[Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.01.16"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D53"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Be7 {The QGD specialists Kramnik and Short often used this line, which means it cannot be bad for Black.} 7. cxd5 ({It was great to see the return at least in online games of two living chess legends in the following game last year:} 7. e3 O-O 8. Bd3 c5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. O-O b6 12. Be4 Rb8 13. Rc1 Ba6 14. Re1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Nc5 {when Black did not have any problems out of the opening in Lautier,J (2658) -Kramnik,V (2753) Chess.com 2020}) 7... Nxd5 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. e4 {Now after the knight trade...} (9. Rc1 $5) 9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 O-O {...the position is similar to the Neo-Tarrasch Defense. It should be noted though that Carlsen has a lot of remarkable wins in this pawn structure (although he typically gets it from the Grunfeld Defense.)} 11. Bd3 c5 12. O-O cxd4 13. cxd4 b6 14. a4 {N A logical novelty. White frees himself of the isolated pawn and creates a weakness for the opponent instead.} ({An earlier game saw White trading way too many pieces after} 14. Rc1 Nf6 15. Qe2 Bb7 16. Rfd1 Rac8 17. h3 Rfd8 18. Rxc8 Rxc8 19. e5 Nd5 20. Qe4 g6 21. Qg4 Kg7 22. Nh4 Qg5 23. Qxg5 hxg5 {Obolentseva,A (2324)-Girya,O (2456) Moscow 2019}) 14... Bb7 15. a5 bxa5 16. Rxa5 Nf6 17. Re1 Rfd8 18. Qa1 {The world champion puts pressure on the queenside, but in reality he is waiting for a good moment to strike in the center.} Qc7 $1 {A cool move by Firouzja. The pawn is not in danger.} 19. h3 ({ After} 19. Rxa7 Rxa7 20. Qxa7 {Black would regain it with a draw after} Ra8 21. Qc5 Qxc5 22. dxc5 Rc8) 19... a6 20. Rc5 {Before doing anything concrete in the center, Carlsen tries a couple of other ideas.} ({The breakthrough is already possible:} 20. d5 exd5 21. e5 Ne4 22. Nd4 {with compensation for the pawn, but the world champion waits for a better moment.}) 20... Qf4 21. Re5 {Intending to trap the queen with g2-g3.} Nd7 22. Ra5 Nf6 {Not much progress here. Then it is time for the standard break:} 23. d5 $1 exd5 24. e5 {The point behind the sacrifice. Diagonals and files are opened for the white pieces, as well as a fabulous outpost in the center.} Ne4 {This diagonal should be locked.} 25. Qd4 {That is the difference with the similar line from above. Carlsen wants to gain a few tempi chasing the enemy queen backwards.} Rdc8 {So far, Firouzja has defended well and now he threatens to swap a pair of rooks with Rc8-c1.} 26. Raa1 ({Instead, White could have set a trap with} 26. Bf1 {since then} Rc1 $2 {drops material due to} ({However, Black can repeat the moves with} 26... Qf5 27. Bd3 Qf4) 27. g3) 26... a5 27. Rab1 Bc6 {Firouzja wants to keep his extra pawn.} ({However, a more cautious player, like Peter Leko or Tigran Petrosian, might have chosen the relieving} 27... Ba6 $5 {Black gives back the pawn but successfully dries the game after} 28. Bxa6 Rxa6 29. Qxd5 Nc3 (29... Ng5 $5 {in order to swap the knights also makes perfect sense.}) 30. Qd7 Qc4 31. Rb7 Qe6 {with a likely draw.}) 28. e6 $1 {Carlsen is not shy to sacrifice a second pawn in return for another fabulous outpost and more initiative!} fxe6 29. Ne5 Qf6 30. f3 ({Apparently, White did not sacrifice a couple of pawns only to chicken out and go into defense after} 30. Bxe4 dxe4 31. Nxc6 Rxc6 32. Qxe4 Rca6 33. Ra1) 30... Ng5 31. Rb6 {Pushing the black pieces even further.} Be8 32. Qe3 $1 {The most dangerous move for the second player.} ({The more forcing option} 32. f4 Ne4 33. f5 {allows Black a chance to trade the queens with} ({Once again} 33. Bxe4 dxe4 34. Qxe4 a4 {makes little sense for White.}) 33... Qe7 $1 34. fxe6 ({Or} 34. Rxe6 Qa7 $1 ({But beware of the trap} 34... Qc5 $2 35. Rxe4 $1 dxe4 36. Rxe8+ $1)) 34... Qc5 {and Black is safe.}) 32... a4 { If you do not know what to do, why not promote a new queen?} ({Instead:} 32... Nf7 {is not solidifying the position. It only helps White after} 33. Ng4 Qc3 34. Rxe6) 33. Ng4 Qd8 $1 {As expected, the machine is not impressed by White's play so far and promises a large advantage for the second player. Until Carlsen captures the pawn:} ({Instead:} 33... Qe7 {would have forced Black into gloomy defense with} 34. h4 Nf7 35. Rxe6 {As:} Qxh4 $4 {loses on the spot: } ({Therefore, the ugly} 35... Qf8 {should be played, but White is definitely happier here.}) 36. Rxe8+ Rxe8 37. Qxe8+ Rxe8 38. Rxe8#) 34. Rxe6 $1 {Then all is re-evaluated...} ({Now} 34. h4 {is not possible due to} d4 35. Qf4 Nh3+ 36. gxh3 Qxb6) 34... Nxe6 35. Qxe6+ Bf7 {An automatic defense and a human instinct to bring more defenders around the king that loses on the spot!} ({The only defense is} 35... Kh8 $1 {The point is that after} 36. Nxh6 {Black is not forced to take and has a chance to organize his defenders with} Bh5 $3 (36... gxh6 37. Qxh6+ Kg8 38. Bh7+ (38. Qh7+ Kf8 39. Qh8+ Kf7) 38... Kf7 39. Qg6+ Kf8 40. Qg8#) 37. Ng4 ({Or else the pin saves the day after} 37. Re5 Rc1+ 38. Kh2 Qc7) 37... Qf8 {It seems as White has nothing better than} 38. Re5 {when Black even has a choice to go for the risky double-edged position with} Rc1+ ({ Or he can practically force a draw instead with} 38... Qf7 39. Rxh5+ Qxh5 40. Ne5 Re8 {when White has a choice of perpetual checks but nothing more:} 41. Ng6+ ({Or} 41. Nf7+ Kg8 42. Nh6+ Kh8 (42... Kf8 43. Qg8+ $18 Ke7 44. Qxg7+ $18) 43. Nf7+) 41... Kh7 42. Nf4+ Kh8) 39. Kf2 Qf7 {and anything can still happen.}) 36. Nxh6+ $1 {Of course!} gxh6 37. Qxh6 {The light-squared bishop stands on the road of the black pieces and, therefore, he cannot survive.} Qc7 {After this, mate is inevitable.} ({More resilient is} 37... Rc7 38. Re5 Be8 39. Rg5+ Qxg5 40. Qxg5+ Kf8 {Although here too White should win, for instance after} 41. Qf4+ Rf7 42. Qd6+ Re7 43. Qf6+ Rf7 44. Qh8+ Ke7 45. Qe5+ Kf8 46. Qxd5) 38. Qh7+ Kf8 39. Qh8+ Bg8 40. Qh6+ {And Firouzja resigned, not waiting for the mate.} ( 40. Qh6+ Qg7 41. Qd6+ Kf7 42. Qe7#) 1-0 [Event "83rd Tata Steel Masters 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.16"] [Round "1.7"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Tari, Aryan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2625"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O Bg4 (6... Nd7 { is the more common way to play such positions.}) 7. h3 Bh5 8. g4 {Now if Black plays his bishop to g6, White would simply chop off the e5 pawn. Hence, sacrificing a piece becomes a necessity.} Nxg4 9. hxg4 Bxg4 10. Be3 Be7 11. Kg2 $1 (11. Kh1 {was played by Nakamura against Carlsen.} f5 $1 $17 12. Rg1 h5 13. Nc3 f4 14. Bd2 g5 15. Nb1 Bc5 16. Bc3 Bxf2 17. Nbd2 Qe7 18. Qf1 Bxg1 19. Qxg1 Bxf3+ 20. Nxf3 g4 21. Nxe5 Rg8 22. Rf1 Qg5 23. Qd4 Qh4+ 24. Kg1 Qg3+ 25. Kh1 Qh3+ 26. Kg1 g3 27. Nf3 g2 28. Re1 Qxf3 29. Qe5+ Kd8 30. Qf6+ Ke8 31. Bb4 c5 32. Bxc5 Kd7 33. Qf7+ {1-0 (33) Nakamura,H (2736)-Carlsen,M (2863) chess24.com INT 2020}) 11... f5 12. Qe1 {Anish knows his stuff.} Bxf3+ (12... O-O 13. Nxe5 $18) 13. Kxf3 f4 14. Bd2 g5 15. Bc3 Bf6 16. Nd2 Qe7 (16... Qd7 {might well be the improvement Black players are looking for here.}) 17. Rh1 h5 18. Ke2 g4 19. f3 g3 {After a series of very logical moves, we have reached a position where Black has these dangerous passed pawns in return for a piece. Anish's next task is to ensure that he manages to blockade these pawns and he does this in the most optimum way.} 20. Kf1 $1 {Absolutely not giving time to his opponent to get in h4-h3.} (20. Qf1 O-O-O {Using the queen to blockade is not a great idea.}) 20... h4 21. Rh3 (21. Kg2 h3+ 22. Rxh3 Rxh3 23. Kxh3 Qh7+ {would be a catastrophe.}) 21... a5 22. a4 b6 23. Kg2 c5 24. Qb1 Kf7 25. b3 Rad8 26. Nc4 Kg6 27. Qb2 Rh5 28. Rah1 {Everything is under control on the kingside. Now White has to decide the optimum moment when he would like to go for a breakthrough. Either with c3-d4 or c3-b4. Anish manages to win the game without both these ideas!} Rdh8 29. Qa1 Kg7 30. Bb2 Kg6 31. Qb1 Rd8 32. Qe1 Kg7 33. Qa1 Rdh8 34. Na3 Kg6 35. Nb5 Bg7 36. Nc3 Qd8 37. Ne2 R8h7 38. Qe1 Qd6 39. Qc3 c6 40. Qc4 Rh8 41. Ba3 Qf6 42. Qa6 Rb8 43. Bc1 Bh6 44. Qa7 Qd8 45. Bb2 Qc8 46. Qe7 Bf8 47. Nxf4+ $1 {A great game by Anish and a powerful start by him at the Wijk Aan Zee 2021.} (47. Nxf4+ exf4 48. Qf6+ Kh7 49. Qf7+ Kh6 50. Rxh4 $18) 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.16"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D53"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 { Moving to some kind of Semi-Tarrasch.} (7... exd5 {would be a normal way to continue in the Queen's Gambit Territory.}) 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. e4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 { Usually the dark squared bishops in such positions are not exchanged and Black goes c5, cxd4 and then Bb4+ exchanging the bishops. In this case, the bishops are already exchanged and this should give Black a slightly better version.} O-O 11. Bd3 c5 12. O-O cxd4 13. cxd4 b6 14. a4 $5 {The plan is to play a5, and then leave Black with a pawn weakness on the queenside.} (14. Qe2 Bb7 15. Rad1 {would be the standard way to continue here.}) 14... Bb7 (14... a6 {Weakens the b6 square unnecessarily.}) 15. a5 bxa5 16. Rxa5 Nf6 17. Re1 Rfd8 18. Qa1 Qc7 19. h3 {Taking care of the back rank weakness.} (19. Rxa7 Rxa7 20. Qxa7 Ra8 21. Qc5 Qxc5 22. dxc5 Nd7 23. Rc1 Rc8 $11 {Black recovers the pawn with an equal position.}) 19... a6 20. Rc5 (20. Bxa6 Bxe4 $17) 20... Qf4 21. Re5 { White has quite a dangerous threat here.} Nd7 (21... Rac8 $2 22. g3 Qxf3 23. Re3 $16 {The queen is trapped.}) 22. Ra5 Nf6 {Here Magnus could have taken a draw, but instead decides to go all in.} 23. d5 $1 {The exclamation is for the fighting spirit. This is quite a thematic pawn sacrifice in this structure, but the placement of White pieces is quite odd here.} exd5 24. e5 Ne4 25. Qd4 { White's compensation is derived from the fact that the b7 bishop is now quite uncomfortably placed. Also the board is split into two parts where the White pieces are better positioned. That being said, all of this is only good for compensation and not for an advantage.} Rdc8 26. Raa1 a5 {The moment Alireza gets a chance, he starts pushing his pawn.} 27. Rab1 Bc6 (27... Ba6 28. Bxa6 Rxa6 29. Qxd5 Nc3 30. Qd7 Qc4 31. Rb7 Qe6 $11) 28. e6 $5 {Magnus goes for another pawn sacrifice, in the spirit of Tal. This time he would like to free the e5 square for his knight.} (28. Rb6 $5 Bd7 {Stopping e6 plans.} 29. Qxd5 Nc5 $11) 28... fxe6 29. Ne5 Qf6 (29... Be8 30. f3 $18) 30. f3 $6 (30. Bxe4 { was the more prudent and objective way to continue.} dxe4 31. Nxc6 Rxc6 32. Qxe4 $11 {And sooner or later the game will end in a draw.}) 30... Ng5 31. Rb6 Be8 32. Qe3 {With this move, White does threaten to play Ng4, followed by h4 when the e6 pawn would be lost. so it is important for Black to take some prophylactic measures against it.} a4 {According to Magnus, this was a very dangerous move played by Alireza. It might survive, but the pressure on him now to find the only moves is immense.} (32... h5 $5 $17) (32... Qd8 $5 $17) 33. Ng4 Qd8 34. Rxe6 $5 (34. h4 d4 35. Qf4 Nh3+ 36. gxh3 Qxb6 37. Qe4 Kf8 { This also looks very scary for Black, but somehow Firouzja can hold on here.}) 34... Nxe6 35. Qxe6+ Bf7 $2 {The final mistake of the game, and as we always say, Blunders do not happen in vaccuum. Carlsen put sustained pressure on his opponent, and he slipped here.} (35... Kh8 36. Nxh6 Bh5 {The position is still very dangerous for Black, but with accurate defense he should be able to hold a draw.} 37. Ng4 Qf8 38. Re5 Rc1+ 39. Kf2 Qf7 $13) 36. Nxh6+ $1 gxh6 37. Qxh6 { Threatening a mating attack with the bishop queen and the rook.} Qc7 (37... Ra7 38. Bh7+ Kh8 39. Bf5+ Kg8 40. f4 $1 {Threatening Re3.} (40. Bxc8 $2 Re7 $1 $11) 40... Re7 41. Bh7+ Kh8 42. Bd3+ Kg8 43. Re5 $1 Rxe5 44. Bh7+ Kh8 45. Bg6+ Kg8 46. Qh7+ Kf8 47. Qxf7#) 38. Qh7+ Kf8 39. Qh8+ Bg8 40. Qh6+ (40. Qh6+ Qg7 (40... Kf7 41. Bg6+ Kf6 42. Bh5+ Kf5 43. g4#) 41. Qd6+ Kf7 42. Qe7#) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.17"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Grandelius, Nils"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2663"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] {[%evp 0,80,28,-5,14,18,18,2,1,-31,15,6,9,14,9,2,26,-1,27,39,42,22,26,0,29,3,4, -6,-10,-10,-17,-59,-32,-47,-62,-73,-45,-45,-50,-19,-13,-14,-15,-9,-9,-17,-15, -9,-23,-38,-113,-162,7,-137,-169,-162,-152,-207,-230,-219,-223,-211,-206,-204, -215,-219,-231,-230,-187,-187,-150,-253,-258,-262,-209,-237,-273,-261,-270, -274,-309,-316,-334]} 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. b3 e5 4. Bb2 d6 5. Nc3 g6 6. g3 Bg7 7. Bg2 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. d3 Rb8 (9... h6 10. a3 a5 11. Nd2 Rb8 12. Nb5 Be6 13. Ne4 Nc8 14. Nec3 Qd7 {Andreikin,D (2725)-Jones,G (2670) Chess.com 2020}) 10. Ne1 Be6 11. Nd5 Qd7 12. Nc2 Bh3 13. Qd2 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 f5 15. b4 f4 {N} ( 15... cxb4 16. Ncxb4 b5 17. Nxc6 Nxc6 18. Bc3 Ne7 {Xu,Y (2532)-Li,Y (2432) China 2019}) 16. bxc5 dxc5 17. e4 f3+ 18. Kh1 Nd4 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Ne3 Qd7 21. Bxd4 exd4 22. Nd5 Rbe8 23. Rg1 Qg4 24. Qd1 $2 {This is a big mistake.} ({ White can defend with} 24. Qa5 $1 Re5 25. Nf4 g5 ({If} 25... Bh6 26. Qxa7 Bxf4 27. gxf4 Qxf4 28. Rg3 {is OK for White}) 26. Nd5 Qh3 27. Qc7 $1 Re6 28. Qd7 $1 {and Black cannot double on the h-file.}) 24... Re5 25. Nf4 {[%cal Rf4h5] Forced, but not enough.} ({White cannot proceed without this knight move:} 25. Qf1 $2 Rh5 26. Rb1 Rh6 27. Rxb7 Qh5 28. h4 Qxh4+ $1 29. gxh4 Rxh4+ 30. Qh3 Rxh3#) 25... g5 26. h3 {Resigning to the idea that the knight will be lost.} ( 26. Nd5 Re6 {is a nightmare over the h-file.}) 26... Qd7 27. Qxf3 Re7 28. Rg2 Qc7 29. Qh5 gxf4 30. gxf4 Qxf4 31. Qxc5 Qh4 32. Rg3 Kh8 33. Rag1 b6 34. Qd5 Qf4 35. c5 bxc5 36. Qxc5 Qe5 37. Qc6 Ref7 38. Rg5 Qf4 39. e5 Qxf2 40. Qe4 Re7 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.17"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B34"] [WhiteElo "2679"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nb3 d6 (7... O-O 8. Be2 d6 9. g4 a5 10. g5 Nd7 11. a4 Nb4 12. h4 b5 {Ponomariov,R (2631) -Kuzubov,Y (2643) Chess.com 2020}) 8. f3 Be6 9. Qd2 d5 10. Bb5 {N} (10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. Qxd5 Bxd5 13. O-O-O O-O-O 14. Be2 f5 {Erdogan,A (1932) -Trubchaninov,T (2183) Kallithea 2016}) 10... dxe4 11. Qxd8+ Rxd8 12. fxe4 Bd7 13. O-O-O Ng4 14. Bc5 Bxc3 15. bxc3 b6 16. Bg1 Nce5 17. Bd3 Ba4 18. Bd4 Nxd3+ 19. cxd3 Rxd4 20. cxd4 Nf2 21. Kd2 Nxh1 22. Rxh1 e6 23. Nc1 Ke7 24. Ne2 Bd7 25. a4 Rc8 26. Nc3 f5 27. Rb1 fxe4 28. dxe4 e5 29. Kd3 exd4 30. Kxd4 Rc5 31. Nd5+ Kf7 32. Rf1+ Kg7 33. Nc3 Be6 34. Nb5 Rc2 35. Ke5 Bg8 36. Rg1 a5 37. Nd6 Bb3 38. Rb1 Bxa4 39. Rxb6 Rxg2 40. h4 Rh2 41. Ra6 Rxh4 42. Rxa5 Bd1 43. Ra1 Rh1 44. Ne8+ Kh6 45. Nf6 $6 Kg5 $1 {A nice little tactical shot by Carlsen missed by Anton.} 46. Ra7 ({The point is} 46. Nxh7+ $2 Rxh7 47. Rxd1 Re7+ $1 48. Kd6 (48. Kd5 Rd7+) 48... Rxe4 {with a winning rook endgame.}) 46... h5 47. Nh7+ Kh6 48. Nf8 Rf1 49. Rh7+ Kg5 50. Ne6+ Kh4 51. Rg7 Rg1 52. Nd4 g5 53. Nf5+ Kh3 54. Ne3 Bf3 55. Kf5 $1 {"I missed the defensive idea with 55.Kf5 that he had," said Carlsen.} Kh4 ({Carlsen: "I thought I could go} 55... Re1 {but he had a trick there with} 56. Rxg5 {and} Rxe3 57. Kf4 {so after that it wasn't so easy. I don't know if I missed something after that."}) 56. Ke5 Bg4 57. Kd4 Bh3 58. e5 Ra1 59. Rg6 Ra4+ 60. Kd5 Ra5+ 61. Kd4 Ra8 62. e6 Re8 63. Ke5 Bg4 64. Kd6 Rxe6+ 65. Rxe6 Bxe6 66. Kxe6 Kg3 67. Kf5 Kf3 68. Kxg5 Kxe3 69. Kxh5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.17"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D12"] [WhiteElo "2668"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] {[%evp 0,64,18,18,20,6,29,27,30,45,29,15,19,19,39,9,18,18,23,35,24,-18,-2,-11, 6,4,8,10,20,17,19,28,-41,-40,-40,-65,-44,-66,-64,-84,-76,-141,-106,-50,-39, -140,-117,-112,-84,-129,61,76,-279,-279,-272,-184,-321,-251,-326,-417,-425, -416,-432,-650,-713,-713,-737]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Bd2 Be7 9. Nxg6 hxg6 {Caruana chose a very solid line that he tested last year at the (ongoing) Candidates.} 10. Qc2 Nbd7 ({ Instead, Grischuk chose to put another pawn on a light square against Ding:} 10... a6 11. O-O-O b5 12. c5 Qc7 13. g4 Rxh2 14. Bd3 Rxh1 15. Rxh1 Qg3 16. Qd1 Nbd7 17. Qf1 Qc7 18. Rh8+ Nf8 {with compensation for the pawn in Ding,L (2791) -Grischuk,A (2777) Chess.com 2020}) 11. O-O-O {Donchenko castles under a pawn attack but hopes to open the center and make it to the enemy king first.} (11. cxd5 {is the other continuation.}) 11... a6 {Here a7-a6 is aiming for a quick queenside action.} ({The American GM successfully defended the black color in his previous game after} 11... Nb6 12. c5 Nbd7 13. Kb1 Qb8 14. h4 g5 15. Be1 g4 16. e4 gxf3 17. gxf3 b6 18. exd5 exd5 19. cxb6 axb6 {in Giri,A (2763)-Caruana, F (2842) Ekaterinburg 2020}) 12. g4 {N A novelty, played after 10 minutes of thought. But since Donchenko blitzed his next moves, it might have been only to refresh his memory.} ({An earlier game ended well for White after} 12. Be1 b5 13. c5 Qc8 14. g4 Bd8 15. h4 Bc7 16. Bd3 Qb7 17. h5 gxh5 18. g5 Ng8 19. g6 f5 20. e4 fxe4 21. fxe4 Ngf6 22. exd5 exd5 23. Qe2+ {Adly,A (2637) -Ibrahimov, R (2518) Riadh 2017}) 12... dxc4 13. Bxc4 b5 {Obvious, and somewhat provocative.} 14. Be2 {White simply retreated.} ({The other retreat} 14. Bb3 { does not seem to pose problems for Black after either the immediate} c5 ({ Or the more cunning} 14... Rc8 $5 {in order to preserve the d5-square in case of} 15. g5 Nd5) 15. g5 c4 16. Bxc4 bxc4 17. gxf6 Bxf6 18. Qa4 {with unclear play.}) ({However, the bishop sacrifice is very tempting:} 14. Bxe6 $5 fxe6 15. g5 {Then after both} Nh5 ({or} 15... Nd5 16. Qxg6+ Kf8 17. h4) 16. Qxg6+ Kf8 17. Qxe6 Bxg5 18. Kb1 {White has compensation for the piece due to the weakened black king. However, since Caruana was practically blitzing and knowing the high-level preparation of the American, there is little doubt that this was accurately checked at home.}) 14... c5 15. d5 $5 {The first real in-depth thought in the game (more than half an hour). As it was mentioned before White should logically try to get to the enemy king before the queenside explodes, and he is ready to part with a pawn for this aim.} ({ Apparently Black does not experience any problems after} 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Kb1 Rc8) 15... Nxd5 {And almost the same amount of time spent by Black.} ({ Definitely not} 15... exd5 $2 16. g5 {[%cal Rc3d5]}) 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. f4 { The point behind the sacrifice. White is ready to seize the light squares after Be2-f3!} b4 {In order to secure the a5-square for the queen.} ({The engine likes} 17... Qb6 18. Bf3 c4 {and claims approximate equality.} ({Or} 18... Rd8)) 18. e4 {Another tough decision by the German GM.} ({However,} 18. Bf3 {would be nicely met with} Qa5 19. Bxd5 Rc8 {when the c5-c4 break cannot be easily blocked, e.g.:} 20. Kb1 ({Or} 20. Bc4 Nb6 21. Kb1 Nxc4 22. Qxc4 Qb5 $1 23. Rc1 Rd8 {with pleasant endgame for Black.}) 20... c4 $1 21. Bxc4 Nb6 22. b3 Nxc4 23. bxc4 {with a promising position for the second player after both} Qb6 ({or} 23... Qc5)) 18... d4 $1 {This pawn will play an important part in Caruana's counterattack.} ({After the simplistic} 18... dxe4 $2 19. h4 $1 { is very strong in order to meet the castling with a mating attack:} (19. Qxe4 { is not bad either.}) 19... O-O 20. h5) ({Caruana might have been also tempted by the lines after} 18... c4 19. exd5 {Here both pawn advances seem promising for Black:} c3 $1 ({or} 19... b3 $1 20. axb3 cxb3 21. Qd3 O-O 22. Kb1 {when the Bd2 covers the a5-square, thus stopping the mate for the time being.}) 20. Be3 cxb2+ 21. Kb1 Rc8 {with strong initiative for the second player. But in hindsight, this might have been the lesser evil for White.}) 19. e5 {With the idea of e5-e6!} ({In case of} 19. h4 {Black's attack runs by itself with} c4 20. Bxc4 Rc8 21. b3 Nb6 22. Qd3 Nxc4 23. bxc4 Qc7 24. Kb2 {Now Black may even reject the pawn and play for attack with} Qc5 ({Or cash in with} 24... Qxc4 25. Qxc4 Rxc4)) 19... Nb6 {Out of the tempo.} ({Although} 19... c4 {might have been equally good:} 20. Bxc4 ({There is no time for} 20. e6 d3 $1 21. exf7+ Kf8 22. Bxd3 cxd3 23. Qxd3 Nf6 {and Black should convert the piece.}) 20... Nb6 21. Kb1 Rc8 22. b3 {Here} Rh3 $1 {leads to an even better version of the attacking position from above.}) 20. e6 {Donchenko is opening the black king.} Qd5 $1 { But Caruana is as cold-blooded as he can be.} 21. exf7+ Kf8 $1 {The king is pretty safe here.} ({But not} 21... Kxf7 22. Bd3 Qxa2 23. Bxg6+ Kg8 24. Rde1 { when White has his chances.}) 22. h4 ({Maybe he should have tried to defend with} 22. b3 {although Black's attack is running by itself here as well with} a5) 22... Qxa2 23. Qxg6 b3 {Both the kings are exposed, but the black one is hiding nicely behind the opponent's own pawn.} 24. Be1 c4 $1 {An excellent inclusion of another piece in the attack. The dark-squared bishop is decisively reinforcing the queenside pressure.