[Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,81,27,18,19,22,19,18,17,18,15,6,11,-2,-9,-9,-14,-31,-10,-32,-10,-8,18, 11,10,22,45,5,11,2,7,1,19,-1,0,-62,-62,-47,-60,-60,-57,-64,-59,-57,-37,2,-32, -142,-32,-64,-60,-123,-122,-108,6,-13,-40,-70,-66,-66,-67,-30,92,-46,-29,0,-5, 0,122,135,130,138,148,80,115,140,140,153,218,229,262,244,322,347]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 c6 9. Ba4 d6 10. Bb3 Qe7 {Rare.} (10... h6) (10... O-O) (10... a5) 11. Nc4 Bg4 $146 ( 11... Bc7 12. f4 b5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 O-O 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Rxf5 h6 17. Qf3 Nh7 18. Bd2 Rad8 19. Rf1 Rd7 20. Qh5 Qe8 21. R5f3 a5 22. a4 bxa4 23. Bxa4 Rd6 24. Bb3 Rd7 25. Be3 Bd6 26. Bc4 a4 27. Bc1 Rb7 28. h3 Ra7 29. Kh2 Rb7 30. h4 Ra7 31. Rf5 Re7 32. R5f3 Rb7 33. Qg4 Kh8 34. Qh5 f6 {0-1 (34) Karjakin,S (2754) -Vidit,S (2721) Moscow 2019 (blitz). If the result is right it's because Karjakin lost on time or overlooked that his queen was attached, touched some other piece, and then realized what happened and resigned. Just taking this position as-is, White has a winning advantage after 35.Qf5.} 35. Qf5 $18) 12. Qe1 Bc5 {Intending to expand on the queenside with ...b5 and ...a5.} (12... Bc7 {allows} 13. f4 $16 {, but the text has its drawbacks as well.}) 13. Kh1 a5 $2 (13... b5 {had to be played first. White is clearly better after} 14. Ne3 Be6 15. Bc2 $16 {followed by f4, but in the game Black is just about lost.}) 14. f4 (14. a4 {wasn't bad, but Firouzja decides to get on with his positive play.}) 14... a4 15. Bc2 $16 {/+-} b5 (15... Nd7) ({and} 15... exf4 {would prevent what's coming next, but they're bad in their own, different ways. Black is already in deep trouble.}) 16. fxe5 $1 ({Even better than} 16. Ne3 $16) 16... dxe5 17. Nxe5 $1 Qxe5 18. d4 Bxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 {White's pawn sac was terrific, giving him the bishop pair and great attacking chances in return. Only one move here maximizes his advantage, however, and he doesn't play it.} 20. Be3 $2 (20. Bd2 $1 {was the right way, intending Bc3, which looks just about fatal.} Qxb2 21. Rc1 {Renewing the threat of Bc3.} Qe5 22. Bc3 Qe7 23. Bd1 {A surprising move, in part to clear the c-file after a subsequent Bb4.} ({ The more ordinary} 23. Qg3 {also keeps a substantial advantage.} h5 $8 24. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 25. e5 $1 fxe5 26. h3 Kf8 (26... Bd7 $2 27. Rxf7 $1 $18 {finishes Black.}) 27. Rce1 Re8 28. hxg4 hxg4+ 29. Kg1 Qc5+ 30. Qf2 $16 {/+- Black is probably losing, despite having four pawns for the bishop.}) 23... Qe6 24. Bxg4 Nxg4 25. h3 Ne5 26. Qg3 Ng6 27. Bxg7 Rg8 28. Bf6 $18) 20... Qxb2 $11 {Black's position is objectively okay, but precarious. It's almost impossible to defend such positions perfectly, and the problem is that one mistake in a position like this can be enough for Black to lose the game. (For White, a mistake will more often mean that his attack will slow down a little.) The players' risk profiles are entirely asymmetrical here.