[Event "FIDE Grand Prix 2 Pool D"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.06"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Predke, Alexandr"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] {[%evp 0,115,31,21,13,8,13,8,17,3,0,6,3,1,7,2,29,10,-1,-14,-4,-14,-4,-11,-16, -3,4,-18,0,2,17,13,20,11,3,-12,0,3,-7,-39,-20,-118,-3,-24,-12,-11,-9,-29,-30, -15,-17,-15,-83,-56,-42,-56,-23,-43,-22,-12,-30,-30,-17,2,165,0,19,36,9,0,0,0, 0,0,0,9,9,0,0,8,12,3,5,15,7,10,6,6,7,15,23,21,41,18,17,15,32,26,42,16,75,56,67, 14,10,9,12,10,41,47,27,9,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. h3 h6 7. c3 d6 8. Re1 a5 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Bb5 Nd7 11. Nf1 f5 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Ng3 Bg6 14. d4 exd4 15. cxd4 Bb6 16. a3 Nf6 17. Kh2 $6 Nh5 18. Bd3 Nxg3 19. Bxg6 Nf5 20. Re4 $2 Qf6 $2 ({Here, Black has the opportunity to play} 20... d5 $1 21. Rg4 Nfxd4 22. Nxd4 Qd6+ $1 ({The move order matters; after} 22... Nxd4 23. Bxh6 Qd6+ 24. Kh1 Ne6 25. Be3 Bxe3 26. fxe3 {both sides have their shares of chances.}) 23. f4 Nxd4 {with a clear advantage for Black.} ) 21. Bxf5 Qxf5 22. Rg4 Rf6 23. Qb3+ Kh8 24. Rf4 Qg6 25. Nh4 Qh5 26. Rxf6 gxf6 27. Nf3 Nxd4 28. Nxd4 Qe5+ 29. g3 Bxd4 {Maybe Mamedyarov had assessed this as better for him, but White holds it together just fine.} 30. Be3 b6 31. Re1 Rf8 32. Qc2 f5 33. Qxc7 f4 34. Qe7 fxg3+ 35. fxg3 Qxe7 36. Bxd4+ Qg7 37. Bxg7+ Kxg7 38. Kg2 Rc8 39. Kf3 Kf6 40. Re3 Rc5 41. Ke4 Rh5 42. Rf3+ Ke6 43. g4 Rb5 44. b3 h5 45. Kf4 Kf6 46. h4 hxg4 47. Kxg4+ Kg7 48. Rd3 Kf7 49. Kf4 Rh5 50. Kg4 Rb5 51. Rf3+ Kg6 52. Re3 Kh6 53. Rd3 Kg7 54. h5 Kh7 55. Re3 Kh6 56. Re6+ Kh7 57. Re7+ Kh6 58. Re6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.06"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Yu Yangyi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C43"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. O-O (5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 { was played in Predke-Yu Yangyi in round two.}) 5... d5 6. dxe5 Bg4 (6... Be7 { is the main alternative.}) 7. Nc3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Bc5 ({Black can also consider} 8... Qd7 9. Re1 O-O-O 10. h3 Bh5 {with a sharp position and chances to both sides.}) 9. Re1 O-O ({Or} 9... Qd7 10. h3 Bh5 11. Be3 Bb6 {and White is, at best, slightly better.}) 10. h3 Bh5 11. Rb1 f6 12. e6 Qd6 13. Rxb7 ({The first new move but possibly not the best. In an \"oldish\" email game, White gained an advantage after} 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Rxe3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Ne5 16. Qh5 g6 { as seen in Buessing,O (2470)-Aleksandrov,V (2490) ICCF email 2007, and here} 17. Qh4 $1 {seems to offer White the better chances; the e6-pawn is not as easy for Black to get his hands on as it would appear at first glance.}) 13... Ne5 14. Be2 Qxe6 15. Rb5 Qd6 16. Nxe5 Bxe2 17. Qxe2 fxe5 18. Be3 $1 Bb6 19. Bxb6 axb6 {Black seems to have the much better pawn structure, but the black pawns are more difficult to hang on to than you would imagine.} 20. c4 $1 c6 ({ Or} 20... Rxa2 21. Rxd5 Qg6 22. Rd3 {with better chances for White.}) 21. Rxb6 Qc5 22. Rb7 e4 23. cxd5 $6 ({According to the computer, White's best chance consisted of playing the far from obvious} 23. c3 $1 {, keeping both the a2- and f2-pawns protected by the queen.