[Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,88,58,22,22,28,28,11,25,15,22,14,12,18,14,5,4,-5,32,19,54,-6,-3,28,-5, 0,19,25,17,16,34,14,14,8,23,9,-1,6,4,7,14,15,25,-14,-19,-8,-12,-5,-10,-25,-12, 10,14,0,0,-22,-25,-13,-27,-27,33,20,26,22,39,43,50,50,51,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0, 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O Bd6 {Black has several moves that are approximately equal in value; this one is Nakamura's favorite.} (6... Nd7) (6... Qe7) (6... Bg4) 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 (8... Be6 9. d4 Bg4 10. Nbd2 Qe7 11. dxe5 Bxe5 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Nxf3 O-O 14. c3 Rfe8 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. f3 Nh5 17. Qd4 Qf4 18. Bf2 Red8 19. Qe3 Qe5 20. Rfd1 b6 21. h4 Nf4 22. Rd2 Rd6 23. Rad1 Rad8 24. Rxd6 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 cxd6 26. Qd2 d5 27. Bd4 Qc7 28. Be3 Ng6 29. exd5 cxd5 30. h5 Ne7 31. Bf4 Qc5+ 32. Qe3 Qxe3+ 33. Bxe3 Nf5 34. Kf2 f6 35. g4 Ne7 36. a4 Kf7 37. b3 Ke6 38. a5 Nc8 39. axb6 axb6 40. Ke2 Kd6 41. Kd3 Kc6 42. Bc1 Nd6 43. Ba3 Kd7 44. f4 Ke6 45. Bb4 Kd7 46. f5 Kc6 47. Ba3 Kd7 48. Bb4 Kc6 49. c4 dxc4+ 50. bxc4 Kd7 51. Ba3 Nf7 52. Bf8 Ne5+ 53. Kd4 Nxg4 54. Bxg7 Ke7 55. Kd5 Kf7 56. Bh8 Ne3+ 57. Kd4 Nxf5+ 58. Kd5 Ne3+ 59. Kd4 Nc2+ 60. Kc3 Ne1 61. Kb4 Ng2 62. Kb5 Ne3 63. Kb4 Ng4 64. Kb5 Kg8 65. Bxf6 Nxf6 66. Kxb6 Nxh5 67. c5 Nf4 {0-1 (67) So,W (2772)-Nakamura, H (2736) Chess.com INT 2021}) (8... Qe7 9. Nbd2 Bg4 10. h3 (10. Nc4 O-O-O 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qe2 g5 13. Bg3 g4 14. hxg4 Bxg4 15. Bh4 Rdg8 16. d4 exd4 17. e5 Rg6 18. Rae1 Rhg8 19. Bg3 Nh5 20. exd6 Qxe2 21. Rxe2 Bxf3 22. gxf3 cxd6 23. Kh2 Nxg3 24. fxg3 b5 25. Na5 Kc7 26. Rg1 Kb6 27. Nb3 c5 28. Re7 Rf6 29. Nd2 h5 30. Kg2 d5 31. Rh1 Rg5 32. Kf2 Rfg6 33. Nf1 Rf5 34. Re8 Re6 35. Rxe6+ fxe6 36. Rh4 e5 37. Ke2 c4 38. b4 a5 39. a3 axb4 40. axb4 Kc6 41. Nd2 Kd6 42. Rh1 Rf8 43. Rxh5 Ra8 44. Rh6+ Ke7 45. Rh5 Kd6 46. Rh6+ Ke7 47. Rh5 Ra2 48. Kd1 Ra1+ 49. Ke2 Rc1 50. Rxe5+ Kd6 51. Rh5 Rxc2 52. Kd1 Ra2 53. Rh6+ Kc7 54. Rh7+ Kd6 55. Rh6+ Ke7 56. Rh7+ Ke6 57. Rh6+ Kf7 58. Rh7+ Kg6 59. Rd7 d3 60. Ke1 c3 61. Nb3 Rb2 62. Rxd5 Rxb3 63. Rxd3 Rb1+ {0-1 (63) Firouzja,A (2728)-Nakamura,H (2736) Lichess.org INT 2020}) 10... Bh5 11. d4 O-O-O 12. Re1 Qe6 13. c4 Bxf3 14. Nxf3 Qxc4 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Nxe5 Qb5 17. Nxc6 Qxc6 18. Qb3 Rd7 