[Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "13.1"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Ju, Wenjun"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C55"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2549"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,60,23,22,15,1,21,21,16,15,19,30,31,31,27,3,5,-31,3,6,0,11,29,0,3,7,9,1,7,9,-3,-39,-28,-37,-23,-19,-19,-19,0,6,32,18,20,9,4,7,7,4,-5,-5,0,-1,-3,-8,-5,-11,7,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Nc3 d6 7. a4 Be6 8. Nd5 Bxd5 9. exd5 Nb4 10. d4 Re8 $146 {A surprising novelty, given the immediacy of the possible captures in the center.} (10... Nbxd5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 c6 {had been usual. White may have a minimal edge thanks to the bishop pair, but in practice Black hasn't had any problems.}) 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 Bd6 13. Nf3 Nbxd5 14. g3 ({Obviously not} 14. Bxd5 Nxd5 15. Qxd5 $4 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qxd5 $19) 14... c6 {The problem with White's bishop pair is that the c1-bishop has nothing to do. Black has equalized.} 15. Kg2 Qc7 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 {The rest is amusing, though it lacks any chess interest.} 18. c3 a5 19. Qc2 Rad8 20. Rae1 Kf8 21. h4 g6 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Re1 Rxe1 24. Nxe1 Qe7 25. Qe2 Qxe2 26. Bxe2 Ne4 27. Nd3 Nc5 28. Nxc5 Bxc5 29. Bc4 h5 30. Kf3 Ke7 {Almost perfect symmetry. On to the important games.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "13.2"] [White "Maghsoodloo, Parham"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,82,23,23,23,9,14,13,13,6,28,-10,-18,-28,-6,-12,6,2,9,22,44,53,40,22,55,55,62,9,50,9,38,-28,-46,-244,-215,-215,-170,-188,-198,-210,-211,-212,-176,-194,-160,-194,-123,-125,-58,-240,-143,-235,-213,-207,-183,-183,-183,-174,-167,-257,-64,-60,-130,-119,-218,-243,-243,-301,-263,-41,-44,-195,-268,-338,-189,-565,-565,-558,-558,-558,-558,-927,-1382,-2499,-2499] Can Gukesh win on demand with Black against a fellow 2700?} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 b6 (7... Re8 {is the most popular move, both preparing an eventual ...e5 and clearing f8 for the bishop.}) 8. Bd2 Re8 ({And here} 8... Bb7 {is usual.}) 9. a3 Bf8 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Ne5 (12. Ne2 {is a good option, aimed against ...c5.}) 12... a6 $1 {Preparing ...c5.} ({The immediate} 12... c5 $6 {is met by} 13. Bb5 $14) (12... Bb7 13. f4 a6 14. g4 c5 15. g5 Ne4 16. dxc5 bxc5 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Bc4 Bd5 19. O-O-O Bxc4 20. Qxc4 Qd5 21. Ba5 Qxc4+ 22. Nxc4 Nf5 23. h4 g6 24. Rd7 Bg7 25. h5 Ng3 26. hxg6 hxg6 27. Rhd1 Nf5 28. R1d5 Rab8 29. Rxc5 Rb5 30. Rxb5 axb5 31. Nd6 Nxd6 32. Rxd6 Rc8+ 33. Kb1 Bf8 34. Rd5 Rb8 35. Bc7 Rc8 36. Ba5 Rb8 37. Bc3 Rc8 38. Ka2 Bc5 39. Bd4 {1-0 Wei,Y (2725)-Xu,Y (2516) CHN-chT Liaocheng 2021 (4.1)}) 13. g4 $5 g6 $146 (13... h6 14. O-O-O c5 15. Rhg1 c4 16. Be2 b5 17. h4 Rb8 18. Bf3 Be6 19. g5 hxg5 20. e4 g4 21. Bg5 dxe4 22. d5 Bf5 23. Bxg4 Nxg4 24. Nxg4 Bxg4 25. Rxg4 Qd7 26. Rgg1 Ng6 27. Nxe4 b4 28. axb4 Rxb4 29. h5 c3 30. Nxc3 Ne5 31. h6 Nf3 32. Rg3 Nxg5 33. Rxg5 g6 34. Rxg6+ fxg6 35. Qxg6+ Bg7 36. Rg1 Re7 37. d6 Rf7 38. Qh5 Qxd6 39. h7+ Kh8 40. Qxf7 Qh6+ 41. f4 Qxf4+ 42. Qxf4 Rxf4 43. Rh1 Rf6 44. Kc2 Rf4 45. Kb3 {½-½ Mirra,T (2292)-Burmeister,F (2315) USA BITNY-C email ICCF email 2022}) 14. f3 c5 $11 15. O-O-O {It's White's best (given that he has pushed his g- and f-pawns), but it also gives Gukesh what he wants: obvious attacking chances. Whatever happens, at least he's going to get a game - there won't be some boring, drawish middlegame that will leave Black without any real opportunity to play for a win.} Nd7 16. Nxf7 $2 {Wow! Somehow this move manages to look both scary and implausible all at once. Black's king is in danger after the sac, but it was already in danger even without it.} (16. h4 Bg7 17. h5 $1 Nxe5 18. dxe5 b5 $1 {and who knows what will happen in this mess.}) 16... Kxf7 $19 17. h4 b5 $6 (17... Bg7 {was better, clearing f8 for the knight.} 18. h5 Nf8 $19) 18. h5 $17 c4 19. Bf1 (19. Bxg6+ $6 hxg6 20. Nxd5 {is a cool idea that gives White at least equality against every move but} Kg8 $1 $19 (20... Nxd5 $2 21. Qxg6+ Ke7 22. h6 $1 $16)) (19. Be2 $17 {was preferable, staying out of the d1-rook's way.}) 19... Bg7 20. e4 Nf8 $17 {/-+} 21. hxg6+ (21. Bg5 Ne6 22. Be3 Kg8) 21... hxg6 22. Be3 Rb8 23. Qh2 Rb7 24. Be2 $2 (24. Bh6 $142 Bxh6+ 25. Qxh6 Qb6) 24... b4 $19 {Now Black gets his own play going. In conjunction with White's basic problem - being a piece down - the win is looking likely.} 25. axb4 Rxb4 26. Bh6 Bxh6+ (26... Qa5 {is even better, but Gukesh's move is good enough.}) 27. Qxh6 Qa5 28. Kc2 (28. Qf4+ Bf5 $1 {Best, but not forced.} 29. gxf5 Qa1+ 30. Kd2 Qxb2+ 31. Ke1 Qxc3+ 32. Kf2 gxf5 $19) 28... Qb6 $1 29. Qf4+ Ke6 $2 ({The beautiful} 29... Bf5 $1 {was the way to finish things off.} 30. gxf5 (30. Kd2 g5 $1 31. Qxg5 Ne6 32. Qh6 Bg6 33. Ke1 Rxb2 $19) 30... Rxb2+ 31. Kc1 Qb3 32. fxg6+ {gives White mate in one against everything but} Ke6 $1 $19 {Here White wishes the bishop were back on f1! But it's not, and White is helpless against Black's attack.}) 30. Rb1 $2 (30. exd5+ Kd7 31. b3 $1 Rxb3 32. Bxc4 $11 {and now White is all the way back to equality, with an ongoing mess.}) 30... Kd7 $1 31. exd5 Bb7 32. Qf7 Rb8 $1 {Threatening to take twice on b2, then play ...Bxd5+ and ...Bxf7.} 33. d6 $2 (33. b3 $1 {was best, though White is still probably lost after} cxb3+ 34. Kb2 Rc8 35. Rbe1 $1 {With the idea of Bb5+ and then taking on e7.} Qd6 $1 {The only move to keep a winning advantage.