[Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "Samarkand UZB"] [Date "2025.09.07"] [Round "4.19"] [White "Aditya, Mittal"] [Black "Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "D31"] [WhiteElo "2560"] [BlackElo "2642"] [WhiteFideId "35042025"] [WhiteFideId "44599790"] [PlyCount "84"] [Beauty "7491232267354"] [GameId "2219638913852930"] [EventDate "2025.09.04"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,84,15,34,12,19,22,22,24,37,23,37,21,45,20,37,33,28,39,39,30,38,230,19,23,37,-21,24,41,33,-79,23,36,28,29,24,-1,13,22,9,19,-9,114,-48,-31,-46,-1,-35,-69,-54,34,34,37,43,47,57,90,75,66,-20,-29,-57,-34,-50,24,29,60,62,119,-114,-240,-122,-183,-136,-115,-29989,-29990,-29991,-29992,-29993,-29994,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29998,-29999,-29999]} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 dxc4 {This is much rarer than the "normal" Queen's Gambit Accepted.} 4. e4 c5 5. d5 exd5 6. exd5 Bd6 7. Bxc4 Ne7 {Rare, but the engine's top choice.} 8. h3 $146 (8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O Bg4 $6 {is presumably what White wished to avoid when playing 8.h3, but the bishop is at least as likely to become a target as an asset.} (9... Nd7 $142) 10. Ne4 $1 Nc8 11. h3 Bh5 (11... Bxf3 12. Qxf3 $16) 12. Bg5 f6 13. Bd2 Nd7 14. Rc1 $16 {White can always play Ng3 if necessary - the pin is causing him no difficulties.}) 8... O-O 9. Nf3 Nd7 $146 10. O-O Nb6 11. b3 Nxc4 12. bxc4 Ng6 13. Ne4 (13. Bg5) (13. Qd3) 13... Bf5 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 $11 {Black's active pieces fully compensate for White's protected passer - which may not even survive if Black goes for plans involving ...b5.} 15. Qb3 b6 16. a4 a5 $5 {The b-pawn can be a target, but so can White's a-pawn. The main drawback of this move is that ...b5 ideas are off the table.} 17. Re1 Rfe8 18. Be3 h6 19. Ra2 Be4 {A first step towards initiating great complications. The move may have seemed like a tacit draw offer, but Erdogmus has something completely different in mind.} (19... Nf4 $11) (19... Rab8 $11) 20. Nd2 (20. Bd2 {looks safer in retrospect.}) 20... Nh4 $1 (20... Bf5 21. Nf3 {was perhaps what Aditya expected, with a repetition in prospect.}) 21. Bxc5 $6 {White is begging for trouble with this move. To be fair, Erdogmus finds some remarkable, subtle moves in his attack; it does not just "play itself".} (21. g3) ({and} 21. Nxe4 {may have been safer, though Black's attack is coming in any case.}) 21... Qg6 22. g3 Bg2 $1 {A crazy square for the bishop, but an effective one. As a friend remarked to me, Black decided to fianchetto his bishop - but on White's side of the board.} 23. Be7 $1 {Forced! White must plug up the e-file, and this is the best way to do it.} (23. Rxe8+ $2 Rxe8 $19 24. gxh4 $4 Bf3+ 25. Kf1 Qg2#) (23. Be3 $2 Bxh3 24. Kh2 Ng2 $1 $19 {After White saves the rook Black plays ...Nxe3 or ...Qh5 (depending on White's move), winning. These are both factors that explain 23.Be7.}) 23... Bxh3 24. Kh2 $1 Ng2 $5 {This is just showing off. Normally this construction - a knight on g2 and a bishop on h3 - would be terribly uncoordinated and would likely result in the loss of a piece. For that reason alone it's difficult to even consider such a configuration. Erdogmus has calculated everything well enough to see that it will work - he's not in trouble - and the burden is mostly on White to stay alive.} (24... Bd7 {was objectively best, with the point that} 25. gxh4 Rxe7 $1 26. Rxe7 Qd6+ {regains the material with an edge thanks to White's poor pawn structure.} 27. Qg3 Qxe7 $15) 25. Re5 $1 {Best again, saving the rook and preventing ...Qh5. (This could not be played after 23.Be3 - it's generally considered poor form to have one's rook jump over its own pieces - or the opponent's pieces for that matter.)} f6 $1 {Likewise forced. Black's kingside pieces hang together by a thread.} (25... Nf4 $4 26. Qe3 $18 {wins a piece (and the game).