[Event "Prague Masters 2nd"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2020.02.21"] [Round "9"] [White "Duda, Jan Krzysztof"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2755"] [BlackElo "2721"] [Annotator "Duda,Jan Krzysztof"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2020.02.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "CZE"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 195"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.04.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.04.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This game was played under very specific circumstances. It was the last round of the tournament, played one hour earlier than usual. My opponent had a great tournament scoring +3 and it seemed to everyone that he was clearly going to win the competition. However, in the 8th round something apocalyptic happened to him, because he lost a-not-possible-to-lose game against David Navara. Vidit was clearly winning before the time control, and later he had an endgame with a plus pawn which was drawn. Not being able to settle for a draw, he overpushed and lost. I on the other hand had a mediocre tournament, winning in the 1st round a cool game against David Navara, but losing in round 7 a traumatic game to Alireza Firouzja, where after 15 moves I was basically busted with White. I was happy though to play with White against Vidit in the last round, because I have never had a chance to play an official game against him (with White). Considering our history, and more importantly his game against David, it felt as if I was going to win an easy game. Obviously such thinking is hardly dangerous, and I had to keep my composure, not letting my emotions take over} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 ({Here is the aforementioned apocalypse of Vidit:} 3... b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Bf4 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg3 Nd7 8. e4 N5f6 9. e5 Nh5 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Bc4 a6 12. d5 exd5 13. Bxd5 Nxg3 14. hxg3 c6 15. Bxf7+ Kxf7 16. e6+ Kxe6 17. Qe2+ Kf7 18. O-O-O Bf6 19. Ne4 Qe7 20. Nd6+ Kf8 21. Qxe7+ Bxe7 22. Nxb7 Nf6 23. Ne5 Nd5 24. Kb1 Rc8 25. Rhe1 Bxa3 26. Nxc6 Bb4 27. Nxb4 Nxb4 28. Rd7 h5 29. Nd6 Ra8 30. Ree7 Rh7 31. Ne4 Rh6 32. Rxg7 Rd8 33. b3 Rxd7 34. Rxd7 a5 35. f3 Rc6 36. Rd2 Kf7 37. Kb2 Ke6 38. Nc3 Rd6 39. Re2+ Kf5 40. Ne4 Rd1 41. Nc3 Rd3 42. Nb1 Nd5 43. Kc2 Nb4+ 44. Kb2 Nd5 45. Na3 Ne3 46. Nc4 Nxc4+ 47. bxc4 a4 48. Kc2 Rb3 49. Rd2 Rb4 50. Kc3 Rb3+ 51. Kc2 Rb4 52. Kc3 Rb3+ 53. Kd4 a3 54. Ra2 Ke6 55. c5 b5 56. g4 hxg4 57. fxg4 b4 58. g5 Rb2 59. Ra1 a2 60. g6 b3 61. c6 Rc2 62. Rf1 b2 63. g7 Rxg2 64. c7 Kd7 {0-1 (64) Vidit, S (2721)-Navara,D (2717) Prague CZE 2020}) 4. Nc3 Bb4 {He is a very keen Ragozin player, sometimes only varying with the Grunfeld Defence.} 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 Re8 8. Bd2 a6 {The setup with a6-Bd6 is a flagship of Vidit. My preparation for this game was frankly quite limited, but obviously I knew my stuff in other lines too.} (8... Bd6 9. h3 (9. c5 $1 {is strong for White here and secures a long term edge.}) 9... a6 10. a3 Bd7 11. Be2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 h6 13. g4 e5 14. g5 $1 $40 {was a nice assault in Radjabov,T (2757)-Vidit,S (2695) Wijk aan Zee 2019, 1-0 (36).}) 9. a3 Bd6 10. O-O-O $5 {This is the prepared idea. It's clearly risky, but as said I was having a bigger blunder margin than normally.} (10. h3 {and}) (10. Rd1 {are more common moves}) 10... Bd7 {This looks the most logical, but Black has playable alternatives too:} ( 10... dxc4 11. e4 (11. Bxc4 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 $13 (12... b4)) 11... e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bg5 Bd4 (14... Bd7 15. Bxc4 Qc8) 15. Nd5 $6 (15. Bxc4 c5 16. Nd5 {would be the correct move order.}) 15... c5 $6 (15... c6 $1 16. Rxd4 ( 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Be3 Bxe3+ 18. fxe3 Qb6 $17) (16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Bxc4 b5 19. Ba2 c5 $132) 16... cxd5 17. Rxd5 Qb6 {with a messy position where Black is fine.}) 16. Bxc4 Be6 $13 {with sharp play as seen in Aizpurua,P (2348)-Cruz,C (2567) Guatemala City GUA 2020, 0-1 (41).}) (10... b5 $6 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Qxc6 {It is debatable if Black has enough compensation for the pawn.