}) 23... cxd5 24. c4 $1 {White maintains the initiative, but the slipping number of pieces left on the board makes it more and more difficult for White to do something with it if Black keeps an eye on his somewhat exposed king.} dxc4 25. Qc2 Rae8 26. Re3 Qd4 27. Rb4 Rc8 28. a4 Rfd8 29. Rb1 c3 30. Rc1 Rc4 31. a5 Rdc8 32. Rd1 Qc5 33. Rxe4 Rxe4 34. Qxe4 c2 35. Rc1 h6 {It seems certain that the players will end up with an endgame where White has an extra pawn on the kingside that will prove impossible to exploit. White will try to put himself in the best possible position to enter that situation, and Black will be careful not to do anything stupid.} 36. a6 Rc7 37. g3 Qc6 38. Qd3 Qc4 39. Qd2 Kh7 40. Kh2 Qxa6 41. Rxc2 Rxc2 42. Qxc2+ {This endgame should be a draw, but, of course, MVL must continue, just in case Black slips up.} Kh8 43. h4 Qf1 44. Qc8+ Kh7 45. Qf5+ Kg8 46. g4 Qc4 47. Kg3 Qc3+ 48. Kg2 Qc4 49. Kg3 Qc3+ 50. Qf3 Qc7+ 51. Qf4 Qc3+ 52. Qe3 Qc7+ 53. f4 Qf7 54. f5 Qc7+ 55. Kh3 Qd7 56. Qf3 Qd2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.06"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Shirov, Alexei"] [Black "Fedoseev, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B33"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Ne7 9. c4 Nf5 10. Bd3 g6 11. O-O a6 12. Nc3 Bg7 13. Bxf5 ({Was this Shirov's preparation $2 In a previous game by Fedoseev, White tried} 13. b3 O-O (13... e4 $4 14. Nxe4 Bxa1 15. Bg5 {wins for White}) 14. Ne4 Qc7 15. Ba3 Rd8 16. Rc1 b6 17. Re1 Nh6 18. Qd2 f5 19. Ng5 Ng4 20. b4 h6 21. Ne6 Bxe6 22. dxe6 Qe7 23. f3 Nf6 24. Qe3 Rab8 25. Bc2 Kh7 26. Bb3 Ne8 27. c5 d5 28. cxb6 d4 29. Qd3 Rxb6 30. Rc5 Nd6 31. Rcxe5 Bxe5 32. Rxe5 Nb5 33. Bc1 Nc7 34. Qd2 Qg7 35. e7 Re8 36. Re1 Rd6 37. b5 Nxb5 38. a4 Nc3 39. Ba3 Rb6 40. Bc2 Nd5 41. a5 Rb7 42. h4 Ne3 43. h5 gxh5 44. Rxe3 dxe3 45. Bxf5+ Kh8 46. Qxe3 Qf6 47. Be4 Rexe7 48. Bxe7 Rxe7 49. Qc5 h4 50. Bd3 h3 51. gxh3 Qa1+ 52. Bf1 Qe1 53. Qc8+ Re8 54. Qxa6 Qg3+ 55. Kh1 Qxf3+ 56. Kh2 Qf4+ 57. Kh1 Rg8 58. Qd3 Rg3 59. Qd8+ Rg8 60. Qd3 Rg3 61. Qd8+ Rg8 {1/2-1/2 (61) Inarkiev,E (2665)-Fedoseev,V (2672) Budva 2019}) 13... Bxf5 14. Be3 O-O ({The first new move; previously Black had played} 14... Rc8 15. Qa4+ Qd7 16. Qxd7+ (16. Rac1 $5 {improves}) 16... Bxd7 17. Ne4 Bf8 18. f4 f5 19. Nf6+ Ke7 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Nxd7 Kxd7 {with equal chances in Maghsoodloo, P (2695)-Fawzy,A (2488) Sharjah 2021.}) 15. Qb3 $2 ({Shirov goes wrong. White should have preferred} 15. Rc1 {with slightly better chances.}) 15... Bd3 $1 {A very strong move that makes it difficult for White to reach the type of position he would be angling for.} 16. Rfc1 ({Also} 16. Rfd1 { can be met by} e4 {with an advantage for Black.}) 16... e4 17. c5 f5 18. cxd6 f4 $6 ({Black would have an advantage after} 18... b5 19. Bc5 Rf7 $1 {when White would be struggling to hang on to his only trumps: his doubled, passed d-pawns, whereas Black would get ready to attack on the kingside.}) 19. Bb6 Qg5 $2 ({This looks logical and normal: the idea is to follow up with ...f4-f3 and try to checkmate White on the light squares. However, this proves to be a serious mistake; Black should have captured on d6:} 19... Qxd6 20. Bc7 Qxc7 21. Nxe4 Qxc1+ 22. Rxc1 Bxe4 23. Rc7 Rad8 24. d6+ {with a complex position and uneven material. The computer assesses this as about equal, but I would definitely prefer Black.