[Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"] [Date "2021.04.21"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Ding Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2020.03.17"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.21"] {[%evp 0,80,23,8,26,26,20,19,19,2,2,-3,14,2,3,3,13,1,-5,-7,-9,1,13,-11,-11,-36, -28,-44,-28,-24,-24,-18,-15,-17,0,-27,1,1,18,18,-4,-5,-10,-47,-10,-16,-12,-17, -21,-38,-21,-37,-14,-12,-67,-78,-43,-64,-64,-64,-64,-75,-75,-63,-63,-63,-63, -63,-56,-56,-56,-56,-11,-18,-18,-18,0,0,0,-18,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 b4 9. a5 {This has become increasingly popular in the last couple of years, and Caruana has played it regularly.} (9. d4) ({and} 9. d3 {are important alternatives.}) 9... d6 10. d3 {Apparently a new move in Caruana's practice, but not much of a surprise as it has been used by Carlsen, MVL, and other elite GMs.} (10. c3 Rb8 (10... Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. d4 bxc3 13. bxc3 exd4 14. cxd4 d5 15. e5 Nd7 16. Nbd2 Rb8 17. Ba3 Bxa3 18. Rxa3 Rb5 19. Qe2 h6 20. h3 Rf7 21. Rc1 Ndb8 22. Qd3 Nxa5 23. Rac3 Nd7 24. Qg6 Nf8 25. Qc2 c6 26. Ra1 Qb6 27. Rca3 Ra7 28. Nh2 c5 29. dxc5 Rxc5 30. Rc3 Rac7 31. Rxc5 Rxc5 32. Qd1 Nc6 33. Nhf3 Ng6 34. Rb1 Rb5 35. Rc1 Rb4 36. Nf1 Nf4 37. Qd2 Nd4 38. Nxd4 Qxd4 39. Qxd4 Ne2+ 40. Kh2 Nxd4 41. Ra1 Rb6 42. f4 Nb3 43. Ra3 a5 44. Kg3 Rb4 45. Ne3 a4 46. f5 d4 47. Nd1 exf5 48. Kf4 g6 49. e6 Kf8 50. Ke5 Ke7 51. Kd5 d3 {0-1 (51) Caruana,F (2818) -Aronian,L (2765) Saint Louis 2019}) 11. Bc4 d5 (11... Bg4 12. h3 Bh5 13. Qa4 Na7 14. g4 Bg6 15. d3 Nb5 16. Bg5 h5 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Kg2 bxc3 19. Nxc3 c6 20. Bxb5 axb5 21. Qd1 b4 22. Ne2 hxg4 23. hxg4 Qd7 24. Kh3 Rb5 25. Ng3 Ra8 26. Qb3 Bd8 27. a6 Bb6 28. Rf1 Kf8 29. Nh4 Bh7 30. Qc2 Bd8 31. Nhf5 Bg5 32. Ra4 f6 33. Ne2 Rb6 34. a7 Rb7 35. Ra6 Bxf5 36. gxf5 c5 37. Rfa1 Rbxa7 38. Qc4 Rxa6 39. Rxa6 Rxa6 40. Qxa6 g6 41. Kg2 gxf5 42. Ng3 fxe4 43. dxe4 d5 44. Qb6 dxe4 45. Qxc5+ Kg7 46. Qxb4 e3 47. fxe3 Bxe3 48. Qe4 Bf4 49. Nh5+ Kh6 50. Nxf4 Qg4+ 51. Kf2 exf4 52. Qh1+ Kg5 53. Qd5+ f5 54. Qg8+ Kf6 55. Qf8+ Ke6 56. Qe8+ Kf6 57. Qf8+ Ke6 58. Qe8+ {1/2-1/2 (58) Caruana,F (2819)-Ding,L (2805) Zagreb 2019}) 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. h3 h6 14. d4 bxc3 15. Nxc3 Be6 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Bxd5 Bxd5 18. Rxe5 Bb3 19. Qg4 Be6 20. Rxe6 fxe6 21. Bxh6 Rf7 22. Be3 Rxb2 23. Qxe6 Bg5 24. Bxg5 Qxg5 25. Ne4 Qf5 26. d5 Qxe6 27. dxe6 Rf5 28. Rd1 Rb8 29. h4 Re8 30. Ng5 Rxa5 31. Rd7 c6 32. f4 Rd5 33. Ra7 Rd4 34. f5 Rxh4 35. Rxa6 Rh5 36. Ne4 Rxf5 37. Nd6 Rff8 38. Nxe8 Rxe8 39. Rxc6 Kh7 40. Kf2 Kg6 41. Kf3 Kf6 42. Kf4 Rxe6 43. Rxe6+ Kxe6 44. Kg5 Kf7 45. g3 Kf8 46. Kg6 Kg8 47. g4 Kh8 48. Kf7 Kh7 49. g5 Kh8 50. g6 {1/2-1/2 (50) Caruana,F (2828)-Tari,A (2633) Stavanger 2020}) 10... Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. c3 (12. Nbd2 {is also popular, perhaps even more popular than 12.c3. The moves often transpose, but not always, as sometimes White continues with 13.Nb3.}) 12... Rb8 13. Nbd2 Rb5 14. d4 bxc3 15. bxc3 exd4 16. cxd4 {White has gone +4=6 in the ten previous games to reach this position, though it should be added that three of the wins came against moves other than 16...Nb4. (White went 2-0 vs. 16...Nxa5 and 1-0 vs. 16...d5.) In the seven games with 16...Nb4 all but one were drawn, and that includes three of Ding's draws - see below.} Qc8 $146 {A novelty, but one which transposes to a pair of predecessors.