[Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Duda, Jan Krzysztof"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B44"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2022.06.16"] 1. e4 {Already a slight surprise, as Duda had only played 1.d4 in six previous games with Rapport. (He has played 1.e4 many times, just not against Rapport.)} c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Bf4 {A very unusual move, but as it turns out, it's one that Rapport himself used against Caruana in 2021.} d6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 $146 (7. c4 {had been the universal choice (excepting one low-level game where White played 7.Nc3).} Rb8 8. Qc2 e5 9. Be3 Nf6 10. Nc3 Qc7 11. Be2 Be7 12. O-O O-O 13. Rac1 Be6 14. b3 h6 15. h3 a5 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Bf3 Nh7 18. Qe2 Bg5 19. Rd3 Qe7 20. Rcd1 Rd7 21. Bd2 Bxd2 22. Qxd2 Ng5 23. Be2 Rbd8 24. Qe3 f5 25. c5 d5 26. exd5 Bxd5 27. f4 Ne4 28. Nxd5 cxd5 29. c6 d4 30. Qc1 Rc7 31. fxe5 Qxe5 32. Qc4+ Kh7 33. Bf3 Ng5 34. h4 Nxf3+ 35. Rxf3 Rd5 36. h5 Qe4 37. Rdf1 d3 38. Rf4 Qe6 39. Rxf5 Qe3+ 40. Kh2 Rd4 41. Re1 Rxc4 42. Rxe3 Rd4 43. Rf1 d2 44. Rd1 Rxc6 45. Re2 Rc2 46. a3 Rd5 47. Kg3 Rc3+ 48. Kh4 Rd4+ 49. g4 Rdd3 50. Rh2 Rc2 51. b4 a4 52. b5 Rb2 53. Rh3 Rd6 54. Rh2 Ra2 55. Rg2 Kg8 56. Rh2 Kf7 57. Re2 Rb2 58. Rf1+ Rf6 59. Rd1 Rd6 60. Rf1+ Rf6 61. Rd1 Rd6 62. Rf1+ {1/2-1/2 (62) Rapport,R (2763)-Caruana,F (2806) Saint Louis 2021}) 7... Ne7 { One of many reasonable options. Other possibilities include the following:} ( 7... e5) (7... Rb8) (7... Nf6) (7... a5) 8. c4 g6 $2 {A terrible move, and the refutation is not particularly subtle.} (8... c5) (8... Qb6) (8... Ng6) 9. c5 $1 $16 {/+- Black is ready to be shredded on his weak dark squares. To his credit, Rapport hangs on for dear life, and eventually saves the game.} e5 ( 9... d5 $142 10. Nd2 (10. Be5 $2 {would be the best move, were it not for} dxe4 $1 {, when Black is only slightly worse.}) 10... Bg7 11. Bd6 $16 {/+-}) 10. Bg5 $18 Bg7 (10... d5 $142) 11. cxd6 Qxd6 12. O-O $18 Be6 {Everything has gone like a dream for White, but now he starts playing strangely.} 13. Na3 $6 (13. Qc2 O-O 14. Rd1 Qc7 15. Nc3 $18) (13. Nc3 $18) (13. Ba6 $18) 13... Rd8 14. Be2 Qxd1 15. Rfxd1 Rxd1+ 16. Bxd1 $2 (16. Rxd1 $1 f6 (16... Bxa2 {is nicely met by the simple tactic} 17. Nb5 $1 {, when it's almost miraculous that Black doesn't have to resign.} f6 $8 (17... cxb5 $4 18. Bxb5+ Kf8 19. Rd8#) 18. Nd6+ Kd7 $1 19. Be3 Kc7 20. Nb7 $1 Bf7 21. b4 $18 {White has way more than enough for the pawn, but there's no way to swiftly finish the game.}) 17. Be3 Bxa2 18. Nc4 Bxc4 19. Bxc4 $18) 16... Kd7 17. Be2 $2 (17. Bb3 $142 $16) (17. Ba4 $142 $1 $16 {/+-}) 17... Nc8 $14 {/+/- Given the opportunity to take this position before the game started, Duda would be happy and Rapport would be upset. But given the position Duda had several moves ago, this is a catastrophe for White. } 18. Rd1+ Kc7 (18... Nd6 $142 $1) 19. Bc4 $1 $16 Bg4 $1 20. f3 f6 $1 21. Be3 Bd7 22. Be2 (22. Bb3 $142) 22... h5 {Grabbing space, and in some cases looking to activate or exchange the bad bishop on h6.} (22... Nb6 $142) 23. Nc2 Bf8 24. a3 a5 25. Kf1 $2 (25. Rc1 $16) (25. b4 $16) 25... Be6 $11 {All the way back from the dead.} 26. Bd2 Kb6 27. Ne3 Nd6 28. Rc1 c5 $6 (28... Rh7 {looks good, finally getting the sleeping rook into the action.