[Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Sarana, Alexey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E11"] [WhiteElo "2852"] [BlackElo "2668"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,63,25,20,23,-7,-13,0,12,-11,-2,14,15,15,36,34,16,14,23,-32,4,-42,3,-37,-10,-9,-16,-31,-45,-57,-7,-5,76,65,70,70,70,74,78,66,66,56,62,73,73,46,74,71,113,71,150,110,132,139,202,197,258,254,248,275,279,271,671,877,29989,29990]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 c6 7. Qc2 Nbd7 8. Bf4 O-O 9. h4 {This is getting ridiculous. It turns out, though, that this has been played twice before, and the first time was by...Carlsen himself.} b6 10. Nc3 Bb7 (10... Ba6 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. O-O b5 13. a3 Rc8 14. Rfc1 Bb7 15. Qb3 a6 16. Na2 Rc4 17. e3 h6 18. Nd2 Rxc1+ 19. Rxc1 Qa8 20. Bc7 Rc8 21. Ba5 Ne8 22. Qd1 Nd6 23. Rxc8+ Qxc8 24. Bb4 Nb6 25. Nc1 Nbc4 26. Nd3 a5 27. Bc5 a4 28. Nxc4 dxc4 29. Nb4 Bxg2 30. Kxg2 Nf5 31. e4 Qb7 32. Kf3 e5 33. Nd5 Bxc5 34. dxc5 Nd4+ 35. Kg2 Kf8 36. f4 Qc6 37. Qh5 f5 38. fxe5 fxe4 39. e6 Qxe6 40. Nf4 Qf5 41. Qd1 g5 42. hxg5 hxg5 43. Qxd4 gxf4 44. c6 fxg3 45. c7 Kf7 46. Qa7 Kg6 47. Qe3 Kf7 48. Qxg3 Qe6 49. Qh3 Qg6+ 50. Kh1 Qf6 {1-0 Carlsen,M (2864)-Ding,L (2799) Charity Cup KO chess24.com INT rapid 2022 (2.23)}) 11. e4 $146 dxe4 12. Ng5 c5 13. d5 exd5 14. cxd5 Nh5 $2 (14... Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. O-O-O Nf6 $8 {looks scary if not impossible for Black, but despite the intimations of threats down the d-file and the diagonal to h7, there's not only no way to put Black away; there isn't even an advantage for White.} 17. Be5 (17. f3 exf3 18. Bxf3 Bxf3 $1 19. Rxd8 Bxh1 20. Rxf8+ Rxf8 21. Be5 g6 $11) 17... Re8 $1 {Somehow, everything holds together. One possibility is} 18. f3 Qc8 $1 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rxd5 fxg5 21. hxg5 Qe6 22. f4 $1 Qxd5 23. Bxe4 Qxa2 24. Bxa8 (24. Bxh7+ Kg7 25. Qc3+ f6 26. Bb1 Qe6 27. Rh7+ Kg8 28. Ba2 Qxa2 29. Qd3 Qf7 30. Rxf7 Kxf7 31. g6+ Ke6 32. g4 Rad8 33. f5+ Ke5 34. Qe3+ Kd5 35. Qe6+ Kd4 36. g5 fxg5 37. f6 Bxf6 38. Qxf6+ Kd5 39. Qxg5+ Ke6 $11) 24... h5 25. Bf3 (25. Rxh5 $2 Bf6 $1 $19) 25... Bf8 26. g6 Qa1+ 27. Kd2 Qa5+ 28. Kd1 Qa1+ $11) 15. Be3 $16 {Not the best move, but even so Sarana's in plenty of trouble.} (15. Ncxe4) ({and} 15. Bxe4 {are even better.}) 15... f5 (15... Ndf6 $142) 16. Ne6 {Almost irresistible. Still,} (16. g4 $18 {was even stronger.}) 16... Qb8 (16... Qe8 $142) 17. g4 $18 {Blasting through Black's flimsy defenses.} fxg4 18. Bxe4 (18. O-O-O $142) 18... Ndf6 19. Nxf8 Qxf8 20. O-O-O Bd6 {From here on out, Carlsen gives his opponent no chance to survive.} (20... Nxe4 $142) 21. Bf5 {White's attack continues, with a material advantage to boot.