[Event "FIDE Grand Prix 2 Pool D"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.02"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C83"] [WhiteElo "2761"] [BlackElo "2767"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] {[%evp 0,63,19,38,25,16,14,23,25,0,10,12,21,17,10,7,12,15,12,-23,-6,-12,-6,-4, -20,-17,0,76,59,82,60,101,92,92,117,41,43,53,41,41,47,59,25,25,0,12,12,-131, -135,-141,-170,-254,-239,-246,-243,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 {Not a real surprise. Mamedyarov is one the few top players who most consistently plays the Open Ruy Lopez.} 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Bc2 ({The first real surprise of the game. This bishop move has been played many times but is considered less critical the main lines, which begin with} 10. Nbd2) ({and} 10. Be3 {. However, the text move has been played by players such as Giri, Grischuk, and even Karpov.}) 10... Bg4 11. Qe1 O-O ({A very interesting decision. The normal Open Spanish move is} 11... Nc5 {which MVL faced a few years back:} 12. Nd4 Nxd4 13. cxd4 Ne6 14. Qd2 O-O 15. Nc3 f5 16. Qd3 Kh8 17. Bb3 c6 18. h3 Bh5 {(Black already has a comfortable position.)} 19. f4 g5 20. Kh2 gxf4 21. Bd1 Bxd1 22. Qxd1 Bg5 23. Ne2 Ra7 24. Bxf4 Rg7 25. Qd2 Rfg8 26. Bxg5 Rxg5 27. Rf2 c5 28. b4 cxb4 29. Qxb4 R5g6 30. Qc3 Qh4 31. Raf1 f4 32. Qf3 Rg3 33. Qxd5 Ng5 34. Nxf4 Nxh3 35. Qxg8+ Rxg8 36. Nxh3 Qxd4 37. e6 Qd6+ 38. Nf4 Rf8 39. g3 Rxf4 40. gxf4 Qxe6 41. f5 Qh6+ 42. Kg3 Qg5+ 43. Kh3 Qh5+ 44. Kg3 Qg5+ 45. Kh3 Qh5+ 46. Kg3 {1/2-1/2 (46) Vachier Lagrave,M (2779)-Giri,A (2779) Zagreb 2019}) 12. Nd4 $1 {This is the reason why the previous move was somewhat surprising. Now Black has to enter a highly speculative line. That being said, Mamedyarov was either very well-prepared or played a high-stakes bluff, because he played very fast at this point.} Nxe5 $5 {Black is forced to play this piece sacrifice.} 13. f3 c5 14. Ne2 Bh4 15. Ng3 Re8 16. fxe4 dxe4 {Black is a piece down, but White will take years to develop his warehouse of pieces on the queenside.} 17. Be3 Nd3 18. Bxd3 exd3 19. Qf2 f5 20. Nd2 {It is beginning to look like White has managed to consolidate his material advantage by getting his queenside developed.} Be2 $5 ({The computer indicates that either} 20... Qd5) ({or} 20... g5 {would have been better, but honestly, who can tell in the heat of the battle $2}) 21. Rfe1 $2 ({White tries to hang on to his piece advantage, but it would have been best to return some material with} 21. Bxc5 $1 {when White possibly has the slightly better chances, but I only sound this clever because I have an engine to help me navigate this madness $1}) 21... g5 $1 {Boom $1 All of a sudden, White is in serious trouble.} 22. Nf3 ({Or} 22. Bxc5 f4) 22... f4 23. Nxh4 fxe3 {This is beginning to look a bit like the wonderful McDonnell-Labourdonnais from 1834. If you don't know it, look it up $1 There are several wonderful videos available on YouTube about it. You will not regret it.