[Event "11th Sinquefield Cup"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2024.08.19"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2751"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "170"] [GameId "2080535516860943"] [EventDate "2024.08.19"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. b4 {It's not the most popular move here, but there are many Italian lines where White eventually plays this. Caruana has played this a couple of times before, and other strong GMs like Abdusattorov and Gukesh have tried it as well.} Bb6 7. a4 a5 8. b5 Ne7 9. O-O (9. h3 Ng6 10. O-O O-O 11. Be3 c6 12. Bxb6 Qxb6 13. Nbd2 d5 14. exd5 cxd5 15. Bb3 Bf5 16. d4 e4 17. Ne5 Rac8 18. Nxg6 Bxg6 19. Rc1 Rfd8 20. Qe2 Nh5 21. Qe3 f5 22. f4 Nf6 23. c4 Qd6 24. c5 Qe7 25. Rf2 h6 26. Nf1 Kh7 27. Qd2 Bf7 28. Ne3 Be6 29. Bd1 Rg8 30. Be2 Ra8 31. Rcf1 Qd7 32. Qc3 Qe7 33. Bd1 Qd7 34. Bb3 Qe7 35. Qc2 Qd7 36. Qd2 Qe7 37. Kh2 Qd7 38. Qe2 Qe7 39. g3 Qd7 40. Rg2 g6 41. g4 Raf8 42. Kg1 Qc7 43. Qe1 fxg4 44. hxg4 g5 45. f5 Bf7 46. Qg3 Qxg3 47. Rxg3 Re8 48. Rc1 h5 49. Rh3 h4 50. Rh2 Rc8 51. Rhc2 Rc7 52. c6 b6 53. Kh2 Rd8 54. Kh3 Rd6 55. Rc3 Kh6 56. Nc2 Kg7 57. Ba2 Kh6 58. Na1 Rd8 59. Bb3 Kg7 60. Bd1 Ng8 61. Nb3 Rb8 62. Rb1 Kf6 63. Nxa5 bxa5 64. b6 Rcc8 65. c7 Rb7 66. Be2 Ne7 67. Ba6 {1-0 Caruana,F (2828)-Anton Guijarro,D (2681) Chess24 October Blitz chess24.com INT 2020 (4)}) 9... O-O 10. Nbd2 Ng6 11. d4 Bg4 {The usual move, though the first time Caruana has faced it in a tournament game.} (11... h6 12. Re1 Re8 13. h3 (13. Ba3 exd4 14. Qb3 d5 15. exd5 dxc3 16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Re1 Qxe1+ 18. Nxe1 cxd2 19. Nf3 Ne4 20. d6 Nxf2 21. Bxf7+ Kh8 22. Nxd2 Ne4+ 23. Kh1 Nf2+ 24. Kg1 Ne4+ 25. Kh1 Nf2+ 26. Kg1 {½-½ Caruana,F (2764)-Giri,A (2768) Bucharest Superbet Classic 3rd 2023 (8)}) 13... c6 14. Bd3 Bc7 15. Ba3 Nh5 16. Bf1 Nhf4 17. Nc4 Be6 18. b6 Bb8 19. dxe5 Bxc4 20. Bxc4 Nxe5 21. Nxe5 Rxe5 22. Qf3 d5 23. Qxf4 Rxe4 24. Qf5 g6 25. Qf3 Rxc4 26. Re7 Rf4 27. Qe3 Re4 28. Rxe4 dxe4 29. Qxe4 Bd6 30. Bc1 Qf8 31. Be3 Bc5 32. Rd1 Re8 33. Bxc5 Rxe4 34. Bxf8 Kxf8 35. Rd7 Re7 36. Rd8+ Re8 37. Rd7 Re7 38. Rd8+ Re8 39. Rd7 Re7 {½-½ Caruana,F (2795)-Sevian,S (2696) Saint Louis Rapid 2023 (7)}) 12. Qc2 Qd7 13. Re1 Rfe8 14. h3 (14. Bb2 Nf4 15. Bf1 Bh5 16. h3 Rad8 17. Kh2 h6 18. g3 Ne6 19. Bg2 Ng5 20. Nxg5 hxg5 21. Nc4 exd4 22. cxd4 Bg6 23. Rad1 g4 24. d5 gxh3 25. Nxb6 cxb6 26. Bxh3 Qe7 27. Qc3 Qf8 28. f3 Nd7 29. Bxd7 Rxd7 30. g4 Rc8 31. Qd4 Rdc7 32. Rc1 Rxc1 33. Rxc1 Rxc1 34. Bxc1 Qc8 35. Bb2 f6 36. g5 Kf7 37. gxf6 Qh8+ 38. Kg3 gxf6 39. Qxb6 Qb8 40. Qxa5 Bh5 41. Kf2 {1-0 Abdusattorov,N (2766)-Grischuk,A (2719) Tashkent UzChess Masters 2024 (5)}) 14... Bxf3 15. Nxf3 exd4 16. Bb2 $146 {If seeing 6.b4 vaguely reminded you of the Evans Gambit, here's a little consolation: we end up with a gambit after all.