[Event "WCh 2023"] [Site "Astana KAZ"] [Date "2023.04.09"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C85"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2023.04.09"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Bxc6 {The point of this (doubly) delayed capture is that Black can't defend the e-pawn with ...f6, but must bring the knight to d7. It's not a catastrophe, obviously, but it is a mild inconvenience.} dxc6 7. Re1 (7. d3 {is more usual, but since Nepo wants to play d4 the text makes more sense, at least if Black has nothing better than ...Nd7.}) 7... Nd7 (7... Bg4 {is another option, and maybe we'll see it next time if Nepo repeats the variation.} 8. h3 Bh5 {Here White can play d3 followed by the standard Nb1-d2-f1-g3 maneuver, or he can play more directly with} 9. g4 {, when both the calm retreat to g6 and the (obviously) more committal sac are possible. Let's have a look at the sac:} Nxg4 10. hxg4 Bxg4 11. d4 (11. d3 f6 $11 {followed by ...Qd7, ...0-0-0, and ...h5 gives Black enough for the piece.}) 11... exd4 12. Qd3 c5 13. Nbd2 Qd6 {The engine claims the position is equal, but it's obviously a messy position that one wouldn't want to play in a high-stakes game if you thought your opponent had analyzed it deeply and you hadn't - even if you knew that it was supposed to be equal. Here are some brief lines to give a taste of the possibilities.} 14. c3 (14. Nc4 Qf6 15. Nce5 Bh5 16. Bg5 Qe6 17. Bxe7 Kxe7 18. Qa3 Ke8 (18... b6 $4 19. Nxd4 $18) 19. Qxc5 Bxf3 20. Nxf3 Qg4+ 21. Kf1 Qxf3 22. Rad1 Qh3+ 23. Ke2 Qd7 24. Rxd4 Qe7 25. Qc4 {If Black could castle here, he would be better if not winning. He can't, though, so White has enough for the pawn, but not more.} h5 26. Red1 Rh6 27. Rd7 Qe6 28. Rxc7 Qxc4+ 29. Rxc4 Rd8 $11) 14... Bd7 15. Nf1 Qg6+ 16. Ng3 Bf6 17. cxd4 (17. Qe2 O-O-O 18. e5 Be7 19. cxd4 Bc6 20. e6 $8 Bf6 $1 21. Ne5 Bxe5 $8 22. Qxe5 $8 Rd5 $1 23. Qe4 f5 24. Qf4 Re8 25. dxc5 Qf6 $1 $44 {Preparing ...g5.}) 17... h5 18. Kh2 $1 Qg4 $1 19. e5 Be7 20. e6 Bxe6 21. Rxe6 Qxe6 22. Bg5 h4 23. Nf5 Bd6+ $8 24. Kh1 c4 $1 25. Nxg7+ Kd7 26. Nxe6 cxd3 27. Nc5+ Bxc5 28. dxc5 f6 $1 29. Be3 Ke6 $11) 8. d4 (8. d3) ({and} 8. b3 {are important alternatives.}) 8... exd4 9. Qxd4 O-O 10. Bf4 Nc5 11. Qe3 (11. Qxd8 Bxd8 12. Nc3 $11 {is more common, but harmless.}) 11... Bg4 $146 {Ding spent about eight minutes on this move. It might have been prep, though my (fallible) inclination is to doubt it.} (11... Ne6 {had been played in all seven previous outings. (Coincidentally, the first game was in 1978 and the last in 2016, and in both cases the player with Black was the Hungarian GM Jozsef Pinter.)} 12. Bg3 Bc5 $11 {The position is equal, but not dead. Thanks to his e-pawn, White potentially enjoys a more harmonious position in the center, and (for much later) he has a healthy kingside majority while Black won't be able to create a passer on the queenside thanks to the doubled c-pawns. By way of compensation, of course, Black has the bishop pair.}) 12. Nd4 $11 {/?} Qd7 {After almost another nine minutes. Is he figuring things out, or trying to remember his prep in a sideline of an obscure variation?} 13. Nc3 (13. h3 {isn't bad, and would be terrific if Black were forced to retreat the bishop to h5 or e6. Instead, a zwischenzug comes to the rescue:} Rad8 $1 14. Nc3 $1 {sets up a nice trap.} (14. Nb3 Nxb3 15. Qxb3 Bh5 16. a4 (16. Qxb7 Rb8 17. Qxa6 Rxb2 18. Qc4 Rb4 19. Qd3 Qxd3 20. cxd3 Bf6 21. a3 Rb3 22. Ra2 Rxd3 23. a4 $11 {Only White can be better, but thanks to Black's bishop pair and frontmost c-pawn - which should probably spend the next three moves heading for c3 - Black should hold.