[Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D24"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2804"] [PlyCount "142"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 b5 6. e5 Nd5 7. Nxb5 Nb6 8. Be3 (8. Nc3 Be7 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O Bb7 11. Be3 Qd7 12. Rc1 g5 13. Bxg5 Rg8 { 0-1 (57) Radjabov,T (2765)-Firouzja,A (2759) Paris FRA 2021}) (8. Be2 Nc6 9. O-O Be7 10. Be3 O-O 11. Nc3 Rb8 12. a3 Bb7 13. Qc2 Na5 14. Rad1 h6 15. Nd2 Qc8 (15... Qd7 16. f4 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Qc3 Rb5 19. Nxc4 Nxc4 20. Bxc4 Bxc4 21. Qxc4 Rxb2 22. d5 exd5 23. Rxd5 Qf5 24. a4 {1/2-1/2 (61) Mamedyarov,S (2801) -Caruana,F (2822) Saint Louis 2018}) 16. Nce4 Bc6 17. Qc3 Nb3 18. Bxh6 gxh6 19. Nf6+ Bxf6 20. exf6 Kh7 21. Nxb3 Rg8 22. g3 Ba4 23. Nc5 Bxd1 24. Bxd1 Nd5 { 1/2-1/2 (45) Salgado Lopez,I (2593)-Van Foreest,J (2671) Los Cancajos ESP 2020} ) 8... Nc6 9. Be2 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Nc3 Rb8 12. a3 Na5 13. Qc2 Nd5 14. Rad1 Ba6 $5 (14... Bd7 15. Nd2 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bg5 17. Rf3 c5 18. Nde4 Be7 19. dxc5 Qc7 20. Nf6+ Bxf6 21. exf6 g6 22. Qe4 {1-0 (42) Gunina,V (2471)-Pichot,A (2625) INT 2022}) 15. Bd2 Nb3 16. Ne4 Nxd2 17. Rxd2 Nf4 18. Bxc4 Rxb2 19. Qxb2 Bxc4 20. Rc1 $5 Bd5 $5 (20... Nd3 21. Rxd3 Bxd3 22. Ned2) 21. Re1 Qa8 22. Qc2 Bxa3 23. Nfg5 Ng6 24. h4 Bb4 25. h5 Bxd2 $6 (25... Bxe4 26. Nxe4 Nh4 27. h6 Rd8 28. hxg7 Kxg7) 26. Qxd2 h6 27. hxg6 hxg5 28. gxf7+ Kxf7 29. Nxg5+ Ke8 30. f3 Kd7 31. Ne4 Bxe4 32. Rxe4 Qd5 33. Qb4 Rg8 34. Qa4+ Qc6 35. Qxa7 Ra8 36. Qc5 Qxc5 37. dxc5 Kc6 38. Rg4 Kxc5 (38... Rg8 $1 39. Rg6 Kxc5 40. Rxe6 Kd5 41. Re7 g5 42. Rxc7 Kxe5 $11) 39. Rxg7 Kd5 40. Rxc7 Kxe5 41. Rf7 Kd6 $1 (41... Kd5 $6 42. Kf2 e5 $2 43. Rf6 $1 $18) 42. Kf2 e5 43. g4 (43. Rf6+ Ke7 44. Rf5 Ke6 $11) 43... Ke6 44. Rf5 Ra3 45. Rf8 Ke7 46. Rb8 Kf7 47. Rc8 Ke7 48. Rc2 Kf6 49. Re2 Rb3 50. Re3 Rb2+ 51. Kg3 Rc2 52. Ra3 Rb2 53. Ra6+ Kf7 54. Rh6 Rb3 55. Kf2 Ra3 56. Rb6 Ke7 57. Ke2 Rc3 58. Kf2 Ra3 59. Rb2 Kf6 60. Re2 Rb3 61. Re3 Rb2+ 62. Kg3 Rc2 63. Rb3 Ra2 64. Rb6+ Kf7 65. g5 Ra4 66. Rf6+ Ke7 67. Rh6 Kf7 68. Rh4 Ra5 69. Kg4 Ra4+ 70. Kh5 Ra3 71. f4 exf4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2773"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. Nf3 e4 4. Nd4 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nc2 Nf6 7. Nc3 Qe5 8. Bg2 Na6 9. O-O Be7 10. Ne3 O-O 11. a3 Re8 12. b4 Ng4 (12... c5 13. b5 Nc7 14. a4 Ne6 15. Nc4 Qh5 16. d3 Nd4 17. dxe4 Bg4 18. f3 Be6 {0-1 (43) Ding Liren (2799) -Niemann,H (2642) INT 2022}) 13. Bb2 Qh5 14. h4 Bf6 15. Qc2 Nxe3 16. dxe3 Bf5 17. Na4 Bxb2 18. Nxb2 Nc7 19. Nc4 Re6 20. Rfd1 Nd5 21. Rd4 (21. b5 $5 h6 22. bxc6 bxc6 23. Rd4) 21... h6 22. Qd2 Rae8 23. Kh2 Bg4 24. Na5 Rf6 (24... g5 $1) 25. Kg1 g5 26. Nxb7 $2 gxh4 27. Nc5 h3 28. Rxe4 hxg2 29. Rxe8+ Kg7 30. f4 Qh1+ 31. Kf2 Qxa1 32. Kxg2 Bh3+ (32... Bh3+ 33. Kxh3 Qh1+ 34. Kg4 h5+ 35. Kg5 Qh3) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,45,25,20,13,25,25,17,22,12,5,22,21,1,-1,-1,12,-5,0,-1,-3,-7,49,27,23, 19,18,17,37,-7,-17,-18,-18,-18,-20,-19,16,-14,-9,-11,13,-9,-3,-33,-24,-45,-54, -54]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Be6 7. O-O Bd6 8. Nb3 Qe7 9. Na5 Rb8 (9... O-O-O 10. Bd2 (10. a3 c5 11. Be3 Nd7 12. b4 Nb6 13. c4 cxb4 14. Qc2 b3 15. Nxb3 c5 16. Nfd2 Kd7 17. Nb1 Rc8 18. Nc3 Rhd8 19. Rab1 Ke8 20. Nd2 Qd7 21. Rfd1 Kf8 22. Qb3 Rb8 {0-1 (68) Karthik,V (2479) -Aleksandrov,A (2592) New Delhi IND 2020}) 10... Bg4 11. Rb1 Nd7 12. Nc4 Qf6 13. b4 Nf8 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Qxf3 16. gxf3 Ne6 17. Be3 Rhf8 18. c3 f5 19. Rfd1 Rf6 20. d4 exd4 21. cxd4 fxe4 22. Nxd6+ cxd6 23. fxe4 {0-1 (51) Robson,R (2667)-Dominguez Perez,L (2739) Saint Louis 2019}) 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Nd7 13. d4 f6 14. Qd3 h5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 fxe5 17. Nc4 Rd8 18. Nxd6+ cxd6 19. Qe3 g4 20. Nd2 a6 21. b3 O-O $6 22. f3 Qg7 23. fxg4 hxg4 24. Rad1 d5 25. exd5 cxd5 26. Rde1 e4 27. Rxf8+ Rxf8 28. c4 Re8 29. cxd5 Bxd5 30. Nf1 Qe5 31. Qh6 Qg7 32. Qd6 Bc6 33. Ne3 g3 34. hxg3 Qe5 35. Qg6+ Qg7 36. Qd6 Qe5 37. Qh6 Qxg3 38. Rf1 Qg7 39. Qh4 Qh7 40. Qg3+ Qg7 41. Qh4 $6 (41. Qd6 $1 Qe7 42. Qf4 Bd7 43. Rd1 $18) 41... Bd7 $1 42. Rd1 Be6 $6 (42... Re7 $1) 43. Nd5 $1 Rf8 $18 44. Qxe4 Qh6 45. Re1 Rd8 46. Ne7+ Kf7 47. Nf5 Qf6 48. Rf1 Bd5 49. Nh6+ Kg7 50. Qg4+ (50. Qg4+ Qg6 51. Nf5+ Kf7 52. Nh4+) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B44"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "3700"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,15,31,38,31,44,38,38,38,47,39,21,34,30,24,11,45,8]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Bf4 $6 d6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 $5 (7. c4 Rb8 8. Qc2 e5 9. Be3 Nf6 10. Nc3 Qc7 11. Be2 Be7 12. O-O O-O 13. Rac1 Be6 {1/2-1/2 (62) Rapport, R (2763)-Caruana,F (2806) Saint Louis USA 2021}) 7... Ne7 8. c4 g6 9. c5 $1 e5 10. Bg5 Bg7 11. cxd6 Qxd6 12. O-O Be6 13. Na3 Rd8 14. Be2 Qxd1 15. Rfxd1 Rxd1+ 16. Bxd1 $6 (16. Rxd1 $1 Bxa2 $4 17. Nb5 $3 cxb5 18. Bxb5+) 16... Kd7 17. Be2 Nc8 18. Rd1+ Kc7 19. Bc4 Bg4 20. f3 f6 21. Be3 Bd7 22. Be2 h5 23. Nc2 Bf8 24. a3 a5 25. Kf1 Be6 26. Bd2 Kb6 27. Ne3 Nd6 28. Rc1 c5 29. Be1 Bh6 30. Rd1 Rd8 31. Nd5+ Bxd5 32. Rxd5 Be3 $2 33. Rd3 Bd4 34. Rb3+ Kc6 35. Bxa5 Ra8 36. Rb6+ Kd7 37. Ra6 Rxa6 38. Bxa6 Bxb2 39. a4 c4 40. Bb4 h4 41. Ke2 Kc6 42. Ba5 Bc1 43. Bd8 Bg5 44. Kd1 Kd7 45. Bb6 Kc6 46. a5 Bf4 47. Kc2 f5 48. Kc3 fxe4 49. fxe4 Nxe4+ 50. Kxc4 Nd6+ 51. Kb4 Bxh2 52. Be2 e4 53. Bc5 Nf5 54. Bb5+ Kc7 55. Bb6+ Kb7 56. Bc4 Nd6 57. Be2 Kc6 58. Bc5 Nf5 59. Bb5+ Kc7 60. a6 Bd6 $1 $11 61. a7 Bxc5+ 62. Kxc5 Kb7 63. Bc6+ Kxa7 64. Bxe4 Ne3 65. Kd4 Nxg2 66. Bxg2 g5 67. Bh3 g4 68. Bxg4 h3 69. Bxh3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {[%evp 0,70,29,-27,-12,-51,17,-2,0,0,0,22,-7,4,5,-18,25,21,26,42,45,-11,-11, -30,18,11,36,29,26,12,23,10,0,17,11,-12,-4,-7,-14,-16,65,71,30,9,43,-35,-75, -89,-132,-79,-23,-30,7,-171,-244,-238,-283,-408,-605,-605,-605,-609,-1040, -1482,-29978,-29983,-29984,-29985,-29986,-29987,-29988,-29989,-29990] Greetings, everyone $1 This is Sam Shankland, and I will be annotating one game of each round of this Candidates Tournament. I've enjoyed working with Chess.com on annotated games in the past and look forward to showing some exciting chess $1 One thing I like about the Candidates is that the standard winner-takes-all element of the tournament provokes the players into playing a bit more combatively than you might see in other events. In round one, the most exciting game was between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniatchtchi. The game itself was a serious deja vu to last year's candidates—Ding, who in my opinion was the pre-tournament favorite both times, went down hard with the white pieces in the English, and Nepo started with a win with Black against the same English.} 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. Nf3 e4 4. Nd4 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nc2 Nf6 7. Nc3 Qe5 8. Bg2 Na6 9. O-O Be7 10. Ne3 {Up to here, everything has been pretty well-known theory. Now, while Ian's next move is very natural, I think it is not best.} O-O (10... h5 $5 {I remembered looking at this position in some detail and deciding that Black had enough counterplay after h5. The position is very messy, but Black gets some attacking chances.}) 11. a3 $1 { Simple, but strong. White plans b4, Bb2, and once Black's queen is destabilized, the e4-pawn can become a target.} Re8 (11... Nc7 {I doubt Nepo regrets much about this game in hindsight, but it was probably better to regroup the knight directly and remain flexible with the rook.}) 12. b4 Ng4 { Black is playing very energetic chess, but at some point, bluffs need to be called.} 13. Bb2 (13. Nxg4 $5 Bxg4 14. Bxe4 {I'm really not sure what Ding could have missed here. This is not the cleanest extra pawn in history and Black has some counterplay in the center, but there is nothing direct and I think the pawn could have been taken.}) (13. Bxe4 {The computer's top choice is also pretty convincing. I don't think Black has nearly enough for a pawn.}) 13... Qh5 14. h4 $6 {This seems to be asking for trouble.} (14. Nxg4 Bxg4 15. Bxe4 {I really don't get why White doesn't go take this pawn. Black has some compensation, but in the game, he got the compensation without the pawn less $1 }) 14... Bf6 15. Qc2 Nxe3 16. dxe3 Bf5 {The machine still likes White's position here, provided he plays a couple of good moves. But, I really dislike the way the last few moves have gone for him. Now the e4-pawn will survive. As such, Black's kingside attack is much scarier and White's g2-bishop is stuck out of play.} 17. Na4 $2 {I did not love Ding's earlier decisions, but this was somewhat a matter of taste. I wanted to take the pawn. But this move is just a mistake.} (17. b5 $1 Nc7 18. bxc6 bxc6 {According to the machine, White is still a little better here. That certainly would not be obvious to me at all at first glance and I find this much less convincing than taking the e4-pawn would have been. Had Ding blitzed out b5, bxc6, and now Na4 $1 afterward and gone on to grind out a victory, I would think any earlier criticism would be unwarranted. But this is not what happened.}) 17... Bxb2 ( 17... Bxh4 $5 {This looks incredibly scary.} 18. gxh4 Re6 {The computer insists every legal move here ends with 0.00. Does it look like that for White $6 I'd be very worried about getting checkmated.}) 18. Nxb2 Nc7 19. Nc4 Re6 { Now, Black has a very simple plan. Overprotect the e4-pawn to keep all of White's pieces from coming back to the kingside, and then at some moment, g5 will come and quickly end the game. White can probably hold the position together with extremely precise play, but even the world number-two was not up to the task.} 20. Rfd1 Nd5 21. Rd4 {Now, here the machines claim that ...g5 won the game. I'm sure they are right... but does it matter $2 Nepo played it slower, but I don't really see this as some shortcoming on his part.} h6 $5 { Now, Black is ready for g5 next. If he is allowed to take on h4, the game is over. If White takes on g5, then …hxg5 will come, …Rh6 will follow, and the game is over too. My computer claims White can hold on here, and with more moves than one, but this is the kind of mistake that I think would have been completely ignored in the pre-computer era.} (21... g5 22. hxg5 Qxg5 { Apparently Black is mating here.} 23. Rad1 Qh5 24. Nd2 {It's easy to see this far and get spooked by Nf1 keeping it all together, though grabbing on e2 does finish the job.} Qxe2 $1 {Black should win.}) 22. Qd2 $2 {This is way too slow, and a surprising mistake from a player of Ding's caliber. You need to activate all the pieces.} (22. Bxe4 $2 {surely Nepo saw this does not work.} Rxe4 $1 23. Rxe4 Qg6 $1 24. Nd2 Nf6 {White cannot avoid the loss of a piece, as f2-f3 is not to be recommended.}) (22. Rad1 $1 {This was the move. White needs to be ready to sacrifice on d5 right away. It's desperation time, but it does seem like he is just barely hanging on. For example, after} g5 23. Rxd5 $1 cxd5 24. Rxd5 gxh4 25. Nd6 $1 hxg3 26. fxg3 Rxd6 27. Rxd6 Bg6 {White is just about okay here, though, to my human eye, I'd still take Black.}) 22... Rae8 {Black overprotects e4 hard, and now g5 is coming. White is crushed.} 23. Kh2 Bg4 24. Na5 Rf6 25. Kg1 g5 $1 {It is time.} 26. Nxb7 (26. b5 {This might have put up a better fight, but I can't imagine it changing the result.} gxh4 27. bxc6 hxg3 28. fxg3 Qe5 29. Nc4 Qxg3 30. Qe1 Qxe1+ 31. Rxe1 bxc6 {This position is the best the machine can find for White. The ending looks more or less lost to me, but at least he is not mated right away.}) 26... gxh4 27. Nc5 h3 $1 { Everything wins, but this was particularly elegant.} 28. Rxe4 (28. Bxe4 h2+ $1 29. Kg2 Qh3+ 30. Kh1 Rxf2) (28. Bh1 {Normally, this would be the saving grace, but Black's pieces are too active.} h2+ 29. Kf1 Bh3+ 30. Ke1 Bg2 {Time to resign. Black had other wins, but I like this one the most, highlighting the deficiencies in White's pawn structure. His king is unable to evacuate.}) 28... hxg2 $1 {Well calculated.} 29. Rxe8+ Kg7 30. f4 (30. f3 Bxf3 $1 {This line is easy, but nice all the same.} 31. exf3 Qh1+ 32. Kf2 Rxf3+ $1 33. Ke2 (33. Kxf3 g1=Q+ $19) 33... Qf1+ 34. Rxf1 gxf1=Q#) 30... Qh1+ 31. Kf2 Qxa1 32. Kxg2 Bh3+ $1 {Ding resigned rather than face the mate that was sure to come shortly. For example, after} (32... Bh3+ 33. Kxh3 Qh1+ 34. Kg4 h5+ 35. Kg5 Qh3 {[%cal Rh3g4] }) 33. Kxh3 Qh1+ 34. Kg4 h5+ 35. Kg5 Qh3 {White's king is done for.} 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nc6 { [%emt 0:00:07]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00: 14]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 5. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:11]} dxc6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 6. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:19] C65: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence (3...Nf6), unusual lines and 4 0-0 Bc5.} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 7. O-O {[%emt 0:00:26]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00: 14]} 8. Nb3 {[%emt 0:00:10] White has an edge.} (8. b3 O-O 9. Nc4 Nd7 10. a4 Bxc4 11. bxc4 a5 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Be3 b6 14. h3 Bd6 15. g3 Be7 {½-½ (52) Caruana,F (2828)-Nakamura,H (2749) Chess.com INT 2019}) 8... Qe7 {[%emt 0:11: 18]} 9. Na5 {[%emt 0:00:41] [#]} Rb8 $146 {[%emt 0:03:46]} ({Predecessor:} 9... O-O-O 10. Bd2 Bg4 11. Rb1 Nd7 12. Nc4 Qf6 13. b4 Nf8 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Qxf3 16. gxf3 {0-1 (51) Robson,R (2667)-Dominguez Perez,L (2739) Saint Louis 2019}) 10. Bg5 {[%emt 0:11:59]} h6 {[%emt 0:03:06]} 11. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:34]} g5 { [%emt 0:02:03]} 12. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 13. d4 {[%emt 0: 14:40]} f6 {[%emt 0:01:34]} 14. Qd3 {[%emt 0:13:11]} h5 {[%emt 0:06:46]} 15. dxe5 {[%emt 0:10:58]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:04:01]} 16. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:02:29]} fxe5 { [%emt 0:01:41]} 17. Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} (17. Qc3 {is interesting.} O-O 18. Nxe5 Qg7 19. Nf3) 17... Rd8 {[%emt 0:14:03]} 18. Nxd6+ {[%emt 0:04:14]} cxd6 { [%emt 0:01:00]} 19. Qe3 {[%emt 0:00:16]} g4 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 20. Nd2 {[%emt 0: 00:43]} a6 {[%emt 0:02:16]} 21. b3 {[%emt 0:07:59]} O-O {[%emt 0:07:19]} 22. f3 {[%emt 0:01:11]} Qg7 {[%emt 0:01:16]} 23. fxg4 {[%emt 0:02:58]} hxg4 {[%emt 0: 07:22]} 24. Rad1 {[%emt 0:03:39]} d5 {[%emt 0:13:01]} (24... Rd7 $11 {keeps the balance.}) 25. exd5 $16 {[%emt 0:02:24]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 26. Rde1 { [%emt 0:01:24]} e4 {[%emt 0:08:20]} 27. Rxf8+ {[%emt 0:10:49]} Rxf8 {[%emt 0: 00:58]} 28. c4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Re8 {[%emt 0:04:31]} 29. cxd5 {[%emt 0:01:01]} Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 30. Nf1 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Qe5 {[%emt 0:03:51]} 31. Qh6 { [%emt 0:08:24]} Qg7 {[%emt 0:02:07] Prevents Qg6.} 32. Qd6 {[%emt 0:03:54]} Bc6 {[%emt 0:10:19]} 33. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:19]} g3 {[%emt 0:02:15]} (33... Rf8 $16 34. Qe6+ Kh7) 34. hxg3 {[%emt 0:04:34] Hoping for Nf5. White is more active.} ( 34. Qxg3 Qxg3 35. hxg3 Kg7 $14) (34. Rf1 $1 $18 {and the rest is easy.} Rf8 35. Rxf8+ (35. hxg3 Rxf1+ 36. Nxf1 Qa1 $16) (35. Qxg3 Qxg3 36. hxg3 Rxf1+ 37. Nxf1 Kg7 $16) 35... Qxf8 36. Qxg3+ Kh7 37. h3 (37. Qg5 Qh6 $18)) 34... Qe5 {[%emt 0: 00:40] Against Nf5 Prevents Nf5.} 35. Qg6+ {[%emt 0:05:39]} Qg7 {[%emt 0:00:04] } 36. Qd6 {[%emt 0:00:02] Hoping for Nf5. White is more active.} (36. Qh5 Qxg3 $14) 36... Qe5 {[%emt 0:00:17] Prevents Nf5. Against Nf5} 37. Qh6 {[%emt 0:01: 11] And now Rf1 would win.} Qxg3 {[%emt 0:02:04]} (37... Rf8 $16 {might work better.}) 38. Rf1 $18 {[%emt 0:00:21] Intending Nf5 and mate. Chess con chili.} Qg7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 39. Qh4 $40 {[%emt 0:00:04] Black needs to defend precisely.} (39. Qd6 $1 $18 {has better winning chances.} Qe7 40. Qf4 (40. Qg6+ Qg7 $18)) 39... Qh7 $1 $11 {[%emt 0:00:31] remains equal.} 40. Qg3+ {[%emt 0: 00:00]} (40. Qf4 Kh8) 40... Qg7 {[%emt 0:00:00] [#]} 41. Qh4 $40 {[%emt 0:07: 39] Black needs to defend precisely.} Bd7 $16 {[%emt 0:07:12] is more resistant.} 42. Rd1 {[%emt 0:21:32]} Be6 {[%emt 0:07:47] [#] Inhibits Rd5.} ( 42... Re7 $16 {was worth a try.}) 43. Nd5 $1 {[%emt 0:05:23] Strongly threatening Nf6+.} (43. Qxe4 $6 Qg5 $16) 43... Rf8 {[%emt 0:02:44] Against Nf6+ } (43... Bxd5 $2 44. Rxd5 Qa1+ 45. Kh2 $18) 44. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} ({Resist } 44. Ne7+ Kf7 45. Nd5 (45. Qxe4 Qg4 $14) (45. Rd6 $2 Qa1+ 46. Kf2 e3+ 47. Ke2 Qb2+ 48. Kxe3 Qe5+ 49. Qe4 Qxd6 $19) 45... Bg4 46. Rf1+ (46. Re1 Ke6 $14) 46... Ke6 47. Rxf8 Qxf8 $16) 44... Qh6 {[%emt 0:05:32]} 45. Re1 {[%emt 0:04:37]} Rd8 $2 {[%emt 0:05:40]} (45... Bxd5 46. Qxd5+ Kh8 47. Qxb7 (47. Re7 Qc1+ 48. Kh2 Qh6+ 49. Kg1 Qc1+ 50. Kh2 Qh6+ 51. Kg1 $11) 47... Qh4) 46. Ne7+ {[%emt 0:01:28] } ({Not} 46. Qxe6+ Qxe6 47. Rxe6 Rxd5 $18) 46... Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 47. Nf5 { [%emt 0:00:18]} Qf6 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 48. Rf1 {[%emt 0:02:03]} Bd5 {[%emt 0:00: 29]} 49. Nh6+ {[%emt 0:01:27]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 50. Qg4+ {[%emt 0:00:10] Weighted Error Value: White=0.22 (precise) /Black=0.56} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2773"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. g3 {[%emt 1:59:58]} c6 {[%emt 0: 00:06]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 4. Nd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 5. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qxd5 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 6. Nc2 { [%emt 0:00:00] A20: English Opening: 1...e5.} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 7. Nc3 { [%emt 0:00:00]} Qe5 {[%emt 0:00:45] 7...Qe5 scores better than 7...Qh5.} 8. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:00] The position is equal.} Na6 {[%emt 0:01:10]} 9. O-O {[%emt 0: 00:00]} (9. d3 {with more complications.} exd3 10. Qxd3 Nb4 11. Nxb4 Bxb4 12. Bf4) 9... Be7 {[%emt 0:02:35]} 10. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:16] [#] } 11. a3 $146 {[%emt 0:00:00]} ({Predecessor:} 11. Qc2 Nc5 12. b3 Ne6 13. Bb2 Nd4 14. Qd1 Rd8 15. Re1 Be6 16. Nc4 Qh5 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 {1-0 (50) Tyurin,A (2261)-Zemlyanskii,I (2169) Paracin 2022}) 11... Re8 {[%emt 0:08:26]} 12. b4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ng4 {[%emt 0:08:55]} 13. Bb2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qh5 { [%emt 0:03:43]} 14. h4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (14. Nxg4 $14 {should be considered.} Bxg4 15. Bxe4) 14... Bf6 {[%emt 0:08:23]} 15. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxe3 { [%emt 0:01:45]} 16. dxe3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (16. fxe3 Bf5 17. Rab1 Qg6 $11) 16... Bf5 {[%emt 0:01:28]} 17. Na4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (17. b5 $5 {[%cal Rb5a6]} Nc5 18. bxc6 $11) 17... Bxb2 {[%emt 0:18:51]} 18. Nxb2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc7 {[%emt 0: 01:11]} 19. Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Re6 {[%emt 0:00:48] Inhibits Nd6.} 20. Rfd1 { [%emt 0:00:00]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:29] And now ...g5 would win.} 21. Rd4 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} (21. b5 $11) 21... h6 {[%emt 0:06:32]} ({Black should try} 21... g5 $1 $17 {[%cal Rg5h4]} 22. hxg5 (22. Bxe4 Rxe4 23. Rxe4 Qg6 $17) 22... Qxg5) 22. Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (22. Rad1 $11 {remains equal.}) 22... Rae8 $1 $17 { [%emt 0:02:55]} 23. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:03:32]} 24. Na5 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} (24. Qc2 $142) 24... Rf6 {[%emt 0:04:01]} (24... Bxe2 25. Nxb7 Rf6 26. Kg1 $11) ({Better is} 24... g5 $1 {[%cal Rg5h4]} 25. Rh1 (25. Nxb7 $2 gxh4 26. Kg1 Rg6 $19) 25... gxh4) 25. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:00] [#]} g5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:35] Black is more active.} (25... Bxe2 $6 26. Bxe4 Bf3 27. Bc2 $11) (25... Qf5 26. Rf1 $14) 26. Nxb7 $2 {[%emt 0:00:00] This move loses the game for White.} (26. b5 $17 {was the crucial defense.} gxh4 27. bxc6 hxg3 28. fxg3) 26... gxh4 $19 { [%emt 0:00:42]} 27. Nc5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} h3 {[%emt 0:04:46]} ({Avoid the trap} 27... hxg3 $2 28. fxg3 Bf5 29. Rf1 $19) 28. Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:00] [#]} (28. Nxe4 $19 Rfe6 29. f3 hxg2 30. Nf2 Nxe3 31. fxg4) 28... hxg2 $1 {[%emt 0:02:54] Black mates.} 29. Rxe8+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} (29. Rxg4+ Qxg4) 29... Kg7 {[%emt 0: 00:04]} 30. f4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qh1+ {[%emt 0:02:30] Skewer} 31. Kf2 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} Qxa1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 32. Kxg2 {[%emt 0:00:00] [#]} Bh3+ $1 {[%emt 0: 00:11] Weighted Error Value: White=0.44/Black=0.11 (very precise)} 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] [WhiteClock "0:16:56"] [BlackClock "0:31:02"] {[%evp 0,99,25,38,33,5,8,15,22,13,14,-12,13,1,-3,-5,31,-6,0,-10,2,-12,-12,-21, -11,-14,-13,-18,-14,-8,38,15,18,16,28,-3,5,-7,-5,-5,-5,-4,-3,-12,27,-9,-2,-3,2, -1,-20,-31,-33,-16,0,0,27,36,24,28,24,42,53,48,40,56,48,42,69,63,80,80,80,80, 87,107,40,115,90,87,196,90,91,87,82,117,100,100,103,106,121,192,399,394,394, 392,572,610,1228,1513,1531,1531]} 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (3. Nh4) 3... Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00] Nakamura is true to his bulletproof repertoire with Black.} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 5. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} dxc6 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 6. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 7. O-O {[%emt 0: 00:00]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 8. Nb3 $5 {[%emt 0:00:00] To me, Caruana has the best opening preparation (even better than Carlsen's). He can play any opening and hit you from many directions: straight forced lines or subtle positional ideas like this one. This move has been played recently by Wesley So (among others).} Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:00] This is probably not the best move.} (8... O-O 9. Na5 Rb8) (8... a5 $5) 9. Na5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:00] The point of the last move. The knight is surprisingly annoying here.} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:00] Caruana said in the post-game interview that this was illogical. Probably Nakamura was afraid to start the pawn race after 9.0-0-0.} (9... O-O-O {It really takes a brave person to castle kingside with this a5-knight and Caruana staring at you. I suspect he will just push the b-pawn at some point and start a winning attack. That said, this was played by Leinier Dominguez and he even beat Ray Robson with it.}) 10. Bg5 $5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 11. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} g5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 12. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 13. d4 { [%emt 0:06:36]} f6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 14. Qd3 {[%emt 0:13:41] Caruana said this move can't be the way. But actually it's not easy to prove an advantage for White here.} h5 {[%emt 0:07:12]} (14... O-O 15. Rad1 {with a nice advantage for White, thanks mainly to the a5-knight $1}) 15. dxe5 $1 {[%emt 0:11:28]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:04:31]} (15... fxe5 16. h4 {and now the knight has the g5-square after} g4 $6 17. Ng5) 16. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:02:59]} (16. Nxe5 fxe5 17. Qc3 O-O 18. a3 Qg7) 16... fxe5 {[%emt 0:02:11]} 17. Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:35]} (17. Qc3 {White could win a pawn with this move, but Black gets very good compensation.} O-O 18. Nxe5 Qg7 (18... Bb4 $2 19. Ng6) 19. Nf3 Qxc3 20. bxc3 g4) 17... Rd8 { [%emt 0:14:33]} 18. Nxd6+ {[%emt 0:04:44]} cxd6 {[%emt 0:01:30]} 19. Qe3 { [%emt 0:00:46]} g4 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 20. Nd2 {[%emt 0:01:13]} a6 {[%emt 0:02:46] It seems as if Nakamura has solved all his problems, but is this so $2 I am not so sure. Caruana is a master when it comes to \"little\" moves that improve his position and keep the tension.} 21. b3 $1 {[%emt 0:08:29] White waits to see where Black's king is going. The move is useful to prepare c4 and advance the queenside pawns in case Black decides to go there with the king. Or even to support Nc4.} (21. f4 {When watching the game live, I expected this straightforward move, but it gives no advantage.} exf4 22. Rxf4 Kd7 $1 { The king goes to the queenside and Black is ready to fight for the f-file.}) 21... O-O $2 {[%emt 0:07:49] The wrong direction. Caruana was very happy after this move.} (21... Kd7 $1 22. c4 (22. Nc4 {Caruana said he would probably play this move, but it's not so scary (with the engines on).} Bxc4 $5 (22... h4 { is the computer's move.}) 23. bxc4 c5 24. Rab1 Kc8 $11) 22... Kc8 {with a roughly equal position.}) 22. f3 $1 {[%emt 0:01:41] Black's king is in danger now.} Qg7 {[%emt 0:01:46]} 23. fxg4 {[%emt 0:03:28]} hxg4 {[%emt 0:07:52]} 24. Rad1 {[%emt 0:04:09]} d5 $6 {[%emt 0:13:31] This makes thing worse.} (24... Rf6 {was better.}) 25. exd5 {[%emt 0:02:54]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 26. Rde1 { [%emt 0:01:54]} e4 {[%emt 0:08:50]} 27. Rxf8+ {[%emt 0:11:19]} Rxf8 {[%emt 0: 01:28]} 28. c4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:47]} Re8 {[%emt 0:05:01]} 29. cxd5 {[%emt 0:01: 31]} Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 30. Nf1 $1 {[%emt 0:01:09] Textbook play. We know how dangerously a queen and a knight can combine when attacking the opponent's king.} Qe5 {[%emt 0:04:21]} 31. Qh6 {[%emt 0:08:54]} Qg7 {[%emt 0:02:37]} 32. Qd6 {[%emt 0:04:24]} Bc6 {[%emt 0:10:49]} 33. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:49] Caruana plays all the best computer moves and achieves a totally winning position.} g3 {[%emt 0:02:45] A desperate try.} 34. hxg3 {[%emt 0:05:04]} (34. Rf1 $1 { is the most precise and didn't even cross my mind during the live transmission. } gxh2+ 35. Kh1 Rf8 36. Nf5 {with a winning attack.}) (34. h3 {is also very tempting.} Qe5 35. Qg6+ Qg7 36. Qh5 {with a winning position.}) (34. Nf5 $6 { is not so clear.} gxh2+ 35. Qxh2 (35. Kh1 $2 Qg5 $11) 35... Qg5) 34... Qe5 { [%emt 0:01:10]} 35. Qg6+ {[%emt 0:06:09]} Qg7 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 36. Qd6 { [%emt 0:00:32]} Qe5 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 37. Qh6 {[%emt 0:01:41]} Qxg3 {[%emt 0:02: 34]} 38. Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:51]} Qg7 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 39. Qh4 {[%emt 0:00:34]} ( 39. Qd6 $1 Qe7 40. Qf4 {was even better.}) 39... Qh7 {[%emt 0:01:01]} 40. Qg3+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} (40. Qf4 $1 {wins.}) 40... Qg7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Qh4 { [%emt 0:00:00]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 42. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:00] A very good, human move.} (42. Nf5 {The computer suggest this move, but things are much more complicated after it.} Bxf5 43. Rxf5 Re5 44. Qd8+ Kh7 45. Rf4 Rh5 46. Rxe4 Qa1+ 47. Kf2 Rf5+ 48. Kg3 Qg7+ 49. Kh3 Rh5+ 50. Rh4 Qc3+ 51. g3 {and White should win this endgame.}) 42... Be6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (42... Re7 {was the only chance.}) 43. Nd5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rf8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (43... Bxd5 44. Rxd5 ) 44. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qh6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 45. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rd8 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 46. Ne7+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 47. Nf5 { [%emt 0:00:00]} Qf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 48. Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd5 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} 49. Nh6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 50. Qg4+ {[%emt 0:00:00] An impressive game by Caruana.} 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B44"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] [WhiteClock "0:17:35"] [BlackClock "0:25:28"] {[%evp 0,137,25,28,48,66,51,41,37,53,27,17,38,26,23,3,36,-11,47,29,29,29,45,36, 36,17,31,34,54,60,62,72,72,48,46,52,73,53,50,80,119,111,103,103,98,95,111,90, 85,83,71,40,45,39,38,33,39,24,73,44,41,29,78,70,75,65,81,38,34,35,35,44,44,7,8, 0,6,0,0,0,46,55,61,54,66,32,37,65,51,51,49,49,49,17,69,35,35,-10,26,-3,24,28, 28,25,19,0,38,20,4,44,32,0,0,0,5,20,20,20,67,20,20,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0, 0,0,0,0,0] Notes by GM Rafael Leitao.} 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00] This was a very nervous game and I feel both players felt the pressure of the first round in one of the most important tournaments of their lives.} c5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (2... e5) 3. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 5. Bf4 $5 { [%emt 0:00:00] A rare sideline that was actually played by Rapport in a recent game.} d6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 6. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 7. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (7. c4 {This was Rapport's choice.} Rb8 8. Qc2 e5 9. Be3 Nf6 10. Nc3 Qc7 11. Be2 Be7 12. O-O {with a slight advantage for white in Rapport-Caruana, St. Louis 2021.}) 7... Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 8. c4 {[%emt 0:00: 00] It seems Richard was caught by surprise and now he makes an already close-to-losing blunder.} g6 $2 {[%emt 0:01:14] A big mistake.} (8... c5 { was natural, preparing Nc6.} 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Bc2 $5 Be7 11. Ba4 Bb7 12. Nd5 $5 { And this looks a bit scary for Black, although the computer is not afraid.}) ( 8... Ng6 9. Be3 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Nc3 {with a normal game.}) 9. c5 $1 { [%emt 0:01:31] Now the position is very bad for Black.} e5 {[%emt 0:21:16]} ( 9... Qa5+ 10. Nd2 Qxc5 11. Nc4 {with a winning initiative, for instance:} e5 $6 12. b4 $1 Qxb4+ 13. Bd2 Qb8 (13... Qc5 14. Rb1) 14. Ba5 {and Black can resign.} ) (9... d5 10. Nd2 $1 (10. Be5 dxe4 $1) 10... Bg7 11. Bd6 {with a big advantage.}) 10. Bg5 $1 {[%emt 0:01:27]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:03:29]} (10... Qa5+ 11. Qd2 (11. Nd2 {is also possible.} Qxc5 12. Bf6 Rg8 13. O-O {with winning compensation for the pawn.}) 11... Qxd2+ (11... Qxc5 12. Be3 {traps the queen.} ) 12. Nxd2 {with a winning position.}) 11. cxd6 {[%emt 0:07:37]} Qxd6 {[%emt 0: 00:37]} 12. O-O {[%emt 0:01:08] White has a winning position due to Black's horrible pawn structure.} Be6 {[%emt 0:06:12]} 13. Na3 {[%emt 0:04:51]} (13. Nc3 O-O 14. Na4 Rfd8 15. Be2 {was also very good.}) 13... Rd8 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 14. Be2 {[%emt 0:03:20]} (14. Bc4 $2 {is a blunder:} Qxa3 $1) 14... Qxd1 { [%emt 0:03:47]} 15. Rfxd1 {[%emt 0:00:43]} Rxd1+ {[%emt 0:01:24]} 16. Bxd1 $6 { [%emt 0:01:50] I was very surprised by this move. To me, it is much more natural to capture with the rook and this is the move that Duda would play automatically on his best days.} (16. Rxd1 $1 {Black is just lost.} Bxa2 (16... f6 17. Be3 Bxa2 18. Nc4 Bxc4 19. Bxc4 Nc8 20. Ba6 Nb6 21. Rd6) (16... h6 17. Nb5 $1 {is a nice trick.}) 17. Nb5 {The most precise.} (17. Nc4 Bxc4 18. Bxc4 h6 19. Be3 Nc8 20. Ba6 Nb6 21. Rd6 O-O 22. Rxc6 Rd8 23. Kf1) 17... f6 18. Nd6+ {and White is winning.}) 16... Kd7 {[%emt 0:10:09]} 17. Be2 $6 {[%emt 0:05:44]} Nc8 {[%emt 0:03:03] Now the position is only slightly better for White.} 18. Rd1+ {[%emt 0:02:55]} Kc7 {[%emt 0:01:27]} (18... Nd6 $1) 19. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00: 50]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:03:55]} 20. f3 {[%emt 0:04:04]} f6 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 21. Be3 { [%emt 0:03:46]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 22. Be2 {[%emt 0:06:37]} h5 {[%emt 0:06: 38]} 23. Nc2 {[%emt 0:11:15]} Bf8 {[%emt 0:02:18]} 24. a3 {[%emt 0:01:05]} a5 { [%emt 0:07:57]} 25. Kf1 {[%emt 0:10:49]} (25. b4 $1 {was better.}) 25... Be6 { [%emt 0:02:11]} 26. Bd2 {[%emt 0:02:22]} (26. b4 Bb3 $1) 26... Kb6 {[%emt 0:00: 58]} 27. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:57]} Nd6 {[%emt 0:02:45]} 28. Rc1 {[%emt 0:02:58]} c5 {[%emt 0:01:38]} (28... Be7 $1 29. b4 axb4 30. Bxb4 Ra8 $11) 29. Be1 {[%emt 0: 07:55]} (29. Nd5+ Bxd5 30. exd5 Nf5 $14) (29. b4 cxb4 30. axb4 a4 $11) 29... Bh6 {[%emt 0:06:13]} 30. Rd1 {[%emt 0:01:19]} Rd8 $2 {[%emt 0:01:24] Now White is winning again.} (30... Kc6 $1 31. Nd5 Bxd5 (31... Rb8 {is also enough.}) 32. exd5+ (32. Rxd5 Rb8 $11) 32... Kd7 33. Bxa5 Nf5 $1 {and Black has enough activity to make a draw.}) 31. Nd5+ {[%emt 0:02:07]} Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 32. Rxd5 $18 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Be3 {[%emt 0:06:59]} 33. Rd3 $2 {[%emt 0:08:25] Duda's final mistake.} (33. a4 $1 Bd4 34. b3 {and White has a winning endgame. With the bishop pair and a better pawn structure, he can slowly improve the position until Black's position collapses.}) 33... Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 34. Rb3+ {[%emt 0:00:38]} Kc6 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 35. Bxa5 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Ra8 { [%emt 0:00:37]} 36. Rb6+ {[%emt 0:01:27]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 37. Ra6 { [%emt 0:01:39]} Rxa6 {[%emt 0:02:19]} 38. Bxa6 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Bxb2 {[%emt 0: 00:52]} 39. a4 {[%emt 0:00:34]} c4 {[%emt 0:01:26] And Rapport finally escapes with a draw.} 40. Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} h4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} Kc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 42. Ba5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 43. Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 44. Kd1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} 45. Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 46. a5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 47. Kc2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} f5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 48. Kc3 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} fxe4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 49. fxe4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxe4+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 50. Kxc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nd6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 51. Kb4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bxh2 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 52. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 53. Bc5 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} Nf5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 54. Bb5+ {[%emt 0:01:09]} Kc7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 55. Bb6+ {[%emt 0:07:13]} Kb7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 56. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Nd6 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 57. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:46]} Kc6 {[%emt 0:04:20]} 58. Bc5 {[%emt 0: 02:35]} Nf5 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 59. Bb5+ {[%emt 0:02:06]} Kc7 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 60. a6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 61. a7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bxc5+ { [%emt 0:00:00]} 62. Kxc5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kb7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 63. Bc6+ { [%emt 0:00:00]} Kxa7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 64. Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ne3 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} 65. Kd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxg2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 66. Bxg2 {[%emt 0:00:00] } g5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 67. Bh3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 68. Bxg4 { [%emt 0:00:00]} h3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 69. Bxh3 {[%emt 0:00:00] Duda is surely regretting the result of this game.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D24"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "142"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] [WhiteClock "0:34:30"] [BlackClock "0:20:37"] {[%evp 0,142,19,31,25,-11,-9,-1,0,3,43,60,90,81,81,81,85,49,54,57,55,39,48,43, 39,43,46,45,22,35,57,37,44,45,43,49,82,81,107,91,78,65,67,48,50,48,52,63,44,51, 43,36,36,27,71,57,66,92,84,92,92,92,98,75,45,39,50,47,44,56,47,46,26,36,25,25, 25,16,91,89,85,105,100,100,93,67,93,100,93,93,93,93,91,91,93,98,108,103,115,94, 94,94,100,108,110,107,115,115,107,85,85,85,104,94,115,104,107,107,104,104,104, 98,104,106,106,106,106,106,106,104,104,96,92,96,96,80,96,74,96,85,72,72,72,5, 24]} 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 5. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} b5 $5 {[%emt 0:00:00] A very risky variation. This shows that Firouzja came to fight for the win with Black. We like it $1} 6. e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 7. Nxb5 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 8. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 9. Be2 { [%emt 0:00:00]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 10. O-O {[%emt 0:00:00]} O-O {[%emt 0:00: 00]} 11. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 12. a3 $5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} ( 12. b3) (12. Qc1) 12... Na5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (12... Bb7 13. Qc2 Na5 14. Rad1 { was played in Mamedyarov-Caruana, St. Louis 2018. The game ended in a draw.}) 13. Qc2 {[%emt 0:05:14]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 14. Rad1 {[%emt 0:08:43]} Ba6 { [%emt 0:00:00] A novelty.} (14... Bd7 $2 15. Nd2 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bg5 17. Rf3 { was played in a Titled Tuesday game: Gunina-Pichot 2022. White is winning.}) ( 14... Bb7 15. Bd2 (15. Nd2 $2 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bg5 {Now the trick works: Black is much better: Sviridova-Nutakki Internet 2021.})) 15. Bd2 {[%emt 0:16:45]} (15. Ne4 {was also very natural.} Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bb7 $1 17. Nfd2 c5 $1 {with very complicated play, for instance:} 18. dxc5 Qc7 19. Nd6 Qxc5 20. Qc3 Bg5) 15... Nb3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 16. Ne4 {[%emt 0:05:44]} Nxd2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 17. Rxd2 { [%emt 0:00:35]} Nf4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:00] Firouzja prepares an exchange sacrifice. } 18. Bxc4 {[%emt 0:04:38]} Rxb2 $1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 19. Qxb2 {[%emt 0:00:38]} Bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:00] This would make Petrosian proud $1 Black has good compensation with the light-squared bishop ready to go to d5, supported by the queen on a8} 20. Rc1 {[%emt 0:15:24]} Bd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (20... Nd3 {During the live transmission I dismissed this move as totally unhuman. Who would place the knight on c1 just to regain material $2 The computer, as usual, disagrees.} 21. Qc3 Nxc1 22. Qxc4 Qd5 $1 {and according to the ruthless machine, Black achieves equality.}) 21. Re1 {[%emt 0:02:45]} Qa8 {[%emt 0:19: 09]} 22. Qc2 {[%emt 0:01:46]} Bxa3 {[%emt 0:37:33]} 23. Nfg5 {[%emt 0:09:33]} Ng6 {[%emt 0:02:01]} 24. h4 $1 {[%emt 0:02:56]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:24:09]} 25. h5 { [%emt 0:08:13] Speaking of the machine, now Black has to find a very difficul sequence to keep the balance.} Bxd2 $6 {[%emt 0:04:12]} (25... Bxe4 $1 26. Nxe4 (26. Nxh7 Kxh7) 26... Nh4 $1 {The right square for the knight. Now White's e4-knight is pinned.} (26... Ne7 27. h6 {with a strong attack.}) 27. h6 Rd8 28. hxg7 Kxg7 29. f3 Nf5 {with chances for both sides.}) 26. Qxd2 {[%emt 0:02:40]} h6 $1 {[%emt 0:04:00]} (26... Ne7 $2 27. h6 {with a decisive attack.}) 27. hxg6 {[%emt 0:06:33]} hxg5 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 28. gxf7+ {[%emt 0:01:03]} Kxf7 $1 { [%emt 0:00:48]} 29. Nxg5+ {[%emt 0:00:36]} Ke8 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 30. f3 { [%emt 0:04:47]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:02:31] The king is safer here. White is better, but Radjabov was in time trouble and allowed Firouzja to escape.} 31. Ne4 $6 { [%emt 0:01:45]} (31. Rc1 {was stronger.}) 31... Bxe4 {[%emt 0:02:24]} 32. Rxe4 {[%emt 0:03:35]} (32. fxe4 Qc6) 32... Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 33. Qb4 {[%emt 0:00: 35]} Rg8 {[%emt 0:03:09]} 34. Qa4+ {[%emt 0:01:22]} Qc6 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 35. Qxa7 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 36. Qc5 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Qxc5 { [%emt 0:00:56]} 37. dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:31]} Kc6 {[%emt 0:01:13]} 38. Rg4 { [%emt 0:00:46]} Kxc5 {[%emt 0:02:05]} 39. Rxg7 {[%emt 0:00:38]} Kd5 $1 { [%emt 0:00:49] The best practical decision. The computer claims 39...Tc8 is also a draw, but why risk it $2} (39... c6 $2 40. Rd7 $18) (39... Rc8 40. Rd7 Kb5 $11) 40. Rxc7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kxe5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Rf7 {[%emt 0:00: 00] This is actually very similar to the endgame that Firouzja beat Mamedyarov in 2021. The draw is easy and he has no trouble proving it.} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} 42. Kf2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 43. g4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ke6 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 44. Rf5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 45. Rf8 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 46. Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 47. Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 48. Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf6 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 49. Re2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 50. Re3 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} Rb2+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 51. Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 52. Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 53. Ra6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 54. Rh6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 55. Kf2 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 56. Rb6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 57. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 58. Kf2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra3 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 59. Rb2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 60. Re2 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 61. Re3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb2+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 62. Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 63. Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra2 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 64. Rb6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 65. g5 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} Ra4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 66. Rf6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 67. Rh6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 68. Rh4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra5 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 69. Kg4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra4+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 70. Kh5 { [%emt 0:00:00]} Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 71. f4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} exf4 {[%emt 0:00: 00] Another fascinating fight in what was a delightful first round of the Candidates $1} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B53"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2804"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5 a6 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. c4 e5 8. Qd3 Ne7 9. c5 Ng6 10. cxd6 Qxd6 11. Qxd6 Bxd6 12. Be3 (12. O-O f6 (12... Bg4 13. Nbd2 f6 14. Rd1 O-O-O 15. h3 Be6 16. Nb3 Bxb3 17. axb3 Bc5 18. Bd2 Kb7 19. Ba5 Bb6 20. Bxb6 Kxb6 21. Nd2 Nf4 22. Nc4+ Kb7 23. Re1 Ne6 24. Ra4 Nc5 25. Ra3 Rd4 26. Rc1 Rhd8 27. Kh2 Rd1 28. Rc2 Nxe4 29. Na5+ Kb6 30. Nc4+ Ka7 31. Ne3 R1d6 32. Nf5 Re6 33. Nxg7 Red6 34. Nf5 Re6 35. Ng7 {1/2-1/2 (35) Shubin,K (2370)-Santos Latasa,J (2582) Skopje 2019}) 13. Be3 Kf7 14. Nbd2 Rb8 15. Rac1 Be7 16. b3 Bd7 17. Nc4 Rhd8 18. Bb6 Rdc8 19. Ba7 Rb7 20. Be3 Be8 21. Rfd1 Ke6 22. Ne1 Rb5 23. Nd3 Nf8 24. Nb6 Rb8 25. Na4 Kf7 26. Nac5 a5 27. f3 Rd8 28. Kf2 g5 29. Ke2 h5 30. a4 Rbb8 31. Bd2 Bxc5 32. Nxc5 Ne6 33. Nxe6 Kxe6 34. Rb1 Ra8 35. Rdc1 {1/2-1/2 (35) Radeva,V (2372)-Osmak,I (2418) Iasi ROU 2021}) 12... a5 13. O-O f6 14. Rc1 Ra6 15. Nbd2 Be6 16. Ne1 Kf7 17. Nd3 Rd8 18. Kf1 Bb4 $5 19. Ke2 Nh4 $5 20. Nxb4 axb4 21. g3 Ng6 22. Bc5 Rb8 23. a3 bxa3 24. Rxa3 Rba8 $6 ( 24... Rxa3 25. bxa3 $11) 25. Nc4 $5 (25. Rca1 Rxa3 26. Rxa3 Rxa3 27. bxa3) 25... Bxc4+ 26. Rxc4 Nf8 27. Rb3 Ne6 28. Rb7+ Kg8 (28... Kg6 $5) 29. Be3 Rd8 30. f4 Nd4+ $6 31. Bxd4 exd4 32. Kd2 $1 Ra1 $2 33. Rxc6 Rh1 34. Rcc7 Rxh2+ 35. Kd3 g6 36. e5 fxe5 37. fxe5 Rh3 38. Ke4 $6 (38. Rg7+ $1 Kh8 39. Rgd7 Rxg3+ 40. Kxd4 $18) 38... Rxg3 39. Rg7+ Kh8 40. Rxh7+ Kg8 41. Kf4 Re3 42. Rbg7+ Kf8 43. Rf7+ Kg8 44. Rfg7+ Kf8 45. Rf7+ $2 (45. Rb7 $1 Kg8 46. Rhg7+ Kh8 47. Rge7 { [%csl Ge5]} Rh3 48. e6 d3 49. Rbd7 Rb8 50. Kg5 Rh1 51. Rxd3 Rg1+ 52. Kh6 Rh1+ 53. Kxg6 $18) 45... Kg8 46. Rhg7+ Kh8 47. Rxg6 Re2 $1 48. e6 Re8 49. Rh6+ Kg8 50. Rg6+ Kh8 51. Rff6 Re7 $2 (51... d3 $1 $11) (51... Rg8 $1 $11) 52. b4 (52. Kf5 $1) 52... d3 $1 53. Rg3 d2 54. Rh6+ Rh7 55. Rxh7+ Kxh7 56. Rd3 Kg6 57. Kf3 Rxe6 58. Rxd2 Kf6 59. Kf4 Re1 60. Rd4 Ke6 $5 (60... Ke6 61. Re4+ Rxe4+ 62. Kxe4 Kd6 63. Kd4 Kc6 64. Kc4 Kb6 65. Kb3 Kb5 66. Kc3 Kb6 67. Kc4 Kc6) 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2806"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,32,27,22,22,13,13,13,13,13,13,3,21,21,22,-23,11,-14,-13,-19,-9,-1,3,3, 4,-19,-24,-19,3,2,4,-19,-19,-43,-22]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 a5 8. h3 h6 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Bb5 Qb8 11. Nf1 Qa7 12. Re2 a4 13. Ng3 Qa5 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Bd2 (15. Nh4 Rfe8 16. Nhf5 d5 17. Nxh6+ gxh6 18. Bxh6 dxe4 19. Rxe4 Bxf2+ 20. Kxf2 Qb6+ 21. Kf1 Qxb2 22. Rc1 Bd7 23. Rc2 Qb5 24. c4 Qb4 25. Qf3 Re6 26. Rf2 Be8 27. Bd2 {1/2-1/2 (84) Kasimdzhanov, R (2657)-Mamedyarov,S (2767) Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2019}) 15... Bb6 16. Qc2 Kh7 17. c4 Qa7 18. Bc3 Ng8 19. Rd2 c5 20. Rf1 c6 21. Nh2 f6 22. Re2 Qd7 23. Bd2 g5 $5 24. Rb1 Ne7 25. b4 axb3 26. Rxb3 Bc7 27. Be3 Qe8 $5 (27... Ng6 $5) 28. Rb7 Qd8 29. Qd1 Bc8 30. Rb3 Qe8 31. Reb2 Qg6 32. Nhf1 Rf7 33. Qe2 Kg8 34. Bd2 f5 35. exf5 Nxf5 36. Nxf5 Bxf5 37. Ng3 Bc8 38. Be3 Kg7 39. Nh5+ Kg8 40. Ng3 Kg7 41. Nh5+ Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2773"] [BlackElo "2786"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,28,34,27,13,21,39,11,7,17,18,9,16,5,34,33,31,-12,5,7,9,9,65,50,117,93, 65,23,29,-1,39]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 h6 9. Nbd2 g5 10. b4 Ng4 $5 (10... Nh7 11. Nb3 g4 12. Nfd2 Qf6 13. d4 Ng5 14. b5 Ne7 15. bxa6 bxa6 16. Nf1 h5 17. Qd3 Rg8 18. Bxg5 Rxg5 19. Bxa6 Bd7 20. Bb7 Rd8 21. Qa6 Bb8 22. Ne3 h4 23. Nc5 g3 24. fxg3 hxg3 25. Nxd7 Rxd7 26. Rf1 Qh8 27. h3 exd4 28. Nd5 Nxd5 29. Bxd5 dxc3 30. Qc8+ Rd8 31. Bxf7+ Ke7 32. Qe6+ {1-0 (32) So,W (2770)-Caruana,F (2835) INT 2020}) 11. Re2 Qf6 12. Qe1 Qg7 13. Nf1 O-O 14. Ng3 Ne7 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 Nc6 17. Ra3 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Bxd4 19. h3 Ne5 20. Ba2 c5 21. bxc5 Bxc5 $5 (21... dxc5 $1) 22. Rb3 $5 (22. Qd1 Bxa3 23. Bxa3) 22... b5 23. Nf5 Qf6 24. Kh2 $6 bxa4 25. Rg3 Kh7 26. Qd1 Bd7 27. Rc2 Bxf5 28. exf5 Rab8 29. Qh5 Rg8 30. Bb2 Rge8 (30... Rxb2 $5 31. Rxb2 a3 32. Re2 Rb8) 31. Bc1 Rg8 32. Bb2 Rge8 33. Bc1 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2753"] [PlyCount "149"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. d4 c6 9. dxe5 cxb5 10. exf6 Qxf6 11. O-O O-O 12. Qh5 (12. Nf3 d6 13. Re1 Bg4 14. Be3 b4 15. Bxb6 axb6 16. Qd4 Bxf3 17. Qxf6 gxf6 18. gxf3 bxc3 19. bxc3 Rfc8 20. Reb1 Rxc3 21. Rxb6 Rxf3 22. Rxb7 f5 23. exf5 Ra4 24. Rb5 Kg7 25. Rd5 Rfa3 26. Rxd6 Rxa2 27. Rxa2 Rxa2 28. Rd3 h5 29. Rb3 Ra5 30. Rc3 Rxf5 31. Rb3 { 1/2-1/2 (31) Nakamura,H (2754)-Aronian,L (2752) Zagreb 2019}) 12... Qc6 13. Re1 (13. Nf3 d6 14. Re1 f6 15. Be3 a6 16. Bxb6 Qxb6 17. Qd5+ Rf7 18. Rad1 Bg4 19. Qxd6 Qa5 20. Qd5 Bxf3 21. gxf3 Re8 22. f4 g6 23. e5 Qb6 24. Rd4 fxe5 25. Rxe5 Ref8 26. Re7 Kg7 27. Qe5+ Qf6 28. Rdd7 Rxe7 29. Rxe7+ Kh6 30. Qc7 Rh8 31. h3 Qf5 32. Kh2 Qc2 33. Qc5 {1-0 (33) Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Aronian,L (2781) INT 2020}) 13... Re8 14. Nf3 d5 $6 15. exd5 Rxe1+ 16. Nxe1 Qc4 17. h3 Bd7 18. Qf3 Re8 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Re5 21. d6 $6 (21. Rd1 $1 $14) 21... Qd5 22. Rd1 Qxf3 23. Nxf3 Rxe3 24. Rd5 f6 25. Rc5 Re6 $1 26. Rc7 Rxd6 27. Rxb7 a6 28. Nd4 h5 29. h4 g5 30. g3 Kf7 31. Kf2 Kg6 32. Ke3 Rd5 33. Ra7 Rd6 34. b3 Be6 35. Rc7 Rd5 36. Rc6 Re5+ 37. Kf2 Bd7 38. Rxa6 gxh4 39. gxh4 Re4 40. Rd6 Bc8 41. Rd8 Bg4 42. Rd5 Bc8 43. Rc5 Bd7 44. Rc7 Be8 45. Nf3 Re6 46. Ra7 Re4 47. Ra8 Kf7 48. Rd8 Re7 49. Rd2 Re4 50. Rd5 Kg6 51. a3 Re7 52. Nd4 Re4 53. Nxb5 Rxh4 54. Nd4 Rh2+ 55. Kg3 Rd2 56. c4 Rd3+ 57. Kh4 Bf7 $2 (57... Rc3 $1) 58. Rd8 $1 Rd1 59. a4 Rh1+ 60. Kg3 h4+ 61. Kg2 Rc1 62. a5 Kh5 63. Kf2 $1 Kg4 64. Rf8 h3 65. Rxf7 h2 66. Rg7+ Kf4 67. Ne2+ Ke5 68. Ng3 Rc2+ 69. Kf3 Rc3+ 70. Kg2 Rxb3 71. a6 Ra3 72. a7 Kd4 73. Nf5+ Kxc4 74. Rb7 $1 {[%cal Yf5e7,Ye7c8,Yb7b8,Ya7a8]} Kc5 75. Ne7 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [Round "2"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2806"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {This was the quieter game of the round, but it doesn't mean it was without a fight.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 a5 8. h3 h6 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Bb5 Qb8 {We take this move for granted nowadays, but it’s always nice to remember that the most important game ever with this maneuver was played in 1907 by the great Akiba Rubinstein against Dawid Janowski. Obviously, the position was not the same, but pattern recognition is very important in chess.} 11. Nf1 Qa7 12. Re2 a4 13. Ng3 Qa5 14. Bxc6 bxc6 { All this is well-known theory for elite players. Now Duda plays a novelty. If I can point out one weakness in Ding’s game is that his repertoire is too predictable against the King’s pawn. Of course, he relies on deep knowledge and the solid positions of the Italian or Ruy Lopez, but even so, it seems to me that he is a fixed target.} 15. Bd2 {This is what I call a small novelty. Not a big deal, doesn't change the story of the world, but it sets some new problems.} (15. Nh4 {is the main move,}) 15... Bb6 16. Qc2 Kh7 {The idea behind this move is to play Ng8 followed by Ne7 and get ready to push the f-pawn.} 17. c4 Qa7 18. Bc3 Ng8 19. Rd2 {White also has his plans.} c5 $1 { It’s essential to stop d4. It’s not a big deal to shut the b6-bishop since he can get back to play after c6-Bc7 or even be exchanged with Ba5.} 20. Rf1 c6 21. Nh2 {White prepares to push the f-pawn but Black is solid enough.} f6 22. Re2 (22. f4 {This move would backfire after:} exf4 23. Rxf4 d5 $1 {Let's not forget that Black has the bishop's pair.}) 22... Qd7 {I consider this position slightly better for black. As a well-known grandmaster once asked me during a blitz game: \"I have the bishop's pair and you $2\".} 23. Bd2 g5 $6 {I understand that Ding Liren wanted to prevent the f4-break once and for all, but this creates unnecessary weaknesses.} (23... Ne7 $1 {This simple move just gives Black the upper hand.} 24. f4 exf4 25. Bxf4 Ng6 {[%cal Gd6d5]}) 24. Rb1 $1 {Prevented from playing on the kingside, Duda moves the rook to support the other possible pawn break.} Ne7 25. b4 axb3 {I consider this a very difficult decision.} (25... cxb4 {This move broadens the scope of the b6-bishop and prevents White from creating a passed pawn. It looks more natural to me.} 26. Rxb4 Qa7 27. Be3 Bxe3 28. fxe3 a3 {With no particular problems for Black.}) 26. Rxb3 Bc7 27. Be3 Qe8 $6 {A strange move since Black is not allowed to play h5.} (27... f5 {seems premature:} 28. exf5 Nxf5 29. Nxf5 Bxf5 30. Nf1 {with a slight advantage for White.}) (27... Ng6 {This looks simple and good.