[Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.05.31"] [Round "13"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2775"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {[%evp 0,77,47,25,25,17,24,19,19,13,31,6,-1,4,4,5,4,4,2,-8,44,24,33,33,23,11, 11,29,29,18,26,7,7,-21,-21,-2,8,13,60,52,62,56,56,55,55,73,94,69,73,67,131,135, 144,147,147,153,153,105,99,121,134,153,164,164,182,182,186,197,198,198,199,202, 202,199,199,195,195,195,256,256]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {No super-tournament can happen without the super-solid Berlin.} 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {The second most popular choice, but one which avoids the endgame.} Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Ne8 10. c4 {Not the most popular move. White is playing for space. Whichever pawn White pushes, he will gain some room for his pieces.} ({Giri's preference was:} 10. d5 {instead, and after} d6 11. Re1 Bg5 12. Nc3 Bxc1 13. Rxc1 Nf6 14. Qd4 Bf5 15. Bd3 Bg6 16. a4 Qd7 17. a5 a6 18. h3 Rae8 {and albeit cramped, Black later survived in Giri,A (2773) -Nakamura,H (2750) Chess.com INT 2022}) 10... Bf6 11. Re1 d5 12. cxd5 Qxd5 13. Be3 Be6 14. Nc3 {Now the position is more like a Petroff rather than a Ruy Lopez.} Qd7 ({ Did I say Giri's preference $2 Well, he has a game here, too} 14... Qd8 15. d5 Bf5 16. Bd4 Nd6 17. h3 a6 18. a4 Re8 19. Rxe8+ Nxe8 20. a5 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Qe7 22. Qd2 {1/2-1/2 (22) Giri,A (2779)-Nakamura,H (2754) Paris 2019}) 15. d5 { An important pawn.} Bf5 16. Qb3 $146 {A novelty. Vachier-Lagrave needs to apply pressure with his pieces, otherwise his IQP might become a weakness.} ({ The minimal advantage that White got in the predecessor:} 16. h3 Nd6 17. Bd4 Bxd4 18. Qxd4 a6 19. a4 Rfe8 20. a5 Rxe1 21. Rxe1 Re8 22. Re3 Rxe3 23. Qxe3 Qd8 24. b4 {is not enough for Vachier-Lagrave and he chooses not to follow the footprints of Harikrishna,P (2729)-Aronian,L (2765) Kolkata 2018}) 16... Nd6 17. Rac1 a6 {After some thought, So takes care of the a4-e8 diagonal.} ({ The problems that might occur on it are illustrated by the line} 17... Rfe8 18. Nb5 $1 {With multiple threats. Black cannot trade the knight due to the skewer, therefore} c6 {is forced but leads to White's edge after} 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. dxc6 ({Or also} 20. Qxb7 cxd5 21. Bc5 Qf4 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Be3) 20... bxc6 21. Red1) 18. Na4 Ne4 {Most likely based on an oversight.} ({Black could have instead cleared the queenside with} 18... Rae8 $5 {and after} 19. Nc5 { defended a cramped position with} Qc8 {True, White's play is far more pleasant after say} 20. Red1 ({Or} 20. a4)) ({The other sufficient defense was the simple} 18... b6 $5 {but So likely did not want to weaken the queenside further.}) 19. f3 {Now what $2} Nd6 {A sad retreat, with Black just giving away two moves.} ({But} 19... b5 20. fxe4 bxa4 21. Qd3 Bg6 22. Bf4 {looks horrible for Black.}) 20. Nc5 {The knight made it to the optimal square.} Qc8 { Whereas the black queenside rook cannot escape its initial position.} 21. Bf4 Rd8 ({The problem of the black queenside rook becomes more obvious after} 21... Re8 22. Rxe8+ Qxe8 23. Nxb7 Nxb7 24. Qxb7 g5 ({Not} 24... Rb8 $2 25. Re1 $1) 25. Bd2 {and Black cannot make use of the weakening f2-f3.}) 22. Kh1 $1 { A tricky move, which prepares the next captures.} ({The immediate} 22. Bxd6 Rxd6 23. Nxb7 {was likely rejected by Vachier-Lagrave on the account of} Bd4+ 24. Kh1 Rb6 25. Qa4 Bf2 {But the machine still claims an edge for White thanks to} 26. Rxc7 $1 Bxe1 27. Rxc8+ Rxc8 28. g4 $1 {Go figure...}) 22... h6 { Luft is needed.} ({As} 22... Rb8 {is only an optical illusion due to the back rank weakness} 23. Bxd6 Rxd6 24. Nxb7 $1 Rxb7 25. Qxb7 $1) 23. Bxd6 Rxd6 24. Nxb7 $1 {That was the point $1 White wins a pawn.} Rb6 {Forcing matters, but this is favorable for Vachier-Lagrave.} ({If a move like} 24... Rd7 {is Black's best choice, then he is really in trouble $1}) 25. Qxb6 cxb6 26. Rxc8+ Bxc8 ({Not} 26... Rxc8 $2 27. Nd6) 27. Re8+ Kh7 28. Nd6 {The French GM goes for a winning line and does not look for anything else.} ({There was also a neat alternative} 28. Rf8 $1 Bxb7 29. Bd3+ g6 30. Rxf7+) 28... Bb7 29. Bd3+ g6 30. Be4 $1 {That's it $1 The black bishop is dominated and White quickly converts his extra pawn.} Bxb2 31. Rxa8 Bxa8 32. Nc4 Bf6 ({Or} 32... f5 33. Nxb2 fxe4 34. fxe4) 33. Nxb6 Bb7 34. d6 Bd8 35. Nd7 $1 Bc8 36. Nc5 Be6 37. Bc6 Kg7 38. Nb7 Bf6 39. a4 {PLAY CHESS, NO WAR $1} 1-0