[Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.05"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2820"] [PlyCount "36"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1 dxc4 9. Bxc4 c5 10. O-O cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Qb3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc3 14. Rxc3 Bxc6 15. Bb5 Bd5 16. Bc4 Bc6 17. Bb5 Bd5 18. Bc4 Bc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.05"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D27"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2770"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 a6 6. O-O c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Be2 Ke7 10. Rd1 Nbd7 11. Nd4 Ne5 12. b3 Bd7 13. Bb2 Nc6 14. Nxc6+ Bxc6 15. Rc1 Bb4 16. Na3 Nd7 17. Nc4 Bd5 18. a3 Bc5 19. b4 Ba7 20. Na5 Rhc8 21. Bd3 f5 22. Bc4 Bxc4 23. Nxc4 b5 24. Na5 g6 25. Kf1 Bb6 26. Nb3 e5 27. Ke2 Rxc1 28. Rxc1 Ra7 29. e4 Rc7 30. Rxc7 Bxc7 31. f3 Ke6 32. Bc1 f4 33. g3 g5 34. g4 Bb6 35. h3 Kd6 36. Kd3 Bf2 37. Ke2 Bb6 38. Kd3 Bg1 39. Bb2 Nb6 40. Na5 Na4 41. Ba1 Bb6 42. Nb3 Be3 43. Bc3 Bb6 44. Ba1 Be3 45. Bc3 Bb6 46. Ba1 Be3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.05"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D85"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4 13. Rxb7 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Bxd4 15. e5 Na6 16. Rxe7 Rad8 17. e6 fxe6 18. Qe1 Bf6 19. Rxa7 Rxd2 20. Rxa6 Qxa6 21. Qxd2 Qb6 22. g3 Bd4 23. Qe2 Rf6 24. Kg2 Qb2 25. Qxb2 Bxb2 26. Rd1 Kg7 27. Rd8 Rf8 28. Rd6 Kf6 29. h4 Re8 30. Be2 Be5 31. Rc6 Rd8 32. f4 Bd6 33. Bg4 e5 34. fxe5+ Kxe5 35. Rc8 Rxc8 36. Bxc8 Kf6 37. g4 g5 38. hxg5+ Kxg5 39. Kf3 h5 40. gxh5 Kxh5 41. Ke4 Bf4 42. Bd7 Kh4 43. Bh3 Kxh3 44. Kxf4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.05"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Lupulescu, Constantin"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E39"] [WhiteElo "2656"] [BlackElo "2781"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 O-O 6. Nf3 Na6 7. g3 Nxc5 8. Bg2 Nce4 9. O-O Nxc3 10. bxc3 Be7 11. e4 d6 12. e5 dxe5 13. Nxe5 Qc7 14. Qe2 Nd7 15. Bf4 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Bd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Qe3 Qc7 19. Rfb1 Qxc4 20. Bxb7 Bxb7 21. Rxb7 h6 22. Rxa7 Rxa7 23. Qxa7 Qxc3 24. Rb1 Qc2 25. Rb8 Qd1+ 26. Kg2 Qd5+ 27. Kg1 Qd1+ 28. Kg2 Qd5+ 29. Kg1 Qd1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.05"] [Round "1.5"] [White "Deac, Bogdan-Daniel"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2627"] [BlackElo "2780"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. Qc2 Nh5 11. Rd1 Nxg3 12. hxg3 Na6 13. a3 Bg7 14. e5 Qe7 15. Ne4 O-O-O 16. Nd6+ Rxd6 17. exd6 Qxd6 18. O-O g4 19. Ne5 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qxe5 21. Bxg4 h5 22. Rfe1 Qf6 23. Bf3 h4 24. b3 cxb3 25. Qxb3 hxg3 26. fxg3 Qg7 27. Qd3 Nc7 28. Qd6 c5 29. Qd7+ Kb8 30. Bxb7 Kxb7 31. Rxe6 Qxg3 32. Qc6+ Kb8 33. Qd6 Qxd6 34. Rexd6 Kb7 35. Rf6 Rh7 36. Rd7 b4 37. axb4 cxb4 38. Kf2 a5 39. Ke2 Rg7 40. Rfxf7 Rxg2+ 41. Kd1 Rg1+ 42. Kc2 Rg2+ 43. Kb1 Rg1+ 44. Kb2 Rg2+ 45. Kb1 Rg1+ 46. Kb2 Rg2+ 47. Kb1 Rg1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.06"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Lupulescu, Constantin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C11"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2656"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] {[%evp 