[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.14"]
[Round "1.6"]
[White "Ragger, Markus"]
[Black "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2697"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:51:32"]
[BlackClock "0:56:07"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. h3 {Surprise! According
to my Megabase, Ragger have never played like this before.} (6. Be3 {is his
usual choice.}) 6... e5 7. Nde2 b5 {Xiong also deviates from his usual choice.}
({He played} 7... h5 {twice, the more recent example continued} 8. Bg5 Be6 9.
Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. Nec3 g6 12. Bc4 Bh6 {Kritz,L (2583)-Xiong,J (2473)
Richardson 2015}) 8. Ng3 {Solid, whereas} (8. Nd5 {leads to very exciting
variations and was tested by the Najdorf-specialist Vachier-Lagrave.}) 8... Qc7
9. Bd3 {The alternative was:} (9. a4 b4 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Nc6 12. Be3 Be6
13. Qd2 g6 {when Black was more or less OK in Fedoseev,V (2673)-Kokarev,D 
(2634) Khanty-Mansiysk 2016}) 9... Be6 {From here on the players will be out
of the book. A predecessor saw Black doing quite well after:} (9... g6 10. O-O
Bg7 11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Re1 O-O 13. Nf1 b4 14. Nb1 Bb7 15. Nbd2 d5 $1 {Motylev,A 
(2663)-Sarana,A (2457) Tallinn 2016}) 10. O-O Nbd7 11. f4 Be7 12. Qf3 {Black
is not afraid of:} (12. f5 Bc4 {yet. Say} 13. a3 O-O 14. Qf3 a5 {looks good
for him.}) 12... O-O {The most reliable way against White's kingside expansion
is:} (12... exf4 13. Bxf4 Ne5) 13. Kh1 {An useful prophylactic move. Ragger
feels that his opponent is not going to capture on f4. The immediate:} (13. f5
{would not bring to the desired effect as Black has counterplay with} Bc4 14.
a3 (14. Bg5 b4 15. Nd1 Bb5 $5 16. Ne3 Bc6 {to cover d5 is an idea.}) 14... a5
15. Bg5 b4 {and the white knight does not reach the d5-square.}) 13... Qc6 {
Once again simpler and stronger was:} (13... exf4 14. Bxf4 Ne5) 14. f5 Bc4 15.
Bg5 Rac8 $6 {That allows a strong sacrifice.} ({Better was} 15... b4 16. Nd1
Bxd3 17. cxd3 h6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Ne3 Qc5 {hitting the knight on e3 and
preventing the idea Ng3-h5 that would secure the d5-outpost for White forever.
Although White should be better here as well.}) 16. Nh5 b4 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 {Or:}
(17... Bxf6 18. Bxc4 bxc3 19. Bd5 {with a clear edge for White thanks to the
opposite-color bishops.}) 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Bxc4 $1 {The point. The pawn on
c2 is irrelevant when it comes for the d5-outpost. Albeit typical, this idea
is very pretty.} ({The timid} 19. Ne2 d5 $1 {would be great for Black.}) 19...
Qxc4 20. Nd5 Qxc2 21. b3 $5 {Very cool move. The compensation for the pawn is
more than obvious. The bishop on f6 hardly deserves it's name. neither is the
pawn on d6 "extra." White could have won the pawn back with:} (21. Rf2 Qc5 22.
Nxf6+ gxf6 23. Qg4+ Kh8 24. Qh4 Rg8 25. Qxf6+ Rg7 {but that allows some
counterplay on the half-open "g" file. The black king will be safer too.})
21... a5 (21... Bd8 22. Nxb4 {would leave Black suffering for nothing.}) 22.
Qe3 $1 {Domination. Each of the white pieces is better than the opposite ones.}
Kh8 (22... Qc5 {would not stop the attack-} 23. Nxf6+ gxf6 24. Qh6) (22... Bd8
$4 {drops a rook to} 23. Rac1) 23. Rac1 {A neat move. Compare to} (23. Nxf6 Rc3
24. Qg5 gxf6 25. Qxf6+ Kg8 {when the black rook defends him from attacks along
the third rank. It also threatens Rc3-g3.}) 23... Qxa2 24. Nxf6 Rxc1 {Or:} (
24... gxf6 25. Qh6 Kg8 26. Rf3 Rxc1+ 27. Qxc1 {when Black has to sacrifice his
queen to avoid the worst.}) 25. Rxc1 gxf6 26. Qh6 Kg8 27. Qxf6 {A slip in a
won position. White would have finished a perfect game after:} (27. Rf1 $1 Qxb3
28. Qxf6 Qg3 29. Rf3 Qg7 30. Qh4 Kh8 31. Rg3 {winning the queen and the game.})
27... Qd2 28. Rf1 Re8 {Xiong returns the favor.} ({Believe it or not, but
White has no win after:} 28... h5 $3 29. Rf3 Kh7 {when the black queen is just
in time to first defend the king} 30. Rg3 Qh6 31. Qe7 {And then force
perpetual with:} a4 32. bxa4 b3 33. Rxb3 Qc1+ 34. Kh2 Qf4+ {The queen is
everywhere!}) 29. Rf3 {Now the atatck is irresistable.} a4 30. Rg3+ Kf8 31.
Qg7+ Ke7 32. f6+ Kd8 ({Or:} 32... Ke6 33. Qg4+ Kxf6 34. Qd7 Rf8 35. bxa4 b3 36.
Rf3+ Kg7 37. Qe7 {when White should also win.}) 33. Qxf7 a3 34. Qa7 Qc1+ 35.
Kh2 Qf4 36. Qb8+ Kd7 37. Qb5+ Kd8 38. Qxb4 h5 {There was no way out:} (38...
Qxf6 39. Qb8+ Kd7 (39... Ke7 40. Qc7+ Ke6 (40... Kf8 41. Qxh7) 41. Rg7) 40.
Rg7+ $1 Qxg7 41. Qb7+ Ke6 42. Qxg7 Ra8 43. Qb7 {and White wins.}) 39. Qxd6+ Kc8
40. Qc6+ Kd8 41. f7 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ragger, Markus"]
[Black "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2697"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "Georg Meier"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 {Markus has become quite
versatile in his White repertoire. He used to play exclusively 1. e4, but
nowadays he can pretty much play anything. Still, the next move should not
have come as a surprise to Xiong.} 6. h3 {A first in Markus's own games, but...
he started to work with Harikrishna last year and Hari has already employed 6.
h3 a couple of times! It is very important to piece such information together
and I am sure Jeffery will take this as an important lesson from this
encounter.} e5 {This has established itself as the main reply to 6.h3 although
White is precisely readying himself for the weakening of the d5 square. Just
visually speaking I always liked e7-e6 more, when the inclusion of h3 and a6
are certainly in Black's favor, especially when you think of the Keres Attack.}
7. Nde2 b5 (7... h5 {had been played by Xiong before and is clearly the main
line, but isn't it a really odd move? White´s knights are lined up to control
d5, and Black weakens the g5 square, where the c1 bishop usually appears to
support the fight for d5. You can tell I am old school, but this whole line is
clearly something special.}) 8. Ng3 {A rare move with only a few outings at
the highest level (2 out of 7 by Harikrishna!). Judging from Xiong's time
usage he was not aware of this line. White chooses a manouvering battle and
keeps the king-side a safe haven for his monarch.} (8. g4 {is the
straightforward alternative.}) 8... Qc7 (8... Bb7 {appears more natural, but}
9. Bg5 Nbd7 10. Nh5 $1 {would be quite irritating}) 9. Bd3 (9. Nh5 Nxh5 (9...
Nbd7 $142) 10. Qxh5 (10. Nd5 $142) 10... Be6 11. a4 b4 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5
Qxc2 $13 {1-0 (35) Harikrishna,P (2753)-Wojtaszek,R (2727) Huaian 2016}) 9...
Be6 (9... g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Re1 (12. Qd2 $142) 12... O-O 13. Nf1
b4 14. Nb1 Bb7 15. Nbd2 d5 $15 {0-1 (74) Motylev,A (2663)-Sarana,A (2457)
Tallinn 2016}) 10. O-O Nbd7 11. f4 {This introduces a very instructive
positional idea: Eventually f4-f5 will force the bishop to c4, and after its
exchange White will exploit the d5 weakness.} (11. Qf3 {is worth considering}
g6 12. Bd2 Bg7 13. b4 $1 O-O 14. a4 {leads to an advantage}) 11... Be7 12. Qf3
O-O 13. Kh1 {Useful prophylaxis} (13. f5 {is premature:} Bc4 14. Bg5 b4 15. Nd1
d5 16. Ne3 Bc5 $1) 13... Qc6 ({Knowing what happened in the game} 13... exf4
14. Bxf4 Ne5 {has to be preferred. While White does have a nice outpost on f5,
Black appears very solid after} 15. Qf2 Rfe8 16. Rad1 Bf8) 14. f5 $1 Bc4 15.
Bg5 Rac8 (15... b4 16. Nd1 d5 17. Ne3 $16) 16. Nh5 $1 {Now it is all about
removing the defenders of the d5 square.} b4 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19.
Bxc4 Qxc4 (19... bxc3 $2 20. b3 {is just winning, Black's bishop is useless.})
20. Nd5 Qxc2 21. b3 {White has achieved his strategic goal at the cost of an
unimportant pawn. Black is not lost, but he faces a difficult defensive task,
as White can choose an opportune moment to launch his attack. Black needs to
be ready for action but he cannot force it.} a5 22. Qe3 {Eyeing h6 after a
capture on f6.} Kh8 $2 {The king is not a bit safer here, it turns out that
Black had to prepare an exit in the other direction.} (22... Rfe8 $1 23. Rf2
Qc5 24. Qg3 Kf8 {would be tough to break, as Black controls the c-file and his
king can always find shelter on e7 after an exchange on f6.}) 23. Rac1 $1 {
White forces matters, as his calculations convinced him that he can start a
winning attack.} Qxa2 24. Nxf6 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 gxf6 26. Qh6 Kg8 27. Qxf6 $2 {
I am sure Markus thought he was winning here, and it's hard to blame him for
missing an impressive defensive resource.} (27. Rf1 $1 Rc8 28. Qxf6 (28. Rf3 $2
Rc3) 28... Qxb3 29. Rf3 Rc3 30. Qd8+ Kg7 31. f6+ Kg6 32. Qg8+ {mates}) 27...
Qd2 28. Rf1 Re8 $2 (28... h5 $3 29. Rf3 (29. Qh4 Qh6 30. f6 Re8 $1 31. Rf5 Re6)
29... Kh7 30. Rg3 Qh6 {the point!} 31. Qe7 a4 32. f6 Kh8 33. Rg5 Qxg5 34. Qxf8+
Qg8 {is just a draw!}) 29. Rf3 {Now the attack is irresistible} a4 30. Rg3+ Kf8
31. Qg7+ Ke7 32. f6+ Kd8 (32... Ke6 33. Qg4+ Kxf6 34. Qd7 Rf8 35. bxa4 {
And the a-pawn will be one worry too many for Black.}) 33. Qxf7 a3 {The a-pawn
alone cannot help Black.} 34. Qa7 Qc1+ 35. Kh2 Qf4 36. Qb8+ Kd7 37. Qb5+ Kd8
38. Qxb4 h5 39. Qxd6+ Kc8 40. Qc6+ Kd8 41. f7 $1 {A nice finishing touch to a
strong game by Markus! Xiong was cuaght off-balance in the opening and the
pressure turned out too much to bare. It is very difficult to catch an
unexpected defensive resource when you see your position getting worse and
worse and already understand that the day will probably end badly.} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.14"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 $5 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 e6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Na3 Qd8 {This same
line was used by Carlsen in his game against David Smerdon in Baku Olympiad
2016. The game ended in a draw.} 7. Nc4 Be7 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bf4 $14
{White has free flowing development and is surely slightly better.} b6 11. Nd6
Nh5 12. Be5 $1 (12. Nxc8 Nxf4 13. Nxe7+ Qxe7 $11) 12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 $14 {
The knight on h5 is offside and d6 pawn doesn't hang because of Bxh7 tricks.}
Bxd6 14. exd6 Bb7 15. Re1 (15. Ne5 $6 Nf4 $15) 15... Nf6 $2 (15... g6 $14 {
The position is under control for Black.}) 16. Ne5 $1 {The knight joins into
the party.} g6 17. Bb5 (17. Bc2 $16) 17... Qc8 (17... Ne4 $1 18. Nd7 $5 a6 (
18... Re8 19. Ba4 a6 20. Ne5 Rf8 21. f3 Nxd6 22. Nd7 $16) 19. Ba4 b5 20. Nxf8
bxa4 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Qg4 $14) 18. Qa4 a6 19. Bf1 b5 20. Qh4 Qd8 21. Rad1 $16
{White has everything is place and is clearly for choice.} Kg7 (21... Nd5 22.
Qh6 Qxd6 23. Rd3 {is a dangerous attack brewing up.}) 22. a4 c4 23. axb5 axb5
24. b3 $1 cxb3 25. Bxb5 Nd5 26. Qd4 Qf6 27. c4 $6 (27. Rb1 Ra3 28. g3 $16 {
And White is just clearly better.}) 27... Nf4 28. Bc6 Bxc6 29. Nxc6 Qxd4 30.
Nxd4 {Black has minimized the damage but is still clearly worse.} b2 31. g3 e5
32. Nb5 Ne6 33. Rb1 (33. Rxe5 Ra1 34. Ree1 Rfa8 $132) 33... Rfc8 $2 (33... Nc5
$1 34. Red1 (34. Rxe5 Ra1 35. Ree1 Rfa8 36. Kg2 Nd3 37. Red1 Rxb1 38. Rxb1 Kf6
$15) 34... Na4 $15) 34. Rxb2 Rxc4 35. Rxe5 {White is a pawn up and Black has
no real compensation.} Ra1+ 36. Kg2 Rd1 37. h4 h5 38. Ree2 Rc5 39. Rec2 Re5 $2
(39... Rxc2 40. Rxc2 Nd4 41. Nxd4 Rxd4 42. Rc6 Kf6 $11) 40. Nc7 $1 Ree1 (40...
Rxd6 41. Ne8+ $18) 41. Rd2 Nd8 42. Nd5 Nc6 43. Ne3 (43. Nc3 $5) 43... Rg1+ 44.
Kf3 Rxd2 45. Rxd2 Kf6 46. Nd5+ (46. Nc4 Ke6 47. d7 Ke7 48. Kf4 Nd8 49. Kg5 Ne6+
50. Kh6 $16 {White is clearly pushing.}) 46... Ke6 47. Nf4+ Kd7 48. Nd3 Nd8 (
48... Kxd6 49. Nb4+ Kc5 50. Rc2+ Kxb4 51. Rxc6 $16) 49. Nc5+ Kc6 50. Ne4 Kd7
51. Nc5+ Kc6 52. Ne4 Kd7 53. Ra2 (53. Nf6+ Ke6 54. Nh7 $5) 53... Nc6 54. Rb2 f5
55. Rb7+ Ke6 56. Ng5+ Kxd6 57. Kf4 Rf1 {Black has limited the damage.} 58. Nf7+
Ke6 59. Ng5+ Kd6 60. Nf7+ Ke6 61. Ng5+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.14"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d3 {This move is not replacing
the move 12.d4 in the Marshall for White to try for an advantage.} Bd6 13. Re1
Bf5 14. Qf3 Qh4 15. g3 Qh3 16. Be3 Bxd3 17. Nd2 Qf5 18. Bd4 Rfe8 19. a4 h6 20.
Kg2 Qxf3+ (20... Kf8 {was Aronian's choice against Caruana when he lost that
game.}) 21. Nxf3 Bf5 {The first new move of the game.} (21... Rac8 22. axb5
axb5 23. Nd2 (23. Kg1 Bf5 24. Ra6 Rxe1+ 25. Nxe1 Be6 26. Nd3 Bf8 27. Bc5 Bf5
$11 {1/2-1/2 (41) Leko,P (2708)-Svidler,P (2745) Reykjavik 2015}) 23... Rxe1
24. Rxe1 c5 25. Bxd5 cxd4 26. cxd4 Bb4 27. Re3 Bxd2 28. Rxd3 $16 {1-0 (51)
Saric,I (2650)-Brkic,A (2584) Mali Losinj 2016}) 22. Be5 Bc5 23. Nd4 Bd7 24.
axb5 axb5 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 26. Nxb5 $1 {White wins a pawn, but this is not going
to be enough.} Be6 27. Nd4 Bxd4 28. Bxd4 Nf4+ 29. gxf4 Bxb3 {Although this is
definitely a pleasant position for White, it is impossible to convert. The
game ended in a draw after a few moves.} 30. Kg3 f6 31. h4 h5 32. Bc5 Rd8 33.
Bd4 Ra8 34. f3 Ra2 35. Re8+ Kh7 36. Re7 Kg8 37. Re2 Kh7 38. Re7 Kg8 39. Rb7
Rxb2 40. Rb6 Kh7 41. Rxc6 Rd2 42. Rc5 Kg6 43. f5+ Kh7 44. Rc7 Kg8 45. Rc8+ Kh7
46. Rd8 Rc2 47. Rd7 Kg8 48. Rd8+ Kh7 49. Rd7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.15"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:34:56"]
[BlackClock "0:55:09"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a3 {This appears to the
the most popular line in Wijk so far.} e5 7. Nf5 {" I checked it (this move)
yesterday." Carlsen.} ({Karjakin chose a different way yesterday:} 7. Nf3 Be7 (
7... b5 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. a4 b4 11. Nd5 {Harikrishna,P (2763) -Giri,
A (2790) Stavanger 2016}) 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Ba2 O-O 10. O-O b5 11. Re1 Re8 12. Bg5
{Karjakin,S (2785)-Giri,A (2773) Tata Steel Masters 2017}) 7... d5 {The most
principled line. The dangers of the capture on f5 are demonstrated by this
short game:} (7... Bxf5 8. exf5 d5 9. Bg5 d4 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nd5 Qc6 12. c4
dxc3 13. Rc1 Bc5 $2 14. Rxc3 a5 15. Bb5 {1-0 (15) Schou Moldt,T (2210)
-Skrabakova,K (2000) Teplice 2012}) 8. Bg5 d4 (8... dxe4 {is bad due to} 9.
Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Rd1+ Kc7 11. Nxg7 ({Or} 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Nd5+) 11... Bxg7 12.
Bxf6 {in both cases with advantage for White.}) 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 {A novelty by
Wojtaszek. Three previous games saw instead:} (9... gxf6 {For example:} 10. Ne2
Nc6 11. Neg3 Ne7 12. Nxe7 (12. Bd3 $5) 12... Bxe7 13. Be2 Qa5+ 14. b4 Qc7 15.
O-O {Ramesh,R (2491)-Arun Prasad,S (2384) Hyderabad 2006}) 10. Nd5 Qd8 {
Perhaps Black will try next time:} (10... Qc6 $5 {when} 11. Qg4 g6 12. Qg3 Nd7
13. Nxd4 {does not seem dangerous because of} exd4 14. Nc7+ Kd8 15. Nxa8 b5)
11. Qg4 $1 {"I think he missed this stuff." Carlsen.} Bxf5 {The main point of
the line is that:} (11... g6 {is bad due to} 12. Qg3 {When} gxf5 $2 ({While} 
12... Nc6 {Allows the cute} 13. Nxd4 $1 exd4 (13... Nxd4 14. Qxe5+) 14. Nc7+ {
and White wins material. This line should be investigated further since the
white knight might get trapped on a8, but I am pretty sure that the world
champion had done his homework.}) 13. Qxe5+ {drops the rook on h8.}) 12. Qxf5
Bd6 13. h4 $1 {An important move. Carlsen intends to shift his rook on the
third rank for kingside attack. The h-pawn will also do a good job going
forward.} Nc6 14. Bc4 b5 15. Bb3 Ne7 {Wojtaszek cannot tolerate the white
knight for sure.} 16. Qg4 O-O 17. Rh3 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 {A typical Najdorf
position arose, one of the tough ones for Black. This one may be called the
second worse for Black. In our GOTD from yesterday, we saw the worst one: good
knight versus bad bishop. The opposite-color bishops with heavy pieces on the
board is quite scary too. The main problem is the f7 square. Black always has
to defend it passively. But that is not all. White can also attack on the
h-file, the a-file and even on the c-file later. To cut the long story short:
The one who has the better bishop has the long-term pressure.} Ra7 19. Rg3 Qf6
({Or} 19... g6 20. h5 {with the threat to take twice on g6.}) 20. a4 {The
a-file. The white rook on a1 is the only piece which can do better at the
moment.} ({Carlsen avoids} 20. O-O-O Qf4+) 20... Bb4+ 21. Kf1 bxa4 22. Rxa4 a5
{Depriving the rook from access to the c-file:} (22... Bd6 23. Rc4) 23. Ra1 Rc7
24. Bb3 Ra8 25. Kg1 Bf8 26. Qh5 {White provokes another weakening. The threat
is Rg3-f3.} g6 ({Black can hardly avoid this. If} 26... Raa7 27. Rf3 Qd6 28.
Ra4 {The rook will make it to c4 anyway.}) 27. Qg4 $6 {This seems imprecise.
Better was the preliminary} (27. Rf3 Qd6 ({Perhaps Carlsen disliked the
endgame after} 27... gxh5 28. Rxf6) 28. Qg5 {with a clear advantage.}) 27...
Ra6 $6 {"Quite a poor move." Carlsen.} ({Wojtaszek should have taken the
queens from the board instead with} 27... Qf4 $1 28. Qxf4 exf4 29. Rd3 Bg7 {
with good chances to survive in the endgame.}) ({The computer suggests instead
} 27... a4 28. Rxa4 Rxa4 29. Bxa4 Bh6 {with the idea} 30. Bb3 Qf4 31. Qxf4 Bxf4
32. Rf3 Bc1) 28. h5 Qf4 {The king cannot hide easily:} (28... Kh8 29. Rh3) ({Or
} 28... Bg7 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. Rf3 Qd8 31. Ra4 {with a clear edge.}) 29. Qe2 $1
{That is the difference in comparison to the immediate Qf6-f4. The queens
remain on the board, and with them, White's attack is significantly stronger.}
(29. Qxf4 exf4 30. Rg5 Rc5 {would have kept Black into the game.}) 29... Qf6
30. Qb5 {Black's position is ready to collapse.} ({Also good was:} 30. Rf3 Qc6
31. Bd5 Qb6 32. Ra4) 30... Qc6 {Drops a pawn. Black's best chance was:} (30...
Rc5 31. hxg6 $5 {with the idea} ({Or} 31. Qd7 Qe7 32. hxg6 hxg6 33. Qg4) ({
Carlsen could also repeat the moves with} 31. Qe2 {and come back to the
Ra1-a4-c4 idea.}) 31... Rxb5 $4 (31... hxg6 32. Qd7 Qe7 33. Qg4 {White keeps a
large advantage, but the win needs to be proved.}) 32. gxf7+ Kh8 33. Rg8#) 31.
Qxe5 Re7 ({Perhaps Wojtaszek missed the mate in the line:} 31... Bd6 32. hxg6
$1 Bxe5 33. gxf7+ Kf8 34. Rg8+ Ke7 35. f8=Q+ Kd7 36. Qd8#) 32. Qf4 a4 ({
The pawn cannot be regained:} 32... Qxe4 33. Bxf7+) 33. Bd5 Qc7 {Basically,
resignation. However, Black should not survive after} (33... Qxc2 34. Rf3 Qc7 {
either. For example} 35. Qd2 Bg7 36. Rc1 Qb8 37. Rc4 {with the idea Qd2-c2.})
34. Qd2 Qb6 35. Ra2 Rc7 36. Rf3 Qb4 37. Qe2 Rb6 38. hxg6 hxg6 39. g3 {In case
of need, White can also attack on the h-file.} Kg7 40. Kg2 Rd7 41. Qd1 Rf6 {
Allows the final small combination.} 42. Rxf6 Kxf6 43. c3 $1 dxc3 44. Rxa4 {
Black resigned due to:} (44. Rxa4 Qxb2 45. Qd4+ Ke7 ({Or} 45... Kg5 46. Qh8 {
and mate in seven.} (46. Qe5+ {should also do.})) 46. Qe5+ Kd8 47. Ra8+) 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, M."]
[Black "Wojtaszek, R."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Alex Yermolinsky"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{Some experts believe that Rado must be a tough opponent for Magnus. Part of
it is Wojtaszek's experience as Vishy Anand's primary opening theory
specialist during his preparation for the World Championship matches, which we
assume included their going over every game Carlsen ever played. There's also
a memorable upset win Radoslaw scored two years ago on the same stage at the
2015 Tata Steel tournament.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3
a6 6. a3 $5 {Just like that Carlsen goes off the theoretical path as early as
on Move 6, repeating Karjakin's experiment from round one. We can safely
assume Wojtaszek was not prepared to face it.} e5 {It is largely a matter of
taste. Rado goes the Najdorf way,} ({while some of us would prefer the
Scheveningen Variation after} 6... e6 7. f4 Nc6 8. Nf3) 7. Nf5 ({Much more
common is} 7. Nf3 {if the word "common" can be applied to the 6.a3 line at all.
Russian GM Dvoyris played it a couple of times, and there also was a recent
blitz game Harikrishna-Giri. All in all, the white pawn on a3 does not look
out of place, and a tempo spend on that move is the same tempo White often
loses by stopping over on e3 with his DSB on its way to g5.}) 7... d5 8. Bg5 d4
9. Bxf6 Qxf6 $2 {I ablosutely loathe this move. In the name of preserving his
pawn structure intact Black invites another White knight to come up to the
center of the board.} (9... gxf6 10. Ne2 Qb6 ({or} 10... Qa5+ 11. Qd2 Qxd2+ 12.
Kxd2 Be6) 11. Rb1 (11. b4 a5 $132) 11... Be6 12. Qc1 Nd7 {has to be absolutely
fine for Black.}) 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. Qg4 $1 {Carlsen immediately hits on the
right idea.} Bxf5 ({The point was to answer} 11... g6 {with} 12. Qg3 Nc6 13.
Nxd4 $1) 12. Qxf5 {Already here it became painfully clear that White will win
this game. Magnus always wins when he can get his pieces to safe squares, and
the opponent doesn't have any dynamic possibilities.} Bd6 13. h4 $5 Nc6 14. Bc4
b5 15. Bb3 Ne7 16. Qg4 O-O 17. Rh3 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Ra7 19. Rg3 Qf6 20. a4 {
This move indicates Magnus's desire to open a second front. He must have felt
his K-side intiative alone wouldn't be enough.} Bb4+ $2 {And Wojtaszek just
plays along!} (20... b4 {had to be the right move simply because it does not
accommodate the opponent's intentions.}) 21. Kf1 bxa4 22. Rxa4 a5 23. Ra1 Rc7
24. Bb3 Ra8 25. Kg1 Bf8 26. Qh5 g6 27. Qg4 Ra6 28. h5 Qf4 29. Qe2 Qf6 30. Qb5
Qc6 $4 ({I don't see anything wrong with.} 30... Rc5) 31. Qxe5 Re7 32. Qf4 a4
33. Bd5 Qc7 34. Qd2 Qb6 35. Ra2 Rc7 36. Rf3 Qb4 37. Qe2 Rb6 38. hxg6 hxg6 39.
g3 Kg7 40. Kg2 Rd7 41. Qd1 Rf6 42. Rxf6 Kxf6 43. c3 dxc3 44. Rxa4 {We have
seen enough games like this. What are these guys thinking playing passively
against Magnus Carlsen?} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Van Wely, L."]
[Black "Eljanov, P."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E16"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Alex Yermolinsky"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Nc3 Bb7 7. Bg2 c6 {
This line is popularized by GM Tiviakov.} 8. O-O d5 9. Bf4 {Loek must have
considered this option in his home prep.} (9. Qb3 O-O 10. Rfd1 Nbd7 11. Rac1 {
was Ding Liren-Eljanov, Tata Steel 2016}) 9... dxc4 10. Ne5 Nd5 11. Nxc4 Nxf4
12. gxf4 {White got his pawn back and keeps a better center. Nonetheless his
position is compromised by the gxf4 recapture.} Nd7 13. e3 O-O 14. Rc1 Rc8 15.
Qb3 Rc7 16. Rfd1 Nf6 17. Ne5 Nd5 18. Ne4 f6 {Eljanov begins to evict White's
knights, but his real intention is to play g7-g5!} 19. Nd3 f5 20. Nd2 ({
I'd prefer a safer approach with} 20. Nc3 Bd6 21. Ne5 g5 22. Nxd5 cxd5 (22...
exd5 23. Nxc6 Bxc6 24. Rxc6) 23. Rxc7 Bxc7 {At least White gets to trade some
pieces.}) 20... Kh8 (20... g5 21. fxg5 Bxg5 22. Nf3 Kh8 23. Kh1 Rg8 24. Rg1 Bf6
25. Nfe5 c5 {It seems to be the black king is relatively safe on h8, while his
white counterpart is nervously anticipating hard times after Rxg2! With
careful play White may be able to avoid the worst:} 26. dxc5 bxc5 27. Bf3) 21.
Kh1 c5 22. dxc5 Bxc5 23. Nf3 Qa8 24. Nde5 Nf6 25. Kg1 (25. Qxe6 {loses on the
spot to} Ng4 26. Kg1 Nxe5) 25... Bd5 26. Qa4 Bd6 27. Rxc7 Bxc7 28. Ne1 Bxe5 29.
fxe5 Ne4 30. Rd4 {This appears artificial.} (30. Rc1 Qb7 31. Qc2 Ng5 32. f4 $15
) 30... Rc8 31. Nd3 h6 32. h4 {White needed to create luft for his king in
order to prepare his intended Nd3-f4, but the price of weakening the K-side is
too steep.} Kh7 33. Nf4 $2 (33. Qd7 {This opportunity was always there, but
Loek neglected it even when he needed it the most. I can't believe he was
concerned with} Bxa2 $6 {We don't care for such nonsense:} 34. Bxe4 fxe4 35.
Nf4 {etc.}) 33... Rc1+ 34. Kh2 Qd8 35. Nh3 (35. Kh3 {was the only try, but who
wants to give a pawn with check?}) 35... Qxh4 36. Qe8 Rc4 37. Rxd5 exd5 38. Qf7
Qg4 39. e6 Ng5 40. Nxg5+ Qxg5 41. Bh3 Rh4 42. f3 f4 43. exf4 Rxf4 44. Qc7 Rc4 {
Pavel is at 2/2 at the start!} 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[TimeControl "60"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 3. Bb5 {6 This time Harikrishna chooses the Ruy Lopez over
Guioco Piano. The latter he used successfully to beat Sergey Karjakin at the
Olympiad.} a6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 4. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 5.
O-O {[%emt 0:00:29]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 6. Bb3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Bc5 $5 {
1 The Arkhangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez which is much more active than
the closed Ruy Lopez, but also riskier.} 7. c3 {326} d6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 8. d4
{[%emt 0:00:21]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 9. Be3 {236} O-O {[%emt 0:00:09]} (9...
Nxe4 10. Bd5 $18) 10. h3 {86} (10. Nbd2 {is more common.}) 10... exd4 {666
Adhiban has already played this before against Kuzubov in 2011, but he thought
for 11 minutes which means that he wasn't expecting this line.} 11. cxd4 {
[%emt 0:00:23]} Nxe4 {11 Seeing that nothing is wrong with grabbing the pawn,
Adhiban goes ahead.} 12. Bd5 {618 Harikrishna also thought for 10 minutes
recollecting his lines.} Qe8 $1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 13. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Nb4 {
[%emt 0:00:19]} 14. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 15. Bxe4 {
[%emt 0:00:10]} d5 {2 And the bishop is trapped in a very novel manner.} 16.
Bxh7+ {122} Kxh7 {2 Overall it would seem that the central e4 pawn is much
more important than the h7 pawn. And this is true. Black has a very
comfortable position. But it's a complex middlegame, so both sides have to
play accurately.} 17. Nc3 {175} c6 {1426 23 minutes for the move c6. Adhiban
would have surely been looking at ...Nc2 options. Finally he didn't like them
and continued with this little pawn move.} (17... Nc2 18. Rac1 Nxe3 19. fxe3
Bb7 20. Ne5 {Somehow I feel that the bishops are a tad too passive.}) 18. Rad1
{1329} a5 {1273} 19. a3 {576} Nc2 {345} 20. Rd2 {386} Nxe3 {353} 21. fxe3 {
10 The computers like Black's position because of the bishop pair. Objectively
the position is equal. But with all these imbalances, the situation is rich
and the better player has chances to outplay his opponent.} f6 {188} 22. Rc1 {
[%emt 0:00:26]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 23. Kf2 {117 Hari just makes normal,
natural moves, not worrying about what he is trying to achieve in the position.
If his pieces are on good squares something will turn up. That being said
Adhiban has nothing to worry. His position is at least equal, maybe even
slightly better.} Rae8 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 24. Ne2 {230} Re7 {116} (24... g5 $5
$15) 25. Nf4 {[%emt 0:00:45]} Rfe8 {291} (25... g5 26. Nd3 Kg7 27. Nc5 Bf5 $15)
26. Re2 {159} g5 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 27. Nd3 {[%emt 0:00:25]} Kg7 {134} 28. Nc5 {
601} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 29. Ree1 {459} Kg6 {335} (29... Rh8 $1 {Makes sense
in order to prevent g4.} 30. g4 Bc8 {The h3 pawn is weak.} 31. Rh1 Bxc5 $1 32.
dxc5 (32. Rxc5 Bxg4 $15) 32... Kg6 33. Nd4 Bd7 $11 {Black doesn't have any
reali problems.}) 30. Nd2 {128} (30. g4 Bc8 31. h4 $5 Bxg4 32. hxg5 Bxf3 33.
gxf6 Rh7 34. Kxf3 $11) 30... Kg7 {75} 31. Nf3 {98} Kg6 {165 Adhiban must have
felt that Hari would be fine with a draw. After all it's not so easy to make
progress. But Harikrishna fights on.} 32. g4 {180} Bc8 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 33. Nd3
{[%emt 0:00:06]} Bd7 {285} (33... Rc7 $5 {makes sense in order to take on g4
when h4 is played.}) 34. h4 $1 {84 Very alert.} gxh4 {279} 35. Nxh4+ {249} Kg5
{204 The king has to move in. But as we already know, the knight are tricky
creatures. Hence, Black must remain careful.} (35... Kh7 36. Nf5 Bxf5 37. gxf5
Rc7 38. Rh1+ Kg7 39. Rcg1+ $19) 36. Nf3+ {101} Kxg4 {157 Good or bad, this
pawn had to taken.} (36... Kg6 37. g5 $1 fxg5 38. Nde5+ Kf5 39. Rg1 $16) 37.
Rh1 $1 {230 The black king is beginning to feel uncomfortable. Two knights and
two rooks are trying to trap it.} Kf5 {225 Adhiban's king makes a dash.} 38.
Rh5+ {[%emt 0:00:46]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:31]} (38... Kg6 39. Nf4+ Kf7 40. Rg1 $16)
39. Rh6 {299} Kf5 $2 {250} (39... Kf7 40. Nf4 (40. Rg1 Bf5 $19) 40... Rg8 41.
Nh5 Rg6 42. Rh7+ Kf8 43. Rh8+ Kf7 $11) 40. Nh4+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg5 {138} (
40... Ke4 41. Rc3 $1 {The threat now is to take on f6.} (41. Ke2 $5 Bxd4 $1 42.
Nf2+ Ke5 43. Nf3+ Kd6 44. Nxd4 Rxe3+ 45. Kd2 $16) 41... Rf7 42. Rh5 {Nf3-d2
looks deadly.} Bg4 43. Kf1 $1 Kxe3 44. Nf2+ Kd2 45. Nxg4 $18) (40... Ke6 41.
Nf4+ Kd6 42. Rxf6+ Kc7 43. Nxd5+ $18) 41. Rg6+ {84} Kxh4 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 42.
Rh1+ {[%emt 0:00:09]} Bh3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 43. Rg3 {10 Not often do you see
the Lawnmower's mate at such a high level! A very interesting game where
Harikrishna showed that practically he is a stronger player.} 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.16"]
[Round "3.6"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Rapport, Richard"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:50:48"]
[BlackClock "0:47:30"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b6 3. d4 Bb7 4. c4 e6 {Rapport may play a ton of things but
the QID is not (or at least according to the Megabase was not) one of those.
But he obviously spotted that So has no games in this line either. Thus
technically speaking they are both out of book. Which did not prevent them
from following the main theory.} 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2 Bf6 9.
Rc1 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 d6 11. d5 e5 12. e4 Nd7 13. h4 {The kingside expansion
limits the black bishops and opens the road for the white one. As long as
there are plenty of pawns on the board White is save. However, if the game is
opened the bishops might have the final word.} a5 {Black on his term secures
some nice squares and space on the queenside.} 14. Bh3 Nc5 15. Kg2 Bc8 {
Technically speaking this bishop should be better than the white one, but not
in this situation. It is biting the granite on the long diagonal while the
white one is a celebrity on the neighbouring one.} 16. Rh1 {So is the first to
leave the beaten track.} ({At the Olympiad a very important game saw} 16. Bxc8
Qxc8 17. Qe2 Be7 18. Nd2 Nd7 {Tomashevsky,E (2731)-Ponomariov,R (2709) Baku
2016. Perhaps both Rapport and So had a close look at it while it was played.})
16... Bxh3+ 17. Rxh3 Qd7 {Now the position resembles the KID. White seems a
bit better, but Black can prepare counterplay on the kingside with f7-f5 in
the foreseeable future.} 18. Nh2 (18. Ne1 $5 {with the idea to jump to d3 and
get rid of the black knight makes sense.}) 18... h5 $1 {This fixes the pawn on
h4. It also stops} (18... g6 19. h5) 19. f3 $6 {"A bad move," said So. "It
prevents my queen from attacking the h-pawn and it also weakens the dark
squares".} ({Perhaps the knight should have retreated to the f3 square
although Black's play is very straightforward here:} 19. Nf3 g6 {followed by
Bf6-g7 and f7-f5.}) 19... g6 20. g4 {It seems dangerous for Black but the cool}
Kh7 {reveals that the opening of the game is in Black's favor.} 21. Rh1 ({
For example} 21. gxh5 $2 gxh5 22. Nf1 Rg8+ 23. Ng3 Bg7 $1 {followed by
Bg7-h6-f4 with strong pressure for Black.}) 21... Rg8 22. Qd1 ({Naturally
White avoids the fixation of the pawn structure as after} 22. g5 Bg7 {Black
will play Ra8-f8, f7-f6 and open the game at the best moment. In this case the
pawn on f3 will become backwards and weak, as well as the remaining white pawn
on the kingside (no matter if it is on g5 or even worse, h4.)}) 22... Bg7 23.
Nf1 {It seems as White is making progress. The knight will jump to g3, then
there will be a trade on h5 and then the white knight will get to the
excellent f5 outpost. However after} Bh6 {it turns out that things are not
that simple.} 24. Kf2 (24. Ng3 Bf4 {will come just in time when the knight
will never make it to f5. For example:} (24... Be3 $5) 25. Kf1 Qe7 26. gxh5
Bxg3 $1 27. Rxg3 (27. hxg6+ $2 Rxg6) 27... gxh5 {and Black is better as the h4
is a target contrary to the one on h5.}) (24. gxh5 $2 f5 $1 {is even worse for
White who gets under a heavy attack.} 25. hxg6+ Rxg6+ 26. Rg3 Rag8 27. exf5
Qxf5 28. Qb1 Qxb1 29. Nxb1 Bf4 30. Rxg6 Rxg6+ 31. Kf2 Nd3+ {with a clear edge
for Black.}) 24... Bc1 $1 {One for the money! "I missed that move," said So.
The bishop reveals some hidden problems for White. It is not only the kingside
that is under pressure.} ({Here too} 24... Bf4 {is OK for Black but the move
in the game is stronger.}) 25. Ng3 $5 {So sacrificed the ill pawn.} (25. Qxc1
$4 {is definitely not a move that we would see at this level...}) ({Neither is
} 25. b3 $6 Bb2 {when the bishop will soon land on the excellent d4 square.}) (
{White's main problem is that the obvious threat cannot be stopped easily, if
at all:} 25. Qc2 $2 Bxb2 {is not exactly a defense.}) 25... Bxb2 26. Nb5 Bc1 $1
{Two for the show!} 27. gxh5 Bf4 28. Nc3 f5 $1 {Rapport continues his
powerplay. The g-file is opened for the rook and it seems as So's position
will collapse in any moment.} 29. hxg6+ Rxg6 30. Nxf5 Rag8 31. Kf1 b5 $1 {
Three to get ready... The knight is deflected and the rooks are ready to go.} (
31... Rg2 32. Ne2 $1 {gives White defensive chances.}) 32. cxb5 ({Or} 32. Nxb5
Rg2 33. Nc3 Rd2 34. Qc1 Nd3 {and Black gets through.}) 32... Rg2 33. Qb1 Qf7 $2
{And when everything seemed ready the cat did not go... A tragic moment for
Rapport. The obvious:} (33... Rd2 $1 {would have won a brilliant game. For
example:} 34. Rg1 Rxg1+ 35. Kxg1 Qe8 36. Kf1 Nd3 37. Ne2 Nb2 $1 {and White is
helpless.}) 34. Ne2 {Now So cements the position and if there is no mate he is
better strategically!} Qg6 $2 {The blunders never walk alone. After realizing
what he had done, a frustrated Rapport tries to escape with tactics, but this
one does not work! The most incredible thing is that he still had a remarkable,
unhuman resorce:} (34... c6 $3 {which would have at least saved the game. The
lines are very complicated:} 35. dxc6 $4 {actually loses to} (35. bxc6 $2 {
is no go due to} Qa7 $1 {and once again the queen enters the battle with
decisive effect.}) ({Therefore White should probably force draw with something
like:} 35. b6 cxd5 36. b7 Nxb7 ({But not} 36... Qxb7 37. Qxb7+ Nxb7 38. Ne7 {
with an advantage for White in the endgame.}) 37. Nxf4 exf4 38. exd5 Kh8 39.
Qb2+ Kh7 40. Qb1) 35... Qc4 36. Qd1 Nd3 {when Black reaches the white king.})
35. Ne7 Rf2+ $5 {The idea! Alas, it is flashy but not efficient.} 36. Kxf2 Qg2+
37. Ke1 Rg3 $5 {And the point.} 38. Rxg3 $1 {A cold shower for Black.} ({"If"} 
38. Nxf4 Rxh3 $1 {"and Black might be even winning," said So. Indeed, after}
39. Rf1 (39. Nxg2 Rxh1+ 40. Ke2 Rxb1 {is even easier for Black.}) 39... Qxf1+
$1 40. Kxf1 Rh1+ 41. Kg2 Rxb1 {Black is up an exchange and has all the winning
chances.}) 38... Qxh1+ 39. Rg1 Qxf3 40. Nxf4 $1 {The trade of the dangerous
black pieces seals Black's fate.} Qe3+ 41. Ne2 Nd3+ 42. Qxd3 $1 {So should
have foreseen this in advance, as} (42. Kd1 Nf2+ 43. Kc2 Qxe2+ 44. Kb3 Qe3+ {
leads to perpetual only. Perhaps this is the line which Rapport was hoping for.
}) 42... Qxd3 43. Ng8 {Now it is white who has decisive attack. The knight on
e2 is a fantastic defender.} Qf3 44. h5 Kh8 45. Rg6 Qh1+ 46. Kd2 Qxe4 (46...
Qxh5 47. Rh6+) 47. Nf6 Qb4+ 48. Ke3 {Checkmate is inevitable and Rapport
resigns...} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} 3. Bf4 {16 The London virus is spreading quick! Even Adhiban
is now hit by it!} c5 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 4. e3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:
07]} 5. c3 {358} e6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 6. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:
08]} (6... Bd6 7. Bg3 O-O 8. Bb5 {is the main line these days and was used by
Carlsen to beat Anand in the World Rapid.}) 7. Ne5 {82 Adhiban made this move
quickly which meant that he was prepared.} Nd7 {211} 8. Bd3 {68} O-O {495} (
8... Ndxe5 9. dxe5 g5 10. Bg3 h5 $5 {reminds of Spassky-Petrosian.}) 9. Qh5 {
404} f5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 10. Ndf3 {309} Ndxe5 {1075} 11. Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 12. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 13. f4 {
636} Bxe5 {122} 14. fxe5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:44]} 15. O-O {430}
Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:54]} 16. Rf2 {304} Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 17. Bxb5 {607} Qxb5 {
12 The position is around equal. Nothing much going on.} 18. Raf1 {68} Qd3 {708
} 19. Rf3 {[%emt 0:00:41]} Rf7 {227} 20. g4 $5 {116 it's not easy to keep
Adhiban quiet for too long.} Raf8 {243} 21. gxf5 {70} g6 $1 {17 The evaluation
of the position remains the same, but Aronian tries to trick his opponent.} 22.
Qg5 {1359} (22. fxg6 hxg6 23. Qh3 (23. Qg4 Qxf1+ 24. Kxf1 Rxf3+ 25. Kg2 Rf2+
26. Kg3 Kg7 $11) 23... Rxf3 24. Rxf3 Rxf3 25. Qxf3 Qb1+ 26. Qf1 Qxb2 $11) 22...
Rxf5 {237} 23. Rxf5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} exf5 {88 Aronian tries to fight in this
even position, hoping for the young Indian to go wrong.} 24. Qf4 {278} Qc4 {
1283} 25. a3 {306} Qe2 {81} 26. Rf2 {168} Qd1+ {[%emt 0:00:31]} 27. Kg2 {74}
cxd4 {263} 28. cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:20]} (28. exd4 $5) 28... Rc8 {320} 29. Qf3 {
[%emt 0:00:49]} Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 30. h4 {61} Rc1 {328} 31. h5 {[%emt 0:00:
36]} Re1 {[%emt 0:00:54]} 32. hxg6 {83} hxg6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 33. Re2 {163} Rc1
{240} 34. Qg3 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 35. Qg5 {196} Qd1 {[%emt 0:
00:14]} 36. Qe7+ {[%emt 0:00:15]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 37. Qh4+ {[%emt 0:00:29]
} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 38. Qe7+ {Nothing much happened in this game.