} (16... Nb4 17. d5 (17. Ba3 Nd3 18. Rf1 Nf4 19. g3 Nh3+ 20. Kg2 Ng5 21. Nxg5 Rxg5 22. Qb3 Qd7 23. e5 Nd5 24. Ne4 Rgf5 25. f4 Qc6 26. Rac1 Qa8 27. Qf3 g5 28. exd6 cxd6 29. Bxd6 gxf4 30. Bxe7 Nxe7 31. Nc5 fxg3 32. Qxa8 Rxa8 33. hxg3 Rc8 34. Nxa6 Rxc1 35. Rxc1 Rxa5 {1/2-1/2 (35) Swiercz,D (2655)-Ding,L (2812) Astana 2019}) (17. Nf1 c5 18. dxc5 dxc5 19. Qb3 Qc8 20. Qc4 Nc6 21. Bd2 Ng4 22. Bc3 Rxf3 23. gxf3 Nge5 24. Qe2 c4 25. f4 Nd3 26. Qg4 g6 27. f5 Nxe1 28. Rxe1 Ne5 29. Bxe5 Rxe5 30. Ng3 c3 31. fxg6 Rg5 32. gxh7+ Kh8 33. Qf3 c2 34. Rc1 Rc5 35. Qf7 Qf8 36. Qxf8+ Bxf8 37. Nf1 Bh6 {1/2-1/2 (37) Grischuk,A (2761) -Ding,L (2759) China 2017}) 17... Ng4 18. Rf1 c5 19. dxc6 Nxc6 20. Nb3 Bf6 21. Ra4 Qd7 22. Ba3 Nge5 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 24. Nd4 Rb7 25. Rb4 Rxb4 26. Bxb4 Rc8 27. Nf3 Nxf3+ 28. Qxf3 Rc4 29. Bd2 d5 30. exd5 Qxd5 31. Qb3 Rd4 32. Qb8+ Qd8 33. Qxd8+ Bxd8 34. Bc3 Rd3 35. Bb4 Rb3 36. Bd2 Ra3 37. g3 Bxa5 38. Bxa5 Rxa5 39. Rc1 Kf7 40. Rc7+ Kf6 41. Ra7 h5 42. h4 Ra2 43. Kg2 a5 44. Kf3 a4 45. Ra5 g6 46. Ke3 a3 47. Kf3 Ra1 48. Kf4 Ra2 49. Kf3 Ra1 50. Kf4 e5+ 51. Ke4 Re1+ 52. Kf3 Ra1 53. Ke4 a2 54. Ra6+ Ke7 55. Kf3 Kd7 56. Kg2 Kc7 57. Ra8 Kb6 58. Ra3 Kc5 59. Ra8 Kd4 60. Ra7 e4 61. Ra8 e3 62. fxe3+ Kxe3 63. Re8+ Kd3 64. Rd8+ Ke3 {1/2-1/2 (64) Amin,B (2709)-Ding,L (2812) Astana 2019}) (16... Nxa5 17. Qc2 (17. d5 e5 18. Qc2 Nd7 19. Qc3 Rc5 20. Qd3 Qc8 21. Rb1 Rb5 22. Rxb5 axb5 23. Qxb5 Nb7 24. Nb3 Nb6 25. Be3 Qd7 26. Qa6 Rb8 27. Bxb6 cxb6 28. Qxb6 Rc8 29. h3 Rc4 30. Nfd2 Bd8 31. Qa6 Rc3 32. Qa1 Rd3 33. Qa6 Rc3 34. Qa1 Rd3 35. Qb1 Qb5 36. Qc2 Bg5 37. Rb1 Nc5 38. Nxc5 Rxd2 39. Rxb5 Rxc2 40. Ne6 Bf6 41. Rb8+ Kf7 42. Rb7+ Kg6 43. Rd7 Rc1+ 44. Kh2 Re1 45. f3 h5 46. Nf8+ Kh6 47. Rxd6 h4 48. Nd7 Kg5 49. Nxf6 gxf6 50. Rd8 Rd1 51. Rh8 Re1 52. Rg8+ Kh6 53. d6 Rd1 54. Rd8 Kg6 55. d7 Kg7 56. g4 Kh7 57. Kg2 Kg7 58. Kf2 Kh7 59. Ke2 Rd6 60. Rf8 {1-0 (60) Smith,A (2499) -Hammer,J (2689) Drancy 2016}) 17... Qd7 18. Ra4 Rfb8 19. Ba3 Ne8 20. Qa2 Nb3 21. Rxa6 Nxd2 22. Nxd2 R5b6 23. Ra7 R6b7 24. Rxb7 Rxb7 25. e5 Ra7 26. Qb3 dxe5 27. Bxe7 Qxe7 28. dxe5 Ra5 29. Nf3 Rd5 30. Ra1 Qd7 31. h4 h6 32. Ra8 Qc6 33. Rb8 Qc1+ 34. Kh2 Qf4+ 35. g3 Qf7 36. Kg2 Qd7 37. h5 Qc6 38. Kh2 Qd7 39. Qb4 Kf7 40. Qf4+ Kg8 41. Nh4 g5 42. hxg6 Kg7 43. Rd8 {1-0 (43) Nakamura,H (2745) -Melkumyan,H (2650) Douglas 2019}) 17. Ba3 (17. Nc4 d5 18. exd5 exd5 19. Ba3 dxc4 20. Bxe7 Nxe7 21. Rxe7 Nd5 22. Re5 c6 23. Nd2 c3 24. Nc4 Qd8 25. Rc1 Qf6 26. f3 Qf4 27. Re4 Qh6 28. Qe1 Rb4 29. Ne3 Rb2 30. Nxd5 cxd5 31. Qxc3 Rxg2+ 32. Kxg2 dxe4 33. fxe4 Qg6+ 34. Kh1 Qxe4+ 35. Kg1 h6 36. Re1 Qd5 37. Qc5 Qf3 38. Qc4+ Kh8 39. Qe2 Qc3 40. Qe5 Rd8 41. Re3 Qc6 42. Re1 Rf8 43. Qe3 Qg6+ 44. Kh1 Qh5 45. Qe5 Qf3+ 46. Kg1 h5 47. Qe2 Qf5 48. Rf1 Qg5+ 49. Qg2 Qe3+ 50. Kh1 Rxf1+ 51. Qxf1 Qe4+ 52. Qg2 Qe1+ 53. Qg1 Qxa5 54. Qe3 Qd5+ 55. Kg1 a5 56. Kf2 Kh7 57. Qd3+ g6 58. Qc3 Kg7 59. Ke3 a4 60. Qc7+ Kf6 61. Qf4+ Qf5 62. Qb8 a3 63. h4 Qe6+ 64. Kd3 a2 65. Qf8+ Qf7 66. Qh8+ Kf5 {0-1 (67) Gorovykh,E (2404)-Matlakov,M (2533) St Petersburg 2009}) 17... Nxa5 $146 (17... Qd7 18. Qc2 Nxa5 19. Rac1 Bd8 20. e5 Nd5 21. exd6 cxd6 22. Ne4 Rb6 23. Neg5 Bxg5 24. Nxg5 g6 25. Nxe6 Re8 26. Ng5 Nb3 27. Rcd1 Rc8 28. Qd3 Na5 29. Rc1 Rf8 30. h3 Rb3 31. Qe4 Nf4 32. g3 Rxa3 33. gxf4 d5 34. Qe7 Qxe7 35. Rxe7 Nc4 36. Rxh7 Rxf4 37. Re1 Nd2 38. Re8+ Rf8 39. Ree7 Rf6 40. Reg7+ Kf8 41. Rd7 Kg8 42. Rhg7+ Kh8 43. Rge7 Nf3+ 44. Kg2 Nh4+ 45. Kh1 Ra1+ 46. Kh2 Rxf2+ 47. Kg3 Nf5+ 48. Kxf2 Nxe7 49. Rxe7 a5 50. Ra7 Kg8 51. Nh7 Ra4 52. Nf6+ Kf8 53. Ke3 Ra3+ 54. Kf4 Rxh3 55. Rxa5 Kf7 56. Nxd5 Ke6 57. Ke4 {1-0 (57) Dorer,M-Lindner,J DESC email 2011}) 18. Qc2 {A nice multi-purpose move, restricting the Na5, preparing to pressure the c-pawn, and with an eye towards kingside ideas like e5 followed by Nd2-e4-g5.