0,55,20,33,64,41,24,41,39,12,23,25,30,33,40,35,31,28,36,36,46,29,49,49, 60,43,55,3,29,33,44,17,31,33,39,-2,72,100,62,72,72,72,72,49,42,34,39,36,37,43, 103,103,184,195,213,230,237,205]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Nbd7 6. Nf3 h6 7. Bxf6 Nxf6 8. Bd3 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 c5 10. Qe2 Qa5+ 11. c3 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Be7 13. O-O-O $1 {Black's 10th move would seem to have prevented this, but Caruana - following a nice game played in 2020 - recognizes that White can profitably gambit the a-pawn.} O-O (13... Qxa2 $2 14. Qb5+ Bd7 15. Qxb7 Rc8 16. g3 $1 $18 Qa1+ 17. Kc2 Qa4+ 18. Kb1 Rd8 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Rd4 Qa5 21. Bg6+ Kf8 22. Rxd7 {1-0 (22) Beerdsen,T (2495)-Pijpers,A (2480) Wijk aan Zee 2020}) 14. Kb1 Rd8 15. Bc2 Bd7 16. Qe4 g6 17. h4 Ba4 $2 (17... h5) (17... e5) 18. Bxa4 Qxa4 19. h5 g5 20. Qxb7 $16 Bc5 $2 (20... Bf6) 21. Qc6 Qxc6 22. Nxc6 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Bxf2 24. Rd7 {Material is even, but White's domination is so great that Black's position is already lost, even hopeless.} f6 25. Nd8 Bb6 26. Nf7 Rf8 27. Nxh6+ Kh8 28. Kc2 {The queenside pawns will advance, while Black's kingside majority is essentially useless.} 1-0 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.06"] [Round "2.2"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2781"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bd6 9. Qc2 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. O-O-O Qe7 13. Kb1 Be6 14. Bxe6 Qxe6 15. f3 Rad8 16. e4 Rd7 17. Bc1 Rfd8 18. Rxd7 Qxd7 19. Ne2 c6 20. Be3 Bc7 21. Rc1 Bb6 22. Bg5 Qe6 23. Qb3 h6 24. Qxe6 fxe6 25. Bf4 Nh5 26. Be5 Rd2 27. Rc2 Rd1+ 28. Rc1 Rd2 29. Rc2 Rd1+ 30. Rc1 Rd2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.06"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E06"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2765"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Nc3 Nbd7 12. Rfd1 Bxf4 13. gxf4 Nb6 14. Qd3 a5 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nbd5 17. Qf3 c6 18. e3 Qe7 19. h3 Nd7 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Ne4 Qe7 22. Kh2 b6 23. Rac1 Rac8 24. Rc4 Rc7 25. Rdc1 Rfc8 26. b3 Qa3 27. Qd1 Qe7 28. Qf3 Qa3 29. Qd1 Qe7 30. Qf3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.06"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2776"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. e4 Bb4 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 e5 9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Bxc3 11. bxc3 d6 12. c5 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Re1 Nxe3 15. Rxe3 Qd5 16. Bc2 Qxc5 17. Qh5 g6 18. Qxe5 Qxe5 19. Rxe5 a5 20. Rc5 Be6 21. a4 Rfc8 22. Be4 Bd5 23. Bxd5 cxd5 24. Rxd5 Rxc3 25. g3 Rc4 26. Kg2 Kg7 27. Kg1 Kg8 28. Kg2 Kg7 29. Kg1 Kg8 30. Kg2 Kg7 31. Kg1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.06"] [Round "2.5"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Deac, Bogdan-Daniel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C80"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2627"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] {[%evp 0,88,19,38,25,16,14,23,25,-6,9,9,22,-11,-11,14,-7,-1,23,-30,43,21,29,29, 43,31,30,2,13,16,2,-39,0,-44,6,-8,0,3,-31,-25,-28,-6,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-93,37, 