[Event "FIDE World Championship 2023"] [Site "Astana, Kazakhstan"] [Date "2023.04.21"] [Round "12.1"] [White "Liren, Ding"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/loepare"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] {[%evp 0,75,28,28,28,28,23,12,37,-5,6,0,19,13,40,42,42,35,48,13,7,7,7,24,9,-2,-5,17,25,25,53,49,16,14,9,7,0,45,40,-35,0,0,13,20,-20,-9,54,-6,29,-65,-65,-65,-65,-62,18,-4,-8,-87,54,-46,160,161,146,126,149,133,135,130,140,155,608,624,821,939,1047,1275,1293,1386]} 1. d4 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:18]} Nf6 {[%eval 28,0] [%emt 0:00:06]} 2. Nf3 {[%eval 12,0] [%emt 0:00:03]} d5 {[%eval 25,0] [%emt 0:00:09]} 3. e3 {[%eval 12,0] [%emt 0:00:17]} c5 {[%eval 15,0] [%emt 0:00:58]} 4. Nbd2 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:09]} cxd4 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:01:13]} 5. exd4 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:07]} Qc7 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:21]} 6. c3 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:01:07]} Bd7 $6 {[%eval 8,0] [%emt 0:09:42] Inaccuracy. Nc6 was best.} (6... Nc6 7. Be2 Bg4 8. O-O e6 9. h3 Bf5 10. Nh4 Be4 11. Nxe4) 7. Bd3 {[%eval 52,0] [%emt 0:01:43]} Nc6 {[%eval 39,0] [%emt 0:00:43]} 8. O-O {[%eval 26,0] [%emt 0:01:15]} Bg4 {[%eval 3,0] [%emt 0:01:57]} 9. Re1 {[%eval 11,0] [%emt 0:06:32]} e6 {[%eval 11,0] [%emt 0:01:54]} 10. Nf1 {[%eval 12,0] [%emt 0:00:26]} Bd6 {[%eval 21,0] [%emt 0:00:18]} 11. Bg5 {[%eval 3,0] [%emt 0:01:08]} O-O {[%eval 16,0] [%emt 0:04:07]} 12. Bxf6 {[%eval 33,0] [%emt 0:28:14]} gxf6 {[%eval 4,0] [%emt 0:00:34]} 13. Ng3 {[%eval 7,0] [%emt 0:00:05]} f5 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:21:53]} 14. h3 {[%eval 2,0] [%emt 0:00:32]} Bxf3 {[%eval 29,0] [%emt 0:01:57]} 15. Qxf3 {[%eval 16,0] [%emt 0:01:51]} Ne7 {[%eval 12,0] [%emt 0:00:12]} 16. Nh5 {[%eval 9,0] [%emt 0:00:39]} Kh8 {[%eval 14,0] [%emt 0:00:31]} 17. g4 {[%eval 16,0] [%emt 0:01:34]} Rg8 {[%eval 18,0] [%emt 0:00:56]} 18. Kh1 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:02:53]} Ng6 {[%eval 24,0] [%emt 0:04:46]} 19. Bc2 $6 {[%eval -73,0] [%emt 0:13:16] Inaccuracy. Rg1 was best.} (19. Rg1 Nh4) 19... Nh4 {[%eval -81,0] [%emt 0:04:29]} 20. Qe3 {[%eval -81,0] [%emt 0:04:24]} Rg6 {[%eval -100,0] [%emt 0:05:54]} 21. Rg1 $6 {[%eval -38,0] [%emt 0:04:41] Inaccuracy. Qe2 was best.} (21. Qe2 Rf8) 21... f4 {[%eval -36,0] [%emt 0:04:29]} 22. Qd3 {[%eval -31,0] [%emt 0:02:02]} Qe7 {[%eval -78,0] [%emt 0:00:34]} 23. Rae1 {[%eval -55,0] [%emt 0:04:03]} Qg5 {[%eval -41,0] [%emt 0:02:59]} 24. c4 $6 {[%eval -162,0] [%emt 0:02:52] Inaccuracy. Bd1 was best.} (24. Bd1 Rc8 25. Qb5 Rc7 26. Qe8+ Rg8 27. Qb5 a6 28. Qb6 Qd8 29. Qb3 Rg6 30. Qb6 Qe7) 24... dxc4 {[%eval -2,0] [%emt 0:04:06]} 25. Qc3 {[%eval -198,0] [%emt 0:01:30]} b5 {[%eval -152,0] [%emt 0:02:40]} 26. a4 {[%eval -138,0] [%emt 0:07:53]} b4 $4 {[%eval 75,0] [%emt 0:04:00] Blunder. a6 was best.} (26... a6) 27. Qxc4 {[%eval -86,0] [%emt 0:00:07]} Rag8 {[%eval -83,0] [%emt 0:00:27]} 28. Qc6 {[%eval -26,0] [%emt 0:01:54]} Bb8 $4 {[%eval 272,0] [%emt 0:01:23] Blunder. Nf5 was best.} (28... Nf5) 29. Qb7 $4 {[%eval -62,0] [%emt 0:05:01] Blunder. Bxg6 was best.} (29. Bxg6 Qxg6) 29... Rh6 $2 {[%eval 7,0] [%emt 0:01:10] Mistake. Nf5 was best.} (29... Nf5 30. Rd1) 30. Be4 {[%eval 11,0] [%emt 0:00:21]} Rf8 $6 {[%eval 46,0] [%emt 0:10:27] Inaccuracy. f3 was best.} (30... f3) 31. Qxb4 {[%eval 79,0] [%emt 0:00:51]} Qd8 {[%eval 84,0] [%emt 0:00:42]} 32. Qc3 $6 {[%eval 21,0] [%emt 0:03:02] Inaccuracy. d5 was best.} (32. d5 e5 33. Rc1 a5 34. Qb5 Bd6 35. Qb7 Ng6 36. Kh2 Ne7 37. Bf3 Ng6 38. g5 Nh4) 32... Ng6 {[%eval 38,0] [%emt 0:00:24]} 33. Bg2 {[%eval 16,0] [%emt 0:05:48]} Qh4 $6 {[%eval 53,0] [%emt 0:01:52] Inaccuracy. Qe7 was best.} (33... Qe7 34. Bf3 Qh4 35. Kg2 Bd6 36. Re4 Qg5 37. Kh1 a5 38. d5+ e5 39. Rc4 Qh4 40. Kg2) 34. Re2 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:18]} f5 $4 {[%eval 842,0] [%emt 0:02:56] Blunder. Bd6 was best.} (34... Bd6 35. a5) 35. Rxe6 {[%eval 838,0] [%emt 0:01:14]} Rxh5 {[%eval 1007,0] [%emt 0:16:35]} 36. gxh5 {[%eval 1016,0] [%emt 0:00:12]} Qxh5 {[%eval 1405,0] [%emt 0:00:25]} 37. d5+ {[%eval 1414,0] [%emt 0:00:04]} Kg8 {[%eval 1541,0] [%emt 0:00:03]} 38. d6 {[%eval 1705,0] [%emt 0:00:06]} 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Championship 2023"] [Site "Astana"] [Date "2026.04.23"] [Round "12"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Europe-Echecs"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2023.04.