}) 28. Rb7 Qd8 29. Qd1 Bc8 30. Rb3 Qe8 31. Reb2 Qg6 32. Nhf1 (32. Rb7 $5 {For a while, I was tempted to make this Petrosian-like exchange sacrifice work. But unfortunately, I am not convinced.} Bxb7 33. Rxb7 Rac8 {This is forced, and I don't think White has much.} (33... Rfc8 $2 34. Qg4 {This is a dream position for White and illustrates the main point of the sacrifice.})) 32... Rf7 33. Qe2 Kg8 34. Bd2 f5 35. exf5 Nxf5 36. Nxf5 Bxf5 37. Ng3 Bc8 (37... d5 $1 {The computer suggests this and claims the position is equal. I think it's difficult for a human to part with the f5-bishop that can protect the queenside so well from c8.}) 38. Be3 Kg7 39. Nh5+ {Now Duda goes for a repetition, but he could play for more.} (39. Rc3 $1 {[%cal Gb2b3,Gb3a3] This deep move would set some problems for Black. The idea is to play Rb3-Ra3, exchange rooks and maybe one day advance the a-pawn to a8.}) 39... Kg8 40. Ng3 Kg7 41. Nh5+ Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [Round "2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "147"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. d4 $5 c6 (8... exd4 {is dangerous for Black.} 9. e5 dxc3 10. bxc3 Qe7 (10... Nd5 11. Ne4) 11. O-O Nd5 12. Bc4 $1 {with very good compensation for the pawn.} ) 9. dxe5 cxb5 10. exf6 Qxf6 11. O-O O-O {This curious opening sequence was played in a few top rated games.} 12. Qh5 Qc6 {Online games are now a constant source of ideas and theory develops much faster. There was a time in my life when I would never consider analysing a blitz game when preparing a variation. I guess these days are gone.} (12... b4 $5 {This interesting move was suggested by GM Mekhitarian during the live broadcast. The idea is to sacrifice the pawns and open the position for the bishop's pair.} 13. cxb4 d5 $5 14. exd5 Re8 {Black has decent compensation.} 15. Nf3 Bf5 16. Qg5 Qxg5 17. Bxg5 h6 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. fxe3 Rxe3 {and a draw is the most likely result.}) 13. Re1 {The first new move.} (13. Nf3 {was played by Nepomniachtchi in an online game against Aronian.}) 13... Re8 14. Nf3 d5 $5 (14... Rxe4 $2 {just loses.} 15. Bf4 d5 16. Ng5 {with a winning attack.}) 15. exd5 (15. Qxd5 Qxd5 16. exd5 Rxe1+ 17. Nxe1 Bf5 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. fxe3 Be4 {and Black is close to a draw.}) ( 15. e5 $5 {is a possible improvement.}) 15... Rxe1+ 16. Nxe1 Qc4 17. h3 Bd7 18. Qf3 Re8 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Re5 $6 (20... h6) 21. d6 $6 (21. Rd1 $1 {White could achieve some advantage after this precise move.} Rf5 (21... Qxa2 $2 22. Nd3 Rxd5 23. e4 $1 Rd6 24. Nc5 $1 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 {winning.}) 22. Rd4 $1 Qxa2 23. Qg3 h6 24. Nd3 $1 Qb1+ (24... Rxd5 25. Nc1 $1 Qxb2 26. Rxd5 Qxc1+ 27. Kh2 Be6 28. Rxb5 Qxc3 29. Rxb7 {With winning chances.}) 25. Qe1 Qxe1+ 26. Nxe1 { with some advantage for White.}) 21... Qd5 (21... Bc6 {is also good.}) 22. Rd1 Qxf3 23. Nxf3 Rxe3 24. Rd5 f6 25. Rc5 Re6 26. Rc7 Rxd6 27. Rxb7 a6 28. Nd4 { The endgame is a draw, but White has more active pieces and practical chances.} h5 29. h4 g5 30. g3 Kf7 31. Kf2 Kg6 32. Ke3 Rd5 33. Ra7 Rd6 34. b3 Be6 35. Rc7 {Radjabov is in big time trouble, and now he makes a mistake.} Rd5 $6 (35... Bg4) 36. Rc6 $1 Re5+ 37. Kf2 Bd7 38. Rxa6 {White wins a pawn.} gxh4 39. gxh4 Re4 40. Rd6 Bg4 41. Rd5 (41. b4 $1 {is better.}) 41... Bc8 (41... f5 $1 { Black prepares f4 followed by Re3 with counterplay.} 42. Rd6+ (42. Rxb5 f4) 42... Kf7 43. Nxb5 f4) 42. Rc5 {This endgame is very complex, and an entire article could be written about it. I apologize for not being able to show all the lines here. Some of the computer suggestions need at least a few hours before I can understand them $1} (42. Rd8 $1) 42... Bd7 43. Rc7 Be8 44. Nf3 Re6 45. Ra7 (45. Rc8 $1) 45... Re4 46. Ra8 Kf7 47. Rd8 Re7 48. Rd2 Re4 49. Rd5 Kg6 50. a3 $6 Re7 51. Nd4 Re4 52. Nxb5 Rxh4 (52... Rf4+ $1 {This check was important to place the king in a worse position.} 53. Ke3 (53. Kg3 Rg4+ 54. Kh3 Bc6) 53... Rxh4 {with good drawing chances.}) 53. Nd4 Rh2+ 54. Kg3 Rd2 55. c4 Rd3+ 56. Kh4 Bf7 $2 (56... Rc3 $1 {It looks like this move leads to a draw.} 57. a4 Bxa4 $1 58. bxa4 Rxc4 59. a5 Ra4 60. Kg3 Ra3+ {Believe it or not, this position is a draw. As I wrote before, probably a whole article is needed to prove it.}) 57. Rd8 Rd1 58. a4 Rh1+ 59. Kg3 h4+ 60. Kg2 $2 {The wrong square for the king.} (60. Kf2) (60. Kf4) 60... Rc1 $2 {The wrong square for the rook. By now, I hope the reader understands how difficult this endgame is and why a whole article is needed just for it.} (60... Rb1 $1 61. a5 Kg5 {The difference is that Black has the b2-square available for a timely check. It's always easy to explain things when the game is over.}) 61. a5 Kh5 (61... Kg5 62. Kf2 $1 { With no checks available, White prepares Nf3 on the next move. The position is winning.}) 62. Kf2 $1 {The same idea.} Kg4 63. Rf8 $1 h3 (63... Bg6 64. Rg8 Kh5 {Many paths lead to Rome. One of them is:} 65. a6 Ra1 66. c5 Rxa6 67. c6 Ra7 68. b4 {and the pawns decide the game.}) 64. Rxf7 h2 65. Rg7+ Kf4 66. Ne2+ Ke5 67. Ng3 Rc2+ 68. Kf3 Rc3+ 69. Kg2 Rxb3 70. a6 Ra3 71. a7 Kd4 72. Nf5+ Kxc4 73. Rb7 Kc5 74. Ne7 {Two very complex endgames in today's round. Let's learn our lesson: endgames must be studied carefully $1} 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [Round "2"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 {Round two of the Candidates was a quieter affair than round one, though there were some missed chances. The most notable game was between Nepo and Caruana, since they had jumped out to an early lead by winning the previous day.} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 h6 9. Nbd2 g5 $5 {The first surprise. This move is far from unheard of and has been played dozens of times, including a Magnus game, but it was not supposed to have the best reputation as of late. I have noticed that in the last couple years, Caruana has been more willing to play somewhat shakier looking lines with the Black pieces for practical value, and this game it nearly paid dividends.} (9... O-O {Of course this is the main move, though I also quite like Be6.}) (9... Be6 $5 {This was almost a novelty before I dumped it on MVL and got a better position with Black. I ultimately lost the game anyway, but it has become a hot trend as of late.}) 10. b4 Ng4 {In general, Nh7 is considered to be best, but I can't imagine Caruana going for this line if he did not have some new idea to change the current state of theory.} 11. Re2 Qf6 12. Qe1 Qg7 13. Nf1 O-O 14. Ng3 Ne7 {Up to here, Nepo has been playing the best moves, including the odd-looking Qe1. I suspect he was still in preparation. Now though, the machine evaluations start to drop, and Black's position looks more playable.} 15. d4 $5 {Of course this is the most principled, but it also involves a fair amount of risk.} (15. Bb3 {My computer suggests this calm move might be enough for a slight edge. I'm not sure I buy it.}) 15... exd4 16. cxd4 $2 {Funnily enough, this incredibly natural and obvious recapture seems to be a mistake $1 White will lose his d-pawn anyway, and it would have been better to get the bishop to b2 directly.} (16. Bb2 $1 Nc6 17. Rc1 $1 {White slowly plays prophylaxis against any knight coming to e5 by overprotecting the c4-bishop, and the rook will be generally useful on the c-file. It feels a bit inhuman to play chess like this, but it should be best.} ) 16... Nc6 $1 {White will lose d4 and will have to show his compensation. It should be there, but something in Nepo's play in the coming moves left a bit to be desired.} 17. Ra3 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Bxd4 19. h3 Ne5 20. Ba2 c5 21. bxc5 Bxc5 22. Rb3 b5 {All of the last moves have been very logical. Either side probably could have deviated with any number of reasonable alternatives, but I have nothing major to say about this past phase. What comes next though is where things get interesting.} 23. Nf5 $2 {One of my helpers recently told me that absolutely everyone in the world apart from Magnus constantly misevaluates the consequences of piece exchanges. I thought he was being a bit harsh at the time, but games like this make me wonder if he has a point. The last two world championship challengers both constantly made the wrong calls about what piece exchanges would be favorable.} Qf6 $6 (23... Bxf5 $1 {Black absolutely should get rid of this knight.} 24. exf5 bxa4 $17 {White does not have enough attacking pieces, and Black looks safe enough.}) 24. Kh2 (24. h4 $1 {The machine is not too enthusiastic about this, but I think Nepo could have tried tearing open the king a bit more forcefully. This feels more thematic than playing for f4, which is the only point I can dream up behind Kh2.}) 24... bxa4 25. Rg3 Kh7 (25... Bxf5 $1 {Again, this was very strong.}) 26. Qd1 Bd7 (26... Bxf5 $1) 27. Rc2 Bxf5 $1 {Finally.} 28. exf5 Rab8 29. Qh5 Rg8 30. Bb2 Rge8 31. Bc1 Rg8 32. Bb2 {Now, Caruana repeated moves here, missing his chance. It was not easy, but it was there.} Rge8 (32... Rxb2 $1 {This would have won but only with a precise sequence. Again, making the right exchanges...} 33. Rxb2 a3 $1 34. Rb7 Bxf2 35. Rxa3 {I'm sure Caruana saw the line to here and probably stopped, thinking he is losing control and should make the draw instead. Black needs one more good move.} d5 $1 {This move does it all. It cuts off the a2-bishop, defends a6, it is safe from capture due to Qd6, and otherwise Qc6 is on the way. Black should win.} 36. Bxd5 Qd6 $1 $19) 33. Bc1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.18"] [Round "2"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B53"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 $5 {Rapport is an original player, and it's always nice to see his unusual openings. To be fair, this move is not so unusual, but it's not a move you expect to see in a Candidates Tournament.} Nc6 5. Bb5 (5. Qe3 {This year the Brazilian grandmaster Luis Paulo Supi played this move in a rapid game. It finished in a draw.}) 5... a6 $5 (5... Bd7 { In my younger days, everybody played this move.}) 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. c4 e5 8. Qd3 Ne7 9. c5 $5 {This is Rapport's second game in a row that features an unusual opening, an early Ne7, and an early c5 move $1} Ng6 10. cxd6 Qxd6 11. Qxd6 Bxd6 {White has the better pawn structure, and Black has the bishop's pair. Everybody is happy, and the position is equal but not drawn.} 12. Be3 a5 13. O-O f6 14. Rc1 Ra6 15. Nbd2 Be6 16. Ne1 $1 Kf7 17. Nd3 Rd8 18. Kf1 {Until now, all very natural. But now Firouzja plays a move I don't like.} Bb4 $6 {Maybe I don´t like it because I love the bishop's pair too much.} (18... Be7 19. Ke2 Nh4 {is equal.}) 19. Ke2 Nh4 20. Nxb4 axb4 21. g3 Ng6 22. Bc5 {Now white is slightly better.} Rb8 23. a3 bxa3 24. Rxa3 Rba8 (24... Rxa3 $1 {This is more precise. One idea is to sacrifice a pawn to get active play.} 25. bxa3 Nf8 $1 { And now if white goes for} 26. Bxf8 Rxf8 27. Rxc6 Ra8 28. Rc7+ Kf8 29. Rc3 g5 { Black's activity should be enough for a not so difficult draw.}) 25. Nc4 (25. Rca1 $5 Rxa3 26. Rxa3 Rxa3 27. bxa3 {This endgame is much more dangerous for Black than it seems at first sight.}) 25... Bxc4+ 26. Rxc4 Nf8 27. Rb3 Ne6 28. Rb7+ Kg8 29. Be3 Rd8 30. f4 Nd4+ $6 {A dubious positional decision. With a damaged pawn structure and with White's much more active rooks, Black's position is close to a collapse.} 31. Bxd4 exd4 32. Kd2 (32. Kd3 $2 {Of course not this one.} Ra1 $1) 32... Ra1 $2 (32... d3 33. Rc3 Ra1 34. Rxd3 Rxd3+ 35. Kxd3 Rh1 {This is a desperate attempt suggested by the computer, but I firmly believe White is going to win here.}) 33. Rxc6 Rh1 34. Rcc7 Rxh2+ 35. Kd3 { Two rooks on the 7th-rank is more or less what every chess player wants from life.} g6 36. e5 fxe5 37. fxe5 Rh3 {Surely, Rapport will regret spoiling such a beautiful endgame. But then, he must not forget that yesterday he was the one to escape in a lost endgame. The best thing a tournament player can do is to forget all this during the competition and just think about the next game. Easier said than done.} 38. Ke4 $6 (38. Rg7+ Kh8 (38... Kf8 39. Rbf7+ Ke8 40. e6 {mates.}) 39. Rgd7 $1 {The cleanest win.} Rxg3+ 40. Kxd4 Rxd7+ (40... Rg4+ 41. Kc5 $1 Rxd7 42. Rxd7 Re4 43. Kd5 Re2 44. b4 {With an easy win. The defender side hardly survives with the king locked in these positions.}) 41. Rxd7 {wins.}) 38... Rxg3 39. Rg7+ Kh8 40. Rxh7+ Kg8 41. Kf4 Re3 42. Rbg7+ (42. Rhg7+ $1 {Surprisingly, the win is not easy. With the engines on and a good cup of coffee, I can assert that White wins after:} Kh8 43. Rge7 {For instance: } Rh3 44. e6 d3 45. Rbd7 Rb8 46. Kg5 {winning.}) 42... Kf8 43. Rf7+ Kg8 44. Rfg7+ Kf8 45. Rf7+ $2 (45. Rc7 Kg8 46. Rhg7+ Kh8 47. Rge7 {is similar to the line shown before.}) 45... Kg8 46. Rhg7+ Kh8 {Now it's a draw, but rook endings are so difficult, and it's no surprise that the adventures are not over.} 47. Rxg6 Re2 48. e6 Re8 (48... d3 {is also enough for a draw.} 49. e7 ( 49. Rd7 Rf8+ 50. Kg3 d2 $11) 49... Rd4+ $1 50. Kf5 d2 51. Rf8+ Kh7 52. Rf7+ { with perpetual check.}) 49. Rh6+ Kg8 50. Rg6+ Kh8 51. Rff6 Re7 $2 {The drama continues $1} (51... d3 $1 52. Rg3 R8xe6 53. Rxe6 Rxe6 54. Rxd3 Kg7 {Of course, it's scary to go for this endgame but with tablebases on and that same good cup of coffee, I can assert that the position is drawn.}) 52. b4 $2 {Missing a delightful study-like win.} (52. Kf5 $1 d3 53. Rg1 $1 d2 54. Rh1+ Kg8 55. Rfh6 $1 Rf2+ 56. Ke5 Re2+ (56... Kg7 57. Rh7+ Kf8 58. Rh8+ Kg7 59. Kd6 {wins.}) 57. Kd6 Re1 58. Kxe7 d1=Q 59. Rg6# {A deserved result for White after finding so many diffcult moves.}) 52... d3 {And now it's a draw again.} 53. Rg3 d2 54. Rh6+ Rh7 55. Rxh7+ Kxh7 56. Rd3 Kg6 57. Kf3 Rxe6 58. Rxd2 Kf6 59. Kf4 Re1 60. Rd4 Ke6 {A fantastic escape by Firouzja. After suffering and defending two rook endgames with Black in the first two rounds, he will certainly be relieved to play with White tomorrow.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.19"] [Round "3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {I'm always happy when the Najdorf is played in a high level tournament. Is there anyone who prefers to watch the Berlin $2} 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 h5 {A modern way to meet the English Attack. I like this move and have played it many times. The idea is to avoid g4. Chess is a developing and dynamic game. One could say that you should never advance on the side where your opponent is attacking, but empty words do not win chess games. The engine says it’s fine, and this is more important. Of course, it’s not so easy to play without a shelter for the king, but if you are afraid of this, you better not play the Sicilian.} 9. Qd2 Nbd7 {The main decision White must make is where to castle. Caruana decides on the more aggressive queenside castling.} 10. O-O-O Be7 11. Kb1 b5 (11... Qc7 { I once played this move against GM Mekhitarian, but I'd rather change the subject for obvious reasons.}) 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nb6 14. Bxb6 Qxb6 15. Na5 {This is a typical manoeuver in the English Attack, and Black has to be ready to meet Nc6, otherwise he gets a lost position. But here everything is fine.} Rc8 {This is an important theoretical position. I think Caruana was surprised by Duda's opening choice, and he took some time before going for an endgame that is known to be harmless for Black.} 16. Nc6 (16. c4 $5 {is a critical move.} bxc4 17. Nxc4 Qa7 18. Na5 {The knight heads back to his dreamed square.} Rc5 $1 {Precise play, attacking the d5-pawn.} 19. Nc6 Qd7 {There are many correspondence games in this complicated position. Needless to say, most of them ended in a draw.}) (16. Bd3 b4 $1 17. Nc4 Qc5 18. Ne3 a5 {is also ok for Black.} (18... g6 $5 {Even this sacrifice is interesting.} 19. Bxa6 Rc7 { And if Black manages to castle and activate the e7-bishop, White will be in trouble. Remember to always be on the attacking side in positions with opposite-colored bishops.})) 16... Nxd5 $1 {The point of Black's play.} 17. Nxe7 Nxe7 18. Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 Nc6 {I found more than one hundred games in this position and nearly all of them ended in a draw.} 20. Rd2 Ke7 {Black is happy that the king is not castled and can be placed immediately in the center. } 21. Bd3 Rhd8 22. Rhd1 g6 23. c3 Na5 24. Re2 {A new move.} (24. Kc2 {was played before.}) 24... Kf6 25. h4 {Avoiding the advance of Black's kingside pawns.} Nb7 26. Red2 Nc5 27. Bf1 Rxd2 28. Rxd2 {Is a bishop better than a knight $2 Is it true that rook and bishop combine better than rook and knight, while queen and knight combine better than queen and bishop $2 There are no hard rules in chess. Always look for the dynamic factors of the position. Here Black's knight is pretty good, and his king is active. He has no problems at all.} Ke6 29. c4 {This is a difficult move to make and this shows that the bishop is easier to play with black. The problem is that after plays b4, although White has a passed pawn, Black has a monster on c5. If he can exchange rooks and start to advance the kingside pawns, it can become dangerous for black. Of course, Caruana knows all that and he will prevent it.} (29. Kc2 Na4 $5 {Maybe Caruana wanted to prevent the maneuver Na4-b6, and the knight can go to c4 or d5 at some point. Of course, it's still a draw, but it's easier for Black.}) 29... b4 30. Kc2 a5 31. b3 Nb7 {Preparing the first part of the plan: exchanging rooks. White should start some active play now.} 32. g3 Rd8 33. Rxd8 Nxd8 34. Kd3 Nb7 35. Ke3 Nc5 36. f4 $1 {That's it. White is not advised to sit and wait here.} a4 (36... f6 {A possible drawing line after this move is:} 37. Bg2 a4 38. Bd5+ Ke7 39. bxa4 Nxa4 40. fxe5 fxe5 41. Be4 Kf6 42. Bc2 Nc5 43. Kf3 g5 44. Ke3 g4 {with a mutual fortress on the board. }) (36... f5 {White can wait for e4 and prepare a fortress or try to activate his bishop.} 37. fxe5 $5 Kxe5 38. Bg2 a4 39. bxa4 Nxa4 40. Bd5 Nc3 41. Bg8 Nxa2 42. c5 Nc3 43. c6 Kd6 44. Bf7 Kxc6 45. Bxg6 b3 46. Bxf5 {with a draw. As usual in this endgame, White had to play some careful moves.}) (36... e4 37. Kd4 Kd6 38. f5 $5 (38. Be2 f5 {This looks a bit scary, but Black cannot breakthrough.} 39. Ke3 Ne6 40. Kd2 Kc5 41. Ke3 Nd4 42. Bd1 {and White has a fortress.}) 38... gxf5 39. Be2 Ne6+ 40. Ke3 Ke5 (40... Ng7 41. Kd4 Ne6+ {with a draw.}) 41. Bxh5 f4+ 42. gxf4+ Nxf4 43. Bxf7 Ng2+ 44. Ke2 Nxh4 45. c5 Nf5 46. Bc4 {The position is a draw, although Black is the one having fun.}) 37. bxa4 Nxa4 38. c5 $1 { The easier way to achieve a draw. Caruana activates his bishop.} exf4+ 39. gxf4 Nxc5 40. Kd4 Kd6 (40... b3 {is an immediate draw.} 41. Bc4+ Kf5 42. axb3 Nxb3+ 43. Bxb3 Kxf4 44. Bxf7 Kg4 45. Bxg6 Kxh4 46. Bxh5 Kxh5) 41. Kc4 Ne6 (41... f5 { is a winning try, but it's not enough since the a-pawn is dangerous.} 42. Kxb4 Ne6 43. a4 Nxf4 44. a5 Nd5+ 45. Kb5 {with enough activity for an easy draw.}) 42. f5 $1 gxf5 43. Be2 Nf4 44. Bf3 Ng6 45. Bxh5 Nxh4 46. Bxf7 f4 47. Bh5 f3 48. Bxf3 Nxf3 49. Kxb4 Nd4 50. a3 Nc2+ 51. Kb3 Nxa3 {I love all these final moves when everyone knows the game will finish in a draw. But once a teammate in an Olympiad decided to make an extra centralizing king move in a position of king and bishop against king. His opponent didn’t like it very much. I guess he was lacking a sense of humor that day.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.19"] [Round "3"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D87"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 {It's strange to see Rapport playing mainstream openings $1} 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O b6 (10... Bg4 {To be honest, I never fully understood why the old main line lost its popularity.} 11. f3 Na5) 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. Bb5 {A difficult move. I thought Ding Liren's idea was to take on c6 and play d5, but I was wrong.} (12. Qd2 {The most natural move, but Black is doing fine after} Rc8 13. Rfd1 e6) 12... Rc8 13. Qd2 (13. Bxc6 {This move was played in several correspondence games. As I teach to my students: \"He who says A, must say B\". According to this logic, 13.Bxc6 is indeed the best move. But I'm not sure chess is so simple.} Rxc6 (13... Bxc6 14. d5 Bd7 15. Qd2 {with a complicated game.}) 14. d5 Rd6 15. c4 e6 {and I refer the reader to the many correspondence games he can find in this position. They all finished the way you might expect.}) 13... cxd4 (13... e6 {is the main move.}) 14. cxd4 Qd6 15. Rfd1 Qb4 $6 {The first new move, and the beginning of Black's problems.} (15... Rfd8 $6 {was played in an online blitz. As I wrote before, blitz games have become part of the opening theory.} 16. d5 $1 (16. f3 $6 {was Sjugirov-Mischuk blitz game 2021.}) 16... Ne5 17. Nd4 {and here White achieves what he wants: central dominance and a clear positional advantage. One of the positional drawbacks of the Grunfeld Defense is that White gets an extra pawn in the center.}) (15... a6 {A very natural move, asking White's bishops intentions.} 16. Bxc6 Rxc6 17. Rxc6 Bxc6 18. d5 Bd7 19. f4 {The computer is not worried with White's advancing pawns, but I would be concerned in a game.}) (15... Na5 {is also very natural.}) 16. Qd3 e6 17. h4 $1 {A typical push in this Grunfeld pawn structure. White prepares an attack on the kingside and sometimes the pawn goes all the way to h6. Many readers will associate this advance to the games of AlphaZero, but being a human supporter I would like to suggest the game Portisch-Christiansen, played in London, 1982. In this game, the great Hungarian player made a similar advance, and this is one of the best games I have ever seen.} (17. a3 $6 Qe7 {and White cannot advance the pawn anymore.}) 17... Rfd8 $6 {A natural move, but not the best.} (17... Qa5 {is an interesting exchange sacrifice.} 18. a4 a6 19. Bd2 Nb4 20. Qb1 $1 axb5 21. Bxb4 Qxa4 22. Bxf8 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Bxf8 {but it's clear White is better here.}) (17... h5 {is the computer suggestion, but I prefer White after} 18. e5 $1 {with idea to play Bg5.}) 18. Bg5 $1 {An unpleasant move to face.} Nxd4 {Rapport is not the one to shy from complications. He decides to sacrifice the exchange.} ( 18... f6 19. Bd2 Qe7 20. h5 {and the kingside is too weak.}) 19. Bxd8 Rxd8 20. h5 $3 {An enigmatic move that shows why Ding Liren is a special player. He is not worried with the hanging b5-bishop nor with the queen on d3. Instead, he just reinforces his position and advances the pawn. Spoiler alert: this pawn could have decided the game.} (20. Ba6 {Is a move a lesser mortal would play.} Bxa6 21. Qxa6 Qb2 22. Kf1 b5 23. Ng3 {Black has some compensation.}) (20. Qe3 $6 Qxb5 21. Nxd4 Qa4 {Remember this variation. It's unclear with the pawn on h4 and winning for White with the pawn on h5.} 22. Nb3 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Qxe4 24. Rd8+ Bf8 25. Qg3 Kg7 $1 26. h5 Be7 27. Rd7 Bh4 $1) 20... Be5 {It's difficult for Rapport to untangle his pieces.} (20... Qb2 21. Qe3 Qxb5 22. Nxd4 Qa4 23. Nb3 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Qxe4 25. Rd8+ Bf8 26. Qg3 {What a difference this little h5-pawn makes $1 Now Black is losing because the king cannot run away.} Kg7 $2 27. h6+ $18) (20... e5 21. Nxd4 Rxd4 22. Qe2 Rxe4 23. Rc4 $1 Rxe2 24. Rxb4 Rxa2 25. Rd8+ Bf8 26. Rc4 {and the rooks crash through.}) (20... Nxe2+ 21. Qxe2 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Qxe4 23. Rd8+ Bf8 24. Qxe4 Bxe4 25. h6 $1 {The little warrior locks the opponent's king.} Bd5 26. a4 {with an easy win.}) 21. a4 (21. Ba6 { This was good now.} Nxe2+ 22. Qxe2 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Qxe4 24. Qxe4 Bxe4 25. Re1 f5 26. Kf1 {White prepares f3 with excellent winning chances.}) 21... Kg7 $2 ( 21... Nxe2+ {was a better chance to survive.} 22. Qxe2 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Kg7) 22. Kf1 $3 {Another majestic move by Ding Liren. Now Nxe2 will not come with a check, and this gives additional options for White.} Nxe2 (22... Qe7 23. Qe3 Nxe2 24. h6+ $5 Kg8 25. Kxe2 {With a winning position. The h6 gives white too much attack because it locks the king.}) 23. Qxe2 $2 {After playing a wonderful game, he misses a simple win.} (23. Qxd8 $1 Nxc1 (23... Qxe4 24. Bxe2 Qxg2+ 25. Ke1 Qh1+ 26. Kd2 Bf4+ 27. Kc3 {and the king escapes.}) 24. Qg5 $1 { Followed by h6+. Black can resign.}) 23... Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 a6 $2 (24... Bd4 { was better.}) 25. Bxa6 Bxa6 26. Qxa6 Qxe4 27. Re1 $2 (27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Qe2 $1 Qf5 29. Kg1 {Black's problem is that he want be able to defend the b6-pawn so White is winning.}) 27... Qd4 28. Qe2 Bf6 29. hxg6 $2 {Another mistake. The h5-pawn was the pride of White's position. Ding Liren should advance it to h6 somehow, instead of exchanging it. He could have achieved this with a brilliant maneuver suggested by the machine.} (29. Qe4 $1 Qc5 (29... Qd2 30. Qe3 $1 Qb4 31. h6+ {achieving the desired goal to advance the pawn.}) 30. Qf3 $1 gxh5 (30... Qxh5 31. Qxh5 gxh5 32. Ke2 {with an easy win.}) 31. Qg3+ Kf8 32. Qf4 Kg7 33. Re4 {Avoiding Bd4 and preparing Rc4. The computer claims white is totally winning here. The heavy pieces will coordinate a decisive attack.}) 29... hxg6 30. Qe4 Qd2 {and now Rapport has decent compensation.} 31. Re2 Qd1+ 32. Re1 Qd2 33. g3 Bd4 34. Qe2 Qc3 35. Rd1 Qc6 36. Qg4 e5 37. Rxd4 exd4 38. Qxd4+ Kg8 39. Qd8+ Kg7 40. Qd4+ Kg8 {A big miss for Ding Liren.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.19"] [Round "3"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E36"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. d4 {The third round saw four draws, but some interesting games. Ding Liren showed more good preparation with White and clearly looks like he came ready with a lot of ideas, but his actual gameplay has been lackluster. The most interesting game of the day saw Firouzja play his first game with the white pieces. He managed to put Hikaru under a lot of pressure, but ultimately was unable to win against extremely good defense.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 d5 7. Bg5 {All of this is very topical. Now, in the past, Hikaru has preferred h6, which he has clearly analyzed very well.} dxc4 ( 7... h6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Nf3 dxc4 10. Qxc4 Nc6 11. Qc3 Re8 12. Rd1 e5 13. d5 Nb8 14. e3 Bg4 15. Be2 Nd7 16. O-O Bxf3 17. Bxf3 e4 18. Qxc7 exf3 19. Qxd7 fxg2 20. Rfe1 Qxb2 $1 {Hikaru once blitzed out all of these moves with Black against me at the 2021 Grand Chess Tour. He held the game very easily, and in the time since then, I was not able to find much in the way of improvements for White. I'm not totally sure why he decided to deviate.}) 8. Qxc4 b6 9. Rd1 Ba6 10. Qa4 h6 11. Bh4 Qe7 12. Nf3 Rd8 {We are still following a heavy mainline of theory. Hikaru has had this position some 5 times in the past, though generally from a different move order.} 13. Qc2 {But now this is rare. In the upcoming moves, Hikaru really spent a lot of time and I was a bit worried. The position is certainly not bad yet, but it is very sharp and Firouzja had clearly come well-prepared.} c5 14. e4 Bxf1 15. Rxf1 g5 16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. Bxg5 Nc6 18. Qc1 { Firouzja was still blitzing to here. According to the machine, everything holds for Black. But this is very deceptive and in human terms, it looks quite challenging to play.} Rxd4 (18... e5 19. d5 Nd4 20. Rd3 {For example, the computer swears this position is dead equal. With Black, I would seriously worry about losing in 3 more moves.}) 19. Rxd4 Nxd4 20. Qf4 Nc2+ $1 {I like this decision a lot. It is not the best move and White has a little pull in the endgame, but I think it should be defensible and simplifying down a bit will help the defense become easier.} (20... Qd7 {The computer, with nerves of steel, shows this is a draw.} 21. Bxf6 Nc2+ $1 22. Ke2 Qb5+ 23. Kd2 Qxf1 $1 { By some miracle, White is not giving mate here.} 24. Qg5+ {But the game goes on all the same $1} Kf8 25. Qg7+ Ke8 26. Qg8+ Kd7 27. Qxf7+ Kc6 28. Qxe6+ Kb5 29. Kxc2 {And apparently this is equal. No human can play chess like this.}) 21. Kd1 Qd7+ 22. Kxc2 Qa4+ 23. Kb1 Qxe4+ 24. Qxe4 Nxe4 25. Bf4 {Black's position is a bit unpleasant thanks to White's potential for an outside passed pawn mass on the kingside, but it should be defensible. From here on out, Hikaru started to play really well.} Nf6 $1 {Regrouping the knight to d5 is a good place to start.} 26. h4 Nd5 27. Bd2 f5 28. g3 Kf7 29. f3 Rh8 30. Bg5 c4 ( 30... e5 $5 {This may have been easier.}) 31. g4 b5 {White surely has better chances, but it is very hard for him to coordinate the kingside pawns. The bishop is stuck on g5, but h4-h5 is not really a thing if Black can respond with Rh8-g8.} 32. Rd1 $1 {I like this decision a lot. White's best plan will be to threaten gxf5, forcing Black to exchange the f-pawns. Then, the king on f7 will become less secure.} fxg4 33. fxg4 a5 34. h5 $1 {Now this move becomes possible. It looks like there is an issue on the g-file, but because Black was forced to exchange the f-pawns, the check on f1 messes up his coordination.} Rg8 35. Rf1+ $1 {Black's position is really difficult, but Hikaru played amazing to keep it together. One of his must underappreciated traits is how good a defender he is. I've only ever gotten one bad position against him in classical chess, and I got crushed. I've gotten a lot of good positions... but whenever his position becomes close to critical, it is like playing against a tablebase. I've drawn every other time.} Ke8 $1 {Now, White's pawn is forced forward to h6 to avoid losing material. But, this allows Black to set up a light square blockade.} (35... Kg7 {The machine prefers this one, and I despise the move. After} 36. Bc1 $1 {Black is unable to exchange the rooks, g5 is coming, and the position looks critical to ,e/}) 36. h6 Rf8 $1 {The reason my computer disliked Ke8 was that it thought White wins after trading rooks here. Only when I let it run in this position did it realize that will be a draw.} 37. Rxf8+ (37. Rc1 {In hindsight, Firouzja could have tried this, hoping to open another front with a3-a4 someday. But I doubt he would win the game.} Kf7 38. a4 Kg6 39. Bd2 bxa4 40. Rxc4 Rf1+ {Black has some work to do, but he should hold with good defense.}) 37... Kxf8 38. Bd8 a4 $3 {This takes serious nerves. It feels like allowing White's pawns to g6 and h7 should lose routinely as the bishop can come to the long diagonal to force the h-pawn through, but somehow Black is holding it together.} (38... Kf7 {It feels much more natural to pitch the a-pawn and try to blockade on the light squares instead, but now White can win on the queenside.} 39. Bxa5 Kg6 40. Bd2 { White's king will eventually walk to f3 and e4 and d4 to win the game on the queenside. If Black had his a-pawn here on a4, then at some moment b5-b4 would come for counterplay.}) 39. g5 Kf7 40. h7 Kg7 41. g6 {This looks so hopeless. Black's knight is forever stuck guarding f6, the king can't move, all White needs to do is bring in the king to win the game. But this proves impossible.} c3 $1 {A final important move, but a natural one. Black needs to trade off a pawn before he can sit and wait.} (41... Kh8 42. Ba5 $1 {White wins with a check on c3.}) 42. bxc3 Nxc3+ 43. Kc2 Nd5 {Now, funnily enough, it turns out White has no way to bring his king in. As soon it touches d3 or e2, a check on f4 will ruin his day. Black can put his pawn on e5, stopping any hope of the bishop reaching the long diagonal before Nf4 can come. I have to imagine Firouzja was incredibly frustrated that the position is not winning.} 44. Bg5 { White is ready for Bc1-b2.} (44. Ba5 e5 $1 {White does not get to c3.} 45. Bc3 $2 Nxc3 $1 {Now Black even wins.} 46. Kxc3 e4 $1 47. Kd4 {And here we see why trading the b-pawn for the c-pawn was so important.} b4 $1 {With b2 and c4 still onboard, Kxc4 would win routinely. As is, White even loses $1}) 44... e5 $1 {Just in time. Now, the diagonal will remain blocked for one critical move, and Black is in time to meet Bc1 with Ne7.} 45. Kd2 Kh8 46. Ke1 {Allowing the king to e4 would certainly lose, but this is a slow plan for White, and now Black can mobilize the queenside.} b4 $1 47. axb4 a3 {White has to bring the bishop back.} 48. Bc1 Nxb4 $1 {No more check on f6.} 49. Kd2 Nd5 $1 {The final only move. Black's knight makes it to f4 just in time.} 50. Bxa3 Nf4 $1 51. Bb2 Nxg6 52. Bxe5+ Nxe5 53. Kc3 Kxh7 54. Kd4 {A great defense from Hikaru.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.19"] [Round "3"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {Nothing happened in this game. I suspect Radjabov was frustrated with his yesterday game, and Nepomniachtchi felt ok with an easy and quick draw with Black.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. dxc5 Qxd1 8. Rxd1 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 c3 $1 {An important move to disturb White's pawn structure, otherwise he gets a free Catalan style advantage. Of course, this is well known.} 10. bxc3 O-O 11. Nb3 Be7 12. Nfd4 Bd7 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Be3 (15. c4 {This is the main move.}) 15... Nd5 16. Bd4 c5 17. Nxc5 { A new move.} (17. Be5 c4 $1 (17... Bf6 $6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Nxc5 (19. c4 Rfc8 { with equality in Mikhalevski-Michalczak, Zurich 2009.}) 19... Rfc8 20. Na4 Nd5 21. Rab1 Nxc3 22. Nxc3 Rxc3 23. Rd7 {and Black will suffer a bit in this rook endgame.}) (17... f6 18. c4 $1 (18. e4 Nb6 19. Bd6 Kf7 20. Bxc5 Bxc5 21. Nxc5 Rfc8 22. Nb3 Rxc3 {with a draw.}) 18... Nb6 19. Bd6 {It should be a draw anyway, but Black will have to play a few good moves.}) 18. Na5 (18. e4 Nxc3 19. Bxc3 cxb3 20. axb3 {followed by a handshake.}) 18... Rfc8 {with a good position for Black.}) 17... Bxc5 18. Bxc5 Rfc8 19. Bd4 Nxc3 20. Bxc3 Rxc3 { Now it's over.} 21. Rac1 Ra3 22. Rc2 h5 23. Rd7 a6 24. Kg2 g6 25. e3 Kg7 26. Rcc7 Rf8 27. Rd6 Re8 28. Rdd7 Rf8 29. Rd6 Re8 30. Rdd7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.19"] [Round "3.4"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E36"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 d5 7. Bg5 dxc4 8. Qxc4 b6 9. Rd1 Ba6 10. Qa4 h6 11. Bh4 Qe7 12. Nf3 Rd8 13. Qc2 $5 (13. e3 Bxf1 14. Rxf1 c5 15. dxc5 Rxd1+ 16. Qxd1 g5 17. Bg3 Qxc5 18. Qd8+ Kg7 19. Be5 Qc1+ 20. Ke2 Qc4+ 21. Ke1 Qc1+ 22. Ke2 Qc4+ 23. Ke1 Qc1+ 24. Ke2 {½-½ (24) Mamedyarov,S (2808)-Nakamura,H (2769) Stavanger 2018}) (13. g4 Bb7 14. Bg2 Nbd7 15. Rg1 c5 16. g5 hxg5 17. Nxg5 Bxg2 18. Rxg2 Nf8 19. Ne4 Ng6 20. Bg5 Qb7 { 1/2-1/2 (36) Mamedyarov,S (2782)-Nakamura,H (2736) Saint Louis USA 2021}) 13... c5 14. e4 Bxf1 15. Rxf1 (15. Kxf1 $6 g5 16. Bg3 $2 Nc6 17. h4 $2 g4 $19 { 0-1 (53) Bach,N (2198)-Johnson,B (2118) INT 2021}) 15... g5 16. Nxg5 (16. Bg3 Nc6 17. dxc5 Rxd1+ 18. Kxd1 Rd8+ 19. Kc1 Nd4 20. Nxd4 Rxd4 21. Bd6 {1-0 (51) Bach,N (2192)-Johnson,B (2061) INT 2022}) 16... hxg5 17. Bxg5 Nc6 18. Qc1 Rxd4 19. Rxd4 Nxd4 20. Qf4 (20. e5 $2 Qb7 $1 21. Bxf6 $2 (21. f3 Nh7 $19) 21... Qe4+ 22. Qe3 Nc2+ $19) 20... Nc2+ 21. Kd1 Qd7+ 22. Kxc2 Qa4+ 23. Kb1 Qxe4+ 24. Qxe4 Nxe4 25. Bf4 Nf6 26. h4 Nd5 27. Bd2 f5 28. g3 Kf7 29. f3 Rh8 30. Bg5 c4 $6 ( 30... e5) 31. g4 b5 32. Rd1 fxg4 33. fxg4 a5 34. h5 Rg8 $5 35. Rf1+ Ke8 $6 ( 35... Kg7 36. Bc1 $16) 36. h6 $1 Rf8 (36... Rxg5 $4 37. h7 $18) 37. Rxf8+ $6 ( 37. Rc1 $1 Kf7 38. Bd2 Kg6 39. Re1 Re8 40. Re5) 37... Kxf8 38. Bd8 a4 39. g5 Kf7 40. h7 Kg7 41. g6 c3 $1 42. bxc3 Nxc3+ 43. Kc2 Nd5 44. Bg5 e5 45. Kd2 Kh8 46. Ke1 b4 47. axb4 a3 48. Bc1 Nxb4 49. Kd2 (49. Bxa3 Nc2+ 50. Ke2 Nxa3 51. Ke3 Nc4+ 52. Ke4 Kg7 53. Kd5 Nd2 54. Kxe5 $11) 49... Nd5 50. Bxa3 Nf4 51. Bb2 Nxg6 52. Bxe5+ Nxe5 53. Kc3 Kxh7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.19"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,45,30,30,41,37,96,70,70,39,39,21,55,18,32,32,32,32,50,34,49,35,40,36, 46,14,14,14,14,19,19,11,20,-9,-9,-15,-6,-3,0,0,-3,-23,-10,-13,-5,-5,-12,-14]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 h5 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Be7 11. Kb1 b5 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nb6 14. Bxb6 Qxb6 15. Na5 Rc8 16. Nc6 Nxd5 17. Nxe7 Nxe7 18. Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 Nc6 20. Rd2 Ke7 21. Bd3 Rhd8 22. Rhd1 g6 (22... Rc7 23. c3 Na5 24. Kc2 h4 25. g3 hxg3 26. hxg3 g6 27. a4 Nc4 28. Re2 {1/2-1/2 (39) Dominguez Perez,L (2754)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2721) Beijing 2013}) 23. c3 (23. a4 Rb8 24. axb5 axb5 25. Be4 Rxd2 26. Rxd2 Nd4 27. b4 f5 28. Bd3 h4 29. c3 Ne6 30. Bf1 Nf4 31. Kc2 {1/2-1/2 (42) Dominguez Perez,L (2717)-Anand,V (2791) Linares 2009}) 23... Na5 24. Re2 (24. Kc2 f5 25. a4 Nc4 26. Re2 Kf6 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ra1 Nd6 29. Kb3 Rc6 30. Ra5 Nb7 31. Rxb5 Nc5+ 32. Rxc5 Rxc5 33. Kc2 Rcd5 34. Bc4 Rd1 35. b4 h4 36. b5 Rg1 37. b6 Rb8 {0-1 (37) Jens,J (2376)-Le,Q (2687) Mulhouse 2011}) 24... Kf6 25. h4 Nb7 26. Red2 Nc5 27. Bf1 Rxd2 28. Rxd2 Ke6 29. c4 b4 30. Kc2 a5 31. b3 Nb7 32. g3 Rd8 33. Rxd8 Nxd8 34. Kd3 Nb7 35. Ke3 Nc5 36. f4 $11 a4 37. bxa4 Nxa4 38. c5 exf4+ 39. gxf4 Nxc5 40. Kd4 Kd6 41. Kc4 Ne6 42. f5 gxf5 43. Be2 Nf4 44. Bf3 Ng6 45. Bxh5 Nxh4 46. Bxf7 f4 47. Bh5 f3 48. Bxf3 Nxf3 49. Kxb4 Nd4 50. a3 Nc2+ 51. Kb3 Nxa3 52. Kxa3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.19"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D87"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2776"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,32,19,31,14,-14,43,38,70,78,53,52,56,51,51,51,50,30,44,30,52,46,103, 52,40,7,74,19,37,29,45,31,41,17,41]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. Bb5 Rc8 13. Qd2 cxd4 14. cxd4 Qd6 (14... e6 15. Rfd1 Na5 16. Rxc8 Qxc8 17. Bg5 Qc7 18. d5 exd5 19. exd5 Qc5 20. Qd3 Qd6 21. Bf4 Be5 22. Bxe5 Qxe5 23. d6 Rd8 24. d7 Nc6 25. Nc3 a6 26. Bxa6 Bxa6 27. Qxa6 Qxc3 28. Qc8 Qc2 29. Re1 Qd2 30. Re8+ Kg7 31. h3 Qd1+ 32. Kh2 Qd6+ 33. g3 Rxd7 {0-1 (33) Giri,A (2764)-Ding Liren (2791) INT 2020}) 15. Rfd1 Qb4 (15... Rfd8 16. f3 Qb4 17. Qd3 Ne5 18. Qb3 Qxb3 19. axb3 Nc6 20. d5 Ne5 21. h3 f5 22. Nd4 fxe4 23. fxe4 a6 24. Be2 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 {1-0 (40) Sjugirov,S (2663)-Mischuk,D (2339) INT 2021}) 16. Qd3 e6 17. h4 Rfd8 18. Bg5 Nxd4 19. Bxd8 Rxd8 20. h5 Be5 21. a4 Kg7 22. Kf1 $3 Nxe2 $6 ( 22... Qe7 $5) 23. Qxe2 $6 (23. Qxd8 $1 Qxe4 (23... Nxc1 24. Qg5 Nd3 25. h6+ Kg8 26. Qd8+ Qf8 27. Rxd3 Bxe4 28. Rd7 $18) 24. Bxe2 Qxg2+ 25. Ke1 Qh1+ 26. Kd2 Bf4+ 27. Kc3 $18) 23... Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 a6 25. Bxa6 Bxa6 26. Qxa6 Qxe4 27. Re1 $5 Qd4 28. Qe2 Bf6 29. hxg6 $6 hxg6 30. Qe4 $6 Qd2 31. Re2 Qd1+ 32. Re1 Qd2 33. g3 Bd4 $1 34. Qe2 Qc3 35. Rd1 Qc6 36. Qg4 e5 37. Rxd4 exd4 38. Qxd4+ Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.19"] [Round "3.3"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2773"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. dxc5 Qxd1 8. Rxd1 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 c3 10. bxc3 O-O 11. Nb3 Be7 12. Nfd4 Bd7 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Be3 Nd5 16. Bd4 c5 17. Nxc5 $5 (17. Be5 Bf6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. c4 Rfc8 20. f3 Kf8 21. Rd6 Ke7 {1-0 (75) Mikhalevski,V (2631)-Michalczak,T (2352) Zuerich 2009}) 17... Bxc5 18. Bxc5 Rfc8 19. Bd4 Nxc3 20. Bxc3 Rxc3 21. Rac1 Ra3 22. Rc2 h5 23. Rd7 a6 24. Kg2 g6 25. e3 Kg7 26. Rcc7 Rf8 27. Rd6 Re8 28. Rdd7 Rf8 29. Rd6 Re8 30. Rdd7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2773"] [BlackElo "2804"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5 b4 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 {1/2-1/2 (15) Motylev,A (2690)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2718) Rogaska Slatina 2011} Bc4 $5 (15... a4 16. fxe6 axb3 17. cxb3 fxe6 18. Bh3 Rxa2 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Ng3 {½-½ (41) Radjabov,T (2726)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2757) Tashkent 2014}) 16. Kb1 a4 17. Nbc1 d5 18. f6 (18. exd5 Nd6 19. f6 gxf6 20. gxf6 Nxf6 21. Bh6 Kh8 22. Qg5 Rg8 23. Qxe5 Ra5 24. Nf4 a3 25. b3 Bxf1 26. Rhxf1 Nde4 27. Nce2 Bd6 28. Qd4 Qb8 29. h4 Bc5 30. Qa1 Bd6 31. Qd4 Bc5 {1/2-1/2 (31) Ruiz Vidal,P (2319) -Ottesen,S (2370) ICCF email 2007}) 18... gxf6 19. gxf6 $5 (19. Ng3 Nd6 20. gxf6 Nxf6 21. Bh6 Kh8 22. Qg5 Rg8 23. Qxe5 Ra5 24. Bf4 {1-0 (47) Vornanen,A (2303)-Salonen,J (1950) ICCF email 2011}) 19... Ndxf6 20. Ng3 Bxf1 $6 (20... Nd6 $5 21. Bh6 Kh8 22. Qg5 (22. Bxf8 Bxf8) 22... Rg8 23. Qxe5 Ra5) 21. Rhxf1 a3 22. b3 Kh8 23. exd5 Nd6 $2 (23... Qc7 24. Rxf6 Bxf6 25. Nd3 Nd6 26. Bc5 Be7 27. Bxb4) 24. Qxb4 Rc8 $6 25. Bb6 $1 Qd7 (25... Qe8 26. Rxf6 Bxf6 27. Qxd6 $18) 26. Qe1 $1 Rb8 27. Ba5 Nc4 28. d6 Bd8 29. Bc3 Qe6 30. Nd3 Nd5 31. Nf4 Nxf4 32. Rxf4 f6 33. Qe2 Nb2 34. Rdf1 Re8 35. Rh4 f5 36. Rxh7+ Kxh7 37. Qh5+ Kg8 38. Nxf5 Bf6 39. Rg1+ (39. Rg1+ Kf8 40. Qh6+ Kf7 41. Rg7+ Kf8 42. Qh8+ Qg8 43. Qxg8#) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2786"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 Na5 8. c5 b6 9. Bd2 Nc4 (9... bxc5 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Nc6 12. dxc5 Ne4 13. b4 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 a6 {1-0 (38) Wei Yi (2727)-Harikrishna,P (2705) INT 2022}) 10. a3 Nxd2 11. Nxd2 Bxc3 12. Qxc3 a5 13. Rc1 Ba6 14. cxb6 cxb6 15. Bxa6 Rxa6 16. O-O Ra8 17. Qb3 Rc8 $6 18. Rxc8 Qxc8 19. Qxb6 a4 20. Qb4 Qc2 21. b3 axb3 22. Nxb3 Ne4 23. a4 Qc4 24. Qxc4 dxc4 25. Nc5 Nxc5 26. dxc5 Ra8 27. Rb1 Kf8 28. Rb4 c3 29. Rc4 Ke7 30. Kf1 c2 31. Rxc2 Rxa4 32. Rb2 Ra7 33. Ke2 Kd7 34. Rb8 Rc7 35. Rh8 Ke7 36. Rxh7 g6 37. h4 Rxc5 38. Rh8 f5 39. Rh7+ Kf6 40. Kf3 Rc4 41. g3 Ra4 42. Rd7 g5 43. hxg5+ Kxg5 44. Rd4 Ra3 45. g4 fxg4+ 46. Rxg4+ Kf6 47. Rf4+ Ke7 48. Kg4 Ra5 49. Rb4 Kf6 50. f4 Ra1 51. e4 Rg1+ 52. Kf3 Rf1+ 53. Ke3 Re1+ 54. Kf2 Ra1 55. Rb6 Kf7 56. Kf3 Ra3+ 57. Kg4 Ra1 58. f5 Rg1+ 59. Kf4 Rf1+ 60. Ke5 exf5 61. Rb7+ Kg6 62. Rb6+ Kf7 63. Rb7+ Kg6 64. Rb6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,20,39,25,25,25,25,-2,17,18,12,18,18,17,18,7,4,-1,41,29,63,7,18]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Be6 (9... Qe7 10. d4 Nd7 11. Nbd2 f6 12. Nc4 h5 13. h4 g4 14. dxe5 fxe5 15. Ng5 Nb6 16. Nxd6+ cxd6 17. a4 Be6 18. a5 {0-1 (40) Caruana,F (2791)-So,W (2772) INT 2021}) 10. Qd2 Nd7 11. d4 f6 12. Qc3 exd4 13. Nxd4 Qe7 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. Qb3 Nc5 17. Qxe6+ Nxe6 18. Rd1 Ke7 19. Nd2 h5 20. Nc4 g4 21. Rd2 Rad8 22. Rad1 Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Ng5 24. Na5 h4 25. Rd3 c5 26. h3 gxh3 27. gxh3 b6 28. Nc6+ Ke6 29. Nxa7 Ra8 30. Nb5 Rxa2 31. Nxc7+ Ke5 32. Nd5 Ra1+ 33. Kg2 Ne6 34. c4 Re1 35. Re3 Rxe3 36. fxe3 Kxe4 37. Nxf6+ Kxe3 38. Nd5+ Kd3 39. Kf3 Kxc4 40. Nxb6+ Kb3 41. Nd7 Ng5+ 42. Kg4 Nxh3 43. Nxc5+ Kxb2 44. Kxh4 Nf4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2753"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 d6 7. Nc3 Bd7 8. Na4 Bb4+ 9. c3 Ba5 10. b4 Bb6 11. O-O Ne7 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Bxd7+ Qxd7 14. Nh4 Rg8 15. Kh1 O-O-O 16. Nxb6+ axb6 17. Qf3 f5 18. exf5 Rg5 19. a4 Nxf5 20. Nxf5 Qxf5 21. Qe3 Rdg8 22. Rg1 Qf4 23. Qxf4 exf4 24. Rae1 Re5 25. d4 Ree8 26. g3 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 fxg3 28. hxg3 Kd7 29. Kg2 Ra8 30. Rh1 Rxa4 31. Rxh6 c5 32. dxc5 bxc5 33. bxc5 dxc5 34. Rf6 Ke7 35. Rb6 Ra3 36. Rxb7+ Kf6 37. Kf3 Rxc3+ 38. Ke4 Rc4+ 39. Ke3 Rc3+ 40. Ke4 Rc4+ 41. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {The fourth round of the Candidates Tournament saw Ian Nepomniatchtchi score a big point. He was the only guy with serious chances on the day—at some point, Caruana had to find some only moves to hold on, but they were not too difficult and he managed without major trouble.} 1. e4 c5 {Props to Firouzja for willingly entering super sharp territory. This is the attitude needed to win an event like this one, even if it backfired in this particular game.} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5 {All of this has been seen many times before, and it is one of the biggest mainlines of the Najdorf. Now, in modern times, people have been trying …Nh5 here, with interesting complications to follow—I played this move myself once against Areschenko in a tiebreak game at last year's World Cup. But, Firouzja goes for the old mainline.} b4 $6 { Objectively, there is nothing wrong with this move, but in practice, it strikes me as a poor choice. Black's position is very hard to play and one missed detail in preparation review, or one mistake over the board, can lead to an immediate disaster. I actually had this position myself last year against Duda, and he went down even harder than Firouzja did. Somehow it feels like the choice is impractical, even if it doubtlessly holds objectively.} ( 12... Nh5 {This has been the main move as of late. As far as I am aware, Black's position is supposed to be okay.}) 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 Bc4 $5 {A very rare move, which Firouzja quickly blitzed out, surely indicating he was still in his preparation.} (15... a4 {This is the main move by a wide margin, and nowadays people are trying fxe6. This was my choice in the aforementioned game with Duda.}) 16. Kb1 (16. Ng3 $5 {This is the main move in ICCF, and was the mainline of my own analysis from when I last covered 15... Bc4 many years ago. It is a hard move to play since the knight gets sidelined on a1, but as far as I know, White is supposed to be better.} Bxf1 17. Rhxf1 a4 18. Na1 {White's knight on a1 is dreadful, but the rest of his position is fantastic. I'm sure Firouzja had gone into some detail on this position and had some plans in mind to fight for equality. But, this is why the line is so impractical for Black. When my machine offers +0.7 in this position, it's certainly potentially possible to find ideas and analyze it out to something defensible. But there will be a ton of analysis and memorization, which leads you to not covering the less computer-approved moves like 16.Kb1 followed by f5-f6 later on in as much detail as is necessary to handle a position like this one.}) 16... a4 17. Nbc1 d5 18. f6 $1 {This is surely the most challenging move. Black is okay but has to defend very carefully.} (18. exd5 $2 {Patzer sees pawn, patzer takes pawn. White has absolutely no time for this and Black gets a lot of counterplay. Only an absolute idiot with no chess education or understanding whatsoever would ever play such a move, as we see in the following encounter.} Nd6 19. f6 gxf6 20. gxf6 Nxf6 21. Bh6 Kh8 22. Bxf8 Qxf8 23. Bg2 Rb8 24. Qe3 Ng4 25. Qg3 h5 26. h3 Nf5 27. Qf3 Nge3 28. Ng3 Nxg3 29. Qxe3 Qg7 30. Rhe1 Bd6 31. Nd3 f6 32. b3 Bb5 33. Bh1 h4 34. Nc5 axb3 35. axb3 f5 36. Ne6 Qf6 37. Qf2 Be8 38. Rd3 f4 39. Be4 Bh5 40. Qa7 Nxe4 41. Rxe4 Bg6 42. Rc4 Bxd3 43. cxd3 Qg6 44. Qd7 Qxd3+ 45. Kb2 Rg8 46. Rc8 Qd2+ 47. Rc2 Qxd5 48. Qf7 Rg2 49. Qh5+ Kg8 50. Qe8+ Kh7 51. Qf7+ Kh8 52. Qe8+ Kh7 53. Qh5+ { 1/2-1/2 (53) Rensch,D (2413) -Mohandesi,S (2164) Tempe 2012}) 18... gxf6 19. gxf6 {Firouzja started burning time here. His position is not bad yet, but it is difficult to play.} Ndxf6 20. Ng3 Bxf1 $6 (20... Kh8 $1 {This seems like the cleanest route to equality. Get the king out of the kill zone $1 There is no reason to take on f1 and drag White's rook to a better square.}) 21. Rhxf1 a3 {The machine claims this is the best move by a wide margin. In a higher chess sense, I am sure this is true. But, that is a very, very bad sign for Black as now after the natural b2-b3, White's king is safe on the queenside and Black has no notable counterplay.} (21... Kh8 {Presumably Firouzja first considered this natural move but disliked} 22. Nd3 Nd6 23. Nxe5 $1 Ndxe4 24. Nxe4 Nxe4 25. Qg2 {[%csl Gc3] When White's control over the c3-square gives him an easily winning position. Including a4-a3 and b2-b3 for Black would make this variation work.}) 22. b3 Kh8 23. exd5 $1 {Now, the machine claims Black can keep things somewhat complicated (though he is still clearly worse) with the only move Qc7. Good luck finding that—in practice, this feels crazy difficult for a human to do.} (23. Nd3 Nd6 {Now this is not so clear anymore. The knight coming to c3 is pretty annoying.}) 23... Nd6 24. Qxb4 $1 {Nice and simple. White grabs the pawn, and since Black has played a4-a3 and White got b2-b3 in, he never has to worry in the slightest about the b-file. Black is absolutely busted and White has no shortage of ways to finish off the game.} Rc8 25. Bb6 $1 Qd7 26. Qe1 $1 {A rather sadistic move. Black is unable to protect e5. The rest requires no commentary.} Rb8 27. Ba5 Nc4 28. d6 Bd8 29. Bc3 Qe6 30. Nd3 Nd5 31. Nf4 Nxf4 32. Rxf4 f6 33. Qe2 Nb2 34. Rdf1 Re8 35. Rh4 f5 36. Rxh7+ {Totally unnecessary, but a nice way to finish off the game.} Kxh7 37. Qh5+ Kg8 (37... Qh6 38. Qxe8) 38. Nxf5 Bf6 39. Rg1+ {Firouzja threw in the towel. Nepo has been looking very good so far, but this is normal for him—he nearly always starts tournaments well. His biggest issue in the past has always been stamina, and I think last year he was very fortunate that the Candidates was two seven-round events (where he lost round seven both times) rather than one 14-rounder. Time will tell if he can buck this trend and keep up his good form deep into the tournament. While he is the early leader, it is still very early, and there has never been a single Candidates since it moved to this format when the winner went undefeated. So don't count out the guys at the bottom of the crosstable just yet. Before the tournament began, I always said that I don't believe there are any 2 players whose combined chances of winning exceed 50\%, and through four rounds, I am of the same opinion.} (39. Rg1+ Kf8 (39... Bg7 40. Rxg7+ Kf8 41. Qh8+ Qg8 42. Qxg8#) {Stockfish 010422:} 40. Qh6+ Kf7 (40... Bg7 41. Qxg7#) 41. Rg7+ Kf8 (41... Bxg7 42. Qxg7#) 42. Qh8+ Qg8 43. Qxg8# {[%eval 32760,23] [%wdl 1000,0,0]}) 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 Na5 $5 { A rare move in a well-known position. It was only played in a few blitz games. Again Caruana is the first to play a new idea in the opening. Black's plan is to attack the c4-pawn and force White to make a decision. If he takes on d5, then the c8-bishop gets freedom. If he advances, then Black can play b6 and break the pawn chain.} 8. c5 {The best.} b6 9. Bd2 (9. a3 {This is a natural move, but Black can pose a lot of problems with an interesting pawn sacrifice.} Bxc3+ 10. Qxc3 e5 $1 {I have no doubt Caruana had something like this in mind. This sacrifice is a typical way to open Black's pieces up in similar positions. } 11. Nxe5 Ne4 12. Qc2 Bf5 13. Bd3 bxc5 {with a good position for Black. For instance:} 14. dxc5 $2 Qf6 $1 15. Nf3 Nb3 $3 16. Qxb3 Nxc5 {and Black wins.}) 9... Nc4 {A new move.} (9... bxc5 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Nc6 12. dxc5 {was played in the online blitz game Santos Ruiz-Bluebaum. White is slightly better. }) 10. a3 Nxd2 11. Nxd2 Bxc3 12. Qxc3 a5 $1 {Hindering the b4-advance and preparing to exchange bishops.} 13. Rc1 Ba6 14. cxb6 cxb6 15. Bxa6 Rxa6 16. O-O Ra8 {One could say that White is slightly better since he has the c-file. But the computer neutralizes this very easily. Generally, it's necessary to sacrifice the b6-pawn.} 17. Qb3 (17. Qc7 Qxc7 18. Rxc7 Rfc8 19. Rfc1 Rxc7 20. Rxc7 Ne8 21. Rb7 Rc8 $1 {The typical sacrifice.} 22. Rxb6 Rc1+ 23. Nf1 h5 $1 { An important move to prevent the advance of White's kingside pawns. Black is very active and plans Kf8-e7-Nd6. The computer says it's just equal.}) 17... Rc8 {This move surprised me and most commentators. Caruana probably remembered from his analysis that the b6-pawn must be sacrificed and decided to do it straight away. It's not a bad move, but the computer claims 17...Qd7 was better.} (17... Qd7 18. Rc3 Rfc8 19. Rfc1 (19. Rxc8+ Qxc8 20. Qxb6 Rb8 21. Qxa5 Rxb2 22. Nf3 Ne4 {Again the sacrifice gives good compensation.}) 19... h6 { and Black will have no problems to hold.}) 18. Rxc8 Qxc8 19. Qxb6 a4 $1 { Of course White is a pawn up and slightly better, but Caruana has no problems demonstrating that it's not enough for a win.} 20. Qb4 Qc2 21. b3 axb3 22. Nxb3 Ne4 23. a4 Qc4 $1 {Exchanging pieces and going for a drawish rook ending.} 24. Qxc4 dxc4 25. Nc5 Nxc5 26. dxc5 Ra8 27. Rb1 Kf8 28. Rb4 c3 29. Rc4 Ke7 30. Kf1 c2 31. Rxc2 Rxa4 {The king is close to the c-pawn, so Ding Liren decides to abandon it and go for the kingside.} 32. Rb2 Ra7 33. Ke2 Kd7 34. Rb8 Rc7 35. Rh8 Ke7 36. Rxh7 g6 37. h4 Rxc5 {\"All rook endgames are drawn,[+] a wise man said many years ago. One could also say \"All rook endgames are equal, but some rook endgames are more equal than others.[+] Like this one.} 38. Rh8 f5 39. Rh7+ Kf6 40. Kf3 Rc4 41. g3 Ra4 42. Rd7 g5 $1 {Both players know there is nothing to be tried here, so they didn't spend much time on the next moves.} 43. hxg5+ Kxg5 44. Rd4 Ra3 45. g4 fxg4+ 46. Rxg4+ Kf6 47. Rf4+ Ke7 48. Kg4 Ra5 49. Rb4 Kf6 50. f4 Ra1 51. e4 Rg1+ 52. Kf3 Rf1+ 53. Ke3 Re1+ 54. Kf2 Ra1 55. Rb6 Kf7 56. Kf3 Ra3+ 57. Kg4 Ra1 58. f5 Rg1+ 59. Kf4 Rf1+ 60. Ke5 exf5 61. Rb7+ Kg6 62. Rb6+ Kf7 63. Rb7+ Kg6 64. Rb6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {This was a well-played game and the position was always more or less equal.