[Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,86,20,19,17,20,43,43,23,19,22,7,17,21,45,61,67,57,67,38,95,59,51,61, 81,2,21,21,141,156,331,340,351,331,316,316,314,297,322,296,436,359,124,37,140, 39,31,35,19,27,51,24,23,35,32,21,2,10,22,9,31,51,36,0,0,0,8,-98,-133,-142,-107, -126,-100,-118,-140,-111,-131,-189,-199,-199,-203,-488,-544,-544,-650,-560, -582,-870,-877]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {The Petroff can be extremely sharp. It's drawishness is similar to the Najdorf's: there are forcing lines which get worked out to a draw, but there's a lot of excitement along the way, with both players winning games before everything is figured out. Or sometimes, as here, White rejects the draw, aiming for more. Sometimes it works, and sometimes - as in this game - it doesn't.} 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 { One of the livelier variations within the Petroff.} 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Qb3 {Rapport may have hoped to surprise Nepomniachtchi with this minor move, but here's where playing for a World Championship comes into play. Maybe Nepo's prep against this would have been sketchy under normal circumstances, but not in this case. This was an opening Nepo specially prepared for his match with Carlsen, and his preparation was very deep.} (9. Nc3) (9. Re1) (9. cxd5) ({and } 9. Qc2 {are the main lines; everything else is a rounding error in the database. Unfortunately for Rapport, Nepo even knows the dust in this system.}) 9... Bg4 10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Ng5 Be7 12. Nxe4 Qxd4 13. Qxb7 Qxe4 14. Qxa8 Bh3 ({ Massive props to Mr. Batik for coming up with this idea almost 100 years ago, way before the computer era. His version is a little different, and it allows White to avoid the forced draw and reach a position that is still equal, but where all three results are possible. The version Nepo played, which had been played in a couple of email games, only allows White to avoid the draw by accepting a position that's much worse - if not lost.} 14... Bd6 15. Qxa7 Bh3 16. gxh3 Qe5 17. Rd1 (17. Kg2 Qxh2+ 18. Kf3 Qxh3+ 19. Ke2 Re8+ 20. Be3 Nd7 21. Kd2 Bc5 22. Rh1 Bxe3+ 23. Qxe3 Rxe3 24. Rxh3 Rxh3 $11) 17... Qxh2+ 18. Kf1 Qxh3+ 19. Ke1 Bb4+ 20. Nc3 Bxc3+ 21. bxc3 Qxc3+ 22. Bd2 Re8+ 23. Kf1 Qh3+ 24. Kg1 Qg4+ 25. Kh1 {½-½ (25) Duhrssen,R-Batik,F corr 1928. Many old correspondence games don't hold up very well, but this one does.}) 15. gxh3 { and draw agreed in a 2019 email game M. Byrne (2333) - C. Engelhard (2304).} Qg6+ 16. Kh1 Qe4+ {and again, draw agreed, this time in G. Marquardt (2250) - A. Cantelli (2253), also by email, also from 2019.} 17. Kg1 Qg6+ 18. Kh1 Qe4+ 19. f3 {No draw! (At least, not yet.)} Qd3 20. Kg2 $8 Qg6+ 21. Kh1 (21. Bg5 { looks like the best way for White to play if he wants to avoid the repetition.} Bxg5 22. Kh1 Qd3 23. Nc3 Qd7 24. Rad1 Qc7 25. Rfe1 Be7 (25... Na6 $4 26. Re8 { wins.} ({For that matter, so does the wry} 26. Qe8)) 26. Nb5 cxb5 27. cxb5 { with approximate equality. However, this position is far more dangerous for White than for Black. If Black's knight ever gets into the game, White will be in huge trouble.}) 21... Qd3 22. Nd2 $2 {It was better to take the draw, but that's a difficult practical decision to make. A point and a half back in the standings but facing the leader, it's worth playing on if you believe the position is playable. Unfortunately for Rapport, he gets a position that *looks* pretty decent at first glance, but isn't.