[Event "Corus-B"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2005.01.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[Annotator "Aagaard,J"]
[PlyCount "227"]
[EventDate "2005.01.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 105"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.04.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. Qd3 Bd7 10. Nbd2 a6 11. Bc4 exd4 12. cxd4 g5 13. e5 $5 gxh4 $2 (13... d5
14. Bb3 gxh4 15. exf6 Qxf6 $13) 14. Qg6+ Kh8 15. Qxh6+ Nh7 16. Ne4 f5 (16...
Rg8 17. Nf6 Bf5 (17... Rg7 18. Bd3 $18)) 17. Nfg5 Qe7 18. Nf6 Qg7 19. Qxh7+
Qxh7 20. Ngxh7 Rfd8 21. Ng5 $16 dxe5 22. Nf7+ Kg7 23. dxe5 Nxe5 24. Nh5+ Kg6
25. Nxe5+ Kxh5 26. Be2+ Kg5 27. Nf7+ Kf6 28. Nxd8 Rxd8 29. Rad1 Re8 30. Bf3 Bc8
31. Rfe1 Rg8 32. Bd5 Rh8 33. Bb3 Bc5 34. Rd3 Bd6 35. Bd5 b6 36. g3 Bd7 37. Rf3
Rh5 38. Re4 hxg3 39. hxg3 f4 40. Rfxf4+ Bxf4 41. Rxf4+ Ke7 42. Rd4 c5 43. Rd2
b5 44. f4 c4 45. Kf2 a5 46. Ke3 Rh3 47. Rg2 Rh1 48. a4 b4 49. Bxc4 Bxa4 50. g4
Bc6 51. Rg3 Re1+ 52. Kd2 Rb1 53. b3 a4 54. Re3+ Kf8 55. bxa4 Bxa4 56. Bd3 Rb2+
57. Kc1 Rg2 58. g5 Be8 59. Re6 b3 60. Rb6 Rg4 61. Rf6+ Kg7 62. Bc4 Ba4 63. Bd5
Rg3 64. Kb2 Re3 65. Rb6 Re2+ 66. Ka3 Ra2+ 67. Kb4 Rf2 68. Rb7+ Kg6 69. Be4+ Kh5
70. Rf7 Be8 71. Rf8 b2 72. Kc3 Bg6 73. Rh8+ Kg4 74. Bxg6 Rxf4 75. Kxb2 Kxg5 76.
Bd3 Kf6 77. Re8 Kf7 78. Re3 Kf6 79. Kc3 Rh4 80. Bc4 Kf5 81. Kb4 Kf4 82. Re7 Rh5
83. Kc3 Re5 84. Rf7+ Rf5 85. Re7 Re5 86. Rh7 Re3+ 87. Bd3 Re8 88. Rh4+ Ke3 89.
Rh1 Rc8+ 90. Bc4 Rd8 91. Be6 Rd3+ 92. Kc4 Rd4+ 93. Kc5 Ra4 94. Rh3+ Kf2 95. Bc4
Ra8 96. Kd4 Ra4 97. Rc3 Ra7 98. Ke4 Rh7 99. Rf3+ Kg2 100. Bd5 Rh4+ 101. Ke5 Kg1
102. Be4 Rh2 103. Rf4 Rd2 104. Kf5 Rf2 105. Bf3 Rb2 106. Rh4 Rb8 107. Kf4 Kf2
108. Rh2+ Ke1 109. Be4 Rb3 110. Bf3 Rb4+ 111. Kg3 Rd4 $2 (111... Rb3 $1 $11)
112. Re2+ Kf1 113. Re3 Rd2 114. Ra3 1-0

[Event "London Classic 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2015.12.08"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2737"]
[BlackElo "2793"]
[Annotator "Adams,M"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2015.12.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{I managed a new record in the London Chess Classic with 9 draws, this game
had the potential to get exciting, but like a lot of other games in the event
it faded away.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2
Nd7 7. Nc4 O-O {A recent concept,} 8. Bd2 {White makes some developing moves
and keeps the option to castle on both sides of the board.} Re8 9. Qe2 f6 ({
It is often more precise for Black to play} 9... Bd6 {as occurred in previous
games such as Anand-Giri in Bilbao and also McShane- Georgescu from the LCC
Rapid Open a week after this game. This seems logical as Black is ready for
c6-c5 and transferring the knight to d4 via f8 and e6 or b8 and c6. However
here after the continuation} 10. g4 Nf8 11. Ne3 {White can quickly develop a
kingside initiative.}) 10. h4 ({The point of Hikaru's accurate last move is
that} 10. g4 {is now well met by} Nb6) ({Maybe the caveman style} 10. Rg1 $5 {
is another option for the fearless.}) 10... Nf8 11. h5 {White has gained some
space and hopes to either transfer a knight to f5, or play g4 or h6 later on.}
Be6 ({I was expecting} 11... Ne6 {but developing the bishop is sensible.}) (
11... Bg4 {was another option.}) 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. h6 ({I was originally planning
} 13. Nh4 {but didn't like} Bd4 {however} 14. Qf3 (14. O-O-O Bxa2 {looks hard
to believe}) ({or} 14. Nhf5 Bxb2 15. Rb1 Bd4 16. Rxb7 Bb6 17. Qg4 {deserve
further investigation})) ({After} 13. O-O Bxe3 14. Qxe3 h6 15. Nh4 Bg4 {
I was worried about dropping a pawn although this is also not that clearcut.})
(13. O-O-O {is no longer an option due to} Bxa2) 13... g6 14. O-O Bg4 (14...
Bf7 {or}) (14... Rad8 {were other sensible options.}) 15. Nxg4 Qxg4 16. Nd4 ({
Perhaps} 16. b4 $5 {was a good idea, I was reluctant to weaken the queenside
but it does speed up my kingside play:} Bd6 17. Nd4 $5 (17. Qe3 $5) 17... Qxe2
18. Nxe2 Ne6 19. g3) 16... Qxe2 17. Nxe2 Ne6 18. g3 g5 {White's position looks
promising but the vulnerability of the pawn on h6 is very annoying.} 19. Be3 ({
White's king doesn't feel very comfortable after} 19. Kg2 Kf7 ({not} 19... g4
20. f3) 20. f4 gxf4 21. gxf4 Rg8+ 22. Kf3 (22. Kh3 exf4 23. Nxf4 Nxf4+ 24. Bxf4
Rg6) 22... exf4 23. Bxf4) (19. Kh2 Bf8 20. f4 gxf4 21. gxf4 Bxh6 22. Rf3 {
is uninspiring, but the computer thinks White has sufficient compensation})
19... Bf8 20. Kg2 Bxh6 21. Rh1 Bg7 22. Kf3 ({The direct} 22. Raf1 Re7 23. f4 {
is met by} f5 {however there are some risks involved in my king sauntering up
the board.}) 22... h6 23. Kg4 ({I originally planned to play for positional
compensation with} 23. g4 Kf7 24. Ng3 Rh8 25. Nf5 Rh7 26. Rh5 Rah8 27. Rah1 Bf8
28. Ke2 Kg6 29. b3 Ng7 30. Nxg7 Bxg7 {leaves Black unlikely to find a
breakthrough but it's more pleasant to have an extra pawn.}) 23... Re7 24. Raf1
Rf8 25. Rh3 ({I was intending} 25. f4 {but lost faith} exf4 26. gxf4 f5+ 27.
exf5 Nd8 (27... Nxf4 28. Nxf4 Rxe3 29. Ne6 Rf7 30. Re1) 28. Rh3 Rfe8 29. Rff3 {
is hard to assess.}) (25. b3 {could be a useful move.}) 25... Nd4 ({If} 25...
Ref7 {the intrepid king move} 26. Kf5 {is an option although the knight is not
attacked as} b6 27. Kxe6 f5 {mates in 2.}) (25... f5+ 26. exf5 Nd4 {is similar
to the game.}) 26. Nxd4 exd4 27. Bc1 Re5 (27... f5+ 28. exf5 Re2 29. f4 {
White's kingside play looks more important than the queenside pawns
disappearing.}) 28. f4 Rc5 29. Rh2 f5+ 30. exf5 Rfxf5 ({The stronger capture
as my king is forced back} 30... Rcxf5 31. Re1 {is comfortable for White.}) 31.
Rhf2 gxf4 32. Bxf4 h5+ 33. Kh3 Be5 34. Re1 Ra5 ({It's hard to exploit the
extra pawn as Black's queenside structure can't advance easily and White's
rooks and king are active enough in a line like} 34... Rd5 35. Re4 c5 36. Rfe2)
35. a3 Rd5 36. Re4 a5 37. a4 Rf7 38. b3 Bd6 ({After} 38... c5 39. Rfe2 Bxf4 40.
gxf4 Rdf5 41. Kg3 {progress remains elusive.}) 39. Rfe2 Rg7 40. Bxd6 cxd6 41.
Re8+ Kh7 42. Rf2 {With the time control reached and the 2 open files under
control I felt fairly safe.} Rdg5 43. Rf3 R5g6 44. Re4 Rg4 45. Re6 h4 (45... d5
46. Re5 R4g5 47. Re6 {leads nowhere}) 46. Rxd6 (46. gxh4 Rg1 47. Rf2 {also
holds.}) 46... c5 ({After} 46... Rxg3+ 47. Rxg3 hxg3 48. Kg2 c5 49. Rb6 {
Black could even have to be careful.}) 47. Rd5 Rxg3+ 48. Rxg3 hxg3 49. Kg2 b6
50. Rd6 Rg6 51. Rxg6 Kxg6 52. Kxg3 Kg5 53. Kf3 Kf5 54. Kg3 Kg5 55. Kf3 Kf5 56.
Kg3 Ke5 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Classic 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2015.12.05"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2803"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Adhiban,B"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2015.12.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Wat else :)? Looking at the amount of games
played in the Berlin in London it could have easily been a "Berlin theme"
tournament.} 4. d3 {One of the critical attempts at maintaining some
complexity in the positions.} Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Nbd2 d6 7. h3 a6 ({Two rounds
later Topalov-Caruana continued with} 7... Ne7 $5 8. d4 Bb6 (8... exd4 9. cxd4
Bb6 {would be very similar to (Topalov-Caruana Sinquefield cup 2015)}) 9. dxe5
dxe5 10. Qe2 Ng6 11. g3 {The position has a lot of similarities to the Italian.
} Qe7 12. Bd3 a5 {Black has been able to hold without too many problems.}) 8.
Bxc6 bxc6 9. O-O {This position does occur often in the d3 system but without
c3 included.} Re8 10. Re1 h6 11. Nf1 Bb6 (11... d5 $5 {is an interesting
option played by Lysyj.} 12. exd5 Qxd5 13. Be3 $14) (11... a5 {looks much more
sound positionally since here Black is not wasting time on retreating with the
bishop.}) 12. Ng3 {Black lacks any clear plan and has to wait for White to
show his hand.} ({My fellow teammate went for} 12. Be3 $5 Bxe3 13. Nxe3 c5 14.
Qc2 a5 15. Rad1 Bb7 {Under the impression that White doesn't have any
ambitious intentions, Black loses his sense of danger.} (15... a4 $11 {was
stronger.}) 16. Nf5 Qd7 17. Nh2 $1 {For now White has only one active piece
but, as we will see, Black will help out a friend in need!} c4 {This move is
just epic, it allows white to build up his momentum with amazing speed :).} 18.
Ng4 Nxg4 19. hxg4 cxd3 20. Rxd3 {White will remain in Black's debt forever for
allowing hg4 strengthening the stronghold on f5 and also bringing the rook
into play via the 3rd rank! But Black is not done yet!} Ba6 {Go to h3 and then
if you have the guts try to mate me!} 21. c4 $1 (21. Rh3 Bc4 $11 {[%cal Gc4e6]}
) 21... Qc6 22. b3 a4 23. Rh3 {Finally Bok's efforts have been rewarded! White
has a crushing attack!} axb3 24. Qd2 $1 f6 {This is just asking for it, but in
perfect line with Black's strategy in this game which was to help out White
whenever he had a problem.} (24... Re6 $142 25. axb3 $16) 25. Nxg7 Kxg7 26.
Qxh6+ Kf7 27. Qh7+ Ke6 28. g5 {Negi-Bok 2012, with a winning attack and the
mystery has been solved :).}) 12... Bd7 (12... Be6 13. Be3) (12... a5) 13. Be3
Qb8 (13... c5 {Of course Black has to play this, ruin his bishop's future but
prevent d4 and earn 0.00 from the engine!} 14. Nh2 a5 15. Qf3 a4 16. Nf5 (16.
Ng4 Nxg4 17. hxg4 f6 18. Nf5 Be6 $15) 16... Kh8 (16... Bxf5 17. Qxf5 Qd7 18.
Qxd7 Nxd7 $11 {at least I can agree with this.}) 17. Ng4 Nxg4 18. hxg4 {
I would be very happy with White here but the computer is confident that it
can hold the position, I should perhaps challenge it to a theme match in this
specfic position.}) 14. Qd2 {Simple and efficient.} Bxe3 15. Rxe3 a5 16. d4 (
16. Nh4 $5 {looks highly tempting since all the white pieces are set for a
nasty kingside attack.It was highly surprising that Topalov didn't go for it.}
Kh7 (16... g6 17. Rf3 Kg7 18. Rxf6 $1 Kxf6 19. Qxh6 Rh8 (19... Qxb2 20. Nh5+ {
also ends badly for Black.}) 20. Nh5+ {I was under the impression that this
should win for White but the computer comes up with} Ke6 $1 {But White has} (
20... Ke7 21. Qg5+ Ke8 (21... Kf8 22. Nxg6+ {mating.}) 22. Nxg6 $1 $18) 21.
Ng7+ Ke7 22. Qg5+ f6 23. Ngf5+ $1 $11) 17. Rf1 Qb6 18. Kh2 Rab8 19. b3 {
and White has a threatening intiative on the kingside.}) 16... exd4 17. cxd4 (
17. Nxd4 $5 {would have been better.} c5 18. Nf3 (18. Nde2 Bc6 {and white is
more or less forced to play} 19. f3 {after which his attacking intentions come
to an end after} g6) 18... Bc6 19. Rae1 Qb7 20. e5 Nd5 (20... dxe5 21. Nxe5
Bxg2 22. Ng4 $1 Rxe3 23. Nxf6+ gxf6 24. Rxe3 $40 {Black's king is in more
trouble!}) (20... Bxf3 21. exf6 Rxe3 22. Qxe3 $1 (22. fxe3 $5 {[%cal Gd2g2]
Surprise!}) 22... Bxg2 23. fxg7 $18) 21. Re4 $14) 17... Qb4 {Of course Black
is happy to exchange the queens to minimise White's influence on the centre.}
18. b3 (18. Qc2 Rab8 (18... a4 {also looks fine.}) 19. b3 a4 $11) 18... Qxd2
19. Nxd2 a4 {Now its pretty equal.} 20. a3 (20. b4 a3 $1 {Fixing the pawn
structure.}) 20... axb3 21. Rxb3 Ra4 22. Rb7 Rxd4 23. Nf3 Ra4 24. Rxc7 Rc8 25.
Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. e5 dxe5 27. Nxe5 c5 28. Rc1 Rxa3 29. Rxc5 Be6 30. Rc1 Ra8 31.
Nf3 Rc8 32. Rxc8+ Bxc8 33. Nd4 {One of the many interesting draws in London :).
} 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 20th"]
[Site "Reykjavik"]
[Date "2015.11.15"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2850"]
[BlackElo "2781"]
[Annotator "Adhiban,B"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2015.11.13"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ISL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Norway"]
[BlackTeam "Armenia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ARM"]

{An epic clash between a slightly weakened "slow poison" Carlsen and the
improved "I am a different player now" Aronian.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6
4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O (5. Bxc6 dxc6) 5... Nd4 $5 {A wise decision not allowing
Carlsen to take on c6 and get his favourite pawn structure after which you are
in for a positional grind.} (5... d6 {One more positional lesson by Carlsen was
} 6. Nbd2 $5 (6. Re1 O-O 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 Re8 ({I wonder what is wrong with} 
8... Nd7 $5 9. Nbd2 f5 10. exf5 Rxf5 11. Ne4 Bb6 {Though I fully agree such an
overly aggressive attempt weakening the a2-g8 diagonal (even without the
presence of the white light-squared bishop) is strictly against the principles
of the Berlin :).}) 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. Nc4 Bb6 11. a4 a5 12. Nxb6 cxb6 13. d4 Qc7
({Possibly Anand didn't like} 13... Qe7 {because of} 14. b3 {with annoying
pressure on the a3-f8 diagonal.}) 14. Ra3 $1 {was an instructive game 
(Carlsen-Anand 2014), though Black can equalise with accurate play.}) 6... O-O
7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 h6 9. Re1 Re8 10. Nf1 a5 11. Ng3 Rb8 12. b3 {Seriously??
Didn't Mr. Carlsen show us that fixing the black pawn structure (against Anand)
with a4 is good? Well yet again he shows us that he understands the positional
concepts at a much higher level.} Bb4 ({An interesting move was} 12... a4 $5 {
but we will have to wait for another Carlsen game for a conclusion in this.})
13. Bd2 Ra8 14. c3 Bc5 15. d4 Bb6 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. c4 $14 {Carlsen-Radjabov
2015, with clear positional superiority.}) 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 c6 9.
Ba4 d6 10. Bb3 a5 11. Nc4 Ba7 $5 {Aronian is the first to deviate and to be
honest this seems like the way after a5.} ({Karjakin-Caruana continued} 11...
Bc7 {but then why did he play ...a5?}) 12. a4 O-O 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15.
Nxa5 {I am not at all sure that such a approach is a good idea against Aronian
who doesn't mind giving up a pawn if he can take over the intiative for it!} d5
$1 16. Bc2 (16. exd5 cxd5 17. Bxd5 Qd8 $1 18. Bxb7 Bxb7 19. Nxb7 Qc7 {and
finally the greedy knight meets its end.}) 16... dxe4 17. dxe4 Rd8 18. Qe1 (18.
Qe2 Qg5 19. Qf3 (19. Nc4 Bg4 $19 {wins on the spot.}) 19... Rd2 $17 {with a
dangerous intiative.}) 18... Qg5 19. Kh1 Rd2 20. Bd1 Be6 {Now the brave knight
can't return.} 21. b4 Rad8 22. Nxb7 $6 {It was not the time to be greedy.} (22.
Be2 $1 {was more tenacious, preparing to exchange a pair of rooks to reduce
the intensity.} R8d7 23. Rd1 Rxd1 24. Bxd1 Qc1 25. Bb3 Qxe1 26. Rxe1 Bxb3 27.
Nxb3 Bxf2 28. Rb1 $1 {Although Black is still clearly better, the fight is
just beginning.}) 22... Bc4 $1 {Now follows a forced sequence after which
Black comes out on top.} 23. Nxd8 Bxf1 24. Qxf1 Rxf2 25. Qg1 Ra2 $1 26. Rxa2
Bxg1 27. Kxg1 Qc1 {The dust has settled and it does seem like White can hope
to save the position, but unfortunately for him his pieces are uncoordinated.}
28. Kf2 Qxd1 29. Nxc6 Qb3 30. Rd2 (30. Re2 $5 Qxc3 31. b5 {White anyway can't
hope to protect his pawns hence Black goes for a quiet king move preventing
Ne7-d5.} Kf8 $5 {with a winning advantage.} (31... Qc4 {allows} 32. Rb2 $1) ({
Or} 31... Kh7)) 30... Qxc3 31. Rd6 Qb2+ 32. Ke3 Qa3+ 33. Kf2 Qxa4 34. Nxe5 Qc2+
$5 {A strong practical decision!} ({After} 34... Qxb4 35. Rd8+ Kh7 36. Nf3 {
Black would face an uphill struggle to win this position.}) 35. Kf3 f5 $1 {
Getting of the rid of the small shelter which White was hoping to have.} 36.
Rd3 fxe4+ 37. Kxe4 Qxg2+ 38. Nf3 Qg4+ 39. Ke3 g5 $5 (39... Qxb4 40. h4 $1 {
and White's chances of saving this endgame are quite high!}) 40. Kf2 (40. b5
Qf4+ {[%cal Gg5g4]}) 40... Qf5 $1 {Not allowing White to get coordinated.} 41.
Rd8+ Kg7 42. Kg2 g4 43. Nd2 Qe6 $1 {Capitalising on the loosely placed pieces.}
44. Nf1 Qc6+ {A nice effort by Aronian who has definitely made his epic
comeback after quite a while! It will be interesting to see how Carlsen will
come back to his top form and this is something I will be waiting for!} 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2016.03.24"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[Annotator "Anand,V"]
[PlyCount "139"]
[EventDate "2016.03.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. d4
Bb6 9. Bd3 {A new twist on 9.Re1 that Gajewski showed me.} (9. Re1 d5 10. Nxe5
Nxe4 11. Nd2 Nd6 {and now White has to move his bishop.}) 9... d5 10. Nxe5 Nxe4
11. Nd2 Nd6 12. Nb3 $1 {The point, White can keep moving forward.} c6 13. Nc5
Ng6 {Played after a long think and it was time well spent.} 14. Qh5 {Now I
also had to find my way around and this seemed reasonable.} Bxc5 15. dxc5 Ne4
16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Rd1 (17. Nc4 {My original intention, but I was unable to
make it work after} f5 $1 18. Nd6 b6 $1) 17... Qe7 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Qg5 {
I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't do better than this, and Sergey
felt this was close to a draw offer. I did feel that I could still pose some
questions to Black before acquiescing.} Qxg5 20. Bxg5 f6 21. Be3 (21. Bf4 g5
22. Bg3 Re8 23. Rd4 e3 {doesn't accomplish anything} (23... Bf5 {nor does this}
)) 21... g5 {Black takes away the crucial f4-square (as we will see, quite
important).} 22. Rd6 Re8 23. Rad1 Be6 24. b3 Kf7 (24... a5 25. R1d4 a4 26. bxa4
Bxa2 27. Rd7 $1 {still with some problems}) (24... Re7 25. R1d4 Bf7 26. g4 {
Of course, Black can choose between several setups. Its hard to tell which is
best, since Black's drawing margin is very high in all of them.}) 25. R1d4 Bf5
(25... Re7 26. Rxe4 Bf5 {I wasn't very excited about winning the Pe4, but a
pawn is still a pawn.}) 26. a4 {I should have played g4 first} Re7 27. g4 Bh7 (
27... Be6 28. c4 (28. b4 a5 $1 29. b5 {now this fails:} cxb5 30. axb5 a4 $1)
28... Rh8 29. Kg2 a6 30. b4 Bc8 31. b5 Re6 32. bxc6 bxc6 33. Rd1 Rhe8 34. Rb1)
28. b4 Bg8 (28... a5 {The computer is happy here, but it is not easy to
concede connected passers with Black:} 29. b5 cxb5 30. axb5 a4 31. Rd2 Ke8) 29.
b5 Rc8 30. Rd7 Rce8 (30... Ke8 $1 31. Rxe7+ Kxe7 32. Rxe4+ Be6 $1 {I believe
this position is equal.}) 31. b6 $1 {Its hard to lock one's pawns like this,
but the only way I saw to put any pressure on Black was with Rc7.} a6 32. Rc7
Kf8 {Still, it looks like Black hasn't done anything wrong, but...} 33. c4 $1 {
blocks the Black bishop, and equally importantly allows Bd2-a5 to protect a
pawn on c7. It was important not to play a5 too early} Be6 {Thanks to White's
last two pawn moves, some chances have appeared, and Black finally ditches the
Pe4.} (33... Bf7 $1 {However, the Pe4 serves a purpose which is to restrain
the Pf2} {So here White will have to play...} 34. Kh2 Bg8 $1 (34... Bg6 35. h4
(35. Kg3 Bf7 36. h4 gxh4+ 37. Kxh4 g5+ $1 {and White still has no access to f4}
) 35... gxh4 36. Bf4 {Misplaced Bg6} (36. g5 Kf7 37. gxf6 gxf6 38. Bf4 Bf5 $1))
35. h4 gxh4 36. Bf4 Rxc7 37. bxc7 Be6 $1 {I couldn't see how to break through
here.}) 34. Rxe4 {Now f4 and the white bishop will enter.} Kf7 35. f4 {We were
already short of time, but it's harder for the defending side since opposite
coloured bishop endings need time for working out.} Rxc7 (35... f5 $1 36. Re5
g6 (36... Rxc7 37. bxc7 Bc8 38. Rxe8 Kxe8 39. fxg5 fxg4 40. h4 {Karjakin was
reluctant to enter this} g6 41. Kf2 Be6 42. Kg3 (42. a5 Kd7 43. Bf4 Bxc4 44.
Kg3 Bd3 {I think this drawn} 45. Kxg4 Be2+ 46. Kg3 Bh5 {is a fortress}) 42...
Kd7 43. Bf4 a5 44. h5 gxh5 45. g6 Bf5 46. g7 Be6 47. Kh4 Bf7 48. Kg5 Kc8 49.
Kh6 h4 50. Kh7 Bxc4 51. g8=Q+ Bxg8+ 52. Kxg8 g3 53. Kf7 g2 54. Bh2 g1=Q 55.
Bxg1 Kxc7 56. Kg6 b5 57. cxb6+ Kb7 {and White is short of time to defend b6})
37. fxg5 fxg4 38. h4 {I wasnt sure this was winning, but I knew that Black
couldnt make such a critical decision so easily - if it's lost, it's too late}
Rxc7 39. bxc7 Bc8 40. Rxe8 Kxe8 {transposes to the earlier analysis.}) 36. bxc7
Rc8 $2 (36... f5 $1) 37. f5 {Thanks to Pc4.} Bd7 38. h4 g6 (38... gxh4 39. Bf4
g5 (39... Re8 40. Rd4 Bc8 41. Rd8 {followed by Kxh4}) 40. Rd4 $1 Ke7 41. Bd6+
Kf7 42. Kg2 Re8 43. Bh2 Ke7 44. Bg1 Rf8 45. Rd6 Rf7 46. Bd4 Rf8 47. Bc3 Rf7 {
Still, it's hard to believe this fortress can hold} (47... Bc8 48. Rd8 $18))
39. Rd4 $1 Rxc7 40. hxg5 fxg5 41. Bxg5 Be8 {Now I realised that I was
completely winning, Black has to stay completely passive.} 42. f6 Kf8 43. Bf4
Rh7 44. Kg2 {Missing a faster win:} (44. Re4 $1 Bf7 (44... Bd7 45. Bd6+ Kg8 46.
g5) 45. g5 $1 $18) 44... Bd7 45. Bg5 Be6 46. Rd8+ Kf7 47. Rb8 Bxc4 48. Rxb7+
Kg8 49. Rb8+ Kf7 50. Kg3 Ke6 51. Re8+ Kf7 $1 (51... Kd7 52. Rd8+ $1) 52. Rc8
Bd5 53. Kf4 Ke6 54. Re8+ Kd7 55. Ra8 (55. Rd8+ $4 Kxd8 56. f7+ Kc7 (56... Kd7
$2 57. f8=N+ $1) 57. f8=Q Rf7+ $11) 55... Ke6 56. Re8+ Kd7 57. Re3 a5 58. Kg3
Rf7 59. Kf4 Rh7 60. Re1 Kc8 61. Kg3 (61. Ke5 $1) 61... Rf7 (61... Kd7 62. Bd2
Rf7 63. g5) 62. Re8+ Kd7 63. Ra8 Kc7 64. Kf4 Rd7 65. Bh4 {Now it's easy, with
the Kg5.} Kb7 66. Re8 Bf7 67. Re4 Bd5 68. Re3 Bf7 69. Kg5 Ka6 70. Re7 {And
finally he resigned. I was euphoric, first to beat a tenacious defender (in
fact, this was his only loss), but also with my technique.  Still, Sergey
recovered and qualified convincingly. He fully deserved qualification!} (70.
Re7 Rxe7 71. fxe7 Kb7 72. Kf6 Be8 73. Kg7 g5 74. Bxg5 Kc8 75. Kf8 Kd7 76. Bd2 {
isn't difficult.}) 1-0

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 6th"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2019.04.04"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2797"]
[Annotator "Anand,V"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2019.03.31"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 190"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.06.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Nbd2 Re8 {With an an
early Nbd2, White is somewhat inflexible against this move as opposed to d6 or
d5.} 7. O-O a6 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nc4 Nd7 10. Re1 (10. b4 Bd6) (10. d4 exd4 11.
cxd4 Ba7) 10... Bf8 11. d4 exd4 12. cxd4 Nb6 (12... c5 13. Bg5 $5 (13. d5 b5
14. Na5 Qf6 {was Andriasian-Pashikian.})) 13. Nxb6 $2 {Simply a misjudgement.
This offers White nothing.} (13. Nce5 $1 {was more precise.}) 13... cxb6 14. h3
b5 15. Bf4 Be6 16. Re3 f6 17. b3 Qd7 (17... Bf7 $1 {was simple. Black just
goes a5-a4.} 18. Qc2 (18. Rc1 Qd7 19. d5 {Here Black has a few intermezzos:}
Ba3 20. Rc2 cxd5 21. e5 Qf5 22. Bg3 Rac8 23. Nd4 Rxc2 $1 24. Nxf5 Rc1 25. Qxc1
Bxc1 26. Re1 Bb2 $17) 18... a5 19. Rd1 Qd7 {, and now probably White should
bail out with} 20. d5 cxd5 21. exd5 Rxe3 22. fxe3 Bxd5 23. Qd2 Rd8 24. Qxa5 $11
) (17... a5 18. Rc1 Bf7 19. d5 cxd5 20. e5 {and blockading on d4.}) 18. Qc2
Rad8 $6 {The wrong plan, Black should have gone for a5 as before.} 19. Rd1 Qf7
20. Bg3 {So far, Black has no problems whatsoever.} Qh5 $2 {The first mistake
and indicative of Anish's form in the event.} (20... a5 {and even returning to
a8 was ok.}) 21. Bc7 {I saw this at once, but took a while playing it. Anish
asked me after the game why I didn't play it immediately. It looked too easy
and I was just making sure...} Rd7 $6 {The rook just gets in the way here.} (
21... Rc8 $1 22. Bb6 {This is about equal.} Be7 (22... Bd6 23. Ne1 f5 $1) 23.
Qe2 $11 (23. Ne1 f5)) 22. Bb6 {The Bb6 stabilises White's position, Black
lacks the d8 square and my knight can shift to d3.} Bb4 $2 {White was trying
for his next move anyway and this allows it with tempo.} (22... f5 23. Ne5 {
and Rd7 is in trouble}) 23. Ne1 $1 Bf7 $6 (23... Bd6 24. Nd3 f5 {Black needed
to act fast.} 25. exf5 Qxf5 26. Qe2 Qg6 (26... Rde7 27. Bc5) 27. Bc5 Bf7 28.
Rxe8+ Bxe8 29. Bxd6 Rxd6 30. Re1 $14 {keeps some edge}) 24. Nd3 Bd6 25. Rde1 {
We both felt that Black could no longer stop f4-f5.} Bb8 $6 (25... Qh6 {
puts up more resistance:} 26. e5 (26. Qc3 Bf4) 26... fxe5 27. dxe5 Bf8 28. e6
$1 (28. Bc5 Be6) 28... Rxe6 (28... Bxe6 29. Qe2 $1 Bf7 30. Rxe8 Bxe8 31. Qxe8
Rxd3 32. Bc5 Qf6 33. Be7 $1 Qf5 (33... Qf7 34. Qc8 {wins as well.}) 34. Qb8 $1)
29. Ne5 Rxe5 $8 30. Rxe5 Qd2 $1 31. Qf5 {keeps the pressure, but Black is
quite solid.}) 26. f4 f5 (26... Qh4 {The last chance.} 27. e5 {So this is best.
} (27. Qf2 Qxf2+ 28. Kxf2 Bc7 $1) 27... Bg6 28. Qd2 (28. Rf1 Qh6 29. Qe2 Bxd3
30. Rxd3 f5 {and Qe6}) 28... Bxd3 (28... fxe5 29. Nxe5 Bxe5 30. Rxe5 Rxe5 31.
fxe5 {and White achieves e6.} Rf7 32. e6 Rf5 33. e7 Be8) 29. Rxd3 Rd5 $1 {
and next f5 keeping a light square blockade.} (29... fxe5 {and now White has a
neat trick:} 30. Re4 $1)) 27. Ne5 Bxe5 28. dxe5 {We both had the feeling that
is was basically over, but in fact Black can still defend.} fxe4 (28... Be6 29.
exf5 Bxf5 30. Qf2 Qg6 31. g4 h5 32. Rg3 $1) 29. Qxe4 (29. g4 Qh6 30. Qxe4 Rd2)
29... Rd2 (29... Bg6 30. Qf3 Qxf3 31. Rxf3 {and Black can't blockade the pawns
in time.}) (29... Bd5 30. Qc2 Rf7 31. Rf1 g6 32. Qf2 Qh6 (32... Ref8 33. e6 {
Now this wins.}) 33. Bc5 $1 {First stopping Ref8.} (33. g4 Ref8 $1) 33... Re6
34. g4 $16) 30. R3e2 Bd5 (30... Rxe2 $1 31. Qxe2 (31. Rxe2 Be6 32. Rf2 Bf5 33.
Qd4 Qg6 34. g4 h5 35. Rg2 hxg4 36. hxg4 Bxg4 37. f5 Qxf5 38. Qxg4 Qxg4 39. Rxg4
Rxe5 {is still a hard technical task.}) 31... Qxe2 32. Rxe2 Be6 33. g4 g6 34.
Kg2 $16) 31. Qe3 Rxe2 32. Rxe2 Qf5 33. g4 Qb1+ 34. Kf2 {Now it's over, White
just rolls with f5 and e6.} h5 35. f5 Qh1 (35... h4 36. Bd4 Qh1 37. e6 {wins})
36. Kg3 Re7 37. Bc5 Re8 38. e6 Kh7 39. Qg5 {Here Anish resigned. My first win
against Anish! It also left me on +1 in the event, though that didnt last very
long...} 1-0

[Event "Fujitsu Siemens Giants"]
[Site "Frankfurt"]
[Date "2000.06.23"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "Anand,V"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2000.06.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 078"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.10.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.10.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 {Peter plays all sorts of openings, but in Frankfurt he stuck to 1...
e5} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 {An opening he was very fond of in 1999,
playing a few games against Topalov as well as using it in Las Vegas.} 5. c3
O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 d6 9. Qd3 Bd7 10. Nbd2 a6 {All this is fairly
standard stuff} 11. Bxc6 $1 {All the earlier games involved 11.Bc4 but Black
is able to pen up the game with 11...exd4 followed by g5. Ubi and I found this
whilst preparing for Peter in Dortmund last year. The idea is fairly simple -
keep things under control in the center and make it difficult for Black to
break the pin on the kingside. The two bishops are not so important right now.}
Bxc6 12. Rfe1 Re8 13. a4 Ba7 14. b3 {A lazy move, not unlike Kh1 in the
Sicilian which can be useful in rapid games simply to be able to press your
clock.  Later I found a game Salai-Vercera where White played b4 which saves
time over the game.} Qe7 (14... g5 15. Nxg5 hxg5 16. Bxg5 {White follows up
with Re3-g3} Kg7 17. Re3 Qc8 18. Rg3 $40) 15. h3 (15. Nf1 $6 exd4 16. cxd4 Bxe4
17. Bxf6 gxf6) 15... Rad8 (15... g5 16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. Bxg5 Kg7 18. Re3 Qf8 19.
Rg3 $1) 16. b4 {A bit late, but equally strong.} Bd7 17. b5 Bc8 18. Nf1 (18.
Rab1 {White could also have played threatening Nc4 and b6 shutting out the
bishop.}) 18... Qe6 19. Ng3 {White still doesn't theraten anything, but it's
difficult for Black to move anything.} c6 20. Rab1 {Now b6 and d5 will "win" a
piece, so Black has to act.} g5 21. Nxg5 hxg5 22. Bxg5 axb5 23. axb5 exd4 (
23... cxb5 24. d5 Qe7 25. Qf3 $18) 24. cxd4 (24. b6 $1 Bxb6 (24... Bb8 25. cxd4
{White now threatens Bxf6 followed by d5 after the Bb8 is dead.}) 25. Rxb6 $18)
24... cxb5 25. Rxb5 Nh7 26. Bxd8 Rxd8 {Two bishops vs a rook and two pawns is
bad enough but the pawn on b7 is weak and his king is exposed as well.  It's
surprising that you can destroy a position like this in just two moves!} 27.
Nf5 $2 (27. Ra1 {This probably wins on the spot.}) 27... Qf6 $1 28. Rd1 $4 (28.
Ra1 {This would still have been very good}) 28... d5 {Suddenly, Black is back
in the game.} 29. Ng3 dxe4 30. Nxe4 Qg6 31. Nc5 Bf5 {We were both short of
time and the rest of the game is chockful of errors.} 32. Qa3 Bxc5 33. Rxc5 Ng5
34. Rc3 (34. Qg3) 34... Ne4 35. Re3 Kh7 36. d5 $2 {Missing Black's next.} Rg8
$1 37. g3 Bxh3 38. Qe7 Ng5 39. d6 Bg4 40. Rdd3 Ra8 (40... Rc8 {Leko later
pointed this out - White simplay doesn't have Qe5}) 41. Qe5 Qh5 42. Qf6 Bd7 43.
f3 $2 Rg8 (43... Ra2 {Wins on the spot.}) 44. Re7 Bc6 45. d7 Qh3 46. Rxf7+ (46.
d8=Q Qxg3+ 47. Kf1 Rxd8 48. Qf5+ Kg7 49. Rxd8 Qxf3+ 50. Qxf3 Nxf3) 46... Nxf7
47. Qxf7+ Rg7 48. Qxg7+ Kxg7 49. d8=Q Qxg3+ 50. Kf1 Qh3+ (50... Bb5 {This
still draws, but with very little time it isn't easy to see that White has no
check winning the bishop.}) 51. Ke1 Qh1+ 52. Kd2 Qh2+ 53. Kc3 Qh6 $4 (53...
Qe5+ 54. Qd4) 54. Qe7+ {And Peter resigned.} 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 1213"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2012.11.11"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Areshchenko, Alexander"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2634"]
[Annotator "Areshchenko/Meyer,CD"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2012.10.20"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 152"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Werder Bremen"]
[BlackTeam "Trier"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]
[WhiteClock "0:02:23"]
[BlackClock "0:18:36"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Eine beliebte Fortsetzung zwecks
Umgehung des "Berliner Mauer-Endspiels" (4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc5 dxc6 7.
dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8).  "It doesn't look like much, but 4.d3 is a move to
take very seriously. Kasparov openly regretted not trying it in 2000, while
Kramnik says on his DVD that it is a dangerous move, and that he and his team
already knew this in 2000 and had to work long and hard to find a way to try
and equalise..." (aus The Berlin Wall von John Cox)} ({Am selben
Bundesliga-Wochenende im Bremer Weserstadion geschah tags zuvor:} 4. O-O Nxe4
5. Re1 {ist ein anderer, uralter Zug (Steinitz), um dem frühen Damentausch aus
dem Weg zu gehen, mit dem derzeit wiederholt experimentiert wird. "This
usually leads to slightly freer white play, without too many real chances for
an advantage, however." (M. Marin im CBM)} Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5
O-O 9. Nc3 (9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bf4 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. Nc3 Bxd4 14.
Nd5 d6 15. Bg5 Bf6 16. Nxf6+ Nxf6 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Qe4 $5 {und nach langem
Kampf siegte Weiß in beeindruckender Manier, McShane - Kramnik, Moskau 2012, 1:
0/94}) 9... Bf6 10. Re1 Nf5 11. Nd5 d6 12. c3 Be6 13. Nf4 Bd7 14. d4 c6 15. g3
g6 16. h4 Bg7 17. Bd2 Qb6 18. Qc2 Rae8 19. Bd3 Nh6 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Re1 Rxe1+
22. Bxe1 Bf5 23. Qe2 Qd8 24. Bd2 d5 25. Kg2 Bf8 26. h5 Bc8 27. hxg6 hxg6 28.
Qe1 Bf5 29. f3 {remis, Adams,M (Baden-Baden, 2720) - McShane,L (Werder Bremen,
2713), Schachbundesliga 2012/13, 2012}) 4... d6 ({Zur aktiveren Alternative} 
4... Bc5 {zwei Partien aus der laufenden Bundesliga-Saison:} 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O
d6 7. Nbd2 Bb6 8. Nc4 Ne7 9. Ba4 Ng6 10. Re1 (10. h3 h6 11. Bc2 Re8 12. Re1 c6
13. Nxb6 axb6 14. d4 b5 15. b3 Bd7 16. Bb2 Qc7 17. Nh2 c5 18. Nf1 Bc6 19. Ng3
c4 20. Nf5 d5 21. exd5 Bxd5 22. dxe5 Rxe5 23. Rxe5 Qxe5 24. Ne3 Bc6 25. bxc4
bxc4 26. Bxg6 fxg6 27. Nxc4 Qe6 28. Ne3 Rxa2 29. Rxa2 Qxa2 30. Qc1 Nd5 31. Ng4
Qc4 32. Qd2 g5 33. Ne5 Qe4 34. c4 Nf4 35. f3 Qb1+ 36. Kh2 Qf1 37. Ng6 Qd3 38.
Qxd3 Nxd3 39. Bd4 Kf7 40. Ne5+ {remis, Navara,D (2722) - Buhmann,R (2584),
Schachbundesliga 2012/13, 2012}) 10... c6 11. Nxb6 axb6 12. Bc2 h6 13. h3 Be6
14. a3 b5 15. d4 Re8 16. Be3 Qc7 17. Nd2 Rad8 18. Qf3 Qe7 19. Rad1 Nh4 20. Qg3
Nh5 21. Qh2 Ng6 22. g3 Qf8 23. f4 exf4 24. gxf4 f5 25. d5 $2 cxd5 26. exf5 $2
Bxf5 $19 {, dennoch remis/54, Jansa,V (2451) - Buhmann,R (2584),
Schachbundesliga 2012/13, 2012}) 5. c3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 Bd7 8. Ba4 Re8 9.
Nbd2 Bf8 10. Nf1 h6 11. Ng3 Ne7 12. Bc2 Ng6 13. d4 c5 (13... c6 14. h3 Qc7 15.
Be3 Rad8 16. c4 exd4 17. Bxd4 Re6 18. Bc3 c5 19. Nd2 Rde8 20. Ndf1 Bc6 21. f3
b5 22. cxb5 Bxb5 23. Qd2 Bxf1 24. Nxf1 d5 25. Ba4 d4 26. Ba5 Qe5 27. Bxe8 Rxe8
28. Rac1 Nh5 29. b4 Be7 30. Rxc5 Bxc5 31. bxc5 Qxc5 32. Rc1 Qb5 33. Bc7 Ne5 34.
Rd1 Nc6 {1/2-1/2 Efimenko,Z (2701)-Miroshnichenko,E (2651)/Kiev 2011/CBM 143})
14. h3 Qc7 (14... cxd4 15. cxd4 exd4 16. Qxd4 Qc7 17. Bb3 d5 18. e5 Bc5 19. Qc3
Qb6 20. Be3 d4 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Qxd4 23. Nxd4 Rxe5 24. Rec1 Ne8 25. Rc3
Rc8 26. Rxc8 Bxc8 27. Rd1 Kf8 28. Nf3 Rc5 29. Ne4 Rc7 30. Nc3 Rd7 31. Rc1 Rc7
32. Rd1 Rd7 33. Rc1 {1/2-1/2 Alekseev,E (2691)-Sargissian,G (2677)/Plovdiv
2010/CBM 139}) 15. Be3 b5 (15... Bc6 16. d5 Bd7 17. Qd2 b5 18. a4 $14 {1-0/84,
Felgaer,R (2585) - Karavade,E (2353), Caleta 2011}) 16. Qd2 $5 $146 (16. Nh2
exd4 17. cxd4 d5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Rc1 Qb4 $132 {remis/75,
Kobalia,M (2673) - Sethuraman,S (2529), Moscow 2012}) 16... a5 17. a4 $5 cxd4 (
{Alternativen: I AA:} 17... b4 $6 18. d5 Rab8 19. Bd3 (19. c4 $5) 19... bxc3 (
19... c4 20. Bf1 (20. Be2) 20... h5 $6 21. Bg5) 20. Qxc3 $14) ({II AA:} 17...
exd4 $5 18. cxd4 bxa4 19. d5 $5 (19. dxc5 dxc5 20. Bxa4 Bc6 21. Bxc6 Qxc6 22.
Rxa5 Rxa5 23. Qxa5 Nxe4 $11) 19... Rab8 20. Qc1 Qb7 21. Ra2 $36) 18. cxd4 bxa4
19. Bxa4 ({AA:} 19. d5 Qc4 $1 20. Rec1 Qb4 21. Qd1 Qxb2 $11) 19... Bxa4 20.
Rxa4 d5 $1 {Ein starker Bauernaufzug, der dem Schwarzen Ausgleich verschaffen
sollte.} 21. dxe5 ({AA:} 21. Rc1 Qd7 (21... Qb7 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. dxe5 Nxe4 24.
Nxe4 dxe4 25. Rxa5 Red8 26. Qe1 Qxb2 $11) 22. Rxa5 Rxa5 23. Qxa5 exd4 24. Nxd4
dxe4 $11) 21... Nxe4 $2 {Dabei übersah der junge Engländers am Ende der
folgenden Abtauschoperation eine schlichte Abzugsdrohung, die ihm einen Bauern
kostet.} ({Erforderlich und völlig ausreichend war} 21... Nxe5 22. Nxe5 Qxe5 {
und nun z.B.} 23. Bd4 (23. f4 $2 Qb8 $1 24. e5 Bb4 25. Rxb4 Qxb4 26. exf6 d4
27. Qxb4 axb4 28. Bd2 Rxe1+ 29. Bxe1 Ra1 30. Kf1 Rb1 $19) (23. Bf4 Qe6 $13 {/=}
) 23... Qe6 $13 {/=}) 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. Rxe4 Nxe5 (23... Bb4 $2 24. Rc1 $16 (
24. Qc1)) 24. Nxe5 Rxe5 25. Rxe5 ({AA:} 25. Bf4 Rxe4 26. Bxc7 Bb4 $11 {(} 27.
Rxe4 Bxd2 {)}) 25... Qxe5 26. Bxh6 $1 {Autsch! Allerdings kann Schwarz darauf
hoffen, daß nun die Vorteilsverwertung für den Gegner ein überaus schwieriges
Unterfangen ist.} Qf5 27. Qf4 Qb5 ({Oder: I} 27... Qd5 28. Qg4 $14) ({II AA:} 
27... Qxf4 28. Bxf4 a4 $14) 28. Qf3 Rd8 ({AA:} 28... Rc8 29. b3) 29. Bc1 a4 30.
Rd1 $6 ({I} 30. Re4 $6 Qc6 31. Be3 Rb8 32. Rd4 (32. Bd4 Rb4) 32... Qxf3 33.
gxf3 Rxb2 34. Rxa4) ({II} 30. Qg4 $5 Qb4 (30... Qa5 31. Rd1 Rxd1+ 32. Qxd1) 31.
Re4 {(+/=, AA)} (31. Qxb4 $2 Bxb4 32. Re4 Rd1+ 33. Kh2 Bd6+ 34. Bf4 Bxf4+ 35.
Rxf4 Rd2 36. Rxa4 Rxb2 $14 {/=})) 30... Rc8 $1 31. h4 g6 $6 (31... Rc2 $142 $1
$11 32. h5 (32. Qe4 Qe2) (32. g3 Qb3) 32... Qb3 33. Qg4 Qb4) 32. Qg4 ({Falls} 
32. Be3 {, so kann} Bg7 $1 (32... Qxb2 $143 33. h5 $40) 33. Bd4 Bxd4 34. Rxd4
Qxb2 35. Rxa4 Rc1+ 36. Kh2 Qe5+ 37. g3 (37. Qg3 Qxg3+) 37... Qe1 $14 {/=
folgen.}) 32... Re8 $6 ({Besser waren: I} 32... Rc4 $5 33. Qg5 Qxg5 34. Bxg5
Bg7) ({II} 32... Rc2 $1 33. Be3 Rxb2 34. Rd8 Rb1+ 35. Kh2 Qe5+ 36. g3 (36. Qg3
Qxg3+ 37. Kxg3 Rb3 38. Kf4 Rb5 $11) (36. Bf4 Qc5 37. Qg3 (37. Bd6 Qxd6+ 38.
Rxd6 Bxd6+ 39. g3 a3) 37... Kh7 38. Be3 Qe7 39. Bg5 f6 40. Qd3 Qe5+ 41. g3 Qe1
$132 {=}) 36... Qc7 37. Qc8 Qxc8 38. Rxc8 Kg7 39. Bd4+ f6 40. Rc7+ (40. Bxf6+
Kf7) 40... Kg8 41. Bxf6 a3 $132 {=}) 33. Be3 $5 $14 Bg7 (33... Qxb2 34. Qxa4 (
34. h5 $143 Qc2 35. hxg6 fxg6) 34... Qe5 35. g3 $14) 34. Ra1 Ra8 $6 $138 {(AA)}
({Kurz vor der Zeitkontrolle läßt David Howell nun mehrere passable
Remischancen aus. Hier verdiente beispielsweise die Abwicklung} 34... Qxb2 $142
35. Rxa4 Qb1+ 36. Kh2 Rxe3 $1 37. fxe3 Be5+ {den Vorzug:} 38. g3 (38. Rf4 $14)
38... Qc2+ 39. Kh3 Qf2 40. Rf4 Bxf4 41. Qxf4 Qe2 $14) 35. Qe4 Qa6 $2 (35... Ra6
$142 36. Rc1 Re6 37. Rc8+ Kh7 38. Qf3 (38. Qg4 Qxb2 39. h5 Qb1+) 38... Rf6 39.
Qd1 Rc6 40. Ra8 Ra6 $14) 36. Bd4 Bxd4 37. Qxd4 {Dieses Schwerfiguren-Duell ist
für den Verteidiger, der überdies in Zeitnot war, kaum zu überstehen, zumal
Weiß seinen Mehrbauern als ein Art "Kamikaze" auf h5 in die Waagschale zu
werfen droht.} Qb5 $2 ({Meine "Silikon-Freunde" vermelden das versteckte} 37...
Qa7 $5 {als ausreichend:} 38. Qf4 Qb6 39. Rxa4 Rxa4 40. Qxa4 Qxb2 $14 {und
nach Abtausch der Damenflügelbauern ist Schwarz dem Remishafen näher gekommen.}
) 38. Ra3 $1 Rb8 39. Re3 $1 {Diese gute Möglichkeit, Druck zu entfalten, läßt
sich der große Taktiker Areshchenko nicht entgehen.} ({Auf} 39. h5 $143 {
befürchtete Areshchenko} Qb4 {, wonach} (39... Qb6 {kam ebenso in Betracht, z.
B.} 40. Qxb6 Rxb6 41. hxg6 fxg6 42. Rxa4 Rxb2 43. Ra7 $14) 40. Rxa4 {und der
Folge} Qxd4 41. Rxd4 Rxb2 42. hxg6 fxg6 43. Rd7 $14 {nur geringen weißen
Vorteil ergibt; Schwarz sollte sich in jedem Fall behaupten können.}) 39... Qf5
$2 {Der letzte Fehler, wonach die schwarze Position nicht mehr zu halten ist.}
({I} 39... Re8 $8 $16 {ist laut Areshchenko der einzig spielbare Zug. Indes
nach vorzugsweise} 40. Rxe8+ Qxe8 {kann Weiß in dem Damenendspiel noch lange
Gewinnversuche unternehmen}) ({II Dass} 39... Qxb2 $4 {freilich an} 40. Re8+
$18 {scheitert, war eine zentrale Idee des Turmmanövers Ra1-a3-e3}) 40. Re5 $5
({Erst in der post-mortem-Analyse erkannte Areshchenko, dass der Hebel} 40. h5
$1 {den schwarzen Königsflügel entscheidend geschwächt und forciert gewonnen
hätte. Man sehe, daß trotz des reduzierten Materials noch einige reizvolle
Taktikmotive auftauchen:} g5 (40... gxh5 41. Rg3+ Kf8 42. Qd6+ $18) (40... Qxh5
41. Rh3 $18) (40... Rc8 41. hxg6 fxg6 42. Rh3 $18) {und nun z.B.} 41. Rf3 ({
oder auch} 41. g4 Qf4 42. Qxf4 gxf4 43. Re4 $18 f3 44. Rxa4 Rxb2 45. Rf4 Rb3
46. Kh2 {usw.}) 41... Qb1+ (41... Qe6 42. Rf6 Qe1+ 43. Kh2 Qb4 (43... Re8 44.
Rf5) 44. Qd5 $18) 42. Kh2 Qxb2 43. Qd5 Qg7 44. Rf5 $18) 40... Qb1+ (40... Qc8
41. h5 Qc1+ 42. Kh2 {ist Zugumstellung zur Partie}) 41. Kh2 Qc1 42. h5 $1 ({
Der thematische Aufreißer ist immer noch stark genug, während das vorbereitende
} 42. f4 $143 {möglicherweise zu zögerlich ist, z.B.} Qc7 43. h5 Qd8 44. Qe3 (
44. Qf2 Rb4 45. hxg6 fxg6) 44... Qh4+ 45. Kg1 Rd8 46. Re8+ Rxe8 47. Qxe8+ Kg7
48. hxg6 fxg6 $16) 42... Qh6 ({Oder} 42... Qc7 {und z.B.} 43. g3 Qd8 (43... Rd8
44. Qf4 Qc6 (44... Rf8 45. Qf6 $1 Qd8 46. Re7 Qd2 (46... Qd5 47. g4 $18) 47.
hxg6 Qh6+ 48. Kg2 Qxg6 (48... fxg6 49. Qe6+ Kh8 50. Qe5+ Kg8 51. Qd5+ Kh8 52.
Re1 $18)) 45. h6 $1 Qb6 (45... Rf8 46. Re4 {/\Rxa4+-} Ra8 47. Qe5 f6 48. Qe7) (
45... Rd1 46. Re4 Rh1+ 47. Kxh1 f5 48. Qe5 Qxe4+ (48... Qb7 49. Qe8+ Kh7 50.
Qe7+) 49. Qxe4 fxe4 50. g4 g5 51. Kg1 $18) 46. Re7 Rf8 47. Rb7 $1 Qa5 48. g4
Qd8 (48... Kh7 49. g5 $18) 49. g5 Kh8 50. Rxf7 Rxf7 51. Qxf7 Qb8+ 52. Kh3 Qxb2
53. Qf8+ Kh7 54. Qe7+ Kg8 55. Qe8+ Kh7 56. Qxa4 $18) 44. Rd5 {und Weiß gewinnt:
} ({auch} 44. Qxa4) 44... Qf8 (44... Qb6 45. Qf4 Rd8 46. hxg6 fxg6 47. Rxd8+
Qxd8 48. Qxa4 $18) 45. hxg6 Qh6+ 46. Kg1 fxg6 (46... Qxg6 47. Qf4 $18) 47. Qe4
Rf8 48. Rd6 Kh7 49. Qb7+ ({oder auch} 49. Rd7+ Kh8 50. Qe5+ Kg8 51. Qe6+ Kh8
52. Kg2 $18 Qg5 53. Qh3+ (53. f4) 53... Qh5 54. Qxh5+ gxh5 55. Ra7 $18) 49...
Kh8 50. Qc6 $18) 43. g3 (43. f4) 43... Qg7 44. Kg1 $18 {/\45.hxg6 fxg6 46.Qe4
und/oder 45.Qd5+} Rf8 (44... g5 45. Qd5) 45. Qd5 (45. Qf4) 45... Kh8 46. Qd6 ({
oder auch} 46. Qb5 Qf6 47. Re4) 46... Kh7 47. Ra5 Re8 48. hxg6+ Qxg6 49. Qxg6+
fxg6 50. Rxa4 Rb8 51. Rh4+ Kg7 52. b4 g5 53. Rc4 Kf6 54. Kg2 1-0

