[Event "Monaco WGP 2019"] [Site "Monaco MNC"] [Date "2019.12.08"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Harika, D."] [Black "Muzychuk, M."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D79"] [WhiteElo "2518"] [BlackElo "2552"] [Annotator "Yip"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2019.12.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "MNC"] [EventCategory "11"] [SourceTitle "TWIC 1309"] [Source "Mark Crowther"] [SourceDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceQuality "2"] {[%evp 18,137,40,-9,9,0,31,-1,26,-2,30,-19,41,-10,0,0,9,10,28,0,37,0,41,9,23,9, 33,9,36,9,100,29,72,65,165,164,169,31,160,144,330,325,317,309,234,161,163,121, 339,211,575,348,347,330,324,311,319,320,329,202,202,202,202,202,202,202,202, 192,192,192,202,202,202,202,192,196,202,192,482,512,382,100,100,100,100,100, 6252,6233,15306,15306,15307,15308,15310,15312,15314,15314,15315,15315,15319, 15316,15317,15314,15315,15315,15316,15316,15316,15316,15317,15316,15317,15317, 15315,15315,15316,15315,15318,15315,29986,15321,29985,15322]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 c6 {Delchev's main recommendation is the fluid line but the solid line is a backup} 7. cxd5 cxd5 8. Ne5 Ne4 9. Nc3 Bf5 {[Delchev]} 10. Bf4 Nxc3 (10... Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Na4 { Is a structure that Black should avoid}) 11. bxc3 Nc6 12. Nxc6 (12. Qb3 e6) 12... bxc6 {The position is equal.} 13. Qa4 e6 14. Rad1 {is not mentioned by Delchev} (14. Qxc6 Rc8 15. Qa4 Rxc3 16. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 17. Rxc1 Qb6 18. e3 { 1/2-1/2 (39) Ding,L (2812)-Carlsen,M (2845) Shamkir 2019}) (14. f3 g5) 14... h6 {/\..g5 to harass Bf4 but possibly development was a higher priority} ({Predecessor:} 14... Qe7 {Contests the dark squares and prevents Qa3 ideas} 15. c4 {1/2-1/2 (15) Straka,Z (2584)-Bescos Anzano,M (2562) ICCF email 2016}) 15. Rfe1 {/\e4} (15. Qa3 {Targeting the dark squares is an option}) 15... g5 16. Bc1 Qb6 17. e4 Bg6 18. Ba3 {White is making some progress on the dark squares} Rfb8 19. Bc5 Qb2 20. c4 {[%CAl Rc4d5]} (20. Qxc6 $5 {[%CAl Re4d5]} Bxe4 21. Bxe4 dxe4 22. Qxe4) 20... dxe4 21. Bxe4 Bxe4 22. Rxe4 Rd8 23. Kf1 {[%mdl 2048] White has the better structure and safer king } (23. Qxc6 Qc2) 23... Bf8 (23... Qc3 {keeps the balance.}) 24. Bxf8 $16 (24. Qxc6 Qc2) 24... Kxf8 25. h4 ({But not} 25. Qxc6 Qc2) (25. Re2 $5 {[%CAl Re2b2]} Qb6 26. Qa3+ Kg8 27. Rb2) 25... Rd6 ({Black should try} 25... Rac8) 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. Kg1 (27. Kg2) 27... Rad8 (27... c5 $14) 28. Qa5 ({Inferior is} 28. Qxa7 Qc2) 28... Qc2 (28... Ke8 $16) 29. Rde1 Qxc4 30. Qxg5 Qd5 31. Qh6+ Ke7 32. Rf4 ({White should play} 32. Qh4+ Kd7 33. Rf4) 32... Qxa2 (32... Rf8) 33. Qg5+ Ke8 (33... Kd7 {is tougher.} 34. Rxf7+ Kc8) 34. d5 Qxd5 35. Qg8+ Kd7 36. Qxf7+ Kc8 37. Qxa7 {Threatening mate with Rb4.} Qb5 38. Rf7 {[%csl Ga7][%CAl Rf7c7]} R6d7 39. Qa8+ Kc7 40. Qa7+ Kc8 41. Qa8+ Kc7 42. Rxd7+ Rxd7 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KQR-KQR} 43. Ra1 {[%CAl Ra1a7] Ra7+ is the strong threat.} c5 44. Ra7+ Kd6 45. Qf8+ Kc6 {And now ...Qb1+ would win.} 46. Ra1 c4 47. Qc8+ Kb6 (47... Kd6 48. Rc1 Qb3 49. Rxc4 Qd1+ 50. Kg2 Qd5+ 51. f3 Qd2+ 52. Kh3 Rh7+ 53. Rh4 Rxh4+ 54. gxh4 Ke7 55. Qc7+ Kf8) 48. Rc1 Qc6 49. Qxc6+ (49. Rb1+ {and White stays clearly on top.