70,70,55,50,46,32,6,62,-74,-96,-100,-88,-100,-102,-102,-106,-109,-127,-119, -126,-115,-129,-155,-152,-157,-171,-170,-177,-197,-188,-238,-232,-258,-264, -281,-260,-253,-252]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Be7 10. c3 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. a4 b4 14. Re1 Bg4 15. Nf1 $146 (15. h3 Bh5 16. Bf5 Bd6 17. Qc2 Re8 18. g4 Rxe1+ 19. Nxe1 Qe8 20. Ndf3 Bg6 21. Bxg6 hxg6 22. Be3 bxc3 23. bxc3 Na5 24. Rd1 Nc4 25. Bg5 c6 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Nd4 c5 28. Ndf3 Qe4 29. Qd3 Rb8 30. Qxd5+ Qxd5 31. Rxd5 Kf7 32. Nd2 Ke6 33. Rd3 Nxd2 34. Rxd2 Rb1 35. Re2+ Kd5 36. Kg2 Ra1 37. Nc2 Rxa4 38. Ne3+ Kc6 39. h4 Be5 40. h5 gxh5 41. gxh5 Rh4 42. Ra2 Rxh5 43. Rxa6+ Kb5 44. Ra3 c4 45. Ra8 Rh2+ 46. Kf3 Rh4 47. Ke2 Bxc3 48. Rb8+ Ka4 49. Ra8+ Kb3 50. Rb8+ Ka4 51. Ra8+ Kb5 52. Rb8+ Ka4 {1/2-1/2 (52) Firouzja,A (2749) -Fedoseev,V (2676) Chess.com INT 2020}) 15... Bc5 16. Be3 d4 $5 (16... Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Bh5 {was a safer option, but it's only Black's 19th move that got him into trouble.}) 17. cxd4 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Qxd4 $2 (19... Bxd4 { was correct, not fearing the pin.} 20. Rad1 Qd6 21. Ng3 Qc5 $11) 20. Rad1 $1 { A strong sacrifice. White's lead in development more than makes up for the loss of the b-pawn.} Qxb2 $6 (20... Qg4 {was better, but Black didn't play 19.. .Qxd4 with this in mind.}) 21. Re2 Qc3 22. Rd3 Qa1 23. Rd1 Qc3 24. Rd3 Qa1 25. g4 $1 {Again right. So far, it's a very good game by MVL.} b3 $1 26. Bxb3+ Kh8 27. g5 Ng8 28. Qd5 Bd6 29. Rh3 g6 {Deac has defended well, but he's still in trouble if MVL continues to play correctly.} 30. Qd3 $2 {Correctly deciding to attack the g6-pawn, but the wrong way.} (30. Qe6 $1 Qg7 31. Ng3 Rab8 32. Ne4 $16) 30... Rf5 $15 {Vachier-Lagrave clearly missed this, and now he's worse. It's not yet fatal, but in possible time trouble and almost certainly shocked at his oversight, things go downhill in a hurry.} 31. Qc3+ $6 (31. Qe3 $142) ( 31. Kg2 $142 Rxg5+ 32. Ng3) 31... Qxc3 32. Rxc3 Rxg5+ 33. Ng3 Nf6 34. Kf1 $6 ( 34. h4 $1 Rg4 35. Rc4) 34... Rb8 (34... Rg4 $142) 35. h3 $6 (35. Re6) 35... Re5 $1 $17 {Hop.} 36. Bc4 $6 (36. Bc2) 36... Rc5 $1 {Hop.} 37. Rcc2 $2 Ra5 $1 $19 { And...hop! A very unusual and attractive series of moves: the rook keeps moving over a little at a time, and the last two moves take advantage of White errors. There was no point to playing ...Rc5 or ...Ra5 White's 36th and 37th moves, respectively, but after them Deac's replies were excellent. White's a-pawn is a goner, and while the opposite-colored bishops and limited material offered White some drawing chances a few moves ago, a two pawn deficit is too much for White to handle.} 38. Ne4 Nxe4 39. Rxe4 Rxa4 40. h4 Kg7 41. h5 gxh5 42. Re1 Rbb4 43. Be2 Rh4 44. Bf3 a5 0-1 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.07"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D26"] [WhiteElo "2781"] [BlackElo "2820"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bxc4 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. Ne5 Qc7 9. Nxc6 Qxc6 10. d5 exd5 11. Nxd5 b5 12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 13. Bd5 Rb8 14. e4 Be7 15. a4 O-O 16. axb5 Rxb5 17. Ra3 Rb6 18. Rf3 Qe5 19. Bd2 Rg6 20. Bc3 Qc7 21. Rg3 Bb7 22. Rxg6 hxg6 23. Bxb7 