[Event "FIDE World Championship 2023"] [Site "Astana"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "15.1"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Europe-Echecs"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2023.04.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventCountry "KAZ"] [SourceTitle "europe-echecs.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c3 $5 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. Be3 Be7 6. g3 Nc6 (6... a5 7. c4 O-O 8. Bg2 Na6 9. Nc3 Ng4 10. Bd4 {0-1 Tabatabaei,M (2623)-Donchenko,A (2636) Rapid Swiss INT 2022}) (6... O-O 7. Bg2 a5 8. O-O Na6 9. c4 Nxc5 (9... dxc4 10. Na3 Nd5 11. Bd4 f6 12. e4 Ndb4 13. e5 Nd3 14. exf6 Bxf6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 {0-1 Rapport,R (2735)-Shankland,S (2731) Saint Louis Champions Showdown rapid 2019}) 10. Nc3 b6 (10... dxc4 11. Ne5 Bd7 12. Qd4 {1-0 Kramnik,V (2753)-Gelfand,B (2669) Levitov Chess 2022 INT blitz}) 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Nd4 Bb7 14. Rc1 Rc8 15. Nf5 Bf6 16. Bd4 Re8 17. Ne3 {½-½ Nogerbek,K (2474)-Dubov,D (2708) Titled Tue INT blitz 2023}) 7. Bg2 O-O 8. b4 Ng4 9. Bd4 Qc7 (9... e5 10. h3 $16) 10. O-O e5 11. h3 exd4 12. hxg4 dxc3 13. Nxc3 Nxb4 {Ding Liren joue pratiquement tout a tempo. Le Chinois doit sans doute être dans sa préparation ou, dans tous les cas, dans des positions qu'il connait.} 14. a3 Bf6 {0h24-0h20} 15. Rc1 Bxc3 16. Rxc3 Nc6 {[%csl Rd5,Rg4][%CAl Yc8g4,Yd1d5] Avec une première longue réflexion de Ding.} 17. Qxd5 $5 (17. g5 $1 Rd8 18. Qa4 $14) 17... Bxg4 18. Ng5 {0h16-0h20, mais Nepo marque à son tour une pause dans cette position. Les Blancs rêvent de jouer leur Fou, placer le Roi en g2 et mettre la Tour en h1.} h6 {0h16-0h16} 19. Ne4 Rae8 (19... Bxe2 20. Re1 Bg4 21. Nd6 $16) 20. e3 Re5 21. Qd2 Rd8 $6 {Avec un avantage pour les Blancs.} (21... Bh3 $1 {Un superbe coup défensif !} 22. Nd6 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 $11) 22. Nd6 $1 {Nepomniachtchi fait la grimace.} Rh5 23. Rb1 $2 {La position se retourne après cette faute.} (23. Qc2 $1 $16) (23. Rfc1 $5 $14) 23... Ne5 $1 {Ce sont les Noirs qui attaquent maintenant !} 24. e4 b6 $1 25. cxb6 axb6 26. Nb5 $1 {La meilleure défense.} ({La prise de la Dame perd sur} 26. Rxc7 $4 Nf3+ 27. Bxf3 (27. Kf1 Nxd2+ 28. Ke1 Nxb1 $19) 27... Bxf3 {[%CAl Yh5h1] et mat à suivre.}) 26... Rxd2 {Avec 6 minutes pour les Blancs et 9 minutes pour les Noirs.} 27. Nxc7 {[%csl Yf2][%CAl Yc7d5,Yd5e3,Ye3g4,Ye3f5,Ye5d3,Yd3f2,Yd2f2]} Bh3 (27... Nd3 $5) 28. Bxh3 Rxh3 $11 29. Kg2 {Avec 3 minutes et 24 secondes.} (29. Rxb6 $4 Rd1+ 30. Kg2 Rdh1 {[%csl Ge5,Rf3]} 31. g4 R1h2+ 32. Kg1 Rxc3 $19) 29... Rh5 {Avec 7 minutes et 22 secondes.} 30. Rb5 Rd1 31. Nd5 Rdh1 32. Ne7+ Kh7 33. Rxe5 $1 R1h2+ 34. Kg1 Rh1+ 35. Kg2 {Une belle partie où les deux joueurs ont des chances de prendre l'avantage.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Championship 2023"] [Site "Astana"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "15.2"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Europe-Echecs"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2023.04.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventCountry "KAZ"] [SourceTitle "eurpe-echecs.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 {Une anti-Marshall que nous avons déjà vue dans le match.} b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. h3 O-O 10. Be3 $5 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4 12. Bd2 $5 {Un nouveau coup.} (12. Nc3 Rb8 13. Bb1 c5 14. Nxa4 Nc6 15. Bc1 c4 16. Nc3 cxd3 17. cxd3 Nb4 18. d4 Qc7 19. Bg5 h6 20. Bh4 Rfe8 21. Bg3 Bf8 22. Qd2 Rb7 23. Rc1 Qb8 24. Qd1 Bc6 25. Ra5 Qd8 26. Ra1 Qb8 27. Ra5 Qd8 28. Ra1 {½-½ Safarli,E (2694)-Tomashevsky,E (2722) EU-Cup 32nd Novi Sad 2016 (4.4)}) 12... Nc6 13. Nc3 {Menace de récupérer son pion en a4. Ding Liren prend une longue respiration et Ian Nepomniachtchi va faire un tour.} Rb8 $5 {0h25-0h20.