[Event "FIDE World Cup 2025"] [Site "Goa IND"] [Date "2025.11.15"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Le, Quang Liem"] [Black "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "E60"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2641"] [WhiteFideId "12401137"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "149"] [GameId "2244854681144696"] [EventDate "2025.11.01"] [EventType "k.o."] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,149,17,17,19,18,33,12,13,13,16,32767,14,23,19,23,17,22,16,29,16,32767,43,36,39,5,38,-3,19,21,14,29,36,29,20,3,13,-1,0,32767,32767,32767,-4,1,2,16,8,-24,1,-13,32767,32767,-19,-27,-12,-38,-30,-40,-18,-35,-49,-51,-59,-48,-45,-48,-73,-96,-53,-60,32767,-51,-45,-116,-165,-150,-117,-116,-102,-106,-76,-107,-95,-120,-71,-113,-136,-109,32767,-174,-129,-117,-140,-154,-149,-246,-165,32767,-139,-190,-164,-152,-155,-217,-217,32767,32767,-226,-241,-176,-225,-201,-190,-183,-180,32767,-179,-235,-150,-178,-167,-142,-99,-100,32767,-102,-110,-110,-102,-104,-75,-111,32767,32767,-208,-211,-273,-195,-202,-200,-1,-1,-1,-1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c6 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. cxd5 cxd5 7. Ne5 O-O 8. Nc3 Bf5 9. Bf4 Nc6 10. O-O Ne4 11. Rc1 Rc8 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. Bxe4 dxe4 14. Nxc6 Rxc6 15. Rxc6 bxc6 16. Be3 Qa5 17. Qb1 Qd5 18. Rd1 Rd8 19. Rd2 h5 20. h4 Kh7 21. b3 Bh6 22. Bxh6 Kxh6 23. Qc1 Kg7 24. Rc2 Qxd4 25. Kg2 Qd1 26. Qxd1 Rxd1 27. a4 Rd6 28. Rc4 f5 29. Rb4 Kf7 30. Rb7 Rd2 31. e3 Rb2 32. a5 Ke6 33. a6 c5 34. Kf1 Kd6 35. Ke1 c4 36. b4 c3 37. Kd1 Kc6 38. Rxa7 Kb6 39. Rxe7 Kxa6 40. Rc7 Rxf2 41. Rxc3 {Let's start here. The time control has just been made, so the players have some more time to figure out what's going on in this unusual rook ending. Material is equal but White's kingside pawns are very weak, so it's White who must prove the draw.} Kb6 (41... Kb5 42. Rc5+ Kxb4 (42... Kb6 43. Re5 $11) 43. Rc6 $11) 42. Rc5 $1 Rg2 43. Re5 Rxg3 44. Ke2 $2 {Losing. White needs to defend the e-pawn, yes, but the king will be of more use on the queenside than the kingside. That said, White has a clever idea in mind: he's hoping that his king will lock in Black's rook and to make a draw that way.} (44. Kd2 $1 Rh3 45. Re6+ Kb5 46. Rxg6 Rxh4 (46... Kxb4 47. Rg5 Rxh4 48. Rxf5 Rh2+ 49. Ke1 Kc4 50. Ra5 $1 h4 (50... Kd3 51. Ra3+ Kc4 52. Ra4+ Kd5 53. Ra5+ $11) 51. Ra4+ Kd3 52. Ra3+ Kc4 53. Ra4+ Kd5 54. Ra5+ Ke6 55. Rh5 Kf6 56. Kf1 h3 {Only one move draws here.