} Qd7 23. Ne4 Na6 24. Qxf8+ Bxf8 $17 {/-+} 25. Bf4 $6 (25. Be3 $142) 25... Qxh3 26. Rad1 $6 {Rapport may have considered a position like this when he decided to avoid the repetition, and thought he'd have reasonable chances. He's got two rooks for a queen, and his minor pieces are beautifully centralized while Black's bishop and knight are stuck on the perimeter of the board. As we'll see, however, White's minors don't *do* anything, while Black will quickly coordinate his pieces. Meanwhile, White's terrible kingside structure (bad for the pawns themselves as well as White's king) leaves him with enduring problems.} (26. Be3) 26... h6 $6 { /? Not so bad, but pushing two squares was even better - as we'll see in the game.} (26... h5 $1) 27. Bg3 $2 (27. a3 $142) 27... Nc5 $19 28. Rfe1 (28. Nxc5 Bxc5 {won't solve White's problems either. Black's basic idea is to start with ...h5-h4, and what can White do? He needs to keep the bishop on the h2-b8 diagonal so Black can't create threats against h2. His rook will be stuck on f1, to defend f3, while the other rook will also be stuck defending its mate. From there, one idea for Black is to play ...Qf5, maybe ...h3, and work for ... g5-g4, as fxg4 Qe4+ will be mating.}) 28... Ne6 $5 (28... Nxe4 29. Rxe4 g5 $19) 29. a3 (29. Rd3) 29... h5 30. Rd3 Qf5 31. b4 h4 32. Bb8 Ng5 (32... c5) 33. Rde3 $2 (33. Ree3 {was more resilient, though not a cure to all that ails White. The reason to reject this move, in theory, is that it allows} Nxf3 $4 {, which turns out to be a blunder.} (33... Nxe4 34. Rxe4 h3 $19) 34. Nd6 $1 Bxd6 35. Rxf3 $18 {and oops.}) 33... Nxe4 34. fxe4 Qf2 35. h3 Be7 {White has so many weaknesses, a sad state of affairs complemented by his lack of time on the clock. Unfortunately for Rapport, even if he could switch to an email time control for himself while keeping Nepomniachtchi's time control intact, it would still be within Nepo's ability to finish the job.} 36. Bh2 Bg5 37. Bg1 Qd2 38. R3e2 Qd3 39. Be3 Bf6 40. Bxa7 Qxh3+ 41. Kg1 Qg3+ 42. Kf1 h3 43. Bg1 Bh4 ({A powerful finish by Nepo. The threat is 44...Qf3+, and there is no good reply.} 43... Bh4 44. Rf2 {stops the check, but loses in various ways. The most obvious move is 44...Qd3+, picking up an exchange for starters, but the best move is} h2 $1 {, winning at least a rook.} 45. Rxh2 (45. Bxh2 Qxf2#) 45... Qxe1+ 46. Kg2 Qxe4+ 47. Kf1 (47. Kh3 Qf3+ 48. Kxh4 f5 49. Rg2 Qxg2 50. Bd4 Qg4#) 47... Qf3+ 48. Rf2 (48. Bf2 Bg3 $1 49. Rg2 Qd1+ 50. Be1 Qxe1#) 48... Bxf2 49. Bxf2 Qxa3 $19) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E47"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,80,20,20,29,6,1,1,28,16,28,34,34,6,8,25,45,37,34,15,25,20,20,8,50,-21, -19,-11,3,5,9,3,-2,5,0,0,0,2,1,11,1,1,19,-15,5,-12,9,4,17,-1,24,7,30,24,15,24, 30,26,15,17,19,22,10,0,50,65,50,9,6,5,4,9,13,18,18,19,15,17,11,19,13,9,3]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nge2 d5 7. cxd5 cxd4 8. exd4 Nxd5 9. O-O Nc6 10. a3 Bd6 11. Re1 Nce7 {Very rare, though this retreat is fairly common in isolated d-pawn middlegames. The knight backs up its partner, but more often heads to g6 (and occasionally f5) instead of d5.} (11... Re8 { is usual - and what Nakamura usually plays (at least in blitz).