[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A65"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 e6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. cxd5 Bg7 8. Nge2
Nbd7 9. Ng3 h5 10. Be2 Nh7 11. Bf4 {This is a new try for Aronian, however it
also doesn't seem to bring him an advantage.} (11. Be3 {was an older move
played by Aronian.} h4 12. Nf1 O-O 13. Qd2 Re8 14. Bh6 Bd4 $1 15. Ne3 $5 a6 $1
{Now, it is important to cover the b5-square for its own sake, and not just
because a pawn wants to go there.} (15... g5 $6 16. Nf5 Ne5 17. Ng7 Re7 18. Nh5
f6 19. Nb5 $1 $40 {was pointed out by the annotations of the time as a reason
why the b5-square was important}) 16. Nc2 (16. a4 $6 g5 17. Nf5 Ne5 18. Ng7 Re7
19. Nh5 f6 $1 {is now good for Black, whose minor pieces are not in any
trouble at all, while the same cannot be said for White.}) 16... Be5 17. Bf4 $1
{White had to escape with his bishop. However, now Black has acheived the
desired advance.} b5 $11 {Aronian,L-Li,C Geneva 2017}) 11... Qe7 12. Qd2 h4 13.
Nf1 g5 14. Be3 Ne5 15. g3 (15. Bf2 $5 {is positionally well motivated, but it
kind of encourages an active move that perhaps White was not that keen on
seeing:} f5 $1 $132) 15... Bd7 {Not a bad move, but Black has to be more on
guard here.} (15... g4 $5 16. f4 Nf3+ 17. Bxf3 gxf3 18. e5 $13 {would have
been a great mess.}) (15... Bh3 $5 {was the move Aronian expected, but maybe
here his} 16. f4 {is still strong:} Ng6 17. e5 gxf4 18. Bb5+ Kf8 19. gxf4 $44)
16. gxh4 {A good practical decision, because Black's most natural reply is no
good.} (16. f4 {was suggested in the Spanish commentary, and it seems a more
accurate order than the one used in the game if Black has to take. However,}
Ng6 $1 (16... gxf4 17. gxf4 {is dangerous, since e5 is coming next}) 17. e5
gxf4 18. gxf4 dxe5 {and now White has to play ever more incisive moves to stay
in the opening battle:} 19. f5 $1 Bxf5 20. d6 Qd8 21. O-O-O $132) 16... gxh4 $6
(16... g4 $3 {was the unexpected extra option that kept Black fighting for
opening success.} 17. f4 Nf3+ 18. Bxf3 gxf3) 17. Rg1 $1 (17. f4 {was possible,
as in the note to move 16. Black is in considerable trouble following} Ng4 18.
e5 $3 $14 {since eventually d6 must give way, possibly following Ne4 or Nc4
from White.}) 17... f5 (17... Ng6 {could have been the lesser evil, and after}
18. f4 {perhaps the depressing pawn sacrifice} Bd4 19. Bxd4 cxd4 20. Qxd4 Qf6
21. Qxf6 Nxf6 $14) 18. f4 $1 Ng4 19. e5 $1 {The centre is now cracked open by
force and Black is already close to dead.} dxe5 (19... O-O-O 20. e6 $16 {
is not something any sane GM would sign up for.}) 20. d6 Qe6 (20... Qf6 $5 {
at least cuts out Nb5 and almost obliges White to sacrifice a second pawn.} 21.
Nd5 (21. Nb5 exf4 22. Bxf4 O-O $1 $13 {is now just as hard to play with White
as with Black.}) 21... Qxd6 22. O-O-O Rd8 $5 23. h3 Bc6 $16 {Black is still in
trouble, but the point is up for grabs due to the sheer mess in the position
and the lack of a d6-pawn for White.}) 21. Nb5 {Now White trivially wins an
exchange, and the d-pawn remains alive. The former is the least of Black's
worries, but the latter is a matter for grave concern.} Rc8 (21... O-O 22. Nc7
Qf7 23. h3 $1 Nxe3 24. Nxe3) 22. Nc7+ {Aronian pondered this move for a
considerable length of time, possibly trying to recall to mind some fragment
of preparation done in the dim and distant past.} (22. Bxg4 {is also possible,
but is not as good:} fxg4 23. Nc7+ Rxc7 24. f5 $1 (24. dxc7 $2 exf4 $1 $17)
24... Qxf5 25. dxc7 {and now Black can keep the position messy with (inter
alia)} Nf6 $16) 22... Rxc7 23. dxc7 exf4 24. Rd1 $2 (24. O-O-O $3 {was the
winning move, as everyone and their dog (and its engine) knows by now.} fxe3
25. Nxe3 (25. Qxd7+ $4 Qxd7 26. Bb5 Bxb2+ $1 $19) 25... Bh6 (25... Qxe3 26.
Qxe3+ Nxe3 27. Rxg7 Nxd1 28. Bb5 $18) (25... Bd4 $6 {was what stopped Aronian
in his tracks, not noticing the next move:} 26. Nxf5 $18) 26. Bb5 $3 O-O $5 (
26... Bxb5 27. Qd8+ Kf7 28. Qxh8 Bxe3+ 29. Kb1 Bxg1 30. Qxh7+ Kf6 31. Qh8+ Kg5
32. c8=Q Qxc8 33. Qxc8 $18) 27. Bxd7 $1 Qxe3 28. Bxf5 Qxd2+ 29. Rxd2 $18) 24...
Ng5 (24... fxe3 $5 {is interesting, but more so for White.} 25. Qxd7+ $1 Qxd7
26. Bb5 Qxb5 27. c8=Q+ Kf7 28. Qxf5+ Ngf6 29. Qg6+ Ke6 30. Rg4 $3 $16) 25.
c8=Q+ Bxc8 26. Qd8+ Kf7 27. Qc7+ $6 {This is a really remarkable position and
close to impossible to play well for either side!} ({Objectively, White should
have played} 27. Qxg5 {whereupon there is a draw:} fxe3 28. Rxg4 fxg4 29. Qf4+
Qf6 30. Bc4+ $11) 27... Kg8 $2 (27... Qe7 $1 {It was Black's turn to find a
narrow path to an advantage.} 28. Bc4+ Kf6 $1 29. Qxe7+ (29. Qxf4 Nh3 $3 30.
Qd6+ (30. Rd6+ Be6 31. Rxe6+ Qxe6 32. Qxg4 Qxe3+ 33. Nxe3 fxg4 $17 {is almost
peaceful by comparison}) 30... Qxd6 31. Rxd6+ Ke5 $1 $15 {There is no mate and
Black emerges blinking with confusion from all the complications, but with a
significant plus to his name. And yes, after Rd5+ Black is obliged to dive
deeper with ...Ke4.}) 29... Kxe7 30. Bxc5+ Ke8) (27... Kg6 {is vaguely
playable as well - the point is that the c8-bishop is protected by a rook,
unlike in the game continuation.} 28. Rd6 Be5 (28... fxe3 29. Bxg4 fxg4 30.
Rxg4 $1 $16) 29. Rxe6+ Bxe6 30. Qxb7 fxe3 $44 {Black gets excellent
compensation, particularly of the practical variety.}) 28. Rd6 $1 {Suddenly
White is winning again.} Qf7 29. Qd8+ $2 (29. Qxc8+ {is the obvious move, but
a little more calculation brings you to the critical position. The press room
was pretty unanimous that Aronian reached it but didn't see move 31.} Kh7 30.
Qxc5 Ne4 {and now it's important to notice} 31. Rxg4 $3 {which wins on the
spot! For instance,} Nxc5 32. Rxh4+ Kg8 33. Rd8+ Bf8 34. Rxh8+ Kxh8 35. Bxc5
$18) 29... Qf8 30. Bxf4 Ne6 $1 31. Bc4 $1 (31. Qxf8+ Kxf8 32. Bd2 Bd4 $17)
31... Qxd8 32. Rxd8+ Kh7 (32... Kf7 $6 33. Rxc8 Rxc8 34. h3) 33. Rxh8+ Bxh8 34.
Bd6 (34. Bb8 $1 $11) 34... Ng5 35. Rg2 Ne4 (35... b6 $15 {is maybe the
simplest move in the position, bringing Black's 4th minor piece fully into the
struggle. White faces an uphill task trying to draw this.}) 36. Bb8 Bd4 37. h3
Ne5 38. Bd5 {It is impossible to not make minor inaccuracies even here.} (38.
Bxe5 Bxe5 39. Rg8 Bd7 40. Rd8 $11) 38... Nd3+ 39. Ke2 Nc1+ (39... Nxb2 {
is a clean pawn, though seeing this with less than a minute remaining is
non-trivial!} 40. Bg8+ Kh8 41. Bf7 Bd7 $1 $15) 40. Kd1 Nd3 41. Nd2 {On move 41,
White decides not to repeat, possibly thinking that Black still wanted to play
on.} Nf6 42. Bf3 (42. Bf3 Nf2+ 43. Ke1 Nxh3 44. Rh2 Ng5 45. Rxh4+ Kg6 $11 {
was the line mentioned in the press conference.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E03"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Quintiliano,R"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b6 $5 {
Mamedyarov always comes with interesting opening ideas, and seeing this move
played I became very curious about the next moves, specially because Aronian
has faced the Bukavshin Variation recently without success, so I wondered what
was he going to try.} 8. Qxc4 {Then I was surprised to realise that basically
Aronian had nothing special against it, as this move is harmless for Black.} ({
He has tried the most principled move} 8. Ne5 Qxd4 $1 9. Bxa8 Qxe5 {but this
position offers good compensation for Black and has scored pretty well} 10. Bf3
Nd5 $1 {preventing Bf4 is more important than material} 11. Qxc4 Ba6 12. Qa4 (
12. Qb3 $5 {was a novelty played in the same tournament by Ding Liren, that
deserves a serious attention} Nc6 (12... Bf6 $5 {is still an option} 13. Nd2 c5
14. Ne4 Nc6 (14... Be7 15. Nc3 $1 {[%csl Yd5] exchanging the knight is an
important point in White's plan, that would allow an easier development}) 15.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qa4 Bb7 $13) (12... c5 $2 {would be bad because of} 13. Nc3 $1 {
[%csl Yd5] the Nd5 is an important piece, that prevents White from continuing
his development}) 13. Qa4 $1 {this way the queen's dance has prevented c5} Bb7
14. Nc3 $1 {again the idea of exchanging the strong knight is the best one} Nd4
$1 $13 {Ding Liren (2769)-Caruana,F (2784) FIDE Candidates 2018 (2.2) 1/2
Caruana finds the only move that keeps Black's chances in a complicated fight,
that eventually finished in a draw -} (14... Nxc3 15. bxc3 Qxc3 $2 16. Be3 $18
{[%cal Ga1c1]})) 12... c5 (12... Bf6 $1 {is stronger as it prevents White from
continuing development} 13. Re1 c5 14. Na3 b5 $5 15. Nxb5 Nb6 16. Qa5 Nc4 17.
Qa4 Nb6 $11 {Cheparinov,I (2677)-Bacrot,E (2692) ESP-chT Div Honor 2016 (3.3)
1/2}) 13. Re1 b5 14. Qe4 Nc6 $5 {also gave Black some compensation, even with
the exchange of queens White still has some issues to solve in development} 15.
Nc3 Rd8 16. Rd1 Qxe4 17. Bxe4 Nd4 18. Bxd5 b4 $3 {Aronian,L (2799)-Hou,Y (2652)
FIDE World Cup 2017 (2.3) 1/2 with this nice intermadiate move, Black managed
to keep things equal -}) (8. Rd1 {was also simple for Black} Bb7 9. Qxc4 c5 $1
{Aronian,L (2799)-Hou,Y (2652) FIDE World Cup 2017 (2.2) 1/2 once Black is
able to play this move without losing any tempi and also avoiding weaknesses
in his camp, he is ok -}) 8... Bb7 9. Nc3 c5 $5 {Although White has some small
advantage after this move, Black should equalise with precise play.} ({in CBM
182 I recommended the Bukavshin Variation against Catalan, and in this
position I've analysed} 9... a6 $5 {[%cal Yb6b5,Yc7c5] which is a pretty fresh
move, but detailed analysis shows that it is a realible way to continue
Black's development and maybe start some activity on the queenside by means of
b5-c5.}) (9... Nbd7 {is the most played, but I think after} 10. Ne5 $1 {
White keeps some chances. Then we can see a nice point behind 9...a6: this
move wouldn't be as strong if the knight remained on b8 one move more.}) 10.
Rd1 {We are now by transposition in the same position that Aronian played
against Hou Yifan.} (10. Bf4 $5 $146 {is a natural move that has not yet been
tried.}) (10. dxc5 {was played only once} Bxc5 {Antic,D (2478)-Livaic,L (2358)
Skopje Karposh op 2016 (7) 1/2} 11. Bf4 Nbd7 (11... Nc6 $5 {is maybe better})
12. b4 $5 Be7 13. Rac1 Rc8 (13... a5 $5) 14. Qb3 a6 15. Rfd1 {Black should be
ok here, but has still some practical problems in development.}) 10... Nbd7 11.
Ne5 ({Previously Aronian played} 11. Bg5 cxd4 12. Rxd4 (12. Nxd4 $5 {[%csl Gc6]
is a typical idea in such positions, White aims to control the c6-square, but
after} Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Qc8 {Black is ok, for example} 14. Nc6 Qb7 $1 15. f3 Bc5
$1 {[%csl Yc6] and the knight can't be supported on its nice square}) 12... h6
13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rd2 Rc8 {after this move Black not just has solved his
problems} 15. Qa4 Bc6 16. Qb4 Bxf3 $1 17. exf3 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Qc7 {[%csl Gc3];
Aronian,L (2799)-Hou,Y (2652) FIDE World Cup 2017 (2.2) 1/2 as his game is
even easier -}) 11... Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Qc8 $146 {This seems enough to equalise,
although White keeps some small advantage.} 13. Nxd7 (13. Bf4 cxd4 14. Rxd4
Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Qb7+ {[%cal Ya8c8,Yf8d8]}) (13. Bg5 $6 cxd4 14. Qxc8 Rfxc8 15.
Nxd7 dxc3 $1 {is favourable for Black.}) 13... Qxd7 $1 (13... Nxd7 $5 {would
be careless} 14. d5 $1 {and White has the initiative.}) 14. dxc5 Qc6+ 15. f3
Qxc5 16. Qxc5 Bxc5 {White can claim some practical chances as he has more
space by playing e4 and because Black has some squares to defend on the
queenside. In some of Ulf Andersson's classical games, this minimal edge used
to be enough to win, but with accurate play Black is ok.} 17. Bf4 Rfd8 18. e4
Ne8 $1 {A good manoeuvre, since the knight became restricted in f6, and now
has more useful purposes covering some squares on the queenside.} 19. Kf1 Kf8
20. Ke2 Ke7 {Slightly inaccurate.} ({During the press conference, Mameyarov
pointed out} 20... f6 {as more precise, if} 21. Nb5 a6 {is ok for Black,
although then Aronian said} 22. Nc3 {[%cal Yc3a4] still offers some pressure
for White, then both players agreed that despite it Black should be able to
equalise with good moves.} g5 $1 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. Kxe3 Ke7 $11 {confirms it.})
21. Nb5 $1 {Now this move is a bit unpleasant for Black.} Rdc8 (21... a6 22.
Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Na7 $1 {[%cal Ya7c6] is the point} Ra8 24. Nc6+ Kd7 25. Ne5+ Ke7
26. Nd3 Bd4 27. Rc1 $14) 22. Rac1 a6 23. Nc3 {[%cal Yc3a4]} b5 24. a4 (24. e5
$5 {[%cal Yc3e4,Ye4d6] looks a good but counter-intuitive idea: White closes
in his dark-squared bishop but clears the path to the manoeuvre Ne4-d6.
Another point is that the Ne8 is considerably dominated by the pawn, and
Black's position immediately seems unpleasant to defend} h6 (24... Bb6 {
was Aronian's suggestion} 25. Ne4 h6 26. Bd2 $1 {transposes}) 25. Ne4 Bb6 26.
Bd2 $1 {[%cal Yd2b4] forcing more weakening moves in Black's camp} a5 27. Be3
$1 Bxe3 28. Kxe3 $14 {[%csl Yc5] White controls the c5-square, which is very
sensible in such positions, and enjoys more space while Black's queenside is
exposed. This position would be a tough defence for Mamedyarov.}) 24... Bd6 $1
{A good defensive idea, aiming to place the rook on b8.} 25. Be3 (25. axb5 Bxf4
26. gxf4 axb5 27. Nxb5 Rcb8 $11 {[%csl Yb2]}) (25. e5 {is not so strong as one
move earlier.} Bb4 $1 {and the pawn on a4 makes all difference}) 25... Rab8 26.
axb5 axb5 27. Ba7 {Trying to provoke the conditions for tactical ideas.} (27.
f4 f6 28. Kf3 $14 {would keep better chances for White.}) 27... Rb7 28. Bd4 {
[%cal Yc1c8]} Rc4 $6 {Aronian finds a nice idea now.} (28... f6 $11 {was safer,
since} 29. Nd5+ Kd8 $1 {remains a bit easier for White, but Black is holding
with good play.}) 29. e5 Bc5 (29... Bb8 30. b3 Rcc7 31. b4 $1 $16 {[%cal Yd4c5]
}) 30. Nd5+ $1 exd5 31. Bxc5+ Ke6 32. b3 $6 {But this move loses all the
advantage.} ({Both players agreed that after} 32. Bd4 Rbc7 33. Ra1 {would
leave Black with an unpleasant defence ahead of him, for example} Ra4 {
(Mamedyarov)} 34. b3 Rc2+ (34... Rxa1 35. Rxa1 Rc6 36. Ra7 Nc7 37. Rb7 $14) 35.
Ke3 Raa2 36. Rxa2 Rxa2 37. Ra1 $1 {the subsequent BxN endgame is also pleasant
for White} Rxa1 38. Bxa1 Kd7 39. f4 g6 40. g4 Ng7 41. Bc3 Kc6 42. b4 $16 {
and here Black's defence is also very unpleasant.}) 32... Rxc1 33. Rxc1 Kxe5
34. Kd3 Ke6 $1 {The move that Aronian missed.} (34... Kf5 $6 {was inferior} 35.
g4+ Kg6 (35... Kf4 $2 36. Be3+ $1 Kxf3 $4 37. Rg1 $1 $18 {[%cal Gg1g3]}) 36.
Be3 $36 {[%cal Yc1c6] and White has a pleasant initiative, regaining the pawn
is a matter of time and Black will continue under pressure after that.}) 35.
Bb4 Kd7 36. Kd4 ({Both players saw} 36. Re1 Nc7 $1 37. Re7+ Kc6 38. Rxf7 Na6 $1
{and Black has no problems} 39. Rf4 $11 (39. Rxb7 $2 Nxb4+ 40. Kc3 d4+ 41. Kxb4
Kxb7 42. Ka3 Kc6 43. Kb2 Kd5 44. Kc2 {seems a draw})) 36... Nc7 {Now White
regains the pawn but Black has time to improve the knight, and the position is
just equal.} 37. Ba5 Ne6+ 38. Kxd5 Ra7 39. b4 Ra6 $1 {Also improving the rook.}
40. f4 Rd6+ 41. Ke4 Rd4+ ({Mamedyarov saw a last attempt in} 41... g6 42. Ke5 (
42. f5 gxf5+ 43. Kxf5 Rd2 44. Bb6 $1 $132 {[%csl Gf2][%cal Yf5f6] (Aronian)})
42... f5 $2 {but realising that White now has} 43. Rc8 $1 $16 {decided not to
be over-ambitious.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.23"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A13"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "148"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 ({Although the game started with an
English/Reti move order, it will soon transpose to the most popular Catalan
tabyia at the Candidates tournament, arising after} 4... Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O
dxc4 7. Qc2 c6 $5 {This previously non-topical move was Karjakin's secret
weapon for the Candidates tournament.} 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qb3 Bb7 {transposing back
to the game.}) 5. Qa4+ c6 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qb3 (7. Qc2 {could transpose to
another Karjakin game from the Candidates, featuring a Catalan move order:} Bb7
8. O-O Be7 ({Actually, with the Reti move order Black could play more actively
with} 8... c5 {, so the game quoted below is of interest only for the Catalan
theory.}) 9. d4 O-O 10. Nbd2 c5 $1 {The best way of carrying out this pawn
break, taking advantage of the fact that b5 is not hanging.} (10... Nbd7 11.
Nb3 c5 12. Nxc5 $1 {In the main game White will not have this possibility.}
Nxc5 13. dxc5 Be4 14. Qb3 Bxc5 15. Qxb5 Qd5 {Tu,H (2506)-Pham,M (2358) Vung
Tau 2002 (1-0, 36) with only some compensation for Black.}) 11. dxc5 Na6 {
It will turn out that White cannot keep his extra pawn.} 12. Nb3 Be4 13. Qc3
Rc8 14. Be3 $146 (14. Qd4 Nxc5 15. Be3 Qxd4 16. Bxd4 Rfd8 17. Bxc5 Bxc5 18.
Rac1 Bb6 $11 {Narkun,M (2183)-Nicolenco,S (2126) LSS email 2010 (½-½, 40).
Black is well mobilised, preventing White from reaching one of the minimlly
better endings.}) 14... Nd5 15. Qd2 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Nxc5 18. Nxc5
Bxc5 19. Qb3 Qb6 $11 {Caruana,F (2784)-Karjakin,S (2763) Berlin 2018 (½-½,
31) The game could well have ended in a draw here.}) 7... Bb7 8. O-O Be7 9. d4
O-O 10. Rd1 {The queen stands a bit better on b3 than on c2, as it keeps the
b5-pawn under observation, causing some problems with the thematic ...c6-c5.}
Nbd7 {The most flexible move.} 11. Ne5 ({This is a thematic move, but White
can also consider continuing the queenside development before moving forward
with his knight.} 11. Nc3 {Black can try deviating from the normal course with}
b4 (11... a6 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Nd7 14. Bf4 Qc7 15. Ne4 Nc5 (15... Nxe5 16.
Bxe5 Qxe5 17. Rd7 $18) (15... c5 16. Nf6+ Bxf6 17. exf6 e5 18. fxg7 $16) 16.
Nxc5 Bxc5 17. Be4 Be7 18. Qf3 Rab8 19. Qg4 Rfd8 20. Bg5 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22.
Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Bxe7 Qxe7 24. Qf3 Qd7 25. Qd3 Qxd3 26. exd3 $16 {Brynell,S 
(2486)-Rombaldoni,A (2459) Porto Carras 2011 (1-0, 36) with a very promising
ending for White.}) (11... Qb6 12. a4 bxa4 (12... b4 13. a5 $14) (12... a6 13.
Be3 Nd5 14. Bg5 $14) 13. Qc2 c5 14. Nxa4 Qc6 15. Ne1 Nd5 16. dxc5 (16. e4 Nb4
17. d5 $14) (16. Nc3 $14) 16... Nxc5 17. Nc3 Nb4 18. Bxc6 Nxc2 19. Bxb7 Nxa1
20. Bxa8 Rxa8 21. b4 Ncb3 $11 {Christiansen,J (2428)-Koziol,K (2172) Marianske
Lazne 2017 (½-½, 51)}) 12. Na4 Qa5 {for instance} 13. a3 c5 14. axb4 cxb4 15.
Bg5 {and White's advantage may be symbolic.}) ({Another logical developing
move is} 11. Bg5 {but Black seems to be doing fine:} Qb6 (11... h6 12. Bxf6
Nxf6 13. Nc3 Qb6 14. Ne5 Rfd8 15. e3 Nd7 16. Nxd7 Rxd7 17. Rac1 Rad8 18. Ne4
$16 {Adamski,J (2322)-Gasik,A (2217) Warsaw 2012 (½-½, 27)}) 12. Nc3 Rfd8 (
12... a5 {Adamski,J (2307)-Motyka,M (2359) Warsaw 2008 (0-1, 55)} 13. Bxf6 $5)
13. Rac1 a6 14. a4 Rac8 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 {Probably not bad, but offering White
some time.} (15... Nxf6 $11 16. e3 Nd7 17. Ne1 c5) (15... gxf6 $5) 16. Ne4 Be7
{0-1 (36) Grivas,E (2515)-Tsiamis,K (2282) Ermioni Argolidas 2005} 17. Ne1 $5 {
[%cal Ge2e3,Ge1d3]}) 11... Nxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 13. Bf4 $146 ({White was
previously successful with} 13. Nc3 {but only because of Black's inaccurate
play.} Qc7 14. Bf4 Rfd8 15. Qc2 Qb6 $6 ({This wastes time.} 15... a6 $5 {
is more natural and better.}) 16. Ne4 c5 17. Bg5 $14 Bxg5 $6 18. Nxg5 Nf8 19.
Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Qxc5 $16 {Sargissian,G (2679)-Houska,J (2372) Douglas 2015 (1-0,
35)}) 13... Qc7 14. Nd2 Rfd8 15. Rac1 (15. Ne4 {is still worth a try, but
Black is better prepared against it than in the similar line from
Brynell-Rombaldoni above.} c5 16. Nf6+ Bxf6 17. exf6 e5 {now there is no time
for fxg7, as it does not attack the rook.} 18. Be3 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qc6+ 20. Qd5
Qxf6 21. Bxc5 Nxc5 22. Qxc5 a6 $11 {and White only has the optically more
pleasant position.}) 15... a6 ({The most solid move, but} 15... c5 $5 16. Qxb5
Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Rab8 {retrieves the pawn on b2.}) 16. Qe3 {White's main plan is
playing Ne4-d6 and creating a passed pawn with exd6 after the more or less
inevitable ...Bxd6. It would be optimal to keep all the rooks on the board in
order to have chances for a kingside attack, but apparently there is no way of
achieving the latter.} (16. Ne4 c5 17. Nd6 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Bxd6 $17
) 16... c5 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. Ne4 {The culminating moment of White's plan. The
knight will inevitably get to d6. But Black will manage to exchange the
light-squared bishops and put his queenside majority into motion, with
adequate counterplay.} c4 19. h4 h6 20. Rd4 ({Once again reaching the optimal
goal with} 20. Nd6 Bxd6 21. exd6 $2 {loses the bishop to} e5 $1 $17) 20... Nf8
21. b3 (21. Nd6 Bxd6 22. exd6 $2 f6 $17 {once again wins material.}) 21... Rxd4
22. Qxd4 Rd8 23. Nd6 Bxd6 24. exd6 f6 $11 {White has created an advanced
passed pawn, but the c-pawn is just as strong. In fact, the bishop will soon
be restricted to defensive functions.} 25. Be3 e5 26. Qb2 Qc6 27. bxc4 bxc4 28.
Qb4 Rc8 29. f3 h5 30. Kf2 Kf7 31. Rd1 Nd7 32. Qb1 g6 33. g4 {This whole
kingside plan helps Black improve his structure.} Rh8 34. g5 f5 35. Qc2 Rc8 36.
Qc3 Ke6 37. Kg2 Qa4 38. Qd2 Qb5 39. a4 Qc6 40. Qc2 Rb8 41. Bd2 Rb3 42. Bc3 $2 {
Losing a pawn and gradually the game.} (42. a5 {would still have offered
chances for keeping the equality:} Kxd6 {Otherwise Bc3 consolidates.} 43. Bb4+
Kc7 44. Rd6 Qb5 45. Qd2 Rxb4 46. Rxd7+ Qxd7 47. Qxb4 Qc6 48. Qe7+ {with a draw
as the king cannot escape checks without losing the c-pawn.}) 42... Qxa4 43.
Ra1 Qc6 44. Ra5 Rb5 $17 {Black is perfectly coordinated now and the least he
could achieve is exchanging one of his pawns for the d6-pawn.} 45. Qa4 Nb6 46.
Qa1 Rxa5 47. Qxa5 Qb5 48. d7 $5 {Necessary as otherwise the pawn would be lost
for good.} Kxd7 49. Qa3 Nd5 50. Bxe5 {White seems to have obtained some
counter-attacking chances but Karjakin will play accurately as usual in such
situations.} Qc6 51. Qf8 Qe6 52. Qb8 c3 53. Qb7+ Ke8 54. Qb8+ Kf7 55. Qb7+ Ne7
{Such a knight is the best defender for the king.} 56. Bxc3 Qxe2+ {It is Black
who has an attack now.} 57. Kh3 ({Keeping the f3-pawn defended with} 57. Kg3 {
runs into} f4+ $1 58. Kxf4 $6 Qc4+) 57... Qb5 $3 $19 {Sort of trapping the
enemy queen. White cannot avoid either exchanging queens or losing f3 after ...
Qc6.} 58. Qc7 Qc6 59. Qe5 Qxf3+ 60. Kh2 Qf2+ 61. Kh1 {White could well have
resigned, of course.} (61. Kh3 f4 {[%cal Gf2e3,Gf2g3]} 62. Qg7+ Ke8 63. Qh8+
Kd7 $19) 61... Qxh4+ 62. Kg1 Qxg5+ 63. Kh2 Qh4+ 64. Kg1 Qe4 65. Qg7+ Ke6 66.
Bf6 Nd5 67. Bb2 f4 68. Kh2 Kf5 69. Qf8+ Kg5 70. Qd8+ Kg4 71. Qc8+ Kh4 72. Bg7
Qe2+ 73. Kh1 Qf3+ 74. Kh2 Qg3+ (74... Qg3+ 75. Kh1 Qe1+ 76. Kg2 Qe2+ 77. Kg1
Kg3) 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "Kramnik,V"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {A surprise on the very first move. I suspected that in this tournament
overwhelmingly closed openings would be played against me. And least of all
did I expect 1.e4 in my game against Aronian. Überraschung bereits im ersten
Zug. Ich vermutete, dass man in diesem Turnier gegen mich überwiegend
geschlossene Eröffnungen spielen würde. Und am wenigsten habe ich 1.e4 in
meiner Partie gegen Aronian erwartet.} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {In our
earlier encounters with 1.e4 played by Levon we continued into the main line
of the Berlin Defence, but without much success – all these games ended as
draws. In unseren früheren Begegnungen mit 1.e4 von Levon ging es weiter ins
Hauptabspiel der Berliner Variante, aber ohne großen Erfolg – alle diese
Partien endeten unentschieden.} Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 {I do not know for what
reasons Levon selected this variation. It is all the more difficult to
understand because he never again played 1.e4 in this tournament. He certainly
had his reasons for this, but his decision seemed somewhat strange to me. On
the other hand, if it had been justified it would have been called correct,
far-sighted, etc.  Ich weiß nicht, aus welchen Gründen Levon diese Variante
auswählte. Das ist umso schwieriger zu verstehen, weil er in diesem Turner 1.
e4 nicht mehr spielte. Bestimmt hatte er seine Gründe dafür, aber seine
Entscheidung kommt mir ziemlich seltsam vor. Andererseits, falls sie sich
gerechtfertigt hätte, würde man sie richtig, weitsichtig usw. nennen.} 6. O-O
{Such a treatment of the opening has always seemed dubious to me. Even after 3.
..a6 the exchange on c6 is not considered dangerous for Black - and in the
variation from our game White is playing free of any compulsion... It is clear
to me that this line is very prevalent in practice and contains some
subtleties, but I will never be able to believe that by playing like this
White can lay claim to an opening advantage. Naturally in today's theory many
variations have been analysed all the way to a draw, so that one feels the
desire to deviate at some point and simply "play chess", but in concrete terms
here White has, in my opinion, absolutely no preconditions for even a minimal
advantage and with my classical chess education I cannot take this variation
seriously. For that reason, moreover, I have also lost some games in this line;
on the other hand, not a few of them ended in a win for me. Solche
Eröffnungsbehandlung schien mir immer fraglich zu sein. Sogar nach 3...a6
gilt der Tausch auf c6 als ungefährlich für Schwarz – und in der Variante
aus unserer Partie spielt Weiß so ganz ohne Zwang... Mir ist klar, dass
dieses Abspiel in der Praxis sehr verbreitet ist und einige Feinheiten
beinhaltet, aber ich werde nie glauben können, dass Weiß bei dieser
Spielweise einen Eröffnungsvorteil für sich beanspruchen kann. Natürlich
sind in der heutigen Theorie viele Varianten bis zum Remis ausanalysiert, so
dass man den Wunsch verspürt, irgendwo abzuweichen und nur "Schach zu
spielen", aber konkret hat Weiß hier m.E. gar keine Voraussetzungen für nur
einen minimalen Vorteil und ich mit meiner klassischen Schachausbildung kann
diese Variante nicht ernstnehmen. Deswegen habe ich übrigens in diesem
Abspiel auch einige Partien verloren, andererseits endeten nicht wenige mit
meinem Gewinn.} Qe7 {There are various possibilities for Black here, but I
have often played and analysed such positions and come to the conclusion that
this queen move is very interesting. If White delays h2-h3, then Black also
holds back with the move Nf6-d7 and first develops his bishop. For example: 7.
Nbd2 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.Nc4 Nd7 – in my opinion this is an ideal setup for Black,
in which he has hardly any problems.  Es gibt hier für Schwarz verschiedene
Möglichkeiten, aber ich habe solche Stellungen oft gespielt und analysiert
und kam dabei zu dem Schluss, dass dieser Damenzug sehr interessant ist. Wenn
Weiß h2-h3 zurückhält, dann hält Schwarz den Zug Nf6-d7 auch noch zurück
und entwickelt zuerst seinen Läufer. Zum Beispiel: 7.Nbd2 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.Nc4
Nd7 – m. E. ist es für den Nachziehenden eine ideale Aufstellung, bei der
er gar keine Probleme hat.} 7. h3 {I analysed this variation 10 years ago,
then 7, then a few years ago – and each time something new revealed itself
to me. Of course Black can simply castle – that is not really linked to any
danger and should suffice for equality. But at some point I hit on the idea of
punishing White for the move h2-h3 and started to analyse 7...h6 with the idea
of attacking with g5-g4. For his part, White then begins with c3, d4 to play
in the centre; I found no advantage for him, and sharp and complicated
positions appear on the board.  Ich analysierte diese Variante vor zehn, dann
vor sieben, dann vor ein paar Jahren – und jedes Mal öffnete sich für mich
etwas neues. Selbstverständlich kann Schwarz einfach rochieren – das ist
mit keiner wirklichen Gefahr verbunden und sollte zum Ausgleich reichen. Aber
irgendwann kam ich auf die Idee, den Weißen für den Zug h2-h3 zu bestrafen,
und habe angefangen, 7...h6 mit der Idee des Angriffs g5-g4 zu analysieren.
Weiß beginnt seinerseits dann, mittels c3, d4 in der Mitte zu spielen; ich
habe für ihn keinen Vorteil gefunden, wobei scharfe und komplizierte
Stellungen aufs Brett kommen.} {Not that I would be dissatisfied with that,
but when I cam back to this variation a few years ago, Nicht, dass ich damit
unzufrieden wäre, aber als ich vor ein paar Jahren zu dieser Variante wieder
zurückkehrte, hat sich etwa als fünfter Computerzug...} Rg8 $1 {...had
appeared as something like the fifth computer move (today's engines award it
first or second place in their list of priorities). I thought about this and
understood that although this continuation looks absurd at first glance, it
makes perfect sense: Black will save a tempo. On further investigation it
became clear to me that it is simply the "refutation" of White's whole system.
After g7-g5 this pawn must not be taken under any circumstances, because Black
then quickly obtains a mating attack. But even if White allows the opposing
g-pawn to survive, Black pre-empts White with his threats – White's play in
the centre is too late. I cannot say whether at that time I went into the
position very deeply: Black was standing so well everywhere that I could not
believe that I would ever meet the line in practice, though if I did – then
in any case it is wonderful to get such a position. I did not go through the
relevant variations in my preparation for the game against Aronian (as I said,
I certainly wasn't expecting him to play 1.e4) and had almost nothing ready
after 7...Rg8. Moreover, when I re-opened my earlier notes after the game I
established that I had not written much at all about it.  ...blicken lassen 
(die heutigen Engines geben ihm in ihrer Prioritätenliste den ersten oder den
zweiten Platz). Ich habe mir darüber Gedanken gemacht und verstanden, dass
obwohl diese Fortsetzung auf den ersten Blick absurd aussieht, sie durchaus
sinnvoll ist: Schwarz will ein Tempo sparen. Bei der weiteren Untersuchung ist
mir klar geworden, dass es einfach die "Widerlegung" des ganzen weißen
Systems ist. Nach g7-g5 darf man diesen Bauern unter keinen Umständen nehmen,
weil Schwarz dann schnell einen Mattangriff erhält. Aber auch wenn Weiß den
gegnerischen g-Bauern am Leben lässt, kommt Schwarz mit seinen Drohungen dem
Anziehenden zuvor – das weiße Spiel in der Mitte geschieht zu spät. Ich
kann nicht sagen, dass ich mich zu jener Zeit in diese Stellung sehr vertiefte:
überall stand Schwarz so gut, dass ich nicht glauben konnte, diesem Abspiel
in der Praxis irgendwann zu begegnen, wenn aber doch – dann ist es in jedem
Fall wunderbar, so eine Stellung zu bekommen. Die entsprechenden Varianten
wiederholte ich bei meiner Vorbereitung zur Partie gegen Aronian nicht (wie
gesagt, ich erwartete von ihm überhaupt kein 1.e4) und hatte nach 7...Rg8
fast nichts parat. Übrigens, als ich nach der Partie meine früheren Notizen
wieder öffnete, habe ich festgestellt, dass ich dazu gar nicht viel
aufschrieb.} 8. Kh1 {I could still remember that this is the best and
practically the only move. If White does not play it he immediately gets a
worse position. Levon took this in no way obvious decision very quickly. So
far I have not yet talked to him on this subject, so I do not know if he had
previously had a look at this variation, but could not believe the power of 7..
.Rg8, or whether he did not want to show that he was not prepared for this
line. Daran, dass dies der beste und praktisch der einzige Zug ist, konnte ich
mich noch gut erinnern. Macht ihn Weiß nicht, bekommt er sofort eine
schlechtere Stellung. Levon traf diese keinesfalls offensichtliche
Entscheidung sehr schnell. Ich habe ihn bis jetzt auf dieses Thema nicht
angesprochen, deswegen weiß ich nicht, ob er sich diese Variante früher mal
anschaute, aber an die Kraft von 7...Rg8 nicht glauben konnte, oder ob er
nicht zeigen wollte, dass er auf dieses Abspiel nicht vorbereitet war.} Nh5 $5
({At the board I could still remember that I had previously analysed Ich
konnte mich am Brett noch daran erinnern, dass ich hier früher} 8... h6 {
here. After the game I established that I had then even somewhat preferred it
over 8...Nh5. A modern computer shows the following variation: analysierte.
Nach der Partie habe ich festgestellt, dass ich ihm damals sogar etwas den
Vorzug gegenüber 8...Nh5 gab. Der moderne Computer zeigt folgende Variante:}
9. Nbd2 g5 10. Nc4 g4 11. Nfxe5 h5 {(a cold blooded attack) (kaltblütiger
Angriff)} 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 gxh3 {and White is still hanging on, the
evaluation is approximately "=/+". But I preferred the knight move which
appeared to be ambitious and principled. From this point on my knowledge was
clearly at an end, from then on I was acting "independently". Fortunately
there is no need to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that if ...Nh5 was played,
the a future g5-g4 is being planned. Play after this was not very complicated.
und Weiß hält sich gerade noch, die Einschätzung ist etwa "=/+". Der
Springerzug gefiel mir aber besser, er schien ambitiös und prinzipiell zu
sein. Ab diesem Punkt waren meine Kenntnisse eindeutig zu Ende, weiter agierte
ich "selbständig". Zum Glück muss man kein Sherlock Holmes sein, um darauf
zu kommen, dass wenn ...Nh5 gezogen wurde, anschließend g5-g4 geplant ist.
Das weitere Spiel war nicht sehr kompliziert.}) 9. c3 $6 {The most natural but
unfortunate reaction. Die natürlichste, aber unglückliche Reaktion.} ({
The computer recommends Der Computer empfiehlt} 9. Nh2 {, but I do not like
this panicky continuation. Black replies , aber diese panische Fortsetzung
gefällt mir nicht. Schwarz antwortet} g6 {and prepares to castle long; his
position is simply one to dream about. und bereitet die lange Rochade vor,
seine Stellung ist einfach traumhaft.}) ({Here, in my view, Meines Erachtens
ist hier} 9. Nc3 {is the best move. As I later discovered, precisely this move
was taken into account as the main continuation in my earlier notes. The play
which follows is similar to the way the game went, but it is much better for
White to have a knight on c3 rather than a pawn: der beste Zug. Wie ich
später entdeckt habe, wurde gerade dieser Zug in meinen früheren Notizen als
Hauptfortsetzung erachtet. Das danach folgende Spiel ist analog dem Ablauf der
Partie, aber es ist für Weiß viel besser, auf c3 einen Springer anstatt
eines Bauern zu haben:} g5 10. Nxe5 g4 11. d4 Bd6 12. g3 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Qxe5 {
Here White may not have the resource Qd4 available to him, but on the other
hand his knight is already developed. After the further moves Zwar steht dem
Anziehenden hier die Ressource Qd4 nicht zur Verfügung, aber andererseits ist
sein Springer bereits entwickelt. Nach den weiteren Zügen} 14. h4 Bd7 {
the position is still more or less level, but playing it with Black is
considerably more pleasant: he will castle long and have the initiative –
White's king and light squares are weak. ist die Stellung noch mehr oder
weniger ausgeglichen, aber es ist wesentlich angenehmer, sie mit Schwarz zu
spielen: er wird lang rochieren und Initiative besitzen – der König und die
weißen Felder des Anziehenden sind schwach.}) 9... g5 10. Nxe5 ({After Auf} 
10. d4 {the move ist} exd4 ({During the game the continuation Während der
Partie schien mir auch die Fortsetzung} 10... g4 $5 11. hxg4 Bxg4 12. dxc5 Qf6
{with a subsequent activation of further reserves appeared to me to be
interesting and I took the decision to think more seriously about it if 10.d4
were actually played. Of course, the computer first thinks that "White is a
piece up", but then it begins to be less and less optimistic. I let it
calculate until it had evaluated the position as level, then I stopped the
analysis of this line. Probably 10...exd4 is stronger, but I cannot exclude
the fact that Black also has a great game after 10...g4. mit nachfolgender
Aktivierung weiterer Reserven interessant zu sein, und ich traf die
Entscheidung, darüber ernsthafter nachzudenken, falls 10.d4 tatsächlich
kommt. Der Computer meint zuerst natürlich, dass "Weiß eine Mehrfigur hat",
aber dann beginnt er immer weniger optimistisch zu sein. Ich ließ ihn solange
rechnen, bis er die Stellung als ausgeglichen eingeschätzt hatte, dann brach
ich die Analyse dieses Abspiels ab. Wahrscheinlich ist 10...exd4 doch stärker,
aber ich kann nicht ausschließen, dass Schwarz auch nach 10...g4 ein tolles
Spiel hat.}) 11. cxd4 Bb6 {(a wonderful place for the bishop) is the simplest.
Moreover, the computer can find nothing better than (ein wunderbarer Platz
für den Läufer) am einfachsten. Weiter findet der Computer nichts Besseres
als} 12. Nh2 Nf6 13. e5 Nd5 {It is irrelevant how great Black's advantage is
here – it is absolutely clear that White has lost the opening duel. Es ist
nebensächlich, wie groß hier der schwarze Vorteil ist – es ist absolut
klar, dass Weiß das Eröffnungsduell verloren hat.}) 10... g4 11. d4 {This is
obviously the only move, Offensichtlich ist dies der einzige Zug,} ({It is
even somewhat embarrassing for me to point out the variation es ist mir sogar
etwas peinlich, auf die Variante} 11. hxg4 Qh4+ 12. Kg1 Ng3 {with mate on h1.
mit Matt auf h1 hinzuweisen.}) 11... Bd6 12. g3 {Once more, the only
continuation according to the computer. Wieder die einzige Fortsetzung laut
dem Computer.} Bxe5 {I think it would not be really appropriate to criticise
this move. I took in the facts that I was facing no threats, but from a human
point of view it seems somewhat strange to be dealing with development when it
is possible to recover the material and be able to remain with an excellent
position. Es wäre, denke ich, nicht wirklich angebracht, diesen Zug zu tadeln.
Ich habe registriert, dass mir gar nichts droht, aber aus menschlicher Sicht
scheint es etwas seltsam zu sein, sich mit der Entwicklung zu beschäftigen,
wenn man das Material zurückerobern und mit einer ausgezeichneten Stellung
verbleiben kann.} ({In reality, after In Wirklichkeit aber beginnt der
Computer sich nach} 12... Be6 $1 {the computer begins to be very worried for
White. In the event of große Sorgen um Weiß zu machen. Im Falle von} 13. hxg4
$2 Bxe5 {White will soon be mated. Otherwise Black plays 0-0-0 and obtains a
powerful attack in return for the pawn. wird der Anziehende bald mattgesetzt,
ansonsten spielt Schwarz 0-0-0 und erhält für den Bauern einen gewaltigen
Angriff.}) 13. dxe5 Qxe5 14. Qd4 {The most logical continuation. Die
logischste Fortsetzung.} ({There is still the possibility of Es gibt noch die
Möglichkeit} 14. Kh2 {but it looks rather eccentric. aber sie sieht etwas
abwegig aus.}) ({And if Und falls} 14. h4 {then dann} Be6 {– the threat is
the capture on g3, when – es droht das Nehmen auf g3, wobei} 15. Kh2 {
can at least be met with zumindest mittels} Qxe4 {winning a pawn. mit
Bauerngewinn beantwortet werden kann.}) 14... Qe7 $5 {The decision, which is
characteristic of my play in Berlin. In this case the plan brought me success;
in a few other encounters it did not work, and in consequence I sometimes lost
half a point, sometime the whole point. Be that as it may, this game turned
out to be rather beautiful, which partially compensates for my losses. Die
Entscheidung, die für mein Spiel in Berlin charakteristisch ist. In diesem
Fall brachte mir diese Spielweise Erfolg; in ein paar anderen Kämpfen hatte
sie nicht funktioniert, wodurch ich mal einen halben, mal den ganzen Punkt
verlor. Wie dem auch sei, diese Partie ist ziemlich schön geworden, was meine
Einbuße zum Teil kompensiert.} ({My seconds wondered why I did not steer the
struggle into an endgame with an extra pawn: Meine Sekundanten wunderten sich,
dass ich den Kampf nicht ins Endspiel mit einem Mehrbauern überleitete:} 14...