}) 16... b5 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nd2 Rfe8 19. Nf3 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 {is more comfortable for White, but after} Bc5 {Black's active, well-coordinated pieces make a draw the likeliest outcome.}) 14... Rfe8 $1 (14... Qxd4 $2 15. Nd5 $3 Bf6 $1 (15... Qxe3 $4 16. Nxe7+ Kh8 17. Bxe3 {wins a piece for White.}) 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 (16... Qxf6 $2 17. Bg5 Qe5 18. Bxd8 Rxd8 19. hxg4 $18) 17. Qg3 h5 18. hxg4 Nxe4 19. c3 $1 Qd5 20. Qh4 Rfe8 21. Bxc7 Rd7 22. Bb6 $16 {/+-}) 15. Nb3 Nxb3 16. cxb3 $5 Bh5 17. Qg3 Bd6 18. e5 $11 {/?}) 13... Rad8 14. Nf5 (14. h3 $142 {would transpose to the last note. As noted there, Black should play 14...Rfe8, and not fall for 14...Qxd4? 15.Nd5! when he's already close to losing.}) 14... Ne6 (14... Bxf5 $142 15. exf5 Rfe8 $11) 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Bg3 Bh5 (16... f5 $142 {may look risky, but it seems to be fine. Despite White's lineup on the e-file, there's no way to exploit Black's loose-looking knight and queen.} 17. exf5 Bxf5 18. f3 Rfe8 19. Qf2 Qb4 20. Nd1 Bg6 21. c3 {is, as usual, a little more comfortable for White.}) 17. f3 $14 f6 18. h3 h6 19. Kh2 (19. a3 {is a good idea, cutting out any annoying ...Qb4 options.}) 19... Bf7 20. Rad1 b6 21. a3 a5 22. Ne2 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rd8 24. Rd3 c5 {A slight inaccuracy. The move follows the "rules": Black has a light-squared bishop, so (as far as it's feasible) he should put his pawns on dark squares so they (a) stay out of the bishop's way and (b) make up for the missing bishop. That applies here as well, but it would have been better to keep the c5 square open for the knight.} (24... Rxd3 25. Qxd3 Nc5 26. Qe3 Ne6 {followed by, say, ...a4, ...b5, and ...Qc5 with a minimal disadvantage.}) 25. Qd2 $1 c6 $6 {This is a case where the "rule" mentioned in the previous comment holds. This weakens both the d6 and b6 squares, and now White's advantage is becoming tangible.} (25... Rxd3 26. Qxd3 Be8 $14) 26. Rxd8+ $1 Nxd8 (26... Qxd8 $4 27. Qxd8+ Nxd8 28. Bc7 $18) 27. Qf4 $16 b5 28. Qb8 Kh7 29. Bd6 $6 ({The greedy} 29. Bc7 {was best. After} Ne6 30. Bxa5 Qd7 31. Nf4 {In addition to the extra pawn, White has a second important advantage; namely, the possibility of creating a passed a-pawn with b3 and a4. Black should therefore play} Nd4 $1 32. Bb6 c4 $1 {, putting a stop to the idea of making a passed a-pawn. White's advantage is not trivial, but after} 33. c3 Ne6 $16 {Black retains good drawing chances.}) 29... Qd7 30. Ng3 Ne6 (30... c4) 31. f4 $6 (31. c3 $14) 31... h5 (31... Nd4 $142 32. c3 Nb3 33. f5 a4 $11) 32. c3 c4 $6 (32... h4 $142 33. Nf5 Bg6 $8 34. Ne7 Be8 $11 {Even though Black has been pushed back to the edge of the board, White can't go any further. It looks like White is much better, but it's completely equal.}) 33. h4 $1 $14 {Black will be even more restricted than in the previous note, but here too White will have a hard time doing anything with his significantly more active pieces.} Qd8 34. Qb7 $6 (34. Qxd8 Nxd8 35. f5 Nb7 36. Be7 $14 {Black can hardly move a thing, but can White make (meaningful) progress? Probably not.}) 34... Be8 $11 35. Nf5 Qd7 36. Qb8 Qd8 37. Qxd8 Nxd8 38. Nd4 Nb7 39. e5 (39. Be7 {isn't effective here (compare the note to White's 34th move) as Black's king will drive out the bishop:} Kg8 $11 {followed by ...Kf7.}) 39... Kg8 40. Kg3 Bd7 41. Bc7 Nc5 $1 {Not strictly necessary, but this temporary pawn sac helps secure a speedy draw.} 42. Bxa5 Kf7 $1 (42... Nd3 $4 {is premature:} 43. e6 Bc8 (43... Be8 44. Nf5 Kf8 45. Bd8 Nxb2 46. Nd6 $18 {wins a piece.}) 44. f5 Bb7 45. Bd8 $1 Nxb2 46. e7 Kf7 47. Ne6 c5 48. Nxg7 $1 Bc6 49. Nxh5 $18) 43. Bb4 Nd3 44. e6+ Bxe6 45. Nxc6 Bd7 46. Nd4 Nxb2 47. Kf3 Nd3 48. g3 Nc1 49. Ke3 1/2-1/2