} 36. Bd3 Rxc3 $1 37. Kxc3 Ra4 38. Rxe7+ Qxe7 39. Qxe7+ Kxe7 $19) (33. f4 $2 Rxb2+ $1 34. Rxb2 Qxb2+ $1 35. Kxb2 Bxd5+ 36. Kc1 Bxf7 $19) 33... Qxd6 $19 34. d5 Ba8 $6 (34... g5 $1) 35. Rh8 $2 (35. Rhd1 $142) 35... Bxd5 36. Nxd5 Qxd5 37. Rxf8 Qe5 $1 {Forking b2 and e2.} 38. Kd1 Rxf8 (38... c3 $1) 39. Qxf8 c3 40. Ke1 (40. Qh6) 40... Rxb2 41. Rd1+ Ke6 {White is finally out of tricks, and will be mated. It wasn't a perfect game by Gukesh, but it was a good and gutsy performance that guaranteed him at least a tie for first.} 0-1 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "13.3"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2742"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,75,23,23,17,24,30,13,29,-11,-12,-16,-9,10,10,10,10,-21,10,21,23,30,30,35,38,13,42,0,0,0,-7,83,83,83,83,71,71,71,175,175,175,175,175,175,141,149,153,153,153,153,134,135,145,121,143,135,148,148,183,178,227,252,252,272,272,273,438,375,514,589,585,294,294,901,1570,1660,2145,2092] The players started the game tied for first, so a win by either player would guarantee him at least a tie for first.} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 {The Colle System. Really? This opening is suitable for those who find grass growing overly exciting.} e6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. Nbd2 Bd6 (6... b6 {is a good alternative. The argument for ...Bd6 is that it disallows Ne5; the argument against it is that the bishop comes under attack after an eventual e4 dxe4 Nxe4. As for Ne5 concerns:} 7. Ne5 Bb7 8. f4 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qf3 Ne8 {is at least equal for Black, who will play ...f5 and get his own counter-grip over e4.}) 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Qc7 $6 (8... e5 9. e4 cxd4 10. cxd4 h6 11. exd5 exd4 $11) 9. e4 $14 cxd4 10. cxd4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 b6 (11... Nxe4 $6 12. Rxe4 $16 {followed by Rh4 could get dangerous for Black.}) (11... Bb4 $1 12. Re2 Be7 $14) 12. Bg5 $1 Nxe4 $6 (12... Be7 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Rc1 $1 Qd7 15. dxe5 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Bxg5 17. Qh5 $1 g6 18. Qxg5 Bb7 19. Red1 Bd5 20. Rd2 $14) 13. Rxe4 $16 Bb7 14. Rc1 $1 Qb8 15. Rh4 {Black is in trouble. Incidentally, this isn't exactly cutting-edge theory.} f5 $146 {Black is still clearly worse after this move (which transposes to a couple of other games), but it's a lot better than the famous study composer Prokes played back in 1929.} (15... g6 $2 16. Bb5 (16. Qa4 $142 $18) 16... Qe8 $2 (16... f6 $8) 17. Ne5 Bc8 18. Rxc8 Qxc8 19. Bxd7 Qc7 20. Ng4 $1 h5 21. Nf6+ Kg7 22. Nxh5+ gxh5 23. Qxh5 Rh8 24. Bh6+ {1-0 Przepiorka,D-Prokes,L Budapest Szen Memorial 1929 (12)}) 16. Bc4 Qe8 $146 (16... Re8 $2 17. d5 $146 e5 18. Bb5 $18) 17. Qb3 Kh8 $2 (17... Bxf3 $8 18. Qxf3 (18. Bxe6+ $2 Kh8 19. gxf3 Qg6 20. f4 Nf6 $44) 18... Qg6 19. Bf4 Bxf4 20. Rxf4 $16 {/+-}) 18. Re1 $1 $18 {I guess it's time to take up the Colle.} Be4 19. Bxe6 Qg6 20. Bd2 Nf6 21. Ng5 f4 22. Rxh7+ $1 Nxh7 23. Nxe4 f3 24. g3 Be7 25. d5 {White's attack is over (for now) and Black's attack is non-existent (there's no way his queen will safely reach h3); what matters is White's beautiful centralization and the d-pawn.} Rad8 26. Qa4 a5 27. Qc6 Bb4 28. Bxb4 axb4 29. h4 {Prophylaxis against ...Ng5.} Ra8 30. Nd6 {Looking to play Qc7 and Nf7+.} Ra7 31. Qxb6 Rxa2 32. Qc7 Nf6 (32... Rxb2 33. Nf7+ Kg8 34. Ne5+ $19) 33. Nf7+ Kh7 34. Ne5 Qh6 (34... Ne8 35. Nxg6 Nxc7 36. Nxf8+ $18) (34... Qxg3+ 35. fxg3 f2+ 36. Kxf2 Nxd5+ 37. Kg1 Nxc7 38. Bxa2 $18) 35. Qc2+ g6 36. Nxg6 $1 Rfa8 (36... Qxg6 37. Bf5 $18) 37. Ne5+ Kg7 38. Qc7+ (38. Qc7+ Kh8 39. Nf7+ $18 {With the victory and his terrific 4.5/5 finish, Wei Yi guaranteed himself at least a tie for first. A question about his opening repertoire: is he getting his material from Tartakower's 1952 work *500 Master Games*? The Bishop's Opening and the Colle with White, the Stonewall Dutch with Black - what's going on here? And does his second send his analysis by telegraph or by carrier pigeon?}) 1-0 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "13.4"] [White "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Black "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2643"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,131,23,22,45,66,70,52,55,31,30,29,86,19,29,37,35,22,22,-12,-12,-15,46,54,54,16,56,33,138,19,19,32,41,41,91,37,37,39,13,10,37,-42,-8,-8,92,24,24,-5,-18,-51,-51,-91,-88,-64,21,-134,-115,-115,-83,-84,-105,-25,-27,-31,-14,-14,-15,0,0,0,0,-3,45,30,38,17,88,172,109,0,0,-10,104,120,132,126,126,146,135,139,153,158,163,168,222,224,244,212,197,201,215,210,224,256,256,299,223,297,345,379,379,379,383,428,448,448,456,459,459,459,467,469,506,569,586,589,1726,29982,29983,29984,29985,29986,29987,29988] Once again: if White wins, he guarantees himself at least a tie for first.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Qd3 {One of the trendy(ish) new anti-Najdorfs.} Nbd7 7. Be2 g6 8. Bg5 Bg7 9. f4 (9. O-O-O {has been usual.