[Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.15"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,20,26,20,20,20,5,5,20,13,29,0,29,7,14,16,34,27,28,20,37,27,19]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 {Also played in Abasov-Vidit from round 7.} dxc6 6. Qe2 (6. O-O {was Abasov's choice.}) 6... Nd7 {Starting the traditional transfer of the knight to e6 on its way to d4.} (6... Qd6 {was played by Vidit (in blitz) against Carlsen last year.} 7. h3 a5 8. Nbd2 Be6 9. Ng5 a4 10. O-O Nd7 11. Nxe6 Qxe6 12. Nf3 O-O 13. c3 Rfe8 14. Re1 b5 15. d4 Bb6 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 exd4 18. cxd4 Ba5 19. Rec1 Qxe4 20. Qxe4 Rxe4 21. Rxc6 Re2 22. Rb1 b4 23. Kf1 Re4 24. Bg3 Ra7 25. Rbc1 Nb8 26. R6c4 Na6 27. Ne5 c5 28. Nc6 Rd7 29. Nxa5 Rexd4 30. Rxd4 Rxd4 31. Ke2 {1-0 Carlsen,M (2839)-Vidit,S (2716) Chess.com Speed Chess Chess.com INT blitz 2023 (1.1)}) 7. Be3 Qe7 8. Nc3 $146 (8. Nbd2 {was played in almost all the previous games. Pragg will instead retreat the other knight to d2, from where it will go to c4 and clear the way for f4.}) 8... Bd6 9. Nd2 Nc5 10. Nc4 Ne6 11. Qd2 f6 12. Nxd6+ Qxd6 (12... cxd6 {is also playable, but a little passive. Taking with the queen keeps control over d4; here, White may be the one trying to take over the square with} 13. d4 {.}) 13. Ne2 {Not so much for the sake of the d4 square, but in further support of the typical f4 pawn break.} b6 14. f4 exf4 15. Nxf4 (15. Bxf4 $5 Nxf4 16. Qxf4 Qb4+ (16... Qxf4 $143 17. Nxf4 {gives White good long-term chances in the ending.}) 17. Nc3 Qxb2 18. Kd2 Qa3 19. Qxc7 Bd7 20. e5 Rc8 21. Qb7 fxe5 22. Rae1 Rf8 23. Rxe5+ Kd8 24. Rhe1 {looks entertaining, but alas, the entertainment will be as brief as a Super Bowl ad:} Rc7 25. Qb8+ Rc8 26. Qb7 Rc7 $11) 15... c5 {This is desirable as long as White can't do anything with the d5 square, and he can't.} 16. Qf2 Bb7 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. b3 O-O-O 19. O-O (19. O-O-O {looks a little "uncouth" in light of the dark-squared holes on the queenside, but there's nothing Black can do there once White plays Kb1. The point of doing this is to have the king out of the way in case White goes for a kingside advance with g4, h4, g5 and so on.}) 19... Kb8 20. Rae1 Rhf8 21. Qf5 Qd6 (21... Qxf5 {certainly isn't losing, but it gives White some slight chances.} 22. Rxf5 {and White will go for the slow kingside buildup mentioned in the last note, aiming to play g4, h4, and g5 - a sort of minority attack to create a weak Black pawn on the kingside while (ideally) giving himself a passed e-pawn.}) 22. Qh3 h6 23. Rf2 Bc8 24. Qg3 {Essentially a draw offer, as the g4, h4, g5 plan won't exist after the swap and there isn't any other plausible plan or pawn break anywhere else.} (24. Qh5) (24. Qh4) 24... Qxg3 25. hxg3 Be6 26. a4 a5 {No pawn breaks for anyone.