Theoretically Aronian can be happy, and practically Adhiban can be peased with
the result.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2766"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:55]} c5 {
[%emt 0:00:17]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:25]} d5 {19 Harikrishna likes to play the
Semi-Tarrasch. Soon we reach something similar.} 4. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} Nxd5
{[%emt 0:00:09]} 5. e3 {202} e6 {123} 6. Bc4 {252} (6. d4 {would be the e3
variation of the Semi Tarrasch.}) 6... Nc6 {144} 7. O-O {[%emt 0:00:48]} Be7 {
381} 8. Qe2 {509} O-O {344 What Hari does is nice to learn from. He just
develops his pieces and gets his king to safety.} 9. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Nb6 {
257} 10. Bb5 {966} Bd7 {304 Once again simple development. No flashy business.}
11. d4 {402} cxd4 {109} 12. exd4 $1 {7 Accepting the Isolani is the correct
way to play.} (12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Rxd4 Bxb5 14. Qxb5 Qc7 {And Black has
absolutely no problems.}) 12... Nb4 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 13. Bxd7 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
Qxd7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 14. Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qe8 $1 {423 A very nice idea.
Hari realizes that sooner or later he will play f7-f5 and hence the queen is
well placed on e8.} 15. a3 {150} N4d5 {130} 16. Rd3 {[%emt 0:00:22]} f5 {
742 After this move the e5 square and e6 pawn become weak, but White has no
real kingside attack.} 17. Bd2 {1320} Bf6 {144} 18. Re1 {101} Rc8 {357} 19. Rg3
{201} Qe7 {602} 20. Bh6 {1112} Kh8 {297} 21. Bc1 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Kg8 {218
Hari has a comfortable position, but with the leader and the black pieces, he
is fine with a draw.} 22. Bh6 {[%emt 0:00:53]} Kh8 {147} 23. Bc1 {[%emt 0:00:
05]} Kg8 {66} 24. Rh3 {55 Eljanov shows great fighting spirit, although
objectively this decision is incorrect because only Black can have chances to
fight for advantage.} Bxe5 {408} 25. Qxe5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:19]}
26. Qe2 {318} (26. Nxd5 Nxd5 27. Qxd5 $4 exd5 28. Rxe7 Rxc1+ $19) 26... Rfc8 {
228 Black's harmony keeps improving.} 27. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nxc3 {118} 28.
bxc3 {69} (28. Bxc3 Nd5 $17 {is clearly better for Black.}) 28... Nd5 {[%emt 0:
00:25]} 29. a4 {609} Qf7 {339} 30. Rg3 {152} Nxc3 {288} 31. Rxc3 {[%emt 0:00:
04]} Rxc3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 32. Bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rxc3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 33.
h3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rc6 {91 Black has pinched a pawn and White has to play
carefully, in order to not let Black consolidate.} 34. Qe5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:23]}
Qd7 {202} (34... h6 {looked more human.} 35. Qb8+ Kh7 36. Qxa7 Ra6 37. Qc5 Rxa4
38. Qe5 Ra6 39. Rc1 {White has compensation and the game should most probably
end in a draw.}) 35. Qb8+ {85} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 36. Qxa7 {[%emt 0:00:27]}
Ra6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 37. Qb8 {[%emt 0:00:49]} Rxa4 {143} 38. Rb1 {[%emt 0:00:
40]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 39. Rxb5 {[%emt 0:00:54]} Ra8 {229} 40. Qe5 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Rd8 {102} 41. Rb6 {180} Qd5 {304} 42. Qxd5 {115} (42. Qxd5 Rxd5 43. Rb4
{Theoretically Black is better but there is no way to win the d4 pawn and
White will hold with ease.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B96"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d6 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]}
Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 6. Bg5 {
[%emt 0:00:08]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 7. f4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
8. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 9. a3 {64} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:15]}
10. Be2 {138} e5 {141} 11. Nf5 {2125} g6 {444} 12. Bf2 {470} Nc5 {912} 13. b4 {
224} gxf5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 14. O-O {905} Nfxe4 {325} 15. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:14]}
fxe4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 16. bxc5 {136} dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 17. fxe5 {296} Be6 {
148} 18. Rb1 {733} Qc6 {600} 19. Bg4 {171} b5 {345} 20. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:25]}
Rg8 {174} 21. Bxe6 {75} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 22. Rf6 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Qg4 {
[%emt 0:00:59]} 23. Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Be7 {302} 24. Rf4 {434} Qd7 {245} 25.
Qxd7+ {[%emt 0:00:08]} Kxd7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 26. e6+ $3 {9 Quite a deep move
and very easily found by Wei Yi.} (26. Rxf7 Rae8 $11) 26... fxe6 {128} (26...
Kxe6 27. Rxe4+ $18) 27. Rf7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rg5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} (27... Rae8
28. Rd1+ $18 {Now there is no Ke6.}) 28. Rd1+ {113} Ke8 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 29.
Rh7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} b4 {63} 30. a4 {688} c4 {61} 31. Bxg5 {125} hxg5 {[%emt 0:
00:19]} 32. Rh8+ {108} Bf8 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 33. Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Ke7 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 34. Rh7+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 35. Rh8 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 36. Rh7+ {[%emt 0:00:43]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} 37. Rhf7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bh6 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 38. Rd1+ {97} Ke5 {269} 39.
Rc7 {[%emt 0:00:28]} c3 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 40. Kf2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g4 {206} 41.
Rc5+ {622} Kf6 {153} 42. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Rb8 {465} 43. Rb1 {91} Rd8 {418}
44. Rf1+ {[%emt 0:00:44]} Ke7 {76} 45. Rc7+ {63} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 46. Rc4 {
617} Ke7 {144} 47. Rd1 {70} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 48. Rdd4 {300} b3 {[%emt 0:00:
49]} 49. cxb3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Rxb3 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 50. Rc7+ {433} Kf6 {
[%emt 0:00:25]} 51. Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rb2+ {423} 52. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
Rd2+ {[%emt 0:00:50]} 53. Kxc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 54. Re1 {
139} Rxg2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 55. Rc5+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} Kf6 {89} 56. Re4 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} Rxh2 {60} 57. Rxg4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} a5 {194} 58. Kd3 {265} Rd2+ {169}
59. Ke4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Re2+ {[%emt 0:00:39]} 60. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Re3+ {
[%emt 0:00:48]} 61. Kf2 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Re5 {124} 62. Rg6+ {574} Kxg6 {
[%emt 0:00:09]} 63. Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 64. Rxe6+ {
[%emt 0:00:54]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 65. Re4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Kf6 {150} 66. Ke2
{[%emt 0:00:05]} Bc3 {77} 67. Rc4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Be5 {900} 68. Rc5 {[%emt 0:
00:06]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 69. Rxa5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bc7 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 70.
Rb5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 71. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Kc6 {
[%emt 0:00:16]} 72. Kc4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 73. a5 {[%emt 0:
00:05]} Ba7 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 74. a6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 75.
Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 1-0

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Rapport, Richard"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 2. g3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} b6 {
[%emt 0:00:50]} 3. d4 {90} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 4. c4 {69} e6 {[%emt 0:00:14]}
5. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 6. O-O {63} O-O {[%emt 0:00:06]}
7. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 8. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bf6 {
[%emt 0:00:13]} 9. Rc1 {95} Nxd2 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 10. Qxd2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} d6
{[%emt 0:00:04]} 11. d5 {165} e5 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 12. e4 {178} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:
24]} 13. h4 {216} a5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 14. Bh3 {110} Nc5 {125} 15. Kg2 {198} Bc8
{68} 16. Rh1 {71} Bxh3+ {162} 17. Rxh3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Qd7 {60} 18. Nh2 {1011}
h5 {135} 19. f3 {1317} g6 {889} 20. g4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Kh7 {281} 21. Rh1 {428}
Rg8 {866} 22. Qd1 {650} Bg7 {405} 23. Nf1 {[%emt 0:00:46]} Bh6 {[%emt 0:00:49]}
24. Kf2 {65} Bc1 $3 {80} 25. Ng3 $2 {288} (25. b3 Bb2 26. Nb5 f5 {White is
under pressure, but why to give up the b2 pawn?}) 25... Bxb2 {297} 26. Nb5 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} Bc1 $1 {107 The bishop must return!} 27. gxh5 {107} Bf4 {206}
28. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:48]} f5 {868} 29. hxg6+ {143} Rxg6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 30.
Nxf5 {149} Rag8 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 31. Kf1 {[%emt 0:00:25]} b5 $1 {642} (31...
Rg2 32. Ne2 $11) 32. cxb5 {196} (32. Nxb5 $2 Rg2 {There is no Re2 now.} 33. Nc3
Rd2 $19) 32... Rg2 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 33. Qb1 {[%emt 0:00:01]} (33. Ne2 Qxb5 $19)
33... Qf7 $6 {134} (33... Rd2 $1 34. Rg1 Rxg1+ 35. Kxg1 Qe8 $19) 34. Ne2 {
[%emt 0:00:41]} Qg6 $4 {99 Rapport misses a simple knight fork.} 35. Ne7 $1 {
286} Rf2+ {485} 36. Kxf2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Qg2+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 37. Ke1 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} Rg3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 38. Rxg3 {551} Qxh1+ {73} 39. Rg1 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} Qxf3 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 40. Nxf4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qe3+ {729} 41.
Ne2 {157} Nd3+ {[%emt 0:00:12]} 42. Qxd3 {490} Qxd3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 43. Ng8 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} Qf3 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 44. h5 {118} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 45. Rg6
{66} Qh1+ {101} 46. Kd2 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:44]} 47. Nf6 {
[%emt 0:00:41]} Qb4+ {[%emt 0:00:08]} 48. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 1-0

[Event "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "So, W."]
[Black "Rapport, R."]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b6 3. d4 Bb7 4. c4 e6 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2
Bf6 9. Rc1 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 d6 11. d5 e5 12. e4 Nd7 13. h4 a5 14. Bh3 Nc5 15. Kg2
Bc8 16. Rh1 (16. Bxc8 Qxc8 17. Qe2 Be7 18. Nd2 Nd7 19. Rh1 Nf6 20. Nf1 h5 21.
Ne3 g6 22. Rcg1 Kg7 23. Kf1 Rh8 24. Ke1 Qd7 25. Kd1 Kg8 26. f3 Bf8 27. g4 Rh7
28. Kc2 Be7 29. Rg2 Qd8 30. Kb1 Kh8 31. Nf1 Nd7 32. Rgh2 Kg7 33. Rh3 hxg4 34.
fxg4 Rxh4 35. Rxh4 Bxh4 36. Qh2 Bg5 37. Qh7+ Kf8 38. Nh2 Qf6 39. Rf1 Bf4 40.
Nf3 Ke7 41. Rh1 Bg3 42. Nd2 Qf4 43. Qh3 Nf6 44. Qg2 Qxg4 45. Ne2 Bf4 46. Nxf4
exf4 47. Qf1 Nh5 48. Qd3 Kf8 49. a3 Re8 50. Ka2 Kg7 51. Nf3 Nf6 52. Re1 Nd7 53.
Qc3+ Ne5 54. Rf1 Qh3 55. Qc1 Nxf3 56. Qc3+ f6 57. Rxf3 Qg4 58. Qd3 Rh8 {
0-1 (58) Tomashevsky,E (2731)-Ponomariov,R (2709) Baku 2016}) 16... Bxh3+ 17.
Rxh3 Qd7 18. Nh2 h5 19. f3 g6 20. g4 Kh7 21. Rh1 {It isn't often that one see
both sides preparing for major offensive operations on the kingside like this.
Who is attacking who? White's plan is Nf1-g3 prepared by protecting g4 with
the queen and taking the king out of the x-ray attack on the g-file.} Rg8 22.
Qd1 {This frees up the knight for its repositioning} Bg7 23. Nf1 Bh6 24. Kf2 $2
{This almost ridiculously subtle imprecision is the beginning of trouble for
White, and a creative player like Rapport doesn't need to be asked twice.} ({
With the exact same concept, White needed to play} 24. Ng3 {and only after Kf1,
and not on f2.}) 24... Bc1 $1 {It seems almost innocuous with nearly all
Black's pieces tied in awkward positions, but this causes White quite the
headache.} 25. Ng3 ({Obviously} 25. Qxc1 $4 {fails to} Nd3+) 25... Bxb2 26. Nb5
Bc1 $1 {Time to go back!} 27. gxh5 Bf4 28. Nc3 f5 29. hxg6+ Rxg6 30. Nxf5 Rag8
31. Kf1 b5 $1 {Superb, and the idea is only clear with the next move.} 32. cxb5
Rg2 $1 {Black is completely winning now. The point of ...b5 is now clear.
Without it, White could now play Ne2, but now if Ne2, Black plays Qxb5.} 33.
Qb1 Qf7 $4 (33... Rd2 $1 {was simple and winning.} 34. Ne2 Nd3 35. a4 Nb2 {
and the threat of Rd1 is fatal. Ex:} 36. Kf2 Nxa4 {with the idea of Rxe2+ Kxe2
Nc3+} 37. Rc1 Rb2 {etc.}) 34. Ne2 Qg6 $4 {and now with this blunder it is
White who is winning.} 35. Ne7 Rf2+ {Desperation.} 36. Kxf2 Qg2+ 37. Ke1 Rg3
38. Rxg3 Qxh1+ 39. Rg1 Qxf3 40. Nxf4 Qe3+ 41. Ne2 Nd3+ 42. Qxd3 Qxd3 43. Ng8
Qf3 44. h5 Kh8 45. Rg6 Qh1+ 46. Kd2 Qxe4 47. Nf6 Qb4+ 48. Ke3 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Wei Yi"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, I."]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Tiger Hillarp-Persson"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 {Already at this stage I felt inclined to comment on this game. It's
nice to see that there are some who still seek asymmetry.} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {Finally someone who is prepared to play a
principled move.} ({Karjakin came up with} 6. a3 {in the first round against
Giri. I guess this move is inspired by a kind of psychic prophylaxis: "I'll
stop you from playing b5-b4 because the cards say that you will play b7-b5."
Then Carlsen followed suit in round 2, and won. "Principled" is so yesterday.})
6... e6 7. f4 h6 {This line has ascended from obscurity into the limelight in
only a few years. Compared to the normal poisoned pawn lines (without h6 and
Bh4) I can only find one small difference (but possibly I've missed something).
} (7... Qb6 8. Qd2 (8. Qd3 $5) (8. a3 Nc6 {is much better for Black now that
there is no Bf2.}) 8... Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 (10. f5 {is one option that is
unique to this move order.}) 10... h6 {leads to the same position described
after 9.Qd2. I'm still not much wiser as to why Black prefers h6 to the direct
Qb6.}) 8. Bh4 Qb6 {This move is played in many Sicilian scenarios, with the
idea of luring White to place Nd4 on a more passive square. White is not in
the habit of cooperating.} 9. a3 {This is the latest fashion.} (9. Qd2 Qxb2 10.
Rb1 Qa3 11. e5 dxe5 12. fxe5 {If you go down the rabbit hole, you will be
likely to meet something like} Nfd7 13. Ne4 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 f5 22. Bxf8
Nxf8 23. Nd6 Nbd7 {where Black is currently doing all right. Wei Yi has tried
this twice with White, with no success.}) ({After} 9. Qd3 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3 {
I get the feeling that h6/Bh4 favours Black somewhat.}) ({Without h6/Bh4,
White could consider} 9. Nb3 {, although it would be a terribly passive move.
Here it is just bad because of} Qe3+ {winning a pawn.}) 9... Nbd7 {This is a
first step off the most trodden paths, and a step that I like.} ({The normal} 
9... Be7 {almost forces White to play} 10. Bf2 {, when} Qc7 11. Qf3 Nbd7 12.
O-O-O b5 13. g4 {featured in three absolute top games in 2016. The last game
saw:} Bb7 14. Bg2 Rc8 15. Kb1 g5 16. Qh3 Nc5 17. Rhe1 h5 18. Nf5 $1 Ncxe4 19.
Bxe4 Nxe4 20. Bd4 {with a huge attack for White, in Nakamura,H (2775)-Vachier
Lagrave,M (2800) 8th London Classic 2016. It has been clear since then that
Black needed to find an improvement.}) (9... Nc6 10. Bf2 {with splendid
chances for White, is the main difference to the usual poisoned pawn lines (7..
.Qb6).}) (9... Qxb2 10. Na4 {and as we all know; the knight on the rim is dim.}
) 10. Be2 {This move doesn't quite fit with the usual narrative of "queen goes
to f3, long castle, g4, bam!", but it isn't obviously wrong. I'm very curious
as to how far Wei Yi's preparation stretched. When I read his comments, I get
the feeling that he has an exceptional "sense" of what goes on in the Najdorf
and that his preparations are more conceptual than they are detailed.} ({After
} 10. Bf2 Qc7 11. Qf3 {, hoping for 11...Be7, Black can instead play} b5 {
, which seems a bit more active.}) (10. Bc4 e5 $5) 10... e5 {As far as I can
tell, this is a novelty.} ({However, now that the queen's route to f3 is
obstructed, it is again possible to play} 10... Be7 11. Bf2 Qc7 {White should
continue with} 12. Bf3 {and then either} g6 ({or} 12... Nb6 {, intending e6-e5,
seems possible.})) 11. Nf5 $1 {White's minor pieces start swarming and the
knight is on the road towards d5. Still, Black cannot tolerate the knight on
f5 and has to kick it towards its goal.} g6 12. Bf2 $5 {This means either a)
that Wei Yi has prepared the position deeply and seen that the 12.Ne3 is less
clear than the engines indicate, or b) that he didn't prepare the position and
played Bf2 on instinct. Considering how the game continues and the fact that
he spent quite a lot of time on this move, it seems more likely that b) was
the case.} ({The engine likes} 12. Ne3 {better, intending} Qxe3 13. Bf2 {
At first sight it seems that} Ng4 (13... Qxf4 14. g3 Qxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Bf3
Nxf2 17. Kxf2 h5 {is another possibility, but the bishop on f3 looks strong
here.}) 14. Bxe3 Nxe3 15. Qd2 Nxg2+ 16. Kd1 Nxf4 {is fine for Black, but when
you evaluate this kind of line you must first of all look for forced lines.
Indeed, in this case there is such a one:} 17. Rf1 $1 {Intending Rxf4. If
Black is allowed to solidify his position then the sacrifice will be less
effective.} Be7 (17... g5 18. Nd5) 18. Rxf4 exf4 19. Nd5 Bd8 20. Qxf4 Ne5 21.
c4 {and Black is definitely under pressure. I wonder if Wei Yi considered this
line and chose not to enter it?}) 12... Nc5 {After this move we seem to be on
a one way road, so if Black is to find an improvement (apart from 10...Be7),
then this is the place to look for it.} (12... Qc7 $6 13. Ne3 exf4 14. Ned5 $36
) (12... Qc6 $5 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 Bc5 15. O-O) 13. b4 $1 {Being ahead in
development, it's the initiative, not the pawns, that count.} gxf5 14. O-O $5 (
{There was nothing wrong with} 14. bxc5 {and it is far from clear that Wei
Yi's move is the better one. It keeps things simple and allows for Black to be
a bit surprised.}) 14... Nfxe4 (14... Qc7 {leads to the same position as after
16... Qc7.}) 15. Nxe4 fxe4 16. bxc5 dxc5 (16... Qc7 $1 17. Qd5 (17. Rb1 $5 Be6
18. Bg4) 17... Qc6 18. Bc4 Be6 19. Qxc6+ bxc6 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. cxd6 exf4 22.
Bd4 Rg8 23. Rxf4 Bxd6 24. Rxe4 {leads to a slightly better endgame for White,
but there are other promising alternatives on move 17.}) 17. fxe5 $6 ({Here} 
17. Qd5 {was the strongest move. After something like} Bg7 18. Rad1 Be6 19.
Qxe4 exf4 20. Qa4+ Qc6 21. Qxc6+ bxc6 22. Bxc5 {White has good winning chances.
}) (17. Bh4 Rg8 {is less clear.}) 17... Be6 18. Rb1 Qc6 19. Bg4 {The bishop on
e6 is the linchpin of Black's position, so White must challenge it.} b5 ({
Black can also consider} 19... Rd8 20. Qe2 Be7 21. Bxe6 fxe6 22. a4 h5 $132)
20. Bh4 $1 {The most active place for the bishop that also opens the route for
the rook to f6.} Rg8 $6 ({Black should keep the rook out of f6:} 20... Bg7 $1
21. Bf6 Bxf6 22. Rxf6 Rd8 {is unclear. The queenside structure gives Black
some reasons to be optimistic.}) 21. Bxe6 Qxe6 22. Rf6 $1 Qg4 $1 (22... Qxe5
23. Rxa6 $1 Rc8 24. Rc6 $1 Ra8 25. Qe2 c4 26. a4 Rg6 27. Bf6 Rxf6 28. Rxf6 Rxa4
(28... Qxf6 29. Qxe4+) 29. Rbf1 {is close to winning for White.}) 23. Qd2 Be7
24. Rf4 Qd7 ({Black seeks salvation in exchanges, falls into a trap. Better was
} 24... Qe6 25. Bxe7 Qxe7 26. Rxe4 Rg6 {, when White is better, but no more.})
25. Qxd7+ Kxd7 26. e6+ $1 {There's the trap.} ({After} 26. Rxf7 Rae8 {Black is
doing very well. For instance:} 27. c4 e3 28. cxb5 axb5 29. Rxe7+ (29. Rxb5 $2
Kc6 $19) 29... Rxe7 30. Bxe7 Kxe7 31. Rxb5 e2 32. Kf2 (32. Rb1 Ke6) 32... Rxg2+
33. Ke1 Rxh2 {with equality. With a c-pawn and such a centralized king, Black
is happy to enter almost any rook endgame.}) 26... fxe6 (26... Kxe6 $2 27.
Rxe4+) 27. Rf7 Rg5 ({A neccessity since} 27... Rae8 28. Rd1+ {loses a piece.})
28. Rd1+ Ke8 29. Rh7 b4 ({Black gets some more chances with} 29... c4 {aiming
to pick up the a-pawn for nothing. Still, after} 30. Bxg5 hxg5 31. Kf2 Bxa3 32.
Ke3 a5 33. Kxe4 a4 34. c3 {Black is struggling to survive but White's
advantage is not a comfortable one. Black's pawns look menacing and a small
mistake might cost the game.}) 30. a4 c4 31. Bxg5 hxg5 32. Rh8+ Bf8 33. Rf1 Ke7
34. Rh7+ Kd6 35. Rh8 Ke7 36. Rh7+ {White's next few moves are anything but
random. The point is that he gets a rook to the c-file, which makes it easier
to handle Black queenside pawns.} Kd6 37. Rhf7 Bh6 38. Rd1+ Ke5 39. Rc7 c3 {
Black hopes to be able to make b4-b3 work at some point. The downside is that
Black's queenside pawns are robbed of most of their dynamism.} ({Perhaps
Nepomniachtchi didn't have enough time to calculate the consequences of} 39...
b3 $5 40. Rc5+ Kf4 {After} 41. Rxc4 b2 42. Re1 Ke5 43. Rexe4+ Kd6 44. Rcd4+ Ke7
45. Rb4 Bg7) 40. Kf2 g4 (40... Rb8 $5 41. Rc5+ Kf6 42. Ke3 (42. Rb1 $2 Rd8)
42... g4+ 43. Kxe4 b3 44. cxb3 Rxb3 45. g3 {and the engine assures me that
White is winning. Still not a problem free situation.}) 41. Rc5+ Kf6 42. Ke2
Rb8 43. Rb1 $6 (43. Rd4 {was better, although I can symphatize with Wei Yi's
handling of the situation. He doesn't risk anything by taking it easy.}) 43...
Rd8 44. Rf1+ Ke7 45. Rc7+ Kd6 46. Rc4 Ke7 $6 (46... Ke5 $1 47. Rd1 Rb8 48. Rc5+
Kf6 {would again lead to the position where White needs to play} 49. Rd4 $1)
47. Rd1 Rb8 48. Rdd4 b3 49. cxb3 Rxb3 50. Rc7+ Kf6 51. Rxe4 Rb2+ 52. Kd3 {
White's dream comes true. All of Black's active pawns gets liquidated within
the next few moves. In the resulting endgame, the e-pawn is of little
consequence, whereas the a4-pawn becomes a hero.} Rd2+ 53. Kxc3 Kf5 54. Re1
Rxg2 55. Rc5+ Kf6 56. Re4 Rxh2 57. Rxg4 a5 {Black is able to save the a-pawn
by tactical means, but now he is left with two weaknesses: the a-pawn and the
e-pawn.} 58. Kd3 Rd2+ (58... Rh3+ 59. Kc4 Bd2 60. Re4 (60. Kb5 e5) 60... Rc3+
61. Kb5 Rxc5+ 62. Kxc5 Bb4+ 63. Kc6 Kf5 64. Re2 Bc3 65. Kd6 Bb4+ 66. Kd7 e5 67.
Kc6 Ke6 68. Re4 Bd2 69. Kc5 Bb4+ 70. Kc4 Be7 71. Re3 Bb4 72. Rh3 {and the
e-pawn will fall.}) 59. Ke4 Re2+ 60. Kf3 Re3+ 61. Kf2 Re5 $2 {This makes
matters simple for White.} 62. Rg6+ Kxg6 63. Rxe5 Bd2 64. Rxe6+ Kf7 65. Re4 Kf6
66. Ke2 Bc3 67. Rc4 Be5 (67... Bb4 68. Rxb4 axb4 69. a5) 68. Rc5 Ke6 69. Rxa5
Bc7 70. Rb5 Kd6 71. Kd3 Kc6 72. Kc4 Bb6 73. a5 Ba7 74. a6 Bb6 75. Rb3 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.17"]
[Round "4.5"]
[White "Adhiban, B."]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:35:42"]
[BlackClock "0:03:58"]

1. d4 {Adhiban generally prefers the open games, but for today he chose the
queen pawn advance.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 {The Petrosian system of the
QID.} Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 {So far the Indian GM had only two games against:} (5... g6
6. Qc2 d5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bg5 Bg7 {Adhiban,B (2689)-Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2658)
Atlantic City 2016}) 6. Qc2 {Strangely, this is already a new position for
both players. Eljanov had previously faced} (6. cxd5 {also in two games.} Nxd5
{Please not that the game Thorfinnsson-Volke, Kallithea 2008 mentioned below
saw this move order:} 7. Bd2 Be7 8. Qc2 O-O 9. Rd1 c5 {which transposed into
our game.}) 6... c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. dxc5 {This is only seemingly calm
continuation. Sharper looks} (8. e4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nd7 ({Another possibility is} 
9... Nc6 10. Bd3 Rc8 11. Qe2 cxd4 12. cxd4 {as in Kryakvin,D (2573)-Savchenko,
B (2616) Olginka 2011 Now something normal like} Be7 ({Or} 12... Bd6 {should
be playable for Black.})) 10. Bd3 Qc7 $1 {The sign given by Kasparov with the
obvious intention to take on d4 and swap off the queens.}) 8... Be7 $5 {
Technically speaking, a novelty! Although the game transposed later into
another one this pawn sacrifice has not been seen previously. Eljanov avoids:}
(8... Bxc5 9. Bg5 Qc8 10. Rc1 {", when White holds the initiative (an example:
Kasparov-van der Wiel, Amsterdam 1988)."- Kasparov.}) 9. Bd2 {Adhiban decided
not to accept the gift. The position after:} (9. cxb6 axb6 (9... Nxc3 {might
be another try} 10. Qxc3 O-O 11. bxa7) 10. Bd2 O-O 11. e3 Nd7 {needs further
tournament practice.}) 9... O-O 10. Rd1 (10. cxb6 axb6 11. Rd1 Qc7 {with
compensation for the pawn was still possible.}) 10... bxc5 {The other capture
is actually possible as well as after:} (10... Bxc5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 (11... exd5
12. e3) 12. e4 {Black has the intermediate} Qc8 $1 {with the idea:} ({Rather
than:} 12... Bb7 $6 13. b4 Be7 (13... Bd6 14. Bf4) 14. Bg5 Qe8 15. Qc7 {
when Black is in big trouble.}) 13. exd5 $4 Bxf2+) 11. e4 Nxc3 12. Bxc3 Qb6 {
At the end of the day White managed to spoil the opponent's pawn structure and
seems a bit better. Tournament practice had shown though that Black can hold
these positions quite often.} 13. Ne5 Rd8 {Just this move is completely new.
White got some advantage after} (13... Bf6 14. Nc4 Bxc3+ 15. Qxc3 {
Thorfinnsson,B (2383)-Volke,K (2454) Kallithea 2008}) 14. Rxd8+ Qxd8 15. Bb5 {
Adhiban disrups the normal development of the black pieces, although} (15. Bc4
Nc6 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. O-O {was slightly better for him as well.}) 15... a6 16.
Ba4 Qc7 17. O-O Nc6 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Rd1 ({Trading more will make it easier
for Black to hold:} 19. Bxc6 Qxc6 20. Rd1 c4) 19... Bb5 20. Bb3 h5 {A
difficult move to explain. Perhaps Eljanov was worried about the queen
appearing on g4?! Or he simply wanted to have the h5-h4 resource in the future?
} (20... Rd8 {looks more conventional.}) 21. g3 {Perhaps White should have
tried to make use of the slight weakening on the kingside with:} (21. a4 Bc6
22. Qe2 $5 g6 23. Qe3) (21. Ba2) 21... Qb7 22. Ba2 Bc6 23. Bb1 Qb5 24. Qd2 ({
The battery is not particularly frightening} 24. e5 g6 {as White needs to
close one bishop in order to open another.}) 24... Rd8 {Finally, the rooks are
traded. The game is heading to a draw, but no-one likes to make it yet.} 25.
Qe1 h4 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Qd1 (27. Qd2 {to prevent the trade of the
dark-squared bishop seemed better.}) 27... Ba5 28. Bxa5 Qxa5 29. gxh4 c4 {
Now it is completely equal, but...} 30. Qe2 $6 {...Adhiban makes an inaccuracy
which Eljanov uses very well.} (30. Qc1 Qh5 31. h3 Qxh4 32. Qxc4 Qxh3 33. Qxc6
Qg4+ {with perpetual would be one way to finish the game peacefully.}) 30... c3
$1 {This was Black's idea in general - to get rid of the isolated pawn. But
here it comes with a bonus.} 31. bxc3 ({I suspect that the Indian GM missed
the little tactic} 31. Qe1 $4 c2 $1 {when Black wins.}) 31... Qxa3 {Now
Eljanov has a distant passer.} 32. Kg2 a5 33. Qc4 Qa4 $1 {The one who has a
distant passer should try to trade everything and get into a pawn endgame 
(ideally).} 34. Qxa4 {I suspect that this is also inaccurate and that White
had more chance of surviving after} (34. Qd4 Qxd4 35. cxd4 Ba4 36. Ba2 Bd1 37.
Kf1 Bf3 38. d5 exd5 39. Bxd5 {although Black still has huge advantage.}) 34...
Bxa4 35. Ba2 {This stops the threat} (35. f4 Bb3 {followed by a5-a4-a3-a2.})
35... Bc2 36. Kf3 {Once again the only move as the king has to get into the
square of the black pawn asap.} (36. h5 $2 a4 37. Kf3 Bb3) 36... e5 $1 {
This fixes the e4-pawn on a light square and takes away the d4 one from the
white king.} 37. Ke3 a4 38. Bd5 a3 39. Ba2 (39. Kd2 {drops the pawn at once}
Bxe4 40. Bxe4 $2 a2) 39... Kf8 {Black needs to activate the king in order to
win. The other route neglects White's passer and leads only to a draw:} (39...
Kh7 40. c4 Kg8 41. c5 Kf8 42. Kd2 Bxe4 43. Kc3) 40. f3 {Or else the e4 pawn
will be always liability.} (40. c4 Ke7 41. Kd2 Bxe4) 40... Ke7 41. Kd2 Ba4 42.
Kc1 {The distant passer had deflected the white pieces on the queenside. It is
time to open second front.} ({Or} 42. c4 Kd6 43. Kc3 (43. c5+ Kxc5 44. Bxf7 Kd4
) 43... Kc5 {and Black wins.}) 42... f5 $1 {The king needs in. Instead:} (42...
f6 43. Bd5 Kd6 44. Kb1 Bd1 45. Ka2 Bxf3 46. Kxa3 {would be most likely a draw.}
) 43. exf5 ({Or} 43. Kd2 f4 $1 {Fixes another weakness on f3.} 44. Kc1 Bb5 45.
Kd2 (45. c4 Be8 46. c5 Bh5 {wins the pawn.}) 45... Kd6 46. Bd5 Kc5 47. Ba2 Bc4
{White is helpless.}) 43... Bc6 $1 {Once again, excellent technique. Black
creates a passer as quick as he can. The alternative:} (43... Kf6 44. Bd5 Kxf5
45. Kb1 Kf4 46. Ka2 Bd1 47. Kxa3 Bxf3 48. Bxf3 Kxf3 49. c4 e4 50. c5 e3 51. c6
e2 52. c7 e1=Q 53. c8=Q {would have led to a draw.}) 44. Kd2 {Similar was:} (
44. Kb1 Bxf3 {and White cannot stop both the pawns.}) 44... Bxf3 45. c4 Kf6 {
Many roads lead to Rome.} (45... Kd6 $5) (45... Bg4 46. Kc3 Bxf5 47. Kb4 e4 48.
Bb1 e3) 46. Ke3 {There is no time to take care of the a3 passer:} (46. Kc3 Bc6
47. Kb4 e4) 46... Bc6 47. Bb3 (47. c5 Kxf5 {is hopeless too.}) 47... Kxf5 48.
h3 Ke6 {The rest is easy, White cannot stop both the passers. They are too far
away from each other.} 49. Ba2 Kd6 50. Kd3 Kc5 51. Kc3 e4 52. Bb3 Be8 53. Bd1
e3 54. Be2 Bf7 55. Kb3 {Allows pretty finish.} (55. h5 {would have lost to:} a2
56. Kb2 Bxc4 57. Bg4 e2) 55... Bxc4+ 56. Bxc4 a2 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "Georg Meier"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 {The bishops´s opening or Italian game reminds me
of the London system (1.d4 followed by Bf4 on move 2 or 3) that also had a
resurgence of late, not least due to Magnus´s efforts. You can of course find
fresh ideas everywhere, but the main point of these openings - at least to me
- is to keep a lot of pieces on the board and beat your opponent by a better
understanding of positional play and pawn structures.} c6 4. Nf3 d6 {A bit
tame. But it was played after almost 6 minutes of contemplation, indicating
that Yi has not made up his mind about this opening beforehand.} (4... d5 5.
Bb3 Bb4+ {sophisticated!} (5... Bd6 6. Nc3 {would force Black to eventually
release the tension in the center.}) 6. c3 Bd6 {is a popular line for Black})
5. O-O Be7 6. Bb3 (6. Re1 O-O 7. a4 {would be the modern way to play.}) 6...
O-O {Both sides are free to further development, so we get an impression of
where both players feel their pieces belong.} 7. c3 Nbd7 8. Re1 Nc5 9. Bc2 Bg4
10. Nbd2 Ne6 11. h3 Bh5 12. Nf1 Nd7 $1 {This is important in connection with
Bg4: Black must be ready to take on f3 and then he should soon halve White´s
bishop pair with Bg5.} 13. g4 $5 ({Normal would be} 13. Ng3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 g6 {
keeping the Ng3 at bay and with Bg5 soon following.}) 13... Bg6 14. Ng3 {
The bishop on g6 will be passive for a long time, but White also created a
hole on f4.} Ng5 {Being a bit cramped, Black wants to exchange pieces.} 15.
Bxg5 {After 20 minutes thought! I don´t think Magnus was too thrilled with
his position at this point.} (15. Kg2 Nxf3 16. Qxf3 Re8 $1 {A smart waiting
move, opening the d7-f8-e6 route for the N.} 17. Be3 Bg5 18. Bxg5 Qxg5 19. Rad1
Rad8 {is completely satisfactory for Black.}) (15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. gxf5 Nxf3+ 17.
Qxf3 Bg5 {with a good position for Black was mentioned by Carlsen.}) 15... Bxg5
16. d4 Bf4 {From here on it looks very much like Black was looking for direct
ideas, when all he had to do is patiently improve his position.} (16... Re8 {
getting the rook into play and vacating f8 for the N; good value for a tempo.})
17. Ne2 Qf6 18. Kg2 exd4 $2 {"An absolute gift"(Carlsen). Black is giving up
the center for no reason.} (18... Rad8 19. Nxf4 Qxf4 20. Qc1 Qxc1 21. Raxc1 f6
$11) 19. Nfxd4 Rfe8 20. Nxf4 Qxf4 21. f3 {Now White has a straightforward plan:
Get rid of the queen on f4 and push his kingside pawns. At this point Black
had to look for ways to limit the damage, and quickly.} (21. Qc1 Bxe4+ 22. Bxe4
Rxe4 23. Qxf4 Rxf4 24. Re7 {looks tempting, but Black still holds on with} Nc5
25. Rae1 Kf8 26. Kg3 g5) 21... Nb6 $6 {Further drifting...} (21... d5 {would
guarantee that Black does not run out of space. The isolated pawn would remain
his only worry after} 22. exd5 Bxc2 (22... cxd5 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Ba4 $1 {
leaves White with the superior minor piece forever.}) 23. Qxc2 cxd5) 22. Qc1
Qxc1 23. Raxc1 d5 24. e5 Nd7 25. f4 Bxc2 26. Rxc2 {Black must have
underestimated the dangers of this endgame. Clearly, digging in and holding
the fort does not come easy to the Chinese prodigy. He proceeds to lose in no
time.} Nc5 ({To put up a line of defense black should take f5 under control,
grab space with a5 to somewhat secure c5 for his N and then centralize his
king. A reasonable sequence would be:} 26... g6 27. Kf3 a5 28. h4 Nc5 29. Re3 (
29. g5 Kf8 30. h5 Ke7) 29... Kf8) 27. Re3 Rad8 28. Kf3 Ne4 29. b4 $16 {The
black N has no way back, and White is ready to settle Black with a weakness by
c3-c4xd5 and decisively open the c-file.} g5 $2 {Only creating more weaknesses.
} (29... f6 $1 30. exf6 (30. e6 Nd6 {looks like a decent blockade still}) 30...
Nxf6 31. Ne6 Rc8 32. Rce2 Kf7 33. Ng5+ Kf8 34. f5 {with a large advantage, but
exchanges will ease some of the pressure.}) 30. c4 c5 (30... gxf4 31. Kxf4 f6
32. e6 $18) 31. Nb5 gxf4 32. Kxf4 cxb4 33. cxd5 {This game clearly showed Wei
not being comfortable with a quiet manoeuvering struggle. And obviously
Carlsen is aware of this shortcoming. Given a strategically superior position
out of nowhere he converted with ease.} 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.19"]
[Round "5.5"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Harikrishna, P."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2766"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:43:49"]
[BlackClock "0:45:42"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 {Something strange happened in this game. While trying to
outsmart each other in the opening, both players soon got out of the book.} g6
{"He surprised me by copying my fianchettoe first of all." - So} 3. Bg2 Bg7 4.
c4 c5 5. Nc3 d5 ({Both} 5... O-O 6. d4 d5 7. dxc5 dxc4 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9. Ne5 {
as in Gelfand,B (2743)-Li,C (2746) Moscow 2016}) ({and} 5... Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7.
Nxd4 O-O 8. O-O Qa5 9. Nb3 {as in Aronian,L (2812)-Anand,V (2773) Zuerich 2014
are more common choices for Black.}) 6. d4 {"I am not sure if this is a good
move, but I decided to try it since Black did not castle yet." So. According
to my Megabase just five over-the-board games saw this move so far.} cxd4 (6...
dxc4 7. Qa4+ {is good for White.}) 7. Nxd4 dxc4 ({Both players spent a lot of
time calculating the line} 7... e5 8. Qa4+ Bd7 {This is indeed the critical
continuation and most likely will be explored in the future.} (8... Nbd7 9.
Ndb5 O-O 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. cxd5 a6 12. Nc3 b5 {is simply an extra pawn for
White.}) 9. Ndb5 O-O ({There is no enough for the material in the line} 9... d4
10. Bxb7 dxc3 11. Bxa8 O-O) 10. cxd5 a6 11. Qa3 {and came to the conclusion
the Black cannot trap the opponent's queen after} axb5 $6 ({However, they both
missed the excellent intermediate move} 11... Nc6 $1 {when} 12. dxc6 axb5 13.
c7 Qxc7 14. Qb4 Bc6 {is excellent for Black.}) 12. Qxa8 b4 13. Nd1 Qb6 14. Be3
{(So.)}) 8. Qa4+ {To force the black knight to step to d7.} ({Instead} 8. O-O
O-O 9. Ndb5 Nc6 {is very comfortable for Black.}) 8... Nbd7 ({Weaker is} 8...
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Qb6 10. O-O (10. Be3 $1 {is even better.}) 10... O-O 11. Be3 {(So.)
}) 9. O-O O-O 10. Rd1 {"I think White is slightly better here." - So} Nb6 11.
Qa3 {"A very strong move." - So. Both} (11. Qa5 Nbd5) ({and} 11. Qb4 Nbd5 {
will allow equalization after}) 11... Qd6 12. Qxd6 exd6 13. a4 {With the clear
intention to advance the pawn on the way to a6.} a6 {Harikrishna started to
spend loads of time on his moves.} ({White also calculated} 13... Be6 14. Nxe6
fxe6 15. Rxd6 Rad8 16. Rxe6 Kf7 17. Re3 Nbd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Rf3+ Ke8 20.
Rxf8+ Kxf8 {when Black does not have enough for the pawn.}) 14. Bf4 d5 ({
I suspect that both players will be surprised to learn that all of this has
already been seen in a top GM game. It went instead:} 14... Ne8 15. Rac1 a5 16.
Ndb5 Bd7 17. Bxd6 Nxd6 18. Rxd6 {but Black was also in quite a bad shape there
too, Kramnik,V (2783)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2720) Dortmund 2015}) 15. a5 Nbd7 16.
Rac1 {"I decided not to take the pawn back but to hinder his development." - So
} ({Wesley also considered the pawn grab with:} 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Bxd5 Ne5 18.
Bxe5 Bxe5 19. Bxc4 Bg4 {but then decided that it is not worth it. The black
pieces are coming into the game, and the white pawn on a5 is loose.}) 16... Rd8
(16... Nc5 $2 17. Bd6) 17. Bc7 Re8 18. Bd6 (18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Bxd5 Ne5 {
with an edge was good enough.}) 18... Ne5 (18... Nf8 {was another possibility
as after} 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Bxd5 Rd8 {"my pieces are a bit stuck." - So}) 19.
Bxd5 {A very concrete decision. White concedes the bishop pair in return for a
super-knight.} Nxd5 ({On} 19... Rd8 {White was planning} 20. Bxb7 Bxb7 21. Bxe5
{winning a pawn.}) 20. Nxd5 Bg4 $1 {The best chance. Black needs to untangle
his pieces.} 21. Rd2 ({So was afraid of the line:} 21. Nc7 Nd3 $5 {when} 22.
Rxc4 {is indeed bad to} ({However} 22. exd3 $1 {does not just equalize as the
American GM thought, but would have kept the big advantage in the forced line:}
Bxd1 23. Rxd1 Bxd4 24. dxc4 Bxb2 25. Rb1 Bc3 26. Nxe8 Rxe8 27. Rxb7 Bxa5 28. c5
{although Black may survive here.}) 22... Nxb2 23. Nxe8 Rxe8) (21. f3 {on the
other hand is indeed bad due to} Nd3 $1 {and Black gets over the initiative.})
21... Red8 ({Another exchange sacrifice seemed better:} 21... Rad8 $5 22. Nc7
Rf8 23. Bxf8 Bxf8 24. f3 Bh3 {and thanks to the threat Bf8-b4 Black has some
chances of survival.}) (21... c3 {is less appealing though to} 22. Rxc3 Nc6 23.
Nxc6 Bxc3 (23... bxc6 24. Nc7) 24. Nce7+ {when White wins.}) 22. Nb6 {Now So
wins the exchange and in the opponent's time trouble things happen quickly.}
Rxd6 23. Nxa8 Nc6 24. Nf3 Rxd2 25. Nxd2 Bxb2 26. Rxc4 Bxe2 27. Re4 {"I thought
he has very good drawing chances." - So} Bd3 28. Re3 Nb4 $2 {Both players
thought that this move is a mistake. For a good reason. Without the bishop
pair Black loses.} ({Stronger was} 28... Bf5 29. Rb3 Bf6 (29... Bc1) 30. Rxb7
Nxa5 31. Rb6 Bc3 {when nothing is yet decided.}) 29. Nb6 {With a positional
trap.} Bd4 ({Or} 29... Bc1 {when the trap closes} 30. Nbc4 {and the c1 bishop
is trapped.} Bxc4 31. Re8+ {with a win for White.}) 30. Re7 Nc6 {Now in order
to win the a-pawn Black needs to give up the bishop pair.} 31. Rxb7 Nxa5 32.
Rd7 Nc6 33. Nb3 Bf5 {This gives up a piece. But both players believed that
Black is lost anyway after:} (33... Bxb6 34. Rxd3 Nb4 35. Rd6) 34. Rxd4 Nxd4
35. Nxd4 Bd3 {The rest is technique and So's is perfect.} 36. Kg2 Kf8 37. Kf3
Ke7 38. Ke3 Bf1 39. Nf3 Kd6 40. Kd4 f6 41. Nd2 Be2 42. Nd5 f5 43. Nc3 Bh5 44.
Nc4+ Ke6 45. f4 Kd7 46. Kc5 h6 47. Nd5 Ke6 48. Nc7+ 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Adhiban, B."]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Aditya Mittal"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.18"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. Qc2 c5 $5 {Not the most
popular move.} (6... Be7 {looks logical and natural.}) 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. dxc5 Be7
$146 {A pawn sacrifice and a novelty! It is clear that Eljanov must have
prepared this.} (8... Bxc5 {is the main move.} 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bd2 {is the main
line with the main game Piket-Lautier}) 9. Bd2 {Not taking the pawn this time
around! Adhiban plays it safe.} (9. cxb6 {was of course the most challenging.