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O ({After the game, Nakamura mentioned the following loss which got him to analyse these positions even more:} 6. Bg5 Bd6 7. Nbd2 Be6 8. d4 h6 9. Bh4 Bg4 10. O-O g5 11. Bg3 Nd7 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Qe7 14. Nc4 exd4 15. Nxd6+ cxd6 16. Rad1 Ne5 17. Qf5 c5 18. c3 dxc3 19. Rxd6 Nc4 20. Qxc5 Nxd6 21. Bxd6 Qe6 22. Qb5+ Kd8 23. Be5 Re8 24. Qxb7 c2 25. Qc7# {1-0 Caruana-Nakamura, Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship 2022}) 6... Bd6 7. Bg5 {Rapport tries a similar strategy to the one Caruana used against the Berlin: a sideline that leads to a positional fight in the middlegame.} h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Be6 $5 {Already a new move. Nakamura sacrifices the e5-pawn.} (9... Qe7 {was played in an online blitz game Caruana-So, 2021.}) 10. Qd2 $1 {Rapport doesn't dare to accept the gift.} (10. Bxe5 $6 Bxe5 $1 11. Nxe5 Qd4 $1 12. Nf3 Qxb2 13. Nbd2 O-O-O {and Black regains the pawn and is slightly better.}) (10. Nxe5 {is critical, but it gives nothing.} h5 $1 11. Nf3 (11. h3 $6 Rg8 $1 {preparing to advance the pawns and start a strong attack.}) 11... Bxg3 12. fxg3 (12. hxg3 $6 h4 13. gxh4 gxh4 { Black is ready to move the queen, castle, and bring the rook to g8. Is a pawn worth all this trouble $2}) 12... g4 $1 13. Ng5 Qd4+ 14. Kh1 Qxb2 15. Nd2 O-O-O {with a roughly equal position.}) (10. Nbd2 Nd7) 10... Nd7 11. d4 f6 {The same piece setup Nakamura used in his first-round game against Caruana. But there White had an unpleasant knight on a5.} 12. Qc3 $1 {Forcing Black to release the tension.} exd4 13. Nxd4 Qe7 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 (14... cxd6 $2 {This seems like a natural move, but it's a mistake. Actually, I think doubled pawns are overestimated as a problem by most chess players. Black's pawn structure is actually much worse after this move.} 15. Qa5 $1 {With a clear advantage for White. Black's king has no safe place to go.}) 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. Qb3 $1 Nc5 17. Qxe6+ Nxe6 18. Rd1 {Black is too active and so the doubled pawns are not so much of a factor here. Of course, he can't just exchange all the pieces.} Ke7 19. Nd2 h5 $1 {Nakamura advances the kingside pawns to create active play.} 20. Nc4 g4 21. Rd2 Rad8 22. Rad1 Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Ng5 24. Na5 h4 (24... Nxe4 $4 25. Re2 f5 26. f3 {wins a piece.}) 25. Rd3 (25. Nxb7 $2 Rb8) 25... c5 $1 {Another strong move. White was threatening to take on b7 now.} (25... h3 $2 26. Nxb7 Rb8 27. Rb3) 26. h3 {A good move, giving air to the king and avoiding further advances by the opponent's pawns.} (26. Nxb7 $2 {This is no longer possible.} c4 27. Ra3 Rb8 28. Rxa7 Nxe4 {White's pieces are totally misplaced.}) 26... gxh3 27. gxh3 b6 28. Nc6+ Ke6 29. Nxa7 Ra8 (29... Nxe4 {was also good.} 30. Re3 Kf5 31. Nc6 Re8 {with equality.}) 30. Nb5 Rxa2 31. Nxc7+ Ke5 32. Nd5 Ra1+ 33. Kg2 Ne6 $1 (33... Nxe4 $6 34. Nxb6) 34. c4 (34. f3 $6 {Trying to hang on to the extra pawn is too optimistic. Only White can lose after} Rc1) 34... Re1 35. Re3 Rxe3 36. fxe3 {And now we get massive simplification and a draw.} Kxe4 37. Nxf6+ Kxe3 38. Nd5+ Kd3 39. Kf3 Kxc4 40. Nxb6+ Kb3 41. Nd7 Ng5+ 42. Kg4 Nxh3 43. Nxc5+ Kxb2 44. Kxh4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.21"] [Round "4"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bg5 $5 {A sideline that will quickly bring a fresh position to the board.} h6 6. Bh4 d6 7. Nc3 Bd7 (7... g5 {This is a critical move and leads to a sharp game. Of course, Duda had this deeply prepared, and so Radjabov chooses a safer approach.}) 8. Na4 {A new move.} (8. Nd5 g5 {is good for Black.} 9. Nxg5 $2 Nxd5 10. Qh5 Qf6 $1 11. Nf3 Qg6 12. Qxg6 fxg6 13. exd5 Nb4 14. Bxd7+ Kxd7 {regaining the pawn with an excellent position.}) (8. O-O) 8... Bb4+ {This is difficult to understand. Why not Bb6 immediately $2 I don't see what Black wins by forcing the advance of White's pawns.} (8... Bb6) 9. c3 Ba5 10. b4 Bb6 11. O-O Ne7 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Bxd7+ Qxd7 14. Nh4 Rg8 15. Kh1 O-O-O (15... f5 {This also looks very natural.} 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. exf5 Nxf5 18. Nxf5 Qxf5 19. Qe2 {White doesn't have much here, although his king feels more comfortable. If Black castles there will always be some a4-a5 to worry about.}) 16. Nxb6+ axb6 17. Qf3 (17. a4 {This primitive advance creates more problems, but it always seems close to equality. } f5 (17... Qg4 {I guess this was the move Duda wanted to prevent.} 18. Qxg4+ Rxg4 19. g3 d5 20. f3 Rgg8 {White can still fight for an advantage in this endgame. His structure is better and he can prepare the f4-break at some point. }) 18. exf5 Nxf5 19. Nxf5 Qxf5 20. f3 {and White is more comfortable since his king is safer.}) 17... f5 $1 {Now Black equalizes.} 18. exf5 Rg5 19. a4 Nxf5 20. Nxf5 Qxf5 21. Qe3 Rdg8 22. Rg1 Qf4 23. Qxf4 exf4 24. Rae1 Re5 25. d4 Ree8 26. g3 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 fxg3 28. hxg3 Kd7 29. Kg2 {Both sides are just in time to attack each other's pawns.} Ra8 30. Rh1 Rxa4 31. Rxh6 c5 32. dxc5 bxc5 33. bxc5 dxc5 34. Rf6 Ke7 35. Rb6 Ra3 36. Rxb7+ Kf6 37. Kf3 Rxc3+ 38. Ke4 Rc4+ 39. Ke3 Rc3+ 40. Ke4 Rc4+ 41. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B46"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,30,25,16,58,58,51,52,50,40,28,43,80,40,34,28,33,22,39,46,42,64,37,50, 55,47,37,55,54,53,81,39,57]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g4 ({Relevant:} 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Qc7 8. Bf4 Ne7 9. Bd3 Ng6 10. Bxg6 hxg6 11. Ne4 c5 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. O-O-O Bxe4 14. Qxe4 Rb8 15. Bd2 Be7 16. Bc3 Rh4 17. f4 Qb7 18. Qxb7 Rxb7 19. g3 Rh3 20. Rdf1 g5 21. f5 exf5 22. Rxf5 Rb6 23. Rhf1 Rxh2 24. Rxf7 Rg6 25. R7f3 g4 26. Rd3 Rg2 27. b3 Rh6 28. Be1 Rhh2 29. Rc3 Re2 30. Rc4 Rxe5 31. Bc3 Ree2 32. Bxg7 d5 33. Rc3 Rhg2 34. Bh6 d4 35. Rc4 Rxg3 {Fedoseev,V (2701)-Andreikin,D (2729) Chess.com INT 2022 0-1}) 6... Nge7 7. Be3 b5 8. Nb3 Na5 {[#]} 9. Qd2 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9. g5 Nec6 10. Bg2 Nc4 11. Bc1 Be7 12. h4 Bb7 13. Qe2 Rc8 14. O-O h6 15. gxh6 gxh6 16. a4 Qb6 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nd2 N6e5 19. Nxc4 Rxc4 20. Be3 Bc5 21. Bf4 d6 22. Kh1 Rg8 23. Bg3 Bd4 24. Nd1 Ng4 25. Ra3 Qc6 26. c3 Bc5 27. Ra1 Nf6 28. b3 Rxe4 29. Bxe4 Nxe4 30. Kh2 Nxc3 {0-1 (30) Hansen,S (2558)-Andersson,U (2623) Germany 2000}) 9... Nxb3 10. axb3 Bb7 11. Bg2 Ng6 12. Rf1 Bc6 $5 13. g5 (13. f4 Qh4+ 14. Rf2) (13. O-O-O a5 14. f4 a4) 13... a5 14. f4 a4 15. Rd1 Bb4 16. Qd4 Qa5 (16... Bxc3+ 17. Qxc3 ( 17. bxc3 O-O {is winning for black.}) 17... O-O) 17. Qxg7 $11 a3 18. Kf2 axb2 19. Ne2 e5 20. f5 Bf8 21. Qf6 Be7 22. Qg7 Bf8 23. Qf6 Be7 24. Qg7 {draw by repetition.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Ding Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E00"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,33,25,28,21,3,-3,-17,0,-5,-5,-2,6,-15,3,-2,1,-3,-6,7,3,-6,4,-4,22,-19, -20,-9,0,15,21,13,30,3,21,37]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Nd2 O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. Ngf3 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. b3 Nbd7 ({Relevant:} 8... c5 9. Bb2 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Qe7 11. Rc1 Rd8 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Qc2 Nf6 14. Ne4 Nbd7 15. Nc6 Bxc6 16. Qxc6 Rab8 17. Rfd1 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Nf6 19. Bf3 h6 20. Kg2 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Be5 Bc5 24. h4 Nd5 25. Qb7 a5 26. a4 f6 27. Bb2 Kf8 28. Qc6 Kf7 29. Bh5+ g6 30. Bf3 h5 31. Qb7+ Ne7 32. Bc3 Qd1 33. Qe4 Qxb3 34. Bd2 Qb2 35. Be3 Qe5 36. Qxe5 fxe5 37. Bd2 Nd5 38. e3 {Mamedyarov,S (2759)-Topalov,V (2730) Stavanger 2022 1-0 (61)}) 9. Bb2 Rc8 10. Rc1 Qe7 11. e3 {[#]} c5 $146 ({ Predecessor:} 11... Rfd8 12. Qe2 c5 13. a3 Bxd2 14. Nxd2 cxd4 15. exd4 Nf8 16. Rfd1 dxc4 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. bxc4 Ng6 19. Nf1 Ne4 20. h4 h6 21. Ne3 Ne7 22. d5 exd5 23. Qg4 d4 24. Bxd4 f6 25. Nd5 Nxd5 26. Qxe4 Qe7 27. Qg4 Nc7 28. c5 Nb5 29. Re1 Qd7 30. Qxd7 Rxd7 31. Be3 bxc5 32. Rxc5 Rxc5 33. Bxc5 Rd5 34. Bb4 a5 35. Re8+ Kh7 36. Bf8 Rd7 37. Ra8 Rf7 38. Rxa5 Rxf8 39. Rxb5 Ra8 40. Rb3 Kg6 41. Kf1 {Le,Q (2713)-Inarkiev,E (2663) Moscow 2019 1/2-1/2 (101)}) 12. cxd5 Bxd5 13. Qe2 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Ne5 16. e4 Rfd8 17. Rxc8 Rxc8 18. f4 Ng6 19. Nc4 Qb7 20. a3 Bc5 21. Re1 b5 22. Nd2 a6 23. N2f3 Ne7 24. Qd3 h6 25. Re2 Bb6 26. h3 (26. b4 Rd8 27. Qc2) 26... Rd8 27. Qc2 $6 Rc8 $6 (27... h5) 28. Qd3 Rd8 29. Qc2 h5 {Ding gets the right move second time around.} 30. h4 Ng4 31. Qc3 Nf6 32. Qc2 Rc8 33. Qd3 Ng4 34. b4 Qd7 35. Rd2 Rc4 36. Qe2 Qb7 37. Qd3 f6 38. Kh3 Qc8 39. e5 fxe5 40. fxe5 g6 $2 (40... Bxd4 {wins.}) 41. Ng5 Bxd4 42. Bxd4 Qa8 43. Qf3 Qxf3 44. Nxf3 Nc6 45. Bc5 Ncxe5 46. Nxe5 Nxe5 47. Re2 Nd3 48. Rxe6 Nxc5 49. bxc5 Kf7 50. Rxa6 Rxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,72,25,25,20,19,42,42,42,32,32,-11,5,18,39,47,57,57,49,42,36,38,39,39, 42,36,33,22,21,16,58,48,63,28,8,15,45,40,50,61,56,56,77,63,69,46,39,48,48,49, 49,28,59,16,40,0,-15,-14,-9,-7,-2,0,-3,-15,-13,-5,-4,-2,0,-4,-2,-3,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bf5 7. O-O Be7 8. Re1 O-O 9. Nbd2 $1 {[%mdl 4]} Nd6 10. Nf1 c6 ({Relevant:} 10... Bxd3 11. Qxd3 c6 { 1-0 (66)}) 11. Ng3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Na6 13. Bd2 Nc7 14. b3 Re8 15. c4 Bf6 {[#]} 16. Rad1 $146 ({Predecessor:} 16. Ba5 b6 17. Bc3 dxc4 18. bxc4 b5 19. Rxe8+ Ndxe8 20. cxb5 Nxb5 21. Rc1 Qd5 22. a4 Nxc3 23. Qxc3 Rc8 24. h3 g6 25. Qb4 Kg7 26. Ne2 Qe4 27. Nc3 Qf4 28. Re1 c5 29. Qb7 Qb8 30. Qa6 Nc7 31. Qd3 Rd8 32. Rb1 Qa8 33. Ne2 Ne6 34. d5 Qxd5 35. Qxd5 Rxd5 36. Rc1 Rd3 37. Ng3 Ra3 38. Rc4 Bc3 39. Ne4 Bb4 40. Ne5 f5 41. Nd6 Rxa4 42. Nb7 Ra1+ 43. Kh2 Rd1 44. Nc6 Be1 45. f4 Rd3 {Idani,P (2614)-Duda,J (2738) Krasnaya Polyana 2021 0-1}) 16... Rxe1+ { This seems to be the most precise.} 17. Rxe1 dxc4 18. bxc4 b5 $1 {Again the correct plan.} 19. cxb5 cxb5 20. Ba5 Nc4 21. Bxc7 Qxc7 22. Ne4 Qd8 23. a4 a6 24. axb5 axb5 25. Nc3 Qd7 26. Rb1 {The position is equal.} Nd6 27. Nxb5 Nxb5 28. Rxb5 Bxd4 29. Nxd4 Ra1+ 30. Rb1 Qxd4 31. Qf1 Rxb1 32. Qxb1 g6 33. g3 Qe5 34. Qc1 Qd4 35. Qb1 Qe5 36. Qc1 Qd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,58,16,32,21,8,42,42,42,30,32,18,18,26,18,24,47,31,25,15,30,14,48,55, 55,40,40,32,42,3,16,16,5,7,105,113,94,105,123,94,120,112,106,106,106,106,106, 124,106,106,106,89,106,106,100,63,60,25,50,30,47]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Re1 Re8 14. Ra2 ({Relevant:} 14. Bf4 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Bd6 16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Ng5 Bg6 18. Bxd6 cxd6 19. h4 Qe7 20. Qg4 h6 21. h5 Bxh5 22. Qxh5 hxg5 23. Rd1 Rf8 24. Rd3 Qe1+ 25. Kh2 Qxf2 26. Rh3 Qf4+ 27. Kg1 Qc1+ 28. Kh2 Qf4+ 29. Kh1 Qc1+ 30. Kh2 {1/2-1/2 (30) Andreikin,D (2728)-Esipenko,A (2720) Ufa 2021}) 14... Bf8 {[#]} (14... Na5 15. cxd5 Qxd5 16. Rb2 c6 17. Ne5 Bxa3 18. Bf3 Qd6 19. Rbe2 Bxc1 20. Qxc1 Be6 21. Be4 Rad8 22. Qb1 g6 23. f4 c5 24. f5 cxd4 25. fxe6 Rxe6 26. Nxf7 Kxf7 27. Bd5 Qxd5 28. Rxe6 dxc3 29. R6e5 Qd4+ 30. Kh1 b6 31. Qa2+ Kg7 32. Re7+ Kh6 33. Qf7 Nc4 34. Qxh7+ Kg5 35. R7e6 Qd3 36. h4+ Kf4 37. Qh6+ {1-0 (37) Nakamura,H (2787)-Akobian,V (2615) Saint Louis 2016 CBM 172 [Nakamura,H]}) 15. cxd5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 15. a4 Ne7 16. Qb3 c6 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qxa7 Rb1 19. Rb2 Nc8 20. Qa6 Rxb2 21. Bxb2 Qb6 22. Qxb6 Nxb6 23. a5 Nxc4 24. Bxc4 Rb8 25. a6 dxc4 26. a7 Ra8 27. Ra1 f6 28. Ra5 Bd3 29. Ba3 Bxa3 30. Rxa3 Kf7 31. Nd2 Ke7 32. g4 Kd6 33. f3 Kc7 34. Ne4 Bc2 35. Nc5 Kb6 36. Ra6+ Kb5 37. Kf2 f5 38. h4 fxg4 39. fxg4 h6 40. Ke2 Bh7 41. Ra4 g5 42. h5 Bc2 43. Rb4+ Ka5 44. Kd2 Rxa7 {Alekseenko,K (2590)-Lintchevski,D (2548) Khanty-Mansiysk 2017 1-0}) 15... Qxd5 16. c4 Qe4 $2 {Played after 14 seconds "thought".} (16... Qd7) 17. Bf1 Qg4 $2 {Nepomniachtchi has played a couple of bad moves without much thought and is essentially busted. At this stage there's not much he can do but hope.} (17... Qb1) 18. h3 Rxe1 19. Qxe1 Qe4 20. Re2 Qd3 21. Rb2 Qe4 22. Re2 {Nothing wrong with a quick repetition to gain time on the clock.} Qd3 23. Re3 (23. Nh4 {is the computer move.} Qb1 24. d5 Nd4 25. Rb2 Qe4 26. Qxe4 Bxe4 27. Rxb7) 23... Qb1 24. d5 Ne7 25. Nd2 $2 {Nakamura was extremely upset with himself after the game over this move. Nakamura is still much, much better here with good winning chances.} (25. Nd4) 25... Qa1 26. Nb3 Qf6 27. Bd2 Ng6 28. Na5 $2 {The final mistake that restore equality.} ( 28. Bc3 {is the best move.}) 28... b6 29. Nc6 Bd7 30. Bc3 Qd6 31. Bb4 Qf6 32. Bc3 Qd6 33. Bb4 Qf6 34. Bc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B46"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {The fifth round of the Candidates saw all draws again, but with a lot of missed chances. Ding is clearly very strong and very off form-this is really the only explanation for a guy who is coming better prepared than everyone, getting good positions, chances to win, and then squandering them. Even though he is on a minus-one score, I could easily see him staging a comeback if he can start cashing in when those moments come. In what was a painful game for me to witness, Hikaru also let some chances slip today against the leader, and a win against Nepo would have blown the standings wide open. But, for today's game, I'll be covering an interesting Sicilian between Caruana and Rapport.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 $5 {The first surprising move. Rapport has always preferred Qc7 here in the past, which is far and away the main move in modern times.} 6. g4 {Bold, but probably not best. Caruana's time management suggested that he hadn't checked 5...a6 much.} (6. Nxc6 {This has to be the critical line. I've never really believed Black is equalizing here, but Rapport probably had some ideas. He seems to be doing his homework pretty well here.}) 6... Nge7 7. Be3 b5 8. Nb3 Na5 {Rapport was still playing pretty fast at this point, but we are already well outside of normal theory. This position had only been seen once before, in an Ulf Andersson game from 2000.} 9. Qd2 (9. h4 {If White has already pushed g4, it feels consistent to continue with the kingside pawn advances. Black's position optically looks fine to me, but the machine does claim White is a little better.}) 9... Nxb3 $6 {This feels unnecessary to me. The knight on b3 was not going anywhere, so did we need to take it right away $2 It means White no longer has to ever worry about Nc4 and can put the bishop on g2 more comfortably.} (9... Bb7 {This would be my choice. I guess Rapport was worried about} 10. Nc5 {But Black seems happy enough after} Bc6) 10. axb3 Bb7 11. Bg2 (11. f3 {This move feels more consistent with the English Attack setup that Caruana is playing. I presume he disliked d5 here, as otherwise I can't see much reason to put the bishop on g2. } d5 12. O-O-O $1 dxe4 13. Qf2 $1 {White still has some pressure.}) 11... Ng6 12. Rf1 {This weird-looking move has clear merit. The bishop can hide on h1 after Nh4, White is ready for f4-f5 later, and he can still castle long.} Bc6 13. g5 $6 (13. f4 $1 {It's always easy to sacrifice other people's pawns, especially when the computer tells you to.} Qh4+ 14. Rf2 Qxg4 15. Bf3 Qh4 16. O-O-O {Apparently White is better here despite the pawn less. I would not necessarily have come to that conclusion without the engine running, since Black still looks pretty solid.}) 13... a5 $1 {It turns out White's king will have nowhere safe to hide. Already Black is a bit better.} 14. f4 a4 $1 15. Rd1 Bb4 {Not a bad move by any stretch. The machine gives Black a slight edge after a lot of continuations, but one in particular stands out most to me.} ( 15... axb3 $5 16. cxb3 Nh4 $1 17. Bh1 h6 $1 {This looks really unpleasant for White to me.}) 16. Qd4 Qa5 {This forces a draw.} (16... Bxc3+ $5 {Black could have continued the game.} 17. Qxc3 O-O $15 {It's a very unusual position and a hard one to evaluate, and I can understand why Rapport might not have been too confident in his chances here. With the computer running it's easy to criticize him for not going for it, but he is a human being after all.}) 17. Qxg7 a3 18. Kf2 axb2 19. Ne2 e5 $1 {White's queen is cut off and will be hit with a perpetual.} 20. f5 Bf8 21. Qf6 Be7 22. Qg7 Bf8 23. Qf6 Be7 24. Qg7 { A short but interesting game $1} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {Two Petroffs in the same round $1 This defense is known to be very reliable and rock-solid, maybe even more than the Berlin. It was regularly used by Karpov and Kramnik and it also shows up in games of the best elite players nowadays. Because of its tendency to steer the game toward a draw, it is not a fan favorite.} 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bf5 { This is only the fifth most popular move, but it has served Duda well before. He is a specialist in this sideline.} 7. O-O Be7 8. Re1 O-O 9. Nbd2 (9. c4 { is also popular.}) 9... Nd6 10. Nf1 c6 11. Ng3 (11. Bxf5 Nxf5 12. Qd3 Nd6 13. b3 Na6 14. Ng3 Re8 15. c4 {This was Carlsen's try when he faced Duda in an online blitz game. The position is very similar to the one we will have in the game.} Bf8 16. Bd2 f6 $6 17. h4 (17. c5 $1 Nf7 18. b4 {with the advantage.}) 17... Qd7 18. c5 Ne4 $1 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Rxe4 Nxc5 21. Qc4+ Ne6 22. Rae1 b5 23. Qc2 Nc7 24. Rc1 Rxe4 25. Qxe4 Nd5 {and the game later finished in a draw. Carlsen-Duda 2022.}) 11... Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Na6 13. Bd2 (13. b3 Re8 14. c4 { transposes to Carlsen-Duda, but with one move less.}) 13... Nc7 14. b3 { Firouzja goes for the standard plan.} (14. Re2 Re8 15. Rae1 Bf8 {and White is not making much progress.}) 14... Re8 15. c4 Bf6 16. Rad1 {A new move.} (16. Ba5 b6 17. Bc3 {and now Duda plays the same plan we will see in today's game.} dxc4 18. bxc4 b5 $1 19. Rxe8+ Ndxe8 20. cxb5 Nxb5 {And in the end he won an important game in the World Cup. Idani-Duda, Fide World Cup 2021.}) 16... Rxe1+ 17. Rxe1 dxc4 $5 (17... Ne6 {is also possible and perhaps more reliable.}) 18. bxc4 b5 $1 {The same idea Duda played against Idani. This is an important plan to free Black's position.} 19. cxb5 cxb5 20. Ba5 Nc4 21. Bxc7 Qxc7 22. Ne4 (22. Nh5 $5 {was an interesting alternative. Play may continue:} Qd6 23. a4 a6 24. axb5 axb5 25. Qf5 b4 26. Nxf6+ Qxf6 27. Qb5 Nd6 28. Qxb4 g6 {and Black should hold this easily, but a pawn is a pawn.}) 22... Qd8 {White looks slightly better with active pieces and the passed d-pawn, but Firouzja is unable to prove an advantage.} 23. a4 (23. Nxf6+ Qxf6 24. Qe4 Rf8 25. Qb7 a6 {gives nothing.}) (23. d5 Be7 $1 {and Black is fine.}) 23... a6 24. axb5 axb5 25. Nc3 {A clear indication that Firouzja will simplify and accept a draw.} Qd7 26. Rb1 Nd6 (26... Rb8 {I first analyze the games without the engine, making some sketch annotations that are checked with the machine later. In the sketch, I gave this move two question marks, indicating a win for White after 27.Qxc4. The computer seems to disagree.} 27. Qxc4 {Of course White is not forced to play this, but who can resist such a temptation $2} bxc4 28. Rxb8+ Bd8 29. Ne5 {I thought White was winning here, but the machine indicates a draw with 29... Qe8, 29...Qc7 or 29...Qe7. This is not an important line and there is no reason to investigate it further. But it shows how difficult chess is.}) 27. Nxb5 Nxb5 28. Rxb5 Bxd4 $1 {A nice tactical show that forces a draw.} 29. Nxd4 Ra1+ 30. Rb1 Qxd4 $1 {The point.} 31. Qf1 Rxb1 32. Qxb1 g6 33. g3 Qe5 34. Qc1 Qd4 35. Qb1 Qe5 36. Qc1 Qd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {Nepomniachtchi was not his usual self today but managed a lucky escape. He is certainly satisfied with the result.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {The Petroff is not what you expect from such a bold player like Nepomniachtchi, but he used it in the match against Carlsen and also played it this year, so it was not a surprise for Nakamura.} 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 {Nakamura goes for the old main line.} Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 {When I was in my 20's, at the beginning of the 21st century, I remember analyzing this position a lot, trying to find an advantage for White. I even prepared something to play against the great Karpov, but he chose another line. There are many important games here, including a few by Kasparov and Leko-Kramnik from the 2004 World Championship match.} 13. Re1 Re8 14. Ra2 $5 {14.cxd5 and 14.Bf4 are much more popular. Nakamura used the text move to beat Akobian in the 2016 US Championship. It should not come as a surprise to Nepomniachtchi, but surprisingly he will get an inferior position very quickly.} Bf8 {A rare move, played in a few correspondence games.} (14... Na5 15. cxd5 Qxd5 16. Rb2 c6 {was Nakamura-Akobian, St. Louis 2016.}) 15. cxd5 {A new move.} (15. Bf4) (15. a4) 15... Qxd5 16. c4 Qe4 $6 {A surprising move.} (16... Qd7 {is natural and good.}) 17. Bf1 Qg4 $2 {Now Black is virtually lost. } (17... Qb1 $1 {is forced.} 18. Rxe8 Rxe8 19. Rb2 Qa1 20. Rxb7 Be4 $1 { and Black is ok, for example:} 21. Rxc7 Bd6 $1 (21... Bxa3 $2 22. d5) 22. Rd7 Bxa3 23. Nd2 $1 Qxc1 24. Qxc1 Bxc1 25. Nxe4 Rxe4 26. d5 Re7 $1 27. Rd6 Rc7 28. dxc6 Ba3 29. Rd8+ Bf8 30. Ra8 Rxc6 31. Rxa7 g6 {with a draw. My computer said, “Hello $1”}) 18. h3 Rxe1 19. Qxe1 Qe4 (19... Qg6 20. d5 Ne7 21. g4 Bc8 22. Re2 {is just ugly.}) 20. Re2 Qd3 21. Rb2 Qe4 22. Re2 Qd3 23. Re3 (23. Nh4 $5 { is algo good.} Qb1 (23... Nxd4 $2 24. Rd2) 24. d5 Nd4 25. Rb2 Qe4 26. Qxe4 Bxe4 27. Rxb7 c6 28. Be3 {and White should win.}) 23... Qb1 24. d5 Ne7 25. Nd2 $2 { Nakamura said in the post-game interview that he was very upset after this move. He was going to play 25.Nd4 but saw 25.Nd2 and thought it was simpler. He overlooked the Qa1-f6 maneuver.} (25. Nd4 $1 Qb6 (25... Bg6 26. Rb3 Qa1 27. Nb5 c6 28. Nc3 cxd5 29. Qd2 d4 30. Bb2 dxc3 31. Bxc3 $1 {trapping the queen.}) 26. Qd2 {with more space and more active pieces, White has a nearly winning advantage.}) 25... Qa1 26. Nb3 Qf6 27. Bd2 {White is still much better, but Nakamura had not enough energy to keep the pressure.} Ng6 28. Na5 $6 (28. Bc3 $1) 28... b6 29. Nc6 Bd7 {Now the worst is over.} 30. Bc3 Qd6 {Nakamura was getting in time trouble and decided to repeat moves.} 31. Bb4 Qf6 32. Bc3 Qd6 33. Bb4 Qf6 34. Bc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E16"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2806"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {Ding Liren missed another big chance in this game.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Nd2 (4. Bd2 {is more popular.}) 4... O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. Ngf3 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. b3 Nbd7 9. Bb2 Rc8 $5 10. Rc1 Qe7 11. e3 c5 {This natural move is a novelty.} (11... Rfd8 {This move was played in a game by two legends: Ulf Andersson, one of the greatest endgame players of all time, and Jaime Sunye Neto, a Brazilian grandmaster who taught many positional lessons when I was a kid.} 12. Qe2 c5 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 a6 15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. Nc4 b5 17. a3 bxc4 18. bxc4 Bxa3 19. cxd5 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Ne5 21. Ra1 Bxb2 22. Qxb2 Nc4 {and a draw was agreed in Andersson-Sunye Neto Hastings, 1981.}) 12. cxd5 (12. Qe2 Rfd8 { transposes to the aforementioned game.}) 12... Bxd5 13. Qe2 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 {Not a very impressive opening preparation by Radjabov.} Ne5 (15... Bxd2 $5 {is an interesting move suggested by the computer.} 16. Qxd2 e5 17. Nf5 Qe6 18. Rxc8 Rxc8 19. Nd6 Rd8 20. Nc4 Ne4 {with an excellent position for Black.}) 16. e4 Rfd8 17. Rxc8 Rxc8 18. f4 $6 {A very committal move. I don't see what White gets by advancing the f-pawn. It would be safer to go f2-f3 at some point, protecting the e4-pawn and preventing any trouble on the h1-a8 diagonal.} (18. Rd1 $11) (18. N2f3 Nxf3 19. Nxf3 $11) 18... Ng6 19. Nc4 $6 (19. f5 {The only way to justify the previous move.} Ne5 20. fxe6 fxe6 21. N2f3 { with an equal position.}) 19... Qb7 {Radjabov certainly would like to play f4-f3 in this position. Alas, it's not legal according to the current rules.} 20. a3 Bc5 21. Re1 b5 $1 {Gaining space and sending the knight back.} 22. Nd2 a6 {Ding Liren already has the more comfortable position. Only he can play for a win.} 23. N2f3 Ne7 24. Qd3 h6 $1 {My 6-year-old son always plays h6 or h3 after castling. \"No back-rank problems\", he says. This is a strategy even super grandmasters approve.} 25. Re2 Bb6 26. h3 Rd8 27. Qc2 Rc8 28. Qd3 Rd8 29. Qc2 h5 $1 {After consolidating the position, Ding Liren advances the pawn and prepares h5-h4 to disrupt White's pawn structure. Just observe how big of a problem the e4-pawn is. He ties White's pieces to its defense.} 30. h4 { Radjabov knows this is a horrible move to make. He must have been disgusted with his position at this point.} Ng4 {The knight can't ask for a better square.} 31. Qc3 Nf6 32. Qc2 Rc8 33. Qd3 Ng4 34. b4 Qd7 35. Rd2 Rc4 36. Qe2 Qb7 37. Qd3 f6 (37... Ng6 {with the idea of e6-e5 is also very good.}) 38. Kh3 Qc8 39. e5 fxe5 (39... f5 {leads to a dream position for Black, with total light-square dominance. As I say to my students, this is a position you should take a picture to look at every time you feel sad. White might as well resign here. He has no plan and Black can just prepare to land the knight on the monster square d5.}) 40. fxe5 g6 $4 {We see it once again: Ding Liren builds a winning position after a series of powerful moves but lets the win slip when it’s very close. It was the last move of the time control, but on a better day he would certainly find the win.} (40... Bxd4 $1 {This knight is tying White's position together, it is essential to remove it.} 41. Nxd4 (41. Bxd4 Qc6) 41... Qa8 $1 42. Nf3 Rc8 {followed by Rf8.}) 41. Ng5 {Now white gets some miraculous counterplay.} Bxd4 42. Bxd4 Qa8 43. Qf3 Qxf3 44. Nxf3 Nc6 45. Bc5 Ncxe5 46. Nxe5 Nxe5 47. Re2 Nd3 48. Rxe6 Nxc5 49. bxc5 Kf7 50. Rxa6 Rxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bf5 7. O-O Be7 8. Re1 O-O 9. Nbd2 Nd6 10. Nf1 c6 11. Ng3 (11. Bf4 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Nd7 13. Qb3 Nb6 14. a4 Nbc4 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Ne4 17. Ng3 Nxg3 18. Qxg3 Re8 {1/2-1/2 (30) Esipenko,A (2677)-Duda,J (2743) Wijk aan Zee NED 2021}) (11. Bxf5 Nxf5 12. Qd3 Nd6 13. b3 Na6 14. Ng3 Re8 15. c4 (15. Bd2 Nc7 (15... Bf6 16. Rxe8+ Nxe8 17. Re1 g6 18. h4 Nac7 19. h5 Ng7 20. Ne5 Bxe5 21. Rxe5 Qd7 22. Bg5 Re8 23. Bf6 Rxe5 24. Bxe5 Nce8 25. Qf3 Qe7 26. Bxg7 Nxg7 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Qf4 Ne6 29. Qb8+ Kg7 30. Qe5+ {1/2-1/2 (29) Pruijssers,R (2512)-Wegerle,J (2425) Germany 2018}) 16. c4 Bf6 17. Ba5 b6 18. Bc3 dxc4 19. bxc4 b5 20. Rxe8+ Ndxe8 21. cxb5 Nxb5 22. Rc1 Qd5 23. a4 Nxc3 24. Qxc3 Rc8 25. h3 g6 26. Qb4 Kg7 27. Ne2 Qe4 28. Nc3 Qf4 29. Re1 c5 30. Qb7 Qb8 31. Qa6 Nc7 32. Qd3 Rd8 33. Rb1 Qa8 34. Ne2 Ne6 35. d5 Qxd5 36. Qxd5 Rxd5 37. Rc1 Rd3 38. Ng3 Ra3 39. Rc4 Bc3 40. Ne4 Bb4 41. Ne5 f5 42. Nd6 Rxa4 43. Nb7 Ra1+ 44. Kh2 Rd1 45. Nc6 Be1 46. f4 Rd3 {0-1 (45) Idani,P (2614)-Duda,J (2738) Krasnaya Polyana RUS 2021}) 15... Bf8 16. Bd2 f6 17. h4 Qd7 18. c5 Ne4 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Rxe4 Nxc5 21. Qc4+ {½- (50) ½ (50) Carlsen,M (2864)-Duda,J (2750) INT 2022}) 11... Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Na6 13. Bd2 (13. Nf5 Nxf5 14. Qxf5 Nc7 15. c3 Ne6 16. Ne5 Bd6 17. Bd2 Qc7 18. Re3 Rae8 19. Rae1 g6 20. Qg4 Ng7 21. Qh3 f6 22. Ng4 Rxe3 23. Bxe3 h5 24. Nh6+ Kh7 25. Ng4 Kg8 26. Nh6+ Kh7 27. Ng4 Kg8 {1/2-1/2 (27) Vachier Lagrave,M (2779)-Anand,V (2768) Saint Louis 2018}) (13. c3 Nc7 14. Re2 Re8 15. Bd2 f6 16. b3 Bf8 17. c4 Rxe2 18. Nxe2 Qd7 19. Bf4 Re8 20. Nc3 b5 21. cxd5 cxd5 22. Rc1 b4 {½-½ (59) Aronian,L (2767)-Giri,A (2782) INT 2018}) 13... Nc7 14. b3 (14. Ne5 f6 15. Nf3 Qd7 16. h4 Rfe8 17. h5 Bf8 18. Nh2 Rxe1+ 19. Rxe1 Re8 20. Kf1 Rxe1+ 21. Bxe1 Qe6 22. Qf3 {1/2-1/2 (45) Jakel,W (2250)-Malek,D (2348) Innsbruck AUT 2021}) 14... Re8 $5 15. c4 Bf6 16. Rad1 Rxe1+ 17. Rxe1 dxc4 18. bxc4 b5 $5 19. cxb5 cxb5 20. Ba5 Nc4 21. Bxc7 Qxc7 22. Ne4 Qd8 23. a4 a6 24. axb5 axb5 25. Nc3 $5 ( 25. Qb1 $1 Qd5 26. Nc3 Qd7 27. Qxb5 Qxb5 28. Nxb5) 25... Qd7 26. Rb1 Nd6 27. Nxb5 Nxb5 28. Rxb5 Bxd4 $1 29. Nxd4 Ra1+ 30. Rb1 Qxd4 31. Qf1 Rxb1 32. Qxb1 g6 33. g3 Qe5 34. Qc1 Qd4 35. Qb1 Qe5 36. Qc1 Qd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E01"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2806"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,22,34,34,34,4,4,-23,11,-5,7,1,-13,-13,-6,-6,-14,-8,3,3,12,12,7,-9,20] } 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Nd2 O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. Ngf3 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. b3 Nbd7 9. Bb2 Rc8 10. Rc1 Qe7 11. e3 c5 $5 (11... Rfd8 12. Qe2 c5 13. a3 (13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 a6 15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. Nc4 b5 17. a3 bxc4 18. bxc4 Bxa3 19. cxd5 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Ne5 21. Ra1 Bxb2 22. Qxb2 Nc4 {1/2-1/2 (22) Andersson,U (2610)-Sunye Neto,J (2435) Hastings 1981}) 13... Bxd2 14. Nxd2 cxd4 15. exd4 Nf8 16. Rfd1 dxc4 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. bxc4 Ng6 19. Nf1 Ne4 20. h4 h6 {1/2-1/2 (101) Le Quang Liem (2713)-Inarkiev,E (2663) Moscow RUS 2019}) 12. cxd5 Bxd5 13. Qe2 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Ne5 16. e4 Rfd8 17. Rxc8 Rxc8 18. f4 Ng6 19. Nc4 Qb7 20. a3 Bc5 21. Re1 b5 22. Nd2 a6 23. N2f3 Ne7 24. Qd3 h6 25. Re2 Bb6 26. h3 Rd8 27. Qc2 Rc8 28. Qd3 Rd8 29. Qc2 h5 $1 30. h4 Ng4 31. Qc3 Nf6 32. Qc2 Rc8 33. Qd3 Ng4 34. b4 Qd7 35. Rd2 Rc4 $5 36. Qe2 $6 (36. Nf5 $1 $11) 36... Qb7 $1 37. Qd3 f6 38. Kh3 Qc8 $1 39. e5 $6 fxe5 40. fxe5 g6 $2 (40... Bxd4 $1 41. Nxd4 (41. Bxd4 Qc6 42. Bc5 Nf5 $19) 41... Qa8 42. Nf3 Nf5 $19) 41. Ng5 $1 Bxd4 42. Bxd4 Qa8 (42... Rc1 43. Bg1 $3 Rxg1 44. Qd8+ Qxd8 45. Rxd8+ Kg7 46. Nxe6+ Kf7 47. Ng5+ Kg7 48. Ne6+ Kh7 49. Ng5+ $11) 43. Qf3 Qxf3 44. Nxf3 Nc6 45. Bc5 Ncxe5 46. Nxe5 Nxe5 47. Re2 Nd3 48. Rxe6 Nxc5 49. bxc5 Kf7 50. Rxa6 Rxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B46"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2776"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,31,14,25,40,43,43,38,43,43,43,51,75,42,40,40,27,33,62,22,39,-22,-22, -63,-51,-59,-42,-48,-6,-56,-21,-41,-41,-32]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g4 Nge7 7. Be3 b5 8. Nb3 (8. Bg2 Bb7 9. Nb3 Ne5 10. Nc5 Bc6 11. Nd3 N7g6 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. O-O Nc4 14. Bc1 Bc5 15. g5 h6 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh3 Bd4 18. gxh6 Qf6 {1/2-1/2 (66) Piscopo,P (2407)-Fedorchuk,S (2631) Porticcio 2019}) 8... Na5 9. Qd2 (9. g5 Nec6 10. Bg2 Nc4 11. Bc1 Be7 12. h4 Bb7 13. Qe2 Rc8 14. O-O h6 15. gxh6 gxh6 16. a4 {0-1 (30) Hansen,S (2558) -Andersson,U (2623) Germany 2000}) 9... Nxb3 10. axb3 Bb7 11. Bg2 Ng6 12. Rf1 Bc6 13. g5 a5 14. f4 a4 15. Rd1 Bb4 16. Qd4 Qa5 17. Qxg7 a3 18. Kf2 axb2 19. Ne2 e5 20. f5 Bf8 21. Qf6 Be7 22. Qg7 Bf8 23. Qf6 Be7 24. Qg7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.22"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2773"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,67,34,21,25,25,41,39,39,31,26,1,8,1,8,3,25,1,-7,-21,-42,-42,-29,-5,31, 17,39,28,59,16,14,35,40,18,11,75,47,115,65,91,90,90,95,69,59,95,92,116,99,99, 99,99,99,99,88,68,64,47,87,61,45,45,69,45,78,45,70,71,71,45]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Re1 Re8 14. Ra2 Bf8 (14... Bf6 15. Rb2 b6 16. Bf4 Na5 17. cxd5 Qxd5 18. Ne5 Bxe5 19. Bf3 Qd7 20. Bxe5 Nc4 21. Rbe2 c6 {1/2-1/2 (31) Alekseev,E (2679)-Kramnik,V (2772) Dortmund 2007}) 15. cxd5 (15. a4 Ne7 16. Qb3 c6 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qxa7 Rb1 19. Rb2 Nc8 20. Qa6 Rxb2 21. Bxb2 Qb6 22. Qxb6 Nxb6 23. a5 {1-0 (48) Alekseenko,K (2590) -Lintchevski,D (2548) Khanty-Mansiysk 2017}) 15... Qxd5 16. c4 Qe4 $6 17. Bf1 Qg4 18. h3 Rxe1 19. Qxe1 Qe4 20. Re2 Qd3 21. Rb2 Qe4 22. Re2 Qd3 23. Re3 (23. Nh4 $1 Qb1 (23... Bg6 24. d5 Nd4 25. Rd2 Nc2 26. Qd1 Qe4 27. Nxg6 $18) 24. d5 Nd4 25. Rb2 Qe4 26. Qxe4 Bxe4 27. Rxb7 $18) 23... Qb1 24. d5 Ne7 25. Nd2 Qa1 26. Nb3 Qf6 27. Bd2 Ng6 28. Na5 b6 29. Nc6 Bd7 30. Bc3 Qd6 31. Bb4 Qf6 32. Bc3 Qd6 33. Bb4 Qf6 34. Bc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B46"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,52,25,16,58,58,51,52,48,48,46,46,76,54,61,24,32,4,46,9,9,21,28,-53,4, -1,-1,-41,4,-33,16,15,18,-15,4,-50,21,-30,12,-42,6,-7,-6,-5,-3,0,-16,-14,-21, -21,-5,0,0,-16,-41]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Qd3 ({Relevant:} 7. Bd3 d5 8. O-O Nf6 9. Re1 Be7 10. Bf4 O-O 11. Qf3 a5 12. Na4 Ba6 13. b3 Bb5 14. c4 Bxa4 15. bxa4 Bb4 16. Red1 Qe7 17. Bg5 h6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. cxd5 cxd5 21. exd5 exd5 22. Bb5 Bc3 23. Rab1 d4 24. Rd3 Rfc8 25. Rg3+ Kf8 26. Rh3 Kg7 27. Rg3+ Kf8 28. Rh3 Kg7 29. Bd3 Bb4 30. Rh4 Rd8 31. Rg4+ Kf8 32. Rh4 Kg7 33. Rg4+ Kf8 34. Rh4 {1/2-1/2 (34) Vidit,S (2723)-Vallejo Pons,F (2703) Prague 2022}) 7... d5 8. Qg3 h5 9. h4 d4 10. Nb1 Nf6 11. e5 Ne4 12. Qf3 Qd5 13. Bd3 Bb4+ 14. Kf1 f5 15. exf6 Nxf6 {[#]} 16. Bg6+ $146 ({Predecessor:} 16. c3 Bc5 17. Bg6+ Kd8 18. Nd2 dxc3 19. bxc3 e5 20. c4 Qxf3 21. gxf3 Be6 22. Kg2 Rb8 23. Nb3 Bd6 24. Rd1 Ke7 25. Bd3 Kf7 26. Bg5 Bb4 27. Nd2 Rhd8 28. Ne4 Be7 29. Ng3 Bc5 30. Ne4 Nxe4 31. fxe4 Be7 32. Be3 Bxh4 33. c5 a5 34. Be2 g6 35. Rdb1 Rb4 36. Rxb4 axb4 37. a4 bxa3 38. Rxa3 Kf6 39. Ra6 Rc8 40. f4 exf4 41. Bxf4 g5 42. Bd6 g4 43. Ra7 Kg6 44. Ba6 Rh8 45. Rc7 Bd8 { Vachier Lagrave,M (2749)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2792) Zagreb 2021 1/2-1/2 (61)}) 16... Kd7 17. Bg5 {According to the computer after this black is at least equal.} (17. c3) 17... Rf8 18. c3 Bd6 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Qc3 Qd1+ 21. Qe1 Qxe1+ 22. Kxe1 Rb8 23. Nd2 Rxb2 24. Nc4 Bb4+ 25. Kf1 Ng4 26. f3 Rf2+ 27. Kg1 Bc5 28. fxg4 {Just in time.} R2f4+ 29. Ne3 (29. Kh2 Rxc4) 29... Bxe3+ 30. Kh2 Rxg4 31. Bxe3 Rxg6 32. Rhd1+ Kc7 33. Rab1 Bb7 34. Bc5 Re8 35. Bd6+ Kc8 36. Be5 Rg4 { The start of a wrong plan. Radjabov had about 5 minutes and Rapport half an hour.} (36... Rf8 {is slightly better for black.}) 37. Rf1 Rxh4+ $2 {If white had chance to calculate he'd be winning here.} 38. Kg1 Re4 39. Rf7 $2 $11 { Giving up the monster bishop for his opponents weakling is wrong.} (39. Bh2 $1 {The problems for black are weak dark squares, weak king, weak seventh rank and a bishop on b7 which is a huge target.} e5 40. Rf7) 39... Rxe5 40. Rbxb7 Rb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6.2"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E06"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Qd3 {An extremely uncommon move.} ({Relevant:} 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 8. a4 Bb7 9. axb5 a6 10. bxa6 Nxa6 11. Qxc4 Bd5 12. Qc3 c5 13. Bf4 Ne4 14. Qc1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Nec5 16. Bxd5 Qxd5 17. Be3 Qb7 18. Nd2 Rac8 19. Qb1 Nb4 20. N4f3 Qb5 21. Re1 Rfd8 22. Kf1 h6 23. Rc1 Bf8 24. Ne4 Nb3 25. Rxc8 Rxc8 26. Nc3 Qb7 27. Ra4 Nd5 28. Nxd5 Qxd5 29. Kg2 Qc6 30. Ra7 g5 31. Qd3 Nc5 32. Qc4 Qb6 33. Qa2 Qc6 34. b4 Nd7 35. b5 Qd6 {Carlsen,M (2864)-Radjabov,T (2753) Stavanger 2022 1-0}) 6... c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. cxd5 {[#]} Nxd4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9... exd5 10. Nc3 h6 11. Rd1 Re8 12. a3 a6 13. Be3 Be6 14. Rac1 Ne5 15. Qc2 Rc8 16. Bf4 Nc6 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. e4 d4 19. e5 Nh5 20. Qg6 Nxf4 21. gxf4 Bh4 22. Ne4 Rf8 23. Nd6 Rc7 24. Be4 Bxf2+ 25. Kg2 Rff7 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Qh8+ Ke7 28. Nxf7 {1-0 (28) Wagner,D (2584)-Gokerkan,C (2445) Terme Catez 2022}) 10. Qxd4 Nxd5 11. Rd1 Bf6 12. Qg4 Bd7 13. Nd2 Qe7 14. Nf3 Rac8 15. e4 e5 16. Qh5 Nb4 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 h6 19. Nf3 Nc6 20. Rxd7 $2 {Trying too hard.} Qxd7 21. Bh3 f5 22. exf5 $2 {Most likely Firouzja's big idea but it doesn't work.} (22. Bxf5 Qe8 23. Qg4 Rd8 { and black is much better.}) 22... Rce8 (22... Rcd8) 23. Nh4 e4 24. Rd1 Qf7 25. Qe2 Qxa2 26. Ng6 Rf7 (26... Rf6) 27. Nf4 Qb3 28. Bg4 e3 $1 29. Kg2 Rd8 30. Rxd8+ Nxd8 31. fxe3 Rc7 32. Kh3 Nf7 33. Bf3 Rc2 34. Qd1 Ng5+ 35. Kg4 {Might as well go all in here.} Nxf3 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Kxf3 Qxb2 38. Qe8 (38. Ng6 Rf2+ 39. Ke4 Qc2+ {forces queens off.}) 38... Qf6 39. e4 (39. Ng6 Qc6+) 39... Rxh2 40. Qd7 Qc3+ 41. Kg4 Qd2 42. Qa4 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Ding Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C50"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,32,19,29,30,21,25,18,14,14,9,-7,4,2,21,-32,11,-15,-7,-8,-9,-8,-13,1,0, 1,1,-7,-3,-37,5,-55,-56,-60,-42]} 1. e4 {Giri,A} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 a5 8. h3 h6 9. Nbd2 ({Relevant:} 9. d4 Ba7 10. Bb3 Re8 11. Bc2 Bd7 12. a3 Nh7 13. Be3 Qf6 14. Ba4 Ng5 15. Nxg5 hxg5 16. d5 Nb8 17. Bxa7 Rxa7 18. c4 Bxa4 19. Qxa4 Qe7 20. Nc3 Nd7 21. b4 Rea8 22. Nb5 Ra6 23. Qd1 Nf6 24. Rb1 axb4 25. axb4 Ra2 26. Re2 Rxe2 27. Qxe2 Qd7 28. Nc3 g4 29. h4 g6 30. g3 Kg7 31. c5 c6 32. Rd1 dxc5 33. bxc5 Qc7 34. Qb2 Nd7 35. Qb4 cxd5 36. exd5 Qxc5 37. Qxb7 Ra7 38. Qc6 Rc7 {Anand,V (2751)-Radjabov,T (2753) Stavanger 2022 1/2-1/2}) 9... Be6 10. Bb5 Qb8 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. d4 exd4 13. cxd4 Bb6 14. a4 Re8 15. Ra3 {[#]} Qa7 $146 {This move improves on the rather well known game Giri-Anton.} ({Predecessor:} 15... Qb7 16. Rae3 Rab8 17. b3 Ba7 18. Bb2 d5 19. e5 Nd7 20. Nh4 c5 21. Rg3 Qa6 22. Qh5 Kh8 23. Bc1 Rg8 24. Ndf3 Nf8 25. Bxh6 g6 26. Nxg6+ fxg6 27. Qh4 Nh7 28. Ng5 {1-0 (28) Giri,A (2780)-Anton Guijarro,D (2674) Batumi 2019 CBM 193 [Giri,A]}) 16. Nf1 d5 17. e5 Ne4 18. N1d2 Bf5 19. Re2 Rad8 20. Nb3 c5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Nd4 Bd7 24. Bf4 Qe7 25. Nb5 Bxb5 26. axb5 Ng5 27. Rxa5 Ne6 28. Bd2 d4 29. Ra3 Qc5 30. Rg3 d3 31. Re1 Qxb5 32. Qh5 Qxb2 33. Bxh6 d2 34. Rd1 {This all looks rather wild but tends towards a draw because white can get a perpetual check.} Rd5 35. Bxg7 Nxg7 36. Rxg7+ Kxg7 37. Qg5+ Kf8 38. Qh6+ Kg8 39. Qg5+ Kf8 40. Qh6+ Ke7 41. Qf6+ Kf8 42. Qh6+ Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,29,30,35,27,-17,2,9,-1,7,13,15,38,12,24,23,27,28,15,-59,-39,-51,16, -15,0,-11,14,22,12,16,34,19]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Nd7 5. h3 Bh5 6. d4 Ngf6 7. c4 c6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Ne5 $1 {[%mdl 4]} Nxe5 ({Relevant:} 9... Bg6 10. Nc3 Bb4 11. Qb3 a5 12. f4 h6 13. Nxg6 fxg6 14. e4 Qb6 15. exd5 Qxd4+ 16. Kh2 Nc5 17. Qc2 Qd3 18. Qxd3 Nxd3 19. dxc6 O-O-O 20. cxb7+ Kb8 21. Be3 Rhe8 22. Bb6 Rd6 23. Rad1 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Rxb6 25. Rxd3 Ka7 26. Rfd1 Re2 27. R1d2 Re7 28. Rd8 Rexb7 29. Bxb7 Kxb7 30. Re2 h5 31. a4 Rb3 32. Re7+ Kc6 33. Rxg7 Ne4 34. Rxg6+ Kc5 35. Kg2 Nxc3 36. Ra6 Ne4 37. Rxa5+ Kc4 38. Rg8 Kd4 39. Rb5 {Grandelius,N (2656)-Giri,A (2773) Chess.com INT 2022 1-0 (77)}) 10. dxe5 Ne4 11. Nd2 Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Bc5 13. Rc1 Qe7 14. Kh2 O-O 15. g4 Bg6 16. f4 {[#]} h6 $146 {Played after 10 minutes thought. This already looks very threatening and only with this move have we left theory.} ({Predecessor:} 16... f5 17. Qb3 Rad8 18. gxf5 Bxf5 19. Rxc5 Qxc5 20. e4 Bg6 21. Bb4 Qc4 22. f5 Bh5 23. Bxf8 Qxb3 24. axb3 Kxf8 25. exd5 cxd5 26. Kg3 d4 27. Bf3 Bxf3 28. Kxf3 d3 29. Rd1 d2 30. Ke3 Rd5 31. Ke4 Rd8 {1/2-1/2 (31) Svidler,P (2768)-Karjakin,S (2753) Wijk aan Zee 2018}) 17. Qe1 Rfe8 18. Qg3 Bh7 19. h4 Rad8 20. g5 hxg5 (20... Kh8) 21. hxg5 Bb4 22. Bxb4 Qxb4 23. f5 Qxb2 24. e6 fxe6 25. g6 exf5 26. gxh7+ Kh8 { A tempting idea but taking the pawn seems to offer better chances of survival.} (26... Kxh7 27. Rb1 Qe5 28. Bh3) 27. Rb1 Qf6 28. Rxb7 {This is over.} Rxe2 29. Rxf5 Qh6+ 30. Kg1 Rxa2 31. Rbf7 Ra1+ 32. Bf1 d4 33. Rg5 Qd6 34. Qf2 Qa3 35. Rg3 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6.2"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E06"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2783"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,23,31,31,31,-9,3,-24,-20,-40,-14,-14,14,-52,-4,-48,7,-37,9,12,36,29, 29,23,15,31]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Qd3 $5 c5 ( 6... b6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. O-O Ba6 9. Qc2 Nd7 10. Nc3 c5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Re1 Re8 13. Bf4 Bf6 14. e3 Bb7 15. h4 h6 16. h5 Nf8 17. dxc5 Rc8 18. Qa4 bxc5 19. Qxa7 Re7 20. Qa3 Ne6 21. Be5 Bxe5 22. Nxe5 d4 23. e4 Ng5 {0-1 (23) Ding Liren (2791) -Giri,A (2764) INT 2020}) 7. O-O cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 (8... e5 9. Nf5 dxc4 10. Qxd8 Bxd8 11. Nd6 Nc6 12. Nc3 Be7 13. Nxc4 Be6 14. Bxc6 Bxc4 15. Bxb7 Rab8 16. Bf3 Bb4 17. Bd2 e4 18. Bg2 Bxe2 19. Rfe1 Bd3 20. Rad1 Bc5 21. Na4 Bd4 22. Bc3 Bxc3 23. Nxc3 Rxb2 24. Nxe4 Bxe4 25. Bxe4 Nxe4 26. Rxe4 Rxa2 27. Re7 g6 28. Rdd7 a5 29. Ra7 Kg7 30. Re5 Rd8 31. Rexa5 Rxa5 {1/2-1/2 (31) Gelfand,B (2674)-Ganguly, S (2633) Riga LAT 2021}) (8... Na6 9. cxd5 Nb4 10. Qb3 e5 11. Nb5 Nbxd5 12. Rd1 Qa5 13. Bxd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 Be6 15. Qxb7 Rad8 16. Bd2 Bb4 17. N5c3 Rd7 18. Qe4 Rfd8 19. Qc2 h6 20. a3 Be7 21. e4 Bg4 22. Re1 Rc8 23. Kg2 Qa6 24. h3 Be6 25. Be3 f5 26. exf5 Bd5+ 27. Kh2 Ba8 28. Nd2 {1-0 (28) Stefanova,A (2469)-Haria,R (2490) Gibraltar ENG 2022}) 9. cxd5 Nxd4 (9... exd5 10. Nc3 h6 11. Rd1 Re8 12. a3 a6 13. Be3 Be6 14. Rac1 Ne5 15. Qc2 Rc8 16. Bf4 Nc6 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. e4 d4 19. e5 Nh5 20. Qg6 Nxf4 21. gxf4 Bh4 22. Ne4 Rf8 23. Nd6 Rc7 24. Be4 Bxf2+ 25. Kg2 Rff7 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Qh8+ Ke7 28. Nxf7 {1-0 (28) Wagner,D (2584)-Gokerkan, C (2445) Terme Catez SLO 2022}) 10. Qxd4 Nxd5 11. Rd1 Bf6 12. Qg4 $5 (12. Qd3 Qb6 13. Na3 Rd8 14. Nc4 Qc7 15. Qb3 Bd7 16. Bd2 Nb6 17. Rdc1 Ba4 18. Qb4 Rd4 19. Nxb6 Rxb4 20. Nxa8 Qb8 {1-0 (71) Gelfand,B (2680)-Cyborowski,L (2496) Czech Republic CZE 2022}) 12... Bd7 13. Nd2 Qe7 14. Nf3 Rac8 15. e4 $5 e5 16. Qh5 Nb4 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 h6 19. Nf3 Nc6 20. Rxd7 $6 Qxd7 21. Bh3 f5 22. exf5 $6 Rce8 23. Nh4 e4 24. Rd1 Qf7 25. Qe2 Qxa2 26. Ng6 Rf7 27. Nf4 $5 Qb3 28. Bg4 e3 $1 29. Kg2 Rd8 $1 30. Rxd8+ Nxd8 31. fxe3 Rc7 32. Kh3 Nf7 $1 33. Bf3 Rc2 34. Qd1 Ng5+ 35. Kg4 Nxf3 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Kxf3 Qxb2 38. Qe8 Qf6 39. e4 Rxh2 40. Qd7 Qc3+ 41. Kg4 Qd2 $1 42. Qa4 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2806"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,23,19,31,34,19,13,17,4,11,24,1,27,19,22,-35,-5,-23,8,-13,-9,-26,-15, -23,-32,-17]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 a5 8. h3 h6 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Bb5 Qb8 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. d4 exd4 13. cxd4 Bb6 14. a4 Re8 15. Ra3 Qa7 (15... Qb7 16. Rae3 Rab8 17. b3 Ba7 18. Bb2 d5 19. e5 Nd7 20. Nh4 c5 21. Rg3 Qa6 22. Qh5 Kh8 23. Bc1 Rg8 24. Ndf3 Nf8 25. Bxh6 g6 26. Nxg6+ fxg6 27. Qh4 Nh7 28. Ng5 {1-0 (28) Giri,A (2780)-Anton Guijarro,D (2674) Batumi GEO 2019}) 16. Nf1 d5 17. e5 Ne4 18. N1d2 Bf5 19. Re2 Rad8 20. Nb3 c5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Nd4 Bd7 24. Bf4 Qe7 25. Nb5 Bxb5 26. axb5 Ng5 27. Rxa5 Ne6 28. Bd2 d4 29. Ra3 Qc5 30. Rg3 d3 31. Re1 Qxb5 32. Qh5 Qxb2 33. Bxh6 d2 34. Rd1 Rd5 35. Bxg7 Nxg7 36. Rxg7+ Kxg7 37. Qg5+ Kf8 38. Qh6+ Kg8 39. Qg5+ Kf8 40. Qh6+ Ke7 41. Qf6+ Kf8 42. Qh6+ Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B46"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2764"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Qd3 d5 8. Qg3 h5 9. h4 d4 10. Nb1 Nf6 11. e5 Ne4 12. Qf3 Qd5 13. Bd3 Bb4+ 14. Kf1 f5 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Bg6+ (16. c3 Bc5 17. Bg6+ Kd8 18. Nd2 dxc3 19. bxc3 e5 20. c4 Qxf3 21. gxf3 Be6 22. Kg2 {1/2-1/2 (61) Vachier Lagrave,M (2749) -Nepomniachtchi,I (2792) Zagreb CRO 2021}) 16... Kd7 17. Bg5 $5 Rf8 18. c3 Bd6 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Qc3 $1 Qd1+ 21. Qe1 Qxe1+ 22. Kxe1 Rb8 23. Nd2 Rxb2 24. Nc4 Bb4+ 25. Kf1 Ng4 26. f3 Rf2+ 27. Kg1 Bc5 28. fxg4 R2f4+ 29. Ne3 Bxe3+ 30. Kh2 Rxg4 31. Bxe3 Rxg6 32. Rhd1+ Kc7 33. Rab1 Bb7 34. Bc5 Re8 35. Bd6+ Kc8 36. Be5 Rg4 $2 (36... Rf8 $1) 37. Rf1 Rxh4+ 38. Kg1 Re4 39. Rf7 $2 (39. Bh2 $1 $18) 39... Rxe5 40. Rbxb7 Rb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,24,27,26,25,-17,3,-19,2,-2,8,6,37,37,24,16,35,25,21,-47,-46,-50,25,-8, 1,9,7]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Nd7 5. h3 Bh5 6. d4 Ngf6 7. c4 c6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Ne4 11. Nd2 Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Bc5 13. Rc1 (13. Kh2 O-O 14. Rc1 Qe7 15. g4 Bg6 16. f4 f5 17. Qb3 Rad8 18. gxf5 Bxf5 19. Rxc5 Qxc5 20. e4 Bg6 21. Bb4 Qc4 22. f5 Bh5 23. Bxf8 Qxb3 24. axb3 Kxf8 25. exd5 cxd5 26. Kg3 d4 27. Bf3 Bxf3 28. Kxf3 d3 29. Rd1 d2 30. Ke3 Rd5 31. Ke4 Rd8 { 1/2-1/2 (31) Svidler,P (2768)-Karjakin,S (2753) Wijk aan Zee 2018}) 13... Qe7 14. Kh2 O-O 15. g4 Bg6 16. f4 h6 17. Qe1 Rfe8 18. Qg3 Bh7 19. h4 Rad8 20. g5 hxg5 $6 21. hxg5 Bb4 22. Bxb4 Qxb4 23. f5 Qxb2 24. e6 fxe6 25. g6 exf5 26. gxh7+ Kh8 27. Rb1 Qf6 28. Rxb7 Rxe2 29. Rxf5 $1 Qh6+ 30. Kg1 Rxa2 31. Rbf7 Ra1+ 32. Bf1 d4 33. Rg5 Qd6 34. Qf2 Qa3 35. Rg3 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E06"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Qd3 {A rare move, played a few times by Boris Gelfand.} c5 (6... b6 {is also possible.}) 7. O-O cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 {Caught by surprise, Caruana reacts with natural and good moves and will achieve equality without any problems. I wonder what was missed by Firouzja in his preparation $2} 9. cxd5 Nxd4 {Black had other interesting moves.} (9... exd5 $6 {This is just a positional mistake.} 10. Nc3 {with an advantage. Wagner,-Gokerkan, Terme Catez 2022.}) (9... Nxd5 10. Nxc6 (10. Nc3 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 {We will see this line later.}) 10... bxc6 {It's not easy for White to prove an advantage here.}) (9... Nb4 $5 10. Qb3 e5 11. Nc2 Nbxd5 12. Nc3 (12. Rd1 $6 Be6) 12... Nxc3 13. bxc3 {with a small plus for White.}) 10. Qxd4 Nxd5 11. Rd1 (11. Nc3 Bf6 12. Qc4 Bxc3 $1 13. bxc3 Bd7 14. Bxd5 exd5 15. Qxd5 {Grischuk won this position, but Black is fine. Grischuk-Lysyj, Sochi 2016 }) 11... Bf6 12. Qg4 Bd7 (12... Qc7 {Black played this move in a correspondence game that ended in a draw. Cehajic-Chadwick, IECC email 2002.}) 13. Nd2 Qe7 14. Nf3 (14. Ne4 {is more accurate.} Be5 (14... Bc6 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16. Bg5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 h6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 $11) 15. Ng5 $1 f5 (15... h6 $2 16. Qe4 $1 hxg5 17. Qxe5 {is better for White.}) 16. Qh4 h6 17. Nxe6 $1 Qxh4 18. gxh4 Bxe6 19. Bxd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Rfe8 {with a probable draw.}) 14... Rac8 15. e4 $6 (15. Bg5 {is safer.} Bxg5 16. Qxg5 Qxg5 17. Nxg5 Rc2 18. e4 Nb6 19. b3 { and White is close to equalizing.}) 15... e5 $1 16. Qh5 Nb4 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 h6 19. Nf3 Nc6 {Now Black's position is clearly more comfortable. With active pieces and the better pawn structure, White must be careful. I think the right plan is to prepare Bg2-h3.} 20. Rxd7 $2 {A bad exchange sacrifice. Or maybe Firouzja missed 21...f5 $2} (20. a3 $1 {[%cal Gg2h3] Avoiding Qb4 and preparing Bh3.}) (20. Bh3 $2 Bxh3 21. Qxh3 Qb4 $1 {wins a pawn.}) 20... Qxd7 21. Bh3 f5 $1 (21... Qd6 22. Bxc8 Rxc8 {This is slightly better for Black, but of course, the move played in the game is superior.}) 22. exf5 $2 {Now White is lost.} (22. Bxf5 Qe8 23. Qg4 Rd8 {White has some compensation, but not enough. Black wants Rd6 next, controlling the g6-square.}) 22... Rce8 23. Nh4 e4 24. Rd1 Qf7 25. Qe2 Qxa2 $1 {Not afraid of ghosts. I was amazed by Caruana's tecnhique converting this position.} 26. Ng6 Rf7 27. Nf4 Qb3 28. Bg4 e3 $1 {Computer precision. Caruana is just in time.} 29. Kg2 Rd8 30. Rxd8+ Nxd8 31. fxe3 Rc7 $1 {The rook joins the attack.} 32. Kh3 Nf7 {The knight too $1} 33. Bf3 Rc2 34. Qd1 Ng5+ 35. Kg4 Nxf3 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Kxf3 (37. Ng6 Qc4+ 38. Kxf3 Qe2+ 39. Kf4 Rc4+ {and Black mates.}) 37... Qxb2 38. Qe8 (38. Ng6 Rf2+ 39. Kg4 Qe2+ {wins.}) 38... Qf6 39. e4 Rxh2 40. Qd7 (40. Ng6 Qc3+ 41. Kg4 h5+ 42. Kf4 Rf2+ 43. Kg5 Qxg3+ {and mates.}) 40... Qc3+ 41. Kg4 Qd2 42. Qa4 {A deserved and important victory for Caruana. He is showing great chess so far.} 0-1 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2806"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {This is a wonderful game, one of the best in the tournament. We had everything: deep opening preparation by both players, a complex strategical middlegame fight, some fireworks, and precise calculation. Nakamura and Ding played like machines. Not all draws are uneventful. This one deserves the highest praise.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 a5 8. h3 h6 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Bb5 Qb8 11. Bxc6 {Duda played 11.Nf1 against Ding in round two.} bxc6 12. d4 exd4 13. cxd4 Bb6 14. a4 $5 {A deep idea. White wants to bring the rook to the attack with Ra1-a3.} Re8 15. Ra3 Qa7 {A new move, but it didn't take Nakamura by surprise since he continued blitzing the next ten moves $1} (15... Qb7 {1-0 was played in Giri-Anton Guijarro, Batumi 2019.}) 16. Nf1 d5 {The natural reaction. Black must try to open the position for his bishops before getting mated.} 17. e5 (17. Ng3 { gives nothing:} dxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Rxe4 Rad8) 17... Ne4 18. N1d2 { Challenging the powerful knight.} Bf5 {A good reaction.} (18... Rad8 {was an interesting pawn sacrifice.} 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Rxe4 c5 {with complicated play.} ) 19. Re2 $1 {A strong prophylactic move. White protects the f2-pawn. This is useful because Black will soon play c5, opening the g1-a7 diagonal.} Rad8 ( 19... c5 $2 20. Nh4 $1 {and White is ready for his dream attack with Rg3.}) 20. Nb3 {Nearly forced. White must be ready for the c5-break.} c5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Nd4 Bd7 $1 {The bishop must protect the queenside.} (23... Bh7 $2 24. Rc2 {and the knight can jump to the c6-square.}) 24. Bf4 Qe7 (24... Qb6 { is also good.}) 25. Nb5 $1 Bxb5 (25... c6 {After this natural move, I believe Nakamura wanted to sacrifice the exchange.} 26. Rxe4 $1 dxe4 (26... cxb5 27. Rd4 {with a dream position for White. The attack with opposite-colored bishops is too strong.}) 27. Nd6 {It seems Black can keep the game equal with some good computer moves, but the position is scary.}) 26. axb5 Ng5 $5 {It seems Nakamura was finally out of book after this move. Black has many possibilities. } (26... Qb4 {I would like to point out some lines with this natural move, attacking both b-pawns.} 27. Rd3 (27. e6 $5 Rxe6 28. Bxc7 Rde8 {and Black is fine. A nice line is:} 29. Qxd5 Ng3 $1 30. Rxe6 Qe1+ $1 31. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 32. Kh2 Nf1+ {with perpetual check.}) 27... Nc5 (27... Qxb5 $4 28. Rxe4) 28. Rxd5 Ne6 29. Be3 Rxd5 30. Qxd5 Rb8 {with a draw.}) 27. Rxa5 (27. Bxg5 {was the safer move, getting rid of this dangerous knight. But it gives nothing more than a draw after} Qxg5 28. Qd4 Qc1+ 29. Kh2 Qc4 $1 30. Qxc4 dxc4 31. Rxa5 Rd5 32. Rc2 Rexe5 33. Rxc4 Rxb5 34. Rxb5 Rxb5 35. Rxc7 Rxb2) (27. Rg3 $5 {Maybe this was the best move to fight for the advantage.}) 27... Ne6 28. Bd2 d4 {With such a good knight and the passed d-pawn, Black has great compensation. White has to be careful.} 29. Ra3 Qc5 30. Rg3 d3 31. Re1 Qxb5 32. Qh5 (32. Bxh6 $2 {This loses to} d2 $1 33. Bxd2 Qd5 34. Re2 Nf4 {winning material.}) 32... Qxb2 33. Bxh6 d2 34. Rd1 Rd5 (34... Qc2 35. Qe2 {is also equal.}) 35. Bxg7 $1 {Forcing a draw.} Nxg7 36. Rxg7+ Kxg7 37. Qg5+ Kf8 38. Qh6+ Kg8 39. Qg5+ Kf8 40. Qh6+ Ke7 41. Qf6+ Kf8 42. Qh6+ Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. Nf3 d5 {Duda was probably caught by surprise in the opening. It seemed so natural to expect 1.e4, which is Ian's main move. Also, Nepo has been playing the Petroff a lot with Black as of late, so he probably has some sense of where to put the most pressure. Duda's other option is the Najdorf, which Ian has crushed once already this tournament. I myself was also not expecting anything else on move 1, but the surprise clearly paid off.} 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Nd7 5. h3 Bh5 6. d4 Ngf6 7. c4 c6 8. cxd5 exd5 {All of this is reasonably well known and has been played a bunch of times before. I never fully trusted these positions for Black though.} 9. Ne5 {Bold, and I like it $1 } (9. Nh4 {This is another decent option that I always thought gave White a slight edge. Ian's move is much more direct.}) 9... Nxe5 {A human response, but not a great one.} (9... Ne4 $1 {According to the machine, this move is by far Black's best chance at fighting for equality. I cannot imagine it even entering a person's mind as a candidate move if they did now already know it in advance.}) 10. dxe5 Ne4 11. Nd2 Nxd2 12. Bxd2 {Already, Black's position is very difficult. I like White's kingside and central space, and the h5-bishop is going to get harassed once the pawns get moving.} Bc5 13. Rc1 $1 {The first new move of the game, and a good one. I have to imagine Nepo was prepared at least up to this point.