}) 29. Be1 $6 (29. b4 $1 { puts Black under significant pressure, though he can survive after several precise moves.} axb4 30. axb4 cxb4 31. Bxb4 Be7 32. Nc4+ Bxc4 33. Bxc4 Rc8 34. Rb1 $1 Kc7 $8 35. Bb5 $1 Ra8 $8 36. Rc1+ Kd8 37. Bc6 $14) 29... Bh6 30. Rd1 Rd8 $2 (30... Kc6 $1 31. Nd5 Rb8 $11 (31... Bxd5 32. exd5+ (32. Rxd5 Rb8 $11) 32... Kd7 33. Bxa5 Nf5 $11)) 31. Nd5+ Bxd5 32. Rxd5 $18 {Once again Duda has a winning advantage. Will he keep it?} Be3 (32... Nb7 $142) 33. Rd3 $2 {It's tempting to chase the pawn, but it turns out that this gives away almost all of White's advantage.} (33. a4 $1 $18 {White needs to fix the queenside pawns with this move and b3, and only after that to figure out how to cash in.}) 33... Bd4 $14 34. Rb3+ Kc6 35. Bxa5 Ra8 36. Rb6+ (36. Be1 f5 $44) 36... Kd7 37. Ra6 Rxa6 38. Bxa6 Bxb2 $11 39. a4 c4 40. Bb4 h4 41. Ke2 Kc6 42. Ba5 Bc1 43. Bd8 Bg5 44. Kd1 Kd7 45. Bb6 Kc6 46. a5 Bf4 47. Kc2 f5 $1 {Wisely going for counterplay and exchanges.} 48. Kc3 fxe4 49. fxe4 Nxe4+ 50. Kxc4 Nd6+ 51. Kb4 Bxh2 52. Be2 e4 53. Bc5 Nf5 54. Bb5+ Kc7 55. Bb6+ (55. a6 {would win, were it not for the pinning} Bd6 $11) 55... Kb7 56. Bc4 Nd6 57. Be2 Kc6 58. Bc5 Nf5 59. Bb5+ Kc7 60. a6 {The exact same position mentioned in the note with 55.a6, and it sees the same reply by Black.} Bd6 61. a7 {Forcing a speedy draw, but there was no chance to play for a win.} Bxc5+ 62. Kxc5 Kb7 63. Bc6+ Kxa7 64. Bxe4 Ne3 65. Kd4 Nxg2 66. Bxg2 g5 67. Bh3 g4 68. Bxg4 h3 69. Bxh3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2022.06.16"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 {A principled, sharp line.} 3. Nf3 e4 4. Nd4 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nc2 Nf6 7. Nc3 Qe5 8. Bg2 Na6 9. O-O Be7 {The key factor in this position is Black's e-pawn. As long as it survives, Black has plenty of space and, on a good day, the possibility of building a kingside attack. White has two ways of coping with this pawn: work around it and hope it will prove an eventual weakness, or swap it off. Most players have chosen the former approach.} 10. Ne3 (10. d4 exd3 11. Qxd3 (11. exd3 $5) 11... Qh5 $11 ({or} 11... O-O { followed by ...Qh5.})) ({It may come as a shock, but the immediate capture is a possibility.} 10. Nxe4 $5 Nxe4 11. f4 Qe6 12. f5 Qd5 13. d4 (13. d3 $2 Bxf5 14. dxe4 Bxe4 $17 {0-1 (54) Christiansen,J (2582)-Saric,I (2669) Warsaw 2021}) 13... Bf6 14. g4 O-O 15. g5 $44 {1/2-1/2 (80) Van Foreest,J (2701)-Navara,D (2697) Prague 2021}) 10... O-O (10... h5 {was played in the last Candidates tournament:} 11. d4 exd3 12. exd3 Qd4 13. Nc2 Qg4 14. Bf4 Qxd1 15. Raxd1 Bg4 16. Rd2 O-O-O 17. d4 Nc7 18. Ne3 Be6 19. d5 Ncxd5 20. Ncxd5 Nxd5 21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5 Rxd5 23. Bxd5 cxd5 24. Rc1+ Kd7 25. Rc7+ Ke6 26. Rxb7 Rc8 27. Rxa7 Rc2 28. Be3 Bf6 29. Ra4 Bxb2 30. Kg2 d4 31. Bxd4 Bxd4 32. Rxd4 Rxa2 33. Re4+ Kf6 34. Rf4+ Ke6 35. Re4+ Kf6 36. Rf4+ Ke6 37. Re4+ Kf6 38. Rf4+ Ke6 39. h4 g6 40. Re4+ Kf6 {1/2-1/2 (40) Giri,A (2763)-Grischuk,A (2777) Ekaterinburg 2020}) 11. a3 $146 Re8 12. b4 Ng4 $5 {Here comes Nepo! It's not clear that Black has enough compensation for the pawn, should White choose to grab it, but unless Ding had specifically studied this sacrifice there would be no way for him to know for sure at the board.} (12... Bf8 {was roughly level, intending ...Nc7.