Games
[Event "FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "Jerusalem"]
[Date "2019.12.11"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2737"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.12.06"]
1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Bf5 7. b3 ({Both
players obviously studied in depth the recent game of Vachier-Lagrave:} 7. h3
Nf6 8. d3 O-O 9. Be3 a6 10. Qd2 b5 11. cxb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Qa5 13. Nc3 Rab8 14.
Rfc1 Rfc8 15. b3 e5 16. Bh6 Nd4 {Carlsen,M (2845)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2773)
Karlsruhe/Baden Baden 2019}) 7... Nf6 8. Bb2 Ne4 {N A logical novelty. Black
makes use of the pin to trade the dark-squared bishops.} ({Although Black did
hold his own in an earlier game:} 8... O-O 9. Nh4 Bg4 10. h3 Bd7 11. e3 Qc8 12.
Kh2 a6 13. a4 Rb8 14. d3 e6 15. Qd2 Qc7 16. Nf3 {Eljanov,P (2727) -Khairullin,
I (2629) Jerusalem 2015}) 9. Na4 Bxb2 10. Nxb2 Qd7 11. Nh4 $1 {Topalov on his
turn uses the shaky position of the black knight to secure the dominance of
his bishop.} Nf6 12. Nxf5 Qxf5 13. e3 O-O 14. Na4 {The knight is getting back
into play. More importantly, it hits the c5 pawn, thus preventing the freeing
d6-d5 advance.} ({Nothing promises} 14. d4 cxd4 15. exd4 {due to} d5) 14...
Rad8 15. a3 {Another useful, flexible move. White has three possible,
interesting advances: b3-b4, d2-d4 and f2-f4. He does not need to force any of
them.} ({He could have also centralized the knight with} 15. Nc3 {but then
Black can remove the pressure early with} Qc8 16. d4 cxd4 17. exd4 e5) 15...
Qc8 {This does not seem very accurate. No-one was threatening the queen where
it was, and it could have been useful when mounting pressure on the kingside.}
({Both} 15... h5 $5 {with the possible development} 16. Rc1 Kg7 17. h3 g5 $5 {
could have created counterplay for Black.}) ({And} 15... Kg7 $5 {were better
choices.}) 16. Rc1 $1 {More strong prophylaxis. The rook is aimed against the
black queen, thus making the d6-d5 advance virtually impossible.} Kg7 {This is
needed.} ({As demonstrated by the line} 16... b6 17. d4 cxd4 18. exd4 e5 $2 19.
Qf3) 17. Qc2 h5 (17... b6 {can be met with} 18. Qb2) 18. h3 b6 ({White
intended to meet} 18... h4 {with} 19. g4) 19. Nc3 ({Also good was the immediate
} 19. Qb2 e5 20. f4) 19... Rfe8 20. f4 {The time has come for Topalov to get
his pawns into motion.} e6 21. Qb2 $1 {X-raying the king while preparing the
b3-b4 advance.} Kg8 22. Ne2 ({Probably even better was} 22. b4 {mounting even
more pressure and not showing the intentions yet. For example} Nh7 23. g4 (23.
Ne2 $5) 23... hxg4 24. hxg4 e5 ({Worse is} 24... Nf6 $2 25. g5 Nh5 26. Bf3 Ng7
27. Ne4 {and White has a crushing attack.}) 25. f5 $1 {with a large advantage
for White.}) 22... Nh7 23. d4 cxd4 24. Nxd4 {The trade of another minor piece
is definitely favorable for Black.} ({Apparently White disliked the central
breakthrough after} 24. exd4 e5 ({although the computer believes that} 24...
Ne7 {is even better.})) 24... Nxd4 25. exd4 Nf6 {Vachier-Lagrave is patiently
waiting for his chance.} ({Although the immediate} 25... e5 26. fxe5 dxe5 27.
Qf2 Re7 28. dxe5 Rd3 {with counterplay might have been the right choice.}) 26.
Kh2 Kg7 27. b4 Qc7 28. a4 {Topalov expands all over the board. Vachier-Lagrave
needs to react.} e5 29. fxe5 dxe5 30. c5 ({Black seems in good shape after} 30.
d5 h4 31. g4 e4+ 32. Kg1 Qe5 33. Qxe5 Rxe5) 30... h4 $3 {This is the idea that
Topalov underestimated. Vachier-Lagrave sacrifices a whole piece, but kills a
bunch of pawn in the process and secures the half point.} 31. cxb6 ({Instead
White could have sacrificed the exchange himself with:} 31. Rxf6 hxg3+ 32. Kxg3
Kxf6 33. cxb6 Qb8 ({Not} 33... Qxb6 $2 34. Rc6+) 34. dxe5+ {But the accurate}
Kg7 $1 {practically leads to a draw} ({But not} 34... Rxe5 35. bxa7 Qxa7 36.
Rf1+ Ke6 37. Qa2+ {when White is close to winning.}) 35. b7 Re7 36. Kh2 Rxb7
37. Bxb7 Qxb7) 31... hxg3+ 32. Kh1 Qxb6 33. Rc6 Qxd4 34. Qxd4 Rxd4 35. Rcxf6
Re7 36. R6f3 {White offered a draw himself.} (36. R6f3 {As in the line} Rxb4
37. a5 ({Whereas} 37. Ra1 a5 38. Rxg3 e4 {and then f7-f5 is no worse for Black.