Qxb7 24. Qg4 c4 25. e5 Bb4 26. Bxb4 Qxb4 27. e6 Qxb2 28. Qxc4 Qf6 29. Qxa6 Qxe6 30. Qxe6 fxe6 31. Kh1 Kh8 32. Kg1 Kg8 33. Kh1 Kh8 34. Kg1 Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.07"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Deac, Bogdan-Daniel"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2627"] [BlackElo "2770"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Qa4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Nd5 8. Bxb4 Ndxb4 9. O-O Rb8 10. Na3 O-O 11. Qb5 b6 12. Qxc4 Ba6 13. Nb5 Qe8 14. Rfc1 Nd5 15. e4 Na5 16. Nxc7 Nxc4 17. Nxe8 Rfxe8 18. exd5 exd5 19. b3 Nd6 20. Ne5 Bb7 21. Nc6 Bxc6 22. Rxc6 Nb5 23. Bxd5 Re7 24. Bc4 Nxd4 25. Rd6 Nf3+ 26. Kg2 Ne1+ 27. Kf1 Nf3 28. h3 g5 29. Rad1 Ne5 30. R6d5 h6 31. Ba6 Kg7 32. Kg2 Rbe8 33. a4 Rc7 34. a5 Re6 35. Re1 Kf6 36. axb6 axb6 37. Re4 Rc3 38. Rb5 Nd7 39. Rxe6+ Kxe6 40. Rb4 Kd6 41. Bc4 f6 42. Rb5 Ke7 43. f4 Rc2+ 44. Kf3 Rc3+ 45. Kg2 Rc2+ 46. Kf3 Rc3+ 47. Kg2 Rc2+ 48. Kf3 Rc3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.07"] [Round "3.3"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2770"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Be7 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. g4 Nh4 12. Nxh4 Bxh4 13. Nc3 h5 14. g5 f6 15. exf6 gxf6 16. Ne4 fxg5 17. Bxg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 Ke7 19. Re1+ Kf6 20. Ne4+ Kf7 21. Ng5+ Kf6 22. Ne4+ Kf7 23. Ng5+ Kf6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.07"] [Round "3.4"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D85"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4 13. Rxb7 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Bxd4 15. e5 Na6 16. Rxe7 Rad8 17. e6 fxe6 18. Qe1 Nc5 19. Be3 Nd3 20. Bxd4 Nxe1 21. Rg7+ Kh8 22. Rd7+ Kg8 23. Rg7+ Kh8 24. Rd7+ Kg8 25. Rg7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.07"] [Round "3.5"] [White "Lupulescu, Constantin"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2656"] [BlackElo "2780"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] {[%evp 0,77,24,-12,-22,-22,-18,-6,-16,-35,-15,-28,-1,-55,-21,6,-28,-15,-8,-11, -3,5,5,10,7,25,27,-13,10,-30,-25,-18,-19,-29,-18,-24,-10,-29,-22,-29,12,-39,-3, -6,1,-12,-88,-68,-68,-58,0,-11,-12,-9,-19,-14,-28,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,41,132,1715, 2711,29981,29982,29983,29982,29983,29982,29983,443,29985,1807,29989,29990]} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 Qe7 7. d4 Ne4 8. Qd3 exd4 9. Nxd4 Nc5 10. Qd1 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. Be2 b6 13. O-O Bb7 14. f3 a5 15. Bd2 f5 16. Rad1 d6 17. b3 Rae8 18. Rf2 Rf6 19. Bd3 Qf7 $11 20. Re2 $2 (20. Rdf1 ) (20. h3) (20. Bc2) 20... Qh5 $17 21. Be1 Be4 $2 {Spectacular, but not good.} (21... Rh6 22. Bg3 Ne4 $1 {is spectacular *and* good.} 23. fxe4 fxe4 24. Bf4 Rhe6 $17 {/-+ and because the d3-bishop can't move due to the loose rook on e2, Black regains his piece while retaining serious attacking prospects thanks to the power of the long light-squared diagonal.}) 22. Bb1 $1 $11 Rg6 23. Bg3 Bxb1 24. Rxb1 Ne4 {Spectacular and neutral.} 25. Rbe1 Nxg3 26. Qd5+ $1 Kh8 27. hxg3 Rxg3 28. e4 Qxf3 (28... h6 $142) 29. Qf7 Rg8 30. exf5 Qc6 $2 {Safeguarding the queen and defending c7, but the queen needed to keep in touch with the kingside.} (30... h6 $11) (30... Rg5 $11) 31. Rf2 $2 (31. Re4 $1 $16 {/+-}) 31... Qc5 $2 {This active-looking move loses immediately.