Games
[Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.01"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Potkin, Vladimir"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A10"] [WhiteElo "2585"] [BlackElo "2714"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] 1. c4 g6 2. e4 e5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 exd4 5. e5 Ne4 6. Qxd4 Bb4+ {Up until this point we have seen many top level encounters. Mainly White opted for the move Nbd2 in this position, but Potkin wants to show that the knight on e4 is not so well placed and hence refrains from exchanging it.} 7. Kd1 $5 {Although this looks like a crazy move, it is not a novelty as it has been played before in the game between Tamir Nabaty and Alexander Fier in 2015.} f5 8. exf6 Nxf6 9. Qh4 (9. Bh6 {was played by Nabaty.}) 9... d5 $1 {With the king on d1, opening the position is of course the right decision.} 10. Bg5 Be7 (10... O-O { was also possible.}) 11. cxd5 Nxd5 (11... Qxd5+ 12. Kc1 {Followed by Nc3 gives White free flowing development and the king is quite safe on c1.}) 12. Bc4 $1 { The king is right opposite the black queen, and Black can choose how he would like to give a discovered check. But there is just no good way to take advantage of this fact.} Nc6 (12... Nb6+ 13. Kc1 Nxc4 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Re1 $16 ) 13. Bxd5 $6 {White goes wrong.} (13. Nbd2 $1 $16) 13... Be6 $6 {Just shows how difficult it is to be accurate in chess.} (13... Qxd5+ 14. Kc1 Qc5+ 15. Nc3 O-O $17 {Would have given Black a clear edge.}) 14. Bxe7 Nxe7 15. Re1 $1 Bxd5 16. Kc2 Qd7 17. Nc3 Qf5+ $6 (17... Bxf3 18. gxf3 Qf5+ 19. Re4 g5 20. Qh5+ Kf8 21. h4 $16 {is also clearly in White's favour.}) 18. Kc1 O-O-O 19. Rxe7 { Wei Yi must have hoped to get some counterplay going here, but unfortunately he is just lost.} Bxf3 20. gxf3 Qxf3 21. Qg3 $1 {The mate on c7 repels Black's attack.} Qc6 22. Kc2 {The rest is just agony.} Rd6 23. Rae1 Rhd8 24. R1e2 a5 25. Qe5 {A very interesting and unbalanced game and some very interesting opening preparation shown by Potkin.} 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.02"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Wen, Yang"] [Black "Artemiev, Vladislav"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B23"] [WhiteElo "2609"] [BlackElo "2674"] [PlyCount "39"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 a6 3. g3 b5 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. d3 e6 6. Nh3 d6 7. O-O Nf6 8. f4 Nc6 9. Be3 Be7 (9... Rb8 $1 {was stronger to prevent the 10.e5 that was played in the game. Now the bishop on b7 is protected and the knight would be free to capture on e5.}) 10. e5 $1 dxe5 11. fxe5 Nd7 12. Qg4 g6 ({Black missed White's shot, or he would have opted for} 12... O-O 13. Bh6 {giving up the exchange, but with some compensation after} g6 14. Bxf8 Qxf8 15. Qf4 Qg7) 13. Rxf7 $3 { Spectacular and winning.} Kxf7 14. Rf1+ Ke8 (14... Kg7 15. Nf4 $1) 15. Qxe6 Ndxe5 16. Ne4 Qc7 17. Nf4 (17. Nhg5 $1 {was the correct continuation.} Kd8 18. Nxc5 $18) 17... Bc8 18. Nf6+ Kd8 19. Qd5+ Qd6 20. Bxc5 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.03"] [Round "3.16"] [White "Demchenko, Anton"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B81"] [WhiteElo "2583"] [BlackElo "2735"] [Annotator "Moradiabadi, Elshan"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 {Fashionable. I remember when I was in my early 20s, 6.Be3 was the predominent continuation. What has remained the same since then is the fact that regardless of what is the most fashionable continuation, Gelfand is still one of the leaders in Najdorf theory!} e6 {This time, Gelfand adapts a "Scheveningen" type position.} (6... e5 7. Nde2 h5 8. g3 {is considered the main line. In fact, Gelfand himself drew two games against Bukavshin and Swiercz.} b5 9. Nd5 Nbd7 10. Nec3 Bb7 11. Bg5 Rc8 12. Bg2 Be7 13. Nxe7 Qxe7 14. a3 (14. h4 b4 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 e4 {1/2-1/2 (40) Swiercz,D (2620)-Gelfand,B (2741) Skopje 2015}) 14... Qe6 15. Qe2 d5 {1/2-1/2 (53) Bukavshin,I (2657)-Gelfand,B (2731) Moscow 2015}) 7. g4 Be7 8. g5 Nfd7 9. h4 b5 {The most principled and popular. Black is planning to push white's knight back with b4. In the mean time he will have his bishop on b7 which will exert pressure on white's central pawn on e4.} (9... Nc6 10. Be3 Rb8 11. Rg1 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Ne5 13. O-O-O O-O {Is another double-edged possibility. ½-½ (41) Anand,V (2803)-Salem,A (2624) Berlin 2015}) 10. a3 Bb7 11. Be3 Nc6 12. Qd2 {Both parties are developing their pieces in the most accurate way. There have been many games in this position!} Rc8 {The most principled. Gelfand is a classical player with a great sense for Sicillian. Here his rook on c8 will have an eye on thematic exchange sacrifice on c3.} 13. Rh3 {[#] Flamboyant. Nxc6 is the move which has been played more than a dozen of times.White tries to get his rook out of a8-h1 diagonal's X-ray and covers f3 square to avoid tactical blows if black knight lands on e5. Nevertheless, the rest of the game shows that this was merely a home preparation by Demchenko. He must have relied on the beautiful victory of Areshchenko in this line.