[Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.21"] [Round "14.1"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E51"] [WhiteElo "2789"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "141"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,37,18,18,27,-7,37,42,45,24,41,22,54,49,45,51,52,42,47,-3,-13,-10,-3,-13,-12,-20,26,-2,12,-15,-7,-15,-26,-21,-28,-35,-31,-59,-61,-59]} 1. d4 d5 (1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. a3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 Be7 8. Nf3 c5 {is the usual route to the position arising in the game after 7...0-0, with both sides taking an extra move along the way.}) 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 Be7 {A rare move that hasn't done well.} (5... c5) ({and} 5... a6 {, which typically turn into the same thing, is more usual, successful, and preferred by the engine.}) 6. Nc3 c5 7. a3 {After considerable thought. This doesn't seem to be the most incisive option.} (7. O-O) (7. e4 $5) 7... O-O {Surprisingly, the game has now transposed to a Nimzo-Indian line - see above.} 8. O-O a6 9. Qe2 b5 10. Ba2 cxd4 (10... b4) (10... Bb7) 11. exd4 b4 $1 {This great move neutralizes much of White's attacking potential, and gives him instant and full equality.} 12. Ne4 (12. axb4 Nc6 13. Bc4 Nxb4 14. Be3 Bb7 15. Rfc1 Rc8 16. Ne5 Nd7 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Na4 Nd5 19. Nc5 Bxc5 20. dxc5 Ra8 21. Bxa6 Rxa6 22. Rxa6 Bxa6 23. Qxa6 Nxe3 24. fxe3 Qd2 25. Qa1 h6 26. c6 Qxe3+ 27. Kh1 Qf4 28. b3 e5 29. Rc4 e4 30. h3 {½-½ Sadler,M (2630)-Sokolov,I (2637) NED-chT 9900 Netherlands 2000 (7)}) 12... bxa3 13. bxa3 Bb7 14. Nc3 (14. Nc5 Bd5 $11 {/? White's knight looks nice on c5, but it doesn't do much. All the potentially vulnerable squares in Black's position are well covered, and he'll always have pressure against d4.}) 14... Nd5 15. Bd2 Nxc3 16. Bxc3 Nd7 17. Bb1 Rc8 $15 18. Bd2 Nf6 19. Bd3 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Qxd4 21. Rfd1 Qa4 22. Qb7 Bc5 $1 23. Be1 $1 {Nakamura is doing what he can to keep the game going, but Gukesh refuses to do anything risky or that will damage the fundamental solidity of his position.} (23. Qxa6 $4 Qh4 $1 (23... Bxf2+ $1 {also wins.}) 24. g3 Qh3 25. Bf1 Bxf2+ 26. Kxf2 (26. Kh1 {is better but still awful.} Qf5 27. Qe2 Bd4 28. Rac1 Ng4 $19) 26... Qxh2+ 27. Bg2 Ne4+ $19 {gives Black a mating attack.}) 23... a5 24. Qb5 Qxb5 (24... Qf4 $15 {is what Gukesh would have played if he felt the need to play for a win. We'll never know if he would have regretted the decision to resolutely play for a draw, had Caruana won his game and gone on to defeat Gukesh in a playoff.}) 25. Bxb5 Bb6 26. Rac1 $44 Nd5 {Gukesh has a risk-free position, and is content to fend off Nakamura's small attempts to create a useful imbalance somewhere, anywhere.} 27. Kf1 Rfd8 28. a4 Kf8 29. g3 Ke7 30. Ke2 f5 (30... g5) 31. Rc4 Rxc4 32. Bxc4 Nb4 {A clear invitation to a drawn ending. Of course Nakamura does what he can to keep the game going.} 33. Rb1 (33. Rxd8 Bxd8 34. Bxb4+ axb4 35. f3 Bb6 36. Kd3 {is completely drawn, and thus unacceptable to Nakamura as long as he can find sensible non-losing alternatives.}) 33... Bc5 34. Rc1 Nc6 35. Bc3 g5 36. Bb5 Ba3 37. Rc2 Nd4+ {Returning the extra pawn to create a position where only a quasi-miracle could prevent him from making a draw.} 38. Bxd4 Rxd4 39. Rc7+ Kf6 40. Rxh7 Bb4 41. Bd3 (41. Rd7 {would be played in practically any other situation.