}) 9... Nc5 $6 $146 (9... b5 10. Nc6 Qc7 11. Nxe7 Bb7 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Ned5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. Qxd5 Bxb2 16. Qxa8+ Ke7 17. Qxa6 Bxa1 18. O-O Bd4+ 19. Kh1 Rb8 20. Bxb5 Qxc2 21. e5 dxe5 22. fxe5 Bxe5 23. Bd3 Qc8 24. Qa3+ Ke8 25. Qa4+ Kf8 26. Bc4 f6 27. Qa3+ Kg7 28. Qe7+ Kh6 29. Bb3 Rb7 30. Qa3 Rc7 31. Qb4 Kg7 32. Qd2 Qd7 33. Qe2 Qd4 34. g3 Qc5 35. Rd1 h5 36. Kg2 Qc6+ 37. Bd5 Qa4 38. Be4 Re7 39. Bf3 h4 40. Rc1 hxg3 41. hxg3 Qa3 42. Qd2 Qd6 43. Qf2 Qd4 44. Qe2 Bd6 45. Qf2 Qxf2+ 46. Kxf2 Ra7 47. Bd5 f5 48. Rc6 Be5 49. Re6 Bf6 50. Kf3 Re7 51. Rd6 Be5 52. Rc6 Bd4 53. Be6 Kf6 54. Bb3+ Kg5 55. Re6 Rxe6 56. Bxe6 {½-½ Firouzja,A (2763)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2731) CCT Final playoff Toronto rapid 2023 (5.2)}) (9... h6 10. Bh4 O-O 11. O-O-O Re8 (11... e5 12. fxe5 (12. Nb3 exf4 13. Qxd6 Qe8 14. Rhe1 Qe5 15. g3 (15. Bf2 Qxd6 16. Rxd6 Re8 17. Bf3 g5 18. Bd4 Ne5 19. Nc5 Bg4 20. Bxe5 Rxe5 21. Nd3 Re6 22. Rxe6 Bxe6 23. e5 Ng4 24. h3 Ne3 25. g3 Bc4 26. gxf4 gxf4 27. Nxf4 Bxe5 28. Nfd5 Nxd5 29. Nxd5 Bxd5 30. Bxd5 Re8 31. Rg1+ Kf8 32. Bxb7 Bxb2+ 33. Kxb2 Rb8 34. c4 Rxb7+ 35. Kc3 Ke7 36. Rd1 f5 37. c5 Rb5 38. Kc4 Rb2 39. a4 Rc2+ 40. Kd5 Kd7 41. Rg1 Rd2+ 42. Ke5 Kc6 43. Rg6+ Kxc5 44. Rxa6 Rd5+ 45. Kf4 Rd4+ 46. Kg3 h5 47. Ra5+ Kd6 48. Rxf5 h4+ {½-½ Vitiugov,N (2740)-Kamsky,G (2670) RUS-chT 25th Sochi 2018 (5.2)}) 15... Qxd6 16. Rxd6 Ne8 17. Rxd7 Bxd7 18. Be7 Bxc3 19. bxc3 fxg3 20. hxg3 Nc7 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. Nd4 Re8 23. Bc4 Re5 24. Rf1 Be8 25. Rf6 b5 26. Bd3 Rg5 27. c4 Rxg3 28. c5 Rg5 29. Rb6 Rxc5 30. Rb7 Ne6 31. Nb3 Rc7 32. Rb6 Rc6 33. Rb8 h5 34. e5 Nc5 35. Nxc5 Rxc5 36. e6 Rc6 37. exf7 Kxf7 38. Be4 Rd6 39. Kb2 Bd7 40. Kc3 h4 41. Rh8 h3 42. Bd3 Kg7 43. Rh4 g5 44. Rh7+ Kf6 45. Kd2 g4 46. Ke3 g3 47. Rh6+ Ke7 48. Rh7+ Kd8 49. Be4 g2 50. Rg7 Re6 51. Kd4 Rxe4+ {0-1 Maltsevskaya,A (2276)-Kokarev,D (2615) RUS-ch rapid GP final Khanty-Mansiysk 2017 (7)}) 12... dxe5 13. Nb3 b5 14. Nc5 Qa5 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Kb1 Nb6 17. Be1 b4 18. Qd6 Bb7 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Rfd8 21. Qxb4 Qxb4 22. Bxb4 a5 23. Ba3 Bxd5 24. Rhg1 h5 25. g3 Bf8 26. Bxf8 Kxf8 27. b3 Ke7 28. c4 Be4+ 29. Kb2 f5 30. Kc3 g5 31. a3 g4 32. Rxd8 Rxd8 33. c5 f4 34. gxf4 exf4 35. Re1 Kf6 36. Bxg4 hxg4 37. Rxe4 Kf5 38. Rd4 Rd7 39. Rxd7 {1-0 Sevian,S (2660)-Tran,T (2518) PNWCC Online Masters Chess.com INT rapid 2020 (3.4)}) (11... Qc7 12. g4 e5 13. Nf5 gxf5 14. gxf5 exf4 15. Rhg1 Kh7 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. f6 Bxf6 18. exd5+ Kh8 19. Qf5 Bxb2+ 20. Kxb2 Qb6+ 21. Ka1 {1-0 Adhiban,B (2603)-Sammed Jaykumar,S (2408) Asian Continental op 19th Delhi 2022 (5)}) 12. Bf3 e5 13. Nde2 exf4 14. Qxd6 g5 15. e5 Re6 16. Qd4 Ne8 17. Bf2 Rd6 18. Qa4 Nxe5 19. Bc5 Bd7 20. Qb4 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Nxf3 22. gxf3 Nf6 23. Be7 Qe8 24. Qd6 {1-0 Salerno,P-Savlu,B ICCF FM/2670 email ICCF email 2015}) 10. Qe3 $14 {/? This already looks dangerous for Black.} Ne6 11. Nxe6 $6 (11. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6 12. Nb3 $1 $16 {leaves Black's knight misplaced on e6. White will castle queenside, with ideas like e5, Nd5, and h4-h5.}) 11... Bxe6 12. O-O $11 {Castling queenside was dangerous for both sides. Abdusattorov decides to keep clam and play for the longer run.} Rc8 13. Rad1 Qa5 14. Kh1 Qc5 15. Qf3 Bg4 16. Qd3 h6 $5 17. Bh4 (17. Bxf6 Bxe2 18. Qxe2 Bxf6 19. Nd5 $1 Qxc2 (19... Bxb2 $2 20. f5 $1 $18) 20. Qf3 O-O 21. e5 dxe5 22. fxe5 Bg5 23. Nb6 $1 Rcd8 $1 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Qxf7+ Kh8 26. Nd7 $1 Rg8 $8 27. h3 Qe2 $1 $11 {is, shall we say, an implausible line.}) 17... Bxe2 18. Qxe2 Qh5 19. Qe1 $8 Ng4 $2 {Even strong GMs need to castle.} (19... O-O $11) 20. Rd5 $2 (20. e5 $1 dxe5 21. Nd5 $1 g5 22. Nxe7 $3 Rc4 (22... Kxe7 $2 23. Qb4+ Kf6 (23... Ke8 24. Qxb7 $18) 24. fxg5+ Kg6 25. Qe4+ f5 26. Qxf5#) 23. Nf5 O-O 24. fxg5 Nxh2 $1 25. Kxh2 hxg5 26. Rd7 gxh4 27. b3 Rg4 28. Qe2 Rg5 29. Qxh5 Rxh5 30. Kh3 $16 {/+-}) 20... g5 21. Bg3 e6 $6 (21... b5 $11) (21... O-O $11 {/?}) 22. Rxd6 $6 (22. Rd3 $1 $14) 22... gxf4 23. Rxf4 Be5 24. Rxg4 Bxd6 $11 25. h3 $6 (25. Qd1 $1 Bxg3 26. Rg8+ Rxg8 27. Qxh5 Bf4 $11) 25... Be5 $1 $15 26. Qf2 $6 Rf8 $17 {White is getting into trouble, as Black's king is well-shielded at the moment.} 27. Bf4 Bxc3 $2 {Yes, this messes up White's queenside pawns, but for the Black king's health it was more important to get rid of White's bishop; the knight, dominated by Black's pawns on e6 and a6, was harmless.} (27... Rc4 $1 $17 {/-+}) (27... Bxf4 28. Qxf4 Rd8 $1 $17) 28. bxc3 $11 Qc5 29. Be3 Qxc3 30. Bxh6 Qxc2 (30... Qa1+ 31. Kh2 Qe5+ 32. Bf4 Qc5 $11) 31. Qf6 Qd1+ 32. Kh2 Qd8 $8 33. Qb2 Qc7+ 34. Bf4 Qe7 35. Rg3 f6 $2 {Now Black has to worry about his second rank as well. If he wanted to play for ...e5, there was a better way.} (35... Rc6 $11) (35... Rc5 $11) 36. Bh6 $18 Rc5 (36... Rh8 37. Bg7 $18) (36... Rf7 $2 37. Rg8+ Kd7 38. Qd4+ Kc7 39. Qc4+ $18) 37. Qd4 (37. Qd2 $1) 37... e5 (37... Rh5 $142 {was the reason 37.Qd2 was better. Even so, White is winning - eventually - after} 38. Rg7 Rxh6 39. Qa4+ Kd8 40. Qa5+ Ke8 41. Rxe7+ Kxe7 42. Qc7+ Ke8 43. Qxb7 $18) 38. Qa4+ Kd8 39. Qb3 $2 (39. Bxf8 $142 Qxf8 40. Qa3 $18) 39... Rf7 $2 (39... Re8 $1 {is equal. Maybe White thought} 40. Rg7 {would win, but Black holds on after} (40. Qb6+ Qc7 $1 41. Qxf6+ Kc8 $11) 40... Qe6 $8 41. Qxb7 Re7 {, with a tolerable ending after} 42. Rxe7 Qxe7 43. Qxa6 Kd7 $11) 40. Bd2 $1 $18 Rg7 $4 (40... a5 $1) 41. Qb6+ Rc7 42. Bb4 Qf7 43. Rxg7 Qxg7 44. Bd6 {Now it's over.} Kc8 45. Bxc7 Qxc7 46. Qxf6 {Black's queenside majority is too slow, and there are no prospects of a perpetual check, either.} a5 47. Qf8+ Kd7 48. Qf7+ Kc6 49. Qxc7+ Kxc7 50. h4 Kd6 51. h5 Ke7 52. a4 $1 Kf6 53. g4 b5 54. axb5 a4 55. b6 a3 56. b7 a2 57. b8=Q a1=Q 58. Qd8+ Kg7 59. Qe7+ Kh6 60. Qf6+ Kh7 61. g5 Qb2+ 62. Kg3 Qb4 (62... Qb3+ 63. Kh4) (62... Qc3+ 63. Kg4) 63. g6+ Kh6 64. Qh8+ Kg5 65. Qxe5+ Kh6 66. Kg4 {in addition to his material problems, Black is getting mated. Abdusattorov joins the tie for first.