[Event "Tata Steel Chess Masters 2022"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.01.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Van Foreest, Jorden"]
[Black "Grandelius, Nils"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2672"]
[Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. Re1
O-O 9. Nbd2 Re8 10. Nf1 b5 {The alternative is 10...h6 and it seems as it
pushes to become the main line.} ({A recent top game went:} 10... h6 11. Ng3 d5
12. h3 b5 13. Bb3 Bb7 14. Qe2 dxe4 15. dxe4 Na5 16. Bc2 Qe7 17. b4 Nc4 18. Nd2
Nxd2 19. Bxd2 c5 20. a4 {with tremendous pressure on the queenside in Nakamura,
H (2736)-Esipenko,A (2716) Chess.com INT 2021}) 11. Bc2 a5 {Grandelius gains
space on the queenside, thus limiting the opponent's light-squared bishop. [#]}
12. Bg5 $146 {A logical novelty that fights for the d5-spot.} ({The
predecessor saw:} 12. Ne3 a4 13. h3 {Then a fierce battle for the center
emerged after} d5 $1 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16. d4 $1 e4 17. Ng5 f5 18. f3
e3 $1 19. Bxe3 (19. f4 $5) 19... h6 20. Ne4 fxe4 21. Bxe4 Qd7 (21... Qd6 $1)
22. Bxg6 {with unclear play in Chen,R (2085)-Repka,C (2488) Chesterfield 2020})
12... h6 13. Bh4 a4 14. Ne3 Bb7 (14... Ne7 {would have covered the d5-spot but
weakened instead the d4-one, thus inviting} 15. d4) 15. c4 $1 {This is the
major problem with the early a-pawn advance. The b5-pawn lacks defends and Van
Foresst initiates complications.} Nb4 $5 {Grandelius on his turn decided to
sacrifice a pawn.} ({The obvious} 15... bxc4 {was certainly a possibility, when
} 16. Nxc4 ({However, the Swedish GM might have disliked the more positional
approach} 16. dxc4 g5 17. Bg3 a3 {when it is hard to assess the long-term
vulnerability of the black pawn-structure.}) 16... d5 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. exd5
Qxd5 19. Bxa4 e4 {promises Black good compensation for a pawn.}) 16. cxb5 Qd7
17. Bxf6 Bxf6 ({The other way of a counterplay quest was related to} 17... Nxc2
18. Qxc2 Bxf6 19. Rac1 (19. Qc4 Ra5) 19... Qxb5 20. Qxc7 Red8 {but this looks
less clear than the game continuation.}) 18. Bxa4 Nxd3 {That is the point:
Black is grabbing a central pawn.} 19. Qxd3 Rxa4 {And Grandelius achieves an
interesting Benko-style compensation. A couple of more useful moves and he may
even take over the initiative on the queenside.} 20. Nd1 $1 {Therefore, Van
Foreest solidifies his queenside. In the process, however, he loses control of
the center, at least for a moment.} ({Black seems to be fine in case of} 20.
Nd5 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Rea8 22. h3 R8a5) 20... Rb4 21. a4 d5 $1 {And Black grabs
his chance. The pawns get into motion and the powerful bishops start to reveal
their strength.} 22. Qd2 ({The bishop might increase their strength toward the
endgame, therefore Black has no fear of} 22. exd5 Qxd5 23. Qxd5 Bxd5 24. Nd2)
22... Qd6 23. exd5 e4 {An obvious move, but certainly not the only way.} ({
The simple} 23... Bxd5 {was possible. Then the complications after} 24. Nc3 ({
Perhaps White can squeeze a bit of an edge in the endgame after} 24. Ne3 $5 Be6
25. Qxd6 cxd6 26. b3) 24... Ba8 25. Qxh6 Bxf3 26. gxf3 Rh4 27. Qe3 e4 28. f4
Bxc3 29. bxc3 Rg4+ 30. Kh1 Rxf4 {seem perfectly fine for Black.}) 24. Qxh6 Qf8
{Grandelius sensibly decided not to test the queen and knights' might.} ({
However} 24... Qxd5 25. Ne3 Qd8 26. Ng4 Bg7 27. Qf4 Qe7 28. Rad1 Bc8 {would
not be something that Black can complain about.}) 25. Qxf8+ Kxf8 26. Nd2 Bxd5
27. Re3 {The endgame should be OK for Black, but Grandelius gradually loses
the thread.} Bd4 ({Certainly not} 27... Bxb2 $2 28. Rb1) ({However, the trade
of more queenside pawns with} 27... c6 $5 {made perfect sense. Then} 28. bxc6
Bxc6 29. Rea3 {can be met with} ({Or} 29. a5 Rd8 30. Nf1 Bb5 {when the black
pieces dominate.}) 29... Bxa4 30. Rxa4 Rxa4 31. Rxa4 Rd8 32. Nf1 Rxd1 33. Rxe4
Bxb2 {with a likely draw.}) 28. Rea3 f5 {Black decided that his pieces are
strong enough and started pushing for more.} ({This time} 28... c6 29. bxc6
Bxc6 30. a5 {does not promise Black easy living.}) 29. g3 g5 30. Ne3 {The
white knights are pretty good too!} Bxe3 31. fxe3 Rxb2 32. Nf1 Bc4 {Too
optimistic! This can be labelled as Black's major mistake.} ({It was not too
late to switch to a defense with} 32... Ra8 $1 33. Rc1 Rxb5 34. axb5 ({Or} 34.