}) 13. Bb2 (13. Bxe4 Nc7 14. Bg2 (14. Bb2 Qh5 15. Nxg4 Bxg4 16. Bg2 Rad8 17. f3 Be6 18. e3 $14) (14. Nxg4 Bxg4 15. Bb2 Qh5 {transposes to the preceding variation.}) 14... Qh5 15. h4 Nxe3 16. dxe3 Qg6 17. Qd3 a5 $14 {gives Black a decent amount of activity for the sacrificed pawn, though it may not be full compensation.}) 13... Qh5 14. h4 Bf6 (14... f5 $5) 15. Qc2 Nxe3 16. dxe3 Bf5 17. Na4 (17. b5 $142 $14 {makes sense, initiating play on the queenside, if only to prevent Black from single-mindedly focusing on the kingside.}) 17... Bxb2 18. Nxb2 Nc7 19. Nc4 Re6 $11 {The position is equal, but that's assuming correct play by both sides. The problem for White is that his inaccuracies are going to cost much more than errors by Black.} 20. Rfd1 Nd5 21. Rd4 $2 (21. b5 {is again a good idea, for the same reasons as before.}) 21... h6 $2 ({The obvious} 21... Rae8 {makes sense, defending the attacked pawn, but it seems that Black can make the move he really wants to play:}) (21... g5 $1 22. hxg5 ( 22. Bf3 Qg6 23. g4 gxh4 24. Kh2 exf3 25. Qxf5 fxe2 {may be a better try for White, but Black should win this in the long run as well.}) (22. Bxe4 Rxe4 $1 23. Rxe4 Qg6 24. f3 gxh4 25. g4 h5 $1 26. Rf1 Nf6 $1 27. Ne5 Qg7 28. Qc5 $1 Nxe4 29. fxe4 Be6 $1 $19) 22... Qxg5 {and ideas like ...Rh6 and ...Qh5 or ... h5-h4 are going to crack open the White king's shell.} 23. b5 Rh6 24. bxc6 bxc6 25. Kf1 Qh5 26. Rxe4 $8 Nf6 $1 27. Nd6 Nxe4 28. Nxf5 Qxf5 29. Qxe4 $8 Qxe4 30. Bxe4 Re8 31. Bf3 {is about the best White can do. The attack is over, the queens are off the board, Black's material plus is minimal and his pawns are all isolated. That's the good news. The bad news is that the ending is clearly won for Black, thanks to the passed c-pawn.} c5) 22. Qd2 $2 (22. Rad1 $11 { was correct, intending to sacrifice the exchange--especially in case of ...g5, but also in response to ...Rae8.}) 22... Rae8 23. Kh2 ({With the queen backing up the rook, the exchange sac fails.} 23. Rxd5 $2 cxd5 24. Qxd5 Qxe2 $1 $19 { Thanks to the looseness of the e2-pawn and the White knight, this version of the exchange sac fails.}) 23... Bg4 {Good enough.} (23... g5 {was fine here, too.} 24. Rh1 gxh4 25. Kg1 h3 $19) 24. Na5 $2 {Too slow, but it's already too late to save the game.} (24. b5 Bxe2 25. Rc1 g5) 24... Rf6 (24... g5 $1) 25. Kg1 g5 $1 {This time it had to be played. It's still winning.} 26. Nxb7 $2 (26. b5 {was still the best try. (By far.)} gxh4 27. bxc6 hxg3 28. fxg3 Qe5 29. Nc4 Qxg3 30. Qe1 Qxe1+ 31. Rxe1 bxc6 32. Rxe4 Rxe4 33. Bxe4 {lets White fight in the ending. Black should win, but with both sides having ragged structures some hopes of a lucky save remain.}) 26... gxh4 27. Nc5 {White's counterplay against Black's heroic e-pawn comes too late, as too many enemy pieces are clustering around White's king.} h3 28. Rxe4 (28. Nxe4 hxg2 29. Nxf6+ Nxf6 30. Kxg2 Bxe2 {Threatening 31...Bf3+.} 31. Rf4 Nd5 32. Rf5 Qg4 $19 {will cost White the exchange, leaving him a piece down with a still-vulnerable king.}) 28... hxg2 $1 (28... Rxe4 29. Bxe4 h2+ 30. Kh1 Rxf2 {is also winning, but who would prefer this to Nepo's flashy approach?}) 29. Rxe8+ Kg7 30. f4 (30. Kxg2 Rxf2+ $1 31. Kxf2 Qh2+ 32. Kf1 Bh3+ 33. Ke1 Qg1# {is the main point of Black's 28th move (and the moves building up to it).}) 30... Qh1+ 31. Kf2 Qxa1 32. Kxg2 Bh3+ $1 {Black can win as he pleases, but this is the fastest and cleanest way to finish things off.