} (16. cxd4 d5 17. Bd3 dxe4 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. Rxe4 Qd5 20. Rxe8+ Rxe8 21. Be3 h6 22. Rc1 Re6 23. Qd3 Ne7 {½-½ Tsygankov,E (2510)-Kruse,H (2516) FICGS class GM 000007 email FICGS email 2021 (1)}) (16. Bg5 dxc3 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Qxc3 f5 19. Bd5 fxe4 20. Rxe4 Rxe4 21. Bxe4 Re8 22. Bxb7 Qf5 23. Rf1 Nf4 24. Kh2 d5 25. Nh4 Qe5 26. Qf3 Ng6+ 27. Qg3 Qe4 28. f4 Bc5 29. Qg4 Qc4 30. Rd1 Qxa4 31. Rxd5 Bd6 32. g3 Re1 33. Rd2 Qxb5 34. Bg2 Qc5 35. Qc8+ Kg7 36. Nf5+ Kf6 37. Nd4 h5 38. h4 Kg7 39. Nf5+ Kh7 40. Rd4 Re2 41. Re4 Rf2 42. Kh3 Qb5 43. Ne3 Re2 44. Nd5 Rd2 45. Ne3 a4 46. Bf1 Qb2 47. Bg2 Qb5 48. Bf1 Qb2 49. Bg2 Qf6 50. Rxa4 Rd3 51. Re4 Bxf4 52. Qf5 Qxf5+ 53. Nxf5 Rc3 54. Ra4 Be5 55. Be4 Nf4+ 56. Kh2 Ne6 57. Ra2 Nc5 58. Bd5 Rd3 59. Bc6 Kg6 60. Rf2 Kf6 61. Ne3+ Ke6 62. Rf3 f6 63. Kh3 Kf7 64. Bb5 Rc3 65. Bc6 Ne6 66. Bd5 Rd3 67. Be4 Rd4 68. Bd5 Rd3 69. Be4 Rd4 70. Bd5 Rd2 71. Bb3 Ke7 72. Nf5+ Kd7 73. Bc4 c5 {½-½ Benes,J (2203)-Lanz Calavia,J (2213) W-ch WS/CCM/B/03 email ICCF email 2019}) 16... dxc3 17. Bxc3 Ne5 18. Nxe5 dxe5 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Rd3 Red8 21. Rf3 Rd7 {So far all the moves since Caruana's novelty have been the computer's top choice or tied for it. In that light you won't be surprised to learn that the evaluation is 0.00: White's compensation (bishop pair, active pieces vaguely threatening the kingside) exactly balances Black's extra pawn.} 22. Rf5 (22. g4 {looks interesting, looking to play Kg2 and gradually advance the kingside pawns.}) 22... Bd4 23. Bd2 c6 24. bxc6 bxc6 25. Bg5 Rb8 $5 (25... Rd6 $11 {is just as good, but Firouzja would rather fight for activity than worry about the doubled pawns. Yes, that could eventually be a problem, but for now White's attack is a long way from landing a knockout blow. So why not go for some activity?}) 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Qc1 Rb4 28. Bf1 ({White could already play} 28. Qh6 {, when fun variations like} Rxc4 $1 29. Rf3 $1 Rc3 $8 30. Ree3 Rxe3 $8 31. fxe3 Kh8 $8 {could appear on the board. Black maintains equal chances after} 32. exd4 Rd8 $8 33. Rf5 Rg8 $8 34. dxe5 Rg6 $1 35. Qd2 Qa7+ $1 36. Qf2 Qxf2+ 37. Kxf2 fxe5 $11) 28... Rd6 29. Qh6 (29. Rd1 {was a little better, preparing the rook for take-off to the 3rd rank. It will also be useful to play Kh2 before committing the queen and abandoning the first (and second) rank(s).}) 29... Qf8 $1 $15 30. Qh5 Qg7 31. Kh2 Qg6 32. Qf3 {The last four moves have been a waste of time for White, and although the damage has been fairly minimal Black is far safer than he was a few moves ago, and the trend is in his favor.} c5 33. Rc1 (33. Bb5 {is better, activating the bishop and clearing f1 for the rook in case it needs to defend the f-pawn.}) 33... Rb2 (33... Rxa4 {Might as well grab another.