Thinking of this, my mind immediately sees} O-O $5 {Okay. I am not too sure
this best. But it seems fun and interesting. Eljanov might have planned this.}
(9... axb6 {is the computer's choice. But my preference is: Instead of being
one pawn down with no activity, why not devolop your pieces by being two pawns
down?})) 9... O-O $1 {The best.} (9... bxc5 {would be preffered by pawn eaters.
But probably they wouldn't just get such a position because Be7 was already a
pawn sack!}) 10. Rd1 {Adhiban is patient. He doesn't get tempted into anything,
whether good or bad. It is very hard to resist taking on b6, but he can resist
as much as he wants! A skill to applaud.} (10. e4 {was another option. After}
Nxc3 11. Bxc3 bxc5 {I can see 60 games being played. Through another order of
moves!}) 10... bxc5 {Okay, Eljanov has had enough!} (10... Nd7 {I did expect
this.}) 11. e4 Nxc3 12. Bxc3 {Dreev and Sokolov use this line very frequently,
through a different move order.} Qb6 (12... Qc7 {is more popular but there is
nothing wrong with Qb6.}) 13. Ne5 $1 {Capitalising on the c4 outpost.} (13. Nd2
{Why go back when you can go ahead to achieve the same purpose?}) 13... Rd8 14.
Rxd8+ Qxd8 {The main game in this position Riazentsev-Brkik.} (14... Bxd8 {
is an ugly move the computers suggest. Very bad.}) 15. Bb5 $1 {Adhiban has an
eye for activeness and outposts! Now his bishop will be very strong and he is
ready to castle.} (15. Be2 {is the simple move. Make no mistakes though,
Adhiban ain't simple!}) 15... a6 16. Ba4 {Now the bishop is unhindered.} Qc7
17. O-O $14 {According to me, White is better because of Black's damaged pawn
structure and the ability of White to use them to his advantage.} Nc6 18. Nxc6
$6 {A positional concession. The knight should have come back.} (18. Nc4 Nd4
19. Qd3 {Either this way or}) (18. Bxc6 Bxc6 19. Nc4 $14 {this way!}) 18...
Bxc6 19. Rd1 (19. Bxc6 Qxc6 20. Rd1 {keeps Black's structure in misery but now
Black achieves equality with} c4 $1 $11) 19... Bb5 $1 {White's advantage is
now burnt into ashes.} 20. Bb3 h5 $5 {A move only Eljanov can understand. To
me it doesn't look too good though.} (20... Rd8 {I was calculating this and
decided on this move. However White gets an edge with} 21. a4 $1 Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1
Bc6 23. Qe2 {and Black will have a hard time defending the weaknesses.}) (20...
Qc6 $1 {is the best move.}) 21. g3 Qb7 $6 (21... h4 $1 {was the fearless and
probably best move.}) 22. Ba2 $6 (22. a4 $1 {was to be preffered. Now Black
should play} c4 $1 (22... Bc6 23. f3 $16) 23. Ba2 Bc6 24. f3 Rc8 $14 {And
White has to prove his edge.}) 22... Bc6 23. Bb1 {A battery!} Qb5 24. Qd2 $5 {
What was Adhiban trying with this move? Having said that, it doesn't do
anything wrong.} (24. f3 {or}) (24. h4 $1 $14 {looks good.}) 24... Rd8 25. Qe1
$14 {It is a quiet position and as from the beginning, White is slightly
better due to Black's pawns.} h4 {Eljanov being able to win from this position
speaks volumes of his positional understanding.} 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Qd1 $6 {
Why to this square? The other one is much more active!} (27. Qd2 $1 Be7 28. Bd3
c4 29. Bf1 $14 {was a simple and safe edge for White! Adhiban would have
atleast never losen this position.}) 27... Ba5 28. Bxa5 Qxa5 29. gxh4 {White
is a pawn up, but his pawn structure is scattered.} c4 $1 $15 {Making way for
the queen to come! The computer might show 0.00, but this, according to me, is
already clear edge for Black!} (29... Qc7 {was another way to get the queen
into the game.}) 30. Qe2 $6 (30. Kg2 {is simple chess. No need to make any
decisions yet. Let's see what Black can do!}) 30... c3 $1 31. bxc3 Qxa3 {
The computers agree with me now! Adhiban fell under high pressure and lost now.
} 32. Kg2 a5 $1 {Swift pawn push.} (32... Qxc3 33. Qxa6 {is dead draw.}) 33.
Qc4 Qa4 $1 {Extremely strong understanding shown by Eljanov.} (33... Qd6 {
was the natural move but Eljanov finds more than natural!}) 34. Qxa4 {This was
the simple decision by Adhiban. On more thought, after seeing that Black is
clearly better here, he could have come up with} (34. Qd4 $1 $15) 34... Bxa4
35. Ba2 Bc2 36. Kf3 e5 $1 {Fixing the pawn structure.} 37. Ke3 a4 38. Bd5 a3
39. Ba2 Kf8 $1 $17 {Eljanov plays slowly, realising White can do nothing. I
won't say this is winning, but the pressure is now heating up on White.} (39...
Kh7 {I want the pawn! I want the pawn! Kh7 serves that purpose. But now
Black's pawn won't queen, Black's king is too far away.}) 40. f3 Ke7 41. Kd2
Ba4 42. Kc1 f5 $1 {And Black is winning out of nowhere! I am still figuring
what was Adhiban's decisive mitake.} 43. exf5 (43. Bc4 f4 $3 {is the brilliant
move. This is not a fortress. It is breakable.}) 43... Bc6 {The rest was a
matter of technique for Eljanov.} 44. Kd2 Bxf3 45. c4 Kf6 46. Ke3 Bc6 47. Bb3
Kxf5 48. h3 Ke6 49. Ba2 Kd6 50. Kd3 Kc5 51. Kc3 e4 52. Bb3 Be8 53. Bd1 e3 54.
Be2 Bf7 55. Kb3 Bxc4+ 56. Bxc4 a2 {A brilliant start for Eljanov as he is now
3.5/4 and the sole leader!} 0-1

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2785"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 3. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 4. O-O {[%emt 0:
00:08]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 5. d3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:07]} 6. h3
{[%emt 0:00:06]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 7. c3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} a6 {9 Karjakin
deviates from h6 which he had played in their previous encounter. He also
places his pawn on a6 instead of a5 as he did in Baku.} ({Here's the Baku
Olympiad game for you to have a look.} 7... h6 {283} 8. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:45]} a5
{28 This move has hardly been played before. Usually Black settles for a6
followed by Ba7. This seems like some preparation for the World Championship
Match!} 9. Bb3 {196} Re8 {440} 10. Nbd2 {154} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 11. Ba4 {88}
Ba7 {565} 12. Nf1 {434} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 13. Bb5 {235 Hari makes the
perfect use of the move a5. The b5 square was weakened and he settles his
bishop on that square.} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 14. Ng3 {645} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:32]}
15. Bxd7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Qxd7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 16. d4 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Ng6 {
278} 17. Be3 {123} exd4 {68} 18. Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
19. cxd4 {56 White has a harmonius position and should surely stand slightly
better here.} a4 {456} 20. Rc1 {100} d5 {255} 21. e5 {258} Nh7 {[%emt 0:00:02]}
22. Nh2 {279 Look at the knights on the kingside, all four identically placed.
However, the pawn on e5 gives white the space advantage and the chances for an
attack.} Ng5 {143} 23. Nh5 {443} a3 {979} 24. b4 {425} Ne6 {383} 25. Qd2 {913}
Ng5 {417} 26. Ng4 {54 Slowly but surely the pressure is creeping in.} Qf5 $2 {
31 Karjakin blunders!} 27. Nhf6+ $1 {111 The knight cannot be taken as Nxh6
wins the queen!} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (27... gxf6 28. Nxh6+ $18) 28. Nxe8 {
[%emt 0:00:32]} Rxe8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 29. Rxc7 {117 The rest as they say is
matter of technique, which Harikrishna shows in good measure!} Nf4 {[%emt 0:00:
54]} 30. Qe3 {470} Nge6 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 31. Rc3 {[%emt 0:00:42]} Qg6 {104} 32.
Qg3 {77} Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 33. Kh2 {122} h5 {170} 34. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:22]}
Qh7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 35. Rec1 {207} Qe4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 36. Rc8+ {114} Rxc8 {
[%emt 0:00:02]} 37. Rxc8+ {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 38. Qf3 {83}
Qxf3 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 39. gxf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 40. Rc7 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Rxf7 {83} Nde6 {138} 42. Rd7 {[%emt 0:
00:57]} d4 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 43. Nc2 {131} d3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 44. Ne1 {15 1-0 
(44) Harikrishna,P (2752)-Karjakin,S (2769) Baku 2016}) 8. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:19]}
Ba7 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 9. Bb3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 10. Nbd2 {262
} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 11. Nf1 {[%emt 0:00:42]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 12. Be3 {
365} Bxe3 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 13. Nxe3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 14.
Nh2 {771} Bxb3 {497} 15. axb3 {168} Ne7 {235} 16. b4 {304} d5 {74} 17. Nhg4 {
732} Nxg4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 18. Qxg4 {363} (18. Nxg4 Ng6 {is around equal.})
18... Rad8 {750} 19. exd5 {840} (19. Nf5 Nxf5 20. exf5 f6 $11) 19... Qxg4 {
[%emt 0:00:18]} 20. hxg4 {290} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 21. Nxd5 {109} Rxd5 {
7 Black experienced absolutely no issues in equalising the game.} 22. d4 {
[%emt 0:00:15]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 23. dxe5 {112} Rexe5 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 24.
Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 25. Kf1 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Ke7 {
[%emt 0:00:11]} 26. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} h5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 27. gxh5 {[%emt 0:
00:08]} Rxh5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 28. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Re5+ {[%emt 0:00:06]}
29. Kf1 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Rh5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 30. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Re5+ {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Rotterdam"]
[Site "Rotterdam"]
[Date "2017.01.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2785"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {6 This is the first time in his career that Adhiban
has played the French Defence? What motivated him to play this with black?
Your guess is as good as mine!} 2. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 3.
Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:50]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 4. e5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nfd7 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} 5. f4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 6. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nc6
{[%emt 0:00:04]} 7. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 8. Qd2 {[%emt 0:
00:56]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 9. a3 {394} O-O {[%emt 0:00:21]} 10. dxc5 {[%emt 0:
00:31]} Nxc5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 11. Qf2 {9 All of this has been played before
and has been seen in top level encounters like Kramnik-Meier, Ragger-Bluebaum,
Sethuraman-Korobov and Salem-Svane. The main moves for Black have been either
b6 or Qa5. Adhiban unleashes a novelty.} Nd7 $5 $146 {4 The credit for finding
this move was given by Adhiban to his coach, most likely K. Visweswaran.} 12.
Nd4 {632 Karjakin thinks for 10 minutes and goes for the most critical line.}
Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 13. Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} f6 {4 Adhiban is still in his
preparation. Facing Adhiban when he is well prepared ccan be an unnerving
experience. He moves very quickly and can often unsettle you. But this is
common for players at the level of Karjakin. They are used to this.} 14. exf6 {
[%emt 0:00:48]} Bxf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 15. Bxf6 {308} (15. O-O-O $5 b5 $13 (
15... e5 16. Bc5 $1 $14)) 15... Qxf6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 16. g3 {[%emt 0:00:08]}
g5 $1 {5 The f4 pawn can no longer be held. That being said, no one would like
to weaken his kingside with a move like g5 in an opposite side castling
situation.} 17. O-O-O {242} gxf4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 18. Kb1 {245 This move
surprised Adhiban.} (18. Rd4 {should have been preferred by Karjakin.} f3 19.
Rf4 Qh6 20. Qxf3 e5 (20... Rxf4 21. gxf4 $16) 21. Qg4+ Kh8 22. Qh4 {The only
way not to lose a rook.} Qxh4 23. Rxh4 Nf6 24. Bg2 Be6 {Black looks fine with
the strong central pawns, but after} 25. Re1 e4 26. Bh3 $14 {White should have
a small edge.}) 18... f3 {488} 19. g4 {491} (19. Rd4 Qg7 20. Bh3 Nf6 21. Qxf3
e5 22. Rh4 Bxh3 23. Rxh3 Ne4 24. Qe2 Nxc3+ (24... Nf2 25. Rh4 $1 Nxh1 26. Rg4
$18) 25. bxc3 e4 $13) 19... Ne5 {373} 20. g5 {67} Qg7 {508} 21. g6 {573
Karjakin plays with great energy. He realizes that he must open the position
of the black king. He is a pawn down already, so he throws another pawn into
the fire. Objectively it might not be a great idea, but as Adhiban says,
practically it was quite a challenging one to face.} hxg6 $1 {424} (21... Nxg6
22. Bd3 {Followed by Rg1 and h4 should give White good attacking chances.}) 22.
Bd3 $6 {786 Once again, not the most challenging move, as this bishop can be
chopped off by the knight anytime.} (22. Rg1 Bd7 23. h4 Rf5 {Black maintains
control.}) (22. h4 Bd7 23. Bh3 {This might be the most complicated way to play
the position. But still Black has the advantage is beyond any doubt.}) 22...
Bd7 {156 Once Adhiban made this move, he was happy because the bishop could
always drop back to e8 and defend the g6 pawn.} 23. Rdg1 {[%emt 0:00:56]} Nxd3
{234} 24. cxd3 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Rf5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 25. Rg4 {104} Raf8 {
[%emt 0:00:45]} 26. Rhg1 {138} Be8 $19 {265 The bishop defends the g6 pawn and
the rest is not too difficult.} 27. Nd1 {373} Rh5 $6 {1254} (27... Qf6 28. Ne3
Rf4 29. Rxf4 Qxf4 $19 {was easily winning.}) 28. h4 {309} Re5 {543} 29. Ne3 {
458} Bb5 $1 {228} 30. Rd4 {170} (30. Kc2 Rc8+ 31. Kb3 Bxd3 32. Qxf3 Be4 $19) (
30. Nc4 Bxc4 31. dxc4 Rf6 $19) 30... Re4 $5 {217} 31. Rxg6 $2 {423} Bxd3+ $1 {
20 This clear shot ends the game. Karjakin is known as a Master of Defence.
The fact that Adhiban could beat him without any glitches makes it a highly
commendable victory.} (31... Qxg6 {is also winning after} 32. dxe4 dxe4 $19) (
31... Bxd3+ 32. Rxd3 Qxg6 $19) 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[Annotator "Aleksandr Lenderman"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{Welcome everyone! This is GM Aleksandr Lenderman with the analysis of the
round 5 Game of the Day from the 2017 Tata Steel tournament. This round there
were many interesting games, and also a big shake up in the standings, as the
leader after 4 rounds, GM Pavel Eljanov got ambitious against Levon Aronian
and ended up getting outplayed and lost, while GM Wesley So continued his
great form, with a nice win against GM Pentala Harikrishna. However, for Game
of the Day, I decided to choose Adhiban's win against GM Sergey Karjakin
because very rarely do we see a player as strong as Sergey Karjakin lose with
white in such a convincing matter, and I also thought the game had theoretical
significance.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7.
Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 a6 $5 {Even though in the last 3 years I've been almost
primarily a French player, somehow this move order involving Be7 followed by
a6 or vise versa slipped out of my view. I always thought that normally after
White plays 7. Be3, and then Black either plays a6 followed by b5, or Be7
followed by 0-0. But this move order, while used less often, has been used by
great players, in particular Hikaru Nakamura with black a few times, and more
recently GM Anton Korobov and one of the biggest French specialists that I
know, GM Matthias Bluebaum.} (8... O-O {This is more standard and leads to
sharp games often and has been seen quite often in practice}) 9. a3 {This
seems like the most popular move now in this position, possibly because
Kramnik played it against Meier in the 2016 Baku Olympiad. However, other
moves are certainly possible and deserve separate analysis.} (9. Bd3 $5 {
was used by Fabiano against Hikaru in the St Louis Showdown 2015.} b5 10. O-O
Qb6 (10... c4 $5 {Maybe it was better to gain a tempo and close the structure,
though of course this type of position requires deep analysis as it's not a
type of position that the computer has a good grasp on right away in terms of
evaluating its long term prospects.} 11. Be2 Nb6) 11. dxc5 (11. Qf2 $5 {
Perhaps this is more precise to try to induce c4.} O-O $6 12. f5 $1) 11... Bxc5
12. Bxc5 Nxc5 13. Qf2 Nd7 $6 {I already don't like this decision, I feel like
the endgame will be better for White.} (13... b4 14. Ne2 a5 {Possibly this is
an important to try to trade off the bishop on a6.}) 14. a3 Ke7 15. Qxb6 Nxb6
16. Ne2 Bd7 {Here we can clearly see the endgame is better for White because
Black did not solve the problem of his typical bad French bishop on d7.} 17. b3
$14 f6 18. Ned4 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 fxe5 20. fxe5 h6 21. Kf2 Rhf8+ 22. Ke3 Rxf1 23.
Rxf1 Be8 24. Bh7 Bf7 25. Nc6+ Ke8 26. Bd3 Rc8 27. Nb4 Nd7 28. Kd4 Nb8 29. Nxa6
Nc6+ 30. Kc5 (30. Ke3) 30... Ke7 31. Kxb5 Nxe5 32. Kb6 Be8 33. a4 Kd6 34. Rf2
Nxd3 (34... Nd7+) 35. cxd3 Bg6 36. d4 e5 37. dxe5+ Kxe5 38. b4 d4 39. b5 d3 40.
Nb4 Kd4 41. Nc6+ Ke3 42. Rf3+ Ke2 43. Nd4+ Ke1 44. Rg3 Be4 45. Re3+ Kf1 46.
Rxe4 d2 47. Nf5 Rc3 48. Rd4 Ke1 49. a5 g6 50. Nd6 {1-0 (50) Caruana,F (2787)
-Nakamura,H (2793) Saint Louis USA 2015}) (9. Be2 {was played by Maxime
Vachier Lagrave} b5 10. O-O b4 (10... O-O {Maybe something has to be said
about starting with 0-0}) 11. Nd1 (11. Na4 {Possibly this is an improvement
for White}) 11... O-O 12. c3 a5 13. Bf2 a4 (13... f6 $5 {This was tried by
Bluebaum and he got a good position against a theoretician, Ragger} 14. Ne3
fxe5 15. fxe5 Ba6 16. Nc2 Qc8 17. Bxa6 Qxa6 18. Be3 bxc3 19. bxc3 cxd4 20. cxd4
Nb4 21. Bg5 Bxg5 22. Nxg5 h6 23. Rxf8+ Nxf8 24. Nf3 Nxc2 25. Qxc2 Rc8 26. Qd2
Qb6 27. h4 Rc4 28. h5 Rb4 29. Kh2 Rb2 30. Qe1 a4 31. Qc3 Qb5 32. Nh4 Qe2 33.
Qf3 Qxf3 34. Nxf3 a3 35. Nh4 Kf7 36. Rc1 Rxa2 37. Rc7+ Ke8 38. Ng6 Nxg6 39.
hxg6 Rd2 40. Rxg7 Kf8 41. Ra7 Rxd4 42. Rxa3 Re4 43. Ra7 Rxe5 44. g7+ Kg8 45.
Rd7 Rg5 46. Re7 e5 47. Kg1 h5 48. Kf2 h4 49. Rd7 d4 50. Re7 d3 51. Kf1 Kh7 52.
Kf2 Kg8 53. Kf1 Kh7 54. Kf2 d2 55. Rd7 Rxg7 56. Rxd2 Kg6 57. Rd8 Kf5 58. Rh8
Rg4 59. Kf3 Rf4+ 60. Ke3 Re4+ 61. Kf3 Rf4+ 62. Ke3 Ra4 63. Rf8+ Ke6 64. Rh8
Ra3+ 65. Ke4 Ra4+ 66. Ke3 Kf6 67. Rf8+ Kg6 68. Re8 Kf6 69. Rf8+ Kg7 70. Re8
Ra3+ 71. Ke4 Kf6 72. Rf8+ Kg7 73. Rf5 Ra2 74. Rxe5 Rxg2 75. Rh5 Ra2 76. Kf3 h3
77. Rxh3 Ra3+ 78. Kg2 Rxh3 79. Kxh3 {1/2 (79) Kryvoruchko,Y (2693)-Bluebaum,M 
(2626) Baku AZE 2016}) 14. cxb4 Nxb4 15. Ne3 Qa5 $15 {I think here Black more
than solved his opening problems, and even though he later lost, it had
nothing to do with the opening.} 16. Rfc1 Nc6 17. Qxa5 Rxa5 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19.
Nd1 Bd7 20. Nd4 Rc8 21. Nc3 g5 22. g3 Nb4 23. Ncb5 gxf4 24. gxf4 Rb8 25. Nd6 a3
26. bxa3 Nbd3 27. Bxd3 Nxd3 28. Rc7 Nxf2 29. Kxf2 Rb2+ 30. Kg1 Bh4 31. Rf1 Bd8
32. Rxd7 Bb6 33. Kh1 Bxd4 34. f5 Rxa3 35. f6 h5 36. Rd8+ Kh7 37. Nxf7 Raxa2 38.
Ng5+ Kh6 39. Nf3 Bc5 40. Rh8+ Kg6 41. Rg8+ Kf7 42. Rg7+ Kf8 43. Rh7 Rf2 44. Rg1
Rxh2+ 45. Nxh2 Bxg1 46. Kxg1 {1-0 (46) Vachier Lagrave,M (2811)-Korobov,A 
(2687) Bastia FRA 2016}) (9. g3 {Seems also interesting} O-O 10. Bh3 f5 $6 (
10... b5 {Perhaps after simply b5 though Black is fine.}) 11. exf6 Nxf6 12.
dxc5 Kh8 $6 (12... e5 {Perhaps this should be tried but here also the
compensation for Black is not clear} 13. Bxc8 Rxc8 14. Nxe5 d4 15. Nxc6 dxc3
16. Qxd8 Bxd8 17. Nxd8 Rfxd8 18. bxc3 Re8 19. Kd2 Ne4+ 20. Ke2 Nxc5 21. Kf3 {
And white is pressing in the endgame}) 13. O-O-O Qa5 14. Kb1 (14. Rhe1 $1 {
White was clearly better here.}) 14... Bxc5 15. Bxc5 Qxc5 16. Rhe1 Re8 17. g4
Rf8 18. Ng5 Qd6 19. f5 exf5 20. gxf5 d4 21. Nf3 Bd7 22. Nxd4 Nxd4 23. Qxd4 Qxh2
24. Rh1 Qc7 25. a3 Rad8 26. Qh4 Bc6 27. Rhg1 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Qh2 29. Rd3 Re8 30.
Qg5 h6 31. Qg6 Re1+ 32. Ka2 Be8 33. Qg3 Bf7+ {0-1 (33) Hou Yifan (2649)
-Korobov,A (2687) Bastia FRA 2016}) (9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. O-O-O {has also been
tried by a few strong players. Here though Black should have good counterplay
with Qa5} Qa5 11. Kb1 b5 12. Bd3 Bd7 13. Bxc5 Bxc5 14. f5 Bb4 {From here on it
looks like it's white who has to be careful not to be worse} 15. Qg5 Bxc3 16.
Qxg7 O-O-O 17. bxc3 d4 18. Nxd4 Nxd4 19. cxd4 Qb4+ 20. Kc1 Rhg8 21. Qxf7 Rxg2
22. fxe6 Qa3+ 23. Kb1 Qb4+ 24. Kc1 Qa3+ 25. Kb1 Qb4+ {1/2 (25) Nepomniachtchi,
I (2720)-Meier,G (2654) Dortmund GER 2015}) 9... O-O 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Qf2 Nd7
$5 $146 {According to my database, this is the first novelty of the game and
quite interesting. Before this game, White seemed to have the upper hand in
all the games. Also Adhiban played it almost instantly which almost certainly
means it is still his opening preparation. After Nd7!?, Sergey Karjakin
thought for about 10 minutes, so he was probably surprised.} (11... b6 {
This move seems like the most logical but now we see the whole point of the
move 9. a3!?} 12. b4 {In fact I faced this idea once also in a slightly
different variation of the classical French against an Indian GM and I ended
up getting a very unpleasant position and was very lucky not to lose. Vishnu,
Prasanna-Lenderman London 2015} Nd7 (12... f6 $5 {Bluebaum, perhaps knowing
about the Meier game (after all they play for the same team at the Olympiad,
Germany), might've analyzed Nd7 not to be satisfactory and came up with the
very interesting piece sacrifice.} 13. bxc5 bxc5 (13... fxe5 $5 {According to
stockfish this also has to be analyzed.}) 14. Bxc5 Qa5 {The next few moves are
nearly forced according to the computer} 15. Bd4 fxe5 (15... Bd7 $5 {Comp says
this might be playable too}) 16. Nxe5 Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Rxf4 18. Nc6 Bc5 19. Qe5
Bd6 20. Qxg7+ Kxg7 21. Nxa5 Be5 22. Kd2 {So the dust settled, white remained
up a piece but Black has tremendous compensation due to very active pieces,
two strong bishops and a very strong central control. Very deep analysis of
this position requires to know if this is enough for Black. It's possible both
Karjakin and Adhiban knew about the Kramnik-Meier and Ragger-Bluebaum games,
and possibly this is good for White, and therefore Adhiban decided to take an
independent route.} Rf2+ 23. Kd3 Bf4 24. Ne2 Bh6 25. c4 Kg8 26. Rd1 Bd7 27. Nc3
Rc8 28. Be2 Rc5 29. cxd5 Rxa5 30. dxe6 Bxe6 31. Rdf1 Rxf1 32. Rxf1 Rxa3 33. Rf6
Rxc3+ 34. Kxc3 Bg7 35. Bxa6 Bxf6+ 36. Kd3 Kg7 37. Ke4 Bc3 38. Be2 Kf6 39. Kf3
Bd5+ 40. Kf2 Bd4+ 41. Kg3 Be5+ 42. Kf2 Kg5 43. Kg1 Bd4+ 44. Kh1 Kf4 45. Bf3 Be6
46. Bc6 Ke3 47. Bb7 Bf5 48. Bc6 Bd3 49. Bb7 h5 50. g3 Kf2 51. Bc6 Be2 52. Bb7
Bf3+ 53. Bxf3 Kxf3 54. h3 Kxg3 55. h4 Kh3 {1/2 (55) Ragger,M (2694)-Bluebaum,M
(2641) Novi Sad SRB 2016}) 13. Bd3 {Now White develops comfortable while Black
finds his pieces to be a bit restricted. Therefore, he tries to free them all
up with...} f6 14. Qg3 $1 {But White doesn't oblige, and Black is in a
difficult situation here already.} d4 15. O-O-O $5 {Possibly not the only way
to play but it's definitely the most ambitious!} dxe3 (15... dxc3 16. Bxh7+
Kxh7 17. Qh3+ $40 {would also lead to a dangerous attack for White}) 16. Bxh7+
Kxh7 17. Qh3+ Kg8 18. Qxe6+ Kh8 19. Qxc6 Ra7 20. Nh4 $1 {I wouldn't be
surprised if this is all Kramnik's preparation but either way, brilliant,
whether brilliant preparation or brilliant play over the board.} Qe8 21. Nd5 (
21. e6 $5) 21... Kh7 22. Nxe7 Qxe7 23. Nf5 Nxe5 (23... Qe8 $5) 24. Nxe7 Nxc6
25. Nxc6 Rc7 26. Nd4 Re8 27. Rd3 Bb7 28. Re1 Bxg2 29. Rdxe3 Rxe3 30. Rxe3 {
and White quickly converted this into a win.} Bd5 31. Nf5 g5 32. fxg5 fxg5 33.
Re5 Bf7 34. Kb2 b5 35. Nd4 Kg6 36. Nf3 g4 37. Rg5+ Kf6 38. Rxg4 {1-0 (38)
Kramnik,V (2808)-Meier,G (2654) Baku AZE 2016}) (11... Qa5 $5 {is also a very
logical move which has been tried before, and also computer likes it, at least
at first. As far as I can see after brief analysis there is nothing
particularly wrong with it and it should lead to interesting play.} 12. O-O-O
Bd7 (12... Nd7 $5 {Maybe this strange move here is possible, in order to
prepare b5 b4, also deserves attention} 13. Bd3 b5 14. Nd4 Qc7 $6 {But this
move I don't like because I think after this move White gets free initiative.}
(14... Nxd4 15. Bxd4 b4 {I think Black should play more directly here and now
it's anyone's game, and in fact computer at a lower depth prefers Black.} 16.
axb4 Bxb4 17. f5 exf5 (17... Nc5 18. f6 Nxd3+ 19. cxd3 Bd7 {Is very unclear}))
15. Nf5 exf5 16. Nxd5 Qa5 17. Bd2 Bc5 18. Nf6+ Nxf6 19. Qxc5 Qc7 20. exf6 Be6
21. g4 Rfd8 22. gxf5 Rd5 23. Qg1 g6 24. fxe6 Rxd3 25. Qc5 Qd6 26. Qg5 Rh3 27.
exf7+ Kxf7 28. Bc3 Qe6 29. Rhe1 Re3 30. f5 {1-0 (30) Salem, A (2650)-Svane,R 
(2552) Douglas ENG 2016}) 13. f5 d4 {Otherwise White gets a free initiative.}
14. Bxd4 (14. f6 $5 {It's possible that this is the problem move for Black.}
dxe3 (14... dxc3 15. fxe7 cxb2+ 16. Kxb2 Na4+ 17. Kc1 Nxe7 18. Rxd7 Qc3 19. Bd3
{And it's not clear right away whether Black gets enough initiative for the
piece or not.}) 15. Qg3 g6 16. Qh4) 14... exf5 15. Bc4 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 {
Here Black solved his opening problems.} 17. Qe2 b5 18. Kb1 Rab8 19. Bxc5 Bxc5
20. Na2 Qc7 21. Nc1 Be7 22. Rd3 Rfd8 23. Rhd1 Rxd3 24. Nxd3 b4 25. a4 b3 26.
cxb3 Rxb3 27. Qc2 Qb6 28. Nd2 Nd4 29. Qc8+ Kf7 30. Nxb3 Qxb3 31. Rd2 Qxa4 32.
Qc3 Nb5 33. Qc2 Qe4 34. Re2 Qd4 35. Re1 g6 36. g3 h5 37. Qb3 g5 38. Rc1 Qe3 39.
Qc4 h4 40. gxh4 gxh4 41. Rf1 Ke8 42. Re1 Qb6 43. Qb3 Bg5 44. Qb4 Kf7 45. Ka2 h3
46. Qb3 Qa5+ 47. Kb1 Qd2 48. Qd1 Qxd1+ 49. Rxd1 Kg6 50. Rg1 Kh5 51. Rg3 Kh4 52.
Nf2 Bf4 53. Rxh3+ Kg5 54. Nd3 Nd4 55. Rh8 Be3 56. h4+ Kg4 57. h5 Kg5 58. b4 f4
59. h6 f3 60. h7 Kg6 61. Kb2 Kg7 62. Rf8 Kxh7 63. Kc3 Kg6 64. Nc5 f2 65. Rf6+
Kh5 66. Kd3 Nf5 67. Ke2 Bg5 68. Rf8 Be7 69. Ra8 Nd4+ 70. Kxf2 Nc6 71. Re8 a5
72. Rxe7 Nxe7 73. bxa5 Kg5 74. a6 Nd5 75. a7 Nb6 76. Ke3 Kf5 77. Kd4 Na8 78.
Nd7 {1-0 (78) Sethuraman,S (2633)-Korobov,A (2687) Czech Republic CZE 2016})
12. Nd4 {Logical move, trying to control the d4 outpost square and trying to
steer the game to positional waters.} Nxd4 13. Bxd4 f6 {This is almost a must.
Otherwise White will simply play Bd3, 0-0 and slowly apply an unpleasant
positional squeeze.} (13... b5 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. O-O Qc7 16. b4 $1 $14 {And
thanks to this useful b4 move, Black doesn't even get a chance to get the
knight to c5 and dislodge the bishop from d4. His bishop on b7 is dead, and
Black might be borderline strategically lost here.}) 14. exf6 Bxf6 $1 {It's
important to continue playing dynamically, and threaten ideas like Bg5 and e5
and make it uncomfortable for White. At least now White is forced to calculate
concrete lines and he can't apply the positional squeeze for free.} 15. Bxf6 {
An underestandable decision by Sergey, to try to play a simpler and safer move
to avoid playing against very strong Adhiban's preparation} (15. O-O-O {
This move might be a critical test to the line though after all. Possibly
Sergey didn't want to allow extra possibilities like Bg5 or e5, or even just
b5 with a straight forward attacking plan for Black, but possibly they are not
as scary as they seem objectively.} b5 (15... e5 16. Bc5 $1 {The only move for
White but a good once. Ideally he doesn't want to give up a bishop pair to
Black but here the d5 square weakens quite a bit.} Nxc5 17. Qxc5 exf4 18. Nxd5
(18. Bc4 $5) (18. Qxd5+ $5) 18... Bg4 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Rd6 Qe7 21. Bd3 {
And perhaps White can play for some advantage here in this line.}) (15... Bg5 {
This move seems pretty harmless because White can just go back} 16. Be3 Bf6 17.
Qd2 {And Black has nothing better than to go back and now white has at least a
more pleasant position and he can go Bd4 next move once his queen got out of
the pin.}) 16. Be2 {Here the top computer choice by far for White is Be2,
trying to simply play Rhe1 and Bg4 and pressure on Black's weakness on e6, and
still Black doesn't have anything convincing it seems.} Rb8 (16... e5 17. Bc5)
17. Rhe1 b4 18. axb4 Rxb4 19. Bg4 Bxd4 20. Bxe6+ Kh8 21. Rxd4 Qb6 22. Rd2 Nc5
23. Bxd5 Rxb2 24. Qg3 $1 {It's very hard to evaluate this position. The
computer gives White some edge, but from a practical standpoint of view it is
probably easier to play Black because he has the initiative. Also in between
there are many pitfalls and White has to find lots of accurate moves just to
get to this position. So it seems like it's very good practical preparation by
Adhiban. But now that it's been played, it's unclear whether there will be too
many followers of this interesting idea, now that there is less surprise value
now, and professionals will be able to analyze this position now deeply with
their engines which are more powerful than mine.}) 15... Qxf6 16. g3 g5 $1 {
The whole point of Black's play. Black continues to not let White consolidate.
Now White is forced to play a sharp game.} 17. O-O-O {This seems fine,
sacrifising the pawn for initiative but it had to be followed up correctly.} (
17. Bh3) (17. Qg2 {were also alternatives but they don't seems very promising
for White.}) 17... gxf4 18. Kb1 {Played after about a 7-minute think. This
move still is not a mistake according to the computer, getting the king out of
checks along the c1-h6 diagonal. But perhaps White had an interesting
alternative here.} (18. Rd4 $5 {Of course now if f3, White doesn't have to
play Kb1 anymore.} fxg3 (18... f3 19. Rf4 Qh6 20. Kb1 {And with the strong
defensive rook on f8 traded, White will have more initiative than he did in
the game.} Rxf4 21. gxf4 Qxf4 22. Rg1+ Kh8 23. Ne2 $1 {Is an example of how
White develops a very strong attack.} Qf7 24. Rg3 Ne5 25. Qd4 Qf6 26. Ng1 $1
$18 {Is a nice sample variation}) 19. Qxg3+ {Possibly even this isn't
completely forced.} Kh8 20. Rh4 $1 Rg8 21. Qh3 Nf8 22. Bd3 Qg7 23. Rh5 {
And according to the engine White's initiative is still more than enough for
the pawn. Black has to play very precisely here to hold the balance.} Bd7 $1 {
Possibly the only move.} 24. Re1 Be8 25. Rhe5 d4 26. Nb1 Qg4 27. Qxg4 Rxg4 28.
Be4 {Should be close to equal.}) 18... f3 {Still played instantly by black!}
19. g4 $2 {And this is already White's first real mistake of the game, after
which White's initiative really loses steam and Black takes over the momentum.
Rd4 was seemingly forced now. He tries to go for a sort of desperate attack,
but it doesn't work well for him, in particular because his knight on c3 is
really not being utilized to its maximum, and you can basically say that about
almost all of White's pieces. White's best plans involved at some point to
activate his knight on c3.} (19. Rd4 $1 Ne5 20. Rf4 Qg7 21. Na4 {Perhaps
Sergey missed this unusual positional resource, which is easy to miss when
seemingly play goes around Black's king. However, here the white knights finds
a nice way to penetrate into Black's position and White still has enough
compensation.} Bd7 22. Nc5 Rae8 23. Bh3 $44) 19... Ne5 {This was the first
real think for Adhiban.} 20. g5 Qg7 21. g6 $6 {Objectively probably not the
best but at this point it's already hard to find an active plan for White.} (
21. Na4 {This move again probably should've been tried to try to activate the
knight on c3 at least, which right now is just not doing anything.}) (21. h4 {
This was also possible and here white still has a little bit of compensation
for the pawn.}) 21... hxg6 22. Bd3 Bd7 $19 {Now Black just completely
consolidated and he's up two pawns. White would have compensation if his
knight on c3 was somewhere on the kingside, but in this position White can't
hope for much since his pieces are not being utilized to the maximum.} 23. Rdg1
Nxd3 {Removing the last semi-dangerous pieces for white} 24. cxd3 Rf5 25. Rg4
Raf8 26. Rhg1 Be8 27. Nd1 {A little too late now.} Rh5 28. h4 Re5 29. Ne3 Bb5
$1 {Nice tactical point to try to activate his bishop.} 30. Rd4 {Now the white
rook is in less than an ideal position} (30. Rxg6 Bxd3+) 30... Re4 $6 {It's
hard for me to criticize a move which led to a win the very next move, but
objectively I feel like it allowed unnecessary chances.} (30... Kh7 {was maybe
more solid.}) 31. Rxg6 $6 {Basically resigning.} (31. dxe4 {White had a slight
faint hope of survival with dxe4 and trying to create a mess near Black's king.
} Qxd4 32. Rxg6+ Kf7 {Suddenly the only move.} (32... Kh7 $4 33. Rh6+ Kxh6 34.
Ng4+ $16 {And suddenly it's White who is better.}) 33. h5 {And surprisingly
even though Black should be winning, he still has to be careful.} Qxe4+ 34. Ka1
Ke7 $1 {And already here this move is by far the best, which honestly speaking
to me, is far from obvious.} 35. Ng4 d4 36. Rg7+ Kd6 $19 {If Adhiban
calculated to this position and saw he's winning by force, then it's brilliant,
but to me from a human standpoint of view, I would be a bit afraid to put my
king like this all the way to d6, since in a position like this, a single
misstep can suddenly change the evaluation of the position. But I will give
him the benefit of the doubt here.}) 31... Bxd3+ {And White loses more
material and is completely lost so he resigned. As a regular French player
myself, I cannot help but wonder why the French defence is not played more
often at the elite level. And it seems like when it does get played, more
often than not Black seems to get very interesting games, and very often the
opening is a success for Black. That's why I was very happy to see a game like
this where the French defence proved to be alive and kicking, and what's more:
against a super-elite player, one of the best 1. e4 players of the current
generation, and a player who just played for the World Championship match and
must've prepared deeply for every opening. If even someone as strong and
well-prepared as Sergey Karjakin can be humbled like this in this French maze,
I still wonder why the French is not a more frequent guest at the top level.
Possibly games like this will make it more popular!} 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6.7"]
[White "Rapport, Richard"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "mycomputer"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nc4 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. Ne3 Be6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8.
g3 Nc6 9. Bg2 Qd7 10. b4 d5 11. b5 Nd4 12. Qd3 c5 13. O-O O-O-O 14. Re1 h5 15.
h4 g5 16. b6 a6 17. hxg5 Ng4 18. Ncxd5 h4 19. Nc7 (19. Nxg4 $1 {is right.} Bxd5
20. Nf6 Bxg2 21. Nxd7 Nf3+ 22. Qxf3 Bxf3 23. Bb2 Rh5 24. Nxf8 hxg3 25. fxg3
Rxf8) 19... h3 20. Bxb7+ $4 {Winning! Except it's not ... For the second time
in Tata Steel, Rapport blitzed out an exciting tactical sequence where he
seems to have miscalculated.} (20. Nxg4 hxg2 21. Nxe6) 20... Kxb7 21. Qxa6+ Kc6
{Wei Yi's king has been dragged into the center, but there is simply no follow
up for White. Rapport needs a little more light square control, but it doesn't
exist.} 22. Nxg4 (22. Qa4+ Kd6 {is a safe king.}) (22. Rb1 $4 {to demonstrate
some mates.} Nf3+ 23. Kh1 (23. Kf1 Ngh2+ 24. Ke2 Qxd2+ $1 25. Bxd2 Rxd2# {
a nice mate :)}) 23... Nxf2#) 22... Bxg4 23. b7+ Kxc7 24. Qa5+ Kb8 {Wei Yi
repeats for a move, but it seems doubtful that he was ever seriously
considering a draw.} 25. Qa8+ Kc7 26. Qa5+ Kd6 27. Qb6+ Kd5 28. Re3 h2+ 29. Kh1
Qc6 $1 {Beautiful!} 30. Rb1 (30. Qxd8+ Kc4+ {mates.} 31. f3 Qxf3+ {Two
question marks for the boring, ...Bxf3+ ;)} 32. Rxf3 Bxf3#) 30... Qxb6 31. Rxb6
Bd6 32. Bb2 Rde8 {Wei Yi is going after the defender of the f3-square so that
he can use the bishop to mate there. Also, he is up two pieces. Time to resign.
} 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6.4"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C33"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[Annotator "mycomputer"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 $5 {Even if you think the King's Gambit is not good, it is hard
to resist enthusiasm when you see the lowest-rated player in the tournament
pull out all the stops against the tournament leader.} exf4 3. Bc4 {The
Bishop's Gambit} d5 (3... Qh4+ {is considered a bit of a mistake (though new
theory questions that ...). Yes, White can't castle, but White's development
is sped up with Nf3.}) 4. Bxd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nxd5 6. Nxd5 Bd6 7. Nf3 O-O 8. d4 Re8
9. e5 c6 $2 {Now Adhiban has an advantage.} (9... c5 $5 {is balanced according
to the engine. It is at least very interesting :)} 10. c3 cxd4 11. cxd4 f6) 10.
Nxf4 f6 11. Nd3 fxe5 12. dxe5 Qb6 13. Qe2 Bf5 14. Be3 Qa5+ 15. c3 Bc7 16. O-O
Qa6 17. Rad1 Nd7 18. Bd4 $2 {now So regains the pawn and the position is
pretty quickly a draw.} c5 $1 19. Bf2 Nxe5 20. Nfxe5 Bxe5 21. Qf3 Be4 $1 {
Funnily enough, this resource is essential for Black. Otherwise, he is still
worse.} 22. Qh3 (22. Qxe4 $4 Bxh2+ {fools no one.}) 22... Bxd3 23. Qxd3 Qxa2
24. Bxc5 Qxb2 25. Bxa7 $1 {Another fine move!} Bxc3 (25... Rxa7 {is possible.}
26. Qd5+ Kh8 27. Qxe5 Raa8 {gives an equal position.} (27... Rxe5 $4 28. Rf8#))
26. Bf2 Be5 27. Rb1 Qa2 28. Rxb7 Rf8 29. Qb3+ Qxb3 30. Rxb3 Ra2 31. Rf3 {
Adhiban damages his structure, but the result is still obviously drawn.} Rxf3
32. gxf3 Kf7 33. Bg3 Bd4+ 34. Kh1 Rd2 35. Bf4 Re2 36. Rd1 Bc3 37. Rd3 Bb4 38.
Rd4 Bc5 39. Rd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[TimeControl "60"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 2. f4 $5 {0 When was the last time
someone played the King's Gambit against Wesley So?! Well, the databases
reveal that this was the first time! Adhiban has seriously made some very
interesting choices at this event. Rather than going deep into some line, he
has just changed the battlefield in order to make it more even.} exf4 {[%emt 0:
00:44]} 3. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (3. Nf3 {is by far the most popular move in
the position.}) 3... d5 {405 Played after seven minutes of thought. Wesley
would have definitely prepared something against the King's Gambit but to
remember all the analysis on the spot is not an easy task.} (3... Qh4+ 4. Kf1 {
The tempo that you will gain with Nf3 is worth losing your castling rights!})
4. Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxd5 {566
} 6. Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (6... g5 {is another possible
move, but Wesley likes to go for simple developing moves rather than clinging
on to pawns with moves like g5.}) 7. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:17]}
8. d4 {0 Adhiban was still blitzing his moves.} Re8 {905 15 minutes of
thought! The opening is already a success for the Indian player.} 9. e5 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (9... f6 10. Bxf4 $14) 10. Nxf4 {54 White
has not only recovered his pawn, but is a pawn up and has a clearly preferable
position. Getting such a position against Wesley after 10 moves in any major
well-known opening line might be almost impossible.} f6 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 11.
Nd3 {712 The first move where Adhiban had to think. 12 minutes for 11.Nd3.} (
11. O-O $5 fxe5 12. dxe5 Bc5+ 13. Kh1 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Bf5 $44) (11. Qd3 $5 fxe5
12. dxe5 Bc7 13. Qb3+ Kh8 14. O-O $16) 11... fxe5 {1654} 12. dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:
02]} Qb6 {249} 13. Qe2 {901} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 14. Be3 {197} Qa5+ {[%emt 0:
00:25]} 15. c3 {497} Bc7 {901} 16. O-O {196} Qa6 {14 White is a pawn up, but
Black's bishop pair and the pretty weak e5 pawn gives Black decent
compensation.} (16... Bxd3 17. Qxd3 Bxe5 18. Ng5 $1 g6 19. Qc4+ Qd5 20. Qh4 $18
) 17. Rad1 {244} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (17... Qxa2 18. Ng5 Bg6 19. Nf4 $18) 18.
Bd4 {1568 Adhiban played after 26 minutes, but this move lets Black equalize
with ease.} (18. b3 $5 Bxd3 19. Rxd3 Nxe5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. c4 $14) 18... c5 $1
{100} 19. Bf2 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Nxe5 {177} 20. Nfxe5 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Bxe5 {284}
21. Qf3 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Be4 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 22. Qh3 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Bxd3 {
166} 23. Qxd3 {115 The position is just even now.} Qxa2 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 24.