}) 37... Ra4 {the last white pawns will soon be traded.}) 1/2-1/2
[Event "Jerusalem FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2019.12.12"]
[Round "2.4"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A33"]
[WhiteElo "2684"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.12.06"]
{[%evp 0,69,27,27,47,14,19,-24,-1,-15,21,18,9,-16,16,-14,-14,17,13,-10,18,29,
40,6,-6,-9,-9,10,14,-8,-10,-10,12,32,19,27,78,14,37,14,14,14,76,76,75,53,55,35,
42,36,36,25,33,0,17,0,44,0,0,51,0,0,0,0,68,90,52,67,57,0,0,23]} 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4
Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Nb3 Ne5 8. e4 Bb4 9. Qe2 d6
10. Bd2 Bd7 ({No doubt that both players knew the game of the birthday boy :}
10... a5 11. f4 Nc6 12. Na4 Bxd2+ 13. Nxd2 Qa7 14. Nc3 Nd4 15. Qd3 Ng4 16. Nd1
e5 17. Nf3 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 exf4 19. gxf4 O-O 20. h3 Nf6 21. Nc3 Be6 22. O-O-O {
Anand,V (2803)-So,W (2760) Bilbao 2015. Happy birthday, great champion Vishy
Anand!}) 11. f4 Ng6 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Ng8 14. c5 Qc7 {[#]} 15. Ne4 $1 {
N A strong novelty. The knight lands in close proximity to the enemy king.} ({
The predecessor was an email game in which Black managed to build solid
construction after:} 15. O-O-O Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Bc6 17. Rg1 N8e7 18. h4 Nd5 19.
Bd4 Nge7 20. Kb1 O-O 21. h5 {Schinke,A (2504)-Malac,M ICCF email 2007}) 15...
Bxd2+ 16. Nbxd2 Nh6 17. Nd6+ Kf8 18. b4 {The opening ended spectacularly well
for Gelfand. He managed to establish a billion-dollar horse on d6, keep the
enemy king in the prison "Central" and at the moment he consolidates his
position will play by itself.} Bc6 19. Bg2 $1 {Splendid! The e5 pawn is
sacrificed for a tempo, and another half-open file.} ({White was not forced to
sacrifice, he could have also gone for:} 19. Rg1 {with the idea to meet the
artificial castling:} Ke7 {With pawn storm:} ({Or:} 19... Nf5 20. Bh3 Bd5 {
The difficulty was connected with this line, as in order to improve further
White would have to risk with:} 21. O-O-O) 20. h4 Rhd8 21. h5 Nf8 22. g4 {
and White is dominating.}) 19... Bxg2 20. Qxg2 Nxe5 21. O-O Nf5 ({In case of:}
21... f6 {White can centralize his second knight with tempo:} 22. Nb3 Nhf7 23.
Nd4 Nd8 24. Rae1 {and force the opponent into passive defense.}) 22. N2e4 {
Another excellent decision into the attack.} (22. Nxf5 {would have given time
to Nepomniachtchi to consolidate after:} exf5 23. Rxf5 g6 24. Rf6 Kg7 25. Ne4 (
25. Raf1 Rhe8)) 22... a5 {This loses practically by force, but one can easily
understand Nepomniachtchi. The move is the only way to generate some
counterplay.} ({A more solid move like:} 22... f6 {should not have saved Black
neither. Indeed, there is the spectacular:} 23. Ng5 $3 fxg5 24. Rae1 {With
decisive attack along the half-open files. For example:} Nf7 25. Rxe6 N7xd6 ({
Or:} 25... N5xd6 26. cxd6 Qb6+ 27. Kh1 Kg8 28. Re7 Rf8 29. Rfxf7 $1 Rxf7 30.
Re8+ Rf8 31. Qd5#) 26. cxd6 Qb6+ 27. Kh1 g6 28. Rxf5+ $1 gxf5 29. Qb2 $1 {
and White wins.}) 23. Nxf5 {Gelfnad must have felt that the win is close!} ({
He could have won with a similar idea to the line from above:} 23. Qb2 $1 f6
24. Ng5 $1 Qe7 25. Rae1 {Black cannot untie his pieces:} h6 ({Even faster
loses:} 25... axb4 26. Rxe5 fxe5 27. Qxe5 Qxg5 28. Qxe6) ({Or:} 25... Nxd6 26.
Qxe5) 26. Ngf7 $1 Nxf7 27. Nxf5 {At the moment in which the black knights are
removed White can deal with the pawn cover in front of the black king:} Qd7 28.
Nxg7 $1 Kxg7 29. Qxf6+ Kg8 30. Qg6+ Kf8 31. Rxf7+ Qxf7 32. Rf1 Qxf1+ 33. Kxf1 {
and the rooks must obey her Majesty.}) 23... exf5 24. Nd6 ({Once more:} 24.
Rxf5 axb4 25. Raf1 g6 26. Rf6 Kg7 {provides time for Black for the defence.})
24... g6 25. Qd5 f6 26. b5 Rb8 27. b6 ({To the same would have led:} 27. Rae1
$1 h5 28. Rxe5 fxe5 29. Qxe5 Kg8 30. b6 Qd7) 27... Qd7 28. Rae1 h5 29. Rxe5
fxe5 30. Qxe5 Kg8 31. Ne4 {Gelfand decided to take away all the risks and
regained the exchange.} ({He could have played for the attack though with:} 31.
Qf6 $5 {when Black's position is very unpleasant.}) 31... Rf8 32. Nf6+ Rxf6 33.