} ({The endgame does not promise as much:} 24... Qa1+ 25. Qb1 Qxb1+ 26. Kxb1 a5 27. g5) 25. Rxd4 ({Or else mate: } 25. h5 c3 26. bxc3 Ba3#) 25... Na4 26. Qb1 Ba3 $1 {The point. White is helpless.} 27. Qxa2 ({Or else Black mops up the white pieces:} 27. bxa3 b2+ 28. Kc2 Qb3+ 29. Kd2 Qc3+) 27... bxa2 28. Kc2 Rb8 {Caruana extracts the maximum out of the position.} ({He is not happy with the extra piece after} 28... a1=Q 29. Bb4+ Bxb4 30. Rxa1 Nb6) 29. Rd8+ ({Or else mate:} 29. bxa3 Rb2+ 30. Kd1 a1=Q#) 29... Rxd8 30. bxa3 c3 $1 {Black is winning another piece:} 31. Bg3 Rd2+ 32. Kb3 Nc5+ 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.18"] [Round "3.6"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B53"] [WhiteElo "2677"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qe3 Nf6 6. Be2 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. Rd1 O-O 9. Nc3 Be6 10. Nd5 Rc8 11. c3 Re8 12. Qf4 Qa5 13. Qh4 Nxd5 {With this move MVL decides to sacrifice his queen.} ({However, perhaps even more promising is} 13... Bxd5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. b4 Ndxb4 16. cxb4 Qxb4 17. Qxb4 Nxb4 18. Rb1 Nxa2) 14. exd5 Bxd5 15. b4 Bxf3 16. bxa5 Bxe2 17. Rd5 Bxc3 18. Rb1 Nb4 19. Rd4 Bxd4 ({Earlier MVL was planning} 19... Bd3 $2 {but here he noticed} 20. Rdxb4 {and White wins.}) 20. Qxd4 Nc6 21. Qd5 Ba6 22. Bg5 Ne5 23. Be3 Rc3 24. Rb3 Rc2 25. Rb1 Rc3 26. Rb3 Rc2 27. Rb1 Rec8 28. h3 R2c3 29. Rb3 Rc2 30. Rb4 R2c3 31. Rb3 Rc2 32. Rb4 R2c3 33. Rb3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.01.18"] [Round "3.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [WhiteClock "0:39:17"] [BlackClock "0:37:00"] {[%evp 0,101,19,31,34,19,13,-6,28,40,37,40,40,37,39,31,48,10,11,24,37,25,33,14, 59,-104,-42,-13,-3,-9,-16,-36,-43,-170,-149,-166,-71,-82,-82,-143,-31,0,0,0,0, -274,-252,0,0,0,0,-55,-14,-97,76,71,59,132,105,114,129,68,70,70,68,70,68,70,70, 72,66,66,89,77,73,79,148,88,64,88,88,95,93,47,69,27,70,78,72,63,61,60,70,48,56, 34,34,74,74,80,67,58,58,81]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {Challenging Caruana on his own territory, and this is not for the first time! The American GM basically paved his way for the WWC holding the black color in Berlin Candidates with the Petroff, whereas the Polish GM has the defense as a major part of his repertoire.} 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 {The sharpest reply against the Petroff.} Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nd7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O Nf6 10. Bd3 ({ Duda did well in an earlier game last year after:} 10. h4 c5 11. Bg5 Be6 12. a3 d5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Ng5 c4 15. Be2 Qb6 16. Qe3 Qxe3+ 17. fxe3 Bxg5 18. hxg5 f6 19. gxf6 Rxf6 {Karjakin,S (2752) -Duda,J (2757) Chess.com INT 2020}) 10... c5 { [#]} 11. Rhg1 {N A novelty. And a venomous one. White is ready to advance the g-pawn.} ({Prior to this game the theoretical highway was:} 11. Rhe1 Be6 { Last year both players discussed the consequences of:} 12. a3 ({Whereas before that Caruana successfully defended the black color in a game from the world championship match after:} 12. Kb1 Qa5 13. c4 Qxd2 14. Bxd2 h6 15. Nh4 Rfe8 16. Ng6 Ng4 17. Nxe7+ Rxe7 18. Re2 Ne5 {Carlsen,M (2835)-Caruana,F (2832) London 2018}) 12... c4 13. Bf1 Ne4 14. Qe2 d5 15. Bd4 b5 16. Nd2 Nd6 17. g3 Re8 18. Bg2 Nf5 {Caruana,F (2823) -Duda,J (2743) Chess.com INT 2020}) 11... b5 $5 { After some reflection, Duda answers in the most aggressive way.} ({In the future more careful measures like:} 11... Re8 $5 {will be tested.}) 12. g4 $5 { Caruana does not mind the bollocks.} ({Who would ever need a pawn like this:} 12. Bxb5 $6 Qa5 13. Bc4 d5) 12... Bb7 ({Or a pawn like that:} 12... Nxg4 13. Bh6 f5 14. h3 Nxh6 15. Qxh6 Bf6 {With strong attack for White after both:} 16. Nh4 $16 ({Or:} 16. Bxb5)) ({Whereas after:} 12... Bxg4 13. Bh6 {Black needs to sacrifice the exchange in order to stay in the game:} g6 $1 ({As:} 13... Bxf3 { leads to a spectacular mate after:} 14. Rxg7+ Kh8 15. Qg5 {With the threat of Rg7xh7!} Rg8 16. Qxf6 $1 {[%cal Rg7h7] and mate.})) 13. Qe2 c4 {This seems dangerous, but the white pieces are far more resilient than they seem.} 14. Bf5 Re8 (14... g6 {does not create a threat due to:} 15. Nd4 $1 gxf5 16. g5 Nd5 17. Nxf5 $18 {[%csl Rf6][%cal Rf5h6,Re3d4] and the machine claims winning attack for White.}) 15. Nd4 {Finally some thought by Caruana.} Nd5 {Provocation? Or more likely a blunder?} (15... g6 {is suggested by the engine, although this seems very dangerous for Black as well.}) 16. Ne6 $3 {The brilliant point behind White's play. All the white pieces make perfect sense now. Black needs to walk his way through on a very thin road now, on the edge of the abyss. And there is a strong, cold wind blowing...} Qa5 {The only move which Duda played after more than half an hour on the clock. A clear sign that he missed the opponent's last move (or something afterwards).} ({Obviously:} 16... fxe6 17. Bxe6+ {[%cal Re6g8,Re6d5,Rd1d5,Gb7d5]} Kh8 18. Bxd5 {cannot be recommended for the second player.}) 17. Qf3 $1 {Now everything hangs, and nothing can be taken! Let's try to understand what's happening.} Bf6 $1 {A sign for the courage. "It is not mate if I mate you first."} ({To start with:} 17... fxe6 $2 18. Bxe6+ Kh8 19. Bxd5 {still does not make sense for Black.}) ({The other piece capture:} 17... Nxe3 $2 {is best refuted with:} 18. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 19. Qxf7 Bf6 20. Rg3 $1 {[%cal Rg3h3] When the only defense:} Bg2 {fails short after:} 21. g5 $1 ({Or also:} 21. fxe3)) ({What if Black is more modest (materially) and tries to chase the enemy king instead with:} 17... Qxa2 $2 { Well, then still the same sacrifice:} 18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 19. Qxf7 Bf6 20. Rg3 $18 { is even worse for Black.}) ({However, a couple of hours and the help of the engines were not quite enough for me to determine the consequences of:} 17... Nxc3 $3 {Then White's only chance to play for the advantage seems to be:} 18. Qxb7 {Now Black needs to choose wisely and:} ({As the killer sacrifice from above with:} 18. Bxh7+ {does not win this time as in the line:} Kxh7 19. Qxf7 Bf6 20. Rg3 {Black has the resource:} Ne2+ 21. Kb1 Nxg3 {Even this position is extremely interesting to analyze as there are myriad of options for both sides, but the impression is that it should be a raw after:} 22. g5 Bxb2 $1 23. Rd4 $3 ({But not:} 23. Kxb2 Qb4+ 24. Ka1 Qc3+ 25. Kb1 Be4 {when Black defends successfully and decides the counterattack.}) 23... Bxd4 24. g6+ Kh8 25. Bxd4 Qe1+ 26. Kb2 Qb4+ $11 {= with perpetual.}) 18... Nxa2+ $1 {is the best choice.} ({For comparison:} 18... Nxd1 {Does not seem dangerous at a glance, but the line:} 19. Rxd1 fxe6 20. Bxe6+ Kh8 $1 ({Otherwise:} 20... Kf8 21. Qf3+ Bf6 22. g5 Rxe6 23. Qxa8+ Re8 24. Qf3 $18 {[%csl Rf6][%cal Rf3f8] Black loses a piece.} ) 21. Bf7 Qxa2 22. Bxe8 Rxe8 23. Qd7 Qa1+ 24. Kd2 Qa5+ 25. c3 Qd8 26. Qxb5 $16 {leads to a large advantage for White.}) 19. Kb1 Nb4 {White has won a piece and:} 20. Nc7 {Seems to finish the job, but:} Reb8 {Not only saves the rook, it brings more pieces into the attack. Computer is super-excited about the move:} 21. Qe4 {Until you ask it what do you do after:} ({Therefore, White needs to opt for:} 21. Qf3 $1 Qxc7 {Black could not completely solidify his position; the sacrifice is still possible:} ({Here:} 21... c3 22. bxc3 Na2 { is spectacularly refuted with:} 23. Bxh7+ $3 ({The move order cannot be changed:} 23. Nd5 b4 24. cxb4 Nxb4 25. Nxe7+ {As now Black can hide the king.} Kh8 {Mate looks inevitable for White; however, there is a brilliant interference sacrifice:} ({But not:} 25... Kf8 26. Be6 $1) 26. Bb6 $3 {When anything is still possible:} Qxb6 (26... axb6 27. Qc3) 27. Kc1 d5 $18 {and either player can still win.}) 23... Kxh7 24. Nd5 {The main point is that in the line:} b4 $2 ({Perhaps Black should try here:} 24... Nxc3+ 25. Nxc3 Qb4+ 26. Kc1 Qxc3 27. Qe4+ Kg8 28. Qxe7 $18 {although the extra piece should decide eventually.}) 25. Qf5+ Kh8 26. Qh5+ Kg8 27. Nxe7+ $18 {[%cal Re7g8,Rh5a5] picking up the queen on the opposite wing!}) 22. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 23. Qxf7 { With strong attack once more for White. For example:} Qb7 ({Or:} 23... Rf8 24. Qh5+ Kg8 25. g5 $1 Rf5 26. Qh3 $1 Qc8 27. g6 {and White's attack should decide. }) 24. Qf5+ Kg8 25. Qe6+ Kf8 26. Rg3 $1 Bh4 27. Rh3 Qe7 28. Qg6 {± The attack is more important than the piece.}) 21... c3 $3 {It transpires that Black has the winning attack after:} 22. bxc3 Na2 $1 23. Bd4 b4) 18. g5 $3 {I am faster, thinks Caruana. The move in the game deprives Black of some extra possibilities.} ({For instance:} 18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 19. g5 Bxc3 {transposes to the game.} ({But it also allows an additional option for Black:} 19... Rxe6 { True, it does not seem to work after:} 20. gxf6 Rxf6 21. Qh5+ Kg8 22. Rxd5 Bxd5 {As White has the fantastic resource:} 23. Bd4 $3 ({But not the obvious:} 23. Qxd5 Re8 24. Bd4 Qxa2 25. Kd2 Rfe6 {when White needs to force a draw with:} 26. Rxg7+ Kf8 27. Rxf7+ Kxf7 28. Qf3+ $11 {= and perpetual.}) 23... Qxa2 24. Kd2 $3 {with mating attack.}) 20. g6+ $1 $16) ({And the obvious capture:} 18. Rxd5 Rxe6 $1 (18... Qxa2 $5) 19. Bxh7+ Kf8 20. Kb1 Rae8 21. g5 $13 {promises White compensation, but the game remains unclear.}) 18... Bxc3 $8 {The only move.} ({ Everything else loses, like:} 18... Qxa2 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Qh5+ Kg8 21. gxf6 Nxf6 22. Rxg7#) ({Or a sweeter mate in the line:} 18... Nxc3 19. gxf6 $1 Bxf3 20. Rxg7+ Kh8 21. Rxh7+ Kg8 22. Rg1+ Bg2 (22... Bg4 23. Rxg4#) 23. Rxg2#) 19. Bxh7+ $1 {This was to be expected.} (19. bxc3 Nxc3 20. Qxb7 Nxa2+ (20... Ne2+ $4 $11 21. Kb2 fxe6 $11) 21. Kb1 Nc3+ 22. Kc1 Ne2+ 23. Kb1 Qb4+ 24. Ka1 Qa3+ 25. Kb1 Nc3#) 19... Kxh7 ({The king cannot lure behind the bishop:} 19... Kh8 20. Qh5 Bxb2+ 21. Kxb2 Qb4+ 22. Kc1 Qa3+ 23. Kd2 Qb4+ 24. Ke2 Nc3+ 25. Kf1 Bf3 26. Qxf3 Nxd1 27. Qxd1 $18 {as White's attack will continue for free.}) 20. g6+ $1 {Further exposing the black king.} fxg6 21. Ng5+ Kh8 {[%cal Rd1d5,Rf3h3, Rb2c3,Re3d4] It seems that Black's turn had come, and he will start his own checks on the dark squares. But Caruana had seen it all.} ({Or else it is even worse:} 21... Kg8 22. Qf7+ Kh8 23. Qxg6 {[%cal Rg6h7]}) 22. Bd4 $3 { Fantastique! The bishop defends the white king, threatens with mate on g7, and if it is taken it would be replaced by the white rook. What more can we say to promote the centralization!} ({Duda obviously checked the other forcing moves and had no fear of them:} 22. Rxd5 {should be met with:} Bxd5 $1 ({But beware of the wolf. Sorry, rook:} 22... Qxa2 $2 {would lose to:} 23. Qh3+ Kg8 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Rf5+ $1 {That's why such rooks should not be left on board! White is winning in all the lines:} Ke7 (25... gxf5 26. bxc3 $1 Qa1+ 27. Kd2 Qxg1 28. Qh8+ Ke7 29. Qxg7+ Kd8 {Now the neatest win is:} 30. Qxb7 $3 (30. Nf7+ Ke7 { is not as clear.}) 30... Rxe3 31. Qxa8+ Ke7 32. Qxa7+ Kf6 33. Qf7+ $1 {[%cal Rf7g7,Rg5f3] +- picking up the queen.}) (25... Bf6 26. Rxf6+ gxf6 27. Qf7#)) 23. Qxd5 Qxa2 {White has a perpetual, but hardly anything else:} 24. Nf7+ Kg8 25. Ng5+ {=}) ({Another perpetual cannot be avoided in the line:} 22. Qh3+ Kg8 23. Qh7+ Kf8 24. Qxg6 Bxb2+ 25. Kxb2 Qb4+ 26. Kc1 Qa3+ 27. Kd2 Qc3+ 28. Kc1 ({ Since:} 28. Ke2 $4 Nf4+ {drops the queen.})) ({The last obvious capture:} 22. bxc3 Qa3+ 23. Kd2 Qxc3+ 24. Kc1 {also leads to a draw:} ({As once more White cannot deviate with:} 24. Ke2 $2 Qxc2+ 25. Rd2 Nc3+) 24... Qa1+) 22... Bxd4 $1 {The right choice.} ({There is no time to bother the enemy king:} 22... Qxa2 $2 23. Qh3+ Kg8 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Qxg7# {as the white bishop decisively supports her majesty.}) 23. Rxd4 Nf6 $3 {Brilliant defense by Duda. In the sharp time-scramble that occurred, the Polish GM squeezed every little chance he could get.} ({No other option is promising chances of survival:} 23... Qxa2 24. Rh4+ Kg8 25. Qf7#) ({Neither does:} 23... Re1+ 24. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 25. Rd1 {save Black.}) 24. Qxb7 Rab8 25. Qf7 Re1+ {Diverting the white rook from the mating fourth rank.} ({Otherwise, mate again:} 25... Qxa2 $2 26. Rh4+ Nh5 27. Qxg6) 26. Rd1 $1 ({Not:} 26. Rxe1 $2 {which allows Black a chance to bring back his queen into the defense:} Qxe1+ 27. Rd1 Qxf2 28. Qxg6 Qe3+ 29. Kb1 Qe8 $1 {=}) 26... Rxg1 ({Rejecting:} 26... Rxd1+ 27. Kxd1 {that makes things worse for Black.}) 27. Rxg1 Re8 $1 {Threats and only threats can leave Black chances.} ({ After the obvious:} 27... Qxa2 {White wins, thanks to the neat:} 28. Rg3 $1 ({ Leko's} 28. Qxg6 {should also do.}) 28... Qa1+ 29. Kd2 Qxb2 30. Rh3+ Nh5 31. Qxg6 Qd4+ 32. Ke1 {and the king escapes the checks.}) 28. Ne6 $1 {And White needs to create threats, or else he risks to be mated too.} ({As in the line:} 28. c3 Qxa2 29. Qxg6 Qa1+ 30. Kc2 Re2#) 28... Rxe6 29. Qxe6 Qxa2 {The forced play is almost over. After a two-time repetition to gain a couple of minutes on the clock:} 30. Qh3+ Kg8 31. Qe6+ Kh7 32. Qh3+ Kg8 33. Qa3 {Caruana forces the trade of the queens. The arising endgame seems won for White as the long-ranged rook is especially superior to the short-legged knight in these endgames.} Qxa3 34. bxa3 {Next both centralized their kings.} Kf7 35. Kd2 a6 36. Ke3 Nd5+ 37. Kd4 Ne7 38. Re1 {And the time-trouble started to tell!} ({ White had excellent winning chances after:} 38. a4 $1 Ke6 ({Worse is:} 38... Nc6+ 39. Kd5 Nb4+ 40. Kxd6 Nxc2 41. axb5 axb5 42. Kc5 c3 43. Rc1 $1 {and White should win.}) 39. axb5 axb5 40. Rb1 ({Or perhaps even better:} 40. Rg5 Nf5+ 41. Kc3 Kf6 42. Rg1 {in order to try and overextend the enemy defenders.}) 40... Nc6+ 41. Kc3 d5 42. Rxb5 g5 {It is not yet clear though, but White has good chances.}) 38... Ke8 $1 39. a4 ({Here a most difficult maneuver:} 39. Re4 $1 Kd7 40. Rf4 Nf5+ 41. Kc3 Kc6 42. Kb4 {could have kept White's chances alive.}) 39... Kd7 40. axb5 axb5 41. Rg1 ({Nothing seems to yield:} 41. Kc3 Nd5+ 42. Kd2 Ne7) 41... Kc6 {Duda managed to consolidate his pieces in the time trouble, and his knight will soon start working amazingly well.} 42. h4 ({After:} 42. Rg5 d5 43. c3 Nf5+ 44. Ke5 Kc5 45. Rxg6 {Black has the key idea:} d4 $1 46. cxd4+ Nxd4 {and it might be White who is risking now.}) 42... Nf5+ 43. Kc3 Nxh4 44. Kb4 Nf3 $1 {The excellent knight saves the day.} 45. Rxg6 Nd4 46. c3 ({Or: } 46. Kc3 Kc5 47. Rxg7 b4+ 48. Kb2 Kd5 {and Black should be fine.}) 46... Ne2 47. Rxg7 Nf4 48. Ka5 {Resigning to the draw.} (48. Ka3 {should not have changed anything, though} Ne2 49. Kb2 d5) 48... Ne2 49. Kb4 Nf4 50. Ka5 Ne2 51. Kb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.18"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Tari, Aryan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2625"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 ({ The main alternative is} 7. Bg5 Be7 8. e3 O-O {and here} 9. Rd1 (9. Be2 Nc6 10. Qd3 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Rd1 Ne7 13. e4 Bxc3+ 14. Qxc3 Be6 15. O-O Qb6 { Harikrishna,P (2732)-So,W (2770) Skilling Open 2020}) 9... Be6 10. Bd3 h6 11. Bh4 Nc6 12. Qa4 Qb6 13. Rd2 Rfd8 14. O-O Rac8 15. h3 a6 {was played today in Wojtaszek,R (2705)-Van Foreest,J (2671) Wijk aan Zee 2021}) 7... dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. Nxe6+ fxe6 11. Bg5 Nc6 12. O-O-O+ Ke8 13. Bb5 Rc8 14. Kb1 Bb4 {N} (14... a6 15. Ba4 Be7 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Nxe4 Rg8 18. g3 f5 19. Bb3 Rg6 20. Nd6+ Bxd6 21. Rxd6 Ke7 22. Rhd1 Rd8 {Duda,J (2743) -Le,Q (2709) Skilling Open 2020}) 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nxe4 f5 17. Ng5 Ke7 18. a3 Ba5 19. f4 h6 20. Nf3 Rhd8 21. Rxd8 Nxd8 22. Rd1 Rc7 23. Ne5 a6 24. Be2 Bb6 25. Ng6+ Ke8 26. Bh5 Nc6 27. g4 fxg4 28. Rd6 Kf7 {It's not so often that Black can allow an X-ray attack without issues for several moves.} 29. f5 Kf6 $1 (29... Kg7 30. Rxe6) 30. fxe6 (30. Rxe6+ $2 Kg5 {drops the bishop.}) 30... Kg5 31. Rd5+ Kf6 32. Nf4 Be3 33. Ng2 Bg5 34. Bxg4 Ne5 35. Bh3 h5 36. Ka2 Re7 37. Ne1 Bf4 38. Nf3 Nxf3 39. Rf5+ Kg6 40. Rxf4 Nxh2 41. Kb3 Ng4 42. Bxg4 hxg4 43. Rxg4+ Kf5 44. Rb4 Kxe6 45. Rb6+ Kf7 46. Kb4 Ke8 47. Rd6 Rd7 48. Kc5 Rxd6 49. Kxd6 Kd8 50. b4 Kc8 51. a4 Kd8 52. b5 axb5 53. axb5 Kc8 54. b6 Kb8 55. Kd7 Ka8 56. Kc7 1/2-1/2 [Event "83rd Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] [Date "2021.01.17"] [Round "2"] [White "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D12"] [WhiteElo "2668"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2021.01.15"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c6 {0 The Slav is a perfect opening for a player like Caruana. It is solid and at the same time has a lot of inherent ability to be aggressive if the opponent is ambitious. This is exactly what happened in this game.} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. e3 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 5. Nc3 { [%emt 0:00:13]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 6. Nh4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Be4 {0 Black provokes f3 and then moves back his bishop to g6.} 7. f3 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Bg6 { [%emt 0:00:00]} 8. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 9. Nxg6 {[%emt 0: 00:28]} hxg6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 10. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 11. O-O-O {35 White has two bishops, space and a great position. What does Black have in return? Well, Black has a very solid position and his aim is to start some play on the queenside with dxc4 and b5.} a6 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 12. g4 $146 {632 The first new move of the game, but it is quite logical.} dxc4 { [%emt 0:00:28]} 13. Bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 14. Be2 {[%emt 0: 00:50]} (14. Bxe6 fxe6 {is definitely something to consider for White. He has compensation but nothing more.} 15. g5 Nh5 16. Qxg6+ Kf8 $13) 14... c5 {534} 15. d5 $5 {65 Very quickly played by Donchenko.} Nxd5 {338} (15... exd5 16. g5 $16) 16. Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:39]} exd5 {5 Black is a pawn up but his king is in the center and doesn't have a safe place to go to. White has long term compensation and Donchenko should have slowly built up the position. Instead, he felt that he was sitting on a time bomb and had to instantly do something. The result? He decided to open up the position, but it was Caruana who benefitted from it.} 17. f4 {1207} b4 {2147} 18. e4 {1044} (18. Kb1 $13) 18... d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (18... c4 $15) 19. e5 $6 {685 This move goes a bit too far. Now Black can use the d5 square for his knight as well as the queen and also the idea of c4-c3 or d3 gains tremendously in strength.} (19. Kb1 $11) 19... Nb6 $36 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (19... c4 $1 {was a very strong move.} 20. Bxc4 Nb6 21. b3 (21. Kb1 Rc8 22. b3 Nxc4 23. bxc4 Rh3 $1 {The rook swoops in from the other side and the downsides of g4 become apparent.}) 21... Nxc4 22. bxc4 Rh3 $19) 20. e6 $2 {625} (20. Qe4 $1 $15) 20... Qd5 $1 $19 {0 The queen puts itself on this strong square not only hitting a2 but also threatening c4.} ( 20... c4 21. exf7+ Kf8 22. Qxg6 d3 {would also lead to a clearly better position for Black.}) 21. exf7+ {[%emt 0:00:43]} Kf8 $1 {100 The pawn on f7 acts as a nice shield and White is unable to make progress on the attack.} ( 21... Kxf7 22. Bd3 $17) (21... Qxf7 22. b3 $11) 22. h4 {999 This seems like a shot in the dark, but as we have seen, in some positions the rook comes to h3 and creates some issues. That's maybe the reason why Donchenko went h4.} (22. Qxg6 Rh6 $19) (22. Kb1 c4 23. Qxg6 Rh6 24. Qf5 Qxf5+ 25. gxf5 d3 26. Bf3 Rc8 $19) 22... Qxa2 {231} 23. Qxg6 {190} (23. Qb1 Qxb1+ 24. Kxb1 c4 $19) 23... b3 $1 $19 {1094} 24. Be1 {120} (24. Qb1 c4) (24. Qxb6 Qa1#) 24... c4 $1 {453 Caruana has calculated all of this to precision.} 25. Rxd4 {185} (25. Qxb6 Qa1+ 26. Kd2 Qxb2#) 25... Na4 {65} 26. Qb1 {85} (26. Rd2 c3 27. bxc3 Ba3+ 28. Kd1 Nxc3#) 26... Ba3 $1 {173 This was the only move to win. One can be sure that Fabiano had seen this way in advance!} 27. Qxa2 {221} (27. Bb4+ Bxb4) (27. bxa3 b2+ 28. Kc2 Qb3+ 29. Kd2 c3+ 30. Ke3 c2+ $19) 27... bxa2 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 28. Kc2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rb8 $1 {262 Precision 100%} (28... a1=Q 29. Bb4+ Bxb4 30. Rxa1 Nb6 $17 {is also winning but still some technical work is left.}) 29. Rd8+ {291} (29. bxa3 Rb2+ 30. Kc1 a1=Q#) 29... Rxd8 {163} 30. bxa3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} c3 $1 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 31. Bg3 {167} (31. Bxc3 Rc8) 31... Rd2+ {[%emt 0:00:25]} 32. Kb3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nc5+ {41 An amazing game by Don Fabi.} 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.18"] [Round "3.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Duda was expecting Caruana to go 1.d4. So this move did come as a surprise.} e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {Playing the Petroff against one of the biggest exponents of the opening! Is this a good idea? Well, Duda knew that he would be facing some top notch preparation, but he still decided to wing it!