}) (10... Rb8) 11. c5 (11. e4 {is another possibility, but I didn't go for it because it's more forcing. After} dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 e5 14. Ng5 g6 15. c5 (15. Qh4 h5 16. c5 Be7 {is the same.}) 15... Be7 16. Qh4 h5 17. Bc4 {Black has many playable moves, probably the most entertaining being } Nxd4 18. Qg3 (18. Nxf7 $2 {is bad:} Bxh4 19. Nxd8+ Kh7 20. Nxb7 $6 Bc6 21. Na5 Bxg2 $17 {and Black is close to winning.}) 18... Bf5 19. Nxf7 Qd5 $1 20. Qc3 Qxc5 {and it's all equal according to the engine.}) {Now we get more or less a forced sequence.} 11... Bf8 12. e4 dxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Ne7 15. Bd3 g6 16. Ne5 Bc6 $6 (16... Ba4 {was the only move I had analysed. The variation goes} 17. Qf3 Nf5 18. g4 Bxd1 {and I would have to decide between} 19. Kxd1 ({or} 19. Rxd1 Nh6 {playing for compensation.}) 19... Qxd4 20. Bc3 Qd5 21. gxf5 Qxf3+ 22. Nxf3 exf5 {with an unclear endgame.}) ({But it seems Black can also play slowly:} 16... Bg7 17. Qf4 Rf8) ({or} 16... Nc6) 17. Qf4 Nf5 18. g4 $1 {This is very important. Black is not only forced to withdraw his beautiful knight but also, no less importantly, to exchange his bishop, the main defender of the black monarch.} Bh6 (18... Qxd4 19. gxf5 Qxf4 20. Bxf4 Bxh1 21. fxg6 hxg6 22. Rxh1 $16 {Two pieces are clearly stronger than a rook here.}) 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Qe4 Bxd2+ 21. Rxd2 Ne7 22. Bc4 Nd5 23. h4 $16 Qf6 { I considered my position to be better, but now spent a lot of time choosing between many promising possibilities.} 24. h5 (24. Rh3) (24. Kb1) ({and} 24. f4 {are the other moves I gave a thought.}) 24... e5 ({I was the most afraid of this move, but saw that at the very least I had 25.Qe5 with the better endgame } 24... Qg5 25. hxg6 (25. Qe5 $5 Qxe5 26. dxe5 {I wasn't sure that Black couldn't create any sort of fortress, but obviously this endgame is hardly depressing to play with Black.} a5 27. h6 (27. b3 $5 {not allowing a4.}) 27... a4 28. Rc2 Ra5 29. Bd3 Kf8 (29... f6)) 25... fxg6 {is better, but now Black has created a huge weakness on e6 for himself.} (25... hxg6 26. f4 $1 {I didn't calculate well enough here.} Qxg4 (26... Nxf4 27. Rdh2 Kf8 28. Kb1 Nd5 29. Qf3 $18) 27. Qe5 f6 28. Qe1 Qxf4 29. Rh4 Qg5 30. Qh1 f5 31. Qh2 $40 { and apparently White's attack is very strong here.}) 26. f3 Re7 27. Qd3 { is the idea, to unpin the rook with Kb1.}) (24... g5 25. h6 Qf4 26. Bd3 { White again has various alternatives.} Qxe4 27. Bxe4 $16 {and White has additional target on h7 as well.}) (24... a5 25. hxg6 fxg6 26. f4 $40) 25. Kb1 ({For some reason this is considered better by the engine:} 25. Re2 Qg5+ 26. Kb1 exd4 27. Qxd4 Rxe2 28. Bxe2 Qf6 29. Rd1 $16) 25... Rad8 $2 {It's rather surprising, but actually this is the losing mistake. Black had other resources which obviously would keep him in the game, but his position would be worse in any case.} (25... Rab8) (25... Kg7) (25... exd4 26. Qxd4 Qf3 (26... Rad8 27. Rhd1)) (25... Qf4 26. Qxf4 (26. Re2 $5 exd4 27. Qxf4 Nxf4 28. Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. Bxa6 $16) 26... exf4 27. Re2) 26. Re2 $1 $18 {Now Black is stuck, and he can't avoid material losses.} Nf4 (26... exd4 27. Qxe8+ Rxe8 28. Rxe8+ Kg7 29. h6# $1 {is the key, making all the difference!}) 27. Re3 (27. Ree1 {is also good. There is no avoiding dxe5.}) 27... Nd5 28. hxg6 hxg6 (28... Qxg6 29. Qxg6+ hxg6 30. Rxe5 $18) 29. Reh3 $18 {This nice rook switch is the nail in his coffin. Basically the game is over by this stage, although I still managed to make a mistake in the process.} Kf8 30. Bxa6 $5 {Not the most precise, but he was in severe time trouble, and usually such slow moves are very difficult to meet. Besides a pawn is a pawn :)} Qxf2 31. Rf3 $6 {I had a 50/50 choice and missed.} (31. Rf1 $1 {wins on the spot. The difference is that now there is no Rb8!} Qxd4 32. Qxg6 Qd1+ {Extra trick.} 33. Ka2 Qxf1 (33... Nb4+ 34. axb4 Qa4+ 35. Ra3 $18) 34. Qh6+ Ke7 35. Bxf1 $18 {I had seen that far, but thought Rf3 to be simpler.}) 31... Qxd4 (31... Rb8 $1 {would have been a huge surprise, even though I don't think I would hash it up. After the pretty natural variation} 32. Rxf2 Nc3+ 33. Kc2 Nxe4 34. Re2 $1 {is the only winning move, with the idea that} exd4 {meets} 35. Rxe4 $1) 32. Qxg6 Nf4 (32... Nc3+ 33. bxc3 Rb8+ 34. Ka1 $18) 33. Qf6 Qe4+ 34. Bd3 {and checkmate is unavoidable. This win put me on +1 score, and this was enough to share the 1st place.} 1-0