[Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.07"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C78"] [WhiteElo "2789"] [BlackElo "2747"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,47,19,14,14,22,20,14,23,9,1,1,7,5,10,12,33,20,50,50,40,37,36,31,33,32,28,10,34,18,15,6,7,-3,-12,-15,-12,-17,-19,-17,-17,-17,-17,-17,-17,-17,-17,-17,-17,-19]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 ({No repeat of yesterday's} 4... f5 {. Nakamura noted in his YouTube recap that this was a case of bad luck in chess: had the pairings been such that he had been Pragg's opponent in the previous round, he felt sure that he would have won, given that he is already well acquainted with this variation. Not only has he faced it many times in online games against Greek GM and Delayed Schliemann specialist Nikolas Theodorou, as he noted in his video, he has also played it. My only comment: it's not clearly a case of "luck", as Pragg and/or his team could have checked the same database that I'm looking at it - indeed, it would be malpractice if they didn't! - and see that Nakamura has more than his fair share of experience with the line. So even if Pragg had faced Nakamura in round 3 and Vidit in round 4, my guess is that the games would have gone the same way, at least in the opening: the "normal" 4...Nf6 vs. Nakamura and 4...f5 vs. Vidit.}) 5. d3 (5. O-O Be7 6. d3 {is a better version of the d3 line, IMO, but the issue is that Praggnanandhaa plays the Open Ruy (5...Nxe4) - or at least he did against Firouzja in round 1. If Nakamura didn't feel he had anything great prepared against the Open he'd need to play d3 on move 5, but that allows Black the more active development of the bishop to c5.}) 5... Bc5 (5... b5 6. Bb3 Bc5) ({and} 5... d6 {are important alternatives.}) 6. O-O b5 7. Bb3 h6 (7... d6 {is the most common move.}) (7... O-O {is also playable, but a little committal.}) 8. a4 Rb8 9. Be3 {One reasonable option among many.} (9. axb5 axb5 10. Nc3 (10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. d4 Bxd4 12. Qxd4 d6 13. f4 Nc6 14. Qc3 Ne7 $11)) (9. Nxe5) (9. c3) 9... Bxe3 10. fxe3 d6 11. axb5 axb5 12. Qe1 $146 (12. Nh4 {was played in a sub-professional game. The move certainly makes sense, intending Nf5.}) 12... O-O {I'm not sure that there is any advantage to be had for White, but that doesn't mean that there is nothing to be said for one idea rather than another. Nakamura mentioned that in a general way, his prep revolved around Black's bishop and his queen's knight and central pawns. Here's the gist: if Black plays ...Be6, Nakamura's intention was to trade, then play c3 and work for d4. This means not playing Nc3, obviously, at least unless Black moves the bishop somewhere other than e6. As Black has not committed yet, Nakamura plays a useful waiting move.} 13. h3 {Transposing to nothing less than a Magnus Carlsen game.} (13. Nc3 Be6 {and now there's no c3, d4 plan after the bishop swap.}) (13. Nbd2 {Here presumably Black would avoid ...Be6, e.g. with ...Bd7 or ...Ne7 followed by ...c5. If Black does play} Be6 {, then White can execute his plan:} 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. c3 {[%CAl Bd3d4]}) 13... Ne7 $1 $146 {Useful in general: the knight may swing to g6 while the c-pawn is free to advance to c6 or c5. But it's also useful as a waiting move, letting White commit the knight before Black develops his bishop.