} Qe7 14. Kh2 O-O 15. g4 Bg6 16. f4 {White is threatening f5, and Black has no good options. Duda found the least bad one.} h6 (16... f6 17. f5 Be8 18. e6 $18 {The protected passed pawn on e6 should easily decide the game.}) (16... f5 17. Qb3 $16 {Black's position remains very difficult, though I don't think it is as terrible as the computer claims.}) ( 16... Be4 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Qa4 $1 e3 19. Bc3 {White's queen will centralize on e4 and then the kingside advance is coming.}) 17. Qe1 {Ian took a very long time on this move, which is not something he is known to do. The machine is not a fan, but I like it quite a lot. White has this nice and simple plan of bringing the queen to g3, and one could imagine b2-b4-b5 coming as well.} (17. Qa4 {So says the computer.}) 17... Rfe8 18. Qg3 Bh7 19. h4 $1 {Simple and incredibly effective. White has a big kingside pawn mass, so put it in motion $1 The attack is coming and is very hard to stop.} Rad8 (19... Bd4 $1 { Apparently, this was Black's best. I still seriously dislike his position after something like} 20. g5 h5 21. Bc3 Bxc3 22. Qxc3 {But the computer thinks he is okay.}) 20. g5 $1 {So simple. Black is already in trouble and has to find an only move to not die immediately.} hxg5 (20... Kh8 $1 {This was the only way. White does not have a direct win, but so what $2} 21. a3 {b4 and b5 might be coming next. Black can barely move, has no counterplay at all, and it's hard to imagine a human will hang on for too long.}) 21. hxg5 Bb4 22. Bxb4 Qxb4 23. f5 $1 {Of course the b2-pawn is of little consequence.} Qxb2 24. e6 { Not the most precise, but certainly good enough.} (24. Rc3 $1 {My machine gives +6. I won't argue with such an evaluation.}) (24. g6 $2 {It's important not to get too materialistic. Black already has one pawn for the piece, White's structure is in shambles, and Black can sacrifice some material to get a defensible position.} fxg6 25. fxg6 Bxg6 26. Qxg6 Qxe5+ $14 {Black should be okay now. The attack is over and white's extra piece does not look that much better than the three pawns.}) 24... fxe6 25. g6 $2 {This seems a bit careless. } (25. Rb1 $1 {This was a more accurate move order.} Qxe2 26. g6 {This would look something like the game, but Black would have lost out on options of Qb2-e5 or Qb2-f6.} exf5 27. gxh7+ Kxh7 28. Rxb7 {White should win.}) 25... exf5 26. gxh7+ Kh8 $2 (26... Kxh7 $1 {Good or bad, Black had to go for this. He is a piece down and should be taking as many pawns as possible.} 27. Rb1 Qe5 $1 28. Rxb7 Qxg3+ 29. Kxg3 Rxe2 {Black will suffer, but he has reasonable drawing chances.}) 27. Rb1 $1 {Now, since Black did not take the h7-pawn, he is unable to transition to an endgame with Qe5.} Qf6 (27... Qe5 {Now this move does not work because Black did not take on h7.} 28. Rxb7 Qxg3+ 29. Kxg3 Rxe2 30. Rxf5 { The threat of Rg5 is decisive. Black has to take on h7 anyway, but the lost tempo means that White will be in time to grab a7.} Kxh7 31. Rxa7 $1 {The a-pawn should eventually win.}) 28. Rxb7 $1 Rxe2 29. Rxf5 $1 {Not too difficult, but nice all the same. White's extra piece keeps his own king safe, while Black's is clearly done for with all the heavy pieces on an open board.} Qh6+ 30. Kg1 Rxa2 31. Rbf7 Ra1+ 32. Bf1 d4 33. Rg5 Qd6 34. Qf2 Qa3 35. Rg3 { Duda resigned rather than waiting for a capture on g7. Nepo surely deserved the win, but his play felt shakier than it did in his earlier games. The length of a tournament has always been his worst enemy, and it might just be starting to show—not enough to affect the result, but enough to notice from afar. We will see if he can keep up this form moving forward. If he can, I expect him to win the event easily. If not... things will get interesting.} 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.23"] [Round "6"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B46"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 {Rapport is faithful to the Sicilian he played against Caruana. Both players came prepared and the game follows an obscure line.} 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Qd3 d5 8. Qg3 h5 9. h4 d4 10. Nb1 Nf6 11. e5 Ne4 12. Qf3 Qd5 13. Bd3 Bb4+ 14. Kf1 f5 15. exf6 Nxf6 {I was in shock when all this was blitzed out $1} 16. Bg6+ {A new move.} (16. c3 Bc5 17. Bg6+ Kd8 {was Vachier-Lagrave-Nepomniachtchi, Zagreb 2021}) 16... Kd7 {Rapport decides to place the king on d7 instead of d8. In some lines Black can play a5-Ba6 and the rooks are connected.} 17. Bg5 (17. c3 {is a critical move.} Bc5 (17... dxc3 18. Nxc3 Qxf3 19. gxf3 {this looks somewhat better for White.}) 18. Nd2 $1 dxc3 19. Be4 $1 Nxe4 20. Nxe4 Rf8 {and this leads to some crazy computer lines. For example:} 21. Qe2 Rxf2+ $1 (21... a5 22. Kg1) 22. Nxf2 a5 { and it looks scary for White, although the computer, as usual, survives.}) 17... Rf8 18. c3 Bd6 (18... Bc5 $5 {looks good.} 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Be3 $1 Qc4+ (20... Qxb2 21. Qd1+ Nd5 22. Bxc5 Qb5+ 23. Kg1 Qxc5 24. Qd2 {with compensation. }) 21. Kg1 Ng4 {White looks to be in trouble, but he can escape.} 22. Na3 $1 ( 22. Nd2 Qb5 $1 23. Qg3 Bd6 {with attack.}) 22... Qb4 (22... Bxa3 23. Rd1+ Kc7 24. Qg3+ e5 25. bxa3) 23. Rd1+ Kc7 24. Qg3+ e5 {with a crazy position.}) 19. cxd4 (19. Qxd5 {and both pawn captures lead to a balanced endgame.} cxd5 (19... exd5 20. cxd4 Rb8 21. b3 Rb4 $1) 20. cxd4 Rb8 21. b3 Rb4 $11) 19... Qxd4 20. Qc3 Qd1+ (20... Bc5 21. Qxd4+ Bxd4 22. Nc3 Nd5 23. Nd1 $1 {and White holds the position.}) 21. Qe1 Qxe1+ 22. Kxe1 Rb8 23. Nd2 Rxb2 $1 {Rapport’s famous creativity is shown now $1} 24. Nc4 Bb4+ 25. Kf1 Ng4 $1 {A brilliant idea $1} 26. f3 (26. Nxb2 {looks incredibly dangerous. The computer, again, saves the day.} Rxf2+ 27. Kg1 Rxb2 28. Rc1 $1 c5 29. Rc2 Rb1+ 30. Rc1 Rb2 {with repetition.}) 26... Rf2+ 27. Kg1 Bc5 $1 28. fxg4 R2f4+ 29. Ne3 (29. Kh2 { was also possible:} Rxc4 30. Rhd1+ Bd6+ (30... Kc7 31. gxh5) 31. Rxd6+ $1 Kxd6 32. Rd1+ Kc7 33. Be7 $1 {and White has enough compensation for a balanced position.}) 29... Bxe3+ 30. Kh2 Rxg4 31. Bxe3 Rxg6 32. Rhd1+ Kc7 33. Rab1 { Black is two pawns up, but we have opposite-colored bishops on the board. This gives White attacking chances.} Bb7 34. Bc5 Re8 35. Bd6+ (35. Rb2 e5 36. Bb6+ Kc8 (36... Kb8 $2 37. Rd7 $18) 37. Rbd2 Ba8 38. a4 {with the idea of protecting the bishop with a4-a5. The game is equal.}) 35... Kc8 36. Be5 Rg4 $2 (36... Rf8 $1 {[%cal Gf8f5] was the best chance.}) 37. Rf1 $1 {Now Black is in trouble. He has to find some strong moves not to lose immediately.} Rxh4+ $2 ( 37... c5 $1 38. Rf7 Rxg2+ 39. Kh3 Re2 {and Black is still surviving, but it's not pretty.} 40. Bd6 Re3+ (40... Rd2 $5 41. Rb6 Rxd6 42. Rxd6 {White is better, but there are drawing chances.}) 41. Bg3 Rxg3+ 42. Kxg3 Bd5 {and Black will fight for a draw.}) 38. Kg1 Re4 39. Rf7 $4 {Maybe Radjabov just didn't believe he could win and didn't search for it. Otherwise he would have found what is an easy move for his standards.} (39. Bh2 $1 $18 {White just wins a piece after Rf7.}) 39... Rxe5 40. Rbxb7 Rb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Madrid ESP"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,35,19,38,25,7,21,23,41,27,27,-1,-1,35,66,53,53,41,56,15,114,65,50,50, 122,20,33,33,144,103,360,337,360,360,293,332,315,338]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Qb3 ({Relevant: } 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nc3 Re8 11. Re1 Nxc3 12. Rxe8+ Qxe8 13. bxc3 Nd7 14. Qb3 Nb6 15. Ba3 Bxa3 16. Qxa3 h6 17. h3 Be6 18. Rb1 Qf8 19. Qa5 Qc8 20. Ne5 Nd7 21. f4 b6 22. Qa3 Nxe5 23. fxe5 Qf8 24. Qxf8+ Kxf8 25. Kf2 Rc8 26. Rc1 Ke7 27. Ke3 f6 28. exf6+ Kxf6 29. h4 Ke7 30. Kd2 Rf8 31. Rf1 Rxf1 32. Bxf1 Kf6 33. Ke3 Bf5 34. g3 Be6 35. Bg2 g5 36. a3 Ke7 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. Bf1 {1/2-1/2 (38) Navara,D (2681)-Vidit,S (2723) Prague 2022}) 9... Bg4 10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Ng5 Be7 12. Nxe4 Qxd4 13. Qxb7 Qxe4 14. Qxa8 {[#]} Bh3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 14... Bd6 15. Qxa7 Bh3 16. gxh3 Qe5 17. Rd1 Qxh2+ 18. Kf1 Qxh3+ 19. Ke1 Bb4+ 20. Nc3 Bxc3+ 21. bxc3 Qxc3+ 22. Bd2 Re8+ 23. Kf1 Qh3+ 24. Kg1 Qg4+ 25. Kh1 {1/2-1/2 (25) Duhrssen,R-Batik,F corr 1928}) 15. gxh3 Qg6+ 16. Kh1 Qe4+ 17. Kg1 Qg6+ 18. Kh1 Qe4+ 19. f3 Qd3 20. Kg2 Qg6+ 21. Kh1 (21. Bg5 {After the game Nepomniachtchi mentioned to Rapport that this was the best way to avoid repetition.}) 21... Qd3 22. Nd2 {This is not a very sensible decision. Frustration at six draws in a row probably affected Rapport's decision.} Qd7 23. Ne4 Na6 24. Qxf8+ Bxf8 25. Bf4 {Nepomniachtchi I think said that he knew up to this position.} (25. Be3) 25... Qxh3 26. Rad1 h6 27. Bg3 (27. Be3) 27... Nc5 28. Rfe1 Ne6 29. a3 h5 30. Rd3 {Already there's not much hope.} Qf5 31. b4 h4 32. Bb8 Ng5 33. Rde3 Nxe4 { Exchanging off white's best defensive piece quickly ends the game.} 34. fxe4 Qf2 35. h3 Be7 36. Bh2 Bg5 37. Bg1 Qd2 38. R3e2 Qd3 39. Be3 Bf6 40. Bxa7 Qxh3+ 41. Kg1 Qg3+ 42. Kf1 h3 43. Bg1 Bh4 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E47"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,64,19,27,27,0,4,5,10,14,25,25,28,23,29,15,37,33,30,21,22,25,26,7,30, -9,-22,-31,-19,-17,9,4,15,8,8,8,2,-14,13,0,10,0,7,4,10,3,4,0,0,0,17,0,17,11,17, 11,6,18,23,14,4,4,50,0,68,45,28]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nge2 d5 7. cxd5 cxd4 8. exd4 Nxd5 9. O-O Nc6 10. a3 Bd6 11. Re1 Nce7 {[#]} ({Relevant:} 11... Qh4 12. g3 Qh5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Bf4 Rd8 15. Qd2 Bf8 16. Be3 Bd6 17. Bg5 Rf8 18. Bf4 Be7 19. b4 a6 20. Be3 Bd6 21. Bf4 Be7 22. Be5 Bg5 23. f4 Bd8 24. Nc3 Bb6 25. Be2 Bg4 26. Bxg4 Qxg4 27. Nxd5 Ba7 28. Kg2 Rad8 29. Ne3 Qd7 30. d5 Bxe3 31. Rxe3 Qxd5+ 32. Qxd5 Rxd5 33. Bc3 f6 34. Kf3 Kf7 35. Rae1 Rfd8 36. g4 Rd3 37. f5 Rxe3+ 38. Rxe3 Rd1 39. h3 h5 40. Ke4 Rg1 41. Kf4 { Sarana,A (2675)-Keymer,V (2667) Chess.com INT 2022 1/2-1/2 (66)}) 12. Bc2 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12. Bb1 Re8 13. Qd3 Ng6 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Bd2 Qh4 16. h3 Be6 17. Ba2 Rac8 18. Rac1 Rxc1 19. Bxc1 Rd8 20. Qf3 Bb8 21. Bd2 b6 22. Bb1 Re8 23. Bd3 h6 24. Bc2 Ne7 25. Bb1 Rc8 26. b4 Ng6 27. Bxg6 fxg6 28. Bf4 Qf6 29. Bxb8 Qxf3 30. gxf3 Rxb8 31. Nf4 Bf7 32. Re7 g5 33. Nd3 a5 34. Kg2 axb4 35. axb4 Kf8 36. Ra7 Be8 37. f4 gxf4 38. Nxf4 Bf7 39. Nd3 Be8 40. Nf4 Bf7 41. Rd7 Rc8 { Struzka,V (2055)-Tauscher,K ICCF email 2013 1/2-1/2 (65)}) 12... Bd7 13. Qd3 { A man after my own heart.} f5 14. Bb3 Qb6 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 exd5 {Black would prefer his f-pawn back on f7 but apart from that he has the two bishops and a reasonable position.} 17. Bf4 Rae8 18. g3 Bxf4 19. Nxf4 Re4 20. Red1 Bc6 21. h4 Rfe8 22. Qc3 g6 23. b4 (23. a4) 23... Ba4 24. Rd2 Qc6 25. Qc5 Re1+ 26. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27. Kg2 Qxc5 28. bxc5 Bc6 29. Re2 Rd1 30. Ne6 Bd7 31. Nd8 Rxd4 32. Re7 Bc6 {This looks a bit tricky but very soon they arrive in a completely drawn rook and pawn endgame.} 33. Nxc6 bxc6 34. Rc7 Ra4 35. Rxc6 Rxa3 36. Rd6 Rc3 37. Rxd5 a5 38. c6 a4 39. Ra5 a3 40. c7 Rxc7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,36,27,-27,-3,-42,-32,-38,-32,-57,-26,-26,-5,9,9,15,6,24,8,9,17,-30,-9, -24,-45,-48,-37,-52,-69,-49,-19,-44,-31,-38,-36,-43,-45,-40,-30]} 1. c4 { Giri,Anish} e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Bc5 4. d3 O-O 5. Nc3 c6 6. Nf3 d6 7. O-O a5 8. d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 a4 10. Rb1 {[#]} Qa5 $146 ({Relevant:} 10... Re8 11. e3 Qa5 12. Bd2 Bg4 13. f3 Bh5 14. Ne4 Qd8 15. Nxc5 dxc5 16. Ne2 Qd3 17. Nf4 Qxc4 18. b3 axb3 19. axb3 Qb5 20. e4 Bg6 21. Bc3 Na6 22. h4 h5 23. Qc1 Kh7 24. Rd1 Rad8 25. Qb2 c4 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Qxf6 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Qc5+ 29. Kh2 Qe7 30. Qxe7 Rxe7 31. bxc4 Kg7 32. Bh3 Nc5 33. Rd6 f6 34. Ne6+ Nxe6 35. Bxe6 Be8 36. c5 Bf7 37. Bc8 Re5 38. Bxb7 Rxc5 39. Rxc6 Rb5 40. Ba6 {So,W (2770)-Caruana,F (2820) Bucharest 2021 CBM 203 [Giri,Anish] 1-0}) 11. Nc2 Bf5 12. Bd2 Nbd7 13. Rc1 Qa7 14. b3 axb3 15. axb3 Rfe8 16. Na4 Be4 17. Bc3 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 d5 {Already the position is pretty equal. Nothing terribly interesting happens as the players slowly trade down to a draw.} 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Ne3 dxc4 21. bxc4 Qh5 22. h3 Rad8 23. Qc2 Ne4 24. Rcd1 Nxc3 25. Qxc3 Nf6 26. Qb2 b5 27. g4 Qc5 28. cxb5 Qxb5 29. Qxb5 cxb5 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. Rb1 Rb8 {It's really hard to imagine anything other than a draw.} 32. Rb4 Ne8 33. Nd5 f6 34. e4 Kf7 35. f4 Ke6 36. Kf3 Kd6 37. Rb1 Nc7 38. Nb4 Ra8 39. e5+ fxe5 40. Rd1+ Ke7 41. Nc6+ Ke6 42. fxe5 Ra3+ 43. Ke4 Ra4+ 44. Nd4+ Ke7 45. Kd3 Ne6 46. Nf5+ Kf8 47. Rc1 Nf4+ 48. Kd2 Rc4 49. Rf1 g5 50. h4 Ne6 51. hxg5 Rxg4 52. Nd6+ Rf4 53. Rxf4+ Nxf4 54. Nxb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B28"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,99,27,11,51,51,87,46,44,14,10,10,21,28,46,35,16,14,14,11,11,22,0,7,16, 18,33,39,60,46,58,51,54,89,70,76,80,54,50,56,93,42,32,37,52,36,39,46,36,45,53, 63,70,64,68,51,50,47,38,50,63,55,45,44,59,20,25,19,40,44,43,41,43,47,55,42,14, 10,37,45,185,120,91,95,95,97,123,115,115,137,137,128,176,176,176,176,177,49, 150,170,390,156]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3. c4 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 {Already Caruana had to start thinking hard here. It's nice to surprise your opponent and get lots of time but Radjabov ends up with a worse position and that's no good at all.} 6. Nf5 d5 {Again played quickly.} ({Relevant:} 6... d6 7. Nc3 g6 8. Ne3 Bh6 9. Bd3 Nge7 10. h4 Kf8 11. h5 Kg7 12. Ned5 Bxc1 13. Qxc1 h6 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. Qe3 Nd4 16. O-O-O Nxd5 17. exd5 Bf5 18. f4 Bxd3 19. fxe5 Nf5 20. Qxd3 dxe5 21. Ne4 Rc8 22. Kb1 Nd4 23. Rhf1 b5 24. Qg3 Re8 25. Rf6 g5 26. Qh3 Rh8 27. Rdf1 Rc7 28. d6 Qa8 29. Qg4 Ra7 30. Nxg5 {1-0 (30) Carlsen,M (2862)-Artemiev,V (2708) Chess.com INT 2020}) 7. cxd5 Bxf5 8. exf5 Nd4 9. Bd3 (9. Nc3) 9... Qxd5 10. Nc3 Qd7 11. O-O Nf6 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Re1 {[#]} O-O-O $146 {This seems super-risky and I find it hard to believe this was still preparation.} ({ Predecessor:} 13... Nc6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Be4 Rd8 16. Nd5 Bg5 17. Qh5 Be7 18. Rad1 Nd4 19. f6 gxf6 20. Rxd4 exd4 21. Bf3 {1-0 (21) Schrancz,I-Roth,E Hungary 1969}) (13... h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6) 14. Rxe5 Nc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rd5 Qe7 17. Bc4 Kb8 18. Qd3 $6 (18. Qb3 {Seems to be the way to go.} Nd4 19. Qb6) 18... Qb4 $6 (18... Qc7 $11) 19. Bb3 Nd4 20. Qc4 Qxc4 21. Bxc4 Rc8 22. Bd3 Nc6 {White is a pawn up but it's unclear how useful the extra pawn is.} 23. Be4 Rhe8 24. f3 Re7 25. Rad1 {Already the computer says white's advantage is quite serious.} h6 26. Kf2 Rcc7 (26... Bxc3 27. bxc3 Ne5) 27. R5d2 Bxc3 28. bxc3 Ne5 29. Rc1 (29. Kg3 Rxc3 30. Kh4 Rcc7) 29... f6 $6 {Things are pretty difficult from now on.} ( 29... Ng4+ $5) 30. Kg3 Ka7 31. Rd4 Rc5 32. Kh4 Rec7 33. Kh5 b5 34. f4 Nd7 35. Rcd1 Nb6 36. R1d3 Na4 37. Kg6 Nxc3 38. Bf3 Nxa2 39. Rd7 Nc3 40. Kxg7 b4 { White is winning. Caruana takes his time and makes sure.} 41. Kxf6 b3 42. Rd2 a5 43. Ke6 Rxd7 44. Rxd7+ Ka6 45. f6 b2 46. f7 b1=Q 47. f8=Q Qg6+ 48. Qf6 Qe8+ 49. Kd6 Rc4 50. Rc7 Kb5 51. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 52. fxe5 Rxc7 53. Kxc7 Kc5 54. e6 Nb5+ 55. Kd7 a4 56. e7 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A22"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2793"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Bc5 4. d3 O-O 5. Nc3 c6 6. Nf3 d6 7. O-O a5 8. d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 a4 10. Rb1 Qa5 $5 (10... Re8 11. e3 Qa5 12. Bd2 Bg4 13. f3 Bh5 14. Ne4 Qd8 15. Nxc5 dxc5 16. Ne2 {1-0 (52) So,W (2770)-Caruana,F (2820) Bucharest ROU 2021}) 11. Nc2 Bf5 12. Bd2 Nbd7 13. Rc1 Qa7 14. b3 axb3 15. axb3 Rfe8 16. Na4 Be4 17. Bc3 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 d5 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Ne3 dxc4 21. bxc4 Qh5 22. h3 Rad8 23. Qc2 Ne4 24. Rcd1 Nxc3 25. Qxc3 Nf6 26. Qb2 b5 27. g4 Qc5 28. cxb5 Qxb5 29. Qxb5 cxb5 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. Rb1 Rb8 32. Rb4 Ne8 33. Nd5 f6 34. e4 Kf7 35. f4 Ke6 36. Kf3 Kd6 37. Rb1 Nc7 38. Nb4 Ra8 39. e5+ fxe5 40. Rd1+ Ke7 41. Nc6+ Ke6 42. fxe5 Ra3+ 43. Ke4 Ra4+ 44. Nd4+ Ke7 45. Kd3 Ne6 46. Nf5+ Kf8 47. Rc1 Nf4+ 48. Kd2 Rc4 49. Rf1 g5 50. h4 Ne6 51. hxg5 Rxg4 52. Nd6+ Rf4 53. Rxf4+ Nxf4 54. Nxb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2766"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,28,17,25,17,25,66,23,30,30,30,12,13,12,59,59,53,52,52,35,95,48,54,53, 97,58,9,0,118,118,438]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Qb3 Bg4 10. Bxe4 (10. Nbd2 Nxd2 11. Nxd2 Qb6 12. c5 Qxb3 13. axb3 Bf4 14. b4 Na6 15. Bxa6 bxa6 16. Nf3 Bxc1 17. Rfxc1 Bc8 18. Ne5 Bb7 19. f3 f6 20. Nd3 {1-0 (69) Short,N (2649)-Harikrishna,P (2668) Kemer 2007}) 10... dxe4 11. Ng5 Be7 12. Nxe4 Qxd4 13. Qxb7 Qxe4 14. Qxa8 Bh3 15. gxh3 Qg6+ 16. Kh1 Qe4+ {1/2-1/2 (16) Marquardt,G (2250)-Cantelli,A (2253) ICCF email 2019} 17. Kg1 Qg6+ 18. Kh1 Qe4+ 19. f3 Qd3 20. Kg2 Qg6+ 21. Kh1 Qd3 22. Nd2 $6 Qd7 23. Ne4 Na6 24. Qxf8+ Bxf8 25. Bf4 Qxh3 26. Rad1 h6 27. Bg3 Nc5 28. Rfe1 Ne6 29. a3 h5 30. Rd3 Qf5 31. b4 h4 32. Bb8 Ng5 $5 (32... c5 33. b5 Nd4) 33. Rde3 $6 (33. Ree3 $1) 33... Nxe4 34. fxe4 Qf2 35. h3 Be7 36. Bh2 Bg5 37. Bg1 Qd2 38. R3e2 Qd3 39. Be3 Bf6 40. Bxa7 Qxh3+ 41. Kg1 Qg3+ 42. Kf1 h3 43. Bg1 Bh4 $1 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E48"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,26,26,19,19,4,1,8,22,26,29,28,28,21,21,7,51,36,42,13,24,19,19,10,26, -22,3,-29,-25]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nge2 d5 7. cxd5 cxd4 8. exd4 Nxd5 9. O-O Nc6 10. a3 Bd6 11. Re1 Nce7 $5 (11... Re8 12. Bc2 Qh4 (12... Bf8 13. Ng3 g6 14. Nge4 h6 {½-½ (104) Bluebaum,M (2637)-Nakamura, H (2750) INT 2022}) 13. g3 (13. Ng3 Bd7 14. Re4 Qd8 15. Qd3 f5 16. Re1 Qf6 { 0-1 (28) Sarana,A (2685)-Nakamura,H (2750) INT 2022}) 13... Qh5 14. Ne4 Bf8 15. N2c3 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Rd8 17. Bg5 {1/2-1/2 (71) Caruana,F (2806)-Nakamura,H (2736) Saint Louis USA 2021}) (11... Qh4 12. g3 Qh5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Bf4 Be7 15. h4 Bg4 16. Qd2 h6 17. Be3 g5 18. Bc2 f5 19. Nc3 Rad8 20. hxg5 Bf3 {0-1 (20) Bluebaum,M (2663)-Nakamura,H (2766) INT 2022}) 12. Bc2 Bd7 13. Qd3 f5 14. Bb3 Qb6 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Bf4 Rae8 18. g3 $5 Bxf4 19. Nxf4 Re4 20. Red1 Bc6 21. h4 Rfe8 22. Qc3 g6 23. b4 Ba4 24. Rd2 Qc6 25. Qc5 Re1+ 26. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27. Kg2 Qxc5 28. bxc5 Bc6 29. Re2 Rd1 30. Ne6 Bd7 31. Nd8 Rxd4 32. Re7 Bc6 33. Nxc6 bxc6 34. Rc7 Ra4 35. Rxc6 Rxa3 36. Rd6 Rc3 37. Rxd5 a5 38. c6 a4 39. Ra5 a3 40. c7 Rxc7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B28"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2753"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 $5 3. c4 (3. d4 $6 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5) (3. c3 $5) 3... Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Nf5 d5 7. cxd5 Bxf5 8. exf5 Nd4 9. Bd3 Qxd5 10. Nc3 (10. O-O O-O-O 11. Nd2 Nf6 12. Bc4 Qd7 13. Nf3 Qxf5 14. Nxd4 exd4 { 1/2-1/2 (42) Kaiumov,D-Polovodin,I (2355) Moscow 1979}) 10... Qd7 (10... Bb4 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Qe2 Nf6 14. Rb1 (14. Ba3 O-O-O 15. Bc4 Qe4 16. Qxe4 Nxe4 17. Rfe1 Nxc3 18. Bxf7 Rd2 19. Bc1 Ne2+ 20. Kf1 Nxc1 21. Raxc1 Kb8 { 1/2-1/2 (64) Horvath,A (2437)-Varga,Z (2518) Koszeg 1999}) 14... O-O 15. Rxb7 e4 16. Bxa6 Qxf5 17. Rb3 Ne5 18. Bb7 Ra4 19. Be3 {0-1 (39) Teuschler,B (2218) -Horvath,P (2422) Austria 2017}) 11. O-O Nf6 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Re1 O-O-O $6 14. Rxe5 Nc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rd5 Qe7 17. Bc4 Kb8 18. Qd3 Qb4 19. Bb3 Nd4 20. Qc4 Qxc4 21. Bxc4 Rc8 22. Bd3 Nc6 23. Be4 Rhe8 24. f3 Re7 25. Rad1 h6 26. Kf2 Rcc7 27. R5d2 Bxc3 28. bxc3 Ne5 29. Rc1 f6 30. Kg3 Ka7 31. Rd4 Rc5 32. Kh4 Rec7 33. Kh5 b5 34. f4 Nd7 35. Rcd1 Nb6 36. R1d3 Na4 37. Kg6 Nxc3 38. Bf3 Nxa2 39. Rd7 Nc3 40. Kxg7 b4 41. Kxf6 b3 42. Rd2 a5 43. Ke6 Rxd7 44. Rxd7+ Ka6 45. f6 b2 46. f7 b1=Q 47. f8=Q Qg6+ 48. Qf6 $1 Qe8+ 49. Kd6 $1 Rc4 50. Rc7 Kb5 (50... Rd4+ $5 51. Kc5+ $1 (51. Qxd4 $4 Nb5+ $19) 51... Rd6 52. Qxd6+ Qc6+ 53. Qxc6#) 51. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 52. fxe5 Rxc7 53. Kxc7 Kc5 54. e6 Nb5+ 55. Kd7 a4 56. e7 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B28"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {[%evp 0,111,19,31,72,53,70,40,40,15,12,12,11,22,21,19,48,25,22,15,15,25,25,6, 31,10,-4,41,37,47,44,59,80,63,63,75,65,44,90,72,97,31,31,38,58,36,28,47,46,42, 51,64,116,78,65,50,54,44,36,48,72,54,48,30,39,13,17,17,43,40,43,50,43,54,32,8, 52,18,14,14,113,87,106,106,64,59,99,109,109,180,180,180,180,0,180,180,86,62, 165,130,380,164,153,191,166,166,255,264,264,269,271,226,226,244]} 1. e4 c5 $1 { Radjabov has gotten a lot of very understandable heat in the past few years for showing no ambition, forcing draws with White in well known lines, never trying to win, drawing nearly all his games, you name it. In my opinion, much of this heat is fully justified. That said, I do have to give him props for showing a willingness to fight today as early as the first move 1.} 2. Nf3 a6 { I can't remember analyzing this move in the last 10 years $1} 3. c4 (3. c3 { I always thought this was supposed to be the best way to punish the line, but that may be outdated.}) 3... Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Nf5 d5 {Radjabov was still blitzing to here, suggesting he was still in his preparation. The position is not great though.} 7. cxd5 Bxf5 8. exf5 Nd4 9. Bd3 $1 {I like this decision from Caruana. The computer wants to try to hang onto the d5-pawn with Nc3, but this feels more human and less risky.} Qxd5 10. Nc3 $1 {Another good move. White makes sure to grab a tempo on the queen before castling.} (10. O-O O-O-O $1 {Now it is too late for Nc3, as it can be met with a check on f3. Black should be fine.}) 10... Qd7 11. O-O Nf6 $6 {This is not a bad move, but I think it was played with the wrong plan in mind. Given that Black ended up castling long in the game, he probably should have done so right away.} (11... O-O-O {If Black was going to castle long, he should have done so immediately. Still, he looks a little worse to me after} 12. Be3 Kb8 13. Rc1 $14) 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Re1 O-O-O (13... O-O $1 {Had Radjabov found this idea, I would not think to criticize Be7. But, if you play Be7 and don't go for this... I don't like it.} 14. Rxe5 Rfe8 {White is a little better with the pawn up, but he struggles to coordinate and Black has some counterplay with Rad8 coming next. In the game, Black's kingside got ransacked because it lacked defenders, while now the king can keep it safe.}) 14. Rxe5 Nc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 (15... Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Qxd3 17. Qc1 $18 {Stockfish 010422:} Kd7 ({Stockfish 010422:} 17... Bc5 18. Na4 b6 19. b4 Rhe8 20. Bg3 Re2 21. bxc5 Rd2 22. cxb6+ Qc2 23. Nc3 Kb7 24. Bf4 Qxc1+ 25. Rxc1 R2d4 26. g3 Rc4 27. Be3 Rd3 28. Ne2 Rxc1+ 29. Nxc1 Ra3 30. Kg2 Ra5 31. Kf1 g6 32. f6 Ra3 33. Ke2 g5 34. Kf3 Ra4 35. Nd3 Rxa2 36. Ne5 Ra5 37. Ke4 Rxe5+ 38. Kxe5 a5 39. Kd5 a4 40. Kc4 a3 41. Kb3 {[%eval 665,35] [%wdl 1000,0,0]}) ({Stockfish 010422:} 17... b6 18. Na4+ Bc5 19. b4 Rhe8 20. Bg3 Re2 21. bxc5 Rd2 22. cxb6+ Qc2 23. Nc3 Kb7 24. Bf4 Qxc1+ 25. Rxc1 R2d4 26. g3 Rc4 27. Be3 a5 28. Kf1 f6 29. Ne2 Rxc1+ 30. Nxc1 Rd5 31. Ke2 Rxf5 32. a4 Rh5 33. Nb3 Ka6 34. Kd3 h6 35. Kc4 Re5 36. Bd4 Re1 37. b7 Kxb7 38. Nxa5+ Kc7 {[%eval 669,35] [%wdl 1000,0,0]}) ({Stockfish 010422:} 17... Qd2 18. Nd5+ Qxc1+ 19. Rxc1+ Kd7 20. Bxg7 Rhg8 21. Bf6 Bxf6 22. Nxf6+ Kd6 23. Nxg8 Rxg8 24. f3 b5 25. h4 Ke5 26. Rc5+ Kd6 27. b4 h5 28. Kf2 Re8 29. f6 Rh8 30. Kg3 Ke6 31. Rc6+ Kf5 32. Rxa6 Rg8+ 33. Kf2 Rc8 34. Ra5 Rc2+ 35. Kg3 Kg6 36. a3 Ra2 37. Kh3 Ra1 38. g4 hxg4+ 39. fxg4 Kxf6 40. h5 Ke5 41. Rxb5+ Ke4 42. Ra5 Rh1+ 43. Kg2 {[%eval 744,35] [%wdl 1000,0,0]}) 18. Qf4 f6 19. Rd1 Qxd1+ 20. Nxd1 fxe5 21. Qc4 Rhf8 22. Ne3 Bd6 23. g3 h5 24. b4 Rf6 25. Kg2 Ke8 26. Qh4 Kd7 27. Qxh5 Kc8 28. Qg4 Bf8 29. a3 Kb8 30. Qg5 e4 31. Qf4+ Bd6 32. Qxe4 Rff8 33. h4 Rfe8 34. Qf3 Bc7 35. h5 Rf8 36. Ng4 Bb6 37. h6 gxh6 38. f6 Rd7 39. Nxh6 Bc7 40. Ng4 {[%eval 594, 35] [%wdl 1000,0,0]}) 16. Rd5 Qe7 17. Bc4 Kb8 18. Qd3 $6 {This allows Black a bunch of extra options.} (18. g3 {More pawns on dark squares, make room for the king. White is much better but the game goes on.}) ({Stockfish 010422:} 18. g3 Rhe8 19. Qf3 Ne5 20. Qe2 Nxc4 21. Qxc4 Qc7 22. Qxc7+ Kxc7 23. Rc1 Kb8 24. Rc2 Bxc3 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Rxc3 Rd2 27. Rb3 Kc7 28. Kg2 b5 29. a3 Kd6 30. g4 Ke5 31. Kg3 Re2 32. f3 Kf6 33. h3 h6 34. Rb4 Ke5 35. a4 bxa4 36. Rxa4 Rxb2 37. Rxa6 {[%eval 102,39] [%wdl 349,649,2]}) ({Stockfish 010422:} 18. Qb3 Nd4 19. Qb6 Rhe8 20. Rxd8+ Qxd8 21. Qxd8+ Rxd8 22. Rd1 Nxf5 23. Rxd8+ Bxd8 24. Bxf7 Nd6 25. Bg8 h6 26. Kf1 Kc7 27. Ke2 Kc6 28. Kd3 Kc5 29. Nd5 a5 30. g3 Nc4 31. b4+ axb4 32. Nf4 Ne5+ 33. Ke4 Kd6 34. Bb3 Ng4 35. Ne6 Bf6 36. Kf5 Nxh2 37. Kg6 Ng4 38. f4 Ne3 39. Nxg7 Bxg7 40. Kxg7 Nf5+ 41. Kh7 Nxg3 42. Kxh6 Nf5+ 43. Kh5 { [%eval 90,39] [%wdl 277,721,2]}) 18... Qb4 {Not bad, but not best either. The computer wants Qc7, but I think Nb4 looks best to a human eye.} (18... Nb4 $5 { This would have been my choice and looks like a pretty convincing route to a defensible position. White is forced to give Black the d-file.} 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Qf3 Qc7 {Black is ready for Rd2 next. He looks fine to me.}) 19. Bb3 Nd4 20. Qc4 Qxc4 21. Bxc4 Rc8 22. Bd3 Nc6 {White is a pawn up, but with a doubled pawn and opposite bishops, the win is not certain. Caruana found the best plan by far: Put the bishop on e4 and anchor it with f3.} 23. Be4 $1 Rhe8 24. f3 $1 {White's extra pawn is on full display. He has one f-pawn anchoring his bishop on a fantastic square, and another f-pawn ruining any hope of dislodging it with f7-f5. Now, Radjabov defended passively. This will absolutely not work, he needs counterplay.} Re7 $2 {Way too passive.} (24... Ne5 $1 {The only try. The knight is coming to c4, and Black gets some counterplay. He is worse but the game goes on.}) 25. Rad1 h6 26. Kf2 Rcc7 27. R5d2 Bxc3 28. bxc3 Ne5 29. Rc1 {The computer claims that Caruana's last few moves were a little careless because now Black can go Ng4+ and Nf6. This is true in theory, but I don't think it's as big a deal as the machine implies.} f6 $2 {Eschewing the last chance. Now White's king runs straight to g6 and he wins the game on the kingside.} (29... Ng4+ $1 30. Kg3 Nf6 $1 31. Kf4 {In human terms I still think Black is very likely to lose here to h2-h4 and g2-g4-g5. Stockfish might hold it... but flesh and blood beings, I don't see it happening.}) 30. Kg3 Ka7 31. Rd4 Rc5 32. Kh4 Rec7 33. Kh5 {Around here Radjabov stopped trying to defend and started looking for queenside counterplay. It's the right call to make, but it is way too slow.} b5 34. f4 Nd7 35. Rcd1 Nb6 36. R1d3 Na4 37. Kg6 Nxc3 { Now, Caruana needed to find a couple only moves to win the game. But, they were not particularly difficult, and even with the clock ticking down on the last few moves before time control, he found them easily.} 38. Bf3 $1 Nxa2 39. Rd7 $1 {White's pawns will be much better than Black's, and White's king and bishop are both much more active than Black's king and knight.} Nc3 40. Kxg7 b4 41. Kxf6 b3 {Sadly for Radjabov, right around the moment when White's moves become a little harder was when he got another hour. I think had that hour been absent, Caruana very likely still would have won the game, but the certainty would not be 100\%. With that hour, it's game over.} 42. Rd2 $1 a5 43. Ke6 Rxd7 44. Rxd7+ Ka6 45. f6 (45. Rd8 {Getting the rook behind the b-pawn worked too, but the position with both sides queening wins easily.}) 45... b2 46. f7 b1=Q 47. f8=Q {Without time on the clock, it's easy to see this position from afar with Black to move and get spooked since he gets the first check. But, with even not that much time to calculate, it becomes clear that the checks rapidly run out, and White is winning.} Qg6+ 48. Qf6 Qe8+ (48... Qxf6+ 49. Kxf6 $18 {The f-pawn will win the game.}) 49. Kd6 $1 {A final accurare move. It's not even that stressful since Black has no checks.} (49. Re7 $2 {It was still not too late to blunder.} Rc6+ 50. Bxc6 Qxc6+ 51. Kf7 Qxf6+ 52. Kxf6 Nd5+ 53. Ke6 Nxe7 54. Kxe7 a4 {Suddenly, Black can reach a drawn queen endgame, though even this might be hard to hold in practice.}) 49... Rc4 50. Rc7 {Just one winning move among many.} Kb5 51. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 52. fxe5 Rxc7 53. Kxc7 {There is no stopping the e-pawn.} Kc5 54. e6 Nb5+ 55. Kd7 a4 56. e7 {Radjabov called it a day. Coming into the tournament, I had two main hopes. One would be that it would be a compact event with a lot of excitement and a lot of guys fighting for first, and the other (and bigger one) was that Hikaru would be one of those guys and that he would eventually win the tournament. This was not a great day for either of those hopes. But, it has to be said that the two guys atop the leaderboard have clearly been playing the best chess of the tournament by a wide margin, which always feels better than someone winning because they are getting lucky. I'm hopeful that the guys who are struggling will be able to find the best versions of themselves in the second half. I can't really see anyone catching the leaders barring some really bizarre circumstances, but I hope they face a tougher challenge in the remaining rounds.} 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A22"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 {Nepomniachtchi played 2...c6 against Ding in round one.} 3. Bg2 Bc5 4. d3 O-O 5. Nc3 c6 6. Nf3 d6 7. O-O {A typical position from the English Opening. Lots of maneuvering ahead.} a5 8. d4 {They are following the game So vs. Caruana from 2021.} exd4 9. Nxd4 a4 10. Rb1 Qa5 {A novelty. White has more space and some positional trumps, so Black must get counterplay quickly. But he is in time.} (10... Re8 11. e3 Qa5 12. Bd2 {and Wesley So won a good game against Caruana in Bucharest, 2021.}) 11. Nc2 (11. e3 {is a natural move, but Black gets a good position after} Bg4 $1) 11... Bf5 12. Bd2 Nbd7 13. Rc1 (13. b4 axb3 14. axb3 Qc7 {with an equal position.}) (13. Ne4 $6 Qa6 14. Nxc5 Nxc5 {and Black is too active.}) 13... Qa7 (13... Rfe8 $11) 14. b3 axb3 15. axb3 Rfe8 16. Na4 Be4 $1 17. Bc3 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 d5 $1 {Firouzja solves all his problems after this move.} 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Ne3 dxc4 21. bxc4 Qh5 22. h3 Rad8 23. Qc2 Ne4 24. Rcd1 Nxc3 25. Qxc3 Nf6 26. Qb2 b5 {It was clear for everyone now that this game was going to end in a draw.} 27. g4 Qc5 28. cxb5 Qxb5 29. Qxb5 cxb5 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. Rb1 Rb8 32. Rb4 Ne8 33. Nd5 f6 34. e4 Kf7 35. f4 Ke6 36. Kf3 Kd6 37. Rb1 Nc7 38. Nb4 Ra8 39. e5+ (39. Rd1+ Kc5 40. Rc1+ Kb6 $11 (40... Kxb4 $6 41. Rxc7 {this might be somewhat dangerous for Black.}) (40... Kd6 $11)) 39... fxe5 40. Rd1+ Ke7 41. Nc6+ Ke6 42. fxe5 (42. f5+ Kf6 43. Rd6+ Kg5 44. Rd7 Ra3+ 45. Kg2 Ra2+ {with a draw.}) 42... Ra3+ 43. Ke4 Ra4+ 44. Nd4+ Ke7 45. Kd3 Ne6 46. Nf5+ Kf8 47. Rc1 Nf4+ 48. Kd2 Rc4 49. Rf1 g5 50. h4 Ne6 51. hxg5 Rxg4 52. Nd6+ Rf4 53. Rxf4+ Nxf4 54. Nxb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E48"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nge2 d5 7. cxd5 cxd4 8. exd4 Nxd5 9. O-O Nc6 10. a3 Bd6 11. Re1 {This move is the most fashionable nowadays. The other possible moves are:} (11. Nxd5) (11. Bc2) (11. Ne4) 11... Nce7 {A move Nakamura clearly had prepared. I found only one correspondence game with it.} (11... Re8 {Nakamura played this move three times recently.}) 12. Bc2 {A natural and new move.} (12. Bb1 Re8 13. Qd3 Ng6 {ended in a draw in Struzka-Tauscher, ICCF email 2013}) 12... Bd7 13. Qd3 f5 {This looks like a concession, but it's a typical way to gain space and stop any White attack on the kingside. Of course, it also gives away the e5-square.} (13... Ng6 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Bf4 Qc7 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. h4 {with a slight advantage for White.}) 14. Bb3 Qb6 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Bf4 {There is a complex positional fight on the board. If White manages to exchange bishops and land a knight on e5, then he is just winning. But life is never so easy when playing Nakamura.} Rae8 18. g3 (18. Qd2 $5) 18... Bxf4 19. Nxf4 Re4 $1 20. Red1 $1 Bc6 $6 (20... Qxb2 $2 {Of course not this one.} 21. Rab1 Qa2 22. Rxb7 {and White is much better.}) (20... Ba4 $1 {leads to an equal endgame after:} 21. Nxd5 (21. Rd2 Bb3 {and Black improves the bishop and has no problems.}) 21... Qxb2 22. Rab1 Qc2 23. Ne3 Qxd3 24. Rxd3 b6) 21. h4 $1 {Preventing the g7-g5 advance.} Rfe8 22. Qc3 g6 {A difficult move to play. The position looks dangerous for Black.} 23. b4 $6 (23. a4 $1 {was the right way.} a5 24. b3 $14 {Black is without counterplay for now, and White might try to improve the position with Rac1-Rd3-Qd2-Rc5 and so on.}) 23... Ba4 $1 {Now Black's bishop is not so passive.} 24. Rd2 Qc6 $1 25. Qc5 Re1+ (25... Bb5 $11) 26. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27. Kg2 Qxc5 28. bxc5 (28. dxc5 Ra1 {and Black is fine.}) 28... Bc6 29. Re2 Rd1 30. Ne6 Bd7 {Now the position simplifies to a draw.} 31. Nd8 Rxd4 32. Re7 Bc6 33. Nxc6 bxc6 34. Rc7 Ra4 35. Rxc6 Rxa3 36. Rd6 Rc3 37. Rxd5 a5 38. c6 a4 39. Ra5 a3 40. c7 Rxc7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {By now, it's clear what Nepomniachtchi’s first choice is as Black against 1.e4.} 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Qb3 {A rare move. Rapport decides to go for a theoretical battle in a forcing variation. This will backfire.} Bg4 $1 10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Ng5 Be7 12. Nxe4 Qxd4 13. Qxb7 Qxe4 14. Qxa8 Bh3 $1 {This move just forces a draw. It has been played before in two correspondence games, and it's also the first choice of my computer. I wonder what went wrong with Rapport's opening preparation.} 15. gxh3 Qg6+ 16. Kh1 Qe4+ 17. Kg1 Qg6+ 18. Kh1 Qe4+ 19. f3 { Rapport decides not go for a draw just yet.} Qd3 20. Kg2 Qg6+ 21. Kh1 Qd3 22. Nd2 $2 {A brave decision, but a bad one too. It's clear that Nepomniachtchi is still on preparation, and it's better to just accept the draw. Instead, Rapport trusts his ability to evaluate the position correctly, plays with less time, and goes for a position that is known to his opponent. I think he didn't understand how dangerous his position really is with two rooks against a queen. } Qd7 $1 {This nice queen swing is the justification for Black's 14th move. Now White's queen is trapped. Usually two rooks are better than a queen, but this position is an exception. White has too many weaknesses and it's hard to defend against the queen invasion.} 23. Ne4 Na6 24. Qxf8+ Bxf8 {The position is much worse for White than it seems at first sight. Black is actually winning here. The main problem is the damaged pawn structure on the kingside. White's king will never have an easy time.} (24... Kxf8 {During the game I expected this capture, leaving the bishop on a more active position. Black is also better here but capturing with the bishop is better.}) 25. Bf4 (25. Kg2 { was the move I expected when following the game, but White is just lost.} Qd4 { the c4-pawn falls.}) 25... Qxh3 26. Rad1 h6 {A good human move, giving some air to the king and also preparing to advance the pawns on the kingside if necessary.} (26... h5 {was also good.}) 27. Bg3 Nc5 $1 28. Rfe1 (28. Nxc5 Bxc5 {White has no counterplay. Black will advance the kingside pawns and eventually win. For instance:} 29. a3 a5 30. Rfe1 h5 $19) 28... Ne6 $5 (28... Nxe4 {was also winning.} 29. Rxe4 (29. fxe4 Bc5 {Followed by h5-h4, winning.}) 29... Bc5 {White has no counterplay. The plan is f6-h5-Kh7-g5 and so on.}) 29. a3 h5 (29... Nf4 $5 30. Rd2 (30. Bxf4 Qxf3+ 31. Kg1 Qxf4 {wins.}) 30... f5 31. Nc3 h5 {with a winning attack.}) 30. Rd3 Qf5 31. b4 h4 $1 32. Bb8 (32. Bxh4 Nf4 33. Rd2 (33. Rde3 Qh3 $19) 33... Qh5 $1 {wins.}) 32... Ng5 33. Rde3 $2 { losing on the spot.} (33. Ree3 {was the only chance to keep the game going.} Nxe4 34. Rxe4 h3 {It's impossible to defend this with White.}) 33... Nxe4 34. fxe4 Qf2 35. h3 Be7 $1 36. Bh2 Bg5 37. Bg1 Qd2 38. R3e2 Qd3 39. Be3 Bf6 $1 ( 39... Qxe4+ $6 40. Kg1 Bxe3+ $6 41. Rxe3 Qxc4 $2 42. Re8+ Kh7 43. R8e4 { and this would be a nice way to give up all of Black's advantage.}) 40. Bxa7 Qxh3+ 41. Kg1 Qg3+ 42. Kf1 h3 43. Bg1 Bh4 {Another convincing win by Nepomniachtchi. He showed great preparation and accepted his luck. He played quickly and confidently. By now, it's clear there is a two-man race for the title of the Candidates Tournament.} 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.26"] [Round "8.4"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2753"] [PlyCount "177"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,40,26,11,11,15,7,7,4,4,9,4,22,-5,24,7,11,11,11,1,37,19,17,22,16,12,15, -8,-13,-7,-7,-8,4,-30,-19,-39,-29,-28,-14,-31,-13,-26,-4]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. h3 h6 6. c3 d6 7. Nbd2 a6 8. b4 Ba7 9. a4 Be6 $5 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. O-O O-O 12. Re1 Qe8 13. Nf1 Nh5 14. Ra2 Nf4 15. Kh2 Qf7 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 (17. fxe3 Ng6 18. Qb3 Kh7 19. a5 Qd7 20. N1d2 d5 21. d4 Qd6 22. Kg1 Kh8 23. Raa1 Nce7 24. c4 c6 25. Qc3 exd4 26. exd4 Qg3 27. Nf1 Qf4 28. N1d2 Qg3 29. Nf1 Qf4 30. N1d2 Qg3 {1/2-1/2 (30) Ziska,H (2533)-Radjabov,T (2758) Khanty-Mansiysk 2019}) 17... Kh8 (17... b6 18. Rd2 Rad8 19. b5 axb5 20. axb5 Na5 21. d4 exd4 22. cxd4 Qh5 23. d5 e5 24. Ng1 Qxd1 25. Rexd1 Nb3 26. Rc2 Nc5 27. f3 Ra8 {0-1 (37) Sethuraman,S (2630)-Amin,B (2707) Changsha 2019}) (17... Ne7 18. Ng1 a5 19. b5 c5 20. g3 Nh5 21. Nc4 Nc8 22. Rf1 b6 23. h4 Nf6 24. f3 Ra7 25. Raf2 Qg6 26. Kg2 Raf7 27. f4 Ng4 {0-1 (43) Suarez Uriel,A (2340) -Arnaudov,G (2471) Europe-Chess INT 2020}) 18. Ng4 $5 (18. Ng1 d5 19. Qc2 d4 20. Nc4 dxc3 21. Qxc3 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Nxb4 23. Qd2 Nxa2 24. Nxe5 Qxf2 25. Re2 Qf6 26. Ngf3 Rad8 27. Qxa2 {1/2-1/2 (57) Tabatabaei,M (2587)-Wei,Y (2728) Makati 2018}) 18... Ne7 19. Ng1 Neg6 20. g3 Nh5 21. Kg2 Nf6 22. Nf3 Qd7 23. Nfh2 (23. d4 Nxg4 24. hxg4 exd4 25. cxd4 e5 $11) (23. Re3 $5 Qc6 24. Qb3 $14) 23... Qc6 24. Qb3 Rae8 25. h4 Nh5 26. Re3 $6 b5 $6 (26... Nhf4+ $1 27. gxf4 exf4 28. Re1 Nxh4+ 29. Kh1 h5) 27. Nf3 Qd7 28. Qd1 (28. c4 $5) 28... Nf6 29. Nfh2 Qc6 30. Ra3 Kh7 31. Kg1 Rf7 32. axb5 axb5 33. d4 Ref8 34. Ra2 Qc4 35. Rb2 Ra8 36. Rf3 Raf8 37. Re3 Ra8 38. Nxf6+ gxf6 39. Nf3 Ne7 40. Nd2 Qc6 41. dxe5 fxe5 42. Rf3 Rg7 43. Kh2 Qe8 $1 44. Qb3 Qg6 45. Ra2 Rxa2 46. Qxa2 Qg4 47. Re3 Rf7 $6 48. f3 Qg6 49. Nf1 Qf6 50. Qf2 Rf8 51. Nd2 Ra8 52. Nb3 Ng6 53. Na5 Rg8 54. Re1 Qf7 55. Nb3 Qd7 56. Ra1 Rg7 57. Nd2 Ne7 58. Qe3 Ng8 59. Nf1 Nf6 60. Qe2 Nh5 61. Qf2 Qc6 62. Qe3 Qc4 63. Nd2 Qc6 64. Rg1 Qa8 65. Nf1 Qd8 66. Qf2 Qe8 $6 67. Ne3 Nf6 $6 68. Qe2 $1 Qh5 69. Kh3 $5 Kh8 $6 (69... Nxe4 $1 70. g4 Ng5+ 71. Kg3 Nf7) 70. Ng4 Qg6 71. Nxf6 Qxf6 72. Ra1 Qg6 73. g4 Qf7 74. Qe3 Kh7 75. Ra5 Qd7 76. Qd3 c6 $6 77. Ra1 Qf7 78. Qe3 Qf6 79. Kg3 Rc7 80. Rd1 Rd7 81. Rd2 d5 82. Re2 Rf7 83. Kg2 Kg8 (83... Qxh4 84. exd5) 84. h5 Kh7 85. Qd3 Kg7 86. Re3 Qf4 87. Re2 Kf6 88. Qd1 Kg5 $1 89. Re1 $1 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.26"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C47"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2806"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,38,23,30,30,8,14,13,13,5,5,12,6,7,7,-3,20,9,56,12,12,7,14,5,-11,-38, -49,-32,-17,-17,-18,-20,-16,-9,-5,3,3,6,8,8,8]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O cxd5 10. Qf3 c6 11. Bg5 Bd6 12. Rae1 Rb8 13. Nd1 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 16. b3 f5 17. Ne3 f4 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Kg7 20. g3 Kf6 21. Bd3 h5 $5 (21... Bb4 22. Re2 Rfe8 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Kg2 Re1 25. Rxe1 Bxe1 26. gxf4 a5 27. Kf3 Ke6 28. Ke3 Bc3 29. Bf1 Kd6 30. Kd3 Be1 {1/2-1/2 (30) Movsesian,S (2654)-Ding,L (2811) Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2019}) 22. Kg2 Rh8 23. Kf3 fxg3 24. hxg3 h4 25. Rh1 hxg3 26. fxg3 a5 27. a4 Bb4 28. Ref1 Rxh1 29. Rxh1 Ke5 30. Rh4 Rg8 31. Rg4 Rxg4 32. Kxg4 f6 33. Kf3 f5 34. Ke2 Bc3 35. Kf3 Bb4 36. Ke2 Bc3 37. Kf3 Bb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.26"] [Round "8.3"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C82"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2783"] [PlyCount "147"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 Nxf2 12. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 13. Kxf2 f6 14. Nf1 fxe5 15. Kg1 Qd6 (15... Qd7 16. Bg5 Rae8 17. Qd2 d4 18. Ng3 h6 19. Bh4 dxc3 20. Qxc3 Rxf3 21. gxf3 Nd4 22. Bd1 Rf8 23. Ne4 {1-0 (39) Vachier Lagrave,M (2750) -Caruana,F (2786) Bucharest ROU 2022}) 16. Be3 Bf5 (16... Rad8 17. Qe1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Rxf5 19. Rd1 h6 20. Bf2 Rf7 21. Bg3 Qc5+ 22. Bf2 Qd6 23. Qe2 Rdf8 24. Bg3 Qc5+ 25. Bf2 Qd6 26. Bg3 Qc5+ 27. Bf2 {1/2-1/2 (27) Caruana,F (2792)-Van Foreest,J (2702) Wijk aan Zee NED 2022}) 17. Bb3 Rad8 18. Qe1 Na5 19. Qf2 Nb7 ( 19... Nxb3 20. axb3 Rf7 21. Bc5 Qf6 22. Qg3 Re8 23. Re1 Bd3 24. N1d2 e4 25. Ng5 Qc6 26. b4 Rf5 27. Nh3 Rf7 28. Nf2 a5 29. Qe3 Ra8 30. Nxd3 exd3 31. bxa5 { 1-0 (51) Malicka,M (2329)-Mei,A (2336) San Jose CA USA 2022}) 20. Re1 c5 (20... Bg4 21. Qg3 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Na5 23. Bc2 Nc4 24. Bc1 Rde8 25. Ne3 Kh8 26. Kg2 Re6 27. Kh1 Ref6 28. Nxc4 bxc4 29. Qxe5 Rxf3 30. Qxd6 cxd6 31. Kg1 {1-0 (69) Roy,R (2184)-Nurtawa,S (2027) ICCF email 2020}) 21. Ng3 $5 Bd3 22. Qd2 c4 $6 (22... e4 23. Ng5 Qc6 $1 24. N5xe4 $2 Bxe4 25. Nxe4) 23. Bd1 Rd7 24. Bf2 $5 Rdf7 25. Nh1 e4 26. Nd4 Qg6 $5 27. h4 $1 Nc5 $6 28. h5 Qd6 $6 29. Bg4 $1 h6 30. Qe3 Qf4 31. Qxf4 (31. Bf5 $3 $18) 31... Rxf4 32. Ne6 Nxe6 33. Bxe6+ Kh7 34. Bxd5 R8f5 35. Bc6 Rxh5 36. Bd4 Rhf5 37. Nf2 Rf7 38. b4 (38. Bxe4+ Bxe4 39. Nxe4) (38. Nxe4 $6 Rf1+ 39. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 40. Kh2 Ra1) 38... h5 $2 39. a4 bxa4 40. Bxa4 h4 41. Be3 R4f5 42. Ra1 $5 h3 $1 43. Ra2 $1 hxg2 44. Bd1 $1 R7f6 45. Bg4 Rd5 46. Kxg2 Rg6 47. Kg3 Bf1 48. Bd4 Bd3 (48... Rxd4 49. cxd4 e3 50. Ne4 Bd3 51. Rh2+ Kg8 52. Nc3 Rf6 53. d5 $18) 49. Kf4 Kg8 50. Bf5 Rh6 (50... Rxf5+ 51. Kxf5 e3+ 52. Nxd3 cxd3 53. Kxg6) 51. Ng4 Rhd6 52. Ne3 Rb5 53. Bc5 Rf6 54. Ke5 Kf7 55. Nd5 $6 Rxf5+ 56. Kxf5 e3+ 57. Ke5 e2 58. Bf2 Rb8 59. Be1 Re8+ 60. Kf4 $6 g5+ 61. Kg3 Re6 62. Kf2 $6 Rh6 $1 63. Ke3 Re6+ 64. Kf2 Rh6 65. Ne3 Rf6+ $6 (65... Rh1 $1 66. Ng2 g4) 66. Kg3 Rf1 67. Ng2 $1 Rf6 68. Bf2 Kg6 69. Ra5 Re6 70. Ne1 Bf5 71. Nf3 Rd6 72. Nd4 Bd3 73. Re5 Kf6 74. Nf3 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.26"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C26"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,20,13,22,22,22,8,30,8,-52,-20,-14,-25,-26,1,2,18,-34,-32,-25,7,8,-8]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. d3 a5 7. O-O h6 (7... Nd4 8. Nxd4 Bxd4 9. Ne2 Bb6 10. c3 h5 11. Bg5 h4 12. gxh4 Qd7 13. Ng3 Nh7 14. Be3 Nf6 15. Bxb6 cxb6 16. h5 {1-0 (62) Safarli,E (2579)-Van Foreest,L (2530) Sitges ESP 2021}) 8. b3 (8. h3 Be6 9. Nd2 a4 10. Nc4 Nd4 11. Kh2 b5 12. Ne3 c6 13. f4 a3 14. f5 axb2 15. Bxb2 Bd7 16. a4 b4 17. Ne2 {1-0 (57) Risteski,E (2363)-Lysyj,I (2603) INT 2022}) 8... O-O 9. h3 Nd4 10. Be3 c6 11. Kh2 Re8 12. a3 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 Bxe3 14. fxe3 b5 15. g4 Ra7 16. Qg3 h5 17. g5 h4 18. Qxh4 Nh7 19. Qg3 Nxg5 20. h4 Nh7 21. Bh3 Bxh3 22. Rg1 Ng5 $2 23. hxg5 Bc8 24. Rg2 Rae7 $6 25. Qf3 g6 26. Rh1 f5 27. Kg1 b4 28. exf5 gxf5 29. Ne4 $5 (29. Ne4 fxe4 30. Qh5 Rf8 (30... Rg7 31. g6) 31. Qh8+ Kf7 32. Rf2+) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.26"] [Round "8"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "185"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {This was a nervous game. One can sense that these two brilliant players lost their confidence in what has been a difficult tournament for both of them.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. h3 h6 6. c3 d6 7. Nbd2 a6 {The Italian has so many details that sometimes it's difficult to keep up. When to play h3, when to play h6, whether Black should play a6 or a5, whether White should advance the pawns on the queenside or just play on the kingside, should he pin the knight with Bg5 or not, and so on. It's necessary to study dozens of hours and many games to start understanding these things.} 8. b4 Ba7 9. a4 Be6 {Another difficult Italian question: when to take on e6, or in a similar way, when to take on e3. Most of the time I have no clue what's the right answer.} 10. Bxe6 {Firouzja decides to go for it.} fxe6 11. O-O O-O 12. Re1 Qe8 13. Nf1 Nh5 14. Ra2 $1 {Notice that Duda played a similar move in his game today. I just love these rook moves. The rook protects the kingside from here.} Nf4 15. Kh2 Qf7 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Kh8 {I don't understand the point of this move very well. It was, however, played in two grandmaster games.} 18. Ng4 {A new move and the first choice of the computer.} (18. Ng1 {had been played before.}) 18... Ne7 19. Ng1 $1 {The idea is to play g3, sending the knight back.} (19. g3 $2 Nxh3 20. Kxh3 Qxf3) 19... Neg6 20. g3 Nh5 21. Kg2 Nf6 22. Nf3 Qd7 23. Nfh2 Qc6 24. Qb3 Rae8 25. h4 {Firouzja could have started play on the queenside.} (25. Rb1 {and the position is comfortable for White. The idea ia a5-c4-b5 and so on.}) 25... Nh5 (25... Qd7) 26. Re3 $2 {A horrible blunder.} ( 26. d4 $1 {with advantage for White.}) 26... b5 $2 {Returning the favor.} ( 26... Nhf4+ $1 {Not a difficult move for Radjabov, a player that used to strike with the King's Indian.} 27. gxf4 exf4 (27... Nxf4+ 28. Kg1 h5 29. Nxe5 $1 dxe5 30. Nf3 {and White is fighting for equality.}) 28. Rh3 (28. h5 Nh4+ 29. Kh3 g5 $3 {a fantastic computer move. Obviously, it was not necessary to see this to play the sacrifice.} (29... fxe3 30. Kxh4 exf2 31. Rxf2 Qd7 {with some advantage for Black.}) 30. Re1 (30. hxg6 Nxg6 31. Re1 f3 {with a strong attack. }) 30... Re7 $1 {[%cal Gc6e8,Ge8h5] Followed by Qe8xh5 with a strong attack.}) 28... h5 {regaining the piece with the advantage.}) 27. Nf3 Qd7 28. Qd1 (28. c4 {with the advantage.}) 28... Nf6 29. Nfh2 (29. Nxf6 Rxf6 30. axb5 axb5 31. h5 Ne7 32. d4 {with a clear advantage.}) 29... Qc6 30. Ra3 Kh7 31. Kg1 Rf7 32. axb5 axb5 33. d4 Ref8 34. Ra2 Qc4 35. Rb2 Ra8 36. Rf3 Raf8 37. Re3 Ra8 38. Nxf6+ gxf6 (38... Rxf6 $2 39. h5 Ne7 40. dxe5 dxe5 41. Ng4 {wins.}) 39. Nf3 Ne7 40. Nd2 Qc6 41. dxe5 fxe5 42. Rf3 Rg7 43. Kh2 {This allows Radjabov to activate his queen.} (43. Qb3 $1 {with the idea of playing Ra2 and controlling the a-file.} Ng6 (43... Qd7 44. Ra2) 44. Kf1 {with the advantage.}) 43... Qe8 $1 44. Qb3 Qg6 {Now Radjabov is fine.} 45. Ra2 Rxa2 46. Qxa2 Qg4 47. Re3 Rf7 ( 47... Ng6 $1 {was better.} 48. f3 Qh5 49. Qxe6 Nxh4 $1 50. Qh3 (50. gxh4 $2 Qxh4+ 51. Qh3 Qf2+ {mates.}) 50... Qg5 $1 51. Re2 Ng6 {with a good position for Black.}) 48. f3 Qg6 49. Nf1 {Now we get some more maneuvering.} Qf6 50. Qf2 Rf8 51. Nd2 Ra8 52. Nb3 Ng6 53. Na5 Rg8 54. Re1 Qf7 55. Nb3 Qd7 56. Ra1 Rg7 57. Nd2 Ne7 58. Qe3 Ng8 59. Nf1 Nf6 60. Qe2 Nh5 61. Qf2 Qc6 62. Qe3 Qc4 63. Nd2 Qc6 64. Rg1 Qa8 65. Nf1 Qd8 66. Qf2 {Black has to fight against Ne3-g4.} Qe8 (66... Qf6 67. Ne3 Rg8 {And it's not easy for White to support Ng4, for instance:} 68. Kh3 (68. Ng4 $4 Rxg4) 68... d5 $1 69. Ng4 Rxg4 $1 70. Kxg4 dxe4 71. Kh3 exf3 { with excellent chances.}) 67. Ne3 Nf6 (67... Qf7 68. Qe2 {Preparing Ng4.} Rxg3 $5 69. Rxg3 Qf4 70. Qe1 $1 Nxg3 71. Ng2 $1 Nf1+ 72. Kg1 Nh2 $1 73. Nxf4 Nxf3+ 74. Kf2 Nxe1 75. Nxe6 Nc2 $1 76. Nxc7 Na3 {with a drawn endgame.}) 68. Qe2 Qh5 (68... Rg8 69. Ng4 $1 Nxg4+ 70. fxg4 {and White is better.}) 69. Kh3 $2 (69. Rg2) 69... Kh8 $2 (69... Nxe4 $1 70. g4 Ng5+ 71. Kg3 Nf7 $1 72. Qxb5 Qg6 { [%cal Ge5e4,Gd6d5] Followed by d5 or e4, and Black has good play.}) 70. Ng4 $1 Qg6 71. Nxf6 Qxf6 72. Ra1 Qg6 73. g4 Qf7 74. Qe3 Kh7 75. Ra5 Qd7 76. Qd3 c6 $6 (76... h5 $1 77. g5 Qf7 78. Qe3 (78. Rxb5 Qf4 {followed by Rf7, and Black is in time to achieve a draw.}) 78... Qd7 $11) 77. Ra1 (77. Kg2 $1 {Preventing Qf7 and White will press a lot in this endgame.}) 77... Qf7 $1 78. Qe3 { White still has some advantage, but Firouzja is not able to demonstrate any winning attempt.} Qf6 79. Kg3 Rc7 80. Rd1 Rd7 81. Rd2 d5 82. Re2 Rf7 83. Kg2 Kg8 84. h5 Kh7 85. Qd3 Kg7 86. Re3 Qf4 87. Re2 Kf6 88. Qd1 Kg5 89. Re1 Kh4 90. Rh1+ Kg5 91. Re1 Kh4 92. Rh1+ Kg5 93. Re1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.26"] [Round "8"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C82"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "147"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {[%evp 0,147,22,17,17,29,19,19,31,-4,-1,6,13,-21,-22,6,6,17,30,-30,10,15,23,32, 50,39,39,39,52,-33,-59,-25,-20,-44,19,-7,-5,-59,-7,-11,-10,-41,-35,-75,-82, -111,-29,-11,-36,-58,-47,-123,-123,-130,-89,-89,-89,-75,-61,-61,-9,5,69,54,58, 31,33,43,35,53,53,53,66,69,101,61,95,63,94,94,97,85,138,82,93,61,64,28,50,55, 64,86,76,82,110,110,168,168,150,150,164,163,245,239,217,238,207,240,239,212, 220,175,210,198,209,172,192,229,249,159,160,130,138,152,148,108,140,108,108, 130,158,118,163,160,147,167,200,192,204,208,229,235,251,251,295,302,304,275, 304,244]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Bc5 {Nothing up to here can be considered a huge surprise. Hikaru has only been playing e4 with White, and Caruana repeated the same Bc5 Open Spanish that he recently chose against MVL.} 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 { [%csl Gd5,Ge4][%cal Rc2e4,Rd2e4,Gd5e4]} Nxf2 12. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 13. Kxf2 f6 { [%cal Rf6e5,Rf8f2]} 14. Nf1 {[%cal Rc1e3,Rc1f4]} fxe5 15. Kg1 {All of this is well known theory, but I think Caruana fell into the same practical trap that Firouzja did against Nepo. I'm quite confident Black's position is objectively fine here, but in practice, it feels so much easier to play the White side.} Qd6 {[%cal Gd6e5,Gc6e5][%mdl 256]} (15... Qd7 {This was Caruana's choice against Maxime in the aforementioned game. He certainly equalized, but still went on to lose.}) 16. Be3 {[%mdl 384]} Bf5 {[%csl Ra8,Rf8][%cal Gf8f5,Ga8f8]} 17. Bb3 {[%cal Rb3g8,Rd1d5,Rb3d5]} Rad8 {[%csl Gd6,Gd8][%cal Gd6d5,Gd8d5]} 18. Qe1 {[%cal Ge1g3,Ge1f2]} Na5 19. Qf2 {[%csl Gd6,Gf8][%cal Ge3c5,Rc5f8][%mdl 128]} Nb7 {[%cal Rc7c5,Gb7c5,Gd6c5] Both sides were still playing very fast.} 20. Re1 c5 21. Ng3 (21. Bg5 $5 {[%cal Rg5d8,Re1e5,Rf3e5,Gd6e5] This was an interesting option, but my suspicion is that Black's position is better than the computer suggests. After} c4 $1 (21... Rde8 $2 22. Rxe5 $1 Rxe5 23. Bf4 $18 ) 22. Bxd8 cxb3 23. Bh4 bxa2 24. Ra1 Bb1 {[%csl Ga1,Ra2,Rb1] I have a lot of trouble evaluating the position, and once I let the computer run here, it became less and less optimistic for White's chances. I think Hikaru was right to avoid it.}) 21... Bd3 22. Qd2 c4 $2 {In my opinion, this is the move that lost Caruana the game. The position is incredibly hard to understand, but I think the main point is that Black will not be able to maintain his pawn on e5. It will inevitably have to move to e4. When this happens, Black will really regret having pushed c5-c4 because he loses any hope of fighting for the dark squares, plus the light squared bishop can end up stuck on d3 and unable to fight on other relevant parts of the board. White is only a bit better still, but Black's position feels nearly impossible to play.} (22... e4 $1 {This should be preferred. The position is messy and balanced. I would prefer the White side, but the machine insists upon total equality.}) 23. Bd1 $1 {White does not exchange the bishops. He has already seen that d3 will become a piece of dead wood.} Rd7 24. Bf2 Rdf7 25. Nh1 $1 {[%cal Gh1f2,Rf2d3,Gc4d3,Rd2d3] [%mdl 1152] An excellent decision from Hikaru. The move is not at all subtle, White wants to take on e5, or to play Bg3 next. Black clearly will have to move the e-pawn.} e4 26. Nd4 {This is exactly the kind of position that I think is a practical nightmare for Black. Long term, he will face huge issues as his pawns are blockaded in the center, and White will eventually take them by having a larger total number of pieces on the board. Black's compensation is that one of his pieces is bigger than White's, but the main power of a larger piece over a smaller piece, such as a rook over a bishop, is being able to attack multiple targets at once. And what do we have here $2 Black's rooks are both clearly on their best squares already. In fact, all of his pieces look nice and active. But what is there to target $2 White has no weaknesses. Slowly but surely, he will activate his pieces and organize them to attack the pawns. Caruana surely could have defended better from here, but in human terms, I think the game is already more or less lost, even though the machine gives White only a 0.5 advantage or so. I think his big mistake was c4.