} (31... a4 $1 $14) 32. Re7 $18 {The threat of f6 wins straight away.} Qd4 {About the only move that takes care of the f6 problem, but at the cost of another crushing blow.} 33. Re8 {This mates unless there's a perpetual check. Black tries - and this was of course what Giri was hoping for when he played 31...Qc5 (or at least 32. ..Qd4) - but it comes up short.} Rxg2+ 34. Kxg2 Qg4+ 35. Kh2 (35. Kh1 Qh3+ 36. Kg1 Qg4+ 37. Rg2 Qd4+ 38. Kh1 Qd1+ 39. Kh2 {is the most effective way to stop the checks, but there's nothing wrong with Lupulescu's method.}) 35... Qh4+ 36. Kg2 Qg4+ 37. Kf1 Qh3+ 38. Ke1 Qc3+ 39. Rd2 (39. Rd2 Qg3+ (39... Qc1+ 40. Ke2 $18) (39... Qa1+ 40. Kf2 $18) 40. Kd1 Qf3+ 41. Kc1 Qf1+ 42. Kb2 $18) 1-0 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.08"] [Round "4.1"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2820"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Bc5 (3... c6) (3... d5) 4. d3 c6 $5 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 a5 {Rare, but with an impressive pedigree that includes Viswanathan Anand and Jorden Van Foreest.} 8. d4 $1 $146 exd4 9. Nxd4 a4 10. Rb1 (10. Nxa4 $4 {is obviously impossible due to} Bxd4 11. Qxd4 Rxa4 $19 {, but}) (10. e3 { is a good, possibly superior alternative to the text.}) 10... Re8 11. e3 { Now threatening to take on a4.} (11. b4 {was a good alternative, and logical in the wake of 10.Rb1.}) 11... Qa5 (11... Bg4 12. f3 Bc8 {is a surprising computer suggestion, to put it mildly.} 13. Nxa4 Bxd4 14. exd4 Be6 15. b3 b5 $44) 12. Bd2 Bg4 (12... Nbd7 $11 {is better, avoiding structural damage after Ne4xf6 or Ne4xc5.}) 13. f3 (13. Qc2 $142 $14) 13... Bh5 $6 {Perhaps this isn't (that) bad, but the bishop soon finds itself in a bad way on the kingside, shut in behind the wall of white pawns.} (13... Bd7) (13... Bc8) 14. Ne4 Qd8 15. Nxc5 dxc5 16. Ne2 (16. Nf5 {is also good.}) 16... Qd3 {The critical move, which So had to have seen and worked out before playing 16.Ne2.} 17. Nf4 $1 ( 17. b3 $2 Ne4 $1 18. Rb2 a3 $1 19. Rc2 Nxd2 20. Qxd2 Qxe3+ $17) 17... Qxc4 18. b3 axb3 19. axb3 Qb5 20. e4 $14 {Black's bishop is awful, and his queen is shut out of play. The position may not be that bad for Caruana just yet, but it's very difficult for him to play.} Bg6 21. Bc3 Na6 (21... Nbd7) 22. h4 { Threatening to take on f6 and win the bishop with h4-h5.} h5 $2 (22... h6 $6 23. Bxf6 (23. Qc1 $16) 23... gxf6 24. Nxg6 fxg6 25. f4 $16) (22... Rad8 $1 23. Qc1 {would be awful for Black, who cannot play ...h5 here as White would take both minor pieces and then 26.Qh6 with a winning advantage, were it not for} Nd5 $1 {This desperate move keeps Black in the game.} 24. exd5 Bxb1 25. Qxb1 cxd5 {and with two now beautiful pawns to go with the rook against White's bishop pair, Black still has a chance to survive.} 26. Rf2 $1 $14 {/+/- Preparing Bf1. White is still in charge, but it's not one-way traffic.}) 23. Qc1 $1 $18 {Threatening to take twice and play Qh6. Black is already losing, I think.} Kh7 ({For the sake of illustration:} 23... Rad8 $2 24. Bxf6 gxf6 25. Nxg6 fxg6 26. Qh6 {and Black cannot save his kingside, e.g.} Kf7 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Qxg6 $18) 24. Rd1 {Again threatening to take twice, then play Rd7+ and Qh6, with a speedy mate.} Rad8 25. Qb2 $1 {The poor knight has nowhere to run without giving up the g-pawn.