}) 26. Qxb6 {Not (primarily) about greed; rather, it saves the rook (for now) by pinning Black's f-pawn.} (26. Kxh3 fxe5 27. Kxg2 Rxe7 {is playable for White even though he's down a full exchange.} 28. c5 (28. Rb2 $44) 28... bxc5 29. d6+ Rf7 30. Qd5 $44) 26... Nf4 $1 {Defending the queen and so White's rook is threatened once more. Where should it retreat?} 27. Re4 $2 (27. Re3 $1 {Black has several ways to make a draw (which all come to more or less the same thing) but none that win.} Rxe7 (27... Bd7 28. gxf4 Rxe7 29. Rxe7 Qh5+ 30. Kg1 Qg4+ $11) (27... Qh5 28. gxf4 Bf5+ 29. Kg2 Rxe7 $1 30. Rxe7 Qg4+ $11) 28. Rxe7 Qh5 $8 29. gxf4 (29. Kg1 Qd1+ 30. Kh2 Qh5 $11) (29. f3 Bg2+ 30. Kg1 Qh1+ 31. Kf2 Nd3+ $1 32. Ke2 $1 (32. Ke3 $4 Qg1+ $19) 32... Nc1+ $1 33. Kf2 $8 Nd3+ $1 $11) 29... Bf5+ 30. Kg1 Qg4+ 31. Kf1 Qd1+ 32. Kg2 (32. Re1 $4 Bh3+ 33. Kg1 Qg4+ 34. Kh2 Qg2#) 32... Qg4+ 33. Kh2 Qh4+ 34. Kg2 Qg4+ $11) 27... Qh5 $1 $19 28. Rxf4 Bg4+ 29. Kg1 (29. Kg2 Qh3+ 30. Kg1 Rxe7 $19) 29... Rxe7 {Threatening ...Re1+.} 30. Ra1 Rae8 {Again threatening ...Re1+.} 31. Rf1 Bh3 $2 (31... Re1 {first was correct, threatening ...Bh3.} 32. Rxg4 Qxg4 33. Qxa5 Qh3 {It may seem as if White has everything under control, as ...Rxf1+ Nxf1 Re1 isn't a threat - Black's queen on a5 covers e1 once the knight is out of the way. Unfortunately for White, there's another threat in the offing.} 34. d6 R1e5 $1 {Now ...Rh5 and ...Qh1# is a serious problem.} 35. d7 {The best try.} Qxd7 $19 {and although there's no immediate knockout blow, Black's material superiority and White's still weak king leave Black with a decisive advantage.}) 32. d6 {This also draws with best play.} (32. Rh4 Qe2 33. d6 Re6 34. Rxh3 Qxd2 35. c5 Re1 {Black's counterplay is just enough to draw, but nothing more.}) 32... Re2 33. Rh4 Qf5 34. Qb5 $6 {A tricky move, but Black's reply is even trickier.} (34. Rxh3 $1 Qxh3 (34... Rxd2 35. Rh4 $11) 35. Nf3 Qg4 36. Qb3 R8e3 $8 37. Qb8+ Re8 (37... Kh7 38. d7 $8 Rd3 $8 39. d8=Q Rxd8 40. Ng5+ Qxg5 41. Qxd8 $11) 38. Qb3 R8e3 $8 $11) 34... R8e5 $1 35. d7 $2 (35. Qb8+ {had to be played.} Kh7 36. Qb1 $8 Rxd2 37. Rxh3 Rxd6 38. Rh4 $11 {It's a little "more equal" for Black, practically speaking, but White should hold this.}) 35... Rxd2 $1 36. Qb8+ Kh7 37. d8=Q Qxf2+ $3 {A beautiful way to round off a fine game. Sportingly, Aditya allowed the mate to appear on the board.} ({It's aesthetically unfortunate that Black is also winning with} 37... Rxd8 38. Qxd8 Bxf1 39. Kxf1 {because of} g5 $1 {; otherwise, White would survive. White's problem is that the rook can't rejoin civilization by moving to d4 because of mate in two, and otherwise the rook is buried alive.} 40. Rh2 (40. Rd4 $2 Qh3+ 41. Kg1 Re1#) (40. Rh1 Qb1+ 41. Kg2 Qb7+ 42. Kh2 g4 $1 $19 {ends the game as White has no good answer to the threatened ...Rh5+.}) 40... Kg7 $1 41. Qd1 Qe4 $19 {There's no immediate win, but White's position appears to be hopeless in any case.}) 38. Rxf2 Re1+ 39. Kh2 Rxf2+ 40. Kxh3 Rh1+ 41. Kg4 f5+ 42. Kh5 g6# 0-1 [Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "Samarkand UZB"] [Date "2025.09.08"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Maghsoodloo, Parham"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2711"] [BlackElo "2692"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "128"] [GameId "2219863686520667"] [EventDate "2025.09.04"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,128,18,27,4,14,-35,0,8,-2,4,6,17,27,32,0,9,13,11,-6,0,-1,-4,7,9,1,6,-8,-7,-4,-8,0,6,-10,-1,16,2,28,20,15,102,39,10,41,-17,-42,-1,-5,-19,-10,-7,-5,11,-80,-34,-5,28,-1,-38,12,5,4,-1,1,-1,1,32,-17,7,-52,-63,-81,1,-53,-6,-52,-82,-90,-28,-95,-112,-71,-99,-118,-96,-133,-126,-1,-69,-62,-78,-178,-159,-149,84,-145,-140,-168,-23,-134,-176,-190,-209,-152,-193,-205,-230,-227,-74,-236,-183,-247,-260,-268,-111,-345,-207,-386,-364,-428,-378,-457,-448,-441,-506,-479,-409,-346,-505,-507,-517]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 Bg4 6. c3 e6 7. Qb3 Qc8 8. h3 Bh5 9. Be2 h6 (9... Be7 {is more common but the text makes sense. It creates an escape for the bishop so the knight can't track it down (i.e. with 10.g4 Bg6 11.Nh4); additionally, if White plays dxc5 Black can recapture from f8 just as well as from e7.