} Kc5 50. Qf8+ Rd6 51. Qe7) 49... Kxc6 50. Rxc4+ { KR-KR} Kd5 51. Rf4 e5 {[%mdl 8192] } (51... Rd8) 52. Rf6 e4 53. Kg2 Re7 54. Kh3 Rh7+ 55. Kg4 Rh2 56. Kg5 Kd4 57. g4 Rg2 58. Rf5 Kd3 59. Rf4 Rh2 60. Kf5 Rh8 61. g5 Rf8+ 62. Kg4 Rg8 63. Kh5 Rh8+ 64. Kg6 Rg8+ 65. Kh6 Rh8+ 66. Kg7 Rh3 67. Kf6 Rf3 68. Kf5 Ke2 69. Kxe4 {Accuracy: White = 60% (34/17/59), Black = 51% (25/21/57).} 1-0 [Event "Monaco WGP 2019"] [Site "Monaco MNC"] [Date "2019.12.08"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Zhao Xue"] [Black "Muzychuk, A."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D80"] [WhiteElo "2485"] [BlackElo "2543"] [Annotator "Yip"] [PlyCount "126"] [EventDate "2019.12.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "MNC"] [EventCategory "11"] [SourceTitle "TWIC 1309"] [Source "Mark Crowther"] [SourceDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceQuality "2"] {[%evp 13,126,18,78,-11,61,-12,56,9,42,12,39,9,56,35,56,16,83,11,72,1,18,9,40, 25,45,-10,6,0,9,-9,0,-14,0,-145,-111,-151,-115,-135,-92,-150,-140,-149,-131, -203,-174,-202,-197,-196,-188,-186,-175,-189,-158,-172,-71,-84,-70,-95,-28,-94, -84,-138,-99,-115,-90,-114,-106,-100,-87,-105,-96,-119,-107,-127,-21,-164,-148, -356,-356,-356,-349,-293,-300,-339,-329,-429,-411,-556,-392,-368,-250,-556, -554,-541,-521,-543,-541,-782,-779,-753,-696,-1039,-1040,-1007,-1011,-1236, -1234,-1128,-1069,-1038,-888,-1659,-1591,-15298,-6956]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Bh4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 dxc4 7. e3 Be6 {Intending to hang onto the c4-pawn is the Delchev approach} 8. Be2 (8. Nf3 Bg7 9. Qb1 b6 10. Ng5 Bd5 11. e4 h6 12. Nh3 Bb7 13. Bxc4 c5 14. Nf4 Qd7 15. e5 e6 16. O-O cxd4 17. Bf6 Bxf6 18. exf6 {0-1 (44) Wei,Y (2736)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2780) Abidjan 2019}) 8... Bg7 (8... Nd7 9. Nf3 Nb6 10. O-O Bg7 11. a4 a5 {/\xa4} 12. Qc2 O-O 13. Rfb1 Qe8 14. Bg3 Bd7 15. Bd1 Qd8 16. Ne5 Bxe5 17. Bxe5 Bc6 18. Qa2 Qd7 19. f3 e6 20. e4 f6 21. Bg3 Rfc8 {[Delchev]}) 9. Nh3 (9. Nf3) 9... c5 { Undermining the centre and undoubling the c-pawns is thematic} (9... Bxh3 10. gxh3 Qd7) 10. Nf4 (10. O-O {feels stronger.}) 10... Bf5 {The strong light bishop should be kept} 11. O-O ({Predecessor:} 11. Qa4+ Nc6 12. O-O cxd4 13. cxd4 O-O 14. Bxc4 a6 15. Bd5 Qd6 {0-1 (29) Tari,A (2591)-Suarez Uriel, A (2406) Barcelona 2017}) 11... cxd4 12. cxd4 Nc6 {Returning the P to complete development} 13. Bxc4 O-O 14. Rc1 Qd6 (14... Rc8) 15. Bg3 (15. Bb3) 15... Qa3 16. Qb3 (16. Nd5) 16... Qxb3 17. Bxb3 Rac8 {The strong Bg7 and queenside majority give Black a good ending} 18. Nd5 {Rxc6! is the strong threat.} Rfe8 19. Rc5 {Ambitious but White's rooks become vulnerable later} (19. Rfd1) 19... e6 20. Nc7 Red8 21. Rfc1 Bf8 {[%mdl 2048] Black has the initiative.