[Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,30,13,13,62,13,20,-1,29,22,10,1,0,-3,-4,-4,-4,-22,-18,-15,-14,-8,12, 24,11,23,32,6,6,1,15,11,2]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 {8.Ba4 is setting a new trend.} c6 9. Ba4 d6 ({ Relevant:} 9... O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Re1 g5 14. Bg3 Bg4 15. Qd2 e4 16. Bb3 Re8 17. Nb5 Nh5 18. dxe4 Nxg3 19. hxg3 a6 20. Nd4 dxe4 21. Re3 Qf6 22. Rae1 Rad8 23. Rxe4 Rxe4 24. Rxe4 Bf5 25. Re3 Bxd4 26. cxd4 Rxd4 27. Qc3 Qd8 28. Qe1 Kf8 29. Rf3 Bg6 30. Qe5 Kg8 31. Rf6 Kh7 32. f4 Rd7 33. fxg5 Re7 34. Qf4 hxg5 35. Qf2 Kg7 36. Rf3 Qd6 37. Re3 Rc7 38. Re1 a5 39. Qe3 {Vallejo Pons,F (2703)-Navara,D (2681) Prague 2022 1/2-1/2 (77)}) 10. Bb3 Qe7 {Firouzja pointed to this as an inaccuracy.} 11. Nc4 {[#]} Bg4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11... Bc7 12. f4 b5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 O-O 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Rxf5 h6 17. Qf3 Nh7 18. Bd2 Rad8 19. Rf1 Rd7 20. Qh5 Qe8 21. R5f3 a5 22. a4 bxa4 23. Bxa4 Rd6 24. Bb3 Rd7 25. Be3 Bd6 26. Bc4 a4 27. Bc1 Rb7 28. h3 Ra7 29. Kh2 Rb7 30. h4 Ra7 31. Rf5 Re7 32. R5f3 Rb7 33. Qg4 Kh8 34. Qh5 f6 {0-1 (34) Karjakin,S (2754) -Vidit,S (2721) Moscow 2019}) 12. Qe1 Bc5 $6 (12... Bc7) 13. Kh1 a5 14. f4 (14. a4) 14... a4 15. Bc2 b5 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 $5 {A very good practical try.} (17. Ne3) 17... Qxe5 18. d4 Bxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Be3 $6 {The computer now thinks black is in the game but it remains difficult.} (20. Bd2 {Is considered much stronger.} Qxb2 21. Rc1) 20... Qxb2 21. Qf2 Be6 22. Bd4 Qb4 23. Bc5 Qc3 24. Rac1 Rd8 25. Bb1 Qe5 26. Qh4 Bc4 $2 (26... h6) 27. Rf5 Qb2 28. Rg1 (28. Re1 {is a bit counter intiutive at first but it's the winning move here.}) 28... Be6 $2 (28... Rd2 $1 {and black is fighting.}) 29. Qg3 Nd7 30. Bd6 Qd4 31. Rff1 h5 32. e5 $1 {Not hard to find but this finishes the game. Rapport runs out of moves very quickly now,} Qg4 33. Qe3 h4 34. h3 Qh5 35. Be4 Qh6 36. Qf3 (36. Qa7 ) 36... f6 37. Bxc6 Kf7 38. Bxb5 Qh5 39. Qe4 Nxe5 {This now loses a piece.} 40. Be2 Qg5 41. Bxe5 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,61,30,19,27,29,29,22,10,5,5,-4,-4,-4,0,20,39,4,0,1,0,0,-3,-17,-3,-15, 9,6,47,40,171,68,61,67,67,110,113,95,121,96,150,71,105,55,47,76,125,76,83,85, 101,121,139,102,100,69,88,64,110,113,163,182,171,178]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 ({Relevant:} 6... d6 7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. a4 a6 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. d5 Nb4 13. Nc4 Bc5 14. Bb1 Re8 15. Re1 Bg4 16. Ra3 c6 17. h3 cxd5 18. exd5 Rxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Bh5 20. a5 Qe8 21. Qxe8+ Rxe8 22. Kf1 Nfxd5 23. g4 Bg6 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. Rb3 f6 26. Bd2 Re4 27. Na3 Kf7 28. Ne1 Re7 29. Nc4 Re4 30. Na3 Re7 31. Nc4 Ke6 32. Ng2 Kd7 33. Nh4 Re4 34. Na3 g5 35. Nf5 g6 36. Ng3 {Nakamura,H (2750)-Grischuk,A (2742) Chess.com INT 2022 0-1 (65)}) 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. a4 Na7 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3 { [#]} Ba7 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12... Bb6 13. Bg5 Nd8 14. Bh4 c6 15. Nbd2 Bc7 16. Nc4 Ne6 17. Bg3 Nf4 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. e5 Nd5 20. Rfe1 Nb6 21. Nxb6 Bxb6 22. Qe4 Be6 23. Qxf4 Rad8 24. Rad1 Rxd1 25. Bxd1 h6 26. Bc2 Rd8 27. h4 Bd5 28. Be4 Bxe4 29. Qxe4 Qe6 30. h5 Qd5 31. Qxd5 Rxd5 32. g4 Kf8 33. e6 Bd8 34. exf7 Bf6 35. Re8+ Kxf7 36. Rb8 b5 37. axb5 Rxb5 38. Ra8 Rxb2 39. Rxa5 Bxc3 40. Rc5 Bf6 41. Rxc6 Rb4 42. Nh2 {Maiwald,J (2426)-Zilka,S (2606) Germany 2022 1/2-1/2}) 13. Bb5 Bg4 {Maybe this is the start of Nakamura's troubles.