} 24. Qf5 d2 $2 ({Nooo $1 After his brave and imaginative play, Mamedyarov lets the advantage slip out of his hands. The right way to go was} 24... Ra7 $1 {or}) (24... gxh4 {followed by ... Ra7 with a clear advantage for Black. Now the game peters out in a perpetual check.}) 25. Rxe2 d1=Q+ 26. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 27. Nf1 Qxe2 {Black has won two exchanges but the king will not escape White's checks.} 28. Qxg5+ Kf7 29. Qf5+ Kg8 30. Qg5+ Kf7 31. Qf5+ Kg8 32. Qg5+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.02"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Predke, Alexandr"] [Black "Yu Yangyi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C43"] [WhiteElo "2682"] [BlackElo "2713"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 Nc6 $5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 (6. Bxe4 { was played in the Shirov-Rapport game.}) 6... Nc5 7. Bc4 d6 8. Qf3 Ne6 9. exd6 Bxd6 10. Be3 Bd7 ({This was Yu's new move. In an earlier game with Predke behind the white , he had tried} 10... O-O 11. Nc3 Be5 12. Bd3 Qh4 13. O-O-O Bxc3 14. bxc3 c6 15. g3 Qe7 16. Qe4 g6 17. Kb2 {and although the game later ended in a draw, White has the clearly better chances at this point on account of his advantage in space and bishop pair, which more than makes up for the weakened pawn structure on the queenside, Predke,A (2676)-Bai,J (2600) Moscow 2019.}) 11. Bd5 c6 12. Bc4 O-O 13. Nd2 ({White had an interesting alternative in} 13. Nc3 {, for instance,} Be5 14. O-O-O Qc7 ({or} 14... Bxc3 15. bxc3 Qe7 16. Kb2 {with parallels to the earlier Predke game.}) 15. Rd3 b5 16. Bb3 Rad8 ( 16... c5 {is unpleasant for Black after} 17. Rhd1) 17. Rhd1 {and White has some initiative.}) 13... b5 14. Bb3 a5 15. a3 Qc7 $6 ({Black should have played more aggressively with} 15... a4 $5 16. Ba2 c5 {when Black is doing fine.}) 16. Ne4 Be5 17. O-O-O a4 18. Ba2 Rad8 19. Nc5 $6 (19. Rhe1 $1 {looks uncomfortable for Black as White is threatening Nc5.}) 19... Bc8 20. Nxe6 $6 ({ This exchange is basically a draw offer, killing all of the excitement in the game and initiating a series of exchanges. White could have tried} 20. Qe4 Nxc5 21. Bxc5 Bf4+ 22. Kb1 {which gives White a tiny initiative, but Black is not in any serious danger.}) 20... Bxe6 21. Bxe6 fxe6 22. Qe4 Rd5 23. f4 Bxf4 24. Qxe6+ Qf7 25. Qxf7+ Rxf7 26. Bxf4 Rxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Rxf4 28. Ke2 Kf7 29. Ke3 Rc4 30. Kd3 Ke6 31. Re1+ Kd5 32. Re7 Rg4 33. g3 h5 34. b3 g6 35. Rg7 h4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.02"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Fedoseev, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E32"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2704"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8. f3 d5 (8... h6 9. Bh4 d5 {is more common if Black wants to play for ...d7-d5.}) 9. cxd5 exd5 10. e3 Re8 11. Bb5 c6 12. Ba4 Nbd7 13. Ne2 h6 14. Bh4 Ba6 15. Bd1 Qe7 16. Bf2 c5 17. Qd2 Rac8 $6 ({Black's best was probably} 17... cxd4 18. exd4 Bxe2 19. Bxe2 b5 20. Kf1 Nb6 21. b3 Qd7 22. Bh4 Qf5 23. Kg1 Rac8 24. Bd3 Qe6 25. Bf2 {and draw agreed, ½-½, in Palladino,M (2300)-Villarreal,B (2382) ICCF email 2020. These correspondence players with their engines know what's up.