} 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nd7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O {These opposite side castling positions in the Petroff are always exciting.} Nf6 10. Bd3 c5 11. Rhg1 $5 {One of those Fabi novelties which might not be objectively the best move in the position, but creates such a mess that it is impossible for anyone to navigate it over the board.} (11. Rhe1 {has been seen in many games before and Caruana has played it against Duda in the past as well.}) (11. Kb1 {was played by Vidit against Gelfand.}) 11... b5 $5 {Duda true to his style goes for immediate counterplay on the queenside.} 12. g4 Bb7 $1 {Kudos to Duda for figuring out that taking on g4 was dangerous.} (12... Bxg4 13. Bh6 $1 {This is the best move. Play could continue} g6 (13... gxh6 14. h3 $18) ( 13... Bxf3 14. Rxg7+ Kh8 15. Qg5 Rg8 (15... Bxd1 16. Rxh7+ Nxh7 17. Qg7#) 16. Qxf6 $1 Bxf6 17. Rxh7#) 14. Qf4 $36) (12... Nxg4 13. Bh6 $1 $16) 13. Qe2 c4 14. Bf5 Re8 (14... g6 15. Nd4 $13 {Already leads to positions which are extremely complex.}) 15. Nd4 Nd5 {Black has managed to develop all of his pieces and seems to be better here, but Caruana has a very strong strike which gives him an advantage.} 16. Ne6 $1 Qa5 {In a position where time is everything one can only imagine how these two players managed to navigate the sea of complexities over the board. As a player I would be very worried about my a2 pawn hanging. But Caruana realized that it was not the priority to save the pawn. Worst case if he loses the pawn, his king can always come out on d2.} (16... fxe6 17. Bxe6+ Kh8 18. Bxd5 $18) 17. Qf3 $1 {The threat is to take on h7 and then on f7. Here Duda went into a deep think. He wanted to sacrifice his knight on c3. But in the end wasn't able to come to a consensus whether that was better or Bf6.} (17. Rxd5 $1 {was the best move in the position.} Bxd5 18. Nxg7 Qxa2 (18... Kxg7 19. g5 {With the queen coming to h5 and the bishop to d4, this will end in a brutal attack.} Rg8 20. Bxh7 Kf8 21. Bxg8 Kxg8 22. Qh5 Qxa2 23. g6 $18) 19. Rd1 $1 {Quite difficult to spot a move like Rd1.} (19. Nxe8 Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Qxg1 21. Nc7 $44) 19... Kxg7 (19... Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Qxb2 21. Nxe8 Rxe8 22. g5 $18) 20. g5 $1 $18) 17... Bf6 (17... Nxc3 18. Qxb7 $1 (18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 19. Qxf7 Bf6 { The position is just immensely complex.} 20. Nxg7 (20. g5 Nxa2+ 21. Kb1 Nc3+ 22. bxc3 Bxc3 $19) (20. Rg3 Ne2+ $1) 20... Bxg7 21. Rxd6 Kh8 {Somehow the Black king is surviving here, but only by the skin of his teeth.} 22. Rd7 Nxa2+ 23. Kb1 Nc3+ 24. bxc3 Qxc3 25. Qh5+ Kg8 26. Qf7+ Kh8 27. Qh5+ $11) 18... Nxa2+ 19. Kb1 Nb4 {One would imagine a position like this to be better for Black, but it is not to be.} 20. Nc7 $1 Reb8 21. Qf3 Qxc7 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Qxf7 $40) 18. g5 $1 (18. Rxd5 Rxe6 $1 $13) 18... Bxc3 $5 19. Bxh7+ $1 (19. bxc3 Qa3+ $19) 19... Kxh7 (19... Kh8 20. Qh5 $18 Bxb2+ 21. Kxb2 Qb4+ 22. Ka1 Qc3+ 23. Kb1 Qb4+ 24. Kc1 Qa3+ 25. Kd2 Qc3+ 26. Ke2 $18) 20. g6+ $1 {Caruana finds the only way to keep the advantage in the position.} (20. Qxf7 Qxa2 $1 $19) 20... fxg6 21. Ng5+ Kh8 (21... Kg8 22. Qf7+ Kh8 23. Qxg6 Bxb2+ 24. Kb1 $1 (24. Kxb2 Qb4+ 25. Kc1 Qa3+ 26. Kd2 Qa5+ 27. Kc1 $11 (27. Ke2 Nf4+ $19)) 24... Nc3+ 25. Kxb2 Qb4+ 26. Ka1 $18) 22. Bd4 $3 {How does Caruana even calculate such things.} (22. Qh3+ Kg8 23. Qh7+ Kf8 {White has managed to make inroads into the position, but is unable to finish off the black king. A very important line here is when White takes on g6 with his queen and is unable to win the game because in the critical line, the White king cannot escape to e2 due to Nf4 check winning the queen.} 24. Qxg6 (24. Qh8+ Ke7 $19) 24... Bxb2+ $1 25. Kb1 (25. Kxb2 Qb4+ 26. Kc1 Qa3+ 27. Kd2 Qa5+ $1 28. Kc1 (28. Ke2 Nf4+ $19) 28... Qa3+ $11) 25... Re7 26. Nh7+ Kg8 27. Kxb2 Qb4+ 28. Ka1 Qc3+ 29. Kb1 Qb4+ $11) 22... Bxd4 23. Rxd4 { The threat here is Rh4+ and Qf7#} Nf6 24. Qxb7 Rab8 (24... Re1+ 25. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 26. Rd1 $18) 25. Qf7 $1 Re1+ 26. Rd1 (26. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 27. Rd1 Qxf2 $13) 26... Rxg1 27. Rxg1 Re8 (27... Qxa2 28. Rg3 (28. Qxg6 Rf8) 28... Qa1+ 29. Kd2 $18) 28. Ne6 $1 Rxe6 29. Qxe6 Qxa2 30. Qh3+ Kg8 31. Qe6+ Kh7 32. Qh3+ Kg8 {Gaining time to reach the 40th move.} 33. Qa3 Qxa3 34. bxa3 {After all the fireworks we have reached an endgame which is not trivial, but clearly better for White. But two things were not in Caruana's favour. First of all the fact that he had little time on the clock and secondly to adjust to such a technical endgame from a position that had so much to calculate is never easy.} Kf7 35. Kd2 a6 36. Ke3 Nd5+ 37. Kd4 Ne7 {The knight is now well placed and Black intends to further solidify things by moving his king to d7. This is where Caruana had to be precise.} 38. Re1 $6 {According to supercomputers, this position is still winning, but after Duda's next move things are no longer so clear, at least for humans.} (38. a4 $1 Ke6 (38... bxa4 39. Kxc4 $18 {White will clear up the a-pawns and win the game.}) 39. Rb1 Nc6+ 40. Ke3 b4 41. Rg1 $1 Kf5 (41... Kf6 42. Ke4) (41... Ne7 42. Kd4) 42. h4 $18) 38... Ke8 39. a4 Kd7 {And now in all the lines where the rook goes to b1 to attack the pawn, the black king comes to c6 and defends everything.} 40. axb5 axb5 41. Rg1 Kc6 42. h4 Nf5+ 43. Kc3 Nxh4 44. Kb4 Nf3 45. Rxg6 Nd4 46. c3 Ne2 47. Rxg7 Nf4 48. Ka5 (48. f3 Nd5+ $13) 48... Ne2 49. Kb4 Nf4 50. Ka5 Ne2 51. Kb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.18"] [Round "3.5"] [White "Grandelius, Nils"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C02"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2732"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e6 $5 {A very interesting choice by Hari.} 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 (6. c4 Nc6 7. cxd5 exd5 $15) (6. a3 Bb5 7. c4 Bxc4 8. Bxc4 dxc4 9. d5 Qb3 $1 $13) 6... cxd4 7. cxd4 Bb5 {What Black is doing is positionally justified, but the question is, is it good to use three tempi to exchange your bad bishop.} 8. O-O Bxe2 9. Qxe2 Nc6 10. Nc3 Nge7 (10... Nxd4 11. Nxd4 Qxd4 12. Qb5+ $18) 11. Qd3 Rc8 12. Rd1 h6 (12... Nf5 {would be ideal, but fails to} 13. Nxd5 $1 $18) 13. Bd2 Ng6 14. h4 Bb4 15. Na4 Qc7 16. h5 (16. Bxb4 $1 Nxb4 17. Qd2 Nc6 18. Rdc1 $1 O-O 19. h5 Nge7 20. b4 $16) 16... Nge7 17. Bf4 $6 { According to Harikrishna, he felt that Black's position from this point onwards became very comfortable.} Qa5 18. b3 b5 $1 19. Nb2 (19. Nc5 Bxc5 20. dxc5 O-O $11) 19... Ba3 20. Qe2 O-O 21. Rab1 Rc7 22. Nd3 Qb6 23. b4 (23. Nde1 $11) 23... a5 24. bxa5 Nxa5 25. Bc1 $2 (25. g4 $1 $13 {The attacking player that he is, one would expect Nils to go for such an attack with Kh1 and Rg1 coming up. But he played a little too passive and Harikrishna was all over him. }) 25... Bxc1 $1 26. Rdxc1 Rxc1+ 27. Nxc1 (27. Rxc1 Nec6 {Mainly it is quite possible to wrongly assess this position. You might feel that the knight will be well place on c5 for White. But because of Nxd4 ideas, the knight on c5 is never stable.} 28. Nc5 Rc8 $17) 27... Nc4 28. Nb3 Ra8 29. Rc1 Nc6 {Black's moves just flow and White is out of ideas. It all went downhill very soon.} 30. g3 Ra3 31. Kg2 Qa7 $1 32. Rc2 Nb4 33. Rc3 Nxa2 34. Rd3 Rxb3 $1 {A nice simplifying manoeuvre.} 35. Rxb3 Nc1 36. Qc2 Nxb3 37. Qxb3 Qa4 38. Qb1 b4 { The b-pawn is queening, Nils resigned. A great win for Harikrishna as he moves into joint lead.} 0-1 [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.01.19"] [Round "4.7"] [White "Tari, Aryan"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2625"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 ({Firouzja also faced} 6. O-O h6 7. a4 Nd7 8. a5 Qc7 9. c3 g5 10. b4 Bg7 11. Nbd2 O-O 12. Nb3 f6 13. exf6 Bxf6 14. Nc5 Ng6 {as in Grischuk,A (2777)-Firouzja,A (2749) Online 2020}) 6... Ng6 7. O-O Nd7 8. Ne1 {Probably the most important maneuver in the Advance Caro-Kann. White is ready to bring his pawns into motion.} h5 9. Be3 Qb6 10. b3 f6 $1 {N A sharp novelty by the young prodigy. Black sacrifices a pawn but destroys the enemy center.} ({An earlier game saw a quick draw after} 10... h4 11. Nd3 ({However,} 11. a4 $5 {might have been an improvement for White.}) 11... c5 12. dxc5 Qc7 13. b4 Ngxe5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 15. Bd4 Qc7 16. c4 dxc4 17. Bxc4 h3 18. g3 Qc6 19. f3 {1/2-1/2 (19) Khairullin,I (2543) -Grigoriants,S (2582) Moscow 2006}) 11. Bxh5 {Principled.} fxe5 12. g4 { Sharp and risky play by Tari in return.} ({More solid looks} 12. Bxg6+ Bxg6 13. dxe5 {although then after} Qd8 $1 14. Nf3 Bh5 {White has problems with his pinned knight, True, he can slowly defend it and free the queen with, say:} 15. Bf4 Be7 16. Nbd2 O-O 17. Bg3 {but Black should have a lot for the pawn after something like} Qe8 {followed by Qe8-g6. Two bishops, strong center, and open files and diagonals should suffice.}) 12... Rxh5 $1 {The only move.} (12... Be4 13. Nd2 {would lose a lot of material.}) 13. gxh5 Nf4 {The pawn sacrifice transformed into an exchange sacrifice. The permanently weakened white king, and especially the weak light squares around it, promise Firouzja a long-lasting initiative. An important detail is that both players started to think on their own immediately after the novelty.} 14. dxe5 ({After} 14. Bxf4 exf4 15. Nf3 {Black has a lot of excellent options:} ({Or} 15. Qf3 Bd6) 15... Qd8 {in order to bring the queen on f6 is the computer's first choice.} ({ Although normal developing moves like} 15... Nf6) ({Or} 15... Be7 {should be good for Black as well.})) 14... Nh3+ 15. Kg2 (15. Kh1 {is weaker as it defends neither the f2-pawn nor the f1-rook, and a line like this:} Bc5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. Qd4 Qa6 {will expose those flaws.}) 15... c5 {Black opens the long diagonal and intends to profit from the light squares as soon as possible. } ({Although} 15... Bc5 $5 {is also interesting with a strong position for the second player after, say:} 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. Qd4 Qe7 18. f4 O-O-O {followed by a kingside attack.}) 16. f4 Qc6 17. Nf3 {Tari correctly finishes his development and shields the king.} ({Black's only problem could be the knight on the rim. However, an instant operation to surround it} 17. Kg3 O-O-O 18. Nf3 Be7 19. Nh4 $2 {would be overly optimistic. No wonder that Black has a way to exploit it:} Bxh4+ 20. Kxh4 {And a brilliant one:} d4 $1 21. cxd4 g5+ $3 22. fxg5 Qe4+ {winning.}) 17... O-O-O 18. Nbd2 {Both sides have almost completed development; it is time to place the pieces more concretely.} Nb6 $1 {A very smart idea that intends d5-d4 followed by the Nb6-d5! jump.} ({Black could have prepared the advance with the prophylactic move} 18... Kb8 {although then White can also do something similar, like} 19. Kg3 $5 Be7 20. Rc1 {True, Black's position looks more promising after} ({We already know what happens in case of} 20. Nh4 Bxh4+ 21. Kxh4 d4 $1) 20... Rg8 {here too.}) 19. Qe1 ({ Another way to chase the knight on h3 could be} 19. Kg3 Be7 20. Ng5 {Not winning, but at least getting rid of the intruder. But then his brother would have joined in:} Nxg5 21. fxg5 d4 22. cxd4 Nd5 23. Nc4 b5 {and this mess once again looks promising for Black.}) 19... Be7 {Final preparation.} ({However,} 19... d4 $1 {would have been even more promising:} 20. cxd4 Nd5 21. Rc1 Nhxf4+ 22. Bxf4 Nxf4+ 23. Kh1 Nd3 {with an edge for Black.}) 20. Rc1 {Tari adds more and more pressure on the c-file in vain, trying to prevent the central breakthrough.} ({It makes sense, however, to step away from the possible checks with} 20. Kh1 $5 {Then a sample line runs} d4 21. cxd4 Nd5 22. Nc4 Nhxf4 23. Bxf4 Nxf4 24. Nd6+ Bxd6 25. exd6 Rxd6 26. Qe5 Rxd4 {when it is unclear.}) 20... d4 $1 {Firouzja's powerful and logical play is impressive.} 21. cxd4 Nd5 22. Nc4 {Now Tari steps on the edge.} ({Here} 22. Kh1 $1 {is mandatory. Then} Nhxf4 23. Bxf4 Nxf4 24. Qe3 Nd3 25. Rc4 Kb8 26. dxc5 Bxc5 27. Rxc5 Nxc5 28. Kg1 {would be approximately equal!}) 22... Ndxf4+ 23. Bxf4 ({White cannot retreat any more:} 23. Kh1 Nd3 24. Qg3 {because of the powerful} Qe4 $1 ({Worse is} 24... Nxc1 25. Rxc1 Qe4 26. Rc3 {when White can defend.}) 25. dxc5 Nxc1 26. Bxc1 ({The multiple pins decide the outcome of the game after} 26. Rxc1 $2 Bg4 27. Kg2 Rd3) 26... Bxc5 {and Black completely dominates.}) 23... Nxf4+ 24. Kg1 $1 {This square is the right one now.} ({White has no survival chances after} 24. Kh1 Nd3 25. Qe3 ({Nothing changes} 25. Qg3 Nxc1 26. Rxc1 Rxd4) 25... Nxc1 26. Rxc1 Rxd4 {and White's king won't last for long.}) 24... Bg4 {Continuing the light-squared strategy.} ({White's idea is revealed in the line} 24... Nd3 25. Qg3 Nxc1 26. Rxc1 {when the d4-pawn survives.}) ({Therefore,} 24... Rxd4 $1 {is called for, with the main point} 25. Nd6+ Bxd6 26. exd6 Nh3+ 27. Kg2 Rg4+ 28. Kxh3 Qxd6 $3 {with an inevitable, decisive discovered check.} ({Although the prosaic} 28... Re4+ 29. Kg3 Qxd6+ 30. Kf2 Rxe1 {should also suffice.})) 25. Rc3 ({After} 25. Ncd2 {Black has a pleasant choice of what to take. Multiple good options:} Bxh5 $1 (25... Nd3 $1 26. Qg3 Nxc1 27. Rxc1 Bxh5) (25... Rxd4 $1 )) 25... Rxd4 26. Nd6+ $1 {Tari also opens his pieces. Things are heating up, but the lack of time will soon start to tell.} Kb8 {In return, Firouzja keeps his bishop.} ({There is also} 26... Bxd6 27. exd6 {when} Nh3+ $1 {keeps strong initiative for Black.} ({The check is better than the capture} 27... Qxd6 28. Qe3)) 27. Qe3 Bg5 $1 {Loading a powerful discovered-check mechanism. This is why Black kept this bishop alive.} ({After} 27... Bxh5 28. Kf2 Nh3+ 29. Kg3 Nf4 30. Kf2 {the white king finally escapes the risky zone.}) 28. Rxc5 {The queen is deflected from the long diagonal, but...} (28. Kh1 $3 {is the only chance.}) 28... Qxc5 {The other diagonal turns to be a great one too.} 29. Nxg5 {The culmination of the game. With seconds on the clock, Black has opted for the obvious check:} (29. Nxd4 {loses on the spot to} Ne2+) 29... Ne2+ {And a draw. And what a pity!} ({Firouzja did not have the time to spot the brilliancy} 29... Be2 $3 {In the main line of the combination, Black sacrifices both his light pieces:} 30. Rxf4 ({Another brilliant line is} 30. Re1 Rd1 31. Qxc5 Rxe1+ 32. Kf2 Nd3+ {when ironically, the game is decided by the knight that is no longer dim!}) (30. Rf2 {leads to mate:} Rd1+) ({Whereas if the rook goes too far:} 30. Rc1 Rd1+ 31. Kf2 Nd3+ {decides.}) 30... Rd1+ 31. Kf2 Rf1+ 32. Kxe2 { And then the rook:} Re1+ $1 {To regain everything back with huge interest:} 33. Kxe1 Qxe3+) ({The machine also states that} 29... Qb6 $1 {is close to a win, but this is far more complicated and far less clear:} 30. Kh1 Bh3 31. Nxh3 Qc6+ 32. Qf3 {Now a beauty:} Rd1 $3 {is answered by another beauty:} 33. Ne4 $1 Rxf1+ 34. Qxf1 Qxe4+ 35. Kg1 {and White has chances to survive.}) 30. Kg2 { Draw agreed.} (30. Kg2 {One way to prove it is this line:} Qc6+ 31. Nge4 Bf5 32. Qxe2 Bxe4+ 33. Qxe4 $3 {Why not!? Everybody sacrifices everything today!} Rxe4 34. Rf8+ Kc7 35. Rc8+ Kd7 36. Rxc6 Re2+ 37. Kf3 Rxe5 38. Rc2 Kxd6 39. Kg4 {and the point should be split.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "83rd Tata Steel Masters 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.19"] [Round "4.5"] [White "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C78"] [WhiteElo "2732"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 {The Arkhangelsk variation.} 7. a4 Rb8 8. c3 d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. a5 Ba7 (10... Bxa5 11. d5 $18) ( 10... Nxa5 11. Rxa5 Bxa5 12. dxe5 $18) 11. h3 Bb7 (11... Nxe4 12. Bd5 $18) ( 11... O-O 12. Be3 {is the main line.}) 12. Re1 (12. Be3 Nxe4 13. Re1 {is a line that should be delved into.} exd4 14. cxd4 d5 15. Nbd2 Ne7 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Ng5 Bd5 18. Bxd5 Qxd5 19. Nxe4 O-O 20. Qf3 f5 21. Nd2 f4 22. Bxf4 Qxd4 23. Qb3+ Qd5 24. Be3 c5 25. Rad1 c4 26. Qc3 Bxe3 27. Qxe3 Nf5 28. Qe4 Rbd8 29. Qxd5+ Rxd5 30. Nf3 Ne7 31. Rxd5 Nxd5 32. Re6 Rf6 33. Re8+ Rf8 34. Re6 Rf6 35. Re8+ {1/2-1/2 (35) Saric,I (2690)-Lagno,K (2560) Caleta 2019}) 12... O-O 13. Be3 exd4 (13... Nxe4 14. d5 $16) 14. cxd4 Ne7 $5 {This is much less played that Nb4. The idea is to play the knight to g6 and Caruana got just the kind of position he was aiming for.} (14... Nb4 15. d5 Bxe3 16. Rxe3 c5 $132) 15. Nbd2 (15. e5 Nfd5 16. Bg5 {is a position that has to be carefully analyzed. This is where White's entire hope for advantage lies against the Ne7 line.} dxe5 17. dxe5 h6 (17... Qe8 $5 18. Nc3 Nxc3 19. bxc3 $14) 18. Bxd5 $1 hxg5 19. Bxb7 Qxd1 20. Rxd1 Rxb7 21. Nc3 $14 {is an illustrative line and White is better.}) 15... Ng6 16. d5 $5 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 c6 18. dxc6 Bxc6 {White should definitely be slightly better owing to his better pawn structure. However, Harikrishna's next move was just too soft.} 19. Bc2 $6 (19. Nd4 Bb7 20. Nf5 { Followed by Qe1 and Rd1, White seems to be in the driver's seat here.}) 19... Re8 20. Re1 Bb7 21. b4 $5 {Hari now comes up with an interesting idea to activate his a1 rook via a3 and e3.} Nh5 $1 22. Ra3 Nhf4 23. Nf1 Qf6 24. Ng3 Rbd8 (24... Rbc8 $5) 25. Rae3 Ne5 26. Bb3 g6 27. Nh2 $1 {Harikrishna would like to play Ne2 and exchange the knight on f4. But Ne2 directly is met with Nxh3. That's the reason why he goes for Nh2.} h5 28. Ne2 Nc4 $1 29. Bxc4 bxc4 30. Nxf4 Qxf4 {Surprisingly this position is quite difficult for White to play. } 31. Qc2 $2 (31. Nf3 Rxe4 $1 32. g3 Rxe3 (32... Qf5 33. Nd4 $18) 33. gxf4 Bxf3 34. Qd2 Rxe1+ 35. Qxe1 Rc8 $19 {Black is winning here.}) (31. Qd4 d5 $36) (31. Nf1 {was perhaps the best here.} Rxe4 32. Rxe4 Bxe4 33. Qd4 d5 34. f3 $18) 31... d5 $1 32. exd5 Rxe3 {It is quite possible that when Harikrishna went for Qc2, he felt that he could take here with the pawn. But fxe3 is met with Qg3!} 33. Rxe3 (33. fxe3 Qg3 $1 34. Nf3 Rxd5 $1 35. Qxc4 Rd2 $1 36. Re2 Rd1+ $19) 33... Bxd5 34. Nf3 Be6 (34... Bxf3 $5 35. Rxf3 Qb8 $1 {This is an excellent way to put pressure on White.} 36. Rc3 (36. Qb1 Rd2 $19) (36. Qa4 Rd2 $19) (36. Qxc4 Rd1+ $19) 36... Qxb4 37. Rxc4 Qxa5 $17 {This might be the best that White has, but he will have to fight quite hard for a draw.}) 35. Ne5 $1 Qd4 $2 { Fabiano has played a great game until now. But at this exact moment, he goes wrong.} (35... Rd6 $1 36. Nxg6 $2 fxg6 37. Qxg6+ Kf8 38. Rxe6 Rd1+ $19) (35... Bf5 36. Qe2) (35... Bd5 $5) 36. Nxg6 $1 {It takes a lot of courage and self belief to spot the error in your opponent's calculation, especially when he is world no.2.} Qd1+ (36... fxg6 37. Qxg6+ $18) 37. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 38. Kh2 c3 (38... fxg6 39. Rxe6 $18) 39. Rxc3 fxg6 40. Rc6 Kf7 41. Rxa6 {We reach a position here where both sides have no real winning chances. This is the reason why Caruana immediately forces a draw.} Rd2 (41... Rb1 42. Rb6 Bc4 43. a6 Bxa6 44. Rxa6 Rxb4 $11) 42. Kg1 Rd1+ 43. Kh2 Rd2 44. Kg1 Rd1+ {A great result for Harikrishna especially after the position he had in the early middlegame.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.21"] [Round "5.6"] [White "Grandelius, Nils"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B97"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 { The Poisoned Pawn Variation carries this title for a reason. Black risks to gain a seemingly worthless pawn and gets heavily behind in development. Modern engines made the defenders far braver than before. On top of that, Vachier-Lagrave trusts his position.} 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 ({The other main direction of the line was tested by Radjabov recently:} 10. e5 h6 11. Bh4 dxe5 12. fxe5 Nfd7 13. Ne4 {In this line White often sacrifices three to four pawns in the blink of an eye:} Qxa2 14. Rd1 Qd5 15. Qe3 Qxe5 16. Be2 Bc5 17. Bg3 Qd5 18. c4 Bxd4 19. Rxd4 Qa5+ 20. Rd2 O-O 21. Bd6 {which means that Black is always ready to part with some material to slow down the opponent's initiative:} f5 22. Bxf8 Nxf8 {with sharp and interesting play Radjabov,T (2765)-Ding,L (2791) Online 2020}) 10... Be7 ({Another way to defend is} 10... Nc6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Be2 Be7 14. e5 dxe5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Bh5+ g6 17. Ne4 O-O 18. O-O Qe7 19. Bf3 Qa7+ 20. Kh1 Be7 21. Qc3 Rb8 22. h3 Rxb1 23. Rxb1 Qc7 {as in Karjakin,S (2752)-Duda,J (2757) Chess.com 2020}) 11. fxe6 Bxe6 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. Bc4 {A fashionable line, and a favorite choice of the Chinese top GM Wei Yi. White's play is very straightforward and logical.} Nbd7 14. Bxe6 Nc5 15. Bb3 {An over-the-board novelty.