} 1-0 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "13.5"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Warmerdam, Max"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2625"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,63,23,24,24,8,5,-18,-12,-12,1,11,12,6,7,-3,-10,0,11,-22,12,13,36,24,63,53,69,82,82,110,130,132,204,165,161,13,51,1,82,-20,-15,17,25,-120,25,22,22,22,22,68,91,50,74,96,200,183,147,137,272,217,218,258,268,305,408,413] For the fourth time in a row, we need to note that if one player wins - in this case Giri - he guarantees himself at least a tie for first.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. b3 {What do we call this - a Semi-Zukertort? It's a nice complement to Wei Yi's Colle.} e6 4. Bb2 Bd6 5. c4 O-O 6. Nc3 (6. d4 {would make it a proper Zuke.}) 6... c5 7. g4 $5 {Here we go. No messing around, Giri wants to blow his opponent away. This has been tried a few times before, but without much success.} Nc6 (7... d4 8. exd4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 e5 10. Nf5 Bxf5 11. gxf5 Nc6 12. Bg2 Nb4 13. Qe2 Nc2+ 14. Kd1 Nxa1 15. Bxa1 Qd7 16. Ne4 Qxf5 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Bxb7 Rad8 19. Kc2 Rfe8 20. Bc3 Bc5 21. f3 Bd4 22. Re1 g6 23. Qe4 Kg7 24. Bd5 Qb6 25. b4 f5 26. Qd3 Bxc3 27. dxc3 Qd6 28. a4 a5 29. Kb3 Rb8 30. b5 Qc5 31. h4 Rbd8 32. h5 Kf6 33. hxg6 hxg6 34. Qe3 Qxe3 35. Rxe3 Rd6 36. Re1 Rc8 37. Rh1 Kg7 38. Kc2 g5 39. Rd1 Kf6 40. Kd3 Rb6 41. Rh1 Kg7 42. Rg1 Kf6 43. Ke3 Rd6 44. Rb1 Rb6 45. Ke2 Kg6 46. Kf2 Kf6 47. Rh1 Kg7 48. Re1 {½-½ Anand,V (2776)-Hou,Y (2654) Grenke Chess Classic 5th Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden 2018 (1)}) (7... Nxg4 {is playable, though few players will have the stomach for it. It was played once, but in an email game, which is of course a different story thanks to the engines.} 8. Rg1 d4 9. Rxg4 e5 10. Rg2 dxc3 11. Bxc3 Nc6 12. Qc2 Nd4 13. exd4 exd4 14. Bb2 Re8+ 15. Kd1 Qf6 16. Ng5 h6 17. Qh7+ Kf8 18. Ne4 Qf3+ 19. Be2 Qxe4 20. Qxg7+ Ke7 21. d3 Qe6 22. Bg4 Qf6 23. Qxf6+ Kxf6 24. Bf3 Rb8 25. Kc2 Bh3 26. Rgg1 Re5 27. Rg3 Bd7 28. Be4 Ke7 29. Bc1 Rh5 30. Rg2 Bh3 31. Rg1 Kf6 32. Bd2 Bf5 33. Rg2 Bxe4 34. dxe4 Re8 35. Re1 Rh4 36. f4 Bxf4 37. Rf2 d3+ 38. Kc3 Ke5 39. Bxf4+ Rxf4 40. Rxf4 Kxf4 41. Kxd3 Rd8+ 42. Kc3 Rd7 43. b4 cxb4+ 44. Kxb4 Ke5 45. Kc3 {½-½ Polo,P (2047)-Holanda,D (2180) IECC CL2-2017.06 email IECC email}) 8. g5 Ne4 9. h4 Re8 $2 {White's surprise opening worked.} (9... Nxc3 10. dxc3 Ne5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. Qc2 f5 13. O-O-O Qa5 14. cxd5 Qxa2 15. d6 Rd8 16. Bc4 b5 17. Bxb5 Bb7 18. Rhe1 Rab8 19. d7 Be4 20. Bd3 Rxb3 21. Bxe4 fxe4 22. Re2 a5 23. Qxe4 Bxc3 24. Qxe6+ Kf8 25. Qf5+ Kg8 26. Qd5+ Kh8 27. Rdd2 Bxb2+ 28. Rxb2 Rc3+ 29. Kd2 Qxb2+ {0-1 Keymer,V (2738)-Iljiushenok,I (2547) Wch Blitz Samarkand 2023 (12)}) (9... a6 {is probably best.} 10. Bg2 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 dxc4 12. bxc4 e5 13. Nh2 Be6 14. Be4 f5 15. gxf6 Qxf6 16. f4 Nd4 17. Ng4 Qf7 18. O-O Qe7 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Qh5 g6 21. Qxe5 Ne2+ 22. Kg2 Nxc3 23. Qxc3 Bh3+ 24. Kxh3 Qxe4 25. Qe5 Qxc4 26. Rfc1 Qd3 27. Rxc5 Qxd2 28. Rc7 Rf7 29. Rac1 Qxa2 30. Rc8+ Rxc8 31. Rxc8+ Rf8 32. Rc7 Rf7 33. Rc8+ Rf8 34. Rc7 Rf7 35. Rc8+ {½-½ Mareco,S (2606)-Bluebaum,M (2668) FIDE Grand Swiss Douglas 2023 (4)}) 10. Qc2 $16 Nxc3 $6 (10... Nb4 $142 11. Qb1 Qe7) 11. dxc3 $1 $18 g6 (11... Ne5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. f4 Bd6 14. O-O-O $18) 12. h5 $2 $16 (12. O-O-O $142 $1 $18 Ne5 13. Nh2 $1 $18 {White will kick the knight with f4, then play Ng4.}) 12... Ne5 13. Nxe5 (13. Nh2 {isn't as good here thanks to} Qxg5 {- compare 12.0-0-0.}) 13... Bxe5 14. O-O-O Bg7 15. f4 (15. h6 $142 {Alpha Zero style. Most of us - even greats like Giri - would prefer to maintain the status quo until we're sure that either h6 or hxg6 will bring some concrete benefit.} Bh8 16. f4 $16) 15... e5 $1 16. hxg6 (16. Rxd5 $142 Qe7 17. h6 Bh8 18. Qf2 Be6 19. Rd2 $16) 16... hxg6 $14 17. Bd3 $2 (17. Bh3) 17... exf4 18. exf4 Qc7 (18... Bg4 $1 19. Rde1 (19. Rdg1 $2 dxc4 $1 20. Bxc4 (20. Bxg6 Re2 $1 $19) 20... Bf5 $19) 19... dxc4 20. Bxc4 Qc7 $15) 19. Rh4 (19. Qh2 Bg4 20. Rdg1 Bh5 21. f5 Qxh2 22. Rxh2 Re3 $1 23. Kd2 Rae8 24. cxd5 (24. f6 Bf8 25. cxd5 Bd6 $11) 24... Be5 $1 $11) 19... dxc4 $1 {Not just to avoid losing the pawn, but to keep the b2-bishop bottled up as long as possible.} 20. Bxg6 $1 fxg6 21. Qxg6 Kf8 (21... Qc6 22. Qh7+ Kf7 $8 (22... Kf8 $2 23. f5 $18) 23. Rh6 $1 (23. f5 $4 Rh8 $19) 23... Re6 $1 24. Rxe6 Qxe6 $1 (24... Bxe6 25. f5 Bxf5 26. Qxf5+ $16) 25. Rd8 $8 Ke7 26. Rd1 Kf7 $11) 22. f5 Qf7 23. Qd6+ Kg8 (23... Qe7 24. Qxe7+ Kxe7 25. Re1+ (25. f6+ Bxf6 26. gxf6+ Kxf6 27. Rxc4 Re2 $1 28. Rxc5 Bf5 $11) 25... Kf8 26. Rxe8+ Kxe8 27. f6 Be6 28. fxg7 Kf7 $11 {White has no real winning chances here, thanks mainly to the opposite-colored bishops.}) 24. f6 Qg6 {Black is still objectively okay after this, but his margin for error is rapidly shrinking.} (24... Bf5 $1 25. fxg7 Qe6 $1 26. Qxc5 Kxg7 $11) 25. Qf4 Qf5 $2 (25... Bf5 $1 26. Qxc4+ Re6 27. fxg7 Rae8 $1 $11) 26. Qg3 $1 Be6 $2 {One inaccuracy/mistake too many. Now White is winning.} (26... Re5 $1 27. fxg7 Qxg5+ 28. Qxg5 Rxg5 29. Rxc4 Kxg7 30. Rf4 Bf5 31. c4+ $16 {White has chances now that his bishop has finally come to life, but even here Black should save the game with good play.}) 27. fxg7 $18 Bf7 {Now White has only one move to win. Given a moment, Black will play ...Bg6 or ...Re2, so White must nudge the queen from its ideal square.} 28. Rf4 $1 Qe6 (28... Qg6 29. Qh4 $1 Qxg7 30. Rd7 $18) 29. Qh2 Kxg7 30. Rxf7+ $1 Qxf7 {Again, only one move wins...} (30... Kxf7 31. Qh7+ Kf8 32. Rf1+ {mates.}) 31. g6 $1 {And again, Giri finds it.