[Event "83rd Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2021.01.21"] [Round "5"] [White "Grandelius, Nils"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B97"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2021.01.15"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 (7... h6 8. Bh4 Qb6 {is another, very popular version of the Poisoned Pawn, one which has also been chosen by MVL. One important difference is that while White can play 9.Qd2 here, he can also avoid sacrificing the b-pawn with} 9. a3 {, as 9...Qxb2?? 10.Na4 traps the queen. Play generally goes like this:} Be7 10. Bf2 Qc7 11. Qf3 Nbd7 12. O-O-O b5 13. g4 {and now Black almost always chooses between 13...Bb7 and 13...g5. (Najdorf fans will be shocked to discover that hundreds of games have gone like this.)}) 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 {This has been making a comeback.} (10. e5 {was the main move back in the '50s, and after a decade or so it was supplanted by 10.f5, until the '00s 10.e5 came raging back. 10.e5 hasn't disappeared, but we may have entered a new era for the f-pawn push.}) 10... Be7 {Not new, but less explored than 10... Nc6.} (10... Nc6 {was the traditional move, and it still seems to be Black's main choice. Here (compare the note on move 7) there are not just hundreds of games, but thousands.}) 11. fxe6 Bxe6 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. Bc4 Nbd7 14. Bxe6 Nc5 { After a forced sequence, White has a choice. The bishop must retreat, and f5, b3, and c4 are all reasonable options that have been chosen.} 15. Bb3 {Unlike 15.Bf5 and 15.Bc4, this move had never been played in a grandmaster game. In fact, it's never been played in *any* over the board game until this one. It had been played in eight correspondence games, and excepting one where Black went for the odd - and bad - 15...0-0-0, Black drew every one of them.} (15. Bf5 g6 16. Bh3 Ncxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Qd4 Qc3+ 19. Qxc3 Nxc3 20. Bxe7 Kxe7 21. Rxb7+ (21. Rb3 Ne4 22. Rxb7+ Kf6 23. O-O+ Kg5 24. g3 Rab8 25. Ra7 Rb2 26. Bg2 d5 27. h4+ Kg4 28. Kh2 Nxg3 29. Bh3+ Kxh4 30. Rf4+ Kg5 31. Kxg3 Rxa2 32. Rg4+ Kh6 33. Rc7 Ra3+ 34. c3 Re8 35. Rh4+ Kg5 36. Rg4+ Kh6 37. Kf3 Re1 38. Rh4+ Kg5 39. Rg4+ Kh6 40. Rh4+ Kg5 41. Rd4 Re5 42. Rc5 h5 43. Bd7 h4 44. Bc6 Rf5+ 45. Ke3 h3 46. Rdxd5 h2 47. Rxf5+ gxf5 48. Be4 Kh4 49. Bf3 Kg3 50. Rc8 f4+ 51. Ke4 Ra4+ 52. c4 Ra3 53. Rg8+ Kh4 54. Rh8+ Kg3 55. Rg8+ Kh4 56. Bh1 Ra1 57. Rh8+ Kg3 58. Rg8+ Kh4 59. Bg2 Ra2 60. Kf3 Rc2 61. Rg4+ Kh5 62. Rxf4 Rc1 63. Ke3 Kg5 64. Re4 Rg1 65. Kf3 Rf1+ 66. Ke2 Rg1 67. Kf2 h1=Q 68. Bxh1 Rxh1 