}) 41... e5 42. f3 e4 43. fxe4 fxe4 44. Bb5 Be7 45. h4 gxh4 46. gxh4 Rb4 47. Rh5 Kg7 48. Bd7 Rd4 49. Be8 Bd8 50. Rf5 Bxh4 51. Rxa5 Kf6 52. Ra8 Bg5 53. Bh5 Rd2+ 54. Kf1 Ra2 55. a5 Ra1+ 56. Kg2 Ra2+ 57. Kf1 Ra1+ 58. Ke2 Ra2+ 59. Kd1 Rd2+ {This allows Nakamura to make a small "combination".} 60. Ke1 Rd5 61. Ke2 Bd2 {With a double attack, but Nakamura is of course ready for this.} 62. a6 Rxh5 63. a7 {White will either make a new queen or win the Black rook; amusingly, Black can draw in either case.} Ra5 (63... Bh6 64. Rf8+ Bxf8 65. a8=Q Bc5 {is drawn, but this would be a bizarre way for Gukesh to handle the ending.}) 64. Rf8+ Ke5 65. a8=Q Rxa8 66. Rxa8 e3 {This ending would be drawn even without the e-pawn. (Though not with White to move!)} 67. Ra4 Kd5 68. Kd3 Kc5 69. Re4 Kd5 {At last, Nakamura gives up:} 70. Rxe3 Bxe3 71. Kxe3 {Not even Nakamura can create winning chances out of this position. With the draw, Gukesh guaranteed himself of at least a tie for first, though at this point a playoff looked likely. (The Caruana-Nepo game was on Black's 49th move; White was winning at that moment, though it was very messy.)} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.21"] [Round "14.2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "217"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {Only a win is satisfactory for Caruana and Nepomniachtchi, so they are both likely to welcome a sharp, imbalanced opening position.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 {In grampa's day, this might be the prelude to a dry game where White tries to squeeze the water from a rock that's been sitting in the desert all summer with the minority attack. Not now.} Bb4 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Ne4 9. Qc2 h5 {Adventure guaranteed. That isn't always true with sharp variations - in the 6.Bg5 Najdorf, for instance, there are lots of forced draws. That doesn't seem to be the case here: it's sharp, but there are loads of decisive games in the database, even at the super-GM level.} 10. f3 {Not forced, but it is the most usual move.} (10. Bd3 {may seem impossible, but it's not:} h4 11. Be5 f6 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. d5 $1 {gives the bishop a flight square if it's not taken, and if it is, then 14.Qa4+ regains the piece.}) 10... Nxg3 11. hxg3 Be6 {This is a rich position for further exploration. White has several legitimate options in addition to the move chosen, including} (11... Qe7 12. Kf2 Be6 {is more common, but the text has been played by none other than Gukesh himself.}) 12. Bd3 (12. g4) (12. e4) (12. a3) ({and} 12. O-O-O {, which was played in Giri-Gukesh a couple of years ago.} Nd7 13. a3 Bd6 14. e4 Nb6 15. e5 Be7 16. f4 Qd7 17. Bd3 Bg4 18. Nf3 gxf4 19. gxf4 O-O-O 20. f5 Kb8 21. Kb1 c5 22. f6 Bf8 23. dxc5 Bxc5 24. Qb3 h4 25. Be4 h3 26. Nxd5 hxg2 27. Rxh8 Rxh8 28. Nxb6 Qxd1+ 29. Qxd1 Rh1 {0-1 Giri,A (2764)-Gukesh,D (2732) Aimchess Rapid Prelim chess24.com INT 2022 (4)}) 12... c6 $146 {A novelty, but it transposes to a couple of previous games (and we'll pick up another pair of games soon).} 13. O-O-O Nd7 14. f4 $146 {This time the novelty "sticks" - no more transpositions.} (14. Nge2 {was played in all four previous games to reach the position after 13...Nd7 (and transposed to a fifth). At least two of the games feature GMs, including one with a super-GM:} Nb6 15. Kb1 Qe7 16. g4 h4 17. Na4 Nxa4 18. Qxa4 a5 19. e4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Kf8 21. a3 Bd6 22. Qc2 a4 23. d5 cxd5 24. Bxd5 Be5 25. Bxe6 Qxe6 26. Nd4 Bxd4 27. Rxd4 Kg7 28. Qd2 Qg6+ 29. Ka1 Rhf8 30. Rd5 f6 31. f4 gxf4 32. Qxf4 Rae8 33. Qxa4 Re7 34. Qd4 Rfe8 35. Ka2 Qf7 36. g5 Re5 37. gxf6+ Kf8 38. Qb4+ Kg8 39. Qg4+ Kf8 40. Qg7+ {1-0 Mamedyarov,S (2772)-Motylev,A (2640) Wch Rapid Moscow 2019 (12)}) (14. e4 {hasn't been played by anyone - but it does transpose to a high-level game.