} (13... Nd4 14. Bc4 Qe8 {était la ligne informatique avec égalité.}) 14. Nxa4 {[%csl Yb2]} Nd4 {[%csl Ra4,Ya6,Gd7][%CAl Yd7a4] Daniil Dubov à propos du choix d'ouverture de Ding : « 1...e5 est juste une ouverture solide qu'il a appris à jouer, mais je n'ai pas l'impression qu'il se sente chez lui avec ce coup. »} 15. Bc4 {[%csl Ya6] Alors que Ding Liren cherche ses coups, Nepo joue avec une grande facilité.} c6 {0h22-0h16 et une première réflexion du Russe. Faut-il prendre en a6 ?} 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. Bf4 {Les Blancs ont une bonne position ; seul le Cavalier en a4 est mal placé.} Be6 $5 {0h18-0h14} (17... c5 $5 18. b3 Bc6 19. Nb2 $14) 18. Re1 a5 {Pour éviter d'avoir à calculer sans cesse la prise en a6.} 19. Qf3 Rb7 {Retire la Tour de la diagonale du Fou.} 20. e5 Nd5 $6 (20... Bd5 $1 {était le coup de la machine, avec une position proche de l'égalité.}) 21. exd6 $6 {Ce n'est pas le plus précis.} (21. Bg3 $1 $16) 21... Bxd6 22. Bxd6 Qxd6 23. Qe4 Nf4 {0h13-0h10} (23... Nb4 $5 $11) 24. Qe5 Qxe5 25. Rxe5 Bxc4 26. dxc4 {Avec égalité selon Sesse.net.} Rb4 $1 {La bonne idée !} 27. Rc5 d3 $1 {La suite. Ian n'a qu'un seul coup.} 28. cxd3 $1 Nxd3 {Tous les pions de l'aile-Dame vont disparaitre et la partie se diriger vers la nulle.} 29. Rxc6 Ne5 30. Rc7 Nxc4 31. Nc5 Nxb2 (31... Rxb2 $4 32. Nd7 $18) 32. Nd7 Re8 33. Rxa5 {Viswanathan Anand : « L'avantage était soigneusement caché. Nepo avait besoin de beaucoup plus de précision pour extraire quelque chose. »} Nd3 {Avec 6 minutes chacun.} 34. Rg5 {[%csl Re8,Gg5,Rg8][%CAl Yd7f6,Yf6e8,Yf6g8]} Rf4 {[%csl Rf2] Attaque et défend à la fois.} 35. f3 h6 36. Rd5 Nb4 37. Rd6 Rf5 $1 {[%CAl Yf5d7] Prépare le retour de son Cavalier ou l'échange des Tours.} 38. Rb7 Rd5 39. Rdb6 Rd8 40. Nf6+ gxf6 41. Rxb4 Rd4 42. Rxd4 Rxd4 43. Kh2 Kg7 44. Rb2 Rd5 45. Ra2 Rd4 46. Rb2 Rd5 47. Ra2 Rd4 {Une belle défense de la part de Ding Liren.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Championship 2023"] [Site "Astana"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "15.3"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A14"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Europe-Echecs"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2023.04.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventCountry "KAZ"] [SourceTitle "europe-echecs.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. b3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bb2 Nc6 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Bf6 12. Qd2 Nf4 {Tout est connu et a été joué plusieurs fois.} 13. gxf4 Qxd2 14. Nxd2 Bxb2 15. Rad1 Bf6 $5 (15... Rb8 {est généralement préféré.} 16. Nc4 Bf6 17. Nd6 b6 18. Be4 Rd8 19. Nxc8 Rbxc8 20. Rxd8+ Bxd8 21. Rd1 Bf6 22. Rd7 a5 23. e3 g6 24. Rb7 Bd8 25. Bd3 Kf8 26. Bc4 a4 27. Kg2 axb3 28. axb3 {½-½ Nakamura,H (2768)-So,W (2766) Airthings Masters INT rapid 2023}) 16. Nc4 {Selon Kevin Bordi et Fabien Libiszewski, Ding Liren est très fort dans ce type de positions.} Rb8 17. Ne5 {Bien que les machines affichent 0.00, il ne faut pas négliger la force du Fou en g2, alors que le Fou en c8 ne joue pas pour l'instant.} Rd8 {Nigel Short : « Un peu désagréable. Je n'aimerais pas avoir cette position face à Ulf Andersson. »} 18. Rxd8+ Bxd8 19. Rd1 Be7 20. Nd7 {Après ce coup, Ding Liren a quitté la table. Apparemment il a confiance en sa position.} Bxd7 21. Rxd7 Kf8 22. Bxb7 {Les Blancs ont gagné un pion, même si avec les Fous de couleur opposée, en cas d'échange des Tours, il ne servirait à rien.} Rd8 {Nigel Short : « Je ne l'aimerais pas non plus face à Anatoly Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik, Magnus Carlsen ou Ding Liren. »} 23. Rc7 a5 {Tant que les Tours restent sur l'échiquier les Blancs conservent de petites chances de gain.} 24. Rc4 {Après 6 minutes et 42 secondes.} Bb4 {En 14 secondes. 0h12-0h15} 25. Rc2 Rd2 26. Rxd2 Bxd2 27. e3 Bb4 28. Kf1 Ke7 29. Ke2 Kd6 30. Kd3 {La nulle se profile.