19. Rac1 Qe6 20. Qxe6 fxe6 21. Bg3 b6 22. Rc6 Re8 23. Be5 Kb7 24. Rec1 Ree7 25. f3 Ne8 26. h4 h5 27. Kh2 g6 28. Kg3 Rd2 29. R6c2 Rxc2 30. Rxc2 Rf7 31. b4 a6 32. a4 Rf8 33. b5 axb5 34. axb5 Kc8 35. Ra2 Kd7 36. Ra8 Rf7 37. Ra1 Rf8 38. Kf2 Nd6 39. Bxd6 Kxd6 40. Rd1+ Ke7 41. Ke3 Ra8 42. Rc1 Kd7 43. Kf4 Ra2 44. g4 Ra3 45. Rf1 Ke7 46. Kg5 Kf7 47. Kh6 Rc3 48. g5 Rd3 49. Rc1 Rd7 50. Rc6 Re7 51. f4 Rd7 52. f5 gxf5 53. exf5 exf5 54. Rf6+ Kg8 55. Rxf5 Rd6+ 56. Kxh5 c6 57. bxc6 Rxc6 58. g6 Rc8 59. Kg5 Rb8 60. h5 b5 {1-0 (60) Carlsen,M (2855)-Nakamura,H (2736) chess24.com INT 2021 }) (8... Bg4 9. Nbd2 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Nc4 Nxg3 12. fxg3 Qe7 13. c3 O-O-O 14. b4 Kb8 15. a3 h5 16. Ne3 Bc8 17. c4 f5 18. Nxf5 Bxf5 19. exf5 e4 20. Re1 e3 21. Qc1 g4 22. Nh4 Rhe8 23. c5 Be5 24. Qxe3 Qd7 25. Qc1 Bd4+ 26. Kh1 Rxe1+ 27. Qxe1 Bxa1 28. Qxa1 Qxd3 {0-1 (28) Aronian,L (2773)-Nakamura,H (2736) chess24.com INT 2020}) 9. Bg3 Be6 $146 (9... Qe7 10. d4 Nd7 11. Nbd2 f6 12. Nc4 h5 13. h4 g4 14. dxe5 fxe5 15. Ng5 Nb6 16. Nxd6+ cxd6 17. a4 Be6 18. a5 Nd7 19. Qd2 O-O-O 20. Qe3 Kb8 21. b4 Rhf8 22. Rfd1 Bc4 23. f3 gxf3 24. gxf3 Rf6 25. Bf2 c5 26. Rab1 Rdf8 27. Rd2 Kc7 28. Qc3 Bg8 29. bxc5 Nxc5 30. Rxd6 Rxd6 31. Bxc5 Kb8 32. Bxd6+ Qxd6 33. Rb5 Qd1+ 34. Kf2 Rc8 35. Qxe5+ Ka8 36. Rc5 Qd2+ 37. Kg3 Qe1+ 38. Kg2 Qe2+ 39. Kh3 Qf1+ 40. Kg3 Qg1+ {0-1 (40) Caruana,F (2791)-So,W (2772) Chess.com INT 2021}) 10. Qd2 Nd7 11. d4 f6 {The position is similar to the one in the Caruana-Nakamura game from round 1, but it's not identical. The differences are these: White's knight was on a5 rather than b1, Black's queen on e7 rather than d8, and the rook on b8 instead of a8.} 12. Qc3 $14 exd4 { A somewhat surprising move, as Black's kingside pawn structure seemed designed to restrict White's bishop and the knight on f3, and now they are both liberated. It cuts both ways, though: Black's pieces are also liberated. Even more oddly, the position soon resembles a Berlin ending.} 13. Nxd4 Qe7 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. Qb3 Nc5 17. Qxe6+ Nxe6 18. Rd1 Ke7 {If this were a king and pawn ending, White would be winning: Black's queenside majority cannot produce a passer, while White's kingside majority can. The presence of other pieces complicate things considerable, and Nakamura's excellent plan of ...g4 and ...Ng5 shows that he can even fight for the advantage.