} (18. Rc1 $5) (18. h3 $5) 18... c5 19. e5 (19. Qa2 $5) 19... dxe5 20. dxc5 (20. Rxe5 Nc6 21. Ree1 Nb4 22. Qc4 cxd4 $11) (20. Nxe5 Nd5 21. Rac1 c4 22. Bxe7 Nxe7 23. Ndxc4 Nxc4 24. Qxc4 Qxc4 25. Rxc4 Ra8 $11) (20. dxe5 $6 Nd5 {From here, every White move is forced to avoid a clearly worse or even lost position.} 21. Ne4 Nc6 22. Nd6 Bxd6 23. exd6 Rxf3 $1 24. gxf3 Nd4 25. Qe4 Nf6 26. Qf4 Rb3 27. Re3 e5 $1 28. Qxe5 Nxf3+ 29. Rxf3 Rxf3 30. Bxc5 Rf5 31. d7 $8 Qxd7 32. Qb8+ Ne8 33. Be3 $15 {White's reward for making a long series of only-moves is this ending a pawn down and a somewhat exposed king.}) 20... Nc6 {This is an interesting position. White is a pawn down, and his c-pawn is a little weak, but Black has three pawns that range from about-to-go to potentially weak. White's pieces are all active or within range of excellent squares, but Black's pieces are also surprisingly well-placed. It looks like a position where mass liquidations could easily take place, with White ending up with a 3-2 kingside majority on the f- through h-files, with Black hoping to retain at least one of his three weaknesses.} (20... Bxc5 $2 {Tempting, but losing. (Trying to work it all out for yourself is an excellent exercise.)} 21. Rac1 Nd7 (21... Rf7 22. Bxc5 Rc7 23. Rxe5 Ng4 24. Ng5 $1 g6 (24... Nxe5 $4 25. Qxh7#) 25. Rxe6 $1 Rbxc5 26. Rxg6+ Kf8 (26... Kh8 27. Qb2+ (27. Qxc5 {also wins, of course.}) 27... Ne5 28. Qxe5+ $1 Rxe5 29. Nf7+ Rxf7 30. Rxc8+ {mates.})) (21... Nb7 22. Nb3 Nd7 23. Nxc5 Nbxc5 24. Ng5 g6 25. Nxe6 $18) 22. Ne4 Nb3 {almost survives, but is refuted by} (22... Nb7 {- see 21...Nb7.}) 23. Nd6 $1 Qc6 24. Nxb5 Nxc1 25. Rxc1 (25. Na7 {also wins.}) 25... axb5 26. Bxc5 Rc8 {and once again White wins, thanks only to a sudden switch to the kingside:} 27. Ng5 $1 g6 (27... Nxc5 28. Qxh7+ Kf8 29. Rd1 $1 (29. Rxc5 Qxc5 30. Nxe6+ {is also good enough to win.}) 29... Nd3 30. Qh8+ Ke7 31. Qxg7+ Kd6 32. Rxd3+ Kc5 33. Qa7+ Kc4 34. Rd1 $18) 28. Ne4 $18) 21. Ne4 {A bit hasty, it seems. White could have improved his position with moves like Rac1 and h3 before taking committal action.} (21. Rac1 $142 $11) (21. Nxe5 $142 {was also possible, but it doesn't reestablish material equality for long.} Nxe5 22. Rxe5 Ng4 23. Re2 Bxc5 24. Bxc5 Rxc5 25. Qb1 $11 {Black isn't suffering at all here, but his weak pawns keep White well within range of a draw.}) 21... Nxe4 22. Rxe4 (22. Qxe4 Rf4 $15 {/-/+}) 22... Rd8 $15 23. Rae1 (23. Nxe5 $4 Nxe5 24. Rxe5 Bf6 $19) 23... Bf6 24. h4 h6 (24... Qd7 $142 $15 {was better, activating the queen on her way to d5 or d3.}) 25. R4e3 (25. Bb2 $6 {is a waste of time due to} Rd5 $17 ({But not the seemingly better} 25... Nb4 $2 {. This appears to win not just the c-pawn, but even more material thanks to ...Nd3 after the queen moves. White must play} 26. Rxb4 $1 { , but it turns out the exchange sac is very strong, and White has full compensation after} Rxb4 27. Bxe5 $44)) (25. Nh2 $5 {is an attractive idea. Black should meet this with centralization:} Qd7 26. Ng4 Qd3 $15) 25... Rd5 26. g4 {The only avenue for play. White is looking to both open up Black's kingside and drive away one of the defenders of the long sought-after pawn on e5.