxe5 $4 $11 {A weird, anti-positional move that I wouldn't have considered, but out of deference to Giri's far superior level I'd have punctuated the move more modestly. Having seen the way Peter Leko freaked out about it, however, the two question marks may not be excessive.} (22. Rxe5 $16 {/+- remains clearly better for White. Sure, he still needs to prove the win, but as long as the e5 square remains under his control, and within the possible reach of his knight, he will enjoy a large advantage forever (barring tactical oversights). As before: e5 is weak, e6 is weak, Black's bishop is bad, and while d4 remains a weakness as well Black has the further burden of making sure that his kingside pawn advances don't backfire.}) 22... Bb5 $1 {Now the bishop has some freedom, as the e6 pawn is shielded on the e-file. The bishop goes here to swap itself for the White knight (if it goes to d3) or for the bishop.} 23. b3 Qg5 {Good, though it was also natural to take time out to keep the bishop on the a6-f1 diagonal (in case White goes for a2-a4).} (23... a5 $11) 24. Qb4 $2 {/?? Giri has lost the thread.} (24. a4 Qxd2 25. Rxd2 Be8 26. Ne2 Kf7 $11) 24... Rc2 $19 25. a4 Nxg3 $1 26. axb5 Rfxf2 27. Ne2 Rfxe2 (27... Nxe2+ 28. Kxf2 g3+ {is nicer and faster, especially when time isn't a factor and the engine assures you that everything is fine.}) 28. Rxe2 Nxe2+ 29. Kh1 Rc1 30. Qe1 Rxd1 31. Qxd1 Qc1 {Very efficient. Black is up two pawns, and soon it will be three.} 0-1 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2718"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 O-O 7. e3 Bf5 8. Rc1 c6 9. Qb3 Qb6 10. Be2 Be7 11. Nd2 Nbd7 12. O-O h6 13. h3 Qxb3 14. Nxb3 a5 15. Na4 b5 16. Nac5 Nb6 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nd3 a4 19. Nbc5 Nc4 20. b3 axb3 21. axb3 Ra2 22. Rfe1 Bxc5 23. Nxc5 Nd2 24. h4 Rfa8 25. g5 hxg5 26. hxg5 Nfe4 27. Nd3 Nxb3 28. Rxc6 Ra1 29. f3 Nxg5 30. Rxa1 Rxa1+ 31. Kf2 Ne6 32. Bd6 Ra2 33. Nb4 Rb2 34. Ke1 Rb1+ 35. Kf2 Rb2 36. Ke1 Rb1+ 37. Kf2 Rb2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.4"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E32"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2678"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. e5 dxe5 7. dxe5 Ng4 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Bf4 Nd4 10. Qd2 c5 11. h3 Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Rd8+ 14. Kc2 Rd4 15. hxg4 Rxf4 16. Rd1 Ba5 17. Rh3 h6 18. b3 Rd4 19. Rxd4 cxd4 20. Nb5 Bb6 21. Bd3 Bd7 22. Nd6 Bc6 23. Be4 Rd8 24. Kd3 f6 25. Nxb7 Bxe4+ 26. fxe4 Rd7 27. c5 Rxb7 28. cxb6 fxe5 29. Rh5 axb6 30. Rxe5 Rf7 31. Rxe6 b5 32. g5 hxg5 33. Rg6 Rxf2 34. Rxg5 Rxa2 35. Rxb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B06"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] {[%evp 0,65,20,40,93,73,67,66,84,70,39,41,42,25,51,39,60,60,43,32,77,65,77,26,32,19,26,15,15,5,25,5,6,6,13,-21,-16,-16,-23,-38,-25,-30,-20,-12,-12,-21,-23,-27,-2,-16,-7,-5,-7,-7,-2,6,74,74,115,73,64,25,55,0,154,157,29995,29996]} 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. Qe2 Nc6 6. h3 e5 (6... O-O) 7. dxe5 dxe5 (7... Nxe5 {is much more common, though it may not be better.