} 12. Bc2 Bf8 ( 12... Qh4 13. Ng3 (13. g3 Qh5 14. Ne4 Bf8 15. N2c3 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Rd8 17. Bg5 Be7 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. Nc3 Be6 21. f3 Rac8 22. Rac1 g6 23. Kf2 Kg7 24. Bb3 h5 25. h4 Rc6 26. Ne2 Rb6 27. Rc3 Nc6 28. Rd2 Rd6 29. Nf4 Ne7 30. Ba4 Ra6 31. Rc7 Kf6 32. Be8 Rd8 33. Bb5 Rb6 34. Ba4 Ra6 35. Bb3 Rb6 36. Ba2 Rdd6 37. Rc5 Rbc6 38. Rdc2 b6 39. R5c3 Rxc3 40. Rxc3 Rd7 41. Bb3 Nf5 42. Ne2 Ne7 43. Ba4 Rb7 44. Bb5 a5 45. Bd3 Rb8 46. Nf4 Rc8 47. Rxc8 Bxc8 48. Bb5 Bb7 49. Bd7 Ng8 50. Ba4 Ne7 51. g4 hxg4 52. fxg4 g5 53. hxg5+ Kxg5 54. Kg3 Bc8 55. Bd1 f5 56. Nh3+ Kg6 57. Nf4+ Kf6 58. Bf3 fxg4 59. Bxg4 Bxg4 60. Kxg4 a4 61. Kf3 Kf5 62. Ke3 b5 63. Ne2 Nc8 64. Nc3 Nd6 65. Nxd5 Nc4+ 66. Kd3 Nxb2+ 67. Kc3 Nc4 68. Kb4 Ke4 69. Nc3+ Kxd4 70. Nxb5+ Kd3 71. Kxa4 Nxa3 {1/2-1/2 (71) Caruana,F (2806)-Nakamura,H (2736) Saint Louis 2021}) 13... Bd7 14. Re4 Qd8 15. Qd3 f5 16. Re1 Qf6 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Be3 g6 19. f4 Na5 20. b3 Re7 21. Bd2 Rxe1+ 22. Bxe1 Nc6 23. Ne2 Re8 24. Bc3 Qe7 25. Kf1 Bxa3 26. Ng1 Nb4 27. Bxb4 Qxb4 28. Nf3 Bb5 {0-1 (28) Sarana,A (2685)-Nakamura,H (2750) Chess.com INT 2022}) 13. Ng3 g6 14. Nge4 h6 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Nf6+ Qxf6 17. Rxe8 Nxd4 18. Bd3 Qc6 19. Qe1 Ne6 20. Rxf8+ Nxf8 21. Bxh6 Bf5 22. Qe5 f6 23. Qe7 Qd7 24. Bxf8 Qxe7 25. Bxe7 Bxd3 26. Bxf6 Re8 27. f3 Re2 28. Bc3 Bc2 29. Re1 Rxe1+ 30. Bxe1 Kf7 31. Bf2 a6 32. Bd4 Bb1 33. Kf2 Bc2 34. g4 Bd1 35. Kg3 Be2 36. h4 Bd1 37. Kf4 Be2 38. Ke3 Bd1 39. Kf4 Be2 40. h5 gxh5 41. gxh5 Ke6 42. Kg4 Bd1 43. Kf4 Be2 44. Bc3 Bd1 45. h6 Bc2 46. Ke3 Bg6 47. Kd4 b6 48. Be1 a5 49. Bg3 a4 50. Bc7 b5 51. Kc5 Bd3 52. Bg3 Kf7 53. Bf2 Kg6 54. Be3 Be2 55. f4 Kxh6 56. f5+ Kg7 57. Kxd5 Kf7 58. Ke5 Bc4 59. Bd2 Bb3 60. Bb4 Bd1 61. Bc3 Bb3 62. Bb4 Bd1 63. Kd6 Bb3 64. Bc3 Bc2 65. f6 Bb3 66. Kc5 Bc4 67. Kb4 Bf1 68. b3 axb3 69. Kxb3 Be2 70. Kb4 Bf1 71. Bd4 Be2 72. Kc5 Bf1 73. Bb2 Be2 74. Kb4 Bf1 75. Bc3 Be2 76. Ba1 Bf1 77. a4 bxa4 78. Kxa4 Bh3 79. Kb4 Bf5 80. Bb2 Bg6 81. Ba3 Bf5 82. Kb5 Bg6 83. Kb6 Bh7 84. Kb7 Bg6 85. Kb8 Bh7 86. Kc7 Bg6 87. Kd6 Bh7 88. Ke5 Bg6 89. Kf4 Bh7 90. Kg5 Bb1 91. Kh6 Ba2 92. Bb4 Bb1 93. Bc3 Ba2 94. Bb2 Bb1 95. Ba3 Ba2 96. Bb2 Bb1 97. Kg5 Ba2 98. Kf4 Bb1 99. Ke5 Bc2 100. Kd6 Bb1 101. Kc7 Bh7 102. Bc1 Bg6 103. Kc8 Bh7 104. Kb7 Kxf6 {1/2-1/2 (104) Bluebaum,M (2637)-Nakamura,H (2750) Chess.com INT 2022}) (11... Qh4 {is a new move that has only been played three times, but two of those games were GM-GM games with 2600+ players, and the third game was between WGMs in a prestigious event. So it seems a move worth taking seriously. } 12. g3 Qh5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Bf4 Rd8 15. Qd2 Bf8 (15... Bg4 16. h4 (16. Bxd6 Rxd6 17. Nf4 Qh6 18. Bb5 g5 19. Ng2 Bf3 20. Re3 Qf6 21. Bxc6 Rxc6 22. Rae1 Rac8 23. Re5 h6 24. Ne3 Be4 25. Nxd5 Bxd5 26. Rxd5 Rc2 27. Qe3 Rxb2 28. Rf1 Kg7 29. Re5 Rcc2 30. d5 Rd2 31. h3 b5 32. Kg2 a5 33. h4 gxh4 34. Re4 h3+ 35. Kxh3 Rxd5 36. Kg2 Rf5 37. Rg4+ Rg5 38. Rf4 Rf5 39. Rxf5 Qxf5 40. Qc3+ Qf6 41. Qxa5 Qc6+ 42. Kg1 Qf6 43. Qa7 Rb3 44. Qc5 Qg5 45. Re1 Qxc5 {0-1 (45) Tokhirjonova,G (2335)-Abrahamyan,T (2311) Saint Louis 2022}) 16... Bxe2 17. Bxe2 Bxf4 18. Qxf4 Qg6 19. Bf3 Kf8 20. Rad1 Qd6 21. Qg5 h6 22. Qh5 Rac8 23. Bg2 Rc7 24. Qf3 Re7 25. Rxe7 Qxe7 26. h5 Qg5 27. Bh3 Kg8 28. Bg2 a6 29. Bh3 Qe7 30. Bg2 Qg5 31. Bh3 Re8 32. Bf5 Qf6 33. Qxd5 Rd8 34. Qe4 Nxd4 35. Bg4 b6 36. Rd3 a5 37. Bd7 Ne6 38. Bxe6 