} 19. Nd2 h5 20. Nc4 g4 $1 21. Rd2 Rad8 $11 {Black will not trade all the rooks (if Botvinnik's famous adage "knight endings are pawn endings" is true, the resulting ending would be lost for Black), but trading one pair of rooks makes excellent sense, preventing White from putting a rook on d7.} 22. Rad1 Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Ng5 24. Na5 h4 ({In case it doesn't go without saying, Black can't play} 24... Nxe4 $4 { because of} 25. Re2 f5 26. f3 $18) (24... c5 25. Nxb7 Rb8 26. Nxc5 Rxb2 $11 { is another way of maintaining equality.}) 25. Rd3 c5 26. h3 (26. Nxb7 $6 { is a temptation White should resist:} c4 $1 27. Ra3 Rb8 28. Rxa7 Nxe4 $17) 26... gxh3 27. gxh3 b6 28. Nc6+ Ke6 29. Nxa7 Ra8 (29... Nxe4 {is a viable option now.} 30. Re3 Kf5 $11) 30. Nb5 Rxa2 31. Nxc7+ Ke5 (31... Kf7 $11) 32. Nd5 Ra1+ $1 33. Kg2 Ne6 34. c4 Re1 {And now, it's time for everything to disappear.} 35. Re3 (35. Nxb6 $4 Nf4+ $19) 35... Rxe3 36. fxe3 Kxe4 37. Nxf6+ Kxe3 38. Nd5+ Kd3 39. Kf3 Kxc4 40. Nxb6+ Kb3 41. Nd7 Ng5+ 42. Kg4 Nxh3 43. Nxc5+ Kxb2 44. Kxh4 Nf4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,77,58,14,49,67,70,49,51,31,30,32,73,36,44,39,52,50,20,44,36,20,10,15, 23,25,31,-6,-29,-4,-7,20,9,-9,-13,14,1,-23,-10,-37,41,-5,8,17,89,31,37,13,33, 82,91,201,279,280,254,196,187,211,317,254,236,220,236,126,199,197,208,206,188, 195,281,270,697,53,584,750,1352,1352,29991,29992]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5 b4 (12... Nh5 {is much more popular these days, and has the official MVL seal of approval. Let's see what Firouzja has in mind in the old main line.}) 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 Bc4 {Not completely new, but a rare option. The engine initially dislikes it and it scores badly, but when one goes deeply enough into the analysis it seems to be tenable.} (15... a4 { is the main move, played almost 5000 times.} 16. fxe6 (16. Nbd4 exd4 17. Nxd4 b3 18. Kb1 bxc2+ 19. Nxc2 Bb3 20. axb3 axb3 21. Na3 Ne5 {has occurred more than 3000 times. Have fun researching and analyzing this. Quick summary: lots and lots of draws, but I don't think all the lines are dead yet.}) 16... axb3 17. cxb3 fxe6 18. Bh3 Rxa2 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Ng3 Nc7 21. Bc4 Qa8 22. Rhf1 Rxf1 23. Rxf1 Ra1+ 24. Kc2 Rxf1 25. Bxf1 d5 26. Qf2 $14 {favors White according to the engine, though when this line was popular a few years ago Black drew most of the time.