} Be1 31. Ke2 Bb4 32. Kd3 Be1 33. Ke2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Championship 2023"] [Site "Astana"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "15.4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Europe-Echecs"] [PlyCount "136"] [EventDate "2023.04.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventCountry "KAZ"] [SourceTitle "europe-echecs.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Quatrième et dernière partie rapide en 25 minutes + 10 secondes par coup. — Viswanathan Anand : « Ce serait un excellent moment pour Ding pour naviguer avec succès dans l'ouverture. Il a travaillé assez dur avec les Noirs. »} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. h3 O-O 10. Be3 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4 12. Nc3 $5 Rb8 13. Bb1 $5 {Un peu étrange, mais déjà joué.} Qe8 $5 {Surpris par le coup précédent du Russe, le Chinois innove avec la première ligne de l'ordinateur.} (13... c5 14. Nxa4 Nc6 (14... Qc7 15. Nd2 (15. Bd2 Nc6 16. Ba2 Nd4 17. Nxd4 cxd4 18. Bc4 Nxe4 19. Ba5 Qxa5 20. dxe4 Qc7 {½-½ Sutovsky,E (2673)-Wagner,D (2487) EU-ch 14th Legnica 2013}) 15... d5 16. Bg5 d4 17. c3 Bb5 18. Qf3 h6 19. Bh4 Rfc8 20. Rc1 Qd8 21. Bg3 {1-0 Guseinov,G (2634)-Matlakov,M (2689) FIDE World Cup Baku 2015}) 15. Bc1 c4 16. Nc3 cxd3 17. cxd3 Nb4 18. d4 Qc7 19. Bg5 h6 20. Bh4 Rfe8 21. Bg3 Bf8 22. Qd2 Rb7 23. Rc1 Qb8 24. Qd1 Bc6 25. Ra5 Qd8 26. Ra1 Qb8 27. Ra5 Qd8 28. Ra1 {½-½ Safarli,E (2694)-Tomashevsky,E (2722) EU-Cup Novi Sad 2016}) 14. b3 c5 15. Nxa4 Nc6 16. Nc3 $6 (16. c3 $5) 16... a5 $5 (16... Qc8 $1 {et la machine préférait les Noirs.}) 17. Nd2 {Les pièces blanches semblent se marcher dessus, mais ce ne devrait être que temporaire.} Be6 {Avec un -0.50.} 18. Nc4 d5 $6 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2 $2 {A tempo, mais faux ! La pression devient sans doute trop forte à supporter.} (20. Nxd5 $1 Bxd5 21. c3 {avec égalité.}) 20... Nxc3 $6 (20... Nf4 $1 {et -1.22 !} 21. Bxf4 exf4) 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. bxc4 {Quelle tristesse pour le Fou en b1.} Bd8 23. Bd2 {Les Noirs sont bien.} Bc7 24. c3 {Nepo tente de ressusciter son Fou en b1.} f5 {Nous serions étonnés que cette partie s'achève par la nulle.} 25. Re1 $5 Rd8 {Plutôt que la Dame, les Noirs envisagent peut-être de passer leur Tour sur l'aile-Roi.} 26. Ra2 {Daniil Dubov : « La bonne nouvelle pour Ding, c'est que la plupart des choses qu'il aurait pu faire de mal, il les a déjà faites. En pratique, ici vous prenez les Noirs. Vos coup sont simples. »} Qg6 27. Qe2 Qd6 {[%csl Gc7,Gd6][%CAl Yd6h2] 0h15-0h13} 28. g3 Rde8 29. Qf3 $1 {Menace d'échanger les Dames en d5.} e4 $5 {Logique même si les machines doutent de cette idée.} 30. dxe4 {Le Fou en b1 revient à la vie !} Ne5 31. Qg2 {Sesse.net donne un avantage de +0.30 à Nepo.} Nd3 {Est-ce que Nepo va accepter de se séparer du Fou qui retrouvait une belle diagonale ?} (31... Kh8 $1 32. f4 Nxc4 33. e5 Qb6 {était la ligne informatique avec un très léger avantage blanc.}) 32. Bxd3 $1 Qxd3 33. exf5 Rxe1+ 34. Bxe1 Qxc4 35. Ra1 Rxf5 {Et l'équilibre matériel est rétabli. 0h12-0h06} 36. Bd2 h6 37. Qc6 {Le calme est revenu, mais la position conserve du venin ; les Noirs possèdent un pion en a5 qui compte.} Rf7 {Avec 10 minutes contre 3 minutes et 43 secondes.} 38. Re1 Kh7 39. Be3 Be5 {6 minutes et 30 secondes vs 3 minutes et 17 secondes.} 40. Qe8 Bxc3 41. Rc1 Rf6 $1 {Ding Liren est sur le fil du rasoir. — Daniil Dubov : « C'est l'un des moments les plus brillants de Ding : jouer ...Fxc3 suivi du seul coup ...Tf6. »} 42. Qd7 Qe2 $1 {Seul coup de défense qui menace de plus 43...Fe1! qui gagne.} 43. Qd5 $1 Bb4 {Avec 1 minute et 33 secondes.} 44. Qe4+ Kg8 45. Qd5+ {Avec un pion de moins, Nepo n'a peut-être pas d'autres choix que de répéter la position.} Kh7 46. Qe4+ Rg6 $5 {Quelle prise de risque de la part de Ding !} 47. Qf5 $6 c4 $1 {Ding Liren tente sa chance, certainement pour éviter les blitz.