} 22. Rb5 Ba3 23. Rc3 {The 3rd<-> xray is overoptimistic and is a clear mistake} (23. Re1) 23... Bb2 {The Rc3 is out of good squares} 24. Rcc5 Ba3 25. Rc3 Bb2 26. Rcc5 {} (26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. Ra5) 26... Bxd4 {[%mdl 512] A nice little combination presses the issue} 27. exd4 Nxd4 {Black attacks the Rb5 and also any useful knight move will threaten back rank mate} 28. h3 {} (28. h4 b6 29. Rc4) (28. Rb4 {Allows the weak back rank to be exploited} Nxb3 29. axb3 (29. Rxb3 Rd1#) 29... Rd1#) (28. f3 b6 29. Rc4 (29. Rc3 Ne2+) 29... Bd3 30. Rbb4 Bxc4 31. Rxc4 a5 $19) 28... b6 {[%CAl Rb6c5] Prodding the Rc5 is correct and both white rooks are misplaced} (28... Nxb5 {Is premature} 29. Rxb5 b6) 29. Rc4 Ne2+ ({Don't do} 29... Nxb5 30. Nxb5 Rxc4 31. Bxc4) ({or} 29... Bd3 30. Rbb4 (30. Rxd4 Rxd4 31. Rg5 a5) 30... Ne2+ 31. Kh2 Nxg3 32. Kxg3 Bxc4 33. Rxc4 Rd7 34. Nb5 Rxc4 35. Bxc4 a6 36. Na3 {The BN coordinate poorly} b5 (36... Rd2) 37. Bb3 Rd2 38. Nb1 (38. f4 Kf8) 38... Rb2 39. Nc3 (39. Na3 a5 40. Nxb5 a4) 39... a5 {The pawns play a key role} 40. Nxb5 a4 41. Bxa4 Rb4 $19) 30. Kh2 Nxg3 31. Kxg3 Bd3 32. Rbb4 ({Not} 32. Nxe6 Bxc4 33. Bxc4 Rd6 $19) 32... Bxc4 33. Rxc4 Kg7 (33... Rd7 34. Nb5 Rxc4 35. Bxc4 a6) 34. Kf3 $17 h5 35. Ke3 Kf8 (35... h4) 36. Ba4 (36. h4 {remains equal.}) 36... Ke7 37. Bb5 ({Better is} 37. g4) 37... Rd1 38. Ba6 Rcd8 {And now ...R8d3+ would win.} 39. Rc2 Re1+ 40. Be2 Rc8 { aiming for ...Kd7.} 41. Nd5+ { [%mdl 512]} Kd8 (41... exd5 42. Rxc8) 42. Rxc8+ Kxc8 43. Nc3 Kd7 (43... Rg1 44. Bf3 Kd7) 44. Nd1 (44. h4 {and White is okay.}) 44... Rg1 45. f4 $2 (45. Kf3) 45... Rxg2 46. Kf3 Rh2 47. Nf2 {} h4 48. Bb5+ Ke7 49. Bc6 Kd6 50. Be8 Ke7 51. Bc6 Kd6 52. Be8 (52. Bb7 {is a better chance.}) 52... f5 {Black is clearly winning.} 53. Bxg6 Ke7 54. Bh5 b5 55. a3 a5 56. Ke3 Rg2 57. Be2 Rg3+ 58. Kd4 Rxa3 59. Bxb5 Rf3 60. Nd3 Rxh3 61. Ne5 Rh1 62. Nc6+ Kf6 63. Nxa5 h3 {Accuracy: White = 40% (18/14/55), Black = 82% (37/12/55).} 0-1 [Event "Russia-China Match Men"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2019.11.27"] [Round "2"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Xu, Xiangyu"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D85"] [WhiteElo "2636"] [BlackElo "2583"] [Annotator "Yip"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2019.11.26"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "TWIC 1309"] [Source "Mark Crowther"] [SourceDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceQuality "2"] [WhiteTeam "RUS"] [BlackTeam "CHN"] {[%evp 16,69,76,0,43,0,35,3,86,33,59,23,70,33,90,55,104,53,139,95,117,105,104, 98,103,94,99,96,100,92,122,55,72,37,58,14,133,110,143,143,147,143,152,145,326, 316,390,373,15304,15304,15300,15305,15300,15298,1920,1775]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Be3 Bg4 {Is one of the approaches recommended by Delchev} 9. Qa4+ (9. Rc1 O-O 10. Be2 Qa5 11. Qd2 Nd7 12. d5 c4 {[Delchev]}) 9... Nc6 (9... Nd7 10. Ne5 cxd4 11. cxd4 Bxe5 12. dxe5 O-O 13. f4 Rc8 14. Qa3 Rc2 15. Rc1 Qc7 16. Bd3 Rxc1+ 17. Qxc1 Qxc1+ 18. Bxc1 {0-1 (48) Kozul,Z (2609)-Li,C (2757) Karlsruhe 2016}) 10. Rc1 { Is not mentioned by Delchev} (10. Ne5 Bxe5 {A thematic exchange} 11. dxe5 $11 O-O 12. h3 Be6 13. f4 Rc8 14. Be2 Qa5 15. Qxa5 Nxa5 16. Rf1 f5) 10... Bxf3 11. gxf3 {Breaking up the kingside structure is a fundamental idea behind ..Bg4} O-O (11... cxd4 {keeps the balance.