}) 20. d7 $1 f3 21. d6+ ({Or} 21. g3 {immediately.}) 21... Kh8 22. g3 Qf5 ({If} 22... e3 {then} 23. Nd5 exf2+ 24. Bxf2 Bf5 25. Rc7 Be6 26. Rd1 {would give White a large advantage.}) 23. Nd5 Qh3 24. Ne3 Qxd7 25. Rc7 Qxd6 26. Rac1 Rg8 27. Ba5 Bb5 28. Rxb7 Rac8 29. Rc2 $4 ({White throws his advantage away. After} 29. Rxc8 Rxc8 30. Bc3 {White would be in the position reached in the game after move 32 but without Black having any chances to change the direction of the game.}) 29... Rxc2 30. Qxc2 Rd8 $4 ({Black blunders back. After} 30... Qc6 31. Qxc6 Bxc6 32. Rc7 Bb5 33. b3 Bd4 34. Bc3 { White would have a slight advantage in the endgame.}) 31. Qb3 $2 ({Another mistake. It is necessary to play} 31. Bxd8 Qxd8 32. Qxe4 Qd6 33. Rb6 $1 Qd8 ( 33... Qxb6 34. Qa8+ {and White checkmates.}) 34. Re6 {and White is winning.}) 31... Rc8 $2 ({Here} 31... Rd7 32. Bb4 Qe5 33. Bc3 Qd6 {is necessary with plenty of play left in the game, even if White has the better chances.}) 32. Bc3 $1 ({Black resigned as} 32. Bc3 $1 Bxc3 {will be met with} 33. Qf7 $1 { ending the game.}) 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.03.06"] [Round "5"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C02"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {[%evp 0,122,20,12,43,40,36,1,-1,10,4,1,-2,29,39,36,57,48,43,42,57,30,25,21,24, 35,24,32,51,48,38,31,38,38,26,-15,0,0,-23,0,20,10,-4,3,-5,-9,0,0,0,0,-22,-45, -24,-101,-43,-108,-112,-121,-125,-106,-70,-122,-108,-121,-100,-117,-137,-140, -137,-188,-197,-222,-131,-175,-137,-213,-227,-226,-237,-238,-241,-248,-274, -253,-244,-253,-338,-387,-355,-439,-451,-461,-251,-255,-292,-295,-337,-344, -272,-284,-317,-325,-316,-343,-313,-327,-299,-329,-336,-350,-363,-364,-409, -417,-421,-448,-456,-478,-488,-527,-547,-547,-557,-557,-557]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 {The Advanced French visits the top-GM level tournaments nowadays mainly thanks to the efforts of Grischuk.} c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 {Rapport tries a sound positional idea that, however, requires perfect timing as Black will be seriously lagging in development.} 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bb5 8. Bxb5+ ({White may also allow a chance to the opponent to capture with:} 8. O-O Bxe2 9. Qxe2 Nc6 10. Nc3 Nge7 11. Qd3 Rc8 12. Rd1 h6 13. Bd2 Ng6 14. h4 Bb4 {as in the recent game Grandelius,$146 (2663)-Harikrishna,P (2732) Wijk aan Zee 2021}) 8... Qxb5 9. Nc3 Qa6 {As a result of his operation, Black managed to get rid of his \"poor\" bishop but at the expense of his pieces being stuck on the back rank. The nature of the position is indeed closed, but this does not mean that Vidit will not try to make use of the time factor.} 10. a4 {Nc3-b5 is a concrete threat; therefore} Bb4 11. Bd2 Bxc3 12. Bxc3 Ne7 13. b4 $1 {Black should be tortured; otherwise, he will catch up with the development, and his position would be sound.} (13. Qe2 {to offer an endgame would be a concession, as White will part with his hopes for an edge.}) 13... Qc4 $146 {A novelty, and a very risky move. The queen is moving bravely closer to the opponent's pieces, provoking weaknesses.} ({The predecessor ended peacefully after:} 13... O-O 14. b5 Qb6 15. Qd3 h6 16. Bb4 Re8 17. h4 a6 18. Qa3 Ng6 19. Bc5 Qa5+ 20. Bb4 Qb6 21. Bc5 Qa5+ 22. Bb4 {1/2-1/2 (22) Tkac,P-Hagara,V (1967) Tatranske Matliare 2008}) (13... Qc6 {is best, according to the engine, but looks way too passive to be good.