} (13... Bb6) 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 bxc6 16. Nxa5 Qe6 17. Qe2 Nh5 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 (20. Be3) 20... f5 21. Rg2 fxe4 22. Qxe4 Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 (25. Re2 Rxf3 26. Qxd5 cxd5) 25... Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 $2 { Now white is clearly winning.} (28... Nf6) 29. cxb4 Rf6 30. b5 Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 {The only point of interest here was Radjabov only had a few minutes left.} Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6 41. Nb6 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,30,27,29,25,22,41,12,30,45,41,6,6,12,36,45,54,43,50,37,59,34,44,11,30, -3,13,15,15,21,15,15,18]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 {is now debated instead of 10...Na6.} 11. Nh4 {[#]} ({Relevant:} 11. Be3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Na6 13. Ne5 Qc7 14. Nc3 Nxc3 15. bxc3 b5 16. Bf1 Nc5 17. Qd1 Be6 18. Bf4 Nd7 19. Bd3 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Be7 21. Qf3 Rad8 22. a4 a6 23. h4 Qc8 24. Be4 Bd5 25. h5 Qe6 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ra6 h6 29. g3 f6 30. Qe4 fxe5 31. Bxe5 Bc5 32. Bf4 Qxe4 33. Rxe4 Rxh5 34. Rxc6 Rd5 35. Kg2 Rf7 36. f3 Be7 37. Rd4 Rdf5 38. Rd7 Bg5 39. Rc8+ Kh7 40. Rxf7 Rxf7 {[%emt 0:00:02] Vachier Lagrave,M (2750)-Deac,B (2671) Bucharest 2022 1/2-1/}) 11... Be6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11... dxc4 12. Qxc4 Be6 13. Qc2 Nf6 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Nf5 Bd8 16. Nc3 Nd5 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. Re5 Nb4 19. Qd2 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 f6 21. Nh6+ gxh6 22. Ne4 Qf7 23. Qg3+ Kh8 24. Re1 fxe5 25. Qxe5+ Qg7 26. Qxe6 Na6 27. Nd6 Rf8 28. Ne8 Raxe8 29. Qxe8 Rxe8 30. Rxe8+ Qg8 31. Rxg8+ Kxg8 32. a3 Kf7 33. f3 Ke6 34. Kf2 Nc7 35. Kg3 Kf5 36. Kh4 Kg6 37. f4 Kg7 38. f5 Nb5 39. g4 Nxd4 40. Kh5 Nf3 41. h4 {Rozman,M (1708)-Belsak,Z (1653) Murska Sobota 2006 0-1}) 12. Qc2 Na6 13. a3 f5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 Rac8 16. f3 Be7 17. g3 {Caruana was still playing quickly here. Nepomniachtchi was already working hard.} Nd6 18. Qa4 Bf6 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 ( 21. Be3) 21... Rce8 22. Bf4 (22. Ne7+ Kf7 23. Bf4) 22... Nc5 23. Ne7+ Kf7 24. Bxf5 $2 {In retrospect this is where white lost his advantage.} (24. Bf1 { Over the board Nepomniachtchi thought this or Bc2 was the way to go and almost immediately thought he was out of trouble.}) (24. Bc2 {Nepomniachtchi said he thought this was also good but it seems to be equal.} Nc4) 24... Nxf5 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Nd3 28. Re4 Bxb2 $11 {Black is more or less out of trouble now and Caruana started using lots of time.} 29. Be3 Bxa3 30. Bxa7 Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 {White is clearly the one hanging on as he was in bad time trouble.} Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 {Caruana looked fairly disgusted at this point but he would have been glad the draw was agreed here. His mistakes were earlier.} Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Ne1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,84,19,-16,-3,-32,-24,-7,-7,-13,-6,2,-4,-11,-1,3,30,34,34,11,20,1,34, -39,-30,8,19,17,4,5,13,13,11,18,6,0,6,-16,-18,-18,0,-16,0,0,10,-1,7,-43,-40, -55,-41,-10,-8,-51,-4,-12,0,0,16,33,66,27,39,36,32,32,49,23,26,26,0,0,0,0,58, 47,64,31,62,84,70,70,141,110,123,118,132]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. O-O ({Relevant:} 9. d4 b6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Ra7 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Qe5 Qxe5 16. Nxe5 Bb7 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. O-O-O Nd7 19. Nd3 Ke7 20. Kb1 Rc8 21. Rd2 Rbc7 22. f3 a5 23. Rhd1 b5 24. g4 Nb6 25. Nf4 Nc4 26. Rd3 a4 27. g5 b4 28. h4 a3 29. bxa3 bxa3 30. Re1 Rc5 31. e4 g6 32. Ne2 Rb5+ 33. Ka1 Rd8 34. Rc3 Rb4 35. Nc1 Nd2 36. Nd3 Rb5 37. Rxa3 Rdb8 38. Ra7+ Ke8 {Giri,A (2773)-Duda,J (2750) Oslo 2022 0-1}) 9... b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 {[#]} 15. Rd4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Qb1 Qb8 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qb7+ 19. f3 O-O 20. Nce4 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qb8 22. Rd1 h6 23. Rxd7 Nxd7 24. Nc5 hxg5 25. Nxd7 Qc7 26. Nxf8 Kxf8 27. Qd3 a5 28. Qe3 Qd8 29. Kf2 Kg8 30. Ke1 Kf8 31. Qe5 Kg8 32. h3 Kf8 33. Qe3 Ke8 34. Qd2 Qf6 35. Qc1 Kd7 36. Qd1+ Kc7 37. Qc2+ Kd6 38. Qd3+ Kc6 39. Qc4+ Kd6 40. Qb5 Kc7 41. Qc4+ Kd6 42. Qb5 Kc7 43. Qe8 Qxb2 44. Qxf7+ Kd6 {Aronian,L (2797)-Wojtaszek,R (2744) Wijk aan Zee 2015 1/2-1/2}) 15... O-O 16. Rad1 Rac8 17. Qd2 Nc5 18. Qf4 Qxf4 19. gxf4 Nce4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Bd5 22. a4 a5 23. e4 Bb3 24. R1d3 Rc1+ 25. Bf1 Bc2 26. Rc3 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Rc4 Rd8 29. Nc6 Rd2 30. Nxa5 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. b4 Rc1 34. Nxb6 Rb1 35. Kg2 Rxb4 36. a5 Rb3 37. Rc1 Bf3+ 38. Kg1 Ra3 (38... Bxe4) 39. Nc4 Ra2 40. Ne5 Bxe4 $2 (40... Bh5) 41. Rc7 Nd5 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. a6 Nb4 44. Ra7 Nc6 45. Rc7 Nd4 46. f3 Nxf3+ 47. Nxf3 Bxf3 48. a7 Bd5 49. h4 Ra4 50. Bb5 Ra5 51. Rd7 Ra2 52. Kf1 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Bd5 54. Kd1 Kh8 55. Kc1 Be4 56. Rc7 Ra5 57. Bd7 Ra1+ 58. Kb2 Rb1+ 59. Ka2 Rb6 60. Ka3 Kg8 61. Ka4 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid, Spain"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "chessvibes"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. c4 {Like against Nepomniachtchi and Firouzja, Ding opens with this move.} Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. O-O b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. dxc5 ({The immediate} 11. Bf4 {obviously has been played as well:} Bd6 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Rfd1 O-O 14. e4 Qc7 (14... cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qc7 16. Qe2 Ra7 17. Rac1 Qb8 18. a4 Ba8 19. b4 Rc8 20. b5 {Kortschnoj, V-Olafsson,F Moscow 1971}) 15. Rac1 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Rad8 17. f4 e5 18. Nd5 Qxc2 19. Nxc2 exf4 20. gxf4 Nc5 21. Nce3 {Giri,A (2779)-Karjakin,S (2748) Riga LAT 2019}) 11... Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Rd4 $146 (15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Qb1 Qb8 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qb7+ 19. f3 O-O {Aronian,L (2797) -Wojtaszek,R (2744) Wijk aan Zee 2015}) 15... O-O 16. Rad1 Rac8 17. Qd2 Nc5 18. Qf4 {Ding goes for the tiniest of edges: the control over the d-file.} Qxf4 ( 18... Nd5 $5) 19. gxf4 Nce4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Bd5 $1 ({It was tempting to play} 21... Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rc2 {but Black isn't equalized just yet after} 23. R1d2 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 Nd5 25. Kf3) 22. a4 a5 23. e4 Bb3 24. R1d3 Rc1+ 25. Bf1 Bc2 26. Rc3 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Rc4 Rd8 29. Nc6 Rd2 30. Nxa5 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. b4 Rc1 34. Nxb6 Rb1 35. Kg2 Rxb4 36. a5 Rb3 $6 {Duda defended almost perfectly up till here, but this is a step in the wrong direction.