} b4 $146 {Another alternative could be the knight's move with the idea of occupying the c4 square.} (13... O-O 14. O-O-O Re8 15. Kb1 Bf8 16. h5 Nde5 17. h6 g6 18. f4 Nxd4 19. Bxd4 Nc4 20. Bxc4 Rxc4 21. Rd3 Qb8 22. b3 Rcc8 23. Bg7 Be7 24. f5 gxf5 25. exf5 exf5 26. Nd5 Bxd5 27. Rxd5 Rc5 28. Bb2 Rxd5 29. Qxd5 Bf8 30. g6 {1-0 (30) Areshchenko,A (2682)-Hamitevici,V (2430) Reykjavik 2015}) (13... Nce5 {[%cal Gd7b6]}) ({Or} 13... Na5) 14. axb4 Nxb4 15. Nce2 a5 ( 15... d5 {is a machine-type continuation, after which, things remain unclear.} 16. c3 Nc5 17. cxb4 Nxe4 18. Qd1 Bxb4+ 19. Nc3 Nxc3 20. bxc3 Bxc3+ 21. Bd2 Bxa1 22. Qxa1 O-O 23. Rb3 Qc7 24. f4 (24. Qb2 Rb8 {is in black's favor.}) 24... Rb8 25. Bd3 Rfc8 26. Kf2 {And despite black's extra material, the position is much easier for white.}) 16. c3 Nc6 (16... Na6 {[%cal Ga6c5,Gc5b3,Gc5e4] was indeed an alternative.}) 17. Nb5 Nc5 18. Bxc5 dxc5 19. Rd3 Qb6 20. Nd6+ Bxd6 21. Rxd6 O-O {The dust has settled. Black is far ahead in development and he has a target: the b2 pawn!} 22. f4 Rcd8 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Qc2 c4 $1 {[%csl Yb2][%cal Gb6g1] [#] Opening up the a7-g1 diagonal, fixing b2 pawn and taking away c4 square from White. Moves like this are like mate in one for Gelfand!} 25. Rd1 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Qxb2 27. Qd7 Kf8 $1 {Only a player with vast amount of experience , like Gelfand, can keep his nerve and enter this line.} 28. Qc7 a4 {passed pawns should be pushed!} 29. f5 $2 {Desparate. Kd1 and Nc1 would have held for some times.} (29. Kd1 a3 30. Nc1 a2 31. Nxa2 {is too hasty for black.} ) 29... exf5 30. exf5 a3 31. Qd6+ Ke8 32. Bg2 Qb1+ 33. Kf2 Qxf5+ 34. Ke1 Qb1+ 35. Kf2 Qb6+ 36. Nd4 a2 37. Bxc6+ Bxc6 38. Qa3 Qc7 $1 {[%cal Gc7h2]} 39. Nxc6 Qf4+ 40. Ke2 Qe4+ 41. Kf2 Qxh4+ 42. Kf3 Qh1+ 43. Kf4 Qxc6 44. Qxa2 h6 45. gxh6 Qxh6+ 46. Ke4 Qe6+ 47. Kd4 g5 {A classical display by Gelfand!} 0-1 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.04"] [Round "4.5"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Lu, Shanglei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2620"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] {After two draws at the start Gelfand won his third round game against Demchenko. While that was a tactical win, his fourth round victory against Lu Shanglei was more positional in nature.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Qa4 Bd7 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc3 $5 {This move has been played by Caruana at the Dortmund Super GM tournament in 2015. The idea seems to be to stop Black from going c4.} (9. Qd3 {is the main move but then Black has the option of directly playing c4.}) 9... cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Rc8 12. Bf4 Bc5 13. Qd3 Qb6 14. Nd2 O-O 15. Ne4 {Until now the players were following the game between Caruana and Naiditisch from Dortmund 2015. Here the German GM had played Nd5. But Lu Shanglei goes for an inferior move.} Bc6 $6 { Voluntarily accepting kingside weakness doesn't seem to be a great idea.} 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Bxc6 Qxc6 18. Rfd1 Bb6 19. Rac1 Qb7 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Bh6 $1 { We now understand why gxf6 was not such a good idea. The back rank weakness is permanent and Black cannot so much about it.} b4 22. e4 $1 {An important move which fixes the pawn on f6. If this pawn cannot move then the pawn on f7 is immobile, and if those guys cannot move then the king on g8 is trapped forever! } Kh8 23. Qd7 $5 {A very interesting decision by Gelfand to go into the rook+bishop endgame. The fact that Black had kingside weaknesses would have motivated many players to keep the queens on the board, but Gelfand goes for simple play.} (23. Qf3 $5 f5 24. Qh5 Qe7 (24... Qxe4 $2 25. Qxf7 $18) 25. exf5 $16) 23... Qxd7 24. Rxd7 {White's advantage is beyond any doubt. Black's rook is permanently nailed to the back rank and the king is trapped in the corner. White on the other hand can play with all his forces. The only slightly difficult task is to find the most appropriate way to break through.} Kg8 25. Rb7 Bc5 26. b3 Ra8 27. Rb5 Be7 (27... Bf8 28. Bxf8 Kxf8 29. Rxb4 $16) 28. Kf1 a5 29. Bf4 Bd8 (29... a4 30. Rb8+ {It would seem that after the rook exchange the white king comes to c4 and the b4 pawn falls. But things are not so simple as Black tries to create counterplay on the kingside. A quick initial analysis shows that White should win, but a deeper investigation may reveal something different.} Rxb8 31. Bxb8 axb3 32. axb3 Kg7 33. Ke2 Kg6 34. f3 f5 $1 35. e5 f6 36. Kd3 Bc5 37. exf6 Kxf6 38. Kc4 Bg1 39. h3 Bh2 40. Kxb4 e5 41. Kc5 $16) 30. Ke2 Kf8 31. Kd3 Rc8 32. Be3 Rc3+ 33. Kd2 Ke7 34. Bd4 Rc6 35. f4 Rd6 36. Ke3 Rc6 37. Kd2 Rd6 38. Kd3 Kd7 39. Kc4 Rc6+ 40. Rc5 Be7 {It seems that leading upto the 40th move White has lost the bulk of his advantage. But Gelfand shows that with the a5-b4-and f6 pawns fixed on the same colour as the black bishop, the defence is not at all trivial.} 41. Rxc6 Kxc6 42. f5 $1 {Fixing the f6 pawn.} Bd8 43. Bc5 h5 44. Bf8 Kb6 45. Bd6 Kc6 (45... Bc7 46. Be7 Be5 47. Bd8+ Ka6 48. Kc5 $18) 46. Bc5 $18 {Black is in zugzwang and will lose either his f6 or a5 pawn.