Qxf6 Kh7 34. Re1 {Missing the last chance to play for the win.} ({It was
related to the breakthrough:} 34. c6 $1 {Then the rook endgame after:} Qxc6 ({
Therefore Black needs to try and construct a perpetual check in the queens'
endgame:} 34... bxc6 35. Re1 Re8 36. Rxe8 Qxe8 37. Kf2 Qd7 {But after:} 38. Ke1
$1 {The draw is not necessarily achievable. The b6 passer is extremely strong.
White can speculate with the ideas of a queen swap and to cut the long story
short- none would like to be in Nepomniachtchi's shoes here.}) 35. Qxc6 bxc6
36. Kf2 {is lost for Black as the white king quickly runs all the way up to
the c5 square.}) 34... Re8 35. Rxe8 (35. Rxe8 {Black is no worse after:} Qxe8
36. Qd4 Qe1+ 37. Kg2 Qe2+) 1/2-1/2
[Event "Jerusalem FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2019.12.15"]
[Round "11.4"]
[White "Navara, David"]
[Black "Jakovenko, Dmitry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B36"]
[WhiteElo "2707"]
[BlackElo "2698"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.12.06"]
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 g6 6. e4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 d6 8.
Be3 Bg7 9. f3 O-O 10. Qd2 Be6 11. Rc1 Qa5 {The Accelerated Dragon is a rare
guest at top tournaments, precisely because of the Maroczy bind. Not too many
GMs are ready to suffer the arising positions, mainly because of the lack of
counter-attacking chances.} 12. b3 Rfc8 13. g4 {A rare move. But since White
is also executing it in the main line, it does not come as a surprise. Navara
believes that now is the right time to play it.} ({Another way to play the
position is} 13. Bd3 a6 14. Na4 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Nd7 16. Nc3 b5 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18.
cxd5 b4 19. Rxc8+ Rxc8 20. Rc1 Rxc1 21. Kxc1 {So,W (2762)-Guseinov,G (2664)
chess.com INT 2019}) ({While} 13. Be2 {still remains the main move:} a6 14. Na4
Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Rc6 16. g4 Kf8 17. Nb6 Rb8 18. Nd5 {as in Giri,A (2785)
-Zvjaginsev,V (2661) Sochi 2017}) 13... a6 ({Against} 13... Nd7 $5 {White can
play for an endgame advantage with} 14. Nd5 (14. h4 $5) 14... Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2
Bxd5 16. cxd5) 14. Na4 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Nd7 16. Rg1 $1 {The point behind White's
idea. Black is deprived of his only counterplay with f7-f5.} Rc6 {N} ({The
only predecessor saw} 16... Rf8 17. Nc3 Kh8 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. cxd5 Rac8 20. Bh3
$1 Bb2 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. g5 $1 {with an obvious advantage for White, Nguyen,P
(2427)-Karacsonyi,G (2250) Budapest 2019}) 17. Be2 Kh8 {Jakovenko insists on
the move f7-f5, but he will never get a chance to make it work.} ({Better is
the immediate} 17... Nc5 $1 18. Nxc5 (18. Nc3 b5 $5) 18... dxc5 {with the idea
to meet} 19. f4 {with} Rd6+ 20. Kc2 Bd4 $1 {when Black is just fine.}) 18. f4
Nc5 ({The break} 18... f5 {would be likely met with} 19. exf5 gxf5 20. Bf3 ({Or
} 20. g5)) 19. Nxc5 dxc5 20. Bf3 Rc7 ({Now the counterplay is a must:} 20...
Rd6+ 21. Ke2 Bd4 ({Not} 21... Rad8 22. e5) 22. e5 Rd7 23. Rcd1 Rad8 24. Bxd4
Rxd4 {Activating the rook.} ({Rather than} 24... cxd4 $6 25. Kd3 {followed by
Bf3-e4 with a clear edge for White.}) 25. Rxd4 Rxd4 26. Bxb7 Rxf4) ({Or} 20...
Rd8+ 21. Ke2 Bd4 22. e5 Rc7 23. Rgd1 Rcd7 24. Bxd4 Rxd4 25. Rxd4 Rxd4 26. Ke3
b6 {in both cases with chances for a successful defense.}) 21. Ke2 b5 22. e5 $1
{Navara plays for limitation of the fianchettoed bishop.} Rac8 23. Bd5 Bxd5 24.
cxd5 g5 {that Jakovenko cannot allow. Unfortunately for the Russian GM, this
move leads to concrete problems.} ({However, Black would have been practically
down a bishop in the line} 24... c4 25. bxc4 bxc4 26. g5 $1) 25. d6 $1 {
The strong passer supported by all the white pieces quickly seals the fate of
the game.} exd6 26. exd6 Rd7 ({Or} 26... Rc6 27. d7 Rd8 28. Rgd1 Bf8 29. fxg5
Bd6 30. Kf3 {when Black cannot regain the pawn.}) 27. Bxc5 gxf4 28. Kf3 Kg8 ({
Perhaps from afar Jakovenko thought he would win the pawn back with} 28... Be5
{And only here did he see the trick} 29. Bd4 $1 Re8 30. Bxe5+ Rxe5 31. Rgd1 {
when White is close to winning.}) 29. Bb4 Rcd8 ({Black should gradually lose
after} 29... Rxc1 30. Rxc1 Be5 31. Rc6 a5 32. Bc5) 30. Rge1 Bf8 31. Rc7 {
This defends the pawn tactically.} f6 ({The pin is deadly after} 31... Bxd6 32.