} Qa5 15. a3 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 17. bxc3 c5 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. c4 Bc6 20. d5 Ba4 21. Re1+ Kf8 22. Ne2 Nb6 23. Kb2 Bd7 24. g4 Na4+ 25. Kc2 h4 26. Ng3 b5 27. cxb5 c4 28. Bxc4 Rc8 29. Kb3 Nb6 30. Re4 Rb8 31. Nf5 Nxc4 32. Kxc4 Rxb5 33. Rhe1 h3 34. gxh3 Rxh3 35. Re7 Rb7 36. R1e3 Rc7+ 37. Kd4 Rh1 38. Ke5 {1-0 Lupulescu,C (2624)-Pavlidis,A (2536) EU-chT 23rd Terme Catez 2021 (8.2)}) 14... Bg4 (14... gxf4 15. exf4 Bg4 16. Re1+ Kf8 $11 {is fine for Black, whose king is safe on f8 and will be safe on g7 as well (though there's no hurry to go there - the king is surprisingly well-placed on f8).}) 15. Nf3 (15. Be2 $142 {made sense, as Black's g4-bishop is helping glue his kingside together.} Bxe2 16. Ngxe2 gxf4 {and now in addition to the obvious 17.gxf4, White can also try} 17. e4 $5 $44 {, looking to rip open the center. Black could hurry his king to the queenside, though after} Bxc3 18. Nxc3 fxg3 19. exd5 Qg5+ 20. Kb1 O-O-O 21. dxc6 bxc6 {I'd take White's compensation over Black's extra pawn and think most players would agree with me, despite the engine's protestations of equality.}) 15... Qe7 $6 (15... gxf4 $142 16. gxf4 Qe7 $11 {/? was the right way.}) 16. e4 $1 Bxc3 $6 (16... dxe4 17. Bxe4 gxf4 18. Bxc6 $1 Bxc3 $1 19. Bxb7 Bxb2+ $1 20. Kxb2 Qb4+ 21. Qb3 Qxb3+ 22. axb3 Rb8 23. Bc6 fxg3 $1 24. Ra1 (24. Ne5 Bxd1 25. Rxd1 ({Not} 25. Bxd7+ $4 Ke7 26. Rxd1 f6 {, when White has a losing rook endgame after} 27. Nc6+ Kxd7 28. Nxb8+ Rxb8 $19) 25... Rd8 26. Rf1 Rh6 27. Bxd7+ Rxd7 28. Nxd7 Kxd7 29. Rxf7+ Ke6 30. Rxa7 Kf5 $44 {White has an extra pawn, but Black's kingside pawns are ahead in the race.}) 24... O-O 25. Bxd7 Bxd7 26. Rxh5 f6 $8 27. Rxa7 Rf7 $11) 17. Qxc3 Bxf3 18. gxf3 dxe4 19. Bxe4 $1 $14 gxf4 20. g4 $1 O-O-O $2 (20... h4 $142 21. Kb1 $1 {Black is living on the edge.} (21. Rhe1 O-O-O 22. Bxc6 Qf6 {Surprisingly, White has no particularly powerful discovered checks.} 23. Bxd7+ Kb8 $1 (23... Kxd7 $2 24. Kb1 $1 $16 {/+- Black has serious problems with his king caught in the center.}) 24. d5 (24. Bf5 Rc8 25. Bxc8 Rxc8 26. Qxc8+ Kxc8 $11) 24... Qxc3+ 25. bxc3 Rxd7 $11) 21... O-O-O $8 22. d5 Ne5 $8 23. Rde1 $1 Kb8 $1 24. dxc6 Qc7 $1 25. Rc1 Nxc6 26. Qf6 $1 Qd6 $1 27. Qxf7 $14) 21. d5 $16 h4 $2 {Not the best, but this accursed pawn (from White's perspective) will cause Caruana no end of trouble.} (21... Kb8 22. dxc6 Nc5 23. Rd7 $1 Rxd7 (23... Nxd7 $2 24. c7+ Ka8 25. Rxh5 $3 Rhg8 26. Qc6 $1 Rb8 27. Rb5 $1 {This resource is why White needed to start with 25.Rxh5.} Nc5 28. Qxc5 Qxc5+ 29. Rxc5 Rbc8 30. Kd2 $18 {White is winning, because Black is stuck. More concretely, note that White can always regain the exchange with Bf5.}) 24. cxd7 Rd8 $1 25. gxh5 Nxe4 26. fxe4 Qxe4 27. Rd1 f3 28. a3 $1 $16 {White has good winning chances, but there's no guarantee.}) 22. dxc6 $18 Nc5 23. Bf5+ Kb8 24. Kb1 $1 {Caruana is winning, and although he didn't have a huge amount of time on the clock he had enough. Black's one trump is the h-pawn, but there's so much else that's wrong with his position that it shouldn't ultimately matter.} b6 $2 (24... Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Re8 $1 26. cxb7 h3 27. Qd2 $1 Qe5 28. Rh1 Nxb7 29. Rxh3 $18 {Goodbye h-pawn, hello playoff match with Gukesh.