}) 16. Kb1 {The b3-knight approves of the decision, but is this in White's overall best interest?} (16. Ng3 Bxf1 17. Rhxf1 a4 18. Na1 {The knight is terrible on a1, of course, but the rest of White's army is in excellent shape. The immediate threat is f5-f6.} Kh8 19. f6 gxf6 20. Nf5 fxg5 21. Qxb4 g4 22. c3 {It looks like best play to this point, and there are three games in the database to have reached this spot.} Bg5 (22... a3 23. b3 Rb8 24. Qc4 Rc8 25. Qd3 Nc5 26. Bxc5 dxc5 27. Qg3 Bg5+ 28. Kb1 Qa5 29. Nc2 Ra8 30. Qxe5+ Bf6 31. Qg3 Qxc3 32. Qxc3 Bxc3 33. Nce3 {1/2-1/2 (33) Rodriguez Lopez,R (2300) -Rozanski,R (2253) ICCF email 2019}) 23. Nc2 a3 24. b3 Rb8 25. Qa4 Nc5 26. Qc4 Rc8 27. Bxg5 Qxg5+ 28. Kb1 Qh5 29. b4 Rb8 30. Rd2 Qg5 31. Rg2 Ne6 32. Nce3 Nf6 33. h4 Qg6 34. Nxd6 Nf4 35. Rd2 Rbc8 (35... g3 36. Nef5 g2 37. Rg1 Ne8 38. Qc5 Qe6 39. Nc4 Nf6 40. Nfd6 Ng4 41. h5 Rg8 42. Rgxg2 Nxg2 43. Rxg2 Rbc8 44. Qd5 Qxd5 45. exd5 Rc7 46. Nxa3 Ne3 47. Rxg8+ Kxg8 48. Nab5 Rd7 49. c4 f5 50. Kb2 Kf8 51. a4 f4 52. Kb3 f3 53. Ne4 Rf7 54. Nbc3 f2 55. Nxf2 Rxf2 56. a5 Rf4 57. c5 Rf3 58. Ka4 Nc2 59. Kb3 Ne3 {1/2-1/2 (62) Faber,H-Bartsch,R freechess.de 2021}) 36. Qb5 Rce8 37. h5 N4xh5 38. Nef5 Ng7 39. Qd3 Nxf5 40. Nxe8 Rxe8 41. Rxf5 h5 42. Rd1 h4 43. Rh1 h3 44. Kc2 Kg7 45. Rhf1 Ng8 46. Qe3 f6 47. R5f2 Rd8 48. Rg1 Nh6 49. Rh2 {1/2-1/2 (49) Norchenko,K (2363)-Sampieri,M (2370) ICCF email 2018}) 16... a4 17. Nbc1 d5 18. f6 {Rare.} (18. exd5 {is typical, and play generally continues} Nd6 (18... f6 $5) 19. f6 gxf6 20. gxf6 (20. Ng3 $146) 20... Nxf6 21. Bh6 Kh8 22. Qg5 Rg8 23. Qxe5 $11 {and now Black should try either 23...Ra5 or 23...a3, which have been played, or 23...Rg6, which has not. }) 18... gxf6 19. gxf6 $146 (19. Ng3 Nd6 20. gxf6 Nxf6 21. Bh6 Kh8 22. Qg5 Rg8 23. Qxe5 $14 Ra5 24. Bf4 Re8 25. Bg5 a3 26. h4 (26. b3 d4 27. Qxd4 Rxg5 28. Bxc4 Qa5 29. Rhe1 Rd8 30. Qa1 Qb6 31. Rd5 Rg6 32. Bd3 Kg8 33. Rd4 Ng4 34. e5 Nb5 35. Rxd8+ Bxd8 36. Bxb5 Qxb5 37. Qd4 Bb6 38. Qf4 Nxh2 39. Nh5 Ng4 40. e6 fxe6 41. Qb8+ Kf7 42. Qb7+ Kf8 43. Nf4 Nf6 44. Nxg6+ hxg6 45. Nd3 Qe8 46. Qxb6 Nd5 47. Qd6+ {1-0 (47) Vornanen,A (2303)-Salonen,J (1950) ICCF email 2011}) 26... dxe4 27. Bxf6+ Bxf6 28. Qxd6 Qxd6 29. Rxd6 Be5 30. Bxc4 Bxd6 31. Nb3 Ra7 32. Nf5 Bf8 33. Nbd4 axb2 (33... Bc5 34. b3 Rb7 35. Re1 {1/2-1/2 (35) Osman,C (2012)-Boyce,H (1900) IECC email 2011}) 34. Re1 Bc5 35. Nf3 f6 36. Bd3 e3 37. Kxb2 Bb6 38. N3d4 Bc5 39. Rf1 Rd7 40. Ne2 Rc7 41. Rg1 Ra7 42. Bc4 Bb6 