[Event "7th Prague Masters 2025"] [Site "Prague CZE"] [Date "2025.03.05"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Aravindh, Chithambaram VR."] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2729"] [PlyCount "78"] [GameId "2152192315041127"] [EventDate "2025.02.26"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 {Generally played to avoid the Exchange lines where White puts the knight on e2.} 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nf3 (7. Qb3) (7. Nge2) 7... c6 8. Nh4 {Otherwise White's setup would make little sense - Black would enjoy a full and easy equality.} Bg4 9. Qc2 Nbd7 (9... Nh5 {has been usual, but White scores heavily with} 10. h3 {, e.g.} Be6 11. Nf3 Nxf4 12. exf4 Bd6 13. g3 {and now three examples:} g6 (13... Qf6 14. Bd3 g6 15. O-O-O Nd7 16. Ne5 Nb6 17. Kb1 O-O-O 18. Nb5 Kb8 19. Nxd6 Rxd6 20. b3 Nc8 21. h4 Rdd8 22. Rc1 Nd6 23. Rhe1 Rc8 24. Qd2 Rhd8 25. f3 Bf5 26. Bxf5 Qxf5+ 27. Ka1 Rc7 28. Nd3 Qf6 29. Re5 Nf5 30. Qf2 Qd6 31. g4 Ng7 32. Rce1 b6 33. h5 f6 34. R5e2 gxh5 35. f5 Kb7 36. Kb2 a5 37. a4 Rdd7 38. Qh2 Qxh2 39. Rxh2 hxg4 40. fxg4 h5 41. gxh5 Nxf5 42. Rf1 Nxd4 43. Rxf6 Rh7 44. h6 Rce7 45. Kc3 Ne2+ 46. Kd2 Ng3 47. Kc2 Ne4 48. Rg6 Rhf7 49. Rhg2 Nf6 50. Rf2 Ne4 51. Rxf7 Rxf7 52. Ne5 Rf2+ 53. Kd3 Rh2 54. Rg7+ Ka6 55. h7 Nf6 56. Nxc6 b5 57. Rg6 Nxh7 58. Nd8+ Ka7 59. axb5 Nf8 60. b6+ Ka6 61. b7+ Ka7 62. Ra6+ {1-0 Gukesh,D (2718)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2793) Duesseldorf WR Masters playoff 2023 (3.1)}) (13... a5 14. Bd3 Na6 15. a3 h6 16. Kf1 O-O 17. Kg2 Bc8 18. Rae1 Nc7 19. Nd1 Ne6 20. Ne3 Re8 21. Ng4 Bd7 22. Nge5 Nf8 23. Re2 Qc7 24. Rhe1 Re7 25. Nxd7 Qxd7 26. Rxe7 Bxe7 27. Ne5 Qc7 28. Qe2 Bf6 29. Qh5 Re8 30. Re2 Re7 31. Bb1 Qb6 32. Rd2 Qc7 33. h4 Qd8 34. Qf3 Re8 35. h5 Ne6 36. Qd3 Nf8 37. Re2 Re6 38. b4 axb4 39. axb4 Be7 40. b5 Bf6 41. bxc6 bxc6 42. Qc3 Qc7 43. Bf5 Re8 44. Rc2 Qa7 45. Qxc6 Rd8 46. Qc7 Ra8 47. Nxf7 Qxc7 48. Rxc7 Bxd4 49. Nd6 Ra2 50. Rc2 Rxc2 51. Bxc2 Nd7 52. Nf5 Bc5 53. Kf3 Kf8 54. g4 Nf6 55. Ng3 Bd6 56. Bd3 Bc7 57. Bg6 Bb6 58. Bf5 Bd8 59. Nf1 Bb6 60. Ne3 Bc5 61. Bg6 d4 62. Nc4 Nd5 63. Ne5 Ke7 64. Be4 Nf6 65. Bc2 Bd6 66. Nd3 Nd5 67. Bb3 Nf6 68. Ne5 Bxe5 69. fxe5 Nd7 70. Kf4 Nc5 71. Bc4 Kd7 72. Kf3 Ke7 73. Ke2 Kd7 74. f4 Ke7 75. Kf3 Kf8 76. g5 Ke7 77. gxh6 gxh6 78. f5 Ke8 79. f6 Kd7 80. Kf4 Kd8 81. e6 d3 {1-0 Giri,A (2745)-Tang,A (2505) Chess.com Classic Div 3 L Chess.com INT rapid 2024 (4.1)}) 14. Bd3 Nd7 15. Kf1 Qf6 16. Kg2 O-O 17. h4 c5 18. Nb5 Be7 19. dxc5 Nxc5 20. Nbd4 Rac8 21. h5 Ne4 22. Qe2 Bc5 23. Nxe6 Qxe6 24. hxg6 hxg6 25. Bxe4 Qxe4 26. Qxe4 dxe4 27. Ng5 Rfe8 28. Rae1 e3 29. fxe3 Rxe3 30. Rxe3 Bxe3 31. Re1 Bd4 32. Re7 Rc2+ 33. Kh3 f5 34. Re8+ Kg7 35. Ne6+ Kf7 36. Nxd4 Rd2 37. Rd8 Rxb2 38. Rd7+ Kf6 39. Nf3 Ke6 40. Rg7 Kf6 41. Rc7 Ke6 42. a4 a5 43. Rc5 b6 44. Rc6+ Kd5 45. Rxg6 Rb4 46. Ne5 Ke4 47. Kh4 Rxa4 48. Rxb6 Ra1 49. Kg5 Ra3 50. Kh4 Ra1 51. Rb3 a4 52. Rb4+ Kd5 53. Kg5 a3 54. Kxf5 Rg1 55. Rb5+ Kd4 56. Nf3+ Kc4 57. Ra5 {1-0 Maghsoodloo,P (2742)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2771) Wch Rapid Samarkand 2023 (13)}) 10. h3 {White has gone 3-0 here as well.