}) 25. Rd7 $5 {Flashy and still objectively winning, but it's not as strong as moving the bishop to that same square.} (25. Bd7 $1 Na6 (25... Nxd7 $2 26. c7+) 26. Qc4 Nc7 27. Qxf4 $18) 25... Rxd7 $1 26. cxd7 (26. Qxh8+ $4 Rd8 27. Qh6 (27. Qxh4 $4 Rd1+ 28. Kc2 (28. Rxd1 Qxh4 $19) 28... Qe2+ 29. Kc3 Qd2+ ({or} 29... Rd3+ 30. Bxd3 Qxd3+ 31. Kb4 a5#) 30. Kc4 Qd4+ 31. Kb5 Qa4#) 27... Rd4 $1 $14) 26... Rd8 27. Qd4 $1 Nxd7 28. Rd1 $1 {White will not win the knight, but by tying Black down to its defense he's able to make progress elsewhere.} Qc5 (28... Kc7 29. Qc3+ $1 (29. Qxf4+ Ne5 30. Re1 Rd5 31. Qa4 $1 Qd6 (31... Kb8 $2 32. f4 $18) 32. Qxa7+ Kd8 33. Qa8+ $1 Ke7 34. Bc2 $18) 29... Kb8 30. Qd2 Kc7 31. Qc1+ Nc5 32. Re1 Qf6 33. b4 $18) 29. Qxf4+ (29. Bxd7 $4 Qxd4 30. Rxd4 h3 31. Rd2 Kc7 32. Rh2 Kxd7 33. Rxh3 $11) 29... Qc7 30. Qd2 $1 h3 31. Be4 $1 {A good move, but there were many good moves to choose from. Caruana burned a lot of time coming up with this one, leaving himself just under eight minutes remaining to reach the time control.} (31. Bxd7 $4 h2 32. Qh6 Rxd7 33. Rxd7 Qxd7 34. Qxh2+ Kc8 $16) (31. Qd5 {doesn't spoil anything, but after} Qc5 {he has nothing better than} 32. Qd2 {and trying again after} Qc7) (31. f4 $1 h2 32. Be4 $1 Re8 33. Qd5 Kc8 (33... Rxe4 34. Qxe4 $18) 34. Bh1 $18) 31... a5 32. Qd5 Ka7 33. Qxf7 {With extra material and domination. All that's left is dealing with the pest on the h-file.} h2 34. Qh7 Kb8 (34... Ka6 {has the sneaky idea of ...Nc5, sacrificing the queen when the win will be very difficult.} 35. Rh1 $1 {and Qxh2 should bring an end to the festivities.} ({Supposing it's Black to move, we can see the idea in its clearest form:} 35. Z0 Nc5 36. Qxc7 Rxd1+ 37. Kc2 Rc1+ (37... Nxe4 38. Qxh2 $18) 38. Kxc1 h1=Q+ 39. Kc2 Qg2+ 40. Kc3 Nxe4+ 41. fxe4 Qxg4 {White is better, but the ending may be drawn.})) 35. a3 {A safe move, played with 3:50 to go.} (35. Rd2 $1 {gets rid of the h-pawn immediately. I hope Caruana is able to avoid repeating to himself "I should have played 35.Rd2" fewer than 10,000 times over the rest of his lifetime.} Nc5 36. Rxd8+ Qxd8 37. Qxh2+ $18) 35... Qe5 36. Qh6 {2:12 left. The threat is 37.Qc6.} (36. g5 $1 {was easier. Black is frozen, and if he takes on g5 White eliminates the h-pawn and everything is simple.}) 36... Qc7 $1 37. g5 {1:33 left.} (37. Rd2 $1 {As on move 35. In a way, this may help Caruana's mental health. If there was just one spot where he could have won clearly, that might have eaten at him forever. If there were numerous missed opportunities, the grief is at least distributed over the course of the whole game.}) 37... Rg8 {Now Black's knight is free - the game is in danger of getting out of control.} 38. Rh1 {54 seconds left.} Nc5 $1 39. Bh7 $4 {The dream is that this gives White a valuable tempo to make the time control and to someday help the g-pawn cross the finish line. The reality is that it's a huge mistake that transforms what would have been a routine win at the time control into a total mess.} ({After} 39. Bc2 $142 {Black's h-pawn will die, Caruana will make the time control, and in a few more minutes he'll start preparing for the playoff with Gukesh.}) 39... Rxg5 $3 {Grabbing the only chance.} 40. Qxg5 $1 {Making the time control, and fortunately making the right decision.} (40. Qxh2 $2 Qxh2 41. Rxh2 Rg1+ 42. Kc2 Rf1 $11 {is straightforwardly drawn despite White's extra pawn.