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventCountry "KAZ"] [SourceTitle "europe-echecs.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,75,23,19,23,24,30,12,43,-5,0,0,31,13,42,45,45,35,37,24,24,22,23,25,18,-3,1,-22,25,25,22,18,18,9,5,0,40,40,12,-5,0,0,20,17,-13,-35,35,44,38,-62,-62,-62,-62,-80,-8,-13,-1,-87,54,-46,160,126,133,133,133,133,130,138,131,130,608,609,950,938,1240,1386,1514,1623]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 {Ding Liren s'est tourné vers l'approche silencieuse. L'effet est principalement psychologique - vous montrez que vous êtes prêt à jouer une longue partie et laissez votre adversaire combattre ses démons.} c5 4. Nbd2 cxd4 5. exd4 {Avec une structure « Karlsbad » avec les plans blancs possibles : a) Attaque de minorité sur l'aile-Dame ; b) Attaque au centre par e3-e4 ; c) Attaque sur l'aile-Roi quand les deux camps ont fait le petit roque ; d) Attaque sur l'aile-Roi quand les Blancs font le grand roque.} Qc7 $5 {Irina Krush : « Ian a joué 5...Dc7 qui n'est pas nécessairement le coup le plus évident. Personne ne jouerait ce coup à moins que ce ne soit dans sa préparation. »} 6. c3 Bd7 $5 {Alors que 5...Dc7!? n'avait pris que 21 secondes, ce coup de Fou a coûté 10 minutes.} (6... Nc6 7. Qc2 (7. Bd3 Bg4 8. O-O e6 9. Re1 Bd6 10. Nf1 O-O 11. Bg5 Nd7 12. Bh4 Bf4 13. Bg3 Nf6 14. Bxf4 Qxf4 15. Qd2 {½-½ (15) Jussupow,A (2595)-Gustafsson,J (2615) Bundesliga 2005}) 7... a6 8. Bd3 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. Nh4 O-O-O 11. Nb3 e6 12. Be3 Bd6 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. O-O-O Rh7 16. Qe2 Nb4 17. Bb1 Rdh8 18. Qf3 Bh2 19. Rxh2 Qxh2 20. cxb4 Qxh3 21. Qe2 Qxg4 22. Qd3 Rh1 23. Bc2 Ne4 24. Nc5 Rxd1+ 25. Bxd1 Rh1 26. Nxe4 Qxe4 27. Qe2 Qg2 28. b5 axb5 29. Qxb5 Qf1 30. Qe8+ Kc7 {½-½ (30) Roesch M,H (2460)-Shpakovsky,A (2544) W-ch40 email ICCF 2020}) 7. Bd3 {Fabiano Caruana sur le 6...Fd7 de Ian Nepomniachtchi : « Peut-être que c'est super subtil et que je ne comprends pas. »} Nc6 8. O-O Bg4 {Fabiano Caruana, sur le ton de l'humour : « Je pense que la seule explication à ce coup, c'est qu'il a pris le Fou, et alors qu'il le déplaçait, il a soudainement ressenti le besoin d'éternuer, et avant qu'il ne puisse aller en f5 ou g4, une case utile, sa main l'a relâché en d7, où il ne fait absolument rien. »} 9. Re1 e6 {Les Blancs ont un tempo de plus que dans la partie ½-½ (15) Jussupow,A (2595)-Gustafsson,J (2615) Bundesliga 2005} 10. Nf1 (10. Qa4 $5 {était une alternative très intéressante.}) 10... Bd6 {Irina Krush sur le déplacement du Fou en d7 puis en g4 : « N'est-ce pas un peu étrange ? Vous déplacez votre Fou une fois, puis vous le déplacez à nouveau quelques coups plus tard. Ce n'est pas comme ça qu'on nous a appris à jouer aux échecs. » Daniil Dubov : « Ça doit être une préparation. »} 11. Bg5 {Viswanathan Anand : « Au moins, Ding a de quoi faire durer la partie. »} O-O $1 {Un très bon coup qui a poussé Ding Liren a une longue réflexion.} 12. Bxf6 $6 {Après 28 minutes.} (12. Bh4 $5 {avec l'idée d'échanger le bon Fou des Noirs était à envisager.} Nd7 $2 13. Bxh7+ $1 $18) 12... gxf6 {Rappelle la partie numéro 2 avec la victoire de Ian Nepomniachtchi. Ding Liren a-t-il à nouveau sous-estimé l'ouverture de la colonne « g » ?} 13. Ng3 {Et c'est au tour de Ian Nepomniachtchi de prendre du temps.} f5 {Après 22 minutes. On remarque que le Fou des Blancs est limité par les pions noirs sur cases blanches, et que si les cases noires autour du Roi noir sont faibles, les Blancs n'ont plus le Fou de cette couleur.} 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Ne7 16. Nh5 Kh8 {Sesse.net voit des 0.00 partout.} 17. g4 $5 {Mais les machines n'avaient envisagé sérieusement (dans leurs premières suggestions), ce coup responsable.} (17. Nf6 Kg7 18. Nh5+ Kh8 19. Nf6 Kg7 20. Nh5+ $11 {était la première ligne de la machine.