} (13... Be6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Qc3 $1 {Carlsen has his own ideas. Unsurprisingly, they're pretty good - the engine likes this move.} (15. c3 {followed by Nbd2 and d4 would be the Nakamura plan.}) 15... Qd7 16. Nbd2 Ra8 17. Nb3 Ra4 18. Rxa4 bxa4 19. Nbd2 Rb8 20. Ra1 Nb4 21. b3 axb3 22. Qxb3 Rb6 23. Nc4 Rb8 24. c3 Na6 25. Qc2 Nc5 26. Nfd2 Qc6 27. Na5 Qb5 28. d4 Qd3 29. Qxd3 Nxd3 30. Nac4 exd4 31. exd4 d5 32. exd5 exd5 33. Ne3 Rb2 34. Nf3 Nf4 35. Ne5 Re2 36. Nf5 Rxg2+ 37. Kf1 Rg5 38. Ra8+ Kh7 39. Ne7 g6 40. Rf8 Ne4 41. Rxf4 Ng3+ 42. Ke1 {1-0 Carlsen,M (2859)-Aghasiyev,K (2441) Titled Tuesday intern op 03rd Jan Early Chess.com INT blitz 2023 (1)}) 14. Nc3 Be6 {Now White doesn't have the plan of taking on e6 followed by c3 and d4.} 15. Nd2 {Useful, according to Nakamura's analysis with the computer in a similar position, when Black has a pawn on c5. If Black doesn't play that way it's less effective, and once again Pragg's precision prevails.} (15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. b4 c6 17. Kh1 Qb6 18. d4 Ng6 $11 {(Nakamura)}) 15... Qd7 $1 16. Ne2 (16. Rxf6 $6 {is good for blitz, but not classical chess.} gxf6 17. Qh4 {White's compensation would suffice, were it not for} Kh7 $1 (17... Kg7 $6 18. Nf1 $44 {Black's king will be poorly placed once White's knight gets to h5.}) 18. Rf1 (18. Qxf6 $143 Bxb3 19. Nxb3 Qe6 $17 {/-+}) 18... f5 $17) 16... Ra8 $1 17. Bxe6 fxe6 (17... Qxe6 {is also fine, looking to park the rook on a2.}) 18. Rxa8 Rxa8 19. Ng3 Ng6 ({Nakamura hoped for} 19... Ra2 {, when he intended} 20. Rxf6 $2 gxf6 21. Nh5 {. Fortunately for him, Pragg didn't play that way, as White is lost after} Kf7 22. Qh4 Ng8 23. Qg4 Kf8 $1 {At first it seems that the opposite is true, as White can pick up a bunch of material with} 24. Qxg8+ Kxg8 25. Nxf6+ Kg7 26. Nxd7 {, but now Black wins the b- and c-pawns and his own b-pawn will probably generate further material gains.} Rxb2 $19 {(Nakamura)}) 20. Qd1 Ra2 (20... c5 21. Nh5 Nxh5 22. Qxh5 Nf8 23. Nf3 Ra2 {could turn into a race between White's kingside play with Nh4 or g4-g5 and Black's hungry rook on the queenside. Pragg's move is more...yes, sorry: prag(g)matic.}) 21. Qb1 (21. Nh5 Nxh5 22. Qxh5 Nf8 $11 {and now} 23. Nf3 $2 {is too slow - the one extra tempo makes a difference.} Rxb2 24. Nh4 $2 Rxc2 $19) 21... Ra8 22. Qd1 Ra2 23. Qb1 Ra8 24. Qd1 (24. b4 Ra4 25. Nf3 Qc6 $11) (24. c3 c5 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.07"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,87,19,14,14,14,19,14,22,16,29,26,51,51,67,65,57,67,67,59,88,88,83,57,88,-17,28,21,34,24,35,1,68,40,106,35,47,9,11,-5,40,-12,11,13,36,4,9,-16,-16,-37,7,-39,-39,-65,52,52,53,53,41,50,52,52,89,52,54,59,102,162,151,57,66,89,76,114,138,129,141,117,272,282,308,304,324,308,365,359,359,359,1117,1281]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {An actual Berlin ending! It's nice to see this show up in a top-level game rather than another 5.Re1 or 4.d3 dodge.} 9. Nc3 Bd7 {This was my favorite line when I played the Berlin 15+ years ago, and it is not only doing well; it has become the most popular choice for real Berliners.} (9... Ke8 {was the main move for a long time. It's still used, but has been supplanted by 9...Bd7.