}) 40... Qxh7+ 41. Ka1 $2 {As we'll see - or as you've already seen, if you watched the game live - this ending is stunningly complex. It's okay for Caruana to err here - Nepo is going to make some errors too. What wasn't okay was Caruana's making this move in less than two minutes, instead of calming himself down and then calculating deeply. (But how deeply? Trying to dot every 'i' and cross every 't' got him into the time trouble that prevented him from finishing the game off earlier, and it will cost him again later. I'm not sure what the right amount of time was, but it wasn't a mere minute and a half.)} (41. Ka2 Qf7+ 42. Ka1 $1 Nb3+ (42... Qxf3 43. Qe5+ Kb7 44. Qxh2 $18) 43. Kb1 Qxf3 44. Qe5+ $8 Kb7 45. Qxh2 Nd2+ 46. Ka1 Nb3+ 47. Ka2 Nc5) 41... Qc2 $1 $11 42. Qg8+ (42. Qe5+ Ka7 43. Qxh2 Nb3+ 44. Ka2 Nc1+ {is one of the fundamental problems. Black gives perpetual check as taking the knight loses the queen and the game.}) 42... Ka7 43. Ka2 a4 $8 {Now Caruana started thinking...and thinking.} 44. f4 $1 {Played with 8:49 left, 9:19 after the bonus. Now the burden is on Nepo, who has only one move that retains equality.} Nb3 $2 (44... Ka6 $3 45. f5 (45. Qa8+ Kb5 46. Qe8+ Ka6 47. Qe1 Kb7 $3 (47... Qc4+ 48. Kb1 $1 Qd3+ 49. Ka1 $1 Nb3+ 50. Ka2 $18)) 45... Nd3 $1 46. Rxh2 (46. Qa8+ Kb5 47. Qd5+ $11) (46. Qh8 Nc1+ 47. Rxc1 Qxc1 48. Qxh2 Qc4+ 49. Kb1 Qf1+ $11) (46. Qg7 $2 {Not with check, and so this even loses!} Qc4+ 47. Ka1 Nc1 $19) 46... Nc1+ 47. Ka1 Nb3+ $1 (47... Qxh2 $2 48. Qc8+ Kb5 49. Qxc1 $18) 48. Ka2 Nc1+ $11 (48... Qxh2)) 45. Qg7+ $1 Ka6 46. Qc3 $1 Qg2 47. Qc4+ {Still winning.} (47. Qd3+ $1 b5 (47... Ka5 48. Qf1 $1 Qd5 49. Qe1+ $1 Nd2+ 50. Ka1 Qg2 51. f5 $1 $18) 48. Qd6+ $1 Ka7 (48... Kb7 49. Re1 $1 $18) (48... Ka5 49. Rd1 $18) 49. Qc7+ Ka6 50. Rd1 Nd2 $1 51. Qd6+ Kb7 52. Qd7+ $1 (52. Rxd2 $2 Qg8+ $1) 52... Kb6 53. Qd8+ Kb7 54. Rxd2) 47... Kb7 {The best try.} 48. Re1 Nc5 $8 49. Qf1 $1 {The only winning ("winning") move.} Qd5+ 50. Kb1 $1 (50. Ka1 $4 {even loses to} Nb3+ $19 {followed by 51...Nd2+, wherever White moves.}) 50... Qf5+ 51. Ka1 $1 Qc2 52. f5 $1 Nd3 53. Rb1 Nc5 $1 54. f6 $1 Nb3+ 55. Ka2 Nd2 56. Qh1+ Ka7 57. Rc1 $1 (57. Rd1 $1 {also wins.}) 57... Qb3+ 58. Ka1 Qe6 $1 {Inviting 59.Rc7+, which would throw away the win. Caruana spent a lot of time here, getting under three minutes before giving away the win again.} (58... Qf7 {would make it easier for Fabiano to play the right move, as the Rc7+ temptation isn't present here.}) 59. Rc7+ $2 {After so many good, precise moves Caruana falls for a trap. It's hard to believe that Black's king will be safe, but he is.} (59. Rc2 $2 {doesn't work:} Nb3+ 60. Kb1 Qf5 $1 $11 61. f7 (61. Qxh2 $4 Qf1+ 62. Ka2 Qa1#) (61. Qg2 h1=Q+ 62. Qxh1 Nd2+ 63. Kc1 Nb3+ 64. Kb1 Nd2+ $11) 61... Nd2+ (61... Qxf7 $2 62. Rxh2 $18 {White typically wins these endings if there isn't an immediate perpetual check.}) (61... Nd4 62. Qxh2 Nxc2 63. Qxc2 Qxf7 64. Qxa4+ $11 {is drawn - we'll eventually see this sort of ending in the game.}) 62. Kc1 Nb3+ 63. Kb1 Nd2+ $11 (63... Nd4 $11)) (59. Re1 $1 $18 {does work, as does}) (59. Rd1 $1 $18 {. For example:} Nb3+ 60. Kb1 Qf5+ 61. Ka2 Qe6 62. Qxh2 $1 {There is no perpetual. Black has nothing better than} Nc5+ 63. Kb1 Qxf6 {, but White will eventually win this position with only queenside pawns.} 64. Qd6 $18 {followed by Qd5 safeguards the king, and then White will figure out how to make further progress.