} 27. Bd2 Rfe8 28. Bc3 Rd7 29. Rf4 Kb7 30. Kf2 Rde7 31. g4 Bd7 32. Ra1 Be6 33. Kg3 Bd7 34. Rf2 Bc8 35. Re1 Bd7 36. Rfe2 Kc6 {The players are in sight of move 40, when they can offer draws, but decide to finish the game one move ahead of schedule:} 37. Rf2 Kb7 38. Rfe2 Kc6 39. Rf2 Kb7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.15"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Abasov, Nijat"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B22"] [WhiteElo "2789"] [BlackElo "2632"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3 {Following Nepo's game with Abasov from round 8.} Nf6 6. d4 d5 {As I noted in my comments to Nepo-Abasov, this position often arises from an Exchange French, two moves more quickly.} 7. Bd3 c5 8. c3 ({Nepo castled, and after} 8. O-O c4 {dropped the bishop back to e2 rather than checking and playing Bf1. Nakamura decides to keep the bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal instead.}) 8... c4 {There's nothing wrong with this, but it's not obligatory - Black can either initiate the exchange on d4 or wait for White to take on c5, with something at least akin to a Tarrasch French with 4...exd5.} 9. Bc2 Bd6 (9... Bg4 {isn't bad, getting the bishop to a healthy square at the short-term cost of the f8-bishop's temporary passivity.}) 10. O-O (10. Qe2+ Qe7 11. Qxe7+ Bxe7 {is also possible, but Nakamura prefers to remain in the middlegame.}) 10... O-O 11. h3 {Restricting Black's light-squared bishop.} Nc6 (11... h6 {Turnabout is fair play, but this allows White to post the knight on e5.} 12. Ne5 Nc6 {and now any way of reinforcing the knight (okay, other than Qh5) is fine.} 13. f4 (13. Bf4) (13. Qe2) (13. Re1)) 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 b5 $2 {Black wants to expand on the queenside, making the most of his space advantage on that flank, but White's play in the center is more important at the moment.} (13... g5 {is probably best, though it may not be so easy to play.} 14. Bg3 (14. Nxg5 $6 hxg5 15. Bxg5 Kg7 16. Re1 (16. f4 Rh8 17. Qf3 Ne7 18. Nd2 Nfg8 19. f5 f6 $17 {White's extra space on the kingside does not adequately compensate for the sacrificed piece.}) 16... Rh8 17. Nd2 Be7 18. Nf1 Ng8 $15) 14... Bxg3 15. fxg3 Nh5 $1 16. Ne5 $1 Nxg3 17. Nxf7 $1 Qe7 (17... Rxf7 18. Rxf7 Kxf7 19. Qf3+ Nf5 $1 20. Bxf5 Bxf5 21. Qxf5+ Kg7 22. Na3 Qg8 $8 $11) 18. Nxh6+ Kg7 19. Rxf8 Qxf8 20. Ng4 Bd7 21. Qd2 Qf1+ 22. Kh2 Qf4 23. Qf2 Ne2+ 24. g3 Qxf2+ 25. Nxf2 b5 26. Bd1 Re8 27. Nd2 Re3 28. a3 a5 (28... Nxg3 29. Bf3 Ne4 30. Bxe4 Re2 31. Rd1 Rxf2+ 32. Bg2 $11) 29. h4 b4 30. axb4 axb4 31. cxb4 Nexd4 $11) (13... Re8 {may not be as good as the bold 13...g5, but it's also a good move, preventing the plan in the game as} 14. Re1 {can be met by} Rxe1+ 15. Qxe1 Qe8 {with equality, and there are other good ideas for Black as well.}) 14. Re1 $14 {/? Threatening Ne5, which will be extremely unpleasant for Black.} a5 $1 ({Now} 14... g5 $6 {is too late:} 15. Nxg5 $1 hxg5 16. Bxg5 Kg7 17. Qf3 Rh8 18. Nd2 Be7 19. Re3 Nh5 20. Bxe7 Nxe7 21. Re5 Nf6 22. Rae1 Nc6 23. Rg5+ Kf8 24. Qf4 {followed by Bf5, with already a nearly winning advantage.} (24. Bf5 $2 Qd6 $1 $11)) 15. Ne5 Ra6 $1 {The rook will help safeguard the knight on f6, as we'll see.} (15... Bb7 $4 {may look more natural, but it loses almost immediately to} 16. Ng4 Be7 17. Rxe7 $1 Nxe7 (17... Qxe7 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Nxh6+ Kh8 20. Qh5 Qe1+ 21. Kh2 Rfd8 22. Nf5+ Kg8 23. Qh6 $18 {and Black is mated in at most two more moves.