} Qe8 $1 27. Kg2 {Again preparing g5, and after the exchange on g5 he'll continue with Rh1 and Qh7+. Black is ready for this one, too.} (27. g5 Bd8 $1 28. gxh6 Qh5 $1 29. hxg7 $2 Rb7 $1 $17 {/-+}) 27... h5 {A safe move - but for both sides.} (27... Rb8 $142 $15) 28. g5 Be7 {White's queen can't go to g6, so Black is fine on the kingside. White captures the e5-pawn at last, but at the cost of the c-pawn.} 29. Nxe5 Bxc5 30. Bxc5 Rbxc5 31. Qg6 Qxg6 32. Nxg6 { The hunt for the second e-pawn commences. White threatens not only Rxe6 but Nf4 as well. Black has a convenient defense against both threats.} e5 {White's knight is almost trapped - or rather, it is trapped, but cannot yet be caught. Has Black consolidated his extra pawn?} 33. f4 $1 {Nope. This more or less forces an immediate draw.} (33. Rf3 $1 {also seems to draw.}) 33... Rd2+ (33... exf4 $4 34. Re8+ Kh7 (34... Kf7 35. Nh8#) 35. Nf8+ Kg8 36. g6 $18 {forces a speedy mate (even if Black tries to give away all his material to survive a while).}) 34. R3e2 Rxe2+ 35. Rxe2 Nd4 $1 {Setting a nice little trap.} (35... exf4 36. Nxf4 $11 (36. Re4 $11)) 36. Re4 $1 (36. Rxe5 $4 Rxe5 37. Nxe5 a5 38. Nc4 a4 39. Na3 Nf5 $19 {and the weakness of the h4-pawn leaves White with a lost position. Black's king will penetrate and win, while White's entire army has been immobilized.}) 36... Rc2+ 37. Kf1 $8 Rc1+ 38. Kf2 Rc2+ 39. Kf1 Rc1+ 40. Kf2 Rc2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"] [Date "2021.04.21"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2020.03.17"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.21"] {[%evp 0,80,23,8,100,70,53,56,58,26,29,34,63,44,45,45,45,43,55,51,88,51,49,49, 46,43,46,59,70,58,66,31,20,23,23,-6,21,17,47,63,73,66,95,65,85,94,94,94,87,71, 99,99,118,111,113,105,117,107,95,96,120,77,96,98,120,76,88,80,94,63,69,67,125, 81,77,84,77,74,60,56,37,41,58]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 9. c4 Be7 10. c5 (10. Be2) ({and} 10. Bd3 {have been much more popular.}) 10... Na6 $5 (10... O-O {had been nearly automatic in almost 150 previous games.}) 11. cxd6 Bxd6 12. Bc4 O-O 13. O-O Nc7 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Qf3 $146 (15. a4 Rd8 16. Qe2 (16. b3 Nxd5 17. Ba3 Qf6 18. Bb2 Ne3 19. Bxf7+ Kh8 20. fxe3 Rxd1 21. Raxd1 Qb6 22. Bxe5 Qxe3+ 23. Kh1 Bg4 24. Rde1 Qc5 25. Bc4 Bh5 26. Rf5 Qb4 27. Ref1 Bg6 28. Bc3 Qd6 29. Rd5 Qc7 30. Rfd1 Be8 31. R1d3 Qf4 32. Rf3 Qc1+ 33. Rf1 Qa3 34. Bd4 b6 {1-0 (34) Shirazi,K (2410) -Mendeiros,J (2205) Paris 1998}) 16... b6 17. Re1 Nxd5 18. Qxe5 Qxe5 19. Rxe5 Be6 (19... Nc7 20. Be3 Be6 21. Bxe6 Nxe6 22. a5 bxa5 23. Rexa5 Rab8 24. Rxa7 { 1/2-1/2 (24) Wharrier,J (2408)-Biedermann,K (2384) ICCF email 2017}) 20. Bg5 Rd6 21. Rd1 Ne3 22. Rxd6 Nxc4 23. Rdxe6 fxe6 24. Re2 Kf7 25. Rc2 Rc8 26. f4 e5 27. b3 Nd6 28. Rxc8 Nxc8 29. fxe5 Ke6 30. Bd2 g6 31. Bc3 Ne7 32. Kf2 Nc6 33. Ke3 Nxe5 34. Kd4 Ng4 35. b4 a6 36. h3 Ne5 37. a5 Nc6+ 38. Kc4 bxa5 39. bxa5 Kd6 {1/2-1/2 (39) Broniek,M (2333)-Eremin,V (2344) ICCF email 2015}) 15... b6 ( 15... b5 $142 {may have been better - a suspicion that only grows when one sees Giri playing it three moves later.} 16. Bb3 (16. Bd3 f5 $11) 16... Bb7 17. Rd1 Rad8 18. Bg5 Rd7 $1 $11 (18... f6 $2 {loses, believe it or not, to} 19. Bd2 {, e.g.} Kh8 20. Ba5 Rd7 21. Qc3 Na6 22. Rac1 h6 23. Qe3 $18 {and White's queenside domination will soon bear fruit.