} Re8 22. Rhe1 Kh8 23. Kb1 a6 24. Bg5 b5 25. Re6 Rd8 26. Ne4 Bf4 27. Bxf6 Nxf6 28. Nxf6 gxf6 29. Qe4 Be5 30. Qxg4 c4 31. Qh5 Qg8 32. Re7 1-0 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Sarana, Alexey"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E48"] [WhiteElo "2668"] [BlackElo "2852"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,120,25,19,18,0,4,4,4,4,17,23,38,20,28,19,29,-5,-5,-41,-25,-23,-2,-19,-5,-5,8,13,54,32,58,67,53,53,70,70,99,95,113,24,25,11,6,7,7,-7,82,33,54,-29,-2,-2,-11,-18,-11,-11,-17,-10,15,-5,-10,-14,-28,-40,18,11,57,36,103,-12,-35,-48,-73,-116,-123,-118,-56,-162,-159,-159,-160,-143,-159,-264,-260,-304,-317,-317,-321,-317,-356,-403,-372,-416,-438,-449,-445,-482,-484,-485,-482,-479,-471,-487,-487,-504,-510,-527,-527,-718,-755,-794,-794,-794,-774,-1223,-945,-955,-1003,-1003,-1089,-1259,-1262]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nge2 d5 7. a3 cxd4 8. axb4 dxc3 9. Nxc3 Nc6 10. b5 Ne5 11. c5 Nxd3+ 12. Qxd3 e5 13. O-O d4 $146 (13... Be6) 14. exd4 Qxd4 15. Qe3 $1 $16 {So far, so good for Sarana.} Rd8 16. Ra4 (16. b6 $1 a6 17. Nb5 $1) 16... Qxe3 17. Bxe3 a6 (17... h6 $142) 18. Rfa1 (18. f4 $142 $16 {/+-}) 18... Nd5 19. Ne4 $2 (19. Rd1 Be6 20. Nxd5 Rxd5 21. Rxd5 Bxd5 22. c6 $1 $16) 19... Rb8 $11 {One inaccuracy, and what had been serious queenside pressure has dissipated. Sarana rolls the dice, searching for the ghost of his departed advantage.} 20. Nd6 Bd7 21. bxa6 $5 Bxa4 22. a7 Ra8 23. Rxa4 Ne7 24. g4 Nc6 25. Nb5 Rd3 26. b4 Rb3 $15 {White can make no further progress on the queenside, and can only hope that Black is too tied down to make any progress of his own.} 27. Bd2 Rb2 (27... f6) 28. Bc3 Rb1+ 29. Kg2 f6 30. Ra2 Rb3 31. h4 h5 $1 32. gxh5 Kh7 33. Bd2 f5 34. Bc3 Kh6 35. Rd2 Nxa7 36. Nc7 (36. Ra2 Kxh5 37. Bd2 Nxb5 38. Rxa8 $11) 36... Rg8 37. Bxe5 Rxb4 {White will lose further material, but Black's king is just awkward enough that if White plays correctly he can get enough counterplay.} 38. Kg3 $2 (38. Rd6+ $1 {was correct, and after} Kxh5 {either} 39. Bg3 $44 {followed by Nd5 (dreaming of Nf4+ Kg4 f3#) or} (39. Nd5 $44 {right away should hold the balance.})) 38... Rg4+ $1 39. Kh3 Kxh5 $19 {Now White's counterattacking chances are looking dim.} 40. Bg3 f4 41. Rd5+ g5 42. Bh2 Rxh4+ 43. Kg2 Nc6 44. Ne6 f3+ 45. Kg1 Re4 46. Nf4+ Kg4 47. Nd3 Nb4 48. Ne5+ Kf5 49. Rd1 Rxe5 50. Bxe5 Kxe5 {It's surprising that Sarana is still playing. Maybe Carlsen was in serious time trouble?} 51. Rb1 Nd3 52. Rxb7 Nxc5 53. Rf7 g4 54. Kh2 Ne4 55. Re7+ Kf4 56. Rf7+ Kg5 57. Re7 Nxf2 58. Kg3 Nh1+ 59. Kh2 Rh8+ 60. Kg1 Kf4 0-1 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Sarana, Alexey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D51"] [WhiteElo "2852"] [BlackElo "2668"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,79,25,19,16,0,4,4,12,4,40,9,13,-28,-27,-35,14,-64,-59,-20,-12,-8,8,7,23,26,26,32,31,25,51,11,50,54,76,88,103,115,126,108,118,111,140,133,167,52,64,73,73,63,67,74,146,119,188,180,182,185,138,134,206,206,245,233,249,249,249,254,396,389,227,229,258,214,258,205,189,180,180,180,180,180]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Bb4 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Qa4 {Very rare.} Bxc3+ $146 9. bxc3 g5 10. Bg3 Ne4 11. Nd2 Nxg3 (11... Nxd2 12. Kxd2 $14 {looks funny, but White's king is safe enough in the center after e3, Bd3, and (if necessary) f3.}) 12. hxg3 c6 13. e3 Nb6 14. Qc2 Qe7 15. Bd3 Be6 16. a4 a5 $2 17. Rb1 {Black is lost again. All Carlsen needs to win the match is a draw, however, and in the end he goes for a repetition in a position that's still winning.