}) 10. Qd1 $5 $146 {Mystifying at first glance, but the point is clear after White's next move.} Be7 11. Bd3 {With the queen on b3 this walks into ...c4. White threatens - or at least seems to threaten - g4, looking to break up Black's kingside pawn structure.} O-O 12. g4 Bg6 13. Bxg6 fxg6 $11 {If this is good for White we have a reason to reject 9...h6. It turns out that Black is fine here too - with White's pawn on g4 Black's rook is well-placed on the half-open f-file.} 14. Bg3 Qe8 15. Qe2 a6 16. a4 Rc8 17. O-O g5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. b4 Be7 20. b5 (20. e4 {is a pawn break that has been in the air for a very long time. It's a reasonable alternative though Black is fine whether he keeps the tension or liquidates.} dxe4 (20... Bd8 $5 $11) 21. Nxe4 Nxe4 22. Qxe4 Bf6 $11) 20... axb5 21. axb5 {White gets the a-file at the cost of a somewhat weak b-pawn.} (21. Qxb5 $142) 21... Nd8 22. Rfc1 Nf7 23. e4 dxe4 24. Nd4 Bc5 25. Nxe4 Nxe4 26. Qxe4 e5 27. Nf5 g6 28. Nd4 {"Hello, I must be going." Black can force a draw, or maybe more accurately, force White to force a draw. This would normally be an appealing option for someone in Maghsoodloo's shoes: he's slightly lower-rated, he has the black pieces, he entered the round leading the tournament, etc. But why not keep playing? The rating difference is negligible, that he's playing with Black is irrelevant at this stage, and he's in good form - so why not keep trying?} Kh7 (28... exd4 29. Qxg6+ Kh8 30. Re1 Qd7 31. Qf6+ Kg8 $8 (31... Kh7 $2 32. Re6 $1 $18) 32. Qg6+ $8 Kh8 33. Qf6+ Kg8 $11) 29. Nb3 Nd6 $1 30. Qd5 Qf7 31. Qxf7+ Rxf7 {The position is still equal, but not (yet) all that drawish. White's b-, c-, and f-pawns all look vulnerable.} 32. c4 h5 {Threatening ...h4 followed by taking on f2.} 33. Nxc5 {White's f-pawn is happy; his c-pawn, not so much.} (33. Rc2 Ne4 34. Bxe5 Bxf2+ 35. Kg2 $11) 33... Rxc5 34. Re1 (34. Ra3 $5 Nxb5 35. Ra5 Rfc7 36. Re1 Nd4 37. Bxe5 $1 {The move looks utterly insane, but somehow it works.} Nf3+ 38. Kf1 Rc8 39. Rxc5 Rxc5 40. Bd6 Rxc4 41. Re7+ Kg8 42. Rxb7 hxg4 43. hxg4 Rxg4 {This one is a dead draw; Black's extra pawn is meaningless unless White swaps into a pure king and pawn ending (even then it might be drawn, depending on the specifics) - which he won't.}) 34... Nxc4 {It's still objectively equal, but it's nice to have an extra pawn!} 35. Rac1 h4 36. Bh2 b6 37. Kg2 Rfc7 38. Rc3 Rc8 39. Rd1 $6 {Going for counterplay at the cost of a second pawn.} (39. Re4 Kg8 40. f3 {looks like a nice way to force a draw. If Black does nothing White plays Bg1. So:} Nd6 41. Rxc5 Rxc5 42. Rxe5 Nxb5 43. Re6 Nd4 44. Rxb6 Rc2+ 45. Kh1 Nxf3 46. Bd6 $11 {and Black has no way to make progress.}) 39... Rxb5 40. Rd7+ Kg8 41. Bg1 $2 ({It's getting harder to maintain equality. Here the only clear way is with} 41. Rf3 $1 Rf8 42. Rc3 $1 Rc5 43. Rb7 $1 $11 {, bothering and pinning Black as much as possible while also threatening Rc3-d3-d7.}) 41... Rb2 $17 42. Re7 b5 $1 {Not just because passed pawns must be pushed, but with a neat tactical idea in mind.} 43. Rd3 (43. Rxe5 $4 b4 $19 {wins on the spot, as 44.Rc1 loses to 44...Ne3+ and 45...Rxc1 while 44.Rd3 allows 44...Nxe5.}) 43... Rd2 {Not allowing White to double rooks on the 7th rank, and also clearing the b-pawn's path.} 44. Rxd2 (44. Rf3 Rf8 $1 45. Rb3 Rd5 $19) 44... Nxd2 45. Rb7 $2 {A mistake, but White's clever idea nearly saved the game.} (45. Rxe5 $142 b4 46. Rb5 b3 47. Bh2 $1 {The only move.} Rc2 48. Be5 Nc4 49. Bd4 $1 {Again the only move.} b2 50. Rb7 $1 {Ditto.} Kf8 $1 51. Bf6 $3 Ke8 52. Re7+ $1 Kd8 53. Re2+ Kd7 54. Rxc2 Ne3+ 55. fxe3 b1=Q 56. Rf2 Qe4+ 57. Rf3 $11 {White isn't going to find this; indeed, he didn't.