}) 14. Rc1 Nbc6 {This, on the other hand, might have ended badly for the Hungarian GM} ({Safer is} 14... Nd7 15. Nd2 ({Or} 15. Bd2 Qd3) 15... Qd3 16. h4 O-O 17. Rh3 Qf5 {when the queen has enough room on the kingside.}) 15. Bd2 {The most natural move does not pose that many problems $1} ({Strong is the other attack} 15. Nd2 $1 Qd3 16. b5 $1 {A key difference. Now after} Nd8 17. h4 $1 {the rook is again entering the battle but has strong support from the other side and} O-O 18. Rh3 Qf5 (18... Qg6 19. Kf1 {followed by the same maneuver.}) 19. Bb4 $1 {adds more fuel to White's initiative, and he is much better.}) 15... Qd3 16. Qe2 Qa3 $1 {The right decision is to continue playing cat-and-mouse with the enemy pieces.} ({Black is correctly rejecting} 16... Qxe2+ 17. Kxe2 Nf5 18. Kd3 {when White has the better endgame. }) 17. O-O {Now Black finally consolidates, and everything starts to make perfect sense for him.} ({Stronger is the active} 17. b5 Na5 18. Rc7 $1 { Then after} ({Or even} 18. O-O $1 Qxa4 19. Rc7) 18... Nc4 19. O-O Kd8 20. Rxb7 Kc8 {Black would trap the enemy rook, but White should have enough compensation for it with} 21. Rxe7 Qxe7 22. Rb1) 17... Nf5 18. Bc3 Rc8 $1 { Now the opening experiment works more than well for Rapport. He starts creating threats on his own, and in the long run the white bishop might become a liability.} 19. g4 {One more weakening, but what else $2} (19. Rfd1 {does not save anything} Ncxd4) 19... Nfe7 $1 {Same policy, play for a win $1} ({ The alternative} 19... Ncxd4 20. Bxd4 Rxc1 21. gxf5 Rxf1+ 22. Kxf1 Qxb4 { would lead to a messy situation.}) 20. Bd2 ({Perhaps the solid} 20. Rc2 { is somewhat better, to which Black needs to continue as in the game with} Qb3 ( {since the pawn capture} 20... Qxa4 21. Ra1 Qb3 22. Rcc1 Qc4 23. Qxc4 dxc4 24. b5 {is comfortable for Black.}) 21. Rfc1 h5) 20... h5 $1 {Black destroys the enemy defenses.} ({Not yet} 20... Qxa4 21. Ra1) 21. gxh5 ({After} 21. h3 Qxa4 22. Ra1 Qc2 23. Rfc1 Qg6 {the queen retreats with a crucial tempo.}) 21... Qxa4 22. Ra1 Qc2 23. b5 {Vidit knows that things have gone wrong for him and looks for active counterplay.} Nd8 24. Rfc1 Qf5 25. Rxc8 ({A somewhat better alternative is} 25. Nh4 Qxh5 26. Qxh5 Rxc1+ 27. Bxc1 Rxh5 28. Nf3 {which only speaks how bad White's position actually is.}) 25... Nxc8 26. Rc1 Ne7 {A slip in the approaching time scramble.} ({Safer is} 26... Nb6 27. Rc7 Rxh5) 27. Rc7 ({For now Vidit missed a golden chance to at least get rid of the powerful black knight with} 27. Bb4 $1 Rxh5 28. Bxe7 Kxe7 29. Qe3) 27... Rxh5 28. Bb4 Ng6 {Phew, just in time $1 Black is dominating, although some accuracy is still required.} 29. b6 $1 {A practical shot.} Qb1+ {But Black is careful.} ({ But not} 29... axb6 30. Qb5+ Nc6 31. Rxc6 $1 {and it is White who is mating.}) 30. Qe1 ({A better chance is} 30. Qf1 $5 Qxf1+ 31. Kxf1 axb6 32. h4) 30... Qxe1+ 31. Nxe1 axb6 32. Nc2 {Vidit hopes to transfer his knight all the way to the d6-square, but that would not happen.} Rh3 $1 33. Bd6 ({If} 33. Na3 Nc6 34. Bd6 Nxd4 {wins for Black.}) 33... Nc6 34. Rxb7 {The next moves were played in severe mutual time trouble. Vidit did not want to repeat moves and let his opponent reach move 40 easily.