})) 16. Rd1 Bb7 17. Bg5 (17. b4 { is a fun idea. It clears b2 for the bishop, and pushing the pawn to b5 is useful, if permitted. Black can take on b4, and should, but White has an idea there as well:} Qxb4 18. Ba3 $1 Qxc4 19. Rac1 Qxa2 20. Bxf8 Nxd5 $1 21. Bd6 Re8 22. Qf5 Re6 23. Ra1 Qb3 24. Bxe5 g6 25. Qg5 f6 26. Qg3 Qxg3 27. Bxg3 a5 28. f3 {and because Black's queenside pawns are almost impossible to advance without material concessions, White is a little better (though "draw" is the favored result).}) 17... h6 $2 ({This time,} 17... f6 $1 {was the correct move. (No one said chess was easy!)} 18. Bd2 Kh8 19. a3 Bxd5 20. Bb4 Bxf3 21. Rxd6 Bh5 $11 {leaves White with sufficient compensation for the pawn, but not more.}) 18. Bh4 $16 b5 19. Bb3 Na6 20. Qe2 (20. h3 $142 $16) 20... Nc5 21. Qxb5 $6 { It was more important to preserve the bishop than to go up a weak doubled pawn. } (21. Bc2 $16) 21... Nxb3 22. axb3 Rfb8 $6 (22... Qb6 $1 $14) 23. f3 (23. Rac1 $142 $16) 23... a6 24. Qa5 Rc8 $14 25. Qa3 Qb6+ $2 (25... Qg6 $1 $11) 26. Bf2 Qb5 27. d6 $16 Qd7 28. Qa4 (28. Rd2 $142) (28. h3 $142) 28... Bc6 29. Qh4 Re8 30. Rac1 Rac8 (30... e4 {was also possible, without any further building.}) 31. Rc4 $6 (31. h3 $1 $16 Re6 32. Qb4 e4 (32... Rg6 $2 {has been rendered harmless, as White has - and must play -} 33. Kh2 $18) 33. fxe4 Rxe4 34. Rc4 Re2 35. Qc3 $16) 31... Re6 $11 32. Bc5 Rg6 33. Qf2 Re8 34. Re1 {Black has done a great job maximizing the activity of his pieces, and now the thematic break is ready to be played.} e4 $1 35. fxe4 Rg4 $2 ({The attractive and, yes, thematic} 35... f5 $44 {was asking to be played, ripping open even more lines for Black's beautifully placed pieces.}) 36. h3 $2 {Had this been played earlier, MVL might have finished the day on +2. Instead, Giri survives, and they, together with Caruana, remain tied for second, now a full point behind Nepomniachtchi.} (36. Qc2 $1 Bb5 (36... f5 $2 {is too late here:} 37. Bb4 $1 Rgxe4 38. Rexe4 Bxe4 39. Rc7 $1 Bxc2 $8 40. Rxd7 Bxb3 41. Bc3 Bf7 42. Rc7 Rd8 43. Be5 $18 { Once White's king has entered the action - something Black's king will find it almost impossible to do - the magnitude of White's advantage will be evident.}) 37. h3 Rg6 38. Qc3 Bxc4 39. bxc4 $16) 36... Rgxe4 $11 37. Rexe4 Rxe4 38. Rxe4 Bxe4 39. Qe2 Bb7 40. b4 Qc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"] [Date "2021.04.21"] [Round "10.3"] [White "Wang Hao"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C11"] [WhiteElo "2763"] [BlackElo "2777"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2020.03.17"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.21"] 1. e4 e6 {Repeating the French - it wasn't a one-off against Alekeseenko in round 8.} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nce2 ({The more usual} 5. f4 { was Alekseenko's choice in the earlier game. He eventually won, but not because of the opening.}) 5... c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. f4 ({Somewhat surprisingly,} 7. Nf3 {is very common, not holding on to the e5 pawn at all costs.}) 7... Be7 ( 7... Qb6) (7... a5) 8. Nf3 f6 (8... O-O {is the most commonly chosen move here. }) 9. Be3 O-O 10. g3 Qb6 (10... fxe5 11. dxe5 {and now Black has played 11... b5 and 11...Nb6 with equal frequency (but based on a small sample of mostly sub-GM games).