[Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.6"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C77"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 {Anand decided to avoid the main lines.} b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. Bg5 ({Caruana against So chose instead: } 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. Nf1 {but Black was perfectly fine after} d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Ng3 f6 12. O-O Be6 {Caruana,F (2799)-So,W (2788) London 2017}) 8... h6 { Questioning the bishop at once is Black's best reaction.} 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Ba7 $146 {The black bishop is standing on the road of the rooks thus the black one on a8 ambushes its opponent.} (10... Bb6 11. Nbd2 O-O 12. Qe2 Ne7 13. d4 Ng6 14. dxe5 Nh5 15. O-O-O Nhf4 16. Bxf4 Nxf4 17. Qf1 {as in Alekseev,E (2651) -Predke,A (2543) Kaliningrad 2015}) 11. Nbd2 ({One point behind Matlakov's idea is that a move like} 11. a4 {can be simply ignored.}) 11... Na5 12. Bc2 Nh5 {Active play.} 13. a4 {This typical idea is not effective here.} (13. b4 { first, and only after} Nc6 14. a4 {was more accurate.}) 13... b4 $1 {Matlakov seizes his chances and takes over the initiative.} 14. cxb4 Nc6 15. b5 Nb4 { The knight offers Black some extra tactical options.} 16. Nc4 (16. Bb1 { disconnects the white rook from the queen and the simple} axb5 {leads to Black's advantage, since} 17. axb5 $2 (17. Qb3 {is better, although Black looks good after} Bc5) 17... Bxf2+ {is not good for White.}) ({Perhaps the simple} 16. O-O {was best when the tactical line} axb5 17. axb5 Bxf2+ $2 18. Bxf2 Rxa1 19. Qxa1 Nxc2 20. Qa4 {self-traps the knight on c2.}) 16... Nxg3 { Going for a forcing continuation.} ({Also promising for Black seems} 16... g4 17. Nh4 axb5 18. Ne3 ({Worse is} 18. axb5 Bxf2+ 19. Kxf2 Rxa1 20. Qxa1 Nxc2) 18... Bxe3 19. fxe3 Nxg3 20. hxg3 Qg5 {and Black should be somewhat better.}) 17. hxg3 g4 18. Nh4 ({No time for a spoiler} 18. b6 gxf3 19. bxa7 fxg2 20. Rg1 Nc6 $1 {favours Black.}) 18... axb5 19. axb5 (19. Ne3 Bxe3 20. fxe3 {would have transposed to the line mentioned above.}) 19... Bxf2+ {The ambush worked!} 20. Kxf2 Rxa1 21. Qxa1 Nxc2 22. Qa4 Qf6+ {It is important to spoil White's co-ordination.} ({Instead the immediate} 22... Nd4 23. b6+ Kf8 24. Rf1 { would allow artificial castling as} Qf6+ $2 25. Ke1 {is bad for Black.}) 23. Kg1 ({Or else the king would be badly exposed.} 23. Ke2 Nd4+ 24. Ke1 O-O) 23... Nd4 24. b6+ {A critical moment.} Bd7 {This natural move throws Black's advantage away.} ({Correct was} 24... Kf8 $1 {Now White cannot grab the pawn} 25. bxc7 $4 {due to the spectacular mate} ({Therefore Anand should have continued as in the game with} 25. Qd1 cxb6 26. Kh2 Kg7 27. Rf1 {but now} Qd8 { is an important additional option for Black. True, Anand's knights will have a lot of fun visiting both outposts on d5 and f5, but Black is a pawn up.}) 25... Ne2+ 26. Kh2 Qxh4+ $1 27. gxh4 g3#) 25. Qd1 $1 ({Once again} 25. bxc7 {is mate after} Ne2+ 26. Kh2 Qxh4+ 27. gxh4 g3#) 25... cxb6 26. Kh2 O-O 27. Rf1 { Now the difference with the above-mentioned line becomes clear. The bishop on d7 stands on the road of the black queen.} Qg5 ({If} 27... Qe7 28. Qd2 Kh7 29. Qb4 {regains the pawn.}) 28. Nxd6 Be6 {Now Black has to be careful.} 29. Nhf5 Nxf5 {Drops a pawn.} ({Correct was} 29... Rd8 30. Nxd4 Rxd6 31. Nxe6 Rxe6 32. Rf5 Qg7 {White is somewhat better, but Black should be able to hold.}) 30. exf5 Bd5 31. Qe2 Qf6 $1 {Practically forced.} ({Since} 31... f6 32. d4 $1 exd4 33. Qb5 Ba2 34. Rf4 $1 {leaves the black pieces scattered around the board.}) 32. Qxg4+ {Eight moves later tables have turned, and it is White who has the extra pawn.} Kh7 33. Ne4 Bxe4 34. dxe4 Rd8 {Correctly activates the rook.} (34... Rg8 35. Qf3) 35. Rc1 Rd4 36. Rc7 Rb4 37. Qe2 Kg7 38. Rc8 Qg5 ({Black has to be careful not to let the white queen in.} 38... Rd4 $2 39. Qb5 {with the threat Qb5-e8 could be deadly.}) (38... Kh7) 39. Rc6 Rb3 ({Here and on the next few moves it made sense to insert} 39... h5 $1 {fixing the white pawns.}) 40. Rc3 Rb4 ({On a hindsight, the queen endgame} 40... Rxc3 $1 41. bxc3 Qd8 {sounds like a better after-game idea...}) 41. b3 Rd4 42. Rc6 Rb4 43. Qf3 Kh7 {Now Anand finds a way to consolidate his advantage.} 44. Rd6 $1 Kg7 45. Rd5 { The rook is perfect on d5. It attacks the black pawns and limits the opponent's rook.} ({Not} 45. f6+ Kg6 46. Rd8 Qh5+ 47. Qxh5+ Kxh5 48. Rg8 Rxe4 49. Kh3 Re3 {and Black is just in time.}) 45... Qf6 {Now that the queen the passive, the king can get better.} 46. Kg1 $1 {One idea is to support the white pawns from the f3 square. Another-to go all the way to c3 and trap the black rook.} Kh7 47. Qd3 Kg7 48. Kf2 Rd4 ({Or} 48... Kh7 49. Rd6 Qg7 50. Kf3 { intending g3-g4.} (50. Ke2 Qg4+)) 49. Rxd4 exd4 50. Qb5 Qd8 ({The last chance was} 50... Qd6 51. e5 Qc7) 51. Qd5 Qf6 (51... Qxd5 52. exd5 Kf6 53. d6) 52. g4 Kg8 53. Kf3 {Black resigned as he loses a second pawn.} (53. Kf3 h5 54. e5 hxg4+ 55. Kxg4 Qg7+ 56. Kf3) 1-0 [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2743"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "China"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "CHN"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 Nf6 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Na3 c5 8. dxc5 c3 9. Nb5 Na6 10. Nxc3 Nxc5 11. Be3 Nfe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bd4 Bxd4 14. Qxd4 Qxd4 15. Nxd4 Nd6 16. Rac1 Rd8 17. f4 Kf8 18. Kf2 Bg4 19. h3 Bd7 20. e4 Rac8 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Rd1 Ke8 23. e5 Nf5 24. Nb3 Bc6 25. Rc1 Kd7 26. Nc5+ Ke8 27. Nd3 Kd7 28. g4 Nd4 29. Rc4 Ne6 30. f5 gxf5 31. gxf5 Ng7 32. Bxc6+ bxc6 (32... Rxc6 {Positionally this is desirable. Black certainly doesn't desire to weaken the pawns. Unfortunately for Wei Yi, Kramnik has prepared some tactics.} 33. e6+ $1 fxe6 $4 (33... Ke8 34. exf7+ Kf8 35. Rxc6 bxc6 {The knight endgame is also very difficult for Black to defend thanks to the ghastly pawn structure.}) 34. Ne5+ {is a simple fork.}) 33. Nc5+ Kc7 34. Rh4 h5 35. f6 exf6 36. exf6 Ne8 37. Rxh5 Nxf6 38. Rf5 Nd5 39. Rxf7+ Kd6 40. Ne4+ Ke5 41. Nd2 a5 42. Nc4+ Ke6 43. Rh7 Rb8 44. Ke2 Kf5 45. Rh6 Nf6 46. h4 a4 47. Kd3 c5 48. Ne3+ Ke5 49. h5 Rd8+ 50. Kc4 Ne4 (50... Rd2 $1 {The engine considers this Wei Yi's last resource.} 51. Kxc5 Ne4+ $1 52. Kc6 Kd4 {Both tho knight check and this move were necessary to permit Black to capture on b2.} 53. Nf5+ Ke5 {and the knight either repeats the position by retreating to e3 or White surrenders b2 when Black has good chances of a draw.}) 51. Kb5 Kd4 52. Nc4 a3 53. Nxa3 Nd6+ 54. Kc6 Nf7 55. Nb5+ 1-0 [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2680"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Netherlands"] [BlackTeam "China"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NED"] [BlackTeamCountry "CHN"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Bd3 Be6 9. Qe2 Bf6 10. O-O-O Qe7 11. Kb1 a6 12. Rhe1 O-O-O 13. h3 Rhe8 14. g4 h6 15. Nd2 Bg5 16. f4 Bh4 17. Bf2 Bxf2 18. Qxf2 Qf8 19. f5 Bd7 20. f6 g6 21. Be4 Kb8 22. Nc4 Re6 23. Bxc6 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Bxc6 25. Na5 Re8 26. Nxc6+ bxc6 27. Qg3 Qh8 28. Re7 Rxe7 29. fxe7 Qe8 30. Qe3 Kc8 31. h4 Kd7 32. Qxh6 Qxe7 { After an exchange of forcing play, the position calms. The queen endgame proves slightly more favorable for Giri primarily because of the weakness of the a-pawn which can frequently be targeted.} 33. b3 Qe4 34. g5 Qe5 35. Qf8 Qd5 36. Kb2 c5 37. Qg8 Qf3 38. Qf8 Qd5 (38... Kc6 $4 {It's important to note that this is not possible which means Black has no waiting moves with the king.} 39. Qa8+ {wins the black queen.}) (38... Qf1 $4 {Shuffling with the queen on the f-file also loses.} 39. h5 $1 gxh5 40. g6 {and White queens.}) 39. Qg7 Qf5 40. Qg8 Qf3 41. a4 Qf1 42. Qf8 Qf5 43. Qa8 Qf1 44. Qe4 {Giri has cleverly used zugzwang to obtain a magnificent central posting for his queen. Hou Yifan now has a very difficult choice.} Kd8 $2 {the classic misstep in a difficult position.} (44... Kc8 $1 {Positioning the king to defend the a-pawn if White allows it was the most resiliant idea.}) 45. Qg4 $1 {White both prepares h5 (which liquidates the weak h-pawn) and prevents the black king from traveling to b7 to defend the a-pawn and relieve the queen.} d5 46. a5 $2 (46. h5 $1 { The engine calls a5 a significant mistake and prefers to play this immediately. White can play a5 at a later time.}) 46... Qe1 47. h5 gxh5 48. Qxh5 Qe6 49. Qh8+ Ke7 50. b4 cxb4 51. cxb4 Kd7 52. Qd4 Kc8 $6 {Moving the king away is dangerous. King and pawn endgames loom, and the king needs to be near the action.} (52... Qd6 {Maintaining the status quo should be fine for Black.}) 53. Qf6 Qxf6+ 54. gxf6 Kd7 55. Kb3 Kc6 $4 {The losing mistake - this endgame is sure to appear in king and pawn manuals in future.} (55... Kd6 $1 {This move prepares c5 which will hold the balance without great difficulty.} 56. b5 { Perhaps ...Kc6?? was an attempt by Hou Yifan to stop this break?} axb5 57. Kb4 c6 $1 {This and only this draws. Ideas of a6 and Kc5 look scary, but Black keeps equality, promoting just after White.} (57... Kc6 $4 58. c3 $1 {is zugzwang. I would guess that a line like like this combined with the scary lines after ...c6 might have convinced Hou that this path was losing. She was in great time trouble at this point.}) 58. a6 Kc7 59. Kc5 b4 {...d4 is similar. } 60. Kxb4 Kb6 61. a7 Kxa7 62. Kc5 Kb7 63. Kd6 d4 64. Ke7 c5 65. Kxf7 c4 66. Kg7 d3 67. cxd3 cxd3 68. f7 d2 69. f8=Q d1=Q {Naturally such lengthy continuations would be hard for Hou to spot in time trouble after a long defense.}) 56. c4 d4 {This loses as due to mutual zugzwang as Black can't defend d4 and stop pawn breaks with b5, but at this point it is clear that other moves are also losing.} (56... dxc4+ 57. Kxc4 Kb7 58. b5 axb5+ 59. Kxb5 { is a classic outside passed pawn win. White exchanges the a-pawn for the c-pawn and runs over to win the f-pawn to win the game.}) 57. Kc2 Kd6 58. Kd2 $1 (58. Kd3 c5 59. bxc5+ $4 (59. b5 {is equal.}) 59... Kxc5 {is mutual zugzwang. Black wins the c4-pawn.}) 58... c6 (58... c5 59. bxc5+ Kxc5 60. Kd3 { is the same mutual zugzwang with Black to move.}) 59. Ke2 Kd7 (59... Ke6 60. b5 $1 {White queens the a-pawn.}) 60. Kd3 {Only now that Black's king has retreated does White step to d3, winning d4.} Kc7 61. Kxd4 Kd6 62. Kd3 Kc7 63. Ke4 Kd6 64. Kd4 1-0 [Event "chess24.com"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 {A minor choice, generally renowned for leading to a drawish ending.} Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 g6 ({On schematic grounds, I might have preferred} 8... c6 {to close off all options of Nb5 and 'dominate' the c3-knight. The followup could then be ...d5 and ...Bg4, with the idea of trying to exchange the light-squared bishop for anything, and exchange the pair of dark-squared bishops.}) 9. Nd4 a6 10. Bf4 { Now this pressures the d6-pawn, so as to prevent ...c6 following a fianchetto. Black has little choice but to play ...Nc6 one way or another, and he will be left with doubled pawns.} Bg7 (10... Nbd7 {is the maximalist move, trying to prevent Bf3 altogether.}) 11. h3 Bd7 12. Bf3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxc6+ bxc6 15. O-O-O Kd7 {Objectively, there is nothing whatsoever wrong with Black's position, and as long as one doesn't get carried away with premonitions of White kings appearing on a5 after the rooks come off (echoes of Rubinstein) then it is also easy enough to play.} 16. Rhe1 Rhe8 17. Ne4 (17. Bd2 {may have been wisest, focusing on the task of exchanging all the rooks as quickly as possible and then placing pawns on light squares.}) 17... Nd5 (17... Nxe4 18. dxe4 Re6 19. f3 Rae8 20. Bd2 {is also fine but now White's moves are definitely easier to find, starting with c4, Kc2, b3.}) 18. Bd2 f5 19. Ng5 h6 20. Nf3 g5 21. c3 c5 22. Kc2 Bf6 ({The computer wants} 22... a5 {but it can never be good to allow this pawn to be fixed.}) 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Re1 Rf8 25. Rh1 Re8 26. g3 g4 27. Ng1 Bg5 28. Kd1 a5 29. Ne2 {One of several acceptable moves.} (29. a4 Rb8 $1 $15 {was the point and White is being stretched a bit thin.}) 29... a4 (29... Rb8 $5 30. b3 a4 31. Bxg5 hxg5 {is a little bit testing, perhaps}) 30. Bxg5 hxg5 31. hxg4 fxg4 32. Rh5 Re5 33. Rh7+ Ke6 34. a3 (34. d4 {screams out to be played, but there is nothing much going on here either:} Rf5 35. c4 Nb6 36. b3 axb3 37. axb3 Rf3 $11 {Nevertheless, this was marginally safer for White than the game.}) 34... Rf5 35. c4 Nf6 36. Rh2 { It looks slightly dangerous to a human to allow ...Rxf2, because ...Nd7-e5 with pressure will follow soon.} Rf3 37. Kc2 Nd7 38. d4 {Else White is in very obvious difficulties.} Nb6 (38... Rf5 {is a sensible engine suggestion; this keeps a bit of pressure by not clarifying the situation of the d4-pawn.} 39. Kd3 (39. Rh7 Nb6 40. dxc5 Rxc5 $36) 39... Rf7 {An engine move; what was your first clue?} 40. Rh6+ $6 Ke7 41. Rh2 cxd4 42. Nxd4 Ne5+ 43. Kc3 c5 $15) 39. dxc5 dxc5 40. Nc3 Ke5 41. Nd1 ({Presumably the expected continuation was:} 41. Nd1 Nxc4 42. Rh5 Kd4 43. Rxg5 Ne5 44. Rg7 {when White is completely out of the woods.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.5"] [White "Jones, Gawain C B"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2640"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 (7. Nc3 {is the 'main line' I was taught as a kid, but it has a number of problems.} Nxe4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. d5 Ne5 (9... Bf6 {becomes needlessly messy, e.g.} 10. Re1 Ne7 11. Rxe4 d6 12. Bg5 Bxg5 13. Nxg5 O-O 14. Nxh7 $11 {and Black must be precise to draw}) 10. bxc3 Nxc4 11. Qd4 O-O $1 12. Qxc4 Nd6 13. Qf4 b6 $11 { White faces all the practical problems in this ending as his compensation does not take the form of a real attack on the king.}) 7... Bxd2+ 8. Nbxd2 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Qb3 {Here, Black's third most common move, other than the two he played, is actually to agree a draw.} Na5 (10... Be6 {is a slightly entertaining gambit line}) 11. Qa4+ Nc6 12. Qb3 Nce7 {My feeling is that this optimism is maybe a bit misplaced, and Black soon ends up a little worse as his position is after all a bit more difficult to play.} 13. O-O O-O 14. Rfe1 c6 15. Ne4 Nb6 (15... a5 16. Ne5 f6 $11 {is the engine suggestion but you have to be reasonably sure of yourself to cue up White's future Ne6 motifs.}) 16. Bd3 Ned5 17. Nc5 {This was the position on the board when I began my game in the 4NCL (British chess league.) Shortly before leaving my room, I noted down a prediction- White to win here. It does indeed look slightly more pleasant, but of course IQP positions are always hard to play.} Nf6 18. Rac1 Rb8 { When you play such moves, you must ipso facto be slightly worse. Finding a plan for White is, however, not totally trivial.} 19. Qa3 ({One of my best ideas in the position, I think, is to try and exploit the position of the Black rook by means of a cumbersome-looking 'queen lift'.} 19. Qb4 $5 Nfd5 { If this isn't played now or next, the White queen gets to f4.} 20. Qd2 Nd7 21. Nb3 $14 {Black still lacks ways to complete his development.}) 19... a6 20. Qb3 Qc7 21. Ne4 (21. Ne5 $14 {was another relatively easy move to make, with the idea of Qd1-f3 and (if allowed) Bc2-b3! Black also lacks ...Rd8 due to a rather cheap tactic.}) 21... Nfd5 22. Nc3 Qd6 23. Be4 Bg4 $1 {Black has now completely equalised.} 24. Nxd5 (24. Ne5 Be6 25. Bxd5 Nxd5 26. Ne4 {looks tactically tricky, but Black's defenses are all in place after} Qd8 27. Nc5 Re8 $11) 24... cxd5 25. Bb1 Bxf3 {Now White lacks the dynamism he would need to try and win, and in fact if Black could get his knight to c6 he could try something. A few more good-enough moves and peace broke out.} 26. Qxf3 Rfe8 27. Qc3 g6 28. Bd3 Kg7 29. g3 Rbc8 30. Rxe8 Rxe8 31. Qb3 Re7 32. Bf1 Qf6 33. Qb4 Re4 34. Rd1 Re7 35. Rc1 Re4 36. Rd1 Re7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.7"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2792"] [BlackElo "2804"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 $5 {This is another exceedingly rare guest in elite practice.} 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nxd5 exd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Bd3 { I'm not surprised Wesley So decided to avoid the absolute most critical continuation and try for a positional edge, but I'm not sure what Black's prep could have been.} (8. Qxd5 $1 {is critical, and I was once privileged to watch a sharp line being played at a neighbouring board.} d6 (8... Qb6 $6 9. Bc4 Bxf2+ 10. Ke2 O-O 11. Rf1 Bc5 12. Ng5 Nxe5 13. Nxf7 Nxf7 14. Rxf7 Qe6+ 15. Qxe6 dxe6 16. Rxf8+ Kxf8 17. Bf4 $14 {Tan,J-Bach,M Helsingor 2015 , among others.}) 9. exd6 Qb6 10. Be3 $5 (10. Qe4+ Be6 11. Qh4 Bxd6 12. Bd3 $14 {is safer}) 10... Qxb2 11. Bb5 $1 $14 {White retains an extra pawn against best play.}) 8... d6 9. exd6 Qxd6 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 h6 12. h3 Bd7 13. Be3 {Presumably, Wesley So had in mind some idea of occupying the d4-square when he made his 8th move, but it is not possible to execute unless Black helpfully trades the bishops. With a move such as the one played Black keeps equality.} d4 (13... b6 $6 14. c3 Rfe8 15. Qd2 $14) 14. Bd2 Rfe8 15. a3 Qd5 {Thematically playing for ...Bf5.} 16. b4 Bd6 17. c4 dxc3 18. Rxe8+ Rxe8 19. Bxc3 Be6 20. Be4 Qxe4 21. Qxd6 Qc2 22. Qd2 {Instead of playing this move it is also possible to offer a draw immediately.} Qxd2 23. Nxd2 Rd8 24. Re1 Nd4 25. a4 Nc2 26. Rc1 Nd4 27. Re1 Nc2 28. Rc1 Nd4 29. Re1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Adhiban, B."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. O-O h6 {Not the move I was intending to recommend in my forthcoming book (!) but nevertheless a main line. Perhaps it is worth a detailed look!} 7. Nbd2 Bh7 8. Nb3 Nd7 9. a4 (9. Bd2 { may possibly be a better challenge to Black's ...g5-centric setup (though obviously Svidler in his preparation thought differently.) Careless play by Black would be:} Nf5 10. Rc1 g5 11. h3 Be7 12. c4 $14 {and White obtains essentially what he wants.}) 9... g5 $5 {A very logical novelty (at least according to my database.)} (9... Nf5 10. a5 Be7 {was played previously, but as in the last note ...Be7 is met well by c4.} 11. c4 $14 {Azarov,S-Kunal,M Abu Dhabi 2016}) 10. a5 a6 (10... Nf5 11. c4 $1 g4 12. Nfd2 h5 13. a6 b6 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nb1 $14 {seems concerning, or at least easier to play for White, as Black's king lacks shelter on either the kingside or queenside, and its home in the centre will soon come under attack. Maybe best now is ...f6, but White should be better.}) 11. c3 (11. Bd2 Nf5 12. h3 {looks sensible, keeping open the option of g4 and also thinking vaguely about the strategically desirable Ne1-d3 or Qe1/Bb4 plans.}) 11... Nf5 {Now this may be equal as ... Black will be able to choose between ...c5 and ...f6.} 12. Bd3 (12. c4 $11 { may proceed like the note to Black's 10th but Black now has b5 covered in the event of the c-pawns being swapped.}) (12. g4 Ne7 13. Be3 {is advocated by the engine but after} f6 $1 $13 {I am skeptical.}) 12... g4 13. Ne1 h5 14. Nc2 c5 { As promised, but White now tries to prove a little something and basically gets it.} (14... f6 $5 15. f4 Qe7 $132 {may have avoided giving White such easy play.}) 15. Nxc5 Nxc5 $6 (15... Bxc5 $1 16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Nb4 Rc8 $11 { may have been easier.}) 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Nd4 $1 (17. Bf4 Nh4 $1 $11 {is a good wrinkle for Black, exchanging the bishops and bringing his knight to a great square on g6.}) 17... Bxd4 (17... Nh4 {may once again have been a good idea. White always lacks f4 due to Black's advanced kingside pawns.} 18. Be3 Rc8 19. Bxh7 Rxh7 20. Qd2 Rg7 $132) 18. cxd4 Rc8 {Reaching a curious position where White must be better but his position may be a little harder to play.} 19. Ra3 $6 {A strategically well-informed move, thinking about doubling on the f-file in future, but this proves impossible to arrange.} (19. Bf4 {With the simple plan of Rc1, since Black's c8-rook currently does more work than the White a1-rook.} Nh4 {If Black plays ...Ne7 then all the minor pieces come off, which is in White's interest only.} 20. Bxh7 Rxh7 21. Rc1 $14) 19... Rc7 20. Bf4 Nh4 21. Qd2 (21. Bxh7 Rxh7 22. Qd2 {is the engine opinion, still trying to arrange a rook trade with Rc1.}) 21... Bxd3 22. Bg5 Qc8 23. Rxd3 Nf5 {Almost a perfect fortress. Black has equalised for the second time! Any lingering advantage the engine gives is purely down to preference for a bishop over a knight.} 24. Qb4 Kd7 25. Qa4+ Rc6 26. Rc1 Rg8 27. Bf6 Qc7 28. g3 Rc8 29. Rc5 Ke8 30. b4 Qd7 31. Qd1 Rxc5 32. bxc5 Qb5 33. h3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 {To my mind, a fairly underestimated line, and the reason I don't often play the Petroff now.} (5. c4 {is an interesting attempt at playing move-orders, but I think Black is considered to be fine after} Nc6 $11) (5. d4 {is the main move.}) (5. Qe2 { was the first game, Carlsen-Caruana.}) 5... Nxc3 (5... Nf6 {would have been an interesting choice against Giri, considering he has championed the Black side. From what I understand, the point for White is to avoid the impulse to play too early against the c8-bishop, because that will simply encourage a fianchetto and Black will be fine.} 6. d4 Be7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Re8 9. Re1 $1 { The point of this is to force Black to commit his light-squared bishop one way or another. Even moves that do not obviously do this- such as ...d5- really do make a decision, because they make the fianchetto rather undesirable. White can play against either ...Bg4 or ...b6, but should do so in different ways and definitely should not commit to h3 just yet.} ({Following the immediate} 9. h3 b6 $1 {Black was soon fine in Vachier Lagrave,M-Giri,A Germany 2012.}) 9... Nbd7 10. Bf4 {White is slightly better, for instance} Nf8 11. h3 b6 12. Bb5 Bd7 13. a4 $14) 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 {The choice is between this move and Bf4. The current move allows Black lots of ...Ne5 possibilities, which I believe he should take.} (7. Bf4 {meanwhile does not gel so well with the rest of White's kingside attack.} O-O 8. Bd3 Nd7 9. Qd2 Nc5 $11 {for instance seems fine for Black.}) 7... Nc6 8. Bd3 Be6 {White should play one of the queen moves and then castle queenside, and I think given that White has played Be3, Black should castle queenside too. No surprise then that the present game continued in that way.} 9. Qe2 (9. Qd2 Qd7 {was similar enough and a game of mine: Jackson-Fernandez, Coventry 2013.}) 9... Bf6 10. O-O-O Qe7 (10... Qd7 {is more natural to me, not worrying about White's Ng5 ideas, but more concerned with cuing up ...Bf5 in future.}) 11. Kb1 a6 12. Rhe1 O-O-O 13. h3 Rhe8 (13... h5 { is trivially easy to recommend in hindsight, but it should have been reasonably obvious that White wanted kingside space.}) 14. g4 h6 15. Nd2 $1 $14 {Now White is probably a tiny bit better, but obviously an incredible amount of technique and further errors need to be played out over the board before White can think about winning.} Bg5 16. f4 Bh4 17. Bf2 Bxf2 18. Qxf2 Qf8 19. f5 {Opting to set Black more direct problems, but ceding the e5-square. While I am not sure this is the best continuation, it could be the most practical, especially against slightly lower-rated opposition.} (19. Nf1 {seems more natural to me, waving the idea of Ng3-h5 around.}) 19... Bd7 20. f6 g6 (20... Rxe1 21. Rxe1 g5 $11) 21. Be4 Kb8 22. Nc4 Re6 $6 {In practical terms, another slight mistake. We obtain a similar structure to Carlsen-Caruana, but with the minor pieces off the board Black faces more difficulties.} 23. Bxc6 $1 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Bxc6 25. Na5 Re8 26. Nxc6+ bxc6 27. Qg3 {The engine evaluation of 0.00 is hopelessly unhelpful for looking at this position. What is important is that White is marginally more active and has a better structure and advanced f6-pawn. Giving variations is slightly pointless here, so I shall try and confine myself to comments only.} Qh8 28. Re7 Rxe7 29. fxe7 Qe8 30. Qe3 Kc8 31. h4 Kd7 32. Qxh6 Qxe7 33. b3 $14 {White will be able to fix the f7-pawn and of course a6 is still a weakness also. Doubtless this endgame will be discussed for a while to come, including fortress possibilities and better White tries, but the contours of what White must aim for are now clear.} Qe4 34. g5 Qe5 35. Qf8 Qd5 36. Kb2 c5 37. Qg8 Qf3 38. Qf8 Qd5 39. Qg7 Qf5 40. Qg8 Qf3 41. a4 Qf1 42. Qf8 Qf5 43. Qa8 Qf1 44. Qe4 {Again, in human terms White has acheived something else- the centralisation of his queen. Black must wait around until White shows what the next stage of his plan is- though presumably it must be b4.} Kd8 45. Qg4 {A mini-zugzwang.} d5 46. a5 $1 Qe1 47. h5 {This simplifies Black's task a little bit, but does not completely give equality.} (47. Qf4 Qe6 48. Qf2 Qe7 49. Qf1 Qe6 50. b4 $14 {is another try}) 47... gxh5 48. Qxh5 Qe6 49. Qh8+ Ke7 50. b4 cxb4 51. cxb4 Kd7 $11 52. Qd4 Kc8 53. Qf6 $5 {Even the pawn endgame retains certain practical difficulties and would be an ideal candidate for the next Naiditsch book.} Qxf6+ 54. gxf6 Kd7 55. Kb3 Kc6 $4 { My educated guess is that this move arose out of a desire to win a moral battle for tempi. Against 55.Kc3 Black had ...Kd6 in mind, and so it was natural to try and avoid that 'critical square' with the present move... Well, we may never know.} ({Black had to play} 55... Kd6 $1 {to draw, and the idea is of course ...c5.} 56. c4 (56. Ka4 c6 57. Kb3 c5 $11) 56... c5 $1 57. b5 d4 58. b6 Kc6 59. Kc2 $11 {Both kings are stuck.}) 56. c4 {Suddenly White is completely winning.} d4 (56... dxc4+ 57. Kxc4 Kd6 58. b5 axb5+ 59. Kxb5 Kd7 60. a6 Kc8 61. Kc6 Kb8 62. a7+ {is even more trivial}) 57. Kc2 Kd6 58. Kd2 $3 { Amazing tempo play, but stereotyped enough.The idea is that only after Black recaptures on c5 must White play Kd3! as that position is a mutual zugzwang.} ( 58. Kd3 c5 {is once again a draw.}) 58... c6 59. Ke2 {Avoiding the d3-square for the last time.} Kd7 (59... Ke5 60. b5 $18) (59... c5 60. bxc5+ Kc6 (60... Kxc5 61. Kd3) 61. Kd2 $1 Kxc5 62. Kd3 $18) 60. Kd3 Kc7 61. Kxd4 Kd6 62. Kd3 Kc7 63. Ke4 Kd6 64. Kd4 {Not an undeserved victory, but a slightly surprising one.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.6"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 {Black should play this sooner or later.The alternative is essentially ...d5, which is double-edged in the Italian and probably borderline suicidal now Black has played ...b5.} 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 {We will not be getting a repeat of the various 'draw lines' Anand has played which involve sacrifices on g5 against a castled king, and then perpetual check...} Ba7 (10... Bb6 {may keep marginally more options open, including contesting the a-file 'properly'.} 11. Nbd2 O-O 12. Qe2 Ne7 {and now} 13. d4 Ng6 $5 $132 {was an interesting and ultimately successful pawn sacrifice in Alekseev,E-Predke,A Kaliningrad 2015}) 11. Nbd2 Na5 12. Bc2 Nh5 {We are now in new territory, and Black is playing extremely inventively. However, Anand is not to be outdone.} 13. a4 $5 { Highlighting a problem with ...Ba7, but at the same time committing to playing the sacrifice that follows. White is playing maximalist chess.} (13. b4 Nc6 14. a4 $132 {might have been a more normal way to play}) 13... b4 14. cxb4 Nc6 15. b5 Nb4 16. Nc4 {White played all these moves nearly instantly.} (16. O-O $6 { may be possible, but is a bit wet and White is not having the fun after} Nxg3 17. hxg3 h5 $44) 16... Nxg3 17. hxg3 g4 {Black commits!} (17... axb5 18. axb5 Bxf2+ $2 {does not work immediately as Black's knight lacks proper access to d4.} 19. Kxf2 Rxa1 20. Qxa1 Nxc2 21. Qa4 $1 $16) (17... Bc5 $44 {was still possible, looking for compensation- I am reasonably sure it is sufficient.}) 18. Nh4 axb5 19. axb5 Bxf2+ 20. Kxf2 Rxa1 21. Qxa1 Nxc2 22. Qa4 {White had presumably envisaged this position up to ten moves in advance and liked his practical chances. White's knights hop around in pleasing ways near the Black king, while White's kingside construction with the h4-knight and (soon to be) h2-king is watertight.} Qf6+ (22... Nd4 23. b6+ Kf8 24. bxc7 Qxc7 $11 {was also interesting, but the d6-pawn is weak.}) 23. Kg1 Nd4 24. b6+ Bd7 25. Qd1 cxb6 26. Kh2 {Reaching a position which is only ever going to be hard for Black to play.} O-O (26... b5 27. Rf1 Qe7 28. Ne3 {gives White either the d5-square or g4-pawn}) 27. Rf1 Qg5 $6 {A minor inaccuracy, giving up the wrong pawn, and White's moves just keep playing themselves.} (27... Qe7 28. Ne3 Qg5 $1 {was the right time to place the queen here. Now} 29. Nhf5 Bxf5 30. Nxf5 Qh5+ 31. Kg1 Nxf5 32. Rxf5 Qg6 $11 {could follow, when White's position is still easier but his king has lost its bomb shelter.}) 28. Nxd6 $14 Be6 29. Nhf5 Nxf5 $6 (29... Rd8 30. Nxd4 Rxd6 31. Nxe6 Rxe6 32. Rf5 Qg6 33. Qb3 $14 { is similar to the last note but with White having better co-ordination. Still, this was an interesting try, not least because Black can now try and do 'nothing' e.g. ...Re8 and ...Qe6, and try to complete the fortress with ... Kh7-g6 and ...h5.}) 30. exf5 Bd5 31. Qe2 $1 Qf6 (31... f6 32. d4 {is a slightly non-obvious point until you reach the position itself, whereupon it becomes clear that White's rook needs to be on f4, and simultaneously one sees how to accomplish this.}) 32. Qxg4+ Kh7 33. Ne4 Bxe4 34. dxe4 Rd8 35. Rc1 $16 { This is now a truly thankless position as the fortress tries will never quite work and the rook ending is lost. White just plays with ideas for a few moves until he works out what he wants to do.} Rd4 36. Rc7 Rb4 37. Qe2 Kg7 38. Rc8 Qg5 39. Rc6 Rb3 40. Rc3 Rb4 41. b3 Rd4 42. Rc6 Rb4 43. Qf3 Kh7 44. Rd6 Kg7 45. Rd5 {Now White's rook is the centralised one!} Qf6 46. Kg1 Kh7 47. Qd3 Kg7 48. Kf2 Rd4 $2 {Understandable in view of the various rook-trap motifs White has, but the last try was to wait for Qc3 before doing this, so that the recapture would come with tempo and then Black might get a good square like e3 or e5 for his queen.} (48... Qe7 49. Kf3 Qf6 50. Qc3 Rd4 51. Rxd4 exd4 52. Qd3 Qd6 $16 { is for instance not that much better for White.}) 49. Rxd4 exd4 50. Qb5 Qd8 51. Qd5 Qf6 52. g4 Kg8 53. Kf3 {Black had no desire to play out the queen ending, especially since e5 will win a further pawn.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 Nf6 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 dxc4 7. Na3 {A good move to play for a long technical battle!} c5 8. dxc5 c3 {The approved method of gaining equality, but I think Black might have to take the pawn on the next move to prove it.} (8... Qxd1 {was tried recently, but it is more unpleasant for Black.} 9. Rxd1 Nfd7 10. Nxc4 Nxc5 11. Be3 $16 {Meier,G-Edouard,R Germany 2017}) 9. Nb5 $1 Na6 (9... cxb2 10. Bxb2 Bd7 11. Qb3 Bc6 12. Rfd1 {was a previous Kramnik game: Kramnik,V-Topalov,V London 2016; here I think ...Qa5 and then ...Nbd7 offers Black reasonable play.}) 10. Nxc3 Nxc5 11. Be3 Nfe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bd4 Bxd4 14. Qxd4 Qxd4 15. Nxd4 Nd6 {Unbelievably, this had all been seen before, and from Wei Yi's next move, it is clear that he had seen the precedent.} 16. Rac1 (16. Rfc1 Rd8 17. Rc7 Kf8 18. Rac1 Ne8 19. R7c4 Nd6 20. Rc5 Bd7 $11 {was equal and ultimately drawn in Ding,L-Giri,A Palma de Mallorca 2017}) 16... Rd8 (16... e5 17. Nb3 Be6 {was now worthy of note, and while I might think it's an equalising route, we will just have to wait for Kramnik to beat another elite player to find out what he had in mind here!}) 17. f4 {This approach goes better with the rook on f1 than a1, as White wants to bring it to d1 next.} Kf8 18. Kf2 Bg4 19. h3 Bd7 20. e4 (20. Rc7 $5 { appeals to me, as I think the e4-e5 push gains in strength from there being no rooks on the board.}) 20... Rac8 (20... Nb5 $1 {was still objectively equal if a little unpleasant over the board:} 21. Nxb5 (21. Rfd1 Nxd4 22. Rxd4 Be6 $15) 21... Bxb5 22. Rfd1 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rc8 24. Rd2 f6 $11) 21. Rxc8 (21. e5 { may have been good, taking advantage of a moment when Black is not able to reply with ...Nb5 and must worry about the b7-pawn.} Nf5 22. Ne2 Bb5 $1 { This accurate move may be needed to hold the balance. There could follow} 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Rc1 Rxc1 25. Nxc1 b6 26. Be4 {and Black should just be equal with one or two more good moves.}) 21... Rxc8 22. Rd1 {The point seems to be that after ...Nb5 White now intends Ne2!, a4, and Nc3.} Ke8 23. e5 Nf5 24. Nb3 Bc6 (24... Rc2+ 25. Rd2 Rxd2+ 26. Nxd2 b6 {would have led to a similar ending to the last note.}) 25. Rc1 {Now I think White has a little something!} Kd7 26. Nc5+ Ke8 27. Nd3 (27. Na6 $5 {is rather flashy for a move that is only trying to inflict pawn weaknesses on the opponent, but Black seems to be fine after the accurate} Nd4 $1 $11) 27... Kd7 28. g4 {Giving Black a major headache- his best move now requires a wrinkle to make it playable.} Nd4 (28... Bxg2 29. e6+ fxe6 30. Ne5+ Kd8 31. Nf7+ Kd7 32. Rxc8 Kxc8 33. Kxg2 Nd6 34. Ng5 {looks slightly unpleasant for Black, though the machine notes that he draws with the only move} e5 $1 35. fxe5 h6 $1 $11) 29. Rc4 Ne6 30. f5 gxf5 31. gxf5 Ng7 ( 31... Nd8 $14 {limited the damage by not allowing another isolated pawn, though the co-ordination and space deficits are still there.}) 32. Bxc6+ bxc6 ( 32... Rxc6 33. e6+ $1 Ke8 34. exf7+ Kf8 35. Rxc6 bxc6 36. b4 Nxf5 37. Ne5 Nd4 38. a4 $18) 33. Nc5+ Kc7 34. Rh4 h5 (34... Rh8 35. Rb4 Nxf5 36. Rb7+ Kc8 37. Rxa7 $18) 35. f6 {Winning a pawn by force.} exf6 36. exf6 Ne8 37. Rxh5 Nxf6 38. Rf5 Nd5 39. Rxf7+ Kd6 40. Ne4+ Ke5 41. Nd2 a5 {Black has played well these last ten moves, keeping active even at the cost of a pawn, but unfortunately White's position is probably winning with best play.} 42. Nc4+ Ke6 43. Rh7 Rb8 44. Ke2 Kf5 45. Rh6 Nf6 46. h4 a4 47. Kd3 c5 (47... Rd8+ $16 {would have continued to put up more active resistance}) 48. Ne3+ Ke5 49. h5 $6 (49. Rg6 $1 $18 {forces Black's king back for tactical reasons. The position can't be held anymore.}) 49... Rd8+ {In the game again! I suspect there was an element of time pressure here.} 50. Kc4 $6 Ne4 $4 (50... Rd2 $1 $11 {is a sudden draw; the subtlety here is that while Black can't take on b2 immediately, he does have} 51. Kxc5 Ne4+ 52. Kc6 Kd4 $1 53. Nf5+ Ke5 {The knight has no good way to avoid the attention of the Black king, and Rxb2 is always on the cards.}) 51. Kb5 {Now White picks up the a-pawn and there should be no further drama.} Kd4 52. Nc4 $18 a3 53. Nxa3 Nd6+ 54. Kc6 Nf7 55. Nb5+ 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Challengers"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Girya, Olga"] [Black "Gordievsky, Dmitry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "2489"] [BlackElo "2622"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nf3 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 Na6 7. O-O e5 8. Be3 c6 9. d5 Ng4 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bh4 c5 12. Ne1 h5 13. a3 Nh6 14. f3 Nf7 15. Nc2 Bh6 16. Bd3 Bd7 17. Qe2 Nc7 18. b4 b6 19. Ne3 Ne8 20. Bf2 Ng7 21. Qc2 Nh8 22. bxc5 bxc5 23. Rab1 f5 24. exf5 gxf5 25. Rb7 Bc8 26. Rb2 Ng6 27. Rfb1 Nf4 28. Bf1 h4 29. Qa4 Bd7 30. Qa6 Qf6 31. Nb5 Bxb5 32. Qxb5 Qg6 33. Kh1 Nfh5 $1 {For the first of two times, Black places a knight on h5 with devastating effect.} ( 33... Ngh5 $2 34. Bxh4 {This is why the f-knight goes to h5. h4 is not capturable while e3 hangs.}) 34. Qb3 Ng3+ 35. Kg1 (35. hxg3 $2 hxg3 {Black either wins f2 or mates with Qh5+ - or both.}) 35... e4 36. hxg3 {Girya decides that the capture must be attempted.} (36. fxe4 Nxe4 {gives Black great activity and open lines on the kingside.}) 36... hxg3 37. Be1 Rae8 $6 (37... Rab8 $1 {immediately decisive.} 38. Qc3 Bxe3+ 39. Qxe3 Rxb2 40. Rxb2 f4 41. Qxe4 Qh6 42. Bd3 Qh2+ 43. Kf1 Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qxg2+ 45. Kd1 Qxb2 {The stunning point. ...Rab8 forced this entire sequence, winning the loose rook on b2. Engines are impressive.}) 38. Nd1 e3 {The more patient approach also leaves Girya no way to defend.} (38... Bf4 $1 {defending g3 prepares the queen's infiltration on the h-file. Black is winning.}) 39. Bd3 Nh5 {The knight is headed to f4 in good time and even more directly, the queen is headed to the h-file now that g3 is defended. ...Qg5 and ...Bf4 were also good.} 40. Nc3 Nf4 (40... Qg5 $1 {intending ...Qh4 was devastating.}) 41. Qc2 e2 $1 {What does this threaten? ...Bg7-Bd4!} 42. Bxf5 Qh5 43. Bxg3 Bg7 $1 44. Be6+ Rxe6 45. dxe6 Bd4+ 46. Bf2 Qg5 (46... Nh3+ {was a nice mate in 7 pointed out by the engine, but Black wins cleanly and prettily in the game as well.} 47. gxh3 Bxf2+ 48. Kxf2 Qxf3+ 49. Kg1 Qg3+ 50. Kh1 Rf1+ 51. Rxf1 exf1=R#) 47. g4 Qh4 {a pretty cross-pin.} 48. Qxe2 Nxe2+ 49. Rxe2 Qg3+ 50. Kf1 Qxf3 0-1 [Event "80th Tata Steel GpA"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.14"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Bb4 {A pet line of the Lithuanian GM Rozentalis. Giri was happy that Kramnik deviated from his superb opening preparation, but not for long...} 3. Qb3 Ba5 ({Also possible is} 3... a5 4. a3 Bxc3 5. Qxc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 d6 8. e3 e5 {building a wall on the dark squares as in Aronian,L (2785) -Riazantsev,A (2671) Sharjah 2017}) 4. Nf3 c5 5. d4 $146 {Move number five and already a novelty.} ({The position is fresh though; the only other test so far saw} 5. g3 Nf6 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 d6 9. e4 h6 10. h3 e5 { with complex game, Bezman,V (2395)-Jascenko,O (2180) St Petersburg 1994}) 5... Nf6 6. dxc5 Na6 7. Be3 Ne4 {Now the game finally enters Nimzo-Indian waters.} 8. g3 Naxc5 9. Qc2 {But it's Nimzo-Indian that's favorable for Black, as "he somehow tricked me in the opening to move the queen twice Qd1-b3-c2." (Giri)} Bxc3+ {Sooner or later Black will play this, but he could have also started with either} (9... d6) ({or} 9... b6) 10. bxc3 b6 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. O-O O-O 13. Rfd1 {The opening was a big success for the 14th world champion. All his light pieces are excellent, while the white pawns on the queenside are obvious targets.} Qe7 ({Giri was seriously afraid of} 13... Qc7 $1 {which would have prevented his plan. "I was hoping for a draw here."}) 14. a4 $1 {Now the Dutch GM not only removes one of his weaknesses but he creates a weakness on Kramnik's camp too.} d6 15. a5 f5 {Inaccurate.} ({Correct was to drop the knight at once in order to oppose the light-squared bishop with} 15... Nf6 $1 { An additional bonus is that White cannot attack the b-pawn easily either:} 16. Rdb1 $2 ({If White plays in a similar way as in the game} 16. Nd4 {then} Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Ng4 {followed by Ng4-e5 allows Black a chance to attack the weakness on c4 at once.}) 16... Be4 {since the e4 square is effectively used by the bishop too.}) 16. axb6 axb6 17. Nd4 Nf6 18. Bxb7 Nxb7 {Forced.} (18... Qxb7 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Nb5 {drops the pawn on d6.}) 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Nb5 {The white pawns are still horrible but he got plenty of activity to compensate for it.} ( 20. Qb3 {was less convincing after} Ng4 21. Bc1 ({The pawn is not worth the crippled strcuture after} 21. Qxb6 Nxe3 22. fxe3) 21... Ne5) 20... Rc8 ({ Instead} 20... Nd7 $1 {would not save the pawn due to the small trick} 21. Nxd6 ({Therefore} 21. Bf4 $5 {might be more interesting in order to develop the initiative.