Rxd3 39. Qxd3 Qxe6 40. Qd8+ Kh7 41. Qd3+ g6 42. hxg6+ fxg6 43. Kg2 h5 44. f4 Kg7 45. Kf3 Qc6+ 46. Qe4 Qxe4+ 47. Kxe4 a4 48. Kf3 Kf7 49. g4 hxg4+ 50. Kxg4 Kf6 51. Kg3 Ke6 52. Kf2 Kd5 53. Ke3 Kc4 54. Ke4 b5 55. Ke5 Kd3 {0-1 (55) Bluebaum,M (2641)-Kovalenko,I (2647) Germany 2021}) 16. Be3 Bd6 17. Bg5 Rf8 18. Bf4 Be7 19. b4 a6 20. Be3 Bd6 21. Bf4 Be7 22. Be5 Bg5 23. f4 Bd8 24. Nc3 Bb6 25. Be2 Bg4 26. Bxg4 Qxg4 27. Nxd5 Ba7 28. Kg2 Rad8 29. Ne3 Qd7 30. d5 Bxe3 31. Rxe3 Qxd5+ 32. Qxd5 Rxd5 33. Bc3 f6 34. Kf3 Kf7 35. Rae1 Rfd8 36. g4 Rd3 37. f5 Rxe3+ 38. Rxe3 Rd1 39. h3 h5 40. Ke4 Rg1 41. Kf4 hxg4 42. hxg4 Rd1 43. Ke4 Ke7 44. Rd3 Rxd3 45. Kxd3 Kd6 46. Ke4 Ne7 47. g5 Nd5 48. Bd4 b6 49. g6 Kc6 50. a4 Ne7 51. Bf2 Nc8 52. Bd4 Nd6+ 53. Kf4 Nc8 54. a5 bxa5 55. bxa5 Kb5 56. Bc3 Kc4 57. Be1 Ne7 58. Bd2 Kd4 59. Be3+ Kc4 60. Bc1 Kd4 61. Bb2+ Kd3 62. Ba3 Nd5+ 63. Kf3 Ne3 64. Kf4 Nd5+ 65. Kf3 Ne3 66. Kf4 Nd5+ {1/2-1/2 (66) Sarana,A (2675) -Keymer,V (2667) Chess.com INT 2022}) 12. Bc2 Bd7 13. Qd3 f5 14. Bb3 {This looks pleasant for White, but Nakamura defangs it pretty quickly.} Qb6 $1 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Bf4 Rae8 $1 18. g3 Bxf4 19. Nxf4 {Remove all the heavy pieces from the board, and this ending would be dangerous for Black - at best. Nakamura prevents White from achieving that dream of a two-results ending.} Re4 $1 20. Red1 (20. Nxd5 Qxd4 $11 (20... Qxb2 $11)) 20... Bc6 (20... Ba4 $1 {was more precise, so Nakamura was probably out of prep at this point.} 21. Rd2 (21. Nxd5 Qxb2 22. Rab1 Qc2 23. Ne3 Qxd3 24. Rxd3 b6 $11) 21... Bb3 $11 ) 21. h4 Rfe8 22. Qc3 $14 g6 $6 {Black doesn't want to allow White to cramp his kingside position with h4-h5, but putting all the pawns on light squares is very risky.} (22... h6 23. h5 $14) 23. b4 $6 (23. a4 a5 24. b3 $16 { followed by Rac1, with a clear advantage.}) 23... Ba4 $1 {Back on track.} 24. Rd2 Qc6 $1 25. Qc5 $1 Re1+ $1 26. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27. Kg2 Qxc5 28. bxc5 (28. dxc5 $143 Ra1 {is at least equal for Black.}) 28... Bc6 29. Re2 Rd1 $11 (29... Rxe2 $2 {may not lose, but as noted above this would be a 100% two-results ending for White. He might win, or maybe Black will save a draw, but unless a non-chess tragedy befalls White his chances of a loss are infinitesimal.} 30. Nxe2 $16) 30. Ne6 (30. Re7 $2 {looks promising from a blitz-eye perspective, but once we stop to look for a moment we can see that it's bad.} Rxd4 31. Ne6 $2 {Threatening Rg7+ followed by Rf7, but Black's defense comes first.} Re4 $19 ) 30... Bd7 31. Nd8 Rxd4 (31... Kf8 {was also possible, though it's still equal after} 32. Nxb7 (32. Rb2) ({or even} 32. Ne6+)) 32. Re7 Bc6 33. Nxc6 { The players get out their vacuum cleaners, finishing their "chores" so they can call it a day.} (33. Nxb7 Bxb7 34. Rxb7 Rc4 35. Rxa7 Rxc5 {is another draw. }) 33... bxc6 34. Rc7 Ra4 35. Rxc6 Rxa3 36. Rd6 Rc3 37. Rxd5 a5 38. c6 a4 39. Ra5 a3 40. c7 Rxc7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,107,20,-13,3,-38,-27,-42,-32,-58,-32,-22,10,10,10,12,16,7,12,-3,-1, -35,4,-48,-45,-56,-35,-52,-59,-42,-49,-33,-28,-30,-35,-31,-45,-40,-28,-28,-26, -26,-26,-33,-44,-42,-25,-23,-32,-25,-26,-29,12,-7,22,28,21,-2,39,35,27,34,31, 34,27,39,41,32,22,5,5,5,19,23,16,17,17,20,0,0,0,0,22,20,20,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,4,0, 7,0,-5,20,0,12,0,24,0,0,0,0,0,0,0] Before the tournament started, this was a game one would write in on the calendar: the battle between the top two seeds! As it turns out, it's now a battle between two winless players with minus scores, an afterthought to the race between Nepomniachtchi and Caruana. It's a pity for the tournament's overall level of excitement that these two great players are already out of the running, barring a "miracle".