} 12. cxd4 a6) 12. d5 Ne5 13. f4 ({Predecessor:} 13. Be2 c4 14. f4 Nd3+ 15. Bxd3 cxd3 16. Qb5 Rc8 { 1/2-1/2 (28) Gonzalez Rodriguez,J (2422)-Asis Gargatagli,H (2420) Barcelona 2011}) 13... Ng4 {The bishop pair can be removed any time but this strategic option has cost Black valuable time} (13... Nf3+ 14. Ke2 Nh4) 14. h4 e6 (14... h5) 15. dxe6 ({Worse is} 15. Bxc5 Qc7) 15... fxe6 16. Qc4 {Increases the pressure} (16. e5) 16... Kh8 {Offering the e-pawn to open lines and gain development time} ({Black should try} 16... Qe8) 17. Qxe6 (17. e5) 17... Nf6 {Threatening ...Re8.} 18. h5 {Time is of the essence as the centre is open which is not ideal for a flank attack} Nxh5 19. f5 Re8 20. Qc4 {Black must now prevent fxg6.} b5 {Hoping to get some form of counterplay by hitting the exposed queen} 21. Qe2 ({Don't play} 21. Qxb5 Rxe4 22. Qc6 Ng3 {[%mdl 512]}) 21... Rxe4 {} 22. fxg6 Rh4 { Hoping to shut down the attack by blocking the h<-> and trading off the Rh1} 23. Rxh4 (23. Qf3 {Rxh4 is the strong threat.} Rb8 24. Bxb5) 23... Qxh4 $14 24. Qxb5 Nf6 25. Bg2 (25. Qc4 Qh1 26. Qxc5) 25... Rf8 (25... Re8 26. Kf1 (26. Qxc5 Ng4) 26... Bh6) 26. Qxc5 {White is having a pawn feast and the bishop pair is ideal on the open board} Ng4 27. Bd4 {[%CAl Rc5f8] } Re8+ 28. Kf1 hxg6 29. Qxa7 {[%csl Gd4][%CAl Ra7g7][%mdl 128] White wants a kill.} Bxd4 (29... Re7 {keeps fighting.} 30. Qb8+ Kh7) 30. Qxd4+ Kg8 31. Rb1 Re5 (31... Rd8 32. Bd5+ Kf8 33. Qf4+ Qf6 34. Qxg4 Rxd5 35. Rb8+ Kf7 36. Rb7+ Kg8) 32. Qc4+ {White is clearly winning.} Kf8 33. Rb8+ Re8 34. Qc5+ Qe7 35. Rxe8+ {[%mdl 64] Pin. Accuracy: White = 77% (17/8/26), Black = 47% (15/3/25).} 1-0 [Event "Monaco WGP 2019"] [Site "Monaco MNC"] [Date "2019.12.04"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Koneru, H."] [Black "Muzychuk, M."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D87"] [WhiteElo "2577"] [BlackElo "2552"] [Annotator "Yip"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2019.12.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "MNC"] [EventCategory "11"] [SourceTitle "TWIC 1309"] [Source "Mark Crowther"] [SourceDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceQuality "2"] {[%evp 19,127,12,47,26,34,28,36,21,60,17,75,67,114,51,162,37,85,15,129,13,48, 58,65,62,68,11,12,15,127,69,81,65,64,50,141,134,135,103,130,78,100,89,140,79, 127,83,108,112,123,80,143,142,144,144,190,186,244,235,225,222,207,140,151,123, 234,230,234,225,231,214,222,209,382,376,642,635,590,573,823,750,15306,15306, 15312,15313,15313,15313,15314,15315,15316,15316,29972,29977,29977,29977,29977, 29979,29979,29980,29981,29977,29983,29984,29984,29985,29984,29985,29985,29986, 29986,29987]} 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 b6 (10... e6 {Is Delchev's current recommendation}) (10... Qc7 {Is the Smyslov Variation}) 11. dxc5 {Breaking up the pawn centre looks positionally undesirable but a pawn is a pawn} (11. Rc1 Bb7 12. Qd2 e6 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. cxd4 Rc8 15. Bb5 Qd6 16. Bf4 e5 17. d5 Na5 18. Be3 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 {1/2-1/2 (41) Harikrishna,P (2731)-Ding,L (2801) Kolkata 2019 }) 11... Qc7 {Casually continuing with a thematc pawn sacriice where the a,c files are normal compensation} 12. Nd4 {And now Nxc6 would win.} Ne5 13. Nb5 { White is slightly better.