} Qe6 (31... Qxg6 32. Rg1 $18) (31... Kxg6 32. Qg3+ Kh6 (32... Kf6 33. Rf1+ $18) 33. Rh1+ $18) (31... Qg8 32. Qc7+ Kf6 33. Rf1+ Ke6 34. Qxc5 Qxg6 35. Qxc4+ Kd7 36. Rd1+ $18) 32. Rd7+ $1 {For the fourth straight game, a player needing to win to be guaranteed of at least a first-place tie has achieved his aim. The result is a four-player tiebreak, which we'll get to after the next two games, featuring players who couldn't force their way into a first-place tie.} (32. Rd7+ $1 Kxg6 (32... Qxd7 33. Qh7+ $18) 33. Rd6 $18) 1-0 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "13.6"] [White "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D87"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2759"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {Pragg and Firouzja were half a point back entering the round. If all the leaders drew their games, then if the winner of this game, if any, would join the tie for first.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 e6 {One of Black's newer tries.} 11. dxc5 {Not a capture White generally wants to make against non-10...e6 lines, but it's normal here.} Qa5 12. f4 Rd8 13. Qe1 Qa4 14. Bb3 Qxe4 15. Ng3 Qd3 16. Rc1 Bd7 17. Qf2 Be8 $146 (17... Na5 18. Bc2 Qa6 19. Bd4 Bxd4 20. cxd4 Bb5 21. Rfd1 f5 22. h4 Rd7 23. Re1 Rad8 24. c6 Nxc6 25. Rxe6 Qxa2 26. Qe3 Nxd4 27. Re8+ Kf7 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Bb1 Qd5 30. Qa3 Qd6 31. Ba2+ Kg7 32. Qe3 Re8 33. Rc7+ Kh6 34. Qc1 Bc6 35. Rf7 Re2 36. Kh2 Rxg2+ 37. Kh3 Rxg3+ {0-1 Praggnanandhaa,R (2624)-Duda,J (2750) Oslo Esports Cup rapid 2022 (6.2)}) (17... Ne7 18. Rfd1 Qb5 19. Ne4 Qc6 20. Nd6 Be8 21. g4 b6 22. f5 gxf5 23. Bg5 Rd7 24. Bc4 a6 25. Be2 Qxc5 26. Qxc5 bxc5 27. Nxe8 Rxd1+ 28. Bxd1 Rxe8 29. Ba4 h6 30. Bh4 Ng6 31. Bxe8 Nxh4 32. h3 Nf3+ 33. Kf2 fxg4 34. hxg4 Ne5 35. Rg1 Kf8 36. Ba4 Nd3+ 37. Ke2 Nf4+ 38. Kf3 Nd5 39. Rb1 Be5 40. c4 Nc3 41. Re1 Bf6 42. Bb3 a5 43. a4 Ke7 44. Rc1 Kd6 45. Rc2 Bd4 46. Rh2 Bg7 47. Bc2 Ke7 {½-½ Rain,R (2150)-Weiser,R (2147) WZ-ch sf26 email ICCF email 2021}) 18. Rfd1 Qa6 19. Ne4 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Rd8 (20... Qa5) 21. Rxd8 Nxd8 22. Qd2 Qa5 $8 23. Bd4 Nc6 24. Bxg7 (24. Bf6) 24... Kxg7 25. Qe3 Bd7 (25... Qa3 $11) (25... Kf8 $11) (25... Ne7 $11) 26. Nd6 b6 27. cxb6 Qxb6 28. Qxb6 axb6 29. Nc4 b5 30. Nd6 {An important moment for Black.} b4 $6 (30... e5 $1 $11) 31. cxb4 Nxb4 32. Kf2 $14 {White's outside passer is a serious problem for Black.} Kf6 33. a3 Ke7 $1 34. Ne4 (34. Nc4 $142 $14) 34... Nd5 $1 {A good decision, and a brave one.} 35. Bxd5 exd5 36. Nc5 Bc6 37. Nb3 Kd6 38. Nd4 Ba4 39. Ke3 f6 (39... h6 {is another way to prepare ...g5. Black may have rejected this because of Nf5+ ideas or from a concern that White could create a passed h-pawn with fxg5 followed by (approximately) g3 and h4. Black's resources are satisfactory, though:} 40. g3 (40. Kd3 g5 41. Nf5+ (41. fxg5 hxg5 42. h3 (42. g3 g4 $11) 42... f6 43. g3 Ke5 44. Nf3+ Kd6 45. h4 gxh4 46. gxh4 Ke6 $11) 41... Ke6 42. Nxh6 gxf4 $11) 40... Kc5 $1 41. Kd3 {Else ...Kc4.} g5 $1 42. fxg5 hxg5 43. h4 gxh4 44. gxh4 {Now Black must be precise - only two moves keep a draw.} Kd6 $1 (44... Bd1 $1 $11) 45. h5 Ke7 $1 $11) 40. Kd3 g5 41. g3 gxf4 42. gxf4 Kc5 43. Kc3 {Black needs to be accurate here.} Be8 (43... Bd7 $2 {might seem like the same thing, but it's not. White wins after} 44. Nb3+ $1 Kd6 45. Kd4 $18 Ke6 $2 46. Nc5+ Kd6 47. Nxd7 Kxd7 48. Kxd5 $18) 44. Nb3+ Kd6 $1 {The only move.} 45. Nd4 (45. Kd4 {threatens to play Nc5 and then a4-5-6, winning. Black's only non-losing move is} Ke6 $1 {going for counterplay. Here we see why the bishop had to go to e8 instead of d7.}) 45... Kc5 $1 46. Nb3+ Kd6 47. Kb4 $1 {Again putting Black to the test, and again Firouzja passes.} d4 $1 {Else Nd4, a4, and White will make winning progress.} 48. Nxd4 Kd5 $1 49. Nb5 Bg6 ({Black would rather play} 49... Ke4 $4 {, of course, but} 50. Nd6+ $18 {wins.}) 50. Nc3+ Kd4 51. a4 Bd3 (51... Ke3 $2 {is another opportunity to make a natural move that loses.} 52. Nd5+ $1 Kf3 53. Kc4 $18) 52. a5 f5 53. Na4 (53. Nb5+ Ke4 54. a6 Kxf4 55. a7 Be4 56. Kc5 Kg4 57. Nd4 Ba8 $11) 53... Be2 54. Nc5 Kd5 55. Na4 (55. a6 {- see 57.a6.}) 55... Bf1 56. Nc5 Be2 57. a6 Bxa6 $1 58. Nxa6 Ke4 59. Kc3 Kxf4 60. Kd2 (60. Kd2 Kg4 {and Black collects the h-pawn without any fear of Stamma-like mates. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkmate#Stamma's_mate)}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "13.7"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C55"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2682"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2024.01.13"] {[%evp 0,61,23,22,38,10,15,15,15,0,27,7,22,0,-2,-18,12,0,35,10,29,20,14,13,23,11,33,30,45,42,48,17,24,-4,2,2,9,-12,-26,-27,-36,-51,-58,-76,-68,-42,-43,-53,-48,-52,-48,-50,-39,-49,-30,-22,-32,-26,-10,-23,-20,-22,-40,-29]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 d6 7. a4 Na5 8. Ba2 c5 9. Bg5 (9. c3) 9... Nc6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Nc3 Be6 12. Nd5 g6 13. c3 Kg7 $146 (13... Bg7 {was played in all the previous games.} 14. Qd2 Rc8 15. Qg5 h6 16. Qxd8 Rfxd8 17. Nd2 Kf8 18. Nf1 h5 19. Nfe3 Bh6 20. h4 Bxe3 21. Nxe3 Bxa2 22. Rxa2 Ne7 23. Kf1 f6 24. Raa1 d5 25. exd5 Nxd5 26. Nxd5 Rxd5 27. Re3 Rcd8 28. Ke2 c4 29. dxc4 Rd2+ 30. Ke1 Rxb2 31. Re2 Rb3 {0-1 Ding,L (2811)-Nihal,S (2670) Speed Chess Chess.com INT blitz 2022 (2.38)}) 14. Qd2 (14. h3) 14... h6 15. b4 cxb4 $11 16. Nxb4 $5 (16. cxb4 Bg5 17. Qb2 Bg4 $11 {looks to get Black's knight into d4, which is what 16.Nxb4 is presumably aimed against.}) 16... Nxb4 17. cxb4 Bg4 (17... Qd7) (17... d5) 18. Qe2 Bg5 19. Bd5 Qf6 $11 20. b5 Rab8 21. Ra2 Rfc8 22. h3 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Qxf3 24. gxf3 Rc5 {Black's structure is better, but with the opposite-colored bishops Black's chances are between minimal and non-existent.