}) 34. Qd1 $2 (34. Qd3 $1) 34... Rdb6 $2 (34... Kg7 $1 $17 {/-+ followed by ...h5 apparently offered Black a large, nearly-winning advantage. The desirability of putting a pawn on h4 is obvious; why ...Kg7 is necessary for this and why White can't just snap it off isn't.}) 35. Be2 $1 Qh6 $1 36. Bb5 Kf8 (36... Rd2 $1 37. Qg4+ Qg6 $15) 37. Rc2 $11 Rb4 38. Qd3 Rd6 39. Bc4 {Although White is a pawn down, and the a-pawn remains vulnerable, White's light-squared fortress is impermeable for the time being. Meanwhile, Black has a fortress of his own on the dark squares. But rather than repeating and calling it a day, the players keep poking around, looking for opportunities.} Ke7 40. Qg3 Rd8 41. Qf3 Qg6 42. Qe2 Rdb8 43. Bb5 Rd8 44. Qf3 Rd6 45. g3 Qg8 46. Kg2 Rb6 47. h4 Rd6 48. Qe2 Rb6 49. Kh3 Qc8 50. Kg2 Qg8 51. Kh3 Qc8 52. Qg4 (52. Kg2 {and calling it a draw would have been the better decision, but that's with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight. There's nothing objectively wrong with Caruana's continuing the game.}) 52... Rb8 53. Bc4 Qg8 54. Qe2 R8b6 55. Bd5 Rd6 56. Rc4 Qc8 57. Qg4 Qd7 $5 (57... Rb8 $142 $11) 58. Qg7 {Black has two ways to maintain equality, and neither feels particularly "safe" when one lacks the time to check all the relevant possibilities.} Kd8 $2 {This could have cost Firouzja the game.} (58... Rxd5 $1 59. Qxf6+ Kf8 60. Rxb4 cxb4 61. exd5 Qxd5 $11 {and between the nuisance to his king and the more serious Black threat of b3-b2-b1Q, White has nothing better than to go for a repetition - if he can.}) (58... Qxf5+ $1 59. exf5 Rxd5 60. Rc2 $1 c4 61. g4 e4 $1 62. Re2 c3 $1 63. g5 $1 Rxf5 $8 64. Rxe4+ Be5 $1 65. gxf6+ Ke6 $1 66. Qf8 Rf3+ 67. Kg2 Rxf2+ 68. Kxf2 Rxe4 69. Qe7+ Kf5 70. Qxf7 Bd4+ 71. Kf1 Bxf6 72. Qxh7+ Kf4 $11) 59. Bxf7 $2 {A reprieve for Firouzja.} ({The win wasn't easy, but it was there.} 59. Rxb4 $1 cxb4 60. Kh2 $1 {Unpinning the rook.} Qxa4 (60... Rxd5 61. Rxf6 $1 Rd6 62. Qg8+ Kc7 63. Rxf7 $18) 61. Qxf7 Qd7 62. Qg8+ $1 Qe8 (62... Kc7 63. Rh5 $1 $18) 63. Qxh7 a4 64. h5 b3 65. Qg7 b2 66. Ba2 $18) 59... Kc7 $2 (59... Rb7 $1 60. Qf8+ Kc7 $11) 60. Qg8 $2 ({The play is too complicated for even these greats, especially in time trouble.} 60. Rc2 $1 $16 c4 $1 61. Qxh7 $1 c3 62. Rc1 $1 Rb2 63. Qg8 $1 Rdb6 $1 64. Kg2 Rd2 65. Be8 Qe6 $1 66. Qg7+ Kb8 67. Bb5 Qd6 $1 68. Rh5 $1 $18) 60... Bxf2 61. Qa8 (61. Rxb4 $142 axb4 62. Bc4 $11) 61... Qxf7 $1 62. Rxb4 cxb4 63. Rxf2 Qd7+ 64. Kh2 $2 (64. Kg2 $1 $11 Kb6 65. Qb8+ Ka6 66. Qa8+ Qa7 67. Qf8 $1 $11 {is the only move to maintain equality, and it works because the rook is defended by the king.}) 64... Kb6 $1 $17 {/-+} 65. Qb8+ Ka6 66. Qa8+ Qa7 $19 {Here there's no 67.Qf8 (67...Qxf2+), and there's no perpetual either, so Black is winning.} 67. Qc8+ Qb7 68. Qc4+ Ka7 69. Rc2 Qd7 $1 70. Qc5+ Ka6 71. Qf2 (71. h5 $142) 71... b3 72. Rb2 Qxa4 73. Qf3 Rb6 74. Qd3+ Ka7 75. Qd5 Qa3 76. Qd2 Qb4 77. Qd8 a4 78. Rd2 b2 $2 {A careless move that should have resulted in Caruana's saving the game.