}) 18. O-O $1 ({The first new move and possibly a very good one $1 Previously, White had tried} 18. Rc1 Bc4 19. O-O cxd4 20. exd4 Bxe2 21. Rxc8 Bxf1 22. Rxe8+ Nxe8 23. Kxf1 {when White possibly had a tiny edge in Duda,J (2756)-Deac,B (2651) Terme Catez 2021, but the game eventually ended in a draw. }) 18... Nb8 19. Re1 Nc6 20. Nc3 Na5 21. b3 {White has a small but clear advantage thanks to his bishop pair and Black's hanging pawn center.} Qd8 22. Rc1 Re6 23. dxc5 bxc5 24. Na4 Rec6 25. Bh4 Nb7 26. Bc2 Qa5 $2 27. Qxa5 (27. Qd1 Re8 28. Bf5 {was much better for White.}) 27... Nxa5 28. Rcd1 g5 (28... d4 $5 { was a better chance.}) 29. Bg3 Re6 $2 (29... d4 $5) 30. Bf5 Nxb3 31. h4 Rcc6 32. Bxe6 fxe6 33. hxg5 hxg5 {Black pieces look active, but White is winning.} 34. Kf2 c4 35. Be5 Nd7 36. Bc3 Bb5 37. Nb2 Ndc5 38. Rh1 Nd3+ 39. Nxd3 cxd3 40. Rh8+ $4 (40. Be5 {was far better and completely winning for White.}) 40... Kf7 41. Rh7+ Ke8 $4 ({Black misses his chance. After} 41... Kg8 42. Rh8+ Kf7 43. Be5 Rc2+ {and it is not certain that White will win the game.}) 42. a4 $3 { Just brilliant and possibly what Fedoseev had overlooked. The text move allows White to launch the decisive attack.} Bxa4 43. Bf6 $1 {The point, supported by the bishop White penetrates with his rooks.} e5 44. Bxg5 Nc5 45. Rdh1 Kf8 46. Rxa7 Kg8 47. e4 dxe4 48. Rhh7 Ne6 49. Bd2 Rc2 50. Ke3 exf3 51. gxf3 Bc6 52. Rhe7 Nc5 53. Rec7 Bb7 54. Rxc5 Rxc5 55. Rxb7 1-0 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.02"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Shirov, Alexei"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C43"] [WhiteElo "2704"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 Nc6 {This move was originally introduced by Israeli GM Yakov Murey in a game against GM Jan Timman in 1993.} 5. Nxe5 ({ The stem game went} 5. Bxe4 d5 6. Bg5 Qd7 7. Bd3 e4 8. O-O f6 9. Re1 Be7 10. Bf4 exd3 11. Qxd3 O-O {with approximately equal chances, but later 1-0 in 54 moves, Timman,J (2635)-Murey,J (2530) France 1993.}) 5... Nxe5 6. Bxe4 d5 7. dxe5 dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Bb4 10. Bd2 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Ke7 ({Black could also play} 11... Bf5 12. Kd2 Ke7 13. Ke3 Ke6 14. Rad1 Rhd8 15. h3 h5 16. Kf4 Bg6 {when Black later managed to win the game, but at this juncture, the chances were completely even, 0-1 (58) Sveshnikov,V (2426) -Meijers,V (2490) Riga 2012.}) 12. O-O-O Bf5 13. Rd4 Rhd8 ({Or} 13... Rad8 14. Rhd1 Rxd4 15. Bxd4 Ke6 {with equal chances in Sorroche Lupion,F-Morau,J Liape email 2004.}) 14. Rhd1 Rxd4 15. Rxd4 Rd8 16. Bb4+ Ke8 17. Rxd8+ Kxd8 {Had it not been for the tournament rules, a draw would have been agreed a this point, but the players made it to move 30 without making any mistakes that could tip the balance.