[Event "TUR-chT"]
[Site "Konya"]
[Date "2010.07.08"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Haznedaroglu, Kivanc"]
[Black "Atalik, Suat"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2501"]
[BlackElo "2607"]
[Annotator "Atalik,S"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "2010.06.29"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 137 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{In the last round my team had the chance to decide the champion having
guaranteed the 3rd place. My opponent was the second ever Turkish born
grandmaster.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Typical for this guy who
has some slight chess intelligence and wants to go for tricky lines.} Bc5 ({
This days I am for} 4... d6 5. O-O (5. c3 g6) 5... a6 $5 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. d4
Be7 $1 {leads to one of my favorite lines.}) 5. Bxc6 $5 {I have difficulties
to respect such exchanges a la Anderssen, but they are getting popular day by
day.} (5. Be3 Bxe3 6. fxe3 Ne7 $1 7. Nc3 c6 8. Ba4 d6 $132 {is played by the
great Hungaro-British player Isidor Gunsberg.}) 5... dxc6 6. h3 $5 {The idea
explains itself} ({in the following variation with} 6. Be3 Bxe3 7. fxe3 {
and especially} Bg4 $1 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nd7 $11) 6... Qd6 {I somehow could
not remember where I have met this position. Only after the game I have
realised that Alex played this against Strip with Black.} (6... O-O 7. Qe2 {
This is what Strip came up with.} (7. Be3 Bd6) (7. O-O Re8 8. Nbd2 Nd7 9. Nc4
f6 $132) 7... Re8 8. Bg5 Qd6 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. Nc4 Qe6 11. O-O Nb6 $5 $132) (6...
Bd6 7. Nbd2 c5 8. Nc4 Nd7 $11) (6... Nd7 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Nc4 Re8 9. O-O Bf8 $132
(9... f6 10. Be3 Bf8 $132)) 7. Nbd2 Be6 8. Ng5 O-O-O $5 {I am not so sure if
my king belongs there.} ({but I did not like the looks of} 8... Nd7 9. Nxe6
Qxe6 10. Qg4 Qf6 11. Nf3 h5 12. Qg3 $1) 9. Qf3 $146 (9. Nb3 Bb6 10. Qe2 Nd7 11.
Nxe6 Qxe6 12. a4 a6 13. a5 Ba7 14. Be3 Kb8 15. O-O {is seen on the highest
level.} f6 $14) 9... Nd7 $5 10. Nxe6 Qxe6 11. Qg4 Qf6 {Queens should be kept
over the board.} (11... Qxg4 $2 12. hxg4 h6 13. Nc4 f6 14. Bd2 $14 {gives
White a free ride.}) 12. O-O h5 13. Qf3 Qe6 ({However in this position it
makes sens.} 13... Qxf3 $5 14. Nxf3 f6 $11) 14. Nc4 Kb8 $6 {An unnecessary
waste of time.} (14... Nb6 $142 $1 15. Nxb6+ (15. Ne3 Kb8 16. a4 Nc8 $132)
15... cxb6 16. Be3 f6 17. a3 Kb8 18. b4 Bd4 $132) 15. Be3 Be7 16. Bd2 $1 {
He vacates the e3-square for his knight.} f6 (16... g5 17. Ne3 g4 18. Qf5 $1
gxh3 19. Qxe6 (19. Qxh3 Qxh3 20. gxh3 Bg5 $132) 19... fxe6 20. gxh3 b5 $13 {
are two difficult positions to handle.}) (16... g6 $5 17. a4 Nb6 18. Nxb6 cxb6
19. a5 b5 20. a6 b6 $13) 17. b4 (17. a4 $142 Nb6 18. Ne3 Nc8 {has to be
considered.}) 17... Nb6 (17... c5 $6 18. bxc5 Bxc5 19. a4 g5 20. Ne3 $16 {
opens the b line too easy.}) 18. Ne3 Na4 $5 19. Rab1 a6 20. Rb3 g6 21. Rfb1 b5
$5 {By some unorthodox play Black has succeeded in blocking White's aggression
on the queenside.} 22. Rc1 (22. Ra3 Kb7 23. Rxa4 $1 bxa4 24. Nc4 Ka8 {and I
could not see a lethal continuation in White's hand.}) 22... Rd4 23. a3 Rhd8 (
23... Kb7 24. Rbb1 Rf8 $1 (24... Bf8 $6 25. Nf1 Bh6 26. Bxh6 Rxh6 27. Nd2 $16)
25. Re1 Qf7 26. Qe2 Rfd8 $132) 24. Rbb1 Kb7 25. Nf1 R4d7 (25... c5 $5 {is in
deed an interesting option.} {I was not sure about the consequences of an
exchange sac after} 26. Be3 (26. bxc5 Bxc5 27. Rb3 R4d7 28. Ne3 c6 $13) 26...
cxb4 27. Bxd4 Rxd4 28. axb4 Nc3 29. Rb3 Bxb4 30. Ne3 a5 31. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 32.
exd5 Qxd5 33. Qxf6 $16) 26. Ne3 Bf8 $5 ({Obviously I did not want to repeat
the moves with} 26... Rd4 {against this guy.}) 27. Re1 Bh6 28. Nf1 Bf8 $2 {
However this turned out to outsmart my own self.} (28... Bg5 $1 29. Bxg5 fxg5 {
is an extremely rare setup with 8 pawns and two sets of double pawns for black.
} 30. Qg3 {However after this obvious move I have failed to appreciate the
strenght of} g4 $1 31. hxg4 Rh8 $44) 29. Be3 $1 {A good move opening the
a5-square via d2 and b3 for his knight.} ({I was intented to continue the game
after} 29. Ne3 Rf7) 29... Rf7 {I had to bite the bullet and do something.} (
29... c5 30. bxc5 Bxc5 31. Bxc5 Nxc5 32. Nd2 Rd4 33. Qe3 $16) 30. Nd2 f5 $8 {
This is a known idea used by Kortschnoj and Graf. Although e5 becomes weak,
the d and f lines are apt to provide counterplay.} 31. exf5 Qxf5 $1 (31... gxf5
32. Nb3 Qd5 33. Na5+ Ka8 34. Nxc6 Qxf3 35. gxf3 $18 {was stone cold lost.}) 32.
Qg3 Nc3 33. Rb3 (33. Ra1 Bd6 34. Nb3 Kc8 $14) 33... Nd5 34. Ne4 Bd6 35. Bg5 ({
I was also counting on} 35. f3 Nxe3 36. Rxe3 Qf4 37. Qxf4 exf4 38. Nxd6+ $1 (
38. Re1 $2 Be7) 38... Rxd6 $1 39. Re4 Kb6 40. d4 $14 {is a pleasant double
rooks ending for White but maybe nothing more.}) 35... Rdd7 36. Rbb1 $2 {
Slow and inappropriate.} (36. c4 $1 Nf4 37. Bxf4 exf4 38. Qf3 $16) 36... Nf4
37. a4 Bf8 $1 (37... bxa4 38. Qf3) 38. axb5 cxb5 39. Bxf4 exf4 40. Qf3 c6 41.
c4 g5 $1 $40 {This is the moment the tables turned around.} 42. cxb5 axb5 43.
Qxh5 Rxd3 44. Qxg5 (44. Nxg5 $142 Re7 $1 $132 {is much better} ({than} 44...
Rg7 45. h4 Re7 (45... f3 46. g3) 46. Rxe7+ Bxe7 47. Qe8 Qd7 $1 48. Qxd7+ Rxd7
49. Nf3 Kb6 $44)) 44... Rd4 $1 {Now it is White's turn to show some defensive
skills.} 45. Kh2 Rxb4 (45... Rxe4 $2 46. Qxf5 Rxf5 47. Rxe4 $18) (45... Bxb4 $2
46. Rxb4 $18) ({I find} 45... Kb6 $5 {a very unnatural move.}) 46. Ra1 {
Playing for a back rank invasion.} (46. Rbd1 Qxg5 47. Nxg5 Rf5 48. Ne6 Kb6 49.
Rd8 Bc5 $15) 46... Qxg5 47. Nxg5 Rf5 (47... Rd7 48. Re8 Bc5 49. Ne4 Bd4 50.
Raa8 Rb2 51. h4 c5 52. Kh3 b4 $13 {is very messy.}) 48. Ne6 $6 {Choosing the
wrong direction.} (48. Re8 $142 Bd6 49. Ne4 Bc7 50. f3 {is a more or less
playable position.} Rd5 51. Rea8 Bb8 52. h4 Rb2 53. Kh3 b4 $13) 48... Be7 $1
49. Rad1 Bh4 $1 50. Rd2 Kb6 51. g3 fxg3+ 52. fxg3 Bf6 $17 {Bishop being a
better piece in the endgame makes White's life a nightmare.} 53. Re3 (53. Rde2
Rf3 $1 $17) 53... Re5 $1 {The more the position gets simplified the more
White's life becomes difficult.} 54. Rxe5 Bxe5 55. Re2 $2 {The last mistake.
He had to rush to the queenside with his king.} (55. Kg2 Rb3 56. Nf4 b4 57. h4
Rb1 (57... Ra3 $6 58. Nd3 Bc3 59. Rd1 (59. Rc2 c5) 59... b3 60. Rc1 (60. h5 c5
61. h6 c4 62. Nf4 Kc5 $19) 60... b2 61. Rb1 Ra1 62. Nxb2 Rxb1 63. Na4+ Ka5 64.
Nxc3 Rb2+ 65. Kh3 c5 66. h5 c4 67. Kg4 $132 {Reminds me Lasker vs Lasker NY
1924.}) 58. h5 b3 59. Nd3 Bg7 60. Re2 Kb5 $17 {should win.}) 55... Rb2 $1 $19
56. Rxb2 Bxb2 57. Kg2 b4 58. Kf3 Be5 59. Ke4 (59. Ke2 b3 60. Kd1 c5 61. Nf4 Kb5
62. Kc1 c4 63. Ne2 c3 64. h4 Kc4 $19) 59... b3 $1 ({Greed results in a
blockade!} 59... Bxg3 $4 60. Kd3 Kb5 61. Nd4+ Kc5 62. Nb3+ Kd5 63. Na5 Bc7 64.
Nc4 $11) 60. Kd3 c5 61. Nf4 c4+ 62. Kd2 c3+ {I have seen the end of the game
already at this very moment.} (62... Kc5 63. Ne2 Kb4 $19) 63. Kd3 b2 64. Kc2
Bxf4 $1 65. gxf4 Kc5 {Black king has two roots.} 66. h4 (66. f5 Kd5 $19 {
and White's pawns can not defend each other.}) 66... Kb4 $1 {This forces to
promote a queen eary thus he immediately resigned.} (66... Kd4 $4 {would have
been a grave mistake.} 67. h5 Ke3 68. h6 b1=Q+ 69. Kxb1 Kd2 70. h7 c2+ 71. Ka2
c1=Q 72. h8=Q Qc4+ $11) (66... Kb4 $1 67. h5 Ka3 68. h6 Ka2 $19) (66... Kd5 $4
67. h5 Ke6 68. h6 Kf6 69. f5 Kf7 $11 {and the pawns which are one file apart
defend each other.}) 0-1

[Event "Olympiad-36"]
[Site "Mallorca"]
[Date "2004.10.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Charbonneau, Pascal"]
[Black "Mitkov, Nikola"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2539"]
[Annotator "Atlas,V"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2004.10.15"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 104"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.01.27"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.01.27"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Canada"]
[BlackTeam "Macedonia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CAN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "MKD"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8.
Kh1 c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d6 12. Nd2 g5 13. Bg3 Bg4 14. f3 Be6 15.
Bb3 Nh5 16. Bf2 Bxf2 17. Rxf2 Qb6 18. Rf1 d5 19. g3 Ng7 20. Qe2 Rad8 21. exd5
Bxd5 22. Nc4 Qb5 23. Kg1 Qc5+ 24. Qf2 Qxf2+ 25. Rxf2 Bxc4 26. Bxc4 b5 27. Bb3
Rxd3 28. a4 bxa4 29. Rxa4 Rb8 30. Bc2 Rd7 31. b4 c5 32. bxc5 Rc7 33. f4 exf4
34. gxf4 Rxc5 35. Rxa7 g4 36. f5 Rxc3 37. f6 Ne6 ({Better was} 37... Ne8 $5 {
still retaining some winning chances.}) 38. Bf5 g3 39. hxg3 Rxg3+ 40. Kh2 Re3 (
{If} 40... Rg5 41. Bxe6 {, then} fxe6 42. Re7 Rf5 {, with equality.}) 41. Re7
Kf8 42. Rg2 Re8 $4 ({Black's attempt to fight for victory in this drawn ending
yields White an unexpected chance to decide the game by an elegant winning
combination. Correct was} 42... Rf3 43. Bxe6 Rxf6 44. Rxf7+ {, with equality.})
{[%tqu "En","Black's last move was a terrible mistake. Can you find its
refutation?","Exploit a weak position of the black king and a weakness of the
opponent's back rank.","Use your g2-rook for the decisive blow!","g2g8","This
simple and nice move wins on the spot.",3]} 43. Rg8+ $1 {[%csl Ge7,Re8,Gf5,Rf8,
Gg8]} (43. Rg8+ $1 {An elegant refutation of Black's careless move! This
powerful blow wins a rook:} Kxg8 44. Rxe8+ Nf8 45. Rxe3) 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 0405"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2005.03.13"]
[Round "13.3"]
[White "Bischoff, Klaus"]
[Black "Hansen, Sune Berg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2559"]
[BlackElo "2551"]
[Annotator "Atlas,V"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2004.11.12"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 106"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.06.06"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Tegernsee"]
[BlackTeam "Hamburger SK"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Bd6 5. c3 O-O 6. d3 a6 7. Ba4 Re8 8. Nbd2
Bf8 9. Nf1 h6 10. h3 b5 11. Bc2 d5 12. Ng3 Be6 13. Nh2 Ne7 14. Nh5 Ng6 15.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Ng4 Qd8 17. g3 Qd7 18. Qf3 Rad8 19. O-O c6 20. Re1 Bc5 21. b4
Bb6 22. a4 d4 23. axb5 axb5 24. Bd2 Ra8 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 26. cxd4 Bxd4 27. Ne3 Ra2
28. Rc1 Ne7 (28... Bxh3 29. Qh5 Qe6 {looks very promising for Black. wirkt
sehr vielversprechend für Schwarz.}) 29. g4 g6 $2 ({A fatal mistake, after
which White's attack on the kingside becomes very dangerous. Essential was Ein
tödlicher Fehler, nachdem der weiße Angriff am Königsflügel sehr gefährlich
wird. Erforderlich war} 29... c5 {, retaining good chances. mit nach wie vor
guten Chancen.}) 30. Qf6 $1 Kh7 (30... Qa7 {falls short of scheitert an} 31.
Nf5 Bxf2+ 32. Kh1 {, with irresistible attack. mit unwiderstehlichem Angriff.})
{[%tqu "En","How would you power up White's attack?","Target the weak h6-pawn
and try to bring the dark-squared bishop into the attack.","Sacrifice your
knight!","e3f5","This surprising knight jump makes White's attack irresistible.
",5,"De","Wie würden Sie dem weißen Angriff Nachschub verleihen?","Nehmen Sie
den schwachen Bauern h6 aufs Korn und versuchen Sie, den schwarzfeldrigen
Läufer in den Angriff einzuschalten.","Opfern Sie Ihren Springer!","e3f5",
"Dieser überraschende Springerausfall macht den weißen Angriff unwiderstehlich.
",5]} 31. Nf5 $1 {[%csl Gd2,Gf5,Gf6,Rg7,Rh6][%cal Gd2h6,Gf6h6] The knight
sacrifice unveils weaknesses on Black's kingside and breaks Black's defense.
Das Springeropfer enthüllt Schwächen am gegnerischen Königsflügel und
durchschlägt die schwarze Verteidigung.} Nxf5 (31... gxf5 {fails to scheitert
an} 32. Bxh6 {, with invevitable mate. mit undeckbarem Matt.}) 32. gxf5 Bxf5
33. exf5 g5 ({More tenacious was Hartnäckiger war} 33... Qxf5 34. Qxf5 gxf5 35.
Be3 Bxe3 (35... Rb2 {falls short of geht nicht wegen} 36. Bxd4 exd4 37. Bd1
Rxb4 38. Kg2 (38. Rxc6 $4 Rb1)) 36. fxe3 Rb2) 34. Be3 Bxe3 35. fxe3 Qd5 36. d4
$1 Kg8 ({Or Oder} 36... exd4 37. Qxd4 {, and Black is lost. und Schwarz ist
verloren.}) 37. Qxe5 Qc4 (37... Qc4 {Black resigned in view of und Schwarz gab
auf wegen} 38. Qe8+ Kh7 (38... Kg7 39. f6+ Kxf6 40. Qe5#) 39. f6+ Rxc2 40. Rxc2
Qxc2 41. Qxf7+ Kh8 42. Qg7#) 1-0

[Event "Asia-ch 5th"]
[Site "Hyderabad"]
[Date "2005.10.06"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Wang, Hao"]
[Black "Roktim, Bandyopadhyay"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2519"]
[BlackElo "2380"]
[Annotator "Atlas,V"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2005.10.05"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 110"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Be3 Bxe3 7. fxe3 Qe7
8. h3 O-O 9. Qd2 a5 10. Nc3 a4 11. a3 Nd7 12. O-O b5 13. Qf2 Nb6 14. Nh4 Bd7
15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. exf5 f6 17. Ne4 Nd7 18. Qe1 Qf7 19. Rf3 c5 20. Rd1 Rfb8 21.
Qh4 b4 22. Ng3 (22. Nd2 $5 {also deserved here serious attention.}) 22... bxa3
23. bxa3 Kh8 24. Nh5 Rg8 25. Rb1 $5 {This risky continuation leads to a very
sharp play.} Qa2 26. Rb7 Qxa3 $2 (26... Qxc2 {was a better alternative to the
tempting text move. Now White has time to power up his attack.}) 27. Rxc7 Rad8
28. Rg3 Qc1+ 29. Kh2 Qxc2 30. Rg4 Qxd3 $2 ({More tenacious was} 30... Qb3 {
, but after} 31. Nf4 $1 Rge8 32. Ne6 $1 Rxe6 33. fxe6 Qxe6 34. Rxa4 {White
gets a decisive advantage.}) {[%tqu "En","All White's pieces are superbly
placed and ready for the decisive strike. How should White continue?","Target
the enemy king!","Sacrifice your knight!","h5f4","This beautiful move breaks
Black's defense. To avoid mate, Black has to give up his queen.",6]} 31. Nf4 $1
{[%csl Rd3,Gg4,Gh4,Rh7,Rh8][%cal Cd3f5,Gf4d3,Gf4g6] The winning move. Now huge
material losses are inveitable.} Qxf5 ({After} 31... exf4 {, the terrific
queen sacrifice decides the game:} 32. Qxh7+ Kxh7 33. Rh4#) 32. Ng6+ Qxg6 33.
Rxg6 a3 34. Ra7 Ra8 35. Rxd7 1-0

[Event "Olympiad-41"]
[Site "Tromsoe"]
[Date "2014.08.11"]
[Round "9.3"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Georgiadis, Nico"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2448"]
[Annotator "Bartel,M"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2014.08.02"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 162"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Poland"]
[BlackTeam "Switzerland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "POL"]
[BlackTeamCountry "SUI"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {If you see no reason to play the Berlin
endgame, and I certainly can't see the point in playing this strange queenless
position, the only real alternative is 4.d3.} Bc5 5. Bxc6 {This innocent move
is currently the most serious attempt to fight for a small edge. White has
other options and in fact many of them. I have already tried to get something
after 5.c3, 5.Nbd2 and 5.Nc3.} dxc6 6. Nbd2 {This flexible move was introduced
around 2009-2010 by two players. Both Predojevic and Zvjaginsev played several
games with it. Later such players as Carlsen, Adams or Naiditsch realised that
there is some idea behind this move and all of a sudden it became very
fashionable. Anand himself has already played 4 games in it, one of them in
his WCh struggle vs. Magnus Carlsen.  However, to be honest, there is not much
difference between 6.Nbd2 and 6.0-0 and very often both moves leads to the
same positions.} Be6 {This move stops the Nc4 idea forever, but at the same
time} (6... Bg4 {was tried by Carlsen in the Chennai match. However, it seems
a bit too provocative to me:} 7. h3 Bh5 8. g4 $5 (8. Nf1 {was Anand's choice,
but it didn't lead to any edge}) 8... Bg6 9. Nc4 (9. Nb3 Bd6 10. Na5 Bb4+ 11.
Bd2 Bxa5 12. Bxa5 Qd6 $11) 9... Nd7 {and now the position may become quite
sharp for this opening:} 10. Be3 Qe7 11. Qe2 O-O 12. O-O-O $13) ({Another
standard option would be} 6... O-O 7. O-O ({after} 7. Nc4 {Black can try} Ng4
$5 8. O-O f5) 7... Re8 8. Nc4 Nd7 {what we also saw at the Olympiad, in the
Negi - Bologan encounter.}) 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nb3 Bxb3 $6 {In that position the
main, if not the only, advantage of Black's is the pair of bishops. Exchanging
one of them without visible reason can't be that good.} (8... Be7 {has been
tried by two French players, Maze and Bacrot; especially the latter played in
convincingly:} 9. d4 f6 10. c3 O-O 11. Be3 a5 12. h3 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Qe8 14. dxe5
Nxe5 15. Nd4 Nc4 16. Nxe6 Qxe6 17. Nxc4 Qxc4 18. f3 {1/2 (18) Edouard,R (2666)
-Bacrot,E (2725) Geneve 2013}) 9. axb3 {Now, in my opinion, White must be
slightly better, as he has the better pawn structure. Of course, it's not much.
} O-O 10. Bg5 Be7 ({The idea of White's 10.Bg5 could be seen after} 10... f6
11. Bd2 {and now Nh4-f5, to provoke g7-g6, seems like a natural plan.}) 11. Be3
{This is a good square for the bishop.} Re8 $6 {This seems a bit pointless, as
at the moment the pawn on e5 doesn't need any more protection.} (11... a5 $5 {
was interesting. It seems that Black should try to establish a strong chain of
his pawns on a5-b6 and c5 to prepare the c6-square for the knight.}) 12. Kh1 {
This is a very useful move on many occasions, as the king can hardly be
attacked with check on h1, while on g1 - after e.g. f4 - check on d4 can
easily happen.} ({However, it's very likely that a immediate} 12. Qe1 $5 {
or Qd2 was more precise.}) 12... a6 $6 {As mentioned in the previous comment,
the pawn should be advanced to a5. This looks more solid, but at the same time
is pointless.} 13. Qe1 {I am not exactly sure about the objective strength of
this move, but during the game I really liked it. It can be very useful - if
White mangages to play Nd2-f4, the queen would be quick to reach g3 square,
which looks optimal. At the same time, the queen has a contact with bishop on
e3 and White can recapture with a Lady, which actually happened in the game.}
Bc5 (13... b6 $5) 14. Nd2 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Qe7 16. Nc4 b6 $2 {This is too slow.} (
{Engines suggest to try} 16... b5 {, but it's not the easiest move to make.
It's, as are most computer suggestions, very concrete - if Black is quick
enough to create counterplay on the queenside, it should be ok.} 17. Nd2 (17.
Na5 c5 18. f4 exf4 19. Rxf4 Qd6 $11) 17... c5 (17... Qc5 $6 18. Qxc5 Nxc5 19.
b4 $14) (17... a5 $5 18. f4 exf4 19. Qxf4 $14) 18. f4 exf4 19. Rxf4 Qe5 $13)
17. f4 a5 $6 {Again, too slow. Now White acts extremely quickly.} 18. Qg3 exf4
(18... f6 {was better:} 19. Ne3 Kh8 {, but after} 20. Rf3 {White is just about
to start a final attack.}) 19. Rxf4 {Now it's really unpleasant for Black -
all the white forces are ready to attack.} Ne5 $2 {Another aimless move and
decisive mistake.} (19... f6 20. Ne3 {with a serious advantage.}) 20. Raf1 {
A simple decision - the last piece joins the attack.} Rf8 {The only move to
avoid material losses.} 21. Ne3 h6 $2 {Now Black is holpless.} ({More stubborn
was something like} 21... f6 22. d4 Ng6 23. Rg4 $16) 22. d4 $6 (22. h4 $18 {
was winning on the spot. With the control of the g5-square White has a lot of
possibilities, based on the Nf5 idea.}) 22... Ng6 23. Nf5 Qe6 24. h4 (24. Rg4 {
was also ok.}) 24... h5 25. Qg5 Qe8 $8 {The threat was g4.} 26. e5 $1 {Simple
and decisive. White stops teh f6 threat and keeps up the tention.} f6 (26... c5
27. Qxh5 $1 (27. g4 $2 Qd8 $1) 27... Nxf4 (27... cxd4 28. Qg5 $1 Qd8 29. Qg4 {
with an unstoppable h4-h5.}) 28. Rxf4 f6 29. Qg4 $18) 27. exf6 Rxf6 28. Ne7+ ({
Also winning was} 28. Nxg7 Rxf4 29. Nxe8 Rxf1+ 30. Kh2 Rxe8 31. Qxg6+ Kf8 32.
Qh6+ Kg8 33. Qxc6 {, but the move in the game looked simpler to me.}) 28...
Qxe7 29. Rxf6 gxf6 30. Qxg6+ Qg7 31. Qxh5 (31. Rxf6 Qxg6 32. Rxg6+ {was
probably the most technical way.}) 31... Rf8 32. Rf4 Qh7 33. Qe2 Kh8 34. Kh2 {
A useful move, as the king is much better on h2.} Qf7 35. Qe4 Qd7 36. Qg6 Qg7 (
36... Qh7 {was more stubborn.}) 37. Rg4 Qxg6 38. Rxg6 {And with the active
rook on g6 and better king, not forgetting about his material advantage, White
is winning.} Rd8 (38... Kh7 39. h5) 39. Rxf6 Rxd4 40. Kh3 c5 41. Rf2 c4 42.
bxc4 Rxc4 43. g4 a4 44. h5 b5 45. Kh4 Kg7 (45... b4 46. b3 $1 axb3 47. cxb3 Rc3
48. h6 Rxb3 49. g5 $18) 46. Rd2 Rc5 (46... Kf6 47. c3 b4 (47... a3 48. bxa3
Rxc3 49. g5+) 48. cxb4 Rxb4 49. Rc2) 47. c3 a3 48. bxa3 Rxc3 49. Rd7+ Kg8 50.
h6 1-0

[Event "FRA-ch 91st"]
[Site "Agen"]
[Date "2016.08.19"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Edouard, Romain"]
[Black "Gharamian, Tigran"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2647"]
[BlackElo "2637"]
[Annotator "Besenthal,K/Primel,D"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2016.08.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 174"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:10:21]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:10]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
07]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:05:28]} Nd4 {[%emt 0:01:02]} 6. Nxd4
{[%emt 0:00:06]} Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 7. c3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (7. Nd2 a6 8. Ba4
b5 9. Bb3 d6 10. a4 Bb6 11. axb5 Bg4 12. Nf3 axb5 13. Rxa8 Qxa8 14. h3 Be6 15.
Bxe6 fxe6 16. Nh2 O-O 17. Ng4 Qe8 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. Nxe3 Qc6 20. Qd2 d5 21. f3
d4 22. Ng4 Nxg4 23. hxg4 h6 24. g5 hxg5 25. Qxg5 Qxc2 26. Qxe5 Qxd3 27. Qxe6+
Kh7 28. Qh3+ Kg8 29. Qe6+ Kh7 30. Qh3+ Kg8 {1/2-1/2 (30) Anand,V (2762)
-Nakamura,H (2790) Moscow 2016}) 7... Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 8. Ba4 {[%emt 0:07:
59]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:59]} 9. Bg5 {[%emt 0:02:06]} h6 {[%emt 0:02:52]} 10. Bh4 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} d6 {[%emt 0:03:43]} 11. Kh1 {[%emt 0:01:20]} g5 {[%emt 0:26:29]
} 12. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bg4 $146 {[%emt 0:00:31]} (12... h5 13. f3 h4 14.
Bf2 Bxf2 15. Rxf2 Nh5 16. Nd2 Qf6 17. Kg1 Be6 18. Nf1 d5 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Ne3
Rad8 21. Nxd5 Rxd5 22. Qb3 Rxd3 23. Qxb7 Qb6 24. Qxb6 axb6 25. Bb5 Rd6 26. a4
Rfd8 27. b4 Nf4 28. a5 Nd5 29. Rc2 bxa5 30. bxa5 c6 31. Be2 Nc7 32. a6 Nb5 33.
Kf2 Ra8 34. Bc4 Kg7 35. Ra5 f5 36. Ke3 Rd7 37. Rd2 Rc7 38. Rd3 Kf8 39. g3 hxg3
40. hxg3 Ke7 41. Rd2 Rca7 42. Bxb5 {Spraggett,K (2588)-Pap,M (2511) France
2011 1/2-1/2}) 13. f3 {[%emt 0:01:34]} Be6 {[%emt 0:01:04]} 14. d4 {[%emt 0:08:
06]} Nh5 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 15. Bf2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nf4 {[%emt 0:04:59]} 16. Na3
{[%emt 0:03:30]} Qf6 {[%emt 0:03:15]} 17. Bb3 {[%emt 0:10:49]} Rad8 {[%emt 0:
03:17]} 18. Bxe6 {[%emt 0:12:20]} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:07:23]} 19. d5 {[%emt 0:02:53]}
Qg6 {[%emt 0:18:14]} 20. Bxb6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} axb6 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 21. g3 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} Nh5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 22. Nc2 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Ng7 {[%emt 0:00:
28]} 23. g4 {[%emt 0:00:58]} h5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 24. Qe2 {[%emt 0:06:57]} (24.
h3) 24... Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 25. Rg1 {[%emt 0:02:31]} h4 {[%emt 0:01:54]} 26.
Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:41]} f6 {[%emt 0:01:03]} 27. a4 {[%emt 0:00:58]} Ra6 {[%emt 0:
02:32]} 28. Ra3 {[%emt 0:01:15]} Rfa8 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 29. Rga1 {[%emt 0:00:03]
} Qe8 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 30. Qc4 {[%emt 0:03:31]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 31. Qb4 {
[%emt 0:00:29]} Qc8 {[%emt 0:02:24]} 32. Nc4 {[%emt 0:06:11]} R8a7 {[%emt 0:02:
16]} 33. Kg1 {[%emt 0:01:35]} Ne8 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 34. Qb5 {[%emt 0:04:39]} Kf8
{[%emt 0:00:57]} 35. Kf2 {[%emt 0:00:41]} c6 {[%emt 0:06:07]} 36. Qb4 {[%emt 0:
00:07]} c5 {[%emt 0:01:20]} 37. Qb3 {[%emt 0:01:17]} Qd8 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 38.
Ke2 {[%emt 0:04:43]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 39. Qc2 {[%emt 0:03:02]} Ra8 {
[%emt 0:03:47]} 40. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:59]} R8a7 {[%emt 0:04:36]} 41. Rb3 {
[%emt 0:12:21]} Rxa4 {[%emt 0:14:32]} 42. Rxa4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rxa4 {[%emt 0:
00:05]} 43. Rxb6 $1 {[%emt 0:06:25]} Rxc4 {[%emt 0:09:59]} 44. Rb5 {[%emt 0:00:
16]} b6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 45. Qb3 {[%emt 0:05:19]} Qa7 {[%emt 0:01:14]} 46. Qxc4
{[%emt 0:00:55]} Nc7 {[%emt 0:01:28]} 47. Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qa1 {[%emt 0:00:
11]} 48. Kc2 {[%emt 0:00:49]} Qa2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} (48... b5 $5) 49. Qd3 {
[%emt 0:01:45]} Qa4 {[%emt 0:01:40]} 50. c4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} b5 {[%emt 0:01:19]
} 51. Kb1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} b4 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 52. Qc2 {[%emt 0:01:05]} Ke7 {
[%emt 0:01:35]} 53. Rd3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Qxc2+ {[%emt 0:00:29]} 54. Kxc2 {
[%emt 0:00:01] Ist die Schwarze Stellung eine uneinnehmbare Festung?} Kd7 {
[%emt 0:00:14]} 55. Rd1 {[%emt 0:01:10]} Kc8 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 56. Ra1 {[%emt 0:
00:03]} Kb7 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 57. Kd3 {[%emt 0:01:43]} Na8 {[%emt 0:05:43]} 58.
f4 $1 {[%emt 0:02:42] Nein!} exf4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} ({Oder} 58... gxf4 59. Rf1
Nb6 60. Rf3 Na4 61. Kc2 Kc8 62. Rh3 Kd8 63. Rxh4 {usw.}) 59. e5 {[%emt 0:00:02]
} dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:33]} ({Oder} 59... fxe5 60. Ke4) 60. Ra5 {[%emt 0:01:19]}
1-0

[Event "Tashkent FIDE GP"]
[Site "Tashkent"]
[Date "2014.10.31"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2768"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2014.10.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d5 {Side-stepping some theory
here. The normal move is 0-0 or d6, but d5 is logical if Black can get away
from it. Kryvoruchko tried it recently with success agaisnt Hansen.} 6. Nbd2 (
6. Nxe5 O-O 7. Bxc6 bxc6 {leaves White's position rather shaky. With e4
hanging and his lack of development it doesn't seem he can find a path to an
advantage, actually he should be careful not to be worse.}) 6... dxe4 7. dxe4
O-O 8. Qe2 a5 9. O-O Qe7 {The symmetrical position is not worse for Black in
this scenario.} 10. Nh4 Bg4 11. Ndf3 Nh5 12. Qc4 Na7 13. Bg5 Qd6 14. Nf5 (14.
Rad1 Bxf2+ $1 15. Kxf2 $6 (15. Kh1 Qc5 $11) 15... Qb6+ $17) 14... Bxf5 15. exf5
h6 16. Rad1 Qb6 (16... Bxf2+ 17. Kxf2 Qb6+ 18. Be3 Qxb5 19. Qxb5 Nxb5 20. Nxe5
$11) 17. Rd5 c6 18. Qxc5 Qxb5 19. Qxf8+ $1 {The only way to keep equal chances.
} (19. Qxb5 Nxb5 {leaves White's rook on d5 and White's bishop on g5 hanging.})
19... Rxf8 20. Rxb5 cxb5 21. Be3 Nc6 22. Rd1 Nf6 {Neither side can claim to
anything in this position.} 23. h3 Rc8 24. g4 Kf8 25. Bc5+ Kg8 26. Be3 Kf8 27.
Kf1 Ke8 28. Ke2 Rc7 29. Bc5 Ne4 30. Rd5 Nf6 31. Rd1 Ne4 32. Rd5 Nf6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2015.01.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2862"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2015.01.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {An Anti-Berlin that has done well this
tournament. MVL beat Giri with it.} Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8.
h3 h6 {The game will be quite strategical. White has the structural advantage
but Black can remain solid and in the long run he has the pair of bishops.} 9.
Re1 Re8 10. Nf1 a5 11. Ng3 Rb8 12. b3 Bb4 13. Bd2 Ra8 $6 {Black's last few
moves are difficult to understand. Now White gets a slight edge by building up
his center.} 14. c3 Bc5 15. d4 Bb6 (15... exd4 16. cxd4 Bb6 {changes the
character of the position to something more agreeable with the pair of bishops,
but it still looks more pleasant to be White.}) 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. c4 Nh7 18.
Qe2 Nf8 19. Be3 c5 {Even though this is (some) engines recommendation and the
move that Radjabov chose... it is so painful to see this bishop on b6 trapped
as it is.} (19... Bxe3 20. Qxe3 Qe7 {at least there is no entombed bishop on
b6 here.}) 20. Rad1 Qf6 21. Nh5 Qe7 22. Nh2 {White starts a slow but standard
attack on the kingside. And why not? It's not like Radjabov's pieces on the
queenside are doing much at the moment.} Kh7 23. Qf3 f6 (23... a4 24. Ng4 Ng6 {
was a better choice, probably.}) 24. Ng4 {Already White threatens nasty
sacrifices} Bxg4 (24... a4 25. Ngxf6+ gxf6 26. Nxf6+ Kg6 27. Nxe8 Qxe8 28. Rd5
{with a strong attack.}) 25. Qxg4 Red8 $2 (25... g6 $1 {Black absolutely
needed to take control over some lightsquares!}) 26. Qf5+ Kh8 27. f4 Rxd1 28.
Rxd1 exf4 29. Bxf4 Qe6 30. Rd3 Re8 {Missing White's blow, but Radjabov's
position was already delicate.} 31. Nxg7 $1 Kxg7 32. Qh5 {Black cannot hope to
hold his kingside together, much less with that bishop stuck on b6.} Nh7 33.
Bxh6+ Kh8 34. Qg6 Qg8 35. Bg7+ Qxg7 36. Qxe8+ {The rest is easy. For all
practical purposes White is up the echange.} Qf8 37. Qe6 Qh6 38. e5 Qc1+ 39.
Kh2 Qf4+ 40. Rg3 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares 23rd"]
[Site "Morelia/Linares"]
[Date "2006.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2006.02.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 112"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Topalov seems to have not been put off by the
defeat in the first round of the Morelia half and manifests his intention to
play the Berlin variation again.} 4. d3 {But Radjabov does not seem to be
prepared for a theoretical dispute.} Bc5 ({Topalov has played this already
against Anand in San Luis. Another common reaction is} 4... d6) 5. Bxc6 $5 {
Radjabov chooses a quiet plan. After this exchange, White will be left with
the more flexible pawn structure, without any danger of losing. Could he have
hoped that Topalov will be overdoing it in the attempt of complicating the
fight, just as he did in the first game of their mini-match?} dxc6 6. Qe2 Bg4
7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Nxf3 Qe7 10. c3 O-O 11. O-O Rfe8 12. Re1 Rad8 13. Bd2
Nf8 14. Rad1 Bb6 15. Be3 {#} c5 {A slightly paradoxical but entirely adequate
decision. Black prevents the thematic oepning of the centre by means of d4,
which would leave White with an extra-pawn on the king side.} 16. a3 Rd7 17. b4
f6 18. Qc2 Ne6 {Consolidating the control of the d4-square.} 19. Qb3 Qf7 20.
Qc4 Red8 21. Rd2 cxb4 22. axb4 h6 23. Kf1 c6 24. Red1 Bxe3 25. fxe3 Re8 26. Kg1
{White's only constructive plan would be to play d4, but this would seriously
weaken the e4-pawn. Therefore, the decision whether to offer a draw does not
really seem premature.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Zug FIDE GP"]
[Site "Zug"]
[Date "2013.04.24"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2786"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2013.04.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 154"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Nc4 Nd7 8.
O-O Re8 9. Kh1 a5 10. a4 b6 11. g3 $146 (11. Be3 Bb4 12. Nfd2 b5 13. axb5 cxb5
14. c3 bxc4 15. cxb4 cxd3 16. bxa5 Ba6 17. Qb3 Nf6 18. h3 Nh5 19. Rfc1 Nf4 20.
Rc6 Ne2 21. Qd5 Qb8 22. Rxa6 Rxa6 23. Qxd3 Qxb2 24. Rb1 Rd6 25. Qxe2 Qa2 26.
Qb5 c6 27. Qb2 {1-0 (27) Anand,V (2780)-Kramnik,V (2810) Zuerich 2013}) 11...
Nf8 12. Ncxe5 f6 13. d4 Bd6 14. Nxc6 Qd7 15. d5 Rxe4 16. Nd2 Re8 17. Nc4 Ba6
18. b3 Bxc4 19. bxc4 Ng6 20. Nd4 {Karjakin now chooses the dubious} Ne5 $2 {
and gives Caruana the opportunity to get a winning advantage with} 21. f4 $1 c5
22. Nb5 Nf7 23. Qd3 Bf8 24. Bd2 Nd6 25. Nc3 Qh3 26. Rab1 Rab8 27. Rfe1 Rxe1+
28. Bxe1 Kf7 29. Bf2 Rb7 30. Kg1 h5 31. Ne4 Qd7 32. Nxd6+ Bxd6 33. Re1 Qxa4 34.
Qf5 Re7 35. Re6 ({Caruana missed an easy win with} 35. Rxe7+ Bxe7 36. Qe6+ Kf8
37. d6 Bd8 38. d7 Be7 39. Qd6 $18) 35... Qd7 36. Qxh5+ Kg8 37. f5 {After} a4 {
Black was back in the game as the pawn had to be blockaded before it became a
runner.} 38. Qf3 Re8 39. Qa3 Ra8 40. Be1 Be5 41. Bf2 Qb7 42. d6 {Fabiano
Caruana had started to make mistakes, and it was hard for the Italian player
to defend his position after this move.} Qc6 43. d7 Qxd7 44. Rxb6 Qxf5 45. Qxc5
Rd8 46. Qe3 Qxc2 47. Qf3 a3 48. Qxa3 {Chess engines are showing -6 = totally
winning for Black.} Bd4 $4 49. Bxd4 Rxd4 50. Rxf6 $1 Rd2 (50... gxf6 51. Qa8+
Kf7 52. Qa7+ Ke6 53. Qxd4 {and White is winning.}) 51. Qf8+ Kh7 52. Rf2 Rxf2
53. Qxf2 Qxc4 54. Qf5+ Kh8 55. Qf8+ Kh7 56. Qf5+ Kh8 57. h4 Qa2 58. h5 Qe2 59.
Qf8+ Kh7 60. Qf5+ Kh8 1/2-1/2

[Event "USA-ch"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2015.04.02"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shankland, Samuel L"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2661"]
[BlackElo "2788"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "184"]
[EventDate "2015.04.01"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4
Ba7 9. h3 Ne7 10. Re1 c5 11. Nf1 h6 12. Ng3 b5 13. Bc2 Ng6 14. d4 Bb7 15. Be3
Re8 16. d5 c4 17. Bxa7 Rxa7 18. b3 Qc7 19. bxc4 Qxc4 20. a4 Qxc3 21. axb5 Qc5
22. Qb1 axb5 23. Rxa7 Qxa7 24. Qxb5 Rc8 25. Bd3 Nf4 26. Qb3 Ba6 27. Bxa6 Qxa6
28. Nf5 Kh7 29. Qb4 Rd8 30. Qd2 Rb8 31. Qc2 Rc8 32. Qd2 Rc4 33. Ng3 Qc8 34. Nh2
Rd4 35. Qe3 Rd3 36. Qa7 Qc3 37. Re3 Rxe3 38. Qxe3 Qxe3 39. fxe3 Nd3 40. Nf3 Nc5
41. Nd2 g5 42. Kf2 Kg6 43. Kf3 h5 44. h4 gxh4 45. Nf5 Nxd5 46. Nxd6 Nc3 47. Nf5
Kg5 48. Nd6 Kf6 49. Nf5 Ne6 50. Nxh4 Ng5+ 51. Kg3 Ngxe4+ 52. Nxe4+ Nxe4+ 53.
Kf3 Nd2+ 54. Ke2 Kg5 55. g3 Ne4 56. Kf3 Nd2+ 57. Ke2 Ne4 58. Kf3 f5 59. Kg2 Nd2
60. Kf2 Kg4 61. Ng6 Nc4 62. Ne7 Nb2 63. Nd5 Nd3+ 64. Kg2 Kg5 65. Kf3 Nc5 66.
Kg2 Ne4 67. Kh3 Nf6 68. Ne7 Ng4 69. Nd5 Kg6 70. Kh4 Kh6 71. Kh3 Kg7 72. Kh4 Kg6
73. Kh3 Kf7 74. Kh4 Ke6 75. Nc7+ Kd6 76. Ne8+ Kd5 77. Kxh5 Nxe3 78. Kg5 Ke4 79.
Kf6 Kd4 80. Kg5 e4 81. Nd6 Kd3 82. Kh5 Kd4 83. Kg5 Kd5 84. Nb5 Kc5 85. Nc3 Kd4
86. Nb5+ Ke5 87. Na3 Nd5 88. Nc4+ Ke6 89. Nd2 Ke5 90. Nc4+ Ke6 91. Nd2 Nf6 {
After defending for a long time, Sam Shankland has reached a drawn position.
Wesley So was unable to capitalize in a winning position, being up a pawn in a
knight endgame.} 92. g4 $4 (92. Nc4 {was the easiest way to draw, but most
logical moves also held the half point.}) 92... Nxg4 {It is unclear what
Shankland missed...} (92... Nxg4 93. Nxe4 fxe4 94. Kxg4 Ke5 {is very obviously
a lost pawn endgame.}) 0-1