} ( 36... Nh5 {would provide enough counterplay and leads to a likely move repetition soon.}) 37. Rc1 Bf3+ 38. Kg1 Ra3 $6 ({Here best was} 38... Bxe4 39. Ra1 Bc6 $1 40. Bg2 Nd5) 39. Nc4 Ra2 40. Ne5 Bxe4 $2 {In this position, the decisive mistake.} ({With a minute and 20 seconds to reach the time control, the best defense was already hard to find:} 40... Bh5 $1 41. Rc7 g5 42. fxg5 Nxe4 43. a6 Nxg5 44. Kg2 Kf6 45. Nd7+ Ke7 $1) 41. Rc7 Nd5 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. a6 {Now White is winning.} Nb4 44. Ra7 Nc6 45. Rc7 Nd4 46. f3 Nxf3+ 47. Nxf3 Bxf3 48. a7 Bd5 49. h4 Ra4 50. Bb5 Ra5 51. Rd7 Ra2 52. Kf1 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Bd5 54. Kd1 Kh8 55. Kc1 Be4 56. Rc7 Ra5 57. Bd7 Ra1+ 58. Kb2 Rb1+ 59. Ka2 Rb6 60. Ka3 Kg8 61. Ka4 {The king will support the pawn and White wins material soon.} 1-0 [Event "Madrid, Spain"] [Site "Madrid, Spain"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "chessvibes"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 {A rare move.} (9. Qe2) (9. Bxc6) 9... Qe7 10. a4 Na7 (10... Nb8 11. Bd3 h6 12. Nc4 Nc6 13. h3 Rd8 14. Re1 Nh5 15. Bf1 Qf6 {was played in the blitz game Carlsen,M (2832)-Kramnik,V (2808) Leuven 2017}) 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3 {Radjabov is not interested in repeating moves.} Ba7 $146 ({Considering how the game went, the move} 12... Bb6 {begs to be played (keeping the a7-square available for the knight) and was actually used this year:} 13. Bg5 Nd8 14. Bh4 c6 15. Nbd2 Bc7 16. Nc4 Ne6 {Maiwald,J (2426)-Zilka,S (2606) Germany 2022}) 13. Bb5 $1 {Now that the knight cannot go to a7 anymore, this remains an annoying move.} Bg4 $5 {Nakamura decides to sacrifice a pawn for some chances on the kingside, but as Radjabov will demonstrate, his compensation won't be sufficient.} (13... Qe6) 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 ({Nakamura had seen that} 15. Bxb7 Ng4 {is good enough for a draw but overestimated his chances after the text move.}) 15... bxc6 16. Nxa5 Qe6 ({Of course Nakamura wasn't planning} 16... Bxf2+ 17. Qxf2 Rxa5 {which is quite unpleasant for Black after} 18. b4 Raa8 19. a5) 17. Qe2 Nh5 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 f5 21. Rg2 fxe4 { Perhaps a tad early $2} (21... Rae8) 22. Qxe4 $1 ({Improving the structure with } 22. fxe4 $2 {would be very bad because of} Qh3 {and Black's attack is likely decisive.}) 22... Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 {Not ideal, but what else $2} (23... Qd5 24. Bxa7 Rxa7 25. Qg4) 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 $1 {Practically smart. The endgame is virtually winning.} Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 $6 {Instantly played, but wrong according to the engine.} (28... Nf6 $1 {was more resilient, making sure the knight gets to e4 as soon as possible.} 29. a5 (29. Nxe5 Rf5) 29... Ne4) 29. cxb4 Rf6 ({The simple difference is that} 29... Nf6 30. a5 Ne4 { doesn't attack a pawn on c3 and White can just continue with} 31. a6) 30. b5 Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 {The last try in time trouble, but Radjabov doesn't go wrong anymore.} 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6 41. Nb6 (41. Nb6 Nxb6 42. Rxb6 Kc7 43. Rb7+ Kc8 44. Rxg7 {is curtains.}) 1-0 [Event "Madrid, Spain"] [Site "Madrid, Spain"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "chessvibes"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 {Rapport played his first move after two minutes of thinking, which suggested that, like after his game with Duda, he didn't look at much chess before this game.