} (78... Qxe4 $19) 79. Rd7+ Rb7 80. Rxb7+ $2 (80. Rd5 $1 {This threatens an immediate perpetual (81.Ra5+ Qxa5 82.Qxa5+ followed by Qd8+, Qa5+, etc.) and there's really no way out of it.}) 80... Kxb7 81. Qd7+ Kb6 82. Qd8+ Kb5 83. Qd5+ Qc5 84. Qb7+ Qb6 85. Qd5+ Kb4 {The king escapes the checks, and the pawn will soon promote.} 0-1 [Event "11th Sinquefield Cup"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2024.08.19"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Black "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2762"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "71"] [GameId "2080535516893712"] [EventDate "2024.08.19"] {[%evp 0,71,13,28,28,30,8,14,29,36,30,34,37,41,28,20,22,-17,5,0,9,15,0,1,6,16,21,21,21,21,19,1,24,18,18,-11,-14,-12,-17,8,61,44,53,47,52,46,57,57,70,27,20,22,17,20,26,20,24,14,0,2,0,0,8,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 {Somewhat passe at the moment, but stick around a while, it'll come back.} ({At least they avoided transposition to the Exchange French, something that has been all too common lately via} 5. d3 Nf6 6. d4 d5 {.}) ({The old standard} 5. d4 {has become the new standard.}) 5... Nxc3 6. dxc3 Nc6 (6... Be7 {is by far the most commonly chosen move, waiting to determine the location of the knight (which is generally d7 rather than c6).}) 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd3 (8. Qd2 {is overwhelmingly more popular than the alternatives. The most popular reply is 8...Be6, but 8...Bf5 is also played with some regularity; it's also the engine's top choice. It's no surprise then that 8.Qd3 comes to mind; it also prepares queenside castling while preventing ...Bf5 for the time being.}) 8... Be6 ({Trying to get the bishop to f5 by direct means fails to equalize:} 8... Bg4 9. O-O-O Qd7 10. h3 Bf5 11. Qb5 $14) 9. O-O-O a6 10. Kb1 O-O $146 11. h3 (11. h4 {also makes sense, preparing Ng5 and thereby putting Qd3 to use with the mate threat on h7.}) 11... Ne5 12. Qe4 Nxf3 $6 (12... f5 $1 {feels a little loosening, but it may be best.} 13. Qf4 Nxf3 14. Qxf3 Qd7 $11 {/?}) 13. Bd3 $1 {This is the problem. Now White enjoys a pleasant advantage.} g6 14. Qxf3 $14 {/?} c6 15. h4 $16 Qa5 (15... h5 $142 16. Qg3 Bf6) 16. a3 $6 $16 {White remains better, but his advantage has been diminished.} (16. h5 $1 {It's not easy to play this way, but it gives White a serious advantage. White would rather not give up the pawn, of course, but White's king will be safe on c1 or d2 for a while, and his attack is faster.} Qxa2+ 17. Kc1 Qa4 (17... Qa1+ 18. Kd2 Qxb2 $2 19. Rb1 Qa2 20. Rxb7 $18 {only makes White's attack more potent.}) 18. Qg3 $1 Qg4 $8 19. hxg6 Qxg3 {Unfortunately for Black, this is forced.} (19... hxg6 $2 20. Bd4 $1 f6 21. Rde1 {wins a piece.}) (19... fxg6 $2 20. Qh2 Rf7 21. f3 Qh5 22. Qxh5 gxh5 23. Rxh5 $18 {Black's h-pawn is bound to fall.