Qxd4 15. cxd4 gxh3 16. Kh2 Be6 {Of course, I had also planned specifically
this liquidation a few moves before. Black gets in f7-f5, White exchanges on
f5, plays Nc3, Be3 and reacts to ...Nf6 with f2-f3. Of course Black has an
advantage but his win is still a long way away and in view of the bishops of
opposite colours White has chances of a draw.  During the game I got into a
"reckless mood" and after the moves ...Rg8 and ...Nh5 I felt it a pity to go
into an endgame. I noticed that after the retreat of the queen to e7 Black had
good chances of gradually developing a dangerous attack. To put it like this:
after the exchange of queens Black's advantage is objectively greater but
after 14...Qe7 it is harder for White to play. If Black is lucky, the game can
"win itself". That is what actually happened – my opponent did not manage to
find the best defence. Natürlich habe ich gerade diese Abwicklung vor ein
paar Zügen auch geplant. Schwarz setzt f7-f5 durch, der Anziehende tauscht
auf f5, spielt Nc3, Be3 und reagiert auf ...Nf6 mit f2-f3. Selbstverständlich
hat Schwarz Vorteil, aber sein Gewinn ist noch weit entfernt und wegen der
ungleichen Läufer hat Weiß Chancen auf Remis.  Im Lauf der Partie bin ich in
eine "Leichtsinnsstimmung" gekommen, und nach den Zügen ...Rg8 und ...Nh5 war
es mir bereits zu schade, ins Endspiel zu gehen. Ich habe bemerkt, dass
Schwarz nach dem Rückzug der Dame nach e7 über gute Chancen verfügt,
allmählich einen gefährlichen Angriff zu entwickeln. Sagen wir so: nach dem
Damentausch ist der Vorteil von Schwarz objektiv gesehen größer, aber nach
14...Qe7 ist es für Weiß schwieriger zu spielen. Wenn der Nachziehende
Glück hat, kann sich die Partie "von selbst" gewinnen. Eigentlich war es dann
auch so – meinem Gegner ist es nicht gelungen, sich optimal zu verteidigen.})
15. h4 {As good as forced. If Black were to get in ...gxh3, he would then not
only have a file for the attack but also have obtained an extra pawn. So gut
wie erzwungen. Wenn Schwarz zu ...gxh3 käme, hätte er dann nicht nur eine
Linie für den Angriff, sondern auch noch einen Mehrbauern bekommen.} c5 {
The idea behind this move is to transfer the bishop to c6, to castle and to
start the attack with f7-f5. The knight does not look best placed on h5, but
in the event of play on the light squares it will not be possible for White to
hold on to the pawn on e4, whilst the white king is very weak. I was of the
opinion that Black has very good prospects here.  Die Idee dieses Zuges
besteht darin, den Läufer nach c6 zu überführen, zu rochieren und mittels
f7-f5 den Angriff zu starten. Der Springer sieht auf h5 noch nicht optimal aus,
aber im Falle eines Spiels auf den weißen Feldern wird es dem Anziehenden
nicht möglich sein, den Bauern auf e4 zu behalten, während der weiße König
sehr schwach ist. Ich war der Meinung, dass Schwarz hier sehr gute
Perspektiven hat.} 16. Qc4 $2 {This is practically speaking the decisive
mistake. Das ist praktisch der entscheidende Fehler.} (16. Qd5 {would fail to
würde an} Nf6 {. scheitern,}) ({but during the game I had seen that aber noch
während der Partie hatte ich gesehen, dass} 16. Qd3 Bd7 17. c4 {is ok. It is
probably the only defensive idea here: plant the knight on d5 so that it
fulfils the role of a barrier along the long diagonal even if after geht.
Wahrscheinlich ist es die einzige Verteidigungsidee hier: den Springer auf d5
einpflanzen, so dass er die Rolle einer Barriere auf der großen Diagonale
spielt, auch wenn Schwarz nach} O-O-O 18. Nc3 Rge8 19. Re1 Bc6 20. Nd5 {
Black has without any doubt a wonderful position. zweifelsohne absolut klasse
steht.} {At the board I thought that Am Brett dachte ich, dass} Bxd5 ({I did,
e.g., consider Ich habe z.B.} 20... Qe5 {, but with precise moves the computer
can to some extent hang on: in Betracht gezogen, aber der Computer kann sich
mit genauen Zügen einigermaßen halten:} 21. Kg2 {because weil} f5 {is met
with mit} (21... b6) (21... Rd7) 22. Bg5 {, it suggests for Black to instead
simply improve his position with 21...b6 or 21...Rd7. Black is better, But
White's position is capable of being defended – thus we can understand the
evaluation of 0.5-0.6. beantwortet wird, schlägt er dem Nachziehenden vor,
stattdessen seine Position einfach mittels 21...b6 oder 21...Rd7 zu verbessern.
Schwarz steht besser, aber die weiße Lage ist verteidigungsfähig – so ist
die Einschätzung 0,5-0,6 zu verstehen.}) 21. cxd5 Nf6 22. Bg5 Nxe4 $5 {
was strong, but the computer starts to demonstrate some wonderful balancing
acts: stark ist, aber der Computer beginnt, Wunder der Equilibristik zu
demonstrieren:} 23. Kg1 $1 f6 24. Bf4 {with various tactical resources which
allow White to save the game. mit verschiedenen taktischen Ressourcen, die dem
Anziehenden erlauben, die Partie zu retten.} ({not nicht} 24. Bxf6 Qxf6 25.
Rxe4 Qf5 26. Rae1 h5 {and after the fall of the d5-pawn White is losing. und
nach dem Fall des Bauern d5 steht Weiß auf Verlust.})) {I suppose that Levon
did not particularly like all that and he found another, in itself very
cunning, defensive option. He is planning Bg5, because Black will not now have
the reply f7-f6. Ich vermute, dass Levon das alles nicht besonders gefiel, und
er hat eine andere, an sich recht listige Verteidigungsoption gefunden. Er
plant Bg5, weil Schwarz nun die Antwort f7-f6 nicht haben wird.} 16... Be6 17.
Qb5+ c6 18. Qa4 {And now Black deprives his bishop of the c6-square, so that
it cannot get on to the long diagonal. In addition Black cannot castle because
then the a7-pawn is hanging. As I understand things, that was Aronian's idea
and it would not be a bad one if the specific details did not reduce it to
nothing.. Und jetzt nahm Schwarz seinem Läufer das Feld c6, so dass er auf
die große Diagonale nicht kommt. Außerdem kann der Nachziehende nicht
rochieren, weil dann der Bauer a7 hängt. Wie ich verstehe, darin bestand
Aronians Idee, und sie wäre gar nicht schlecht, wenn die konkreten Details
sie nicht zunichtemachen würden.} ({18.Qa4 could be regarded as the final
mistake, but 18.Qa4 könnte man als den letzten Fehler betrachten, aber} 18.
Qe2 f5 19. Bg5 Rxg5 20. hxg5 f4 {would not help either – that would only be
a slightly better version of what happened in the game. würde auch nicht
helfen – das wäre nur eine etwas bessere Version davor, was später in der
Partie passierte.}) ({The computer recommends Der Computer empfiehlt} 18. Qd3 {
, but firstly, that does not fit in with White's last two moves and secondly
his situation would have remained terrible even then: , aber erstens passt das
mit den zwei letzten Zügen des Anziehenden nicht zusammen und zweitens wäre
seine Lage auch dann schrecklich geblieben:} Rd8 19. Qe3 (19. Qe2 f5) 19... Bc4
20. Rg1 (20. Re1 Rd3 21. Qh6 Qe5) 20... Rg6 21. Qe1 Bd3 {and White has major
strategic, tactical and soon material problems. However, he would not lose
immediately. und Weiß hat große strategische, taktische und bald auch
materielle Probleme. Jedoch würde er dabei nicht sofort verlieren.}) 18... f5
$1 {This is a typical idea, but Levon overlooked it or did not notice in time
its tactical justification – 19.exf5 Nxg3+!.  While he was thinking about
his next move, I wondered what I would do in his place and suddenly I
understood that White's position was absolutely hopeless. I was even amazed at
how bad everything was for him. The computer also recognises that – if it is
allowed some time, it gives roughly "-4" here. It was clear to me that the
business was all over, but in a situation in which all ways appear to lead to
Rome, it is also possible to make the wrong choice. So I used a lot of time
for the rest of the game in order to check over several times even the
simplest variations and not to do anything stupid – I have previously had
sufficient negative experiences in this area. But fundamentally after f5-f4
Black's attack develops on its own. Das ist eine typische Idee, aber Levon hat
sie übersehen oder ihre taktische Begründung – 19.exf5 Nxg3+! – nicht
rechtzeitig bemerkt.  Während er sich seinen nächsten Zug überlegte, habe
ich mich gefragt, was ich an seiner Stelle unternehmen würde, und plötzlich
habe ich verstanden, dass Weiß absolut hoffnungslos steht. Ich habe mich
sogar gewundert, wie schlecht das alles für ihn ist. Der Computer begreift
das auch – wenn man ihm etwas Zeit gibt, schreibt er hier etwa "-4". Mir war
klar, dass die Sache eigentlich gelaufen war, aber in einer Situation, in der
alle Wege nach Rom zu führen scheinen, kann man auch eine falsche Wahl
treffen. Deshalb habe ich für den Rest Partie viel Zeit verbraucht, um die
einfachsten Varianten mehrmals zu überprüfen und keine Dummheit zu machen
– negative Erfahrungen in diesem Sinne habe ich früher ausreichend
gesammelt. Aber im Grunde genommen entwickelt sich der schwarze Angriff nach
f5-f4 von selbst.} 19. Bg5 (19. exf5 Nxg3+ $1 20. fxg3 Bd5+ 21. Kg1 Qe2 22. Rf2
Qe1+ {with mate. mit Matt.}) 19... Rxg5 {This move can hardly be considered a
sacrifice.  Als ein Opfer darf man diesen Zug kaum betrachten.} 20. hxg5 f4 {
White has no counterplay and is simply mated. Weiß hat kein Gegenspiel und
wird einfach mattgesetzt.} 21. Qd1 Rd8 {Of course 21...fxg3 also wins.
Natürlich gewinnt auch 21...fxg3.} 22. Qc1 fxg3 23. Na3 Rd3 $1 {I suppose
that there were simpler ways, but I decided to bring the rook closer to the
main theatre of action. It later turned out that this is the computer's first
continuation.  Ich vermutete, dass es einfachere Wege gab, aber entschloss
mich, den Turm dem Hauptschauplatz näher zu bringen. Es hat sich später
herausgestellt, dass es die erste Fortsetzung des Computers ist.} 24. Rd1 Bd5
$1 {The only way to duff up such a position is by letting oneself be lulled to
sleep by the plethora of available options. So eine Stellung kann man nur dann
kaputtmachen, wenn man sich von der Menge der zur Verfügung stehenden
Möglichkeiten einlullen lässt.} ({It was clear to me that after Mir war klar,
dass Schwarz nach} 24... Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 gxf2 {Black has an absolutely won
position.  On the other hand, some of the variations arising after 24...Bd5
were so beautiful that I felt the urge to finish the game in style. And so at
this point I spent my time above all not on uncomplicated calculations but on
an inner battle with myself: "That is beautiful! / But why do you need to play
it? Be a professional, take on d1 and f2 and win the game." In the end the
artist had the upper hand. eine absolut gewonnene Position hat.  Andererseits
waren einige nach 24...Bd5 entstehenden Varianten so schön, dass ich die Lust
verspürte, die Partie stilvoll zu beenden. Und so verbrauchte ich an dieser
Stelle meine Zeit in erster Linie nicht für unkomplizierte Rechenarbeit,
sondern für den inneren Kampf mit mir selbst: "Das ist doch schön!/Aber wozu
brauchst du das? Sei ein Profi, nimm auf d1 und f2 und gewinne die Partie." Im
Endeffekt bekam der Künstler die Oberhand.}) 25. f3 ({When looking at the
variation Beim Anschauen der Variante} 25. exd5 Qe4+ 26. Kg1 gxf2+ {for
safety's sake I calculated it out to mate, which was not particularly
difficult. rechnete ich sicherheitshalber bis zum Matt, was nicht besonders
schwierig war.}) 25... gxf3 26. exd5 ({I had been hoping for Ich hatte auf} 26.
Rxd3 {: gehofft:} Qxe4 $1 {of course I wanted to take with the queen, although
26...Bxe4 would also be more than sufficient: natürlich wollte ich mit der
Dame nehmen, obwohl 26...Bxe4 auch mehr als ausreichen würde:} 27. Re3 f2+ 28.
Rxe4+ Bxe4# {, but that would have been somewhat too masochistic of Levon.  In
the final position Black is down by a queen and an exchange. I found it a pity
that the knight is still there on h5. It was even more impressive without it.
When I discovered this variation I could no longer resist the wish to play 24..
.Bd5. , aber das wäre von Levon etwas zu masochistisch gewesen.  In der
Endposition hat Schwarz eine Dame und eine Qualität weniger. Ich fand es
schade, dass der Springer h5 noch vorhanden ist, ohne ihn wäre es noch
beeindruckender. Als ich diese Variante entdeckte, konnte ich dem Wunsch, 24...
Bd5 zu spielen, nicht mehr widerstehen.}) 26... Qe2 {This too I checked over
some five times – in the end the queen is really pinned. Auch das habe ich
etwa fünf Mal überprüft – schließlich wird die Dame doch gefesselt.} 27.
Re1 ({Or Oder} 27. Qc2 g2+ 28. Kh2 g1=Q+ 29. Kxg1 f2+ 30. Kh2 {and here the
simplest is und am einfachsten ist hier} Rh3+ $1 31. Kxh3 Qf3+ 32. Kh4 Qg3+ 33.
Kxh5 Qh3# {Again very beautiful. Wieder sehr schön.}) 27... g2+ {White
resigned. Weiß gab auf.} (27... g2+ 28. Kh2 ({After Nach} 28. Kg1 {the number
of black queens increases. erhöht sich die Anzahl der schwarzen Damen:} f2+
29. Kxg2 (29. Kh2 g1=Q+ 30. Rxg1 f1=Q+) 29... f1=Q# {a rare mating pattern.
Taking on e1 would also be mate, but I would have chosen the double check.
eine seltene Mattkonstruktion; das Nehmen auf e1 wäre auch Matt, aber ich
hätte das Doppelschach gewählt.}) 28... g1=Q+ 29. Kxg1 f2+ 30. Kh1 Rh3+ 31.
Kg2 f1=Q# {This game pleased both experts and spectators. All in all it is not
complicated, but impressive and the plan with ...Rg8 is rather "fresh" and
unexpected. It brought me aesthetic enjoyment, though all that glitters is not
gold: the game I won against Levon with White is more interesting and more
complex, so that I rate it higher from the point of view of the art of chess.
But I understand that the struggle we have just analysed looks very
spectacular and thus is not really such a usual occurrence in supertournaments
- that is why it attracted so much attention. Experten und Zuschauern hat
diese Partie gefallen. Sie ist im großen und Ganzen nicht kompliziert, aber
effektvoll, und das Konzept mit ...Rg8 ist ziemlich "frisch" und unerwartet.
Mir brachte sie einen ästhetischen Genuss, obwohl nicht alles Gold ist, was
glänzt: die Partie, die ich gegen Levon mit Weiß gewann, ist interessanter
und komplexer, so dass ich sie aus der Sicht der Schachkunst höher
einschätze. Aber ich verstehe, dass der von uns gerade analysierter Kampf
sehr spektakulär aussieht und somit für die Superturniere nicht gerade
gewöhnlich ist - daher so viel Aufsehen.}) 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A18"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 $1 {This is a good move order if your opponent
usually plays setups with ...Nf6 and ...e6. We now enter positions that don't
have a particular pattern, but are very independent from typical openings} d5
4. e5 (4. cxd5 $5 {is a different approach} exd5 5. e5 Ne4 6. Nf3 Be7 $5 {
the pawn sacrifice is interesting} (6... Bf5 7. Be2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Qb3 Nc6
10. Nxd5 Bc5 11. Ne3 $1 $16 {1-0 (41) Matlakov,M (2714)-Santos Latasa,J (2567)
Minsk 2017}) 7. Qa4+ (7. Nxe4 dxe4 8. Qa4+ Nc6 9. Qxe4 Be6 $44) 7... Bd7 8. Qb3
Nc5 9. Qc2 Bg4 10. d4 Ne6 11. Be3 Bxf3 12. gxf3 c5 $1 $132 {1-0 (73)
Kryvoruchko,Y (2703)-Debashis,D (2518) Dubai 2018}) 4... d4 5. exf6 dxc3 6.
bxc3 Qxf6 {A lot has been investigated in this line recently} 7. d4 b6 (7... e5
$5 {is a concrete approach, tried by Aronian himself in 2014 against Grischuk.
This move is fine, but Black has to be precise.} 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Bg5 Qg6 10. d5
Nb8 11. h4 h6 $1 {Karjakin didn't have problems against Anand with this move.}
(11... Nd7 $6 12. Bd3 e4 13. h5 Qf5 14. Rh4 $3 {and suddenly the black queen
is lost.} exd3 15. Rf4 $18 {1-0 (40) Grischuk,A (2792)-Aronian,L (2815)
Stavanger 2014}) 12. h5 Qa6 $1 $146 13. Be3 Nd7 14. Bd3 Ba3 15. O-O Qd6 16. Nh4
O-O {Black wants to achieve a strategically better position with ...Nf6 and ...
Bc5} 17. Nf5 Qf6 18. Ng3 Qh4 {and a repetition of moves was agreed:} 19. Nf5
Qf6 20. Ng3 Qh4 {½-½ (20) Anand,V (2782)-Karjakin,S (2760) London 2017}) 8.
h4 $5 $146 {As expected, Aronian starts to show aggression right from the
first round in the Candidates tournament. He will play Bg5 like in the line
with 8.Nf3, but in some cases here he may play Rh3 and the knight may go to e2
as well.} (8. Nf3 Bb7 9. Be2 Bd6 10. Qc2 $6 {makes Black's life easy.} Qg6 $1
11. Qxg6 hxg6 12. h3 Nd7 $11 {½-½ (45) Mager,D (2283)-Gustafsson,J (2640)
Germany 2018, with a comfortable endgame.}) 8... Bb7 9. Bg5 Qf5 10. Bd3 Qa5 11.
Kf1 $1 {A smart way to defend the g2-pawn and to run away from ...Qxc3+. The
position becomes very original after the last few moves, and it is not easy to
find a clear and safe plan for Black, he has so many development possibilities,
that it is hard to choose. I would say White's opening experiment is going
well so far.} Nc6 (11... Bd6 $5 {preparing ...Nd7 and ...0-0 was possible.})
12. Rb1 (12. Rh3 $5 f6 13. Bd2 O-O-O 14. a4 $1 {similar to the game, the queen
feels somewhat weird on a5. A sample line would be:} e5 15. c5 {[%csl Ra5]}
bxc5 16. d5 Ba6 (16... Rxd5 $4 17. c4 $18) 17. Rb1 $1 Bxd3+ 18. Rxd3 Qa6 19.
Qg4+ Rd7 20. Rb5) 12... f6 13. Bd2 O-O-O (13... Qa3 $5 {avoiding a4 was
interesting} 14. Qh5+ g6 15. Bxg6+ hxg6 16. Qxh8 Qxa2 17. Rd1 Qc2 $1 $44 {
with decent compensation for Black.}) 14. a4 $1 {Trying to make the black
queen look uncomfortable there on a5.} e5 15. c5 (15. Rh3 $5 exd4 16. cxd4 Bb4
{was Aronian's suggestion for Black after the game on the 15.Rh3 line. White
has an interesting sequence now:} 17. d5 Bxd2 18. Rb5 $1 Qa6 19. dxc6 Bxc6 20.
Qxd2 Qxa4 21. Rb1 Qxc4 22. Ne2 {and the position remains complex} (22. Bxc4 $6
Rxd2 {is just fine for Black})) 15... Bxc5 16. Rb5 Qa6 17. Rh3 Bxd4 $1 18. Be2
(18. cxd4 $2 Rxd4 19. Ne2 Qxa4 $17 {and Black has four pawns for the piece,
and can play this position for a win.}) 18... Rd6 $6 (18... Ba8 $1 {giving b7
for the queen - a very original move} 19. Nf3 (19. Rb2 Qb7 20. cxd4 Nxd4 $132)
(19. cxd4 Nxd4 20. Rb2 Nxe2 $132) 19... Qb7 20. cxd4 Nxd4 21. Rb2 {In any case,
I feel that Black's position is great after he takes on e2 and plays with the
opposite-coloured bishops.} Nxe2 $132) 19. Rb1 (19. Rb2 $1 {is the computer
suggestion, with advantage for White. During the press conference, Aronian
said he wasn't sure how to evaluate the position after Black's 21st move:} Qa5
20. cxd4 Qd5 21. dxe5 Nxe5 22. Nf3 $16 {Black has many interesting moves here,
like ...Re8 or ...Nd3.}) 19... Qa5 20. Rb5 Qa6 (20... Bxc3 {runs into a pretty
move (that both players mentioned in the press conference)} 21. Rd3 $1 Rxd3 22.
Bxd3 Ba6 23. Bxc3 Qxc3 24. Ne2 Qa3 25. Rb3 Qxa4 26. Bf5+ Kb8 27. Rxb6+ cxb6 28.
Qxa4 Bxe2+ 29. Kg1 $16) 21. Rb1 Qa5 22. Rb5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 {Interesting ploy from Caruana. He
goes for the Vienna Variation, the line championed by Aronian himself.} 5. e4
Bb4 6. Bg5 h6 ({Karjakin-Aronian from earlier in this tournament, and
countless other games, saw} 6... c5) 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 {This line didn't use to be
so hot until lately, when the efforts of Nisipeanu, Pelletier and Vallejo Pons
finally gained recognition.} 8. Bxc4 ({The almost forgotten idea} 8. Qa4+ {
makes some sense here. At least the black c-pawn won't be able to hit the
white centre right away. After} Nc6 9. Bxc4 O-O 10. O-O Bd7 11. Qb3 Ba5 12.
Rad1 Bb6 13. e5 Qe7 14. Qc2 Nb4 15. Qe2 Bc6 16. a3 {White is hoping to
translate his spatial gains into something meaningful.}) 8... c5 $1 9. O-O {
White states his intention to play for quick development.} ({Alternatively,} 9.
e5 Qd8 10. a3 Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 cxd4 12. cxd4 Nc6 13. O-O O-O 14. Qd3 b6 {would
lead to a standard pawn structure Kramnik doesn't mind defending as Black.})
9... cxd4 10. e5 Qd8 11. Ne4 O-O 12. Qe2 Be7 (12... Bd7) 13. Rad1 Qc7 14. Bd3 (
{A straight-forward pawn sac} 14. Nd6 Bxd6 15. exd6 Qxd6 16. Rxd4 Qe7 17. Rfd1
Nc6 18. Rd6 {may succeed but only in blitz.}) 14... Nd7 {This move underlines
a general problem with White's concept: his e5-pawn is insufficiently
protected due to the absence of his dark-squared bishop. Granted, Black is
behind in development, but his kingside defences are quite solid.} 15. Rc1 Qa5
{[#]} {[%tqu "En","","","","g2g4","It's hard to blame Levon for trying to turn
his luck around, but such moves tend to backfire on you more often than not.",
10,"e4g3","",0]} 16. g4 $6 {It's hard to blame Levon for trying to turn his
luck around, but such moves tend to backfire on you more often than not.} (16.
Ng3 Nc5 17. Bb1 d3 {forces White to part with the bishop, effectively ending
his attacking chances.}) 16... Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. f4 Qa5 19. g5 Qd8 $6 {
Caruana shows his willingness to put up a tough defence.} ({There's something
to be said in favour of the counter-attacking plan} 19... Bd7 20. gxh6 Rfc8 ({
Fabiano must have seen} 20... g6 21. Nc5 $5 Bxc5 22. Qe5 f6 23. Qxc5 Qxc5 24.
Rxc5 {and found this endgame troublesome.}) 21. hxg7 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Bc6 {
but leaving his king without shelter is unnerving.}) 20. h4 Bd7 21. gxh6 g6 22.
h5 Kh8 23. Kh2 {Aronian just couldn't stop. Clearly, he was thinking attack,
when in reality White should be looking to escape with a draw.} ({The obvious} 
23. hxg6 fxg6 24. Nc5 {offers White compensation, albeit Black can survive:}
Rc8 {etc.}) 23... Bc6 24. Rf3 Bd6 $1 {The engines may not rate this move as
the strongest, but from a human point of view it's more than good enough.
Caruana's play is very consistent.} 25. Qf2 Bc7 26. Kh3 Qe7 (26... gxh5 27. Rg3
f5 {Again, the engines try to lead us astray.}) 27. Ng5 e5 28. Rxc6 $5 {
Probably, the best chance, although White cannot count on more than a draw in
all lines.} bxc6 29. Nxf7+ Rxf7 30. hxg6 Rf6 $2 {Fabiano's only mistake in the
overall very solidly played game.} ({He must have rejected} 30... Rxf4 {
on account of} 31. Rxf4 exf4 32. Qxd4+ Qe5 33. g7+ Kg8 34. Bc4+ Kh7 35. Qd3+
Kxh6 36. g8=Q Rxg8 37. Bxg8 {and indeed, it seemed White could survive, but
only until Black finds} Qh8 $1 38. Bb3 Kg5+ 39. Kg2 Qxb2+ 40. Bc2 Qf6 {with
decent winning chances.}) 31. g7+ $2 {In time trouble Levon misses his chance.}
(31. Qh4 $3 Qe6+ (31... e4 32. Bxe4) 32. f5 Qe7 33. Be4 {would lead to a crazy
position. Black is up a whole rook, but, positionally speaking, White is doing
just fine.}) 31... Kg8 32. Bc4+ $2 ({Again,} 32. Qh4 $1) 32... Kh7 33. Qh4 e4
34. Rg3 Bxf4 35. g8=Q+ Rxg8 36. Bxg8+ Kh8 37. Rg7 Qf8 38. Rh7+ Kxg8 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.27"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A35"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. e3 Nf6 5. d4 cxd4 6. exd4 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Qb3 Nxc3 9. Bc4 e6 10. bxc3 Bd7 11. Be2 Na5 12. Qc2 Bg7 13. Ba3 Bf8 14. Bb2 Bg7
15. Ba3 Bf8 16. Bb2 Bg7 17. Ba3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.23"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2784"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 c5 $5 {[%mdl 512] Almost a
novelty (this move had been played by a couple of rather weak players).} 6.
Nxc5 Nc6 $146 {[%mdl 8]} ({Of course, after} 6... Bxc5 $6 7. dxc5 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1
{White is better due to his bishop pair, e.g.} Nf6 9. Be2 Bd7 {1-0 (35) Hutt,A
(2122)-Moas,H Villa Carlos Paz 2003} 10. Be3 {etc.}) 7. Nf3 {Simple and good.}
(7. Nb3 {requires investigation. Most probably, Vladimir Kramnik planned} a5 8.
a4 $140 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Nxd4 $1 10. Bxb4 Nxb3 11. Qxb3 ({or} 11. Qxd8+ $5 Kxd8 12.
Rd1+ Ke8 13. Bd6 Bd7 $13) 11... Qb6 {Black regains the piece but his b4-pawn
will look vulnerable. Further analysis is required but at first glance Black
should equalise.}) 7... Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Qxd4 9. Nxd4 Bxc5 {Black has regained the
pawn but White keeps the initiative.} 10. Nb5 Ke7 11. Bd2 $6 {But not this way.
} (11. Nc7 $142 $1 Rb8 12. Bf4 Bb4+ 13. Ke2 Bd6 14. Bxd6+ Kxd6 15. Nb5+ Kc5 (
15... Ke7 16. Nxa7 Bd7 17. a4 $5) 16. Nxa7 (16. Rd1 $5 {[%csl Rc5]}) 16... Bd7
17. Ke1 {[%cal Ya7b5] and Black does not have sufficient compensation for the
missing pawn.}) 11... Bd7 {Black now consolidates his position and equalises.}
12. b4 Bxb5 13. cxb5 Bd6 14. g3 Rc8 {After this move White gets the important
c6-square for his bishop.} (14... Nf6 $5 15. Bg2 Nd5 $11) 15. Bg2 b6 16. Ke2
Nh6 17. Rac1 Nf5 18. Bc3 f6 19. f4 h5 20. Bc6 {[%csl Gc6] Now Black switches
to the d-file.} Rcd8 21. a4 h4 22. Kf3 (22. g4 {was more challenging for Black:
} Nh6 (22... Bxf4 {is risky as after} 23. gxf5 Bxc1 24. Rxc1 exf5 {White's
bishop pair should not be underestimated, e.g.} 25. a5 g5 26. axb6 axb6 27. Be1
{(S.Grigoriants)}) 23. Kf3 Nf7 {[%cal Yg7g5]} 24. Rce1 g5 25. Bd5 e5 ({or} 
25... Bxf4 26. Rxe6+ Kf8 27. Bxf6 Rxd5 28. Rhe1 Rd3+ 29. Kf2 Nh6 30. Bxh8 Nxg4+
) 26. Bxf7 Kxf7 27. fxe5 fxe5 28. Bxe5 Bxb4 29. Bxh8 Bxe1 30. Rxe1 Rxh8 {
- in both cases Black should not lose but he is certainly on the defending
side.}) 22... hxg3 23. hxg3 Rxh1 24. Rxh1 Bb8 25. Be4 Kf7 26. Rc1 (26. a5 Nd6
27. Bc6 Nf5 $11) 26... Ne7 27. Be1 f5 28. Bb1 Rd4 {Black's counterplay is now
enough for equality.} 29. Bc3 Rc4 30. Ba2 Rc8 31. Bb2 Rd8 32. Bc4 Rc8 33. Bb3
Rxc1 34. Bxc1 Bd6 35. Bd2 Nd5 36. Bxd5 exd5 37. Bc3 Be7 38. a5 Bf6 39. Bxf6
Kxf6 40. Ke3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D30"]
[WhiteElo "2784"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Qb3 {Opting for a
relative backwater of the Catalan complex.} c6 (6... c5 {is often played but
my guess is that Black didn't want to allow his opponent an IQP type position.}
) 7. O-O dxc4 {I'm not sure whether it's permissible to give this '?!',
however one thing is certain, this move deserts the centre a bit and Black
isn't forcing through ...c5, which normally constitutes compensation for that.}
(7... Nbd7 {is the main move, intending sensible development with ...b6 or
else some Dutch-type thing. There could follow, for instance,} 8. Bf4 a5 9. Rc1
h6 10. a4 Ne4 $5 $132 {as played in an Olympiad game between two people who
are currently in Berlin, though for different reasons! Giri,A-Aronian,L
Istanbul 2012}) 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Nbd2 {This is not terribly incisive.}
(10. Bg5 $1 {should be a virtually automatic pick- I don't see what Black's
way of arranging ...c5 could be.} Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 (11... Bxf6 12. Nbd2 Qc7
13. Rfc1 Rfc8 14. Ne4 Be7 15. a4 $14 {and Black will be suffering for a while})
(11... gxf6 12. Nc3 Qb6 13. a4 b4 14. a5 Qa6 15. Na4 {is painful to look at,
even if it is somehow sound for Black.}) 12. Nbd2 a5 (12... c5 $6 13. dxc5 Rc8
14. b4 a5 15. a3 $16 {was the rather anticlimatic continuation in the only
practical test, Shvidler,E -Kundin,A Tel Aviv 1995}) 13. Nb3 Nd7 14. a4 Qb6 15.
Rfc1 $36 {White has continuing pressure against the Black queenside.}) 10... c5
$1 {Just like that, White's opening ideas are all neutralised. Neither can
this have been a great secret to either player- it's been seen multiple times
before.} 11. dxc5 Na6 12. Nb3 Be4 13. Qc3 Rc8 14. Be3 (14. Qa5 Qxa5 15. Nxa5 {
is one way of trying to squeeze blood from a stone (15...Nxc5 16.Nd4 etc.)
however Black has decent replies, one of which is} Bxc5 $11) 14... Nd5 15. Qd2
Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Nxc5 18. Nxc5 Bxc5 19. Qb3 Qb6 {By this point,
everyone in the commentary room, and for that matter the world, was already
aware that the game would be a draw.} 20. e3 Be7 21. Rfd1 Rc7 22. Rac1 Rfc8 23.
Rxc7 Rxc7 24. Kg2 g6 25. Rd2 Kg7 26. Rc2 Rxc2 27. Qxc2 Qc5 28. Qxc5 Bxc5 29. b3
f5 30. a4 bxa4 31. bxa4 {The requisite 30 moves have been made.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E60"]
[WhiteElo "2784"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Baldauf,M"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 $5 {Eine interessante Nebenvariante, die
Grischuk die Laune an seinem Grünfeldinder verderben soll. Die Idee des Zuges
ist, Nc3 zu verzögern, um so dem typischen Grünfeldzug ...d5 den Zahn zu
ziehen.} O-O 5. Be2 c5 {Wie schon gegen Aronians Anti-Grünfeld mit 3.f3
meidet Grischuk den Übergang ins Benoni nicht.} (5... d5 {ergibt nun weniger
Sinn, da nach} 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. e4 {der Springer sich nicht wie geplant auf c3
tauschen kann und Weiß den Raumvorteil eher genießen kann als in den
typischen Grünfeldstrukturen nach ...Nxc3 bxc3.}) ({Om königsindischen Stile
mit} 5... d6 {fortzufahren ist freilich ebenso möglich. Für diese Strategie
entschied sich Caruana vor fünf Jahren, als er gegen den gleichen Gegner mit
den schwarzen Steinen diese Stellung auf dem Brett hatte. Grischuk meinte in
der Pressekonferenz, es sei ein seltsames Gefühl gewesen, gegen "seine"
Variante zu spielen, schließlich habe er das komisch anmutende 4.e3 damals
salonfähig gemacht. "Definitiv in den Top-3 seiner Eröffnungsideen" sei
dieses Anti-Grünfeld-Rezept.} 6. Nc3 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. Qc2 Re8 9. Rd1 e4 10.
Nd2 Qe7 11. b4 Nf8 12. Bb2 h5 13. Rac1 $14 {1/2-1/2 (59) Grischuk,A (2785)
-Caruana,F (2779) Elancourt 2013 CBM 157 [Krasenkow,M]}) 6. d5 e6 7. Nc3 exd5
8. cxd5 d6 {Schwarz hat aufgrund des etwas bescheidenem e3 einen guten Benoni
- doch gibt es so etwas, "einen guten Benoni"? Grischuk ist der Meinung. Der
strukurelle Vorteil des Weißen wird durch aktives Figurenspiel und einem
Prachtläufer auf g7 kompensiert.} 9. Nd2 Na6 10. O-O Nc7 11. e4 Re8 {Greift
des Bauern e4 nochmal an und droht somit sofortiges ...b5.} 12. a4 Rb8 13. f3
$5 {Caruana schließt die Bauernkette g2-d5 und stützt so den e4 zuverlässig,
schwächt damit aber seine schwarzen Felder. Definitiv eine zweischneidige
Entscheidung, welche aber noch Teil der Vorbereitung sein sollte.} ({Das etwas
natürlichere} 13. Qc2 $6 {scheitert an} Nfxd5 $1 14. exd5 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Rxe2
$15 {wonach Weiß zwar etwas Kompensation für den Bauern, aber keinesfalls
mehr haben sollte.}) (13. Re1 a6 14. a5 Bd7 {und Schwarz sollte zu ähnlichem
Gegenspiel wie in der Partie kommen.}) 13... a6 14. a5 (14. Rb1 $2 {ist eine
typische Entgegnung auf den schwarzen Plan ...b5, ist an dieser Stelle jedoch
keineswegs zu empfehlen:} b5 15. axb5 axb5 16. b4 {zum einen ist dieser Plan m.
E. nur funktionabel wenn auf ...c4 der weißen Springer auf das Traumfeld d4
kommt, zum anderen kommt Schwarz hier nach} Nh5 $1 {zu sofortigem Angriff. Nach
} 17. Qc2 Bd4+ 18. Kh1 $6 Ng3+ 19. hxg3 Qg5 {ist die Partie nämlich schon
vorüber.}) 14... Bd7 15. Nc4 Bb5 {Der Bc8 ist zwar eigentlich der "gute
Läufer", triff im Benoni jedoch imme auf eine massive weiße Bauernkette und
man kann froh sein, das Sorgenkind entfernt zu bekommen.} 16. Bg5 Bxc4 17. Bxc4
b5 18. axb6 Rxb6 {Bis hierhin spielten Grischuk wie Caruana ihre natürlichen
Pläne aus. Weiß hat sich das Läuferpaar geholt und eine solide Bauernkette
im Zentrum errichtet. Alle Leichtfiguren sind gut entwickelt. Schwarz hat zwei
Bauernschwächen a6 und d6, dafür jedoch Angriff auf der b-Linie und guten
Gripp auf den schwarzen Feldern. Die Springerwanderung c7-b5-d5 liegt zudem in
der Luft. Die Engines geben in derartigen Stellungen weißen Vorteil, am Brett
könnte es jedoch leichter für Schwarz zu spielen sein.} 19. Na4 (19. Qc2 {
folgte in einer Vorgängerpartie, in der Schwarz ambitioniert spielte und
seine Kontrolle über die schwarzen Felder ausbaute:} h6 20. Bh4 g5 $5 21. Bf2
Nd7 22. Ra2 Qf6 23. Be2 Reb8 24. Be3 Ne5 25. g3 $1 Rb4 $13 {0-1 (62)
Hamitevici,V (2430) -Jumabayev,R (2599) London 2015}) 19... Rb4 (19... Rb8 {
pocht auf den Plan ... Nb5-d4:} 20. Ra2 Nb5 $13 {das Problem für Schwarz ist
nun, dass er den a6 nun nicht mehr gut decken kann.} 21. Kh1 Qc8 {aber Schwarz
sollte hier im Vergleich zur Partie etwas schneller sein.}) (19... Rb7 {
war der Vorschlag Caruanas: die Idee ist die gleiche wie ...Rb8, man möchte
die Springerroute b5-d4 offen halten.}) 20. b3 Qc8 (20... Nb5 $6 {würde nun
die Qualität verlieren. Zwar bekommt man Kompensation auf den schwarzen
Feldern, dennoch gibt es keinerlei Grund für solch radikale Maßnahmen} 21.
Bd2 Nd7 22. Ra2) 21. Bf4 $1 {Greift die Schwäche auf d6 an, ehe Schwarz die
Umgruppierung Nd7-Ne5 schafft.} Qd7 (21... Nh5 $6 22. Bxd6 Bxa1 $2 {daran
dachte Grischuk intuitiv vermutlich nicht einmal eine einzige Sekunde} (22...
Nb5 $5 {ist hingegen interessant und zweischneidig, da der Bd6 kalte Füße
bekommt - die taktischen Verwicklungen funktionieren jedoch für Weiß} 23. Nb6
$1 Qb7 24. Bxc5 Nc3 25. Qd2 Rxb6 26. Kh1 $16 {und Weiß bedient sich danach
auf b6 und hat genug Bauern, um die etwas unkoordinierten schwarzen
Leichtfiguren in Zaum zu halten.}) 23. Qxa1 {und die schwarze Stellung hat all
ihre Koordination eingebüßt.}) 22. Ra2 Nh5 23. Be3 Rbb8 {Grischuk sieht nun
ein, dass er ohne ...Nb5 nicht vorankommt und beordert seinen Turm aus der
Gefahrenzone.} 24. Qd2 Nb5 {Grischuk droht nun auf d4 zu landen, so dass
Caruana die Läuferdiagonale g7-a1 vorübergehend schließen möchte und
danach seinen Na4 ins Spiel zurückholt. Schwarz hat definitiv viel erreicht.}
25. g4 Nf6 26. Nb2 Qc8 27. Bf4 Nd7 $5 {Um die lang erwartete Umgruppierung des
Nf6 nach d7 zu schaffen opfert Grischuk einen Bauern - zudem muss Caruana
seine Damenflügelstruktur reparieren und der c-Bauer wird plötzlich zum
gefährlichen Freibauern.} 28. Bxb5 axb5 29. Bxd6 Rb6 30. Bg3 c4 {Alle
schwarzen Figuren stehen nun gut um den c-Bauern zu unterstützen und Weiß
muss genau spielen - bei knapper Zeit keineswegs ein einfaches Unterfangen.}
31. bxc4 bxc4 32. Qe2 $1 {Diesen Zug übersah Grischuk, als er mit 26...Qc8
diese Stellung mehr oder weniger forcierte. Der so komisch wirkende Nb2 droht
plötzlich auf c4, zum Helden zu werden.} Rb4 $1 {Erscheint daher der einzige
Zug zu sein, wonach Caruana sich etwas erleichtert in die Zugwiederholung
flüchtet. Er hat zwar immer noch einen Bauern Vorteil, doch die Stellung ist
brandgefährlich für ihn.} (32... c3 $2 33. Nc4 Rb4 34. Na5) 33. Bd6 Rb6 34.
Bg3 Rb4 35. Bd6 Rb6 36. Bg3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2784"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Qb3
$5 {As he shared in the interviews, his team prepared this line for the
Candidates.} b6 {[%csl Rc4][%cal Gc8a6,Ra6c4,Gb2b3,Gb3c4] This move makes
perfect sense as it plans to exploit White's inability to hold the c-pawn with
the move b2-b3.} ({For} 8... Nbd7 {see Caruana's game against So in round 1 of
this event.}) 9. Nc3 Ba6 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Ne5 Bb7 {All the moves played have
been standard procedure so far.} ({The typical way to get rid of the strong
knight on e5 doesn't work yet due to tactics:} 11... Nfd7 $2 12. Nxd5 $1 exd5
13. Nxf7 Rxf7 14. Bxd5 $16) 12. Rfc1 $1 ({The other rook move has also been
tried before:} 12. Rac1 Nc6 13. Nb5 (13. Nxd5 Nxd4 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Qc4 Bxg2
16. Kxg2 Rfd8 $11 {0-1 (44) Romero,P (2133)-Rallabandi,P (2186) ICCF email
2017. Black has no problems here and even won in one correspondence game.})
13... Nxe5 14. dxe5 Nd7 15. Qe3 Bc5 (15... Nc5 $5 16. b4 Qd7 17. Nd6 Ne4 $1 $11
) 16. Nd4 a5 17. f4 Ba6 {White has a slightly more pleasant position to play
but Black has good counter-chances to keep the balance.}) 12... Nc6 ({It's
possible now to kick back the knight with the typical} 12... Nfd7 {but after}
13. Nd3 $1 Nc6 14. e3 (14. Qa4 Nf6 15. e3 a6 16. Qb3 Na5 17. Qd1 Nc4 $11 {
1/2-1/2 (40) Szczepanski,Z (2523)-Godat,T (2317) LSS email 2009}) 14... Rc8 15.
a4 $5 {White still has some initiative on the queenside.} Na5 16. Qd1 Nc4 17.
Be1 a6 18. b3 $14 {1-0 (72) Huang Qian (2440)-Guo Qi (2381) Xinghua CHN 2018})
13. Nxd5 Nxd4 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Qc4 Bxg2 16. Qxd4 {The point. White has this
option without a rook on f1.} Rfd8 17. Qf4 ({Caruana also considered the better
} 17. Qb4 $5 Qxb4 18. Bxb4 Bb7 19. Rc7 Ba6 20. Rac1 Nd5 {but unfortunately
couldn't make it work until Ding pointed out} 21. Rxf7 $1 Bxe2 (21... Nxb4 $4
22. Rcc7 $18) 22. Ba3 $14 {and White is a tempo up in the game continuation.})
17... Bb7 $6 {Now Caruana plays energetically to obtain a pleasant edge in the
ending.} (17... Bd5 {doesn't help much in defending against White's growing
initiative.} 18. Bb4 Qe8 19. Rc7 Nd7 20. Nc4 (20. Ng4 e5 21. Qg5 Kh8 $11) 20...
Bxc4 21. Qxc4 Rdc8 (21... Ne5 22. Qe4 $1 Qb5 23. Rac1 $14) 22. Rc1 $14) 18. Bb4
Qe8 19. Rc7 Nd5 20. Qxf7+ Qxf7 21. Rxf7 Ba6 22. Ba3 Bxe2 23. Rc1 Bh5 24. Rb7
Be8 {Caruana thinks here that though it's pleasant for him "it's not as much
as he had hoped for."} 25. Kg2 a5 26. h4 $1 Rdb8 27. Rxb8 Rxb8 28. g4 b5 29. b3
b4 30. Bb2 a4 $2 {Ding doesn't sense the danger.} ({It was best to first
prevent h4-h5:} 30... h5 $1 31. g5 Ne7 $1 $132 {[%csl Rh4][%cal Ge7f5]}) 31. h5
Ra8 32. Kg3 {Both players agreed here that Black is in the very unpleasant
situation of having no counterplay.} Kf8 33. Nf3 Bd7 34. Rc4 Kg8 35. Ne5 Bb5
36. Rc5 Be8 37. Nc4 Bd7 38. Ne5 Be8 39. Bd4 Kf8 40. f3 Ke7 41. Kh4 $5 Kf8 42.
Kg5 {Caruana's main idea is to provoke h6, but then quipped that he wasn't
really sure why he wanted it!} h6+ 43. Kh4 Kg8 44. Kg3 Kh7 45. Nd3 Kg8 46. Rc1
axb3 47. axb3 Kh7 48. Nc5 $1 {I just like the way Caruana shuffles his pieces
around and pokes at Black's weaknesses in different ways; this allowed him to
slowly, slowly increase his advantage.} Bf7 49. Re1 Ne7 50. Bb2 $1 {Avoiding
Black's equalising resource.} (50. Nxe6 Nc6 51. Bc5 Re8 52. Nf8+ Kg8 $11) 50...
Nc6 51. f4 Ra2 52. Nd3 e5 53. fxe5 Bxb3 $6 {Allowing White to give Black
problems with the passed pawn.} (53... Nd8 $5 54. Re4 Bxb3 55. Rxb4 Bf7 {
seems drawish but Black might still have to be a little careful.} 56. Nf2 Ne6
57. Ne4 Ra7 58. Nd6 Bg8 $1 {and looks like Black has a fortress.}) (53... Be6
$5 54. Re4 Bxb3 55. e6 Ra7 {is similar to the game.} 56. Nc5 Bd5 57. Re2 (57.
Rf4 Re7) 57... Kg8 $11) 54. e6 Ra7 (54... Bc4 55. e7 Nxe7 56. Rxe7 Bxd3 57.
Rxg7+ Kh8 58. Bd4 {Caruana wasn't sure if this was winning at all and he could
be right in questioning it. Nevertheless, the pressure will be on Black!} b3
59. Rb7+ Kg8 60. Rxb3 Be2 $1 61. Rb8+ Kf7 62. Rb7+ Ke8 $1 (62... Kg8 $6 63.
Rg7+ Kf8 64. Rg6 Ra6 65. Bb6 Ra3+ 66. Kh4 Ra4 67. Be3 Ra6 $1 68. Rxa6 Bxa6 69.
Bxh6+ Kg8 $11) 63. Rb6 Ra4 $11) 55. Nc5 Bc4 56. Nd7 Bb5 57. Nf8+ Kg8 58. Ng6
Ne7 $2 ({A better defence was} 58... Ra8 $1 59. Rc1 (59. e7 Re8 60. Re4 (60.
Re3 Bc4 {[%csl Re7,Rg6][%cal Gc4f7]}) 60... Bd3 61. Re6 Bb5 (61... Bxg6 $2 62.