}) 45... Rc5 46. f4 Rd5 $6 ({The unobvious} 46... Rc3 $1 {wins, not worrying about any of the three attacked pawns. The threat of ...Rg3+ is more important than anything White has going.} 47. fxe5 Rg3+ 48. Kf2 Ne4+ 49. Kf1 Rxh3 $19) 47. fxg5 {This is probably survivable, but this pawn is less valuable than the e-pawn.} (47. fxe5 $142 Rxe5 48. Bd4 $17 {White should survive this.}) 47... Ne4 $1 $19 48. Be3 $6 (48. Rb6) (48. Rb8+) 48... Rd3 $1 49. Ba7 Nxg5 50. Rxb5 Rg3+ 51. Kf1 Nxh3 52. Rxe5 Rxg4 {The rest is routine.} 53. Rd5 Kf7 54. Rd3 Nf4 55. Rd4 Ke6 56. Ra4 g5 57. Bf2 h3 58. Ra6+ Kf5 59. Ra5+ Kg6 60. Ra6+ Kh5 61. Ra7 Rg2 62. Be3 h2 63. Rh7+ Kg4 64. Bxf4 Rg1+ 0-1 [Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "Samarkand UZB"] [Date "2025.09.08"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "A40"] [WhiteElo "2671"] [BlackElo "2785"] [WhiteFideId "24651516"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "109"] [GameId "2219863686532956"] [EventDate "2025.09.04"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,109,17,3,20,18,23,20,24,31,30,13,1,41,52,28,65,10,43,39,52,35,28,39,40,13,0,0,54,16,27,18,11,-96,21,22,198,19,26,8,29,121,35,22,92,31,26,16,66,25,41,35,79,-1,2,114,-17,-27,7,1,1,-1,19,4,-2,123,-1,16,14,14,14,17,85,104,134,131,-16,122,120,1,148,151,138,120,110,119,151,144,154,126,131,155,147,126,125,124,119,101,111,96,112,151,132,174,188,208,174,294,423,432,611,505]} 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb4+ 3. Nc3 Bxc3+ 4. bxc3 f5 5. e4 fxe4 6. Qg4 Qe7 7. Qxe4 Nf6 8. Qc2 b6 9. Nf3 Bb7 10. Be2 d6 11. O-O Nbd7 12. Be3 O-O 13. Nd2 e5 14. Rae1 Kh8 15. Bd1 Rae8 16. f4 exf4 17. Rxf4 Qf7 18. Rff1 Re7 19. Qd3 Rfe8 20. Bf2 Rxe1 21. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 22. Bxe1 Nf8 23. Qe3 Ng6 24. Bg3 Qd7 25. h3 Qf5 26. d5 Ba6 27. a3 Kg8 28. Be2 Ne5 29. Bxe5 dxe5 30. Nf3 Qe4 31. Qxe4 Nxe4 32. Nxe5 Nxc3 33. Bd3 b5 34. c5 Nxd5 35. Nc6 {Black has had no problems up to this point, with the evaluation fluctuating between equal to slightly better for him. Now, however, things start to go wrong.} Bb7 $6 (35... Ne3 36. Nb4 Bc8 37. Bxb5 a5 38. Nc6 Bd7 39. Kf2 Nc2 40. a4 Bxc6 41. Bxc6 Kf7 42. Be4 Nd4 43. Ke3 Ne6 $11 {is one line of several that maintains full equality for Black.}) 36. Nxa7 c6 $4 {Black thinks the knight is caught, but he has miscalculated. Now White wins.} (36... Nf4 37. c6 Bxc6 38. Bf1 Bd5 39. Nxb5 $14 {is a little better for White thanks to the outside passer. White can make a nuisance of himself for a while before the game finishes peacefully.}) 37. Be4 $1 $18 {Threatening to take on d5 and push the c-pawn until Black gives up his bishop.} Nc3 38. Bxc6 Bxc6 39. Nxc6 Kf7 (39... Ne4 {loses differently:} 40. Na7 Nxc5 41. Nxb5 $18 {and Black won't be able to cope with the a-pawn's gradual advance without fatally abandoning the kingside.}) 40. Nd4 Kf6 41. c6 Ke7 42. Kf2 Kd6 43. Kf3 g6 44. h4 h6 45. Kg4 Nd5 46. Nxb5+ Kxc6 47. Nd4+ Kc5 48. Nc2 Kc4 49. Kf3 $1 Kb3 50. Ne3 Nf6 51. Ng4 Ng8 52. Ke4 Kxa3 53. Ke5 h5 54. Ke6 $1 hxg4 55. Kf7 (55. Kf7 Nh6+ 56. Kxg6 Ng8 57. h5 Kb4 58. h6 Nxh6 59. Kxh6 Kc5 60. Kg5 Kd6 61. Kxg4 Ke6 62. Kg5 Kf7 63. Kh6 Kg8 64. Kg6 $18 {wins automatically - it doesn't matter whose turn it is when the pawn gets to g5.}) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "Samarkand UZB"] [Date "2025.09.08"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "A14"] [WhiteElo "2771"] [BlackElo "2666"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "4152956"] [PlyCount "73"] [GameId "2219863686537053"] [EventDate "2025.09.04"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,73,15,18,11,-10,-32,8,7,12,14,28,25,-7,25,23,10,37,15,15,32,26,69,16,38,50,42,1,-8,27,42,-47,16,43,46,11,84,14,79,84,71,87,72,0,48,75,88,7,-215,3,92,191,230,174,242,307,241,283,318,296,315,358,363,407,363,176,362,367,318,378,392,372,372,186,312,311]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 e5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 13. Re1 (13. Qxc4) ({and} 13. Nc3 {are far more common.