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 c6 {Spending 10 minutes on well-known theoretical moves was a further signal that Rapport was out of book early on.} 9. Ba4 d6 (9... O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Re1 g5 14. Bg3 Bg4 15. Qd2 e4 {was played in the very recent game Vallejo Pons,F (2703)-Navara,D (2681) Prague 2022.}) 10. Bb3 Qe7 $6 {Firouzja called this a small inaccuracy, but \"these days these kind of things count.\" Now White will have time for f2-f4.} (10... a5) ( 10... h6) 11. Nc4 {Firouzja was happy with his position here.} Bg4 $146 (11... Bc7 12. f4 b5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 O-O 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Rxf5 h6 17. Qf3 Nh7 { was Karjakin,S (2754)-Vidit,S (2721) Moscow 2019}) 12. Qe1 Bc5 {Insisting on the g1-a7 diagonal.} ({More solid was} 12... Bc7) 13. Kh1 a5 14. f4 a4 15. Bc2 b5 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 $5 {A nice way to grab the initiative.} Qxe5 18. d4 Bxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Be3 ({Better was} 20. Bd2 $1 {which was Firouzja's first idea, but eventually he decided the text move was stronger.} Qxb2 21. Rc1 {and this is a better version of the game.}) 20... Qxb2 21. Qf2 Be6 $1 { \"A very nice move.\" (Firouzja) Black is OK here.} 22. Bd4 Qb4 23. Bc5 Qc3 24. Rac1 ({Firouzja said he didn't consider the move repetition, but he did look at } 24. Bd6 {which is not great though because of} Ng4 25. Qh4 f6 ({or even} 25... g5 $5 26. Qxg5 Nf2+ 27. Kg1 Nh3+ $1 28. gxh3 Qd4+ 29. Kh1 Qxd6)) 24... Rd8 25. Bb1 (25. h3 $5) 25... Qe5 {Firouzja felt that he might be slightly worse here, and the engine agrees.} 26. Qh4 Bc4 $2 {A big mistake, after which Rapport will never get back in the game again.} ({After the game Rapport suggested} 26... h6 $1 {and Black is at least OK.}) 27. Rf5 Qb2 28. Rg1 $6 ({ The natural} 28. Re1 {was better but it's understandable that the text move felt safer.}) 28... Be6 $6 ({Black's last chance was} 28... Rd2 $1 29. Qg5 Be6 {with an unclear position.}) 29. Qg3 {From here, Firouzja finishes off the game with many powerful moves.} Nd7 30. Bd6 Qd4 31. Rff1 ({Firouzja had seen} 31. e5 $6 Bxf5 32. Qxg7 $6 Nf8 33. Bxf5 $6 Rxd6 $1) 31... h5 32. e5 Qg4 33. Qe3 h4 34. h3 Qh5 35. Be4 {Now it's easy.} Qh6 36. Qf3 f6 37. Bxc6 Kf7 (37... fxe5 {would allow} 38. Qf8+ Rxf8 39. Rxf8#) 38. Bxb5 Qh5 39. Qe4 Nxe5 40. Be2 Qg5 41. Bxe5 1-0 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 $5 {A bold decision. In general, the Petroff is a very safe opening and the best choice Black has to try to keep solid and hopefully make a draw. Still, I might have chosen something else. Caruana played the Petroff himself some years back, at the 2018 World Chess Championship and had that level of preparation. Nepo did this too, of course, but I think Caruana did it better, and his Petroff has looked like the better prepared and better understood one over the years. Against any other opponent, I'd think the Petroff would be an obvious choice. Here, I don't know.} 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 {All of this is today's modern mainline. In an earlier round, Rapport chose Qb3, which is more or less a known draw, though he went off the deep end and ended up losing. Caruana chose a more challenging move.} 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 11. Nh4 $5 {The first new move of the game, and I think a very dangerous one in practice. Nepo had to know he would be walking into some kind of preparation, but one has to admire his confidence.} (11. Nc3 {This is the main move by far, as was played by Magnus in the match.}) 11... Be6 {Nothing else makes any sense.