[Event "Bundesliga"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.10.23"] [Round "2"] [White "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vasyl"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D12"] [WhiteElo "2697"] [BlackElo "2678"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "45"] {[%evp 0,45,16,11,14,-10,30,29,21,39,10,8,7,4,16,10,21,15,19,26,26,11,26,20,33,42,27,35,47,52,53,54,44,14,45,35,63,61,55,42,42,57,121,235,265,272,321,295]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Be2 (7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd2) 7... Nbd7 8. O-O dxc4 (8... Bd6 {is more common, when play generally continues} 9. g3 O-O 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Qb3 Rb8 12. Rd1 Qe7 13. Qc2 {and so on.}) 9. Bxc4 Bh5 10. Be2 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 $14 {Black has avoided surrendering the bishop pair to White, but Eljanov's superior center gives him the advantage anyway.} c5 $6 {Ivanchuk wants to eliminate White's central majority, but allowing the center to be opened is dangerous for him with his king still in the center.} (11... b5 $142) 12. Rd1 $16 cxd4 13. exd4 Nb6 $2 {This is the only move that has been played here, and in previous games - including a game featuring a GM - Black has scored 2.5/3. Don't be deceived, though: White is already winning!} ({Black's position is already so precarious that only} 13... Bb4 $8 {avoids a losing position. White is "only" clearly better after} 14. d5 Qe7 $8 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 O-O 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. Nf3 $16 {Black's problem, obviously enough, is the isolated e-pawn.}) 14. Nf5 $1 $18 {Making it difficult for Black to safely develop the kingside.} (14. d5 $1 $18 {is also strong, and was played in one of the prior games.} Nfxd5 15. Nf5 (15. Be3 $1 $146 {is a very unobvious move, but the threat to take on b6 justifies it.} Bd6 (15... Qc8 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Rxd5 exd5 18. Re1 $1 Qc4 19. Qh5 $1 Be7 (19... Bb4 20. b3 Qc2 21. Bd2+ Be7 22. Bb4 O-O 23. Bxe7 $18) 20. Bg5 O-O 21. Bxe7 $18) 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Rxd5 Bxh2+ 18. Kxh2 Qxd5 19. Rd1 Qa5 20. Qg4 O-O 21. Bd4 Qc7+ 22. f4 f6 23. Qxe6+ $18) 15... Qd7 16. Nxd5 $2 (16. Bg5 $1 $18) 16... Nxd5 17. Bg5 $14 {/?} h6 $8 18. Bh4 (18. Bd2 $142) 18... g5 19. Bg3 Be7 20. Ne3 O-O $2 (20... Rc8 $142 $14) 21. Qh5 $16 {/+- Black eventually won the game, but not because he's in anything but deep trouble at this point. 0-1 (56) Rozum,I (2600)-Bu,X (2711) Ho Chi Minh City 2017}) 14... Nfd5 (14... Qd7 {was played in the two earlier games, and White replied with 15.Qe5 - wrongly. The right way for White is} 15. d5 $1 Nfxd5 (15... Nbxd5 16. Bg5 $18) 16. Bg5 $18) 15. Ne4 {A good move.} (15. a4 $1 {is even stronger, reminiscent of the 14.d5 Nfxd5 15.Be3! line in that it goes after the b6-knight.}) 15... h6 {Best, keeping the enemy invaders out of g5.} (15... exf5 $4 16. Nf6#) 16. a4 $1 {Even here going after the b6-knight with a5 is a good and useful idea. Secondarily, White may also intend to involve the a1-rook in the attack via a3.} a6 17. Nc5 {Activating the knight, introducing the possibility of Nxe6, and making a3 safe for the rook.} Qf6 {Covering e6 and threatening the knight.} 18. Ng3 Rb8 (18... Qe7 19. Ra3 $18) 19. Ra3 Nd7 (19... Bxc5 $2 20. dxc5 {costs Black a piece, as the knight on b6 can only save itself at the cost of his twin on d5.}) 20. Nh5 $1 Qf5 21. Rf3 $1 Qxh5 22. Nxe6 $1 Ne7 {The only reasonable try, but after White's next move Black is finished anyway.} (22... fxe6 23. Rxf8+ Kxf8 24. Qxh5 $18) (22... Be7 $2 23. Nxg7+ $18) 23. Re1 $1 {Threatening both 24.Nxf8 and 24.Nxg7+. There is no reasonable defense - which is to be expected with Black's king stuck in the center and his pieces largely undeveloped. A nice massacre of a win by Eljanov, but one must also admit that Ivanchuk's preparation was uncharacteristically poor.} 1-0