[Event "Grenke Chess Classic 1st"]
[Site "Baden-Baden"]
[Date "2013.02.07"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2013.02.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 153"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. d4
Bb6 9. Re1 Ng6 10. Bd3 Re8 11. Qc2 c6 12. Be3 d5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Rxe5
15. Bxb6 axb6 {Adams had dismissed} 16. f4 {but then thought, "Black has so
many options that one of them must be good, but which one? Let's see what
happens!"} ({Adams revealed that his first thought was} 16. Nd2 {is a draw,
but such is life - move on.}) {Suddenly Vishy was also faced with a dilemma -
all kinds of exchange sacs on e4 are possible and the rook can also simply
retreat to e8, but the World Champion claimed his decision was also impulsive:
"For some reason I started to like the idea of} 16... Rh5 {and decided it was
worth a punt." - Adams: "I was very suspicious of Rh5 - I was completely
unable to refute it in any way, but it looked a very funny move."} 17. e5 Nd7
18. Qe2 Rh4 19. e6 {After this things looked dicey for Anand, but} Nc5 $1 {
showed he had the situation under control, even if he still felt Black needed
to be very accurate in the play that followed.} 20. exf7+ Kxf7 21. Nd2 Nxd3 22.
Qxd3 Rxf4 23. Qxh7 Bf5 24. Qh5+ Bg6 25. Qe5 Rf6 26. Nf3 Kg8 27. Ng5 Qd7 28. a3
$5 ({Vishy joked "it would have been a reasonable bluff just to play} 28. Rad1
{and see if I have the guts to take on a2!"}) 28... Raf8 29. Rad1 Qf5 30. Qe3
Qf2+ 31. Qxf2 Rxf2 32. Re6 Be4 33. Nxe4 dxe4 34. Rxe4 Rxb2 35. Rd7 Rff2 36. Rg4
Rf7 37. Rxf7 Kxf7 38. Rb4 Ra2 39. Rxb6 Rxa3 40. Rxb7+ Kg8 41. c4 Ra4 42. c5 Ra5
43. Rc7 Rxc5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 13th"]
[Site "Caleta"]
[Date "2015.01.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Chirila, Ioan Cristian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2548"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2015.01.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GGB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. Nd2 O-O {
Harikrishna actually had used this against Leko last month in the World Mind
Games. His opponent must have p repared against this, but perhaps he confused
his ideas.} 8. c3 (8. Nf3 Bb6 9. Nxe5 d5 10. Bg5 c6 $44 {Harikrishna-Leko,
2014.}) 8... Bc5 $2 {This is already a serious mistake. Blcak cannot afford to
lose this much time.} (8... Bb6 {was necessary so the bishop would not be
attacked at the end.} 9. d4 d6 $11) 9. d4 $1 exd4 {Black has no choice but to
take on d4 now.} 10. e5 dxc3 (10... Ne8 11. Nb3 Be7 12. cxd4 d6 {is passive
and a little better for White, but better than what happened in the game.}) 11.
exf6 cxd2 12. fxg7 Kxg7 (12... Re8 13. Bxd2 {was almost as bad.}) 13. Bxd2 d6
14. Bc3+ {It's true that Black is up a pawn, but that is the only thing going
for him in this position. His pieces are not developed and his king is going
to come under serious pressure.} f6 15. Qh5 Qe7 16. Bd3 Kg8 17. Rae1 Qf7 {
So far one would think Black is holding, but the addition of the rook to the
attack will be lethal.} 18. Qh4 h5 19. Re3 $1 {White only needs one rook to
crash through! The e3 kamikaze might as well be taken.} Bxe3 20. fxe3 {Now
there is too much pressure on f6; also h5 is weak, there are idea of Bc4+ and
rook lifts.} Qg7 21. Qxh5 c6 22. Rf4 Bd7 23. Bf5 $1 {Removing an important
defender.} Bxf5 24. Qxf5 Qh6 25. Rg4+ Kh8 26. Rg5 {Rh5 next move is crushing.
A swift punishment of a strange opening} 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2005.12.02"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Korneev, Oleg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2005.11.27"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 111"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. Bg5 d6 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4
Ba7 9. Nf1 Ne7 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Ng3 Ng6 12. Qd2 Kh8 13. O-O-O Nf4 14. Rdg1 b5
15. Bd1 c5 16. Ne2 Nxe2+ 17. Bxe2 f5 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. g4 Be6 20. Ng5 c4 21.
Bf3 Rc8 22. Be4 d5 23. Bxh7 Bxf2 24. Bf5 Qb6 $2 (24... Bxf5 25. gxf5 Bxg1 26.
Rxg1 Qf6) 25. Rg3 $1 Kg7 26. Nxe6+ fxe6 27. Qg5+ Kf7 28. Bg6+ Kg7 29. Be8+ (29.
Be8+ Kh7 30. Rh3+ Bh4 31. Rxh4#) 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 4th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2016.04.23"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2788"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2016.04.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. d4
Bb6 9. Bd3 Ng6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Qc2 c6 (11... exd4 12. cxd4 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14.
Nc3 Be6 15. Be3 Qc8 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. Qd2 Ne5 18. Be2 Nxf3+ 19. Bxf3 Rad8 20.
Red1 h5 21. Qd4 Qg5 22. Qd2 Qe5 23. Qe3 a6 24. Rd4 Bd7 25. Rad1 Bc6 26. g3 Re6
27. Bg2 h4 28. gxh4 Rde8 29. Bf3 a5 30. a4 Qc5 31. Qf4 Re5 32. R1d3 R8e6 33.
Kh2 Qb6 34. Rd2 Qd8 35. Qg3 Bxe4 36. Bxe4 Nxe4 37. Nxe4 Rxe4 38. Rxe4 Rxe4 39.
Rxd6 Qxh4 40. Qxh4 {1/2-1/2 (40) Anand,V (2762)-Caruana,F (2794) Moscow 2016})
12. Na3 (12. Be3 d5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Rxe5 15. Bxb6 axb6 16. f4 Rh5 17. e5
Nd7 18. Qe2 Rh4 19. e6 Nc5 20. exf7+ Kxf7 21. Nd2 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Rxf4 23. Qxh7
Bf5 24. Qh5+ Bg6 25. Qe5 Rf6 26. Nf3 Kg8 27. Ng5 Qd7 28. a3 Raf8 29. Rad1 Qf5
30. Qe3 Qf2+ 31. Qxf2 Rxf2 32. Re6 Be4 33. Nxe4 dxe4 34. Rxe4 Rxb2 35. Rd7 Rff2
36. Rg4 Rf7 37. Rxf7 Kxf7 38. Rb4 Ra2 39. Rxb6 Rxa3 40. Rxb7+ Kg8 41. c4 Ra4
42. c5 Ra5 43. Rc7 Rxc5 {1/2-1/2 (43) Adams,M (2725)-Anand,V (2780)
Baden-Baden 2013}) 12... Bc7 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. Be2 h6 16. Nc4 Nh7
17. Rd1 Qf6 18. Ne3 Qg6 19. Bg4 Bxg4 20. Nxg4 Bb6 21. a4 h5 22. Nh2 Nf6 23. a5
Bc5 24. b4 Bf8 {The bishop stood here before.} 25. Re1 a6 26. Nf3 Nd5 27. Qb3
Nf4 28. Bxf4 exf4 29. Rad1 Rad8 (29... Rxe4 30. Rxe4 Qxe4 31. Rd7 Be7 32. Rxb7
$16 {was not to Black's liking.}) 30. e5 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 {[#]} Qf5 {Preparing to
advance the g-pawn.} 32. Re1 g5 33. Nd4 Qg6 34. e6 Kh8 35. Qd1 fxe6 36. Nf3 g4
37. Ne5 Qf5 38. hxg4 hxg4 39. Nxg4 Bg7 40. Qd7 Rf8 41. f3 c5 {[#]} (41... Bxc3
42. Rxe6 $16) 42. Qxe6 (42. Rxe6 cxb4 43. cxb4 Qb1+ 44. Kh2 Qh7+ 45. Kg1 Qb1+
$11) (42. bxc5 $5 Qxc5+ 43. Nf2 $14) 42... Qxe6 43. Rxe6 Bxc3 44. bxc5 Bxa5 45.
Re7 $11 Bb4 46. Rc7 Rf5 47. Rxb7 Bxc5+ 48. Kf1 a5 49. Rb5 a4 50. Nf2 Rh5 51.
Ra5 a3 52. Nd3 Rh1+ 53. Ke2 Bd6 54. Ra6 Rh6 55. Kd1 Kg7 56. Kc2 Rg6 57. Kb3 Kf7
58. Nxf4 Bxf4 59. Rxg6 Kxg6 60. Kxa3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Norway Chess 4th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2016.04.20"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Grandelius, Nils"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2649"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2016.04.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. Bxc6 bxc6 {An
interesting pawn-sacrifice.} ({"Normal" is} 6... dxc6) 7. Nxe5 Re8 8. Nef3 d5
9. O-O Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. Qe2 h6 ({Last year a game in the Norway Chess
tournament continued} 11... dxe4 12. Nxe4 h6 13. Be3 Nxe4 14. dxe4 Rxe4 15. Qd3
Bxf3 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Bxc5 Be2 18. Rfc1 a5 19. b3 a4 20. Re1 Rd2 21. Rac1
axb3 22. axb3 Rd5 23. Be3 Bh5 24. Ra1 Bg6 25. Ra7 Re7 26. c4 Rd8 27. Rea1 Bc2
28. b4 Rd1+ 29. Rxd1 Bxd1 30. b5 cxb5 31. cxb5 Re5 32. Rxc7 Rxb5 33. Rc5 Rxc5
34. Bxc5 Bc2 35. Bd6 Bd1 36. Bc5 Bc2 37. Bd6 Bd1 {1/2-1/2 (37) Anand,V (2804)
-Caruana,F (2805) Stavanger 2015}) 12. Re1 a5 13. Qf1 a4 14. e5 Nd7 15. d4 Bb6
16. c4 Nf8 17. c5 Ba5 18. Re3 Ne6 19. g4 Bg6 20. a3 f5 21. b4 axb3 22. Nxb3
fxg4 23. hxg4 Rf8 24. Nh2 {[#]} Be4 ({After} 24... Bc2 25. Nxa5 Rxa5 26. Rc3
Be4 27. Be3 Ra4 {the engines give Black an advantage.} 28. Qd1 $2 Qh4 29. Z0 {
with the idea} Ng5) 25. Rg3 Qe7 ({If now} 25... Bc2 26. Nxa5 Rxa5 27. Be3 Be4 {
White blocks the path to h4:} 28. g5) 26. Ra2 g5 27. Rb2 Qh7 28. Qd1 Qf7 29.
Qe2 Qg6 30. Qd1 Qf7 {Black's advantage is gone and he contents himself with a
draw.} 31. Qe2 Qg6 32. Qd1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Biel Accentus"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2011.07.26"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2821"]
[Annotator "Carlsen,M"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2011.07.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 144"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.09.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{I decided to annotate this game as it was quite typical for the Biel
tournament: Interesting, fighting, and far from faultless.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {After thinking for a few minutes Shirov decided that he
didn't feel like playing the Berlin endgame that day.} Bc5 {I played d6
against Ivanchuk in Bazna and got a decent position, but a little change never
hurts.} 5. c3 O-O 6. Bg5 {As far as I could remember not much had happened in
this line since Anand-Topalov, San Luis 2005, where Topalov played h6 and g5
and got a good position. However, I was not particularily interested in
finding out what Shirov had prepared there.} h6 7. Bh4 Be7 {Once the white
bishop is on h4 this loss of tempo is considered to be justified.} 8. Nbd2 (8.
Bxc6 {It is important to note that this doesn't win a pawn due to the standard
trick} bxc6 (8... dxc6 9. Bg3 {is trickier, but probably also quite playable:}
Bg4 $1 10. Bxe5 Nd7 11. Bg3 Nc5) 9. Nxe5 Nxe4 $1) 8... d6 9. Nf1 Nb8 {Another
loss of tempo, but since White has spent a few tempi with the knight, and
because of the closed nature of the position, I felt that I could afford to
take such liberties. For those interested in alternatives, I refer you to my
engine and it's top choices of: 9...Rb8 and 9...a5.} 10. Ne3 Ng4 (10... Nbd7 {
was my first intention, not in connection with the usual plan of ...Re8, ...
Bf8 and so on, but rather "trapping" the white bishop with ...Nb6. However, I
was not sure about what to do after} 11. Ba4 $1 (11. O-O Nb6 $1 12. Bxf6 Bxf6
13. d4 c6 {with a perfectly satisfactory position.}) (11. Nf5 {might look
tempting, but after} Nb6 12. g4 (12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. O-O Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 {
with comfortable equality}) 12... Bxf5 13. gxf5 d5 {Black takes over the
initiative. e.g.} 14. Nxe5 c6 15. Ba4 Nxe4 $17)) 11. Bg3 {I was sort of
expecting this. Exchanging on e7 would have led to dull equality, which was
not Shirov's plan} Nxe3 12. fxe3 Nd7 13. d4 {Somewhat suprisingly, this was
the last chance for White to castle kingside comfortably in this game. However,
his desire to play this move before I can play ...Nf6 is perfectly
understandable, since Black would have fairly easy play after that:} (13. O-O
Nf6 14. Qc2 $6 (14. Bc4 Be6 $11 {Is better}) 14... a6 15. Ba4 b5 16. Bb3 Bb7 {
Black is intending c5, and White already has to be a little careful, as Nh4 is
met by ...Nxe4.}) 13... Nf6 $5 {This move, starting some concrete play, is
maybe not completely sound, but looked too interesting not to go for.} (13...
Bf6 14. O-O Qe7 {with a solid position was quite reasonable as well.}) 14. Bd3
Ng4 {The logical follow-up.} 15. Qe2 Bg5 16. dxe5 {I was a little surprised to
see this, as in the resulting positions only Black can be better.} (16. h3 {
This move, which forces Black to take on e3 and leave his knight stranded was
the critical option. In view of that, one might argue that Black is not really
threatening anything. However, as castling either way runs into a bishop check
on e3, and White doesn't have too many other useful moves, it makes sense to
force the issue.} Nxe3 17. dxe5 (17. h4 Bf4 18. Bf2 exd4 19. cxd4 Nf5 $1) 17...
dxe5 18. h4 Bf4 (18... Nxg2+ 19. Qxg2 Qxd3 20. hxg5 Bg4 21. Nxe5 Qe3+ 22. Kf1
f5 23. gxh6 fxe4+ 24. Bf2 {leaves Black powerless}) 19. Bf2 Nxg2+ (19... Ng4
20. g3 {wins a piece under much better circumstances for White}) 20. Kf1 Qf6
21. Kxg2 Qg6+ 22. Kf1 Bg4 23. Rg1 Qh5 24. Rxg4 (24. Nd4 f5 $1 {with a
dangerous attack} (24... Bxe2+ 25. Bxe2)) 24... Qxg4 25. Ke1 $1 {and with the
king running to safety, White should have the better long-term prospects.})
16... dxe5 17. Bxe5 (17. h3 Nxe3 18. h4 {would have transposed to the
variations after 16.h3.}) 17... Bh4+ {It's useful to weaken White's light
squares on the kingside and possibly give my light-squared bishop a nice
foothold on g4 or h3.} (17... Bxe3 18. Bd4 {did not look too appealing.}) 18.
g3 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Bf6 20. Nf3 Qe7 21. O-O-O (21. O-O Bg4 {is very comfortable
for Black. With the weakening g3 the white king might not feel particularily
comfortable in the future.}) 21... c6 $6 (21... Bg4 {is not that appealing as
White can immediately challenge my bishop with} 22. h3 {This is the key
difference between long and short castling} Bxf3 23. Qxf3 {and with the bishop
coming to c4, White can look to the future with confidence.}) (21... a6 {
however, was very interesting. Unfortunately I didn't notice this idea until
the next move, when I had already wasted a move on c6} 22. Bc2 {The best} (22.
Nd4 c5 23. Nf5 Bxf5 24. exf5 b5 {is the key idea. White cannot activate his
bishop, and Black has an easy attack on the queenside}) 22... Rb8 $1 {and
Black has the initiative.} (22... b5 $2 23. e5 Bxe5 24. Qd3 g6 25. Qe4 $18))
22. Nd4 a6 {Even with the loss of a tempo, this is best.} (22... g6 {was my
intention, but then I noticed} 23. Rhf1 Bg7 24. Bc4 {and due to a little trick
White manages to activate his bishop, which is what I should avoid at any cost}
Qxe4 25. Rf4 Qe7 26. Rdf1 {and it's clear that Black has wasted too much time.}
) 23. Rhf1 c5 24. Nf5 Bxf5 25. Rxf5 b5 26. Bc2 c4 {I've managed to execute my
plan, and his bishop will now remain passive for a long time. On the other
hand, White has activated his rooks, and is after all a pawn up, so the
position is probably balanced.} 27. Rfd5 Be5 {In combination with my next move
the move makes a slightly akward impression. However, I felt that it was very
important to cover the d6-square, to keep my queen from being constantly
harassed by Rd7, Rd6 and so on.} 28. Qh5 Rae8 29. a3 Qa7 {Utilising a simple
tactical trick to put my queen on the excellent b8-square, where it supports
the a5-b4 break. I was very optimistic at this point, but his next move
dispelled my illusions. It is worth while to mention that if my pawn were
still on h7 my prospects would be drastically improved, as I would be able to
kick his queen away with g6.} (29... Bxc3 30. bxc3 Qxa3+ 31. Kd2 b4 32. cxb4
Qxb4+ 33. Ke2 Qb2 34. Kd2 Qb4+ {with a draw did not really tempt me,
especially as I only saw it after I had played ...Qa7.}) 30. Kd2 {I had simply
missed this idea. By transferring the king to e2 White takes the sting out of
the a5-b4 idea.} (30. Rxe5 $2 Qxe3+ 31. Kb1 g6 32. Rxe8 gxh5 33. Re5 Qe2 {
and White has a difficult defensive task ahead was obviously not what my
opponent was aiming for.}) 30... Qb8 31. Ke2 Re6 32. Qh4 Qb6 33. Rd8 Ree8 34.
Rxe8 Rxe8 35. Rd5 Qc7 36. a4 {A committal move, but far from a bad one. White
could just have stayed put of course, when it's hard for either side to
undertake any active operations.} Qb6 37. axb5 axb5 38. Qh5 (38. Rd7 {
immediately was the best move as far I could see. It's hard to find a
convenient way for Black to avoid the exchange of rooks, when there will not
be much left to fight for} Qe6 39. Rd8 Kh7 40. Rxe8 Qxe8 $11) 38... Qb8 39. Rd7
$6 {This was not necessary at all. Shirov was probably induced into it by the
fact that we were both short on time here, but my next move is pretty obvious
as with the white queen misplaced on the kingside the b4-break will grow
considerably in strength.} g6 40. Qf3 (40. Qxh6 b4 {looks pretty dangerous for
White, and not really worth the risk, since the text keeps White well within
the drawing zone.}) 40... Rf8 {Now there is no way to stop b4.} 41. Kf2 (41.
Rd5 b4 42. cxb4 Qxb4 $1 43. Rxe5 Qxb2 {[%cal Rb2e5,Rb2c2]}) 41... b4 42. Qe2
bxc3 43. bxc3 Qc8 (43... Qb2 {was an interesting attempt} 44. Bd3 Qa1 {
unfortunately I missed this cunning idea} (44... Qb5 45. Rd5 cxd3 46. Rxb5 dxe2
47. Rxe5 Rc8 $11) 45. Bxc4 Qh1 46. Qg4 $1 Qxh2+ 47. Kf3 {and there is no win
for Black:} Qh1+ (47... Kg7 48. Rxf7+ Rxf7+ 49. Bxf7 Kxf7 50. Qd7+) 48. Kf2 Rb8
49. Bxf7+ Kf8 50. Bb3 Qh2+ 51. Kf1 $11) 44. Qd2 Bxc3 45. Qd5 Qa6 {I saw that
this would lead to a draw more or less by force, but there was nothing better
anyway.} (45... Bg7 46. e5 c3 47. Kg2 {and White is too active for Black to
hope for anything real.}) 46. e5 $2 (46. Bd1 $1 {was the last chance to
maintain equality} Qf6+ 47. Kg2 Rb8 (47... Rc8 48. Be2 Qe6 49. Rd8+ Rxd8 50.
Qxd8+ Kg7 51. Qd5 $11) 48. Qxc4 Rb2+ 49. Be2 Be1 50. Kh3 {and Black has
nothing as} Qf2 $2 {even loses:} 51. Rd8+ Kh7 52. Qd4 $18) 46... Qa2 47. Qe4
Bxe5 {Now it's very difficult for White.} 48. h4 Re8 49. Kg2 h5 $1 {I came to
this move by elimination after a long period of thought.} (49... Re6 $2 {
is what I mainly calculated, and rejected for the wrong reasons.} 50. Rd8+ Kg7
51. Ra8 $1 (51. Rd7 h5 52. g4 hxg4 53. h5 Kh6 (53... Bd6 54. Qxe6 Qxc2+ {
actually wins by force, but since there was a serious flaw in my calculations
even earlier in this line, let's focus on what I actually saw...}) 54. Rxf7
Kxh5 55. Rh7+ (55. Rf5+ Kh4 {and the king march might actually end victoriously
}) 55... Kg5 56. Rg7 $1 Bxg7 57. Qf4+ Kh5 58. Qh2+ $11) 51... Qb2 52. Qxc4 $15)
(49... Qa8 {is another option I considered, but I didn't like} 50. Rb7 {
when my queen is clearly misplaced.}) 50. Kh3 {Now the rest is fairly easy.} ({
The key move I had to calculate was} 50. g4 hxg4 51. h5 Qa8 52. hxg6 fxg6 $1
53. Rb7 (53. Rd5 Bg7 54. Qxc4 Rc8 {and the pins work out in Black's favour} 55.
Qb3 Rxc2+ 56. Kg1 Qa2 $19) 53... Kf8 $1 {with ...Re7 to come, and Black is
winning.}) 50... c3 51. Rd5 Qa6 {The cleanest way.} 52. Bd3 (52. Rxe5 Qf1+ 53.
Kh2 Rxe5 54. Qxe5 Qf2+ 55. Kh3 Qxc2 {is easily winning for Black, of course.})
52... Qc8+ 53. Kg2 Bg7 (53... Bxg3 {was eminently playable of course, but in
the interest of king safety I did not want to remove the bishop from the long
diagonal. Besides, I had not seen his next move, and thought he would resign
after the text.}) 54. Rc5 Qd7 55. Qc4 (55. Qd5 Qxd5+ 56. Rxd5 Rxe3 {would have
prolonged the fight, but not by any means changed the result.}) 55... Rxe3 56.
Rc7 (56. Bxg6 Be5 57. Rd5 Qe6 {is also quite simple} (57... Rxg3+ 58. Kf2 Qa7+
{wins immediately, but such "long" moves are hard to spot.})) 56... Rxg3+ 57.
Kxg3 (57. Kf2 Bd4+ {would not have any other impact than preventing White from
transposing to the game as Kxg3 Qg4+ etc mates.}) 57... Be5+ 58. Kf2 Qxc7 59.
Qxc7 Bxc7 60. Kf3 {Shirov made the time-control with 1 second left, but
understandably decided not to continue the fight.} 0-1

[Event "Bilbao Masters 9th"]
[Site "Bilbao"]
[Date "2016.07.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2855"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "Carlsen,M"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2016.07.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 174"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 {In round 4 this was already my third white game. In the first two
games against predominantly 1...e5 players I was suprised by 1...c5 and
wheeled out a couple of obscure Anti-Sicilians. I got an excellent position
against Nakamura and then nothing against Karjakin and won, so naturally I was
expecting to be surprised again.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Wesley also plays
other systems, but an invitation to the Berlin is never a surprise from a top
player.} 4. d3 {In my early years as an ambitious player the Berlin was not
considered a particulary good opening, and I used to grab the invitation with
both hands, with excellent results. More recently however, more solid systems
for Black have been found, and I'm finding myself rejecting the invitation on
a regular basis.} Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Qe2 ({Back in 2012 I started playing} 6.
Nbd2 {here, and to my surprise it became very popular. The text has similar
ideas, but is much less well-known.}) 6... Qe7 7. Nbd2 Bg4 {Naturally, there
are plenty of other options on this and the previous move, but this plan is
always decent. The bishop will temporarily be misplaced on h5/g6, but it will
usually come in to play via f7 after ...Nd7 and ...f6.} 8. h3 Bh5 9. a3 {
This move took me more than 20 minutes, but I felt that it was already time to
delve more deeply into the position. In the 2013 world championship Vishy
chose the plan with Nf1-g3 without g4, but that was without Qe2 and ...Qe7
included. Now I would just be a tempo down compared that game. Other ways to
play were Nc4 or g4 followed by Nf1-g3, but neither of them seemed to give too
much of a basis for an interesting battle. Bothering his bishop immediately
though, seemed much more interesting. Besides, I won't hide the fact that
playing h3 and a3 on consecutive moves in the opening gave me pleasure.} (9.
Nf1 Nd7 10. Ng3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 g6 {and White has wasted a tempo.}) 9... Nd7 (
9... a5 {Generally this move is desirable strategically, gaining space while
preventing b4. However, with the bishop on h5 kingside castling is not
attractive with g4 coming and a knight landing on f5, while with the pawn on
a5 queenside castling will not be on the cards. Having said that, it was
certainly a playable, and probably the most challenging option}) 10. b4 Bd6 {
Wesley spent almost 20 minutes on this move, which is very much understandable
as all three bishop moves were serious options.} (10... Bd4 {A very solid
option, getting rid the dark squared bishop, which otherwise either risks
being harassed on b6, or passive on d6} 11. Rb1 Bc3 12. O-O Bxd2 {Otherwise
the knight escapes} 13. Bxd2 {But I was not too unhappy about this, as the
extra space on the queenside feels useful.}) (10... Bb6 {The engines like this
move, and I don't have any convincing arguments against it. The worry for
Black is that the bishop is likely to be caged in on b6 after a subsequent c4
c5, which an engine probably won't mind. Recent examples from a couple of
blitz and rapid games by Nakamura (against MVL and Caruana respectively) in
another line of the Berlin, suggest that even top level practice the
computer's opinion may prevail.}) 11. Nc4 f6 (11... Nf8 {was possible, but I
suspect he was worried about} 12. Na5 {and there is no convenient way to
protect b7.}) 12. Ne3 {A key point of the a3-b4 operation is that the
e3-square is freed up for the knight (otherwise the bishop would happily have
chopped it off). The knight can later jump to f5 without having to play g4
first.} a5 $2 {As on move 9, this is the most challenging, but ceraintly not
the most practical option. That's why I'm assigning it a question mark, rather
than it's objective value.} (12... Nf8 13. Nf5 Qd7 {was very solid; with the
knight coming to e6, Black is alright.}) 13. Nf5 Qf8 {The consistent follow-up,
as he forces me to make a consession on the queenside. However, now his king
will be stuck in the center for a while, which is especially unpleasant
considering the shorter time-control that was used in Bilbao} (13... Qf7 14.
Rb1 {Now I don't have to take} axb4 15. axb4 O-O 16. O-O {and while he has
been able to seize the a-file for the moment, the rest of his pieces are
rather more clumsily placed than in the note to 12...Nf8} (16. Bh6 Qa2 $1)) 14.
bxa5 Rxa5 15. O-O Qf7 {This loss of tempo certainly doesn't look impressive,
but at least he frees up the f8-square for the knight or even bishop. Castling
however, won't be possible for a long time because of the little trick Bh6,
which really is the key to the position.} (15... Kd8 {Perhaps he should have
tried to evacuate the king to the queenside:} 16. a4 (16. Bd2 Ra4) 16... Bb4 {
And in both cases it's not so easy to generate a serious initative on the
queenside}) 16. a4 Nc5 17. Qe1 (17. Bd2 {was also good, but this move, freeing
up the knight and attacking the rook, just felt too natural not to be played.})
17... b6 {It's becoming harder and harder to defend.} (17... Ra8 18. N3h4 {
Since the rook will not be attacked after Nc4, the knight goes in the other
direction} Ne6 (18... Bf8 19. a5 {fixing b7 as a target} g5 20. Nf3 Bxf3 21.
gxf3 {and White is firmly in the driver's seat}) 19. Rb1 {and it's hard for
Black to avoid losing a pawn, as Nxd6 followed by Nf5 is looming as well.}) 18.
Nd2 Rxa4 19. Nc4 {The idea. Every move comes with a threat.} Bf8 $6 (19... Be7
{I suspected that this might better than the text, as it does not block the
h8-rook. I was not too worried though, as I saw that I had at least a forced
draw} 20. Be3 Kd7 {The only move, as} (20... O-O 21. Nxe7+ Qxe7 22. Bxc5 {
loses a piece}) 21. Nxb6+ (21. Rxa4 Nxa4 22. f4 {This is probably what I would
have done. White has a nice initative and is not risking anything, but Black
is hanging on for the moment}) 21... cxb6 22. Bxc5 Rxa1 23. Qxa1 Bxc5 24. Qa7+
Ke6 25. Nxg7+ Kd6 26. Nf5+ Ke6 $11) 20. Be3 Kd7 (20... Rg8 {This was the only
move, which I had seen.} 21. f4 {But still it's impossible to defend, at least
in practical play.}) 21. Qc3 {All natural moves, and by now I felt that I was
winning. There is very little to be done about the threat of Nxb6 followed by
Bxc5, when a white rook will land on a7, winning the queen and the game.} Nxe4
(21... Rxc4 {I thought this was the last chance, but after} 22. dxc4 Nxe4 23.
Qd3+ Nd6 24. g4 Bg6 25. Rfd1 {Black is tied up, while Bxb6 and Ra7 is
threatened.}) 22. Nxb6+ {Again opening up the seventh rank and leaving the
black king completely naked.} cxb6 23. dxe4 Qc4 24. Qd2+ Kc7 25. g4 {Finally
g4! Much later than expected, but much more powerful.} Bg6 26. Rfd1 {I had no
wish to calculate Bxb6 here or on the previous move, as this forces immediate
resignation. A fun game, which put me in a great mood (which was immediately
ruined by failing to win the next game against Anish, but that's another story)
.} 1-0

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 40th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2012.07.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "Caruana,F"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2012.07.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 150"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{It was clear to me from the beginning that this would be a fighting game.
Vladimir had just played a very long (nearly 8 hours!) and certainly
disappointing game against Leko the previous round, so I felt it was a good
time to strike.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 O-O
7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. d4 {This is of course the only testing move. After others Black
will play ...Ng6, ...c6 and ...Bb6, with a comfortable position.} exd4 9. cxd4
Bb6 10. b3 {I was told this move looks unusual, but I just wanted to develop
my bishop. Other possibilities are 10.h3, 10.Re1 or 10.Bd3, which all lead to
unclear positions.} d5 {In general this is the principled and correct course
of action. The play now becomes very forcing, as Black tries to undermine
White's center.} 11. e5 Ne4 12. Bd3 Bf5 13. Qe2 Nc6 14. Bb2 Nxd2 15. Qxd2 Be4 {
A crucial move. If Black allows the exchange of bishops on White's terms then
he will face a worse position without active prospects.} 16. Be2 $5 {It was
difficult to take this decision. The alternative would result in a sterile
position, while this leads to double-edged play.} (16. Qe3 {is the safe option.
} Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Bxd4 18. Bxd4 Nxd4 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Qd3+ Kg8 21. Qxd4 {
, with a roughly equal positon.}) 16... f6 {The computer suggests other
options for Black, but I don't see any reason to avoid this move, which is the
most natural and principled.} 17. b4 $1 {This was my idea when I played 16.Be2.
Now Black will be forced to reckon with the possibility of b5 on each move.
Additionally, I prevent ...Ba5.} fxe5 18. dxe5 {Now Vladimir sank into a long
thought. At first I was very worried I had overlooked something and Black
would have a strong attack, but after his indecisiveness I became more at ease.
} Kh8 $6 {This move doesn't meet the demands of the position. Black had two
viable options, one aggressive and one prophylactic.} ({I was expecting} 18...
h6 {, which prevents Ng5, and I wasn't sure what the evaluation of the
position is after} 19. b5 Na5 20. Rae1 {Here, the computer points out a strong
idea:} c6 {, undermining the b5-pawn with a satisfactory position.}) ({The
other possibility, which I hadn't taken seriously during the game, is} 18... d4
$5 {, immediately starting aggresive counterplay. The positions after this
move are incredibly complex, with variations branching out at after every move.
A possible continuation out of many is} 19. Rae1 Bd5 20. b5 Ba5 21. Qd1 Bxe1
22. Rxe1 {and the machine estimates this as roughly equal, although it's not
clear to me exactly what's going on at first sight!}) 19. b5 Ne7 ({The problem
for Black, compared to 18...h6, is that after} 19... Na5 {, White has the
strong} 20. Ng5) 20. Ng5 {This move isn't bad, but 20.Nd4 was cleaner.} ({
Stronger, and less complicated, was} 20. Nd4 Nf5 21. f3 Nxd4 22. Bxd4 Bg6 23.
Rac1 {, with a stable positional advantage.}) 20... Ng6 {A very natural move.
It seems like Black is getting a strong initiative, but after my next move it
becomes clear White has everything under control.} ({Perhaps better chances
were offered by} 20... Nf5 21. e6 (21. Ne6 $2 Qh4 22. Nxf8 Rxf8 {gives Black a
strong attack.}) 21... Qe7 {, but after the accurate} 22. a4 $1 {Black is
still clearly worse.}) 21. g3 $1 {Simply preventing ...Nf4. Next White can
consider ideas like e6, h4-h5 or just taking the bishop on e4 at the right
moment.} Qe7 (21... Ba5 {is met by the calm} 22. Qc1) 22. e6 Rf5 23. Nxe4 {
A good time to trade, since I'm ready to invade on d7 and head to an endgame.}
dxe4 24. Qd7 Raf8 25. Qxe7 {Again simplest is strongest!} ({In the event of} 
25. Kh1 {, Black can consider a move like} Bc5 {, and when the bishop comes to
d6 it won't be easy to break through Black's defence.}) 25... Nxe7 26. Ba3 Re8
{A good move I had underestimated.} ({I was expecting} 26... Bc5 27. Bxc5 Rxc5
28. Rac1 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 c6 30. Rd1 {, with a decisive advantage for White.}) 27.
Rad1 h5 $2 {The idea behind this move is to prevent g4, but it's too slow.} ({
Black had to go for the exchange sacrifice with} 27... Nd5 28. g4 Re5 29. Bb2
R8xe6 30. Bc4 c6 31. bxc6 bxc6 32. Bxe5 Rxe5 {, with good drawing chances.})
28. Rd7 {Now it's hard to find any salvation for Black.} Nd5 29. Rf7 Nf6 30.
Bc4 {Now White has complete control, and with the rook on f7 Black can hardly
move.} Bc5 31. Bb2 Re7 32. Bd4 Bd6 33. Re1 {A reasonable move, but maybe not
the most accurate.} ({After the strong} 33. f3 $1 {, Black is unable to
recapture on f3, so next fxe4 will open the position with decisive effect.})
33... b6 ({Black should have avoided Rxe4 with} 33... Kh7 {Here White can try}
34. f4 $5 {, and since Black can hardly move White has unlimited time to
improve his position.}) 34. Rf8+ Kh7 35. Rxe4 {Winning a pawn. Kramnik trys a
last desperate shot .... which nearly works!} Rxf2 $5 (35... Nxe4 36. Rxf5 Kg6
37. Rf3 {is clearly hopeless for Black.}) 36. Kxf2 $2 {A huge mistake made in
time trouble, which greatly endangers the win.} ({After the cool} 36. Re1 $1 {
, Black would have faced a hopeless situation.} Rd2 37. Be3 Bc5 38. Bxc5 bxc5
39. Rf7 {, and it's all over.}) 36... Nxe4+ 37. Kg2 Nc5 {Now I realized, to my
great disappointment, that the b3-square is controlled by Black's knight, so
there's no way to switch to the b1-h7 diagonal.} 38. Ra8 Nxe6 $4 {A very
surprising blunder. Black was close to the draw, but after this greedy capture
I can weave a deadly net around his king.} (38... Kg6 {forces the trade of
White's bishop:} 39. Bxc5 Bxc5 40. Rxa7 Kf6 41. Ra8 g6 {, and Black will make
a draw.}) 39. Bd3+ Kh6 40. h4 (40. Be3+ g5 41. Rg8 {is even faster.}) 40... g6
41. Rh8+ Rh7 42. Rg8 {Now everything becomes clear. Black must sacrifice the
exchange.} Rg7 43. Bxg7+ Kh7 44. Re8 Nxg7 45. Re3 {More accurate than taking
the a7-pawn. Black is nearly unable to move his pieces, and soon he will be
forced into zugzwang.} Kh6 46. a4 {Slow and steady.} Kh7 47. Kh3 Kh6 48. Bc2
Kh7 49. g4 hxg4+ 50. Kxg4 Kh6 51. Re2 Bb4 52. Re5 {The lethal switch to g5.}
Nh5 53. Re6 {I really enjoyed this game with its creative, unusual play that
resulted from the opening. After this win I climbed into shared first place,
and with some luck in the final round I managed to clinch first place on
tiebreaks.} 1-0

[Event "Match Morphy-Anderssen +7-2=2"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "1858.12.22"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Morphy, Paul"]
[Black "Anderssen, Adolf"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "1858.12.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2002"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 {Morphy: "Lange was the first to maintain
that 4.d4 was stronger than 4.Qe2. In his 'Sammlung neuer Schachpartien' (p.55)
he gives a number of interesting variations on this move."} Nxd4 5. Nxd4 exd4
6. e5 c6 7. O-O (7. exf6 Qa5+) 7... cxb5 8. Bg5 Be7 9. exf6 Bxf6 10. Re1+ Kf8
11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. c3 {Morphy in Chess Monthly 1959,S.53: "Up to this move the
game coincides with one played by Lange (Schachpartien p56).} (12. Na3 a6 {
Max Lange: Paul Morphy. 2.Aufl. S.201: "Auch} 13. Qe2 {bietet eine gute
Fortsetzung, In einer Partie Lange-Anderssen war die Folge"} g6 14. Rad1 Kg7
15. Rd3 d5 16. Rf3 $2 Qd6 (16... Bg4 $1 $19) 17. Qd2 Bf5 18. Qxd4+ f6 19. g4
Bc8 20. Rxf6 {1-0} Qxf6 21. Re7+) (12. Qe2 g6 (12... Qe6 13. Qd2 $14) 13. Qxb5
Kg7 $11) 12... d5 13. cxd4 Be6 14. Nc3 a6 15. Re5 Rd8 (15... g6 16. Nxd5 Bxd5
17. Rxd5 Kg7 18. Qd2 Rac8 $11) 16. Qb3 Qe7 17. Rae1 (17. Nxd5 Qd6 $17) 17... g5
$2 (17... Qd6 18. g3 g6 $11) 18. Qd1 (18. Ne2 {/\Ne2-g3-f5/h5}) 18... Qf6 19.
R1e3 (19. Ne2) 19... Rg8 $4 (19... Kg7 $11 20. Rg3 h6 21. Ne2 Rhg8) 20. Rxe6
1-0

[Event "Wien Trebitsch Memorial-06"]
[Site "Vienna"]
[Date "1914.12.21"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Spielmann, Rudolf"]
[Black "Reti, Richard"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1914.11.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "AUT"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 1999"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.11.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.11.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Be7 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. O-O a6 $2 (
7... Nxd4 8. Qxd4 d6 $11) 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Ba4 Bb7 10. e5 Nd5 11. Nxd5 cxd5 12.
Qg4 $16 f5 13. exf6 Rxf6 14. Qxd7 Qxd7 15. Bxd7 Rd8 16. Bg4 Rb6 17. Bf4 Rf8 18.
Be5 (18. Bxc7 Rc6) 18... Rg6 19. Bh3 a5 20. Rad1 Bc5 21. Bd4 Bd6 22. Rfe1 c5
23. Be5 Rb8 24. Bf5 Rh6 25. b3 Kf7 26. c4 d4 27. Bxd6 Rxd6 28. Re5 g6 29. Bd3
Rc8 30. Rde1 Rc7 31. f4 Rf6 32. f5 Kg7 33. fxg6 hxg6 34. Rg5 Rcf7 35. h4 Kh6
36. Ree5 a4 37. Rxc5 axb3 38. axb3 Re7 39. Rce5 Rxe5 40. Rxe5 Rf4 41. Rg5 Rxh4
42. Rxg6+ Kh5 43. Rg7 Be4 44. Bxe4 Rxe4 45. Kf2 Re3 46. Rg3 1-0

[Event "British CF-65 Championship"]
[Site "Ayr"]
[Date "1978.08.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Plaskett, H James"]
[Black "Littlewood, John Eric"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2410"]
[BlackElo "2350"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "144"]
[EventDate "1978.08.07"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "SCO"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 1999"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.11.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.11.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qg4 Nxe5 7. Qxe4 Qe7
8. Nc3 f5 $5 $146 (8... Ng6 9. Qxe7+ Bxe7 10. Nd5 Bd6 11. Re1+ Kd8 12. Ne3 Be5
13. Bc4 $14 {Hulak-Knezevic, YUG-ch 1978}) 9. Qxf5 c6 10. Qe4 Qf6 11. b4 (11.
Kh1 O-O 12. d4 d5 13. Qxe5 Qxe5 14. dxe5 cxb5 15. Nxd5 Rxf2 16. Rxf2 Bxf2 17.
Bf4 Bg4 18. h3 $16 {Fernandez,J-Casa,A/Cannes op 1990 ( - , 27)}) (11. d3 $5 {
Fritz4}) 11... Be7 12. Bb2 Ng6 13. Bd3 O-O 14. Rae1 d5 15. Nxd5 $1 cxd5 16.
Qxd5+ Qf7 17. Bxg6 (17. Qxf7+ $5 Kxf7 (17... Rxf7 18. Bc4 $16) 18. Bc4+ Ke8 19.
Bxg7 Rf4 20. d3 $16 {Fritz4}) 17... Qxd5 18. Rxe7 Rd8 19. Rxg7+ Kf8 20. Rxh7
Bf5 21. Rh8+ Ke7 22. Re1+ Kd6 23. Rh6 (23. Be5+ $5 Kc6 (23... Qxe5 24. Rxe5
Bxg6 (24... Kxe5 25. Rh5 Kf6 26. Bxf5 Rxd2 27. g4 $18) 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Rc5
$16) 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Bxf5 Qxd2 26. Be4+ Kd7 $13) 23... Qxd2 24. Be5+ Kc6 25.
Be8+ Kd5 26. Bf7+ Be6 27. c4+ (27. Bxe6+ Kc6 28. Bd7+ Kxd7 29. Rd6+ Qxd6 30.
Bxd6 Kxd6 31. c4 Re8 $17) 27... Kxc4 28. Bxe6+ Kb5 29. a4+ Kxa4 30. Ra1+ Kb5 (
30... Kxb4 $2 31. Rh4+ Kb5 32. Rb1+ Ka5 33. Bc7+ b6 34. Bxd8 Rxd8 $13) 31. f4
Qe2 32. h4 Rd2 33. Rg6 Qf2+ 34. Kh2 Qxh4+ 35. Kg1 Qf2+ 36. Kh2 Re8 37. Rg5 Kb6
38. Rg6 Rxe6 $5 39. Rxe6+ Kb5 40. Rg6 Rd7 41. Rg3 b6 42. Rb1 Qe2 43. Rbb3 Qd1
44. Rb2 Qe1 45. Rbb3 $6 Rd1 46. Rge3 Qh1+ 47. Kg3 Rd2 48. Kg4 Rxg2+ 49. Rg3
Qd1+ 50. Rbf3 Re2 51. Kg5 Qd8+ 52. Kg6 Qg8+ 53. Kf6 Qf8+ 54. Kg6 Qe8+ 55. Kf6
Re4 56. Rg5 Kxb4 57. Rgg3 Qf8+ 58. Kg6 b5 59. Rd3 Ka5 60. Ra3+ Kb6 61. Rgd3 b4
62. Rab3 a5 63. Rd6+ Qxd6+ 64. Bxd6 Re6+ 65. Kg7 Rxd6 66. f5 Kc5 67. Re3 a4 68.
Re5+ Kc4 69. Re4+ Kc3 70. Re3+ Kd4 71. Re1 a3 72. Rh1 Kc3 0-1

[Event "Match Gunsberg-Blackburne +5-2=6"]
[Site "Bradford"]
[Date "1887.10.13"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Blackburne, Joseph Henry"]
[Black "Gunsberg, Isidor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1887.09.26"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "GBR"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 1999"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.11.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.11.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Be7 5. c3 O-O $2 6. d3 (6. Bxc6 dxc6 7.
Nxe5 Bd6 8. d4 $16 {Steinitz}) 6... d6 7. Nbd2 Ne8 8. Nf1 f5 9. Bc4+ Kh8 10.
exf5 Bxf5 11. Ne3 Bd7 12. Bb3 Bf6 13. Nd5 Ne7 14. Nxf6 Nxf6 15. h3 Ng6 16. Be3
Nh5 17. O-O-O Nhf4 18. Qd2 Nxg2 19. Ng5 Qe7 20. h4 h6 21. Rdg1 N6f4 22. Rh2 Bc6
23. Ne4 Nxh4 24. Rg3 Bxe4 25. dxe4 g5 26. Qd1 Rf6 27. Qh1 Ne2+ 28. Kc2 Nf4 29.
f3 Raf8 30. Qg1 c6 31. Bc4 b5 32. Bf1 Qf7 33. b3 a6 34. Bh3 Rg6 35. Bg4 Kg7 36.
Kb2 Nd3+ 37. Kc2 Nf4 38. Bc1 c5 39. Qd1 a5 40. Rg1 a4 41. Bxf4 axb3+ 42. axb3
Qxf4 43. Rd2 Nxf3 0-1

[Event "World-ch01 Steinitz-Zukertort +10-5=5"]
[Site "USA"]
[Date "1886.03.22"]
[Round "18"]
[White "Steinitz, William"]
[Black "Zukertort, Johannes Hermann"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1886.01.11"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "20"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "MainBase"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Games 10 to 20 were played in New Orleans.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4.
d3 d6 5. c3 g6 6. d4 Bd7 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. dxe5 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Qe2 O-O 11.
f3 a5 12. Bd3 Qe7 13. Nf1 $1 {Deviating from the 16h match game. Hier weicht
die Partie von der 16.Matchpartie ab.} Be6 {>= h6, Kh7, Ng8, c6, Rfd8 Playing
these moves in the correct order make Black invincible. Minckwitz Diese Züge
in der richtigen Reihenfolge gespielt machen Schwarz unbesiegbar. Minckwitz}
14. g4 $5 Rfd8 (14... Nd7 15. g5 f6 16. h4 fxg5 17. hxg5 Qf7 $2 18. Qh2 Qxf3
19. Be2 Qxe4 20. Ng3 Qc6 21. Qxh7+ Kf7 22. Rf1+ $18 {Minckwitz}) (14... h6 15.
g5 $1 $40) 15. h4 Qd7 (15... h5 $1 16. g5 Nd7 $14 {Hooper}) 16. Bc2 h5 $1 {
Steinitz} 17. g5 {17.gh Nh5 = Steinitz} Ne8 18. Ne3 Qc6 $6 (18... c6 $1 {Hooper
} 19. Nc4 Qc7 20. Be3 Bxc4 21. Qxc4 b5 $10 {Minckwitz}) 19. c4 $1 {Steinitz}
Nd6 (19... Rd4 20. Bd3 Nd6 21. b3 $16 {/\ 22.Nc2, 22.Bb2 Steinitz}) 20. Bd3
Rab8 $6 {Steinitz  >= b6 Minckwitz} 21. Nd5 Bxd5 $2 {>= 21...Re8! 22.a4 Bd5 +/
= Minckwitz  >= Bf8 +/= Steinitz} 22. cxd5 {1h} Qd7 23. Bd2 Ra8 {?! >= 23...b6
/\ Nb7 (/\Nc5), Bf8, Re8 Minckwitz  (!)  23...b6 24.Rac1 /\ Rc6 Steinitz} 24.
Rc1 c6 25. Rc5 cxd5 26. Rxd5 Qa4 {26...b6 27.Bc3 Qe8(Qe7)+/- Steinitz} 27. a3
b6 28. Bc3 Qe8 29. Qf2 $1 {/\ f4-> Steinitz  29.O-O Nb7+/= Hooper} Nc8 30. Bb5
{Steinitz: Serves no purpose! Nutzlos!} Qe7 31. Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. O-O Na7 33. Bc4
Nc6 $6 (33... Rc8 34. Bd5 Nb5 35. f4 $40 {Steinitz: The attack is weakened
through the exchange of the Bc3. Der Angriff wird durch den noch folgenden
Abtausch des Bc3 geschwächt.}) 34. Bd5 Rc8 35. f4 $1 $18 {Steinitz  2h} Qd7 {
1h 35...ef 36.Qf4+- Steinitz} 36. f5 Ne7 (36... gxf5 37. Qxf5 Qxf5 38. Rxf5 Nd8
(38... Ne7 39. Bxf7+ Kh8 40. Rf3) 39. g6 $18 {Steinitz}) (36... Bf8 37. Qf3
Bc5+ 38. Kg2 Nd8 $1 (38... Ne7 39. fxg6 $18) 39. Bxe5 $18 {Minckwitz}) 37. Ba2
{/\ f6 Steinitz} gxf5 (37... Bf8 38. Bxf7+ Kxf7 39. fxg6+ Ke6 40. Qf7+ Kd6 41.
Rd1+ $18 {Steinitz}) 38. exf5 Bf8 {Steinitz: /\ 39.Qb6 Nd5 and then 40...Bc5
<=>  /\ 39.Qb6 Nd5 nebst 40...Bc5 <=>} 39. Qf3 $1 e4 40. Qxh5 {40...Rc3 41.Qf7
Kh8 42.Qh5 Kg7 43.Qh6# Steinitz; Zukertort: 1h 15min    Steinitz: 2h 9min} 1-0

