[Event "WCh 2024"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Gukesh, Dommaraju"] [Site "Singapore SIN"] [Round "4.1"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "2024.11.29"] [ECO "A06"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2783"] [PlyCount "84"] [GameId "2117461836092229"] [EventDate "2024.11.25"] {[%evp 0,84,22,13,22,4,7,-5,-3,-1,1,0,-5,5,-29,4,12,10,12,18,13,1,4,6,38,0,-3,0,16,-52,15,26,36,-32,-98,-32,-45,-34,10,4,26,-68,11,11,-152,1,-94,-12,-84,-9,-2,-28,-10,-1,-7,0,59,-6,48,-1,13,0,19,5,10,13,1,87,0,1,6,1,-1,-1,-1,-2,11,107,-6,0,1,80,110,65,16,26,170]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 {It's an interesting second-tier opening in blitz and for club play, but will this offer White anything at the World Championship level?} Nf6 3. b3 {Nakamura is the great exponent of this system, though primarily in blitz. His results with it have been terrific - but then that's true of his blitz results in general.} Bf5 {One good option of many.} (3... Bg4) (3... e6) (3... c5) (3... g6) 4. Be2 {Why this rather than than 4.Bb2? The answer is that it prevents ...Bg4 after 4...e6 5.Nh4.} h6 (4... e6 5. Nh4 {is the point, as already noted. The position is still equal according to the engine, but GMs are typically loath to surrender the bishop pair without a great reason.}) 5. Ba3 {Taking advantage of Black's not having played ...e6 - though calling this "taking advantage" offers an exaggerated view of White's position.} Nbd7 {To play ...e6 and recapture on f8 without forfeiting castling privileges.} 6. O-O ({The immediate} 6. c4 {is also possible, and has been played in several high-level games.} e6 (6... c6 7. O-O e5 8. Bxf8 Kxf8 9. Nc3 Qe7 10. d4 e4 11. Nd2 h5 12. Re1 g6 13. a4 Kg7 14. Qc1 a6 15. Qa3 Qe6 16. Bf1 h4 17. h3 g5 18. f3 Rae8 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. fxe4 Bxe4 21. Ndxe4 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Qxe4 23. Qb4 Rb8 24. Rac1 Nf6 25. Rc7 g4 26. Re2 g3 27. Rxb7 a5 28. Qb6 Rxb7 29. Qxb7 Qf5 30. Qc7 Rc8 31. Qe5 Qxe5 32. dxe5 Ne4 33. Rb2 Rc1 34. b4 axb4 35. a5 b3 36. a6 Ra1 37. a7 Nc5 {0-1 Niemann,H (2699)-Vidit,S (2724) WchT Pool-B 13th Jerusalem rapid 2022 (5.1)}) 7. Bxf8 Nxf8 8. Nc3 c6 9. O-O N8d7 10. d4 O-O 11. Qc1 (11. Rc1 Qe7 12. Qd2 Ne4 13. Qb2 Rfc8 14. Nxe4 Bxe4 15. Nd2 Bg6 16. b4 a5 17. bxa5 Rxa5 18. cxd5 exd5 19. Bg4 Rb5 20. Qxb5 cxb5 21. Rxc8+ Nf8 22. Rc5 b6 23. Rxb5 Bd3 24. Rxb6 Bxf1 25. Nxf1 Qa3 26. Bf3 Qxa2 27. Rb5 Qa6 28. Rxd5 Ne6 29. h4 g5 30. h5 Qd3 31. Re5 Ng7 32. Be4 Qd1 33. Bf3 Qb1 34. Be4 Qe1 35. Bd5 Nxh5 36. Rf5 Kg7 37. Rxf7+ Kg6 38. Rb7 Nf6 39. Bf7+ Kf5 40. Rb5+ Kg4 41. Be6+ Kh4 42. g3+ Kh5 43. Bf7+ Kg4 44. f3+ Kxf3 45. Rf5+ Ke2 46. Rxf6 Qb4 47. Rf2+ Ke1 48. Bh5 Qe7 49. Rd2 {1-0 Fries