}) 11. Qd2 cxd4 $146 (11... Kh8 12. Bg2 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bb4 14. Nc3 Qa6 15. Kf2 fxe5 16. fxe5 Ndxe5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Rhf1 Nc4 19. Qe2 d4 20. Bxd4 e5 21. Nd5 exd4 22. Nxb4 Qb5 23. Qe7 Bh3 24. Bxh3 Nd2 25. Kg1 Nxf3+ 26. Rxf3 Rxf3 27. Rf1 Rxf1+ 28. Bxf1 Qb6 29. Nd5 Qxb2 30. Nc7 Rg8 31. Ne6 d3 32. Qd6 Qf6 33. Bxd3 Re8 34. Bc4 b5 35. Qc6 Rb8 36. Bb3 Qa1+ 37. Kg2 Qb2+ 38. Kh3 Qe5 39. Qf3 a5 40. Qg4 Qf6 41. Ng5 Rf8 42. Qh5 h6 43. Nf7+ Kh7 44. Qxb5 Rxf7 45. Bxf7 Qxf7 46. Qxa5 Qf1+ 47. Kg4 Qe2+ 48. Kf4 Qxh2 49. Qf5+ Kh8 50. Qc8+ Kh7 51. Qf5+ Kh8 52. Qc8+ Kh7 53. Qf5+ Kh8 {1/2-1/2 (53) Fedoseev,V (2667)-Morozevich,A (2676) Moscow 2016}) (11... fxe5 12. dxe5 Rd8 13. Bh3 (13. Bf2 d4 14. Bg2 dxc3 15. Qxc3 Qa6 16. Rd1 b5 17. O-O Bb7 18. Nd2 Rac8 19. Ne4 b4 20. Qe3 Qxa2 21. b3 Qa6 22. Ra1 Qb6 23. Rfd1 Nf8 24. Rxd8 Nxd8 25. Nd2 Ba6 26. Qe4 Bb5 27. Nc4 Qc7 28. Rd1 Bc6 29. Qc2 Nf7 30. Bxc6 Qxc6 31. Ra1 Rc7 32. Nd2 g5 33. Qe4 Qd5 34. Qxd5 exd5 35. Nf1 Nh6 36. Ne3 d4 37. Nd5 Rd7 38. Nxe7+ Rxe7 39. Nc1 Ne6 40. Nd3 Kg7 41. Ra5 gxf4 42. gxf4 c4 {1/2-1/2 (42) Macs,O (2054)-Zoll,D (2239) ICCF email 2015}) 13... d4 14. Bf2 d3 15. Nc1 Nf8 16. b3 Qa6 17. a4 b5 18. O-O Bb7 19. Ra2 b4 20. c4 Na5 21. Be3 Nxc4 22. bxc4 Qxc4 23. f5 exf5 24. Bxf5 Qd5 25. Bxd3 c4 26. Bb1 Qc6 27. Qe1 Ng6 28. Raf2 Nxe5 29. Ne2 Rd3 30. Ned4 Qd5 31. Bxd3 Nxd3 32. Qd2 Nxf2 33. Rxf2 Rf8 34. h4 c3 35. Qd3 Bc5 36. Bf4 Rd8 37. Be5 Re8 38. Bf4 Re1+ 39. Rf1 Qxf3 40. Qxf3 Bxd4+ {0-1 (40) Kamsky,G (2730)-Ding,L (2628) Moscow 2011}) 12. Nfxd4 (12. Nexd4 $142 fxe5 $1 13. Nxe6 d4 14. Bf2 ({ The otherwise desirable} 14. cxd4 $4 {loses on the spot to} Bb4 $19) 14... Re8 15. Be2 Bc5 $11) 12... Nc5 ({With energetic play, Black can obtain a very good position:} 12... Bc5 $142 13. exf6 Nxf6 14. Bg2 e5 $1 15. fxe5 Ne4 $1 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. b4 Bxd4 18. Bxd4 Qc7 19. Nf4 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Qxe5 21. O-O $11) 13. exf6 Bxf6 {Probably best, but all three recaptures were playable.} 14. Nb3 Ne4 15. Qd3 (15. Bxb6 Nxd2 16. Bc5 Nxf1 $1 17. Bxf8 Ne3 18. Bd6 Nc2+ 19. Kd2 Nxa1 { An impressive career for the knight.} 20. Nxa1 e5 $1 $11) 15... Qc7 $11 16. Bg2 {Threatening to take twice on e4. One way to meet a threat to a piece is to run away, but sometimes it's possible to make the capture unappetizing.} Nd6 ( 16... b6 $1 {is what I was referring to, and if White takes on e4 he'll be sorry.} 17. Bxe4 $6 dxe4 18. Qxe4 $2 Bb7 $1 $19 {White can get his pieces out of the way before the skewer strikes, but he's lost all the same.} 19. Qc4 (19. Qxe6+ $2 Kh8 20. O-O-O Rfe8 21. Qd7 Qxd7 22. Rxd7 Rxe3 23. Rxb7 Rxe2 $19) 19... Qc8 20. Rf1 Ba6 21. Qe4 e5 $1 22. f5 Ne7 $19 {White's minor pieces are paralyzed and he can't castle, while Black is ready to gain further ground with ...Bb7 and then ...Nd5.}) 17. Bf2 (17. O-O) 17... Nc4 18. Qc2 Ne7 19. O-O e5 $5 (19... Nf5 {was a good alternative, not committing to a particular pawn break. Black threatens a fork on e3, and if} 20. Qc1 Nfd6 {keeps a good grip over (part of) the center. Black may play ...Ne4 very soon, and he hasn't given up on the idea of ...e5.}) 20. fxe5 Bf5 {Black's pieces enjoy a lot of activity, though probably not enough to fully make up for the weak d-pawn. After 21.Qd1 White would enjoy a safe plus. However, Grischuk was down to three minutes to make the time control at move 40 (but with a 30 second increment after each move), and that may have persuaded Wang Hao to go speculating with a queen sacrifice.} 21. exf6 $5 {Probably "?!" is more acccurate, but it's fun and shouldn't give Black more than equality with best play.