}) 13... Qc5 $146 {The engine doesn't particularly care for this, so I think Vitiugov was unprepared for 13.Re1.} (13... Be6 14. Nc3 Ne4 15. Qc2 Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Qxc3 17. bxc3 Rab8 18. f3 Rfd8 19. Bf4 Rb2 20. Rad1 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 h5 22. Rd8+ Kh7 23. Rd2 Rxd2 24. Bxd2 Kg6 25. Kf2 Bh3 26. Bf4 c6 27. a4 Kf5 28. a5 a6 29. Ke3 Bf1 30. Kf2 Bh3 31. Ke3 Bf1 32. Kf2 Bh3 {½-½ Nakamura,H (2746)-So,W (2762) USA-ch 63rd Saint Louis 2019 (1)}) 14. Be3 $14 {/?} Qh5 15. f3 (15. Nd2 {is fine, looking to meet} Ng4 {with} 16. Nf1 {.}) 15... Qe5 16. Bf2 Qxb2 17. Na3 Bd7 (17... c3) 18. Nxc4 Qxa1 (18... Bxa4 $142 19. Nxb2 Bb5) 19. Qa3 (19. Qa5 $1 Qxe1+ $8 20. Bxe1 $16) 19... Qxe1+ 20. Bxe1 Bb5 {19.Qa5 would have prevented this; even so, White is better.} 21. Qc5 $1 $14 Rab8 (21... Bxc4 $142 22. Qxc4 Rfe8) 22. Bc3 Rfe8 (22... Bxc4 $1) 23. Ne3 $1 $16 Bxe2 24. Kf2 Rb5 $2 (24... Bd3 25. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 26. g4 Rbd8 $1 27. g5 $1 Rd6 28. Qxc7 Rde6 {Black's position is surprisingly resilient.}) 25. Qxa7 $18 {Now White is clearly winning.} Bd3 $6 {A slightly strange decision, surrendering any possibility of an opposite-colored bishop fortress.} (25... Nd5 $142) 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Qd4 Bg6 28. Nd5 (28. Ng4 $1 {is better, not allowing Black to sac the exchange.}) 28... Ra8 (28... Rxd5 $1) 29. Nxf6+ Kf8 30. a4 Rba5 31. Nd5 {Threatening 32.Qh8#.} Rxd5 32. Qh8+ Ke7 33. Qxa8 Rd2+ 34. Ke3 Rd3+ 35. Ke2 Ra3 36. Qc6 Ra2+ 37. Kd1 1-0 [Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "Samarkand UZB"] [Date "2025.09.08"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Mishra, Abhimanyu"] [Black "Gukesh D"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "2611"] [BlackElo "2767"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "121"] [GameId "2219863686537054"] [EventDate "2025.09.04"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,121,8,29,1,12,7,0,20,17,10,-12,-10,-18,-17,-2,-9,-8,-6,-5,7,5,30,43,53,15,109,138,101,139,133,147,140,169,251,133,108,144,134,103,192,160,182,294,163,98,54,97,236,41,107,107,111,73,215,64,35,281,10,-1,71,152,51,1,82,-1,118,43,65,1,139,-1,109,1,214,109,226,164,192,281,163,198,179,169,171,161,141,176,262,238,222,198,211,256,231,221,166,204,261,280,273,333,297,298,257,221,322,297,328,363,342,383,359,426,362,460,430,538,339,364,367,336,508,508] The world's youngest-ever grandmaster catches a big fish: the world's third youngest-ever grandmaster, who also happens to be the World Champion.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 a6 7. O-O d6 8. c3 Ba7 9. Nbd2 g5 10. Bg3 Nh7 11. d4 h5 12. dxe5 $5 $146 {Who will handle the complications better, or be better prepared?} (12. h4 $142 $1 g4 13. Ne1 exd4 14. Nd3 $14) 12... g4 $2 (12... h4 13. Nxh4 $1 gxh4 14. Qh5 Qe7 $8 15. Bxh4 Qf8 $8 16. Nf3 Qg7 $8 17. e6 $8 Kf8 $1 18. Qf5 $1 $11 {The forced moves come to an end in this "equal" position. White has three pawns and a safer king for the piece, but Black's pieces are very good - in a few moves it won't be clear who's attacking and who's defending.}) 13. exd6 $18 gxf3 14. dxc7 Qe7 15. Nxf3 {White has four pawns for the piece, a better king, and no weaknesses. He's winning.} Bg4 16. h3 Be6 {Black's little to-and-fro undermined the g3-bishop. Thanks to the pin on the f-pawn (courtesy of Black's a7-bishop) a move like ...Rg8 would threatens the bishop's capture.} 17. Bd6 Qd7 18. Bxe6 Qxe6 19. e5 Kd7 20. Nd4 $2 (20. b4 $18 {was better, looking to get the a-, b-, and c-pawns rolling down the board.}) 20... Bxd4 21. cxd4 Qd5 $1 $16 {White is still better, but most of the advantage is gone. Black's queen is perfectly ensconced in the midst of White's dark-square-only pieces and pawns, gazing out at the a-pawn (not important), the d-pawn (possibly important), and the g-pawn (potentially extremely important).} 22. Qxh5 $6 (22. Rc1 $16 {was better, trying to displace Black's blockading queen with Rc5 and then d5.