} 18. Bf8 g6 19. Kd2 h5 20. Ke3 Kd7 21. c3 a5 22. b4 axb4 23. cxb4 b5 24. a3 Ke8 25. Bh6 Kd7 26. Kd4 Kc6 27. g3 Kd7 28. Kd5 c6+ 29. Kd4 Ke6 30. h4 Kd7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.02"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Tabatabaei, M. Amin"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B15"] [WhiteElo "2623"] [BlackElo "2719"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 {This move was undoubtedly a surprise for Tabatabaei. I could only find a few games by Harikrishna using this line.} 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 ({In the only other game by Harikrishna with this particular line for Black, White played the tame} 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Bg4 9. Re1 Qc7 10. h3 Bh5 11. Be3 Nd7 12. Be2 Rfe8 13. Nd2 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 $4 (14. Rxe2 {would have kept the chances about equal.}) 14... f5 {and although the game much later ended in a draw, Black at this point had a large advantage, Radjabov,T (2734)-Harikrishna,P (2727) Beijing 2014.}) 6... Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h6 ({An interesting choice. Nowadays, Black players tend to give preference to} 9... h5 $5 {followed by 10...h4 to lay claim on the dark squares on the kingside, a common theme in this variation. The text move is generally considered a little too passive to offer Black real chances of equalizing.}) 10. O-O Nd7 11. Bd2 Nf8 12. Rae1 Qc7 13. h3 Be6 14. f4 $2 ({ A positional misunderstanding by White as he tries to claim a space advantage, possibly combining it with c3-c4 on the queenside. However, it weakens White's kingside considerably. It was better to play} 14. c4 {with perhaps a small advantage.}) 14... c5 $1 15. f5 $6 ({Another misguided move, laying the dark squares terribly weak. Relatively better was} 15. c4 cxd4 16. b4 b6 17. Nxd4 Bd7 {when I would prefer Black, but White is still firmly in the game.}) 15... Bd7 16. dxc5 Qxc5+ 17. Nd4 Bc6 (17... Rac8 $5 {was also worth considering.}) 18. b4 Qb6 19. Kh1 Rac8 20. Nxc6 bxc6 ({An interesting decision, seemingly accepting a poor pawn structure for no particular reason. However, Black wants to push the pawn to c5, using it to force White's pawns on light squares, leaving the black knight stronger than White's light-squared bishop. The alternative} 20... Qxc6 21. Rxe8 Rxe8 22. Re1 {would leave the chances close to equal.}) 21. c4 $2 {White was concerned that Black would play ...c6-c5-c4 with a clear advantage, but this advance makes things worse.} Rxe1 22. Rxe1 Qf2 23. Re4 ({Or} 23. Be4 Rd8 {and Black is clearly better.}) 23... Qg3 {Black marches into White's position on the hopelessly weak dark squares.} 24. Kg1 Qh2+ 25. Kf1 Rd8 ({Here, Black could have played stronger with} 25... Bg3 $1 { for instance,} 26. Be3 Qh1+ 27. Bg1 c5 28. b5 Nd7 29. Re3 Bh2 30. Qf2 Ne5 31. g4 Bxg1 32. Qxg1 Qb7 {and Black has an overwhelming positional advantage.}) 26. c5 $2 ({Another mistake. It was necessary to defend with} 26. Be1 {when} Be5 27. Qe2 Bd4 28. Qf3 c5 {would have given Black a clear advantage, but White could still put up considerable resistance.}) 26... Bg3 27. Qc4 Qh1+ 28. Ke2 Qxg2+ $2 ({Here, the chain begins to jump off for Harikrishna. With} 28... Be5 29. a4 (29. Kf2 Qd1 $1 {is even worse.}) 29... Qxg2+ 30. Kd1 Qf3+ 31. Kc2 Qxf5 {, Black could have obtained a decisive advantage.