[Event "World-ch01 Steinitz-Zukertort +10-5=5"]
[Site "USA"]
[Date "1886.03.17"]
[Round "16"]
[White "Steinitz, William"]
[Black "Zukertort, Johannes Hermann"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1886.01.11"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "20"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "MainBase"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Games 10 to 20 were played in New Orleans.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4.
d3 {Anderssen's continuation Anderssen's Fortsetzung} d6 5. c3 g6 {Paulsen's
plan  Paulsen's Plan} 6. d4 {Rosenthal} Bd7 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. dxe5 Nxe5 (8... dxe5
9. Bxc6 Bxc6 10. Nxe5 Bxe4 11. Qa4+ $18 {Steinitz}) 9. Nxe5 dxe5 (9... Bxb5 $2
10. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 11. Qb3+ $18) 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Bd3 Qe7 12. f3 Bc6 {12...Be6!
Hooper} 13. Nb3 {13.Nf1! Hooper cf.18th match game. 13.Nf1! Hooper vgl.18.
Matchpartie} a5 14. Be3 Nd7 15. h4 a4 16. Nd2 h6 17. h5 g5 18. Nf1 Nc5 19. Bc2
Rfd8 20. Ng3 Bd7 $2 (20... Bf8 21. Nf5 Qf6 22. g4 Rd7 23. O-O Rad8 24. Rad1
Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Kh7 27. Kg2 b5 $17 {/\ Ne6-f4 Minckwitz}) (20...
Ne6 21. Nf5 Qe8 $13 {Hooper}) 21. O-O-O {1h} (21. Qf2 Na6 22. Nf5 Bxf5 23. exf5
b5 $40 {Minckwitz}) 21... c6 22. Rd2 (22. b4 axb3 23. axb3 Ra1+ 24. Kb2 Nd3+ $1
$19 {Zukertort}) 22... Be6 23. Nf5 Bxf5 24. exf5 Rxd2 25. Qxd2 Nd7 26. g4 $16 {
Steinitz} Nf6 {Steinitz: /\ 27...Nd5 28...Ne3^- or if the bishop moves away 28.
..a3 and then 29...e4.  /\ 27...Nd5 28...Ne3^- oder falls der Läufer wegzieht
28...a3 nebst 29...e4} 27. Be4 Rd8 {? >= 27...Ne4 /\ Rd8, Bf8, b5, Kg7
=Minckwitz} 28. Qc2 Nd5 {? 28...Ne4 /\ b5 = Minckwitz} 29. Bf2 (29. Bxd5 cxd5
30. Qxa4 d4 31. Bd2 $1 (31. cxd4 exd4 32. Bd2 Qe2 33. Qd1 Rc8+ 34. Kb1 Qd3+ 35.
Ka1 Rc2 36. Bc1 Qc4 $40 {-/+}) 31... e4 $40 {Steinitz}) 29... b5 {1h} 30. a3
Bf8 (30... Qe8 $1 31. Rd1 Nf4 (31... Ne7 32. Rxd8 Qxd8 33. Bc5 Nd5 $14) 32.
Rxd8 Qxd8 33. Bxc6 Nd3+ 34. Kb1 Nxf2 35. Qxf2 Qd1+ 36. Ka2 Qb3+ $10 {Minckwitz}
) 31. Rd1 Qb7 {?? Minckwitz} (31... Qe8 32. c4 Nf4 $14 {Minckwitz}) 32. c4 $1
bxc4 $6 (32... Rc8 $1 33. Rd3 Nf4 34. Rd2 b4 35. Qxa4 bxa3 36. bxa3 Ra8 37.
Qxc6 Bxa3+ 38. Kd1 $14 {Steinitz}) 33. Qxc4 {2h} Rb8 34. Rd2 Nb6 35. Qc3 (35.
Qxc6 Qxc6+ 36. Bxc6 Nc4 $15 {/\ 37...Nb2 and later Ba3 Minckwitz /\ 37...Nb2
und später Ba3 Minckwitz}) 35... Nd5 36. Qc4 (36. Qxe5 $4 Bg7 $19 {Steinitz})
36... Nb6 37. Qd3 $1 Be7 38. Rc2 Nd5 39. Qc4 Bxa3 $2 (39... Nb6 40. Qxc6 $1 $18
{Schallopp} (40. Bxb6 $16 {Hooper})) 40. bxa3 $18 Qb1+ 41. Kd2 Rd8 42. Bxd5
Rxd5+ 43. Ke3 Rb5 44. Qxc6 Rb3+ 45. Ke2 Kh7 46. f6 Rb2 47. Rxb2 Qxb2+ 48. Kf1
Qxa3 49. Qe8 {Time: Zukertort: 2h 10min    Steinitz: 2h 45min Zeit: Zukertort:
2h 10min    Steinitz: 2h 45min} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.03.30"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2785"]
[BlackElo "2709"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2014.03.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteClock "1:02:54"]
[BlackClock "0:19:49"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 6. Nxd4
{[%emt 0:00:06]} Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 7. c3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:
04]} 8. Na3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} c6 {[%emt 0:17:02]} 9. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} O-O {
[%emt 0:00:12]} 10. Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} h6 $146 {[%emt 0:17:35]} (10... d6 11.
Nc4 h6 12. Bh4 Be6 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. a3 Qe7 15. Bc2 Rad8 16. d4 Rfe8 17. Qf3 b5
18. h3 Bc8 19. Rae1 Be6 20. Kh1 Bc8 21. Bd3 Be6 22. Bc2 {1/2-1/2 (22)
Venkatesh,M (2450)-Gupta,A (2412) Bikaner 2004}) 11. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:18]} d5 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 12. exd5 {[%emt 0:04:19]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:51]} 13. Bb3 {
[%emt 0:09:26]} g5 {[%emt 0:12:06][%csl Rf5,Rg6,Rh6] The other hard-fought
game of the round. White always had some lingering positional advantages in
the position, especially targeting Black's weak pawns on the kingside. However
Andreikin always had some nagging counterplay with his active pieces. Topalov
managed to win a pawn but his own structure was compromised, eventually
leading to an easily drawn bishop endgame.} 14. Bg3 {[%emt 0:01:13]} Re8 {
[%emt 0:00:10]} 15. Re1 {[%emt 0:07:34]} Bc7 {[%emt 0:04:41]} 16. Nc2 {[%emt 0:
02:09]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:11:47]} 17. Qd2 {[%emt 0:06:26]} d4 {[%emt 0:05:00]} 18.
h3 {[%emt 0:14:22]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:01:51]} 19. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:
04:48]} 20. Bxd7 {[%emt 0:00:35]} dxc3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 21. Qxc3 {[%emt 0:00:
45]} Nxd7 {[%emt 0:03:11]} 22. d4 {[%emt 0:03:04]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 23. Qb3
{[%emt 0:02:51]} Ba5 {[%emt 0:06:18]} 24. Re2 {[%emt 0:03:25]} exd4 {[%emt 0:
05:00]} 25. Rxe8+ {[%emt 0:02:58]} Qxe8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 26. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:
11]} Nc5 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 27. Qf3 {[%emt 0:09:56]} Qe4 {[%emt 0:01:38]} 28. Nf5
{[%emt 0:00:09]} Qxf3 {[%emt 0:02:02]} 29. gxf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:
00:32]} 30. Nxh6+ {[%emt 0:02:41]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 31. Nf5+ {[%emt 0:00:
04]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 32. Nd6 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:10:21]} 33. Nc4
{[%emt 0:03:12]} Ne6 {[%emt 0:01:38]} 34. Re1 {[%emt 0:05:32]} Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:
09]} 35. b3 {[%emt 0:00:20]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:03:34]} 36. Kf1 {[%emt 0:06:05]} Bc5
{[%emt 0:00:39]} 37. Re2 {[%emt 0:03:40]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 38. Rd2 {[%emt 0:
03:31]} Rxd2 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 39. Nxd2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} f5 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 40.
Bb8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} f4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Ne4 {[%emt 0:03:53]} Be7 {[%emt 0:
05:55]} 42. Ba7 {[%emt 0:04:34]} Kh5 {[%emt 0:03:50]} 43. Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:18]}
Kh4 {[%emt 0:07:28]} 44. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:05:12]} 45. Bc5 {
[%emt 0:03:27]} Kh5 {[%emt 0:02:57]} 46. Bd6 {[%emt 0:01:53]} Kh4 {[%emt 0:02:
14]} 47. Bb4 {[%emt 0:02:38]} Kh5 {[%emt 0:01:06]} 48. Ba3 {[%emt 0:01:20]} Kg6
{[%emt 0:04:37]} 49. Kf1 {[%emt 0:01:06]} Kh5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 50. Bb4 {
[%emt 0:00:15]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:02:50]} 51. Nd2 {[%emt 0:03:15]} Kh5 {[%emt 0:01:
21]} 52. Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Bc7 {[%emt 0:05:05]} 53. Be7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kh4
{[%emt 0:02:02]} 54. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 55. Bb4 {
[%emt 0:05:26]} Bc7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 56. Nd2 {[%emt 0:00:32]} Kh5 {[%emt 0:00:
31]} 57. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 58. Kf1 {[%emt 0:02:54]} Kg6
{[%emt 0:02:18]} 59. Bd6 {[%emt 0:05:19]} Kh5 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 60. Ba3 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 61. Bb2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be7 {[%emt 0:02:
45]} 62. a4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kh5 {[%emt 0:02:05]} 63. Be5 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Kh4
{[%emt 0:03:33]} 64. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Nc5 {[%emt 0:01:46]} 65. Nxc5 {
[%emt 0:00:55]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 66. Bf6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:03:
50]} 67. Kf1 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Kxh3 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 68. Bxg5 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
Kh2 {[%emt 0:01:03]} 69. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP (Women)"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.04.19"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kosintseva, Tatiana"]
[Black "Zhao, Xue"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2496"]
[BlackElo "2552"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2014.04.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]
[WhiteClock "1:30:00"]
[BlackClock "1:30:00"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 5. c3 {[%emt 0:00:01]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:17]} 6. O-O {
[%emt 0:00:12]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 7. h3 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:02:02]}
8. d4 {[%emt 0:05:30]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:01:06]} 9. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:01:59]} (9. Re1 d5
10. Nxe5 Nxe4 11. Nd2 Nd6 12. Bf1 c6 13. b3 Re8 14. a4 Ng6 15. Nxg6 Rxe1 16.
Qxe1 hxg6 17. Ba3 a5 18. Qe3 Be6 19. Re1 Bc7 20. Bd3 Bf5 21. Nf3 Bxd3 22. Qxd3
Ne4 23. Nd2 Nxd2 24. Qxd2 Bd6 25. Bxd6 Qxd6 26. g3 Qd7 27. Kg2 Re8 28. Re3 Kf8
29. h4 Qf5 30. Rxe8+ Kxe8 31. Qe3+ Kd7 32. Qf3 Qxf3+ 33. Kxf3 Ke6 34. Kg4 b5
35. Kf4 Kd6 36. g4 Ke6 37. Kg5 Kd6 38. h5 gxh5 {Karjakin,S (2756)-Le Quang,L 
(2703) Beijing 2013 1-0 (63)}) 9... c6 {[%emt 0:06:58]} 10. Ba4 {[%emt 0:02:50]
} Ng6 {[%emt 0:02:32]} 11. Re1 {[%emt 0:01:42]} Be6 {[%emt 0:20:02]} 12. Bc2 {
[%emt 0:03:59]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:09:27]} 13. Nf1 {[%emt 0:02:38]} h6 {[%emt 0:03:
42]} 14. Ng3 {[%emt 0:00:41]} Rad8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 15. Be3 {[%emt 0:11:15]}
Rfe8 {[%emt 0:04:10]} 16. Qc1 $146 {[%emt 0:04:09]} (16. Qd2 d5 17. exd5 Bxd5
18. Bxg6 Bxf3 19. Bc2 exd4 20. cxd4 Bh5 21. Nxh5 Nxh5 22. Bxh6 gxh6 23. Qxh6
Bxd4 24. Bh7+ Kh8 25. Bg6+ Kg8 26. Bh7+ Kh8 27. Qxh5 Qf4 28. Be4+ Kg7 29. Qh7+
Kf8 30. Bf3 {1/2-1/2 (30) Balogh,C (2562)-Gyimesi,Z (2610) Hungary 2008}) 16...
Kh7 {[%emt 0:13:16]} 17. a4 {[%emt 0:09:32]} a5 {[%emt 0:01:46]} 18. Nf5 {
[%emt 0:06:12][%csl Gf5]} Ng8 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 19. h4 {[%emt 0:05:28]} f6 {
[%emt 0:00:38]} 20. h5 $36 {[%emt 0:07:14][%csl Gh5] A very entertaining game.
The opposite colored bishops allowed Kosintseva to launch an attack on the
light-squares that cost Zhao Xue an exchange, but she obtained a pawn and some
interesting compensation for it. Eventually and endgame was reached where
White had winning chances, but nothing more. She tried for many, many moves
but was unable to bring down the Chinese wall.} N6e7 {[%emt 0:01:51]} 21. N3h4
{[%emt 0:01:42]} Nxf5 {[%emt 0:02:39]} 22. exf5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bf7 {[%emt 0:
00:16]} 23. Ng6 {[%emt 0:02:12]} exd4 {[%emt 0:02:05]} 24. cxd4 {[%emt 0:01:28]
} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 25. Nf4 {[%emt 0:06:52]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 26. Qd1 {
[%emt 0:04:59]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:01:05]} 27. Ne6 {[%emt 0:02:45]} Bxe6 {[%emt 0:08:
51]} 28. fxe6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 29. Bxh6 {[%emt 0:00:46]}
Qc4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 30. Be3 {[%emt 0:05:30]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 31. Bb3 {
[%emt 0:03:56]} Nxe3 {[%emt 0:01:20]} 32. fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Qb4 {[%emt 0:
00:08]} 33. Qd3 {[%emt 0:06:15]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 34. Bc2 {[%emt 0:01:47]}
Re4 {[%emt 0:01:00]} 35. Qf1 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Rxd4 {[%emt 0:10:13]} 36. Qf5 {
[%emt 0:01:04]} Re4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 37. Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qxe4 {[%emt 0:
00:34]} 38. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:45]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 39. Kf2 {[%emt 0:03:05]
} Rd2+ {[%emt 0:01:05]} 40. Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc7+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Kh3
{[%emt 0:11:41]} Be5 {[%emt 0:02:52]} 42. Rad1 {[%emt 0:02:35]} Rxb2 {[%emt 0:
02:30]} 43. Rb1 {[%emt 0:03:32]} Rb4 {[%emt 0:03:12]} 44. Kg4 {[%emt 0:01:17]}
Rxa4 {[%emt 0:08:40]} 45. Kf5 {[%emt 0:04:23]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:13:40]} 46. Rxb7 {
[%emt 0:00:18]} Ra2 {[%emt 0:05:51]} 47. g4 {[%emt 0:02:17]} Rf2+ {[%emt 0:01:
16]} 48. Kxe4 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Rg2 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 49. Kf5 {[%emt 0:02:04]}
Rf2+ {[%emt 0:00:08]} 50. Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rg2 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 51. Kf5 {
[%emt 0:06:52]} Rf2+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} 52. Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Rg2 {[%emt 0:01:
38]} 53. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rxg4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 54. Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
Rg3 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 55. e4 {[%emt 0:01:05]} Rg5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 56. Kf7 {
[%emt 0:02:13]} Rxh5 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 57. Re7 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:01:
50]} 58. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Rh3 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 59. Re8 {[%emt 0:00:32]} Kg5
{[%emt 0:00:24]} 60. Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Kg4 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 61. Kxg7 {
[%emt 0:00:18]} Rf3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 62. Rc1 {[%emt 0:00:27]} a4 {[%emt 0:00:
38]} 63. Rxc6 {[%emt 0:00:37]} a3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 64. Ra6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Kf4
{[%emt 0:00:59]} 65. Rea8 {[%emt 0:01:03]} Bb2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 66. Ra4 {
[%emt 0:00:35]} f5+ {[%emt 0:00:57]} 67. e5+ {[%emt 0:00:20]} Kxe5 {[%emt 0:00:
04]} 68. R8a5+ {[%emt 0:00:23]} Ke6+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} 69. Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:07]}
Rg3+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} 70. Kh5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Rd3 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 71. Kg6 {
[%emt 0:00:35]} Rg3+ {[%emt 0:00:56]} 72. Kh5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rd3 {[%emt 0:02:
08]} 73. Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rg3+ {[%emt 0:00:38]} 74. Kh5 {[%emt 0:00:05]}
Rd3 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 75. Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP (Women)"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.04.19"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Lagno, Kateryna"]
[Black "Muminova, Nafisa"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2543"]
[BlackElo "2321"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2014.04.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]
[WhiteClock "1:30:00"]
[BlackClock "1:30:00"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. O-O {[%emt 0:
02:18]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 5. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:17:46]} dxc6 {[%emt 0:04:11]} 6.
Nxe5 {[%emt 0:10:27]} Nxe4 {[%emt 0:04:38]} 7. Qe2 {[%emt 0:05:05]} Qd5 {
[%emt 0:03:05]} 8. Nd3 {[%emt 0:06:06]} O-O {[%emt 0:02:47]} 9. Nxc5 {[%emt 0:
00:31]} Nxc5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 10. d3 {[%emt 0:03:06]} (10. Nc3 Qf5 11. d3 Bd7
12. Be3 Rfe8 {1/2-1/2 (12) Ankit,R (2350)-Greenfeld,A (2561) Mumbai 2010})
10... Bf5 {[%emt 0:01:39]} 11. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:01:02]} 12.
Qe5 {[%emt 0:04:31]} b6 {[%emt 0:01:56]} 13. b4 $146 {[%emt 0:07:24]} (13. Be3
Rfe8 14. Qf4 Nb7 15. Ne4 Nd6 16. Nxd6 cxd6 17. Rfe1 d5 18. Bd2 Bg6 19. Rxe8+
Rxe8 20. Re1 h6 21. Rxe8+ Qxe8 22. Kf1 Qd7 23. Qb8+ Kh7 24. Bf4 c5 25. b3 c4
26. Qc7 Qxc7 27. Bxc7 cxd3 28. c3 b5 29. h4 f6 30. Ke1 Kg8 31. Kd2 h5 32. Bb8
a6 33. Ba7 Kf7 34. g3 Be4 35. f4 Ke6 36. Bf2 Kf5 37. b4 Kg4 38. Ke3 Kh3 39. Be1
Kg2 40. c4 dxc4 41. Bc3 Bf5 42. Be1 Kf1 {Armbrust,F (2300)-Misler,T (2235)
France 2007 0-1}) 13... Rae8 {[%emt 0:05:19]} 14. Qf4 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Nb7 {
[%emt 0:00:24]} 15. a4 {[%emt 0:01:37]} Nd6 {[%emt 0:04:55]} 16. Bb2 {[%emt 0:
06:11]} Re6 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 17. Nd1 {[%emt 0:01:30]} Rg6 {[%emt 0:06:50]} 18.
Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Be6 {[%emt 0:01:15]} 19. f3 {[%emt 0:12:18]} f6 {[%emt 0:
22:47]} 20. Rfe1 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Rg5 {[%emt 0:03:56]} 21. Re2 {[%emt 0:02:00]}
Nf5 {[%emt 0:05:55]} 22. Rae1 {[%emt 0:01:39]} Nxe3 {[%emt 0:01:10]} 23. Rxe3 {
[%emt 0:00:14]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 24. Re4 {[%emt 0:03:59]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:04:
12]} 25. Qe3 $36 {[%emt 0:01:53][%csl Re6] At some point it seemed that surely
White's devasting pin on the e-file would reap a deadly reward, but somehow
Muminova's cool rook movements were sufficient to hold the game and it seemed
impossible for Lagno to find an entry point. After the queen's came off it was
obvious that the opposite colored bishops would lead this game to a draw.} Kf7
{[%emt 0:02:31]} 26. g4 {[%emt 0:02:20]} h5 {[%emt 0:08:06]} 27. h3 {[%emt 0:
00:43]} hxg4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 28. fxg4 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Rg5 {[%emt 0:00:51]}
29. Kf2 {[%emt 0:04:50]} Qd6 {[%emt 0:04:31]} 30. Qg3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bd7 {
[%emt 0:01:23]} 31. Bc1 {[%emt 0:01:42]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0:02:13]} 32. Rxe4 {
[%emt 0:01:22]} Qxg3+ {[%emt 0:02:21]} 33. Kxg3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Re5 {[%emt 0:
00:58]} 34. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 35. dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:03]
} a5 {[%emt 0:02:14]} 36. c3 {[%emt 0:01:12]} axb4 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 37. cxb4 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 38. b5 {[%emt 0:02:09]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:07]}
39. Bc7 {[%emt 0:02:34]} cxb5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 40. axb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bxb5 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Bxb6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bd3 {[%emt 0:03:42]} 42. Bxc5 {
[%emt 0:01:52]} Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 43. h4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bc2 {[%emt 0:00:
15]} 44. Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bb1 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 45. Kf4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bc2
{[%emt 0:00:11]} 46. g5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} fxg5+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} 47. Kxg5 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 48. h5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} gxh5 {[%emt 0:00:
04]} 49. Kxh5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP (Women)"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.04.12"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[Black "Batchimeg, Tuvshintugs"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2527"]
[BlackElo "2340"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2014.04.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]
[WhiteClock "1:30:00"]
[BlackClock "1:30:00"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
17]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:26]} Nd4 {[%emt 0:01:49]} 6. Nxd4
{[%emt 0:00:21]} Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 7. Nd2 {[%emt 0:00:52]} (7. c3 Bb6 8.
Na3 c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Bb3 g5 14. Bg3 Re8
15. Re1 Bc7 16. Nc2 Bg4 17. Qd2 d4 18. h3 Bf5 19. Ba4 Bd7 20. Bxd7 dxc3 21.
Qxc3 Nxd7 22. d4 Rc8 23. Qb3 Ba5 24. Re2 exd4 25. Rxe8+ Qxe8 26. Nxd4 Nc5 27.
Qf3 Qe4 28. Nf5 Qxf3 29. gxf3 Rd8 30. Nxh6+ Kg7 31. Nf5+ Kg6 32. Nd6 Bb6 33.
Nc4 Ne6 34. Re1 Bd4 35. b3 Rd5 36. Kf1 Bc5 {Topalov,V (2785)-Andreikin,D (2709)
Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 1/2-1/2 (69)}) 7... c6 {[%emt 0:01:21]} 8. Ba4 {[%emt 0:
00:14]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 9. c3 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 10. Bb3
{[%emt 0:00:19]} h6 {[%emt 0:10:05]} 11. Nc4 {[%emt 0:01:29]} Bc7 {[%emt 0:03:
48]} 12. Qf3 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Be6 {[%emt 0:04:22]} 13. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Qd7
$146 {[%emt 0:01:58]} (13... Bxb3 14. axb3 g6 15. d4 Kf8 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Rd1
Qe7 18. Ng4 Nxg4 19. Qxg4 h5 20. Qh3 Rd8 21. Be3 {1/2-1/2 (21) Movsesian,S 
(2705)-Balogh,C (2668) Sibenik 2012}) 14. d4 {[%emt 0:03:28]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:07:
04]} 15. Qg3 $14 {[%emt 0:02:19][%csl Gg3,Rg4,Rg7] Another slow Spanish, but
this time the Mongolian player's bishop on g4 proved to be a static weakness
as it could not easily go home. Kosteniuk exploited this to the fullest of
extents, eventually Black was unable to hold her position together because of
this bishop and the extra material was sufficient for White to take the full
point eventually.} O-O {[%emt 0:24:20]} 16. f4 {[%emt 0:15:10]} h5 {[%emt 0:13:
08]} 17. Bc2 {[%emt 0:02:26]} Rfe8 {[%emt 0:17:23]} 18. fxe5 {[%emt 0:02:02]}
dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 19. d5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Qd6 {[%emt 0:05:27]} 20. Nxg4 {
[%emt 0:15:16]} hxg4 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 21. Bg5 {[%emt 0:01:30]} Nh7 {[%emt 0:00:
54]} 22. Bh4 {[%emt 0:02:33]} g5 {[%emt 0:02:47]} 23. Qxg4 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Qg6
{[%emt 0:00:01]} 24. Bf2 {[%emt 0:11:09]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 25. Qe2 {
[%emt 0:00:56]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:01:03]} 26. exd5 {[%emt 0:01:55]} e4 {[%emt 0:00:
04]} 27. Rad1 {[%emt 0:02:25]} Rad8 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 28. c4 {[%emt 0:05:46]}
Qh6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 29. g3 {[%emt 0:02:54]} e3 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 30. Be1 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} Be5 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 31. Ba4 {[%emt 0:04:13]} Re7 {[%emt 0:00:
35]} 32. Bb4 {[%emt 0:01:01]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 33. c5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Re4
{[%emt 0:00:56]} 34. Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Be5 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 35. Bc2 {
[%emt 0:01:01]} Bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:54]} 36. Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:
01:08]} 37. Bf3 {[%emt 0:08:11]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 38. b4 {[%emt 0:00:10]}
Bxb4 {[%emt 0:01:31]} 39. Qxe3 {[%emt 0:00:21]} b6 {[%emt 0:00:51]} 40. Rc1 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Qd4 {[%emt 0:17:54]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:07:
33]} 42. Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:42]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:02:01]} 43. Qa4 {[%emt 0:05:01]} Re3
{[%emt 0:17:17]} 44. Rc8+ {[%emt 0:01:43]} Nf8 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 45. Qxa7 {
[%emt 0:06:01]} Be5 {[%emt 0:06:26]} 46. Bg4 {[%emt 0:03:50]} Qh7 {[%emt 0:00:
44]} 47. Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:54]} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.03.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2709"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2014.03.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteClock "0:32:08"]
[BlackClock "1:18:36"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
31] Andreikin's anti-Berlin left much to be desired and he was slowly
outplayed by Anand. He was able to pull himself together and organize a solid
defense, but Black's position was always superior. The simplification to the
endgame was well timed by the Russian and although it is arguable that Anand
could have pressed the final position a little, it was surely a drawn endgame.}
Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 5. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:25]} dxc6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 6. Be3 {
[%emt 0:00:09]} (6. h3 Nd7 7. Be3 Bd6 8. Nc3 c5 9. O-O Nf8 10. Nd2 Ng6 11. Nc4
Be6 12. Ne2 Qd7 13. Nxd6+ cxd6 14. f4 exf4 15. Nxf4 Nxf4 16. Rxf4 b6 17. Qh5 d5
18. d4 c4 19. b3 Qc6 20. Raf1 O-O-O 21. bxc4 Qxc4 22. Rxf7 Bxf7 23. Rxf7 Rd7
24. Rxd7 Kxd7 25. exd5 g6 26. Qg4+ Kc7 27. Qe6 Kb7 28. Qe7+ Qc7 29. Qe4 Qd7 30.
d6+ Ka6 31. Bf4 Rc8 32. Kh2 Rc4 33. Bg3 Rc8 34. Qd3+ Kb7 35. c4 Qc6 {Carlsen,M
(2872)-Caruana,F (2782) Zuerich 2014 1-0}) 6... Bxe3 {[%emt 0:01:40]} 7. fxe3 {
[%emt 0:00:08]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 8. O-O {[%emt 0:01:48]} O-O $146 {[%emt 0:
00:26]} (8... Ng4 9. Qd2 f6 10. Nh4 g6 11. Nc3 Bd7 12. Rf3 f5 13. g3 Nf6 14.
exf5 g5 15. Ng2 e4 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. dxe4 O-O-O 18. Qa5 Qxe4 19. Qxa7 Bxf5 20.
Raf1 Bh3 21. Qa8+ Kd7 22. Qa3 Kc8 23. Qa8+ Kd7 24. Rf7+ Ke8 25. Rf8+ Rxf8 26.
Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Qxd8+ Kf7 28. Qd2 Ke8 29. Ne1 Qc4 30. Qd3 Qb4 31. Nf3 Qxb2 32.
Nxg5 Qa1+ 33. Kf2 Qf6+ 34. Nf3 Bf5 35. Qd4 Qf7 36. Qh8+ Ke7 37. Qe5+ Kd7 38.
Qd4+ {Sutovsky,E (2655)-Carlsen,M (2714) Heraklio 2007 1/2-1/2 (86)}) 9. Qe1 {
[%emt 0:02:48]} Ne8 {[%emt 0:04:00]} 10. Qc3 {[%emt 0:14:44]} f6 {[%emt 0:00:
30]} 11. b4 {[%emt 0:01:40]} Nd6 {[%emt 0:03:40]} 12. a4 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Bd7 {
[%emt 0:02:33]} 13. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:01:17]} b6 {[%emt 0:01:55]} 14. a5 {[%emt 0:
00:52]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:10:16]} 15. Ra2 {[%emt 0:06:34]} Rab8 {[%emt 0:06:35]} 16.
axb6 {[%emt 0:12:41]} axb6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 17. Qa1 {[%emt 0:05:23]} Nb7 {
[%emt 0:02:39]} 18. Qc3 {[%emt 0:08:01]} c5 {[%emt 0:01:31]} 19. bxc5 {[%emt 0:
00:12]} Nxc5 {[%emt 0:01:09]} 20. Ra7 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Rfc8 {[%emt 0:02:30]}
21. Rfa1 {[%emt 0:02:25]} b5 {[%emt 0:07:26]} 22. d4 {[%emt 0:27:17]} exd4 {
[%emt 0:05:45]} 23. exd4 {[%emt 0:02:30]} Nxe4 {[%emt 0:02:10]} 24. Nxe4 {
[%emt 0:01:02]} Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 25. Rxc7 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:
08:25]} 26. Raa7 {[%emt 0:04:59]} h6 {[%emt 0:05:00]} 27. Qd2 {[%emt 0:03:09]}
Rxc7 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 28. Rxc7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:03:01]} 29. Rc3 {
[%emt 0:03:43]} b4 {[%emt 0:02:36]} 30. Re3 {[%emt 0:02:52]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:
22]} 31. h3 {[%emt 0:01:24]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 32. Rb3 {[%emt 0:01:56]} Qc4
{[%emt 0:02:13]} 33. Rb2 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Be4 {[%emt 0:01:15]} 34. Kf2 {
[%emt 0:02:26]} Bxf3 {[%emt 0:06:42]} 35. Kxf3 {[%emt 0:01:39]} Rb5 {[%emt 0:
01:36]} 36. Qd3 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Qxd3+ {[%emt 0:07:41]} 37. cxd3 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 38. d5 {[%emt 0:01:09]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 39. Ke4
{[%emt 0:00:42]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 40. Kd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 41. Kc4 {[%emt 0:29:20]} Rc5+ {[%emt 0:03:13]} 42. Kd4 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
Rxd5+ {[%emt 0:01:02]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.03.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2709"]
[BlackElo "2766"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2014.03.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteClock "0:41:29"]
[BlackClock "0:44:38"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
11] This Russian duel was not as interesting as the other one. Andreikin
side-stepped the Berlin variation of the Spanish by playing an early 4.d3 but
he was unable to obtain anything at all from the opening. Some pieces came off
and the opposite colored bishop endgame with queens was an obvious draw that
the players did not play out.} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 5. c3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} O-O
{[%emt 0:00:16]} 6. O-O {[%emt 0:00:13]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 7. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:
00:33]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 8. d4 {[%emt 0:05:46]} (8. h3 c6 9. Ba4 Ng6 10. d4
Bb6 11. Re1 Re8 12. Bc2 Bc7 13. Nf1 d5 14. exd5 e4 15. d6 Qxd6 16. N3d2 Bf5 17.
Nc4 Qd7 18. Bg5 Nd5 19. Ng3 Be6 20. Bxe4 Nxc3 21. bxc3 Bxc4 22. Qf3 Qd6 23. a4
Bd5 24. Bd2 Nf8 25. Rab1 b6 26. Qg4 Nd7 27. Bd3 g6 28. Qh4 f5 29. c4 Bf7 30.
Bc3 Qf6 31. Qxf6 Nxf6 32. d5 Nd7 33. dxc6 Nc5 34. Bc2 Bxc4 35. Rbd1 Rxe1+ 36.
Rxe1 Kf7 37. Nf1 Bd5 {Robson,R (2628)-Dominguez Perez,L (2757) St Louis 2014
0-1 (65)}) 8... exd4 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 9. cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:
03]} 10. h3 {[%emt 0:01:18]} d5 {[%emt 0:02:39]} 11. e5 {[%emt 0:13:18]} Ne4 {
[%emt 0:00:30]} 12. Bd3 {[%emt 0:04:15]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 13. Qe2 {[%emt 0:
00:12]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 14. Rd1 {[%emt 0:06:23]} Bxd4 $146 {[%emt 0:30:05]
} (14... Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Nb3 c5 18. Be3 Qe7 19. Nxd4 cxd4
20. Bxd4 {1/2-1/2 (20) Svidler,P (2723)-Carlsen,M (2776) Gjovik 2009}) 15. Nxe4
{[%emt 0:01:33]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 16. Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Bxe4 {[%emt 0:
00:06]} 17. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 18. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:01:35]
} Qxc6 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 19. f3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Bd5 {[%emt 0:04:29]} 20. b3 {
[%emt 0:05:23]} a5 {[%emt 0:11:01]} 21. Ba3 {[%emt 0:09:02]} Rfd8 {[%emt 0:01:
38]} 22. Rac1 {[%emt 0:09:33]} Qb6+ {[%emt 0:04:25]} 23. Kh1 {[%emt 0:08:15]}
Be6 {[%emt 0:10:40]} 24. Rxd8+ {[%emt 0:08:11]} Rxd8 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 25. Rd1 {
[%emt 0:00:09]} Rxd1+ {[%emt 0:02:39]} 26. Qxd1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} h6 {[%emt 0:
00:06]} 27. Qd8+ {[%emt 0:00:28]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 28. Qd3+ {[%emt 0:00:32]
} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 29. Qd8+ {[%emt 0:00:14]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 30. Qd3+
{[%emt 0:00:06]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP (Women)"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.04.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kosintseva, Tatiana"]
[Black "Batchimeg, Tuvshintugs"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2496"]
[BlackElo "2340"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2014.04.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]
[WhiteClock "1:30:00"]
[BlackClock "1:30:00"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:03:
49]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 5. c3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:15]} 6. O-O {
[%emt 0:00:06]} Re8 {[%emt 0:02:38]} 7. Bg5 {[%emt 0:02:12]} (7. Nbd2 a6 8.
Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nc4 Nd7 10. b4 Bd6 11. Qb3 Nf8 12. Bg5 Qd7 13. Be3 Ng6 14. Nfd2
Bf8 15. d4 Qe7 16. dxe5 Be6 17. Qc2 Bxc4 18. Nxc4 Nxe5 19. Nd2 a5 20. a3 axb4
21. axb4 Qe6 22. f3 Nc4 23. Bf4 c5 24. b5 Nd6 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 26. Rb1 b6 27. e5
Nc4 28. Qe4 Ra4 29. Rc1 h6 30. h4 Nb2 31. c4 Qd7 32. Rb1 Ra2 33. Be3 Na4 34.
Rb3 Rxd2 35. Bxd2 Qxd2 36. Rd3 Qc1+ {Karjakin,S (2766)-Aronian,L (2830)
Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 0-1}) 7... h6 {[%emt 0:05:18]} 8. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} a6
{[%emt 0:30:22]} 9. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:12:01]} dxc6 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 10. h3 $146 {
[%emt 0:02:29]} (10. d4 exd4 11. cxd4 Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nc3 Bg4 14. e5 Bg5
15. Ne2 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Qd7 17. Kh1 Qh3 18. Qb3 Qf5 19. Rg1 c5 20. f4 Qe4+ 21. f3
Qxe2 22. fxg5 c4 23. Qc3 c5 24. dxc5 Qxe5 25. gxh6 {1/2-1/2 (25) Balogh,C 
(2575)-Ionov,S (2546) Moscow 2008}) 10... Bd6 {[%emt 0:13:52]} 11. Nbd2 {
[%emt 0:05:19]} c5 {[%emt 0:05:31]} 12. Re1 {[%emt 0:12:22]} g5 {[%emt 0:06:06]
Wihte's solid approach in the Spanish paid off as Black's position was riddled
with weaknesses, and the more the position opened up the more glaring it was
that Tuvshintugs was going to be unable to hold on to all her pawns. However
in time pressure Konsintseva was unable to accurately fend off her opponent's
threats, and she allowed too much counterplay. The Mongolian player exploited
this perfectly and she never let Kosintseva have the advantage again.} 13. Bg3
{[%emt 0:00:16]} Nh5 {[%emt 0:00:59]} 14. Nc4 {[%emt 0:18:44]} b5 {[%emt 0:05:
23]} 15. Ne3 $14 {[%emt 0:11:06][%cal Ge3d5,Ge3f5]} Nf4 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 16. a4
{[%emt 0:07:18]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:05:11]} 17. axb5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} axb5 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} 18. d4 {[%emt 0:02:53]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:09:50]} 19. cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
exd4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 20. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:02:56]} Qf6 {[%emt 0:04:41]} 21. Nef5 {
[%emt 0:12:04]} Bxf5 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 22. Nxf5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:
02:09]} 23. Re3 {[%emt 0:02:08]} Rbd8 {[%emt 0:01:05]} 24. Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:40]}
Bc5 {[%emt 0:03:10]} 25. Bxf4 {[%emt 0:03:19]} gxf4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 26. Rc3 {
[%emt 0:01:11]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:02:05]} 27. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:01:
16]} 28. Rf3 {[%emt 0:01:02]} Rg8 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 29. Rxf4 {[%emt 0:00:22]} h5
{[%emt 0:00:24]} 30. Rf3 {[%emt 0:00:54]} Qg5 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 31. Rg3 {
[%emt 0:00:31]} Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 32. Qc3+ {[%emt 0:00:34]} Qxc3 {[%emt 0:
00:08]} 33. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:31]} Rxg3 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 34. Nxg3 {[%emt 0:00:
02]} Rd2 {[%emt 0:00:52]} 35. Nxh5 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:52]} 36.
Ra8+ {[%emt 0:00:34]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 37. Nf6+ {[%emt 0:00:27]} Kg6 {
[%emt 0:00:57]} 38. Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:20]} Bxf2+ {[%emt 0:00:17]} 39. Kf1 {
[%emt 0:00:57]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 40. Rg8+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 41. Nf6+ {[%emt 0:12:20]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 42. e5 {[%emt 0:00:38]}
Rc1+ {[%emt 0:15:20]} 43. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Rxc3 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 44. Ng4+ {
[%emt 0:18:31]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 45. Nf6+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:
05]} 46. g4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Re3+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} 47. Kd1 {[%emt 0:01:48]}
Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 48. h4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Be3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 49. Kc2 {
[%emt 0:01:17]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 50. g5+ {[%emt 0:00:24]} Bxg5 {[%emt 0:00:
08]} 51. hxg5+ {[%emt 0:00:38]} Rxg5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 52. Rxg5 {[%emt 0:00:15]}
Kxg5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 53. Ne4+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} Kg4 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 54. Nxc5 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} f5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 55. Ne6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} f4 {[%emt 0:00:16]
} 56. Nxf4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Kxf4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 57. Kc3 {[%emt 0:00:01]}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Paris FIDE GP"]
[Site "Elancourt"]
[Date "2013.09.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Fressinet, Laurent"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2708"]
[Annotator "ChessBase Website"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2013.09.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 157"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.11.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]
[WhiteClock "2:00:00"]
[BlackClock "2:00:00"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:01]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:09]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
13]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 5. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} dxc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 6. h3
{[%emt 0:00:06]} Be6 {[%emt 0:08:15]} 7. Qe2 {[%emt 0:01:11]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:05:
21]} 8. Be3 {[%emt 0:01:13]} f6 $146 {[%emt 0:03:41]} (8... Qe7 9. Bxc5 Qxc5
10. Nc3 Qd6 11. O-O-O c5 12. Nh4 O-O-O 13. Nf5 Bxf5 14. exf5 Nf6 15. Rhe1 Rhe8
16. Qf3 Qd4 17. g4 h6 18. a3 a6 19. Re3 Re7 20. Kb1 Nd5 21. Nxd5 Qxd5 22. Qxd5
Rxd5 23. Rde1 f6 24. f4 Kd7 25. c3 b5 26. Kc2 Kd6 27. b3 Re8 28. Re4 Re7 29. b4
Re8 30. c4 bxc4 31. dxc4 Rd4 32. fxe5+ fxe5 33. bxc5+ Kxc5 34. Rxe5+ Rxe5 35.
Rxe5+ Kxc4 36. Re7 c5 37. Rxg7 Rd3 38. h4 {Morozevich,A (2748)-Caruana,F (2786)
Tashkent 2012 1-0}) 9. Bxc5 {[%emt 0:03:44]} Nxc5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 10. Qe3 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:10:38]} 11. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:33]} O-O-O {[%emt 0:
05:06]} 12. O-O-O {[%emt 0:12:55]} Kb8 {[%emt 0:02:25]} 13. d4 {[%emt 0:01:12]}
exd4 {[%emt 0:01:49]} 14. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:01:50]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:12:22]} 15. f4 {
[%emt 0:06:26]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:02:45]} 16. Nxe6 {[%emt 0:33:30]} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:
00:37]} 17. Qc5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rd6 {[%emt 0:06:53]} 18. b3 {[%emt 0:03:34]}
Rhd8 {[%emt 0:04:33]} 19. Qh5 {[%emt 0:02:04]} h6 {[%emt 0:04:33]} 20. Qg4 {
[%emt 0:03:44]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:01:32]} 21. Rxd6 {[%emt 0:00:26] The American
player essayed a positional Spanish which trades on d6 only after Black has
committed some of his pieces to arguably no the best squares for the pawn
structure, especially the knight on f6. However Fressinet really had no issues
equalizing and eventually he made a small sacrifice to force a perpetual.} cxd6
{[%emt 0:03:13]} 22. Rd1 {[%emt 0:01:16]} d5 {[%emt 0:14:15]} 23. exd5 {
[%emt 0:05:32]} Qa3+ {[%emt 0:07:52]} 24. Kb1 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:
05]} 25. bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Qb4+ {[%emt 0:00:12]} 26. Kc1 {[%emt 0:00:03]}
Qxc3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 27. Qxg7 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Qa1+ {[%emt 0:00:23]} 28. Kd2 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} Qd4+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} 29. Kc1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Qa1+ {[%emt 0:
00:31]} 30. Kd2 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Qd4+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} 31. Kc1 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-Cup 30th"]
[Site "Bilbao"]
[Date "2014.09.17"]
[Round "4.4"]
[White "Movsesian, Sergei"]
[Black "Malakhov, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2696"]
[Annotator "Chirila,C"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2014.09.14"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "St Petersburg"]
[BlackTeam "Malachite Sverdlovsk Region"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The Berlin Wall, arguably the most solid
defense against 1.e4} 4. d3 {the anti-Berlin} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6
dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {the main line, this endgame is one of the most
complex feature in chess. Garry Kasparov was not able to find a cure for it in
the match he lost against Kramnik. Carlsen is known to have problems playing
it as black (see his recent game lost against Caruana), and so on..}) 4... Bc5
5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Nd7 7. Nc4 O-O 8. O-O Re8 9. a4 Bf8 10. Kh1 f6 11. Ng1 Nc5
{black wants to transfer his knight to e6, from there he will control the
important squares d4 and f4} 12. b3 Ne6 13. Ne2 c5 14. f4 exf4 15. Nxf4 Nxf4
16. Bxf4 Be6 17. Ne3 Qd7 18. Qf3 Rad8 19. Qg3 Bd6 20. Bxd6 Qxd6 21. Qh4 Qe5 22.
Rae1 c6 23. Nf5 Bxf5 24. exf5 Qd4 25. Qg3 Qd7 26. Qf4 h6 27. h3 Kh8 28. Kh2 (
28. Qg4 {was a better try to maintain a minuscule advantage, the e6 outpost
has to be used} Re7 $6 29. Re6 Rde8 30. Rfe1 Rxe6 31. fxe6 Qd5 32. c4 Qxd3 33.
Rd1 Qe3 34. Rd7 $36) 28... Re7 29. Rxe7 Qxe7 30. Qg3 Re8 31. Rf4 Qe2 32. Re4
Rxe4 33. dxe4 Qxe4 {now the position is completely equal, with best mutual
play it should lead to complete simplifications on the queen's side and a draw
will be agreed upon} 34. Qb8+ Kh7 35. Qxa7 (35. Qxb7 {was also possible} Qxc2
36. a5 $1 {in queens endgames, the most important is how close one's pawn is
to promotion, not the material balance} Qxf5 37. Qxa7 Qe5+ 38. Kg1 Qd4+ 39. Kh2
Qe5+ $11) 35... c4 $1 {black already begins to exert some pressure, the
position is still equal with best play} 36. Qxb7 (36. bxc4 Qxc4 37. a5 (37.
Qxb7 $2 Qxa4 38. c3 Qf4+ 39. Kg1 Qe3+ 40. Kh2 Qxc3 $19) 37... Qf4+ 38. Kh1 Qxf5
39. Qxb7 Qxa5 40. Qxc6 $11) 36... c3 {now white already need to start being
really careful, now the character of the position changed and a pawn race
could easily take place} 37. Qc7 (37. a5 Qxc2 38. Qxc6 (38. a6 $2 Qe4 $1 39.
Qb8 c2 40. a7 c1=Q 41. a8=Q Qef4+ 42. Qxf4 Qxf4+ 43. Kg1 Qxf5 44. Qxc6 Qb1+ 45.
Kh2 Qxb3 $17) 38... Qxb3 39. Qe8 {only move, not an easy idea to spot if you
are already under pshychological pressure due to the loss of control in a
completely equal position}) 37... Qxc2 38. Qg3 Qxb3 39. a5 $2 {this is the
mistake that gives black the clear advantage, white could have kept equality
with} (39. Qg6+ $1 Kh8 40. Qe8+ Qg8 41. Qxc6 Qb8+ 42. Kh1 Qb1+ 43. Kh2 Qxf5 44.
Qxc3 Qf4+ 45. Qg3 $1 Qxa4 46. Qb8+ Kh7 47. Qb1+ $11 {it is not that easy to
asses this position from afar, especially if you are low on time}) 39... Kh8
40. Qd3 {now black find a very nice maneuver to finish the game} (40. Qg6 Qb8+
$1 41. Kh1 c2 $19) (40. a6 Qb6 41. Qg6 Qb8+ 42. Qg3 Qxg3+ 43. Kxg3 c2 44. a7
c1=Q 45. a8=Q+ Kh7 $19 {black is winning but he will have to prove it with
good technique}) 40... Qb8+ $19 41. Kh1 Qb2 {probably the move white missed}
42. Qe3 {now the c pawn is free to advance, but first black needs to protect
against perpetual check} Qb1+ 43. Kh2 Qb8+ 44. Kh1 c2 (44... Qe5 45. Qxe5 fxe5
46. a6 c2 47. a7 c1=Q+ $19) 45. a6 Kh7 46. a7 Qxa7 0-1

[Event "Roquetas de Mar op 28th"]
[Site "Roquetas de Mar"]
[Date "2017.01.06"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Edouard, Romain"]
[Black "Gascon del Nogal, Jose Rafael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2613"]
[BlackElo "2455"]
[Annotator "Edouard,R"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2017.01.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8.
Na3 $5 {An interesting move I had analysed for Topalov during the 2014
Candidates tournament.} c6 (8... O-O $5 {might be the best way to play for
Black:} 9. Nc4 (9. Bg5 d5 10. Bxf6 (10. exd5 Qxd5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Bc4 Qd7 13.
Nc2 Qg4 $11 {1/2-1/2 (32) Anand,V (2784)-Kramnik,V (2801) SUI 2016}) 10... gxf6
(10... Qxf6 11. exd5) 11. Qf3 c6 12. Ba4 Kh8 (12... f5 $5) 13. Bb3 (13. Nc2
dxe4 14. dxe4 f5 $1 15. exf5 Qh4 $44) 13... Rg8 14. exd5 Bg4 15. Qe4 Bh3 16. g3
Bxf1 17. Rxf1 Qd7 $5 $44) 9... d5 10. exd5 Qxd5 11. a4 (11. Nxb6 axb6 12. Bc4
Qd6 13. Bg5 Bg4 14. Qd2 Nd7 15. d4 exd4 $6 (15... Be6 $142 $5) 16. cxd4 Nf6 17.
Bf4 Qd7 18. Be5 $14 {1-0 (33) Vachier Lagrave,M (2757)-Giri,A (2784) NED 2015})
11... Bg4 (11... Bd7 $5 $146 12. Nxb6 axb6 13. Bc4 Qd6 $132 {[%cal Gd7c6,Yh7h6]
}) 12. Qe1 c6 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Bc4 Qd6 15. Be3 Nd5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. f4 $36 {
1/2-1/2 (30) Vachier Lagrave,M (2775)-Jakovenko,D (2733) GEO 2015}) 9. Ba4 d6 (
9... O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 Re8 12. Nc4 Bc7 13. Ne3 g5 14. Bg3 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5
16. Nxd5 Qxd5 17. Bb3 Qd7 18. Qh5 Kg7 19. d4 $40 {1/2-1/2 (68) Karjakin,S 
(2762)-Onischuk,A (2662) Baku AZE 2015}) 10. Bc2 (10. Bb3 a5 11. Nc4 Ba7 $1 (
11... Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 h5 15. f3 Be6 16. Ne3 h4 17. Bf2 d5 18.
Re1 $14 {1/2-1/2 (41) Karjakin,S (2760)-Caruana,F (2811) SUI 2015}) 12. a4 O-O
13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Nxa5 d5 $44 {0-1 (44) Carlsen,M (2850)-Aronian,L 
(2781) ISL 2015}) 10... h6 $6 (10... O-O 11. Nc4 (11. Bg5 $5 h6 12. Bh4 g5 13.
Bg3 Bg4 14. Qd2 Nh5 15. Nc4 $36) 11... Bc7 12. Ne3 d5 13. Qf3 Be6 (13... g6 $5)
14. Nf5 Ne8 15. Be3 Qd7 16. d4 Bxf5 17. Qxf5 Qxf5 18. exf5 Nf6 19. dxe5 Bxe5
20. h3 Rfe8 21. Rfe1 $14 {1/2-1/2 (33) Khusnutdinov,R (2458)-Ganguly,S (2668)
Doha QAT 2016}) 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. f4 $14 exf4 13. Bxf4 d5 $2 {Just a terrible
move.} (13... Be6 14. Ne3 $14) 14. Bxc7 Qxc7 15. e5 dxc4 (15... Ne4 16. Ne3 Qb6
17. Qe1 $16) 16. exf6 gxf6 17. dxc4 Be6 18. Rxf6 $1 {The most precise.} Qe5 (
18... Qb6+ 19. Kh1 Qxb2 $2 20. Rxe6+ ({I had only seen what I put as a main
line, but the engine also shows:} 20. Rb1 Qxc3 21. Rxe6+ fxe6 22. Qh5+ Kd8 23.
Qf7 $3 Qxc2 24. Qf6+ $18) 20... fxe6 21. Qh5+ Kd8 (21... Ke7 22. Qc5+ $18) 22.
Rd1+ Kc8 23. Qe2 Rd8 24. Qxe6+ Kc7 25. Qe7+ Kb6 26. Rxd8 Qxc2 27. Qe3+ $1 $18)
19. Rf2 Rd8 20. Qe1 Qc5 $2 (20... Qxe1+ 21. Rxe1 $16) 21. Bf5 $2 {A blunder,
thinking Black should resign and forgetting about the next move.} (21. b4 {
was the other choice, winning at once:} Qxc4 22. Qe5 (22. Bb3 Qg4 23. Qe5 Rg8
24. Re1 Kd7 25. h3 Qg6 26. Bc2 $18) 22... Rg8 23. Re1 $18) 21... O-O 22. Bc2 $1
{At least Qe4 is coming now!} Rfe8 (22... Bxc4 23. Qe4 f5 24. Qf4 $16) 23. Qe4
Kf8 24. Qf4 $6 (24. Bd3 $1 {was the strongest move.}) (24. Qh7 $6 Qe3 $132) (
24. Raf1 {was my initial idea until I realised Black can go} Bxc4 25. Qf4 Re2
$1 $132) 24... Qg5 25. b3 (25. Raf1 {was smarter.}) 25... Qxf4 26. Rxf4 Rd2 27.
Rf2 Red8 28. Raf1 c5 29. h3 Ke7 30. Rxd2 $4 {Trying to compete for the worst
move of the century.} ({I should definitely play} 30. Kh2 {and go to e3 with
my king.}) 30... Rxd2 31. Rf2 Rxf2 $1 32. Kxf2 f5 $1 {The endgame is a dead
draw.} 33. Ke3 Kf6 34. Kf4 b6 35. Bd1 Bd7 36. Bf3 Be6 37. g4 fxg4 38. Bxg4 Bf7
39. Ke4 Bg8 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-ch 6th"]
[Site "Warsaw"]
[Date "2005.06.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Guseinov, Gadir"]
[Black "Babujian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2573"]
[BlackElo "2386"]
[Annotator "Erenburg,S"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2005.06.18"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 108"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2005.09.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2005.09.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 {The most aggressive attempt to fight for
an advantage. More popular are the following theoretical lines:} (4. O-O) (4.
d3) 4... exd4 {This is the main reply. Other possible continuations are:} (4...
Nxd4 5. Nxd4 c6 6. Bc4 exd4 7. Qxd4 Qb6 8. Qd3 Bb4+ 9. c3 Bc5 10. O-O d5 11.
exd5 O-O 12. b4 cxd5 13. Bxd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 Be7 15. Be3 Be6 16. Qf3 Qc7 17. Bd4
a5 18. b5 $14 {1-0 Kaminski,M-Keitlinghaus,L/Lazne Bohdanec 1996/CBM 051/
[Hecht] (46)}) (4... Nxe4 5. Qe2 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Bg5 Be7 9.
Bxe7 Nxe7 10. O-O Ng6 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Qe4 Qe7 13. Rad1 Re8 14. Rfe1 h6 15. h3
Bd7 16. Ne2 Rad8 17. Nf4 Nxf4 18. Qxf4 c5 19. Rd3 Bc6 $11 {1/2-1/2 Minasian,
A-Narciso Dublan,M/Ohrid 2001/CBM 084 (44)}) 5. e5 (5. O-O a6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7.
e5 Ne4 8. Re1 Bf5 9. Nxd4 Bg6 10. f3 Nc5 11. Be3 Ne6 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. Qe2 Qd5
14. Bf2 c5 15. Nc3 Qc6 16. Rad1 Be7 17. Ne4 O-O 18. c4 Rad8 19. Nc3 b6 {
1/2-1/2 Nisipeanu,L-Stefansson,H/Calvia ESP 2004/The Week in Chess 521 (19)})
5... Ng4 $4 {Terrible decision. Black's knight is misplaced on g4. In Modern
Attack variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.e5) Black can play 5.
..Ng4 with following d7-d6. The difference is that Black's queenside knight is
now pinned in this position, which makes Black's position very unpleasant.} ({
Black should play} 5... Ne4 6. O-O a6 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. Re1 $146 Nc5 9. Bg5 Be7
10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Qxd4 Bf5 12. Qc3 Ne6 13. Nbd2 O-O-O 14. b4 Rd5 15. Nf1 Bg4
16. N3d2 Rhd8 17. Nc4 Qg5 $40 {1/2-1/2 Hector,J-Miles,A/Reykjavik 1998/CBM 064/
[Wedberg] (48)}) 6. O-O d6 (6... Bc5 {doesn't help Black too much:} 7. h3 Ngxe5
(7... Nh6 8. Bxh6 gxh6 9. Nbd2 $16 {[%cal Gd2e4]}) 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. Re1 f6 10.
f4 $16 {/+-}) 7. Nxd4 Ngxe5 $146 (7... Bd7 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. e6 c5 10. exd7+ Qxd7
11. Qf3 O-O-O 12. Qa8# {1-0 Almquist,W-Feldman,J/Plymouth 1984/EXT 2003 (12)})
8. f4 $1 {This is the point. Now White's light-squared bishop is located on b5
and not on c4, where it is attacked by Black's knight. Also, it presses
Black's queenside knight.} a6 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bb3 ({Much worse is} 10. fxe5 $2
Nxd4 11. Qxd4 bxa4 12. exd6 Be6 13. Bh6 Qxd6 14. Bxg7 Bxg7 15. Qxg7 O-O-O $132)
10... Qh4 (10... Nxd4 {doesn't change the evaluation of the position:} 11. Qxd4
c5 (11... Nc4 12. Qe4+ Be6 13. f5 $18) 12. Qe4 Ra7 13. Bd5 $18 (13. fxe5 c4 14.
exd6+ Be6 $16 {/+-})) {[%tqu "En","Please find the best move for white.","","",
"b3d5","",10]} 11. Bd5 $1 $18 {Now Black cannot avoid big material loses.} Bg4
(11... Nxd4 {isn't better:} 12. Bxa8 Nec6 13. c3 $18) 12. Qd2 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 ({
It wasn't too late to make a mistake:} 13. Bxa8 $4 Ne2+ 14. Kh1 Ng3+ 15. Kg1
Qxh2+ $1 16. Kxh2 Nxf1+ $19) 13... c6 14. fxe5 cxd5 15. h3 $1 (15. Qxd5 $2 {
leaves Black some chances:} Ra7 16. exd6 Be6 $16) 15... h5 (15... dxe5 16. Qxd5
Ra7 17. Qxe5+ $18) 16. Nc3 $1 {White doesn't hurry with winning material, but
includes the knight in the attack.} ({Worse is} 16. Qxd5 $2 Ra7 17. hxg4 $2
hxg4 {and Black gets counterchances.}) 16... Rc8 {Black didn't have any useful
move:} (16... Be7 17. Qxd5 {[%cal Gd5a8,Gd5f7]} O-O 18. hxg4 $18) (16... dxe5
17. Qxd5 Ra7 18. Qxe5+ {[%cal Ge5b8]} Re7 19. Qb8+ Kd7 20. Bg5 $18 {[%cal
Ga1d1]}) 17. Qf4 $18 {Now Black cannot stop White's attack.} dxe5 {Other moves
lose as well:} (17... Qe7 18. hxg4 dxe5 19. Qf5 $18) (17... Rc7 18. Nxd5 $18
Rd7 19. e6 fxe6 20. Qe4 $18 {[%cal Ge4g6,Yc1g5]}) 18. Qxf7+ $40 {White wins
the game with direct attack.} Kd8 19. Qxd5+ Bd7 (19... Kc7 {doesn't change
anything:} 20. Rf7+ Be7 21. Qxe5+ $18) 20. Ne4 $1 {[%cal Gc1g5] coordingating
all the pieces.} Be7 21. Be3 $1 {[%cal Ga1d1,Ge3b6,Yd1d7]} Rxc2 22. Bb6+ (22.
Bb6+ Rc7 (22... Ke8 23. Qf7#) (22... Kc8 23. Qa8#) 23. Rac1 $18) 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 0506"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2005.10.23"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Erenburg, Sergey"]
[Black "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2582"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "Erenburg,S"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 110"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Katernberg"]
[BlackTeam "Kreuzberg"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "GER"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 {The idea of this move is to trade
the queen's knight by ...Nd4. Another theoretical possibility is} (4... d6 5.
O-O (5. c3 Bd7 6. O-O g6 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. Re1 O-O 9. Nf1 Nh5 10. Ba4 Qe8 11. Bb3
Kh8 {---> 1-0 Morozevich,A-Krasenkow,M/Plovdiv 2003/CBM 098/[Ftacnik] (60)})
5... g6 6. d4 $5 {White loses a tempo, playing twice with the same pawn. But,
in this particular position white has a development advantage and he can play
aggressively. In this way, Emil gets a space advantage.} (6. c3 {is main line.
See 5.c3}) 6... Bd7 7. Re1 {Other continuations look less promising:} (7. Nc3
exd4 8. Nd5 Bg7 9. Re1 Ne5 10. Bxd7+ Nfxd7 11. Nxd4 O-O 12. c3 c6 13. Ne3 Nc5
$11 {1/2-1/2 Kupreichik,V-Mokry,K/Rimavska Sobota 1990/CBM 20 ext (37)}) (7.
dxe5 Nxe5 8. Nc3 Bg7 9. Bg5 Bxb5 10. Nxb5 Ned7 11. Re1 O-O 12. Qd2 Re8 13. Nc3
Nc5 14. Rad1 Qc8 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nd5 Bg7 17. Qf4 Ne6 18. Nf6+ Bxf6 19. Qxf6
Qd8 20. Qc3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Wang Hao-Zhang Zhong/Xiapu CHN 2005/The Week in Chess
555 (26)}) 7... Bg7 ({Another possible continuation is} 7... Nxd4 8. Nxd4 exd4
9. Bxd7+ Qxd7 10. Qxd4 Bg7 11. e5 $5 Qe6 12. Nc3 (12. Bd2 $5) (12. Qb4 $5)
12... O-O 13. Bh6 dxe5 14. Rxe5 Qb6 15. Qxb6 axb6 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Re7 Rac8
18. Rd1 Rfd8 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Rxc7 Rd2 21. f3 Rxc2 22. Rxb7 Rxb2 23. a4 g5 24.
g4 Rb3 25. Rc7 Nd7 26. Rxd7 {1/2-1/2 Rozentalis,E-Koziak,V/Dzwirzyno 2004/CBM
102 ext (26)}) 8. d5 {White gets a space advantage on the queenside. Actually,
in positions with an Indian pawn structure, White is interested to exchange
the light-squared bishops. The alternatives are:} (8. Bxc6 $6 Bxc6 9. dxe5 Nxe4
10. Qd3 dxe5 $1 11. Rxe4 Bxe4 12. Qxe4 Qd1+ 13. Qe1 O-O-O 14. Nc3 Qxc2 $15 {
0-1 Guseinov,G-Aleksandrov,A/Batumi 2002/CBM 090/[Wedberg] (44)}) (8. dxe5 Nxe5
9. Bxd7+ Qxd7 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Qxd7 Nxd7 $11 {1-0 Kupreichik,
V-Levin,F/Germany 1995/GER-chT2 (58)}) (8. Nc3 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Qxd4 O-O
11. Qd3) (8. c3 O-O 9. Ba4 Qe8 10. Bc2 Bg4 11. d5 Ne7 12. Nbd2 Nh5 13. a4 Bh6
14. a5 Bxd2 15. Bxd2 f5 $13 {0-1 Hamdouchi,H-Kayumov,S/Abu Dhabi 2004/CBM 103 
(49)}) 8... Ne7 9. Bxd7+ Nxd7 {Black takes with the knight, in order to
prepare the counterstrike f7-f5. White's main plan with such a pawn structure
is of course developing an initiative on the queenside by c2-c4, b2-b4 with
the following c4-c5. In opposite, Black creates counterplay on the kingside,
pushing his kingside pawns forward.} 10. Be3 $146 {In the previous game White
continued} (10. a4 O-O 11. a5 a6 12. c4 h6 13. Ra3 f5 14. b4 Nf6 15. Nbd2 Qd7
16. Qc2 g5 17. h3 Rac8 18. exf5 Qxf5 19. Qa2 $14 {1/2-1/2 Morozevich,
A-Georgiev,K/Mallorca 2004/CBM 104 no vc (71)}) 10... f5 {Black decides to
attack White's centre immediately. Other possibilities are:} (10... O-O 11. c4
h6 (11... f5 12. Ng5) 12. Qd2 $14 {[%cal Gb1c3]}) (10... h6 11. c4 f5 12. Nc3
O-O 13. b4 $14) 11. Ng5 $1 {[%cal Gg5e6] emphasizing the drawback of Black's
previous move.} Nf8 12. exf5 gxf5 ({In case of the capture with the knight,} 
12... Nxf5 $14 {[%csl Ye4] White will get an important outpost on e4.}) 13. f4
$1 {Opening up the game, using the vulnerable position of black's king.} Qd7 (
13... exf4 14. Bd4 $36) ({Worth considerating is the immediate} 13... Neg6 $5)
14. c4 Neg6 {[%cal Gh7h6] preparing to drive away White's knight from his
active position.} (14... h6 $2 15. Qh5+ $16 {[%cal Yg5e6]}) 15. Nc3 h6 16. Nf3
e4 {Black closes the centre, although his king is not safe yet.} 17. Nd4 h5 $1
{preventing the occupation of the square h5 by White's queen.} (17... O-O-O {
is too dangerous:} 18. Ncb5 a6 19. Na7+ $1 Kb8 20. Ndc6+ Ka8 (20... bxc6 21.
dxc6 $18 {[%cal Gd1b3]}) 21. Nxd8 Qxd8 22. Qa4 $16) {Black's position is not
bad at all from a strategical point of view. But, his monarch is still in the
centre. That's why White should play aggressively.} 18. Ncb5 {[%csl Yb5][%cal
Gd4f5,Gd4e6,Yb5c7]} Kf7 ({Worse is} 18... a6 19. Nxf5 Bxb2 (19... axb5 20.
Nxg7+ Qxg7 21. Bd4 Qf7 22. Bxh8 Nxh8 23. Rxe4+ Kd8 24. Qb3 $16) 20. Qa4 Kd8 21.
Rab1 $16) {Otherwise, Black would drive away the knight from b5 with a7-a6.}
19. Ne6 $1 {White sacrifices a pawn, and the position of Black's king is even
more vulnerable .} Nxe6 20. dxe6+ Kxe6 21. Qd5+ $16 {1-0 Sutovsky,E-Kramnik,V/
Dortmund 2005/CBM 108_01/[Erenburg] (50)}) 5. Bxc6 {This continuation worsens
Black's pawn structure. On the other hand, Black gets the bishop's pair. Other
attempts to fight for advantage are:} (5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Kh1
c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d6 12. Nd2 g5 13. Bg3 Bg4 14. f3 Be6 15. Bb3
Nh5 16. Bf2 Bxf2 17. Rxf2 Qb6 $11 {1-0 Charbonneau,P-Mitkov,N/Mallorca 2004/
CBM 104/[Atlas,V] (42)}) (5. Be3 Bxe3 6. fxe3 d6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Ba4 Ne7 9. Qd2
c6 10. Bb3 b5 11. a4 b4 12. Ne2 a5 13. Ng3 Ra7 14. O-O Ng6 15. h3 d5 16. exd5
cxd5 17. e4 dxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. dxe4 Rd7 $15 {1/2-1/2 Spraggett,K-Korneev,O/
Dos Hermanas 2001/CBM 083/[Hecht] (60)}) (5. c3 {is considered as the most
principled continuation.} O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Bg5 Qe7 (7... Bb6 8. Nbd2 Nb8 9. d4
c6 10. Bd3 Nbd7 11. a4 Bc7 12. Re1 Re8 13. h3 h6 14. Be3 Nf8 15. Qc2 Ng6 16. b4
Nh5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Bf1 Bb6 19. Nd4 a6 20. Rad1 Qf6 21. g3 Qg6 22. Bg2 $14 {
1-0 Morozevich,A-Aronian,L/Mainz GER 2005/The Week in Chess 562 (47)}) 8. Nbd2
Nd8 9. d4 Bb6 10. Bh4 c6 11. Ba4 h6 12. Bb3 Bc7 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Nc4 a5 15. a4
b6 16. Qc2 Be6 17. Ne3 Nb7 18. Nf5 Bxf5 19. exf5 Nd6 20. Rad1 Rac8 21. Rfe1 $16
{1/2-1/2 Akopian,V-Aronian,L/Sochi RUS 2005/The Week in Chess 546 (27)}) 5...
dxc6 6. Be3 {White is interested to change one of Black's bishops. In case of
the capture on e3, white will get the open f-file for the heavy pieces.} (6.
O-O Qe7 7. h3 h6 8. c3 O-O 9. Nbd2 Bd6 10. d4 Nd7 11. Re1 c5 12. Nc4 cxd4 13.
cxd4 Bb4 14. Re2 exd4 15. a3 Nb6 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Rb1 d3 18. Qxd3 Rd8 19. Qc2
Bd6 20. e5 Bc5 21. b4 Bd4 22. Nxd4 Rxd4 23. Bb2 $14 {1-0 Smirin,I-Hracek,Z/
Czech Rep CZE 2004/The Week in Chess 548 (38)}) ({Of course not} 6. Nxe5 $4 Qd4
7. Be3 Qxe5 8. d4 Qxe4 9. dxc5 Qxg2 10. Rf1 Bh3 $19) 6... Bd6 {Black decided
to keep his dark-squared bishop on the board, in spite of losing a tempo.} ({
After} 6... Qe7 7. Bxc5 Qxc5 8. Nc3 {White's chances were slightly better in
this two following games:} Bg4 (8... Be6 9. Qd2 h6 10. O-O O-O 11. h3 Rad8 12.
Rad1 Rfe8 13. Rfe1 Bc8 14. a3 Nh5 15. Ne2 Re6 16. Qb4 Qe7 17. d4 exd4 18. Nexd4
Qxb4 19. axb4 Ree8 20. c3 $14 {1-0 Zvjaginsev,V-Ganguly,S/Calvia ESP 2004/The
Week in Chess 521 (113)}) 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 O-O 11. O-O-O a5 12. Qf5 Rfd8 13.
Rhf1 a4 14. a3 b5 15. f4 Nd7 16. Na2 g6 17. Qg5 f6 18. Qg4 Qd6 19. f5 Kh8 20.
fxg6 Rg8 21. Nb4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Sutovsky,E-Aronian,L/Caleta ENG 2005/The Week in
Chess 535 (45)}) 7. h3 {Covering the square g4, thus, creating some problems
for Black with the development of his light-squared bishop.} (7. Nbd2 Ng4 8.
Bg5 f6 9. Bh4 Be6 10. h3 Nh6 11. Qe2 Nf7 12. d4 Qd7 13. c3 O-O-O 14. O-O {
1/2-1/2 Cheparinov,I-Dorfman,J/Mallorca 2004/CBM 102 ext}) 7... c5 $146 {
[%cal Yf6d7,Yd7f8,Yf8e6,Ye6d4,Gd7b8,Gb8c6,Gc6d4] Black's typical plan in this
position is to transfer the knight to central square d4 and not to allow White
to carry out the f2-f4, d2-d4 or b2-b4 breakthroughs.} ({In the preceding game
black continued} 7... Nd7 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. O-O c5 10. Nc4 b5 11. Ncd2 Nb8 12. a4
b4 13. Nb3 Qe7 14. Na5 Bd7 15. Nd2 Nc6 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Qe2 Rae8 18. f3 Bd7
19. Rfc1 Be6 20. c3 a6 21. cxb4 cxb4 22. Nc4 $14 {1-0 Morozevich,A-Kramnik,V/
Monte Carlo 2003/CBM 093 ext (64)}) 8. Nbd2 {Intending to transfer the queen's
knight to c4 in order to create a pressure on Black's pawn e5.} O-O 9. O-O Re8
{Strengthening the central pawn.} 10. Nc4 Nd7 {Black is willing to bring the
knight to d4 either via b8-c6 or via f8-e6.} (10... b5 $6 {Plays in White's
hands, as after} 11. Na5 $14 {White will attack Black's queenside pawns by
a2-a4 and Nb3.}) 11. Qd2 {Connecting the rooks, and preparing to carry out the
strike b2-b4.} ({Another attempt to get an advantage is to carry out the f2-f4
breakthrough:} 11. Nh2 Nf8 12. f4 exf4 13. Bxf4 Bxf4 14. Rxf4 Be6 $132 {
[%cal Yf8g6,Ge6c4,Yd8d4] , but Black has enough counterchances.}) 11... Nf8 12.
a3 {Preparing the b2-b4 advance.} b6 {Black is fianchetting his light-squared
bishop, thus, solving the problem of development of his queen's bishop.} 13. b4
{White forces Black to take on b4, that will open the a-file for the rooks.}
cxb4 14. axb4 Bb7 {Black's counterplay can be connected with opening the long
diagonal for his light-squared bishop by f7-f5.} 15. Qc3 {Attacking the pawn
e5.} f6 {Now Black is ready to transfer the knight to e6.} 16. Ra3 (16. Nh4 {
leads to an unclear position.} Ne6 17. Nf5 Bf8 $13) 16... Ne6 17. Rfa1 a6 18.
Nxd6 {I've decided to eliminate Black's dark-squared bishop, as I haven't seen
a clear plan of improving my position. Otherwise, Black can remove his
dark-squared bishop from d6 and can prepare an attack on the kingside.} cxd6 $1
{opening the c-file for the heavy pieces and preparing the breakthrough d6-d5.}
({After} 18... Qxd6 19. Nh4 $14 {[%cal Yh4f5] White is slightly better.}) 19.
Qb2 {moving away the queen from the c-file and preventing Black's d6-d5.} ({
In case of} 19. Nd2 {Black activates all his pieces.} d5 20. exd5 Qxd5 21. f3
Rac8 22. Qb2 Nd4 23. c4 Qd7 $15) (19. b5 {is parried by} a5) 19... b5 {Moving
the pawn from the diagonal a7-g1, thus, threatening again with the advance
d6-d5.} (19... d5 $6 20. exd5 Qxd5 (20... Bxd5 21. Rxa6 $16) 21. Bxb6 Ng5 22.
Qa2 $14) 20. Nd2 {Intending to bring the knight to a5 or to c5 (in case of
Black's d6-d5) via b3, and, preparing to limit the possibilities of Black's
light-squared bishop by f2-f3.} d5 21. exd5 ({Worse is} 21. f3 {, as after} d4
22. Bf2 Nf4 $15 {Black will get a space advantage.}) 21... Qxd5 22. f3 f5 {
Covering the square e4, and, preparing to manage an initiative on the kingside.
} 23. c4 {This is the only way to activate White's pieces.} Qd6 24. cxb5 {
Exchanging the heavy pieces.} (24. c5 {leads to an unclear position:} Qc7 (
24... Qd5 $5) 25. Rc3 Red8 26. Nb3 Bc6 $13 {, but, my feeling is that Black's
prospects are better.}) 24... axb5 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 ({In case of} 25... Bxa8 {
, the position is equal after} 26. Qc3 ({worse is} 26. Ra7 f4 27. Bf2 Qxd3 $17)
26... Bb7 27. Nb3 Rc8 28. Nc5 $11) 26. Rxa8+ Bxa8 27. Qc3 {protecting the pawn
d3, taking control over the open c-file, and, preparing to transfer the knight
to c5 via b3.} Bd5 {limiting the possibilities of White's knight.} (27... Bb7
28. Nb3 $11) 28. Qc8+ (28. d4 $6 {is met by} e4 29. fxe4 fxe4 $15) 28... Kf7
29. Bc5 $1 {forcing Black to trade the queens.} Qc6 (29... Nxc5 {is too risky:}
30. bxc5 Qe6 31. Qb8 Bc6 32. Qc7+ Kg6 33. Qb6 (33. Nb3 Bxf3 34. gxf3 Qxb3 35.
Qd6+ Kg5 36. Qxe5 Qxd3 37. Qxg7+ Kf4 38. Qh6+ Ke5 $15) 33... Qd5 34. Nb3 Kf7
35. Na5 $13) 30. Qxc6 Bxc6 31. Be3 $11 {This endgame is absolutely drawish.
There is no way for Black's monarch to invade into White's camp...} Bd5 32. Nb1
{transfering the knight to c3.} Ke7 33. Nc3 Bc6 34. Kf2 Kd6 35. Ke2 Be8 36. Nb1
Kc6 37. Nc3 Kd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad-40"]
[Site "Istanbul"]
[Date "2012.08.31"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2654"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "Erenburg,S"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2012.08.28"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 151"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Poland"]
[BlackTeam "Ukraine"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "POL"]
[BlackTeamCountry "UKR"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. O-O Be7 6. d4 {White decided to use
his development advantage to carry out the breakthrough in the centre. The
less aggressive attempts are 6.c3 or 6.Re1.} ({For example, here is the game
of the top 2 players:} 6. c3 O-O 7. Re1 Bd7 8. Nbd2 Re8 9. Nf1 Bf8 10. Bg5 h6
11. Bh4 Nb8 $5 12. Bc4 Be6 13. Bxe6 Rxe6 14. Qb3 Qc8 15. d4 Nbd7 16. Qc2 g6 17.
dxe5 dxe5 18. Rad1 c6 19. Ne3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Anand,V (2817)-Aronian,L (2808)/
Monte Carlo 2011/CBM 142}) 6... O-O 7. Bxc6 ({White has never tried to push
the pawn forward, and probably for a reason. For example,} 7. d5 Nb8 8. Bd3 (8.
Nc3 c6) 8... Nbd7 {[%cal Yd7c5] with comfortable play for Black.}) 7... bxc6 8.
Nc3 Nd7 $5 {It seems that Black is allowing White to get a much better pawn
structure, but it has to be noted that Black keeps control over the majority
of central squares and gets the b-file and diagonals a7-g1 and a6-f1 at his
disposal.} ({A more standard way would be to give up on the centre with} 8...
exd4 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. Qf3 c5 (10... Qc8 $5 {deserves attention, with the idea
to parry} 11. e5 $6 {with} dxe5 12. Nxc6 Bd6 $15) 11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. Qxf5 Rb8 13.
b3 Nd7 14. Bd2 Bf6 15. Rae1 g6 16. Qh3 Bg7 17. Bh6 Nb6 18. e5 $14 {1-0 Solak,D
(2598)-Atalik,E (2436)/Kavala 2011/CBM 143 Extra (41)}) 9. Qe2 $146 {White
decided to keep the pressure in the centre.} ({The capture was tried and
yielded nothing to White in the preceding game:} 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qe2 Bd6 11.
Be3 Qe7 {Yes, White has a superior pawn structure, but with the queens on the
board, it is compensated for by the activity of Black's pieces.} 12. Rfd1 (12.
Qc4 Bb7 13. Bg5 Qe8 $13) 12... Nb6 13. a4 a5 14. b3 Ba6 15. Qe1 Nd7 16. Ne2 g6
17. Bh6 Rfb8 18. Ng3 c5 19. Nd2 c4 20. Nxc4 {1/2-1/2 Socko,B (2631)-Atalik,E 
(2436)/Kavala 2011/CBM 143 Extra} ({Black can only be better after} 20. Nxc4
Bxc4 21. bxc4 Rb4 {[%cal Yd7b6]})) 9... Bf6 10. Be3 Re8 {Black can continue to
improve its position by playing a5 with a subsequent Ba6, whereas, it is not
very clear what White's plan is. Therefore, GM Bartel decides to change the
pawn structure.} 11. d5 (11. Qc4 Bb7 12. Rfe1 Nb6 $11) 11... cxd5 {Apparently,
this capture is more precise than} (11... Bb7 12. dxc6 Bxc6 13. Qa6 Nb6 14. a4
{[%csl Rb6][%cal Ya4a5] , where White has some kind of initiative.}) 12. Nxd5
c6 13. Nxf6+ Nxf6 $11 {Black can be completely satisfied with the outcome of
the opening. He has no passive pieces and the pawn majority in the centre
promises him good prospects. In fact, White has to play carefully not to get a
worse position.} 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 {This might have been overambitious.
Perhaps it was the right time to admit the failure of the opening strategy and
go for the equal position:} (15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Rfd1 Bg4 ({White is fine after} 
16... d5 17. exd5 e4 18. Nd4 cxd5 19. Qe3) 17. c4 Rad8 $11) 15... Bg4 16. h3
Bh5 {[%cal Rh5e2,Gd6d5]} 17. g4 {White had to prevent the threat of the
breakthrough in the centre.} (17. Rad1 $6 {would allow} g5 18. Bg3 d5 $15)
17... Bg6 18. Rad1 Re6 $1 {This allows Black to liberate the queen for more
important issues than protecting his knight.} 19. Nd2 d5 ({Perhaps} 19... Rb8 {
was a little more precise. The idea is to grab the b3-square from White's
knight. Thus, in the event of} 20. Nb3 (20. b3 d5) 20... Qb6 $15 {[%cal Ya7a5,
Ya5a4] Black can continue to develop his initiative on the queenside.}) 20. Nb3
Qd6 21. f3 $1 {White's bishop gets back into the game!} Nd7 22. Bg3 Nb6 23. Qf2
Ree8 24. c3 f6 $11 {Preparing the f7-spot for the bishop. Although the
position is approximately equal, it is easier to play it for the Black side,
since he has a stronger centre and White's king is potentially the more
vulnerable.} 25. Nc5 Qe7 26. a4 $6 {[%csl Rb2][%cal Yb8b2]} ({I think that
White should have refrained from creating additional weaknesses in his camp
and continue with more cautious} 26. b3 Rad8 27. Rfe1 $15 {/=}) 26... Rad8 27.
b3 Nd7 $1 {The foundation of White's stable centre is the knight on c5, so
Ponomariov is getting rid of it.} 28. Nb7 Rb8 (28... Rc8 {was an interesting
alternative.}) 29. Na5 Qe6 {[%csl Rb3,Re4,Rg4][%cal Yd5e4,Gh6h5,Yh5g4] Black
is steadily creating some additional weaknesses in the white camp.} 30. Rfe1 ({
The last chance to change the character of the struggle was to gamble on} 30.
Qxa7 Ra8 31. Qc7 Nf8 (31... Rec8 32. Qb7 Bf7 33. Bf2 $11) 32. b4 (32. Nb7 Rec8
33. Qb6 Rcb8 34. a5 Qc8 35. Nd6 Qd7 36. Qc5 Ne6 37. Qa3 Qa7+ 38. Kg2 Qxa5 $15)
32... Rac8 33. exd5 (33. Qb6 dxe4 34. fxe4 Bxe4 35. Qf2 $13) 33... cxd5 34. Qb7
Bf7 $44) (30. Rd2 h5 31. Rfd1 (31. Qxa7 hxg4 32. hxg4 Ra8 33. exd5 cxd5 34. Qc7
Bf7 $17) 31... Nb6 $15) 30... h5 31. b4 $6 {This move weakens the c4-square.
In fact, this mistake is the direct follow-up of White's inaccuracy committed
on the 26th move. However, it should be noted that White can not equalise
anymore:} (31. Rd2 hxg4 32. hxg4 dxe4 33. Red1 Nf8 34. Rd6 Qf7 $15) (31. Qxa7
hxg4 32. hxg4 Ra8 33. exd5 cxd5 34. Qc7 Rec8 35. Qb7 Bf7 $17) 31... hxg4 32.
hxg4 Nb6 33. f4 $2 {Apparently, White was in time trouble.} ({Much better was} 
33. g5 Nxa4 34. Rd3 Re7 35. Qd2 $15) 33... exf4 34. exd5 $2 {I am not sure
what White missed, but now he is simply down a piece} (34. Bxf4 Qxg4+ 35. Qg3
Qxg3+ 36. Bxg3 Rbc8 $17) 34... fxg3 35. Qxg3 Qf7 36. Nxc6 Rbc8 $19 {No
compensation can be seen, so White could easily resign here.} 37. Qd6 Be4 38.
Rd4 Qg6 39. Re3 Qxg4+ 40. Rg3 Qe2 41. Qxf6 Qe1+ 42. Kh2 Qh1# 0-1