} 21. Qf2 Be6 22. Bd4 Qb4 23. Bc5 Qc3 24. Rac1 ({Of course White is not going to repeat with} 24. Bd4 Qb4 25. Bc5 $11 ) 24... Rd8 25. Bb1 $6 (25. h3) 25... Qe5 $15 {/-/+} 26. Qh4 Bc4 $2 (26... Rd7) 27. Rf5 $18 Qb2 28. Rg1 $2 (28. Re1 $142 $18 Be6 29. Qg3 Nd7 30. Bd6) 28... Be6 $2 (28... Rd2 $1 29. Qg5 Be6 30. Rf4 Kd7 31. Qxg7 Ne8 32. Qxb2 Rxb2 33. Bd4 Rxb1 34. Rxb1 Rg8 35. a3 $16) 29. Qg3 $1 $18 Nd7 (29... Bxf5 $2 30. exf5 { and White will win easily thanks to the open e-file.}) 30. Bd6 {Black's king will perish sooner or later. Kids, don't forget to castle!} Qd4 31. Rff1 h5 32. e5 Qg4 33. Qe3 h4 34. h3 Qh5 35. Be4 $1 Qh6 (35... Nxe5 36. Qc5 f6 37. Bxe5 Qxe5 38. Bxc6+ Rd7 (38... Kf7 $2 39. Qxe5 {is the problem.}) 39. Bxd7+ Kxd7 ( 39... Bxd7 40. Re1 $18) 40. Rd1+ Ke8 41. Qa7 $18 {If nothing else, 42.Rge1 looks likely to force resignation.}) 36. Qf3 (36. Qa7 $142) 36... f6 37. Bxc6 Kf7 38. Bxb5 Qh5 39. Qe4 Nxe5 40. Be2 Qg5 41. Bxe5 {An impressive attacking game by the youngster, who achieved his first win of the tournament.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. a4 Na7 (10... Nb8 11. Bd3 h6 12. Nc4 Nc6 13. h3 Rd8 14. Re1 Nh5 15. Bf1 Qf6 16. Be3 Bf8 17. Kh2 Be6 18. Rad1 g5 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Nfd2 b6 21. g3 Nf4 22. b3 Ng6 23. Be2 Nd4 24. cxd4 exd4 25. e5 Qf5 26. Qxf5 Bxf5 27. Bxg5 hxg5 28. Bg4 Bxg4 29. hxg4 Bb4 30. Rd1 Bxd2 31. Rxd2 Rd5 32. Kg2 Kg7 33. Kf3 Nxe5+ 34. Ke4 Nxc4 35. bxc4 Rc5 36. Rxd4 Kf6 37. f4 Ke6 38. Kd3 c6 39. Re4+ Kd6 40. Rd4+ Ke6 41. Re4+ Kd6 42. Rd4+ Ke6 {½-½ (42) Carlsen,M (2832) -Kramnik,V (2808) Leuven 2017 (blitz)}) 11. Be2 $146 {A novelty, but it transposes to other games.} Nc6 {Back to still more games.} 12. Nb3 (12. Nc4 { was almost universally chosen.}) 12... Ba7 $6 $146 (12... Bb6 $142 13. Bg5 Nd8 14. Bh4 c6 15. Nbd2 Bc7 16. Nc4 Ne6 17. Bg3 Nf4 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. e5 Nd5 20. Rfe1 Nb6 21. Nxb6 Bxb6 22. Qe4 Be6 23. Qxf4 Rad8 24. Rad1 Rxd1 25. Bxd1 h6 26. Bc2 Rd8 27. h4 Bd5 28. Be4 Bxe4 29. Qxe4 Qe6 30. h5 Qd5 31. Qxd5 Rxd5 32. g4 Kf8 33. e6 Bd8 34. exf7 Bf6 35. Re8+ Kxf7 36. Rb8 b5 37. axb5 Rxb5 38. Ra8 Rxb2 39. Rxa5 Bxc3 40. Rc5 Bf6 41. Rxc6 Rb4 42. Nh2 Be5 43. Rg6 Bxh2+ 44. Kxh2 Rb3 { 1/2-1/2 (44) Maiwald,J (2426)-Zilka,S (2606) Germany 2022}) 13. Bb5 $14 Bg4 $2 {It seems that Nakamura overrated the significance of White's weakened kingside and underestimated the significance of White's passed a-pawn.} (13... Bb6) 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 bxc6 16. Nxa5 $16 Qe6 $1 ({Black can regain the pawn, but it's not clear that this outweighs the value of the bishop.} 16... Bxf2+ 17. Rxf2 Rxa5 18. b4 Ra6 19. Be3 $16 {/+-}) 17. Qe2 Nh5 (17... Bxf2+ $16 {is still possible and probably the better option.