} Bxc2 22. fxe7 Rfe8 (22... Qxe7 $2 23. Bxd5+ Kh8 24. Bxc4 Rac8 25. Ned4 $1 Rxc4 26. Nxc2 $18) 23. Nf4 Nb6 {If I recall correctly, Wang Hao spent a fair amount of time here before making the wrong decision. This is a bit odd, as the last two moves were forced, so this position should have been evaluated before making the (entirely unnecessary) sacrifice. Perhaps he thought he had worked everything out back then, and only here realized that he had missed something.} (23... Be4 {was also possible:} 24. Nxd5 Bxd5 25. Bxd5+ Kh8 26. Bxc4 Qxc4 27. Bc5 Kg8 28. Rae1 a5 29. Rf5 $11) 24. Nxd5 $2 {This should have lost.} (24. Bxb6 $142 Qxb6+ 25. Nd4 Be4 26. Nxd5 Bxd5 27. Bxd5+ Kh8 28. Rf7 Qc5 29. Bxb7 Rab8 30. Raf1 $1 {Perhaps Wang Hao missed this move from afar? Without it, White is lost.} g6 31. b4 $1 {Also necessary, and even easier to overlook.} Qxc3 32. Rf8+ (32. Nc6 {is also equal:} Rxb7 33. Rf8+ Kg7 34. Rxe8 Qe3+ $11 {will lead to a perpetual check.}) 32... Kg7 33. R8f7+ Kh6 34. R1f4 $8 {If White manages to make it this far, he forces Black to find the only moves to survive.} Qa1+ $1 35. Kg2 Qxa2+ 36. Kh3 Qxf7 37. Rxf7 Rxb7 38. Nc6 Rc7 39. Rf6 Kg7 40. Rd6 $11 {Black can't break out without returning the exchange (for the e-pawn), when the game will be a dead draw.}) 24... Nxd5 25. Bxd5+ Kh8 26. Nd4 Qd7 (26... Bg6 $19 {is even better.}) 27. c4 (27. Bc4 $142 Bg6 $19 (27... Be4 $19)) 27... Bg6 $6 (27... Bd3 $1 {is a smart interpolation, driving White's rook off the useful f-file before retreating to g6.} 28. Rfd1 Bg6 $19 { The e-pawn is a goner, and Black can start playing for the win after that, step by step. He just has to avoid a blunder before the time control.}) 28. Ne6 $6 (28. Rae1 Bd3 $1 29. Nf3 Bxf1 30. Ne5 Qxe7 31. Nf7+ Qxf7 32. Bxf7 Rxe1 33. Bxe1 Bd3 $19) 28... Rxe7 $19 29. Rae1 {White's pieces look pretty, but if Black plays the right move here he'll win.} Bf7 $2 {A natural move to make, especially when down to less than a minute on the clock. But it's a serious error.} (29... Bf5 $19 {is best, attacking the knight a third time and threatening ...Bh3.} 30. Nc5 Qc7 31. Nxb7 Rxe1 32. Rxe1 Bg6 33. Bd4 Bf7 $19 ( 33... Re8 $19)) 30. Nxg7 $1 Bxd5 $2 {After this further error, the position is equal once more.} (30... Kxg7 31. Bd4+ Kg8 32. Rxe7 Qxe7 33. Rxf7 Qxf7 34. Bxf7+ Kxf7 35. Kf2 $17 {/=/+ still favors Black, but a draw seems most probable to me.}) (30... Rxe1 {is probably best.} 31. Bxe1 $8 Kxg7 32. Rxf7+ Qxf7 33. Bxf7 Kxf7 34. Kf2 {Forcing White's bishop to e1 rather than enjoying life on d4 makes a difference. Here Black is always threatening to penetrate, which leaves White's king somewhat immobile while the Black king creeps nearer White's side of the board. Now Black is probably winning.} Rc8 $1 35. b3 Rd8 36. Ke2 Ke6 $19) 31. Rxe7 Qxe7 32. Nf5 Qf8 33. Bd4+ Kg8 34. cxd5 $11 h5 35. d6 Kh7 36. Ne7 Qe8 37. Rf6 Rd8 38. Bc3 Rxd6 39. Rxd6 Qxe7 40. Rd4 Kg6 41. a3 Qe3+ {White can do nothing to threaten Black, while Black cannot scale or otherwise break down White's fortress.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"] [Date "2021.04.21"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Alekseenko, Kirill"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2789"] [BlackElo "2696"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2020.03.17"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.21"] {[%evp 0,61,23,-30,-11,-56,-24,-59,-20,-20,-20,-3,14,-22,-6,-6,18,36,60,38,41, 31,42,31,39,18,65,43,39,33,51,51,85,85,97,97,129,138,144,144,144,149,149,149, 149,163,224,116,196,160,162,170,190,233,266,222,222,203,252,274,279,259,271, 272]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Be7 {This move is rarer, hasn't been tried by GMs (excepting Janosevic way back in 1974, who lost to fellow GM Kovacevic), never mind super-GMs, and isn't liked by the engine, either. Perhaps Nepo found a hole in Alekseenko's prep?