}) 20. gxh7+ Kh8 21. fxg3 $16 {/+- White is a pawn up with the better position, as Black's king will be somewhat out of play for the foreseeable future.}) 16... Qd5 17. h5 $6 {Now Black is safe. White is still a little better, but two moves ago he was on the verge of a mating attack.} (17. Qg3 $142 $16) 17... Qxf3 18. gxf3 $14 Bf6 19. f4 $1 Rfe8 20. hxg6 fxg6 21. f5 $1 gxf5 22. Rh5 (22. Rdg1+ $1 Kh8 $8 23. Rg6 Bg7 24. Rg5 $14 {, intending Rgh5, keeps the pressure on Black.}) 22... Re7 23. Bxf5 Bxf5 24. Rxf5 Be5 25. c4 Rae8 26. Rh1 Rg7 27. Rfh5 Ree7 {White's advantage is gone. He enjoys the more comfortable side of equality, nothing more.} 28. Ka2 Rg4 29. Kb3 Bf4 30. Bxf4 Rxf4 31. R1h2 Ref7 {Now White's position isn't even the more comfortable side, so he hastens to make a draw.} 32. Rg5+ Kf8 33. Rgh5 Kg8 34. Rg5+ Kf8 35. Rgh5 Kg8 36. Rg5+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "11th Sinquefield Cup"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2024.08.19"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C56"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2721"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "76"] [GameId "2080535516893713"] [EventDate "2024.08.19"] {[%evp 0,76,28,28,30,14,26,12,12,-34,-7,-44,-44,-74,-76,-83,-42,-49,-64,-37,-25,-25,-22,-50,-44,-47,-57,-5,6,48,10,-4,-4,-13,-13,-13,-6,-24,-24,0,0,-6,-33,-34,21,6,-11,-11,-7,15,8,-7,15,0,0,-7,0,-11,-11,-13,0,-12,-11,7,32,10,14,7,-2,0,13,0,16,16,0,0,6,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 {Nepo likes his 19th century openings, and often finds great new ideas in them. Let's see if he has something new prepared for this game.} exd4 5. e5 d5 6. Bb5 Ne4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 (7... Bc5 {is the most combative option, but there's nothing wrong with MVL's move, which is historically the top move.}) 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. O-O Be7 (9... Bc5) 10. f3 Nc5 11. f4 O-O 12. f5 Ne4 13. Nc3 Re8 {Very rare, and a new move at the GM level.} (13... Bc5 $11 {is usual (and good) here, too.}) 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. e6 $146 (15. Nb3 {had been played in all the prior games - all seven of them.} Bf8 16. Bf4 (16. Qd4 $146) 16... Bxf5 17. Qxd8 Raxd8 18. Bg5 g6 19. Bxd8 Rxd8 {was usual. Nepo rightly avoids this, as Black's pawn and bishop pair are at least enough for the exchange.}) 15... fxe6 16. fxe6 Bc8 17. Be3 Bf6 18. Nxc6 Qxd1 19. Raxd1 Rxe6 20. Nd4 Rd6 21. Nb5 Rc6 $11 {Vachier-Lagrave was either well-prepared, reacted well at the board, or some combination of each. Whatever the case, Nepo had nothing special against his preparation, and the game is thoroughly equal.} (21... Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Bg4 $11 {is an equally good choice.