}) (21. Qd2 Ne5 22. Nxd6 Nxd6 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Rxd6 Nxc4 25. Rxe6 Rc8 {transposes.}) 21... Nxd6 22. Qd3 {True, if we continue the line a bit} Ne5 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Rxd6 Nxc4 25. Rxe6 Rc8 {transposes.} 26. Re7 (26. Bd4 $2 { self-traps the rook} Kf7) 26... Kf8 27. Rb7 Nxe3 28. fxe3 Rxc3 {we see that it should all end peacefully.}) 21. Qa2 ({Also promising for White looks} 21. Bxb6 Rxc4 22. Ra1 Rc8 23. Ra7) 21... d5 {Not the move that Kramnik wanted to make, but there is nothing else.} ({Not} 21... Rc6 $2 22. Qa8+ Kf7 23. Ra1 {and White wins.}) 22. Bg5 {Mounts pressure against the pawns.} ({Both} 22. Qa7) ({ Or} 22. Bxb6 {were promising as well.}) 22... Rxc4 ({White is clearly better after} 22... dxc4 23. Qa7) 23. Qa8+ (23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Qa6 Qd7 {hsould be holdable for Black.}) 23... Kf7 $3 {"Brilliant!" (Giri)} ({The Dutch GM was hoping for} 23... Nd8 24. Bxf6 Qxf6 25. Rxd5 $1 exd5 26. Qxd5+ {which will help him regain the material with interest. Now} Qf7 {is definitely not great due to} 27. Qxd8+ Qf8 28. Qd5+ Qf7 29. Qxf7+ Kxf7 30. Nd6+ {Hm , weren't we playing chess, rather then checkers?}) 24. Ra1 {Good that White has strong pressure along the a-file no matter what.} ({Obviously Giri saw from afar the trick} 24. Qxb7 Qxb7 25. Nd6+ {but here he finished the line} Ke7 26. Nxb7 Rc7 {and the conclusions did not thrill him...}) 24... Na5 25. Qb8 Rc6 {Both players were down to five minutes on their clocks and as we know it, it is way easier to attack than to defend when low on time.} ({Stronger was} 25... Nc6 26. Qxb6 Kg6 27. Bxf6 Kxf6 28. Ra8 {with good chances to hold.}) 26. Nd4 Rxc3 { Brave, daring, or reckless?} ({More resilient was} 26... Rd6 27. Nf3 Qd8 ({ But not} 27... Kg6 28. Ne5+ $1 Kxg5 29. Qxd6 Qxd6 30. Nf7+ Kg6 31. Nxd6) 28. Ne5+ Kf8 29. Qa7 Qe7 {and I do not see anything decisive for White.}) 27. Qxb6 Nc4 28. Qb8 Nd7 $2 {A blunder, which loses on the spot.} ({The only chance was: } 28... Ra3 $1 {although then White still has huge attack with} 29. Rb1 Qe8 30. Rb7+ Kg6 {with a choice between promisng endgame with} 31. Qxe8+ ({Or attack after} 31. Qc7 $5) 31... Nxe8 32. Nxe6) 29. Bxe7 Nxb8 30. Bb4 $1 {All of a sudden, the rook is trapped.} e5 31. Ra7+ Kg8 (31... Kf6 32. Bxc3 exd4 33. Bxd4+) 32. Bxc3 exd4 33. Bxd4 Nc6 34. Rxg7+ Kf8 35. Bf6 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.14"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Adhiban, Baskaran"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C47"] [WhiteElo "2655"] [BlackElo "2834"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 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. b3 (13. Nd1 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 {½-½ Efimenko,Z (2689)-Nikolic,P (2638) Valjevo 2012} ) 13... a5 $146 (13... h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 16. Ne2 c5 17. Ng3 { ½-½ Mohr,G (2495)-Leventic,I (2448) Bol 2013}) 14. h3 h6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qxf6 gxf6 17. Ne2 c5 18. Ng3 Rd8 19. Nf5 Bf8 20. Ne7+ Bxe7 21. Rxe7 Be6 22. Rd1 c4 23. Be2 a4 24. bxa4 Bf5 25. Bf3 $2 ({After} 25. c3 {it's White who is slightly better.}) 25... d4 26. a5 $2 {Just two mistakes and White is lost.} ({ A long computer variation goes} 26. Re2 Rb2 27. Red2 d3 28. cxd3 c3 29. Rxb2 cxb2 30. Rb1 Rb8 31. Be4 Be6 32. a5 Bxa2 33. Rxb2 Rxb2 34. a6 Rb1+ 35. Kh2 Ra1 36. a7 Bd5 37. Bxd5 Rxa7 38. g4 {which is probably a draw.}) 26... Bxc2 27. Rc1 Rb1 $1 28. Rxb1 Bxb1 29. Rc7 c3 30. Bd1 Ra8 31. Rc5 Bxa2 32. Bc2 Be6 33. Kf1 Rc8 34. Rxc8+ Bxc8 35. Ke2 Ba6+ 36. Kf3 d3 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.14"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Qb3 {I was intrigued by this opening, and looked around it a bit, finding that it is indeed played reasonably often by really top players, but probably should not promise anything, at least on a cursory investigation.} Ba5 (3... a5 {is a stereotypical 'Bogo' way to play, and after} 4. a3 Bxc3 5. Qxc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 d6 8. e3 e5 9. d4 Nc6 $11 {Black was fine in Aronian,L-Riazantsev,A Sharjah 2017}) 4. Nf3 c5 (4... Nf6 {was played in an old Conquest-Rozentalis game, but doubtless Giri had something else quite inventive up his sleeve, for instance} 5. g4 $5 $13) 5. d4 Nf6 6. dxc5 $5 {Not holding back, Giri makes a double-edged decision that might score worse on the engine pane, but is nearly certain to get him the bishop pair and hence an imbalanced position.} (6. e3 {might well be more solid, and Black needs to be careful that he does not transpose to an awkward Nimzo. This can be acheived with} cxd4 $6 7. exd4 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bd3 $14 {and for this reason Black should prefer something like 6...d6.}) 6... Na6 7. Be3 Ne4 8. g3 Naxc5 9. Qc2 Bxc3+ (9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 b6 11. Bg2 {is a hard thing for a human to play as Black, with the backward d-pawn and the wayward bishop on a5.}) 10. bxc3 b6 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. O-O O-O 13. Rfd1 Qe7 {Now we have more or less the position that White signed up for on move 6. A simplistic evaluation would be 'equal', a better one would be 'equal for kids or blitz players, better for Black from 1800 to 2600 in classical, and messy above that!'} 14. a4 {One problem Black has is that he cannot block the a5-push.} d6 (14... f5 15. a5 e5 16. axb6 axb6 {might have been preferable for Black, who intends ...f4 soon- the plan is very easy to grasp.}) 15. a5 f5 16. axb6 axb6 17. Nd4 Nf6 18. Bxb7 Nxb7 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Nb5 Rc8 $6 {Leaving the a-file, which White eventually exploits, and he could in fact have done so a bit faster.} (20... Nd7 $1 {is sensible, heading for c5 with one knight and either a5 or e5 with the other, and keeping the Nimzo-typical ...Rc8 in reserve. White wins a pawn with} 21. Nxd6 Nxd6 22. Qd3 Ne5 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Rxd6 Nxc4 25. Rxe6 {but after} Rc8 $3 {his pieces are so badly tangled that he must give it back to get out.} 26. Re7 Kf8 27. Rb7 Nxe3 28. fxe3 Rxc3 29. e4 fxe4 30. Rxb6 $11) 21. Qa2 (21. Bxb6 Rxc4 22. Ra1 $16 ) 21... d5 22. Bg5 {A reasonable human way of using the a-file.} Rxc4 $6 (22... Qd7 $5 23. Bxf6 gxf6 $132 {is quite a random defensive attempt, but it seems okay.}) (22... dxc4 23. Qa7 $16) 23. Qa8+ Kf7 24. Ra1 Na5 25. Qb8 Rc6 26. Nd4 Rxc3 $2 (26... Rd6 $1 {leaves Black facing a string of tactical problems, but his pieces aren't as poorly linked as in the game.} 27. Bf4 (27. Nf3 Qd8 28. Ne5+ Kf8 29. Qa7 Qe7 30. Qa6 Nb3 31. Rb1 Nc5 $44) 27... Rd7 28. Qxb6 Nc4 29. Qb8 Qe8 $11) 27. Qxb6 {Now Black should be lost, which seemingly is only discovered by playing down lines with the engine rather than just letting it run.} Nc4 28. Qb8 Nd7 {The final mistake, getting the rook trivially trapped.} (28... Ra3 29. Rb1 Kg6 {is the engine attempt, and now White may have nothing better than an almost-definitely-winning ending with} 30. Rb7 Qe8 31. Qxe8+ Nxe8 32. Nxe6 $16) 29. Bxe7 Nxb8 30. Bb4 $18 e5 31. Ra7+ Kg8 32. Bxc3 exd4 33. Bxd4 Nc6 34. Rxg7+ Kf8 35. Bf6 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.14"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Hou, Yifan"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2680"] [BlackElo "2804"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. a3 Ba5 {This is optimistic. Bxc3 is the move you play if you would like to hold a solid draw.} 7. Nge2 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 (9. Na4 $5 {demands attention, because the bishop pair is almost never bad to have. An old game by an (East) German grandmaster went:} Bf5 10. Nc5 Qc8 11. Bg5 Bb6 12. b4 Bxc5 13. dxc5 Re8 $11 { Schmittdiel,E-Uhlmann,W Germany 1992}) 9... f6 10. Be3 Bf5 11. Nf4 $6 {The computer sees no problem with this, but compared to move 6, Black is much better developed and ready to take advantage of the structural problem this implies.} Bxc3 12. bxc3 Qd7 13. c4 Bxd3 (13... Na5 {is the engine recommendation, but the compact structure after} 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. c4 Nxe3 16. fxe3 {may be better for White than it thinks.}) 14. Qxd3 Rad8 15. Rab1 (15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Qxd5 17. c4 $132 {is worth a look: the blitzy ...Ne5 gets the knight trapped, and when White gets d5 in his bishop will be of equal value to the knight.}) 15... b6 16. Rb5 $6 {Now Black is slightly better already — this rook is tactically weak and does not coordinate well with the rest of the pieces.} dxc4 17. Qxc4+ Rf7 18. Rd1 {This doesn't help either — now everything comes with tempo.} Na5 19. Qd3 c6 20. Rbb1 Qf5 $15 21. a4 (21. Qe2 Nd5 22. Nxd5 cxd5 23. Qd3 {might not be so dreadful}) 21... g5 $1 22. Nh5 Qxd3 23. Rxd3 Nd5 24. Bd2 Nc4 {This position is almost winning at the elite level, and Mamedyarov's 'tactically informed technique' is nearly perfect.} 25. Re1 h6 26. h4 (26. Re6 Rd6 27. Re8+ Kh7 28. h3 {may have been worth a try, just to keep two active pieces}) 26... Kh7 27. g4 gxh4 28. Re6 Rd6 29. Rxd6 Nxd6 30. f3 f5 $19 31. Be1 a5 32. Bxh4 b5 33. Ra3 Nc4 34. Ra1 fxg4 35. fxg4 Nde3 36. Nf6+ Kg6 37. d5 cxd5 38. axb5 Rxf6 {Gaining material, though there might have been some last bit of optimisation to do.} (38... Nxc2 39. Rc1 (39. Rb1 Nd2 $19) 39... Nd4 40. Kg2 Rxf6 41. Bxf6 Kxf6 42. Rb1 Nb6 {obtains the same position with the c2-pawn gone.}) 39. Bxf6 Kxf6 40. c3 (40. Kf2 Nxg4+ 41. Kf3 Nge5+ 42. Kf4 {was the last try to pose practical problems, in my opinion}) 40... Ke6 $19 {Now Black's pieces all have defined roles: the Black king will stop the b-pawn, and then take it once the a-pawn has distracted White's rook.} 41. b6 Kd7 42. Rb1 Kc8 43. b7+ Kb8 44. Kf2 a4 45. Ke2 a3 46. Kd3 Nxg4 47. Kd4 Nd2 (47... Nge3 {and ...Nc2 and ...a2 would have been as per the original plan, but there is a tactic instead.}) 48. Rb4 a2 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.14"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Adhiban, B."] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2655"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 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 {It is interesting how these things change. In 2008 this line was taught to me from the White side by Ukrainian-Israeli GM Boris Alterman; shortly after became an IM (in 2011) I viewed it as primarily a drawing weapon and now I think it's just a way to get a long and strategically messy game which the better player will probably win. That is in fact what occurred.} Bd6 (11... Rb8 12. h3 {probably brings White a little bit closer to his dream of Na4, b3, c4, Bf4 and Rad1.}) (11... Be7 { is more played and is most solid, but the doubled f-pawns are not something to get that scared about.}) 12. Rae1 {Possibly preparation, but in any case quite logical to take the e5-square from Black's bishop.} (12. h3 {is main, and now a tactic worth knowing is} Rb8 13. b3 Be5 14. Bf4 $5 {although it doesn't necessarily promise White anything after} Bxc3 15. Bxb8 Bxa1 16. Rxa1 Bg4 17. hxg4 Qxb8 $11 {as in Morozevich,A -Kramnik,V Moscow 2013. However, we were not destined to see another bishop-vs- knight-and-solid-d5-centre draw this round.} ) 12... Rb8 13. b3 {Keeping equality.} (13. Na4 h6 $1 $15) 13... a5 (13... Bb4 {tries to take advantage of White's tactically vulnerable pieces. There could follow:} 14. Qg3 Bd7 {and I assume Carlsen saw this and steered clear due to the drawing line} 15. Qh4 $1 h6 16. Bxh6 $11) 14. h3 h6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qxf6 gxf6 17. Ne2 c5 18. Ng3 Rd8 19. Nf5 {So White has emerged with a marginally more comfortable position from the opening, but Black isn't giving up on trying to win just yet.} Bf8 $1 {Bishops of the same colour always offer more imbalance, and in this case White needs to be concerned about the ...c4 push too.} (19... Bxf5 20. Bxf5 a4 21. g3 axb3 22. axb3 Be5 $11 {would be a reasonably solid way to make a draw}) 20. Ne7+ Bxe7 21. Rxe7 Be6 22. Rd1 (22. Ra7 $1 {As always, White should exchange precisely one pair of rooks, and this poses Black some significant problems.} Ra8 (22... c4 23. Be2 {is inconvenient for Black as he doesn't obtain enough in case of ...c4, but also bad is} Ra8 24. Rxa8 Rxa8 25. f4 $14) 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. f4 (24. g4 h5 $11) 24... f5 $1 ( 24... Kf8 25. Kf2 Ke7 26. g4 $14 {leads to the same problem as in Giri-Hou yesterday, and a Rubinstein game about 100 years ago: the isolated rook's pawn is often a major weakness.}) 25. g4 fxg4 26. f5 Bd7 27. hxg4 Re8 $11) 22... c4 23. Be2 a4 {Now Black is having some fun: possibly Adhiban missed from afar that ...Rxc2 can pin a bishop to a c7-rook a few moves into certain lines.} 24. bxa4 Bf5 $6 {Either an inaccuracy or a slight gamble. Either way, it makes the game look a bit less 'smooth' given that it is a win in the end, but also increased the likelihood of that being the result.} (24... Kf8 25. Rc7 Rb2 $132 {was for instance one reasonable continuation for Black}) 25. Bf3 $6 {Missing the accidental chance.} (25. c3 $1 Ra8 (25... d4 26. Bxc4 dxc3 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Bb3 $14) 26. Rc7 $1 {The point is that White can use the pin on the d-file, and for this reason Black is unable to take on a4. For instance:} Be6 27. f4 f5 28. Rd2 $14) 25... d4 $1 $15 26. a5 $2 (26. Re2 Rb2 27. Red2 {is the engine suggestion but following} d3 $5 {it is also a bit depressing, e.g.} 28. cxd3 ( 28. c3 Rb6 29. a5 Ra6 $15) 28... c3 29. Rxb2 cxb2 30. Rb1 Rb8 31. Be4 Be6 32. a5 Bxa2 33. Rxb2 Rxb2 34. a6 Rb1+ 35. Kh2 Ra1 36. a7 Bd5 37. Bxd5 Rxa7 $15 { and the endgame should be held, especially at this level: bishop goes to f5 and is supported by g4, for instance, but it requires a certain appetite for suffering to go in for this.}) 26... Bxc2 $19 27. Rc1 Rb1 28. Rxb1 Bxb1 29. Rc7 c3 {The engine takes a while to realise, but White is toast.} 30. Bd1 (30. Kf1 Re8 {snares the a5-pawn in a reasonably funny way}) 30... Ra8 31. Rc5 Bxa2 32. Bc2 Be6 33. Kf1 Rc8 34. Rxc8+ Bxc8 35. Ke2 Ba6+ 36. Kf3 d3 {A very well played game!} 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.14"] [Round "2.6"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Jones, Gawain C B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2811"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 {I'm not sure what else one expects from Gawain Jones!} 5. h3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 {The Petrosian systems are a good place for both sides to show class as they lead to long and yet complicated games, so this was a predictable choice from Caruana, but as Gawain mentioned yesterday, he is not in this event as decoration and can give as good as he gets in complex positions.} Na6 8. g4 Nc5 9. f3 h5 $5 $146 { This is new according to my database, but also quite good.} ({Previously a strong grandmaster had played for ...f5 here with} 9... Ne8 10. Qd2 f5 11. exf5 gxf5 {and lost a long game to a centre/kingside attack in Parligras, M-Demchenko,A Konya 2017}) 10. Qd2 (10. Bg5 {might have been an interesting way to execute the same idea, trying to get the Black queen a bit out of place first.}) (10. g5 Nh7 11. h4 {would have forced Black to come up with something other than the plan he showed in the game. My guess is that the intention was} f6 $5 12. Qd2 fxg5 13. hxg5 {and now if he had reached this position, Black might not have been able to resist the thematic, and ironically Petrosian-like, exchange sacrifice} Rf4 $5 14. Bxf4 exf4 15. Qxf4 Bd7 $44) 10... Nh7 11. O-O-O h4 {Black is threatened with a kingside attack, so he must prevent gxh5 opening up the whole flank.} 12. Bd3 {Black can now choose between ...f5 and .. .b5 plans.} Nxd3+ (12... a6 {is another way of playing; even though White would typically like to retain the light-squared bishop on say c2, here Black is on time with ...b5 and some pawn sacrifices.} 13. Kb1 (13. Bc2 b5 14. b4 Nb7 15. cxb5 a5 $1 $13 {is cute}) 13... Nxd3 14. Qxd3 b5 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Nxb5 Ba6 $13 {Black seems to have quite good compensation.}) 13. Qxd3 f5 14. Rh2 (14. gxf5 gxf5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Ne4 {was stereotyped, but maybe not advantageous after} Qe8 $11) 14... Kh8 15. Rg2 Bd7 {Black keeps tension.} (15... f4 { runs the risk that following} 16. Bf2 {and another 40 moves, Black will find himself crushed on the queenside with no moves or space.}) 16. exf5 gxf5 17. g5 f4 18. Bf2 Qe8 $6 {This is completely understandable, trying to organise ... Qh5 and ...Nf8-g6 or even ..Be8-g6, but concretely another move was better.} ( 18... Rg8 {The idea is just to use the unexpected pressure on... the g5 pawn.} 19. g6 $5 (19. Bxh4 Bh6 $11) 19... Bf6 20. Nge2 Nf8 $11 {Black will play .... Qc8 and ...Bf5 next.}) 19. Ne4 $14 Bf5 20. Bxh4 Qh5 21. Bf2 Bxe4 ({.Nf8-g6 and other extravagant maneouvres do not ultimately target the White kingside pawns, for example} 21... Rfc8 22. h4 Nf8 23. Kb1 Ng6 24. Ne2 $16 {and White can play c5 soon.}) 22. fxe4 Nxg5 23. Rg4 Nh7 (23... Bh6 {was another option, after which White is also better and may manage to get more pieces off:} 24. Rh4 Qg6 25. Nf3 $1 Nf7 26. Rg1 $16) 24. Nf3 Bf6 25. c5 Rg8 26. Rdg1 Qh6 (26... Be7 { was also possible immediately and would have maintained the option of ...Rxg4 and ...Qe8-a4.}) 27. Qf1 Be7 (27... Rxg4 28. hxg4 Rg8 $14) 28. Kc2 (28. Bh4 $1 {would have led to a situation reminiscent of Anand's game from yesterday, where White's practical advantage is larger than his actual one. For instance:} Rxg4 29. hxg4 $1 Bxh4 30. Rh1 Rg8 31. cxd6 cxd6 32. Nxh4 $16) 28... Nf6 $11 29. Ng5 Raf8 30. Ne6 Qh7 $1 31. Rh4 Nh5 32. Nxf8 Rxf8 (32... Qxe4+ $5 {led to a really interesting ending:} 33. Qd3 Qxd3+ 34. Kxd3 Bxh4 35. Ng6+ Rxg6 36. Rxg6 Kh7 37. Rg2 Bxf2 38. Rxf2 Ng3 39. cxd6 cxd6 $44 {I very much believe Black is in this game, and all three reuslts are on the cards.}) 33. Rhg4 Qxe4+ 34. Qd3 Qxd3+ 35. Kxd3 e4+ 36. Kc4 (36. Kxe4 Nf6+ 37. Kf3 $14 {would have been my choice-baby steps! Caruana wants to try and win with an extra exchange.}) 36... dxc5 37. Bxc5 Bxc5 38. Kxc5 Ng3 39. Rh4+ Kg7 40. Kd4 Rf5 41. Rxf4 $1 {The best way to give up an exchange.} (41. Rc1 Rf7 42. Rg4+ Kf8 {would have delayed the inevitable but White is going to have to sac an exchange against the rolling pawns.}) 41... Rxf4 42. Rxg3+ Kf6 43. Rb3 c6 {Now Black has to try and get 'b and a against e with rooks' as connected pawns always win in these things.} ( 43... b6 44. Rc3 e3+ $1 {was a simple-once-you-see it way to draw:} 45. Kxe3 Ke5 46. Rxc7 Rh4 47. Rxa7 Rxh3+ 48. Kd2 Kxd5 $11) 44. Rxb7 (44. dxc6 bxc6 45. Rc3 {is, strangely enough, winning, for complicated reasons we shan't go into.} ) 44... cxd5 45. Kxd5 e3 $1 {And this is the reason why Rxb7 isn't winning. Black's e-pawn is far enough advanced that White cannot take a7 and then go back.} 46. Rb3 Rf2 47. Rxe3 Rxb2 48. a4 Rb7 49. h4 Rd7+ 50. Kc5 Rh7 51. Re4 Rh5+ 52. Kd6 Kf7 53. Re7+ Kg8 {Black remembers how to draw from the side as in a Nakamura-Howell game if need be!} 54. Re4 Kf7 55. Rf4+ Ke8 56. Kc7 Ke7 57. Re4+ Kf6 58. Kb7 Rh7+ 59. Ka6 Kf5 60. Rb4 Ke6 61. a5 Kd6 62. Rf4 Rh5 63. Rg4 Kc6 64. Rb4 Rh7 65. Rc4+ Kd6 66. Rc1 Rxh4 67. Kxa7 Ra4 68. a6 Rb4 69. Ka8 $11 { Black's king is too close to the pawn.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Masters 2018"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.14"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Adhiban, B."] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C47"] [WhiteElo "2655"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "Divya"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [TimeControl "6000+30"] [WhiteClock "0:41:39"] [BlackClock "0:02:24"] {'C7: Scotch Four Knights and Four Knights with g3} 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} e5 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0: 00:51]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 4. d4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} exd4 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 5. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 6. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} bxc6 { [%emt 0:00:03]} 7. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:16]} d5 {96} 8. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} O-O { [%emt 0:00:10]} 9. O-O {[%emt 0:00:03]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 10. Bg5 {91} c6 { [%emt 0:00:14]} 11. Qf3 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Bd6 {168} 12. Rae1 {110} Rb8 {400 This is the last move that is there in the book} 13. b3 {144} (13. Nd1 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 {1/2-1/2 (15) Efimenko,Z (2689)-Nikolic,P (2638) Valjevo 2012}) 13... a5 $146 {806} ({Another move was} 13... h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxf6 gxf6 16. Ne2 c5 17. Ng3 {1/2-1/2 (17) Mohr,G (2495)-Leventic,I (2448) Bol 2013}) (13... Bb4 14. Qg3 (14. Bd2 c5 15. Nb1 Bxd2 16. Nxd2 Qa5 17. Qg3 Bg4 18. Nf3 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Rbe8 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. a4 $11) 14... Be6 15. Qh4 $11) 14. h3 {311} h6 {320 White has an edge.} (14... Bb4 15. Bd2 $11) 15. Bxf6 {[%emt 0: 00:12]} Qxf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 16. Qxf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} gxf6 {19 'Black has the pair of bishops'} 17. Ne2 $1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} c5 {507} 18. Ng3 {160} Rd8 { [%emt 0:00:40]} 19. Nf5 {137 'White has a very strong knight but will be exchanged soon} Bf8 {183} 20. Ne7+ {860} Bxe7 $1 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 21. Rxe7 { [%emt 0:00:06]} Be6 {78} 22. Rd1 {[%eval 26,18] 361} (22. Ra7 $16 {[%eval 71, 15]} Ra8 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 $11) 22... c4 {585 'Black gains space'} 23. Be2 {1223} a4 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 24. bxa4 {95} Bf5 {212} (24... Kf8 25. Rc7 $11) (24... d4 25. f4 f5 26. Rxe6 fxe6 27. Bxc4 Kf7 28. Re1 {is also fine for white}) 25. Bf3 {1241} (25. c3 $142 $5 $14) 25... d4 $15 {100} 26. a5 {[%eval -90,14] 532} (26. Re2 $1 $11 {[%eval 22,16]} Rb2 27. Red2 d3 28. cxd3 c3 29. Rxb2 cxb2 $15) 26... Bxc2 $17 {105} 27. Rc1 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Rb1 {402} 28. Rxb1 {586} Bxb1 {3 Endgame KRB-KRB} 29. Rc7 {[%eval -135,18] 223} (29. Rb7 $1 $15 {[%eval -65,15]} Bg6 30. Bd1 (30. Rc7 c3 $17)) 29... c3 $1 {49 [#] White must now prevent ...c2. } 30. Bd1 {172} Ra8 {153} ({But not} 30... Bxa2 31. a6 $11) 31. Rc5 {[%emt 0: 00:56]} Bxa2 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 32. Bc2 {[%eval -198,16] [%emt 0:00:16]} (32. f4 $17 {[%eval -118,15]}) 32... Be6 $19 {107} 33. Kf1 {[%eval -289,15] 126} (33. Rb5 {[%eval -194,15] keeps fighting.}) 33... Rc8 $1 {[%emt 0:00:59]} 34. Rxc8+ {[%emt 0:00:10]} Bxc8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 35. Ke2 {208 [#] aiming for Bd3.} Ba6+ { [%emt 0:00:03]} 36. Kf3 $2 {[%eval -1383,13] [%emt 0:00:11]} (36. Kd1 {[%eval -315,19]}) 36... d3 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 37. Bxd3 Bxd3 $19 0-1 [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.14"] [Round "2.5"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2767"] [Annotator "Divya"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [TimeControl "6000+30"] [WhiteClock "0:30:34"] [BlackClock "0:37:11"] {'E04: Open Catalan: Nf3} 1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. g3 { [%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 3. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:14] } 4. O-O {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 5. d4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} e6 { [%emt 0:00:15]} 6. c4 {[%emt 0:00:53]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 7. dxc5 {[%emt 0: 00:08]} Qxd1 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 8. Rxd1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bxc5 {[%eval 21,9] [%emt 0:00:08] last book move} 9. Nfd2 {[%eval 24,10] [%emt 0:00:06]} Na5 { [%eval 30,10] 627} (9... Nd5 $142 {[%eval 70,9]} 10. Nxc4 {[%eval 48,9]} b5 $11 {[%eval 115,5]} (10... Nd4 11. Nd6+ Bxd6 12. Rxd4 Be5 13. Rd1 Bf6 14. Nd2)) 10. Na3 $4 {[%eval 15,10] [%emt 0:00:11] 'gives the opponent counterplay'} (10. Nc3 $142 $16 {[%eval 27,10]}) 10... Bxa3 $19 {[%eval -9,12] 383} 11. bxa3 {[%eval -5,11] [%emt 0:00:07]} O-O $4 $146 {[%eval 3,10] 510 'Black is ruining his position'} ({This could have also been played as in Carlsen vs Harikrishna} 11... Nd5 12. Ne4 O-O 13. Bd2 b6 14. Rac1 Ba6 15. Bxa5 bxa5 {1-0 (39) Carlsen, M (2837)-Harikrishna,P (2744) Riadh 2017}) (11... c3 {[%eval 20,11]} 12. Nb3 { [%eval -26,9]} c2 {[%eval 102,11]} 13. Rd2 $16 {[%eval 102,8]}) 12. Ne4 $4 { [%eval 12,10] 109 'there were better ways to keep up the pressure'} (12. Bb2 { [%eval 13,10]} Nd5 {[%eval 20,9]} 13. Rac1 $11 {[%eval 34,9]}) 12... Nxe4 $17 { [%eval -11,11] 109} 13. Bxe4 {[%eval -9,10] [%emt 0:00:05]} e5 $4 {[%eval -7,9] 93 'a move that relinquishes the win'} (13... f5 $142 $5 {[%eval 46,8]} 14. Bc2 {[%eval -66,8]} c3 $17 {[%eval -1,9]}) 14. Bb2 {[%eval 13,9] 108} (14. Bd2 { [%eval 4,10]} Nc6 $15 {[%eval 21,9]}) 14... Re8 $4 {[%eval 12,7] 341} (14... Nc6 {[%eval 13,8]} 15. Rac1 $11 {[%eval -18,8]}) 15. Bc3 {[%eval 31,9] 332} Nc6 {[%eval 22,8] [%emt 0:00:15]} 16. Rab1 {[%eval 29,8] [%emt 0:00:04]} h6 { [%eval 47,6] 877} 17. f3 {[%eval 61,7] 430 White has compensation and the f3 move not only strengthens the e4 bishop but also 'Controls g4'} (17. Kg2 { [%eval 27,8]} Re7 $14 {[%eval 40,8]}) 17... Re7 {[%eval 56,8] 359} (17... Nd4 { [%eval 70,9]} 18. Kf2 {[%eval 70,8]} Rb8 $11 {[%eval 296,7]}) 18. Kf2 $14 { [%eval 49,7] 1529} f6 {[%eval 41,9] 693} 19. Bd5+ {[%eval 36,9] 348 'White forks: c4'} (19. Rd6 {[%eval 44,7]} Rc7 $11 {[%eval -28,7]}) 19... Kh7 { [%eval 46,7] [%emt 0:00:39]} 20. Be4+ {[%eval 11,13] 1045} Kg8 {[%eval 20,8] [%emt 0:00:43]} 21. Bb4 {[%eval 35,8] 252} Rc7 {[%eval 38,9] 357} (21... Nxb4 { [%eval 64,9]} 22. Rd8+ {[%eval 82,9]} Kf7 {[%eval -17,9]} 23. axb4 $11 { [%eval 4,9]}) 22. Bd6 {[%eval 37,9] 114} Rd7 $1 {[%eval 82,4] [%emt 0:00:30]} 23. Bd5+ {[%eval 56,9] 68} Kh8 {[%eval 42,10] 163} 24. Bxc4 {[%eval 56,9] 218} Nd4 {[%eval 47,10] 108} 25. Bc5 {[%eval -13,18] [%emt 0:00:08]} (25. Bb4 $5 $14 {[%eval 59,17]}) 25... Rc7 $11 {[%eval -9,13] [%emt 0:00:37]} 26. Bxd4 { [%eval 1,12] [%emt 0:00:03]} Rxc4 {[%eval -7,8] [%emt 0:00:33]} 27. Be3 { [%eval 0,9] [%emt 0:00:04]} b6 {[%eval -10,10] 119 'Prevents intrusion on c5' and also clears the way for the bishop} 28. Rd8+ {[%eval -2,11] [%emt 0:00:09]} Kh7 {[%eval -7,9] [%emt 0:00:06]} 29. Rc1 {[%eval -2,9] [%emt 0:00:02]} Rxc1 { [%eval -10,8] [%emt 0:00:10]} 30. Bxc1 {[%eval -2,7] [%emt 0:00:05]} Bb7 { [%eval -10,7] [%emt 0:00:06]} 31. Rxa8 {[%eval -34,7] [%emt 0:00:06]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.15"] [Round "3.5"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 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. Qc2 {"Funnily enough this is the first time someone plays this against him." (Anand)} ({Indeed, Caruana's latest game from London saw:} 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Qd7 11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. Bxf5 Qxf5 13. Qxb7 Qd7 14. Qxd7 Nxd7 15. c5 Bxh2+ 16. Nxh2 Ne4 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2789)-Caruana,F (2799) London 2017}) 9... Na6 10. a3 Bg4 11. Ne5 Bf5 12. b4 ({Avoiding the rather uninspiring:} 12. Nc3 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Nac5 14. cxd5 cxd5 {1/2-1/2 (14) Piorun,K (2631)-Wei,Y (2728) Khanty-Mansiysk 2017}) 12... Nc7 $146 {As usual Caruana is very well prepared in the opening. He comes up with an interesting novelty.} ({In the predecessor White did not achieve much after} 12... f6 13. Nf3 Bg6 14. Nc3 Nxc3 15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Qxc3 dxc4 17. Qxc4+ Rf7 {Leko,P (2740) -Ivanchuk,V (2729) Monte Carlo 2006}) 13. f3 (13. cxd5 {allows an additional resource for Black:} cxd5 14. f3 Rc8 $1 {with the main point being} 15. fxe4 dxe4 16. Rxf5 Ne6 17. Qd1 Nxd4 18. Bxe4 $2 Rxc1 $1) 13... Bg6 $1 {"He came up with this idea which I idea missed or did not prepare." (Anand)} ({Apprently, the former world champion spent most of his preparation on the line} 13... Bxe5 14. dxe5 Bg6 {where he cannot win the knight with} 15. fxe4 $2 ({But instead White has a couple of promising options:} 15. Rd1 $5) ({or} 15. Be3 $5) 15... dxe4 16. Be2 Qd4+) 14. c5 { After long thought White rejects the offer.} ({In the line:} 14. Nxg6 fxg6 $1 15. fxe4 ({Even worse is} 15. c5 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qh4+ 17. Kg1 Ng3 18. Bb2 { when Black has a guaranteed draw with} Qh1+ ({Or may chose the even stronger} 18... Ne6 $1 {followed by Ne6-f4. (Anand)}) 19. Kf2 Qh4) 15... Qh4 {(Anand)} ({ Objectively} 15... dxe4 $1 {is stronger with the key idea} 16. Bxe4 ({Better is } 16. Rxf8+ Bxf8 17. Bxe4 Qxd4+ {with perpetual.} 18. Kf1 Qf6+ ({But Black may also chose to play on with} 18... Qxa1 19. Bb2 Qa2 20. Bd3 Bxb4 21. axb4 Rd8) 19. Kg1 Qd4+ {with perpetual.}) 16... Bxh2+ 17. Kxh2 Rxf1 {and Black wins.}) 16. g3 Bxg3 17. hxg3 (17. Qg2 $1 {might have been missed by Anand.}) 17... Qxg3+ 18. Kh1 {The Indian GM explained that here Black will always find perpetual, but one wrong move for White, or rather one missed move might lead to a loss for him. Indeed, Black seems to have decisive attack after} Qh3+ 19. Kg1 Ne6 $1) 14... Bxe5 15. dxe5 Ng5 16. Bb2 $1 {An important move. There is a problem with the knight on g5 and White wants to capitalize on it. Now the advance of the f-pawn is on the agenda. Caruana needs to react fast.} ({After} 16. Nd2 Bxd3 17. Qxd3 f5 $1 {Black manages to seal the kingside and arrange an excellent oupost for his knight on e6.}) 16... d4 $5 {This is how to solve the problem- no knight, no problem as some will say...} ({Here} 16... Bxd3 17. Qxd3 f5 {would be met with the simple} ({Anand expected instead} 17... b6 18. cxb6 axb6 19. Nd2 Nge6 20. f4 {and now} g6 21. f5 gxf5 22. Rxf5 Qh4 {although this definitely looks very risky for Black.} (22... Kg7)) 18. exf6 {spoiling Black's pawn structure.}) 17. f4 Nd5 18. fxg5 Ne3 19. Qd2 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 ({ White also checked the consequeces of the sharp} 20. Rf4 Bxb1 ({But later came to the conclusion he did well not to enter them because of} 20... Qxg5 $1 21. Rxd4 Rad8 22. Rd6 Be4 (22... Qf5 $1 {is even stronger with advantage for Black. })) 21. Rxd4 Nd5 22. Rxb1 {"It's not much of a pawn, but it is a pawn" (Anand)} ) 20... Nxf1 21. Kxf1 Qxg5 22. Nd2 Qxe5 {The forced play is over. Caruana will have a rook and a pawn versus two light pieces which is favorable for White in this particular position.} 23. Nf3 ({Later on Anand regretted that he did not go for the line that he originally intended:} 23. Nc4 $1 Qxh2 24. Qxd4 f6 ({Or } 24... Qh6 25. Nd6) 25. Nd6 {The knight on d6 is a monster which paralizes both the black rooks.}) 23... Qh5 24. Qxd4 f6 25. Qc4+ Kh8 $1 ({White was hoping for} 25... Qf7 26. Qxf7+ Rxf7 27. Nd2 {followed by Nd2-c4-d6 (Anand)}) 26. Bc1 $1 {The bishop was blunted on the long diagonal. Now it gets back in business. The d6 square is tempting for either of the white light pieces.} Rfe8 27. Bf4 a5 {Somewhere around here Caruana lost the path.} ({Correct and obvious was:} 27... Qf5 28. Bd6 Re3 {to double the rooks on the open file. After} 29. Kg1 Rae8 30. Rf1 Qg6 {Black should be OK.(Anand)}) 28. Bd6 ({ White considered} 28. bxa5 {as well, which seems less promising after} Rxa5 29. Bd6 Rb5) 28... axb4 $2 {"This is just astonishing! Now I am getting big advantage." (Anand)} (28... Qg6 $5) 29. Qxb4 Qd5 30. Qxb7 h6 ({Anand speculated that his opponent might have missed that in the forcing line} 30... Rxa3 31. Rxa3 Qd1+ 32. Kf2 Qc2+ 33. Kg3 Qg6+ {There is no perpetual because of} 34. Kh3 Qh5+ 35. Nh4 g5 36. Qb4 {and White wins.}) 31. Kg1 Ra4 32. h3 {Getting air for the king. One important observation by the former world champion was that with the bishop on d6 he is not even afraid of the sacrifices on f3 as there will be no perpetual thanks to that piece.} Rc4 (32... Re2 {does not work due to} 33. Bf8 $1) 33. Qb2 Qd3 34. Ra2 $1 {"I realized that the second rank is more dangerous than the first one." (Anand)} ({Although he also saw a win after} 34. Qd2 Qxd2 35. Nxd2 Rc2 36. Nf3 Ree2 37. Ne1 Ra2 38. Rxa2 Rxa2 39. Nd3 {followed by Nd3-b4xc6.}) 34... Qd1+ 35. Kh2 Rc1 36. a4 f5 37. Qb7 { Caruana's time trouble did not help neither, but his position is lost anyway.} f4 38. Bxf4 Rxc5 39. Rd2 (39. Qf7 Rg8 40. Qg6 {would have won as well.}) 39... Qxa4 40. Qf7 Rg8 41. Be5 Qc4 {Caruana did not wish to see the mate on the board.} 42. Rd6 $1 (42. Rd6 Qxf7 43. Rxh6#) (42. Bxg7+ $2 {does not work due to } Rxg7 43. Rd8+ Kh7 44. Ng5+ $4 (44. Qe8 Rg8 {is a draw.}) 44... Rcxg5 45. Qxc4 Rxg2+ 46. Kh1 Rg1+ 47. Kh2 R7g2#) (42. Qe7 {also complicates matters after} Rd5 ) 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 2. g3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 { [%emt 0:01:15]} 3. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 4. O-O {[%emt 0:00: 56]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 5. d4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:08]} 6. c4 { [%emt 0:00:03]} c6 {[%emt 0:05:30]} 7. Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:27] } (7... Nbd7 8. Nc3 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Ne4 10. cxd5 Nxc3 11. bxc3 cxd5 12. f4 Be6 13. Be3 f6 14. Qb3 fxe5 15. Rad1 Qc7 16. Bxd5 Bxd5 17. Rxd5 Kh8 18. fxe5 Rxf1+ 19. Kxf1 e6 20. Rd3 Qc6 21. Kg1 Bxe5 22. Qb4 Kg8 23. Bxa7 Bg7 24. Be3 h5 25. a3 Kh7 26. Qe7 Qe4 27. Qg5 Rf8 28. Rd7 Kg8 29. h3 Qb1+ 30. Bc1 Qc2 31. Rxg7+ Kxg7 32. Qe7+ Kg8 33. Qxe6+ Rf7 34. Qe8+ Rf8 35. Qe6+ Rf7 36. Qe8+ Rf8 37. Qe6+ { ½-½ (37) Kramnik,V (2810)-Ding,L (2764) Novi Sad 2016}) 8. cxd5 {[%emt 0:03: 31]} Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 9. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (9. Bh3 c5 10. dxc5 Ne4 11. Nd3 Na6 12. Be3 Bc6 13. Qc2 Bd4 14. Bxd4 Qxd4 15. Bg2 Rac8 16. Nc3 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Qf6 {½-½ (17) Speelman,J (2645)-Kasparov,G (2760) Reykjavik 1988}) 9... Bxg2 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 10. Kxg2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:07:24]} 11. Qb3 { [%emt 0:06:43]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:03:42]} (11... Nxe5 $2 12. dxe5 Nd5 13. Rd1) 12. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:31]} (12. Qxb6 axb6) 12... Qxb3 {[%emt 0:08:24]} 13. axb3 { [%emt 0:00:02]} Rfc8 {[%emt 0:18:37]} 14. f4 {[%emt 0:21:57]} (14. Be3 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Ng4 16. Bxa7 Nxe5) 14... c5 {[%emt 0:10:40]} (14... e6 15. e4) 15. Be3 { [%emt 0:03:21]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:04:08]} (15... e6 16. Nxd7 Nxd7 17. d5 Nf8 18. Bf2) 16. Rxd4 {[%emt 0:02:45]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:03:04]} 17. fxe5 {[%emt 0:01:25]} Ne8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 18. Rd7 {[%emt 0:02:41]} Rc7 {[%emt 0:12:45]} (18... Kf8 19. Rxb7 Bxe5) (18... Bxe5 19. Rxe7 (19. Rxb7 Nd6 20. Rbxa7 Rxa7 21. Rxa7 Nf5 22. Bb6 Bxc3 23. bxc3 Rxc3 24. b4 h5) 19... Bxc3 20. bxc3 Rxc3 21. Rxa7 (21. Bd4 Rxb3 22. Rxa7 Rd8 23. Ba1 $11) 21... Rxe3 (21... Rxa7 22. Rxe8+ Kg7 23. Bd4+) 22. Rxe3 Rxa7 23. Rxe8+ Kg7 24. Re7 Kf6 (24... Ra2 25. Rxb7 (25. Kf3 Rb2 (25... b5) 26. Rxb7) (25. Kf2 b5 26. Rb7 Ra5 27. b4) 25... Rxe2+ 26. Kh3 Rb2) 25. Rc7 h5 26. Kf3 $14) 19. Rxa7 {[%emt 0:09:26]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:08:53]} (19... Rxa7 20. Rd8 Kf8 (20... Ra1 21. Rxe8+ Bf8 22. Bh6) 21. Bxa7 Bxe5 22. Bb8 Rc5 23. b4 Bc7 24. Rc8 Rc4 25. b5 Rc5 26. Na4 Rxb5 27. Bxc7 Rb4 28. Ra8) 20. Rd5 { [%emt 0:03:49]} b6 {[%emt 0:04:50]} 21. Nb5 {[%emt 0:05:20]} Rxa7 {[%emt 0:05: 33]} 22. Nxa7 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 23. Rd7 {[%emt 0:01:16]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 24. Bd4 {[%emt 0:01:45]} f6 25. e6 (25. Bxb6 fxe5 26. Nc6 (26. Bc5)) 25... f5 1-0 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} (1... e5) 2. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (3... Nf6) 4. e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:11]} (4... c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qa5 7. Bd2 Qa4 8. Qg4) 5. a3 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Bxc3+ {[%emt 0:00:10]} 6. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00: 03]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 7. Qg4 {[%emt 0:00:52]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 8. Qxg7 {[%emt 0:03:29]} Rg8 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 9. Qxh7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00: 17]} 10. Ne2 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Nbc6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} (10... Qxe5 11. cxd4) 11. f4 {[%emt 0:00:19]} (11. cxd4 Nxd4) 11... dxc3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 12. Nxc3 { [%emt 0:05:59]} (12. Qd3 Bd7 (12... d4)) 12... Nd4 {[%emt 0:00:25]} (12... a6) 13. Bb2 {[%emt 0:09:42]} (13. Qd3) 13... Bd7 {[%emt 0:02:15]} 14. O-O-O { [%emt 0:00:58]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:45]} (14... Ndf5 {½-½ (73) Karjakin,S (2786) -Nepomniachtchi,I (2703) Moscow 2013}) 15. Qd3 {[%emt 0:13:31]} Ndf5 {[%emt 0: 00:19]} 16. Rd2 {[%emt 0:01:11]} (16. Nb5 Rc8 17. g3 a6 18. Nd4 Ba4 19. Rd2 Rc4 20. Bg2 Nxd4 21. Bxd4 Qb5 22. Bf1 Qc6 23. Qe2 Nf5 24. Bb2 Rh8 25. Qf2 Nxg3 26. Bxc4 Nxh1 27. Qa7 Qxc4 28. Qb8+ Kd7 29. Qxh8 Bxc2 30. Rxc2 Qf1+ 31. Kd2 Qf2+ 32. Kd3 Qf3+ 33. Kd2 Qf2+ 34. Kd3 Qf3+ 35. Kd2 {½-½ (35) Svidler,P (2747) -Vitiugov,N (2712) Paris/St Petersburg 2013}) (16. g3 Ne3 17. Nb5 Nc4 18. Nd6+ Nxd6 19. exd6 Nf5) 16... Rc8 {[%emt 0:06:56]} 17. g3 {[%emt 0:03:47]} Ne3 { [%emt 0:10:51]} 18. Ne4 {[%emt 0:14:49]} (18. Qd4 Qxd4 19. Rxd4 N7f5 20. Rd2 Nxf1 21. Rxf1 Rh8 $44) 18... Rxc2+ {[%emt 0:07:35]} (18... dxe4 19. Qxd7+ Kf8 20. Qd4 $16) 19. Rxc2 {[%emt 0:00:54]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 20. Qxe4 {[%emt 0: 05:59]} Nxc2 {[%emt 0:01:38]} (20... N7f5 $5) 21. Qxc2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bc6 { [%emt 0:01:54]} 22. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:20]} Bxg2 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 23. Qxg2 { [%emt 0:00:05]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 24. Kb1 {[%emt 0:09:31]} Nc3+ {[%emt 0:00: 31]} 25. Ka1 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 26. Bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Qxa3+ {[%emt 0:00:09]} 27. Kb1 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Qxc3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 28. Rc1 { [%emt 0:10:34]} Qb4+ {[%emt 0:00:15]} 29. Qb2 {[%emt 0:00:54]} Qe4+ {[%emt 0: 00:09]} 30. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} (30. Rc2 Kf8) 30... Qb4+ {[%emt 0:00:11]} 31. Qb2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} (31. Ka2 Kf8 32. Qc5+ Qxc5 33. Rxc5 Kg7 34. Rc7 Rb8 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Jones, Gawain C B"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g6 {[%emt 0: 00:07]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. e4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 5. h3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:12]} 6. Nf3 {[%emt 0: 00:15]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 7. d5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} a5 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 8. Bg5 { [%emt 0:04:43]} Na6 {[%emt 0:02:45]} 9. Be2 {[%emt 0:01:39]} Qe8 {[%emt 0:03: 17]} 10. g4 {[%emt 0:18:03]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:10:07]} 11. Nd2 {[%emt 0:10:54]} Ng8 {[%emt 0:02:27]} 12. h4 {[%emt 0:15:59]} (12. Nf1 f6 13. Be3 f5 14. gxf5 gxf5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Ng3 Bh6 17. Qd2 Bxe3 18. fxe3 Qg6 19. Rg1 Nc5 20. O-O-O Qh6 21. Rg2 Qxh3 22. Rdg1 Bg6 23. Bf1 a4 24. Rh2 Qg4 25. Be2 Qg5 26. Rgg2 Qe7 27. Nb5 Be4 {½-½ (27) Miljkovic,M (2456)-Damljanovic,B (2559) Kragujevac 2013}) ( 12. Be3 f5 13. f3 Bh6 14. Bxh6 (14. g5 f4 15. gxh6 fxe3) 14... Nxh6 15. g5 Ng8 16. h4 fxe4 17. Ndxe4 (17. fxe4 Rf4 18. a3 (18. Qb3))) 12... f5 {[%emt 0:15:21] } 13. gxf5 {[%emt 0:19:57]} gxf5 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 14. Bh5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 15. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:55]} (15. exf5 Qxf5 16. Nde4 Nc5 17. Qe2 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Nf6 19. Ng3 Qd7 20. Rg1 c6 21. Bf3 cxd5 22. cxd5 Qa4 23. Qd2 e4 24. Bd1 Qb5 25. Be2 Qxd5 26. Qxd5 Nxd5 27. O-O-O Be6 28. Nxe4 Rac8+ 29. Kb1 Nb4 30. a3 Rc2 31. Rd2 Ba2+ 32. Ka1 Bxb2# {0-1 (32) Solomon,K (2350)-Popovic,D (2553) Cappelle-la-Grande 2014}) 15... Nf6 {[%emt 0:06:13]} 16. Bf3 {[%emt 0: 02:49]} fxe4 {[%emt 0:12:18]} 17. Ndxe4 {[%emt 0:05:13]} Nxe4 {[%emt 0:01:09]} 18. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:01:08]} Nb4 {[%emt 0:19:11]} (18... b5 19. cxb5 Nb4) 19. Bg2 {[%emt 0:08:40]} (19. a3 $6 Rxf3 20. axb4 Rh3) 19... Qa4 {[%emt 0:02:19]} ( 19... c6 $5 20. a3 (20. Qd2 cxd5 21. cxd5 Qb5) 20... cxd5 21. axb4 dxe4 22. Bxe4 Qf7 23. bxa5 Be6 24. Ra4 Rfc8) 20. Nc3 {[%emt 0:05:54]} Qc2 {[%emt 0:02: 44]} 21. Be4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Qxe2+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} 22. Kxe2 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Bg4+ {[%emt 0:02:50]} (22... Bd7) (22... Bf5) 23. f3 {[%emt 0:01:11]} Bh5 { [%emt 0:00:06]} 24. Rag1 {[%emt 0:07:11]} Rf7 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 25. Be3 { [%emt 0:00:45]} Bf6 {[%emt 0:01:42]} (25... Raf8 26. Rh3 Rd7 27. Rhg3) 26. Rg5 {[%emt 0:00:58]} Bg6 {[%emt 0:05:20]} (26... Bxg5 27. hxg5 Bxf3+ 28. Bxf3) 27. Bxg6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} hxg6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 28. Rxg6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Nc2 { [%emt 0:01:32]} 29. Ne4 {[%emt 0:01:38]} Be7 {[%emt 0:03:01]} 30. Ng5 {[%emt 0: 02:23]} Rf6 {[%emt 0:00:24]} (30... Bxg5 31. hxg5+ Rh7 32. Rxh7+ Kxh7 33. Re6 $18) 31. Rxf6 {[%emt 0:01:20]} Bxf6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 32. Ne6 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Nxe3 {[%emt 0:03:17]} 33. Kxe3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rg8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 34. Ke4 { [%emt 0:01:45]} c6 {[%emt 0:05:25]} 35. Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00: 06]} 36. Ng5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Re8 {[%emt 0:02:20]} (36... Bxg5 37. hxg5+ Kg7 38. Rh6) 37. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:53]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 38. Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Bf8+ {[%emt 0:02:14]} (38... Bxh4+ 39. Kxd6 $18) 39. Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Re7+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 40. Kxd6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:04:42]} 41. Rg1 { [%emt 0:07:01]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:04:56]} 42. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Ke8 {[%emt 0: 00:59]} 43. Nf6+ {[%emt 0:00:09]} Kd8 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 44. Rg8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Re8+ {[%emt 0:00:31]} 45. Rxf8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rxf8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 46. Ke6 { [%emt 0:00:05]} Rh8 {[%emt 0:05:23]} 47. h5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:10] } 48. d6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 1-0 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Hou, Yifan"] [Black "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2680"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "108"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 { [%emt 0:00:06]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 4. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:01]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 6. Re1 { [%emt 0:00:08]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 7. Bb3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:06] } 8. c3 {[%emt 0:00:31]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 9. d4 {[%emt 0:03:04]} exd4 { [%emt 0:00:59]} 10. e5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 11. cxd4 {[%emt 0: 00:05]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 12. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Nxc3 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 13. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Na5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 14. Bc2 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Bxc2 { [%emt 0:00:43]} 15. Qxc2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 16. a4 {[%emt 0: 06:00]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:26:38]} 17. Bg5 {[%emt 0:09:13]} bxa4 {[%emt 0:05:09]} 18. Rxa4 {[%emt 0:27:34]} a5 {[%emt 0:14:54]} 19. Rea1 {[%emt 0:06:08]} Rfb8 { [%emt 0:03:07]} 20. R4a2 {[%emt 0:11:27]} Bxg5 {[%emt 0:13:29]} 21. Nxg5 { [%emt 0:00:07]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 22. h3 {[%emt 0:05:42]} Rb6 {[%emt 0:05:10] } 23. Nf3 {[%emt 0:02:06]} Rab8 {[%emt 0:01:54]} 24. Qc1 {[%emt 0:08:02]} Kg7 { [%emt 0:17:45]} 25. Kh2 {[%emt 0:11:35]} Qf5 {[%emt 0:01:50]} 26. Nd2 {[%emt 0: 08:21]} Nb2 {[%emt 0:08:02]} 27. Nf3 {[%emt 0:03:34]} a4 {[%emt 0:01:27]} 28. Rxa4 {[%emt 0:03:08]} Nxa4 {[%emt 0:00:44]} 29. Rxa4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Rb2 { [%emt 0:01:22]} 30. Qe3 {[%emt 0:02:43]} Qe4 {[%emt 0:03:52]} 31. Qxe4 { [%emt 0:03:14]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 32. Ng5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Rxf2 {[%emt 0: 00:29]} 33. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Re2 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 34. Nf6 {[%emt 0:01:59]} Rbb2 {[%emt 0:01:09]} 35. Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Re3+ {[%emt 0:01:58]} 36. Kf4 { [%emt 0:00:24]} Rxc3 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 37. Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:32]} Rxg2 {[%emt 0: 03:01]} 38. Rg8+ {[%emt 0:00:15]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 39. Rh8 {[%emt 0:00:50]} Rf2+ {[%emt 0:00:22]} 40. Ke4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxf6 {[%emt 0:00:29]} (40... g5 41. Rxh7+ (41. Ng4+ Kg7 42. Nxf2 Kxh8 43. d5 Kg7 $19) 41... Kg6 42. Rh8 Rxf6 43. exf6 Kxf6) 41. exf6 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Kg5 {[%emt 0:23:29]} 42. Rxh7 { [%emt 0:00:09]} Kxf6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 43. Rh8 {[%emt 0:14:40]} (43. h4 c5 44. dxc5 (44. d5 Rc4+ 45. Kf3 Rd4) 44... Rxc5 45. Rh8 Rh5 46. Rxh5 gxh5 47. Kf4 Ke6 48. Kg5 (48. Ke4 f5+ 49. Kd4 (49. Kf4 Kf6) 49... Kd6 $19) 48... f5 49. Kxh5 Kf6 50. Kh6 f4 $19) 43... Kg5 {[%emt 0:03:23]} 44. h4+ {[%emt 0:17:52]} Kg4 { [%emt 0:01:07]} 45. d5 {[%emt 0:01:21]} Rc4+ {[%emt 0:10:41]} (45... f5+ 46. Kd4 Rh3 47. Rh7 Rxh4 48. Rxc7 f4 49. Ke4 Rh8 50. d6 g5 51. d7 Rd8) 46. Ke5 { [%emt 0:01:34]} (46. Kd3 $1 Rc1 (46... Rf4) 47. Rh7 f5 48. Rg7 Kxh4 49. Rxg6) 46... f5 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 47. h5 {[%emt 0:17:17]} (47. Rh6 f4 48. Rxg6+ Kxh4) 47... Re4+ {[%emt 0:04:37]} 48. Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} gxh5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 49. Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} f4 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 50. Rxc7 {[%emt 0:00:19]} f3 {[%emt 0: 00:24]} 51. Rg7+ {[%emt 0:00:43]} Kf4 {[%emt 0:02:44]} 52. Rh7 {[%emt 0:01:08]} f2 {[%emt 0:01:30]} 53. Rxh5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 54. Rg5+ { [%emt 0:01:29]} Rg4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 0-1 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2811"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0: 00:07]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 4. e3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} O-O {[%emt 0:04:31]} 5. Nge2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} d5 {[%emt 0:05:27]} 6. a3 {[%emt 0: 00:14]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 7. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 8. Nf4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Re8 {[%emt 0:05:14]} 9. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Bd6 {[%emt 0: 03:31]} 10. O-O {[%emt 0:01:27]} Bxf4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 11. exf4 {[%emt 0:00:06] } Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 12. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:47]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 13. Qc2 { [%emt 0:12:07]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:51]} 14. f3 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:01:41] } (14... h5 15. Qd2 Bf5 16. Be2 Qd7 17. Rfe1 Be6 18. Bf2 Nf5 19. Bd3 Nd6 20. Re5 c6 21. Rae1 Bf5 22. Bh4 Nh7 23. Be7 Bxd3 24. Bxd6 Bf5 25. Bb4 b6 26. a4 a5 27. Ba3 Re6 28. h3 Rae8 29. g4 Rxe5 30. fxe5 hxg4 31. hxg4 Bxg4 32. fxg4 Qxg4+ 33. Kf1 Ng5 34. Qg2 Qf5+ 35. Qf2 Nf3 36. Ke2 Nxe1 37. Qxf5 gxf5 38. Kxe1 f6 39. Bd6 Kf7 40. Ne2 fxe5 41. dxe5 Ke6 42. Kf2 Kd7 43. Nf4 Rg8 44. Ba3 Re8 45. Bd6 Rg8 46. Ba3 Re8 47. Bd6 {½-½ (47) So,W (2770)-Karjakin,S (2773) Bilbao 2016 CBM 174 [Krasenkow,M]}) 15. g4 {[%emt 0:05:46]} Bxd3 {[%emt 0:17:41]} 16. Qxd3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:04:14]} (16... Qd6 17. Rae1 h5 18. h3 hxg4 19. hxg4 Kg7 20. Kg2 a6 21. Qd2 Nd7 22. Bf2 Nf8 23. Re5 f6 24. f5 gxf5 25. Bg3 Qc6 26. Re2 Nfg6 27. Rh1 Rh8 28. Rhe1 Kf7 29. Nd1 Rae8 30. Nf2 Qd7 31. g5 f4 32. Ng4 fxg3 33. gxf6 Nf5 34. Kg1 Rxe2 35. Rxe2 Re8 36. Ne5+ Nxe5 37. dxe5 Ke6 { 0-1 (37) El Debs,F (2527)-Quesada Perez,Y (2645) Montevideo 2015}) 17. Rae1 { [%emt 0:04:17]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:04:01]} 18. Bf2 {[%emt 0:14:03]} h5 {[%emt 0:02: 54]} 19. h3 {[%emt 0:00:42]} c6 {[%emt 0:08:18]} 20. Ne2 {[%emt 0:15:06]} hxg4 {[%emt 0:10:33]} 21. hxg4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Nfg8 {[%emt 0:08:42]} 22. Bh4 { [%emt 0:10:46]} f5 {[%emt 0:02:13]} 23. Ng3 {[%emt 0:02:09]} Rf8 {[%emt 0:08: 42]} 24. Re5 {[%emt 0:02:02]} (24. Qe2 Qc7 25. Bg5 Rae8 26. Qh2) 24... Rf7 { [%emt 0:03:11]} 25. Qe2 {[%emt 0:07:07]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:01:51]} 26. Re6 {[%emt 0: 10:36]} (26. Re1 c5 27. Bxe7+ Nxe7 28. Qh2 Kg8 29. Qh6 fxg4 30. Nh5 Re8 31. Rg5 Qa4 32. Rxe7 Qxd4+ 33. Kg2 gxf3+ 34. Kh3 $18) 26... Rc8 {[%emt 0:06:49]} 27. b4 {[%emt 0:06:07]} (27. Qe5 $1 c5 28. Rd6 Qc7 29. Bxe7+ Qxe7 (29... Nxe7 30. Qh8+ Ng8 31. Rxg6) 30. Rxg6) 27... b6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 28. Re1 {[%emt 0:01:51]} c5 { [%emt 0:00:20]} 29. bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:41]} bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 30. dxc5 { [%emt 0:00:06]} (30. gxf5 gxf5 31. dxc5 Rxc5 32. Nxf5 Rxf5 (32... Nxf5 33. Re8+ Kg7 34. Qg2+ Kh6 35. Qg5+ Kh7 36. Qxg8+) 33. Bxe7+ Nxe7 34. Rxe7) 30... Qc7 { [%emt 0:01:33]} (30... Rxc5 31. gxf5 Nxf5 32. Nxf5 Rxf5 33. Be7+ Nxe7 34. Rxe7) 31. Kg2 {[%emt 0:09:11]} Qxc5 {[%emt 0:02:24]} 32. Qe5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} fxg4 { [%emt 0:01:57]} 33. fxg4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} d4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 34. Qxc5 { [%emt 0:05:33]} (34. Qh8 $1 Nd5 35. Kh2 Nxf4 36. Be7+ Rxe7 37. Rxe7 Qxe7 38. Rxe7 Kxe7 39. Qg7+ Ke6 40. Ne4 $18) 34... Rxc5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 35. Ne4 { [%emt 0:01:59]} Rc2+ {[%emt 0:00:12]} 36. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:03: 35]} 37. Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} (37. Rd6 $1 Nxf4 38. Ng5 Nd3+ 39. Kg3 Nxe1 (39... Kg7 40. Ne6+ Kh7 41. Rb1 $18) 40. Ne6+ Ke8 41. Rd8#) 37... Rh7 {[%emt 0:04:45]} 38. Nd6 {[%emt 0:01:04]} d3 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 39. f5 {[%emt 0:01:30]} Rh3+ { [%emt 0:02:02]} 40. Ke4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d2 {[%emt 0:00:24]} (40... Nc7 41. Rf1 ) 41. Rf1 {[%emt 0:13:51]} (41. Rd1 gxf5+ 42. Kxd5 Rd3+ 43. Ke5 Rc5+ 44. Kf4 Rc1 45. Rxd2 Rxd2 46. Kxf5 Rf1+ 47. Kg6 Re1 48. Rxe1 Rxd6+ 49. Kf5 Kf7 50. Re5 $16) 41... d1=Q {[%emt 0:24:26]} 42. Rxd1 {[%emt 0:01:25]} Nc3+ {[%emt 0:00:15] } 43. Kd4 {[%emt 0:00:25]} Nxd1 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 44. f6 {[%emt 0:12:46]} Nxf6 { [%emt 0:00:31]} 45. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Rd2+ {[%emt 0:00:18]} 46. Kc5 { [%emt 0:00:05]} Rc2+ {[%emt 0:08:05]} 47. Kd4 {[%emt 0:03:48]} Rd2+ {[%emt 0: 00:09]} 48. Kc5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Rc2+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Hilversum"] [Date "2018.01.17"] [Round "5"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D30"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "Simon"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} (1... d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 (3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5) 3... Nf6) 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 4. Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Bb4+ { [%emt 0:01:00]} 5. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:27] Side Line} (5. Nc3) 5... dxc4 {[%emt 0: 00:29]} (5... O-O 6. a3 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2) 6. e3 {[%emt 0:00:05] D30: Queen's Gambit Declined: Systems without Nc3} b5 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 7. Be2 {[%emt 0:00: 05]} (7. a4 c6 8. Be2 Nbd7 9. O-O Qb6 10. Qc2 Bb7 11. b3 c3 12. Nb1 c5 13. Nxc3 cxd4 14. Nxb5 Rc8 15. Qb2 a6 16. a5 Qc5 17. exd4 Qf5 18. Bd2 Be7 19. Nc3 O-O 20. Nh4 {1-0 (20) Mamedyarov,S (2800)-Inarkiev,E (2707) Geneve 2017}) 7... Bb7 {[%emt 0:06:59]} 8. O-O {[%emt 0:00:09]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:31]} 9. b3 {[%emt 0: 00:21]} c3 {[%emt 0:16:19]} (9... cxb3 10. Qxb3 Be7 11. Qxb5 (11. Bxb5 c5) 11... Ba6) 10. a3 $146 {[%emt 0:00:27]} ({Predecessor:} 10. Nb1 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Qd5 13. Qc2 Ne4 {½-½ (27) Aker,C-Wall,W corr 1983}) 10... Be7 { [%emt 0:03:10]} (10... cxd2 11. axb4) 11. Nb1 {[%emt 0:00:12]} c5 {[%emt 0:03: 10]} (11... b4 12. axb4 Bxb4 13. Qc2) 12. Nxc3 {[%emt 0:00:30]} a6 {[%emt 0:01: 01]} 13. dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Bxc5 $11 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 14. Qc2 {[%emt 0:17: 14]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:03:17]} 15. Rfd1 {[%emt 0:01:03]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:04:31]} ( 15... Be7) 16. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:12:45]} gxf6 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 17. b4 {[%emt 0:00: 42]} Be7 {[%emt 0:01:43]} 18. Rac1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Qe8 {[%emt 0:05:47]} (18... Rc7 $5) 19. Qb1 {[%emt 0:22:26]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:16:41]} 20. Nd4 {[%emt 0:05:42]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:05:05]} 21. Bf3 {[%emt 0:09:20]} Bxf3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 22. Nxf3 { [%emt 0:00:04]} ({Don't play} 22. gxf3 Rg8+ 23. Kh1 f5 $15) 22... Nc4 {[%emt 0: 01:10]} 23. Ne4 {[%emt 0:07:36]} Qc6 {[%emt 0:05:24]} (23... Nxa3 24. Qa1 Nc2 25. Qb2 Nxb4 26. Nxf6) 24. Nfd2 {[%emt 0:01:47]} Qb7 $2 {[%emt 0:13:45]} (24... Rfd8 25. Nxc4 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Qxc4) 25. Nxc4 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Rxc4 {[%emt 0:03: 06]} 26. Rxc4 $40 {[%emt 0:01:29] White attacks.} bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 27. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:02:23]} 28. h3 {[%emt 0:05:58]} Qc6 {[%emt 0:04: 20]} (28... a5) 29. Rd4 $1 {[%emt 0:03:32]} a5 {[%emt 0:07:03]} (29... e5 30. Rd1) 30. Nd2 $1 {[%emt 0:04:11]} ({Much worse is} 30. bxa5 $6 c3 $11) 30... Rg8 {[%emt 0:03:45] [#]} 31. g3 $1 {[%emt 0:01:17]} axb4 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 32. Rxc4 {[%emt 0:00:47]} b3 {[%emt 0:01:41]} (32... Qb5 $16) 33. Nxb3 $18 {[%emt 0:02: 07]} ({Not} 33. Rxc6 bxc2 34. a4 Ra8 $14) 33... Qf3 {[%emt 0:00:26]} (33... Qa8 $142 34. Rh4 Rg7) 34. a4 {[%emt 0:01:21]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:24] Threatening ... Bxg3.} 35. Rc8 {[%emt 0:04:04]} Rxc8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} (35... Bxg3 36. Rxg8+ Kxg8 37. fxg3 Qxg3+ 38. Qg2) 36. Qxc8+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:04] ... Qd1+ is the strong threat.} 37. Qc2 {[%emt 0:01:22]} Bb4 $2 {[%emt 0:00:48] [#] } (37... Qd5 {was necessary.} 38. Nd4 Bc5) 38. Qc4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:58]} Qb7 { [%emt 0:01:04]} 39. a5 {[%emt 0:00:31] White is clearly winning.} Bd6 {[%emt 0: 00:41]} 40. a6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 41. Nd4 {[%emt 0:03:11]} Qa5 {[%emt 0:03:58]} 42. Kg2 {[%emt 0:01:35]} Qa3 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 43. Qc6 { [%emt 0:00:51] Precision: White = 78%, Black = 40%.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Hilversum"] [Date "2018.01.17"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "*"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "Simon"] [PlyCount "126"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 { [%emt 0:00:05]} 3. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 4. O-O {[%emt 0: 00:01]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 5. d3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} d6 {[%emt 0:01:10]} 6. c3 { [%emt 0:00:19]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 7. a4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:12]} 8. h3 {[%emt 0:00:18] C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3} h6 {[%emt 0:02:17]} 9. Re1 {[%emt 0:02:41]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 10. Nbd2 { [%emt 0:03:42]} Be6 {[%emt 0:01:14]} 11. Bxe6 {[%emt 0:01:26]} Rxe6 {[%emt 0: 00:25]} 12. b4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Ba7 {[%emt 0:00:04] LiveBook: 38 Games} 13. Qc2 {[%emt 0:06:43]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 14. Nf1 {[%emt 0:06:09]} d5 {[%emt 0:01: 00]} 15. Ng3 {[%emt 0:14:26]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:04:39] [#]} 16. exd5 $146 {[%emt 0: 16:32]} Qxd5 {[%emt 0:14:05]} 17. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Qxd3 {[%emt 0:19:40]} 18. Qxd3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rxd3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 19. Bxa7 {[%emt 0:09:11]} Nxa7 {[%emt 0:01:24]} 20. Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:02:26]} 21. Ng4 { [%emt 0:00:20]} Nxg4 {[%emt 0:06:14]} 22. Rxe6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} fxe6 {[%emt 0: 00:09]} 23. hxg4 $11 {[%emt 0:00:04] Endgame KRN-KRN} a5 {[%emt 0:01:58]} 24. f3 {[%emt 0:02:26]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:07:20]} 25. Rb1 {[%emt 0:07:16]} b6 {[%emt 0: 08:27]} 26. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:46]} axb4 {[%emt 0:04:39]} 27. cxb4 {[%emt 0:00:12] } Rd4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 28. b5 {[%emt 0:01:15]} Ne5 {[%emt 0:01:27]} 29. Rc1 { [%emt 0:11:02]} Nxg4 {[%emt 0:07:22]} 30. fxg4 {[%emt 0:02:50]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0: 00:35]} 31. Rxc7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rxa4 {[%emt 0:02:44] And now ...Rb4 would win. KR-KR} 32. Rc6 {[%emt 0:02:10]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:02:36]} 33. g5 {[%emt 0:01: 35]} hxg5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 34. Rxb6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Rb4 {[%emt 0:01:28]} 35. Rb8 {[%emt 0:04:45]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:04:54]} 36. b6 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Ke5 {[%emt 0: 02:25]} 37. Kh2 {[%emt 0:09:23]} Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:59]} 38. g4 {[%emt 0:08:53] [#]} (38. Kg1 $11 Kf4 39. Rf8+ Kg3 40. Rf3+) 38... Kf4 $1 $17 {[%emt 0:07:48]} 39. b7 {[%emt 0:00:04] Strongly threatening Rf8+.} Kxg4 {[%emt 0:02:10] aiming for ...Rb2+.} 40. Re8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxb7 {[%emt 0:01:14]} 41. Rxe6 {[%emt 0: 01:39]} Rb2+ {[%emt 0:08:12]} 42. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Kf3 {[%emt 0:02:35] White must now prevent ...g4.} 43. Ra6 {[%emt 0:00:44]} (43. Rg6 g4 44. Rxg7 Kg3 45. Kf1 Rb1+ 46. Ke2 Kh3) 43... Rg2+ {[%emt 0:04:59]} 44. Kh1 {[%emt 0:00: 52] [#] Hoping for Ra3+.} Re2 {[%emt 0:02:48]} 45. Kg1 {[%emt 0:08:27]} (45. Ra3+ Re3 46. Rxe3+ Kxe3 47. Kg2 Kf4 48. Kf2 Kg4 49. Kg2 g6 50. Kh2 Kf3) 45... g4 {[%emt 0:02:28]} 46. Ra1 {[%emt 0:01:24]} Re8 {[%emt 0:08:00]} 47. Rb1 { [%emt 0:03:54]} g3 {[%emt 0:09:01]} 48. Rb3+ $1 {[%emt 0:00:40]} Re3 {[%emt 0: 03:29]} 49. Rb1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Re8 {[%emt 0:04:24]} 50. Rb3+ $1 {[%emt 0:00: 05]} Kg4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 51. Rb5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Re1+ {[%emt 0:05:22]} 52. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Re2+ {[%emt 0:00:18]} 53. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} g5 { [%emt 0:05:15]} 54. Rb8 $17 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Re1+ {[%emt 0:00:24]} (54... Re7 $17) 55. Kg2 $11 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Re2+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} (55... Re3 $11) 56. Kg1 $17 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Ra2 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 57. Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Ra1+ { [%emt 0:01:28]} ({Black should play} 57... Rd2 $17 58. Rb8 Kf3 (58... Kh3 59. Rh8+) 59. Rb4) 58. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Ra2+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} ({Better is} 58... Ra3 $11) 59. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} g2 {[%emt 0:02:18]} 60. Rc4+ {[%emt 0: 00:00] The position is equal.} Kh3 {[%emt 0:00:53] ( -> ...Ra1+)} 61. Rc3+ { [%emt 0:00:18]} Kh4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 62. Rc4+ $1 {[%emt 0:00:08]} g4 {[%emt 0: 00:35] next ...Ra1+ is good for Black.} 63. Rc3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Kh5 { Precision: White = 70%, Black = 49%.} * [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Hilversum"] [Date "2018.01.17"] [Round "5"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Adhiban, B."] [Result "*"] [WhiteElo "2792"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Simon"] [PlyCount "144"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d6 {[%emt 0:01:26]} 2. Nc3 {[%emt 0:01:28]} e5 {[%emt 0: 00:35]} 3. g3 {[%emt 0:02:38]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 4. Bg2 {[%emt 0:03:23]} f5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 5. d4 {[%emt 0:08:27]} (5. d3 Nf6 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O Qe8 8. Rb1 Qh5 9. b4 f4 10. b5 Bh3 11. a4 Ng4 12. a5 fxg3 13. hxg3 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Rxf3) 5... Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} (5... exd4 6. Qxd4 Nf6) (5... e4 6. Nh3) 6. dxe5 { [%emt 0:00:45]} dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 7. Qxd8+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} Bxd8 {[%emt 0: 00:04]} 8. b3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} O-O {[%emt 0:04:06]} 9. Bb2 {[%emt 0:05:28]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:21] LiveBook: 3 Partien} 10. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:24]} (10. e4 Bb6) 10... Bc7 {[%emt 0:02:23]} (10... e4 11. Nd4) 11. O-O {[%emt 0:01:16]} Na6 { [%emt 0:02:04]} 12. Rfd1 {[%emt 0:10:47]} Re8 {[%emt 0:02:55]} 13. Rac1 { [%emt 0:01:52]} e4 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 14. Nd4 {[%emt 0:00:21]} f4 {[%emt 0:00:19] } 15. Ndb5 {[%emt 0:08:19]} (15. gxf4 $11 {remains equal.} Bxf4 (15... e3) 16. e3 Bc7) 15... fxg3 {[%emt 0:08:39]} (15... cxb5 $17 16. cxb5 Nc5 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. Rxd5 (18. Rxc5 Ne3 (18... Be6 19. Rdxd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 (20. Rxc7 Bf7 21. Rxb7 Rad8 22. Rxa7)) 19. fxe3 Bb6) 18... b6 19. b4 Ne6 20. Bxe4 Bb7) 16. hxg3 { [%emt 0:01:20]} e3 {[%emt 0:32:51]} (16... cxb5 17. cxb5 Nc5 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. Rxc5) (16... Bxg3 17. fxg3 cxb5 18. Nxb5) 17. f4 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Bg4 {[%emt 0: 01:08]} (17... cxb5 18. cxb5 Nc5 19. Nd5) 18. Nxc7 {[%emt 0:09:36]} (18. Nd6 Bxd6 19. Rxd6) 18... Nxc7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 19. Ba3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Ne6 { [%emt 0:04:13]} (19... Nh5 20. Kh2 Re6 21. Rd6) (19... Bf5) 20. Bd6 {[%emt 0: 11:51]} g5 {[%emt 0:07:30]} 21. fxg5 {[%emt 0:06:01]} Nxg5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 22. Rd4 {[%emt 0:03:18]} Ne6 {[%emt 0:07:17]} 23. Rd3 $1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Ng7 { [%emt 0:00:04]} 24. Rf1 {[%emt 0:02:57]} Nf5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 25. Bf3 {[%emt 0: 00:36]} Bh3 {[%emt 0:01:49]} 26. Bg2 {[%emt 0:02:48]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 27. Rf4 {[%emt 0:01:03]} Re6 {[%emt 0:03:01]} 28. Bc7 {[%emt 0:05:55]} h5 {[%emt 0: 04:15]} 29. Bf3 {[%emt 0:01:14]} Ng7 {[%emt 0:08:03]} 30. Bd8 {[%emt 0:01:37]} Nge8 {[%emt 0:03:45]} 31. Kg2 {[%emt 0:05:40]} Bxf3+ {[%emt 0:00:30]} 32. Rxf3 {[%emt 0:00:47]} (32. Kxf3) 32... Ng4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 33. Rf5 {[%emt 0:03:27]} (33. Bg5) 33... Ng7 {[%emt 0:02:15]} 34. Rf4 {[%emt 0:02:34]} Rg6 {[%emt 0:01: 48]} 35. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Ne6 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 36. Rf5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Re8 {[%emt 0:05:24]} 37. Ne4 {[%emt 0:02:29]} ({Resist} 37. Rxh5 $6 Nf2 $11) 37... Ng7 {[%emt 0:04:20]} 38. Nf6+ {[%emt 0:04:09]} Nxf6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 39. Rxf6 { [%emt 0:00:02]} Rxf6 {[%emt 0:02:42]} 40. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf5 {[%emt 0: 00:28]} 41. Kf3 {[%emt 0:05:49]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:02:53]} 42. Bg5 {[%emt 0:01:00]} Rg8 {[%emt 0:08:59]} 43. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:04:11]} 44. Rd1 { [%emt 0:00:07]} b5 {[%emt 0:14:03] [#]} 45. cxb5 $1 {[%emt 0:07:46]} cxb5 { [%emt 0:00:03]} 46. Rh1 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rh8 {[%emt 0:01:56]} 47. Bxe3 { [%emt 0:00:25]} Nxe3 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 48. Kxe3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Kf5 {[%emt 0: 00:03]} 49. Rh4 {[%emt 0:09:49]} Re8+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} 50. Kf3 {[%emt 0:11:09]} Kg5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 51. Rd4 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Rf8+ {[%emt 0:00:11]} 52. Rf4 { [%emt 0:00:39]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 53. Re4 {[%emt 0:01:40]} Rc3+ {[%emt 0:01: 04]} 54. e3 {[%emt 0:06:22]} Rc5 {[%emt 0:02:16]} 55. b4 {[%emt 0:02:36]} Rf5+ {[%emt 0:03:05]} 56. Rf4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 57. Rf7 { [%emt 0:04:01]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 58. Rg7+ {[%emt 0:03:09]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00: 09]} 59. Rc7 {[%emt 0:04:05]} Rd6 {[%emt 0:01:37]} 60. Rc5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rf6+ $1 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 61. Ke4 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Rg6 {[%emt 0:01:40]} 62. Kf3 {[%emt 0:01:42]} Rf6+ {[%emt 0:02:16]} 63. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Rd6 {[%emt 0: 03:51]} 64. Kh3 {[%emt 0:01:06]} Re6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 65. Rc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kg5 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 66. a3 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:01:43]} (66... Re5 $1 $14) 67. g4 {[%emt 0:01:32]} hxg4+ {[%emt 0:10:41]} 68. Kxg4 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 69. Kf4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 70. e4 $18 { [%emt 0:00:39]} Rh6 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 71. Rc7+ {[%emt 0:07:39]} Kd8 {[%emt 0:00: 10]} 72. Ra7 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Kc8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} * [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Hilversum"] [Date "2018.01.17"] [Round "5"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "Simon"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 2. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0: 00:05]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Nf3 {[%emt 0:12:14]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 5. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 6. Bf4 { [%emt 0:00:05] D38: Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defence (4 Nf3 Bb4)} (6. Bg5 O-O 7. e3 Bf5 8. Qb3 Bxc3+ 9. Qxc3 h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 Ne4 12. Qxc7 Nc6 13. Qxd8 Rfxd8 14. Be2 Rac8 15. O-O h5 16. h4 g4 17. Ne5 Nb4 18. Bf4 f6 19. Nd3 Nc3 20. bxc3 {½-½ (20) Ding,L (2774)-Aronian,L (2801) Palma de Mallorca 2017} ) 6... O-O {[%emt 0:06:26]} 7. Rc1 {[%emt 0:00:24]} c6 {[%emt 0:01:49]} 8. e3 { [%emt 0:00:46]} Bd6 $146 {[%emt 0:01:25]} ({Find the theoretical novelty and annotate with similar games:} 8... Bf5 9. Be2 Bd6 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. O-O Nbd7 12. a3 Ne4 13. Na4 Qe7 {1-0 (39) Melkumyan,H (2622)-Bluebaum,M (2588) Berlin 2015}) 9. Bxd6 {[%emt 0:16:13]} Qxd6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 10. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Re8 {[%emt 0:16:41]} 11. Bd3 {[%emt 0:08:02]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:03:01]} 12. O-O { [%emt 0:03:33]} Nf8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 13. h3 {[%emt 0:00:46]} g6 {[%emt 0:06:53] } 14. Ne5 {[%emt 0:05:26]} Nh5 {[%emt 0:14:30]} 15. Rfe1 {[%emt 0:10:51]} Re7 { [%emt 0:11:42]} 16. Qa4 {[%emt 0:08:22]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:14:24]} 17. Nf3 {[%emt 0: 05:41]} (17. Nxd7) 17... Ndf6 {[%emt 0:04:45]} 18. b4 {[%emt 0:01:38]} a6 { [%emt 0:01:12]} 19. b5 {[%emt 0:03:59]} cxb5 {[%emt 0:03:18] [#]} (19... Ng7 20. bxc6 bxc6) 20. Nxb5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Bd7 $2 {[%emt 0:02:39]} ({Better is } 20... Qd8 $14) (20... axb5 21. Qxa8) 21. Nxd6 $18 {[%emt 0:06:35]} Bxa4 { [%emt 0:00:06]} 22. Rb1 $2 {[%emt 0:00:12]} (22. Nc8 $18 {is more deadly.} Re6 (22... Re8 23. Nb6) 23. Ng5 Rc6 24. Ne7+) 22... b5 {[%emt 0:06:24]} 23. Ne5 $2 {[%emt 0:00:35]} (23. Rec1 $16) 23... Nd7 $1 $11 {[%emt 0:02:28]} 24. Rec1 { [%emt 0:04:51] Hoping for Nc8.} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:02:11]} 25. dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:38]} Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 26. Rc7 {[%emt 0:00:51]} Rf8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 27. Rc6 $36 {[%emt 0:13:38] White has good play.} Ra8 {[%emt 0:08:06]} 28. Rc7 {[%emt 0:01: 57]} Rf8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 29. Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 30. Rbc1 {[%emt 0:02:41]} d4 {[%emt 0:02:58] [#]} (30... Re6 $1 $11 {remains equal. } 31. Rc7 (31. Nc8 Rxc6) 31... Rxd6) 31. g4 $1 $16 {[%emt 0:00:35] White has strong compensation.} ({Much worse is} 31. exd4 $6 Rd5 $11) 31... Nf6 {[%emt 0: 02:42]} 32. e4 {[%emt 0:01:05]} Re6 {[%emt 0:00:11] [#]} (32... Ne8 $1 $11 { keeps the balance.}) 33. f4 {[%emt 0:01:21]} (33. Rc8+ $1 $16 Rxc8 34. Rxc8+ Kg7 35. g5) 33... b4 {[%emt 0:01:32]} ({Black should try} 33... Ne8 $11 34. Nxe8 Rexe8) 34. Rc8+ {[%emt 0:02:16]} Rxc8 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 35. Rxc8+ {[%emt 0: 00:05]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 36. e5 {[%emt 0:01:00] aiming for Bc4.} Nd5 { [%emt 0:00:02]} 37. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Nxf4 {[%emt 0:01:35]} 38. Rc7 { [%emt 0:00:33]} d3 $2 {[%emt 0:00:54]} (38... Nxh3+ $11 39. Kg2 Rxe5 40. Kxh3 d3 41. Rxf7+ Kh6) 39. Rxf7+ $18 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:18] And now .. .Rxd6! would win.} 40. Rxf4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 41. Rd4 { [%emt 0:00:25] Precision: White = 45%, Black = 44%.} d1=Q+ 42. Rxd1 Bxd1 43. Bxe6 1-0 [Event "80th Tata Steel GpA"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C19"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2834"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Qg4 cxd4 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 Qc7 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 12. Nxc3 (12. h4 Bd7 13. h5 O-O-O 14. Qd3 d4 15. h6 Be8 16. Rb1 Nd5 17. Nxd4 Nxf4 18. Bxf4 Rxd4 19. Qe3 f5 20. Bd3 Ra4 21. Rh3 {and White won a nice game in Sutovsky,E (2628)-Kovalenko,I (2684) Gibraltar 2017}) 12... Nd4 13. Bb2 Bd7 14. O-O-O Qb6 15. Qd3 Ndf5 16. Rd2 $146 (16. Nb5 Rc8 17. g3 a6 18. Nd4 Ba4 19. Rd2 Rc4 20. Bg2 Nxd4 21. Bxd4 Qb5 22. Bf1 Qc6 {Svidler,P (2747)-Vitiugov,N (2712) Paris/St Petersburg 2013}) 16... Rc8 17. g3 Ne3 18. Ne4 $1 Rxc2+ $1 19. Rxc2 dxe4 20. Qxe4 Nxc2 21. Qxc2 Bc6 22. Bg2 Bxg2 23. Qxg2 Nd5 24. Kb1 Nc3+ 25. Ka1 Qb3 26. Bxc3 Qxa3+ 27. Kb1 Qxc3 28. Rc1 Qb4+ 29. Qb2 Qe4+ 30. Qc2 Qb4+ 31. Qb2 (31. Ka2 Kf8 32. Qc5+ Qxc5 33. Rxc5 Kg7 34. Rc7 Rb8) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D78"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 c6 7. Ne5 Be6 8. cxd5 Bxd5 9. Nc3 {"Kind of new and I got a certain advantage." (Kramnik)} Bxg2 10. Kxg2 Nbd7 ({The other way to play it is} 10... Na6 11. Nf3 c5 12. d5 b5 13. e4 b4 14. Ne2 c4 (14... Nxe4 $2 15. Qd3) 15. Qd4 Qb6 16. Qxc4 Rfc8 {with some compensation for the pawn in Wen,Y (2611)-Xu,M (2305) Wuxi 2016}) 11. Qb3 Qb6 12. Rd1 $146 {A logical novelty. In these positions both sides prefer that the opponent trades the queen himself.} ({Weaker was} 12. Qxb6 Nxb6 (12... axb6 $1) 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nf3 Rfd8 16. e3 {½-½ Denes,J (1912)-Znuderl,M Durham 2007}) 12... Qxb3 13. axb3 {"The endgame is unpleasant for Black." (Kramnik) These slight endgame advantages are Kramnik's bread and butter. Add to this the fact that lately Svidler hasn't been the patient defender that he was in the past, and you can call the opening a huge success for the 14th world champion.} Rfc8 ({It is not easy to liberate Black's position. For example:} 13... c5 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Be3 Rfc8 17. b4 Ne6 18. Rd7 {leads to large advantage for White.}) 14. f4 c5 {Svidler decided to "free himself tactically." (Kramnik)} ({More patient ways were also there, for example} 14... Nb8 {to bring the knight to b4, but White stays better after} 15. e4 Na6 16. Ra4) ({Or} 14... Nb6 15. e4 {with advantage for White as well.}) 15. Be3 cxd4 16. Rxd4 ({Significantly better than} 16. Bxd4 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Ng4 $1) 16... Nxe5 17. fxe5 {White's pawn structure has been shattered, but piece activity is a priority in this endgame.} Ne8 18. Rd7 {The critical moment of the game.} Rc7 $2 {Svidler blunders.} ({Correct was} 18... Bxe5 $1 19. Rxe7 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Rxc3 21. Rxa7 {when the nice tactics} Rxe3 $1 22. Rxe3 Rxa7 23. Rxe8+ Kg7 24. Re7 {leads to an endgame which albeit unpleasant should be holdable for Black, even if he loses the b-pawn.}) ({Less convincing is} 18... Kf8 19. Rxb7 Bxe5 20. Raxa7 Rxa7 21. Bxa7 Bxc3 22. bxc3 Rxc3 23. b4 {when White preserves serious winning chances.}) 19. Rxa7 $1 {Svidler actually saw this, but missed an important detail in his preliminary calculations.} Rb8 ({ Svidler thought that he was save after} 19... Rxa7 20. Rd8 Kf8 ({But not} 20... Ra6 21. Rxe8+ Bf8 22. Bh6 {with inevitable mate.}) 21. Bxa7 Bxe5 {when suddenly the truth dawned on him:} 22. Bb8 $1 Rc5 23. b4 $1 {and White wins material, e.g.} Bc7 24. Rc8 Rc4 25. b5 $1 ({Less convincing is} 25. Nd5 Bxg3 26. Rxc4 Bxb8) 25... b6 ({Here} 25... Bxg3 26. Rxc4 Bxb8 27. Rc8 {leaves Black no chances.}) 26. Nd5 {and the bishop will be lost on the pin.}) 20. Rd5 { Kramnik not only won a pawn, but kept all his pieces dominating. More material gains will follow inevitably.} b6 ({The last chance was the endgame after} 20... e6 21. Rb5 b6 22. Rxb6 Rxb6 23. Rxc7 Nxc7 24. Bxb6 Bxe5) 21. Nb5 Rxa7 ({ The active} 21... Rc2 {will be strongly met with} 22. Nd4 Rxb2 23. Nc6 { suddenly trapping the rook!}) 22. Nxa7 Kf8 ({Or} 22... e6 23. Rd7) 23. Rd7 Ra8 (23... Bxe5 $2 24. Nc6) 24. Bd4 {Nothing can be done, White will gradually improve everything that he has before capturing the b6 pawn.} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4.6"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Jones, Gawain C B"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E71"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2640"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. d5 a5 8. Bg5 Na6 9. Be2 Qe8 10. g4 Kh8 11. Nd2 Ng8 12. h4 f5 13. gxf5 gxf5 14. Bh5 Qd7 15. Qe2 $146 (15. exf5 Qxf5 16. Nde4 Nc5 17. Qe2 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Nf6 19. Ng3 Qd7 20. Rg1 c6 {Solomon,K (2350)-Popovic,D (2553) Cappelle-la-Grande 2014}) 15... Nf6 16. Bf3 fxe4 17. Ndxe4 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Nb4 19. Bg2 Qa4 20. Nc3 Qc2 21. Be4 Qxe2+ 22. Kxe2 Bg4+ 23. f3 Bh5 24. Rag1 Rf7 25. Be3 Bf6 $2 ({After} 25... Raf8 26. Rh3 { White enjoys a pleasant advantage but the text move loses material.}) 26. Rg5 $1 Bg6 (26... Bxg5 27. hxg5 Bg6 28. Bxg6 {is a full piece.}) 27. Bxg6 hxg6 28. Rxg6 {Now it is White who has an extra pawn plus the compensation!} Nc2 29. Ne4 Be7 30. Ng5 Rf6 31. Rxf6 Bxf6 32. Ne6 Nxe3 33. Kxe3 Rg8 34. Ke4 c6 35. Kf5 Be7 36. Ng5 Re8 37. Ne4 Kg7 38. Ke6 Bf8+ 39. Kd7 Re7+ 40. Kxd6 Kf7 41. Rg1 cxd5 42. cxd5 Ke8 43. Nf6+ Kd8 44. Rg8 Re8+ 45. Rxf8 Rxf8 46. Ke6 Rh8 47. h5 b5 48. d6 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.16"] [Round "4.6"] [White "Van Foreest, Lucas"] [Black "Amin, Bassem"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C58"] [WhiteElo "2481"] [BlackElo "2693"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 Be7 9. Bd3 O-O (9... h6 10. Ne4 Nd5 11. Ng3 g6 12. O-O f5 13. Re1 Bf6 14. Bf1 O-O 15. d4 e4 16. Qd1 Bg7 17. Na3 Be6 {Pourramezanali,A (2505)-Wen,Y (2617) Bandar e Anzali 2017}) 10. Nc3 h6 11. Nge4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 $146 (12. Bxe4 Qd7 13. g4 Qxg4 14. Qxg4 Bxg4 15. Rg1 f5 16. d3 Rab8 17. Bh1 Kh7 18. a3 c5 19. Nd5 Bd6 {Paveto,K (2424)-Della Morte,G (2421) Buenos Aires 2015}) 12... f5 13. Qxe5 Bd6 14. Qd4 Bb7 15. b4 c5 16. bxc5 Qe8+ 17. Kf1 Be5 18. Qb4 Qd8 19. c6 $2 ({ Better was} 19. Rb1 Rb8 20. Qa4 {because now} Bxc3 21. dxc3 Bxg2+ 22. Kxg2 Rxb1 23. h4 {is not something White has to be afraid of.}) 19... Bxc6 20. Ba3 Qg5 21. f3 Qxd2 22. Bb2 Rab8 23. Qc5 Rfe8 24. Rd1 Qg5 25. Bc1 Qh4 26. Ne2 Qh5 27. Qxa5 ({Strong was} 27. Bf4 $1) 27... Bxf3 $5 28. Qd2 f4 29. Bc4+ $6 Kh8 30. Bd5 $6 Bxd5 $6 ({Missing} 30... Bg4 $1 {and White is in trouble as ...f3 is coming. }) 31. Qxd5 f3 32. Ng3 Qh4 33. Kf2 Rbd8 34. Qxf3 Rf8 35. Rxd8 Qxd8 36. Nf5 g6 37. Rd1 Qc7 38. Kg1 Rxf5 39. Qe3 Bg7 40. Bb2 Rh5 41. h3 Kh7 42. Bxg7 Kxg7 $2 ( 42... Qxg7 {keeps the fight going a bit longer.