}) 29. Kd1 Be5 $2 ({Annother mistake. Here,} 29... Nd7 30. Bf1 Qf3+ 31. Qe2 Qxf5 32. Qd3 Be5 {should have been winning for Black.}) 30. Kc2 Qxh3 31. Re3 Qg2 $2 ({Last chance to avoid the draw was} 31... Qh2 32. Re2 Qh5 {when Black can still push for the win.}) 32. Qe4 $1 Qg1 33. Re1 Qg3 34. Re3 Qg1 35. Re1 Qg3 36. Re3 {and draw agreed. Tough defense by Tabatabaei, sad miss for Harikrishna.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.03.02"] [Round "2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2772"] [BlackElo "2736"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {Just like yesterday, Giri pins his hopes on the fashionable Italian game.} Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 h6 7. Re1 O-O 8. Nbd2 a5 {The modern treatment.} ({Although Esipenko was super-successful last week with:} 8... Bb6 9. Bb3 Ng4 10. Re2 Na5 11. Bc2 f5 12. h3 Nf6 13. d4 fxe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Rxe4 Bf5 16. Re1 Bxc2 17. Qxc2 exd4 18. Bxh6 Rxf3 19. gxf3 Qh4 20. Bc1 d3 {0-1 (20) Aronian,L (2772)-Esipenko,A (2714) chess24.com INT 2022}) 9. h3 Be6 10. b3 {And a flexible move in return by Giri. This idea has already been tested twice by his compatriot Van Foreest.} d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Ne4 Bb6 $146 {Only to see his opponent reacting in a flash with} ({The predecessor was comfortable for White after:} 12... Ba7 13. Bd2 Re8 14. a3 Nf6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Bxe6 Rxe6 17. b4 Rd8 18. Qc2 Qg6 19. Be3 Qxd3 20. Qxd3 Rxd3 21. b5 { Van Foreest,J (2613)-Van den Doel,E (2615) Amstelveen 2018}) 13. Qd2 $3 { It appears that this is the perfect square for the queen. For starters, it eyeballs the opponent's kingside.} ({Her Grace is also away from some annoying knight kicks, as in this line.} 13. Qc2 Qd7 14. Bb5 Ncb4 $1) 13... Qc8 ({ Black is not well-prepared to fight for the center. The line} 13... f5 14. Ng3 Qd6 {backfires after} 15. a4 Bc5 16. Bb5 Nde7 17. Nxe5 $1) ({Perhaps the best move was} 13... Qd7 {intending to enter huge complications in the line} 14. Bb5 (14. Ng3 {is still possible though.}) 14... Bxh3 15. Nxe5 Qe6 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. d4 f5 18. Nc5 {but launching this unprepared sequence should be suicidal.}) ({ After} 13... Re8 14. Bb5 {might be annoying.}) 14. Ng3 {Giri, once more, managed to pressurize the center, causing the black pieces to obstruct each other.} f6 15. d4 $1 {Judjing by the speed with which the Dutch GM was executing his moves, the impression is that this was all standing on his home table for some time before the event.} Qd7 ({Plenty of amusing lines arise in case of the capture} 15... exd4 16. Nh5 $3 ({Also good seems} 16. Qd3 $1 { with the major idea} Qd7 17. Bxh6 $3 gxh6 18. Rxe6 $1 Qxe6 19. Qg6+ Kh8 20. Qxh6+ Kg8 21. Ng5 $1 {winning.}) 16... Qd7 ({Or} 16... dxc3 17. Qd3 Rf7 18. Bxh6 $1 {with decisive attack.}) 17. Nxg7 $3 {One more proof that the white queen is ideally placed on the c1-h6 diagonal $1} Kxg7 18. Qxh6+ Kf7 (18... Kg8 19. Rxe6 $1 {transposes to the winning line from above.