43. Kb3 Rea8 44. Rg2 Bc5 45. h5 Rc8 46. Rg4 Ra3+ 47. Kb2 Ra7 48. Bb3 Re8 49. Nf4 Rc7 50. Bd5 Rd8 51. Bc4 Bd4+ 52. Kb3 Rdc8 53. Nd5 Rxc4 54. Nh6 Rf8 55. Kxc4 f5 56. Nxf5 e2 57. Re4 Bf2 58. Rxe2 Rxf5 59. h6 Rf8 60. Kxb4 Rb8+ 61. Kc4 Bh4 62. a4 Bg5 63. Re6 Kg8 64. a5 Rb2 65. a6 Ra2 66. Kb3 Ra1 67. c4 Kf7 68. Rb6 Kg8 69. c5 Bh4 70. c6 {1-0 (70) Cornel,M (2153)-Sorbi,L (1904) FICGS email 2014}) 19... Ndxf6 20. Ng3 Bxf1 $2 {This natural move - played automatically in reply to 16. Ng3 - proves to be a mistake. (There is an important difference: there the bishop was hanging, while it's defended by the d-pawn here. Still, I suspect that a sort of inertia based on knowledge of that line may have led Firouzja to err in this position.)} (20... Kh8 $1 21. Bxc4 (21. exd5 Bxd5 22. Bg2 Ra5 $11 {/=/+}) 21... dxc4 22. Qxd8 Rxd8 23. Nf5 Bd6 24. Bg5 Bc7 $11) 21. Rhxf1 $16 a3 22. b3 Kh8 23. exd5 Nd6 $2 (23... Qc7 24. Rxf6 $1 Bxf6 25. d6 Qc6 26. Qxb4 $16) 24. Qxb4 $18 Rc8 $2 25. Bb6 Qd7 26. Qe1 $1 Rb8 27. Ba5 Nc4 28. d6 { White is completely winning. He's up a pawn, has the better structure, and most importantly, has a safe king while Black's is anything but. Oh - and Firouzja was almost out of time as well. Nepo wins easily, finishing in style.} (28. Rxf6 $1 Bxf6 29. Qf1 $18) 28... Bd8 29. Bc3 Qe6 30. Nd3 Nd5 31. Nf4 Nxf4 32. Rxf4 f6 33. Qe2 Nb2 34. Rdf1 Re8 35. Rh4 {There is nothing good about Black's position, and after the next move it's even worse - he gets mated.} f5 36. Rxh7+ $1 Kxh7 37. Qh5+ Kg8 (37... Qh6 {avoids mate, but he's still 99.999% lost after} 38. Qxe8 $18) 38. Nxf5 Bf6 39. Rg1+ (39. Rg1+ Kf8 40. Qh6+ Kf7 41. Rg7+ Bxg7 (41... Kf8 42. Qh8+) 42. Qxg7#) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 d6 7. Nc3 Bd7 8. Na4 $146 {A novelty, but this is low-hanging fruit in a minor sideline. The idea of bishop-grabbing in this way is extremely well-known from the Italian Game.} Bb4+ (8... Bb6 {seems more natural. It would seem to benefit White to get in c3 and b4 for free (more so for c3).}) 9. c3 Ba5 10. b4 Bb6 11. O-O Ne7 12. Bxf6 (12. Bxd7+ $1 Nxd7 (12... Qxd7 13. c4 Bd4 14. Nxd4 exd4 15. f3 $16) 13. d4 O-O 14. dxe5 dxe5 15. Qd3 $16) 12... gxf6 13. Bxd7+ (13. Nxb6 $142 axb6 14. a4 $14 {/+/-}) 13... Qxd7 14. Nh4 $14 Rg8 15. Kh1 O-O-O $6 (15... f5 $142) 16. Nxb6+ axb6 17. Qf3 $2 {Ostensibly aimed against ...f5, but since Black can play it all the same White should have aimed to minimize its impact and then get on with his queenside play.