} (8... Qc7 {is the most common move here, played by (among other super-GMs) Carlsen and Karjakin.}) 9. O-O O-O 10. d4 $14 cxd4 $6 (10... b5 $142) 11. Nxd4 $16 Qc7 $6 {Really a bad day at the office for Alekseenko, who may already be lost here if White plays the correct move.} 12. Rd1 $6 (12. Be3 $1 $18) (12. Bf4 {is also very good--the point is that after} e5 {White has } 13. Nf5 {, and he's nearly winning after} exf4 14. Nxe7+ Kh8 15. Rfc1 $16 { /+-}) 12... Rd8 $6 (12... Nb6 $142 $16) 13. Be3 $1 Nb6 14. Rac1 $18 e5 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Qxf5 Nc4 17. Bg5 $1 {There's no real threat to b2, so of course White should increase his activity.} Rxd1+ (17... Nxb2 $4 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. Rxc7 ({ The computer likes} 19. Bxd5 {even more, but that's just gilding the lily, and a good way for a show-offy human to throw away an easily winning position.}) 19... Nxc7 20. Rxd8+ Bxd8 21. Bxb7 Rb8 22. Bxd8 Rxd8 23. Qxe5 $18) 18. Nxd1 Rd8 $2 (18... Qd8 $142 {was better, breaking the pin.} 19. Nc3 h6 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Ne4 Nd6 22. Nxd6 Qxd6 23. Bxb7 Rd8 24. Kg2 {should win for White in the long run. After Alekseenko's move, there won't be a long run.}) 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Be4 $1 {Black can't stop the incursion to h7 (20...g6?? hangs the bishop), and his pinned knight remains a massive problem as well. Resignation wouldn't be out of the question here.} Qa5 21. Nc3 (21. Qxh7+) ({and} 21. Rxc4 Rxd1+ 22. Kg2 {are also hopeless for Black.}) 21... Kf8 22. Nd5 b5 23. Qxh7 {White could have kept squeezing (e.g. with 23.Rc3), but there's no good reason not to cash in.} Rxd5 {Forced.} (23... Ke8 {is the only move that doesn't immediately cost a piece or the exchange, but it makes things even worse after} 24. Qg8+ Kd7 25. Qxf7+ Kc8 26. Nxf6 {and it turns out that the king hasn't found safety after all. Black still winds up a piece (and change) down, because} gxf6 {allows} 27. Qb7#) 24. Bxd5 Qd2 25. Rxc4 bxc4 (25... Qd1+ 26. Kg2 Qxd5+ 27. Re4 $18) 26. e4 (26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qa8 {was better, but Nepomniachtchi's move was good enough.}) 26... Qxb2 27. Qh8+ Ke7 28. Qc8 Qb6 (28... c3 {might make things interesting, were it not for Black's fatally compromised king.} 29. Qc7+ Ke8 30. Bc6+ Kf8 31. Qc8+ Ke7 32. Qd7+ Kf8 33. Qe8#) 29. Qxc4 ({The nonchalant computer prefers } 29. h4 {. Not for humans, sorry.}) 29... Qb5 $2 (29... Kf8 $142 30. Bxf7 Qb5 {may be Black's best try. Unfortunately for him, even this ending, which is practically a dream compared to the position a few moves ago, is still lost. Maybe Black would have reasonable drawing chances without the queenside pawns, but with them it's hopeless (especially since White's bishop controls the a-pawn's queening square).}) 30. Qc7+ Qd7 31. Qc5+ $1 (31. Qc5+ $1 Qd6 32. Qa7+ Qd7 33. Qxa6 $18 {is very easy for White. Black's king is still exposed, he may yet have problems with the f-pawn, he's two pawns down and the a-pawn will speedily progress up the board. To top it off, he has no counterplay. So: 1-0.} ) 1-0