} (24... Bd8) 25. Rb1 Bd8 26. Rd1 Ba5 27. d4 Rc3 28. Kg2 h5 29. dxe5 dxe5 30. Rdd2 Rc7 31. Rd3 {The engine claims that Black is slightly better, but I don't think Stockfish would beat Nepo here. (Hopefully it wouldn't beat any of us.)} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters TB"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2024.01.28"] [EventType "k.o."] {[%evp 0,117,23,12,20,5,9,12,10,5,20,11,12,14,2,-22,8,-4,16,2,24,10,14,9,27,23,30,21,57,47,61,24,60,34,21,32,76,8,39,36,38,23,36,5,6,-68,-80,-109,-109,-103,-71,-73,-74,-94,-24,-125,-128,-121,-106,-119,-106,-106,-89,-129,-64,-87,-103,-87,-99,-160,-152,-150,-145,-171,-140,-151,-181,-198,-146,-154,-175,-214,-223,-289,-209,-201,-163,-163,-163,-125,-114,-324,-397,-432,-428,-496,-507,-505,-536,-562,-780,-1036,-702,-683,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0] The first 3'+2" game of their semi-final tiebreak match.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 b6 5. b3 Bb7 6. Bb2 Nbd7 7. g3 Be7 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Rc1 a6 12. Re1 Bf8 13. Ne2 Rc8 14. Nf4 c5 15. d3 b5 16. Re2 Bd6 17. Rec2 Qe7 18. Qd2 Rc7 19. h4 Rec8 20. Bh3 Re8 21. a4 b4 22. h5 $2 {A big mistake, neglecting his loose knight on f3.} (22. Bg2 $11) 22... c4 $1 $19 23. Bd4 {The best way to deal with the threatened ...c3.} (23. dxc4 $2 dxc4 {threatens both ...c3 and ...Bxf3.} 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Qe2 c3 $19 {is horrible for White.}) 23... c3 24. Qd1 Nc5 25. Ra2 Ne6 26. Bb6 Nxf4 27. exf4 Rc6 28. a5 Bc8 (28... Bxf4 $1 29. gxf4 Nxh5 $19) 29. Qf1 Bxh3 30. Qxh3 Bc5 31. Ne5 Rcc8 $2 $17 (31... Re6 $142 $19) 32. d4 $6 (32. Bxc5 Rxc5 33. d4 $17) 32... Bd6 33. f3 Qe6 $6 (33... h6) 34. g4 $2 (34. Qxe6 Rxe6 35. g4 $17) 34... Nd7 $19 35. Qf1 Bxe5 36. fxe5 Nxb6 37. axb6 Qxb6 {With an extra pawn and the monster on c3, Black should win comfortably. But this is blitz...} 38. Qf2 a5 (38... f6 $1) 39. Rca1 f6 40. Rxa5 fxe5 41. Rxd5 exd4 42. Rxd4 Red8 $2 (42... Qb5 $1) (42... Qh6 $1) 43. Rxd8+ Qxd8 44. Kg2 c2 $5 45. Rc1 Qd3 46. Qb6 Qxb3 (46... Qd2+ 47. Kg3 Rf8 $1 {pretty much wins on the spot.} (47... Qxc1 $4 48. Qe6+ $11)) 47. Qd6 Qc4 48. h6 b3 49. Qd7 gxh6 50. Re1 {White is down to his last roll of the dice.} c1=Q (50... Rf8 $1 {is more practical, not allowing White any checks.}) 51. Rxc1 Qxc1 $4 (51... Qe2+ 52. Kg3 Qe5+ 53. Kg2 Rxc1 {Now there's no perpetual, so Black wins.}) 52. Qe6+ Kg7 53. Qe7+ Kg6 54. Qe6+ Kg7 55. Qe7+ Kg8 56. Qe6+ Kf8 57. Qf6+ Ke8 58. Qe6+ Kd8 59. Qd6+ {A lucky escape for Wei Yi.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters TB"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Gukesh, D."] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D12"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2024.01.28"] [EventType "k.o."] {[%evp 0,122,23,28,24,20,21,15,23,22,34,7,7,33,-10,9,9,-31,0,1,17,-5,-9,-8,-3,-23,-10,-26,-16,-20,-17,-17,-15,-51,-16,-62,-36,-33,3,4,15,-10,-13,-20,15,15,10,2,24,20,40,4,22,40,28,35,47,58,47,48,54,33,33,27,27,27,27,27,27,27,27,23,27,27,27,8,35,18,17,11,21,56,81,18,17,18,16,0,0,21,16,42,32,41,32,58,93,89,75,58,63,64,64,109,109,0,0,-414,-456,-450,-450,-400,-458,-468,-487,-484,-410,-423,-478,-479,-485,-484,-495,-29995,-29996]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Bd2 Rc8 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Qb3 Qb6 12. Bd3 a6 13. Ke2 Bd6 14. h3 Qxb3 15. axb3 e5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Rhd1 O-O 18. Be1 Rfd8 19. Kf1 Nc6 20. Ne2 Be5 21. Bc3 Bxc3 22. bxc3 Kf8 23. f3 g5 24. Kf2 g6 25. Rab1 Ke7 26. b4 Ne5 27. Bc2 Rd6 28. Bb3 Ned7 29. Rd2 Nb6 30. Rbd1 Rdc6 31. Rd3 R6c7 32. Rh1 Nc4 33. Rd4 Nd6 34. Rc1 Nc4 35. Rd3 Ne5 36. Rdd1 Nc4 37. Bxc4 {Still playing for a win. There's no real risk at this point, but no real prospects for success, either. It's blitz, though, and anything can happen when the players are playing off the increment.} Rxc4 38. Rd3 R4c7 39. Ke1 b6 40. Ra1 Ra7 41. Kd2 a5 42. Nd4 a4 $6 43. Nb5 $16 Raa8 44. Kc2 Kd7 45. e4 Kc6 46. Nd4+ Kb7 47. e5 Nh5 $2 (47... Nd7) 48. Nb5 $18 Kc6 49. Nd6 Rc7 50. b5+ Kc5 51. Rad1 Nf4 52. Rd4 $2 (52. R3d2 $1 f6 53. g3 $1 fxe5 $8 (53... Ne6 $4 54. Rxd5#) 54. gxf4 Kxd6 55. Rxd5+ Ke6 56. Rxe5+ Kf7 57. fxg5 $18) 52... f6 $1 $11 {Gukesh seems to have missed this idea altogether. Now he panics about his knight, and loses.} 53. Rb1 $2 (53. Rxd5+ $3 {lets White survive.} Nxd5 54. Ne4+ Kc4 55. Rd4+ Kxb5 56. Rxd5+ Kc6 57. Rd6+ Kb7 58. exf6 a3 59. Kb1 a2+ 60. Ka1 Kc8 $8 61. Rxb6 Rd7 62. Rd6 $11) 53... fxe5 $19 {Winning a piece and the game.} 54. Ne4+ dxe4 55. Rxe4 Kd6 56. Ra1 a3 57. Kb3 Ke6 58. g3 Nd3 59. Re3 Nc5+ 60. Ka2 Rd7 61. Rae1 Rd2+ 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters TB"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B04"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2024.01.28"] [EventType "k.o."] {[%evp 0,87,23,22,45,51,58,43,44,31,44,65,65,23,45,21,43,29,29,6,17,10,30,34,36,23,43,34,46,48,34,44,80,55,25,25,25,25,108,67,67,36,22,25,49,-25,140,70,81,62,62,54,60,51,149,125,149,109,128,109,153,157,133,131,131,143,168,128,106,87,74,70,70,53,53,0,0,-210,-210,-464,-695,-695,-695,-722,-841,-848,-908,-908,-908,-908]} 1. e4 Nf6 {Yet another provocative opening by Wei Yi. He's a fun player to watch!