} Qg6 27. h4 Nc5 (27... h5 $1 {According to the machine, this was the only move. But who makes such a move, putting yet another pawn on a light square and weakening g5 $2 It feels like Black's task is impossible, and even here, he is still suffering after} 28. Qg5 Qxg5 29. hxg5 $14) 28. h5 $1 Qd6 29. Bg4 $1 {White's pieces are springing to life, and he is now winning. The bishop on d3 might look nice and anchored, but it is not doing much, and it is unable to help Black fight for squares like f5 or e6.} h6 30. Qe3 Qf4 31. Qxf4 (31. Bf5 { This may have been even faster.}) 31... Rxf4 32. Ne6 {In my opinion, Caruana only made two serious mistakes all game. One was to play c4. But, the second one was to not resign here. At this point, I really cannot imagine Hikaru ever not converting this with White. Under other circumstances, I would not criticize continuing the game; Black is not totally out of practical hope. But in this particular case, Caruana has a huge game with White against Nepo tomorrow, now a full point ahead of him. It's about as clear of a must-win scenario as one could imagine, and it is clearly the most important game of the tournament. Caruana will have White, and he should definitely get his chances. But having a couple extra hours to rest and prepare for the Petroff would have been a huge asset, and in my opinion, a much larger one than hoping for the 1\% chance of Hikaru not winning this position.} Nxe6 33. Bxe6+ Kh7 34. Bxd5 R8f5 35. Bc6 Rxh5 36. Bd4 Rhf5 37. Nf2 Rf7 38. b4 h5 39. a4 $2 (39. Be8 $1 {This seems rather convincing. Black loses the h-pawn.} R7f5 {Trying to save it will lead to a trapped rook.} 40. Be3 $1 Rh4 41. g3 {[%csl Rf4,Rg4,Rh1,Rh2, Rh3,Gh4]}) 39... bxa4 40. Bxa4 h4 41. Be3 R4f5 42. Ra1 {Hikaru made his life a little tougher here and had to find some only moves, but they were pretty straightforward. He did not take long to find all of them.} h3 43. Ra2 $1 { Luckily for White, there wasn't much choice. This was the only way to prevent h2+.} (43. gxh3 $2 {This would fall for Black's trap.} Rf3 $1 ({Stockfish 010422:} 43... Rf3 44. Re1 Rg3+ 45. Kh2 Rxe3 46. Rxe3 Rxf2+ 47. Kg3 Rf6 48. Bd7 Kh6 49. Re1 Kg6 50. Bg4 Kf7 51. h4 g6 52. Ra1 Kg7 53. Ra5 Rf1 54. Rxa6 e3 55. Ra7+ Kh6 56. Re7 Rc1 57. Rxe3 Rxc3 58. Be2 Rb3 59. Kf3 Bxe2+ 60. Kxe2 Rxb4 61. Re4 {[%eval -22,36] [%wdl 13,936,51]}) ({Stockfish 010422:} 43... Rf3 44. Re1 Rg3+ 45. Kh2 Rxe3 46. Rxe3 Rxf2+ 47. Kg3 Rf6 48. Bd7 Kh6 49. Re1 Kg6 50. Bg4 Kf7 51. h4 g6 52. Ra1 Kg7 53. Ra5 Rf1 54. Rxa6 e3 55. Ra7+ Kh6 56. Re7 Rc1 57. Rxe3 Rxc3 58. Be2 Rb3 59. Kf3 Bxe2+ 60. Kxe2 Rxb4 61. Re4 {[%eval -22,36] [%wdl 13,936,51]}) 44. Re1 Rg3+ $1 {Black is turning the tables.}) ({Stockfish 010422:} 43. Nxh3 Rf1+ 44. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 45. Kh2 Re1 46. Ng5+ Kh8 47. Bd2 Re2 48. Bf4 Re1 49. Bc6 e3 50. Nf3 Rc1 51. Bxe3 Rxc3 52. Ne5 Bb1 53. Bg5 Rb3 54. Bd5 Rxb4 55. Bxc4 a5 56. Bc1 Ra4 57. Kg3 Ba2 58. Ng6+ Kh7 59. Nf8+ Kh8 {[%eval 0, 34] [%wdl 26,949,25]}) 43... hxg2 44. Bd1 $1 {Another good move, stopping Rf3.} R7f6 {Now, last up is not letting Black defend the pawn with Rg6.} 45. Bg4 $1 Rd5 46. Kxg2 $1 Rg6 47. Kg3 {White has reached an ideal coordination again with no counterplay, and now the game wins itself.} Bf1 {Finally that bishop gets to move... but it still isn't doing anything on f1 and has to come back to d3 the next move anyway.} 48. Bd4 Bd3 49. Kf4 Kg8 50. Bf5 Rh6 51. Ng4 Rhd6 52. Ne3 Rb5 53. Bc5 Rf6 54. Ke5 Kf7 55. Nd5 {I'm not sure it was necessary to let Black get the pawn to e2, but Hikaru kept it all under control.} (55. Rf2 $18 {Time to resign.}) 55... Rxf5+ 56. Kxf5 e3+ 57. Ke5 e2 58. Bf2 Rb8 59. Be1 Re8+ 60. Kf4 g5+ {Now again, White needed a couple only moves... but they are not hard.} 61. Kg3 $1 Re6 62. Kf2 Rh6 63. Ke3 Re6+ 64. Kf2 Rh6 65. Ne3 { Of course, White does not repeat a second time.} Rf6+ 66. Kg3 Rf1 67. Ng2 { White has re-coordinated, and Black's e-pawn is firmly stopped. The rook can now go and start taking the other ones.} Rf6 68. Bf2 Kg6 69. Ra5 $1 Re6 70. Ne1 $1 Bf5 71. Nf3 Rd6 72. Nd4 Bd3 73. Re5 Kf6 74. Nf3 {Facing the loss of the g5-pawn, Caruana finally resigned. The game lasted over six hours and finished past 9pm local time. I have to imagine this will not do him any favors tomorrow. Hikaru's technique was not perfect, and honestly not even that great, but the win was still never in doubt. I really think resigning earlier was the best call given the tournament situation.} 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.26"] [Round "8"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C47"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2806"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {Nepomniachtchi decided to just force a draw with White. Whether this was the best strategy or not, one can never know. In this round, it worked pretty well. } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 { This variation is solid and risk-free for White. Nepomniachtchi has used it a few times.} d5 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O cxd5 (9... Bg4 10. f3 Bh5 {is a popular option nowadays. Obviously, White also has no problems forcing a draw here.}) 10. Qf3 c6 11. Bg5 Bd6 12. Rae1 Rb8 13. Nd1 {The players are following a game Ding Liren played in 2019 that ended in a quick draw. After a few setbacks and having no chance in the tournament at all, he probably was just happy with an easy draw.} h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 {A typical endgame in this line.} 16. b3 f5 17. Ne3 f4 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Kg7 20. g3 Kf6 21. Bd3 h5 {A new move. Black intends h5-h4 to exchange all the pawns on the kingside.} (21... Bb4 22. Re2 Rfe8 {also ended in a draw in Movsesian-Ding, World Cup 2019.}) 22. Kg2 Rh8 23. Kf3 fxg3 24. hxg3 (24. fxg3 Kg7 $11) 24... h4 25. Rh1 hxg3 26. fxg3 a5 27. a4 Bb4 28. Ref1 Rxh1 29. Rxh1 Ke5 30. Rh4 Rg8 31. Rg4 Rxg4 32. Kxg4 f6 33. Kf3 f5 34. Ke2 Bc3 35. Kf3 Bb4 36. Ke2 Bc3 37. Kf3 Bb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.26"] [Round "8"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C26"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 {After losing the previous game against Nepomniachtchi in a long theoretical line, Rapport is back to his true self: a sideline that leads to a fight in the middlegame with not so much opening theory. It's the first time he uses this system in his career.} Bc5 (4... d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 {is the other main line.}) 5. Bg2 d6 6. d3 a5 { A rare move. The pawn usually is played to a6.} 7. O-O h6 {Always an useful move, preventing Bg5. That said, the pin is not as dangerous as it seems.} ( 7... O-O 8. Bg5 (8. h3 {Of course, White can just play this with a normal position.}) 8... h6 9. Bh4 $5 {This looks tricky since White prepares 10.Nd5, and black can't play 9...g5 now. But there is a solution.} (9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Nd5 Qd8 {is not dangerous.}) 9... Bg4 $1 {An important move. Now Black is ready to play g7-g5.} (9... g5 $2 10. Nxg5 hxg5 11. Bxg5 Be6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nb8 14. Bh4 Nbd7 15. Qc1 $1 Kh7 16. Be4+ $1 Nxe4 17. Bxd8 {winning. Note how important it is that White's queen is on c1 and not d2.}) 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nd5 Qd8 {and Black is fine.}) 8. b3 {A new and enigmatic move. I suppose the idea is to prevent Black from gaining space on the queenside with a5-a4.} O-O 9. h3 {A typical move. The primitive plan is to play Kh2, remove the knight, and play f4.} Nd4 10. Be3 c6 11. Kh2 Re8 12. a3 {Another enigmatic pawn move on the queenside. It's hard to get into Rapport's head and explain the point of this move. I suppose he wants to avoid a possible Bb4.} (12. Bxd4 exd4 13. Ne2 {is not good because Black is ready for central play.} d5 $1) (12. Re1 Bb4) 12... Nxf3+ {Duda decides to clarify the position.} (12... b5 $5 {Looked logical, gaining space.} 13. Bxd4 exd4 14. Ne2 Qb6 (14... d5 {is not so good now that the c6-pawn is unprotected.} 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Nfxd4 {although Black has some compensation here.}) 15. Qd2 {You know, I am just showing this line to say that I finally understood the 12.a3 move. Now White is threatening 16. b4, but Black is probably fine here anyway.} b4 16. a4 d5) 13. Qxf3 Bxe3 14. fxe3 {This move looks normal for a human: it opens the f-file, and White can try a plan advancing the kingside pawns. It is, however, heavily criticized by the computer. Well, it's certainly not a move to be played against a machine that will defend any attack and exploit your weaknesses. But, luckily, the Candidates Tournament is still played by humans, and they get nervous and see ghosts and make mistakes sometimes. So, yes, I agree with the computer that 14. Qxe3 is a better move. But Rapport wins this game because he takes risks. So the reader must judge whether the move is dubious, a bluff, or just brilliant human play.} b5 {A good move, gaining space on the queenside and also preparing the typical Ra7 defensive resource.} 15. g4 Ra7 $1 {Here it is. I just love these subtle moves. Black defends the f7-pawn and looks pretty solid for now.} 16. Qg3 {Rapport is not hiding his intentions. He wants Bf3-h4-g5 and mate.} h5 (16... Re6 $1 {Black has many options to prevent White's attacking plan, but this is the one I like most. The plan is Nh7-Rg6, and Black might be the one attacking. If White naively continues the attack with the obvious moves than he is just lost after:} 17. Bf3 $6 Nh7 18. h4 $2 Rg6) 17. g5 h4 {A flashy move but not really a necessary one.} (17... Nh7 18. h4 g6 {Black is rock-solid and can play Kg7-Rf8 and then consider the f6-push.}) 18. Qxh4 Nh7 19. Qg3 Nxg5 (19... Qxg5 {This move has the good point that after the exchange of queens, Black is not getting mated anytime soon.} 20. Qxg5 Nxg5 21. h4 Nh7 22. Bh3 {with a roughly equal endgame.}) 20. h4 Nh7 21. Bh3 Bxh3 22. Rg1 $1 {Absolutely necessary. After} (22. Kxh3 $2 Re6 $1 {Black has time to bring the rook.}) 22... Ng5 $2 {Another flashy move, but this is wrong for sure. Opening the h-file is very dangerous for Black.} (22... g6 23. Qxh3 Nf6 { with the idea of Kg7 and Rh8. The position is balanced.} 24. Raf1 Kg7 25. Rg2 Rh8 26. Kg1 Qd7) 23. hxg5 Bc8 (23... Be6 {Maybe this move is better because it's easier for Black to realize the plan of running with the king to the queenside with Kf8-e7-d7 and so on.}) 24. Rg2 (24. Raf1 {This avoids the f6-move and is more precise.}) 24... Rae7 $2 {Duda wants to play Re6-g6, but he will not be in time to do that. This move just loses.} (24... Kf8 {this is very natural, trying to run for safety.}) (24... f6 $1 {is the best. If white allows the capture on g5, then the a7-rook is very useful defending the king. And if White plays g5-g6, the Black runs with the king with a solid pawn structure.} 25. g6 Kf8 {with a complicated position.}) 25. Qf3 $6 {Not the best.} (25. Qh4 Re6 26. Qh5 $1 {An important move. Now Black has no time to run away with the king.} Rg6 (26... Kf8 27. Rf1) 27. Rf1 Qd7 {Otherwise just Kh1 followed by Rh2 and mate.} 28. Ne2 {Black is paralyzed.}) 25... g6 $2 ( 25... f6 $1 {Surprisingly, Duda could still fight with this move.} 26. gxf6 ( 26. g6 Kf8 27. Qh5 Rb7 $1 {and Black is not being mated.} 28. Qh8+ $4 {even loses.} Ke7 29. Qxg7+ Ke6 30. Qh6 Rh8 $19) 26... Rf7 27. Rag1 Qxf6 28. Qxf6 Rxf6 29. Rxg7+ Kf8 {with drawing chances.}) 26. Rh1 {Now the attack is decisive.} f5 27. Kg1 b4 28. exf5 $1 gxf5 {Many moves win now.} 29. Ne4 (29. Ne4 fxe4 30. Qh5 Rg7 31. g6 Kf8 32. Qh8+ Rg8 33. Rf2+ $1 {The point of the sacrifice.} Ke7 34. Qh7+ Ke6 35. Qf7#) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,30,13,13,62,13,20,-1,29,22,10,1,0,-3,-4,-4,-4,-22,-18,-15,-14,-8,12, 24,11,23,32,6,6,1,15,11,2]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 {8.Ba4 is setting a new trend.} c6 9. Ba4 d6 ({ Relevant:} 9... O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Re1 g5 14. Bg3 Bg4 15. Qd2 e4 16. Bb3 Re8 17. Nb5 Nh5 18. dxe4 Nxg3 19. hxg3 a6 20. Nd4 dxe4 21. Re3 Qf6 22. Rae1 Rad8 23. Rxe4 Rxe4 24. Rxe4 Bf5 25. Re3 Bxd4 26. cxd4 Rxd4 27. Qc3 Qd8 28. Qe1 Kf8 29. Rf3 Bg6 30. Qe5 Kg8 31. Rf6 Kh7 32. f4 Rd7 33. fxg5 Re7 34. Qf4 hxg5 35. Qf2 Kg7 36. Rf3 Qd6 37. Re3 Rc7 38. Re1 a5 39. Qe3 {Vallejo Pons,F (2703)-Navara,D (2681) Prague 2022 1/2-1/2 (77)}) 10. Bb3 Qe7 {Firouzja pointed to this as an inaccuracy.} 11. Nc4 {[#]} Bg4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11... Bc7 12. f4 b5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 O-O 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Rxf5 h6 17. Qf3 Nh7 18. Bd2 Rad8 19. Rf1 Rd7 20. Qh5 Qe8 21. R5f3 a5 22. a4 bxa4 23. Bxa4 Rd6 24. Bb3 Rd7 25. Be3 Bd6 26. Bc4 a4 27. Bc1 Rb7 28. h3 Ra7 29. Kh2 Rb7 30. h4 Ra7 31. Rf5 Re7 32. R5f3 Rb7 33. Qg4 Kh8 34. Qh5 f6 {0-1 (34) Karjakin,S (2754) -Vidit,S (2721) Moscow 2019}) 12. Qe1 Bc5 $6 (12... Bc7) 13. Kh1 a5 14. f4 (14. a4) 14... a4 15. Bc2 b5 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 $5 {A very good practical try.} (17. Ne3) 17... Qxe5 18. d4 Bxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Be3 $6 {The computer now thinks black is in the game but it remains difficult.} (20. Bd2 {Is considered much stronger.} Qxb2 21. Rc1) 20... Qxb2 21. Qf2 Be6 22. Bd4 Qb4 23. Bc5 Qc3 24. Rac1 Rd8 25. Bb1 Qe5 26. Qh4 Bc4 $2 (26... h6) 27. Rf5 Qb2 28. Rg1 (28. Re1 {is a bit counter intiutive at first but it's the winning move here.}) 28... Be6 $2 (28... Rd2 $1 {and black is fighting.}) 29. Qg3 Nd7 30. Bd6 Qd4 31. Rff1 h5 32. e5 $1 {Not hard to find but this finishes the game. Rapport runs out of moves very quickly now,} Qg4 33. Qe3 h4 34. h3 Qh5 35. Be4 Qh6 36. Qf3 (36. Qa7 ) 36... f6 37. Bxc6 Kf7 38. Bxb5 Qh5 39. Qe4 Nxe5 {This now loses a piece.} 40. Be2 Qg5 41. Bxe5 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,61,30,19,27,29,29,22,10,5,5,-4,-4,-4,0,20,39,4,0,1,0,0,-3,-17,-3,-15, 9,6,47,40,171,68,61,67,67,110,113,95,121,96,150,71,105,55,47,76,125,76,83,85, 101,121,139,102,100,69,88,64,110,113,163,182,171,178]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 ({Relevant:} 6... d6 7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. a4 a6 11. Bd3 Nc6 12. d5 Nb4 13. Nc4 Bc5 14. Bb1 Re8 15. Re1 Bg4 16. Ra3 c6 17. h3 cxd5 18. exd5 Rxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Bh5 20. a5 Qe8 21. Qxe8+ Rxe8 22. Kf1 Nfxd5 23. g4 Bg6 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. Rb3 f6 26. Bd2 Re4 27. Na3 Kf7 28. Ne1 Re7 29. Nc4 Re4 30. Na3 Re7 31. Nc4 Ke6 32. Ng2 Kd7 33. Nh4 Re4 34. Na3 g5 35. Nf5 g6 36. Ng3 {Nakamura,H (2750)-Grischuk,A (2742) Chess.com INT 2022 0-1 (65)}) 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. a4 Na7 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3 { [#]} Ba7 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12... Bb6 13. Bg5 Nd8 14. Bh4 c6 15. Nbd2 Bc7 16. Nc4 Ne6 17. Bg3 Nf4 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. e5 Nd5 20. Rfe1 Nb6 21. Nxb6 Bxb6 22. Qe4 Be6 23. Qxf4 Rad8 24. Rad1 Rxd1 25. Bxd1 h6 26. Bc2 Rd8 27. h4 Bd5 28. Be4 Bxe4 29. Qxe4 Qe6 30. h5 Qd5 31. Qxd5 Rxd5 32. g4 Kf8 33. e6 Bd8 34. exf7 Bf6 35. Re8+ Kxf7 36. Rb8 b5 37. axb5 Rxb5 38. Ra8 Rxb2 39. Rxa5 Bxc3 40. Rc5 Bf6 41. Rxc6 Rb4 42. Nh2 {Maiwald,J (2426)-Zilka,S (2606) Germany 2022 1/2-1/2}) 13. Bb5 Bg4 {Maybe this is the start of Nakamura's troubles.} (13... Bb6) 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 bxc6 16. Nxa5 Qe6 17. Qe2 Nh5 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 (20. Be3) 20... f5 21. Rg2 fxe4 22. Qxe4 Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 (25. Re2 Rxf3 26. Qxd5 cxd5) 25... Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 $2 { Now white is clearly winning.} (28... Nf6) 29. cxb4 Rf6 30. b5 Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 {The only point of interest here was Radjabov only had a few minutes left.} Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6 41. Nb6 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,30,27,29,25,22,41,12,30,45,41,6,6,12,36,45,54,43,50,37,59,34,44,11,30, -3,13,15,15,21,15,15,18]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 {is now debated instead of 10...Na6.} 11. Nh4 {[#]} ({Relevant:} 11. Be3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Na6 13. Ne5 Qc7 14. Nc3 Nxc3 15. bxc3 b5 16. Bf1 Nc5 17. Qd1 Be6 18. Bf4 Nd7 19. Bd3 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Be7 21. Qf3 Rad8 22. a4 a6 23. h4 Qc8 24. Be4 Bd5 25. h5 Qe6 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ra6 h6 29. g3 f6 30. Qe4 fxe5 31. Bxe5 Bc5 32. Bf4 Qxe4 33. Rxe4 Rxh5 34. Rxc6 Rd5 35. Kg2 Rf7 36. f3 Be7 37. Rd4 Rdf5 38. Rd7 Bg5 39. Rc8+ Kh7 40. Rxf7 Rxf7 {[%emt 0:00:02] Vachier Lagrave,M (2750)-Deac,B (2671) Bucharest 2022 1/2-1/}) 11... Be6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11... dxc4 12. Qxc4 Be6 13. Qc2 Nf6 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Nf5 Bd8 16. Nc3 Nd5 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. Re5 Nb4 19. Qd2 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 f6 21. Nh6+ gxh6 22. Ne4 Qf7 23. Qg3+ Kh8 24. Re1 fxe5 25. Qxe5+ Qg7 26. Qxe6 Na6 27. Nd6 Rf8 28. Ne8 Raxe8 29. Qxe8 Rxe8 30. Rxe8+ Qg8 31. Rxg8+ Kxg8 32. a3 Kf7 33. f3 Ke6 34. Kf2 Nc7 35. Kg3 Kf5 36. Kh4 Kg6 37. f4 Kg7 38. f5 Nb5 39. g4 Nxd4 40. Kh5 Nf3 41. h4 {Rozman,M (1708)-Belsak,Z (1653) Murska Sobota 2006 0-1}) 12. Qc2 Na6 13. a3 f5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 Rac8 16. f3 Be7 17. g3 {Caruana was still playing quickly here. Nepomniachtchi was already working hard.} Nd6 18. Qa4 Bf6 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 ( 21. Be3) 21... Rce8 22. Bf4 (22. Ne7+ Kf7 23. Bf4) 22... Nc5 23. Ne7+ Kf7 24. Bxf5 $2 {In retrospect this is where white lost his advantage.} (24. Bf1 { Over the board Nepomniachtchi thought this or Bc2 was the way to go and almost immediately thought he was out of trouble.}) (24. Bc2 {Nepomniachtchi said he thought this was also good but it seems to be equal.} Nc4) 24... Nxf5 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Nd3 28. Re4 Bxb2 $11 {Black is more or less out of trouble now and Caruana started using lots of time.} 29. Be3 Bxa3 30. Bxa7 Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 {White is clearly the one hanging on as he was in bad time trouble.} Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 {Caruana looked fairly disgusted at this point but he would have been glad the draw was agreed here. His mistakes were earlier.} Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Ne1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,84,19,-16,-3,-32,-24,-7,-7,-13,-6,2,-4,-11,-1,3,30,34,34,11,20,1,34, -39,-30,8,19,17,4,5,13,13,11,18,6,0,6,-16,-18,-18,0,-16,0,0,10,-1,7,-43,-40, -55,-41,-10,-8,-51,-4,-12,0,0,16,33,66,27,39,36,32,32,49,23,26,26,0,0,0,0,58, 47,64,31,62,84,70,70,141,110,123,118,132]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. O-O ({Relevant:} 9. d4 b6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Ra7 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Qe5 Qxe5 16. Nxe5 Bb7 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. O-O-O Nd7 19. Nd3 Ke7 20. Kb1 Rc8 21. Rd2 Rbc7 22. f3 a5 23. Rhd1 b5 24. g4 Nb6 25. Nf4 Nc4 26. Rd3 a4 27. g5 b4 28. h4 a3 29. bxa3 bxa3 30. Re1 Rc5 31. e4 g6 32. Ne2 Rb5+ 33. Ka1 Rd8 34. Rc3 Rb4 35. Nc1 Nd2 36. Nd3 Rb5 37. Rxa3 Rdb8 38. Ra7+ Ke8 {Giri,A (2773)-Duda,J (2750) Oslo 2022 0-1}) 9... b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 {[#]} 15. Rd4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Qb1 Qb8 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qb7+ 19. f3 O-O 20. Nce4 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qb8 22. Rd1 h6 23. Rxd7 Nxd7 24. Nc5 hxg5 25. Nxd7 Qc7 26. Nxf8 Kxf8 27. Qd3 a5 28. Qe3 Qd8 29. Kf2 Kg8 30. Ke1 Kf8 31. Qe5 Kg8 32. h3 Kf8 33. Qe3 Ke8 34. Qd2 Qf6 35. Qc1 Kd7 36. Qd1+ Kc7 37. Qc2+ Kd6 38. Qd3+ Kc6 39. Qc4+ Kd6 40. Qb5 Kc7 41. Qc4+ Kd6 42. Qb5 Kc7 43. Qe8 Qxb2 44. Qxf7+ Kd6 {Aronian,L (2797)-Wojtaszek,R (2744) Wijk aan Zee 2015 1/2-1/2}) 15... O-O 16. Rad1 Rac8 17. Qd2 Nc5 18. Qf4 Qxf4 19. gxf4 Nce4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Bd5 22. a4 a5 23. e4 Bb3 24. R1d3 Rc1+ 25. Bf1 Bc2 26. Rc3 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Rc4 Rd8 29. Nc6 Rd2 30. Nxa5 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. b4 Rc1 34. Nxb6 Rb1 35. Kg2 Rxb4 36. a5 Rb3 37. Rc1 Bf3+ 38. Kg1 Ra3 (38... Bxe4) 39. Nc4 Ra2 40. Ne5 Bxe4 $2 (40... Bh5) 41. Rc7 Nd5 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. a6 Nb4 44. Ra7 Nc6 45. Rc7 Nd4 46. f3 Nxf3+ 47. Nxf3 Bxf3 48. a7 Bd5 49. h4 Ra4 50. Bb5 Ra5 51. Rd7 Ra2 52. Kf1 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Bd5 54. Kd1 Kh8 55. Kc1 Be4 56. Rc7 Ra5 57. Bd7 Ra1+ 58. Kb2 Rb1+ 59. Ka2 Rb6 60. Ka3 Kg8 61. Ka4 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid, Spain"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "chessvibes"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. c4 {Like against Nepomniachtchi and Firouzja, Ding opens with this move.} Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. O-O b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. dxc5 ({The immediate} 11. Bf4 {obviously has been played as well:} Bd6 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Rfd1 O-O 14. e4 Qc7 (14... cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qc7 16. Qe2 Ra7 17. Rac1 Qb8 18. a4 Ba8 19. b4 Rc8 20. b5 {Kortschnoj, V-Olafsson,F Moscow 1971}) 15. Rac1 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Rad8 17. f4 e5 18. Nd5 Qxc2 19. Nxc2 exf4 20. gxf4 Nc5 21. Nce3 {Giri,A (2779)-Karjakin,S (2748) Riga LAT 2019}) 11... Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Rd4 $146 (15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Qb1 Qb8 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qb7+ 19. f3 O-O {Aronian,L (2797) -Wojtaszek,R (2744) Wijk aan Zee 2015}) 15... O-O 16. Rad1 Rac8 17. Qd2 Nc5 18. Qf4 {Ding goes for the tiniest of edges: the control over the d-file.} Qxf4 ( 18... Nd5 $5) 19. gxf4 Nce4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Bd5 $1 ({It was tempting to play} 21... Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rc2 {but Black isn't equalized just yet after} 23. R1d2 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 Nd5 25. Kf3) 22. a4 a5 23. e4 Bb3 24. R1d3 Rc1+ 25. Bf1 Bc2 26. Rc3 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Rc4 Rd8 29. Nc6 Rd2 30. Nxa5 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. b4 Rc1 34. Nxb6 Rb1 35. Kg2 Rxb4 36. a5 Rb3 $6 {Duda defended almost perfectly up till here, but this is a step in the wrong direction.} ( 36... Nh5 {would provide enough counterplay and leads to a likely move repetition soon.}) 37. Rc1 Bf3+ 38. Kg1 Ra3 $6 ({Here best was} 38... Bxe4 39. Ra1 Bc6 $1 40. Bg2 Nd5) 39. Nc4 Ra2 40. Ne5 Bxe4 $2 {In this position, the decisive mistake.} ({With a minute and 20 seconds to reach the time control, the best defense was already hard to find:} 40... Bh5 $1 41. Rc7 g5 42. fxg5 Nxe4 43. a6 Nxg5 44. Kg2 Kf6 45. Nd7+ Ke7 $1) 41. Rc7 Nd5 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. a6 {Now White is winning.} Nb4 44. Ra7 Nc6 45. Rc7 Nd4 46. f3 Nxf3+ 47. Nxf3 Bxf3 48. a7 Bd5 49. h4 Ra4 50. Bb5 Ra5 51. Rd7 Ra2 52. Kf1 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Bd5 54. Kd1 Kh8 55. Kc1 Be4 56. Rc7 Ra5 57. Bd7 Ra1+ 58. Kb2 Rb1+ 59. Ka2 Rb6 60. Ka3 Kg8 61. Ka4 {The king will support the pawn and White wins material soon.} 1-0 [Event "Madrid, Spain"] [Site "Madrid, Spain"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "chessvibes"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 {A rare move.} (9. Qe2) (9. Bxc6) 9... Qe7 10. a4 Na7 (10... Nb8 11. Bd3 h6 12. Nc4 Nc6 13. h3 Rd8 14. Re1 Nh5 15. Bf1 Qf6 {was played in the blitz game Carlsen,M (2832)-Kramnik,V (2808) Leuven 2017}) 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3 {Radjabov is not interested in repeating moves.} Ba7 $146 ({Considering how the game went, the move} 12... Bb6 {begs to be played (keeping the a7-square available for the knight) and was actually used this year:} 13. Bg5 Nd8 14. Bh4 c6 15. Nbd2 Bc7 16. Nc4 Ne6 {Maiwald,J (2426)-Zilka,S (2606) Germany 2022}) 13. Bb5 $1 {Now that the knight cannot go to a7 anymore, this remains an annoying move.} Bg4 $5 {Nakamura decides to sacrifice a pawn for some chances on the kingside, but as Radjabov will demonstrate, his compensation won't be sufficient.} (13... Qe6) 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 ({Nakamura had seen that} 15. Bxb7 Ng4 {is good enough for a draw but overestimated his chances after the text move.}) 15... bxc6 16. Nxa5 Qe6 ({Of course Nakamura wasn't planning} 16... Bxf2+ 17. Qxf2 Rxa5 {which is quite unpleasant for Black after} 18. b4 Raa8 19. a5) 17. Qe2 Nh5 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 f5 21. Rg2 fxe4 { Perhaps a tad early $2} (21... Rae8) 22. Qxe4 $1 ({Improving the structure with } 22. fxe4 $2 {would be very bad because of} Qh3 {and Black's attack is likely decisive.}) 22... Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 {Not ideal, but what else $2} (23... Qd5 24. Bxa7 Rxa7 25. Qg4) 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 $1 {Practically smart. The endgame is virtually winning.} Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 $6 {Instantly played, but wrong according to the engine.} (28... Nf6 $1 {was more resilient, making sure the knight gets to e4 as soon as possible.} 29. a5 (29. Nxe5 Rf5) 29... Ne4) 29. cxb4 Rf6 ({The simple difference is that} 29... Nf6 30. a5 Ne4 { doesn't attack a pawn on c3 and White can just continue with} 31. a6) 30. b5 Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 {The last try in time trouble, but Radjabov doesn't go wrong anymore.} 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6 41. Nb6 (41. Nb6 Nxb6 42. Rxb6 Kc7 43. Rb7+ Kc8 44. Rxg7 {is curtains.}) 1-0 [Event "Madrid, Spain"] [Site "Madrid, Spain"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "chessvibes"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 {Rapport played his first move after two minutes of thinking, which suggested that, like after his game with Duda, he didn't look at much chess before this game.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 c6 {Spending 10 minutes on well-known theoretical moves was a further signal that Rapport was out of book early on.} 9. Ba4 d6 (9... O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Re1 g5 14. Bg3 Bg4 15. Qd2 e4 {was played in the very recent game Vallejo Pons,F (2703)-Navara,D (2681) Prague 2022.}) 10. Bb3 Qe7 $6 {Firouzja called this a small inaccuracy, but \"these days these kind of things count.\" Now White will have time for f2-f4.} (10... a5) ( 10... h6) 11. Nc4 {Firouzja was happy with his position here.} Bg4 $146 (11... Bc7 12. f4 b5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 O-O 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Rxf5 h6 17. Qf3 Nh7 { was Karjakin,S (2754)-Vidit,S (2721) Moscow 2019}) 12. Qe1 Bc5 {Insisting on the g1-a7 diagonal.} ({More solid was} 12... Bc7) 13. Kh1 a5 14. f4 a4 15. Bc2 b5 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 $5 {A nice way to grab the initiative.} Qxe5 18. d4 Bxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Be3 ({Better was} 20. Bd2 $1 {which was Firouzja's first idea, but eventually he decided the text move was stronger.} Qxb2 21. Rc1 {and this is a better version of the game.}) 20... Qxb2 21. Qf2 Be6 $1 { \"A very nice move.\" (Firouzja) Black is OK here.} 22. Bd4 Qb4 23. Bc5 Qc3 24. Rac1 ({Firouzja said he didn't consider the move repetition, but he did look at } 24. Bd6 {which is not great though because of} Ng4 25. Qh4 f6 ({or even} 25... g5 $5 26. Qxg5 Nf2+ 27. Kg1 Nh3+ $1 28. gxh3 Qd4+ 29. Kh1 Qxd6)) 24... Rd8 25. Bb1 (25. h3 $5) 25... Qe5 {Firouzja felt that he might be slightly worse here, and the engine agrees.} 26. Qh4 Bc4 $2 {A big mistake, after which Rapport will never get back in the game again.} ({After the game Rapport suggested} 26... h6 $1 {and Black is at least OK.}) 27. Rf5 Qb2 28. Rg1 $6 ({ The natural} 28. Re1 {was better but it's understandable that the text move felt safer.}) 28... Be6 $6 ({Black's last chance was} 28... Rd2 $1 29. Qg5 Be6 {with an unclear position.}) 29. Qg3 {From here, Firouzja finishes off the game with many powerful moves.} Nd7 30. Bd6 Qd4 31. Rff1 ({Firouzja had seen} 31. e5 $6 Bxf5 32. Qxg7 $6 Nf8 33. Bxf5 $6 Rxd6 $1) 31... h5 32. e5 Qg4 33. Qe3 h4 34. h3 Qh5 35. Be4 {Now it's easy.} Qh6 36. Qf3 f6 37. Bxc6 Kf7 (37... fxe5 {would allow} 38. Qf8+ Rxf8 39. Rxf8#) 38. Bxb5 Qh5 39. Qe4 Nxe5 40. Be2 Qg5 41. Bxe5 1-0 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 $5 {A bold decision. In general, the Petroff is a very safe opening and the best choice Black has to try to keep solid and hopefully make a draw. Still, I might have chosen something else. Caruana played the Petroff himself some years back, at the 2018 World Chess Championship and had that level of preparation. Nepo did this too, of course, but I think Caruana did it better, and his Petroff has looked like the better prepared and better understood one over the years. Against any other opponent, I'd think the Petroff would be an obvious choice. Here, I don't know.} 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 {All of this is today's modern mainline. In an earlier round, Rapport chose Qb3, which is more or less a known draw, though he went off the deep end and ended up losing. Caruana chose a more challenging move.} 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 11. Nh4 $5 {The first new move of the game, and I think a very dangerous one in practice. Nepo had to know he would be walking into some kind of preparation, but one has to admire his confidence.} (11. Nc3 {This is the main move by far, as was played by Magnus in the match.}) 11... Be6 {Nothing else makes any sense.} 12. Qc2 Na6 {This move looks obvious enough, but I actually think it becomes difficult to fix the knight later on once it is frozen in place with a3.} (12... f5 {It may have been better to bolster the e4-knight directly. For example, after} 13. Nc3 Bc7 $1 {Black is reasonably solid and can remain patient. I could easily imagine him setting up with …Qf7 and …Nbd7 in the coming moves. Of course, this is much easier to say with the machine running.}) 13. a3 $1 {Of course.} f5 14. cxd5 $1 cxd5 15. Nc3 {Caruana was still blitzing. The machine insists on equality, but I think Black is under some pressure to figure out how to fix his pieces.} Rac8 (15... Nb8 $1 {The computer does not mind Rac8, but I do. This looks like a much easier way for Black to coordinate. Burning two tempi on …Nb8-a6-b8 is not ideal, but once White has taken on d5, the knight finally has a reasonable square on c6. I think Black looks okay enough.}) 16. f3 {In my opinion, the hardest pieces of practical preparation to face are the ones where you have to sacrifice material. I think it's much easier if an opponent sacrifices a piece—you just calculate until you see a line that does not lose. But when the only way to equalize is to give material for long-term compensation... I almost never see a human get this right. The computer still insists Black is totally fine, but I think his task is more or less impossible in human terms.} Be7 17. g3 Nd6 (17... Bf6 $1 {This was the way, but nobody would do it.} 18. fxe4 fxe4 $1 19. Bxa6 Bxd4+ 20. Be3 Bxe3+ 21. Rxe3 bxa6 {I would be surprised if Nepo did not calculate this far. But, to a human eye, it is not hard to imagine the position being completely lost. Black is a piece down, his pawns are not moving anywhere anytime soon, and it takes White like two moves to go Rd1, Rd4... and then you resign $2 The machine claims this is equal. In my opinion, it is more or less impossible for a human to go for this line with g3 on the board. Black now needs a bunch of only moves in a row that miraculously hold together.} 22. Rd1 Qf7 $1 23. Ree1 {Case in point. Black has exactly one move here to not lose immediately.} Bg4 $1 24. Rd4 Qf6 $1 {And another only move $1} 25. Qd2 e3 $1 {And another $1} 26. Qxe3 Rce8 $1 {One more…} 27. Nxd5 Qxd4 $1 28. Qxd4 Rxe1+ {... And finally a draw. Absolutely no human being can play chess like this, and anyone who does should be immediately stripped for a wire. This was fantastic practical preparation from Caruana.}) 18. Qa4 $1 Bf6 ( 18... Rc6 {This was a better try, but Black's position is very unpleasant after } 19. Bxa6 $1 Bxh4 20. gxh4 Rxa6 21. Qxd7 Bxd7 22. Bf4 $14 {White's bishop is so much better than his counterpart.}) 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 $1 {Be3 was fine too, but I prefer Caruana's choice. More pieces should remain on the board. Now, I've always believed that it is very rare for someone to be slightly better based on piece activity in a symmetrical pawn structure. It is almost always much better or very close to equal. Here, it is much better. Black is facing too many threats. That said, White needs the utmost precision as one mistake will immediately see the game fizzle to sterile equality.} Rce8 $1 {Ne7+ was threatened, and this was the only move not to lose the game immediately.} 22. Bf4 $1 Nc5 23. Ne7+ $1 Kf7 {Now, this is a perfect example of what I was saying. There really is no slightly better option for White in this position with a mostly symmetrical structure. The best move is more or less winning, and the second-best move is just about a draw.} 24. Bxf5 $2 { This lets the opportunity slip. White's route to victory was narrow and incredibly difficult, but it was there.} (24. Bf1 $1 {This was the way. It's a very hard move to make, tucking the bishop away passively like this, and there is a lot of hard calculation to do, but White seems to be on top in all lines. This is the level of difficulty you tend to see in what will decide who challenges for a World Championship match.} Nc8 {This is Black's most resilient defense, but it's not great.} (24... Rxe7 25. Bxd6 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Re8 {It looks like Black might be holding on. But...} 27. Rd1 $1 {... A subtle and difficult move to spot from afar, even if it is obvious once the position after 26...Re8 is on the board. Black may as well resign.}) 25. Bc4+ $1 Be6 26. Rxe6 $1 {A very important move, without which White would not have much. The initiative flows very powerfully.} Nxe6 27. Nhxf5 $1 Kf6 {I suspect Caruana may have seen it this far and then got stuck here, as Black looks okay. But...} 28. Nd5+ $1 {... Black is unable to take on f5 thanks to mate.} Kg6 (28... Kxf5 29. Bd3#) 29. Nxd4 Nxd4 30. Rd1 $16 {Black is in big trouble.}) 24... Nxf5 $1 ( 24... Bxf5 $2 25. Bxd6 $1 {And White wins.}) 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 $1 26. Nxf5 { This position looks so tempting for White from afar. Black is a pawn down, facing massive threats. But somehow he just barely holds together.} Rxe1 $1 27. Rxe1 Nd3 $1 {Black is just in time to hold.} 28. Re4 (28. Re7+ Kf6 $1 { Everything is hanging, but it seems like White's pieces are hanging more painfully than Black's are. [Caruana said that during earlier calculations he \"missed one detail\" which is that he thought he could play} 29. Bg5+ { here but at some point he realized the knight is hanging. - PD]}) (28. Nd6+ { This does not help.} Kg8 $11) 28... Bxb2 $1 {Black is out of danger. The absolute worst-case scenario I could imagine for him is a 3 vs. 2 endgame on the kingside, which would be unpleasant but still a draw.} 29. Be3 (29. Nd6+ Kg8 30. Nxb7 Nxf4+ {Black takes on a3 next and holds.}) 29... Bxa3 30. Bxa7 Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 {The rest of the game was a formality. Caruana came very close to blowing the tournament open, showing excellent preparation, but he did not quite manage to see it all the way through when a very, very difficult chance was given to him. Nepo remains a full point in the lead, and thanks to wins from the struggling Radjabov and Firouzja, it seems Caruana is the only player for him to worry about once again. Surviving this game was a huge deal.} 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Ne1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2773"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,25,30,18,18,5,35,34,36,36,36,-13,-12,19,43,46,41,41,71,48,75,39,60,32, 32,-26,23,23]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 11. Nh4 (11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. Bxf5 Qxf5 13. bxc3 {1-0 (45) Caruana,F (2786)-Anand,V (2751) Warsaw POL 2022}) 11... Be6 (11... dxc4 12. Qxc4 Be6 13. Qc2 Nf6 14. Bg5 Be7 15. Nf5 Bd8 16. Nc3 Nd5 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. Re5 Nb4 {0-1 (52) Rozman,M (1708)-Belsak,Z (1653) Murska Sobota 2006}) 12. Qc2 Na6 13. a3 f5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 Rac8 $5 16. f3 Be7 17. g3 Nd6 $6 (17... Bf6 18. fxe4 Bxd4+ 19. Kh1 fxe4 20. Bb5 Qf7 21. Ng2) 18. Qa4 Bf6 $6 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 Rce8 22. Bf4 Nc5 23. Ne7+ $1 Kf7 24. Bxf5 $6 (24. Bf1 $1 Nc8 25. Bc4+ Be6 26. Rxe6 Nxe6 27. Nhxf5 Kf6 28. Nd5+ Kg6 ( 28... Kxf5 $4 29. Bd3#) 29. Nxd4 Nxd4 30. Rc1) 24... Nxf5 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Nd3 28. Re4 Bxb2 29. Be3 $5 Bxa3 30. Bxa7 Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 Nc2+ 40. Kf3 Ne1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,25,18,5,14,19,7,19,19,22,13,-14,-5,-15,11,11,33,1,0,-3,-14,-5,-5,-11, -5,-11,9,8]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. a4 Na7 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3 $5 (12. Nc4 h6 13. Nh4 Be6 14. g3 Bh3 15. Nf5 Qe6 16. Re1 Ng4 17. Nce3 Nxe3 18. Bxe3 Bxe3 19. Nxe3 {1-0 (45) Movsziszian,K (2505)-Praveen Kumar,C (2233) Mumbai 2019}) 12... Ba7 (12... Bb6 13. Bg5 Nd8 14. Bh4 c6 15. Nbd2 Bc7 16. Nc4 Ne6 17. Bg3 Nf4 18. Bxf4 exf4 19. e5 Nd5 {1/2-1/2 (44) Maiwald,J (2426)-Zilka,S (2606) Deizisau GER 2022}) 13. Bb5 Bg4 $6 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 bxc6 16. Nxa5 Qe6 (16... Bxf2+ 17. Rxf2 Rxa5 18. b4 Raa8 19. Be3) 17. Qe2 Nh5 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 f5 $5 21. Rg2 $5 fxe4 $6 22. Qxe4 Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 29. cxb4 Rf6 30. b5 Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6 41. Nb6 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2776"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 c6 9. Ba4 d6 10. Bb3 Qe7 (10... O-O 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Be6 14. Ne3 g5 15. Bg3 a5 16. a4 Qd7 17. Bc2 {1/2-1/2 (30) Hansen,E (2577)-Movsesian,S (2659) Doha 2014}) (10... a5 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 h5 15. f3 Be6 16. Ne3 h4 17. Bf2 d5 18. Re1 {½- (41) ½ (41) Karjakin,S (2760) -Caruana,F (2811) Zuerich 2015}) 11. Nc4 Bg4 (11... Bc7 12. f4 b5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 O-O 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Rxf5 h6 17. Qf3 Nh7 18. Bd2 {0-1 (34) Karjakin,S (2754)-Vidit,S (2721) Moscow RUS 2019}) 12. Qe1 Bc5 13. Kh1 a5 $5 14. f4 a4 15. Bc2 b5 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. d4 Bxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Be3 (20. Bd2 Qxb2 21. Rc1 Nd7 22. h3 Be6 23. Bc3) 20... Qxb2 21. Qf2 Be6 $1 22. Bd4 Qb4 23. Bc5 Qc3 24. Rac1 $5 (24. Bd4 Qb4 25. Bc5 Qc3 26. Bd4 $11) 24... Rd8 25. Bb1 Qe5 26. Qh4 Bc4 $2 27. Rf5 Qb2 28. Rg1 $6 (28. Re1 $1) 28... Be6 $6 (28... Rd2 $1) 29. Qg3 $1 Nd7 30. Bd6 Qd4 $6 31. Rff1 h5 32. e5 $1 Qg4 33. Qe3 $1 h4 34. h3 Qh5 35. Be4 Qh6 36. Qf3 f6 37. Bxc6 Kf7 38. Bxb5 Qh5 39. Qe4 Nxe5 40. Be2 Qg5 41. Bxe5 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.27"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,33,13,-17,-18,-39,-16,-20,-20,-20,-2,-1,1,1,13,14,39,26,38,4,20,14,23, -11,-11,18,18,18,18,4,12,13,37,-3,14,-7]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. O-O b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Rd4 (15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Qb1 Qb8 17. Ng5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qb7+ 19. f3 O-O 20. Nce4 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qb8 {1/2-1/2 (47) Aronian,L (2797)-Wojtaszek,R (2744) Wijk aan Zee 2015}) 15... O-O 16. Rad1 Rac8 17. Qd2 Nc5 18. Qf4 Qxf4 19. gxf4 Nce4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Bd5 22. a4 a5 23. e4 Bb3 24. R1d3 Rc1+ 25. Bf1 Bc2 26. Rc3 Rd1 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Rc4 Rd8 29. Nc6 Rd2 30. Nxa5 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. b4 Rc1 34. Nxb6 Rb1 35. Kg2 Rxb4 36. a5 Rb3 37. Rc1 Bf3+ 38. Kg1 Ra3 39. Nc4 Ra2 40. Ne5 Bxe4 $2 (40... Bh5) 41. Rc7 Nd5 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. a6 Nb4 44. Ra7 Nc6 45. Rc7 Nd4 46. f3 $5 Nxf3+ 47. Nxf3 Bxf3 48. a7 Bd5 49. h4 Ra4 50. Bb5 Ra5 51. Rd7 Ra2 52. Kf1 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Bd5 54. Kd1 Kh8 55. Kc1 Be4 $1 56. Rc7 Ra5 57. Bd7 Ra1+ 58. Kb2 Rb1+ 59. Ka2 Rb6 60. Ka3 Kg8 61. Ka4 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.28"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Speelman,Jonathan"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 c6 9. Ba4 d6 {There are several games by Nakamura as Black in this variation.} 10. Bb3 (10. Nc4 Bc7 11. Bb3 Be6 12. f4 exf4 13. Bxf4 d5 14. Bxc7 Qxc7 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Qf3 O-O 17. d4 Rae8 18. Rae1 f6 19. Nd2 Bf7 20. Ne4 Kh8 21. Qg3 Qd7 22. Nd6 Rxe1 23. Rxe1 Bg8 24. c4 Ne7 25. c5 b6 26. Bc2 Qd8 27. b4 a5 28. cxb6 axb4 29. b7 Qd7 30. b8=Q Rxb8 31. Nf7+ Bxf7 32. Qxb8+ Ng8 33. Qxb4 Bxa2 34. Be4 h6 35. h3 Ne7 36. Bb1 Be6 37. Ba2 Bxa2 38. Rxe7 Qf5 39. Qb8+ Kh7 40. Qg3 Qg6 41. Qxg6+ Kxg6 42. Kf2 Bd5 43. g4 h5 44. gxh5+ Kh6 45. Kg3 Bh1 46. Kh4 Bd5 47. Re8 Kh7 48. Kg4 Bh1 49. Kf5 Bg2 50. h4 Bh3+ 51. Kf4 Bg2 52. Rc8 Bh1 53. Kf5 Bg2 54. Rd8 Bh3+ 55. Ke4 Bg2+ 56. Kf4 Bh3 57. Kf3 Bf1 58. Rd6 Bc4 59. Kg4 Bd5 60. Rd8 Be6+ 61. Kf4 Bd5 62. Kf5 Bf3 63. h6 {1-0 (63) Svidler,P (2694) -Nakamura,H (2736) chess.com INT 2021}) 10... Qe7 (10... a5 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. a4 Be6 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 g5 15. Bg3 h5 16. f3 h4 17. Be1 g4 18. Bd2 d5 19. exd5 cxd5 20. Ne3 g3 21. h3 Nh5 22. Ng4 f5 23. Nxe5 Bxe5 24. Re1 Qd6 25. Qe2 Bf4 26. Qxe6+ Qxe6 27. Rxe6+ Kd7 28. Bxf4 Nxf4 29. Re5 Rhf8 30. d4 Rae8 31. Rd1 Rxe5 32. dxe5 Ke6 33. Kf1 Kxe5 34. Re1+ Kf6 35. Bc2 d4 36. cxd4 Rd8 37. Re5 Rxd4 38. Re8 Rd2 {0-1 (38) So,W (2770)-Nakamura,H (2736) chess.com INT 2020}) (10... h6 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Qe2 O-O 13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 d5 15. Bxc7 Qxc7 16. Ne3 dxe4 17. d4 Qe7 18. Rf4 a5 19. a4 c5 20. Raf1 cxd4 21. cxd4 Ra6 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23. Bxd5 Be6 24. Rxe4 Qd7 25. Bxe6 Rxe6 26. Rxe6 fxe6 27. Rxf8+ Kxf8 28. Qc4 b6 29. b3 Qd6 30. Qc8+ Kf7 31. Qb7+ Kf8 32. Qc8+ Kf7 33. Qb7+ Kf8 34. Qf3+ Kg8 35. Qa8+ Kf7 36. Qb7+ {1/2-1/2 (36) So,W (2770)-Nakamura,H (2736) chess.com INT 2020}) 11. Nc4 Bg4 (11... Bc7 12. f4 Be6 {isn't disliked by my engine.}) 12. Qe1 Bc5 13. Kh1 a5 14. f4 a4 15. Bc2 b5 {Forcing matters because otherwise he will be clearly worde.} 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 $1 Qxe5 18. d4 Bxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20. Be3 $6 (20. Bd2 Qxb2 21. Rc1 Qe5 (21... O-O 22. Bc3 Qa3 (22... Qxa2 23. Bxf6 Bh5 $1 24. Qg3 Bg6 25. Ba1 $18) 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Qh4 $18) 22. Bc3 Qe7 23. Bd3 {v hard move to foresee in order to control c5} (23. Bb1 {looks more natural to me than Bd3} O-O 24. Rxf6 gxf6 25. Qg3 f5 26. h3 {at least ±})) 20... Qxb2 21. Qf2 Be6 $1 22. Bd4 Qb4 23. Bc5 Qc3 24. Rac1 Rd8 (24... Ng4 25. Qg1 Nxh2 26. Bb1 $18) 25. Bb1 Qe5 26. Qh4 Bc4 $4 {A horrible move even if after White's reply an engine would have been OK} (26... h6 {maintains the queen on f5. White would now like to sacrifice the exchange but if} 27. Rf5 $2 (27. h3 Rd2 ( 27... Qg5) 28. Qe1 Qg5) 27... Bxf5 28. exf5 Qxc5 $1) 27. Rf5 Qb2 28. Rg1 (28. Re1 {was apparently stronger but Black now had to find the totally counterintuitive Rd2 when he's apparently all right.}) 28... Be6 (28... Rd2 $1) 29. Qg3 Nd7 30. Bd6 Qd4 31. Rff1 h5 32. e5 Qg4 33. Qe3 h4 34. h3 Qh5 {With absolutely no counterplay and the blockade shot to pieces, Black is totally lost in human terms and engines agree too.} 35. Be4 Qh6 36. Qf3 f6 37. Bxc6 Kf7 38. Bxb5 Qh5 39. Qe4 Nxe5 {A desperate shot hoping for Bxe5 Rd5 though that should lose too} 40. Be2 (40. Bxe5 Rd5 41. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 42. Bc4 Re5 (42... Rg8 43. Re1 Qe5 44. Qf3) 43. Qb7+ Kg6 44. Qe7 $1) 40... Qg5 41. Bxe5 {Black has nothing tangible for the peice so Rapport resigned.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.28"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Speelman,Jonathan"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 {There are lots of games here by top players with Black. Vidit in particular has scored well.} 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. a4 Na7 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nb3 Ba7 13. Bb5 Bg4 14. Bxc6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 bxc6 16. Nxa5 {Black's compensation looks decent but White can defend himself and the a pawn is potentially huge.} Qe6 ( 16... Nh5 17. Nxc6 Qf6 18. Nxa7 Qxf3 19. Qd1 $1) 17. Qe2 Nh5 18. b4 Kh8 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rg1 f5 {Black's problem is thta when he plays this natural break he gives White a powerful square on e4.} 21. Rg2 fxe4 22. Qxe4 Rf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qd5 25. Qg4 Qxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxf3 27. Re2 (27. Nxc6 Rxe3 28. Rc2 e4 { is much less clear.}) 27... c5 28. Nc6 cxb4 29. cxb4 Rf6 30. b5 {The queenside majority is huge. I'd give this as ± off the top of my head but Stockfish 15 goes up above +4!} Rd6 31. a5 Nf6 32. a6 Nd7 33. a7 Kg8 34. Rc2 Kf7 35. Nb4 c5 36. bxc6 Nb6 37. e4 Nc8 38. Rca2 Ke6 39. Ra6 Rd4 40. Nd5 Kd6 {Nakamura could probably have defended a bit better in the last few moves up to the time control but it was definitely lost anyway.} 41. Nb6 {1-0 White wins.} (41. c7+ Kd7 (41... Kc5 42. R1a5+ Kc4 43. Nb6+ Nxb6 44. Rxb6) 42. Rg1 $1 {was anohter way to win.}) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.28"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Speelman,Jonathan"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {The fame of the round and indeed arguably the tournament this was close to a must win moment for Fabiano as he trailed Nepo by a full point.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 {Here Fabi hit Nepo with a massively complicated novelty which forced him onto the back foot for many moves.} 11. Nh4 $1 Be6 12. Qc2 (12. Qd1 {I thought he might have intended Qd1 but Qc2 is extremely poisomous.} Bc7 ( 12... Nf6 13. c5 Bc7 14. Nc3)) (12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Rxe4 b5 14. Nd2) 12... Na6 { There will be huge screeds of analysis in the next few days. Na6 is decent but requires immense accuracy from Black later.} 13. a3 f5 (13... Rae8 {was probably easier. If} 14. Nc3 (14. f3 $2 Qd8 $1 (14... dxc4 15. Bxe4 f5 16. Nxf5 Bxf5 17. Qxc4+)) 14... Nxc3 15. bxc3 dxc4 16. Bxh7+ Kh8 17. Bg5) 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 Rac8 16. f3 Be7 $1 (16... Nxc3 17. bxc3 Be7 18. g3 {gives White an edge.}) 17. g3 $1 (17. Nxf5 {leads to a forced liquidation} Bxf5 18. fxe4 dxe4 19. Bxe4 Qxd4+ 20. Be3 Qxe4 $1 21. Qxe4 Bxe4 22. Nxe4 Nc5 {and its dead equal.} ) 17... Nd6 {A very human reaction but in fact Bf6 seems to be stronger according to our lords and masters:} (17... Bf6 $1 18. fxe4 fxe4 19. Bxa6 Bxd4+ 20. Be3 Bxe3+ 21. Rxe3 bxa6 22. Rd1 Qf7 23. Ree1 Bg4 {and there are two main engine lines both finishing in equality} 24. Rd4 (24. Rd2 $2 e3) (24. Ra1 d4 25. Rxe4 Bf5 26. Nxf5 Qxf5 27. Qb3+ Kh8 28. Rf4 Qd3 29. Qb7 Qe3+ 30. Kg2 dxc3 31. Raf1 Qe2+ (31... Rg8 $2 32. Qxc8) 32. R1f2 c2 33. Rxe2 c1=Q {having defended c8 Black is apparently OK!} 34. Ref2) 24... Qf6 25. Qd2 e3 26. Qxe3 Rce8 27. Qxe8 Qf2+ 28. Kh1 Bf3+ 29. Nxf3 Qxf3+ 30. Kg1 Qf2+) 18. Qa4 $1 { The engine move and I suspect the end of Fabi's magnificent preparation though he had to spend a quite a long time remembering and checking it.} (18. Qe2 Nc7 19. Nxd5 $1 Nxd5 20. Qxe6+ Qxe6 21. Rxe6 Rcd8 22. Ng2 Bf6 {is also better for White but maybe less so.}) 18... Bf6 (18... Rc6 $1 {is apparently the best but hard to see for a human and even a super grandmaster.} 19. Bxa6 Bxh4 20. gxh4 Rxa6 21. Qxd7 Bxd7 22. Bf4 Nb5) (18... Qxa4 19. Nxa4 Kf7 20. Bxa6 bxa6 21. Nc5 Rxc5 22. dxc5 Nc4 $16) 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 21. Kg2 (21. Be3 Bxe3+ 22. Rxe3 Rce8 23. Rd1 Rxe3 24. Nxe3 Nc7 25. Bc2 Nce8 {is aldo mucghc better for White.}) 21... Rce8 22. Bf4 (22. Ne7+ Kf7 23. Bf4 Nc5 $1 {transposes}) 22... Nc5 23. Ne7+ Kf7 {While streaming I found this position with so many pieces en prise extremely confusing and after a while had recourse to engines. Despite getting a big lead on the clock early on, Fabi was now marginally behind with about 38 minutes to 40. here he spent nearly twenty of those minutes before choosing the less promising path.} 24. Bxf5 $6 (24. Bf1 $1 Nc8 25. Bc4+ Be6 26. Rxe6 $1 Nxe6 27. Nhxf5 Kf6 {is strong due to the vicious trick} 28. Nd5+ $1 { and if} Kxf5 (28... Kg6 29. Nxd4 Nxd4 30. Rd1 {with more than enmough for the exchange.}) 29. Bd3#) 24... Nxf5 25. Nhxf5 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Nd3 $1 ( 27... Bxb2 28. Bd6 Rc8 29. Re7+ Kf6 30. g4 {gave White very decent chances but after Nd3 Nepo has escaped.}) 28. Re4 (28. Re7+ Kf6 29. Bd6 Rd8 30. Nxd4 (30. Re4 Bc5 31. Bxc5 Nxc5 32. Rd4 Rxd4 33. Nxd4 Ke5) 30... Rxd6 31. Rxg7 Rxd4 32. Rxb7 {shouldn't be dangeorus for Black with decebnt play.}) 28... Bxb2 29. Be3 Bxa3 30. Bxa7 Ra8 31. Bd4 Bf8 {Now Black is finally beautifully coordinated.} 32. Re2 g6 33. Ne3 Rd8 34. Bb6 Rd6 35. Nc4 Rc6 36. Re4 Bg7 37. f4 Re6 38. Kf3 Ne1+ 39. Ke3 Nc2+ 40. Kf3 (40. Kd2 {then there is} Na3 $1) 40... Ne1+ {The end of an epic battle.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.28"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Duda, Jan Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2806"] [Annotator "Speelman,Jonathan"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Qc7 9. O-O b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Rd4 O-O 16. Rad1 Rac8 17. Qd2 (17. Ng5 {I found this while streaming but without much conviction. The best reply is} Nc5 $1 (17... Bxg2 $2 18. Rxd7 Qc6 19. R7d6 Qb7 20. f3) (17... g6 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Qd2 $16)) 17... Nc5 18. Qf4 Qxf4 19. gxf4 {This looks a tad better for White to me though of course engines can hold easily.} Nce4 (19... Nd5 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Ne5 (21. b3 Ne4) 21... Bxa2 22. b4 Na4 23. Bb7) 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Ne5 Bd5 22. a4 (22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. f5 {and thought thta White might get an edge.} Nf6 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. f3 ( 25. e3) (25. R1d2 Rc5 26. Nd3 Rg5+ 27. Kf1 e5) 25... Rc5 26. Nd7 Nxd7 27. Rxd7 Rc2 28. Kf2 Rxb2 (28... Rf7 29. Rd8+ Rf8 30. R8d2 Rxd2 31. Rxd2 Rf5 32. Rd6 Rb5 33. b3 Ra5 34. a4 b5 35. axb5 Rxb5 36. Rxe6 Rxb3 37. Rxa6) 29. Ra7 Kh8 30. Rdd7 Rg8 31. Rxa6) (22. b3) 22... a5 23. e4 {I don't like this at all but Ding is very good at these poitions and may well at least not be wrong.} Bb3 24. R1d3 Rc1+ 25. Bf1 Bc2 26. Rc3 Rd1 (26... Nxe4 27. Rxc2 Rxc2 28. Rxe4 Rxb2 {Surely can't be too bad for black but Rd1 is much cleverer.}) 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Rc4 Rd8 (28... Bb3 29. Rd4 Rc8 {looks pretty comfortable for Black}) 29. Nc6 Rd2 30. Nxa5 g6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Nc4 Rc2 33. b4 Rc1 34. Nxb6 Rb1 35. Kg2 Rxb4 36. a5 Rb3 {This is what I wanted to play but in fact Nh5 is better.} 37. Rc1 $1 { A very strong idea after which the a pawn gives White the advantage.} Bf3+ 38. Kg1 Ra3 39. Nc4 Ra2 40. Ne5 Bxe4 (40... Bh5 $1 {preparing to defnd f6 by g5 was a veyr hard move to make just before the time contorl but nevertheless bettrter.}) 41. Rc7 Nd5 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 (42... Kh6 43. Ng4+ Kh5 44. f3 $1 Bxf3 45. Ne5 $18) 43. a6 Nb4 44. Ra7 Nc6 45. Rc7 Nd4 46. f3 Nxf3+ 47. Nxf3 Bxf3 48. a7 Bd5 49. h4 Ra4 50. Bb5 Ra5 51. Rd7 Ra2 52. Kf1 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Bd5 54. Kd1 Kh8 55. Kc1 Be4 56. Rc7 Ra5 57. Bd7 Ra1+ 58. Kb2 Rb1+ 59. Ka2 Rb6 60. Ka3 Kg8 61. Ka4 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Ding Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C77"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,32,24,16,25,10,22,15,10,3,4,4,13,15,6,-3,-7,-48,-13,-36,-17,-17,1,-10, 21,-10,9,3,29,28,23,-6,10,13,13]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 d6 {8...Be7 is a critical line.