} 48. h4 $2 {La faute !} Qd3 $1 {Avec -3.30 ! Ding Liren est sur le point d'être champion du monde !} 49. Qf3 Rf6 50. Qg4 c3 51. Rd1 Qg6 {Sesse.net accorde -4.81 !} 52. Qc8 Rc6 53. Qa8 Rd6 $2 {Ding Liren rate le K.O. !} (53... c2 $1 54. Rc1 Rd6 $19) 54. Rxd6 Qxd6 55. Qe4+ Qg6 56. Qc4 Qb1+ 57. Kh2 a4 58. Bd4 a3 59. Qc7 $2 (59. Bxg7 $1 Kxg7 60. Qc7+ $11) 59... Qg6 $19 60. Qc4 c2 61. Be3 Bd6 62. Kg2 h5 $1 63. Kf1 Be5 $19 64. g4 hxg4 65. h5 Qf5 66. Qd5 g3 67. f4 a2 $1 68. Qxa2 Bxf4 {Ne l'appelez plus Ding, mais « King Liren » ! Le Chinois Ding Liren remporte le match de départage du championnat du monde d'échecs 2023 face au Russe Ian Nepomniachtchi au terme de quatre parties rapides, sur le score de 2,5 à 1,5.} 0-1 [Event "WCh Rapid TB 2023"] [Site "Astana KAZ"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "136"] [EventDate "2023.04.30"] [EventType "rapid"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. h3 ({Relevant:} 9. c3 O-O 10. Nbd2 Na5 11. Bc2 c5 12. Re1 Qc7 13. Nf1 Rfb8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. axb5 axb5 17. Ne3 Be6 18. b4 cxb4 19. cxb4 Nc6 20. Rxa8 Rxa8 21. Bb3 Ra3 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Qc2 Qd7 24. Rc1 Nxb4 25. Qb2 Ra4 26. Qd2 Bd8 27. h4 Bb6 28. Rb1 Bc5 29. d4 exd4 30. Nxd4 Ra2 31. Qc3 Qf7 32. Nf3 Nc6 33. Qb3 Ra5 34. Rc1 b4 35. Nc4 Ra6 36. Qd3 Ra2 37. Nxd6 Qf4 38. Qb1 Bxf2+ {Vachier Lagrave,M (2737)-Erigaisi,A (2701) Chess.com INT 2023 0-1}) 9... O-O 10. Be3 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4 12. Nc3 Rb8 13. Bb1 {[#]} Qe8 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] An interesting novelty.} ({Predecessor:} 13... c5 14. Nxa4 Nc6 15. Bc1 c4 16. Nc3 cxd3 17. cxd3 Nb4 18. d4 Qc7 19. Bg5 h6 20. Bh4 Rfe8 21. Bg3 Bf8 22. Qd2 Rb7 23. Rc1 Qb8 24. Qd1 Bc6 25. Ra5 Qd8 26. Ra1 Qb8 27. Ra5 Qd8 28. Ra1 {½-½ (28) Safarli,E (2694)-Tomashevsky,E (2722) Novi Sad 2016}) 14. b3 c5 15. Nxa4 Nc6 16. Nc3 (16. c3) 16... a5 17. Nd2 Be6 18. Nc4 d5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2 (20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. c3) 20... Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. bxc4 Bd8 23. Bd2 Bc7 24. c3 f5 25. Re1 Rd8 26. Ra2 Qg6 27. Qe2 Qd6 28. g3 Rde8 29. Qf3 e4 $6 (29... Ne7) 30. dxe4 Ne5 31. Qg2 Nd3 32. Bxd3 Qxd3 33. exf5 Rxe1+ 34. Bxe1 Qxc4 35. Ra1 (35. Rd2 {is the better move.}) 35... Rxf5 {Black is about equal.} 36. Bd2 h6 37. Qc6 Rf7 38. Re1 Kh7 39. Be3 Be5 40. Qe8 Bxc3 $1 41. Rc1 Rf6 $1 {Black is now completely equal.} 42. Qd7 Qe2 43. Qd5 Bb4 44. Qe4+ Kg8 45. Qd5+ Kh7 46. Qe4+ Rg6 $3 {For boldness. The game is still equal and this involves some risk.} 47. Qf5 (47. h4 h5 48. Rc2 $11) 47... c4 $1 {Now Qd3 will free the rook.} 48. h4 $2 (48. Qf4 {Seems the best move.}) 48... Qd3 49. Qf3 Rf6 $6 {Black is still better but this isn't the most precise.} (49... Bd2 $1 {is very strong.}) 50. Qg4 c3 51. Rd1 Qg6 52. Qc8 Rc6 53. Qa8 Rd6 $6 {It's hard to criticise this but it loses a lot of black's advantage.} (53... c2 {Just Queening the pawn does work.} 54. Rd8 c1=Q+ 55. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 56. Kg2 (56. Kh2)) 54. Rxd6 Qxd6 55. Qe4+ Qg6 56. Qc4 Qb1+ {It's not at all easy for black to make progress now.} (56... Qf5) 57. Kh2 a4 (57... Qf5) 58. Bd4 a3 $6 $11 {Of course Nepomniachtchi is still under pressure but he can now hold with best play.} (58... Qb3) 59. Qc7 $2 {This is the final mistake after which there is no coming back.} (59. h5 $1 Bf8 60. Qf7 Qe4 61. Bxc3 Qe7) (59. Bxg7 {This also holds with best play. Nepomniachtchi might have played this if he was certain his own move lost.} Kxg7 60. Qd4+) 59... Qg6 60. Qc4 c2 61. Be3 Bd6 62. Kg2 h5 $1 {This move ends the techical problems.