}) 43. Qe8 Qc5+ 44. Kh1 Re5 45. Rd7+ Kf6 46. Rf7+ 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.17"] [Round "5.5"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D30"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5 Bb4+ 5. Nbd2 {"I played risky and sacrificed a pawn on move five!" (Mamedyarov). This is not the first time that the Azeri GM choses a gambit in the QGD. In fact this line is one of his specialties.} dxc4 6. e3 b5 7. Be2 ({Last year, at one of the Grand Prix tournaments Mamedyarov won the following short game:} 7. a4 c6 8. Be2 Nbd7 9. O-O Qb6 10. Qc2 Bb7 11. b3 c3 12. Nb1 c5 13. Nxc3 cxd4 14. Nxb5 Rc8 15. Qb2 a6 16. a5 Qc5 17. exd4 Qf5 18. Bd2 Be7 19. Nc3 O-O 20. Nh4 {1-0 (20) Mamedyarov,S (2800)-Inarkiev,E (2707) Geneve 2017}) 7... Bb7 8. O-O O-O 9. b3 c3 10. a3 $146 {A natural move. White regains the pawn.} ({The only predecessor was a correspondense game which saw} 10. Nb1 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Qd5 13. Qc2 Ne4 { with very a complex game in Aker,C-Wall,W corr 1983}) 10... Be7 11. Nb1 c5 { However Caruana can be also happy with his position as he can trade the strong central pawn of his opponent.} 12. Nxc3 a6 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Qc2 Nbd7 15. Rfd1 Rc8 {Black is OK with the doubled pawns.} ({There was nothing wrong with} 15... Qb6 16. b4 {as long as Black avoids} Be7 $2 ({But the preliminary} 16... Bd6 17. Qd2 Be7 {is equal.}) 17. Rxd7 $1) 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. b4 Be7 18. Rac1 Qe8 ({ It made sense to go for} 18... f5 {at once. Apparently Caruana did not like the pin after} 19. Ne5 {but there was nothing to be afraid after} Rc7 {In fact White has to be careful as} 20. Bf3 $2 {allows the strong sacrifice} ({Instead } 20. Qb3 Bf6 {is equal}) 20... Nxe5 $1 21. Rxd8 Nxf3+ 22. gxf3 Rxd8 {Thanks to the pin along the c-file and the weaknesses on the white kingside it is Black who has the advantage. Say:} 23. Qe2 (23. Kg2 Bf6) 23... Rdc8 24. Qe1 Bf6 25. Ne2 Rxc1 26. Nxc1 Bxf3 {and Black is close to winning.}) 19. Qb1 Nb6 ({ Once again} 19... f5 {was the move to be made, and once again there were tactical issues due to} 20. Nxb5 {with the main idea} (20. Nd4 Bf6 {is equal instead.} ({Or} 20... Nb6)) 20... axb5 ({However, the sacrifice can be refuted with the intermezzo:} 20... Be4 $1 21. Qb2 ({Or} 21. Qa2 axb5 22. Bxb5 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Bd5 $1 {with a tempo.}) 21... axb5 22. Bxb5 Bd5 23. Ne5 Bf6 { counter-pinning and winning.}) 21. Bxb5 Rxc1 22. Qxc1 Bd5 23. Ne5 {Even this looks good for Black after} Qb8 24. Nxd7 Qxb5 25. Nxf8 Bxf8) 20. Nd4 {White is ready to swap off the opponent's bishop pair.} Kh8 ({The third and the last time when Caruana could have comfortably developed the dark-squared bishop with } 20... f5) 21. Bf3 Bxf3 22. Nxf3 Nc4 23. Ne4 {Once again Mamedyarov sacrifices a pawn.} Qc6 ({Caruana correctly rejects the offer} 23... Nxa3 $2 24. Qa1 {would win for White-} Nc2 ({Or} 24... Nc4 25. Nxf6 Bxf6 26. Qxf6+ Kg8 27. Rd4) 25. Rxc2 Rxc2 26. Nxf6 Bxf6 27. Qxf6+ Kg8 28. Ne5 {with the decisive threat Ne5-g4-h6 mate.}) 24. Nfd2 Qb7 {A mistake. Now Black has to be very careful to maintain the balance.} ({The easiest was} 24... Rfd8 25. Nxc4 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Qxc4 {allowing no weak pawns.} (26... bxc4 {is also possible though as this is a better version to the game continuation.})) ({Another equality is achieved with} 24... Nxd2 25. Nxd2 Qb7 26. Ne4 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rc8) 25. Nxc4 Rxc4 {Another inaccuracy.} ({Black also has many weaknesses after} 25... bxc4 26. Nd6 Bxd6 27. Rxd6 {but perhaps it is easier to defend without the light pieces on the board.}) 26. Rxc4 bxc4 27. Qc2 {The c4-pawn is more a liability than an asset. Combining threats on both sides of the board Mamedyarov skillfully increases pressure.} Rc8 28. h3 Qc6 ({If} 28... f5 29. Qc3+ ({Less promising is } 29. Nd6 Bxd6 30. Rxd6 c3 {when the passer becomes strong.}) 29... Kg8 30. Ng3 {looks strong for White, followed by Ng3-h5.}) 29. Rd4 {With the dual threat of 30.Ne4-d2 followed by Rd4-c4 and 30.Ne4-c5 followed by the same Rd4-c4 (this time with capture.)} a5 ({If} 29... f5 {White can choose either way of going for the pawn} 30. Nd2 ({Or} 30. Nc5 Bxc5 (30... Rg8 31. g3) 31. Rxc4) 30... c3 31. Rc4 Qxc4 32. Nxc4 Rxc4 33. Qd3 Rc7 34. Qd4+ Kg8 35. Qb6 Rd7 36. Qc6 {and White wins.}) 30. Nd2 Rg8 ({The other choice was the endgame with light pieces after} 30... Qb5 31. Rxc4 Rxc4 32. Qxc4 Qxc4 33. Nxc4 axb4 { However, it seems as Black is busted here as well-} 34. a4 Kg7 ({Or} 34... f5 35. a5 Bc5 36. Kf1 Kg7 37. Ke2 Kf6 38. Kd3 Ke7 39. a6 h5 (39... Kd7 40. Ne5+) 40. Ne5 {followed by Kd3-c4.}) 35. Kf1 Kf8 36. Ke2 Ke8 37. Kd3 Kd7 38. Kc2 Kc6 39. Kb3 Kb7 {Now after some preparation White breaks through with} 40. g4 Kc6 41. Nb2 Kb6 42. Nd3 Ka5 43. e4 Bf8 44. e5 $1) 31. g3 axb4 32. Rxc4 {White won a pawn and the game.} b3 ({Nothing is principally changed after} 32... Qd5 33. axb4 Rb8 34. Ne4 Kg7 35. Nc5) 33. Nxb3 Qf3 34. a4 Bd6 ({No perpetual after} 34... Rxg3+ 35. fxg3 Qxg3+ 36. Kf1) 35. Rc8 $1 ({Here White has to be careful as} 35. a5 {screams for the sacrifice} Bxg3 $1 36. fxg3 $2 ({Luckily for White he can survive after} 36. Rg4 $1 Rxg4 37. hxg4 Bd6 {but a draw is also half a point lost from the position he had before.}) 36... Rxg3+ 37. Kh2 Rxh3+ 38. Kg1 Rh1#) 35... Rxc8 36. Qxc8+ Kg7 37. Qc2 {The last prophylactical move.The rest is easy.} (37. a5 $4 Qd1+) 37... Bb4 38. Qc4 Qb7 39. a5 Bd6 40. a6 Qb6 41. Nd4 Qa5 42. Kg2 Qa3 43. Qc6 {Mamedyarov was certainly happy with a win against one of his rivals at the fortcoming Candidates' Tournament.} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.17"] [Round "5.6"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2680"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Bb4 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 (6. Bg5 O-O 7. e3 Bf5 8. Qb3 Bxc3+ 9. Qxc3 h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 Ne4 12. Qxc7 Nc6 13. Qxd8 Rfxd8 14. Be2 Rac8 15. O-O h5 16. h4 g4 17. Ne5 Nb4 18. Bf4 f6 19. Nd3 Nc3 20. bxc3 { ½-½ Ding,L (2774)-Aronian,L (2801) Palma de Mallorca 2017}) 6... O-O 7. Rc1 c6 8. e3 Bd6 $146 (8... Bf5 9. Be2 Bd6 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. O-O Nbd7 12. a3 Ne4 13. Na4 Qe7 14. Qb3 Nd6 15. Nd2 Bg6 {Melkumyan,H (2622)-Bluebaum,M (2588) Berlin 2015}) 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. Qc2 Re8 11. Bd3 Nbd7 12. O-O Nf8 13. h3 g6 14. Ne5 Nh5 15. Rfe1 Re7 16. Qa4 Nd7 17. Nf3 Ndf6 18. b4 a6 19. b5 cxb5 20. Nxb5 Bd7 $2 (20... Qd8 {was necessary but after} 21. Nc3 Ng7 22. Qb3 Rb8 23. Ne5 { White is still better.}) 21. Nxd6 Bxa4 22. Rb1 $6 ({Of course} 22. Nc8 { (which also threatens 23.Nb6) was Svidler's first instinct but somehow he failed to see that after} Re6 {that rook can be attacked with} 23. Ng5 Rc6 24. Ne7+) ({In fact White can also do the same after the intermediate move} 22. g4) 22... b5 23. Ne5 (23. Rec1) 23... Nd7 24. Rec1 Nxe5 25. dxe5 Rxe5 26. Rc7 Rf8 27. Rc6 Ra8 28. Rc7 Rf8 29. Rc6 Ra8 30. Rbc1 d4 $6 {After getting fully back into the game, Hou slips again.} (30... Re6 {is about equal.}) 31. g4 Nf6 32. e4 ({Both players missed} 32. exd4 $1 Rd5 33. Rc8+ Rxc8 34. Rxc8+ Kg7 35. Rd8 $1 {and White keeps the pawn.}) 32... Re6 ({Here} 32... Ne8 $1 {might hold.}) 33. f4 b4 (33... Ne8 $1) 34. Rc8+ Rxc8 35. Rxc8+ Kg7 36. e5 Nd5 ({For the third time} 36... Ne8 {was good for almost equality.}) 37. Bc4 Nxf4 38. Rc7 d3 $2 ({Even here Black was still OK thanks to} 38... Nxh3+ 39. Kh2 Rxe5 40. Kxh3 d3) 39. Rxf7+ Kh6 40. Rxf4 d2 41. Rd4 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.19"] [Round "6"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "Simon"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (1. d4) (1. e4 e5) 1... e6 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 2. Nc3 { [%emt 0:00:06]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 3. Qb3 {[%emt 0:01:20]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:20] } (3... Bxc3 4. Qxc3) 4. Nb5 {[%emt 0:07:54]} (4. Nf3 Nf6 5. g4) 4... Nc6 { [%emt 0:07:15]} (4... d6 5. Qg3) 5. Nd6+ {[%emt 0:00:58]} (5. Qg3 Kf8) 5... Kf8 {[%emt 0:02:27]} (5... Ke7 {keeps more tension.} 6. a3 Ba5 7. Qg3 Kf8 8. b4 Qf6 ) 6. Nf3 {[%emt 0:01:10] A13: Reti-Eröffnung A13: English Opening: 1...e6} ({ Viel schlechter ist Much worse is} 6. Qf3 Qe7 $15) (6. g3 {feels hotter.} h5 7. Nf3 Qc7 8. Nxc8 Rxc8 9. Bg2) 6... Qe7 {[%emt 0:01:30]} 7. Nxc8 $146 {[%emt 0: 01:26]} ({Vorgänger: Predecessor:} 7. Qd3 Ba5 8. a3 Bc7 9. Nxc8 Rxc8 10. g3 h5 11. Bg2 Nh6 {1-0 (35) Landa,K (2632)-Lisek,J (2316) Germany 2003}) 7... Rxc8 { [%emt 0:00:02]} 8. e3 {[%emt 0:12:28]} e5 {[%emt 0:02:03]} 9. Qc2 {[%emt 0:01: 00]} e4 {[%emt 0:09:34]} 10. Ng1 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:02:12]} 11. Ne2 {[%emt 0:03:05]} Ba5 {[%emt 0:02:12] [#] Strongly threatening ...Nb4.} 12. a3 { [%emt 0:05:21]} h5 {[%emt 0:13:39] Brain fart} (12... d5 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Ng3 Nf6) 13. b3 {[%emt 0:09:03]} (13. g3 h4) (13. Ng3 h4) 13... Rd8 {[%emt 0:03:20] } 14. Bb2 {[%emt 0:10:30]} d5 {[%emt 0:12:59]} 15. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Rxd5 { [%emt 0:02:49]} 16. O-O-O {[%emt 0:05:09]} Ng4 {[%emt 0:01:25]} (16... Ne5) 17. Ng3 {[%emt 0:23:27] [#] aiming for Bc4.} Nxf2 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 18. Bc4 { [%emt 0:01:33]} Nxd1 {[%emt 0:10:24]} 19. Rxd1 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Rg5 {[%emt 0: 09:43] Droht ...Se5 und aus. And now ...Ne5 would win.} (19... Rd8 20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. Nf5+) 20. Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Nd8 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 21. Nf5 {[%emt 0: 07:57]} (21. Nxe4 Rxg2) 21... Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} (21... Rxf5 22. Rxf5) 22. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Rg4 {[%emt 0:02:30]} ({Viel schwächer wäre Much weaker is} 22... Qxd2+ $6 23. Kb1 $16) 23. Bxg7+ {[%emt 0:06:21]} (23. Qd5 Qxd5 24. Bxd5) 23... Rxg7 {[%emt 0:04:05]} 24. Nxg7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Qxd2+ {[%emt 0:01: 03]} ({Aber nicht Avoid the trap} 24... Kxg7 $2 25. Qe5+ Kh7 26. Qxh5+ Kg7 27. Qg5+ Kf8 28. Qxc5+ Kg8 (28... Qe7 29. Qxa5 $18) 29. Qxa5 $18) 25. Kb1 {[%emt 0: 00:05]} Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:37] [#] Die Stellung ist ausgeglichen. The position is equal.} 26. Rxf7+ {[%emt 0:00:31]} Nxf7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 27. Qe8+ {[%emt 0:01: 37]} Kxg7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 28. Qxf7+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 29. Qf4+ {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:14] [#]} 30. Qf7+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} Kh6 { [%emt 0:00:07]} 31. Qf4+ {[%emt 0:00:04] Precision: Weiß = 56%, Schwarz = 78%. Precision: White = 68%, Black = 73%.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.19"] [Round "6"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Simon"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (1. c4 e6 (1... c6 2. d4 (2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. b3 e6 5. Bb2 Be7 6. Qc2 O-O 7. g4)) 2. Nf3 (2. d4 d5) 2... d5 3. b3 (3. g3)) 1... d5 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 2. e3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:03:04]} 3. c4 {[%emt 0:00: 54]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} (4. b3 c5) 4... dxc4 {[%emt 0: 07:28]} (4... a6 5. b3 Bd6 6. Bb2 O-O 7. g4 Nxg4 8. Rg1 f5 9. cxd5 e5 10. h3 Nf6 11. Ng5 Qe7 12. Qf3 {1-0 (37) Nepomniachtchi,I (2729)-Anand,V (2782) London 2017}) (4... c5 5. d4) 5. Bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:03] LiveBook: 12 Games} 6. b3 {[%emt 0:14:59] A17: English Opening: 1...Nf6 with .. .Bb4} c5 {[%emt 0:10:28]} 7. Bb2 {[%emt 0:01:49]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:05:29]} 8. Qc2 $146 {[%emt 0:18:08]} (8. O-O Be7 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. exd4 b5 { 0-1 (42) Scherer,F (2155)-Wiley,T (2292) Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2012}) 8... Be7 {[%emt 0:04:42]} (8... Nb4 9. Qb1) 9. a3 {[%emt 0:07:08]} b6 {[%emt 0: 03:47]} 10. g4 $5 {[%emt 0:13:29]} h6 {[%emt 0:18:22]} (10... Nxg4 11. Qe4) 11. Rg1 {[%emt 0:02:17]} b5 {[%emt 0:04:05]} 12. Be2 {[%emt 0:06:01]} Bb7 {[%emt 0: 08:28]} 13. g5 {[%emt 0:06:10]} (13. h4 $11) 13... hxg5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 14. Nxg5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rh6 $1 {[%emt 0:03:41]} (14... Rxh2 $6 15. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 16. Qg6+ Kf8 17. Ne4) 15. Nce4 {[%emt 0:01:35]} Nxe4 {[%emt 0:02:58]} (15... Na5 $15) 16. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:02:14]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 17. Nxc5 {[%emt 0:13:59] } Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 18. Qxc5 $14 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rxh2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 19. a4 {[%emt 0:06:43]} Qh4 {[%emt 0:18:08]} ({Black should play} 19... Rc8 $14 20. Bg7 (20. axb5 Qh4 $17 21. Rf1 Nb4) 20... Ne7) 20. Rf1 $1 $16 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:05:31] [#]} (20... Qe7 $16 {was necessary.} 21. Qxe7+ Kxe7) 21. Qb6 $1 $18 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Nd8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 22. axb5 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Bg2 {[%emt 0:01:17]} 23. Ra4 {[%emt 0:00:50]} Qh3 {[%emt 0:01:01]} 24. Ba3 { [%emt 0:10:23]} (24. Qxa6 Bxf1 25. Bxf1 {[#]} Qf5 $3 $19) ({Better is} 24. bxa6 $18 Bxf1 25. Qb5+ (25. Bxf1 Rh1 $18) 25... Kf8 26. Bxf1 Rh1 27. a7) 24... Rh1 $16 {[%emt 0:02:48]} ({Avoid the trap} 24... Bxf1 $2 25. Qd6 $18) 25. bxa6 { [%emt 0:01:44]} (25. Qd6 Rc1+ 26. Bxc1 Bxf1) 25... Qh8 $2 {[%emt 0:06:19]} ( 25... Bxf1 $16 26. Qb5+ Nc6 27. Bxf1 Rc7) 26. Rd4 $2 {[%emt 0:00:57]} (26. Qb5+ $18 Nc6 27. d4 (27. Rxh1 Qxh1+ 28. Bf1 Rb8 $16) 27... Bxf1 28. Bxf1) 26... Bxf1 $40 {[%emt 0:01:59] Black has some attack.} 27. Qb5+ {[%emt 0:00:27]} (27. Bxf1 $11 {keeps the balance.} Nc6 28. Qc5 (28. Qb7 $2 Rxf1+ 29. Ke2 Re1+ 30. Kxe1 Qh1+ 31. Ke2 Nxd4+ 32. Kd3 Qxb7 $19) 28... Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Qh1+ 30. Ke2 Qh5+ 31. f3 Nxd4+ 32. Qxd4 Qb5+ 33. Kf2 Qxa6 34. Bb4) 27... Nc6 $17 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 28. Bxf1 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rxf1+ {[%emt 0:00:19]} 29. Kxf1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (29. Qxf1 $17 {is the only way for White.} Nxd4 30. exd4 Qxd4 31. Qb5+ Kd8 32. Qa5+ Kd7 33. Qb5+ Rc6 34. Qb7+ Rc7 35. Qb5+ Rc6 36. Qb7+ Rc7 37. Qb5+ Kd8 38. Ke2) 29... Qh1+ $19 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 30. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:05] Hoping for Ra4.} Qh5+ { [%emt 0:01:03]} 31. Qxh5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Nxd4+ 32. exd4 {[%emt 0:00:21] Qb5+ would kill now.} gxh5 {[%emt 0:00:02] Endgame KR-KB} 33. b4 {[%emt 0:03:29] Threatens to win with b5.} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 34. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:32]} (34. a7 Ra8) 34... Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 35. Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Kc6 {[%emt 0:00:19] } 36. b5+ {[%emt 0:00:31]} (36. a7 $17 Rg8+ 37. Kh4) 36... Rxb5 {[%emt 0:00:28] Strongly threatening ...Rb3+.} 37. Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Rb2 {[%emt 0:01:53]} 38. a7 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Kb7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 39. d5 $2 {[%emt 0:00:33]} (39. d3 ) 39... exd5 {[%emt 0:00:22] Black is clearly winning.} 40. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:00] } Rb4 {[%emt 0:01:39]} 41. d4 {[%emt 0:00:43]} (41. f3 $142 d4 42. Bg5) 41... Rb1 {[%emt 0:01:20] Precision: White = 51%, Black = 58%.} 0-1 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.19"] [Round "6"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Jones, Gawain C B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Simon"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:01]} g6 { [%emt 0:00:12]} 3. g3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00: 03]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:08]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:05]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 6. Re1 { [%emt 0:00:07]} c6 {[%emt 0:09:34]} 7. e4 {[%emt 0:03:48] LiveBook: 20 Partien. A49: Königsindisch (ohne c2-c4)} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (7... Bg4 8. Nbd2 Qc8 9. c3 Na6 10. Qb3 Rb8 11. Qa3 Rd8 12. Nf1 h6 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne3 Be6 15. exd6 exd6 {0-1 (43) Halvax,G (2360)-Pilaj,H (2385) St Johann im Pongau 2016}) 8. e5 $146 {[%emt 0:06:58]} ({Vorgänger:} 8. a4 e5 9. Nc3 Nbd7 10. a5 a6 11. h3 Re8 12. Be3 Rb8 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Nd2 Bf8 15. Nc4 Bc5 16. Qd3 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Nf8 { ½-½ (63) Pihlajasalo,H (2241)-Hokkanen,P (2276) Finland 2014}) (8. Nc3 e5) 8... dxe5 {[%emt 0:04:50]} 9. dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:05] Weiß steht etwas besser.} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 10. Qe2 {[%emt 0:01:45]} b5 {[%emt 0:05:17]} 11. Nbd2 { [%emt 0:11:34]} a5 {[%emt 0:13:23]} 12. c4 {[%emt 0:09:09]} Nb4 {[%emt 0:09:29] } 13. Nd4 {[%emt 0:03:08]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:02:15]} 14. a3 $1 {[%emt 0:01:13]} Rxd4 {[%emt 0:03:37]} 15. axb4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} bxc4 {[%emt 0:05:53]} 16. Nxc4 { [%emt 0:05:38] zielt auf Le3 ab.} Bg4 {[%emt 0:07:12]} 17. Qf1 {[%emt 0:11:47]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:03:11]} 18. Be3 {[%emt 0:02:23]} (18. Rxa5 $2 Rxa5 19. Nxa5 Bd3 $19) (18. Rd1 $1 Rxd1 19. Qxd1 Be6 20. Qc2) 18... Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 19. Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Bxf1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 20. Bxf1 {[%emt 0:00:58]} c5 {[%emt 0: 10:30]} (20... a4 $142) 21. Bxc5 $16 {[%emt 0:04:51]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:03:53] [#]} 22. Bd4 $1 {[%emt 0:01:00]} ({Nicht} 22. Bxe7 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Bxe5 $11) 22... a4 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 23. b5 {[%emt 0:04:53] Und weiter mit b3! wäre nett.} Rb8 { [%emt 0:01:51]} 24. Rec1 {[%emt 0:10:25]} h5 {[%emt 0:06:57]} ({Lieber} 24... Bh6) (24... Nxe5 25. Nxe5) 25. b6 {[%emt 0:09:07]} (25. Rxa4 Nxe5 26. Ra7 Qc8 $11) (25. b3 $1 $16 axb3 26. Na5 Qd8 27. Nc6 Qe8 28. Rab1 $1) 25... Qc6 { [%emt 0:05:05] [#]} 26. Na5 {[%emt 0:04:41]} (26. Be3 $1 $16) 26... Qe6 $14 { [%emt 0:03:36]} 27. Bc4 {[%emt 0:05:58]} Qg4 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 28. Nc6 {[%emt 0: 01:45] h3 ist eine echte Drohung.} Rxb6 {[%emt 0:02:15]} 29. Bxb6 {[%emt 0:04: 37]} Nxb6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 30. Nxe7+ {[%emt 0:00:43]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 31. Nd5 {[%emt 0:03:30]} Bxe5 {[%emt 0:02:35]} 32. Nxb6 {[%emt 0:03:03]} Bxb2 { [%emt 0:00:03]} 33. h3 {[%emt 0:01:43]} (33. Rab1 $5 Bxc1 34. Rxc1 $16 a3) 33... Qxh3 {[%emt 0:04:40] Droht ...Dg4 und aus.} 34. Bf1 {[%emt 0:00:20]} ({ Bitte nicht} 34. Nxa4 Bxa1 35. Bf1 (35. Rxa1 h4 $17) 35... Qg4 $17) 34... Qe6 { [%emt 0:00:13]} 35. Nxa4 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Bxa1 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 36. Rxa1 { [%emt 0:00:01]} h4 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 37. Nc5 {[%emt 0:01:06]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:01: 05] Schwarz steht etwas besser.} 38. Rc1 {[%emt 0:00:34]} hxg3 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 39. Nd3 {[%emt 0:00:26]} gxf2+ {[%emt 0:05:15]} 40. Kxf2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qd4+ {[%emt 0:00:22]} 41. Ke2 {[%emt 0:08:45]} Qg4+ {[%emt 0:04:00] Precision: Weiß = 61%, Schwarz = 62%.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "80th Tata Steel GpA"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.19"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2834"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Qb3 c5 {Already in rare, although not undiscovered territory. 3...Nc6 is more common.} 4. Nb5 {White has a very good score with this move in limited practice, although the practitioners for Black haven't been weakies, and Carlsen certainly didn't change that.} Nc6 5. Nd6+ Kf8 6. Nf3 Qe7 7. Nxc8 (7. Qd3 {was Landa-Lisek Germany 2003. White later won with a Benko Gambit style sacrificial maneuver a3 and b4.}) 7... Rxc8 8. e3 e5 9. Qc2 e4 10. Ng1 {What's worth more? Black's lead in development and obvious hole on d3 or White's ability to castle and possible use the d5 outpost?} Nf6 11. Ne2 Ba5 {Clearing out the b4 square for the knight, which White can't allow.} 12. a3 h5 {Somewhere along here commentators really wanted Carlsen to burn his book on chess fundamentals and play ...g5.} 13. b3 Rd8 14. Bb2 d5 15. cxd5 Rxd5 (15... Nxd5 {[Thinking about 16...Ndb4!]} 16. Nc3 Nxc3 17. Bxc3 Bxc3 18. dxc3 Rh6 19. Be2 Rhd6 {was another way for Black, who is for choice. The control of the d-file and coming knight penetration to e5 makes him better. h5 is not really hanging since ...Rd2 is good. Black's hole on d3 and White's passive rooks means the queen trumps the two rooks.}) 16. O-O-O Ng4 17. Ng3 Nxf2 { And for the rest of the thrilling finish, check out the analysis of the players below!} 18. Bc4 Nxd1 19. Rxd1 Rg5 20. Rf1 Nd8 21. Nf5 Qd7 22. Qxe4 Rg4 23. Bxg7+ Rxg7 24. Nxg7 Qxd2+ 25. Kb1 Bc3 26. Rxf7+ Nxf7 27. Qe8+ Kxg7 28. Qxf7+ Kh6 29. Qf4+ Kg6 30. Qf7+ Kh6 31. Qf4+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.19"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 dxc4 ({A recent game which might have inspired Wei saw:} 4... a6 5. b3 Bd6 6. Bb2 O-O 7. g4 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2729) -Anand,V (2782) London 2017}) 5. Bxc4 a6 6. b3 c5 7. Bb2 Nc6 8. Qc2 $146 { Wei's plan does not include castling.} ({A novelty in comparison to the toothless:} 8. O-O Be7 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. exd4 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 { when Black was somewhat better already, Scherer,F (2155)-Wiley,T (2292) Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2012}) 8... Be7 (8... b5 $5 9. Be2 Bb7 {looks more active.}) 9. a3 b6 10. g4 $1 {"I forgot about this stuff. I thought that it is not dangerous since I did not castle. Actually, it it surprisingly strong as he gets a bind after g4-g5 followed by Nc3-e4." (So)} h6 (10... Nxg4 $2 { drops a knight after} 11. Qe4) ({Castling into it is definitely not a good idea-} 10... O-O 11. g5 Nd5 12. Ne4 {folllowed by Rh1-g1 and slamming a knight on f6 after no matter what Black does.}) 11. Rg1 b5 ({It made sense to keep the bishop on c4 for future tempo-gainers:} 11... Bb7 12. g5 hxg5 13. Nxg5 Ne5 $5) 12. Be2 Bb7 13. g5 hxg5 14. Nxg5 Rh6 {So clears the long diagonal and overprotects the f6 square.} ({As already mentioned earlier, castling is suicidal-} 14... O-O 15. Nce4 Nxe4 16. Nxe6 $1) 15. Nce4 {Rubinstein's pattern. He used to open the road for his bishops with similar knight move.} Nxe4 { Inaccurate.} ({Black could have held the position with tactics.} 15... Na5 $3 { was keeping the pawn on c5 alive and the open diagonal for the light-sqaured bishop is definitely good for him. The brilliant tactical point behind the idea is revealed after:} 16. Nxc5 (16. Nxf6+ {fails to convince after} Bxf6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 {and Black is doing great.}) ({Probably best is} 16. a4 b4 17. d3 { with approximate equality.}) 16... Bxc5 17. Qxc5 Qxd2+ $1 ({Rather than} 17... Nxb3 18. Bxb5+ $1 axb5 ({Or} 18... Nd7 19. Qc3 Nxa1 20. Nxf7 $1 {with decisive attack.}) 19. Qxb5+ Nd7 20. Qxb3 {and White wins.}) 18. Kxd2 Nxb3+ {and Black has the advantage.}) (15... Rc8 $5) 16. Nxe4 g6 17. Nxc5 Bxc5 18. Qxc5 Rxh2 19. a4 $1 {The bishop pair and the weak dark squares determine Wei's big advantage. With the game move he wnats to further open the lines and diagonals for his pieces.} Qh4 ({Black is deprived of any counterplay in case of} 19... bxa4 20. Rxa4) 20. Rf1 Rc8 {So starts shaking the boat.} ({Apparently So understood that the calm} 20... bxa4 21. Rxa4 Qe7 ({Not} 21... Qd8 $2 22. Bxa6) 22. Qc3 { will leave Black nothing- neither position, nor tactical chances.}) 21. Qb6 ( 21. axb5 $2 Nb4) 21... Nd8 22. axb5 Bg2 {The point behind Black's counterattack. The white king is not perfectly save in the middle.} 23. Ra4 $1 {The queen should be removed from the f2 square.} ({The kingside rook cannot move:} 23. Rg1 $2 Rh1 {wins for Black.}) (23. bxa6 $2 Bxf1) (23. Qd4 {is less accurate because of} Qxd4 24. Bxd4 Bxf1 25. Bxf1 axb5 {although White is still somewhat better after} 26. Bxb5+) 23... Qh3 24. Ba3 {In the after-game analyzes both players came to the conclusion that this move was a mistake. It indeed allows some extra possibilities to Black.} ({The neatest solution was:} 24. bxa6 $1 Bxf1 25. Bxf1 Rh1 26. Qb5+ Nc6 27. a7 {the kingside initiative is over and the aftermath is very sad for Black.}) ({It seems clever to chase the queen away with} 24. Bg4 {but this runs into} Bxf1 $3 25. Bxh3 Bd3 26. f4 Rc2 { when it is unclear!}) 24... Rh1 25. bxa6 Qh8 $1 {This is the additional chance that So got from the move 24.Bb2-a3.} (25... Bxf1 26. Qb5+ Nc6 27. Bxf1 { as long as there is no mate the white passers should decide the game.}) 26. Rd4 $2 {Short on time, Wei goes astray.} ({Both} 26. Qd4 $1 {with the idea to meet} Qh3 {with} ({Better is} 26... Qxd4 27. exd4 Bxf1 28. Bxf1 {although White should win here as well.}) 27. Bb5+ Nc6 28. Qd6 $1 Rxf1+ 29. Bxf1 Bxf1 30. Qf8+ Kd7 31. Qxf7+ Kd8 32. Rd4+ Nxd4 33. Qe7#) ({And} 26. d4 $1 Bxf1 27. Qb5+ { hsould have stopped the counter-attack and led to White's win.}) 26... Bxf1 27. Qb5+ $2 {Now White even loses.} ({Correct was} 27. Bxf1 Nc6 28. a7 ({Or} 28. Qc5 Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Qh1+ 30. Ke2 Qh5+ $1 31. f3 $1 {This is the difference in comparison to the game. After} ({Weaker is:} 31. Qxh5 $2 Nxd4+ 32. exd4 gxh5 33. b4 Kd7 (33... Rb8) 34. b5 Rb8) 31... Nxd4+ 32. Qxd4 Qb5+ 33. Kf2 Qxa6 34. Qb4 {the weak black king deprives him of winning chances.}) 28... Nxd4 29. exd4 {when Black has a forced draw with} Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1 Qh1+ 31. Ke2 Qe4+ {but nothing more.}) 27... Nc6 28. Bxf1 Rxf1+ $1 29. Kxf1 ({Maybe White should have tried:} 29. Qxf1 Nxd4 30. exd4 Qxd4 31. Qb5+ {with the queens on the board, there are practical chances.}) 29... Qh1+ 30. Ke2 Qh5+ {Black trades every single heavy piece and wins the endgame.} 31. Qxh5 Nxd4+ 32. exd4 gxh5 33. b4 Rb8 34. Kf3 Kd7 35. Kg3 Kc6 36. b5+ ({Or} 36. a7 Rg8+ $1 (36... Ra8 37. b5+ Kxb5 38. Bc5) 37. Kh4 Kb5 {and Black should win.}) 36... Rxb5 37. Bc5 Rb2 38. a7 Kb7 39. d5 exd5 40. Be3 Rb4 41. d4 Rb1 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.20"] [Round "7.5"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E06"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2743"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Qxd4 14. Qxc7 { Presumably Wei had thoroughly prepared this pawn sacrifice. Mamedyarov took some time, but found a tightrope that he could walk and keep play alive. Many drawn endgames loom.} Nc6 15. Qxb7 Na5 16. Qc7 (16. Qxa8 Rxa8 17. Bxa8 Qb4 18. Rab1 Nc4 {Black's pieces are extremely active. Wei Yi should not be worse.}) 16... Qd8 17. Qf4 Rb8 18. Rfd1 Qe7 (18... Qc8 $1 {Pressuring c3 and supporting Nc4 seems close to equal according to the engine.}) 19. Rab1 Rfc8 $2 20. Ne4 $1 {Now White is just a pawn up.} Bg5 (20... Bxb2 21. Nd6 Rd8 22. Nxf7 $1 { Black is either loose on b2 or b8 so White keeps material and has the better structure.}) 21. Qd6 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 Be7 23. Rxa6 Nc4 24. Rc1 $2 (24. b3 $1 { simple.}) 24... Nxb2 $2 (24... Rxb2 $1 {Black is far from lost here. It's hard to progress the a-pawn for White. It's hard to say why Wei Yi rejected this line in favor of ...Nxb2 or why Mamedyarov allowed it.}) 25. Rxc8+ Rxc8 26. a5 Nc4 27. Ra7 Bb4 28. a6 f5 29. Rb7 $1 {A nice finish.} fxe4 30. Bg4 {With b4 and a fork of g8-c8-c4 imminent, literally every piece hangs for Black.} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.20"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2680"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 c5 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. exd4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Qc7 9. Bd2 Nd7 10. Qg4 Nf6 11. Qg3 $5 {The endgame is favorable, but Carlsen's winning margin will be small.} (11. Qh3 $5 {Commentating GM Van Kampen humorously observed that Carlsen may be adept at squeezing water from a stone, but he doesn't need to make stones of lively positions. The middlegame position also seems promising with larger margins for error by both players.}) 11... Qxg3 12. hxg3 Bd6 13. Nf3 b6 14. a4 Bb7 15. a5 Ke7 16. Ke2 Ne4 17. Be1 { Carlsen is going to great lengths to keep play in the position and avoid exchanges.} h6 18. c4 Nf6 (18... f5 {Securing e4 is the engine's preference when the position is lively with chances for both players.}) 19. Bc3 Be4 20. Rhb1 Bxd3+ 21. Kxd3 Nd7 22. Nd2 Rhd8 23. Ne4 Bc7 24. Bb4+ Ke8 25. f4 Rac8 26. axb6 axb6 27. Ra7 Nb8 28. Rxc7 $1 {This exchange sacrifice is the only favorable option for Carlsen.} Rxc7 29. Nd6+ Kd7 (29... Kf8 $2 30. Nb5+ { The discovered check attacks c7.}) 30. Nxf7 Rdc8 31. Ne5+ Ke8 32. Bd6 Rb7 33. c5 Nc6 34. Rxb6 Rxb6 35. cxb6 {Carlsen now has two pawns for the exchange and strong minor pieces.} Nd8 36. Bc7 Ra8 37. Kc4 Nb7 38. Kb5 Ra2 39. g4 Ke7 40. g3 Nd6+ 41. Bxd6+ Kxd6 42. Nc4+ Kd7 43. Kc5 Rc2 44. f5 exf5 45. gxf5 Rf2 46. Nd6 Rg2 (46... Rc2+) 47. Ne4 $1 {Carlsen begins the first of many good knight maneuvers. The difficult question is can the knight support the progress of the c- and d-pawns in light of the rook's harassment. The answer seems to be... not against the very best defense, but the margins are razor thin.} Rb2 48. g4 Rb1 49. Nd2 $1 {The knight can provide shelter to the king and aid the pawns from c4.} Rh1 50. d5 h5 $2 {The losing move.} (50... Rc1+ $1 {The engine points out that Black hold by simply restraining White with the rook. The lines are long and difficult and may be possibly have improvements, but here is one long and seemingly important engine line.} 51. Nc4 Rb1 52. d6 Rb3 53. Ne5+ Kd8 54. Nc6+ Kd7 55. Nb8+ {Otherwise how do you progress?} Kd8 56. d7 { Now the knight is tied to the defense of d7 so White needs to advance the pawns with only the king's support. It's not possible.} Ke7 57. Kc6 Rc3+ 58. Kb7 Rc1 59. Ka7 Ra1+ 60. Na6 Kxd7 61. b7 Rb1 62. b8=Q Rxb8 63. Nxb8+ Ke7 { White did queen, but the kingside pawns will be traded and White's knight matters not at all.}) 51. d6 Kc8 52. gxh5 Rxh5 53. Kc6 Kb8 54. Ne4 Rxf5 55. Nc5 1-0 [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.20"] [Round "7.6"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. a4 ({Against Ding Liren, Anand chose:} 5. O-O O-O 6. c3 d6 7. a4 a5 8. Na3 Be6 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Nc2 Qe8 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Nxe3 Rd8 {but did not get much of anything, Anand,V (2782)-Ding,L (2777) Riadh 2017}) 5... d6 6. c3 a6 7. Bg5 {"A very sharp line." (Kramnik)} ({ In Zurich, the two discussed the line after} 7. O-O h6 8. Na3 O-O 9. Nc2 Re8 10. Re1 Ba7 11. Be3 Bb8 $5 12. Qd2 Ng4 13. b4 Ne7 14. d4 Ng6 15. dxe5 Nxe3 16. Nxe3 Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Rxe5 18. Qa2 Be6 19. Bxe6 Rxe6 20. Nf5 Ba7 21. Nd4 Re5 22. Nf3 Re6 23. Nd4 {1/2-1/2 (23) Anand,V (2786)-Kramnik,V (2811) Zuerich 2017}) 7... h6 8. Bh4 Ba7 9. Nbd2 Qe7 {"A tricky move" (Kramnik). Black does not want to castle.} ({The queen defends the f7-pawn, vulnerable after:} 9... g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Nxe5) 10. h3 {"Not a good move" (Kramnik). But it is not obvious what to do next. The bishop on h4 is under a constant danger of being excluded from the game.} ({True,} 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 {would not make White happy either.}) 10... g5 11. Bg3 Nh5 12. Qe2 $146 {Apparently both players were unaware that this move is a novelty.} ({A predecessor saw:} 12. Bh2 Nf4 13. Bxf4 gxf4 14. b4 Rg8 {with a similar position as in the game, Voigt,R (2381)-Karpatchev,A (2461) Leipzig 2004}) ({This time the trick:} 12. Nxe5 $2 {does not work due to} Nxg3 13. Nxc6 Bxf2+ $1 14. Kxf2 Nxh1+ {(Kramnik)}) ({On} 12. Nh2 {the Russian GM intended} Ng7 $5 {keeping the dark-squared bishop out of the game.}) 12... Qf6 {"I thought Black is already better here" (Kramnik).} 13. Bh2 Nf4 14. Bxf4 gxf4 {The two bishops (especially the a7 one) look impressive, and Black has easy play along the g-file.} 15. g4 {Trying to block the positon as much as possible.} ({"Let's not talk about this:"} 15. O-O {"I know I am old fashioned, but Bc8-d7, 0-0-0 and mate on the g-file should follow."(Kramnik)}) 15... Ne7 { Bringing the knight on the kingside.} ({Black also considered} 15... fxg3 16. fxg3 Rg8 17. g4 Ne7 18. Rf1 Ng6 19. O-O-O Nf4 20. Qh2 {which should be better for him as well.}) ({An example of prophylactical thinking that Kramnik has is the line} 15... Bd7 16. Bd5 Rb8 17. Bxc6 {"Knights are not bad at all at this position" (Kramnik).}) 16. b4 {"Vishy did not realize that my king will stay in the middle." (Kramnik).} ({Instead he suggested} 16. d4 Ng6 17. Bb3 { when Black is also better, but not as much as in the game.}) 16... Ng6 17. Kd1 {The king does not have safe shelter anywhere.} ({Or} 17. b5 Kf8 {followed by Kg8-g7 with similar consequences.}) 17... h5 $1 {An important moment. Black shuts the kingside, and thus secures his king. On the other wing, the play will be quite one-sided. Further, the h3-pawn demands constant attention thus the white rooks cannot fully participate in the queenside battle. If the pawn goes up (h3-h4), then the g4-square will become available for the black bishop, and new problems will occur with the h4 pawn.} 18. g5 Qe7 19. b5 Kf8 $1 20. bxa6 {This makes things easier for the second player.} ({Sounder was to keep the position as blocked as possible, or to try and seize better positions on the queenside with} 20. Bd5 Rb8 21. Nc4 Bd7 22. Qb2 {Next the king will come to e2 and the kingside rook to b1. If} c6 $2 23. b6) 20... bxa6 21. d4 { Anand does not want to stand still.} Kg7 22. d5 (22. Bxa6 $2 Bxd4 $1) 22... Bd7 23. Kc2 Rhb8 {Not only is the h3-pawn is vulnerable, but the one on a4 is weak too.} (23... c6 {was also very good for Black.}) 24. Bxa6 Bxf2 25. Bb5 ({Or} 25. Qxf2 Rxa6 26. a5 c6 {breaking open the position.}) 25... Be3 26. h4 Ra5 ( 26... Qe8 $5 {(Kramnik)}) 27. c4 ({In case of} 27. Nc4 Raxb5 $1 {is strong when White is helpless after} 28. axb5 Bxb5) 27... Rba8 28. Kb3 ({After} 28. Nb3 {Black intended} Rxa4 29. Rxa4 Rxa4 30. Bxa4 Bxa4 31. Ra1 {and now either} Qd7 ({Or} 31... Bxb3+ 32. Kxb3 Qd7 {with a winning attack in both cases.})) 28... Nf8 $1 {Bringing the last piece into the attack.} 29. Rhc1 Bg4 30. Kc2 Bxd2 31. Kxd2 Nd7 32. Ra3 ({Or} 32. Bxd7 Qxd7 {and the a4-pawn will suffer for starters.}) 32... Nc5 33. Bc6 Rb8 34. Ke1 Qd8 35. Qc2 Bxf3 36. Rxf3 Qc8 { Anand resigned as there is no way to defend all the weaknesses.} 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.20"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Hou Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "MG"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 $5 5. e3 ({Principled lines are connected with e2-e4 (as Magnus twice successfully played in 2016 in the short control games against Kramnik) or} 5. Nf3 {first.}) 5... c5 $1 6. Bd3 ({ A rare continuation, which was used by Geller sixty years ago but was not seen often after that. More standard is} 6. Nf3 {, transposing to Carlsen's own 2010 rapid game against Hammer.}) 6... cxd4 7. exd4 Nxc3 $5 {Indeed, there were alternatives for Black here and on the previous move.} 8. bxc3 Qc7 9. Bd2 Nd7 $1 10. Qg4 $5 {This is probably new.} Nf6 ({Also} 10... g6 {is playable.}) 11. Qg3 $1 Qxg3 12. hxg3 {The world champion obtained a slightly better endgame. Surely nothing special, but often he does not need much.} Bd6 13. Nf3 ({Curious and probably deserves mentioning} 13. Rh4 $5 {, preparing g3-g4. While} e5 {can be met by} 14. dxe5 Bxe5 15. Nf3 {followed by 16.Kf1!. But developing a knight, as Carlsen did, is very natural.}) 13... b6 {Black could have tried to do without this move, developing the bishop to d7. But generally there's nothing wrong with Hou Yifan's approach.} 14. a4 $1 Bb7 15. a5 Ke7 16. Ke2 Ne4 17. Be1 $5 {Otherwise White can't preserve his bishop pair.} h6 18. c4 Nf6 $6 {I do not like this retreat, after which White activates easily.} ({ Instead,} 18... f5 $5 {looks OK, with decent counterchances for Black.}) 19. Bc3 $1 Be4 {Also this is somewhat illogical. Now White quickly develops a strong pressure.} 20. Rhb1 Bxd3+ 21. Kxd3 Nd7 22. Nd2 $5 Rhd8 ({The alternative } 22... f5 {has serious drawbacks because it weakens the e6 pawn.}) 23. Ne4 Bc7 24. Bb4+ Ke8 {Black's position is passive and nearly critical. But, somewhat strangely, it's also hard to offer something absolutely convincing for White.} 25. f4 ({Instead,} 25. Kc3 $5 f5 26. Bd6 $1 Bxd6 27. Nxd6+ Ke7 28. Nb5 { also deserved attention, probably, and can be better than it looks.}) 25... Rac8 26. axb6 axb6 27. Ra7 {Essentially, White goes for a promisingly looking exchange sacrifice.} ({He also could have played calmer:} 27. Nc3 $5 Nc5+ ({or } 27... Bb8 28. Ra8 Nc5+ 29. Bxc5 bxc5 30. Rb7 $1 {with the idea of} Rxd4+ 31. Ke2 Rdd8 32. Nb5 g5 33. Na7 Bxa7 34. Raxa7 {, etc.}) 28. Ke3 Nd7 29. Re1 $1 Bb8 30. Kd3 {and Black is worse after} Nc5+ $5 31. Bxc5 bxc5 32. d5 Kf8 {as well as in other lines.}) 27... Nb8 $1 28. Rxc7 $1 Rxc7 29. Nd6+ Kd7 30. Nxf7 Rdc8 { White has more than enough for the sacrificed exchange, but is it enough for a win? Possibly not.} 31. Ne5+ ({Or} 31. Bd6 $5 Ra7 (31... Rb7 $6 32. Be5 $1) 32. Rxb6 ({Black also should be able to survive the bizarre} 32. f5 $5 exf5 33. d5) 32... Ke8 33. Ne5 Nd7 34. Nxd7 Kxd7 35. Bc5 $5 Re8 $1 {and it's not clear how White can make progress.}) 31... Ke8 32. Bd6 Rb7 $1 33. c5 Nc6 $1 34. Rxb6 Rxb6 35. cxb6 {Further, Hou Yifan continued to defend a not-so-simple ending well, until her fatal mistake on the 50th move,} Nd8 $5 36. Bc7 Ra8 37. Kc4 Nb7 ({ Also possible was} 37... Ra2 $5 {where White should avoid} 38. Kc5 ({other options:} 38. Kb5 $5) (38. g4 $5) 38... Ra5+ 39. Kd6 $4 {(well, Magnus would not play this even in the bullet)} Rd5#) 38. Kb5 Ra2 39. g4 Ke7 $5 40. g3 $5 Nd6+ $1 41. Bxd6+ Kxd6 42. Nc4+ Kd7 43. Kc5 Rc2 $1 44. f5 exf5 45. gxf5 Rf2 46. Nd6 $1 ({After} 46. g4 {,} h5 $1 47. gxh5 Rxf5+ 48. Ne5+ Kc8 49. Kc6 Rf6+ { is an easy draw for Black.}) 46... Rg2 ({She could have tried} 46... h5 $5 { (disallowing White to connect his g and f-pawns), which seems to be an easier way to a desired result for Black.}) 47. Ne4 Rb2 48. g4 $1 Rb1 49. Nd2 $1 Rh1 $5 50. d5 h5 $2 {It was necessary to abstain from this advance.} ({The waiting strategy was correct. For example,} 50... Rc1+ 51. Nc4 Rb1 $5 52. Ne5+ Ke7 ({ but not} 52... Kd8 $2 53. Kc6 $1 $18 {and after} Rc1+ {White has} 54. Kd6) 53. d6+ Kd8 54. Kc6 Rc1+ {and if} 55. Kd5 Rb1 $1 {. But it's difficult to understand that Black can save a game by playing like this.}) 51. d6 $1 $18 { Now it's over.} Kc8 ({Or} 51... hxg4 52. b7 Rh8 53. Nc4 $1 Rb8 54. Ne5+ $1 Ke8 ({if} 54... Kd8 55. Nc6+) 55. Kc6 g3 56. Kc7 Rxb7+ 57. Kxb7 g2 58. Kc7 g1=Q 59. d7+ Ke7 60. d8=Q#) 52. gxh5 Rxh5 53. Kc6 {The black rook is misplaced.} Kb8 54. Ne4 Rxf5 55. Nc5 {One may feel sorry for the Chinese star who made so many strong moves but still lost this game.