} 9. c3 Ba7 ({ Relevant:} 9... Bb6 10. a4 Rb8 11. axb5 axb5 12. Na3 g5 13. Bg3 Na5 14. Bc2 b4 15. cxb4 Nc6 16. Ba4 Bd7 17. Nc4 Nxb4 18. Bxd7+ Nxd7 19. O-O O-O 20. Nxb6 Rxb6 21. d4 Nc6 22. Rc1 Nxd4 23. Nxd4 exd4 24. Qxd4 Nc5 25. Rcd1 Ne6 26. Qc3 f6 27. f4 Qe7 28. b4 Rbb8 29. f5 Nd8 30. Rd4 Nf7 31. Rc4 Rb7 32. Rc1 Rfb8 33. h4 gxh4 34. Bxh4 Ne5 35. Rxc7 Rxc7 36. Qxc7 Qxc7 37. Rxc7 Rxb4 38. Re7 d5 39. Kf1 { Praggnanandhaa,R (2642)-Carlsen,M (2864) chess24.com INT 2022 1-0}) 10. O-O Na5 11. Bc2 {[#]} c5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11... g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 13. a4 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Nc6 15. axb5 axb5 16. Na3 Ba6 17. Bb3 Ne7 18. d4 exd4 19. Nxd4 b4 20. Nc4 Bxc4 21. Bxc4 O-O 22. cxb4 d5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Nb5 Qxb4 25. b3 Qc5 26. Qf3 Kg7 27. Ra6 f6 28. Rfa1 Nc8 29. Kh2 {1-0 (29) Caruana,F (2800)-Burke,J (2554) Saint Louis 2021}) 12. Nbd2 g5 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. a3 Rb8 15. Kh1 Rb7 16. b4 Nc6 17. Bb3 Rc7 18. Bd5 (18. bxc5 Bxc5) 18... g4 19. Bh4 (19. Ng1) 19... Ne7 20. Ng1 cxb4 21. axb4 Rxc3 22. Ne2 Rc7 23. f4 f6 24. fxe5 dxe5 25. Ng3 Nxg3+ 26. hxg3 Rf8 { The game is a double edged mess.} 27. Rxf6 $6 (27. Rc1 {was a better move.}) 27... Rxf6 28. Bxf6 Qd6 29. Qf1 Bd4 (29... Ng6) 30. Bf7+ Kd7 (30... Kd8) 31. Rd1 Rc2 32. Bb3 Rc7 33. Nc4 $5 (33. Ba2) 33... bxc4 34. dxc4 Rc6 35. Ba4 Kc7 ( 35... Qe6) 36. Bxc6 {White has won the exchange for two minor pieces.} Nxc6 37. b5 Nb4 38. c5 Qe6 39. Bh4 Bxc5 40. Rc1 Qd6 {After all that equality at move 40. } 41. Qc4 Nd3 42. Rc3 $2 (42. Be7 Qxe7 43. Qxd3 Kb6) 42... axb5 43. Qxd3 Qxd3 44. Rxd3 Bd4 {The exchange is worth less than the piece and pawn here, a lot less.} 45. Bf6 Kb6 46. Rxd4 {Trying to get salvation in a bishops of opposite colours endgame, it doesn't work.} exd4 47. Bxd4+ Ka5 48. Kg1 b4 49. Kf2 Ka4 50. Ke3 Kb3 51. Kf4 Kc2 52. Ke5 b3 53. Kd6 Kd3 54. Ba1 Kxe4 55. Kc5 Kd3 { Black will win the bishop and keep the one pawn he needs to win the game.} 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C53"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,113,28,11,11,9,15,15,15,70,-15,-13,36,25,40,25,32,-13,-3,-23,-6,-5,-5, -8,11,-4,49,-3,19,3,13,-6,2,13,0,0,72,21,16,13,28,21,-1,8,4,-30,34,22,23,16,25, 4,103,99,157,132,277,101,112,64,76,69,156,44,51,-11,44,28,19,-11,25,25,0,0,0, 33,20,28,23,75,239,244,236,236,236,233,233,254,275,283,282,261,323,205,206,237, 230,225,237,137,162,207,253,261,259,256,284,293,289,286,286,306,331,321,321, 343]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 O-O {8...0-0 is better than 8...h6.} 9. h3 Be6 ({Relevant:} 9... h6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. b4 Be6 12. Bxe6 Rxe6 13. Rb1 b5 14. Ra1 d5 15. Qc2 Bb6 16. Nb3 Qe8 17. a5 Ba7 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. Rxe3 dxe4 20. dxe4 Rd6 21. Ree1 Nd7 22. Rad1 Qe6 23. Nfd2 Rd8 24. Nf1 Nf6 25. Nc5 Qc8 26. Ne3 g6 27. Qb3 Kg7 28. Nd5 Nd7 29. Nd3 Nf6 30. Nxf6 Rxf6 31. Nc5 Ne7 32. c4 bxc4 33. Qxc4 Rfd6 34. Rb1 Nc6 35. Qxa6 Qxa6 36. Nxa6 Nxa5 37. Nxc7 Nc4 38. b5 Nb6 39. Rec1 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2773) -Giri,A (2773) Chess.com INT 2022 1-0}) 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. b4 Nh5 {[#]} 12. Nbd2 $146 {This obviously super-sharp with chances for both sides.} ({Predecessor:} 12. Ra2 Qe8 13. Be3 Nf4 14. Bxa7 Rxa7 15. Kh2 b5 16. g3 Nh5 17. Kg2 Qg6 18. Re3 bxa4 19. Nh4 Qe8 20. Qxa4 a5 21. b5 Nb8 22. d4 Nd7 23. dxe5 Nxe5 24. Qd4 Ra8 25. Na3 Qf7 26. Qd1 Nf6 27. Qe2 Nfd7 28. f4 Ng6 29. Nf3 Nc5 30. Nc4 a4 31. Ng5 Qe8 32. f5 Ne7 33. Nd2 Nc8 34. Ndf3 e5 35. Qc4+ Kh8 36. Rf2 Nb6 37. Qa2 h6 38. Nh4 hxg5 39. Ng6+ Kh7 40. Qe2 Nbd7 41. Nxf8+ Qxf8 {Jones,G (2672)-Van Foreest, J (2714) chess24.com INT 2022 0-1}) 12... Nf4 13. Nf1 Qf6 14. Bxf4 Qxf4 15. Qb3 Rf6 (15... Qf7) (15... Qh6) 16. b5 Na5 {This knight ends up being a huge problem for black.} 17. Qa2 g5 $2 {The position was obviously quite uncomfortable for black, but this is just losing.} 18. N1h2 Rg6 19. d4 h5 20. g3 Qf6 21. Rad1 Rg7 22. Kh1 {Black doesn't have a kingside attack and it will now be his king that gets attacked.} Rf8 23. dxe5 (23. h4 $1) 23... dxe5 24. h4 gxh4 25. gxh4 Bc5 26. Rg1 Bd6 27. Ng5 Kh8 28. Qe2 Qg6 29. Rd3 axb5 30. Rdg3 Qe8 31. axb5 {Nothing particularly wrong with this but it's surely combo time.} ( 31. Nxe6 Rxg3 32. Rxg3 Rg8 33. Qf3 Rxg3 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. fxg3) 31... Rf6 32. Qf1 $6 {This gives Caruana some new hope.} (32. c4) 32... b6 $6 (32... Nb3 { was needed. The problem knight needs to return to the game.}) 33. Qg2 Qf8 ( 33... Qg8) 34. Qh3 Qg8 35. R1g2 Nb7 (35... Be7) 36. Nh7 Rfg6 37. Rxg6 Rxg6 38. Ng5 Rf6 39. f4 Nc5 40. fxe5 Bxe5 41. Ngf3 Qa8 {Caruana fights to the last giving up a piece for play.} 42. Nxe5 Nxe4 43. Nhf3 Qa1+ 44. Kh2 Qc1 45. Nd3 Qxc3 46. Ra2 Nf2 47. Rxf2 Qxd3 48. Qg3 Qd6 49. Qxd6 cxd6 50. Kg3 Rf5 51. Rd2 Rxb5 52. Rxd6 Kg7 53. Rxe6 {Sadly for Caruana there are no saving chances.} Rb4 54. Re5 Kh6 55. Rd5 Rb1 56. Nd4 Rg1+ 57. Kf4 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10.3"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E06"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,65,24,24,24,-10,-4,6,9,-24,5,2,-3,4,-6,-9,14,9,42,55,39,45,27,18,34, 47,34,25,61,30,64,61,52,31,61,4,31,31,31,53,69,44,53,52,81,75,45,34,54,11,32, 16,11,11,22,20,21,11,14,12,11,6,6,6,5,2,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 8. a4 Bb7 9. axb5 a6 10. Nc3 ({ Relevant:} 10. bxa6 Nxa6 11. Qxc4 Bd5 12. Qc3 c5 13. Be3 Ne4 14. Qe1 Nb4 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. Nc3 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Nc2 18. Qd2 Nxe3 19. Qxe3 cxd4 20. cxd4 Bf6 21. Qf4 Qb8 22. Qg4 g6 23. e3 h5 24. Qf4 Qxf4 25. gxf4 Bxf3 26. Bxf3 Rd8 27. Rb1 Rd7 28. Kg2 Kg7 29. Be4 Ra7 30. Rb2 Rd7 31. Rc2 Bd8 32. Kf3 Rc7 33. Rb2 Be7 34. Rb5 Rd7 35. Bc6 Rc7 36. d5 exd5 37. Bxd5 Bc5 38. Be4 Be7 39. Kg2 Bc5 { Andreikin,D (2729)-Nakamura,H (2760) Chess.com INT 2022 1/2-1/2 (129)}) 10... axb5 11. Rxa8 Bxa8 12. Nxb5 Bd5 13. Bf4 c5 14. dxc5 Qa5 15. Nc3 Qxc5 {[#]} 16. Be3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 16. e4 Bc6 17. Be3 Qa5 18. Nd4 Rc8 19. h3 Be8 20. f4 Na6 21. e5 Nb4 22. Qd2 Nd7 23. Kh2 Qa6 24. Qe2 Nd3 25. f5 N7xe5 26. fxe6 fxe6 27. Nxe6 Bc6 28. Nd4 Bxg2 29. Qxg2 Rb8 30. Nf5 Bf6 31. Qd5+ Kh8 32. Ne4 Rxb2+ 33. Kh1 Rb5 34. Bc5 Qb7 35. Nxf6 Qxd5+ 36. Nxd5 Rxc5 37. Nd4 h6 38. Ne7 Rc7 39. Rf8+ Kh7 40. Re8 Ng6 {0-1 (40) Dubov,D (2702)-Nakamura,H (2766) Chess.com INT 2022}) 16... Qa5 17. Bd2 Ba8 {Nepomniachtchi has very few losing chances which at this stage I'm sure suits him.} 18. Nd1 Qc5 19. Ne3 Rc8 20. Rc1 Bd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. Ne5 Nb6 23. Qe4 Bf6 24. Bc3 N8d7 25. Bd4 Qd6 26. Nxd7 {Now comes the liquidation.} Bxd4 27. Nxb6 Qxb6 28. e3 Bxb2 29. Rxc4 Qa6 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Qb7 Qxb7 32. Bxb7 {Even I could draw with either colour against anyone.} g6 33. Kg2 Kg7 34. Ba8 Ba1 35. Bb7 Bb2 36. Ba8 Ba1 37. Bb7 Bb2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,31,24,10,52,37,99,61,58,39,32,28,48,43,45,35,35,37,22,34,19,-27,6,27, 13,26,44,21,29,29,42,21,18,21]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Nc6 ({Relevant:} 7... Be7 8. Bc4 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Qe2 Na5 11. Bd5 Be6 12. Rfd1 Qc7 13. Bg5 Bxd5 14. Rxd5 Nc4 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rd3 Rfc8 17. Nd5 Qd8 18. Rb3 b5 19. a4 Nb6 20. Nxb6 Qxb6 21. axb5 axb5 22. Rxa8 Rxa8 23. g3 Rb8 24. Ne1 Qc6 25. c4 b4 26. Nc2 Qc5 27. Ne3 Bd8 28. Nd5 Ba5 29. h4 Kf8 30. Qh5 h6 31. Rf3 Rb7 32. Qg6 Kg8 33. Nf6+ Kf8 34. Nh5 Qxc4 35. Qxg7+ Ke7 36. Nf6 Kd8 {1-0 (36) Naiditsch,A (2653)-Moussard,J (2668) Chartres 2022}) 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Nd5 Rc8 10. Nxf6+ {[#]} gxf6 $146 {This looks pretty risky and in a few moves white is definitely better.} ({Predecessor:} 10... Qxf6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. O-O Qg6 13. Nd2 Be7 14. c4 O-O 15. Rc1 Rc7 16. f3 Bg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Rc3 a5 19. Rf2 Rfc8 20. g3 Nd4 21. Kg2 Qd8 22. f4 exf4 23. Rxf4 Nc6 24. a4 Ne5 25. Qe2 Qe8 26. b3 g5 27. Rf2 g4 28. Qe3 Qh5 29. Rc1 Ng6 30. Rcf1 Qe5 31. Qh6 Rg7 32. h3 gxh3+ 33. Qxh3 Rf8 34. Rxf8+ Nxf8 35. Qh4 Ng6 36. Qh3 Nf8 37. Qh4 Rf7 38. Rxf7 Kxf7 39. Nf3 Qb2+ {1/2-1/2 (39) Adams,M (2723)-Bologan,V (2732) Konya 2012}) 11. Bb3 Ne7 12. O-O Bxb3 13. axb3 d5 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qe2 Nf5 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. c4 Bg7 18. Rd5 O-O 19. Rad1 {Control of the open d-file means white is much better here.} Rfe8 20. h3 b5 21. c5 $6 (21. Bc5) 21... Bf8 $2 (21... a5 {was the move.} 22. Qc2 Qe6 23. Qe4 Ne7 24. Rd7 f5) 22. b4 { Of course.} Nd4 $2 {Although in real terms all the damage has been done.} ( 22... Qe6) 23. Nxd4 Qxd5 24. Nf5 Qe4 25. Qh5 Red8 26. Ra1 Rc6 $2 (26... Ra8) 27. Bh6 Kh8 28. Ra3 Qxb4 29. Bxf8 Rxf8 30. Qh6 {It's forced checkmate.} Rg8 31. Rg3 Rxg3 32. fxg3 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2793"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,63,36,30,66,35,99,65,56,37,33,29,68,49,31,52,26,38,43,24,65,-6,9,-9, 19,11,33,19,20,20,20,23,16,12,31,12,47,33,62,56,56,31,86,-11,47,28,47,44,32, -35,-27,-42,0,0,0,0,61,-34,188,75,29985,29986,29987,29988,29989,29990]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 $5 (7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Nbd7 9. Qd2 b5 10. a4 b4 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Nb6 13. Bxb6 Qxb6 14. a5 { 1/2-1/2 (21) Aronian,L (2772)-Dubov,D (2720) Berlin GER 2022}) 7... Nc6 $5 ( 7... Be7 8. Bc4 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Bb3 Na5 11. Bg5 Nxb3 12. axb3 Be6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 Rc8 15. c4 Bg5 16. Nxg5 Qxg5 {1/2-1/2 (31) Yu Yangyi (2726) -Carlsen,M (2872) Wijk aan Zee NED 2020}) 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Nd5 Rc8 (9... Bxd5 10. Bxd5 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Qa5+ 12. Qxa5 Nxa5 13. Nd2 Rc8 14. O-O-O Be7 15. b3 b5 16. Kb2 Rc6 17. Nb1 Kd7 18. Nc3 Rhc8 19. Rd3 h6 20. Rc1 {1/2-1/2 (36) Karjakin,S (2775)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2707) Moscow 2012}) 10. Nxf6+ gxf6 $5 (10... Qxf6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 (11... Qxe6 12. O-O Be7 13. Nd2 d5 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qg4 O-O 16. Bh6 Bf6 17. Ne4 Qe6 18. Qxe6 fxe6 19. Be3 Nb4 20. c3 Nd5 21. Rfe1 {1/2-1/2 (41) Vachier Lagrave,M (2703)-Morozevich,A (2751) Biel 2009}) 12. O-O Qg6 13. Nd2 Be7 14. c4 O-O 15. Rc1 Rc7 16. f3 {1/2-1/2 (39) Adams,M (2723)-Bologan,V (2732) Konya 2012}) 11. Bb3 Ne7 $5 12. O-O Bxb3 13. axb3 d5 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qe2 $5 ( 15. Qxd5 Nxd5 16. c3) 15... Nf5 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. c4 $5 (17. c3) 17... Bg7 $5 18. Rd5 O-O 19. Rad1 Rfe8 20. h3 b5 $6 21. c5 $6 (21. Bc5 $1) 21... Bf8 $6 ( 21... a5 $1) 22. b4 $1 Nd4 $5 23. Nxd4 Qxd5 24. Nf5 (24. Qg4+ Kh8 25. Nf5) 24... Qe4 25. Qh5 Red8 26. Ra1 Rc6 27. Bh6 Kh8 28. Ra3 Qxb4 29. Bxf8 Rxf8 30. Qh6 Rg8 31. Rg3 Rxg3 32. fxg3 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C77"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2806"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,18,28,32,30,42,56,11,15,8,-2,-12,5,5,4,-13,-14,-50,-3,-37,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 d6 9. c3 Ba7 10. O-O Na5 11. Bc2 c5 (11... g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 13. a4 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Nc6 15. axb5 axb5 16. Na3 Ba6 17. Bb3 Ne7 18. d4 exd4 19. Nxd4 b4 20. Nc4 Bxc4 21. Bxc4 O-O 22. cxb4 d5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Nb5 Qxb4 25. b3 Qc5 26. Qf3 Kg7 27. Ra6 f6 28. Rfa1 Nc8 29. Kh2 {1-0 (29) Caruana,F (2800)-Burke,J (2554) Saint Louis USA 2021 }) 12. Nbd2 g5 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. a3 Rb8 15. Kh1 Rb7 16. b4 Nc6 17. Bb3 Rc7 18. Bd5 $6 g4 $5 19. Bh4 Ne7 20. Ng1 cxb4 21. axb4 Rxc3 22. Ne2 Rc7 23. f4 f6 24. fxe5 dxe5 25. Ng3 Nxg3+ 26. hxg3 Rf8 27. Rxf6 $6 Rxf6 28. Bxf6 Qd6 29. Qf1 Bd4 30. Bf7+ Kd7 31. Rd1 Rc2 32. Bb3 Rc7 33. Nc4 $5 bxc4 34. dxc4 Rc6 35. Ba4 Kc7 36. Bxc6 Nxc6 37. b5 Nb4 38. c5 Qe6 39. Bh4 Bxc5 40. Rc1 Qd6 41. Qc4 Nd3 $1 42. Rc3 $6 axb5 43. Qxd3 Qxd3 44. Rxd3 Bd4 45. Bf6 Kb6 46. Rxd4 exd4 47. Bxd4+ Ka5 48. Kg1 b4 49. Kf2 Ka4 50. Ke3 Kb3 51. Kf4 Kc2 52. Ke5 b3 53. Kd6 Kd3 54. Ba1 Kxe4 55. Kc5 Kd3 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10.3"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E05"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2753"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,34,30,24,36,6,6,6,12,3,6,5,5,4,8,6,21,43,35,35,35,21,47,35,30,27,47, 47,42,54,41,45,45,30,73,0,35]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 8. a4 Bb7 9. axb5 a6 10. Nc3 axb5 11. Rxa8 Bxa8 12. Nxb5 Bd5 13. Bf4 c5 14. dxc5 Qa5 15. Nc3 Qxc5 16. Be3 $5 (16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Bd2 Nd7 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. e3 Bf6 20. Bf1 N7b6 {½-½ (63) Vidit,S (2723)-Nakamura,H (2766) INT 2022}) (16. Ra1 Nbd7 17. Be3 Qc8 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Nd4 Bc5 20. Rd1 Rd8 21. Bg5 {1/2-1/2 (35) Banusz,T (2607)-Krassowizkij,J (2458) Austria AUT 2021}) 16... Qa5 17. Bd2 Ba8 18. Nd1 Qc5 19. Ne3 Rc8 20. Rc1 Bd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. Ne5 Nb6 23. Qe4 Bf6 24. Bc3 N8d7 25. Bd4 Qd6 26. Nxd7 Bxd4 27. Nxb6 Qxb6 28. e3 Bxb2 29. Rxc4 Qa6 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Qb7 Qxb7 32. Bxb7 g6 33. Kg2 Kg7 34. Ba8 Ba1 35. Bb7 Bb2 36. Ba8 Ba1 37. Bb7 Bb2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2783"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,22,16,28,38,44,44,13,24,-9,-5,5,2,-10,37,-22,10,-36,-13,-9,10,-33,7, 10,-7]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 Be6 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. b4 Nh5 12. Nbd2 Nf4 13. Nf1 Qf6 14. Bxf4 Qxf4 15. Qb3 Rf6 16. b5 Na5 17. Qa2 g5 18. N1h2 Rg6 19. d4 h5 20. g3 Qf6 21. Rad1 Rg7 22. Kh1 Rf8 $6 23. dxe5 dxe5 24. h4 $1 gxh4 25. gxh4 Bc5 $6 26. Rg1 Bd6 27. Ng5 Kh8 28. Qe2 Qg6 29. Rd3 axb5 30. Rdg3 Qe8 31. axb5 Rf6 32. Qf1 $6 ( 32. Qd3 $1 $18) 32... b6 33. Qg2 Qf8 34. Qh3 Qg8 35. R1g2 Nb7 36. Nh7 Rfg6 37. Rxg6 Rxg6 38. Ng5 Rf6 39. f4 $3 Nc5 (39... exf4 40. e5 Bxe5 41. Qf3) 40. fxe5 Bxe5 41. Ngf3 Qa8 42. Nxe5 (42. Ng4 $3 hxg4 43. Qxg4 Qf8 44. Nxe5) 42... Nxe4 43. Nhf3 Qa1+ 44. Kh2 Qc1 45. Nd3 Qxc3 46. Ra2 Nf2 47. Rxf2 Qxd3 48. Qg3 Qd6 49. Qxd6 cxd6 50. Kg3 Rf5 51. Rd2 Rxb5 52. Rxd6 Kg7 53. Rxe6 Rb4 54. Re5 Kh6 55. Rd5 Rb1 56. Nd4 Rg1+ 57. Kf4 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C77"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2806"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 {I always thought this was an inaccurate move order for White if he wants a d3 Spanish. Now, Black can put his bishop on a better square than e7— either c5 or g7 is quite reasonable. I guess it does have the added benefit of avoiding the Open Spanish.} (5. O-O Be7 6. d3 {This would be the normal way, forcing Black's bishop to commit to e7.}) 5... b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 {The Archangel should be an excellent opening for Black if White is unable to play c3 and d4. It just looks like a good Italian for the second player.} 7. Bg5 $5 {This is very bold. It is not a bad move, but strategically it's a very risky one. In general, I never really liked these positions where White's dark squared bishop ends up on g3. I often find that if it ever gets taken, Black's unopposed dark-squared bishop on a7 often wins him the game.} h6 8. Bh4 d6 9. c3 Ba7 10. O-O {All of this is relatively normal so far. Ding kept matching the computer, suggesting he was still in his preparation.} Na5 11. Bc2 c5 $1 {I like this move, being a little patient before chasing the bishop.} (11... g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 {This is probably playable too, but I dislike allowing} 13. b4 $1 {When Black is unable to retreat the knight back to the ideal c6-square without getting his pawn to c5 first.}) 12. Nbd2 g5 $1 {Now and only now.} 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. a3 Rb8 $1 {This move convinced me that Ding may well be the best player in the world on the black side of Italian structures. It absolutely blows my mind that the computer says this is best, but it is. I would not have even considered it $1 Black plans to leave the king in the center and develop his rook along the seventh rank. Furthermore, after the inevitable b2-b4 coming, a2-a4 will be much less dangerous when the rook is off of the a-file. [After the game, Ding stated that this move was part of old preparation that was not for this game. - ed.]} (14... Qf6 {A move like this looks pretty automatic to me. It's not bad, but Ding's choice is stronger.}) 15. Kh1 Rb7 $1 {Black is nothing if not consistent.} 16. b4 Nc6 17. Bb3 Rc7 18. Bd5 {Up to here, the game has been dynamic and tense, but mainly strategic with some understanding of where the pieces are supposed to go, and not with too many concrete lines to consider. Now it starts heating up fast.} g4 $5 {The chaos begins $1} (18... O-O { This was also possible. Black can plan for …Kg7 and …f5.}) 19. Bh4 (19. Nh4 {This feels more natural to me, but White still has some problems to solve.} Ne7 $1 {My computer claims White is okay here... but only if he lets Black take on d5 $1 That is bizarre to me.} 20. Bb3 $2 (20. bxc5 Nxd5 21. exd5 Bxc5 { Apparently White is fine. That would most definitely not be my instinct $1}) 20... cxb4 $1 21. cxb4 O-O $15 {...Kh7 and …f5 are coming.}) 19... Ne7 20. Ng1 cxb4 21. axb4 Rxc3 $5 {This strikes me as a bit greedy. I don't think the c3-pawn was the most important factor.} (21... Qd7 $1 {Time is of the essence. Now, Black is threatening to take on d5 and go …f5, which looks like an absolute nightmare for White. …Ng6 is also a huge threat, so one would expect White to take on e7.} 22. Bxe7 Qxe7 {But this is exactly what I am talking about with the unopposed g7-bishop. White cannot play f3 because of …Qh4, and he does not have another great way to get counterplay. c3 is weak, d4 won't come, at some point …Nf4 and the h-pawn starts shoving. Despite my computer's insistence on equality, I would definitely take Black here.}) 22. Ne2 $1 Rc7 23. f4 $1 {White is a pawn down, so setting the board on fire makes perfect sense. Black's king can end up in real trouble.} f6 $1 {The most human move.} (23... O-O {The machine wants this one, but this is a very hard move for a human.} 24. f5 $1 {The space is a huge problem and …Ng3 is on the way. Miraculously, Black just barely holds together with the only move} Be3 $1 25. Ng3 Nxg3+ 26. hxg3 h5 {When his bishop can regroup to h6 and keep the king safe. Even here I would surely take White and I can understand why Ding didn't like it.}) 24. fxe5 (24. Qe1 {The computer likes maintaining the tension here. No human plays such a move.}) 24... dxe5 25. Ng3 $1 {Removing the guard of f6. Black's position looks very dangerous.} Nxg3+ $1 26. hxg3 Rf8 $1 {Cold blooded. } 27. Rxf6 (27. Bxf6 $2 Rxf6 28. Rxf6 Nxd5 $1 {Black wins.}) (27. Rc1 $5 { Maintaining the tension was an interesting option, though it is hard to imagine a human not taking on f6.}) 27... Rxf6 $1 28. Bxf6 Qd6 $1 {Ding has the position more or less under control, though it still looks very scary.} 29. Qf1 Bd4 (29... Ng6 {Computers are so silly. Who brings the knight from e7 to g6 where it is blunted by the g3-pawn $2 Apparently this was best, so Black can go …Be6 and …Rf7 next.}) 30. Bf7+ $1 Kd7 (30... Kxf7 {Of course the bishop cannot be taken.} 31. Bxe5+) 31. Rd1 Rc2 {I didn't really get this move. Apparently, moving the rook back and forth could lead to a repetition... But I don't see why Black needs to worry so much just yet.} (31... Qxb4 $5 {I think Black could have grabbed this pawn.} 32. Nb3) 32. Bb3 Rc7 {My suspicion is that if Rapport played Bf7 here, Ding may have taken b4 and continued the game. But, we will never find out, since Richard has never been shy about pushing the chaos button.} 33. Nc4 $5 {Very enterprising $1 But this is the kind of thing that does not work as well against 2800s.} bxc4 34. dxc4 {c5 is coming next and Black's position looks very scary, but Ding finds the right coordination.} Rc6 $1 {White's biggest threat was c4-c5, kicking the queen off of the d-file and getting ready for Bxe5 next. Black hits the f6 bishop with a gain of tempo and clears the c7-square for his king to escape. Losing the exchange is hardly the most relevant factor.} (34... Qxb4 $2 {Of course this tempting move has to be considered, but it's no good.} 35. Bxe5 $1 {White wins. }) (34... Ke8 {This might look tempting to escape the pin, but...} 35. c5 $1 Qc6 36. Bxe5 $1 {... It turns out Black cannot take back on e5 anyway on pain of mate on f7. White wins.}) 35. Ba4 Kc7 $1 {Black escapes the dangerous d-file. White should be careful to maintain the balance.} 36. Bxc6 Nxc6 37. b5 Nb4 $1 {Black wants to keep the c-file closed...} (37... axb5 38. cxb5 Na5 { This was also possible, but I prefer the game continuation.}) 38. c5 $1 { But White insists.} Qe6 39. Bh4 (39. b6+ $2 {It might be tempting to get connected passers, but Black has them nicely blockaded.} Kb7 $19 {Black sticks his knight on c6, and White's pawns are going nowhere. Conversely, the a-pawn will win the game.}) 39... Bxc5 $1 {Brave, but well calculated. Black had other good moves, but I like this one the most by far. Ding grabs the pawn, and this set him on the path to victory.} 40. Rc1 $1 Qd6 $1 (40... Kb6 $2 { Not to be recommended $1} 41. Bd8+ $1 $18) 41. Qc4 {It is incredibly easy to get this far in your calculations and just call it quits. Black's position looks like it is about to collapse on the c-file, but Ding had seen it further. } Nd3 $1 (41... Kb6 $2 42. Bd8+ {This would have led to a very different result $1}) 42. Rc3 $2 {A very natural human move, but it loses the game.} (42. Be7 $1 {White had to play this move. It's not that hard a move to find once you realize that Rc3 loses... but noticing that Rc3 is losing is hard to do $1} Qxe7 43. Qxd3 Kb6 44. bxa6 Bxa6 45. Qd5 $11 {Black's king is a bit too open here. Despite my computer insisting on dead equality, I do think Black can push a bit, but in a higher chess sense, this should be drawn.}) 42... axb5 $1 43. Qxd3 (43. Qxb5 Nf2+ {Black keeps his piece, consolidates his position, and wins.} 44. Kh2 Nxe4 $19) 43... Qxd3 $1 44. Rxd3 Bd4 $1 {Now, White is an exchange up... but dead lost. His king is forever shut out of play on h1 and unable to come to g1. So, Black basically just pushes the b-pawn down the board. There is no way White's bishop can come around in time to challenge the a7-g1 diagonal. We are a long way from the opening, but that same ideal held true- Bg5-h4 allowed Black to dominate the most important diagonal.} 45. Bf6 { It's understandable to aim for the opposite-bishop ending, but Black wins by one tempo.} (45. Bg5 {Even if Black's pawn had been back on h7 and this move did not hang a piece, Black would still win. It takes too long to get the king into play.} Kc6 46. Be3 Bxe3 47. Rxe3 b4 {The b-pawn is coming and White's king may as well be on another planet.}) (45. Rd1 {This offers a bit more resistance, but Black should definitely still be winning.} Bb7 $19) 45... Kb6 $1 46. Rxd4 exd4 47. Bxd4+ Ka5 48. Kg1 b4 49. Kf2 Ka4 $1 {Just in time.} 50. Ke3 Kb3 {Again, just in time.} (50... Bd7 {Burning one move allows White to set up a fortress.} 51. Kd2 Kb3 52. Bc5 $1 $11 {Black needs Kc3 here, and White's king got the tempo it needed to get in position.}) 51. Kf4 (51. Kd2 { Passive defense does not hold.} Ka2 52. Kc1 b3 53. e5 Be6 {Black will play …Bd5, …Bxg2, bring the bishop back to stop the e-pawn, and then …h5 and …g3 wins as White's bishop is unable to stop both the g-pawn and the b-pawn.} ) (51. Bc5 Kc3 $1 {Nice that White's king did not make it to d2 $1}) 51... Kc2 52. Ke5 b3 53. Kd6 Kd3 $1 {Nice and clinical. Black does have the time to grab the e4-pawn.} (53... b2 {This wins, but there is no need to calculate variations.}) 54. Ba1 Kxe4 55. Kc5 Kd3 {Rapport resigned. Had he continued, this is what the end would have looked like.} 56. Kb4 Kc2 57. Ka3 Bb7 58. Bb2 Bxg2 59. Ba1 h5 60. Bb2 h4 61. gxh4 g3 {White's bishop cannot stop both pawns.} 0-1 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Rafael"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 (3. Nc3 {In the post-game interview, Nakamura mentioned a game he played against Firouzja in the World Blitz Championship in 2019. It was very similar to today's game, but with a different move order.} Nf6 4. h3 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4 O-O 9. O-O Be6 10. Bb3 h6 {and Black eventually won in Nakamura-Firouzja, Moscow 2019.}) 3... cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 {This is a more positional move than 7.Nb3 with the traditional English Attack.} Nc6 {A rare move. The game soon enters unknown territory.} 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Nd5 $5 {Nakamura tries to exploit Black's rare move order.} (9. Bb3 {might transpose to lines known to opening theory.}) (9. Bxe6 {This capture usually is not enough for an advantage, as Black's pawn structure is quite good. For a Najdorf player, it's a relief to stop worrying about the d5-square.} fxe6 $11) 9... Rc8 $1 {The best.} (9... Bxd5 {led to a better ending for White after} 10. Bxd5 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Qa5+ 12. Qxa5 Nxa5 { in Karjakin-Nepomniachtchi, Moscow 2012.}) 10. Nxf6+ {Nakamura thought for a long time in this position and decided to play this solid move.} (10. Ng5 { Nakamura mentioned he calculated this move but couldn't make it work. I was impressed by his accurate calculation and also by his evaluations, nearly the same as the computer. I will mention them in this line.} Bxd5 11. Bxd5 Nxd5 12. Qxd5 (12. exd5 Qa5+ 13. c3 Ne7 14. Ne4 Nxd5 {and White doesn't have enough compensation—Black has a big advantage. The computer agrees.}) 12... Qa5+ { According to Nakamura, the position is equal and might even be a little better for Black. The computer agrees once again.}) (10. Bb6 Qd7 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 12. Bxe6 fxe6 {and Black is ok.}) (10. Bg5 {This is a natural move, although it has never been tried before.} Nb4 $1 {The best way to equalize.} (10... Qa5+ 11. Bd2 (11. c3 {is also interesting. Black has to find a strong queen sacrifice.} Nxe4 $1 12. b4 Qa3 13. Bc1 {It looks like the queen is trapped and the game is over. Not yet.} Bxd5 $3 14. Bxa3 Bxc4 {and Black has excellent compensation for the queen.}) 11... Qd8 12. Ng5 {An attempt to avoid move repetition. This leads to wild complications.} Bxd5 13. Bxd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Nb4 $5 15. O-O (15. Bxb4 Qxg5 $11) 15... Nxc2 16. Rc1 Nd4 17. f4 {This looks pretty good for White, but the computer evaluates as 0.00 as usual.}) (10... Be7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 {with a position similar to the Sveshnikov variation. White is slightly better.}) 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Bb3 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 Qa5+ 14. c3 Bxd5 15. Qxd5 (15. exd5 Qb5 $11) 15... Qxd5 16. exd5 f5 17. Nh4 f4 {And the position is equal.}) 10... gxf6 $2 {A horrible decision that will result in Firouzja's defeat. Of course, it's always easy to criticize after the game is over, but this just seems too optimistic. Black's pawn structure is badly damaged for no good reason.} (10... Qxf6 11. Bxe6 Qxe6 (11... fxe6 12. O-O {is slightly better for White: Adams-Bologan, Konya 2012.}) 12. O-O Be7 $11 {with an equal position in Vachier Lagrave-Morozevich, Biel 2009.}) 11. Bb3 {The normal human reaction. Why take on e6 and improve Black's structure $2} (11. Bxe6 {The computer claims an advantage for White here, anyway.} fxe6 12. O-O f5 {and White has a few options to gain an advantage. But I would never take this e6-bishop. [Nakamura reacted with mild surprise as well when told Bxe6 was the engine’s choice. - ed].}) 11... Ne7 $6 {Firouzja tries to improve his pawn structure, but his position will be even worse.} (11... Rg8 12. O-O Qd7 { is better.}) 12. O-O Bxb3 13. axb3 d5 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qe2 {Black has a weakened pawn structure and bad development.} Nf5 (15... Bg7 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. Rd2 O-O 18. Rad1 {With a clear advantage.}) 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. c4 $1 {A very strong move controlling the d5-square.} Bg7 18. Rd5 O-O 19. Rad1 Rfe8 20. h3 ( 20. g4 {This is even better. The point is:} Ne7 (20... Nxe3 21. Qxe3 {with a textbook example of \"good knight vs. bad bishop\".}) 21. Rd6 Qe4 22. Ng5 $3 { The point of White's play.} Qg6 (22... fxg5 23. f3 $18 {and the queen is trapped.}) 23. Qf3 {followed by Ne4 winning.}) 20... b5 21. c5 $6 (21. Bc5 $1 { is better.}) 21... Bf8 $6 (21... a5 {It was necessary to prevent b3-b4.}) 22. b4 {Now Black is without counterplay and totally lost. Firouzja tries to complicate the game and it ends in a mating attack.} Nd4 23. Nxd4 $1 Qxd5 24. Nf5 Qe4 25. Qh5 Red8 26. Ra1 $1 Rc6 27. Bh6 Kh8 28. Ra3 $1 {Nakamura plays with computer precision.} Qxb4 29. Bxf8 Rxf8 30. Qh6 Rg8 31. Rg3 Rxg3 32. fxg3 {Mate is unavoidable.} 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E05"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {Every half point brings Nepomniachtchi closer to tournament victory. His solid strategy is working even better than expected, as in every round his closest rival collapses. By now he is almost certain to win the tournament, but as we usually say in soccer games: It ain't over 'til it's over.”} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O {The Catalan is not a usual choice for Nepomniachtchi. He only played this position with White once—in a blitz against Giri in 2021. Of course, he plays it more often with Black and let's not forget the amount of analysis he had to do in his match against Magnus Carlsen.} dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 {This was Nepomniachtchi's choice in the second game of his match against Carlsen, a game he was close to winning with Black.} 8. a4 (8. Ne5 {was Carlsen's choice in the aforementioned game.}) 8... Bb7 $5 {This creative move is the recent fashion, replacing 8...b4. Black sacrifices a pawn in order to get compensation that should be enough for a draw. Nepomniachtchi certainly was happy with a risk-free position.} 9. axb5 a6 {That's not the first time a pawn is sacrificed on b5 and the counterplay follows with …a6. But this is probably the best version of this sacrifice— with due respect to the Benko Gambit fans all over the world.} 10. Nc3 (10. bxa6 Nxa6 11. Qxc4 Bd5 12. Qc3 c5 13. Bf4 {was played in a Carlsen vs. Radjabov game last month.} (13. Be3 {is also possible.}) 13... Ne4 14. Qc1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 {and here Radjabov certainly would improve on his previous play. Black has compensation with several moves.} Nec5 $2 (15... Nb4) (15... Nac5) ( 15... Nxf2 $5 16. Rxf2 Bxg2 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Kxg2 Nb4 {with enough compensation.}) 16. Bxd5 Qxd5 17. Be3 $16 {and White converted his advantage in Carlsen-Radjabov, Stavanger 2022.}) 10... axb5 11. Rxa8 Bxa8 12. Nxb5 Bd5 13. Bf4 c5 14. dxc5 Qa5 15. Nc3 Qxc5 16. Be3 {A novelty. 16.e4 and 16.Rc1 are the main moves.} Qa5 (16... Qc7 {is considered the best move by the engine, but I don't think the move in the game is a mistake. [In the post-game interview, Radjabov mentioned he could not remember the difference between …Qc7 and …Qa5 - ed.]}) 17. Bd2 Ba8 (17... Qc5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Rc1 Rc8 { is a curious transposition to a position will see later in the game.}) 18. Nd1 $5 {Maneuvering the knight to e3 in order to attach the c4-pawn.} Qc5 (18... Qa6 {is also possible.}) 19. Ne3 Rc8 20. Rc1 Bd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 $1 (21... exd5 $6 {This is a positional mistake. After} 22. b3 {White has a big advantage, with the bishop pair and the better pawn structure.}) 22. Ne5 Nb6 23. Qe4 (23. Bb7 {is a computer move that I find unlikely to cross a human head.} Qxe5 ( 23... Rc7 $2 24. Be4 $1 Qxe5 25. Bf4 Qc5 26. b4 $1 cxb3 27. Qb1 Qxc1+ 28. Bxc1 {with a big advantage for White.}) 24. Bxc8 Nxc8 25. Qxc4 Nb6 {I don't think White has realistic winning chances in this position.}) 23... Bf6 24. Bc3 (24. Bf4 $1 {is the last chance to fight for the advantage.}) 24... N8d7 {now Black equalizes.} 25. Bd4 Qd6 26. Nxd7 Bxd4 27. Nxb6 Qxb6 28. e3 Bxb2 29. Rxc4 Qa6 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Qb7 Qxb7 32. Bxb7 g6 33. Kg2 Kg7 34. Ba8 Ba1 35. Bb7 Bb2 36. Ba8 Ba1 37. Bb7 Bb2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "10"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {[%evp 0,113,19,21,34,38,9,11,17,-30,19,-4,2,-2,43,1,38,-36,-15,-11,-8,-20,-9, 0,-12,-12,53,9,16,8,17,0,7,14,16,7,65,55,22,22,33,21,26,34,-2,9,-37,7,7,-15,13, -6,25,39,87,99,172,107,107,20,44,54,44,45,48,13,21,21,21,-13,15,-15,140,138,0, 0,0,72,60,60,212,212,189,217,217,222,241,241,214,264,274,234,378,210,205,237, 229,237,233,135,165,206,262,258,258,268,271,283,279,297,284,284,308,302,320, 345]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 Be6 $5 {Nowadays most grandmasters play …Re8 at some point before playing …Be6. I analyzed the Italian recently with GM Gilberto Milos and he suggested playing this move without Re8. I liked Black's position in this game and I think this move will become popular.} (9... h6 {is the main move.}) 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. b4 (11. Be3 {is a critical try. Too bad we don't have Caruana's files to learn how to play against it.}) 11... Nh5 {[%cal Ge5f4] Caruana is no stranger to this position. He played it with White in a rapid game against Grischuk in 2019.} 12. Nbd2 {[%cal Gd2f1,Gf1e3,Ge3c4,Ge3g4] This natural move is a novelty.} (12. Ra2 {was Caruana's choice.} Qe8 {and Black eventually won in Caruana-Grischuk, Paris 2019.}) 12... Nf4 {[%cal Rf4d3] It was better to postpone this knight jump.} (12... Qe8 {[%cal Ge8g6,Rg6g1] Black can start bringing the queen into the game, the same idea Grischuk played.} 13. Nf1 Qg6 14. Ra2 Nf4 15. Bxf4 Rxf4 16. b5 Raf8 17. N1h2 Nb8 {[%cal Gb8d7,Gd7f6] with a complicated fight ahead.}) 13. Nf1 Qf6 14. Bxf4 Qxf4 15. Qb3 (15. b5 { is critical and all the knight's retreats are possible now.} Nb8 {This is my favorite. I think White is slightly better.}) 15... Rf6 $2 (15... Qh6 $1 { Threatens …Rxf3 and gives Black time to stabilize the pawn structure on the queenside.} 16. N1h2 a5 $1 {An important move.} 17. b5 Nb8 18. d4 Nd7 {with chances for both sides.}) 16. b5 {Now the knight is a problem as it has no pleasant squares.} Na5 (16... Nd8 17. bxa6 bxa6 18. Ra2 {with a clear advantage for White.}) (16... Ne7 $2 17. bxa6 bxa6 18. Qb7 {[%csl Gc7][%cal Gf6f8,Rb7c7] loses the c-pawn.}) 17. Qa2 {The knight is out of play and will remain a problem for Caruana during the game.} g5 $6 {A dubious plan, but it's hard to be too critical. Caruana wanted some active play, but this makes his position worse.} 18. N1h2 Rg6 19. d4 {White has better pieces, a better pawn strucutre, and a safer king.} h5 20. g3 Qf6 21. Rad1 Rg7 22. Kh1 $1 Rf8 23. dxe5 dxe5 24. h4 $1 gxh4 (24... g4 25. Ng5 {wins.}) 25. gxh4 $1 {The right recapture. White will be the one attacking on the g-file.} Bc5 26. Rg1 Bd6 27. Ng5 {[%csl Ge6][%cal Rg5e6,Ra2e6]} Kh8 {White is winning with many moves in most positions from now on. I will try to show only the most forcing or prettiest ways to win.} 28. Qe2 {[%cal Re2h5]} (28. Nxe6 Rxg1+ 29. Rxg1 Qxf2 30. Qd5 $1 Rf6 31. b6 $1 {[%csl Gc7][%cal Rb6c7] wins material.}) 28... Qg6 29. Rd3 $1 {[%cal Gd3g3,Rg3g6] Bringing the rook to the party.} axb5 30. Rdg3 Qe8 31. axb5 (31. Nxe6 {is a nice win.} Rxg3 32. Rxg3 Rf6 (32... Rg8 33. Qf3 $1 Rxg3 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. fxg3 Qf7 36. Qd8+ Bf8 37. Ng5 Qe7 38. Qd5+ {[%cal Rd5b5]} Kh8 39. axb5) 33. Ng7 $1 Qf7 34. Nf5 {with a decisive attack, for example:} bxa4 35. Rg5 {[%cal Rg5h5,Re2h5]} a3 36. Rxh5+ Kg8 37. Ng4) 31... Rf6 32. Qf1 ( 32. Qd3 {threatens Nxe6 and is decisive.}) (32. c4 b6 33. c5 $1 {is a pretty win.} bxc5 (33... Bxc5 34. Nf7+ $1 {This works because the e5-pawn is unprotected.} Rfxf7 35. Qxh5+ Rh7 36. Qxe5+) 34. Ra1 Nb7 35. Ra7 Nd8 36. Ra8 { and Black is completely paralyzed.}) 32... b6 (32... Nb3 $5) 33. Qg2 Qf8 (33... Qg8 $1 {was better.}) 34. Qh3 (34. Ngf3 Rxg3 35. Qxg3 Nc4 36. Rg2 {followed by Ng5 and the attack is too strong.}) 34... Qg8 35. R1g2 $5 {Preparing …Nh7.} Nb7 36. Nh7 $1 Rfg6 (36... Rxg3 37. Nxf6 {wins.}) 37. Rxg6 Rxg6 38. Ng5 Rf6 { Played to prevent Qf3.} 39. f4 $1 {This move finally breaks Black's position.} Nc5 (39... exf4 40. e5 $1 {wins material.} Bxe5 41. Qf3 (41. Ngf3)) 40. fxe5 Bxe5 41. Ngf3 {Winning a piece. Caruana fights like a lion, but the result is never in doubt.} Qa8 42. Nxe5 Nxe4 43. Nhf3 Qa1+ 44. Kh2 Qc1 45. Nd3 Qxc3 46. Ra2 $5 (46. Nfe5 {is pretty good.}) 46... Nf2 (46... Qxd3 47. Ra8+ Kg7 (47... Kh7 48. Ng5+ {wins the queen.}) 48. Qg2+ Rg6 49. Qxg6+ $1 Kxg6 50. Ne5+ { winning.}) 47. Rxf2 Qxd3 48. Qg3 Qd6 49. Qxd6 cxd6 50. Kg3 Rf5 51. Rd2 Rxb5 52. Rxd6 Kg7 53. Rxe6 Rb4 54. Re5 Kh6 55. Rd5 Rb1 56. Nd4 Rg1+ 57. Kf4 {Duda's first victory in the tournament and a heartbreaking defeat for Caruana. He now has to readjust and fight for second place. Who knows, maybe this will be enough for a world championship match anyway $2} 1-0 [Event "lichess.org"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "?"] [White "Richard Rapport"] [Black "Liren Ding"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C77"] [Annotator "Bajarani,Ulvi"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 d6 9. c3 Ba7 10. O-O Na5 11. Bc2 c5 $146 {The logical novelty solidifing the center.} (11... g5 {was played by Burke against Caruana.} 12. Bg3 Nh5 13. a4 Nxg3 14. hxg3 b4 (14... Nc6 $4 15. axb5 axb5 16. Na3 $18 {1-0 (29) Caruana, F (2800)-Burke,J (2554) Saint Louis 2021}) 15. cxb4 Nc6 16. b5 Ne7 17. Nc3 (17. d4 $2 Ng6 18. dxe5 g4 19. Nd4 Nxe5 $15) 17... Ng6 18. Nd5 {It is necessary to close the dark-squared bishop.} g4 19. b6 $1 {The idea behind of the previous move.} cxb6 20. Nh4 Nxh4 21. gxh4 Qxh4 22. g3 Qh3 23. d4 b5 24. Ra3 Bxd4 25. Rd3 $44) 12. Nbd2 g5 {Black starts the activity on the kingside. According to the Steinitz's theory, the side game is acceptable when the center is solid enough, which might be seen in this position.} 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. a3 {Preparing b2-b4.} (14. Kh1 $5 $132 {removing the king from the "a7-g1" diagonal deserves an attention.}) 14... Rb8 $1 {The multi-functional move. One of the ideas is to bring the rook from the 7th file, which is implemented in the game.} 15. Kh1 Rb7 {Maybe, Ding Liren has decided to keep the king on the center.} (15... c4 $5 {leads to complex positions after} 16. b3 $5 cxd3 17. Bxd3 Nc6 18. b4 Nf4 19. Bxf4 exf4 20. a4 g4 21. axb5 axb5 22. Ng1 O-O 23. Ne2 Qg5 24. g3 f3 25. Nf4 Bb6 26. e5 dxe5 27. Ne4 Qd8 28. Nd5 Ne7 29. Nef6+ Kg7 $132) (15... O-O $5 { looks promising for Black.} 16. h3 (16. b4 Nc6 17. bxc5 Bxc5 18. h3 Bb6 19. Nh2 Nf4 20. Bxf4 gxf4 $15) (16. Ng1 Nxg3+ 17. fxg3 c4 18. b4 cxb3 19. Nxb3 Nc6 20. d4 g4 21. Ne2 Kg7 22. Bd3 $132) 16... Qf6 $15 (16... Nf4 17. Bxf4 exf4 18. e5 dxe5 19. Nxe5 Qf6 20. Nef3 g4 21. hxg4 Bxg4 22. b4 Nc6 23. bxc5 Qxc3 24. d4 Nxd4 25. Ne4 Bxf3 26. gxf3 Qxf3+ 27. Qxf3 Nxf3 28. Nf6+ Kg7 29. Nd7 Rbc8 $132) 17. b4 Nc6 18. bxc5 dxc5 19. d4 cxd4 20. cxd4 Nxg3+ 21. fxg3 Qd6 22. d5 Nd4 23. Nxd4 Bxd4 24. Ra2 $132) 16. b4 $132 Nc6 17. Bb3 $6 {The start of unnecessary Bc2-b3-d5 maneuver.} (17. bxc5 $5 {Opening the center is better. The following variations lead to the complex variations:} Nxg3+ (17... dxc5 $2 18. Bxe5 O-O 19. Bg3 $14) (17... Bxc5 18. d4 exd4 19. e5 d3 20. Bxd3 dxe5 21. Qe2 Qe7 22. c4 g4 23. Qe4 $132) 18. fxg3 $1 (18. hxg3 $2 Bxc5 $15 {with h5-h4.}) 18... Bxc5 19. d4 exd4 20. cxd4 Nxd4 21. e5 $132) 17... Rc7 {Preparing against the pawn structure transformations and moving the rook away from the Bb3-d5 pin.} (17... O-O $5 18. bxc5 Bxc5 $132) 18. Bd5 $2 {There is no necessity on this move.} ( 18. bxc5 {Again, it has been possible to transform the pawn structure.} Bxc5 19. a4 O-O 20. axb5 axb5 21. h3 $132) 18... g4 $6 {gives White the chance to activate the dark-squared bishop with Bg3-h4.} (18... cxb4 19. axb4 O-O $15 { is more balanced.} 20. d4 $5 (20. Bxc6 Rxc6 21. c4 Rc7 $15) 20... g4 (20... Nxg3+ 21. fxg3 exd4 (21... g4 22. Nh4 Ne7 23. Nb3 $132) 22. Bxc6 dxc3 23. Bd5 cxd2 24. Qxd2 Qf6 25. h4 Qc3 26. Qxc3 Rxc3 27. hxg5 Kg7 28. g6 fxg6 29. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 30. Rxc1 Bb8 31. Nd4 $44 {with good draw chances for White.}) 21. Bh4 Qd7 22. dxe5 dxe5 23. Bxc6 Qxc6 24. Nxe5 Qe6 25. f4 Rxc3 26. Nb1 Rc7 $15) (18... O-O $5 {is also an option.} 19. bxc5 Bxc5 20. Bxc6 Rxc6 21. a4 b4 22. cxb4 Bxb4 23. Nc4 a5 24. Ne3 Re8 $15) 19. Bh4 {White uses the provided chance to activate its bishop.} (19. Nh4 {is another option.} Ne7 20. bxc5 Rxc5 21. d4 exd4 22. Nb3 Rc7 23. Nxd4 Nxd5 24. exd5 Bxd4 25. cxd4 (25. Qxd4 O-O $15) 25... Nxg3+ 26. hxg3 Qg5 $132) 19... Ne7 (19... Qd7 $5 20. Ng1 cxb4 21. axb4 Ne7 { leads to the transposition. See the comments to the 21... Rxc3!? move.}) 20. Ng1 {White prepares the break on the "f"-file.} (20. bxc5 $6 {The piece sacrifice doesn't work due to the following variations:} gxf3 21. Nxf3 (21. Qxf3 Nf4 22. d4 Rg8 23. c4 Rg6 24. h3 Qd7 25. Bg3 Nc6 26. Nb3 bxc4 27. Bxc4 Nxh3 28. Rac1 Ng5 29. Qe2 Nxd4 30. Nxd4 Bxc5 $17) 21... Nf4 22. Bf6 Bxc5 $1 23. Bxh8 Nexd5 24. exd5 Ke7 25. d4 Bb6 26. Bg7 (26. c4 Qxh8 (26... Rxc4 27. Nxe5 dxe5 28. d6+ Kf8 29. Bxe5 Qg5 30. Qf3 Ng6 31. Qa8 Qf5 $15) 27. c5 Bxc5 28. dxc5 Rxc5 29. Rc1 Rxd5 30. Rc7+ Bd7 $15) 26... Qg8 27. g3 Nh3 28. Nxe5 Qxg7 29. Nc6+ Kf8 30. f3 Qg5 31. Qc1 Qh5 $15) 20... cxb4 $6 21. axb4 Rxc3 $5 {Gives White a counterplay.} (21... Qd7 {with the Ne7-g6 idea deserved an attention. For example,} 22. f3 (22. c4 $6 Ng6 23. Bg3 Nhf4 $15) (22. Bxe7 Qxe7 23. Ne2 Nf6 24. c4 h5 25. Ng3 $132) 22... Nf4 (22... Ng6 23. fxg4 Qxg4 24. Qxg4 Bxg4 25. Bf2 Bxf2 26. Rxf2 Nhf4 27. Rxa6 Nxd3 28. Rf1 Rf8 $132) 23. fxg4 Qxg4 24. Qxg4 Bxg4 25. Rxa6 Be3 26. Nb1 Nfxd5 27. exd5 Nxd5 28. Rxd6 Rd7 29. Rxd7 Kxd7 $44) ( 21... f6 $5 {is another option with the same Ne7-g6 idea.} 22. f3 Ng6 23. fxg4 Nhf4 24. Ndf3 (24. Bg3 h5 25. Bxf4 Nxf4 26. Rxf4 exf4 27. gxh5 Bxg1 28. Kxg1 Rxc3 29. Nf3 Qb6+ 30. d4 Rxh5 31. Qd2 Rxf3 32. gxf3 $132) 24... Bxg1 25. Kxg1 Rxc3 26. Be1 Rxd3 27. Qc2 $44) 22. Ne2 (22. f4 $5 Bxg1 (22... Nxf4 $2 23. Ne2 $1 {the idea behind 22. f4!?} (23. Rxf4 $4 {doesn't work:} exf4 24. Bf6 Rxd3 25. Bxh8 Nxd5 26. exd5 Be3 27. Ra2 Bf5 $19) 23... Nfxd5 24. exd5 Rxd3 25. Qc2 Re3 26. Ne4 Rxe4 27. Qxe4 f5 28. Qd3 $14) 23. fxe5 O-O 24. Rxg1 dxe5 25. Nb3 Qd6 26. Nc5 Nxd5 27. exd5 Qxd5 28. Qd2 Rxc5 29. bxc5 Kh7 $44) 22... Rc7 23. f4 f6 24. fxe5 {makes the bishop on the "d5"-square vulnerable. It is better to keep the structure closed.} (24. f5 $5 Nxd5 25. exd5 Bb7 26. Ne4 O-O 27. N2g3 Nxg3+ 28. Nxg3 Bxd5 29. Nh5 (29. Rxa6 Kh7 30. Ne4 (30. Qxg4 Rg8 31. Qe2 Qc8 32. Rxd6 Rc2 33. Qxc2 Qxc2 34. Rd7+ Rg7 35. Rxd5 $132) 30... Bxe4 31. dxe4 Bd4 32. Qxg4 Rg8 33. Qe2 Rc3 34. Be1 Re3 35. Qxb5 Qc7 $132) 29... Kh7 30. Rxa6 Be3 ( 30... Bd4 31. Qxg4 Rg8 32. Nxf6+ Qxf6 33. Qxg8+ Kxg8 34. Bxf6 Rc2 35. Rg1 Kf7 $132) 31. Qe2 Bg5 32. Bxg5 hxg5 33. Qxg4 Kh8 $44) (24. Qe1 $5 Nxd5 25. exd5 O-O 26. Ne4 Nxf4 27. Nxf4 exf4 28. Rxf4 Bd4 29. Rd1 Qe7 30. Qf1 Qh7 31. Rxf6 (31. Nxd6 Be5 32. Nxc8 Bxf4 33. Qxf4 Rcxc8 34. Qxg4+ Qg7 35. Qf3 a5 $1 36. bxa5 b4 $132) 31... Bxf6 32. Nxf6+ Kg7) 24... dxe5 25. Ng3 {the idea behind 24. fxe5.} Nxg3+ (25... Nf4 26. Bxf6 Rf8 27. Bxe5 Nxd3 28. Bxc7 Qxc7 29. Bf7+ Rxf7 30. Rxf7 Bf5 31. Qb3 Nf2+ 32. Kg1 Nxe4+ 33. Kh1 Nf2+) 26. hxg3 Rf8 27. Rxf6 $6 { Weakens White in the kingside.} (27. Rc1 $5 {is another option to trade rooks.} Qd6 28. Rxc7 Qxc7 29. Nb3 Be3 $132) 27... Rxf6 28. Bxf6 Qd6 $15 29. Qf1 Bd4 $6 {Allows White to equalize chances.} (29... Ng6 $5 {creates some practical problems for White.} 30. Re1 Be6 (30... Nf4 $5 31. Bh4 Ng6 32. Bf6 {leads to the transposition.}) 31. d4 Bxd4 32. Nb3 Bxd5 33. exd5 (33. Nxd4 Rf7 34. exd5 Rxf6 {is the transposition.}) 33... Rf7 34. Nxd4 Rxf6 35. Qe2 Qxd5 36. Qxg4 Qc4 37. Qe4 Kf8 38. Qa8+ Kg7 39. Nf3 Qxb4 40. Rc1 e4 41. Rc7+ Rf7 42. Rxf7+ Kxf7 43. Qd5+ Kg7 44. Nd4 e3 45. Nf5+ Kf6 46. Nd4 $15 {with good draw chances for White.}) 30. Bf7+ $1 $132 Kd7 (30... Kd8 31. Rd1 Be6 32. Bh4 Kd7 33. Nb3 Bxb3 34. Bxb3 Qxb4 35. Qf7 Kc8 36. Rf1 Kb7 37. Kh2 $44) 31. Rd1 Rc2 (31... Qxb4 32. Bh4 Rc2 33. Qf6 Rc6 34. Qh8 Qxd2 35. Rxd2 Rc1+ 36. Kh2 Bg1+) 32. Bb3 Rc7 33. Nc4 $6 {The risky decision to open the "d"-file.} (33. Bf7 {it has been possible to transpose the position back with 33. Bf7.}) (33. Bh4 {is another option.} Kc6 34. Rc1+ Kb7 35. Bxe7 Qxe7 36. Bd5+ Kb6 37. Rxc7 Kxc7 38. Qc1+ Kb8 39. Nb3 Bf2 40. Qc6 Bxg3 41. Qa8+ Kc7 42. Qa7+ Kd8 43. Qb6+ Qc7 44. Qf6+ Qe7) 33... bxc4 34. dxc4 Rc6 35. Ba4 Kc7 36. Bxc6 Nxc6 $15 {Although White can equalize the game in the complex position, Black has more chances and it is easy to play for Black.} 37. b5 Nb4 (37... Na5 38. c5 $5 (38. Bh4 $5 axb5 39. cxb5 Be6 40. Rc1+ Kb6 41. Kh2 $132) 38... Qe6 39. Rxd4 exd4 40. Qf4+ Kb7 41. Bd8 Nc4 42. c6+ Ka8 43. Qc7 d3 44. b6 Nxb6 45. Qxb6 d2 46. Qd4 Qa2 47. Kh2 Qc2 48. Bb6 d1=Q (48... Qxc6 49. Ba5) 49. Qg7 Qxg2+ 50. Kxg2 Qf3+ 51. Kh2 Qe2+ 52. Kg1) (37... axb5 38. cxb5 Na5 39. Kh2 $5 $132) 38. c5 $132 Qe6 39. Bh4 Bxc5 40. Rc1 Qd6 41. Qc4 $6 {Although it is the possible move, it is the first step to the loss.} (41. Kh2 $5 $132) (41. Rd1 Bd4 42. Qf7+ Kb6 43. Be7 Qc7 44. Qf8 Qc2 45. Rxd4 exd4 46. Bxb4 Kxb5 47. Be1) 41... Nd3 42. Rc3 $4 {The decisive blunder.} (42. Be7 {is the only move saving the game.} Qxe7 (42... Nf2+ 43. Kh2 Qxe7 44. Qxc5+ Qxc5 45. Rxc5+) 43. Qxd3 Kb6 (43... Qd6 44. Qc4 Kb6 45. bxa6 Bxa6 $132) 44. bxa6 Bxa6 45. Qd5 Bb5 46. Kh2 Qd6 $132) 42... axb5 43. Qxd3 (43. Qxb5 Nf2+ 44. Kh2 Nxe4 $19) 43... Qxd3 44. Rxd3 Bd4 $19 {White is helpless against the passed "b"-pawn and even the opposite-colored bishops don't help.} 45. Bf6 (45. Rd1 Bb7 46. Rb1 Kb6 47. Bd8+ Ka6 $19) 45... Kb6 46. Rxd4 exd4 47. Bxd4+ Ka5 48. Kg1 b4 49. Kf2 Ka4 50. Ke3 Kb3 51. Kf4 Kc2 52. Ke5 b3 53. Kd6 Kd3 54. Ba1 Kxe4 55. Kc5 Kd3 {0-1 Black wins.} ({Kb4 Kc2 Ka3} 55... Bb7 56. Bg7 h5 57. Bf6 {Bxg2 Bd4} h4 58. gxh4 g3 59. h5 $19 {Be4 h6 g2}) 0-1 [Event "Round 10: Jan-Krzysztof Duda - Fabiano"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "?"] [White "Jan-Krzysztof Duda"] [Black "Fabiano Caruana"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C53"] [Annotator "Bajarani,Ulvi"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 Be6 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. b4 Nh5 12. Nbd2 $5 $146 {White moves the knight to the "f1"-square not caring about Black's moves.} (12. Ra2 Qe8 (12... Qf6 13. Na3 (13. Be3 Nf4 14. Bxf4 Qxf4 15. Nbd2 Ne7 $132 (15... Rf6 $6 { 1-0 (37) Arjun,K (2477)-Logozar,E (2036) Chess.com INT 2020} 16. Nf1 a5 17. b5 Nb8 18. Ne3 Nd7 19. Nc4 $14)) 13... Ne7 14. Bg5 Qf7 15. Be3 Nf4 16. Kh2 Qg6 17. Nh4 Qh6 18. Nf3 Qg6 19. Nh4 Qh6 20. Nf3 Qg6 {1/2 (20) Vachier Lagrave,M (2779) -Ding,L (2805) Stavanger 2019}) 13. Be3 (13. Na3 $6 Nf4 14. Bxf4 Rxf4 15. Nc4 Qg6 16. b5 Raf8 17. Ncd2 {0-1 (40) Caruana,F (2819)-Grischuk,A (2766) Paris 2019} Nd8 18. d4 Nf7 $15) 13... Nf4 14. Bxa7 Rxa7 {0-1 (48) Jones,G (2672)-Van Foreest,J (2714) chess24.com INT 2022} 15. g3 Nxh3+ 16. Kg2 Qf7 17. Qe2 (17. Re3 d5 18. Nbd2 Ng5 19. Qe1 Nxf3 20. Rxf3 Qe7 21. Rxf8+ Qxf8 22. exd5 exd5 23. Nf3 Qd6 24. Re2 Ra8 25. Nxe5 d4 26. cxd4 Nxb4 27. Rb2 a5 28. Qe4 Rd8 29. Qxb7 Qd5+ 30. Qxd5+ Rxd5 $132) 17... Qf6 18. Qe3 h6 19. Nbd2 Ng5 20. Nxg5 Qxg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Nf3 g4 23. Nh2 Raa8 24. Nxg4 Kf7 $132) (12. Be3 Nf4 (12... Qf6 13. Bxa7 (13. Kh2 Nf4 14. Bxa7 Rxa7 15. Ra2 $4 Nxh3 16. Kxh3 Qh6+ 17. Nh4 g5 18. g3 Ne7 19. Qd2 Rf6 $17 {0-1 (62) Illingworth,M (2506)-Sangma,R (2325) Abu Dhabi 2017}) 13... Rxa7 14. Kh2 {1/2 (61) Eljanov,P (2672)-Sadhwani,R (2545) Chess.com INT 2020} Nf4 15. Re3 Qh6 $132) 13. b5 (13. Bxa7 Rxa7 14. h4 (14. Na3 $4 Qf6 $17 {1-0 (76) Van Foreest,J (2624)-Tang,A (2489) Chess.com INT 2018}) 14... Qe8 15. g3 Qg6 $132) 13... Ne7 $6 (13... axb5 14. Bxf4 Rxf4 15. axb5 Bxf2+ 16. Kxf2 Rxa1 17. bxc6 bxc6 18. Qb3 Qh4+ 19. g3 Rxf3+ 20. Kxf3 Qxh3 21. Qb8+ Kf7 22. Qb2 (22. Qxc7+ Kg6 23. Qxd6 Qh5+ 24. Ke3 Qh6+) 22... Ra8 23. Qg2 Qh5+ 24. g4 Qh6 25. g5 Qh4 26. Qg3 Qxg3+ 27. Kxg3 Kg6 28. Rh1 Ra2 $44) 14. Kh2 Neg6 15. bxa6 bxa6 {0-1 (50) Sethuraman,S (2634)-Jumabayev,R (2641) Saint Louis 2019} 16. Bxa7 Rxa7 17. g3 Nh5 18. Nbd2 c5 19. Ra2 $14) 12... Nf4 $2 { The trivial but inaccurate move.} (12... Qf6 $5 {It is better to wait with Nh5-f4.} 13. Nf1 (13. Nc4 Bxf2+ 14. Kxf2 Qh4+ 15. Kg1 (15. Ke2 Qg3 16. Rg1 Rxf3 17. gxf3 Qh2+ 18. Kf1 Qxh3+) 15... Rxf3 16. gxf3 Qg3+ 17. Kh1 Qxh3+) 13... Qg6 $1 14. Ra2 Nf4 15. Bxf4 Rxf4 $132) 13. Nf1 $14 Qf6 $6 {Falling to the positional trap.} (13... Qe8 14. Bxf4 Rxf4 15. b5 Ne7 16. N1h2 h6 17. g3 Qg6 18. Kg2 Raf8 $14 {White has the slight advantage, but Black has enough resources to fight.}) 14. Bxf4 $1 {Making the black pieces less harmonical and trading the most active piece.} Qxf4 15. Qb3 $1 $14 {There is no threat on the kingside, and White is better.} Rf6 $2 {Trying to prepare the attack on the kingside. However, it has been necessary to adjust the placement of Black pieces.} (15... Qf6 16. b5 Na5 17. Qb4 Qg6 18. N1d2 Bb6 19. d4 exd4 20. cxd4 e5 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Qc3 $14) 16. b5 Na5 17. Qa2 g5 $4 {Trying to escalate the situation leads to the lost position for Black.} (17... Qh6 {It is necessary to move the queen away from the "f4"-square.} 18. N1h2 Rf4 19. d4 $5 exd4 20. cxd4 $14 {with the worse but defendable position for Black.}) 18. N1h2 $18 { The rest of the game, excluding some moments, is the demonstration of the excellent technique by Duda.} Rg6 19. d4 $1 {Capturing the center.} h5 20. g3 { Pushing the queen back and preventing g5-g4 ideas.} Qf6 21. Rad1 {Bringing the rook to the game.} Rg7 (21... g4 $2 {doesn't work.} 22. dxe5 dxe5 23. hxg4 hxg4 24. Nh4 Rg7 25. Kg2 $18) 22. Kh1 $1 {Preparing the h3-h4 and opening the kingside. After that, it will be clearly seen that Black light pieces are away from the kingside and cannot help the black king in the defense.} Rf8 23. dxe5 $1 (23. h4 $5 $18 {is also possible.}) 23... dxe5 24. h4 $1 gxh4 (24... g4 25. Ng5 $18) 25. gxh4 Bc5 26. Rg1 {Starting to bring the pieces.} Bd6 27. Ng5 { Attacking the "e6"-pawn and opening the "d1-h5" diagonal for the white queen.} Kh8 (27... Qxf2 28. Qxe6+ Kh8 29. Qh6+ $18) 28. Qe2 {Bringing the queen to the attack.} (28. Nxe6 $5 {has also been possible.} Rxg1+ 29. Rxg1 Qxf2 (29... Qf7 30. Qe2 $18) 30. Qd5 Rg8 (30... Rf6 31. bxa6 bxa6 32. Ng5 $18) 31. Ng5 $18) 28... Qg6 29. Rd3 {Bringing the second rook to the attack.} axb5 30. Rdg3 Qe8 31. axb5 Rf6 32. Qf1 $2 (32. R3g2 {with the f2-f4 idea is the best choice for White.} Bf8 33. Nhf3 Bd6 34. Nh3 Rxg2 35. Rxg2 $18) 32... b6 $6 (32... Nb3 $1 { creates some practical problems for White to solve:} 33. Qd1 $1 (33. Qg2 $6 Qf8 {and White should move back with 34. Qf1}) 33... Nc5 34. b6 Bf8 35. bxc7 Rxc7 36. Nh3 Rg7 37. Qe2 Rxg3 38. Rxg3 $18) 33. Qg2 Qf8 34. Qh3 Qg8 35. R1g2 Nb7 36. Nh7 $1 Rfg6 37. Rxg6 Rxg6 38. Ng5 Rf6 (38... Qe8 39. Nf1 Rf6 40. Qe3 $18) 39. f4 $1 {Using the placement of the "b7"-knight, White conducts the decisive blow and decoys the black bishop to the "e5"-square.} Nc5 (39... Rxf4 40. Nxe6 $18) (39... exf4 40. e5 Bxe5 41. Qf3 $18 {The double attack and main idea of 39. f4!}) 40. fxe5 Bxe5 41. Ngf3 {Winning the piece. The rest is easy for White.} Qa8 42. Nxe5 Nxe4 43. Nhf3 Qa1+ 44. Kh2 Qc1 45. Nd3 Qxc3 46. Ra2 Nf2 47. Rxf2 Qxd3 48. Qg3 Qd6 49. Qxd6 cxd6 50. Kg3 Rf5 51. Rd2 Rxb5 52. Rxd6 Kg7 53. Rxe6 Rb4 54. Re5 Kh6 55. Rd5 Rb1 56. Nd4 Rg1+ 57. Kf4 {1-0 White wins.} 1-0 [Event "Round 10: Ian Nepomniachtchi - Teimour"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "?"] [White "Ian Nepomniachtchi"] [Black "Teimour Radjabov"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E06"] [Annotator "Bajarani,Ulvi"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 { The novel fashion in the Catalan 4... Be7 variation.} 8. a4 Bb7 (8... b4 { is another option leading to a complex game.}) 9. axb5 a6 10. Nc3 (10. bxa6 { was played by Carlsen against Radjabov} Nxa6 11. Qxc4 Bd5 12. Qc3 c5 13. Bf4 Ne4 14. Qc1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 {1-0 (36) Carlsen,M (2864)-Radjabov,T (2753) Stavanger 2022. Now, there are several ways for Black to get equal chances:} Nac5 (15... Nb4 $5 16. Nc3 (16. Rxa8 Qxa8 $44) 16... Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Rc8 19. Qb2 Nd5 20. Bd2 Bf6 21. Rfd1 Qc7 22. Rdc1 e5 23. Nf5 Qc4 24. Qa2 Qe4+ 25. Kg1 Nxc3 26. Nh6+ gxh6 27. Bxc3 h5) (15... Nxf2 $5 16. Rxf2 Bxg2 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Kxg2 Nc7 19. Rxa8 Qxa8+ 20. Rf3 Nd5 21. Be5 Rxf3 22. exf3 Qa7 $44 ) 16. Nc3 (16. Rxa8 Qxa8 17. f3 Nf6 18. Nc3 Nb3 19. Nxb3 Bxb3 $44) 16... Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Na4 18. Qd2 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bf6 20. Be3 Nb6 21. Nf3 Rxa1 22. Rxa1 Nc4 23. Qxd8 Rxd8) 10... axb5 11. Rxa8 Bxa8 12. Nxb5 Bd5 13. Bf4 c5 14. dxc5 Qa5 15. Nc3 Qxc5 16. Be3 $146 {Another novelty in the position with good draw chances for Black.