} Nc8 18. c4 dxc4 19. Nxc4 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 Nd6 21. Qc5 Qe6 22. O-O O-O 23. Rfe1 f5 24. Rb6 Rf6 25. Reb1 Raf8 26. Rxb7 Nxb7 27. Rxb7 Kh8 28. Bc4 Qe4 29. Qxa5 f4 30. Qc7 Qg6 31. exf4 gxf4 32. gxf4 Rxf4 33. Bd3 Qf7 34. Qxc6 Qf6 35. Rh7+ Kg8 36. Qd5+ (36. Qc4+ $1 Rf7 37. g3 Rxd4 (37... Rxf2 38. Rxf7 Qxf7 39. Qxf7+ Rxf7 40. Bc4 $18) 38. Rxf7 $18) 36... Rf7 37. Qa8+ (37. Rxf7 Qxf7 38. Qe5 Qf6 (38... Rxf2 $4 39. Qg3+ $18) 39. a5 $18) 37... Rf8 38. Qd5+ Rf7 39. Qa8+ Rf8 40. Qd5+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2785"] [BlackElo "2701"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,64,25,19,28,28,28,25,24,10,17,2,15,-8,7,-29,-13,-40,-11,3,3,-36,0,-1,-2,-17,-5,-36,29,-27,59,-37,-20,-14,-14,18,89,10,29,5,47,-18,-11,-25,13,-44,33,-37,-53,-192,-134,-184,-152,-152,-152,-152,-152,-207,-246,-246,-230,-288,-253,-278,-266,-371,-816]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. b4 {A relatively unpopular approach.} Be7 7. Nbd2 d5 8. Bb3 Be6 9. O-O a6 10. Re1 Qd7 11. Bb2 $146 dxe4 $146 12. dxe4 Rad8 13. a4 Nh5 $11 14. g3 Bh3 $6 (14... Bxb3 15. Qxb3 Qg4 16. Qc2 Nf4 $11 (16... f5 $11)) 15. Kh1 $6 (15. b5 $142 {puts Black to the test, asking what he plans to do about his e-pawn.} Na5 $8 16. Bd5 Nf6 17. Nxe5 Qc8 18. c4 $1 c6 19. bxc6 bxc6 20. Bxf7+ Rxf7 21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. e5 $1 Bg4 $1 24. f3 Bg5 25. fxg4 Rxd2 26. Qf3+ Kg8 27. Rf1 Qe8 $8 28. e6 $1 $16 {This is too much for a 15-minute game, but it does show that 14...Bh3 is objectively wrong.}) 15... Nf6 16. Qe2 Bg4 17. Nc4 Bd6 (17... Bxb4 $5 18. cxb4 Qd3 19. Qxd3 Rxd3 20. Nfd2 b5 21. Re3 $1 bxc4 22. Rxd3 cxd3 23. f3 Be6 24. Bxe6 fxe6 25. Rc1 Nd4 $1 26. Bxd4 exd4 27. Rxc7 Rb8 28. Rc4 e5 $11 {is a fun line.}) 18. Kg2 b5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Na3 $6 (20. Ne3 $142 $14) 20... Rb8 $11 21. Qe3 (21. Nxb5 $4 Bxf3+ (21... Rxb5 $1 22. Qxb5 Bxf3+ $19 23. Kxf3 Nd4+ 24. cxd4 Qxb5 $19) 22. Kxf3 Qg4+ 23. Kg2 Qxe2 24. Rxe2 Rxb5 $19) 21... Ne7 22. Ng5 $2 (22. Ng1 {was a better way to cover h3.}) 22... Qc8 $1 $17 {Allowing the bishop to retreat to d7, if necessary, so that after ...h6 it can still head for h3.} 23. f4 $2 {Wildly overoptimistic. Rather than whipping up an attack, it loses material to a short, forcing sequence.} h6 24. Nf3 (24. fxe5 Bxe5 25. Nf3 {avoids material losses, but it's positionally horrible.} Ng6 $19) 24... exf4 25. gxf4 Bh3+ (25... Ng6 {is even stronger.}) 26. Kh1 Qg4 27. Rg1 Qxf4 $19 {White has lost a pawn, with a bad king and a weak e-pawn as "compensation".} 28. Rae1 Ng4 29. Qe2 (29. Qxf4 Nf2#) 29... Qxe4 $1 30. Bc1 (30. Qxe4 Nf2#) 30... Ng6 31. Bc2 Qc6 32. c4 (32. Be4 Qxe4 {would be amusing.}) 32... Rbe8 0-1 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A48"] [WhiteElo "2701"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,105,16,28,29,8,47,44,44,40,53,24,20,15,35,9,9,5,5,7,20,0,10,-12,-11,-44,-33,-22,-16,-9,1,1,1,10,12,14,0,-1,1,-22,16,32,34,30,30,33,54,54,54,-20,13,13,-20,0,0,0,67,29,40,23,45,28,48,49,40,42,47,47,106,51,108,88,100,114,138,119,163,132,142,125,173,147,173,149,200,156,170,168,200,200,233,189,182,151,151,241,238,148,182,152,149,151,150,150,150,150,599,591]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 b6 3. e3 Bb7 4. Nd2 d6 5. h3 Nbd7 6. Ngf3 g6 7. Be2 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. a4 a6 10. c3 Re8 11. Bh2 e5 12. Nc4 exd4 13. cxd4 a5 $146 (13... Nd5) (13... Ne4) 14. Rc1 Nd5 15. Bxd6 $5 cxd6 16. Nxd6 Qb8 (16... Re7 17. Nxb7 Qb8 {might seem like a simple refutation of White's sac, but the idea here is} 18. Bb5 $1 Nb4 19. d5 $1 Nf6 $1 20. Nxa5 bxa5 21. d6 Re6 22. d7 Qd8 {with approximate equality.