} 63. Kf1 Be5 64. g4 hxg4 65. h5 Qf5 66. Qd5 g3 67. f4 a2 68. Qxa2 Bxf4 0-1 [Event "FIDE World Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "18"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Rafael"] [PlyCount "136"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] {[%evp 0,63,22,15,15,15,15,22,22,7,9,16,3,8,9,9,23,10,8,0,0,0,-3,-3,-11,0,0,-2,4,11,33,40,33,0,41,32,32,17,16,15,15,5,17,17,44,3,20,7,7,1,7,7,52,26,28,15,31,23,43,37,60,60,44,44,57,42]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. h3 O-O 10. Be3 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4 12. Nc3 {Deviating from 12.Bd2, played in the second rapid game.} Rb8 13. Bb1 $5 {[%c_effect b1;square;b1;type;Interesting;persistent;true] A weird move, with the simple idea of attacking the a4-pawn. This has been played before by strong GMs.} Qe8 {A new move.} (13... c5 {was played in all the three games I found.}) (13... Rxb2 14. Nxa4 Rb8 15. Nc5 $1 {[%c_effect c5;square;c5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Nc6 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Rxa6 {White has the bishop pair and some chances of an advantage.}) 14. b3 $1 {[%c_effect b3;square;b3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} c5 15. Nxa4 Nc6 16. Nc3 $6 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (16. c3 $1 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is better, giving some life to the bishop.} Be6 17. Bc2) 16... a5 17. Nd2 Be6 18. Nc4 d5 $6 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (18... Qd7 $1 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is stronger, since White cannot capture the pawn.} 19. Nxa5 $2 {[%c_effect a5;square;a5;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} Ra8 {loses the exchange.}) 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2 $2 {[%c_effect d2;square;d2;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (20. Nxd5 {White should exploit the chance to exchange knights and again play c2-c3 to free the bishop.} Bxd5 21. c3) 20... Nxc3 $6 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (20... Nf4 $1 {[%c_effect f4;square;f4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is better. Black has strong threats on the kingside, and the b1-bishop is just a passive spectator.}) 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. bxc4 Bd8 23. Bd2 Bc7 24. c3 f5 {The position is more pleasant for Black, especially in a rapid game.} 25. Re1 Rd8 26. Ra2 Qg6 (26... e4 $5 {[%c_effect e4;square;e4;type;Interesting;persistent;true] The computer is not impressed by this move, but it looks interesting to my human eyes.} 27. dxe4 f4 28. e5 Nxe5 {With the initiative.}) 27. Qe2 Qd6 28. g3 Rde8 29. Qf3 $1 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Nepomniachtchi manages to hold everything.} e4 $6 {[%c_effect e4;square;e4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] A bold decision, although I think the move should have been played before.} (29... Ne7 {is the machine's suggestion, avoiding Qd5.}) 30. dxe4 Ne5 31. Qg2 $1 {[%c_effect g2;square;g2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Nd3 32. Bxd3 Qxd3 33. exf5 Rxe1+ 34. Bxe1 Qxc4 35. Ra1 $6 {[%c_effect a1;square;a1;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (35. Rd2 $1 {[%c_effect d2;square;d2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is more accurate. In this case, White can fight for the advantage, since capturing on f5 is dangerous for Black after} Rxf5 36. Qc6 $1 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 35... Rxf5 36. Bd2 h6 37. Qc6 Rf7 38. Re1 {The a-pawn is always dangerous, but it's well controlled, and the game is equal.} Kh7 39. Be3 Be5 (39... Qxc3 {leads to an immediate draw after} 40. Qe4+ Kg8 41. Rc1 Qe5 42. Qxe5 Bxe5 43. Rxc5 Bc7) 40. Qe8 (40. Qxc5 Qxc5 41. Bxc5 Bxc3 {This also leads to a draw.}) 40... Bxc3 {A mark of Ding's play is that he is never afraid of calculating variations. I suppose most players would not bother capturing this pawn.} 41. Rc1 Rf6 $1 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The only move to justify the capture on c3. White cannot exploit the pin due to tactical reasons.