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.20"] [Round "7.6"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "MG"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. a4 d6 6. c3 a6 7. Bg5 {Virtually every sensible move had been tried in such positions, and this one is also far from being new. White's plan provokes Black's activity on the kingside and I can't say that I like it.} ({Instead,} 7. O-O {transposes to a position from the Round 5 game Carlsen-Kramnik.}) 7... h6 8. Bh4 Ba7 9. Nbd2 Qe7 $5 ({ A similar idea,} 9... g5 10. Bg3 Qe7 $5 11. O-O {and now} Nd7 $5 (11... h5 12. h4 $1) 12. d4 $6 h5 13. h4 g4 14. Ne1 exd4 {brought Black an advantage in the game Demchenko-Ragger, Spanish ChT Linares 2017.}) 10. h3 {In the preceding games White had played differently.} ({For example,} 10. Qe2 $5 {, Najer-Aleksandrov, Tbilisi World Cup 2017.}) 10... g5 $1 11. Bg3 Nh5 12. Qe2 Qf6 $5 13. Bh2 Nf4 14. Bxf4 gxf4 15. g4 ({Engines' proposal} 15. O-O {is really scary for White, with fair chances for him to be mated on the kingside sooner or later,}) 15... Ne7 $5 ({A remarkable decision. Kramnik does not wish to open lines on the kingside by} 15... fxg3 $5 16. fxg3 {(despite Black objectively is doing quite well in this variation) and makes a more ambitious move, keeping the position closed and more strategic. An approach, which worked perfectly!}) 16. b4 {Later Anand could have regretted about this move.} Ng6 $5 17. Kd1 $6 ({"He should've probably tried} 17. O-O-O $5 {and try to meet ...h5 not with g5, but with gxh5" - Kramnik.}) 17... h5 $1 18. g5 ({ Here, after} 18. gxh5 Rxh5 {White loses the h-pawn.}) 18... Qe7 {In the long run, it's White and not Black who'll get problems with a king, so perhaps Black can be significantly better already here. Anand's further play may look almost suicidal, but it's understandable that it wasn't easy at all to find a good plan for him.} 19. b5 Kf8 20. bxa6 bxa6 21. d4 Kg7 {"My king is safe and I started to mate him slowly on the queenside, and he has no good place for his king. ...In a practical game it was very difficult [for White] to defend this position" - Kramnik} 22. d5 Bd7 23. Kc2 Rhb8 24. Bxa6 $6 ({It may seem now that what White did on the previous moves was opening lines and diagonals on the queenside not for himself, but rather for his opponent. Still, after the pawn sacrifice} 24. Ne1 $1 {and if} Qxg5 25. Nd3 {the play would have remained quite tense.}) 24... Bxf2 $1 25. Bb5 Be3 26. h4 ({Maybe} 26. Nc4 { was a better practical chance here.}) 26... Ra5 $5 27. c4 Rba8 28. Kb3 Nf8 $1 $19 29. Rhc1 Bg4 30. Kc2 Bxd2 31. Kxd2 Nd7 {And Black dominates completely.} 32. Ra3 Nc5 33. Bc6 Rb8 34. Ke1 Qd8 35. Qc2 Bxf3 36. Rxf3 Qc8 $1 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.20"] [Round "7.5"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Wei Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "MG"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 {In this well known theoretical line Black usually plays 13...c6 when White preserves a small plus in a long fight. But the Chinese grandmaster is trying a relatively fresh idea of GM Kasimdzhanov, intending to solve all opening problems in a more forced play.} Qxd4 $5 14. Qxc7 ({Black is very close to a full equality after} 14. Qxd4 Bxd4 15. Bxb7 Ra7 16. Bg2 Nd7 17. Rfd1 c5 $1 18. e3 Bf6 { Landa-Kasimdzhanov, Bundesliga 2015/6 and Aronian-Kasimdzhanov, Wch Rapid 2017. }) 14... Nc6 15. Qxb7 Na5 $5 16. Qc7 ({After} 16. Qxa8 Rxa8 17. Bxa8 Qb4 $5 { Black probably has enough counterplay.}) 16... Qd8 ({After the game Mamedyarov mentioned} 16... Bd8 $5 {, which is possibly not so bad, but hardly pretends for a full equality.}) 17. Qf4 $1 ({The best practical chance. Instead,} 17. Qxd8 Raxd8 18. Rad1 ({or} 18. Rac1 Nb3 $1) 18... Nc4 {is drawish.}) 17... Rb8 18. Rfd1 Qe7 {Seemingly solid.} ({But} 18... Qc8 $5 {was a serious alternative in fact.}) 19. Rab1 Rfc8 $2 {"A very bad move" - Mamedyarov.} ({After} 19... g5 $5 {White would have been no more than slightly better.}) 20. Ne4 $1 Bg5 ({ The point was} 20... Bxb2 21. Nd6 $1 {and if} Rd8 ({or} 21... Rf8 22. Qd2 Ba3 23. Rxb8 Rxb8 24. Nxf7 $1 {, etc. - MG}) 22. Nxf7 $1 {. Indeed, the Azerbaijani grandmaster had seen this.}) 21. Qd6 Qxd6 22. Rxd6 Be7 23. Rxa6 Nc4 24. Rc1 $6 Nxb2 $6 ({Black had to take the pawn by a rook,} 24... Rxb2 $1 { and, despite the pin, he is not losing by force.}) 25. Rxc8+ Rxc8 26. a5 { White's a-pawn is too dangerous, it seems to me that Black is doomed.} Nc4 $6 27. Ra7 $1 Bb4 28. a6 f5 29. Rb7 $1 fxe4 30. Bg4 $1 {A nice end to the game.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.20"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "MG"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 a6 $5 {Until recently, it was not possible to see this move in the top level chess (with several notable exceptions such as one Staunton's 1843 game). But times change! Today's top guys can play, generally, just anything that is not refuted by their computers during home preparation.} 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Be6 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 h6 9. Bh4 g5 {This is a topical line, first played with black by GM Fedoseev in 2016.} 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Be5 {But now Caruana comes up with something unusual.} Nhf6 $5 ({Instead,} 11... Ng7 {was tested in many games last year.}) 12. Bg3 ({White also had more active moves around here. After} 12. Qb3 {curious is} g4 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qxe5 16. Qxb7 Rd8 17. Qc6+ Ke7 18. O-O {where Black can even consider} Kf6 $5 {, planning to hide his king on g7.}) 12... Nh5 13. Nd2 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Nb6 ({Other ideas were} 14... c5 $5 {and 14...c6.}) 15. Qc2 Bd6 ({ Better could have been} 15... c6 {after which} 16. e4 {is premature because of} dxe4 {and the d4 pawn falls.}) 16. e4 $1 {Now White develops the initiative.} dxe4 ({Possibly preferable was} 16... Qd7 $5 {, and if} 17. e5 Be7 {.}) 17. Bxe4 Qe7 $2 ({Black had to play} 17... c6 {with a surely somewhat worse position. (Karjakin intended to continue} 18. O-O-O $1 {). But instead Caruana blunders a pawn.}) 18. Bxb7 $3 Rb8 ({It turns that all discovered checks lead Black nowhere. For example,} 18... Bd5+ 19. Kf1 Bxb7 20. Re1 $18) 19. Bc6+ Kf8 20. O-O Qf6 21. Nf3 Kg7 22. Rfe1 Rhd8 23. Ne4 Qg6 24. d5 $1 {An energetic way of converting the advantage. White gives his extra pawn back, but prevents ... Nd5 and develops a crushing intiative.} Nxd5 25. Bxd5 Bxd5 26. Qc3+ f6 27. Nxd6 cxd6 28. Nd4 $1 $18 {Black simply has too many weaknesses, including the vulnerable king.} Rd7 29. Qa5 Bf7 30. b3 Ra8 31. Rac1 d5 32. Rc7 Rxc7 33. Qxc7 Qd3 34. Ne6+ Kg6 35. Nd8 Rxd8 36. Qxd8 {And White converts his extra exchange.} Qd2 37. Qe7 Qxa2 38. Re3 Qb1+ 39. Kh2 Qf5 40. Qc7 d4 41. Re7 Qd5 42. b4 Be6 43. Qb6 Bf7 44. Qxa6 d3 45. Re3 Qc4 46. Qa3 {Black's d3 pawn falls, it's nothing to play for anymore.} 1-0 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.21"] [Round "8"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2804"] [Annotator "Pelletier"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 { [%emt 0:00:07]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 4. e3 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 5. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 6. exd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 7. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00: 07]} 8. Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:19]} (8... Nxc3 9. Bc4 Nd5 10. Bxd5 e6 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. O-O) 9. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 10. O-O {[%emt 0:00:05]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:10]} 11. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} (11. Nxd5 exd5) 11... bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 12. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (12. Na4) 12... Qd6 { [%emt 0:00:27]} (12... Qb6 13. Qc2 (13. Qxb6 axb6) (13. Ne4 Qxb3 14. axb3) 13... Nb4 (13... Rd8 14. Na4)) 13. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Qb4 {[%emt 0:01:00]} 14. Qc2 {[%emt 0:10:07]} a5 {[%emt 0:16:57]} 15. a3 {[%emt 0:02:25]} (15. Qxc6 Bb7 16. Qc2 Ne7) 15... Qb6 {[%emt 0:04:56]} 16. Nc5 {[%emt 0:02:44]} Re8 { [%emt 0:07:18]} 17. Ne5 {[%emt 0:09:37]} f6 {[%emt 0:09:50]} (17... Ba6 18. h4 h5) 18. Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 19. Bd2 {[%emt 0:03:21]} e5 { [%emt 0:07:32]} (19... Bf8 20. Qa4 e5 21. Bxa5 Bxc5 22. dxc5 $16) 20. dxe5 { [%emt 0:05:29]} fxe5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 21. Qa4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:01: 58]} (21... Ba6 22. Nxa6 Rxa6 23. Rad1 $16) (21... Bf5 22. Bxa5 Qe7 23. Ne4 $16 ) 22. Nxb6 {[%emt 0:09:14]} Qxb6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 23. Qc4+ {[%emt 0:01:14]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 24. Bc3 {[%emt 0:02:57]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:07:04]} (24... Qb5 25. Qxb5 cxb5 26. Rad1 $16) 25. g4 {[%emt 0:08:52]} Bc8 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 26. Re4 { [%emt 0:03:16]} Qb5 {[%emt 0:01:40]} 27. Rae1 {[%emt 0:09:02]} Qxc4 {[%emt 0: 06:52]} 28. Rxc4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 29. h3 {[%emt 0:02:20]} h5 {[%emt 0:06:36]} 30. gxh5 {[%emt 0:06:11]} gxh5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} (30... e4 31. Rexe4 Bxh3 32. Rxe8+ Rxe8 33. hxg6) 31. Rh4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Kh7 {[%emt 0: 00:05]} 32. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Kg6 33. Kh2 1-0 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.21"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Jones, Gawain C B"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B76"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Pelletier"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d6 {[%emt 0: 00:04]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:01:17]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 6. Be3 { [%emt 0:01:21]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 7. f3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:10] } 8. Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:06]} 9. O-O-O {[%emt 0:00:42]} d5 { [%emt 0:00:07]} 10. Qe1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 11. Nxc6 {[%emt 0: 00:15]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 12. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} ( 12... cxd5 $5) 13. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:44]} 14. Kb1 {[%emt 0: 00:11]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:35]} (14... Rb8 15. Ne4 f5 16. Ng5 Bc8) 15. Ne4 { [%emt 0:21:00]} f5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 16. Ng5 {[%emt 0:03:37]} Bc8 {[%emt 0:01: 16]} 17. g4 $2 {[%emt 0:03:06]} (17. h4 Rb8 18. Bb3 h6 19. Ne4 Qc7 (19... fxe4 20. fxe4) 20. Nc5) 17... f4 {[%emt 0:03:45]} 18. h4 {[%emt 0:05:10]} fxe3 { [%emt 0:02:15]} 19. Qxe3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} h6 {[%emt 0:14:57]} 20. Qc5 {[%emt 0: 00:35]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:02:25]} (20... hxg5 21. Qxc6 Be6 22. Bxd5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 Qb6 24. Qxb6 axb6 25. hxg5 e4 26. fxe4 Rxe4) 21. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Re6 { [%emt 0:06:53]} 22. h5 {[%emt 0:02:29]} Qb6 $6 {[%emt 0:05:23]} (22... g5 23. Bb3 Bf8 24. Qf2 Qb6 $19) (22... Bf8 23. Qf2 g5 $19) 23. g5 $1 {[%emt 0:05:03]} hxg5 $6 {[%emt 0:19:57]} (23... Qxc5 $2 24. Nxc5 Re7 25. Nxb7 Rxb7 26. Rxd5 $18 cxd5 27. Bxd5+) (23... gxh5 $6 24. gxh6 $132) (23... Bf8 24. Qg1 Qxg1 25. Rdxg1 Be7 $17) 24. Qa3 $1 {[%emt 0:01:01]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:15:24]} 25. b3 {[%emt 0:13: 31]} (25. Nxg5 Bf8 (25... Rf6 26. Ne4 Re6) 26. Qd3 Ba6 27. b3 Bxc4 28. Qxc4 $13 ) 25... Qd8 $6 {[%emt 0:15:37]} (25... gxh5 26. Nxg5 (26. Rxh5 Rg6 27. Rxg5 Rxg5 28. Nxg5 (28. Qd6 Qd8) 28... Bf8 29. Qc1 Ba6 30. Bxd5+ cxd5 31. Qd2 d4 32. Qh2 Qh6 33. Qxe5) 26... Bc8 (26... Rf6 27. Rdg1 $44) (26... Rg6 $2 27. Qe7) 27. Rxd5 cxd5 28. Bxd5 Bf6 29. Nh7 Bg7) 26. Qxa7 {[%emt 0:04:29]} gxh5 {[%emt 0:06: 16]} (26... Bh6 27. Rdg1 $40) (26... Re7 27. Qc5 $40) 27. Rxh5 {[%emt 0:02:03]} Rg6 $6 {[%emt 0:01:10]} (27... Ba8 28. Nxg5 Re7 29. Qc5 $16) 28. Rxg5 {[%emt 0: 01:28]} Rxg5 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 29. Nxg5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Qc8 {[%emt 0:01:05]} 30. Rg1 {[%emt 0:05:59]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 31. Qb6 {[%emt 0:01:55]} Ra6 { [%emt 0:05:26]} 32. Qc5 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:03:12]} 33. Ne4 {[%emt 0: 01:26]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:02:18]} 34. Qf2 {[%emt 0:03:39]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 35. Bxa6 {[%emt 0:04:18]} Bxa6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 36. Qh2+ {[%emt 0:00:42]} Kg8 { [%emt 0:00:02]} 37. Qh6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Qa7 {[%emt 0:04:22]} 38. Qe6+ { [%emt 0:01:56]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 39. Rg5 {[%emt 0:00:42]} Ne3 {[%emt 0:00: 51]} 40. Qd6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 41. Nc5 {[%emt 0:05:50]} Bc8 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 42. Rxg7+ {[%emt 0:00:08]} Kxg7 1-0 [Event "80th Tata Steel GpA"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.21"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2804"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. c4 c5 ({In order to understand the arising position later the reader is advised to follow the classical game Karpov-Dreev:} 1... c6 2. e4 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. exd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Bb5 e6 8. O-O Be7 9. d4 O-O 10. Re1 a6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Ne5 Bb7 13. Na4 Rc8 14. Nd3 $1 a5 15. Nac5 Qc7 16. Bd2 Ra8 17. Rc1 Rfd8 18. Ne5 Bxc5 19. Rxc5 $1 {and White won in Karpov,A (2699)-Dreev, A (2676) Cap d'Agde 2000}) 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. e3 Nf6 5. d4 cxd4 6. exd4 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qb3 e6 ({So chose a different plan this summer:} 8... Nxc3 9. Bc4 Nd5 10. Bxd5 e6 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. O-O Qd5 {and eventually drew, Giri,A (2771)-So,W (2812) Leuven 2017}) 9. Bb5 Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. Bxc6 {It looks illogical to trade the good bishop for the knight but as Karpov showed in the aforementioned game White is building his play against the weak light-squared bishop on c8.} bxc6 12. Re1 ({Or:} 12. Na4 Qd6 13. Re1 Rb8 14. Qc2 c5 $1 { This is how people solve the problem of the light-squared bishop.} 15. Nxc5 Nb4 16. Qc3 Bb7 {with compensation for the pawn in Cheparinov,I (2710)-Wei,Y (2727) China 2017}) 12... Qd6 $146 {A novelty, but it seems that Mamedyarov had messed up something, somewhere. The queen is not placed well on d6 which is proven immediately.} ({It would be interesting to see what Giri had prepared against} 12... Qb6 {So far only one game was played in the line and it ended after} 13. Qc2 {1/2-1/2 Tomashevsky,E (2710)-Alekseev,E (2622) Sochi 2017}) 13. Ne4 Qb4 14. Qc2 ({Naturally White is not interested in the queen's swap after} 14. Qxb4 Nxb4 15. Rd1 Ba6 {when Black is doing perfectly fine.}) 14... a5 15. a3 ({The careful reader has already seen that the c6-pawn is not interesting after all (or at all).} 15. Qxc6 Bb7 16. Qc2 Rfc8 17. Qd1 Ne7 {would bring all the black pieces out and he would enjoy more than sufficient compensation after Ne7-f5.}) 15... Qb6 16. Nc5 {This is what it the line is all about. The knight on c5 dominates the light-squared bishop and soon after his brother will hop on e5 making fun of the other bishop.} Re8 ({Since} 16... Rd8 { allows the tempo} 17. Bg5 Re8 18. Ne5 f6 19. Nc4 {with a large advantage for White.}) 17. Ne5 f6 {Mamedyarov cannot stand the knight, but he now weakens the kingside and blocks the bishop. Still, this is the only way to get some counter-play.} ({After} 17... Ba6 {White can build kingside attack with a move like} 18. h4 $5) 18. Nc4 Qc7 19. Bd2 e5 {The point behind f7-f6. However, now the pawn on e5 becomes weak too.} ({How annoying the knights are is revelealed by the following short lines:} 19... Bb7 20. Nxb7 Qxb7 21. Nd6) ({Or} 19... Bd7 20. Bxa5) 20. dxe5 fxe5 (20... Bf5 {simply pushes the queen to a better square: } 21. Qa4 fxe5 22. Bxa5) 21. Qa4 {Mamedyarov opened the road for the light-squared bishop but at a very high price. In the process he created an additional weakness on e5 besides the existing ones on a5 and c6 and blocked the other bishop. From a strategical point of view his position is hopeless.} Nb6 22. Nxb6 Qxb6 23. Qc4+ Kh8 24. Bc3 Bf5 {Probably missing White's next move. In difficult positions it is easy to err.} ({The best chance was the immediate: } 24... Qb5 {when White has a pleasant choice between the immediate pawn capture with} 25. Qxb5 ({Or even better, the slow positional grinding after} 25. Qf7 Bf5 26. Ne4) 25... cxb5 26. f4) 25. g4 $1 {Played without prejudices! Giri correctly assessed that his opponent will never make use of the hypothetical weakening on the kingside as far as his pieces remain blocked in his camp.} Bc8 ({The bishop is trapped after} 25... Bc2 26. Rac1) 26. Re4 { With the obvious intention to gang up the e5 pawn and clear the kingside afterwards.} Qb5 27. Rae1 Qxc4 28. Rxc4 Rb8 ({Or} 28... Be6 29. Nxe6 Rxe6 30. f4 ({Or} 30. Rce4 {winning a pawn for starters in either case.})) 29. h3 $1 { No need to hurry.} h5 30. gxh5 gxh5 31. Rh4 Kh7 32. Ne4 $1 ({Even better than} 32. Rxh5+ Kg6 33. Rh4) (32. Ne4 {Mamedyarov resigned, disgusted by his position. White will win more than a pawn in the possible line after} Kg6 33. Re3 Bf5 34. Rg3+ Kf7 35. Nd6+) 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.21"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Korobov, Anton"] [Black "Amin, Bassem"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E81"] [WhiteElo "2652"] [BlackElo "2693"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 h6 8. Be3 e6 9. Qd2 exd5 10. cxd5 a6 11. a4 (11. Bxh6 {can typically be answered by} Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Qh4+) 11... h5 12. Nge2 Nbd7 13. Nc1 Ne5 14. Be2 Nh7 (14... Rb8 15. O-O Qe8 16. Rb1 Bd7 17. b4 cxb4 18. Rxb4 b5 19. axb5 axb5 20. N1a2 Nc4 { Milanovic,D (2507)-Kislinsky,A (2451) Belgrade 2016}) 15. h3 f5 16. f4 Nf7 17. exf5 $146 (17. Nd3 Re8 18. Nf2 Qe7 19. g4 Nf6 20. Rg1 fxe4 21. O-O-O b5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Bxb5 Bd7 {Yakubboev,N (2131)-Alikulov,E (2212) Tashkent 2014}) 17... gxf5 18. O-O ({It's funny that the h-pawn is still protected the same way:} 18. Bxh5 Qh4+) 18... Nf6 19. Bf2 Bd7 20. a5 Bb5 21. Re1 Re8 22. Qc2 Qd7 23. Bf3 Rxe1+ 24. Bxe1 Re8 25. N1e2 Ng4 $5 26. Nxb5 axb5 27. Bc3 Nfh6 28. Ng3 Bxc3 29. Qxc3 b4 30. Qd2 h4 31. hxg4 $2 ({With the calm} 31. Nf1 {White keeps a winning advantage.}) 31... hxg3 32. g5 Qg7 $1 {White is in trouble now.} 33. Bh5 Nf7 34. Qd3 Qxb2 35. Bxf7+ (35. Rf1 c4 $1 36. Qxg3 (36. Bxf7+ Kg7) 36... Qd4+ 37. Kh2 Kg7 $1) 35... Kg7 $3 {The winning move.} (35... Kxf7 {allows a perpetual:} 36. Qxf5+ Kg7 37. Qd7+ Kf8 38. Qf5+) 36. Bxe8 Qxa1+ 37. Qf1 Qd4+ 38. Kh1 b3 39. Qe1 Kf8 40. Bh5 Qe4 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A07"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2752"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Nd7 5. h3 ({Grischuk played way too optimistically even for a blitz game:} 5. d3 e6 6. e4 Bd6 7. h3 Bh5 8. exd5 exd5 9. Qe1+ Ne7 10. Nh4 {Grischuk,A (2750)-Carlsen,M (2832) chess.com INT 2017 }) 5... Bh5 6. d4 {It is worth mentioning that Giri has more experience in this line as...White.} e6 7. c4 Be7 8. Nc3 ({White was better in another blitz game on the chess.com server after} 8. Qb3 Qb6 9. Nc3 Ngf6 10. Re1 O-O 11. Bf4 Rfd8 12. g4 Bg6 13. c5 Qxb3 14. axb3 Rdc8 15. b4 a6 16. Nd2 Bd8 17. Nb3 { Giri,A (2785)-So,W (2815) chess.com INT 2017}) 8... dxc4 9. b3 {"A very unpleasant surprise." (Giri) The Dutch GM admitted that he knew this move, but for some "funny" reason did not prepare for it. It remained a secret for the time being.} cxb3 10. Qxb3 Qb6 $146 {The most obvious defense is a novelty. The queen will not say there for long though.} ({In a predecessor Wesley So solved the problem of the b7 pawn easily-} 10... Ngf6 11. Qxb7 {and then solved in identical way the problem with the c6 pawn-} O-O 12. Bf4 Qa5 13. g4 Bg6 14. g5 Nh5 15. Bd2 Rfd8 16. Qxc6 Rac8 17. Qb5 Qxb5 18. Nxb5 a6 {good for Wesley, he did not have too many problems to solve on the queenside and he eventually drew the game, Eljanov,P (2751)-So,W (2822) Shamkir 2017}) 11. Qa4 Ngf6 12. Rb1 Qc7 13. Bf4 {Everything comes with tempo.} Qc8 14. Rfc1 {"This is not even useful." (Giri) The Dutch GM considered the move to be "very bad" and somewhere around here he probably stopped thinking about a save way to draw but started looking for more.} ({Black admitted that he was calculating lenghty lines "a la So" from above where he sacrifices a pawn or two to nivilate White's pressure. One line I can imagine runs:} 14. Qb3 Bg6 (14... b5 15. Rfc1 $1) 15. Rb2 Nb6 16. a4 Ne4 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. a5 Nd5 19. Qxb7 Qxb7 20. Rxb7 Nxf4 21. gxf4 c5 {although White should be better here.}) 14... O-O 15. Qb3 {White's compensation is determined by his more active pieces, strong center and Benko-like pressure along the b and the c-files.} Bg6 16. Rb2 Rd8 17. a4 ({One of the reason why Giri criticized the Rf1-c1 maneuver is the fact that White does not threaten to capture on b7 anymore:} 17. Qxb7 $2 Ba3) 17... a5 {Giri expected} 18. Nd2 $1 {with repetition. Missed by Black. "He gets compensation after all." (Giri)} ({Also interesting seems} 18. Nb5 Ne8 19. Na3 $5 {to transfer the other knight to c4 and keep the one of f3 attend the e5 square meeting.}) 18... Nh5 19. Be3 Nhf6 20. Nc4 $1 {The European champion demonstrates fighting spirit. Indeed, he does not risk that much with all those active pieces. Now that the knight has covered the a3 square the threat against the b7 pawn becomes real.} Nd5 (20... Ra7 $2 21. d5) 21. Qxb7 Bb4 { A subtle decision. The bishop blocks the b-file for the time being.} (21... Nxe3 {is less precise due to} 22. fxe3 (22. Nxe3 $2 Ba3) 22... Bb4 23. Qxc8 Rdxc8 24. Na2 Bf8 25. Rb7 {with White's advantage.}) 22. Qxc8 Raxc8 23. Na2 Nxe3 24. fxe3 c5 {All of this was more or less forced but now Matlakov goes astray.} 25. Nd6 ({The Russian GM should have moved his rook away from the possible pins and skewers with:} 25. Rd1 $1 {with the key idea} cxd4 ({Worse is } 25... Nf6 26. Nxb4 axb4 27. Nb6 Rb8 28. a5 {when the a-pawn will cost Black at least the exchange.}) 26. Nxb4 axb4 ({Or} 26... Rxc4 27. Nc6 Re8 28. Rxd4 Rc1+ 29. Kf2 Nc5 30. Nxa5) 27. Rxb4 {with clear advantage for White.}) ({ White should definitely avoid the pin after} 25. Nxb4 $2 cxb4) 25... Ba3 { Now another forcing string of moves is triggered.} 26. Nxc8 Bxb2 ({Not as good is} 26... Rxc8 27. Rb7 Bxc1 28. Nxc1 cxd4 29. Nb3 Bc2 30. Nxa5 Nc5 31. Rb4 d3) 27. Ne7+ Kf8 28. Nxg6+ hxg6 {The tables have turned; it is White to has to prove the equality now.} 29. Rc2 ({In case of} 29. Rb1 {there is a strong ambush coming:} Rb8 $1 {Quite strangely it is the white rook that feel uncomfortable on the b-file rather than its counterpart. For example} 30. Bc6 ( 30. Kf1 $2 c4 $1) 30... Bxd4 31. Rxb8+ Nxb8 32. exd4 Nxc6 33. dxc5 Ke7 { with advantage in the knight endgame for Black.}) 29... Ba3 30. Bc6 ({It looks logical to bring the knight back into business with} 30. Nc3 cxd4 31. Nb5 Bb4 32. exd4 {but this will lead to problems with the a4 pawn after} Nb6) 30... cxd4 31. exd4 Rc8 {The pin is not as innocuous as it seems.} 32. e3 Ke7 33. Kf1 ({Or} 33. Be4 Rxc2 34. Bxc2 Bb2 $1 {when e6-e5 will follow next. "followed by e6-e5, but it is very unpleasant for him" (Giri)} ({Not the immediate} 34... e5 35. Nc3 $1)) 33... Bd6 $1 {Giri was very proud of this idea, changing the angle of the attack. In many lines the black rook moves away with a tempo attacking on h3.} (33... e5 {was not bad neither.}) 34. g4 ({Safer seems the defense with} 34. Kf2 Nb6 35. h4 (35. Be4 Rh8 $1) 35... f5 36. Nc1) 34... Nb6 35. Rc1 $2 {The decisive mistake. Now the rook will not escape from the pin without material losses.} ({Matlakov needed to sacrifice a pawn with} 35. Be4 Rh8 36. Rc6 Nxa4 37. Ra6 {The active pieces give him good saving chances, for example} Rxh3 38. Bc6 Nb2 ({However, Black can avoid this with} 38... f5 $1 { preserving winning hopes.}) 39. Ra7+ Kf6 40. Nc3 Rxe3 41. Ne4+ Rxe4 42. Bxe4 { and this should be a draw.}) 35... Ba3 36. Rc3 ({If} 36. Rc2 Nd5 $1 {cuts the communication between the white bishop and rook:} 37. Ke2 Kd6) 36... Bb4 37. Nxb4 ({Again} 37. Rc2 {fails to} Nd5 38. Ke2 Kd6) 37... axb4 38. Rc5 (38. Rc2 Nd5 $1) 38... b3 ({Also winning was} 38... Nd7 39. Bxd7 Rxc5 40. dxc5 Kxd7 { as White cannot defend his pawns-} 41. Ke2 Kc6) 39. a5 Nd7 {Matlakov resigned as he loses a whole bishop.} (39... Nd7 40. Rc1 b2) 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "9"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Nb8 {The famously solid Breyer variation! Similar in character to some games of mine that began with the move 1.d4 b5, Black's play in this line is extremely formulaic and rarely deviates from well-established and easily understood plans. A good sign of mastery is to be able to combine elements from different plans as the game dictates.} 10. d4 (10. d3 $5 {is another move, recently used against Mamedyarov by the young Spanish GM David Anton. The logic is that Black has spent time on ...Nb8 that he probably wouldn't have done against an earlier d3-system. For instance:} Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ng3 $132 {and White can contemplate playing with Nh2-g4 in place of the standard d4, Bc2 stuff.}) 10... Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 (11... c5 {The reason this move order is not played, is that Black would like White to have to play a4 before Black goes c4.} 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ng3 Bf8 14. Ng5 {The point. Now there is no real choice other than c4, and then Black has to go for tricks.} c4 15. Bc2 exd4 $5 (15... h6 16. Nf3 Bb7 17. d5 g6 18. Be3 {is exactly what Black doesn't want: counterplay is slow to arrive because White doesn't have a4 yet, and White may continue with Nh2-g4 or Qd2, etc.}) 16. cxd4 Bb7 17. Bd2 g6 $132 {Black's play now is aimed at making the knight on g5 feel silly. Nevertheless, he doesn't have quite enough pressure on e4 and the feeling is that White must be better somehow, perhaps with a4 under the now-different circumstances.}) 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15. a4 (15. Nh2 {is an interesting creative move:} exd4 16. cxd4 c5 17. d5 $11 {In this kind of position it's hard to know how much weight to give to the opinion of the machine, but Black should not be worse if he follows normal plans (...Bg7, ...c4, ...Nc5, possibly ...h5.) See Motycakova,M-Nemcova,K Frydek Mistek 2009.}) (15. b3 $5 {A conceptually challenging line. White wants to get d5 without a4, and not have it punished by ...c6 and detonation of the centre. Black must react carefully, and I am not sure quite how to equalise here, though there is a very interesting piece sacrifice which gives excellent compensation.} Bg7 (15... c5 16. d5 $14) (15... d5 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 $14 {seems to have been pioneered by Mamedyarov and analysed down to a draw, but cloud engines disagree! The consensus will probably change soon...}) 16. d5 Rc8 17. c4 {This was White's point.} c6 18. Be3 (18. dxc6 Rxc6 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Bd3 b4 $11 {Berg,E-Butnorius,A Gibraltar 2008}) 18... Nb6 $1 {Now for concrete reasons this is best.} (18... Qa5 { is suggested by the engine, but following} 19. a3 bxc4 20. bxc4 Nc5 21. Qd2 Qxd2 22. Nxd2 Nfd7 23. Rab1 $14 {the queens have come off and Black is quite passive}) 19. Qe2 $1 {Other moves have been tried, but this is the most convincing for White.} cxd5 20. cxd5 Nbxd5 {If not for this move White would be trivially better.} 21. exd5 Nxd5 22. Rac1 $1 {The only way to take back on e3 with a piece.} (22. Qd2 Nxe3 23. fxe3 e4 24. Nd4 Bxd4 25. exd4 e3 26. Qe2 Qh4 27. Kh2 Qxd4 {is not what White was looking for from the opening}) 22... Nxe3 (22... Nc3 23. Qd2 $14) 23. Qxe3 d5 $44 {Black has good compensation based on the big centre.}) 15... Nb6 $5 {Not a move I had seen before, but perhaps it will be seen more in light of the present game.} (15... c5 {This is the main line. White is only given liberty to close the centre after he has played a4. Here I have some quite detailed analysis but suffice it to say in summary that Black faces some slight problems according to the present theory, largely depending on how fast he allows tripling on the a-file.} 16. d5 c4 17. Bg5 $1 {White is trying to cross or delay Black's usual knight redeployment of Nc5, Nfd7.} Bg7 $1 (17... h6 $6 {is less strong, and a simple plan for White can be formulated, involving... tripling on the a-file. Far from gaining a tempo, ...h6 in fact loses one. I will give some sample lines.} 18. Be3 Nc5 19. Qd2 h5 20. Ra3 Qc7 (20... Nfd7 21. Rea1 Nb6 {Else just R1a2, Qc1-a1, etc.} 22. a5 Nba4 {Interesting idea, but probably bad.} 23. Rb1 $1 Bg7 24. Nf1 $14 { The idea is just Qd1, N1d2, Nxc4 and there is not a lot Black can do about it.} ) 21. Rea1 Rab8 22. Qd1 Bc8 23. axb5 axb5 24. Ra5 Rb7 25. R1a2 Bd7 26. Bg5 Nh7 27. Bd2 Nf6 28. Ng5 Reb8 29. Nf1 {White has gained a marginally more pleasant position and will be able to triple on the a-file if desired, however if Black plays completely precisely the advantage will grow, and as we all know, with almost nothing on the board 0.3 is a draw!}) 18. Qd2 Nc5 19. Ra3 (19. Nh2 Qc7 20. Ng4 Nxg4 21. hxg4 Bc8 22. f3 Bd7 $11) 19... Qc7 20. Rea1 Reb8 21. Qc1 Nfd7 {Black is just about on time, for instance:} 22. R1a2 Nd3 $132) (15... Bg7 $5 { is an interesting attempt to dodge the main line- Black is fine to play with .. .c6 in place of ...c5, and keep the position compact and solid in a Philidor-like way.} 16. Bd3 {Otherwise Black gets ...c5, free of the problems outlined above.} c6 17. Be3 (17. Bg5 {encourages Black's concept:} Nf8 18. Qd2 Ne6 19. Be3 Nd7 $11 {Black is fine as in Hou,Y-Sasikiran,K New Delhi 2011.}) 17... Qc7 $132 {Black is playing for ...d5 and whether White has an edge depends heavily on whether he can sufficiently discourage this move in the coming phase. One motif to pay attention to is the dark-square complex. Anand has been on the White side of this: Anand,V-Baramidze,D Baden-Baden 2015}) 16. axb5 (16. a5 Nbd7 17. b4 $5 {was an audacious concept in Caruana,F-Roiz,M Bilbao 2014- White is trying to play d5, lock down the centre as well as the queenside and only subsequently (and extremely slowly) make progress with the kingside attack. The idea could, however, have come slightly unstuck against the principled} exd4 18. cxd4 c5 19. bxc5 dxc5 20. d5 c4 $132) (16. b3 $5 { is possibly more ambitious than the text- White wants Bd3, c4, d5.} bxa4 { may be the best way to counter this:} 17. bxa4 a5 18. Bd3 Qc8 $132 {Black has reasonable play according to current knowledge as in Adams,M-Tan,J Bournemouth 2016, but Black's position looks slightly looser than usual, so there may be an incisive way for White to get an edge.}) 16... axb5 17. Bg5 Bg7 18. Bd3 Rxa1 19. Qxa1 c6 20. Be3 (20. Qc1 {followed by Bh6 is the engine idea, but Black is solid in any case.}) 20... Qc7 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Qc1 Bc8 23. Qc2 {The last two moves do not create a great impression, but White has a very wide margin of error in such positions.} Nfd7 24. c4 {This move looks like White has reconciled himself to offering a draw soon.} Nxc4 25. Bxc4 bxc4 26. Qxc4 Nf8 27. Rc1 Bb7 (27... Rd8 $5 {is a nice wrinkle: after} 28. Qxc6 Rd1+ 29. Kh2 Rxc1 30. Qxc1 Qxc1 31. Bxc1 Ne6 $36 {Black has full compensation for the pawn despite the reduced material and his bishop pair means his game is more pleasant.}) 28. Nf1 Ne6 29. N1d2 Qa5 30. Ng5 Nxg5 31. Bxg5 Bf8 32. Be3 { With a draw offer which was accepted.} (32. Nb3 Qb5 33. Qc3 {was maybe worth considering, as on strategic purity White is still marginally ahead. Definitely below super-GM level there is a strong chance that White will consolidate a dark-square bind, e.g. Be3-c5, Nd2, b4, f3, Kh2.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "?"] [White "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A07"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2752"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 {One of the great things about these slightly unassuming openings is that an annotator can start to make meaningful comments right from the word 'go'.} c6 4. O-O Nd7 5. h3 (5. c4 Bxf3 6. Bxf3 Ne5 $11 { is a motif worth bearing in mind}) 5... Bh5 {Perhaps nothing at this level, but nevertheless an indication that Black is not trying to hold a draw.} 6. d4 e6 7. c4 Be7 8. Nc3 (8. cxd5 exd5 9. Nc3 Ngf6 10. Nh4 {could be one way to introduce the bishop-for-knight imbalance anyway, as in Vachier-Lagrave, M-Gunina,V Gibraltar 2016}) 8... dxc4 {But this is the really comment-worthy point. Anish Giri has decided to play for a win.} (8... Ngf6 {was normal, obviously}) 9. b3 cxb3 10. Qxb3 Qb6 (10... Ngf6 {was a slightly strange reaction from a top player a year ago, considering the strategic importance of the b7-pawn. Following} 11. Qxb7 O-O 12. Bf4 Qa5 13. g4 Bg6 14. g5 Nh5 15. Bd2 Rfd8 16. Qxc6 (16. Rfc1 $14) 16... Rac8 17. Qb5 Qxb5 18. Nxb5 a6 $11 {Black nevertheless equalised in Eljanov,P-So,W Shamkir 2017}) 11. Qa4 Ngf6 12. Rb1 Qc7 13. Bf4 Qc8 14. Rfc1 (14. Qb3 {After} Bg6 15. Rb2 Nb6 16. Ne5 $44 {for instance Black's position is slightly unpleasant and White has at least full compensation.}) 14... O-O 15. Qb3 {Seemingly forcing some concessions, but there is a relatively clever tactical defence of the b7-pawn available.} Bg6 16. Rb2 Rd8 $1 {Black has already equalised. There is no easy way to disentangle the White pieces. So White goes for a slow one.} 17. a4 $1 (17. Nh4 Nb6 18. Be5 Nfd7 $15) (17. Nd2 {is no good immediately:} Nb6 $15) 17... a5 18. Nd2 Nh5 $6 (18... Nf8 $5 19. Nc4 (19. Be5 N6d7 20. Bf4 Bb4 $132) 19... Rxd4 $1 {A natural exchange sacrifice. Now} 20. Nb6 Qd8 21. Nxa8 Rb4 22. Qa2 Qxa8 $44 { is easier for Black to play, even if objectively equal.}) 19. Be3 Nhf6 20. Nc4 $14 {White gets ambitious, and right now it seems justifiable.} Nd5 21. Qxb7 Bb4 22. Qxc8 Raxc8 $6 {An objectively dubious but competitively understandable move.} (22... Rdxc8 23. Na2 c5 24. dxc5 Bxc5 25. Bxc5 Rxc5 26. Rb7 $36 { might not be so terrible, but Black lacks winning chances.}) 23. Na2 Nxe3 24. fxe3 c5 25. Nd6 (25. Rd1 $1 {was the computer-precise move, adding to the pawn-tension in the centre and threatening to open the c-file since there is now longer a pin there. For instance:} Nf6 (25... cxd4 26. Nxb4 axb4 27. Rxb4 dxe3 28. Nxe3 Nc5 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. a5 $16) 26. Nxb4 cxb4 27. Nxa5 $16) 25... Ba3 $1 26. Nxc8 Bxb2 27. Ne7+ Kf8 28. Nxg6+ hxg6 29. Rc2 Ba3 30. Bc6 (30. Nc3 { and Nb5 looks natural to me, and White is probably still equal or as near as makes no difference. Presumably the scare was over} cxd4 31. exd4 Rc8 {but White has the calm} 32. Be4 $11 {and then Nb5 anyway.}) 30... cxd4 31. exd4 Rc8 32. e3 Ke7 33. Kf1 Bd6 34. g4 Nb6 35. Rc1 $2 {The finish is now clinical in what was until now just a slightly unpleasant position.} (35. Ke2 Rh8 $1 $15 { illustrates one problem.}) (35. Kf2 f5 36. Nc1 Nd5 37. Nd3 Kf6 $15 {is also gradually getting worse for White}) 35... Ba3 36. Rc3 Bb4 37. Nxb4 axb4 38. Rc5 b3 $19 {Black is winning a piece. White played one more move:} 39. a5 Nd7 { and then promptly resigned.} 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "?"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2792"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nbd2 {Home-made chess it is today! It is a relief to see one of the world elite players trying out an 'interesting' 3rd move in this position- there are many which have appealed to me and other theory-lite players in the past, including Bg5, c3, b4...} ({It would be remiss of me not to mention the 'Old Speckled Egg' setup, pioneered by my fellow English GM, Keith Arkell. The idea is similar to those of the text.} 3. b4 Bg7 4. Bb2 O-O 5. Nbd2 d6 $1 {Against ...d5 setups, White obtains an easier position!} 6. e3 c5 $11 {Black had equalised and ultimately won in Fernandez,D-Ghasi,A chess. com INT 2017}) 3... d5 4. e3 (4. b4 $5 {is interesting if we bear the above note in mind. For instance, now} Bg7 5. Bb2 O-O 6. e3 Bf5 7. c4 a5 8. b5 { leaves Black a bit short of plans, so Black might have to play more directly, for instance with 4...a5.}) 4... Nc6 {Among other things, this move prevents b4, but it is hard to find plans for Black in what follows.} 5. b3 Bg7 6. Bb2 O-O 7. Be2 a5 8. a3 (8. c4 {attempts to call Black's bluff:} a4 {is not that threatening since after} 9. bxa4 {the pawn will prove rather hard to regain.}) 8... b6 (8... Ne4 9. c4 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 $14) 9. O-O e6 10. c4 Ne7 11. cxd5 { Allowing Black's light-squared bishop to develop on its preferred diagonal.} ({ We have nevertheless reached a vaguely Catalan-esque position, in which White tends to keep the central pawn tension until an advantageous moment, so} 11. Qc2 $5 {deserved consideration. There could follow:} c6 12. Rac1 Ba6 13. Rfd1 Rc8 14. Qb1 $14 {and White has a good version of the Catalan, because ...c5 is almost impossible to arrange.}) 11... exd5 12. b4 c6 13. Rc1 {A slightly strange move, conceding the a-file and hence equality.} (13. b5 {was the most principled. Doubtless, Black has in mind the equally principled} cxb5 14. Bxb5 Bd7 {but here White can pretend to have an edge, e.g.} 15. Bxd7 Qxd7 16. a4 $32 {when if nothing else, the queenside pawn structure bodes well for an endgame.} ) 13... axb4 14. axb4 b5 {Black keeps it solid, since ...Ne8-d6-c4 is not too hard to arrange for him.} 15. Nb3 (15. Ne5 Qd6 16. Qc2 $5 {was an interesting and quite maximalist pawn sacrifice.}) 15... Ra2 16. Bc3 Ne4 17. Be1 (17. Nfd2 Nxc3 18. Rxc3 Qd6 $11 {still leads to an equal position- White has two knights but only one useful outpost!}) 17... Ra6 {From a human point of view, it is sensible to cut out Na5 options with the attendant rook-traps, and also protect the c6-pawn.} (17... Bg4 $5 18. h3 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Nd6 $11 {is equal for precisely the same reason as the last note}) 18. Nc5 Rb6 $6 {Solid to a fault.} (18... Nxc5 19. Rxc5 Qd6 {might have been slightly more unpleasant for White to play- c6 is not easy to hit, and Black's doubling on the a-file comes quickly.}) 19. Ra1 Bg4 20. h3 Bxf3 21. Bxf3 Nxc5 22. bxc5 Rb8 {Now if we are looking at the position seriously, White has a slight edge, though quite how to prosecute it is not clear.} 23. Ra7 (23. Qc2 Ra8 24. Bb4 Qd7 25. Ra2 Ra7 26. Rfa1 Rfa8 27. Be2 $14 {followed by kingside pawn pushes might be the best way to try- Black has no counterplay and while his position is tremendously solid, he has no option other than staying solid.}) 23... Ra8 24. Qa1 Qb8 (24... Rxa7 $5 25. Qxa7 Nf5 26. Bb4 Qg5 $132) 25. Rxa8 Qxa8 26. Bb4 Qb7 27. Qc3 Ra8 28. Ra1 h5 29. g4 {Now play looks similar to two notes ago, but Black is closer to arranging the major-piece swaps in a good way.} hxg4 30. hxg4 f5 31. Rxa8+ Qxa8 32. Qa3 Qc8 {On principle, with White having played kingside pawn pushes, it is correct to keep queens on.