} ({Both Vachier-Lagrave and Nepomniachtchi defended against the Chinese GM after} 15. Bf5 g6 16. Bh3 Nfxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Qd4 Qc3+ 19. Qxc3 Nxc3 20. Bxe7 Kxe7 { Wei,Y (2721)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2774) Chess.com 2019 and Wei,Y (2736) -Nepomniachtchi,I (2773) Moscow 2019}) ({However, the French GM suffered a heavy blow in the following game:} 15. Bc4 {Taken by surprise, Vachier-Lagrave followed the stream:} Ncxe4 ({However, in another game that year Black defended with} 15... b5 16. O-O bxc4 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Qxd6 Qxc3 19. e5 Qe3+ 20. Kh1 Ne4 21. Qc6+ Kf7 22. exf6 gxf6 23. Qd7+ Kf8 24. g3 Nf2+ 25. Kg2 Ne4 { Radjabov,T (2759)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2775) Dortmund 2019}) 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 { but was in for a nasty surprise:} 17. Bf7+ $3 Kxf7 18. Qd5+ Ke8 19. Qxe4 Qa5+ 20. Kd1 Qxg5 21. Rxb7 {when White regained the piece and eventually won thanks to his superb preparation in Caruana,F (2819)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2779) Stavanger 2019}) 15... Rc8 {Played without much hesitation.} ({Armoured with his hard-learned knowledge from the game against Caruana, MVL naturally stays away from the line} 15... Ncxe4 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Bf7+ Kxf7 18. Qd5+ Ke8 19. Qxe4 Qa5+ 20. Kd1 Qxg5 21. Rxb7 {which transposes to the game from above.}) ({ The immediate capture of the bishop} 15... Nxb3 16. Rxb3 Qc5 17. Rxb7 {simply wins a pawn for White.}) 16. O-O Nxb3 {It's a good moment to get rid of this beast and bring the queen back into the play.} 17. Rxb3 Qc5+ 18. Be3 Qc4 19. Rf4 {With the strong threat of e4-e5.} (19. Nd5 {is not dangerous for Black after} Nxd5 20. exd5 Bf6) 19... Qe6 {N Technically speaking, only this is a novelty. But not a good one. Black spent 18 minutes on his clock and might have messed up the lines.} ({There was a correspondence game where Black immediately attacked the annoying rook in return:} 19... Nh5 $1 20. Rf1 (20. Rf3 Nf6) (20. Rg4 O-O) (20. Rf5 Nf6) 20... Rf8 21. Re1 b5 22. Nd5 Qxc2 23. Qd4 Nf6 24. Qa7 Nxd5 25. exd5 Rc7 26. Qxa6 Kf7 27. h3 Kg8 {and the game eventually ended peacefully, Rothman,I (2158)-Pessoa, F (2525) ICCF email 2010}) ({ Note that the queen cannot retreat easily on the c-file:} 19... Qc6 20. Nd5 Qxc2 21. Qxc2 Rxc2 22. Rxb7 {still wins a pawn for White.}) ({Whereas} 19... Qc7 20. Nd5 Nxd5 21. Qxd5 Rf8 22. Qh5+ {with a strong attack would be even more unpleasant than the previous retreat.}) 20. Rxb7 {Picking up a nice, healthy pawn while occupying the seventh rank. How bad can it get?} O-O 21. h3 $1 {A cool consolidation move. There will be no back-rank mates, nor Nf6-g4-e5 maneuvers.} ({Black is fighting after} 21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. exd5 Qe5) 21... Rb8 { One more small subtlety by Grandelius. He does not even give the b-file without a fight.} ({The other route to e5 is not advisable:} 21... Nd7 $2 22. Qd5) ({If Black waits with} 21... Rc4 {then} 22. Nd5 $1 Bd8 23. Qd3 {improves White's position further.}) 22. Ra7 $1 ({As i:} 22. Rxb8 Rxb8 23. Qd3) 22... Ra8 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Nd5 ({Also good was} 24. Qd3 $1 Rc8 ({No time for} 24... Rb8 25. Qxa6) 25. Nd5 Nxd5 26. exd5 Qg6 27. Qxg6 hxg6 28. Ra4 Rxc2 29. Rxa6 { and White should win the endgame.}) 24... Rb8 ({Perhaps Vachier-Lagrave had to try and defend the position after} 24... Nxd5 25. exd5 Qg6 26. Rg4 Qf5) 25. c4 Bd8 ({The last chance was} 25... Nxd5 26. exd5 Rb1+ 27. Kh2 Qe5 28. Bd4 Qe1 { Although White should also win here with} 29. Qd3 $1 ({Rather than the endgame } 29. Qxe1 Rxe1 {where Black has chances thanks to his active rook.})) 26. Qf2 Nd7 27. Bd4 Bg5 (27... h6 $5 {to open air for the king was more resilient.}) 28. Rf5 Bh6 ({It was probably here where the French GM spotted} 28... h6 29. h4 g6 ({Without the bishop on the kingside Black is quickly mated:} 29... Bc1 30. Qg3 g6 31. Nf6+) 30. hxg5 $1 gxf5 31. exf5 Qe4 32. g6 {and nothing can stop the white pawns.}) 29. Kh2 {The last preparatory move. Grandelius is converting in style.} Rc8 30. Qg3 g6 (30... Qxe4 31. Qxd6) 31. Qh4 $1 {A nice final touch.} Bf8 ({White regains all the material with interest in the line} 31... gxf5 32. exf5 Qe8 33. Ne7+ Kf7 34. Nxc8 Qxc8 35. Qxh6) 32. Rf6 {Not even a sacrifice. The white pieces are mercilessly surrounding the opponent's king.} Qe8 ({Or} 32... Nxf6 33. Nxf6+ Kf7 34. Qxh7+ Bg7 35. Ng4 Rg8 36. Nh6+ {winning. }) 33. Rxf8+ Qxf8 34. Ne7+ Kf7 35. Nxc8 (35. Nxc8 Qxc8 36. Qxh7+) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.21"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Black "Tari, Aryan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2679"] [BlackElo "2625"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Be7 (9... Bd7 10. Rd1 Kc8 11. g4 Ne7 12. Ng5 Be8 13. f4 c5 14. Nc3 b6 {Aronian,L (2781)-Radjabov,T (2765) Airthings Masters 2021}) 10. Nc3 Nh4 11. Nxh4 Bxh4 12. Be3 h5 13. Rad1+ Ke8 14. Ne4 {N} (14. Ne2 Bf5 15. Nd4 Bh7 16. f4 Rd8 17. f5 Rd5 18. Bf4 Be7 19. g4 Bc5 20. c3 g6 {Karjakin,S (2752) -Ding,L (2791) Lindores Abbey 2020}) 14... Bf5 15. Ng5 Rf8 16. Rd4 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 f6 18. exf6 gxf6 19. Bh4 Kf7 20. Rf4 Kg6 21. Re1 Bxc2 22. Re6 Bf5 23. Re3 Bb1 24. Rg3+ Kh7 25. Bxf6 Rf7 26. Rg5 Kh6 27. Be5 Raf8 28. Rxf7 Rxf7 29. f4 h4 30. Rg4 Kh5 31. Bg7 Rf5 32. Bc3 Bxa2 33. Be1 a5 34. Rxh4+ Kg6 35. Bc3 a4 36. Be5 b5 37. Rh8 b4 38. Rb8 c5 39. Rb5 $2 {This loses an important tempo.} (39. Kf2 b3 40. Ke3 c4 41. Kd4 a3 42. Kc3 {should win for White.}) 39... b3 40. Rxc5 Rxe5 41. Rxe5 a3 42. bxa3 b2 43. Rb5 b1=Q+ 44. Rxb1 Bxb1 45. Kf2 Bc2 46. g4 c5 47. Ke3 Kf6 48. Kd2 Ba4 49. h4 Bd7 50. f5 Ba4 51. Ke3 c4 52. Kf4 $4 c3 53. g5+ Kf7 54. Ke3 c2 ({Quickly played, where} 54... Bb5 $1 {wins for Black as White will run out of pawn moves when Zugzwang will force his king too far away from the c3-pawn. The bishop and pawn beautifully cover d3, d2, and e2 here. A sample line is} 55. a4 Ba6 56. a5 Kg7 57. h5 Bb5 58. h6+ Kh7 59. f6 Kg6) 55. Kd2 Kg7 56. h5 Bb3 57. Kc1 Ba4 58. Kb2 Bb3 59. Kc1 Ba4 60. Kb2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.21"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D20"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2732"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Bxc4 Nc6 6. O-O Be6 7. Nbd2 Bd6 8. Qb3 Qd7 9. Qxb7 Rb8 10. Qa6 Nge7 11. a3 O-O 12. b4 Bg4 {N} (12... Ng6 13. Bb2 Bh3 14. Rfc1 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nce5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Kf1 Rb6 18. Qxa7 Nf4 { Neelash,S (2334)-Donoso Diaz,S (2203) New Delhi 2019}) 13. Bb2 Bf4 14. Rfe1 Qd6 15. g3 Bh6 16. e5 Qd7 17. Bf1 Ng6 18. Bg2 Rb6 19. Qf1 a5 20. b5 Bxd2 21. Nxd2 Ncxe5 22. a4 Bf5 23. Ne4 d3 24. Rad1 ({Giri got annoyed as he only saw} 24. Nd2 {after putting his rook on d1. The engine, however, prefers the text move.}) 24... Rd8 25. Bc3 $6 {Only with this move White gives away his advantage.} (25. Re3 $1 {threatens 26.f4 to win the d-pawn and after e.g.} Qc8 26. Bc3 {White is clearly better.}) 25... Nc4 26. Nd2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.22"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Black "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2671"] [BlackElo "2679"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. a4 Bd7 11. Bc2 b4 12. Nbd2 Re8 13. a5 Bf8 14. Re1 Rb8 15. d4 bxc3 16. bxc3 exd4 17. cxd4 Nb4 18. Bb1 g6 19. Ra3 Bg7 20. Nf1 Rb5 21. Ng3 Nh5 $6 {The start of Black's problems.} (21... Nh7 {made more sense.}) 22. Nxh5 Rxh5 23. d5 $1 {Simply cutting off the rook.} c5 24. Bf4 Bb2 25. Rae3 Qf6 26. Bg3 c4 27. Qe2 Bb5 28. e5 $1 {This breakthrough picks up an exchange but Black will win a piece after that. However, it's still much better for White thanks to the d-passer.} Bxe5 29. Nxe5 dxe5 30. Bxe5 Rexe5 ({Black has to take because } 30... Qd8 31. Bc3 Rxe3 32. Qxe3 Nxd5 33. Qd4 {is curtains.}) 31. Rxe5 c3 32. Qe3 c2 33. Rxh5 gxh5 34. Bxc2 Nxc2 35. Qe5 {After the dust has settled, it turns out White's d-pawn is a decisive factor.} Kg7 ({After} 35... Qxe5 36. Rxe5 Kf8 37. d6 Nd4 {White can simply go} 38. Rxh5 Ke8 39. Rxh6 Kd7 40. Rf6 Bc4 41. h4 {with a winning position.}) 36. Re4 Bd3 $2 ({Also after} 36... Qxe5 37. Rxe5 {White is winning, e.g.} Kf6 (37... h4 38. d6 Kf6 39. Rxb5 axb5 40. a6) 38. Rxh5 Kg6 39. Re5 Kf6 40. Re4 {and Black's minor pieces are remarkably helpless.}) 37. Qg3+ 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.22"] [Round "6.7"] [White "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D31"] [WhiteElo "2668"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 ({In order to understand better Firouzja's choice, let me remind you the fascinating recent game where practically the same pawn structure happened with reverse colors after} 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. b4 a5 6. c3 axb4 7. cxb4 b6 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10. a4 bxc5 11. b5 Bd6 12. Bb2 O-O 13. O-O Qc7 14. Nbd2 c4 15. Bc3 e5 16. a5 e4 17. b6 {and later White won a beautiful game, Firouzja,A (2703)-So,W (2741) Skilling Open 2020}) 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. e3 b5 6. a4 c6 7. Bd2 a5 8. axb5 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 cxb5 10. b3 Bb7 11. bxc4 b4 12. Bb2 Nf6 {The Noteboom variation is considered very risky for Black from a positional point of view. He gives away the center almost completely and surrenders the bishop pair. But in return he gets a nice pair of advanced passers, controls the long diagonal and if he is not mated in the middlegame, he might well be able to promote those passers. All in all a risky, double-edged opening with excellent winning chances for both sides.} 13. Bd3 O-O 14. O-O Nbd7 15. Nd2 {One idea now is to prepare c4-c5 followed by Nd2-c4 and eventually Nc4-d6. The other one is to start rolling the kingside pawns. The drawback of the move is, however, that it loses control of the central e5 square.} (15. Bc2 {at once looks more solid.}) ({The immediate} 15. c5 {might be met with} Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Nxc5) 15... e5 $1 {It is mandatory to block the white pawns.} 16. Bc2 (16. dxe5 Nxe5 {is excellent for Black.}) ({ Whereas} 16. c5 $2 Nxc5 {drops a pawn.}) 16... Qc7 17. h3 ({The opening did not go well for White in the following game:} 17. Re1 Rfe8 18. d5 Nb6 19. e4 Nfd7 20. f4 f6 21. fxe5 Nxe5 22. Bd4 Nbxc4 23. Nxc4 Qxc4 24. Bb3 Qa6 25. Bxe5 Rxe5 26. Qd4 Qd6 {Sjugirov,S (2675)-Obolenskikh, D (2544) Chess.com 2020}) 17... Rfe8 18. Bb3 {This does not seem like the right plan.} ({Here} 18. d5 $1 {might have been strong. It seems that Black can block the position with} Nc5 { but White can put strong pressure on the dark squares then with} 19. f4 Nfd7 20. fxe5 Nxe5 21. Nf3 {eventually lifting the blockade with an edge for the first player.}) 18... h6 {N} ({An email game saw sharp kingside play after} 18... Ne4 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. Re1 Ra6 21. f3 Bf5 22. c5 Rg6 23. Kh1 Rh6 24. Bc4 Bxh3 25. gxh3 exd4 26. Bf1 Qg3 {and Black's attack was sufficient to maintain the balance after} 27. Re2 Ne5 28. exd4 Rd8 29. Qe1 Rxh3+ 30. Bxh3 Qxh3+ 31. Rh2 Qxf3+ 32. Rg2 Qh3+ 33. Rh2 Qf3+ 34. Rg2 Qh3+ 35. Rh2 Qf3+ {½-½ (35) Rudolf,M (2129)-Ress,J (2179) LSS email 2013}) 19. Nf3 {The knight returns, but threatens nothing...} ({At last} 19. c5 {is possible, but it brings White nothing after the blockading:} exd4 20. exd4 Bd5) ({Maybe} 19. f4 $5 exf4 20. exf4 Ne4 {with an unclear position should have been tested.}) 19... Ra6 $1 { A nice rook lift.} 20. Nxe5 ({The other capture} 20. dxe5 $2 Ne4 21. Bc2 Ndc5 { allows yet another powerful blockade and domination of the black pieces.}) 20... Nxe5 21. dxe5 Nd7 22. f4 {Donchenko decided to risk and keep the pawn.} ( {Perhaps from afar he intended} 22. Ba4 {but then Black can force a beautiful draw with} Nxe5 $1 23. Bxe8 Nf3+ 24. gxf3 Rg6+ 25. Kh1 Qc8 26. Kh2 Qc7+ { In hindsight, this might not have been a bad idea.}) 22... Nc5 $1 23. Bc2 a4 ({ Even stronger was} 23... b3 $1 {which would have forced the bishop to step to a worse position:} 24. Bf5 (24. Bxb3 $4 {loses a piece due to} Rb6) ({If} 24. Bb1 {as in the game:} Rd8 25. Qe2 Be4 {and the black rook makes it to the attacking g6 square after} 26. Rd1 Rg6) 24... a4 {Now White cannot push his f-pawn.}) 24. f5 $1 {Donchenko grabs the given chance and opens up the game on the kingside.} b3 25. Bb1 Raa8 ({Objectively best seems} 25... a3 $1 26. Rxa3 Rxa3 27. Bxa3 Qxe5 {when the situation remains somehow balanced. For example:} 28. f6 ({Black is better after} 28. Bxc5 Qxc5 29. Qd4 Qxd4 30. exd4 Ba6 $1 31. Rc1 Re2) 28... Qxe3+ {White has nothing else but to trade the queens with} 29. Rf2 ({Or otherwise he is mated:} 29. Kh1 $4 Qxh3+) ({Or} 29. Kh2 $2 Qe2) 29... Qe1+ 30. Qxe1 Rxe1+ 31. Rf1 {The draw seems like the most probable result here. }) 26. e6 $1 {Bringing the bishops out.} Qg3 ({Firouzja needs to be careful:} 26... fxe6 $2 {loses to} 27. f6 Rf8 ({Or} 27... gxf6 28. Rxf6) 28. Qg4 Rf7 29. Qg6 {and the attack cannot be parried.}) 27. Rf2 {But this is not the right way to defend the g2 spot. The rook was needed for the kingside attack.} ({ Therefore:} 27. Qe2 $1 {was called for, for example} f6 {Now the rook can be lifted:} (27... fxe6 {is still bad as the rook is free to move:} 28. f6 gxf6 29. Rxf6) 28. Rf4 h5 {and it is only White who can be better after} 29. Ba3 ({ Or} 29. Qf2)) 27... f6 {Black misses an excellent chance.} (27... fxe6 $1 { was possible now that the rook on f2 is stuck with the defense of the second rank. Then the endgame after} 28. f6 gxf6 29. Qh5 Qg5 30. Qxg5+ hxg5 31. Rxf6 Be4 $1 {should be close to won for Black.}) 28. Bd4 ({It was not too late for} 28. Qe2 $1) 28... Ne4 29. Bxe4 {Certainly a mistake after which Firouzja holds all the trumps.} ({As scary as it looks} 29. Rf4 $1 {was White's best idea. Then} Ng5 30. Qg4 Qxg4 31. Rxg4 a3 {looks winning for Black but White can actually hold this with the forcing sequence} ({Or} 31... h5 32. Rf4 a3) 32. h4 b2 33. Ra2 h5 34. Rf4 Be4 $1 35. Rxe4 $1 Nxe4 36. Bxe4 Reb8 37. Bb1 Rb4 38. Kf2 Rxc4 39. Bxb2 $1 Rb4 40. Bc1 Rxb1 41. Rxa3 Re8 42. Bd2 g6 {and it should be a draw.}) 29... Bxe4 30. Ra3 (30. Qh5 {is easily met with:} Re7) 30... Rec8 31. c5 Kh7 32. Qd2 ({Perhaps White can hold the endgame after} 32. Qg4 Qxg4 33. hxg4 {although this is certainly an ungrateful task.}) 32... b2 {One can hardly criticise a move that led quickly to the win, however White could have defended here.} ({Objectively, a move like} 32... Rd8 {would have kept large advantage for Black and good winning chances.}) 33. Qxb2 {The losing mistake.} ({Donchenko should have opted for} 33. Bxb2 $1 {with the idea to answer} Rxc5 { with} 34. Qd4 ({Or} 34. Qb4 {which would transpose.}) 34... Rxf5 35. Qxe4 $1 { White gives up the rook with a check, but manages to salvage half a point thanks to his powerful passer:} Qxf2+ 36. Kh2 Rc8 ({Nothing changes} 36... Re8 37. Rxa4) 37. e7 Re8 38. Rxa4 {The simple human choice.} ({Or the computer-like } 38. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 39. Rxa4 Kg7 40. Ra8) 38... Rxe7 39. Qxe7 Qxb2 40. Qe4 { with a draw.}) 33... Rab8 34. Qa2 Rb1+ 35. Rf1 Rcb8 36. Qf2 Rxf1+ 37. Kxf1 ({Or } 37. Qxf1 Rb1) 37... Rb1+ 38. Ke2 Qb8 $1 {This long move backwards might have been missed by Donchenko. The attack on the light squares is irresistible.} 39. Qf4 Qb5+ 40. Kd2 Qb4+ 41. Bc3 Qxa3 42. Qxe4 Qc1+ 43. Kd3 Qf1+ 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.22"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 a5 7. Re1 O-O 8. Nbd2 Ba7 9. Nf1 Be6 10. Bb5 Ne7 11. Ng3 Ng6 12. h3 c6 13. Ba4 d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. d4 {N} (15. Bc2 Qc7 16. d4 exd4 17. Nxd4 Rae8 18. Bg5 Ndf4 19. Qd2 Bd5 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Re1 Re5 {Alekseenko,K (2698)-Giri,A (2763) Ekaterinburg 2020}) 15... exd4 16. Nxd4 Qc7 17. Qf3 Bxd4 18. cxd4 Qb6 19. Rd1 Rad8 20. Bb3 Nc7 21. Nf5 Bxb3 22. axb3 Qb5 23. h4 h5 $5 24. Bd2 (24. Qxh5 $2 Rd5 25. g4 Qe2 {is something to be avoided.}) 24... b6 25. Bg5 f6 26. Bh6 $5 Rf7 (26... gxh6 $2 27. Qxh5 {wins or White.}) 27. Qxh5 Ne7 28. Nxe7+ Rxe7 29. Qxb5 cxb5 30. Bd2 Re4 31. d5 Nxd5 32. Be3 Rd7 33. g3 Ree7 34. Bd4 Re6 35. Rac1 $2 ({Safer was} 35. Rd2) ({or} 35. Kf1) 35... Red6 36. Re1 Nb4 $2 (36... Kf7 $1 {leaves White in dire straits as there's no good answer to the threat 37...Nb4 and 38...Nd3. Relatively best is} 37. Bc3 Nxc3 38. bxc3 {but the rook endgame after} Rd2 { looks winning for Black.}) 37. Rc8+ Kf7 38. Be3 Nd5 39. Rb8 b4 40. Kf1 Kg6 41. g4 Nxe3+ 42. Rxe3 Rd4 43. g5 f5 44. Rh8 Re4 45. Ke2 Rxe3+ 46. Kxe3 Re7+ 47. Kd3 Rd7+ 48. Ke3 Re7+ 49. Kd3 Rd7+ 50. Ke3 Re7+ 51. Kd3 1/2-1/2 [Event "83rd Tata Steel Masters 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.22"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Black "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2671"] [BlackElo "2679"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 {C84: Closed Ruy Lopez: Unusual White 6th moves.} h6 10. a4 $5 { White wants to play axb5. An interesting side line.} Bd7 11. Bc2 {White has an edge.} b4 12. Nbd2 Re8 {[#]} 13. a5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 13. Nc4 Be6 14. Re1 bxc3 15. bxc3 Bxc4 16. dxc4 Na5 17. Nh4 Rb8 18. Nf5 Bf8 19. Rb1 Rxb1 20. Bxb1 { 1/2-1/2 (51) Sukhanitskij,S (2059)-Parente,A (1588) LSS email 2014}) 13... Bf8 14. Re1 Rb8 15. d4 bxc3 16. bxc3 exd4 17. cxd4 Nb4 18. Bb1 g6 19. Ra3 Bg7 20. Nf1 Rb5 21. Ng3 Nh5 $6 (21... Nh7) 22. Nxh5 Rxh5 23. d5 c5 24. Bf4 Bb2 25. Rae3 Qf6 26. Bg3 c4 $2 (26... Bb5) 27. Qe2 Bb5 28. e5 Bxe5 29. Nxe5 dxe5 30. Bxe5 Rexe5 31. Rxe5 c3 32. Qe3 c2 {White must now prevent ...Rxe5.} 33. Rxh5 gxh5 { [#]} 34. Bxc2 Nxc2 $16 35. Qe5 Kg7 36. Re4 {Hoping for d6. White has strong compensation.} Bd3 $4 (36... Qxe5 $16 37. Rxe5 Nd4) 37. Qg3+ {Double Attack. Weighted Error Value: White=0.10/Black=0.15} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.22"] [Round "6.7"] [White "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D31"] [WhiteElo "2668"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. e3 b5 6. a4 c6 7. Bd2 a5 8. axb5 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 cxb5 10. b3 Bb7 11. bxc4 b4 12. Bb2 Nf6 13. Bd3 O-O $1 {is now more promising than 13...Nbd7.} 14. O-O Nbd7 15. Nd2 e5 {D31: Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Slav without ...Nf6 (+ Marshall Gambit and Noteboom) and Exchange Variation lines without ...Nf6.} 16. Bc2 Qc7 17. h3 Rfe8 {The position is equal.} 18. Bb3 {[#]} h6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 18... Ne4 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. Re1 Ra6 21. f3 Bf5 22. c5 Rg6 23. Kh1 Rh6 24. Bc4 Bxh3 25. gxh3 exd4 { 1/2-1/2 (35) Rudolf,M (2129)-Ress,J (2179) LSS email 2013}) 19. Nf3 Ra6 20. Nxe5 Nxe5 21. dxe5 Nd7 22. f4 Nc5 {And now ...Rg6 would win. Black has compensation.} 23. Bc2 a4 {White should prevent ...Rd8.} (23... Rd8 $5 24. Qg4 b3 $11) 24. f5 $1 b3 25. Bb1 Raa8 ({Black should try} 25... a3 $11 26. Rxa3 Rxa3 27. Bxa3 Qxe5) 26. e6 $1 $14 {Qg4! is the strong threat.} Qg3 {Double Attack} (26... fxe6 $2 27. f6 $18) 27. Rf2 (27. Qe2 $16 {stays on course. Strongly threatening Bd4.} f6 28. Rf4) 27... f6 $40 {Black mounts an attack.} ( {Wrong is} 27... Qxe3 $2 28. exf7+ Kxf7 29. Qh5+ Ke7 30. f6+ gxf6 31. Bg6 $18) (27... fxe6 $17 28. f6 gxf6) 28. Bd4 Ne4 {[#]} (28... Rec8 $11 {remains equal.} ) 29. Bxe4 $2 (29. Rf3 $1 $16 Qb8 30. Rf4) 29... Bxe4 $17 30. Ra3 Rec8 31. c5 Kh7 32. Qd2 b2 (32... Rd8 $17) 33. Qxb2 $4 {This costs White the game.} (33. Bxb2 $11 Rxc5 34. Qb4 Rxf5 35. Qxe4 Qxf2+ {Double Attack} 36. Kh2) 33... Rab8 34. Qa2 {With the idea Rf1.} Rb1+ 35. Rf1 (35. Qxb1 $19 Bxb1 36. Rxa4) 35... Rcb8 {Black mates.} 36. Qf2 Rxf1+ 37. Kxf1 {[#]} Rb1+ $1 38. Ke2 Qb8 39. Qf4 Qb5+ 40. Kd2 Qb4+ {Double Attack} 41. Bc3 Qxa3 42. Qxe4 Qc1+ 43. Kd3 Qf1+ { Weighted Error Value: White=0.58/Black=0.22} 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.22"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Grandelius, Nils"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e5 4. O-O Bd6 5. c3 a6 6. Ba4 {B30: Sicilian: 2... Nc6 3 Bb5, lines without ...g6.} b5 7. Bc2 Nge7 8. d4 {White is slightly better.} cxd4 9. cxd4 exd4 {[#]} 10. Nbd2 $146 ({Predecessor:} 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Qc7 12. Qd3 Bxh2+ 13. Kh1 Bf4 14. Nc3 Bxc1 15. Raxc1 Qe5 16. f4 { 1-0 (29) Jones,G (2702)-Vidit,S (2707) Hengshui 2019}) 10... Bb7 11. Nb3 Qc7 12. h3 Rc8 13. Nbxd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 O-O 15. Bb3 Nc6 16. Qd1 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Re1 Rfe8 19. f4 Bxf4 20. Bxf7+ Kxf7 21. Bxf4 Qb6+ ({Much worse is} 21... Qxf4 $6 22. Rf1 $16) 22. Kh2 Qe6 23. e5 Kg8 {And now ...Qf5 would win.} 24. Bg3 Rc4 25. Rf1 a5 26. Rf2 a4 27. a3 Rec8 28. Qd6 h5 29. Raf1 h4 {[#] Strongly threatening ...Qxd6.} (29... Qxd6 {with more complications.} 30. exd6 Re4 31. Rd2 Rc5 32. Rf4 Rxf4 33. Bxf4 Bc6) 30. Qxe6+ (30. Bf4 {seems wilder.} Qxd6 31. exd6 b4 32. axb4 Rxb4 33. Be5) 30... dxe6 31. Bf4 b4 32. axb4 Rxb4 33. Bg5 Bd5 34. Be7 Rbc4 (34... Re4 {is interesting.} 35. Rf8+ Rxf8 36. Rxf8+ Kh7 37. Rf2 Kh6) 35. Rf8+ Rxf8 36. Rxf8+ $15 {Endgame KRB-KRB} Kh7 {[#] aiming for ...Rc2.} 37. Rf2 Kg6 38. Bd8 Re4 39. Bc7 Kh5 40. Bd6 g5 41. Bc7 g4 42. hxg4+ Kxg4 43. Bd6 Bb3 44. Kg1 Bc4 45. Kh1 h3 46. Kh2 hxg2 47. Kxg2 Bd5 48. Kf1 Re3 49. Kg1 Re1+ 50. Rf1 Re2 {( -> ...Rg2+)} 51. Rf2 Re3 52. Rf1 Rg3+ (52... Kg3 53. Bc5) 53. Kf2 Rb3 54. Ra1 Bc6 (54... Rxb2+ {keeps more tension.