}) 19. Qh5+ Kg8 20. Rxe6 Qxe6 21. Qg6+ Kh8 22. Qh6+ Kg8 23. Ng5 Qe1+ 24. Kh2 fxg5 25. Bxd5+ ({Or} 25. Qxg5+) 25... Rf7 26. Be3 $3 {cutting the black queen away from the defense and thus Black is helpless.}) 16. Ba3 $1 {Not just finishing the development, but also aiming to remove the rook from the f-file.} ({As, otherwise, it will work like crazy there.} 16. dxe5 fxe5) 16... Rf7 17. Re4 {Giri was tempted by a direct kingside attack.} ({But there was a simpler and more convincing way} 17. Rad1 $1 a4 ({Or} 17... Rd8 18. Qc2 {and the x-raying along the d-file is unbearable for the second player.}) 18. b4 exd4 19. cxd4 {with a large edge for White.}) 17... a4 $1 {Vitiugov forces a concession.} ({Of course not} 17... f5 $2 18. Nxe5) ({Or} 17... exd4 18. cxd4 {when White dominates.}) 18. b4 Nf4 { And he gets rid of the pin, at last.} 19. Bxe6 Nxe6 20. Rae1 ({Still, stronger was to play in the center.} 20. d5 Ng5 21. Nxg5 hxg5 22. Rd1 Ne7 23. c4 { with an edge.}) 20... Ng5 21. Nxg5 hxg5 22. b5 ({Here} 22. d5 Ne7 23. c4 Rd8 { does not seem as convincing for White.}) 22... Na7 23. h4 {That was Giri's inspiring point $1 The rook on e4 quickly joins efforts with the relentless queen and the threats quickly start to mount.} Nxb5 ({Vituigov correctly avoids } 23... gxh4 24. Rxh4 Nxb5 25. Qd3 g5 26. Rh6 $1 Nxa3 27. Nh5 {when White crashes through.}) ({However,} 23... g4 $5 {to keep the h-file locked, made perfect sense too.}) 24. hxg5 fxg5 ({Not} 24... Nxa3 $2 25. g6 Re7 26. Qe2 { with mate to come.}) 25. Qxg5 Nxa3 {What can be more obvious than that $1 Not only does Vituigov win a piece, but he also gets rid of a strong attacker while opening a safety road for his king.} ({But, it was the modest pawn that needed to be taken instead.} 25... Nxc3 $1 {Black seems to hold everywhere, somehow.} 26. Rxe5 ({Or} 26. Rh4 Bxd4 $1) 26... Bxd4 27. Re7 ({And if} 27. Rf5 Re8 $1) 27... Bf6 $1) 26. Rh4 Re8 27. Qh5 Rf6 ({There is no time to run.} 27... Kf8 28. Rxe5 Rxe5 29. Qxe5 Kg8 30. Qe4) 28. Ne4 Rf5 {Getting ready to get rid of the knight.} 29. Ng5 Rxg5 30. Qxg5 c5 {The last mistake.} ({The Russian GM should have tried to bring his knight close to the king ASAP.} 30... Nc4 $1 31. Qg6 Nd6 {Then, White would have had a pleasant choice between play for an attack with} 32. Qh7+ ({Or playing an advantageous endgame with} 32. Rxe5 Rxe5 33. dxe5 Qf5 34. Qxf5 Nxf5 35. Rxa4) 32... Kf7 33. Re3) 31. Qg6 Bd8 32. Rh7 { PLAY CHESS, NOT WAR.} ({Qg6-h5 and Rh7xg7+ threats cannot be stopped adequately. The final moves could have been} 32. Rh7 Bf6 33. Qh5 Kf8 34. dxe5 Rxe5 35. Rh8+ Ke7 36. Rxe5+) 1-0 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.02"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Shankland, Sam"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E36"] [WhiteElo "2708"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 d5 7. Nf3 b6 8. Bg5 dxc4 9. Qxc4 c5 $5 ({A new move and a pawn sacrifice. The main line is} 9... Ba6 {which has been played in nearly 1,000 games in my database.