} 57. Rh4 $1 Kf5 58. Rf4+ Ke5 59. Rh4 $11) 47. Kc3 $1 $11 {White loses after any other move. Here's a sample line:} Rg4 48. Rf6 Rg5 49. Kd4 Kxb4 50. Rb6+ Ka3 51. Ke5 Rg3 52. Kxf5 Rxe3 53. Rh6 $11) 44... Kc6 $2 {Giving White a chance to correct his error.} (44... Rg4 45. Kf2 (45. Kd2 Rxh4 46. Kc3 Rg4 47. Re6+ Kc7 48. Kd4 Rg1 49. Kc5 Kd7 50. Ra6 h4 51. Ra8 h3 52. Rh8 Rh1 53. b5 h2 54. Kb6 Ke6 $19) 45... Rxh4 46. Re6+ Kb5 47. Rxg6 Rh3 $1 48. Rg5 Rf3+ 49. Ke2 h4 $19) 45. Kf2 $2 (45. Kd2 $1) 45... Rg4 $19 46. Rc5+ Kd6 47. Rc4 Rxh4 48. Kg2 Rg4+ 49. Kh2 {Is Black's rook trapped and thus unable to help against White's b-pawn? Almost...but not quite.} Kd5 (49... f4 50. Rxe4 (50. exf4 Rxf4 51. b5 (51. Kg3 Rg4+ 52. Kh3 e3 $19) 51... Kd5 52. Rb4 e3 53. Rb1 e2 54. Re1 (54. Kg2 Rf1 $19) 54... Re4 $19) 50... f3 {is a bit dramatic. Black will win the battle between connected passers and split pawns.} 51. Rd4+ (51. Rxg4 hxg4 52. e4 f2 53. Kg2 g3 54. Kf1 Ke5 55. b5 Kxe4 56. b6 (56. Ke2 Kd5 $19) 56... Kf3 57. b7 g2#) (51. Re8 Rg2+ 52. Kh1 g5 $19) 51... Rxd4 52. exd4 Kd5 53. b5 h4 54. Kh3 g5 55. Kh2 g4 56. Kg1 g3 $19) 50. Rc5+ Kd6 51. Rc3 Rh4+ 52. Kg2 Rg4+ 53. Kh2 f4 $1 {Finally! The win should be a matter of time now.} 54. exf4 Rxf4 55. b5 Kd5 (55... Rf2+ 56. Kg1 (56. Kg3 $2 Rf3+ 57. Rxf3 exf3 58. Kxf3 Kc5 $19) 56... Rb2 57. Rg3 Rxb5 58. Rxg6+ Kc5 59. Kf2 Kd4 $19 {Black wins. One problem for White is the attempt use Philidor's drawing method finds a impediment in the form of Black's h-pawn.} 60. Rg3 Rb2+ 61. Ke1 h4 62. Rh3 (62. Ra3 e3 63. Ra8 {This is a dead draw with no h-pawn, but here Black wins:} h3 64. Rd8+ Kc5 65. Rc8+ Kd6 66. Rh8 h2 $19 {followed by ...h1Q+, ...Rb1+ and ...Rxh1.}) 62... e3 {There's no 63.Rh8, so Black can play ...Kd3 and win.}) 56. Rb3 Kc4 57. Rb1 Rf7 58. Kg3 Rb7 ({The tempting} 58... g5 $2 {, trying to keep White's king in a box, is a mistake.} 59. b6 Rb7 60. Kf2 $11 {Black would like to advance his king, but then there are problems with Rb5.}) 59. Kf4 Rxb5 {With three extra pawns Donchenko must win, right?} 60. Rg1 Kd3 $1 61. Rg3+ Ke2 62. Rg2+ (62. Kxe4 g5 $19) 62... Kd3 63. Rg3+ Ke2 64. Rg2+ Kf1 65. Rxg6 Rb3 (65... Kf2 {is another way, but it does require some precision.} 66. Kxe4 Rb4+ $1 67. Kd3 Rf4 $1 68. Rh6 h4 69. Kd2 Rd4+ 70. Kc2 Kg3 $19) 66. Kxe4 h4 67. Rf6+ Kg2 68. Rg6+ Kf2 (68... Rg3 69. Ra6 Rf3 $1 {The only winning move.} 70. Rg6+ Kf2 $1 $19 {From here the moves are obvious.}) 69. Rf6+ Ke2 $2 {Now it's a draw.} (69... Kg2 70. Rg6+ Rg3 71. Ra6 Rf3 $1 $19 {wins, as noted above.}) 70. Ra6 Rb4+ 71. Kf5 $1 h3 72. Rh6 Rb3 73. Kg4 Kf2 74. Rxh3 Rxh3 75. Kxh3 1/2-1/2