}) 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Nxh6+ Kg7 20. Qg4+ $1 Ng6 (20... Kxh6 21. Qh4+ Kg7 22. Qh7#) 21. Nf5+ Kg8 22. h4 $18) 16. Nd2 Bc7 (16... g5 17. Bg3 Ne7 $1 {may be Black's best, bringing more defenders to the kingside and possibly putting a piece on f5.}) 17. Qf3 Ne7 {As we see, Black's rook covers f6, as discussed above.} 18. b3 $1 a4 $1 {White threatened 19.a4, blowing up Black's kingside.} 19. bxa4 bxa4 20. Nf1 $6 (20. Rab1 $142 $14 {/?}) 20... a3 $6 (20... Ba5 21. Rac1 g5 22. Bg3 Ne8 $11 {/?}) 21. Rab1 $16 Re6 (21... Ba5 $142) (21... g5 $142 22. Bg3 Ne4 23. Bxe4 dxe4 {improves on the game, but it's not quite as good as it looks.} 24. Qxe4 f5 (24... Bf5 $2 25. Qb7 $18) 25. Qe2 f4 26. Qxc4+ Kg7 27. Bh2 $16 {Black has enough compensation for one pawn; unfortunately, he's down two. Still, this is a good try for Black, who will have something to hope for as long as White's bishop is buried on h2.}) 22. Ng4 $6 $14 (22. Ne3 $1 $16) 22... Nxg4 (22... Ne4 $143 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24. Rxe4 Rxe4 $2 (24... f6 $142 $16) 25. Qxe4 Bf5 26. Qxf5 $1 Nxf5 27. Bxd8 Rxd8 28. Rb7 $18) 23. hxg4 Qe8 $6 (23... Qd6 24. Bg3 Qc6 $14) 24. Bg3 $6 (24. Ne3 Ba5 25. Rec1 Ng6 26. Bg3 Bxc3 27. Nxc4 $1 Bb2 $1 (27... Bxd4 $2 28. Nd6 Qd8 29. Bf5 $18) 28. Nxb2 axb2 29. Rxb2 Re1+ 30. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 31. Kh2 Qc1 32. Qb3 $1 Bxg4 33. a4 $1 $16 {/+-}) 24... Ba5 $6 (24... Qc6 $1 $14) 25. Rxe6 Bxe6 26. Rb7 $16 (26. Rb8 $142 $16 {is the computer's (slight) preference, but Nakamura was worried about} Qxb8 $2 27. Bxb8 Rxb8 {followed by ...Rb2. A reasonable concern, even if White can even prove a decisive advantage with precise play:} 28. Qf4 $1 Rb2 29. Ne3 Rxa2 30. Qd6 Nc8 31. Qc6 {Threatening mate on e8.} Rxc2 32. Nxc2 Bxc3 33. Nxa3 Bxd4 34. Nb5 $1 $18) 26... Nc8 $2 (26... Nc6 27. Bd6 Qc8 28. Bxf8 Qxb7 29. Bxa3 $16) 27. Bf4 $2 (27. g5 $1 Qc6 $1 (27... hxg5 $4 28. Qh5 f5 (28... g6 29. Bxg6 Kg7 (29... fxg6 30. Qh7#) 30. Qh7+ Kf6 31. Be5#) 29. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 30. Be5+ Kg8 (30... Rf6 31. Qxe8 $18) 31. Qxg5+ Kf7 32. Qg7#) 28. Rb1 (28. Be5 $5 Qxb7 29. Bxg7 $1 f5 (29... Kxg7 $4 30. Qf6+ Kg8 31. gxh6 Bxc3 32. Qg7#) (29... f6 30. gxh6 $1 Qf7 31. Qg3 f5 32. Nh2 $1 {Intending Nf3-g5.} Bc7 33. Be5+ Kh7 34. Bxc7 $18) 30. Bxf8 Kxf8 31. Bxf5 $18) (28. Rb8 hxg5 (28... Bc7 29. gxh6 $1 Bxb8 30. hxg7 Kxg7 31. Bxb8 $18) 29. Qh5 f5 30. Qxg5 Bd8 31. Qe3 $18 {is winning, though not to the degree that Black's resignation is imminent.}) 28... hxg5 29. Qh5 f5 30. Be5 Qd7 31. g4 $18 {White is winning, though not immediately.}) 27... Qc6 $14 28. Rb8 Ne7 (28... Re8) 29. Rb1 $11 (29. Rxf8+ $142 Kxf8 30. g5 $14 (30. Qg3 $14)) (29. Bh7+ Kxh7 30. Rxf8 Ng6 31. Rb8 Bxc3 $1 (31... Nxf4 32. Qxf4 Bc7 {seems to win, but White escapes with the attractive} 33. Qc1 $8 Bxb8 34. Qb1+ {, regaining the piece with a practical edge (but not a "computer edge") after} g6 35. Qxb8 Bxg4 36. Qa7 $11) 32. Qxc3 Nxf4 $44) 29... Qd7 $1 30. g5 (30. Nh2 $142) 30... Bg4 $1 31. Qg3 h5 {Abasov is taking over the initiative, and with a serious lead on the clock to boot the possibility of a Black win starts to take shape.