}) 22... Nf6 $1 23. Qf5+ Qe6 24. Qxe6+ fxe6 $11 {White has five(!) pawns for the piece, but as everything is blockaded Black is back to equal.} 25. f4 Nd5 26. f5 exf5 27. Rxf5 Nxd4 28. Rf7+ Ke6 29. Raf1 Rhg8 30. g4 Nb5 31. Rh7 Rg6 $2 {Stopping Rh6+ and hoping to grab on d6. It's a good aim, but this isn't the way to implement it.} (31... Rh8 $1 {maintains equality.} 32. Rg7 Rhg8 33. Rxg8 Rxg8 34. Kh2 Ndxc7 $11 (34... Nxd6 35. exd6 Kxd6 $11)) 32. Rff7 $2 (32. Rd1 $1 {keeps the pawns.} Nxd6 33. exd6 Kxd6 34. Rh5 $18 {is the point.}) 32... Rc8 $11 (32... Nxd6 33. exd6 Kxd6 34. Rd7+ Kc6 35. Rd8 {seems to win, but it's an illusion.} Rg8 $11) 33. Rd7 Rh6 (33... Rgg8 $142 $11) 34. Rhg7 (34. Rde7+ $1 Nxe7 35. Rxh6+ Kd7 36. Kf2 Nxc7 37. Bxe7 Kxe7 38. Ke3 {is also equal, but I'm not sure if this is so from a practical perspective.}) 34... Rxh3 35. a4 Nd4 (35... Nxd6 {is simpler. Gukesh isn't the sort of player who likes "simpler", though, and his seemingly endless fighting spirit occasionally leads him to push too far - as happens in this game. That approach has brought him the World Championship title, so it can't really be criticized - it should be thought of as the cost of doing business.} 36. Rxd6+ (36. exd6 Rhh8 $11) 36... Kxe5 37. Rd8 Rxc7 38. Rxd5+ Kxd5 39. Rxc7 Rg3+ 40. Kf2 Rxg4 41. Rxb7 Rxa4 $11) 36. Bc5 Ne2+ $2 (36... Rd3) 37. Kf1 $18 Nef4 (37... Rxc7 38. Rxc7 Nxc7 39. Kxe2 Nd5 40. Rxb7 $18) 38. Bd4 $1 {Threatening 39.Rd6#! I suspect Gukesh just missed this on move 36 or even move 35 when coming up with his idea to maneuver the knight to f4.} Rf3+ 39. Ke1 Nd3+ 40. Kd2 Nxe5 41. Bxe5 Kxe5 42. Rg5+ Ke6 43. Rgxd5 $18 {This is over.} Rb3 44. R7d6+ Ke7 45. Rd7+ Ke6 46. R5d6+ Ke5 47. Rd3 Rxb2+ 48. Kc1 Rh2 49. g5 Kf5 50. R3d5+ Ke6 51. R5d6+ Ke5 52. Rd2 Rh1+ 53. Kb2 Kf5 54. Rg7 Rhh8 55. Rf2+ Ke5 56. g6 Rh4 57. Rgf7 b5 58. axb5 axb5 59. g7 Rb4+ 60. Kc3 Rc4+ 61. Kb3 1-0 [Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "Samarkand UZB"] [Date "2025.09.08"] [Round "5.5"] [White "Maurizzi, MarcAndria"] [Black "Keymer, Vincent"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "B54"] [WhiteElo "2610"] [BlackElo "2751"] [WhiteFideId "36083534"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "109"] [GameId "2219863686537055"] [EventDate "2025.09.04"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,109,7,3,18,-1,19,1,12,14,104,11,4,-24,-15,1,-6,-12,22,-18,18,26,35,38,155,43,37,0,37,38,22,48,21,37,40,47,45,53,90,58,14,14,-5,2,142,-10,138,-25,50,44,48,44,47,45,38,86,45,36,64,44,38,41,7,18,61,40,55,-3,33,53,25,52,46,50,42,27,-41,71,72,73,84,157,176,115,96,169,185,189,192,237,167,185,291,286,277,248,316,248,394,372,396,457,525,230,588,251,437,472,638,740,1012,992]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Be3 {This was played in the last millennium, but has seen an explosion of interest in the last year or two.} Ng4 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd2 Rb8 $146 (8... g6) (8... e5) 9. O-O e5 10. b3 Be7 $146 (10... d5) 11. c4 O-O 12. Nc3 Be6 13. h3 Nf6 14. Qe2 $14 Nd7 15. Rad1 Nc5 16. Bc2 a5 17. f4 exf4 $6 (17... Qb6 18. Kh1 f6 $14) 18. Bxf4 $16 a4 19. e5 (19. Nxa4 $142 Nxa4 20. bxa4 Qb6+ 21. Kh1 Qa6 22. Bb3 $16) 19... axb3 20. axb3 d5 $1 $14 21. Qf3 Nxb3 22. cxd5 cxd5 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. Rxd5 Qb6+ 25. Kh2 (25. Be3 $142) 25... Nd4 26. Bxh7+ Kxh7 27. Qe4+ Qg6 28. Qxd4 $11 {With all the pawns on one flank Black should manage to draw this.} Rfd8 29. Rf3 Qe6 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. Qe4+ Kg8 32. Rc3 Qd5 33. Qxd5 Rxd5 34. Rc8+ Rd8 35. Rxd8+ Bxd8 {It's still a draw - and one I would have thought was completely routine. The one bit of good news for White is that his bishop covers the queening square, so Black can't draw by giving up everything for White's e- and g-pawns. But he shouldn't need such desperate expedients to hold the game.} 36. Kg3 g6 37. h4 f6 $4 {There's the culprit. He could draw by doing nothing, so why do this?