} (32... Qxa3 $5 33. Bxa3 f4 $11 {was a way for Black to think about maybe, eventually, winning-on a good day with a following wind, and if and only if White tries to win with a pawn break.}) 33. gxf5 Qxf5 34. Kg2 g5 {The position is now completely balanced and it is for White to force a draw before Black develops real play with ...Ng6 or ...g4.} 35. Be2 Qe4+ (35... Ng6 36. Qd3 $1 $11) 36. Bf3 Qf5 37. Be2 Qe4+ 38. Bf3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "9"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. a4 (8. Re1 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. Nbd2 {is the main line, and the jury is still out. Personally, following the trail of most-played moves, I am skeptical of Black's concept after} Nb6 11. Bb5 f6 12. Ne4 Be7 13. Ng3 $36) 8... Bf5 (8... Nb6 9. Bb5 Ne7 {is a fascinating gambit line which I have already mentioned on this site.}) (8... a5 {is the most played move, espoused by Aronian among others.}) 9. Re1 Nb6 10. Bb5 Ne7 {This delayed implementation of the gambit is based on a Dominguez game from a year ago, and seems to equalise, albeit in slightly uninspiring fashion if White reacts correctly.} 11. a5 (11. Nxe5 c6 12. Bc4 Nxc4 13. dxc4 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Ng6 $44 {is more dangerous for White than Black.}) (11. Rxe5 Bd6 12. Re1 (12. Rxf5 Nxf5 13. d4 $44 {is a maximalist exchange sac, leading to a strategically confusing game.}) 12... a6 13. Bc4 Nxc4 14. dxc4 c5 $11) 11... c6 12. axb6 cxb5 13. Be3 (13. Rxa7 Qxb6 14. Rxa8 Bxf2+ 15. Kh1 Rxa8 $15 {Mamedov,R-Dominguez Perez,L Doha 2016}) (13. bxa7 $5 Bxa7 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Rxa8 Bxf2+ 16. Kxf2 Qxa8 17. Rxe5 $11) 13... axb6 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Bxc5 bxc5 16. Rxe5 Qd8 17. d4 (17. Rxc5 {seems to improve slightly.} Bxd3 (17... Qxd3 18. Qxd3 Bxd3 19. Na3 $14 {might now have been a little something.}) 18. Na3 $5 ({Following} 18. Nd4 Bxb1 19. Qxb1 b4 20. Rb5 $11 {We have transposed to the game.}) 18... Ng6 (18... Be4 19. Qxd8 Rxd8 20. h3 {is still inexplicably more pleasant for White.}) 19. Ne5 Bc4 20. Qxd8 Rxd8 21. f4 Nxf4 22. Naxc4 bxc4 23. Nxc4 $11 {The endgame is roughly equal, but the imbalance can only favour White in the event of slightly suboptimal play from either side.}) 17... cxd4 (17... b6 $5 {tries to keep something in the position, but after the accurate} 18. Qe1 Be6 19. Ng5 {Black is forced into a slightly speculative pawn sacrifice:} Ng6 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxe6 Nf4 $44) 18. Nxd4 Bxb1 19. Qxb1 b4 (19... Nc6 20. Rxb5 Nxd4 21. cxd4 Qxd4 22. Rxb7 Re8 23. h3 $14) 20. Rb5 {As far as I can see, White's tenuous grip on an edge has now completely gone, and there is also 19...Nc6 to think about, but nevertheless for a few moves his position is marginally more pleasant.} bxc3 21. bxc3 Nd5 22. Qd3 ({Following} 22. Qb3 Qe8 $1 $11 {Black infiltrates to e1 and takes c3 for b7 anyway.}) 22... Nf4 23. Qf3 Ne6 24. Rxb7 (24. Qe4 Nxd4 25. Qxd4 Qxd4 26. cxd4 Re8 27. Kf1 Re7 $11) (24. Nxe6 $5 {demands a bit of precision.} Qd2 $1 ( 24... fxe6 25. Qe2 Qc8 26. h3 $14) 25. h3 fxe6 26. Qe3 Qxe3 27. fxe3 Rc8 28. Rxb7 Rxc3 29. Kf2 $11 {The proper computer evaluation of this position is +/= due to White's better king, but in practice this is almost totally drawn.}) 24... Nxd4 25. cxd4 Qxd4 {Now two further unnecessary moves were played.} 26. g3 g6 27. h4 h5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "9"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O Nbd7 (7... c6 {is the main move, and it has recently become fashionable to try and make something of White's bishop positioning with} 8. Bc3 $5 {which contains some interesting points although 8...Ne4 should equalise.}) 8. Qc2 (8. Na3 $5 { was an interesting new direction in Aronian,L-Karjakin,S London 2017}) 8... c6 9. Rc1 (9. Bf4 {looks the most constructive, but the standard move-repetition offer} Nh5 {forces White to then think of something new.}) 9... b6 (9... Ne4 { might look natural, but concretely here White does not need to worry about the threatened swap, e.g.} 10. a4 Nxd2 11. Nbxd2 a5 12. e4 {with a space advantage. }) 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Bf4 Bb7 12. Qb3 (12. Qa4 {was the path followed by a noteworthy predecessor.} a6 (12... Rc8 $1 {improves, e.g.} 13. Rxc8 Qxc8 14. Na3 a6 15. Rc1 Qa8 $11) 13. Rc7 $5 (13. Nbd2 Rc8 14. Qd1 Nh5 15. Rxc8 Bxc8 16. Rc1 Nxf4 17. gxf4 Bb7 18. e3 Qb8 $11 {Ghaem Maghami,E-Wei,Y Tashkent 2016}) 13... Rb8 (13... e5 14. dxe5 Qxc7 15. exf6 Bd6 16. fxg7 $14) 14. Nbd2 b5 15. Qc2 Nh5 16. Rxd7 Qxd7 17. Bxb8 Rxb8 18. Ne5 Qd8 19. Nb3 $36 {White has a very pleasant position- but the question of an advantage is a different one.}) 12... Rc8 13. Rxc8 Qxc8 14. Nc3 Nh5 {A principled reaction, but not the best.} (14... a6 15. Rc1 Qa8 16. Na4 $5 {is presumably the wrinkle intended by 12.Qb3. White could have a little something here, especially if Black's best is ...Qa7, but looking at some concrete details, my opinion is that this isn't true:} b5 17. Nc5 Rc8 $1 (17... Nxc5 18. dxc5 Ne4 19. Qe3 $132) 18. Nxb7 Qxb7 $11) 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Nxg5 Qb8 17. e3 Nhf6 18. Bf1 h6 19. Nf3 Ne4 20. a4 Rc8 {Now White gets a relatively pleasant game.} (20... a6 $5 $11 {is now a good reflex, refusing to allow pawn weaknesses.}) 21. a5 bxa5 22. Rxa5 Bc6 23. Qa3 Rc7 24. Nxe4 dxe4 25. Nd2 $14 {With two pawn weaknesses to White's none (after b3) Black is reduced to playing responsive chess. Thankfully for him, the position is quite solid.} Bd5 26. b3 Rb7 27. Ba6 Rc7 28. Bc4 Nf6 29. Qd6 Ne8 30. Qa3 ( 30. Qe5 Nf6 31. Rc5 Rb7 32. Qxb8+ Rxb8 33. h3 $14 {might have been my choice, given how much easier it is to outplay someone when there are few pieces on the board!}) 30... Nf6 31. Kg2 Rb7 32. h3 Kh7 33. Ba6 Rb4 34. Bc4 Rb7 35. Ra6 Nd7 36. Ra5 {Karjakin doesn't see a way to continue the game.} (36. Qd6 Qxd6 37. Rxd6 Nb6 38. Bxd5 exd5 39. Rc6 {is still a bit interesting}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "9"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2811"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 {The Anti-Grunfeld move order, but presumably Black had no intention of playing anything other than a King's Indian anyway.} d6 4. d4 Bg7 5. h3 Na6 6. Be3 O-O 7. g4 (7. Nf3 {led surprisingly quickly to an unfavourable position in a predecessor by the same player.} c6 8. Rc1 e5 9. d5 cxd5 (9... Nc5 $5) 10. cxd5 $14 {In Nepomniachtchi,I-Adhiban,B Tbilisi 2017 the position was already hard to play for Black, and this is not just the standard machine dislike of the King's Indian!}) 7... c5 {Gawain Jones chose an approach with ...e5 instead, earlier in this event.} 8. Nge2 b6 $5 {Not a machine top choice, but the only move to play a substantially different position from the ones after ...cxd4, ...Nd7, et cetera, which are just mangled Maroczy binds.} 9. e5 (9. Bg2 Bb7 10. d5 Nc7 11. O-O Nd7 {would have been the principled continuation from both sides- Black will manage to arrange a plausible ...b5, ...e6 or ...f5 break in the near future and thus has a fully playable game.}) 9... Ne8 {Now, as in the classic game Letelier-Fischer, White's centre appears to be on the brink of being detonated.} 10. Bg2 Rb8 11. O-O Bb7 12. Bxb7 (12. f4 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Qc7 {will not hold up White's centre for long. Ideas for Black include not only ...cxd4 but also ...Qb7 and ...Nac7. }) 12... Rxb7 13. Qa4 Nec7 $6 (13... Nb4 {was more convincing, if a bit inhuman: after} 14. a3 $6 Nd3 $1 $15 {White's centre is toast. So he must voluntarily dismantle it with 14.exd6 or similar.}) 14. exd6 exd6 15. Rad1 Qh4 (15... Qe8 16. Qxe8 Rxe8 17. Rd2 $14 {is very comfortable for White, because his centre is even nicer than in the game.}) 16. Kg2 f5 17. f3 {The situation has now stabilised and seems to be marginally in White's favour.} Qe7 18. Bf2 Qe8 (18... Nb4 {was again the move, resting upon the slightly awkward-looking tactical nuance} 19. a3 Na2 $1 $11) 19. Qxe8 Nxe8 20. g5 Nec7 21. Bg3 Ne6 ( 21... b5 {was maybe the last chance for Black to try and claim an opening success.} 22. Bxd6 Re8 23. dxc5 b4 {and amidst significant complications Black seems to be completely fine.}) 22. d5 Nxg5 23. Bxd6 Rd8 24. Bg3 $14 Nf7 25. Nf4 Bxc3 26. bxc3 Nd6 27. Ne6 Rdd7 28. Bxd6 Rxd6 29. Rfe1 Nc7 30. Nf4 (30. Nxc7 Rxc7 31. Re5 {would have been my choice, because reputation aside, rook endings offer no worse winning chances than other kinds of ending with the same size of advantage!}) 30... Kf8 31. a4 a6 32. Nd3 Rb8 33. Re5 (33. Ne5 $16) 33... b5 {White is now on the verge of losing control of the situation.} 34. Nxc5 $6 (34. Nb2 $14 {just about retained a measure of control; White is going to get the c4-square for his knight. For instance:} Kf7 35. cxb5 axb5 36. axb5 Nxb5 37. Nc4 {and the technical battle continues.}) 34... bxc4 35. Rd4 Kf7 36. Kg3 Rb1 (36... Re8 {was much safer; White has no way to win a pawn with or without compensation.}) 37. Rxc4 Rxd5 38. Rxd5 Nxd5 39. Nxa6 {Now the position is still broadly speaking equal, but there is an imbalance, and it is often much harder to prove compensation than to fight against it, particularly in simplified positions.} Rc1 (39... Rg1+ 40. Kf2 Ra1 $11 {was apparently the way to go, intending ...Ra3, and the pawn should be coming home.}) 40. a5 $1 (40. Nb4 Nxc3 41. Kh4 Rb1 $11 {escapes}) 40... Nxc3 $6 (40... g5 $5 41. Nb4 f4+ 42. Kf2 Nxb4 43. Rxb4 Rc2+ $1 44. Ke1 Rxc3 45. Ra4 {and now the rook endgame would be unpleasant were it not for} Rxf3 $1 $11) 41. Kh4 (41. Rc7+ Ke6 $1 42. Rc6+ Ke5 $1 43. Kh4 $14 {might be interesting, forestalling the idea seen in the game (i.e. ...h6 and ...g5.)}) 41... h6 {The game is still within the drawing margin, but Black is really cutting it fine.} 42. Nc5 g5+ 43. Kh5 Rh1 44. Kxh6 Rxh3+ 45. Kxg5 Rxf3 {Home and dry.} 46. a6 Ne4+ 47. Nxe4 fxe4 48. Ra4 Rg3+ 49. Kf5 Rg8 50. Rxe4 Rh8 51. Re6 Rh5+ 52. Kg4 Ra5 53. Rh6 Kg7 54. Rb6 Kf7 55. Kf4 Ke7 56. Rh6 Kd7 57. a7 Kc7 58. Rh8 Rxa7 59. Rh7+ Kb6 60. Rxa7 Kxa7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "9"] [White "Jones, Gawain"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2640"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "130"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 7. Ne5 {Gawain Jones departs from his usual 1.e4 fare and plays a topical Catalan.} Nc6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 Ba6 {Right now this is fashionable.} (10... Nd5 11. Qa4 Nb6 12. Qa5 (12. Qxc6 Rb8 {is another significant line, and I think Black is more or less fine here.}) 12... Bb7 13. Rd1 Qc8 14. Rb1 Rd8 15. e4 Ba6 $1 $132 {Black maintained equality here in Howell,D-Speelman,J England 2017. It is a fair bet that White knew about this game and maybe even that Black anticipated he would...}) 11. a4 Qc8 $6 $146 {This novelty commits to an exchange sacrifice, which may not end up working out well.} (11... Qd6 { was a sensible move in a predecessor game, which Black may have known about.} 12. Qd2 (12. e4 Qb4 13. Qc2 Rab8 $132) 12... Rfb8 13. Qa5 Rb6 14. Re1 Bb7 ( 14... Qxd4 $5 {is also playable}) 15. Qc3 Qb4 16. Qxb4 Rxb4 17. Bd2 Rb2 18. Bc3 Rc2 19. Rec1 Rxc1+ 20. Rxc1 Nd5 $11 {Wang,Y-Zhou,J Xinghua Jiangsu 2011}) 12. Ba3 Rd8 13. Be7 Rd5 $5 (13... Rd6 $5 $14 {could be the best way to give the exchange, which in fact White is not encouraged to take.}) 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Bxd5 cxd5 16. e4 $1 dxe4 17. Qg4+ {Now White has a material advantage, and whatever parallel one wants to draw with the ...b5 QGA exchange sacrifice line or whatever, he stands better.} Kf8 18. Qxe4 Bb7 (18... Qb7 $5 19. Qxh7 Qd5 $14 {offers slightly more interesting compensation}) 19. Qxh7 Qd7 20. Qh6+ (20. Qh4 $1 Ke7 21. Rab1 Qd5 22. f3 $16 {was concretely the way to do it. White need not shrink from Qe4 in what follows.}) 20... Ke7 21. Qe3 Qxa4 22. Rab1 Bd5 $14 {Black seems to have broadly speaking gotten things back on track. The practical problems caused by the long diagonal are augmented by the fact that Black has a pawn for the exchange now.} 23. Rb2 Rh8 24. Qc3 a5 25. f3 Kd7 26. Rc1 Ra8 $6 {A slightly strange move, unless it occurs to you that Black might have been concerned about the odd-looking idea of Rb3-a3.} (26... f5 {was more natural. Now} 27. Rb3 $6 {is nothing in particular after} Qxa2 $1 {due to the threat to h2.} 28. Rb2 Qa4 $15) 27. Qe3 Rg8 28. Kg2 f5 29. Kf2 Rh8 30. Ke1 Qc6 31. Rc3 Qa8 32. Qe2 Qa7 33. Qd1 e5 (33... f4 $5 $44 {kept the tension going longer, and thus might have stood better chances against a White player who, it seems, might have been making some slightly sub-optimal calls.}) 34. Qa4+ Kc8 35. Rxc4 {White does not miss his chance to clarify the position at the cost of reinstating material parity.} Bxc4 36. Qxc4 Rd8 37. Kf1 (37. Qb5 $5 Rxd4 38. Qxe5 $14) 37... Qxd4 38. Qa6+ (38. Qxd4 $5 Rxd4 39. h4 $44) 38... Kd7 39. Qb5+ Ke7 {Black now plays for a win!} 40. Kg2 Rd5 41. Qe2 Kf6 42. Rc2 Qb4 ( 42... c5 $17 {was completely natural and probably winning, and would have been a good culmination to the strategy begun with ...Rd5.}) 43. Qe3 c5 44. Qh6+ Ke7 45. Re2 {Now White is in some sense 'in', and there is compensation again.} Qb5 46. Rf2 Qb8 47. Qg5+ Ke6 48. g4 $1 f4 49. Qf5+ Ke7 50. Re2 Kf8 51. Qf6 Qd6 { Black has to give this back to alleviate some of the pressure. But after this, there are close to no winning chances- for either side.} 52. Qxd6+ Rxd6 53. Rxe5 Rd2+ 54. Kh3 Rxa2 55. Rxc5 Ra3 56. Kh4 Rxf3 57. Rxa5 Rf2 58. h3 Rf3 59. Rh5 Ra3 60. Rf5 Rf3 61. Rf6 Kg7 62. g5 Kg8 63. Ra6 Kg7 64. Rf6 Kg8 65. Rh6 Rg3 1/2-1/2 [Event "80th Tata Steel GpA"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10.3"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2804"] [PlyCount "42"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] {[Annotations by FM Mike Klein]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 {By far not the most common place for the bishop.} (6. Bg5 { prevents the game maneuver completely.}) (6. Bg5 O-O 7. e3 Bf5 8. Qb3 Bxc3+ 9. Qxc3 h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 Ne4 12. Qxc7 Nc6 13. Qxd8 Rfxd8 14. Be2 Rac8 15. O-O h5 16. h4 g4 17. Ne5 Nb4 18. Bf4 f6 19. Nd3 Nc3 20. bxc3 {½-½ Ding,L (2774) -Aronian,L (2801) Palma de Mallorca 2017}) 6... Ne4 {White has a suspicious reputation in this line, and usually chooses 7. Rc1.} 7. Qa4+ {We are nearly in uncharted waters already.} Nc6 8. Rc1 {Since White's rook commits to this square anyway, essentially White has committed his queen to a somewhat offsides squares to also commit Black's knight to c6 (instead of perhaps Nd7-Ndf6. Who is to gain by these additions? Well, seemingly Black, based on what unfolds.} O-O 9. g3 $146 {Black's next move is so strong, that only in hindsight does the suggestion of 9. h4!? make some sense.} (9. e3 g5 10. Bg3 h5 11. h4 g4 12. Ne5 Bxc3+ 13. Rxc3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Bf5 16. Be2 Qd7 { Ermenkov,E (2433)-Shyam,S (2496) Albena 2015}) 9... g5 $1 10. Be3 f5 $1 11. Bg2 f4 12. gxf4 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 gxf4 14. Bd2 Kh8 $1 {And now Black envisages very happy pieces after some combination of ...Rg8, .. .Bg4, and some pieces on the e-file, amongst other interesting setups.} 15. Qb3 $2 {Uh-oh. Now this even releases the one Black piece that was left out of the last comment!} Na5 16. Qc2 Nc4 17. Rd1 Rg8 (17... Bf5 {is even stronger and could have been thrown in, but...}) (17... Nexd2 {would have been even sweeter:} 18. Nxd2 Ne3 $1 19. fxe3 Qh4+ 20. Kf1 fxe3+ 21. Nf3 Qf2#) 18. Ne5 {Svidler is resorting to desperation in a position where all of Black's pieces are better than his. More meek defense wasn't better:} (18. Rg1 Bh3 $1 19. Bxh3 Rxg1+ 20. Nxg1 Qh4) 18... Nxe5 19. Bxe4 (19. dxe5 Rxg2) 19... Qg5 20. Bxf4 Qxf4 21. Bxd5 Bf5 {Wow. Mamedyarov is officially a larger blip on everyone's radar come Berlin.} 0-1 [Event "80th Tata Steel GpA"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "149"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. Bf4 Bf5 4. e3 e6 5. c4 Bxb1 {A lot of authors award this move with an exclamation mark and state that the resulting positions are equal. What will follow next did not come as a shocking surprise for either of the players.} 6. Qxb1 ({The other main options are:} 6. Rxb1 Bb4+ 7. Ke2 ({ In my Megabase there are even 11 games featuring:} 7. Nd2 $4 Ne4)) ({And} 6. Qa4+ {which worked spectacularly well for Kamsky after} b5 $2 7. cxb5 Be4 8. b6+ Nbd7 9. bxc7 Qe7 10. a3 {and White was already winning, Kamsky,G (2702) -Bortnyk,O (2348) ICC INT 2010}) 6... Bb4+ 7. Kd1 Bd6 {Another exclamation mark according to the French GM Prie.} 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 {Carlsen deviates of an earlier game of these two.} ({Some of our readers have probably followed this game live on the chess.com server:} 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Ne4 11. Qc2 g4 { with a fightful draw later, Carlsen,M (2832)-So,W (2815) chess.com INT 2017. Most likely both players analyzes extensively the arising positions.}) 9... Qxf6 10. cxd5 $146 {Carlsen improves on a game played by...So!} ({Obviously, the world champion did not quite like the position arising after:} 10. c5 Bf8 11. Qc2 c6 12. b4 a6 13. Bd3 Nd7 14. Ke2 g5 15. h3 Bg7 16. a4 Qe7 17. Rad1 O-O 18. g4 e5 {So,W (2822)-Wojtaszek,R (2745) Shamkir 2017}) 10... exd5 11. e4 { The point behind White's play. In the Carlsbad pawn structure White does not even have a hint of an advantage.} Be7 ({Finally, a positive aspect behind the king's position on d1. In the line} 11... dxe4 $2 12. Qxe4+ {The move} Qe7 { does not pin a white king on e1 and White can grab the pawn} 13. Qxb7) 12. Bb5+ {An important intermediate move.} ({The immediate} 12. e5 {allos the queen to get on a better position with} Qb6) 12... c6 13. e5 Qf4 (13... Qe6 {deserves attention as well with the same idea} 14. Bd3 c5) 14. Bd3 {Intending Kd1-e2 followed by g2-g3. Black cannot allow this.} c5 $1 15. dxc5 ({On} 15. Ke2 Nc6 $1 {is strong.}) 15... Nc6 {It seems as Black easily hold the equality, and might even think of something more.} 16. Qc1 Qb4 ({On} 16... Qg4 {White was likely planning} 17. h3 Qxg2 $2 18. Ke2) 17. a3 Qxc5 18. Ke2 {Carlsen still wants to get squeeze something out of the position.} (18. Qxc5 Bxc5 19. Ke2 Bb6 {is equal instead.}) 18... Nd4+ ({Perhaps better was} 18... Qb6 $5 {keeping the knights on the board.}) 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. f4 O-O ({After the obvious} 20... Bc5 {So probably disliked the fact the the white king gets too slippery:} 21. Qd2 (21. Rf1 O-O {is good for Black.}) 21... O-O ({Or} 21... Qf2+ 22. Kd1 Qd4 23. Kc2 Rc8 24. Kb3) 22. Kf3 f6 23. e6 {which leads to a better version of the game for White.}) 21. Qd2 Qb6 22. Rhe1 (22. Kf3 $5 f6 23. e6 {might transpose}) 22... f6 $1 {Once again Black wants to open the game and get access to the white king.} 23. e6 $1 {And once more Carlsen rejects the offer.} ({After} 23. exf6 Bxf6 24. Rab1 {Black would seize the initiative with} g5 ({Or the preliminary} 24... Rae8+ 25. Kf1 g5)) 23... Qxe6+ 24. Kf3 {For the pawn Carlsen got open files and diagonals for his pieces. He does not risk much with the opposite-colored bishops on the board. In fact So needs to be careful about White's initiative.} Qd7 {Now White's initiative becomes frightening.} ({ Safer was:} 24... Qf7 25. Qe3 ({Or} 25. Bf5 Kh8) 25... Bd6) 25. Rad1 Rad8 26. Qe3 Bd6 27. Bg6 f5 {If 24...Qd7 looked inaccurate, this seems wrong. Black practically loses a pawn.} ({The endgame after} 27... Qc6 28. Qe6+ Kh8 29. Qxd5 Qxd5+ ({However} 29... Qc7 $1 {would have kept the game even as both kings remain exposed.}) 30. Rxd5 {is difficult for Black. He plays without a king.}) 28. Qe6+ Qxe6 29. Rxe6 Bc5 ({The lesser evil in comparison to} 29... Bc7 30. h4 {followed by h4-h5 when Black is paralyzed.} (30. Re7 $5)) 30. Re5 Rf6 31. Bxf5 Bd6 ({Maybe a better chance was} 31... Kf7 $5 32. Rexd5 Rxd5 33. Rxd5 Be7 { intending Rf6-d6.}) 32. Rdxd5 ({Not} 32. Rexd5 g6) 32... Kf7 ({So correctly avoids the rook endgame after} 32... Bxe5 33. Rxd8+ Kf7 34. Rd7+ Ke8 35. fxe5 ( {Worse is} 35. g4 Bxb2 36. Rxb7 Rb6 $1) 35... Rxf5+ 36. Ke4 Rg5 37. Rxb7 Rxg2 38. b4 {when White should be winning.}) 33. Re4 g6 34. Bg4 $1 {One of those little moves that make the big difference. Carlsen lures the pawn to h5 to stop the g6-g5 threat.} h5 35. Bh3 Re8 36. Red4 {The world champion wants to keep both the rooks on board. But I wonder of he just did not miss Black's next.} (36. Rxe8 Kxe8 37. g3 {gives Black serious hopes to draw.}) 36... Be5 $1 {A strong defensive resource. So makes it to the g6-g5 push.} 37. Rb4 ({Or} 37. Rc4 g5) 37... g5 38. g3 b6 $1 ({Weaker was} 38... g4+ 39. Bxg4 hxg4+ 40. Kxg4 Rg6+ 41. Kf3 Bd6 42. Rxb7+ Re7 {with four pawns for the piece White should be winning.}) 39. Rd7+ (39. Bd7 Re7 40. Bb5 Bd6) 39... Kf8 40. Rh7 $1 {The only chance to play for a win. One way to fight the drawing tendences in the opposite-colored bishop endgame is to sacrifice the bishop!} ({Black should hold after} 40. Rxa7 Bd6 41. Rc4 b5 42. Rc2 (42. Rd4 $2 Bc5) 42... gxf4) 40... g4+ 41. Bxg4 hxg4+ 42. Kxg4 Bd6 43. Rc4 a5 {One wrong move and So's fantastic defense fails.} ({Strong was} 43... Rg6+ $1 {with the idea} 44. Kf3 ({Or} 44. Kf5 Rg7 45. Rh8+ Kf7 46. Rxe8 Kxe8) 44... Bc5 $1 45. Rxa7 Re3+ 46. Kg2 Re2+ { when Black should have enough counter-play.}) 44. Rc6 {Now Carlsen wins fourth pawn for the piece.} Kg8 45. Rb7 Be5 46. Rcxb6 Rxb6 47. Rxb6 Bd4 48. Rb5 { It is funny that the computers evaluate the position as approximately equal. The human understands though that any of the pawns can become a queen and that they cannot be stopped from moving.} Re2 49. b3 ({Stronger than} 49. h4 Rxb2 50. Rxa5 Rb3 51. Kh5 {when} Rf3 $1 {complicates matters.} ({Rather than} 51... Rxg3 52. Rg5+ Rxg5+ 53. hxg5 {which wins for White.})) 49... Rxh2 ({More resilient is} 49... a4 50. Rb4 Bg1 51. Rxa4 Bxh2) 50. Rxa5 Re2 51. Rd5 Bb2 52. a4 {The pawns got into motion.} Bc3 53. Kf5 Re8 54. g4 Rf8+ 55. Ke4 Rb8 56. Rb5 {Any time the rooks are traded it is game over.} Re8+ (56... Rxb5 $2 57. axb5) 57. Kd3 Be1 58. a5 {The rest is fine technical work by the world champion.} Bf2 59. b4 Re3+ 60. Kc4 Re4+ 61. Kb3 Kf7 (61... Rxf4 62. Rf5 $1) 62. Re5 Rd4 63. b5 Rd3+ 64. Kc2 Rg3 65. g5 Bd4 66. Rd5 Be3 67. Rd3 Rg2+ 68. Kb3 Bc1 ({Or} 68... Bxf4 69. Rf3 Rg4 70. a6 Kg6 71. Rxf4 Rxf4 72. a7) 69. b6 Ke6 70. Rd4 Rb2+ 71. Ka4 Kf5 72. Rb4 Ra2+ 73. Kb5 Bxf4 {Now it all ends with a small a la Capablanca combination.} 74. Rxf4+ $1 Kxf4 75. b7 1-0 [Event "80th Tata Steel GpA"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2718"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] {[Annotations by FM Mike Klein]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. Nbd2 d6 9. Bb3 (9. a4 Nh5 10. g3 Nf6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. h4 h5 13. Nh2 g6 14. g4 hxg4 15. Nxg4 Bxh4 16. Qf3 Kg7 {Sethuraman,S (2646) -Inarkiev,E (2689) Riadh 2017}) 9... Nh5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nc4 Qf6 {Anatoly Karpov won with this move in recent years over IM Sophie Milliet of France on her home soil (Cap D'Agde 2012).} 12. Ne3 Nf4 13. Bc2 (13. O-O {was the Frenchwoman's choice, but in order to fend off the kingside attack she made some pawn concessions and lost in the ending. It seems a little dangerous to castle directly into the looming knight on f4, so Kramnik goes the other way with his king.}) 13... Ne7 14. g3 Nh3 15. Qe2 {Now the knight is just kind of sitting there with no target.} c5 $146 {Now that it is clear that White's king will end up on the queenside, the top three suggestions by the machine are: ... b5, ...c5, and ...a5!} (15... Be6 16. d4 Ng5 17. Nxg5 hxg5 18. O-O-O Ng6 19. h4 gxh4 20. Qh5 Rfe8 21. Nf5 Kf8 22. f4 exf4 23. e5 dxe5 24. dxe5 Qxe5 25. Rde1 Qf6 {Rizouk,A (2511)-Vocaturo,D (2574) Barcelona 2016}) 16. O-O-O Be6 17. d4 cxd4 (17... Bxa2 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. Rd7 {and Black's attack is not really progressing as White controls the open file and the Nh3 is still stranded.}) 18. cxd4 Rac8 19. Kb1 Rc7 (19... Rxc2 $1 {is the diabolical suggestion of the machine.} 20. Kxc2 (20. Nxc2 {and now play switches to the kingside!} Bg4 21. Rd3 Nc6 {and both Black knights will pile up on f3!}) (20. Qxc2 Qxf3) 20... Qg6 $3 (20... Bxa2 21. b3 d5 $1 {may also be playable but needs a few hours to work out!}) 21. Ng2 (21. Nd2 exd4) 21... Bxa2 22. b3 f5) 20. Rd2 Rfc8 (20... Rxc2 {Even with the complete loss of tempo, it is still playable, although with slightly less venom. Play would be somewhat similar to the previous note.} ) 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Rhd1 g6 23. Rd6 Rc6 24. Bb3 Rf8 $2 (24... Rxd6) 25. R1d3 $2 (25. Bxe6 Rxd6 (25... fxe6 26. Rd8 {and White is better}) 26. Bxh3 {gives White a winning advantage.}) 25... Rfc8 26. Rd1 Rf8 {Second chance!} 27. a3 { Nope!} h5 28. Bxe6 {Finally! Although there is no white knight hopping to g4 now.} fxe6 29. Rd7 Nc8 30. Nc4 Nxf2 31. Ncxe5 $1 {Now Black is in a bad positional bind.} Nxd1 32. Qxd1 Rc5 33. Qd4 Nb6 34. Rxb7 Rb5 35. Rxa7 Rd8 36. Qc3 Rc8 37. Rc7 Rd8 38. Qc6 Rb3 39. Rf7 {Black resigned since 39...Qh8 40. Qxe6 is horrid. Such a complicated struggle that could comprise its own DVD!} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "?"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "149"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. Bf4 {Today, it seems like the London System is a better winning weapon than the Catalan or, God forbid, allowing the Nimzo.} Bf5 4. e3 e6 5. c4 Bxb1 {This line is, of course, very well known to Wesley So, as the following notes will make clear.} 6. Qxb1 Bb4+ 7. Kd1 Bd6 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 (9. Bh4 {was played in an online game between the same players. Following} Nbd7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 c6 12. Ke2 Be7 13. b4 a6 14. Rc1 O-O 15. a4 {White had a reasonable minority-attack position, and the early movements of his king have not been particularly to his detriment.} Ne4 16. Bxe4 Bxh4 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Bf5 Nb6 19. b5 cxb5 20. axb5 a5 21. g3 Be7 22. Kf1 $132 {Carlsen,M-So,W chess.com INT 2017}) 9... Qxf6 10. cxd5 {An interesting sequence of forcing moves, which even the cloud engines don't immediately get.} (10. c5 {was chosen by Wesley from the White side. Following} Bf8 11. Qc2 c6 12. b4 a6 13. Bd3 Nd7 14. Ke2 g5 (14... e5 $132 {was probably also playable}) 15. h3 Bg7 16. a4 {White was probably marginally for choice in So,W -Wojtaszek,R Shamkir 2017}) 10... exd5 11. e4 Be7 12. Bb5+ c6 13. e5 $1 {White needs to close the centre, at least for the next 10 moves until his king finds a home or the queens come off.} Qf4 14. Bd3 c5 15. dxc5 Nc6 (15... Nd7 16. Bb5 $5 {might have been the intention, and after} O-O-O 17. Bxd7+ Rxd7 18. b4 $44 {there follows an interesting fight for compensation- White is a few moves away from consolidation. I suspect this is the next direction for Black to look in for answers to the deep theoretical question Magnus asks in this game.}) 16. Qc1 {Presumably still in preparation, Magnus is playing the most incisive continuations.} Qb4 17. a3 Qxc5 18. Ke2 Nd4+ 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20. f4 {At a guess, I would say Magnus had seen this position in his preparation, and noted the idea of e6 against ...f6, and left it at that.} O-O 21. Qd2 Qb6 22. Rhe1 f6 (22... Rac8 23. Kf3 $14 {is unexpectedly difficult for Black to play given the opening. This is chiefly due to his isolated pawn.}) 23. e6 (23. exf6 Bxf6 24. Kf3 {is not completely without venom too.}) 23... Qxe6+ 24. Kf3 Qd7 25. Rad1 (25. g4 $14 {is another natural idea White could use.}) 25... Rad8 (25... f5 $11 {is a rather solid move, giving back the isolated pawn in an uncomplicated way, and setting up with ...Bf6 and ...g6.}) 26. Qe3 Bd6 27. Bg6 $14 f5 {A bit late. Now Black ends up giving more pawns than intended.} (27... Kh8 28. Rxd5 f5 29. Qd3 { is similarly bad, but with queens on, so maybe Black can play more easily.}) 28. Qe6+ Qxe6 29. Rxe6 Bc5 (29... Bc7 30. h4 $16 {is deeply unpleasant since Black lacks moves of any sort that don't lose material, but maybe this followed by} Rf6 31. Rxf6 gxf6 32. Bxf5 Kf7 {was the way to go}) 30. Re5 Rf6 31. Bxf5 Bd6 32. Rdxd5 $1 (32. Rexd5 g6 $11) 32... Kf7 33. Re4 g6 34. Bg4 h5 35. Bh3 $16 {White has consolidated his extra pawn.} Re8 36. Red4 {Allowing a motif that hits the bishop on h3.} (36. Rxe8 Kxe8 37. g3 {was worth considering, and the bishop can hit one of b7 and g6 next. This position is also technically winning.}) 36... Be5 37. Rb4 g5 {Black is trying his best!} 38. g3 b6 (38... g4+ 39. Bxg4 hxg4+ 40. Kxg4 $16 {will also be deeply unpleasant with White taking on b7 next, but I'd have taken the extra piece anyway.}) 39. Rd7+ $6 {Objectively not a great move, but in practical terms the pawns will be hard to handle.} ({It was not necessary to offer the piece again, for instance} 39. Bf1 {kept great winning chances}) 39... Kf8 40. Rh7 g4+ 41. Bxg4 hxg4+ 42. Kxg4 Bd6 43. Rc4 a5 44. Rc6 Kg8 (44... Be7 $1 $11 { was the most precise defence, though I suspect Black didn't see salvation in the rookless position after} 45. Rh8+ Kf7 46. Rxf6+ Bxf6 47. Rxe8 Kxe8 48. b3 { . Nevertheless, another 15 computer moves should see him save this.}) 45. Rb7 Be5 46. Rcxb6 Rxb6 47. Rxb6 Bd4 48. Rb5 {Now once more White has four pawns for the piece. Due to the reduced material and practical difficulties it is hard to offer any advice other than to cheat...} Re2 49. b3 Rxh2 (49... a4 50. bxa4 Rxh2 {would at least have compromised White's structure- and I suspect the a3-pawn will be dropping soon.}) 50. Rxa5 Re2 51. Rd5 Bb2 52. a4 {And just like that, the position is technically winning. At no point does it slip away.} Bc3 53. Kf5 Re8 54. g4 Rf8+ 55. Ke4 Rb8 56. Rb5 Re8+ 57. Kd3 Be1 58. a5 Bf2 59. b4 Re3+ 60. Kc4 Re4+ 61. Kb3 Kf7 (61... Rxf4 62. Rf5 $18) 62. Re5 Rd4 63. b5 Rd3+ 64. Kc2 Rg3 65. g5 Bd4 66. Rd5 Be3 67. Rd3 Rg2+ 68. Kb3 Bc1 69. b6 Ke6 70. Rd4 Rb2+ 71. Ka4 Kf5 72. Rb4 Ra2+ 73. Kb5 Bxf4 74. Rxf4+ Kxf4 75. b7 {A very strong creative effort by White, although it might just have appeared like technique on the surface.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. Bg5 {Opting, oddly enough, for a similar strategy to the one Anand used against Matlakov in the first round, despite that opening beginning with 3.Bb5. Here it seems like the immediate idea is probably to prevent Black using a setup with ...d5.} h6 7. Bh4 Be7 (7... g5 {led to a draw in a recent high-profile game.} 8. Bg3 d6 9. a4 a6 10. Qd2 Nh5 11. h4 Nxg3 12. fxg3 g4 13. Qxh6 gxf3 14. Qg6+ Kh8 15. Qh6+ Kg8 16. Qg6+ Kh8 $11 {Vachier Lagrave,M-Karjakin,S Paris 2017}) 8. Nbd2 d6 (8... Na5 $5 {is not a completely pointless gambit:} 9. Nxe5 Nxc4 10. Nexc4 (10. dxc4 Nxe4 $15) 10... d5 11. Ne3 dxe4 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nxe4 Be7 $132 {With two bishops for two knights and a pawn, Black has very reasonable counterplay, analogous perhaps to the Gajewski line of the Ruy Lopez.}) 9. Bb3 (9. a4 { was faced by Kramnik himself from the other side of the board recently.} Nh5 10. Bg3 Nxg3 (10... Nb8 $5 {could have been played immediately, not giving White the needed clarity on what is happening on the h-file.} 11. Nf1 (11. Nxe5 {is obvious, but following} Nxg3 12. Nxf7 Rxf7 13. hxg3 Qf8 $13 {White will soon have nothing better than to enter a double-edged material balance of two pawns plus rook against two bishops, which probably should ultimately favour the bishops.}) 11... c6 12. Ne3 Nd7 $11 {Playing for ...Ndf6 and ...d5. White should probably castle short, but the moment he does that, he will no longer ever use the h-file.}) 11. hxg3 Nb8 12. Nf1 c6 13. Ne3 Na6 14. g4 (14. Bxa6 bxa6 15. d4 $14) 14... Nc7 $11 {Following a slightly complicated opening battle Black had equalised in Vachier Lagrave,M-Kramnik,V Leuven 2017}) 9... Nh5 (9... Na5 10. Bc2 c5 $132 {is another standard plan, and Black will probably continue with ...Be6, ...Nc6 and consider ...d5.}) 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nc4 Qf6 {Telegraphing a kingside attack rather clearly, but this then prompts White's overreaction.} (11... Be6 12. Ne3 Nf6 {was solid in Baramidze, D-Fressinet,L Germany 2009}) 12. Ne3 Nf4 13. Bc2 (13. O-O {followed by g3 could have been one way to go.} Ne7 14. d4 g5 15. g3 $132) 13... Ne7 14. g3 Nh3 15. Qe2 {Now we can see what Kramnik is playing for: a sharp opposite-side castling position.} c5 16. O-O-O (16. Ng1 $11 {or something was technically still legal, but who plays chess like this?}) 16... Be6 17. d4 (17. Kb1 $5 { is almost always useful preparation, and that holds here too.} Rfc8 18. d4 cxd4 19. cxd4 $132) 17... cxd4 18. cxd4 Rac8 {Missing a chance.} (18... Bxa2 $5 { is possible here according to the machines, and it seems to get an edge! The critical line is} 19. b3 a5 20. Kb2 $6 a4 21. Kxa2 $2 axb3+ 22. Kxb3 d5 $19) 19. Kb1 Rc7 (19... Rxc2 {was another noteworthy chance, though not obvious if you're not looking for it. The point is the non-trivial} 20. Kxc2 $6 Qg6 $3 $17 ) 20. Rd2 Rfc8 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Rhd1 {Now everything is under control, and just like in Anand-Matlakov from round 1, the position is just easier for White, even if not actually better.} g6 (22... b5 $5 {is a little bit faster.}) 23. Rd6 Rc6 24. Bb3 Rf8 $2 (24... Rxd6 25. Rxd6 h5 {survives according to the machine, but White is definitely significantly better after even the simple} 26. a3 $36) 25. R1d3 $2 ({If I had to guess I would say Black's last move was based on using the f-file after} 25. Bxe6 {but neither order quite works:} Rxd6 (25... fxe6 26. Rd8 $1 $16) 26. Bxh3 $1 $18 (26. Rxd6 fxe6 $14)) 25... Rfc8 26. Rd1 Rf8 27. a3 {Missing the same idea again.} h5 {It is generally useful to avoid Ng4 motifs.} 28. Bxe6 fxe6 29. Rd7 Nc8 $2 (29... Qxf3 30. Qxf3 Rxf3 31. Rxe7 Rf7 {almost equalises, and so should be preferred.}) 30. Nc4 (30. Nh4 $16 {is another option, cuing up interesting Nd5 ideas.}) 30... Nxf2 31. Ncxe5 { An alluring and practically tricky option, but not objectively best.} (31. Rf1 $5 Rxc4 32. Rxf2 {leaves Black with bizarrely few options against Qe3-h6. The only move is} Rd4 $8 {but now if nothing else White acheives a large advantage with} 33. Nxd4 Qxf2 34. Qxf2 Rxf2 35. Nxe6 Rxh2 36. Rxb7 $16) 31... Nxd1 32. Qxd1 Rc5 (32... Rb6 33. Qd2 g5 $11 {is the machine defence.}) 33. Qd4 {This is now practically impossible to defend, but the errors understandably continue from both sides.} Nb6 (33... Rb5 34. Rc7 {might look like a lethal battery, but Black can execute the text move now:} Nb6 $14 {and Black has gained a tempo over the text.}) 34. Rxb7 Rb5 35. Rxa7 Rd8 36. Qc3 (36. Rf7 $3 $16) 36... Rc8 (36... Nd7 $3 $132) 37. Rc7 {No further accidents.} Rd8 38. Qc6 Rb3 (38... Rxe5 39. Nxe5 Qxe5 40. Qxb6 Qxe4+ 41. Ka2 Qd5+ 42. Qb3 $16 {is basically over too.}) 39. Rf7 $1 {Enough to force resignation even if this was a time scramble.} (39. Rf7 Qxf7 40. Nxf7 Kxf7 41. Ng5+ {wins a rook with the next check.}) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10"] [White "Jones, Gawain"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2640"] [BlackElo "2767"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. c3 {Another rare guest at the top levels, but Gawain Jones is nothing if not a connoisseur of anti-Sicilians.} Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bc4 (5. d4 {is marginally more popular, but has been largely de-fanged.}) 5... Nb6 6. Bb3 c4 {Seizing control of c4 now gives White slightly fewer options and makes clear that Black is playing for a win.} (6... d6 7. exd6 Qxd6 8. Na3 $5 {is an interesting idea, seen in a number of elite games. For instance,} Be6 9. d4 Bxb3 10. Qxb3 cxd4 11. Nb5 Qb8 12. Nbxd4 $36 {Nakamura,H-Nepomniachtchi, I Baku 2015}) 7. Bc2 d6 8. exd6 Qxd6 (8... e5 $5 {is even more militantly maximalist, but it is a bit unncessary and could come unstuck, e.g.} 9. a4 Bxd6 10. O-O Be6 11. d3 h6 12. a5 Nc8 13. a6 $14 {Howell,D-Lazarev,V France 2006}) 9. O-O Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. Re1 O-O-O 12. Be4 {Discouraging all kinds of ...Qf6 ideas. This move has far more to it than meets the eye.} (12. b3 Qf6 13. bxc4 $132 {brings about an interesting imbalance}) (12. Na3 {could be another implementation of the game idea:} Qf6 13. Be4 Ne5 14. g4 $132 {Vysochin, S-Kokarev,D Olginka 2011}) 12... e6 (12... Qd7 $5 {might be a slight improvement.} 13. b3 f5 14. Bxc6 (14. Bc2 e5 $17) 14... Qxc6 15. Qc2 $1 (15. g4 fxg4 16. Ne5 Qf6 17. hxg4 Be8 $132 {should practically favour Black}) 15... Bxf3 16. Qxf5+ e6 17. Qxf3 Qxf3 18. gxf3 Rd3 $44 {Black has good compensation, and practical chances based on White's exposed king, but I don't think he is actually better.}) 13. b3 f5 14. Bc2 g6 15. bxc4 e5 16. d4 $6 (16. d3 {keeps chances of a slight objective edge, although neither I nor the engine properly understand Black's pawn sacrifice.}) 16... exd4 17. Bg5 Bg7 $1 {A really powerful exchange sacrifice, which must have been underestimated.} (17... d3 18. Bb3 Be7 $11) 18. Bxd8 Rxd8 19. Qd3 Qf4 $17 {White finds it impossible to disentangle because of the pressure on the long diagonal.} 20. Qd2 (20. Na3 dxc3 21. Qe3 {might have been a better wriggle}) 20... Qxd2 21. Nbxd2 dxc3 22. Nb3 Bxf3 23. gxf3 Nb4 24. Re2 Nxc4 {Now Black has reached material parity, and the difference in quality of pieces is obvious. Nevertheless, it is not so clear how precisely Black should push the queenside pawns.} 25. Rc1 b5 26. Na1 Bh6 27. Rb1 a5 28. Kg2 Nd2 29. Rbe1 Bf4 {Fully under control. White can barely move. The rest is just good (although not tricky) technique.} 30. Re7 Rd7 31. Re8+ Kc7 32. Ra8 a4 33. Re6 Kb7 34. Rae8 Bd6 35. Bd1 Nd5 36. Re1 Nf4+ 37. Kh1 Bc5 38. Be2 Nxe2 39. R1xe2 b4 40. R2e5 Rc7 {The time control was reached and despite still not being material down, there is precious little White can do about ...b3 et cetera, so he resigned.} 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2804"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "42"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Bb4 {The Ragozin: known to me as the opening which won Jonathan Hawkins his first British national title.} 5. cxd5 { 5.Bg5 and 5.e3 are also played.} exd5 6. Bf4 (6. Bg5 {is the main move, and after} h6 7. Bh4 c5 {the current fashion is for the ambitious} 8. dxc5 $5) 6... Ne4 7. Qa4+ {A second minor move in a row by Peter Svidler lands him not in completely new territory but certainly in slight danger.} (7. Rc1 {was a more solid move in an obvious ideological precedent.} Nc6 8. Nd2 g5 9. Be3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Bd6 $132 {Svane,R-Socko,B Germany 2016}) 7... Nc6 8. Rc1 O-O 9. g3 (9. h4 {was necessary if a little uncomfortable. There could follow} Bg4 10. e3 Qe7 11. Be2 $11) (9. e3 g5 10. Bg3 h5 11. h4 g4 12. Ne5 Bxc3+ 13. Rxc3 (13. bxc3 Nxg3 14. fxg3 Qe7 $17) 13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Bf5 $15 {Ermenkov, E-Shyam,S Albena 2015}) 9... g5 10. Be3 f5 (10... Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 f5 {was a marginally more precise order.}) 11. Bg2 {Kind of a wasted move since White will never get to castle.} (11. Bd2 $5 Bxc3 12. Bxc3 {was an additional option granted by Black's last.}) 11... f4 12. gxf4 (12. Bd2 {can be met in various ways, including} g4 13. Ne5 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Nxd2 15. Kxd2 Nxe5 16. dxe5 fxg3 $15) 12... Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 gxf4 14. Bd2 Kh8 $1 $17 {The absolute best move. After less than 15 moves White has no castling prospects and is close to lost.} 15. Qb3 $2 {Not helping.} (15. Rg1 Be6 16. Bf1 {is one way of trying to get belated counterplay.}) ({After} 15. O-O Qf6 $1 {White will be unable to form a coherent defence against doubling on the g-file.