}) 17... Rg8 18. Kh1 {Le texte de Viswanathan Anand est parfaitement juste : « Après tout, il [le joueur qui mène] veut juste que ça se termine et il pourrait voir du danger partout. »} Ng6 $1 {Le meilleur. Viswanathan Anand : « Peut-être que les Blancs n'auraient pas dû se précipiter avec 17.g4. »} (18... Rg5 $6 19. Rg1 Rag8 20. Nf6 R8g6 21. Ne8 Qd8 22. Nxd6 Qxd6 23. gxf5 exf5 24. Rxg5 Rxg5 25. Rg1 Rxg1+ 26. Kxg1 Qf6 $16) 19. Bc2 $2 {Une faute, mais surtout on ne voit pas l'idée d'un tel coup, après 13 minutes de réflexion.} ({La variante des machines et des commentateurs était :} 19. Rg1 Nh4 20. Qe2 Bh2 $5 21. Rg3 $1 {Pas facile à voir.} Bxg3 22. fxg3 Ng6 {avec une égalité approximative.}) 19... Nh4 $1 {Avec un clair avantage noir. Ian Nepomniachtchi peut commencer à entrevoir la ligne d'arrivée.} 20. Qe3 Rg6 $1 {Alors que Ding Liren semble complètement abattu sur la retransmission, Ian Nepomniachtchi enchaîne les meilleurs coups. Selon Sesse.net, la position est évaluée à -0.91 ; ce n'est pas encore définitif, mais le Chinois est sur la mauvaise pente.} 21. Rg1 $5 {Le bon plan, mais deux coups trop tard. « Trop tard... savez-vous ce que ça signifie ? Il y a plus d'horreur là-dedans que dans le mot "jamais". » Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931)} f4 $1 {Ian Nepomniachtchi ne laisse pas passer sa chance avec ce « seul coup » qui conserve un grand avantage.} 22. Qd3 Qe7 {0h46-0h52. Viswanathan Anand : « Nepo joue avec une grande précision. Les Blancs sont totalement bloqués sur l'aile-Roi. »} 23. Rae1 Qg5 {La suite logique de 22...De7.} 24. c4 $5 {Ding Liren opte pour 24.c4!?, que Fabiano Caruana venait de suggérer comme une possible tentative désespérée d'obtenir du contre-jeu. « Tout joueur sait à quel point il est désagréable de défendre des positions passives sans aucun contre-jeu. Mais il est aussi de notoriété publique que, quand on en recherche un à tout prix, on obtient en général des résultats lamentables. » Paul Kérès (1916-1975)} dxc4 25. Qc3 b5 $1 {Avec un avantage noir désormais décisif.} 26. a4 {Plus rien ne peut sauver les Blancs, à part une énorme gaffe de Ian Nepomniachtchi.} b4 (26... a6 $1 {était encore plus fort.}) 27. Qxc4 Rag8 $2 {Une faute de Ian Nepomniachtchi jouée a tempo et tout redevient possible pour Ding Liren.} (27... Nf3 $1 28. Qc6 Nxe1 29. Qxa8+ Rg8 30. Qe4 Nxc2 31. Qxc2 Qh4 32. Qd3 f5 33. Qf3 fxg4 34. Rxg4 Rxg4 35. Qxg4 Qxg4 36. hxg4 b3 $3 $19 {[%CAl Yd6a3]}) 28. Qc6 $2 {Ding Liren n'en profite pas !} (28. Bxg6 $1 hxg6 29. Qc6 gxh5 30. Qxd6 Nf3 31. Qc5 $1 {et ça joue encore !}) 28... Bb8 $2 {Ian Nepomniachtchi gaffe !} 29. Qb7 $2 {Et Ding Liren rate à nouveau le bon coup !} ({Le Chinois était gagnant avec} 29. Bxg6 $1 Nxg6 30. Qb7) 29... Rh6 $2 {Fabiano Caruana : « Je pense que Ian est en danger malgré ce que dit la barre d'évaluation. Je ne comprends pas sa décision de jouer les coups si vite. Vous avez peut-être une chance dans votre vie... Comment pouvez-vous jouer chaque coup comme si c'était un blitz ? »} (29... Nf5 $1 {Les nerfs de Ian Nepomniachtchi et Ding Liren ont complètement lâché !} 30. Rd1 Ne7 31. Bxg6 hxg6 32. d5 Qh4 33. Rd3 gxh5 34. dxe6 fxe6) 30. Be4 $1 Rf8 (30... f3 $5 31. Qxf7 Ng2 32. Qxf3 Nxe1 33. Rxe1 Qh4 {était la ligne de l'ordinateur.}) 31. Qxb4 Qd8 {Et les Blancs restent avec un pion de plus !} 32. Qc3 (32. d5 $5 exd5 33. Qd4+ f6 34. Qxd5) 32... Ng6 {Daniil Dubov : « Il est impossible que les Blancs ne gagnent pas ici. » Les pièces noires ont perdu toute leur coordination.} 33. Bg2 Qh4 34. Re2 {Ding Liren chercher à reprendre le contrôle de la partie avant de mettre en route sa majorité de pions sur l'aile-Dame.} f5 $4 {La dernière gaffe ! « Qu'il faut, pour être le veinard, des gaffes aux échecs, faire l'avant dernière. » Xavier Tartakover (1887-1956) Ian Nepomniachtchi a craqué nerveusement.} 35. Rxe6 $1 $18 {La machine est passée à +8.00 ! La menace est simplement de pousser le pion « d ». « Les échecs sont un conte de fées de 1001 gaffes. » Xavier Tartakover (1887-1956)} Rxh5 36. gxh5 Qxh5 37. d5+ Kg8 38. d6 {Il savait que c'était possible, alors il l'a fait ! Ding Liren l'a emporté sur le Russe Ian Nepomniachtchi dans une douzième partie complètement folle ! Désormais à égalité avec 6 points chacun, les cartes sont totalement rebattues. Rendez-vous demain jeudi à partir de 11h00.} 1-0 [Event "Nepo - Ding, WCC 2023: Game 12 - Ding v"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2023.04.26"] [Round "?"