}) 10. h3 h6 11. g4 {A rare move, whose main point starts to be revealed on the next turn.} (11. b3 {followed by Bb2 and (if nothing special has happened) Rad1 is the standard White setup.}) 11... Ne7 12. Nh2 $5 $146 {It all comes down to the details, but the basic idea is clear enough: to clear the way for the f-pawn and to overprotect the g-pawn so that ...h5 won't be a problem.} g5 {This prevents White from enjoying the full pawn mass, but it comes at the cost of some kingside weaknesses.} ({Black could also continue with his normal plans, e.g. with} 12... c5 {, when the play can get very sharp. A couple of examples:} 13. Be3 (13. f4 Nc6 14. Be3 {is a transposition.}) 13... Nc6 (13... b6 14. f4 Kc8 15. Rad1 h5 16. Kg2 hxg4 17. hxg4 Rxh2+ 18. Kxh2 Bxg4 $44) 14. f4 Nd4 15. Rf2 h5 16. Ne4 hxg4 17. hxg4 Bc6 18. Ng5 Ke8 19. f5 f6 {is very sharp.}) 13. f4 gxf4 14. Bxf4 Be6 (14... Nd5 15. Ne4 Be6) 15. Ne4 b6 {The knight moves were probably better, but ...b6 is a very standard move which does three things. First, of course, it keeps White's knight out of c5. Second, it prepares ...c5, which clears c6 for the knight (and sometimes the king). And third, it creates a sort of "luft" for the king, which can finally get out of the rooks' way on b7.} (15... Ng6 $142) (15... Nd5 $142) 16. Nf3 c5 17. Nf6 (17. Kg2 {isn't a bad idea, shoring up the h- and g-pawns with Kg3 before going forward.}) 17... Kc8 18. Kg2 (18. a4 {is another move that's often useful on general grounds. If Black doesn't stop the pawn, then a4-a5 can be annoying, while if Black plays ...a5 it can sometimes weaken the b5 square (probably not so relevant here) and make it harder down the road to push the queenside majority (that is more likely to be relevant in this case).}) 18... Kb7 (18... Nd5) 19. Kg3 a5 $6 (19... Nc6) (19... Nd5) 20. a3 $6 (20. a4 $14 {This is often good for Black when White has also played b3 (because of ideas like ...c4 or - when possible - something like ...Bf5-c2); here, the inclusion of a4 and ...a5 favors White, as Black has given up some flexibility without getting much in return.}) 20... a4 21. Rad1 {Ruling out ...Nd5.} Nc6 22. c3 Be7 (22... b5) (22... Na5) 23. Nh4 (23. h4) 23... h5 $1 24. g5 Ra5 {The start of a plan that will ultimately cost Black the game. That said, it's not so bad, though there was better.} (24... Bd8 $1 {is a good move, clearing e7 for the knight in anticipation of g6 ideas. Note that White can't play it immediately:} 25. g6 $2 fxg6 26. Nxg6 $4 Bxf6 27. exf6 Rhg8 $19) 25. Rde1 Rb5 (25... c4) 26. Bc1 (26. Rf2 $142) 26... Rb3 $6 {A consistent follow-up to ...Ra5 and ...Rb5, intending ...b5-b4 and the destruction of White's queenside. Unfortunately for Black, White has his own plans for Black's destruction, starting with g5-g6, and they're more urgent than Black's plan.} (26... c4 $1 {is good for Black in general, and especially here with the attack on the e-pawn.}) 27. g6 $14 {/?} fxg6 28. Nxg6 Rd8 $6 (28... h4+ $3 {is a nice intermezzo. If White takes the pawn, Black has bought a couple of valuable tempi; if not, the pawn is more secure than in the game.