} Qb8 14. Be2 (14. Bd5 Ng4 15. g3 Nxe3 16. fxe3 a6 17. Nd4 bxc5 18. Rb1 Qa7 19. Nc6 Qc7 20. Nxe7+ Qxe7 21. Bxa8 Bh3 22. Bd5 Bxf1 23. Qxf1 Bxc3 24. Qxa6 Qg5 25. Qe2 Kh8 26. Kg2 f5 27. Qd3 Be5 28. Rf1 Kg7 29. exf5 Rxf5 30. a4 Rxf1 31. Kxf1 Bd4 32. Bc4 Bxe3 33. Qd7+ Kh6 34. Qh3+ Kg7 35. Qe6 Bd4 36. Qf7+ Kh6 37. a5 Bf6 38. Kg2 Qd2+ 39. Kh3 Qg5 40. Qf8+ Bg7 41. Qf3 Bd4 42. a6 Qe7 43. Qa8 Bf6 44. a7 Qd7+ 45. g4 Qe7 46. Qf3 Qxa7 47. Qxf6 Qa3+ 48. Bd3 Qxd3+ 49. Kh4 Qd4 50. Qf8+ Qg7 51. g5# {1-0 (51) Karjakin,S (2750) -Vachier Lagrave,M (2778) Saint Louis USA 2019}) 14... a6 {Chasing back the knight is not the only move} (14... bxc5 {Opening up the position further is also fashionable} 15. Bxc5 (15. f4 Ng4 16. Bxc5 a6 17. Na3 Qc7 18. Bd4 e5 19. fxe5 Nxe5 20. Qc1 Bg4 21. Bxg4 Nxg4 22. Qf4 Qxf4 23. Rxf4 Ne5 24. Rb1 Rac8 25. Rff1 Rfe8 26. Rb7 Bf8 27. Nc2 Nc6 28. Bb6 Rb8 29. Rxb8 Rxb8 30. Be3 Rb2 31. Nd4 Ne5 32. Rf2 Rb1+ 33. Rf1 Rb2 34. Rf2 Rb1+ 35. Rf1 {1/2-1/2 (35) Koneru,H (2577)-Lagno,K (2549) Monaco MNC 2019}) (15. Rb1 a6 16. Na3 Qc7 17. f4 Rd8 18. Qc2 Ng4 19. Bxg4 Bxg4 20. f5 gxf5 21. Nc4 e6 22. h3 Bh5 23. exf5 exf5 24. Bg5 Rf8 25. Bf4 Qc6 26. Rbe1 Rfe8 27. Be5 Bg6 28. Qf2 f6 29. Bg3 Bf8 30. Ne3 c4 31. Nxf5 Rxe1 32. Rxe1 Re8 33. Rxe8 Qxe8 34. Nd4 Kf7 35. Qf4 Bc5 36. Kh2 Qe5 37. Qg4 Qd5 38. Qf4 Bxd4 39. cxd4 Be4 40. Bh4 Qxd4 41. Qc7+ Kg6 42. Qg3+ Kf7 43. Qc7+ Kg6 44. Qg3+ Kf7 45. Qc7+ {1/2-1/2 (45) Arvola,B (2497)-Tari,A (2620) Larvik NOR 2019}) 15... a6 16. Nd4 Qc7 17. Nb3 a5 18. Bd4 a4 19. Nc5 Rd8 20. Qc1 Ng4 21. Bxg4 Bxg4 22. h3 e5 23. Be3 Be2 24. Re1 Bc4 25. Qc2 Bf8 26. Nxa4 Bd3 27. Qb3 Qc6 28. Nb6 Ra3 29. Qb2 Bxe4 30. f3 Bf5 31. Bf2 Rxc3 32. Rac1 Bb4 33. a3 Ba5 34. Rxc3 Bxc3 35. Qc1 Rd2 36. Rd1 Rc2 37. Qh6 Bd4 38. Rxd4 exd4 39. Bxd4 f6 40. Qe3 Kf7 41. a4 Rc1+ 42. Kf2 g5 43. a5 Qc2+ 44. Kg3 Qc7+ 45. f4 Re1 46. Qb3+ Be6 47. Qf3 Kg6 48. a6 h5 49. a7 h4+ 50. Kf2 Qc1 51. Qd3+ Bf5 52. a8=Q Bxd3 53. Qg8+ Kf5 54. Qh7+ {1-0 (54) Yakubboev,N (2569)-Le Quang Liem (2715) Sharjah UAE 2019}) 15. Na3 bxc5 16. f4 {[%CAl Rf4e5]} (16. Bxc5 Qc7) 16... Nc6 ({Predecessor:} 16... Nd7 {The old retreat secures the c-pawn} 17. e5 Qc7 18. Bf3 Rb8 {1/2-1/2 (39) Gholami Orimi,M (2437)-Isik,A (2287) Mersin 2019}) 17. Qc2 (17. Bxc5 Qc7) (17. Rb1 Qd6 18. Nc4 Qxd1 19. Rfxd1) 17... Qc7 (17... Na5 {was preferrable.}) 18. Rab1 (18. Nc4 $16) 18... Be6 {Black continues with development but the bishop is vulnerable f4-f5} (18... Na5 {Black has the better knight}) 19. Bc4 (19. f5 { [%CAl Rf5e6]} Bd7 20. Nc4 (20. Bxc5 Qa5 {[%mdl 64] Double Attack})) 19... Bxc4 20. Nxc4 Rfb8 21. e5 {White is making progress as Bg7 is passive and the Nc4 has an excellent post} (21. Bxc5 Na5) 21... e6 {A new target appears on d6} 22. Rxb8+ ({Better is} 22. Rbd1) 22... Rxb8 23. Qa4 Ra8 (23... Ne7 {keeps the balance.} 24. Rd1 Nf5 25. Bf2 h5) 24. Rd1 ( 24. Nd6) 24... Bf8 25. Nd6 {[%mdl 2048] White fights for an advantage.} Ne7 {next ...Nd5 is good for Black.} 26. Ne8 {/\xf6} Qc6 ({Black should try} 26... Qc8 27. Nf6+ Kg7) 27. Qxc6 Nxc6 28. Nf6+ Kg7 29. Rd7 { White clearly has the upper hand} (29. Ne4) 29... g5 30. g3 gxf4 {} 31. gxf4 ({Much worse is} 31. Bxf4 Ra7) (31. Nh5+ Kg8 32. gxf4) 31... Rd8 (31... Rb8) 32. Kf2 ({White should play} 32. Rxd8 Nxd8 33. Nd7) 32... Rxd7 33. Nxd7 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KBN-KBN} c4 34. Kf3 (34. Bc5 Be7 35. Bxe7 Nxe7 36. Ke3) 34... Be7 (34... Ba3) 35. Nb6 Na5 36. Ke4 f6 (36... Bd8 {is a better defense.