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/rowrulz"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] {[%evp 0,73,31,19,30,24,30,19,48,-6,6,8,31,18,45,45,45,39,40,22,22,14,14,18,13,-7,-7,-29,20,20,15,22,22,9,14,40,12,12,12,0,0,0,17,23,-35,-35,27,23,38,-70,-78,-71,-71,-72,-22,-22,-21,-87,12,-14,126,133,133,133,133,133,131,131,130,130,608,607,480,803,29999,-30000]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 {Ding tries the Colle - another 'old fashioned' solid system which is being given a modern twist (similar to Ding's London in game 4)} c5 {White has lots of options here!} (3... e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 {Carlsen, M. - Karjakin, Sergey, 0-1, WCh 2016, https://lichess.org/TTOqflCh}) 4. Nbd2 cxd4 {The most popular move releasing the tension immediately} (4... Nc6 5. dxc5 {Is now an interesting option for white} e6 6. Nb3 (6. a3 a5 7. b3 Bxc5 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Bb5 {Carlsen, M. - So, W., 1-0, chess.com Speed 5m+2spm 2017, https://lichess.org/6ujFs0dJ}) 6... Ne4 7. c4) 5. exd4 Qc7 {Computers top choice, but why. In the Exchange Caro black often plays this but there it is to prevent Bf4 which isn't an option for white here.} (5... Nc6 6. Bb5 {Carlsen has played this way a couple of times.}) 6. c3 Bd7 $6 {Difficult to understand the idea behind this move} (6... Nc6 {Looked completely natural} 7. Bb5 {Maybe Nepo just wanted to avoid any of these Bb5 positions} a6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. O-O {Leads to an interesting strategic struggle} Bf5 10. Ne5 e6 11. Qa4) (6... a6 {If Nepo just wanted to avoid Bb5 was ...a6 a more useful move. Difficult to understand black's opening play here}) 7. Bd3 (7. Ne5 $1 {Seems a good way to punish black's move order} Nc6 8. Ndf3 e6 9. Bd3 {Looks very pleasant for white !}) 7... Nc6 8. O-O (8. h3 $5 {Was mentioned by Caruana preventing the light square bishop from coming to g4. I'm sure Ding assumed black wouldn't be moving the bishop again so soon...} e6 9. O-O Bd6 10. Re1 O-O 11. Qe2 Nh5 12. Nb3 Nf4 13. Bxf4 Bxf4) 8... Bg4 {What is Nepo doing? Either this is super-subtle prep or perhaps he has mixed something up} 9. Re1 (9. Qe1 $1 {[%CAl Gf3e5] Looks more potent} e6 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Nd7 12. f4 {With interesting play}) 9... e6 10. Nf1 Bd6 {Despite black losing a tempo with ...Bd7...Bg4 he seems to have achieved a very sound solid position. It feels like Ding has missed a chance to extract more out of black's extravagent ...Bd7} 11. Bg5 $5 {Ding was playing so fast and surely this is no-one's prep! I guess he was determined not to burn time early on in this game. The move played certainly gives black a decision to make - the main question is whether to castle kingside or queenside. Given Nepo's match position castling kingside seems prudent} (11. Ng3 O-O (11... h5 $5) 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 e5 {Looks attractive for black at first but white has some tactics to keep things interesting} 14. Nf5 e4 15. Qe3 exd3 $2 (15... Ne7 16. Nxd6 Qxd6 17. Be2 $13) 16. Qg5) 11... O-O 12. Bxf6 {Played after a 28 minute thought (the 2nd time in the match Ding has spent more than 25 minutes on move 12 before capturing a knight on f6)!} (12. Bh4 {Intending Bg3 was another option}) (12. Ng3 Nh5 {Ding said he was mostly analysing this option}) 12... gxf6 {Creates an imbalance which is somewhat reminiscent of game 2 although there black had the opportunity to castle queenside} 13. Ng3 (13. Ne3 Bh5) 13... f5 (13... Kh8 {Was a very serious alternative and I'm sure Nepo was analysing the piece sacrifice options here} 14. h3 Bxh3 $5 (14... Bxf3 15. Qxf3 f5 {Transposes to 13...f5 14.h3 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Kh8}) 15. gxh3 {and here black can either go for lines taking on g3 with the queen or rook. The computer indicates that chances are even} Rg8 (15... Bxg3 16. fxg3 Qxg3+ 17. Kh1 Rg8 18. Qe2 Qxh3+ 19. Nh2 Rg3 20. Bc2 Rag8 21. Rg1 Ne7) 16. Kh1 Bxg3 17. fxg3 Rxg3 18. Nh2 Rxh3 19. Qe2 Rg8 20. Rg1) 14. h3 Bxf3 (14... f4 {Was an alternative leading to sharp variations} 15. hxg4 (15. Bxh7+ Kg7 16. Nf1 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Kxh7 18. Qh5+ $10) 15... fxg3 $13) 15. Qxf3 Ne7 (15... Kh8 16. Nxf5 exf5 17. Qxf5 f6 $13 {Was an interesting idea being analysed by the commentary