Rxd7 Rxd7 33. Rd1) 32. Rd1 Kf7 33. Kxf4 Rxc7 {The last chance in the form of a
fortress, but it is easily refuted.} ({There is nothing to hope for in case of
} 33... Ke6 34. Re1+ Kf7 35. Rxd7+ Rxd7 36. Kf5) 34. dxc7 Rxd1 35. c8=Q Bxb4
36. Qxa6 Bd6+ 37. Ke4 (37. Ke4 {Black resigned as he cannot stop the united
attack of the white pieces:} b4 38. Qc4+ Kf8 39. Qc2 Rh1 40. Kf5) 1-0
[Event "Jerusalem FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2019.12.16"]
[Round "12.1"]
[White "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2724"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.12.06"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Nge2 Nf6 4. h3 $5 ({Andreikin also has experience in the
line} 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. d3 Nc6 7. O-O Bd7 ({Also possible is} 7... O-O 8.
h3 Rb8 9. a3 b5 10. Rb1 a5 11. a4 bxa4 12. Nxa4 Bd7 13. Be3 Nd4 {Caruana,F
(2822)-Giri,A (2776) Bucharest 2019}) 8. h3 Rb8 9. Be3 a6 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Bh6
Bxh6 12. Qxh6 Nd4 13. Rac1 Qb6 {as in Andreikin,D (2723)-Fedoseev,V (2713)
Porto Carras 2018}) ({The original course of the game} 4. f3 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6.
Nxd5 Qxd5 7. d4 e6 8. Be3 cxd4 9. Qxd4 Qxd4 10. Nxd4 Bc5 11. O-O-O Nc6 12. Nf5
Bxe3+ 13. Nxe3 Ke7 {eventually leads to a position that could have easily
occurred from the Alapin, or say the French in Kovalenko,I (2674) -Vachier
Lagrave,M (2774) Khanty-Mansiysk 2019}) 4... e5 5. d3 Nc6 {N} ({This is
already quite an original position. The only predecessor saw} 5... Be6 6. Ng3
g6 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2 d5 9. Be2 Be7 10. a3 a6 11. h4 c4 {with unclear play in
Gomez,J-Siebenlist,D Villaguay 2016}) 6. g4 {Andreikin expands on the kingside.
His main idea is to remove the black knight from the defense of the central
outpost.} Be7 7. Bg2 ({After} 7. Ng3 {Black can regroup with} Be6 8. g5 Nd7)
7... h5 {On his turn Vachier-Lagrave challenges White's position before his
opponent consolidates.} 8. g5 Nh7 9. h4 f6 10. Nd5 {Playing for the initiative.
} ({Instead, an interesting plan is} 10. g6 Nf8 11. Ng3 Nxg6 12. Nd5 $1 {
intending to capture the h5-pawn at a better moment. White is better.} ({
Worse is} 12. Nxh5 Kf7 13. Nd5 {that allows Black the additional resource} Rh7
$5 ({although} 13... Be6 {is also good.}))) 10... fxg5 11. hxg5 Nxg5 ({
Obviously not} 11... Bxg5 12. Rxh5) 12. Nec3 g6 13. Nxe7 Qxe7 14. Nd5 Qd8 15.
f4 {This was Andreikin's idea. In return for the pawn he got the bishop pair
and now quickly opens the road for the beasts.} Nf7 ({The line} 15... exf4 16.
Bxf4 Ne5 17. Bxe5 dxe5 18. O-O Be6 19. Qd2 {promises White more than enough
for the pawn.}) 16. f5 $1 {Not slowing down.} gxf5 17. exf5 Nd4 ({After} 17...
Bxf5 18. Rxh5 Rxh5 19. Qxh5 Be6 20. Be3 {Black's extra pawn is not important,
whereas it is surprisingly difficult to suggest a way for Black to evacuate
his king from the center.}) 18. Be3 {Missing a stronger continuation.} ({
White would have been much better after} 18. Rxh5 Rxh5 19. Qxh5 Nxf5 20. Be4
Be6 21. Bd2 Bxd5 22. Bxd5 Qh4+ 23. Qxh4 Nxh4 24. O-O-O {Even in the endgame
his bishops are way more valuable than the knights:} ({Also good is the simple:
} 24. Bxb7 Rb8 25. Bd5) 24... Rb8 25. Rg1 $1 {with a strong attack.}) 18...
Bxf5 ({More natural seems} 18... Nxf5 19. Rxh5 Rxh5 20. Qxh5 Nxe3 21. Nxe3 Qg5
{in order to trade the queens and relieve the pressure.}) 19. Bxd4 Bg4 20. Bf3
{Missing a chance to play for the initiative.} ({However, the line:} 20. Qd2
cxd4 21. O-O $1 {is far from obvious, and it is not clear at all if White has
enough for the sacrificed material after} Be6 22. Nf6+ Ke7 23. Rf2 {The
computer believes in the initiative, though.}) 20... cxd4 21. c4 dxc3 22. bxc3
Qa5 $1 {It is time for Vachier-Lagrave to show his teeth.} 23. Rb1 Ng5 $1 ({
It seems that the French GM did not like the endgame after} 23... Qxd5 $5 24.
Bxd5 Bxd1 25. Rxb7 Nd8 26. Rc7 Rb8 27. Kxd1 Rb1+ 28. Ke2 Rxh1 29. Bxh1 {
Indeed, White has more than enough for the pawn.}) 24. Nf6+ {Now the tables
turn completely in Black's favor.} ({Objectively best is} 24. Bxg4 Qxd5 25.