} (32... Bh3+ $1 33. Kxh3 Qh1+ 34. Kg4 h5+ 35. Kg5 Qh3 { and White cannot prevent the inevitable ...Qg4#.}) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2022.06.16"] {[%evp 0,99,20,33,22,22,11,-2,11,15,12,11,23,8,11,7,18,-2,3,-1,-2,-10,-6,-19, -14,-19,-12,-12,-1,0,22,31,25,40,32,7,12,8,7,7,-7,-17,-10,-16,28,0,0,0,0,5,3,3, -4,38,0,0,10,42,45,41,39,52,39,63,43,51,73,58,88,85,76,76,76,76,78,78,94,84, 106,79,197,150,150,100,117,115,101,88,90,93,188,190,364,403,418,398,599,638, 1515,1602,1631,1646]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Be6 7. O-O Bd6 8. Nb3 {Both 8.b3 and 8.d4 are more common, but this has received attention from a number of elite GMs including So, MVL, Dominguez, and in the near-2700 department from Saric and Robson. White intends to play 9. Na4, when Black generally chooses to defend the pawn with ...Rb8 while castling kingside. or he plays 8...Qe7 and castles long. Nakamura's neither-fish-nor-fowl way of treating the position doesn't seem to offer a fully viable third way.} Qe7 ({What about stopping Na5 in the first place?} 8... a5 {was tried in a Dominguez-Aronian game. Dominguez insisted on Na5:} 9. Qe1 a4 10. Na5 {, and did go on to win. Nevertheless, this seems like a viable approach for Black.} Qb8 11. b4 Bg4 (11... O-O $142 $11) 12. Nh4 O-O 13. Nc4 $14 {and White went on to win this blitz game.} Be6 (13... Nh5 $142) 14. Nxd6 cxd6 15. f4 $16 {Now White is much better, and it soon becomes a massacre.} exf4 16. Bxf4 Re8 17. a3 Nh5 18. Bd2 d5 19. Qe2 $2 (19. e5) 19... Nf6 $2 (19... Qe5) 20. Rxf6 gxf6 21. Rf1 dxe4 22. Bc3 Qd6 23. Bxf6 h6 24. Qh5 Kh7 25. Nf5 Qf8 26. dxe4 Rad8 27. Rf4 Rd2 28. Rg4 Rd1+ 29. Kf2 Rd2+ 30. Ke1 Rxc2 31. Bg7 { 1-0 (31) Dominguez Perez,L (2763)-Aronian,L (2765) Saint Louis 2019 (blitz)}) 9. Na5 Rb8 (9... O-O-O {is risky, of course, as both sides will go for an all-out attack against the opponent's kings. Black has gone 2-0 here (with Dominguez showing up on the black side this time). Nevertheless, the computer thinks White has an edge, and as Caruana deliberately entered this line he clearly believes in White's chances as well. Maybe for him, depending on the depth of his homework, it's a two-result position, but for the rest of us - and including GMs with ratings in the upper-2600s - it's a three-results position.} 10. Bd2 (10. a3 c5 11. Be3 Nd7 12. b4 Nb6 13. c4 cxb4 14. Qc2 b3 15. Nxb3 c5 16. Nfd2 Kd7 17. Nb1 Rc8 18. Nc3 Rhd8 19. Rab1 Ke8 20. Nd2 Qd7 21. Rfd1 Kf8 22. Qb3 Rb8 23. Nb5 Ra8 24. Nf1 Kg8 25. a4 Bf8 26. Nc3 Rab8 27. Qa3 Qc6 28. Nb5 Ra8 29. Qb3 Rd7 30. Rd2 Nc8 31. Nc3 Ne7 32. Nd5 Qd6 33. Qc3 Nc6 34. Rb5 Nd4 35. Bxd4 cxd4 36. Qb3 Rb8 37. Rb2 f6 38. Ng3 Rf7 39. a5 Bd7 40. Nf5 Qa6 41. Nc7 Qc6 42. Nd5 Qc8 43. c5 Qd8 44. a6 Bc6 45. Qc4 g6 46. Ng3 Bxb5 47. Qxb5 b6 48. cxb6 axb6 49. Qc6 Kg7 50. h4 Qd6 51. Qb5 Qc5 52. Qb3 Qa3 53. Qb5 Qc5 54. Qb3 Qa3 55. Qb5 Ra8 56. Nxb6 Rxa6 57. Nc4 Qa4 58. Qd5 Qd1+ 59. Kh2 Qg4 60. Rb7 Qxh4+ 61. Kg1 Ra1+ 62. Nf1 Rxb7 63. Qxb7+ Kh6 64. Qf7 Bb4 65. Qb7 Be1 66. Qb2 Bc3 67. Qe2 Qh5 68. f3 Qh4 {0-1 (68) Karthik,V (2479)-Aleksandrov,A (2592) New Delhi 2020}) 10... Bg4 11. Rb1 Nd7 12. Nc4 Qf6 13. b4 Nf8 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Qxf3 16. gxf3 Ne6 17. Be3 Rhf8 18. c3 f5 19. Rfd1 Rf6 20. d4 exd4 21. cxd4 fxe4 22. Nxd6+ cxd6 23. fxe4 d5 24. e5 Rf5 