}) 18. b4 Kh8 {Looking to gin up some kingside play with ...f5, which was impossible right away because of 19.Qc4.} 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 f5 $6 {The computer doesn't like this, but it's hard to believe that Black will survive in the long run without doing something active.} 21. Rg2 $6 (21. exf5 $1 Rxf5 22. Be3 $18) 21... fxe4 $2 ( 21... Rae8) 22. Qxe4 $18 Rf6 (22... Qh3 23. Qg4 $18) 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 $5 {A funny way of forcing a trade of queens. Black's knight is stuck and ...g6 would make things much worse, so Black must chase the white queen while picking up a pawn along the way.} (25. Qxd5 cxd5 26. Rf2 d4 {may be what Radjabov disliked. Now Black is okay unless White finds} 27. Nc4 $1 {, but even here} dxc3 28. Rc2 Rxf3 29. Rxc3 Rf5 {isn't completely clear.}) 25... Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 $2 (28. Nc4 $142 $18) 28... cxb4 $2 (28... Nf6 29. a5 Ne4 $16 {hits the pawn on c3, and this is why Black shouldn't have swapped on b4.}) 29. cxb4 $18 Rf6 (29... Nf6 30. a5 $18) 30. b5 {The rest is easy for Radjabov, who confidently converts his advantage to win his first game.} Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6 41. Nb6 {The time control has been made and the position is hopeless, so Nakamura resigns. A strange reversal of the first cycle: in round 1 he lost to Caruana and beat Radjabov, and in the second cycle both results were flipped.} (41. Nb6 Nxb6 42. Rxb6 Kc7 43. Rb7+ Kc8 (43... Kxc6 44. Rb8 $18) 44. Rf1 $18) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,80,28,46,20,10,53,12,38,32,32,-14,24,-16,47,55,45,38,58,35,41,67,51,4, 22,15,13,17,7,24,9,9,13,13,10,8,67,52,36,48,70,75,69,14,24,24,43,98,86,21,32, 44,11,15,18,18,18,12,12,13,21,-2,-8,-15,-20,-44,-43,-26,0,-1,-2,0,0,0,0,0,20, 23,3,23,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 (9. Qb3 {was Rapport's move against Nepo two rounds earlier. Recall that Caruana was blistering in his remarks about Rapport's ignorance of theory after that game, so let's see what Real Prep looks like.}) 9... Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 11. Nh4 $1 {Here it is - or rather, here's the start of it. In a standard position Caruana finds something new, a move only played once before (and then at the amateur level). It makes sense, undermining the knight on e4, but let's see how the details work out.} (11. Nc3 {is usual, as happened in one of the Carlsen-Nepo match games last year, as well as multiple Caruana games (primarily with him playing Black, but also on the white side).} Nxc3 12. Bxf5 Qxf5 {and now White chooses between 13.bxc3 and 13.Qxb7.}) 11... Be6 $146 (11... dxc4 $6 12. Qxc4 ({The more natural-looking} 12. Bxc4 {may be better.