[Event "WCh 2024"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Gukesh, Dommaraju"] [Site "Singapore SIN"] [Round "12.1"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "2024.12.09"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2783"] [PlyCount "77"] [GameId "2120949935127702"] [EventDate "2024.11.25"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 (4. d4 {turns the game into a Catalan, which hasn't offered White much in general or in this match (in game 9) in particular.}) 4... d4 5. O-O Nc6 {Gukesh's compatriot Erigaisi played this way three times in 2023. Is there a connection?} (5... c5 {is considerably more popular, inviting transposition to a sort of reversed Modern Benoni after} 6. e3 Nc6 7. exd4 cxd4 {.}) 6. e3 (6. d3 {is the most common move, and the one chosen in the Erigaisi games.} Bc5 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Nb3 Be7 9. e3 {By far the most common move.} dxe3 10. Bxe3 Ng4 11. Bc5 Bxc5 12. Nxc5 b6 {is a typical line, and now almost any knight move - by either knight - is possible.}) 6... Be7 ({The more active} 6... e5 {is usual. Even though Black is two tempi down on a White opening (with reversed colors), it may still be equal after} 7. exd4 e4 8. d5 exf3 9. Qxf3 Ne5 10. Re1 Qe7 11. Qd1 Bg4 12. f3 Bxf3 13. Qa4+ Kd8 14. d4 {, which looks scary. The engine insists that Black is fine, but in practice things have gone well for White.} Bxg2 (14... Nfg4 $5) 15. Rxe5 Qd7 16. Qxd7+ Nxd7 17. Kxg2 Nxe5 18. dxe5 $44 {Which do you prefer, the material or the big center?}) 7. d3 ({White generally plays} 7. exd4 Nxd4 {followed by d3, Nc3, and Be3.}) 7... dxe3 (7... O-O) ({and} 7... e5 {are important alternatives.}) 8. Bxe3 e5 9. Nc3 (9. a3 $5) 9... O-O 10. Re1 (10. a3 $5) 10... h6 $146 {Ding felt this was too slow. I'm not sure he's right, but} (10... Be6 {is a reasonable alternative.}) 11. a3 $1 ({Ding considered this direct approach carefully, but when he couldn't find anything he switched to slower ideas.} 11. d4 exd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 c6 14. Qxd8 Bxd8 (14... Rxd8 $2 15. Bxh6 $16) 15. Bc5 Re8 16. Rxe8+ Nxe8 $11 {"is just nothing for White. The position is too simple", and he added that the bishop on g2 is restricted by Black's c-pawn.}) 11... a5 {Preventing White's queenside expansion, but White's knight may be able to use the b5 square.} (11... Re8 12. b4 Bf8 {is a reasonable alternative, but White remains slightly more comfortable in any case.}) 12. h3 {Usefully cutting out any ...Ng4 ideas.} (12. d4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 {is possible, but Ding may have feared that such a direct approach could lead to early trades and a drawish position. It's possible that this assessement was unduly pessimistic, as} c6 15. c5 {followed by Qa4 and Rad1 keeps plenty of pieces on the board. It is true that the position is conceptually simpler, though, so his general concern is well-motivated.}) 12... Be6 13. Kh2 Rb8 $6 {A bit of unnecessary hyper-prophylaxis against Bxb7 somewhere.} (13... Re8 $1 $11 {was probably best. The move will be useful no matter how the center gets transformed - whether White plays d4 and Black plays exd4, whether the status quo remains and the e5-pawn comes under fire, or whether Black plays ...Nd4 at some point and the e-file is opened.