[Event "Groningen"]
[Site "Groningen"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "Ernst,T"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1992.12.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 034"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bxf6
(8. Bxc6 hxg5 9. Ba4 Nxe4 10. Nxe5 d5 11. Nd2 Nd6 12. Qh5 Qf6 $15 {Houston,D-
Lane,G, BCF-ch 1989.}) (8. Bh4 $1 $14) 8... Qxf6 9. Bxc6 Qxc6 10. Nxe5 (10. a4
a6 11. Nxe5 Qxe4 12. Nd2 Qf5 $15 {Watson,W- Flueckiger,C, Bern op 1990.}) (10.
Re1 exd4 11. cxd4 d6 12. h3 Ba5 13. Nbd2 b5 14. d5 Qd7 15. Nd4 Bb7 $10 {
Bendel,R - Rohel,M, WRT-MM8990.}) 10... Qxe4 11. Nd2 Qf5 12. Nec4 d5 $1 13.
Nxb6 axb6 14. Re1 Qg6 15. Re5 $6 (15. Nf1 $10) 15... Bd7 $1 16. Nf1 Rfe8 17.
Ne3 c6 18. a3 Qd6 19. Qh5 $2 (19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Qd3 Qf4 $15) 19... Rxe5 20.
dxe5 Qe7 21. Nf5 Qg5 $1 22. Qxg5 hxg5 23. Nd6 Kf8 $1 24. c4 (24. Nxb7 Re8 25.
Re1 f6 $17) 24... Ke7 25. Re1 f6 (25... Rb8 $6 26. b4 f6 27. c5 $15) 26. Nxb7
Be6 $1 27. cxd5 cxd5 28. Nd6 fxe5 29. Nb5 Rc8 $19 30. f3 (30. Nc3 d4 31. Ne4 g4
$19) 30... d4 $1 31. Rxe5 (31. Kf2 Rc2+ 32. Re2 d3 $19) 31... d3 32. Kf2 Rc1 $1
(32... d2 $2 33. Ke2 Kf6 34. Rxe6+ Kxe6 35. Kxd2 $10) 33. Rxe6+ (33. Nc3 d2 34.
Ke2 Re1+ $19) 33... Kxe6 34. Ke3 Rg1 35. g4 Rg2 36. b4 d2 37. Nc3 Rxh2 38. a4
Ke5 39. a5 bxa5 40. bxa5 Rh6 41. Kxd2 Kf4 42. Ke2 Rh2+ 0-1

[Event "Groningen PCA"]
[Site "Groningen"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Black "Polgar, Zsuzsa"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[Annotator "Ernst,T"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 039"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {Wedberg} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 a6 7.
dxe5 axb5 8. exf6 Qxf6 9. Nc3 (9. e5 $6 Qf5 10. a3 O-O 11. Qe2 Re8 12. Qxb5 b6
$17 {Fernandes,An-Finegold,B/New York op 1993/}) 9... c6 10. Be3 (10. Qd3 O-O
11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Qxe3 $10 {Timman,J-Beljavsky,A/Linares/1993/}) (10. e5 {
Wedberg} Qf5 11. Kh1 O-O 12. f4 d5 13. exd6 Bd7 {/\ Rae8 <=>}) 10... Bxe3 11.
fxe3 Qe5 (11... Qe7 12. Qd4 O-O 13. a3 d6 14. Rad1 Rd8 15. e5 d5 16. Rf3 Be6
17. Rdf1 Rf8 $13 {Abramovic,B-Paunovic,D/Prokuplje/1987/}) 12. a3 d6 13. Qd4
Bg4 (13... O-O {Wedberg} 14. Rad1 $16) 14. h3 Be6 15. Rad1 Rd8 16. Rf2 Rd7 17.
a4 bxa4 18. Nxa4 b5 19. Nc3 Qg5 (19... O-O $10 {Wedberg}) 20. Qb6 Qc5 21. Qxc5
dxc5 22. Ra1 Ke7 23. Ra6 Rc8 24. Kh2 c4 25. Kg3 f6 26. Ne2 Rd1 27. Nd4 Bd7 28.
Ra7 Kd6 29. Kf4 Re8 30. h4 g6 31. Kf3 h5 32. Kf4 Re7 33. Nf3 Bg4 34. Rxe7 Kxe7
35. e5 Bxf3 {?+/- Wedberg} 36. gxf3 b4 37. exf6+ Kxf6 38. e4 $14 c5 39. c3 b3 (
39... bxc3 40. bxc3 Rc1 41. e5+ Kf7 42. Ra2 Rxc3 43. Ra7+ Kf8 44. Rc7 $14) (
39... Rc1 {Wedberg} 40. Rd2 $16) 40. e5+ Ke6 41. Rg2 Kf7 42. Ke4 Rh1 43. Kd5
Rxh4 44. e6+ Kf6 45. Kd6 Rh1 46. Re2 Rd1+ 47. Kxc5 Ke7 48. Kxc4 $16 Rg1 49.
Kxb3 Rg3 50. Kc4 Rxf3 51. b4 h4 52. b5 h3 53. b6 $18 g5 54. b7 Rf8 55. Kd5 g4
56. Rf2 Rxf2 57. b8=Q h2 58. Qa7+ Kf6 59. Qxf2+ 1-0

[Event "Interzonal-15"]
[Site "Manila"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Rachels, Stuart"]
[Black "Torre, Eugenio"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2475"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "Ernst,T"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1990.06.29"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "PHI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 019"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 (5. Nxe5 $5 Nxe5 6. d4) 5...
O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 d6 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Qa4 $5 (11.
Nbd2) 11... Qd6 12. Na3 Nd7 13. Nc4 Qe6 14. Nxb6 cxb6 $10 15. Rfd1 Nc5 (15...
a5 $5 16. Qb3 Qg6) 16. Qc2 a5 17. b4 $6 (17. Bd8 $5 Nd7 18. Bc7 Ra7 19. Bd6 (
19. Rd6 $2 Qc4 20. Nd2 Qa6 21. Rxc6 Qb7 22. Rc4 b5 $19)) 17... Nb7 18. Nd2 c5
19. a3 Bd7 20. f3 Rfc8 21. Qb2 Ba4 $15 22. Rdc1 Rc7 23. Nf1 {/\Ne3-d5} Nd6 24.
Ne3 Nc4 25. Qf2 Nxe3 26. Qxe3 Bb3 27. Rab1 a4 28. Rb2 Rac8 29. bxc5 Rxc5 30.
Rd2 f6 31. Bf2 R5c6 32. Rd3 Bc4 (32... b5 33. Qd2) 33. Rdd1 b5 34. Be1 Rd6 35.
Rxd6 Qxd6 36. Ra1 Rd8 37. h3 Qc7 38. Bf2 Rd3 39. Qc5 Qd7 (39... Qxc5 40. Bxc5
Rxc3 41. Rd1 $10) 40. Rc1 Rd2 41. Qa7 Qe8 42. Qc5 Kh7 43. Be3 Rd3 (43... Ra2
44. Rd1) 44. Kh2 Qh5 45. Qb6 f5 46. exf5 Qxf5 47. Qc5 Rd5 48. Qe7 $5 Qd3 49.
Re1 $1 $10 Qf5 (49... Qxc3 $2 50. Bxh6 $1 Kxh6 51. Re4 Rd4 52. Qxe5 Rd3 53.
Rh4+ $18) 50. Bc1 Bd3 51. Kg1 Bc2 52. Kh2 Qf6 53. Qc7 (53. Qxf6 gxf6 $15) 53...
Bd3 54. Re3 $2 $138 (54. Be3 $142 $10) 54... Qf4+ $19 55. g3 (55. Kg1 Bc4 56.
Re1 Qg3 $19) 55... Qf5 56. g4 Qf4+ 57. Kg2 Bc4 58. Rd3 (58. Re1 Rd2+ $19) 58...
Qxc1 59. Rxd5 Qf1+ 60. Kg3 Qe1+ 0-1

[Event "GER-ch 72nd"]
[Site "Heringsdorf"]
[Date "2000.11.21"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Naiditsch, Arkadij"]
[Black "Rabiega, Robert"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2449"]
[BlackElo "2487"]
[Annotator "Ernst,T"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2000.11.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 080"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. a4 a5 10. Re1 exd4 (10... Bg4 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Qxd8 Raxd8
14. Nxe5 g5 15. Bg3 Nxe4 16. Nxg4 f5 17. Na3 $1 Nxg3 18. Nxh6+ Kg7 19. hxg3 Rd2
20. Nc4 Bxf2+ 21. Kf1 Bxe1 22. Rxe1 Rd3 23. Re6 $14 {Anand-Torre/Manila/1990/})
11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nxd4 g5 13. Bg3 c5 14. Nb5 (14. Nf3 $14) 14... Bb7 15. Nd2
Re8 16. e5 $5 dxe5 17. Nc4 Qd5 18. Qxd5 Nxd5 19. Bxe5 Re6 20. Bg3 $14 Rae8 21.
f3 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 23. Bxe1 Bc8 24. Bg3 Bf5 25. Nba3 Bd7 26. b3 Nxc3 27.
Be1 Ne2+ 28. Kf2 Nd4 29. Bxa5 Nxb3 30. Bxb6 cxb6 31. Nxb6 Bc6 32. Nac4 $16 Kg7
33. Ke3 Kf6 34. Kd3 Ke6 35. Kc3 Nd4 36. Nd2 Bd5 37. Kd3 f5 38. Nxd5 Kxd5 39.
Nc4 Nc6 40. Ne3+ Ke6 41. Kc4 f4 42. Ng4 $18 Kd6 43. Nxh6 Ne5+ 44. Kc3 Kc6 45.
Ng4 Nd7 46. Nf2 Nb6 47. Kb3 Nd5 48. Ng4 Ne7 49. Ne5+ Kd5 50. Nf7 Kd4 51. Nxg5
Kd3 52. Ne4 c4+ 53. Kb2 Nd5 54. a5 c3+ 55. Nxc3 Nxc3 56. Kb3 Kd4 57. a6 Nd5 58.
a7 Nc7 59. h4 1-0

[Event "Saint Louis Summer-A"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2018.05.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Durarbayli, Vasif"]
[Black "Sevian, Samuel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2618"]
[BlackElo "2613"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "145"]
[EventDate "2018.05.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 185"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. O-O g6 6. c4 {It is well worth
asking why this line exists. Surely White wasn't hoping for a structure with
Bxc6 and a Closed-Sicilian or Exchange-Ruy like clamp with lots of pawns on
light squares?} (6. d4 {is the main move, even having lost one tempo.} Bd7 7.
d5 Ne7 8. Bxd7+ Qxd7 9. Re1 Bg7 10. c4 O-O 11. Nc3 $14 {and both sides have
more or less what they were looking for.}) 6... Bg7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be3 {So we
have our answer. At the first moment when the option was serious, White chose
not to take on c6.} (8. Bxc6 bxc6 $15 {looks interesting until we realise that
Black wants to play with ...c5 and that he will additionally have time for any
space-gaining or reorganising moves that he needs, like ...Nd7-b8-c6-d4 or ...
f5-f4.}) 8... Ng4 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bd2 f5 {I wonder how much inspiration the
players were drawing from the game Prohaszka-Zherebukh at this moment?} (10...
Nd4 $15 {was a slightly better choice, not giving White the chance to take
decisive strategic action himself in the centre.}) 11. Bg5 (11. c5 $5 {makes
Black's opening triumph look quite a bit more ambiguous.}) (11. h3 Nf6 12. Bxc6
bxc6 13. b4 {is the engine recommendation, and after} f4 $132 {we get a
standard race for play on opposite wings.}) 11... Nf6 {Black drifts over the
next few moves.} (11... Bf6 $1 {was the most principled decision.} 12. Bd2 f4
$1 {and the race continues.}) 12. Nd5 (12. c5 $5 {is again an interesting call,
although White made it soon enough.}) 12... fxe4 13. dxe4 Bg4 (13... a6 14.
Bxc6 bxc6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 {would have been an interesting call for Black, which
he probably rejected in view of} 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. c5 $132) 14. c5 $2 {This is
clearly a miscalculation of some kind, because Black now obtains a monster
knight.} (14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Ne3 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qb8 $1 $11 {and Black has to
play a few more accurate moves in order to hold equality with the worse minor
pieces.}) 14... Bxf3 $1 15. Qxf3 Nd4 $15 {Black has clearly won the opening
battle.} 16. Qd3 (16. Qe3 $5 {The computer suggests some downright confusing
moves sometimes. From my perspective, this gains nothing after Black plays} Kh8
{when he will be threatening the b5-bishop for real.}) 16... c6 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6
18. Bc4+ Kg7 19. Bxf6+ Qxf6 20. cxd6 Qxd6 21. Rad1 Rad8 22. a3 g5 23. Qe3 Qg6
24. f3 Rf4 25. Rd2 h5 (25... b5 26. Ba2 g4 $15 {clarifies the situation more.})
26. Rdf2 Rdf8 {Somewhere around here, Black's control of the game starts to
slip.} (26... b5 27. Ba2 a5 $15) 27. b4 Qh6 28. a4 Qd6 $6 29. b5 (29. g3 {
and now presumably Black's idea was to retreat his pieces and prepare ...g4,
when he can use the f3-square, however there isn't time.} Qg6 30. Kh1 R4f6 31.
f4 $1 $36) 29... Qc5 30. Bd3 Kh7 {Black once more looks like he is controlling
the game but bishops often demonstrate a remarkable propensity for playing
'around' opponents' pieces.} 31. bxc6 bxc6 32. Kh1 Qe7 33. g3 R4f7 34. f4 $1 {
The correct idea to break out of the bind. Black now has to think hard about
the possibility of being worse.} gxf4 35. gxf4 Qh4 $1 36. Qg3 $1 {Ensuring
that at least White won't lose.} Qxg3 37. hxg3 Rg7 38. Rg2 h4 $1 {Black in his
turn ensures that he won't lose!} 39. gxh4 Rxg2 40. Kxg2 exf4 41. Kh3 Kh6 42.
e5 f3 43. Rg1 f2 44. Rg6+ Kh5 45. Rf6 Rxf6 46. exf6 f1=Q+ 47. Bxf1 Kg6 $11 {
The draw is now totally ensured.} 48. Kg4 Kxf6 49. Bc4 Nf5 50. Ba6 Nd4 51. Kh5
Ne6 52. Bc4 Ng7+ 53. Kg4 Nf5 54. Bd3 Nd6 55. Kh5 Kg7 56. Kg5 Nb7 57. h5 Nc5 58.
Bc2 a5 59. h6+ Kh8 60. Kf6 Nd7+ 61. Kf7 Nc5 62. Kg6 Kg8 63. Kf6 Kh8 64. Kg6 Kg8
65. Kf5 Kh7 66. Kg5+ Kg8 67. Kg6 Kh8 68. h7 Nxa4 69. Bxa4 c5 70. Bb3 c4 71.
Bxc4 a4 72. Bd5 a3 73. Ba2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Norway Chess 6th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2018.06.07"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2822"]
[BlackElo "2778"]
[Annotator "Fernandez,D"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2018.05.28"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 185"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Berlin invited and declined. Now Black
has a reasonable range of options.} Bc5 (4... Ne7 $5 {is a nice 'tricky' line,
trying to play as if this was an Italian and not a Spanish. Black will
continue ...Ng6, ...Bc5, ...0-0, ...a6, ...d6 if allowed, and abstain from ...
c6.}) (4... d6 {is of course normal:} 5. c3 g6 6. O-O Bg7 7. Re1 O-O 8. Nbd2 a6
(8... Nb8 $5 {is playable, and according to my database has been chosen
exclusively by the Soviet grandmaster Yemelin (a total of 5 occurrences!)}) 9.
Ba4 b5 10. Bc2 Bb7 11. Nf1 Nb8 $5 {For me this is a trademark Howell manoeuvre.
Black went on to win in McShane,L -Howell,D London 2017.}) 5. O-O Nd4 $5 {
Partly 'telegraphed' by the previous move (though 4...d6 is still more common.)
My understanding used to be that Black was slightly worse after this move, but
maybe after annotating the present game and seeing a comprehensive list of
world elite players who have taken the Black side, that will have to change.} (
5... O-O $2 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nxe5 $16 {is now essentially just a pawn.}) 6. Nxd4
Bxd4 7. Ba4 {Presumably there is some move order subtlety going on here
beneath the surface. My best guess is that White is 'threatening' Nd2 with
this move, and Black faces problems preserving his d4-bishop.} (7. c3 Bb6 8.
Na3 O-O (8... c6 $5 {would be the 'Yugoslav approach':} 9. Ba4 h6 10. d4 d6 $11
{and as usual Black should not really fear the misplacement of his king in
such lines with an exchange of queens.}) 9. Bg5 c6 10. Ba4 h6 11. Bh4 d6 (11...
d5 $5 {seems to equalise, though it is harder to play Black with the loose
central pawns:} 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Re1 Bc7 $132) 12. Nc4 Bc7 13. Ne3 Bb6 14. Qf3
$14 {Karjakin as Black limped to a draw a pawn down against Anand here in the
blitz section of last year's Norway chess event.}) 7... c6 (7... O-O {looks
perfectly playable: while it is usually advisable for Black to go ...c6 in
such lines, it is not a biblical commandment.} 8. Nd2 d6 $1 9. c3 Bb6 10. Nc4
$1 {Presumably this was Black's problem - these configurations with a bishop
pair that White can take 'on demand' are generally a little inauspicious.
However in this case, I doubt Black is worse after} Be6 11. Nxb6 axb6 {and now
White's most natural choice} 12. f4 {is met by the computerish} b5 $1 13. Bxb5
c6 14. Ba4 Qb6+ 15. Kh1 Ng4 $11) 8. c3 Bb6 9. Na3 d6 (9... O-O {transposes to
the note to White's 7th.}) 10. Bc2 (10. Bb3 {is very 'Italian', but does seem
like a second semi-waste of a tempo, this bishop not having been obligated to
move at all.} a5 11. Nc4 Ba7 $1 {Also in Italian style.} 12. a4 O-O 13. Bg5 h6
14. Bxf6 $6 (14. Bh4 g5 15. Bg3 Bg4 $11) 14... Qxf6 15. Nxa5 d5 $1 $36 {
Carlsen-Aronian, European Team Championships 2015, Black had obtained his
preparation and was ultimately successful.}) 10... Be6 11. Qe2 h6 (11... O-O {
was more modest, and probably best, since a madcap kingside attack is unlikely
to work well at this level, but the text does make the game interesting.}) 12.
Kh1 g5 13. Nc4 Bc7 14. Ne3 {Around this phase I was unable to find many
reasons to play one move first rather than another, since in any case it is
impossible to discourage Black from playing ...d5.} (14. a4 {is another
generally useful move that features in most of White's plans.}) (14. Rd1 $5 {
followed by d4 is independent, but maybe now Black would revert to the
original plan and play} O-O 15. Ne3 (15. d4 Bxc4 16. Qxc4 d5 $11) 15... d5 $11)
14... d5 15. Re1 Qe7 (15... d4 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. exf5 Kf8 $11 {was the engine
suggestion, the rationale being that Black is probably going to eventually
trade this pair of minor pieces on f5 in any case.}) 16. a4 O-O-O 17. Rb1 $6 (
17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Be3 $11 {might have been better, with
approximate equality. The text was an indication that White believed himself
to be better, possibly significantly so.}) 17... d4 18. Nf1 Bb6 $6 {This is a
hard move to explain with any sort of rationale other than possibly being
excessively obsessed with how to take back on d4.} (18... Nd7 $15 {is my
engine choice, maybe thinking about an eventual ...f5. The irony of this
position is that it is Black's c7-bishop rather than White's c2-bishop which
might be opened soon in a 'Spanish' way.}) (18... g4 $1 {is the move that
makes most sense to me. Probably what Wesley didn't like was} 19. cxd4 exd4 20.
f4 $6 {when it looks like there is a risk of being outflanked, but after a
solid continuation like} gxf3 21. Qxf3 Ng4 $1 $17 {Black is doing extremely
well.}) 19. Bd2 Bg4 20. f3 Be6 21. Ng3 $14 {So Black has created his 'hook' in
White's position, but it is all a bit slow and there is a real risk of getting
outflanked along the f-file.} Rhg8 (21... Ne8 22. c4 Ng7 23. b4 h5 {might have
been an interesting race, but the engine opines that White can play} 24. Nf5 {
anyway and be better.}) 22. b4 {Now White has near-total control over the
events to come.} g4 23. a5 (23. cxd4 Bxd4 24. f4 $14 {is another way, and
maybe the best one.}) 23... dxc3 $1 {A very good practical decision.} (23...
Bc7 24. Rf1 $14) 24. Bxc3 Bd4 25. Bxd4 Rxd4 26. b5 {Losing claim to an
advantage in my opinion.} (26. f4 exf4 27. Qf2 Rgd8 28. Ne2 g3 29. Qxf4 Nh5 30.
Qe5 Qh4 31. Nxg3 Nxg3+ 32. Qxg3 Qxg3 33. hxg3 $11 {Black is not totally out of
the woods yet, even if he might appear to have great compensation.}) 26... c5 (
26... cxb5 27. Rxb5 Rb4 $11 {is relatively okay for Black.}) 27. Bb3 (27. b6 a6
28. Rf1 $14 {led to a significant plus, as after the feared} c4 {there is} 29.
f4 $1 {among other things.}) 27... h5 28. Nf5 Bxf5 29. exf5 Re8 (29... gxf3 30.
Qxf3 Ng4 {was a scary option to choose in a game, as White can choose no fewer
than three pawns to push to the 6th rank, but the engine is unfazed and claims
Black has equalised.}) 30. Rbc1 gxf3 $6 {Now this is a dubious decision. Chess
is such a fickle game sometimes.} (30... Kb8 31. Bc4 Nd5 $14) 31. Qxf3 Red8 32.
Bc4 (32. a6 $1 Rxd3 33. axb7+ Kb8 34. Qc6 Rxb3 35. Rxc5 $16 {White wins back
the piece with a strong attack.}) 32... e4 33. dxe4 Qe5 (33... Rxe4 34. Be6+ $1
$16) 34. Bxf7 Rd3 35. Qf2 R8d4 36. Bd5 Kd7 37. b6 $6 {Now Black gets back in
the game a little.} (37. Rxc5 $1 {was playable, quite natural, and very close
to winning.}) 37... axb6 38. axb6 Ng4 (38... Rd2 39. Qg1 Nxd5 40. exd5 Qxd5 $16
{is the engine choice.}) 39. Qg1 Kd8 {Possibly quite a big objective mistake,
but move 40 was still to come...} (39... Rd2 40. Rf1 h4 41. h3 Qg3 {White
might still win somehow, but it will be hard with his queen boxed in in this
way.}) 40. h3 $4 (40. Bxb7 $18 {was safe for instance.}) 40... Rxh3+ 41. gxh3
Rd3 $4 {Black had a miracle draw.} (41... Rd2 $3 42. hxg4 hxg4 {and White has
no way to avoid mate other than giving up his queen.} 43. Qg2 Qh8+ 44. Kg1
Rxg2+ 45. Kxg2 Qh3+ $11) 42. Qg2 Rg3 43. hxg4 Rxg2 44. Kxg2 h4 45. Kf3 $1 {
Now there is no perpetual check and White converts without problems.} Qg3+ 46.
Ke2 h3 47. Rg1 Qh4 48. e5 {A truly dramatic game!} 1-0

[Event "World ol U16"]
[Site "Gyor"]
[Date "2014.12.20"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Schroeder, Jan Christian"]
[Black "Paravyan, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2390"]
[BlackElo "2437"]
[Annotator "Fischer,J"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2014.12.13"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2016"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Germany"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GER"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 Nxd4 5. Nxd4 c6 6. Bc4 exd4 7. Qxd4 Qe7 8.
O-O Nxe4 9. Re1 d5 10. Nc3 $146 {Der erste neue Zug. Er funktioniert, weil
Weiß über einen hübschen taktischen Trick verfügt.} Qb4 {Fesselt den Lc4,
der wegen der ungedecken Dame auf d4 nicht ziehen kann.} 11. Bf4 $1 {Weiß
entwickelt sich in aller Ruhe weiter.} Qxc4 12. Nxe4 $1 Be6 ({Natürlich nicht
} 12... Qxd4 $4 13. Nf6+ Kd8 14. Re8# {Aber nach dem Textzug kommt Weiß zu
einem leicht besseren Endspiel, in dem er ohne Verlustgefahr auf Gewinn
spielen kann.}) 13. Qxc4 dxc4 14. Ng5 Be7 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Rxe6 {Die Zeit der
taktischen Tricks ist vorbei und ein Endspiel steht auf dem Brett. Objektiv
mag die Stellung Remis sein, aber da der c-Doppelbauer die schwarze Mehrheit
am Damenflügel entwertet, hat Weiß mit seiner 3-zu-2 Mehrheit am
Königsflügel und seinen aktiven Türmen das angenehmere Spiel.} Kf7 17. Re4
b5 18. Be5 Rhe8 19. Rae1 Rad8 20. Bc3 b4 {Schwarz wird "aktiv", aber schwächt
dadurch den c-Bauern.} 21. Bd4 {Hält den leichten Druck weiter aufrecht.} ({
Nach} 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Rxe7+ Rxe7 23. Rxe7+ Kf6 24. Re1 Rd2 25. Rc1 Ke5 {
hat Weiß zwar einen Bauern mehr, aber dafür konnte Schwarz seinen Turm
aktivieren.}) 21... c5 22. Be3 c3 23. bxc3 Bf6 ({Nach} 23... bxc3 24. Rc4 {
verliert Schwarz ebenfalls einen Bauern.}) 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. cxb4 cxb4 26. Rd1
{Jetzt hat Weiß einen "richtigen" Bauern mehr und verwertet im weiteren
Verlauf der Partie seine Bauernmehrheit am Königsflügel.} a5 27. Rd5 a4 28.
Kf1 Rb8 29. g4 b3 30. cxb3 axb3 31. axb3 Rxb3 {Ohne die Läufer ist dieses
Endspiel Remis, aber mit den Läufern hat Schwarz Probleme, Remis zu halten.}
32. g5 Be7 33. Kg2 Rc3 34. h4 Rc4 35. f4 g6 36. Kf3 Rc2 37. Rb5 Bf8 38. Rb7+
Kg8 39. h5 {Weiß gibt den h-Bauern, um mit dem f-Bauern Drohungen aufstellen
zu können.} gxh5 40. f5 Rc4 41. Rd7 Bc5 {Schwarz gibt die Qualität, aber
auch das rettet ihn nicht.} 42. Rc7 Bxe3 43. Rxc4 Bxg5 44. Rc7 h6 45. Ke4 h4
46. Ke5 h3 47. Rc3 h2 48. Rh3 Bd8 49. Ke6 Bg5 50. f6 Bf4 51. Ke7 1-0

[Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."]
[Site "New Delhi/Teheran"]
[Date "2000.12.12"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2746"]
[BlackElo "2606"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2000.11.27"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 080"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.01.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. d4 Be7 8.
Qxe4 Ng6 9. f4 c6 10. Bd3 d5 11. Qe2 f5 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nf3 Nh8 {xe4} 14. Bd2
a5 {Grischuk is opposing the development of the opponent's dark squared bishop
to ideal square b4.} (14... Nf7 15. Rae1 Bf6 16. Bb4 Nd6 17. Qd1 $14) 15. c4
Nf7 16. cxd5 (16. c5 b6 17. cxb6 $14) 16... cxd5 17. Rac1 Bf6 (17... Nd6 18.
Rc5 $1 Ne4 19. Rxd5 $18) 18. b4 a4 (18... axb4 19. Bxb4 Re8 20. Ne5 $14) 19. b5
Re8 20. Ne5 Nd6 21. Bb4 Ne4 22. Bxe4 dxe4 (22... fxe4 23. g4 $13) 23. Rfd1 Be6
24. d5 $1 Bd7 $2 {This modest retreal of the bishop is so unfortunate, that
white immediatelly gets decisive advantage.} (24... Rc8 $1 25. dxe6 (25. Rxc8
Bxc8 26. Nc4 $14) 25... Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Qd4+ 27. Kh1 Qxb4 28. Qh5 g6 29. Nxg6 Qd6
(29... Qb2 30. Rg1 Qxa2 31. g4 $16) 30. Nh4 (30. Qxf5 Qxe6 31. Qxe6+ Rxe6 32.
f5 Rb6 $15) 30... Qxe6 31. Nxf5 Rc8 $14) 25. Nc6 $1 Qc8 (25... bxc6 26. dxc6
$18) (25... Qb6+ 26. Bc5 Qc7 27. d6 Qc8 28. Ne7+ Bxe7 29. dxe7 $18) 26. Ne7+
Bxe7 27. Rxc8 Raxc8 28. Bxe7 Rxe7 29. d6 Rf7 (29... Re6 30. Qe3 Bxb5 31. Qb6
Bd7 32. Qxb7 Rd8 33. Kf2 e3+ 34. Ke2 Be8 35. Rd5 Bh5+ 36. Ke1 $18) 30. Rd5 Rc1+
31. Kf2 Rf8 32. Re5 Rfc8 (32... Rc3 33. Re7 Rf7 34. Qd1 Rd3 35. Qxa4 $18) 33.
Re7 $1 R1c2 34. Rxd7 {[%mdl 4096] The rook endgame is exceptionally bad for
black because of the strong d6 pawn and active white pieces.} Rxe2+ 35. Kxe2 b6
(35... Rc2+ 36. Ke1 Rxa2 37. Rxb7 Ra1+ 38. Kd2 Ra2+ 39. Kc3 Ra3+ 40. Kd4 Rd3+
41. Kc5 e3 42. b6 a3 43. Rc7 a2 44. b7 $18) 36. Rb7 Rc2+ 37. Ke3 Rc3+ 38. Kd4
Rd3+ 39. Ke5 e3 40. Ke6 h6 (40... e2 $2 41. Rb8#) 41. Re7 Rd4 (41... e2 42.
Re8+ Kh7 43. Kd7 Rd2 44. Kc7 Rxa2 45. d7 Rc2+ 46. Kxb6 Rd2 47. Rxe2 Rxd7 48.
Ra2 $18) 42. Kd7 Re4 43. Rxe4 fxe4 44. Ke7 (44. Ke7 e2 45. d7 e1=Q 46. d8=Q+
Kh7 47. Kf7 $18) 1-0

[Event "USA-ch"]
[Site "Long Beach"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Wolff, Patrick G"]
[Black "Kaidanov, Gregory S"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2585"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 039"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7.
dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8) 4... d6 5. c4 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4 Bd7 9.
Bxc6 bxc6 10. O-O O-O 11. Bg5 (11. f3) 11... h6 12. Bh4 Qb8 13. Qd2 (13. b3 Qb6
14. Nde2 Rfe8 $36) (13. Qb3 $2 g5 14. Bg3 Nxe4 $17) 13... Qb4 $1 14. Bxf6 (14.
b3 $2 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Qxd2 16. Nxd2 Bxd4 $17) (14. Rac1 Nxe4 (14... Qxc4 15. Ncb5
$5 (15. Nd5 $2 Nxe4 $1)) 15. Nxe4 Qxd2 16. Nxd2 Bxd4 $17) 14... Bxf6 15. b3 a5
16. Rad1 Bg7 17. Qd3 Rfe8 18. Kh1 Qc5 19. Nde2 Re7 20. f4 f5 $1 (20... Rae8 21.
f5) 21. Ng3 Qa7 22. Qc2 Rae8 (22... Bxc3 $6 23. Qxc3 fxe4 24. Qf6 Re6 25. Qh4
Kh7 26. f5 $40) 23. exf5 Bxf5 24. Nxf5 gxf5 $17 25. Nb1 (25. Rd2 Re1 26. Rd1 (
26. Rdf2 $2 Bxc3 27. Qxc3 Qxf2) 26... Qe3 27. Nb1 Re4 $19) 25... Qc5 26. Nc3
Qb4 27. Na4 Re1 28. h3 Rxf1+ 29. Rxf1 Re1 30. Qf2 Rxf1+ 31. Qxf1 Qd2 32. Kh2 (
32. Qb1 Qxf4 $19) 32... Bd4 33. Kg3 Qxa2 34. Qf3 Qd2 35. h4 (35. Qxc6 Qe1+ 36.
Kh2 Bg1+ $19) 35... Qe1+ 36. Kh3 Qh1+ 37. Kg3 Qe1+ 38. Kh3 Qh1+ 39. Kg3 Bf6 40.
Qh5 (40. Qxc6 Bxh4+ 41. Kf3 Qd1+ $19) 40... Qe1+ 41. Kh3 Kg7 42. g4 Qf1+ 43.
Kg3 Bd4 44. Qxf5 Bf2+ 45. Kf3 Bg1+ (45... Bg1+ 46. Kg3 Qf2+ 47. Kh3 Qf3#) 0-1

[Event "Linares 11th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Timman, Jan H"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1993.02.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 034"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1993.06.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1993.06.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 a6 7. dxe5 $146
axb5 8. exf6 Qxf6 9. Nc3 c6 10. Qd3 O-O 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Qxe3 Re8 (12... b4 13.
e5 Qe7 14. Ne2 Re8 $15) 13. Qc5 d6 14. Qb4 Qf4 $1 15. a3 $2 (15. Rad1 d5 16.
Rfe1 Bg4 17. f3 Bh5 $10) 15... Re6 $1 16. Rad1 Rh6 17. g3 Qf3 18. Rd3 Qh5 19.
h4 g5 20. Rxd6 $2 (20. f3 gxh4 21. g4 $13) 20... Bh3 $1 21. e5 (21. Rxh6 Qf3
$19) 21... Rxd6 22. exd6 Qf3 23. Qe4 Qxe4 24. Nxe4 Bxf1 25. Kxf1 gxh4 26. gxh4
(26. g4 Kg7 27. Kg2 Kg6 28. Kh3 f5 29. gxf5+ Kxf5 30. f3 Rd8 31. Kxh4 Kf4 $19)
26... Rd8 27. Ke2 f5 28. Ng3 Rxd6 29. Nxf5 Rf6 30. Ng3 Rf4 31. h5 Kf7 32. Ke3
Rh4 33. Kf3 Kf6 34. Ke3 Kg5 35. Kf3 Rf4+ 36. Ke3 Kg4 37. Ke2 Rf3 0-1

[Event "Biel GM 51st"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2018.07.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2842"]
[Annotator "Golubev,M"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2018.07.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 186"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 $8 6. Nbd2 {This is the
most common move, but no less than five other options also have been tried in
the practice of these players.} Be6 ({Instead,} 6... Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 {had been
played by Carlsen in his 2013 world championship match against Anand.}) 7. Qe2
$5 Nd7 8. Nb3 {Introduced by Caruana in a game against Navara in 2013.} Bb6 $5
9. Ng5 Nf8 $5 10. Be3 $146 ({In Caruana-Nakamura, Internet blitz 2017 there was
} 10. O-O Bxb3 11. axb3 f6 12. Nf3 Ne6 {, transposing also to Caruana-Kramnik,
Leuven blitz 2016.}) ({There is also} 10. Nxe6 Nxe6 $11) 10... Qe7 ({Engines
suggest} 10... Bd7 $5 {planning ...Ng6.}) 11. g3 ({Probably more accurate is} 
11. Nxe6 Nxe6 12. Qh5) 11... Bxb3 $5 12. axb3 f6 13. Nf3 Ne6 14. Bxb6 cxb6 15.
O-O a6 $1 {Instead of the banal 15...0-0, Carlsen prepares to castle long.} 16.
c3 ({Maybe} 16. Qe3 $5 {was worth trying.}) 16... O-O-O {If White had not
prepared d4 now, Black could get some attacking prospects on the kingside.} 17.
Rad1 Kb8 18. Qe3 Ka7 {True magic. The black king is completely safe on the
queenside. Black gradually gained some chances from what seemed to be a
completely equal position.} 19. d4 exd4 20. Nxd4 ({After} 20. cxd4 $6 Rhe8 {
White's pawns are vulnerable.}) 20... Nxd4 21. Rxd4 h5 $5 22. Rfd1 $5 Rxd4 23.
cxd4 ({After} 23. Rxd4 {Black plays} h4 ({or} 23... Qe6 24. b4 h4)) 23... h4
24. d5 ({A serious alternative was} 24. g4 {but there too some initiative is
with Black.}) 24... hxg3 25. hxg3 Qe5 (25... cxd5 $5 {is curious:} 26. exd5 (
26. Rxd5 g5 $1) 26... Qxe3 27. fxe3 Kb8 $1 {though I am not sure that Black
has any significant winning chances after} 28. d6 $5) 26. Qf3 ({Not} 26. dxc6
$4 Qh5 $1 $19) 26... cxd5 27. exd5 Qxb2 $6 ({Here} 27... Rd8 $1 28. Qd3 Qxb2
29. d6 Qe5 ({if} 29... Rd7 {, White plays} 30. Qf5 $1 Qxb3 31. Qxd7 Qxd1+ 32.
Kg2 $11 {with the inevitable draw, because the d6-pawn is too dangerous}) 30.
d7 Qe6 {was a better practical chance: Black plans to play, approximately, ...
Qc6, b5, b6, Kb7 at some point threatening with ...Rh8, or .. .a5-a4. At least,
White would have had to work for a draw.}) 28. d6 $1 Rd8 29. d7 Qc2 {Now White
uses the opportunity to place his rook actively, equalising.} 30. Rd6 $1 Qc5
31. Qd1 $1 $11 Qf5 32. Rd5 Qe4 33. Rd4 Qc6 34. Rd6 Qe4 35. Rd4 Qc6 36. Rd6 Qe4
1/2-1/2