} 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Bc5 4. d3 {This minor move seems to be a Ding specialty.} (4. Nc3 { is far more common.}) 4... O-O (4... d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nc3 Nb6 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 a5 10. Na4 Nxa4 11. Qxa4 Nd4 12. Nxd4 Bxd4 13. Bd2 c6 14. e3 Bb6 15. Bc3 Re8 16. Rfd1 Bd7 17. Rac1 h6 18. h3 Rb8 19. Rd2 Bc7 20. d4 c5 21. Qc2 exd4 22. exd4 c4 23. a4 Bd6 24. Rdd1 b6 25. Re1 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Qc7 27. h4 Re8 28. Bd5 Rxe1+ 29. Bxe1 Be6 30. Bxe6 fxe6 31. Qe4 Kf7 32. Bc3 Bf8 33. d5 Qd6 34. dxe6+ Qxe6 35. Qb7+ Kg8 36. Bd4 Qf5 37. Kh2 Qc2 38. Qd5+ Kh7 39. Qf7 Qd3 40. Bc3 Qd6 41. Qxc4 Qg6 42. Bd4 {1-0 (42) Ding,L (2811)-Grischuk,A (2759) Khanty-Mansiysk 2019}) 5. Nc3 c6 (5... h6 6. Nf3 Re8 7. O-O d6 8. d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 c6 10. b3 a5 11. Bb2 Na6 12. Qd2 Qe7 13. Rad1 Bd7 14. h3 Bb6 15. e4 Nc5 16. Rfe1 Rad8 17. Kh2 Bc8 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. exf5 Qc7 20. Rxe8+ Nxe8 21. Ne2 Nd7 22. Nf4 Ndf6 23. Qc2 Qe7 24. Rd2 Rd7 25. Bf3 Qd8 26. Qd1 Bc7 27. Nd3 Re7 28. Kg2 Qc8 29. g4 Nh7 30. Re2 Qd8 31. Rxe7 Qxe7 32. Qe2 Qd8 33. Kg1 Nef6 34. Bg2 Nf8 35. Bd4 N8d7 36. Qe3 Bb6 37. Bxb6 Qxb6 38. Qxb6 Nxb6 39. f4 Nfd7 40. Kf2 Kf8 41. g5 f6 42. h4 Nc5 43. Ke3 Nxd3 44. Kxd3 Ke7 45. Kd4 Na8 46. Be4 Nc7 47. a3 Kd7 48. b4 axb4 49. axb4 b5 50. c5 Na6 51. cxd6 Kxd6 52. Kc3 c5 53. bxc5+ Kxc5 54. Bc2 Nb4 55. Bb3 Nd5+ {0-1 (55) Ding,L (2791)-Carlsen,M (2863) chess24. com INT 2020}) 6. Nf3 d6 7. O-O a5 (7... Re8 8. Na4 Bb4 9. a3 Ba5 10. b4 Bc7 11. e4 a5 12. Bb2 Na6 13. b5 cxb5 14. cxb5 Nc5 15. Nxc5 dxc5 16. a4 Bg4 17. Ra3 Nd7 18. h3 Bh5 19. Qb1 b6 20. Nd2 Nf8 21. Bf3 Qg5 22. h4 Qg6 23. Qd1 Bxf3 24. Qxf3 h5 25. Qf5 Rad8 26. Qxg6 Nxg6 27. Kg2 f6 28. Nc4 Kf7 29. Bc1 Rd7 30. f4 exf4 31. Bxf4 Nxf4+ 32. gxf4 f5 33. e5 Re6 34. Kf3 Rg6 35. Ne3 Ke6 36. Rd1 Bd8 37. Ra2 Rd4 38. Nc2 Rd5 39. Ne3 Rd7 40. Rdd2 Bxh4 41. Rg2 Rg4 42. Rh2 g6 43. Nxg4 fxg4+ 44. Ke3 Be7 45. Rac2 h4 {0-1 (45) Ding,L (2805)-Wang,H (2762) Ekaterinburg 2020}) 8. d4 (8. b3 Re8 9. e3 Bf5 10. h3 h6 11. Bb2 Bb6 12. Kh2 Nbd7 13. Qd2 Nc5 14. e4 Bd7 15. Ng1 a4 16. b4 a3 17. Bc1 Ne6 18. Nge2 Nd4 19. Rb1 Nxe2 20. Nxe2 d5 21. cxd5 cxd5 22. exd5 e4 23. Nc3 e3 24. fxe3 Bxe3 25. Qd1 Bd4 26. Ne2 Ba4 27. Qd2 Be3 28. Qe1 Bc2 29. Ra1 Bd4 30. Nxd4 Rxe1 31. Rxe1 Bxd3 32. Re3 Bg6 33. Re5 Qb6 34. Nb3 Rc8 35. Be3 Qxb4 36. Bd2 Qd6 37. Bf4 Kh7 38. Re8 Qd7 39. Rxc8 Qxc8 40. Rc1 Qd8 41. Be5 Nd7 42. Bd4 Bd3 43. Rc3 Bb1 44. Nd2 Bxa2 {1-0 (44) Giri,A (2776)-Anand,V (2757) Kolkata 2019}) 8... exd4 9. Nxd4 a4 10. Rb1 Qa5 $146 (10... Re8 11. e3 Qa5 12. Bd2 Bg4 13. f3 Bh5 14. Ne4 Qd8 15. Nxc5 dxc5 16. Ne2 Qd3 17. Nf4 Qxc4 18. b3 axb3 19. axb3 Qb5 20. e4 Bg6 21. Bc3 Na6 22. h4 h5 23. Qc1 Kh7 24. Rd1 Rad8 25. Qb2 c4 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Qxf6 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Qc5+ 29. Kh2 Qe7 30. Qxe7 Rxe7 31. bxc4 Kg7 32. Bh3 Nc5 33. Rd6 f6 34. Ne6+ Nxe6 35. Bxe6 Be8 36. c5 Bf7 37. Bc8 Re5 38. Bxb7 Rxc5 39. Rxc6 Rb5 40. Ba6 Rb2+ 41. Kg1 Be8 42. Rc5 Kh6 43. Kf1 Bd7 44. Be2 Be8 45. Kf2 Rb3 46. Rd5 Ra3 47. Bd3 Kg7 48. Ke3 Rb3 49. Kf4 Rb4 50. Rc5 Bf7 51. Rc7 Kg6 52. g4 { 1-0 (52) So,W (2770)-Caruana,F (2820) Bucharest 2021}) 11. Nc2 Bf5 12. Bd2 Nbd7 13. Rc1 (13. b4 $142 axb3 14. axb3 Ba7 $11) 13... Qa7 {After 50 minutes! Firouzja had many decent moves to choose from.