[Event "WCh 2024"] [White "Gukesh, Dommaraju"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Site "Singapore SIN"] [Round "11.1"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [Result "1-0"] [Date "2024.12.08"] [ECO "A09"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2728"] [PlyCount "57"] [GameId "2120563710221516"] [EventDate "2024.11.25"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 {Yet another new opening in the match: the Reti.} d4 3. b4 c5 4. e3 {A well-known position that has been played more than a thousand times in the database, and that includes one of Ding's own games. Incredibly, Ding thought for 38 minutes here.} Nf6 {Waiting for White to commit. If White takes on c5, Black plays ...Nc6 and ...e5; if White takes on d4 Black obviously recaptures with the pawn; finally, if White pushes the pawn to b5 Black will have avoided misplacing the knight on c6. While this isn't as common as accepting the gambit, it's a well-established alternative that Ding had played before. Incredibly, he thought for 38 minutes on this move, which is insane.} (4... dxe3 5. fxe3 cxb4 6. d4 {is the main alternative; indeed, the main line.}) 5. a3 $5 {A new move in GM play, and a rare move at any level, with only 12 games in the database.} (5. b5 {is usual, and what was played against Ding in the game alluded to above.} Nbd7 6. exd4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nc5 8. Bb2 (8. Nb3 {is usual, but hasn't paid White any dividends, at least in correspondence chess.} Nd3+ 9. Bxd3 Qxd3 10. Qe2 Bf5 11. Bb2 Rc8 12. Na3 Nd7 $11 (12... e6 $11)) 8... e5 9. Nb3 Bf5 10. Nxc5 Bxc5 $15 {0-1 Adhiban,B (2660)-Ding,L (2799) Goldmoney Asian Prelim chess24.com INT rapid 2021 (2.8) Black's compensation more than suffices.}) 5... Bg4 $146 {Ding burned another 22 minutes on this move, which makes more sense as it's something (more or less) new. After five moves, he's 62 minutes behind on the clock.} (5... Nc6 $142 6. b5 Na5 {seems to be critical.} 7. d3 dxe3 8. Bxe3 b6 {has been played before, albeit just thrice. My guess is that Gukesh intended} 9. g3 $146 {, with a fun and non-standard position.}) 6. exd4 cxd4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Qc7 (8... Nc6 $6 9. d3 Qc7 $16 {was one of the lines Gukesh had prepared for, and it seems that he mixed this up with the text. The difference is that when Black inevitably plays ...a5 and White responds with b5, Black's knight will take two tempi longer than in the game to reach c5.}) 9. d3 $2 (9. c5 $11 {/? was correct (and almost certainly what Gukesh's team had prepared), looking to activate the f1-bishop along the classical diagonal and avoiding the vicious dark-squared blockade we'll see in the game. White will continue with Bb5(+), 0-0, and Bb2, with active bishops.}) 9... a5 10. b5 Nbd7 {At this point Gukesh realized he'd goofed things up, and now it was his turn to go into the tank for a full hour.} 11. g3 $1 Nc5 12. Bg2 {Another six and a half minutes have gone by, and now he's actually behind Ding on time.} Nfd7 $1 {White is already in all kinds of trouble.} (12... e5 $1 {is a good alternative to the text.