} 32. Qe3 (32. Bd6 $142 {keeps equality, though it's complicated.} Nf5 33. Bxf5 Bxf5 34. Bxf8 Bxb1 35. Qb8 Qd8 36. Qxb1 Qxf8 37. Ne3 Bxc3 38. Nxd5 Bxd4 39. Qe4 Bc5 40. Qxc4 $11) 32... Ng6 33. Bh2 Re8 34. Qd2 $6 (34. Rb8 Rxb8 35. Bxb8 Qe6 $15 {White's position is unpleasant due to the pressure against c3, but this is better than the text.}) 34... Re2 $15 {/? Now White is genuinely in trouble.} 35. Rb8+ Kh7 36. Qc1 {The critical moment of the game, and if Nakamura somehow wins the tournament, it will be at least one of the critical moments of the whole Candidates. Black stands better and has a big lead on the clock (18 minutes to 7), but hastily uncorks a blunder that takes him from significantly better to simply lost.} Qe7 $4 {After all of 10 seconds.} (36... Bd8 {threatens 37...Bxg5, exploiting the overloaded White queen.} 37. Qb1 Bxg5 38. Ng3 {Black is definitely better, though White is still holding on.}) 37. Be5 $1 $18 {Black's problem is that his rook is trapped, and will leave the board very soon thanks to the threatened 38.Ng3. By the way, Nakamura spent almost two minutes on this move, despite his time deficit. It was time well spent, as opposed to Abasov's time foolishly "unspent".} Qe6 (37... h4 {stops 38.Ng3, but now there's a different problem.} 38. Qf4 $1 Rxc2 39. Qxg4 {Threatening 40.Qh5#.} Bd8 40. Qh5+ $1 Kg8 41. Qf3 Qd7 42. Qh3 $1 Qe7 43. Qc8 $18 {Black will win White's a- or c-pawn, but it's not nearly enough for the piece he's about to lose.}) (37... Bxc3 {was the best try, and it's hard to beat. White needs to find a lot of only-moves to prove the win in the following line:} 38. Bxg6+ Kxg6 39. Qxc3 Qxg5 40. f4 $1 Qh4 41. Ng3 $1 Rxa2 42. Qe1 $3 Rb2 43. Rg8 f6 44. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 45. Nf5+ {We finally see the point of 42.Qe1.} Bxf5 46. Qxh4 fxe5 47. Qe7+ Kg8 48. Qe8+ $1 (48. Qxa3 $2 c3 $1 49. Qxc3 Rb1+ 50. Kh2 exf4 $11) 48... Kh7 49. Qf7+ Kh8 50. Qf8+ Kh7 51. Qxf5+ Kg8 52. Qe6+ Kh7 53. Qe7+ Kh6 54. Qxa3 $18) 38. Ng3 $6 (38. Ne3 $1 Bxc3 $1 39. Bxg6+ Qxg6 40. Qxc3 Qxg5 41. Nxd5 $18) 38... Rxe5 $1 39. dxe5 Qxe5 40. Rb5 $1 Bxc3 {The time control has been made. White is clearly better but not winning, and he must play precisely to keep his advantage. His next move, for instance, is the only move that doesn't allow Black to equalize.} 41. Qe3 $1 $16 Qxe3 $8 42. fxe3 d4 $8 43. exd4 Bxd4+ 44. Kf1 h4 $2 {After this White is winning, and stays winning through the end of the game.} ({After} 44... Bb2 $1 $16 {the result is still in doubt, despite Black's sorry knight on g6.}) 45. Ne2 $18 (45. Nf5 $18) 45... Be3 (45... Bb2 46. Rb7 $1 Kg8 47. Nf4 $1 Nf8 (47... Nxf4 $2 48. Rb8+ Bc8 49. Rxc8#) 48. Nd5 $18) 46. Ra5 $1 {The passed a-pawn will be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. The rest is easy for Nakamura.