}) 37. exf6+ Bxf6 (37... Kxf6 38. Nd7+ Kf7) 38. Bd4 Bxd4 39. Kxd4 {KN-KN} Kf6 40. Ke4 ({Worse is} 40. Nxc4 Nxc4 41. Kxc4 Kf5) 40... Ke7 41. Ke3 Kf7 {} (41... Kd6) 42. Nd7 Nc6 43. Nc5 a5 44. Nd7 Ne7 45. Kd4 Nd5 (45... Ng6 {might work better.} 46. Ke4 (46. Kxc4 Nxf4 47. a4 Ke7) 46... Ne7) 46. f5 Ne7 (46... Nc7 47. fxe6+ Nxe6+ 48. Kxc4 Ng5) 47. fxe6+ Kxe6 48. Nf8+ Kf5 49. Nxh7 Ng8 50. Kxc4 Nh6 51. Kb5 Ng4 52. h4 Ne5 53. Kxa5 Kg6 54. Ng5 Kh5 55. Kb5 {White mates.} Kxh4 56. Ne6 Kg4 57. a4 {[%CAl Ba2a4,Ba4a5,Ba5a6][%mdl 32]} Kf5 58. Nc5 Nf7 59. Kc6 Ke5 60. a5 Nd6 61. Nd3+ Ke6 62. a6 Nc8 63. c4 Ke7 64. Kc7 {Accuracy: White = 71% (31/15/53), Black = 50% (21/18/51).} 1-0 [Event "Russia-China Match Men"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2019.11.30"] [Round "5"] [White "Xu, Yinglun"] [Black "Chigaev, M."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D94"] [WhiteElo "2554"] [BlackElo "2623"] [Annotator "Yip"] [PlyCount "108"] [EventDate "2019.11.26"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "TWIC 1309"] [Source "Mark Crowther"] [SourceDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceQuality "2"] [WhiteTeam "CHN"] [BlackTeam "RUS"] {[%evp 12,108,29,0,9,-34,4,0,5,0,81,-15,47,0,9,-9,-9,-39,-9,-9,-9,-17,-8,-20, -9,-44,9,0,11,-4,0,-8,-8,-48,-14,-9,0,0,0,0,0,-38,9,-29,0,-39,-15,-79,-22,-41, -37,-141,-100,-97,-95,-150,-152,-168,-170,-307,-309,-299,-288,-350,-343,-343, -326,-334,-306,-364,-351,-349,-267,-415,-398,-499,-499,-501,-757,-737,-682, -587,-656,-493,-307,-969,-1110,-1248,-1246,-15303,-7392,-15316,-15316,-15318, -15318,-15320,-15320,-15320,-15321]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Be2 c5 {This active approach is recommended by Delchev} 7. dxc5 { [%CAl Rc4d5]} dxc4 (7... Qa5 {Is the main line that is deeply studied, with long forced play} 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qxd5 Bxc3+ 10. Bd2 Rd8 11. Qxd8+ Qxd8 12. Bxc3 Nd7 13. Rd1 Qc7 14. O-O Nxc5 15. Be5 Qb6 16. Bd4 Qa5 17. Bc3 Qb6 18. Bd4 Qa5 19. Bc3 Qb6 20. Bd4 {1/2-1/2 (20) Tomashevsky,E (2706)-Gelfand,B (2764) Elancourt 2013}) 8. O-O (8. Qd4) 8... Qc7 {Another way to hit the c5-pawn} (8... Qa5 {is the Delchev approach} 9. Bxc4 Qxc5 10. Bb3 Nc6 11. e4 Bg4 12. Be3 Qa5 13. h3 Rad8 14. Qe2 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Nd4 16. Bxd4 Rxd4 {[Delchev]}) 9. e4 Rd8 {The position is equal.} ({Predecessor:} 9... Nbd7 10. Bxc4 Qxc5 11. Qe2 Nb6 12. Bb3 Bg4 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Nfd7 15. Be3 {0-1 (56) Stern,R (2501) -Rodshtein,M (2609) Rijeka 2010}) 10. Qa4 Qxc5 (10... Na6) 11. h3 (11. Bxc4 $16 {And now Be3 would win.} Nc6 12. Be3) 11... Nc6 (11... Bd7 12. Qxc4 Qxc4 13. Bxc4 Bc6) 12. Be3 Qa5 13. Qxc4 {White has a slight lead in development but ..Be6 ir ..Rac8 will hit the queen and even the tempo count} Ne8 14. Qb5 Qxb5 15. Bxb5 Bd7 {There is plenty of play remaining in the queenless middlegame} 16. Bc5 Nd6 17. Bxd6 exd6 {Black has the bishop pair to compensate for the isolated d-pawn} 18. Rfd1 Bxc3 {A typical exchange of the Grunfeld bishop to break up the queenside pawns} (18... Be6) 19. bxc3 $11 Ne5 20. Nxe5 Bxb5 21. Rd5 Be2 22. Nd3 (22. Ng4 {is more complex.