} 8. Nxe5 dxe5 9. O-O Nh5 {etc.}) 8. O-O O-O 9. Rd1 Qe7 10. Nc3 h6 11. Nd5 $146 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Nd4 13. Nxd4 exd4 {Black is fine.} 14. Bf4 Re8 15. e5 c6 (15... Qc5 $11) 16. Bb3 c5 $11 17. Qd2 $6 (17. c3) (17. Bc4) 17... g5 (17... Be6 $142 $15) 18. Bg3 Be6 19. Bxe6 Qxe6 20. f4 $11 gxf4 21. Bxf4 Qg6 22. Rf1 Bxe5 23. Bxh6 (23. Rf3 Kh7 $11) 23... Re6 24. Bf4 Rae8 25. Rf3 Bg7 26. Rg3 Qh7 27. Rf1 Re2 $2 {Natural, but it's an error.} (27... Qe4 $11) (27... Rg6 $11) 28. Qa5 $18 Rxc2 29. Qxa7 ({The sneaky} 29. Be5 $1 {is even stronger. Black is losing the bishop on g7 for nothing, because Black's only "defense",} Rxe5 {, walks into mate in two:} 30. Qd8+ Re8 31. Qxe8#) 29... Kh8 30. Qxb7 d3 31. Kh2 Bd4 32. Qc6 Rce2 {The position was lost in any case, but this walks into a beautiful tactic that forces mate in two more moves.} 33. Be5+ $1 (33. Be5+ $1 {This idea is known as a Novotny in endgame studies: a player puts a piece where it simultaneous blocks a rook and a bishop, and so even if the piece is captured either the rook or the bishop (or both) will remain blocked.} R2xe5 {shuts out the bishop, while} (33... Bxe5 {leaves the rook on e8 unprotected.} 34. Qxe8+ Qg8 35. Qxg8#) 34. Qf6+ Qg7 35. Qxg7#) 1-0 [Event "Meltwater Tour Final 2022"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2022.11.17"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Le, Quang Liem"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A45"] [WhiteElo "2731"] [BlackElo "2728"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "142"] [EventDate "2022.11.14"] {[%evp 0,142,19,19,29,-7,-10,5,-1,-8,-3,5,-60,-82,-85,-110,-24,-17,-51,-82,-47,-81,-45,-36,-26,-22,-22,-26,-2,15,-12,-28,-31,-28,-11,-30,-44,-34,-10,-18,-13,-10,-41,-33,-42,-42,-19,-28,43,-52,-5,-111,-51,-108,-65,-98,-116,-139,-139,-164,-164,-160,-160,-160,-180,-120,-161,-161,-64,-64,-64,-64,-64,-64,-64,-64,-64,-64,-27,-65,-67,-65,-4,-4,0,-437,-429,-839,-690,-680,-93,-93,-93,-104,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-747,-747,-1161,-312,-703,-292,-310,-336,-406,-264,-347,-665,-834,-483,-992,-1396,-1519,-1675,-2032,-1761,-2067,-1753,-1579,-2226,-29975,-1597,-1564,-1478,-29985,-29986,-29987,-29976,-29989,-1595,-1633,-1554,-1554,-29980,-29991,-1633,-1848,-1554]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. Nd2 {Surprisingly common.} c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. e4 Bxc5 6. e5 {White had gone 4-0 in previous games, including three GM-GM battles, but it doesn't seem to be on account of this move's intrinsic excellence.} (6. Qe2 {is usual.}) 6... Qb6 {Following in...his own footsteps. Rightly so, despite the result in the earlier game.} 7. Qe2 $146 (7. exf6 Bxf2+ 8. Ke2 Bxg1 9. fxg7 $2 (9. Rxg1 $8 Qxg1 10. fxg7 Rg8 11. Ne4 Rxg7 12. Nf6+ {The fearless} Kd8 $1 {was correct; surprisingly, White has no worthwhile discovered checks.