Rxg6 Nxe7 63. Rxg7+ Kf8 64. Rh7 $18)) 59... Re8 60. Rc5 Ba4 61. Nf4 Rd8 $11)
59. Ra1 $1 {This small tactic is what Ding missed.} Nc6 {Luckily there is
still a move that keeps him alive!} (59... Rxa1 60. Nxe7+ Kf8 61. Ng6+ Kg8 62.
Bxa1 $18) 60. Rd1 Kh7 61. Rd5 Ba4 62. Kf4 Bc2 63. Rc5 Ba4 64. g5 $1 hxg5+ ({
A more stubborn defence is} 64... Ra8 {but it's difficult to play such waiting
moves while the opponent is continuing to make progress.} 65. gxh6 Kxh6 66. Rg5
$36 {[%cal Gg6h4,Gh4f5]} Bc2 67. Nh8 $5 Rxh8 68. Bxg7+ Kh7 69. Bxh8 Kxh8 70.
Rb5 Bb3 71. Rb6 Bxe6 $1 {Now I think Black can get a theoretically drawn
ending (rook pawn on 5th or 6th is a draw, for your information):} (71... Bd5
72. Kf5 Kg7 73. h6+ Kh7 (73... Kxh6 74. e7) 74. Kg5 $18) 72. Rxc6 Bg8 73. Rb6
b3 74. Kg5 Bc4 {quickly going to the right defensive diagonal!} (74... b2 75.
Rxb2 Bh7 {trying to transfer to the right defensive diagonal but White can
prevent it} (75... Bc4 76. Rd2) (75... Bd5 76. Rb4) 76. Kh6 Bg8 77. Rb7 $18)
75. Rb8+ Kg7 76. Rb7+ Kh8 77. h6 Bd3 78. Rxb3 Bc2 $11) 65. Rxg5 Nd8 {Here,
Caruana suddenly felt that there might be some danger in his position and
thought it best not to play risky.} 66. Re5 ({Caruana checked the forcing
lines but unfortunately missed an important detail in his analysis:} 66. Nf8+
Kg8 67. h6 (67. Bxg7 Rxg7 68. e7 Nf7) 67... Kxf8 68. h7 $1 {which is a clearly
winning for White.} (68. hxg7+ Kg8)) 66... Be8 67. e7 {White offered a draw
and it was accepted.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.26"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2784"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d3
{The Anti-Marshall variation of the Ruy Lopez is currently the only way to
give Marshall players any theoretical problems.} d6 9. Bd2 $5 {This move was
used by Grischuk in the 12th round of the same event. Its idea is to prevent
the typical move of the Black knight to a5 while preparing to play either
a2-a4, Nc3 or c3 depending on what Black does next. According to my Megabase,
this was actually first intoduced by Andrew Muir (now IM) into tournament
practice way back in 1978!} Bg4 ({Grischuk's game in the 12th round went} 9...
Kh8 $5 10. h3 Nd7 11. Nc3 Na5 12. Nd5 Nxb3 13. axb3 Bb7 14. c4 $14 {½-½ (54)
Grischuk,A (2767)-Aronian,L (2794) Berlin GER 2018. White obtained an edge
from the opening}) ({The aforementioned first game continued} 9... Nd7 10. a4
Bb7 {which actually transposes to a line in the old Arkhangelsk Ruy Lopez!} {
Now the most precise is} 11. Nc3 $1 Nd4 (11... b4 12. Nd5) 12. Nxd4 exd4 13.
Nd5 $14) 10. c3 d5 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qe2 $5 $146 {This useful, flexible move is
Caruana's team's novelty.} ({Previously seen was} 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. g4 $6 Bg6
14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Rxe5 Nb6 16. d4 Bd6 17. Bg5 Qd7 $44 {1-0 (46) Jackson,S 
(2185)-Littlewood,P (2475) London 1984. Black had the typical Marshall
compensation, and probably even more.}) 12... Rb8 13. Bg5 $1 {Surrendering
central control is simply not part of Caruana's chosen plan.} (13. exd5 $6 Nxd5
14. g4 Bg6 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Qxe5 c6 $44 17. Bxd5 (17. d4 Bd6) 17... Bf6 $1 18.
Qg3 cxd5 19. Bf4 Rc8 20. g5 Be7 21. Nd2 f6 $1 $132) 13... dxe4 14. dxe4 h6 15.
Bc1 $1 {A tough move to make which Caruana said was still part of his preps.
On c1, the bishop will not get in the way of the other pieces. As one
principle goes, development doesn't matter much in a closed game or when the
enemy cannot easily open up the game.} ({Retreating the bishop the other way
is also not part of Caruana's plan:} 15. Bh4 Nd7 16. Bg3 {Now this bishop will
get in the way of the queen's knight later.} (16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Nbd2 Qf6 $1 {
preventing the typical knight manoeuvre to f1-g3/e3.}) 16... Bd6 17. Nbd2 Nc5
18. Bc2 a5 $132 19. Nf1 $6 {White cannot simply ignore Black's queenside
activity:} b4 (19... a4 $5 20. a3 Na5 $15) 20. Ne3 Qf6 21. Nf5 (21. Nd5 Qe6)
21... bxc3 22. bxc3 Rb2 $36) 15... Bg6 16. Nbd2 Nh5 {preventing White's
knights from coming to h4 and g3.} (16... Bc5 17. Nh4 (17. a4 $5 {it also
looks good for White to pressure Black on the queenside.}) 17... Bh7 (17... Bh5
18. Ndf3 $36 {[%cal Gg2g4,Gh4f5]}) 18. Nf5 $14) 17. Nf1 Bc5 (17... Nf4 $6 {
This active move is not according to the spirit of Black's position.} 18. Bxf4
exf4 19. Bd5 $1 (19. Rad1 Qc8 20. Qd2 $16) 19... Na5 20. Rad1 Qc8 21. Ne5 $16
Bh7 22. Qh5 $40) 18. g3 {A useful move, preventing any future possibility of
Black's knight going to f4, and preparing for White's knight to go to h4.} Kh7
19. Kg2 Qe7 (19... f5 $2 {is still premature.} 20. exf5 Rxf5 (20... Bxf5 21.
Ng5+ $1) 21. Bc2 Rf6 22. Ng5+ $1 $18) 20. Bc2 $1 {A nice double-purpose or a
"double-positional-threat" move. The first and more obvious idea is to
overprotect e4 enabling the knight to go to e3 then d5.} Rfd8 (20... a5 21. Ne3
) 21. b4 $1 {This was the second positional threat.} ({There is also nothing
wrong with} 21. Ne3 Nf6 22. Nh4 $16 {but Caurana's choice dominates Black on
both sides of the board.}) 21... Bb6 22. a4 {Caruana creates a second weakness
as his kingside play will always be there for him.} Nf6 23. Nh4 {A good
practical decision.} ({According to Caruana, he didn't want the game to go out
of control after} 23. axb5 axb5 24. Qxb5 Bxf2 25. Qxc6 Bxe1 26. Nxe1 $16 {
while White is still better, but there's a chance he could miss something or
for Black to create some counterplay.}) 23... Qe6 24. Bd3 ({Caruana also
pointed out that White also has the option} 24. Nxg6 fxg6 25. Bd3 Rf8 26. f3 {
which is very accurate and is objectively the better choice.}) 24... Bh5 $1 {
Black cannot just sit and watch White create play on both sides of the board
so Aronian tries to muddle things up and "swim against the tide."} ({If} 24...
Ne7 {Caruana was once again sharp in spotting the important idea:} 25. Nxg6
Nxg6 26. axb5 axb5 27. Bxb5 Bxf2 28. Bc4 $1 $18 (28. Kxf2 Qb6+)) 25. g4 Bxg4 {
The logical follow-up.} (25... Bg6 {doesn't make sense as it only helps White
improve his position after} 26. axb5 (26. Ng3 $16 {Caruana}) 26... axb5 27.
Nxg6 (27. Bxb5 Nxe4) 27... fxg6 28. Bxb5 $16) 26. hxg4 Nxg4 ({If} 26... Qxg4+ {
Caruana correctly thought that the ending will be technically winning for
White.} 27. Qxg4 Nxg4 28. Be2 Bxf2 (28... Nxf2 29. axb5 axb5 30. Bxb5 Ne7 31.
Bc4 f6 32. Be3 Bxe3 33. Rxe3 $18) 29. Rd1 Bxh4 30. Bxg4 {mainly because "the
black pawns are not moving and the knight on c6 is still bad." His assessment
is once again confirmed accurate by the engine!}) 27. Nf5 Nxf2 28. Bc2 g6 29.
N1e3 $6 {While this is a good practical move as it gives Black a difficult
position to play afterwards, it cannot be considered best because it allows
Black some counter-attacking ideas.} (29. N5e3 $1 {is a better way to keep the
advantage but White still has to find a few accurate moves. Both Caruana and
Aronian actually thought that this line leads to a draw, but they missed a few
important details:} Nh3 30. Nd5 Ng1 (30... Nf4+ 31. Nxf4 exf4 32. Bxf4 $16) 31.
Qd3 Ne7 {[%csl Rd5]} 32. a5 ({Both players only saw} 32. Nfe3 Qh3+ 33. Kxg1
Qg3+ 34. Kf1 Qf3+ 35. Kg1 Qg3+ $11) (32. Qg3 $5 Nxd5 33. exd5 Qxd5+ 34. Be4 Qc4
35. Nd2 $16) 32... Ba7 33. Qg3 Nxd5 34. exd5 Qxd5+ 35. Be4 Qc4 36. Nd2 $18 {
Black doesn't have enough compensation for the piece, and he is about to lose
another one.}) ({Another way is to stabilize the queenside first with} 29. a5
$1 Ba7 30. N5e3 Nh3 31. Nd5 Nf4+ (31... Ng1 32. Qd3 {transposes to the
previous note.}) 32. Nxf4 exf4 33. Bxf4 Qf6 34. Qf3 $16) 29... gxf5 30. exf5
Qf6 31. Qxf2 (31. Kxf2 $2 {loses by force to} Qh4+ 32. Kf1 Nd4 33. Qg2 (33. f6+
Kh8) (33. Qf2 Qxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Nxc2 $19) 33... Rg8 $19) {This is the most
critical moment for Black, and of the game!} 31... e4 $2 {After this, Black's
attack eventually runs out of steam and White's pieces take over.} (31... Nxb4
$1 32. cxb4 Rd4 $1 {In the post-game interview, Aronian was frustrated with
himself for not even seeing the idea of bringing the rook into the attack this
way.} 33. Kh3 $1 {Controlling h4 is the only way for the king to survive. Now
from here, Black must find some precise moves to keep things unclear, or keep
drawing chances, which is almost impossible in a practical game. Nevertheless,
let me share some beautiful tactical ideas used by the engine to show that
this ridiculously imbalanced game is still a draw with best play!} Qg5 $1 (
33... Rg8 34. Nd5 $3 {Taking control of g5 through which the enemy could
invade.} Rxd5 35. Qf3 Rd4 36. Be4 $16) 34. f6+ Kh8 35. Nf5 Qh5+ (35... Qg4+ 36.
Kh2 Qh5+ 37. Kg2 {transposes}) 36. Kg2 Rg8+ 37. Qg3 $1 (37. Ng3 $2 Rh4 $19)
37... Rc4 $1 {Another precise move.} (37... Rdg4 38. Bxh6 $18 {[%cal Gh6g7,
Ge1h1]}) (37... Rxg3+ 38. Nxg3 Rg4 39. Ra3) 38. Bd3 (38. Be4 $2 Rxe4 $1 39.
Qxg8+ Kxg8 40. Nxh6+ Kf8 41. Rxe4 Qd1 $19) 38... Rxg3+ 39. Nxg3 Rg4 40. Bf4 $3
{Just say "Woah..."} (40. Ra3 Bf2 $1 $19) {Now the only way to keep the
balance is to find the equally stunning} 40... Bg1 $3 {"Woah..."} (40... exf4
41. Re8+) (40... Rxf4 41. Nxh5) (40... Qh4 41. Rh1 $16) 41. Bxe5 Bh2 {The
point. Black gains piece coordination to create counterplay.} 42. Re3 Bxg3 43.
Bxg3 Qd5+ 44. Kh2 Qh5+ 45. Kg2 Qd5+ $11 {and White cannot avoid repetition.}
46. Kf2 $2 Rxg3 $1 47. Kxg3 Qg5+ 48. Kf2 Qxf6+ $19) (31... Nd4 {is not as
effective as after} 32. Be4 $1 Nb3 33. Rb1 bxa4 34. Kh3 $16 {White has
everything under control.}) 32. Rh1 Rd6 33. Bxe4 Rg8+ (33... Re8 {doesn't help
after the programmed} 34. Qf4 $1 Qe5 35. Qxe5 Rxe5 36. Kf3 $19) 34. Kf1 Ne5 35.
Qf4 c6 36. axb5 Rg5 ({If} 36... axb5 {I'm sure Caruana would've found the
forcing solution:} 37. Rxh6+ Qxh6 38. f6+ Rg6 39. Qxh6+ Kxh6 40. Nc4+ $1 $18 (
40. Nf5+ $6 Kh5 41. Nxd6 Rxf6+ 42. Nf5 Kg4 $132)) 37. bxa6 Qd8 {Many roads
here lead to Rome.} 38. f6+ Ng6 39. Rxh6+ {...and Aronian resigned here due to
the obvious forcing moves that can follow:} (39. Rxh6+ Kxh6 40. Qh2+ Rh5 41.
Nf5+ $18 {An impressive game by the current world #2 and winner of the
Candidates event Fabiano Caruana. His superb opening prep, understanding of
middlegame subtleties and evaluation skills that are almost as accurate as the
engine's rightfully make him a deserving challenger to the World Championship
crown!}) 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2784"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3
Be7 9. Qd2 Nbd7 (9... h5 {is the most popular move nowadays. But Black had
something else in his mind.}) 10. g4 O-O 11. g5 Nh5 12. O-O-O b5 {Mamedyarov
chooses a line that has been out of fashion for some time, a very interesting
approach to use against principled opponents like Fabiano Caruana. Thorough
preparation and the surprise factor may play a strong role.} 13. Nd5 (13. Kb1 {
gives Black the chance to improve control over the d5-square:} Nb6 {Now Black
will be always ready to capture on d5 with the b6-knight.} 14. Na5 (14. Nd5
Nxd5 $1 15. exd5 Bf5 16. Na5 f6 {with a similar modern idea that was used in
the game, Black opens the kingside. This position has been played more than 80
times in correspondence chess, and only once in over-the-board games, in 2016.}
17. Nc6 Qd7 18. gxf6 Bxf6 19. Ka1 Kh8 20. c4 bxc4 21. Bxc4 Bh4 22. Qa5 Bh3 $1
$17 {0-1 (34) Eggleston,D (2413)-Yu,Y (2721) Novi Sad 2016}) 14... Rc8 15. Nd5
Nxd5 16. exd5 Bxd5 17. Qxd5 Qxa5 18. c4 {White has typical compensation in
such positions with the bishop pair and control over the light squares, but
Black is doing well.} Nf4 19. Bxf4 exf4 20. cxb5 axb5 21. h4 Rc5 22. Qb3 d5 23.
Be2 Rd8 $11 {½-½ (31) Leko,P (2679)-Giri,A (2762) Heraklio 2017, with a
balanced position.}) 13... Bxd5 14. exd5 f6 $1 {As mentioned before, this is a
typical modern idea in this variation.} 15. gxf6 (15. h4 {is another way to
play the position} fxg5 (15... Ng3 $5 {is also perfectly fine} 16. Bh3 $6 (16.
Rg1 {is the correct answer} Nxf1 17. Rdxf1 a5 $1 $132) 16... Nxh1 17. Be6+ Kh8
18. Rxh1 Nb6 $1 19. Na5 Nc4 20. Nxc4 bxc4 $17 {0-1 (87) Kalinina,O (2359)
-Bodnaruk,A (2446) Riga 2017 and White does not have enough compensation.
Black went on to win convincingly.}) 16. hxg5 Rxf3 17. Rxh5 Rxe3 18. Qxe3 g6
19. Nd4 exd4 20. Qe6+ Kg7 21. Rh3 Bxg5+ 22. Kb1 Ne5 (22... Nc5 $5) 23. Rxd4 Qf8
$44 {0-1 (59) Nakar,E (2479)-Swiercz,D (2646) Kenner 2016, with great
compensation for the sacrificed exchange.}) (15. g6 $5 {questioning the black
pieces} hxg6 16. Na5 f5 17. Nc6 Qe8 18. Rg1 Kh7 $13 {with an unclear position.}
) 15... Bxf6 16. Kb1 (16. Na5 {is the main move here.} Nf4 17. Nc6 Qc7 18. c4 {
The whole concept of this variation is curious - Black intentionally opens the
kingside, while sometimes White tries to open the queenside. It looks
controversial, since opening up your own king is not advisable, but in the
other hand, each of the players has good prospects on those flanks (White, for
example, has better prospects on the queenside with the strong d5-pawn).} bxc4
19. Bxc4 a5 20. a3 Nb6 21. Bb3 Nc8 22. Kb1 a4 23. Ba2 Ne7 $13 {½-½ (31)
Hracek,Z (2613)-Dziuba,M (2584) Czech Republic 2017}) 16... Nf4 {Black is
happy to sacrifice a pawn to open up the a1-h8 diagonal (White can not take it
now because of ...Bxb2 at the end).} 17. Rg1 Kh8 18. Bd3 Bg5 19. Na5 Bh6 20.
Nc6 $6 (20. Be4 {was perhaps more precise} Qf6 21. h4 Nh3 22. Rg5 $1 $36) 20...
Qh4 (20... Qf6 $1 $15 {preparing a possible ...Nh3! exchanging the
dark-squared bishops that looks appropriate for Black. The f3-weakness will
play an important role in the endgame, if everything gets swapped on h6.
Additionally, the simple ...Nxd3 is threatened here.}) 21. Qb4 Rf6 (21... Qf6
$1 {it was never late to go back.}) 22. a4 $1 {Keeping the plan of playing on
the queenside.} Qxh2 $2 (22... Qh5 $1 $132 {[%csl Rf3]}) 23. Be4 Qe2 24. Bxf4
Bxf4 25. Qa5 {The position is getting more difficult for Black after each move,
the queenside is very vulnerable now.} Nc5 26. Qc7 Bh6 27. Nd8 Nxe4 28. fxe4
Rf8 29. Nf7+ $5 (29. Rde1 $1 {would lead to a similar position without losing
the important e4-pawn.} Qc4 30. Nf7+ Rxf7 31. Qxf7 Rc8 32. Rg2 bxa4 33. Qd7 a3
34. Qxd6 $1 axb2 35. Qxe5 $18) 29... Rxf7 30. Qxf7 Rc8 31. Rc1 Qxe4 $132 {
Now Black has decent practical chances of counterplay.} 32. Rgf1 $2 (32. a5 $1
{creating a permanent weakness on a6 and stopping ...bxa4} Qc4 33. Rg2 $1 {
with the threat of playing Rf1} Qc7 34. Rf1 Bf4 (34... Qxf7 35. Rxf7 Ra8 36.
Rd7 $18) 35. Qf5 $1 $18 {followed by Rh1, with a strong attack.}) 32... Bf4 $1
33. Rg1 Bh6 $2 34. Rgf1 $2 (34. a5 {transposes to 32.a5.}) 34... Rg8 $1 {
Either Mamedyarov wanted to win, or he just realised 34...Rg8 was better.} 35.
Rcd1 bxa4 36. Qe7 Qg6 37. Rf8 Bg5 38. Rxg8+ Kxg8 39. Qd7 h5 $132 40. Rg1 e4 41.
Qxa4 e3 42. Qxa6 Qf5 43. Qa8+ Kh7 {Black has lost two pawns, but he has been
able to advance his passers considerably.} 44. Qe8 Bf4 45. Qe6 g6 (45... Qxe6
$5 {was a curious alternative} 46. dxe6 Kg8 47. b4 g5 48. b5 h4 $13 {with a
complicated endgame, arguably 0.00 equal, according to the computers!}) 46. Rf1
Kg7 47. Qxf5 gxf5 48. c4 (48. Rxf4 $4 e2 $19) 48... Bg3 49. Rg1 h4 (49... h4 {
a sample line would be:} 50. Kc2 e2 51. Kd2 e1=Q+ 52. Rxe1 Bxe1+ 53. Kxe1 h3
54. Kf2 f4 55. b4 Kf8 56. c5 dxc5 57. bxc5 Ke7 58. Kf3 $11 {with a theoretical
draw - neither side can make any progress.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E07"]
[WhiteElo "2784"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Qb3
{This was the system prepared by Caruana for this tournament. In several
similar positions he developed his queen to b3 instead of the usual Qc2. In
the past, these l;ines used to be a specialty of Romanishin.} Nbd7 ({For} 8...
b6 {see Caruana,F (2784)-Ding Liren (2769) Berlin 2018 (½-½, 67)}) 9. Bf4 a5
{Black refrains from ...b7-b6 in order to be able to answer cxd5 with ...exd5.
But the question is how he is going to complete his development.} ({The
question about whether the bishop stands better on d2 or on c1 is not entirely
elucidated. A Romanishin game, reaching this position without ...Bb4+ and Bd2
on the way, continued:} 9... Nh5 10. Bd2 $5 (10. Bc1 {is more natural but
curiously I did not find games with the most consequent} f5) 10... f5 (10... a5
{is an attempt to reach some improved version of the main game. White could try
} 11. Ne5 {since the central exchange would leave the h5-knight in a delicate
situation, but after} Nhf6 12. f4 Ne4 13. Be3 {Black is not without chances.})
11. Bb4 a5 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Nbd2 Nhf6 14. Ne1 {[%csl Ge5][%cal Ge1d3,Gd2f3]} (
{Before starting the standard regrouping WHite could have considered
activating his major pieces, for instance} 14. Rac1 a4 15. Qe3 $14) 14... a4
15. Qc2 e5 $5 16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. cxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5+ cxd5 19. Nd3 Nxd3 20. Qxd3
Be6 21. Nf3 f4 $13 {Romanishin,O-Korensky,V Tbilisi (Georgia) 1974 (1-0, 40.
Black's attacking chances (at least partly) compensate for White's blocvkade
on d4.}) (9... Qb6 10. Qc2 c5 11. dxc5 Qxc5 12. Na3 b6 13. Be3 Qc7 14. Nb5 Qxc4
15. Qxc4 dxc4 16. Nfd4 Nd5 17. Bxd5 exd5 18. Nc7 Bb7 (18... Rb8 19. Nxd5) 19.
Nf5 Bb4 20. Nxa8 Rxa8 21. Bd4 $14 {1-0 (70) Romanishin,O (2600)-Hertneck,G 
(2555) Bad Lauterberg 1991 CBM 027 [Hertneck,G]}) (9... b6 10. Nc3 Ba6 (10...
Bb7 11. cxd5 cxd5) 11. cxd5 Nxd5 {Roiz,M (2659)-Gyimesi,Z (2584) Germany 2009
CBM 134 [Roiz,M] (1-0, 83)}) 10. Rd1 Nh5 {I am always happy when I see this
move from the whote side as it allows "correcting" the bishop's position,
neutralising the merits of ...Bb4+. But ...a7-a5 involves a serious commitment
and Black's choice is narrower than in other lines already.} (10... b5 11. c5
Ba6 12. Qc2 b4 13. Bf1 (13. Re1 {is more or less similar to the main game.})
13... Ne4 14. Nbd2 f5 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Nxd2 17. Qxd2 Bg5 18. f4 Bf6 19.
Bxf6 gxf6 20. a3 b3 21. Rac1 $14 {Mamedyarov,S (2775)-Kovalenko,I (2644) Riga
2013 (½-½, 35)}) ({The consequent} 10... a4 {mainly weakens this pawn.} 11.
Qc2 b6 12. Ne5 $5 Nxe5 (12... Bb7 13. Nc3 a3 14. b3 $16 {planning e2-e4}) 13.
dxe5 Nd7 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. e4 {and in avoidance of the worse Black has to play}
d4 16. Rxd4 g5 17. Bc1 Bc5 18. Rd1 Qe7 19. Nc3 b5 (19... a3 20. Na4 $1) 20.
Nxb5 Nxe5 $14 {with just some compensation for the pawn.}) ({The main move is} 
10... b6 {leaving White with some initiative in the symmetrical position
resulting after} 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Nc3 Ba6 13. Nb5 Bb4 14. a4 {½-½ Foisor,O 
(2495)-Arkhipov,S (2485) Moscow 1987}) 11. Bc1 Nhf6 12. Nbd2 $146 {A logical
novelty, preparing e2-e4 without leaving c4 vulnerable.} (12. Nc3 a4 13. Qc2 (
13. Nxa4 dxc4 14. Qc2 b5 $132) 13... dxc4 14. e4 h6 15. d5 cxd5 16. exd5 Nxd5
$13 {½-½ Ulybin,M (2521)-Palac,M (2586) Zagreb 2011}) 12... b5 13. c5 b4 ({
Since Black's main plan is breaking in the centre, he should have prepared
this at once without wasting time with pawn moves:} 13... Qc7 $5 {It could be
that So wanted to keep his indirect control over g5, fearing something like}
14. e4 dxe4 ({The aforementioned hypotetical fears are justified after} 14...
Nxe4 $6 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 a4 18. Qc2 f5 19. Be7 Re8 20. Bd6 {
with overwhelming compensation for the pawn.}) 15. Ng5 {But Black seems to be
doing fine here:} a4 16. Qc2 e3 17. fxe3 e5 $132) 14. Qc2 a4 15. Re1 ({Still
preparing e2- e4 as if} 15. e4 b3 16. Qb1 bxa2 17. Rxa2 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19.
Qxe4 Nxc5 $1 {Black should be OK despite his apparently hanging position.
After the game move White has basically lost two tempi with his major pieces,
but the merits of the massive pawn advance on the queenside are not entirely
clear.}) 15... e5 {It's now or never.} ({It is too late for half measures as} 
15... Qc7 16. e4 dxe4 17. Nxe4 $16 {leads to a favourable structure for White.}
) 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Nd7 18. Nf3 Bxc5 $6 {Leaving g5 undefended is too
inviting for a Catalan specialist, even though Caruana hesitated for a while
before answering.} (18... Nxc5 $5 19. Be3 Ra5 20. Nd4 Bd7 21. f4 {offers White
some pressure but not a direct atack.}) 19. Ng5 $1 {Perfectly in the good old
Catalan spirit, by switching to a kingside attack.} g6 20. Bf4 Qb6 21. e4 $1 {
Black's kingside is not prepared for White's massive attack.} b3 22. axb3 axb3
23. Qe2 Ba6 ({Caruana was mainly worried about} 23... Ra2 24. e6 $1 ({During
the press conference Caruana indicated only} 24. Rab1 Ba6 25. Qf3 Bd3 26. Qxd3
Bxf2+ 27. Kh1 Bxe1 28. Rxe1 Rxb2 {and}) (24. exd5 Ba6 25. Qf3 Rxb2 26. Ne4 cxd5
27. Nxc5 Nxc5 28. Be3 Bc4 29. Bd4 {when he did not like playing against the
passed b-pawn.}) 24... fxe6 25. exd5 e5 {Trying to prevent the queen's
infiltration.} 26. dxc6 exf4 27. cxd7 Bxd7 28. Rad1 {Despite the apparently
annoying pressure on f2 Black is in big trouble. For instance:} fxg3 29. hxg3
Rxf2 (29... Bxf2+ 30. Kh1 Bxe1 31. Rxd7 {threatening Bd5+ followed by Rxh7
mate.}) 30. Qc4+ Kh8 31. Rxd7) 24. Qf3 Bc4 (24... h6 {just weakens the
kingside:} 25. Nh3 (25. Nxf7 Rxf7 26. exd5 {also looks tempting but Black can
try surviving with} Nf8) 25... dxe4 26. Qxe4 $18 {c6 and h6 are hanging and
the threat e5-e6 is killing. More than Black cn cope with, for sure.}) 25. Rxa8
Rxa8 26. e6 dxe4 (26... fxe6 $2 27. Bc7 $1) 27. exf7+ Bxf7 28. Nxe4 Bd4 (28...
Re8 $16 {Caruana}) 29. Nd6 {Caruana concludes the attack with simple moves.}
Bd5 30. Qe2 Nf8 31. Bxd5+ cxd5 32. Qf3 Qa5 33. Re7 $4 {The bishop will move
away and there will be no defence against Qf7+.} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 (
8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 {is the absolute main line, and now nobody quite
understands what White should be doing with his dark-squared bishop!}) 8... Bd7
9. Qxc4 (9. Ne5 {has always seemed to me to be a cleaner move.} Nc6 $1 (9...
Bc6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. e3 Na5 12. Nd2 {and White regains the pawn while keeping
the bishop pair. It is important to note the wrinkle} c5 13. dxc5 Rc8 14. b4 $1
cxb3 15. Nxb3 Nxb3 16. Qxb3 Rxc5 (16... Nd7 17. c6 bxc6 18. Rd1 $44) 17. Qxb7
a5 18. Bb2 $14) 10. Qxc4 Nd5 $1 (10... Nxe5 11. dxe5 Nd5 12. Nc3 $14) 11. Nxd7
Na5 $1 12. Qd3 Nb4 13. Qc3 Qxd7 14. Nd2 Rfd8 $11 {Black has enough
compensation for the bishop pair, when we consider the short-term factors.})
9... Bc6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Bg5 (11. Qc1 $5 {is the main move, fighting for the
dark squares and at the same time avoiding various tempo-gainers that Black
had. Nevertheless, by following a strategy remarkably like the one in the
present encounter, Black managed to squeeze his opponent to death in another
top game:} Nbd7 12. Nc3 Qe7 13. Re1 (13. a5 $5) 13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Bxf4 15.
Qxf4 c6 16. a5 e5 $1 $11 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Bg2 Rad8 19. b4 (19. Red1 $11) 19...
Rd7 20. Bh3 Rd6 $36 {Inarkiev,E-Leko,P Riadh 2017}) 11... Nbd7 12. Nc3 h6 13.
Bc1 {Even the official commentary stream was powerless to explain this move,
which seems to rely on considerations that are so long-term as to be
practically non-existent.} (13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Rfd1 {really does seem like a
better try for an advantage, even if it too should not work.} Qe7 15. Nd2 (15.
Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 c5 $11 {Kuzubov,Y-Bologan,V Plovdiv 2012}) 15... Bxg2 16.
Kxg2 Bb4 $1 $11) 13... a5 14. b3 Qe7 15. Bb2 Rfd8 16. Rac1 $6 {On one level
there is nothing so wrong with this, and on another it signs away most of
White's winning chances. As Mamedyarov commented in his press conference, ...
Bxf3 is often a terrible idea when White has both bishops, but after one pair
has been traded off, Black can worry less and can perhaps even think about
winning the battle of the minor pieces.} (16. e3 {was a little more ambitious
- it is still not completely clear to me how Black intends to deploy his
pieces. White's queen can retreat to e2 and he can consider playing for e4, or
even Bh3 and Nd2-c4.} Nd5 {can for instance be met.} 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Qc2 f5
19. Nd2 $32) 16... Ba3 $1 17. Bxa3 Qxa3 18. Nb5 Qe7 $1 19. Qc2 (19. Nxc7 $4 Nb6
$19 {is a rather useful detail}) 19... Bxf3 20. Bxf3 c6 21. Nc3 Nb6 22. e3 e5 {
After this move, neither side can really dodge the draw.} (22... Nbd5 $11 {
was slightly more ambitious- certainly having equalised with Black I might
well be tempted to play for a bit more, especially since '0.00' is likely an
overestimation of the bishop.}) 23. dxe5 Qxe5 24. Rfd1 g6 25. Rd2 Rd7 26. Rxd7
Nbxd7 27. Rd1 h5 28. Rd4 Nc5 29. h4 Kg7 30. Kg2 Ne6 31. Rd1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 b6 $5 {
One of the latest trends in the Catalan, not mentioned in older theory books
at all.} 8. Ne5 {This allows an unusual but interesting exchange sacrifice.} ({
The developing} 8. Bg5 {looks more to the point. A recent game went} Nd5 (8...
Ba6 9. Nbd2 Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nxc4 Nd7 12. Rac1 c5 13. Qa4 Bb7 14. Qa3 N5f6
15. Rfd1 $14 {Aronian,L (2792)-Fressinet,L (2687) Paris 2016 (½-½, 72) is at
least more pleasant for White, even if he didn't manage to win.}) 9. Bxe7 Qxe7
10. Nbd2 Bb7 11. Nxc4 Nd7 12. a3 c5 13. e4 $5 $146 ({Stronger than} 13. dxc5
Qxc5 14. b4 Qc7 15. Rac1 Rac8 16. Qb2 Qb8 {Gelfand,B (2697)-Deac,B (2549)
Caleta 2018 (½-½, 34), and Black managed to gradually simplify and equalise.}
) 13... N5f6 14. e5 Nd5 15. Rfe1 $14) 8... Qxd4 (8... Nd5 9. Nxc4 {leads to a
comfortable position for White as he has managed to retrieve the pawn by using
his knight, thus avoiding any loss of time with the queen.} Bb7 10. a3 Nc6 11.
e3 b5 12. Ncd2 a5 13. Nc3 Qd7 14. Nce4 $14 {Gorelov,S (2480)-Gorjatchev,V 
(2355) Moscow 1996 (1-0, 25)}) 9. Bxa8 ({I would expect} 9. Nxf7 $5 {to get
some investigating but so far it has been tried only in a game between lower
rated players.} Nd5 $1 10. Ng5 Bxg5 11. Bxg5 {Fiori,H (2127)-Franco,G (2028)
Buenos Aires 2016 (½-½, 51)} Bb7 12. Nc3 Nb4 13. Qd1 Qxd1 14. Rfxd1 Bxg2 15.
Kxg2 N8c6 16. Rac1 $44) 9... Qxe5 10. Bf3 ({It is a good idea to prevent ...
Qh5 followed by ...Ng4, as after, for instance,} 10. Bf4 Qh5 {Black gets a
kingside initiative.} 11. Bf3 (11. Bxc7 Ng4 12. h4 Na6 13. Qxc4 e5 14. Bf3 Nxc7
15. Qxc7 Bxh4 16. Bxg4 Qxg4 $11 {White cannot do much against the threat ...
Bxg3 with a perpetual as after} 17. Qxe5 $2 Bf6 {[%csl Gb2]} 18. Qb5 Bd4 $17 {
[%cal Gg4g3] the bishops are killing, for instance} 19. e3 $6 Bb7 $19) 11...
Ng4 12. Bxg4 Qxg4 $44 13. Nd2 (13. Nc3 Bb7 $44) 13... Qxe2 14. Qxc4 Qxc4 15.
Nxc4 Na6 $15 {Hilverda,A (2385)-Buhmann,R (2615) Austria 2016 (0-1, 52)}) 10...
Nd5 11. Qxc4 {It makes no sense delaying this.} (11. Bd2 {De Carvalho,C (2051)
-Da Silva Borges,R (2269) Florianopolis 2017 (0-1, 49)} Nc6 12. Qxc4 Nd4 $36)
11... Ba6 12. Qb3 $146 ({The usual line goes} 12. Qa4 {and in practice Black's
compensation for the exchange has more than once vanished away.} c5 (12... Bf6
13. Re1 c5 14. Nd2 (14. Na3 b5 15. Nxb5 Nb6 16. Qa5 Nc4 17. Qa4 Nb6 18. Qa5 {
½-½ Cheparinov,I (2677)-Bacrot,E (2692) Monzon 2016}) 14... b5 15. Qc2 Be7
16. Bg2 Nb4 17. Qb1 Rd8 {Meier,G (2648)-Deac,B (2572) Batumi 2018 (½-½, 52):
By the way, this game was played after our main game.} 18. a3 Nd5 19. Nf3 $16)
13. Re1 (13. Na3 $5 b5 $6 {With the bishop on e7 this does not work out
properly.} 14. Nxb5 Nb6 15. Qa5 Nc4 16. Qc7 Bxb5 17. Qxe7 $16) 13... b5 ({
It would have made sense to cut the queen off with} 13... c4) 14. Qe4 Nc6 15.
Nc3 Rd8 16. Rd1 Qxe4 17. Bxe4 Nd4 18. Bxd5 (18. Nxd5 $5 exd5 19. Rxd4 cxd4 20.
Bd3 {Due to the threat a2-a4 Black is likely to lose his extra pawn and be
left with the worse structure. For instance:} Rd6 21. Bf4 Rc6 22. Bb8 $14)
18... b4 19. Bb3 bxc3 20. bxc3 Nxe2+ 21. Kg2 {Aronian,L (2799)-Hou,Y (2652)
Tbilisi 2017 (½-½, 37)} Bd3 $5 $44 {With nice domination for the exchange.})
12... Nc6 13. Qa4 Bb7 {Black's compensation for the exchange is somewhat
different from the standard patterns. He is well developed and has good
control in the centre. Even though White has no weaknesses it is hard for him
to prove an advantage.} 14. Nc3 Nd4 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Bf4 ({Caruana indicated
the folloing line:} 16. Qxa7 Ba8 17. Bf4 Qh5 18. Qxc7 Nf3+ 19. exf3 d4 {
as satisfactory for Black. We can continue a few more moves to prove him right:
} 20. Ne4 Qxf3 21. Rfe1 Bxe4 22. Rxe4 Qxe4 23. Qxb6 h5 $146 {The strong
central pawn and the kingside initiative surely compensate for the pawn.})
16... Qf6 17. Rad1 (17. Qxa7 Qc6 {causes the white queen trouble.}) 17... c5
18. Be3 {Apparently Black is about to lose stability but he has two possible
combinations based on his strong b7-bishop.} Nf3+ $5 {Caruana played this
after a very long time.} ({The alternative was} 18... Nxe2+ $5 19. Nxe2 d4 20.
Nf4 ({Caruana considered} 20. Bf4 g5 21. f3 gxf4 22. Nxf4 {True, Qd7 and Qxa7
look unpleasant threats while the knight is stable, but the strong central
pawns ensure Black at least equal play.} Rd8 $1 23. Qxa7 $6 Qc6 $15) 20... dxe3
$44 {Ding thought} 21. Qd7 {to be strong but this allows} e2 $1 {as if} 22.
Nxe2 $2 Qf3 $19) 19. exf3 d4 20. f4 ({Caruana was not entirely sure about} 20.
Bf4 dxc3 21. Rfe1 cxb2 22. Qd7 Bxf3 23. Rb1 {but he has more than one good
continuation.} c4 $5 ({He thought} 23... g5 {was compulsory. It is a good move
but if Black wants to reach equality the main move is more convincing.}) 24.
Qxe7 Qxe7 25. Rxe7 c3 26. Bc1 Bd5 {/\...Bxa2} 27. Rxa7 Be4 28. Bxb2 Bxb1 29.
Bxc3 $11) 20... dxc3 ({Caruana was tempted to play} 20... Bf3 21. Bxd4 $1 Qf5 {
but ae the last moment he saw} 22. Nd5 $3 {when suddenly his compensation
would not be very clear.}) 21. bxc3 Bf3 ({This looks logical but} 21... Qe6 {
indicated by Ding was safer.} 22. f5 (22. Qxa7 $2 Qe4) 22... Qxf5 23. f3 Bxf3
24. Qxa7 (24. Qd7 Qh5 {Ding}) 24... Bf6 25. Qxb6 Qe4 26. Bxc5 Qe2 {with enough
compensation for the material and a probable draw due to the exposed white
king.}) 22. Rd3 ({While watching the game I did not understand why Ding
refrained from} 22. Qxa7 {I thought Qd7 would save any trouble next but was
wrong:} Qh6 23. Qd7 (23. h4 Bxh4 $19) 23... f5 $1 {The move I missed.}) (22.
Rd2 $5) 22... Bc6 ({An ambitious approach. Retrieving the exchange would leave
Black a pawn down but with reasonable chances to hold due to his better
structure:} 22... Be2 23. Rfd1 Bxd3 24. Rxd3 Qe6 25. Qxa7 h5 26. h3 Bf6) 23.
Qb3 Qf5 24. c4 Be4 25. Rd2 Qh5 ({Caruana rejected} 25... Qg4 {due to} 26. Bd4
cxd4 27. f3) 26. f3 Bxf3 27. f5 ({Actually, here, too,} 27. Bd4 {was worth
considering, with chances for retaining a small advantage.}) 27... Bc6 {
The game can now be evaluated as positionally balanced.} 28. Qd1 Qh3 29. Rff2
h6 30. Qf1 Qg4 31. Rf4 Qg5 32. Rd3 Qf6 33. Bd2 Ba8 34. h4 Qc6 35. Kh2 Bd6 36.
Rf2 Be5 37. Bc3 Bxc3 38. Rxc3 Re8 39. f6 g6 40. Rcc2 (40. Rd3 $5 {is a bit
more active.}) 40... Re4 41. Rfe2 Qe6 42. Rxe4 Bxe4 43. Rf2 Bf5 44. Qc1 Kh7 45.
Qc3 h5 46. a3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.19"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. d4 Bc6 8.
dxc5 Nbd7 9. Be3 Bd5 10. Qc2 Be4 11. Qc1 Ng4 12. b4 a5 13. Bg5 f6 14. Bd2 axb4
15. Bxb4 Nxc5 16. Bxc5 Rc8 17. Qc4 Bxc5 18. Qxe6+ Kf8 19. Qxg4 Bb4+ 20. Nbd2
Bxd2+ 21. Nxd2 Bxg2 22. Rg1 Bd5 23. Rd1 Qc7 24. Ne4 Rd8 25. f3 Qe5 26. Qf4 Qxf4
27. gxf4 Kf7 28. Nc3 Bc4 29. a4 Rxd1+ 30. Kxd1 Rd8+ 31. Kc2 Rc8 32. Kd2 Ba6 33.
Ne4 Kf8 34. f5 Rd8+ 35. Ke3 Rd5 36. Rc1 Rxf5 37. Rc8+ Ke7 38. Rc7+ Kf8 39. Rc8+
Ke7 40. Rc7+ Kf8 41. Rc8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D77"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[PlyCount "35"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. c4 dxc4 6. O-O O-O 7. Na3 c5 8. dxc5
c3 9. Nb5 Na6 10. Nxc3 Nxc5 11. Nd4 Qb6 12. Be3 Qxb2 13. Ncb5 Ne6 14. Rb1 Qxa2
15. Ra1 Qb2 16. Rb1 Qa2 17. Ra1 Qb2 18. Rb1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.22"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Nxd5 Qxd5 9. Be2 $5 {During the interview, Ding said he had studied this move
a few years ago while Wesley struggled to recall his lines.} ({More common
moves are} 9. Bd3) ({And} 9. a3) 9... Bb7 ({Another possible move here is} 9...
Bb4+ 10. Nd2 $1 (10. Kf1 Bd6 11. Ne5 (11. Bg3 Bb7 $36) 11... Ba6 12. Bxa6 Nxa6
13. Qa4 Nb4 {and Black has a strong initiative.} 14. a3 Bxe5 15. Bxe5 Nd3 16.
Bxc7 Nxb2 17. Qa6 {In the game (42) Kozul,Z (2590)-Babula,V (2584) Austria
2013, Black should've continued simply with the natural} Rac8 $1 18. Bf4 (18.
Bg3 Rc2) (18. Qxa7 Qc4+) 18... Rc2 $19 {followed by opening up lines with
f6-e5!}) 10... Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 Qxg2 12. O-O-O Ba6 13. Rhg1 Qc6+ 14. Kb1 {
White clearly has compensation for the pawn but there is a dynamic struggle
ahead. Recent games have shown that it is easier to play White.} Bxe2 15. Qxe2
f6 (15... g6 $6 16. Ka1 Rc8 17. h4 Qe8 18. h5 $40 Nd7 19. Qf3 (19. Qg4 Nf6 20.
Qg5 Ne4 21. Qg2 $16) 19... a5 20. Rh1 Qe7 21. Bxc7 $14 {0-1 (24) Davtyan,A 
(2298)-Andersen,M (2586) Abu Dhabi 2017}) 16. e4 (16. Rc1 Qe4+ 17. Ka1 Rf7 18.
Bxc7 Nc6 19. Bg3 Rd8 $11 (19... Nxd4 $4 20. Qc4)) 16... Qd7 17. Qc4 (17. d5 $5
e5 18. Be3 (18. Bh6 Rf7) 18... a5 19. Rc1 Na6 20. f3 $14) 17... Qc6 18. Qe2 Qd7
19. Rg3 Nc6 20. Qc4 Ne5 21. Qc2 Rad8 22. Rd2 Nc6 23. Qc4 {1/2-1/2 (23)
Martinovic,S (2563)-Vetoshko,V (2485) Slovakia 2017}) 10. Bxc7 Qa5+ (10... Bb4+
$6 11. Kf1 {now the bishop on b4 looks silly.} Nc6 12. Bf4 Rac8 13. h4 $14 {
Black has a worse version of what happened in the game.}) 11. Kf1 Nd7 12. h4
Rac8 13. Bf4 (13. Bg3 Nf6 14. Bd3 Ne4 15. Bf4 f6 $1 $36 {[%csl Rf1][%cal Ge6e5,
Rf8f2]}) 13... Rfd8 14. Kg1 {This allows Black to clarify the situation and
equalise without problems.} ({During the game, Wes was worried about} 14. a3 $1
{which makes it difficult for Black to break in the centre after} Bxf3 ({
Black will have to content himself with manoeuvring and preparing the break at
the right time with:} 14... Nf6 15. Kg1 Ne4 16. Bd3 (16. Ne1 Ba6 17. Bf3 Nd2
$44) 16... f6 17. Qe2 {and the dynamic battle goes on.}) 15. gxf3 $1 (15. Bxf3
e5 16. Bg3 exd4 17. b4 Qa6+ 18. Be2 b5 19. exd4 Bf6 $36) 15... e5 16. b4 Qd5
17. dxe5 {and Black will have to go into the ending a pawn down.}) 14... Bxf3
$1 15. Bxf3 e5 16. Bg5 Bxg5 ({Wes also considered} 16... f6 17. Qb3+ Kh8 18.
Qf7 {and thought it might be too risky.} Qb4 (18... Bf8 19. Bd5) 19. Be4 $1 {
indeed after} exd4 (19... Nf8 20. h5 fxg5 21. h6 $40 {White will have at least
a draw somewhere e.g.} Bf6 22. hxg7+ Bxg7 23. Bxh7 Nxh7 24. Qf5 Kg8 25. Qxh7+
Kf8 26. Qf5+) 20. exd4 $1 {White has unpleasant pressure} Qxd4 21. Bh6 Bf8 (
21... f5 22. Bxf5 $36) 22. Bd5) 17. hxg5 exd4 18. Qxd4 (18. g6 $5 hxg6 $1 19.