Qa4+ Kf7 26. Qd7+ Kg8 {when the cunning} 27. Rg1 $1 {practically leads to a
draw after} hxg4 28. Qxg4 Kf7 29. Qxg5 Rag8 30. Qf5+ Ke7) 24... Kf7 25. O-O {
This is what Andreikin was hoping for, but he is about to experience a cold
shower.} ({Unfortunately for White, the alternatives do not lead him anywhere:
} 25. Nxg4 hxg4 26. Bxb7 Rxh1+ 27. Bxh1 Rh8 {is bad for him.}) ({Black is
clearly winning after} 25. Bxg4 hxg4) 25... Nh3+ $3 {Very strong! The knight
is transferred to f4, and White's whole setup doesn't make sense.} ({The
Russian GM most likely expected} 25... Nxf3+ 26. Rxf3 Bxf3 27. Qxf3 {when
White's attack is crushing, say:} Raf8 28. Rf1 $3) (25... Bxf3 {would
transpose to the same after} 26. Rxf3) 26. Kh1 Kxf6 27. Bxg4+ Nf4 28. Bf3 Rag8
{The black king is perfectly protected, and his main guard takes part of the
execution against the enemy one.} 29. Rxb7 Rg3 30. Qb3 Rf8 31. d4 Qa6 32. c4
Rh3+ 33. Kg1 Rg8+ 34. Kf2 Rg2+ 35. Ke1 ({Since} 35. Bxg2 Rxb3 36. axb3 Qa2+ {
is mate.}) 35... Qa5+ 36. Rb4 ({Nothing changes} 36. Qb4 Qxb4+ 37. Rxb4 Rxa2)
36... Rxa2 $1 {Played instantly, after which Andreikin resigned.} ({There is
no need to complicate things with} 36... Nd3+ $2 37. Kd1) ({Even worse is the
flashy} 36... Qxb4+ $4 37. Qxb4 Nd3+ 38. Kd1 Nxb4 {and Black wins a rook but
loses two in return:} 39. Bxg2+) 0-1
[Event "Jerusalem FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "Jerusalem ISR"]
[Date "2019.12.16"]
[Round "2.3"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C22"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2754"]
[Annotator "chessvibes"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2019.12.11"]
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qc4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 O-O 7. O-O-O d6 8.
f3 Re8 9. Qe2 Be6 10. Qf2 a5 11. Nge2 Qe7 12. Nf4 $6 (12. g4) 12... Bxc3 13.
Bxc3 Nb4 14. a3 Na2+ 15. Kd2 d5 (15... Nxc3 16. Kxc3 Rad8 17. Kd2 d5 {is the
most precise.}) 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Nd3 dxe4 18. fxe4 Qg6 19. Be2 b5 $2 {There
were many moves to remain better, but not this one.} (19... Rad8) (19... Bc4) (
19... Qxe4) 20. Qg3 $1 Qf6 21. Qe5 $1 {In the endgame the king is safe, and
Na2 might get trapped.} Qe7 22. Qxb5 (22. Ke3 $5) 22... Rab8 23. Qc5 Qh4 24.
Bf3 g6 25. g3 Qh6+ 26. Ke2 Qg7 27. Kf2 {Now White is a pawn up and Na2 is
still trapped, so Karjakin tries something desperate.} Rxb2 28. Nxb2 Qxb2 29.
Rb1 Qc3 30. Qxc3 Nxc3 31. Rb7 c5 32. Re1 Rd8 33. Ke3 Rd4 34. Ra1 Kg7 35. Ra7
Ra4 36. Rb7 Rd4 37. Rb6 Rc4 38. Rxe6 1-0
[Event "Jerusalem FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "Jerusalem ISR"]
[Date "2019.12.16"]
[Round "2.4"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2754"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "chessvibes"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2019.12.11"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. a3 Bxc5 6. Qg4 (6. Nf3 Ne7 7. Bd3 Ng6
8. b4 Be7 9. Bb2 a5 10. b5 a4 11. O-O Nf4 12. c4 Nd7 13. cxd5 Nc5 {Robson,R
(2670)-Svidler,P (2729) Isle of Man 2019}) 6... Ne7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Nf3 f5 9.
exf6 {N} (9. Qg3 Nbc6 10. O-O Ng6 11. b4 Be7 12. Bb2 a6 13. Nbd2 b5 14. Nb3 Bd7
{Tari,A (2615)-Sadzikowski,D (2523) Reykjavik 2019}) 9... Rxf6 10. Qh4 h6 11.
O-O Nbc6 12. c4 Qf8 13. Nc3 Ng6 14. Qh5 Nge5 15. Nxe5 Rxf2 16. Be3 Bxe3 17.
Rxf2 $6 (17. Kh1 $1) 17... Bxf2+ 18. Kh1 Nxe5 19. Qxe5 Qf6 $6 (19... dxc4 $1
20. Bxc4 Qc5) 20. Qe2 dxc4 21. Bc2 $5 (21. Bxc4) 21... Qh4 22. Ne4 (22. Rf1 Bg3
23. h3 e5 24. Ne4) 22... Bd4 23. Rd1 Bxb2 (23... Be5 24. g3 Qe7) 24. Nd6 e5 $2
(24... Bd7) 25. Nxc4 Bd4 26. Qd3 Qf6 27. Qh7+ Kf7 28. Bd3 Ke7 29. Rf1 Qg5 30.