Bxc5 {621} Qxb2 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 25. Bxa7 $1 {239} Bxc3 {357} (25... Rxa7 26.
Qd5+ Kh8 27. Qxe5 $11) 26. Bf2 {525} Be5 {251} 27. Rb1 {86} Qa2 {[%emt 0:00:05]
} 28. Rxb7 {9 The pawns are exchanged and the game ends in a draw.} Rf8 {
[%emt 0:00:33]} 29. Qb3+ {173} Qxb3 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 30. Rxb3 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
Ra2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 31. Rf3 {184} Rxf3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 32. gxf3 {[%emt 0:00:
05]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 33. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:45]} Bd4+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} 34.
Kh1 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Rd2 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 35. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:43]} Re2 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 36. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 37. Rd3 {[%emt 0:
00:11]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 38. Rd4 {135} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 39. Rd2 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[TimeControl "60"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:53]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 6. Re1 {
[%emt 0:00:20]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 7. Bb3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:07]
} 8. a3 {158} d6 {119} 9. h3 {142 Hari likes to play this move h3 in both the
Ruy Lopez as well as the Guioco Piano.} Na5 {176} 10. Ba2 {63} c5 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} 11. Nc3 {260} Nc6 {476} 12. d3 {524} h6 {290} 13. Bd2 {588} Rb8 {845} 14.
Rb1 {754} a5 {433} 15. a4 {168} b4 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 16. Nb5 {245} Re8 {275} 17.
c3 {335} Bf8 {126} 18. Qc2 {89} Qb6 {349} 19. Be3 {93} Na7 {978} 20. Bc4 {745}
Ba6 $6 {418} 21. Nc7 $1 {373 Harikrishna alert as ever picks up the light
squared bishop.} Qxc7 {288} 22. Bxa6 $14 {6 With the light squared bishop in
his bag, White is clearly for choice.} d5 {123} 23. cxb4 {134} (23. exd5 Nxd5
24. Bc4 Nxe3 25. Rxe3 $14) 23... Nc6 {190} 24. Bb5 {172} (24. Bd2 $14) 24...
Nxb4 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 25. Qd1 {113} Red8 {69} 26. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Nfxd5 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} (26... Rxd5 27. Bc4 $14) 27. Bd2 {70} Bd6 {139} 28. Qe2 {189}
Nf4 {263} 29. Qe4 $16 {239 White is clearly better.} Nc2 {108} 30. Rec1 {69} (
30. Nxe5 $1 Nxe1 (30... Bxe5 31. Qxe5 Qxe5 32. Rxe5 Nxd3 33. Bxd3 Rxd3 34. Bxa5
$16) 31. Bxf4 $18) 30... Nb4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 31. g3 {359} Ne6 {99} (31...
Nxh3+ 32. Kg2 Ng5 33. Nxg5 hxg5 34. Rh1 g6 35. Bxg5 $18) 32. Bxb4 {75} axb4 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 33. h4 {[%emt 0:00:48]} Rf8 {472} 34. Re1 {67} Qd8 {251} 35.
Kg2 {100} (35. Nxe5 Bxe5 36. Qxe5 Nd4 $44) 35... Nc7 {182} 36. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:
21]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 37. Qf5 {165} Qf6 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 38. Qh5 {205} (38.
Qxf6 gxf6 39. Ra1 $16 {White has a clear advantage here because of the strong
light squared bishop and the protected a-passed pawn.}) 38... Ne6 {100} 39.
Nxe5 {87} g6 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 40. Nxg6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (40. Ng4 $1 Qd4 41. Qd5
Qxg4 42. Qxd6 $18) (40. Qxh6 Bxe5 $17) 40... Kh7 $1 {166} 41. Qd5 {1033} (41.
Ne5 Ng7 42. Qxf7 Bxe5 43. Qxf6 Bxf6 $11) 41... Nc7 {573} 42. Qxf7+ {[%emt 0:00:
42]} Qxf7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 43. Bxf7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rxe1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 44.
Rxe1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 45. Ne5 {355} Bxe5 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
46. Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kxf7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 47. Rxc5 $16 {10 Although
White is better it is not so easy to convert this into a full point.} Ne6 {
[%emt 0:00:15]} 48. Rc4 {362} b3 {762} 49. Kf3 {277} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 50.
d4 {331} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 51. Ke4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nc7 {[%emt 0:00:59]} 52.
Rc5 {247} Rb4 {291} 53. Rh5 {169} Rxa4 {231} 54. Rxh6+ {[%emt 0:00:22]} Ne6 {93
} 55. f4 {177} Rxd4+ {102} 56. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:51]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 57. g4
{[%emt 0:00:50]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 58. f5 {279} Re5+ {110} 59. Kd3 {123}
Nf4+ {[%emt 0:00:06]} 60. Kc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Re4+ {118} 61. Kxb3 {147} Ng2 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 62. g5 {625} Nxh4 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 63. Rh7+ {[%emt 0:00:05]}
Kf8 {138} 64. f6 {75} Rg4 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 65. Rh8+ {104} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:05]}
66. Rh7+ {[%emt 0:00:35]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 67. Rh8+ {[%emt 0:00:09]}
1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C33"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 2. f4 $5 {0 When was the last time
someone played the King's Gambit against Wesley So?! Well, the databases
reveal that this was the first time! Adhiban has seriously made some very
interesting choices at this event. Rather than going deep into some line, he
has just changed the battlefield in order to make it more even.} exf4 {[%emt 0:
00:44]} 3. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (3. Nf3 {is by far the most popular move in
the position.}) 3... d5 {405 Played after seven minutes of thought. Wesley
would have definitely prepared something against the King's Gambit but to
remember all the analysis on the spot is not an easy task.} (3... Qh4+ 4. Kf1 {
The tempo that you will gain with Nf3 is worth losing your castling rights!})
4. Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxd5 {566
} 6. Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (6... g5 {is another possible
move, but Wesley likes to go for simple developing moves rather than clinging
on to pawns with moves like g5.}) 7. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:17]}
8. d4 {0 Adhiban was still blitzing his moves.} Re8 {905 15 minutes of
thought! The opening is already a success for the Indian player.} 9. e5 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (9... f6 10. Bxf4 $14) 10. Nxf4 {54 White
has not only recovered his pawn, but is a pawn up and has a clearly preferable
position. Getting such a position against Wesley after 10 moves in any major
well-known opening line might be almost impossible.} f6 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 11.
Nd3 {712 The first move where Adhiban had to think. 12 minutes for 11.Nd3.} (
11. O-O $5 fxe5 12. dxe5 Bc5+ 13. Kh1 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Bf5 $44) (11. Qd3 $5 fxe5
12. dxe5 Bc7 13. Qb3+ Kh8 14. O-O $16) 11... fxe5 {1654} 12. dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:
02]} Qb6 {249} 13. Qe2 {901} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 14. Be3 {197} Qa5+ {[%emt 0:
00:25]} 15. c3 {497} Bc7 {901} 16. O-O {196} Qa6 {14 White is a pawn up, but
Black's bishop pair and the pretty weak e5 pawn gives Black decent
compensation.} (16... Bxd3 17. Qxd3 Bxe5 18. Ng5 $1 g6 19. Qc4+ Qd5 20. Qh4 $18
) 17. Rad1 {244} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (17... Qxa2 18. Ng5 Bg6 19. Nf4 $18) 18.
Bd4 {1568 Adhiban played after 26 minutes, but this move lets Black equalize
with ease.} (18. b3 $5 Bxd3 19. Rxd3 Nxe5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. c4 $14) 18... c5 $1
{100} 19. Bf2 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Nxe5 {177} 20. Nfxe5 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Bxe5 {284}
21. Qf3 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Be4 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 22. Qh3 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Bxd3 {
166} 23. Qxd3 {115 The position is just even now.} Qxa2 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 24.
Bxc5 {621} Qxb2 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 25. Bxa7 $1 {239} Bxc3 {357} (25... Rxa7 26.
Qd5+ Kh8 27. Qxe5 $11) 26. Bf2 {525} Be5 {251} 27. Rb1 {86} Qa2 {[%emt 0:00:05]
} 28. Rxb7 {9 The pawns are exchanged and the game ends in a draw.} Rf8 {
[%emt 0:00:33]} 29. Qb3+ {173} Qxb3 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 30. Rxb3 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
Ra2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 31. Rf3 {184} Rxf3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 32. gxf3 {[%emt 0:00:
05]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 33. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:45]} Bd4+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} 34.
Kh1 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Rd2 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 35. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:43]} Re2 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 36. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 37. Rd3 {[%emt 0:
00:11]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 38. Rd4 {135} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 39. Rd2 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Hansen, Eric"]
[Black "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2603"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "Tiger Hillarp-Persson"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{I have chosen to comment on this game since it is quite instructive. Eric
Hansen shows us how to use the bishop pair in an advantageous structure.} 1. e4
Nf6 (1... e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bd7 {This move is the start of an
awkward but effective manoeuvre, which solves the problem of the "bad" bishop.}
5. Nf3 Bc6 6. Bd3 Nd7 7. O-O Ngf6 8. Ng3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 c6 10. c3 g6 {is similar
to the game, but here White will have to spend quite a few tempi to get the
knight to f3, where it belongs. If White allows the exchange of a pair of
knights on e4, then White is slightly better due to the bishop pair, but where
Black has no weaknesses and can look to the future with confidence.}) (1... d5
2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 c6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 Bg4 {Black must play this
or the bishop becomes a problem later.} 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 e6 {and White is a
bit better again, due to the bishop pair, but the knight is really not that
great on c3. Jeffery Xiong has played both these systems in the last years,
but didn't hurry to exchange the light squared bishop in either of those games.
This time he goes for the exchange.}) 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 (4... dxe5
5. Nxe5 Nd7 {is a line that was favoured by Bent Larsen in the good old days.
Now} 6. Nxf7 (6. Nf3 $1 N7f6 7. c4 $1 Nb6 8. Nc3 Bg4 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 c6 11.
Be3 $16) 6... Kxf7 7. Qh5+ Ke6 {is very unclear, but White can play 6.Nf3!
instead, when Nd7 is misplaced.}) 5. Bc4 c6 ({If you were looking for sharp
stuff, then} 5... Nb6 6. Bb3 Bg7 {used to be the line of choice. However, after
} 7. Ng5 e6 8. Qf3 Qe7 9. Ne4 dxe5 10. Bg5 Qb4+ 11. c3 Qa5 12. Bf6 {Black ends
up in a position that is risky and holds too little potential to play for a
win.}) (5... dxe5 6. Nxe5 c6 {leads to the Kengis variation. The move in the
game keeps more options for Black.}) 6. O-O Bg7 (6... Bg4 7. Nbd2 dxe5 8. dxe5
Nd7 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Nxf3 e6 11. Re1 Bg7 12. Bf1 $1 Qc7 13. c4 Ne7 14. Bf4 {
was somewhat better for White, in Nevednichy,V (2548)-Varga,Z (2564) Miskolc
2004. In this structure Black would rather have exchanged one more set of
minor pieces. The knights have no outposts and at least one of them will be in
the way of the other pieces.} (14. Qe2 $1 $14 {would have left Black even more
passive.})) 7. exd6 Qxd6 {We have arrived at a position with a pawn structure
so common that there ought to be a name for it. On move one I gave some
examples of the same pawn structure, where Black is somewhat better off. Here
Black's bishop is well placed on g7, but I believe it is more important that
White gets to keep a knight on f3. I will explain why shortly...} 8. Re1 O-O ({
If Black can get away with} 8... Bg4 {, it seems the most logical, in order to
avoid the option of 9.h3.}) 9. c3 ({From a positional point of view I would
prefer to keep Black from exchanging his bishop with Bg4 with} 9. h3 {I would
not like to be Black in such a position. After} Bf5 {(where else to put the
bishop?)} 10. Bb3 a5 11. c4 a4 12. Bxa4 Nb4 13. Nc3 Nd3 14. Re2 {seems quite
good for White. Still, there is nothing wrong with Eric's move. Although Black
can count the exchange of Bc8 for Nf3 as a small gain, White gets his minor
pieces to all the right squares and keeps a small but clear advantage.}) 9...
Bg4 (9... Nd7 $6 10. Bb3 N7f6 11. h3 {and the best thing I can say about
Black's position is that it is, perhaps, not as bad as it looks. The bishop on
c8 is difficult to handle: if it is placed on f5, then it is in danger of
being caught with g4, later, and on e6 it is just an obstruction. Playing b6,
followed by Bb7 is probably the best option.}) 10. Nbd2 Nd7 11. h3 {White
doesn't mind this exchange as it leaves him with only good minor pieces and
excellent coordination. The bishop pair is cream on the top.} Bxf3 12. Nxf3 {
Compared to similar lines in the French and the Scandinavian (see move 1),
White's pieces are slighty more to the point here since the knight is in the
"right" position on f3: it keeps an eye on e5, can easily get to e4 via g5/d2
and is not obstructing anyone else.} e6 13. a4 $1 a5 14. Bg5 N7b6 15. Bf1 c5 {
This move comes from the Sad Necessity department. If Black just stays passive,
White can do just about anything until Black is no longer able to play either
e5 or c5.} ({After} 15... h6 16. Bh4 $1 Nf4 17. Bg3 g5 18. h4 {Black will soon
succumb to White's attack, as it is much harder for him to move his forces to
the kingside (without touching the f-pawn and thus weaken the king).}) 16. dxc5
$1 Qxc5 {This position is no fun for Black. The queenside is weak and
launching the e- and f-pawns forward equals self destruction. Black must stick
to a waiting strategy.} 17. Qb3 Rfc8 ({If Black is too single minded about
counterplay, then he will end up in trouble:} 17... Rfe8 18. Rad1 e5 19. Bb5
Re6 20. Nd2 {and there is no good answer to Ne4 on the next move.}) 18. Rad1 h6
(18... Nc4 19. Bc1 $1 Ndb6 20. Nd4 $1 ({The engine prefers} 20. Nd2 {, but the
exchange of one pair of knights would improve Black chances of survival:} Nxd2
21. Bxd2 Nd5 22. g3 Rab8 23. h4 {White will eventually have to exchange a pair
of knights, but it should be done at the right moment, when Black's pieces are
in disarray.}) 20... Rd8 21. Nb5 $16 {Black's knights are locked in position
from where there is no going forward.} Qc6 22. g3 {and White's pieces are
moving into pole position.}) 19. Bc1 $5 ({is more active, but I like Eric's
choice here. The bishop is tucked away on c1, where it protects b2 and cannot
be reached with a knight. Now White can slowly improve the rest of his forces
without worrying about the bishop being hit by a rouge knight (on c4). This
handling of the bishops is quite instructive. Black's two knights must look
for dynamic options, but it is hard to play dynamically when there is nothing
to attack.} 19. Bh4 Nc4 20. Bg3 {is just as good, but less instructive. Here
White must use his powers of calculation to check that Black's knights are
unable to do any damage:} b5 $1 (20... Nd6 21. Ne5) 21. axb5 Ndb6 22. Nd4 a4
23. Qc2 e5 24. Nc6 Re8 {is somewhat better for White, but more of a mess.})
19... Rd8 20. Nd4 Rd6 21. Nb5 Rd7 22. g3 $1 {The bishop is not going to g2
just yet, but to be able to go there, at some point, is in White's interest.} (
22. c4 {is a move that turns a perfectly healthy structure into a miserable
one, so unless it gains something significant, nothing less than a pawn, it
should never be played. I would not even consider such a move, but the engine
likes it.} Nb4 23. Be3 Qc6 24. Be2 Rad8 25. Rxd7 Nxd7 26. Rd1 {and now} Qc8 27.
Rd2 {keeps some pressure. Still, now Black's pieces have hope, so I haven't
changed my mind. It should not be played.}) 22... Rad8 23. h4 $5 {I'm
ambivalent towards this move. On the one hand it sets the scene for h4-h5, but
the downside is that g3 is weakened and Black can set up some tricks with Nf5
and Qc7, aiming at Nx3. It shouldn't work if White stays focused, but the
weakness is there and it gives one of Black's knights a better purpose in life.
} (23. Na3) 23... Nc8 $1 {Headed for f5.} 24. Na3 Nd6 25. Nc4 {White is
dominating. Black cannot move a pawn without digging a deeper hole for himself.
So, White should not hurry and avoid falling for a trick...} Nf5 26. Qb5 $6 (
26. Rd3 $1 Qc7 27. Bg2 Qc5 28. Qb5 (28. Ne5 Re7 (28... Bxe5 29. Rxe5 {is
terrible for Black.}) 29. Bd2 Qc7 {achieves nothing.}) 28... Qc7 29. Kf1 $1 Bf8
30. Be4 Nd6 31. Nxd6 Rxd6 32. Red1 {and Black must defend a rather awful
position.}) (26. Bg2 $2 Nxg3 $1) 26... Qc7 27. Rd3 $6 Rc8 $2 {Black misses his
chance to turn the game around:} (27... Nxc3 $1 28. Rxd7 Nxb5 29. Rxc7 Nxc7 30.
Nxa5 Ra8 31. Nxb7 Rxa4 {is all forced. Now Black's position is great. The
knight are drawn to the central squares and White's bishops are not
participating. It's White who has to tune in to a defensive mood.}) 28. Rf3 b6
29. Qb3 Nfe7 30. Rd1 Nf5 31. Na3 {White seems to move aimlessly around.
Perhaps the rook is soon to return to d3?!} Bf8 32. Nb5 Qb8 $6 {This allows
Eric to change gear and run Black over.} (32... Qe5 33. Rfd3 {and White
continues with Qb3-c2-e2, followed by Bg2. Black's position is worse, but
within drawing limit.}) 33. h5 $1 {There turns out to be a tactical problem
with the knights on f5 and d5, so Black is unable to move the g-pawn; his pawn
structure becomes an archipelago with too many islands.} Bc5 34. hxg6 fxg6 35.
Bf4 Qb7 36. Bg2 $6 ({Black gets a second chance. Instead} 36. Be5 $1 {,
followed by Bg2 and Nd4, should win.}) 36... Rf8 $6 ({It is not easy to spot,
but after} 36... Nxf4 37. Rxf4 Rxd1+ 38. Qxd1 Qe7 {, Black's miserable
structure is of less importance than the dynamic factors. Only way to keep
some advantage for White is} 39. b4 axb4 40. cxb4 Bxb4 41. Qg4 Bc5 42. Qxg6+
Kh8 43. Kh2 $1 $14) 37. Rfd3 $1 g5 $2 {This is where a commentator like me
will usually write "probably time trouble". But, I'd be perfectly capable of
playing such a move myself, because I didn't like the prospect of watching my
position slowly fall apart. I'd think "g5 looks active" (followed by some
white noise).} 38. Rxd5 $1 exd5 39. Rxd5 Rdf7 40. Rxc5 Qe7 41. Rxf5 gxf4 42.
Rxf4 {and Black resigned.} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C90"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:53]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 6. Re1 {
[%emt 0:00:20]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 7. Bb3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:07]
} 8. a3 {158} d6 {119} 9. h3 {142 Hari likes to play this move h3 in both the
Ruy Lopez as well as the Guioco Piano.} Na5 {176} 10. Ba2 {63} c5 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} 11. Nc3 {260} Nc6 {476} 12. d3 {524} h6 {290} 13. Bd2 {588} Rb8 {845} 14.
Rb1 {754} a5 {433} 15. a4 {168} b4 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 16. Nb5 {245} Re8 {275} 17.
c3 {335} Bf8 {126} 18. Qc2 {89} Qb6 {349} 19. Be3 {93} Na7 {978} 20. Bc4 {745}
Ba6 $6 {418} 21. Nc7 $1 {373 Harikrishna alert as ever picks up the light
squared bishop.} Qxc7 {288} 22. Bxa6 $14 {6 With the light squared bishop in
his bag, White is clearly for choice.} d5 {123} 23. cxb4 {134} (23. exd5 Nxd5
24. Bc4 Nxe3 25. Rxe3 $14) 23... Nc6 {190} 24. Bb5 {172} (24. Bd2 $14) 24...
Nxb4 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 25. Qd1 {113} Red8 {69} 26. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Nfxd5 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} (26... Rxd5 27. Bc4 $14) 27. Bd2 {70} Bd6 {139} 28. Qe2 {189}
Nf4 {263} 29. Qe4 $16 {239 White is clearly better.} Nc2 {108} 30. Rec1 {69} (
30. Nxe5 $1 Nxe1 (30... Bxe5 31. Qxe5 Qxe5 32. Rxe5 Nxd3 33. Bxd3 Rxd3 34. Bxa5
$16) 31. Bxf4 $18) 30... Nb4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 31. g3 {359} Ne6 {99} (31...
Nxh3+ 32. Kg2 Ng5 33. Nxg5 hxg5 34. Rh1 g6 35. Bxg5 $18) 32. Bxb4 {75} axb4 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 33. h4 {[%emt 0:00:48]} Rf8 {472} 34. Re1 {67} Qd8 {251} 35.
Kg2 {100} (35. Nxe5 Bxe5 36. Qxe5 Nd4 $44) 35... Nc7 {182} 36. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:
21]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 37. Qf5 {165} Qf6 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 38. Qh5 {205} (38.
Qxf6 gxf6 39. Ra1 $16 {White has a clear advantage here because of the strong
light squared bishop and the protected a-passed pawn.}) 38... Ne6 {100} 39.
Nxe5 {87} g6 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 40. Nxg6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (40. Ng4 $1 Qd4 41. Qd5
Qxg4 42. Qxd6 $18) (40. Qxh6 Bxe5 $17) 40... Kh7 $1 {166} 41. Qd5 {1033} (41.
Ne5 Ng7 42. Qxf7 Bxe5 43. Qxf6 Bxf6 $11) 41... Nc7 {573} 42. Qxf7+ {[%emt 0:00:
42]} Qxf7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 43. Bxf7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rxe1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 44.
Rxe1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 45. Ne5 {355} Bxe5 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
46. Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kxf7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 47. Rxc5 $16 {10 Although
White is better it is not so easy to convert this into a full point.} Ne6 {
[%emt 0:00:15]} 48. Rc4 {362} b3 {762} 49. Kf3 {277} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 50.
d4 {331} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 51. Ke4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nc7 {[%emt 0:00:59]} 52.
Rc5 {247} Rb4 {291} 53. Rh5 {169} Rxa4 {231} 54. Rxh6+ {[%emt 0:00:22]} Ne6 {93
} 55. f4 {177} Rxd4+ {102} 56. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:51]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 57. g4
{[%emt 0:00:50]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 58. f5 {279} Re5+ {110} 59. Kd3 {123}
Nf4+ {[%emt 0:00:06]} 60. Kc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Re4+ {118} 61. Kxb3 {147} Ng2 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 62. g5 {625} Nxh4 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 63. Rh7+ {[%emt 0:00:05]}
Kf8 {138} 64. f6 {75} Rg4 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 65. Rh8+ {104} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:05]}
66. Rh7+ {[%emt 0:00:35]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 67. Rh8+ {[%emt 0:00:09]}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.21"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D05"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2773"]
[Annotator "mycomputer"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6k1/2R5/2n1r3/5R1B/7P/6P1/7K/4q3 w - - 0 56"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:32:19"]
[BlackClock "0:28:26"]

56. Rc8+ $1 (56. Bf7+ $2 Kh8 57. Rh5+ Kg7 58. Bxe6+ Kf6 {was played in the
game. See below.}) 56... Kg7 57. Rf7+ Kh6 58. Rh8# 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.21"]
[Round "7.3"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "1:43:44"]
[BlackClock "0:15:57"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 Qb6 8.
O-O ({The alternative is} 8. Bb3 e6 9. Qd2 Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. Rhe1 h6 12.
Bh4 O-O {as in Dominguez Perez,L (2739)-Wojtaszek,R (2749) Doha 2016}) 8... Qc5
9. Bd5 e6 10. Re1 Be7 ({In one game Black dared to accept the sacrificed piece
and even survived after} 10... exd5 11. exd5+ Kd8 12. Ne4 Qb6 13. a4 h6 14. a5
Qc7 15. Qh5 {but it is highly not recommened to get into this without hours of
silicon efforts, Ulanowski,K (2141)-Mucha,P (2102) Karpacz 2015}) 11. Be3 Qa5
12. Bxe6 {The sacrifice on e6 is the key theme in the Sozin attack. This is
why the bishop gets on the a2-g8 diagonal. Either to use it positionally after
f2-f4-f5, or brutally like this.} fxe6 13. Nxe6 {Obviously surprised with the
line Van Wely sank into deep thought. After fifty minutes he came up with a
novelty:} Nc5 {Which most likely will not become fashionable.} ({The only move
seen so far is:} 13... Kf7 {when after} 14. Ng5+ Ke8 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Ne5
17. Bf4 {White seems to have serious initiative as in Adhiban,B (2610)-Swiercz,
D (2617) Biel 2014}) 14. b4 $1 {Very energetic! Wei opens the game in his
favor.} (14. Nxg7+ $5 {looks also great with the idea} Kf7 15. Nd5 Nxd5 (15...
Kxg7 16. Nxe7 {leaves Black struggling on the dark squares.}) 16. Qh5+ $1 {
and Black cannot survive the attack after} Kxg7 17. Bh6+ Kf6 18. exd5) 14...
Qxb4 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. N3d5 $1 ({In case of} 16. Nxa8 Qxc3 17. Bd4 Qc4 18. Nb6
Qb5 19. Rb1 Qc6 20. e5 {White wins material but loses part of the initiative.
This is still better for him, but the game continuation looks much stronger.})
16... Nxd5 (16... Qa5 17. Nxa8 {is hopeless.}) 17. Nxd5 Qa3 {Van Wely wants to
protect the d6 pawn. The lines after the other reatreat are more than
convincing:} (17... Qa5 18. e5 Be6 (18... Bd7 19. Nxe7 Kxe7 20. Qxd6+) 19. exd6
Bxd6 20. Bxc5 Qxc5 21. Rxe6 {in both cases White crashes through the d-file.})
18. Nb6 {Not bad, but:} (18. e5 $1 {was still best. In the line:} Ne6 19. exd6
Qxd6 20. Bb6+ Ke8 {White has the pretty shot} (20... Kd7 21. Qg4 {followed by
Ra1-d1 leaves Black completely tied up.}) 21. Nc7+ $1 {which wins the game.})
18... Rb8 19. Nc4 Qb4 20. Nxd6 {The point behind Wei's play. He still opens
the king. But Van Wely has a trick in his sleeve.} Nd3 $1 {The only chance.} (
20... Kc7 21. Bf4 Ne6 22. Ne8+ Kb6 23. Rb1 {would lose the queen.}) ({While} 
20... Bxd6 21. Qxd6+ Ke8 22. Bxc5 {does need comment.}) 21. Qxd3 {After some
thought White chooses the most practical decision.} Qxd6 (21... Bxd6 22. a3 {
would lose the bishop anyway. But with some extras.}) 22. Qxd6+ Bxd6 23. Rad1
Kc7 24. Rxd6 $1 Kxd6 25. Bf4+ Ke6 26. Bxb8 Bd7 {Van Wely made it to an endgame.
Still, two pawns down is not exactly the kind of play one is looking for.
Black's last chance is the presence of the opposite-colored bishops on the
board.} 27. Ba7 Rc8 28. Rc1 Rc4 29. f3 Ra4 30. Ra1 Rc4 {Short in time Black
decided to repeat the position but this is inaccurate. Much more resilient was:
} (30... g5 $1 {Intending to trade the kingside pawns. They are priority as in
the possible pure opposite-colored bishop endgame Black does not need any of
them.}) 31. c3 b5 (31... Rxc3 32. Bd4 Rc7 33. Bxg7 {makes it easier for White
as his pawn avalanche may never be blocked.}) 32. a3 a5 {One more inaccuracy.}
(32... g5 $5 {was possible.}) 33. Bb6 Ra4 (33... a4 34. Bd4 {would secure the
white pawns and set the rook free which is basically the end of Black's hopes.}
) 34. Bd4 g6 35. Kf2 g5 {At last, but it is too late.} (35... b4 36. cxb4 axb4
37. axb4 Rxb4 38. Ra6+ {is technically won for White.}) 36. Ke3 Bc6 37. Kd2 {
Intending to free the rook after Kd2-c2-b2.} h5 ({On} 37... g4 38. Ke3 {
will leave the h-pawn alive.}) 38. Kc2 b4 39. cxb4 axb4 40. axb4 Rxb4 41. Kc3
Ra4 42. Rxa4 Bxa4 {This particular endgame is not a draw.} 43. g3 h4 44. f4 ({
On} 44. gxh4 {Black can try} Bd1 45. hxg5 Bxf3 46. Kd3 {although this should
not help neither.}) 44... gxf4 {Alas, Black cannot trade both the pawns and
bring the bishop in front of the remaining e-and f-pair:} (44... hxg3 45. f5+
$1) 45. gxf4 h3 46. Kd2 Kd6 47. Ke3 {With the h-pawns still on the board Black
cannot sacrifice the bishop for the e- and f-passers and Wei simply advances
them into queens.} Bc2 48. f5 Kc6 49. Kf4 Bd3 50. Bb2 Bc2 51. e5 Kd5 52. Kg5
Bd3 53. e6 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[TimeControl "60"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. O-O {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 5. d3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 6. c3 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 7. a4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ba7 {[%emt 0:00:00]}
8. Na3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 9. Nc2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qe7 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 10. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 11. Bxe6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 12. Bxa7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxa7 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} 13. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 14. Nd2 {[%emt 0:00:00]}
O-O {[%emt 0:00:00]} 15. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Raa8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 16. g3 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Rfe8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 17. a5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rac8 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 18. d5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 19. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nh7
{[%emt 0:00:00]} 20. Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rf8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 21. Rb3 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 22. Ra1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} f5 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 23. exf5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxf5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 24. Qg4 {[%emt 0:00:00]}
h5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 25. Qxh5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxe3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 26. fxe3 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Rf5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 27. Qh4 {[%emt 0:00:00] Although he took
it sportingly, White missed a chance to obtain a decisive advantage three
straight moves with the same shot.} Ng5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (27... Rbf8 $1 28. g4
R5f6 29. c4 Qe7 {threatening Rf1+ with a discovered attack on the queen.} 30.
Qg3 Qf7 {and Black's attack becomes unstoppable.}) 28. Rb4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e4
{[%emt 0:00:00]} (28... Rbf8 $1 29. Rg4 Nh7 30. c4 Qf7 31. Qh3 Ng5 {and again
Black's advantage should be decisive.}) 29. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qf7 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} ({This was the most definitive as th king exposed on g2 means the Rf2+
threat has that much more bite.} 29... Rbf8 $1 30. Nxe4 Nf3 31. Qh3 Qe8 32. Qg4
Qf7 {and Black is winning.}) 30. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (
30... Nf3 {was the last chance to keep the edge.} 31. Qh3 Qxd5) 31. Rd4 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 32. Nf6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxf6 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} 33. Rxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxh4+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 34. gxh4 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} Rbf8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 35. Rd2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rg6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 36.
Kh1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 37. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Re6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 38. Rd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} b6 {4 The
English Defence. Once again Adhiban chooses a system which is not
theoretically popular.} 3. Nc3 {159} Bb4 {5 Now this has a flavour of the
Nimzo Indian + the Queen's Indian.} 4. Qc2 {119} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 5. a3 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} Bxc3+ {[%emt 0:00:20]} 6. Qxc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} f5 {127 And
now we have some sort of a Dutch!} 7. Nh3 {184 Wojtaszek develops his knight
on h3 so that he can keep the e4 square under control with the move f3.} Nf6 {
[%emt 0:00:40]} 8. f3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} O-O {75} 9. e3 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Nh5 {
[%emt 0:00:59]} 10. Be2 {285} Qh4+ {[%emt 0:00:16]} 11. Nf2 {30 Overall White
has a very harmonious position with the centre, and the bishop pair. But
Black's play is easy. He just develops d6-Nbd7 and breaks in the centre with
e5.} d6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 12. b3 {261} Nd7 {109} 13. Bb2 {358} e5 {[%emt 0:00:
20]} 14. d5 {87} f4 {1192 Adhiban decides that it is best to close down the
position against White's bishops.} 15. e4 {80} a5 {688} 16. g3 {1246} Qe7 {
[%emt 0:00:08]} (16... fxg3 17. hxg3 Qg5 18. f4 Qxg3 19. Rxh5 Qg1+ 20. Kd2 (20.
Bf1 Rxf4 $19) 20... Qxf2 21. Rf1 $13) 17. g4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nhf6 {[%emt 0:00:
02]} 18. Qc2 {77} c6 $1 {95 The white king doesn't really have a safe spot to
go to and hence Adhiban opens up the position in the center.} 19. dxc6 {284}
Bxc6 {62} 20. b4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} axb4 {126} 21. axb4 {154} Rxa1+ {[%emt 0:00:
21]} 22. Bxa1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ra8 {109 Black pieces are activated without any
issues.} 23. Bb2 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Nf8 $1 {87 The knight is making its way from
e6 to d4.} 24. Qd2 {671} Ne6 {81} 25. O-O {159} h5 {80} 26. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:13]
} Ra2 {1003} 27. b5 $6 {924} (27. Qxd6 Qxd6 28. Rxd6 Rxb2 29. Rxe6 Bd7 $1 30.
Rd6 Rxe2 31. g5 Nh7 32. Rxd7 Nxg5 $11 {When the position is around even.})
27... Bd7 {704} 28. c5 {704 This was Wojtaszek's plan. To get the bishop to c4.
} Nd4 $1 {175} 29. c6 {93} (29. Bc4+ d5 $1 30. exd5 Nxf3+ $19) 29... Be6 {
7 True the pawn on c6 is strong. It is even protected. But the knight on f6 is
going to come around to c7 and blockade the pawn. The other knight will also
jump in and the b5 pawn would become quite weak. Although at first look this
seems like better for White, it is in fact the other way around.} 30. g5 {89}
Ne8 {78} 31. h4 {125} Nc7 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 32. Kg2 {135} Bb3 {517} (32... d5 $5
) (32... Ncxb5 $2 33. Bxb5 Nxb5 34. Qb4 Nd4 35. Bxd4 $16) (32... Qe8 $1 33. Bd3
Ncxb5 34. Bxb5 Nxb5 $17) 33. Rc1 {139} Nxe2 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 34. Qxe2 {[%emt 0:
00:07]} Ba4 {362 Black goes after the b5 pawn, but now the d6 is also equally
weak and Black loses control.} 35. Qc4+ {130} Qf7 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 36. Qb4 {
20 White is already pretty fine, because the d6 pawn is falling.} Bxb5 {303}
37. Nd1 $1 {62 The bishop on b2 is defended and the d6 pawn is attacked.} Kh7 {
754} (37... Qe6 38. Nc3 $16) 38. Qxd6 $18 {43 In a matter of few moves the
position has turned into a clearly better one for White.} Be2 {[%emt 0:00:54]}
39. Qxe5 $1 {128} Ra5 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 40. Qd6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (40. Qd4 $1 Ne6
41. Qxb6 $18 Rb5 42. Qf2 Bxd1 43. Rxd1 $18) 40... Ra2 {48 Forty moves have
been made. Now White is clearly winning and also has a lot of time in hand.}
41. Qb4 {683} (41. Qd7 $1 {Not an easy combination to see.} Qxd7 42. cxd7 Ne6
43. g6+ $3 {The only move to win.} Kh6 (43... Kxg6 44. Rc6 $18) (43... Kg8 44.
Rc8+ $18) 44. Rc2 $1 Bxd1 45. Bxg7+ $18) (41. Rc2 {is the simpler way to win.}
Bxd1 42. Qxd1 Qb3 43. Qc1 Ne6 44. Rd2 $18) 41... b5 {788} 42. Nf2 {372} Ne6 {
350} 43. Ra1 {1101} Rxa1 {108} 44. Bxa1 {34 White is still better, but nowhere
close to what he was four moves ago.} Qa7 {235} 45. Qd2 {228} Qe3 {217} 46.
Qxe3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 47. Be5 $6 {196} (47. Nh3 b4 {
Maybe Wojtaszek was afraid of this position, but it should be a draw.}) 47...
b4 {269} 48. c7 {95} exf2 {80} 49. Kxf2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ba6 {9 Black has won
a piece but White has two pawns in return and very strong structure. The game
should be objectively drawn.} 50. Ke3 {69} g6 {574} 51. Kd2 {75} (51. f4 b3 52.
Kd2 Bc8 53. Kc3 Nc5 54. Bd4 Nxe4+ 55. Kxb3 $19 {This is als losing as the
knight will pick up the h4 pawn and the pawn will queen.}) 51... Kg8 {83} 52.
Kc2 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Bc8 {403} 53. Kb3 {129} Nc5+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 54. Kc4 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} (54. Kxb4 Nd3+ $19) 54... Na6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 55. Bd6 {291}
Be6+ {71} 56. Kd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} (56. Kb5 b3 $19) 56... Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:41]}
57. f4 {[%emt 0:00:39]} b3 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 58. Kc3 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Ke8 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 59. c8=Q+ {196} (59. f5 gxf5 60. exf5 Bxf5 61. Kxb3 {would
have given better drawing chances.} Kd7 62. c8=Q+ Kxc8 63. Kc4 Kd7 64. Kd5 $11)
59... Bxc8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 60. Kxb3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kd7 {99} 61. Ba3 {
[%emt 0:00:10]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 62. f5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} (62. e5 Nc7 $19)
62... Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 63. f6 {73} Bd5+ {130} 64. Kc3 {67} Nc7 {97} 65.
Kd3 {107} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:51]} 66. Bc1 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Nb5 {48 Black has
complete control on the light squares and Wojtaszek saw no reason to continue
the fight.} 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Wei Yi"]
[Black "Van Wely, L."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "Alex Yermolinsky"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 $5 {An
interesting attempt to delay e7-e6 and change the move order of the regular
Najdorf theory.} 7. Bc4 $1 {The most principled reply.} ({For some time
everybody went gaga over} 7. Qe2 {but this move gets more credit for its edgy
unorthodox appearance than it really deserves for its quality.} h6 8. Bxf6 Nxf6
9. O-O-O e5 $1 {A true Najdorf reply!} 10. Nf5 g6 11. Ne3 Be6 {White has no
attack, and for the slow plans of controlling the pace of events through
occupation of the d5-square his king really doesn't belongs in the Q-side.}) ({
Inaccurate is} 7. f4 Qc7 {White never gets to place his bishop on c4, which
has always been considered the best weapon against Black's setup with Nbd7.} 8.
Qf3 b5 9. O-O-O Bb7 10. Bd3 {and...} g6 $1 {Welcome to the Dragon's Den,
courtesy of the late, great Vugar Gashimov.}) 7... Qb6 8. O-O (8. Bb3 {appear
the most logical, but White cannot quite transpose to the regular lines of Bg5
Najdorf.} e6 9. Qd2 {This is more like a Richter-Rauser attack of the
Classical with a pinch of Fischer-Sozin's Bc4-b3 thrown in.} ({if} 9. f4 Be7 {
then White cannot place his queen on f3.}) 9... Be7 10. O-O-O Nc5 11. Rhe1 O-O
12. f4 h6 13. h4 {was played by Andreikin, but Dmitry's opening choices are
not to be always taken for granted.}) (8. Qd2 $5 {is a Poisoned Pawn combined
with Bc4. Velimirovic would be ecstatic!} Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. O-O Qc5 11. Bd5 {
We follow a recent game Tsydypov-Yu Yangyi which I witnessed at Hainan
International just a month ago.} e6 12. Rfe1 Ne5 (12... Qc7 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14.
Nxe6) 13. Na4 Qc7 14. Nb6 Rb8 15. f4 {Black's position came under considerable
pressure.}) 8... Qc5 ({Recently Black tried (and survived!)} 8... Qxb2 9. Nd5
Nxd5 10. Rb1 Qc3 11. Bxd5 Qc7 {One wonders what the Chinese GM analytical team
has up their collective sleeve.}) 9. Bd5 e6 ({Call me coward, but I'd choose} 
9... g6 10. Qd2 Bg7 11. Rad1 O-O {just to play a game of chess, not some
memory contest.}) 10. Re1 Be7 11. Be3 Qa5 12. Bxe6 {Figures. This typical sac
has been tested in practice with good results since 2014. The ownership
belongs to Belorus GM Sergey Azarov.} ({Previously Wei Yi played} 12. Bb3 {
and didn't get much:} Nc5 13. f3 Qc7 14. a4 Nxb3 15. Nxb3 b6 {Wei Yi-Xu
Yinglun, China Team Ch 2015}) 12... fxe6 13. Nxe6 Nc5 {It only took Loek 50
minutes to come up with this over-the-board innovation. In reality it's not
such a good move, but additional value is placed on a surprise factor. Nobody
wants to let his opponent just follow his computer-approved preparation all
the way to victory.} ({Like it or not, Black has to follow the main line,} 
13... Kf7 14. Ng5+ Ke8 (14... Kg8 15. b4 $1 Qe5 (15... Qxb4 16. Nd5) 16. Qd3 h6
17. f4) 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Ne5 (16... Nf6 17. Bd4 Kf8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Qh5
{was an Azarov quick kill against Xiong in 2014. Rest assured Jeffery doesn't
lose game in this fashion anymore!}) 17. Bf4 Bf6 18. Ne4 Qc7 {Adhiban-Swiercz,
2014 is a reference game, but to my eye Black's position stops inspiring any
confidence once you recall that he had already moved his king and therefore
cannot castle}) 14. b4 ({We can also look at} 14. Nxg7+ Kf7 15. Nd5 Kxg7 16.
Nxe7 {Black is just hopeless here.} Qc7 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 {etc.}) 14...
Qxb4 15. Nc7+ Kd8 16. N3d5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Qa3 18. Nb6 {One and only miss by Wei
Yi in the whole game.} (18. Qf3 $1 {would make this a typical van Wely Najdorf
miniature loss in Wijk aan Zee tournaments - I recall he had three of those in
2010 alone.} Rf8 (18... Qa5 19. Qf7 Bf6 20. Bg5 Bxg5 21. Qxg7) 19. Qg3 Qa5 (
19... Be6 20. Nxe7 Kxe7 21. Bg5+ {and there goes the queen.}) 20. Qxg7 Re8 21.
Bg5) ({Also, pretty strong was} 18. e5) 18... Rb8 19. Nc4 Qb4 20. Nxd6 Nd3 $1
21. Qxd3 {Wei Yi is still very young but his play shows maturity. Here he goes
for a technical solution, hoping to win slowly but surely.} (21. Nf7+ Ke8 22.
Qh5 g6 23. Qd5 {seems murky when you sit at the board.}) 21... Qxd6 22. Qxd6+
Bxd6 23. Rad1 Kc7 24. Rxd6 Kxd6 25. Bf4+ Ke6 26. Bxb8 {Just like this we have
arrived at an ending Black may or may not lose. Of course, Loek had maybe a
minute left on his clock and was all but mentally spent.} Bd7 27. Ba7 Rc8 28.
Rc1 Rc4 29. f3 Ra4 30. Ra1 Rc4 31. c3 b5 32. a3 a5 {No, not this.} (32... Rxc3
33. Bd4 Rc2 34. Bxg7 a5 {offers some counterchances.}) 33. Bb6 Ra4 34. Bd4 g6
35. Kf2 g5 36. Ke3 Bc6 37. Kd2 h5 38. Kc2 b4 $6 {This offers White an easy
expressway ride to victory.} (38... h4 {had to be played to be able to trade
the h-pawns once White begins to make his connected passers.}) 39. cxb4 axb4
40. axb4 Rxb4 41. Kc3 Ra4 42. Rxa4 Bxa4 43. g3 $1 h4 44. f4 gxf4 (44... hxg3
45. f5+ $1 (45. hxg3 $2 gxf4 46. gxf4 Bc6 47. f5+ Kf7 48. Kd3 Bb7 49. Ke3 Bc6
50. e5 Bd7 $11 {is what Every Russian Schoolboy Knows about opposite-color
bishop endings.}) 45... Kf7 46. hxg3 {having saved his g-pawn White is happy
to trade e- and f-passers for the black bishop.}) 45. gxf4 {Same story here,
because White's bishop is of the right color for the remaining rook pawn.} h3
46. Kd2 Kd6 47. Ke3 Bc2 48. f5 Kc6 49. Kf4 Bd3 50. Bb2 Bc2 51. e5 Kd5 52. Kg5
Bd3 53. e6 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Black "Dobrov, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B27"]
[WhiteElo "2667"]
[BlackElo "2499"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[TimeControl "60"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} b6 {75} 3.
g3 {547} Bb7 {124} 4. Qe2 {132} g6 {311} 5. Bg2 {71} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 6.
O-O {106} Nf6 {1093} 7. e5 {150} Nd5 {60} 8. d4 {305} Nc7 {183} 9. Rd1 {600}
Qc8 {271} 10. c3 {675} Bc6 {255} 11. h4 {266} Qa6 {277} 12. Qe3 {190} cxd4 {149
} 13. cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:20]} Nd5 {129} 14. Qe1 {63} Qb7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 15. h5
{374} O-O {1143} 16. Nh4 {77} Na6 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 17. a3 {[%emt 0:00:25]} e6 {
252} 18. Nd2 {201} d6 {181} 19. Nc4 {221} dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 20. dxe5 {
[%emt 0:00:40]} Qe7 {396} 21. b4 {316} g5 {314} 22. h6 {349} Bxh6 {319} 23. Nd6
{77} Nac7 {87} 24. a4 {663} ({White could play the immediate} 24. b5 $1 {
that comes with a venemous idea.} Nxb5 $2 (24... Bd7 {is the only move.}) 25.