} c4 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Qxf6 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Qc5+ { In conjunction with his next move, Caruana chooses to go a pawn down to avoid getting mated. It's the right decision, of course, but let's see why he must give up the pawn.} (28... cxb3 $2 29. Nxg6 fxg6 30. Rd7+ {and Qg7# follows in a move or two.}) (28... Qxb3 $2 29. Rd7 {Threatening Qxg6+ as well as Rxf7+; both moves lead to a quick forced mate.} Rg8 30. Nxg6 Rxg6 31. Qxf7+ Kh6 32. Qh7#) 29. Kh2 Qe7 30. Qxe7 Rxe7 31. bxc4 $18 {With a valuable extra pawn and Black's bishop continuing to live a life of regret, the rest is easy for a player of So's caliber.} Kg7 32. Bh3 Nc5 33. Rd6 f6 34. Ne6+ Nxe6 35. Bxe6 Be8 36. c5 Bf7 37. Bc8 {Better than taking on f7, which should also win.} Re5 38. Bxb7 Rxc5 39. Rxc6 {Here Caruana could have resigned, but a few more moves won't hurt.} Rb5 40. Ba6 Rb2+ 41. Kg1 Be8 42. Rc5 Kh6 43. Kf1 Bd7 44. Be2 Be8 45. Kf2 {With White's king having escaped the back rank, Caruana tries to keep the king restricted to the second rank.} Rb3 46. Rd5 {Problem solved; the rook or the bishop will go to d3, and then White plays Ke3-f4.} Ra3 47. Bd3 Kg7 48. Ke3 Rb3 49. Kf4 Rb4 50. Rc5 Bf7 51. Rc7 Kg6 52. g4 1-0 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.08"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Deac, Bogdan-Daniel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2627"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Bg5 (7. e4 {has been White's primary option, but as White players have achieved almost nothing here against players like So (who has been a big specialist in this variation), it's time for White to try option #2.}) 7... Be7 8. e3 O-O 9. Be2 Nc6 10. Qd3 h6 11. Bh4 (11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Rd1 Ne7 13. e4 Bxc3+ 14. Qxc3 Be6 15. O-O Qb6 16. e5 Rac8 17. Qd2 Nc6 18. h3 d4 19. Bd3 Bd5 20. Rfe1 Rfe8 21. Be4 Rcd8 22. b3 a5 23. Qf4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Qc5 25. Rde1 Re6 26. h4 d3 27. Rd1 Rd5 28. Qe3 Nxe5 29. Nxe5 Qxe3 30. Rxe3 Rdxe5 31. Rxe5 Rxe5 32. Rxd3 Re1+ 33. Kh2 Re2 34. Rd8+ Kh7 35. Rd7 Rxf2 36. Rxb7 Rxa2 37. Rxf7 Rb2 38. Ra7 Rxb3 39. Rxa5 Rb4 40. g3 Rb2+ 41. Kh3 Rb3 42. Kh2 Rb2+ 43. Kh3 Rb3 44. Kh2 Rb2+ {1/2-1/2 (44) Harikrishna,P (2732)-So,W (2770) chess24.com INT 2020}) 11... Be6 (11... Qb6 12. O-O Rd8 13. Rfd1 Be6 (13... Bg4 14. Qb5 Qxb5 15. Nxb5 Rac8 16. h3 Be6 17. Rac1 g5 18. Bg3 Ne4 19. Bc7 Re8 20. Bh2 Bf6 21. Nfd4 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Bxc8 25. Kf1 Nc5 26. Bf3 Be6 27. b3 Bxd4 28. exd4 Ne4 29. Ke1 Bf5 30. a4 Kf8 31. Ke2 Ke7 32. Ke3 Ke6 33. Bh5 Bh7 34. Be5 f6 35. Bb8 a6 36. Bc7 Nd6 37. Bxd6 Kxd6 38. a5 Be4 39. g3 Bf5 40. h4 Kc6 41. Be2 Bc2 42. b4 { 1/2-1/2 (42) Bluebaum,M (2646)-So,W (2810) Tbilisi 2017}) 14. Qb5 Qxb5 15. Nxb5 g5 16. Bg3 Ne4 17. Rac1 Bf6 18. Nfd4 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Nxg3 20. hxg3 Rac8 21. Bd3 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rc8 23. Rd1 Bxd4 24. exd4 Kf8 25. f3 Ke7 26. Kf2 h5 27. Rh1 Rh8 28. Ke3 Kf6 29. g4 h4 30. g3 Re8 31. Kf2 hxg3+ 32. Kxg3 Rg8 33. Rh2 Ke7 34. Rh5 Kf6 35. Rh6+ Kg7 36. Rh7+ Kf6 37. Rh1 Ke7 38. Bf5 Bxf5 39. gxf5 Rc8 40. Re1+ Kf6 41. Re5 Rc2 42. Rxd5 Rxb2 43. a4 a6 44. Kg4 Rg2+ 45. Kh3 Rb2 46. Kg4 Rg2+ 47. Kh3 Rg1 48. Kh2 Ra1 49. a5 Rb1 50. Kg3 Rb5 51. Rd7 Rxf5 52. d5 Kg6 53. Rxb7 Rxd5 