}) 17. Nxe8 Qxe8 18. Bb5 Rd8 19. Qb3 (19. Re1 $14 {makes sense, looking to push the e-pawn.}) 19... h6 (19... Qe7 $142 $11 {was better, unpinning to play ...N7f6 next.}) 20. Rfe1 $14 Rc8 $2 (20... Qe4) 21. e4 $16 (21. Rxc8 $142 Qxc8 22. Bc4 N7f6 23. Ne5 $18) 21... Nf4 22. Qe3 (22. Rxc8 $142) 22... g5 (22... Rxc1 $142 23. Qxc1 Ne6 $14) 23. h4 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 Qe6 25. hxg5 Qg4 26. g3 Nh3+ 27. Kg2 hxg5 28. Nh2 Bxe4+ 29. Rxe4 (29. f3 $1 Bxf3+ 30. Nxf3 Nf4+ 31. Kf2 Nh3+ 32. Ke2 Qxg3 33. Qe3 $16) 29... Qxe4+ 30. Kxh3 Qxd4 31. Qxg5 Nc5 (31... Nf6 $11) 32. Ng4 Ne6 33. Qf5 Qd1 $2 (33... Qc5 $1 {was best, with a likely draw after the unavoidable queen swap.}) 34. Bc4 $1 $18 Qh1+ 35. Nh2 Qc6 36. b3 Nd8 37. Bd5 Qd6 38. Ng4 Kf8 39. Kg2 Bd4 40. Qe4 Qc5 41. Qf3 Ke7 42. Bc4 Qc6 43. Bd5 Qc5 44. Nh6 $5 Bxf2 $1 45. Nxf7 Bd4 (45... Nxf7 $142 46. Qxf7+ Kd6 47. Qe6+ Kc7 {was Black's best try, though the draw is by no means guaranteed.}) 46. Qe4+ Kd7 47. Qf5+ (47. Ne5+ $142 $1) 47... Ke7 (47... Kc7 $142) 48. Qe4+ Kd7 49. Qg4+ (49. Ne5+ $1) 49... Ke7 (49... Kc7 $1) 50. Qh4+ Bf6 51. Qe4+ Kd7 52. Qf5+ Ke7 $4 (52... Kc7 $1 {leaves White needing to prove the win.}) 53. Nxd8 (53. Nxd8 Kxd8 54. Qxf6+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "2785"] [BlackElo "2701"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,80,28,-26,23,10,10,15,22,-2,16,18,10,10,21,-13,13,-60,-22,-39,15,27,34,34,34,43,43,-5,-17,-107,-60,-45,-45,-39,-126,-126,-133,-133,-127,-134,-139,-139,-145,-145,-154,-154,-158,-160,-107,-123,-122,-121,-121,-138,-137,-167,-147,-135,-169,-165,-151,-188,-209,-209,-191,-245,-215,-232,-214,-214,-200,-206,-119,-116,-61,-423,-414,-461,-483,-483,-464,-468,-478]} 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 g6 7. Ne4 {Very rare, but it has only been played by GMs. (Mostly Svane, who used it in five of the seven games. The other two who tried it were Li Chao and Ding Liren(!).)} c4 8. Qc2 b5 $146 9. b3 Bg7 10. Bb2 Ndb4 11. Qc1 Bxb2 12. Qxb2 O-O $11 {I'm impressed that Erigaisi was even ready for 7.Ne4.} 13. a3 Bf5 $1 14. Nh4 $2 Qd4 $1 $19 {Erigaisi was in great form in this match, while the rusty Firouzja was not, to put it mildly.} 15. Rb1 Bxe4 16. Qxd4 Nc2+ 17. Kd1 N6xd4 18. Bxe4 Nxa3 19. Ra1 b4 20. Bxa8 Nxb3 $1 21. Ra2 Rxa8 {White is completely lost.} 22. e3 e5 23. Ke2 e4 24. f3 exf3+ 25. Nxf3 a5 26. Rf1 f6 27. Nh4 Ra6 28. Ng2 Rd6 29. Nf4 c3 30. dxc3 Nb5 {The point of the last move, which would otherwise be a blunder.