} (13... Rfe8 $142) 14. b3 axb3 15. axb3 Rfe8 16. Na4 Be4 17. Bc3 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 d5 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Ne3 dxc4 21. bxc4 Qh5 {Practically every move the players have reasonable alternatives. So far, the game has been well-played on both sides, and the position remains even.} 22. h3 Rad8 23. Qc2 Ne4 24. Rcd1 Nxc3 25. Qxc3 Nf6 26. Qb2 b5 27. g4 Qc5 28. cxb5 Qxb5 29. Qxb5 cxb5 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 {After all the swaps you'd think the game would peter out to a speedy draw, but some lively moments remain.} 31. Rb1 Rb8 32. Rb4 Ne8 33. Nd5 f6 34. e4 Kf7 35. f4 Ke6 36. Kf3 Kd6 37. Rb1 Nc7 38. Nb4 Ra8 39. e5+ $5 {White goes for counterplay, rather than allowing Black to have all the fun.} fxe5 40. Rd1+ Ke7 41. Nc6+ (41. Nd5+ Nxd5 42. Rxd5 exf4 ( 42... Rb8 43. Rxe5+ Kd6 44. Ke3 b4 45. Kd2 b3 46. Kc1 b2+ 47. Kb1 Rb3 $11) 43. Rxb5 Ra3+ (43... Rf8 44. Rb7+ $11) 44. Kxf4 Rxh3 45. Rb7+ {and check-check-check is an instant draw.}) 41... Ke6 42. fxe5 ({A sharp alternative:} 42. f5+ Kf6 43. Rd6+ Kg5 44. Nxe5 Ra3+ 45. Kg2 b4 46. Rd7 Rc3 $11 ) 42... Ra3+ 43. Ke4 Ra4+ 44. Nd4+ Ke7 45. Kd3 Ne6 46. Nf5+ Kf8 47. Rc1 { Black must pay some attention to White's counterplay.} Nf4+ 48. Kd2 Rc4 49. Rf1 (49. Rb1 Rc5 $11 (49... b4 50. Ra1 {is also only equal, but White's activity is getting dangerous.})) 49... g5 50. h4 Ne6 {A startling move at first sight, but the discovered checks are all harmless to Black.} 51. hxg5 (51. Nd6+ Rf4) 51... Rxg4 {Here too.} 52. Nd6+ Rf4 53. Rxf4+ Nxf4 54. Nxb5 (54. Nxb5 Nh3 { regains the pawn, and the remaining pawns will soon disappear. A very clean game, and were the players more in the thick of things it would have merited a closer look.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B28"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 {Maybe "?!" is too strong, but the O'Kelly is definitely not considered to be on a par with the usual main line Sicilians.} 3. c4 $1 { The main reason for the O'Kelly's second-class status.} (3. c3 {isn't a bad option, as ...a6 isn't always useful against the c3 Sicilian. (Indeed, it can be harmful, as White can sometimes use the b6 square.)}) 3... Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 {As Radjabov used to a fan of the Kalashnikov Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6), it's not so surprising that he would consider such a line. (That's not to say that it could be predicted, but only that it's consonant with what he used to play.) The question now is if Caruana would remember whatever he had prepped for this obscure system. I'm not sure myself, but as Rapport played this way once before that might have led Caruana to have a quick look. The only elite player who seems to have used it regularly is Vladislav Artemiev, and he has used it frequently enough that if he and Caruana were ever in the same event, Caruana probably would have prepared something for him.