69. Re5+ Kf6 70. Ra5 {1/2-1/2 (70) Wei,Y (2736)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2773) Moscow 2019}) 21... Kf6 22. O-O+ Kg5 23. g3 Rab8 24. Rc7 Nd5 25. Ra7 Ne3 26. Rc1 Rb6 27. Re7 Nd5 28. Ra7 h5 29. Be6 Nc3 30. h4+ Kh6 31. Rf1 d5 32. Re7 Rh7 33. Re8 Rb2 34. Bg8 Rg7 35. Rd8 Ne4 36. Bxd5 Nxg3 37. Rh8+ Rh7 38. Rxh7+ Kxh7 39. Rf7+ Kh6 40. Bb3 Nf5 41. Ra7 Nxh4 42. Rxa6 Nf3+ 43. Kf2 Nd4 44. Kg3 Nxb3 45. cxb3 Kg5 46. Ra5+ Kf6 { 1/2-1/2 (46) Wei,Y (2721)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2774) chess.com INT 2019}) (15. Bc4 b5 (15... Ncxe4 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Bf7+ Kxf7 18. Qd5+ Ke8 19. Qxe4 Qa5+ 20. Kd1 Qxg5 21. Rxb7 Rf8 22. Re1 Rf7 23. Rxe7+ Rxe7 24. Qxa8+ Kf7 25. Rf1+ Kg6 26. Qxa6 Qe5 27. Qd3+ Kh6 28. c3 Qxh2 29. Qd2+ Kg6 30. Rf4 Re6 31. Qc2+ Kh6 32. Qf2 Qh5+ 33. Kd2 Qd5+ 34. Kc1 g6 35. a4 Qe5 36. Kc2 g5 37. Rd4 Kg6 38. Qf3 h5 39. Rd5 Qe2+ 40. Qxe2 Rxe2+ 41. Rd2 Re6 42. a5 h4 43. Kb3 g4 44. Kb4 Re1 45. Ra2 Rb1+ 46. Kc4 h3 47. gxh3 gxh3 48. a6 Rb8 49. Kd5 Ra8 50. Kxd6 h2 51. Rxh2 Rxa6+ 52. Kd5 Kf7 53. Re2 Ra8 54. c4 Rd8+ 55. Kc6 Rc8+ 56. Kb5 Rb8+ 57. Ka6 Rc8 58. Re4 Kf6 59. Kb7 Kf5 60. Rd4 {1-0 (60) Caruana,F (2819)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2779) Stavanger 2019}) 16. O-O bxc4 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Qxd6 Qxc3 19. e5 Qe3+ 20. Kh1 Ne4 21. Qc6+ Kf7 22. exf6 gxf6 23. Qd7+ Kf8 24. g3 Nf2+ 25. Kg2 Ne4 26. Rb7 Qd2+ 27. Qxd2 Nxd2 28. Rxf6+ Kg8 29. Rff7 h5 30. Rg7+ Kf8 31. Rgf7+ Kg8 32. Rg7+ Kf8 33. Rgf7+ {1/2-1/2 (33) Radjabov,T (2759)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2775) Dortmund 2019}) 15... Rc8 16. O-O Nxb3 17. Rxb3 Qc5+ 18. Be3 Qc4 19. Rf4 { We're still following five of the seven correspondence games. Here, Black has a draw for the asking with 19...Nh5, and after the rook retreats along the f-file, Black plays ...Nf6 once again. It isn't quite as simple as that, of course, but it is the right move - and indeed, the only right move. I don't know the explanation of MVL's move now: it's a novelty, but it can't be preparation as it's just terrible - the computer hates it, and the problem isn't even that complicated. Since MVL chose the variation, it's at least somewhat surprising that he didn't know about 19...Nh5. Maybe he wanted to avoid a draw at almost all costs? Maybe...but Grandelius is 2663 and a co-leader in the tournament, and this is a classical time control game. Whatever the case, 19...Qe6 is a big mistake, a novelty that should not be repeated.