} ({However} 34. Rc8+ $1 {is mandatory when} Nd8 35. Rc7 {forces Black to try something different, like} Rh4 ({Or} 35... Rd3 { with excellent winning chances in either line.})) 34... Rc3 35. Ne3 Nh4 { Good enough for the win.} ({Although} 35... Rc1+ $1 36. Kg2 Nf4+ 37. Kg3 Rg1+ $1 38. Kxf4 g5+ 39. Kf3 Nxd4# {would be even faster.}) 36. Kf1 Rb3 37. Nc2 Rb2 38. Na3 Nf5 {Rapport consolidates and wins the key game in the group.} 39. Bc5 Nfxd4 40. h4 ({Nothing changes} 40. Rxb6 Rxb6 41. Bxb6 Nf3) 40... Nf5 41. Bd6 Rb3 42. Nc2 d4 43. Ke1 Nxh4 44. f4 Nf3+ 45. Kf2 Nfxe5 {Many roads lead to Rome, but the Hungarian GM chooses the most practical one, the one that deprives his opponent even the slightest chance.} (45... d3 {is a win as well.}) 46. fxe5 Rb2 47. Kf3 Rxc2 48. Rxb6 Rc3+ 49. Kf4 f6 50. exf6 gxf6 51. Rb7 Rc4 52. Ba3 Ra4 53. Bc1 Ra7 54. Rb6 Kd7 55. Ke4 f5+ 56. Kd3 e5 57. Kc4 Kd6 58. Bd2 Ra2 59. Bb4+ Kc7 60. Bc5 Rc2+ 61. Kd5 Ne7+ {PLAY CHESS, NOT WAR.} 0-1 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.06"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] {[%evp 0,62,27,27,27,0,6,6,6,6,16,-31,-26,-8,-7,-18,-8,1,31,0,50,26,36,20,27, 32,29,29,33,33,29,30,33,31,51,46,26,22,27,-11,-28,-44,20,-7,-10,-4,-16,-16,-26, -22,-42,-30,-26,-37,-4,-10,-8,-13,-5,-2,-10,0,0,1,-3]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 Re8 8. Bd2 Bf8 9. a3 a6 10. Rd1 b6 11. Bd3 Bb7 12. O-O h6 13. Bc1 Na5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. b4 Nc6 16. Bb2 Nb8 17. Ne5 c5 18. bxc5 ({Giri had the interesting} 18. Nxf7 $5 {available, when} Kxf7 19. dxc5 Nbd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. e4 {gives White enough for the sacrificed material, but this is not how you play when a draw is likely a satisfactory result.}) 18... bxc5 19. Ne2 $2 ({This is an odd move, forcing Black to make a move he would possibly play anyway. Better options are} 19. Bf5) ({and} 19. Rb1 {.}) 19... c4 20. Bf5 Bc8 21. Nc3 {Giri decided that his knight did not belong on e2, but he has just lost two tempi and Black has a comfortable advantage.} Ra7 22. Bxc8 Qxc8 23. e4 $5 {Objectively speaking, this is not the best move, but Giri clearly was not happy with the direction of the game and the prospects he would face if the pawn structure remained static. With an uneven pawn structure, Giri seemed to think that his chances of equalizing would be better.} dxe4 24. Rfe1 $2 (24. Na4 Rc7 25. Bc3) 24... Nbd7 $6 ({Black should have played} 24... Rc7 25. Nxe4 Nxe4 26. Rxe4 c3 27. Bc1 Nd7 28. h3 Nf6 29. Re2 Nd5 {and Black would have a large advantage: the knight on d5 is overwhelmingly strong, perfectly supporting the passed pawn on c3.}) 25. Nxe4 Nxe4 26. Rxe4 Nf6 27. Ree1 Rc7 28. Bc3 Bxa3 $2 ({Harikrishna throws the remainder of his advantage away. The better option is} 28... Qa8 {to gain access to the d5-square and command the a8-h1 diagonal as well as allow his pieces to reorganize. If White continues as in the game with} 29. Ba5 {then} Rcc8 {when the pawn on c4 is untouchable.}) 29. Ba5 Rce7 30. Nxc4 Rxe1+ 31. Bxe1 Bf8 {and draw agreed.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.06"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C90"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 d6 7. c3 O-O 8. Re1 Re8 9. Nbd2 Bf8 10. Nf1 b5 11. Bb3 h6 12. Ng3 Ne7 13. a4 Bb7 14. c4 $2 ({ This is definitely wrong and also entirely against the spirit of the position. White's best is} 14. d4 $5 Ng6 15. Bc2 {gives White an edge.