} (17. a4 $142 f5 18. exf5 Nxf5 19. Nxf5 Qxf5 20. f3 $14 {/+/- stabilizes the position, and now White will play a5, or b5 followed by a5.}) 17... f5 $1 $11 18. exf5 Rg5 19. a4 (19. g4 $2 h5 $19) (19. f6 Nf5 20. Nxf5 Qxf5 $11) 19... Nxf5 20. Nxf5 Qxf5 21. Qe3 Rdg8 22. Rg1 Qf4 $5 (22... Rh5 $11) (22... Qg6 $11) 23. Qxf4 exf4 24. Rae1 Re5 (24... Kd7) 25. d4 Ree8 26. g3 {Obviously White doesn't want to do anything to repair Black's structure, but it's otherwise pretty difficult to get the king into play.} Rxe1 27. Rxe1 fxg3 28. hxg3 Kd7 {Black's h-pawn is weak, but so is White's a-pawn. The rest is just liquidation on the way to a draw.} 29. Kg2 Ra8 30. Rh1 Rxa4 31. Rxh6 c5 32. dxc5 bxc5 33. bxc5 dxc5 34. Rf6 Ke7 35. Rb6 Ra3 36. Rxb7+ Kf6 37. Kf3 Rxc3+ 38. Ke4 Rc4+ 39. Ke3 Rc3+ 40. Ke4 Rc4+ 41. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] 1. d4 {No more 1.c4 (as in the round 1 disaster vs. Nepomniachtchi).} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 {But no Catalan, either! That has been his trademark opening for years.} Bb4 {The Ragozin, which Ding himself has played many times. } 5. Qa4+ {One of White's main lines. Both sides are inconvenienced: White by his misplaced queen, and Black by having to block his c-pawn.} (5. Bg5 { is the most common move, for those interested in playing either side of this opening.}) 5... Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 {Improving the queen...} Na5 {And with this move, which is very nearly a novelty, Black in turn looks to mobilize the c-pawn.} (7... Re8 {is the usual move, played many times by both Ding and Caruana - and many other players as well.} 8. Bd2 Bf8 {and now White generally plays either 9.Be2 (which allows 9...Nb4) or (more often) 9.a3, which prevents ...Nb4 but gives Black a wide range of alternatives.}) 8. c5 b6 9. Bd2 Nc4 $146 ({The only previous outing with 7...Na5 was the following GM vs. GM blitz game: } 9... bxc5 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Nc6 12. dxc5 Ne4 13. Be2 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 a5 15. O-O Ba6 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. b4 Qb8 18. Qd3 Ra7 19. b5 Ne7 20. a4 Rd8 21. Rfc1 Qc8 22. c6 Qb8 23. Ne5 Nc8 24. Nd7 Qa8 25. e4 Nb6 26. Nxb6 cxb6 27. Rd1 d4 28. e5 Rd5 29. Qe4 Qd8 30. Rd3 Ra8 31. Rad1 Qg5 32. f4 Qh5 33. Qf3 Qxf3 34. gxf3 Rad8 35. c7 Rc8 36. Rxd4 Rxc7 37. Rxd5 exd5 38. Rxd5 