Qxd4 Qg5 20. Qh4 Qxh4 21. Rxh4 Ne5 $15) 18... Qxg5 ({During one live game
commentary, I remember there was a suggestion to keep the game alive and
fighting after} 18... Nf8 $5 19. Qe4 $1 (19. Qh4 Rd2 $1 20. b4 (20. b3 Qe5)
20... Qe5 $1 21. Rf1 Rxa2 {and White has an unpleasant defence ahead.}) 19...
Rd2 $13 {with a complex game, but it's still not clear whether Black has
enough to give White real problems.} (19... Qxg5 20. Rh5 Qf6 21. Rb1 {there's
still not so much pressure from Black to work with.})) (18... Ne5 19. Qh4 Nxf3+
20. gxf3 Qf5 $11) 19. Rh5 Qf6 20. Rd5 Qxd4 21. Rxd4 {Equilibrium is reached as
Black gains back his pawn and White gains coordination among his pieces.} Ne5
22. Bd5 ({An attempt to create imbalance is} 22. Bb7 Rxd4 23. exd4 Rc7 24. Ba6
Ng4 $1 25. d5 Nf6 (25... Kf8 $2 26. d6 Rd7 27. Bc8 $18) 26. Rd1 (26. d6 Rd7)
26... Ne8 $11 {and it may be easier for Black to play this due to a blockade
on d6 and a potential outside passed h-pawn.} (26... Rd7 $5)) 22... Nc6 23.
Rdd1 Kf8 {Since neither side has any weaknesses and Black has a more active
king, White cannot exploit his superior minor piece, Ding decides to simplify
and the game inevitably fizzles out to a draw.} 24. Bxc6 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Rxc6
26. Rd7 Rc2 27. Rxa7 Rxb2 28. a4 Ra2 29. Rb7 Ra1+ 30. Kh2 Rxa4 31. Rxb6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.23"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D40"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "192"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. a3 dxc4 ({Black can also
continue to play symmetrically:} 6... a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Ba7 (8... Bd6 9.
Bb2 O-O 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 {White has got slight pressure against the
isolated pawn.} Be6 12. O-O Qe7 13. Rc1 $14 {1/2-1/2 (27) Svidler,P (2768)
-Anand,V (2767) Wijk aan Zee 2018}) 9. Bb2 O-O 10. h3 h6 11. Rc1 Re8 12. Bd3
dxc4 13. Bxc4 Qxd1+ 14. Rxd1 b5 15. Bd3 Bb7 $11 {1-0 (64) So,W (2822)-Karjakin,
S (2783) Shamkir 2017}) (6... cxd4 7. exd4 {can transpose to the Panov Attack
of the Caro-Kann.}) 7. Bxc4 {The game has transposed to a kind of Queen's
Gambit Accepted.} a6 8. O-O b5 9. Ba2 (9. Bd3 Bb7 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. b4 Bd6 12.
Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 f5 14. Bxc6+ Bxc6 15. Bb2 O-O 16. Be5 Bxf3 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 18.
Bxd6 Rfd8 19. Bc5 Be2 20. Rfc1 Rd5 $11 {1/2-1/2 (34) Kamsky,G (2714)-Ivanchuk,
V (2787) Moscow 2007}) 9... Bb7 10. Qe2 Qc7 (10... cxd4 $6 11. Rd1 {[%cal
Ge3d4,Gd4d5] and White might get a potentially dangerous "isolani", while
Black's development is still incomplete.}) 11. Bd2 (11. d5 exd5 12. Nxd5 Nxd5
13. Bxd5 Bd6 $11) 11... Be7 $146 (11... Rd8 12. Rfc1 cxd4 13. exd4 Be7 14. d5
exd5 15. Bg5 O-O 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxd5 Qd6 18. Re1 Nd4 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Nxd4
Rxd4 $11 {1/2-1/2 (37) Nepomniachtchi,I (2751)-Gelfand,B (2695) Moscow 2018})
12. Rac1 (12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Rac1 Bd6 14. Bb1 O-O 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Rac8 {
The structure is symmetrical and the position is equal. The following standard
sacrifice doesn't really work:} 17. Bxh7+ $6 (17. Bc3 h6 18. Bb1 Rfd8 19. Qc2
g6 $11) 17... Kxh7 18. Ng5+ Kg6 (18... Kg8 $4 19. Qh5 Rfe8 20. f4 $1 {would
lead Black to a disaster.}) 19. f4 f5 $1 20. Nxe6 Qf7 21. Nxf8+ Bxf8 {and
Black's minor pieces might overcome White's rook plus a couple of pawns.})
12... c4 $1 {Blocking the c-file and seizing space on the queenside. On the
other hand White now gets more play in the centre.} 13. e4 Rd8 14. Be3 Ng4 15.
e5 Na5 $2 {Opening the long diagonal for the light-squared bishop, but
releasing the pressure from Pd4.} (15... O-O 16. Rcd1 Nxe3 17. fxe3 Nb8 $1 {
I like this manoeuvre. Opening the diagonal for the bishop and transferring
the knight to d7, then maybe to b6 and d5.} 18. Bb1 Nd7 {The position is
double-edged. White has some attacking potential on the kingside, but at some
point Black can play f7-f6, undermining White's central pawn chain.}) (15... f5
$1 {Looks risky at first sight, but probably the best.} 16. a4 (16. exf6 $4 {
loses right away to} Nxd4 $1 17. Bxd4 Bxf3 $19 {[%cal Gc7h2]}) 16... Nb4 17. b3
Nxa2 18. Nxa2 Nxe3 19. fxe3 O-O 20. bxc4 b4 {with great compensation for the
pawn.}) 16. Bf4 {Of course. Now the knight on g4 looks ridiculous and soon
will be kicked back to h6.} Qb6 17. Rcd1 h5 18. h3 Nh6 19. Bb1 Nb3 20. Be3 Qc7
21. Rfe1 {Black is in big trouble. He can't castle to the kingside, so his
king is stuck in the centre. The seemingly strong knight on b3 is basically
doing nothing.} Kf8 22. d5 {The Chinese grandmaster is going for the direct
breakthrough.} ({It was also possible to improve the position even more by} 22.
Bc2 {Actually it's difficult to propose even one sensible move for Black.})
22... exd5 23. e6 $6 (23. Nd4 Qxe5 24. Nxb3 cxb3 25. Qd2 {with a huge
advantage.}) 23... fxe6 (23... Ng4 $2 {is an interesting tactical chance.} 24.
Bg5 $1 Bxg5 25. hxg4 hxg4 26. exf7 {[%cal Ge2e8]} Be7 27. Ne5 Rd6 28. Qxg4 Rdh6
29. Ng6+ Rxg6 30. Bxg6 Qh2+ 31. Kf1 d4 32. Ne4 d3 33. f3 $18) 24. Ng5 Qd7 $2 (
24... Qc6 $1 {[%cal Gd5d4] was a great chance to create a counterplay. White
is better, but the variations are really complicated:} 25. Qxh5 Bxg5 26. Bxg5
Nf7 27. Qg4 Re8 28. Bg6 d4 29. Ne4 e5 30. f4 $1 d3 $1 (30... Qxg6 $2 31. Be7+
$18 {[%cal Gg4g6]}) 31. fxe5 Rxe5 32. Bxf7 Kxf7 33. Qf4+ Ke6 34. Bh4 $1 Re8 (
34... Rxe4 35. Rxe4+ Qxe4 36. Re1 $16) (34... Rxh4 35. Qxh4 $16) 35. Qg4+ Kf7
36. Rf1+ Kg8 37. Nf6+ Kh8 38. Nxe8 Qxe8 39. Bf6 $1 gxf6 40. Rxf6 Re1+ 41. Rxe1
Qxe1+ 42. Kh2 Qe5+ 43. Rf4 Nd2 44. Qh4+ Kg8 45. Kh1 $1 Bxg2+ 46. Kxg2 Qe2+ 47.
Qf2 $18) 25. Bg6 $1 Bf6 26. Bb6 $1 {Marvellous work by the bishops.} Rc8 (26...
Bxg5 27. Bxd8 Bxd8 28. Qxe6 Qxe6 29. Rxe6 Be7 30. Nxd5 Bxd5 31. Rxd5 Nf7 32.
Rd7 $18) 27. Nxe6+ Kg8 28. Nxd5 Bxd5 29. Nf4 ({The idea Nd8 was winning on the
spot:} 29. Nd8 $1 $18 {[%cal Ge2e8]}) (29. Rxd5 $1 Qxd5 30. Nd8 $1 {[%cal
Ge2e8] and mate is coming.}) 29... Nc1 $1 {This surprising move is the
beginning of Grischuk's comeback to the game.} 30. Qxh5 ({Keeping the queen on
the e-file was winning quickly:} 30. Qe3 Nd3 31. Nxd5 $18) (30. Rxc1 {would
allow Black to save his bishop} Bf7 {though he is also lost here.}) 30... Nd3
31. Nxd5 Nf7 32. Qe2 $2 (32. Nxf6+ gxf6 33. Bxf7+ Qxf7 34. Qg4+ Kh7 35. Qf5+
Kg7 36. Re4 $18) 32... Nfe5 {Now the position is becoming less clear. White is
still winning, but already has to deal with a couple of strong black knights.}
(32... Qxd5 $4 33. Qe8+ Rxe8 34. Rxe8#) 33. Be4 Rh4 34. f4 Rxf4 $1 35. Nxf4 (
35. Qe3 $1 Rxe4 36. Qxe4 {was a more precise way to take the exchange.}) 35...
Nxf4 36. Bh7+ $1 Kh8 37. Qe4 Qc6 38. Bd4 $2 {Ding should have taken that
annoying knight.} (38. Qxf4 Kxh7 39. Bd4 Nd3 40. Qf5+ Kg8 41. Bxf6 Nxe1 42.
Rxe1 gxf6 43. Kf1 $1 {avoiding the exchange of queens after ...Qc5. Now the
material is equal, but Black's king is too vulnerable.}) 38... Nxh3+ $2 ({After
} 38... Ned3 {Black would be already okay. His knights are powerful and
compensate for the lack of the exchange.}) 39. Kh2 (39. gxh3 Nf3+ 40. Kh1 Nxe1
41. Bxf6 Qxe4+ 42. Bxe4 gxf6 43. Rxe1 c3 44. bxc3 Rxc3 45. Kg2 {I don't think
that White can win this endgame against the best play.}) (39. Kf1 $1 Qxe4 (
39... Ng5 40. Qxc6 Rxc6 41. Bc2 Ngf7 42. Bxe5 Nxe5 43. Rxe5 $18) 40. Bxe4 Nf4
41. Bf5 $18) 39... Ng5 40. Qxc6 Rxc6 41. Bc2 {So, the players have reached the
time control and the dust has settled a bit. White still has a winning
position, but it is by no means an easy win.} Ngf7 42. Bxe5 $2 (42. Bc3 Kg8 43.
Rd5 Re6 44. Kg3 {Just to avoid any possible check on g4.} Kf8 45. a4 bxa4 46.
Bxa4 Rb6 47. Rc5 $18) 42... Nxe5 43. Rd5 (43. Rxe5 $4 Bxe5+ {Check! That's the
downside of 39.Kh2. Probably Ding simply missed that?! Otherwise the exchange
on e5 doesn't make even the slightest sense.}) 43... Re6 {The knight on e5 is
well protected.} 44. Kh3 Kg8 45. b3 $6 {The whole idea is wrong. The exchange
of pawns improves Black's chances.} ({The right plan would be to try to sneak
into Black's camp via the light squares, namely:} 45. Bf5 Re8 46. Rd6 Ra8 47.
Be4 Ra7 48. Bd5+ Kf8 49. Re6 {with good winning chances.}) 45... Kf7 46. bxc4
$6 (46. Re4 Ke7 47. a4 cxb3 48. Bxb3 Nc4 49. Rxe6+ Kxe6 50. Rh5 {was more
troublesome for Black.}) 46... Nxc4 47. Rd7+ Be7 48. Rxe6 Kxe6 49. Ra7 Nxa3 {
Now Black is fairly safe. Only one white pawn remains on the board.} 50. Rxa6+
Kd5 51. Bh7 Nc4 52. Kg4 Bf6 53. Ra7 Kd4 54. Bg8 Nd6 55. Kf3 Kc5 {Grischuk has
managed to construct an ideal defensive setup. All his pieces are well
protected. White can't win.} 56. Ra8 b4 57. Ke2 Bc3 58. Kd3 Kb6 59. Ke3 Kc6 60.
Kf4 Nb7 61. Kf5 Nc5 62. g4 Kb5 63. g5 b3 {A reasonable stand-by move would
also be okay, but there is no reason not to push the pawn forward.} 64. Kg6 Kb4
65. Bd5 Bd4 66. Kh7 Kc3 67. g6 b2 68. Ba2 Kc2 69. Rb8 Ne4 70. Rb4 Nc3 71. Be6
Kc1 72. Bf5 Be5 73. Rb7 b1=Q {An engine would indicate that this is a mistake,
but it's not. The position remains drawish.} (73... Bd4 {was another path to
split the point.} 74. Rxg7 Bxg7 75. Kxg7 Ne2 (75... Nd5 76. Kf7 Ne3 77. Be4 Nc2
78. Bxc2 Kxc2 79. g7 b1=Q 80. g8=Q $11) 76. Kf6 Nf4 77. g7 Nh5+ $11) 74. Bxb1
Nxb1 75. Rxg7 Nc3 76. Re7 Bd4 77. Rd7 Be5 78. Kh6 Kc2 79. Kg5 Kb3 80. Kf5 Bh8
81. Rb7+ Kc2 82. Rh7 Bd4 83. Ke6 Kb3 84. Rd7 Bh8 85. Rd8 Bg7 86. Kf7 Be5 87.
Re8 Bd4 88. Rb8+ Kc2 89. Rb7 Be5 90. Rb6 Bd4 91. Rf6 Bxf6 92. Kxf6 Nd5+ 93. Kf7
Ne3 $1 94. Kf6 Nd5+ 95. Kf7 Ne3 96. g7 Nf5 {A miraculous escape for Grischuk!}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.26"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "Roiz,M"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 b6 5. e4 {Quite a rare continuation. Ding
Liren is deviating from theoretical discussion in the main lines of Hedgehog.}
Bb7 6. d3 d6 7. Bg2 g6 {The double finachetto makes Black's setup very
flexible.} ({Seemingly, there is also nothing wrong with} 7... Be7 8. O-O O-O {
For instance,} 9. Ng5 Nc6 10. f4 Nd7 11. h4 Nd4 12. Be3 h6 13. Nf3 Nxf3+ 14.
Bxf3 Bf6 $132 {Morozevich,A - Sargissian,G Yerevan 2008}) 8. O-O Bg7 9. Re1 O-O
10. d4 {Eventually White takes the game to Hedgehog paths, but the resulting
position isn't so researched.} cxd4 11. Nxd4 a6 12. b3 Nbd7 13. Ba3 $146 {
This innovation hardly makes this position more attractive for White - the
pressure along the a3-f8 diagonal turns out to be ineffective.} (13. Bb2 {
was checked on a high level a long time ago:} Qc7 14. Re2 (14. Qe2 Rad8 15.
Rad1 Nc5 16. f4 e5 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Nc2 Rxd1 19. Rxd1 Rd8 20. Nd5 Nxd5 21.
cxd5 a5 $132 {Huebner,R - Spassky,B Solingen 1977}) 14... Rad8 15. Qe1 Qb8 16.
Rd1 Nc5 17. f3 Rfe8 $132 {Portisch,L - Spassky,B Mexico 1980}) 13... Nc5 14. b4
$5 {A committal decision, but there is a concrete idea behind it.} ({The quiet
} 14. Qd2 Qc7 15. Rad1 Rfd8 $11 {wouldn't offer much.}) 14... Ncd7 15. b5 Ne8
$5 {This way of protecting the d6-pawn isn't the most obvious.} (15... Ne5 16.
Nc6 Nxc6 17. bxc6 Bxc6 18. Bxd6 Re8 19. e5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nd7 21. Rb1 {leaves
Black's pieces rather passive, even though it's still close to equal.}) ({
I guess, the natural} 15... Nc5 {was rejected by Vladimir in view of} 16. e5
Bxg2 17. Kxg2 dxe5 18. Nc6 Qc7 19. Bxc5 bxc5 20. a4 $44 {The strong Nc6 offers
White full compensation for the pawn.}) 16. Rc1 Ne5 17. Qe2 (17. bxa6 $5 {
deserved some consideration:} Bxa6 (17... Rxa6 18. Bb4 Nxc4 19. Bf1 $36) 18.
Ncb5 Nxc4 19. Rxc4 Bxd4 20. Rxd4 Bxb5 21. Bb4 e5 22. Rd2 {with good play for
the pawn.}) 17... axb5 18. Ndxb5 {In the resulting complex position both sides
have clear targets for the attack.} (18. Ncxb5 Ra4 19. f4 Nc6 $132) 18... g5 $5
{Once again in this event, Vladimir is aiming to complicating matters!} ({
The quieter} 18... Rc8 19. Na4 Ra8 20. Qc2 Ra6 $132 {would have kept the
balance.}) 19. h3 $2 {This is too passive.} ({Black's strategic idea is
well-illustrated in the following line:} 19. Red1 g4 20. Bb4 Qg5 21. Nxd6 Nxd6
22. Bxd6 Rfc8 {The activity of Black's pieces fully compensates for the pawn.
However, White should still go for it!}) 19... f5 $1 {Kramnik takes his chance,
so Black manages to extend the initiative on the kingside.} 20. exf5 Bxg2 21.
Kxg2 Rxa3 {A simple, but nice tactic!} 22. Nxa3 Qa8+ 23. Qe4 Qxa3 24. fxe6 {
The e6-pawn is quite annoying, but White's pieces don't support it.} Nf6 25.
Qe2 $2 {Another mistake, which could have led to a quick loss.} ({A better
move was} 25. Qb7 Nd3 26. e7 Re8 27. Nb5 Qc5 28. Re3 Nxc1 29. Nc7 Qxc4 30. Nxe8
Nxe8 31. Qd7 {and the strong passer leaves White some practical chances.})
25... Qa8+ 26. f3 h5 $1 27. e7 {Now it's too late!} Re8 28. Ne4 (28. Nd5 Nxd5
29. cxd5 Rxe7 $19) 28... g4 $19 {Now White's king is too exposed.} 29. hxg4
hxg4 30. fxg4 Nfxg4 ({Even simpler was} 30... Rxe7 $1 31. g5 Nfd7 32. Kg1 Nc5
$19 {White cannot avoid major losses of material.}) 31. Qd1 Bh6 32. Rc3 Rxe7 $2
{Alas, after this natural move the lion's part of Black's advantage is spoiled.
} ({Instead, after the cool-blooded} 32... Kg7 $1 33. Re2 Rxe7 34. Qd5 Qe8 $1 {
Vladimir would have kept a decisive advantage.}) 33. Qd5+ Qxd5 34. cxd5 Ra7 ({
Possibly,} 34... Rd7 $5 {was more precise, but it would be very difficult to
make progress anyway.}) 35. Re2 Nf7 36. Kh3 $1 {Now Black cannot avoid further
simplifications.} Nge5 37. Nxd6 Nxd6 38. Rxe5 Bg7 39. Rg5 Ne4 40. Rc8+ Kh7 41.
Rh5+ Kg6 42. Rh4 Ng5+ 43. Kg2 Rxa2+ 44. Kf1 Ra1+ 45. Ke2 Ra2+ 46. Kf1 Ra1+ 47.
Ke2 Ra2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.22"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O Nbd7 8.
Qc2 c6 9. Rc1 b6 10. a4 Ne4 11. Be1 a5 12. Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Nxd2 Bf6 14. cxd5 cxd5
15. e4 Bxd4 16. Nb3 Bf6 17. exd5 exd5 18. Bxd5 Ra7 19. Bg2 h6 20. Bc3 Rc7 21.
Bxf6 Rxc2 22. Bxd8 Rxc1+ 23. Rxc1 Rxd8 24. Rd1 Kf8 25. f4 Ke7 26. Re1+ Kf8 27.
Rd1 Ke7 28. Re1+ Kf8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.19"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D26"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "181"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 c5 5. e3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 a6 7. Bb3 b5 8. e4 {
A rare continuation instead of the common} (8. O-O) 8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bb7 (9...
Nbd7 $5 10. O-O Bb7 (10... Bc5 $5) 11. Bxe6 $5 fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qb6 13. Nd5 {
1-0 (31) Rasmussen,K (2437)-Matthiesen,A (2282) Aarhus 2003} Bxd5 14. exd5 Kf7
{and White has yet to prove his compensation for the sacrificed piece.}) 10. e5
$146 {[%mdl 8]} (10. O-O {leads to a well-known theoretical position usually
arising from another move order (8.0-0 Bb7 9.e4 cxd4 10.Nxd4).}) 10... Ne4 (
10... Nfd7 11. Bxe6 $1 Nxe5 $1 (11... fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qc8 13. O-O $40) 12. O-O
Bc5 13. Bd5 Bxd5 14. Nf5 O-O 15. Nxd5 {is quite dangerous for Black.}) ({
As well as} 10... Bc5 11. Nxe6 $1 Qxd1+ 12. Nxd1 fxe6 13. exf6 gxf6 14. Bxe6)
11. O-O (11. Nxe4 Bxe4 12. O-O {looks more appropriate as White can make use
of the c-file, e.g.} Nc6 13. Nxc6 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Bxc6 15. Be3 Be7 16. Rac1 Rc8
17. Rc2 $14 {[%cal Yd1c1]}) 11... Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. a4 Bc5 {Black decides
to sacrifice a pawn (hoping that White's extra c3-pawn will be insignificant)
but complete his development, which would be a problem if he played} (13... b4
14. a5 $1 $36) ({or} 13... Nxd4 14. cxd4 b4 15. a5 $36) 14. axb5 axb5 (14...
Nxd4 $2 15. cxd4 Bxd4 16. Ra4 Bxe5 17. Qh5 {(Chesspro.ru)}) 15. Rxa8 Bxa8 16.
Nxb5 O-O {[%mdl 512]} ({In the event of} 16... Nxe5 17. Qxd8+ Kxd8 18. Bg5+ f6
19. Be3 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Ke7 21. Ra1 {Black needs to work a while to equalise.})
17. Qxd8 Rxd8 18. Bf4 h6 19. h4 Ne7 $14 {Here, too, Black should be careful
although a draw is highly likely.} 20. Rd1 (20. Ra1 Bc6 21. Nd6 Rb8 $132) 20...
Rb8 21. Bc4 Bc6 22. Nd4 Be4 23. h5 Nd5 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Be3 Rc8 26. Re1 Bc4
27. Nf3 Ba3 28. Bd4 Bd3 29. Nd2 Bb2 30. Nf1 (30. Re3 $142 Bf5 31. Nf1 $14)
30... Rc4 (30... Ba6 $5 {[%cal Rb2c3]} 31. Re3 Bc1 $132) 31. Re3 Bf5 $6 (31...
Bxc3 32. Bxc3 Rxc3 {leads to a draw as White is unable to make use of the pin,
e.g.} 33. f4 (33. Kh2 Rc1) 33... Kf8 34. g4 Ke7 35. f5 Ra3 36. Rf3 {and now
even} f6 $11) 32. Ng3 Bh7 33. Kh2 Bc1 34. Re2 Bf4 35. Kh3 Ra4 36. Kg4 Bc1 $6 {
It is more logical to go for an endgame with opposite-coloured bishops. Black
will not get such an opportunity anymore:} (36... Bxg3 37. Kxg3 Bf5 {[%cal
Yg7g6]}) 37. Kf3 $16 Bd3 38. Re1 Bb2 39. Ke3 Bc2 40. Kd2 Bb3 41. Rb1 Ra2 42.
Kd3 Ba4 43. Ne4 Ba3 44. Ke3 Bc2 45. Re1 Bb3 46. g4 Bd5 47. Kd3 Be7 48. Rb1 Ra8
49. f4 Bh4 50. Rh1 Bd8 51. Rb1 Bc7 52. Ke3 Kh7 53. Nd6 Kg8 ({Of course,} 53...
Bxd6 54. exd6 {when White gets another passed pawn, the outlook is poor for
Black despite the opposite-coloured bishops.}) 54. Rb5 Bc6 55. Rb4 Bd8 56. Bb6
Bh4 57. Bd4 Bg2 58. Rb2 Bc6 59. Rb6 Bg2 60. Rb2 Bc6 61. Rb3 Bg3 62. c4 Bh2 63.
f5 exf5 64. Nxf5 $6 {A strange decision giving Black good drawing chances.} (
64. gxf5 $142 {[%csl Ge5,Gf5]} f6 65. Rb6 $16) 64... Kh7 65. Bb2 Re8 66. Nd6
Re7 67. Rb8 f6 $1 68. Rc8 (68. Nf5 Re6) 68... Bh1 $2 (68... Bd7 69. Rc7 fxe5 {
looks ugly but in fact, White can't make progress here. If} 70. c5 (70. Ne4
Bf4+ 71. Kf2 Rf7 72. Nd6 e4 $1) {then} 70... e4 {[%cal Yh2g1]}) 69. Nf5 Rb7 (
69... Re6 {doesn't work anymore:} 70. Nh4 $5 {[%cal Rh4g6]} (70. Rc7 {is
strong, too}) 70... Ra6 (70... Bxe5 71. Ng6 Bxb2+ 72. Kf2 Bd4+ 73. Kg3 Re3+ 74.
Kh4 $18) (70... Bc6 71. Ng6 $18) (70... Rc6 71. Rxc6 Bxc6 72. exf6 $18) (70...
fxe5 71. Ng6 Rxg6 72. hxg6+ Kxg6 73. c5 $18) 71. Ng6 Ra8 72. Rxa8 Bg1+ (72...
Bxa8 73. Kf2 $5 {[%csl Rh2]}) 73. Ke2 Bxa8 74. exf6 gxf6 75. Bxf6 {and White
should win.}) 70. exf6 $2 (70. e6 $1 Rb3+ 71. Bc3 $1 Rxc3+ 72. Kd2 $18) 70...
Rb3+ 71. Bc3 gxf6 (71... Rxc3+ $4 72. Kd4 $18 {[%cal Rd4c3,Rf6g7]}) 72. Kd2
Bf4+ 73. Kc2 Rb8 74. Rxb8 Bxb8 {[%mdl 4096]} 75. Ne7 (75. Bxf6 Bf3) 75... Be4+
$6 (75... Bf3 $142 76. Nd5 Be5 $5 77. Bxe5 fxe5 78. Kd2 ({or} 78. Kd3 Kg7 79.
Ne3 Kf6 80. c5 Kg5 {(Chesspro.ru)}) 78... Kg7 79. Ne3 Kf6 80. c5 Kg5 81. Ke1
Kf4 82. Kf2 Bb7 {- White can't make any progress.}) 76. Kd2 Bf4+ $2 {The way
to a draw was not easy anymore:} (76... Bf3 $1 77. Nd5 Kg7 $3 78. Nxf6 (78.
Bxf6+ Kf7 79. g5 hxg5 80. h6 Kg6) 78... Bf4+ 79. Ke1 Bg3+ 80. Kf1 Kf7 {[%cal
Rg3h4]} 81. g5 hxg5 82. h6 Bf4 $1 {(this bishop must be protected in view of a
possible discovered check)} 83. Kf2 Bb7 84. h7 Kg7 $11) 77. Ke2 Kg7 78. Nf5+
Kf7 79. Bd2 $1 $18 {White wins a second pawn and the game.} Be5 80. Bxh6 Ke6
81. Be3 Bxf5 82. gxf5+ Kxf5 83. h6 Kg6 84. c5 f5 85. Kf3 Kf7 86. Bf4 Bd4 87. c6
Ke7 88. c7 Kd7 89. h7 Kc8 90. Ke2 Kd7 91. Kd3 (91. Kd3 Bf6 92. Kc4 {[%cal
Yc4d5,Yf4e5]}) 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.27"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C43"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Caruana,F"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This was the climax of three weeks of chess, months of preparation and
thirteen hard fought previous games. My tournament had its ups and downs, but
thanks to a fortunate win the previous day, I entered the final round half a
point ahead of my closest rivals, Mamedyarov and Karjakin. My tiebreaks were
worse than both of theirs, so I wasn't sure a draw would be enough to win the
event, but at the same time I didn't want to burn my bridges playing for a win.
I also felt that Alexander would be eager for a fight.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3.
d4 {Although this move isn't a usual part of Grischuk's opening repertoire, I
wasn't entirely surprised. I realized that this variation, which leads to an
unclear, playable and fluid game, might suit his style, so I was at least
mentally prepared for this possibility.} Nxe4 4. dxe5 d5 5. Nbd2 Nxd2 ({
Interestingly, I was faced with this variation just two weeks later against
Vitiugov. In that game I chose to play a new move:} 5... Qd7 $5 {, and in the
end I won that game.}) 6. Bxd2 Be7 7. Bd3 {I was already not so familiar with
this position, but my moves seemed easy to play, so I continued to play
naturally.} ({All I could recall was seeing a game by Nepomniatchti recently,
where he played a slightly more passive continuation:} 7. Be2) 7... c5 8. c3
Nc6 9. O-O Bg4 {This was already a big choice. It is very attractive to pin
the knight, but I had to make sure I wouldn't run into a powerful e6 after my
bishop retreats to h5.} (9... Be6 {was perhaps more circumspect, although then
White can consider mixing it up with} 10. b4 $5) 10. Re1 Qd7 (10... O-O {
would be less accurate. For example, White could consider posting a bishop on
f5, which would be very annoying:} 11. h3 Bh5 12. Bf5 $5) 11. h3 Bh5 12. Bf4 {
This came as a surprise, but it's probably an excellent move.} ({Now I'm well
prepared for} 12. e6 $2 fxe6) (12. Qc2 Bxf3 13. Bf5 Qc7 14. gxf3 Nxe5 {also
doesn't work out well for White.}) (12. b4 $5 {was the move I was mainly
concerned with. The variations become very complex, but I felt that my
position would be okay after} cxb4 13. cxb4 O-O 14. Qb1 (14. Qc2 $2 Bxf3 15.
Bxh7+ Kh8 16. Bf5 Nd4 $1 {is a nice trick.}) (14. g4 Bg6 15. e6 $5 fxe6 16.
Bxg6 hxg6 17. b5 Nd8 18. Ne5 Qe8 19. Qc2 {is an unusual and slightly
concerning pawn sacrifice. Here I was mainly looking at moves like 19...Bh4,
but strongest is} Bd6 $1 20. Nxg6 Rf6 {with an excellent position}) 14... Bxf3
15. Bxh7+ Kh8 16. Bf5 Qc7 17. gxf3 g6 $1 {A very important move.} (17... Nxe5
$2 18. Qd1 $1 {is surprisingly already busted for Black}) 18. Bc2 Nxe5 {
, and the position is unclear, but no worse for Black.}) 12... Qe6 $1 {This
move looks strange, but I came to it by the process of elimination. I need to
prevent e6 once and for all, and although the queen is not a good blockader,
there was no alternative.} ({My first instinct was to play} 12... Nd8 $2 {
, but then I noticed a strong response:} 13. g4 Bg6 (13... Ne6 14. gxh5 Nxf4
15. e6 $1 Nxe6 16. Ne5 {is likewise very strong}) 14. e6 $1 Nxe6 15. Ne5 {
, with a huge attack.}) (12... O-O 13. Qc2 Bg6 (13... Bxf3 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15.
Bf5 $1 Be4 16. Qxe4 {also doesn't work out for Black.}) 14. Bxg6 hxg6 15. Rad1
{felt like strong pressure for White, because d5 is a weakness and the
possibility of e6 is always in the air.}) 13. a3 $6 {Far too slow. It was here
that Grischuk started to drift with his play.} (13. Qc2 $2 Bxf3 14. Bf5 $2 Be4
{is an important trick, winning a piece.}) (13. Be2 {was the most challenging
move. Here I saw two options:} O-O $5 {offers an exchange sacrifice, but White
is not obligated to accept it.} (13... Bg6 {is playable, but White can perhaps
hope for a slight edge after} 14. Bg3 O-O 15. Nh4 {getting the advantage of
the bishop pair.}) 14. Nd4 (14. Qd2 {prepares Nd4, and would lead to a very
messy situation after} Rfe8 15. Nd4 cxd4 16. Bxh5 dxc3 17. bxc3 d4) 14... Bxe2
15. Nxe6 Bxd1 16. Nxf8 Ba4 (16... Bc2 17. Nd7 Nd8 18. e6 Nxe6 19. Bd2 Rd8 {
also offers decent compensation.}) 17. b3 (17. Nd7 $2 Nd8 {traps the knight})
17... Bb5 18. a4 Bd3 19. Nd7 Rd8 20. e6 fxe6 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. Bxe5 Bc2 {
This position is likely to end in a draw.}) 13... O-O 14. b4 h6 {Covering g5,
which will be useful in many lines in the future. Also making sure h7 no
longer ever hangs.} ({I couldn't decide on whether to play h6 or} 14... b6 {
, and probably both are fully playable.}) 15. Bg3 {White has many options, but
in every case Black is comfortable.} (15. bxc5 Bxc5 16. Be2 Rad8 17. Nd4 Bxd4
18. cxd4 Bxe2 19. Rxe2 Rc8 {is at least equal, but I would even prefer Black's
position slightly.}) 15... b6 16. Nd4 $6 {I felt during the game that this was
a positional mistake, leading to a comfortable situation for Black.} ({A
better move was} 16. Be2 Bg6 17. Nh4 Bxh4 18. Bxh4 d4 {, with a complex and
roughly balanced position.}) 16... Bxd1 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Raxd1 c4 {It's
important to play this before White goes for c4 himself. Now the pawn
structure is very favorable for me: all of White's queenside pawns on the dark
squares are vulnerable, and his bishop on g3 is extremely passive. The only
plus for him is that whenever I open up the position, his light-squared bishop
will become powerful.} 19. Bc2 (19. Bg6 b5 20. f4 Bd8 $1 {and next ...Ne7
kicks the bishop from g6.}) (19. Be2 a5 {is likewise unpleasant for White, and}
20. Bg4 Nd8 {is only temporarily inconvenient. Soon I'll play ...g6 and ...h5.}
) 19... b5 {Preparing ...a5 without allowing b5.} 20. a4 (20. f4 $6 a5 {
would soon become critical for White, because ...axb4 and ...d4 would
completely undermine his queenside.}) 20... a6 21. f3 $1 {A strong and
necessary defense.} (21. f4 {, preparing f5, is most natural, but after} Rac8
$1 {Black prepares ...d4 and White will fall apart. For example} (21... d4 $2
22. Be4 {is clearly wrong.}) 22. axb5 axb5 23. f5 d4 $1 24. cxd4 Nxb4 {, with
a winning position.}) 21... Bg5 $6 {Too academic. I needed to be more daring
to keep the advantage.} ({Now} 21... Rac8 22. Bf2 {leads nowhere.}) (21... Nxb4
$1 {was the most testing move:} 22. cxb4 Bxb4 23. Re2 Be7 24. axb5 axb5 25. Rb1
b4 {, and White will have to defend accurately against the three passed pawns.
I didn't really consider sacrificing, however, because the game continuation
looked so attractive.}) 22. Bf2 $2 {This mistake is very serious, and seems to
be the difference between a draw and a loss.} (22. h4 $1 Bf4 23. Bxf4 Rxf4 {
I understand why Grischuk didn't want to give away his bishop pair, but White
is already close to equal after} 24. Bg6 {For example,} Rc8 (24... Ne7 25. h5)
25. Kf2 d4 26. axb5 axb5 27. cxd4 Nxb4 28. Rb1 Nd5 29. Rxb5 Rxd4 30. Reb1 {
, with a likely draw.}) 22... Bf4 23. Bc5 Rfd8 24. Bd6 Bg3 25. Re2 g5 {When I
played 21...Bg5 I saw this position, and I was very happy to get it. White is
almost completely paralyzed, due to the dominant bishop on g3. However, it is
still difficult to make progress.} 26. Kf1 Kf7 27. Bc7 Re8 28. Bd6 Rac8 {
A strange move. We were both low on time, so I was a bit unsure of what to do,
but placing a rook on c8 is certainly not the way.} ({I should have started by
placing my pawn on h4, which is useful in many variations down the road. Most
concretely, often White will play Rxd5 and e6, and with the pawn on h4 the
bishop will be defended.} 28... h5 $1 29. Ra1 h4 30. Bb1 Red8 {, and sooner or
later White will slowly die.}) 29. Ra1 Red8 30. Bb1 {As usual, when time gets
low, Grischuk continues to play very well.} Rd7 ({I could still place my pawn
on h4 before deciding what to do next:} 30... h5 31. axb5 axb5 32. Ra6 h4 {
and here} 33. Rb6 Rd7 34. Rxb5 Ra8 {is not something I should worry about.})
31. Ra3 (31. axb5 axb5 32. Ra6 {was a better defense. I was planning} Ra7 {
, but after} ({Perhaps} 32... h5 $5 {is again the best move.}) 33. Rxa7+ Nxa7
34. Ra2 Nc6 35. Ra6 {White's position becomes a bit easier to hold.}) 31... d4
{I was extremely happy to get this move in at an opportune moment. We were
both short on time, but now the play becomes forced:} 32. axb5 axb5 33. cxd4
Nxd4 34. Rea2 Nc6 35. Be4 Bxe5 36. Bxc6 (36. Bc5 Kf6 {is also very bad for
White.}) 36... Rxd6 37. Bxb5 {Black has a serious advantage, due to the
strength of the passed c-pawn and the weakness of White's king. The weakened
dark squares around White's kingside make a direct attack very likely in the
future. The next few moves were played in heavy time trouble, which led to
some poor decisions.} Rd1+ (37... c3 $1 {was strongest:} 38. Ba4 (38. Rc2 Rb8
39. Ra5 Kf6 {leaves White tied up, and likely to lose the b-pawn.}) 38... Rcd8
39. b5 Rd3 {and White is paralyzed and facing ideas of ...Bd6.}) 38. Ke2 Rg1
39. Ke3 Rb1 $2 ({Direct play was again best:} 39... c3 $1 40. Rc2 Rd8 {with a
decisive edge. For example} 41. Ra7+ Kf6 42. Rd7 Rb8 43. Bd3 Rxb4 {with a
position similar to the game.}) 40. Ra7+ $2 {The last move of the time control,
and it is both an extremely natural and a poor one.} (40. Ra8 $1 Rxa8 41. Rxa8
Rxb4 42. Ba4 {This is difficult to decide on, since White condemns himself to
a pawn down position where he will suffer for a very long time. However,
trading rooks is absolutely necessary to keep any drawing chances alive.})
40... Kf6 {And now I could finally get up from the table and check the other
games. I was pleased to see Karjakin had already drawn, and Kramnik and
Mamedyarov were playing a drawn ending. I felt very safe that a draw would be
enough for tournament victory, but of course with a much better position, I
continued to play.} 41. Bd7 Bf4+ 42. Ke2 (42. Kf2 Rd8 {is essentially the same
as the game.} (42... c3 $2 {looks very beautiful, but misses the win after} 43.
Re2 $1 (43. Bxc8 $2 Rb2+ {on the other hand, leads to a pawn promotion.})))
42... Rd8 43. Rc2 ({At this moment, I think Alexander realized that} 43. R2a6 {
runs into an exchange sac:} Rb2+ 44. Kf1 Rxd7 $1 45. Rxd7 c3 46. Rc6 c2 {
and the pawn is unstoppable. Black will be a piece ahead.}) 43... Rxb4 (43...
Rg1 $1 44. Kf2 Rd1 {is even stronger, and would be immediately winning, but I
saw no reason to just take the pawn and win slowly.}) 44. Bc6 c3 {A pawn up,
and still with a positional advantage. I knew I was completely winning, and
around this point I saw Kramnik and Mamedyarov agree to a draw. A draw would
have been enough for me, but I couldn't bring myself to offer it in such an
overwhelming position.} 45. Rd7 Rc8 {Of course, no trade of rooks.} 46. Be4 h5
{I might as well place the pawn on h4 before deciding on what to do next.
White has no ideas, so it was only a question of time until I broke through.}
47. Kd3 Rb2 48. Ke2 h4 49. Rd1 Ke5 50. Ra1 Rd8 51. Rd1 Rdb8 52. Ra1 Bd2 53. Ra6
Rd8 54. Rc6 Rb1 55. Kf2 Ra1 56. Rc4 Rd4 57. Rc8 Rb4 58. Ke2 Kf4 59. Kf2 Rbb1
60. Rf8+ Ke5 61. Bd3 Rb2 62. Ke2 Re1+ 63. Kf2 Rc1 64. Rxb2 cxb2 65. Rb8 Bc3 66.
Be4 Bd4+ 67. Ke2 Kf4 68. Rb4 e5 69. Rb7 Kg3 {And after this, Grischuk resigned
and I secured qualification to the 2018 World Championship match!} 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.24"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d3
d6 9. Bd2 $5 {A fresh idea from Grischuk. White stops ...Na5 for now and wants
to see Black's intentions before defining how to play on the queenside.} Kh8 {
This move looks odd to me. Maybe Aronian wanted to wait to see White's
intentions, but Grischuk just continues with natural moves. Later on Black has
ideas to play ...f5, but it seems way too early to think about it.} (9... Bg4
10. c3 $1 (10. h3 {was played in the debut game of the variation. 10.c3 as in
the Caruana - Aronian game, would be more challenging} Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Nd4 12.
Qd1 a5 13. c3 Nxb3 14. axb3 $11 {0-1 (40) Calzetta Ruiz,M (2317)-Atalik,E 
(2393) Turin 2006}) 10... d5 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qe2 Rb8 13. Bg5 {inviting Black to
take on e4:} dxe4 14. dxe4 h6 15. Bc1 $1 {now White threatens the typical
Nbd2-Nf1-Ng3 plan, which is normally very annoying after Black already had the
bishop placed on either g4 or h5. That's why it was understandable that
Aronian played it when the white bishop was on d2.} Bg6 16. Nbd2 Nh5 17. Nf1
Bc5 18. g3 Kh7 19. Kg2 Qe7 20. Bc2 $16 {1-0 (39) Caruana,F (2784)-Aronian,L 
(2794) Berlin 2018, and White achieved a big positional advantage, that later
turned into a tactical mess.}) (9... Bb7 {played exactly one day after the
Caruana-Aronian game} 10. a4 Nd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. c3 dxc3 13. Nxc3 Qd7 14. d4
$6 {this simply weakens the position.} (14. Ne2 $1 $14 {with the idea of Ng3,
White retains better prospects}) 14... b4 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Bxd5 17. exd5
Bf6 $6 (17... a5 {followed by ...Bf6 and ...Rfe8, Black is just fine.}) 18. Be3
$6 (18. Bxb4 $1 Qf5 19. Qf3 Qxf3 20. gxf3 Bxd4 21. Rac1 $14) 18... c6 19. Qb3
cxd5 20. Qxd5 Rac8 $11 {0-1 (38) Martirosyan,H (2586)-Kravtsiv,M (2685) Batumi
2018}) 10. h3 Nd7 11. Nc3 $5 (11. a4 $5 Bb7 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8 Qxa8 14. Nc3
Nc5 15. Bd5 $14 (15. Nxb5 $6 {always gives decent compensation for Black after
ruining White's structure.} Nxb3 16. cxb3 Bd8 $132 {potentially followed by
f5! opening the line of the b7-bishop against the white king.})) 11... Na5 {
Black achieves a strategic goal in the Ruy Lopez, which is taking the
b3-bishop, but on the other hand, White installs a strong knight on d5.} 12.
Nd5 Nxb3 13. axb3 Bb7 14. c4 f5 (14... c6 $2 15. Ba5 $1 {is the key move,
Black is not able to play ...c6 kicking the knight away.}) 15. Ba5 Rc8 (15...
Bxd5 $2 {is always a huge strategic mistake. The light-squared bishop is
Black's pride here, he has to try to keep it at all costs.} 16. cxd5 $16 {
[%cal Ga1c1]}) 16. Rc1 (16. exf5 {looks promising, trying to open the position
when Black has somewhat passive pieces; but on the other hand, opening the
a8-h1 diagonal is usually dangerous. When we reach such conceptual dilemmas
while choosing a move, we have to strongly rely on our calculations. And we
have to remember, that we may let go of strategic advantages we have built up
to this point and change the character of a position.} Rxf5 17. d4 Nf6 $1 $132
{with complex play.} (17... Qf8 $5 $132)) 16... bxc4 (16... Nc5 $5 {similar to
the game, maybe keeping more flexibility. Black should not be scared of 17.
cxb5, opening the c-file, since the black knight will go to ...e6 next move,
controlling the c7-pawn.}) 17. bxc4 fxe4 18. dxe4 Nc5 19. Bc3 $5 (19. Re3 $5 {
not allowing Black to play ...Qe8 yet (White keeps an eye on c7). White's idea
is to play Bb4 next move, take on e7 and then play c5, ruining Black's
structure. In these lines, the rook will stand better on e3.} Ne6 {Another
standard move gets answered by a strong temporary pawn sacrifice:} 20. c5 $1
Nxc5 $2 (20... dxc5 21. Nxe7 Qxe7 22. Qb3 $1 Bc6 23. Qc3 $16 {followed by Qxe5}
) 21. Bxc7 $1 Rxc7 22. Nxc7 Qxc7 23. b4 $18) (19. Bb4 Ne6 20. Nxe7 (20. Nxe5 $2
c5 $1 $17) 20... Qxe7 21. c5 dxc5 22. Ba3 Rf4 $1 $132 {followed by ...Rcf8.})
19... Qe8 20. b4 Ne6 21. Bd2 c6 $2 (21... Bd8 {threatening c6} 22. c5 $1 {
when White retains some slight pressure.}) 22. Nxe7 Qxe7 23. Be3 $2 {White has
lost the chance to play c5 now and break Black's structure.} (23. c5 $1 dxc5
24. bxc5 {This is very dangerous in the long-term for Black - the e5-pawn is
weak, and White should win it without much trouble, after which he will have 4
pawns against 2 pawns on the kingside} Rcd8 {during the Press Conference,
Grischuk mentioned this move and said he wasn't sure how to evaluate the
position after 25.Nxe5 Nf4} 25. Re3 $1 (25. Nxe5 $6 Nf4 $1 $132) 25... Nxc5 26.
Qc2 Ne6 27. Ba5 {followed by Qb2, grabbing the e5-pawn, depending on where the
rook goes} Rd6 28. Qb2 Nd4 $2 (28... c5 29. Qxe5 $16 {[%csl Re4,Rf2,Rg2,Rg7,
Rh3,Rh7]}) 29. Bb4 $1 $18) 23... c5 $1 {Now there is no advantage for White,
Black is solid and the only weakness on d6 will not be a serious problem.} 24.
bxc5 Nxc5 25. Bxc5 Rxc5 26. Nd2 Bc8 27. Nf1 Be6 28. Ne3 $11 {The position has
simplified, both sides have improved their pieces to the best squares and the
outcome should be a draw.} Rc6 29. Qa4 Rfc8 30. Rb1 h6 31. Rb8 Rxc4 32. Rxc8+
Rxc8 33. Qxa6 Qc7 34. Rd1 Rd8 35. Qd3 Qc5 36. Kh2 Qc7 37. Kg1 Qc5 38. Rd2 Qc7
39. Qa3 Qe7 40. Rd1 Kh7 41. Qb4 Qc7 42. Rd3 Kg8 43. Qd2 Qe7 44. Kh2 Qf8 45. Kg1
Qe7 46. Qd1 Kh7 47. Rd2 Qf8 48. Rd3 Qe7 49. Rd2 Qf8 50. Nf1 Rd7 51. Ng3 Qb8 52.