}) ({The players are tired and make their share of errors in the game, but don't worry, they didn't miss} 12... Nb3 $6 {White will lose the exchange for a pawn, but he'll have the advantage after} 13. Qxb7 Qxb7 14. Bxb7 Ra7 15. Bc6+ Nd7 16. Bb2 Nxa1 17. Bxa1 e5 18. a4 $14) 13. O-O $1 Ne5 14. Qf4 Rd8 15. Rd1 $2 (15. Nd2 $1 Ncxd3 (15... e6 $142 $11) 16. Qe4 Nc5 17. b6 $1 {A recurring idea for White in this game.} Qb8 18. Qe2 $14) 15... g6 $2 {Trying to win immediately with ...h5 and ...Bh6. It doesn't work though, and the price Black plays is that his bishop winds up out of play.} ({After} 15... e6 $17 {White in serious trouble. The best he can do is to lose a pawn without any compensation:} 16. b6 $1 ({If} 16. Bf1 $4 g5 17. Qf6 Rg8 $19 {Black will play ...h6 and ...Bg7, collecting the queen.}) 16... Qd6 17. Nd2 Nexd3 18. Qxd6 Rxd6 19. Rb1 a4 $17) 16. a4 $3 {This move took 13 minutes, but they were 13 minutes that were well spent. Gukesh had 23 minutes left until the time control.} h5 {Continuing with the plan, though I'm sure Ding understood what was coming next. This move took him eight minutes, leaving him with 31 minutes for the next 24 moves.} (16... Rd7 17. Ra3 {is an important secondary point to 16.a4.} h5 18. Qd2 $11 {White will untangle with Qe2, Bf4, Nd2, Re1 and so on.}) 17. b6 $1 Qd6 {After 12 more minutes.} (17... Qb8 {is also possible, with crazy play.}) 18. Ba3 {Now White is the one pushing for an advantage.} Bh6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qe4 {White's queen and d-pawn are both safe, while Black's bishop is irrelevant. White has a nice grip on the light squares on the queenside, and Black is condemned to an unpleasant defensive task for the foreseeable future.} Nc6 21. Na3 Rd7 $2 {This turns out to be a mistake, but it's a logical move, protecting the b-pawn so ...Nb4 can be played. (15 minutes left for 19 moves.)} (21... O-O $142 22. Rdb1 Nb4 $1 23. Qxb7 Rb8 24. Qc7 Qxb6 25. Qxb6 Rxb6 $11) 22. Nc2 $6 (22. Qe2 $142 $1 $16) 22... Qxb6 {The pawn is "safe", but White's play down the b-file more than makes up for the pawn's loss.} 23. Rab1 $11 {/?} Qc7 24. Rb5 O-O 25. Na1 $5 {Gukesh played this instead of 25.Rdb1 to keep Black's bishop from helping plug up the b-file with ...Bd2-b4.} (25. Rdb1 $11) 25... Rb8 {A small inaccuracy, but one that cost him more than six minutes on the clock. Ding now has less than eight minutes for his next 15 moves.} (25... Rd6 $1 26. Rdb1 Rb8 27. Nb3 Re6 28. Qh4 Re5 $11 {Somehow everything holds together.}) (25... Na7 {Gukesh "and it should be a draw". A little quick, perhaps, but Black will have very good drawing chances.} 26. Rxb7 Qxb7 27. Qxb7 Rxb7 28. Bxb7 Rb8 29. Rb1 Bf8 30. Rb3 $14) 26. Nb3 $14 e6 $2 (26... Rd6 $1) 27. Nc5 $18 Re7 28. Rdb1 $2 {Tension, tiredness, and time trouble are getting to the players.} (28. Nxb7 Rxb7 (28... Nb4 29. Qxd4 $18) 29. Qxc6 $1 Qxc6 30. Bxc6 Ra7 (30... Rxb5 $4 31. axb5 $18 {makes things easy with the connected passers, as Black has no time to construct a dark-squared blockade.}) 31. Bf3 $18) 28... Qc8 $4 {A blunder. My guess is that b7 has been the focal point for tactics for so long that Ding didn't consider the possibility that tactics could occur elsewhere.} (28... Nb4 {, plugging up the file, is the right way to prevent White from finishing up with a rook on b7.} 29. Nxb7 Bf8 $1 $14) 29. Qxc6 $1 {This wins a piece for nothing, so after a few seconds' agony Ding resigned.} (29. Qxc6 bxc6 (29... Rc7 30. Qb6 $18) 30. Rxb8 Qxb8 31. Rxb8+ $18) 1-0