} 55. Ke3 Bc6 56. Rc1 Rb3+ 57. Kd2 Rb6) 55. Ke2 Rxb2+ 56. Ke3 Bb5 57. Kd4 Kf4 58. Ra3 Be8 59. Kc3 Rb1 60. Kd4 Bd7 61. Rc3 Rb5 62. Rc7 Rd5+ {Weighted Error Value: White=0.05/Black=0. 05} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.23"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Tari, Aryan"] [Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C64"] [WhiteElo "2625"] [BlackElo "2671"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Bc5 5. O-O Nge7 6. c3 Ba7 7. d4 Ng6 8. Bg5 f6 9. Be3 O-O 10. d5 (10. Re1 d6 11. Nbd2 Kh8 12. h3 exd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 f5 {Dominguez Perez,L (2760)-Nabaty,T (2678) Netanya 2019}) 10... Nce7 {N} (10... Nb8 11. Bxa7 Rxa7 12. d6 b5 13. Bb3+ Kh8 14. c4 Bb7 15. Re1 c5 { Paravyan,D (2629)-Krysa,L (2522) Gibraltar 2020}) 11. Bxa7 Rxa7 12. d6 cxd6 13. Qxd6 b5 14. Bb3+ Kh8 15. a4 Rb7 16. axb5 Rb6 17. Qd1 (17. Qd2 $1 {looks a bit ugly but has the advantage that} axb5 {can be met by} 18. Rd1 {preventing 18... Bb7 for the moment. Then} d6 19. Ra8 Qc7 20. Qe3 {followed by 21.Nbd2 is close to equal.}) 17... axb5 18. Nbd2 (18. Ra8 $5) 18... Bb7 19. c4 f5 20. Bc2 $2 ({ After} 20. c5 Rbf6 21. Bc2 {Black's advantage is there, but not as big as in the game.}) 20... fxe4 21. Ng5 (21. Bxe4 Bxe4 22. Nxe4 bxc4) 21... Nf5 22. Ngxe4 Nf4 {It's remarkable that White is already lost here, but there's just no good defense against ideas like ...Rh6 and ...Qh4.} 23. Nf3 bxc4 24. Nxe5 Nd4 25. Re1 Nxc2 26. Qxc2 Re6 27. Qc3 Qe7 28. Ra5 d6 29. Ng5 Rxe5 30. Raxe5 dxe5 31. Rxe5 Qf6 32. Qc2 Nd3 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.23"] [Round "7.5"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Grandelius, Nils"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2663"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 h5 {One of the modern ideas against the English Attack. Black wants to completely prevent it! A curious choice by Grandelius. Giri himself played this line at least three times last year as Black.} 10. Nd5 {Stressing the facts that Black's last move weakened the kingside and castling might not be as appealing.} ({The Dutch GM defended well in the following sharp battle:} 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. Kb1 Rc8 12. h4 b5 13. a3 O-O 14. Bg5 Re8 15. g4 hxg4 16. fxg4 Bxg4 17. Re1 d5 {Wei,Y (2732)-Giri,A (2764) Chess.com 2020}) 10... Nxd5 11. exd5 Bf5 12. Be2 a5 {A second rook-pawn move that aims to discourage the white king from castling queenside.} ({Nakamura and Carlsen discussed the consequences of} 12... Bh4+ 13. g3 Be7 14. c4 a5 15. Bd3 Bh3 16. O-O-O Nd7 17. Kb1 a4 18. Nc1 Qa5 19. Qxa5 Rxa5 20. Rhg1 f5 {Nakamura,H (2736)-Carlsen,M (2863) Online 2020}) 13. a4 O-O {Now it is safe to castle kingside because the a2-a4 weakening has been provoked.} 14. O-O Nd7 15. f4 {However, Giri seems happy with the potential black targets and his better pawn structure.} exf4 16. Bxf4 Rc8 {N} ({An email game went} 16... Bg6 17. Bb5 Bf6 18. c4 Qc7 19. Rae1 Rfd8 20. Bg3 h4 21. Rxf6 hxg3 22. Rff1 gxh2+ 23. Kh1 Re8 24. Nxa5 Re5 {with counterplay, Brodda,W (2596)-Acevedo Villalba,A (2515) ICCF email 2015}) 17. c3 ({It is better to avoid} 17. Nd4 {for the time being as the black knight will find some wonderful squares after} Bg6 18. c3 Nc5) 17... Nf6 ({Here} 17... Nc5 $2 {loses material due to} 18. Nxc5 Rxc5 19. Be3) 18. Be3 {The outcome of the opening points towards White's advantage. He has long-term advantage, and if he manages to consolidate his position, it will be hard for Black to hold the balance.} Be4 $1 {Therefore, Grandelius enters complications.} 19. Bd4 $1 { But Giri opts for a temporary pawn sacrifice and takes over the initiative.} Nxd5 {The only possible capture.} (19... Bxd5 {loses the material back due to the nice} 20. Rxf6 $1 ({Not} 20. Bxf6 Bxb3) 20... Bxb3 21. Rf5 {Not only will White regain the pawn, but he will soon launch a strong kingside attack.}) 20. Bf3 {Solid and good enough for a stable advantage.} ({Also interesting is} 20. Bxh5 Nf6 21. Rae1 {when the white pieces stand more harmoniously. Perhaps White disliked the solidifying move} d5 {here, but White should be better after, say:} 22. Bf3) 20... Bg5 ({Or} 20... Bxf3 21. Rxf3 Bf6 22. Rf5 Bxd4+ 23. Qxd4 Nf6 24. Nxa5 {when the better pawn structure clearly favors White.}) 21. Qe2 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 Nf6 23. Qf5 {White regains the pawn and preserves all his advantages.} Ng4 ({Worse is} 23... Bh6 24. Nxa5) 24. Qxa5 Re8 ({The rook endgame is also clearly better for White after} 24... Qxa5 25. Nxa5 Be3+ 26. Bxe3 Nxe3 27. Rf3 b6 28. Rxe3 bxa5) 25. Qxd8 Bxd8 26. Rfe1 {The game smoothly entered an endgame: the dream scenario for Giri. Not only because he is an exceptional technician, but because he kept all his small advantages and even accumulated more. The queenside majority will be soon translated into a distant passer.} Ne5 27. Nd2 Re6 28. Red1 Kf8 {Giri called this "a horrible move."} 29. b4 {That might have been rushed a bit.} ({It makes sense to improve a little further with} 29. Kf1 $5) ({Or} 29. Nf1 $5) 29... Nc6 30. Bf2 Ne5 {This very logical move is instructively refuted.} ({Grandelius needed to keep his opponent busy with} 30... Bf6 {Then} 31. Rac1 ({Or alternatively} 31. Ra3 Ne7 32. c4 Nc6 33. b5 (33. Rb3 Nd4) 33... Na5) 31... Bg5 32. Rb1 Ne5 33. Ne4 Be7 34. h3 Nc4 {might be a good way to stop the white pawns.}) 31. a5 $3 { A profound, in-depth understanding of the position. The outside passer moves with decisive effect. It will soon cost Black a piece.} Rxc3 32. b5 Ng4 { The last chance to create threats, but the white pieces are invincible.} 33. Bd4 Rd3 34. Nc4 Rxd4 {Desperation.} ({However, Black is also lost after} 34... Rb3 35. a6) ({Or} 34... Rxd1+ 35. Rxd1 d5 36. Nb6 $1) 35. Rxd4 Bf6 36. Rdd1 d5 ({Nothing changes} 36... Bxa1 37. Rxa1 Ne5 38. Nb6 $1 {and Black will soon have to part with his knight.}) 37. Nb6 $1 {It's over. Giri's elegant play is impressive.} Ne3 {A final blunder that finishes the suffering.} ({Or} 37... Bxa1 38. Rxa1 Ne5 39. Nxd5) 38. Nd7+ Ke7 39. Nxf6 (39. Nxf6 {Since Black loses a whole piece in the line} Nxd1 40. Nxd5+ Kd6 41. Rxd1) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.23"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B97"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. Be2 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. e5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 $2 {Going wrong early.} ({After} 13... cxd5 {things are not clear at all.}) 14. e6 $3 { More or less decisive already.} f6 ({After} 14... Bxe6 {Caruana was planning either} 15. O-O ({or} 15. f5 Bxf5 16. O-O {and in both cases his compensation is indeed overwhelming.})) ({After} 14... fxe6 15. O-O Be7 16. f5 {White's attack is too strong.}) 15. Bh5+ Kd8 16. Bh4 d4 {Caruana didn't expect this move.} ({However, also after} 16... Bxe6 17. O-O {the position is not fun at all for Black.}) 17. Bf2 Qc3 18. f5 Qxd2+ 19. Kxd2 c5 20. Bf3 Ra7 21. g4 { Black is completely stuck.} g6 22. Bh4 Be7 23. Rb6 {Caruana was happy to find his last two moves that are "kind of paralyzing," as he expressed.} h5 24. h3 Ke8 25. Bg3 Rc7 26. Kd3 hxg4 27. hxg4 Rxh1 28. Bxh1 gxf5 29. gxf5 Bf8 30. Kc4 Rh7 31. Be4 Be7 32. Bxd6 Bxd6 33. Rxd6 Bb7 34. Bxb7 Rxb7 35. Rxa6 Rb2 36. Kxc5 Rxc2+ 37. Kxd4 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.23"] [Round "7.6"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 Bd6 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. Ne5 c5 7. c3 Qc7 8. Bd3 b6 9. h4 Ba6 10. Bxa6 Nxa6 11. h5 Nd7 12. Ndf3 {N} (12. h6 g6 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Qe2 Nb8 16. Rd1 cxd4 17. exd4 Nc6 18. Nf3 f6 {Demchenko,A (2655) -So,W (2767) Khanty-Mansiysk 2019}) 12... f6 13. Nd3 cxd4 $6 {Duda must have miscalculated White's "antipositional" recapture...} 14. Nxd4 $1 e5 15. Ne6 Qc4 16. Nxf8 {According to Firouzja, Duda probably missed that in this position d7 is hanging when he took on d4.} Bxf8 17. Bg3 Ndc5 18. Nxc5 Nxc5 19. Rh4 e4 20. Qe2 Nd3+ 21. Kf1 f5 22. Kg1 Rc8 23. Rh1 Kf7 24. Kh2 Be7 25. a3 b5 26. Rad1 Ke6 27. Rxd3 Qxd3 28. Qxd3 exd3 29. Rd1 Bxa3 30. bxa3 Rxc3 31. Kg1 Rxa3 32. Kf1 b4 33. Ke1 b3 34. Kd2 b2 35. Rb1 Rb3 36. Bc7 d4 37. exd4 Kd5 38. f4 g6 39. h6 Kxd4 40. Be5+ Ke4 41. Bxb2 Rb7 42. Re1+ Kxf4 43. Be5+ Kg4 44. Kxd3 g5 45. Bd4 Rd7 46. Re6 Kg3 47. Rf6 Kg4 48. Ra6 f4 49. Ke4 Re7+ 50. Be5 Rb7 51. Bf6 Rb4+ 52. Bd4 Kh5 53. Rd6 Ra4 54. Kf5 Ra2 55. Bf6 Kxh6 56. Rd1 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.23"] [Round "7.7"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E20"] [WhiteElo "2705"] [BlackElo "2677"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 d5 5. a3 Be7 6. e4 dxc4 (6... dxe4 7. fxe4 c5 8. d5 exd5 9. exd5 O-O 10. Be2 Re8 11. Nf3 Bg4 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2784) -Karjakin,S (2752) Moscow 2020}) 7. Be3 b5 {N} (7... c5 8. dxc5 Nbd7 9. Bxc4 Bxc5 10. Bxc5 Nxc5 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Kf2 Ke7 {Gyimesi,Z (2586)-Timman,J (2562) Antwerp 2008}) 8. Nxb5 Ba6 9. a4 c6 10. Na3 Bxa3 11. Rxa3 Nbd7 12. Ne2 Rb8 13. Ra2 O-O 14. Nc3 Qa5 15. Be2 Rfd8 16. Qc2 c5 17. O-O cxd4 18. Bxd4 Nc5 19. Nb5 Rxd4 $1 20. Nxd4 Nb3 21. Nb5 {Giving back the exchange is the only way to avoid a bigger material loss.} (21. Rd1 $2 Qc5 22. Qc3 e5) 21... Bxb5 22. axb5 Qxa2 23. Bxc4 Na1 $5 ({Fancy, but perhaps the prosaic} 23... Qa4 {is better, e. g.,} 24. Qxb3 Qxb3 25. Bxb3 Rxb5 26. Rd1 g5 {with a better endgame.}) 24. Qc3 Qa4 25. b3 $2 ({Missing} 25. Rb1 $1 Rd8 26. b3 Nxb3 27. Qxb3 Qa5 28. Be2 { and White should be OK.}) 25... Nxb3 26. Qxb3 Qxb3 27. Bxb3 Rxb5 {This is a healthy pawn for Black, so excellent winning chances.} 28. Rc1 g5 29. Rc3 Kg7 30. Kf2 h5 31. Ke3 h4 32. g3 h3 33. Bd1 Rb2 34. Be2 g4 35. fxg4 Nxe4 36. Ra3 Ng5 $6 (36... Kf8 $1 37. Rxa7 Nc3) 37. Rxa7 Rb3+ 38. Kd4 $2 {Dropping h2.} ({ More tenacious is} 38. Bd3 e5 (38... Rb2 39. Be2) 39. Ra5 Kf6 40. Rb5 Ra3 41. Rb6+ Ne6 42. Rc6) 38... Rb1 39. Ke3 (39. Ra2 Rh1 40. Ba6 {loses to} Rxh2 41. Rxh2 Nf3+ 42. Ke3 Nxh2 43. Kf4 {and now the accurate} f6 $1 44. Bb7 e5+ $1 45. Kf5 Nf1 $1 46. g5 Ne3+ $1 47. Ke6 fxg5 $1 48. Kxe5 h2 $1 {followed by 49.... Nf1.}) 39... Rh1 40. Ra5 Kf6 41. Bf3 Rxh2 42. Ra1 Rb2 0-1 [Event "83rd Tata Steel Masters 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.23"] [Round "7.5"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Grandelius, Nils"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2663"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 h5 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Bf5 {B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5.} 12. Be2 a5 13. a4 O-O {The position is equal.} 14. O-O Nd7 15. f4 {Threatening fxe5.} exf4 16. Bxf4 {[#]} Rc8 $146 ({ Predecessor:} 16... Bg6 17. Bb5 Bf6 18. c4 Qc7 19. Rae1 Rfd8 20. Bg3 h4 21. Rxf6 hxg3 22. Rff1 gxh2+ {1/2-1/2 (32) Brodda,W (2596) -Acevedo Villalba,A (2515) ICCF email 2015}) 17. c3 Nf6 18. Be3 Be4 19. Bd4 Nxd5 20. Bf3 (20. Bxh5 $16 Nf6 21. Bf3) 20... Bg5 $11 21. Qe2 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 {[#] Double Attack} Nf6 23. Qf5 ({Of course not} 23. Qxb7 Rb8 $17) 23... Ng4 {And now ...Be3+ would win.} 24. Qxa5 Re8 25. Qxd8 Bxd8 26. Rfe1 Ne5 27. Nd2 Re6 28. Red1 Kf8 29. b4 Nc6 30. Bf2 Ne5 31. a5 Rxc3 $2 (31... Ng4 32. Bd4 Ne3) 32. b5 Ng4 33. Bd4 Rd3 34. Nc4 Rxd4 $2 (34... Rxd1+ 35. Rxd1 d5) 35. Rxd4 $16 Bf6 {[#]} 36. Rdd1 { Black must now prevent a6.} d5 37. Nb6 Ne3 $2 (37... Bxa1 {is a better chance.} 38. Rxa1 Ne5) 38. Nd7+ $18 Ke7 39. Nxf6 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.06/ Black=0.29} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.23"] [Round "7.6"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 Bd6 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. Ne5 c5 7. c3 {D02:1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2...Nf6 3 Bf4.} Qc7 8. Bd3 b6 9. h4 $5 {The position is equal. Leaves trodden paths.} Ba6 10. Bxa6 Nxa6 11. h5 Nd7 {[#]} 12. Ndf3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12. h6 g6 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Qe2 Nb8 16. Rd1 cxd4 17. exd4 Nc6 18. Nf3 {1/2-1/2 (34) Demchenko,A (2655) -So,W (2767) Khanty-Mansiysk 2019}) 12... f6 13. Nd3 cxd4 $2 (13... c4) 14. Nxd4 e5 15. Ne6 Qc4 16. Nxf8 Bxf8 (16... Ndc5 $1 17. Nxc5 Nxc5 18. Bg3 Bxf8) 17. Bg3 Ndc5 18. Nxc5 Nxc5 19. Rh4 e4 20. Qe2 Nd3+ 21. Kf1 f5 22. Kg1 Rc8 23. Rh1 Kf7 24. Kh2 Be7 25. a3 b5 26. Rad1 Ke6 27. Rxd3 Qxd3 $11 28. Qxd3 exd3 29. Rd1 Bxa3 30. bxa3 Rxc3 {Endgame KRB-KR} 31. Kg1 Rxa3 {Strongly threatening ... b4.} 32. Kf1 b4 {aiming for ...b3.} 33. Ke1 b3 34. Kd2 {Threatens to win with Kc3.} (34. Rxd3 $2 b2 $1 $19) 34... b2 {And now ...Ra1 would win.} (34... a5 $5 35. Rc1 (35. Kxd3 a4 $11) 35... d4 $11) 35. Rb1 Rb3 {...a5 is the strong threat.} 36. Bc7 d4 $1 37. exd4 {Black must now prevent Ba5.} Kd5 38. f4 g6 39. h6 Kxd4 40. Be5+ Ke4 41. Bxb2 Rb7 42. Re1+ Kxf4 43. Be5+ Kg4 44. Kxd3 {White wants to play Ra1.} g5 45. Bd4 Rd7 46. Re6 Kg3 47. Rf6 Kg4 (47... g4 48. Rxf5 Rd6) 48. Ra6 {Threatening Kc4.} f4 $2 {This move loses the game for Black.} ( 48... Kg3 $11) 49. Ke4 $1 $18 (49. Rxa7 Rxa7 50. Bxa7 Kh5 $11) 49... Re7+ 50. Be5 $1 Rb7 (50... Kg3 {is a better defense.} 51. Ra5 Kxg2 52. Ra2+ Kg3) 51. Bf6 $1 Rb4+ {[#]} 52. Bd4 $1 Kh5 $2 {[#]} (52... Rb7 {was necessary.} 53. Ke5 (53. Bxa7 Rb2 $11) (53. Rxa7 Rxa7 54. Bxa7 Kh5 $11) 53... Rd7) 53. Rd6 $1 Ra4 54. Kf5 Ra2 $2 (54... f3) 55. Bf6 Kxh6 56. Rd1 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.05/ Black=0.22} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.23"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B97"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "TA"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. Be2 Nc6 {B97: Sicilian Najdorf: Poisoned Pawn.} ({Black should play} 10... Nbd7 $15) 11. Nxc6 $11 bxc6 12. e5 {aiming for Rb3.} Nd5 { The position is equal.} 13. Nxd5 exd5 {[#]} (13... cxd5 $11 {keeps the balance. } 14. Rb3 Qc5) 14. e6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 14. O-O dxe5 15. fxe5 Be7 16. Rb3 Bxg5 17. Qxg5 Qc5+ 18. Kh1 O-O 19. Rg3 g6 20. Bd3 {1/2-1/2 (35) Tsaturian, V-Perfanov,B corr 1985}) 14... f6 $2 (14... Qxa2 15. O-O $18) (14... fxe6 15. Rb3 $11) (14... Bxe6 $16 15. O-O Qc5+ 16. Kh1 d4) 15. Bh5+ $18 {White has strong compensation.} Kd8 {[#]} 16. Bh4 d4 (16... Bxe6 $6 17. O-O $14) 17. Bf2 (17. Qxd4 Qa5+ 18. Kf1 Qxh5 $11) 17... Qc3 (17... Qxa2 $2 18. O-O $18) 18. f5 Qxd2+ 19. Kxd2 c5 20. Bf3 Ra7 21. g4 $36 {White is in control.} g6 22. Bh4 Be7 {[#]} (22... Ke7 $16 {might work better.}) 23. Rb6 $1 h5 {White must now prevent ...hxg4.} 24. h3 (24. fxg6 hxg4 25. Bd5 (25. g7 Rg8 $11) 25... Rg8 $14) 24... Ke8 (24... Rh6 $142 25. Bg3 Rc7) 25. Bg3 (25. fxg6 Kf8 $18) (25. gxh5 $142 gxf5 26. Rg1) 25... Rc7 (25... Kf8 {was worth a try.} 26. Bxd6 (26. fxg6 hxg4 27. Bxg4 Kg7 $16) 26... hxg4 27. hxg4 (27. Bxg4 Rb7 $16) 27... Rxh1) 26. Kd3 ({But not} 26. fxg6 $6 h4 $18) 26... hxg4 $2 (26... Kf8 27. Rxd6 (27. fxg6 hxg4 28. Bxg4 Kg7 $16) (27. Bxd6 Bxd6 28. Rxd6 Ke7 $16) 27... Ra7) 27. hxg4 { White is clearly winning.} Rxh1 28. Bxh1 gxf5 29. gxf5 Bf8 30. Kc4 Rh7 31. Be4 Be7 (31... Rh3 $142) 32. Bxd6 {And now Rb8! would win.} Bxd6 33. Rxd6 Bb7 34. Bxb7 Rxb7 35. Rxa6 Rb2 36. Kxc5 Rxc2+ 37. Kxd4 {Weighted Error Value: White=0. 17/Black=0.48} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.24"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B84"] [WhiteElo "2677"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. Be3 Be7 { Black often delays this move in these Sicilians, trying to get some space and play on the opposite wing first (or in the center.)} 8. g4 {A sharp attacking continuation against the Scheveningen in the spirit of the Keres Attack..} b5 { A very risky move which the world champion executed after more than 12 minutes spent on his clock. The last time this was tried was back in 2016.} ({A recent grandmaster game saw an even sharper development after} 8... Nfd7 9. Qd2 b5 10. a3 Bb7 11. O-O-O Nc6 12. g5 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 Bxg5 14. Rhg1 Bxe3+ 15. Qxe3 Qb6 16. Qg3 Ne5 17. f4 Ng6 18. f5 Ne5 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. Qxg7 O-O-O {Tarlev,K (2564) -Saric,I (2650) Germany 2019}) ({Eight years back in Norway, Veselin Topalov played in accordance with the classical principles and struck in the center:} 8... d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Bf3 Qa5+ 12. Qd2 Qxd2+ 13. Bxd2 Nd7 { comfortably holding the endgame in Nakamura,H (2775)-Topalov,V (2793) Stavanger 2013}) 9. g5 {Esipenko in return plays quickly and confidently.} Nfd7 10. a3 $1 {Played without any hesitation. It is far more important to stabilize the center than to care for the g5 pawn. White is often sacrificing it anyway whenever the opponent castles kingside, for instance.} ({After} 10. Qd2 Bb7 (10... b4 11. Nd1 Nc5 {might be even more interesting.}) 11. a3 Nb6 12. b3 N8d7 13. f4 Rc8 14. Bf3 Qc7 15. Nce2 g6 16. c3 Nc5 {Black achieved a harmonious position in Ashiku,F (2139)-Ten Hertog,H (2318) Albena 2011}) 10... Bxg5 {Again hesitation. But what else?} ({After} 10... Bb7 11. Rg1 Qc7 12. f4 { White has an excellent attacking position for free.}) 11. Qd2 Bxe3 ({Esipenko no doubt knew the following masterpiece:} 11... Bf6 12. O-O-O Bb7 13. Rhg1 Nc5 14. e5 $3 {In the best defended spot!} Bxe5 (14... dxe5 15. Ndxb5 $1 {would not have changed anything.}) 15. Ndxb5 $1 Nb3+ (15... axb5 16. Bxc5) 16. cxb3 axb5 17. Bxb5+ Bc6 18. Bd4 Qc8 19. Bxe5 dxe5 20. Kb1 Rg8 21. Ne4 {1-0 Ivanchuk, V (2739)-Negi,P (2634) Peristeri 2010}) 12. Qxe3 {For the pawn the young Russian GM has a significant lead in the development and a lot of open files to work on. The pawns on d6 and g7 are particularly interesting for White.} Qh4 {N This is also hard to explain. Carlsen is lagging in development, so why not develop pieces? And who is going to defend the d6 pawn now?} ({An email game saw the more reasonable} 12... Bb7 13. O-O-O Qe7 14. Nb3 Nc6 15. Qg3 Nc5 16. Nxc5 dxc5 17. Qxg7 Rf8 18. Bg4 Nd4 19. Ne2 O-O-O {Frotscher,T (2363)-Gomila Marti,S (2375) ICCF email 2019}) 13. Rg1 {Of course! White is not afraid of losing the h2 pawn.} g6 ({In fact, in the line} 13... Qxh2 14. Rxg7 Qh1+ { he has a spectacular win:} 15. Kd2 $3 Qxa1 16. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 17. Qg5 {with mate. }) ({Understandably, Black does not want to castle under an attack:} 13... O-O 14. O-O-O) 14. O-O-O Qe7 15. f4 {The central breaks are in the air.} Bb7 16. Kb1 {A cunning move. White often does this prophylaxis in the Sicilian, but here it is more venomous than it seems and it sets a nasty trap.} ({Other logical and strong continuations were} 16. h4) ({Or} 16. e5 {with the idea} d5 17. f5 $1 {to reach the black king as quick as possible.}) 16... Nc6 {Carlsen falls for it!} ({We know why he does not want to castle:} 16... O-O 17. h4 { Many files will be opened against his king in a flash.}) ({However, the preliminary} 16... Nc5 {was a must and only after} 17. Bf3 Nc6 {True, even here Black's position remains suspicious, to say the least, after} 18. e5 d5 19. Bxd5 $1 {A sacrifice which Black cannot accept:} exd5 20. Nxd5 {as the queen does not have a reasonable square.}) 17. Ncxb5 $1 {That's it! After the forcing...} axb5 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Qc3 $1 {which apparently Black missed, the world champion can already resign, on move 19. An exceptional case in his practice.} O-O 20. Qxc6 d5 {Trying to complicate as much as possible.} ({ Nothing changes} 20... Nc5 21. Qxd6 Qa7 22. Qd4) 21. exd5 Rfc8 22. d6 $1 { But Esipenko is very accurate.} Qd8 (22... Rxc6 23. dxe7 {promotes.}) 23. Qxb5 {This looks risky but it was very carefully calculated.} ({A more careful player would have chosen} 23. Qe4 {but the young Russian has it all covered.}) 23... Rcb8 24. Qc4 Rxa3 {For the moment, it seems as the world champion might muddy the waters, however...} 25. Qc7 Qe8 26. Rg5 $1 {A nice, decisive maneuver that aims to trade one of the enemy rooks, thus killing all the attack.} Ra4 ({Since} 26... Rc8 {is refuted by} 27. bxa3 $1) 27. Ra5 Rab4 28. b3 R4b7 ({After} 28... Rc8 {the neatest win is} 29. Bb5 $1 Rxc7 30. dxc7 { when the pawn cannot be stopped.}) 29. Qc3 {The attack is over before it even began. Esipenko comfortably finishes the battle.} Qd8 30. Bf3 Rb4 31. Qc7 Qf6 32. Ra8 {Finally achieving his goal.} Rxa8 33. Bxa8 Qf5 34. Kb2 Rb5 35. Qxd7 Rc5 36. Rc1 Qxf4 37. Qe8+ Kg7 38. d7 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.24"] [Round "8.3"] [White "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D10"] [WhiteElo "2732"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. e3 Bf5 (5... Nf6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Nc3 a6 8. Bd3 Bg4 9. Nge2 e6 10. O-O Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Be7 {Caruana,F (2828)-Duda,J (2757) Stavanger 2020}) 6. Bb5 e6 7. Nc3 Nge7 8. Rc1 {N} (8. Nf3 a6 9. Be2 Nc8 10. O-O Be7 11. Rc1 Nb6 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 O-O {Ubilava,E (2560) -Komljenovic,D (2495) San Sebastian 1992}) 8... a6 9. Be2 f6 10. g4 Bg6 11. Nf3 Bf7 12. Bg3 h5 13. g5 Ng6 14. gxf6 $6 {Hari is blundering or misjudging the position, according to Firouzja.} ({The more natural-looking} 14. h4 {is nice for White.