25. b5 c5 26. dxc5 d4 27. Bd2 Nxc5 28. b6 axb6 29. Rxb6 Rxe5 30. Rc1 Rdd5 31. Rb5 Kd7 32. Ba5 d3 33. Kf1 d2 34. Bxd2 Rxd2 35. Rcxc5 Rxc5 36. Rxc5 Rxa2 37. Rh5 h6 38. Rf5 Kc6 39. Rf7 b5 40. Rxg7 b4 41. Rg3 Kb5 42. Kg2 Ra3 43. Rg8 Ra6 44. Kf3 b3 45. Rg1 Kb4 46. Ke4 b2 47. Rb1 Kc3 48. f4 Ra1 49. Rxb2 Kxb2 50. f5 Rf1 51. Ke5 Rh1 {0-1 (51) Robson,R (2667) -Dominguez Perez,L (2739) Saint Louis 2019 (U.S. Championship)}) 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Nd7 13. d4 f6 (13... h5 $5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Bxe5 16. dxe5 Qc5 17. Qe1 $1 Qxe5 18. Rd1 $14) 14. Qd3 ({After the game Caruana opined that} 14. c3 $1 $14 {/+/- may have been better, as} h5 15. h4 $16 {is clearly better for White.}) 14... h5 15. dxe5 (15. h4 g4 16. Nd2 exd4 {is the reason Caruana subsequently regretted not playing c3, as in that case he could recapture with the pawn.} 17. Qxd4 $11 {/+/=}) 15... Nxe5 16. Bxe5 fxe5 17. Nc4 (17. Qc3 O-O 18. Nxe5 Qg7 19. Nf3 Qxc3 20. bxc3 g4 $44) 17... Rd8 18. Nxd6+ cxd6 19. Qe3 g4 20. Nd2 a6 21. b3 $5 {The point of this move is not to play c4, but Nc4 in case Black tries to "castle" queenside with ...Kd7-c7. Black could take, but opening the b-file would be, or would at least seem to be, dangerous with Black's king in the area. Caruana admitted that this was a bit of a bluff, and it worked.} O-O $2 {Nevertheless, this is an overreaction in the opposite direction. Black's king may have had difficulties on the queenside, but it will most certainly experience heartburn on the kingside.} (21... Rg8 $11) ( 21... h4 $11) (21... Kd7 22. Rab1 Kc7 23. a4 h4 {and here, for instance, White should probably abandon the initial semi-bluff commenced with b3 and push on with the b-pawn instead.} 24. b4 $11 (24. Nc4 $2 Kb8 $17)) 22. f3 $16 Qg7 23. fxg4 hxg4 24. Rad1 d5 $6 {Probably a little too ambitious.} 25. exd5 cxd5 26. Rde1 e4 27. Rxf8+ $1 Rxf8 28. c4 Re8 (28... Qf6 $1 29. cxd5 Bxd5 30. Qc5 (30. Nxe4 $4 Bxe4 31. Qxe4 Qf2+ 32. Kh1 Qf1+ 33. Rxf1 Rxf1#) 30... Rf7 $16) 29. cxd5 Bxd5 30. Nf1 (30. Rf1 {was also strong.}) 30... Qe5 31. Qh6 Qg7 $2 (31... Re7) 32. Qd6 $18 Bc6 33. Ne3 g3 $1 {A great practical try.} 34. hxg3 {The safe reply.} (34. Rf1 $1 gxh2+ 35. Kh1 {is the maximalist approach, and Caruana must have spent some time calculating this before deciding to avoid unnecessary complications in what should still be a winning position after the text move.}) 34... Qe5 35. Qg6+ Qg7 36. Qd6 Qe5 37. Qh6 Qxg3 38. Rf1 $1 Qg7 39. Qh4 (39. Qh5 $1) 39... Qh7 $2 (39... Bd7 $1) 40. Qg3+ Qg7 41. Qh4 $2 (41. Qd6 $1) 41... Bd7 $1 42. Rd1 (42. Nf5 $1 Bxf5 43. Rxf5 Re5 44. Qd8+ Kh7 45. Rf4 Rh5 46. Rxe4 Qa1+ 47. Kf2 Rf5+ 48. Kg3 Qg7+ 49. Kh3 Rh5+ 50. Rh4 Qc3+ 51. g3 (51. Kg4 Qg7+ $1 52. Kxh5 $4 Qg6#) 51... Rxh4+ 52. Qxh4+ $18 {White will pick up the b-pawn and eventually win the ending, several hundred moves later.}) 42... Be6 $2 (42... Re7 $1) 43. Nd5 {Now everything is under control, and Caruana wins without any further hiccups.