}) 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. Nd2 $6 ({Shankland decides to decline the pawn sacrifice, assessing that Black would get sufficient counterplay after} 11. Qxc5 Nbd7 12. Qd4 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. e3 a5 {when Black's lead in development more or less counterbalances the material deficit.}) 11... Ba6 12. Qc2 h6 13. Bh4 Nbd7 14. e3 Bxf1 15. Rxf1 c4 $1 ({In addition to the text move, Black could also consider} 15... Qb8 16. Bg3 Qb5 {, in both cases giving Black a comfortable position. White has the better pawn structure, but, with the king in the center and not ideal piece coordination, White has to be careful.}) 16. Ke2 Qb8 17. Bg3 Qb7 18. f3 Rfc8 $6 ({This is probably a case of right square, wong rook. After} 18... Rac8 19. Rac1 Nc5 {, Black would have been clearly better, for instance,} 20. Bd6 c3 $1) 19. Rfc1 Nc5 $2 ({Here,} 19... Nb6 {would have been best. Now, White can get away with capturing on c4.}) 20. Qxc4 Nce4 21. Qb3 Qa6+ 22. Nc4 Rc6 $4 ({A peculiar blunder. Normally, you would think that it would be because Grischuk was in time trouble, but that did not seem to be the case at this point. Perhaps he had forgotten that the knight was hanging on e4 $2 After} 22... Nxg3+ 23. hxg3 Rab8 24. Qd3 Rd8 25. Qc2 Nd7 {, the chances would have been about even.}) 23. fxe4 Rac8 24. Qd3 Rxc4 25. Rxc4 Qxc4 26. Qxc4 Rxc4 {This is not what Black wants: White has a fairly easy-to-convert endgame. While Shankland manages to win, it may not have been as simple as he thought it to be.} 27. Kd3 Rc8 28. Rd1 (28. b4 $1 a6 29. Bd6 { seems more accurate.}) 28... Rd8+ 29. Ke2 Rxd1 30. Kxd1 Nxe4 31. Kc2 Kf8 32. Kd3 Nxg3 33. hxg3 Ke7 34. Kc4 h5 35. Kc5 Kd7 36. b4 $2 ({Yes, this still wins, but now it requires more accuracy. White should actually have played} 36. b3 $1 Kc7 37. b4 $1 {and White wins. It matters where Black's king is placed.}) 36... g5 $4 ({Maybe desperation, but this pawn push makes no sense. Black should have stayed passively:} 36... Kc7 $1 37. b5 f6 38. a4 Kb7 39. a5 (39. Kd6 $4 Kb6 {wins for Black.}) 39... Kc7 40. e4 $1 {(Only move to win.)} Kd7 $1 41. b6 $1 {(Only move.)} axb6+ 42. Kxb6 Kc8 43. Kc6 $1 {(Only move.)} e5 44. Kd5 Kb7 45. Ke6 Ka6 46. Kf5 $3 {(Only move to win.)} Kxa5 47. Kg6 Ka4 48. Kxg7 f5 49. exf5 e4 50. f6 e3 51. f7 e2 52. f8=Q e1=Q 53. Qf4+ Kb3 {and White has an endgame that he should win but still requires a lot of work.}) 37. b5 h4 38. gxh4 gxh4 39. a4 {Black resigned.} 1-0 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "2022.03.02"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C60"] [WhiteElo "2642"] [BlackElo "2724"] [Annotator "cahan"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2022.03.01"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 g6 7. d4 Bg7 8. Re1 Nf6 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. h3 Re8 11. Bc2 Qe7 12. Nf1 Qf8 {This line has been played several times and while the computer engines decidedly do not like Black's position, they do not like anything resembling a King's Indian in general, it is noteworthy that both Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and indeed also Andreikin himself have reached this position previously.