[Event "Berlin Grand Prix"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.04.04"] [Round "4"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2837"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "130"] [EventDate "2022.04.04"] {[%evp 0,130,28,32,7,17,17,23,9,9,39,6,0,-4,7,10,10,10,5,14,37,23,23,6,11,13, 19,19,14,17,11,19,39,13,12,13,21,23,4,0,32,18,32,11,14,-24,7,-6,-7,-40,5,5,4,0, 0,0,12,-8,0,0,68,53,45,42,33,26,212,216,216,222,221,225,226,231,225,238,238, 207,242,232,299,239,252,252,268,267,268,270,290,289,299,303,343,342,357,289, 342,306,314,336,339,351,345,342,339,349,349,357,354,369,358,361,361,361,363, 364,372,337,391,407,402,406,431,439,446,454,453,470,470,477,477,470,671]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Ne8 10. d5 Bc5 11. Re1 d6 12. Nc3 Bf5 13. Bd3 Bxd3 {Playable, but less popular and arguably worse than} (13... Qf6) ({and} 13... Qh4 {.}) 14. Qxd3 Nf6 15. h3 (15. Na4 {was played in several other games, including Karjakin-Carlsen in 2013.}) 15... h6 16. Bd2 Qd7 17. Qf3 $146 {Threatening Bxh6.} (17. Ne4 {, as played in the earlier game, was arguably better.} Nxe4 18. Rxe4 Rae8 19. Rae1 Rxe4 20. Qxe4 c6 21. c4 cxd5 22. cxd5 b5 23. Bc3 a5 24. b3 Rc8 25. Qf3 Qa7 26. Bb2 Rf8 27. Re4 Qd7 28. Bf6 gxf6 29. Qxf6 Re8 30. Rg4+ Qxg4 31. hxg4 Re2 32. a4 bxa4 33. bxa4 Rxf2 34. Qd8+ Kh7 35. Qxa5 Rd2+ 36. Kh2 Rxd5 37. Qd8 Kg7 38. a5 Be3 39. a6 h5 40. Kh3 hxg4+ 41. Kxg4 Bc5 42. Qa5 Rd4+ 43. Kh3 Rd3+ 44. g3 Re3 45. a7 Bxa7 46. Qxa7 Re6 47. Qd7 Rh6+ 48. Kg4 Rg6+ 49. Kf4 Rf6+ 50. Ke4 Re6+ 51. Kd5 Rg6 52. g4 Re6 53. Qa4 Rg6 54. Qf4 Re6 55. Qd4+ Kh7 56. Kc6 Rg6 57. Kd7 Kg8 58. Qf4 Kg7 59. g5 Kg8 60. Ke8 Re6+ 61. Kd8 Rg6 62. Kd7 Kg7 63. Qf5 Re6 64. Qd5 Rg6 65. Qa5 Re6 66. Qa1+ Kg8 67. Qb1 Kg7 {1/2-1/2 (67) Miron,L (2490)-Georgescu,T (2508) Mamaia 2019}) (17. Ne2 {may be best of all, avoiding the knight's on its way to g3 and (it hopes) f5, while clearing the c3 square for the bishop (though it also makes sense on d2, eyeing h6 once White's knight reaches f5).}) 17... Bd4 18. Rad1 Rae8 19. Rxe8 Nxe8 (19... Rxe8 $1 {was more natural and better, but Nakamura had to spot and work through} 20. Bxh6 Bxc3 21. Qxc3 Qf5 $1 {, which regains the pawn with a good position after a few more tactical ins and outs:} 22. Qg3 ({or} 22. g4 Qxf2+ 23. Kxf2 Ne4+ 24. Kf3 Nxc3 25. bxc3 gxh6 $11) 22... Nh5 23. Qg5 (23. Qg4 Qxg4 24. hxg4 gxh6 25. gxh5 Re2 $11) 23... Qxc2 24. Rc1 (24. Qxh5 gxh6 $11) 24... Qe2 $8 25. Rxc7 Re5 $8 26. Qg4 Qxg4 27. hxg4 Nf6 28. Be3 Nxg4 29. Rxb7 Rxd5 $1 {Threatening mate.} 30. Kf1 Nxe3+ $8 31. fxe3 Ra5 $11 {Not a trivial line, especially in a rapid rapid [sic] game.}) 20. Qd3 $14 Bb6 (20... Be5 $1 {The bishop can be kicked, but it isn't vulnerable on this fine square.}) 21. Re1 $14 (21. Ne2 $1 $16) 21... Nf6 22. Ne4 (22. Re2 $142) (22. b3 $142) 22... Qf5 $11 23. g4 Qg6 24. Bc3 Nd7 (24... Nxe4 $142 25. Rxe4 (25. Qxe4 $6 f5 26. Qe6+ $8 Qxe6 27. dxe6 fxg4 28. e7 $8 Re8 (28... Bxf2+ 29. Kf1 Bxe1+ 30. exf8=Q+ Kxf8 31. Kxe1 gxh3 32. Kf2 g5 33. Kg3 g4 34. Bd2 h5 $11) 29. hxg4 d5 $15) 25... Qg5 $1 $11 {, intending .. .f5, equalizes.}) 25. Ng3 $5 (25. Kh1 $1 $14) 25... Qxd3 26. cxd3 g6 (26... Ne5 $1 27. Bxe5 (27. Rd1 Nf3+ $1 {Compare the game, move 28.} 28. Kf1 (28. Kg2 $2 Nh4+ 29. Kf1 f5 $19) 28... g6 $11) 27... dxe5 28. Rxe5 Rd8 $11) 27. Kg2 $14 Ne5 28. Rd1 $1 $14 {/+/-} (28. Bxe5 dxe5 29. Rxe5 Rd8 $11) 28... Re8 29. Ne4 Kf8 ( 29... Re7 $142) 30. Nf6 Re7 31. a4 $1 a5 (31... c6 $142) 32. h4 $1 $18 c6 $4 { A blunder in a difficult position.} 33. Bxe5 dxe5 (33... Rxe5 34. Nd7+) 34. d6 {Black cannot save the rook without losing his bishop to Nd7+. The rest, as they say, is a matter of (good) technique, and So has plenty of it.} Re6 35. Nd7+ Kg7 36. Nxb6 Rxd6 37. Nc4 Rd4 38. f3 Kf6 39. b3 b5 40. axb5 cxb5 41. Nxa5 h5 42. gxh5 gxh5 43. Kg3 Rd6 44. b4 Kf5 45. Nb3 Rg6+ 46. Kf2 Ra6 47. Na5 Rd6 48. Ke3 Rd4 49. Nc6 Rxh4 50. d4 exd4+ 51. Rxd4 Rh1 52. Rd5+ Kg6 53. Rxb5 h4 54. Ne5+ Kg7 55. Kf4 Rg1 56. Ng4 h3 57. Rg5+ Kf8 58. Rh5 Kg7 59. b5 Rb1 60. Rg5+ Kh7 61. Nf6+ Kh6 62. Ng4+ Kh7 63. Kg3 Rb3 64. Rf5 Kg6 65. Rf6+ Kg5 1-0