} 29. Kh2 (29. Nxh4 c4 30. Rh1 (30. Ng6 Rxh3+) 30... Nxe5 $1 31. Rxe5 Bxf6 32. Rxe6 Bxh4+ $11) 29... Rd8 $14 30. Nxh4 Nxe5 $1 31. Rxe5 Bd6 32. Ng6 (32. Rfe1 $2 Bxe5+ 33. Rxe5 Rd1 $1 34. Rxe6 Rxc1 35. Re2 Rb1 $19) 32... Bf7 33. Ne4 Bxg6 $11) 29. Nxe7 (29. h4 $16) 29... Nxe7 30. Nxh5 Rd3+ 31. Rf3 $16 Rxf3+ 32. Kxf3 Bxh3 {The game is reaching its climax. In a general way, White's aim is to push the e-pawn and try to promote it, winning as much material as possible in the process. Black's aim is to make the e-pawn's promotion take as long as possible, while aiming to get rid of all White's queenside pawns. Then even if Black is a piece down, it will be in a pawnless ending that will be drawn (e.g. rook and bishop or knight vs. rook).} 33. e6 $6 ({The engine strongly prefers} 33. Kf4 $1 $16 {/+- , to use the king to help the e-pawn advance. The king may be a slow-moving piece, but unlike the knight and bishop it can control all the squares around and especially in front of the e-pawn.}) 33... b5 $14 {Black must hurry.} 34. Bg5 Nd5 35. e7 Bd7 $8 {A critical moment. Black is fine if White promotes, and objectively Black is still okay, though his position is tenuous. Unfortunately for Vidit, he was somewhat short of time here, so while he probably would have been able to work things out with more time on the clock, he was unable to work his way through the tricks with less than 10 minutes remaining for his next five moves.} ({After} 35... Nxe7 $2 36. Bxe7 Rxb2 37. Bxc5 $18 {it's clear that Black will be unable to liquidate the queenside pawns.}) 36. Rd1 $1 (36. e8=Q $6 Bxe8 37. Rxe8 Rxb2 38. Nf4 Nxf4 (38... Nxc3 {is also fine.}) 39. Bxf4 b4 $11) (36. Re5 {wins against every move but one, but after that one,} c6 $1 $11 {, there don't seem to be any real tricks left for White.}) 36... Kc6 $6 ({Here} 36... c6 $2 {is bad:} 37. Nf6 $1 Kc8 (37... Nxf6 38. Rxd7+ $1 {is the key point.} Nxd7 39. e8=Q $18) 38. Nxd5 cxd5 39. Rxd5 Bc6 40. Ke3 Kb7 41. Rxc5 Be8 42. Bf4 Rxb2 43. Rc7+ {Black will lose the bishop but won't be able to eliminate all of White's queenside pawns. (At least not without losing the rook.)} Kb6 (43... Kb8 44. Rd7+ Kc8 45. Rd8+ $18) 44. Rc8 Bg6 45. e8=Q Bxe8 46. Rxe8 Ra2 47. Bd6 $18) (36... Bc6 $1 {is better:} 37. Kg3 Nb6 (37... Nxe7 38. Bxe7 b4 $1 (38... Rxb2 $2 39. Bxc5 $18) 39. axb4 $1 Rxb2 $1 40. Ra1 $1 cxb4 41. Bxb4 $16 {may still be drawn, but it doesn't look like it'll be easy.}) 38. Ng7 Rxb2 39. Ne6 Ka7 $1 40. Be3 $1 Re2 $1 41. Kf4 Rxe3 $1 42. Kxe3 Nc8 $1 43. Nxc5 Nxe7 $14 {Probably drawn, but White can play forever}) (36... Be8 $3 {is best:} 37. Ng7 Bc6 38. Kg4 Nxe7 39. Bxe7 Rxb2 $11 {The threat of ...Rg2+ prevents White from playing the desirable 40.Bxc5, and after, say,} 40. Nf5 Rb3 41. Bxc5 Rxc3 42. Bb4 Bf3+ 43. Kf4 Bxd1 44. Bxc3 c5 {it's clear that ...b4 will produce a dead drawn ending.}) 37. Ke4 $1 {Black is in serious trouble now, and only one move *may* still save the game.} Be8 $2 {The continued pressure, both on the board and the clock, finally result in the decisive error. Vidit still hopes to reach a piece down ending where he's getting rid of White's queenside pawns; unfortunately for him, he's going to find it far more difficult than he thought and hoped to give up his bishop for White's e-pawn.} (37... Nxe7 $8 38. Bxe7 Rxb2 (38... b4 39. axb4 Rxb2 40. Bxc5 $16 {/+-}) 39. Nf4 $1 Rc2 40. Ng6 $1 Bh3 41. Ne5+ Kb6 42. Rd3 $16 {/+- may yet be drawn with perfect play by Black, but it's not going to be easy.}) 38. Rxd5 Bxh5 39. Bc1 $1 $18 Bg6+ (39... b4 40. Rxh5 Kd7 41. Re5 Ke8 42. Kd3 $18) 40. Ke5 b4 41. Kf6 $1 {Cleanest. White will win the bishop and queen the pawn.