}) 22. c3 Bg4 23. Rd2 Rb8 24. h3 (24. Nxa7 {is a fool's errand, as attempting to keep the pawn with} Ra6 25. a3 $2 {leads to more significant material losses.} Rb7 $19) 24... Bh5 25. Nxa7 Ra6 26. a4 {This was also best in the 24.Nxa7 line.} Be8 27. Nb5 Bxb5 28. axb5 Rxb5 {Black's pawns may look more vulnerable, but they're not. Black will pressure b2, and if that pawn moves it's his colleague on c3 who will pay the price.} 29. g3 h5 30. Re2 Kh7 31. Bc1 Re6 32. Bf4 c6 33. Rfe1 Kg6 34. Kg2 Kf5 35. Rf1 Kg6 36. Rfe1 Kf5 37. Rf1 Kg6 38. Rfe1 Kf5 1/2-1/2 [Event "11th Sinquefield Cup"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2024.08.19"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "55"] [GameId "2080535516893714"] [EventDate "2024.08.19"] {[%evp 0,55,28,26,14,25,25,12,12,12,13,13,13,-1,66,-6,-2,-42,-28,-42,11,2,0,10,6,11,14,2,-16,-4,16,-12,17,8,5,9,26,8,28,3,8,-54,-51,-51,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0] A preview of the World Championship match coming up in three months or so. No doubt the players are hiding their prep, but even so the game is potentially important in staking out the psychological upper hand.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 a5 7. Re1 O-O 8. h3 Be6 9. Bb5 Ba7 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. Rxe3 Ne7 12. d4 Ng6 13. Bf1 {If you haven't studied this line, you almost certainly will not guess Black's usual move here.} d5 $5 $146 {A more classical approach, hoping for a dead sort of equality.} (13... h5 {had been played in five of the six previous games to reach the position after 13.Bf1, all of which were played in 2023 or 2024. The idea is to follow up with ...Nh7-g5, and the hope is that the pawn will achieve more on h5 - or better still, if possible, h4 - than on h6.}) 14. Nbd2 $1 {Correctly maintaining the tension.} Nxe4 15. Nxe5 (15. dxe5 {might be the best try for an edge.} Nxd2 16. Qxd2 c5 17. Bd3 $11 {/?}) 15... Nxe5 (15... Nd6 $1 {looks good. Yes, it's a retreat, but Black's knight has more prospects than its counterpart, at least for the moment.}) 16. dxe5 Nxd2 (16... c6) 17. Qxd2 c5 $11 {Black's center looks nice, but when White mobilizes his kingside majority it won't just gain space; it'll produce threats to the Black king. The position is equal, but Black has more need to be careful at the moment.} 18. Rg3 d4 $2 {Desirable, of course...and naive. Now Gukesh is in trouble.} (18... Kh8 $1 $11 {looks wise, avoiding Qh6 worries before deciding to play ...f6 or ...d4.}) 19. Qh6 $16 g6 20. Bd3 $2 (20. Re1 {was best, threatening Re4-h4.} Bf5 21. Rf3 $1 Rc8 22. Bc4 Rc6 23. a4 Qe7 24. h4 Be6 25. Bb5 $1 Rc7 26. Qf4 $16 {White is much better, even if there's no immediate knockout. The kingside structure in particular guarantees a nearly permanent advantage for White, as Black's king won't be safe as long as the queens remain on the board.}) 20... c4 21. Be4 d3 22. Bxg6 {Calling it a day.