} (16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Bd2 Nd7 18. Rc1 Rc8 {1/2 (63) Vidit,S (2723)-Nakamura,H (2766) Chess.com INT 2022}) (16. Ra1 Nc6 $5 (16... Nbd7 17. Be3 Qc8 $6 (17... Qc7 18. Ra7 Qb8 19. Nd2 $5 (19. Ng5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rd8) 19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nb6 $1 21. Rxe7 Nc8 22. Rxe6 (22. Rxf7 Rxf7 23. Nxc4 Nd6 $44) 22... fxe6 $44) 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Nd4 Bc5 20. Rd1 $14 {1/2 (35) Banusz,T (2607) -Krassowizkij,J (2458) Austria 2021}) 17. Be3 Qd6 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Bd2 Nb6 20. Ng5 g6 21. Bxc6 Qxc6 22. Ne4 Nd5) (16. e4 Bc6 (16... Bb7 17. b4 Qc8 18. b5 Nbd7 19. Rc1 {0-1 (50) Dubov,D (2711)-Nakamura,H (2750) Chess.com INT 2022} Rd8) 17. Qe2 (17. Be3 Qa5 18. h3 (18. Nd4 $6 {0-1 (40) Dubov,D (2702)-Nakamura,H (2766) Chess.com INT 2022} Ng4 19. Bf4 Bc5 $15) 18... Nbd7) 17... Rc8 (17... Bb7 18. Nd2 Nfd7 $132 (18... Ba6 $6 19. Ra1 Nfd7 {1/2 (36) Berggreen,A (2410)-Kitson,K (2263) ICCF corr 2004} 20. e5 $14)) 18. Nd2 Nbd7 19. Rc1 Nb6 $132) (16. Rc1 Nc6 $5 (16... Rc8 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxb8 (18. Ng5 g6 19. Ne4 Qb4 20. Bd2 Qb5 21. Nc3 Nxc3 22. Bxc3 Nd7 23. Rd1 Nb6 24. Ra1 Bb4 25. Qd2 {1/2 (25) Limley, G-Goehring,D freechess.de 2019}) 18... Rxb8 19. Nd2 g6 $5 20. Nxc4 Bg5 21. e3 Bf6 22. b3 Nc3 23. Bf3 $44 {1/2 (23) Aberbach Peltzman,A (2265)-Cvak,R (2329) LSS email 2020}) 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Be3 $5 (18. b3 $6 Nb4 19. Qd1 Na2 20. Rc2 Nb4 21. Rc1 Na2 22. Rc2 Nb4 23. Rc1 {1/2 (23) Ding,L (2799)-Nakamura,H (2736) Chess.com INT 2021}) 18... Qa5 (18... Qb4 19. b3 Ng4 20. Bd2 Qb6 21. e3 Nce5 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. bxc4 dxc4 $14 {White has two bishops, but Black can hold the game.}) 19. Nd4 Qb6 20. Nxc6 Qxc6 21. b3 Ng4 22. Bd4 Bf6 23. Rd1 (23. Bxf6 $2 Qxf6) 23... Qe6 24. Bc5 cxb3 25. Qxb3 Be7 26. Bxe7 Qxe7 27. e3 Nf6 28. Bxd5 Nxd5 29. Rxd5 g6 $14 {It is almost impossible to convert an extra pawn to a decisive advantage.}) 16... Qa5 (16... Qc7 {is another option keeping an equality.} 17. Rd1 (17. Rc1 Rc8 18. Bf4 Qa7 $132) 17... Bb7 (17... Na6 $5 18. Qa4 Nc5 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Qxc4 Nxe3 21. fxe3 Qb6) 18. Bf4 Qb6 $132) 17. Bd2 { Nepomniachtchi desides not to trade the knight to the light-squared bishop immediately, but it gives the chance for Black to move the bishop away.} (17. Nxd5 Nxd5 {, however, doesn't give White a significant advantage.} 18. Bd4 (18. Bg5 Rc8 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. Rd1 g6 21. h4 Nd5 22. h5 c3 23. bxc3 Qxc3) 18... Qb5 19. Ne5 Bf6 20. Qe4 Rc8 $132) 17... Ba8 (17... Bb4 $5 {is another option.}) 18. Nd1 Qc5 $6 {The queen on the "c5"-square will be on the hanging position and interferes the "c"-file for the rook.} (18... Qa6 $1 {is the best decision.} 19. Ne3 (19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rc8 21. Ne3 Nbd7 22. N5xc4 (22. Nxd7 Qc6+ 23. Kg1 Nxd7) 22... Ne5 23. b3 Nd5 24. Qe4 Nxe3+ 25. Nxe3 Qxe2 26. Qb7 Rf8) 19... Rc8 20. Rc1 Be4 21. Qd1 Nbd7) 19. Ne3 $14 {Now, Black should work hard to equalize the game.} Rc8 20. Rc1 Bd5 21. Nxd5 $5 {Getting two bishops, removing the best defender of the "c4"-pawn.} (21. Bc3 {Maybe, it has been better for White to activate the dark-squared bishop with 21. Bc3} Nbd7 22. Bd4 $14) 21... Nxd5 (21... exd5 22. Bh3 $14) 22. Ne5 Nb6 23. Qe4 $6 {It is attractive to centralize a queen during the game as Nimzowitsch taught, but it is not the best decision in this current position.} (23. Bb7 $1 {has been the critical choice for White to try to get a significant advantage.} Qxe5 (23... Rc7 $2 24. Be4 f5 25. Be3 Qxe5 26. Bxb6 Rd7 27. Bg2 $16) (23... Rd8 24. Bf4 Bf6 25. Nxc4 Nxc4 26. Qxc4 Qxc4 27. Rxc4 Bxb2 28. Bc8 e5 29. Bg5 Re8 30. Kg2 $14 {White has some pressure due to the passive knight and the "f7"-pawn.}) 24. Bxc8 (24. Bf4 Qb5 25. Bxc8 Nxc8 {is the transposition.}) 24... Nxc8 25. Qxc4 (25. Bf4 Qb5 26. Qxc4 Qxc4 27. Rxc4 Nb6 28. Rc2 N8d7 $14 {Black has enough chances to draw the game.}) 25... Nb6 26. Bc3 (26. Qc7 N8d7 27. Qxe5 Nxe5 $14) 26... Nxc4 27. Bxe5 Nxe5 28. Rc8+ Bf8 29. Rxb8 Nc6 {Black has good chances to draw the game.}) 23... Bf6 24. Bc3 (24. Nxc4 Nxc4 25. b3 Nxd2 26. Rxc5 Rxc5 27. Qb4 Rc1+ 28. Bf1 Rxf1+ 29. Kg2 Na6 30. Qxd2 Ra1 31. Qd6 g6 32. b4 Rb1 33. Qxa6 Rxb4) (24. Bf4 Qd5 $1 25. Qxd5 exd5 $132) 24... N8d7 {After the trades, the position becomes completely equal. The rest moves confirm the evaluation.} 25. Bd4 Qd6 26. Nxd7 Bxd4 27. Nxb6 Qxb6 28. e3 Bxb2 29. Rxc4 Qa6 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Qb7 Qxb7 32. Bxb7 g6 33. Kg2 Kg7 34. Ba8 Ba1 35. Bb7 Bb2 36. Ba8 Ba1 37. Bb7 Bb2 {1/2-1/2 The game is a draw.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Round 10: Hikaru Nakamura - Alireza Fir"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2022.06.29"] [Round "?"] [White "Hikaru Nakamura"] [Black "Alireza Firouzja"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [Annotator "Bajarani,Ulvi"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Nc6 $5 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Nd5 {One of the options in the position.} (9. Qe2 Be7 10. O-O Rc8 11. Bb3 Na5 12. Rfd1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Bxc4 14. Qe1 Nd7 $132 {1/2 (17) Grigoriants, S (2550)-Slizhevsky,A (2427) Moscow 2006}) (9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Ng5 Qe7 11. Qf3 Nd4 12. Bxd4 exd4 13. Ne2 h6 14. Qh3 e5 15. c3 dxc3 16. Nxc3 Qd7 17. Ne6 Kf7 18. Ng5+ Ke8 19. O-O-O Rg8 20. Qxd7+ Kxd7 21. Nf3 Ke6 $132) (9. Bb3 $5 h6 $5 ( 9... Na5 10. Bg5 Nxb3 11. axb3 Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nd5 Be7 14. O-O O-O 15. Qd3 $14 {1/2 (21) Andriasian,Z (2586)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2751) Chess.com INT 2018}) 10. O-O Na5 11. Nd5 {1-0 (70) Volokitin,A (2686)-Bologan,V (2657) Rogaska Slatina 2011} Nxb3 12. Bb6 Qc8 13. Nc7+ Qxc7 14. Bxc7 Nxa1 15. c3 $5 ( 15. c4 Bxc4 (15... Rc8 16. Bxd6 Rd8 17. c5 Nb3 18. axb3 Nxe4 $132) 16. Re1 Be7 $132) (15. Qxa1 Rc8 $132) 15... Be7 (15... Rc8 $6 16. Ba5 $14) 16. Ba5 Nb3 ( 16... Nxe4 $4 17. Qa4+ $18) 17. axb3 Nxe4 18. Re1 Nf6 19. Bb4 (19. c4 O-O 20. c5 dxc5 21. Nxe5 Nd5 22. Ng6 Rfe8 23. Nxe7+ Rxe7 $132) 19... a5 20. Ba3 b5 21. Qe2 b4 22. cxb4 axb4 23. Bxb4 Rb8 24. Ba3 Nd5 $132) 9... Rc8 10. Nxf6+ gxf6 $6 $14 {Firouzja goes all-in, but the move destroys Black's pawn structure.} ( 10... Qxf6 {is the better capture.} 11. Bxe6 (11. Bd5 $5 Nb4 12. c4 Bxd5 13. exd5 Rxc4 14. O-O Nc2 15. Qd3 (15. Rc1 Nxe3 16. Qb3 Be7 17. Qxb7 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 O-O 19. fxe3 Qh6 $132) 15... Nxe3 16. fxe3 Rc7 17. Rac1 Qd8 18. Rxc7 Qxc7 19. Ng5 Be7 20. Nxf7 O-O 21. Qf5 Qc8 22. Qe6 Qxe6 23. dxe6 Re8) 11... Qxe6 12. O-O Be7 13. Nd2 O-O (13... d5 $2 {is premature due to} 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qg4 O-O 16. Bh6 Bf6 17. Ne4 Qe6 18. Qxe6 fxe6 19. Be3 $14 {1/2 (41) Vachier Lagrave,M (2703)-Morozevich,A (2751) Biel 2009}) 14. c4 b5 15. b3 f5 16. exf5 Qxf5 17. a4 bxc4 18. Nxc4 Qe6 19. Nb6 Rb8 20. Qd2 $132) 11. Bb3 {Nakamura decides to preserve the configuration of the pawn structure.} (11. Bxe6 $5 {is another option transforming the structure and weakening the black king.} fxe6 12. c3 $5 (12. O-O f5 (12... Bg7 13. Qe2 O-O 14. c4 $14) 13. exf5 exf5 14. Ng5 Qf6 15. f4 Bh6 16. Qd3 Qg6 17. h4 Bxg5 18. hxg5 e4 19. Qd5 h6 $132) 12... f5 13. exf5 exf5 14. g3 Qf6 15. Nh4 $14) 11... Ne7 $2 {The idea with d6-d5 is the favor of White.} (11... Rg8 {has been the only decision defending the 10... gxf6?! move. } 12. g3 (12. Nh4 $6 Qd7 13. g3 Na5 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. O-O Rc4 16. f3 d5 17. b3 Rc8 18. exd5 Qxd5 19. Qe2 Rc3 20. Kh1 Bc5 21. Bxc5 Qxc5 22. f4 Rg7 23. fxe5 Qxe5 24. Rae1 Qxe2 25. Rxe2 Kf7 26. Ref2 Ke7 $14 {with good draw chances for Black.}) (12. O-O Qd7 13. Nd2 f5 14. f4 Bxb3 15. axb3 d5 $1 16. exd5 Qxd5 17. Nf3 Qe4 $1 18. Re1 Rd8 19. Qe2 Nb4 20. Bb6 Nxc2 21. Qf1 Nxe1 22. Rxe1 Qxf4 23. Rxe5+ Kd7 24. Rd5+ Kc6 $132) 12... Na5 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Nd2 Qd7 15. c3 Nc4 16. Nxc4 Rxc4 17. f3 d5 18. Qd3 $14) 12. O-O $16 Bxb3 13. axb3 d5 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qe2 (15. c3 $5 {It has been possible to allow the queen trade playing 15. c3!?. However, Nakamura decides to keep queens on the board.} Qxd1 16. Raxd1 Nf5 17. b4 $16) 15... Nf5 $6 {Not the best place for the knight} (15... Ng6 16. c4 Qe6 17. Rfd1 Be7 $14 {might have given for Black more chances to survive.}) 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. c4 (17. c3 Be7 18. b4 $16 {is another choice.}) 17... Bg7 $2 { The development of the bishop to nowhere fully giving the queenside to White.} (17... Rg8 18. Kf1 $16) (17... Bb4 18. Bd2 Bxd2 19. Rxd2 O-O 20. Rad1 $16) 18. Rd5 $1 $18 {Capturing the "d"-file. Black is deprived from any counterplay.} O-O (18... Ne7 19. Rd2 O-O 20. Rad1 $18) 19. Rad1 Rfe8 20. h3 b5 {Trying to create some counterplay.} 21. c5 $2 {Reduces the significant part of the advantage.} (21. Bc5 $1 {The main idea is using the position of the knight on the "f5"-square.} bxc4 22. bxc4 $18) 21... Bf8 $2 {Preparing Nf5-d4, however, it doesn't work.} (21... Nd4 $4 {doesn't work.} 22. Nxd4 Qxd5 23. Nf5 Qe4 24. Nxg7 $18) (21... a5 $1 $14 {however, blocks the queenside and makes the "c5"-pawn weak.}) 22. b4 $1 $18 Nd4 23. Nxd4 {Capturing the "f5"-square with the next move.} Qxd5 24. Nf5 Qe4 25. Qh5 Red8 26. Ra1 {Avoiding the trades and attacking the "a6"-pawn. Black is lost since its king's defender is the dark-squared bishop that will be traded with Be3-h6.} Rc6 27. Bh6 $1 {Removing the only defender.} Kh8 28. Ra3 $1 {Bringing the final piece to the attack.} Qxb4 29. Bxf8 Rxf8 30. Qh6 Rg8 31. Rg3 $1 {Removing the final piece from the defense of the black king.} Rxg3 32. fxg3 {1-0 White wins.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "191"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,30,25,23,41,52,33,21,14,14,49,49,44,48,48,-20,-20,5,10,5,15,-5,4,7,7, 17,14,10,22,16,26,19,29]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Rb8 12. Nc2 Bg5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bg2 a5 15. O-O ({Relevant:} 15. a3 Ne7 16. Nce3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Be6 18. O-O Qc7 19. Re1 Rfd8 20. Re2 b4 21. cxb4 axb4 22. Rd2 Nc6 23. Rc1 Qd7 24. Bf1 Nd4 25. Bc4 bxa3 26. bxa3 Bxc4 27. Nxc4 Rdc8 28. Rd3 Qc6 29. Re3 h6 30. Kg2 d5 31. Nxe5 Qxc1 32. Qxd4 Rb1 33. Qxd5 Rf8 34. Ng6 Qf1+ 35. Kf3 Rb2 36. Kg4 h5+ 37. Kh4 Rb5 38. Qa2 Re8 39. e5 Qd1 40. Re4 Rbxe5 41. Rf4 Rf5 42. Kh3 Qd7 43. Kg2 Qc6+ {0-1 (44) Quparadze,G (2477)-Sunilduth Lyna,N (2658) Warsaw 2021}) 15... Ne7 16. Nce3 Be6 {[#]} 17. Nxe7+ $146 ({Predecessor:} 17. Qd3 b4 18. Nxe7+ Bxe7 19. c4 Bg5 20. Nd5 Qd7 21. b3 Qa7 22. h4 Bd8 23. Kh2 Bxd5 24. Qxd5 Bb6 25. f3 Bd4 26. Rad1 h6 27. Bh3 a4 28. Rd2 Rb6 29. Bf5 Ra6 30. Kh3 Rd8 31. h5 axb3 32. axb3 Ra5 33. Qc6 Rc5 34. Qa4 Qxa4 35. bxa4 b3 36. Rd3 Rb8 37. Bd7 Rxc4 38. Bb5 Rb4 39. Rb1 b2 40. Ra3 Ra8 41. Rd3 Rc8 42. Rdd1 g6 43. hxg6 fxg6 44. Bd7 Rc3 45. Kg4 h5+ 46. Kg5 Kg7 {Hoehne,V (1886)-Hatsek,W (2017) LSS email 2015 0-1}) 17... Qxe7 18. Nf5 Qd8 {The position is pretty much equal.} 19. Qxd6 g6 20. Qxd8 Rfxd8 21. h4 Bf6 22. Ne3 Rd2 23. b3 a4 24. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 axb3 26. axb3 Bxb3 27. Rb1 Ba2 28. Rb2 Be6 29. Bf3 Be7 30. Bg4 Bxg4 31. Nxg4 b4 32. cxb4 Rb5 33. h5 Rxb4 34. Rxb4 Bxb4 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Nxe5 {White has won a pawn but his winning chances are close to zero.} Bc3 37. Nd3 f5 38. f3 Kf7 39. Kg2 Kf6 40. g4 Bd4 41. Kg3 Be3 42. Nb2 Kg5 43. Nd3 Kf6 44. Nb4 Ke5 45. Nc6+ Ke6 46. Na5 Kf6 47. Nc4 Bc1 48. Nb6 Ke6 49. Nc4 Kf6 50. Na5 Kg5 51. Nc6 Bf4+ 52. Kh3 Kf6 53. Kg2 Be3 54. Kf1 Bb6 55. Ke2 Ke6 56. Nb4 Bc7 57. Nd5 Bd6 58. Ne3 fxe4 59. fxe4 Ke5 60. Kf3 Kf6 61. Nd1 Bc7 62. Nf2 Bd6 63. Nh3 Ke5 64. Nf4 Kf6 65. Nd3 Bc7 66. Kg2 Kg5 67. Kf3 Kf6 68. Ne1 Bd6 69. Nc2 Ke5 70. Ne3 Kf6 71. Nd5+ Kg5 72. Ne3 Kf6 73. Nc4 Bc7 74. Nd2 Bd6 75. Nb3 Bc7 76. Nc1 Bd6 77. Ne2 Bc7 78. Ng1 Bd6 79. Nh3 Ke5 80. Nf4 Kf6 81. Nd3 Bc7 82. Kg2 Kg5 83. Kh3 Bd6 84. e5 Bc7 85. Kg3 Bb8 86. Kf3 Bc7 87. Ke4 Kxg4 88. e6 Bd8 89. Nb4 Kg5 90. Nd5 Bf6 91. e7 Bxe7 92. Nxe7 Kh5 93. Nd5 g5 94. Kf5 g4 95. Nf6+ Kh4 96. Nxg4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11.2"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,34,23,12,25,12,14,34,33,33,30,6,-5,-21,-22,-10,10,8,8,-15,7,-7,-3,11, -5,4,6,0,-31,-32,-28,-24,-7,-37,-25,-72,-67]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Nc6 6. d3 Nf6 7. d4 Be7 ({Relevant:} 7... d5 8. c5 Be7 9. Bb5 O-O 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Qa4 Ne4 12. O-O Bf6 13. Qxc6 Qd7 14. Qxa8 Ba6 15. Qxf8+ Kxf8 16. Re1 Qf5 17. Nc3 Bd3 18. Be3 c6 19. Rac1 g5 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Nd2 Qd5 22. b3 Bxd4 23. Bxd4 Qxd4 24. Nc4 Qxc5 25. Ne3 Qa5 26. Red1 c5 27. f3 Qxa2 28. fxe4 Bxe4 29. Re1 Qxb3 30. Rxc5 Qb4 31. Rcc1 a5 32. Nc4 Bg6 33. h3 Kg7 34. Re3 Qc5 35. Kh1 a4 36. Re5 Qc7 37. Ra5 {Vitiugov,N (2724)-Paravyan,D (2617) Chess. com INT 2022 0-1}) 8. d5 Ne5 {[#]} 9. Nd4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9. Be2 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 h5 11. h3 Bf5 12. Nc3 Qd7 13. Be3 a6 14. a4 c5 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. a5 Rb8 17. O-O O-O 18. Na4 d5 19. Nb6 Qd6 20. Rc1 Qb4 21. Bd4 dxc4 22. Re1 Be6 23. Rxe6 fxe6 24. Qe2 Rf7 25. Nxc4 Nd5 26. Bxh5 Rbf8 27. Qxe6 Nf4 28. Bxf7+ Rxf7 29. Qg4 Bc5 30. Be3 Bxe3 31. fxe3 Qc5 32. b4 Qa7 33. Rf1 Nd3 34. Rd1 Ne5 35. Rd8+ Rf8 36. Rxf8+ Kxf8 37. Qf4+ Nf7 38. Ne5 {1-0 (38) Kosteniuk,A (2472)-Tan, Z (2511) Krasnaya Polyana 2021}) 9... O-O 10. Nc3 Bg4 11. f3 (11. Be2) 11... Bd7 12. Be2 c6 13. O-O cxd5 14. cxd5 Qb6 15. Kh1 Rac8 16. g4 $2 {Just incredibly dubious. Alireza was reported to have played 250 hyperbullet (30 seconds per side) games online late last night. It's really the only explanation for what he does today.} h6 $1 {Already Alireza is quite a bit worse.} 17. h4 $2 {He who says a must say b but this is just very bad.} Rfe8 18. g5 $2 {Now white is flat lost.} hxg5 19. hxg5 Nh5 20. Kg2 $2 (20. Rg1) 20... Ng6 21. f4 Nhxf4+ 22. Bxf4 Qxb2 23. Ne4 Rc4 (23... Bd8) 24. Be3 Bxg5 25. Rb1 Qxa2 26. Ra1 Rxd4 27. Rxa2 Rxd1 28. Bxd1 Bxe3 29. Nxd6 Re7 30. Bb3 $2 (30. Re2) 30... Bc5 31. Nxb7 Bb6 32. Bc4 Re3 33. Kh1 Bh3 34. Rc1 Bf5 35. Bf1 Be4+ 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11.3"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A15"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,38,23,-5,-9,0,-3,-14,-21,-15,-7,-18,0,-15,1,-4,4,14,-12,-10,13,9,9,24, 13,9,-3,11,-1,-10,-6,-2,-9,-9,27,12,24,28,32,32,22]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. b3 d5 4. Bb2 Be7 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 b6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. d4 Bb7 9. O-O c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Nbd2 ({Relevant:} 11. Nc3 Nd7 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. b4 Be7 14. Nd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Bf6 16. Nc6 Qe8 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Rc1 Nd5 19. Qd4 Ne7 20. b5 Nxc6 21. Rxc6 Rd8 22. Qc3 Qd7 23. Qc4 Qd5+ 24. Qxd5 Rxd5 25. a4 Rd4 26. Ra1 Rfd8 27. a5 Rb4 28. axb6 axb6 29. Rxb6 h5 30. Rb7 Rd5 31. b6 Rf5 32. Rd1 Rb2 33. Kf1 g5 34. Ke1 g4 35. Kf1 Kg7 36. Rb8 Rfb5 37. b7 Rxb7 38. Rxb7 {1/2-1/2 (38) Artemiev,V (2700)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2782) Warsaw 2021}) 11... Nf6 12. a3 a5 {[#]} 13. Nc4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 13. Qc2 Nbd7 14. e3 Qe7 15. Nd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rac8 17. Qd3 Ne5 18. Qe2 Rfd8 19. f3 Nc6 20. Nxc6 Rxc6 21. Nc4 Rc7 22. Rfd1 Rcd7 23. e4 h6 24. a4 Ne8 25. Ne5 Rd6 26. Nc4 R6d7 27. Ne5 {1/2-1/2 (27) Heigermoser,R (2161) -Schindler,S (2165) Bayern 2019}) 13... Nbd7 14. Nfe5 {Mass trades lead to a quick draw.} Bxg2 15. Kxg2 b5 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Qxd7 Nxd7 18. Nxa5 Rxa5 19. b4 Ra6 20. bxc5 Nxc5 21. Rab1 Ne4 22. Rfd1 h6 23. Ba1 Rxa3 24. Rxb5 Nc3 25. Bxc3 Rxc3 26. Rdb1 g6 27. Rb8 h5 28. h4 Rxb8 29. Rxb8+ Kg7 30. e3 Rc2 31. Ra8 Rc3 32. Rb8 Rc2 33. Ra8 Rc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Ding Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C88"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "156"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,36,23,14,14,12,10,17,17,7,-1,20,27,10,13,3,4,-11,-10,3,12,4,41,25,43, 44,29,52,52,58,49,9,13,-3,-3,-29,-28,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Bd2 Qd7 11. Nc3 Na5 12. Ba2 b4 ({Relevant:} 12... c5 13. Ne2 Nc6 14. Ng3 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. c3 Rad8 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Rxe5 Bd6 20. Re1 Nf4 21. Bxf4 Bxf4 22. Ne4 Qc7 23. g3 Be5 24. f4 Bd6 25. Qh5 Qc6 26. Qh3 c4 27. d4 Rde8 28. d5 Qxd5 29. Rad1 Rxe4 30. Rxd5 Rxe1+ 31. Kf2 Rfe8 32. Re5 Bxe5 33. Kxe1 Bxc3+ 34. Kf1 Bc8 35. Qg2 Bf5 36. Qd5 Be6 37. Qc5 Bxb2 38. Kg2 Bd7 39. Qd5 Rd8 40. Qc5 Bf6 41. Bb1 g6 42. g4 {Bacrot,E (2678)-Carlsen,M (2847) Krasnaya Polyana 2021 0-1}) 13. Ne2 c5 14. Ng3 Rab8 {[#]} 15. Nh4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 15. Nf5 Bd8 16. h3 b3 17. Bxb3 Nxb3 18. cxb3 Bc6 19. Bc3 Ne8 20. Ne3 Nc7 21. Nc4 Ne6 22. Nxd6 f6 23. Nc4 Nf4 24. Re3 Bc7 25. Ba5 Rfd8 26. Rc1 Ba8 27. Rc3 Bxa5 28. Nxa5 Qc7 29. Nc4 Rd7 30. Qc2 Qd8 31. Ne1 a5 32. Nd2 Ne6 33. Kh2 Bb7 34. Qd1 Ba6 35. Qg4 Rd6 36. g3 Qe7 37. f4 Rbd8 38. fxe5 fxe5 39. Nc4 Bxc4 40. Rxc4 Rb6 41. Rc3 Rdb8 42. Rf3 Nd4 43. Rf2 Nxb3 44. Nf3 Nd4 {Duda,J (2760)-Durarbayli,V (2615) Katowice 2021 1-0}) 15... g6 16. Bh6 Rfe8 17. Nhf5 Bd8 18. Ng7 {The position is about equal but what is the knight achieving on this square.} Rf8 19. h3 b3 20. Bxb3 Nxb3 21. cxb3 {White has a very ugly queenside now.} Bc6 22. Rc1 $6 (22. N7f5 $11) 22... Kh8 23. Ne6 Qxe6 24. Bxf8 Ba5 25. Bh6 Bxe1 26. Qxe1 {White has some practical problems but the position remains roughly equal.} Rxb3 27. Qa5 Ng8 28. Be3 Bb7 29. Qd2 f6 30. f4 exf4 $2 {Ding miscalculates and ends up much worse.} (30... Bc6) 31. Bxf4 g5 (31... Rb4) 32. Be3 Qe5 33. Nf5 Ne7 (33... Rxb2 34. Nxd6 {must have been what Ding missed from afar.}) 34. Nxe7 Qxe7 35. Qc2 Rb6 {Now white is pressing.} 36. Rf1 Kg7 37. a5 Rc6 38. Bd2 Rc8 39. Bc3 Rf8 40. Qf2 h6 41. h4 (41. b4) 41... Bc8 (41... Qe6) 42. b4 Bd7 43. bxc5 dxc5 44. Rb1 ( 44. Qf3 Qe6 45. Rb1 Qg4 46. Rb7) 44... Bb5 45. hxg5 hxg5 46. Qf5 Kg8 47. d4 ( 47. Rd1) 47... Bd3 48. Re1 cxd4 49. Bxd4 Qh7 (49... Qf7) 50. Qf3 {After this Ding fell into deep thought. He missed what follows, fortunately it isn't terrible for him.} Bb5 51. e5 Qd7 52. Bc5 Rc8 53. Qb3+ Qf7 54. e6 Qc7 55. e7+ Kg7 56. Bd4 Qf4 57. Be3 $2 {Now white has to be really careful.} Qg3 58. Qb4 Rh8 59. e8=Q Qh2+ 60. Kf2 Rxe8 61. Qg4 Qe5 62. Qd4 Qf5+ 63. Kg1 Kg6 64. Qd2 Bc6 65. Bf2 $2 (65. Bd4 $11) 65... Qg4 66. Qd3+ Be4 67. Qg3 Qxg3 68. Bxg3 f5 69. Bc7 Kh5 70. Kf2 Kg4 71. Rc1 Re7 72. Rc3 $2 Rd7 $6 (72... Bd3 {wins.}) 73. g3 Bd3 74. Bb8 Bb5 75. Bc7 $2 (75. Rc8) 75... Re7 76. Bd8 Re2+ 77. Kg1 Rd2 78. Be7 Bd3 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A14"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {Not much to say about this game. With the tournament in its final stages and both players out of contention, Radjabov just goes for a quick draw with White. } 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. b3 d5 4. Bb2 Be7 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 b6 7. cxd5 {An important moment since the character of play will change depending on how Duda captures the d-pawn.} Nxd5 {The safest.} (7... exd5 8. O-O Bb7 9. d4 {leads to a typical position from the Queen's Indian Defense.}) 8. d4 Bb7 9. O-O c5 (9... Nd7 {is also possible.}) 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Nbd2 Nf6 (11... Nd7 {is the main move.}) 12. a3 (12. Qc2 {creates some tricks with Nf3-g5, but it's possible to defend this easily.} Nbd7 $1 {and Black has no problems.} (12... h6 $4 { A funny position and I will just show this in order to spice up a little what is otherwise a boring game.} 13. Bxf6 $1 (13. Ng5 {This typical move seems winning, but always remember that your opponent has the right to exist $1} Qc7 $1 {and Black wins material due to the threat of /Bxf2+.} (13... Bxg2 $2 14. Bxf6) 14. Bxf6 Bxf2+ $1 {winning the queen.}) 13... Qxf6 14. Ng5 (14. b4 $5 Bxb4 15. Ng5 Qxg5 16. Bxb7 {is more accurate.}) 14... Bxf2+ $1 15. Rxf2 Qxa1+ 16. Nf1 hxg5 17. Bxb7 Na6 (17... Nd7 18. Bxa8 Rxa8 19. Qc6 $1 Rd8 20. Qc7 { winning a piece.}) 18. Bxa6 {with a big advantage for White.}) 13. Rad1 Qe7 { with an equal position in Geller-Averbakh, Leningrad 1963.}) 12... a5 $1 (12... Be7 13. b4 {gives White some pressure: Potkin-Leko, Tallinn 2016.}) 13. Nc4 { A new move. 13. Qc2 had been played before.} Nbd7 (13... Qe7 {is also fine.}) 14. Nfe5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 b5 $1 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 (16... Nxd7 {also leads to a draw after} 17. Nxa5 Rxa5 18. b4 Ra4 19. bxc5 Nxc5) 17. Qxd7 Nxd7 18. Nxa5 Rxa5 19. b4 Ra6 (19... Bxb4 $6 {is not the best way to simplify.} 20. axb4 Rxa1 (20... Ra4 $5) 21. Rxa1 Nb6 22. Bd4 {and White will press in this endgame.}) 20. bxc5 Nxc5 21. Rab1 Ne4 22. Rfd1 h6 23. Ba1 (23. Rd4 $5 Nd6 24. a4 $1 {creates a nice trap.} Rc8 (24... bxa4 $2 {surprisingly loses after} 25. Ba3 Nf5 26. Rd7 $1 Rfa8 27. e4 {and Black's knight is trapped.} (27. Rbb7 {is also good.})) ( 24... h5) 25. axb5 Nxb5 26. Rg4 g6 {and the material is too reduced for any winning attempt.}) 23... Rxa3 24. Rxb5 Nc3 25. Bxc3 Rxc3 26. Rdb1 g6 27. Rb8 h5 28. h4 Rxb8 29. Rxb8+ Kg7 30. e3 Rc2 31. Ra8 Rc3 32. Rb8 Rc2 33. Ra8 Rc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "191"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {$2} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 {This is the first time Richard Rapport plays the Sveshnikov, so it obviously came as a surprise to Nakamura.} 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 { 11.c4 was more popular a few years ago, but now the old main move is back into fashion again.} Rb8 12. Nc2 Bg5 13. g3 {This is only the fourth most popular move in this position and shouldn't be dangerous for Black. I think Nakamura just wanted to play a normal position.} (13. a4 {This is the main move.}) (13. a3 $5 {was tried by some elite players recently.}) 13... O-O 14. Bg2 a5 $5 { A nice move to prevent Ncb4.} (14... Ne7 15. Ncb4 {This is not so much for White either.}) 15. O-O Ne7 16. Nce3 Be6 {A rare move.} (16... Bxe3 {is natural.} 17. Nxe3 Be6 {we have a typical Sveshnikov position. Practice has shown that Black has no problems.}) 17. Nxe7+ (17. Qd3 {It was more accurate to postpone the capture on e7.} Bxe3 18. Nxe3 Qb6 {and we more or less transpose to what would happen if Black played 16...Bxe3.}) 17... Qxe7 18. Nf5 (18. Nd5 $2 {is a mistake and illustrates why it's important for White to have the queen on d3.} Qb7 {Now Black will capture on d5, changing the pawn structure. In the resulting position, his bishop is much better and he has a clear positional advantage. If White had the queen on d3 and could play Rad1 here, then his position would be fine.}) 18... Qd8 $5 {This is a clever move that equalizes immediately.} (18... Bxf5 $6 19. exf5 {and White has a comfortable advantage.}) 19. Qxd6 (19. Nxd6 $2 {is bad since the knight is trapped after a few smart moves.} g6 $1 20. f4 (20. Qd3 Qb6 {followed by Rfd8 wins.}) 20... Be7 21. fxe5 (21. f5 Bd7 22. Rf3 Qc7 23. Rd3 Rb6 24. Nc4 $1 bxc4 25. Rxd7 Qc5+ 26. Kh1 Rxb2 {with a big advantage.}) 21... f6 $1 {and the knight will finally be captured.}) (19. h4 Bf6 20. Ne3 $11) 19... g6 $1 { Now we see why Rapport wanted his queen on d8. White will be forced to capture it and Black's rook will become active.} (19... Qxd6 $5 20. Nxd6 Be7 21. Rfd1 Rfd8 22. Nf5 Bc5 {with good compensation.}) 20. Qxd8 Rfxd8 {Now White has to choose between 21.h4 or 21.f4.} 21. h4 (21. Ne3 $2 Bxe3 22. fxe3 Rd2 23. Rf2 Rbd8 {with a big advantage for Black.}) (21. f4 $5 exf4 22. gxf4 Bf6 23. e5 $1 {The only way.} (23. Ne3 $2 Rd2) (23. Ng3 $2 b4) (23. Nd4 Rxd4 $1 24. cxd4 Bxd4+ 25. Kh1 a4 {and Black's bishops are too strong.}) 23... Bxf5 24. exf6 Rd2 25. Rf2 Rd6 {with equality.}) 21... Bf6 (21... gxf5 22. hxg5 f4 $1 {and Black gets the draw without any problems.} 23. gxf4 exf4 24. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 b4 $11) 22. Ne3 Rd2 23. b3 a4 24. Rfd1 {Nakamura decides to give the pawn back.} ( 24. Nd5 {is very natural.} Bd8 $1 (24... Bxd5 25. exd5 e4 26. Rfd1 {is not so clear.} (26. Bxe4 $6 b4 $1)) 25. Rfd1 Rc2 $1 26. Rdc1 Rd2 {with a draw.}) 24... Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 axb3 26. axb3 Bxb3 27. Rb1 {I expected a quick draw here and was very surprised that the game lasted 70 more moves $1} Ba2 28. Rb2 Be6 29. Bf3 Be7 30. Bg4 Bxg4 $6 {This gives Rapport some headaches.} (30... Ba3 $5 31. Rb1 Bc5 32. Bxe6 Bxe3 33. Bc4 Bd2 {draws immediately.}) (30... Bc5 31. Bxe6 Bxe3 32. Bc4 (32. Bxf7+ Kxf7 33. fxe3 Ke6 {Black is very active in this rook endgame and White's extra pawn is not felt.}) 32... Bc1 33. Rxb5 (33. Rb1 Bd2) 33... Rxb5 34. Bxb5 {with a drawn ending.}) 31. Nxg4 {Nakamura now wants to bring the knight back to d5 and apply some pressure.} b4 (31... Kg7 32. Ne3 { And it should be a draw, but White can play many moves.}) (31... f6 32. Ne3) 32. cxb4 Rb5 33. h5 $1 {A clever move, avoiding h7-h5.} Rxb4 {Rapport decides to go for a pawn-down ending that is not difficult to hold. This is a wise decision.} (33... gxh5 34. Nh6+ Kf8 35. Rc2 $1 {and the position is much trickier to defend, especially against Nakamura.}) 34. Rxb4 Bxb4 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Nxe5 Bc3 37. Nd3 f5 $1 38. f3 (38. e5 g5 39. f4 gxf4 40. gxf4 Bd4+ 41. Kg2 Kf7 42. Kf3 Ke6 {draws.}) 38... Kf7 {Black has no trouble defending this endgame. Nakamura tried for many moves, but nothing really happened.} 39. Kg2 Kf6 40. g4 Bd4 41. Kg3 Be3 42. Nb2 Kg5 43. Nd3 Kf6 44. Nb4 Ke5 45. Nc6+ Ke6 46. Na5 Kf6 47. Nc4 Bc1 48. Nb6 Ke6 49. Nc4 Kf6 50. Na5 Kg5 51. Nc6 Bf4+ 52. Kh3 Kf6 53. Kg2 Be3 54. Kf1 Bb6 55. Ke2 Ke6 56. Nb4 Bc7 57. Nd5 Bd6 58. Ne3 fxe4 59. fxe4 Ke5 60. Kf3 Kf6 61. Nd1 Bc7 62. Nf2 Bd6 63. Nh3 Ke5 64. Nf4 Kf6 65. Nd3 Bc7 66. Kg2 Kg5 67. Kf3 Kf6 68. Ne1 Bd6 69. Nc2 Ke5 70. Ne3 Kf6 71. Nd5+ Kg5 72. Ne3 Kf6 73. Nc4 Bc7 74. Nd2 Bd6 75. Nb3 Bc7 76. Nc1 Bd6 77. Ne2 Bc7 78. Ng1 Bd6 79. Nh3 Ke5 80. Nf4 Kf6 81. Nd3 Bc7 82. Kg2 Kg5 83. Kh3 Bd6 84. e5 Bc7 85. Kg3 Bb8 86. Kf3 Bc7 87. Ke4 Kxg4 88. e6 Bd8 89. Nb4 Kg5 90. Nd5 Bf6 91. e7 Bxe7 92. Nxe7 Kh5 93. Nd5 g5 94. Kf5 g4 95. Nf6+ Kh4 96. Nxg4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2806"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "156"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] {This game is a drama in many stages. First, long opening preparation by both players leads to a balanced position. Then it seems Ding Liren will be the one pressing. The game suddenly turns around and Caruana gets a strong position and this evaluation remains for a long time. He misses several chances to blow through his opponent's defense, until Ding Liren, playing like a machine, but finally reaches equality. And then tiredness and frustration is felt in Caruana's play. He makes many inaccuracies until he is finally beaten. I always thought that stubbornness, the ability to defend and to pose problems for the opponent in lost positions, is what separates a great player from an average one.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 Bb7 {Ding has a narrow but well-studied repertoire.} 9. d3 d6 10. Bd2 Qd7 11. Nc3 Na5 12. Ba2 b4 13. Ne2 c5 14. Ng3 Rab8 15. Nh4 $5 {If you play against Caruana you can always count on an opening novelty. Here it comes. This move has never been played in a tournament game, but I found some analysis with it in my computer's opening book. This usually indicates it was played in computer games.} g6 16. Bh6 Rfe8 17. Nhf5 $1 Bd8 (17... gxf5 $2 18. Nxf5 {and White will bring the queen in with a decisive attack.}) 18. Ng7 Rf8 { It's not every day that a white knight is placed on g7 $1 Actually, I have very fond memories of this pattern. In 1998 I won a crazy game against GM Julian Hogdson and there my opponent also landed a furious knight on g7, similar to this one. All very pretty, but my book analysis continues, and so Ding Liren surely knew all this.} 19. h3 {Playing for a win, of course.} (19. N7f5 Re8) 19... b3 $1 {It's always a relief to neutralize the a2-bishop.} 20. Bxb3 Nxb3 21. cxb3 Bc6 22. Rc1 $6 {Finally out of the book $1 A draw is the result after:} (22. N7f5 Re8 (22... gxf5 $2 23. Nxf5 {with a decisive attack.}) 23. Qf3 Rxb3 24. Ng7 Rf8 25. N7f5) 22... Kh8 $1 {A strong move. Ding prepares / Ng8.} 23. Ne6 (23. N7f5 $2 Re8 24. Bg7+ Kg8 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 {with an advantage for Black.}) (23. N7h5 $2 Nxh5 $1 24. Nxh5 (24. Bxf8 Nxg3 25. fxg3 Bg5) 24... gxh5 25. Bxf8 Bg5 {and White's bishop is trapped.}) 23... Qxe6 $1 24. Bxf8 Ba5 25. Bh6 Bxe1 26. Qxe1 Rxb3 $6 {This is inaccurate.} (26... Qxb3 $1 {This would pose more serious problems for Caruana.} 27. Qa5 (27. Nf1 $5) 27... Qb6 { with an advantage.}) 27. Qa5 $1 Ng8 28. Be3 Bb7 29. Qd2 {White manages to defend all his queenside pawns, quite an achievement $1} f6 30. f4 exf4 $6 { Now Ding is in trouble.} (30... Rb4 {is better.}) 31. Bxf4 g5 $6 (31... Rb4) 32. Be3 {The position is horrible for Black now. His king is weak and White can break through with a timely d4, b4, or even h4. I will say it again: in opposite-colored bishop positions, always be the one attacking $1} Qe5 { I suspect this was Ding/^s idea, but it meets a tactical refutation.} 33. Nf5 $1 Ne7 (33... Rxb2 34. Nxd6 $1 {The point $1} Rxd2 35. Nf7+ Kg7 36. Nxe5 Ra2 37. Nd7 Rxa4 38. Rxc5 {followed by Rc7, with a winning position for White.}) 34. Nxe7 Qxe7 35. Qc2 Rb6 {From now on, Caruana misses several opportunities to win the game.} 36. Rf1 (36. b4 $5 Rxb4 37. Bd2 Rb6 38. a5 Rb5 (38... Rc6 39. Qb2) 39. Re1 $3 {Preventing /d6-d5 and preparing Bc3-Rf1. The computer sees no defense for Black.}) 36... Kg7 37. a5 Rc6 38. Bd2 (38. b4 $5) 38... Rc8 39. Bc3 Rf8 40. Qf2 h6 41. h4 Bc8 (41... Qe6 $1 42. b4 cxb4 43. Bxb4 Rf7 {is a better chance.}) 42. b4 $1 Bd7 43. bxc5 dxc5 44. Rb1 (44. Qf3 $1 {White prepares hxg5 followed by Qh5. If Black avoids this with} Kg6 {then} 45. Rb1 Bb5 46. Qf5+ { wins.}) 44... Bb5 45. hxg5 $6 {This capture helps Black since he will be the one benefiting from the h-file.} (45. Re1 $1) 45... hxg5 46. Qf5 Kg8 47. d4 Bd3 48. Re1 cxd4 49. Bxd4 Qh7 50. Qf3 Bb5 51. e5 Qd7 $1 (51... fxe5 52. Qd5+ {wins. }) 52. Bc5 Rc8 53. Qb3+ Qf7 54. e6 Qc7 55. e7+ Kg7 56. Bd4 Qf4 {Ding/^s brilliant defense is rewarded. He finally escapes with equality. It gets even better as Caruana makes a blunder now.} 57. Be3 $2 (57. Bb2 Re8 $11) 57... Qg3 $1 {Now Black is close to victory.} 58. Qb4 (58. Rd1 Bc6 {wins.}) 58... Rh8 59. e8=Q (59. e8=N+ $5 {forces Black to take.} Bxe8 (59... Rxe8 60. Bf2) 60. Bd4 Qh2+ 61. Kf2 Qh4+ 62. Kg1 {with drawing chances.}) 59... Qh2+ (59... Rxe8) 60. Kf2 Rxe8 61. Qg4 $6 (61. Bxg5 {This looked like a good practical chance, but my computer claims Black is winning after:} Rxe1 62. Qxe1 fxg5 63. Qe7+ Kg8 64. Qxg5+ Kf7) (61. Bd2 $1 {is better.}) 61... Qe5 62. Qd4 Qf5+ 63. Kg1 Kg6 64. Qd2 Bc6 65. Bf2 (65. Bd4 {is a better chance.}) 65... Qg4 66. Qd3+ Be4 67. Qg3 Qxg3 68. Bxg3 f5 {I don't think White can make a draw in this endgame. Black's play is too easy and it's no surprise that it all ends quickly.} 69. Bc7 Kh5 70. Kf2 Kg4 71. Rc1 Re7 72. Rc3 $2 (72. Rc5 $1 Bd3 73. Be5) 72... Rd7 $2 (72... Bd3 $1 73. Rxd3 Rxc7 {with an easy win.}) 73. g3 Bd3 74. Bb8 Bb5 75. Bc7 $2 {The final mistake.} (75. Rc8 Rd2+ 76. Ke3 Rd3+ 77. Kf2) 75... Re7 $1 {Now the rook comes to play and Black wins.} 76. Bd8 (76. Rc2 Bd3 $1) 76... Re2+ 77. Kg1 Rd2 78. Be7 Bd3 {0-} 0-1 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {[%evp 0,70,19,31,34,19,13,-6,45,23,31,-3,-3,-46,-19,-27,-21,9,6,-29,-5,6,15, 12,-28,0,-1,-15,-35,-23,-39,-45,-3,-27,-27,-55,-79,-61,-76,-76,-56,-64,-74,-75, -86,-60,-60,-60,-60,-60,-60,-60,-60,-70,-70,-81,-121,-121,-135,-135,-128,-149, -151,-175,-167,-204,-171,-187,-152,-333,-354,-397,-432]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 {This move is not known to be wildly dangerous, and while Firouzja was playing very quickly to a point, I have to believe there was a better choice available against the Petroff.} (5. d4) (5. Nc3) (5. Qe2) ( 5. d3) 5... Nc6 6. d3 Nf6 7. d4 Be7 8. d5 $6 Ne5 9. Nd4 O-O 10. Nc3 Bg4 11. f3 {Firouzja played this move very quickly, suggesting he was still in preparation, but I'm not quite sure what he had in mind. Black's position already looks very comfortable to me and f2-f3 makes some weaknesses. “After f3 White shouldn't fight for something because of this weakness.” (Nepomniachtchi)} (11. Be2 {My computer is pretty insistent that this is the best move, so it's a little surprising Firouzja played something else so fast—if he was still in preparation, I'd expect him to play Be2. And if he was out of preparation and played something that's not best, you'd think he would have spent a bit more time doing it.} Bxe2 12. Qxe2 Re8 {I suppose White is somewhat for choice due to having a little extra space, but it looks very marginal to me. The main thing that a space advantage gives you is more squares for your pieces, and having less space means your pieces can often end up with a shortage of good squares and competing for the same ones. Here, despite Black having a little less space, his pieces are fine. Nfd7 and Bf6 or Bg5 could come next, and he looks more or less fine to me.}) 11... Bd7 12. Be2 c6 $1 {I like it $1 Black opens the center and hits back at the space advantage at the source.} 13. O-O cxd5 14. cxd5 Qb6 {“After Qb6 I didn't check Qb6, so I think I am a little better there, but I couldn't find a way to be better.” (Firouzja)} 15. Kh1 {“I thought he had to play something like Rb1.” (Nepomniachtchi)} Rac8 {This was the first move Firouzja spent any substantial amount of time on, and he burned his bridges right away. I don't really blame him. It's very easy to go nuts when you are having a rough tournament and he is an aggressive player in his nature, but it really looked like tilt to me. It's hard to imagine that White can launch a direct kingside attack when the center is open and Black's pieces are all active and on good squares.} 16. g4 $2 {Brazen, but this can't be right.} (16. f4 $1 {Simple strategic chess was best. After} Nc4 17. b3 Ne3 18. Bxe3 Rxc3 19. Bg1 {White can still pretend to have a little pull thanks to his extra space, though again I think it's really not much. I suspect Firouzja saw this option, thought Black will draw easily, and decided to be more aggressive almost by default.}) 16... h6 $1 {A very strong response. Black wants to make sure that if White launches an attack, he has to throw all of his kingside pawns, leaving his own king unsafe. White will not be able to make use of the open h-file.} 17. h4 {Not best, but I can't imagine any other move. Nobody plays g4 and then after h6 says: \"Well, that didn't work. Let's make a more normal move and ignore the fact that I just compromised my kingside.\"} Rfe8 $1 { Black had other moves, but I really like this one. It is bold but very strong—Black allows g5 and f4 to come but just doesn't care.} (17... Nh7 $5 { Black could borrow a theme from the Scheveningen as well. When Nepo played h6, I thought this was what he had in mind—White's h-pawn is harassed, and he is more or less forced to sacrifice a kingside pawn.}) 18. g5 (18. a4 {Apparently this was best, but again, nobody would ever go g4 and h4 and then just stop when Black ignores their \"threat.” Still, Black is much better here as well. }) 18... hxg5 19. hxg5 Nh5 $1 {[%cal Rh5g3] Now the point of including h6 and h4 for Black is on full display. Since White lacks his h2-pawn, he is not in time to play f4.} 20. Kg2 {I was thinking about the position without a computer for Black, and I saw it to here. At the moment, Nepo was thinking about Rfe8. It looked unclear—f4 is coming after all, and Rh1 could be on the way too. This is why I sort of gravitated towards Nh7. Of course, that was not a bad move, but Nepo showed excellent nerves and calculation to see it a step further and know exactly what to do.} (20. f4 $2 Ng3+ $1) 20... Ng6 $1 { Absolutely devastating. Black is ready to slam into f4 next, more or less forcing f4 from White right now. But, then the position collapses.} 21. f4 Nhxf4+ $1 {The right knight.} (21... Ngxf4+ 22. Bxf4 {The hanging knight on h5 forces Black to take on f4, transposing to the not-as-ideal line on move 22.}) 22. Bxf4 {Now, it feels so natural for Black to grab f4 and g5, winning a second pawn, getting a monster dark-squared bishop, and watching the pieces spring to life. This was not bad, but Nepo's choice was stronger.} Qxb2 $1 { All of White's pieces are hanging and something will fall.} (22... Nxf4+ 23. Rxf4 Bxg5 24. Rf3 {Black is better here but the fight continues.}) 23. Ne4 { The best move in a bad position. Now, I really like Nepo's next move as well. The computer sees something stronger, but the human move is quite sufficient.} (23. Bd2 Rxc3 $1 24. Rb1 Rg3+ $1 25. Kxg3 Qxd4 {White is done for.}) 23... Rc4 $1 (23... Bd8 {The machine offers this one, which is completely ridiculous. You will be strip-searched if you play it. Nepo's choice is so human and so natural, and certainly enough to win the game.}) 24. Be3 {Otherwise White loses a piece on the spot. Now, basic calculation—always examine all checks and captures, and the details here are actually pretty straightforward.} Bxg5 $1 25. Rb1 (25. Nxg5 Rxe3 $19 {White loses the house.}) (25. Bxg5 Rxd4 { Again, White loses the house.}) 25... Qxa2 $1 {Before anything else, Black grabs another pawn. He now has four pawns for the piece, and White's pieces in the center are hanging.} 26. Ra1 Rxd4 $1 {The simplest.} (26... Bxe3 27. Rxa2 Rxd4 {This would have been fun and interesting, but when you are winning, you don't want fun and interesting. You want clean, crisp, and convincing.}) 27. Rxa2 Rxd1 {For the moment, Black is up four pawns. The most material White can take back here is an exchange, and that clearly will not cut it.} 28. Bxd1 { The best try.} (28. Nxg5 Rxf1 29. Kxf1 Rxe3 {A head count will not be fun for White.}) 28... Bxe3 29. Nxd6 Re7 {A final, accurate move, but a very easy one. Black defends his f7-pawn and is totally winning due to his material advantage, piece activity, and the looseness of White's position, particularly around his king.} 30. Bb3 (30. Nxb7 {I would have tried just grabbing a pawn and clearing way for the d-pawn and hoping for the best, but against best play it certainly would not change the result.} Bb5 $1 31. Re1 Bc4 $1 {Black wins material.}) 30... Bc5 $1 31. Nxb7 Bb6 {Black need not fear d5-d6 due to the check on c6, and his pieces will shortly throttle white's king.} 32. Bc4 Re3 33. Kh1 Bh3 34. Rc1 Bf5 35. Bf1 (35. Nd6 {This would have forced Black to find one more idea, but it is very easy.} Rh3+ 36. Rh2 Rxh2+ 37. Kxh2 Bc7 $1 {Black wins the knight, and the game.}) 35... Be4+ {With d5 falling next and b7 after that, Firouzja gave up. After the last game of the 2021 match with Carlsen, I wrote that, in my opinion, Nepo A is the second-best player in the world. Well, he has brought Nepo A all throughout this event, and I would revise my statement and instead say that Nepo A is far and away the second-best player in the world, well ahead of Ding, Caruana, and Firouzja, all of whom are higher rated. I suspect he will clear 2800 and beyond in no time if he can keep bringing Nepo A to the board, as he has done here. But you can't ever draw such sweeping conclusions from one event, and if Nepo B starts showing up again at some point, leaving the board constantly and blundering every other game, then I think the aforementioned trio will remain higher rated. The last few rounds feel like a formality at this point, but there is still some excitement in the fight for second since Magnus has said he is not certain he will play the next match.} 0-1 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11.2"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2766"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,21,27,14,32,32,19,14,23,34,33,-4,-4,-21,-21,-3,4,0,0,-19,10,6,-2,-11] } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Nc6 6. d3 Nf6 7. d4 Be7 ( 7... d5 8. c5 g6 9. Bb5 Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qa4 a5 {0-1 (41) Lagarde,M (2648)-Studer,N (2581) Biel SUI 2021}) 8. d5 Ne5 9. Nd4 (9. Be2 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 h5 11. h3 Bf5 12. Nc3 Qd7 13. Be3 a6 {1-0 (38) Kosteniuk,A (2472)-Tan Zhongyi (2511) Krasnaya Polyana RUS 2021}) 9... O-O 10. Nc3 Bg4 11. f3 Bd7 12. Be2 c6 13. O-O cxd5 14. cxd5 Qb6 15. Kh1 Rac8 16. g4 $5 h6 17. h4 $6 Rfe8 18. g5 $6 hxg5 19. hxg5 Nh5 20. Kg2 Ng6 $1 21. f4 Nhxf4+ 22. Bxf4 Qxb2 23. Ne4 Rc4 (23... Bd8 $1) 24. Be3 Bxg5 25. Rb1 Qxa2 26. Ra1 Rxd4 (26... Qb2 27. Rb1 Qa2 28. Ra1) 27. Rxa2 Rxd1 28. Bxd1 Bxe3 29. Nxd6 Re7 30. Bb3 $6 Bc5 $1 31. Nxb7 Bb6 32. Bc4 Re3 33. Kh1 Bh3 34. Rc1 Bf5 $1 35. Bf1 Be4+ 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2806"] [PlyCount "156"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,38,34,19,19,19,19,5,8,3,10,-8,35,5,5,5,9,-5,12,2,14,4,45,49,35,33,36, 36,36,28,43,0,10,-3,14,-4,20,9,9,-67,-57]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Bd2 Qd7 11. Nc3 Na5 12. Ba2 b4 13. Ne2 c5 14. Ng3 Rab8 15. Nh4 (15. Nf5 Bc8 16. N3h4 Bd8 17. Re3 g6 18. Rh3 c4 {0-1 (66) Motylev,A (2642)-Ponkratov,P (2650) Moscow RUS 2021}) 15... g6 16. Bh6 Rfe8 17. Nhf5 Bd8 (17... gxf5 18. Nxf5 c4 19. Qf3 Qe6 20. Qg3+ $18) 18. Ng7 Rf8 19. h3 b3 20. Bxb3 Nxb3 21. cxb3 Bc6 22. Rc1 Kh8 $1 23. Ne6 $5 (23. N7f5 Re8) 23... Qxe6 24. Bxf8 Ba5 25. Bh6 Bxe1 26. Qxe1 Rxb3 27. Qa5 Ng8 28. Be3 Bb7 29. Qd2 f6 30. f4 exf4 31. Bxf4 g5 32. Be3 Qe5 33. Nf5 Ne7 34. Nxe7 Qxe7 35. Qc2 Rb6 36. Rf1 Kg7 37. a5 Rc6 38. Bd2 Rc8 39. Bc3 Rf8 40. Qf2 h6 41. h4 Bc8 42. b4 Bd7 43. bxc5 dxc5 44. Rb1 Bb5 45. hxg5 hxg5 46. Qf5 Kg8 47. d4 Bd3 48. Re1 cxd4 49. Bxd4 Qh7 50. Qf3 Bb5 51. e5 Qd7 52. Bc5 Rc8 53. Qb3+ Qf7 54. e6 Qc7 55. e7+ Kg7 56. Bd4 Qf4 $11 57. Be3 $6 (57. Qe3 $11) 57... Qg3 $1 $15 58. Qb4 Rh8 59. e8=Q Qh2+ 60. Kf2 Rxe8 61. Qg4 $6 (61. Bxg5 $1 fxg5 62. Rxe8 Bxe8 63. Qe7+ Bf7 64. Qxg5+ $11) 61... Qe5 $1 62. Qd4 Qf5+ 63. Kg1 Kg6 64. Qd2 Bc6 65. Bf2 Qg4 66. Qd3+ Be4 67. Qg3 Qxg3 68. Bxg3 f5 69. Bc7 Kh5 70. Kf2 Kg4 71. Rc1 Re7 72. Rc3 $2 (72. Rc5 $5) 72... Rd7 $2 (72... Bd3 $1 $19) 73. g3 $1 Bd3 74. Bb8 Bb5 75. Bc7 $4 Re7 $1 76. Bd8 Re2+ 77. Kg1 Rd2 $1 78. Be7 Bd3 ( 78... Bd3 79. Bd6 Kh3 80. Be5 Rg2+ 81. Kh1 Be4) 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2764"] [PlyCount "191"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Rb8 12. Nc2 Bg5 13. g3 O-O 14. Bg2 a5 15. O-O Ne7 16. Nce3 Be6 (16... Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Be6 18. Qd2 Qb6 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. b3 b4 {1/2-1/2 (49) Malakhov,V (2605)-Kharlov,A (2627) Saint Vincent 2000}) 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. Nf5 Qd8 19. Qxd6 g6 20. Qxd8 Rfxd8 21. h4 Bf6 22. Ne3 Rd2 23. b3 a4 24. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 axb3 26. axb3 Bxb3 27. Rb1 Ba2 28. Rb2 Be6 29. Bf3 Be7 30. Bg4 Bxg4 31. Nxg4 b4 32. cxb4 Rb5 33. h5 Rxb4 34. Rxb4 Bxb4 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Nxe5 Bc3 37. Nd3 f5 38. f3 Kf7 39. Kg2 Kf6 40. g4 Bd4 41. Kg3 Be3 42. Nb2 Kg5 43. Nd3 Kf6 44. Nb4 Ke5 45. Nc6+ Ke6 46. Na5 Kf6 47. Nc4 Bc1 48. Nb6 Ke6 49. Nc4 Kf6 50. Na5 Kg5 51. Nc6 Bf4+ 52. Kh3 Kf6 53. Kg2 Be3 54. Kf1 Bb6 55. Ke2 Ke6 56. Nb4 Bc7 57. Nd5 Bd6 58. Ne3 fxe4 59. fxe4 Ke5 60. Kf3 Kf6 61. Nd1 Bc7 62. Nf2 Bd6 63. Nh3 Ke5 64. Nf4 Kf6 65. Nd3 Bc7 66. Kg2 Kg5 67. Kf3 Kf6 68. Ne1 Bd6 69. Nc2 Ke5 70. Ne3 Kf6 71. Nd5+ Kg5 72. Ne3 Kf6 73. Nc4 Bc7 74. Nd2 Bd6 75. Nb3 Bc7 76. Nc1 Bd6 77. Ne2 Bc7 78. Ng1 Bd6 79. Nh3 Ke5 80. Nf4 Kf6 81. Nd3 Bc7 82. Kg2 Kg5 83. Kh3 Bd6 84. e5 Bc7 85. Kg3 Bb8 86. Kf3 Bc7 87. Ke4 $5 Kxg4 88. e6 Bd8 89. Nb4 Kg5 90. Nd5 Bf6 91. e7 Bxe7 92. Nxe7 Kh5 93. Nd5 g5 94. Kf5 g4 95. Nf6+ Kh4 96. Nxg4 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.06.30"] [Round "11.3"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,23,44,-17,-14,-9,4,-17,-20,-16,1,-31,-31,-22,0,-11,11,5,10,18,23,27, 15,15,19,-8]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. b3 d5 4. Bb2 Be7 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 b6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. d4 Bb7 9. O-O c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Nbd2 Nf6 12. a3 a5 $5 (12... Be7 13. b4 a6 14. Nc4 Nbd7 15. Rc1 Rc8 16. Qd4 b5 17. Na5 Bd5 18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. Qxe5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qa8+ 22. Nc6 Re8 23. f3 Bf8 24. Nd4 Rc8 25. Rxc8 Qxc8 26. Qg5 Nd5 27. Qc1 Qxc1 28. Bxc1 Nb6 29. e4 Bd6 {1/2-1/2 (29) Potkin,V (2597)-Leko,P (2693) Tallinn 2016}) 13. Nc4 Nbd7 14. Nfe5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 b5 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Qxd7 Nxd7 18. Nxa5 Rxa5 19. b4 Ra6 20. bxc5 Nxc5 21. Rab1 Ne4 22. Rfd1 h6 23. Ba1 Rxa3 24. Rxb5 Nc3 25. Bxc3 Rxc3 26. Rdb1 g6 27. Rb8 h5 28. h4 Rxb8 29. Rxb8+ Kg7 30. e3 Rc2 31. Ra8 Rc3 32. Rb8 Rc2 33. Ra8 Rc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 ({Relevant:} 6. O-O Nd7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be3 f6 9. Ne2 a5 10. a4 b6 11. b3 Rf7 12. Ng3 g6 13. Qe1 Bf8 14. Nd2 Nc5 15. Ne2 Ba6 16. Nc4 Ne6 17. f4 exf4 18. Nxf4 Qd7 19. Nd2 Bg7 20. Nxe6 Qxe6 21. Nf3 c5 22. Qd2 g5 23. Rae1 Raf8 24. Qf2 h6 25. h4 g4 26. Nd2 f5 27. Qg3 fxe4 28. Rxf7 Rxf7 29. Bf4 e3 30. Ne4 Bb7 31. Kh1 Bxe4 32. Rxe3 Bxg2+ 33. Kxg2 Qc6+ 34. Kh2 h5 35. Re4 Qf6 {Giri,A (2761)-So,W (2776) Stavanger 2022 1/2-1/2}) 6... Be6 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. Ng5 {[#]} Bxb3 $146 ({Predecessor: } 9... Qe7 10. Nxe6 Qxe6 11. Qg4 Qg6 12. Bd2 O-O-O 13. Bc3 f6 14. a4 a6 15. Nd2 Qxg4 16. hxg4 h6 17. Nc4 Nc5 18. Ne3 Ne6 19. Nf5 Rd7 20. g3 Re8 21. Ke2 Bc5 22. Raf1 b5 23. f4 Bd6 24. Bd2 Kb7 25. Be3 Bc5 26. Bc1 Bd6 27. b3 bxa4 28. bxa4 c5 29. Be3 Kc6 30. Rb1 exf4 31. Nxd6 f3+ 32. Kxf3 Rxd6 33. Ke2 Nd4+ 34. Kd2 Nf3+ 35. Ke2 Nd4+ 36. Kd1 Nf3 37. Rh5 Ne5 38. Ke2 Rde6 39. Rb3 {Sevian,S (2556) -Radjabov,T (2738) Baku 2015 0-1 (71)}) 10. axb3 f6 11. Nf3 Nc5 12. Nd2 Ne6 13. Nc4 Qd7 14. h4 a6 15. h5 O-O-O 16. Nxb6+ cxb6 17. Be3 c5 18. Qg4 Kb8 19. g3 g6 20. O-O-O Qf7 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4+ Ka7 23. Rdf1 f5 24. Qh3 Qf6 25. Kb1 Rhf8 26. Rf2 Qe7 27. Bh6 Rf6 28. Qh4 Rg8 29. exf5 g5 30. Qe4 Qd6 31. fxe6 Rxf2 32. Bxg5 Rxg5 33. e7 Re5 34. e8=Q Rxe8 35. Qxe8 Qxg3 36. Qe4 h6 37. Qg6 Qe3 38. Qg1 Qe2 39. Qd1 Qxd1+ 40. Rxd1 Rh2 41. d4 cxd4 42. Rxd4 Rxh5 {The trouble with this ending for Caruana is that it's not in any way winning.} 43. Rd6 b5 44. b4 Rh4 45. b3 Kb8 46. Kb2 Kc7 47. Rg6 h5 48. Rh6 Kd7 49. Ka3 Rh1 50. c4 bxc4 51. bxc4 h4 52. Rh7+ Kc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.2"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E48"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] {[%evp 0,52,25,23,28,-3,18,18,28,28,25,22,28,17,22,2,13,10,7,-8,-8,-30,-32,-32, -29,-29,-29,-27,-31,-41,-18,-17,-12,-62,-60,-65,-49,-138,-89,-119,-99,-163, -124,-282,-295,-381,-264,-392,-435,-575,-434,-562,-618,-618,-648]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. a3 ({Relevant:} 7. Nge2 Re8 8. Bd2 Bd6 9. Qc2 Na6 10. a3 c5 11. f3 Nc7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. Kh1 Qc8 16. Qd3 Nc7 17. e4 dxe4 18. fxe4 cxd4 19. Nxd4 Qg4 20. Rxf6 gxf6 21. Nf5 Bf8 22. h3 Qg6 23. Nh4 Rad8 24. Qf3 Qg7 25. Nf5 Qg6 26. Nh4 Qg7 27. Nf5 Qg6 28. Nh4 Qg7 {1/2-1/2 (28) Harikrishna,P (2701)-Le,Q (2709) Prague 2022}) 7... Bd6 8. Qc2 Na6 $5 {An interesting move that likely took Ding out of preparation. It also made the game more positional, most likely Ding expected to push in the centre and on the kingside.} 9. Nge2 c5 10. Bxa6 (10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. b4 Nxd3+ 12. Qxd3 Be6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 Ng4 15. Nd4 Ne5 16. Qe2 Rc8 17. h3 Nc4 18. O-O Qf6 19. Nd1 Qg6 20. Kh1 Bd7 21. a4 Rfe8 22. Bc3 Re4 23. Nf3 Rce8 24. Ra2 Bb8 25. Ba1 Qd6 26. Nc3 Rh4 27. Rd1 Bxh3 28. g3 Bg4+ 29. Nxh4 Bxe2 30. Rxe2 Nxe3 31. Rxd5 Qe6 32. Rxe3 Qh3+ 33. Kg1 Rc8 34. Nf5 Rf8 35. Ne4 f6 36. Bd4 Be5 37. Ne7+ Kh8 38. Bxe5 fxe5 39. Rf3 Rc8 40. Nxc8 Qxc8 41. Rxe5 h6 42. Re7 Qc2 43. Rff7 Qxa4 44. Nf6 {1-0 (44) Johner,P-Bogoljubow,E Bern 1932}) 10... bxa6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 {[#]} 12. b4 $146 {Radjabov thought that Ding was in two minds what to do here - whether to push or take a draw - and got confused.} ({Predecessor:} 12. O-O Bd6 13. b3 Re8 14. Nd4 a5 15. Ncb5 Ba6 16. Nxd6 Qxd6 17. Rd1 Rac8 18. Qf5 Ne4 19. a4 g6 20. Qf3 Qe5 21. Bb2 Rc5 {1/2-1/2 (21) Vecek, M (2164)-Popov,V (2276) ICCF email 2010}) 12... Bd6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 a6 15. h3 (15. a4 {with equality was Radjabov's suggestion.}) 15... Bd7 16. bxa6 (16. a4) 16... Rxa6 17. Rd1 {"Was a very nervous move, maybe the pressure was too high. " Radjabov.} (17. O-O) (17. a4 Qc8 18. Rc1) 17... Rb6 18. Rd2 $2 (18. Ba1 { followed by 0-0 was Radjabov's suggestion.}) 18... Qc8 (18... Qb8 $6) 19. f3 $2 {Good moves are thin on the ground but this loses very quickly.} (19. Ba1 Bxa3 20. O-O Bb4) (19. O-O Bxh3 $1) (19. Qd1) 19... Re8 (19... Qb8 {Is even better.} ) 20. Kf2 Qb8 21. Qc1 Rxe3 {Clearly Ding missed this ahead of time, it's all over.} 22. Nd1 Re8 23. Ne3 Rb3 24. Ng4 Bxg4 25. hxg4 Rc8 26. Qa1 Bf4 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.3"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] 1. d4 {CB} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. a3 a5 12. e4 ({Relevant:} 12. Ng5 h6 13. Nge4 Be7 14. Rd1 Qb6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bd2 e5 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Bf5 Rad8 19. Ne4 Be7 20. b4 axb4 21. Bxb4 Bxb4 22. axb4 exd4 23. Rxd4 Nf6 24. Nd6 Nd5 25. Qc5 Qxc5 26. bxc5 Ra8 27. Rxa8 Bxa8 28. e4 Nc3 29. Nxf7+ Kg8 30. Rd7 Na4 31. Ra7 Nxc5 32. Nd6 Rb8 33. e5 Bb7 34. f4 Kf8 35. Kf2 Ra8 36. Rxa8+ Bxa8 37. Ke3 b4 38. Kd4 Na4 39. Kc4 c5 40. g3 Bf3 41. Kb5 Bd1 {So,W (2778)-Navara,D (2751) Prague 2015 CBM 167 [CB] 1-0}) 12... e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. h3 Ba6 16. Be3 b4 17. Bxa6 bxc3 18. Bc4 cxb2 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Bc5 Qc7 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. g3 {[#]} g5 $146 {Finally a new move and a bad one.} ({Predecessor:} 22... c5 23. f4 Bd4+ 24. Kh2 Qb7 25. Rfe1 Rb8 26. Ba2 g6 27. e5 Nd5 28. Rd3 a4 29. Qd2 Qc6 30. Qc2 Qb7 31. Qd2 Qc6 32. Qc2 {1/2-1/2 (32) Dubov,D (2629)-Shirov,A (2695) Moscow 2013}) 23. f4 $1 {Close to a refutation.} gxf4 24. gxf4 Bxf4 25. Qxb2 Nh5 26. Rd3 Qe7 27. Rf2 $2 {Suddenly white lets black back in the game.} ( 27. Ba2) 27... Be5 $11 28. Qe2 Nf6 $2 (28... Nf4 $1) 29. Kh1 (29. Rg2+ Kh8 30. Kh1 Ne8) 29... Kh8 30. Rg2 Rb8 31. Ba2 (31. Rf3) 31... Ne8 32. Qe3 (32. Qg4 Nd6 33. Rdg3 Bxg3 34. Qxg3 Qf6 35. e5) 32... Nd6 33. Rd1 Qf6 34. Rf2 Qg6 35. Rg1 Qxe4+ 36. Qxe4 Nxe4 37. Rxf7 (37. Rfg2 Rf8 38. Bb1 Nf6 39. Re1 Bd4 40. Ba2 a4 41. Rg5) 37... Ng3+ $11 38. Kg2 Rb2+ 39. Rf2 Rxf2+ 40. Kxf2 Bd4+ 41. Kxg3 Bxg1 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2022"] [Site "Madrid ESP"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark"] [PlyCount "28"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nbd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d5 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. Qe4+ Qe6 12. Qd4 Qd6 {Spassky once won from here.} 13. Qe4+ Qe6 14. Qd4 Qd6 {This position is "hot" in Chessbase meaning it's been played a lot recently. Surprisingly not all the games were drawn, but almost all of them were.