} (5... Nf6) ({and} 5... e6 {are standard alternatives.}) 6. Nf5 (6. Nc2 {is also common, avoiding the line in the game.} ) 6... d5 {Not as popular as 6...d6, but a major alternative.} (6... d6 { is the main move, when play usually goes like this:} 7. Ne3 g6 ({or} 7... Nf6 8. Nc3 Be7 9. Bd3 O-O 10. O-O $16) 8. Nc3 Bh6 {and now either 9.Be2, 9.Bd3, or 9.Nc2. Let's follow Carlsen's model:} 9. Bd3 Nge7 10. h4 Kf8 11. h5 Kg7 12. Ned5 Bxc1 13. Qxc1 h6 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. Qe3 Nd4 16. O-O-O Nxd5 17. exd5 Bf5 18. f4 Bxd3 19. fxe5 Nf5 20. Qxd3 dxe5 21. Ne4 Rc8 22. Kb1 Nd4 23. Rhf1 b5 24. Qg3 Re8 25. Rf6 g5 26. Qh3 Rh8 27. Rdf1 Rc7 28. d6 Qa8 29. Qg4 Ra7 30. Nxg5 { 1-0 (30) Carlsen,M (2862)-Artemiev,V (2708) Chess.com INT 2020 (blitz). He sure makes it look easy, doesn't he?}) 7. cxd5 Bxf5 8. exf5 Nd4 9. Bd3 (9. Nc3 {is more popular and scores well. Let's trust Fabi.}) 9... Qxd5 10. Nc3 Qd7 $146 (10... Qxg2 $4 {Don't do this.} 11. Be4 Qh3 12. Qa4+ b5 13. Nxb5 $18 { is a disaster for Black, who is already dead lost.}) (10... Bb4 $2 {had been played in a few prior games.} 11. O-O Qd7 12. Re1 O-O-O 13. Rxe5 Nf6 14. Bf1 $16 {/+-}) 11. O-O Nf6 (11... O-O-O {looks scary, but may be best.} 12. Be3 Kb8 13. Rc1 Be7 14. f4 e4 15. Bxe4 Nf6 16. Bf2 $14) 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Re1 O-O-O $2 ( 13... O-O $142 14. Rxe5 Rfe8 15. Bc4 Rad8 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. Rxd5 Qc7 18. Bxe7 Rxd5 19. Bxd5 Qxe7 20. g3 (20. Qxd4 $4 Qe1+ 21. Rxe1 Rxe1#) 20... Nxf5 $14) 14. Rxe5 $16 Nc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rd5 Qe7 17. Bc4 Kb8 18. Qd3 $2 (18. g3 $1 { is a nice idea, intending Bf1-g2. White is in great shape in any case, but one inconvenience is that too many of his pieces would like to use the d5 square, but only one can occupy it at a time. So, if the bishop can't occupy that square, it can at least go to another square on its best diagonal, while leaving d5 for the rook or the knight.}) (18. Qb3 {is a computer suggestion, but after the semi-forced} Nd4 19. Qb6 Rhe8 20. Rxd8+ Qxd8 21. Qxd8+ Rxd8 22. Rd1 Nxf5 23. Rxd8+ Bxd8 24. Bxf7 {Black has reasonable chances to save the game with the opposite-colored bishops. If the knights are traded, it's almost certainly drawn; any other minor piece exchange should give White a winning advantage (all things being equal).}) 18... Qb4 $6 (18... Qc7 $1 {covers the h2-b8 diagonal (so that ...Nb4 can't be met by Qg3+) and also creates the threat of ...Ne5.} 19. Bb3 Ne7 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Qe4 {Else ...Qf4.} Rd2 22. Rd1 Qd6 23. Qe1 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Rxd1 25. Bxd1 Nxf5 26. Bf3 {White is perhaps a little better thanks to his bishop, but with such limited material it would be very surprising if it didn't finish in a draw.}) 19. Bb3 Nd4 (19... Rhe8 $142) 20. Qc4 $16 Qxc4 21. Bxc4 Rc8 (21... b5 $142 $1 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Bxf7 Nxf5 24. Rd1 {Probably best, though White would prefer to avoid this exchange.} Rxd1+ 25. Nxd1 $16 {/+/=}) 22. Bd3 Nc6 23. Be4 Rhe8 24. f3 {White's "checkers" setup is quite effective. Black is seriously restricted, and has a hard time making effective exchanges.} Re7 $2 (24... Ne5 $16) 25. Rad1 $18 h6 26. Kf2 Rcc7 27. R5d2 (27. R5d3 $142 $1 Nb4 (27... Ne5 $2 {This is the square Black's knight wants, but only after swapping on c3 when White recaptures with the pawn.