} 31. Rc2 Nxc3+ 32. Kf2 a4 33. Ne2 Rd2 34. Rxd2 Nxd2 35. Rc1 Nde4+ 36. Ke1 b3 $1 37. Nxc3 Nxc3 38. Rxc3 b2 39. Rc8+ Kg7 40. Rb8 a3 0-1 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.1"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Mamedov, Rauf"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2646"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "150"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,150,32,13,21,4,37,29,45,45,32,31,31,34,48,35,29,29,40,38,72,23,11,81,104,57,99,80,113,25,53,-22,12,3,1,-6,-6,-17,-11,-19,-12,-22,-30,-23,19,-14,-19,-23,-25,-27,-15,-29,-25,-28,-22,-22,-22,-22,-20,-26,-13,-27,-4,-49,-19,-11,-8,-49,-11,-44,-46,-38,0,0,0,0,21,27,9,31,36,40,100,99,104,66,90,92,103,81,119,0,0,0,0,0,5,9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,12,0,0,-68,-67,-108,-100,-100,-101,-100,-75,-507,-17,-104,-15,-8,-6,-7,-5,-2,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O exd4 8. Nxd4 Re8 9. f3 c6 10. Kh1 d5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Bg5 Nc6 13. Bb5 h6 14. Bh4 g5 15. Bf2 Bd7 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Bxb5 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Qd4+ f6 21. Rfd1 Bc6 22. Ne3 Qxd4 23. Nf5+ Kg6 24. Nxd4 Rad8 25. Kg1 Rd6 26. Rd2 Red8 27. Rad1 Ba4 28. b3 Bb5 29. Kf2 h5 30. g3 a5 31. a3 Be8 32. f4 Bf7 33. h4 g4 34. b4 axb4 35. axb4 Rd5 36. Nb3 Rxd2+ 37. Rxd2 Rc8 38. Nc5 b6 39. Nd7 Rc3 40. Rd6 Rf3+ 41. Kg2 Kg7 42. Nxf6 Rb3 43. Rxb6 Bg6 44. f5 Bf7 45. Rd6 Rxb4 46. Nd7 Rb2+ 47. Kg1 Rb1+ 48. Kf2 Rb5 49. f6+ Kg6 50. Ke3 Kf5 51. Rd4 Ke6 52. Re4+ Kxd7 53. Re7+ Kd6 54. Rxf7 Ke6 55. Rf8 Rf5 56. Ke4 Rf3 57. f7 Rxg3 58. Kf4 Rf3+ 59. Kg5 Rxf7 60. Re8+ Re7 61. Rf8 g3 {It's surprising that Mamedov went from two pawns down to this position, but it's still a draw if So plays correctly. He doesn't.} 62. Rf1 $2 (62. Kh6 $11 {stops ...Rg7, and draws, while}) (62. Kf4 Rg7 63. Re8+ {followed by Re1 also does the trick.}) (62. Rg8 {is also good enough, though it's a bit awkward:} Ke5 63. Kxh5 Kf4 {feels a little uncomfortable for White.}) 62... g2 $2 (62... Rg7+ $1 63. Kxh5 g2 64. Rg1 Kf5 65. Kh6 Kf6 66. h5 Rg5 $19 {leaves White in a fatal zugzwang.}) 63. Rg1 $2 {Another losing move.} (63. Re1+ $1 {and only next 64.Rg1 saves the draw.}) 63... Rg7+ $2 {And for a second time, forgiveness.} (63... Rf7 $1 64. Kxh5 Rg7 $1 65. Kh6 Kf6 66. h5 Rg5 $19) 64. Kf4 Rg4+ 65. Kf3 Kf5 66. Rxg2 Rxg2 67. Kxg2 Kg4 68. Kh2 Kxh4 69. Kg2 Kg4 70. Kh2 h4 71. Kg2 h3+ 72. Kh2 Kh4 73. Kh1 Kg3 74. Kg1 h2+ 75. Kh1 Kh3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Mamedov, Rauf"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C44"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2766"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. Nxf7 Nxf7 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qh5+ g6 9. Qxc5 d5 10. O-O dxe4 11. c3 Qd6 12. Qxd6 cxd6 13. cxd4 Nxd4 14. Nc3 Bg4 15. Nxe4 Nc2 16. Nxd6+ Ke6 17. Bf4 g5 18. Bg3 Nxa1 19. Rxa1 Rhd8 20. f3 Bf5 21. Re1+ Kf6 22. h4 h6 23. Be5+ Ke6 24. g4 Bh7 25. Bg3+ Kf6 26. Be5+ Ke6 27. Bg3+ Kf6 28. Be5+ Ke6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.3"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Mamedov, Rauf"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2646"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,107,28,25,25,-16,39,37,37,33,33,46,46,31,29,29,31,31,26,49,57,33,49,40,14,65,65,28,143,135,135,135,105,86,93,88,69,22,59,59,59,59,59,41,63,61,63,56,54,54,33,-11,-23,-37,-59,-100,-10,-88,-19,-95,-94,-207,-113,-88,-41,-41,-120,-116,-85,-107,-12,0,28,29,18,8,51,27,63,80,96,93,151,84,177,164,174,152,168,133,133,194,190,190,190,182,274,185,185,274,274,286,327,344,373,583,607,722,755,755]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O exd4 8. Nxd4 Re8 9. f3 c6 10. Kh1 d5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Bg5 Nc6 13. Bb5 h6 14. Nxc6 {Varying from the first game of the match, when he retreated the attacked bishop to h4.