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2760"] [PlyCount "28"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nbd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d5 10. exd6 Qxd6 11. Qe4+ Qe6 12. Qd4 Qd6 13. Qe4+ Qe6 14. Qd4 Qd6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.3"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2893"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. a3 a5 12. e4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. h3 Ba6 16. Be3 b4 17. Bxa6 bxc3 18. Bc4 cxb2 19. Rad1 Qe7 (19... Qb8 20. f4 Bc7 21. e5 Bb6 22. Bf2 Bxf2+ 23. Rxf2 Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. exf6 Rb8 26. Ba2 { ½-½ (66) Aronian,L (2773)-Shirov,A (2730) Novi Sad 2009}) 20. Bc5 Qc7 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. g3 g5 $6 (22... c5 23. f4 Bd4+ 24. Kh2 Qb7 25. Rfe1 Rb8 26. Ba2 g6 27. e5 Nd5 28. Rd3 a4 29. Qd2 Qc6 30. Qc2 Qb7 31. Qd2 Qc6 32. Qc2 {1/2-1/2 (32) Dubov,D (2629)-Shirov,A (2695) Moscow 2013}) 23. f4 $1 gxf4 24. gxf4 Bxf4 25. Qxb2 Nh5 26. Rd3 Qe7 27. Rf2 $2 (27. Kh1 $1) 27... Be5 $1 28. Qe2 Nf6 $6 ( 28... Nf4 29. Qg4+ Kh8 30. Rxf4 Qc5+ 31. Kh1 Qxc4 32. Qf5 Qxd3 33. Qxe5+) 29. Kh1 $1 Kh8 30. Rg2 Rb8 31. Ba2 Ne8 $6 32. Qe3 $5 Nd6 33. Rd1 Qf6 34. Rf2 Qg6 35. Rg1 Qxe4+ 36. Qxe4 Nxe4 37. Rxf7 Ng3+ 38. Kg2 Rb2+ 39. Rf2 Rxf2+ 40. Kxf2 Bd4+ 41. Kxg3 Bxg1 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.1"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2676"] [BlackElo "2783"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,80,40,41,24,18,15,10,32,13,13,-6,24,13,14,0,-9,-3,-1,4,19,15,7,10,10, 15,11,7,19,4,6,-15,-15,-31,-28,-24,-5,-16,-19,-15,6,-8,-2,8,54,51,52,55,40,10, 36,31,32,17,38,56,48,52,42,0,-5,-13,-9,-21,-38,-38,-30,-22,-18,-30,-24,-26,-25, -33,-36,-59,-65,-85,-85,-100,-108,-103,-108]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 Be6 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. Nb3 (8. Nf1 f6 9. Be3 Bd6 10. Ng3 g6 11. O-O Qe7 12. c3 h5 13. d4 h4 14. Ne2 Bc4 15. Re1 O-O-O 16. Qa4 {1/2-1/2 (49) Vachier Lagrave,M (2760)-Fressinet,L (2624) Chartres FRA 2022}) 8... Bb6 9. Ng5 Bxb3 (9... Qe7 10. Nxe6 Qxe6 11. Qg4 Qg6 12. Bd2 O-O-O 13. Bc3 f6 14. a4 a6 15. Nd2 Qxg4 16. hxg4 h6 17. Nc4 Nc5 18. Ne3 {0-1 (71) Sevian,S (2556) -Radjabov,T (2738) Baku 2015}) 10. axb3 f6 11. Nf3 Nc5 12. Nd2 Ne6 13. Nc4 Qd7 14. h4 a6 15. h5 O-O-O 16. Nxb6+ cxb6 17. Be3 c5 18. Qg4 Kb8 19. g3 g6 20. O-O-O Qf7 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4+ Ka7 23. Rdf1 f5 24. Qh3 Qf6 25. Kb1 Rhf8 26. Rf2 Qe7 27. Bh6 Rf6 28. Qh4 Rg8 29. exf5 g5 30. Qe4 Qd6 31. fxe6 Rxf2 32. Bxg5 Rxg5 33. e7 Re5 34. e8=Q Rxe8 35. Qxe8 Qxg3 36. Qe4 h6 37. Qg6 Qe3 38. Qg1 Qe2 39. Qd1 Qxd1+ 40. Rxd1 Rh2 41. d4 cxd4 42. Rxd4 Rxh5 43. Rd6 b5 44. b4 Rh4 45. b3 $5 Kb8 46. Kb2 Kc7 47. Rg6 h5 48. Rh6 Kd7 49. Ka3 Rh1 50. c4 bxc4 51. bxc4 h4 52. Rh7+ Kc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12.2"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E48"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2753"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. a3 Bd6 8. Qc2 Na6 9. Nge2 c5 10. Bxa6 (10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. b4 Nxd3+ 12. Qxd3 Be6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 Ng4 15. Nd4 Ne5 16. Qe2 Rc8 17. h3 Nc4 18. O-O Qf6 19. Nd1 {1-0 (44) Johner, P-Bogoljubow,E Bern 1932}) 10... bxa6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 (12. O-O Bd6 13. b3 Re8 14. Nd4 a5 15. Ncb5 Ba6 16. Nxd6 Qxd6 17. Rd1 Rac8 18. Qf5 Ne4 19. a4 g6 20. Qf3 Qe5 21. Bb2 Rc5 {1/2-1/2 (21) Vecek,M (2164)-Popov,V (2276) ICCF email 2010}) 12... Bd6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 a6 15. h3 Bd7 16. bxa6 $5 Rxa6 17. Rd1 Rb6 18. Rd2 $6 Qc8 19. f3 Re8 20. Kf2 Qb8 $1 21. Qc1 $2 Rxe3 $3 22. Nd1 Re8 23. Ne3 Rb3 24. Ng4 Bxg4 25. hxg4 Rc8 26. Qa1 Bf4 0-1 [Event "Round 12: Liren Ding - Teimour Radjabov"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Liren Ding"] [Black "Teimour Radjabov"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E48"] [Annotator "Bajarani,Ulvi"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] {[%evp 0,52,30,27,33,-2,-5,-5,34,30,36,28,13,17,19,0,25,5,5,-23,-15,-26,-26, -26,-24,-30,-18,-30,-4,-38,-1,-24,-17,-69,-69,-54,-39,-100,-61,-121,-70,-149, -154,-274,-276,-268,-280,-356,-369,-440,-417,-423,-423,-465,-560]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. a3 Bd6 8. Qc2 {The novel fashion in the variation.} Na6 $5 {preparing c7-c5.} 9. Nge2 (9. b4 c6 10. Nge2 Nc7 11. f3 (11. O-O Ne6 $132) 11... a5 12. Rb1 {1/2 (41) Deuer,M (2351)-Hagner, B (2186) Willingen 2022} axb4 13. axb4 Na6 14. Na2 Qe7 $15 {[%cal Ra6b4,Rd6b4, Re7b4,Ga2b4,Gb1b4]}) 9... c5 10. Bxa6 bxa6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 $6 $146 { Although it is the novelty, the strength of the move is not high since the "b"-pawn becomes vulnerable.} (12. O-O {is played before} Bd6 13. b3 (13. h3 $5 Qe7 14. Nd4 Qe5 15. f4 Qe7 $132) (13. Nd4 $5 Re8 14. Bd2 Bd7 15. Rac1 Rc8 $132) (13. Rd1 $5 Qe7 14. h3 Qe5 15. Ng3 h5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Qc6 Rb8 18. Rxd5 Rb6 19. Qxb6 Qxd5 20. Qd4 Qxd4 21. exd4 Bxg3 22. fxg3 Be6) 13... Re8 (13... Bxh2+ $2 14. Kxh2 Ng4+ 15. Kg3 Qg5 16. f4 Qh5 17. Nd4 Qh2+ 18. Kf3 Re8 19. Bd2 Qh4 20. Ke2 Qg3 21. Qd3 Qxg2+ 22. Kd1 Nf2+ 23. Rxf2 Qxf2 24. Kc2 $16) 14. Nd4 Ne4 $5 (14... a5 $6 15. Bb2 $5 (15. Ncb5 $2 Be5 (15... Ba6 $2 16. Nxd6 Qxd6 17. Rd1 Rac8 18. Qf5 $16 {1/2 (21) Vecek,M (2164)-Popov,V (2276) ICCF email 2010}) 16. a4 Bd7 $15) 15... Bd7 16. Rac1 $132) 15. Bb2 Qh4 16. f4 (16. g3 Qh3 (16... Qh6 17. Rfe1 Bh3 18. Nxd5 Rac8 19. Qe2 Rcd8 20. Nf4 Nxg3 21. Qf3 Bxf4 22. Qxf4 Qxf4 23. exf4 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Nf5) 17. f3 Nxc3 18. Bxc3 Qh6 19. Rfe1 Bd7 20. Qd3 Rac8 21. Bd2 Be5 22. Rac1 Qf6 23. Rxc8 Rxc8) 16... Nf6 17. Qd2 Bd7 $132) 12... Bd6 13. Bb2 $6 {Starting from here up to the moment when the castling becomes de facto impossible, Ding violates the development rule that requires to make the king safe (usually, including this game, it is done with castling).} (13. O-O a5 (13... Re8 $5 14. h3 (14. Bb2 $4 {allows the typical Bxh2 sacrifice:} Bxh2+ $1 15. Kxh2 Ng4+ 16. Kg3 Qg5 17. f4 Qh5 18. e4 dxe4 19. Rh1 Qg6 $19) 14... Be6 $5 15. Bb2 Qd7 16. Rad1 a5 17. bxa5 Rab8 18. Ba1 Rec8 $44) 14. Nb5 Ba6 15. Nxd6 Qxd6) 13... a5 14. b5 $6 {Trying to keep the pawns on the "a"-file doubled. However, it has been necessary to start to equalize the game.} (14. Nb5 Ba6 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. O-O axb4 (17... d4 18. exd4 Rfe8 19. Rfe1 Qe7 20. b5 Bxb5 21. h3 Bxe2 22. Ra2) 18. axb4 Rfb8 19. Rfd1 Rxb4 20. Nc3 Bc4 21. Qd2) ( 14. O-O axb4 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Ba3 Bxa3 17. Rxa3 $44) 14... a6 15. h3 (15. O-O $2 {loses a pawn after} Qc7 $15) 15... Bd7 16. bxa6 $2 {Completely gives the advantage Black.} (16. a4 {It has been the only move keeping equal chances.} Qc8 17. Qd3 axb5 18. axb5 Rd8 19. Nd4 Re8 20. Rc1 $132) 16... Rxa6 $15 17. Rd1 {Attacking to the "d5"-pawn. However, Black's next move prevents the capture.} (17. O-O $15 {Black is better, but White can survive.}) 17... Rb6 $1 { Capturing the "b"-file and creating the trap in the case of the capture of the "d5"-pawn.} 18. Rd2 $2 {White loses the final chance to castle without huge losses.} (18. Nxd5 $2 {doesn't work due to} Nxd5 19. Rxd5 Qb8 $1 20. Bc3 Rc8 21. O-O Bb5 $19) (18. O-O Qc8 19. Nf4 d4 20. Rxd4 Be5 21. Nfd5 Nxd5 22. Rxd5 Rxb2 23. Qxb2 Bxc3 24. Qb6 Bf6 25. Rc5 Qb8 26. Qxa5 h6 $15 {Black is better, but White can also survive.}) (18. Ba1 $5 {Sometimes, it is better to give some material away during the defense.} Bxa3 19. O-O $15 {White can defend here.}) 18... Qc8 $17 (18... Qb8 $5 19. O-O Rc8 $19 {has been better.}) 19. f3 $2 {Preventing the Nf6-e4 idea but the move makes the "e3"-pawn weak.} (19. O-O {loses a pawn after} Bxh3 20. Qd3 Rd8 $17 {Nevertheless, it has been the best choice for White.}) 19... Re8 $19 {Now, it is almost impossible to defend the position for White.} 20. Kf2 (20. Nd1 Rc6 21. Qb1 Qb8 22. Qa1 Bg3+ 23. Kf1 Bc8 $19) 20... Qb8 21. Qc1 (21. Bc1 Rc8 $19) 21... Rxe3 $1 {The decisive blow and best option from other moves keeping a huge advantage.} 22. Nd1 (22. Kxe3 { is not possible due to 22... Bc5+} Bc5+ 23. Nd4 (23. Kd3 Bf5+ 24. Ne4 dxe4+ $19 ) 23... Qe5+ 24. Kf2 Bxd4+ 25. Kf1 Nh5 $19) 22... Re8 {Paraphrasing the 9th World Champion Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, White is the pawn down, but White's position is lost. Strictly speaking, White might have resigned here.} 23. Ne3 Rb3 24. Ng4 Bxg4 25. hxg4 Rc8 26. Qa1 Bf4 {0-1 Black wins.} 0-1 [Event "Round 12: Jan-Krzysztof Duda - Alireza"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Jan-Krzysztof Duda"] [Black "Alireza Firouzja"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D45"] [Annotator "Bajarani,Ulvi"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 {Transposing to the variations with 7. Bd3.} 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. a3 a5 12. e4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. h3 Ba6 16. Be3 b4 17. Bxa6 bxc3 18. Bc4 cxb2 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Bc5 Qc7 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. g3 {Up to this moment, both sides have shown their theoretical knowledge.} g5 $2 $146 {Firouzja makes the first step to a side. However, the move weakens the black king and gives a significant advantage to White.} (22... c5 $1 {is the best move in the position. The idea is to defend the "d4"-square for the black bishop.} 23. Ba2 $5 {Preventing Be5-d4 for a short time.} (23. Kh2 $5 g5 24. Rd3 h6 25. Rf3 Ne8 26. Rb3 Nd6 27. f4 a4 28. fxe5 Nxc4 29. Rc3 Nxe5 30. Rxc5 Qd6 31. Rd5 Qa6 32. Rb1 Nc4 $132) (23. f4 Bd4+ 24. Kh2 Rd8 (24... Qb7 25. e5 $5 (25. Rfe1 Rb8 26. Ba2 g6 $132 {1/2 (32) Dubov,D (2629)-Shirov,A (2695) Moscow 2013}) 25... Ne4 26. e6 fxe6 27. f5 Nd6 28. fxe6 (28. Ba2 g6 $1 29. fxg6 h5 30. Bxe6+ Kg7 31. Rxf8 Kxf8 $132) 28... Nxc4 29. Qxc4 Qe7 30. Rxf8+ (30. h4 Rf6 31. Rfe1 Rf2+ 32. Kh3 h6 $132) 30... Kxf8 31. Qd5 g6 $14 {With a slightly worse but defendable position for Black.}) 25. Rfe1 (25. Rf3 h5 26. e5 Nd5 27. e6 fxe6 28. f5 Ne3 29. Rxe3 Bxe3 30. fxe6 Kh8 {1/2 (34) Saint Arnaud,P (2152)-Kogan,B (2289) ICCF email 2015}) (25. e5 Nd5 26. e6 fxe6 27. f5 Ne3 28. fxe6 Kh8 29. Qe4 Nxf1+ 30. Rxf1 Bf6 31. Bd3 Rxd3 32. Qxd3 h6 {1/2 (36) Lujambio,A (2088) -Domancich,E (2439) ICCF email 2020}) 25... g6 (25... Kh8 26. Rb1 Rb8 27. e5 Ng8 {1/2 (32) Poehr,A (2465)-Gerasimov,V (2507) ICCF email 2015} 28. e6 fxe6 29. Rxe6 Nf6 30. Ba2 Qd7 31. Rbe1 g6 $132) (25... Qe7 {1/2 (30) Weber,K (2313) -Cilloniz Razzeto,A (2354) ICCF email 2014} 26. Qb3 a4 27. Qxa4 g5 28. e5 Nd5 29. Bxd5 Rxd5 30. Qb3 Rd8 31. f5 c4 32. Qxc4 Bxe5 33. Rxe5 Rxd1 34. Rxe7 Rd2+ 35. Re2 Rxe2+ 36. Qxe2 b1=Q 37. f6 Qb8 38. a4 Qd8 39. a5 Qxf6 40. a6 Qa1) 26. e5 Nh5 ( 26... Nd5 27. e6 fxe6 28. Rxe6 Kh8 {1/2 (42) O'Hare,C (2450) -Broniek,M (2420) ICCF email 2016}) 27. e6 fxe6 28. Rxe6 (28. Rxd4 Rxd4 29. Rxe6 Kg7 30. Qxb2 Qd7 31. Qe2 Rd2 32. Re7+ Qxe7 33. Qxd2 Nf6 34. Bf1 (34. Qxa5 Qe3) 34... Qc7 { 1/2 (34) Rivas Maceda,J (2302)-Yanez Garcia,J (2126) ICCF email 2018}) 28... Kg7 29. Rde1 Rd7 30. Bb5 Rf7 31. Be8 Nxg3 32. Bxf7 Nf5 33. Qe4 Kxf7 $44 { 1/2 (34) Tyulenko,Y (2413)-Kohlstetter,P (2146) ICCF email 2018}) 23... Qb6 24. Kh2 (24. f4 Bd4+ 25. Kh2 Qb7 (25... g6 $1 26. e5 {is the transposition.}) 26. Rde1 Qd7 {1/2 (42) Hybl,V (2387)-Feldborg,B (2318) ICCF email 2019} 27. e5 $5 Nd5 28. Qe2 $14) 24... g6 25. f4 (25. Rfe1 Re8 26. f4 Bd4 27. e5 Nh5 28. Qc4 Re7 29. Rd3 Kg7 $132) 25... Bd4 26. e5 Nh5 (26... Ne8 $5 27. f5 Bxe5 28. Rde1 Qd6 29. fxg6 Bxg3+ 30. Kh1 Bxe1 31. gxf7+ Kh8 32. Qxb2+ Ng7 33. Rxe1 Qg3) 27. Rf3 Ng7 28. Rb3 Qa6 29. Rxd4 cxd4 30. Rxb2 Rc8 {1/2 (42) Keevil,P (2353)-Tritt, M (2394) ICCF email 2021}) 23. f4 $18 gxf4 24. gxf4 Bxf4 (24... Bd4+ $5 { creates more difficulties for White. Indeed, the position remains winning for White.} 25. Kh2 $1 {The only winning move.} (25. Kh1 c5 26. e5 Nh5 {Now, the difference between 25. Kh1 and 25. Kh2 is clearly seen. It is necessary to defend the "g3"-square in advance.} 27. Qg2+ Kh8 28. Qf3 Rg8 29. Kh2 (29. Qxh5 $4 Qb7+ 30. Qf3 Rg1+ $19) 29... Nxf4 30. Rxd4 Rg2+ 31. Kh1 cxd4 32. Qxf4 Qb7 33. Qxf7 Qxf7 34. Bxf7 Rf2 35. Rb1 Rxf7 36. Rxb2) (25. Rxd4 $6 Qb6 {The idea behind 24... Bd4+} 26. Qf2 (26. Rfd1 $4 Rd8 27. Bd5 cxd5 28. Kh2 Nxe4 $19) 26... b1=Q 27. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 28. Kh2 c5 $5 $132) 25... c5 26. e5 Ne8 (26... Nh5 $4 27. Be2 $1 Nxf4 28. Rxd4 $18) 27. Rg1+ Kh8 (27... Bxg1+ 28. Rxg1+ Kh8 29. Qxb2 Rg8 30. Rxg8+ Kxg8 31. Qg2+ Kf8 32. Qd5 $18) 28. Rg3 Ng7 29. Ba2 Qb6 30. Qe4 f5 31. Qd5 $18) 25. Qxb2 Nh5 (25... Be5 26. Qf2 Qe7 27. Qe3 Kh8 28. Kh1 $18) 26. Rd3 (26. Rf3 $1 {seems to be more precise way. Because it closes the main diagonal for the white king, which might be seen after} Qe7 27. Kh1 $1 Qxe4 28. Qg2+ Kh8 29. Bxf7 $1 $18) 26... Qe7 27. Rf2 $4 {Closing the 2nd rank for the white queen and allowing Black to regroup its pieces.} (27. Kh1 $5 {Seems to be the simplest way to increase an advantage. For example,} Be5 (27... Ng3+ 28. Rxg3+ Bxg3 29. Qg2 $18) (27... Qxe4+ 28. Qg2+ Qg6 29. Rdf3 Ng3+ 30. Rxg3 Bxg3 31. Rg1 $18) 28. Qg2+ Kh8 29. Qg4 Nf6 30. Qf5 $18) 27... Be5 $1 $132 28. Qe2 ( 28. Rd7 Qg5+ 29. Rg2 Ng3 $132) 28... Nf6 $4 {An unnecessary switch from an active play.} (28... Nf4 {equalizes.} 29. Rxf4 (29. Qg4+ Kh8 30. Rd7 Qxa3 31. Rxf7 Nxh3+ 32. Kg2 Nxf2 33. Rxh7+ Kxh7 34. Qh5+ Kg7 35. Qg5+ Kh7) 29... Bxf4 30. Qg4+ Bg5 31. Rd7 (31. h4 $2 {doesn't work due to} Kh8 $1 {Maybe, this move has been missed by Black.} (31... Qc5+ $4 {Before playing Qe7-c5+, it is necessary to close the "g"-file. Otherwise, White can mate. That's why 31... Qc5+?? doesn't work.} 32. Kh1 $18 Qxc4 $4 33. Qxg5+ Kh8 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. Rg3#) 32. hxg5 (32. Qxg5 $4 Rg8 $19) 32... Qc5+ 33. Kg2 Qxc4 34. Rf3 Kg8 $5 $17) 31... Qc5+ $5 32. Kg2 Kh8) 29. Kh1 $1 $18 Kh8 30. Rg2 Rb8 31. Ba2 $5 { Preventing the Rb8-b1 idea in the future.} (31. Rf3 $5 $18 {is another option.} ) 31... Ne8 32. Qe3 Nd6 33. Rd1 $6 {Allows Black to activate the queen.} (33. Qc5 $1 Re8 (33... Qf6 $2 34. Rf3 $18) 34. Rf3 $18 {moves the rook to the "f"-file, which is necessary for White to increase its advantage.}) 33... Qf6 34. Rf2 (34. Rdg1 $5 $18 {preventing Qf6-g6 deserves an attention.}) 34... Qg6 35. Rg1 $6 {giving the key pawn.} (35. Rg2 $1 {It is better to move back with 35. Rg2} Qxe4 (35... Qf6 {leads to the transposition.}) (35... Qh5 36. Rdg1 h6 37. Rc1 $5 $18) 36. Qxe4 Nxe4 37. Bxf7 $18) 35... Qxe4+ 36. Qxe4 Nxe4 37. Rxf7 $4 {The final error from White missing all of the winning chances.} (37. Rfg2 $1 {Preventing the movement of the "f"-pawn.} Rf8 {The best defending move. Now, 38. Bxf7 is not possible due to 38... Ng3+. The question if the position is winning for White requires the detailed analyses, but White keeps a huge advantage and has enough paths to check. The following variaitons are two of them.} (37... Nd6 38. Rc1 Ne4 39. Re1 f5 (39... Ng3+ 40. Kg1 Bd4+ 41. Kh2 Nf5 42. Bxf7 $18) 40. Reg1 Nf6 41. Rg5 a4 42. Rxf5 Bd4 43. Rb1 Re8 44. Rf3 $18) ( 37... Bd4 38. Rf1 Nf6 39. Bxf7 $18) 38. Bb1 $5 (38. Rd1 $5 Nc3 (38... Ng3+ 39. Kg1 f5 40. Kf2 Nh5 41. Kf3 $5) 39. Rd7 Nxa2 40. Rxa2 c5 41. Ra7 Bc3 42. Rc2 Bd4 43. Rxa5 $18) 38... Nc3 39. Bd3 $18) 37... Ng3+ {Now, it is impossible to avoid an exchange loss.} 38. Kg2 Rb2+ 39. Rf2 Rxf2+ 40. Kxf2 Bd4+ 41. Kxg3 Bxg1 {1/2-1/2 The game is a draw.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Round 12: Richard Rapport - Fabiano Car"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Richard Rapport"] [Black "Fabiano Caruana"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [Annotator "Bajarani,Ulvi"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 Be6 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. Ng5 Bxb3 $1 $146 {Destroying White's structure.} (9... Qe7 $2 { gave an advantage to White in the game Sevian vs Radjabov after} 10. Nxe6 Qxe6 11. Qg4 $5 Qg6 12. Bd2 O-O-O 13. Bc3 f6 14. a4 a6 15. Nd2 Qxg4 16. hxg4 $14 { 0-1 (71) Sevian,S (2556)-Radjabov,T (2738) Baku 2015}) 10. axb3 f6 {The closed type of the position doesn't allow sides to get any significant advantage, so the game remains equal for several moves.} 11. Nf3 (11. Qh5+ $2 g6 12. Qg4 { is the tempo loss due to} Qe7 $1 $15) 11... Nc5 {Black moves the knight to the "e6"-square.} (11... Qe7 $5 $132 {it has also been possible not to rush with a knight maneuver.}) 12. Nd2 Ne6 13. Nc4 Qd7 14. h4 {Rapport tries to create an unbalanced point in the position. After the move, White deprives itself from the castling on the kingside.} (14. Qh5+ $5 g6 15. Qg4 Nd4 16. Qxd7+ Kxd7 17. Kd1 Ne6 $132) (14. O-O O-O 15. Qg4 a6 $132) 14... a6 {Defending the "a"-pawn.} (14... Bd4 $5 {the idea of the move is to provoke c2-c3 and weaken the "d3"-pawn.} 15. c3 Bb6 16. Qh5+ (16. Nxb6 cxb6 17. Be3 O-O 18. O-O c5 $132) 16... Ke7 17. Rh3 (17. Qg4 Qxd3 (17... h5 18. Qg6 Qxd3 19. Nxe5 fxe5 20. Bg5+ Nxg5 21. Qxg5+ Kf7 22. Qf5+ Kg8 23. Rd1 Qc2 24. Qe6+ Kh7) 18. Nxe5 Qb5 (18... fxe5 $4 19. Bg5+ Nxg5 20. Qxg5+ Kf7 21. Qf5+ Kg8 22. Rd1 Qc2 23. Qe6+ Kf8 24. O-O Qxe4 25. Rd7 Qg6 26. Qe7+ Kg8 27. Rd8+ Rxd8 28. Qxd8+ Kf7 29. Qxh8 $18) 19. Nc4 Qxb3 20. e5 h5 21. Qe2 f5 22. Bg5+ Nxg5 23. hxg5 Rad8 24. e6 Qb5 25. O-O f4 $132) 17... Nc5 18. Rg3 g6 19. Qh6 Rag8 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Be3 Nxd3+ (21... Nxb3 22. Rd1 Ke6 $1 {Preparing the queen trade with Qd7-g7.} (22... c5 $6 23. f4 exf4 24. Qxf4 Re8 25. d4 cxd4 26. cxd4 Kd8 27. Qxf6+ Kc8 28. Rf3 Qg4 29. Kf1 Qxe4 30. Kg1 $14) 23. f4 (23. d4 Qg7 24. Rf3 Qxh6 25. Bxh6 b5 26. g3 Na5 27. dxe5 fxe5 28. Bg5 Rf8 29. Rfd3 Rf7 30. Rd8 $44) 23... Qg7 24. fxe5 Qxh6 25. Bxh6 fxe5 $44) 22. Kf1 Nc5 23. Bxc5+ bxc5 24. Kg1 Kf7 25. h5 Qd8 $44) 15. h5 $6 {Allows Black to keep its bishop.} (15. Qh5+ {Provoking g7-g6 for the future h4-h5.} g6 (15... Qf7 $2 {The endgame is in the favor of White because of the fact that it is very difficult to disturb the white king for Black without the black queen.} 16. Qxf7+ Kxf7 17. g3 $14) 16. Qf3 Rf8 17. h5 Nd4 18. Qd1 O-O-O $132) (15. Nxb6 cxb6 16. Be3 c5 $132) 15... O-O-O $6 {Caruana allows the trade, not keeping the bishop.} (15... Bd4 $1 {might have given Black a slight advantage.} 16. Be3 O-O-O $15 {Black's pieces are more active.}) (15... Bc5 $5 $15 {is another alternative keeping the bishop.}) (15... Ba7 $5 $15 {Even this move gives better chances. Indeed, the best move is 15... Bd4!}) 16. Nxb6+ cxb6 17. Be3 $132 {Now, White is OK.} c5 18. Qg4 Kb8 19. g3 {Rapport prepares f2-f4. } g6 $6 {It is usually not recommended to play on the weaker side if it is not necessary. In this situation, however, it is necessary to prevent White's game with f6-f5. The drawback of the move is that it creates the tension on the "h"-file, and restricts the "h8"-rook.} (19... Rhf8 $5 {is one of the options keeping an equality.} 20. O-O-O f5 $1 {The tactical trick equalizing the game.} 21. exf5 Nd4 $132) 20. O-O-O $14 Qf7 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4+ {Opening the "f"-file.} (22. gxf4 f5 23. Qg2 Ka7 $14 {It is hard for White to break the position.}) 22... Ka7 23. Rdf1 f5 24. Qh3 Qf6 25. Kb1 (25. Be3 {allows Black to centralize the queen with} Qe5 $132) 25... Rhf8 26. Rf2 Qe7 $2 {Creates the problems for the "f5"-pawn.} (26... Nd4 $132 {keeps the chances equal.}) 27. Bh6 Rf6 28. Qh4 $6 {Puts the white queen under an attack and loses all of the slight advantage.} (28. exf5 {It has been necessary to capture the "f5"-pawn.} Rxf5 (28... gxf5 29. Bd2 $14) 29. Rxf5 gxf5 30. Qxf5 Nd4 31. Qf2 (31. Qe4 Qf7 $1 {The threat is Rd8-e8.} 32. Be3 Re8 33. Qf4 Qd5 34. Rf1 Nxb3 35. g4 Qg2 36. cxb3 Rxe3 37. Qxe3 Qxf1+ 38. Ka2 Qd1) 31... Re8 32. b4 Qe5 33. bxc5 (33. Bf4 Qd5 34. Re1 Rxe1+ 35. Qxe1 Qg2) (33. Bc1 cxb4 $5 (33... Re6 34. h6 Ne2 35. bxc5 Nxc1 36. Kxc1 bxc5 $14 {with good chances to draw the game for Black.}) 34. Rh4 Nc6 35. Re4 Qxh5 36. g4 Qg6 37. Be3 Rxe4 38. Bxb6+ Kb8 39. dxe4 Qxg4 40. Qf8+ Qc8 41. Qf7 b3 42. Qxb3 Qf8) 33... Qxc5 34. Bg7 Nf5 35. Qxc5 bxc5 36. Bc3 Nxg3 37. Rg1 Nf5 (37... Nxh5 $2 38. Rg5 Nf4 39. Rxc5 $16) 38. b4 Kb6 39. bxc5+ Kxc5 $14 {with good chances to draw the game for Black.}) 28... Rg8 $1 {the g6-g5 idea closing the "d8-h4" diagonal for the white queen saves the Black's position.} 29. exf5 g5 $1 {The idea behind 28... Rg8!} 30. Qe4 (30. Qc4 b5 31. Qd5 Rxh6 32. fxe6 Rxe6) 30... Qd6 31. fxe6 Rxf2 32. Bxg5 (32. e7 Qxh6 33. e8=Q Rxe8 34. Qxe8 Qf8 $5) 32... Rxg5 33. e7 Re5 34. e8=Q Rxe8 35. Qxe8 Qxg3 36. Qe4 (36. Re1 $5 $132 {activating the rook is also possible.}) 36... h6 37. Qg6 { Rapport tries to trade the queen.} Qe3 38. Qg1 Qe2 39. Qd1 Qxd1+ {Caruana trades the queens. Otherwise, it is impossible Black to progress.} 40. Rxd1 Rh2 41. d4 {After the trade of a pawn pair, the white rook becomes active and the position becomes drawn.} cxd4 (41... Rxh5 $5 42. dxc5 bxc5 43. Rd8 $15 { Doesn't change White's draw chances.}) 42. Rxd4 Rxh5 43. Rd6 b5 44. b4 Rh4 45. b3 Kb8 46. Kb2 Kc7 47. Rg6 h5 48. Rh6 Kd7 49. Ka3 Rh1 50. c4 bxc4 51. bxc4 h4 52. Rh7+ Kc6 {1/2-1/2 The game is a draw.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 {Another anti-Berlin with the bishop capture on c6. These positions are deceptively simple. They are full of nuances, and it's not so easy for Black to equalize as it appears at first sight.} 6. h3 {Rapport has a fondness for these little pawn moves, as he demonstrated several times in the tournament.} Be6 7. Nbd2 Nd7 {Now the knight has two different routes.} 8. Nb3 (8. Nf1 {is also possible.}) 8... Bb6 (8... Bd6 9. Na5 $1 {would be similar to the game Caruana played against Nakamura in the first round.}) 9. Ng5 Bxb3 $1 {A new move. Caruana is not afraid to open the a-file. This capture has the benefit that he can win a tempo attacking the knight with the useful f7-f6 move.} (9... Qe7 10. Nxe6 Qxe6 11. Qg4 Qg6 {was played in Sevian-Radjabov, Baku 2015.}) 10. axb3 f6 11. Nf3 Nc5 12. Nd2 {The knights are surely working in this game $1 It's time to pursue happiness on the c4-square.} Ne6 13. Nc4 Qd7 14. h4 {Another subtle pawn move by Rapport. That's kind of his trademark already. He wants to gain space on the kingside with h4-h5. A lesser player, like myself, would think only about developing the d2-bishop.} a6 {Caruana prepares to retreat the bishop or just castle queenside without losing to Nxb6.} (14... O-O {This doesn't look so dangerous for Black.}) 15. h5 (15. Nxb6 {is more accurate, not giving the bishop any chances.}) 15... O-O-O {I'd rather remove the bishop from b6 now.} (15... Ba7) (15... Bd4 $5 {is my favorite.}) 16. Nxb6+ $1 cxb6 17. Be3 c5 18. Qg4 Kb8 {As I teach my students: always play Kb1 or Kb8 first thing after castling queenside. It may not be the most precise in some cases, but it's hardly a bad move.} 19. g3 {Preparing the only possible plan: to play f2-f4.} g6 (19... Rhf8 $1 20. O-O-O f5 $1 21. exf5 Nd4 {is the computer way to equalize.}) 20. O-O-O {During the game, I believed White was slightly better at this point. The bishop against the knight might not be a particular advantage here, but White has some unpleasant activity on the kingside.} Qf7 21. f4 exf4 22. Bxf4+ {This is the right choice. White wants to press using the f-file.} (22. gxf4 f5 23. Qf3 {White doesn't have much.}) 22... Ka7 (22... Ka8 {In hindsight, this might've been a better square for the king, at least in some cases, as we will see later.}) 23. Rdf1 f5 $1 {Caruana plays with utmost precision.} 24. Qh3 Qf6 25. Kb1 {It may not be the best move, but we can't call it a bad one. I believe I wrote this somewhere.} Rhf8 26. Rf2 Qe7 $1 {Precise calculation. Caruana wants to capture on e4.} (26... fxe4 $4 27. Bb8+ {This would not be possible with the king on a8, but it's probably too much to foresee all these non-forcing moves when choosing the square for the king.}) 27. Bh6 {But what to do after this move $2 Now we begin a game of cat and mouse.} Rf6 $1 28. Qh4 $1 (28. exf5 gxf5 {and the f-pawn cannot be captured because the bishop is hanging.}) 28... Rg8 $1 29. exf5 g5 $1 30. Qe4 $1 Qd6 $1 {Maybe I should stop giving exclamation marks now. But I wanted to stress how well calculated this sequence was.} (30... Rxh6 $6 31. Re2 $1 Re8 32. Rhe1 Qf7 33. fxe6 Rhxe6 34. Qxe6 Rxe6 35. Rxe6 Qxh5 {and only White can win this position.}) 31. fxe6 Rxf2 32. Bxg5 $1 Rxg5 (32... Qxg3 $4 33. Bh4) 33. e7 Re5 34. e8=Q Rxe8 35. Qxe8 Qxg3 {We can finally breathe. The draw is close.} 36. Qe4 $6 (36. Re1 $1 {is more accurate.} Qg2 37. Qh8 $1 {This is the idea. The queen must protect b2.} Rf1 (37... Rxc2 $4 38. Re8 {with a decisive attack.} b5 39. Ra8+ Kb6 40. Qd8+ Kc6 41. Rc8#) 38. Rxf1 Qxf1+ 39. Ka2 {with a draw.}) 36... h6 37. Qg6 Qe3 38. Qg1 Qe2 39. Qd1 {Rapport decides to go for a rook ending a pawn down, but it's not too difficult to secure a draw.} (39. Qc1 { is too passive. He will have to play Qd1 sooner or later.}) 39... Qxd1+ 40. Rxd1 Rh2 41. d4 $1 cxd4 (41... Rxh5 42. dxc5 bxc5 (42... Rxc5 43. Rd6) 43. Rd6 {is also an easy draw.}) 42. Rxd4 Rxh5 43. Rd6 b5 44. b4 Rh4 45. b3 {White prepares c2-c4, and this is just a draw.} Kb8 46. Kb2 Kc7 47. Rg6 h5 48. Rh6 Kd7 49. Ka3 Rh1 50. c4 bxc4 51. bxc4 h4 52. Rh7+ Kc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 {The Semi-Slav is one of the most reliable defenses for Black against 1.d4. It's solid but also gives winning chances. No wonder this is GM Alexey Shirov's favorite. More about him later.} 5. e3 (5. Bg5 {is the more aggressive option.}) 5... Nbd7 6. Qc2 (6. Bd3 { was Vladimir Kramnik's choice in his World Championship match against Viswanathan Anand. He went down in two games with White in this variation.}) 6... Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 (10. Be2 {is also critical.} ) 10... Bb7 11. a3 {Still following one of the main lines. White's idea is to avoid b5-b4 and also prepare the typical b2-b4.} a5 (11... a6 {is possible, and now White must choose between 12.Ng5 or 12.b4.}) (11... Rc8 {This move was played in some important recent games, with big complications. Duda probably had something in store against it.} 12. b4 a5 13. Rb1 axb4 (13... c5 $5 { is also possible.}) 14. axb4 c5 $5 {and some games ended in perpetual check after} 15. bxc5 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Nxc5 $1 17. dxc5 Rxc5 18. Rxb5 Nd5 19. Rxc5 Qg5+ 20. Kh1 Qh5 21. f4 Qf3+) 12. e4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. h3 Ba6 { This is an important moment. The position is common in correspondence games, so theory is highly developed. White has two moves that are more popular than Duda's choice.} 16. Be3 (16. Rd1) (16. Rb1 {This curious move has been the choice in most recent correspondence games.}) 16... b4 {Played after a long think. I suppose Firouzja was out of book here.} 17. Bxa6 bxc3 18. Bc4 cxb2 19. Rad1 Qe7 $1 {An important move, sacrificing the exchange.} (19... Qb8 $6 20. f4 Bc7 21. e5 {gave White an advantage in Aronian-Shirov, Novi Sad 2009.}) 20. Bc5 {It looks like Black has just blundered, but it's a well-calculated sacrifice. This has actually already been played in a few games.} (20. f4 {doesn't work anymore.} Bd6 21. e5 Bxa3 {and Black is better.}) 20... Qc7 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 { Both players apparently didn't know all the details, but this position was tried in one of Shirov's games and also passed the difficult test of correspondence chess. We can assume that Black is fine here. The compensation for the exchange might not seem very clear at first sight. Yes, Black has this b2-pawn, but it looks vulnerable. What is he going to do once White prepares f2-f4 $2 That's exactly the question Duda posed right now.} (21... Kxf8 { is also possible, but correspondence players usually prefer capturing with the rook.}) 22. g3 g5 $2 {The third consecutive game where Firzouja makes a blunder with a pawn move. It seems that he has lost his sense of danger.} ( 22... c5 $1 {was played in all games. Black secures the d4-square for the bishop.} 23. f4 Bd4+ 24. Kh2 Qb7 (24... Rd8 $1 {is the choice of correspondence players. All games ended in a draw, as usual.}) 25. Rfe1 Rb8 26. Ba2 g6 {and the game later ended in a draw: Dubov-Shirov, Moscow 2013.}) 23. f4 $1 {A simple refutation.} gxf4 24. gxf4 Bxf4 (24... Bd4+ {This surprising move didn't cross my mind until I decided to check the game with a computer.} 25. Kh2 (25. Rxd4 $2 Qb6) 25... c5 26. e5 {and white is winning.}) 25. Qxb2 Nh5 { Another move that surprised me.} (25... Be5 {I expected this.} 26. Qe2 { The compensation is not enough. White should win.}) 26. Rd3 Qe7 27. Rf2 $2 { Missing an immediate win.} (27. Kh1 $1 {This is the simplest.} Qxe4+ (27... Ng3+ 28. Rxg3+ Bxg3 29. Qg2 {wins the bishop.}) (27... Be5 28. Qf2 Kh8 29. Rf3 f6 30. Rg1 Ng7 31. Rd3 {with an easy win.}) 28. Qg2+ Qxg2+ (28... Qg6 29. Rdf3 $1) 29. Kxg2 {With an easy win in the endgame.}) 27... Be5 {Now Black somehow organizes his pieces.} 28. Qe2 Nf6 $2 (28... Nf4 $3 {This looks like a blunder, but it's actually a brilliant move.} 29. Rxf4 Bxf4 30. Qg4+ Bg5 31. Rg3 $1 (31. h4 {White seems to be winning, but always be careful with your opponent's resources.} Kh8 $3 32. hxg5 (32. Qxg5 Rg8) 32... Qc5+ {and now Black is better $1}) 31... h6 32. h4 Qc5+ 33. Kh2 Qxc4 34. hxg5 h5 $1 35. Qxh5 Rd8 {and Black escapes with a deserved draw.}) 29. Kh1 Kh8 30. Rg2 Rb8 31. Ba2 {There are other moves, but there's nothing wrong with this one.} Ne8 {An unexpected maneuver.} (31... Rb2 32. Rd2 {And White wins. I ask the reader to offer me poetic license to show a seemingly irrelevant variation that showcases one of my favorite drawing themes in chess.} Qxa3 $4 33. Rxb2 $4 (33. Rd8+ {mates.}) 33... Qxh3+ 34. Rh2 Bxh2 35. Qxh2 Qf1+ 36. Qg1 Qh3+ 37. Rh2 Qf3+ {This is a fantastic drawing pattern. As a child, I remember watching this type of perpetual and just couldn't believe there was no way to block the checks even with two heavy pieces. But I learned my lesson and used this same idea to make a draw against GM Leonid Kritz in 2004.}) (31... c5 $5 {[%cal Ge5d4]}) 32. Qe3 (32. Rb3 $18) 32... Nd6 33. Rd1 Qf6 34. Rf2 (34. Rdg1 {with the idea of Rf2 and White has an easy win.}) 34... Qg6 35. Rg1 $6 (35. Rg2) 35... Qxe4+ 36. Qxe4 Nxe4 37. Rxf7 $4 {This allows Firouzja to escape with a draw.} (37. Rfg2 $1 {White is just winning in this endgame. Black's pawns are too weak, and the rooks are very active.}) 37... Ng3+ 38. Kg2 Rb2+ 39. Rf2 Rxf2+ 40. Kxf2 Bd4+ { A game both players would like to forget as soon as possible.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.07.01"] [Round "12"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E48"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. a3 {This variation has become a very hot trend as of late, and I have no idea why. Vidit has lost this position three times with the black pieces, but he always seemed better out of the opening in all three games $1 In more recent times, it seems like the variation is one you choose when you want to lose with White to a lower-rated player, and badly—the So-Sevian game comes to mind as well. According to my understanding of chess, it cannot be right to go for a Carlsbad structure with the c1-bishop looked inside the pawn chain.} Bd6 8. Qc2 Na6 {This move has already been tried by Oparin in 2022, and he is generally very well prepared. It looks a bit weird to me and I certainly don't think it is the only way to a comfortable position, but Black should be fine.} (8... c6 {This move looks incredibly obvious to me, and no recent games or engine analysis have done anything to convince me that Black does not have the more comfortable side of equality.}) 9. Nge2 (9. Nf3 {In hindsight, this may have been a safer way to develop the knight, though Black is surely fine here as well.}) (9. Bxa6 $2 {Doubling the pawns plays right into Black's hands. The bishop was White's best piece, and he is in no position to make use of Black's weakened queenside structure.} bxa6 {With …Re8 and …Ne4 coming soon, Black has a built-in kingside attack and looks clearly for choice.}) 9... c5 10. Bxa6 bxa6 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 (12. O-O {In light of the calamity that came later, Ding was well advised to get castled here. It was actually his last moment to do so $1 I presume he did not like that after} a5 $11 {He is unable to push b2-b4 as he did in the game, and Black should be fine here. But White is not going to get crushed and it's just a normal game.}) 12... Bd6 $1 13. Bb2 { Ding's reluctance to castle into an attack is understandable, but his king will not be any safer in the center.} (13. O-O {I suppose White could castle here as well. …Bxh2+ looks very scary but does not quite work.} Bxh2+ (13... Re8 {A simple developing move like this one should be preferred. Black can look to sac on h2 in a move or two, and h2-h3 always can be met with some kind of …Bd7, …Qc8, and sac on h3. The machine claims this is equal, but it looks very scary for White to me.}) 14. Kxh2 Ng4+ 15. Kg3 Qg5 16. f4 Qh5 17. Nd4 $1 {With a bunch of only moves, White beats back the attack and should be much better.}) 13... a5 14. b5 $6 {This feels way too ambitious.} (14. O-O { Even at the cost of a pawn, I think White needed to evacuate. After} axb4 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Ba3 {White has fair compensation and should not be worse.}) 14... a6 $1 {Now it truly is too late. White never got another decent moment to castle.} 15. h3 (15. O-O Qc7 $1 {Black gains a tempo by hitting h2, and will take the b5-pawn next.}) 15... Bd7 16. bxa6 Rxa6 17. Rd1 (17. O-O Qc8 $1 { There is not a thing White can do about a sac on h3 coming on the next move, and in time, the rook on a6 can even lift to g6 or h6. In human terms, White should be done for here.}) 17... Rb6 18. Rd2 {I'm not sure what this move was all about—I guess maybe Ding wanted to castle and then be able to move the c3-knight after …Qc8. But it feels way too slow. Still, there were already no good moves $1 It's hard to play an open position with your king in the center and your rook out of play.} (18. O-O Qc8 $1 {Again, this would lead to a deadly sacrifice on h3.}) 18... Qc8 {Apparently …Qb8 was even stronger, but who cares. White cannot castle, ever, and Black should win routinely.} 19. f3 {I guess if White really can't castle, it makes some sense to try to play Kf2, but it's hard to imagine this working. Radjabov did not hesitate with the punishment.} (19. O-O {It's very sad that this is White's best chance.} Bxh3 20. Qd3 $1 {By some miracle, Black does not have a direct win here, and is only up a pawn for nothing. Fine, he will win on move 45 instead of 25.}) 19... Re8 $1 20. Kf2 Qb8 {Black is now threatening to take on e3, and there is more or less nothing White can do about it. Ding allowed the threat to be executed, but other moves would not have saved him.} (20... Rxe3 $2 {Black is not ready for this yet.} 21. Kxe3 Bc5+ 22. Nd4 $18 {The winning move in this position is Qe5+. So, Radjabov put the queen on b8 before going for the sac.}) 21. Qc1 (21. Nd1 {This looks like the most resilient defense to me, overprotecting e3 and looking to anchor the bishop on d4. There is no direct breakthrough for Black, but after a simple move like} Nh5 {My computer gives a -3.5 evaluation. Still, this felt like the way to go since Black can't just start taking stuff.}) 21... Rxe3 $1 {The rook is immune from capture. I can't think of a compelling reason for White to continue this game any further, but Ding played a few more moves.} 22. Nd1 (22. Kxe3 Bc5+ 23. Nd4 Qe5+ {White is done for.}) 22... Re8 {Nice and simple, no need to anything messy. …Rxe2+ worked, but retreating the rook and continuing the devastating attack with extra material is the professional way to go.} 23. Ne3 Rb3 24. Ng4 (24. Bd4 Bxa3 $5 {Why not $2 White is getting killed in the center and is also down two pawns for dead nothing.}) 24... Bxg4 25. hxg4 Rc8 26. Qa1 Bf4 {White had seen enough. The rook on h1 never moved once, and playing an open game with a lot of open lines without five points of material is not a recipe for success. A tough loss for Ding, especially after he really found his form and played very well to score three wins in a row, but I don't think he would have had any serious chance of winning the tournament at this point anyway.} 0-1 [Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.07.03"] [Round "13"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B66"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 {This is the third different variation of the Sicilian that Rapport played during the tournament. The Classical is not considered as good nowadays as the Najdorf or the Sveshnikov, but it's still quite popular.} 6. Bg5 {The Richter-Rauzer variation is undoubtedly the best chance for an opening advantage.} e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 {This system has completely replaced the old main line with 7. ..Be7.} 9. Nxc6 {This is only the fifth most popular move in this position. 9. f4 and 9.f3 are the main moves.} Bxc6 10. f3 h6 11. Bf4 d5 {The game transposes to a position with hundreds of games.} 12. Qe1 $1 (12. e5 $6 Nd7 { Usually, this pawn structure is good for White in the Sicilian, but that's not the case here. White is not in time to remove the bishop, play f4, and bring the knight to d4. Black, meanwhile, can play Qc7 and even g5 followed by Bg7.}) 12... Bb4 $1 13. a3 Bxc3 $1 {All very well known. Keeping the bishop is dangerous.} (13... Ba5 14. b4 $1 (14. exd5 Nxd5 15. b4 Nxf4 $1 16. Rxd8+ Bxd8 { with good practical compensation for the queen.}) 14... Bb6 15. exd5 Bxd5 $1 ( 15... Nxd5 $2 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. c4 Rc8 18. Kb1 {wins a piece.}) 16. Be5 $1 (16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. c4 Qf6 $1 {and Black escapes with a draw. Not that this would have concerned Nepomniachtchi.} 18. Be5 Be3+ 19. Qxe3 Nxe3 20. Bxf6 gxf6 (20... Nxd1 21. Bxg7 Rg8 22. Bxh6 Nf2 23. Rg1 Nh3 24. Rh1 $11) 21. Re1 {with an equal ending.}) 16... O-O 17. Qh4 $14) 14. Qxc3 O-O 15. Be5 $1 {Needing just a draw to clinch the title, Nepomniachtchi chooses the most efficient move for this purpose.} Rc8 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxf6 gxf6 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Rd4 f5 {Only this is a novelty. 19...Rfd8 was played in a few correspondence games.} 20. Bd3 Bc6 21. Rd1 {White is marginally better and without any risk. A dream situation for Nepomniachtchi.} Kg7 22. Be2 Kf6 23. Rh4 Kg5 24. g3 Rfd8 25. Rhd4 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 e5 27. f4+ exf4 28. Rxf4 Be4 29. c3 Rd8 30. Bd1 (30. Bf3 {doesn't promise an advantage. After:} Bxf3 31. Rxf3 Re8 32. Kd2 Re4 {Black is too active.} ( 32... h5 {is also good.})) 30... Rd7 31. Bc2 Re7 (31... Bxc2 $2 32. Kxc2 { Notice how this is a completely different case than the line with 30.Bf3. White manages to keep the rook on f4 and prevents Re4 by Black. With a queenside pawn majority ready to roll, the endgame should be winning.}) 32. Bd1 Rd7 33. Bc2 Re7 34. Bd1 {Nepomniachtchi played a fantastic tournament, showing good preparation, playing quickly and confidently. He'll certainly be a very dangerous opponent in for Magnus Carlsen in their World Championship rematch.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.07.03"] [Round "13"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2750"] [Annotator "samsh"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 {The Najdorf is a great opening for Black, and White surely has no advantage anywhere. But, the burden of memorization is extremely high, and there are a ton of lines you need to know. As such, most people jump around a lot with the white pieces and look to poke and prod in different spots. I would know firsthand—I actually beat the Najdorf twice myself in the recently concluded Prague Masters, but I chose a different line the second time around. It surprises me a little that Hikaru repeated the same variation that he played with Firouzja a few days ago, but you can't argue with success $1} Be7 { The main move.} (7... Nc6 {This was Alireza's choice, and is also playable, though he got into trouble later on when he was a little too ambitious.}) 8. h3 {This has been something of a trend as of late, though it doesn't strike me as that challenging for Black.} h6 9. Bc4 Be6 10. Bb3 {This position is extremely common without h3 and /h6 included, and I don't think their inclusion should change much.} Nc6 {Probably fine, but might not be totally necessary.} (10... O-O {Castling looks quite acceptable to me.}) 11. Nh4 Na5 $6 (11... O-O { Call me old-fashioned, but I like castling $1}) 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Ng6 {Once the knight gets to g6, White should be able to put some pressure. Still, it's nothing too amazing since Black's king will be fine on f7.} Rg8 14. O-O Nc4 15. Bc1 Rc8 16. h4 $2 {I think this was a misunderstanding of the position. White's knight on g6 is not really worth maintaining—it did its job by preventing castling. Its highest and best use will be to take e7 once it is attacked.} (16. b3 $1 Ne3 (16... Na5 17. Bb2 Kf7 18. Nxe7 $1 {White's proud knight has been exchanged, but he is trading one advantage for another.} Qxe7 19. f4 $1 {The attack is coming and Black has some real problems to solve.}) 17. Bxe3 Rxc3 18. Bd2 $1 {White is ready for c4, Bb4, and f4. Black will really regret the center being so loose.}) 16... Rc6 (16... Kf7 $1 17. h5 Qc7 { Black should be fine here. He has typical Najdorf counterplay with /b5-b4 coming soon.}) 17. Qf3 Kf7 18. h5 Qc7 19. Nd1 Nb6 20. Ne3 Nbd7 21. c4 {The last several moves have been fine enough, but again, I think Hikaru made the wrong choice when the g6-knight was attacked.} Nf8 22. Nh4 $6 (22. Nxe7 Qxe7 23. b3 {White can plan for Ba3 and rooks on the d-file. He might be a little better here, he might not. Still, it looks much better than the game continuation.}) 22... N8h7 $1 {Now all of a sudden White is more or less losing a pawn by force. /Ng5 is coming and White cannot move the knight on e3 without losing c4. Still, he retains compensation since Black's position is a bit loose, his structure is not great, and White has more space.} 23. b3 Ng5 24. Qe2 Ngxe4 25. Bb2 {It's not that hard to imagine an f2-f4 advance coming and causing trouble in the coming moves, but Black should be a bit better if he plays it right. Duda played it well to a point.} Re8 $1 26. Ng6 Kg8 { Castling by hand is a good start.} 27. Rad1 a5 28. Ng4 Bd8 29. Nxf6+ Nxf6 30. Rd2 Nd7 31. Rfd1 $2 {An uncharacteristic blunder from Hikaru. I suspect he may have just completely missed /Bg5.} (31. Ba3 $1 {This should be preferred. White has reasonable pressure against d6 and more active pieces to compensate for the missing pawn. My machine screams draw, but in practice this position looks rich and can be playable for both sides.}) 31... Bg5 $1 32. Rd3 b5 $1 { Well spotted. Now White's space advantage is attacked at the source, and the b5-pawn is immune from capture. To here, I think Hikaru was largely outplayed and he is close to lost. But one of the things that makes him Hikaru is that, somehow, whenever he gets a lost position, he has this incredibly frustrating habit of matching the machine every move for the rest of the game $1 I've played him a bunch of times in classical chess. I've only lost once, and I've outplayed him in at least three or four games and gotten really nice positions, even with Black. And every single time, he defended perfectly and not only made a draw, but almost made it look easy.} 33. Ba3 d5 $2 (33... b4 $1 { Black needed to blunt the bishop.} 34. Bb2 e4 $1 {Very nice. The pawn is immune from capture thanks to ...Nc5, and ...d5 can come next. still, the position is not totally routine. After something like} 35. Rg3 d5 36. Rg4 $1 { White is ready for f4 next, and in human terms, this is not easy at all. Just thinking about having to beat Hikaru with Black here gives me nightmares.}) 34. cxd5 Rc2 {It looks like b4 will trap the bishop next, and I'm sure this is what Duda had in mind when going for this line. But...} 35. Bd6 $1 {... Hikaru never misses shots like this. Just two moves after the machine claims White is lost, Black should be careful to maintain the balance.} Rxe2 (35... Qxd6 $2 36. Qxc2) 36. Bxc7 Nc5 (36... exd5 {Given how problematic the d-pawn became, I think Black should have just taken it here.} 37. Rxd5 Nf6 38. Rxb5 Nxh5 { Anything other than a draw would be pretty surprising.}) 37. d6 Nd7 {This really feels like capitulation. The d-pawn is incredibly powerful.} (37... Nxd3 $1 {With more time, I'm sure Duda would have evaluated this position better.} 38. Rxd3 {The d-pawn will cost Black his bishop, but he should be okay. He takes some pawns, trades some stuff, and makes a passer on the a-file.} Rxa2 39. d7 Ra8 40. d8=Q+ Bxd8 41. Bxd8 a4 $1 {Black has fair counterplay here.}) 38. Bxa5 $1 Rxa2 39. Bb4 {Now the d-pawn is the boss of the board. Material is equal and Black's position is in shambles.} Bd8 40. Rc3 $1 Bb6 41. Kh2 { The f-pawn is of little consequence, and White is ready for Rc7.} Kh7 (41... Rxf2 42. Rc7 $1 Rf7 (42... Bxc7 43. dxc7 {White's rook will reach d8 and the pawn promotes directly.}) 43. Rb7 {Black is completely powerless to stop Ne7 from ending the game next move.}) 42. f3 $1 {Nice and simple. Everything is safe and protected, material remains equal, and Black is strategically busted. Despite the balance in raw pieces on the board, my machine offers +5 for White. } Ra7 43. Rc6 Be3 44. Bd2 Bd4 45. Bc3 Be3 46. Rc7 Rea8 47. Kh3 $1 {A sadistic move. Black is nearly in zugzwang, and e5 will hang sooner rather than later.} b4 48. Bxb4 Rb8 49. Bc3 Rxb3 50. Rc8 Rb8 51. Rxb8 Nxb8 52. d7 {The fork on f8 decides the game. This was far from Hikaru's cleanest effort, but he immediately grabbed his chance once it came. He moves into clear second place going into the last round. I honestly think he got unlucky that Nepo was on such massive form— under other circumstances, Hikaru could really be fighting for first by bringing this quality of play to the Candidates.} 1-0 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.07.03"] [Round "13"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 7. Qc2 O-O (7... Bxd2+ {is more popular.}) 8. Qxc4 b6 $5 {An interesting pawn sacrifice. This move was tested in a few games, but it probably took Radjabov by surprise. Caruana's famous opening preparation strikes again.} 9. Bxb4 Ba6 10. Qb3 axb4 11. Qxb4 c5 $1 {Energetic play is necessary in order to prove compensation.} ( 11... Nc6 $6 12. Qd2 {gives White a clear advantage.}) 12. dxc5 (12. Qd2 Nc6 13. dxc5 {transposes.}) 12... Nc6 13. Qd2 (13. Qxb6 $6 {It's too risky to go for such pawn grabbing when your opponent has everything prepared.} Qc8 14. Qb3 {Forced, otherwise the queen is trapped after Rb8.} e5 $1 {Preparing e5-e4. Black has excellent compensation.}) 13... bxc5 14. Qxd8 $6 {Not the most accurate. 14.Nc3 and 14.0-0 are better attempts to gain an advantage.} (14. Nc3 Qa5 (14... Rb8 15. b3) 15. O-O Rfd8 16. Qc1 Rab8 17. Re1 Nd4 18. b3 {with a slight advantage for White.}) (14. O-O Qb6 (14... Rb8 15. b3 Qxd2 16. Nbxd2 Bxe2 17. Rfc1 {and White may press a little in this endgame.}) 15. Nc3 Rfd8 16. Qc1 Rac8 {and Black has some compensation, but it's not clear whether it's enough for equality.}) 14... Rfxd8 15. Nc3 Nd5 $1 {A new move.} (15... Rab8 { was played before, but White maintains an edge after} 16. b3) 16. Rc1 (16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Kd2 Rd6 $1 18. Rhc1 Re8 19. Bf1 c4 {with enough compensation for the pawn.}) (16. O-O {also leads to a draw.} Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bxe2 18. Rfe1 Ba6 $1 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Rxe5 (20. Bxa8 Nd3 $11) 20... Rac8 $11) 16... Nxc3 17. Rxc3 Rab8 18. b3 (18. Rxc5 Rxb2 19. O-O Bxe2 {other moves are also possible.} 20. Rxc6 Bxf1 21. Bxf1 Rxa2 {with a drawn endgame.}) 18... Nb4 (18... c4 $5 {is also a draw after:} 19. O-O cxb3 20. Rxc6 Bxe2 21. axb3 Bxf1 22. Bxf1 Rxb3) 19. Nd2 Nxa2 20. Rc2 Nb4 21. Rxc5 Rbc8 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Nc4 Bxc4 24. bxc4 Rxc4 25. Kd2 Rc2+ 26. Ke3 Rb2 27. f4 Nc2+ 28. Kd3 Nb4+ 29. Ke3 Nc2+ 30. Kd3 Nb4+ 31. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.07.03"] [Round "13"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C47"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2806"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O cxd5 10. Bg5 {Firouzja repeats the same drawish variation that Nepomniachtchi played against Ding in the eighth round. When I saw this position on the board, I expected a quick draw. The game had a little more emotion than that, but the result was the one forecasted.} c6 11. Qf3 Bd6 12. Rae1 Rb8 13. Nd1 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 16. b3 Kg7 {Ding played 16... f5 in the game against Nepomniachtchi, but he has also played this one before.} 17. Ne3 Re8 18. Nf5+ Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Re5 20. Bg4 {A new try} (20. Bd7 Rb6 21. g3 Bb4 {was Rapport-Ding, Shenzhen 2019. The game ended in a draw.}) (20. Bd3 Bb4 21. Re3 Rxe3 22. fxe3 Re8 {also led to a draw in Duda-Ding, Wijk aan Zee 2019.} ) 20... h5 $5 {An interesting pawn sacrifice.} 21. Rxe5 {Luckily, Firouzja accepts it. This spices up a little what promised to be a boring game.} (21. Bf3 h4 {with the inevitable draw.}) 21... fxe5 22. Bxh5 f5 {The central pawn storm fully compensates the missing pawn.} 23. g3 e4 24. Be2 Kf6 25. f4 { Blocking the f-pawn.} (25. Kg2 f4 26. f3 e3 {should end in a draw.}) 25... a5 26. a4 Rg8 27. Kg2 Ke6 28. h3 Be7 29. g4 Bh4 $1 {Necessary, otherwise White plays g5-h4 and the pawns start to roll.} 30. g5 Kd6 31. Rb1 Rb8 32. c3 c5 { The position looks somewhat dangerous for White now, but Firouzja sacrifices his bishop and finds counterplay.} 33. Bb5 d4 34. Rd1 d3 35. Bxd3 $1 { Absolutely forced.} (35. Bc4 $2 Ke7 {and Black wins. He will bring the king to g7 and play Rd8 followed by e3.}) 35... exd3 36. Rxd3+ Ke6 37. c4 Kf7 (37... Rb7 {also ends in a draw:} 38. Rd5 Rxb3 39. Re5+ Kd6 40. Rd5+ Kc6 41. Rxf5 Rg3+ 42. Kh2 Rf3 43. g6 Rf2+ 44. Kg1 Rf3 45. Kh2) 38. Rd5 Kg6 39. Rxc5 Rxb3 40. Rc6+ Kg7 (40... Kh5 $4 41. Rh6# {is embarassing.}) 41. Rc7+ Kg6 42. Rc6+ Kg7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.03"] [Round "13.4"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2783"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 7. Qc2 O-O 8. Qxc4 b6 9. Bxb4 Ba6 10. Qb3 axb4 11. Qxb4 c5 12. dxc5 Nc6 13. Qd2 bxc5 14. Qxd8 Rfxd8 15. Nc3 Nd5 (15... Rab8 16. b3 Nb4 17. O-O Nfd5 18. Na4 c4 19. Nc5 cxb3 20. Nxa6 Nxa6 21. axb3 Nc5 22. Nd4 Nxb3 23. Nxb3 Rxb3 24. Rfd1 Rbb8 25. Bxd5 Rxd5 26. Rxd5 exd5 27. Rd1 Rb5 28. e4 Kf8 29. exd5 Ke7 30. d6+ Kd7 31. Ra1 Kxd6 {1/2-1/2 (31) Gaehwiler,G (2414)-Miralles,G (2433) Switzerland SUI 2019}) 16. Rc1 Nxc3 17. Rxc3 Rab8 18. b3 Nb4 19. Nd2 Nxa2 20. Rc2 (20. Rxc5 Rbc8 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Nc4) 20... Nb4 21. Rxc5 Rbc8 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Nc4 Bxc4 24. bxc4 Rxc4 25. Kd2 Rc2+ 26. Ke3 Rb2 27. f4 Nc2+ 28. Kd3 Nb4+ 29. Ke3 Nc2+ 30. Kd3 Nb4+ 31. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.03"] [Round "13.3"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C47"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2806"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O cxd5 10. Bg5 c6 11. Qf3 Bd6 12. Rae1 Rb8 13. Nd1 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 16. b3 Kg7 17. Ne3 Re8 18. Nf5+ Bxf5 19. Bxf5 Re5 20. Bg4 $5 (20. Bd3 Bb4 21. Re3 Rxe3 22. fxe3 Re8 23. Rf3 Bc5 24. Kf2 Re5 25. g4 h5 26. gxh5 Rxh5 27. h3 Re5 28. Ke2 a5 29. Kd2 Bb4+ 30. c3 Bc5 31. Ba6 Bb6 32. Bc8 c5 33. Rf5 Kg6 34. Rxe5 fxe5 35. Bb7 {1/2-1/2 (35) Duda,J (2738)-Ding,L (2813) Wijk aan Zee 2019}) (20. Bd7 Rb6 21. g3 Bb4 22. Rd1 Re2 23. Bf5 Re5 24. Bd3 c5 25. f4 Re3 26. Kg2 d4 27. Rf3 Rbe6 28. Rxe3 Rxe3 29. Rf1 a5 30. Rf2 Be1 31. Re2 Rxe2+ 32. Bxe2 f5 33. Bh5 Bd2 34. Kf3 Be3 35. Ke2 Bg1 36. h3 Kf6 37. g4 fxg4 38. hxg4 Be3 39. Kf3 Ke7 40. Ke4 f6 41. f5 Kd6 42. Bf7 Bd2 43. a4 Bc3 {1/2-1/2 (43) Rapport,R (2726)-Ding,L (2809) Shenzhen 2019}) 20... h5 21. Rxe5 fxe5 22. Bxh5 f5 23. g3 e4 24. Be2 Kf6 25. f4 a5 26. a4 Rg8 27. Kg2 Ke6 28. h3 Be7 29. g4 Bh4 30. g5 Kd6 31. Rb1 Rb8 32. c3 c5 33. Bb5 d4 34. Rd1 $1 d3 35. Bxd3 $1 exd3 36. Rxd3+ Ke6 37. c4 Kf7 38. Rd5 Kg6 39. Rxc5 Rxb3 40. Rc6+ Kg7 41. Rc7+ Kg6 42. Rc6+ Kg7 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.03"] [Round "13.2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. h3 h6 9. Bc4 Be6 10. Bb3 Nc6 11. Nh4 $5 (11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. Bxd5 O-O 13. c3 Qa5 14. b4 Qc7 15. O-O Bd8 16. Rc1 Rc8 17. a3 Ne7 18. c4 Nfxd5 19. cxd5 Qd7 20. Qb3 Kh8 21. Nd2 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 f5 {0-1 (57) Hilby,C (2441)-Martinez Alcantara,J (2608) Charlotte USA 2021}) 11... Na5 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Ng6 Rg8 14. O-O Nc4 15. Bc1 Rc8 16. h4 $5 Rc6 17. Qf3 Kf7 18. h5 Qc7 19. Nd1 Nb6 20. Ne3 Nbd7 21. c4 Nf8 22. Nh4 $5 N8h7 23. b3 Ng5 24. Qe2 Ngxe4 25. Bb2 Re8 26. Ng6 Kg8 27. Rad1 a5 28. Ng4 Bd8 29. Nxf6+ Nxf6 30. Rd2 Nd7 31. Rfd1 $6 Bg5 $1 32. Rd3 b5 33. Ba3 $1 (33. cxb5 Rc2) 33... d5 $5 (33... b4 34. Bb2 a4 35. Rg3 Nf6) 34. cxd5 Rc2 35. Bd6 Rxe2 (35... Qxd6 $4 36. Qxc2 $18) 36. Bxc7 Nc5 $6 (36... exd5 37. Rxd5 Nf6 38. Rxb5 Nxh5 39. Rxa5) 37. d6 $5 Nd7 $2 (37... Nxd3 38. d7 Ra8 39. Rxd3 e4 40. Rd6 Rxa2) 38. Bxa5 Rxa2 39. Bb4 Bd8 $2 40. Rc3 $1 Bb6 41. Kh2 Kh7 $6 (41... Bxf2 $2 42. Rc7) (41... Rxf2 $6 42. Rc7 $1) 42. f3 Ra7 43. Rc6 Be3 44. Bd2 Bd4 45. Bc3 Be3 46. Rc7 Rea8 47. Kh3 b4 48. Bxb4 Rb8 49. Bc3 Rxb3 50. Rc8 Rb8 51. Rxb8 Nxb8 52. d7 (52. d7 Nxd7 53. Rxd7 Rxd7 54. Nf8+) 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.03"] [Round "13.1"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Rapport, Richard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B67"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2764"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. f3 h6 11. Bf4 d5 12. Qe1 Bb4 13. a3 Bxc3 14. Qxc3 O-O 15. Be5 (15. g4 Rc8 16. Qe3 Nd7 17. Bd6 Re8 18. e5 Ba4 19. b3 Bb5 20. Bxb5 axb5 21. h4 b4 22. axb4 Rc6 23. Kb2 Nb6 24. h5 Nc8 25. Bc5 b6 26. Bd4 Na7 27. Qd3 Rc8 28. b5 Qd7 29. c4 Qb7 30. g5 hxg5 31. h6 g6 32. h7+ Kh8 33. Be3 Qe7 34. Bxb6 Ra8 35. Ra1 dxc4 36. Qxc4 Qb7 37. Be3 Qxf3 38. Qf1 {1-0 (38) Kuybokarov,T (2582)-Sadhwani,R (2619) Sharjah UAE 2022}) 15... Rc8 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxf6 gxf6 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Rd4 f5 (19... Rc5 $6 20. b4 Rc3 21. Kb2 Rfc8 22. Bd3 Kg7 23. Rd1 R8c7 24. Rd2 {1-0 (61) Kholmov,R (2445)-Mukhametov,E (2390) Moscow 1991 }) 20. Bd3 Bc6 21. Rd1 Kg7 22. Be2 Kf6 23. Rh4 Kg5 24. g3 Rfd8 25. Rhd4 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 e5 27. f4+ exf4 28. Rxf4 Be4 29. c3 Rd8 30. Bd1 Rd7 31. Bc2 Re7 32. Bd1 Rd7 33. Bc2 Re7 34. Bd1 1/2-1/2