} Kg8 47. Rxa3 Bxg5 48. Ra8+ Nf8 49. a4 f5 50. Nd4 h3 51. gxh3 Bxh3+ 52. Kf2 Bh4+ 53. Kf3 Bg4+ 54. Kg2 f4 55. Bf5 f3+ 56. Kf1 Bxf5 57. Nxf5 Bg5 58. a5 (58. a5 g6 (58... c3 59. Rc8 $18) 59. a6 gxf5 60. a7 Be3 61. Rxf8+ Kxf8 62. a8=Q+ $18) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.15"] [Round "10.3"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C70"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,20,21,20,24,23,23,12,31,-10,33,21,42,0,20,16,24,2,14,14,-1,-3,8]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nge7 5. d4 (5. O-O) (5. c3) ({and} 5. Nc3 {are all (considerably) more popular than 5.d4.}) 5... exd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 Nc6 8. Qe3 {Slightly reminiscent of the Center Game (1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3), which Nepo played in his youth.} (8. Bxc6 {used to be the most popular choice. If Black takes with the b-pawn, White's queen remains on d4 in perpetuity, while the d-pawn recapture leaves Black unable to castle and gives White the dream of a winning pawn ending (as in the regular Exchange Variation). In practice, however, after} dxc6 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 $11 {Black's bishops have proved full compensation for White's pluses.}) 8... Be7 (8... Bd6 $11 {looks clumsy - what is the Bc8 going to do? - but the d6-bishop is well placed and keeps the e-file open so ...0-0 followed by ...Re8 may cause White a little discomfort.}) 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Nd5 $146 b5 11. Bb3 Na5 $1 {If White is given a tempo for a2-a3, he will have a meaningful edge.} 12. Qg3 (12. Bd2 Nxb3 13. Qxb3 c6 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Qe3 {is a tiny bit better for White, as his bishop's prospects are better for the foreseeable future.}) 12... Bd6 (12... Bb7) 13. Bf4 Bxf4 14. Qxf4 d6 15. O-O Be6 16. Rfd1 Re8 17. h3 {White's position is visually appealing, but there is no advantage.} h6 18. Rd3 c5 $6 ({It was time to quit the game-playing and make the swap, continuing} 18... Nxb3 19. axb3 a5 {and (sooner or later) ...a4 to generate queenside counterplay.}) 19. Rg3 (19. c3 $1 $14 c4 20. Rg3 Bxd5 (20... cxb3 $4 21. Qxh6 g6 22. Nf4 $1 Qf6 23. Nxg6 $18) (20... Kf8 21. Bc2 {Black waited too long, though the knight won't be so bad after} Nc6 $14 {and ...Ne5.}) 21. Bc2 $3 (21. Qxh6 g6 22. Bc2 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Rxe4 24. Rxg6+ fxg6 25. Qxg6+ Kf8 26. Qxe4 Ra7 $11) 21... Bb7 22. Qxh6 g6 23. e5 Re6 $1 24. Bf5 $1 Qf8 25. Qxf8+ Kxf8 26. Bxe6 fxe6 27. Rxg6 Kf7 28. Rg5 dxe5 29. Rxe5 Bd5 30. f4 $14) 19... Kh8 (19... Kf8 {is also equal.}) 20. c3 Nxb3 {At last.} 21. axb3 Bxd5 22. exd5 $11 Qd7 23. b4 cxb4 24. Qxb4 Re5 25. Qd4 Qa7 {White has nothing, so Nepo acquiesces to the draw. The trades begin momentarily.} 26. Rd3 Re2 27. Qxa7 Rxa7 28. b4 Rc2 {The rest is what happens when two professionals have tacitly agreed to a draw, and need to make it arbiter-proof on their way to move 40:} 29. Re1 Kh7 30. Re8 Rc7 31. Ra8 R7xc3 32. Rxc3 Rxc3 33. Rxa6 Rc4 34. Rxd6 Rxb4 35. Rb6 Rb1+ 36. Kh2 b4 37. d6 Rd1 38. Rxb4 Rxd6 39. Ra4 ({For the sake of perfect tidiness,} 39. h4 h5 40. g3 g6 {was "better".