} Qe6 $4 {Two question marks may be half a mark too many, but it loses a pawn for nothing in a position where practice showed that Black enjoyed a full and easy equality.} (19... Nh5 20. Rf1 (20. Rf3 Nf6 21. Rxb7 ( 21. a4 O-O 22. Rxb7 Qxc3 23. Qxc3 Rxc3 24. Rxe7 Rxc2 25. Bf4 d5 26. Be5 dxe4 27. Rc3 Rxc3 28. Bxc3 Rf7 29. Bxf6 Rxf6 {1/2-1/2 (29) Khmelevskih,A-Churakova, N ICCF email 2014}) 21... Qxc3 {1/2-1/2 (21) Muller,H (2052)-Boehme,S (2288) LSS email 2011}) (20. Rf2 Nf6 21. Bd4 b5 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Nd5 Bd4 24. Ne3 Qc5 25. Rf5 Be5 26. Qf2 g6 27. Rf3 Bd4 28. h3 Rc7 29. Rd3 {1/2-1/2 (29) Beveridge, C-Kjeldsen,K (1656) ICCF email 2012}) 20... Rf8 21. Re1 b5 22. Nd5 Qxc2 23. Qd4 Nf6 24. Qa7 Nxd5 25. exd5 Rc7 26. Qxa6 Kf7 27. h3 Kg8 28. Rc1 Qxc1+ 29. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 30. Kh2 Bf6 31. Re3 Bd4 32. Qxd6 Bxe3 33. Qe6+ Kh8 34. Qxe3 Rc7 35. d6 Rd7 36. Qe5 Rfd8 37. Qxb5 Rxd6 38. Qb7 Rf6 39. a4 Rff8 40. h4 Rd4 41. Qe7 Ra8 42. a5 Ra4 43. h5 R4xa5 44. Qf7 h6 45. Kh3 R5a7 46. Qe6 Ra1 {1/2-1/2 (48) Rothman,I (2158)-Pessoa,F (2525) ICCF email 2010}) 20. Rxb7 $18 O-O 21. h3 $1 { White is up a pawn with more active pieces and no obvious weaknesses. He's winning.} Rb8 22. Ra7 $1 {It's not a big deal, but it's a smart finesse. Black can trade rooks, but he'll end up with a rook on a8, doing nothing, rather than on the open b-file.} Ra8 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Nd5 $2 (24. Qd3 $1 {first was the right way.} Rc8 (24... Rb8 25. Qxa6 {is the point.}) 25. Nd5 $18) 24... Rb8 $1 25. c4 (25. Qd4 $142 $16) 25... Bd8 $2 (25... Nxd5 26. exd5 Qg6 $14 {/+/-}) 26. Qf2 (26. Qd3 $142 $18) 26... Nd7 (26... Qe8 $142) 27. Bd4 $18 Bg5 28. Rf5 Bh6 29. Kh2 Rc8 30. Qg3 {The wolves are at the door.} g6 (30... Rxc4 $4 { leaves Black with a bad case of LPDO - loose pieces drop off.} 31. Qb3 $1 { is crushing; the rook can't move because 32.Ne7+ followed 33.Qxe6 nets the queen.}) (30... Rf8 {was better, if ultimately unsatisfactory:} 31. Rxf8+ Nxf8 32. e5 dxe5 33. Qxe5 Qxe5+ 34. Bxe5 Nd7 35. Bd6 $18 {White's c-pawn will win the game, either by winning a piece or by tying Black down while White collects material elsewhere.}) 31. Qh4 {Threatening the bishop and a fork on e7.} Bf8 32. Rf6 $1 {Not necessary, but best and very pretty.} Qe8 (32... Nxf6 33. Nxf6+ Kf7 34. Qxh7+ Bg7 35. Ng4 $18 {wins - 35...Rg8 36.Nh6+.}) 33. Rxf8+ $1 Qxf8 (33... Nxf8 34. Ne7+ (34. Nf6+) 34... Qxe7 (34... Kf7 35. Qf6#) 35. Qxe7 $18) (33... Kxf8 34. Qh6+ Kf7 35. Qg7+ Ke6 36. Nf4#) 34. Ne7+ Kf7 35. Nxc8 (35. Nxc8 Qxc8 36. Qxh7+ Ke6 37. Qxg6+ {leaves White three pawns up with an attack and - if nothing else - an eager h-pawn.}) 1-0