Rxc7 Rb1) 34... Rxa3 35. Rxc7 Ra1 {when the active black pieces should keep
him out of trouble.}) 33. Rc3 Be2 {If the bishop makes it to the f3 square in
time, Black would even win.} ({The bishop did not come out only to be traded
with} 33... Bxf1 34. Rxf1) 34. Rac1 $1 {But Van Foreest is just in time.} ({Not
} 34. Rxc7 $4 Bf3) 34... Ra8 (34... Bf3 35. R3c2 Rxc2 36. Rxc2 Ra8 37. Rc4 {
transposes to the game.}) 35. R3c2 Rxc2 36. Rxc2 Bf3 37. Rc4 {Now White
finally consolidates his extra pawn.} Ke7 {The last desperate attempt.} ({
But the truth is that} 37... Ra7 38. Nd2 Be2 39. Rc5 {should be hopeless too.})
38. Rxc7+ Ke6 39. Rc4 Be2 40. Rb4 Rc8 41. Nd2 Bd3 42. b6 Rc1+ 43. Kf2 Rc2 44.
b7 {And the last-year champion starts with a win!} 1-0
[Event "Chess.com"]
[Site "Chess.com"]
[Date "2022.01.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"]
[Black "Rapport, Richard"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "Peter,Doggers"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2022.??.??"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 Bf5 4. c4 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qb3 Bd6 7. Bg3 dxc4 $146
(7... Bxg3 8. hxg3 Rb8 9. Nc3 a6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Nxd5 Be6 12. Nxf6+ Nxf6 13.
Qc2 h6 {Dong,Y (1364)-Leblanc,A (1415) Quebec 2018}) 8. Bxc4 Rb8 9. Nc3 b5 10.
Be2 O-O {Duda wasn't sure about his next two moves but thought it was \"very
interersting but probably not that great for me.\"} 11. Rd1 Qe7 12. Ne5 b4 13.
Na4 Bxe5 14. dxe5 Ne4 15. f3 Nxg3 16. hxg3 Nc5 17. Nxc5 Qxc5 18. Kf2 Qxe5 19.
Rd7 a5 20. Rhd1 h5 21. e4 Bg6 22. R1d2 h4 23. gxh4 Qh2 24. Bf1 Qxh4+ 25. g3 Qh5
26. Qe3 c5 ({Duda expected his opponent to play ...f5 at some point in the
game and this was a good moment:} 26... f5 $1 {with good counterplay.}) 27. Kg2
a4 28. Bc4 a3 29. b3 {Now White is doing quite well.} Qe5 30. Qf4 Qxf4 31. gxf4
Bh5 32. Kg3 g6 33. R2d3 Rbe8 34. Kh4 Kg7 35. Kg5 Rh8 36. Rc7 Rc8 37. Re7 Rce8
38. Red7 {Duda basically gives his opponent the move, because Black doesn't
really have a good move.} Rhf8 39. Rc7 Rh8 40. Rdd7 Rhf8 41. f5 *