Bg6 e4 31. Rf7+ Ke6 32. Qg8 1-0
[Event "Jerusalem FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "Jerusalem ISR"]
[Date "2019.12.16"]
[Round "2.5"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2754"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "chessvibes"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2019.12.11"]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Qxd4 e6 (5... Nc6 6. Qf4 e6 7. Bd3
Nb4 8. Nc3 Bd7 9. h4 h5 10. Qg3 Ne7 11. Nd4 Qb6 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2775)
-Nepomniachtchi,I (2775) Paris 2019}) 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Qf4 h6 8. h4 {N} (8. Be3
Bd7 9. a3 g5 10. Qg4 Bg7 11. h4 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. hxg5 hxg5 14. Rxh8 Bxh8
15. Bxg5 {½-½ Beuchler,H (2070)-Eiber,M (2145) Germany 1997}) 8... g6 9. Bd3
a6 10. O-O Nge7 11. Ne2 Nf5 12. c3 Be7 13. Bxf5 gxf5 14. Qg3 Kf8 15. Be3 Bd7
16. Rfd1 Rc8 17. b3 b5 18. Rd2 Qc7 19. Rad1 Be8 20. Nf4 Rg8 21. Nxd5 Rxg3 22.
Nxc7 Rxf3 23. Bxh6+ Kg8 24. Nxe8 Nxe5 25. Nd6 Bxd6 26. Rxd6 Rfxc3 27. Rxa6 Rc2
28. Bf4 Ng4 29. f3 Nf6 30. Rd2 Nd5 31. Rxc2 Rxc2 32. g3 b4 33. h5 Kg7 34. Bg5
Nc3 35. Ra8 Ne2+ 36. Kf2 e5 37. h6+ Kh7 38. Rf8 Nd4+ 39. Kf1 Rc7 40. Bf6 Nxf3
41. Kf2 $2 (41. Rh8+ Kg6 {doesn't lead anywhere but}) (41. Ke2 {is still equal.
}) 41... Nh2 $1 {Knights are tricky in the endgame!} 42. Rh8+ (42. Bg5 Ra7 {
is not great either but perhaps more resilient.}) 42... Kg6 43. Rg8+ Kxh6 (
43... Kxf6 $2 44. h7 ({or} 44. Ke2)) 44. Ke2 Ng4 45. Bh4 Rc2+ 46. Kd3 Rxa2 {
This is just over.} 47. Kc4 f6 48. Kxb4 e4 49. Kc3 e3 50. b4 e2 51. Re8 Ne5 52.
g4 fxg4 53. b5 g3 54. Bxg3 Ra3+ 55. Kd2 Rxg3 56. Kxe2 Rb3 57. Rb8 Kg5 58. b6
Nd7 0-1
[Event "Jerusalem FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2019.12.17"]
[Round "19.1"]
[White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D97"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.12.06"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Nc6 {
The Russian GM did not spare superlatives about his opponent. "This line
became popular basically because of Maxime, who never lost a game in it."} 8.
Be3 {"Surely not the best move, but it is not played too often"
(Nepomniachtchi).} ({The main line is} 8. Be2 e5 9. d5 Nd4 10. Nxd4 exd4 11.
Qxd4 c6 12. Qc4 b5 13. Qxc6 Bd7 14. Qd6 Re8 15. e5 Ng4 {Yu,Y (2763) -Vachier
Lagrave,M (2774) Khanty-Mansiysk 2019}) 8... Ng4 ({"The idea (of the move
Bc1-e3) was to prevent:"} 8... e5 9. d5 Nd4 {(Nepomniachtchi).}) 9. e5 ({
The French GM revealed that he spent a lot of time on the clock trying to
clarify the situation after} 9. Bg5 {and was unprepared for the move in the
game.}) 9... Nxe3 {Nepomniachtchi considered this decision creative but
strategically dangerous for Black as White gets a strong center.} ({However,
Black always has to be careful about the d4-d5 break, for example:} 9... Be6
10. Qa4 a6 11. d5 $1 Nxe3 (11... Bxd5 12. Qxg4) 12. fxe3 Bxd5 13. O-O-O e6 14.
e4) 10. fxe3 Bg4 11. h3 {N} ({An email game ended peacefully after} 11. Be2 e6
12. O-O-O Ne7 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 c6 15. Ne4 Nd5 16. Rhe1 Qe7 17. Kb1 f6 18.
exf6 Nxf6 19. Nc5 Rae8 20. e4 Nd7 21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22. Rf1 Kh8 23. e5 {½-½ (23)
Sladek,V (2173)-Cohen,D (2085) ICCF email 2006}) 11... Bxf3 12. gxf3 e6 13. h4
{White's game is easy and straightforward. Behind the huge center he can build
a strong kingside attack.} Ne7 14. f4 b5 $1 {The only chance to create some
counterplay.} (14... Nf5 15. Rh3 Nxh4 16. O-O-O {only helps White to open
files against the enemy king.}) 15. Qc5 ({Black is indeed taking over the
initiative after} 15. Nxb5 Rb8 ({or the immediate} 15... Nd5) 16. O-O-O Nd5 17.
Rh3 Qd7) 15... Nf5 16. Kf2 ({With the queen away from the e3-pawn,
Vachier-Lagrave would be happy to get three pawns for a piece in the line} 16.