}) 12... Be6 13. Qc2 Nf6 14. Bg5 Be7 {0-1 (52) Rozman,M (1708)-Belsak,Z (1653) Murska Sobota 2006} 15. Nf3 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nc3 $14) 12. Qc2 Na6 ( 12... f5 13. Nc3 Na6 (13... Qf7 {looks sensible, giving some extra (direct) protection of the d-pawn while clearing d7 for the knight. Unfortunately for Black, it doesn't seem to work out as well as the text after} 14. Nf3 h6 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. Nb5 Bb4 17. Ne5 Qf6 18. Rd1 Rc8 19. Qb3 Ba5 20. Bxe4 fxe4 (20... dxe4 $2 21. d5 Qxe5 22. dxe6 $18) 21. Nd6 Rf8 22. Be3 $16) 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. a3 {transposes.}) 13. a3 f5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 Rac8 16. f3 (16. Be3 {is possible. The computer doesn't put} f4 $5 {in its top four choices, but as a self-respecting member of homo sapiens I decided to test it. It seems to work, though it's extremely complex.} 17. Bd2 Ng5 $8 18. Rxe6 ({White can also try the more patient} 18. Qb3 {, though it too will eventually explode into fireworks.} Nc7 19. Nb5 (19. Rac1 b5 $1 20. Nxb5 $2 Rb8 $19) 19... Nxb5 20. Bxb5 Qf7 21. Be2 Ne4 22. Bb4 Bxb4 23. axb4 $1 Kh8 $1 24. Nf3 (24. Rxa7 $2 g5 25. Nf3 Qh5 26. Rxb7 g4 27. Ne5 f3 $19) 24... Qh5 25. Qd1 Rf6 26. Rxa7 g5 27. Ne5 Qh4 28. Rf1 g4 $1 29. Bxg4 f3 $1 30. Bxe6 (30. g3 Bxg4 $3 31. gxh4 Bh3 32. Ra3 (32. Nxf3 $2 Rg8+ 33. Ng5 Nxg5 34. Kh1 Ne4 35. Ra8 Rxa8 36. f3 Raf8 $19) 32... Rg8+ 33. Kh1 Bg2+ 34. Kg1 Bh3+ 35. Kh1 Bg2+ $11) 30... fxg2 $1 31. Bxc8 ( 31. Kxg2 Rcf8 32. Nf7+ R8xf7 $8 (32... R6xf7 $2 33. Bxf7 Rxf7 34. Ra8+ $1 Kg7 35. Ra3 $18) 33. Ra8+ Kg7 34. Bxf7 Nxf2 $1 35. Qh5 Qe4+ 36. Kg3 Qe3+ 37. Kg2 Qe4+ 38. Kg3 Qe3+ $11)) 18... Qxe6 19. Bf5 Qe8 20. Re1 $1 (20. Bxc8 Qxc8 21. Qb3 Nc7 22. Nb5 $1 Nxb5 23. Qxb5 Qc6 {may not be so bad for Black.} 24. Qb3 $11 ) 20... Rxc3 21. Bxc3 Qh5 22. Qa4 $1 f3 23. Qd7 Bxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Qxh4+ 25. Kg1 fxg2 26. Kxg2 Qf4 27. Qxd5+ Kh8 28. Qe5 Qf3+ 29. Kg1 Qh5 30. Re3 Nf3+ 31. Rxf3 Qxf3 32. d5 Rg8 33. Be6 Nc5 34. Bxg8 Qg4+ 35. Qg3 Qxg3+ 36. fxg3 Kxg8 $11) 16... Be7 17. g3 {Nepo has done everything right so far, but here he finally goes astray.} Nd6 $2 {This leaves Black with too many loose pieces in the center. Caruana's next move takes advantage of this, and there's another, similar way to exploit this as well.} (17... Bf6 $1 18. Be3 (18. fxe4 fxe4 19. Bxa6 Bxd4+ 20. Be3 Bxe3+ 21. Rxe3 bxa6 $44 (21... d4 $4 22. Bb5 (22. Rd1 $18) 22... Qd6 23. Qxe4 dxe3 24. Bd3 g6 25. Nxg6 $18)) 18... Bxh4 19. gxh4 f4 20. Bc1 (20. fxe4 fxe3 21. Rxe3 dxe4 22. Bxe4 Qxd4 23. Bxh7+ Kh8 24. Qe4 Qf6 25. Qxe6 Qf2+ 26. Kh1 Rce8 27. Qxe8 Rxe8 28. Rxe8+ Kxh7 29. Ne4 Qf3+ 30. Kg1 Qg4+ 31. Kh1 (31. Ng3 $143 Qd4+ 32. Kh1 Qxb2 $15) 31... Qf3+ 32. Kg1 Qg4+ $11) 20... Nxc3 21. Bxh7+ Kh8 22. bxc3 Bg4 $1 {Mega bonus points for anyone spotting this at the board back on move 17.