}) 14... h4 $1 15. fxg7 Bxg7 16. Be5 Ngxe5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 {It's indeed surprising that Hari went into this position.} 18. Nd4 Rc8 19. O-O Nc6 20. Bg4 Nxd4 21. exd4 Rc6 22. Ne2 h3 23. Rc3 Rh4 24. Rg3 Qc7 25. Re1 Kf8 26. Qd3 e5 27. Qa3+ Qd6 28. Qxd6+ Rxd6 29. Bxh3 exd4 30. Nc1 Rdh6 31. Bg2 Rxh2 32. Nd3 R2h5 33. f4 $2 {White is doing OK again, but this invites new problems.} ( 33. Nc5) 33... Rc6 34. Bf3 Rhh6 35. Rg2 Rhg6 36. f5 Rh6 37. Nf4 $6 (37. Rh2) 37... d3 $1 {A great pawn sac to activate the bishop.} 38. Nxd3 Bd4+ 39. Nf2 Rc2 40. Kf1 Rxb2 41. Re2 Rb1+ 42. Re1 Rhb6 43. Nd3 Bc3 44. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 45. Kf2 Ke7 $6 (45... Ra1) 46. Rh2 Kf6 47. Ke3 Kg5 $6 (47... Rb5) 48. Nc5 $6 ({ Firouzja played slightly inaccurately, and here Hari's last chance is} 48. Rh7 $1 d4+ 49. Ke4 Bxa2 50. Rh5+ Kf6 51. Rh6+ Kg7 52. Rd6 {and White seems to have enough counterplay for a draw.}) 48... Rb5 49. Rh7 Bg8 50. Rc7 Kxf5 51. Nxb7 d4+ 52. Kf2 Rb2+ 53. Be2 Kf4 54. Nd6 Bd2 55. Kf1 Rb1+ 56. Bd1 d3 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.24"] [Round "8.5"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D00"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bf4 g6 (3... a6 4. e3 e6 5. g4 Bb4 6. Nge2 O-O 7. a3 Be7 8. Ng3 c5 9. g5 Nfd7 {Artemiev,V (2708)-Giri,A (2764) Chess.com 2020}) 4. e3 Bg7 5. Be2 c6 6. Qd2 a5 {N} (6... Nbd7 7. h4 b5 8. h5 Nb6 9. h6 Bf8 10. Nf3 e6 11. a3 a5 12. Ne5 Bb7 {Gustain,M (2115)-Ruff,M (2211) Deizisau 2016}) 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. Ne5 Bxe2 9. Qxe2 a4 10. a3 Nh5 11. h4 Nxf4 12. exf4 h5 13. O-O-O Nd7 14. g4 hxg4 15. Qxg4 Nf6 16. Qf3 e6 17. Kb1 Nh5 18. Ne2 Bf6 19. Ng3 Qc7 20. Qe3 Qe7 21. Rde1 Ng7 22. Qd2 Rxh4 23. Rxh4 Bxh4 24. Rh1 Nf5 25. Nxf5 gxf5 26. Qc3 Bf6 27. Nxc6 Qc7 28. Qg3 Kd7 29. Ne5+ Bxe5 30. fxe5 Rd8 31. Qg7 Kc8 32. Rh8 Qe7 33. Rxd8+ Kxd8 34. Qg8+ ({Afterward Caruana suggested} 34. Qf6 {but the pawn endgame after} Qxf6 35. exf6 {is most probably a draw as well.}) 34... Kc7 35. Ka2 f6 36. exf6 Qxf6 37. Qg3+ f4 38. Qc3+ Kb8 39. f3 Qg6 40. b3 axb3+ 41. Kxb3 Qg1 42. Kb2 Qf1 43. a4 Qa6 44. Qb4 Ka7 45. Kb3 Qf1 46. Qa5+ Kb8 47. Qd8+ Ka7 48. Qa5+ Kb8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.24"] [Round "8.4"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C78"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2671"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3 O-O 7. d4 Ba7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 d6 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Nxe5 Qe7 {N} (12... g5 13. Bg3 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Bb7 15. Nd2 Rae8 16. Re1 Re6 17. Nec4 Rfe8 {Zieher,H (2300) -Tabatt,H (2303) Saarbruecken 2013}) 13. Nxc6 Qxe4 14. Nxa7 Bh3 $3 {An amazing move, prepared by the young Dutchman.} 15. gxh3 Rfd8 16. Nd2 ({An engine line that equalizes for White is} 16. Qc1 Qxh4 17. Nc6 Rd3 18. Qc2 (18. Na3 $6 Ne4) 18... Qg5+ 19. Kh1 Rxh3 20. f4 Qh4 21. Ne5 Re8 22. Qg2 ({White still cannot develop:} 22. Na3 Rxe5 23. fxe5 Ng4 {wins here.}) 22... Rxe5 23. fxe5 Ng4 24. Qa8+ Kh7 25. Qe4+ Kg8) 16... Qxh4 17. Qf3 Rxa7 18. Nb3 c5 $1 19. Qg3 Qh5 (19... Qc4 $5) 20. Rae1 Rd5 21. f4 Rad7 $6 ({Black keeps a slight edge with} 21... Rb7 22. c4 Rf5 {because here} 23. Re5 $6 Rb4 {is unpleasant.}) 22. Re5 $1 Rxe5 23. fxe5 Ne4 24. Qg4 Qxg4+ 25. hxg4 Rd5 26. Re1 $6 ({With} 26. Kg2 $1 {White is actually a bit better. The main point is} Rxe5 27. Re1 {(threatening 28.Nd2)} Re6 28. Re3 {followed by 29.Kf3 or 29.h4 and White is more active.}) 26... Nd2 $1 {Equalizing after all.} 27. Nxd2 Rxd2 28. e6 fxe6 29. Rxe6 Rxb2 30. Rxa6 Rc2 31. Rc6 Rxc3 32. Kg2 Ra3 1/2-1/2 [Event "83rd Tata Steel Masters 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.24"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B84"] [WhiteElo "2677"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {0 After six draws in a row, Magnus wants to go for fighting chess! Hence, the Sicilian.} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d6 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:52]} 6. Be2 {71} e6 { 154 Magnus chooses the less trodden path (at least in the recent top level games). Most of the games continue with ...e5. With e6, we enter the Scheveningen territory.} (6... e5) 7. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Be7 {52 The most common move is to go 0-0 here. Esipenko's choice is to go all out!} 8. g4 $5 { [%emt 0:00:52]} (8. O-O O-O) 8... b5 {705 Played after nearly 12 minutes of thought, which clearly showed that Magnus was surprised.} (8... d5 {is often the knee jerk reaction to g4.} 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Bf3 Qc4 {seems definitely a possibility to consider.}) 9. g5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nfd7 {[%emt 0: 00:08]} 10. a3 $5 {3 Stopping b4 and taking the important decision of sacrificing the g5 pawn.} (10. Qd2 {seems like the most natural move to defend the g5 pawn. But then Black gains some time with} b4 11. Nd1 {Esipenko did not want the knight to move away.} Nc5) (10. h4 b4) 10... Bxg5 {427} 11. Qd2 { [%emt 0:00:04]} Bxe3 {[%emt 0:00:57]} (11... Bf6 {was seen in the game between Ivanchuk vs Negi. A beautiful game by Chucky.} 12. O-O-O Bb7 13. Rhg1 Nc5 14. e5 Bxe5 15. Ndxb5 Nb3+ 16. cxb3 axb5 17. Bxb5+ Bc6 18. Bd4 Qc8 19. Bxe5 dxe5 20. Kb1 Rg8 21. Ne4 {1-0 (21) Ivanchuk,V (2739)-Negi, P (2634) Peristeri 2010}) 12. Qxe3 {4 In return for the pawn White has freer development.} Qh4 $146 {169} 13. Rg1 {832} g6 {801 Such moves must never be made lightly. With the dark squares off the board, the dark square weaknesses could prove to be quite dangerous for Black. However, Magnus was still pretty optimistic about his chances. If he was playing Fabiano or Anish, he may not have taken so many risks.} (13... Ne5 $5 14. Rxg7 Ng6 15. Nf5 $1 exf5 16. exf5+ Kf8 (16... Ne5 17. O-O-O $18) 17. Rxf7+ Kxf7 18. fxg6+ hxg6 19. Qf3+ Bf5 20. Qxa8 Bxc2 {The position does remain complex, but shows the kind of tactics in the air when you have loose pieces all over the board.}) 14. O-O-O {398} Qe7 {72} 15. f4 { 238 White plays the position unuperturbed. He doesn't play in a hurry even though he is a pawn down. His compensation is of a long term nature here.} Bb7 {182} 16. Kb1 {422} Nc6 $2 {689 Magnus was clearly feeling like a fish out of water. He took 12 minutes for this decision and yet blundered.} (16... Nc5 17. Bf3 Nbd7 18. e5 d5 19. b4 Na4 (19... Ne4 20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. Nxe4 Bxe4 22. Qxe4 O-O 23. h4 $40) 20. Nxa4 bxa4 21. c4 $1 {White is able to cause a lot of pain to his opponent.} Nb6 22. c5 Nc4 23. Qc3 $16) 17. Ncxb5 $1 {292 A strong move based on the motif of LPDO - Loose pieces drop off.} axb5 {375} 18. Nxc6 { [%emt 0:00:23]} Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 19. Qc3 $1 {6 The queen attacks the bishop as well as the undefended rook on h8. Who would have thought about the rook when the move ...g6 was played.} O-O {[%emt 0:00:07]} 20. Qxc6 {5 Why would this position be so bad for Black? After all it is equal material and even if you lose a pawn like b5, it just opens lines against the white king. The main problem for Black is not just the b5 pawn, but also the d6 pawn. And more importantly once that pawn is lost, queen exchange becomes necessary as the knight hangs in many of the lines. Once the queens are exchanged, the endgame is completely lost for Black.} d5 {337 Already desperation.} (20... Nf6 21. Qxd6 Qb7 22. Qe5 Nxe4 23. Bxb5 Rfb8 24. c4 $18) 21. exd5 {107} Rfc8 { [%emt 0:00:10]} (21... exd5 22. Bxb5 Nf6 23. Rge1 Ne4 24. c4 (24. Qxd5 $2 Nc3+ 25. bxc3 Qxa3 $19) 24... Rxa3 25. Qxd5 Nc3+ 26. bxc3 Qa7 {White should be better here after Kc2, but the position remains very complex practically.} 27. Kc2) 22. d6 $1 {503 A powerful move.} (22. Qxb5 Rcb8 23. Qd3 (23. Qc4 Qxa3) 23... Nc5) 22... Qd8 {97} 23. Qxb5 {176 Esipenko sees no ghosts.} Rcb8 { [%emt 0:00:25]} 24. Qc4 {942 A good solid 15 minutes to check all the complications.} (24. Qd3) 24... Rxa3 {445} 25. Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:47]} Qe8 {724} ( 25... Rxb2+ 26. Kxb2 Qf6+ 27. Kxa3) 26. Rg5 $1 {522} (26. Rg3 {is equally good. } Ra4 27. Bf3 {Stopping Ra8.} Rxf4 28. Bc6 $18) (26. b3 Rba8) 26... Ra4 { 180 Black's only chance of counterplay is down the a-file. Esipenko kills every bit of counterplay.} 27. Ra5 $1 {441} (27. Rb5 $5 $18) (27. Bb5 $2 Rxb5 28. Rxb5 Qa8 $40 {This is serious.}) 27... Rab4 {191} 28. b3 {45 Very calm.} R4b7 {[%emt 0:00:54]} 29. Qc3 {[%emt 0:00:52]} Qd8 {159} 30. Bf3 {237} Rb4 {71} 31. Qc7 {190} Qf6 {103 Magnus goes for final tricks.} (31... Qe8 32. Bc6) 32. Ra8 $1 {94 Once a pair of rooks are off the board, the attack just falls flat.} (32. Qxd7 $2 Rxb3+ $1 33. cxb3 Rxb3+ 34. Kc2 Qb2#) 32... Rxa8 {181} (32... Rxb3+ 33. cxb3) 33. Bxa8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Qf5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} (33... Nf8 34. d7 $18) 34. Kb2 $1 {468 No need to hurry.} (34. Qxd7 Rxb3+ 35. Kc1 Qxf4+ { Such traps have to be avoided.}) (34. Qc8+ $1 Nf8 (34... Kg7 35. Qc3+ $18) 35. d7 Rxb3+ 36. Ka2 $1 $18 {The computer way to win.}) 34... Rb5 {105} 35. Qxd7 { 170} Rc5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 36. Rc1 $1 {100 The rook not only defends the c2 pawn, but also prepares c3 and Rc2.} Qxf4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 37. Qe8+ {125} Kg7 { [%emt 0:00:11]} 38. d7 {15 The pawn pushes ahead and Magnus resigned the game. Esipenko sat in his chair, not able to bellieve what had just happened! He had beaten the greatest player ever on the planet. A victory he thoroughly deserved. With this win Esipenko became the first Teenager to beat Carlsen in a Classical game since Magnus became the World Champion.} (38. d7 Qe5+ 39. c3 Qe2+ 40. Rc2 {That's game over!}) 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.24"] [Round "8.3"] [White "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D10"] [WhiteElo "2732"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. e3 Bf5 6. Bb5 {D10: Slav Defence: 3 cxd5 (without early Nf3) and 3 Nc3.} e6 7. Nc3 Nge7 $5 {[#] Leaves trodden paths.} 8. Rc1 $146 {The position is equal.} ({Predecessor:} 8. Nf3 a6 9. Be2 Nc8 10. O-O Be7 11. Rc1 Nb6 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 O-O 14. Qb3 {1/2-1/2 (30) Ubilava,E (2560) -Komljenovic,D (2495) San Sebastian 1992}) 8... a6 9. Be2 f6 10. g4 Bg6 11. Nf3 Bf7 12. Bg3 h5 13. g5 Ng6 (13... h4 $1 $11 14. Nxh4 (14. Bxh4 Nf5 $11) 14... fxg5) 14. gxf6 (14. h4 $1 $16) 14... h4 $11 15. fxg7 Bxg7 16. Be5 Ngxe5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Nd4 Rc8 19. O-O Nc6 20. Bg4 (20. Nxc6 Rxc6 21. Kh1) 20... Nxd4 21. exd4 Rc6 22. Ne2 h3 ({Black should play} 22... Qg5 $15 23. h3 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 Qxc1 25. Rxc1 Kd7) 23. Rc3 Rh4 24. Rg3 Qc7 25. Re1 Kf8 26. Qd3 e5 27. Qa3+ Qd6 28. Qxd6+ Rxd6 29. Bxh3 exd4 30. Nc1 Rdh6 31. Bg2 Rxh2 32. Nd3 R2h5 33. f4 $2 (33. Nc5 $11) 33... Rc6 $17 34. Bf3 Rhh6 35. Rg2 Rhg6 (35... Rh3 $17 36. Rf1 Bh6) 36. f5 Rh6 37. Nf4 $2 (37. Rh2 $1 $15) 37... d3 $1 $19 38. Nxd3 Bd4+ 39. Nf2 Rc2 40. Kf1 Rxb2 41. Re2 Rb1+ 42. Re1 Rhb6 43. Nd3 Bc3 44. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 45. Kf2 Ke7 46. Rh2 Kf6 47. Ke3 Kg5 (47... Rf1 $17 48. Rh7 b5) 48. Nc5 {[#]} ({Better is} 48. Rh7 $15 d4+ {Discovered Attack} 49. Kf2) 48... Rb5 ( {Much less strong is} 48... Kxf5 49. Bxd5 Re1+ 50. Kd3 $15) ({Black should try } 48... b6 $1 $19 49. Nd7 Kxf5) 49. Rh7 $17 Bg8 50. Rc7 Kxf5 {White must now prevent ... d4+.} 51. Nxb7 $2 {[#]} (51. Kd3 $17 Be5 52. Rc8) 51... d4+ $1 $19 {Discovered Attack} 52. Kf2 $2 (52. Kd3 Rb2 53. Rxc3 dxc3 54. Kxc3 Rxa2 55. Bd1 ) 52... Rb2+ 53. Be2 (53. Kg1 $142 Kf4 54. Bg2) 53... Kf4 54. Nd6 Bd2 (54... Be6 $142 55. Rb7 Rd2) 55. Kf1 Rb1+ 56. Bd1 d3 {Weighted Error Value: White=0. 55/ Black=0.25} 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.24"] [Round "8.5"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D00"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Shahkd"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bf4 g6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Be2 c6 6. Qd2 {[#] D00:1 d4 d5: Unusual lines.} a5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 6... Nbd7 7. h4 b5 8. h5 Nb6 9. h6 Bf8 10. Nf3 e6 11. a3 a5 12. Ne5 Bb7 {0-1 (48) Gustain,M (2115)-Ruff,M (2211) Deizisau 2016}) 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. Ne5 Bxe2 9. Qxe2 a4 10. a3 Nh5 11. h4 Nxf4 12. exf4 h5 13. O-O-O Nd7 14. g4 hxg4 15. Qxg4 Nf6 16. Qf3 e6 17. Kb1 Nh5 18. Ne2 Bf6 19. Ng3 Qc7 20. Qe3 Qe7 21. Rde1 Ng7 {The position is equal.} 22. Qd2 Rxh4 23. Rxh4 Bxh4 24. Rh1 Nf5 25. Nxf5 gxf5 26. Qc3 {next Nxc6! is good for White.} Bf6 27. Nxc6 $1 Qc7 28. Qg3 $1 {[#] Black must now prevent Qg8+.} Kd7 29. Ne5+ Bxe5 30. fxe5 $11 {Endgame KQR-KQR} Rd8 31. Qg7 Kc8 $1 32. Rh8 {And now Rxd8+ would win.} Qe7 33. Rxd8+ Kxd8 {KQ-KQ} 34. Qg8+ ({Caruana thought he should have played} 34. Qf6 Qxf6 35. exf6 f4) 34... Kc7 35. Ka2 f6 36. exf6 Qxf6 37. Qg3+ (37. c3 {is more complex.} f4 38. Qh7+ Kb8 39. Qh5 Kc7 40. b3) 37... f4 38. Qc3+ Kb8 $1 39. f3 Qg6 40. b3 axb3+ 41. Kxb3 Qg1 42. Kb2 Qf1 43. a4 Qa6 44. Qb4 Ka7 45. Kb3 Qf1 46. Qa5+ Kb8 47. Qd8+ Ka7 {[#] aiming for ...Qc4+.} 48. Qa5+ Kb8 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.04/ Black=0.03} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.26"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "2705"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 {Already a surprise. Caruana plays the KID very, very rarely.} 3. d4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 ({One comparison to what happened in the game later. The standard way of pressurizing the white center and in particular the d4-pawn, is} 6... Bg4 7. Be3 Nfd7 {Then, however, White is well defended and tournament practice promises White the advantage. One recent example is} 8. O-O Nc6 9. d5 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Na5 11. Be2 Bxc3 12. bxc3 e5 13. dxe6 fxe6 {Giri,A (2763)-Anton Guijarro,D (2703) Chess.com 2020}) 7. O-O Bg4 {This is what the American wanted to try, a relatively fresh line.} 8. Be3 ({Last year Firouzja got a better position as White with the help of} 8. dxe5 Bxf3 9. exf6 Bxe2 10. Qxe2 Bxf6 11. Bh6 Re8 12. Rad1 Nc6 13. Nd5 Bh8 14. b3 { Firouzja,A (2728)-Paravyan,D (2653) Online 2020}) 8... Bxf3 $5 {The main point behind Black's idea. He wins a few tempi chasing the enemy bishops back.} 9. Bxf3 exd4 10. Bxd4 Nc6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Qd2 ({In the ideal case, White would love to fianchetto his light-squared bishop, then prepare f2-f4, and slowly squeeze the knights. There does not seem to be enough time for this, though. The lines} 12. g3 Nd7 13. Rc1 ({Or} 13. Bg2 Bxc3 14. bxc3 {and the knights are not worse than the bishop in this static position.}) 13... Bxc3 $1 14. Rxc3 Nc5 {reveal a problem with the e4-pawn.}) 12... Nd7 13. Rad1 Bxc3 $1 {N An important novelty which softens the e4-pawn, just as in the line from above.} ( {An email game went} 13... Nc5 14. Rfe1 a5 15. b3 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Rxe4 18. Bh6 Re5 19. Rxe5 Nxe5 20. f4 Qh4 21. fxe5 Qxh6 22. exd6 cxd6 23. Rxd6 Re8 24. h3 Qh4 25. Qd4 {1/2-1/2 (25) Sirota,A (2384)-Salceanu,V (2512) ICCF email 2000}) 14. Qxc3 Qf6 15. Qc1 ({White drops the pawn at once in case of the queen swap:} 15. Qxf6 Nxf6) ({However,} 15. Qc2 {seemed more natural. To this Black likely planned} Nc5 16. a3 a5 {locking the queenside.}) 15... Nc5 16. Qb1 {The queen ended defending the pawn anyway.} ({The capture} 16. Bxc5 $2 dxc5 {would be a positional resignation.}) ({Perhaps at first Wojtaszek intended to force a draw with} 16. Bg5 Qg7 17. Bh6 Qf6 18. Bg5 {but then realized that Black is not forced to do that and may chose instead} Qh8 $5 19. Rfe1 Ne5 {with multiple fork threats.}) 16... Qe6 {Aggressive play by Caruana.} ({The play for the blockade is still there, but Black wants more now.} 16... a5 $5) 17. Rfe1 ({Perhaps it is better to sacrifice the central pawn with either} 17. b3 Nxe4 18. Qc2) ({Or with the computer-like} 17. b4 Nxe4 18. Rc1 {getting some air for the bishops.}) 17... Qxc4 {Black has won a pawn, but the bishop pair cannot be underestimated.} 18. b3 Qc3 $1 {The queen is best located on the long diagonal.} 19. Bd2 ({With his previous move, Caruana obstructed the bishop in getting to the long diagonal with} 19. Bc1 {as this can be met with} Nd4 20. Bg4 f5 21. Bb2 Qc2) 19... Qf6 20. Bc1 h5 {And this is an aggressive blockade. By advancing the h-pawn, Black first secures the strong e5-outpost for his knight and can later push his kingside pawns even farther.} ({The other way to build a solid blockade is} 20... Nd4 21. Bg4 Nce6 22. Bb2 c5 { but this allowed both white bishops a chance to seize good diagonals.}) 21. Bb2 Ne5 22. Be2 h4 {Threatening h4-h3 immediately or after the preliminary Qf6-f4.} ({Not the immediate} 22... Qf4 23. f3 h4 24. Bc1 Qf6 25. f4) 23. Qc1 ({There is no time for} 23. Bc1 h3) 23... g5 24. Bb5 {Wojtaszek is trying to provoke some pawn pushes in order to get some objects to attack.} ({However, the aggressive} 24. b4 $1 {might have been more to the point. In that case, White might have feared the piece sacrifice after} Nxe4 (24... Ne6 {should be played. }) 25. f3 Ng3 $5 {But then the maneuver} 26. hxg3 hxg3 27. Bc4 Qh6 28. Bxe5 Rxe5 29. Rxe5 dxe5 30. Qe3 $1 {saves White from the mating attack:} Qh2+ 31. Kf1 Qh1+ 32. Qg1) 24... Re7 {But Caruana rejects even that.} (24... c6 25. Bc4 {at least exposes the d6-pawn, and White can start mounting pressure against it.}) 25. Re3 Qg6 {It all goes very smoothly for Black. He slowly brings everybody into the attack.} 26. Be2 Rae8 27. Qc2 Ne6 28. f3 {And this might make things even worse for Wojtaszek.} ({The other pawn advance would be better:} 28. h3 {Intending to meet} Nf4 {with} 29. Bxe5 dxe5 30. Bg4 $1) 28... Nf4 29. Bf1 c6 {Only now does he push the pawn, once that White can no longer attack.} 30. Qf2 Re6 $1 {The rook lift is the last preparation before the final storm. Wojtaszek was also short of time, and it is even more unpleasant for him psychologically not to force anything.} ({It is too early for} 30... d5 31. exd5 Nxd5 32. Rxe5 Rxe5 33. Bxe5 Rxe5 34. Qxa7) (30... a6 $5) 31. Rc3 d5 { Now he can!} 32. g3 {This loses immediately, but it is really hard to provide White good advice.} ({No time for} 32. Qxa7 h3 {with total collapse.}) 32... hxg3 33. hxg3 dxe4 $3 {Nicely calculated. All the black pieces now make perfect sense.} ({The other good way to attack is} 33... g4 $1 34. gxf4 Nxf3+ 35. Kg2 Qxe4 {And there is no escape from the deadly discovered check as} 36. Kg3 {loses to} Qh7 $1 37. Rxf3 gxf3 38. Bd3 f5) 34. gxf4 (34. fxe4 Nh5 { would prolong the agony but would hardly save the game.}) 34... gxf4+ 35. Qg2 exf3 $1 {The point behind the sacrifice. White can get mated in the endgame too.} 36. Qxg6+ Rxg6+ 37. Kh1 ({Alas, the king cannot escape on the other side: } 37. Kf2 Rg3 38. Bd3 Ng4+ 39. Kf1 Nh2+ 40. Kf2 Rg2# {A study-like mate!}) 37... f2 ({It is never too late to spoil a brilliant game as we know:} 37... Kg7 $2 38. Rxf3 $1) 38. Bh3 ({One more mate is happening after} 38. Rh3 Rg1+ 39. Kh2 Ng4#) ({Whereas} 38. Be2 f3 $1 {is just hopeless.}) 38... Nc4 $1 { A nice final touch.} 39. Rxc4 Re1+ 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.26"] [Round "9.6"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "139"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. g4 O-O 9. g5 Nh5 (9... Ne8 10. Be3 Be6 11. Qd2 Nd7 12. O-O-O b5 13. Kb1 Nb6 14. Rg1 g6 15. Nh2 Rc8 16. Ng4 Qc7 {Nestorovic,N (2469)-Yudasin,L (2481) New York USA 2020}) 10. Bc4 Be6 11. Bb3 g6 12. Be3 Nd7 13. Qd2 Rc8 14. O-O-O Nc5 15. Bxc5 Rxc5 16. h4 Nf4 17. Kb1 Qa5 ({An interesting option is} 17... Bg4 18. Qe3 Rxc3 $5 {with the point} 19. Qxc3 (19. bxc3 Qa5 {gives enough compensation}) 19... Qc8 $1 {and White has to give back the exchange (with approximate equality) or accept a move repetition after} 20. Qe3 Ng2 21. Qd3 Nf4) 18. Ne1 Rfc8 19. Nd3 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Rxc3 $1 {Also here, playing in the spirit of the Sicilian Dragon is the right way.} 21. bxc3 d5 $5 ({A remarkable follow-up where} 21... Rxc3 {is perfectly playable.}) 22. exd5 ({The engine doesn't believe in MVL's last move and claims a +2 advantage after} 22. Qd2) 22... Bf5 23. Qd2 Bd6 {Now the idea is clear: Black blocks the position completely.} 24. c4 Qb6 25. Ka1 a5 26. c3 a4 27. Bc2 e4 28. Bxa4 Rxc4 29. Bb3 Rc5 30. Rhe1 Be5 31. Re3 Qd6 32. Kb2 b5 33. a3 Rc8 34. Ra1 b4 35. axb4 Qxb4 36. d6 Rb8 37. Ra3 Qb7 $6 (37... Qb5 {is still equal, but it's very complicated.}) 38. Kc1 Qd7 $6 {Too passive.} 39. Qd5 ({Also strong is} 39. Qa2) 39... Bxd6 40. Ra6 Rd8 { Now White has two good options.} 41. Rxd6 $1 ({The following line includes six pins:} 41. Qd4 $1 Bf4 {(pin 1)} 42. Bxf7+ $1 {Now Qd7 is pinned over the d-file (pin 2) so} Kxf7 {is forced.} 43. Ra7 {(Pin 3)} Bc7 44. Qc4+ {(Pin 4, over the seventh rank)} Ke8 45. Qxc7 Qd2+ 46. Kb1 Qd1+ 47. Kb2 Qd2+ 48. Ka3 Qc1+ 49. Kb4 Qb2+ 50. Kc5 Rc8 {(Pin 5)} 51. Ra8 {(Pin 6, and wins!)}) 41... Qxd6 42. Qxf7+ Kh8 43. Qf6+ Qxf6 44. gxf6 Rd6 45. f3 $1 {An important point.