} Rac8 23. Rc1 Rc5 24. a4 Rxd5 25. exd5 Bxg4 26. hxg4 Kg7 27. g5) 22... Bxd3 23. Rxd3 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRR-KRR} Kf8 {The d-pawn will be easier to defend than the a2/c3-pawns} 24. Rb1 b6 25. Rb4 Rac8 26. Rbd4 Ke7 {Black has the easier ending} (26... Rd7) 27. f4 Rc6 28. e5 Rdc8 29. Ra4 {} (29. Rxd6 Rxd6 30. exd6+ Kd7 31. Kf2) 29... R8c7 (29... a5 30. exd6+ Kd8) 30. exd6+ Rxd6 31. Re3+ (31. Rxd6 Kxd6 32. Kf2) 31... Re6 (31... Kf6 32. Kf2 Rd2+ 33. Kf3 Rc2) 32. Rxe6+ Kxe6 {KR-KR} 33. Kf2 {White is depending on greater rook activity to equalize the chances} ({Better is} 33. g4) 33... a5 {Black will take over now with the more active rook and better structure} ({ Much weaker is} 33... Rxc3 34. Rxa7 h5 35. Rb7) 34. Ra3 Kd5 {Add better king to the list of positive imbalances} 35. Ke3 {} (35. Rb3) 35... Rc4 $1 {Black has a super rook} 36. Rb3 Kc5 37. Kd3 {Why give the pawn?} (37. g3) 37... Rxf4 38. Rb2 h5 39. Re2 Rf5 40. Kc2 Rg5 {The general policy is to keep the rook active to ensure the enemy rook is passively defending its pawns} 41. a4 b5 42. h4 (42. axb5 Kxb5 43. Kd3) 42... Rg4 43. Re5+ Kc4 44. Rxb5 Rxg2+ 45. Kd1 Kxc3 46. Rxa5 {} Kd3 {[%CAl Rg2g1] Mating threats help Black make progress} 47. Rd5+ Ke4 48. Rd7 (48. Rc5) 48... f6 {Black is clearly winning.} 49. a5 Ra2 {Placing the rook in ideal position, behind the enemy passer} 50. Ra7 g5 51. hxg5 fxg5 {two passers beat one} 52. a6 h4 53. Ke1 Kf3 54. Rf7+ Kg3 {Accuracy: White = 43% (17/14/46), Black = 78% (29/12/47).} 0-1 [Event "Bundesliga 2019-20"] [Site "Lingen GER"] [Date "2019.12.07"] [Round "3.5"] [White "Ivanisevic, I."] [Black "Wagner, De"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D97"] [WhiteElo "2598"] [BlackElo "2573"] [Annotator "Yip"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2019.11.23"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "15"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "TWIC 1309"] [Source "Mark Crowther"] [SourceDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.10"] [SourceQuality "2"] [WhiteTeam "SV Lingen"] [BlackTeam "SV Hockenheim"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 a6 { Delchev is recommending this against the Russian System now in his latest repertoire book} 8. e5 {Is currently out of favor} (8. Be2 {is a main option}) 8... b5 9. Qb3 Nfd7 10. e6 {A positional sacrifice to break up the pawns} (10. Be2 c5 11. e6 cxd4 12. exf7+ Kh8 13. Ne4 Bb7 14. Nfg5 Bxe4 15. Nxe4 Ne5 16. Ng5 d3 17. Bf3 Nxf3+ 18. Nxf3 Nc6 19. O-O e5 20. Re1 Na5 21. Qe6 Qc8 22. Qe7 Qd8 23. Qe6 Qc8 24. Qe7 Qd8 25. Qe6 {1/2-1/2 (25) Volkov,S (2547)-Alsina Leal,D (2477) Linares ESP 2019}) (10. h4 c5 11. e6 c4 12. Qd1 Nb6 13. exf7+ Rxf7 14. h5 Nc6 15. hxg6 hxg6 16. Be3 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Qxd5 18. b3 cxb3 19. Qxb3 Be6 20. Qxd5 Bxd5 21. Bd3 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Nxd4 23. Be4 Rd8 24. Rd1 Rd6 25. Kf1 Rf8 26. Rg1 Kf7 27. Bf4 e5 28. Bg5 Rh8 29. Rd3 Bh6 30. Rh1 Bg7 31. Rxh8 Bxh8 32. Be3 Bf6 33. f4 a5 34. fxe5 Bxe5 35. a3 Nc2 36. Bc5 Rxd3 37. Bxd3 Nd4 38. Bxd4 Bxd4 39. Bxb5 {1/2-1/2 (39) Badolati,S (2520)-Martín Sánchez,C (2497) ICCF 2019}) 10... fxe6 11. Be3 Nf6 12. g3 {/\Bh3 to target e6 has some logic or just Bg2} ( 12. a4 b4 13. Qxb4 Nc6 14. Qa3 Qd6 15. Bc4 Nb4 16. Qb3 Bb7 17. O-O Bxf3 18. Bxe6+ Kh8 19. gxf3 Rab8 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. fxe4 