}) 14. Qc2 (14. Nb5 Re8 15. Qc2 {was suggested as a better move order by Ding, to prevent the possibility Black had in the game to play 14...Nd4.}) 14... Re8 (14... Nd4 15. Bxd4 exd4 16. Ne4 (16. Nb5 $142 c5 17. Re2 (17. Rxe6 $5) 17... Re8 18. Rae1 Bf8 19. Qd2 $14) 16... Nxe4 17. Rxe4 c5 18. Rae1 $11 {may be slightly easier to play for White, according to Ding, but since he immediately added that perhaps he should have played 14.Nb5 to stop ...Nd4, it would seem that he wasn't overly enamored by this position.}) 15. Nb5 Bf5 16. Rad1 Nd7 $6 {With the idea of either ...Nc5 or ...Bf6. This came as a surprise to Ding.} ({The prophylactic} 16... Bf8 {is a good, typical alternative.}) 17. Qd2 $1 $14 {/? Only after this move did Gukesh start to feel uncomfortable.} (17. Qc3 Bf6 18. d4 exd4 19. Nfxd4 Bg6 {also seems better for White (Ding). White does have an edge after 20.b4 or 20.c5, but his 17.Qd2 was best.}) 17... Bg6 $6 (17... Nc5 {was a critical move. After the forced} 18. d4 Nd3 19. d5 $1 Nxe1 20. Qxe1 Nd4 21. Nfxd4 exd4 22. Nxd4 $16 {White will pick up the a-pawn after the f5-bishop moves (or is defended), with two pawns and a beautiful position for the exchange. The only good thing to be said about this position, from Black's point of view, is that beats the available alternatives.}) 18. d4 $16 e4 (18... exd4 $2 {was apparently Gukesh's original intention when he played 17...Bg6, seeing too late that White could play} 19. Bf4 $1 $18) 19. Ng1 Nb6 (19... Bf8 $142 20. Bf4 Rc8 21. f3 Nf6 22. Nc3 $1 exf3 23. Rxe8 Qxe8 24. Nxf3 $16) 20. Qc3 Bf6 $6 (20... Bg5 $2 21. Bxg5 hxg5 22. d5 Ne5 23. d6 $18) (20... f5 $1 {is ugly but perhaps best.} 21. f3 $16) 21. Qc2 $18 a4 {Ding was happy to see this, as the idea of ...Na5 isn't a problem here - he can always meet it with c4-c5. That said, there doesn't seem to be anything better.} (21... Ne7 22. d5 $18) 22. Ne2 Bg5 (22... Na5 23. c5 Nbc4 24. Nf4 Bf5 25. Bf1 c6 (25... Nxe3 26. fxe3 $18 {White will collect the a-pawn.}) 26. Bxc4 Nxc4 27. Qxc4 cxb5 28. Qxb5 $18) 23. Nf4 $1 Bxf4 (23... Bf5 24. c5 Nd7 25. Qxa4 $18) 24. Bxf4 Rc8 (24... e3 {is no problem.} 25. Qc3 exf2 26. Rf1 $18 {Don't forget about White's threat to take on c7.}) 25. Qc3 Nb8 26. d5 {A good move, but the "reason" Ding rejected the chance to win the exchange with 26.Na7 is that he didn't see it(!).} Qd7 (26... Na6 27. d6 c6 28. Nc7 $1 Nxc7 29. dxc7 Qe7 30. Rd4 f5 31. Qa5 Nd7 32. Red1 $1 Qc5 ({Black can't go after the c-pawn with} 32... Ne5 {as White will liquidate almost everything and then win with the c-pawn:} 33. Qxe5 Qxe5 34. Bxe5 Rxe5 35. Rd8+ Re8 36. Rxc8 Rxc8 37. Rd8+ $18) 33. Qb4 $1 $18 {with a completely dominating position. The only remaining obstacle is the e4-f5 pawn duo, which White can break up with a well-timed g4.}) 27. d6 c5 28. Nc7 Rf8 29. Bxe4 {Black could already resign here, but not in a World Championship.} Nc6 (29... Bxe4 30. Rxe4 Nc6 {would have let Ding finish in style:} 31. Bxh6 $1 f6 (31... f5 $2 32. Re7 $1) 32. Bxg7 $1 Kxg7 33. Ne6+ $18 {"is crushing" - Ding. A nice, accurate line!}) 30. Bg2 Rcd8 31. Nd5 Nxd5 32. cxd5 Nb8 33. Qxc5 Rc8 34. Qd4 Na6 35. Re7 Qb5 36. d7 Rc4 37. Qe3 ({"For the memes", but also best:} 37. Qxc4 $1 Qxc4 38. Re8 $18) 37... Rc2 38. Bd6 f6 {Preventing ...Re8, but also losing immediately.} 39. Rxg7+ $1 (39. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 (39... Kh8 40. Qxh6+ Bh7 41. Qxh7#) 40. Bxf8+ Kxf8 41. d8=Q+ $18) 1-0