Bxd5 Bxd5 26. Rxd5 $1 exd5 27. Nhf5 Qe6 28. Nxh6+ Qxh6 29. Nxb5 $18) 24... Bg7
{154} 25. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:33]} f6 {204} 26. b5 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Be8 {[%emt 0:
00:02]} 27. Ba3 {[%emt 0:00:41]} Qd7 {287} 28. Ne4 {113} f5 {69} 29. Nexg5 {165
} Bh5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 30. Bxf8 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Rxf8 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 31. Rac1
{80} Qe7 {113} 32. Rc6 {85} f4 {44 [#] Finishing with style.} 33. Rxd5 $1 {260}
exd5 {127} (33... Nxd5 34. Nxe6 fxg3 35. Nxf8 Qxf8 36. Qe4) 34. Qb1 {[%emt 0:
00:58]} Bg6 {[%emt 0:00:59]} 35. Rxg6 {[%emt 0:00:21]} hxg6 {[%emt 0:00:02]}
36. Qxg6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rd8 {63} 37. Nh4 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:08]
} 38. Nf5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Rapport, Richard"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Nf3 $5 {Stopping 1)e5... first of all.} d5 2. b3 $5 {Now that black can't
play 2)...e5, white plays this setup with b3. Richard Rapport is well-known to
be a creative player in general, and also in the openings. Richard also played
b3 on move 1 against Sergey Karjakin but in that game if anyone was better, it
was Sergey, so Richard decided to adjust his plays a bit, and it worked very
well.} Bf5 3. Bb2 e6 4. d3 h6 5. Nbd2 Nf6 6. c4 c6 7. g3 Be7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. O-O
Nbd7 10. a3 a5 {Stopping white from explanding on the queenside with b4.} 11.
Qb1 $5 {Preparing b4 anyway.} Bh7 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Qb6 14. Bc3 Rxa1 15.
Qxa1 Bxb4 16. Bxb4 Qxb4 17. Rb1 Qd6 18. Rxb7 e5 19. d4 exd4 20. Nxd4 c5 21.
N4b3 d4 $5 {An ambitious move. If Magnus wanted a quiter, simplified game, he
could've opted for 21)...dxc4. But probably Magnus, after a heartbreaking draw
last round against Anish Giri, wanted to try hard to win this game with black
against Richard Rapport, who has been having a difficult tournament up to this
point.} (21... dxc4 22. Nxc4 Qe6 23. Ne3 Be4 24. Bxe4 Nxe4 $11 {Should just be
dead equal.}) 22. Bh3 d3 $6 {This decision is very double-edged since it makes
black's bishop on h7 bad, and gives white strong control of the center. On the
other hand, Magnus thinks that the d3 pawn will be enough of a trump, that it
will compensate for the drawbacks in his position. It turned out to be a bit
too optimistic.} (22... Rb8 23. Rxb8+ Qxb8 24. Qa5 Qc8 {Should still be quite
balanced.}) 23. e3 $1 {White correctly now doesn't simplify the game, and
keeps the tension to his advantage. A lot of players might have just tried to
release the tension to get closer to a draw if they would play Magnus. But
Richard to his credit is a very fighting player, even when his tournament
isn't going the way he would like it to be. I really applaud that.} (23. exd3
$6 Qxd3 $11) (23. e4 $5) 23... Ne5 $6 {Natural move, but considering that
black already started playing unbalanced chess he should've probably tried to
continue going that route.} (23... g5 $1 {After this profylaxis move white
might be better but it's still not as clear. At least white can't easily
expland in the center, like he was able to do in the game.}) 24. Bg2 $1 (24. f4
$2 Nf3+ $1 25. Nxf3 Be4 $15 {Was a nice trap by Magnus, and perhaps Richard
saw it and that's why avoided it and played the strong consolidating move, Bg2.
}) 24... Rc8 (24... Ned7 {The funny thing is, stockfish thinks going back ned7
is the best move. The knight on e5 turns out to be really misplaced, since it
will get hit with e4 and f4.}) 25. f4 Neg4 26. e4 Re8 $5 {At this point
sacrifising a piece might be the best practical chance, since black is already
getting streamrolled.} 27. e5 Nxe5 28. fxe5 Rxe5 29. Rb6 $1 {Very nice
geometry.} Qe7 30. Rb8+ Ne8 31. Bc6 Re1+ 32. Qxe1 Qxe1+ 33. Nf1 {Black
resigned because he will be down a piece in the endgame which is completely
hopeless. A very nice game by Richard Rapport, trying to play a fighting game
against Magnus, playing logical chess, keeping the tension, and taking full
advantage of Magnus's over-ambitious play at one moment.} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Aronian, L."]
[Black "Giri, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2773"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Na3
$5 {In a position where nearly everything has been tried, Aronian comes up
with a new idea! It is hard to believe that this move refutes Black's
super-solid line, but it's at least an attempt.} Nbd7 9. Rc1 Ne4 10. Be3 Bxa3
$6 {Perhaps the beginning of the end for Anish. The idea of installing a
knight on c4 looks very tempting, but it is unfortunately met with a strong
sacrifice.} 11. bxa3 Nd6 12. c5 Nc4 13. Rxc4 $1 {A bit obvious, but that
doesn't mean it isn't strong! In return for the rook, White eliminates Black's
most powerful piece and dominates the dark squares. It will also be difficult
to develop some of black pieces, especially that bishop on c8.} dxc4 14. Qc2 h6
(14... b5 15. Ng5 Nf6 16. Bxc6 Bd7 $5 $16 {Trying to fight back by giving up a
lot of material in exchange for the light squares, was probably a better
practical try. But giving up an exchange and a pawn is never easy, and
objectively this is also terrible for Black.}) 15. Qxc4 b6 16. Bf4 Re8 17. Bd6
{White's position plays itself, while Black cannot access the b-file.} Bb7 18.
Ne5 bxc5 19. dxc5 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 a5 (20... Qd2 21. Rb1 {Doesn't actually
improve Black's position, but it would at least give the sense that the queen
is active!}) 21. Rb1 Ra7 22. Qc3 f6 23. Bd6 Ba8 24. Be4 f5 25. Bc2 Rb7 26. Rd1
Rd7 27. e4 {With the opening of the light squares on the kingside, Black's
position is completely desperate. Notice the sad state of that bishop on a8.}
Qf6 28. Qc4 Kh8 29. Re1 Qf7 30. Qd3 f4 31. gxf4 $1 (31. e5 $6 g5 {is not so
clear yet, though favoring White.}) 31... e5 32. Qh3 $1 Rxd6 (32... exf4 33. e5
{is now devastating, with Qd3, e6 and Bf5 all up in the air.}) 33. cxd6 Qg6+
34. Qg3 Qxd6 {Black has eliminated the bishop on d6, but his position is still
hopeless. He doesn't have the time to defend his kingside. Aronian's pieces
swoop in for a last attack.} 35. Rd1 Qc5 (35... Qe7 36. fxe5 {wasn't that much
more fun either.}) 36. Rd7 Rg8 37. Bb3 exf4 38. Qg6 f3 39. h4 Qc3 40. Bxg8 Qe1+
41. Kh2 Qxf2+ 42. Kh3 Qf1+ 43. Kg4 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 $5 {Steering the games into less explored areas has worked
incredibly well for Adhiban in this tournament. In the last 4 games Adhiban
scored an amazing , all with not the most mainstream lines.} Nc6 3. g3 (3. f4 {
Is also possible}) 3... g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. f4 Nge7 7. Nf3 Nd4 8. O-O Bg4
9. Be3 c5 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Nh4 exf4 12. Bxf4 Qd7 (12... b5 $5 13. Rf2 b4 14. Nd1
Bxd1 15. Rxd1 Ne6 16. Bh6 Bxb2 $5 17. Bxf8 Qxf8 $44 {Deserved attention
perhaps. Black has a pawn and a very strong bishop for the exchange and has
full control of the dark squares, and also probably won't have to ever worry
about an attack.}) 13. Rf2 Rae8 $6 (13... f6 {Perhaps this was better defence.
It's basically a prophylaxis against bh6.} 14. Bh6 $6 (14. Be3 b5 {Is probably
roughly equal}) 14... Bxh6 15. Qxh6 g5 {This is the main point. Now white is
in an awkward spot.} 16. Nf3 (16. Rxf6 Rxf6 17. Qxg5+ Rg6 18. Nxg6 Nxg6 19. Nd5
Kh8 {And white probably doesn't have enough compensation.}) (16. h3 gxh4 17.
hxg4 hxg3 18. Rxf6 Rxf6 19. Qxf6 Rf8 20. Qh4 Ng6 21. Qxg3 Ne5 $40 {Black has
very good pieces here.}) (16. e5 gxh4 17. exf6 (17. Ne4 fxe5 18. Raf1 Nef5 19.
Nf6+ Rxf6 20. Qxf6 Qf7 $1 $17 {And again white's initiative falls short.})
17... Ng6) 16... Nef5 $1 {That's the point!} 17. exf5 Nxf5 18. Ne5 dxe5 $19)
14. Bh6 $1 Bxh6 15. Qxh6 {Here white already has dangerous practical
initiative if not already an objective advantage.} b5 16. h3 Be6 17. Raf1 Qd8
$6 {This move is already a serious mistake in a difficult position.} (17...
Nec6 18. Nf5 $1 f6 19. Ne3 Qg7 20. Qxg7+ Kxg7 21. Ncd5 $14 {White might be
slightly better but the game is still defensible for black.}) 18. Nb1 $6 {
Objectively not the most precise execution, though it worked very well for
white in the game.} (18. Nd1 $1 {From here it goes to e3 and really develops
lots of initiative.} d5 {Probably white played Nb1 with the idea to discourage
d5, but it turns out even here d5 isn't so effective for black.} 19. Ne3 dxe4
20. dxe4 f5 $1 {Seems like the only move.} (20... Nec6 21. Nhf5 $1 {Turns out
this threat is too powerful.}) (20... Bc4 21. e5 $3 Bxf1 22. Ng4 $1 f5 23. Nf6+
Rxf6 (23... Kf7 24. Bxf1 {And white has a decisive attack.}) 24. exf6 Ne6 25.
Bxf1 $18) 21. c3 fxe4 $1 {And again only move.} 22. Bxe4 (22. cxd4 cxd4 {
Is suddenly very good compensation for black.}) 22... Rxf2 23. Rxf2 Ndf5 (23...
Ndc6 $2 24. Nxg6 $18) 24. Nhxf5 Bxf5 25. Nxf5 Nxf5 26. Bxf5 gxf5 27. Rxf5 $16 {
And after all that white gets an endgame with good winning chances but
certainly black is still in the game.}) 18... d5 $2 {This is definitely a
mistake, which maximizes the value of the b1 knight and makes it a monster.} (
18... Kh8 $14 {Black should just stand tight and keep his position together. I
don't see a clear way white is breaking through here.}) 19. Nd2 $1 {Now white
has a decisive advantage, and from here on white played flawlessly.} dxe4 20.
Nxe4 Nef5 21. Rxf5 $3 {Perhaps this is what black missed when he played 18)...
d5? Without this move black is fine.} (21. Nxf5 $2 Nxf5 {Isn't even better for
white.} 22. Rxf5 $6 (22. Qf4 $11) 22... Bxf5 23. Rxf5 Rxe4 $1 {And suddenly
the tables turn.}) 21... Nxf5 22. Rxf5 $1 {The point. Now the rook can't be
taken.} (22. Nxf5 $2 Bxf5 23. Rxf5 Rxe4) 22... Qd4+ (22... gxf5 23. Nf6+ $18) (
22... Bxf5 23. Nxf5 gxf5 24. Nf6+ $18) 23. Rf2 f5 24. Ng5 (24. Nxg6 $5 {
Might have been slightly more precise and flashier but certainly white's move
is more than enough to win.} hxg6 25. Qxg6+ Qg7 26. Nf6+ Rxf6 27. Qxe8+ $18)
24... Qg7 25. Qxg7+ Kxg7 26. Bc6 $18 {The rest is matter of technique. Adhiban
had very good technique in this game and he capped it off with some very
precise calculation.} h6 27. Nxe6+ Rxe6 28. Bxb5 Rb8 29. a4 a6 30. Bc4 Re1+ 31.
Kg2 Rxb2 32. Bxa6 Rc1 33. Bc4 Rcxc2 34. Rxc2 Rxc2+ 35. Kf3 Kf6 36. a5 g5 37. a6
$1 Rc1 (37... gxh4 38. a7 $18) 38. Ng2 Ke5 39. Ne3 h5 $5 {Loses right away but
good practical try, especially right before move 40.} (39... Ra1 {Would still
be losing in the long run but would be a little bit more resiliant.} 40. g4 f4
41. Nf5 h5 42. Nh6 $18 {Will win eventually though.}) 40. Nc2 $1 {Very nice to
find such a move, especially on move 40.} g4+ {Best practical chance} (40...
Rxc2 41. a7 $18 {The pawn just queens since the a2 square is protected.}) 41.
Ke3 $1 {Precise calculation} (41. hxg4 $6 fxg4+ 42. Ke3 Rf1 {Would still be
winning for white but would allow the game to drag on a bit.}) 41... gxh3 42.
a7 h2 43. a8=Q h1=Q 44. Qb8+ $1 {The only move that mates by force. Adhiban
probably had to see this move in advance when he played 41)Ke3!} (44. Qe8+ $6
Kd6 45. Qd8+ Kc6 46. Kf4 $18 {Still wins but kf4 would be now the only move
that wins by force, which is far from easy to find.}) 44... Kf6 45. Qf8+ Kg6
46. Bf7+ {Black resigned because after Kh7, Qg8+ Kh6 Qg6 mate, or Kf6 Bg8+ Kg6
Qf7+ Kg5 Qg7 mate or Kh6 Qf6 mate, or Kf6 Bg8+ Ke5 Qe7 mate.} 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{Welcome everyone! This is GM Aleksandr Lenderman and this is my game of the
day for round 8. I also did brief analysis for nice wins by Adhiban against
Andreikin and Rapport against Magnus Carlsen, but I chose this draw between
Eljanov and Wojtaszek as my game of the day because I thought it was a very
interesting sharp struggle and a true back and forth battle, rather than being
a one-sided affair.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {
The Najdorf, in which Wojtaszek is one of the biggest specialists, along with
many other top elite players.} 6. Be2 {A quiter way to play against the
Najdorf.} (6. a3 $5 {This move has been tried earlier in the tournament by
Sergey Karjakin against Pentala Harikrishna, which prompted Magnus Carlsen to
try it against Wojtaszek, where Magnus ended up outplaying black, but it's
clear that black could have improved on that game many different ways, so
Eljanov doesn't want to test Wojtaszek here.}) 6... e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3 Be6 9.
Nd5 Nbd7 10. Qd3 Bxd5 ({Another approach for black is} 10... O-O {I'm curious
to know what white had in mind here.} 11. c4 {Maybe white should play some
other way here.} (11. a4) (11. O-O) 11... b5 $1 {That's the point of not
playing Bxd5, in order to use the c4 pawn as a hook.} 12. Nd2 Nc5 13. Bxc5 dxc5
14. b3 Bxd5 15. cxd5 Ne8 16. O-O Nd6 {With a complex game which ended up in
black's favor.} 17. a4 Bg5 18. Nf3 Bf4 19. axb5 f5 20. Nd2 Qg5 21. Rad1 axb5
22. exf5 Ra3 23. Ne4 c4 24. Qc2 Qxf5 25. Qb2 Rxb3 26. Qxb3 cxb3 27. Nxd6 Qg6
28. Nxb5 e4 29. d6 b2 30. Nd4 Qxd6 31. Bc4+ Kh8 32. Ne6 Bxh2+ 33. Kh1 Rxf2 34.
Ng5 Bg3 {0-1 (34) Anand,V (2796)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2773) London ENG 2015}) 11.
exd5 O-O 12. a4 {Not strictly a novelty, but already sort of a new idea.} (12.
O-O {Is a much more popular move here, after which there is a lot of theory
here.} Nc5 $5 (12... Ne8 $5 {Is also possible with two ideas. One is to play
for f5, and another is to try to trade off the dark squared bishops with bg5,
since in the long-run the bishop on e7 is a bit passive, while white has a
bishop pair advantage.} 13. a4 Bg5 14. a5 g6) 13. Nxc5 dxc5 14. c4 Qc7 {
Leads to a non-standard game.}) 12... Rc8 (12... Ne8 $5 13. a5 Bg5 {I'm not
sure if starting with Ne8 a move earlier would make a big difference.}) 13. a5
Ne8 $146 {Is this move according to my database is the first novelty, a very
logical one though of course.} (13... Re8 {The only other game I found
featured 13)...Re8.} 14. O-O Bf8 15. c4 g6 16. Nd2 h5 17. f4 $2 (17. h3 $14 {
White should have at least some advantage though here. White has two bishops
advantage and a strong space advantage on the queenside, while black doesn't
have a really obvious plan here as far as I can see.}) 17... exf4 18. Bxf4 b6
19. b4 bxa5 20. bxa5 Nc5 21. Qf3 Nfd7 22. Bxd6 f5 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. Qf2 Qf6 25.
Nf3 Rb8 26. Rab1 Ne4 27. Qa7 Rxb1 28. Rxb1 Nc3 29. Bd3 Nxb1 30. Qxd7 Nd2 31.
Nxd2 Qd4+ 32. Kh1 Qxd3 {0-1 (32) Le Goff,D (2270)-Palac,M (2583) Cap d'Agde
2008}) 14. O-O Bg5 15. c4 f5 16. f3 (16. f4 {Stockfish also suggests this move
but it's a very double-edged idea to give black the e5 square so easily.} exf4
17. Bxf4 Bxf4 18. Rxf4 Ne5 19. Qh3 g6 20. Nd4 Ng7 $132) 16... Bxe3+ 17. Qxe3 f4
$5 {A start of a very ambitious plan, perhaps either going for a kingside
attack, or more likely just trying to get control of the e3 square.} (17... Qh4
{This move also seems playable.}) 18. Qf2 g5 {This move might already be a bit
too ambitious and weakening.} (18... Rb8 $5 {This move would be a very nice
profylaxis against Nd2 since black would suddenly open up the b-file and
create immediate counterplay.} 19. Nd2 $6 (19. Nc1 $1 {After Nc1 though
perhaps white is still better, but this move isn't so natural to play.} b6 20.
axb6 Rxb6 21. Nd3 {Now because of the strong knight on d3, black's counterplay
falls short.}) 19... b6 $132) (18... g6 {This was probably more solid, because
in a lot of lines the g5 pawn isn't hanging.}) 19. Nd2 Ndf6 (19... Ng7 20. Ne4
Nf5 21. b4 $14 {Would also be better for white.} h6 22. Bd3 Nf6 (22... Ne3 $2
23. Nxd6) 23. Nxf6+ Rxf6 24. Bxf5 Rxf5 25. Rac1 $14 {White's pawns on the
queenside will be more mobile and threatening than black's kingside pawns.})
20. b4 Ng7 21. Ne4 $1 {But white got in his move, Ne4 just in time to
interfere with black's plan. Therefore, possibly this plan didn't work out so
well for black, and it's possible that Pavel Eljanov knew the neuances of the
position a bit deeper than Wojtaszek in this game.} (21. Bd3 {Was also
possible but maybe not as clear.} Qd7 {Stockfish says white is still better,
but practically it's easier to play for black I think since black has ideas
like nf5 and g4.}) 21... Nxe4 22. fxe4 g4 23. c5 $1 {White is a bit faster.}
Qg5 24. c6 bxc6 $5 {I think best practical choice.} (24... g3 {This move also
falls short.} 25. Qf3 $1 gxh2+ (25... Qh4 26. h3 {Is strategically hopeless
for black.}) 26. Kh1 (26. Kxh2 $5) 26... Rc7 27. Rfc1 $16 {And white is in
control. Black can't get anything going on the kingside. His knight on g7
isn't great, and white's bishop is a very useful defender and attacker at the
same time.}) 25. Bxa6 g3 26. Qf3 Rc7 27. dxc6 gxh2+ 28. Kxh2 d5 $1 {At this
point if black doesn't create immediate counterplay he will just lose slowly.}
29. exd5 Nf5 30. d6 $6 {Seemingly the idea of this move was probably to
simplify the game but in fact this move does anything but :)} (30. Rae1 $1 {
Seems like this move is cleaner.} Ng3 (30... Rf6 31. Rxe5 $18) (30... Nd4 31.
Qe4 Rg7 32. d6 Qh6+ 33. Kg1 Qxd6 (33... f3 34. Bc4+ Kh8 35. Qxe5 Qd2 36. Rf2
Qxf2+ 37. Kxf2 fxg2+ 38. Ke3 Nc2+ 39. Kd2 Nxe1 40. Qxe1 g1=Q 41. Qxg1 Rxg1 42.
d7 $18 {Picturesque position. Black has two extra rooks against white's lone
bishop and pawns, but the rooks are helpless against the 4 monsterous pawns.})
34. Bc4+ Kh8 35. Qxe5 $18 {Is an easy technical win.}) (30... Rg7 31. Rxe5) (
30... Nh4 31. Qh3 Rf6 32. Kg1 Rh6 33. Be2) 31. Kg1 $1 {That's the key point.
White is of course happy to sacrifise the exchange to eliminate black's main
dynamic threat, his powerful knight.} Qh4 32. d6 {Is just winning. Black's
attack doesn't work.} Rg7 33. Rxe5 Qh1+ 34. Kf2 Qh4 35. d7 $18) 30... Qh6+ 31.
Qh3 Qxd6 32. Bc4+ {The most natural move, to get the bishop to defence and
free up the passed pawns, with a tempo.} (32. b5 $5 {Maybe this move is
playable but to leave the bishop like this on a6 and completely ignore the
kingside is only possible for a computer to play like that.} Rf6 33. Rfd1 Nd4 {
I think that in a practical game black has too much initiative even if the
computer will miraculously defend.}) 32... Kh8 33. b5 $6 {Such a natural move
but it seems like now black really gets too much initiative.} (33. Rfd1 $3 {
It seems like only this very strong move keeps an advantage for white. But
it's so hard to give up your pride and soul of the position, your beautiful
passers. But the king safety is more important.} Qxb4 (33... Qxc6 34. Bd3 {
Here black seems to get enough counterplay} (34. Rac1 $1 {This seems to be the
key 2nd move to make the black queen commit.} Ne3 $6 (34... Qf6 35. Bd3 {
And at least here white is able to get rid of that dangerous black knight on
his terms.}) (34... Qg6 35. Bd3 Rcf7 36. Be4 $16) 35. Be2 $1 Qxc1 36. Rxc1 Rxc1
37. Qe6 $18) 34... Ne3 35. Rac1 Qd6 $1 36. Bxh7 $1 (36. Rxc7 Qxc7 37. Rc1 Qg7)
36... Ng4+ $1 37. Qxg4 Rxh7+ 38. Kg1 Qe7 39. Rc8 Qa7+ $1 40. Rc5 f3 $1 $132) ({
Even still black can play nd4 and ignore white's pawns. Though the key
difference is, now white isn't forced to play b5} 33... Nd4 $1 34. a6 $1 Qxc6
35. a7 Rg7 $1 36. b5 Qa8 $1 {Black keeps making only moves, but now Rg3 is a
huge threat.} 37. Rd3 f3 38. gxf3 Rxa7 {Finally black gets rid of the
dangerous passers.} 39. Qg3 $1 {The only move to continue the battle for an
advantage.} Re8 $1 {Only defence not to lose right away.} 40. Bd5 $1 Qb8 41.
Rxa7 Qxa7 42. Qg5 Nxb5 43. Qf6+ Qg7 44. Qxg7+ Kxg7 45. Bc6 Re7 46. Bxb5 e4 47.
fxe4 Rxe4 $14 {Wow! And after all that we end up with rook+bishop vs rook! :)
Simply incredible game chess.}) 34. Be6 Nd4 35. a6 {White seems to have good
winning chances here}) 33... Rg7 34. Rad1 Nd4 {This move is fine, but
objectively 34)... qc5! might've been much tougher for white to deal with.} (
34... Qc5 $1 {Might be stronger since here white seems to be under pressure
and has to play only moves to survive.} 35. Bd3 (35. Be2 $6 Rg3 $3 36. Qh5 Rg6
$1 $40) 35... Ne3 36. Rc1 Nxf1+ (36... Qa3 $5 {Might be even stronger.} 37. c7
Nxf1+ 38. Rxf1 Rxc7 39. b6 Rg7 40. a6 e4 41. Bxe4 Qxa6 42. Rb1 f3 43. Bxf3 Qd3
44. Rd1 Qe3 45. b7 Rg6 46. Rb1 Rh6 47. b8=Q Rxh3+ 48. Kxh3 Rxb8 49. Rxb8+ Kg7
50. Rb7+ $11 {It's a sample computer line, which is not forced obviously, but
shows how difficult it can be for both sides to play, and funnily enough end
in a quiet position(fortress) :)}) 37. Rxf1 Rfg8 38. Kh1 e4 $1 39. Bxe4 Qxb5
40. Rxf4 Qxa5 {And I think if anyone is trying to win, it's black.}) 35. Rxd4
Qxd4 $1 (35... exd4 $2 36. Qe6 $18) 36. Qd3 Qc5 (36... Qb2 $5) 37. Rf3 Qe7 {
At first chessbomb.com computer claims this move to be a mistake, but in fact
it seems like this move is also objectively not bad.} (37... Rf6 $5 38. Qd8+
Rf8 39. Qd5 Qe7 {Would also be enough counterplay for a draw.}) 38. Bd5 (38.
Qe4 Rg3 $1 {This idea chessbomb computer misses at a lower depth} 39. b6 (39.
Rxg3 $4 fxg3+ 40. Kxg3 Rf4 $19) 39... Qg7 $3 {Here too black will have enough
counterplay for a draw.}) 38... Qg5 $1 39. Rh3 Rd8 $6 {Objectively not the
best move, but it worked out very well for black in the game, and a very nice
practical try it turned out.} (39... f3 $1 {Objectively maybe this move gives
black better chances.} 40. Bxf3 Rd8 {And now suddenly black generates some
counterplay since he now attacks the queen, and the white queen doesn't have a
very nice square to go to.} 41. Qf1 $1 {Seems like the only move that retains
winning chances.} (41. Qc4 $2 Rd2 $1 {Is already a draw.}) (41. Qe4 $2 Rd4 42.
c7 Rxc7 {This is equal also.}) 41... e4 $1 42. Be2 Rdg8 $1 43. g4 (43. g3 Qe5
$1 {The computer on chessbomb.com doesn't see this far! :)} 44. Qe1 (44. Qf2 e3
45. Qf3 Qe7 $3 {Sets up a nasty Rf7 threat} 46. Rh4 (46. b6 $2 Rf7) 46... Qd6
47. Rh3 Qe7 $11) 44... e3) 43... Qd2 $3 {With very serious counterplay. Black
is still very much in the game.}) 40. b6 $2 {On the last move before the time
control Pavel Eljanov made a heart breaking mistake which allows black to
force a draw. He just needed to find one more move, and most likely the game
would've been over.} (40. Qf3 $1 {This move would finish off black since now
black has no more serious counterplay and white's pawns will be decisive.} e4 {
Maybe this was what Pavel wasn't sure about but it turns out it's not nearly
enough for black.} 41. Bxe4 Qxb5 {I guess Pavel saw up to here and didn't see
a clear win here, and in fact it's not so obvious that there is a clear win
here, while white just gave up an important b5 pawn. But it turns out black's
king is just too exposed.} 42. Qc3 $1 $18 (42. c7 $5 {This move also wins but
again, it's not so obvious} Rxc7 43. Qxf4 Rg7 44. Bxh7 $1 {And again, this
shot is decisive.} Rxh7 45. Qf6+ Kg8 46. Qxd8+ $18) (42. Bxh7 {Finally this
move also wins.} Rxh7 43. c7 {Transposing into the c7 and qc3 line.}) 42... Kg8
43. c7 $1 Rc8 44. Bxh7+ $3 {That's the point. It's the only winning move
though.} Rxh7 (44... Kf7 45. Be4 $18 {Is also completely winning since the
attack is unstoppable.}) 45. Rxh7 Kxh7 46. Qh3+ Kg7 47. Qxc8 {And white wins,
since black has no perpetual check here.} Qh5+ 48. Qh3) 40... e4 41. Qxe4 f3 $1
{Possibly this move was missed by Eljanov. Now black deflects the queen to a
worse square, f3, where it doesn't control the key e5 square. Therefore black
will be able to give perpetual check.} (41... Rxd5 $4 42. c7 {Is possibly what
Eljanov was counting on when he played 40)b6?}) 42. Qxf3 {Everything else
loses. Here Eljanov probably realized that he's blown the win and spend some
time to recover and just make sure he doesn't have some miraculous way still
to win. But unfortunately for him now the win is gone, and in fact if he plays
anything except for qxf3 he loses by force.} Rxd5 43. c7 Qe5+ 44. Rg3 Rxg3 45.
Qxg3 (45. c8=Q+ $4 Rg8+ {Is of course a nice point.}) 45... Qh5+ 46. Qh3 (46.
Kg1 $4 Qd1+ {And here black will either mate or win the queen by force.}) 46...
Qe5+ {And the game ended in a nice fighting draw. This must be very
heartbreaking to Pavel Eljanov, especially considering that in the previous
round he was very close to beating Wesley So. Pavel Eljanov could've easily
been a sole leader going into the rest day, and he has really played great
fighting chess in this tournament. Hopefully Pavel can recover from these two
difficult games and continue to play even better after the rest day.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpB"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Guramishvili, S."]
[Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2370"]
[BlackElo "2612"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6k1/p1Q3p1/7p/2P5/4Pp2/P2rnP2/1P1r2PP/2R1K3 w - - 0 31"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 31. c6 Kh7 $1 (31... Nxg2+ 32. Kf1 Rxf3+ 33. Kg1 {lets the king escape.})
32. Qa5 (32. Qe5 Rxg2 33. Qxf4 Rb3 $1 {setting up the unusual perpetual with
Rg1-g2.}) 32... Rxg2 33. c7 Rd1+ {Fancy and forcing, but not the only move.} (
33... Rd6 34. c8=Q Rg1+ 35. Ke2 Rg2+ $11) 34. Rxd1 Nc2+ 35. Kf1 Ne3+ 36. Ke1
1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Van Wely, L."]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, I."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4k3/pK3p2/Pp3Bp1/6P1/7P/4b3/2R5/4r3 b - - 0 43"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 43... b5 44. Rb2 (44. Rc8+ $1 Kd7 45. Rd8+ Ke6 46. Bc3 $1 {The only
clear win!} (46. Bd4 Rd1 47. Re8+ Kd7 48. Rxe3 Rxd4 49. Kxa7 Kc7 {is not
completely clear yet.}) 46... Re2 (46... Ke7 47. Rd5 Re2 48. Bd4 $1 Bxd4 49.
Rxd4 {and with the king cut off from the queenside the pawn simply marches
forward.}) 47. Bd4 Rd2 48. Re8+ Kd7 49. Bxe3 {and now the rook on d2 is under
attack!}) 44... Kd7 {Now Black's king is in the game and despite his best
efforts, there is no way through for White.} 45. Rxb5 Rd1 46. Be5 Ke6 47. Bb8
f6 48. Rb3 Bg1 49. gxf6 Kxf6 50. Rb5 Be3 51. Bc7 Rd3 52. Be5+ Ke6 53. Bh2 Kf6
54. Bc7 Ke6 55. Bb8 Kf6 56. Bg3 Rd7+ 57. Kc6 Rd3 58. Bd6 Bf2 59. Bb8 Rc3+ 60.
Kb7 Rd3 61. Bf4 Rd7+ 62. Kc6 Rd3 63. Bb8 Rc3+ 64. Kb7 Rd3 65. Rb1 Rd2 66. Ka8
Ra2 67. Rf1 Ke6 68. Bxa7 Bxh4 69. Kb7 Rb2+ 70. Kc6 Ra2 71. Kb5 Rb2+ 72. Kc6 Ra2
73. Kb7 Rb2+ 74. Kc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Rapport, Richard"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A12"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2840"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:18:51"]
[BlackClock "0:12:28"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 Bf5 3. Bb2 e6 4. d3 h6 5. Nbd2 Nf6 6. c4 c6 7. g3 Be7 8. Bg2 {
Ante el campe..^-n del mundo, Rapport decidi..^- jugar s..^-lida. La apertura
Reti sustituye al anterior gambito de rey.} O-O 9. O-O Nbd7 10. a3 a5 11. Qb1 {
No es una idea muy com..+/=n} ({La t..|_pica idea de la Reti tambi..Rn es
posible:} 11. Ra2 Bh7 12. Qa1 Nc5 13. Bc3 b5 14. Ne5 Qb6 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. Bd4
{seguido de una maniobra de doblaje de torres en la columna "c" como en
Melkumyan,H (2640)-Tabatabaei,M (2481) Warsaw 2016.}) ({Sin embargo, Reti se
reagrupaba con:} 11. Rc1 {y esta sigue siendo una de las continuaciones m..Ks
utilizadas hoy en d..|_a.} Bh7 12. Rc2 Bd6 13. Qa1 {y Richard tiene una
partida con esta continuaci..^-n: Rapport,R (2654)-Svetushkin,D (2588) Calvi
2013.}) 11... Bh7 {Una jugada casi siempre ..+/=til. Carlsen previene el
posible ataque de un caballo blanco desde d4.} 12. b4 {La idea de la jugada
anterior blanca.} axb4 13. axb4 Qb6 ({Despu..Rs de} 13... dxc4 $5 14. Nxc4 Nd5
{el blanco tendr..|_a que sacrificar un pe..^-n, pero seguramente ya estaba en
sus planes:} 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. Bd4 Nxb4 (16... Bxb4 $2 17. e4) 17. Qb2 Nf6 18.
Ra1 Qd8 19. Bc3 c5 20. Ra5 {con compensaci..^-n.}) 14. Bc3 Rxa1 {En una
partida previa, el blanco consigui..^- algo de ventaja despu..Rs de:} (14...
Ra6 15. Rxa6 (15. c5 $5 {podr..|_a haber sido incluso mejor despu..Rs de} Qa7
16. Qb2 Ra8 17. Rxa6 Qxa6 18. Nb3) 15... Qxa6 16. Qb3 dxc4 17. dxc4 {Lputian,S
(2590)-Adelman,C (2220) Long Beach 1994}) 15. Qxa1 Bxb4 16. Bxb4 Qxb4 17. Rb1
Qd6 18. Rxb7 {Casi todos los peones del flanco de dama han desaparecido y la
partida se aproxima a las tablas. El ..+/=nico problema del negro es el alfil
de h7, pero Carlsen toma medidas para hacer que ..Rste entre en acci..^-n.} e5
19. d4 $5 ({O tambi..Rn} 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Nf1 Bf5 {con total equilibrio.})
19... exd4 (19... e4 {dejar..|_a al alfil negro mal colocado y permitir..|_a
al blanco tener ligera ventaja despu..Rs de} 20. Ne5) 20. Nxd4 c5 21. N4b3 d4 {
Carlsen busca problemas y los encontrar..K. Esta jugada a..+/=n est..K bien.
Aqu..|_ Rapport sugiri..^-:} (21... dxc4 22. Nxc4 Qe6 {la cual habr..|_a
terminado pronto la partida de manera pac..|_fica}) 22. Bh3 d3 $2 {Esto, sin
embargo, no est..K bien. La l..|_nea:} (22... Rb8 23. Rxb8+ Qxb8 24. Qa5 Qc8
25. Qb5 {la posici..^-n parece pasiva para el negro pero ..Rste se puede
defender bien con} Bg6 $1 {para parar cualquier tipo de mate de la ..+/=ltima
fila. Y si} 26. Nxc5 Qxc5 27. Bxd7 Qe7 {recupera el pe..^-n con igualdad.}) ({
Seguramente la mejor manera de mantener la igualdad era:} 22... Bc2 $5 23. Qa7
Rd8) 23. e3 $1 {Ahora, adem..Ks de los problemas del flanco de dama, el negro
ha de afrontar el avance de los peones "e" y "f".} Ne5 24. Bg2 Rc8 ({A lo
mejor, Carlsen deber..|_a haber intentado la idea con} 24... Ned7 25. Qa7 Rc8
26. Bh3 Rd8 27. Rc7 Bg6 28. Bxd7 Nxd7 29. Nxc5 Nxc5 30. Rxc5 {aunque no
apostar..|_a mucho por las posibilidades de entablar del negro en esta posici..
^-n.}) 25. f4 {Los peones le costar..Kn al negro como m..|_nimo una pieza.}
Neg4 26. e4 Re8 ({O tambi..Rn} 26... Nd7 27. Qa7 Rd8 28. Bf3 h5 29. Rc7 {
donde la posici..^-n del negro es muy desfavorable}) 27. e5 Nxe5 28. fxe5 Rxe5
29. Rb6 $1 {?La mejor jugada!. La dama es desplazada o el negro pierde un pe..
^-n.} ({A lo mejor, el campe..^-n del mundo esperaba sobrevivir al final despu.
.Rs de} 29. Qa7 Bf5 30. Qb8+ Qxb8 31. Rxb8+ Kh7) 29... Qe7 ({O tambi..Rn} 29...
Qxb6 30. Qxe5 Nd7 31. Qe8+ Nf8 32. Qc6 {donde pronto los peones de "c5" y "d3"
desaparecer..Kn}) (29... Qc7 30. Rc6 Qb8 31. Rxc5 {gana un pe..^-n.}) 30. Rb8+
Ne8 31. Bc6 $1 {Una bonita manera de acabar una partida.} Re1+ 32. Qxe1 Qxe1+
33. Nf1 {El blanco recuperar..K la dama y por lo tanto ?Carlsen se rindi..^-!}
(33. Nf1 d2 34. Nbxd2) 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B25"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 2. Nc3 $5 {0 Who wants to waste
time studying the Berlin and the Ruy Lopez!} Nc6 {95} 3. g3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g6
{129} 4. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 5. d3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} d6 {
18 It's all symmetrical until now.} 6. f4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nge7 {948 Played
after 15 minutes of thought.} (6... f5 $5 {Black could have maintained the
symmetry. But not for long.} 7. exf5 Bxf5 8. fxe5 Nxe5 9. Bxb7 Rb8 10. Bg2 Bg4
11. Nge2 Nf3+ $44) 7. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nd4 {254} 8. O-O {594} Bg4 {121
Adhiban found this plan to be slightly irritating as it is not so easy to
break the pin.} 9. Be3 {200} c5 {889} 10. Qd2 {69} O-O {[%emt 0:00:23]} 11. Nh4
{384} exf4 {250} 12. Bxf4 {95} Qd7 {233} 13. Rf2 {693 White has natural play,
but overall Black cannot be worse here as he has developed all his pieces and
is clearly well co-ordinated.} Rae8 {98} 14. Bh6 {762} Bxh6 {141} 15. Qxh6 {
[%emt 0:00:02]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 16. h3 $5 {408} Be6 {109} (16... Bxh3 17.
Nf3 $1 Nxf3+ 18. Bxf3 $18 {The rook is coming to h2 and Black is lost!}) 17.
Raf1 {[%emt 0:00:50]} Qd8 {592} (17... d5 $5 {This should have been given some
thought by Andreikin.} 18. exd5 Bxd5 $1 (18... Nxd5 $2 19. Ne4 $16) 19. Nxd5
Nxd5 $11 {And although the bishop is gone Black is very well co-ordinated.})
18. Nb1 {711} (18. Nd1 {with the idea of Ne3 was even stronger.}) 18... d5 $2 {
221 A very bad move because it helps the knight to come to the e4 square.} (
18... Bxa2 $5 19. Nd2 f6 $5 (19... Be6 $6 20. c3 $1 Nb3 21. Nxb3 Bxb3 22. Rf6 {
Nf3-g5 would be terminal.}) 20. b3 $13 (20. Rxf6 Rxf6 21. Rxf6 Rf8 22. Rxf8+
Qxf8 $11)) 19. Nd2 $1 {500} dxe4 $2 {15 This is just suicide by Andreikin.
Letting the knight come to e4 means that all the dark squares around the black
king would be in danger.} 20. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:47]} Nef5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (
20... Nd5 21. Ng5 $18) 21. Rxf5 $1 {45 The reason why this move works and Nxf5
is not very strong is because the last piece to take on f5 should be a knight.
This would mean that there is a mate on g7 and Black has no time for Rxe4.
Quite a simple tactic, but things can become complex when too many pieces are
vying the same square.} (21. Nxf5 Nxf5 22. Rxf5 Bxf5 23. Rxf5 {This seems very
strong, but Black has} Rxe4 $1 24. Bxe4 gxf5 25. Bxf5 Qd4+ 26. Kg2 Qg7 $17 {
When the attack is repelled and Black is clearly better.}) 21... Nxf5 {[%emt 0:
00:32]} (21... Bxf5 22. Ng5 $18) 22. Rxf5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qd4+ {78} (22...
Bxf5 23. Nxf5 $1 gxf5 24. Nf6+ Qxf6 25. Qxf6 $18) 23. Rf2 $1 {195 White simply
has two pieces for a rook and Black is utterly lost.} f5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 24.
Ng5 {97} (24. Nxg6 $1 hxg6 25. Qxg6+ Qg7 (25... Kh8 26. Ng5 Qg7 27. Qh5+ Kg8
28. Nxe6 Rxe6 29. Bd5 $18) 26. Nf6+ $1 Rxf6 27. Qxe8+ $18) 24... Qg7 {[%emt 0:
00:37]} 25. Qxg7+ {[%emt 0:00:23]} Kxg7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 26. Bc6 {[%emt 0:00:
13]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (26... Re7 27. Re2 Kf6 28. Rxe6+ Rxe6 29. Nxh7+ Kg7
30. Nxf8 Kxf8 31. Bxb5 $18) 27. Nxe6+ {106} Rxe6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 28. Bxb5 {
1 The rest as they is just a matter of technique. Adhiban mopped up the game
pretty quickly.} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 29. a4 {202} a6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 30. Bc4
{[%emt 0:00:06]} Re1+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} 31. Kg2 {158} Rxb2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 32.
Bxa6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rc1 {173} 33. Bc4 {140} Rcxc2 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 34. Rxc2 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} Rxc2+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 35. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} 36. a5 {[%emt 0:00:53]} g5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 37. a6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rc1
{[%emt 0:00:23]} 38. Ng2 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Ke5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 39. Ne3 {286} h5
{[%emt 0:00:07]} 40. Nc2 $1 {0 The final touch.} g4+ {[%emt 0:00:29]} 41. Ke3 {
519} gxh3 {115} 42. a7 {147} h2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 43. a8=Q {[%emt 0:00:38]} h1=Q
{[%emt 0:00:07]} 44. Qb8+ {[%emt 0:00:21]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 45. Qf8+ {
[%emt 0:00:09]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 46. Bf7+ {[%emt 0:00:14]} 1-0

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C43"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {
[%emt 0:00:10]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 4. dxe5 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 5. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc5 {75} 6. Be2 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Be7 {485} 7. O-O {[%emt 0:00:09]} O-O {410} 8. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nc6
{424} 9. Nf1 {830} f6 {229} 10. exf6 {383} Bxf6 {244} 11. Ng3 {159} Qd6 {612}
12. c3 {498} Be6 {252} 13. Ng5 {361} Bd7 {1305} 14. Bf3 {1142} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:
43]} 15. Be3 {231} Ne6 {445} 16. Nxe6 {485} Bxe6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 17. Qe2 {592}
Bf7 {127} 18. Rad1 {85} Rfe8 {320} 19. Qb5 $6 {740} (19. Qd2 {with the threat
of Bf4 is quite strong.} Be5 20. Bg4 c6 (20... Kh8 21. f4 Bf6 22. Nh5 $14) 21.
f4 Bf6 22. Ne4 $18) 19... a6 $1 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 20. Qa4 {[%emt 0:00:20]} b5 {
135} 21. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Qc6 {105} 22. Nh5 {[%emt 0:00:32]} Be5 {[%emt 0:
00:41]} 23. Nf4 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Rad8 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 24. Nd3 {98} Bf6 {
[%emt 0:00:23]} 25. Bf4 $6 {[%emt 0:00:16]} (25. Qd2 $14 {Would have
maintained the slight edge for White in this position.} Ng6 26. Nb4 $1 Qb7 27.
Nxd5 $16) (25. Nb4 $14 {was also a good move.}) 25... Ng6 $1 {137 Black is
able to unravel now and get an easy game. It was important to keep the
pressure on d5.} 26. Bg3 {116} Rxe1+ {88} 27. Rxe1 {[%emt 0:00:32]} Qb6 {60} (
27... Qb6 28. Nb4 c5 $15) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} d6 {[%emt 0:
00:03]} 3. d4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 4. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 6. Be2 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 7. Nb3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:07]
} 8. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 9. Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Nbd7 {
202} 10. Qd3 {[%emt 0:00:45]} Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 11. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
O-O {[%emt 0:00:04]} 12. a4 {99} Rc8 {935} 13. a5 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Ne8 {
[%emt 0:00:13]} 14. O-O {180} Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 15. c4 {198} f5 {238} 16. f3
{470} Bxe3+ {318} 17. Qxe3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} f4 {60} 18. Qf2 {139} g5 {157} 19.
Nd2 {132} Ndf6 {324} 20. b4 {540} Ng7 {131} 21. Ne4 {443} Nxe4 {297} 22. fxe4 {
[%emt 0:00:17]} g4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 23. c5 {849} Qg5 {[%emt 0:00:51]} 24. c6 {
262} bxc6 {434} 25. Bxa6 {137} g3 {439} 26. Qf3 {475} Rc7 {137} 27. dxc6 {250}
gxh2+ {[%emt 0:00:53]} 28. Kxh2 {83} d5 {310} 29. exd5 {843} Nf5 {[%emt 0:00:
10]} 30. d6 {141} Qh6+ {493} 31. Qh3 {387} Qxd6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 32. Bc4+ {309}
Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 33. b5 {101} Rg7 {301} 34. Rad1 {[%emt 0:00:56]} Nd4 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} 35. Rxd4 {305} Qxd4 {303} 36. Qd3 {[%emt 0:00:52]} Qc5 {208}
37. Rf3 {323} Qe7 {192} 38. Bd5 {[%emt 0:00:41]} Qg5 {866} 39. Rh3 {[%emt 0:00:
50]} Rd8 {158} 40. b6 $2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (40. Qf3 $1 $18 {Prophylaxis against
e4! White is just winning now.}) 40... e4 {180} 41. Qxe4 {511} f3 {114} (41...
Rxd5 42. c7 $18) 42. Qxf3 {160} Rxd5 {776} 43. c7 {1313} Qe5+ {340} 44. Rg3 {
116} Rxg3 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 45. Qxg3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Qh5+ {[%emt 0:00:08]} 46.
