[Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site " Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.09"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Deac, Bogdan-Daniel"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2627"] [BlackElo "2770"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bxc4 Nxe4 7. O-O Nxc3 8. bxc3 Be7 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Qg4 Nc6 11. Re1 f5 12. Qf3 Nxe5 13. Rxe5 Kh8 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Re2 Bxf4 16. Qxf4 Qd6 17. Qxd6 cxd6 18. Bxe6 Re8 19. Rae1 Bxe6 20. Rxe6 Rxe6 21. Rxe6 Rc8 22. Rxd6 Kg8 23. h4 Rxc3 24. Rd8+ Kf7 25. Rd7+ Kf6 26. Rxb7 Ra3 27. d5 Rxa2 28. d6 Rd2 29. Rxa7 Rxd6 30. g3 h5 31. Kg2 Re6 32. Ra8 Rd6 33. Rf8+ Kg6 34. Re8 Kf6 35. Rf8+ Kg6 36. Re8 Kf6 37. Rf8+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site " Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.09"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2776"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Ba6 13. Bxa6 Rxa6 14. Qe2 Qa8 15. b5 cxb5 16. Qxb5 Ra7 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. cxb6 Nc4 19. bxa7 Qxa7 20. f5 Qxd4 21. Qd7 Nd2 22. Qxe7 Nxf1 23. fxe6 fxe6 24. Qxe6+ Kh8 25. Rxf1 Qxc3 26. Qxd5 Qxa3 27. g3 Qb4 28. Ra1 a4 29. Qc6 Qb2 30. Qxa4 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 Qf3+ 32. Kg1 Qf2+ 33. Kh1 Qf3+ 34. Kg1 Qe3+ 35. Kh1 Qf3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site " Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.09"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Lupulescu, Constantin"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A06"] [WhiteElo "2656"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 {It seems that "e3 poison" is not yet a thing of the past.} e6 3. c4 Be7 (3... Nf6 {is more common, but Mamedyarov has a concrete reason for this move order.}) 4. b3 Bf6 {And this is it. That said, having a reason doesn't necessarily mean that it's a *good* reason.} 5. Nc3 $14 Ne7 6. Bb2 (6. Ba3 $1 $16 {is stronger, taking advantage of the black bishop's departure from the f8-a3 diagonal.} d4 7. Ne4 Nbc6 8. Bd3 {Not bad, but} (8. b4 $1 $18 { was even stronger. Black's position is already very bad, maybe even losing.}) 8... a5 $6 ({The ungainly} 8... Be5 $16 {was the best try.}) 9. O-O dxe3 10. Nxf6+ gxf6 11. dxe3 Nb4 12. Ne1 $18 {White went on to win, and it cannot be said that the ...Be7-f6 experiment was either successful or inspirational.} Ra6 13. Qh5 Rd6 14. Be4 c6 15. Nc2 f5 16. Nxb4 fxe4 17. Na6 Ng6 18. Bxd6 Qxd6 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Nc5 f5 21. Na4 e5 22. f3 O-O 23. fxe4 f4 24. c5 Kh8 25. Rd6 Rg8 26. Nb6 Be6 27. exf4 exf4 28. Qe2 Ne5 29. Rxf4 Qg5 30. Qf2 Bh3 31. g3 h5 32. Nc4 Ng6 33. Qd4+ Kh7 34. Rf7+ Kh6 35. Rxg6+ Kxg6 36. Ne5+ {1-0 (36) Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2626)-Ivanchuk,V (2686) Linares 2019}) 6... c5 7. Qc2 (7. cxd5 $142 Nxd5 8. Qc1 O-O 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O b6 11. Rd1 Bb7 12. Nxd5 Bxb2 13. Qxb2 Qxd5 14. Ne1 e5 15. d3 Rad8 16. Bf3 Qe6 17. a3 a5 18. b4 axb4 19. axb4 cxb4 20. Bxc6 Bxc6 21. Qxb4 b5 22. Rac1 f6 23. Rc5 Rf7 24. Rdc1 Be8 25. Qa5 Rb8 26. Nc2 Qb3 27. Nb4 Qa4 28. Ra1 Qb3 29. Qa3 Qxa3 30. Rxa3 Rd7 31. Kf1 Kf7 32. Ke2 Ke6 33. Kd2 h5 34. Kc3 h4 35. Ra1 Bg6 36. d4 exd4+ 37. exd4 h3 38. g3 Kf7 {1-0 (38) Ivkov,B (2505)-Kachiani Gersinska,K (2420) Oviedo 1993}) 7... Nbc6 $11 { Black is fine here.