} 23. Qd3 (23. fxg4 Qxg4+ 24. Qg2 (24. Kh1 Qxh4 25. Rf1 Qxh7 $11) 24... Qxg2+ (24... Qxh4 $11) 25. Kxg2 Kxh7 $11) 23... Bxf3 24. Qxf3 Kxh7 25. Bxf4 Nc7 $44 {/=}) 18. Qa4 (18. Qe2 Nc7 (18... Bxh4 $4 19. Qxe6+ Qxe6 20. Rxe6 $18 {wins a piece.}) (18... Kf7 19. Bf4 g5 20. Qxe6+ Qxe6 21. Rxe6 Kxe6 22. Re1+ Kd7 23. Bxd6 Bxd6 (23... Kxd6 $4 24. Nxf5+ $18) 24. Bxf5+ Rxf5 25. Nxf5 Bxa3 26. Nxd5 Bxb2 27. Nf6+ Kc7 28. Nxh7 $16 {/+-}) 19. Nxd5 $1 Nxd5 (19... Bxh4 $6 20. Nxc7 Bb3 21. gxh4 Qxc7 22. Bf4 $16 {/+-}) ( 19... Bxd5 20. Qxe7 Qxe7 21. Rxe7 Ne6 22. Bd2 g5 23. Re1 $1 gxh4 24. R1xe6 Bxe6 25. Rxe6 Nc4 26. Bc3 hxg3 27. hxg3 $16 {The bishops are more important than the exchange.}) 20. Qxe6+ Qxe6 21. Rxe6 Rcd8 22. Re5 (22. Ng2 Bf6 23. Nf4 Nc7 24. Re2 Bxd4+ 25. Be3 Bxe3+ 26. Rxe3 $16 {/+/=}) 22... Nf7 23. Re1 $16) 18... Bf6 $6 (18... Rc6 $1 19. Bxa6 Bxh4 20. gxh4 Rxa6 21. Qxd7 Bxd7 22. Bf4 Nb5 23. Nxb5 Bxb5 24. Rac1 Rc6 25. Kf2 $16 {/+/= Despite the opposite-colored bishops, White has a non-trivial advantage because his bishop will be fantastic on e5, while Black's light-squared bishop has nothing to do. It may not be enough to win, but it's enough to try, with some hopes of success.}) 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 $16 {/+-} Rce8 22. Bf4 Nc5 23. Ne7+ Kf7 {[#]The critical moment. With the right move, Caruana is probably winning; after anything else, Black is fine.} 24. Bxf5 $2 {Now Black can save the game.} (24. Bf1 $1 Nc8 $1 ( 24... Rxe7 $2 25. Bxd6 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Rd8 27. Rd1 Be3 28. Rd5 Ne6 29. Nxf5 Bc6 30. Re5 $1 Bd4 31. Nxd4 Nxd4 32. Bb4 Bxf3+ 33. Kf2 $18 {Two bishops!}) 25. Bc4+ $1 (25. Nhxf5 Bxb2 26. Nxc8 $1 Bxa1 $8 27. Ncd6+ Kf6 28. Rc1 Be5 29. Rxc5 Bxf4 30. gxf4 Bxf5 31. Nxf5 Rc8 32. Ra5 $1 b6 $8 33. Rb5 Rc5 34. Rxc5 bxc5 35. Ne3 $14 {/+/- gives White some winning chances, but they're not as great as in the 25.Bc4+ line.}) 25... Be6 26. Rxe6 $1 Nxe6 27. Nhxf5 $1 Kf6 28. Nd5+ $3 { Maybe Caruana missed this trick?} Kg6 (28... Kxf5 $2 29. Bd3# $1 {The beautiful point.}) 29. Nxd4 Nxd4 30. Bd3+ Kf7 31. Be3 Ne6 32. Bc4 $16 {/+- The bishop pair outweighs the exchange once again. White is not winning outright, but Black's position is, and will continue indefinitely to be, miserable.}) 24... Nxf5 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Nd3 28. Re4 Bxb2 29. Be3 Bxa3 30. Bxa7 {If anything, Black is microscopically better thanks to the outside passer, but Caruana will have no trouble holding the draw.} Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Ne1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,121,28,-16,-9,-42,-21,-21,-20,-20,-19,-15,-11,-6,2,16,24,37,41,-8,21, 23,31,-3,-21,13,7,4,4,12,21,15,15,10,10,1,10,-19,-25,-11,-27,-27,-7,2,18,1,14, -44,-39,-61,-66,-66,-47,-61,8,5,-1,0,23,0,43,27,23,31,31,9,67,27,130,7,0,0,0,0, 43,26,50,50,121,116,90,91,104,106,114,109,116,109,109,115,156,156,139,165,163, 194,188,161,157,146,181,173,180,165,169,179,173,181,177,181,186,177,177,171, 237,213,307,321,294,338,364,346,337,354]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 ( 4. d4 {would be Ding's beloved Catalan. He has been avoiding this in the event though, as it leads to forcing lines that allow Black to kill the game with the right preparation.