Qh3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Qe5+ {5 Wojtazek escapes narrowly!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Rapport, Richard"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A12"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2840"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 2. b3 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Bf5 {172} 3.
Bb2 {75} e6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 4. d3 {68} h6 {61} 5. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Nf6 {
[%emt 0:00:11]} 6. c4 {274} c6 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 7. g3 {483} Be7 {91} 8. Bg2 {
[%emt 0:00:36]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:13]} 9. O-O {172} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 10. a3
{90} a5 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 11. Qb1 {318} Bh7 {571} 12. b4 $1 {298} axb4 {774} 13.
axb4 {[%emt 0:00:31]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 14. Bc3 {835} Rxa1 {359} 15. Qxa1 {
[%emt 0:00:16]} Bxb4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 16. Bxb4 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Qxb4 {[%emt 0:
00:02]} 17. Rb1 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Qd6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 18. Rxb7 {11 White has a
small edge here, but still nothing substantial.} e5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 19. d4 $1
{11 This is a thoroughly disruptive move. Only a player who understands
dynamics well can make this move as it spoils the pawn structure for White.}
exd4 {182} (19... e4 20. Ne5 $14) 20. Nxd4 {1359} c5 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 21. N4b3
{679} d4 {289} 22. Bh3 {262} d3 $6 {1928 Magnus never really forces the play
in a manner where his position is worsened. Here he loses his sense of danger.}
23. e3 $1 {292 The knights blockade the d3 pawn very well and it becomes more
of a weakness than a strength. Also the queen is ready to break in to a7.} Ne5
{68} 24. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:49]} Rc8 {728} 25. f4 $1 {209} Neg4 {297} 26. e4 {
25 Tactics do not work for Black here.} Re8 {297} (26... Nd7 27. Bf3 h5 28. Qa7
Rd8 29. Rc7 $18) 27. e5 {[%emt 0:00:56]} Nxe5 {61} 28. fxe5 {[%emt 0:00:12]}
Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 29. Rb6 {[%emt 0:00:24]} (29. Qa7 Re2 30. Qxc5 Qxc5+ 31.
Nxc5 $18) 29... Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:18]} (29... Qc7 $16) 30. Rb8+ {72} Ne8 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 31. Bc6 $1 {24 Tactically, Black is completely lost.} Re1+ {
[%emt 0:00:35]} 32. Qxe1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Qxe1+ {[%emt 0:00:09]} 33. Nf1 {
2 The last quiet move and it's all over. You will either lose the queen or the
king!} 1-0

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2773"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:
00:05]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. g3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bb4+
{[%emt 0:00:07]} 5. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 6. Bg2 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:06]} 7. O-O {[%emt 0:00:04]} c6 {4 This position has
been reached in nearly 3000 games and Levon Aronian unleashes a move which has
been never played before by White.} 8. Na3 $5 {4 The idea is to put the rook
quickly on c1.} Nbd7 {368} 9. Rc1 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Ne4 {137} (9... b6 10. cxd5
cxd5 11. Qb3 Ba6 12. Nb5 Ne4 13. Bf4 $14) 10. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bxa3 {681}
11. bxa3 {5 It's true White has doubled a-pawns. However, is it worth giving
up the dark squared bishop?} Nd6 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 12. c5 {391} Nc4 {567} 13.
Rxc4 $1 {14 An excellent exchange sacrifice. White already has an inferior
pawn structure. Now he even gives up material. What is his compensation for
this? Well, it's the activity of the pieces!} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 14. Qc2 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} h6 {403} (14... b5 $6 15. Ng5 Nf6 16. Bxc6 $14) 15. Qxc4 {353}
b6 {83} (15... e5 $5 16. dxe5 Qe7 17. Bd4 Re8 18. Qc3 $44 {Keeps control.}) 16.
Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:47]} Re8 {706} 17. Bd6 {51 The dark squared bishop moves
around the black position like a mouse through the swiss cheese.} Bb7 {462} 18.
Ne5 {217} bxc5 {411} 19. dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Nxe5 {333} 20. Bxe5 {14 The
difference in the quality of the bishops on the board is clear.} a5 {639} (
20... Qa5 21. Qg4 f6 22. Bxf6 $18) 21. Rb1 {151} Ra7 {[%emt 0:00:21]} (21...
Ba6 22. Qg4 f6 23. Bd6 $16) 22. Qc3 {105} f6 {75} 23. Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Ba8
{[%emt 0:00:49]} 24. Be4 {92} f5 {92} 25. Bc2 {300} Rb7 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 26.
Rd1 {77 All of White's pieces are in play, while the bishop on a8 looks
horrible. White is just winning. Such positions where opponent has no
counterplay is easy for guys like Levon to play.} Rd7 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 27. e4 {
[%emt 0:00:18]} Qf6 {146} 28. Qc4 {383} Kh8 {101} 29. Re1 {72} Qf7 {95} (29...
f4 30. e5 Qg5 31. Qe4 $16) 30. Qd3 {282} f4 {77} 31. gxf4 {532} (31. e5 g5 32.
g4 $16) 31... e5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 32. Qh3 {[%emt 0:00:24]} (32. f5 $16) 32...
Rxd6 {134} 33. cxd6 {65} Qg6+ {[%emt 0:00:01]} 34. Qg3 {94} Qxd6 {[%emt 0:00:
09]} 35. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Qc5 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 36. Rd7 {64} Rg8 {151} 37.
Bb3 $18 {80} exf4 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 38. Qg6 {125} f3 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 39. h4 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} Qc3 {230} 40. Bxg8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qe1+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} 41.
Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Qxf2+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 42. Kh3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Qf1+ {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 43. Kg4 {4 A great game by Levon Aronian.} 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "1:12:31"]
[BlackClock "0:04:43"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 {El ataque Keres es
considerada la arma m..Ks peligrosa ante la Siciliana Scheveningen. Por una
buena raz..^-n:} h6 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. h3 g5 ({La otra manera de jugar es con} 8...
Nxd4 9. Qxd4 e5 10. Qd3 Be6 11. f4 Rc8 {Bacrot,E (2719) -Kempinski,R (2620)
Alemania 2015}) 9. Nxc6 {Una novedad, que no deber..|_a sorprender. Cabe
destacar que esta es una maniobra t..|_pica en las l..|_neas con Fianchetto
ante la Scheveningen.} ({En esta posici..^-n el blanco tan solo ha intentado:} 
9. Be3 Ne5 10. Qe2 Bd7 11. O-O-O {con un juego de doble filo, Forster,R (2463)
-Atlas,V (2475) Switzerland 2002}) 9... bxc6 10. e5 {La idea detr..Ks de la
captura. El blanco intercambia el pe..^-n de d6 y deja a los peones "a7" y
"c6" aislados.} Nd5 {El sacrificio de calidad era muy interesante:} (10... dxe5
$5 {cuando} 11. Bxc6+ ({Creo que Carlsen hubiera entrado en el siguiente final
} 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Bxc6 Rb8) 11... Bd7 12. Bxa8 Qxa8 {deja a las negras con
la pareja de alfiles y debilita las casillas blancas del flanco de rey.}) 11.
exd6 Qxd6 ({O tambi..Rn} 11... Bxd6 12. Ne4 Bf4 (12... Be7 13. c4 {ser..|_a
similar a la partida.}) 13. c4 Bxc1 14. Qxc1 Qa5+ 15. Nc3 $1 {con ventaja para
las blancas.}) 12. O-O Ba6 ({Est..K claro que no} 12... Nxc3 13. Qxd6 Bxd6 14.
Bxc6+ {puesto que las blancas ganan la calidad en un final.}) 13. Re1 {Carlsen
desaf..|_a al caballo.} Be7 ({Sin embargo, ahora} 13... Nxc3 $5 {era
interesante con la idea de sacrificar un pe..^-n a cambio de entorpecer el
desarrollo blanco en la l..|_nea:} 14. Qxd6 Bxd6 15. Bxc6+ Ke7 16. Bxa8 Ne2+
17. Rxe2 Bxe2 18. Be4 Be5 19. Be3 (19. c3 Rb8) 19... Bxb2 20. Rb1 Be5 21. Bxa7
Rc8 {No est..K demasiado claro si la compensaci..^-n ser..K suficiente.}) ({
El desarrollo m..Ks activo no es posible:} 13... Bg7 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Qxd5)
14. Ne4 Qc7 15. c4 $1 {Una jugada fuerte. Una vez el caballo sea desplazado de
la casilla central, la ventaja blanca ser..K obvia.} Nb4 (15... Bxc4 $2 {
drops a piece to} 16. Qd4) 16. b3 (16. Be3 $5 {pod..|_a haber sido m..Ks
fuerte con la idea de Ae3-c5. A las blancas no les deber..|_a preocupar la l..
|_nea:} Rd8 17. Qb3 Rd3 18. Nc3 {puesto que ahora el caballo de las negras est.
.Kn atrapado despu..Rs de por ejemplo} O-O 19. a3) 16... Rd8 ({O tambi..Rn} 
16... O-O 17. Bb2 Rad8 18. Qf3 Nd3 19. Nf6+ {con una clara ventaja para las
blancas.}) 17. Qf3 Nd3 18. Rd1 Nxc1 19. Raxc1 Qf4 {Van Wely se decide por el
mal menor. Su rey podr..|_a estar en serio peligro despu..Rs de:} (19... O-O
20. Nf6+ Kh8 21. Rxd8 (21. Qc3 e5) 21... Rxd8 22. Nh5) 20. Rxd8+ Bxd8 21. Qxf4
gxf4 22. Nc5 Bc8 23. Bxc6+ {Carlsen gana un pe..^-n y comienza a convertir su
ventaja con su tradicional estilo.} Ke7 24. Bf3 Bb6 25. Nd3 Rd8 ({Or} 25... Bc7
26. Nb4 (26. b4 $5) 26... Bd7 27. c5) 26. Nb4 ({Por supuesto no:} 26. Nxf4 Rd2
27. c5 Bc7 28. Ne2 Rxa2 {donde las piezas negras se activar..|_an.}) 26... Bd7
27. c5 Ba5 28. Rc4 Rc8 29. c6 Bxb4 {Forzado.} (29... Be8 30. Rxf4) 30. Rxb4
Bxc6 31. Bxc6 Rxc6 32. Rxf4 {El final de torres ofrece posibilidades de tablas
para Van Wely. Parece que no hizo el mejor uso de las mismas.} a5 ({Un plan
pod..|_a haber sido forzar el cierre de la estructura de peones:} 32... Ra6 33.
a4 ({Aunque existe la fuerte:} 33. Ra4 $1 Rxa4 34. bxa4 {y debido a que el rey
de las negras no puede acercarse al flanco de dama por la ruptura con h4-h5, 
(f2-f4) y (g4-g5), las blancas tienen posici..^-n ganadora.}) 33... Rb6 34. b4
a6 {y despu..Rs atacarlos desde lejos con Tb6-c6-c2-a2.}) 33. Kg2 Rc5 34. h4
Rd5 ({A lo mejor:} 34... h5 35. g5 (35. f3 $2 Rc2+) 35... Kf8 {seguido de
Rf8-g7-g6 era una mejor idea. Entonces, la torre podr..K ir a por los peones
del flanco de dama mientras que el rey estar..K listo para la avalancha de
peones blancos en el flanco de rey.}) 35. Kf3 f6 36. Ke3 {Con la idea de
Te4-d4 seguido de Re3-d3} h5 37. f3 $1 {Esta vez es diferente puesto que el pe.
.^-n puede ser defendido.} hxg4 {Hace las cosas m..Ks f..Kciles para el blanco.
La defensa pasiva era mejor.} 38. fxg4 Rd1 39. Ra4 Re1+ (39... Rd5 40. h5 {
ser..|_a parecido.}) 40. Kf3 Re5 41. Rc4 Rd5 42. h5 Rd2 43. Ra4 (43. Rc7+ Kd6
44. Ra7 Rxa2 45. h6 Rh2 46. h7 {era tambi..Rn una idea para las blancas, pero
Carlsen quieren conseguir una mejor versi..^-n de esta posici..^-n.}) 43... Rd5
44. Ke3 {Carlsen quieren ganar un tiempo.} Rg5 ({O tambi..Rn} 44... Rc5 45. Rc4
Rd5 (45... Rg5 46. Kf4) 46. Rc7+ (46. h6) 46... Kd6 47. Ra7 {y en comparaci..
^-n con la l..|_nea antes mencionada, las blancas ganan dos tiempos.}) 45. Rc4
Kd6 46. Kf4 Rd5 47. Rc8 {La torre se adentra en el territorio de las negras -
el pe..^-n "h" decidir..K la partida.} Rd4+ 48. Kg3 Kd7 49. Ra8 Rd3+ 50. Kg2
Rd2+ 51. Kf3 Rd3+ ({Puesto que} 51... Rxa2 52. h6 Rh2 53. h7 Rxh7 54. Ra7+ {
perder..|_a la torre.}) 52. Ke4 Rh3 53. Rxa5 e5 54. Kf5 Rf3+ 55. Kg6 e4 56. h6
e3 57. h7 Rh3 ({La alternativa era mate despu..Rs de} 57... e2 58. h8=Q e1=Q
59. Rd5+ Kc6 60. Qa8+) 58. Ra7+ Kd6 59. Ra8 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Sadorra, Julio"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 {This shouldn't be a surprise from Andreikin as he's known to
play London and Torre Attack structures both in short and long time-control
games.} e6 3. Nd2 ({The other popular move here is} 3. e4 {leading to
imbalanced middlegames after} h6 ({or} 3... c5 $5 4. e5 h6) 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. c3
d6 $11 {where both sides have advantages and disadvantages.}) 3... h6 4. Bh4 d5
5. e3 c5 6. c3 {We're now officially in the land of Torre Attack :-)} Nc6 7.
Bd3 {Andeikin's handling of the Torre System, delaying his king's knight
development, is intriguing as he leaves himself the option of switching to a
favorable Stonewall game after the move f2-f4 (his dark-squared bishop is
outside of the pawn chain instead of being passive on c1)!} Qb6 {Controlling
the important b5-square with tempo.} 8. Rb1 {and now Eljanov doesn't allow
Andrekin to achieve his desired Stonewall set-up with} e5 $1 9. Ne2 $5 {
Placing the knight on e2 is another option availed by Andreikin's move-order.}
({Black has no problems after} 9. dxe5 Nxe5 {Do you see now why it's important
to control b5? :-)} 10. Bc2 (10. Be2 $2 Bf5 $17) 10... Be7 {safe and solid.} (
10... Qa6 $6 {A nice idea but a little too ambitious because White can take
over the initiative with accurate play after} 11. Ndf3 $1 (11. Ngf3 Nd3+ 12.
Bxd3 Qxd3 {with the bishop pair advantage.}) (11. Ba4+ $2 {only helps Black's
cause} Bd7 12. Bxd7+ Nfxd7 $17) 11... Nxf3+ 12. Nxf3 Be7 $5 {sac-ing a pawn
may be the best practical choice} (12... Be6 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Bd3 Qb6 15. O-O
O-O-O 16. b4 $1 $40) 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qxd5 Be6 15. Qe4 $1 (15. Qxc5 $6 Rc8 16.
Qb4 Rc4 {White's queen is in trouble giving Black at least enough compensation
for the pawns!}) 15... Qxa2 16. O-O (16. Qxb7 O-O $13) 16... Qd5 17. Ra1 $1 $36
{It is clear that White has good pressure, but Black still has chances for a
successful defense.}) 11. Ngf3 Nxf3+ 12. Nxf3 Be6 $11) 9... cxd4 10. exd4 e4
11. Bc2 g5 12. Bg3 Bg7 13. O-O O-O {the opening was a success for Black as not
only did he manage to equalize but also achieved better chances in the ensuing
middlegame struggle due to the simple plan of pushing down his pawns on the
kingside.} 14. b4 {starting counterplay on the queenside with ideas of kicking
back the c6-knight, but it's also positionally risky as it weakens many
squares.} Nh5 15. Bd6 Rd8 16. Bc5 Qc7 17. f3 e3 18. b5 ({Black is also better
after} 18. Nb3 b6 19. b5 Ne5 $1 {a nice small tactic} 20. Bb4 (20. Ba3 Nc4)
20... Nc4 {transposes to the line above} 21. Qd3 f5 $17 {Black has great space
advantage well-controlled by stable pieces.}) 18... b6 ({I think the simple
move} 18... Na5 {also works, but Eljanov was probably concerned about White
complicating things with} 19. b6 $5 (19. Nb3 b6 20. Bb4 Nc4 {transposes to the
line above}) 19... Qc6 20. Nb3 {and now Black has to be careful} (20. Ba4 Qe6
21. Nb3 Nc4 $17) 20... Nc4 $1 (20... axb6 $2 21. Nxa5 bxa5 22. Rb6 Qc7 23. Qd3
{and White is suddenly better!}) 21. bxa7 Nf4 {and Black is still in control
of the advantage.}) 19. bxc6 bxc5 20. Nb3 c4 21. Nc5 Nf4 22. Re1 Bf8 $1 {
planning to remove White's most active piece while avoiding any counterplay.} (
{Taking the pawn right away, gives White chances to equalize after} 22... Qxc6
23. Qc1 $1 Qe8 (23... Re8 $4 24. Ba4 $18) 24. Ng3 {and the e-pawn is falling.})
23. Ba4 ({Now the previous idea doesn't work due to} 23. Qc1 Re8 $17 {and
things are under control.} 24. Ba4 $2 Nd3 $1 $19) 23... Bxc5 24. dxc5 $5 {
White is faced with a tough choice in a worse situation, in which Andreikin
makes a decision on practical grounds-- to be an exchange down with chances of
counterplay in an oddly complex position rather than be a pawn down in a
simpler position.} (24. Nxf4 gxf4 25. dxc5 Qa5 {this is the simple position
that Andreikin rejected playing which anyone will most likely lose against a
player of Eljanov's sytle and calibre.}) 24... Nd3 25. Nd4 Nxe1 26. Qxe1 Re8
27. h4 $5 {White will not go down without a fight! Instead of waiting for his
doom, Andreikin makes sure that the Black king will also be exposed, even
slightly, when his king gets attacked in the future!} Re7 28. hxg5 hxg5 29. Rb7
{a logical follow-up to his White's idea} Bxb7 30. cxb7 Rb8 {A good practical
choice. Eljanov only had 16 min left to make time-control and chooses to avoid
hazy positions that requires too much calculations.} ({Here's a few sample
lines of how tricky and hairy things can get:} 30... Qxb7 31. Bc6 Qb8 32. Bxd5
$1 {and Black will have more problems ahead of him to solve.} (32. Bxa8 $5 {
is also not that easy for Black to face otb with little time on the clock} Qxa8
33. Qg3 {and here Black has to reject the temptation to push the passed pawn
to win:} f6 (33... e2 $2 34. Qxg5+ Kf8 35. Qh6+ Ke8 36. Nxe2 $1 $13 (36. Qh8+ {
I know you were hoping for this!} Kd7 37. Qxa8 e1=Q+ 38. Kh2 Qh4+ 39. Kg1 Re1#)
) 34. Nf5 Re5 $1 $19 (34... Re6 $2 35. Qc7)) 32... e2 $2 33. Nc6 $16) 31. c6
Rbe8 32. Ne2 f6 ({Another good attacking move and probably better is} 32... Kg7
$1 33. Qd1 Rh8 34. Qd4+ (34. Qxd5 Qh2+ 35. Kf1 Qh1+ 36. Ng1 e2+ 37. Kf2 e1=Q#)
34... f6 35. g3 {and there are many ways to win from here e.g.} Qe5 $19) 33.
Qd1 $1 {With 7 minutes left on his clock, Andreikin finds the most problematic
moves. Eljanov either missed or underestimated this as it took him longer to
play his next move compared to the previous ones.} Rh7 $1 {the right direction
to the "puzzle solution"} 34. Qxd5+ Kg7 35. g3 {[#] With 4 minutes on the
clock, which will you choose a) Rd8 then Rdh8, or b) immediate
Rdh8?****************} Rd8 {After using most of his remaining time, Eljanov
chose the more logical move--to force the White queen to lose control of h1
before doubling rooks. As we will see in the game, Black unfortunately has no
concrete way to gain the advantage in this direction.} ({The correct solution
is:} 35... Reh8 $1 36. f4 Qf7 $3 {an important move to foresee in one's
analysis} 37. Qxf7+ Kxf7 38. Kg2 (38. g4 Ke6 $19 {and the passed pawns are
stopped.}) 38... g4 $19 {with mate coming next. What a position! If Eljanov
had more time, I have a good feeling Eljanov would have been able to figure it
out.}) 36. Qe6 Rdh8 37. f4 Rh1+ 38. Kg2 R1h2+ (38... R8h2+ {is risky as one of
the rooks could end up being misplaced and come late to stop the White passes
pawns later.} 39. Kf3 Rf1+ 40. Kg4 {could lead to a force draw} (40. Ke4 $2
Rxe2 41. Qd7+ Qxd7 42. cxd7 Rd2 $3 43. b8=Q e2 $19) 40... Rh4+ (40... Rxe2 {
Now this doesn't work anymore} 41. Qd7+ Qxd7+ 42. cxd7 Rd2 43. b8=Q e2 44. d8=Q
Rxd8 45. Qc7+ $1 Kh6 46. Qxd8 e1=Q 47. Qf8+ Kg6 48. Bc2+ $18) 41. gxh4 Rxf4+
42. Nxf4 (42. Kh3 Rxh4+ 43. Kg2 Qh2+ 44. Kf3 Qf2#) 42... Qxf4+ 43. Kh3 Qf3+ 44.
Kh2 Qf2+ $11) 39. Kf3 {The beginning of another episode of the king marching
towards the center! (We saw it earlier in Rapport-Wei Yi)} Rf2+ 40. Kxe3 Rhh2 {
Fortunately for Andreikin, his critical moment arose after he makes the
time-control! Seeing that Eljanov has lost control of the situation, Andreikin
now uses all of his resources to keep himself out of trouble from here on.} 41.
Bd1 $1 {best defense.} ({All other moves lose:} 41. Nd4 gxf4+ 42. Ke4 Re2+ 43.
Kd5 Qa5+ 44. Kd6 Rxe6+ 45. Nxe6+ Kf7 46. b8=Q Qe5+ $19) (41. Qd7+ Qxd7 42. cxd7
Rxe2+ 43. Kf3 g4+ 44. Kxg4 Rh8 $19) 41... gxf4+ 42. Nxf4 Qb6+ {After a few
commercial breaks, we now resume the king's marching show!} 43. Ke4 Qb1+ $11 {
but they play on!} 44. Kd5 $1 {In this unclear complex stage, both players
still display great fighting spirits!} ({The game could end in a draw now with
} 44. Ke3 Qb6+ 45. Ke4 Qb1+ $11 {but they play on!}) 44... Qxd1+ 45. Kc5 Rxf4
46. Qe7+ {After trying and finding no way to play for more, Eljanov finally
settles for a perpetual.} ({Another way for the game to continue was} 46. gxf4
Qg1+ (46... Rh5+ $2 {This only misplaces the rook and loses coordination with
the queen.} 47. f5 Qd8 (47... Rh8 48. Qe7+ Kh6 49. Qxf6+ Kh7 50. Qxh8+ $18) 48.
Qd7+ Qxd7 49. cxd7 Rh8 50. Kd6 Kf7 51. Kc7 $18) 47. Kxc4 (47. Kd6 $2 Rd2+ 48.
Ke7 Qc5+ 49. Ke8 Qf8#) 47... Qf1+ 48. Kc5 {will most likely end in a perpetual
too.}) (46. b8=Q $4 Rh5+ $19 {and White is forced to give up both queens!})
46... Kg6 47. Qe8+ Kg7 {Andreikin, likewise, cannot find a way to escape
checks that's favorable for him. Thus, the game logically ends in a peace
treaty.} (47... Kf5 48. b8=Q $18 {now Black doesn't have a check along the 5th
rank!}) 48. Qe7+ Kh6 49. Qf8+ Kh7 50. Qf7+ Kh6 51. Qf8+ Kh7 52. Qf7+ Kh6 53.
Qf8+ Kh7 54. Qf7+ {This is a game with rich opening ideas, a tense middlegame
struggle in which White fights to keep control of his advantage against
Black's desperate attempts to create counterplay and break from the shackles
of passivity, and a nerves-testing time trouble situation that gave Eljanov
problems and allowed Andreikin to come back. Subsequently after time-control,
Andreikin even showed ambition to win with his queening pawns by bravely
walking his majesty to the middle of the board! In the end, Eljanov minimizes
the damage and successfully stops Andreikin's ambitions by creating mating
threats, forcing Andreikin to engage in an inescapable repetition of checks. A
truly epic battle! 1/2-1/2 (54) Andreikin,D (2736)-Eljanov,P (2755) 79th Tata
Steel Chess-Masters 2017 [Sadorra, Julio]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2766"]
[Annotator "Alejandro Ramirez"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 e6 6. Nxd5 exd5 7. b4 $5 c4 8.
Bb2 Bxb4 9. Bxg7 {Can't say you see this very often!} Rg8 10. Be5 Nc6 11. Bg3
Bf5 12. Be2 Be7 13. O-O h5 14. d3 h4 15. Bf4 d4 16. exd4 Nxd4 17. dxc4 Nxe2+
18. Qxe2 Bd3 19. Qe5 Bxf1 20. Rxf1 Rc8 21. Re1 Rc6 22. Nd4 Rcg6 23. g3 hxg3 24.
hxg3 Kf8 25. Rd1 Qd7 26. Rd2 Rf6 27. Qh5 (27. Nf5 $3 Rxf5 (27... Qe8 28. Re2 {
and the pin is fatal, though Bh6+ was also good enough.}) (27... Qxf5 28. Bh6+
Rxh6 (28... Ke8 29. Qb8+ {is mate}) 29. Qxf5 $18) 28. Bh6+ Ke8 29. Qb8+ {
picks up the queen and the game} Qd8 30. Rxd8+ Bxd8 31. Qxb7 $18) 27... a6 28.
Bg5 Rd6 29. Bh6+ Ke8 30. Qe5 b6 31. a4 Qb7 32. Bf4 Rd7 33. Nf5 Rxd2 34. Bxd2
Rg6 35. Bb4 Re6 36. Ng7+ Kd7 37. Qd4+ Rd6 38. Bxd6 Bxd6 39. Nf5 $6 (39. Qf6 $1
{and Black can't defend the f7 pawn, this should be good enough to win.}) 39...
Qc6 40. Qf6 Bc5 $1 41. Qxf7+ Kc8 42. Qg8+ Kb7 43. Qg7+ Kc8 44. Qh8+ Kb7 45.
Qh7+ Kb8 46. g4 Qxa4 47. Qh2+ Kb7 48. Qf4 a5 $1 {Black's a-pawn is just a
bouot enough counterplay to hold the balance. The endgame is still incredibly
complicated, but with correct play Black is fine.} 49. g5 Qc6 50. Nd4 Qg6 51.
Nb5 Qg7 52. Kg2 a4 53. Qf3+ Kb8 54. Qg3+ Kc8 55. g6 a3 56. Nd6+ Kd7 57. Nf5 Qg8
58. g7 a2 59. Qg4 a1=Q 60. Nh6+ Qe6 61. Qxe6+ Kxe6 62. g8=Q+ Kd7 63. Qf7+ Kc6
64. Ng4 Qd4 65. Qf5 Bd6 66. Ne3 Qg7+ 67. Kf1 Bc5 68. Qc8+ Qc7 69. Qe6+ Kb7 70.
Qe4+ Qc6 71. Nd5 b5 72. Qh7+ Ka6 73. Qe4 Ka7 74. Qh7+ Ka6 75. Nc7+ Ka5 76. Nxb5
Qf3 77. Qc2 Kb4 78. Qd2+ Kxc4 79. Qe2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain C B"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2667"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/1r6/8/P7/7R/5P1p/4PK1k/8 b - - 0 48"]
[PlyCount "14"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 48... Rb1 49. Ra4 $4 (49. a6 Ra1 50. Rh6 {and just pushing the f-pawn
wins.} Ra4 51. Rb6 Kh1 (51... Ra3 52. f4 Ra4 53. e3 Ra2+ 54. Kf3 $18) 52. Kg3)
49... Kh1 $4 (49... Rg1 $1 50. a6 Ra1 $1 {A nice stalemate trick.} 51. Rd4 Rxa6
52. f4 Rg6 {and in this line Black can extract his king from h2 and draw.}) (
49... Ra1 50. Rd4 Rxa5 (50... Rg1 $1 51. a6 Rg2+ 52. Ke3 Rg6 53. Ra4 Kg3 54. a7
h2 55. a8=Q h1=Q {with a likely draw as White can't use his extra tempo.}) 51.
f4 {also makes White's life more complicated, but should be winning.}) 50. a6
h2 51. a7 Rf1+ 52. Ke3 Kg2 53. Rg4+ Kh1 54. a8=Q Rxf3+ 55. Qxf3# 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Van Foreest, Jorden"]
[Black "Smirin, Ilia"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2612"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/4p1b1/p1ppq1p1/5b1n/2pP4/P1N1BN2/1PP3Q1/2K3RR w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 21. Bd2 {It seems that White has excellent winning chances: He is down
two pawns, but the threats on the kingside seem to be insurmountable. Smirin
turns that on its head.} Be4 $1 22. Nxe4 Qxe4 23. Rxh5 Rxf3 24. Rg5 Raf8 $1 {
It was mandatory to have found this move before embarking on Be4. It seems
that Rxg6 is decisive, but Black has an ace up his sleeve.} 25. Rxg6 (25. Re1 {
was better, but hindsight is 20/20.}) 25... Rf1+ $1 {The point.} 26. Rxf1 Rxf1+
27. Qxf1 Qxg6 28. Qxc4+ d5 $1 {And this is the real key. Any other move and
the position is about equal, but now White has to be careful of his back rank
as well as of the pawn on d4. He cannot do both.} 29. Qf1 $6 (29. Qe2 Qg1+ 30.
Be1 Bxd4 $15) 29... Bxd4 30. Bc3 Qg1 31. Qxg1+ Bxg1 {And black went on to win.}
32. Kd2 Kf7 33. Kd3 Ke6 34. Bb4 Kf6 35. a4 e5 36. Bf8 e4+ 37. Ke2 d4 38. Bd6
Be3 39. c3 Bc1 40. cxd4 Bxb2 41. Ke3 Ke6 42. Bc5 Kd5 43. Bb6 Bc1+ 44. Ke2 Kc4
45. a5 e3 46. Ba7 Bd2 47. Bb6 Kb5 48. d5 cxd5 49. Kd3 Bxa5 50. Bxe3 Bb6 51. Bc1
a5 52. Bb2 a4 53. Kc3 d4+ 54. Kd3 Kb4 55. Bc1 Kb3 {Kxd4} 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E90"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "170"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. d4 O-O 5. e4 d6 {Adhiban uses the King's
Indian when he would like to play for a win. And more often than not he has
been successful with this opening.} 6. h3 Na6 (6... e5 {is by far the main
move in the position.}) 7. Be3 c6 8. Rc1 Nc7 ({This is how the game between
Wei Yi and Zhao Jun went in 2016. Adhiban must have based his preparations
based on this game.} 8... Qa5 9. Nd2 e5 10. d5 Nc5 11. a3 cxd5 12. exd5 Qd8 13.
b4 Ncd7 14. c5 Nh5 15. c6 bxc6 16. dxc6 Ndf6 17. Nde4 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 d5 19. c7
Qd7 20. Bc5 dxe4 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. Qxd7 Bxd7 23. Ba6 Nf4 24. O-O Rc8 25. Rfd1
Nd3 26. Bxc8 Bxc8 27. Rc5 Ke7 28. Rd5 Bd7 29. Rd2 Ke6 30. Ra5 Bh6 31. Rc2 Bc8
32. Rxa7 e3 33. Ra8 Kd7 34. Kf1 exf2 35. Ra5 Kd6 36. Ra8 Kd7 37. Ra5 Kd6 38. b5
Be3 39. Ra6+ Ke7 40. Rac6 e4 41. b6 Nf4 42. b7 Bxb7 43. c8=Q Bxc8 44. Rxc8 Nh5
45. Rxf2 Ng3+ 46. Ke1 Bxf2+ 47. Kxf2 Nf5 48. a4 Kd7 49. Rc1 {1-0 (49) Wei,Y 
(2700)-Zhao,J (2634) Xinghua 2016}) 9. Be2 {Overall White's position looks
much more harmonious than Black's.} b5 (9... e5 10. d5 $14) 10. e5 (10. cxb5
cxb5 11. Bd3 Bb7 12. O-O b4 13. Ne2 Nxe4 14. Qc2 $18) 10... dxe5 11. dxe5 Nd7
12. cxb5 cxb5 13. O-O (13. Nxb5 Nxb5 14. Bxb5 Qa5+ $19) 13... Bb7 (13... b4 14.
Nd5 $16) 14. Nxb5 Nd5 $6 (14... Nxb5 15. Bxb5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 $11 {Would
have given Adhiban equal chances. I am not sure why he rejected this.}) 15. e6
$1 {I think this is the move that Adhiban missed.} fxe6 (15... Nxe3 16. fxe3
Nb6 (16... fxe6 17. Nc7 $18) 17. exf7+ Rxf7 18. Nc7 Rc8 19. Qxd8+ Rxd8 20. Ne6
Rd6 21. Nxg7 Kxg7 22. Rfd1 $16) 16. Qb3 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Bg4 $1 $16 {
The position has gone downhill really quick for Adhiban.} Kh8 19. Bd4 Bf6 20.
Bxf6+ (20. Bxe6 $2 Nf4 $1 $15) (20. Rfd1 $16 {Just keeping the status was much
better.}) 20... Rxf6 21. Nc7 Rb8 (21... Nxc7 22. Qxb7 Nd5 23. Rfe1 $16) 22.
Nxe6 Qg8 23. Nc5 Ba6 24. Be6 Rxb3 (24... Rxe6 25. Qxd5 $16) 25. Bxg8 Kxg8 26.
Nxb3 Bxf1 27. Kxf1 {In a nutshell, White is a pawn up and Black has a long and
tiring defensive task ahead.} Nb4 28. Rc7 Nd3 29. Ke2 Nf4+ 30. Kf1 Nd3 31. Rd7
Nxb2 32. Rxa7 Nd3 33. f3 Re6 34. Kg1 Nf4 35. Rd7 Ne2+ (35... Re2 36. Rd2 $16)
36. Kf2 Nc3 37. Rd2 Ra6 38. Nc1 Kf7 {Somehow Black has managed to tie up
White's forces.} 39. Ke3 Ke6 $6 (39... Ra4 $1 $14) 40. Kd4 $1 Nb5+ 41. Kc5 Nd6
42. Nb3 {White is once again very active.} Kd7 43. Kb4 Rb6+ 44. Kc3 Rc6+ 45.
Kb2 Kc7 46. Nd4 $1 Rb6+ (46... Nc4+ 47. Kc3 Nxd2+ 48. Nxc6 $18) 47. Kc3 e5 48.
Ne6+ Kc6 49. Kd3 Ra6 50. Rc2+ Kb6 51. Nd8 Kb5 52. Rb2+ Kc5 53. Ne6+ Kc6 54.
Rc2+ Kb6 55. Kc3 Ra3+ 56. Kb4 Rd3 57. Nf8 Rd4+ 58. Kb3 Nf5 59. Kc3 Ne3 60. Re2
Nd5+ 61. Kc2 Rc4+ 62. Kb3 Rc3+ 63. Kb2 Rc7 64. Rd2 Rb7 65. Ne6 Kc6+ 66. Kc1 Ra7
67. Ng5 Nf6 68. Re2 Kd5 69. Kb2 Rb7+ 70. Kc2 Ra7 71. Kb2 Rb7+ 72. Ka1 Rb4 73.
a3 Rd4 74. Kb2 Rd3 75. a4 h6 76. Nf7 e4 77. fxe4+ (77. a5 e3 78. a6 Nd7 79. a7
Nb6 80. Rc2 Rd4 $14) 77... Nxe4 78. Nxh6 Rd4 79. a5 Ra4 80. Ng8 Kd4 $1 81. Ne7
Kd3 82. Rc2 (82. Re1 Rxa5 83. Nxg6 Rb5+ 84. Kc1 Rc5+ 85. Kb2 Rb5+ $11) 82...
Rxa5 83. Nxg6 Ra2+ $1 84. Kxa2 Kxc2 85. h4 Nf6 {The black king and the knight
will easily mop up the pawns as the white king is stranded on the other wing.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2766"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 e6 6. Nxd5 exd5 7. b4 $5 {
This was played in the game between Anton Guijarro and Salem Saleh at the Lake
Sevan 2016.} c4 (7... cxb4 8. Bb2 $44 {And White gets an excellent diagonal
and compensation for his bishop.}) 8. Bb2 Bxb4 9. Bxg7 {While b4 wasn't the
most important of pawns, g7 definitely is.} Rg8 10. Be5 {Nepomniachtchi would
like to relocate his bishop to g3 so that the g2 pawn would not be hanging
when the f1 bishop moves.} (10. Bb2 $14) 10... Nc6 11. Bg3 Bf5 (11... c3 12. a3
Ba5 13. Bd3 cxd2+ 14. Nxd2 $14) 12. Be2 Be7 13. O-O h5 14. d3 h4 15. Bf4 d4 $1
{Harikrishna immediately liquidates everything in the centre so that he is not
left with any weaknesses.} (15... Bh3 16. Ne1 $14) 16. exd4 Nxd4 $2 (16... Bh3
$5 17. Ne1 Nxd4 $15) 17. dxc4 $1 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 {White has won a pawn. Black
is going to win back an exchange. But that is not going to help because his
king is in the center.} Bd3 19. Qe5 Bxf1 20. Rxf1 {Excellent positional
assessment by Ian Nepomniachtchi. He clearly understands that at the cost of a
pawn, he has got excellent co-ordination and chances to launch a huge attack
against the Black king.} Rc8 21. Re1 Rc6 22. Nd4 {Stopping Re6.} Rcg6 23. g3
hxg3 $6 (23... Kf8 24. Rd1 Qd7 25. Rd2 Bb4 26. Nf5 Qe8 27. Qd4 Qe1+ 28. Kg2 h3+
$1 {This is the deep point why the pawn on h4 should exist!} 29. Kf3 Qh1+ 30.
Ke2 Re6+ 31. Be3 Qc6 $11) 24. hxg3 Kf8 25. Rd1 Qd7 26. Rd2 Rf6 (26... Bb4 $2
27. Nf5 Qe8 28. Qd4 Qe1+ 29. Kg2 $18 {And now there is no h3 check! We can see
now why 23...hxg3 was a mistake.}) 27. Qh5 ({White had a killer blow at his
disposal.} 27. Nf5 $3 Rxf5 (27... Qe8 28. Re2 $18 {and the pin is fatal,
though Bh6+ was also good enough.} (28. Bh6+ $18)) (27... Qxf5 28. Bh6+ Rxh6 (
28... Ke8 29. Qb8+ {is mate}) (28... Rg7 29. Qb8+ $18) 29. Qxf5 $18) (27... Re6
28. Bh6+ Ke8 29. Qb8+ $18) 28. Bh6+ Ke8 29. Qb8+ {picks up the queen and the
game} Qd8 30. Rxd8+ Bxd8 31. Qxb7 $18 {This should be pretty easy to win.})
27... a6 28. Bg5 Rd6 29. Bh6+ Ke8 30. Qe5 b6 31. a4 (31. Bf4 $16) 31... Qb7 32.
Bf4 Rd7 33. Nf5 $1 Rxd2 34. Bxd2 Rg6 35. Bb4 Re6 36. Ng7+ Kd7 37. Qd4+ Rd6 38.
Bxd6 Bxd6 39. Nf5 $6 (39. Qf6 $1 {and Black can't defend the f7 pawn, this
should be good enough to win.} Qc6 40. Qxf7+ $18) 39... Qc6 40. Qf6 Bc5 $1 41.
Qxf7+ Kc8 {The bishop now has a fixed point on c5. The a-pawn is ready to fall.
As we all know that when there is a race, bishops are better because they can
look in both the directions. Here, Black is definitely worse, but all these
factors are helping him to put up a strong fight.} 42. Qg8+ Kb7 43. Qg7+ Kc8
44. Qh8+ Kb7 45. Qh7+ Kb8 46. g4 Qxa4 47. Qh2+ Kb7 48. Qf4 a5 $1 {Black's
a-pawn is very fast.} 49. g5 Qc6 50. Nd4 Qg6 (50... Bxd4 51. Qxd4 a4 {was an
easier way to make a draw.}) 51. Nb5 Qg7 $4 (51... Ka6 $11) 52. Kg2 $6 (52.
Qf3+ $1 Kb8 53. Qg3+ Kb7 54. g6 a4 55. Kg2 a3 56. Nxa3 Bxa3 57. Qf3+ $1 {
There is absolutely no good square for the black king.} Kc7 (57... Kc8 58. Qa8+
) 58. Qxa3 Qxg6+ 59. Qg3+ $18) 52... a4 53. Qf3+ Kb8 54. Qg3+ Kc8 55. g6 a3 56.
Nd6+ (56. Nxa3 Bxa3 57. Qxa3 Qxg6+ {Now this doesn't work. Black is fine.})
56... Kd7 57. Nf5 Qg8 58. g7 a2 59. Qg4 a1=Q $1 60. Nh6+ Qe6 (60... Kc7 61.
Nxg8 Qa8+ 62. Qf3 Qxg8 $11) 61. Qxe6+ Kxe6 62. g8=Q+ Kd7 {The worse is over
for Black and Harikrishna wriggles out with a draw.} 63. Qf7+ Kc6 64. Ng4 Qd4
65. Qf5 Bd6 66. Ne3 Qg7+ 67. Kf1 Bc5 68. Qc8+ Qc7 69. Qe6+ Kb7 70. Qe4+ Qc6 71.
Nd5 b5 72. Qh7+ Ka6 73. Qe4 Ka7 74. Qh7+ Ka6 75. Nc7+ Ka5 76. Nxb5 Qf3 77. Qc2
Kb4 78. Qd2+ Kxc4 79. Qe2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Sadorra, Julio"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 {This shouldn't be a surprise from Andreikin as he's known to
play London and Torre Attack structures both in short and long time-control
games.} e6 3. Nd2 ({The other popular move here is} 3. e4 {leading to
imbalanced middlegames after} h6 ({or} 3... c5 $5 4. e5 h6) 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. c3
d6 $11 {where both sides have advantages and disadvantages.}) 3... h6 4. Bh4 d5
5. e3 c5 6. c3 {We're now officially in the land of Torre Attack :-)} Nc6 7.
Bd3 {Andeikin's handling of the Torre System, delaying his king's knight
development, is intriguing as he leaves himself the option of switching to a
favorable Stonewall game after the move f2-f4 (his dark-squared bishop is
outside of the pawn chain instead of being passive on c1)!} Qb6 {Controlling
the important b5-square with tempo.} 8. Rb1 {and now Eljanov doesn't allow
Andrekin to achieve his desired Stonewall set-up with} e5 $1 9. Ne2 $5 {
Placing the knight on e2 is another option availed by Andreikin's move-order.}
({Black has no problems after} 9. dxe5 Nxe5 {Do you see now why it's important
to control b5? :-)} 10. Bc2 (10. Be2 $2 Bf5 $17) 10... Be7 {safe and solid.} (
10... Qa6 $6 {A nice idea but a little too ambitious because White can take
over the initiative with accurate play after} 11. Ndf3 $1 (11. Ngf3 Nd3+ 12.
Bxd3 Qxd3 {with the bishop pair advantage.}) (11. Ba4+ $2 {only helps Black's
cause} Bd7 12. Bxd7+ Nfxd7 $17) 11... Nxf3+ 12. Nxf3 Be7 $5 {sac-ing a pawn
may be the best practical choice} (12... Be6 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Bd3 Qb6 15. O-O
O-O-O 16. b4 $1 $40) 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qxd5 Be6 15. Qe4 $1 (15. Qxc5 $6 Rc8 16.