} 42. Qd7 $5 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;Interesting;persistent;true] An interesting practical try.} (42. Bd2 {ends in perpetual check after} Qd4 43. Bxc3 Qxf2+ 44. Kh1 Qf3+ 45. Kh2) 42... Qe2 $1 {[%c_effect e2;square;e2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The only move.} 43. Qd5 (43. Rxc3 $2 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} Qe1+) 43... Bb4 44. Qe4+ Kg8 45. Qd5+ Kh7 46. Qe4+ Rg6 $1 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This may be the decision that gave Ding the title. Nobody expected him to play for a win in this position, and this probably also took Nepomniachtchi by surprise.} 47. Qf5 $6 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] White is in danger now, as this allows Black to advance the c-pawn.} (47. h4 {is a good move.} h5 (47... a4 48. Qf5 Qg4 49. Qc2 a3 50. Rd1 {with good counterplay.}) 48. Rc2 Qg4 (48... Qd1+ 49. Kh2) 49. Qd3 {White has enough compensation for the pawn.}) (47. Rc2 Qd1+ 48. Kh2 Qd6 49. h4 {is also enough for a draw.}) 47... c4 $1 {[%c_effect c4;square;c4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 48. h4 $2 {[%c_effect h4;square;h4;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (48. Qf4 {The computer points out this is the only move, but it's totally not human, and I don't even understand it.}) 48... Qd3 $1 {[%c_effect d3;square;d3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 49. Qf3 Rf6 50. Qg4 c3 51. Rd1 Qg6 52. Qc8 Rc6 53. Qa8 Rd6 $2 {[%c_effect d6;square;d6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (53... c2 {wins on the spot:} 54. Rd8 c1=Q+ 55. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 56. Kh2 Qc6 $1 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 57. Rh8+ Kg6) 54. Rxd6 Qxd6 55. Qe4+ Qg6 56. Qc4 Qb1+ 57. Kh2 a4 $2 {[%c_effect a4;square;a4;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 58. Bd4 $1 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} a3 59. Qc7 $2 {[%c_effect c7;square;c7;type;Mistake;persistent;true] The final part of the game is full of drama, and this is the last mistake.} (59. Bxg7 {I couldn't believe my eyes when the computer suggested this move.} Kxg7 60. Qc7+ Kf6 61. Qc6+ {It's unbelievable, but White has perpetual check.} Ke5 62. Qe8+ Kd5 63. Qa8+ Kc4 64. Qg8+ Kb5 65. Qe8+) (59. h5 {Maybe the most human, taking the g6-square from the queen.} Bf8 (59... a2 $2 {[%c_effect a2;square;a2;type;Mistake;persistent;true] even loses after} 60. Qf7) 60. Qf7 Qd3 61. Be5 Qe4 62. Bxc3 Qe7 63. Qd5 {with a draw.}) 59... Qg6 {Now the game is over. The pawns are unstoppable.} 60. Qc4 c2 61. Be3 Bd6 62. Kg2 h5 $1 {[%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 63. Kf1 Be5 64. g4 hxg4 65. h5 Qf5 66. Qd5 g3 67. f4 a2 68. Qxa2 Bxf4 {0-} 0-1 [Event "FIDE World Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "15"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Rafael"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] {[%evp 0,69,23,19,16,22,27,-5,23,6,6,0,18,8,8,12,8,16,19,8,11,10,10,10,10,10,10,9,7,7,7,11,11,11,8,-28,-24,-29,22,13,32,43,22,43,43,43,55,33,-32,-32,-32,-35,-35,-14,-35,-29,0,14,14,0,0,0,0,-6,-7,-7,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c3 {Another interesting try by Ding to escape from mainstream theory when playing with White.} c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. Be3 (5. b4 a5 6. e3 axb4 7. cxb4 b6 {leads to the Noteboom Variation with reversed colors.}) 5... Be7 {Black has interesting alternatives that have been tried in grandmaster practice.} (5... a5) (5... Nc6) (5... Qc7) 6. g3 {When searching my database for games in this position, it becomes clear who is the mind behind this opening choice, as this has been played before by Richard Rapport.} Nc6 (6... O-O 7. Bg2 a5 8. O-O Na6 9. c4 dxc4 10. Na3 {led to a small advantage for White in Rapport-Shankland, St.Louis (rapid) 2019.