}) 4... dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. O-O (9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Bc5 11. Nb3 Bd6 12. O-O O-O 13. Rd1 Be5 14. Be3 Nd5 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Rac1 Nf6 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Rxd5 Qxc2 19. Rxc2 Bf6 20. Nc5 Re8 21. Bd4 Be7 22. Re5 f6 23. Re3 Bf5 24. Rd2 Bxc5 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. Bxc5 Rc8 27. b4 a5 28. a3 axb4 29. axb4 Rc7 30. f3 Rd7 31. Ra2 h5 32. Kf2 Kf7 33. h4 Be6 34. Ra8 b5 35. e4 Bc4 36. Ke3 Rd3+ 37. Kf4 Rd7 38. Rh8 Kg6 39. g4 hxg4 40. fxg4 Kf7 41. h5 Bb3 42. e5 fxe5+ 43. Kxe5 Rd5+ 44. Kf4 Rd1 45. Rf8+ Ke6 46. Re8+ Kf7 47. Rf8+ Ke6 48. Kg5 Bc2 49. Re8+ Kf7 50. Re7+ Kg8 51. Rb7 Rd5+ 52. Kh4 Bd3 53. g5 Rd8 54. g6 Bc4 55. Kg5 Rd5+ 56. Kf4 Rd8 57. Bd6 Be2 58. Be5 Bxh5 59. Kg5 Be2 60. Rxg7+ Kf8 61. Rf7+ Ke8 62. Kf6 Bc4 63. Rh7 Rd1 64. Re7+ Kd8 65. Ra7 Rf1+ 66. Kg7 Ke8 67. Bf6 Re1 68. Kh8 Rh1+ 69. Kg7 Re1 70. Rb7 Re2 71. Ra7 Re1 72. Rc7 Re2 73. Ra7 Re1 74. Ra3 Re2 75. Ra8+ Kd7 76. Kf8 Rf2 77. Kg7 Rg2 78. Rd8+ Ke6 79. Re8+ Kd7 80. Re5 Kd6 81. Re3 Kd7 82. Re7+ Kd6 83. Re3 Kd7 84. Kh6 Rh2+ 85. Kg7 Rg2 86. Bd4 Rg4 87. Bc5 Rg2 {1-0 (87) Ding,L (2805)-Carlsen,M (2882) Saint Louis 2019 (blitz)}) 9... b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. dxc5 {Played seven times, resulting in seven draws. That perfect score ends at the end of this game.} ( 11. Bf4 Bd6 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Rfd1 O-O 14. e4 $11 {/+/= has been played 25 times, including a handful of super-GM battles.}) 11... Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Rd4 $146 (15. Rac1 {was the only move hitherto played. Here's the one OTB game; the remainder were short draws in email games. } Rc8 16. Qb1 (16. Qd3 O-O 17. Qd6 Rfd8 (17... Bc6 18. Qxc7 Rxc7 19. Ne4 Nxe4 20. Nd4 Rfc8 21. Nxc6 Rxc6 22. Rxc6 Rxc6 23. Bxe4 {1/2-1/2 (23) Schuster,P (2470)-Pauwels,C (2555) ICCF email 2011}) 18. Ne1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qxd6 20. Rxd6 Ne4 21. Rd3 Kf8 22. f3 Nec5 23. Rd2 Nb7 24. b3 Ke7 25. Rdc2 Nd6 26. Kf2 Nc5 27. e4 f6 28. h4 a5 29. g4 h6 30. h5 Rd7 31. Ke2 Na6 32. Nd3 Rdc7 33. Kd2 Nf7 34. Nf4 {1/2-1/2 (34) Zhak,B (2556)-Barnsley,A (2509) ICCF email 2009}) 16... Qb8 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qb7+ (18... h6 19. Nge4 O-O 20. Rd4 b5 21. b4 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Rxc1 {1/2-1/2 (22) Kubasky,A (2279)-Sheppard,B (2252) ICCF email 2008}) 19. f3 O-O 20. Nce4 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qb8 22. Rd1 h6 