} 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 (4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 $14 {/? is best, in my opinion; the only problem is that it's very committal, and White has to keep in mind variations he's probably only going to use once a year. (Just for fun, I looked at the database of my tournament games, looking only at my white games with 1.e4. I had to go back 85 games to find the last time someone played the Alekhine against me.) So 4.Nf3 is the more practical option, keeping a slight edge in a relatively safe, easy-to-play position.}) 4... dxe5 5. Nxe5 c6 6. Bd3 (6. Be2) 6... Nd7 (6... g6) 7. Nxd7 $6 (7. Nf3 $142 $14 {/?}) 7... Bxd7 (7... Qxd7 $1) 8. O-O $14 g6 9. Re1 (9. c4) 9... Bg7 10. c3 O-O 11. Nd2 Rc8 12. Ne4 $146 Re8 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bd2 b6 15. Qc1 Kh7 16. h4 f5 17. Ng3 e5 18. h5 e4 19. hxg6+ Kxg6 20. Be2 Kh7 21. Nh5 Rg8 {White's h4-h5xg6+ has weakened both sides' kings. Underestimating the danger (and with the time limitations of a blitz game), he makes a positionally desirable blunder:} 22. c4 $4 {A huge mistake Abdusattorov gets away with.} (22. g3 $11) 22... Nc7 $4 $11 (22... Bxd4 $1 23. cxd5 Qh4 {is crushing.} 24. Rf1 Rxg2+ $1 25. Kxg2 f4 26. Bxf4 Bh3+ 27. Kg1 Rg8+ 28. Bg3 Rxg3+ 29. Nxg3 Qxg3+ 30. Kh1 Qg2# {is a good illustration of what's wrong with White's kingside.}) 23. Nxg7 Rxg7 24. Bxh6 Rg6 $44 25. Bf4 Ne6 26. Qe3 Qh4 $5 27. Bg3 Qf6 28. Be5 Qh4 29. g3 {Ambitiously refusing a repetition. It's not a bad move, though for the moment he's risking more than his opponent, as the likeliest victim of an "accident" will be the white king.} Qh3 30. Bf1 Qh5 31. Qe2 Qh6 32. Bg2 $14 Rcg8 $6 (32... Ng5 $1 $14) 33. d5 $6 (33. a4 $1 {looks to break into Black's position with a5, axb6, and Ra7; it also creates another defensive resource as Ra3 can shore up g3 and f3.}) 33... Ng5 $1 $132 34. Bf4 $2 (34. Rac1 Nh3+ 35. Bxh3 Qxh3 36. Qf1 $8 Qg4 37. Qg2 Rh6 $11) (34. a4 $5) 34... Nh3+ 35. Bxh3 Qxh3 $19 36. Rad1 (36. a4 Rg4 $1 37. Qf1 Qh5 38. Qe2 Be8 39. Bc7 cxd5 40. cxd5 Qh6 $1 $19 {Both ...f4 and ...Bh5 are extremely unpleasant threats.}) 36... Rg4 $2 (36... R8g7 $1 $19 {was best, with the idea of ...Kg8 and ...Rh7.}) 37. Qf1 $1 $11 Qh5 38. Bc7 $4 (38. Qe2 $8 {and while Black can roll the dice with 38...Be8?, best play for both sides is to repeat:} Qh3 39. Qf1 Qh5 40. Qe2 Qh3 $11) 38... f4 {Not even the only winning move, but it's clearly crushing.} 39. Rxe4 (39. Bxf4 Rxf4 $19) 39... fxg3 (39... Rxg3+ $1 40. fxg3 Rxg3+ 41. Qg2 (41. Kf2 Qf3+ 42. Ke1 Qxe4+ 43. Kd2 Qe3+ 44. Kc2 Bf5+ $19) 41... Qxd1+ $19) 40. Re7+ Kh6 41. fxg3 Rxg3+ $1 42. Bxg3 Rxg3+ 43. Kf2 Rf3+ 44. Kg1 {White lost on time here - not that the position can be saved.} (44. Kg1 Rxf1+ 45. Rxf1 (45. Kxf1 Qxd1+ $19) 45... Qg5+ 46. Kf2 Qxe7 $19 {Wei Yi advances to the final.}) 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters TB"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D77"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2024.01.28"] [EventType "k.o."] {[%evp 0,66,23,21,21,13,10,13,16,-25,65,42,72,24,27,32,23,14,75,71,62,55,75,61,67,76,67,40,37,29,40,16,47,-17,30,-51,-10,-19,-35,-9,-18,-84,-40,-40,-67,-77,-68,-68,-83,-166,-126,-126,-138,-134,-133,-139,-139,-162,-162,-213,-200,-199,-229,-229,-243,-239,-257,-278,-201] Can Gukesh win on demand again, as he did in the last round of the (pre-playoff) tournament? Once again, the answer is yes.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 $5 {Looking for positions that White can't dry up.} 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 d5 8. b3 Qe7 9. Bg5 dxc4 10. bxc4 Rd8 11. e3 h6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Qc2 Bg7 14. Rab1 a5 15. Rfd1 Rb8 16. Nb5 (16. h4 $14) 16... e5 $11 17. d5 Nb4 18. Qe2 c6 19. Nc3 Bg4 20. h3 $2 {A good move if Black has to move the bishop. However...} (20. e4 $8 $11) 20... e4 $1 $17 21. Nxe4 Bf5 22. Nfd2 cxd5 23. cxd5 Nxd5 {Black's bishops are great here, the knight is good too, and Black's queenside majority could swiftly become a further problem for White.} 24. g4 $6 (24. Rb5 $1 {had to be played, activating the rook, playing against Black's pawn majority, and kinda-sorta threatening 25.Rxd5 Rxd5 26.Nf6+ with helpful exchanges.}) 24... Nc3 $6 (24... Be6 $19) 25. Nxc3 Bd3 $1 {A nice zwischenzug.} 26. Qf3 Bxc3 27. Rb3 $8 Bb4 $2 (27... Be5 28. Nf1 $8 Ba6 $8 $19) 28. Ne4 $2 (28. a3 $1 $15 {/?}) 28... Bc2 $19 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. Nf6+ (30. Rb2 $2 Rd1+ 31. Kh2 Qe5+ $19 {wins a rook.}) 30... Kg7 31. Nd5 Qe5 {White's rook is trapped, and there will be no compensation for the exchange.} 32. Rxb4 axb4 33. e4 Bb1 {Another comeback for Gukesh. On to sudden death (not Armageddon).} 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters TB"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Gukesh, D."] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D78"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2024.01.28"] [EventType "k.o."] {[%evp 0,74,23,21,21,21,23,-14,7,8,15,12,5,-16,25,-2,8,-2,-1,-14,22,24,10,-3,9,7,22,-13,18,27,37,30,40,32,25,-1,4,13,6,-10,21,-17,34,26,62,65,83,88,118,109,141,141,135,153,153,142,141,131,141,126,195,189,189,208,431,354,391,334,443,216,261,272,306,303,399,391,430] Something a bit different for the tiebreak. White gets 2:30 to Black's 3 minutes (plus increment). If someone wins, the match is over; if it's a draw, they switch colors and play another sudden death game (with the same time handicap), and so on until someone wins.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 c6 7. b3 Bf5 8. Bb2 Nbd7 9. e3 a5 10. Nc3 Ne4 11. Qe2 Nxc3 12. Bxc3 Be4 13. Bh3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 e6 15. Rfc1 f5 16. Bf1 Nf6 17. b4 axb4 18. Bxb4 Rf7 19. a4 g5 20. cxd5 cxd5 21. a5 h5 22. Qe2 Kh7 (22... g4 $1 $11 {is good, among other things looking to play ...Nf6-h7-g5-f3.