} 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.04"] [Round "4.12"] [White "Fedoseev, Vladimir"] [Black "Bocharov, Dmitry"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B92"] [WhiteElo "2664"] [BlackElo "2595"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] {Wonderful things happen in this game. Let's have a look as to why Fedoseev is considered as one of the best upcoming players in the world.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Be3 Nbd7 (9... Be6 {is the main move here.}) 10. a4 b6 11. Bc4 $5 {White takes control of the d5 square and aims for a long manuevre with his b3 knight as we shall see in the game.} Bb7 12. Nd2 Qc7 13. Qe2 Nc5 14. Rfd1 $1 {The e4 pawn cannot really be touched right now.} Rfd8 (14... Ncxe4 $6 15. Ndxe4 Nxe4 (15... Bxe4 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Bd5 $16) 16. Nd5 $1 $16) 15. Bxc5 $1 {The first unusual move of the game. In the Sicilian we are taught that the dark squared bishop is extremely important and we shouldn't part with it so easily. But here the battle is for the d5 square and the bishop on e3 doesn't really fight for it. Hence, this is a very logical move.} Qxc5 16. Nf1 $1 {The knight gets ready to go to e3 to control the d5 square.} b5 17. Bb3 bxa4 $6 (17... b4 {looked more natural, although after} 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. Bxd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 $16 {White is clearly better.}) 18. Rxa4 Bc6 19. Rc4 Qb6 20. Ne3 a5 {White is better, there is no doubt about that. But how to increase your advantage?} 21. g4 $1 { An unusual move but once again extremely logical. The knight on f6 will be kicked away and the white knights will enjoy itself on the d5 square.} Qb7 22. g5 Nd7 23. Rxc6 $1 {A tactical sequence but it is not so easy to spot what is going on. The real weakness that Fedoseev has spotted like an eagle is the f7 square.} Qxc6 24. Nf5 Bf8 (24... Re8 25. Qh5 g6 26. Bxf7+ Kxf7 27. Qxh7+ Ke6 28. Ng7+ Kf7 29. Nh5+ Ke6 30. Qxg6+ $18) 25. Qf3 $1 {Surprisingly it is extremely difficult to meet Nh6+.} Kh8 26. Nh4 Nc5 27. Bxf7 Qd7 28. Ng6+ $1 { Not so difficult for a player like Fedoseev but nonetheless very beautiful.} hxg6 29. Bxg6 {There is just no way to prevent the mate on h5. You have to agree that it was simply a terrific game by the Russian youngster.} 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.04"] [Round "4.14"] [White "Bluebaum, Matthias"] [Black "Rakhmanov, Aleksandr"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A53"] [WhiteElo "2605"] [BlackElo "2650"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 g6 4. Nc3 Bf5 5. Nh4 Bd7 6. e4 e5 7. Nf3 exd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. Be2 O-O 10. Be3 Nc6 11. O-O Re8 12. f3 Nh5 13. Nc2 Be5 14. Nd5 Ne7 15. Bg5 f6 16. Be3 Nxd5 17. Qxd5+ Be6 18. Qd2 f5 19. f4 Bxb2 20. Rab1 Bg7 21. Bxh5 gxh5 22. Bd4 b6 23. Rb3 h4 24. Ne3 Bxd4 25. Qxd4 c5 26. Qd2 Qf6 27. Rd3 fxe4 28. Rxd6 Rad8 29. f5 Qg5 (29... Rxd6 30. Qxd6 Qd4 $5 $11) 30. Re1 Bf7 31. Rd7 h6 32. Qd6 Rxd7 33. Qxd7 Rd8 34. Qxa7 Qf4 {The game is pretty well balanced until this point. Bluebaum could have played Re2, stopping Rd2, and the position would have been round about equal. But he saw nothing wrong with the most natural move in the position - the knight jump to d5, and went for it. Do you see why it is such a huge mistake?} 35. Nd5 $2 (35. Qxb6 Rd2 $19) 35... Rxd5 $1 {As you near the time control (40 moves) such oversights are bound to happen.} (35... Bxd5 36. Qxb6 $1 $14) 36. cxd5 e3 $1 {Surprisingly there is just no way to deal with Qf2+.} 37. Kh1 (37. Rf1 Qd4 $1 {threatening e2.} 38. Kh1 (38. Qb8+ Kh7 $1 39. Qf4 e2+ 40. Qxd4 exf1=Q+ 41. Kxf1 cxd4 $19) 38... e2 39. Re1 Qd1 $19 {The a5 square is controlled by the pawn on b6 and the g3 square by the pawn on h4! There is no way that the white queen can help here!}) 37... Bxd5 $1 {Although it doesn't make a huge difference it is nice that the a8 and b8 both the checking squares are controlled by the black pieces.} 38. Rg1 h3 $1 {All of Black's pieces work in perfect unison.} 39. Qxb6 hxg2+ 40. Rxg2+ Bxg2+ 41. Kxg2 Qg4+ {With a quick mate. Very sharp tactical play by Aleksandr Rakhmanov.} 0-1 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.02"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Savchenko, Boris"] [Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "2610"] [BlackElo "2677"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "r7/2p5/2p1k3/1p1p1r1p/3Pp1pP/P1P1R1P1/1P3P2/4RK2 b - - 0 36"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] {It is clear that Black has more space. He is the one who is pressing, but White is quite solid. In such positions it is important to begin with a mini plan. The first thing that seems like extremely important to make even an iota of progress is to get in the c5 break. That is what Vallejo does.} 36... Kd6 37. R1e2 c5 {Stage one of the plan is completed. Is White forced to capture on c5 and give Black a central majority? Of course accepting an isolated pawn on d4 is no fun, but could it have been better?