} 12. Qc2 Na6 {This move looks obvious enough, but I actually think it becomes difficult to fix the knight later on once it is frozen in place with a3.} (12... f5 {It may have been better to bolster the e4-knight directly. For example, after} 13. Nc3 Bc7 $1 {Black is reasonably solid and can remain patient. I could easily imagine him setting up with …Qf7 and …Nbd7 in the coming moves. Of course, this is much easier to say with the machine running.}) 13. a3 $1 {Of course.} f5 14. cxd5 $1 cxd5 15. Nc3 {Caruana was still blitzing. The machine insists on equality, but I think Black is under some pressure to figure out how to fix his pieces.} Rac8 (15... Nb8 $1 {The computer does not mind Rac8, but I do. This looks like a much easier way for Black to coordinate. Burning two tempi on …Nb8-a6-b8 is not ideal, but once White has taken on d5, the knight finally has a reasonable square on c6. I think Black looks okay enough.}) 16. f3 {In my opinion, the hardest pieces of practical preparation to face are the ones where you have to sacrifice material. I think it's much easier if an opponent sacrifices a piece—you just calculate until you see a line that does not lose. But when the only way to equalize is to give material for long-term compensation... I almost never see a human get this right. The computer still insists Black is totally fine, but I think his task is more or less impossible in human terms.} Be7 17. g3 Nd6 (17... Bf6 $1 {This was the way, but nobody would do it.} 18. fxe4 fxe4 $1 19. Bxa6 Bxd4+ 20. Be3 Bxe3+ 21. Rxe3 bxa6 {I would be surprised if Nepo did not calculate this far. But, to a human eye, it is not hard to imagine the position being completely lost. Black is a piece down, his pawns are not moving anywhere anytime soon, and it takes White like two moves to go Rd1, Rd4... and then you resign $2 The machine claims this is equal. In my opinion, it is more or less impossible for a human to go for this line with g3 on the board. Black now needs a bunch of only moves in a row that miraculously hold together.} 22. Rd1 Qf7 $1 23. Ree1 {Case in point. Black has exactly one move here to not lose immediately.} Bg4 $1 24. Rd4 Qf6 $1 {And another only move $1} 25. Qd2 e3 $1 {And another $1} 26. Qxe3 Rce8 $1 {One more…} 27. Nxd5 Qxd4 $1 28. Qxd4 Rxe1+ {... And finally a draw. Absolutely no human being can play chess like this, and anyone who does should be immediately stripped for a wire. This was fantastic practical preparation from Caruana.}) 18. Qa4 $1 Bf6 ( 18... Rc6 {This was a better try, but Black's position is very unpleasant after } 19. Bxa6 $1 Bxh4 20. gxh4 Rxa6 21. Qxd7 Bxd7 22. Bf4 $14 {White's bishop is so much better than his counterpart.}) 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 $1 {Be3 was fine too, but I prefer Caruana's choice. More pieces should remain on the board. Now, I've always believed that it is very rare for someone to be slightly better based on piece activity in a symmetrical pawn structure. It is almost always much better or very close to equal. Here, it is much better. Black is facing too many threats. That said, White needs the utmost precision as one mistake will immediately see the game fizzle to sterile equality.} Rce8 $1 {Ne7+ was threatened, and this was the only move not to lose the game immediately.} 22. Bf4 $1 Nc5 23. Ne7+ $1 Kf7 {Now, this is a perfect example of what I was saying. There really is no slightly better option for White in this position with a mostly symmetrical structure. The best move is more or less winning, and the second-best move is just about a draw.} 24. Bxf5 $2 { This lets the opportunity slip. White's route to victory was narrow and incredibly difficult, but it was there.