} (22. Rg5 {has the massive threat of 23.Rh5, which can only be handled if Black moves his queen to the 7th rank.} Qd7 23. Re1 (23. Rh5 $4 f5 $19 {wins a piece and the game.}) 23... Rae8 $11) 22... fxg6 23. Rxg6+ hxg6 24. Qxg6+ Kh8 25. Qh6+ Kg8 26. Qg6+ ({One should not be tempted by moves like} 26. Qxe6+ $4 {. White has no winning chances here, and after} Rf7 27. Qg6+ Rg7 28. Qe6+ Kh8 29. Qh6+ Rh7 $19 {the perpetual is gone as well.}) 26... Kh8 27. Qh6+ Kg8 28. Qg6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "11th Sinquefield Cup"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2024.08.19"] [Round "1.5"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A14"] [WhiteElo "2751"] [BlackElo "2746"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "82"] [GameId "2080535516893715"] [EventDate "2024.08.19"] {[%evp 0,82,26,-3,-7,-14,-1,-8,-28,-18,14,0,12,-37,-12,-26,-23,-6,-14,7,-14,-3,-10,-42,66,11,7,9,60,-6,1,-44,-47,-41,-12,-2,-2,-12,-1,-6,-6,-6,-6,-6,-2,-25,-1,41,41,35,58,28,10,21,18,-6,3,5,5,15,24,19,38,41,41,44,45,43,43,42,53,45,52,51,44,46,52,51,56,34,42,47,50,26,42]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. b3 c5 7. Bb2 Nc6 8. e3 d4 9. exd4 cxd4 10. Re1 Re8 11. d3 a5 (11... Bc5 {is more common, and was So's choice against Robson back in 2017.}) 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Rxe5 Nd7 14. Re1 (14. Rb5 $142) 14... e5 $15 {Strange prep by So. The line is rare, not particularly successful, and unloved by the computer.} 15. Na3 $146 Bb4 $17 16. Rf1 Nc5 $2 (16... Nf6) 17. Nb5 $1 $11 {Intending a3. Now Black must either lose several tempi backing everyone up or go for the tactical sequence we'll see in the game.} Bf5 18. a3 Bc3 19. Nxc3 dxc3 20. Bxc3 Qxd3 $11 {Black has equalized. That's generally good news, but not when you started with a significant advantage.} 21. Rc1 a4 22. b4 Nb3 23. Qxd3 Bxd3 24. Bxb7 Rab8 (24... Bxc4 $142 25. Bxa8 Rxa8 26. Rfd1 Nxc1 27. Rxc1 $11) 25. Bc6 (25. Bd5 $1 Nxc1 26. Rxc1 {White will be the one doing the pressing, as his connected passers outweigh his slight material deficit.}) 25... Bxc4 26. Bxe8 Rxe8 27. Rfe1 Nxc1 28. Rxc1 {This is almost identical to the position at the end of the 24...Bxc4 line, and it's just as equal. The most significant feature of the position is the opposite-colored bishops, and while that doesn't always guarantee a draw a peaceful outcome is almost a mortal lock in this position.} Bb5 {Overprotecting e8, so White doesn't have any 29.Bxe5 Rxe5 30.Rc8+ tactics.} 29. Bd2 f6 30. Rc5 Rb8 31. f4 exf4 32. Bxf4 Rb7 {There's nothing left to do here but trade everything off or - much easier, given the opposite-colored bishops and the imbalanced pawn majorities - engineer a repetition. We'll see that in a moment.} 33. Kf2 Kf7 34. h4 Ke6 35. g4 h6 36. g5 hxg5 37. hxg5 Bd7 38. Ke3 Bb5 39. Kf2 Bd7 40. Ke3 Bb5 41. Kf2 Bd7 1/2-1/2