}) 7. Bg2 O-O (7... Ng4 8. Bd4 e5 9. h3 $1 {[%c_effect h3;square;h3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This is the idea, a pattern that is also very common in some lines of the Grunfeld Defense. As I like to say to my students, a chess player should study games from all openings, as the ideas can be repeated even in very different situations.}) 8. b4 Ng4 9. Bd4 Qc7 (9... e5 $6 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} 10. h3 $1 {[%c_effect h3;square;h3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} exd4 11. hxg4 dxc3 12. b5 {with the initiative for White.}) (9... b6 {was played in an email game and is probably the best move.}) 10. O-O e5 11. h3 exd4 $6 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (11... Nf6 {is better, leading to a double-edged position after} 12. Be3) 12. hxg4 dxc3 13. Nxc3 $1 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} (13. b5 $6 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} Bf6 $1 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 14. bxc6 c2 15. Qxc2 Bxa1 {White has some compensation for the exchange, but the move played in the game is much better.}) 13... Nxb4 14. a3 Bf6 $1 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 15. Rc1 Bxc3 16. Rxc3 Nc6 17. Qxd5 Bxg4 18. Ng5 $1 {[%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] A very strong move, attacking the kingside and also preparing to bring the knight to d6.} h6 (18... Bxe2 $4 {[%c_effect e2;square;e2;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} 19. Qe4 {loses a piece.}) 19. Ne4 (19. Qe4 hxg5 20. Qxg4 {leads to a slightly better position for White.}) 19... Rae8 (19... Bxe2 20. Re1 Bg4 21. Nd6 {This looks very unpleasant for Black.}) 20. e3 Re5 21. Qd2 Rd8 $6 {[%c_effect d8;square;d8;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (21... Bh3 $1 {[%c_effect h3;square;h3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This difficult move is the best.} 22. Bxh3 (22. Nd6 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Ne7 {is OK for Black.}) 22... Rxe4 {with only a tiny advantage for White.}) 22. Nd6 Rh5 23. Rb1 $2 {[%c_effect b1;square;b1;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (23. Qc2 $1 {[%c_effect c2;square;c2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This move removes the queen from the pin and prepares to centralize it on e4. White is clearly better.}) 23... Ne5 24. e4 b6 $3 {[%c_effect b6;square;b6;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] Ding most certainly missed this brilliant move.} 25. cxb6 (25. f4 Nf3+ $1 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 26. Bxf3 Rxc5 (26... Bxf3 27. cxb6 $1 {[%c_effect b6;square;b6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Qxd6 28. Qxd6 Rxd6 29. Rxf3 Rxb6 {with a draw.}) 27. Rxc5 Qxc5+ 28. Qf2 Qxf2+ 29. Kxf2 Bxf3 30. e5 {with a slightly better endgame for Black.}) 25... axb6 $1 {[%c_effect b6;square;b6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This is the point.} (25... Qxd6 26. Qxd6 Rxd6 27. bxa7 $18) 26. Nb5 $1 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} (26. Rxc7 {The queen cannot be captured.} Nf3+ 27. Bxf3 Bxf3 {With mate.}) 26... Rxd2 (26... Qe7 {is an interesting option, preserving the queens.}) 27. Nxc7 Bh3 (27... Nd3 {is the last chance to pose some problems.}) 28. Bxh3 Rxh3 29. Kg2 Rh5 30. Rb5 $1 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Rd1 31. Nd5 Rdh1 32. Ne7+ Kh7 33. Rxe5 R1h2+ 34. Kg1 Rh1+ 35. Kg2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "16"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2788"] [Annotator "Rafael"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] {[%evp 0,94,22,22,22,7,15,17,34,8,7,16,16,12,15,11,8,9,11,7,0,0,-3,-3,-3,-18,0,0,25,31,31,31,54,56,56,56,72,49,43,24,34,27,79,43,28,50,50,23,50,39,47,60,60,60,60,35,32,34,34,24,29,35,40,40,26,5,5,2,2,0,33,29,28,30,29,19,18,0,0,0,36,42,40,40,53,54,51,25,51,25,37,32,46,25,32,32,40]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 {Nepomniachtchi had played 8.c3 and 8.a3 before in the match. For the rapid games, he was armed with the main move, 6.a4.