Kh2 Qf8 53. Kg1 Qb8 54. Kh2 Qf8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {True to his
uncompromising style and with the tournament situation in mind, Grischuk
chooses the sharpest continuation.} ({Of course,} 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 O-O {
is safe for White, but Mamedyarov himself had a hard time proving White's
advantage in recent games against Radjabov and Yu Yangyi.}) 6... g5 $5 7. Bg3
Ne4 8. Qc2 (8. Qb3 {is an alternative, but after} Nc6 9. e3 h5 10. h4 g4 11.
Ne5 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Nxg3 13. fxg3 Nxe5 14. dxe5 {not too many people would find
White's pawn structure attractive.}) ({As in a similar position with the
exchange on d5 included, White isn't getting much out of a pawn sacrifice with
} 8. Nd2 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bxc3 10. Rc1 {mainly because of the annoying} Bb2 $1)
8... h5 $1 {The point of Black's play. Facing the threat to his bishop White
is forced to weaken his pawns.} 9. h3 Nc6 $1 {Shakh demonstrates excellent
preparation.} ({The immediate} 9... Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Nxg3 11. fxg3 Nc6 {allows
White to expand in the centre} 12. e4 $5 {Dubov-Brkic, 2016}) 10. e3 Bxc3+ 11.
bxc3 Nxg3 12. fxg3 Qd6 13. Qf2 {It's OK to repeat the position, but Grischuk
was burning time fast, even by his standards.} Qa3 14. Qc2 Qd6 15. Qf2 {
Very uncharacteristic of Alexander.} ({With} 15. Kf2 {which already was played
in Azmaiparashvili-Nikolaidis, 1996 White continues to fight.} h4 16. g4 Bd7
17. Bd3 {and his king isn't so bad.}) 15... Qa3 16. Qc2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 {Even though generally useful, this move is usually played at a
later stage.} (9. Re1 {and}) (9. Nbd2 {are by far more popular.}) 9... Bb7 ({
Once again not as popular as the alternative} 9... Na5 10. Bc2 c5 {, aiming
for a Chigorin setup.}) 10. Nbd2 Re8 $146 {Strictly speaking a novelty, but
play could have later transposed to familiar paths.} ({Transposing to an old
Breyer tabyia with} 10... Nb8 11. Re1 Nbd7 12. Nf1 Nc5 13. Bc2 Re8) 11. Ng5 Rf8
12. Re1 {Of course, White is not interested in repeating moves so early.} d5 $6
{After the game, Grischuk criticised this move. True, So's initial intention
obviously was playing the Marshall attack, but opening the centre with loss of
time (...d7-d6-d5) is a bit risky.} (12... h6 13. Ngf3 Re8 {would transpose to
known lines, for instance} 14. Nf1 Bf8 15. Ng3 Nb8 16. Nh4 d5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18.
Nhf5 {Kasparov,G (2825)-Svidler,P (2690) Linares 1998 CBM 064 [Hecht,H] (½-½,
64)}) 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Ndf3 {Grischuk was not entirely satisfied with this
move, as he could not find any favourable tactics after it.} ({With hindsight,
} 14. Nde4 {may be, indeed, more precise, sustaining Grischuk's intuitive
evaluation.} h6 (14... Qd7 {allows} 15. Qh5 {, increasing the pressure on e5,
for instance:} h6 16. Nf3 {One point is that} Nf6 {runs into} 17. Nxe5 $1) 15.
Nf3 Qd7 16. a4 ({This is the most precise move order. If} 16. Ng3 Rad8 17. a4 {
Black can play} b4 {as c3 is hanging.}) 16... Rad8 (16... b4 17. a5 $14) 17.
axb5 axb5 18. Ng3 {with certain pressure in the centre.}) 14... Qd7 15. d4 {
The best practical solution. WHite neutralises Black's space advantage and
takes the weak c5-square under control.} ({The pawn is not edible:} 15. Nxe5
Nxe5 16. Rxe5 f6 $15) 15... exd4 16. cxd4 h6 17. Ne4 Rfe8 $6 {This is the main
reason for Black's ulterior difficulties.} ({He should not have given White
the time to build up his attack by increasing the potential pressure on d4
with:} 17... Rad8 18. Bd2 $6 (18. a4 {is probably better, maintaining the
equality.}) 18... Nf6 $1) 18. Bd2 (18. Qd3 $5 {was an interesting alternative,
mainly directed against Black's freeing ...Nf6.} Ncb4 (18... Nf6 $6 19. Bxh6 $1
) 19. Qb1 Rad8 20. a3 Nc6 21. Qd3 $14 {followed by Bd2 and Bc2.}) 18... Nf6 19.
Rc1 $1 {Taking the weakened c-file under control, which will surprisingly
result in the rook's inclusion in the attack.} ({Grischuk refrained from} 19.
d5 Nxd5 20. Bxh6 gxh6 21. Bxd5 {due to} Rad8 $11 {exchanging queens and
neutralising White's initiative.}) 19... Nxe4 {Obviously a concession,
allowing the radical activation of the white king's rook. But it is not easy
to suggest anything better.} ({Now and in the near future the pawn is not
edible:} 19... Nxd4 $2 20. Bxf7+ $5 Kxf7 21. Ne5+) ({It is too late for Black
to complete his development as} 19... Rad8 {allows} 20. Rxc6 $1 {threatening
Ne5 and if} Nxe4 21. Bxf7+ $18 {due to his inaccuracy on move 17 Black is
short of just one tempo to get coordinated.}) 20. Rxe4 Bf6 21. Rg4 Kh8 {
Parrying Bxh6 (at least temporarily) but weakening f7 and giving away another
tempo.} ({If} 21... h5 22. Rf4 {the pawn is vulnerable to Rc5. After} Rad8 {
Grischuk intended} 23. Ng5 $5 $18) ({Taking the pawn once again fails to solve
Black's problems:} 21... Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Bxd4 23. Bc3 c5 24. Bxd4 cxd4 25. Rxd4
Qe7 ({Actually} 25... Re1+ {is somewhat better, with just a "close to losing"
ending after} 26. Qxe1 Qxd4 27. Rc7 Bd5 28. Rd7 Qe4 29. Qxe4 Bxe4 30. Rxf7 $16)
26. Rd7 Rad8 27. Bxf7+ $1 ({Better than Grischuk's suggestion} 27. Rcc7 $16 {
with a similar ending as above.}) 27... Qxf7 28. Rxd8 $18) 22. Rc5 {Grischuk
confessed he did not calculate anything when playing this move, evaluating the
position in an amusing way: "If there is no win, I could simply quit chess!"
This comment is more instructive than So's complaint that things did not work
out for him tactically. Indeed, all White's pieces are targeting the enemy
king and some of them also control important squares in the defensive area,
making it difficult for Black to get counterplay.} Rad8 23. Qc1 ({White is
confident in the strength of his position and does not hurry with the equally
strong} 23. Bxh6 gxh6 24. Qc1 Bg7 25. Rh5 Qd6 26. Ng5 {Grischuk saw all this,
but thought there might be some incertainty. In fact, White is winning after}
Re7 27. Nxf7+ Rxf7 28. Bxf7 {[%cal Gg4g6] The threat Rg6 is decisive and} Nxd4
{allows} 29. Rxd4 Qxd4 30. Rxh6+ Bxh6 31. Qxh6#) 23... Nxd4 {There is nothing
else to do against the threat Bxh6.} 24. Nxd4 Re4 {A desperate attempt at
using White's apparent lack of cordination and severe time trouble. But as
mentioned before his pieces not only put pressure on Black, but also fulfil
defensive jobs.} ({If} 24... Bxd4 25. Bxh6 {"White already threatens mate with
checks, for instance"} Re2 26. Bxg7+ Bxg7 27. Rh5+ Kg8 28. Rxg7+ Kxg7 29. Qh6+
({Personally I calculated} 29. Qg5+ Kf8 30. Rh8# {MM}) 29... Kg8 30. Qh8# {
(Grischuk).}) 25. Rxc7 Qxd4 26. Be3 ({Grischuk's first intention was} 26. Bc3
Rxg4 27. hxg4 Qe4 28. f3 {but then noticed} Bd4+ {. During the analysis, he
showed} 29. Kh1 $18 {, though. But his move is also winning.}) 26... Rxg4 27.
hxg4 {The attacking b3-bishop safely defends the back rank, an essential
aspect when the rook is far away.} Qe4 28. f3 {White simply wins a piece.} Qb4
29. Rxb7 Bxb2 30. Qf1 f6 31. Qf2 Be5 32. f4 Bd6 33. g5 {Karlovich appreciated
Grischuk's sangfroid when playing this in time trouble. He replied that if
White manages delivering mate, then he might not have to play all the moves
until the control!} Qe4 34. Qf3 Qb1+ 35. Qf1 Qe4 36. Qf3 Qb1+ 37. Kf2 Bb4 38.
Qe2 Qe4 39. Qf3 Qb1 40. Kg3 fxg5 41. Kh2 Qf5 ({Against} 41... Bd6 {Grischuk
had calculated} 42. Rd7 Rxd7 43. Qa8+ Kh7 44. Bg8+ Kg6 45. Qe8+ Kf5 46. Qe6#)
42. Rf7 Qg6 43. fxg5 Bd6+ 44. Kh3 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.14"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Roiz,M"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 {The Chinese grandmaster is considered a great KID player,
but in recent years he switched to the solid openings.} 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5.
Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {Alexander opts for the most aggressive continuation, which is
mostly connected with a pawn sacrifice.} dxc4 {Ding Liren accepts the
challenge.} (6... Be7 {is possible, but somewhat passive.}) 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 {The most common. The fianchetto makes
Black's setup more solid, since the kingside pawn structure was seriously
exposed by the g7-g5 advance.} (11... h5 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 {is another
well-explored line.}) 12. Nxf7 {Again, the most aggressive!} (12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13.
Bd6 {was extremely popular 10 years ago, but Black usually does well here.})
12... Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne4 Qb6 15. Nd6+ Ke7 16. a4 $5 $146 {As was admitted
by GM Grischuk after the game, this new idea was suggested by AlphaZero. Of
course, this position was deeply explored by Alexander and his team during the
preparation.} (16. Bg4 {is what was almost automatically played before. The
most memorable encounter saw} Raf8 ({Since then Black has managed to find a
convincing way of neutralising White's initiative:} 16... h5 $1 17. Bxh5 Raf8
18. Qg4 Bh6 19. h4 {was seen in Shirov,A - Karjakin,S Foros 2008} {Now the
strong} c5 $1 {would have put White in serious danger. For instance,} 20. hxg5
Bg7 21. g6 N7f6 22. Bh4 Qxd6 $1 23. exd6+ Kd7 {and White is absolutely lost!})
17. Qc2 Qxd4 $2 18. Qg6 Qxg4 19. Qxg7+ Kd8 20. Nxb7+ Kc8 21. a4 {Black was
crushed in Topalov,V - Kramnik,V Wijk aan Zee 2008 CBM 122 [Krasenkow,M]})
16... Raf8 ({In comparison to above-mentioned note, after} 16... a6 $2 17. Bg4
h5 18. Bxh5 Raf8 19. Qg4 Bh6 20. h4 c5 21. axb5 axb5 22. hxg5 Bg7 23. g6 N7f6
24. Bh4 Qxd6 25. exd6+ Kd7 26. Qd1 Nxh5 27. Ra7 {White is just winng due to
the penetration along the a-file.}) ({The typical break} 16... c5 $5 {looks
scary to a human eye, but might be playable:} 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. axb5 Rhd8 19.
Bxc4 (19. Qc2 Nf4 20. Bxf4 gxf4 21. Rad1 Kf8 22. Qg6 Qc7 23. Bxc4 Bxe5 $13)
19... Nf4 20. Bxf4 gxf4 21. Qh5 Rxd6 22. Qh4+ Kd7 23. exd6 Qxd6 24. Rfd1 Bd4
$13 {The resulting complex position contains danger for both sides.}) 17. Bf3
$1 {A very clever approach - White is going to eliminate the strong Nd5.
Moreover, the subsequent static pawn structure makes it very difficult for
Black to activate his pieces.} a6 18. Bxd5 cxd5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Kh1 $1 {
An important prophylactic move.} (20. f4 $2 {is premature:} gxf4 21. Bh4+ Bf6
$19) 20... Bc6 21. f4 gxf4 $4 ({GM Ding Liren had to play} 21... h5 $1 22. f5 {
The most ambitious.} ({it is also to maintain the tension by means of} 22. Be1
$5 b4 23. Bd2 $13 {but then play would be less forced.}) 22... h4 23. Bf2 h3 $1
{reminding White of his own king.} ({The natural} 23... exf5 $6 {runs into} 24.
Qc2 $1 Kd8 25. Nxf5 Rhg8 26. e6 $40 {with a powerful attack.}) 24. g4 Nxe5 $1
25. Qe2 $1 (25. dxe5 $2 d4+ 26. Kg1 Bxe5 $19) 25... Kd8 26. dxe5 d4+ 27. Kg1
Qc5 28. Bg3 Kc7 $132 {This might lead to an extremely sharp situation, where
both kings are in big danger.}) 22. Rxf4 $4 {Returning the favour!} (22. Bh4+
Bf6 23. Qg4 $1 {would win on the spot:} Qxd4 24. Bxf6+ Rxf6 25. Qg7+ Kd8 26.
exf6 Qxf6 27. Qxf6+ Nxf6 28. Nf7+ Kc7 29. Nxh8 $18 {with a decisive material
advantage. Instead, Alexander's move invites serious troubles.}) 22... Rxf4 23.
Bxf4 Kd8 $2 {The position is extremely sharp, so both players commit lots of
mistakes.} ({A much better move was} 23... Rf8 $1 24. Bg3 Kd8 25. Qg4 b4 26.
Qxg7 Qxd4 $17 {Black's queenside passers put White in big danger.}) 24. Qg4 $6
({Possibly, Alexander rejected the obvious} 24. Nf7+ Kc7 25. Nxh8 Bxh8 26. Bxh6
{in view of} Bxe5 27. dxe5 d4 {and the central passers look threatening.
However, after} 28. Qg1 Qc5 29. Rd1 d3 30. Bf4 $14 {White would be able to
deal with them.}) 24... Rf8 25. Bd2 Kc7 26. h3 $2 ({The correct way was} 26.
Ne8+ $1 Rxe8 27. Ba5 Qxa5 28. Rxa5 Re7 29. Qg3 b4 {In the resulting unbalanced
situation White's chances are not worse.}) 26... b4 $1 27. Qxg7 Qxd4 28. Bxb4
Qxb2 {White has regained the piece, but now Black's king is relatively safe,
whereas the passers are very powerful.} 29. Ba5+ Kb8 30. Rg1 c3 31. Qe7 $6 {
Another inaccuracy.} (31. Qg6 $142 c2 32. Bd2 Qxe5 33. Nf7 Rxf7 34. Qxf7 Qe4 {
Black is better, but the exposed Kb8 offers White excellent drawing chances.})
31... c2 $2 {A consistent, but wrong continuation.} ({A much stronger one was} 
31... Qa3 $1 32. Bc7+ (32. Bxc3 Qxc3 33. Rb1+ Ka7 34. Qxe6 Qxe5 35. Qxh6 Rb8
$19) 32... Ka8 33. Qxe6 c2 34. Qxh6 d4 35. Nf5 Qc3 36. Ba5 Qc4 {and Black's
passers should decide the game.}) 32. Bd2 {The bishop joins the defence in
time.} Qxe5 33. Bxh6 Rg8 $1 {The best practical try} ({Nothing is achieved by} 
33... Qf6 34. Bxf8 Qxf8 35. Qxe6 Qf4 36. Qe7 $1 c1=Q 37. Qd8+ Ka7 38. Qa5+ Kb8
39. Qd8+ $11) 34. Nf7 Qc3 ({Possibly, a better try was} 34... Qf6 $5 35. Qd6+
Kb7 36. Qb4+ Nb6 37. Nd6+ Kc7 38. Qc5 Nc4 39. Nxc4 dxc4 40. Qa5+ Kd7 41. Qa7+
Ke8 42. Qb8+ Qd8 43. Qe5 $15 {even though the vulnerablity of Ke8 hardly
leaves Black real winning chances.}) 35. Qd6+ Kb7 36. Qxe6 d4 37. Nd6+ Kb6 38.
Ne4 $1 {It's important to cover the long diagonal.} (38. Qxg8 $4 Qxh3#) 38...
Nc5 39. Qxg8 Nxe4 40. Kh2 ({Another possibility was} 40. Qb8+ Kc5 41. Rc1 d3
42. Be3+ Kc4 43. Qb6 $11) 40... d3 41. Be3+ Kb5 42. Qb8+ Kc4 43. Qc7 Qf6 44.
Rf1 $1 {The only, but sufficient way.} Qd6+ 45. Qxd6 Nxd6 46. Rf6 $1 {
Alexander correctly eliminates the knight in order to set up a blockade.} Kd5
47. Rxd6+ Kxd6 48. Kg3 $11 Kd5 49. Kf2 Kc4 50. Bd2 Kb3 51. Ke3 Bxg2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Rb1 Be7 8.
Nf3 O-O 9. h4 $5 $146 {According to Karjakin, this move was suggested by one
of his seconds, Riazantsev, during their training before the tournament. It
was not intended specially for Kramnik and he would have used it against
anybody if given the occasion. Confronted with the opening surprise, but not
under immediate threat, Kramnik reacted logically by increasing the pressure
in the centre.} cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc6 ({If} 10... b6 11. h5 h6 {The most
consequent continuation would be} 12. Rh3 ({White does not seem to have the
time to set up the battery along the b1-h7 diagonal:} 12. Bd3 Nc6 13. Be3 Bb7)
12... Bb7 13. Rg3 Kh8 14. Bd3 Nd7 ({Black has to deviate from the most active
way of developing} 14... Nc6 {as after} 15. Qd2 {the threat Rxg7 with a
decisive attack more or less forces the passive and unappealing} Rg8 $14) 15.
e5 {with reasonable attacking chances, while the black knight has no good
squares.}) 11. h5 ({In a game played a few weeks later White deviated with} 11.
Bc4 e5 $6 (11... b6 $5) 12. d5 Na5 13. Be2 Bd6 {Van Wely,L (2663)-Bindrich,F 
(2598) Germany 2018 (½-½, 34)} 14. Bg5 $5 f6 15. Bd2 $14) 11... f5 $6 {
Karjakin did not expect this premature reaction in the centre, at a moment
when Black is incompletely developed and with the threat h5-h6 in the air.} (
11... h6 {looks safer. If} 12. Rh3 {Black could already consider the game plan
as in the meanwhile he had stabilised the kingside at least:} f5 (12... e5 $6 {
allows a promising exchange sacrifice:} 13. d5 Bxh3 14. dxc6 {followed by cxb7
soon.}) 13. exf5 Qa5+ 14. Bd2 Qxf5 15. Rb5 e5 {with excelent counterplay.}) 12.
exf5 $1 {The most principled answer.} (12. e5 b6 {would offer Black chances to
stabilise the centre.}) 12... Qa5+ 13. Bd2 Qxf5 14. Bc3 h6 {It is clear now
that Black's plan was premature. If he has to play this move anyway, it would
have been better to start with it, of course.} ({Against} 14... Qg4 {Karjakin
was planning} 15. Be2 $1 $16 {[%cal Ge1f1] The only move offering an advantage.
WHite plans Kf1 and if} Qxg2 $2 16. Rg1 Qh3 17. d5 $18) (14... b6 {does not
improve Black's development too much:} 15. Bd3 Qf4 16. Qe2 $16 {and the
weakness on e6 causes Black problems.}) (14... Qe4+ 15. Be2 e5 $5 (15... b6 16.
O-O Bb7 17. Re1 $16) 16. O-O exd4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. Qxd4 Qxd4 19. Bxd4 $16 {
The position has simplified but White's advance in development and kingside
space advantage offer White the clearly better play.}) (14... e5 {may still
have been best, even though after} 15. Bc4+ (15. dxe5 Qe4+ 16. Be2 Be6 {
offers Black rapid development and good compensation.}) 15... Kh8 16. h6 $14 {
Black experiences problems along the long diagonal.}) 15. Bd3 Qg4 16. Kf1 e5 {
Not the best moment for this pawn break, but Black's position was difficult
already.} (16... b6 17. Qe2 Bd7 18. Rh3 $16) 17. d5 $1 {The best move,
refuting Black's whole opening play. But things are turning exciting now.} (17.
dxe5 Be6 {once again offers Black reasonable play for the pawn.}) 17... e4 (
17... Nd4 $2 {loses to} 18. Nxe5 Qf4 (18... Qxd1+ 19. Rxd1 {leaves Black
passive, with a pawn less and a hanging knight.}) 19. Bxd4 $18 {Winning a
piece and defending f2.} Qxd4 $6 20. Bh7+ $1) 18. dxc6 exf3 19. gxf3 Rxf3 $6 {
Objectively insufficient but for practical reasons the best chance.} ({If} 
19... Qxf3 20. Qxf3 Rxf3 21. Ke2 Rxd3 22. Kxd3 Bf5+ 23. Ke2 bxc6 (23... Bxb1 $2
24. cxb7 $18) 24. Rb7 Re8 25. Kd1 {Black's weak seventh rank prevents him from
proving compensation for the exchange.}) 20. Be2 {After a basically aggressive
plan, Karjakin starts playing defensively after having won material.} ({
But objectively} 20. cxb7 {could have ended the game quicker, needing just a
bit of accurate calculating:} Bxb7 21. Qb3+ Kh8 22. Qxb7 Raf8 23. Qxe7 Rxf2+
24. Ke1 {[%cal Ge7g7] Due to the threat Qxg7+ returning one of the bishops for
repelling the attack, Black is left without resources.}) 20... Rxf2+ {The only
way of keeping the game on. Black's problem is that he has invested a lot of
material already and his development is incomplete yet. Besides, he has to
waste a tempo on ...bxc6. True, White's king is exposed, but with a rook up he
should manage to protect His Majesty.} ({After} 20... Rh3 $5 {Karjakin
indicated} 21. Rg1 {, the most convincing, but not only winning move.}) 21.
Kxf2 Bc5+ 22. Kf1 Qf4+ 23. Bf3 bxc6 24. Be1 $3 {Paradoxically, this seemingly
passive move, releasing the pressure on g7, is the only winning continuation.
The main idea is to cover the g-file with Bg3.} (24. Rb3 Ba6+ 25. Kg2 Qg5+ 26.
Bg4 Rd8 27. Qf3 Bc4 $11 {with a probable draw by perpetual.}) 24... Be6 {
Karjakin called Kramnik's play in time trouble "creative".} ({The idea behind
White's last move is obvious after} 24... Ba6+ 25. Kg2 Qg5+ 26. Bg3 $18) 25.
Bh4 $5 {[%csl Gd8]} ({Defending d8, as Karjakin was not entirely sure about
the line} 25. Kg2 Qg5+ 26. Bg3 Rd8 27. Qxd8+ Qxd8 28. Rb8 Bc8 29. Bg4 Qg5 30.
Rxc8+ Kh7 {Actually} 31. Be6 {yields White a winning attack with extra
material.}) 25... Rf8 26. Kg2 Kh8 $5 {Another original move, preparing ...Bd5.
But with a rook down the slow mode is not likely to work.} 27. Rc1 (27. Bg3 {
was also strong.} Qg5 {[%cal Gf8f3,Ge6d5]} 28. Re1 $3 ({Karjakin suggested} 28.
Qc1 {but Black saves the day with} Bd5 29. Rf1 Rxf3 30. Rxf3 Bxf3+ 31. Kxf3
Qxh5+ {with a perpetual.}) 28... Bd5 29. Re5 $1 Bxf3+ 30. Qxf3 Qd2+ 31. Qe2 $18
) 27... Rf5 28. Rc3 ({Only not} 28. Bg3 $2 Rg5 $19) 28... Rd5 $5 {Sacrificing
even more material.} ({Karjakin expected} 28... Bd4 29. Rxc6 (29. Rd3 {is
simpler from a practical point of view although somewhat passive.}) 29... Rg5+
30. Bxg5 Qxg5+ 31. Kf1 Bh3+ 32. Ke1 Qg3+ 33. Kd2 Qf4+ 34. Kc2 Bf5+ 35. Kb3 Qe3+
36. Ka4 {and after the king has escaped White can convert his huge material
advantage at his leisure.}) 29. Bxd5 Bxd5+ 30. Rf3 Qg4+ 31. Bg3 Bd6 32. Rh3 $1
{Another only move but an obvious one. White needs to defend g3.} Be7 ({
This can be explained by the fact that a neutral move such as} 32... a5 {
could be answered with} 33. Kh2 $1 {[%cal Gg3d6] leaving the d6-bishop hanging.
}) 33. Qe2 Be4 34. Qf2 a5 35. a4 $5 ({In principle White's plan is based on
recycling his rook via h1, but Karjakin did not want to check the result of
the pawn race after} 35. Rh1 Bc5 36. Rh4 Qxh4 37. Bxh4 Bxf2 38. Kxf2 Bxf3 39.
Kxf3 g6 {(+-) His game move simply gains a tempo for this case.}) 35... c5 36.
Rh1 {The rest is simple.} Bf6 37. Re1 Bc6 38. Ree3 c4 39. Qe2 Qxh5 40. Qxc4 Bd7
41. Rd3 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.14"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "136"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 {It's always interesting to follow
Aronian's games from an event like the Candidates. So much is at stake here,
his unfulfilled ambition to get a match for the world title, it goes without
saying that the Armenian comes well prepared to his games.} 5. Bg5 dxc4 {
Now we are in Vienna territory.} (5... h6 {or Nbd7 is more common in the
Ragozin.}) 6. e4 c5 7. Bxc4 (7. e5 cxd4 8. Qa4+ (8. exf6 gxf6 9. Bh4 Nc6 $15)
8... Nc6 9. O-O-O Bd7 10. Ne4 Be7 11. exf6 gxf6 $44) 7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bxc3+ (
8... Qa5 {White has the additional option here to play} 9. Bd2 $5 Qc5 10. Bb5+
Bd7 11. Nb3 $11 {/+=}) 9. bxc3 Qa5 10. Bb5+ Nbd7 11. Bxf6 (11. O-O $6 Nxe4 $15)
11... Qxc3+ 12. Kf1 gxf6 13. h4 {The main move in the position. The idea is to
activate the rook via h3.} (13. Rc1 Qb4 14. Rxc8+ (14. h4 {is another line
albeit less popular.}) 14... Rxc8 15. Bxd7+ Kxd7 16. Nf5+ Kc7 $19) 13... Qb4 $5
{This has been played before by Aronian against Wesley So in Tata Steel 2017.
Even Harikrishna had tried it against Giri in March 2017. So we can be sure
that Sergey would not have been unprepared.} 14. Rb1 $6 {Sergey mixes up his
moves.} (14. Rh3 {is the main line} a6 15. Be2 Ne5 16. Rb1 Qd6 {we reach a
position that it quite interesting and has been seen in many of the top level
games.} 17. Rc3 $13) 14... Qd6 15. Rh3 a6 16. Be2 Nc5 $1 {Aronian immediately
understands that Karjakin has made an error in the move order and takes full
advantage of the same. Let us try to understand why the knight is ideally
placed on c5. Firstly the main threat is to play e5 and hit the knight on d4
and the rook on h3 and at the same time exchange the queens. At the same time
the knight on c5 attacks the pawn on e4.} (16... Ne5 {would lead to the main
line, but now there is no need for this. The knight is much better placed on
c5.}) 17. Rc3 (17. Nb3 {is quite a timid move and after} Qxd1+ 18. Rxd1 Nxe4
19. Rhd3 Ke7 $1 $15 {Black should be better, although to convert this into a
win is an altogether different matter.}) 17... Nxe4 {As Karjakin said after
the game - It is quite depressing to have the white pieces and be worse just
ten minutes into the game!} 18. Rd3 {Black is quite underdeveloped, but White
has no real tactics. If White cannot stir up anything soon, two extra pawns
will soon tell.} O-O 19. Qc1 (19. Nf5 Qh2 $19) (19. Kg1 e5 20. Nf5 Qc5 $17)
19... Qe5 (19... Qh2 20. Rh3 Qe5 $17 {was more accurate.}) 20. Bf3 f5 21. Qh6
$6 {This allows Black to exchange the queens.} (21. Qe3 {This is of course,
not so great for White, but it keeps up the pressure and keeps the game going.}
) 21... Qf6 $1 22. Qxf6 (22. Qe3 Qxh4 $17 {Giving up another pawn would be a
bit too much.}) (22. Qf4 e5 $19) 22... Nxf6 23. Bxb7 Bxb7 24. Rxb7 {White has
recovered a pawn, but the position has simplified and this makes Aronian's
task of converting the extra pawn quite easy.} Rac8 25. Rg3+ Kh8 26. Rgb3 Ne4
27. Rb2 Rfd8 {Black is fully mobilised.} 28. Nb3 (28. Rxf7 Rxd4 29. Rbb7 Rc1+
30. Ke2 Rd2+ 31. Ke3 Re1+ 32. Kf4 Rxf2+ 33. Ke5 Rxg2 $19) 28... Rd1+ 29. Ke2
Nc3+ 30. Ke3 Kg7 $1 {Black is not only a pawn up, but also has the more active
pieces.} 31. g3 Kf6 (31... a5 $1 32. Nxa5 Rd5 $1 {Threatening the knight and
also Nd1+}) 32. Ra7 Rc6 33. Kf3 Nb5 34. Ra8 e5 35. Kg2 e4 36. a4 Na3 37. Rd2
Rxd2 38. Nxd2 e3 $1 39. Nf3 (39. fxe3 Rc2 40. Rxa6+ (40. Rd8 Nc4 $19) 40... Kg7
41. Kf3 Rxd2 42. Kf4 Rf2+ 43. Ke5 $19 {This should be winning for Black.})
39... Rc2 40. Rxa6+ Kg7 41. Nd4 Rxf2+ 42. Kg1 Nc2 43. Nxc2 Rxc2 44. Kf1 Rf2+
45. Ke1 Rg2 46. Rb6 Rxg3 47. Rb4 Rg2 48. Rf4 Kg6 49. Rf3 Rg4 50. Rxe3 Rxa4 51.
Kf2 Rxh4 {Although the remaining pawns are f- and h-pawns, the fact that Black
has doubled f-pawns means that he is clearly winning.} 52. Re8 Rg4 53. Kf3 Kg7
54. Re5 Kf6 55. Re8 h5 56. Rh8 Kg6 57. Kf2 Rg5 58. Kf3 Kg7 59. Ra8 h4 60. Kf2
h3 61. Ra3 Rh5 62. Kg1 Kg6 63. Kh2 f4 64. Ra7 f3 65. Ra1 f2 66. Rf1 Rf5 67.
Kxh3 Kg5 68. Kg3 Rf4 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C50"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nc3 h6 6. h3 d6 7. Na4 Bb6 8. a3
Ne7 9. b4 Ng6 10. O-O O-O 11. c3 c6 12. Nxb6 axb6 13. Bb3 Re8 14. Re1 Be6 15.
Bc2 d5 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Bd2 Bf5 18. d4 Bxc2 19. Qxc2 exd4 20. Rxe8+ Qxe8 21.
Nxd4 b5 22. a4 bxa4 23. Rxa4 Rxa4 24. Qxa4 Ngf4 25. Qd1 Qe4 26. Qf1 Ne6 27. f3
Qg6 28. Nxe6 Qxe6 29. Qd3 b5 30. c4 bxc4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.27"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3
O-O 9. Nc3 Bg4 10. Be3 Nd4 11. Bxd4 exd4 12. Nd5 c5 13. a4 Be6 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6
15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Qe2 Qd7 17. b3 e5 18. Ra2 b4 19. Nd2 Rae8 20. Raa1 Bd8 21. g3
g5 22. Nc4 Re6 23. a5 Ref6 24. f3 h5 25. Nb6 Qf7 26. Kg2 h4 27. Nd5 h3+ 28. Kg1
Rxf3 29. g4 Kg7 30. Rxf3 Qxf3 31. Qxf3 Rxf3 32. Rf1 Rxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Bxa5 34. Ne7
Kf6 35. Nf5 Ke6 36. Ng3 Bd8 37. Nh1 a5 38. Ke2 d5 39. Nf2 Kd6 40. exd5 Kxd5 41.
Ne4 Kc6 42. Kd2 Be7 43. Kc1 Kb5 44. Kb2 a4 45. Ka2 a3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C60"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {Quintiliano,R} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 {This is not part of
Mamedyarov's main repertoire, but as in the past he had worked as Karjakin's
second he tried surprising him.} 4. c3 {Quintiliano,R: 'Karjakin had faced
this line two years ago against Carlsen. This time he goes for the main move.'}
a6 5. Bxc6 $5 (5. Ba4 d6 {may transpose to a Steinitz Variation Deferred,
which I have started examining in a first article published on this same DVD
and which has occasionally been played by Mamedyarov.}) 5... dxc6 6. d4 (6.
Nxe5 {offers Black excellent play:} Qg5 7. d4 (7. Nf3 Qxg2 8. Rg1 Qh3 9. d4 Nf6
$36) 7... Qxg2 8. Qf3 Qxf3 9. Nxf3 Bg4 (9... f5 $5) (9... Nf6 10. Nbd2 c5 $15)
10. Ne5 Be6 11. Be3 Bg7 12. Nd3 O-O-O 13. Nd2 Nf6 14. f3 Rhe8 15. h4 Nh5 16.
Kf2 f5 $11 {Bortnyk,M (2416)-Bogdanovich,S (2590) Lutsk 2016 (0-1, 62)}) ({
A different move order, with possible transposition to deviations from the
game line is} 6. O-O Bg7 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 ({After having weakened the light
squares with c2-c3 it does not make sense taking back with pieces:} 8. Nxd4 c5
9. Nb3 b6 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Bg5+ f6 12. Rd1+ Bd7 13. Bf4 Kc8 14. Na3 Be6 15.
Nc2 Ne7 16. Rd2 Nc6 $15 {Zapata,A (2420)-Bruzon Batista,L (2650) Medellin 2017
(0-1, 38)}) 8... Ne7 9. Nc3 Bg4 {This is a position which Mamedyariv was
probably heading for in the game.} 10. Be3 (10. Bf4 O-O 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3
Bxd4 13. Rad1 c5 14. b4 b6 15. bxc5 bxc5 16. Na4 Qe8 {Black's position is more
resilient than it may look at first sight.} 17. Qa3 Qc6 18. Rxd4 cxd4 19. Qxe7
Rfe8 20. Qa3 Rxe4 21. Rc1 Qe8 $13 22. Bxc7 $2 d3 $19 {Volokitin,A (2652)
-Stevic,H (2539) Celje 2004 (½-½, 46) The d-pawn is too strong now}) 10...
O-O 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 f5 13. Bg5 {Chandler,M (2535)-Spassky,B (2610) Vienna
1986 (½-½, 18)} fxe4 14. Qxe4 Rf7 $11 15. Rfe1 Qd7 16. Bxe7 Re8) 6... exd4 7.
cxd4 ({Once again, it makes no sense transpsoing to an Exchange Spanish
structure:} 7. Qxd4 Qxd4 8. Nxd4 Bd7 9. Be3 O-O-O 10. Nd2 c5 11. N4b3 b6 12.
O-O-O Re8 13. f3 h5 14. h4 a5 15. Nf1 Bg7 16. Nbd2 Ne7 17. Bf4 Be6 18. a3 Nc6
19. Ne3 Ne5 20. Kc2 a4 $15 {Stanojoski,Z (2415)-Romanov,E (2636) Skopje 2014 
(0-1, 57)}) 7... Bg4 {Mamedyarov confessed that he did not remember what he
had analysed exactly.} ({He thought it could have been} 7... Bg7 {but then
White can avoid a transposition above with} 8. h3 $5 Ne7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. O-O h6
11. Bf4 g5 12. Be5 Ng6 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. d5 $14 {Naiditsch,A (2710)-Stevic,H 
(2616) Bol 2014 (1-0, 40)}) 8. Qb3 $5 $146 {Karjakin thought for a long time
before delivering his novelty. Mamedyarov took it as a sign that the position
was not familiar to his opponent, while Karjakin refrained from any comment.} (
8. Be3 Bg7 9. Nc3 {would transpose above.}) 8... Bxf3 9. gxf3 Bg7 10. Be3 (10.
Qxb7 {Quintiliano,R} Ne7 $44 {looks pleasant for Black, his development is
almost finished while White has only made moves with the queen.}) 10... Ne7 11.
Nc3 {For the time being both sides are interested in completing their
development, ignoring the hanging pawns. But now Mamedyarov felt he should
take a concrete decision.} Bxd4 ({He disliked} 11... O-O 12. O-O-O {with
serious attacking chances.}) 12. Bxd4 $6 {This activates Black's play leaving
White in a dangerous position.} ({Mamedyarov suggested} 12. O-O-O $1 {, very
much in his style and seemingly the best objectively.} c5 (12... Bxe3+ $6 13.
fxe3 Qc8 14. h4 {offers White too great an attack for the pawn:} h5 15. Ne2 $1
O-O 16. Nf4 $16 {Black's kingside is under serious pressure and his knight has
no good squares.}) 13. Ne2 Nc6 14. Qxb7 Na5 {Karjakin refrained from this line
when reaching this position but actually White seems to keep an edge:} 15. Qd5
Qxd5 16. exd5 Bxe3+ {Otherwise the c5-pawn would be lost, with just some
compensation for Black on account of the weak kingside pawns.} 17. fxe3 Nc4 18.
Nc3 $14 {With the better structure for White.}) (12. Rd1 $6 {is less effective:
} c5 13. Qxb7 (13. Ne2 Nc6 14. Qxb7 Na5 {is less favourable for White than in
the similar line above as after} 15. Qd5 Qxd5 16. exd5 {Black has} Bxb2 $1)
13... O-O 14. Ne2 (14. Na4 Qd6 15. Nxc5 Nc6 $15 {was indicated by Mamedyarov})
14... Qd6 15. Nxd4 cxd4 16. Rxd4 Qf6 17. Qxc7 Nc6 18. Rd1 Qxf3 {with a
probable draw:} 19. O-O Rfe8 ({More restrictive than} 19... Qxe4 20. Qf4 Qxf4
21. Bxf4 {which should also be equal.}) 20. Qxc6 Qg4+ {with a perpetual.})
12... Qxd4 13. Qxb7 O-O 14. Qxc7 {The only reason why White is not lost here
is that the black knight is passive. But still, Black has a dangerous
initiative against the uncastled enemy king.} Rab8 ({Actually now was the
moment when Black could activate his knight with:} 14... Nd5 $1 15. Nxd5 $1 (
15. exd5 Qd3 16. Nd1 Rab8 $1 {This was indicated by Mamedyarov as leading to a
draw, but he underestimated Black's attack:} 17. b3 Rfe8+ 18. Ne3 {He probably
considered only the sacrifice on e3 leading to a perpetual after the weakening
of the c3-square. But the next move brings new resources into the attack.} Rb4
$3 19. Qxc6 Rxe3+ 20. fxe3 Qxe3+ 21. Kd1 Rd4+ 22. Kc2 Rd2+ 23. Kb1 Qd4 24. Qc2
Rxc2 25. Kxc2 Qxd5 $17) 15... cxd5 16. Qc3 {With a probable draw according to
Mamedyarov.}) 15. O-O Rxb2 16. Qxe7 {Karjakin confessed that he played this
aiming to ensure a draw. His decision was correct but he played inaccurately
later.} ({While I was watching the game live my main candidate was:} 16. Nd1
Rd2 17. Ne3 $11 {which seems to be safe enough, as Black still has problems
with his knight.}) 16... Qxc3 17. Kg2 Rc2 18. Rad1 ({Karjakin complained that
he did not insert} 18. h4 h5 {before playing in similar way to the game. The
difference is that after} 19. Rad1 Rxa2 20. Rc1 Rc2 21. Rxc2 Qxc2 22. Ra1 Qc4
23. Qb7 Qb5 24. Qxa6 $11 {[%csl Gg5] Black has no check on g5. But even after
the last move he should not be in danger yet.}) 18... Rxa2 19. Rc1 Rc2 20. Rxc2
Qxc2 21. Ra1 Qc4 22. Qb7 $6 {Only this move causes White problems.} ({He need
not have forced matters as Black is poorly coordinated. There are several
neutral moves such as} 22. Ra5 $11 {, preventing ...Qb5, most of them leading
to dynamic equality. If Black tries activating his rook White would have
chances for a perpetual.}) 22... Qb5 23. Qxa6 Qg5+ $1 24. Kf1 Qf6 25. Kg2 Rb8
$15 {Due to his passed pawn and the exposed position of the enemy king Black
has some chances now.  Quintiliano,R: 'Since from Alekhine's games, we know
how powerful the combination Q+R can be in such endgames. The king's safety is
a very important factor here, and this means that White's king's vulnerability
gives Black better chances.'} 26. Ra5 $6 {Trying to defend the fifth rank. 
Quintiliano,R: 'Karjakin is for sure one of the best players (and probably the
best) in the subject of offering long resistance in difficult positions. But
here White should had gone for active defence. But even knowing it, the
sequence requires precise calculation.'} ({It was better to defend the third
rank with} 26. Ra3 $5 {but one needs good nerves to play the position after}
Qg5+ (26... Rb5 {Quintiliano,R} 27. Qc8+ Kg7 28. Ra8 $3 {[%cal Gc8h8] as said
before, the king's safety is the most important factor in such positions!} Rg5+
29. Kf1 Kh6 (29... Qxf3 30. Qf8+ Kf6 31. Qh8+ Ke6 32. Qd4 $1 $18 {[%cal Ga8e8]
with a beautiful and geometrical win}) 30. Qf8+ Kh5 31. Qh8 $1 Qxf3 32. Qxh7+
Kg4 33. h3+ $1 {forcing the exchange of queens and going to a rook endgame
that should be drawish} Qxh3+ 34. Qxh3+ Kxh3 35. Rf8 $11) 27. Kh3) 26... Rb3
27. Qc8+ {Quintiliano,R: 'And this allows another idea for Black.'} (27. Qe2
$142 {Quintiliano,R} h5 $15) 27... Kg7 28. Qg4 Rb5 $1 $17 {Overlooked by
Karjakin. Black gets a very promising queen ending now.  Quintiliano,R:
'Mamedyarov shows excellent technique in the transformation of advantages, and
also flexible thinking. With the white pieces close to the king, a direct
attack wouldn't be so effective anymore, but instead Black can play this queen
endgame with a definite advantage and good winning chances.'} 29. Rxb5 cxb5 30.
Qd7 Qg5+ 31. Kf1 {Both players agreed that from a practical point of view
Black should win this ending but Mameduarov was not happy with his play in the
next phase.} Qe5 (31... Qc5 {seems a better way to ensure the advance of the
pawn.}) 32. h4 (32. Qd2 Qc5 (32... Qxh2 33. Qb2+ {retrieves the pawn.}) 33. Qa5
{would have caused more problems.}) 32... b4 33. Qb7 Qc3 34. e5 b3 {The pawn
has advanced much faster than White would have liked it. His only chances are
connected with e5-e6, but this needs preparing.} 35. Kg2 (35. e6 $2 Qc4+) 35...
Qc4 36. Qb6 h6 37. Kg3 Qd5 38. f4 Kh7 39. Qb8 Qc4 (39... Qd3+ 40. f3 Qe3 41.
Qf8 Qa7 42. Qb4 Qg1+ 43. Kh3 Qe3 $17 {would be almost an exact transposition
to the later phase of the game, with the difference that the black king is on
h7 instead of g7.}) 40. f3 {Quintiliano,R: 'Seemingly, White would have to
play this move sooner or later.'} Qc3 41. Qf8 Qc4 42. Qb8 Kg7 43. Qb6 Qd5 44.
Qb8 Qd1 45. Qb7 Qg1+ 46. Kh3 Qe3 47. Kg2 Qe2+ 48. Kg3 Qe1+ 49. Kg2 $2 {
Karjakin rightly criticised his move.} ({He recommended} 49. Kh3 Qe3 50. Kg2 {
when due to the permanent threat e5-e6 White should hold.}) 49... Qe3 $1 {
Overlooked by Karjakin.  Quintiliano,R: 'Reaching the same position as on move
47, but with White to move.'} 50. Qb4 (50. Kg3 g5 51. hxg5 hxg5 52. fxg5 Qxe5+
53. Kg2 b2 $19 {and with the white king exposed the pawn would promote soon.})
50... g5 $1 {The best chance, weakening the enemy king.} 51. hxg5 hxg5 52. fxg5
Qe2+ 53. Kg3 Qxe5+ $6 {Letting the favourable moment slip away.} (53... b2 $1 {
would have more or less won. White could try} 54. e6 {but after} Qe5+ 55. Kg2
fxe6 {the danger of a perpetual would disappear. Black would activate his king
with ...Kg6 with every chance to win.}) 54. Kf2 (54. Kg4 b2 $19) (54. f4 $5 Qd5
55. Qc3+ Kh7 56. Qf6 $11) 54... Qh2+ (54... b2 55. f4 $1 b1=Q 56. Qxb1 Qxf4+
57. Ke2 Qxg5 58. Kf3 $11) 55. Ke3 Qg1+ 56. Kf4 Qc1+ 57. Kg4 Qe3 58. Kg3 $2 {
Hard to say why Karjakin left his pawn under attack.} (58. f4 $11) 58... Qxg5+
59. Kf2 Qd5 60. Ke3 Kg6 {The rest is a matter of relatively simple technique.
The king is heading for the queenside, being sustained by the perfectly
centralised queen.} 61. Ke2 Kf6 62. Ke3 Ke6 63. Qb6+ Kd7 64. Qa7+ Kc6 65. Qa6+
Kc5 66. Qa4 Qc4 67. Qa5+ Kc6 68. Qa1 Kb5 69. Qb2 Kb4 70. Kd2 Qf4+ 71. Ke1 Qh4+
{White loses his queen or gets mated so Karjakin resigned.} 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.24"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 {Karjakin has
had a lot of success in this line, which he has always played against the
Petroff since the early days of his career. Among others, Sergey has defeated
Kramnik and Gelfand. Interestingly enough, three of his losses came at the
hands of another participant in this tournament, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov!} Nc6 7.
Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 Be6 9. O-O-O Qd7 10. a3 $5 {Not a very popular move, but
Karjakin had a plan.} ({Since Fabiano does not employ the Petroff that often,
he has faced this position only once. Vachier-Lagrave (London Classic 2016)
played} 10. b3 O-O-O 11. Nd4 {and here Fabiano replied with} a6 $5 12. Nxe6
fxe6 {giving White the bishop pair. Eventually, the game was drawn, as MVL had
to worry about his king safety.}) ({White shouldn't hurry with} 10. Nd4 {
as Black can change his plans regarding his king's placement:} Nxd4 11. Bxd4
Qa4 12. a3 O-O) 10... h6 (10... O-O-O 11. Nd4 Nxd4 $2 12. Bxd4 {double attacks
on a7 and g7.}) 11. Nd4 Nxd4 ({Now} 11... O-O-O 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. g3 d5 {
doesn't look so attractive to Black who doesn't have any play against the
white king on the dark squares.}) 12. Bxd4 Rg8 13. Be2 c5 {Practically forced.}
({Else} 13... b6 14. c4 O-O-O 15. Rhe1 {offers White some edge due to the
drafty residence of the black king.}) 14. Be3 d5 15. f4 O-O-O 16. Bf3 Bg4 {
[#] Fabiano is looking to relieve pressure by trading bishops.} ({Black had} 
16... f5 {but that would mean accepting a slightly worse position for many
moves to come.}) 17. Bxd5 $3 {Excellent decision from Sergey, who really knows
how to handle decisive games. The value of this move lies in creating an
extremely unpleasant situation for Fabiano. Objectively Black may not be much
worse, but he finds it hard to develop any play.} ({Of course, not} 17. Qxd5 $2
Qxd5 18. Rxd5 Bxf3 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. gxf3 Rd5) 17... Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Qc7 19. c4
Rge8 20. Qf2 b6 ({Perhaps} 20... f5 {was the better choice.}) 21. g4 $1 (21.
Bxf7 $2 {falls into a trap:} Rxd1+ 22. Kxd1 Bh4) 21... Bf6 (21... Bd6 {can be
answered by} 22. Kb1 {since now} Rxe3 23. Qxe3 Bxf4 24. Qd3 $1 Kb8 (24... Bxh2
$4 25. Bb7+) 25. h3 {offers White long-term attacking chances. With
opposite-coloured bishops safety of the kings is paramount.}) 22. Kb1 Rd7 23.
Rd3 {Imagine yourself in Caruana's place. He has no active play and he has to
wait and see while Karjakin improves his position. Eventually White can strike
with b2-b4 or advance his h-pawn.} g5 $6 {I can understand why Fabiano played
this move, but it's just not good enough.} 24. Ka2 Ree7 25. Qf3 Kd8 26. Bd2 Kc8
27. Qf1 $1 Rd6 {Now White wins the second pawn, and, more importantly, gets a
passer on the h-file.} ({On} 27... Kd8 28. Rh3 {breaks down Black's defences.})
28. fxg5 Bxg5 29. Bxg5 hxg5 30. Qf5+ Rdd7 31. Qxg5 Qe5 32. Qh6 Kd8 ({The
endgame after} 32... f6 33. h4 Kc7 34. g5 Rh7 35. Qg6 Rdg7 36. Qxf6 Qxf6 37.
gxf6 Rd7 38. f7 Rd8 39. Rf3 Rf8 40. Rf4 {is near hopeless for Black, as his
rooks are doomed to passivity.}) 33. g5 $1 {In mild time trouble (actually,
Caruana had less time) Karjakin remains precise.} Qd6 34. Qh8+ Re8 35. Qh4 Qg6
36. Qg4 Re5 37. h4 Ke7 38. Rd2 {Not a bad move,} ({while both} 38. Qg3 Qf5 39.
Rf3) ({and the immediate} 38. Bxf7 Qf5 (38... Qf5) 39. Rxd7+ Kxd7 40. Qd1+ {
were also winning.}) 38... b5 {[#] Now Sergey finds a techical solution, which
wins slowly but surely.} 39. Bxf7 $5 Qf5 40. Rxd7+ Kxd7 41. Qxf5+ Rxf5 42. g6
Ke7 43. cxb5 Rh5 44. c4 Rxh4 45. a4 Rg4 46. a5 Kd6 47. a6 Kc7 48. Kb3 {The
white king simply marches on to the K-side, while Black's defences are
hopelessly stretched.} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E51"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nf3 d5 6. Bd2 c5 $6 {With this move
Black accepts a slightly worse position.} ({Most prefer} 6... b6) 7. a3 cxd4 8.
axb4 dxc3 9. Bxc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qxd1+ 11. Kxd1 Bd7 12. Ke2 Rc8 13. Bd3 Nd5 14.
Ne5 Be8 15. Bd2 f6 16. Nc4 Rd8 17. Rhc1 Nc6 18. Be4 Ndxb4 19. Bxb4 Nxb4 20.
Bxb7 Rab8 21. Rxa7 Rd7 22. Na5 Nd3 23. Rd1 Nxb2 24. Rxd7 Bxd7 25. Bc6 Bxc6 26.
Nxc6 {It may seem that having regained his pawn Black is out of danger, but
the remote position of his knight and a 7th rank weakness still pose problems.}
Re8 ({Staying active with} 26... Rb6 27. Nd4 Nc4 28. f4 h5 {appears to be a
better choice.}) 27. e4 Nc4 28. Kd3 Nd6 29. f4 Kf8 $6 (29... h5 $5) 30. e5 fxe5
31. fxe5 Nf5 32. g4 Nh4 ({This position is already quite dangerous for Black,
and it can only be held by precise play:} 32... Rc8 $1 {was a good start.}) 33.
Kc4 $1 Nf3 34. Ra2 Rc8 35. Kb5 Ke8 $2 {The decisive error.} (35... Rc7 36. Kb6
Rd7 37. Rf2 Rd3 {This is what Wesley missed.} (37... Rf7 38. Nd8 {is, indeed,
lost for Black.})) 36. Kb6 g5 37. h3 {Quite a situation: Black cannot save his
rook without stepping back with the king to the f-file, which will cost him
the knight.} Nxe5 38. Nxe5 Rc3 39. Rh2 Ke7 40. Kb5 Re3 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 {Going for the principled
line.} ({The line} 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 {is also a frequent guest in
top level events. The structure is symmetrical and most of the games end in a
draw here.}) 5... Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Ke8 10. Nc3
h5 {There are a lot subtleties in this endgame. Currently, this method is
Black's main path to equality. The move weakens the g5-square, but fights
against the advance of White's pawn majority on the kingside.} 11. Bf4 Be7 12.
Rad1 Be6 (12... Nh4 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. Ne2 Bd7 15. Rfe1 Rd8 16. Nd4 Bc8 17. c3
Rd5 18. e6 Bf6 19. exf7+ Kxf7 20. Bxc7 $14 {1-0 (64) Adams,M (2740)-Andreikin,
D (2727) Dortmund 2013}) 13. Ng5 Rh6 {Both players already had experience in
this position.} 14. Rfe1 (14. g3 Bc4 (14... Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Rg6 16. h4 (16. Bf4
Nh4 17. Kh2 Nf3+ 18. Kg2 Nh4+ {is a draw that appeared in numerous games.})
16... f6 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Bf4 Nxh4 19. f3 Rd8 20. Kf2 Rxd1 21. Nxd1 Nf5 22.
Rh1 Bxa2 23. Rxh5 Be6 24. g4 Nd6 25. Rh7 Nf7 26. Ne3 {Anand has played this
position with both colours!} Kd8 (26... b6 27. Ng2 Rg8 28. Bxc7 Rh8 29. Rxh8+
Nxh8 30. Ne3 Nf7 31. Bg3 Nh6 32. Bf4 Nf7 33. Bg3 Nh6 {1/2-1/2 (33) Anand,V 
(2803)-Giri,A (2778) London 2015}) 27. Nf5 c5 28. Ng3 Ne5 29. Rh8+ Rg8 30. Bxe5
fxe5 31. Rh5 Bxg4 32. fxg4 Rxg4 33. Rxe5 b6 $16 {1/2-1/2 (122) Carlsen,M (2863)
-Anand,V (2792) Sochi 2014}) 15. Rfe1 Rg6 16. Nce4 Rd8 17. Rxd8+ Bxd8 18. b3
Bd5 19. c4 Bxg5 20. Nxg5 Be6 21. Kg2 c5 22. Nxe6 Rxe6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (54) Adams,
M (2745)-Kramnik,V (2769) London 2014}) ({In the event of} 14. Nxe6 Rxe6 {
the kingside rook get into play quite effectively. Black experienced no
problems in several games.}) 14... Bb4 15. a3 {Vladimir doesn't mind ruining
his structure on the queenside.} (15. g4 hxg4 16. hxg4 Ne7 17. Nxe6 Rxe6 18.
Kg2 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Rd8 $11 {1/2-1/2 (45) Vachier Lagrave,M (2791)-Karjakin,S 
(2773) Saint Louis 2017}) (15. Bd2 Rd8 16. Nce4 Bxd2 17. Rxd2 Rxd2 18. Nxd2 Bc8
19. f4 c5 20. Kf2 Ke7 $11 {1/2-1/2 (26) Dunlop,G (2578)-Stalmach,K (2557) GER
email 2016}) 15... Bxc3 16. bxc3 Ne7 17. Nf3 Rh8 18. Bg5 $146 {Kramnik made
this move instantly, clearly still in his preparation.} (18. Nd4 a6 19. Bg5 c5
20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. c4 Rd8 22. Rxd8+ Kxd8 $11 {0-1 (50) Yu,Y (2724)-Malakhov,V 
(2706) China 2015}) 18... c5 {After long meditation Karjakin reacts in a most
logical way - covering the d4-square.} (18... Nd5 {was a decent alternative.
The black knight can jump all over the queenside.} 19. c4 Nb6 20. c5 Na4 21.
Be3 Nc3 22. Rd4 Rd8 23. Bd2 Rxd4 24. Nxd4 Nb5 {and Black should equalise.}) 19.
Nd2 Kf8 {In general Black has two major problems in the Berlin endgame: 1) He
can't castle; 2) He has to deal with White's pawn majority on the kingside.}
20. Nf1 Nf5 21. g3 Ne7 22. Kg2 {Kramnik spent a lot of time on this move.} (22.
Ne3 Bxh3 23. Bxe7+ Kxe7 24. Nd5+ Kf8 25. Nxc7 Rc8 26. e6 {doesn't yield White
more than equality.} fxe6 (26... Bxe6 $2 27. Nxe6+ fxe6 28. Rd7 $16) 27. Nxe6+
Bxe6 28. Rxe6 Kf7 $11) 22... Nd5 23. c4 $1 (23. Bd2 $2 {is too passive and
would clearly indicate a failure of White's plan.}) 23... Nb6 24. Ne3 Nxc4 25.
Nxc4 (25. Nd5 c6 (25... Nb2 26. Nxc7 Nxd1 27. Nxa8 Nc3 28. Nc7 $14) 26. Nc7 Rb8
27. Nxe6+ fxe6 28. Rd7 Kg8 29. Re4 Nxa3 30. Be7 b6 31. Rxa7 Nxc2 32. Bd6 Kh7 $1
33. Bxb8 Rxb8 $13) 25... Bxc4 {Black has even won a pawn, but still he is the
one fighting for equality. His forces are not well coordinated and his extra
pawn on the queenside is not so significant.} 26. g4 ({Doubling the rooks
along the d-file is not so effective:} 26. Rd7 Rc8 27. Red1 Kg8 $11) 26... hxg4
27. hxg4 Bb5 28. Kg3 Re8 $6 (28... Ba4 $1 29. Rd2 (29. f4 Bxc2 30. Rd7 Rc8 31.
f5 Kg8 32. e6 fxe6 33. fxe6 Ba4 34. Rd5 Bc6 35. Rxc5 Rh1 $1 $11 {An exchange
of one pair of rooks will reduce White's attacking potential.}) 29... Kg8 30.
f4 Re8 {[%cal Gf7f6]} 31. f5 f6 32. Bf4 g6 $1 33. e6 gxf5 34. gxf5 Rh7 {
and Black should hold this one.}) 29. f4 $6 (29. Bd8 $1 {was a nice way to
level the number of pawns.} Ba4 30. Bxc7 Kg8 31. Rd2 {and then White can
continue his plan of pushing forward his kingside pawns. This means that Black
will suffer for nothing.}) 29... b6 $6 (29... Ba4 $1 {Surprisingly, the Pc2
can't be defended in a satisfactory way.} 30. f5 (30. Re2 $2 f6 {is a problem
for White.}) 30... Kg8 (30... Bxc2 $2 31. Rd7 $16) 31. e6 (31. Rd2 {transposes
to the line mentioned after 28...Ba4.}) 31... fxe6 32. fxe6 Bxc2 33. Rd7 Ba4
34. Rxc7 Bc6 {Black is passive, but White can't improve his position. The
bishop on c6 is very stable, also emphasizing the downside of the move 29...b6.
}) 30. f5 $6 (30. Bd8 $1 {was again a good chance for Vladimir.} Ba4 31. Bxc7
Rh6 (31... Bxc2 32. Rd7 Kg8 33. Bd6 {is also clearly better for White. His
rook has got to seventh rank, which is a serious achievement.}) 32. Rd2 Bxc2 $5
(32... Kg8 33. f5 Bc6 34. g5 Rh1 35. Rxh1 Bxh1 36. Kf4 $16) 33. g5 (33. Rxc2 $2
Rc6 {trapping the bishop.} 34. Bd6+ $2 Rxd6 $17 {[%cal Ge8e1]}) 33... Rc6 34.
Bd6+ Kg8 35. Kg4 $16) 30... Ba4 31. Rc1 (31. e6 f6 32. Bf4 Rc8 33. g5 Bxc2 34.
Rd7 Bxf5 35. Bxc7 Re8 36. gxf6 gxf6 37. Rf7+ Kg8 38. Rxf6 Rxe6 $1 39. Rexe6
Rh3+ 40. Kf4 Bxe6 41. Rxe6 Kf7 {and on the next move Black will capture
White's last pawn.}) (31. Rd2 f6 32. Bf4 fxe5 33. Rxe5 Kf7 $11) 31... Kg8 32.
c4 Bc6 33. Rcd1 Ba4 34. Rc1 Bc6 35. Bh4 Ba4 36. Rc3 Bc6 37. Rce3 Rh6 {White is
sort of dominating, but can't break through.} 38. Bg5 ({After} 38. g5 Rh5 {
the white bishop looks ridiculous.}) 38... Rh7 39. R3e2 Ba4 40. Re3 Rh8 41. Bh4
Rh6 42. e6 {There is no other sensible idea, but it leads to simplifications.}
fxe6 43. g5 Rh8 44. Rxe6 Rf8 45. R6e5 Bc2 46. f6 (46. Kg4 $2 Bxf5+ $1 47. Rxf5
Rxh4+ 48. Kxh4 Rxf5 $17) 46... gxf6 47. gxf6 Rh7 48. Rg5+ Kh8 49. Re7 Rg8 50.
Rxh7+ Kxh7 51. Rxg8 Kxg8 {Now it's a drawish opposite coloured bishops ending.}
52. Kf2 Bb3 53. Bg3 Bxc4 54. Bxc7 Bd5 55. Bb8 {[%mdl 4096]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.24"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "Sumets,A"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. g4 ({White
can get only a worse position after} 7. Qb3 $6 Qb6 $1 {Black wants to take on
b3 and then he can win the b3-pawn by playing ...Bc2.}) 7... Be6 8. Qb3 $1 $146
{A very strong novelty. In comparison with 7.Qb3?! Qb6 Black's light-squared
bishop isn't well-placed and White intends to continue f3, h4, Bd3, Nge2
gaining space on the kingside.} ({The main line is} 8. h4 Nd7 ({Wesley So
prefers to take on h4:} 8... Bxh4 $5 9. Qb3 g5 10. Be5 f6 11. Bh2 Bxg4 12. Qxb7
Qe7 13. Qxa8 Qxe3+ {and according to my computer, it's a draw:} 14. Be2 Bxf2+
15. Kf1 Bh4 16. Qxb8+ Kf7 17. Nd1 Bxe2+ 18. Nxe2 Qf3+ 19. Kg1 Qxe2 20. Bg3 Qg4
21. Kg2 Qe4+ 22. Kg1 Qg4 23. Kg2 Qe4+ 24. Kg1 Qg4 {1/2 (24) Ding,L (2732)-So,W
(2762) Wijk aan Zee 2015}) 9. g5 h6 10. g6 (10. Qf3 hxg5 11. hxg5 Rxh1 12. Qxh1
Bxg5 13. Qh8 Kf8 14. Bd6+ Be7 15. Bf4 Ndf6 16. Bd3 Qc8 17. f3 Bf5 18. e4 Bg6
$15 {Zacurdajev,M (2408)-Klimov,S (2483) St Petersburg 2008 0-1 (40)}) 10...
Ngf6 11. gxf7+ Bxf7 12. Bd3 O-O 13. Qf3 Qb6 14. O-O-O c5 15. Nge2 Rac8 16. Rhg1
Kh8 17. Bc2 cxd4 18. Rxd4 Bc5 (18... Rg8 $5 19. Qg3 Bb4 20. Bc7 Rxc7 21. Rxb4
Qxb4 22. Qxc7 Qxh4 23. Ng3 $44) 19. Na4 Qa5 20. Nxc5 Rxc5 21. Bd6 Qxa2 22. Bxc5
Nxc5 $44 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2721)-Aronian,L (2803) Beijing 2013 1-0 (75)}) ({
White can also try} 8. h3 Nd7 9. Nf3 Nf8 $6 (9... g5 10. Bh2 (10. Bg3 h5 11.
gxh5 Rxh5 12. Ne5 Ngf6 13. Qf3 $6 Rh6 14. Bd3 Qa5 15. Bf5 Ne4 16. Bxe6 Nxe5 17.
Bxe5 fxe6 18. Rc1 Kd7 $17 {Bern,I (2375)-Agdestein,S (2590) 0-1 (32) Norway
1991}) 10... h5 11. gxh5 Rxh5 12. Rg1 Rh8 13. Qb3 Nb6 14. a4 a5 15. O-O-O Bxh3
16. Be5 Rh5 17. Bd3 $44 (17. Rh1 $5 Bg4 18. Be2 Bb4 19. Rdg1 $44) 17... Bb4 $2
18. Bf4 $1 g4 19. Ne5 $16 {Grigore,G (2485)-Kayumov,S (2434) Paks 2003 1-0 (94)
}) 10. Qb3 Qb6 11. Qc2 $1 Ng6 12. Bh2 Rd8 13. O-O-O Bd6 14. Bxd6 Rxd6 15. Ng5
$16 {Zubov,A (2612)-Sturua,Z (2548) Gjakova 2016 1-0 (56)}) 8... Qb6 ({The
computer recommends} 8... b5 $5 {You can find the same idea after 1.d4 d5 2.c4
c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 Bf5 7.Qb3 b5.} 9. h3 {It seems to be a
forced move.} Nd7 (9... h5 {is a bit premature due to} 10. g5 $1 Bxg5 11. Bxg5
Qxg5 12. a4 $14) 10. Nf3 (10. Bd3 h5 $5 11. gxh5 Rxh5 12. Qc2 (12. Rc1 $6 Nc5
13. dxc5 d4 14. Qc2 dxc3 15. bxc3 Qd5 $15) 12... Kf8 13. Rc1 a6 $13) 10... g5 {
If Black wants to play ...h5 then he should start with ...g5 first.} (10... h5
$2 11. g5 $16) 11. Bg3 h5 12. gxh5 Rxh5 13. O-O-O Rc8 14. Be2 Rxh3 15. Rxh3
Bxh3 16. Qc2 $44) 9. f3 g5 {Black should play ...g5 and ...h5. For example:} (
9... Nd7 10. h4 Qxb3 11. axb3 f5 12. g5 {according to Vladimir Kramnik Black's
position is unpleasant.} h6 13. Nh3 hxg5 14. hxg5 Nf8 15. Kf2 Ng6 16. Bd3 Kf7
17. Ne2 $14) 10. Be5 $1 (10. Bg3 $6 {I think that 10.Be5 f6 11.Bg3 is stronger
than 10.Bg3.} h5 $1 11. gxh5 Qxb3 12. axb3 Nd7 13. Bd3 Ngf6 $15 14. h4 gxh4 15.
Rxh4 Nxh5 16. Rh2 f5 (16... O-O-O $1 17. Bf2 Nf4 18. exf4 Rxh2 19. f5 Rg8 20.
fxe6 fxe6 21. Kf1 Rgg2 22. Nd1 a6 $17) 17. Nge2 Kf7 18. Bf2 a6 19. Kd2 Bd6 20.
Rg2 Rag8 $11 {Usmanov,V (2464)-Duzhakov,I (2421) St Petersburg RUS 20181/2 (89)
}) 10... f6 11. Bg3 Qxb3 {Sooner or later Black should take on b3.} 12. axb3 h5
13. gxh5 Rxh5 (13... Nh6 $5 {(Wesley So)} 14. e4 Nf7 15. Bd3 Rxh5 16. exd5 cxd5
17. Nge2 Nc6 18. f4 $13) 14. Bd3 Kf7 $6 {This leads to a bad position.} ({
According to Kramnik Black should have played} 14... f5 15. Nge2 Nd7 16. h4 {
for example} Nf8 17. Rh2 gxh4 18. Nf4 Rh6 19. Bf2 Kf7 20. Ke2 Ng6 (20... Bd7
21. Na4 Re8 22. Nc5 Bc8 23. Rxa7 Bd6 24. Kd1 Bb8 25. Ra8 Bxf4 26. exf4 Ng6 27.
Bf1 N8e7 28. b4 Reh8 29. Kd2 $14) 21. Nxg6 Kxg6 22. Na4 Nf6 (22... Re8 23. Nc5
Bc8 24. Rxa7 Bxc5 25. dxc5 d4 26. Kd2 $14) 23. Rxh4 Rxh4 24. Bxh4 Rh8 25. Bg3
$14 {Black still has to play precisely to get an equal position.}) 15. h4 f5
16. Nh3 $1 {Black has got an unpleasant position after opening.} f4 {Wesley
tries to solve his problems by dint of tactics.} (16... gxh4 17. Nf4 Rh6 18.
Bf2 {Sooner or later White takes on h4 with a better position. According to
Vladimir Kramnik Black's position is defendable. For example} Nd7 19. Nce2 Nf8
20. Nxe6 Kxe6 21. Nf4+ Kf6 22. Ke2 Ng6 23. Nxg6 Kxg6 24. Rag1+ Kf6 25. Rxh4 $14
) 17. exf4 $1 Bxh3 (17... gxh4 18. Ng5+ Rxg5 (18... Bxg5 19. fxg5 Ne7 20. Rxh4
Rxg5 21. Rh7+ Rg7 22. Rxg7+ Kxg7 23. Kd2 $16 {White can play Na4, Nc5 or b4,
b5.}) 19. fxg5 hxg3 20. f4 $16 {(Vladimir Kramnik)} Nd7 21. Rh7+ Kf8 22. Kf1
Bb4 23. f5 Bf7 24. Kg2 {White should win the game.}) 18. fxg5 $1 $16 {White
has only 2 pawns for the sacrificed knight but White's pawns seem to be
unstoppable.} (18. hxg5 $2 {doesn't work due to} Bf5 $1 19. Rxh5 Bxd3 $15)
18... Bd7 19. Kf2 Na6 $5 ({Wesley could have tried} 19... Bf8 {with the idea ..
.Ne7, ...Bf5.} 20. Ne2 Ne7 21. Nf4 Rh8 22. h5 Bf5 23. Rae1 Bxd3 24. Nxd3 Nd7
25. Ne5+ Nxe5 26. Bxe5 Rg8 27. h6 (27. f4 $5 Nf5 28. g6+ Ke6 29. g7 Bd6 30. h6
Bxe5 31. Rxe5+ Kf6 32. h7 Rxg7 33. h8=Q Rxh8 34. Rxh8 Nxd4 $16) 27... Rxg5 28.
h7 Ng6 29. h8=Q Nxh8 30. Rxh8 $16) 20. Bxa6 $6 {Not the strongest move. Now
Black can try to blockade White's pawns.} (20. Ne2 $6 Nb4 21. Bg6+ Kxg6 22.
Nf4+ Kf7 23. Nxh5 {(Vladimir Kramnik)} c5 $1 24. dxc5 Bxc5+ 25. Kg2 d4 $13) ({
Vladimir also mentioned} 20. Rae1 $1 Nb4 21. Bb1 {intending Ne2, Nf4.
According to Wesley So Black's position would be very difficult and the
computer confirms his evaluation. Actually Black doesn't have any reasonable
moves. For example} Rf8 (21... Bf8 22. Ne2 Ne7 23. Nf4 Rh8 24. h5 Bf5 25. Rxe7+
Bxe7 26. Bxf5 Bxg5 27. Bg6+ Kg8 28. Ne6 Bf6 29. Bd6 Na6 30. f4 $18) 22. Ne2 Kg7
23. Be5+ $18) 20... bxa6 21. Ne2 Bd8 $1 22. Be5 ({Vladimir could have tried} 
22. Nf4 $5 Rh8 23. Nd3 Rh7 $1 {the strongest continuation} (23... Bf5 24. Ne5+
Kf8 25. Nxc6 $16 {White should win the game}) 24. Rae1) 22... Ne7 23. Nf4 $1 (
23. Ng3 Kg6 $1 24. Nxh5 Kxh5 25. Rxa6 Bb6 26. Rha1 Re8 27. Rxa7 {White can get
a worse position if he doesn't sacrifice an exchange.} (27. b4 Nf5 28. f4 Bxd4+
29. Bxd4 Nxd4 30. Re1 Rb8 31. Rxa7 Bf5 $15) 27... Bxa7 28. Rxa7 Bf5 29. Bf6 Ng8
30. Kg3 Nxf6 31. gxf6 Rf8 32. f7 $11) 23... Rh7 24. h5 Kg8 25. Rag1 (25. g6 $6
{doesn't work due to 26...Bc8:} Rh6 26. Rxa6 Bc8 $1 {For example} (26... Bb6
27. Rha1 Rf8 28. Rxa7 Bxa7 29. Rxa7 Rxf4 30. Rxd7 $18 {(Vladimir Kramnik)}) 27.
Raa1 Nf5 28. b4 Bb6 29. Ne2 Bd7 $11) 25... Nf5 26. h6 Be8 $6 ({I believe that
Wesley should've played} 26... Be7 $1 27. g6 (27. Rh5 Re8 $1 28. Rgh1 Bf8 29.
b4 Bc8 {I can't see how White can improve his position.}) 27... Rxh6 28. Rxh6
Nxh6 29. Rh1 Bf8 30. Nh5 Be7 $1 {It seems to me that Black should make a draw.
For example} (30... Bf5 $2 31. g7 Be7 32. Ng3 $18 {(Kramnik)}) 31. Nf6+ Bxf6
32. Bxf6 Rf8 $8 33. Be7 Re8 34. Bg5 Nf5 35. Bf6 Re2+ 36. Kxe2 Ng3+ 37. Kf2
Nxh1+ 38. Kg2 Be8 $11) 27. g6 $1 (27. b4 $5 {(Kramnik)} Be7 28. g6 Rxh6 29.
Rxh6 Nxh6 30. Rh1 Bf8 31. g7 (31. Ne6 $5 Bxg6 32. Nxf8 Ng4+ 33. fxg4 Rxf8+ 34.
Ke2 $16) 31... Bxg7 32. Rg1 Nf5 33. Ne6 $16) 27... Rxh6 $8 28. Rxh6 Nxh6 29.
Rh1 Bg5 30. Ne6 Bxg6 31. Nxg5 Nf7 32. Ne6 $6 (32. f4 $1 Nxe5 33. dxe5 Rb8 34.
Rc1 Rxb3 35. Rxc6 Rxb2+ 36. Kf3 {White has good chances to win the game.}) ({
I see value in} 32. Nxf7 {(Yermolinsky,A)} Kxf7 33. Ke3 Bf5 34. Ra1 {and White
can play this forever.}) 32... Nxe5 33. dxe5 Re8 34. Nf4 Bc2 $1 {Kramnik said
that he had overlooked it. During the press conference, both grandmasters were
concerned that White still has chances to win the endgame. However the
computer doesn't see any problems for Black.} 35. Rg1+ {Other moves also lead
to a draw.} (35. Rh6 Rxe5 36. Rxc6 Bxb3 37. Rxa6 Re7 $11) (35. Rc1 Bxb3 36.
Rxc6 Rxe5 37. Rxa6 Re7 $11) (35. Rh5 Bxb3 36. Nd3 {(Vladimir Kramnik)} d4 37.
Nc5 Bd5 38. Ke2 Rf8 39. Rg5+ Kh7 40. e6 Rxf3 41. Re5 Rf8 $8 42. e7 Bc4+ 43. Kd2
Rf2+ 44. Kd1 Rf1+ 45. Kd2 Rf2+ $11) 35... Kf7 36. e6+ Kf6 {Sooner or later
Black will take on e6 with a draw.} 37. Nh5+ ({White could have tried} 37. Rc1
Bf5 (37... Bxb3 38. Rxc6 Bc4 39. Ke3 Rb8 40. Rc7 Ke5 41. e7 Rb3+ 42. Kf2 Rxb2+
43. Kg3 Rb8 44. Rd7 Rg8+ 45. Kf2 Re8 $11) 38. Rxc6 Ke5 39. Ne2 Bd3 40. b4 Bxe2
41. Kxe2 Rxe6 42. Rxe6+ Kxe6 43. Ke3 Ke5 44. f4+ Kf5 45. Kd4 Kxf4 46. Kxd5 Ke3
47. Kc6 Kd4 48. Kb7 Kc4 $11) 37... Ke5 38. f4+ Kd6 39. Ng7 Rf8 40. Ke3 d4+ 41.
Kf3 (41. Kxd4 Rxf4+ 42. Kc3 Be4 43. Re1 (43. Rd1+ Bd5) 43... Ke7 $11) (41. Kd2
Bxb3 42. f5 Rh8 (42... c5) 43. Re1 (43. Kd3 c5 44. Ke4 Bd5+ 45. Kf4 d3 $11)
43... Rh2+ 44. Kd3 $4 Kd5 $19 {(Kramnik)}) 41... Ke7 42. b4 Kf6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{The Candidates 2018 was the most anticipated event of the year. Before the
tournament began, all of us got to know a big secret - Anish Giri was working
with Vladimir Kramnik as his second! The combination seemed deadly and we were
all looking forward to some highly theoretical play by Kramnik aided by Giri.
But it turns out the big Vlad had some other ideas.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 {
In the Live Database you find that this move comes at the ninth position in
terms of popularity! Kramnik just wanted a fresh position without too much
theory!} 3. b3 $5 c5 (3... Bg7 4. Bb2 O-O 5. g3 {is quite a normal way to play.
} (5. e3 $5 {is also possible.})) 4. dxc5 {Kramnik doesn't really care about
his centre.} Qa5+ 5. Nbd2 Qxc5 6. Bb2 {One grandmaster encounter which reached
this very position was Boris Grachev against Boris Chaltalbashev in July 2017.}
Bg7 7. e3 {White has the simple plan of placing his bishop on e2, 0-0 and then
c4. One might argue that the knight on d2 is misplaced in such a structure,
but that is the price you have to pay in order to get an original position.} (
7. g3 {might be more ambitious, but simply fails to} Ng4 $1 $19) 7... O-O 8. c4
b6 (8... d5 9. a3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 {The queen on c5 is a tad uncomfortable here.})
9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Qc7 11. Rc1 d6 {We have transposed into a normal looking
position. I really like Kramnik's next move.} 12. Nb1 $1 {The knight was
misplaced on d2. On c3 it would be perfectly placed eyeing not only the d5
square, but also the one on b5.But can such an undeveloping move be any good.
As you can see, Black also spent nearly three tempi to get his queen from
d8-a5-c5-c7.} Nbd7 13. Nc3 Rac8 14. Rc2 {Another typical manoeuvre. White
would like to place his queen on a1 and connect the rooks. With the queen on
a1, moves like Nd5 gain in power.} (14. Nd5 {looks like a normal move, but
fails to} Bxd5 $1 15. cxd5 Qb7 {It's not so easy to defend the d5-pawn.} 16.
Bb5 Nb8 $1 (16... Nc5 17. b4 $16) 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. e4 a6 19. Bd3 Rxc1 20. Qxc1
Rc8 $15) 14... Qb8 15. Qa1 a6 16. Rd2 Rfe8 17. Rfd1 {White's position looks
more harmonious to my eyes, but perhaps it is just a subjective opinion. Black
has a perfectly fine Hedgehog and should not be worse. The tough part for both
the sides is to pick a plan in the position. Black's idea looks easier to find
with ...b5. What should White really be doing here? Nd5? Well, Kramnik shows
the way.} Ba8 {Grischuk is getting ready for ...b5.} (17... Bc6 $5 18. Ng5 (18.
Nd5 b5 $13) 18... b5 $11) 18. Ng5 $5 {An amazing concept by Kramnik. First he
improved the position of his knight from d2 by bringing it to b1-c3. And now
he moves his f3 knight to g5. His plan is to bring it to h3 and then to f4.
Can White have so much time in the position to execute his plan? As it turns
out Kramnik's knight moves did confuse Grischuk in a big way.} (18. Nd5 b5 $5 (
18... Bxd5 19. cxd5 b5 $13) 19. cxb5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Nxd5 21. Bxg7 e6 $15 {
It seems as if White should have compensation here, but nothing more than
equality.}) 18... Rc5 (18... b5 $5 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Nxb5 (20. Bxb5 Rc5 $1 21.
Bxd7 Rxg5 22. f4 Rxg2+ 23. Rxg2 Nxd7 $1 $17 (23... Bxg2 24. Bxe8 Ba8 25. Ba4
Qb7 $40)) 20... Rc5 $1 $17 {[%cal Gc5b5,Gc5g5]}) 19. Nh3 b5 $1 {Grischuk gets
his break in.} 20. Nf4 bxc4 21. Bxc4 {Look at White's control over the
d5-square!} Rg5 $6 {Grischuk gets too ambitious.} (21... Ne5 $1 {was much
better.} 22. Be2 (22. Bxa6 Bxg2 $1 $17) (22. Bf1 Qb7 {The idea is to give ...
Nf3+.} 23. Nfd5 (23. Ncd5 Ne4 24. Rd4 Nxf2 25. Kxf2 e6 $15 {with some insane
complications.}) 23... e6 $1 24. Nxf6+ Bxf6 25. e4 (25. Rxd6 Nf3+ $19) 25...
Rxc3 26. Bxc3 Qxe4 $36) 22... a5 23. Ncd5 Bxd5 24. Nxd5 Nxd5 25. Rxd5 Rc2 26.
R5d2 Nf3+ 27. Bxf3 Bxb2 28. Qb1 Rxd2 29. Rxd2 Bf6 $11) 22. Ncd5 {The triumph
of White's strategy. He controls the d5-square four times!} Ne5 (22... Nxd5 23.
Bxd5 (23. Bxg7 Nxf4 $19) 23... Bxb2 (23... Bxd5 24. Bxg7 $16) 24. Qxb2 Nf6 25.
Bxa8 Qxa8 {This position should be roughly around even, although I have a
feeling that White can still try.} 26. Rxd6 $5 exd6 27. Qxf6 $44) 23. Be2 Ne4
$6 {This move makes the position further complicated with all the knights
facing off against each other in centre, but these complications are in
White's favour. On the other hand, it is not so easy to suggest an alternative
for Black in this position.} (23... Qc8 {Trying to get the queen into the kill
zone doesn't work.} 24. h4 Rf5 25. Rc1 $16) (23... Nxd5 24. Nxd5 e6 25. f4 $1
$16 {Perhaps this is what Grischuk had missed.} (25. Nf4 $6 Nf3+ 26. Bxf3 Bxb2
27. Qxb2 Bxf3 $17)) 24. Rd4 Nc5 (24... Nf6 25. Nxf6+ Bxf6 26. Nd5 Nd7 (26...
Bxd5 27. Rxd5 $16) 27. Nxf6+ Nxf6 28. f3 $16) 25. h4 $1 {The rook which had
gone to g5 to attack White's kingside, is now almost trapped.} Rf5 26. e4 (26.
g4 {is also possible. But with a bishop on a8, you are not always comfortable
making this move.} Rxf4 27. exf4 $16) 26... Rxf4 27. Nxf4 Nxe4 {Initially it
all seems very complicated. The knights in the centre are very strong. The
bishops on the long diagonal seem threatening. But Kramnik has the material.
And the trick in such postions is to slow down and think about the various
possibilities carefully. If you do that, you can see that Black's initiative
can be slowly but surely extinguished without you getting burnt.} 28. Nd5 $1 {
The knight on e4 is hanging.} Nc5 29. Rb4 Qa7 30. Ne3 a5 31. Rb5 Ne6 32. Rxe5
$1 {Kramnik doesn't have to be asked twice! If he can give back material to
gain a long term positional advantage, he will do it without blinking.} (32.
Bc3 $16 {also seems fine.}) 32... dxe5 33. Bxe5 Qc5 34. Bxg7 Nxg7 {So what do
we have here? The material is even, but White has co-ordinated his forces much
better. He has the extra outside passer and all of his pieces are well placed.
Kramnik converts this position well.} 35. Qd4 (35. Qc1 $14 {also seemed like a
nice move.}) 35... Qxd4 36. Rxd4 Bc6 37. Rd2 Rb8 38. Rc2 Be8 39. Rc7 Kf8 40.
Ra7 {Black's pieces really do not know what they are doing here!} a4 41. bxa4 {
A pawn is a pawn!} Rb1+ 42. Kh2 Rb4 (42... Rb2 43. Bc4 Rxf2 44. a5 $16 Nf5 45.
Nxf5 Rxf5 46. a6 Ra5 47. Rc7 $18) 43. a5 Rxh4+ 44. Kg1 Ra4 45. Bc4 Bc6 (45...
Nf5 46. Bb3 Rd4 47. Nxf5 $18) 46. Rc7 Be8 47. a6 Nh5 48. Nd5 {A high class,
top level struggle where the weight was put more on the middlegame than on the
opening. We can say that Kramnik's play was highly imaginative and his
handling of the knights was excellent. The same cannot be sai about Grischuk
though. When he played ambitiously, taking the rook to g5, it got trapped on
the side of the board.} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.27"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Sadorra,J"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 {Kramnik
uses a line that became popular at the top level several years back,
especially after he used it in the 2013 Candidates.} Qd6 $5 {A rare but
playable move. In fact, it has already been played a few times in tournament
practice in 2017 with decent results for Black.} 8. Na3 {Kramnik thought for
about 8 minutes here which means that he had never studied it deeply before or
he was recalling his prep.} Rd8 9. Naxc4 Qa6 (9... Qxd4 $2 {is too risky as
the queen gets too exposed after} 10. Qb3 {[%cal Rc1e3]} Qc5 (10... c6 11. Be3
$18) 11. Bxb7 Bxb7 12. Qxb7 Nbd7 13. Be3 $16) 10. Qc2 $5 $146 {A novelty,
either produced during the game or at home!} ({Another queen move was tried
years back by another player in the Candidates-Wesley So:} 10. Qb3 Rxd4 11. Bf4
(11. a4 Nbd7 12. Be3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Rd8 14. Qb5 {with compensation but nothing
more.}) 11... Rd8 (11... Nbd7 12. Rac1 c6 $44 {1/2-1/2 (67) So,W (2674)
-Ljubojevic,L (2572) Amsterdam 2010}) 12. Rfd1 Nd5 $11) 10... Rxd4 11. Bg5 ({
The main point of the novelty would have been revealed if White had followed
up with} 11. a4 $1 Nbd7 $2 (11... Rd8 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. Rfd1 Nxe5 14. Rxd8+ Bxd8
15. Nxe5 $14 {White has more than enough compensation simply because he has a
better version of what happened in the game.}) 12. Be3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 {[%csl
Rc7,Rd4][%cal Rc2c7] now White has a double attack.} Rd8 (13... Rb4 14. Qxc7
$16 (14. Rfc1 $5)) 14. Qxc7 Qd6 15. Qxd6 Bxd6 16. Rfd1 $14) 11... Nbd7 12. Rfd1
Rxd1+ 13. Rxd1 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Qa5 $1 {Mamedyarov defends actively and
accurately, not giving Kramnik a chance to obtain an intiative.} (14... c6 $2
15. Be4 $1 $40 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Bh7+ Kf8 18. Qc5+ Ke8 19. Ng6 $1 {with
mate to follow next move.}) (14... Qb6 $2 15. Ng4 $1 $36 {[%csl Re7,Rf6]}) 15.
Bf4 Nd5 16. Be4 (16. Bd2 Qc5 $11) 16... g6 (16... h6 $6 {doesn't look right as
it allows ideas connected with check on h7 followed by a sac on f7 in the
future.}) 17. Bh6 Qc5 18. Qd2 Qb4 19. Qc2 Qc5 {Mamedyarov silently offers a
draw.} 20. Qd3 {True to style in this event, Kramnik keeps the game going and
tries to fight for more!} Qd6 21. Nc4 Qc5 $1 {Accurate again! On c5, the queen
avoids being pinned and keeps watch over the central squares especially d4.} (
21... Qd8 $2 22. Bf3 $1 {[%csl Rd5,Rd8][%cal Ge2e4]} Qe8 23. e4 Nf6 24. Qc3 $1
$40 {[%csl Rc7,Rg7,Rg8]}) 22. Qf3 $5 {White tries to slow down Black's
completion of development by making use of nice tactics.} c6 {Safe and solid.}
({Black could also consider a dynamic solution, but that requires taking
positional risks after:} 22... Nf6 $5 23. Bxb7 Rb8 $1 (23... Bxb7 24. Qxb7 Re8
25. Rc1 (25. b3 Qh5) 25... Qh5 26. Be3 Qxe2 27. Qxc7 $11) 24. Bxc8 Qxc4 25. Bb7
(25. b3 $2 Qb5) 25... Qxa2 {and it is now White who has to play more
accurately.}) ({In the press conference, Kramnik gleefully shared his plan
after} 22... Qxc4 $6 23. Rxd5 c6 $1 (23... f5 24. Rd1 fxe4 (24... Qxe4 25. Qc3
$18) 25. Rd8+ Bxd8 26. Qf8#) 24. Qa3 $5 c5 25. Rd1 (25. Rd2 Qxe4 26. Qxc5 Qb1+
27. Kg2 Qe4+ 28. Kg1 (28. f3 $4 Qxe2+ $19) 28... Qb1+ $11) 25... Qxe2 $1 {
and he admitted that this was the problem with this line, after which he
wasn't sure if White can continue the attack. Black is actually already the
choice of the engine:} (25... Qxe4 26. Qxc5 $18) 26. Bf3 (26. Qa4 b5 $19) 26...
Qb5 $1 27. Qc3 (27. Qe3 Bd7 $17) 27... f6 $17) 23. Bd3 Nf6 $1 {Patient and
careful. Mamedyarov doesn't rush to bring out his bishop but instead prepares
to develop it in the most active way possible.} (23... Bd7 $6 {allows us to
see Kramnik's idea} 24. e4 Nf6 25. Be2 $5 {and White has a pleasant initiative
which Kramnik himself pointed out after the game.} (25. Be3 $1 {retreat moves
are often easy to miss} Qh5 26. Qxh5 Nxh5 27. e5 Be8 28. g4 (28. Be2 Ng7 29.
Nd6) 28... Ng7 29. Be4 $14 {[%csl Ra7][%cal Gc4d6,Ga2a4,Ga4a5]})) 24. e4 e5 {
[%csl Ge6,Gg4][%cal Gc8g4] The point. White is now forced to engage in a
forcing line to avoid being worse.} 25. Be3 Qb4 26. Nxe5 Qxb2 27. Bf4 (27. Nxf7
$6 Kxf7 {is "too much" according to both players.} 28. Qf4 (28. Bc4+ Ke8 $19)
28... Qb4 $1 $19) 27... Be6 ({Maybe Mamedyarov saw} 27... g5 $5 {but probably
thought it's too risky} 28. Nc4 (28. Bc4 gxf4 29. Nxf7 Kg7 30. Qxf4 $13) 28...
Bg4 $1 29. Qxg4 (29. Qe3 gxf4) 29... Nxg4 30. Nxb2 gxf4 31. gxf4 Bc5 32. Rd2
$13) 28. Rb1 Qxa2 29. Rxb7 {Here Kramnik felt that he already has a good
position or has better chances.} Bc5 30. Kg2 $1 {Without any clear counterplay
and counter-tactics involving back-rank checks, White's position is now indeed
easier to play.} Re8 $6 ({The only way to hold the balance for Black was to
tie down White's pieces as much as possible:} 30... Bd4 $1 31. Re7 $5 {[%cal
Ge5c6,Gg3g4] with a messy position in which the better calculator will prevail!
} (31. h3 $2 Bxh3+ $1 32. Kxh3 Qe6+ $17) (31. Nxc6 $4 Bg4 $19)) 31. h3 $5 {
Kramnik likes this slow, controlled move a lot but it underestimates Black's
defensive resources.} ({White must act energetically now with} 31. Bg5 $1 Nh5
32. Nxc6 $16 {Black is in a dangerous position as he cannot stop White's
kingside attack.}) (31. g4 $5 h5 (31... Nd5 32. Bh6 $1 $16 (32. exd5 Bxd5 33.
Be4 Bxe4 34. Qxe4 Qxf2+ 35. Kh3 Qf1+ $19)) 32. h3 $13) 31... Bxf2 $1 {This
tactical sequence is the easiest way to neutralise White's initiative,
something which Kramnik missed.} (31... Nh5 32. Bh6 $16) 32. Qxf2 Bxh3+ 33. Kg1
Qxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Rxe5 35. Bxe5 (35. g4 Nxe4+ $1 (35... Nxg4+ $5 36. Kg3 Rc5) 36.
Kf3 Bxg4+ 37. Kxg4 Nf2+ 38. Kf3 Nxd3 39. Bxe5 Nxe5+ 40. Kf4 f6 $17) 35... Ng4+
36. Kg1 Nxe5 {The forcing moves are over and Black has no problems holding the
subsequent complex ending due to his pawns.} 37. Be2 Kg7 38. Rxa7 Kf6 39. Ra5
Bd7 40. Kf2 Ke6 41. Ke3 Kd6 42. Ra1 h5 43. Rd1+ Ke7 44. Kd4 f6 45. Kc5 Bh3 46.
Ra1 Bg2 47. Ra4 Ke6 48. Rd4 Nf3 49. Rd8 Ng5 50. Bc4+ Ke7 51. Rg8 Nxe4+ 52. Kxc6
Nd6+ 53. Kc5 (53. Bd5 $6 Bxd5+ 54. Kxd5 Nf5 55. Rxg6 $4 (55. Ra8 Nxg3 56. Ra7+
Kf8 57. Ke6 Ne4 58. Kd5 f5 {and it's White who has to be careful.}) 55... Kf7
$19 {Kramnik & Mamedarov}) 53... Nxc4 54. Kxc4 Kf7 {A nice fighting game by
both players in the last round! The rare 7...Qd6 line seems to hold against
the popular 7.Ne5 and we can expect it to be tested out more in future
tournaments.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A26"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "147"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d3 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O d6 8. b3 $5
Nd4 (8... e4 9. dxe4 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Bxa1 11. Bg5 f6 12. Bh6 {favours White.}) 9.