} 38. e6 $18 Kf8 39. Kg4 $2 {This almost looks like a transmission error, but no, it's a real move.} (39. Bd6+ Be7 40. Bc7 Bc5 41. Bd8 {avoids both a repetition and the loss of the e-pawn. For White's next trick he'll find a way in with his king, perhaps playing h5.} Bd4 42. h5 gxh5 43. Kf4 $1 Ke8 44. Bc7 Ke7 45. Kf5 Bc3 46. Bb6 Ke8 (46... Bb4 47. Bd4 $18) 47. Bc5 Bb2 (47... h4 48. Bf2 $18) 48. Kg6 $18) 39... Ke7 $2 (39... Ke8 $1 40. h5 f5+ $1 $11) 40. h5 $1 gxh5+ (40... f5+ 41. Kg5 $1 $18 {is why Black's king needed to go to e8 rather than e7 on move 39.}) 41. Kf5 $1 Ba5 42. Be3 Bc3 43. Bc5+ Ke8 44. Kg6 h4 45. Bf2 Bb2 46. Bxh4 Ke7 47. Kf5 Bd4 48. Be1 Bb2 49. Bb4+ Ke8 50. Bc5 Bc3 51. Be3 Ke7 52. Bh6 {White will play Bg7 and then g4-g5, exploiting the pin. Black therefore tries to switch the bishop's diagonal to avoid pin tricks.} Be1 53. Bg7 Bh4 54. Bh8 Bg5 55. g3 {There's no pin, but zugzwang works just as well. Black loses the second pawn, after which the ending is trivially won for White - there are no tricks.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "Samarkand UZB"] [Date "2025.09.08"] [Round "5.6"] [White "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Black "Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "D33"] [WhiteElo "2748"] [BlackElo "2646"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "44599790"] [PlyCount "379"] [GameId "2219948538692324"] [EventDate "2025.09.04"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,379,14,25,20,14,23,16,26,35,37,37,51,28,24,33,47,36,27,25,35,44,24,34,33,10,14,20,-47,41,127,36,98,124,-32,48,18,119,54,85,144,143,136,128,-33,117,137,105,50,88,-31,95,148,162,160,62,137,99,119,107,135,99,29,101,126,63,112,98,112,86,99,95,1,89,96,53,-43,108,114,143,97,123,154,111,88,111,114,121,87,153,148,212,195,201,265,189,207,178,166,145,138,81,203,109,176,68,112,1,109,129,103,86,33,78,90,45,65,41,53,88,87,63,92,85,85,59,98,78,41,52,29,60,45,72,73,60,64,74,46,94,94,35,44,56,56,43,49,67,17,97,90,71,77,75,40,80,37,92,80,100,96,87,124,107,118,49,95,37,16,6,26,18,5,1,60,37,4,24,10,18,64,54,101,113,35,97,47,121,45,98,71,30,1,1,1,1,99,27,68,0,65,1,115,1,1,0,120,64,31,116,1,103,72,72,94,99,95,90,51,49,21,-67,40,-53,1,-1,-7,22,97,9,38,39,87,51,34,0,70,72,68,49,33,38,39,46,76,102,91,99,90,99,89,104,97,98,60,87,81,82,52,71,60,69,32,62,59,54,87,73,87,73,113,109,80,61,69,23,15,26,25,26,41,20,34,46,43,41,45,45,51,58,50,52,69,69,72,34,37,48,52,51,59,48,61,68,80,79,79,82,74,54,82,77,85,77,88,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,8,13,11,8,13,17,16,16,19,13,20,17,25,91,20,82,99,81,49,71,68,72,75,81,1,1,9,14,6,11,21,21,8,70,20,23,17,29,32,5,37,1,1,12,2,103,84,83,93,70,81,81,81,97,105,100,102,92,77] No annotations, except to praise Erdogmus for his heroic defense. At a certain point in this endgame most of us would almost prefer death to a continuation of the torture, but he grimly hung in there for six hours against one of the world's best, finally making his draw. (Let's see if either player manages to play a decent game tomorrow.)} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bc5 9. Nb3 Bb6 10. O-O d4 11. Na4 O-O 12. Qd3 Re8 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Rd1 Bg4 15. Nxd4 Bxe2 16. Nxe2 Qxd3 17. Rxd3 Rxe2 18. Rd1 h6 19. Bf1 Re5 20. a3 Rd5 21. Be3 Rad8 22. Rdc1 b5 23. b4 Ne4 24. Bg2 f5 25. g4 Re8 26. gxf5 Rxf5 27. Rd1 Nf6 28. Rac1 Ng4 29. Bc5 Nge5 30. Rc3 Nc4 31. h4 Rf4 32. h5 Rg4 33. Kf1 Rg5 34. Bd5+ Kh8 35. Bf7 Ra8 36. Bg6 Rg4 37. Rd5 b6 38. f3 Rg5 39. Rxg5 hxg5 40. Bxb6 N6e5 41. Bd4 Nxg6 42. hxg6 Ra6 43. Kg2 Kg8 44. Rc1 Rd6 45. Bc5 Rd2+ 46. Kg3 Ne5 47. Be3 Rd8 48. Bxg5 Ra8 49. Rc7 Nxg6 50. Bc1 Rf8 51. Bb2 Rf7 52. Rxf7 Kxf7 53. Kg4 Nf8 54. Kf5 Nd7 55. Ke4 Nb6 56. Kd4 Ke6 57. Bc1 Kd6 58. Bf4+ Kc6 59. Be5 g6 60. Bf4 Nd7 61. Bg5 Kd6 62. Bh4 Nb6 63. Bg3+ Kc6 64. Bf4 Nd7 65. Bh6 Kd6 66. Bg5 Nb6 67. Bf6 Nd7 68. Bd8 Nf8 69. Ke4 Nd7 70. Kf4 Ke6 71. Bc7 Nf6 72. Kg5 Kf7 73. Be5 Nd5 74. Bd4 Ne7 75. Kf4 Ke6 76. Ke4 Nd5 77. Be3 Ne7 78. Bg1 Nf5 79. Bh2 Nh4 80. Bf4 