}) 59... Ka6 60. f7 (60. Qa8+ Kb5 $11) 60... Nb3+ $8 61. Kb1 Qf5+ $2 {Nepo made this move rather quickly, and again allows Caruana to achieve a winning position. The draw was in sight, kind of:} (61... Nd2+ $3 62. Kc2 (62. Kc1 Nb3+) (62. Ka1 Nb3+) 62... Qf5+ $1 63. Kxd2 $11 {and Black has various perpetuals. But can he be sure? If he's missed a resource somewhere, White will be up a rook with his own new queen on the way.}) 62. Ka2 $18 Nc5 {Caruana again stopped to think, making his move with less than a minute.} 63. Qa8+ $1 Kb5 64. Qc6+ (64. f8=Q $2 Qe6+ 65. Kb1 $8 {Otherwise White even loses.} Qe1+ 66. Ka2 Qe6+ $11) (64. f8=N $2 Qf1 $1 $11) (64. Qe8+ $1 {is the only way to make progress.} Ka6 65. Qe2+ $1 (65. f8=Q $4 Qd5+ 66. Kb1 h1=Q+ 67. Kc2 Qd3#) (65. f8=N $4 Qd5+ $19) 65... Nd3 66. Qxh2 Qe6+ 67. Kb1 Qe1+ 68. Kc2 $1 Qe4 69. f8=Q $18 {and, somehow, Black doesn't have a mate or even a perpetual. This is a kind of echo of Nepo's last mistake. There he may have rejected 61...Qf5+ because he wasn't sure that there was a perpetual; here, Caruana may have rejected 64.Qe8+ followed by 65.Qe2+ because he wasn't sure that Black didn't have something here. But, he doesn't, and given White's enormous material advantage he can afford to sac one of his queens for the knight if need be to escape a possible perpetual or a mate.} Nf4+ 70. Kd2 Qd3+ 71. Ke1 Qe3+ 72. Kf1 Qf3+ 73. Kg1 Qe3+ 74. Qf2 Nh3+ 75. Kf1 {illustrates the point. Black can't play 75...Qd3+ as 76.Qe2 pins Black's queen and forces a swap, and after} Nxf2 76. Qxf2 Qh3+ 77. Ke1 $18 {the (sensible) checks are at an end, as 77...Qh1+ and 77...Qe6+ are met by cross checks on f1 and e2, respectively.}) 64... Ka6 65. Qa8+ Kb5 66. Qc6+ $2 {Nepo escapes again, this time for good, because if White tries to correct the error the next time around Black will claim the draw (by threefold repetition) before Caruana gets the chance to play 68.Qe8+.} (66. Qe8+ $1 $18) 66... Ka6 67. Re7 Qf1 $1 (67... Qd3 {also draws.}) 68. Qa8+ Kb5 69. Qe8+ Ka6 70. Qa8+ (70. Re4 $1) 70... Kb5 71. Qe8+ Ka6 72. Re4 $1 {Caruana finds the last chance. Unfortunately, the Q+2 vs. Q+1 ending that ensues (after Black avoids White's last trap) is a very easy draw, as we'll see.} Nxe4 $8 (72... h1=Q $4 73. Qa8+ Kb5 74. Rb4# {is a cute trap.}) 73. Qxa4+ Kb7 74. Qxe4+ Ka7 75. Qa4+ Kb7 76. Qd7+ Ka6 77. Qc8+ Ka7 78. f8=Q Qxf8 79. Qxf8 h1=Q 80. a4 Qd5+ 81. Ka3 Qd3+ 82. b3 Qd4 83. Qf7+ (83. Qb4 $4 {is a silly move, but offers a reminder that it's almost always possible to lose a game.} Qa1#) 83... Kb8 (83... Ka6 {would be slightly nuts, but even this is a draw.} 84. Qc4+ Qxc4 85. bxc4 {and it's easy to confirm that every king move easily holds the draw.}) 84. Qe8+ Ka7 85. Qe7+ Kb8 86. Qe1 Qd6+ 87. Qb4 Qf6 (87... Qxb4+ $4 {This queen trade loses.}) 88. Qd2 Qe7+ 89. b4 Qe6 90. Qd3 Ka7 91. Qc3 Kb8 {Another obvious but important point: Black does not want to "activate" his king by moving it to the 6th rank. For now and the foreseeable future, it belongs on the last two ranks.} (91... Kb7 92. Qg7+ Ka6 $4 93. b5+ Ka5 94. Qa7# ({or} 94. Qc3# {illustrates the idea. Being "active" isn't always the best policy.})) 92. Qb3 Qf6 93. Qe3 Qd6 94. Kb3 Qd5+ 95. Kb2 Qd6 96. Qe8+ Ka7 97. Qf7+ Kb8 98. Kc3 Qe5+ (98... Qc7+ {is, like the pawn ending that could have arisen after 83...Ka6 and unlike the one resulting from 87...Qxb4+, is a draw. But it's a nutty decision, as Black can draw the queen ending on autopilot without any genuine risk, while a miscalculation here could prove fatal.}) 99. Kd3 (99. Kc4 {looks like a winning attempt at first glance, but Black can quash the try with} Qe2+ {, preventing White's king from going to the 5th rank - 100.Kb5 is illegal and 100.Kd5?? blunders the queen to 100...Qa2+.