} bxc6 15. Bxc6 hxg5 16. Bxa8 d4 17. Ne2 $1 (17. Nd5 {has been played a few times, originally in a 2020 game between Ding and Carlsen.} Ba6 18. Bc6 (18. Re1 $5 $146 Qxa8 19. Nc7 $14) 18... Re6 19. Rc1 Bxf1 20. Qxf1 $11 {/?}) 17... Bd7 $146 ({The slightly inferior} 17... d3 {had been played in a couple of earlier games.}) 18. Bd5 Nxd5 19. exd5 Bb5 20. Re1 Qxd5 21. Ng3 $14 (21. Qd2 $142 $14) 21... Rxe1+ 22. Qxe1 d3 23. Qd2 (23. Qa5 $142 Bxb2 24. Rf1 $14 (24. Rd1 {puts the rook where it wants to be, but the problem is} g4 $1 25. fxg4 a6 26. a4 Qb3 $11) 24... g4 $6 25. fxg4 $16 a6 $2 26. a4 $18) 23... g4 $1 $11 24. fxg4 Bc6 25. g5 $2 Bxb2 $1 $19 {Mamedov has always been a tactical trickster, and in this game even Wesley So is falling prey to his tricks. So is lost, but somehow avoids a complete collapse.} 26. Rg1 Be5 $1 27. a3 a6 $2 (27... Bc7 $1 {followed by ...Bb6 (looking for ...Be3!) was best, and would have been very hard to survive.}) 28. Nf1 $2 Qe4 $2 (28... Bd4 29. Qxd3 Qc5 $1 {This last move is probably what both players missed. Here White can resign.}) 29. Ng3 $2 (29. Qe3 $142 $17) 29... Qd5 30. Nf1 {Giving Black a second shot at it.} Qd4 $2 (30... Bd4 $1) 31. Qe3 (31. Qc1 $142) 31... Qc3 32. Qb6 Bd4 33. Qb4 Qxb4 34. axb4 Kf8 $2 (34... Bc3 $1 $19 {was the right way, keeping the powerful bishop and creating a second passer after ...Bxb4.}) 35. Nd2 $11 Bxg1 36. Kxg1 Ke7 37. Kf2 Kd6 38. g4 Ke5 39. Ke3 {The position is equal, and better still for So, only he will have winning chances here.} Bb5 $2 (39... f6 $1 40. gxf6 Kxf6 41. h4 Ke5 $11) 40. h4 $18 {Now it's not just "winning chances"; it's a won position.} Bd7 41. Nf3+ Kd6 42. h5 Ke7 43. h6 Kf8 44. Ne5 Be6 45. Kxd3 Kg8 46. Kd4 Bb3 47. Kc5 Bd1 48. Kb6 Be2 49. Kc7 Bd1 50. Kd6 Kf8 51. Nd7+ Kg8 52. Ke7 Bb3 53. Ne5 Bd1 54. Kf6 (54. Kf6 Bb3 55. Nxf7 Bxf7 56. h7+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Mamedov, Rauf"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2766"] [PlyCount "134"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 d6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Nbd2 a5 7. h3 O-O 8. Bb3 Be6 9. O-O Bxb3 10. Nxb3 h6 11. Nxc5 dxc5 12. Be3 c4 13. dxc4 Qxd1 14. Raxd1 Nxe4 15. Rfe1 Nf6 16. g4 Rfd8 17. Rxd8+ Rxd8 18. g5 Nh7 19. gxh6 g6 20. b4 f6 21. a3 g5 22. h4 g4 23. Nd2 axb4 24. axb4 Ne7 25. Ne4 Nf5 26. Nxf6+ Nxf6 27. Bg5 Rf8 28. Rxe5 Nd7 29. Re4 Kh7 30. c5 Rf7 31. Rxg4 Nxh6 32. Bxh6 Kxh6 33. Kf1 Kh5 34. Re4 c6 35. Ke2 Nf6 36. Rf4 Re7+ 37. Kf3 Nd5 38. Rf5+ Kxh4 39. b5 Nxc3 40. bxc6 bxc6 41. Rf6 Rc7 42. Rf5 Re7 43. Rf6 Rc7 44. Rf5 Rc8 45. Kf4 Re8 46. Rf7 Ne2+ 47. Kf5 Nd4+ 48. Kf4 Ne6+ 49. Kf5 Nd4+ 50. Kf4 Kh5 51. Rf6 Ne2+ 52. Kf5 Nd4+ 53. Kf4 Rd8 54. Ke5 Rd5+ 55. Ke4 Rd8 56. f4 Kg4 57. Rg6+ Kh5 58. Rd6 Rxd6 59. cxd6 Ne6 60. Ke5 Nd8 61. d7 Kg6 62. Kd6 Kf6 63. Kc7 Ke7 64. f5 Nf7 65. Kxc6 Ne5+ 66. Kd5 Nxd7 67. f6+ Nxf6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Gukesh, D."] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E29"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,96,25,25,32,-16,0,-7,-7,25,41,-3,-9,-16,21,17,19,1,12,10,90,23,30,10,30,35,50,14,49,22,19,-3,-22,-74,-6,-14,-20,-44,-25,-31,-10,-29,12,-25,-46,-37,-65,-71,-66,-105,-99,-138,-84,-105,-110,-134,-118,-153,-76,-168,-99,-132,-103,-97,-125,-126,-109,-110,-116,-110,-116,-118,-126,-111,-113,-123,-124,-74,-128,-152,-131,-153,-127,-112,-115,-174,-155,-184,-157,-211,-205,-233,-233,-292,-317,-396,-483,-518,-503]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. Ne2 b6 9. e4 Ne8 10. h4 $5 {While I'm happy to blame practically every instance of h4 (or ...h5) in the opening on AlphaZero and its successors, this was played by Norman Littlewood against Boris Spassky way back in 1965. Score one for the humans! It has been played six times in all - seven with this game - and this particular implementation of the h4 craze has not gone well for White: 2-5. Incidentally, it did not receive the engine's imprimatur.} e5 $146 (10... Ba6 {was seen in all six previous games, going for the standard anti-Saemisch plan of chasing the c4-pawn.}) 11. h5 d6 12. h6 g6 13. Be3 Na5 {Now Nakamura goes for the standard idea, having first (more or less - there's still the possibility of f4) locked up the center.} 14. Ng3 Ba6 15. Qe2 cxd4 16. cxd4 Nb3 17. Rb1 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 exd4 19. Qb2 Rc8 20. Qxd4 Qf6 21. Ne2 Qxd4 22. Nxd4 Nf6 $15 {Black has stopped White's attack before it got going, and now it's target practice on the c-pawn.} 23. Kd2 Bxc4 24. f3 $6 (24. Rhc1 $142 $1 {was better, not worrying about} Bxd3 25. Kxd3 Ng4 {, as} 26. f3 Nxh6 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. Nb5 {gets a pawn back while leaving White's pieces more active than their counterparts.}) 24... d5 $17 {From here, Nakamura converts his advantage very smoothly.} 25. e5 Bxd3 26. Kxd3 Nd7 27. f4 Rc4 28. Rhc1 Rfc8 29. Ne2 f6 30. exf6 Kf7 31. Rxc4 Rxc4 32. Ke3 Nc5 $6 {Except for this moment.} (32... Ra4 $142 $19) (32... Nxf6 $142 $19) 33. Rd1 (33. Rb4 $1 Rc2 34. g4 Kxf6 35. g5+ Kf7 36. Rd4 Ne6 $1 {Were it not for this trick, White would be just about fine. Even here, Black's advantage isn't as large as it was, though he's still a favorite to win.} 37. Rb4 Ra2 $17 {/-+}) 33... Ra4 34. Rxd5 Rxa3+ 35. Kd4 Rd3+ 36. Kc4 Rxd5 37. Kxd5 Kxf6 38. g4 a5 39. Nd4 a4 40. g5+ Kf7 41. Nb5 Ne6 42. Ke5 Nc7 $1 43. Nc3 a3 44. f5 gxf5 45. Kxf5 b5 46. Na2 Na6 47. Nc1 b4 48. Ke5 Nc5 $1 (48... Nc5 $1 49. Kd4 b3 $1 $19) 0-1 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,119,25,17,15,-3,40,34,38,13,72,32,67,6,-4,-2,2,-33,-30,-43,-23,-22,-13,-20,-5,-2,-10,-6,13,-9,-5,-5,4,-31,124,56,10,72,46,45,123,100,119,89,104,79,102,102,93,35,69,66,62,-14,75,103,108,140,126,110,169,128,138,127,133,118,105,104,129,85,105,142,166,100,139,142,168,167,167,176,176,166,176,130,251,260,270,278,278,280,280,260,283,285,282,206,214,208,208,210,226,226,225,253,260,244,261,261,282,306,313,299,318,358,515,523,494,488,562,575,838,993]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. h3 Bh5 5. d3 Nf6 6. Nbd2 Nbd7 7. g4 Bg6 8. Nh4 e5 9. e3 Bd6 10. b3 a5 11. a3 Nf8 12. Bb2 Ne6 13. Qe2 Qc7 14. c4 O-O 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. h4 Rfe8 17. g5 Nf4 $1 $17 {The first part of the game has gone very well for Gukesh, who is clearly better.