} 8. Na4 b6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. Nc3 Qh5 (11... Qf5 $5) 12. Ne4 Qg6 13. Nh4 Qh6 14. Nd6+ Kf8 15. Nxc8 (15. g3) 15... Rxc8 { White has a number of imbalances that would normally be in his favor - a better structure, bishop vs. knight, an extra pawn in the center, etc. But Black has a lead in development and more central control, and White's king's position might become uneasy as well. If anything, Black is a touch better.} 16. g3 Rd8 (16... Ng6) 17. Be2 (17. f4 $5) 17... Kg7 (17... Ng6) 18. a3 Rd6 ( 18... Ng6) 19. f4 Rhd8 20. Rd1 f5 21. Nf3 Nd5 22. O-O {White has played better than his opponent since the last comment, and now he stands slightly better.} Kg8 23. Rb1 (23. Rf2 $1 $14 {followed by Rg2, looking to stir up some kingside play, seems the best way to treat the position.}) 23... a5 24. Bb5 Nce7 (24... Nf6) 25. Rfd1 $6 (25. Rf2 $1 $14) 25... Nf6 $15 26. Bf1 Ng4 27. h3 {A good decision, though one with some danger - g3 can become a target.} Nf6 28. d3 Nc6 29. Re1 (29. Rd2 {followed by Re1 is better, again looking to swing a rook to g2.}) 29... Qg7 (29... Kh8) 30. Qf2 Kh8 31. Kh2 (31. Ne5) 31... Rg8 32. Be2 Nd5 33. Bf1 $2 {I'm not sure what White had in mind, but his failure to put a rook on the g-file (or to do anything else that's constructive) finally costs him.} (33. Rg1 {maintains near equality.}) 33... e5 $17 {/-+ Why not? This doesn't only grab central space, but prepares to swing the d-rook to the g-file - and at a time when White can't bring a rook of his own to the g-file.} 34. fxe5 $4 (34. Rb2 {was a good move, avoiding the tactic in the game.}) 34... Rg6 $1 35. Nh4 Rxg3 36. d4 {This avoids the trick in the next note, but doesn't come close to saving White.} (36. Nxf5 {is presumably what White had in mind, but it meets a crushing refutation:} Rf3 $1 $19 {White can't take the rook because of 37...Qg1#, while 37.Nxg7 loses a piece after ...Rxf2+ followed by grabbing the knight. This is why 34.Rb2 was better - White could recapture on f2.}) 36... Qg5 37. Ng2 cxd4 38. exd4 Nxd4 {Threatening 39...Nf3+. There's nothing even remotely like a defense, so White threw in the towel.} 0-1 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site " Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.09"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2780"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qe2 Nd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4 10. h3 Be6 11. Rd1 Qc4 12. Rd3 Rd8 13. b3 Qh4 14. Rxd8+ Qxd8 15. Be3 Be7 16. Nc3 O-O 17. Rd1 Qc8 18. f4 Rd8 19. Rf1 f5 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Ne4 Be7 22. Bc5 Bxc5+ 23. Nxc5 Bf5 24. g4 b6 25. Na4 Qe6 26. Rf2 Qg6 27. Nc3 h5 28. Rg2 hxg4 29. hxg4 Qf6 30. gxf5 Qxc3 31. Qe5 Qxe5 32. fxe5 Kf7 33. Kh2 Rd4 34. Kg3 Re4 35. e6+ Kf6 36. Kf3 Re5 37. Rg6+ Kxf5 38. Rxg7 Kxe6 39. Rxc7 Ra5 40. Rxc6+ Kd7 41. Rc3 Rxa2 42. Ke4 Kd6 43. Rc8 Kd7 44. Rc3 Kd6 45. Rc8 Kd7 46. Rc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Superbet Classic 2021"] [Site " Bucharest ROU"] [Date "2021.06.09"] [Round "5.5"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "2781"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 e6 6. Bc4 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Qe2 Nc6 9. d4 cxd4 10. exd4 Nb6 11. Bd3 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Qxd4 13. Rd1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Be4 e5 16. Bg2 Qg4 17. Qxe5 Bf6 18. Qe1 Bf5 19. h3 Qb4 20. Ne4 Qxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Bd4 22. Nd6 Be6 23. Nb5 Bc5 24. Be3 Bxe3 25. Rxe3 Rad8 26. b3 Nd5 27. Re5 Nb4 28. Re2 Nc6 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30. Nxa7 Ra8 31. Nxc6 Bxb3 32. Rb2 Be6 33. a4 Ra6 34. Ne7+ Kh8 35. a5 g6 36. Rb6 Rfa8 37. Rxa6 Rxa6 38. g4 Kg7 39. f4 f5 40. Rb1 Rxa5 41. Nc6 Ra4 42. Rb7+ Kf8 43. Rb8+ Kg7 44. Rb7+ Kf8 45. Rb8+ Kg7 46. Rb7+ 1/2-1/2