} 13. Bg5 ({This move was first played by French number-one, Alireza Firouzja, last year. Previously, White had preferred} 13. Ng3 Rad8 ({in a later game, Caruana tried} 13... a5 14. Ba4 Rad8 15. Bg5 h6 16. Bd2 b6 17. Rc1 Nh7 18. Qb3 Re7 19. Qc4 Qe8 { and while the computer loves White's position, Black's position is solid and flexible, and he eventually won the game, 0-1 (76) Patel,A (2478)-Caruana,F (2811) Chess.com INT 2018}) (13... Bh6 14. Ng5 Nd8 15. Bb3 Ne6 16. h4 Rad8 17. Be3 Bg7 {was played by the world champion who also eventually won a long game, 0-1 (66) Firouzja,A (2723)-Carlsen,M (2872) Moscow 2019}) 14. d5 Ne7 15. Nh2 Bh6 16. Qf3 Bxc1 17. Raxc1 Qg7 {(having gotten rid of the bad dark-squared bishop, Black is more or less equal at this point.)} 18. Qe3 Nh5 19. Nxh5 gxh5 20. Kh1 f5 21. exf5 Bxf5 22. Bxf5 Nxf5 23. Qd3 Rf8 24. Nf3 Ne7 25. c4 Ng6 26. Rc3 Kh8 27. Qf1 Qf6 28. Re4 a5 29. Rb3 b6 30. h4 Rd7 31. g3 Qf5 32. Re2 Qg4 33. Nd2 Rdf7 34. Ne4 Rf3 35. Rxf3 Qxf3+ 36. Kh2 h6 37. Re1 Ne7 38. Qe2 Qf7 39. Qd2 Nf5 40. Nc3 Qg6 41. Re4 {1/2-1/2 (41) Caruana,F (2774)-Andreikin,D (2713) Moscow 2013}) 13... h6 (13... Nh5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Ne3 {was played in 1-0 (34) Firouzja,A (2804)-Saraci,$146 (2486) Warsaw 2021, when Black here should have played} f6 $1 17. Bb3+ Kh8 18. Bh4 Qh6 {and Black has taken over the initiative.}) 14. Bd2 Rad8 15. d5 Ne7 16. c4 Nh5 17. b4 f5 18. exf5 Bxf5 {Black's pieces are slowly but surely crawling out of their hive.} 19. Rc1 $6 ({Here, my engine calls for the drastic} 19. Bxf5 gxf5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. Qxh5 Bxa1 22. Rxa1 {insisting that White has more than adequate compensation for the sacrificed exchange.}) 19... Qf7 20. g4 $6 {White is playing for control of the e4-square, but the text move is quite weakening.} Bxc2 21. Rxc2 Rf8 $1 {Boom $1 Now, Black is taking the initiative.} 22. Kg2 Nf6 23. Ng3 Ne8 24. Bg5 $6 {A radical and probably insufficient solution to his problems, but Bacrot did not like the flow of the game and decided to change the inferior static factors to more more dynamic ones, entirely in accordance with his former coach, the renowned Iosif Dorfman. Good or bad decision $2 That is hard to tell at this juncture, but Bacrot clearly felt he had not choice.} Qxf3+ 25. Qxf3 Rxf3 26. Bxe7 Rxg3+ 27. Kxg3 Rd7 28. Bxd6 cxd6 { White has gotten a rook and a pawn for two minor pieces and hopes that Black will not be able to activate the minor pieces, in which case he would be in serious trouble.} 29. a4 Nf6 30. a5 Rc7 31. Ree2 Kf7 32. h4 Bf8 33. f4 Be7 $6 ( {Here,} 33... Nd7 {seemed best.}) 34. Kf3 $6 ({According to the silicon beast, White should have played} 34. fxe5 dxe5 35. Kh3 Bxb4 36. Rxe5 Nh7 {when White is probably even very slightly better.}) 34... exf4 35. Kxf4 Nd7 36. g5 hxg5+ 37. hxg5 Ne5 38. Re4 {The position is stabilized once more and it is not clear how Black will break through, so Andreikin offers a repetition of moves...} Nd3+ 39. Ke3 Ne5 40. Kf4 Nd3+ 41. Ke3 Ne5 1/2-1/2