Rh3 Nxe3 17. Rxe3 Qxh4+ 18. Kd2 Qxf4) 16... f6 17. Rd1 ({Probably even better
is the immediate} 17. Ne4 $1 fxe5 18. dxe5 Bh6 19. Re1 $1 {Consolidating with
an advantage.} ({Not good is} 19. Nf6+ Rxf6 20. exf6 Qxf6 {when Black builds
an initiative on the dark squares.})) 17... b4 18. Qxb4 Rb8 19. Qa3 fxe5 {
Vachier-Lagrave is trying to open as many files as he can but misses an
important, cementing move by his opponent.} ({There would be "a big clash"
after Black's best move} 19... c5 {"...but I feel White should be all right"
(Nepomniachtchi). Then a possible line runs} 20. dxc5 Qc8 21. exf6 Bxf6 22. Ne4
Rxb2+ 23. Kg1 Bg7 24. h5 Qc6 {when it is not clear who is attacking whom.}) 20.
dxe5 Qe8 21. Bg2 Bxe5 {Consistently opening the white king.} 22. fxe5 Nxh4+ 23.
Kg1 Nxg2 24. Ne4 $1 {Missed from afar by Vachier-Lagrave. Nepomniachtchi not
only covers his king; he is getting ready to mate first.} ({The Frenchman
apparently expected} 24. Kxg2 Qc6+ 25. e4 Qb6 {when he gets enough for the
piece after both} 26. Rhf1 ({Or:} 26. Rh3 Qf2+ 27. Kh1 Rxb2) 26... Qe3) 24...
Rd8 {"A good try but not enough" (Vachier-Lagrave).} ({Here} 24... Qc6 {
no longer works due to} 25. Qe7 $1 Rf7 26. Nf6+ {and White mates.}) 25. Rc1 $1
{White's attack is stronger.} (25. Rxd8 {would have complicated matters after}
Qxd8 26. Kxg2 Qd5 27. Rh4 Rf5) 25... Qb5 {A desperate try.} ({The more obvious
attacking possibility} 25... Rd5 26. Nf6+ Rxf6 27. exf6 Rg5 {would be simply
met with} 28. Rc5 $1) 26. Qe7 $1 {Without the queen Black cannot defend his
king.} Rd7 27. Nf6+ ({Even better is} 27. Qxe6+ Kh8 28. Nf6) 27... Rxf6 28.
Qxf6 Rf7 ({Here the last slim chance to defend is associated with} 28... Nxe3
29. Qxe6+ Kf8 {although then too White has a win with} 30. Rh3 Qe2 31. Qf6+ Kg8
({Or} 31... Rf7 32. Qh8+ Ke7 33. Rxc7+) 32. Qf3 {The rooks are too strong in
the endgame.}) 29. Qd8+ Rf8 30. Qxc7 Rf7 31. Qd8+ Rf8 32. Qe7 h5 ({Or a
beautiful mate after} 32... Rf7 33. Rc8+ Kg7 34. Qxf7+ Kxf7 35. Rxh7#) 33.
Qxe6+ Kg7 34. Rc7+ Kh6 35. Rxh5+ Kxh5 36. Qh3+ 1-0
[Event "Jerusalem FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2019.12.21"]
[Round "28.1"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A33"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "192"]
[EventDate "2019.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.12.06"]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Ndb5 Ne5 8.
Bg2 a6 9. Qa4 Rb8 10. Na3 Bc5 ({A more or less equal game led to the other
retreat of the bishop after} 10... Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Bf4 d6 13. b4 Qc7 14.
Rac1 Ng6 15. Be3 b6 16. Qb3 Bb7 17. f3 Rfc8 18. Rfd1 Ne5 {Lupulescu,C (2643)
-Howell,D (2694) Isle of Man 2019}) 11. O-O O-O 12. Rb1 Qb4 {N A novelty.
Nepomniachtchi is happy to play an endgame in a Maroczy-bind formation.} ({
An earlier game saw White pressing after} 12... d6 13. b4 Bd4 14. Qb3 Bd7 15.
e3 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 Rfc8 17. c5 Qc7 18. Bb2 b6 19. Rfc1 bxc5 20. bxc5 Nd5 21. Qd4
Rxb2 22. Rxb2 dxc5 23. Qd2 c4 {Although the game ended quickly in a draw, my
impression is that Black did not have enough for the exchange. Nihal,S (2598)
-Rodshtein,M (2699) Brest 2019}) 13. Qd1 ({The more forcing line} 13. Qxb4 Bxb4
14. Bf4 d6 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Bxa3 17. Bxe5 dxe5 18. bxa3 f5 {was probably
well explored in the Russian's opening lab.}) 13... d6 {The bishop should be
defended.} ({Greediness will be punished in the line} 13... Nxc4 $2 14. Nc2 Qb6
15. Na4 Qc7 16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. b3 {when White wins material.}) (13... Ba7 14.
Bf4 {does not seem fun for Black either.}) ({However} 13... Be7 {might be
playable.}) 14. Na4 {Wei wins the bishop pair. It does not seem like a
significant achievement yet, but it might become a serious advantage later.} b5
15. Nxc5 Qxc5 16. cxb5 ({Nothing changes} 16. b4 Qc7 17. cxb5 axb5 18. Qd4 Bd7)
16... axb5 17. Bg5 Ba6 ({The immediate} 17... Bb7 $5 {might have been simpler.}
) 18. Nc2 b4 19. Nd4 Bb7 20. Rc1 Qa5 21. Bxb7 Rxb7 22. Bxf6 gxf6 {This is the
maximum that Wei could get out of the opening: a ruined kingside pawn
structure around the enemy king. The problem is that it is not that easy to
make use of it.} 23. Qb3 Ra8 24. f4 Qa7 25. e3 Nd7 26. Qd1 {This sacrifices
the pawn but brings the queen close to the kingside. White is not at risk yet;
he can practically force a draw in the next few moves.} Qxa2 27. Qg4+ Kh8 28.