Nielsen,J (2300)-Seirawan,Y (2400) World U20-ch17 Graz 1978 (12)}) (11. b4 Qe7 12. Qb3 Ne4 13. Rfc1 Bg4 14. Qb2 Nxc3 15. Rxc3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nb6 17. Qb3 Nxc4 18. Be2 b5 19. a4 a5 20. axb5 axb4 21. Rcc1 cxb5 22. Rab1 Ra4 23. Qd1 Rfa8 24. Qe1 Ra2 25. Bd3 Nd2 26. Ra1 b3 27. h4 g6 28. h5 gxh5 29. Qd1 Rxa1 30. Rxa1 Rxa1 31. Qxa1 Qb4 32. Qa8+ Kg7 33. Qb8 Ne4 34. Qe5+ Nf6 35. Qg3+ Ng4 36. f3 Qd2 37. fxg4 Qxd3 38. gxh5+ Kh7 39. Qc7 Qf5 40. Qc3 Qxh5 41. Qxb3 Qe2 42. Kh2 Kg7 43. Qc3 Qc4 44. Qe1 Qc7+ 45. Qg3+ Qxg3+ 46. Kxg3 b4 47. Kf3 b3 48. Ke2 b2 49. Kd2 b1=Q {0-1 Andreikin,D (2729)-Bok,B (2620) Titled Tuesday intern op 19th Mar Late Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (11)}) 11... Qe7 12. Qb2 a5 13. a3 Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 (14... Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Rfd8 16. Rfd1 Nb6 17. Be2 Nc8 18. c5 b5 19. b4 a4 20. f4 Ne4 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Kh2 g5 23. Rf1 f5 24. g4 Qf6 25. Qa2 Kh8 26. gxf5 exf5 27. fxg5 hxg5 28. Bg4 Ne7 29. Rxf5 Nxf5 30. Rf1 Rd5 {0-1 So,W (2778)-Giri,A (2777) Meltwater Tour Final chess24.com INT rapid 2021 (5.1)}) 15. Rac1 Ne4 16. Rfe1 Nxc3 17. Rxc3 Nf6 18. Ne5 Bxe2 19. Rxe2 Nd7 20. Nd3 Rfd8 21. Rc1 Rac8 22. c5 Re8 23. f4 Rb8 24. Qc3 b6 25. b4 axb4 26. axb4 bxc5 27. bxc5 Nf6 28. Ne5 Qc7 29. Ra1 Ra8 30. Rea2 Qb7 31. Qc2 Rxa2 32. Qxa2 Qb4 33. Nxc6 Qc3 34. Qa3 Qd2 35. Qc1 Qd3 36. Ne5 Qe2 37. Qe1 Qb2 38. Rb1 Qa2 39. c6 Rc8 40. Qc1 Ne4 41. Rb2 Qa3 42. Rc2 Qxc1+ 43. Rxc1 f6 44. Nd3 Kf7 45. Nb4 Nd6 46. Ra1 Rb8 47. Ra7+ Kg6 48. Rd7 Rxb4 49. Rxd6 Kf5 50. Kf2 h5 51. Rd7 g5 52. fxg5 fxg5 53. c7 Rc4 54. Ke2 g4 55. h4 e5 56. Kd3 Ke6 57. Rh7 e4+ 58. Ke2 Rc2+ 59. Kf1 g3 60. Rg7 Kf6 61. Rxg3 Rxc7 62. Rg5 Rc3 63. Kf2 Rc2+ 64. Kg3 Re2 65. Rxd5 Rxe3+ 66. Kf4 Re2 67. g3 Kg6 68. Rg5+ Kh6 69. Re5 Kg6 70. Rg5+ Kh6 71. Re5 Kg6 72. Rxe4 Rf2+ 73. Ke3 Rf1 74. Re5 Rg1 75. Rg5+ {1-0 Eljanov,P (2695)-Gledura,B (2633) AI Cup Div 2 L Chess.com INT rapid 2023 (1.2)}) 6... e6 (6... c5 {is playable but not a great fit with Black's setup. At least for now, the pawn belongs on c6.}) 7. Bxf8 Nxf8 8. c4 N8d7 (8... c6 {transposes to the Fries Nielsen-Seirawan game cited above.}) 9. Nc3 O-O 10. cxd5 (10. d4 {transposes to the So-Giri and Andreikin-Bok games, also given above.}) 10... exd5 11. b4 c6 12. Nd4 Bh7 (12... Bg6 {is also fine. To-may-to, to-mah-to.}) 13. Qb3 $146 {Finally leaving theory behind for good, though there haven't been too many sets of footprints to follow for quite a while now.