} 38. dxc5+ (38. Rc2 c4 $1 $17 { Later on we can push a second pawn to c5. Besides the king can make his way all the way to b3 to put pressure on the b2 pawn. This looks pretty grim.} ( 38... cxd4 39. cxd4 {gives White some activity down the c-file.})) 38... Kxc5 39. Rd2 {Now the logical plan is to push the pawn to c5, get the king to e5 and try for the d4 break. But good players never rush. They lure their opponents into a false sense of security, and then break through.} c6 40. Ke1 Ra4 41. Kd1 Kd6 42. Ke1 Ke5 43. Rd1 Ra8 44. Re2 Rf3 45. Rd4 Rf7 46. Rd3 Raf8 47. Rd4 c5 $1 {After getting all the pieces in perfect location, Black finally goes for the breakthrough. And there is nothing White can do about it.} 48. Rd1 d4 49. cxd4+ cxd4 50. Red2 (50. Rc1 d3 51. Rd2 Kd4 {transposes to the game.}) 50... d3 51. Rc1 Kd4 52. Rc6 Rf6 53. Rc7 R6f7 54. Rc6 Rf5 55. b4 Rd8 56. Re6 Rf3 57. Kd1 Rdf8 58. Ke1 Rd8 59. Kd1 e3 $1 {And that move brings down the curtains.} 60. fxe3+ Rxe3 61. Rh6 Rxg3 {A very nice endgame by Vallejo, who showed the importance of making mini plans rather than grand schemes which are not so easy to formulate during the game.} 0-1 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.05"] [Round "5.9"] [White "Korobov, Anton"] [Black "Bachmann, Axel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E69"] [WhiteElo "2713"] [BlackElo "2609"] [Annotator "jf"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] 1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. e4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. h3 Nc5 11. Re1 a5 12. Qc2 {Diagram [#] Classical King's Indian strategy: after exchanging on d4 Black tries to exert pressure on White's vulnerable pawn on e4.} c6 13. Be3 Qc7 14. Rad1 Be6 15. b3 Rad8 16. f4 Bc8 17. Bf2 h5 18. Nf3 Nh7 19. Bd4 Bxd4+ 20. Rxd4 Nf8 21. Kh2 Qe7 22. Qf2 Nfe6 23. Rdd1 Qf6 24. Re3 g5 {Diagram [#]} 25. f5 {This leads to a static pawn structure and gives Black a good square on e5.} ({More elastic - and better - was} 25. Ne2 $1 {and now Black cannot win the pawn on f4 because after} gxf4 26. gxf4 Nxf4 27. Nh4 {Black's knight ran into a fatal pin.}) 25... Nf8 { The knight retreats but already has plans to reenter the game with a vengeance via d7 and e5.} 26. Qd2 Nfd7 27. h4 gxh4 28. Qxd6 $6 ({Taking the wrong pawn. After} 28. gxh4 $1 Ne5 29. Nxe5 dxe5 {the engines consider the position as equal.}) 28... Qxd6 29. Rxd6 Ne5 30. Rxd8 Ng4+ 31. Kh3 Rxd8 32. Re2 Rd3 33. Na4 Nxe4 {Diagram [#] It is obvous that White lost control of the game - the black pieces really made an impressive career. However, despite the menacing position of Black's pieces White is far from lost here.} 34. Kxh4 $2 {This is the decisive mistake.} (34. Ne1 $1 {After the counter-intuitive computer move} Rxg3+ 35. Kxh4 Ngf6 36. Bh3 {the engines give Black only a slight advantage.}) 34... Ne3 35. Bh3 Nxf5+ 36. Bxf5 Bxf5 37. Ng5 $2 Nf6 $6 {Diagram [#] A few moves before the time control Black puts his knight on the wrong square.} ({ After} 37... Nd6 $1 38. Rf2 Bg4 {the threat of 39...Nf5+ gives Black a winning position.}) 38. Nh3 $2 ({After} 38. Rf2 $1 Rd4+ 39. Rf4 {White is still slightly worse but back into the game.}) 38... Kg7 39. Nf4 Rd1 40. Kg5 Bg4 41. Rh2 Ne4+ ({After} 41... Ne4+ 42. Kh4 Kh6 {White has no adequate threat against the threats ...Nd6, ...Nf5+ (or mate), ...Nd2 and ...Nf3, or ...Ng5 and Nf3+, e.g.} 43. Nxh5 f5 44. Nf4 Ng5 {and White will be mated.}) 0-1 [Event "Aeroflot Open"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.05"] [Round "5"] [White "Korobov, Anton"] [Black "Bachmann, Axel"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E69"] [WhiteElo "2713"] [BlackElo "2609"] [Annotator "Elshan Moradiabadi"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackTeam "Paraguay"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"] [BlackTeamCountry "PAR"] [WhiteClock "0:57:56"] [BlackClock "1:07:35"] 1. d4 d6 {Axel likes this first move.} 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 {A transposition to KID.} 5. g3 {Korobov has a very broad repertoire and this move is within his repertoire. Nevertheless, this choice explains Korobov's psychological state of mind for today's battle: He is planning for a safe long-lasting edge from the white side of the King's Indian.} O-O 6. Bg2 Nbd7 { [#] Bronstein's favorite. Nc6 followed by a6 and Rb8 is another popular plan in this position thanks to the efforts of legendary Efim Geller in the 50s and 60s.} (6... Nc6 7. O-O a6 8. Qd3 e5 {was played by none other than Korobov himself!} 9. d5 Nb4 10. Qd1 a5 11. h3 Bf5 12. Nh4 Bd7 {1-0 (50) Kovalenko,I (2700)-Korobov,A (2700) Berlin 2015}) 7. O-O e5 8. e4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. h3 Nc5 {Nothing is new yet! All have been played several times. The author of this "commentary" has played it on several occasions from White's side!} 11. Re1 a5 {[%cal Ga5b4] A thematic move. Otherwise, White would kick the c5 knight with b4 once he secures "matters" on the a1-h8 diagonal.} 12. Qc2 c6 ( 12... Nfxe4 $2 {does not win a pawn for Black!} 13. Nxe4 Bxd4 14. Bg5 Qd7 ( 14... f6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxf6+ {wins an exchange and the game for white.}) 15. Nf6+ Bxf6 16. Bxf6 Re6 17. Bc3 c6 18. Qd2 Na4 19. Bd4 c5 20. Rxe6 fxe6 ( 20... Qxe6 21. Re1 Qd7 22. Bf6 {[%cal Gd2h6] wins right away.