}) 39... h5 40. h4 g6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto CAN"] [Date "2024.04.15"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2024.04.04"] {[%evp 0,18,21,20,55,51,68,48,48,29,51,51,88,12,87,68,87,87,62,44,95]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Rg1 {This move became a big deal when Ivanchuk used it to take down Kasparov in a famous game, but once players started looking at the move more seriously they were unimpressed and it returned to obscurity. Engines get better, Moore's Law continues, and every couple of years it's worth reexamining one's theoretical "conclusions".} h5 {Probably the most popular move at the moment, stopping g4. The ...h5 resource has been very common and popular in many Najdorf lines, and it's also somewhat common in Dragon positions as well - stay tuned.} (6... g6 7. g4 Bg7 8. Be3 Nc6 9. f3 e5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qd2 Be6 12. O-O-O Bf8 13. Na4 h5 14. h3 Nd7 15. Qc3 hxg4 16. hxg4 d5 17. Qxc6 d4 18. Bd2 Rc8 19. Qb7 Rb8 20. Qxa6 Ra8 21. Qb5 Bxa2 22. Bc4 Bxc4 23. Qxc4 Qf6 24. g5 Qd6 25. Kb1 Rh3 26. Rgf1 Be7 27. b3 Qa3 28. Bc1 Qb4 29. Qxb4 Bxb4 30. f4 Rh4 31. Rh1 Rxh1 32. Rxh1 Ke7 33. f5 Ra6 34. Rh7 Nc5 35. Bd2 Rxa4 36. fxg6 Bxd2 37. Rxf7+ Ke6 38. Rf6+ Ke7 39. bxa4 Nxe4 40. Rf5 {1-0 Ivanchuk,V (2711)-Kasparov,G (2838) RUS-The World Moscow rapid 2002 (1) It should be said that this was one of the worst events of Kasparov's career. He finished with a -2 score, only defeating Shirov, and lost to Ivanchuk, Akopian, and even Judit Polgar, against whom he had a 12-0 score with four draws for the rest of their careers.}) 7. Bc4 $5 $146 {There were 215 games with 6...h5, and none of them saw White go Sozin/Fischer. Kudos to Caruana for opening a new chapter in the Najdorf.} g6 $5 {It's often a good idea for Sicilian players to "dragonize" their Sicilians when White chooses something that would be harmless against the Dragon. Does Rg1 count as harmless? It's unclear.} 8. Bg5 Bg7 9. Qd2 Qa5 $6 (9... Nc6 $142 10. Nxc6 (10. O-O-O Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxd4 (11... Bxd4 $143 12. Bd5 Bg7 13. Qe3 O-O 14. Bh6 $14) 12. Nf6+ $1 (12. Bf6 Bh6 13. Bg5 Bg7 14. Nf6+) 12... exf6 13. Qxd4 O-O 14. Bf4 $11) 10... bxc6 11. O-O-O Nd7 12. f4 Rb8 13. e5 dxe5 14. Rge1 Qc7 $8 {The position looks scarier for Black than for White, but apparently it's still equal.}) 10. O-O-O $14 {/?} Nc6 11. Nb3 $6 (11. Nxc6 $142 bxc6 12. Rge1) 11... Qxg5 $1 12. Qxg5 Bh6 13. h4 Be6 $2 (13... Bxg5+ 14. hxg5 Nh7 15. f4 Bg4 $11) 14. Be2 $2 {A huge missed opportunity.} (14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. e5 $1 dxe5 $8 (15... Nxe5 $2 16. f4 Bxg5 17. hxg5 $18 {is the essential point, winning a piece.}) 16. Qxh6 Rxh6 17. Nc5 Nd8 18. Rge1 $16 {/+- Black's position looks horrible - the tripled e-pawns in particular are nausea-inducing.}) 14... Kf8 (14... Bxg5+ 15. hxg5 Nh7 16. f4 f6 $11) (14... Bxb3 15. axb3 (15. Qxh6 Rxh6 16. axb3 O-O-O $11) 15... Bxg5+ 16. hxg5 Nd7 17. f4 O-O-O $11) 15. Nd4 Nxd4 (15... Bxg5+ $142 16. hxg5 Ng4 $11 {/?