team who preferred white}) (15... Bxg3 $6 16. fxg3 {[%CAl Gg3g4]}) 16. Nh5 Kh8 17. g4 {Ding spices things up} (17. Nf6 {Was an alternative, though black seems fine here}) 17... Rg8 (17... Ng6 18. gxf5 $2 Nh4 19. Qe3 Rg8+ 20. Kh1 Rg2 (20... exf5) 21. Qh6 Rh2+ 22. Kg1 Rg8+ 23. Kf1 {was a fun line being analysed by the commentary team, and now blacks winning line is very impressive} Be7 $1 {Simply defending against Qf6+ and preparing ...Rgg2} 24. f6 Nf5 $3 25. Bxf5 (25. Qf4 Bd6 $19 {and with the white queen chased away black's attack will come crashing through}) 25... Qc4+ 26. Re2 Rh1#) 18. Kh1 Ng6 (18... Rg5 19. Rg1 Rag8 20. Nf6 R8g6 21. Ne8 Qd7 22. Nxd6 Qxd6 23. gxf5 exf5 24. Rxg5 Rxg5 {is more pleasant for white}) 19. Bc2 $2 {It feels like Ding has completely lost the thread of the game} (19. Rg1 Bh2 {Potentially annoying for white} (19... Nh4 20. Qe2 f4 21. f3 {Caruana was wondering about whether this would be a good move}) 20. Rg3 $5 {Is an interesting option} (20. Rge1 Bd6 {Black can just repeat, especially given the match situation}) (20. Rgf1 Bd6 21. gxf5 Nh4 22. Qe3 exf5 23. f4 {is apparently playable now for white with the rook on f1}) 20... Bxg3 21. fxg3) (19. gxf5 $2 Nh4 20. Qe3 exf5 {Stops everything for white} 21. f4 Ng2) 19... Nh4 20. Qe3 Rg6 21. Rg1 f4 (21... Rag8 22. gxf5) 22. Qd3 Qe7 23. Rae1 (23. g5 h6 $1 $17 (23... Nf5 $2 24. Qf3 $1 $16)) 23... Qg5 24. c4 {Ding tries to create counterplay} (24. Bd1 {it was possible to try and grimly cling on but not particularly attractive} Rag8 25. a3 (25. c4 dxc4 {now the bishop is covering f3} 26. Qxc4) 25... f5 26. f3 fxg4 27. fxg4 Nf5) 24... dxc4 (24... Rc8 {Nepo considered that this was a critical moment and that ...dxc4 was wrong and this ...Rc8 would keep things more under control} 25. c5 Bb8 26. b4 {But here}) 25. Qc3 (25. Qxc4 Nf3 $19) 25... b5 $1 {Nepo just defends the pawn and ignores whites idea to play d5+} 26. a4 (26. d5+ e5 27. Bxg6 hxg6 28. Ng3 fxg3 29. fxg3 b4 $1 {The key move which makes everything work tactically as the knight will be saved}) 26... b4 $2 {Objectively not bad but requires very accurate followup - very surprising decision not to play ...a6. In fact Nepo's play here between moves 26-29 was fast and bad - surely nerves.} (26... a6 {Seems to keep all of black's advantages. In the press conference Ding said he was intending} 27. axb5 axb5 28. d5+ e5 29. Ra1 {Which does look as though white gets some counterplay, though the computer is not impressed} Rag8 30. Ra6 b4 {this tactical device (decoy) crops up in a lot of variations} 31. Qxc4 Qxh5 $1) 27. Qxc4 Rag8 $6 {We can't fault Nepo for not seeing the winning variation after 27...Nf3 but it is surprising he chose this line ahead of 26...a6} (27... Nf3 $1 28. Qc6 Nxe1 29. Qxa8+ Rg8 30. Qe4 Nxc2 31. Qxc2 Qh4 (31... Qd5+ {isn't clear after Kh2} 32. Kh2) 32. Qd3 f5 33. Qf3 fxg4 34. Rxg4 Rxg4 35. Qxg4 Qxg4 36. hxg4 b3 $1 $19 {[%CAl Gd6a3] and at the end of this very long line this move carries the deadly threat of ...Ba3}) 28. Qc6 $6 Bb8 $2 (28... Nf5 $1 {[%csl Rd4] Both players seemingly underestimated or missed this resource}) 29. Qb7 $2 (29. Bxg6 $1 hxg6 (29... Nxg6 {The best according to the engine, agreeing to try and defend this position an exchange down}) 30. d5 $3 {Not an easy move to see in advance but certainly Ding is capable. White wins in all lines} (30. Ng3 $2 fxg3 31. fxg3 {looks at first as though it wins back the knight on h4 but black has a defence} Qd2 $1 32. Qe4 Qxb2 33. Re2 $10) 30... gxh5 (30... exd5 31. Nf6 $18) 31. dxe6 (31. gxh5 $2 Qf5 $1) 31... fxe6 32. gxh5 $18) 29... Rh6 $6 {Another quick and poor move - Caruana claimed it was like both players had stopped calculating and were just moving too quickly relying mainly on intuition. Especially for Nepo it seems to me this is how he handles his nerves in these situations} (29... Nf5 $1) 30. Be4 $1 {Defending against ...Nf3. The improvement in white's position compared to 26...a6 is immense (gained a pawn and activated the queen and bishop)!