} Rxf6 (45... exf3 $2 46. Re8#) 46. fxe4 Be6 47. e5 Rf1+ 48. Kb2 Bxb3 49. Kxb3 Kg7 50. c4 Rb1+ 51. Ka4 Kf7 52. c5 Ke6 53. c6 Rc1 54. Kb5 Rc2 55. Re1 Rc3 56. Kb6 Rb3+ 57. Ka6 Ra3+ 58. Kb6 Rb3+ 59. Ka6 Ra3+ 60. Kb7 Rb3+ 61. Kc8 Rb4 62. c7 Rxh4 63. Rc1 Rf4 64. Kb7 Rf7 65. Re1 g5 66. Kb8 Rf8+ 67. c8=Q+ Rxc8+ 68. Kxc8 h5 69. Kc7 h4 70. Kc6 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.26"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Grandelius, Nils"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2663"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "129"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Qd3 $5 {A move played quite a few times by Paco Vallejo but also tried by others, for example, David Anton and Vladimir Fedoseev.} e6 7. a4 Nc6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Qg3 {One of the main ideas behind 6.Qd3.} Bb7 (9... d5 10. Bd3 g6 11. O-O Bg7 12. a5 O-O 13. Re1 d4 14. Nb1 Nh5 15. Qf3 e5 {Oparin,G (2604)-Gelfand,B (2724) Zurich 2017}) 10. Be2 Be7 11. Bf4 e5 12. Be3 O-O 13. O-O Kh8 14. a5 Nd7 15. Rfd1 f5 16. exf5 d5 17. Na4 d4 18. Bd2 c5 19. Qh3 Bg5 20. Bxg5 Qxg5 21. Re1 Be4 22. Bd3 Bxf5 23. Bxf5 Rxf5 24. Nb6 Nxb6 25. axb6 h6 26. Qd3 Rb8 {Black's problems start here.} ( {Still good for a draw is} 26... Raf8 $1 27. Re2 (27. b7 Rxf2 28. Qe4 Qf6) 27... Qf6 28. b7 Rxf2 29. h3 Rf1+ 30. Rxf1 Qxf1+ 31. Kh2 Qf4+) 27. Rxa6 Rf6 28. g3 Rfxb6 29. Rxb6 Rxb6 30. f4 $6 Qd8 ({Both players missed or underestimated} 30... c4 $1 {e.g.} 31. Qxc4 (31. fxg5 cxd3 32. cxd3 hxg5) 31... exf4 32. Re8+ Kh7 33. Qg8+ Kg6 34. Re6+ Rxe6 35. Qxe6+ Qf6 $1 36. Qe4+ Qf5 {and the pawn endgames are OK for Black.}) 31. Rxe5 Rxb2 32. Rxc5 Qa8 33. Kf2 Rb8 34. Qf3 Qa7 35. Qd5 Qa1 36. Qe5 Qb2 37. Rc6 Kh7 38. Rc7 Rg8 39. Kg2 Qb4 40. Qe4+ Kh8 41. Rd7 Qd2+ 42. Kh3 Qd1 43. Re7 Qh5+ 44. Kg2 Rc8 45. f5 Qd1 46. Re8+ Rxe8 47. Qxe8+ Kh7 48. Qe4 Kh8 49. Qe8+ Kh7 50. Qg6+ Kh8 51. f6 Qe2+ 52. Kh3 Qe6+ 53. Kh4 gxf6 54. Qxh6+ Kg8 55. Qg6+ Kf8 56. g4 Qe5 57. h3 Ke7 58. Qf5 Qe3 59. Kh5 Qxh3+ 60. Kg6 Kd6 61. Kxf6 Qe3 62. g5 Qe7+ 63. Kg6 Qe8+ 64. Kg7 Qe7+ 65. Kg8 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E01"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 (5. Nbd2 O-O 6. Bg2 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. Ne5 a5 9. Qc2 a4 10. Rd1 Bd6 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Ndc4 h6 {Dubov,D (2702) -Carlsen,M (2862) Chess24.com 2020}) 5... Bd6 6. Bg2 c6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Qb3 Nd7 11. O-O Qe7 {One of the reasons Caruana went for the following two moves is that he didn't want allow his opponent a Stonewall setup.} 12. c5 $146 (12. Rfd1 Rb8 13. e4 dxc4 14. Qxc4 e5 15. d5 Nb6 16. Qb3 Bg4 17. h3 Bh5 18. g4 Bg6 19. a4 Rfd8 {Istratescu,A (2550)-Bluebaum,M (2646) Online 2020}) 12... Bc7 13. e4 b6 {After the game, Caruana expressed his doubt whether his next two moves were the best plan.} 14. exd5 (14. Qa4 {would be an alternative try.}) 14... exd5 15. Rfe1 Qf6 $2 {Blundering White's next move.} ( {Carlsen pointed out Black is fine after} 15... Qd8 {e.g.} 16. Qa4 b5) 16. Nxd5 $1 {Caruana does spot the tactic and it's an unusual one.} cxd5 17. Qxd5 Rb8 18. c6 Rd8 19. cxd7 Bxd7 {"I guess after that it was not the worst blunder of a pawn with the bishop pair, possibilities for opposited-colored bishops, it's always going to be not very much." - Carlsen} 20. Ne5 $6 {Overestimating the chances in the resulting endgame.} ({A better chance for keeping the advantage was} 20. Rac1 Bd6 21. a3) 20... Be6 21. Qe4 Bxe5 $1 {To give up the bishop pair here is a fine judgement of the position.} 22. dxe5 Qe7 {"In those positions his extra pawn doesn't mean very much, my bishop is a lot better than his is, his pawn is blockaded and in general I should have enough activity to secure the draw pretty comfortably and at any rate, the course of the game didn't prove that that was not the case." - Carlsen} 23. Qe3 Rbc8 24. Be4 Qc5 25. Qxc5 Rxc5 26. f4 g6 27. Kf2 a5 28. Ke3 a4 29. Rec1 Rb5 30. Rc2 Rb4 31. Bd3 h5 32. Rd2 b5 33. a3 Rb3 34. Rc1 b4 35. axb4 a3 36. bxa3 Bf5 37. Rcd1 Rxa3 38. b5 Bg4 39. Rc1 Bf5 40. Rcd1 Bg4 41. Rc1 Bf5 42. Rcd1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.3"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2677"] [BlackElo "2679"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. Bd2 ( 8. a3 Na5 9. Ba2 c5 10. Nc3 Be6 11. Nh4 O-O 12. Nf5 Bxf5 13. exf5 d5 14. Qf3 c4 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Carlsen,M (2862) Online 2020}) 8... Bg4 9. c3 Bh5 10. Re1 Na5 11. Bc2 c5 12. h3 O-O 13. Bc1 Nc6 14. Nbd2 d5 15. Nf1 $146 (15. Qe2 d4 16. Nf1 Rc8 17. Ng3 Bg6 18. Bd2 Nd7 19. Bb3 Nb6 20. cxd4 Nxd4 21. Nxd4 Qxd4 22. Bc3 Qd6 {Huschenbeth,$146 (2616)-Rafiee,M (2322) Guatemala City 2020}) 15... d4 16. Ng3 Bg6 17. Bd2 Rc8 18. Rc1 Re8 19. Qe2 Bf8 20. Qf1 Qd6 21. Rcd1 Qd7 22. Nh4 Qd8 23. Ngf5 Nd7 24. Qe2 Qf6 25. Rc1 Nb6 26. c4 bxc4 27. dxc4 Rb8 28. g3 Nb4 29. Bb1 {Around here, Black should be better because of his protected passed pawn and space advantage.} Nc8 30. Nxg6 hxg6 31. Nh4 Qe6 32. Kg2 Nd6 33. Nf3 Be7 (33... a5 {would have prevented White's action on the queenside.}) 34. a3 Nc6 35. b4 $1 {An excellent counter which suddenly changes the evaluation of the position.} cxb4 $6 {This makes it worse.} ({Better was the calm} 35... Rbc8 {because} 36. bxc5 $2 {is not what White wants to here because of} Nb7 { and the knight will be strong on c5.}) 36. c5 Nb5 37. axb4 {The main thing about all this is that White's light-squared bishop has come to life.} Bf6 38. Bd3 $1 Nc3 39. Bxc3 dxc3 40. Bc4 Qe7 41. Rxc3 Rxb4 42. Bd5 {Black's position is collapsing.} Nd4 43. Qxa6 Qc7 44. Nxd4 exd4 45. Rc2 g5 46. Qd3 Be5 47. Ra1 Qe7 48. Ra6 Rf8 49. c6 Rbb8 50. Rca2 Rbc8 51. Ra7 Rc7 52. Rb7 g6 53. Qd2 Rfc8 54. Rxc7 Rxc7 55. h4 gxh4 56. Qh6 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.6"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E61"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2671"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 O-O 5. Be2 d6 6. Nc3 e5 $5 {Over-the-board inspiration as Van Foreest wanted to avoid his opponent's preparation.} 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Nxe5 (8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Nxe5 Ne4 10. Nxe4 Bxe5 {also gives compensation but is it enough $2}) 8... Qe7 9. Nf3 Rd8 10. Qb3 a5 11. O-O a4 $1 {A wonderful second pawn sacrifice.} 12. Nxa4 Ne4 13. Nd4 (13. Rd1 $5) 13... Nc6 $1 14. Nxc6 bxc6 {Black's compensation resembles that of some lines in the Grunfeld.} 15. Bf3 Bf5 16. c5 h5 ({A nice computer line is} 16... Rab8 $1 17. Qc4 Nxf2 $1 18. Rxf2 Bd3 19. Qf4 Rd4 $3 {winning back the knight on a4 because} 20. exd4 Qe1+ {is mate in two.}) 17. Qb4 Qe6 $6 {Giving White a chance to regroup.} (17... h4 {was simple and strong.}) 18. Bd1 $1 Be5 19. f3 Qe7 $1 20. Qe1 ({Not} 20. fxe4 $2 Qh4) 20... Nxc5 ({Another nice computer suggestion is} 20... Ng3 $1 21. Rf2 (21. hxg3 Rxd1 $1 22. Qxd1 Bxg3 {is too dangerous}) 21... Qh4 $1 22. f4 Ne4 23. Rf1 Qxe1 24. Rxe1 Bg7 {and Black still has enough compensation.}) 21. Nxc5 Qxc5 22. a4 Rab8 23. Qf2 Qa5 24. Ra3 Qc5 25. Ra1 Qa5 26. Ra3 Qc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Grandelius, Nils"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B67"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 b5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. f5 h5 12. Kb1 Qb6 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Ne2 $5 {A virtually new move.} (15. Bd3 b4 16. Ne2 Bh6 17. Qe1 Qc5 18. Rf1 Ke7 19. b3 Bb5 20. Qh4 Bg5 21. Qh3 Rhc8 {Karjakin,S (2752)-Vidit,S (2726) Chess.com 2020}) 15... Kf7 $146 ({After 25 minutes of thinking, Firouzja refrains from} 15... Bxe4 16. Nf4 Bh6 {as played in Kotenko,P (2396)-Nelyubin, G (2067) Izhevsk 2010 and now} 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Bxf4 19. Qe4 Ke7 20. Qxf4 {is 0.00 according to the engine.}) 16. Nf4 Qc5 17. Be2 (17. g3 $5) 17... Rc8 18. Rhf1 Bh6 19. Qxd6 ({Also interesting was to keep the queens on the board with e.g.} 19. Rde1) 19... Qxd6 20. Rxd6 Bxf4 21. Rxf4 Ke7 22. Rd2 Rcg8 23. Bd3 h4 24. Kc1 e5 25. Rff2 Rg4 26. Rde2 Rd8 27. Re3 Rdg8 28. Ree2 Rd8 29. Re3 Rdg8 30. Ree2 a5 $5 {Firouzja avoids a move repetition even though only White can be better here.} 31. Kd2 Rb8 32. Ke3 b4 33. Rf5 Be8 34. Rf1 Bf7 35. Ref2 Rb6 36. Ra1 Bg6 $6 (36... a4) 37. a3 $6 ({Grandelius said he was in doubt which pawn move to play and as it turns out} 37. b3 $1 {followed by 38.a3 is very strong and maybe even winning for White.}) 37... b3 38. c3 Rd6 39. Re1 Bh7 40. Ree2 Bg6 41. Rd2 Rc6 42. Rd1 Rc8 43. Rfd2 Rg8 44. Rf1 Rd8 45. Rff2 Rc8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2668"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "129"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bd2 Ne7 6. Bd3 b6 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 O-O 9. f4 $146 (9. Ne2 c5 10. b3 Nbc6 11. O-O dxe4 12. Bxe4 Ba6 13. Bd3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Rc8 16. Nxc6 Rxc6 17. Qxd8 Rxd8 {Denisov,I (2354) -Svetushkin,D (2598) Moscow 2012}) 9... c5 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. Qh5 Ba6 12. Nf3 d4 13. Bd2 c4 14. Ba5 Qc8 15. Be2 Nbc6 16. Qc5 d3 17. cxd3 cxd3 18. Bd1 Nxa5 19. Qxa5 Rb8 {Around here, Black should be winning.} 20. b3 Rd8 (20... Bb7 {or}) ( 20... f5 {were rather strong.}) 21. O-O d2 22. Rf2 Rb5 $2 ({Still winning was} 22... Nc6 23. Qh5 Nd4 $1 24. Ng5 (24. Nxd2 Qc3) 24... Qc3 $1 25. Qxh7+ Kf8 26. Rb1 Rbc8) 23. Qa4 {Now it's much less clear.} Ng6 24. g3 Rc5 25. Rxd2 Rxd2 26. Nxd2 Rc1 27. Rxc1 Qxc1 28. Qxa6 Qxd1+ 29. Nf1 Qd4+ 30. Kg2 Qxe4+ 31. Kf2 Qd4+ 32. Ke2 h5 33. Qc8+ Kh7 34. Qc2 Qd5 35. Kf2 Kg8 36. Qc8+ Nf8 37. Qc4 Qd6 38. b4 Nd7 39. Ke2 Nf6 40. Ne3 Qd8 41. b5 Qf8 42. Qc3 Qd8 43. a4 Nd5 44. Qd4 Qe7 45. Nxd5 exd5+ 46. Kf2 Qa3 47. Qxd5 Qxa4 48. Qxh5 Qd4+ 49. Kf1 Qa1+ 50. Kg2 a6 51. bxa6 Qa2+ 52. Kh3 Qe6+ 53. Qg4 Qxa6 54. Qf3 Qe6+ 55. g4 f5 $6 {Not very practical.} (55... g6) 56. g5 Qe1 57. g6 Qe8 ({The engine still gives} 57... Kf8 $1 {as a draw.}) 58. Qd5+ Kh8 59. Qxf5 Qe3+ 60. Kh4 Qe1+ 61. Kh5 Qe2+ 62. Qg4 Qe6 63. f5 Qe5 64. Qh3 Qf4 65. f6 1-0 [Event "83rd Tata Steel Masters 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.26"] [Round "9.6"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "139"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nf3 {B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5.} Be7 { The main line 7...Be7 scores better than 7...Qc7.} 8. g4 O-O 9. g5 {[#] The position is equal.} Nh5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9... Ne8 10. Be3 Be6 11. Qd2 Nd7 12. O-O-O b5 13. Kb1 Nb6 14. Rg1 g6 15. Nh2 Rc8 {1-0 (41) Nestorovic,N (2469) -Yudasin,L (2481) New York 2020}) 10. Bc4 (10. h4 $14) 10... Be6 $11 11. Bb3 g6 12. Be3 Nd7 13. Qd2 Rc8 14. O-O-O Nc5 15. Bxc5 Rxc5 16. h4 Nf4 (16... Qa5 $11) 17. Kb1 (17. Ne1 $14) 17... Qa5 ({Black should play} 17... Bg4 $11 18. Qe3 Qc8) 18. Ne1 Rfc8 19. Nd3 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Rxc3 21. bxc3 d5 $2 ({Black should try} 21... Rxc3 $14 22. Qe2 Qb4) 22. exd5 (22. Qd2 $16) 22... Bf5 23. Qd2 Bd6 $1 24. c4 Qb6 {Threatens to win with ...Rxc4.} 25. Ka1 a5 {Black wants to play ...a4.} 26. c3 {aiming for h5.} a4 27. Bc2 e4 28. Bxa4 {Strongly threatening Rb1.} Rxc4 29. Bb3 Rc5 30. Rhe1 {Black must now prevent f3.} Be5 31. Re3 Qd6 32. Kb2 b5 $1 33. a3 Rc8 34. Ra1 b4 35. axb4 Qxb4 36. d6 {And now d7 would win.} Rb8 37. Ra3 Qb7 38. Kc1 {Qd5 is the strong threat.} Qd7 $6 {Black is now going downhill.} ( 38... Qb5 $14) 39. Qd5 Bxd6 {[#]} 40. Ra6 Rd8 {[#]} (40... Bf4 $16 {was called for.}) 41. Rxd6 $1 $18 Qxd6 42. Qxf7+ Kh8 43. Qf6+ Qxf6 44. gxf6 {Endgame KRB-KRB} Rd6 (44... h6 $16 45. f7 g5) 45. f3 Rxf6 46. fxe4 Be6 {[#]} (46... Bd7 47. Bd5 Rf4) 47. e5 $1 Rf1+ 48. Kb2 Bxb3 (48... Bd7 $142 49. Bd5 h6) 49. Kxb3 { KR-KR} Kg7 50. c4 Rb1+ 51. Ka4 Kf7 52. c5 Ke6 53. c6 Rc1 54. Kb5 Rc2 (54... Rb1+ $142 55. Ka6 Rc1) 55. Re1 Rc3 56. Kb6 Rb3+ 57. Ka6 Ra3+ 58. Kb6 (58. Kb7 $142 Rb3+ 59. Kc8 Rb4 60. Rh1 Kxe5 61. c7 Rc4 62. Re1+ Kf5 63. Ra1) 58... Rb3+ 59. Ka6 (59. Ka7 $18 Rc3 60. Kb7 Rb3+ 61. Kc8) 59... Ra3+ $1 60. Kb7 Rb3+ 61. Kc8 Rb4 62. c7 Rxh4 63. Rc1 {White mates.} Rf4 {[#]} 64. Kb7 $1 Rf7 65. Re1 g5 66. Kb8 Rf8+ 67. c8=Q+ Rxc8+ 68. Kxc8 h5 69. Kc7 h4 70. Kc6 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.39/Black=0.45} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.26"] [Round "9.4"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "2705"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Bg4 8. Be3 { E94: King's Indian: Classical: 6 Be2 e5 7 0-0: Various Black 7th moves.} (8. d5 $14) 8... Bxf3 $5 {A promising side line.} 9. Bxf3 exd4 $1 10. Bxd4 {The position is equal.} Nc6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Qd2 Nd7 13. Rad1 {[#]} Bxc3 $146 ({ Predecessor:} 13... Nc5 14. Rfe1 a5 15. b3 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Rxe4 18. Bh6 Re5 19. Rxe5 Nxe5 20. f4 Qh4 21. fxe5 Qxh6 22. exd6 cxd6 23. Rxd6 Re8 24. h3 Qh4 25. Qd4 {1/2-1/2 (25) Sirota,A (2384)-Salceanu,V (2512) ICCF email 2000} ) 14. Qxc3 Qf6 15. Qc1 Nc5 16. Qb1 Qe6 17. Rfe1 Qxc4 18. b3 Qc3 19. Bd2 Qf6 20. Bc1 h5 21. Bb2 Ne5 22. Be2 h4 23. Qc1 {f4 is the strong threat.} g5 ({But not} 23... Nxe4 $2 24. f4 $18) 24. Bb5 Re7 25. Re3 Qg6 26. Be2 Rae8 27. Qc2 Ne6 28. f3 Nf4 29. Bf1 c6 (29... g4 30. fxg4 Nxg4) 30. Qf2 Re6 31. Rc3 d5 32. g3 (32. Re3 $17 {was necessary.}) 32... hxg3 $19 ({Inferior is} 32... dxe4 33. gxf4 e3 34. Qe2 $11) 33. hxg3 {[#]} dxe4 (33... g4 $1 $19 {has better winning chances.} 34. Bc1 Nh3+ 35. Bxh3 gxh3) 34. gxf4 $4 (34. fxe4 $17 Nh5 35. Qf5) 34... gxf4+ {Black is clearly winning.} 35. Qg2 exf3 ({Not} 35... Nxf3+ 36. Rxf3 exf3 37. Qxg6+ fxg6 38. Bc4 $11) 36. Qxg6+ Rxg6+ 37. Kh1 f2 38. Bh3 {[#]} Nc4 $1 39. Rxc4 Re1+ {Double Attack. Weighted Error Value: White=0.40/Black=0.06} 0-1 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.26"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Grandelius, Nils"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2663"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "129"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Qd3 {B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5.} e6 7. a4 Nc6 8. Nxc6 {The position is equal.} bxc6 9. Qg3 {[#]} Bb7 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9... d5 10. Bd3 g6 11. O-O Bg7 12. a5 O-O 13. Re1 d4 14. Nb1 Nh5 15. Qf3 e5 {1/2-1/2 (40) Oparin,G (2604)-Gelfand,B (2724) Zuerich 2017}) 10. Be2 Be7 11. Bf4 {next 0-0-0 is good for White.} e5 12. Be3 (12. Qxg7 $2 Rg8 $19) 12... O-O 13. O-O Kh8 14. a5 Nd7 15. Rfd1 f5 16. exf5 d5 17. Na4 d4 18. Bd2 c5 19. Qh3 Bg5 20. Bxg5 Qxg5 21. Re1 $36 {White is more active.} Be4 (21... Qxf5 $6 22. Qxf5 Rxf5 23. Bg4 $16) 22. Bd3 Bxf5 23. Bxf5 Rxf5 24. Nb6 Nxb6 25. axb6 h6 26. Qd3 Rb8 ( 26... Raf8 $1 $11 {keeps the balance.}) 27. Rxa6 $16 Rf6 28. g3 Rfxb6 29. Rxb6 Rxb6 {Endgame KQR-KQR} 30. f4 (30. b3 $16) 30... Qd8 $2 (30... c4 $1 $11 { remains equal.} 31. fxg5 (31. Qxc4 exf4 32. Re8+ Kh7 $11) 31... cxd3 32. cxd3 hxg5) 31. Rxe5 Rxb2 32. Rxc5 Qa8 33. Kf2 Rb8 34. Qf3 Qa7 35. Qd5 Qa1 (35... d3 $16 36. cxd3 Qb6) 36. Qe5 $18 Qb2 (36... Qa8 $142 37. h4 Rg8 38. Qxd4 Rd8) 37. Rc6 {White wants to mate with Rxh6+.} Kh7 38. Rc7 Rg8 (38... d3 39. Qf5+ Kg8) 39. Kg2 $2 (39. f5 {Strongly threatening f6.} Qc1 40. f6 (40. Qxd4 Qg5 $18) 40... Qd2+ 41. Kf3 Qd1+ 42. Kg2) 39... Qb4 (39... Kh8 {was worth a try.} 40. Kh3 Qa1) 40. Qe4+ Kh8 41. Rd7 Qd2+ 42. Kh3 Qd1 43. Re7 ({Don't play} 43. Rxd4 $6 Qh5+ 44. Kg2 Re8 $16) 43... Qh5+ 44. Kg2 Rc8 45. f5 {Threatens to win with f6.} Qd1 46. Re8+ Rxe8 47. Qxe8+ {KQ-KQ} Kh7 48. Qe4 Kh8 49. Qe8+ Kh7 50. Qg6+ $1 Kh8 51. f6 $1 Qe2+ (51... Qd2+ $16 {is a better defense.} 52. Kf3 Qe3+ 53. Kg4 gxf6) 52. Kh3 Qe6+ 53. Kh4 gxf6 54. Qxh6+ Kg8 55. Qg6+ Kf8 {[#]} 56. g4 $1 Qe5 57. h3 Ke7 58. Qf5 {Qxe5+ is the strong threat.} Qe3 {[#]} (58... Qb8 { was called for.} 59. Qc5+ {Double Attack} Kf7 60. Qxd4 Qf8) 59. Kh5 $1 Qxh3+ 60. Kg6 Kd6 $2 (60... Qh8 61. Qe4+ {Double Attack} Kd7 62. Qxd4+ Ke7 63. Qc5+ Ke6 64. Qc4+ Ke5 65. Qc7+ Kd4 66. Qf4+ Kd5 67. Qxf6 Qg8+ 68. Qg7 Qc8 69. Qf7+ Kd4 70. Qf6+ Ke3) 61. Kxf6 Qe3 62. g5 Qe7+ 63. Kg6 Qe8+ 64. Kg7 Qe7+ 65. Kg8 { Weighted Error Value: White=0.14/Black=0.34} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.5"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2705"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. e3 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 Bg4 6. c3 e6 7. Qb3 {7.Qb3 is better than 7.Qa4. D02:1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2... Nf6 3 Bf4.} Qc8 8. h3 Bh5 9. Be2 $5 {White has an edge. Exploring less charted territory.} Be7 10. O-O O-O {[#]} 11. Qd1 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11. Rfe1 c4 12. Qd1 b5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nh4 Qd8 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. Bf3 Nd7 17. e4 {1/2-1/2 (55) Johnson,L (2323)-Bartholomew,J (2539) Minneapolis 2014}) 11... Nd7 12. Re1 Qd8 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. b4 Nd7 15. a3 Nb6 16. Rc1 f6 17. e4 e5 18. Be3 Bf7 19. Bxb6 axb6 20. exd5 $1 Bxd5 21. a4 f5 22. b5 e4 23. bxc6 exf3 24. Bxf3 bxc6 25. Bxd5+ cxd5 26. Nf3 Bf6 27. Re6 Kh8 28. Qb3 Qd7 29. Rxb6 Rxa4 30. Rd1 Raa8 31. Rxd5 Qc7 {Threatens to win with ...Ra1+.} 32. g3 Qxc3 {aiming for ...Ra1+.} 33. Qxc3 (33. Rxf5 {feels hotter.} Qc1+ 34. Kg2 Ra1 35. g4 Qh1+ 36. Kg3) 33... Bxc3 34. h4 Kg8 35. Rb7 Rad8 36. Rc5 Rc8 37. Rd5 (37. Rcb5 {is interesting.} h5 38. Kg2 g6 39. R5b6 Rf6 40. Ng5) 37... Rcd8 38. Rdb5 Rd6 39. Rc7 Ba1 40. Kg2 Ra6 41. h5 Ra2 42. Rd5 Ra6 43. Nh4 g6 44. h6 f4 {[#]} 45. g4 $1 f3+ 46. Kg3 Rb6 47. Rcd7 ( 47. Nxf3 $4 Rb3 $19) 47... Rb3 48. g5 {Rxh7! is the strong threat.} Bb2 $2 {[#] } (48... Rf7 $16) 49. Rxh7 $3 {Clearance. Weighted Error Value: White=0.05/ Black=0.26} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Grandelius, Nils"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B67"] [WhiteElo "2663"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 b5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. f5 h5 {[#] aiming for ...Bh6. B67: Sicilian: Richter-Rauzer: 7...a6 8 0-0-0 Bd7, lines without 9 f4 Be7.} 12. Kb1 Qb6 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Ne2 {[#]} (15. Bd3 $14) 15... Kf7 $146 ( 15... Bxe4 $11 16. Nf4 Bh6) ({Predecessor:} 15... Bxe4 16. Nf4 Bh6 17. Qe1 Qc6 18. Bd3 d5 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Nxh5 Bg5 21. g4 Rc8 {1-0 (38) Kotenko,P (2396) -Nelyubin,G (2067) Izhevsk 2010}) 16. Nf4 $14 Qc5 17. Be2 Rc8 18. Rhf1 Bh6 19. Qxd6 (19. Qd3 {seems wilder.} Bxf4 20. Rxf4 Ke7 21. Rdf1 Rhf8 22. Rh4) 19... Qxd6 20. Rxd6 Bxf4 21. Rxf4 Ke7 22. Rd2 Rcg8 23. Bd3 h4 24. Kc1 e5 25. Rff2 Rg4 26. Rde2 Rd8 27. Re3 Rdg8 28. Ree2 Rd8 29. Re3 Rdg8 30. Ree2 a5 31. Kd2 Rb8 32. Ke3 b4 33. Rf5 Be8 34. Rf1 Bf7 35. Ref2 Rb6 36. Ra1 Bg6 {[#]} 37. a3 ({White should try} 37. b3 $1 $16) 37... b3 $1 $11 38. c3 Rd6 39. Re1 Bh7 40. Ree2 Bg6 41. Rd2 Rc6 (41... Rxd3+ $4 42. Rxd3 Bxe4 43. h3 Rxg2 44. Rxg2 Bxg2 45. Kf2 $18 ) 42. Rd1 Rc8 43. Rfd2 (43. Rdf1 $5) 43... Rg8 {White is slightly better.} 44. Rf1 Rd8 45. Rff2 Rc8 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.13/Black=0.11} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Wijk aan Zee"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.27"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2668"] [Annotator "Shahid"] [PlyCount "129"] [EventDate "2021.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventCountry "NED"] [Tiebreak "Koya+Number of wins"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bd2 Ne7 6. Bd3 {B12: Caro-Kann: Advance Variation.} b6 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 {The position is equal.} O-O {[#]} 9. f4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9. Ne2 c5 10. b3 Nbc6 11. O-O dxe4 12. Bxe4 Ba6 13. Bd3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 cxd4 15. Nxd4 {1/2-1/2 (98) Denisov,I (2354)-Svetushkin,D (2598) Moscow 2012}) 9... c5 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. Qh5 Ba6 12. Nf3 d4 13. Bd2 ({Don't blunder} 13. Ng5 $2 h6 $19) 13... c4 14. Ba5 $6 Qc8 $17 15. Be2 Nbc6 (15... c3 $1 16. bxc3 Bxe2 17. Kxe2 Nbc6) 16. Qc5 (16. Bd2 $17) 16... d3 17. cxd3 cxd3 18. Bd1 Nxa5 19. Qxa5 Rb8 20. b3 Rd8 (20... Bb7) 21. O-O d2 22. Rf2 Rb5 (22... Nc6 $1 $17 23. Qh5 h6 24. Nxd2 Nd4) 23. Qa4 $11 Ng6 ({Of course not} 23... Qc3 $6 24. Ra2 $16) 24. g3 Rc5 ({Don't play} 24... Qc3 $6 25. Ra2 $14) 25. Rxd2 Rxd2 26. Nxd2 Rc1 27. Rxc1 Qxc1 {Double Attack} 28. Qxa6 {Hoping for Qe2.} Qxd1+ 29. Nf1 Qd4+ {Double Attack} 30. Kg2 Qxe4+ 31. Kf2 Qd4+ 32. Ke2 h5 33. Qc8+ Kh7 (33... Nf8 {is interesting.} 34. Qc2 e5 35. f5 Qg4+ 36. Ke3 Qg5+) 34. Qc2 Qd5 35. Kf2 Kg8 (35... e5 {seems wilder.} 36. f5 Qd4+ 37. Ke2 Ne7 38. f6+ Ng6) 36. Qc8+ Nf8 37. Qc4 Qd6 38. b4 Nd7 39. Ke2 Nf6 40. Ne3 Qd8 41. b5 Qf8 42. Qc3 Qd8 43. a4 Nd5 44. Qd4 Qe7 $1 45. Nxd5 exd5+ {Endgame KQ-KQ} 46. Kf2 Qa3 47. Qxd5 (47. Qxa7 {keeps more tension.} Qb2+ 48. Kf3 Qb3+ 49. Qe3 Qxa4 50. Qd3 ) 47... Qxa4 48. Qxh5 Qd4+ 49. Kf1 Qa1+ 50. Kg2 a6 51. bxa6 {Qb5 is the strong threat.} Qa2+ 52. Kh3 {Strongly threatening Qb5.} Qe6+ 53. Qg4 {White threatens Qxe6 and mate.} Qxa6 54. Qf3 Qe6+ 55. g4 (55. f5 {is more complex.} Qh6+ 56. Kg2 Qd2+ 57. Kg1 Qd4+ 58. Kh1) 55... f5 56. g5 (56. gxf5 {with more complications.