} Be6 11. Nf3 Ne4 $146 (11... Rc8 12. Be2 g6 13. Bd3 O-O 14. O-O Nh5 15. Bh6 Ng7 16. Ne2 Re8 17. g4 c5 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nf4 Bf6 20. Bb5 Rf8 21. Rab1 Qb6 22. Qe2 Rfd8 23. Nd4 Ne8 24. Rfd1 Nd6 25. Bd3 Nde4 26. Bc2 a5 27. Kg2 Qc7 28. Ndxe6 fxe6 29. Bxe4 dxe4 30. Rbc1 Rxd1 31. Qxd1 Qc6 32. b3 Rd8 33. Qe2 b6 34. a3 Qd7 35. Qc4 Nd3 36. Rd1 Nxf4+ 37. exf4 Qe8 38. Rxd8 Bxd8 39. Qd4 e5 40. Qd5+ Kh8 41. fxe5 {1-0 Gukesh,D (2746)-McShane,L (2626) London Classic 13th 2023 (6)}) 12. Bd3 (12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Qa5+ 14. Nd2 Nf6 $14 {gives Black some compensation for the pawn.}) 12... f5 13. Bh2 $14 (13. O-O $14) 13... O-O 14. O-O Kh8 15. Ne2 a5 16. Ne5 ({The engine wants White to play for a minority attack, e.g. with} 16. a3) ({or the exaggerated-looking} 16. Rfb1 {.}) 16... Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Bf6 18. f3 Nd6 19. g4 $6 {GM Ben Finegold has a "rule", "Never play ...f6". I think "Never play g4" is becoming one of my rules. As I sometimes tell students, even when it's right, it's wrong, by which I mean that even though the engine may claim that it's okay at the moment when you play it, there's a pretty reasonable likelihood that the chronic loosening of your kingside will end up costing you at some point down the road.} ({White should sit on the position and wait before committing to the g4 pawn break. Black has nothing useful to do, and White can build or even cement the e5 square with f4 before considering and potentially getting on with g4.} 19. b3 $14) 19... Qe7 (19... Nc4 $11) 20. Ng3 (20. Bxd6 $2 Qxd6 21. gxf5 Bf7 22. e4 (22. Rad1 Bg5 23. e4 Qh6 24. Kg2 g6 $17) 22... dxe4 23. fxe4 Bxd4+ 24. Nxd4 Qxd4+ $17) 20... g6 21. Rae1 $2 (21. Bf4 $142) 21... Bxe5 22. dxe5 Nf7 $17 {Black's pieces look boxed up, but because White's kingside is so porous - stay tuned - he's in fact much better.} 23. f4 (23. gxf5 Qh4 $1 24. fxe6 Ng5 $3 25. f4 $1 Qxg3+ 26. Qg2 Nf3+ $1 27. Kh1 (27. Rxf3 $2 Qxe1+ $19) 27... Qxg2+ 28. Kxg2 Nxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Rae8 $17) 23... Qh4 $2 (23... fxg4 24. hxg4 Bxg4 $17 {/-+}) 24. Kg2 $2 (24. Qh2 $8 fxg4 25. hxg4 Qxh2+ 26. Kxh2 Bxg4 $15 {was White's one chance to come out of this with reasonable chances of saving the game.}) 24... Ng5 $3 $19 {Not your everyday tactic.} 25. Rh1 (25. fxg5 fxg4 26. hxg4 Bxg4 27. Nh1 Bh3+ 28. Kg1 Bxf1 29. Rxf1 Qxg5+ 30. Kh2 Qxe5+ $19) 25... d4 $3 {Otherwise Black has at best a minimal edge, if anything. Remarkably, the main point of this move isn't the possibility of ...Bd5+, though that can appear in some lines, but to break down the e3/f4 barricade keeping Black's f-pawn and/or rook at bay.} 26. fxg5 dxe3 27. gxf5 gxf5 28. Rxe3 (28. Bxf5 Bxf5 29. Nxf5 Qxg5+ 30. Kh2 (30. Ng3 Rg8 $19 (30... Rf2+ $19)) 30... Rxf5 {White's position is indefensible. One example:} 31. Rxe3 Raf8 32. Re2 Qf4+ 33. Kg1 Qg3+ 34. Rg2 Rf1#) 28... f4 29. Rf3 fxg3 30. Be4 (30. Rxg3 Bd5+ $19) 30... Rxf3 31. Bxf3 Rf8 {Threatening ...Rxf3.} 32. Qe4 Rf4 33. Qd3 Rxf3 {Naturally.} 34. Qd8+ Kg7 35. Kxf3 Bd5+ 36. Ke3 Qe4+ $1 (36... Bxh1 $4 {allows various perpetual checks. For example,} 37. Qf6+ Kg8 38. Qd8+ Kg7 (38... Kf7 $4 39. g6+ {followed by 40.Qxh4, after which White won't be especially interested in making a draw.}) 39. Qf6+ {etc.}) 37. Kd2 Qf4+ 38. Kc2 Qf5+ ({The immediate} 38... Bxh1 {is fine; the key is that the f6 square is guarded, so there won't be any perpetuals.}) 39. Kd2 Bxh1 0-1