}) 99... Qd6+ 100. Kc4 Qc6+ 101. Kb3 Qd6 102. Qf3 Qd4 103. Qe2 Qd5+ 104. Ka3 Qd6 105. Qb5 Qd4 106. Kb3 Ka7 107. Qe2 Qd5+ 108. Ka3 Qd4 109. Kb3 {Having had 30 moves or so of this ending to reconcile himself to the inevitable, Caruana offered a draw. Surprisingly, Nepomniachtchi had to spend 30 seconds or so gathering himself to acknowledge his fate as well. (Or might he have been spending the time feeling some sort of guilt or regret at having spoiled Caruana's chances?) Ultimately, the handshake came, and the tournament was over. Congratulations to Gukesh, and condolences to Fabiano Caruana, who finished the tournament brilliantly and came just a single well-timed good move short of reaching a playoff. Chess can be brutal.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.21"] [Round "14.3"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "28"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,28,18,17,17,17,17,12,9,23,40,17,58,15,23,24,17,22,31,21,23,26,17,26,18,16,16,18,22,18,22]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 {Bringing their tournaments to a merciful end.} Nxb5 7. a4 Nbd4 ({White players: don't assume that you can force a draw against the Berlin with 6.dxe5, as Black can play} 7... d6 {.}) 8. Nxd4 d5 9. exd6 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd6 11. Qe4+ Qe6 12. Qd4 Qd6 13. Qe4+ ({Likewise for Black: White can play on with} 13. Qe3+ {.}) 13... Qe6 14. Qd4 Qd6 {Some version of this draw has already been played more than 2000 times in the database.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.21"] [Round "14.4"] [White "Abasov, Nijat"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E69"] [WhiteElo "2632"] [BlackElo "2747"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {For the one or two of you who might be interested in this game...} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 {Even though his part in the race for first is over, he's still competitive, playing one of the riskiest openings in chess. That sort of indomitability and killer instinct at the board will keep him in good stead as his still young chess career progresses.} 4. g3 (4. e4 {would have been more entertaining.}) 4... O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. e4 Re8 9. Re1 (9. h3) 9... exd4 10. Nxd4 c6 11. h3 Qb6 12. Nb3 (12. Nc2 $142) (12. Re2 $142) 12... Ne5 13. Be3 c5 $1 (13... Qc7 {is more common, avoiding the weakening of the d5 square, but Pragg has made the better move.}) 14. Bf1 Be6 15. Nd5 {The position is equal, according to the engine, but White's score here is hideous: 2 wins, 9 losses and four draws.} (15. Nd2 $1 Qxb2 $1 {Avoided in almost every game.} (15... a6 {is usual, with a significant White plus after} 16. Rb1 Qc7 17. f4 Nc6 18. g4 $146 {?/?}) 16. Nb5 Red8 $1 $146 {and here White can play on with 17.a4, with a mini-edge, or put the game and the tournament to bed with} 17. Rb1 Qxa2 18. Ra1 Qb2 19. Rb1 $11) 15... Bxd5 16. exd5 Ne4 (16... Qb4 $1) 17. Kg2 $14 {The engine prefers White, but real life is shocking: six wins for Black, no losses, and only two draws.