54. Rb6+ Kh5 55. Rxa6 f5 56. Ra8 f4+ 57. Kf2 Rd2+ 58. Ke1 Ra2 59. Rh8+ Kg6 60. Rg8+ Kf5 61. Rf8+ Ke5 62. Re8+ Kd4 63. Re4+ Kd5 64. Re2 Rxa5 65. Kf2 Ra3 66. Rd2+ Ke5 67. Re2+ Kd4 68. Re4+ Kd3 69. Re5 Ra2+ 70. Kf1 Rb2 71. Re6 Kd4 72. Re4+ Kd5 73. Re8 Kd6 74. Re4 Rb5 75. Kg2 Re5 76. Rd4+ Ke6 77. Kf2 Kf5 78. Rd8 Ra5 79. Rf8+ Kg6 80. Rg8+ Kh7 81. Rd8 Ra2+ 82. Kf1 Kg6 83. Rg8+ Kh6 84. Rh8+ Kg7 85. Rd8 Ra7 86. Kg2 Kg6 87. Rg8+ Rg7 88. Rd8 Rh7 89. Rd6+ Kh5 90. Rd8 Kh4 91. Rd1 Kh5 92. Rd8 g4 93. fxg4+ Kxg4 94. Rg8+ Kf5 95. Rf8+ Kg5 {1/2-1/2 (95) Radjabov,T (2765)-So,W (2770) chess24.com INT 2020}) 12. O-O Qb6 13. a3 { A typical trick best known from the Poisoned Pawn Variation in the Najdorf.} Rfd8 (13... Qxb2 $4 14. Na4 $18 (14. Rfb1 $18)) 14. Rfd1 (14. b4) 14... Ne4 ( 14... d4 $1 15. Nxd4 (15. exd4 $2 g5 $1 16. Bg3 g4 $19) 15... Nxd4 16. exd4 Rac8 $44 {leaves Black likely to regain the pawn, and until then he will enjoy very active play and the bishop pair. From a theoretical point of view, we can say that Grischuk has not put the Peruvian Variation (4...c5 5.cxd5 cxd4) in any difficulties.}) 15. Bxe7 (15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Qxe4 Bxh4 (16... Qxb2 {[%CAl Gb2e2]}) 17. Nxh4 Qxb2) 15... Nxe7 16. Nd4 (16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Qxe4 Qxb2 18. Nd4 Nd5 $8 19. Rdb1 $1 Qd2 20. Re1 $1 Nc3 21. Qxb7 Rab8 22. Qxa7 Rb2 23. Kh1 $1 Rxd4 24. exd4 Nxe2 25. Qa8+ Kh7 26. Qe4+ g6 27. Rad1 Qc2 28. Qxc2 Rxc2 29. d5 Bd7 30. d6 Kg7 31. h3 $14) (16. b4 $14) 16... Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Rac8 18. Qd2 Nf5 19. Bf3 (19. Nxe6 $142 fxe6 20. Rac1 $14) 19... Rc4 $5 {Rather than suffer with the isolated d-pawn, Black decides to jettison it for activity. It's not a bad idea, but there's always the problem that if the activity dries up, one is just down a pawn and headed for a potentially lost ending.} (19... Nxd4 $1 20. Qxd4 Qxd4 21. Rxd4 Rc2 $11) 20. Nxf5 (20. Nxe6 $5) 20... Bxf5 21. Bxd5 Be6 (21... Rc2 $4 22. Bxf7+ Kxf7 23. Qxd8 $18) 22. e4 Bxd5 (22... Rxe4 {may be possible, but the ending with a queen against two rooks is dangerous for Black. } 23. Bxe4 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 $14) 23. exd5 Qb5 $2 ({It was better to blockade the pawn immediately with} 23... Qd6 $142 $1 {, intending to round up the pawn with ...Rc5 (or in case of 24.b4, with ...Re4-e5). This looks like an easy, possibly dead, draw.}) 24. h3 (24. b4) 24... Rd6 25. b4 Rc7 (25... Rc8 $142) 26. Qf4 (26. Qd4 $142 $16) 26... Rcd7 27. Rac1 $1 Rxd5 28. Rxd5 Qxd5 29. Qb8+ Kh7 30. Qxa7 $16 {now it's a safe extra pawn, and White is winning after any (equal) piece trade.} Qd2 31. Qc5 g6 32. Qc3 Qf4 33. Re1 Rd2 34. Qe3 Qd6 35. Qf3 Qc7 36. Qf6 Rd6 37. Qe7 Rd7 38. Qe5 Qd8 (38... Qxe5 39. Rxe5 {should be a routine win for White. The important factor is that there are pawns on both flanks. If the queenside pawns and any of Black's kingside pawns were gone, it would be a routine draw.}) 39. g3 b6 40. a4 Rd4 41. Re4 Rd1+ 42. Kh2 Qa8 43. b5 Rf1 44. Qd4 (44. Kg2 Re1) 44... Qb7 (44... Rxf2+ $2 45. Qxf2 Qxe4 46. Qxf7+ Kh8 47. Qf6+ Kh7 48. Qxb6 {wins, as there is no perpetual check.} Qe2+ 49. Kg1 Qe1+ 50. Kg2 Qe2+ 51. Qf2 Qe4+ 52. Kh2 Qxa4 53. Qb2 Qa7 54. b6 Qb7 55. h4 h5 56. Qb5 $18) 45. Qe3 Ra1 46. Qd4 (46. Qc3 $1 $16 Rh1+ (46... Rf1 47. Qf3 Re1 (47... Ra1 $2 48. Kg2 $18) 48. Rf4 Qxf3 49. Rxf3 Kg7 50. Rf4 $18) 47. Kxh1 Qxe4+ 48. Kh2 $1 Qxa4 49. Qc7 Qxb5 50. Qxf7+ Kh8 51. Qxg6 h5 $16 {and the outcome of the game is still in doubt - at least to me - but White still has plenty of opportunity to fight for the win.