} (12... Kf8 $2 13. Be3 Rxg2+ 14. Kf3 Qxh2 15. Bxg2 b6 16. Bf4 Qh4 17. Qd4 {1-0 (17) Nguyen,Q (2117)-Macias Pino,D (1947) Santiago de Compostela 2018}) 13. Qd2 $8 h6 $1 $11) 9... Qf2+ 10. Kd3 Qd4+ 11. Ke2 Qxg7 $19 {1-0 (36) Fedoseev,V (2683)-Le,Q (2704) Hengshui 2019}) 7... Nfd7 $15 8. Nb3 Nc6 9. Nxc5 $6 Nxc5 (9... Qxc5 $142 $17) 10. O-O-O $11 {/?} Bd7 (10... h6 $142) 11. Nf3 $11 Rc8 (11... Ne4 $142) 12. Be3 $14 O-O (12... Nb4 $142 13. Kb1 $8 Ba4) 13. Kb1 $1 $14 {/?} Na5 14. Qe1 $6 (14. Ka1 $1 $16) 14... Bb5 $11 15. Ka1 (15. Qb4 $142) (15. Bxb5 $142 Qxb5 16. Nd4) 15... Bxf1 16. Rxf1 Nc4 17. Bd4 (17. Bc1 $142 $11) 17... Qa6 $15 18. h4 $2 {Too optimistic; White needed to commit to the defense.} (18. Nd2 $142) 18... Na4 $2 (18... Rc6 $1 $17) 19. Qb4 $1 Qc6 (19... Ncxb2 20. Bxb2 Rxc2 21. Ba3 Rfc8 $44) 20. Rb1 a5 21. Qe1 Nc5 $15 22. h5 Na6 (22... h6 $142 $15) 23. Qd1 ({Right now,} 23. Qc1 $2 {doesn't work. Come back next move.} Nb4 24. c3 Qa4 $1 25. cxb4 axb4 26. Nd2 b3 27. Nxb3 Ra8 28. a3 Qxb3 29. Bc5 Rfc8 30. Be7 Rc7 31. Bd6 Nxd6 32. Qxc7 Rxa3+ 33. bxa3 Qxa3#) 23... b5 24. Ng5 $2 ({Here it does! The point, which we can determine from the last note, is that Black's queen can't hop over the b-pawn to a4, so White's king is immune from the disaster we saw there.} 24. Qc1 $1 Nb4 25. c3 Nxa2 {is the best try, but White is clearly better after} 26. Kxa2 b4 27. b3 h6 28. Qd1 Na3 29. Rc1 $16) 24... f6 $1 25. exf6 $2 (25. Nf3 $15) 25... gxf6 26. Qg4 $1 {The best try, but it was better not to go for all of this in the first place.} fxg5 27. Qxg5+ Kf7 28. Rbe1 Ke8 $1 $17 {/-+} 29. Qh6 (29. Re2 $142) 29... e5 $19 30. Qxh7 Rc7 31. Qd3 Nb4 32. Qd1 Re7 (32... Kd8 $142 $19) 33. c3 exd4 34. cxb4 Qf6 35. bxa5 d3 36. Qb3 Rxe1+ 37. Rxe1+ Kf7 38. Qxb5 Kg7 (38... d2 $142) 39. a6 Qxf2 (39... d2 $142) 40. Rb1 Qc2 $2 $11 {A big mistake, but as Le only needed a draw to clinch match victory a bad move that allows a perpetual (but not more!) is, in a way, a good move.} (40... Qd4 $19) 41. a3 Nd2 42. Qd7+ $2 (42. Rh1 $11) (42. h6+ $11) 42... Kh8 43. Rh1 Nb3+ (43... Rb8 $1 {wins immediately.}) 44. Ka2 Nc1+ 45. Rxc1 {Forced, as allowing perpetual ends the match in Black's favor.} Qxc1 46. Qxd5 d2 $2 (46... Qe3 $19) 47. Qe5+ $11 Kg8 48. Qe6+ Kh8 49. Qh6+ Kg8 50. Qe6+ Kh8 51. h6 $2 {Objectively bad, but - again - a draw means Duda loses the match. So he's got to do whatever he can to play for a win. The threat is to force mate starting with 52.Qe5+ and 53./54. Qg7#} Qc7 52. Qe2 Qd6 53. Qd1 Qe6+ 54. b3 Qxh6 55. a7 Qd6 56. a4 Qd5 57. g4 Kg8 58. g5 Ra8 59. Qh5 d1=Q 60. Qg6+ Kf8 61. Qf6+ Ke8 62. Qh8+ Kd7 63. Qg7+ Kc6 64. Qc3+ Kb7 65. Qb4+ Kxa7 66. Qe7+ Kb6 67. Qb4+ Kc6 68. Qc3+ Qc5 69. Qf6+ Qdd6 70. Qf3+ Qcd5 71. Qc3+ Kb7 (71... Kb7 72. Qg7+ Ka6 {brings the checks, the game, and the match to an end. After a 9-0 (3 match wins in "regulation") start, Duda lost his first match of the event, falling behind the now 12-0 Carlsen.}) 0-1