Nd2 c6 10. e3 Ne6 11. Bb2 Nc5 12. Qc2 a5 13. Rae1 Re8 14. h3 Bf5 $5 15. e4 Bd7
16. Ne2 b5 17. d4 exd4 18. Nxd4 {With his trademark deceptive opening play
Kramnik has achieved a favourable structure. The only piece of the puzzle
missing from this picture is his Nd2 that should have really been on c3 to
prevent the d6-d5 idea.} Rc8 19. N4f3 $6 ({An attempt to maintain control with
} 19. Re3 {could be met with} d5 20. e5 Nfe4 21. f4 f6) 19... d5 $1 {[#]
Seeing how solid Ding has been in this tournament so far, we may forget he's
an accomplished Kings Indian player!} 20. exd5 Rxe1 21. Rxe1 cxd5 {It looks
logical to open the c-file for Rc8 against the white queen.} ({However, the
immediate} 21... Bf5 22. Qd1 Nd3 {was even stronger. White then would be
facing a grim defensive task, down the exchange, as} 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. Rf1 {
is simply unbearable.}) 22. cxb5 {Now at least White has the favourable pawn
structure which should help him to survive when he goes down material.} Bf5 23.
Qd1 Nd3 24. Bd4 Rc1 25. Qxc1 Nxc1 26. Rxc1 Ne4 27. Nf1 Bxd4 $2 {Ding misses
his chance.} ({Instead,} 27... Bd7 $1 {would have set up a great tactical shot:
} 28. a4 ({Likely White would have to grovel for a draw after} 28. Bxg7 Kxg7
29. N3d2 Nxd2 30. Nxd2) 28... Bxd4 29. Nxd4 Nxf2 $1 30. Kxf2 Qf6+ {winning the
rook in the event of both} 31. Ke3 ({and} 31. Nf3 Qb2+) 31... Qg5+) 28. Nxd4
Qb6 29. Bxe4 $1 dxe4 30. Nxf5 gxf5 31. a4 {Objectively this is a dead draw.}
Qe6 32. Ne3 Qxb3 33. Rc4 h5 34. h4 Kh7 35. Kg2 f6 36. Rd4 Kg6 37. Rc4 Kf7 38.
Kh2 Kg6 39. Kg1 Qb1+ 40. Kg2 Qb3 41. Rd4 Kf7 42. Rd5 Qxa4 43. Rxf5 Kg6 44. b6
Qb3 45. Rxa5 Qxb6 46. Rd5 Qb2 47. Rf5 Qa2 48. Rc5 Qe2 49. Rc4 Qa2 50. Rb4 Qa5
51. Rb8 Qa2 52. Rd8 Qa5 53. Rd5 Qa2 54. Rf5 Qe6 55. Rd5 Qa6 56. g4 {True to
his uncompromising approach to this tournament Kramnik keeps on pushing for a
win. This time there's enough safety margin in the position for him to get
away with that.} hxg4 57. h5+ Kf7 58. Rd7+ Ke6 59. Rg7 Qe2 60. h6 Qf3+ 61. Kg1
g3 62. Rxg3 Qh5 63. Rg7 f5 ({Of course,} 63... Qxh6 $4 {would seem to be a
gross blunder since the queen is lost after} 64. Re7+ Kxe7 65. Nf5+ Ke6 66.
Nxh6 {What is funny is that White still can't win after} f5 $1 {The reason is
that the knight is trapped.} 67. Kf1 Kf6 68. Kg2 f4 $1 {is the correct
continuation.} ({The tempting} 68... Kg6 {would actually lose after} 69. Ng8
Kf7 70. Kg3 $1 {and the black pawns will fall and White will have the
opposition to boot.}) 69. Ng4+ Kf5 70. Nh2 Ke5 71. Kf1 Kf5 72. Ke2 Kg5 73. Nf1
Kf5 {and White cannot progress. The minute White tries to free his knight with}
74. Nd2 e3 {instantly draws.}) 64. h7 f4 65. Ng4 Qh3 66. Rg6+ Kf5 67. Rg7 Ke6
68. Rg6+ Kf5 69. Nh6+ Kxg6 70. h8=Q Qxh6 71. Qe8+ Kf5 72. Qb5+ Kg4 73. Qe2+ Kf5
74. Qb5+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.22"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C50"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[Annotator "Roiz,M"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {Recently the Italian has been successfully
employed by Kramnik on the highest level. In particular, Carlsen, Anand and
Radjabov were defeated in great style.} Bc5 4. Nc3 {This time Vladimir takes
the game into relatively unexplored territory.} Nf6 5. d3 a6 {This natural
move is only Black's 4th choice according to statisctics. It is always vital
to secure the bishop's retreat.} ({All} 5... d6) (5... O-O) ({and} 5... h6 {
are equally good.}) 6. Nd5 Nxd5 {The centralised knight should be liquidated
sooner or later.} ({Black can also afford to waste another tempo for
prophylaxis:} 6... h6 7. O-O (7. Be3 d6 8. c3 Bxe3 9. fxe3 Nxd5 10. Bxd5 Ne7
11. Bb3 O-O 12. O-O Ng6 $11 {Nikitenko,M - Kovalev,V Minsk 2015}) 7... d6 8. c3
O-O 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 Na5 11. Nxf6+ Qxf6 $11 {Fedoseev,V - Mamedyarov,S
Sochi RUS 2017}) 7. Bxd5 {White reasonably prefers not to lock in the
light-squared bishop} (7. exd5 Nd4 8. Nxd4 Bxd4 9. c3 Bc5 10. O-O O-O {is
absolutely fine for Black.}) 7... d6 $146 {This innovation doesn't change the
assessment of position - it's equal.} ({The previously played} 7... O-O {
might lead to sharper play:} 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Be3 (9. h4 d6 10. Qd2 Bg4 $132 {
Benda,H - Kilgus,G Austria 2007}) 9... d6 10. O-O Kh8 11. c3 f5 $132) 8. Be3 {
This move is aimed at opening up the f-file.} (8. c3 Qf6 9. O-O Ba7 10. h3 h6
11. Be3 O-O 12. Bxa7 Rxa7 $11) 8... Bxe3 9. fxe3 O-O 10. O-O Nb8 $1 {Levon
manages to find an excellent plan - the knight is heading to f6, where it
would neutralise White's pressure along the f-file.} ({Less precise was} 10...
Ne7 11. Bb3 Ng6 12. Qe1 Be6 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Qg3 $14 {and the Ng6 is
misplaced.}) 11. b4 {Quite a risky decision - now White's pawn structure is
getting somewhat shaky.} ({I guess, Vladimir rejected the most natural} 11. Qe1
{in view of} Nd7 12. a3 (12. Qg3 $6 c6 13. Bb3 Nc5 14. Rf2 a5 $15) 12... Nf6
13. Ba2 Be6 $11 {Now, when Black's knight is comfortably placed on f6, Black
has nothing to worry about.}) 11... Nd7 12. Qd2 (12. Qe1 c6 13. Bb3 a5 14. a3
Nf6 15. Qg3 b5 $11) 12... c6 13. Bb3 a5 $1 14. a3 {Now it is Black to decide
when to open up the a-file.} Nf6 15. h3 h6 16. Rab1 {A slight concession.} b5
$5 {This ambitious move keeps the positiion tense.} (16... Re8 17. Qf2 axb4 18.
axb4 Be6 $11) 17. Qc3 {The idea behing this somewhat awkward move is provoking
17...Qb6, after that the typical sac on f6 would be on the cards.} ({After} 17.
Rf2 Re8 18. Rbf1 axb4 19. axb4 Be6 20. Bxe6 Rxe6 $15 {White's kingside attack
is questionable, whereas Black has taken control over the open a-file.}) ({
Objectively, Vladimir should have simplified matters by means of} 17. a4 bxa4
18. Bxa4 Qc7 19. bxa5 Rxa5 20. Bb3 $11 {but such a decision wouldn't suit his
aggressive mood!}) 17... Bd7 {Levon isn't in a hurry. Indeed, the Qc3 is
misplaced anyway.} ({However, a more energetic move was} 17... Qb6 $1 18. Qe1
Be6 19. Nh4 a4 $1 20. Bxe6 fxe6 $15 {and the failure of White's approach is
obvious.}) 18. Rf2 $6 {Vladimir's brave play in the event made the Candidates
tournament much more attractive. However, this time it could have backfired.} (
{More to the point was} 18. Qe1 axb4 19. axb4 Be6 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. Ra1 $11 {
maintaining the balance.}) 18... Qb6 19. Re1 {A sad necessity - there is no
better way of protecting the Pe3.} Rfe8 20. Nh4 c5 $6 {After losing few games
in the previous rounds, Levon feels like he has nothing to lose.} ({A safer
way was} 20... a4 $1 21. Ba2 Be6 22. Bxe6 Rxe6 23. Ref1 Kh7 24. Nf5 d5 $15 {
eliminating any danger and claiming superiority in the centre.}) 21. Ref1 $1 {
This move is connected with a pawn sacrifice.} ({Black's king would be safe in
the event of} 21. Rxf6 gxf6 22. Qd2 Kg7 23. Bd5 Ra7 24. Rf1 Qd8 $15 {though
converting the material advantage into a full point isn't an easy task here.})
21... cxb4 22. Qe1 {Now all White's forces are focused on attacking the
opponent's king.} ({Of course, not} 22. axb4 $2 a4 23. Ba2 Qxe3 $19) 22... d5 {
The play is extremely sharp now!} (22... a4 $5 {deserved serious attention} 23.
Rxf6 $1 ({Only not} 23. Ba2 $2 d5 $1 {and now White is in troubles:} 24. axb4 (
24. Rxf6 gxf6 25. Bxd5 bxa3 $19) 24... dxe4 25. c4 Be6 26. c5 Qd8 $17) 23...
axb3 24. Qg3 $1 ({The timid} 24. Rxf7 $2 {runs into} Qd8 $1 25. Qg3 Qg5 26.
Qxg5 hxg5 27. Rxd7 Rf8 $1 28. Rxf8+ Kxf8 29. Ng6+ Kg8 $19 {, and Black will
promote one of his q-side pawns.}) 24... Rf8 25. cxb3 bxa3 26. Rxh6 {and the
game should end in a draw:} a2 27. Ra1 Qc5 28. Rh5 Qc3 29. Rg5 Qxa1+ 30. Kh2
Qe1 31. Rxg7+ Kh8 32. Qg5 Qxh4 33. Qxh4+ Kxg7 34. Qg5+ $11) 23. axb4 dxe4 24.
bxa5 Rxa5 25. Ng6 $5 {Vladimir is continuing to complicate matters.} ({The
immediate} 25. Rxf6 gxf6 26. dxe4 Kf8 {would offer White sufficient
compensation for an exchange, but not more than that.}) 25... Be6 {Levon is
playing with fire!} (25... Ra6 26. Rxf6 gxf6 27. Qg3 {looks extremely scary
for a human eye, though the cool-blooded} Qd6 $1 28. dxe4 Kg7 29. Nh4+ Kf8 $13
{hardly gives White anything special.}) ({Another possible way of handling the
posiution would be} 25... exd3 $5 26. Rxf6 gxf6 27. Qg3 Ra7 $1 28. cxd3 f5 29.
Nxe5+ Kf8 $13) 26. Nxe5 ({It looks like} 26. Rxf6 $1 {would pose Black the
major practical problems:} gxf6 27. Qg3 {Now it would be very difficult for
Levon to find} b4 $1 ({The more natural} 27... exd3 28. Rxf6 d2 {runs into} 29.
Nh4+ Kf8 30. Nf5 d1=Q+ 31. Kh2 Re7 32. Qg7+ Ke8 33. Bxe6 Qxe6 34. Rxe6 Rxe6 35.
Qg8+ Kd7 36. Qxf7+ Kd8 37. Qxe6 $36 {and Black is in serious danger}) 28. Bxe6
Rxe6 29. Nf4+ (29. Nxe5+ Kh7 30. Nc4 Rg5 31. Qxg5 hxg5 32. Nxb6 Rxb6 $11) 29...
Kf8 30. Nxe6+ Qxe6 31. Qh4 Ra6 32. Qxe4 Qd6 $11 {and a draw seems the most
probable result.}) 26... exd3 27. Rxf6 gxf6 28. Rxf6 {The best practical try.}
(28. Qg3+ Kf8 29. Ng6+ Kg7 30. Nf4+ Kh8 31. Nxe6 Rxe6 32. Bxe6 Qxe6 33. cxd3 b4
$11) 28... d2 $1 {This move is aimed at depriving the Qe1 of the g3-spot.} (
28... dxc2 $2 {would yield White a decisive attack:} 29. Bxc2 Kg7 30. Qf2 $18)
29. Qg3+ ({Of course, not} 29. Qxd2 $2 Ra1+ 30. Kf2 Qa5 $1 31. Qxa5 Rxa5 $17)
29... Kf8 30. Rf1 {The d2-passer is very strong now.} Ra7 31. Ng6+ Kg7 32. Nf4+
Kh8 33. Nh5 f6 {After this move White has no risk at all.} ({The situation
would be double-edged in the event of} 33... Bg4 $5 34. Qxg4 Qxe3+ 35. Kh1 Rg8
36. Qh4 Ra6 $132) 34. Nxf6 Rf8 ({There was the equally good} 34... Rd8 35. Bxe6
(35. Qf4 {Or} Bf5 $1 36. Qxf5 d1=Q 37. Qf4 Kg7 38. Qg3+ Kh8 39. Qf4 $11) 35...
d1=Q 36. Qf4 Rh7 37. Nxh7 Qxe6 38. Nf6 Qxf1+ 39. Kxf1 Qc4+ 40. Qxc4 bxc4 $11 {
with a drawish endgame.}) 35. Qf4 Rh7 {The only, but sufficient defence!} 36.
Qe5 Qc7 $4 {Alas, Levon doesn't manage to withstand the time pressure...} ({
After} 36... Rg7 {this spectacular encounter should end in a draw. For
instance,} 37. Bxe6 Rg5 38. Nh5+ Rxe5 39. Rxf8+ Kh7 40. Rf7+ Kh8 (40... Kg6 $2
41. Rg7+ Kxh5 42. Bf7+ Kh4 43. Rg4#) 41. Rf8+ $11) 37. Ne8+ $1 {A very
dramatic end!} (37. Ne8+ Qxe5 38. Rxf8+ Bg8 39. Rxg8#) 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.14"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 {The majority of games end
in an uneventful draw after this move. The current game happened to be a big
exception.} (5. d4) ({and} 5. Nc3 {are more ambitious lines.}) 5... Qe7 6. Nc3
{This is a relatively rare way to handle this boring variation. Normally 6.d3
follows automatically.} ({The following game was played in the same event a
few rounds later:} 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 g6 9. Bg5 Bg7 10. O-O-O O-O
11. Rhe1 h6 12. Bh4 Nc6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (65) So,W (2799)-Caruana,F (2784) Berlin
2018}) 6... Nxc3 7. dxc3 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 Nc6 9. Be3 Be7 {It's clear that the
position is completely equal. However, if both players do not agree to a draw
and continue playing, then anything can happen.} 10. O-O-O O-O {Castling on
opposite sides usually hints at a sharp battle, when the queens are on the
board. Here the queens are off, so not too much excitement. Yet.} 11. Rhe1 (11.
Rhg1 a6 12. g4 Re8 13. h4 Be6 14. Ng5 Bd7 15. Kb1 $6 Ne5 {White already has to
fight for equality.} 16. h5 Bb5 17. Bxb5 axb5 $15 {1/2-1/2 (31) Artemiev,V 
(2697)-Khalifman,A (2614) Moscow 2018}) 11... Bf6 12. Nd2 {[%cal Gd2e4]} Re8
13. Bf3 Ne5 14. Bf4 Kf8 15. Bd5 (15. Be4 h6 $11) 15... c6 16. Bb3 Bf5 17. h3 (
17. f3 h6 18. g4 Bh7 $11) 17... g5 {This pawn will have a glorious career!} 18.
Bh2 Kg7 19. c4 $6 {Kramnik wanted to prevent the advance d6-d5, but his choice
by itself looks quite ugly to me.} (19. f4 gxf4 20. Bxf4 h5 $11 {Black has
good bishops near the king and his slight defects in the pawn structure are
not really noticeable.}) 19... g4 $1 20. Ne4 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 Bg5+ 22. Kb1 gxh3
23. c5 $2 {Consequent, but objectively bad.} (23. f4 $2 Ng4 $17 {[%csl Rh2]}) (
23. gxh3 f5 24. Ree1 (24. Bxe5+ dxe5 25. Rd7+ Kf6 26. Re1 e4 $17) 24... Nf3 25.
Rxe8 Rxe8 26. Bxd6 Re2 $15) 23... f5 $1 ({Less precise is} 23... hxg2 $6 {
because after} 24. cxd6 Nf3 {White has the move} 25. Rg4) 24. Rb4 hxg2 {
Now the g4-square is not available for the white rook. So, he has to grab
everything he can on the queenside.} 25. Rxb7+ Kh8 26. cxd6 Nf3 27. Ba4 $1 (27.
Bg1 $2 Re2 {simply loses, so White has to give the bishop.}) 27... Nxh2 28.
Bxc6 Rad8 $1 (28... Re4 $6 {is spectacular, but less effective in view of} 29.
Rg1 (29. Bxe4 $2 {falls into Black's idea:} fxe4 30. Rg1 e3 $1 31. Rxg2 e2 32.
Rg1 Nf1 {and the pawn queens.})) 29. d7 Re2 30. Bxg2 Rxf2 31. Bc6 Ng4 {So,
Caruana is up a piece for a couple of pawns, but the position remains sharp
and in a mutual time-scramble anything can happen.} (31... Nf1 {was another
way to get the knight to e3.}) 32. Rxa7 (32. c4 Ne3 33. Rg1 Be7 {should be
winning for Black, though not at all easy, of course.}) 32... Ne3 33. Rg1 h6 $2
{Wasting an important tempi in a sharp position. The bishop is not hanging due
to the weakness of White's back rank.} (33... Rxc2 $1 34. Ba4 (34. Rc7 Bf6 $19)
34... Rf2 $19) 34. Rc7 $1 {[%cal Gc7c8]} Kg7 $6 (34... Kh7 $1 35. Bb5 $17 (35.
a4 $2 Rxc2 36. Rc8 Bf6 $19 {Compared to 34...Kg7, here the bishop is not
pinned and can move.})) 35. a4 {Now the engine already shows the evaluation of
0.00, but for a human player it gives very little information. The game is on
for all three possible results.} Kf7 (35... Rxc2 36. Rc8 Rxc6 37. Rxd8 Rd6 38.
Re8 Ng4 39. Rf1 $11) 36. Bb5 (36. a5 Rxc2 37. a6 Ke7 38. a7 Rxc6 39. Rxc6 Kxd7
40. Rgc1 Ra8 41. Rc7+ Ke6 42. R1c6+ Ke5 $11) 36... Ke7 $6 ({The race between
the passed pawns is very exciting:} 36... f4 $6 37. a5 f3 38. Rg3 $1 Nf1 39.
Rxg5 $1 hxg5 40. Rc8 Rxd7 $1 (40... Ke7 $2 41. Rxd8 Kxd8 42. a6 {[%csl Ga6]
the pawn is unstoppable}) 41. Bxd7 Re2 42. a6 f2 43. Bh3 (43. a7 $2 Nd2+ 44.
Ka2 f1=Q 45. a8=Q Qb1+ 46. Ka3 Qa1+ 47. Kb4 Qxb2+ $19) 43... Nd2+ 44. Ka2 Re7
45. Rd8 {and White seems to be on top.}) (36... Nd5 {was the safest way to
force some simplifications.} 37. Rc8 Nb6 38. Rxd8 Bxd8 39. a5 Nxd7 40. Bxd7
Bxa5 $11) 37. a5 Rf4 {[%cal Gf4b4]} 38. c3 $1 Kd6 $6 {Fabiano is eager to
bring his king into play, but actually it only makes things worse for him.} (
38... Rg4 {was preferable. It should be met by} 39. Rh1 $1) 39. Rb7 $6 (39.
Rc6+ $1 {would be a nice geometrical trick by the rook.} Ke7 40. a6 Rxd7 41.
Rc8 Ra7 42. Re8+ Kf6 43. Rxe3 $18) 39... Rg4 40. Re1 f4 41. a6 h5 (41... f3 42.
a7 f2 43. Rxe3 Bxe3 44. Rb8 {Black is up a rook, but it is not sure if he can
save even half a point. White's passed pawns are too strong.} Rg1+ 45. Kc2 (45.
Ka2 $4 Rxd7 46. a8=Q Ra7+) 45... Rg2 46. Bf1 Bxa7 47. Rxd8 Rg7 48. Bb5 f1=Q 49.
Bxf1 Rxd7 $16) 42. a7 {If somebody cares about the evaluation of the position,
then I can tell that currently White is winning. But the race is getting more
and more exciting.} Ra8 43. b4 (43. c4 $1 h4 44. c5+ {Underlining again why it
was better to keep the king away from the fire.} Kxc5 45. Rc1+ Kd6 46. Rc8 Rxa7
47. Rxa7 $18) 43... h4 44. c4 $2 ({White could win a rook and be an exchange
up after} 44. d8=Q+ Bxd8 45. Rd7+ Ke5 46. Bc6 Rxa7 47. Rxa7 $16) (44. Kb2 h3
45. Kb3 {bringing the king into play, to support the passed pawns was also a
sound idea.}) 44... h3 45. c5+ ({Again it was possible to grab the rook after} 
45. d8=Q+ $1 Bxd8 46. Rd7+ Ke5 47. Bc6 Rxa7 48. Rxa7 {though it's already less
effective than on the previous move.}) 45... Ke5 46. Rb8 (46. c6 h2 47. c7 Rg1
{Absolutely spectacular!} 48. Bc6 $1 Rxe1+ 49. Ka2 Nd5 $1 50. Bxd5 Kxd5 51.
c8=Q h1=Q (51... Re2+ 52. Kb3 Re3+ 53. Ka4 h1=Q 54. Qc5+ Ke6 55. Rb6+ Kxd7 56.
Qd6+ Ke8 57. Qg6+ Kd7 $11) 52. Rb5+ Kd4 53. Qc5+ Kd3 54. Qd6+ Ke2 55. Re5+ Kf3
56. Qd3+ Kg4 57. Qf5+ $11) (46. Be2 Rg3 47. c6 h2 48. Bf3 $1 Rg1 49. Rc1 Ng2 $1
50. c7 Rxc1+ 51. Kxc1 h1=Q+ 52. Kb2 Qf1 53. c8=Q Qf2+ 54. Kb1 Qf1+ {with a
perpetual check.}) 46... Rxa7 47. Rg8 Bf6 $1 48. d8=Q $8 ({To Kramnik's horror,
after} 48. Rxg4 $2 Kf5 {[%cal Ga7a1] his king is suddenly in a mating net!} 49.
Rxe3 fxe3 $19 {[%cal Gh3h2]}) 48... Bxd8 49. Rxg4 Bf6 50. Rg6 $8 Rb7 51. Be2
Rxb4+ 52. Ka2 {White has won the exchange, but lost most of his passed pawns.
The position is now balanced.} Nc2 $6 (52... Be7 53. c6 Ra4+ 54. Kb1 Rb4+ $11)
53. Rc1 Nd4 54. Bd3 $6 (54. Bg4 $1 {[%csl Rf6][%cal Gc1e1] would force Black
to fight for a draw. His bishop is clumsy for the moment.}) 54... Ra4+ 55. Kb1
$6 (55. Kb2 $1 {was more precise, though at first sight it doesn't seem
logical to put the king on the long diagonal facing the black bishop.} Ke6 56.
Rh1 $11) 55... Nb3 $1 56. Re1+ Kd5 57. Kc2 (57. Rxf6 Ra1+ 58. Kb2 Rxe1 59. Kxb3
h2 60. Bc4+ Kxc5 61. Rf5+ Kd4 (61... Kd6 62. Bd5 f3 63. Bxf3 Re3+ 64. Kc2 Rxf3
65. Rh5 Rf2+ 66. Kd3 $11 {[%cal Gd3e3]}) 62. Rxf4+ Ke3 63. Rh4 $11) 57... Nd4+
58. Kb1 $6 (58. Kc1 $1 Nf3 (58... Be5 59. Rh6 $11) 59. Rd1 Ra1+ 60. Bb1+ {
Compared to the game White has this important move.}) 58... Nf3 59. Rd1 $2 {
The losing move. It's a pity that Vladimir collapsed under pressure.} ({After} 
59. Rxf6 $1 Nxe1 60. Bf1 h2 61. Rh6 {White could still save the day.}) 59...
Ra1+ 60. Kc2 Rxd1 61. Ba6 (61. Kxd1 h2 62. Rh6 Bh4 $19) 61... Rd2+ 62. Kc1 Bb2+
63. Kb1 Kxc5 64. Bb7 Ne5 65. Rf6 f3 66. Rf5 f2 {A dramatic end for this highly
turbulent game. This game had a great impact on the whole tournament. Kramnik
collapsed in the following rounds, while Caruana gained confidence and
eventually won the event, earning the right to challenge Carlsen in the world
championship match!} 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.22"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. O-O Rb8 7. e3 Be7 $5 {
A relatively rare move, introducing an interesting plan.} ({Caruana intends
using an improved version of a plan advocated by... Mamedyarov himself! The
main line goes:} 7... a6 8. Nfd2 e5 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. dxe5 Ng4 11. Nxc4 Be6 12.
Nbd2 h5 13. f3 (13. h3 h4 14. hxg4 hxg3 15. Qf3 Bd5 16. e4 Qh4 17. Qg2 gxf2+
18. Rxf2 Bc5) 13... Rb4 {Matlakov,M (2730)-Naiditsch,A (2702) Heraklio 2017 
(1-0, 57), resulting into a slightly better ending for White. I have inserted
these moves here to make the comparison between the similar lines easier.}) 8.
Nfd2 ({The main alternative requiring investigating is} 8. Qe2 b5 9. a4 ({
Unfortunately,} 9. b3 {does not force ...cxb3, which would probably transpose
to a pleasant tabiya as Black can play} O-O {when retrieving the pawn hands
over the initiative:} 10. bxc4 bxc4 11. Qxc4 Nb4) (9. Rd1 O-O 10. e4 {is a
worthy and thematic alternative, but White only gets reasonable compensation
for the pawn.}) 9... a6 10. axb5 axb5 {Krasenkow,M (2530)-Kelecevic,N (2410)
Wattens 1990 (1-0, 45)} 11. b3 $5 cxb3 12. Nbd2 (12. Nfd2 Nb4 13. Nxb3 O-O 14.
Rd1 Bb7 15. e4 {Once again White's compensation is beyond doubt, but with the
a-file open things are less clear than in the aforementioned tabyia.}) 12...
O-O 13. Nxb3 (13. Bb2 Bb7 14. Rfc1) 13... Bb7 14. e4 Ra8 15. Bb2 Rxa1 16. Rxa1
{I believe that this or the line with 9.Rd1 above should be the main
directions for further investigations, as the game continuation seems to be
offering Black enough dynamic ideas.}) 8... e5 $1 {The point behind the
"Mamedyarov system deferred". Other moves allow White to stabilise.} (8... Na5
$6 9. Qa4+ c6 10. b4 cxb3 11. axb3 b6 12. b4 Nb7 13. Bxc6+ $16 {Tadic,B (2442)
-Todorovic,G (2487) Backa Palanka 2002 (1-0, 46)}) (8... O-O 9. Qe2 Qd7 10.
Nxc4 b5 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. dxe5 Nd5 13. e4 $14) (8... Qd7 9. Nxc4 b5 10. Ne5 Nxe5
11. dxe5 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Nd7 13. f4 $14) 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. dxe5 Ng4 11. Nxc4 Be6
{With respect to "Mamedyarov's" system mentioned above, Black has played ...
Be7 instead of ...a6. Abstractly this is positive, as the pawn move cannot
count for development. Concretely things are not that one-sided, as Black does
not have ...Qh4 after he sacrifices the knight with ...h4xg3. But the bishop
can be useful after the foreseeable ...Qd3, as it can defend the rook on h4 or
could go "personally" to that square.} (11... Qxd1 {activates White's pieces.}
12. Rxd1 Ba6 (12... Be6 $14) 13. Nbd2 Rd8 14. b3 Bxc4 15. bxc4 Nxe5 {Prakken,G
(2167)-Bezemer,A (2280) Bregenz 2017 (0-1, 36)} 16. Bb2 $16) 12. Nbd2 (12.
Qxd8+ Rxd8 13. Nbd2 Bb4 {Van der Stricht,G (2424)-Hausrath,D (2507) Belgium
2008 (½-½, 21) offers White little.}) 12... h5 (12... Rb4 {, suggested by
Mamedyarov, is an inaccurate move order due to} 13. b3 h5 14. h3 $16 {White
threatens Ba3 and Black has no favourable way of continuing the attack:} h4 15.
hxg4 hxg3 16. fxg3 Qd5 (16... Bd5 17. e4 $18) 17. Qf3 $18) (12... Qd3 {played
in a slightly later game is also interesting:} 13. Re1 $6 (13. b3 h5 {may
transpose below after having avoided f2-f3.}) 13... Nxf2 $1 14. Kxf2 Bxc4 15.
Nxc4 Qxc4 16. b3 Qc3 17. Qd4 Qc2+ 18. Re2 Qg6 $13 {Pacheco,H (2111)-Tsuboi,E 
(2223) Sao Paulo 2018 (½-½, 61)}) 13. f3 (13. h3 Qd3 (13... h4 14. hxg4 hxg3
15. Qf3 $16 {This would be good for Black in Mamedyarov's system due to the
possible 15...Qh4.}) 14. b3 Rd8 $3 {A quiet move, bringing new resources into
play.} (14... h4 15. hxg4 hxg3 16. Qf3 Qh7 17. Qxc6+ {It is useful to deprive
the bishop of its stability on d5.} Kf8 18. Qg2 Bd5 19. f3 $18) 15. Qf3 (15.
hxg4 hxg4 {Planning ...Qh7.} 16. e4 {The only move.} Bc5 {/\...Qxg3} 17. Kg2
Bxf2 18. Rxf2 Rh3 {and White is forced to play} 19. Rf3 gxf3+ 20. Qxf3 $15) (
15. Bb2 h4 16. Qb1 Qe2 17. Qe1 Qd3 $11) 15... Bd5 16. Qf4 g5 17. Qd4 Qh7 {
with dangerous counterplay.}) (13. Qf3 Bb4 14. Qxc6+ Kf8 15. Qg2 h4 16. h3 Nxf2
17. Rxf2 hxg3 18. Rf4 Rxh3 19. b3 Kg8 $5 $44) 13... Qd3 $6 {This leads almost
by force to a better ending for White.} ({It is curious that Caruana refrained
from} 13... Rb4 {which is the best move in the line with ...a6 instead of ...
Be7, too.} 14. fxg4 {This is the safest, even though Black has practically an
extra tempo with respect to the twin line.} (14. b3 Nxe3 15. Nxe3 Qd4 16. Qc2
Qxe3+ 17. Kg2 Qe2+ 18. Rf2 Qa6 $132) (14. Qe2 h4 15. fxg4 hxg3 16. b3 (16. h3
Bd5 17. Rf3 Rxc4 18. Nxc4 Rxh3 19. Qg2 Rh4) 16... Rxh2 17. Qf3 Qd3 18. Qxg3 Rh4
19. Rf4 Bd5 $36) 14... Bxc4 15. Nxc4 Qxd1 (15... Rxc4 16. Qb3 Qd5 17. gxh5 Rxh5
18. Rd1 Qb5 19. Qd3 $36) 16. Rxd1 Rxc4 {and White's advantage may be more
questionable than with ...a6 instead of ...Be7..} 17. Rd4 Rxd4 (17... Rc2 18.
Rd2 Rc5 19. gxh5 Rxh5 20. b3 Rcxe5 21. Re2 Bc5 22. Bd2 Re6 23. Kg2) 18. exd4
hxg4 19. Bd2 Kd7 20. Rc1 Rb8 21. b3 {In view of this possible improvement, the
discussion in this line remains open.}) 14. fxg4 Bxc4 15. Nxc4 Qxc4 16. gxh5
Qe6 17. Qf3 {Possibly not the best move. White had two ways to continue the
queenside development.} (17. Bd2 Rxb2 (17... Qxe5 18. Qf3 O-O 19. Rac1) 18. Bc3
Rb5 19. Qf3 $14) (17. b3 Qxe5 18. Rb1 Qxh5 19. Rb2 $14) 17... Rb5 18. Qf5 Rxe5
19. Qxe6 Rxe6 20. Rf5 Rd6 21. Kg2 Rd1 22. b3 {Black has achieved good
counterplay but still needs to display some accuracy.} g6 $1 (22... Ba3 23. Rf1
Rxf1 24. Kxf1 Bxc1 25. Rxc1 Rxh5 26. h4 Kd7 27. Ke2 $14) (22... Bf6 23. Rb1 $14
{/\Rf1}) 23. Re5 (23. Rf2 Rxh5 24. Bb2 Rd3 25. Rc1 Ra5 26. Bd4 c5 27. Be5 Rxe3
28. Bxc7 $11) (23. hxg6 fxg6 24. Rf4 Rf8 $1 $11 {and White will never be able
to free himself from the pin.}) 23... c5 (23... Rxh5 {is simpler.} 24. Rxe7+
Kxe7 25. Ba3+ Rd6 $11) 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. e4 Rh7 26. h4 Rf7 27. Kh3 {White has
some practical chances now, but Caruana will defend accurately.} Rff1 28. Bg5
Rxa1 29. Rxe7+ Kf8 30. Rxc7 Rxa2 31. Be7+ Kg8 32. Rc8+ Kg7 33. Bxc5 Re2 34. e5
Rd1 35. Re8 Rd5 36. Bd6 Re3 37. Re7+ Kg8 38. Re8+ Kf7 39. Re7+ Kg8 40. b4 Rdd3
41. Kg4 Rxg3+ 42. Kf4 Rgf3+ 43. Ke4 Rfe3+ 44. Kf4 Rf3+ 45. Kg5 Rf7 46. e6 Rd5+
47. Kxg6 Rxd6 48. Rxf7 Rxe6+ 49. Rf6 Re4 50. b5 Rxh4 51. Ra6 Rh7 52. b6 Rg7+
53. Kh6 Rh7+ 54. Kg5 Rg7+ 55. Kf5 axb6 56. Rxb6 Rf7+ 57. Rf6 Rxf6+ 58. Kxf6
1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.24"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D41"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Ding Liren"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This game was played at the 12th round of the Candidates tournament. I had
just spoiled a winning position against Alexander Grischuk in the previous
round and scored my 11th continuous draw. So I didn't have much in the way of
expectations this time.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 {I deviated
from 4...c6 which was played in the 4th round and went for a line which became
popular thanks to the influence of Vladimir Kramnik.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3
7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13.
Rad1 (13. a4 {is considered as the main line, but hard to get any advantage
also.}) 13... Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 Re8 {The idea behind this quiet rook
move is simple, to control the e-file in case of d4-d5.} (15... Nf6 $2 16. d5
exd5 17. exd5 Qd6 18. Nd4) 16. h3 (16. d5 $5 exd5 17. exd5 Nc5 18. d6 Bxf3 19.
Rxe8+ (19. gxf3 Qd7) 19... Qxe8 20. gxf3 Qd7 (20... Qc6 $5) 21. Re1 Ne6 22. f4
Rc5 $13) 16... Nf6 {Now ...Nf6 is possible.} 17. Qf4 (17. d5 exd5 18. exd5
Rxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Qd6 (19... Nxd5 $2 20. Qe5 Rc5 21. Ng5) 20. Nd4 g6 (20... Re8)
21. Nb5 Qc5 22. Nxa7 Re8 23. Qd2 Bxd5 24. Bxd5 Nxd5 25. Qxd5 Re1+ 26. Kh2 Rxd1
27. Qxd1 Qc7+ 28. g3 Qxa7 $11) 17... Nh5 {It's important to prevent the idea
d4-d5 followed by e4-e5.} (17... h6 $6 18. d5 exd5 19. e5 $1 Nd7 20. Nd4 Nc5
21. Nf5 Rc7 22. Nd6 Rf8 23. Qe3 $36) 18. Qh2 (18. Qe5 Nf6) 18... h6 {Until now
I'm still following in the footsteps of Kramnik. Here my opponent came up with
a new move over the board.} 19. Ne5 {White is threatening d4-d5 or Nc4 now.} (
19. d5 exd5 20. exd5 Rxe1+ 21. Nxe1 Qf6 22. Nd3 Ba6 $1 23. Qe5 Bxd3 24. Qxh5
$11 {So,W-Kramnik,V}) 19... Nf6 {The knight can do little at the edge of the
board, so after some thought I decide to bring it back.} 20. Qf4 b5 $1 {
Depriving his knight of the c4-square and at the same time threatening ...a5...
a4.} 21. Re3 (21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. e5 a5 23. exf6 Qxf6 24. Qd6 Rc6 25. Qd7+ Qe7
26. Qxe7+ Kxe7 $11) 21... Rc7 {To prevent Rg3.} (21... a5 $5 22. Rg3 Kf8 $13)
22. Nd3 (22. Rg3 $2 Nh5) 22... Rc3 {I want to exchange a pair of rooks to
release the pressure on the kingside.} (22... a5 23. Nc5 a4 24. Bc2) 23. Nc5 ({
I was a bit worried about} 23. e5 Nd5 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Rg3 {but after} Kf8 $1
{Black stands well.}) 23... Rxe3 24. Qxe3 (24. Nxb7 $2 Rxe4) (24. fxe3 Qe7 $11)
24... Bc6 $11 {Now with the knight on c5, I have to beware of the potential
e4-e5 followed by Ne4.} 25. Rc1 Qb6 26. f3 {With the text it's clear that
White will no longer play e5.} (26. e5 $5 Nd5 27. Qg3 Ne7 $1 {clears the way
for the bishop} 28. Qg4 Kh8 $13) 26... Rd8 {Improving my position slowly.} 27.
Kf2 a5 28. g4 (28. Nxe6 $5 {leads to a drawish ending} fxe6 29. Bxe6+ Kf8 30.
d5 Qxe3+ 31. Kxe3 Bd7 (31... Bxd5 32. Rd1 $14) 32. Bxd7 Nxd7 33. Rc7 Ke8 34.
Kd4 a4 35. Rb7 Rc8 36. Rxb5 Rc2 37. e5 Rd2+ 38. Ke3 Rxa2 39. e6 Rxg2 40. exd7+
Kxd7 $11) 28... a4 29. Bc2 $6 {A step in the wrong direction. e2 is the better
square for the bishop.} (29. Bd1 Nd7 30. Nd3 Bb7 (30... Nb8 31. Be2 Be8 32. d5)
31. Be2 Qd6 32. Kg2 $13) 29... Nd7 $1 30. Bd3 (30. Nd3 Bb7 31. Bb1 Rc8 $15)
30... Nxc5 31. Rxc5 b4 {After the exchange of knights, the pawns start pushing.
Also my opponent was in time trouble, he had around 15 minutes at that point,
while I had 40.} 32. Bc4 {It's understandable that my opponent doesn't want to
stay passive, but after the text I have many decisive plans to support the
pawns, for example ...Rb8, ...b3 or ...b3 followed by ...a3.} (32. h4 $142 Be8
33. Bb1 b3 34. axb3 axb3 35. Qc3 b2 36. e5 Rb8 37. h5 Kf8 $1 38. Rc7 Ba4 39.
Ke2 Ke8 40. Kd2 Bd7 $17) 32... Bd7 (32... Be8 {is also possible:} 33. d5 b3 34.
axb3 a3 35. dxe6 a2 36. exf7+ Bxf7 37. Bxf7+ Kh8 $1 38. Qc3 a1=Q 39. Qxa1 Qxc5+
40. Kg3 Qc7+ $19) 33. g5 (33. h4 {is also hopeless:} Rb8 34. g5 hxg5 35. Qxg5
b3 36. axb3 axb3 37. h5 Qd6 $1) 33... hxg5 34. Qxg5 Be8 $1 (34... Rb8 {is less
clear:} 35. Qe7 Be8 36. Qc7 b3 37. Qxb6 Rxb6 38. axb3 axb3 39. Bd3 b2 40. Bb1)
35. Qe7 b3 36. axb3 a3 {That's the point behind my 34th move. Maybe this idea
was missed by my opponent.} 37. b4 Ra8 38. d5 {A nice try, unluckily loses to
the most straight forward way.} (38. Ra5 Qxd4+ 39. Kg2 Rxa5 40. Qxe8+ Kh7 41.
bxa5 Qxc4 42. Qxf7 Qe2+ 43. Kg3 Qe1+ 44. Kg2 Qxa5 $19) (38. Ba2 Qxb4 $19) 38...
a2 39. dxe6 a1=Q 40. exf7+ Bxf7 41. Bxf7+ Kh7 {It's important that the c5-rook
gets pinned.} 42. Qh4+ Qh6 43. Rh5 Qa7+ {The only winning move, but it's
simple enough，so White resigned. Finally I scored a win after the long
drawing streak in classical time control (20 games...), I was relieved.} (43...
Qd4+ $4 44. Kg2 Qdd2+ 45. Qf2 $11) 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.14"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E37"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7. Qc2 c5 8.
dxc5 Nc6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Nf3 Qf6 11. e3 Bg4 12. Be2 O-O 13. O-O Rfe8 14. Bd2
d4 15. Rad1 Nxd2 16. Rxd2 dxe3 17. Rd6 Re6 18. fxe3 Rxd6 19. cxd6 Bxf3 20. Bxf3
Qxd6 21. Qb3 Qe7 22. Bd5 Nd8 23. Rc1 Qd7 24. Qc4 Ne6 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. Qd4 Qxd4
27. exd4 Rf8 28. Rc7 Rf7 29. Rc8+ Rf8 30. Rc7 Rf7 31. Rc8+ Rf8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.26"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D77"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d5 6. c4 dxc4 7. Na3 c3 8. bxc3
c5 9. Re1 {Not the most popular move but it has been played by some of the top
GMs.} Nc6 10. Bb2 (10. e4 {looks natural; then after} Bg4 11. Bb2 (11. Nc2 Qa5
12. Bb2 Rfd8 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Qa4 $132 {0-1 (24) Lindstrom,A (1932)
-Akesson,R (2451) Vaxjo 2015}) (11. d5 Ne5 12. Rb1 e6 13. c4 Qa5 14. Re3 Bh6
15. Reb3 Bxc1 16. Qxc1 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 18. Rxf3 Nxe4 $11 {1/2 (37) Banusz,
T (2612)-Ceschia,I (2229) Nova Gorica 2016}) {Black's most logical reply is}
11... Ne8 $5 {Black obtained an excellent position in the following game:} 12.
e5 ({or} 12. Nc2 Nd6 13. Rb1 {1/2 (44) Tadic,B (2513)-Djukic,N (2539) Cetinje
2013} Nc4 14. Ba1 Qa5 $132) 12... Nc7 13. h3 Bf5 14. Qe2 Qc8 15. Kh2 cxd4 16.
cxd4 Nb4 17. Red1 Ncd5 18. Nh4 Be6 19. Rdc1 Qd7 20. Nc4 Rac8 {0-1 (89) Saeed,I
(2428)-Tomczak,J (2596) Warsaw 2017}) 10... Nd5 (10... Qb6 11. Nc4 Qa6 {
is probably worse although it has been seen in a number of games. Grandmasters
usually reply} 12. Ncd2 {[%cal Yd2b3]} (12. Nce5 $5 {is possible, too; here is
the latest game:} Bf5 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Qc1 Be4 15. Ba3 Nd7 16. Bh3 Bf5 (16...
Bxf3 $142 17. Bxd7 Bxe2 18. Bxc5 Rfd8 19. Bh3 e6 $14) 17. Bxf5 gxf5 18. e4 $16
{1-0 (38) Petrosian,T (2609)-Darini,P (2478) Sharjah UAE 2018}) {e.g.} 12...
Rd8 13. e4 (13. e3 $5) (13. Bf1 $5) 13... Bg4 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Nxf3 Nd7 16. Bf1
Qa5 17. d5 $14 {1/2 (35) Wen,Y (2618)-Zhao,Y (2195) Shijiazhuang 2015}) 11. Qc2
{A quiet continuation.} (11. Nc4 Nb6 12. Nxb6 Qxb6 13. Rb1 Qa6 14. Qb3 Be6 15.
Qa3 Qxa3 16. Bxa3 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. cxd4 Bxd4 19. Bxe7 Bxa2 20. Rxb7 Rfe8
$11 {1-0 (34) Atakisi,U (2373)-Strugnell,C (2271) Paracin 2017}) (11. Rb1 cxd4
12. cxd4 Nb6 13. e4 {- see 11.e4}) (11. e4 {is the most principled:} Nb6 12.
Rb1 (12. d5 Na5 $1 13. Rb1 Nac4 14. Nxc4 Nxc4 15. Ba1 e6 16. Bf1 exd5 17. exd5
Nd6 18. c4 Bg4 19. Qb3 Bxa1 20. Rxa1 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Re8 $11 {1/2 (45) Bellia,F 
(2452)-Valsecchi,A (2466) Milan 2015}) (12. h3 Na5 13. Bf1 (13. Rb1 {1/2 (45)
Efimenko,Z (2655)-Salem,A (2608) Warsaw 2016} Bd7 $11) (13. Qd3 Na4 14. Bc1 Bd7
15. Rb1 Rc8 16. Bd2 a6 17. d5 b5 $132 {0-1 (43) Socko,B (2593)-Salem,A (2638)
Riadh 2017}) 13... Be6 (13... Bd7 $5) 14. d5 Bd7 15. Rc1 e6 16. Qd2 c4 17. Rcd1
exd5 18. exd5 Qc7 $11 {0-1 (55) Picard,R (2326)-Tari,A (2510) Vienna 2015})
12... cxd4 $1 (12... Na5 13. Ba1 Bd7 14. Qe2 Rc8 15. d5 c4 16. Nd4 Rc5 17. Qe3
Na4 18. Rb4 $14 {1-0 (38) Eljanov,P (2717)-Tari,A (2518) Germany 2016}) (12...