} Be8 42. Rd8 bxa3 43. bxa3 (43. Rxe8 {also wins, but is far less prudent as it's possible to miscalculate something in the rook vs. pawns ending.} axb2 (43... a2 44. Ra8 a1=Q 45. e8=Q+ Kb6 46. Qe6+ c6 47. Qc8 c4 48. Ra6+ Kc5 49. Qxc6#) 44. Bxb2 $8 Rxb2 45. Rd8 Rf2+ 46. Kg5 Re2 47. e8=Q+ Rxe8 48. Rxe8 Kb5 49. Ra8 Kc4 50. Rxa4+ Kxc3 51. Kf4 c4 52. Ke3 c5 53. Ra8 Kb2 (53... Kb3 54. Kd2 c3+ 55. Kc1 $18) 54. Rc8 $18) 43... Bd7 {Now only one move wins for White, but once he finds it everything is automatic.} (43... Rxc3 44. Rxe8 Rxc1 45. Ra8 $18) (43... Bh5 44. Rh8 $18) 44. Kf7 $1 (44. Kf7 $1 Rxc3 45. Rxd7 Rf3+ (45... Kxd7 46. e8=Q+ Kd6 47. Qe6#) 46. Ke6 {There's no check on e3, so that's it.}) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.07"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "147"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,15,19,18,18,14,14,12,7,5,5,7,7,27,30,27,29,19]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 {Normally I would refer to "the policy" and stop here, but since it's the Candidates even Giuoco games get a look.} 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 a6 7. a4 (7. Re1 {(often followed by a4) is also popular, but}) (7. Bb3 {, historically the main move, is now nearly defunct.}) 7... Ba7 8. h3 (8. Re1) (8. Nbd2) 8... O-O (8... h6 {is also common. Black will often end up castling on the next turn, but there's also the idea of proceeding with ...g5 and going for a direct attack.}) 9. Nbd2 Re8 10. b4 (10. Re1 Be6 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. b4 d5 13. Qc2 (13. Rb1) (13. Bb2) 13... d4 {has been played in a number of high-level games.}) 10... Be6 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. Qc2 Re8 $146 {New, but transposing to one predecessor.} (12... h6 13. Rd1 Qd7 14. Nf1 d5 15. Bd2 Rd8 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. b5 Nce7 18. c4 Nf6 19. Bc3 Ng6 20. d4 exd4 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 22. Nxd4 Rd6 23. Ne3 Qe8 24. Nef5 R6d7 25. bxa6 c5 26. Re1 Qf8 27. Nf3 bxa6 28. Rab1 Rb8 29. Qc3 Rxb1 30. Rxb1 Qd8 31. Qe3 Rd1+ {½-½ Predke,A (2682)-So,W (2778) Berlin FIDE GP 3 Pool-C 2022 (2)}) 13. Re1 {I like White's decision to delay Re1 and play b4 immediately back on move 10. Still, it's hard for White to do without it in the long run, clearing f1 for the knight to swing to g3.} h6 {Transposing to a bunch of games.} 14. Nf1 d5 {Leaving almost all of them.} 15. Ng3 $146 b5 {Back to another predecessor.} (15... Qd7 $142 16. Nf5 Qe6) 16. Nf5 $14 dxe4 $146 (16... Qd7 $2 {is too late:} 17. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 18. Qc1 $18 dxe4 19. dxe4 Nh7 20. Qxh6 f6 21. Qg6+ Kf8 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Qg6+ Kf8 24. Red1 Qf7 25. Qxf7+ Kxf7 26. Rd7+ Kg8 27. Rxc7 Nd8 28. axb5 Ne6 29. Rb7 Reb8 30. bxa6 Bb6 31. Rd1 {1-0 Arjun,K (2483)-Chylewski,P (2348) Wch U18 Mumbai 2019 (9)}) 17. dxe4 Ne7 $1 {Otherwise Black would already be in serious trouble. Black sacs a pawn, but White's extra, doubled f-pawn won't be easy to exploit.} 18. Nxe5 ({It may have been better to decline the gift and keep up the kingside pressure with} 18. N3h4 $14 {. Now White only needs to bring a rook into the action for his attack to get serious, and Ra3 followed by c4 and Rg3 would do just that.