} Rf8 44. Qxe4 Qh6 45. Re1 Rd8 46. Ne7+ $1 Kf7 47. Nf5 Qf6 48. Rf1 $1 Bd5 49. Nh6+ Kg7 50. Qg4+ $1 (50. Qg4+ $1 Qg6 51. Nf5+ Kf7 (51... Kh7 52. Qh4+ Kg8 53. Qxd8+ $18) 52. Nh4+ $18) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "142"] [EventDate "2022.06.16"] {[%evp 0,142,19,31,14,1,-3,6,6,6,41,46,88,70,71,77,77,53,47,52,45,45,49,39,36, 39,39,35,23,14,53,37,45,40,49,44,88,94,112,107,101,17,50,44,58,31,33,13,15,25, 7,14,49,21,41,60,95,95,80,90,90,70,101,38,38,33,51,56,53,52,31,44,39,32,37,30, 21,33,99,85,94,94,97,97,97,71,94,92,82,93,93,93,101,102,103,102,103,102,103, 105,103,103,103,103,105,103,119,122,122,102,102,103,103,103,103,102,103,103, 103,103,103,103,103,103,103,103,103,103,103,122,103,98,103,95,95,73,95,95,95, 84,95,84,85,85,51]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 {Radjabov tends to play solidly when given a choice; Firouzja is not interested.} dxc4 5. e4 b5 6. e5 Nd5 7. Nxb5 Nb6 8. Be3 (8. Be2 {is the most common move.}) (8. Nc3 Be7 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O Bb7 11. Be3 Qd7 12. Rc1 g5 13. Bxg5 Rg8 14. Bxe7 Nxe7 15. Ne1 O-O-O 16. Bf3 Qxd4 17. Bxb7+ Kxb7 18. Qf3+ Nc6 19. Nc2 Qd3 20. Ne3 Nd5 21. Ne4 Nd4 22. Nc5+ Kb6 23. Qxd5 exd5 24. Nxd3 cxd3 25. Rcd1 Nf3+ 26. Kh1 Nxe5 27. f4 d4 28. Nf5 Ng4 29. Rxd3 c5 30. h3 Nf6 31. Rc1 Ne4 32. Kh2 a5 33. a3 a4 34. b3 axb3 35. Rxb3+ Kc7 36. a4 d3 37. Ne3 Rd4 38. a5 Ra8 39. Rcb1 Ra7 40. a6 Nd6 41. Rc3 c4 42. Rb4 d2 43. Nxc4 d1=Q 44. Ne5+ Kd8 45. Nc6+ Kd7 46. Rxd4 Qa1 47. Rdd3 Rxa6 48. Nb8+ Ke6 49. Nxa6 Qxa6 50. Re3+ Kf6 51. Rc5 Nf5 52. Ree5 Nd4 53. Rh5 Qe2 54. Kg3 Qe3+ 55. Kg4 Ne6 56. Rcf5+ Kg7 57. g3 Qe1 {0-1 (57) Radjabov,T (2765)-Firouzja,A (2759) Paris 2021}) 8... Nc6 9. Be2 (9. Rc1 Rb8 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O Nb4 13. a3 N4d5 14. Bd2 Bb7 15. Qc2 Qd7 16. Ne4 Ba8 17. Nc5 Qc6 18. Na6 Rb7 19. b4 c3 20. Bg5 Nc8 21. Nc5 Rb8 22. b5 Qe8 23. Bxe7 Ncxe7 24. Ne4 Nf4 25. Rfe1 Nxe2+ 26. Rxe2 Rxb5 27. Qxc3 Nd5 28. Qc2 h6 29. Nc3 Ra5 30. Nxd5 Bxd5 31. Re3 c6 32. Nd2 Qe7 33. Nc4 Bxc4 34. Qxc4 Rxa3 35. Qxc6 Rxe3 36. fxe3 a5 37. Ra1 Rb8 38. Qc3 a4 39. h3 Ra8 40. Qc6 Qa7 41. Ra3 Qa5 42. Kh2 g6 43. Qc4 Kg7 44. e4 h5 45. d5 Qd2 46. Rf3 Qa5 47. Ra3 Qa6 48. Qd4 Qb5 49. dxe6 fxe6 50. Qd6 Qe8 51. Qc7+ Qf7 52. Qc1 Ra7 53. Qg5 Kh7 54. Kg1 Qf8 55. Rg3 Qe8 56. Ra3 Qf8 57. Qe3 Qe7 58. Kh2 Ra5 59. Qc3 Ra6 60. Qd3 Ra8 61. Qe3 Qd7 62. Qg5 Qc7 63. Rg3 Qg7 64. Ra3 Ra5 65. Qg3 Qc7 66. Qf4 Rxe5 67. Rxa4 g5 68. Ra7 gxf4 69. Rxc7+ Kg6 70. Rc4 Ra5 71. h4 Kf6 72. g3 Ra2+ 73. Kh3 Ke5 74. gxf4+ Kxf4 75. e5+ Kf5 76. Rc8 Ra3+ 77. Kg2 Re3 78. Kf2 Rh3 79. Rc4 Ra3 80. Rc8 Ra4 81. Kg3 Ra3+ 82. Kf2 Ra5 83. Kf3 Kxe5 84. Rh8 Kd4 85. Rh6 e5 86. Rd6+ Rd5 87. Ra6 Rd8 88. Ra4+ Kd5 89. Ke3 Rb8 90. Ra3 Rb4 {0-1 (90) Radjabov,T (2763)-So,W (2778) chess24.com INT 2021}) 9... Be7 10. O-O (10. a3) 10... O-O 11. Nc3 Rb8 12. a3 ( 12. Qc1) (12. b3) 12... Na5 (12... Bb7 13. Qc2 Na5 14. Rad1 h6 15. Nd2 Qd7 16. f4 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Qc3 Rb5 19. Nxc4 Nxc4 20. Bxc4 Bxc4 21. Qxc4 Rxb2 22. d5 exd5 23. Rxd5 Qf5 24. a4 Rfb8 25. Rb5 c5 26. Rxb8+ Rxb8 27. Qd5 Rd8 28. Qc4 Rb8 29. Qd5 Rd8 30. Qc4 a5 31. h3 h5 32. Rc1 Rd3 33. Kf2 Qg6 34. g3 Qf5 35. Rb1 Ra3 36. Rb3 Rxb3 37. Qxb3 Qxh3 38. Qb8+ Kh7 39. Qc7 Qe6 40. Qxa5 h4 41. gxh4 Bxh4+ 42. Ke2 Qc4+ 43. Kd2 Qa2+ 44. Kd1 Qb1+ 45. Ke2 c4 46. Qc3 Qe4 47. Kd1 Qf3+ 48. Kc1 Bg3 49. Qd2 c3 50. Qd4 Be1 51. Qd3+ g6 52. Kc2 Qg2+ 53. Kd1 Qh1 54. Kc2 Qc6 55. Kd1 Bg3 56. Qd4 Qf3+ 57. Kc2 Be1 58. Qd3 Qc6 59. Kd1 Bg3 60. Qd4 Qf3+ 61. Kc2 {1/2-1/2 (61) Mamedyarov,S (2801)-Caruana,F (2822) Saint Louis 2018}) 13. Qc2 Nd5 14. Rad1 Ba6 $146 (14... Bd7 15. Nd2 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bg5 17. Rf3 c5 18. Nde4 Be7 19. dxc5 Qc7 20. Nf6+ Bxf6 