}) 21. Bf6 Qf7 22. Bg5 Qc7 23. Rd1 Ra6 24. b3 {and the d6 pawn will collapse and so does black's position.}) 13. Be3 Qc7 14. Rad1 Be6 $5 {Black offers his bishop for White's central knight. Although Nxe6 is a playable move, due to Black's lack of space, it is more practical to keep more pieces on the board.} 15. b3 Rad8 16. f4 { The most popular and most principled.} Bc8 17. Bf2 h5 $6 $146 {[%cal Gh5h4, Yh4g3] When I first saw this move, I immediately thought about GM Sarhan Guliev, who trained me from when I was only 2250 until I became a GM. If I had played this move, Sarhan would have called me a "Cafe player". It is hard to believe that this h pawn move could ever lead to anything tangible for Black since White has already established his center. However, as the game proceeds. Bachmann's idea is to re-route his knight thorugh h7 instead of d7.} (17... Nfd7 18. Kh2 Na6 {with a rich position. 1-0 (110) Gunina,V (2437)-Huang,Q (2424) Sochi 2009}) 18. Nf3 $1 {[%csl Yg5][%cal Gf3g5,Gf3h4]} Nh7 $1 {Bachmann is not interested in Nfd7.} 19. Bd4 Bxd4+ 20. Rxd4 Nf8 21. Kh2 $6 {A waste of time.} (21. Rdd1 {had great prophylactic value since it would have prevented Black from bringing his queen to the kingside.} Nfe6 (21... Qe7 22. a3 { Black doesn't have Qb6 anymore.} Qf6 23. b4 $16) 22. Qf2 Qe7 23. Nd5 $1 $16) 21... Qe7 22. Qf2 Nfe6 23. Rdd1 Qf6 24. Re3 $6 {[#]} (24. Qd2 {would have prevented g5.}) 24... g5 $1 {Black has managed to neutralize White's advantage. What happens next has a lot of aesthetic and dramatic value!} 25. f5 Nf8 26. Qd2 Nfd7 27. h4 (27. Qxd6 Qxd6 28. Rxd6 g4 29. Ng1 Ne5 {[%csl Yc3,Gc5,Ge5,Rg1, Rg2] is a pawn up, strategically lost position for White!}) 27... gxh4 $6 ( 27... g4 28. Nd4 Ne5 {seems like a safer alternative to me.}) 28. Qxd6 $2 { Korobov's misses Black's tactical response.} (28. gxh4 {would have given White some solid advantage.} Ne5 29. Nxe5 dxe5 (29... Qxe5+ $4 {loses to} 30. Rg3+ Kf8 31. Qg5) 30. Rg3+ Kf8 31. Qf2 Rxd1 (31... Qxh4+ $4 32. Bh3 Qe7 (32... Qf6 33. Qxc5+) 33. Qg1 $18) 32. Nxd1 Nd7 33. Kh3 {With dangerous initiative for white.}) 28... Qxd6 29. Rxd6 Ne5 30. Rxd8 Ng4+ {This is what Korobov missed!} 31. Kh3 Rxd8 32. Re2 (32. Re1 Rd3 33. Ne2 {was only way to hold!}) 32... Rd3 33. Na4 Nxe4 $1 {A beautiful position. All of Black's pieces are cooperating in the attack against White's king, and yet, the computer shows that after Ne1, White holds. My suggestion? Turn off your engines and watch how Bachmann's piece harmony takes Korobov's king to its final journey!} 34. Kxh4 $4 (34. Ne1 Rxg3+ 35. Kxh4 Ngf6 36. Bh3 $3 {What a defensive move!} b5 37. Nb6 Ba6 38. cxb5 cxb5 39. Nd5 Nxd5 40. Rxe4 {and white should be able to hold, after a lot of difficulties!}) 34... Ne3 35. Bh3 Nxf5+ 36. Bxf5 Bxf5 37. Ng5 Nf6 $4 {This almost throws away the win!} 38. Nh3 $4 {And this returns the favor!} (38. Rf2 $1 {[%csl Yf5,Yf6][%cal Gf2f7]} Rd4+ 39. Rf4 Rxf4+ 40. gxf4 Bb1 41. Nc3 { I doubt that Black could win this endgame, though White has a long way to go to earn a draw!}) 38... Kg7 39. Nf4 Rd1 40. Kg5 Bg4 41. Rh2 Ne4+ (41... Ne4+ 42. Kh4 Kh6 {[%cal Ge4g5,Gg5f3]} 43. Nb2 Ng5 {[%cal Gg5f3]}) 0-1 [Event "Aeroflot Open 2016"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.06"] [Round "6"] [White "Kamsky, Gata"] [Black "Salem, A R Saleh"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2667"] [BlackElo "2629"] [Annotator "Elshan Moradiabadi"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000:900+30"] {Round six of the Aeroflot Open saw a nice strategic victory by the several-times "Candidate", Super-GM Gata Kamsky!} 1. e4 {96} c5 {[%emt 0:00:00] } 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} cxd4 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0: 00:05]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 6. a4 {[%emt 0:00:04] No surprise! This rare line is Gata's "pet" line against Najdorf. One of the famous occasions, in which Gata employed it is during his "Candidates" match against Topalov in 2011. Another top-level player, who regularly employs this line is British no.1 Michael Adams.} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:52]} (6... e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bg5 ({The world champion has a different opinion on this position!} 8. Bc4 O-O 9. O-O Be6 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. a5 Nc6 12. Be3 Qd7 13. Re1 Rae8 14. Bb6 Bd8 $13 {1/2-1/2 (48) Carlsen,M (2864) -Gelfand,B (2755) Moscow 2013}) 8... Be6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nd5 Nd7 11. Bc4 Rc8 $11 {1/2-1/2 (37) Kamsky,G (2732)-Topalov,V (2775) Kazan 2011}) 7. a5 {[%emt 0:00:27] This move is actually Gata's "Novelty" against Topalov in 2011.} Nxa5 {Young talent, Salem, takes the challenge. Topalov's reaction was less drastic back in 2011.} (7... e6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Bd3 Be7 10. O-O c5 11. Bf4 Qc7 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. e5 Qc6 14. f3 Nh5 15. Bd2 c4 16. Bxc4 dxe5 17. b3 Rd8 18. Rad1 Qc5+ 19. Kh1 Nf4 $132 {1/2-1/2 (41) Kamsky,G (2732)-Topalov,V (2775) Kazan 2011}) 8. Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:45] I hope my memory is not failing me, but I think this move was studied by the "Chess Evolution" team, extensively back in 2011.} e6 9. Nxf6+ {[%emt 0:00:45]} gxf6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 10. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00: 06]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 11. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 12. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} h5 $146 (12... d5 13. O-O Bb7 14. Qe2 Bg7 15. exd5 cxd5 16. Ra4 $36 {1-0 (31) Bajarani,U (2471)-Rasulov,V (2512) Baku 2014} (16. Qg4 $1 $16)) 13. O-O d5 {[#] It is time to turn off engines, sit back, and evaluate the position. White is a pawn down, and Black has a great 'pack' of pawns in the center. However, Black king's does not have a real safe place to go to, and in the long-run Black has a lot of difficulty to mobilize his pieces. In addition, Black has a number of weaknesses on the queenside, notably the a-pawn, which would fall once White manages to mobilize his pieces on the queenside.} 14. Ba5 Qd6 {135} 15. Bc3 {138} Be7 {1005} 16. Ra4 {536} e5 {437} 17. Qe2 {71} Bg4 {336} 18. f3 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Be6 {125} 19. Kh1 $1 {[%emt 0: 00:55] Computers do not like this move, but I do! This move parries all the possible tactical tricks and prepares White to set-forth pressure on the queenside.} h4 {206} 20. h3 {[%emt 0:00:40] Obvious prevention} Rg8 21. Rfa1 { 92} Qb8 {This move proves how hard this position is for a human to play. The fall of the a-pawn is now inevitable, and with it comes the fall of Black's position.} 22. b4 {167} (22. b3 {is equally good if not better.}) 22... Bd7 { 264} 23. Rxa6 {413} Rxa6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 24. Rxa6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Qc8 { [%emt 0:00:53]} 25. Qf1 {[%csl Gf1,Yh3][%cal Gf1h3,Yd7h3] Gata parries Bxh3.} Bd8 {116} 26. Be1 $1 {[%csl Rh4][%cal Ye1h4] Now, Black's pawns prove to be ill-structured and Gata makes sure to grab them one after another!} Rh8 { [%emt 0:00:33]} 27. Bf2 {120} d4 {[%emt 0:00:36] [#]} 28. Kh2 (28. c3 $1 dxc3 29. Qa1 Bxh3 30. Ra8 {was a neater and more classy continuation. Gata's choice is equally good and in essence. Black is strategically lost.}) 28... Bc7 { [%emt 0:00:07]} 29. b5 $1 {137} (29. c3 $1 dxc3 30. Qa1 {is another way to win this game!}) 29... cxb5 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 30. Bxb5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Ke7 { [%emt 0:00:27]} 31. Be1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:43]} (31... Bd6 32. Ra7 $18 {and Black is busted.} Rd8 33. Ba5) 32. Bxd7 {147} Qxd7 {[%emt 0:00:01] } 33. Rxf6 {[%emt 0:00:24] It is White who is a pawn up. The rest is "just a matter of technique", which Gata takes care of with caution and patience.} Rh5 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 34. Qa6 {1258} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 35. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 36. Rd6 {150} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 37. Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:12] } Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 38. Rh6 {377} Rg5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 39. Qd6 {360} Qe8 { [%emt 0:00:01]} 40. Rxh4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rg6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Rg4 {154} Rxg4 {278} 42. fxg4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 43. g5 {[%emt 0:00: 38] Gata's patience and game plan was simple and deep. I believe that Salem's loss was as a result of dubious opening choice rather a poor play. The position was already hard to handle right out of the opening.} 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.07"] [Round "7.13"] [White "Moiseenko, Alexander"] [Black "Cordova, Emilio"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A62"] [WhiteElo "2668"] [BlackElo "2610"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 g6 6. Nc3 d6 7. g3 Bg7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Bf4 Bf5 11. Nh4 Bc8 12. Qd2 Na6 13. h3 Bd7 14. a4 c4 15. Bh6 Bh8 16. Qf4 Nc5 17. Qxc4 Rc8 18. a5 Nce4 19. Qb4 Rxc3 20. bxc3 Nxd5 21. Qxb7 Ndxc3 22. Kh2 g5 23. Nf3 Bb5 24. Qxa7 Bxe2 25. Rfe1 Qf6 26. Bxg5 Nxg5 27. Nxg5 Qxg5 28. a6 Nb5 {Diagram [#] First of all let's calculate the material. White has a rook and a pawn for two minor pieces. The pawn on a6 however is extremely strong which determines White's advantage. A lot of things are happening tactically here. The queen on a7 is attacked and so is the rook on a1. White can play Qd7 but after Rd8 Black would be able to win the rook on a1 anyway. Moiseenko here is able to find the combination which might not be very difficult for a player of his calibre but still is quite pretty.} 29. Rxe2 $1 Nxa7 (29... Rxe2 30. Qb8+ Kg7 31. Ra4 $1 {One cannot be sure if Alexander had seen this move. The threat is Rg4.} h5 32. Rf4 Qe5 33. Qb7 $18 {Black is a piece up but his forces are so badly co-ordinated that he has absolutely no chance in this position.}) 30. Rxe8+ Kg7 31. Rb1 $1 {The rook is coming to b8 and the bishop on h8 will be lost. Quite a weird trapped piece, don't you agree?