Qh5 Kg8 29. Qg4+ Kh8 30. Qh5 Kg8 31. Nb5 {Wei decides to risk.} ({In hindsight,
the three-fold repetition} 31. Qg4+ {is not a bad idea.}) 31... Rxb5 $1 {
Forced but good.} 32. Qxb5 Qxb2 33. Rb1 {Here and on the next move White can
never capture anything due to the mating threats:} (33. Qxd7 $4 Ra2) 33... Qc2
34. Rfc1 {A strange decision. In the developing position only Black can play
for the win.} ({Pawns are poisonous too:} 34. Qxb4 $4 Ra2) ({However, White
should have already allowed the perpetual and the point split with} 34. Ra1
Rxa1 35. Rxa1 b3 36. Ra7 b2 37. Rb7 Qc1+ 38. Kf2 Qc2+ 39. Kf3 Qd1+) 34... Qd2
35. Qxb4 Qxe3+ 36. Kh1 Ra2 37. Rc8+ Kg7 {The white king is chronically weak,
and Nepomniachtchi can play for the win without any risk forever.} 38. Rb2 Qf3+
(38... Ra1+ 39. Rb1 Qf3+ 40. Kg1 Ra2 41. Rb2) ({Here and on the next move,
strong is} 38... Ra3 $1 {with the idea to transfer the rook to d1 via the
d3-square to avoid the blockade of the white rook.}) 39. Kg1 Qd1+ (39... Ra3 $1
) 40. Kg2 Ra1 41. Qb5 (41. Kh3 $5 {at once, keeping all the rooks is
interesting as well.}) 41... f5 {The first move after the time control throws
away most of Black's advantage.} ({The other pawn should have been advanced:}
41... h5 $1 {when White is in big trouble. For example:} 42. Qe2 Qd5+ 43. Kh3
Qf5+ 44. Kg2 h4 $1 {and the inclusion of one extra attacking unit tips the
scales in favor of the aggressor.}) 42. Qe2 Qd5+ 43. Kh3 Nf6 {Nepomniachtchi
is slowly bringing his pieces around the enemy king. There is no immediate
improvement of the attack, but Wei has no clear way to defend either. The
constant doubt and hesitation are skillfully exploited by the Russian GM.} 44.
Rbb8 ({Stronger is to force the black queen back with} 44. Rd2 $1 Qb7 45. Rd8
d5) 44... Ra2 45. Rc2 Rxc2 46. Qxc2 Qf3 47. Rb3 Qf1+ 48. Qg2 Qe1 49. Qb2 Kg6
50. Kg2 ({Here the computer likes the maneuver} 50. Ra3 Nd5 51. Ra2 {to unite
the major white pieces.}) 50... d5 51. Rb8 Qe4+ 52. Kh3 (52. Kg1 $5 {seems
more reasonable. The impression is that Wei was OK with the position of the
king and did not want to change his defensive setup.}) 52... Qf3 53. Rb3 Qf1+
54. Qg2 Qe1 55. Qc2 Qf1+ 56. Qg2 Qc4 57. Rb8 ({More accurate is} 57. Qf3 d4 58.
Qd3 Qd5 59. Qf3) 57... h6 58. Kh4 {Very, very optimistic.} Qd3 59. Rb2 Ng4 {
Nepomniachtchi sticks to his inquisition strategy.} ({However, this moment is
a good one to bring the pawn into motion as the white pieces are not
well-organized:} 59... d4 60. Rd2 Qc3 61. Qe2 Ne4 62. Rd3 Qc4) 60. Qe2 Qd4 {
In the next almost 30 moves seemingly nothing happens. Neither side makes
progress, but the slow grinding eventually gives fruits to Black.} 61. Kh3 Qg1
62. Qg2 Qd4 63. Qe2 Qc5 64. Qc2 Qg1 65. Qg2 Qe3 66. Qe2 Qd4 67. Qc2 Ne3 68. Qb3
Nd1 69. Re2 Nf2+ 70. Kg2 Ng4 71. Qb8 Nf6 72. Qb2 Qc5 73. Rc2 Qe3 74. Re2 Qa7
75. Qa2 Qc5 76. Qc2 Qd6 77. Qb2 Ne4 78. Qd4 Qa6 79. Rc2 Nf6 80. Rd2 Qa5 81. Re2
Qa3 82. Qb2 Qa7 83. Qa2 Qd7 84. Qb2 d4 85. Rd2 Qd5+ 86. Kg1 {It is time to
change the rhythm of the game.} d3 87. Qe5 $2 {And this immediately brings
Nepomniachtchi to victory.} ({Wei could have still held with} 87. Qa3 $1 Qd4+
88. Kg2 Qe4+ 89. Kh3 Ng4 90. Qf8 ({Not} 90. Rxd3 $4 Nf2+) 90... Qe3 91. Qg8+
Kf6 92. Ra2 {The rook is threatening mate from the a7-square in case the king
wants to run through the center. Therefore, it should all end peacefully after,
say:} d2 93. Qh8+) 87... Qe4 $1 {The threat of a double attack on e1 leaves
White no choice.} 88. Qxe4 fxe4 {But the endgame is hopeless for White.} 89.
Kf2 Nd5 90. Ke1 Kf5 91. Rd1 e5 92. Kd2 (92. fxe5 Kxe5 {followed by Ke5-d4, and
e4-e3 cannot save White either.}) 92... exf4 93. gxf4 Nxf4 94. Ra1 Ke5 95. Ra6
h5 96. Ra8 f5 {The pawns are unstoppable.} 0-1