}) 15... Na5 {Unfortunately, this natural move gains a great many tempi.} 16. Qc2 Nc4 {The obvious threat is ...Bg4 trapping the d2-bishop, but there are others.} 17. Rd1 Rg8 (17... Qe7 {is most favoured by machines, which want to continue ...Bf5 and ...Rae8, but it is much of a muchness by now.}) 18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. Bxe4 Qg5 (19... dxe4 20. Bxf4 Ng6 21. Bg3 {is also dead, but the game might last a bit longer since White has a good bishop.}) 20. Bxf4 Qxf4 21. Bxd5 Bf5 $1 {It's a clear piece and maybe even more. A shame that Svidler was not able to demonstrate his usual good chess today.} 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10"] [White "Wei, Yi"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 {Black had no truly adventurous choices in any case, except the slightly odd 4...Bd6. Quite solid are the well-known 4...d6 and 4...Bb4.} 5. Bc4 (5. Ba4 $5 {is the main line, trying to prevent Black from playing ...d5 under favourable conditions. Play could continue:} Bc5 $5 (5... Nxf3+ 6. Qxf3 Bc5 $11 {is stable equality, though White has also tried the pawn recapture.}) 6. Nxe5 O-O 7. Nd3 Bb6 8. e5 Ne8 9. Nd5 {Now see, for instance, Morozevich-Svidler, Thessaloniki 2013, or Kasparov-Dominguez, Saint Louis 2017.}) 5... Bc5 6. d3 (6. Nxe5 Qe7 $1 { is vaguely reminiscent of the Traxler Counter-Gambit and is in any case more dangerous for White than Black.}) 6... d6 7. Na4 {Initiating large-scale exchanges in a tried and tested manner.} (7. h3 {is most played, but seems a little slow, especially since Black can just respond to Bg5/Nd5 ideas with a laconic ...c6.}) 7... b5 8. Nxd4 bxc4 9. Nf5 Bxf5 10. exf5 cxd3 11. Nxc5 dxc5 12. cxd3 {So far following a source game from 2 years ago. What seems likely is that central pawn exchanges will follow and then a draw.} Qd7 13. Qf3 O-O 14. O-O (14. Bg5 e4 15. dxe4 Nxe4 $11) 14... Rfd8 15. Be3 Qxd3 16. Rac1 { To be honest with you, I doubt it makes much difference which rook White plays with here.} (16. Rfc1 e4 17. Qg3 Qd5 18. Qxc7 Rac8 19. Qf4 $11 {was the source game, maybe marginally more pleasant for Black but still ultimately agreed drawn without much trouble. Maze,S-Fressinet,L Agen 2016}) 16... c4 17. h3 h6 ( 17... e4 $11 {kept equality more easily.}) 18. Rc3 Qe4 (18... Qd5 $1 19. Qxd5 Nxd5 20. Rxc4 a5 $11 {keeps everything watertight}) 19. Qxe4 Nxe4 20. Rxc4 Nd2 21. Bxd2 Rxd2 22. Rb1 ({Black has made a few very minor inaccuracies, and now} 22. Rxc7 $5 Rxb2 23. Re1 $1 Rxa2 24. Rxe5 $14 {might still make Black do a little bit of work in an unpleasant 4-v-3 rook endgame}) 22... Rad8 23. Rxc7 Re2 $1 {The sacrificed pawns will return home.} 24. Rxa7 Rdd2 25. Rf1 Rxb2 26. g4 Rxa2 27. Rxa2 Rxa2 28. Re1 {The draw was agreed here, none too soon.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Nd2 {Maybe similarly to yesterday, Anish Giri goes for the creation of a slight imbalance. Bd2 is played more often.} c5 { And Karjakin does not object. In principle, if one plays these ...Bb4 lines, be they in the Ragozin, Nimzo-Indian, Bogo-Indian or even something else, one should not object to giving this bishop for a knight and then arranging all one's pawns on dark squares.} (4... d5 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Ngf3 b6 7. O-O Bb7 { is another normal way to play this position with Black}) 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 cxd4 7. Nf3 (7. Qxd4 Nc6 8. Qd3 O-O 9. Bg2 d5 $11) 7... d5 (7... b6 $5 8. Nxd4 Bb7 9. f3 $132 {could lead to some kind of almost Maroczy-like play}) 8. Bg2 dxc4 9. Qxd4 Qxd4 10. Nxd4 O-O {The position is now 'more open than closed' and so I would probably slightly prefer to be White, but very accurate play is needed to make anything of this.} 11. Be3 (11. Bg5 $5 e5 12. Nb5 Nc6 13. Rd1 $14 {is maybe one way to go; White will choose soon whether to play with Bxf6, Nd6 etc or with Be3, h3, Nc3, 0-0 and try and make use of the bishop pair only once the rooks come off. The Catalan bishop always guarantees at least sufficient compensation.}) 11... Nd5 12. Rc1 (12. O-O $5 Nxe3 13. fxe3 e5 $11 { is creative but probably nothing}) 12... c3 $1 (12... Nxe3 13. fxe3 e5 14. Nb5 Nc6 15. Nd6 $14) 13. b3 Nxe3 14. fxe3 Nd7 15. Rxc3 Rd8 16. O-O Nf6 17. Rc7 (17. Nf3 $5 $14 {is a counter-intuitive machine suggestion that makes a lot of sense once you look at it a few times, but in any case Black might be able to neutralise the pressure with the standard bishop-for-knight swap, because the machine overrates bishops. For instance:} Bd7 18. Ne5 Rac8 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 { and Black is getting nice and active, whether White accepts the unusual swap offer or not.}) 17... Rb8 $1 {An ugly but necessary move, and after a few more similar ones it transpires that White is not better.} 18. Nb5 a5 19. Na7 Bd7 20. Rd1 (20. Rxb7 $2 Rxb7 21. Bxb7 Rb8 $15) 20... b6 {With equality.} 21. Bc6 Bxc6 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Nxc6 Rd1+ 24. Kg2 h5 25. Ne5 Ng4 (25... Re1 $5 { might deserve consideration at lower levels, to try and play on based on White's structure}) 26. Nxg4 $11 {The rook endgame is almost completely equal, with White's activity counterbalanced by a structural issue.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.24"] [Round "10"] [White "Hou, Yifan"] [Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2680"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "204"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 {White opts to play that rare creature, the Fianchetto KID without c4. There can be nothing really wrong with it but the game now resembles something more like a Philidor with a slightly strange fianchetto for White.} Nbd7 7. e4 e5 8. Nc3 c6 9. a4 Re8 (9... a5 10. h3 Re8 11. Be3 exd4 12. Bxd4 Rb8 13. Re2 Qc7 14. Qe1 Ne5 15. Nd2 $11 { Lobron,E-Gelfand,B Biel 1993}) 10. h3 Qc7 11. Be3 b6 12. Qd2 Bb7 13. Rad1 Rad8 $11 {So, both sides have completed development and it is up to White what he wants to do about ...d5, which may be coming soon. It is perhaps not so strange that the play vaguely resembles some of the Breyer sidelines examined yesterday in the notes to Anand-Carlsen.} 14. Bg5 (14. Bh6 a6 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 { is no panacea for White, who must still worry about slow play: ...h6, ...b5, .. .Qb6, maybe eventually ...c5.}) 14... a6 15. h4 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. b3 (17. h5 $5 {initiates some bizarre complications. For instance:} exd4 18. Nxd4 b4 19. Na2 Ne5 $13) 17... Qb8 18. dxe5 (18. h5 {is again worth at least calculating, though Black has a bail-out option in ...h6 intending ...Nxh5.}) 18... dxe5 19. Bh3 Nf8 20. Qe3 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Bc8 22. Bxc8 Rxc8 {This is now a fully believable Breyer Ruy Lopez, except the pawn at c2, which should be on c4.} 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. Na2 Ne6 25. Nb4 {As a firm believer in the knight, it was interesting to watch this game and see how convincing or otherwise the 'bad' dark-square bishop was against it. ('bad' is in quotes because I do know a thing or two about the KID!)} Be7 26. Nd3 f6 27. h5 g5 $6 (27... Kf7 $11 { was maybe better, not making too many pawn weaknesses.}) 28. b4 Rd8 (28... Rc7 29. Ndxe5 $13 {is messy, but could have been Black's best.}) 29. Ra1 Rd7 30. Nh2 Nd4 31. Ra2 (31. Qd2 $5 {tries to arrange a queen lift to a2.} Ra7 { causes a cascade of tactical issues, beginning} 32. Rxa7 Qxa7 33. c3 $14) 31... Ra7 32. Rb2 Ra3 33. Qd2 Qa8 (33... c5 $132 {is a better 'human' move, trying to get the queen to c6.} 34. Nxc5 Qe8 {and White is having to defend on a number of fronts.}) 34. c3 Ne6 $2 35. Ne1 $6 (35. Nxe5 fxe5 36. Qd7 Kf7 37. Ng4 $16 {is winning after some convoluted tactical lines!}) (35. Ng4 $14 {is safe and 'normal'.}) 35... Ra1 36. Kf1 $2 (36. Kg2 {is still good for the knights. For instance:} c5 37. Nc2 $1 (37. Qd5 $6 Qxd5 38. exd5 Nc7 $15) 37... Ra6 38. Qe2 $14) 36... c5 37. f3 cxb4 38. cxb4 Nd4 (38... Qa3 {is almost winning, e.g.} 39. Kf2 Bd8 $17 (39... Rd1 $5)) 39. Kg2 Qa3 {By contrast with the last note, now Black lacks the tempo to play ...Rxe1 against Kg2.} 40. Nd3 Qa4 41. Nc1 Qa3 42. Ne2 Bxb4 {There is nothing better than cashing in. In what follows, I have made brief notes rather than giving variations, knowing that better analysts than myself will pick apart the endgame.} 43. Qxb4 Qxb4 44. Rxb4 Ra2 45. Ng4 Kg7 46. Kf1 Nxe2 47. Rxb5 Nxg3+ 48. Kg1 {And so we reach an unpleasant endgame for White, but still one that is probably technically drawn.} Ne2+ 49. Kf1 Ng3+ 50. Kg1 Nxh5 51. Rb7+ Kg6 52. Rb6 Kg7 53. Rb7+ Kg6 54. Rb6 Ra5 55. Kf2 { Black lacks moves here- all his pieces are tied down to their present positions. A pawn sacrifice will become necessary.} Kg7 56. Rb7+ Kg6 57. Rb6 Rc5 58. Ra6 Kg7 59. Ra7+ Kg6 60. Ra6 Rc2+ 61. Kg1 Kg7 62. Ra7+ Kg6 63. Ra6 Rc7 {Ultimately this had to be done, but the pressure on f6 is not relieved.} 64. Nxe5+ Kg7 65. Ng4 Rf7 66. Ne3 Nf4 67. Nf5+ Kg6 68. Ra8 h5 69. Rg8+ Kh7 70. Rd8 h4 71. Rd6 Kg6 72. Ne3 Re7 73. Kf2 Nh3+ 74. Kf1 Nf4 75. Kf2 Re6 (75... Rb7 $5 76. Ng4 Rb2+ 77. Kf1 Nh5 $15 {was another try, but probably not one that deserves to succeed.}) 76. Rd7 Ra6 77. Nf5 Ra2+ 78. Kg1 Ne2+ (78... Nh3+ 79. Kh1 Nf2+ 80. Kg1 g4 $15 {kept the game a bit more lively, but is unlikely to ultimately lead to more than rook and knight vs rook.}) 79. Kh1 Ng3+ 80. Nxg3 hxg3 81. Rd6 $1 Kf7 (81... g4 82. e5 $1 $11) 82. Rd5 Re2 83. Kg1 Kg7 84. Rf5 $1 {Against this construction there is not a lot that can be done.} Kg6 85. Kf1 Ra2 86. Kg1 Rf2 87. Kh1 Re2 (87... g4 88. fxg4 $11) 88. Kg1 Kf7 (88... g4 89. Rf4 $1 $11) 89. f4 gxf4 90. Rxf4 Ke6 91. Rg4 Re3 92. Rf4 Ke5 93. Rf5+ Ke6 94. Rf4 Re2 95. Rg4 Ke5 96. Rxg3 Kxe4 97. Ra3 f5 98. Kf1 Re3 99. Ra5 Rb3 100. Kf2 Rb2+ 101. Kf1 f4 102. Ra3 Rc2 {Black didn't bother disrespecting his opponent by forcing her to demonstrate the need to play Ra8 only after ...f3.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "80th Tata Steel GpA"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.26"] [Round "11.4"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 {The improved Tarrasch was not really a surprise for the five-time world champion.} 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Rb1 {A fashionable choice. It stops the standard trade of the dark-squared bishops via the b4 square. "I would not say that it can revitalize the line, but at least it is playable." (Anand)} Be7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Bc4 Nc6 ({Another plan is} 9... Qc7 10. Qe2 a6 11. O-O b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. a4 bxa4 14. Bf4 { and White was already much better in Carlsen,M (2832) -So,W (2815) chess.com INT 2017}) 10. O-O b6 11. Be3 Bb7 12. Qe2 cxd4 13. cxd4 Rc8 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. d5 {"Still prep. We thought this is pleasant for White."(Anand) The central break is probably Black's main problem in this whole opening.} ({Part of the prep was the line arising after} 15. Rbc1 Qb8 16. d5 exd5 17. Bxd5 Nb4) 15... Ne5 { "I somehow could not remember what to do after this." (Anand)} 16. Bb5 ({ "The problem with} 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. dxe6 {is} Qxe4 18. exf7+ Kh8 19. f3 Qxc4 20. Qxc4 Rxc4 21. Rd7 Bc5 22. Bxc5 Rxc5 23. Rxb7 {is} Ra5 24. Rb2 ({White can also try to double on the seventh rank with} 24. Re1 g6 25. Ree7 {but this should also lead to a draw after} Rxa2 26. Rxa7 Rxa7 27. Rxa7 Kg7 28. Rb7 Rxf7 29. Rxb6) 24... g6 {"followed by Kh8-g7xf7 with equality" (Anand)}) 16... exd5 ({Perhaps better was not to hurry with the trade and go} 16... Nxf3+ $5 17. Qxf3 Bd6 {at once.}) 17. exd5 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Bc5 $146 {Up to here all of this was seen in a correspondence game.} (18... Qd6 19. Bf4 Qg6 20. Bd3 f5 21. Qg3 Qxg3 22. hxg3 Bxd5 23. Ba6 Bxa2 24. Bxc8 Rxc8 25. Ra1 {and White eventually won, Grego, L (2217)-Andersen,J (2258) corr. 2011}) ({On} 18... Bd6 {Anand was planning} 19. h4 {followed by h4-h5. The idea is to force h7-h7 "which is a concession" and then "harass" the black king with a battery along the b1-h7 diagonal.}) ({White is better also after} 18... a6 19. Rbc1 ({The preliminary} 19. Bf4 Bd6 20. Rbc1 Qb8 21. Bxd6 Qxd6 22. Bc6 {might be even stronger.}) 19... Bc5 20. Bxc5 bxc5 21. Bc4 {(Anand)}) 19. Rbc1 Qe7 {"A clever idea!" (Anand)} ({ Hou avoids} 19... Rfd8 20. Bg5 {(Anand)}) 20. Bf4 ({"It is a pity that} 20. Bxc5 Rxc5 21. d6 {does not work, due to} Bxf3 ({Not} 21... Qg5 22. Rxc5 Bxf3 23. Rxg5 Bxd1 24. Re5 {followed by d6-d7 and Re5-e8 and wins.}) 22. dxe7 Bxd1 23. Rxd1 Rxb5 24. f4 $1 f6 25. Rd8 Re8 $1 26. Rxe8+ Kf7 27. Rg8 Kxe7 28. Rxg7+ Ke6 29. Rxa7 Kf5 {and White has no winning chances." (Anand)} ({Or} 29... h5)) 20... Bd6 21. Bc6 {The Indian GM was not sure that he had exactly this position in the prep, but he remembered that the d-pawn was somehow landing on c6. Thus he was confident.} Bxf4 ({The other defensive set up is} 21... Rc7 22. Qg3 Bxf4 23. Qxf4 Qd8 24. Bxb7 Rxb7 25. d6 {although White is clearly better here.}) ({And letting the pawn come to c7 with a bishop protecting does not seem like a great idea either:} 21... Bxc6 22. dxc6 Bc5 23. c7) 22. Qxf4 Bxc6 23. dxc6 Qc7 ({The former world champion also mentioned the other defensive set-up:} 23... Rfd8 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. c7 Qd7 26. h4 {when Black can sit and wait, or go for the active queenside pawn-push with} h6 27. g3 b5 28. Rc5 a5 29. Kh2 Kh7 30. h5 {Anand was not sure of Black can survive this at all, but he was sure that even if this is possible none will ever repeat this again... On a hindsight, this was Hou's best chance.}) 24. Rd6 $1 {Saving an active rook on the d-file is essential for White's winning strategy.} Rcd8 25. Rcd1 h6 ({Or} 25... Rxd6 26. Rxd6 Rd8 27. Rxd8+ Qxd8 28. h4) 26. g3 {To defend the queen and open air for the king.} (26. h4 $5) 26... Rxd6 27. Rxd6 Rc8 ({ Similar would be} 27... Re8 28. Qd4) 28. Qe5 {Now White uses the method of the two weaknesses to secure the win. Weakness number one for the opponent is the strong passer that he has on c6. It keeps the black pieces busy and allows White a chance to use weakness number two: the black king.} (28. Qf5 {"was winning as well" (Anand)}) 28... b5 {Loses by force, but it is impossible to offer good advise to Black.} ({There is no escape in the rook endgame after} 28... Kf8 29. Qd5 Qe7 30. Rd7 Qe6 31. Qxe6 fxe6 32. c7 {(Anand)}) ({nor in the queen edngame after} 28... Rd8 29. Rxd8+ Qxd8 30. c7 Qd1+ 31. Kg2 Qd7 32. Qc3 Qc8 33. Qc6) 29. Qd5 Kh7 30. Qe4+ Kg8 ({Or mating attack after} 30... g6 31. Rd7 Qxc6 32. Rxf7+ Kg8 33. Qe7) 31. Rd7 Qa5 (31... Qxc6 32. Rd8+ $1) 32. c7 Rf8 33. Qe7 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.26"] [Round "11"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 (5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 {is another big main line, e.g.} O-O 7. Nf3 dxc4 8. Qxc4 b6 9. Bg5 $11 {, which was the path followed by Ivanchuk,V-Harikrishna,P Huaian 2017}) 5... Qxd5 6. e3 (6. Nf3 Qf5 $1 $11 {has now become famous, and after some wrangling it has become clear that only Black can actually have a positional edge in the endgame, despite his doubled f-pawns!}) 6... c5 7. Bd2 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 cxd4 9. Bxd4 Nc6 10. Bc3 (10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Ne2 {is the initial computer recommendation, but this really isn't that good after say} Bd7 12. a3 Qa5+ 13. Nc3 Ne7 $11 {Dreev,A -Fedoseev,V Moscow 2014}) 10... O-O 11. Nf3 Rd8 {Else Rd1 is slightly annoying.} 12. Be2 (12. Rd1 Qxd1+ 13. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 14. Kxd1 Ne4 15. Be1 e5 $11 {is another equal position, where White's bishop pair isn't yet active enough to give him any advantage.}) 12... Qe4 13. Rc1 Qxc2 14. Rxc2 Nd5 (14... Bd7 15. Nd4 Ne7 $11 {could be worth considering for the future; White's bishop pair is a lot less scary when there is an extra pair of knights on the board.}) 15. Ne5 Bd7 {This is the novelty!} (15... Nxe5 16. Bxe5 b6 17. a3 f6 18. Bg3 Bb7 19. O-O Rac8 20. Rfc1 e5 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Rxc8+ Bxc8 23. Kf1 { somehow led to one of the world's best defensive players being ground down in Grachev,B-Karjakin,S Antalya 2017; the problem is that White can keep trying things and never runs any risk at all.}) 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Bd2 Ne7 18. f3 Rac8 19. e4 (19. Ba5 $5 b6 20. Bb4 Nd5 21. Bd2 $14 {prevents Black from playing ... a6 and ...Bb5}) 19... f6 20. Be3 a6 21. Kf2 (21. Bc4 $5 Kf7 22. Bb3 Bb5 23. Kf2 {and we can still talk about a White edge based on the bishop pair}) 21... Bb5 $1 {Black has equalised again.} 22. Rhc1 Rxc2 23. Rxc2 Bxe2 24. Kxe2 Nc6 $11 { There is nothing really left to play for. Black can choose between an ...e5 based plan, and a rook-exchange based plan.} 25. b4 Rc8 26. Rc5 b5 27. f4 Kf7 28. a3 Ne7 29. Rxc8 Nxc8 30. Bc5 Ne7 31. Bxe7 Kxe7 32. Kf3 Kd6 33. Ke3 e5 34. f5 Ke7 35. g4 Kf7 36. h4 Kg8 37. Kf3 h6 38. h5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.26"] [Round "11"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2811"] [BlackElo "2752"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 Bf5 4. e3 e6 5. Nbd2 ({For some reason Caruana didn't feel like trying to emulate Carlsen's} 5. c4 $5) 5... Bd6 6. Ne5 (6. Bg3 {is the more 'true Londoner' move, but after say} O-O 7. Be2 c5 8. c3 Nc6 $11 { it is immediately obvious that White has nothing}) 6... h6 7. g4 $5 $146 Bh7 ( 7... Bxe5 $5 {is fascinating:} 8. dxe5 Bxg4 9. f3 Nh5 10. fxg4 Nxf4 11. exf4 Qh4+ 12. Ke2 Qxg4+ {but it seems like White probably has an edge with the solid } 13. Nf3 Qxf4 14. Qd2 $14 {when the piece marginally outperforms the three pawns.}) 8. h4 Ne4 (8... Nfd7 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 $132 {could eventually leave White feeling a bit over-extended; for subtle structural reasons Black should recapture on d6 with the pawn!}) 9. Nxe4 Bxe4 10. f3 Bh7 11. Bd3 (11. Qd2 Nd7 12. O-O-O {might still keep things a bit fresh, as the prospect of a good bishop versus bad bishop endgame weighs slightly on Black's mind.}) 11... Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Nd7 {Solid and good for equality.} 13. O-O-O Bxe5 $5 (13... Qe7 14. h5 O-O-O $11) 14. dxe5 Qe7 15. e4 dxe4 (15... c6 {could be interesting, keeping open the option of short castling, but I suspect Black rejected this due to the possibility of c4 + Qd6 turning out to be a textbook 'incisive continuation'.}) 16. Qxe4 O-O-O 17. g5 hxg5 18. Bxg5 f6 19. exf6 Nxf6 20. Qe5 Qf7 21. Rhe1 (21. b3 {might improve slightly, not giving away any tempi, and the cat-and-mouse could continue:} b6 22. Kb2 Rhf8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Qe2 $14) 21... Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 b6 23. b3 Kb8 24. Kb2 Nh7 25. Bf4 (25. f4 $14 {was a logical human continuation}) 25... Nf6 26. Bg5 Nh7 27. Bf4 Nf6 28. Qd4 Kb7 ( 28... Nd5 29. Be5 Qxf3 $11) 29. Be5 Rh5 30. Rg1 Rf5 31. f4 g6 32. Rd1 (32. Qc4 {was an interesting tactical idea, hinting at an overloading of the Black queen, and then} Nd5 33. Qe4 $36 {could be genuinely unpleasant}) 32... Qe7 33. Qc3 $6 {This loses the advantage.} Nd5 {Possibly White had thought Qg3 was good, but missed the tactical idea of ...Nxf4. Black has now equalised again.} 34. Qf3 Kb8 35. Qe4 Qxh4 {Now the most White can do is take on g6, which implies a trade of pieces, and then there will be nothing left with which to win.} 36. Rd2 Qe7 37. Rh2 Rf8 38. Rh6 Rg8 39. Rxg6 Rxg6 40. Qxg6 Qd7 41. Qd3 Kc8 42. a4 Nb4 43. Qe4 Nc6 44. Bc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.26"] [Round "11"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 $5 {Clearly Hou Yifan was not in the mood to face a minority attack today. Although this move has been played by a lot of good players, it is unquestionably a secondary one. According to the current state of top level praxis the line is playable, but very few people do it correctly, especially from the Black side!} 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Rb1 Be7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Bc4 Nc6 (9... Qc7 {leads us to a veritable minefield of top games:} 10. Qe2 a6 11. O-O (11. a4 cxd4 12. cxd4 Bd7 $11 {might objectively equalise, but that didn't stop Black being annihlated in a 'modern attacking classic', Matlakov,M-Aronian,L Tbilisi 2017}) 11... b5 12. Bd3 Nd7 $1 (12... Bb7 $6 13. a4 $1 bxa4 $2 14. Bf4 {left Black virtually lost already in Carlsen, M-So,W chess.com INT 2017}) 13. a4 (13. h4 e5 14. h5 h6 $11 {Navara,D -Dominguez Perez,L Saint Louis 2017}) 13... bxa4 14. g3 $13 {The position is easier to play for White, but obviously far from clear.}) 10. O-O b6 11. Be3 ( 11. d5 Na5 12. Bd3 c4 13. Bc2 exd5 14. exd5 Bb7 $11 {probably equalised for Black in her previous outing with the line: Svidler,P-Hou,Y Geneve 2017}) 11... Bb7 12. Qe2 cxd4 (12... Qc7 $5 13. d5 (13. Ba6 {is White's most obvious idea, but there is a concrete remedy:} cxd4 14. cxd4 Nb4 $1 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 $132 { and White's centre continues to come under fire.}) 13... Na5 14. dxe6 Nxc4 15. Qxc4 fxe6 16. Qxe6+ Kh8 $44) 13. cxd4 Rc8 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. d5 Ne5 (15... exd5 16. exd5 Ne5 17. Bb3 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Bd6 $132 {Navara,D -Dominguez Perez,L Saint Louis 2017}) 16. Bb5 (16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. f3 $14) 16... exd5 17. exd5 Nxf3+ (17... Rfd8 18. Rbc1 Qb8 {is apparently still nail-biting equality}) 18. Qxf3 $14 {Certainly by contrast to Navara-Dominguez above the bishop on b5 poses Black some extra problems, connected with Rbc1 and Bc6.} Bc5 19. Rbc1 Qe7 20. Bf4 Bd6 21. Bc6 {That's just it. Now Black has to go into a bit of a huddle, and Anand's technique has been his strong point in this event.} Bxf4 (21... Ba8 {still kept White's advantage to a minimum by making him work for every extra pawn advance}) 22. Qxf4 Bxc6 23. dxc6 Qc7 24. Rd6 $18 {The forcing continuations get nowhere, so White just improves. The obvious follow-up is to play the queen to d5 and try for Rd7.} Rcd8 25. Rcd1 h6 26. g3 Rxd6 ({It is interesting to note the tactical point White basically has to use if Black sits tight.} 26... Rc8 27. Qc4 Kh8 28. Qd5 Kg8 29. a4 Kh8 30. Kg2 (30. Rc1 $2 Rfd8 $14) 30... Kg8 31. h4 {Or, I suppose, just Rc1 now.} Kh8 32. Rd4 Kg8 33. Rc4 Rfd8 34. Rd7 $1 $18) 27. Rxd6 Rc8 28. Qe5 b5 29. Qd5 Kh7 30. Qe4+ Kg8 31. Rd7 {Another neat tactical point, but if not this, then something else would have worked.} Qa5 32. c7 Rf8 33. Qe7 {Mate cannot be far away.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.26"] [Round "11"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. b3 {This opening is one of the hardest for me to understand. Whichever side of it I play, I always end up slightly worse...} c5 (6... d4 {The last comment is even more true when applied to this variation. I will provide two practical examples, not from the highest level but nevertheless capable of showing my point.} 7. e3 (7. Bb2 c5 8. e3 Nc6 9. exd4 cxd4 10. Re1 Re8 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. Rxe5 Nd7 13. Re1 e5 14. d3 $132 {was my own practical experience with this system as Black: Oates, D-Fernandez,D High Wycombe 2014. Here White's play seems quite easy, because Black's only constructive plan might be ...a5-a4 but then of course White can play with Na3.}) 7... c5 8. exd4 cxd4 9. d3 Nc6 10. Re1 Ne8 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. Rxe5 f6 13. Re1 e5 14. Ba3 (14. f4 $5) 14... Nd6 15. Nd2 Rb8 16. Ne4 Nf7 $1 { White-a good friend of mine- had unfortunately slightly lost touch with the idea of the line in a game with a fellow Fernandez: Horton,A -Fernandez,F Sitges 2016.}) 7. cxd5 ({Following the equally natural} 7. Bb2 Nc6 8. e3 b6 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. bxc4 Bb7 11. Qe2 Qc7 12. Rac1 Rfd8 13. Rfd1 Na5 14. Ne1 Bxg2 15. Nxg2 Qb7 {Black was already marginally for choice due to his pressure on the half-open d-file in Caruana,F-Aronian,L Saint Louis 2017}) 7... Nxd5 8. Nc3 Nc6 (8... Bf6 9. Bb2 b6 $11 {is probably the most mathematically precise}) 9. Bb2 Nxc3 10. dxc3 Qc7 11. Qc2 b6 12. Bc1 Bb7 13. Bf4 Qc8 14. Rad1 Rd8 (14... f6 $1 {was thematic and equalised with a bit less effort. Presumably Black was afraid of} 15. Bh3 $1 {but he can re-route and use the long diagonal himself:} Nd8 $1 {With ...Qc6, possibly ...Nf7, and an eventual ...e5 to come.}) 15. h4 h6 16. Rxd8+ Nxd8 17. Rd1 {Now White has a small something because of the d-file.} f5 18. Qd2 Nf7 19. Qd7 Bf6 20. Ne5 $1 $14 Nxe5 (20... Bxe5 $5 { leads to a nice tactical variation.} 21. Bxb7 Qxd7 22. Rxd7 Rd8 23. Rxf7 $1 ( 23. Rxd8+ Nxd8 24. Bxe5 Nxb7 25. Bb8 a6 $11 {should eventually get neutralised as in Mamedyarov-Carlsen, though here the knight is even worse.}) 23... Bxf4 24. Re7 Be5 25. c4 $14) 21. Bxe5 Bxe5 22. Bxb7 Qxd7 23. Rxd7 Re8 24. Bc6 { Tactically defending the c3-pawn.} a5 (24... Rf8 $1 {is the very surprising best move.} 25. Rxa7 (25. c4 Rc8 {works as in the next line, since f4 can be met by ...Bd4+!}) 25... Bxc3 26. Rb7 Ba5 {White is slightly better and will probably pick up the e6-pawn but it is nothing to write home about.}) (24... Rc8 25. Bb5 Rc7 {is a good idea, but after} 26. f4 $1 Rxd7 27. Bxd7 Bxc3 28. Bxe6+ Kf8 29. Bxf5 {it is difficult to be completely certain about the result of the bishop ending.}) 25. Bb5 Kf8 26. f4 Bf6 27. Rd6 Re7 28. h5 $1 {Creating various mating ideas.} Bxc3 29. Rxb6 {Now Black will not only lose the pawn but his remaining ones will still be weak.} c4 (29... e5 $4 30. Rb8+ Kf7 31. Bc4+ Kf6 32. Rf8+ {is cute}) 30. Rb8+ Kf7 31. Bxc4 Rd7 32. Kg2 Ke7 33. Kf3 Rd1 34. Rb7+ Rd7 35. Rb5 Rd1 36. a3 Rf1+ 37. Kg2 Rd1 38. e3 Rd6 39. Kf3 Rc6 40. g4 (40. a4 {first reduced Black's options even more, but ...a4 was maybe not something to get worked up about.}) 40... fxg4+ 41. Kxg4 a4 42. Rb7+ Kd8 43. e4 $18 {The position is now completely winning and all the bishop endings are also hopeless.} Bb2 44. Bb5 Rc7 45. Rxc7 Kxc7 46. bxa4 Bc3 (46... Bxa3 47. a5 $18 {and White will, on his own time, play e5, a6 and Bc4, before ambling slowly over to the queenside with his king if need be.}) 47. e5 Kd8 48. Kf3 Bd2 49. Ke4 Ke7 50. f5 $1 {The final bit of finesse that Kramnik has made his opponent demonstrate. The White king needs the d5-square.} exf5+ 51. Kxf5 Bc1 ( 51... Bc3 52. Ke4 Ke6 53. Bc4+ Ke7 54. Kd5 Be1 55. e6 Bd2 56. Kc6 {is similar, just with another White a-pawn}) 52. a5 Bxa3 53. a6 Bc5 54. Ke4 Ke6 55. Bc4+ Kd7 56. Kd5 Bf2 57. e6+ Kc7 58. Bb5 Bh4 59. a7 {White will win the bishop for his two passers and Black will be way too slow to reach h8 to stop the third one.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.26"] [Round "11"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Jones, Gawain"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2792"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 c5 {Expressing a willingness to play...a Benoni structure! Again Gawain Jones brings something new to the top table. Obviously ...c6 or ...d6 are completely normal.} 6. dxc5 Qa5 7. Qa4 (7. Bd2 Qxc5 8. Rc1 d6 9. b3 Nc6 10. Nh3 Bxh3 11. Bxh3 d5 $132 {was a game featuring another English star on the Black side of this line: Greet,A-Howell, D England 2017}) 7... Qxc5 8. Be3 Qc7 (8... Qh5 9. h3 $1 $14 {is strangely unpleasant}) 9. c5 {This is very maximalist play, trying to rule out both ... d6 and ...b6 at once.} Nc6 $6 {Black prepares a gambit, but this may not have been best.} (9... Na6 $5 {leads to some lines which just have to be mentioned!} 10. Rc1 $6 (10. Qb5 Ng4 $132) (10. Nb5 Qe5 11. Bd4 Qf5 12. Rc1 d5 $132) 10... Nxc5 $1 {Ignoring the idea White had set up against this. The move works due to the filthy detail} 11. Nb5 Qc6 $3 $15 {and suddenly Black is the one playing for an edge.}) 10. Rd1 b6 {Practically not a bad move, as everything else is just nice for White.} (10... Qb8 11. Nf3 b6 {is too slow: now White almost wins on the spot with} 12. Bf4 $16) 11. cxb6 Qb8 12. bxa7 Qxb2 13. Nb5 $1 {Most accurate, but unfortunately for Black also quite easy to find.} Bb7 14. Qb3 Qxb3 (14... Qe5 $5 15. Nf3 Qh5 {is actually not trivial for White to play- the best move is apparently} 16. Nh4 $1 $16) 15. axb3 Nxa7 16. Bxb7 Rab8 {Bringing about an endgame where Black can put up some very inspired resistance, but ultimately should lose against good play.} 17. Nxa7 Rxb7 18. f3 Rxb3 (18... e6 19. Nh3 Nd5 20. Bf2 Nc3 21. Rd2 d5 {is also maybe interesting, with the idea of ...d4 and ...e5 to play against White's minor pieces}) 19. Bf2 Ra8 20. Nh3 Rb7 21. O-O Rbxa7 22. Bxa7 Rxa7 23. Ra1 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 $16 {It is now just a technical question. While the fortress possibilities are not small, and more than likely with perfect play the game is actually a draw, Black is always going to lose this in a practical game unless he (for instance) manages to exchange knights.} d5 25. Ra7 Bf8 26. Kg2 Ne8 27. Ra8 Nd6 28. Ng5 h6 29. Nh7 $5 {An interesting call, and not one I necessarily agree with.} Kxh7 30. Rxf8 Kg7 31. Rd8 Nc4 32. g4 e6 33. h4 Kf6 (33... Ne3+ $5 {deserved consideration. I think if Black can get ...g5 for free then he draws, but White's tempi don't work out either e.g.} 34. Kf2 Nd1+ 35. Kg3 (35. Ke1 Ne3 {and since ...Ng2 is threatened White will have to go back.}) 35... g5 36. e4 Nc3 $1 37. Rc8 Ne2+ $1 {It is rather useful that this is check.} 38. Kf2 Nf4 $11 {This position has got to be a fortress.}) 34. Rh8 Kg7 35. Rc8 Nd6 36. Rc6 Nb5 37. e3 g5 38. h5 { So Black got ...g5 in but his knight has lost its bearings a little bit.} Na3 39. Kg3 Nc4 $2 {Losing a pawn, and possibly the decisive mistake.} (39... Nb5 40. Kf2 Kf6 {and even though it feels uncomfortable Black may be able to get back on track soon with ...Ke7 and ...Nd6, since taking the h-pawn gets White's rook trapped.}) 40. e4 Ne5 41. exd5 exd5 42. Rd6 Nd3 43. Rxd5 Nf4 44. Rf5 Ne6 {Initially I thought there were still chances for this to be a fortress but then I realised Black has too many targets. Maybe with the h-pawns off the board?} 45. Kf2 Nd4 46. Rd5 Ne6 47. Ke3 Nf4 48. Ra5 Ng2+ 49. Ke4 $18 Kf6 50. Rb5 Kg7 51. Ke5 Ne1 52. Rb3 Ng2 53. Kd6 Nf4 54. Rb5 Kf8 55. Rf5 Ng2 56. Kd7 Ne3 57. Rc5 f5 58. Ke6 fxg4 59. Kf6 Kg8 60. Kg6 Kf8 61. Re5 Nc4 62. Rf5+ 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel GpB"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.21"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Korobov, Anton"] [Black "Amin, Bassem"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2652"] [BlackElo "2693"] [Annotator "MG"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 h6 8. Be3 e6 9. Qd2 exd5 10. cxd5 {These extremely complex positions formally belong to the Modern Benoni but are more important for the King's Indian (where Black's plan ...c5 is considered nowadays to be the most principled answer to Samisch System) and they more often arise, as in the featured game, through the King's Indian move order.} a6 {Other important options are ...Re8 and ...h5.} 11. a4 ( 11. Bxh6 {is answered by} Nxe4 $1 {followed by ...Qh4+}) 11... h5 {Now the fight intersects also with lines where White plays Be3 (instead of Bg5, Be3) while Black, respectively, plays ...h7-h5 in one move (instead of ...h6, ...h5) . Such nuances do not make the opening preparation easier but players have to know them.} ({Note that Kasparov in his games preferred} 11... Re8 12. Nge2 ({ less common is} 12. Be2 $5) 12... Nbd7) ({While an immediate} 11... Nbd7 $6 { allows} 12. Nh3 $1) 12. Nge2 {Deviations for White include 12.a5!? and 12. Bh6!?.} Nbd7 $1 13. Nc1 ({White has to rearrange his minor pieces. Another quite often played move is} 13. Nd1 {, planning Nec3 and Nf2.}) ({One more option is} 13. Nf4) 13... Ne5 14. Be2 Nh7 {Again Black had a choice, between this move and 14...Re8, 14...h4.} 15. h3 {Still not new, but at least little explored. White makes sure that, after the possible further f4, the g4 square will not be available for the black knight. Still, White is not really planning to play f4 on the next move (for example, after ...Re8), because his e4 pawn will become vulnerable after the retreat ...Nd7.} f5 $5 16. f4 { But now it's a different story. Or, at least, Korobov so decided.} Nf7 17. exf5 ({Previously,} 17. Nd3 $5 Re8 18. Nf2 {had been seen in practice.}) 17... gxf5 $6 ({After} 17... Bxf5 $1 {Amin possibly disliked} 18. g4 {, otherwise it's hard to understand his decision. But Black is apparently doing very well because White is underdeveloped:} Bd7 {and, for example,} 19. Nd3 Qe7 20. O-O-O $2 {just loses a piece:} Rae8 21. Bf2 Bxc3 $19 {. While after the game move White is at least somewhat better.}) 18. O-O Nf6 19. Bf2 Bd7 20. a5 Bb5 $6 ({ Black could have tried} 20... Nh8 21. Bh4 Ng6 22. Bg5 ({White can also accept the pawn sacrifice,} 22. Bxf6 $5 Qxf6 23. Bxh5) 22... h4) 21. Re1 Re8 22. Qc2 Qd7 23. Bf3 Rxe1+ 24. Bxe1 Re8 25. N1e2 Ng4 $5 {In a worse for him position Black is trying to complicate matters.} 26. Nxb5 $5 axb5 ({Worthy of attention was} 26... Ne3 $5) 27. Bc3 $5 Nfh6 $6 ({Again} 27... Ne3 {could have been a better chance.}) 28. Ng3 $1 Bxc3 29. Qxc3 b4 30. Qd2 h4 31. hxg4 $2 {After Black's principally wrong decision on the 17th move Korobov gradually outplayed his opponent, but now White goes astray, underestimating dangers for his king,} ({Correct was a calm} 31. Nf1 $1 {and if} Nf6 32. Qf2 {, winning the h4 pawn.}) 31... hxg3 32. g5 Qg7 $1 33. Bh5 $2 ({White still could have achieved a draw with precise play:} 33. Kf1 $1 {(planning Re1, which could not have been played immediately because of 33...Qd4+!!)} Ng4 34. Bxg4 fxg4 35. Re1 $1 Rf8 $1 36. Qe3 Qf7 $5 37. Qe6 $1 Qxe6 38. dxe6 Rxf4+ 39. Ke2 Kf8 40. Ke3 $1 Rf5 ({or} 40... Rf2 41. Kd3 $1 Ke7 {and now} 42. Re4 {or 42.Kc4}) 41. Rh1 $1 { planning Rh7 or} Kg7 42. Rd1 $1 {and after} d5 {another pawn can be attacked:} 43. Rc1) 33... Nf7 $1 {The g3 pawn is like a splinter in White's position. Black's main threat now is ...Qh8! and White should do something about this...} 34. Qd3 (34. Re1 {still loses to} Qd4+ $1) 34... Qxb2 $1 35. Bxf7+ ({White is lost also after} 35. Rf1 Qh8 $1 36. Bxf7+ Kxf7 $1 37. Qxf5+ Ke7 $1 38. Qe6+ ({ or} 38. Re1+ Kd8 39. Rxe8+ Qxe8 40. Kf1 Qe3 41. Qf6+ Kc7 {and wins}) 38... Kd8 39. Qxd6+ Kc8 40. Qxc5+ Kb8 $19 {and then, for example,} 41. Rc1 b3 42. d6 b2 43. Rb1 Qh2+ 44. Kf1 Qh1+ 45. Qg1 Qh7 46. Rxb2 Qd3+) 35... Kg7 $1 ({But not} 35... Kxf7 $2 36. Qxf5+ $11 {with a draw: if} Kg7 37. Qd7+) 36. Bxe8 ({Or} 36. Rf1 Re1 $1 37. Qxg3 Qd4+ 38. Qf2 ({if} 38. Kh2 Rxf1) 38... Qxf2+ 39. Kxf2 Rxf1+ 40. Kxf1 b3 $1 $19 {and the black pawn is unstoppable:} 41. Be6 Kg6 42. g4 fxg4 ) 36... Qxa1+ 37. Qf1 Qd4+ 38. Kh1 b3 ({There were other winning move as well. For example,} 38... Kf8) 39. Qe1 Kf8 $1 40. Bh5 Qe4 ({White resigned because variations are pretty simple:} 40... Qe4 41. Qxe4 ({or} 41. Qa1 b2) 41... fxe4 42. Bd1 ({or} 42. Bg6 e3 43. Bd3 b2) 42... b2 43. Bc2 e3 {followed by 44...e2.} ) 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Challengers"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.26"] [Round "11"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Korobov, Anton"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2652"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Nxd7 {Less popular than the queen recapture, though it is not clear to me quite why.} 5. O-O Ngf6 (5... g6 { was the move I tried in one outing against one of the players currently in Wijk:} 6. c3 Ngf6 7. Re1 Ne5 $6 {A typical idea, but White is not obliged to take by any means! My opponent acheived an advantage but then lost it at some later point:} 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nxf3+ 10. Qxf3 Bg7 11. e5 dxe5 12. dxe5 Nd5 13. Rd1 e6 14. Nc3 O-O 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Rxd5 Qb6 17. h4 $6 Rad8 $11 {Jones, G-Fernandez,D London 2016}) 6. Qe2 (6. Re1 e6 7. c3 Be7 8. d4 O-O 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Na3 cxd4 12. cxd4 Nb6 $11 {failed to acheive anything much in Vachier Lagrave,M-Nakamura,H Palma de Mallorca 2017}) 6... Qc7 7. Rd1 (7. c3 { is main and we can only assume from his later play that Black wanted} e6 8. d4 Be7 $11 {or similar, with a fairly solid position and completion of development one move away for both sides.}) 7... e6 8. d4 (8. c4 $5 {was the logical way to implement a 'light square only' pawn structure. To avoid being slightly worse, Black has to make a tough strategic call between ...e5 and ... Ne5.}) 8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 (9. Rxd4 $5 {merited consideration, still trying to set up with c4, e.g.} Rc8 10. Na3 Be7 11. Rc4 Qb8 12. Rxc8+ Qxc8 13. c4 $132) 9... Rc8 {A nice point. Now White would really rather not play Nc3, so his options are limited.} 10. Nb5 (10. b3 $5 {This leads to the setup White wanted, he just has to see that ...e5 is not favourable.} a6 (10... e5 11. Nb5 Qxc2 12. Qxc2 Rxc2 13. N1a3 $14) 11. c4 Be7 12. Bb2 $11) 10... Qxc2 11. Qxc2 Rxc2 12. N1a3 Rc8 13. Nxa7 Rd8 14. N7b5 (14. f3 d5 $17) 14... Nxe4 15. f3 Nef6 16. Nxd6+ Bxd6 17. Rxd6 Ke7 18. Rd4 Ne5 19. Be3 Nc6 (19... Nd5 {is a bit more ambitious; Black's minor pieces are probably slightly better placed so he should think about fighting for an advantage.}) 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Bc5+ Kd7 22. Nc4 Nd5 23. a4 {Whereas in this version, White' bishop has become active so although Black may still be optically for choice, there decidedly isn't an edge unless White messes up.} e5 24. a5 Ke6 (24... f6 {is more patient and keeps open knight re-routings starting with ...Nc7, but should objectively also be nothing.}) 25. a6 bxa6 26. Rxa6 Kd7 27. b4 {A final simplifying combination.} Ndxb4 28. Bxb4 Nxb4 29. Rd6+ Ke7 30. Rxd8 Kxd8 31. Nxe5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Challengers"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "?"] [White "Girya, Olga"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2489"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nd2 {A slightly rare line and maybe one which indicates a degree of fear. White is trying to get e4 in and swap pieces quickly. Normal are c4 or Nf3:} (4. Nf3 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 { is the main position of the Leningrad Dutch and now Black chooses between ..c6, ...Nc6 and ...Qe8.}) (4. Nh3 $5 Bg7 5. Nf4 {is a creative path chosen a few times by Kamsky when forced to play against his own system!}) 4... Bg7 5. e4 fxe4 6. Nxe4 Nxe4 7. Bxe4 d5 (7... O-O 8. Ne2 e5 $5 9. dxe5 Nc6 10. f4 d6 { is a more adventurous way for Black to play, probably getting dynamic equality} ) 8. Bg2 Nc6 9. Ne2 (9. c3 e5 10. Be3 exd4 11. cxd4 O-O 12. Ne2 Bg4 {was already really comfortable for Black in Arkell,K -Pruijssers,R chess.com INT 2017}) 9... Bg4 (9... e5 $5 {is a bit sharper, and makes White commit to a central structure change of some kind, otherwise we just end up with the previous note.} 10. dxe5 (10. O-O exd4 11. Nf4 O-O 12. Bxd5+ Kh8 $132) 10... Nxe5 11. Qxd5 Qxd5 12. Bxd5 c6 13. Be4 Bg4 (13... O-O $5 $44) 14. h3 Bf3 $6 { Now in my personal experience with this line- from the White side- I was able to slowly neutralise the compensation and go on to win:} 15. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 16. Kf1 O-O 17. Kg2 Rae8 18. Be3 $14 {Fernandez,D-Sanders,I London 2016}) 10. f3 $6 { Blunting the bishop cannot be clever and now White has no chance of an opening edge.} (10. c3 $1 e5 (10... O-O 11. h3 {is not really independent, because now the bishop on g4 needs to think of something to do other than take the knight.