} (24. Bf1 $1 {This was the way. It's a very hard move to make, tucking the bishop away passively like this, and there is a lot of hard calculation to do, but White seems to be on top in all lines. This is the level of difficulty you tend to see in what will decide who challenges for a World Championship match.} Nc8 {This is Black's most resilient defense, but it's not great.} (24... Rxe7 25. Bxd6 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Re8 {It looks like Black might be holding on. But...} 27. Rd1 $1 {... A subtle and difficult move to spot from afar, even if it is obvious once the position after 26...Re8 is on the board. Black may as well resign.}) 25. Bc4+ $1 Be6 26. Rxe6 $1 {A very important move, without which White would not have much. The initiative flows very powerfully.} Nxe6 27. Nhxf5 $1 Kf6 {I suspect Caruana may have seen it this far and then got stuck here, as Black looks okay. But...} 28. Nd5+ $1 {... Black is unable to take on f5 thanks to mate.} Kg6 (28... Kxf5 29. Bd3#) 29. Nxd4 Nxd4 30. Rd1 $16 {Black is in big trouble.}) 24... Nxf5 $1 ( 24... Bxf5 $2 25. Bxd6 $1 {And White wins.}) 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 $1 26. Nxf5 { This position looks so tempting for White from afar. Black is a pawn down, facing massive threats. But somehow he just barely holds together.} Rxe1 $1 27. Rxe1 Nd3 $1 {Black is just in time to hold.} 28. Re4 (28. Re7+ Kf6 $1 { Everything is hanging, but it seems like White's pieces are hanging more painfully than Black's are. [Caruana said that during earlier calculations he \"missed one detail\" which is that he thought he could play} 29. Bg5+ { here but at some point he realized the knight is hanging. - PD]}) (28. Nd6+ { This does not help.} Kg8 $11) 28... Bxb2 $1 {Black is out of danger. The absolute worst-case scenario I could imagine for him is a 3 vs. 2 endgame on the kingside, which would be unpleasant but still a draw.} 29. Be3 (29. Nd6+ Kg8 30. Nxb7 Nxf4+ {Black takes on a3 next and holds.}) 29... Bxa3 30. Bxa7 Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 {The rest of the game was a formality. Caruana came very close to blowing the tournament open, showing excellent preparation, but he did not quite manage to see it all the way through when a very, very difficult chance was given to him. Nepo remains a full point in the lead, and thanks to wins from the struggling Radjabov and Firouzja, it seems Caruana is the only player for him to worry about once again. Surviving this game was a huge deal.} 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Ne1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2773"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,25,30,18,18,5,35,34,36,36,36,-13,-12,19,43,46,41,41,71,48,75,39,60,32, 32,-26,23,23]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 11. Nh4 (11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. Bxf5 Qxf5 13. bxc3 {1-0 (45) Caruana,F (2786)-Anand,V (2751) Warsaw POL 2022}) 11... Be6 (11... dxc4 12. Qxc4 Be6 13. Qc2 Nf6 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Nf5 Bd8 16. Nc3 Nd5 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. Re5 Nb4 {0-1 (52) Rozman,M (1708)-Belsak,Z (1653) Murska Sobota 2006}) 12. Qc2 Na6 13. a3 f5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 Rac8 $5 16. f3 Be7 17. g3 Nd6 $6 (17... Bf6 18. fxe4 Bxd4+ 19. Kh1 fxe4 20. Bb5 Qf7 21. Ng2) 18. Qa4 Bf6 $6 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 Rce8 22. Bf4 Nc5 23. Ne7+ $1 Kf7 24. Bxf5 $6 (24. Bf1 $1 Nc8 25. Bc4+ Be6 26. Rxe6 Nxe6 27. Nhxf5 Kf6 28. Nd5+ Kg6 ( 28... Kxf5 $4 29. Bd3#) 29. Nxd4 Nxd4 30. Rc1) 24... Nxf5 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Nd3 28. Re4 