Bxd4 (21... Nc2 22. Qxc2 Qxe6 23. f3 c5 24. Qxc5 Qh3 25. Qc2 Rxf3 26. Rxf3 Qxf3 27. Re1 Qg4+ 28. Kh1 Qf3+ 29. Qg2 Qxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Rxb2+ 31. Kg3 Kg8 32. e5 Rb3 33. Kf4 Bh6+ 34. Ke4 Rxe3+ 35. Rxe3 Bxe3 36. Kxe3 e6 37. Kd3 g5 38. Ke4 Kf7 {1/2-1/2 (38) Cruzado Dueñas,C (2570) -Holroyd,K (2493) ICCF 2018}) 22. Bxd4+ Qxd4 23. Rad1 Qxe4 24. Qc4 Qxc4 25. Bxc4 Nc6 26. Bd5 Rf6 27. Rfe1 Rd8 28. Bc4 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 Rf4 30. Rc1 Nb4 31. b3 e5 32. Re1 e4 33. Rd1 c6 34. Rd8+ Kg7 35. Ra8 Rf3 36. Re8 Rf4 37. Ra8 Rf3 { 1/2-1/2 (37) Rogetzer,K (2528)-Olofsson,D (2513) ICCF 2018}) 12... b4 ({ Predecessor:} 12... Nc6 13. Bg2 Rb8 14. Rd1 Nd5 15. O-O Na5 16. Qc2 Nc4 17. Bc1 Nxc3 18. Qxc3 Bb7 19. b3 Nd6 20. Rfe1 Nf5 21. Bf4 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 Nxd4 23. Qe4 Rxf4 24. gxf4 Qd6 25. Bh3 Kf7 26. Kh1 Rb6 27. Rd3 c5 28. Red1 a5 29. Bg2 Rb8 30. h4 Bh6 31. Bh3 Rd8 {0-1 (67) Salgado Lopez,I (2624)-McShane,L (2667) Berlin GER 2019}) 13. Na4 ({Don't blunder} 13. Qxb4 Nd5) 13... Bb7 ({ Better is} 13... Qd5 14. Bg2 Qxb3 15. axb3 Bb7) 14. Qxe6+ {White is slightly better.} Kh8 15. Bg2 Bd5 (15... Nh5 16. Nh4 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Qd6) 16. Qh3 Qd7 17. Qxd7 Nfxd7 18. Nh4 Bxg2 19. Nxg2 {White has a lock on c5 in an otherwise even ending} Nc6 20. O-O-O (20. d5 Nce5 21. Nf4 Nb6 22. Nxb6 ( 22. Nc5 Nec4) 22... cxb6 23. Ke2 Nc4 24. Rab1 Rf5 (24... Nxb2 25. Ne6 $16) 25. Rhc1 b5 26. h4 Re5 (26... Be5) 27. Kd3 Rd8 28. Re1 Kg8 29. b3 Nxe3 30. Rxe3 Rxe3+ 31. fxe3 e5 32. Ne6 Rxd5+ 33. Ke4 Rd2 34. Rc1 Bf6 35. Nc7 Rxa2 36. Nd5 Bg7 37. Rc8+ Kf7 38. Rc7+ Kf8 39. Nxb4 Ra3 40. Nd3 Rxb3 41. Nc5 Rb4+ 42. Kd5 Kg8 43. Rc8+ Kf7 44. Ne4 Bf8 45. Ng5+ Ke7 46. Rc7+ Ke8 47. Rxh7 { White has enough activity for the pawn and it is Black who must be careful} ( 47. Nxh7) 47... Rc4 (47... Rb3 48. Ne4) 48. Ne4 Be7 49. g4 a5 50. h5 gxh5 51. gxh5) 20... e5 (20... b3 {This pawn sacrifice to open queenside lines for counterplay is a plausible improvement} 21. axb3 Rab8 22. Kc2 Rb4 23. Rhe1 Bxd4 24. f4 e5) 21. dxe5 Ndxe5 22. Nf4 {White's position is a bit easier to play} Ng4 (22... Rf7 23. Kb1 Ng4 24. Bc5) 23. Bc5 {aiming for h3. } Rf5 (23... Rfe8 {should be considered.}) 24. Nd3 (24. Rhe1) 24... a5 25. h3 Nf6 26. Rhe1 Kg8 27. Re6 Nd8 28. Re2 Nf7 29. Nf4 Bh6 30. Be3 Re8 31. Rdd2 {} (31. Rc2) 31... Ne5 (31... Ne4 {[%CAl Re4d2]} 32. Rc2 Rfe5 33. Rxc7 {} Nxf2 {[%mdl 576] Remove Defender} 34. Rxf2 Rxe3) 32. Ng2 $11 Bg7 33. Nh4 (33. Ba7) 33... Rh5 34. Bd4 Nc4 (34... Bh6 35. f4 Ned7 36. Rxe8+ Nxe8) 35. Rc2 {And now Rxe8+ would win.} Rxe2 36. Rxe2 Rd5 37. Nf3 Nd6 38. b3 (38. Nc5) 38... Nfe4 39. Bxg7 Kxg7 40. Nd2 Rd4 41. h4 Kf6 42. Kc2 Kf5 43. Nb2 (43. Nf3 {and White has nothing to worry.} Rd5 44. Ne1) 43... Rxd2+ 44. Rxd2 Nxd2 45. Kxd2 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KN-KN} Ke4 46. Ke2 Kd4 47. Nd3 (47. g4 {only move.}) 47... c5 48. g4 Ne4 49. Nf4 (49. Nc1) 49... Nc3+ 50. Kd2 Nxa2 51. Ne6+ Kd5 52. Nf8 (52. Nc7+ Ke5 53. Kd3) 52... c4 53. Kc2 Nc3 54. Nxh7 a4 55. bxa4 Nxa4 56. h5 b3+ 57. Kd2 gxh5 58. gxh5 c3+ {Black mates.} 59. Kd3 c2 60. Kd2 Nc3 61. Nf6+ Kd4 {Accuracy: White = 51% (25/11/49), Black = 69% (26/15/49).} 0-1