} Qc5 32. Rbb8 Qxf2 33. Rxh8 Nc6 34. Rhg8+ Kh6 35. Rb1 Ne5 36. Rf1 Qb6 37. Rf6+ Ng6 38. Rxd6 {The rook is taboo due to a7 when the pawn queens.} Qf2 39. Rf6 Qa2 40. Rf8 {A very nice tactical performance by the Ukrainian grandmaster.} 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.01"] [Round "1"] [White "Potkin, Vladimir"] [Black "Wei Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A10"] [WhiteElo "2585"] [BlackElo "2706"] [Annotator "Kavutskiy,Kostya"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] [SourceDate "2015.04.04"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "China"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "CHN"] [WhiteClock "0:01:54"] [BlackClock "0:00:36"] 1. c4 g6 2. e4 e5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 exd4 5. e5 Ne4 6. Qxd4 Bb4+ 7. Kd1 $5 { Of course this strange move was prepared by Potkin--grandmasters don't just violate opening principles on a whim!} ({Most top games have instead seen} 7. Nbd2) 7... f5 8. exf6 Nxf6 9. Qh4 {The first new move.} ({The previous game continued} 9. Bh6 Qe7 10. Bd3 Nc6 11. Qh4 d5 12. a3 Ng4 13. Bg5 Qd6 14. Kc1 Bc5 15. Re1+ {Nabaty (2590)-Fier (2601), Skopje 2015.}) 9... d5 {Black wants to open the center, what could be more logical?} 10. Bg5 Be7 ({Perhaps} 10... O-O {was better, with a very complicated position.}) 11. cxd5 Nxd5 ({Now} 11... O-O {will be met with} 12. Kc1 $1 {Followed by Bc4, with an initiative.}) 12. Bc4 Nc6 13. Bxd5 $6 {It seems both players misevaluated something about the consequences of this capture.} ({Stockfish likes} 13. Nbd2 $1 {with the threat of Re1, and Black looks to be in trouble.}) 13... Be6 $2 {A strange move, it's really not clear why Black rejected the obvious Qxd5+.} (13... Qxd5+ 14. Nbd2 ( 14. Kc1 Qc5+ 15. Nc3 O-O 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Qxe7 Nxe7 {is clearly better for Black.}) 14... Bxg5 15. Qxg5 Qxg5 16. Nxg5 O-O {and again Black is to be preferred, with Bf5 and Rad8 coming.}) 14. Bxe7 Nxe7 15. Re1 $1 {Black's king is starting to feel very unsafe on e8.} Bxd5 {Once again taking with the queen was stronger.} 16. Kc2 {Now Black is in real trouble.} Qd7 17. Nc3 Qf5+ { With the intention of giving up the knight on e7, as White has too much pressure along the central files.} 18. Kc1 O-O-O 19. Rxe7 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Qxf3 { Black has some compensation since White's rook on a1 is out of play for the moment, but that is just temporary.} 21. Qg3 $1 Qc6 22. Kc2 Rd6 23. Rae1 Rhd8 24. R1e2 a5 25. Qe5 {Void of any counterplay, Wei Yi resigned.} 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.06"] [Round "6"] [White "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Black "Hovhannisyan, Robert"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D78"] [WhiteElo "2682"] [BlackElo "2636"] [Annotator "Kavutskiy,Kostya"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] [SourceDate "2015.04.04"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "Armenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] [WhiteClock "0:30:01"] [BlackClock "0:18:38"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 c6 5. O-O Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bf5 8. c4 Nbd7 9. e3 Nb6 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Nc3 Ne4 12. Ne5 Rc8 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Nxe4 Rxc1 15. Qxc1 Nxe5 16. dxe5 dxe4 {The structure is symmetrical but White's bishop on b2 has access to the queenside--also White has retained the advantage of the first move:} 17. Qb1 Qd5 18. Rd1 Qc6 19. Rc1 Qd5 20. Bd4 b6 21. Qb2 Rc8 22. Rxc8+ Bxc8 23. Qc2 Bb7 $2 {Black's first mistake of the game, and quite a serious one.} ({Black needed to return the bishop to the kingside with} 23... Bf5 {so that} 24. Qc7 {could be met with} Qa5 $1 {threatening a nasty check on e1.}) 24. Qc7 $1 {Now there's no good way to evict White's queen from Black's side of the board.} Bf8 25. Bf1 $1 {White's bishop is much more useful on this diagonal.} Qc6 26. Qb8 a6 27. e6 $1 {A very nice shot.} b5 {Controlling the c4-square.} ({27...Qxe6 is bad since the bishop hangs on b7, and} 27... fxe6 { leaves Black without a good answer to} 28. Qe5) 28. a4 f6 29. axb5 axb5 30. Bxf6 $1 {Another nice trick.} Qc8 {Black tries to bail out to the endgame, which will be difficult to hold.} (30... exf6 31. e7 Bc8 32. exf8=Q+ Kxf8 33. Bxb5 $1 {and White's extra pawn plus active pieces should decide.}) 31. Be5 Qxb8 32. Bxb8 Bc6 33. Ba7 Bg7 34. Bc5 Kf8 35. b4 Bc3 36. Be2 Be5 37. Kf1 Bc3 38. Kg2 Bd2 39. f4 $1 {Matlakov finds the strong winning plan of creating a passed pawn on the kingside.} Kg7 (39... exf3+ {is hopeless:} 40. Bxf3 Bxf3+ 41. Kxf3 {White's king will soon take the b5-pawn.}) 40. Bd4+ Kf8 41. Bc5 Bc3 42. g4 h6 43. h4 Be1 44. Kh3 Bc3 45. g5 hxg5 46. hxg5 {Next is Kg4 and f4-f5, so Black must part ways with the b5-pawn.} Bd5 47. Bxb5 Bxe6+ 48. Kg3 Bb3 49. Bc6 $1 {The activity of White's bishops will force Black to give up one of his own for the b-pawn. The game is effectively over.