Qb4 Rc4 {White's queen is in trouble giving Black at least enough compensation
for the pawns!}) 15... Qxa2 16. O-O (16. Qxb7 O-O $13) 16... Qd5 17. Ra1 $1 $36
{It is clear that White has good pressure, but Black still has chances for a
successful defense.}) 11. Ngf3 Nxf3+ 12. Nxf3 Be6 $11) 9... cxd4 10. exd4 e4
11. Bc2 g5 12. Bg3 Bg7 13. O-O O-O {the opening was a success for Black as not
only did he manage to equalize but also achieved better chances in the ensuing
middlegame struggle due to the simple plan of pushing down his pawns on the
kingside.} 14. b4 {starting counterplay on the queenside with ideas of kicking
back the c6-knight, but it's also positionally risky as it weakens many
squares.} Nh5 15. Bd6 Rd8 16. Bc5 Qc7 17. f3 e3 18. b5 ({Black is also better
after} 18. Nb3 b6 19. b5 Ne5 $1 {a nice small tactic} 20. Bb4 (20. Ba3 Nc4)
20... Nc4 {transposes to the line above} 21. Qd3 f5 $17 {Black has great space
advantage well-controlled by stable pieces.}) 18... b6 ({I think the simple
move} 18... Na5 {also works, but Eljanov was probably concerned about White
complicating things with} 19. b6 $5 (19. Nb3 b6 20. Bb4 Nc4 {transposes to the
line above}) 19... Qc6 20. Nb3 {and now Black has to be careful} (20. Ba4 Qe6
21. Nb3 Nc4 $17) 20... Nc4 $1 (20... axb6 $2 21. Nxa5 bxa5 22. Rb6 Qc7 23. Qd3
{and White is suddenly better!}) 21. bxa7 Nf4 {and Black is still in control
of the advantage.}) 19. bxc6 bxc5 20. Nb3 c4 21. Nc5 Nf4 22. Re1 Bf8 $1 {
planning to remove White's most active piece while avoiding any counterplay.} (
{Taking the pawn right away, gives White chances to equalize after} 22... Qxc6
23. Qc1 $1 Qe8 (23... Re8 $4 24. Ba4 $18) 24. Ng3 {and the e-pawn is falling.})
23. Ba4 ({Now the previous idea doesn't work due to} 23. Qc1 Re8 $17 {and
things are under control.} 24. Ba4 $2 Nd3 $1 $19) 23... Bxc5 24. dxc5 $5 {
White is faced with a tough choice in a worse situation, in which Andreikin
makes a decision on practical grounds-- to be an exchange down with chances of
counterplay in an oddly complex position rather than be a pawn down in a
simpler position.} (24. Nxf4 gxf4 25. dxc5 Qa5 {this is the simple position
that Andreikin rejected playing which anyone will most likely lose against a
player of Eljanov's sytle and calibre.}) 24... Nd3 25. Nd4 Nxe1 26. Qxe1 Re8
27. h4 $5 {White will not go down without a fight! Instead of waiting for his
doom, Andreikin makes sure that the Black king will also be exposed, even
slightly, when his king gets attacked in the future!} Re7 28. hxg5 hxg5 29. Rb7
{a logical follow-up to his White's idea} Bxb7 30. cxb7 Rb8 {A good practical
choice. Eljanov only had 16 min left to make time-control and chooses to avoid
hazy positions that requires too much calculations.} ({Here's a few sample
lines of how tricky and hairy things can get:} 30... Qxb7 31. Bc6 Qb8 32. Bxd5
$1 {and Black will have more problems ahead of him to solve.} (32. Bxa8 $5 {
is also not that easy for Black to face otb with little time on the clock} Qxa8
33. Qg3 {and here Black has to reject the temptation to push the passed pawn
to win:} f6 (33... e2 $2 34. Qxg5+ Kf8 35. Qh6+ Ke8 36. Nxe2 $1 $13 (36. Qh8+ {
I know you were hoping for this!} Kd7 37. Qxa8 e1=Q+ 38. Kh2 Qh4+ 39. Kg1 Re1#)
) 34. Nf5 Re5 $1 $19 (34... Re6 $2 35. Qc7)) 32... e2 $2 33. Nc6 $16) 31. c6
Rbe8 32. Ne2 f6 ({Another good attacking move and probably better is} 32... Kg7
$1 33. Qd1 Rh8 34. Qd4+ (34. Qxd5 Qh2+ 35. Kf1 Qh1+ 36. Ng1 e2+ 37. Kf2 e1=Q#)
34... f6 35. g3 {and there are many ways to win from here e.g.} Qe5 $19) 33.
Qd1 $1 {With 7 minutes left on his clock, Andreikin finds the most problematic
moves. Eljanov either missed or underestimated this as it took him longer to
play his next move compared to the previous ones.} Rh7 $1 {the right direction
to the "puzzle solution"} 34. Qxd5+ Kg7 35. g3 {[#] With 4 minutes on the
clock, which will you choose a) Rd8 then Rdh8, or b) immediate
Rdh8?****************} Rd8 {After using most of his remaining time, Eljanov
chose the more logical move--to force the White queen to lose control of h1
before doubling rooks. As we will see in the game, Black unfortunately has no
concrete way to gain the advantage in this direction.} ({The correct solution
is:} 35... Reh8 $1 36. f4 Qf7 $3 {an important move to foresee in one's
analysis} 37. Qxf7+ Kxf7 38. Kg2 (38. g4 Ke6 $19 {and the passed pawns are
stopped.}) 38... g4 $19 {with mate coming next. What a position! If Eljanov
had more time, I have a good feeling Eljanov would have been able to figure it
out.}) 36. Qe6 Rdh8 37. f4 Rh1+ 38. Kg2 R1h2+ (38... R8h2+ {is risky as one of
the rooks could end up being misplaced and come late to stop the White passes
pawns later.} 39. Kf3 Rf1+ 40. Kg4 {could lead to a force draw} (40. Ke4 $2
Rxe2 41. Qd7+ Qxd7 42. cxd7 Rd2 $3 43. b8=Q e2 $19) 40... Rh4+ (40... Rxe2 {
Now this doesn't work anymore} 41. Qd7+ Qxd7+ 42. cxd7 Rd2 43. b8=Q e2 44. d8=Q
Rxd8 45. Qc7+ $1 Kh6 46. Qxd8 e1=Q 47. Qf8+ Kg6 48. Bc2+ $18) 41. gxh4 Rxf4+
42. Nxf4 (42. Kh3 Rxh4+ 43. Kg2 Qh2+ 44. Kf3 Qf2#) 42... Qxf4+ 43. Kh3 Qf3+ 44.
Kh2 Qf2+ $11) 39. Kf3 {The beginning of another episode of the king marching
towards the center! (We saw it earlier in Rapport-Wei Yi)} Rf2+ 40. Kxe3 Rhh2 {
Fortunately for Andreikin, his critical moment arose after he makes the
time-control! Seeing that Eljanov has lost control of the situation, Andreikin
now uses all of his resources to keep himself out of trouble from here on.} 41.
Bd1 $1 {best defense.} ({All other moves lose:} 41. Nd4 gxf4+ 42. Ke4 Re2+ 43.
Kd5 Qa5+ 44. Kd6 Rxe6+ 45. Nxe6+ Kf7 46. b8=Q Qe5+ $19) (41. Qd7+ Qxd7 42. cxd7
Rxe2+ 43. Kf3 g4+ 44. Kxg4 Rh8 $19) 41... gxf4+ 42. Nxf4 Qb6+ {After a few
commercial breaks, we now resume the king's marching show!} 43. Ke4 Qb1+ $11 {
but they play on!} 44. Kd5 $1 {In this unclear complex stage, both players
still display great fighting spirits!} ({The game could end in a draw now with
} 44. Ke3 Qb6+ 45. Ke4 Qb1+ $11 {but they play on!}) 44... Qxd1+ 45. Kc5 Rxf4
46. Qe7+ {After trying and finding no way to play for more, Eljanov finally
settles for a perpetual.} ({Another way for the game to continue was} 46. gxf4
Qg1+ (46... Rh5+ $2 {This only misplaces the rook and loses coordination with
the queen.} 47. f5 Qd8 (47... Rh8 48. Qe7+ Kh6 49. Qxf6+ Kh7 50. Qxh8+ $18) 48.
Qd7+ Qxd7 49. cxd7 Rh8 50. Kd6 Kf7 51. Kc7 $18) 47. Kxc4 (47. Kd6 $2 Rd2+ 48.
Ke7 Qc5+ 49. Ke8 Qf8#) 47... Qf1+ 48. Kc5 {will most likely end in a perpetual
too.}) (46. b8=Q $4 Rh5+ $19 {and White is forced to give up both queens!})
46... Kg6 47. Qe8+ Kg7 {Andreikin, likewise, cannot find a way to escape
checks that's favorable for him. Thus, the game logically ends in a peace
treaty.} (47... Kf5 48. b8=Q $18 {now Black doesn't have a check along the 5th
rank!}) 48. Qe7+ Kh6 49. Qf8+ Kh7 50. Qf7+ Kh6 51. Qf8+ Kh7 52. Qf7+ Kh6 53.
Qf8+ Kh7 54. Qf7+ {This is a game with rich opening ideas, a tense middlegame
struggle in which White fights to keep control of his advantage against
Black's desperate attempts to create counterplay and break from the shackles
of passivity, and a nerves-testing time trouble situation that gave Eljanov
problems and allowed Andreikin to come back. Subsequently after time-control,
Andreikin even showed ambition to win with his queening pawns by bravely
walking his majesty to the middle of the board! In the end, Eljanov minimizes
the damage and successfully stops Andreikin's ambitions by creating mating
threats, forcing Andreikin to engage in an inescapable repetition of checks. A
truly epic battle! 1/2-1/2 (54) Andreikin,D (2736)-Eljanov,P (2755) 79th Tata
Steel Chess-Masters 2017 [Sadorra, Julio]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Haarlem"]
[Date "2017.01.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Qc2 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. dxc5
d4 9. a3 a5 10. Rd1 e5 11. Nc3 Bxc5 12. Nd5 h6 13. Bd2 {My database shows this
move as a novelty, but it seems the players were prepared well beyond this.} a4
14. Bb4 Nxb4 15. axb4 Nxd5 16. bxc5 Nb4 17. Qd2 Nc6 18. b4 {a sequence of
relatively forced moves following Bb4 has led us to this position. It seems
that Wesley, according to the post-mortem interview, considers 18...Be6 as
equalizing, but the move played in the game gives White chances.} Qe7 (18...
Be6 19. b5 Na5 20. Nxe5 $5 Nb3 21. Qf4 Nxc5 $1 22. Rxd4 Qa5 {leaves Black down
a pawn, but between the powerful a-pawn and the nice knight on c5, it should
be sufficient compensation.}) (18... Qc7 {is Stockfish 8's suggestion after a
long think, as you can check yourself on the livebook.}) 19. Qb2 $1 {Black's
main issue will be the powerful passed pawns on the queenside. He would like
to simply block them, but that isn't easy to do, and pushing his own pawns in
the center is also very difficult as they are rather weak.} Bg4 20. Re1 $1 {
A beautiful, machine-like move. The mysterious rook move discourages Black
from taking the knight as White would recapture with the e-pawn, putting
pressure on the center.} Rfd8 $6 (20... f5 21. Nh4 $1 (21. Nd2 e4 $13) 21...
Kh7 $14 {keeps the game going, but White is to be slightly preferred.}) 21. Nd2
{With the activation of the light squared bishop, things go south for
Wojtaszek really quickly.} Be6 22. b5 Nb8 23. Qb4 $1 f5 24. Nb3 {Using the pin
to activate the knight, which was the last remaining problem in White's
position.} Nd7 25. Bxb7 {Simple tactics give Wesley a winning advantage, the
rest requires no commentary.} Rab8 26. Rxa4 Rxb7 27. c6 Qxb4 28. Rxb4 Rc7 29.
cxd7 Rxc4 30. Rxc4 Bxc4 31. Rc1 Be6 32. Rc8 Rxc8 33. dxc8=Q+ Bxc8 34. b6 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.25"]
[Round "10.3"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Rapport, Richard"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[Annotator "Alex Yermolinsky"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 {Aside of the first round game against Eljanov
Rapport has been very solid with his opening choices for Black in this
tournament.} 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 ({In the previous game Richard went for} 5...
Bb4+ {and held Anish Giri to a draw!}) 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2 Bf6 9. Be1
$5 {A very interesting choice. Aronian decides to avoid closed formations
characteristic for this line, and, instead, invites a more typical QID play
even gifting Black a tempo in some lines.} ({Obviously Levon studied
So-Rapport from Round 3, the game that could have been Richard's great victory
if it wasn't for a few errors toward the end. It went} 9. Rc1 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 d6
11. d5 e5 {In the resulting closed position Wesley claimed his spatial
advantage, but, remarkably, Rapport didn't seem to mind his "bad" DSB. In fact
he used it to invade the c1-square not once but twice!}) 9... Re8 $6 {The
purpose of this move remains unclear to me.} ({Since White doesn't have his
rook to support c3 the most logical reply appears to be} 9... c5 {Indeed, it
was played in Sokolov-Salov, 1996 and even earlier in Timoschenko-Naumkin,
1988. Neither game showed White getting anything out of the opening. I wonder
if Levon in that case planned to take a strategic risk and continue} 10. d5 $5
Bxc3 11. Bxc3 exd5 12. cxd5) ({Another type of play may arise after} 9... d5
10. Qc2 c5 {which is similar to the game continuation, but offers Black a
tempo for counterplay.}) 10. Qc2 d5 $2 {Black practically begs White to play
the most natural moves and take over the game.} (10... Nxc3 11. Bxc3 d6 12. e4
e5 13. d5 {Is Rapport's favorite formation, so why didn't he go for it?}) 11.
Nxe4 $1 dxe4 12. Nd2 Bxd4 ({Understandably Rapport didn't trust} 12... Qxd4 {
because after} 13. Nxe4 {he'd have to play the unsightly move} Bc6 {Indeed,
White gets big play with simple means:} 14. Bc3 ({Also possible is} 14. Rb1 a5
15. b3 {preparing Bc3.}) 14... Qxc4 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. b3 Qc5 17. e4 Nd7 18.
Rfc1) 13. Rd1 Qc8 ({Let's see if Black could keep his queen a little closer to
the K-side.} 13... Qe7 14. Nxe4 Nc6 15. e3 Bf6 (15... Be5 16. f4 Bd6 {is very
awkward for Black, and White would go on with} 17. Ng5) 16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. Bc3
Qg6 18. Qa4 Na5 {This means giving up a pawn for no compensation at all, just
some practical chances to escape to a draw in some rook endgame. Computers
don't like this strategy, but best human players relied on it for for decades
and it worked in some percentage of cases. Today it's called "suffering", but
the only alternative to it is to lose the game quickly, which is pretty much
what happened in this game. From a certain philisophical point cutting one's
losses and hitting the restart button tomorrow is the right approach, but
there are others who take the path of maximum resistance however hopeless it
seems.}) 14. Nxe4 Bc5 15. Ng5 $5 {Every good player welcomes a chance to
attack the king rather than deal with a routine technical task. OK, maybe
Magnus is an exception, but he's rumored to be from another planet anyway.} ({
It is remarkable how Aronian rejects a safe advantage promised by} 15. Nxc5
bxc5 16. Be4 h6 17. f3 {etc.}) 15... f5 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 17. Bc3 Bf8 (17... h6 18.
Nxe6 Rxe6 19. Rd8+ Bf8 20. Qxf5 {is not so difficult to see.}) 18. e4 $1 h6 19.
exf5 $1 {This one is quite a bit harder, as White wopuild need to bring up to
speed the rest of his pieces. Levon correctly judged he'd have the time for it.
} hxg5 (19... exf5 20. Rfe1 $1 {Every move just brings another white piece
into action, and Black is always on his back foot.} Rxe1+ (20... Na6 21. Ne6 {
requires no calculation.}) 21. Rxe1 hxg5 22. Qxf5 c6 (22... c5 23. Re8 Qf7 24.
Qe4 {is easier.}) 23. Re8 Qf7 24. Qc8 {The back rank pin will keep Black
paralyzed until White is ready with the mop-up plan of Bd2xg5-e7 etc.}) 20. f6
c5 ({In this case as well as in the previous note} 20... c6 {appears slightly
more resilient. Still,} 21. f4 g4 22. fxg7 Bc5+ (22... Bxg7 23. Qg6 Qf7 24.
Qxg4) 23. Kh1 Bb4 24. f5 {should bring the point home.}) 21. f4 $1 g4 22. f5 {
Blowing it wide open. The game is truly over.} gxf6 23. fxe6 Qh7 24. Qg2 Na6
25. Rd7 Qh5 26. Rxf6 Rad8 27. Rxf8+ Kxf8 28. Qf1+ {One of those game the young
player has to lose once and only once and never again!} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Haarlem"]
[Date "2017.01.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2840"]
[Annotator "Tactical Analysis 1.02 (1s)"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6 5. d3 O-O 6. O-O h6 7. a3 Re8 8. h3 {
LiveBook: 11 Games} Bc5 9. Be3 Nd4 10. Bc4 c6 11. Re1 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Bxe3 13.
fxe3 b5 14. Ba2 a5 15. Ne2 d6 16. Ng3 Be6 17. Rf1 d5 18. Rf2 Ra7 19. exd5 cxd5
20. Nf5 Kh7 21. Qg3 Bxf5 22. Rxf5 Rc7 23. c3 b4 24. cxb4 axb4 25. a4 {[%eval
-49,12]} ({Better is} 25. axb4 $11 {[%eval 12,13]} Rb7 26. Rxe5) 25... b3 26.
Bxb3 Qb8 27. Ra3 e4 {[#] White must now prevent ...Rc1+.} 28. Kh2 {The
position is equal.} exd3 {Hoping for ...d2.} 29. Bxd5 d2 30. Rd3 Rc2 {And now .
..Qxg3+ would win.} 31. Qxb8 ({Not} 31. Bxf7 $2 Qxg3+ 32. Kxg3 Rxe3+ $3 33. Rf3
Ne4+ 34. Kf4 Rxd3 35. Rxd3 Nf2 $19) 31... Rxb8 32. b3 ({Reject} 32. Bxf7 Rbxb2
33. Rf4 d1=Q $1 34. Rxd1 Rxg2+ 35. Kh1 Rh2+ 36. Kg1 Rxh3 $17) 32... Nxd5 33.
Rfxd5 d1=Q 34. Rxd1 {R1d3 is the strong threat.} Rxb3 35. R5d2 Rxd2 36. Rxd2
Ra3 37. Kg1 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Haarlem"]
[Date "2017.01.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B96"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Tactical Analysis 1.02 (1s)"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 h6 8. Bh4
Qb6 9. a3 Nbd7 10. Bc4 {LiveBook: 3 Games} e5 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. Nf5 {White is
slightly better.} g6 $1 (12... Qxb2 $2 13. Na4 Qxa1 14. Qxa1 $18) 13. Nd5 Nxd5
14. Qxd5 Rh7 15. O-O-O gxf5 16. exf5 Be7 17. Bxe7 Kxe7 18. Rhf1 Qf6 19. Bb3 Rh8
{[%eval 6,11]} ({Better is} 19... Kf8 $15 {[%eval -67,12]}) 20. Rf3 Re8 {
[%eval 11,13]} ({Black should try} 20... Kf8 $15 {[%eval -54,12]}) 21. Ba4 $11
Rd8 $1 22. Rg3 {[%eval -99,13]} (22. Rc3 $11 {[%eval 11,13] remains equal.})
22... b5 $2 {[%eval 97,12]} (22... Ra7 $17 {[%eval -99,13] and life is bright.}
) 23. Qxa8 $16 bxa4 24. Rc3 Nb6 (24... Qg5+ $5 25. Kb1 $8 Nb6 26. Qa7+ Ke8 $16)
25. Qa7+ Rd7 {[%eval 116,15]} (25... Kf8 $14 {[%eval 44,14]} 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8)
26. Rc7 Kd8 27. Rdxd7+ Nxd7 28. Rc3 Qd6 ({Not} 28... Qxf5 $2 29. Qc7+ Ke7 30.
Rd3 $18 (30. Qxc8 Qf1+ 31. Kd2 Qf2+ 32. Kd1 Qg1+ 33. Ke2 Qxg2+ 34. Kd1 Qg4+ 35.
Ke1 Qe4+ 36. Kd2 Qg2+ 37. Kd1 Qf1+ 38. Kd2 Qf4+ 39. Ke2 Qxh2+ 40. Kf1 Qf4+ 41.
Ke2 Qh2+ 42. Kf1 e4 $11)) 29. Qa8 {White has strong compensation.} Nc5 $1 30.
Qa7 Nd7 $1 31. Rg3 {[%eval 45,15]} (31. Rd3 $16 {[%eval 109,13]} Qc7 32. Qe3)
31... Ke7 {[%eval 120,14]} (31... Qb6 $14 {[%eval 45,15]} 32. Qxb6+ Nxb6) 32.
Rd3 Qc6 33. Rc3 $1 Qxg2 34. Rxc8 {Endgame KQR-KQN} Qh1+ 35. Kd2 {[#] Strongly
threatening f6+!} Qxh2+ 36. Kc3 {Hoping for f6+!} Qh3+ 37. Kb4 {aiming for Rc7.
} Qxf5 38. Qc7 {And now Qd8+ would win.} e4 39. Qd8+ Kd6 40. Qc7+ Ke7 41. c4
$36 {[#] Threatens to win with Qd8+. White has good play.} e3 42. Qd8+ Kd6 43.
Qc7+ Ke7 44. Qd8+ Kd6 45. Qc7+ {[%eval 0,32]} ({Much weaker is} 45. Kxa4 $6 e2
46. Qc7+ Ke7 47. Qd8+ Kd6 $11) (45. Kc3 $16 {[%eval 107,11]}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "TSCT2017 masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.25"]
[Round "10.3"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Rapport, Richard"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[Annotator "Aditya Mittal"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "1:11:42"]
[BlackClock "0:16:46"]

1. d4 {Aronian has already showed lot of opening preparation in this
tournament. He got ready to spring another!} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 {The
Queen's Indian! How often do we see Richard playing such classical setups?} 4.
g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 (5... Bb4+ {is a popular check.} 6. Bd2 Be7 {And Black
strikes dis co-ordination in White's camp.}) 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 {A natural
move played in seconds.} 8. Bd2 Bf6 {Again blitzed out. Most probably both had
it all prepared, but Aronian now plays an interesting move.} (8... d5 {felt
better to me, solidifying the status in the centre.}) 9. Be1 {What has the
bishop got from the e1 square rather than the c1 square. Well, actually, it
has got worse. But it was a brilliant idea by Aronian.You will see.} (9. Ne5 {
I have a feeling Richard might have prepared against this.}) 9... Re8 $6 {
A slight suprise but Levon countinues with his original plan. But what exactly
is this Re8? Its very hard to understand.} (9... Na6 $1 {looks strong.}) 10.
Qc2 d5 $2 {Rapport chooses the wrong time to play d5. The way Levon plays now
is very correct. This was actually almost the only mistake by Rapport. Yet
Aronian with his superb skills won.} (10... Nxc3 11. Bxc3 d5 $13 (11... d6 12.
e4 e5 13. d5 {would have led to a similar structure to Wesley-Rapport})) 11.
Nxe4 $1 dxe4 12. Nd2 Bxd4 13. Rd1 $5 {This was the point of Bd2-Be1. The other
option was to eat the e4 pawn.} (13. Nxe4 Qc8 14. Rd1 {transposes.}) 13... Qc8
{Getting away from the pin.} 14. Nxe4 Bc5 {Another crunch situation. White has
two options. 1. Nxc5. This disrupts Black's pawn structure and gives White a
milking edge. 2. Ng5. The more tactical solution, and whether it is sound or
unsound, it is unclear. Levon is now out of his preparation I guess. When did
it stop is what I am trying to figure out.} 15. Ng5 $1 {Aronian chooses the
correct approach. These top players are so good only because they master both
in positional and tactical chess.} (15. Nxc5 {The mad computers were shouting
for this, but I am sure Levon would have went for this if Ng5 wasn't working.
But it was!} bxc5 16. Be4 h6 17. f3 $16 {Aronian wasn't satisfied with this.})
15... f5 (15... g6 {opens the long diagonal.} 16. Bc3 $1 $16) 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 17.
Bc3 {The bishop is extremely strong now!!!} Bf8 {Protecting g7.} (17... Qc6 $6
{was mentioned by Aronian but it is not good:} 18. b4 $1 Bf8 (18... Bd6 19. e4
{It's hard for humans to defend this, but the computer also says that after} h6
20. exf5 hxg5 21. f6 $18 {it should be winning.}) 19. g4 $16 (19. e4 $5 {
is very interesting with another sack:} h6 $1 20. exf5 hxg5 21. f6 e5 $1 22.
Qg6 Re6 (22... Qe6 23. f4 $1 {is the big move which blastes Black's position .}
gxf4 24. gxf4 e4 25. Rf2 $1 $13 {Whether or not White will win is different
but he definitely has the initiative.}) 23. f7+ Kh8 24. Qf5 Rf6 25. Qh3+ Rh6
26. Qc8 Na6 27. Qxa6 $14 {is a big computer line.}) 19... h6 20. Nf3) 18. e4 $1
{Now Levon plays a very strong game. Resurgence!!} (18. g4 $5 {was another
erratic way to blast open the position.}) 18... h6 {Very natural, and it seems
White's attack has stopped. Yes? No!} 19. exf5 $3 {What a piece of calculation
by Aronian. What a masterpiece by him.} hxg5 (19... exf5 {is better but it is
hard to think Aronian won't win after} 20. Rfe1 $3 {which was suggested by
Aronian.} (20. Nh3 $16) 20... Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 hxg5 22. Qxf5 $18 {And White has
a winning attack.}) 20. f6 $1 {A string of strong pawn moves have got Aronian
a crushing position to deliver.} c5 $2 (20... c6 {was the only move to keep
the game going.} 21. f4 g4 22. fxg7 (22. f5 gxf6 23. fxe6 Qh7) 22... Bc5+ 23.
Kg2 $16 {is close to winning though.}) 21. f4 $1 g4 22. f5 $1 {Aronian is only
playing with pawns, and its enough!} gxf6 {Black had to take out one of the
terrors.} 23. fxe6 Qh7 (23... Rxe6 24. Qg6+ Qg7 25. Qf5 $18 {White's attack is
crashing through.} Kf7 26. Rfe1 $1) 24. Qg2 $1 $18 {Hitting the rook on a8.
Its all over.} Na6 25. Rd7 Qh5 26. Rxf6 Rad8 27. Rxf8+ $1 Kxf8 28. Qf1+ {
What a masterpiece! Simply amazing.} 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.27"]
[Round "11.6"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2785"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:25:52"]
[BlackClock "0:13:48"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Bxc6 {Wei said that he
had prepared this line before the game.} ({The main line goes} 6. O-O {when a
fashionable choice is the central break with} d5 7. exd5 Qxd5 8. Bc4 Qd8 9.
Nbd2 {when we are in Italian territory rather than Spanish, Caruana,F (2823)
-So,W (2794) London 2016}) 6... bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 8. d4 Bb6 {Right around here,
Karjakin started to use a fair amount of his time. For these two moves, he
spent more than half an hour while Wei was still practically blitzing.} 9. O-O
dxe4 {This leads to a very sharp position.} ({Wei believed that the critical
line runs} 9... Nxe4 10. Nd2 ({Another game between So and Caruana, but with
reversed colors went instead:} 10. Nxc6 Qf6 11. Nb4 Be6 12. Nd2 c5 13. dxc5
Bxc5 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Nd5 Qe5 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 f5 {which seems like fair
compensation for a pawn, So,W (2773)-Caruana,F (2795) Saint Louis 2016}) 10...
c5 {with an approximately equal position.}) 10. Bg5 c5 11. Nd2 cxd4 {This
novelty, played after more than twenty minutes of thought, seems wrong.
Karjakin either was caught unprepared or (more likely) forgot his line.} ({
So far three games were played in the line} 11... Bb7 {One example:} 12. dxc5 (
{Wei mentioned the line} 12. Ng4 cxd4 13. Nxf6+ gxf6 14. Bh6 Kh8 {with ample
compensation for the exchange thanks to the bishop pair and the solid center.}
({Or perhaps the more accurate} 14... f5)) 12... Bxc5 13. Nb3 Bb6 14. c4 Qd6
15. Qxd6 cxd6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Ng4 {with a complex endgame in Balogh,C (2601)
-Naiditsch,A (2684) Aix les Bains 2011}) (11... Bf5 {might be another playbale
option for Black.}) 12. Nxe4 dxc3 13. Qf3 $1 {The queen creates huge threats
with the pinning pieces.} ({White naturally avoids} 13. Nxc3 Bb7 {when Black
is doing fine.}) 13... Bb7 ({Or else Black loses his queen after} 13... cxb2
14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. Bxf6) 14. Bxf6 $1 {A strong move.} ({Weaker was} 14. Nxf6+
Qxf6 $1 {(Wei)} ({Although I do not see anything wrong with Black's position
after} 14... gxf6 15. Qxb7 fxg5 16. Rad1 Qe7)) 14... Bxe4 ({The alternative
was the mating attack after} 14... gxf6 15. Nxf6+ Kg7 (15... Kh8 16. Qf5) 16.
Nh5+ Kh6 17. Qf5 Qg5 18. Ng4+ Kxh5 19. Nf6+ Kh4 20. Qh3#) 15. Qxe4 Qxf6 ({
Karjakin needs to part with the exchange in order to avoid the horrible
position after} 15... gxf6 16. Nc6 Qd7 17. Rad1 Rae8 18. Qf3 Qe6 19. Qxc3 {
and Black's king is desperately weak, and his pawn structure is kind of scary.}
) 16. Nd7 Qg6 ({An important nuance is} 16... Qd4 17. Qxd4 Bxd4 18. Rad1 $1 {
(Wei) trading the c-passer, rather than} (18. Nxf8 $2 cxb2 19. Rad1 Rd8 $1 {
when Black is the one in the driver's seat. This is what Karjakin had missed,
as he tweeted later in the day.})) 17. Qxg6 hxg6 18. Nxf8 cxb2 19. Rab1 Kxf8
20. Rfd1 $1 {There is no need to let the black rook out. Wei will in fact
build his play against that piece.} (20. Rxb2 Rd8) 20... Ke7 {This makes
things easier for White.} (20... c5 21. Rxb2 Rc8 22. Kf1 {followed by a march
of the white king to the c4-square would not have helped either.}) ({But
Karjakin was obliged to activate the rook with} 20... Re8 21. Rxb2 Re4 22. Kf1
Ra4 23. Re2 Bd4 {White still has huge advantage, but it is not yet a win.}) 21.
Rxb2 {Since Black cannot trade rooks, the only way to bring the king out is
via the h-file.} ({Therefore Seirawan suggested the prophylactical move} 21. h4
{but Wei did not want to trade pawns with:} Kf6 22. Rxb2 Rh8 23. g3 g5) 21...
g5 ({Alas, the rook cannot go out:} 21... Rh8 22. g3 Rh5 23. Re2+ Kf6 24. Rd3
Rb5 25. Rf3+ {and Black has to return to f5 and swap rooks if he wants to save
the f7-pawn.}) 22. Rbd2 ({The immediate} 22. Re2+ Kf6 23. Rd7 {was also good.})
22... Rh8 23. g3 Rh5 {This seems quite strange, but} ({the rook will be once
again prevented from getting into the game after} 23... Rh6 24. Rd7+ Kf6 (24...
Ke8 25. Rd8+ ({Or even} 25. R7d5 f6 (25... Rf6 26. Re1+)) 25... Ke7 26. R1d7+)
25. Kg2 {and it will be similar to the game.}) 24. Kg2 Kf6 {Whenever the pawn
moves forward,} (24... g4 {it becomes a liability, and White will soon start
proving that} 25. Re1+ Kf6 26. Re4 Rg5 (26... Rf5 27. Rxg4) 27. Rc4) 25. h3 Rh6
26. Rd8 {After taming the black rook, Wei takes care of his own ones.} Ke7 27.
R1d7+ Ke6 28. Rd2 Rf6 ({Or} 28... Ke7 29. Rg8 g6 30. Rdd8 Kf6 31. Rge8 Rh7 32.
Rd3 Kg7 33. Rf3 {when Re8-e7 is unstoppable.}) 29. Rg8 Rg6 30. Re8+ Kf6 ({
Nothing changes} 30... Kf5 31. Rd5+ Kf6 32. Rd7) 31. Rd7 {Karjakin resigned as
the f7-pawn will drop.} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.27"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:55]} d5 $5 {5 The Scandinavian against the World Champion
from Scandinavia! Is that something Adhiban had planned before the game?!} 2.
exd5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 3. Nf3 {107 Magnus goes for the
most solid approach.} (3. c4 {Clinging on to the pawn brings nothing good.} e6
$1 4. dxe6 Bxe6 {with excellent compensation.}) 3... Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 4.
d4 {120} Bg4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 5. h3 {95} Bh5 {98} 6. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:56]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:10]} 7. O-O {229 Magnus has played it simple and should have a
small edge because he will be looking to play c4 and get greater control of
the center.} e6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 8. c3 {473 Carlsen prefers the solid approach.
} (8. c4 Nb6 9. b3 $5 $14) 8... Be7 {459} 9. Ne5 {91} Nxe5 $5 {868} (9... Bxe2
10. Qxe2 Nxe5 11. dxe5 O-O 12. Rd1 Qc8 13. c4 $14 {is nothing substantial, but
definitely a small edge for White.}) 10. Bxh5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Ng6 {2 I
already prefer White. He has the bishop pair, a strong center and a superior
position.} 11. Qb3 {598} Rb8 {509} (11... O-O 12. Qxb7 Rb8 13. Qxa7 Bg5 $36 {
Black already has the initiative.}) 12. c4 {549} Nf6 {140} 13. Bxg6 $6 {
46 A little bit too greedy.} (13. Bf3 $1 Qxd4 14. Be3 $16) 13... hxg6 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} 14. Qa4+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} c6 {1076} 15. Qxa7 {10 Magnus wins a side
pawn. If he wriggle out from the queenside he should be fine. But
unfortunately Adhiban drums up counterplay.} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 16. Nc3 {149}
(16. Qa4 b5 17. cxb5 cxb5 18. Qb3 Bc7 19. Nd2 Qxd4 20. Nf3 Qd7 $11) 16... Bc7 {
34 The queen is coming to d6 and also Bb6 is threatened.} 17. Rd1 {289} Qd6 {
400} 18. g3 {[%emt 0:00:40]} Qd7 $1 {191 This was the move that Adhiban was
proud of. He gets away from Bf4 ideas and after Rxh3 is threatened. But the
most deadly idea is ... e5! and Qxh3.} (18... Rxh3 {is not the best idea as
after} 19. Bf4 Qe7 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. d5 $1 $14 {It's White who has the
initiative.} Rxg3+ 22. fxg3 Qxg3+ 23. Kf1 Qf3+ 24. Qf2 $18) 19. h4 {[%emt 0:00:
40]} O-O $1 {154 Good flexible thinking. Once the pawn has been lured to h4
and the light squares weakened, Black rook has nothing much to do on h8 and it
makes sesnse to quickly castle and resume play in the centre.} 20. Qc5 {217} b5
$1 {303 This gets the d5 square for the knight.} 21. cxb5 {662} cxb5 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} 22. a3 {62} Rfc8 {216} 23. Qg5 {[%emt 0:00:27]} b4 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 24.
axb4 {121} Rxb4 {1 Black pieces are excellently placed and very active.} 25.
Qd2 {757} (25. Ra7 Rxd4 $11) 25... Bb6 {163} 26. Ne2 {20 Clumsy play by Magnus.
In order to keep his pawn advantage he has lost the co-ordination of his
pieces.} Rbc4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 27. Qd3 {101} e5 $6 {403 A dubious decision
by Adhiban, but one that worked very well in the game.} (27... Qd5 $15 {
Keeping the position was already a very pleasant situation for Black.}) 28. Bg5
{[%emt 0:00:39]} (28. dxe5 $1 Qxd3 29. Rxd3 Ng4 30. Rc3 $1 {This is a nice
move.} Bxf2+ 31. Kg2 Rxc3 32. bxc3 Bc5 33. Bf4 $14 {Although the position
should end in a draw, White is a pawn up for now and can push a bit.}) 28...
Ng4 $1 {211 Now Black once again has pressure.} 29. Rac1 {282} Rxc1 {[%emt 0:
00:39]} 30. Rxc1 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Re8 $1 {159 Keeping the rook, the pressure
is building up on Carlsen's position. All of Black's pieces are wonderfully
placed.} 31. Rd1 {586} exd4 {263} 32. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} (32. Nxd4 Bxd4 33.
Qxd4 Re1+ $19) 32... Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 33. Nc1 {84} Nd5 {484} 34. Bd2 {
115 [#] This is the critical position of the game, and the one where Adhiban
missed a forced win.} Qc6 $2 {[%emt 0:00:12]} (34... Qg4 $3 {This was the
killer stroke.} 35. Re1 (35. Rf1 Ne3 $19) 35... Re3 $3 {Reminds us of the
great Reti vs Alekhine.} 36. fxe3 (36. Qf1 Rf3 $19 {is very strong.}) 36...
Qxg3+ 37. Kf1 {Adhiban said that he saw until here in his calculations, but
then left it. Well, what can we say. He only had to look two moves deeper.}
Qf3+ 38. Kg1 dxe3 $19 {And it's all over. Black is a rook down, but has a
completely crushing attack.}) 35. Ne2 {69} Qf6 {326} 36. Rc1 {60} Qf5 {69 This
is akin to a draw offer.} 37. Qxf5 {305} gxf5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 38. Kf1 {
[%emt 0:00:08]} d3 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 39. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Nxc3 {208} 40.
Rxc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd4 {60} 41. Rb3 {60} g6 {220} 42. f3 {72} Be5 {403} 43.
g4 {63} fxg4 {87} 44. fxg4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bf6 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 45. h5 {
[%emt 0:00:28]} gxh5 {89} 46. gxh5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Re5 {157} 47. h6 {[%emt 0:
00:46]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 48. Rxd3 {68} Rf5+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} 49. Ke2 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} Bxb2 {4 A great result for Adhiban, but he would have really
wished that he would have found Qg4! But in any case, drawing the World
Champion with the black pieces is a great achievemet.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.27"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2773"]
[BlackElo "2766"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {
[%emt 0:00:08]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 4. cxd5 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 5. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nb4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 6.
Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nd3+ {95} 7. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxc1+ {[%emt 0:00:07]}
8. Rxc1 {11 This is one of the wonders of modern chess. White has almost all
his pieces developed. Black hasn't got out any one of them yet and still the
position is interesting and playable! I must say that in order to play this
with Black you must be very well prepared, as one mistake and it's all over.}
a6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} (8... Nc6 9. Bb5 {has been scoring well for White. Hence,
Hari first stops the Bb5 idea.}) 9. d4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 10.
Bd5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Ra7 {6 I remember seeing the crazy game between Jakovenko
and Sutovsky and I said to myself, this must be winning for White at some
point. And it was. In the end Sutovsky had won, but still, this line is very
dangerous for Black.} 11. dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:46]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 12. c6 {
71 Harikrishna thought here for nearly 28 minutes before making his next move.}
b4 $1 {1703} (12... exd5 13. Nxd5 $16 {looks really bad.}) 13. Qd4 {808} Rc7 {
271} (13... Qe7 {was what Anish had prepared.} 14. Na4 exd5 15. Rhe1 dxe4 16.
Kf1 $16 {With a very strong attack.}) 14. Na4 {275} exd5 {67} 15. exd5 {
133 White has two pawns for a piece and excellent development. Next up the
rook will come to e1 and king will tuck itself in on f1. This is the ideal
scenario for White. Black will try to fight this idea, but in any case this
looks better for White.} Be7 {185} 16. Qxg7 {284} Bf6 {110} 17. Qh6 {305} Re7+
{1471} 18. Kf1 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Qxd5 $2 {366} (18... Be5 {was perhaps the best.
}) 19. Qxf6 {107 White has won back his piece and is two pawns up. Even if the
one on c6 falls, White will be a pawn up and the rest should be easy for Anish.
} Rg8 {63} 20. h3 $2 {1509} (20. g3 $1 Bg4 21. Kg2 {It's surely risky to get
into this pin, but it all works out well.} Re6 22. c7 $18) 20... Re6 {810} 21.
Qf4 {[%emt 0:00:54]} Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 22. Nc5 {268} Re7 {109} 23. g3 {466}
Rg6 {462} 24. Kg2 {416} Qd6 {554 Harikrishna found that the endgame was the
best way to try and defend this inferior position. But it's just going into a
pawn down lost position.} (24... Qxa2 25. Rhe1 Qd5 26. Ne4 $18) 25. Qc4 {201} (
25. Qxd6 Rxd6 $16 {was possible, but Giri is right when he decides to keep the
queens on the board. The black king is more exposed and it makes sense to keep
the most powerful piece.}) 25... Qf6 {72} 26. Rce1 {256} Qxb2 {68} 27. Na4 {231
} Qa3 {211} 28. Nb6 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Bb7 {5 Black is consolidating to some
extent.} 29. Nd5 $2 {7 A big blunder by Giri after which Hari had the chances
to wrest over the initiative.} Rge6 $6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (29... Rd6 $1 30. Qc5 (
30. Nxe7 Ne5 $1 31. Rxe5 Qxf3+ $19) 30... Qxf3+ $3 {what a sacrifice!} 31. Kxf3
Rxd5 32. Rxe7+ Nxe7 33. Qa7 Rf5+ 34. Ke2 Bxh1 $19 {And Black should win this.})
30. Qc5 {527} Rxe1 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 31. Rxe1 {151} Rxe1 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 32.
Nxe1 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Qxa2 {124} 33. Nf3 {168} Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 34. Kh2 {62
} Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 35. Nf6+ {315} Kc7 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 36. Nd5+ {5 A very
depressing game for Anish. Once again he botched up a winning position. And
Hari should overall be happy, although he could have won at one particular
instance!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.27"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Wei Yi"]
[Black "Karjakin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2785"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{Last time Wei Yi played against Karjakin, he started out with 1.b3 and it
didn't go well. Now he seems to have gained more confindence and his
preparation today was surely impressive.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {The
Scotch is not for everyone and somewhat harsh against mistakes. The Giuoco
Piano is like an amarone, in that it is hard to go wrong with it. The Ruy
Lopez is more complex with oaky notes. A full bodied opening.} Nf6 4. d3 {
Avoiding the Berlin defence main lines is the dish of the day for those rated
above 2600.} ({Last years clash continued} 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7
7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. Nc3 Ne8 10. Nd5 Bd6 11. Re1 c6 12. Ne3 Be7 13. c4
Nc7 14. d4 {and here Karjakin played} d6 {and ended up in a worse position.
Wei Yi (2705)-Karjakin,S (2765) 78th Tata Steel GpA 2016} ({Instead} 14... d5
15. cxd5 Bb4 16. Bd2 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 Nxd5 {has been proved to draw with ease for
Black (in about twenty games).})) 4... Bc5 5. c3 (5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 {was
played by Magnus Carlsen in a number of blitz games last year.} ({However, his
} 6. Qe2 {against Wesley So in the Masters Final, indicates that White is
scraping the bottom of the bucket for ideas here.} Qe7 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9.
a3 Nd7 10. b4 Bd6 11. Nc4 f6 12. Ne3 a5 13. Nf5 Qf8 14. bxa5 Rxa5 15. O-O Qf7
16. a4 Nc5 17. Qe1 b6 18. Nd2 Rxa4 19. Nc4 Bf8 20. Be3 Kd7 21. Qc3 Nxe4 22.
Nxb6+ cxb6 23. dxe4 Qc4 24. Qd2+ Kc7 25. g4 Bg6 26. Rfd1 {1-0, Carlsen,M (2855)
-So,W (2770) 9th Masters Final 2016})) ({It seems the reason why White often
prefers 5.c3 over} 5. O-O {is that} Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 {gives Black an easier
game. Still, White has been able to squeeze a few wins here too, even on a
high level.}) 5... O-O ({Black has also tried} 5... d5 {, which seems very
principled.} 6. exd5 Qxd5 7. Bc4 Qd6 8. Qe2 O-O 9. Nbd2 a5 10. Ng5 Bf5 (10...
Qe7 11. Nde4 Bd6 12. a4 h6 13. h4 $1 Nd8 14. Qf3 Ng4 15. Qe2 Kh8 16. f3 Nf6 17.
Nxf6 Qxf6 18. g4 Ne6 19. Qe4 $1 {gave White a winning advantage, in Svidler,P 
(2745)-Inarkiev,E (2730) 69th ch-RUS 2016.}) 11. Nde4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13.
dxe4 Nd8 14. Bd2 c6 15. a4 Ne6 16. Rd1 Qe7 17. g3 {and the bishop pair 
(especially the strong light-squared bishop) gave White some edge, in Topalov,
V (2760)-Aronian,L (2790) 4th Sinquefield Cup 2016. The game Rozentalis -
Smith, Gothenburg 2013, is an excellent example of the challenges that Black
faces here.}) (5... d6 {is a please-don't-take-my-pawn move, that leads to a
position that very much resembles the Giuoco Piano, but where the bishop is
somewhat more annoying on b5. After} 6. O-O O-O 7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4
Bb6 10. Re1 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 {White has been doing well with} 12. a4 {lately.})
6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nxe5 {An incredibly prosaic sequence; to stop Nd4, not castle
and then just snatch a pawn. Two decades ago most GMs would have shunned such
simplistic (although possibly efficient) moves. Perhaps the change is due to
the engines, but also because the Kasparov era was all about keeping the
tension.} d5 8. d4 ({White must stay clear of} 8. Nxc6 $2 Qe8 9. Nd4 dxe4 10.
O-O Ba6) 8... Bb6 {This is the main line, but Black has tried some
alternatives:} (8... Qe7 9. O-O dxe4 10. Nxc6 Qe6 11. dxc5 Qxc6 12. Bg5 {
was rather balanced, in Safarli,E (2644)-Fedorchuk,S (2653) Kocaeli 2015, but
I'm curious as to what Black would have replied to a set-up similar to Wei
Yi's.}) (8... Qe8 9. O-O {Again and again we come to this crossroad, where
Black has to decide whether to take with the pawn or the knight on e4. Taking
with the knight is usually more solid, but leads to positions where Black
lacks dynamic play. It's more challenging to take with the pawn.} dxe4 (9...
Nxe4 10. Nd2 Nxd2 11. Bxd2 Bd6 12. Re1 f6 13. Nc4 Be6 14. Nxd6 cxd6 {looks
pretty dull to me, but Black will suffer a bit due to the messed up pawn
structure.}) 10. Nd2 (10. Qa4 $5) (10. Re1 Bd6 11. Nc4) 10... Bd6 11. Ndc4 Be6
12. Re1 c5 13. Be3 Nd5 {was unconvincing for White, in Tari,A (2520)-Fressinet,
L (2712) Oslo 2015. I don't understand much of this structure, so my
recommendations on move 10 are pretty much 100% silicon based.}) (8... Bd6 9.
Nxc6 Qe8 10. e5 Qxc6 11. O-O Ba6 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. Bf4 Qb5 14. Nd2 (14. b3)
14... Qxb2 15. Qb3 Reb8 $11 {Tari,A (2520)-Hammer,J (2665) Oslo 2015}) 9. O-O
dxe4 (9... Nxe4 10. Nxc6 (10. Nd2 Nxd2 11. Bxd2 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Qf3 Be6
14. Rfe1 {was microscopically better for White, in Xu,X (2445)-Malakhov,V 
(2695) TCh-CHN 2016, since the knight can dream of out-witting the light
squared bishop at some point.}) 10... Qf6 (10... Qd6 {is the older line, which
also seems good enough for Black.}) 11. Nb4 Be6 12. Nd2 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14.
Nxe4 dxe4 15. Nd5 Qe5 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 f5 {left Black with decent
compensation, in So,W (2770)-Caruana,F (2795) Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016.})
10. Bg5 {White has a clear plan: to use the bind on Nf6 to attack the pawn on
e4. Black needs to undermine White's center as fast as possible.} ({After} 10.