} (13. Nb3 Qe7 14. a3 Rfc8 15. Rc1 a5 16. Nxa5 b6 17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Rxc6 Ne5 20. Rc1 Nd3 21. Rc6 Ne5 22. Rc1 Nd3 23. Ra1 Rd8 24. Bxd3 Bxd3 25. Re1 b5 26. Rc1 Nb6 27. Qh5 {½-½ Flores,D (2568)-Real de Azua,E (2448) ARG-ch 90th Buenos Aires 2015 (2)}) 13... Ne5 $1 {A nice move, daring White to play f4. If he does, Black gets his chances; if he doesn't, Black can look for his own chances with ...b6 and ...c5.} 14. a4 (14. f4 Ned7 $11 {leaves White with more space, but also potential problems with the semi-holes on e4 and d3.}) 14... Rc8 (14... a5 $5 15. bxa5 c5 16. Nf3 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 d4 18. Nd5 Ne4 19. Rfd1 Qxa5 $11 {is playable but certainly not solid.}) 15. a5 b6 {A sort of DIY minority attack. Black will accept a nominal weakness on the queenside in return for activity that fully compensates for it.} 16. Nf3 (16. axb6 axb6 17. f4 Nc4 $1 $11 18. Bxc4 $6 dxc4 19. Qxc4 c5 {is a nice tactical point, winning material.} 20. bxc5 bxc5 21. Nf3 Bd3 22. Qa2 Bxf1 23. Rxf1 $11 {/? and although White is okay, there's no reason he should voluntarily choose this exchange sac.}) 16... Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 d4 18. Ne2 {Not a great square for the knight, but it beats isolating his d-pawn. by trading on d4.} dxe3 19. dxe3 Be4 $11 {The game is already clearly headed for a draw.} (19... Ne4 $11) 20. Rfd1 Qe7 21. Bxe4 Nxe4 22. axb6 axb6 23. Nc3 Rfd8 24. Nxe4 Qxe4 25. h3 c5 26. Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. bxc5 bxc5 28. Rc1 Qe5 29. Qc2 Rd5 30. g3 f5 $5 {This is a bit weird, and the old line in TV shows presenting daredevil stunts applies: do not try this at home; Black is a trained professional. At the club level, this is far likelier to result in Black getting punished on the a2-g8 diagonal or along the 7th rank than it is to result in something good happening to him.} (30... g6 {was fine. If you're thinking that Black played ...f5 out of a fear that White would play e4, well, it's time for an even older quote than the one on move 30: the only thing Black has to fear...is fear itself.} 31. e4 Rd4 32. Qxc5 Qxc5 33. Rxc5 Rxe4 $11 {is a stone-cold dead draw.}) 31. Kg2 Kh7 32. Qc4 Qd6 33. e4 {As we see, 30...f5 didn't stop e4 in any case. Regardless, it's all just one draw or another.} Re5 34. exf5 Rxf5 35. Qe4 Qd5 36. Qxd5 Rxd5 37. Kf3 Kg6 38. Ke4 Rd4+ 39. Ke3 Rd5 40. Ke4 Rd4+ 41. Ke3 Rd5 42. Ke4 Rd4+ {White's opening experiment failed to bear fruit, but one doesn't know this in advance; it's worth trying such things over the course of a (relatively) long match. It's not that White should have any advantage in the 1.Nf3, 2.e3, 3.b3 system, but if you can find a position that's relatively unfamiliar to your opponent and can result in at least a small edge against slightly imprecise play, it's often worth a try - provided you like the position in question and have some sense of what to do.} 1/2-1/2