} a5 ({Here's one of the main candidates for the GOAT title showing how it's done:} 17... f5 18. Qc2 Nf7 19. Bd3 Re7 20. Re2 Rae8 21. Rae1 Qa6 22. Nc1 Nf6 23. Bd2 Ne5 24. Bc3 b6 25. Re3 Qb7 26. R1e2 b5 27. b3 b4 28. Bb2 Nh5 29. Bxe5 Bxe5 30. Rf3 Nf6 31. Rfe3 f4 32. Rf3 Nh5 33. Re4 fxg3 34. fxg3 Rf7 35. Ree3 Ref8 36. Ne2 Bd4 37. Bxg6 hxg6 38. Qxg6+ Ng7 39. Rxf7 Qxf7 40. Qxf7+ Rxf7 41. Nxd4 cxd4 42. Rd3 Nf5 43. Kf3 Ne3+ 44. Ke4 Re7+ 45. Kf4 Ng2+ 46. Kf5 Ne3+ 47. Kf4 Nf1 48. g4 Kg7 49. Rxd4 Re2 50. Re4 Rxa2 51. Re7+ Kf8 52. Rd7 Rf2+ 53. Kg5 Nd2 54. Rxa7 Ne4+ 55. Kg6 Rf6+ 56. Kh5 Rf3 57. h4 Rxb3 58. g5 Rh3 59. Kg4 Rh1 60. Rb7 Rg1+ 61. Kf5 Ng3+ 62. Ke6 Rb1 63. Kxd6 b3 64. Kc6 Nf5 65. d6 b2 66. Rb8+ Kf7 67. d7 Nd4+ 68. Kc5 Ne6+ 69. Kc6 Rc1 70. Rxb2 Rxc4+ 71. Kd6 Rd4+ 72. Ke5 Rxd7 73. g6+ {0-1 Epishin,V (2635)-Kasparov,G (2805) PCA/Intel-GP Moscow rapid 1995 (1.8)}) 18. Nd2 $146 (18. a4 $1 $146) (18. Rb1 a4 19. Nd2 Nd7 20. Nxe4 Rxe4 21. Qc2 Ree8 22. h4 h5 23. Be2 Qc7 24. Bf4 a3 25. b3 Ne5 26. Rbd1 Qd7 27. Bc1 Kf8 28. Bf1 Ng4 29. Rxe8+ Qxe8 30. Be2 Nh6 31. Bd3 Ng4 32. Rd2 Qe5 33. Re2 Qa1 34. Bf4 Ne5 35. Bxe5 dxe5 36. b4 cxb4 37. Bxg6 fxg6 38. Qxg6 b3 39. Re3 Qd1 40. Rxe5 bxa2 41. Rf5+ Kg8 42. Qf7+ Kh8 43. Rxh5+ Qxh5 44. Qxh5+ Kg8 45. d6 a1=Q 46. Qd5+ Kf8 47. Qxb7 Re8 48. Qf3+ Bf6 49. c5 Qc3 50. Qf5 a2 51. d7 Rd8 {0-1 Lin,W (2408)-Li,S (2457) Belt and Road Hunan op-A Changsha 2019 (8)}) 18... Nxd2 19. Qxd2 Nd7 20. Rab1 a4 21. Qc2 $11 {/?} Qa6 22. Bd2 (22. Bd3 $142) 22... Bd4 23. Bc3 Bxc3 24. bxc3 $5 {Is the b-file worth the doubled c-pawns? It's probably a reasonable try if Abasov is looking to win his first game of the event - he'll need some imbalance. The drawback is that it also creates the preconditions for his losing his seventh game of the tournament. You've got to admire his Wil E. Coyote-like perseverance, and if he ever writes a book on his career I hope that "ACME" is the publisher.} (24. Qxc3 $11) 24... b6 25. a3 Kg7 26. Bd3 Qc8 27. f4 Qc7 28. Qd2 Nf6 29. Bc2 (29. g4) 29... Rxe1 30. Rxe1 Qd7 31. Rb1 $6 (31. g4 Nxg4 {Not necessary, and if Pragg wants to play for a win he will avoid this.} 32. hxg4 Qxg4+ 33. Kf2 Qh4+ 34. Kg2 $11) (31. Bd3 Re8 32. g4 $11 (32. Re3 $11)) 31... Rb8 (31... Re8 $1 32. Rxb6 Qe7 33. Qf2 $8 h5 34. Rb2 $1 {The only good move; otherwise, Black is clearly better.} Ng8 {[%CAl Be7f6,Bg8h6] White is okay, but it's Black who's pressing here.} 35. Bxa4 Ra8 36. Bd1 Rxa3 37. f5 $1 g5 38. Bxh5 Rxc3 39. Qe2 $1 Re3 40. Qf2 Nf6 41. Bf3 Qe5 $44) 32. Qd1 $6 {Again, White underestimates the danger inherent in ignoring the e-file.} (32. Re1 $142 $11) 32... Qe7 $1 33. Qe1 $2 {Maybe it's not quite the losing move, but it creates a situation where the loss is very likely, even if Black doesn't reach his goal by traveling along a straight line.} (33. Qd3 $15) (33. Qd2 $15) 33... Qxe1 34. Rxe1 b5 $17 {/-+} 35. cxb5 Rxb5 36. Bxa4 Ra5 37. Bc6 Rxa3 38. Re3 Ra2+ 39. Kf3 Rh2 $1 40. Re7 Kf8 41. Ra7 Rc2 $2 (41... h5 $1 {is the way to make progress, intending ...h4 and only then ...Rxh3(+).}) 42. Ra3 (42. Ra8+ $1 Kg7 43. Ra3 $8 h6 (43... Rh2 44. Ra7) 44. Bb5 $1 Nxd5 45. c4 $1 Nc7 46. Bc6 Rxc4 47. Ra7 Ne6 48. Be8 Nd4+ 49. Kg2 Rc2+ 50. Kf1 Nf5 51. Rxf7+ Kg8 52. Rf6 Nxg3+ 53. Kg1 Rd2 $1 54. Rxg6+ Kf8 55. Bb5 Ne4 56. Rxh6 Rd4 $1 57. Rh8+ $1 Kg7 58. Rc8 $17 {/-+ Black may still be winning, but nothing about this is easy for him.}) 42... h6 43. Ba4 $6 Rc1 $1 44. Bc6 Kg7 45. Rb3 (45. Bb5 $1) 45... c4 $1 46. Ra3 Rd1 $19 47. g4 Rd3+ 48. Kg2 Nxd5 49. Bxd5 Rxd5 50. h4 Rd2+ 51. Kf3 Rd3+ 52. Ke4 Rh3 {Good enough, but he missed the chance to finish in style. A good win for the youngster, and a sad last bit of suffering for Abasov.} (52... f5+ $1 53. gxf5 Kf6 {Threatening both 54...gxf5# and 54...d5#. White must play} 54. Ra5 {, but after} gxf5+ 55. Rxf5+ Ke6 $19 {Black again threatens ...d5+, and White has no way to save the rook without allowing mate.}) 0-1