[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2013.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "Gormally,D"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2013.02.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 153"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Anand vs Kramnik - could this be a prelude to a world championship match
later? Only time will tell.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Probably a
wise choice against Kramnik, who has analysed the Berlin ending to death. Will
anyone be brave enough to take on his main-line Berlin in London? Watch this
space. Sergey Karjakin said in a interview that he had recently studied the
Berlin with Kramnik - such an experience he felt was like a "masterclass" in
the opening.} Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 {This slow method of playing the Ruy
Lopez has become quite popular lately. White turns the game into a manouvreing
battle - he need not fear the two bishops as the position is closed for at
least the time being.} O-O 7. O-O Re8 (7... Bg4 {was a blitz game of Magnus
Carlsen's against the aforementioned Karjakin. I have seen the video of this
game and Carlsen acts rather out of character, being quite disrespectful
towards his opponent - almost yawning at times.  However what it does
demonstrate is how much raw chess talent Carlsen has, as he's able to outplay
a world class player with seemingly no effort whatsoever.} 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nc4 Re8
10. Be3 Bd6 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Bg3 Nd7 15. h4 f6 16. Ne3 Bf8
17. Kg2 Nc5 18. hxg5 hxg5 19. Nf5 Ne6 20. Rh1 Qd7 21. Rh3 Bxf5 22. exf5 Nf4+
23. Bxf4 exf4 24. Nd2 Rad8 25. Qf3 Bg7 26. Ne4 Kf7 27. Rh7 Rh8 28. Qh3 Rxh7 29.
Qxh7 Rh8 30. Qg6+ Kf8 31. Nxf6 Qf7 32. Nh7+ Rxh7 33. Qxh7 Qd5+ 34. f3 Qe5 35.
Kf1 Qe3 36. Qh3 Bxb2 37. Re1 Qd2 38. Qh6+ Bg7 39. Qg6 Be5 40. f6 {1-0 Carlsen,
M (2837)-Karjakin,S (2779)/Astana 2012/CBM 149 Extra}) 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Kh1 a5 {
Practically forcing White's next, as otherwise Black will gain useful space on
the queenside with ...a4} 10. a4 b6 11. Be3 Bb4 12. Nfd2 {Of course, White
needs this move to ever make progress. The plan is to play f4. Realising this,
Kramnik decides to force matters.} b5 13. axb5 cxb5 14. c3 $1 {More or less
forced.} ({The problem is that after} 14. Na3 {the knight is really on the
wrong route. Eventually white may be able to play c3, followed by Nc2, but
what then? Besides, there is a problem even with that plan:} Ba6 $1 15. c3 $6
Bxa3 16. Rxa3 b4 $1 17. Rxa5 bxc3 18. bxc3 Bxd3 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 20. Re1 Qc6 {
with strong pressure.}) 14... bxc4 15. cxb4 cxd3 16. bxa5 Ba6 {The smoke has
cleared and both players are left with a potentially strong passed-pawn.
However although both the white pawn on a5 and the black pawn on d3 are
solidly blockaded, the position will remain quite sharp while the possibility
of disturbing these blockades remains in the position.} 17. Qb3 Nf6 18. h3 $6 (
{Naturally my instincts would be drawn towards the move} 18. f3 $1 {which
would seem to stabilise the position. I believe that this is slightly
preferable to the move played in the game, as it gives white more options of
defending the kingside - he can play Bg1, Bf2 etc.} Nh5 19. Qc3 ({White has
many other options of course, like} 19. Nc4) 19... Qh4 20. Kg1 Nf4 21. Bxf4
Qxf4 22. Nb3 {although the position would remain unclear.}) 18... Nh5 19. Rfc1
Nf4 20. Rc6 $36 Ne2 ({As Anand explained in the post-mortem, he had seen the
possibility of} 20... Nxh3 $1 21. gxh3 Qd7 22. Rac1 Qxh3+ 23. Kg1 Qg4+ {
with a draw, but saw no way to avoid it. However it's entirely possible that
Kramnik still had notions of tournament victory - at this stage he was only
half a point behind the leader Fabiano Caruana.}) 21. Qd5 {The critical moment
of the game.} ({White is so well placed on the queenside that the possibility
of sacrificing the exchange with} 21. Rxa6 Rxa6 22. Qc4 {was certainly on
Anand's mind - if he can launch up the b-pawn quickly Black may get into
serious trouble. Black would then have a difficult decision to make - give up
on the d-pawn, or let the a-pawn come through.} {Perhaps wisest is to indeed
to jettison the d-pawn with} Qa8 23. Qxd3 Nd4 24. Bxd4 exd4 25. b4 c5 $1 {
After which White's position rather falls apart, which proves that Anand was
sensible to avoid complications just yet. He is rewarded with a huge blunder.})
21... Qb8 $4 {A real howler, Kramnik overlooks something rather obvious.} (
21... Qxd5 22. exd5 Red8 23. Rxc7 Rxd5 24. b4 {was the way forward, with
another completely unclear endgame in prospect. Objectively the chances are
equal, but i'd probably be White - as Kasparov said in the Caruana-Kramnik
game, White has the better practical chances - Black has more options while
White's way is obvious - at some point he will try to put a knight on c5 or b6.
} Rb5 $1 {It's important not to allow the knight to b3} 25. Rb1 f5 $13) 22.
Rxa6 $1 {All of a sudden the game is over. It's easy with chess to become
obsessed with strategy, positional play, opening preparation and so on. But
horrible blunders decide the games more often than we think.} Rxa6 23. Qxd3
Qxb2 24. Rb1 Rd6 25. Qxe2 Qa2 26. Qb5 c6 27. Qb2 1-0

[Event "World Cup"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2007.11.25"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Hossain, Enamul"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2514"]
[BlackElo "2681"]
[Annotator "Grivas,E"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2007.11.24"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 122"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 {Not a very ambitious line,
but probably good enough to make 'Goliath' uncomfortable.} dxc6 6. Bg5 ({
White's other main options are: a)} 6. Be3 Bxe3 (6... Bd6 7. h3 Nd7 8. Nbd2 O-O
9. O-O c5 10. Nc4 $14 {Morozevich,A-Kramnik,V/Monte Carlo 2003}) (6... Qe7 7.
Bxc5 Qxc5 8. Nc3 Bg4 (8... O-O 9. Qd2 a5 10. O-O Qe7 11. Qg5 Re8 12. a4 h6 13.
Qe3 b6 $11 {Tiviakov,S-Topalov,V/Wijk aan Zee 2007}) (8... Be6 9. Qd2 h6 10.
O-O O-O 11. h3 Rad8 $11 {Zvjaginsev,V-Ganguly,S/Mallorca 2004}) 9. h3 Bxf3 10.
Qxf3 O-O 11. O-O-O a5 $13 {Sutovsky,E-Aronian,L/Caleta 2005}) 7. fxe3 Qe7 (7...
Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nd7 10. Nc3 Qh4+ 11. Kd2 Qe7 12. Raf1 f6 13. g4 O-O-O
$11 {Sutovsky,E-Ivanchuk,V/Heraklion ETC 2007}) 8. Nbd2 (8. O-O Ng4 9. Qd2 f6
10. Nh4 g6 11. Nc3 Bd7 12. Rf3 f5 $13 {Sutovsky,E-Carlsen,M/Heraklion ETC 2007}
) 8... O-O 9. Qe2 Nd7 10. O-O a5 11. d4 c5 12. c3 b6 13. Qf2 Ba6 14. Rfe1 Rae8
15. Qg3 Kh8 16. Rad1 g6 17. h3 {Topalov,V-Anand,V/Monte Carlo 2003.}) ({b)} 6.
h3 Bd6 7. Nbd2 c5 8. Nc4 (8. b3 Nd7 9. Nc4 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Bb2 f6 12. Nfd2
Nf8 13. f4 exf4 14. Nxd6 cxd6 15. Rxf4 Be6 $11 {Malakhov,V-Naiditsch,A/
Sarajevo 2006}) 8... Nd7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 Re8 11. a3 Nb8 12. b4 Nc6 13. c3 b5
$13 {Morozevich,A-Naiditsch,A/Sochi 2006.}) ({c)} 6. Qe2 Bg4 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Nxf3 Qe7 10. c3 O-O 11. O-O Rfe8 12. Re1 Rad8 $11 {Radjabov,T-Topalov,
V/Morelia/Linares 2006.}) ({d)} 6. O-O Qe7 (6... Qd6 7. h3 Be6 8. Nc3 a6 9. Be3
Nd7 10. Bxc5 Nxc5 11. d4 exd4 12. Qxd4 Qxd4 13. Nxd4 O-O-O 14. Rad1 Rd6 15. Rd2
b5 16. Nxe6 {1/2-1/2 Smirin,I-Almasi,Z/Sibenik 2006}) 7. h3 h6 8. c3 O-O 9.
Nbd2 Bd6 10. d4 Nd7 11. Re1 c5 12. Nc4 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bb4 14. Re2 exd4 15. a3
Nb6 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Rb1 d3 18. Qxd3 Rd8 19. Qc2 Bd6 20. e5 Bc5 21. b4 Bd4 22.
Nxd4 Rxd4 $11 {Smirin,I-Hracek,Z/Czech Rep. 2004.}) 6... Qd6 ({The alternative
is} 6... h6 7. Bh4 Bd6 8. Nbd2 c5 9. Nc4 Qe7 10. h3 O-O 11. g4 Qe6 12. Ne3 Nh7
$13 {Ivanchuk,V-Zhukova,N/Odessa 2006.}) 7. Nbd2 Be6 (7... Nd7 {is playable:}
8. Nc4 Qe6 9. O-O O-O $11 {Ivanchuk,V-Gyimesi,Z/Remagen 2006.}) 8. Nc4 $6 ({
A novelty but at the same time a dubious move. Previously White had tried} 8.
Bxf6 gxf6 9. Nc4 Qd7 10. Ne3 Rg8 11. Qd2 O-O-O 12. O-O-O b6 13. Kb1 Kb7 14. c3
{1/2-1/2 Sutovsky,E-Almasi,Z/Dresden 2007.}) 8... Bxc4 9. Bxf6 (9. dxc4 $2 Nxe4
$17 {.}) 9... Qxf6 10. dxc4 Qe6 ({Good enough is} 10... Rd8 11. Qe2 O-O $15 {.}
) 11. O-O Qxc4 $6 (11... O-O {keeps Black's game preferable due to the
presence of a strong bishop versus a weak knight. Black, by exchanging his
e5-pawn for the doubled white c4-pawn loses all his advantage as now White's
pawn-structure is preferable.}) 12. Nxe5 Qe6 13. Qh5 Bb6 14. Nf3 O-O 15. a4 a5
16. e5 $5 (16. Ng5 Qg6 17. Qxg6 hxg6 18. Rad1 $11 {.}) 16... h6 (16... f6 17.
Rfe1 Rad8 {was about equal but probably Black was seeking something more.}) 17.
b3 Rad8 18. Rae1 $6 ({Abandoning the open d-file cannot be a good sign in
White's game. Better was} 18. Rad1 $11 {.}) 18... Rd5 19. Nh4 $6 ({An
inaccuracy. White had to go for} 19. Re4 Rfd8 20. g3 Bc5 21. Kg2 {.}) 19... Re8
$1 20. Nf3 Red8 21. g3 Bc5 22. Kg2 Be7 23. Re3 Rc5 $1 24. Re2 $6 ({White
should avoid passive defence and he should rather try} 24. c4 b5 25. axb5 cxb5
26. cxb5 Rxb5 27. Ra1 Rxb3 28. Rxb3 Qxb3 29. Rxa5 $15 {.}) 24... Rc3 $1 {
Preparing the c5-c4 advance, destroying White's queenside pawn-structure.
Black starts to get on top.} 25. h3 c5 26. Rfe1 c4 27. bxc4 b6 28. Re4 c5 ({
Although the text-move cannot be considered bad,} 28... Bc5 29. R1e2 Ra3 {
seems to be excellent for Black.}) 29. Nh4 $6 ({White gets too optimistic
about his chances. An equal position arises after the natural} 29. Qg4 Qxg4 30.
hxg4 Rxc2 31. Rb1 Rb8 32. Ra1 $11 {.}) 29... Rxc2 30. Nf5 Bf8 $2 ({Small and
big inaccuracies are spread around by both players as none of them seemed to
be able to control his nerves. Good was} 30... Rdd2 $1 31. Nxe7+ Qxe7 32. Rf4
Qd7 $17 {.}) 31. Ne3 $1 Ra2 32. Nd5 {Now White's well-centralised knight gives
him enough compensation for the lost a4-pawn. White's activity on the kingside
was seriously underestimated by Black.} Rxa4 33. Nf4 $1 Qe8 34. e6 {Finally,
the white rooks are entering the battle.} fxe6 35. Qg4 Rd4 $6 ({Clearly better
was} 35... Qd7 36. Nxe6 Re8 37. Rf4 Rb8 38. Qg6 {with the initiative for White.
Black's last rank is 'crying out' for more protection, so he should not
exchange this valuable rook.}) 36. Nxe6 Rxe4 37. Rxe4 Qa8 (37... Qf7 38. Nd8 $1
Qf6 39. Qd7 Ra2 40. Rf4 Qe7 41. Qd5+ $18 {.}) 38. Kh2 $1 (38. Nxf8 $2 Qxf8 39.
Qg6 Ra2 $1 40. Re8 Rxf2+ $11 {.}) 38... b5 (38... Ra1 39. Nxg7 $1 Bxg7 40. Qg6
a4 41. Re8+ Qxe8 42. Qxe8+ Kh7 43. h4 a3 44. Kh3 a2 45. Qe4+ Kg8 46. Kg4 $18 {.
}) 39. Nxg7 $1 {Strategical superiority leads to nice and effective
combinations!} Bxg7 40. Re7 Qf8 41. Qe6+ Kh7 42. Qe4+ Kh8 43. Re8 Rxc4 44.
Rxf8+ Bxf8 45. Qe8 Kg8 46. Qxb5 Rd4 47. Qxa5 {White is clearly winning. He
will push his kingside pawns, allowing his king to enter the battle and he
will create mating threats. In the meantime the black c5-pawn cannot advance
too far.} c4 48. h4 Bg7 49. Kg2 Kh8 50. Qa8+ Kh7 51. Qc8 Bh8 52. g4 c3 53. g5
hxg5 54. hxg5 Bg7 55. Kg3 Be5+ 56. Kh3 Bg7 57. Qc5 Rd2 (57... Kg6 58. Kg3 c2
59. f4 Rd2 60. Kg4 Rg2+ 61. Kf3 Rh2 62. Qc6+ Kf7 63. f5 $18 {.}) 58. Kg4 Kh8
59. Qc8+ Kh7 60. g6+ $1 Kh6 (60... Kxg6 61. Qf5+ Kh6 62. Qh5# {.}) 61. Qf5 1-0

[Event "Bayern-chI Bank Hofmann 20th"]
[Site "Bad Wiessee"]
[Date "2016.11.06"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Gopal, Geetha Narayanan"]
[Black "Buhmann, Rainer"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[Annotator "Gutman,L"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2016.10.29"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Die Anti-Berliner Variante ist sehr
populär heute.} Bc5 5. c3 ({Weiß vermeidet} 5. O-O Nd4 {wie in
Carlsen-Aronian, Reykjavik 2015}) 5... O-O 6. O-O $5 ({Als ungenau zählt} 6.
Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. O-O d6 9. Nbd2 Nh5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nc4 Nf4 {
Carlsen-Karjakin, Wch (10) New York 2016}) 6... Re8 7. Bg5 h6 ({Nach} 7... a6 {
ist} 8. Bc4 $5 (8. Ba4 {wird unter 7...h6 8.Lh4 a6 9.La4 behandelt}) 8... h6 9.
Bh4 {interessant, mit Übergang zur Giuoco Piano, und der Turm auf e8 steht
eher ungünstig, Pavel Eljanov.} {9...} d6 (9... g5 $5 10. Bg3 g4 11. Nfd2 (11.
d4 exd4 12. cxd4 gxf3 13. dxc5 fxg2 14. Re1 Ne5 15. Bxe5 Rxe5 16. Nc3 d6 17.
cxd6 cxd6 18. Qd2 b5 19. Bb3 b4 20. Nd5 Nxe4 21. Qxh6 Qg5 22. Qxg5+ Nxg5 23.
Rxe5 dxe5 24. Kxg2 Bb7 $11) 11... d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Re1 Be6 14. Nb3 Ba7 15.
d4 h5 $11) (9... Be7 10. a4 d6 11. Nbd2 {see Text} (11. Qb3 d5 12. exd5 Na5 13.
Qa2 Nxc4 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Qxc4 c6 16. dxc6 Be6 17. Qe4 Bd5 $11 {
Borisek-Michalik, Zillertal 2015}) (11. Na3 Nd7 (11... Nh5 12. Bg3 Nxg3 13.
fxg3 Bf6 14. Nh4 Be6 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. Rxf5 $14) 12. Bg3 a5 13. h3 (13. Nc2 Nb6
14. Ba2 Bg4 15. Ne3 Bh5) 13... Nc5 14. Re1 Bf6 15. Nc2 Bd7 16. Ne3 Ne7 $11))
10. a4 ({In Caruana-Adams, Douglas 2016, folgte} 10. Nbd2 Ba7 (10... g5 11. Bg3
g4 12. Nh4 Nh5 13. Nf5 $14) 11. a4 Be6 ({Zu beachten ist} 11... Qe7 12. b4 Nd8
$5 ({dies ist stärker als} 12... Be6 13. Re1 Bxc4 14. Nxc4 Qe6 15. b5 Ne7 16.
Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Rb1 $14 {Eljanov}) 13. Re1 Ne6 14. Nf1 Nf4 15. Ne3 Be6 $11) 12.
a5 Bxc4 13. Nxc4 Re6 14. Ne3 Bxe3 15. fxe3 d5 16. d4 exd4 (16... dxe4 17. Nxe5
Nxe5 18. dxe5 Qxd1 19. Raxd1 Ng4 20. Rd7 Rf8 21. Rxc7 Rxe5 22. Be7 Nxe3 23.
Bxf8 Nxf1 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Kxf1 Rxa5 26. Rxb7 Kg6 $11) 17. Bxf6 Rxf6 18. e5
Re6 19. exd4 f6 20. Re1 Qd7 21. Qb3 fxe5 22. dxe5 Rf8 23. Re3 Rg6 $11) 10... g5
11. Bg3 Ba7 ({Konsequenter erscheint} 11... g4 $5 12. Bh4 (12. Nh4 Nh5 13. b4
Ba7 14. Na3 Qg5 $11) 12... gxf3 13. Qxf3 {Eljanov} Kg7 14. b4 (14. Qg3+ Kf8 15.
Qf3 Kg7 $11) 14... Bb6 15. a5 Ba7 16. Na3 Be6 17. Bd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Nb8 19. Nc4
Nbd7 20. Ne3 h5 $5 (20... Bxe3 21. fxe3 e4 22. Qg3+ Kh7 23. Rxf6 Nxf6 24. Qf4
Qd7 25. Bxf6 exd3 26. Rf1 c6 $11) 21. Nf5+ Kh7 22. d4 Rg8 $15) 12. Nbd2 Bg4 13.
h3 Bh5 14. Re1 Qd7 15. Nf1 $5 ({In Navara-Eljanov, Baku Olimpiade 2016, folgte
schwächer} 15. b4 Nd8 16. d4 $6 (16. a5 Ne6 17. Bb3 c6 $11) 16... exd4 17. Qc2
Bg6 (17... Nc6 $5 $15) 18. cxd4 Nc6 19. Qc3 Nxe4 20. Nxe4 Rxe4 21. b5 Ne7 22.
Rxe4 Bxe4 23. Re1 Bg6 {, wonach} 24. bxa6 bxa6 25. a5 $11 {Ausgleich gewährte,
Eljanov}) 15... Ne7 16. Bh2 $5 Ng6 17. Ng3 g4 18. Qd2 gxh3 19. d4 Nf4 20. Nf5
$16) 8. Bh4 Be7 (8... Bf8 9. Nbd2 d6 {brachte Paul Keres Erfolg,} 10. Re1 ({
voreilig ist} 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd3 Be7 14. f4 Qb8 15.
Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e5 dxe5 17. Ne4 Qxb2 18. f5 Red8 19. Bc4 Be8 $11 {Carlsen-Howell,
London 2011}) 10... Bd7 11. Nf1 (11. d4 a6 (11... g5 12. Bg3 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 exd4
14. Bxd7 Qxd7 15. cxd4 Bg7 16. e5 dxe5 17. dxe5 Nd5 18. Qb3 a6 $5 (18... b6 19.
Rad1 Qe6 20. Nf3 $14 {Harikrishna-Godena, Reggio Emilia 2007/08}) 19. Rad1 Qb5
$11) 12. Ba4 exd4 13. cxd4 (13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Bxd7 Qxd7 15. cxd4 g5 16. Bg3 Bg7
$11) 13... g5 14. Bg3 Bg7 15. h3 Ne7 16. Bb3 Ng6 17. e5 Nh5 18. Bh2 Nhf4 19.
Qc2 Be6 20. Bxe6 Rxe6 $11 {Yudin-Malakhov, RUS chT Rapid 2015}) 11... Be7 (
11... Ne7 12. Bxd7 Nxd7 13. Ne3 Qc8 14. Qc2 Ng6 15. Bg3 Nc5 16. b4 Ne6 17. d4
Ng5 {Musaev-Mueller, Pardubice 2014,} 18. Nd2 Ne6 19. Nb3 $14) (11... g6 12. a4
Bg7 13. Ne3 $5 (13. a5 Qc8 14. a6 (14. Ne3 $5 Nd8 15. Bc4) 14... b6 15. Bxf6
Bxf6 16. Qa4 Nb8 17. Bxd7 Qxd7 18. Qc4 Nc6 $11 {Najer-Malakhov, Wch Rapid
Dubai 2014}) 13... Qc8 14. a5 a6 15. Bc4 Nd8 16. b4 (16. Bxf6 $5 Bxf6 17. d4
exd4 18. cxd4 Bg7 19. e5 dxe5 20. Nxe5 $14) 16... Ne6 17. Qb3 Bb5 $5 (17... c6
18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. d4 Qc7 20. Rad1 $14) 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. g3 Bxc4 $6 (19... Qd7
$11) 20. Qxc4 Qd7 21. d4 exd4 22. cxd4 Qb5 23. Rac1 Bg7 $2 (23... Qxc4 24. Rxc4
Bd8 $14) 24. h4 $2 (24. Qxb5 axb5 25. d5 Nd8 26. Rxc7 Rxe4 27. Nc2 Rxe1+ 28.
Nfxe1 b6 29. axb6 Rb8 30. Nf3 Rxb6 31. Nfd4 $16) (24. d5 Qxc4 25. Rxc4 Ng5 26.
Nxg5 hxg5 27. Rxc7 Rxe4 28. Rxb7 Bc3 29. Rb1 $16) 24... c5 $11 {
Topalov-Aronian, Stavanger 2014}) 12. a4 (12. Ba4 Nh7 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Bb3 Ng6
15. Ng3 Ng5 16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. Nf5 Qf6 18. Qf3 Nf4 19. g3 Ne6 $11 {
Gruenfeld-Roiz, Israel ch Acre 2013}) (12. Ne3 Ng4 $5 13. Bxe7 (13. Bg3 Nxe3
14. Rxe3 Bf6 15. d4 $2 Nxd4 16. Bxd7 Nxf3+ 17. Rxf3 Qxd7 $17 {Svidler-Malakhov,
RUS chT Rapid 2015}) 13... Nxe7 14. Bxd7 (14. Nxg4 Bxb5 15. Nh4 Bd7 16. Re3 Kh7
17. Rg3 Ng8 18. Nf3 Bxg4 19. Rxg4 Nf6 $11 {Browne-Keres, Vancouver 1975}) 14...
Qxd7 15. Nxg4 Qxg4 16. h3 Qd7 $11) 12... Nh7 (12... Nh5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Ne3
Nf4 15. g3 Nh3+ 16. Kg2 Ng5 (16... Qf6 17. b4) 17. Nxg5 Qxg5 18. a5 a6 19. Ba4
Rac8 20. Rf1 h5 21. h4 Qh6 22. Qe2 $14 {Almasi-Alexandrov, Yerevan 2014}) 13.
Bg3 (13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Bc4 Ng6 15. Qb3 Be6 16. g3 Rb8 $11 {Almasi-Brunello,
Bergamo 2014}) 13... Bg4 (13... Bf8 14. Ne3 g6 15. Bc4 Be6 {Stevic-Schreiner,
Zadar 2014} 16. Bxe6 Rxe6 17. b4 $14) 14. h3 Bh5 15. N1h2 a6 16. Bc4 Qc8 17.
Qc2 Kh8 18. Nh4 $14 {Ivanchuk-Alekseev, Istambul 2003}) ({In moderner Praxis
kommt meistens} 8... a6 9. Ba4 (9. Bc4 {- 7...a6 8.Bc4}) (9. Bxc6 dxc6 10. h3 (
10. d4 exd4 11. cxd4 Ba7 (11... Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nc3 Bg4 14. e5 Bg5 $15 {
Balog-Ionov, Moskau Aeroflot 2008}) 12. Nc3 (12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd3 Bg4 14. Nbd2
Rad8 $17) 12... g5 13. Bg3 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Rxe4 $17 {Mazur-Heimann, Merlimont
2011}) 10... Bd6 11. Nbd2 c5 12. Re1 g5 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. Nc4 b5 15. Ne3 Nf4 16.
a4 Rb8 $11 {Kosintseva-Batchimeg, Khanty Mansiysk 2014}) 9... b5 (9... Be7 $5 {
ist gut spielbar,} 10. Nbd2 (10. Bxc6 dxc6 11. h3 (11. Nxe5 Nxe4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7
13. Re1 Nd6 14. Nd2 Be6) 11... Nh7 12. Bg3 Bf6 13. Na3 Ng5 14. Nc4 Nxf3+ 15.
Qxf3 a5 16. a4 Qe7 $11) 10... d6 11. d4 (11. Re1 Bd7 12. Nf1 Nh5 (12... Kh8 13.
Ne3 Rg8 14. Bb3 g5 15. Bg3 Rg7 {wurde von Evgeny Postny angegeben, doch kommt}
16. d4 Nxe4 17. dxe5 Nxg3 18. exd6 Bxd6 19. hxg3 $14 {Weiß zugute}) 13. Bxe7
Rxe7 14. Ne3 Re8 $11) 11... Bd7 12. Re1 (12. d5 Nb8 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Bxd7 Nxd7
15. Nc4 a5 16. b4 axb4 17. cxb4 Nb6 18. Na5 Ra7 19. Qd3 Qd7 20. Rac1 Bd8 21.
Nd2 f5 $11) 12... Nh7 13. Bg3 Bf6 14. dxe5 (14. Bxc6 Bxc6 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16.
Nxe5 dxe5 17. Nc4 Qf6 18. Qg4 b5 19. Na5 Rad8 $11) 14... Nxe5 15. Bxd7 (15.
Nxe5 Bxa4 16. Qxa4 dxe5 17. Red1 b5 18. Qc2 Qe7 $11) 15... Qxd7 16. Qc2 Nxf3+
17. Nxf3 Qc6 18. e5 dxe5 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Bxe5 Re6 21. Bg3 Rae8 $11 {
Kobalia-Landa, RUS chT Sochi 2006}) 10. Bb3 (10. Bc2 {is sometimes more clever,
Anish Giri, New in Chess, 5, 2016,} g5 (10... Be7 11. Re1 d5 $5 12. Nbd2 dxe4
13. dxe4 Nh5 14. Bg3 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Be6 $11 {Kosteniuk-Zimina, Rhodes 2013}) 11.
Bg3 d6 ({not bad, but} 11... d5 {is more in this line, Giri,} 12. Nbd2 Bb6 13.
a4 Rb8 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. dxe4 Qxd1 18. Rexd1 Bg6 19.
a5 Bc5 20. b4 Bf8 $11) 12. Nbd2 Bb6 13. a4 Rb8 14. axb5 axb5 15. Kh1 Kg7 16.
Re1 Nh7 17. Nf1 h5 18. h4 g4 19. N3h2 {Giri-Nakamura, Paris blitz 2016} Nf8 $5
$11 {Giri}) 10... Be7 ({Minder ratsam ist} 10... d6 11. Re1 (11. Nbd2 g5 $6 (
11... Bb6 $5 12. a4 Rb8 $11) 12. Nxg5 hxg5 13. Bxg5 Kg7 14. Qf3 Bd7 (14... Rh8
15. Rae1 Nb8 16. d4 Bb6 17. Re3 $16) 15. Rae1 Rh8 16. Re3 Rh7 17. Bd5 (17. Qg3
$6 {Swiercz-Volokitin, FRA chT 2013,} Qg8 18. Bh4+ Ng4 19. Rf3 Kf8 20. h3 Rb8
21. Bd5 Ne7 $17) 17... Rh6 18. Bxh6+ Kxh6 19. Bxc6 Bxc6 20. Qh3+ Kg7 21. Rg3+
Kf8 22. d4 $16) 11... Be6 (11... Bb6 12. a4 Rb8 13. axb5 axb5 14. Na3 $5 Bd7
15. Nc2 g5 16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. Bxg5 Kg7 18. Qf3 b4 19. Bd5 bxc3 20. bxc3 Qe7 21.
Ne3 $16) 12. Nbd2 Bxb3 13. axb3 Nb8 14. b4 $5 (14. h3 Nbd7 15. Nh2 Qe7 16. Ndf1
Bb6 17. Ne3 Qe6 18. b4 a5 $11 {Anand-Carlsen, 6 Matchpartie Chennai 2013})
14... Bb6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Ra3 {, Evgeny Gleizerov,} g5 17. Rf1 Nc6 (17... g4
18. Ne1 Qg5 19. Nc2 $14) 18. Qe2 Ra7 19. Rfa1 Rea8 20. Nf1 $14) 11. Bg3 (11.
Re1 d6 12. a4 (12. Nbd2 Na5 13. Bc2 Nh5 14. Bg3 Nxg3 15. hxg3 c5 16. Nf1 Be6
17. Ne3 Rc8 $11 {Liu-Xie, Jinan Torch Cup 2005}) 12... Bd7 (12... Bb7 13. Na3 (
13. Nbd2 Na5 14. Bc2 c5 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 Nc6 17. Nf1 Nb4 $11 {
Kochetkova-Exler,Mayrhofen 2015}) 13... Na5 (13... Qd7 14. axb5 axb5 15. Nxb5
Rxa1 16. Qxa1 Nd8 17. Na3 Ne6 18. Qd1 $14) 14. Ba2 $14) 13. Nbd2 Na5 14. Bc2 c5
15. axb5 axb5 16. Nf1 Nc6 17. Bb3 Rxa1 18. Qxa1 Na5 19. Bc2 Nc6 20. Bxf6 Bxf6
21. Ne3 Be6 $11 {Rodshtein-Klein, Groningen 2013}) (11. a4 Rb8 (11... b4 $5 12.
Nbd2 Rb8 13. h3 d6 14. d4 bxc3 15. bxc3 exd4 16. cxd4 Nb4 17. Re1 Be6 18. d5
Bd7 19. Bg3 Nd3 20. Re3 Nc5 $11 {Efimenko-Stern, Bundesliga 2013/14}) 12. axb5
axb5 13. d4 exd4 14. e5 Nh7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. cxd4 d6 17. Nbd2 (17. Qc1 Bb7 18.
exd6 Qxd6 19. Rd1 Rbd8 $11 {Najer-Ni Hua, CHN Liga 2013}) 17... dxe5 18. Re1
Bb7 19. Rc1 Rbd8 20. Nxe5 Nxe5 21. Rxe5 Qd7 22. Qe2 Nf6 23. Qxb5 Qxd4 24. Rxe8+
Nxe8 25. Qxb7 Qxd2 26. Rf1 Qa5 $11) (11. Nbd2 d6 12. a4 (12. d4 Bd7 13. Re1 Nh7
14. Bg3 Bf6 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Qh5 Be6 18. Nf1 g6 19. Qe2 c6 $11 {
Salem-Ly, Abu Dhabi 2016}) 12... Bd7 (12... Bb7 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Bd5 Qd7 15.
Qb3 Na5 $11 {Vallejo-Pons-Godena, Calvia Olympiade 2007}) 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Bd5
Rb8 15. axb5 axb5 16. b4 Qc8 17. Qc2 Nd8 18. Ra7 Ne6 19. g3 c6 20. Bb3 Bd8 21.
Qa2 Bb6 22. Ra3 Qd8 23. d4 Qf6 $15 {Akopian-Rodshtein, Tsaghkadzor 2015}) 11...
d6 12. Nbd2 (12. a4 b4 (12... Rb8 13. axb5 axb5 14. Nbd2 Bg4 15. h3 Bh5 16. Bh2
Qd7 17. Re1 Ra8 18. Qe2 b4 19. g4 Bg6 20. Nh4 Bh7 21. Nf5 Bf8 $11 {
Mchedliashvili-Firouzja, Al Ain Rapid 2014}) 13. a5 Be6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Nbd2
Rb8 16. d4 bxc3 17. bxc3 exd4 18. cxd4 Rb5 $11 {Giri-Ponomariov, Doha 2015})
12... Bg4 $5 (12... Bf8 13. Re1 g6 14. d4 Bg7 15. a4 Bb7 16. d5 Ne7 17. c4 c6
18. dxc6 Bxc6 19. axb5 axb5 20. Rxa8 Qxa8 21. cxb5 Bxe4 22. Nc4 Bxf3 {
Svidler-Goganov, Tallin Rapid 2016} 23. gxf3 $5 $16) (12... Be6 13. Bxe6 fxe6
14. Re1 (14. d4 $5 exd4 15. cxd4 Qd7 16. h3 d5 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nh7 19.
exd5 Qxd5 20. Qc2 Rad8 21. Ne4 $14) 14... Nd7 15. Nf1 Kh7 16. Rc1 Bf6 17. d4
Ne7 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Nd4 Qd7 20. f4 N5c6 21. Nf3 g6 22. Ne3 $14 {
Areshchenko-Petrosian, WchT Antalya 2013}) 13. h3 Bh5 14. a4 Qd7 $11) 9. Nbd2
d6 10. a4 $5 (10. Re1 Bd7 ({Riskanter erscheint} 10... g5 11. Bg3 g4 12. Nh4
Nxe4 13. Nxe4 (13. Rxe4 $5 Bxh4 14. Bxh4 (14. Rxg4+ Bxg4 15. Qxg4+ Qg5 16. Qxh4
Qxd2 $15) 14... Qxh4 15. d4 Bf5 16. d5 Bxe4 (16... a6 17. Be2 Ne7 18. Bxg4 Bxe4
19. Nxe4 {Ashot Nadanian, New in Chess 8, 2014} Ng6 20. g3 Qe7 21. Bf5 Kg7 22.
h4 $11) 17. Nxe4 a6 18. Bd3 Nb8 19. g3 Qe7 20. Qxg4+ Kf8 21. f4 {Nadanian} Nd7
22. Rf1 (22. Qh5 f6 23. fxe5 Qxe5 24. Qg6 Qe7 25. Rf1 Qg7 26. Nxf6 Nxf6 27.
Rxf6+ Kg8 28. Qf5 Re5 29. Qf4 Rg5 $11) 22... exf4 23. Qxf4 f6 24. Qxh6+ Qg7 25.
Qh4 Ke7 $11) 13... Bxh4 14. Bxh4 (14. d4 f5 15. Bxh4 Qxh4) 14... Qxh4 15. d4 (
15. f4 f5 (15... gxf3 16. Qxf3 f5 17. Ng3 f4 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Qxc6 Be6 20. Ne4
Rab8 {Petronijevic Zoran, Inf 122}) 16. Ng3 Bd7 17. Rf1 Rf8 $15 {Nadanian})
15... f5 16. Ng3 f4 17. Ne4 $5 (17. Qd3 Kg7 18. d5 fxg3 19. hxg3 Qg5 20. dxc6
Bf5 21. Qe3 b6 $15 {Inarkiev-Aronian, Moskau 2014}) 17... Kg7 $11) 11. Ba4 (11.
a4 g5 $5 12. Bg3 g4 13. Nh4 Nxe4 14. dxe4 Bxh4 15. Bxh4 Qxh4 16. a5 (16. Nf1 a6
17. Bc4 Rf8 18. Ne3 Ne7 $15) 16... a6 17. Bc4 Kg7 18. Nf1 Ne7 19. Ne3 Rf8 $15 {
Shabalov-Gupta, Reykjavik 2016}) (11. Nf1 Nh7 (11... a6 $5 12. Ba4 {- 8...a6 9.
Ba4 Be7}) 12. Bxe7 (12. Bg3 g6 (12... Bg4 $5 13. h3 Bh5 $11) 13. d4 (13. Ne3
Ng5 14. Nd2 a6 15. Ba4 Bf8 16. h3 Bg7) 13... Bf6 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxd7 Nxd7
16. Qd5 Qb8 17. Rad1 Bg7 $11 {Borisek-Berend, Tromsoe Olympiade 2014}) 12...
Nxe7 13. Bc4 b5 14. Bb3 Ng6 15. a4 a6 16. d4 Nf6 17. Ng3 c5 18. axb5 axb5 19.
Rxa8 Qxa8 20. dxc5 dxc5 21. Nh5 Nxh5 22. Qxd7 c4 23. Bc2 Qb8 $11 {
Erenburg-Shankland, USA ch Saint Louis 2014}) 11... Nh5 (11... g5 12. Bg3 g4
13. Nh4 Nxe4 14. dxe4 (14. Rxe4 Bxh4 15. Rxg4+ Bxg4 16. Qxg4+ Qg5 17. Qxh4 Qxd2
18. Rd1 Qg5 19. Qc4 h5 20. f3 a6 $15) 14... Bxh4 15. Bxh4 Qxh4 16. Nf1 a6 17.
Ne3 Kg7 18. Rf1 Rf8 $11) 12. Bxe7 Nxe7 13. Bxd7 Qxd7 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. Qxh5
Qxd3 16. Qe2 Rad8 17. Nc4 Qxe2 18. Rxe2 f6 $11 {Gopal-Ganguly, Gibraltar 2014})
10... a6 (10... Nd7 11. Bg3 Bf6 12. Re1 a6 13. Bc4 (13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. d4 c5 15.
dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Bxe5 Rxe5 18. b4 Bb7 19. f4 Re8 $11 {
Zajic-Nestorovic, Kragujevac 2015}) 13... Nb6 (13... Rb8 14. b4 $14) 14. Bb3 a5
15. h3 $14) 11. Bc4 Nh5 (11... Bd7 12. a5 Qc8 13. Qb3 Be6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. d4
exd4 16. cxd4 $14 {Williams-Fegan, email 2013}) (11... Nd7 12. Bg3 a5 (12...
Bf6 13. b4) 13. Re1 Nb6 14. Ba2 (14. Bb5 Bg4 15. Nf1 Bh5 16. Ne3 Rf8) 14... Bg4
15. h3 Bh5 16. Nf1 Nd7 17. Bh2 Nc5 18. Ng3 Bg6 19. Nf5 $14) 12. Bg3 (12. Ng5
Bxg5 13. Qxh5 Be6 14. Bxg5 Qxg5 15. Qxg5 hxg5 16. Bxe6 Rxe6 {ergibt ein
ausgeglichenes Endspiel,} 17. b4 a5 (17... Ree8 $5 18. f3 f6 19. Nc4 Ne7) 18.
b5 Nd8 (18... Nb8 19. Nc4 Nd7 20. f3 g6 21. Kf2 $14 {Balogh-Sargissian, Tromso
Olympiade 2014}) 19. Nc4 b6 20. f3 Re8 21. Rfd1 Ne6 22. Ne3 f6 $11) 12... g6
13. Re1 ({Meines Erachtens ist} 13. h3 $5 {stärker,} Rf8 (13... Nxg3 14. fxg3
Bf6 15. Nh2 $14) 14. Bh2 Bg5 15. Re1 (15. Nxg5 hxg5 16. Re1 Kg7 17. Nf1 Nf4 18.
Ne3 Rh8 19. d4 Bxh3 20. gxh3 Nxh3+ 21. Kf1 Nf4 22. Bxf4 gxf4 23. Qf3 Qd7 24.
dxe5 Rh4 25. e6 {Asrian-Pashikian, ARM ch Yerevan 2006,} Qd8 $17) 15... Bf4 16.
Nf1 $14) 13... Bf6 14. Nf1 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Nb8 (15... a5 16. Ne3 Bg7 17. Nd2 h5
18. f4 Bh6 19. f5 $14) 16. Ne3 c6 17. a5 (17. b4 a5 18. b5 {verspricht weniger,
} Nd7 19. Ng4 Bg7 20. Qd2 g5 21. Qa2 Qe7 22. Ne3 Nc5 $11) 17... Kg7 (17... Nd7
18. Ba2 (18. Ng4 Bg7 19. Qd2 g5 20. Qc2 Nf6 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Nd2 Bd7 $11)
18... Qe7 19. Nc4 Bg7 20. d4 $14) 18. Qc2 h5 (18... Nd7 19. d4 $14) 19. d4 Qe7
20. Rad1 h4 $6 (20... Nd7 21. Ba2 $5 $14) 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. gxh4 Bxh4 23. g3 $2
(23. Ba2 Rh8 24. Nc4 $16) 23... Bf6 24. Kg2 Nd7 25. Rh1 b5 26. axb6 Nxb6 27.
Bb3 Bd7 28. Qd2 Rh8 29. Nc4 Nxc4 30. Qxd7 Rxh1 31. Qxe7 Bxe7 32. Rxh1 Nxb2 33.
Nxe5 Bf6 (33... Rb8 34. Bxf7 Rb5 35. Nxc6 Kxf7 36. Rh7+ Ke6 37. Nxe7 Rb7 38.
Nxg6 Rxh7 39. Nf8+ Kd6 40. Nxh7 a5 $11 {Ilya Schneider, Schach 12, 2016,}) 34.
Nxf7 (34. Nxc6 Rc8 35. Bd5 Bxc3 36. Ra1 a5 37. Ra3 Nd1 38. Nxa5 Bb4 39. Ra4 Be1
40. Nc6 Nxf2 41. Ra7 Nd3 42. Rxf7+ Kh6 43. e5 Nb4 44. Nxb4 Bxb4 45. e6 Kg5 $14)
34... Rb8 35. Ba2 Bxc3 $2 (35... Nd3 36. Bc4 Rb2 (36... Nb2 37. Rb1 Nxc4 38.
Rxb8 Kxf7 39. f4 a5 40. e5 Be7 41. Ra8 Ke6 42. Kf3 Kd5 43. Ke2 g5) 37. Bxd3
Kxf7 $11) 36. Ng5 Kf6 $2 (36... Nd3 37. Rh7+ Kf8 38. Bc4 (38. Rc7 Ne5 39. Bf7
Nxf7 40. Rxf7+ Ke8 41. Rc7 Rb6 42. f4 a5 43. Ra7 $14) 38... Nc5 39. Rc7 Rb2 40.
Nh7+ Ke8 41. Rxc6 Bd4 42. Nf6+ Ke7 43. e5 Rxf2+ 44. Kh3 Rc2 45. Ng8+ Kf8 46.
Rc8+ Kg7 47. Rc7+ Kf8 48. Bd5 Bxe5 49. Rf7+ Kxg8 50. Rf2+ Kh7 51. Rxc2 $16) 37.
f4 Nd3 38. Rh7 Rb2+ 39. Kh3 Ne5 40. Bc4 $1 Rb4 41. Bxa6 Rb1 42. Rc7 Ba5 43.
Nh7+ Ke6 44. Nf8+ Kd6 45. Rg7 Nf3 46. Rd7+ 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2015.09.14"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Balogh, Csaba"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2657"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[Annotator "Havasi,G"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2015.09.11"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 169"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. Ba4 (
8. d4 {it is also hard to prove an advantage for White in the line} Bb6 9. Re1
Ng6 10. Nbd2 c6 11. Bf1 Re8) 8... a6 (8... Ng6 {is also good} 9. d4 Bb6 10. Re1
Bd7 11. Bc2 Re8 12. Nbd2 h6 13. Nc4 Bb5 14. Nfd2 exd4 15. Nxb6 axb6 16. cxd4 c5
17. d5 Nd7 18. Nf3 Qf6 $132 {1-0 (29) Karjakin,S (2756)-Khenkin,I (2612)
Antalya TUR 2013}) 9. Nbd2 Ba7 (9... Ng6 10. d4 (10. Re1 b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 12. Nf1
d5 $132 {1-0 (52) Malinovsky,K (2462)-Sergeyev,A (2368) Pardubice 2013}) 10...
Ba7 {transposes}) 10. d4 Ng6 11. Re1 c5 12. d5 (12. Bc2 {keeping the central
tension is also good:} b5 13. Nf1 cxd4 14. cxd4 Bb7 $132 {1/2 (31) Kobalia,M 
(2679)-Lysyj,I (2629) Khanty-Mansiysk 2011}) 12... c4 $1 (12... b5 13. Bc2 c4 {
transposes.}) (12... Nh5 {is also good} 13. c4 Nhf4 14. Nf1 Rb8 $132) 13. Bc2
b5 14. Nf1 Bd7 {Black has a slight advantage from the opening.} 15. Be3 Qc7 16.
N3h2 (16. Qd2 Rab8 $132) 16... a5 $1 {Black starts an attack on the Q-side.}
17. Ng4 $6 Nxe4 (17... Bxg4 $5 18. hxg4 Bxe3 19. Nxe3 h6 $15) 18. Bxe4 f5 19.
Bc2 fxg4 20. hxg4 (20. Bxg6 $1 {was important} hxg6 21. hxg4 Bxe3 22. Nxe3 Rf4
$132) 20... a4 (20... Nf4 $1 {is better to avoid Bxg6} 21. Ng3 a4 $132) 21. a3
(21. Bxg6 hxg6 22. a3 Bxe3 23. Nxe3 Rf4 24. Rf1 Raf8 25. Qe2 {is more or less
equal, but Black has some chances.}) 21... Ne7 $6 (21... Rf6 $1 {was very
strong with the plan of Raf8} 22. g5 Rf7 $132) 22. Bxa7 Qxa7 23. Ne3 Rf6 24. f3
$6 (24. Qd2 Raf8 25. Rf1 {is better.}) 24... Raf8 25. Be4 h6 (25... Be8 $1 $17
{was very strong, with the plan of Bg6} 26. Qe2 Bg6 27. Rf1 Bxe4 28. fxe4 Rxf1+
29. Rxf1 Rf4 $1 $17) 26. g3 (26. Qe2 $1 Be8 27. Rf1 Bg6 28. g3 $1 $11 {
Avoiding Bxe4 followed by Rf4, the motif we saw earlier.}) 26... Be8 27. Kg2 (
27. Qe2 Bg6 28. Rf1 {transposes to the previous line with Qe2.}) 27... Bg6 28.
Qe2 Qd7 29. Rf1 Qe8 30. Qc2 (30. Rae1 $11) 30... Bxe4 31. Qxe4 (31. fxe4 $1 $11
{is surprisingly better} Rxf1 32. Rxf1 Rxf1 33. Nxf1 Qg6 34. Ne3 Qg5 35. Qf2
$11) 31... Qg6 {Black wants to exchange Qs.} 32. Qxg6 Nxg6 33. Rf2 Ne7 $15 {
Black has a slight advantage.} 34. Raf1 g5 35. Rd2 Kf7 36. Rdd1 Ke8 37. Rd2 Kd7
38. Rff2 Kc7 $1 {This plan is very strong, to move the K to c5.} 39. Rf1 Kb6
40. Rdd1 Kc5 41. Rd2 R6f7 $1 42. Rdd1 Ng8 $1 {Planning Nf6 and e4.} 43. Rd2 (
43. Nf5 h5 $17) 43... Nf6 44. Rh1 Rh7 45. Rdd1 Rfh8 46. Rh2 h5 $1 {Black opens
the h-file, White's task is getting harder.} 47. gxh5 Rxh5 48. Rxh5 Rxh5 49.
Rd2 Rh8 50. Rd1 Rg8 51. Rd2 e4 $1 52. fxe4 Nxe4 53. Rd4 Nf6 $17 {Black has
succesfully finished his plan, the rest is just a matter of technique, because
Black is going to play Re8-e5.} 54. Ng4 Nxg4 55. Rxg4 Re8 56. Kf3 Re5 57. Re4
Rf5+ 58. Kg4 Rf2 59. Kxg5 Rxb2 60. g4 Rb3 61. Re3 Rxa3 62. Kf6 Ra1 63. Rf3 a3
64. g5 Rg1 65. Rf2 b4 66. cxb4+ Kxb4 67. Ke6 Kb3 0-1

[Event "Capablanca Memorial Elite 50th"]
[Site "Havana"]
[Date "2015.06.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Yu, Yangyi"]
[Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2718"]
[Annotator "Havasi,G"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2015.06.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "CUB"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 {This is the Chinese line
against the Berlin.} dxc6 6. Nbd2 {White wants Nc4 to win the e5 P.} Be6 (6...
O-O 7. Nc4 Nd7) (6... Nd7 {is another plan}) (6... Bg4 {is a solid equalising
plan.}) 7. O-O (7. Nb3 {was preferred by Caruana} Bd6 8. Na5 Rb8 9. Qe2 O-O 10.
Bd2 c5 11. Nc4 Bxc4 12. dxc4 Nd7 $11 {0-1 (59) Caruana,F (2791)-Aronian,L 
(2815) Dubai UAE 2014}) 7... Nd7 (7... Qd6 {was played by Georgiev} 8. b3 Nd7
9. Ng5 f6 10. Nxe6 Qxe6 11. Nc4 O-O 12. Be3 a5 13. a4 b6 $11 {1/2 (58) Vallejo
Pons,F (2707)-Georgiev,K (2653) Catalonia ESP 2014}) (7... Bd6 8. b3 Nd7 9. Nc4
Bxc4 10. bxc4 O-O $11 {1/2 (36) Adams,M (2758)-Giri,A (2768) Emsdetten GER 2015
}) 8. Nb3 Bb6 (8... Bd6 9. Ng5 Qe7 10. Nxe6 Qxe6 11. Na5 Rb8 12. a4 O-O 13. Nc4
b6 14. Kh1 a5 15. b3 Rbe8 {was more or less fine for black in Anand,V (2785)
-Radjabov,T (2724) Dubai UAE 2014.}) (8... Be7 {would defend Ng5, but} 9. d4 {
is the question} Bf6 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. Qe2 O-O $13 {1/2 (35) Yu
Yangyi (2705)-Ni Hua (2677) Jiangmen CHN 2014}) 9. Ng5 Qf6 $146 {A natural
novelty.} (9... Nf8 10. Qh5 Qd6 11. Kh1 Bxb3 12. axb3 $14 {1-0 (69) Anand,V 
(2793)-Howell,D (2670) London ENG 2014}) ({Yu won a nice game against Kramnik,
who played} 9... Bxb3 10. axb3 f6 11. Nf3 Nf8 12. Nd2 Ne6 13. Qh5+ g6 14. Qd1
Bc5 15. Nc4 b5 16. Na5 Qd7 17. Be3 $14 {1-0 (33) Yu Yangyi (2705)-Kramnik,V 
(2760) Doha QAT 2014}) 10. Kh1 {White wants to play f4 and goes out of the
diagonal.} Bxb3 (10... O-O {was fine} 11. Nxe6 Qxe6 $11) 11. axb3 h6 12. Nf3
O-O 13. Nd2 {White places the N on f4, where it's very active.} Qe6 14. Nc4 a6
{Black releases the tension on the a7 P, so that the a8 R can move.} 15. Bd2 (
15. Qe1 Ba7 16. b4 {is also possible.}) 15... Bd4 $1 {A very good provocative
move.} 16. Rb1 b5 $6 (16... f5 $1 {was even better} 17. exf5 Qxf5 $132) 17. Na5
$6 (17. Ne3 $1 {seems better} Bxe3 $1 18. Bxe3 $14) 17... f5 (17... Bb6 $11 {
is also good.}) 18. exf5 Rxf5 19. Qe2 Raf8 20. f3 Nf6 $6 {The N will not be so
good on the K-side.} (20... Bb6 21. b4 c5 {would be a good idea.}) 21. b4 $1
$14 {Stabilising the P structure.} e4 $5 {A good practical chance, but White
reacts well.} 22. Nb3 $1 (22. fxe4 $2 Nxe4 $19) (22. dxe4 $2 Nxe4 $19) 22...
Bb6 23. Nc5 $1 Bxc5 24. bxc5 Qe8 $1 (24... Rxc5 25. Bb4 $18) 25. dxe4 Nxe4 26.
Rfe1 Nf6 27. Qxe8 (27. Qf2 Qd7 28. Bc3 $14 {is also better.}) 27... Rxe8 28.
Rxe8+ Nxe8 29. b4 $14 Re5 30. Kg1 Re2 31. Rd1 Nf6 32. Kf1 Re8 33. Ra1 Ra8 34.
Ke2 Kf7 {White is better, the question is whether he can make progress.} 35.
Kd3 Rd8+ 36. Ke2 Re8+ 37. Kd3 Rd8+ 38. Ke2 Re8+ 39. Kd1 Ra8 40. c3 Nd5 41. Kc2
h5 (41... Ke6 {was easier, White needs to make a plan}) 42. h4 Ke6 43. Bg5 Kf5
44. Kb3 $14 Nf6 (44... g6 45. c4 $1 bxc4+ 46. Kxc4 $14) 45. Bxf6 {White is
happy to take the N, but there was the simple c4} (45. c4 {is also good.})
45... gxf6 46. g3 Ke6 47. g4 Rh8 48. Re1+ Kf7 49. Rd1 Ke6 50. Rd4 hxg4 51. Rxg4
Rh7 (51... Kf7 $11 {would immediately equalise}) 52. Re4+ Kf7 53. Kc2 f5 54.
Rd4 Kg6 55. Kd3 Re7 {Allows...} (55... Kf6 $11 {it's better to keep h4 under
fire.}) 56. Rd8 f4 $2 (56... Kf6 57. Ra8 Ke5 58. Rxa6 Kf4 59. Rxc6 Kxf3 {
is a better chance.}) 57. Rg8+ (57. Kd4 $1 $16 {getting out of the e3 check}
Re3 58. Rg8+ Kh5 59. Rg7) 57... Kf7 (57... Kf5 $1 58. Rf8+ Ke5 $14) 58. Rc8 Ke6
59. Kd4 Rh7 60. Ke4 Kd7 61. Rf8 Rxh4 62. Rf7+ Kd8 63. Rxf4 {White has won the
f-P, the question is if he can win.} Rh1 (63... Rh7 64. Rf6 Re7+ 65. Kd4 Rd7+
66. Ke3 Re7+ 67. Kd3 (67. Kf2 Rd7) 67... Rd7+ 68. Kc2 Rd5 69. Rxc6 Rf5 70. Rxa6
Kd7 {with chances for equality.}) 64. Ke5 $6 (64. Rg4 $1 Rc1 65. Kd4 $16) 64...
Ke7 $1 65. Re4 (65. Rg4 Rh5+ 66. Ke4 Kf6 $11) 65... Rd1 $2 (65... Rh5+ {
was a chance for equality} 66. Kd4+ Kd7 {with chances for equality.}) 66. Kf5+
Kf7 67. Rd4 $18 {White is winning} Rc1 68. Rd7+ Ke8 69. Rxc7 Rxc3 70. Ke6 Kd8
71. Kd6 Rxf3 72. Kxc6 a5 73. bxa5 b4 74. a6 Ra3 75. Ra7 b3 76. Kd6 Ke8 77. Ra8+
Kf7 78. c6 b2 79. Rb8 1-0