} Bd7 9. h3 {A very rare option.} O-O 10. Be3 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4 12. Bd2 (12. Nc3 {was played in the decisive game of the match.}) 12... Nc6 {Already a new move.} (12... c5 13. Bxa5 Qxa5 14. Nc3 Qb6 {was played in the correspondence game Silin-Biedermann, email 2013.}) 13. Nc3 Rb8 (13... Nd4 {is more natural, although White fights for the advantage with} 14. Bc4) 14. Nxa4 Nd4 15. Bc4 {Nepomniachtchi's opening experiment is a success: White has the more comfortable game.} c6 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. Bf4 $1 {[%c_effect f4;square;f4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Be6 18. Re1 a5 19. Qf3 {White has many promising continuations.} (19. Bg3 {is a good prophylactic move.}) (19. e5 Nd5 20. Bg3 {leads to an advantage similar to the game.}) 19... Rb7 20. e5 Nd5 (20... Bd5 $1 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The computer indicates this move as the best.}) 21. exd6 (21. Bg3 $1 {[%c_effect g3;square;g3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is more accurate, not allowing too many exchanges.}) 21... Bxd6 22. Bxd6 Qxd6 23. Qe4 Nf4 (23... Nb4 {is enough for equality.} 24. Bxe6 Re7 $1 {[%c_effect e7;square;e7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 24. Qe5 (24. b3 $5 {[%c_effect b3;square;b3;type;Interesting;persistent;true] is the last chance to try for some advantage.} Bxc4 25. bxc4 Ne6 26. Qe5) 24... Qxe5 25. Rxe5 Bxc4 26. dxc4 Rb4 27. Rc5 (27. g3 Ne6 28. b3 d3 29. cxd3 Rxb3 30. Nc5 Nxc5 31. Rxc5 Rxd3 32. Rxc6 {White wins the a-pawn, but Black should have no problems holding this endgame.}) 27... d3 28. cxd3 Nxd3 29. Rxc6 Ne5 30. Rc7 Nxc4 {Now a draw is inevitable.} 31. Nc5 Nxb2 32. Nd7 Re8 33. Rxa5 Nd3 34. Rg5 Rf4 35. f3 h6 36. Rd5 Nb4 37. Rd6 Rf5 38. Rb7 Rd5 39. Rdb6 Rd8 40. Nf6+ gxf6 41. Rxb4 Rd4 42. Rxd4 Rxd4 43. Kh2 Kg7 44. Rb2 Rd5 45. Ra2 Rd4 46. Rb2 Rd5 47. Ra2 Rd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.04.30"] [Round "17"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A14"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Rafael"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] {[%evp 0,65,22,16,23,-10,-7,-7,9,6,6,9,9,-13,-7,3,3,3,25,25,19,22,32,38,38,44,53,56,48,44,49,24,54,19,23,18,42,38,40,45,48,48,43,44,43,45,45,41,44,41,44,40,39,42,42,42,42,41,36,33,36,33,39,33,32,34,41,33]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. b3 c5 (6... d4 {is a more aggressive option.}) 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bb2 Nc6 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Bf6 12. Qd2 Nf4 {The opening strategies for both sides during the match were pretty clear. Ding was the one trying to run away from mainstream theory and searching for some offbeat variations even if there's no advantage, as long as there's something to play for. Nepomniachtchi, on the other hand, is not against an opening battle in the main lines and is ready to go with forcing, computer variations.} 13. gxf4 Qxd2 14. Nxd2 Bxb2 15. Rad1 Bf6 (15... Rb8 16. Nc4 Bf6 {transposes to the game.}) 16. Nc4 {White has some slight pressure, but if Black knows what to do, a draw is very likely.} Rb8 17. Ne5 Rd8 18. Rxd8+ (18. e3 Kf8 19. Rxd8+ Bxd8 20. Rd1 Bf6 21. Rc1 Bxe5 $2 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (21... Ke8 $1 {[%c_effect e8;square;e8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is better.}) 22. fxe5 {White had the advantage in Artemiev-Duda, Pepe Cuenca Invitational 2020.}) 18... Bxd8 19. Rd1 Be7 20. Nd7 Bxd7 21. Rxd7 Kf8 22. Bxb7 Rd8 23. Rc7 a5 {White is a pawn up, but due to the presence of opposite-colored bishops, there are no realistic winning chances. The game soon ends in a draw.} 24. Rc4 Bb4 25. Rc2 Rd2 26. Rxd2 Bxd2 27. e3 Bb4 28. Kf1 Ke7 29. Ke2 Kd6 30. Kd3 Be1 31. Ke2 Bb4 32. Kd3 Be1 33. Ke2 1/2-1/2