} (30. Qxf7 Nf3 $19 {[%CAl Gg5h4]}) 30... Rf8 {A huge admission of his previous mistakes! So far black has been moving forward and now plays a passive defensive move} (30... f3 $1 31. Qxf7 Ng2 32. Qxf3 (32. Rc1 Nf4 {Black wins})) 31. Qxb4 Qd8 32. Qc3 (32. d5 {is the engines top choice}) (32. Rc1 {Dubov was discussing this move and said it felt like white should be winning}) 32... Ng6 {The position is still extremely complex and non-standard, with the pieces on strange squares. White of course is a pawn up but the king is permanently a bit exposed} 33. Bg2 Qh4 34. Re2 f5 $4 35. Rxe6 $1 {Here Nepo of course realised what he had done and began remonstrating with himself. Not sure what he missed, perhaps Qg7# ?} fxg4 (35... Rxh5) 36. d5+ $18 Kg8 37. Qg7# 1-0 [Event "WCh 2023"] [Site "Astana KAZ"] [Date "2023.04.26"] [Round "12.1"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2023.04.09"] {[%evp 0,75,19,31,14,30,28,18,57,-10,21,13,39,28,40,23,30,16,63,37,39,16,13,7,7,1,12,6,43,11,28,31,42,21,17,42,13,1,45,-27,0,-5,14,9,-32,-24,56,30,68,-9,-57,-57,-51,-61,53,-19,-11,-54,105,-38,144,164,195,165,165,148,164,132,151,130,367,583,738,678,718,986,986,1344]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 c5 4. Nbd2 cxd4 5. exd4 Qc7 $5 {A rare move that scores quite well for black.} ({Relevant:} 5... Nc6 6. Bb5 Bf5 7. Ne5 Rc8 8. c3 Qb6 9. a4 a6 10. Bxc6+ bxc6 11. a5 Qb5 12. b3 e6 13. c4 Qb7 14. O-O Bb4 15. Ndf3 h6 16. Ba3 Bxa3 17. Rxa3 O-O 18. Qe2 Ne4 19. h3 Rfd8 20. Rc1 c5 21. cxd5 cxd4 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. dxe6 Rc1+ 24. Kh2 fxe6 25. Nxd4 Qc7 26. f4 Qc5 27. Ra4 Nc3 28. Qd2 Nxa4 29. bxa4 Ra1 30. Nb3 Qg1+ 31. Kg3 Rd1 32. Qb4 Kh7 33. Nd4 Rxd4 {0-1 (33) Grandelius,N (2655)-Salem,A (2679) Chess.com INT 2022}) 6. c3 {[#]} Bd7 $146 {What an interesting concept. It's almost certain this was something Nepomniachtchi knew.} ({Predecessor:} 6... Nc6 7. Qc2 a6 8. Bd3 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. Nh4 O-O-O 11. Nb3 e6 12. Be3 Bd6 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. O-O-O Rh7 16. Qe2 Nb4 17. Bb1 Rdh8 18. Qf3 Bh2 19. Rxh2 Qxh2 20. cxb4 Qxh3 21. Qe2 Qxg4 22. Qd3 Rh1 23. Bc2 Ne4 24. Nc5 Rxd1+ 25. Bxd1 Rh1 26. Nxe4 Qxe4 27. Qe2 Qg2 28. b5 axb5 29. Qxb5 Qf1 30. Qe8+ Kc7 {?-? (30) Roesch M,H (2460)-Shpakovsky,A (2544) ICCF email 2020}) 7. Bd3 (7. Ne5 {was the critical try that we will know doubt see at some point in the future.}) 7... Nc6 8. O-O Bg4 $1 {Played after only a couple of minutes of thought. Black is arguing that white can't prevent a good setup.} 9. Re1 (9. Qa4 $5) 9... e6 10. Nf1 Bd6 11. Bg5 (11. Ng3) 11... O-O 12. Bxf6 gxf6 {Ding thought he won the opening battle, I'm not sure where he thought he was better but this is equal.} 13. Ng3 {Not really a mistake but the engine gives black a minute edge here, at least suggesting white's attacking ideas are a long way from working.} (13. Ne3) 13... f5 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Ne7 16. Nh5 Kh8 17. g4 {Ramping up the tension, Ding needs a win.} (17. Kh1) 17... Rg8 18. Kh1 Ng6 19. Bc2 $2 {Played after 13 minutes thought but this move is quite bad. Ding might have thought he was on the attack but black has played very well and it is white that has to be careful.} (19. Rg1 {Is about equal as pointed out by Ding after the game.}) 19... Nh4 $1 {Played after four and a half minutes of thought.} 20. Qe3 Rg6 21. Rg1 f4 22. Qd3 Qe7 23. Rae1 Qg5 24. c4 $5 {White needs to try something at least.} dxc4 25. Qc3 b5 26. a4 b4 {There isn't anything wrong with this but black had safer ways to play.} (26... a6) 27. Qxc4 Rag8 $2 {Played after 27 seconds of thought. A sign that Nepomniachtchi is starting to lose his composure perhaps. He had plenty of time and should have used some of it here.} (27... Nf3 $1) 28. Qc6 Bb8 $2 {1 minute 23 second of thought for another poor move. Again Nepomniachtchi should have thought longer.} (28... Nf5 $1 29. gxf5 Qxh5) 29. Qb7 $2 {White had a couple of moves better than this. Ding did at least spend 5 minutes on it. Not a huge think but enough to at least consider other moves.} (29. Bxg6 $1) (29. d5) 29... Rh6 $11 {Another 1 minute 10 second thought. Too little.} (29... Nf5 $1) 30. Be4 $11 Rf8 {After 10 minutes thought.} (30... f3 $1 31. Qxf7 Ng2 $11) 31. Qxb4 {The tables have turned and white is slightly better.} Qd8 {Played after a few seconds.} 32. Qc3 Ng6 33. Bg2 Qh4 34. Re2 f5 $4 {The position has got hard to play for black but this just loses. Played after 3 minutes of thought. Nepomniachtchi had a tonne of time, this mistake can only be explained by nerves, he knew he was lost after Ding's reply.