21. exf6 g6 22. Qe4 Rfd8 23. Qh4 Qxc5 24. Ne4 Qf8 25. Rh3 h6 26. Qf4 e5 27. Qxh6 Qxh6 28. Rxh6 Bc6 29. Nd6 Rxb2 30. Bf1 c3 31. Rh8+ Kxh8 32. Nxf7+ Kg8 33. Nh6+ Kh7 34. Rxd8 Rb7 35. f7 Rxf7 36. Rh8+ Kg7 37. Bd3 Rd7 38. Rg8+ Kxh6 39. Rxg6+ Kh5 40. Bf5 Rd1+ 41. Kf2 Rd2+ 42. Kf1 {1-0 (42) Gunina,V (2471)-Pichot,A (2625) Chess.com INT 2022}) ( 14... Bb7 15. Nd2 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bg5 17. Nxc4 Nxc4 18. Bxc4 Bxe3+ 19. Kh1 Qg5 20. Ne4 Bxe4 21. Qxe4 Rxb2 22. d5 exd5 23. Bxd5 Bf2 24. e6 fxe6 25. Bxe6+ Kh8 26. Bh3 Rbb8 27. Qd3 Bc5 28. Qc4 Bd6 29. Qd3 Qe5 30. g3 Rbe8 31. Bg2 Qg5 32. Qd5 Qxd5 33. Bxd5 g6 34. Rxf8+ Rxf8 35. a4 Kg7 36. Bc6 Rf6 37. Rc1 Rf5 38. Rc2 Ra5 39. Rc4 Re5 40. Kg2 Re1 41. Kh3 Ra1 42. Kg4 Ra2 43. h4 Kf6 44. Kh3 Rf2 45. Bd5 Rd2 46. Bg2 Rd3 47. Re4 Rxg3+ 48. Kh2 Rg4+ 49. Kh3 Rxe4 50. Bxe4 Ke5 51. Bc6 a5 52. Kg4 Be7 53. Bb5 h5+ 54. Kg3 g5 55. hxg5 Bxg5 56. Be8 h4+ 57. Kg4 Be7 58. Bc6 Kd4 59. Kh3 Kc5 60. Bb5 Kd5 61. Kg4 c5 62. Be2 c4 63. Bd1 Kd4 64. Kf3 Kd3 65. Be2+ Kc3 66. Kg4 Kb3 67. Bd1+ Kb2 68. Kf3 c3 69. Kg4 c2 70. Bxc2 Kxc2 71. Kh3 Kb3 {0-1 (71) Sviridova,V (2144)-Nutakki,P Chess.com INT 2021}) 15. Bd2 Nb3 16. Ne4 Nxd2 17. Rxd2 Nf4 {Preparing a very interesting exchange sacrifice. } (17... Nb6 {would protects the c-pawn, but is fundamentally passive. Black does not play this opening, taking on a weak c4-pawn to spend the next 40 moves defending it and hoping to make a draw.}) 18. Bxc4 Rxb2 $1 19. Qxb2 Bxc4 {Black is down a full exchange, but in return has the bishop pair, a great knight on f4, an even greater bishop on d5 (momentarily), and a generally active and well-coordinated position.} 20. Rc1 {Interestingly, Radjabov immediately offers to return the exchange. That may be Black's best bet, objectively speaking, but Firouzja stays committed to his idea.} (20. Rb1 $142) 20... Bd5 $5 (20... Nd3 $11) 21. Re1 Qa8 $1 22. Qc2 $8 Bxa3 {Now Black also has a pawn for the exchange, and is threatening ...Bb4. But Radjabov has his own ideas, and we'll see he's got his own plans to have some fun.} 23. Nfg5 $1 {Threatening mate in two (Nf6+, Qxh7#).} Ng6 $8 24. h4 $1 Bb4 $1 25. h5 Bxd2 $2 {They say that there are two kinds of people when it comes to gambits and sacrifices: those who sacrifice and don't worry about getting their material back any time soon, and those who can't stop thinking about regaining their material. While I'm sure Firouzja is in the first camp, he would have been better off maintaining the tension and not rushing to regain the exchange.} ( 25... Bxe4 $1 26. Nxe4 Nh4 $1 (26... Ne7 $6 27. h6 Nd5 28. Ng5 g6 29. Ne4 Bxd2 30. Qxd2 $14) 27. h6 Rd8 $1 28. hxg7 Kxg7 $11 {is a scary-looking position for both sides, but Mr. Chips assures us that it's all triple zeroes.}) 26. Qxd2 h6 $1 (26... Ne7 $2 27. h6 $18 {will leave the dark squares around Black's king disastrously weak.}) 27. hxg6 hxg5 28. gxf7+ Kxf7 29. Nxg5+ $16 Ke8 30. f3 Kd7 31. Ne4 $6 (31. Rc1 $1 $16) (31. Ra1 $1 $16) 31... Bxe4 $1 {One less problem for Black to worry about.} 32. Rxe4 Qd5 $1 (32... a5 $1 $14 {Passed pawns must be pushed! It's not that the pawn is going to promote; rather, any White piece that is blockading the a-pawn is a piece that won't be mating Black's king.