Nxc6 Qe8 11. Ne5 c5 12. Re1 Qe6 13. Be3 Nd5 (13... Rd8 $5) (13... cxd4 14. cxd4
Nd5) 14. Nd2 f5 15. Ndc4 Bb7 16. dxc5 ({The silicon monster indicates that} 16.
Qb3 {is very good for White, so something have gone wrong for Black in the
last four moves. Perhaps 13...Nd5 was a mistake.}) 16... Nxe3 17. fxe3 Bxc5 {
Black had enough compensation for the pawn, Sokolov,I (2640)-Lorparizangeneh,S
(2465) 1st Stars Cup 2016.}) 10... c5 $1 11. Nd2 cxd4 $6 {This does look
natural, but seems to be a serious mistake.} ({I presume Wei Yi had something
prepared against} 11... Bb7 $1 {, which has been seen in two games.} 12. dxc5 (
12. Ng4 cxd4 13. Nxf6+ gxf6 14. Bh6 Qd7 $13) 12... Bxc5 13. Nb3 Bb6 (13... Bd6
14. Ng4 Be7 15. Qxd8 Raxd8 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 {was seen in Pogonina,N (2448)
-Olsarova,K (2267) Istanbul 2012, where instead of} 17. Be3 ({White should
have exchanged the bishops} 17. Bxf6 gxf6 {and kept some pressure. The knight
can access the weak squares on the queenside, and the light squared bishop is
playing in parallell dimension where there's nothing to attack.})) 14. c4 (14.
Qxd8 $5 Rfxd8 15. a4) 14... Qd6 (14... e3 $5 15. Qxd8 exf2+ 16. Kh1 Rfxd8 17.
c5 Rd5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Ng4 Rxc5 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Rfc1 $1 Bb6 22. Rc2 f5 23.
Nxf2 f4 {is possibly balanced, but quite hard to handle for both sides.}) 15.
Qxd6 cxd6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Ng4 Rfc8 18. Rac1 Kf8 19. Ne3 Ba6 20. Nd2 Bd4 21.
b3 {with an advantage for White, in Balogh,C (2601)-Naiditsch,A (2684) Aix les
Bains 2011. Both sides could have played better here and if I was to enter
these positions with any colour, then this is where I would be looking for
improvements.}) 12. Nxe4 {This sets a forced sequence in motion...} dxc3 13.
Qf3 Bb7 $8 (13... cxb2 $2 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. Bxf6 $18) 14. Bxf6 Bxe4 15. Qxe4
Qxf6 $6 {An accident rarely comes alone.} (15... gxf6 16. Nc6 Qd2 17. bxc3 {
was the better way to fight on. In the game Black gets no chance.}) 16. Nd7 Qg6
(16... Qd4 17. Qxd4 Bxd4 18. Rad1 $18) 17. Qxg6 hxg6 18. Nxf8 cxb2 19. Rab1
Kxf8 20. Rfd1 $1 {With an extra couple of pawns on - let's say - e3 and e5,
Black would have some chances of holding the position (K...e6), but with so
many open lines, Black's king is stuck on the kingside where it becomes
vulnerable to attack. Black is also unable to launch the c-pawn any further
than c5, without losing it, so it is better to keep it in the starting
position where it doesn't obstruct the bishop.} Ke7 ({It looks like Karjakin
had resigned himself to losing, or otherwise he might chosen something more
active, like} 20... Re8 21. Kf1 Re4 22. Rxb2 Rc4 {Still, the final result is
in little doubt.}) 21. Rxb2 {It's hardly even clear where Black made his
mistake, but suddenly he is lost.} g5 22. Rbd2 Rh8 (22... f5 23. Re2+ Kf6 24.
Rd7 g4 25. g3 Rf8 26. Kg2 Rh8 27. Rde7 Kg6 28. R2e6+ Kh7 29. Rf7 {and the
f-pawn is lost. Generally speaking, Black's hope in such a positon as this, it
to keep his weaknesses to a minimum and thus not move the pawns to far (unless
they can be used to attack something).}) 23. g3 Rh5 {This looks weird. Perhaps
Karjakin was trying to keep his rook from being exchanged. Three rooks on the
board or one single; it doesn't matter since White is winning in both
scenarios.} 24. Kg2 Kf6 (24... Rh6 25. Rd7+ Ke6 26. R7d5 Rf6 27. f3 g4 28. f4
$18) 25. h3 Rh6 26. Rd8 Ke7 27. R1d7+ Ke6 28. Rd2 Rf6 {This makes it easy for
White, but the fight was hopeless anyway.} 29. Rg8 Rg6 30. Re8+ Kf6 31. Rd7 {
There is no defence against Rf8, so Black resigned.} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.27"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Dobrov, Vladimir"]
[Black "Lu, Shanglei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2499"]
[BlackElo "2612"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "7r/p3ppk1/2p3pp/q4b2/2BQp1N1/2P4P/PP6/4KR2 b - - 0 26"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 26... f6 27. Ne3 $2 {And eventually Black won} (27. Nxf6 $1 exf6 28. Rxf5
Qxf5 (28... gxf5 29. Qg1+ (29. Qd7+ Kg6 30. Qf7+ Kg5 31. Qg7+ Kf4 32. Qxh8 {
also works, so full points for that.}) 29... Kf8 30. Qg6 $1 {And Black cannot
prevent losing the rook on h8.}) 29. Qxa7+ Kf8 30. Qf7#) 27... Bxh3 28. Qxe4
Qc5 29. Rg1 g5 30. Rh1 Bd7 31. Bd3 h5 32. Ke2 h4 33. Qg6+ Kf8 34. Bc4 Be8 35.
Qe4 Bf7 36. Bxf7 Kxf7 37. Kd3 Qb5+ 38. Nc4 h3 39. Ke3 Rh4 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.28"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "alera"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4r1kb/1r3p1p/p2p1np1/1bpPq1B1/1pB1P2Q/1P3PNP/P2R2P1/2R4K b - - 0 26"]
[PlyCount "16"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 26... Bxc4 {Neither of the captures on c4 lead to match, but Aronian has
other ideas.} 27. f4 $1 (27. Rxc4 Nd7 {with Bf6 coming up next looks good for
Black.}) (27. bxc4 Nd7 28. f4 Qg7 $14 {is also not very convincing.}) 27...
Qxe4 {Trying to muddy the waters, but Aronian has everything under control.} (
27... Qe7 28. Rxc4 {is ugly, as Black has no choice but to play Bg7 and h6,
giving up the h-pawn, to break the pin.}) 28. Nxe4 $1 (28. bxc4 Qe7 29. Re2 {
was winning, but not as flashy.}) 28... Nxe4 29. Re1 $1 Bc3 (29... Bb5 {
was the only chance to survive, but after} 30. f5 gxf5 31. g4 {and White's
extra queen should eventually prevail.}) 30. f5 $1 (30. Rxe4 Rxe4 31. Bf6 Bf1 {
is not nearly as clear.}) 30... Bxd2 (30... Bxd5 31. Rxd5 Bxe1 32. Qxe1 {
is too much material for White.}) 31. Bxd2 {Black has unsolvable problems on
the dark squares.} Bxd5 32. Rxe4 Bxe4 33. Qf6 {and nothing will prevent Bh6
next move.} Bxg2+ {fine, almost nothing.} 34. Kg1 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.28"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Rapport, Richard"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[Annotator "alera"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. O-O Ng6 {A rare, but
playable line.} 7. Be3 Nd7 8. Ne1 h5 9. Nd2 $2 {This is bad for White already.}
Ndxe5 {Oops!} 10. dxe5 d4 11. Nc4 dxe3 12. Nxe3 Nxe5 13. Nxf5 exf5 14. Nd3 Bd6
15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {Black is simply up a pawn. Because of the
opposite colored bishops, conversion is very, very difficult, but Black is
pushing. Fast forward to many moves later...} 17. c3 f4 18. Bc4 f6 19. Rfe1 Kc7
20. Rad1 Rae8 21. h3 Re7 22. Bd3 g5 23. Bf5 Rg8 24. f3 a5 25. a4 Rb8 26. Kf1 b5
27. axb5 Rxb5 28. Rd2 a4 29. Re4 Ra5 30. Bg6 h4 31. Rc4 Bd6 32. Be4 Bc5 33. Rd1
Kb6 34. Ra1 Rb5 35. Ra2 Rd7 36. Rcxa4 Kc7 37. b4 Be3 38. c4 Rb8 39. c5 Rd1+ 40.
Ke2 Rg1 {Somehow White recovered his pawn, and the queenside is looking shaky.}
41. Kd3 $2 (41. Ra7+ Rb7 42. R2a6 Rxg2+ 43. Kd3 Rxa7 44. Rxa7+ Kc8 45. Bxc6 {
should be a winning endgame for White. Plenty of analysis needs to be done
still, but it's clear that White is pushing hard.}) 41... Rd1+ 42. Kc3 Rc1+ 43.
Bc2 Bf2 44. Ra7+ Rb7 45. Rxb7+ Kxb7 46. Kb3 Bd4 47. Kc4 Ra1 48. Ra5 Rxa5 49.
bxa5 Bf2 50. Be4 Be1 51. a6+ Kxa6 52. Bxc6 Ka7 53. Kd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess-Masters "]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A90"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2840"]
[Annotator "Sadorra, Julio"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Nc3 c6 {For a must-win
game, it is interesting that the Magnus chooses the Dutch Stonewall which is
also part of the repertoire of other World Champions such as Steinitz,
Alekhine, Botvinnik, Petrosian etc!} 7. Bf4 ({The most common way to continue
here is} 7. O-O O-O 8. Bf4 (8. Qc2) 8... Bxf4 9. gxf4 Nbd7 {leading to similar
paths as in the game.}) 7... Bxf4 8. gxf4 O-O 9. e3 Bd7 {This is one of the
typical ways to develop the famous or infamous, depending on your perspective
and experience, Stonewall bishop.} ({Another way to bring it out is} 9... b6
10. O-O Bb7 (10... Ba6 $6 11. Ne5 {now Black cannot develop the b8-knight.}
Nfd7 12. b3 $1 $14 Nxe5 13. dxe5 dxc4 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. b4 $1 {shutting out
the Black bishop followed by exploiting the development advantage and weak
a8-h1 diagonal is the idea behind b2-b3.}) 11. Ne5 Nbd7 12. Rc1 Qe7 {with a
solid position.} (12... Ne4 $5 {is also playable.})) 10. Qb3 Qc7 11. O-O Be8
12. Rfc1 {White now starts to make threats before Black finishes development
which can bring him closer to equality.} Qe7 (12... Bh5 $4 13. cxd5 exd5 14.
Nxd5 $18) 13. Qa3 $1 {One of the well-known ideas in the Stonewall for White
is to trade off Black's good dark-squares bishop in order to weaken the dark
squares and sometimes even leave Black with the "worse minor piece." Eljanov
rightfully extends this idea by trading off Black's queen which serving the
same function of the aforementioned bishop.} ({Another good way to increase
the advantage is to simply keep improving his pieces and prepare the Qa3 idea
or a queenside expansion.} 13. Ne5 Bh5 14. Rab1 Na6 (14... Kh8 15. Qa3 $1) 15.
cxd5 $5 (15. Qa3 Nb4) 15... exd5 (15... cxd5 16. Qa3 Nb4 17. Nb5 $16 {with a
clear plan of invasion.}) 16. Qc2 Ne4 17. b4 $36 {with an easy plan of using
the minority attack.}) (13. Rab1 $5 $14) 13... Qxa3 14. bxa3 Nbd7 15. Rab1 {
White has successfully transformed a slightly better middlegame into superior
endgame position.} Rb8 16. a4 $1 {a nice prophyactic move-- it both prepares
to meet Nb6 and plans to further weaken the queenside pawns in the future.} a5
(16... Nb6 17. c5 (17. Bf1 $5) 17... Nc4 {now the a-pawn is not under attack!}
18. Bf1 $1 (18. Ne5 Na5 19. Rb4 Nd7) 18... Na5 19. Rb4 $14 {and Black will
have to be very careful and alert in this complex ending as White has a
dangerous plan of doubling on the b-file and then bring his knight to b3!}) 17.
Rb2 Ne4 $6 ({It was objectively better to do "trench warfare" with} 17... Bh5
18. Ne5 (18. Rcb1 $2 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 b6 {and there's no way to break through the
Black's fortress.}) 18... Rfc8 19. Rcb1 b6 20. Bf1 Be8 {but it's probably too
deressing for Carlsen's taste.}) 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Ng5 $1 {the right square
and plan} (19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. dxe5 (20. fxe5 c5 $1 $132 {and things start to
look complicated for White. Just look at Black's famous/infamous bishop!} 21.
d5 Bxa4 22. Rcb1 $2 b5 $1 $15) 20... c5) 19... Rf6 20. f3 $1 {this pawn break
is all part of the plan. Because if not, then what is the future of his knight
after h7-h6??} h6 21. Nh3 exf3 22. Bxf3 Rf7 23. Nf2 c5 24. Nd3 $1 {Eljanov has
been playing excellently, exercising good control on the board and on his
clock.He has 30 min left to Magnus's 39 min in a great position that he knows
he's fully capable of winning.} cxd4 25. exd4 Nf6 26. Nc5 ({Another way to
step up the pressure is to prepare the march of the future passed c-pawn:} 26.
Ne5 Rc7 27. c5 $1 (27. Rcb1 Rd8 {gives Black some counterplay}) 27... Bxa4 (
27... Rd8 28. Rxb7 Rxb7 29. Bxb7 Rxd4 30. c6 $18) 28. Rcb1 $16) 26... Ne4 27.
Nxe6 Bxa4 28. d5 Bd7 29. Bxe4 $6 {a misjudged exchange. It's not disastrous,
but it already allows Black counterplay in the form of piece activity.} fxe4
30. Nc5 Bg4 31. Re1 {all part of Eljanov's plan connected on his decision to
trade on move 29, at least according to the quick pace at which he played the
moves.} Rc8 $1 {This is most probably what he missed in his analysis as he now
stops for 10 min before making his next move.} 32. Nxe4 Rxf4 {just look at
Black's pieces now compared when they are living under the Stonewall bridge,
say around move 22.} 33. Nd6 Rcf8 $1 {Magnus now starts playing quickly and
more confidently.} 34. Rb3 {Eljanov now starts to switch to more solid play.} (
34. Rxb7 $4 Bh3 35. Rbb1 Rg4+ 36. Kh1 Bg2+ 37. Kg1 Be4# {is one line that
shows the dynamic power of Black's pieces, thus the game move.}) 34... R8f6 35.
Ne4 Rg6 36. Rg3 b6 $1 {a nice little move that makes a big impact as it makes
it difficult for White to push his passed pawn in the future.} 37. d6 $6 {
a risky decision.} ({I think it's best to go for waiting tactics especially as
time control is approaching:} 37. Nd2 Bf5 {and White at least has a sure way
to keep the balance.} (37... Rgf6 38. Ne4) (37... Kh7 38. Re4 $1) 38. Rxg6 Bxg6
39. Re6 $11) 37... Kh7 38. Nf2 $2 {Panic sets in as Eljanov tries to make time
control with 2 minutes left.} (38. Ree3 $142) ({or} 38. h4 $5 Bf5 39. h5 $1
Rxg3+ 40. Nxg3 $13) 38... Rxc4 39. Nxg4 Rgxg4 40. Rxg4 Rxg4+ 41. Kf2 Rd4 42.
Re6 Kg8 {Suddenly, it is White that must play for a draw.} 43. Ke3 Rd1 44. d7 {
the best chance to obtain drawing chances as holding on to the pawn only makes
things worse for White.} ({E.g.} 44. Ke4 Kf7 ({Not} 44... Re1+ $4 45. Kd5 Rxe6
46. Kxe6 Kf8 47. d7 $4) 45. Re7+ Kf6 46. Rd7 h5 47. Rd8 (47. h4 g6 $1 48. Rd8
Ke6 49. Rg8 (49. Re8+ Kd7 $19) 49... Rg1 50. Rd8 Rg4+ {netting another pawn.})
47... Ke6 48. Rg8 (48. Re8+ Kd7 49. Re7+ Kxd6 50. Rxg7 Rd2 {similar to the
mainline.}) 48... Rd2 $1 {the enemy passed pawn isn't going anywhere!} (48...
Rxd6 49. Rxg7 Rd2 50. Rg6+ {is a big difference.}) 49. Rxg7 Kxd6 $19) 44...
Rxd7 45. Rxb6 Rd5 {At this point of the game, one can't help but stop and
wonder at how Magnus was able to turn the game around against a strong
strategic player!} 46. Rb2 Kh7 47. Ke4 Rh5 48. Kf4 Rh4+ 49. Kg3 g5 50. Rb7+ Kg6
51. Rb6+ Kh5 52. h3 Ra4 53. Rc6 ({Defending the a-pawn doesn't help as well.} 
53. Rb2 Ra3+ 54. Kg2 Kh4 $19) 53... Ra3+ 54. Kg2 Rxa2+ 55. Kg3 a4 56. Ra6 a3
57. Kf3 Rb2 58. Kg3 (58. Rxa3 Kh4 $19 {and the h-pawn falls.}) 58... a2 59. Kf3
a1=Q 60. Rxa1 Kh4 {and because there's nothing White can do to hold on to his
h-pawn, Black resigns. An very important win for the current World Champion,
setting up a tense and dramatic finale in the last round!} 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.28"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Jones, Gawain C B"]
[Black "Dobrov, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2499"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rr3k2/p2Rb1pp/2p2p2/4p3/1PQ1N3/2P1q3/P5PP/2K4R w - - 0 23"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 23. Kb1 Rb5 $4 {A true gift.} (23... Qh6 {is still wildly unclear.}) 24.
Nd6 $1 Rd5 25. Rxe7 $1 {This is the problem. The rook is taboo to the fork on
f5.} (25. Qxc6 $2 Qd3+ 26. Ka1 Rb8 $17) 25... Rd8 26. Rf7+ Kg8 27. Rxg7+ Kh8
28. Rg3 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpA"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.28"]
[Round "12.4"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E81"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "mycomputer"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nge2 a6 7. Ng3 Nbd7 8. Be2
c6 9. O-O b5 10. Be3 Rb8 11. Rf2 Qc7 12. Rc1 b4 13. Na4 c5 14. d5 e6 (14... e5
{Aronian expected only this plan, but afterwards he conceded that Van Wely's
Benoni approach was quite unclear.}) 15. b3 Re8 16. Qd2 exd5 17. cxd5 Nb6 18.
Nxb6 Qxb6 19. Bh6 Bh8 20. h3 Bd7 (20... a5 {Aronian felt this plan, followed
by ...Ba6 was compulsory, very interesting, and unclear.}) 21. Bc4 Bb5 22. Kh1
Qd8 23. Bg5 (23. Nf5 $5 {This computer line is quite funny.} Rxe4 $5 24. fxe4
Nxe4 25. Re1 $1 gxf5 26. Rxe4 $1 fxe4 27. Qf4 Be5 28. Qxf7+ Kh8 {and the
computer says 0.00!}) 23... Rb7 24. Qf4 Qe7 25. Qh4 Qe5 26. Rd2 $1 {f4 is
intended.} Bxc4 27. f4 Qxe4 {Van Wely had prepared this queen sacrifice, but
Aronian had spent some time calculating it and played confidently.} (27... Qe7
28. Rxc4 {and e5 is unavoidable.}) 28. Nxe4 (28. bxc4 $1 {Surprisingly, this
is even stronger. The knight on f6 is hanging, and it cannot move because of
Re2 which also wins the queen.}) 28... Nxe4 29. Re1 Bc3 $2 (29... Bb5 30. f5 {
is dangerous for Black, but not yet decisive.}) 30. f5 Bxd2 31. Bxd2 Bxd5 (
31... Bd3 32. Rxe4 {is the same.}) 32. Rxe4 $1 {Black's dar squares are just
too weak. the queen is headed to g7.} Bxe4 (32... Rxe4 33. Qd8+ Kg7 34. f6#)
33. Qf6 Bxg2+ 34. Kg1 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.01.28"]
[Round "12.1"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A90"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2840"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:19:04"]
[BlackClock "0:59:17"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5 {In a desperate need for a win, Carlsen goes for the complex
Dutch.} 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 d5 {The Stonewall one.} 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Nc3 c6 7. Bf4
Bxf4 8. gxf4 O-O 9. e3 Bd7 ({Another way is:} 9... Nbd7 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. fxe5
Ne4 12. Bxe4 fxe4 13. Qg4 Qe7 {as in Hayrapetyan,H (2467)-Shahinyan,D (2457)
Yerevan 2015}) 10. Qb3 Qc7 11. O-O Be8 12. Rfc1 Qe7 13. Qa3 {Eljanov came very
well prepared for the game and uncorked a strong novelty. Similar idea was
seen in the game Anand-Topalov from their WCC in Sofia. White spoils his pawn
structure but in return receives the half-open b-file from where puts strong
pressure on the opponent's position.} ({If we have to be honest, the Ukranian
GM simply improved on the idea of Ulybin:} 13. Ne5 Nbd7 14. Qa3 $5 {Ulybin,M 
(2580)-Shumiakina,T (2365) Dubai 2000}) 13... Qxa3 14. bxa3 Nbd7 15. Rab1 Rb8 {
In case of} (15... b6 16. cxd5 {The pressure on the half-open b and c-files
will become very strong} cxd5 (16... exd5 17. Ne2 Rc8 18. Ne5) 17. Nb5 {
in both cases with clear edge for White.}) 16. a4 a5 {Carlsen hurries to block
these fellows.} (16... Ne4 17. a5 {will be followed by a5-a6 and then the
second Bro will go forward.}) 17. Rb2 Ne4 ({Black cannot trade the pawns} 17...
dxc4 18. Nd2 Nd5 19. Nxc4) 18. Nxe4 dxe4 {Carlsen looks for a way to free his
pieces a bit.} ({In case of} 18... fxe4 19. Nd2 {The knight will be heading
for the queenside, with advantage for White as} (19. Ng5 Rf6 {is less
appealing here.}) 19... c5 {fails to} 20. Bh3 Rf6 21. cxd5 exd5 22. dxc5) 19.
Ng5 $1 {Very concrete and strong.} (19. Nd2 c5 {was Black's idea.}) 19... Rf6 (
19... Bf7 {would not change anything. White is better after} 20. Rcb1 (20. f3
$5 exf3 21. Bxf3 Rfc8 22. Rcb1 Rc7) 20... b6 21. f3 exf3 22. Nxf3 ({Or} 22.
Bxf3)) 20. f3 {The point behind the previous move. The bishop enters the game
and Black's position becomes critical.} h6 (20... exf3 21. Nxf3) 21. Nh3 exf3
22. Bxf3 Rf7 23. Nf2 {The knight had done its job and wants back to the center.
Eljanov had done a great job and clearly outplayed his mighty opponent.} ({
There was nothing wrong with} 23. Rcb1 $5) 23... c5 $1 {In a difficult
situation, the world champion shows his character. Carlsen clearly knows that
a couple of more improving moves will make his position undefendable.} ({
The tricky} 23... Rc8 $5 {to move the rook away the rook from the pin does not
solve the problems due to} 24. Rxb7 Ne5 25. Rxf7 Nxf3+ 26. Kg2 Nh4+ 27. Kg3
Kxf7 28. Kxh4 {witha solid extra pawn for White.}) ({Neither does} 23... Nf6 $6
24. Nd3 {and both Nd3-c5 and Nd3-e5 threats look bad for the second player.})
24. Nd3 cxd4 25. exd4 Nf6 26. Nc5 {That is better than} (26. c5 Rc7 (26... Bxa4
27. c6 $1)) 26... Ne4 $1 {Once again best chance. The pawns cannot be saved
anyway:} (26... Re7 27. Rb6) 27. Nxe6 {The best reply in return. After} (27.
Bxe4 fxe4 28. Nxe6 Bd7 (28... Bxa4 29. Nc5 Bd7 {is also possible.}) 29. Nc5 Bg4
{the black pieces come into life.}) 27... Bxa4 28. d5 (28. Bxe4 $5 {looks
interesting after} fxe4 29. Nc5 Bd7 30. Kf2 Rxf4+ (30... g5 $5 31. Nxd7 Rxd7
32. fxg5 Rxd4 33. Ke3) 31. Ke3 $1) 28... Bd7 29. Bxe4 ({Eljanov wants it all.
Taking into account the arising time trouble though it might have been wiser
to choose:} 29. Re1 Bxe6 30. dxe6 Re7 31. Bxe4 fxe4 32. Rxe4 {when the risk to
lose is zero. (Still, the chances for a draw for Black are very high.)}) 29...
fxe4 30. Nc5 Bg4 {The bishop is finally a piece again. The game becomes
extremely sharp now.} 31. Re1 (31. Nxe4 Rxf4 32. Nd6 Rbf8 {would be similar to
the game.}) 31... Rc8 {Carlsen captures his chance. In the time trouble, he
goes for an attack with his remaining pieces.} ({He is safe already asthis
line demonstrates-} 31... Rxf4 {would be a draw after} 32. Rxe4 Rbf8 33. Rxf4
Rxf4 34. Nxb7 Bh3 35. Rb1 Rxc4) 32. Nxe4 {Black's threats are serious. Check
this out:} (32. Nxb7 Rb8 33. Reb1 Rxf4 34. c5 $2 (34. h3 $1 {might be still
equal after say} Bxh3 35. c5 Rbf8 36. d6 R8f5 37. Kh1 Rg5 38. Rg1 Rd5 39. c6 e3
40. d7 Bxd7 41. cxd7 Rxd7 42. Nxa5) 34... Bh3 $1 35. d6 Rbf8 {and all of a
sudden White is mated on the back rank.}) 32... Rxf4 33. Nd6 Rcf8 34. Rb3 {
The same mate lurkes in the line:} (34. Nxb7 Bh3 {with one addition-} 35. Rbb1
Rg4+ 36. Kh1 Bg2+ 37. Kg1 Bxd5#) 34... R8f6 35. Ne4 {Eljanov tries to keep his
pieces closer to the king.} ({The computer does not care and defends after} 35.
Nxb7 Rxc4 (35... Rg6 36. Rg3) 36. Nxa5 Rc5 37. Nc6) 35... Rg6 36. Rg3 b6 37. d6
{It was about time to force draw with something like} (37. c5 bxc5 38. Nxc5 h5
39. Nd3 Rd4 40. Ne5 {but the time deficit takes its toll.}) 37... Kh7 38. Nf2
$2 {Only this can be named a mistake.} ({Believe it or not, this position is
some sort of a mutual zugzwang. Therefore, a semi-waiting move like} 38. h4 $5
{would have still saved the day after} Bc8 39. Rxg6 Kxg6 40. Nc3 Rxc4 41. Nd5)
38... Rxc4 {Now Carlsen wins a pawn and surprisingly easily after-the game.}
39. Nxg4 Rgxg4 40. Rxg4 Rxg4+ 41. Kf2 Rd4 42. Re6 Kg8 43. Ke3 Rd1 (43... Rd5 {
simply invites the king to a better position.} 44. Ke4 Rd2 {After} 45. Kf5 {
the united efforts of the rook, king and pawn will secure White enough
counter-play} a4 46. Re8+ Kf7 47. Re7+ Kf8 48. Ke6 Re2+ 49. Kd7 Rxh2 50. Re8+
Kf7 51. Re7+ Kf6 52. Ke8 Rxa2 53. d7 Rd2 54. Rf7+) 44. d7 Rxd7 45. Rxb6 Rd5 {
At a glance, it seems as Eljanov should hold this. All he need to do is to
trade one of his pawns (preferably the a-one.) But he never gets a chance.} 46.
Rb2 ({If} 46. a4 {with the threat Ra4-b5!, then} Rh5 47. Rb5 (47. Rb2 Rh3+ 48.
Ke4 Rh4+ {would win a second pawn.}) 47... Rh3+ 48. Kf2 Rxh2+ 49. Kg3 Ra2 {
The two connected passers whould win.}) 46... Kh7 47. Ke4 ({White would be
happy to trade pawns, but it does not work:} 47. h4 Rh5 48. Rh2 g5) 47... Rh5
48. Kf4 Rh4+ 49. Kg3 g5 50. Rb7+ ({In case of the passive defense:} 50. Rb6 Ra4
51. Rb2 {The winning plan is typical. First, improve everything as much as
possible:} Kg6 52. h3 Ra3+ 53. Kh2 Kh5 54. Rc2 a4 55. Rd2 {Then take the rook
out} Rc3 {followed by a4-a3 and Rc3-c1-b1-b2.}) 50... Kg6 51. Rb6+ Kh5 52. h3
Ra4 53. Rc6 {Eljanov knows that the passive defense does not help (see the
line from above.)} Ra3+ 54. Kg2 Rxa2+ 55. Kg3 a4 56. Ra6 a3 57. Kf3 Rb2 58. Kg3
({Or} 58. Rxa3 Kh4) 58... a2 59. Kf3 a1=Q 60. Rxa1 Kh4 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel GpB"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2017.01.28"]
[Round "12.2"]
[White "Tari, Aryan"]
[Black "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2584"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "mycomputer"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. c4
Nf6 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Re1 Nb4 11. cxd5 Nbxd5 12. Qb3 c6 13. Bg5 Nc7 14. Rad1 Rb8
15. Bc4 Bg4 16. d5 $1 {"A passed pawn is a criminal which should be kept under
lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient."
..C Aron Nimzowitsch. ? ? ? ? ?This also applies to IQPs.} b5 17. dxc6 $1 {
This piece sacrifice is quite promising.} bxc4 18. Qxc4 Rb4 (18... Qe8 $2 19.
Bxf6 gxf6 20. Qxg4+) 19. Qe2 Bd6 20. Bxf6 (20. Ne4 $5 {was also possible
immediately.} Rxe4 21. Qxe4 Nxe4 22. Bxd8 Rxd8 23. Rxe4 Bxh2+ $2 {Does not
work.} 24. Kxh2 Rxd1 25. Rxg4) 20... Qxf6 21. Ne4 Rxe4 22. Qxe4 Bxf3 23. Qxf3
Qxf3 24. gxf3 {White has a clear advantage with two pawns and a rook for the
twe pieces. More importantly than the material count, the black pieces lack
stability and the c-pawn is threatening.} Rd8 25. Kf1 Kf8 26. b4 Ne6 27. b5
Bxh2 28. Rxd8+ Nxd8 29. Rd1 Bc7 30. Rd7 Ne6 31. a4 Ke8 32. a5 Bxa5 33. Rxa7 Bd8
34. Rb7 Nd4 35. f4 g6 36. f3 h5 37. Kf2 Ba5 38. Ke3 Nf5+ 39. Kd3 h4 40. Ra7 Bb6
41. Ra6 Bd8 42. Ra8 {c7 is intended and ...Ke7 is met by Ra7+ and then c7.} 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.29"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/2R5/1n2r1pk/4Pp2/1P1P3p/n7/5PK1/2R5 w - - 0 42"]
[PlyCount "17"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 42. R7c5 $1 {A brilliant waiting move! It also heavily restricts the a3
knight.} (42. R7c6 Rxc6 43. Rxc6 Nd5 44. Rc5 Nxb4 45. e6 Kg7 {is extremely
murky, and it's likely White isn't even better any more.}) 42... Kh5 43. Rc6 $1
{This is the point! The endgame is now winning easily.} Rxc6 44. Rxc6 Nd5 45.
Rc5 Nf4+ (45... Nxb4 46. e6 {and no one is catching the e-pawn.}) 46. Kh1 g5
47. b5 {The knights are powerless against the pawns.} Nxb5 48. Rxb5 g4 49. d5
h3 50. e6 1-0

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.29"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5k2/5qp1/p4pRp/P3pP2/3rP3/3pB2P/1P2nQPK/8 w - - 0 60"]
[PlyCount "22"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]

{[#]} 60. Qe1 $2 (60. Bxd4 exd4 61. e5 Qc7 (61... fxe5 62. Rxa6 $5 (62. Qf3 {
gives White at least enough counterplay here.})) 62. Qf3 $1 Qxe5+ 63. g3 {
and the threat of the perpetual cannot be avoided.}) 60... Rxe4 61. Qd2 Rxe3 (
61... Qd5 {was cleaner, but who is counting?}) 62. Qxe3 Qd7 {Now White has no
perpetual possibilities and the pawn on d3 is a monster. The rook on g6,
without the possibilities of breaks on f6, seems completely stuck and out of
place.} 63. Qb6 Nf4 64. Rg3 d2 65. Qb8+ Kf7 66. Qb3+ Qd5 67. Qd1 e4 68. Qg4 g5
69. fxg6+ Kg7 70. Rc3 Qd6 {Black queens next move.} 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.29"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2785"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. Bg5 {Magnus is exploring
these positions from all possible angles. In the recent match against Sergey
he tried this line with the B on b5.} d6 (6... h6 7. Bh4 Be7 {is a frequent
reaction, defusing any worries about the pin and anticipating a welcome
exchange of dark-squared bishops.}) 7. Nbd2 h6 8. Bh4 g5 $2 {According to
Karjakin´s tweet "Loran" Fressinet told him Nxg5 never works in the Italian.
I am quite sure that Magnus´s on- and off-second informed his boss about the
exceptions!} 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Kg7 11. Qf3 Be6 {Armed with engines, many
wrote Karjakin off already. But in the meantime, Wesley So was running away
with tournament victory as Nepomniachtchi had already(!) self-destructed. I am
sure this unsettled Magnus...} 12. b4 $2 (12. Bd5 $1 {This creates a terrible
bind, since Black is at pains to defuse the pin. Nb8-d7 is the only maneover
left to do so, but drops the exchange.} Nb8 (12... a5 13. O-O-O Nb8 14. Qg3
Nbd7 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 Bxd4 17. Nf3 Bc5 18. Bxf6+ Kxf6 19. Qg5#) 13. Qxf6+
Qxf6 14. Bxf6+ Kxf6 15. Bxb7 Nd7 16. Bxa8 Rxa8 17. b4 Bb6 18. Ke2 {With 3
pawns and a rook for 2 pieces, White of course has a significant edge, but
some difficulties remain, as the White rooks won´t be active for a long time.}
) (12. O-O-O $2 {Allows a main defensive idea:} Bxc4 13. Nxc4 Qe7 {And the
queen gets to e6 - consolidating.}) 12... Bb6 13. Bd5 a5 $1 {Given a second
lease on life Karjakin is going to play very well from here on. A main reason
for him being dubbed "World Defense Champion" by colleague Giri and others
must be that he seems so unaffected by his mistakes. He can commit the most
despicable errors and then show world-class toughness from the next second!}
14. b5 Nb8 {Not only will the rook not drop, but Black has secured squares on
the queenside forever. Stable squares are very significant in all types of
positions with light against heavy pieces.} 15. Bxb7 Ra7 (15... Nbd7 16. Bc6
Rb8 17. Nc4) 16. Bd5 $2 {Allowing Black to overprotect f6.} (16. Bc6 $1 {
Was definitely stronger, and may give great winning chances, but Black´s
position is still full of eye-popping resources.} Nxc6 17. bxc6 Ra8 18. h4 Rh8
19. d4 $1 (19. Nc4 {Slow play is not enough, after} Bc5 20. h5 Rh6 21. Ne3 Bxe3
22. Qxe3 Qh8 23. Bxh6+ Qxh6 24. Qxh6+ Kxh6 {Black is very well coordinated.})
19... exd4 $1 (19... Rh6 20. d5 Bc8 21. Nc4 Bc5 22. Bxh6+ Kxh6 23. Ne3 {
looks hopeless for Black.}) 20. e5 dxe5 21. Ne4 Nxe4 22. Bxd8 f5 {Here we have
a complete mess and direct attempts appear to run into powerful counterplay.}
23. Be7 $1 {The sane approach, just sticking to the material.} (23. g4 {
Opening literally all the gates, but Black can respond in kind!} d3 $1 24. Bxc7
d2+ 25. Kd1 Bxc7 26. gxf5 Bd5 27. Rg1+ Kf7 28. Rg6 {Looks like Black ran out
of steam?} Rab8 {Reinforcements!} 29. c4 (29. Kc2 Rb5 {calmly doubling on the
b-file!}) 29... Rb2 30. cxd5 Rxh4 31. Rh6 $1 Rg4 $1 (31... Rxh6 $4 32. Qxe4 $18
) 32. Rh7+ Kf6 33. Rh1 Rf4 34. Rh6+ Kg7 35. Rh7+ Kxh7 36. Qh5+ $11) (23. Bg5
Nxg5 24. Qg3 $1 {Neat, but not quite enough.} Kf7 25. Qxg5 Rag8 26. Qd2 dxc3
27. Qe2 {Black only has 2 bishops for the queen, but wonderful coordination
after} Rg4 $1 28. O-O-O Re4 {and White is obliged to part with an important
pawn or go:} 29. Qc2 (29. Qb5 Bxf2) 29... Bc5 30. Rd7+ Kf6 31. h5 Ba3+ 32. Kd1
Bb4 33. a3 Bxd7 34. cxd7 Rd4+ 35. Ke1 Rd2 36. Qc1 c2 37. axb4 Rd1+ 38. Qxd1
cxd1=Q+ 39. Kxd1 axb4 $11) 23... Kf7 24. Ba3 d3 25. O-O-O $1 (25. Rf1 d2+ 26.
Kd1 Rad8) 25... Nxf2 26. g4 $1 Nxg4 (26... Rad8 27. c4 $1) 27. Qxd3 Kf6 28. h5
{sees White consolidating without having to give up much material yet.
Whenever neccesary, an exchange will be sacrificed to extinguish the
counterplay.}) 16... Nbd7 17. Nc4 Bxd5 18. exd5 Qe8 {Black has consolidated
and will be able to untangle gradually.} 19. Ne3 Rg8 20. O-O Nh7 21. Nf5+ Kh8 {
Relative safety, finally.} 22. Bh4 Ra8 23. Rae1 f6 {It´s hard to formulate a
plan for White here, while Black will just keep on improving his position,
until opportunities come up.} 24. Re4 Nc5 {Karjakin felt its time to invite a
repetition.} (24... Qf7 $5 25. Nh6 Qg6 26. Nxg8 Rxg8 {and again, Black´s
position seems easier to play, at the very least.}) 25. Re3 Nd7 26. d4 $5 {
I don´t think White holds an advantage at this point, but as everybody knows,
Magnus wants to fight it out!} Qg6 $1 {I like the concept of giving up a rook
for the very strong Nf5. After that Black´s position becomes very solid.} 27.
Ne7 Qg4 28. Nxg8 Rxg8 29. Qxg4 Rxg4 30. g3 exd4 $2 {Opening files should be
done with great care only, when opposing the rooks. And here Black could just
regroup to go after the stranded - but nagging - Bh4 first.} (30... Nhf8 31. h3
(31. Rd1 exd4 32. cxd4 Ng6) 31... exd4 32. Re8 Rg8 33. cxd4 Ng6) 31. cxd4 Bxd4
32. Re8+ {Of course White infiltrates immediately} Rg8 33. Re7 {Mysterious -
Exchanging Black´s rook would greatly weaken the defense.} (33. Rxg8+ $142
Kxg8 34. Kg2 Nhf8 35. g4 Ng6 36. Bg3 $14) 33... Rg7 34. Re4 Ne5 35. Kg2 Bb6 36.
f4 Ng6 37. Kh3 $2 {Here Carlsen passed up on his last chance to force the
favourable rook-exchange.} (37. Re8+ Rg8 38. Rxg8+ Kxg8 39. f5 (39. Kh3) 39...
Ne7 40. g4 Nxd5 41. Bf2 Bxf2 42. Kxf2 Ng5 43. Re1 Kf8 44. h4 Nf7 {Black may
hold, but he has to suffer without counterplay.}) 37... Kg8 38. Rfe1 Kf7 {
It´s hard to play constructively as White here, which usually means that the
opponent will in a practical game make progress one way or another.} 39. Re6
Rg8 40. R1e4 f5 41. Re2 Rh8 {Black is step by step improving his position and
would eventually shatter White´s pawn structure and try to go after the weak
pawns one by one.} 42. a4 Kg7 43. Rxg6+ $1 {A very very important decision!
Carlsen used his last chance to disturb Black´s regroupment, and secures
activity for his remaining pieces.} (43. Re7+ $1 Nxe7 44. Rxe7+ {is the same})
({while} 43. Re8 $2 Nhf8 {would leave White helpless already.}) 43... Kxg6 44.
Re6+ Kf7 45. Re7+ Kg8 (45... Kg6 $5 46. Re6+ Kh5 {looks awkward, as the Black
king is not that far from a mating net, but some calculation shows that Black
is in time to regroup after} 47. Be7 Bd4 48. Kg2 Re8 49. Kf3 {(h3-g4 would be
a big threat...)} Nf6 50. Bxf6 Rxe6 51. dxe6 Bxf6 {Still, White survives with
perfect play:} 52. h3 Kg6 53. Ke3 Bb2 54. g4 fxg4 55. hxg4 Kf6 56. f5 d5 57.
g5+ Ke7 58. g6 $11) 46. Kg2 Nf8 47. Bg5 Rh7 48. Re8 Kf7 49. Rd8 {Black has no
space to regroup now.} Kg8 50. Re8 Rf7 51. Bh6 Rf6 52. Bg5 ({Even} 52. Rxf8+
Rxf8 53. Bxf8 Kxf8 {is a fortress for White.}) 52... Rf7 53. Bh6 {What a
full-blooded struggle, after the game seemed to be almost over early on!
Karjakin´s self-composure is admirable time and again.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.29"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Rapport, Richard"]
[Black "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2653"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[TimeControl "60"]

1. d4 {(0:00)} Nf6 {(0:04)} 2. Bg5 {(1:22) The Trompowsky Returns!} c5 {(0:07)}
3. Nc3 {(1:59)} (3. Bxf6 gxf6 4. d5 $11 {is more famous.}) 3... cxd4 {(0:08)}
4. Qxd4 {( (13)} Nc6 {(0:03)} 5. Qh4 {(0:26)} e6 {(0:15)} 6. O-O-O {(1:11)} Be7
{(1:59)} 7. e4 {(1:49)} a6 {( (10)} 8. Nf3 {(5:46)} Qc7 {(8:12)} 9. Bd3 {
(10:11)} d6 {(1:03) A Taimanov where White looks strangley placed.} 10. Rhe1 {
(0:45)} Bd7 {(11:38)} 11. e5 {(12:43)} dxe5 {(6:50)} 12. Ne4 {(1:43)} Nd5 {
(20:45)} 13. Bxe7 {(3:12)} Ncxe7 {(2:38)} 14. Ng3 {(7:35)} f6 {(11:54)} 15. Nh5
{(1:01)} O-O-O {(2:02)} 16. Nxg7 {(1:30)} Ng6 {(0:45)} 17. Qc4 {(17:14)} Ngf4 {
(0:54)} 18. Qxc7+ {(0:22)} Nxc7 {(4:51)} 19. g4 {(2:37)} Bc6 {(3:32)} 20. Be4 {
(1:21)} Ng2 {(4:36)} 21. Re2 {(0:03)} Nf4 {(0:11)} 22. Ree1 {(0:39)} Rxd1+ {
( (55)} 23. Kxd1 {(0:03)} Ng2 {(0:17)} 24. Re2 {(0:43)} Nf4 {(0:11)} 25. Re1 {
(3:27)} Ng2 {(4:54)} 26. Re2 {(0:08)} Rd8+ {(0:26)} 27. Nd2 {(3:16)} Nf4 {
(0:08)} 28. Bxc6 {(0:02)} Nxe2 {(0:07)} 29. Bxb7+ {(0:06)} Kxb7 {(0:03)} 30.
Kxe2 {(0:04)} Rg8 {(2:40)} 31. Nh5 {(0:05)} Rg6 {(8:58)} 32. Kf3 {(4:07)} f5 {
(0:45)} 33. gxf5 {(0:34)} exf5 {(0:05)} 34. Ng3 {(0:02)} e4+ {(5:37)} 35. Kf4 {
(0:44)} Nd5+ {(0:19)} 36. Kxf5 {(2:05)} e3 {(0:03)} 37. fxe3 {(0:13)} Nxe3+ {
( (02)} 38. Ke5 {(4:20)} Nxc2 {(0:28)} 39. Nde4 {(0:14]} Rh6 {(2:32)} 40. Nf1 {
(0:00)} Nb4 {(0:09)} 41. Nf6 {(2:00)} Nxa2 {(3:39)} 0-1

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.29"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D00"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]

{After such a long event, I believe that the last round can be fraught with
emotions, especially for the players who feel like they suffered through their
tournament. I suspect that Nepo brought quite a bit of frustration to the
board and desperately wanted to redeem himself.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. Nd2 c5
4. dxc5 e6 5. e4 h6 6. Bh4 dxe4 7. Qe2 Qa5 8. O-O-O $6 {19th-century-style} ({
After} 8. c3 Nbd7 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qxc5 11. Nf3 Be7 {it is about to look
like a Rubinstein-French - my pet opening. Black would be close to equality
and certainly Ian was in no mood for this.}) 8... Qxa2 9. Qb5+ $4 {The queen
goes to no-man´s-land, and I just can´t see any point to it. I guess Ian
gave in to another impulse.} ({Of course White should eliminate the knight and
recapture on e4, but after} 9. Bxf6 Qa1+ 10. Nb1 gxf6 11. Qxe4 a6 $1 {stopping
Bb5, Black has no reason to worry - the bishop pair is an asset and White has
no initiative.} 12. Nf3 Nd7) 9... Nbd7 10. c6 (10. Bxf6 a6 $1 {just kills
White´s clumsy coordination}) 10... bxc6 11. Qxc6 Bb7 $1 12. Qxb7 Qa1+ 13. Nb1
Rb8 {And that´s it - game over!} 14. Qxb8+ Nxb8 15. Bb5+ Nfd7 16. Ne2 Be7 17.
Bxe7 Kxe7 18. Nd4 Nc5 19. h4 Rd8 20. Rh3 Nd3+ 21. Bxd3 Rxd4 22. Be2 Rxd1+ 23.
Bxd1 Qa5 24. Nd2 f5 25. Rg3 Qe5 26. Ra3 Nc6 27. g3 Qd4 28. Re3 Nb4 0-1