Bg4 13. d5 Ne5 14. c4 e6 15. Qb3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 exd5 17. exd5 Re8 18. Bg2 Qd7
19. h3 Qf5 20. g4 Qf4 21. Re4 Qd2 22. Bc1 Qa5 23. Be3 $14 {1-0 (42) Meier,G 
(2647)-Van Wely,L (2656) chess.com INT 2018}) 13. cxd4 Bg4 14. Nc2 (14. d5 Bxb2
15. Rxb2 Ne5 16. Qb3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Rc8 19. h4 Qd6 20. Kg2 Qe5
21. Qe2 f5 $11 {1-0 (74) Giri,A (2776)-Grandelius,N (2573) Doha 2014}) 14...
Nc4 15. Bc3 Qd7 16. Qe2 Nb6 (16... Rac8 $5 17. Qxc4 $140 $2 Nxd4 $1) 17. Red1
Rac8 18. Ne3 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Na4 20. Ba1 Nxd4 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 $13 {0-1 (49)
Khismatullin,D (2617)-Lugovskoy,M (2436) Sochi 2016}) 11... cxd4 $146 {[%mdl 8]
} (11... Nb6 12. Rad1 Bf5 13. e4 Bg4 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Qc8 16. Bg2 $14 {
0-1 (67) Dreev,A (2652)-Puranik,A (2509) Bastia 2017}) 12. Nxd4 {A harmless
recapture leading to a symmetrical pawn structure.} (12. cxd4 {is not
dangerous, either, due to} Bg4 $132 {[%cal Yd8a5,Ya8c8]}) 12... Nf6 $5 13. Nxc6
bxc6 14. c4 (14. Bxc6 Rb8 {[%cal Yc8f5,Yf6g4,Yd8a5,Gb8b2] is quite risky for
White.}) 14... Bf5 $5 15. Qc1 (15. e4 Be6 16. e5 Nd7 17. Bxc6 Rc8 $44) 15...
Qc7 $11 16. Nc2 Rab8 17. Bc3 Bxc2 18. Qxc2 Ne8 19. h4 c5 20. Red1 Bxc3 21. Qxc3
Nf6 {White's bishop is not stronger than Black's knight because the position
is not open enough, and White's c4-pawn is fixed on a light square.} 22. Bf3 h5
23. Rab1 Rxb1 24. Rxb1 Rb8 25. Rb5 Ne8 26. Qe3 Rxb5 27. cxb5 Nd6 28. a4 c4 29.
Kg2 c3 30. Bc6 Qa5 31. Qc5 a6 32. e4 axb5 33. axb5 Kh7 34. e5 Nxb5 $4 $138 {
A tactical oversight.} ({After} 34... Nf5 {passed pawns of both sides are
equally strong, and the game should end in a draw, e.g.} 35. Be4 e6 36. Bd3 Kg7
{and} 37. Qc6 $2 {is bad due to} Nd4) 35. e6 $1 {[%mdl 64] Black overlooked
this blow under time pressure.} (35. Bxb5 $2 c2 36. e6 {(too late)} c1=Q 37.
Qxc1 Qxb5 38. exf7 Qd5+ $11) 35... Qa3 (35... fxe6 36. Qxe7+ Kh6 37. Qf8+ Kh7
38. Qf7+ Kh8 39. Qf6+ Kh7 40. Be4 $18) (35... c2 36. exf7 $18) 36. Qxb5 c2 37.
exf7 Kg7 38. Be4 $1 c1=Q 39. Qe8 {Black's pair of queens is useless.} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.19"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 c6 8. a4
b6 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Nxc4 c5 11. Rd1 Nbd7 12. b3 Rc8 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nfe5 Bxg2
15. Kxg2 Qc7 16. Nxd7 Nxd7 17. Qe4 Nf6 18. Qf3 Qc6 19. Qxc6 Rxc6 20. f3 Rfc8
21. e4 Kf8 22. Bf4 Be7 23. Rd3 Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Bxd8 25. Rd1 Be7 26. Ne5 Rc2+ 27.
Rd2 Rc3 28. Rd3 Rc2+ 29. Rd2 Rc3 30. Rd3 Rc2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E36"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 d5 7. Bg5 h6 8.
Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Nf3 c6 10. g3 Nd7 11. Bh3 b6 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Qc6 Rb8 14. O-O Rd8
15. Rfc1 Ba6 16. Bf1 Bc4 17. Qa4 a5 18. b3 b5 19. Qxa5 Bxb3 20. Rc7 Bc4 21. Qa7
Ra8 22. Qb7 Rab8 23. Qa7 Ra8 24. Qb7 Rab8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 {When Fischer took the Semi-Tarrasch
into his repertoire, he also experimented with this anti-Karlsbad move order.
It could lead to a transposition to the Semi-Tarrasch, but also lead to
independent play, as in this game.} 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Rb1 ({Deviating
from his previous win over Kramnik after} 7. Nf3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+
10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rc1 b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O h6 {Mamedyarov,S (2756)-Kramnik,V 
(2783) Shamkir 2015 CBM 166 [Krasenkow,M] (1-0, 76), featuring a complicated
battle.}) {The last move bears some optical similarity to the Grünfeld 8.Rb1
system, but the main idea is different. The rook prevents an early ...Bb4+
forcing the exchange of bishops, while in the Grünfeld it just removes the
queen from the bishop's range. In both cases, the rook also puts some pressure
on b7 but the move itself delays White's kingside development.} 7... Be7 8.
Bb5+ $5 {Forcing Black to deviate from the most natural way of developing,
based on ...Nc6 and ...Bb7.} ({There have been a few recent high level games
with the more neutral} 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Bc4 Nc6 (9... Qc7 {Matlakov,M (2728)
-Aronian,L (2799) Tbilisi 2017 CBM 181 [Krasenkow,M] (1-0, 27)}) 10. O-O b6 11.
Bf4 (11. d5 {Svidler,P (2749)-Hou,Y (2666) Geneva 2017 CBM 180 [Roiz,M] (1-0,
31)}) 11... Bb7 {Svidler,P (2755)-Radjabov,T (2710) Moscow 2017 CBM 179 
[Krasenkow,M] (½-½, 31)}) 8... Bd7 {Kramnik decides to keep the possibility
of ...Nc6, with pressure on d4. Even though d7 is in principle not the best
square for the bishop, after the enemy bishop's retreat it will count as a
whole tempo in the race for development.} (8... Nd7 {is aimed at keeping Black;
s play more flexible but the overall impression is that his position remains
more passive. Here is a brilliant attacking example.} 9. a4 O-O 10. Nf3 Nf6 (
10... b6 {would have two main drawbacks. It would expose the queenside to
a4-a5 and face the knight with the risk of being left out of play after e4-e5.
But the game manoeuvre is time consuming and will allow White develop his
initiative in the centre.}) 11. Bd3 Qa5 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. O-O Bd7 14. Re1 $14
Rad8 $2 {A natural developing move, which... immediately puts Black in a
critical position.} (14... cxd4 {opens the c-file for White, offering him
strong queenside pressure.} 15. cxd4 Rad8 16. a5 $16) ({With hindsight, it was
essential to take the d5-square under control with} 14... Bc6 $14) 15. e5 Nd5
16. c4 Nb4 17. Bxb4 cxb4 18. d5 $16 {WHite has a crushing space advantage and
unsurprisingly the next move will allow him to start a thematic attack.} Bc5
19. Bxh7+ $1 {This classical sacrifrice is a rare guest in modern high level
tournaments.} Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kh6 21. Qg4 exd5 22. Qh4+ Kg6 23. Qh7+ Kxg5 24.
Qxg7+ Kh5 25. g4+ Bxg4 26. Qh7+ Kg5 27. h4+ Kf4 28. Qh6+ {1-0 Wojtaszek,R 
(2716)-Naiditsch,A (2706) Trzcianka 2014} Kf3 29. Rb3+ {and mates next.}) 9.
Bd3 (9. Bxd7+ {frees Black's position and speeds up his development.} Nxd7 {
Now that Bxh7+ is not available anymore this looks correct.} 10. Rxb7 cxd4 11.
cxd4 Nb6 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2751)-Hou,Y (2652) Moscow 2017 (0-1, 60) Black
soon had to sacrifice the exchange on e7, but Black managed to defend.}) ({
This will eventually cause a new tempo loss, but} 9. Be2 {runs into} Bc6 {
forcing the unnatural} 10. Bf3 {when Black has several ways of developing his
initiative, for instance} cxd4 11. cxd4 Qa5+ 12. Bd2 Qa6 13. Ne2 Bb5 $132) 9...
cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc6 {Black keeps developing as White does not have the time to
take on b7 due to his hanging (more important) pawn on d4.} 11. Be2 $5 $146 {
Defending the bishop and keeping it safe from the knight's attack, but just
throwing away another tempo.} (11. Nf3 {allows Black more or less ot force the
exchange of bishops with} Nb4 12. O-O (12. Be2 {wastes a tempo and places the
bishop on a vulnerable square:} Nxa2 13. Bd2 a5 {Ensuring the knight's retreat.
} 14. Rxb7 Qc8 15. Rb2 Nc3 {exchanging one of the bishops with excellent play.}
) 12... O-O (12... Nxa2 {is dangerous now.} 13. Bd2 a5 14. Rxb7 Qc8 {First of
all, ...Nc3 is not a problem for White in the event of a rook retreat anymore
and secondly} 15. Rxd7 Qxd7 16. d5 {is likely to offer him dangerous
initiative for the exchange.}) 13. Ne5 Be8 14. Be3 Rc8 15. a3 Nxd3 16. Qxd3 f6
17. Nf3 Bc6 $15 {Poghosyan,S (2256)-Harutyunian,T (2520) Yerevan 2017 (0-1, 27)
with excellent play for Black due to his strong bishops and good control in
the centre.}) 11... Rc8 12. Nf3 {White finally tries catching up in
development, but Black can start the typical semi Tarrasch simplification plan
already.} (12. Rxb7 $2 Nxd4 $1 $17) 12... Qa5+ 13. Bd2 Bb4 14. Rb2 ({In one of
the semi-Tarrasch lines with similar black queenside play White reacts with} 
14. d5 {but here Black is a couple of tempi up and his bishop stands well on
d7, neutralising the central pawn. For instance} exd5 15. exd5 Bxd2+ 16. Qxd2
Qxd2+ 17. Kxd2 Na5 18. Rhc1 Ke7 $11) 14... Bxd2+ 15. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Na5
$11 {The game has reached a typical Grünfeld/Semi-Tarrasch ending. WHite has
more space but after exchanging two minor pieces Black has comfortable
development. In the long run, he can count on using his queenside majority and
the weak c4-square.} 17. Rbb1 {Preparing to start the fight for the c-file.} (
17. Ne5 f6 18. Nxd7 Kxd7 {would just help Black complete his development.})
17... Ke7 18. Rhc1 f6 {Restricting the enemy knight and taking measures
against the potential plan e4-e5 followed by a knight transfer to d6. This is
actually the start of a phase in which both sides will be concerned with
gaining space and control on both wings. Logically so, since breaks in the
centre are likely to favour the opponent.} 19. h4 Rhd8 20. Bd3 a6 21. Ke3 b5
22. g4 {Among others, an anticipation of ...Be8-h5.} Be8 {Black has completed
his global regrouping harmoniously. True to his (not always objective)
optimism displayed at the Candidates, Kramnik already thought he should start
playing for a win.} 23. Ng1 {White also has ambitions. The knight retreat
clears the path for the f-pawn, allowing a massive pawn attack and prepares to
block the c4-pawn with Ne2-c3 after ...Nc4+ followed by exchanges on c4.} Nc6 {
Planning to attack d4 with all available forces.} ({Due to the relative
weakness of the f4-square} 23... e5 $11 {comes strongly into consideration.
Whatever White does Black gets good control on the dark squares. For hidden
tactical reasons, Kramnik's plan fails to cross Mamedyarov's intentions.}) ({
But} 23... Nc4+ $2 {would justify White's last move after} 24. Bxc4 Rxc4 25.
Rxc4 bxc4 26. Ne2 $16 {[%cal Ge2c3]}) 24. Ne2 Rd6 25. Rd1 $6 {Prematurely
switching to defence.} ({True,} 25. a4 {is ineffective due to} bxa4 26. Bxa6
Ra8 27. Bb7 Ra7 {(Kramnik) when the passed a-pawn ensures Black at least equal
play.}) ({But White should have continued his attack with} 25. f4 $1 {since}
Rcd8 $6 {is ineffective because of} 26. Rc5 $3 $16 {Taking the d5-square under
control. White plans to increase his space advantage with h4-h5 and e4-e5 and
the tactical point is that} Nxd4 $6 {loses material to} (26... Kf8 {makes the
threat ...Nxd4 real and the point behind White's last move is revealed after}
27. e5 $1 {forcing Black to release the pressure on d4.}) 27. Rc7+ Kf8 28. e5
Rd5 29. Be4 $16) 25... Rcd8 26. Bc2 Na5 27. Bd3 Nc6 28. Bc2 $11 h5 $5 {The
same optimistic approach. For the time being Kramnik stays within the limits
of tolerable risk.} 29. g5 fxg5 (29... Na5 $11 {, returning to the move
repetition plan was still possible.}) 30. e5 R6d7 31. hxg5 {White's space
advantage has turned even more impressive but Kramnik had put (too) big hopes
into his passed pawn.} h4 $4 {Showing a complete loss of objectivity. Where is
this pawn going to all by itself?} ({Once again} 31... Na5 {would have ensured
the equality as White's avoiding the repetition would offer Black counterplay:}
32. f3 Nc4+ 33. Kf2 Rc7 34. Bd3 Bc6 $132 {threatening ...Rf8.}) 32. g6 $2 {
Strategically a desirable move, but concretely an inaccuracy, allowing Black
one more chance to return onto the right path.} ({Since Black is not
threatening much, White should have eliminated once and for all the
counterplay around the c4-square with:} 32. Rbc1 $1 Na5 ({Or if} 32... h3 33.
Bb3 {Black's lack of space prevents him from keeping the pressure on d4, so
after} Na5 34. Rh1 {he simply loses the daring pawn.}) 33. Bd3 Bh5 34. f3)
32... Na5 $1 ({Kramnik thought} 32... h3 {would offer better chances "for an
advantage" but delaying the queenside counterplay once again dooms the h-pawn:}
33. Rbc1 h2 34. f4 $16 {Now that g6 is attacked, White needs to clear the
c-file with Be4, but first he has to prevent ...Nxe5.} h1=Q {fails to bring
any relief:} 35. Rxh1 Nxd4 36. Nxd4 Rxd4 37. f5 exf5 38. Bxf5 $18 {with a
decisive attack based on Rc7+ and Rh8/h7.}) 33. Rbc1 {It is Mamedyarov who
does not agree to a draw, but the position remains balanced.} Rc7 ({If} 33...
Nc4+ 34. Kf4 {the king is safe as Black cannot play ...Rf8 soon.}) 34. Bd3 Rdc8
$2 (34... Nc4+ $6 35. Bxc4 Rxc4 36. Rxc4 bxc4 37. Rh1 Bxg6 38. Rxh4 $14 {
[%cal Ge2c3] offers White the more pleasant play.}) ({From the wide range of
lines suggested by Kramnik as ways to prove an advantage, the best chance 
(actually mainly for... equality) was} 34... Rxc1 35. Rxc1 Bc6 36. Be4 (36. Nf4
{is safer:} Rh8 37. Bf1 Nc4+ 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Rxc4 Kd7 $11 {with adequate
compensation for the pawn.}) 36... Nc4+ 37. Rxc4 {Actually the analysis was
abruptly interrupted here as Kramnik switched to something different.} bxc4 38.
Bxc6 h3 39. Nc3 h2 $15 {The rook is at least as strong as the minor pieces,
since the black passers need permanent surveillance and d4 is hanging.}) 35.
Rxc7+ Rxc7 36. Rh1 Nc4+ 37. Kf4 $18 {White wins a pawn and keeps his huge
space advantage.} Nb2 ({Kramnik put the blame for his loss on an optical
illusion. When entering this line he initially thought his rook would be on c8
so after} 37... Bc6 38. Rxh4 {38...Rf8+ he would have got the initiative. But
Mamedyarov rightly pointed out that even in such a hypothetical case White
would retain a big advantage with 39.Kg5 Rxf2 40.Nf4, protecting the king
against checks and threatening Rh7.}) 38. Be4 b4 39. Rxh4 Nd1 40. f3 (40. Rh7
$18 Kd8 41. Kf3 {[%cal Ge2f4]}) 40... Nc3 41. Nxc3 bxc3 42. Rh2 $5 {A patient
move, neutralising Black's chances for counterplay.} (42. Rh7 Kd8 43. Bc2 Rb7
44. Rh8 Ke7 45. Ke3 Rb2 46. Be4 Rg2 $132 {Mamedyarov}) 42... Rc8 43. Ke3 Bb5
44. f4 Bc4 45. Rh7 Rg8 46. a3 ({The post mortem concluded that the thematic} 
46. d5 {would be premature as it offered Black saving chances after} exd5 47.
Bc2 Ke6 48. Kd4 Rf8 49. f5+ Rxf5 50. Bxf5+ Kxf5 {but White wins with} 51. Rh2 {
since} Kxg6 52. Rf2 {leaves the king cut off from the e-pawn.}) 46... a5 (46...
Bb3 47. Kd3 $18) 47. Bc2 (47. d5 $1 $18) 47... Kd7 48. d5 $5 {Clearing the
king's path.} ({But the simple} 48. Ke4 {planning Rc3 is at least as effective
as it does not give away the d-pawn.}) 48... Bxd5 49. Kd4 Ba2 50. Kxc3 Kc6 51.
Rh2 Kc5 {Black has achieved some counterplay, but due to White's huge space
advantage it will not be enough to save the game.} 52. Rd2 Rh8 {Making the
third rank check a first priority.} (52... Rf8 53. Rd7 Rxf4 54. Rxg7 $18) 53.
Rd7 Rh3+ 54. Kb2 Bd5 55. Rxg7 Kd4 (55... Rg3 56. Rd7 Kd4 57. g7 Rg2 58. a4 $3 {
A subtle move preparing the decisive f4-f5.} ({The post mortem went} 58. f5
Kxe5 59. fxe6 Bxe6 60. Re7 {concluding that White wins due to the threat Rxe6+
followed by g8Q and Bb3+, but} a4 $3 $11 {prevents Bb3, saving the game.})) 56.
Rh7 Rg3 57. Rh5 Rg2 58. Rg5 Rf2 59. g7 Be4 60. g8=Q Rxc2+ 61. Kb3 {Black's
perfect coordination does not compensate for the huge material disadvantage,
of course.} Rc3+ 62. Ka4 Rc5 63. Rg2 Bf3 64. Qd8+ 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

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. Re1 Bd6 {The Marshall Gambit has
been a part of praxis for many years, but White has not been able to break it.
After many years of trying for an advantage with 13.d4, White has now shifted
his attention to 13.d3.} 13. d3 Bf5 14. Qf3 Qh4 15. g3 (15. Qxf5 Qxh2+ 16. Kf1
Rfe8 $19 {White is already in big trouble.}) 15... Qh3 16. Be3 {This is
White's latest attempt to get an advantage with a lot of top players already
having played it.} (16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Qxd5 Rad8 18. Qg2 Qxg2+ 19. Kxg2 Bxd3 {
The bishop pair compensate for the missing pawn and Black is doing pretty well
here.}) 16... Bxd3 17. Nd2 (17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Qxd5 Rad8 $1 19. Qf3 Bc4 20. Nd2
Be6 {was drawn in the game Anand vs Aronian 2008.}) 17... Qf5 (17... Rfe8 {
This would be incorrect because the face off of the rooks down the e-file
works in White's favour.} 18. Bxd5 cxd5 19. Qxd5 Rad8 20. Bb6 $18) 18. Bd4 Rfd8
$5 {One cannot say that this is entirely a new idea. Maxim Matlakov had played
it a month ago in Feb 2018. But at the highest level we can say that it is
Ding Liren who introduced this move. The idea of the move is to keep an eye on
the d5 knight. Black would want to put his bishop on f8 and then push his pawn
to c5.} (18... Rfe8 {has been Aronian's favourite. Black has held his own in
most of the games except for one where Aronian lost to Caruana in 2014.}) 19.
a4 {White would like to keep the pawn on a4 and keep the tension in the
position. It's quite irritating for Black because he can never release the
tension. He has to be alert for White taking on b5 and then penetrating with
his rook.} (19. Kg2 Bf8 20. Qxf5 Bxf5 21. Ne4 a5 (21... Bxe4+ 22. Rxe4 c5 23.
Be5 $14) 22. a4 b4 $132) 19... h6 {Black makes a useful move avoiding any back
rank tricks.} ({Just a week after the game, this was played at the European
Championship. And it was a very well played game by Hrant Melkumyan.} 19... Bf8
20. axb5 axb5 21. Bxd5 cxd5 22. Qxf5 Bxf5 23. b4 f6 24. Kg2 Ra4 25. Rxa4 bxa4
26. Ra1 Bd7 27. Nf3 Kf7 28. Be3 Rc8 29. Ra3 g5 30. Nd4 Bd6 31. Kf1 Be5 32. Ke2
h5 33. Kd3 h4 34. Ra1 Kg6 35. Rg1 h3 36. Rb1 Bf5+ 37. Nxf5 Rxc3+ 38. Kd2 Kxf5
39. f4 gxf4 40. gxf4 Rxe3 41. Kxe3 Bxf4+ 42. Kd3 Bxh2 43. Rh1 Be5 44. Rxh3 a3
45. Rf3+ Ke6 46. Rf2 Kd6 47. Rg2 Kc6 {0-1 (47) Palac,M (2546)-Melkumyan,H 
(2664) Batumi 2018}) 20. h4 {Usually in this position none of the players want
to take their opponent's queen. For example if Black took on f3 then after
Nxf3 the knight would be very well placed looking at the d4 and e5 squares.} (
20. Kg2 {I have a feeling that Kg2 in general can be more useful than h4 as
then the knight need not keep defending the queen and can move to e4.} Bf8 21.
axb5 axb5 22. Rxa8 Rxa8 23. Ne4 Qxf3+ 24. Kxf3 b4 25. Rd1 Ba6 26. c4 Nc7 27.
Bb6 (27. Ra1 c5 $11) 27... Ne6 28. c5 Bb5 $13) 20... Rac8 21. axb5 axb5 22.
Bxd5 {In many ways after this exchange, Black is out of danger.} (22. Ra7 {
was possible but Black can now aim to take the e-file with} Bf8 (22... Re8 23.
Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Qxf5 Bxf5 25. Ra6 {seems a tad uncomfortable, but Black should
be able to hold on after} Ne7 $14 {/=}) 23. Re5 Qxf3 24. Nxf3 f6 25. Re3 $5 Bg6
26. Bb6 Kh8 $1 27. Bxd5 Rxd5 $11 {Black is doing fine.}) 22... cxd5 23. Qxf5
Bxf5 24. Ra5 {Black's pawns are weak, but the bishop pair compensates for them.
} b4 $1 25. Rxd5 Be6 26. Ra5 (26. Rb5 Ra8 {Wesley was not too comfortable with
his rook stuck on b5 and the black rook penetrating with ...Ra2.}) 26... bxc3
27. Bxc3 Rb8 28. Nf1 Bb4 29. Raa1 Bc5 (29... Bxc3 30. bxc3 Rb2 31. Rac1 Ra8 $11
{And this should be a draw.}) 30. Ne3 Rd3 31. Red1 Rbd8 32. Rxd3 Rxd3 33. Rd1
Rxd1+ 34. Nxd1 Bb3 35. Ne3 Bxe3 36. fxe3 Kf8 37. Kf2 {A very clinical game by
Ding Liren. The idea of Rfd8 held its ground. The question is: Where is
White's opening advantage?} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.19"]
[Round "8"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "129"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 {Recently Caruana had a
few games in this Petroff line.} 6. d3 ({In round 4 Kramnik played} 6. Nc3 {
against Caruana,} Nxc3 7. dxc3 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 Nc6 9. Be3 Be7 10. O-O-O O-O 11.
Rhe1 Bf6 12. Nd2 Re8 13. Bf3 Ne5 14. Bf4 Kf8 15. Bd5 c6 16. Bb3 Bf5 17. h3 g5
18. Bh2 Kg7 $11 {Kramnik-Caruana, Berlin 2018, with a balanced position, which
later Black managed to win.}) 6... Nf6 7. Nc3 Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 g6 9. Bg5 ({
In January Carlsen continued with} 9. Nd4 a6 10. Bf4 Bg7 11. h3 Bd7 12. Bf3 Nc6
13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxc6+ bxc6 15. O-O-O Kd7 16. Rhe1 Rhe8 17. Ne4 Nd5 18. Bd2 f5
19. Ng5 h6 20. Nf3 g5 $11 {Carlsen-Caruana, Wijk aan Zee 2018, with an equal
position.}) 9... Bg7 10. O-O-O (10. Bxf6 $6 {is dubious, because of} Bxf6 11.
Nd5 Bd8 $15 {followed by ...c6 and Black is fine with his bishop pair.}) 10...
O-O $146 {The first new move in the game.} (10... h6 11. Bd2 Bd7 12. Rde1 O-O
13. Bd1 a6 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Rxe4 Nc6 16. h3 Rae8 17. Rhe1 Rxe4 18. Rxe4 Re8 $11
{C.Foisor-M.Foisor, Warsaw 2011}) 11. Rhe1 h6 12. Bh4 Nc6 13. d4 a6 14. a3 ({
The tempting} 14. d5 $6 {could have been met by} Ne7 {preparing for ...Nf5.}
15. Bxa6 Nexd5 $1 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Bc4 Nf4 $15 {and Black looks nicely placed.
}) 14... Bd7 15. d5 Na7 16. Nd4 Nc8 {Black immediately activates his knight.
He would like to put it on b6.} 17. Nb3 g5 18. Bg3 Re8 19. Na5 b5 (19... b6 20.
Nc6 {is similar, but ...b5 looks more useful, because the black knight can go
to b6.}) 20. f3 (20. Bf3 $2 {is bad, because of} Nb6 $17 {followed by ...h5
and White is in trouble.}) ({Probably the knight manoeuvre with} 20. Na2 $5 {
was more accurate,} Nb6 (20... Ne4 21. Bd3) 21. Nb4 Ne4 22. c3 {and White
holds the dark squares on the queenside.}) 20... Nh5 21. Bf2 Nf4 22. Bf1 Nb6 {
Suddenly Black becomes active and the d5-pawn is weak.} 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Bxb6
{Otherwise ...Bxc3 and ...Nbxd5.} cxb6 25. Nb7 Be5 26. Ne4 Rb8 (26... g4 $1 $15
{was stronger, to create a weakness on f3.}) 27. Nexd6 ({Of course} 27. Nbxd6
$2 {loses immediately, because of} f5 $19 {.}) 27... Ng6 $1 {It is very
important to come back with the knight.} ({In the event of} 27... Kf8 28. g3
Ng6 29. Bd3 Ke7 30. Re1 $16 {and suddenly Black is in big trouble.}) 28. g3 Ne7
29. a4 Nf5 (29... bxa4 30. Bxa6 {only helps White.}) 30. Nxf5 Bxf5 {The
b7-knight seems trapped, but White finds great counterplay.} 31. Re1 f6 32.
Rxe5 $1 {An exchange sacrifice, but the knight can come back on d6 and he gets
pawns for it.} fxe5 33. Nd6 Bd7 34. axb5 axb5 35. Bxb5 Bxb5 36. Nxb5 Rf8 {
Black wins back a pawn, but White is active, so he has some compensation.} 37.
Kd2 Rxf3 38. Ke2 g4 39. Nd6 ({The impatient} 39. d6 $2 {could have been met by}
Kf7 $19 {and White will lose the d6-pawn.}) 39... h5 40. Nc4 b5 41. Nxe5 Rf5
42. Ng6 Kf7 43. Nf4 h4 44. Ng2 ({The careless} 44. Kd3 $4 {is a blunder, as}
Rxf4 $1 45. gxf4 g3 46. hxg3 h3 $19 {and he can't stop the h-pawn.}) ({If} 44.
Ke3 Re5+ {and the king has to go back.}) 44... hxg3 45. hxg3 Rf3 $1 {The best
practical chance.} ({In the event of} 45... Rxd5 46. Ne3 Rd4 (46... Rg5 47. Kd3
$11) 47. c3 Ra4 48. Kd3 $11 {and easy draw for White.}) 46. Ne3 Rxg3 47. c4 (
47. Kf2 $4 {is a big mistake, because} Rf3+ 48. Ke2 Rf4 $19 {and Black could
cut the white king off from the g-pawn.}) 47... bxc4 48. d6 $1 {The most
precise solution.} Ke6 49. Nxc4 Rf3 50. d7 $1 Rf8 51. Ne3 g3 52. d8=Q Rxd8 53.
Kf3 Rd3 {Still the engine gives -+, but the position is drawish already.} (
53... Rg8 54. b4 $11) 54. Kf4 Rb3 55. Ng2 Kd5 56. Nh4 Kc4 57. Kg4 Rd3 58. b4 (
58. Kh3 {is also fine,} Kd4 59. Nf5+ Ke5 60. Nh4 $11 {and draw.} ({But not} 60.
Nxg3 $4 Kf4 $19)) 58... Rb3 (58... Kxb4 59. Kh3 Kc4 60. Nf5 $11) 59. b5 Kd5 60.
b6 Ke4 61. b7 Rxb7 62. Kxg3 Rg7+ 63. Kf2 Rg4 64. Ng2 Rxg2+ 65. Kxg2 {A nice
fighting game!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5
8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bf4 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. c3 d5 14. Bd3
g6 15. Qe2 c6 16. Nd2 Ng7 17. Re1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Nf3 Ng7 20. Be5 Ne6 21.
Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Ne5 Re8 23. g3 Ng7 24. Kg2 Re6 25. Qd1 Qe7 26. Nd3 Rxe1 27. Qxe1
Qxe1 28. Nxe1 Nf5 29. Nd3 Kf8 30. g4 Nd6 31. h4 h6 32. f3 Ke7 33. Kf2 g5 34.
hxg5 hxg5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D41"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8.
cxd4 Bb4+ {The pseudo-Grunfeld lines are always a little bit difficult for
both sides to play, but when played correctly they are level.} 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.
Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 (11. Rc1 $5 {is a nice subtlety, the point being that Bd3 is
good against ...Nd7 but less so against ...Nc6. Here, Black has to commit
first.} b6 12. Bd3 $32) 11... Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3
{We have arrived at a tabiya.} Re8 {Not a novelty, but a sign of preparation
nevertheless.} (15... Qf6 {is the most common move - the idea is just to play
down the long diagonal with ...Qg6, intending maybe ...f5 under certain
circumstances, and ...Nf6 under others.} 16. d5 $5 {To my mind this is the
only move worth being afraid of.} (16. Qe3 Rfd8 $11 {Wang,Y-Li,C China 201,
isn't too troublesome,}) 16... Nc5 17. Nd4 Rfd8 (17... e5 18. Nf5 $1 Nxe4 19.
Nh6+ $1 Qxh6 20. Qxh6 gxh6 21. Rxe4 Rfd8 22. f4 $1 $16 {Ruck,R-Korpa,B
Zalakaros 2015}) 18. f4 $5 exd5 19. e5 Qe7 20. Nf5 $44) (15... h6 $5 {is one
other move which makes total sense - against White's Qf4 Black will be able to
play ...Qf6 with tempo.}) 16. h3 Nf6 17. Qf4 Nh5 18. Qe5 Nf6 19. Qf4 Nh5 20.
Qh2 h6 21. d5 (21. Ne5 $5 {could actually be a better try for an edge.
Depending on circumstances, White intends either Nc4-d6 or f4-f5.} Qd6 (21...
Nf6 22. Qf4 Qc7 23. h4 $36) 22. Ng4 (22. f4 Rc3 {drums up too much counterplay}
) 22... Qxh2+ 23. Kxh2 Kf8 $11 {White still has his space, and I think the odd
dance of the knights at the edge of the board can only be to his benefit.})
21... exd5 22. exd5 (22. e5 $5 {was a remarkable idea suggested on chess24.
Black has to be quite careful his knight doesn't end up trapped.} g6 23. Nd4
Qd7 $1 {Black needs to blockade on e6.} (23... a6 {is too slow:} 24. Re3 {
followed by e6 gives White really good compensation.}) 24. g4 Ng7 25. Qf4 Kh7
26. Qf6 Rc7 $1 $15 {Next Black comes to e6. It can't be stopped.}) 22... Rxe1+
23. Nxe1 Qf6 24. Nd3 Ba6 {Right here the feeling was that Black was doing well,
but a bit of sober computer-aided analysis indicates otherwise.} 25. Qe5 $1
Bxd3 26. Qxh5 (26. Qxf6 Nxf6 27. Rxd3 Kf8 $1 $15 {is a nasty squeeze.}) 26...
Bc2 (26... Qf5 27. Qg4 Qxg4 28. hxg4 Bc4 $11 {is safer.}) 27. Rc1 (27. Qg4 $5 {
requires some accurate play to defuse:} Qf5 (27... Bf5 28. Qf4 $14) 28. Rc1 $5
Qxg4 29. hxg4 Bf5 $1 30. Re1 $1 Bxg4 31. Re7 Kf8 $1 32. Rxa7 Bd1 $3 $11) 27...
Bf5 28. Rxc8+ (28. Rc6 $5 {might just give White a tiny something:} Qa1+ (28...
Rxc6 29. dxc6 g6 30. Qf3 $14) 29. Kh2 Qe5+ 30. g3 Rd8 $1 31. d6 $5 $36 {
and Black will have to play some very precise chess to neutralise all the
tricks.}) 28... Bxc8 29. d6 g5 {At this point, I realised that it was Kramnik
pressing for the win, based on the purist's definition of a better bishop!} 30.
Qd1 Bd7 31. Qd5 Kg7 32. Qb7 Qa1+ 33. Kh2 Qe5+ 34. Kg1 Qxd6 35. Qxa7 h5 36. Qb7
h4 37. Qf3 Qe7 38. Qc3+ f6 {Black has completed his mission and can install
his queen on e5 in various ways to pretend that he's pressing.} 39. Qc4 Qe8 40.
Qb4 b5 41. a3 Qe5 42. Bd1 Bc6 43. Bf3 Be8 44. Kf1 Bf7 45. Be2 Be8 46. Bf3 f5 {
This was the only real try in the position - Black is going to try and arrange
...g4 by fair means or otherwise.} 47. Kg1 Bf7 48. Qd2 Kg6 49. Qc1 Be6 50. Qc6
Kf6 51. Qe8 (51. Qb6) 51... Qa1+ 52. Kh2 Qxa3 53. Qd8+ $1 (53. Qxb5 g4 $1 {
was the point of all the maneouvring. Now Black is at least posing some
questions to his opponent, e.g.} 54. hxg4 fxg4 55. Be2 g3+ 56. Kg1 Qa1+ 57. Bf1
Qd4 $15 {although it will be impossible to ever win against reasonable play.})
53... Qe7 54. Qh8+ Qg7 55. Qd8+ Kg6 56. Qe8+ Qf7 57. Qxb5 Qc7+ {Here Kramnik
offered a draw, having stretched the limits of human endurance in terms of how
long he tried to conjure something out of thin air. Alternatively, maybe the
patch of paint behind Wesley's head had finally finished drying.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.23"]
[Round "11"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D30"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 c6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Nc3 Nbd7 11. Rd1 Qb6 12. Ne5 Rfd8 13. Be3 Nd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5
15. Rac1 Rac8 16. Qd3 b4 17. Rxc8 Bxc8 18. Qc2 Nxe5 19. dxe5 d4 20. Bxd4 Rxd4
21. Qxc8+ Rd8 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Qxd8+ Bxd8 24. b3 Bc7 25. f4 Bb6+ 26. Kf1 Be3
27. h4 h5 28. Bh3 Kf8 29. Kg2 Ke7 30. Kf3 Bd2 31. e3 Be1 32. f5 exf5 33. Bxf5
g6 34. Bd3 Bc3 35. Kf4 Be1 36. Bc4 Bf2 37. Bd5 Be1 38. g4 hxg4 39. Kxg4 Bc3 40.
Kf4 Be1 41. Kg4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "155"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
{Avoiding the Marshall Attack.} b4 (8... Bb7 {is the main alternative, but
Levon always prefers to seize some space on the queenside.}) 9. a5 {Preventing
Nc6-a5 and also fixing the Pa6 as potential target. On the other hand the Pa5
might also become vulnerable.} (9. d4 d6 10. dxe5 dxe5 {leads to another
important tabia, where Levon also has a lot of experience. A few months ago
this line appeared in an interesting game between the same players:} 11. Nbd2
Bc5 12. a5 Be6 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Qe2 Ng4 15. Rf1 Bxf2+ $2 {Perhaps this was a
small bluff from Levon or maybe he just mixed up something.} (15... Nd4 16. Qc4
Qd6 {should be played}) 16. Rxf2 Nd4 17. Qc4 $2 (17. Qd3 $1 Nxf2 18. Kxf2 {
looks like a refutation of Black's idea. The queen should take part in the
defence.}) 17... Nxf2 18. Kxf2 Qh4+ 19. Kg1 Qg4 20. h3 Qg3 21. Qd3 Rxf3 22.
Nxf3 Rf8 23. Nxd4 Qe1+ 24. Kh2 Rf1 25. Qxf1 Qxf1 26. Nf3 $13 {1/2-1/2 (38) So,
W (2788)-Aronian,L (2805) London 2017}) 9... d6 10. d3 Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 {
Black has got rid of White's annoying bishop and the doubled pawns on the
e-file are not necessarily bad. The Pe6 covers the important squares d5 and f5.
} 12. Nbd2 Rb8 13. Nb3 (13. c3 Qe8 14. Nc4 Qg6 15. h3 Nd7 (15... Rb5 {looks
okay for Black. Later he can consider the aggressive manoeuvre Nf6-Nh5-Nf4})
16. Be3 d5 17. Ncd2 bxc3 18. bxc3 Nc5 19. Bxc5 Bxc5 20. Qa4 $14 {1-0 (52)
Carlsen,M (2822)-Aronian,L (2809) Saint Louis 2017}) 13... Qc8 $1 14. h3 $146 (
14. Qe2 Nd8 15. d4 exd4 16. Nbxd4 c5 17. Nb3 e5 18. Nbd2 Ne6 19. Nc4 Nd4 20.
Nxd4 cxd4 21. Nb6 Qc6 22. Bg5 Bd8 23. Bxf6 Bxb6 24. axb6 Rxf6 25. Rxa6 h6 26.
Qd3 Rxb6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (43) Caruana,F (2807)-Carlsen,M (2822) Saint Louis 2017})
14... Nd8 {Black wants to play c7-c5 and then return the knight back to c6,
getting more control in the centre.} (14... Na7 15. d4 exd4 16. e5 dxe5 17.
Nxe5 c5 18. Nc4 $44) 15. Be3 (15. d4 exd4 16. Qxd4 (16. e5 $6 {Here it doesn't
work. Compared to the line 14...Na7, the knight on d8 is more useful
protecting the Pe6.} dxe5 17. Nxe5 c5 18. Nc4 Nd5 {here White's compensation
is not sufficient.}) 16... c5 17. Qc4 d5 18. exd5 exd5 19. Qe2 Bd6 $11) 15...
c5 16. Nbd2 Nc6 17. c3 Rb5 {[%csl Ra5]} 18. d4 $1 {The Pa5 is attacked but
Wesley doesn't bother to defend it.} ({After} 18. Nc4 h6 {it's not clear what
White can do next. The d3-d4 push is not good anymore as the Pe4 and in some
lines the Nc4 will be hanging.}) 18... exd4 (18... cxd4 19. cxd4 Nxa5 20. Qe2
Qb7 21. Qd3 $14) (18... bxc3 19. bxc3 exd4 20. cxd4 c4 $1 21. Nxc4 Nxe4 22. Nb6
Qe8 23. d5 Nc3 24. Qd3 Nxd5 25. Nxd5 Rxd5 26. Qxa6 Bf6 {is okay for Black
according to an engine. Although a human player would be seriously concerned
about the a-passer.}) 19. cxd4 Nxa5 20. dxc5 (20. e5 dxe5 21. dxc5 Nd5 22. Ne4
Nxe3 23. Rxe3 Nb7 24. Nxe5 Nxc5 25. Rc1 Qd8 26. Qxd8 Rxd8 27. Nc6 Nxe4 28. Nxd8
Bg5 29. Nxe6 Bxe3 30. fxe3 a5 $11) 20... dxc5 21. Ra2 $1 {A useful and
somewhat mysterious rook move.} (21. Rc1 Rd8 22. Qa4 Qb7 {was another option,
but I like the move in the game.}) 21... Qb7 (21... Nd7 22. Qe2 Nb8 $1 {
This would be a good plan. Later Black will bring the knight from a5 to c6
back into play, then maybe rook back to b7. The knight from b8 protects the
Pa6. The position should be balanced, though it's easier to be on the White
side here.}) 22. b3 $1 {Simply playing for positional compensation. Black is
up a pawn, but he has numerous pawn weaknesses and his pieces on the queenside
are awkwardly placed. From a practical point of view it's much easier to
handle this position as White.} Kh8 {It appeares that this move is not
necessarily useful.} (22... Nxe4 23. Nxe4 Qxe4 24. Bg5 Qb7 25. Rd2 {[%cal
Gd2d7] White's forces are so harmonious, also thanks to 21.Ra2!} Qa7 $8 26.
Rde2 $1 $36) ({Again, the manoeuvre} 22... Nd7 {[%cal Ge7f6] was preferable.})
23. Qc2 Nd7 24. Rea1 Bd8 25. Nc4 Nxc4 26. Qxc4 Bf6 27. Rd1 Qc6 28. Rad2 {
The white rooks quickly switch to the d-file.} Nb6 29. Qc2 Qc7 $6 (29... Qc8
30. Rc1 Be7 31. h4 $14) 30. e5 $1 Be7 (30... Bxe5 $2 31. Ng5 $18 {[%csl Re6,
Rh7]}) 31. Nd4 {[%cal Gd4b5,Gd4e6]} Rc8 (31... Qxe5 32. Nxb5 axb5 33. Re2 Qc3
34. Rc1 Nd5 35. Qd2 Qf6 36. Bxc5 Nc3 37. Bxe7 Nxe2+ 38. Qxe2 Qxe7 39. Qxb5 $16)
32. Nxe6 {Of course. Who needs that silly rook on b5?!} ({After} 32. Nxb5 $6
axb5 {[%cal Gb6d5] Black would be okay. His pawn mass on the queenside has
potential.}) 32... Qxe5 33. Nf4 (33. Rd6 $3 {Stunning move.} c4 (33... Bxd6 $2
34. Ng5 $18 {[%cal Gc2h7,Gg5f7]}) 34. Bd4 Qxd6 35. Bxg7+ Kg8 36. Rxd6 Bxd6 37.
Qd1 $1 Rd5 38. Bd4 Kf7 39. Ng5+ $1 Rxg5 40. Bxb6 Ke7 41. Qf3 {[%cal Gf3b7] and
Black can't keep his passed pawn and coordinate his rooks.}) 33... Rf8 $2 {
This logical move is a fatal mistake.} (33... c4 $2 34. bxc4 Qf5 35. cxb5 $1
Rxc2 36. Rd8+ Bf8 37. Ne6 Rc8 38. Rxc8 Nxc8 39. Rd8 b3 40. Bd4 Kg8 41. Rxf8+
Qxf8 42. Nxf8 Kxf8 43. bxa6 $18 {[%cal Gg1f1,Gf1e2,Ge2d3]}) ({The variation
after 33...c4 underlines the drawback in Black's position - the weakness of
the back rank. Therefore, he should move his king away from h8.} 33... Kg8 $1
34. Re2 Bf8) 34. Re2 $1 Qc3 (34... Bf6 35. g3 $1 {[%cal Ge3d4]} Qc3 36. Qa2 $1
$18) 35. Qb1 (35. Qa2 $1 {was more precise, avoiding the exchange of queens
and attacking Pa6.}) 35... Qf6 36. Bc1 c4 (36... Qf7 37. Bb2 Bf6 38. Bxf6 Qxf6
39. Ne6 Rg8 40. Rd8 $1 c4 (40... Rxd8 41. Nxd8 Qxd8 42. Qe1 $18 {[%cal Ge2e8]})
{[%tqu "En","Find the best move for White.","","","e6f8","",10]} 41. Nf8 $1
Rxf8 42. Rxf8+ Qxf8 43. Qe1 {Black's pieces on the queenside are ridiculously
placed and can't help to prevent 44.Re8.} Nd7 44. Re8 Rb8 45. Rxf8+ Nxf8 46.
Qe5 Rc8 47. bxc4 b3 48. Qg3 b2 49. Qb3 Rxc4 50. Qxb2 {and White will win
eventually.}) 37. bxc4 Nxc4 38. Re6 {Black can not avoid heavy material losses.
} Qg5 (38... Qf7 39. Rd7 $18) 39. Ng6+ Qxg6 40. Rxg6 hxg6 41. Qe4 Bf6 42. Qxc4
b3 {This passed pawn is Black's last hope but White's material advantage is
just too big.} 43. Ba3 Rfb8 44. Rb1 b2 45. h4 $1 {The most accurate, fixing
the Pg6.} Ra5 46. Qd3 Rd8 47. Qb3 Rc8 48. Qb7 Rd8 49. Qb3 {Some of these queen
moves were not necessary, but the evaluation does not change - White is
winning.} Rc8 50. Qb4 Rb5 51. Qg4 Rc3 52. Bxb2 Rxb2 53. Rxb2 Rc1+ 54. Kh2 Bxb2
55. Qxg6 Ra1 56. g4 a5 57. Qh5+ Kg8 58. Qb5 Ba3 59. Qe5 Rd1 60. Qe6+ Kh7 61.
Qe4+ Kh8 62. Qa8+ Kh7 63. Qxa5 {Black's last hope has gone. Levon continued
for fifteen more pointless moves. I can easily understand his disappointment
with his overall result, but this particular game was a good achievement for
Wesley.} Bd6+ 64. Kg2 Rd4 65. Qf5+ Kh8 66. Qh5+ Kg8 67. g5 Kf8 68. Qg6 Be7 69.
Qf5+ Ke8 70. Kh3 Rd6 71. Qh7 Kf7 72. f4 Rd4 73. Qf5+ Ke8 74. Qe5 Rb4 75. Kg4
Kf8 76. Qf5+ Ke8 77. Qe6 Rd4 78. Qe5 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.26"]
[Round "13"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E37"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7. Qc2 c5 8.
dxc5 Nc6 9. Nf3 Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Qxc5 11. e3 Nxd2 12. Nxd2 dxc4 13. b4 Qf5 14. Qxf5
exf5 15. Bxc4 Ke7 16. Nf3 Be6 17. Bxe6 fxe6 18. Ke2 Rhc8 19. Rhc1 Nd8 20. Ne5
Nf7 21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. e4 Kf6 23. Ke3 g5 24. g3 h5 25. h3 g4 26. hxg4 hxg4 27.
f3 gxf3 28. Kxf3 Ke5 29. exf5 exf5 30. Re1+ Kf6 31. Rac1 Rxc1 32. Rxc1 Rd8 33.
Rc7 Rd3+ 34. Kf4 Rxa3 35. Rxb7 Ra4 36. Rb5 a5 37. Rxf5+ Kg7 38. Rg5+ Kf6 39.
Rf5+ 1/2-1/2