}) 33. Qb4 (33. Rg4 Rg8 34. Qd3) (33. Qg5) 33... Rg8 $1 34. Qa4+ Qc6 $8 35. Qxa7 { There may not have been anything that was objectively better, but this allows Black to breathe a sigh of relief as he enters a rook ending that's drawn, despite White's extra pawn.} Ra8 36. Qc5 Qxc5 37. dxc5 Kc6 38. Rg4 Kxc5 39. Rxg7 Kd5 40. Rxc7 Kxe5 {If Black's pawn were on g6 instead of e6 there would be nothing to play for. Here, White's g-pawn is passed, and at a sub-professional level this would offer him some small hopes of a win. Not with these guys.} 41. Rf7 {Trying to cut off the Black king. Firouzja easily solves this problem.} Kd6 42. Kf2 e5 43. g4 Ke6 44. Rf5 Ra3 $1 {The most precise move. If White plays 45.Kg3, 45...e4 followed by taking twice produces an elementary draw. White must therefore bring his rook all the way back around to e3 to make progress.} 45. Rf8 Ke7 46. Rb8 Kf7 47. Rc8 Ke7 48. Rc2 Kf6 49. Re2 Rb3 50. Re3 {Mission accomplished. This doesn't achieve anything by itself, it's that there was nothing that could be done without this.} Rb2+ $1 { Again precise. Black does not need precision at this point, but it's slack moves that get one in trouble. This is a very good move, because if the king goes to the back rank, there's no way for White to do anything. If he plays 51. Re2, then 51...Rb3 again keeps White passive because of the ...e4 idea the instant White's rook leaves the e-file. That leaves the move in the game, but we'll see in a moment why that doesn't help, either.} 51. Kg3 Rc2 52. Ra3 Rb2 53. Ra6+ ({Unfortunately for White, the king can't get activated with} 53. Kh4 {because of} Rh2+ {.}) 53... Kf7 54. Rh6 (54. Kh4 Rb3 {is an immediate draw, as } 55. Kg3 e4 {wins the pawn.}) ({As for} 54. g5 {, we'll see that later (on move 65).}) 54... Rb3 {Again threatening ...e4, so once again White's king has to go back, and White's rook must return to e3.} 55. Kf2 Ra3 56. Rb6 Ke7 57. Ke2 Rc3 58. Kf2 Ra3 59. Rb2 Kf6 60. Re2 Rb3 61. Re3 {Look familiar? Black replies as he did back on move 50.} Rb2+ $1 62. Kg3 Rc2 63. Rb3 Ra2 64. Rb6+ Kf7 65. g5 {The only try. White wants to play Kg4-f5.} Ra4 $1 66. Rf6+ Ke7 $1 ( 66... Kg7 $6 {was also possible, but after} 67. Re6 {Black is forced into a more passive setup after} Ra5 {. It's still a draw, but as I mentioned earlier, it's slack moves like 66...Kg7 that can eventually lead one into trouble.}) 67. Rh6 Kf7 68. Rh4 Ra5 69. Kg4 Ra4+ 70. Kh5 (70. Kg3 Ra1 $1 71. Re4 Rg1+ 72. Kh4 Ke6 $1 {is the cleanest defense.} 73. Kh5 (73. Rg4 Rh1+ 74. Kg3 Kf5 75. g6 Rg1+ 76. Kf2 Rxg4 77. fxg4+ Kxg6 $11) (73. f4 $6 Kf5 74. Rxe5+ $4 Kxf4 $19) 73... Kf5 74. Rg4 Rh1+ 75. Rh4 Rg1 $11) 70... Ra3 71. f4 (71. g6+ Kg7 72. f4 exf4 73. Rxf4 Ra5+ 74. Kg4 Kxg6 $11) (71. Kg4 Ra4+ $11) (71. Rb4 Rxf3 72. Rb7+ Kg8 73. Kg6 Rf8 {is the most academic way to hold. This passive approach would fail against a c-, d-, e-, or f-pawn, but holds against a-, b-, g-, and h-pawns.} 74. Re7 Ra8 75. Rxe5 Rb8 ({Of course Black can check, but there's no need.} 75... Ra6+) 76. Re7 Ra8 77. Kh6 Rb8 78. g6 Ra8 {White has achieved the maximum, but because there's no i-file (79.Ri7 would win if there were), it's a dead draw.}) 71... exf4 (71... exf4 72. Rxf4+ Kg7 73. Rb4 Ra6 74. Rb7+ Kg8 75. g6 Ra1 $11 {is one drawing approach of many - the basic Philidor method.} ({ As noted in the 71.Rb4 variation, the passive approach is foolproof against a-, b-, g-, and h-pawns when the defending king is on the queening square.} 75... Ra8 $11)) 1/2-1/2