} (34... Qg5) (34... Rg8) 35. Rxe6 {Played after just a minute of thought. It's the only winning move but crushing.} Rxh5 {Nepomniachtchi could hardly bear to look here. He could have resigned but after 16 minutes he continued but there is nothing to be done.} 36. gxh5 Qxh5 37. d5+ Kg8 38. d6 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.04.26"] [Round "12"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Rafael"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [TimeControl "7200+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 c5 4. Nbd2 {After the London System and the French Defense, now Ding tries the Colle. Fair enough. Nepomniachtchi said in the press conference that he wasn't surprised.} cxd4 5. exd4 Qc7 (5... Nc6 {is also possible, but as it will become clear, Nepomniachtchi wanted to avoid the chance of White's bishop being developed on b5.} 6. Bb5) 6. c3 Bd7 {This is a new move in this position and it's hard to understand its merits, although it was clearly part of the preparation.} (6... Nc6 7. Bb5 {The only point I can see in the way Nepomniachtchi plays the opening is that he wanted to avoid this move. In any case, from my interpretation of Ding's words in the press conference, he would just play 7.Bd3 and play in the same way as the game, a tempo down.} (7. Bd3 Bg4 8. O-O {It's the same position we will have in the game, but here it's Black to move.})) 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. O-O Bg4 {I don't want to sound harsh, but the fact that Black can play this position even a tempo down says a lot about the merits of White's opening.} 9. Re1 (9. Qa4 {with the idea of playing Ne5. This is an attempt to explore Black's move order, but it's not a big deal.} e6 10. Ne5 Bd6 11. Nxg4 Nxg4 12. h3 Bh2+ (12... Nf6 {There's also nothing wrong with this move.}) 13. Kh1 Bg1 $1 {[%c_effect g1;square;g1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 14. f4 Nf2+ 15. Kxg1 Nxd3 16. f5 O-O {with approximate equality.}) 9... e6 10. Nf1 Bd6 11. Bg5 O-O $1 {[%c_effect g8;square;g8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Not afraid of doubling pawns.} 12. Bxf6 {Ding thought for half an hour before taking the knight. He was evaluating the consequences of 12.Ng3.} (12. Ng3 Nh5 $1 {[%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Otherwise White plays 13.h3 and gets a comfortable position.} 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Nxg3 15. fxg3 Bxg3 16. Re3 Bd6 {White's compensation for the pawn is not good enough.}) 12... gxf6 13. Ng3 f5 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Ne7 {A nice maneuver, bringing the knight to the kingside, where it protects the king and also helps a potential attack on the g-file.} 16. Nh5 Kh8 17. g4 {A double-edged move, but risks are necessary when one desperately needs to win.} (17. Nf6 {The game might end in a draw after this move, a result that obviously didn't suit Ding.} Ng8 (17... Kg7 18. Nh5+ Kh8) 18. Nh5 Ne7) 17... Rg8 18. Kh1 Ng6 $1 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Nepomniachtchi reacts very well. To be fair, he played the first part of the game excellently.} 19. Bc2 $2 {[%c_effect c2;square;c2;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Black gets a clear advantage after this slow move.} (19. Nf6 $2 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;Mistake;persistent;true] is bad after} Nh4 20. Qe2 Rg6) (19. gxf5 $2 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} Nh4 20. Qe3 exf5 $1 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The point is that if now} 21. Rg1 f4 $1 {[%c_effect f4;square;f4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Black is winning, for instance:} 22. Qe2 f3 23. Qe3 Rg2 24. Rxg2 fxg2+ 25. Kg1 Bh2#) (19. Rg1 $1 {[%c_effect g1;square;g1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is the best move.} Nh4 20. Qe2 {with a balanced game.}) 19... Nh4 20. Qe3 (20. Qd3 Rg6) 20... Rg6 {Nepomniachtchi prepares to double rooks on the g-file. The attack is very strong.} 21. Rg1 (21. gxf5 $2 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] loses on the spot after} Rg2) 21... f4 22. Qd3 Qe7 $1 {[%c_effect e7;square;e7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Another strong move. Black's plan is to bring the queen to g5, the rooks to g8 and h6, and then to play f5 with a crushing attack.