Nf5 81. Bc7 Kd7 82. Bb6 Ke6 83. Bc5 Ng3+ 84. Kf4 Nf5 85. Kg5 Kf7 86. Kg4 Kf6 87. Kf4 Ke6 88. Ke4 Ng3+ 89. Ke3 Nf5+ 90. Kf4 Kf6 91. Ke4 Ke6 92. Bf2 Kd6 93. Be1 Ke6 94. Bd2 Kd6 95. Bg5 Ng3+ 96. Kf4 Nf5 97. Bd8 Ke6 98. Ke4 Ng3+ 99. Kf4 Nf5 100. Bb6 Kf6 101. Bg1 Ke6 102. Bh2 Kf6 103. Ke4 Ke6 104. Bf4 Nh4 105. Kd4 g5 106. Be3 Nxf3+ 107. Kc5 g4 108. Kxb5 g3 109. Ka6 Kd5 110. b5 Ke4 111. Bc5 Kd5 112. Be3 Ke4 113. Ba7 Nd4 114. Bxd4 Kxd4 115. b6 g2 116. b7 g1=Q 117. b8=Q Qc1 118. Qd6+ Ke4 119. a4 Qc4+ 120. Ka5 Kf3 121. Qe5 Qc6 122. Kb4 Qb6+ 123. Ka3 Qc6 124. a5 Qc1+ 125. Kb4 Qb1+ 126. Kc5 Qc2+ 127. Kd6 Qa4 128. Qc5 Kg4 129. Kc7 Qf4+ 130. Kc8 Qe4 131. Kb8 Qf4+ 132. Kb7 Qf7+ 133. Ka6 Qf1+ 134. Kb6 Qf6+ 135. Kb5 Kh3 136. Qe3+ Kh2 137. a6 Qf1+ 138. Kb6 Qf6+ 139. Kb7 Qf7+ 140. Kb8 Qg8+ 141. Kc7 Qf7+ 142. Kd6 Qf6+ 143. Qe6 Qd4+ 144. Kc6 Qc3+ 145. Kd7 Qg7+ 146. Qe7 Qg4+ 147. Kc7 Qc4+ 148. Kb7 Qd5+ 149. Kb8 Qg8+ 150. Ka7 Qd5 151. Qb7 Qd4+ 152. Ka8 Kh3 153. Qc8+ Kh4 154. Qc7 Qe4+ 155. Kb8 Qb4+ 156. Kc8 Qg4+ 157. Qd7 Qc4+ 158. Kb7 Qb4+ 159. Ka7 Qc5+ 160. Kb8 Qb6+ 161. Qb7 Qd6+ 162. Ka7 Qd4+ 163. Qb6 Qd7+ 164. Kb8 Qe8+ 165. Kc7 Qf7+ 166. Kc8 Qf5+ 167. Kb7 Qe4+ 168. Qc6 Qb4+ 169. Kc7 Qe7+ 170. Kb6 Qb4+ 171. Qb5 Qd6+ 172. Ka5 Qd8+ 173. Kb4 Qd2+ 174. Ka3 Qc3+ 175. Ka4 Qa1+ 176. Kb4 Qe1+ 177. Kc5 Qe7+ 178. Kb6 Qd8+ 179. Kb7 Qe7+ 180. Kc8 Qe6+ 181. Kc7 Qe7+ 182. Qd7 Qc5+ 183. Qc6 Qe7+ 184. Kb6 Qb4+ 185. Qb5 Qd6+ 186. Ka5 Qd8+ 187. Ka4 Qd1+ 188. Qb3 Qa1+ 189. Kb5 Qe5+ 190. Kb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "Samarkand UZB"] [Date "2025.09.08"] [Round "5.8"] [White "Shankland, Sam"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "B96"] [WhiteElo "2670"] [BlackElo "2754"] [WhiteFideId "2004887"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "98"] [GameId "2219863686537058"] [EventDate "2025.09.04"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qc7 8. Qe2 Be7 9. e5 dxe5 10. fxe5 Nd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O-O Nc6 14. g3 Nxe5 15. Re1 f6 16. Bg2 Bg4 17. Bf3 Be6 18. Bh5+ g6 19. g4 gxh5 20. g5 Bg4 21. Qe3 O-O-O 22. gxf6 Qxf6 23. Qxe5 Qxe5 24. Rxe5 Rhe8 25. Rhe1 Rxe5 26. Rxe5 Rd7 27. Nf5 Kc7 28. Ne3 Kc6 29. Kd2 Rf7 30. Nxg4 hxg4 31. Ke2 Rf3 32. Rh5 $6 {Objectively fine but a practical error.} (32. Rg5 Rh3 33. Rxg4 Rxh2+ 34. Kd3 {was wiser, as this pawn-down rook ending is much easier to draw and - very importantly - has a much larger margin for error - than the pawn ending.}) 32... Rh3 {The pawn ending is Black's only chance to play for a win. It's drawn, but only Black will have chances.} 33. Rxh3 gxh3 34. Kd3 ({The h3-pawn is off-limits:} 34. Kf3 $2 Kc5 35. Kg3 Kd4 36. Kxh3 Ke3 37. Kh4 Kd2 38. c3 Kc2 39. Kh5 Kxb2 40. Kh6 Kxc3 41. Kxh7 d4 $19 {wins by many tempi.}) 34... Kc5 35. c3 $2 {Two moves into the pawn ending Shankland makes what should be a losing move. He gets bailed out, yes, but then he errs again and loses. The mistakes are understandable - which is exactly why he should have avoided the pawn endgame.} (35. a4 a5 36. c3 $11) 35... b6 $2 (35... b5 $1 $19) 36. a4 $1 Kc6 37. Kd4 Kd6 38. b3 h6 39. Kd3 Ke6 40. Kd4 Kd6 41. Kd3 Ke7 42. Kd4 Ke6 43. Kd3 Ke5 44. Ke3 $8 h5 45. b4 (45. Kd3 {also draws. The advantage of this method is that White doesn't have to worry about ...b5 tricks after playing 45.b4 a5.} Kf4 46. Kd4 Kf3 47. a5 $1 b5 48. Kd3 $3 Kg2 49. Ke2 Kxh2 50. Kf2 h4 51. b4 $11) 45... a5 {White must now beware of ...b5.} 46. Kd3 Kf4 47. bxa5 $2 {This takes ...b5 off the table, but now it loses - straightforwardly, as White no longer has his tempo move to counteract ...h4.} bxa5 48. Kd4 Kf3 49. Kd3 (49. Kxd5 Kg2 50. c4 Kxh2 51. c5 Kg3 52. c6 h2 53. c7 h1=Q+ $19 {Bad luck for White; it's a check.}) 49... Kg2 (49... Kg2 50. Ke2 Kxh2 51. Kf2 h4 $19 {In the 45.Kd3 line White had 51.b4 in the end to keep Black's king sealed in, and here if White's b-pawn is on b4 and Black's b-pawn is on b6 White could play b4-b5. Here there's no tempo move, so Black's king escapes, winning.}) 0-1