23. Rxd7 Nxd7 24. Nc5 hxg5 25. Nxd7 Qc7 26. Nxf8 Kxf8 27. Qd3 a5 28. Qe3 Qd8 29. Kf2 Kg8 30. Ke1 Kf8 31. Qe5 Kg8 32. h3 Kf8 33. Qe3 Ke8 34. Qd2 Qf6 35. Qc1 Kd7 36. Qd1+ Kc7 37. Qc2+ Kd6 38. Qd3+ Kc6 39. Qc4+ Kd6 40. Qb5 Kc7 41. Qc4+ Kd6 42. Qb5 Kc7 43. Qe8 Qxb2 44. Qxf7+ Kd6 45. Qf8+ Kd7 46. Qf7+ Kd6 47. Qf8+ Kd7 {1/2-1/2 (47) Aronian,L (2797) -Wojtaszek,R (2744) Wijk aan Zee 2015}) 15... O-O 16. Rad1 Rac8 17. Qd2 Nc5 ( 17... Bc6 $142) 18. Qf4 Qxf4 19. gxf4 Nce4 (19... Nd5 $142 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Ne5 Bxa2 22. b4 Bb3 23. Ra1 Na4 24. Bf3 $14) 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Bd5 22. a4 ( 22. Bxd5 $142) 22... a5 23. e4 Bb3 24. R1d3 Rc1+ 25. Bf1 Bc2 26. Rc3 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Rc4 Rd8 (28... Bb3 $142 29. Rd4 Rc8 $11) 29. Nc6 (29. f3 $142 $14 ) 29... Rd2 30. Nxa5 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. b4 Rc1 (33... Nxe4 34. Nxb6 Ra2 $11) 34. Nxb6 Rb1 $11 35. Kg2 Rxb4 36. a5 Rb3 (36... Nh5 $142 37. a6 Nxf4+ 38. Kg3 $8 (38. Kg1 $4 Rb1 39. h4 (39. a7 Bf3 $1 40. Rc2 (40. h3 Ne2+ 41. Kh2 Rxf1 42. a8=Q Rh1#) 40... Nh3#) 39... Be2 40. a7 Rxf1+ 41. Kh2 Rxf2+ 42. Kg3 Rf3+ 43. Kh2 (43. Kg4 h5+ 44. Kg5 f6#) 43... e5 $1 44. a8=Q Rf2+ 45. Kg3 ( 45. Kg1 Nh3+ 46. Kh1 Bf3#) 45... Rg2#) 38... Nh5+ 39. Kg2 Nf4+ 40. Kg3 $11) 37. Rc1 Bf3+ 38. Kg1 Ra3 $6 (38... Bxe4 $142 $11 {/+/=}) 39. Nc4 Ra2 40. Ne5 Bxe4 $2 {A mistake on the last move of the time control. (Has this ever happened before? [I mean, other than pretty much every tournament.])} (40... Bh5 { will leave Black with an unpleasant second time control, and most likely an unpleasant third time control as well, but he has good chances of eventually achieving a happy ending (a draw).} 41. a6 $14 (41. Rc7 g5 {is of course the point.} 42. fxg5 Nxe4 43. a6 Nxg5 $11) 41... Nxe4 $8 42. f3 Nd2 $8 43. Be2 $14 {/+/-}) 41. Rc7 $18 Nd5 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. a6 {Black's position cannot be saved, though Black finds a nice defensive setup that put Ding to the test.} Nb4 44. Ra7 Nc6 45. Rc7 Nd4 46. f3 $1 Nxf3+ 47. Nxf3 Bxf3 48. a7 Bd5 {White's problem is that there's no obvious way to chase Black's bishop off the long diagonal. The rook needs to keep the a-pawn protected, and his king is cut off on the first rank. So how is he supposed to win? Watch and see.} 49. h4 Ra4 50. Bb5 Ra5 (50... Rxf4 $2 51. Bc6 Bxc6 52. Rxc6 Ra4 53. Rc8+ $18) 51. Rd7 Ra2 (51... Rxb5 $2 52. Rxd5 Rxd5 53. a8=Q+ {Black does not have a fortress here.}) 52. Kf1 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Bd5 54. Kd1 Kh8 55. Kc1 Be4 56. Rc7 Ra5 ({Trying to wait with} 56... Kg8 $6 {fails to} 57. Bc4 $18) 57. Bd7 Ra1+ (57... Bd5 58. Be8) 58. Kb2 Rb1+ 59. Ka2 Rb6 60. Ka3 Kg8 61. Ka4 {With the king's help, progress is imminent. Duda had had enough.} (61. Ka4 Ra6+ 62. Kb5 Bd3+ 63. Kc5 Be4 64. Kb5 Ra1 65. Bc6 $18) 1-0