}) 14... b4 15. c5 ({White has to play aggressively to avoid a passive position with counterplay. If} 15. a5 {then} c5 16. Ba4 Nc6 17. Nf5 Kh7 {would offer a comfortable edge for Black.}) 15... Ng6 $6 ({Black appears able to improve with} 15... Nc6 16. cxd6 cxd6 17. d4 exd4 18. Nxd4 Rc8 {when Black has no problems at all.}) 16. cxd6 cxd6 17. a5 d5 $5 18. Bd2 $6 ({This type of bishop move is quite normal in such positions, but the computer instead suggests the interesting} 18. h4 $5 {but} dxe4 19. dxe4 Qxd1 20. Rxd1 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Bxe4 22. Rd7 Be7 {with equal chances that seem to solve Black's problems. However, after the text move, Black is entirely without problems.}) 18... Rc8 19. h3 Bc5 20. Ba4 Re6 ({ A draw offer; if Black intends to play for a win, then} 20... Re7 {is the way to go.}) 21. Bb3 Re8 22. Ba4 Re6 23. Bb3 Re8 {and draw by repetition.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.06"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Shankland, Sam"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] {[%evp 0,47,18,27,27,-15,-2,6,15,-3,-3,18,18,27,30,31,28,16,48,11,17,18,24,24, 17,-7,2,2,2,0,-13,-9,-1,-1,-10,0,-11,-7,0,-19,-8,-8,0,0,0,-8,0,0,0,-8]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 a6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bg5 Be6 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 h6 9. Bh4 Bd6 10. Bg3 $6 ({In my opinion, this is not the critical line, but, in fact, something that Andreikin had faced a few times before. More problematic for Black is} 10. O-O O-O 11. Rc1 c6 12. h3 ({or} 12. Nd2 Qe7 13. Re1 {with an edge for White}) 12... Re8 13. Ne2 Qb6 14. Qc2 Ne4 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Nd2 Bd5 17. Nc3 {and White had a comfortable advantage in Grischuk,A (2754)-Carlsen,M (2857) Chess.com INT 2016.}) 10... Bxg3 11. hxg3 O-O ({In Andreikin's earlier games, he opted for} 11... c6 12. Qc2 ({Another game saw} 12. O-O Bg4 13. Rc1 ( 13. Qb3 $5 Rb8 14. Qa3 {with an edge for White, a possible improvement.}) 13... O-O 14. Na4 Ne4 15. Qc2 Re8 16. Nc5 Nexc5 17. dxc5 {was seen in Brunner, $146 (2428)-Andreikin,D (2726) chess.com INT 2020, and now} h5 {would give Black a pleasant initiative.}) 12... Qe7 13. O-O O-O 14. Rfe1 Qd6 15. Rab1 Bg4 16. b4 Rfe8 (16... b5 $5 {is worth considering}) 17. Na4 Re7 18. Nc5 Qc7 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. a4 {and White had the upper hand and eventually converted, Lopez Martinez, J (2580)-Andreikin,D (2719) Sitges 2018.}) 12. Ne2 ({Not a terribly ambitious move. Another try is} 12. Qc2 Re8 13. O-O c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Rfd1 Rc8 16. Rac1 Qb6 17. Nd4 Bg4 {with more or less equal chances in Bu Xiangzhi (2730) -Fedoseev,V (2718) Riadh 2017.}) 12... c5 13. dxc5 Qa5+ 14. Qd2 Qxd2+ 15. Nxd2 Nxc5 {Black has equalized.} 16. Bc2 Rfc8 17. f3 Rc7 (17... Nfd7 $5 {intending . ..Ne5 seems like a clean path to equality.}) 18. Nd4 Rac8 19. Ke2 Bd7 20. Bd3 Ba4 ({The computer indicates} 20... Nxd3 {as best, for instance,} 21. Kxd3 Bb5+ 22. Nxb5 axb5 23. Rh4 Nd7 24. Rb4 Ne5+ {with equality, but I can understand why Andreikin opted for the text move, keeping more pieces on the board and tacitly inviting White to a repetition of moves.}) 21. Bf5 {White notices the draw offer...} Bd7 22. Bd3 Ba4 23. Bf5 Bd7 24. Bd3 1/2-1/2