Bxb2 29. Be3 $5 Bxa3 30. Bxa7 Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Ne1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,25,18,5,14,19,7,19,19,22,13,-14,-5,-15,11,11,33,1,0,-3,-14,-5,-5,-11, -5,-11,9,8]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. a4 Na7 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3 $5 (12. Nc4 h6 13. Nh4 Be6 14. g3 Bh3 15. Nf5 Qe6 16. Re1 Ng4 17. Nce3 Nxe3 18. Bxe3 Bxe3 19. Nxe3 {1-0 (45) Movsziszian,K (2505)-Praveen Kumar,C (2233) Mumbai 2019}) 12... Ba7 (12... Bb6 13. Bg5 Nd8 14. Bh4 c6 15. Nbd2 Bc7 16. Nc4 Ne6 17. Bg3 Nf4 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. e5 Nd5 {1/2-1/2 (44) Maiwald,J (2426)-Zilka,S (2606) Deizisau GER 2022}) 13. Bb5 Bg4 $6 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 bxc6 16. Nxa5 Qe6 (16... Bxf2+ 17. Rxf2 Rxa5 18. b4 Raa8 19. Be3) 17. Qe2 Nh5 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 f5 $5 21. Rg2 $5 fxe4 $6 22. Qxe4 Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 29. cxb4 Rf6 30. b5 Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6 41. Nb6 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2776"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 c6 9. Ba4 d6 10. Bb3 Qe7 (10... O-O 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Be6 14. Ne3 g5 15. Bg3 a5 16. a4 Qd7 17. Bc2 {1/2-1/2 (30) Hansen,E (2577)-Movsesian,S (2659) Doha 2014}) (10... a5 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 h5 15. f3 Be6 16. Ne3 h4 17. Bf2 d5 18. Re1 {½- (41) ½ (41) Karjakin,S (2760) -Caruana,F (2811) Zuerich 2015}) 11. Nc4 Bg4 (11... Bc7 12. f4 b5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 O-O 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Rxf5 h6 17. Qf3 Nh7 18. Bd2 {0-1 (34) Karjakin,S (2754)-Vidit,S (2721) Moscow RUS 2019}) 12. Qe1 Bc5 13. Kh1 a5 $5 14. f4 a4 15. Bc2 b5 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. d4 Bxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Be3 (20. Bd2 Qxb2 21. Rc1 Nd7 22. h3 Be6 23. Bc3) 20... Qxb2 21. Qf2 Be6 $1 22. Bd4 Qb4 23. Bc5 Qc3 24. Rac1 $5 (24. Bd4 Qb4 25. Bc5 Qc3 26. Bd4 $11) 24... Rd8 25. Bb1 Qe5 26. Qh4 Bc4 $2 27. Rf5 Qb2 28. Rg1 $6 (28. Re1 $1) 28... Be6 $6 (28... Rd2 $1) 29. Qg3 $1 Nd7 30. Bd6 Qd4 $6 31. Rff1 h5 32. e5 $1 Qg4 33. Qe3 $1 h4 34. h3 Qh5 35. Be4 Qh6 36. Qf3 f6 37. Bxc6 Kf7 38. Bxb5 Qh5 39. Qe4 Nxe5 40. Be2 Qg5 41. Bxe5 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,33,13,-17,-18,-39,-16,-20,-20,-20,-2,-1,1,1,13,14,39,26,38,4,20,14,23, -11,-11,18,18,18,18,4,12,13,37,-3,14,-7]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. O-O b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Rd4 (15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Qb1 Qb8 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qb7+ 19. f3 O-O 20. Nce4 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qb8 {1/2-1/2 (47) Aronian,L (2797)-Wojtaszek,R (2744) Wijk aan Zee 2015}) 15... O-O 16. Rad1 Rac8 17. Qd2 Nc5 18. Qf4 Qxf4 19. gxf4 Nce4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Bd5 22. a4 a5 23. e4 Bb3 24. R1d3 Rc1+ 25. Bf1 Bc2 26. Rc3 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Rc4 Rd8 29. Nc6 Rd2 30. Nxa5 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. b4 Rc1 34. Nxb6 Rb1 35. Kg2 Rxb4 36. a5 Rb3 37. Rc1 Bf3+ 38. Kg1 Ra3 39. Nc4 Ra2 40. Ne5 Bxe4 $2 (40... Bh5) 41. Rc7 Nd5 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. a6 Nb4 44. Ra7 Nc6 45. Rc7 Nd4 46. f3 $5 Nxf3+ 47. Nxf3 Bxf3 48. a7 Bd5 49. h4 Ra4 50. Bb5 Ra5 51. Rd7 Ra2 52. Kf1 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Bd5 54. Kd1 Kh8 55. Kc1 Be4 $1 56. Rc7 Ra5 57. Bd7 Ra1+ 58. Kb2 Rb1+ 59. Ka2 Rb6 60. Ka3 Kg8 61. Ka4 1-0