} 23. Rae1 Qg5 24. c4 {Desperation. Ding seeks counterplay. It's incredible to even think that he ended up winning this game.} dxc4 (24... Rc8 {Nepomniachtchi mentioned this move at the press conference, but the move he played is even better.} 25. c5 Bb8 {His idea is to keep the queenside closed so he can turn his attention to the kingside.}) 25. Qc3 (25. Qxc4 {The pawn cannot be recaptured:} Nf3 26. Bxg6 hxg6 {winning material.}) 25... b5 {Now Black is a clean pawn up and the attack persists.} 26. a4 (26. Bxg6 hxg6 {The h5-knight is lost almost everytime the rook on g6 is taken.}) 26... b4 $6 {[%c_effect b4;square;b4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] An impractical decision, although Black is still winning.} (26... a6 {is much simpler.}) 27. Qxc4 Rag8 $4 {[%c_effect g8;square;g8;type;Blunder;persistent;true] The game begins a tense phase where every move is a blunder.} (27... Nf3 {is winning but it requires accurate play.} 28. Qc6 Nxe1 $1 {[%c_effect e1;square;e1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The only way.} 29. Qxa8+ (29. Rxe1 Rd8 30. Bxg6 hxg6 {wins the knight.}) (29. Bxg6 Rd8 $1 {[%c_effect d8;square;d8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 30. Bxf7 Qh4 {with a decisive attack.}) 29... Rg8 30. Qe4 Nxc2 31. Qxc2 Qh4 32. Qd3 f5 $1 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 33. Qf3 fxg4 $1 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 34. Rxg4 Rxg4 35. Qxg4 Qxg4 36. hxg4 b3 $1 {[%c_effect b3;square;b3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The only winning move.} 37. Nf6 Ba3 {The b-pawn decides the game.}) 28. Qc6 $4 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (28. Bxg6 hxg6 29. Qc6 $1 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} gxh5 (29... Bb8 $2 {[%c_effect b8;square;b8;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 30. d5 $1 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This is a line we will see later on.}) 30. Qxd6 Nf3 31. Qc5 $1 {[%c_effect c5;square;c5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] with drawing chances for White.}) 28... Bb8 $4 {[%c_effect b8;square;b8;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (28... Nf5 $1 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This difficult move leads to a winning position.} 29. Bxf5 (29. Rd1 Qh4 30. Qf3 Ng3+ $1 {[%c_effect g3;square;g3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 31. fxg3 Qxh3#) (29. gxf5 Qxh5 (29... Qxg1+ {is also good.}) 30. Rxg6 Qxh3+ 31. Kg1 hxg6 {winning.}) 29... exf5 {with a decisive attack.}) 29. Qb7 $4 {[%c_effect b7;square;b7;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (29. Bxg6 $1 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} hxg6 30. d5 $1 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This move certainly was missed by both players.} gxh5 (30... exd5 31. Nf6) (30... Qxd5+ 31. Qxd5 exd5 32. Nf6) 31. dxe6 fxe6 32. gxh5 Qxh5 33. Rxg8+ Kxg8 34. Qxe6+ {White wins easily.}) 29... Rh6 $4 {[%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (29... Nf5 $1 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Again this move leads to a big advantage for Black.}) 30. Be4 {White’s position is more pleasant now.} Rf8 $2 {[%c_effect f8;square;f8;type;Mistake;persistent;true] The mistakes continue.} (30... f3 $1 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is the best:} 31. Qxf7 Ng2 $1 {[%c_effect g2;square;g2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 32. Qxf3 Nxe1 33. Rxe1 {with chances for both sides. The computer evaluates it as 0.00, as usual.}) 31. Qxb4 Qd8 32. Qc3 $6 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (32. d5 $1 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is more accurate.}) 32... Ng6 33. Bg2 Qh4 34. Re2 f5 $4 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;Blunder;persistent;true] The final blunder. It's hard to understand what Nepomniachtchi missed.} (34... Qg5) 35. Rxe6 {Ding simply takes the pawn and Black's position collapses.} Rxh5 (35... fxg4 {loses to} 36. d5+ Be5 37. Rxe5) 36. gxh5 Qxh5 37. d5+ Kg8 38. d6 {A dramatic turn of events in both this game and the match. To make things worse, Nepomniachtchi doesn't have a free day to recover from this loss.} 1-0