} ) 11. h3 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 O-O 13. Qb5 {Reaching a position which has been played twice from the White side by Croatian grandmaster Nenad Sulava.} exd4 14. Qxd5+ Kh8 15. O-O Qxd5 $1 (15... dxc3 $6 16. bxc3 (16. Qxd8 Raxd8 17. bxc3 Bxc3 18. Rb1 $14) 16... Qxd5 17. Bxd5 Nb4 18. Bg2 $14 {White even managed to win in 7 further moves here in Sulava,N-Vallejo Pons,F Toscolano 1997}) 16. Bxd5 Rad8 17. Bg2 (17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. cxd4 Bxd4 $11 {Sulava,N-Santo Roman,M Saint Affrique 1998}) 17... Rf7 $5 {Black doesn't take the pawn yet, and just improves. It is not clear to me whether White has some way to continue pressing.}) 10... Bf5 $11 11. O-O Qd6 12. c3 (12. Bf4 Qb4 {was presumably what White was afraid of, but the machine informs us that the pawn sacrifices are fully playable for White.} 13. c3 Qxb2 14. g4 Bd7 15. Rb1 Qxa2 16. Rxb7 $132) 12... e5 $6 (12... O-O-O {first was a more stable order.}) 13. Be3 {Not leading to a disadvantage, but not particularly incisive either.} (13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nd4 O-O-O {Else f4 and Re1 motifs come into play.} 15. Nxf5 gxf5 16. Qc2 $14) 13... O-O-O 14. Qd2 h5 15. Rae1 $6 (15. Bg5 {was worth considering, but if Black had wished to emulate the play of his countryman, then in addition to normal moves leading to a slightly more pleasant position (...Bf6, etc) there was also the violent} h4 $5 $44) 15... h4 16. g4 h3 $1 {Else White consolidates by playing h3 herself.} 17. Bh1 Bd7 18. Rd1 Rde8 19. dxe5 $2 (19. Rfe1 {still asks the question of how Black is going to try and break in, although the obvious choices like} Rhf8 $17 {still leave Black quite obviously better}) 19... Qxe5 20. Bd4 Nxd4 21. Nxd4 Bxg4 $2 {Maybe marring the victory a bit.} (21... Qd6 $19 {or similar left White with essentially no moves}) 22. Rde1 (22. fxg4 Bh6 $19) (22. Rfe1 $1 {was the better rook move, leaving White's king a flight square.} Qh5 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. fxg4 Qxg4+ 25. Kf2 (25. Kf1 Rf8+ 26. Nf3 Rxf3+ 27. Bxf3 Qxf3+ 28. Ke1 Bf6 $15 {Black is better, with his adequate number of pawns for the exchange plus continuing attack, but he has to win again.}) 25... Bh6 26. Qxh6 Qxd1 27. Qxh3+ Kb8 28. Bf3 {Here White seems to be surviving with some machine precision, though in a game you would still take Black.}) 22... Qh5 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. fxg4 Qxg4+ 25. Kf2 Qh4+ 26. Kg1 ({After} 26. Kf3 Bh6 {also wins trivially}) 26... Bh6 {Not a completely flawless game by Black (moves 9, 12 and 21) but a very nice finish nevertheless. Meanwhile, both sides- and most Dutch players for that matter- should probably pay a bit more attention to this sideline.} 0-1 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Adhiban, B."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A40"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 2. d4 {[%emt 0:01:25]} Bg7 {[%emt 0: 00:10]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} c5 {[%emt 0:08:24]} 4. d5 {[%emt 0:05:44]} d6 { [%emt 0:01:27]} 5. e4 {[%emt 0:00:48]} e6 {[%emt 0:04:39]} (5... Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Be2 exd5 8. cxd5 O-O 9. O-O) 6. Bd3 {[%emt 0:04:36]} (6. Nc3 Ne7 7. Bd3) 6... exd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 7. cxd5 {[%emt 0:02:19]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:04:25]} 8. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:01:11]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:05:15]} 9. O-O {[%emt 0:00:47]} O-O { [%emt 0:00:07]} 10. h3 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Bxf3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 11. Nxf3 { [%emt 0:00:05]} c4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} (11... Nbd7) 12. Bxc4 {[%emt 0:15:46]} Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 13. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Re8 {[%emt 0:02:30]} (13... Nf6 14. Bf4) 14. Qc2 {[%emt 0:02:06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:03:45]} 15. Rxe8+ {[%emt 0:13:50]} Nxe8 {[%emt 0:02:29]} (15... Qxe8 16. Bf4) 16. Bg5 {[%emt 0:11:28]} (16. Qb3 Qc7 17. Be3 Nd7 18. Rc1 Nc5 19. Qa3) 16... Nf6 {[%emt 0:02:28]} 17. Nd4 { [%emt 0:08:05]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:17:10]} (17... Nbd7 18. Ne6 Qb6 (18... fxe6 19. dxe6 d5 20. exd7 dxc4 21. Qxc4+ Kh8 22. Rd1) 19. Nxg7 Kxg7) 18. Be3 {[%emt 0: 11:04]} Ng4 {[%emt 0:02:40]} 19. Qe4 {[%emt 0:01:35]} (19. hxg4 Bxd4) 19... Nf6 {[%emt 0:22:10]} (19... Nxe3 20. Qe8+ Bf8 21. fxe3 Qxb2 22. Rf1) 20. Qe7 { [%emt 0:01:25]} (20. Qc2) 20... Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:15]} (20... Qxb2 21. Qd8+ Bf8 22. Bh6 (22. Rf1) 22... Qxa1+ 23. Kh2) 21. Nb5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Bf8 {[%emt 0: 03:57]} 22. Bxb6 {[%emt 0:00:42]} Bxe7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 23. Bxa7 {[%emt 0:00: 06]} Ne5 {[%emt 0:05:20]} 24. b3 {[%emt 0:03:15]} Nxc4 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 25. bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 26. Re1 {[%emt 0:01:08]} Bf8 { [%emt 0:01:52]} 27. Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 28. Rc1 {[%emt 0: 00:07]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:04:29]} 29. Rc2 {[%emt 0:01:13]} Ra6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} ( 29... Ra4) 30. Re2 {[%emt 0:03:42]} Ra4 {[%emt 0:01:33]} 31. Re8 {[%emt 0:00: 58]} (31. Rc2) 31... Rxc4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 32. Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Ne5 { [%emt 0:05:23]} (32... Nc5 33. Bf6) 33. f4 {[%emt 0:02:48]} Nd3 {[%emt 0:00:41] } 34. Bf6 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Re4 {[%emt 0:03:33]} 35. Nxd6 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Re1+ {[%emt 0:00:08]} 36. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nf2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 37. Bg5 { [%emt 0:03:41]} h5 {[%emt 0:01:56]} 38. Bh6 {[%emt 0:01:28]} h4 {[%emt 0:00:02] } 39. g4 {[%emt 0:01:00]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 40. Rxf8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nd3 { [%emt 0:01:06]} (40... Kxh6 41. Rxf7) 41. Rxf7+ {[%emt 0:02:04]} Kh8 {[%emt 0: 00:05]} 42. Rf8+ {[%emt 0:03:34] 1-0} Kh7 43. Nf7 Re2+ 44. Kg1 Re1+ 45. Kg2 Re2+ 46. Kf3 Rf2+ 47. Ke3 1-0 [Event "80th Tata Steel Masters 2018"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:01:09]} e6 {[%emt 0: 00:12]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:02:08]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 6. Be3 { [%emt 0:01:25]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 7. Qd2 {[%emt 0:01:04]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:53] } 8. f4 {[%emt 0:00:24]} (8. O-O-O Bb4 (8... Be7 9. f3)) 8... Bb4 {[%emt 0:02: 08]} 9. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:41]} (9. e5 Ne4) 9... Na5 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 10. a3 { [%emt 0:00:31]} Bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 11. Qxc3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Qxc3+ {[%emt 0: 00:18]} 12. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 13. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} exd5 {[%emt 0:01:03]} (13... Nxd5 14. Bd2 b5 15. a4 Bd7 16. axb5 axb5 17. Nb3) 14. Nb3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:47]} (14... Nxb3 15. cxb3) 15. Bd4 { [%emt 0:00:02]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:04:13]} 16. Nc5 {[%emt 0:01:07]} Nxc5 {[%emt 0:25: 42]} 17. Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 18. O-O-O {[%emt 0:02:34]} O-O-O {[%emt 0:01:38]} 19. Bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:53]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 20. Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Rde8 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 21. Rd4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Re6 {[%emt 0: 07:55]} (21... Bb5 22. Rhd1) 22. Rxc4+ {[%emt 0:00:24]} Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 23. Rxc6+ {[%emt 0:00:44]} Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 24. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:25]} Bxg2 {[%emt 0:18:10]} (24... h5 25. g3 Bd7) 25. Rg1 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Be4 {[%emt 0: 12:19]} 26. Rxg7 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Bg6 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 27. a4 {[%emt 0:12:05]} Rf8 {[%emt 0:05:24]} 28. Kb2 {[%emt 0:04:57]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:02:12]} (28... h5) 29. f5 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Bxf5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 30. Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Rc8 { [%emt 0:00:20]} 31. Rxf7+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 32. Re7+ { [%emt 0:00:03]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 33. Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:53]} (33. Ba3) 33... a5 {[%emt 0:09:19]} (33... Rb8 34. c4) 34. Ba3 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Rc4 {[%emt 0: 00:43]} (34... Rb8 35. Rc7 Re8 36. Rxb7 Re2) 35. Rxb7 {[%emt 0:00:41]} Rxa4 { [%emt 0:00:12]} 36. Ra7 {[%emt 0:05:14]} Re4 {[%emt 0:09:40]} 37. Rxa5 { [%emt 0:00:11]} Re2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 38. Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bxc2 {[%emt 0:02: 20]} (38... Rxc2+ 39. Kb3) 39. c4 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:02:00]} 40. Ra6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bf5+ {[%emt 0:05:14]} 41. Kc3 {[%emt 0:01:48]} Be4 {[%emt 0: 11:24]} 42. Kd4 {[%emt 0:06:19]} Kf5 {[%emt 0:02:03]} 43. Ra5+ {[%emt 0:00:29]} Kg4 {[%emt 0:03:26]} (43... Ke6 44. Re5+ Kxd6 45. Rxe4 Rxh2) 44. c5 {[%emt 0: 05:32]} Bf3 {[%emt 0:05:04]} 45. Ra7 {[%emt 0:01:20]} h6 {[%emt 0:04:19]} 46. Rh7 {[%emt 0:03:14]} Re4+ {[%emt 0:04:33]} (46... h5 47. Rg7+ Kf5 48. Rf7+ Kg4 49. Rf4+) 47. Kd3 {[%emt 0:01:05]} Re6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 48. Kc4 {[%emt 0:00:11] } Bc6 {[%emt 0:02:48]} 49. Rc7 {[%emt 0:00:51]} Bh1 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 50. Kb5 { [%emt 0:01:16]} h5 {[%emt 0:02:17]} 51. Rg7+ {[%emt 0:01:38]} Kh4 {[%emt 0:01: 02]} (51... Kf5) 52. Rg1 {[%emt 0:16:52]} (52. Be7+ Kh3 53. Rg3+ Kxh2 54. Bd6 Bd5 (54... Rxd6 55. cxd6 Kxg3 56. d7 h4 57. d8=Q h3 58. Qg5+ Kh2) 55. Rd3+) 52... Ba8 {[%emt 0:01:23]} 53. Kb6 {[%emt 0:06:28]} Re2 {[%emt 0:01:29]} 54. Kc7 {[%emt 0:01:04]} Bd5 {[%emt 0:03:57]} 55. Rg3 {[%emt 0:03:30]} Bh1 { [%emt 0:00:35]} (55... Rxh2 56. Rd3) 56. Rc3 {[%emt 0:07:56]} Kg4 {[%emt 0:03: 34]} 57. c6 {[%emt 0:01:07] 1-0} Bxc6 58. Kxc6 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "?"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 {Perhaps forgetting, or not knowing, that the Open Ruy Lopez was basically co-invented by Anand, in New York 1995 (it existed before, but his role was similar to that of Kramnik with the Berlin Wall!)} 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Be7 ({A little history lesson is in order, beginnning with the move} 9... Nc5 {:} 10. c3 d4 ( 10... Be7 {exists too, but after} 11. Bc2 {I feel White must have a more pleasant position}) 11. Ng5 $5 {One of the most shocking moves in 'modern' opening theory to an impressionable 9-year-old me, learning chess in 2004!} dxc3 $6 (11... Qxg5 {was obviously tried too, and with best play Black is committing to a piece sacrifice.} 12. Qf3 O-O-O 13. Bxe6+ fxe6 14. Qxc6 Qxe5 15. b4 Qd5 $1 $44 {Grischuk,A-Anand,V Wijk aan Zee 2005}) 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. bxc3 Qd3 14. Nf3 (14. Bc2 $5 Qxc3 15. Nb3 $13 {was ultimately decided upon as White's best, and Black is in quite a bit of trouble here.}) 14... O-O-O 15. Qe1 Nxb3 16. axb3 Kb7 17. Be3 Be7 18. Bg5 (18. Qc1 $5 $40) 18... h6 (18... Rhe8 $11) 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. Nd4 Rxd4 21. cxd4 Qxb3 22. Qe3 Qxe3 23. fxe3 Nd5 24. Kf2 Kb6 $44 {Black had enough compensation to draw in Kasparov,G -Anand,V New York 1995}) 10. c3 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 (11... Bf5 $5) 12. Nb3 (12. exf6 Nxf6 13. Nb3 Bg4 14. Qd3 $32 {looks hard to play for Black, but maybe it is just me. A useful game to look at: Anton Guijarro,D-Vidit,S Martuni 2016}) 12... Qd7 13. Nfd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 c5 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. f3 Ng5 17. a4 (17. Bxg5 Bxg5 18. f4 $14 { might have been worth playing, not least to remind Wesley of his loss to Carlsen from this event!}) 17... Rad8 (17... b4 {makes the game quite strategically messy, but probably still better for White.}) 18. axb5 axb5 19. Bxg5 (19. Ra7 Rd7 20. Rxd7 Qxd7 21. Bxg5 Bxg5 22. f4 Bd8 23. b3 $14 {is another take, with c4 to come soon}) 19... Bxg5 20. f4 {So we get here anyway! However, here Black has good play through the centre.} Be7 21. Kh1 (21. b4 $5 { was vaguely Carlsenesque, but objectively Black should have no problem after accepting:} cxb4 22. cxb4 Bxb4 23. Qd3 $44) 21... d4 $1 {It is not only White who can play with colour complexes.} 22. cxd4 c4 {Threatening ...Bc5, and Ra5 is met with ...Qb6.} 23. b3 (23. Qd2 $5 Qd5 (23... Bc5 24. Qa5 $16) 24. Ra5 { would have tested Black more, though he still has compensation.}) 23... Bc5 24. bxc4 Rxd4 25. Qf3 bxc4 26. Rfd1 g6 27. Rxd4 Bxd4 28. Rd1 Rd8 29. Qb7 Bb6 $11 { Neutralised by a whisker!} 30. Rxd8+ Bxd8 31. Ba4 Qb6 32. Qxb6 Bxb6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Hou, Yifan"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2680"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 (5. c4 Nc6 {can, as we now know, lead to a quick repetition of moves...}) 5... Nxc3 (5... Nf6 $5 {was weakly recommended in my analysis to the first round- White needs to get an idea or two and then he is better.}) 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 {Interestingly, this is the same system chosen against Hou Yifan herself by Anish Giri.} Nc6 8. Qd2 {Trying to make do without Anish's Bd3 and head directly for Bb5xc6 to inflict on her opponent the structure that caused her so much trouble back in round 1!} (8. Bd3 Be6 9. Qe2 Bf6 10. O-O-O Qe7 11. Kb1 a6 12. Rhe1 O-O-O 13. h3 Rhe8 14. g4 h6 15. Nd2 $1 $14 {Now White is probably a tiny bit better in practical terms, but obviously an incredible amount of technique is needed before White can think about winning. Nevertheless he did in Giri,A-Hou,Y, Tata Steel Masters 2018.}) 8... Be6 9. O-O-O Bf6 (9... O-O {is not a bad move, but Black will need a plan for dealing with the slow kingside attack from White:} 10. Bd3 Qd7 11. h4 Rad8 $6 12. Ng5 Bf5 13. g4 $40) (9... Qd7 {was the main move, and in fact this was used in a previous Wei Yi game- I wonder what the problem was? }) 10. Kb1 Qd7 11. Bg5 {Pointing out a problem with the moves ...Bf6 and ... Qd7 in conjunction (...Qe7 would not have had this problem, but it would have made Nd4 look more convincing, so perhaps the issue lies with ...Bf6.)} (11. Ng5 Bxg5 12. Bxg5 f6 13. Bf4 O-O-O $11 {is the stereotyped continuation from both sides, when White is well advised to not develop her f1-bishop quickly, or else it will simply be harrassed.}) (11. h4 O-O-O 12. Nd4 Bxd4 $5 13. cxd4 d5 {led in Li,C-Wei,Y China 2017 to the kind of position that the present event is making me re-evaluate as closer to 'equal' than '+/='.}) 11... Bxg5 12. Nxg5 O-O-O 13. Nxe6 Qxe6 14. Bb5 Qf5 15. Bxc6 bxc6 {Mission accomplished, kind of. White is now slightly better by virtue of pawn-islands, and it looks very likely that we will reach a queen ending again!} 16. Rhe1 Rhe8 17. f3 c5 18. b3 $14 Kb7 19. Re2 (19. Kb2 $5) 19... Re6 20. Rxe6 fxe6 21. Re1 e5 { Reaching a position which is similar in essence to Jones-Hou, except White is not a pawn down here.} 22. Qd5+ c6 23. Qd2 Kc7 24. Re4 Qd7 25. f4 {In principle a good break to have made, but maybe White should have concentrated a bit more on the front she had open first.} (25. Qd3 $14 {kept probing.}) 25... exf4 26. Qe2 Qf5 27. Ra4 Kb8 28. Qa6 Qd7 29. Rxf4 Re8 30. Kb2 h6 31. Qd3 (31. h4 {was a good idea- none of Black's pieces has much mobility and White can try and arrange b4!? at a good time- or else just push kingside pawns until Black feels he has to do something.}) 31... Kb7 32. h4 Re6 33. Rf8 Re7 34. g4 (34. Qg3 {keeps Black more tied down}) 34... d5 35. g5 $6 {Now Black equalises with} hxg5 36. hxg5 Rf7 $11 {since the position is a little bit too open. Black can try to get counterplay based on the f-file and diagonals a1-h8/ b1-h7 as indeed he proceeds to do.} 37. Rg8 Re7 38. Rf8 Rf7 39. Rh8 Qd6 40. Qh3 d4 41. Re8 (41. Qc8+ Kb6 42. Qb8+ Qxb8 43. Rxb8+ Kc7 44. Rg8 {might offer some small chances}) 41... Rf2 {Brave play- Black has calculated all the necessary checks and attacking moves from White. Now the ideas like ...d3 and ...Rxc2 force White to take real evasive action.} 42. Qd3 Rg2 43. cxd4 Qxd4+ 44. Qxd4 cxd4 45. Re7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 {Another pull-no-punches opening choice from Matlakov, who in his Black games against the other 2 world champions in this event (yep, quite a tough draw!) chose innovative systems in the Italian and Ruy Lopez involving knights moving to the edge. Maybe this is something of a habit for him, as in this game the c6-knight soon makes its way to a5...} 6. Be3 a6 (6... Nf6 7. f4 Bb4 $5 {is an interesting attempt to make do without ...a6 for at least a few moves:} 8. Ndb5 Qa5 9. e5 Nd5 10. Bd2 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 O-O 12. Qd2 a6 (12... f6 $5 $132) 13. Bxb4 Qxb4 14. Qxb4 Nxb4 15. Nd4 $132 {1/2-1/2 (15) Motylev,A (2656)-Svidler,P (2751) Tallinn 2016}) 7. Qd2 Nf6 8. f4 (8. O-O-O Bb4 9. f3 {is the absolute main line:} Ne5 (9... Na5 {is also a thing here, but White must be slightly better in the ending after a3}) 10. Nb3 b5 (10... d6 11. Bd4 $16 {was the unfortunate opening outcome (for Black) of one game from the 2016 British Championships}) 11. Qf2 $5 {Main is 11.Qe1 but this is an interesting new idea.} Be7 $6 12. g4 d6 13. Rg1 Rb8 14. g5 $14 { Dominguez Perez,L-Vachier Lagrave,M Berlin 2015}) 8... Bb4 9. Bd3 Na5 (9... Ne7 $5 {tries to play ...d5 under favourable circumstances, but just ends up looking slow after the same move} 10. a3 $14) 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 12. bxc3 d5 13. exd5 (13. e5 Ne4 14. Nb3 Nc4 $11 {led to an interesting game with a sidelined White knight:} 15. Bxc4 dxc4 16. Na5 Bd7 17. Bd4 Rc8 18. Nxb7 Bc6 19. Na5 Bd5 $44 {Volokitin,A-Giri,A Germany 2014}) 13... exd5 14. Nb3 Nc4 15. Bd4 Ne4 16. Nc5 Nxc5 17. Bxc5 Bd7 {The position is similar in essence to Mamedyarov-Carlsen from yesterday- the only difference being that Carlsen held nearly effortlessly there, but Matlakov is not able to do the same today.} 18. O-O-O O-O-O 19. Bxc4 dxc4 20. Bb6 Rde8 21. Rd4 Re6 {Dropping a healthy pawn by force.} (21... Bb5 $5 22. Rhd1 Kb8 {looks a bit passive, but avoids going in for hard-to-calculate forced lines. Black's idea is ...Rc8-c6.}) 22. Rxc4+ Rc6 (22... Kb8 23. Rd1 $5 Bb5 24. Rb4 Rxb6 25. c4 $14 {is unlikely to be much more pleasant, since Black now ends up with doubled pawns himself.}) 23. Rxc6+ Bxc6 24. Rd1 Bxg2 25. Rg1 Be4 26. Rxg7 Bg6 27. a4 (27. f5 {immediately was also possible, and Black's drawing chances may not be as good as they immediately seem.}) 27... Rf8 28. Kb2 Kd7 (28... h5 {could also have been played, since it is not clear, especially given the further course of the game, whether having the king out helps or hinders Black's drawing efforts.}) 29. f5 Bxf5 30. Bc5 Rc8 31. Rxf7+ Ke6 32. Re7+ Kf6 33. Bb4 $14 {Now White has a healthy nibble,and he coaxes ...a5.} a5 (33... b5 34. axb5 axb5 35. Rb7 Re8 36. Rxb5 Re2 $14 { was a marginally better version of the same thing}) 34. Ba3 Rc4 35. Rxb7 Rxa4 36. Ra7 Re4 37. Rxa5 Re2 38. Bd6 Bxc2 39. c4 $16 {Eventually Carlsen had to be able to swap one of his doubled pawns for another pawn. The position is now completely thankless- the best Black can hope for is not even a straight draw, but to have to defend rook and bishop against rook!} Ke6 40. Ra6 Bf5+ 41. Kc3 Be4 42. Kd4 Kf5 43. Ra5+ Kg4 44. c5 Bf3 45. Ra7 h6 46. Rh7 Re4+ 47. Kd3 Re6 48. Kc4 Bc6 49. Rc7 Bh1 50. Kb5 h5 (50... Re1 $16 {keeps the game going a bit better}) 51. Rg7+ Kh4 $6 {Walking into all kinds of mating motifs.} (51... Kf5 52. Rg1 Bf3 53. Rf1 {might have been a line Black was afraid of, but he survives by defending with the rook:} Re3 $16) 52. Rg1 Ba8 53. Kb6 Re2 54. Kc7 Bd5 55. Rg3 Bh1 (55... Rxh2 56. Rd3 {is a nice small tactic}) 56. Rc3 Kg4 57. c6 {So White has managed everything he needs to and he will win the bishop without the need for a h-pawn swap. In a game Sowray-Harvey, Bedford 2013, the weaker side continued even after the win of a similar piece, but ultimately even after some inspired resistance was unable to save half a point.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Ne5 Nc6 {There can be nothing wrong with Black's position after this, but it does vaguely give in to White's stated ambition of winning the bishop pair.} (5... e6 {is normal, and then Black can castle before challenging the e5-knight. Another alternative was to play 4...Nc6.}) 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Nxd7 Qxd7 (7... Nxd7 8. c3 a6 9. Bd3 b5 10. O-O e6 {is one conceivable way to launch a plausible minority attack.}) 8. c3 { Objectively, White has nothing, but his position is laughably easy to play. Nd2-f3, short castling, bishop back to d3, other one probably to g5...} e6 9. O-O Bd6 10. Nd2 O-O 11. Re1 a6 12. Bd3 e5 (12... Rfe8 13. Nf3 e5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Bg5 (15. Nxe5 Bxe5 {is nothing here since Black can play with a quick ... d4.}) 15... Nfg4 16. h3 Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Ne5 18. Qf5 Qxf5 19. Bxf5 h6 $11 { For tactical reasons Black wins back one of the pair for his knight.}) 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nf3 Nfg4 {Giving White something.} (14... Rfe8 {transposes to the last note.}) 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bc2 Rfe8 (16... Ng4 $5 17. h3 Bh2+ 18. Kf1 Ne5 { looks quite contrived, though it may be that White has nothing better than diving into mess with} 19. g4 $13) 17. Bf4 Bc7 18. g3 {A great 'little move', creating a hideaway on g2 and protecting the f4-bishop just in case.} Rad8 ( 18... Nc4 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. Qxd5 g6 (21... Nxb2 22. Rb1 Qxc3 23. Qb3 {is a great knight trap- even though it contains a small flaw:} Re1+ $8 24. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 25. Kg2 Qe5 26. Qxb7 $16) 22. Bb3 $14 {This +/= is smaller than a few others in this analysis, because the knight is a tricky beast.}) 19. Bxh7+ {Winning a clear pawn.} Kxh7 20. Bxe5 Bxe5 21. Qh5+ Kg8 22. Rxe5 Rxe5 (22... d4 {was principled}) 23. Qxe5 Re8 24. Qd4 Qb5 (24... Re2 25. c4 $1 $16) 25. b3 Re2 26. h4 b6 27. Rd1 $5 Rxa2 28. Re1 Qc6 (28... Re2 29. Rxe2 Qxe2 30. Qxb6 Qe1+ 31. Kh2 Qxc3 32. Qd8+ Kh7 33. Qxd5 Qf6 34. Kg2 $16 {leads to a queen ending which may be a draw with best play, but that is very hard to demonstrate.}) 29. Re5 (29. Qd1 $5 $16 {is a bizarre computer recommendation, using the fact that Black will find it hard to defend against Qf3 and Re7.}) 29... Qf6 (29... Ra1+ 30. Kh2 Ra2 $14 {now keeps White a bit tied down to his weak pawns, even though he is still better.}) 30. Qe3 Ra1+ 31. Kg2 Ra5 32. h5 (32. b4 Rb5 33. Re8+ Kh7 34. Qd3+ g6 35. h5 {was maybe a more direct way to prise open the Black king position.}) 32... d4 (32... Rc5 $5 $16 {limited the damage}) 33. cxd4 Rxe5 34. Qxe5 $1 $18 {The rest is quite simple by the standards of elite games.} Qd8 (34... Qxe5 35. dxe5 a5 36. Kf3 b5 37. Ke4 $18) 35. d5 a5 36. d6 Qd7 37. Qe7 Qc6+ 38. Kg1 Qc1+ 39. Kh2 Qc5 40. Qe8+ Kh7 41. Qe4+ g6 42. hxg6+ Kg7 43. Qd3 Qxf2+ 44. Kh1 Qf6 45. d7 Qd8 46. Qc3+ Kxg6 47. Qc6+ Kh5 48. Qf3+ Kh6 (48... Kg6 49. Qg4+ Kh7 50. Qh4+ $18) 49. Qxf7 Qh8 50. Kg2 Qa8+ 51. Kh2 Qh8 52. Qe8 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "DF"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 c5 {A sequence of moves known to English chess fans as the 'Sniper'...} 4. d5 d6 (4... b5 $5 {probably transposes to a Benko gambit:} 5. cxb5 a6 6. e4 (6. bxa6 Nf6 7. Nc3 Bxa6 8. e4 Bxf1 9. Kxf1 d6 { is a main line}) 6... axb5 7. e5 b4 $13 {This position is sufficiently modern for the most exacting taste, and I think Black is probably fine if he continues with ...Nh6 and/or ...Ba6, developing as many pieces to the side as possible.}) 5. e4 e6 6. Bd3 exd5 7. cxd5 ({I was always taught that if White is able to recapture with the e-pawn, i.e.} 7. exd5 $14 {then the Benoni construction has basically failed and White is better.}) 7... Bg4 ({A good question to ask is why not} 7... Nf6 {Maybe} 8. h3 (8. Nc3 O-O 9. O-O ({Or} 9. h3 b5) 9... Bg4 {is main line theory.}) 8... O-O 9. O-O {might have been something Black didn't like- the move order certainly raises unusual questions. Play could continue} b5 $6 (9... c4 10. Bc2 b5 $132 {is better}) 10. Bxb5 Nxe4 11. Re1 Nf6 12. Nc3 $14 {when the position resembles the line which refutes 1. d4 b5.}) 8. Nbd2 $1 $14 Nf6 9. O-O O-O 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Nxf3 c4 12. Bxc4 Nxe4 13. Re1 Re8 14. Qc2 Nf6 15. Rxe8+ Nxe8 16. Bg5 {It's just a bishop pair, and Black lacks the usual compensations that the Benoni offers.} Nf6 17. Nd4 (17. Re1 {was more natural for me}) 17... Qb6 {Probably relying on ...Nxe3, but White's next makes this irrelevant.} ({After the natural} 17... Nbd7 18. Ne6 $5 {could be the point, but the story doesn't necessarily end here:} fxe6 19. dxe6 d5 20. Bxd5 Nf8 21. Bxb7 Rb8 22. Bc6 $44) 18. Be3 Ng4 $6 {Not a great move, but the position wasn't fun anyway.} 19. Qe4 Nf6 (19... Nxe3 20. Qe8+ Bf8 21. fxe3 {leaves Black completely helpless against Rf1 and Ne6 ideas, despite the initially optimistic prognosis of the machine. For instance} Qc7 22. Ne6 fxe6 23. dxe6 Qe7 24. Qc8 $18 {with Rf1-f7 to come.}) 20. Qe7 {The position, and this move in particular, give me flashbacks to the game Hawkins-Fernandez, 4NCL 2016, when I tried some kind of KID/Benko mashup.} Nbd7 21. Nb5 Bf8 22. Bxb6 Bxe7 23. Bxa7 $16 Ne5 24. b3 Nxc4 25. bxc4 Rc8 26. Re1 Bf8 27. Bd4 Nd7 28. Rc1 Ra8 29. Rc2 Ra6 30. Re2 Ra4 ({If Black has to defend passively with} 30... Ra8 {then he is not long for this world, but there might not have been anything objectively better.}) 31. Re8 $18 {A well-calculated way to clinch the game in tactics rather than technique.} Rxc4 32. Rd8 Ne5 (32... Rb4 33. a4 $1 {doesn't change much}) 33. f4 Nd3 34. Bf6 Re4 35. Nxd6 Re1+ 36. Kh2 Nf2 { Directed against White's most obvious idea of Nc8-e7, but there are others.} 37. Bg5 h5 (37... Kg7 38. Ne8+ Kg8 39. Nf6+ Kg7 40. d6 $18) 38. Bh6 h4 39. g4 Kh7 40. Rxf8 Nd3 {This move looks like it threatens perpetual check, but in fact it doesn't even do that. Black is beyond saving, of course.} 41. Rxf7+ Kh8 42. Rf8+ {Probably the idea was Nf7 next and then the White king trivially dodges the checks using f3.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "12.2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Adhiban, B."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A40"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] 1. c4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 e6 6. Bd3 (6. Nc3 exd5 7. cxd5 a6 8. h3 b5 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. O-O Ngf6 11. a3 O-O 12. Bf4 Qb6 13. Qd2 Re8 {Matlakov, M (2714)-Zvjaginsev,V (2661) Sochi 2017}) 6... exd5 7. cxd5 {Giri managed to confuse yours truly with the statement that his opponent played very badly in the beginning, and some moves later stating that he was afraid he did not get any advantage from the opening.} Bg4 8. Nbd2 (8. Qa4+ {is the other way to play it. It worked spectacularly well in the following game} Nd7 9. Nfd2 a6 10. h3 b5 11. Qc2 c4 12. Bf1 Bh5 13. g4 {and White won a piece in the blitz game Zhao,X (2565)-Danielian,E (2476) Beijing 2012}) 8... Nf6 9. O-O O-O 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Nxf3 c4 {"I realized I am suddenly not better. I was afraid I will not pose him any problems." (Giri)} 12. Bxc4 Nxe4 13. Re1 Re8 14. Qc2 {Albeit symmetrical, the position is far from equal. Abhiban did not develop his queenside yet and White enjoys more space.} Nf6 15. Rxe8+ Nxe8 16. Bg5 $146 ({ White was also a bit better in the predecessor after} 16. Qb3 Qc7 17. Be3 Nd7 18. Rc1 Nc5 19. Qa3 Qd8 20. b4 {Khismatullin,D (2601) -Andreikin,D (2625) Voronezh 2009}) 16... Nf6 ({Giri believed it was stronger to play} 16... Bf6 { when he intended} 17. h4 Nd7 ({However, he was afraid of the simple move} 17... a6 {which stops the Bc4-b5 idea. "My [light-squared] bishop is not very good; I need to trade it." (Giri)}) 18. Bb5 {trading a bunch of pieces but keeping a strong pawn on g5.}) 17. Nd4 {Now there are problems for Black, as he cannot develop normally.} Qb6 (17... Nbd7 {is well met with} 18. Ne6 $1 {(Giri). Although there is a little spoiler after} fxe6 19. dxe6 d5 $1 {Still, White keeps pressure after the forcing} 20. Bxd5 Nf8 21. Bxb7 Rb8 {with three pawns for the piece and strong bishop pair.}) 18. Be3 {Creating concrete threats and forcing matters. The white army is better prepared for the tactical skirmish.} Ng4 (18... Nbd7 19. Ne6 {is not playable for Black.}) 19. Qe4 $1 {Powerful centralization. Suddenly, the black king is in danger.} ({Instead} 19. hxg4 Bxd4 20. Bxd4 Qxd4 {trades too many of the good white pieces and should be equal.}) 19... Nf6 ({On} 19... Nxe3 {White planned} 20. Qe8+ Bf8 21. fxe3 Qc7 22. Ne6 $1 fxe6 23. dxe6 Qe7 24. Qc8 {"when Black is completely paralyzed and helpless." (Giri)}) 20. Qe7 Nbd7 {Adhiban finished the development, but at the expense of a pawn.} 21. Nb5 Bf8 22. Bxb6 Bxe7 23. Bxa7 Ne5 ({White was more worried about} 23... b6 {eventually excluding the bishop from the game. In that case the most convincing seems to be} 24. Rc1 (24. b3 Bd8) (24. b4 Bd8 25. Bb3) 24... Bd8 25. Be2 {followed by Rc1-c6.}) 24. b3 (24. Bb3 {was not bad neither.}) 24... Nxc4 25. bxc4 {"I think I am winning." (Giri) He said it and proved it. First consolidation.} Rc8 26. Re1 Bf8 27. Bd4 Nd7 28. Rc1 Ra8 29. Rc2 Ra6 {Now it made sense to bring the king to b4 for example and push the white pawn to a4, but White found another idea.} 30. Re2 Ra4 31. Re8 $1 { Returns the pawn for a moment, but paralyzes the black pieces. This idea is similar to the one that Giri had on move 19.} Rxc4 32. Rd8 Ne5 (32... Rb4 33. a4 $1) 33. f4 Nd3 ({Nothing is changed after} 33... Rc1+ 34. Kh2 Nc4 35. Rc8) 34. Bf6 Re4 35. Nxd6 Re1+ 36. Kh2 {Now White has both the extra pawn and the more active pieces.} Nf2 37. Bg5 h5 ({Or} 37... Kg7 38. Ne8+ Kg8 39. Nf6+ Kg7 40. d6 h6 41. Bh4 {winning.}) 38. Bh6 h4 {That is serious...} 39. g4 Kh7 40. Rxf8 Nd3 41. Rxf7+ Kh8 42. Rf8+ 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.27"] [Round "12.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2718"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 Nf6 8. f4 (8. O-O-O Be7 9. f3 h5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bf4 e5 12. Bg5 a5 13. Bc4 a4 14. a3 d6 15. f4 O-O 16. Rhf1 Bg4 {Grischuk,A (2783)-Cori Tello,J (2641) Tbilisi 2017}) 8... Bb4 9. Bd3 Na5 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 12. bxc3 d5 13. exd5 exd5 14. Nb3 Nc4 15. Bd4 Ne4 16. Nc5 Nxc5 17. Bxc5 Bd7 $146 (17... b6 18. Bxc4 dxc4 19. Bxb6 Rb8 20. Bc7 Rb7 21. Bd6 f6 22. O-O-O Rd7 23. Rhe1+ Kf7 {Cvak,R (2317) -Hamilton,D (2016) corr. 2015}) 18. O-O-O O-O-O 19. Bxc4 dxc4 20. Bb6 Rde8 21. Rd4 Re6 22. Rxc4+ Rc6 23. Rxc6+ Bxc6 24. Rd1 Bxg2 25. Rg1 Be4 26. Rxg7 Bg6 27. a4 Rf8 28. Kb2 Kd7 29. f5 Bxf5 30. Bc5 Rc8 31. Rxf7+ Ke6 32. Re7+ Kf6 33. Bb4 a5 34. Ba3 Rc4 35. Rxb7 Rxa4 36. Ra7 Re4 37. Rxa5 Re2 38. Bd6 Bxc2 39. c4 Ke6 40. Ra6 Bf5+ 41. Kc3 Be4 42. Kd4 Kf5 43. Ra5+ Kg4 ({A step in the wrong direction,} 43... Ke6 {makes more sense, to defend against the c-pawn with the king.}) 44. c5 Bf3 45. Ra7 h6 46. Rh7 Re4+ 47. Kd3 Re6 48. Kc4 Bc6 49. Rc7 Bh1 50. Kb5 h5 51. Rg7+ Kh4 $2 {Definitely losing.} (51... Kf5 {might still hold.}) 52. Rg1 ({Not bad but Carlsen misses a nice and quick win with} 52. Be7+ $1 Kh3 53. Rg3+ Kxh2 54. Bd6 {and Black can resign. Well, as it turned out Carlsen had looked at this. On Facebook he messaged the following lines he saw during the game:} Re4 $5 {which saves the rook, at least momentarily. My main line then ran} 55. c6 Rd4 56. c7 (56. Rd3+ Rxd6 57. Rxd6 Bxc6+ $1 {is a draw}) 56... Rxd6 57. Rh3+ $1 (57. c8=Q Rd5+ $1) 57... Kxh3 58. c8=Q+ {"but I could not find a way to pick up the rook by force, only the bishop, which leaves a lot of technical difficulties." - Carlsen}) (52. Be7+ {After} Kh3 53. Rg3+ Kxh2 54. Bd6 Re4 {I also considered the correct move} 55. Ra3+ {(c3 or b3 also work) followed by c6. I suspected it might win (as it does) but it is not very intuitive, and I did not want to risk miscalculating as I thought I had an easy win in the game." - Carlsen.}) 52... Ba8 53. Kb6 Re2 54. Kc7 Bd5 55. Rg3 Bh1 56. Rc3 Kg4 57. c6 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.28"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A15"] [WhiteElo "2834"] [BlackElo "2752"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2018.01.28"] {[Annotations by Dejan Bojkov]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. b3 d5 4. Bb2 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nc3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 ({Carlsen deviates from an earlier game of his:} 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. h4 h6 10. g4 Nxc3 11. dxc3 e5 12. g5 h5 13. Bc4 Be6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Nd2 {Carlsen, M (2840)-Ganguly,S (2668) Doha 2016}) 8... exd5 9. d4 Qa5+ $146 (9... Nc6 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. a3 Bg4 12. Be2 {Votava,J (2522) -Froewis,G (2463) Austria 2016}) 10. Qd2 Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Nc6 12. dxc5 Bxc5 { Carlsen got "his" type of position. An IQP in an endgame always means a slight, long-term advantage without any counterplay for the opponent.} 13. Bb5 Bb4+ 14. Ke2 Be6 15. Rac1 Rac8 (15... Rfc8 {is more precise with the idea to meet} 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Ne5 c5 18. Nd3 a5 19. a3 {with} c4 {and the rook on a8 will get into the game soon. For example} 20. bxc4 dxc4 21. Nxb4 axb4 22. axb4 Ra2 $1) 16. Rhd1 {Carlsen is sticking to his plan of mounting pressure against the isolani.} ({Here} 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Ne5 c5 18. Nd3 a5 19. a3 c4 20. bxc4 dxc4 21. Nxb4 axb4 22. axb4 {would have been good for White. It is not certain though that he could win.}) 16... Be7 17. h3 a6 18. Bd3 Nb4 19. Bb1 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Rc8 21. Rd1 $1 {An instructive move. This rook will always be better than its counterpart.} (21. Rxc8+ Bxc8 {would have made Black's defense easier.}) 21... Nc6 22. g4 {Very classical play. One idea is to push the kingside pawns thus removing the black bishop on e6 from its optimal position. Another is to open the road for his own bishops later.} h6 23. Nd4 Nxd4+ 24. Bxd4 Ba3 25. f4 f6 ({Giri could have taken the chance to swap the rooks off with} 25... Rc1 $5 26. Rxc1 Bxc1 {and his defense seems a bit easier then.}) 26. Bg6 Kf8 27. Kf3 Ke7 28. h4 Bb4 29. Bd3 Bd7 30. e4 {A sudden change of the rhythm. Instead of a weak black pawn, a strong white bishop.} Bc3 ({Safer was:} 30... dxe4+ 31. Bxe4 Bc6 32. Be3 {and now say} Ba3 $5 {in comparison to the game this would have allowed the nasty pin along the c-file.}) 31. Bf2 Bc6 32. exd5 Bxd5+ 33. Be4 Bxe4+ 34. Kxe4 {With the obvious intention to get on the g6 square with his king.} Ke6 $1 {Blocking the white's king way in.} 35. f5+ Ke7 36. Rc1 Rc6 { Breaks the pin but at the expense of other weaknesses.} ({Giri should have tried to hold the position with} 36... Rc7 37. Bd4 Ba5 38. Rxc7+ Bxc7 39. Kd5 Bg3 {although I am not sure he can survive here either. The white pieces are too active and the weakness on g7 ties the black king to its defense.}) ({ Instead} 36... b5 37. Bd4 b4 38. h5 $5 {followed by a capture on c3 and Ke4-d3 would have lost a pawn for Black.}) 37. Kd3 Bb4 38. Rxc6 bxc6 39. Kc4 {Now there are too many targets into the black camp: a6, c6 and g7 and Carlsen easily finds a way in.} Bd6 40. Bc5 Kd7 41. h5 $1 {Fixing the target.} Bf4 42. Bf8 Ke8 43. Bc5 (43. Bxg7 Kf7 44. Bxh6 ({Weaker is} 44. Bh8 Bd6 45. b4 Be7 46. a4 Bf8 {Just waiting.} ({But not} 46... Kg8 47. Bxf6 Bxf6 48. Kc5 Be7+ 49. Kb6 $1 {and White wins.})) 44... Bxh6 45. Kc5 a5 46. Kxc6 Bd2 {and the computer claims it is a draw.}) 43... Kd7 44. Kb4 {The king will get in through the a5 square.} Bd2+ 45. Ka4 Kc7 46. b4 Bf4 47. Bf8 Kb6 48. Bxg7 Bg5 49. Bf8 Bf4 50. Be7 Bg5 51. Kb3 {The world champion saw a clear way to break the fortress.} ( 51. Bc5+ Kc7 52. Bd4 {followed by Ka4-a5 would do the job as well.}) 51... Kc7 52. Kc4 Kd7 53. Bc5 Kc7 54. Kd3 Kd7 55. Be3 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2018.01.28"] [Round "2"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C53"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2018.01.28"] {[Annotations by Dejan Bojkov]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. Re1 Ba7 8. Bb3 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Nf1 Be6 12. Bc2 d5 13. Qe2 ({White did not get much after} 13. exd5 Bxd5 14. Ng3 Qd7 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. dxe4 Be6 17. Qxd7 Bxd7 18. a4 f6 {Onischuk,V (2637)-Anand, V (2782) Riadh 2017}) 13... dxe4 14. dxe4 Qe7 15. Ng3 Rad8 16. Nh4 Qf8 17. Nhf5 $146 {A novelty.} (17. Qf3 Nh7 (17... Kh7 $5) 18. Nhf5 Bxf5 19. Nxf5 ({White would be better after} 19. exf5 $1) 19... Ne7 20. Ba4 {with some advantage for White in Tobyas,M (2290)-Krupkova,P (2285) Czechia 1997}) 17... Ne7 $1 18. Ne3 Ng6 { With this regroupment Carlsen solved all his problems on the kingside.} 19. Ngf5 Nf4 20. Qf3 c6 (20... g6 $5) 21. Ng4 Nxg4 22. hxg4 (22. Qxg4 g6) 22... g6 23. Bxf4 $1 {A sign of courage. Giri needs to win no matter what.} ({The knight cannot leave:} 23. Ng3 Qe7 {followed by Qe7-g5 is awkward for White.}) 23... exf4 24. Qxf4 {The point behind the previous move.} gxf5 25. gxf5 Qg7 $1 {A very practical choice. Carlsen returns the piece but stops the attack. Despite the pawn deficit he should not be much worse due to the opposite-colored bishops.} (25... Bc8 26. f6 {followed by e4-e5 and attack on the b1-h7 diagonal and the g-file would be extremely difficult to hold (if possible).}) 26. fxe6 Rxe6 ({Objectively better was to open the f-file at once with} 26... fxe6 $5 27. Bb3 Qg5 28. Qxg5+ ({If} 28. Qf3 Kg7 {followed by Re8-f8.}) 28... hxg5) 27. Rad1 Rde8 ({Black's task is more difficult after} 27... Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Qg5 29. g3) 28. Re2 Qg5 29. Qf3 {Instinctively, Giri tries to keep the queens on the board, but this is not best here.} ({White would have kept winning chances with} 29. g3 $1 {For example} Qxf4 30. gxf4 Rf6 31. Rd7 Rxf4 32. Rxb7 Bb8 33. Kf1) 29... Rf6 30. Qh3 Qf4 31. Rf1 Re5 {It is Black who takes over the initiative and this is all that matters in the opposite-colored bishop middlegames.} 32. Qh2 Qg5 33. g3 {Now White stands on the edge of the abyss.} ({Better was} 33. Rd1 Rf4 34. g3) 33... Qg4 34. Rd2 Rg5 {All of a sudden g3 cannot be held.} 35. e5 ({In a blitz game (and not only) one can get easily checkmated after} 35. Kg2 $2 Qf3+ 36. Kg1 Rxg3+) ({Also bad is} 35. Kh1 $2 Rh5) ({Objectively best was} 35. Bd1 {when Black can keep on playing for a win with} Qf4 $1 ({Or rather force a draw with} 35... Qxg3+ 36. Qxg3 Rxg3+ 37. Kh2 Rg5)) 35... Rxe5 {Solid. The world champion is leaving his opponent no match chances.} ({In fact} 35... Rf3 $1 36. Kg2 Rh5 37. Qg1 Rf4 $1 {would have won for Black.}) 36. Bd1 Qg5 37. Rd3 Ref5 38. Qh4 {In the final position it is Black who is playing for a win.} 1/2-1/2