} Nxf5 19. Nxf5 Re6 $1 20. Ra3 bxa4 $1 21. c4 Bd4 22. c5 (22. Rg3 Nh5 $8 23. Rd3 Rb8 $1 $11 {/?}) 22... a5 23. Rxa4 axb4 24. Rxb4 Rea6 $1 25. Nxd4 exd4 26. Rd1 Qe7 $1 27. Rbxd4 Ra5 $11 {/? This is not a trivial line for Black to work out.}) 18... Nxf5 19. exf5 c5 (19... Nd5 $142 $11) 20. Bf4 {A slight inaccuracy. Now a precise series of moves by Gukesh enables him to equalize.} (20. axb5 $142 axb5 21. Bf4 $11 {/?}) 20... bxa4 $1 21. Nc6 Qd7 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Nxa7 cxb4 $1 24. cxb4 Qd4 $1 (24... Qxa7 25. Qxa4 {isn't bad for Black, but 24...Qd4 is even better.}) 25. Qc1 Qxa7 26. Rxa4 Qb7 $11 27. Qd2 Nd5 28. Bg3 f6 {White doesn't have a light-squared bishop, so this isn't too weakening. Playing this allows Black to move the knight, if need be, without having to worry about f5-f6.} 29. Bd6 Qc6 30. Ra5 Qxd6 31. Rxd5 Re1+ 32. Qxe1 Qxd5 33. g4 {White didn't have to play this right away, but the ending should be drawn in any case. The problem is that any real attempt to use White's kingside majority will expose his king, and he won't be able to simultaneously avoid perpetuals and make progress with his pawns.} Kh7 34. Qc3 Qe4 35. Kh2 Qf4+ 36. Kg2 Kg8 37. f3 Kh7 38. Qe1 h5 39. Qe4 Qd2+ 40. Kg3 Qc1 41. Qe2 (41. gxh5 $4 {is still only a draw if Black misses the mate, so it's not something Black needs to be frightened of in any case.} Qg1+ 42. Kh4 (42. Kf4 Qg5#) 42... Qg5#) 41... hxg4 (41... Qg1+ {lets us see another way a cooperative Caruana could lose:} 42. Qg2 $4 (42. Kh4) (42. Kf4) 42... h4+ $19) 42. hxg4 Qg1+ 43. Kf4 Qc1+ 44. Ke4 Qb1+ 45. Ke3 Qxb4 46. Qxa6 {Now it's even more drawn. Unless Black blunders into a queen trade (and there might be positions where even that would still be drawn) or into mate, it's a routine draw. Of course Caruana tries (especially before a rest day), but doesn't come close to making anything happen.} Qc5+ 47. Ke2 Qc2+ 48. Kf1 Qd1+ 49. Kf2 Qd4+ 50. Kg2 Qd2+ 51. Kh3 Qd1 52. Kg2 Qd2+ 53. Kf1 Qd1+ 54. Kf2 Qd4+ 55. Ke1 Qc3+ 56. Ke2 Qc2+ 57. Ke3 Qc1+ 58. Kf2 Qc5+ 59. Kg2 Qc2+ 60. Kg3 Qc7+ 61. Kh3 Qc1 62. Qe2 Qh1+ 63. Kg3 Qg1+ 64. Qg2 Qe1+ 65. Qf2 Qe5+ 66. f4 Qc3+ 67. Qf3 Qe1+ 68. Kg2 Qd2+ 69. Kh3 Qc1 70. Qf2 Qh1+ 71. Kg3 Qc1 72. Kh2 Kg8 73. Qg3 Kh7 74. Qf2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.07"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Abasov, Nijat"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E32"] [WhiteElo "2632"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d6 {This quiet, unforcing move has been gaining in popularity.} 5. e3 (5. e4 c5 $1 $11) 5... O-O 6. Bd3 c5 7. dxc5 (7. Nf3) (7. Nge2) 7... Bxc5 (7... d5 $5) (7... dxc5 {has been played by some strong GMs (e.g. Grischuk and Niemann, and long ago by Kholmov), but may be inferior to the text despite its successes in practice.}) 8. Nf3 d5 9. O-O (9. cxd5 exd5 10. O-O Nc6 {is also possible.}) 9... dxc4 $146 10. Bxc4 {Back to theory.} Nbd7 11. b3 a6 {Oddly, this position, arising from a Nimzo-Indian, looks far more like a Queen's Gambit Accepted.