} 18. Qf1 Nxg2+ $2 (18... N6h5 $1) (18... e4 $1) 19. Qxg2 Nh5 (19... Nd7 $142) 20. cxd5 cxd5 21. Rc1 $14 {Just like that, White is better, and Nakamura quickly builds on his momentum.} Qe7 (21... Qd7 $142 22. Qxd5 Rad8 $14) 22. Qxd5 $16 Bxa3 23. Bxa3 Qxa3 24. Qc5 Qxc5 25. Rxc5 a4 26. Ke2 axb3 27. Rb1 Ra4 28. Rxb3 Rxh4 29. Rxb7 Rg4 $2 {Losing an important tempo.} (29... f6) 30. Ne4 $18 {Now Black needs to push the f-pawn all the same, after which it's obvious that Ne4 was more useful than ...Rg5.} f5 31. gxf6 gxf6 32. Rcc7 (32. Rc6 $1 Rf8 33. Rcc7) (32. Ra5 $1) 32... Rg1 33. Nd6 Ra8 34. Nf7 $6 (34. Re7 $1) 34... Ng7 $1 35. Rc6 $6 (35. Nh6+ $2 Kh7 36. Rxg7+ Kxh6 $11 {is fine for Black. His king is safe, and as is often the case in rook endings (though it's generally less clear in double-rook endings) an extra pawn isn't so meaningful when the pawns are all on the same side of the board. (Not precisely true here, but close enough.)}) (35. Kf3 $142) 35... Nf5 36. Rxf6 (36. Kf3 $142 $16) 36... Rf8 $2 (36... Ra2+ $1 37. Kf3 Ra4 $1 {Threatening mate in three by 38...Nh4+ 39.Ke2 Ra2 followed by 40...Rxb2#.} 38. Rxf5 gxf5 39. Nh6+ (39. Nxe5 $11 {/?}) 39... Kh8 40. Nxf5 $14) 37. Kf3 $18 (37. Ra7 $1 Kg7 38. Ng5+ Kxf6 39. Nh7+ Ke6 40. Nxf8+ Kf6 41. Ra6+ Kg7 42. Nd7 $18) 37... Kg7 38. Ng5+ Kxf6 39. Nh7+ Ke6 40. Nxf8+ Kf6 41. Rb6+ Kg7 $2 (41... Ke7) 42. Nd7 Nh4+ 43. Ke4 Rg4+ 44. Kxe5 Nf3+ 45. Ke6 Rg2 46. Rb2 Ng5+ 47. Ke5 Nh3 48. Nf6 (48. Ke6 $1) 48... Rxf2 $2 (48... Nxf2 $142) 49. Rb7+ Kf8 50. e4 Nf4 51. d4 Nd3+ 52. Ke6 Nf4+ 53. Kd6 Ne2 54. Nd7+ Kg7 55. d5 Nc3 56. Nc5+ Kh6 57. Ke5 g5 58. d6 Rd2 59. d7 g4 60. Rb6+ {Next up, 61.Rd6, ensuring the pawn's safe promotion.} 1-0 [Event "Airthings Masters Div 1 W"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Gukesh, D."] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] {[%evp 0,92,32,30,32,33,29,21,32,28,88,43,48,47,86,31,86,60,64,43,34,48,44,44,44,44,44,6,-11,-3,5,0,32,-1,19,16,19,24,44,31,48,41,43,13,34,12,71,76,80,54,46,30,54,43,43,32,37,18,18,4,-8,-17,63,48,62,0,8,-7,0,-14,-14,-45,11,-18,-54,-57,-163,-176,-149,-294,-243,-232,-67,-100,-77,-132,-141,-126,-146,-168,-108,-105,-94,-105,-107]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 d5 5. Nbd2 Qb6 6. Rb1 Bd7 7. c3 Bb5 8. c4 dxc4 9. Nxc4 Bxc4 10. Bxc4 Qb4+ 11. Nd2 cxd4 12. exd4 Nc6 13. O-O Rd8 14. a3 Qb6 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Qe2 Bd6 17. g3 O-O 18. Rbc1 Qb8 19. Rfd1 Be7 20. Nf3 Nd5 21. b4 Bf6 22. Bd3 Nxe3 23. fxe3 g6 24. Be4 Ne7 25. g4 Rc8 26. g5 Bg7 27. Qb5 b6 28. Qd7 Nf5 29. Bxf5 exf5 30. d5 Bb2 31. Rxc8 Qxc8 32. Qxa7 Qc2 33. Rd2 Qe4 34. Kf2 Bc1 35. Re2 Re8 36. Qxb6 f4 37. Qb5 fxe3+ 38. Kg3 Bxa3 39. d6 Bxb4 40. Qb6 Rf8 {Black is still better, but he's happy coasting in with a draw, making sure that everything is nice and safe. A draw clinches match victory, and that's good enough.} (40... Re6 {would have won, as ...B(x)d6+ isn't just about the pawn, but about mating White's king.}) 41. d7 Qe7 42. Rxe3 Bd6+ 43. Kg2 Qxd7 44. Qd4 Qc6 45. Qe4 Qxe4 46. Rxe4 Ra8 1/2-1/2