}) 16. Rxd4 Rc8 (16... Bxg5+ $142 17. hxg5 Ne8) 17. f4 Bxg5 18. hxg5 $14 Ng4 19. Rf1 (19. Kd2) 19... Bd7 20. Kd2 Bc6 21. Nd5 f5 (21... e5) 22. gxf6 (22. exf5 gxf5 23. Bd3 e5 $1 24. fxe5 dxe5 25. Bxf5 exd4 26. Bxg4+ Kg7 27. Bxc8 Bxd5 $1 (27... Rxc8 $2 28. Nf4 Be4 29. Nxh5+ Kg6 30. Nf4+ Kxg5 31. Ne6+ Kh5 32. g4+ Kh4 33. Nxd4 Kxg4 34. b3 $18 {and White should probably win this because Black's king is cut off so far from the queenside pawns.}) 28. Bh3 Re8 $11) 22... Nxf6 $11 23. c4 Kg7 (23... Kf7 $142 $11 {was better, despite any nervousness Firouzja might have had keeping his king opposite the white rook.}) 24. Nxe7 $1 Nxe4+ 25. Kd1 Ng3 $1 26. Re1 (26. Nxc8 $142 Nxf1 27. Bxf1 Rxc8 28. b4 $11 {/?}) 26... Nf5 27. Nxf5+ gxf5 28. Bd3 Rcf8 29. Rxd6 Rf6 $1 (29... Bxg2 $4 30. Rg1 $18) 30. c5 h4 $2 {Fixing the g-pawn and threatening to take it is appealing, but Black underestimates White's active chances.} (30... Rxd6 31. cxd6 Rd8 {was correct, getting rid of public enemy number one. White can keep the d-pawn alive for a little while with some tricks, but it will fall soon enough, resulting in a thoroughly drawn position.} 32. Re7+ Kf6 33. Re5 Bd7 34. Ke2 (34. Rc5 Be6 35. Rc7 Rxd6 36. Ke2 Bxa2 $11 (36... Bd5 $11)) 34... Be6 $11) 31. Re7+ $1 Kg6 32. Re5 $1 Rh5 $2 (32... Rxd6 $142 33. cxd6 Rf8 34. Ke2 Rf6 $1 (34... Bxg2 $2 35. Rxf5 $1 Rxf5 36. d7 $18) 35. a3 Bd7 36. Rd5 $16 {/+- Black is in trouble, but he may not be lost.}) 33. Bf1 $2 (33. Rd8 $1 Kg7 34. Kd2 {White will slowly win if Black waits, and will win quickly if he doesn't:} Bxg2 $2 35. Bc4 $1 Bc6 36. Re7+ Kh6 37. Rh8+ Kg6 38. Rg8+ Kh6 39. Be2 $18) 33... Rxd6+ 34. cxd6 Rh8 (34... Kf6 $142 $16) 35. Re6+ $2 (35. Bd3 $1 $16 {/+-}) 35... Kf7 $2 (35... Kg7 $11 {/?}) 36. Bc4 $1 $16 Rd8 $2 (36... Kg7 $8) 37. Ke1 $1 $18 {Now the g-pawn survives, so Black will not.} Kg7 (37... Bxg2 $4 38. Re2+ $18) 38. Kf2 a5 39. a3 b5 40. Bd3 Bd5 {As usual, Firouzja had been in time trouble. He made the time control with less than ten seconds to spare (Caruana didn't have much more than that, but that's because he used his time over the last few moves; Firouzja had been under a minute for quite a few moves), but his position didn't survive the scramble.} 41. Re7+ Bf7 (41... Kf6 42. Bxb5 Rxd6 43. Rd7 $18) 42. Bxb5 Kf6 (42... Rxd6 43. Bc4 $18) 43. Rc7 Rxd6 44. Rc6 {One way or another, Black's rook is coming off the board. Black has no counterplay after this, and with three weaknesses - the f-pawn, the h-pawn, and the difficulty in dealing with White's queenside majority - he won't be able to keep everything safe.} Rxc6 45. Bxc6 Bb3 {The bishop and a-pawn stop the queenside pawns, the king covers f5, but what about the h-pawn?} 46. Bd7 Kg6 47. Kg1 $1 {The end. White will go Kh2-h3, and if Black plays ...Bd5 to counterattack White's g-pawn White will leave the king on h3, play b4-b5 and Bc6, when the b-pawn may queen and the g-pawn will be defended.} (47. Kg1 $1 Kf6 48. Kh2 Kg6 49. Kh3 Bd5 50. b4 axb4 51. axb4 Kf6 52. b5 Be4 53. Kxh4 Bxg2 54. Bc6 Bf1 (54... Bxc6 55. bxc6 Ke6 56. Kg5 Kd6 57. Kxf5 Kxc6 58. Ke6 Kc7 59. Ke7 $18 {and the pawn promotes.}) 55. b6 Ba6 56. b7 Bxb7 57. Bxb7 $18 {If White's remaining pawn were an h-pawn, it would be a draw, but it's not, so it's not.}) 1-0