} 12. Bd3 (12. Bb2 b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Ng5 h6 15. Nh7 Nxh7 16. Bxh7+ Kh8 17. Be4 Qc7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Qe4 Qxe4 20. Nxe4 Be7 21. Rfd1 Nc5 22. Nxc5 Bxc5 23. Rac1 Rfd8 24. Kf1 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Kg8 26. Rc1 Be7 27. Rc7 Bd8 28. Rc6 Kf8 29. Ke2 g6 30. Bd4 Ke7 31. g4 Kd7 32. Rc2 Be7 33. Kd3 h5 34. h3 hxg4 35. hxg4 Rc8 36. Rxc8 Kxc8 37. f3 Kd7 38. e4 f5 39. gxf5 gxf5 40. Be3 Bf6 {½-½ Svane,R (2445)-Fridman,D (2614) GER-ch 84th Saarbruecken 2013 (5)}) 12... b5 $146 13. Ne4 {Despite the almost completely symmetrical pawn structure, Black must still show a little care as White is slightly more active and slightly ahead in development.} Bb7 $1 {Very nice. This had to be well calculated.} 14. Nxc5 Nxc5 15. Bxb5 (15. Qxc5 Qxd3 {is if anything slightly better for Black.}) 15... Nxb3 16. Qxb3 axb5 17. Rd1 (17. Qxb5 $4 Ba6 $19) 17... Qc7 $1 18. Bb2 $1 ({After} 18. Qxb5 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Ra5 {Black's kingside play is more important than White's extra pawn.}) 18... Qc5 (18... Bxf3 19. gxf3 Qc6 20. Kg2 Ra4 {Threatening ...Rg4+.} 21. Rd4 $11) (18... Ng4 {Threatens ...Bxf3 followed by ...Qxh2+, but White has it covered:} 19. Qc3 $11) 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rac1 Qf5 21. Nd4 Qg5 22. Nc6 Ra6 {White has only one move, which he (of course) finds - he wouldn't have gone into this line without having seen it in advance.} 23. h4 $1 Qxh4 (23... Qg6 $4 24. Ne7+ $18) (23... Qg7 24. Qxb5 Bxc6 25. Rxc6 Rxa2 $11) (23... Qg4 24. Rd4 $14) 24. Qxb5 Rxa2 25. g3 Bxc6 26. Qxc6 Qh5 {Black has won a pawn, but with all the pawns on the kingside and Black's structure slightly compromised, White shouldn't have any serious trouble holding this - and he doesn't.} 27. Kg2 Rb8 28. Qf3 Qg6 29. Ra1 $1 Rxa1 (29... Rc2 30. Ra8 {swaps a pair of rooks whether Black wants it or not.}) 30. Rxa1 Kg7 31. Ra4 Rb5 32. Rf4 h5 33. e4 Rg5 34. Kh3 e5 35. Rf5 Rxf5 36. Qxf5 Kh6 {Now Black does threaten to trade queens, as the next move would be ...Kg5, winning a second pawn. White cannot initiate the trade, and losing the e-pawn would be fatal as well. His next move is forced.} ({Not only is} 36... Qxf5+ {not a winning try, it's almost a losing try.} 37. exf5 e4 38. Kh4 Kh6 39. g4 hxg4 40. Kxg4 Kg7 41. Kf4 Kh6 42. Kg4 Kg7 43. Kf4 $11) 37. Qf3 {And so we get our second queen ending of the round. Once again one of the players has an extra, doubled pawn, and once again the defender's task is fairly simple. Firouzja gives it the old college try, but the difference in strength between Firouzja and Abasov is not going to be revealed in an endgame like this.} Qg5 38. Qd1 Kg7 39. Qf3 Kg6 40. Qd1 f5 41. Qd6+ Qf6 42. exf5+ Kxf5 {Firouzja is a little better off than Caruana was in his ending, as he (Firouzja) has managed to undouble his pawns. Still, it's a routine draw, made easier by Black's h-pawn being split from the other two.} 43. Qd3+ Kg5 44. Qe3+ Kg6 45. Kg2 Qc6+ 46. Kh2 Qd5 47. Qb6+ f6 48. Qb8 Qe6 49. Qa8 f5 50. Qd8 Qf6 51. Qe8+ Kh6 52. Kg2 f4 (52... h4 53. gxh4 Qxh4 {is the trade Black would prefer to make, though this would still be drawn even after a non-tactical continuation. Here, though, White draws immediately with} 54. Qh8+ Kg5 55. Qxe5 $11) 53. gxf4 Qxf4 54. Qh8+ Kg5 55. Qd8+ Kg4 56. Qd7+ Kh4 57. Qh3+ Kg5 58. Qb3 e4 59. Qc3 Qg4+ 60. Kh2 Kh4 61. Qf6+ Qg5 62. Qd6 {Black's queen is constrained by the need to prevent Qg3 from being mate, while king moves allow checks that keep Black's king pinned to the defense of his queen. It's therefore an almost immediate draw.} Kg4 63. Qd1+ Kf4 64. Qd2+ 1/2-1/2