}) 23. a6 $14 bxa6 24. Rxa6 Rb8 $2 (24... Rb7 $14) 25. Ba3 $16 (25. Ba5 $142 Qd7 26. Rcc6 Re7 27. Qc2 $18 {is great for White, who dominates the queenside.}) 25... Rb6 (25... Rc8 $142) 26. Bc5 $1 $18 Rxa6 27. Qxa6 {The e-pawn is lost, and with it the game (and the match).} Ne4 (27... Qd7 28. Bb5 $18) 28. Qxe6 Rf6 29. Qe7 Qa5 (29... Qxe7 30. Bxe7 Rb6 {might last longer, though the same result is a near certainty.}) 30. Bb4 $1 Qa2 31. Be1 $8 {With the bishop covering f2, White's rook is free to join the attack.} f4 $2 {Bad, but what else?} 32. exf4 (32. Rc7) 32... gxf4 33. Bd3 {Good enough. White wins a second pawn while further opening the board against Black's king.} (33. Rc7) 33... Rg6 34. Bxe4 (34. Qh4 $1) 34... dxe4 35. Qxe4 fxg3 36. hxg3 Qa4 (36... Qe6 37. Qxe6 Rxe6 38. d5 Rd6 39. Rd1 {followed by Bb4, d6, etc.}) 37. Rc5 Qd1 {I think Giri lost on time here. At any rate, 38.Rc6 and 38.Rg5 are both crushing. It's time for a Gukesh vs. Wei Yi final.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters TB"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Gukesh, D."] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2024.01.28"] [EventType "k.o."] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 a5 (5... c5 $142) 6. Bg5 $14 c6 7. e3 h6 8. Bh4 Nbd7 9. a3 $146 Be7 10. Qc2 $146 O-O 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Bg3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 $146 b5 14. Bd3 Ba6 15. O-O c5 16. Rfd1 (16. Rfb1 $142 Qc8 17. Qe2 $14) 16... Qb6 (16... Qe8) 17. Qe2 (17. Rab1 $14) 17... b4 $11 18. Bxa6 Rxa6 19. axb4 cxb4 20. cxb4 Bxb4 21. Rdb1 (21. d5 $142 exd5 22. Rxd5 $11) 21... Rfa8 $15 22. Ne1 Qc6 23. Rc1 Qd5 24. Nd3 Bd6 (24... Bf8 $142 $15) 25. Bxd6 Qxd6 26. Nc5 $11 Rc6 27. Qb5 Qc7 28. h3 (28. g3) 28... Nxc5 29. Rxc5 Rxc5 30. dxc5 Rb8 31. Qa6 (31. Qxa5 $4 Rb1+ $19) 31... Qxc5 32. Qxa5 Rb1+ {Pushing for more than a draw. It could have backfired at the end, as we'll see.} (32... Qxa5 33. Rxa5 $11 {would be a handshake.}) 33. Kh2 Qd6+ 34. g3 Rb2 35. Qa8+ Kh7 36. Qf3 f5 37. Kg2 Qe5 38. Rc1 Ra2 39. h4 Rd2 40. h5 Qd5 41. Qxd5 Rxd5 42. Rc6 e5 43. Kf3 Rd2 $4 (43... Ra5 $11) (43... Rd1 $11) 44. Re6 $4 (44. Rc5 $1 $18 e4+ 45. Kg2 {and Black either loses the f-pawn or, in case of} g6 46. Rc7+ {, the g-pawn.}) 44... e4+ 45. Kg2 Rd5 46. Re8 g5 $2 {Another mistake, though it's not as severe as the error on move 43.} 47. hxg6+ $2 (47. g4 $1 fxg4 48. Re7+ Kg8 49. Rxe4 {is still drawn, but it's not automatic (especially under the circumstances of a blitz game in which the players are living off the increment). When the strong side in a rook + 3 vs. rook +2 ending doesn't have a passed pawn (e.g. f-, g-, and h-pawns vs. h- and g-pawns) the draw is easy to hold. Here White has a passer, which is more challenging for Black to cope with.}) 47... Kxg6 {It was only a one-move lapse, but it's still a lucky escape for Wei Yi.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters TB"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2024.01.28"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Gukesh, D."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2024.01.28"] [EventType "k.o."] 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. b3 {Another Zuke for Wei Yi...} Bd6 5. Bb2 Nc6 {...and another weird ...Nc6 for Gukesh.} 6. cxd5 (6. d4 $142 $14) 6... exd5 7. g3 $5 {Slightly reminiscent of Vidit-Abdusattorov from round 12.} (7. Be2 $142 $11) (7. a3 $142 $11) 7... O-O 8. Bg2 Qe7 $11 (8... Bg4 $142 9. h3 Bf5 $15) 9. O-O Ne5 10. Nxe5 Bxe5 11. Bxe5 Qxe5 12. Nc3 c6 13. b4 h5 14. h3 Bf5 15. b5 $2 {Well yes, White wants to do this. But isn't there a problem here?} (15. d4 $11) 15... d4 $2 $11 (15... Bd3 $17) 16. exd4 Qxd4 17. bxc6 bxc6 18. Qf3 Be6 19. Qe3 Qd7 (19... Rad8) 20. Kh2 h4 $5 {Not bad, but it ends up backfiring.} 21. gxh4 $1 {The g-file is an asset that fully makes up for White's disturbingly bad "structure".} Rfe8 22. Qg5 Qd6+ 23. Qg3 Rad8 24. Rad1 Bc4 (24... Nh5 $1) 25. Rg1 Nh5 $1 26. Qxd6 Rxd6 27. Bf3 Nf6 28. Rg5 Kf8 (28... Red8 29. Ra5 Rxd2 $11) 29. Rc5 Bd5 $6 (29... Be6 30. Rxc6 Rd3 31. Kg2 Red8 $11 {isn't easy to find or play, short of time. It does retain full equality, though.}) 30. Nxd5 Nxd5 31. d4 {The bishop vs. knight imbalance gives White some chances.} Rf6 32. Rd3 Nb4 (32... Nf4 $142 $1 33. Rb3 (33. Ra3 Ne6 $11) 33... Ne6 $11) 33. Rb3 $14 Nd5 $6 (33... Rd8 $1) 34. h5 $1 g6 $2 {After this White is a clean pawn up.} (34... Rd8) (34... Ne7) 35. hxg6 fxg6 $2 (35... Rxg6 $142 $16) 36. Kg3 $6 (36. Bxd5 $1 cxd5 37. Kg3 $1 $18) 36... Ne7 $8 $16 {/+-} 37. Be4 Rd6 (37... Rd8 $142 {was better - the other rook is useful on the f-file.}) 38. Rc4 (38. Rf3+ $142 $1 Kg7 39. Re5 $18) 38... Red8 39. Rbb4 Kf7 40. Kf3 $2 (40. h4 $1 $18) (40. Ra4 $1 $18) 40... Kf6 (40... Re6 $142 $14) 41. Ke3 $2 (41. Ra4 $1 $16) 41... R8d7 $14 (41... Rh8 $1 {regains the pawn and reestablishes equality.} 42. Bg2 {doesn't keep the pawn:} Nd5+ 43. Bxd5 cxd5 44. Rc5 Rxh3+ $11) 42. Rb8 Re6 $6 (42... Nd5+) 43. Kd3 $6 (43. f3 $1 $16) 43... Red6 44. Rf8+ Kg7 $11 45. Rb8 Kf6 (45... c5 $1 $11) (45... Nf5 46. Bxf5 gxf5 47. Ke3 Rh6 $11) 46. Kc3 Re6 $6 (46... Nd5+ $1 $11) 47. f3 $16 Nd5+ 48. Kb3 Ne7 49. h4 Nf5 $2 {This is a mistake: White's h-pawn doesn't matter as much as Black's c-pawn.} 50. Kc3 $18 Nd6 (50... Nxh4 51. Bxc6 $18) (50... Ne7 51. a4 $18) 51. Bxc6 $1 Rc7 52. Rc5 Re3+ 53. Kd2 Ra3 54. Bd5 Rd7 55. Rc6 Ra5 56. Bb3 Ke7 57. Rg8 Kf6 58. Re8 {Black has no good defense to the threatened Re6(+), which will leave Black at least three pawns down for nothing. Some of the not-good defenses are worse than others, though.} Kf5 $2 59. Be6+ {More than good enough.} ({Funny enough, White had even better:} 59. Rf8+ Nf7 60. Bxf7 $18) 1-0