g6 39. Kg2 Rc4 40. Kg3 Rxa4 41. Rd6 Rb4 42. Rxb6 a4 43. Rb8+ Kg7 44. Rb7 Kg8 45. Rb8+ Kg7 46. b6 a3 47. Ra8 Rxb6 48. Rxa3 Rb5 49. h4 h5 50. Rd3 Rb7 51. Rd6 Re7 52. Rf6 Ra7 53. f5 gxf5 54. Rxf5 Kg6 55. Rg5+ Kh6 56. Kf4 Ra4+ 57. Kf5 Ra7 58. f4 Ra6 59. Rg8 Ra1 60. Kf6 Rh1 61. Rh8# {1-0 (61) Santos Ruiz,M (2560)-Bluebaum,M (2643) chess24.com INT 2019 (blitz)}) 10. a3 Nxd2 11. Nxd2 (11. axb4 {was also possible, leaving Black the choice of taking on f1 or f3. In both cases, White has a very small advantage.}) 11... Bxc3 12. Qxc3 a5 13. Rc1 (13. b4 e5 $1 14. dxe5 axb4 15. Qxb4 (15. axb4 $2 d4 $1 {is a nasty trick I'm sure Caruana had prepared, though he probably had little hope that Ding would fall for it.} 16. exd4 Nd5 17. Qb2 Rxa1+ 18. Qxa1 Nxb4 $17) 15... Nd7 16. cxb6 Nxb6 $44) 13... Ba6 14. cxb6 cxb6 15. Bxa6 Rxa6 16. O-O $14 {White is obviously better, thanks to his control over the c-file, but can he make anything of it before Black is ready to contest it?} Ra8 17. Qb3 Rc8 $5 {Very interesting. Caruana sacs the b-pawn, believing that his counterplay will suffice. It seems he was right, though it was a very committal and unforced decision.} (17... Qd7 {is a more "normal" move. White is not threatening to take on b6 because of ...Rfb8 and ...Rxb2, so he'll likely double on the c-file instead:} 18. Rc2 Rfc8 19. Rfc1 Rxc2 20. Rxc2 (20. Qxc2 Ne8 $11) 20... Qb7 {and White has very little by way of an advantage.}) 18. Rxc8 Qxc8 19. Qxb6 a4 {Here White faces a difficult choice. There isn't any line that promises a big plus, but many lines that maintain some advantage.} 20. Qb4 ({Other options:} 20. Qc5 Qb7 21. Qc2 Rc8 22. Qxa4 Qxb2 23. Nf3 Ne4 24. Qb4 Qc2 25. Qb7 h6 26. h4 $14) (20. b3 Qc2 21. Qb4 { transposes to the game.}) (20. Nb1 Qc2 21. Nc3 Ne4 22. Nxe4 dxe4 $14) 20... Qc2 21. b3 axb3 22. Nxb3 Ne4 $8 23. a4 (23. Nc5 Nxc5 $8 24. Qxc5 Qxc5 25. dxc5 Rc8 $8 26. Rc1 Rc6 $8 27. Kf1 Kf8 28. Ke2 Ke7 29. a4 Ra6 30. Ra1 Kd7 31. Kd3 Kc6 32. Kd4 Ra5 33. Ra3 $1 {This prevents Black from taking on c5, as 34.Rc3 forces a winning pawn ending for White.} f6 34. f4 g5 35. g3 h5 36. h4 gxh4 37. gxh4 Rxc5 $1 {Now it is possible - and forced.} 38. Rc3 e5+ 39. fxe5 fxe5+ 40. Kd3 Rxc3+ 41. Kxc3 Kc5 42. Kb3 d4 43. exd4+ exd4 {With only the h-pawns remaining, Black will hold. As a rule, when the weaker side's h-pawn is on its fourth rank, he holds - the king will be able to reach f8 in time.