} Qxf5+ 57. Kg2 Qg6+ 58. Kf2 Qc2+ 59. Qe2) 56... Qe1 (56... Kf7 { feels hotter.} 57. Kg2 Qe1 58. Qb7+ Kg6 59. Qb6+ Kh5) 57. g6 {Qa8+ would kill now.} (57. Qd5+ {keeps more tension.} Kh8 58. Qd3 Qg1 59. Qe2 Kh7 60. Kh4) 57... Qe8 (57... Kf8 $11) 58. Qd5+ $18 {Double Attack} Kh8 59. Qxf5 {And now Qh5+ would win.} Qe3+ 60. Kh4 $1 Qe1+ {[#]} 61. Kh5 $1 Qe2+ $2 {[#]} (61... Qd1+ $18 62. Kh4 Qe1+ 63. Kg5 Qe7+ 64. Kh5 Qd8) 62. Qg4 $1 {White mates.} Qe6 63. f5 Qe5 64. Qh3 Qf4 65. f6 {White used his chance. Weighted Error Value: White=0.05/Black=0.22} 1-0 [Event "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.29"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. b4 Be7 7. Nbd2 d5 8. Bb3 Bg4 (8... Be6 9. O-O dxe4 10. dxe4 Bxb3 11. Qxb3 b5 12. Bb2 a5 13. a3 Qd3 { Kasimdzhanov,R (2657)-Vidit,S (2718) Isle of Man 2019}) 9. Qc2 dxe4 $146 (9... Bxb4 10. cxb4 Nxb4 11. Qb1 dxe4 12. dxe4 Nd3+ 13. Kf1 Nh5 14. h3 Be6 {Gulbas,C (2393)-Zor,A (2167) Kemer 2018}) 10. dxe4 Bd6 11. h3 Bh5 12. Rb1 a5 13. a3 axb4 14. axb4 b5 15. O-O Ne7 16. Re1 Qc8 17. Qd3 Rb8 18. Nh4 Ng6 19. Nxg6 (19. Ndf3 $5) 19... Bxg6 20. Nf1 Rd8 21. Qf3 c5 22. Bg5 Be7 23. Ng3 $6 ({Afterward the game, Carlsen regretted allowing ...c4, which means} 23. bxc5 Qxc5 24. Ng3 { is the alternative. If White is still better, it's just a tiny advantage.}) 23... c4 24. Bc2 h6 25. Be3 Qc6 {Black is fine now.} 26. Nf5 Bxf5 27. Qxf5 g6 28. Qf3 Kg7 29. Ra1 Ra8 {Engines even prefer Black slightly here.} 30. Qe2 Rxa1 31. Rxa1 Ra8 32. Rxa8 Qxa8 33. Qd2 h5 34. Kh2 Qc6 35. Qe2 Qe6 36. g3 Bd8 37. Kg2 Bb6 38. Bg5 Nh7 39. Bc1 Nf6 40. Bg5 Nh7 41. Bc1 Nf6 42. Bg5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.29"] [Round "11"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O h6 7. Re1 O-O 8. Nbd2 Bb6 ({A modern tabiya was tested in a recent game:} 8... a5 9. Nf1 Be6 10. Bb5 Ne7 11. d4 exd4 12. cxd4 Bb6 13. h3 d5 14. e5 Ne4 {Aronian,L (2781)-Grischuk,A (2777) Online 2020}) 9. a4 a5 10. Bb5 $146 {A novelty that was played after 20 minutes on the clock. Firouzja's move aims to clear the center from the c6-defender in order to seize it with d3-d4.} ({An earlier game saw White executing a pretty idea after} 10. Nf1 Ne7 11. Ng3 Ng6 12. h3 c6 13. Bb3 d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nh5 Re8 16. Qd2 Bf5 17. Nxg7 $1 {Chigaev,M (2588)-Nakamura,H (2736) Chess.com 2020}) 10... Ng4 $1 {An important intermediate move by Caruana that wins a tempo.} 11. Re2 Ne7 12. d4 Ng6 13. Nf1 d5 $1 {At least equalizing.} 14. exd5 exd4 15. h3 Nf6 16. Nxd4 Nxd5 17. Re1 Ndf4 {"I had a very promising position, and also Alireza had like 15 minutes less than me so I was extremely optimistic" (Caruana). Indeed, Black managed to bring his knights closer to the opponent's king much faster. Plus, his bishop on b6 is way more valuable than its counterpart on b5.} 18. Be3 c6 {The first moment when Black could have grabbed the g2-pawn, starting a huge attack. Caruana sensed the importance of the situation and tried hard to find the follow-up.} ( 18... Nxg2 {"I couldn't quite make it work, but I really wanted to play it. Every part of me wanted to take on g2. I assumed that it's not worse for Black or anything, and maybe it's very strong, but I didn't quite see how to follow up and I thought: I shouldn't sac a piece without actually seeing the follow-up" (Caruana). After} 19. Kxg2 Nh4+ {White has only one defense:} ({Here } 19... Qh4 $2 20. Qf3 {does not make sense for Black.}) 20. Kh1 $1 ({Rather than} 20. Kg1 {which indeed leads to a decisive attack for Black after} Qd5 21. f3 Bxd4 22. Bxd4 Qg5+ 23. Kf2 Qg2+ 24. Ke3 {The exposed king cannot survive:} Bf5 {is one way to reach it.} ({Or even easier with} 24... c5 25. Bxc5 Qg5+ { regaining the material and attacking decisively.})) 20... Qd5+ 21. f3 Bxh3 22. Nh2 Bg2+ 23. Kg1 Bh3) 19. Bc4 {Now surprisingly the situation changes in Black's favor.} ({More accurate is} 19. Be2 $1) 19... Bc7 ({The second time would be a charm:} 19... Nxg2 $3 {might have won since after:} 20. Kxg2 Qh4 $1 {From this side this time! White cannot adequately defend the h3-pawn, and this means he will be slowly finished on the kingside. The concrete problem is that here} 21. Qf3 {allows a fork after} ({And if} 21. Nf3 Qxh3+ 22. Kg1 Rd8 23. Qe2 Bc7 {and the black pieces keep coming towards the enemy king:} 24. Rad1 Bg4 {with a win.}) 21... Ne5) 20. Ng3 {Now Firouzja stabilizes his kingside. It is important to mention that he sped up at this part of the game.} Nd5 ({ The third possibility for a sacrifice would have led to complications, which might have objectively ended in dynamical equality:} 20... Nxg2 $5 21. Kxg2 Qh4 {Now an excellent defensive idea is} 22. Bf1 $1 Bxh3+ 23. Kg1 Bxg3 {with another important intermediate move:} 24. Nf3 $1 ({But not} 24. fxg3 Qxg3+ 25. Kh1 Bxf1 {when Black is winning.}) 24... Qg4 25. Bxh3 Qxh3 26. fxg3 Qxg3+ 27. Kh1 {and objectively it should be about equal.}) 21. Bd2 Qd6 {Now it is also equal, but the time spent in the opening from both opponents will soon start to tell.} 22. Bb3 Bd7 23. Nf3 Rfe8 24. Qc2 Ngf4 25. Rad1 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Qf6 27. Nd4 {Time for Firouzja to look for the f5-spot.} Rd8 28. Re4 Qg6 {Caruana called this a mistake, but is it really?} ({The computer slightly prefers Black after} 28... c5 $5 29. Ndf5 ({Or else the black bishop will seize the long diagonal:} 29. Nf3 Bc6) 29... b6) 29. Bxd5 Nxd5 30. Ngf5 $1 {Apparently missed by Caruana.} Qf6 ({Of course, not} 30... Bxf5 31. Nxf5 Qxf5 32. Re8+) 31. Rg4 {Caruana's time pressure prevents him from finding the best defense.} g6 ({The stone-cold} 31... Kh8 $3 {would have stopped the attack for good as the pawn is immune:} 32. Rxg7 $2 c5 33. Bxh6 cxd4 {wins for Black.}) 32. Nxh6+ Kf8 $1 {The best defense now by Caruana.} ({Worse is} 32... Kg7 33. Bg5 Qd6 34. Rg3 (34. Bf4)) 33. Re4 $1 {Best play by the 17-year-old.} ({Otherwise Black could have survived by creating concrete threats in the line} 33. Bg5 Qd6 34. Bxd8 (34. Rg3 Re8 $1) 34... Qh2+ 35. Kf1 Qh1+ 36. Ke2 Bxg4+ 37. Nxg4 Bxd8 { and White cannot keep his extra pawn.}) 33... Nf4 34. Ng4 Bxg4 35. hxg4 Kg7 36. Bxf4 {White forces matters in time-trouble.} ({Safer seems} 36. Nf3 $1 { kicking the enemy knight back after g2-g3 with close to a won position.}) 36... Bxf4 37. Nf5+ gxf5 38. Rxf4 Qg5 39. Rxf5 ({Beware of} 39. Qxf5 $4 Rd1+ 40. Kh2 Qh4#) ({However:} 39. g3 fxg4 40. Qe4 {might have been a good alternative.}) 39... Qxg4 40. Rf3 Qh5 41. c4 {The time control has been reached, and Firouzja is up a solid pawn and has good pieces. It all seems a matter of technique now. } ({"Most practical was Rd3 instead of c4, trade off rooks" (Caruana).} 41. Rd3 $1) 41... Rd4 {Now the American GM gets some initiative.} 42. Qc3 Qe5 43. Rd3 { Firouzja wants to swap off the rooks rather than the queens.} ({As the drawing tendencies in rook endgames are notorious:} 43. g3 Rd1+ 44. Kg2 Qxc3 45. Rxc3) 43... c5 $1 {But Caruana wants something in return.} 44. Rg3+ ({A passer would do:} 44. Rxd4 cxd4 {and Black should survive here.}) 44... Kf8 45. Qxa5 { The second pawn goes down, but for a moment the queen has abandoned her king, and this gives Black a chance to create nasty threats.} Rd1+ 46. Kh2 Qh5+ 47. Rh3 Qe5+ 48. g3 {It seems over, but Caruana has calculated everything carefully.} Qf5 $3 {"I was lucky to have ...Qf5. It was a miracle" (Caruana). Black sacrifices a third pawn with check! But it is far more important to stick to the vital pawn on f2, the pawn that stands on the road of his major pieces and the white king.} 49. Qa8+ Ke7 ({Do not get mated:} 49... Kg7 $4 50. Qh8+ Kg6 51. Qh6#) 50. Qxb7+ Rd7 51. Qh1 $5 {A last attempt to avoid the draw.} ({Or} 51. Qg2 Rd2 52. Kg1 Qb1+ 53. Kh2 Qf5 {with repetition.}) 51... Qxf2+ 52. Qg2 Rd2 53. Qxf2 Rxf2+ 54. Kg1 Rxb2 55. Rh5 Ra2 {But the notoriously drawish rook endgame appears on the board, and Caruana holds.} 56. Rxc5 Rxa4 57. Kg2 Kd6 58. Rd5+ Ke6 59. Rd4 Ke5 60. Rf4 f5 61. Kh3 Ra3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.29"] [Round "11.4"] [White "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2671"] [BlackElo "2732"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O h6 7. Re1 O-O 8. Nbd2 a6 9. a4 Ng4 $5 ({Normal moves here are e.g.} 9... Re8 10. h3 Be6 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. b4 Ba7 13. Bb2 Ne7 14. c4 a5 {Ding Liren (2791)-Carlsen,M (2863) Online 2020}) ({or} 9... Ba7 10. Nf1 Re8 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Nxe3 Be6 13. Bxe6 Rxe6 14. b4 a5 {Carlsen,M (2863)-Kramnik,V (2753) Online 2020}) 10. Re2 Kh8 11. h3 f5 { The point behind Hari's play, but is it correct?} 12. d4 $146 (12. Qe1 Nf6 13. Nh4 Kh7 14. Nxf5 Bxf5 15. exf5 d5 16. Bb3 Qd7 17. g4 Rae8 18. Bc2 a5 {Schoppen, C (2508)-Vestby Ellingsen,M (2363) Hoogeveen 2019}) 12... exd4 13. hxg4 d3 ( 13... fxg4 14. Nxd4) 14. Bxd3 fxg4 15. Nd4 Nxd4 16. cxd4 Bxd4 17. Nf1 Qf6 18. Qc2 {White has managed to organize his pieces naturally, which means Black's attack isn't really coming off the ground.} c5 19. Be3 Be5 20. Bc4 Bd7 21. Bd5 Rab8 22. Ng3 b5 23. axb5 Rxb5 24. Qd1 a5 25. Ra2 Rfb8 26. Rd2 Qh4 27. b3 R5b6 28. Rxa5 Bc6 29. Bxc6 Rxc6 30. Nf1 Rcb6 31. g3 Qh3 32. Bxc5 $5 ({Not bad, but} 32. Rd3 h5 33. Bf4 {should be easier.}) 32... dxc5 33. Rd8+ Kh7 34. Rxb8 Rxb8 35. Rxc5 Re8 36. Qd7 Qh5 37. Ne3 Ra8 38. Qb5 Re8 {This is completely winning, of course. The computer goes for the subtle} 39. Qa5 $6 (39. b4 {and Black is almost in Zugzwang.}) 39... Qg5 40. Rd5 Qe7 41. Nxg4 Bb2 {It seems Black is getting some counterplay, but in reality his position remains objectively lost. } 42. f3 Rc8 43. Qd2 Qa3 44. Rd7 Qxb3 45. Qxh6+ Kg8 46. Qh5 Qe6 47. Qd5 Qxd5 48. Rxd5 Rc2 49. Kf1 Bc1 50. Rd7 Kf8 51. e5 Bb2 52. f4 g5 53. Ne3 Rc5 54. e6 gxf4 55. gxf4 Rc1+ 56. Ke2 Ba3 57. Nf5 Rc8 58. Rf7+ Kg8 59. Kf3 Re8 60. Nh6+ 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.29"] [Round "11.3"] [White "Tari, Aryan"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C79"] [WhiteElo "2625"] [BlackElo "2677"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Nf6 6. Re1 Bd7 7. c3 g6 8. d4 Bg7 9. Nbd2 (9. h3 O-O 10. Bc2 b5 11. Be3 exd4 12. cxd4 Nb4 13. Nc3 Nxc2 14. Qxc2 b4 15. Ne2 Re8 16. Ng3 h6 {Karjakin,S (2752)-Artemiev,V (2711) Moscow 2020 }) 9... O-O 10. Bc2 Nh5 11. dxe5 $146 (11. Nf1 Bg4 12. d5 Ne7 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 f5 15. Qd1 f4 16. Nh2 Nf6 {Makropoulou,M (2201)-Ozturk,K (2239) Mardin 2011}) 11... dxe5 12. Nf1 Nf4 13. Ne3 Kh8 14. Nd5 Ne6 15. h4 {Tari liked his position here.} h5 16. Be3 f6 17. b4 Ne7 18. Qe2 Nc8 19. c4 Qe8 20. c5 a5 21. a3 Na7 22. Bb3 Nb5 23. Bc4 axb4 24. axb4 Rxa1 25. Rxa1 f5 $2 {A mistake in a worse position. When Esipenko played this move, he missed the trick White has on move 29.} 26. exf5 gxf5 27. Ng5 $1 {This threatens 28.Ra8.} Nxg5 28. hxg5 f4 29. Ra8 $1 {It's still possible.} Qg6 (29... Qxa8 30. Qxh5+ Kg8 {and White has two knight moves that give mate in one with a double check.}) 30. Rxf8+ Bxf8 31. Bd2 Na3 32. Bd3 Qxg5 33. Qe4 $1 ({And Black resigned because after} 33. Qe4 Qg7 {there are several winning moves, one being} 34. Bc3) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2021.01.30"] [Round "12.4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C11"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "134"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [WhiteClock "0:26:25"] [BlackClock "0:19:46"] 1. e4 e6 {A big surprise! Although Firouzja has played the French before, he did that rarely and almost always in blitz games. Maybe this has something to do with the country that he currently lives in?} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 ({A typical blockading structure was achieved after} 7... Be7 8. Qd2 a6 9. a3 b5 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O Qc7 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Ne2 Bb7 14. Ned4 {in Alekseenko,K (2696)-Firouzja,A (2728) Chess.com 2020}) 8. a3 {The first micro-thought by Giri, and he deviates from what he had always played before.} ({The Dutch GM had always chosen so far} 8. Qd2 b5 9. Be2 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. a3 b4 12. axb4 Nxb4 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Nd4 {Giri,A (2769) -Jumabayev,R (2646) Moscow 2019}) 8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bc5 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Be2 { A calm developing move.} ({Grischuk tried to squeeze his opponent positionally in the following game:} 11. h4 Rb8 12. h5 h6 13. g3 Qe7 14. Bg2 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 b5 16. b4 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 f6 18. exf6 Qxf6 19. Ne2 Nb6 20. Qxf6 gxf6 21. O-O-O { and eventually succeeded, Grischuk,A (2777)-Bluebaum,M (2644) Moscow 2019}) 11... Qc7 12. O-O b6 $146 {This falls short by a move.} ({A quick draw occurred after} 12... Nxd4 13. Bxd4 b5 14. Qe3 Bxd4 15. Qxd4 Qa7 16. Qxa7 Rxa7 17. Bd3 g6 18. Ne2 Nc5 19. g4 b4 20. axb4 Nxd3 {1/2-1/2 (20) Faber,H (2502) -Glatzel,H (2460) Remote email 2013}) 13. Nxc6 $1 {Giri finds a good way to fix a pleasant positional advantage.} Qxc6 14. b4 {Removing the excellent bishop.} Bxe3+ 15. Qxe3 Bb7 16. Bd3 {One more move and White will be able to maneuver with his knight to d4 when Black's position would be positionally lost. Therefore:} d4 {Forcing an endgame.} ({Since} 16... b5 17. Ne2 Nb6 18. Nd4 {is just bad for Black.}) 17. Qe4 Qxe4 18. Nxe4 ({White is also better after} 18. Bxe4 $5 dxc3 ({However, Giri might have disliked the possible pawn sacrifice after} 18... Rab8 19. Bxb7 Rxb7 20. Ne2 b5 21. Nxd4 Nb6 22. Nb3) 19. Bxb7) 18... Bd5 19. Ng5 {Accumulating another small advantage.} g6 20. Nf3 Bxf3 21. Rxf3 {White's advantage is very pleasant. He has the more valuable light piece, and the d4-pawn is an obvious target. Firouzja's knight does not seem to have brilliant outposts, and the impression is that Black's position will only deteriorate from here on.} b5 $1 22. Be4 Rad8 23. Rd3 Nb6 {Not that fast! There is plenty of energy in this knight.} 24. Bb7 Na4 25. Bxa6 Nc3 {A very nice maneuver. Black gets counterplay.} 26. Bb7 ({Or else the bishop might be trapped after} 26. Kf2 Rd7 $1) 26... Ne2+ 27. Kf2 Nxf4 28. Rd2 d3 {But this is the wrong path.} ({Stronger is to bring the central pawns into motion with} 28... f6 29. exf6 Rxf6 30. Kg1 e5 {and that should prove enough counterplay for Black.}) 29. c3 {Of course! The d3-pawn should be taken, not traded.} ({ Also nice is:} 29. c4 bxc4 30. Rc1 Rd4 31. Ba6 f6 32. exf6 Rxf6 33. Rxc4 { with big edge for White.}) 29... Ne2 30. Ke3 Nxc3 31. Rxd3 Rxd3+ ({It is bad too after} 31... Rb8 32. Rd7 {for Black.}) 32. Kxd3 {Black's knight is again in trouble. On the top of that, White's king got centralized, and the bishop increased its domination against the knight in the open position.} Na4 33. Rc1 Rd8+ 34. Ke2 (34. Kc2 $1 {would have been even better. White would later need this king on the queenside anyway.}) 34... Kg7 ({Alas, there is no way to bring the knight back into the game:} 34... Nb2 35. Rc2 Rb8 36. Bc6 Nc4 { is neatly refuted by:} 37. Rxc4 $1 bxc4 38. Kd2 {and the pawns are unstoppable. }) 35. Bc6 Rb8 36. Rc2 {Before the time-control White starts wasting time.} ({ Giri could have wrapped up the game with the straightforward king march:} 36. Kd2 $1 Kf8 37. Kc2 Ke7 38. Kb3 g5 {when} 39. Bxb5 $1 Rxb5 40. Kxa4 Rxe5 41. b5 {crowns White's passers quickly.}) 36... Kf8 {A loss of time, as Firouzja admitted after the game.} 37. Kd2 Ke7 38. Kc1 f6 $1 {Now Firouzja at least creates a passer.} 39. exf6+ Kxf6 40. Kb1 Ke5 41. Ka2 Kd4 42. Kb3 Kd3 43. Rf2 ( {The straightforward} 43. Bxb5+ Rxb5 44. Kxa4 Rb8 45. Rc5 {would have won, e.g. } Re8 46. b5 e5 47. b6 e4 48. Ka5 e3 49. b7 e2 50. Rc1 Kd2 51. Ra1 e1=Q 52. Rxe1 Kxe1 53. a4 Kd2 54. Kb6 Kc3 55. a5 Kb4 56. a6 Re6+ 57. Kc7 {[PD]}) 43... e5 44. Rf7 {But White is, of course, still winning.} (44. Rf6 $5) 44... Nb6 $1 {This desperate try is borne out of necessity.} ({The pawn is not going anywhere otherwise:} 44... e4 45. Rd7+ Ke3 46. Re7) 45. Bxb5+ Kd4 46. a4 ({ More in Giri's style would be the restricting} 46. Rf1 $1 e4 ({As this time the knight cannot be centralized:} 46... Nd5 47. Rd1+ Ke4 48. Bc6) 47. Rd1+ Ke5 48. Bc6 {and the passer is stopped, while the knight is controlled.}) 46... Nd5 47. Rxh7 {A third pawn is won, but the passer finally moves, and that causes a headache for White. The main problem is that the game continues, though. Giri probably felt that he had missed neater wins, and that might have made him nervous.} e4 48. Rf7 {The human way.} ({The computer suggests} 48. Rh6 $5 e3 49. Rh4+ $1 Ke5 50. Rc4) 48... e3 49. Rf1 Nc3 50. Rf4+ {Once again a human decision.} ({Both players probably calculated the line} 50. Bc6 $1 e2 51. Re1 Kd3 52. a5 Kd2 53. Rxe2+ Nxe2 {when White does not have time for} 54. a6 ({ However, the stunning} 54. Kc4 $3 {would produce a true masterpiece. The pawns are unstoppable.}) 54... Nd4+ {and it is Black who is winning.}) 50... Ke5 51. Rf3 Nxb5 52. Rxe3+ {That was White's idea. He finally got rid of the opponent's passer. True, at the price of a piece, but he is gaining Black's last pawn as well. And since the pawns are far away from each other, it seems that they can easily outstretch the knight.} Kd4 53. Rg3 Nd6 54. Rxg6 Ne4 55. a5 $1 {An important move.} Kd5 ({The other way to use the knight:} 55... Nc5+ 56. Ka3 Nd3 {is refuted by} 57. Rb6 $1) 56. a6 Nc5+ 57. Ka3 Nd3 $1 {The last chance is to make tricks (miracles) with the knight.} 58. a7 Ra8 59. Rg7 Kc6 { If White could only get rid of the rooks, all his problems would be gone, and he should easily beat the knight.} 60. h4 ({From the aforementioned variation, we can better understand the line} 60. Kb3 $1 Ne5 61. b5+ Kb6 62. Kc3 Rxa7 63. Rxa7 Kxa7 64. Kd4 {when White wins easily as the enemy king is left far away.}) 60... Nf4 61. g4 {What can be more natural than pushing the passers? And nevertheless, this leads to a draw now!} ({The last chance to win could have been used had White not allowed the knight to c7 with} 61. Ka4 $1 Ne6 62. b5+ Kb6 63. Rg6 Rxa7+ 64. Kb4 Re7 65. h5 Kb7 66. h6 {Black is paralyzed, and the g-pawn will confidently march to g5.}) 61... Ne6 $1 62. Rf7 Nc7 {And Firouzja survived this super-tense game!} 63. g5 Rxa7+ 64. Kb2 Ra8 65. g6 Ne6 66. h5 Rh8 67. Rh7 Rg8 {The knight will be always able to sacrifice itself for the two kingside pawns if needed, therefore, a draw.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.30"] [Round "12.3"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D39"] [WhiteElo "2823"] [BlackElo "2679"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Bxc4 c5 9. O-O cxd4 10. e5 (10. Nb5 Qe7 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. Nxa7 Bc5 13. Nxc8 Rxc8 14. Qd3 Nc6 15. Bb3 Rd8 {Vidit,S (2726)-Ding,L (2805) Chess.com 2020}) 10... Qd8 11. Ne4 O-O 12. Qc1 $146 (12. Qd3 Be7 13. Rfe1 Nc6 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. Ng3 Nb4 16. Qe2 d3 17. Qe4 b5 18. Bxd3 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Bb7 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Ding, L (2791) Online 2020}) 12... Qc7 13. Nf6+ Kh8 14. Rd1 Nd7 15. Rxd4 {Without preparation, this would have been hard to play for Anton...} Be7 $1 {...but he did his homework and plays the only move.} (15... Nxe5 $2 16. Rh4) 16. Qf4 Bc5 $1 {Another good one.} 17. Qe4 Nxf6 (17... gxf6 $2 18. Qh4 Kh7 19. exf6) 18. exf6 gxf6 ({On} 18... Bxd4 {White might try} 19. Bd3) 19. Rdd1 f5 20. Qe2 Be7 21. Rac1 Bf6 22. Qd2 Kg7 23. Bxe6 Qb6 24. Bb3 Be6 25. Bxe6 Qxe6 {The dust has cleared, and Anton survived the test wonderfully.} 26. Nd4 Qe4 27. Nb5 Rad8 28. Nd6 Qe6 29. Qb4 Rd7 30. Nc4 Bd4 31. Re1 Qf6 32. Qb3 Rc8 33. a4 Rc5 34. Rc2 Qh4 35. g3 Qf6 36. Rce2 f4 37. Nd2 Rf5 38. Ne4 Qg6 39. Qf3 fxg3 40. Qxg3 Bb6 41. Kf1 Kh7 42. Rc1 Rd4 43. Qxg6+ Kxg6 44. b3 Rf3 45. Rc8 Kg7 46. Ng3 Rd8 47. Rxd8 Bxd8 48. b4 Ra3 49. a5 Ra4 50. Re4 b6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2021.01.30"] [Round "12.7"] [White "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Black "Donchenko, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E20"] [WhiteElo "2732"] [BlackElo "2668"] [Annotator "Peter,Doggers"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 Ne4 6. Qd3 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Nc5 9. Qf3 d6 10. Bg2 Nbd7 11. O-O O-O 12. Nb3 Qc7 13. Rd1 Nb6 $146 (13... Ne5 14. Qf4 Na4 15. c5 Nxc5 16. Ba3 Re8 17. c4 Rb8 18. Nxc5 dxc5 19. Bb2 f6 { Moiseenko,A (2628)-Donchenko,A (2615) Riga 2019}) 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Bxb6 axb6 17. Qd3 Rd8 18. a4 Ra5 19. Rdb1 Bd7 20. Rb4 Bc6 21. Qd4 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rc5 23. Rab1 h6 24. Qd3 Rc6 25. a5 bxa5 26. Rxb7 Qc8 27. Qf3 Rf8 28. Rb8 Qd7 29. R1b7 Rc7 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. Rb8+ Ke7 32. Rg8 Qc6 33. e4 g6 34. Qe3 g5 35. h4 Qc5 36. Qf3 Qe5 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. Ra8 Qc5 39. Qh5 Ra7 40. Rg8 Qe5 41. Qg4 a4 (41... Kf6 $5 {Harikrishna}) 42. Rxg5 Qf6 $2 ({Black would still draw with} 42... Qxc3 43. Rg8 Qxc4 44. Rb8 {and now the only move} e5 $1) 43. c5 $1 { Leading to a decisive attack.} dxc5 $6 (43... Qxc3 44. Qf4 $1 Qd4 (44... dxc5 45. e5 $1) 45. c6) 44. Rxc5 a3 45. e5 Qh8 46. Qb4 Qa8+ 47. Kh2 Ke8 48. Rb5 Qc6 49. Rb8+ Kd7 50. Qd4+ 1-0