} 28. Rd8+ Ka7 (28... Rc8 29. Rxc8+ Kxc8 30. Nd5 {eliminates the opposite-colored bishops, and the resulting ending is an easy win.}) 29. Nd5 $18) 28. R3d2 Bxc3 29. bxc3 Rxc3 $2 (29... Nc6 30. Rd6 $18) 30. a3 $3 (30. Rd7 Rxd7 31. Rxd7 Rc7) 30... Rxa3 (30... Nc6 31. Rd7 Rxd7 32. Rxd7 Ne5 33. Rxb7+ Kc8 34. Re7 $18) 31. Rd7 Rxd7 32. Rxd7 b5 33. Rxf7 $18) 27... Bxc3 28. bxc3 Ne5 29. Rc1 $2 (29. Kg3 $1 Rxc3 30. Rd8+ $1 Kc7 31. Rg8 f6 32. Kh4 $1 $18 {White will advance on the kingside en masse, and when the inevitable f4 comes Black's kingside pawns will disappear. We'll see something very much like this in the game.}) 29... f6 $2 (29... Ng4+ $1 30. Kg3 Nf6 $16 {was one reason White's 29th move was inaccurate.}) 30. Kg3 $18 {Back on track. White's king is headed for h5, and in due course, g6.} Ka7 31. Rd4 Rc5 32. Kh4 Rec7 33. Kh5 b5 {The kingside cannot be saved in the long run, so Radjabov starts to mobilize his queenside pawns.} 34. f4 Nd7 35. Rcd1 (35. Bd5 $1 {This threatens c4, keeping the pawn, and if Black takes on c3 he'll lose quickly.} Rxc3 $2 36. Rxc3 Rxc3 37. Kg6 $18 {White's pawns are all safe, while Black's kingside pawns are all disappearing.}) 35... Nb6 36. R1d3 Na4 37. Kg6 Nxc3 38. Bf3 Nxa2 {Remarkably, Black finished his meal before White has started his appetizer. Nevertheless, White is still winning. The pawns will drop, and the bishop will do a better job of holding up Black's pawns than the knight can do with White's.} 39. Rd7 Nc3 40. Kxg7 b4 41. Kxf6 b3 42. Rd2 a5 43. Ke6 (43. Kg6) ({ and} 43. Ke7 {were also winning. They have their distinctive tactical points; my suspicion is that this is the most efficient way to win.}) 43... Rxd7 44. Rxd7+ Ka6 45. f6 {Good enough to win, but it forced Caruana to burn a lot of clock and calculate like a maniac to prove it. After the game, Caruana said that "[i]t was the most difficult game I've played in a long time."} (45. Rd8 Rb5 46. Ra8+ Kb6 {Here too both sides will queen, but White's king has more breathing room and feels less pressure this time, with the Black rook impeded by its king.} 47. f6 b2 48. f7 b1=Q 49. f8=Q Qg6+ 50. Qf6 Qxf6+ 51. Kxf6 a4 52. f5 Ra5 53. Rxa5 Kxa5 54. Kg6 a3 55. f6 a2 56. f7 a1=Q 57. f8=Q $18) 45... b2 46. f7 b1=Q 47. f8=Q Qg6+ 48. Qf6 Qe8+ 49. Kd6 (49. Re7 $4 Rc6+ $1 50. Bxc6 Qxc6+ 51. Kf7 Qxf6+ 52. Kxf6 Nd5+ 53. Kf7 Nxe7 54. Kxe7 a4 55. f5 a3 56. f6 a2 57. f7 a1=Q 58. f8=Q Qe5+ 59. Kf7 Qxh2 $11) 49... Rc4 (49... Qe3 {has the sneaky threat of ...Nb5#. In her live commentary on the Judit Polgar spent a while trying to work out 50.Ra7+ (which may initially have been Jan Gustafsson's suggestion), but there's a much easier way to go:} 50. Re7 $1 { clears the d7 square for the king - with discovered check. This wins straight away.}) 50. Rc7 ({Funnily enough, this time} 50. Ra7+ $1 {may be the best move. } Kb6 (50... Kxa7 $2 51. Qg7+ Kb6 52. Qb7#) 51. Rb7+ Ka6 52. Rb3 $1 {White's king has no moves, but Black has no safe checks with the queen or the rook, while knight checks allow White's king to move with a winning discovered check. }) 50... Kb5 (50... Nb5+ {would win, were it not for the fact that} 51. Kd5+ { comes with a discovered check.}) 51. Qe5+ $1 Qxe5+ 52. fxe5 Rxc7 53. Kxc7 Kc5 54. e6 Nb5+ 55. Kd7 a4 56. e7 (56. e7 Nd6 57. Bd1 a3 58. Bb3 {finishes the battle. A great example of perseverance and professionalism by Caruana.}) 1-0