}) 46... Rf1 47. Qe3 Ra1 48. g4 (48. Qc3 $1) 48... Rd1 49. Qf3 (49. Qb3 $142) 49... Rd4 $1 $11 {Now Black should save the game, but depending on the clock situation, tiredness, etc. it doesn't mean that he's a favorite to do so in a practical context.} 50. Re3 Qc7+ (50... Qxf3 $1 51. Rxf3 Kg7 $1 52. Rc3 Rxa4 53. Rc6 h5 $11 {is theoretically drawn (the 1-0 situation on the queenside is much better for Black than the 2-1 scenarios) , though it's not automatic.}) 51. Qg3 Qd7 52. Qb8 Rxa4 $2 (52... Qd5 $1 53. Re8 ({Alternatively, White can make Black force the draw.} 53. Qxb6 Rd1 54. Qc6 Rh1+ 55. Kg3 Rg1+ 56. Kh2 $8 Rh1+ $11) 53... Rd1 54. Rh8+ Kg7 {and here White must take the perpetual with the rook.} 55. Rg8+ $8 Kh7 $8 56. Rh8+ Kg7 57. Qg8+ $11) 53. Qxb6 $18 Rf4 54. Kg3 $1 g5 55. Rf3 Rb4 56. Qc6 $1 Qe6 (56... Qxc6 57. bxc6 Rc4 (57... Kg7 58. Rc3 $18) 58. Rxf7+ Kg6 59. Rc7 $18) 57. Kg2 Kg8 58. Qa8+ Kh7 $2 {Losing on the spot.} (58... Kg7 $142 {had to be played, but after} 59. Rf5 $1 {, intending Qd5, he can still make progress.}) 59. Qf8 Rf4 60. Rxf4 gxf4 61. Qa8 h5 62. Qc6 1-0 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.08"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2781"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. dxc5 Qxd1 8. Rxd1 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 c3 10. bxc3 O-O 11. Nb3 Be7 12. c4 Bd7 13. a4 Rad8 14. Bb2 Bc8 15. Nfd4 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 b6 17. a5 Nd7 18. axb6 axb6 19. Bc6 Bf6 20. Bb5 g5 21. f4 gxf4 22. gxf4 Bxd4+ 23. Rxd4 Nf6 24. Ra7 e5 25. fxe5 Ng4 26. Ra8 Rxd4 27. Nxd4 Nxe5 28. Rb8 Be6 29. Rxb6 Bxc4 30. Bxc4 Nxc4 31. Rc6 Ne5 32. Rb6 Nc4 33. Rc6 Ne5 34. Rb6 Nc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.08"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E60"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2765"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 c5 5. Bg2 cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Nc3 Qc7 8. Nd5 Nxd5 9. cxd5 d6 10. O-O Qb6 11. Nb3 Qa6 12. Re1 Nd7 13. e4 Ne5 14. Bg5 Bg4 15. f3 Bd7 16. Bf1 Qb6+ 17. Be3 Qb4 18. Bd2 Qb6+ 19. Be3 Qb4 20. Bd2 Qb6+ 21. Be3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site "Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.08"] [Round "4.5"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Lupulescu, Constantin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C11"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2656"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2021.06.05"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qb6 9. Qd2 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3 11. Bb5 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 a6 13. Bxd7+ Bxd7 14. Rxb7 Bb4 15. O-O Bc8 16. Rb6 O-O 17. Rb1 Bc5 18. R6b3 Qa5 19. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 20. Qf2 Qxf2+ 21. Kxf2 Bd7 22. Ne2 Ba4 23. Rc3 Rfc8 24. Rxc8+ Rxc8 25. Nd4 g6 26. Ke3 Rc4 27. a3 Bxc2 28. Rc1 Bd3 29. Rxc4 Bxc4 30. g4 Kf8 31. Nc2 Bb3 32. Nb4 Bc4 33. g5 Kg7 34. Kd4 h5 35. Nc6 Bb5 36. Na5 Kf8 37. Kc5 Ke7 38. Nb3 Bc4 39. Nd4 Bd3 40. a4 Bf1 41. a5 Bd3 42. Kc6 Bc4 43. Kc5 Bd3 44. Kc6 Bc4 45. Kc5 Bd3 1/2-1/2