} Kf7 50. Bxe4 e5 51. b5 exf4+ 52. exf4 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.06"] [Round "6"] [White "Bartel, Mateusz"] [Black "Artemiev, Vladislav"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2625"] [BlackElo "2674"] [Annotator "mycomputer"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] [SourceDate "2015.04.04"] [WhiteTeam "Poland"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "POL"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] [WhiteClock "1:21:50"] [BlackClock "0:01:01"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nb3 g6 7. Be2 Bg7 8. g4 h6 9. Be3 Nc6 10. f3 b5 11. Qd2 Be6 12. O-O-O Rc8 13. Kb1 Ne5 14. h4 {Both sides have used a mix of opening ideas, but it seems that White has come out on top, with more space in the center and kingside.} Bc4 $6 {Perhaps a step in the wrong direction.} ({Another try was to block the kingside with} 14... h5 15. g5 Nfd7 {but White is still better after} 16. Bd4 {followed by f3-f4, etc.} ) 15. Bd4 $1 {Now Black has some issues along this diagonal, White has ideas of pushing his f- and g- pawns foward.} Qc7 $2 ({Stockfish suggests} 15... Nc6 {but White can seize the advantage with} 16. g5 $1 Nxd4 17. gxf6 Nxe2 18. fxg7 Nxc3+ 19. Qxc3 Rg8 20. Qd2 $1 Rxg7 21. Qxh6 Rg8 22. e5 $1 {and White has a clear edge, since Black's king is permanently stuck in the center. Nevertheless, this was better than the game continuation.}) 16. f4 $1 {This shot was probably underestimated by Artemiev, as it is simply crushing.} Bxe2 { Electing to give up a piece.} (16... Nexg4 {is impossible in view of} 17. Bxg4 Nxg4 18. Bxg7) ({Perhaps} 16... Nc6 {was the lesser evil, but after} 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Nb8 20. g5 $1 {Black will suffer on the kingside.}) 17. Qxe2 Nexg4 18. e5 dxe5 19. fxe5 Qc4 20. exf6 Qxe2 21. Nxe2 Bxf6 {Black might have thought he gets some compensation with his central pawn mass, but White's pieces are too centralized and the pawns are hardly mobile.} 22. h5 g5 23. Ng3 Bxd4 24. Rxd4 Ne5 25. Re4 f6 26. Rf1 Rc4 27. Nd4 Rc5 28. Ne6 Rc6 29. Ng7+ Kd7 30. N3f5 Rg8 31. Rd4+ Kc7 32. Nxe7 {Simplifying into an easier endgame.} Rxg7 33. Nxc6 Nxc6 34. Rd2 g4 35. Rxf6 g3 36. Rg6 $1 { Well-calculated by Bartel.} Rxg6 37. hxg6 h5 (37... Ne7 38. Rg2 Nxg6 39. Rxg3 { is hopeless.}) 38. Re2 {Cutting off the knight from the e7-square.} Nd4 39. Rg2 Nf5 40. Rxg3 1-0 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.08"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Fedoseev, Vladimir"] [Black "Najer, Evgeniy"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B10"] [WhiteElo "2664"] [BlackElo "2664"] [Annotator "jf"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] 1. e4 c6 2. Be2 {[#] This move has never before been played on such a high level.} d5 3. e5 c5 4. f4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. O-O e6 7. d3 Nh6 8. Be3 Nf5 9. Bf2 Be7 {[#] Black "survived" the opening without any problems and has a comfortable position - no real recommendation for White's opening concept.} 10. Nbd2 h5 11. c3 ({Immediately} 11. c4 {might have been better.}) 11... g6 12. c4 Qd7 13. Rc1 b6 14. cxd5 exd5 15. d4 c4 16. b3 b5 17. bxc4 bxc4 18. Nxc4 { [#] White sacrifices a piece to get counterplay and the chance to set his central pawns in motion. The sacrifice might be correct but White does not follow up correctly.} dxc4 19. Rxc4 Nb4 20. Qb3 Nd5 21. Rc5 Nc7 22. e6 $2 { [#] Too violent. The engines recommend a much quieter approach, e.g.} (22. Rcc1 O-O 23. Qb7 Rfc8 24. d5 {with an - according to the engines - equal position.}) 22... fxe6 23. Ne5 Nxd4 24. Qb2 Nxe2+ 25. Kh1 Bf6 26. Nxd7 Bxb2 27. Rxc7 { [#] Black avoided all traps and now is simply a piece up.} Rd8 28. Rb7 Bc3 29. Nb8 Rc8 30. Nd7 Rd8 31. Nb8 Rf8 32. h3 Rxf4 33. Nc6 Rd6 34. Re7+ Kf8 35. Rc7 Bf5 36. Kh2 Rc4 37. Rc8+ Kg7 38. Rc7+ Kf6 0-1 [Event "Aeroflot Open A 2016"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2016.03.08"] [Round "8.6"] [White "Jumabayev, Rinat"] [Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D12"] [WhiteElo "2607"] [BlackElo "2677"] [Annotator "Besenthal,Klaus-Günther"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 Qc7 9. Bd2 Be7 10. Rc1 Nbd7 11. g3 Nb6 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Kf2 Qd7 14. Ng2 Bd6 15. Nf4 O-O 16. h4 {[#]} Nh5 $5 ({Starting double-edged play. Safer was} 16... Bf5 17. g4 Be6 {.}) 17. Nxh5 Bxh5 18. g4 Bxg4 (18... Bg6 $2 19. h5) 19. fxg4 Qxg4 20. Ne2 Nc4 {[#]} 21. Rxc4 $1 {Returning material to ease the pressure and to liberate the white pieces.} dxc4 22. Qxc4 Be7 23. Ke1 Bxh4+ 24. Kd1 Rae8 25. Qd3 h6 26. Kc2 Bg5 {[#] For White's two minor pieces Black has a rook and two pawns - moreover, he has active play and is by no means worse.} 27. Nc3 b5 28. Be2 Qe6 29. Bf3 a5 30. d5 cxd5 31. Bxd5 Qb6 ({Better was} 31... Qc8 $1) 32. Ne4 Be7 $2 {By hindsight it is obvious that an active approach would have been better, e.g.} (32... Re5 $1 33. Bc3 Rf5 {and White is only slightly better.}) 33. Bc3 Qg6 $2 {[#] Overlooking a tactical trick.} ({More stubborn was} 33... Rc8 $1 {even though White is still clearly better here.}) 34. Nf6+ $3 {Winning the queen!} Qxf6 (34... gxf6 35. Qxg6+ Kh8 36. Rxh6#) (34... Bxf6 35. Qxg6) ( 34... Kh8 35. Qxg6 fxg6 36. Nxe8 Rxe8 $4 37. Rxh6#) 35. Bxf6 Bxf6 36. Rf1 Bg5 37. e4 Rc8+ 38. Kb1 Kh8 39. Qxb5 f5 40. e5 f4 41. a3 1-0