} 44. Kc2 Kb4 45. Kd3 Kxa4 46. Kxd4 Kb5 47. Ke5 Kc6 48. Kf5 Kd7 49. Kg5 Ke7 50. Kxh5 Kf8 $11 {and it's a draw.}) 23... Qc4 $1 24. Qxc4 (24. Qa3 Qd3 $1 {leaves White with nothing better than repeating and trying something else:} 25. Qb4 (25. Qb2 { is the only other non-losing move, but it's nothing to brag about after} Rb8 26. Rc1 h5 27. Nc5 $8 Rxb2 28. Nxd3 Ra2 $11) 25... Qc4 {etc.}) 24... dxc4 25. Nc5 (25. f3 cxb3 26. fxe4 g5 27. Rb1 Rb8 28. Kf2 Kg7 29. Ke2 Ra8 30. Rxb3 Rxa4 {is an unusual R+5 vs. R+4 ending. It should be a draw, but given my lack of experience seeing this structure I don't know how reliable my intuitions are about how many practical difficulties there might be. One quick line:} 31. Rd3 h5 32. d5 Kf6 33. Kf3 Ke5 34. d6 Ra8 35. d7 Rd8 36. Rd1 Kf6 37. Kg3 Ke7 38. h4 gxh4+ 39. Kxh4 Rxd7 40. Rxd7+ Kxd7 41. Kxh5 Kd6 $8 42. Kg4 Ke5 43. Kf3 Kf6 $8 44. Kf4 e5+ 45. Kg4 Kg6 46. g3 f6 $11) (25. Na5 Nd2 26. Rd1 Rb8 27. f3 Rb2 28. Rc1 Rb4 $11) 25... Nxc5 26. dxc5 Ra8 $1 {After this, it's a draw. Ding does what he can to keep the game alive, but with Caruana's good defense he never comes close.} 27. Rb1 (27. Ra1 Kf8 $8 28. Kf1 Ke7 29. a5 (29. Ke2 Kd7 30. Kd2 Kc6 $11) 29... Kd7 30. a6 Kc6 31. Ra5 c3 $8 32. Ke2 Rd8 $8 33. e4 c2 34. Ra1 Rd7 35. g3 Ra7 36. Kd2 Kxc5 37. Ra2 c1=Q+ 38. Kxc1 Kb6 39. Rd2 Kxa6 40. Rd8 Kb6 41. Rh8 Kc5 42. Rxh7 g6 $11 {We'll see essentially this in the game.}) 27... Kf8 28. Rb4 c3 29. Rc4 Ke7 30. Kf1 c2 31. Rxc2 (31. Ke2 Rxa4) 31... Rxa4 32. Rb2 Ra7 33. Ke2 Kd7 34. Rb8 Rc7 $1 (34... h5 {is playable, but it's smart for Black to eliminate White's c-pawn to reach an easily drawn rook+4 vs. rook +3. When White's extra pawn is the e-pawn, Black's defense can be challenging. The version with the extra h-pawn is routine.}) 35. Rh8 Ke7 36. Rxh7 g6 37. h4 Rxc5 38. Rh8 f5 $1 {Not necessary, but again, good technique.} 39. Rh7+ Kf6 40. Kf3 Rc4 41. g3 Ra4 42. Rd7 {White must bring the rook back to (try to) make progress, but this allows Black to swap off a pair of pawns, getting closer to the already inevitable draw.} g5 43. hxg5+ (43. h5 g4+ 44. Kg2 Kg5 {doesn't increase White's winning chances.}) 43... Kxg5 44. Rd4 Ra3 45. g4 fxg4+ 46. Rxg4+ Kf6 47. Rf4+ Ke7 48. Kg4 Ra5 49. Rb4 Kf6 50. f4 Ra1 51. e4 Rg1+ 52. Kf3 Rf1+ 53. Ke3 Re1+ 54. Kf2 Ra1 55. Rb6 {Threatening f4-f5.} Kf7 56. Kf3 Ra3+ 57. Kg4 Ra1 58. f5 {Giving up.} Rg1+ 59. Kf4 Rf1+ 60. Ke5 exf5 61. Rb7+ Kg6 62. Rb6+ Kf7 63. Rb7+ Kg6 64. Rb6+ 1/2-1/2