[Event "Dos Hermanas-B"]
[Site "Dos Hermanas"]
[Date "2001.04.25"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Spraggett, Kevin"]
[Black "Korneev, Oleg"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2526"]
[BlackElo "2572"]
[Annotator "Hecht,H"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2001.04.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 083"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.07.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.07.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Be3 Bxe3 6. fxe3 d6 7. Nc3 O-O 8.
Ba4 Ne7 9. Qd2 c6 10. Bb3 b5 11. a4 b4 12. Ne2 a5 13. Ng3 Ra7 14. O-O Ng6 15.
h3 d5 16. exd5 cxd5 17. e4 dxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. dxe4 Rd7 20. Qe3 Kh8 21. Ng5
Nf4 22. Qc5 f6 23. Rxf4 Rc7 24. Qxa5 exf4 25. Nf3 Qd6 26. Re1 Re7 27. e5 fxe5
28. Rxe5 Bb7 29. Rf5 Rfe8 30. Bd5 g6 31. Rg5 h6 32. Bxb7 hxg5 33. Bd5 Re5 34.
c4 bxc3 35. Nxe5 Qxe5 36. Qxc3 Qxc3 37. bxc3 Kg7 38. c4 Kf6 39. a5 Re1+ 40. Kf2
Ra1 41. Kf3 Rxa5 42. Ke4 {[#] Weiß hat Kompensation infolge der schlechten
schwarzen Bauernstruktur. Taktik!} Ra2 (42... Ke7 43. Ke5 Kd7 44. Kd4 Kd6 45.
Be4 (45. Bf7 g4 46. hxg4 Rg5 47. Bd5 Rxg4 48. c5+ Kc7) 45... g4 46. hxg4 g5 $15
) 43. Kd4 Rd2+ 44. Kc5 Ke5 45. Bf3 Rd8 46. Kb6 Rd2 (46... Kd4 47. c5 Rb8+ 48.
Kc7 $15) 47. Kc5 Rb2 48. Kc6 Kd4 49. Bd5 Rb3 50. Kd6 Re3 51. Kc6 Rg3 52. Kd6 g4
53. hxg4 Rxg4 54. Ke6 g5 55. Kf6 Rg3 56. Kf5 Ke3 (56... Kc5 57. Ke5) 57. Ke5 g4
58. c5 $11 Rxg2 59. Bxg2 f3 60. Bxf3 gxf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Mondariz zt 1.1"]
[Site "Mondariz"]
[Date "2000.09.03"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Speelman, Jonathan S"]
[Black "Narciso Dublan, Marc"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2623"]
[BlackElo "2507"]
[Annotator "Hecht,H"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2000.09.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 079"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. O-O g6 7. a4 Bg7 8. a5 O-O
9. Re1 Ne7 10. Bxd7 Nxd7 11. d4 c6 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Nd2 Bg7 15.
Nf3 d5 16. Bg5 f6 17. Bd2 dxe4 18. Rxe4 Nf5 19. Qa4 Re8 20. Rb4 Nd6 21. Qb3+
Kh8 22. Rd4 Qe7 23. Re1 Qf8 24. Rd1 f5 25. Bh6 Bxh6 26. Rxd6 Rad8 27. Rxd8 Rxd8
28. Re1 Rd7 29. h4 Re7 30. Rd1 Qe8 31. Qb4 Bg7 32. Qf4 Bf6 33. h5 gxh5 34. Qxf5
Qg6 35. Nh4 Qf7 36. Qf4 Bxh4 37. Qxh4 Qe8 38. Qf6+ Kg8 39. Rd3 Re1+ 40. Kh2 Qf7
41. Rd8+ Re8 42. Qxf7+ Kxf7 43. Rxe8 Kxe8 {[#] Der ideelle Mehrbauer. Weiß
forciert den f-Bauern, indem er zuerst den König zentralisiert und dann den
f-Bauern vorzieht.} 44. Kg3 Kf7 45. Kf4 Kf6 46. g3 b6 47. axb6 axb6 48. Ke4 Ke6
49. f4 b5 50. f5+ Kd6 51. b4 Kd7 52. Ke5 Ke7 53. f6+ Kd7 54. f7 {Logisch war
das Dreiecksmanöver:} (54. Kf4 Kd6 (54... Ke6 55. Kg5 $18) 55. Kf5 Kd7 56. Ke5
$22 $18 {in dieser Form}) (54. Kf5 Kd6 55. Kf4 Kd7 (55... Ke6 56. Kg5 $18) 56.
Ke5 $22 $18 {oder in jener Form}) 54... Ke7 55. f8=Q+ Kxf8 56. Kd6 (56. Kd6 Kf7
57. Kxc6 Ke6 58. Kxb5 Kf5 59. Kc5 (59. c4 Kg4 60. c5 Kxg3 61. c6 h4 62. c7 h3
63. c8=Q h2 64. Qb7 {was mit einem Tempo gewinnt}) 59... Kg4 60. b5 Kxg3 61. b6
h4 62. b7 h3 63. b8=Q+ {oder komfortabler mit zwei Tempi durch Einziehen mit
"Schach"!}) 1-0

[Event "Hyderabad WIPRO"]
[Site "Hyderabad"]
[Date "2000.07.27"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ramaswamy, Aarthie"]
[Black "Vijayalakshmi, Subbaraman"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2319"]
[BlackElo "2378"]
[Annotator "Hecht,H"]
[PlyCount "136"]
[EventDate "2000.07.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 079"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Nxe5 g5 13. Bg3 Nxe4 14. Nxc6
Re8 15. Nd4 Ba6 16. Rd1 h5 17. f3 Be2 18. Re1 Nxg3 19. hxg3 g4 20. Nd2 f5 21.
Kf2 Bd3 22. Re3 Ba6 23. N2b3 Bc4 24. Rae1 Red8 25. Re5 Bxb3 26. axb3 Rxd4 27.
cxd4 Bxd4+ 28. Kf1 Bxe5 29. Rxe5 Rb8 30. Rxf5 Rxb3 31. f4 Rxb2 32. Rxh5 Rc2 33.
Ra5 Kf7 34. Rxa7 Ke6 35. Kg1 Rc3 36. Kh2 Rc5 37. Ra2 Rh5+ 38. Kg1 c5 39. Ra6+
Kd5 40. Rg6 c4 41. Kf2 Rh1 42. Rg8 Ra1 43. Rd8+ Ke4 44. Re8+ Kd3 45. Rd8+ Kc2
46. Rc8 c3 47. Ke3 Kb2 48. Ke4 c2 49. Kf5 c1=Q 50. Rxc1 Rxc1 51. Kxg4 {[#] Von
Turm vs Springer ist weit und breit noch nichts zu sehen.} Kc3 52. Kf5 Kd4 53.
g4 Rc5+ (53... Rg1 54. g5 Rxg2 55. g6 $11) 54. Kf6 Ke4 55. g5 Rc6+ 56. Kf7 Rc7+
57. Kf6 Rc6+ 58. Kf7 Kf5 59. g4+ Kxg4 60. g6 Kf5 61. g7 Rc7+ 62. Kf8 Kf6 63.
g8=N+ {[#] Endlich ist der Springer da, und eine elementare Remisstellung
erreicht.} Ke6 64. Nh6 Rh7 65. Ng8 Rf7+ 66. Ke8 Rxf4 67. Nh6 Rf6 68. Ng8 Rf1 {
[#] Diese Position ist remis, gleich ob sie den eigenen Analysen oder
Tablebase1.0 vertrauen.} 0-1

[Event "CUB-ch"]
[Site "Las Tunas"]
[Date "2001.04.05"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Herrera, Irisberto"]
[Black "De la Paz Perdomo, Frank"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2432"]
[BlackElo "2437"]
[Annotator "Hecht,H"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2001.04.01"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "16"]
[EventCountry "CUB"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 083"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.07.05"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.07.05"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. Qxe4 Qe7
8. Nc3 Ng6 9. Qxe7+ Bxe7 10. Nd5 c6 11. Nc7+ Kd8 12. Nxa8 cxb5 13. a4 b4 14. d3
b6 15. a5 Bb7 16. axb6 Bxa8 17. Rxa7 Bc6 18. d4 Kc8 19. Be3 Bd8 20. d5 Bxd5 21.
c4 Bc6 22. Rd1 Re8 23. c5 Rxe3 24. fxe3 Be7 25. Rc7+ Kb8 26. Rcxd7 Bxd7 27.
Rxd7 Bxc5 28. Rxf7 Bxe3+ 29. Kf1 Bd4 30. b3 Bf6 31. Ke2 (31. g3 Ne7 32. Ke2 Kb7
33. Kd3 Kxb6 34. Kc4 Nc6 35. Kd5 (35. Rf8 Na5+ 36. Kxb4 $2 Be7+) 35... Na5 36.
h4 Bc3 37. h5 h6 $19 {[%csl Rb3]}) 31... Nf4+ 32. Kf3 Ne6 {[%csl Rb3]} 33. Ra7
(33. Ke2 Nc5 34. h4 Nxb3 35. Kd3 Na5 (35... Nc5+ 36. Kc4 b3 37. Kxc5 b2 38. Kc6
$18) 36. Ra7 Nc6 37. Rc7 Nd4 38. Rc4 b3 39. Rb4 h5 $17 {oder sogar -+}) 33...
Nc5 34. Ke2 Nxb3 35. Kd1 Nd4 36. Ra4 b3 37. Rb4 Kb7 38. g4 g5 39. h3 Be5 40.
Kd2 b2 41. Kd3 Nc6 42. Rb3 Bg7 {Weiß gehen die Züge aus.} (42... Bg7 43. Rb5 (
43. Kc4 Na5+) (43. Kc2 Nd4+) 43... Ne5+ 44. Kc2 Nc4 45. Rb3 h6 46. Rd3 (46. Rf3
b1=Q+ 47. Kxb1 Nd2+) (46. Kb1 Nd2+) (46. Rb4 Na3+ {alles -+}) 46... Kxb6 47.
Kb1 Kc5 $19) 0-1

[Event "Lazne Bohdanec"]
[Site "Lazne Bohdanec"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kaminski, Marcin"]
[Black "Keitlinghaus, Ludger"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2525"]
[BlackElo "2475"]
[Annotator "Hecht,H"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1996.01.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "CZE"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 051"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1996.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1996.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 Nxd4 5. Nxd4 c6 6. Bc4 exd4 7. Qxd4 Qb6 8.
Qd3 Bb4+ 9. c3 Bc5 10. O-O d5 11. exd5 O-O 12. b4 cxd5 13. Bxd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5
Be7 15. Be3 Be6 16. Qf3 Qc7 17. Bd4 a5 18. b5 Bc5 19. a4 Rad8 20. Bxc5 Qxc5 21.
Na3 Rd2 22. Qxb7 Qxc3 23. Qc6 Qb3 24. b6 Rc8 25. Qb5 Qxb5 26. Nxb5 Rb8 27. Rfd1
Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 {TS-TL: schlechte Schwarze Verteidigung führt zu anfälliger
sK-Position, Taktik} Kf8 29. f3 Ke7 30. Rc1 Rxb6 31. Rc7+ Kf6 (31... Kf8 $1 32.
Ra7 Bb3 33. Nc3 (33. Rxa5 Bxa4 34. Ra8+ Ke7 35. Nc3 Bc6 $10) 33... Rc6 $10) 32.
Ra7 Bb3 33. Nc3 Rc6 34. Ne4+ Kg6 35. Rxa5 Rc1+ 36. Kf2 Rc2+ 37. Kg3 f5 38. Ra6+
Kh5 39. Nd6 f4+ 40. Kh3 Be6+ 41. g4+ fxg3+ 42. Kxg3 g6 43. a5 Bd5 44. Ne8 Bc6
45. Nf6+ Kh6 46. Ng4+ (46. Ng4+ Kg5 (46... Kh5 47. Ra7 h6 48. Rh7 $18) 47. h4+
Kh5 48. Ra7 $18) 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.27"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2785"]
[Annotator "Hillarp Persson,T"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 177"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{The last time Wei Yi played against Karjakin, he started out with 1.b3 and it
didn't go well. Now he seems to have gained more confindence and his
preparation today was surely impressive.} 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:
00:05]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]
The Scotch is not for everyone and somewhat harsh against mistakes. The Giuoco
Piano is like an amarone, in that it is hard to go wrong with it. The Ruy
Lopez is more complex with oaky notes. A full bodied opening.} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:
07]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:00] Avoiding the Berlin Defence main lines is the dish
of the day for those rated above 2600.} ({Last year's clash continued} 4. O-O
Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. Nc3 Ne8 10. Nd5 Bd6 11.
Re1 c6 12. Ne3 Be7 13. c4 Nc7 14. d4 {and here Karjakin played} d6 {Wei Yi 
(2705)-Karjakin,S (2765) 78th Tata Steel GpA 2016; and ended up in a worse
position.} ({Instead} 14... d5 15. cxd5 Bb4 16. Bd2 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 Nxd5 {
has been proved to draw with ease for Black (in about twenty games).})) 4...
Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 5. c3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 {was played by
Magnus Carlsen in a number of blitz games last year.} ({However, his} 6. Qe2 {
against Wesley So in the Masters Final, indicates that White is scraping the
bottom of the barrel for ideas here.} Qe7 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. a3 Nd7 10.
b4 Bd6 11. Nc4 f6 12. Ne3 a5 13. Nf5 Qf8 14. bxa5 Rxa5 15. O-O Qf7 16. a4 Nc5
17. Qe1 b6 18. Nd2 Rxa4 19. Nc4 Bf8 20. Be3 Kd7 21. Qc3 Nxe4 22. Nxb6+ cxb6 23.
dxe4 Qc4 24. Qd2+ Kc7 25. g4 Bg6 26. Rfd1 {1-0, Carlsen,M (2855)-So,W (2770)
9th Masters Final 2016})) ({It seems the reason why White often prefers 5.c3
over} 5. O-O {is that} Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 {gives Black an easier game. Still,
White has been able to squeeze a few wins here too, even on a high level.})
5... O-O {[%emt 0:00:43]} ({Black has also tried} 5... d5 {, which seems very
principled.} 6. exd5 Qxd5 7. Bc4 Qd6 8. Qe2 O-O 9. Nbd2 a5 10. Ng5 Bf5 (10...
Qe7 11. Nde4 Bd6 12. a4 h6 13. h4 $1 Nd8 14. Qf3 Ng4 15. Qe2 Kh8 16. f3 Nf6 17.
Nxf6 Qxf6 18. g4 Ne6 19. Qe4 $1 {Svidler,P (2745)-Inarkiev,E (2730) 69th
ch-RUS 2016. The last move gave White a winning advantage..}) 11. Nde4 Nxe4 12.
Nxe4 Bxe4 13. dxe4 Nd8 14. Bd2 c6 15. a4 Ne6 16. Rd1 Qe7 17. g3 {Topalov, V 
(2760)-Aronian,L (2790) 4th Sinquefield Cup 2016, and the bishop pair 
(especially the strong light-squared bishop) gave White some edge. The game
Rozentalis - Smith, Gothenburg 2013, is an excellent example of the challenges
that Black faces here.}) (5... d6 {is a please-don't-take-my-pawn move, that
leads to a position that very much resembles the Giuoco Piano, but where the
bishop is somewhat more annoying on b5. After} 6. O-O O-O 7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. d4
exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. Re1 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 {White has been doing well with} 12. a4
{lately.}) 6. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 7. Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:
08] An incredibly prosaic sequence; to stop Nd4, not castle and then just
snatch a pawn. Two decades ago most GMs would have shunned such simplistic 
(although possibly efficient) moves. Perhaps the change is due to the engines,
but also because the Kasparov era was all about keeping the tension.} d5 {
[%emt 0:00:13]} 8. d4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} ({White must stay clear of} 8. Nxc6 $2
Qe8 9. Nd4 dxe4 10. O-O Ba6) 8... Bb6 {[%emt 0:16:04] This is the main line,
but Black has tried some alternatives:} (8... Qe7 9. O-O dxe4 10. Nxc6 Qe6 11.
dxc5 Qxc6 12. Bg5 {Safarli,E (2644)-Fedorchuk,S (2653) Kocaeli 2015, was
rather balanced, but I'm curious as to what Black would have replied to a
setup similar to Wei Yi's.}) (8... Qe8 9. O-O {Again and again we come to this
crossroads, where Black has to decide whether to take with the pawn or the
knight on e4. Taking with the knight is usually more solid, but leads to
positions where Black lacks dynamic play. It's more challenging to take with
the pawn.} dxe4 (9... Nxe4 10. Nd2 Nxd2 11. Bxd2 Bd6 12. Re1 f6 13. Nc4 Be6 14.
Nxd6 cxd6 {looks pretty dull to me, but Black will suffer a bit due to the
messed up pawn structure.}) 10. Nd2 (10. Qa4 $5) (10. Re1 Bd6 11. Nc4) 10...
Bd6 11. Ndc4 Be6 12. Re1 c5 13. Be3 Nd5 {(Tari,A (2520)-Fressinet, L (2712)
Oslo 2015) was unconvincing for White. I don't understand much of this
structure, so my recommendations on move 10 are pretty much 100% silicon based.
}) (8... Bd6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. e5 Qxc6 11. O-O Ba6 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. Bf4 Qb5 14.
Nd2 (14. b3) 14... Qxb2 15. Qb3 Reb8 $11 {Tari,A (2520)-Hammer,J (2665) Oslo
2015}) 9. O-O {[%emt 0:00:24]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:15:33]} (9... Nxe4 10. Nxc6 (10.
Nd2 Nxd2 11. Bxd2 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Qf3 Be6 14. Rfe1 {Xu,X (2445)-Malakhov,
V (2695) TCh-CHN 2016, was microscopically better for White, since the knight
can dream of out-witting the light squared bishop at some point.}) 10... Qf6 (
10... Qd6 {is the older line, which also seems good enough for Black.}) 11. Nb4
Be6 12. Nd2 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Nd5 Qe5 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 f5
{So,W (2770)-Caruana,F (2795) Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016, left Black with
decent compensation.}) 10. Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:24] White has a clear plan: to use
the bind on Nf6 to attack the pawn on e4. Black needs to undermine White's
centre as fast as possible.} ({After} 10. Nxc6 Qe8 11. Ne5 c5 12. Re1 Qe6 13.
Be3 Nd5 (13... Rd8 $5) (13... cxd4 14. cxd4 Nd5) 14. Nd2 f5 15. Ndc4 Bb7 16.
dxc5 ({The silicon monster indicates that} 16. Qb3 {is very good for White, so
something has gone wrong for Black in the last four moves. Perhaps 13...Nd5
was a mistake.}) 16... Nxe3 17. fxe3 Bxc5 {Sokolov,I (2640)-Lorparizangeneh,S 
(2465) 1st Stars Cup 2016, Black had enough compensation for the pawn.}) 10...
c5 $1 {[%emt 0:05:49]} 11. Nd2 {[%emt 0:00:22]} cxd4 $6 {[%emt 0:22:51] This
does look natural, but seems to be a serious mistake.} ({I presume Wei Yi had
something prepared against} 11... Bb7 $1 {, which has been seen in two games.}
12. dxc5 (12. Ng4 cxd4 13. Nxf6+ gxf6 14. Bh6 Qd7 $13) 12... Bxc5 13. Nb3 Bb6 (
13... Bd6 14. Ng4 Be7 15. Qxd8 Raxd8 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 {Pogonina,N (2448)
-Olsarova,K (2267) Istanbul 2012, where instead of} 17. Be3 ({White should
have exchanged the bishops} 17. Bxf6 gxf6 {and kept some pressure. The knight
can access the weak squares on the queenside, and the ligh-squared bishop is
playing in a parallel dimension where there's nothing to attack.})) 14. c4 (14.
Qxd8 $5 Rfxd8 15. a4) 14... Qd6 (14... e3 $5 15. Qxd8 exf2+ 16. Kh1 Rfxd8 17.
c5 Rd5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Ng4 Rxc5 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Rfc1 $1 Bb6 22. Rc2 f5 23.
Nxf2 f4 {is possibly balanced, but quite hard to handle for both sides.}) 15.
Qxd6 cxd6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Ng4 Rfc8 18. Rac1 Kf8 19. Ne3 Ba6 20. Nd2 Bd4 21.
b3 {Balogh,C (2601)-Naiditsch,A (2684) Aix les Bains 2011, with an advantage
for White. Both sides could have played better here and if I was to enter
these positions with any colour, then this is where I would be looking for
improvements.}) 12. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:09] This sets a forced sequence in motion.
..} dxc3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 13. Qf3 {[%emt 0:44:19]} Bb7 $8 {[%emt 0:00:19]} (
13... cxb2 $2 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. Bxf6 $18) 14. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:03:32]} Bxe4 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} 15. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Qxf6 $6 {[%emt 0:00:03] An accident
rarely comes alone.} (15... gxf6 16. Nc6 Qd2 17. bxc3 {was the better way to
fight on. In the game Black gets no chance.}) 16. Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Qg6 {
[%emt 0:10:36]} (16... Qd4 17. Qxd4 Bxd4 18. Rad1 $18) 17. Qxg6 {[%emt 0:00:16]
} hxg6 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 18. Nxf8 {[%emt 0:00:09]} cxb2 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 19.
Rab1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kxf8 {[%emt 0:01:48]} 20. Rfd1 $1 {[%emt 0:01:51] With
an extra couple of pawns on - let's say - e3 and e5, Black would have some
chances of holding the position (K...e6), but with so many open lines, Black's
king is stuck on the kingside where it becomes vulnerable to attack. Black is
also unable to launch the c-pawn any further than c5, without losing it, so it
is better to keep it in the starting position where it doesn't obstruct the
bishop.} Ke7 {[%emt 0:12:00]} ({It looks like Karjakin had resigned himself to
losing, or otherwise he might chosen something more active, like} 20... Re8 21.
Kf1 Re4 22. Rxb2 Rc4 {Still, the final result is in little doubt.}) 21. Rxb2 {
[%emt 0:17:52] It's hardly even clear where Black made his mistake, but
suddenly he is lost.} g5 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 22. Rbd2 {[%emt 0:03:16]} Rh8 {
[%emt 0:01:54]} (22... f5 23. Re2+ Kf6 24. Rd7 g4 25. g3 Rf8 26. Kg2 Rh8 27.
Rde7 Kg6 28. R2e6+ Kh7 29. Rf7 {and the f-pawn is lost. Generally speaking,
Black's hope in such a positon as this is to keep his weaknesses to a minimum
and thus not move the pawns too far (unless they can be used to attack
something).}) 23. g3 {[%emt 0:00:57]} Rh5 {[%emt 0:02:29] This looks weird.
Perhaps Karjakin was trying to keep his rook from being exchanged. Three rooks
on the board or a single one; it doesn't matter since White is winning in both
scenarios.} 24. Kg2 {[%emt 0:03:08]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:01:33]} (24... Rh6 25. Rd7+
Ke6 26. R7d5 Rf6 27. f3 g4 28. f4 $18) 25. h3 {[%emt 0:04:51]} Rh6 {[%emt 0:03:
45]} 26. Rd8 {[%emt 0:05:17]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 27. R1d7+ {[%emt 0:00:09]}
Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 28. Rd2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rf6 {[%emt 0:02:11] This makes
it easy for White, but the fight was hopeless anyway.} 29. Rg8 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
Rg6 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 30. Re8+ {[%emt 0:00:18]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 31. Rd7 {
[%emt 0:01:02] There is no defence against Rf8, so Black resigned.} 1-0

[Event "Biel GM 50th"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2017.07.31"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Bacrot, Etienne"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2666"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "Hou,Yifan"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2017.07.24"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 180"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. Re1
c6 9. Ba4 Ng6 10. d4 Bb6 11. Nbd2 Re8 12. Bc2 h6 {Checking the database after
the game I just realised Etienne had faced exactly the same position against
Ponomariov in the 2013 GP, but that game came from an Italian Game.} 13. a4 Bc7
14. Nf1 $1 {Right decision and I was hoping for ...d5 here as any other moves
will give White a typical comfortable position when the knight goes to g3, so
normally Black should be alert to catch the right moment to make some
counterplay in the centre before White stabilises.} d5 $6 {The most practical
decision as any other moves will allow Ng3 with comfortable play although
still the position is still far from clear.} 15. Nxe5 $1 (15. exd5 e4) (15.
dxe5 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Qxd8 Bxd8 18. Rxe4 Bc7 {both lines are making no
difficulties for Black.}) 15... Nxe5 {The most natural option but leads to a
forced line which allows White great attacking chances.} ({Here it is
difficult for humans to accept an ugly pawn chain:} 15... dxe4 16. Nxg6 fxg6 {
but somehow things turns out to be quite different as the e4-pawn is limiting
White's piece flexibility; in the meantime Black's own development is coming: .
..Bf5, ...Qd6, ...Rad8 etc.}) 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 Bc7 18. e5 Ne4 $1 {
Important! Otherwise White will easily exert pressure with the strong e5-pawn.
The position firstly looks pretty fine for Black to me as the light squares
have been blocked; even after White wins an extra pawn the weakness inside the
white position will secure enough compensation for Black. So the only way to
keep an advantage is to maintain the attack towards the king, but how can that
be done without the light-squared bishop?} 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Qh5 $1 {This is
the main idea of the whole plan, while exchanging on e5. Strangely enough the
pair of bishops simply cannot be powerful while the "obstacle" e4-pawn is
hanging here. The g3-square is an important square for both the knight and the
rook. White should always be alert to some ...f5/f6 breakthrough which would
solve Black's problems at once.} Be6 21. Ng3 {The key point is to understand
that preventing ...f5/f6 became crucial} (21. Be3 {looks the most natural but
will refuted by} f5 $1 22. Rad1 Qc8 {no continuous attacks}) (21. Rxe4 {
I did not consider this too much, but noticed a nice trick:} f6 $1 {
successfully opens the position which activates the bishop pair.} (21... g6 22.
Qxh6 Qd1 {seems attractive but...} 23. f5 $1 {[%cal Ge4h4] White wins}) 22. Ng3
Bd5 23. Re1 fxe5 24. fxe5 Qd7 $44) 21... Bb6+ (21... f6 {now doesn't work
because of} 22. Nxe4 fxe5 23. f5) 22. Be3 ({Another possibility that drew my
attention is} 22. Kh1 $6 Bf2 23. Rd1 Bxg3 $1 {the most direct way to refute
the line:} 24. Rxd8 Raxd8 25. Be3 Rd3 $44) 22... Qd3 {Obviously the idea of
the ...Bb6 check is to break White's attacking plan and make the game more
concrete.} (22... Qd2 $5 23. Bxb6 ({During the game I was planning to play} 23.
Qe2 {converting into an endgame with an extra pawn which is solid and better
for White. The concrete line goes} Bxe3+ 24. Qxe3 Qxb2 25. Rab1 Qc2 26. f5 Bd5
27. e6 $1 $40) 23... axb6 24. Nxe4 Qxf4 $6 ({somehow I missed the nice little
trap, of course} 24... Qxb2 {is very dangerous for Black}) 25. g3 $1 {the
queen has been trapped!} Qf5 26. Qxf5 Bxf5 27. Nd6 {Material up, with accuracy
White should win this but this is not relevant to us here.}) 23. Nf1 $1 {
Another key move which I found when playing Ng3 earlier.} ({If} 23. Qe2 {
tranposed to the variation of 22...Qd2, but here I already hoped for more then
a better endgame!}) 23... Rad8 24. f5 ({Here I spent for quite some time
trying to find the most accurate way as I felt it was the crucial moment. At
first} 24. Bxb6 $5 {looked attractive to me, but later on I realised there was}
axb6 25. Ne3 Kh7 $1 {-- I gave this exclamatory mark during the game from my
point of view} (25... Bc8 {the position will be vulnerable for Black as I
slowly retreat the queen by Rad1, then f5, Ng4, Re3-g3 and all the pieces are
going to join the fight while there's simply no counterplay for Black except
taking the useless a4-pawn.}) 26. Rad1 g6 $1 {intending ...Kh7} 27. Qh4 Qxe3+
28. Rxe3 Rxd1+ {Although it might be theoretically winning, somehow I decided
to avoid this technical position and went for another path.}) 24... Bb3 25. f6
$2 ({A much tronger move is} 25. e6 $1 fxe6 26. f6 {with a better version of
the breakthrough Black's kingside compared to the game.}) 25... Qd5 $1 {
Etienne calmly found the precise defensive way to come back to the fight.} 26.
Bxb6 axb6 27. fxg7 ({I was aming to go for} 27. Qg4 g6 28. Rxe4 {but just
realised later that Black simply takes on e5:} (28. Qxe4 {will lead to a
slightly better endgame but obviously not the thing I wanted when pushing f5})
28... Rxe5 {and in this position White is everywhere a short of being able to
utilise the f6-pawn to make threats.}) 27... Qxe5 28. Qxh6 Qxg7 29. Qh4 Rd3 $6
{Such a weird position! All the white pieces except the queen are on the back
rank, but in the meantime if the knight and rooks join the game via the 3rd
rank smoothly then the exposed black king will be difficult to defend. Another
important factor is the inactive b3-bishop; if we look at it more deeply it's
doing nothing there if White tries to keep the e4-pawn on the board.} (29...
Rd6 {can beconsidered to be more accurate as it turns out later that defending
along the 6th rank is the right path.} 30. Re3 Rg6 31. Ng3 Re5 32. Rf1 {
White still keeps attacking chances according to the comparison of knight vs.
bishop, but it's far from a clear judgement.}) 30. Re3 (30. Ne3 {is even
stronger but the move I played is also practical.}) 30... Re6 31. Rae1 $5 {
Maintain the pressure again and not get lured to take the e4-pawn.} (31. Rxd3
exd3 32. Qd8+ Qf8 33. Qxd3 Qc5+ {without the e4-pawn rook and bishop have
lines; even more is the wasted tempi let the black queen become powerful.})
31... Rh6 {It is difficult to suggest the best defence for Black.} ({Clearly
the main target will be exchanging queens, so probably the first step is to
bring the bishop back to the centre which could avoid some tempi/checks via e4
in specific positions.} 31... Bd5) 32. Qf4 Rxh3 $2 ({It is actually the last
crucial moment where my opponent needs to search out more tasks for White by} 
32... Rf6 33. Qxe4 $1 (33. Qb8+ Kh7 {successfully depriving the queen of
coordination.}) 33... Bd5 34. Qe8+ Kh7 35. g4 $1 {White needs to find this
move before Qxe4 in order to keep a clear advantage.}) 33. Rxd3 Rxd3 34. Rxe4
Be6 35. Ne3 {Finally this knight comes back to a key role after 12 moves. It
cuts the route of the d3-rook and the connection of three pieces is unstopable
now.} Rd8 $2 {Finally the mistake under time pressue.} ({A more stubborn try is
} 35... Rd7 {but will run into a brilliant idea} 36. a5 $1 {opening the a-file,
at the same time making the c5-square available for White's queen whenever
needed.} bxa5 37. Re5 Qh7 38. Rxa5 $18) 36. Re5 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2015.08.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2816"]
[BlackElo "2814"]
[Annotator "Illingworth,M"]
[PlyCount "145"]
[EventDate "2015.08.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 168"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,146,27,19,19,10,13,8,12,13,13,-1,-3,-5,0,-2,16,7,7,6,6,9,33,10,10,10,
56,45,48,38,19,7,3,3,18,19,22,17,25,19,13,28,36,37,37,37,73,73,92,89,91,70,83,
83,103,100,96,98,92,81,73,74,67,64,65,26,40,24,28,28,49,4,47,53,38,43,46,46,62,
67,76,81,96,57,81,79,70,80,63,70,70,70,70,69,109,119,78,129,92,100,118,118,119,
119,119,117,108,110,143,144,144,144,163,163,171,176,157,157,187,187,187,208,
168,198,203,230,363,383,419,419,439,417,490,487,480,528,547,547,547,547,547,
527,909,752,909,909,1012,909,1207] The following game between two of the
winners in the first round put Topalov in the outright lead, though he slowed
his pace somewhat after this game.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5.
Nbd2 $5 {A relatively fresh move order device, aiming to limit Black's options.
} (5. Bxc6 {is the more strategic approach,}) ({whereas} 5. O-O {is another
major option}) ({and} 5. c3 {is the main line.}) 5... d6 {A normal move, but
now Nakamura can't play the ...Re8/...d5 setups he had favoured in a couple of
his previous games.} (5... Nd4 {isn't as effective here as after 5.0-0 because
of} 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. d4 $5 ({Or White can grab the bishop pair with} 
8. Nc4 {[%csl Rb6]} O-O 9. O-O) 8... exd4 9. e5 dxc3 10. bxc3 Qe7 11. O-O {
[%cal Ye1e8] <->e} Nd5 12. Bc4 Nf4 13. Nf3 Ne6 14. a4 O-O 15. Nd4 $36 {[%csl
Ra8,Rc8,Ye5][%cal Rd7d5,Rd7d6] and White has very promising compensation in
the style of the Evans Gambit - Black will probably have to return the pawn to
develop his remaining pieces.}) (5... O-O {gives White a few options, such as}
6. c3 ({White can also move order Black with} 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. O-O {into the 5.
Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 0-0 7.0-0 variation.}) 6... d6 {and now 7.0-0 transposes to
the game, but} 7. h3 $5 {is an interesting alternative that has been favoured
by a few strong players recently.}) 6. O-O O-O 7. c3 ({Earlier this year
Carlsen tried the independent} 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 {, but after} h6 9. Re1 Re8
10. Nf1 d5 11. exd5 Qxd5 12. Be3 Bf8 $11 {[%csl Rc6,Rc7,Yc8,Ye5,Yf8] ^^, ><o/
oc; 0-1 (75) Adams,M (2727)-Kramnik,V (2801) Paris/St Petersburg 2013 CBM 154 
[Szabo,Kr], Black was fine.}) 7... Ne7 {[%cal Yc7c6,Ye7g6] /\Ng6, /\c6} ({
This is the most popular move at a high level, although} 7... h6 {has been
extensively tested in engine games.}) (7... a6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. d4 $1 exd4 10.
cxd4 Bb6 11. Qc2 {[%csl Rb6,Rc6,Rc7,Yd4,Ye4] [+], ><o/oc, ><Bb6 however is a
good indication of what White is aiming for - to achieve the d4 break and stop
Black freeing his position. To give one illustrative example:} Re8 12. Re1 c5
13. d5 Bg4 14. b3 Ba5 15. Re3 c6 (15... Bxf3 $142 16. Nxf3 Qe7 17. Bd2 Bxd2 18.
Nxd2 Ng4 19. Ree1 $14 {[%csl Yd5,Ye4][%cal Yd2c4,Yb3b4] /\Nc4 is still not
enough for full equality; while Black drew both correspondence games to reach
this position, White's extra space and flexible structure give him the more
comfortable game.}) 16. dxc6 d5 17. exd5 Rxe3 18. fxe3 Qxd5 19. Bb2 $14 {
[%csl Ra6,Rc5] ><a6, ><c5; 1-0 (66) Ponomariov,R (2723)-Sargissian,G (2671)
Melilla 2011 CBM 146}) 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. Re1 (10. Bd3 {is no longer
played, with good reason:} Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qb3 Nc6 $1 13. d5 Ne7 $11 {
[%csl Yb6][%cal Yb6g1] /^b6-g1 and White can't possibly be better facing such
a strong bishop on b6.}) 10... Ng6 (10... Bg4 {0-1 (38) Vachier Lagrave,M 
(2754)-Karjakin,S (2753) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015 CBM 167 [Illingworth,M], was
annotated by yours truly, although it's worth pointing out that Caruana played
this way in a later round of the Sinquefield Cup against Topalov, going on to
win.}) 11. h3 ({This makes sense as} 11. b3 $6 c6 12. Bd3 Bg4 $1 $15 {[%csl
Rd4][%cal Rg6f4] ><d4, /\Nf4 would be more than a little awkward.}) 11... c6 (
11... d5 $143 12. e5 Nh5 {[%csl Ye5] is a favourable transformation of the
structure for White, who stops Black achieving his key ...f6 break under
reasonable circumstances by means of} 13. Nb3 Nhf4 14. Bxf4 Nxf4 15. Qd2 Ne6
16. Bd3 c6 {actually transposes to my 11...d5 note, where I indicated} 17. Bf5
$1 $14 {[%csl Re6][%cal Rf7f6,Re5f6,Rf5e6] \/f6 , after which Black does not
have any obvious counterplay.}) 12. Bd3 {This was the product of the first
major think of the game.} (12. Ba4 $6 {misplaces the bishop and} d5 13. e5 Nh5
14. Nf1 Nhf4 15. Bc2 f6 $36 {[%cal Rb6g1,Rf8f1] <->f, /^b6-g1; ½-½ (38)
Svidler,P (2758)-Anand,V (2770) Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 CBM 160 [Stohl,I]
favoured Black.}) (12. Bf1 $5 {is probably the main alternative Topalov was
contemplating, and I expect some of the subsequent theoretical discussions to
follow this direction.} d5 $1 ({Black should change the structure as} 12... Re8
13. b4 Be6 14. a4 a6 15. a5 Ba7 16. Bb2 h6 17. g3 Qd7 18. Kh2 $14 {[%csl Yd4,
Ye4][%cal Yd1c2,Yf1g2,Ya1d1] [+], /\Qc2, Rd1, /\Bg2 gives White a clear space
advantage and plenty of chances to slowly improve his position, while Black
can only sit and wait.}) 13. e5 Nh5 14. b4 f6 15. a4 Nhf4 $1 (15... fxe5 16. a5
Bxd4 17. Nxd4 Qf6 18. N4f3 e4 19. Ra3 exf3 20. Nxf3 Nhf4 21. Qd2 $14 {[%csl
Rf4,Rg6][%cal Yc1b2,Yb2h8,Ya3e3] ><Nf4, ><Ng6 and Bb2 provides more than
enough compensation for the pawn as the dark-squared bishop will be a monster
on the long diagonal, plus it is quite hard for Black to coordinate his minor
pieces.}) 16. a5 Bc7 17. Nb3 fxe5 18. dxe5 $14 {[%csl Yc5,Yd4][%cal Yg2g3,
Yf2f4] and the position is very double-edged, but I think White has the better
chances because the Black majority is blockaded and White has the safer king
in the long-term.}) 12... Nh5 $1 {[%csl Rd3][%cal Rh5f4] /\Nhf4, ><Bd3} ({
Black has to play to disrupt White's natural development as quiet play will
leave White with better central control for free:} 12... Re8 13. Nc4 Bc7 14.
Bg5 d5 15. Ncd2 $14 {[%csl Rc7][%cal Gg5d8] ><Bc7}) (12... Nf4 $143 {is merely
a shot in the dark after} 13. Bf1 $14 {[%csl Rf4][%cal Yd2c4] /\Nc4, ><Nf4} (
13. Bc2 Bxh3 $5 14. gxh3 Nxh3+ 15. Kg2 Ng4 16. Nc4 Ngxf2 17. Qd2 {may also
favour White, but why enter such complications when it's not necessary?})) (
12... d5 13. e5 Nh5 14. Nb3 ({It would be a strategic mistake to enter} 14.
Bxg6 $143 $6 fxg6 $1) 14... Nhf4 15. Bxf4 ({Once again} 15. Bxg6 $6 fxg6 16.
Bxf4 Rxf4 17. a4 a5 18. Rc1 g5 {[%cal Rg5g4,Rf8f1] is very comfortable for
Black; it is not clear where White's play is coming from, whereas Black has
nice pressure along the half-open f-file and ideas of ...g4 in the mix.}) 15...
Nxf4 16. Qd2 Ne6 {actually transposes to my 11...d5 note, where I indicated}
17. Bf5 $1 $14) (12... Be6 {is a bit too slow after} 13. b4 Nh5 ({or} 13... Re8
{[%csl Re6][%cal Re8e1] <->e} 14. a4 a6 15. a5 Ba7 16. Bc2 Qe7 17. Ra3 Rad8 18.
Nf1 d5 19. e5 Ne4 20. Rb3 $14 {[%csl Ye4][%cal Yf1d2,Yf1g3] /\Nd2, /\Ng3 and
while Black has a nice knight on e4 for now, it will soon be evicted, while
White's trumps are enduring.}) 14. Nc4 Nhf4 ({Also good for White is} 14... d5
15. Nxb6 axb6 16. e5 Nhf4 17. Bb1 $14 {[%csl Yb1,Yc1,Ye5] ^^}) (14... Bc7 $2 {
would allow} 15. d5 $1 cxd5 16. exd5 $16 {[%cal Yd3g6] /\Bxg6}) 15. Nxb6 axb6
16. d5 cxd5 17. exd5 Nxd5 {(Black should at least have a pawn to compensate
his positional problems)} 18. Bb2 Ndf4 19. Bf1 $1 Bxa2 20. Qd4 $1 Nh5 21. Qd2
$14 {[%csl Ra2,Yb2,Rg6,Rh5][%cal Yb2h8] and despite his material deficit,
White is better as he has the two bishops and Black has real problems
organising his pieces at all.}) 13. Nc4 Bc7 {[%csl Rc4][%cal Rd6d5] /\d5} 14.
d5 $1 {Only this move makes sense, else Black plays ...d5 and the knight on c4
feels strangely placed.} (14. Bg5 f6 15. Be3 Nhf4 {is nothing special for
White; if} 16. d5 c5 $11) (14. e5 {sets some tricks up if Black plays 14...d5.}
d5 $5 {This can still be played, but it gets very chaotic:} (14... Nhf4 15.
Bxg6 Nxg6 16. Bg5 Qd7 17. exd6 Bxd6 18. h4 Bb4 $11 {is safe for Black now that
White's light-squared bishop is traded,}) ({as is} 14... dxe5 15. Ncxe5 Nhf4
16. Be4 Nxe5 17. Bxf4 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Bxf4 19. Qxf4 Be6 $11 {[%csl Rd4,Yd5]
><d4 with a typical anti-IQP position.}) 15. Bxg6 fxg6 16. Bg5 Qd7 17. e6 $1 (
17. Ncd2 $2 h6 18. Be3 Qf7 $15 {[%cal Yg6g5,Yg5g4] /\g5-g4 can only favour
Black.}) 17... Qe8 18. e7 Rf5 $1 (18... Rxf3 19. Qxf3 dxc4 20. d5 h6 21. d6 $14
{[%csl Ra8,Rc7,Rc8,Yd6,Ye7,Re8,Rh5] is very messy, but the powerful passed
pawns give White the advantage.}) 19. Nce5 ({Black obtains fantastic
compensation for the exchange after} 19. g4 Rxg5 20. Nxg5 Nf4 21. Ne5 h6 22.
Ngf3 Nxh3+ 23. Kf1 Nf4 $44 {[%csl Yf4][%cal Yg6g5,Yc7d6] /\Bd6, /\g5}) 19...
Nf4 20. Qd2 Ne6 21. g4 Nxg5 $1 22. Nxg5 Rf6 $13 {followed by ...h6 and ...g5,
when the position is still extremely unclear.}) (14. Ne3 {is harmless because
of} Nhf4 15. Bc2 ({or} 15. Bf1 Re8 {[%csl Re4] ><e4} 16. Qc2 d5 $11) 15... d5
16. exd5 cxd5 17. Bd2 Be6 $11) 14... Nhf4 {This is the natural continuation of
Black's play. Up to this point the players were following a correspondence
game (though both took some time to get here).} (14... cxd5 15. exd5 {doesn't
make much sense for Black.}) (14... Re8 {is also inconsistent, and allows the
following device:} 15. e5 $1 cxd5 (15... dxe5 $6 16. d6 $1 $16 {[%csl Yd6]
[%cal Rd3g6] /\Bxg6}) 16. Bg5 f6 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Bxg6 Rxe1+ 19. Nxe1 hxg6 20.
Qxd5+ Kg7 21. Bd2 Qg8 22. Ne3 $16 {[%csl Ra8,Rc8,Rh5][%cal Rd5b7] and Black
has big trouble even completing his development.}) 15. Bf1 ({This is the
correct square for the bishop, keeping everything protected, as} 15. Bc2 cxd5
16. exd5 b5 17. Ne3 Ba5 ({or} 17... Bb6 $11) 18. Bd2 Bxd2 19. Qxd2 Qf6 $11 {
[%csl Rd5][%cal Rc8b7,Rg6e7] /\Ne7, /\Bb7, ><d5 is quite comfortable for Black.
In fact the d5-pawn feels more like a target than anything else in such a
position.}) 15... f5 $6 {This is a bit over-ambitious in light of the game
continuation.} (15... Re8 {[%csl Ra1,Rc1][%cal Ye8e4,Yc6d5] ->e, /\cxd5 would
have been fine for Black as White has some difficulty finishing his
development without making a concession:} 16. Bxf4 (16. dxc6 bxc6 {is a
favourable trade for Black.}) 16... Nxf4 17. Qd2 cxd5 $1 (17... Qf6 18. e5 $1
dxe5 19. d6 Rd8 20. Rad1 Be6 21. Nfxe5 Bxc4 22. Nxc4 $36 {gives White a
significant initiative based on his passed d-pawn.}) 18. exd5 Rxe1 19. Rxe1 Ng6
$11 {[%cal Yc8d7,Ya8c8] /\Bd7, Rc8 and it is not easy for White to exploit his
extra space, which Black can develop around.}) (15... cxd5 16. exd5 b5 {
however is not as effective here, as the b5-pawn will come under attack with}
17. Ne3 Bd7 18. Bd2 Bb6 19. Kh2 Re8 20. Qb3 $14 {[%csl Rf4,Rg6] ><Nf4, ><Ng6
and White's space advantage is more serious when the board is full of pieces.})
16. e5 $1 {This strong pawn sacrifice will create major gaps in Black's
dark-squared defences.} (16. dxc6 $143 fxe4 {is good for Black,}) ({as is} 16.
exf5 $143 Bxf5) 16... Nxd5 ({This is clearly better than} 16... cxd5 17. Nxd6
Bxd6 18. exd6 Qxd6 19. Bd2 Bd7 20. Bc3 $16 {[%csl Yc3] and Black has no good
way to challenge a battery down the long diagonal.}) 17. exd6 $1 ({It looks
natural to insert} 17. Bg5 Qd7 18. exd6 Bxd6 19. Nxd6 Qxd6 20. Qb3 {[%csl Rg5]
[%cal Yf5f4] , but after} f4 {[%csl Rg5] ><Bg5 the White bishop cannot reach
the long diagonal, as happened in the game.}) 17... Bxd6 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. b3
$14 {[%csl Rf5,Rg7,Rg8][%cal Rf7f5,Yc1b2,Yb2h8,Yd1d4] White has a quite stable
advantage as his dark-squared bishop is unopposed and it will be very hard for
Black to challenge it, especially as the move ...f5 seriously weakened his
king. If only that pawn could move backwards - then Black's problems would be
solved! Furthermore, we'll see later on that the bishop pair will be a serious
asset even in the endgame.} Bd7 {The most obvious move, for sure.} (19... Qf6 {
only hastens Bb2 after} 20. Ba3 Rd8 21. Qd2 h6 22. Bb2 Qf7 {and White has a
plethora of attacking options; I like} 23. Qd4 $14 {[%cal Yh3h4,Yh4h5,Yf3e5,
Yf1c4,Ya1d1] /\Rad1, Bc4, Ne5} ({but} 23. Rad1 {is also logical,}) ({although} 
23. Ne5 Nxe5 24. Rxe5 Be6 {would simplify Black's defensive task as the knight
was very misplaced on g6.})) (19... f4 $5 {aims to develop more actively, but}
20. Bb2 Bf5 21. Qd4 Qd7 22. Bc4 $1 $16 {[%csl Yb2,Rf5] is much better for
White now that an opposite-coloured bishop middlegame is on the cards.}) 20.
Bb2 Rfe8 $6 {Defending Black's position certainly isn't easy, but White's
advantage becomes a fair bit larger after this, as it becomes difficult to
protect the g7-pawn.} (20... h6 21. Bc4 Rf7 {is probably the best defence, but
here too} 22. h4 $1 $14 {[%csl Rg6][%cal Yh4h5,Yf3e5] /\h5, Ne5 and h5 sees
White increase the pressure on Black's kingside.}) 21. Qd4 $1 {White gains
some time with a nice shuffle.} Qf6 (21... Qf8 $143 {is too passive after} 22.
Bc4 Be6 23. Ng5 $16) 22. Qd2 $16 {Obviously White doesn't want to trade the
queens when Black's king is exposed.} Qd6 {The natural square for the queen.} (
{Instead} 22... Qf8 $5 {runs into greater problems after the consistent} 23.
Bc4 Be6 24. Nd4 ({If} 24. Ng5 Bf7 $14 {defends.}) 24... Qf7 25. Rad1 Rad8 26.
Nxe6 Rxe6 27. Rxe6 Qxe6 28. Qa5 Qd7 29. Qxa7 {[%cal Yc4g8,Yd1d8] <->d, /^c4-g8,
><Nd5 and White is much better with a very strong bishop pair.}) 23. Bc4 {
White's play is as simple as it is effective - now Qd4 is a big threat.} h6 {
Black hopes to hold the endgame, but we'll see that this proves a pretty
difficult task.} (23... Be6 $142 24. Qd4 Qd7 {was probably a better defence,
but not by much: White retains a clear advantage with} 25. Ng5 Nf8 26. Re5 h6
27. Nxe6 Nxe6 28. Qd3 $1 (28. Bxd5 $6 cxd5 29. Rxd5 Qf7 {gives Black decent
chances to defend because of the fixed nature of the position.}) 28... Nef4 29.
Qxf5 Qxf5 30. Rxf5 $16 {[%csl Yb2,Yc4] ^^ and White has a big advantage as the
bishops are much stronger than the knights.}) 24. Qd4 ({It doesn't make such
sense to simplify the position with} 24. Ba3 $6 Qxa3 25. Bxd5+ cxd5 26. Qxd5+
Kh7 27. Qxd7 Rxe1+ 28. Rxe1 Qxa2 29. Qxb7 Rd8 $14 {[%cal Rd8d3] /\Rd3}) 24...
Qf6 25. Qxf6 (25. Bxd5+ $6 cxd5 26. Qxd5+ {doesn't win because of} Be6) 25...
gxf6 26. Bxf6 Rxe1+ 27. Rxe1 {[%csl Yc4,Rf5,Yf6,Rg8,Rh6] This endgame is a
nightmare for Black to defend as White has the bishop pair, and Black's
kingside pawns and king are quite exposed.} Re8 {Fighting for control of the
open file, plus it's not obvious where the rook goes otherwise.} (27... b5 28.
Bxd5+ cxd5 {gives White pretty good winning chances with a rook and knight
each to complement the opposite coloured bishops, and furthermore White has
clearly the better bishop and Black's pawns are mostly weak. Play could proceed
} 29. Rd1 $1 (29. h4 {doesn't convince after} Kf7 30. Bd4 Re8 31. Rxe8 Bxe8 32.
Bxa7 f4 {and although Black is a pawn down, removing the rooks greatly
increases Black's drawing chances.}) 29... Be6 30. a4 bxa4 31. bxa4 $16 {
[%csl Ra7,Rd5,Rf5,Rg8,Rh6][%cal Yd1b1,Yb1b7,Yf3d4] /\Rb1-b7, /\Nd4 and Black
is in a bad way, with very passive pieces, plus all his remaining pawns are
isolated. Even his king can become an issue after something like Rb1-b7.}) 28.
Rd1 $1 {White has the safer king, so it is sensible to retain the major pieces.
} Be6 29. Nd4 ({Going after the bishop pair immediately, but in light of the
note to move 30, it was probably more precise to start with} 29. Bb2 Kf7 30.
Nd4 $16 {, so Black can't take away White's bishop pair.}) 29... Kf7 ({
Defending the a-pawn with} 29... a6 {gives White the time to improve his
position with moves like} 30. g3 $16) 30. Nxe6 Rxe6 $6 ({The machine doesn't
see much difference between taking on e6 or f6, but I think Black will be able
to hold the pawn-down endgame that arises from} 30... Kxf6 $1 31. Bxd5 cxd5 32.
Nc7 Re2 33. Nxd5+ Ke5 {[%csl Ye2] , as his pieces become very active, which is
a small price to pay for a pawn in a worse rook endgame. After} 34. Nb4 (34.
Nc3 {is well met by} Rc2 {,}) ({but} 34. a3 $5 {is a valid attempt to keep as
many pawns alive as possible. Still,} Rb2 35. b4 Ra2 36. Ne3 Ke6 37. Nc4 b5 38.
Nd6 a6 {should place Black in reach of a draw, with best play.}) 34... Ke6 35.
Rd8 a5 36. Nd3 Rxa2 37. Nc5+ Ke5 38. Re8+ Kd5 39. Nxb7 a4 40. bxa4 Rxa4 $14 {
[%csl Rb7] ><Nb7 and in such a three vs. two situation, especially with
White's knight currently out of play, Black should succeed in holding the draw,
though Black's split pawns give White some practical chances.}) 31. Bd4 ({
White wants to provoke some pawn weaknesses on the queenside, though} 31. Bb2 {
is good as well.}) 31... a6 32. Kf1 $1 {A nice refining move, emphasising the
fact that Black is struggling to find a useful course of action.} Ngf4 (32...
h5 {holds back White's majority but also risks making the pawns even bigger
targets of attack. One continuation could be} 33. a4 (33. Bd3 $5 Nge7 34. h4
$16 {[%csl Rh5][%cal Yd3e2,Yg2g3] /\Be2, ><h5 is probably more unpleasant.})
33... Ngf4 (33... b5 34. Bd3 Nge7 35. h4 $1 $16 {is a good example of what
Black wants to avoid - the h5-pawn is fixed as a weakness.}) 34. a5 {and
despite not having a great pawn break, the weakness of Black's pawns and the
difficulties Black faces with the pin give White winning chances, although
Black might just hold the position with} h4 35. Be3 Re4 {[%csl Gd5,Ge4,Gf4] .})
33. b4 $1 {Incrementally improving the position is a good practical try given
that the players were close to the time control.} (33. Be3 b5 34. Bxf4 bxc4 35.
Bd2 cxb3 (35... c3 $2 36. Be1 $1) 36. axb3 h5 {[%csl Ya6,Yc6,Yd5,Ye6,Yf5,Yh5]
[%cal Yd5c7] /\Nc7 is the main line given by the engine, but I think Topalov's
decision is better as here Black can simply defend everything on the light
squares to draw.}) 33... Re4 ({This is probably the best defence as} 33... Kg6
$2 34. g3 $1 Nxh3 35. f4 {[%csl Rh3] ><Nh3} Kh5 36. Bb3 $1 $16 {gives Black a
severe issue in his trapped knight on h3, which will probably have to
sacrifice itself on f4 in the near future.}) 34. f3 {Black was threatening ...
Ne6, so there is nothing better.} Re8 35. g3 $1 {Using the idea we already saw
in the previous note to force Black's pieces back.} Ne6 (35... Nxh3 $2 36. f4
$1 $16 {is even better here than before.}) 36. Bf2 {[%cal Yg3g4,Ya2a4,Yb4b5] /
\a4, b5, /\g4 Topalov has done a great job of keeping control of the position,
although now the next step is to open the position a bit more so his pieces
can show their full energy. Of course this has to be done without trading too
many pawns, as if the pawns are all left on one side of the board, the knights
will find it much easier to hold White's pieces off.} Rd8 ({This is the right
decision as} 36... Nxb4 $2 37. Rd7+ Kf6 (37... Re7 $2 {loses to} 38. Bxe6+ Kxe6
39. Rxe7+ Kxe7 40. Bc5+ $18) (37... Kg6 38. Rxb7 Nd5 39. Bxa6 {is no help for
Black either.}) 38. Rxb7 Nd5 39. Rh7 $16 {[%csl Ra6,Rc6,Rf5,Rf6,Rh6] wins a
pawn, as Black has too many weaknesses to cover.}) 37. Re1 $5 {A very smart
move, practically speaking, as it prompted Nakamura to make a typical decision
when defending a worse position - to change the position in some fashion -
which proved a mistake in this case.} (37. Bb3 $1 {as given by the engine is a
good consolidating move, although after} Kf6 {I'm not entirely sure what
White's best plan. He should probably start with} 38. a3 {, then combine ideas
of a g4 push with a later a4/b5, though I'm unsure how he should execute it.
The problem with moves such as f4, which fix the f5-pawn, is that Black can
play ...h5 and then the g4 push would trade off most of the kingside pawns -
it would be ideal if White can leave Black with at least one weak pawn on each
side of the board.}) 37... f4 $2 {If one looked at this position in isolation,
this decision would seem a bit strange as the f4-pawn becomes fixed as a
weakness, but we have to remember that Black has been under pressure from the
early part of the game from White's very dynamic play, starting with his pawn
sacrifice earlier, and when faced with such persistent pressure, it's very
hard not to make a serious mistake eventually, especially when we consider
that both players were a bit short of time.} (37... Kf6 {is probably best as
I'm not infatuated with any of White's kingside pawn moves at this stage:} 38.
g4 (38. f4 h5 {[%cal Rg3g4] /\g4 is what Black wants, when White lacks a good
breakthrough on the kingside - as mentioned before, g4 exchanges too many
pawns to be ideal.}) (38. h4 $5 {and then g4 may be the most precise.}) 38...
Ndf4 $1 39. Bxe6 Nxe6 40. Bh4+ Ng5 41. f4 fxg4 42. hxg4 Rd4 43. fxg5+ hxg5 44.
Bg3 Rxb4 45. Kf2 Rxg4 {[%cal Yg4a4,Yb7b4,Yb4b3] /\Ra4, b5-b4 and while White
has one pawn remaining, Black should be able to trade the pawn off and achieve
a draw.}) ({A waiting move such as} 37... h5 {was also possible. As usual
White is better, but Black should be able to defend if he maintains his setup
until White makes a major push.}) 38. g4 {[%csl Rf4][%cal Yh3h4,Yg4g5,Re1e4] /
\h4-g5, /\Re4, ><f4 Now Black has serious problems, as White will be able to
eventually create a passed pawn with h4 and g5, while leaving Black with this
weakness on f4.} Ng5 {The knight is going to be pushed back by h4 later anyway,
but it's hard to offer a better suggestion.} ({For instance} 38... Kf6 39. Re4
{shows up the problem of the f4-pawn,}) ({and} 38... Re8 {(trying to bait
White into cashing in)} {is strongly met by} 39. h4 $5 {It transpires the
b4-pawn is not a freebie:} (39. Re4 $5 {[%csl Rd5,Re6][%cal Yc4f7] /^c4-f7,
><Nd5, ><Ne6 to keep consolidating is also possible - quite importantly,
Black's knights are both tied up as moving either one allows Rxf4.}) (39. Bxd5
$6 cxd5 40. Re5 {would be too impatient after} d4 41. Rd5 Rc8 42. Bxd4 Rc4 (
42... Rc2 $143 43. Rf5+ Ke8 44. Be5 Rxa2 45. Bxf4 Nxf4 46. Rxf4 {gives White
excellent winning chances.}) 43. Bc5 Nxc5 44. bxc5 Ke6 45. Rh5 Rc3 46. Rxh6+
Ke5 {[%cal Yc3c2,Yf1f2] /\Rc2 and Black's pieces are very active, which gives
him reasonable drawing chances even being two pawns down - which will soon
become one.}) 39... Nxb4 40. Rb1 a5 41. a3 Nc2 42. Rxb7+ Kf6 43. Bb3 $1 Nxa3
44. Rh7 Kg6 45. Ra7 Nb5 46. Bc2+ Kf6 47. Rxa5 $16 {and with some fine
technical play White has obtained a clear advantage as all of Black's
remaining pawns are quite weak.}) 39. Kg2 Re8 (39... Ne6 {is a hard move to
play as it admits Black has nothing to do, but it was an alternative.}) 40. Rd1
$1 (40. Rxe8 $2 Kxe8 41. Bxd5 cxd5 42. h4 Ne6 {[%csl Yc4,Yd4,Ye4,Yf4] looks
like a fortress to me as White's king has no way to penetrate through the
c4-d4-e4 barrier.}) 40... Re5 $6 {Black was probably already losing, but this
makes White's task easier.} (40... Rd8 41. Bb3 Kf6 {seems the best defence,
but still} 42. Bd4+ (42. Rd4 Ke5 43. h4 Ne6 44. Re4+ Kd6 45. Bb6 Rg8 46. a3 {
is another approach, again with a clear edge. Normally cutting the opponent's
king off from your majority would be an achievement, but the other pieces have
taken its place quite well.}) 42... Kg6 43. h4 Ne6 44. Kf2 Nxd4 45. Rxd4 Kf6
46. Bxd5 Ke5 (46... Rxd5 47. Rxd5 cxd5 48. Ke2 Ke6 49. Kd3 $18 {is an easy win.
}) 47. Re4+ Kxd5 48. Rxf4 $18 {[%csl Rd5][%cal Yf4f8] and this should be a
quite easy win.}) 41. Bd4 ({This should be good enough, but the rook felt
offside on e5, so I would have gone for} 41. h4 $1 Ne6 42. Bd4 Nxd4 43. Rxd4
Kg6 44. Bxd5 cxd5 (44... Rxd5 45. Rxd5 cxd5 46. Kf2 $18) 45. Kf2 Re3 46. Rxd5
Ra3 {and after some brief analysis I concluded the rook ending is probably a
win for White, based on} 47. Rd6+ Kg7 48. Rb6 Rxa2+ 49. Ke1 Ra3 50. Rxb7+ Kg8
51. Ke2 Re3+ 52. Kf2 Rb3 53. Rb6 Rb2+ 54. Ke1 Kg7 55. Rxa6 Rxb4 56. Ke2 Rd4 57.
h5 Kh7 58. Re6 $18 {[%csl Rf4][%cal Ye6e4] as Black's king is cut off from the
f-pawn, which will soon be lost with Re4.}) 41... Re8 (41... Re7 {is well
answered by} 42. h4 Ne6 43. Kf2 (43. Bf2 $2 Nxb4 $1 44. Bc5 Nc2 {is suddenly
not that simple.}) 43... Ke8 44. a3 $16 {and White's position is fully
organised, and he will start working on the g5 break.}) 42. h4 ({White could
have probably cashed in with} 42. Bxd5+ cxd5 43. h4 Ne6 44. Bb6 d4 45. Rd2 $1
Rc8 46. Bxd4 Nxd4 47. Rxd4 Rc2+ 48. Kh3 Rxa2 49. Rxf4+ Kg7 50. Rd4 $18 {
and White should win this easily. Obviously a possible situation of two
connected passed pawns vs. one passer is a win for the stronger side (in
general).}) 42... Ne6 43. Bf2 $6 ({White keeps the bishop pair, but he could
transpose to the previous note with} 43. Bxd5 $1 cxd5 44. Bb6) 43... Nec7 (
43... Rd8 $142 44. Re1 Ke7 45. Re4 $16 {[%cal Ye6f4,Yd5f4,Yd8d2] is much
better for White, but Black's position is not collapsing just yet.}) 44. h5 $1
{A very nice move to fix the h6-pawn as a target too, and this also makes the
g5 break easier to achieve. Then the h-pawn will be a true monster.} (44. Bc5
$1 {was also strong, to deprive Black's pieces of good squares.}) 44... Kf6 ({
Waiting around doesn't work here either:} 44... Re6 45. Bd4 Ke7 46. Kf2 Kf8 47.
Bb3 Kf7 48. Rg1 $16 {[%cal Yg4g5,Yb3c2,Yc2h7,Yd4h8] and once g5 comes, the
passed h-pawn will be extremely difficult to stop, as the bishops will support
it almost perfectly.}) 45. Kh3 $1 {A nice move, ensuring ...Ne3 doesn't happen
with check.} b5 $5 ({Black gets desperate as} 45... Kg7 46. Bd4+ Kh7 47. Bc5
Kg8 48. Kh4 {[%csl Yh5][%cal Yg4g5] and g5 would be quite an easy plan to
execute.}) 46. Bd4+ Kg5 {Objectively this isn't the best move, but that
shouldn't be the main consideration in a losing position.} ({Instead} 46... Kf7
{makes it quite easy for White after} 47. Bd3 Kg8 48. Bg6 Re7 49. g5 hxg5 50.
Rg1 Ne6 51. Be5 $18) 47. Bxd5 ({Good enough to win, but the most crushing was
the quiet} 47. Bb3 $1 {[%csl Rg5][%cal Yd4f2,Yf2h4] when Black is quite
helpless against the plan of Bf2-h4, for example:} Nxb4 48. Bf2 Kf6 49. Bh4+
Ke5 50. Bf7 Rf8 51. Re1+ Kd4 52. Re4+ Kc3 53. Be1+ Kd3 54. Bg6 {and Black
cannot avoid substantial material loss.}) 47... Nxd5 48. Rc1 ({Or} 48. a3 {
first.}) 48... Re6 (48... Nxb4 $2 49. Rc5+ Nd5 50. Rxc6 {will be mate with Rg6.
}) 49. Rc5 {Here Komodo and Stockfish share a little joke with us by claiming
'0.00' after 49...Rd6. Were you fooled.} (49. a3 {transposes to the position
after move 53 in the game.}) 49... Rd6 50. Bg7 Re6 51. Bd4 Rd6 {Now you get
the joke - the machines were referencing the twofold repetition of the
position! Of course, this is an absolutely normal technique to emphasise one's
control of the position and gain some seconds on the clock.} 52. a3 $1 Re6 53.
Rc1 {transposes to the position after move 53 in the game.} Ne7 54. Bf2 $1 {
Now White's converting task is trivial.} Kf6 55. Bh4+ ({I'll just point out
for instructional purposes that} 55. Re1 Rxe1 56. Bxe1 {is a winning endgame
after} Nd5 57. Kh4 Kf7 58. Bd2 Kf6 59. Bc1 Kg7 60. Bb2+ Kh7 61. Be5 Kg8 62. g5
hxg5+ 63. Kxg5 {. However Topalov's move is the strongest.}) 55... Kf7 56. g5 (
56. Bxe7 Kxe7 57. g5 {also won.}) 56... hxg5 57. Bxg5 Nd5 58. Kg4 {White wins
the f4-pawn.} Kg7 59. Bxf4 Nxf4 60. Kxf4 {[%csl Rc6][%cal Re6c6] True, with
the queenside pawns gone this is a theoretical draw, but the presence of these
pawns make the position a win for White, as Black is tied to the defence of
these pawns and has too much ground to cover.} Rd6 61. Rc3 Kf6 ({Nothing is
altered by} 61... Rd4+ 62. Kg5 Rd5+ 63. Kg4 Rd4+ 64. f4 $18) 62. Kg4 a5 {
A last attempt to confuse White as} (62... Kg7 63. f4 Kh6 64. Re3 Rf6 65. f5 {
is not hard to execute.}) 63. bxa5 ({It would be a huge pity to allow} 63. Rc5
$4 axb4 64. axb4 Rd4+ 65. f4 Rxb4 66. Rxc6+ Kf7 {with a draw, even if the
b-pawn is absent.}) 63... Rd4+ 64. f4 Ra4 65. Rxc6+ Kg7 66. a6 {White keeps a
pawn on the queenside, so he just wins.} Rxa3 67. f5 b4 68. f6+ Kf7 69. h6 Kg6
70. Rc8 b3 ({If} 70... Rxa6 71. h7 Kxh7 72. f7 $18) 71. Rg8+ Kf7 72. h7 Ra4+
73. Kf3 {Black resigned.} 1-0

[Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2015.05.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2754"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "Illingworth,M"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2015.05.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
03]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 5. c3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:13]} 6. O-O {
[%emt 0:00:12]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 7. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} ({The previous
game between the two players in this variation went} 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3
Nh5 10. d4 Bb6 11. Na3 Nxg3 12. hxg3 exd4 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Nxd4 Qf6 15. Nc4
Ba6 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Re1 c5 18. Nf5 Bc8 19. Ne3 Be6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (66) Vachier
Lagrave,M (2703)-Karjakin,S (2760) Moscow 2010}) 7... Ne7 $5 {[%emt 0:00:15]
This is clearly Black's trendiest continuation, avoiding any damage to his
pawn structure with Bxc6 (a very common theme in this anti-Berlin) and luring
White's centre forward.} 8. d4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} exd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 9. cxd4 {
[%emt 0:00:02]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 10. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:07] This is White's
main move at present, supporting the centre in a standard fashion.} ({For} 10.
b3 {see 1-0 (53) Caruana,F (2775)-Kramnik,V (2799) Dortmund 2012 CBM 150 
[Caruana,F]}) (10. Bd3 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qb3 d5 (12... Nc6 $5 13. d5 Ne7 $132)
13. e5 Nd7 14. Qc2 h6 $13 {0-1 (39) Durarbayli,V (2584)-Bacrot,E (2722)
Shamkir 2014 led to a very complicated position, though} 15. Re1 $5 {might be
an improvement.}) (10. h3 {is the main alternative, but after} d5 11. e5 Ne4
12. Bd3 Bf5 (12... f5 $5 13. exf6 Nxf6 $132 {also deserves attention.}) 13. Qe2
Nc6 14. Rd1 Bxd4 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Bxe4 Bxe4 17. Nxd4 Qd5 18. Nxc6 Qxc6 19. f3
Bd5 $11 {½-½ (30) Andreikin,D (2709)-Karjakin,S (2766) Khanty-Mansiysk 2014
CBM 160 [ChessBase Website]  and the opposite-coloured bishops made the
position quite dry.}) 10... Bg4 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 11. h3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bh5 {
[%emt 0:00:06]} 12. a3 $5 {[%emt 0:00:07] This is the latest try, essentially
waiting for Black to show his cards.} ({A recent high-level game went} 12. Qb3
d5 13. e5 Nd7 14. a4 $5 a6 (14... a5 15. Qd1 Nb8 16. Nb3 Nbc6 17. Bg5 Nb4 18.
Rc1 h6 $11 {1-0 (61) Vachier Lagrave,M (2758)-Leko,P (2723) Beijing 2014,
offered chances for both sides.}) 15. Bd3 c5 16. g4 {1-0 (32) Svidler,P (2732)
-Ragger,M (2658) Germany 2015, , and Black had the opportunity for} (16. Qc2
$142) 16... Bg6 $1 17. Bxg6 fxg6 18. e6 Nf6 19. Ne5 c4 20. Qe3 Qc7 {when Black
obtains a strong initiative; the e6 and d4 pawns are weak and White's king is
really very exposed.}) 12... a6 {[%emt 0:33:31]} 13. Bf1 {[%emt 0:00:20]} ({
Also possible is} 13. Ba4 Kh8 ({I'd prefer to secure the bishop's future with} 
13... h6 $142 14. e5 Nfd5 $132) 14. g4 Bg6 15. Bc2 d5 16. e5 $14 {1/2-1/2 (66)
Bok,B (2587)-Kovalenko,I (2661) Moscow 2015}) 13... Re8 {[%emt 0:06:04]} (13...
Nc6 $5 14. e5 dxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. g4 Bg6 17. Nc4 Ba7 18. b4 $13 {leads to
very sharp play; White has the initiative but if he ever loses control he will
have some serious kingside weaknesses. Practical tests are required to draw a
final conclusion.}) 14. e5 {[%emt 0:01:59] This is the logical continuation of
White's play.} (14. Nc4 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Ng6 16. Nxb6 cxb6 $132 {is hard to
assess, but Black has an easy plan of ...Nh5-f4 and should be doing well.}) (
14. Qc2 $6 Nc6 $1 15. d5 Nd4 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 $15 {is even more comfortable for
Black who has no problem pieces in this structure. Especially the d4-bishop is
a monster.}) 14... Nfd5 {[%emt 0:03:11]} (14... dxe5 15. dxe5 Nfd5 16. Nc4 Ba7
{is also possible, e.g.} 17. Bd3 h6 (17... Bg6 18. e6 $1 fxe6 19. Bg5 Nc3 20.
bxc3 Qxd3 21. Nce5 Qxd1 22. Raxd1 $11 {gives White enough compensation for the
pawn as e6 is very weak.}) 18. Be4 Bg6 19. e6 $5 fxe6 20. Qc2 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 $44
{and once again White has good compensation, this time because of the exposed
position of Black's king.}) 15. Nc4 {[%emt 0:03:35]} (15. exd6 $6 {is
suggested by the engine at a high depth, but it would admit that something
already went wrong.} cxd6 {and I even prefer Black's game marginally because
of his more harmonious minor pieces.}) 15... Ba7 {[%emt 0:04:53]} 16. g4 $1 {
[%emt 0:17:55] I think White has to be aggressive like this, as half-measures
such as} (16. Bd3 b5 17. Na5 h6 18. Be4 dxe5 19. dxe5 Qd7 {could see White
easily lose the initiative, though} 20. e6 $1 fxe6 21. Ne5 Bxd1 22. Nxd7 Bh5
23. Nb3 {just about keeps the balance.}) 16... Bg6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 17. Bg5 {
[%emt 0:00:05] White should maintain the pressure as} (17. Bg2 b5 18. Na5 Bb6 {
is pretty comfortable for Black who has an iron grip over d5.}) 17... dxe5 {
[%emt 0:20:43] There's nothing wrong with releasing the tension, but} (17... b5
18. Na5 Qd7 {(as given by Karjakin) was also possible as usual.}) (17... h6 18.
Bh4 b5 19. Na5 Qd7 {may be the most accurate move order so the f4-square
beckons for the black knight, though White does get the option of} 20. Bg3 {
now to cover it. The position should be dynamically balanced after} Bb6 21. Nb3
Rad8 22. Rc1 Bh7 $5 $13 {with a very rich and complex position.}) 18. dxe5 {
[%emt 0:00:39]} h6 {[%emt 0:04:48]} 19. Bh4 {[%emt 0:02:17]} (19. Bxe7 $6 Nxe7
$15 {would only serve to leave f4 as a permanent hole in White's camp.}) 19...
b5 $1 {[%emt 0:10:28] Both sides continue to fight tooth and nail for the
initiative.} 20. Na5 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Qc8 {[%emt 0:01:57]} 21. Rc1 $6 {[%emt 0:
11:51] It's hard to think of a more natural move than placing the rook
opposite the opponent's queen. However, in my opinion it is the beginning of
White's problems.} (21. e6 $5 {is natural when Black can't block the pawn with
...f6:} Bb6 (21... f6 $2 22. Nc6 $1 Nxc6 23. Qxd5 $16) (21... fxe6 $6 22. Ne5
Bh7 23. Bg2 {also gives White a very strong grip over the position.}) 22. exf7+
(22. Nb3 $6 f6 {is over-rated by the machines - the e6-pawn is under control
whereas Black is ready to advance his queenside majority, with the much easier
game.}) 22... Bxf7 23. Qd2 Ng6 24. Bg3 Qd7 {and the position is close to equal,
but White has to be more careful because of his less safe king.}) (21. Nc6 Nxc6
22. Qxd5 {might be best of all, when} Ne7 (22... Re6 $5) 23. Bxe7 Rxe7 24. Nh4
Bh7 25. Nf5 Rd7 26. Qc6 Bxf5 27. gxf5 Rd2 28. Re2 Rxe2 29. Bxe2 Qe8 $1 $11 {
equalises the position.}) 21... c5 {[%emt 0:02:14] Suddenly Black has taken
the initiative with his more flexible majority.} 22. b4 $1 {[%emt 0:19:50]
Probably best under the circumstances.} ({I can entirely understand why White
avoided} 22. e6 $6 f6 {as the pawn is very safely blockaded, and after} 23. Bg3
Bb6 24. b4 Rd8 $1 (24... c4 25. Nh4 Bh7 26. Bxc4 $1 bxc4 27. Rxc4 Bc7 28. Bxc7
Nxc7 29. Qd7 $1 Ned5 30. Rec1 Qxd7 31. exd7 Re7 32. d8=Q+ Rxd8 33. Nc6 Rdd7 34.
Nxe7+ Rxe7 35. Nf5 Bxf5 36. gxf5 Kf7 $11 {is about equal, though not entirely
settled.}) 25. Nh4 Bh7 26. Qf3 Bxa5 27. bxa5 c4 28. Nf5 Bxf5 29. gxf5 Qc5 $17 {
Black's superior majority gives him the advantage.}) 22... c4 {[%emt 0:02:55]
The obvious move, but} (22... Bb6 $5 {deserved attention, intending} 23. e6
fxe6 24. Ne5 Ra7 25. Bg2 c4 26. Naxc4 $1 bxc4 27. Nxc4 Bc7 28. Nd6 Bxd6 29.
Rxc8 Nxc8 30. Bxd5 exd5 31. Qxd5+ Kh8 32. Rxe8+ Bxe8 $13 {with a completely
unclear position. The machine helpfully gives '0.00'...}) 23. Nd4 $2 {[%emt 0:
03:01] Perhaps the first real mistake of the game, but one that proves very
costly in such a sharp position.} (23. Nd2 $1 Rd8 (23... Qe6 24. Ndxc4 $1 bxc4
25. Bxc4 {gives White a lot of compensation as it's hard to get out of the
a2-g8 diagonal pin.}) 24. Qf3 Qe6 25. Nb7 {was the way to maintain the balance:
} Rd7 26. Nd6 Rf8 27. N2xc4 $1 Rc7 $1 28. Na5 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Qxe5 30. Bg3 $13 {
and it's anyone's guess as to who is better here...I'll say it is equal.})
23... Qc7 $1 {[%emt 0:03:24] Now White isn't in time to coordinate his pieces
and Black takes control.} 24. Nab3 {[%emt 0:05:37]} (24. Nxc4 bxc4 25. Rxc4 Qb6
26. Qf3 {is given by the machine, but it's fairly clear that White is just
down a piece after} Rad8 $17) (24. e6 Rad8 {however makes it very hard to
defend the d4-knight in the near future, and again White has to make an
unsound sacrifice in} 25. Nxc4 bxc4 26. Bxc4 Qb7 27. exf7+ Bxf7 $17) 24... Rad8
{[%emt 0:03:14]} 25. Qf3 {[%emt 0:05:04] Clearly White had to escape the
d-file pin.} Nxb4 $1 {[%emt 0:02:20] Not a particularly hard tactic to find.}
26. axb4 {[%emt 0:01:17]} (26. Nxb5 axb5 27. axb4 Nc6 $1 28. Bxd8 Rxd8 $19 {
is a decisive exchange sacrifice; Black will take on b4 and then the connected
passers supported by the bishops will decide.}) 26... Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 27.
Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Rxd4 $19 {[%emt 0:00:02] It's all over for White; he is
a pawn down, b4 will soon fall, and Black has the initiative to boot.} 28. e6 {
[%emt 0:00:11]} (28. Bg3 Qb6 $19) 28... f6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 29. Rcd1 {[%emt 0:
10:39]} Rxd1 {[%emt 0:01:02]} 30. Rxd1 {[%emt 0:00:25]} c3 {[%emt 0:00:57] The
c-pawn will wrap up the proceedings in no time.} 31. Bg3 {[%emt 0:05:04]} Qc6 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} 32. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:49]} c2 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 33. Rc1 {[%emt 0:
00:02]} Qc3 {[%emt 0:03:40]} 34. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Qxb4 {[%emt 0:01:44]} 35.
Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 36. Qf3 {[%emt 0:02:50]} Qc4 {
[%emt 0:00:51]} 37. Qb7 {[%emt 0:00:58]} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 38. f4 {[%emt 0:
00:03]} Qe3 {[%emt 0:01:08]} 0-1

[Event "World Women-ch"]
[Site "Shanghai/Vladivostok"]
[Date "2020.01.16"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ju, Wenjun"]
[Black "Goryachkina, Aleksandra"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2584"]
[BlackElo "2578"]
[Annotator "Ju,Wenjun"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2020.01.05"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 195 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2020.05.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2020.05.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Dies ist die siebte Partie des Wettkampfes und die erste Partie in
Wladiwostok. Die Partien davor wurden in Shanghai ausgetragen.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O Nd7 7. Be3 $5 {A rare move to
avoid preparation. Ein selten gespielter Zug, um die Vorbereitung zu umgehen.}
Qe7 8. Qe1 O-O 9. Nc3 Re8 10. a3 $5 {To prevent Bb4 and waiting what Black
will do. Verhindert Lb4 und befragt Schwarz, wie er reagieren will.} Bd6 {
[#] [#]} (10... Nf8 11. d4 exd4 12. Nxd4) 11. Nd2 $1 {With the idea to play f4.
White's pawn structure is better than Black's and White keeps a slight
advantage. Die Idee ist f4. Die weiße Bauernstruktur ist besser als die
schwarze. Weiß behält einen leichten Vorteil.} Nf8 12. f4 exf4 13. Bxf4 Ng6
14. Bg3 Be6 15. Nf3 Rad8 16. Kh1 Bg4 17. h3 Bxf3 18. Rxf3 Rd7 19. Rf5 (19. Nd1
$5 {With the idea Ne3.}) 19... b6 20. Ne2 c5 21. b3 Qd8 22. Qf2 Bxg3 23. Qxg3
Qh4 {[#] [#]} 24. Qxh4 {I decided to exchange the queens, because I thought
that White will have some advantage on the kingside in the endgame. Ich
beschloss, die Damen zu tauschen, weil ich dachte, dass Weiß im Endspiel am
Königsflügel einen gewissen Vorteil haben würde.} (24. Qe3 $5 Ne7 25. Rf2
Nc6 26. Raf1 $14) 24... Nxh4 25. Rf2 Ng6 26. Nc3 Ne5 27. g3 a5 {[#] Now Black
has problems to mobilize her queenside. [#] Nach diesem Zug verliert Schwarz
die Möglichkeit, am Damenflügel aktiv zu werden.} 28. a4 (28. g4 {is more
accurate. ist genauer.}) 28... Nc6 (28... Nxd3 $5 {During the game I was
wondering about ... Nxd3. Black gets three pawns for the knight and the
position is unclear. Während der Partie dachte ich über Sxd3 nach, mit drei
Bauern für den Springer. Aber es ist etwas unklar.} 29. cxd3 Rxd3 30. Rc2 Rxg3
31. Rd1 Rxh3+ 32. Kg2 Re3 $44) 29. Kg2 Nb4 30. g4 Re5 {[#] [#]} 31. Nd1 $1 {
The square e3 is the best place for the knight and White will keep pressing on
the kingside. Das Feld e3 ist der beste Platz für den Springer. Weiß hält
den Druck am Königsflügel.} h5 32. Ne3 Nc6 33. Kg3 Nd4 34. Raf1 f6 35. Nd5
Kf7 36. Ne3 Kg8 {[#] [#]} 37. Nf5 $6 {This move leads to a rook endgame and
takes some pressure from Black's position. White should keep the pieces on the
board. Dieser Zug führt zu einem Turmendspiel und nimmt etwas Druck von der
schwarzen Position. Weiß sollte die Figuren auf dem Brett behalten.} (37. h4
$5 hxg4 38. Nxg4 Rh5 (38... Re8 39. h5 $14) 39. Rxf6 $1 Nxc2 40. Rf8+ Kh7 41.
R1f7 $1 Rxd3+ 42. Kf4 Rxh4 43. Kg5 $16) 37... hxg4 38. hxg4 Nxf5+ 39. gxf5 g6
$1 40. fxg6 Rg5+ 41. Kf4 Rxg6 {[#] [#]} 42. Ke3 {White is still better, but
Black can defend. Weiß steht noch etwas besser, aber Schwarz kann sich
verteidigen.} Rf7 43. Kd2 Kf8 44. Kc3 Ke7 45. Kc4 c6 46. Rh1 Rg8 47. Rh6 Ke6
48. Rh5 Rfg7 49. c3 Rg5 50. Rh6 R5g6 51. Rfh2 f5 52. Rxg6+ Rxg6 53. exf5+ Kxf5
54. d4 cxd4 55. cxd4 Rg1 56. Rh6 Rc1+ 57. Kd3 Rd1+ 58. Kc2 Rxd4 59. Rxc6 Rb4
60. Kc3 Ke5 61. Rc4 Rxc4+ 62. Kxc4 Kd6 {Black's king is just in time. Der
schwarze König kommt rechtzeitig zurück.} 63. Kb5 Kc7 64. Ka6 Kc6 65. Ka7 Kc7
66. Ka6 Kc6 67. Ka7 Kc7 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch07 Lasker-Marshall +8-0=7"]
[Site "USA (5 cities)"]
[Date "1907.01.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Marshall, Frank James"]
[Black "Lasker, Emanuel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[Annotator "Kasparov,G"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1907.01.26"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "MainBase"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,98,38,31,21,17,25,21,36,-44,3,-66,9,8,33,15,25,-16,-1,-84,-81,-58,-35,
-17,1,1,17,36,0,50,59,62,-22,-24,-27,-29,-29,-24,-24,-24,-18,-20,-20,-34,-26,
-44,-46,-47,-51,-53,-54,-54,-43,-68,-67,-91,-97,-126,-130,-138,-144,-141,-141,
-141,-116,-115,-149,-174,-200,-181,-142,-153,-217,-211,-211,-319,-50,-363,-377,
-377,-450,-488,-488,-488,-547,-544,-569,-618,-562,-567,-616,-1360,-1313,-1478,
-1500,-1500,-1928,-1531,-1531,-2087,-1534] Frank Marshall, the famous American
player, was a fearless chess cowboy who at the first chance would rush into
unpredictable complications. His aggressive style multiplied by youthful
energy and natural optimism rewarded him with convincing victories in three
big international tournaments. In 1904 at Cambridge Springs Marshall was first
with the phenomenal result of +11, -0, =4, two points ahead of Lasker!
Enthusastic American sponsors soon raised the money for Marshall to challenge
Lasker for the World Championship title. But the crushing final score of this
match, +8, -0, =7 in favour of Lasker, showed that both players belonged in
different leagues. Frank Marshall, der berühmte amerikanische Spieler, war ein
furchtloser Schach-Cowboy, der sich gern bei jeder Gelegenheit in
unübersehbare Komplikationen stürzte. Sein aggressiver Stil, potenziert durch
jugendliche Energie und natürlichen Optimismus, wurde in drei großen
internationalen Turnieren mit überzeugenden Siegen belohnt. 1904 in Cambridge
Springs war Marshall Erster mit dem phänomenalen Ergebnis von +11, -0, =4,
zwei Punkte vor Lasker! Begeisterte amerikanische Sponsoren brachten bald das
Geld auf, damit Marshall den Weltmeister Lasker herausfordern konnte. Aber das
niederschmetternde Endresultat des Matches, +8, -0, =7 zu Laskers Gunsten,
zeigte, daß die beiden Spieler in verschiedene Kategorien gehörten.} 1. e4 {
The match was played in 5 cities: New York, Philadelhia, Memphis, Chicago and
Baltimore.} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Be7 6. e5 Ne4 7. Nxd4
O-O 8. Nf5 d5 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Re1 Qh4 12. Be3 f6 13. f3 {[#]}
fxe5 $1 (13... Ng5 {was also playable, but Lasker makes a wise psychological
choice. He knows that in the forthcoming complications after the piece
sacrifice Marshall would feel more comfortable with the black pieces. Auch 13..
.Sg5 war spielbar, aber Lasker trifft eine psychologisch kluge Wahl. Er weiß,
daß in den Komplikationen nach dem Figurenopfer sein Gegner Marshall lieber
die schwarzen Steine führen würde.}) 14. fxe4 d4 {I wonder whether Lasker
calculated all the lines, but his intuition hasn't betrayed him. Black was not
in danger of losing. Ich frage mich, ob Lasker alle Varianten berechnet hat,
aber seine Intuition hat ihn nicht im Stich gelassen. Schwarz war nie in
Verlustgefahr.} 15. g3 {A bishop retreat loses instantly Der Läuferrückzug
verliert sofort:} (15. Bd2 $2 Bg4 16. Qc1 Rf2 $1 17. Bg5 Rxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Bh3+
19. Kh1 Qf2 {with mate, or mit Matt, oder}) (15. Bc1 Qf2+ 16. Kh1 Bg4 {with
the same result. mit gleichem Ausgang.}) 15... Qf6 16. Bxd4 $2 {Lasker's
knowledge of human nature proved to be correct again. Marshall didn't want to
face a strong attack, although Black's initiative was only enough to draw.
Laskers Kenntnis der menschlichen Natur erweist sich wieder einmal als
untrüglich. Marshall wollte sich nicht einem starken Angriff ausgesetzt sehen,
obwohl die schwarze Initiative nur gut genug war für ein Remis.} (16. Bd2 Qf2+
17. Kh1 Bh3 18. Rg1 Bf1 $1 {Threatening Be2 and Bf3. Droht Le2 und Lf3.} (18...
h5 $2 19. Na3 Bg4 20. Rf1 $1) 19. Be1 Qe3 20. Nd2 Be2 21. Qc1 Bf3+ 22. Nxf3
Qxf3+ 23. Rg2 Qf1+ {with perpetual check. mit Dauerschach.}) 16... exd4 17. Rf1
Qxf1+ 18. Qxf1 Rxf1+ 19. Kxf1 {Clearly, when Marshall decided to avoid all
dangers posed by 16.Bd2 he thought that this endgame was clearly drawn. But
Lasker had a different opinion. Now enjoy his endgame magic! Als sich Marshall
entschied, den Gefahren von 16.Ld2 aus dem Weg zu gehen, glaubte er
offensichtlich, daß dieses Endspiel remis wäre. Aber Lasker ist anderer
Meinung. Erfreuen Sie sich an seiner Magie im Endspiel!} Rb8 $1 20. b3 Rb5 $1 {
[#]} 21. c4 $2 {Marshall's fantasy was lost in the endgame desert. His radical
solution to the weakness of the pawn on c2 was a serious positional mistake.
Marshalls Phantasie läßt ihn in dieser Endspiel-Wüste im Stich. Seine radikale
Lösung für den schwachen Bauern auf c2 war ein ernster positioneller Fehler.} (
21. c3 $2 Re5 {und}) (21. Na3 $2 Re5 22. Re1 Ra5 {also wasn't satisfactory,
but waren auch nicht ausreichend, aber}) (21. Nd2 $1 {would let White succeed
in his struggle for a draw. würde Weiß überleben lassen.} Rc5 22. Rc1 Ba6+ 23.
Kf2 (23. Ke1 $2 Rc3 $1) 23... Bd3 (23... Rc3 24. Nb1 $1) 24. Nf3 Rxc2+ 25. Rxc2
Bxc2 26. Nxd4 Bxe4 27. Ne6 Bb1 28. a3 Ba2 29. Nc5 {etc.}) 21... Rh5 $1 22. Kg1
(22. h4 $2 g5 $1 23. hxg5 Rh1+ {and the black rook permanently immobilises two
pieces. und der schwarze Turm hält dauerhaft zwei weiße Figuren auf der ersten
Reihe fest.}) 22... c5 23. Nd2 Kf7 24. Rf1+ Ke7 25. a3 $6 {Not a good time to
show any activity. Kein guter Augenblick, irgendwelche Aktivität zu entwickeln.
} Rh6 $1 26. h4 (26. b4 Ra6 {is also hopeless. ist ebenfalls hoffnungslos.})
26... Ra6 {What a rook! It's impressive manoeuvre Rb8-b5-h5-h6-a6 has wreaked
tremendous damage in the enemy's position. Was für ein Turm! Sein
beeindruckendes Manöver Tb8-b5-h5-h6-a6 hat fürchterlichen Schaden in der
gegnerischen Stellung angerichtet.} 27. Ra1 Bg4 $1 28. Kf2 Ke6 29. a4 {The
rook endgame after Das Turmendspiel nach} (29. Nf3 Bxf3 30. Kxf3 Ke5 {is
completely lost. ist gänzlich verloren.}) 29... Ke5 {It's hard to believe:
just ten moves and White's position is in tatters. Es ist kaum zu glauben:
nach gerade zehn Zügen ist die weiße Stellung ein einziger Scherbenhaufen.} 30.
Kg2 Rf6 31. Re1 d3 32. Rf1 Kd4 {Unfortunately our hard-working rook will not
see the final black triumph. Bedauerlicherweise wird der fleißige Turm das
Ende des schwarzen Triumphes nicht miterleben.} 33. Rxf6 gxf6 34. Kf2 c6 35. a5
a6 {Zugzwang! The rest is irrelevant. Zugzwang! Der Rest ist nicht mehr
belangvoll.} 36. Nf1 Kxe4 37. Ke1 Be2 38. Nd2+ Ke3 39. Nb1 f5 40. Nd2 h5 41.
Nb1 Kf3 42. Nc3 Kxg3 43. Na4 f4 44. Nxc5 f3 45. Ne4+ Kf4 46. Nd6 c5 47. b4 cxb4
48. c5 b3 49. Nc4 Kg3 0-1

[Event "POL-ch 58th"]
[Site "Warsaw"]
[Date "2001.03.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Jaracz, Pawel"]
[Black "Cyborowski, Lukasz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2477"]
[BlackElo "2432"]
[Annotator "Konikowski,J"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2001.03.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 082"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8.
Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 c6 10. Ba4 d6 11. Nd2 g5 $1 12. Bg3 Bg4 13. Qe1 h5 14. h3 h4 $5
$146 {[%mdl 8]} (14... Be6 15. Bb3 h4 16. Bh2 Qd7 (16... Bxb3 $5 17. axb3 g4
$36) 17. Bxe6 Qxe6 18. Nc4 g4 19. hxg4 Qxg4 $2 (19... Nxg4 $142) 20. Nxd6+ Kf8
21. Qd1 Qg5 22. Qf3 h3 23. g3 Rd8 24. Nc4 Ng4 25. Rad1 Rh6 26. Nxb6 axb6 27.
Qe2 c5 28. Kh1 Rg6 29. a3 $14 {Jantzen,H-Nogly,C/MVP 1999/}) 15. Bh2 (15. Bxh4
Bxh3 16. Bxg5 Bxg2 $1 17. Kxg2 Qd7 $19) 15... Be6 16. d4 g4 17. hxg4 (17. d5
Bd7 18. Nc4 gxh3 19. dxc6 (19. Nxd6+ Ke7 20. Nf5+ Bxf5 21. exf5 Qxd5 22. Qxe5+
Qxe5 23. Bxe5 Rhg8 24. Rfe1 Rxg2+ 25. Kh1 Nd7 26. Bg3+ Kf8 27. Bxh4 Bxf2 28.
Bxf2 Rxf2 $19) 19... Ke7 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. cxd7 hxg2 22. Kxg2 Rxa4 $17) 17...
Nxg4 18. d5 Bd7 19. dxc6 bxc6 20. Qe2 (20. Nc4 Qf6 (20... h3 21. Bg3 Qf6 $1)
21. Qe2 Rg8 $17) 20... Nxh2 21. Kxh2 Qg5 22. Nc4 Ke7 23. Qd3 $2 (23. Qd2 $142)
23... Rh6 {[%mdl 8192]} (23... Qg3+ $142 $3 24. Qxg3 (24. fxg3 hxg3+ 25. Kxg3
Rag8+ 26. Kf3 Bg4+ 27. Kg3 Be2#) 24... hxg3+ 25. Kg1 (25. Kxg3 Rag8+ 26. Kf3
Bg4+ 27. Kg3 Be2#) 25... gxf2+ 26. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 27. Kxf2 Rh4 $19) 24. Bd1 $2 (24.
Qd2 $142) 24... Rg8 (24... Qg3+ $5 25. fxg3 hxg3+ 26. Kxg3 Rg8+ 27. Bg4 Bxg4
28. Qxd6+ Rxd6 29. Nxd6 Kxd6 $19) 25. Bf3 h3 26. g3 Bxf2 $1 27. g4 (27. Rxf2
Qxg3+ 28. Kh1 Qxf2 $19) 27... Bxg4 28. Rxf2 Bxf3 29. Qxf3 Qg2+ $3 (29... Qg2+
30. Rxg2 hxg2+ 31. Qh3 Rxh3+ 32. Kxh3 g1=Q 33. Rxg1 Rxg1 $19) 0-1

[Event "London Classic 8th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2016.12.13"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2748"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[Annotator "Kosintseva,N"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2016.12.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Even though both players had lost their chance to fight for first place in
the tournament, this game was by far the most interesting in this round.
Whereas the leaders had mostly theoretical battles that ended in draws, this
game is the only one that was sharp and had a result different from a draw.
Surprising enough, Michael Adams outplayed Veselin Topalov in a very sharp
battle, which we usually would not expect. Let's see how it happened.} 1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Adams chooses a very positional system and avoids
the theoretical jungles of main Berlin lines.} Bc5 {Personally, I think this
is the better move.} ({The alternative} 4... d6 {is too passive:} 5. O-O Bd7 6.
Re1 $14 {and in my opinion, White will always be slightly better in such
positions because of the bad black dark-squared bishop.}) 5. Bxc6 {Again, this
move represents not the most popular continuation but at the same time I would
say that it is one of the most positional choices for White. He gives up the
light-squared bishop on purpose to limit the activity of the black pieces.
Typical play for Adams - get a drawish position, play it for a hundred moves,
and get a point by betting on his outstanding technique. However, this game
developed according to a different scenario.} dxc6 6. Nbd2 ({The pawn on e5 is
taboo:} 6. Nxe5 $4 Qd4 7. Be3 Qxe5 8. d4 Qxe4 9. dxc5 Qxg2 10. Rf1 Bh3 11. Nd2
Qg6 12. Rh1 O-O-O $19 {with a decisive initiative for Black.}) (6. Be3 {
This is line is playable, but too many pieces get exchanged afterwards, for
example:} Bxe3 7. fxe3 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nd7 {1/2-1/2 (59) Nepomniachtchi,
I (2656)-Ponomariov,R (2737) Dagomys 2010}) 6... Be6 7. O-O {Now the e5-pawn
is hanging.} Bd6 ({As an alternative,} 7... Nd7 {seems to be more solid, on
the one hand, as White has no immediate d4. But on the other hand, White hass
at his disposal an additional resource... to play} 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. Ng5 {,
forcing Black to trade his light-squared bishop for a knight.}) 8. d4 Nd7 ({
Of course not} 8... exd4 $4 {in view of} 9. e5 $18) 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Bxe5
{Normally Black should have no problem in this position. Strangely enough he
got a lot of them...} 11. f4 Bd4+ (11... Qd4+ $5 {seems to be risky from a
human point of view as this queen can be easily attacked by White's pieces.
But at the same time with such a centralised queen Black can provoke White
into playing too aggressively and then counter-attack under favourable
conditions. For example:} 12. Kh1 Bd6 13. c3 (13. f5 Bc4 14. c3 (14. e5 Bxf1
15. exd6 Bxg2+ $1 16. Kxg2 O-O-O 17. dxc7 Rd5 $132) 14... Qc5 15. Nxc4 (15. e5
Bxf1 16. exd6 Bd3 17. Qe1+ Kf8 18. dxc7 Qxf5 $13) 15... Qxc4 16. e5 Bxe5 17.
Re1 f6 18. Qd4 Qd5 19. Bf4 O-O 20. Bxe5 fxe5 21. Qxd5+ cxd5 22. Rxe5 Rad8 $11)
(13. e5 Bc5 14. f5 Bd5 15. Qe2 b5 $1 $132) 13... Qd3 14. f5 (14. Rf3 Bg4 $1 15.
Rxd3 Bxd1 16. Nc4 Bc2 17. Nxd6+ cxd6 18. Rxd6 Bxe4 $11) 14... Bd7 (14... Bc4
15. Rf3 Qe2 16. Qg1 $36) 15. Rf3 Qb5 16. a4 Qe5 17. Nf1 O-O-O $132) 12. Kh1 f6
{A very natural move. Black restricts the further advance of White's central
pawns.} (12... f5 $5 {An interesting alternative.} 13. Qe2 (13. exf5 Bxf5 14.
Re1+ Kf7 $132 {and the temporary position of the black king in the centre is
fully compensated for by the activity of Black's bishop pair.}) (13. e5 Qd5
$132) 13... O-O 14. Nf3 Bc5 15. Ng5 Qe7 {and again the activity of the black
pieces seems to be good compensation for a worse pawn configuration:} 16. Be3 (
16. Nxe6 Qxe6 17. e5 Rfd8 $18 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 Qc4 $132) 16... Bxe3 17.
Qxe3 Bc4 $1 18. Rfe1 fxe4 19. Qh3 (19. Qxe4 Qxe4 20. Rxe4 Bd5 21. Rd4 h6 $36)
19... h6 20. Rxe4 Qf6 21. Rxc4 hxg5 $132) 13. c3 Bb6 ({If Topalov had a second
chance to play this position, he would probably prefer} 13... Be3 {,trading
his dark-squared bishop for the white knight and betting on the drawish
tendency of opposite-coloured bishops.}) 14. f5 Bf7 15. e5 $1 {This is the
only good idea for White in the position. If he does not play dynamically, he
is at risk of getting into trouble in the long run since the position has
become quite open and the pair of black bishops pretty soon can turn into a
real power.} fxe5 {Black had no choice.} 16. Qg4 Qd3 {The major difference
between ...Qd3 and other queen moves is that White cannot play Ne4 - the rook
on f1 is hanging. Otherwise, if the knight gets to e4 White has excellent
compensation for the pawn.} (16... O-O {seems to be very dangerous, in view of}
17. Ne4 ({But not} 17. f6 $2 Bg6 $17) 17... Bd5 (17... h5 18. Qg3 Bc4 19. Bh6
Rf7 20. Rfd1 {and White has a very strong initiative for the pawn, for example:
} Qc8 21. Nf6+ Kh8 $8 (21... Kf8 22. Qxe5 gxh6 23. b3 $1 Ba6 24. Rd7 $3 Rxd7
25. Nxd7+ Qxd7 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qg7+ Kd6 28. Rd1+ $18) 22. Nxh5 gxh6 23. Qxe5+
Kg8 24. Nf6+ Rxf6 25. Qxf6 Bf7 26. Rd3 Qf8 27. Rg3+ Kh7 28. Rd1 $36) (17... Bg6
18. Bg5 Qc8 19. Ng3 $40) 18. Ng3 $1 {It is very important for White to keep
the knight that can participate in the attack against the black king.} Kh8 19.
b3 Qe7 20. c4 Bf7 21. Bb2 $36) (16... Qd5 17. Ne4 $1 (17. Qxg7 $4 Rg8 $19)
17... O-O-O 18. Bg5 Rde8 19. f6+ Be6 20. Qh4 $36) 17. Qxg7 Rg8 (17... O-O-O {
fails due to} 18. Qxf7 Be3 19. Qe6+ Kb8 20. Qxe5 Bxd2 21. Bxd2 Qxd2 22. f6 $16
{and White's passed pawn should be a decisive factor in this position.}) 18.
Qxe5+ Kd7 19. Qe4 {The last moves were more or less forced, but now Topalov
had a very important choice and he did not solve the puzzle. The best bet for
Black was 19...Qd5.} Qa6 $2 (19... Qd5 $1 20. c4 (20. Qxd5+ $2 {Trades and
simplifications are not always good for the side that has a material advantage.
So, in this particular position after} Bxd5 21. Nf3 Raf8 $15 {Black gets the
pawn back and his bishops will dominate the position.}) 20... Qd4 $1 (20...
Qxe4 21. Nxe4 Bxc4 22. Nf6+ Ke7 (22... Kc8 23. Nxg8 Bxf1 24. Bg5 Bc4 25. Re1
$18 {with the deadly threat of Re8.}) (22... Kd6 23. Re1 $1 Rgf8 24. Bf4+ Kc5
25. Ne4+ Kb5 26. a4+ Ka6 27. a5 Bd4 28. Ra4 $18) 23. Nxg8+ Rxg8 24. Rf3 $14 {
followed by Be3.}) 21. Rd1 Kc8 22. h3 $14 {and in spite of the fact that White
keeps an extra pawn, Black has good chances to survive in the endgame thanks
to his bishop pair.}) 20. f6 {Now Black gets into real trouble.} Rae8 $6 {
A follow-up mistake. It was essential for Black to secure his king, even if it
means having to give up another pawn:} (20... Rad8 $1 {but also here White has
a clear advantage after} 21. b3 Kc8 22. Nc4 $16 {The reason is that the black
queen has become so decentralised.} Bd5 23. Qf5+ Kb8 24. Bg5) 21. Qf5+ $1 {
The pawn on h7 is venimous.} (21. Qxh7 $2 Qe2 $1 22. Qxf7+ Kc8 23. g3 Rh8 $19)
21... Kd8 (21... Be6 22. Qxh7+ Kc8 23. f7 Bxf7 24. Qxf7 Qe2 25. Qf3 $18) (21...
Re6 22. c4 $1 {Cutting off the black queen!}) 22. c4 $1 {Adams plays like a
machine. I wonder whether he might have analysed this position at home and we
are again seeing another game that actually "was not played on board" as Peter
Svidler said recently... ?!} Qa5 (22... Bd4 23. Rd1 c5 24. Nf3 Qxc4 25. Bg5 $18
{and Black is helpless.}) 23. Qh3 $1 {Again the strongest move.} (23. Qxa5 {
The endgame is not only not better for White, it might be better for Black!}
Bxa5 24. Nb3 Bb4 25. Bd2 Bxd2 26. Rad1 Kc8 27. Nxd2 Re2 $44) 23... Qb4 ({
In the event of} 23... Be6 {White wins material after} 24. Qd3+ Kc8 25. f7 Bxf7
26. Rxf7 Re1+ 27. Rf1 Qg5 28. Qh3+ $18) 24. Qxh7 $6 {That looks too greedy.
There was a better continuation.} (24. Nb3 $1 {Here Black probably would
resign in a couple of moves.} Qxc4 (24... Re1 25. Bg5 $1 Rxf1+ 26. Rxf1 Rxg5
27. Rd1+ $18) (24... Be6 25. Qd3+ Qd6 26. Qc2 $18) 25. Rd1+ Bd5 26. f7 Qe2 27.
Rxd5+ cxd5 28. fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 (28... Rxe8 29. Bg5+ $18) 29. Bf4 $18) 24... Qf8 $6
{Too passive.} ({Perhaps, the best chance was} 24... Bg6 25. Qh3 Rh8 26. Qg4
Bh5 27. Qf5 {The position is still won for White, but the game goes on and
requires some precision.}) 25. b3 Bd4 (25... Re2 $4 26. Qd3+ $18) 26. Qd3 Qd6 (
26... c5 27. Nf3 Bg6 28. Qd1 Qxf6 $4 29. Bg5 $18) 27. Ne4 {The game is coming
to an end.} Qd7 (27... Rxe4 28. Qxe4 Bxa1 29. Bf4 Rg4 30. Bxd6 Rxe4 31. Be7+
Ke8 32. Rxa1 $18 {The endgame is bad in itself, but to play such an ending
against Adams makes absolutely no sense.}) 28. Rd1 {Now Black loses by force.}
Kc8 (28... c5 29. Nxc5 $18) 29. Qxd4 Qg4 30. Bg5 $1 {A very strong last trick!}
Rxe4 (30... Rxg5 31. Nxg5 Qxg5 32. Qd7+ Kb8 33. Qd8+ Rxd8 34. Rxd8#) (30...
Qxe4 31. Qxe4 Rxe4 32. h4 $18 {Again, no chance here for Black.}) 31. Qxa7 {
The threat on a8 is deadly.} Bd5 32. Qa8+ Kd7 33. Rxd5+ {After 33....cxd5 34.
Qxg8 White wins.} 1-0

[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 "Hamburg FIDE GP"]
[Site "Hamburg"]
[Date "2019.11.07"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[EventDate "2019.11.05"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 193"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.12.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.12.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,132,19,31,18,18,18,-4,40,29,10,-4,11,12,10,12,10,10,24,19,26,13,16,16,
10,8,17,0,17,3,15,9,0,-24,-22,-18,-28,-40,-31,-86,-94,-95,-104,-84,-94,-103,
-74,-147,-143,-125,-137,-129,-148,-123,-153,-160,-160,-187,-83,-97,-78,-110,
-115,-118,-123,-122,-122,-124,-139,-124,-132,-130,-121,-116,-107,-107,-112,
-107,-112,-161,-81,-97,-81,-76,-91,-126,-91,-34,-63,-85,-106,-113,-115,-115,
-130,-157,-207,-256,-205,-210,-227,-220,-238,-230,-268,-268,-275,-277,-289,
-294,-245,-251,-190,-247,-257,-257,-215,-232,-244,-244,-208,-289,-191,-193,
-189,-200,-209,-238,-200,-200,-200,-336,-336,-335,-350]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.
Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 Nd7 7. Bg5 $146 {A new move in this
well-known position. It's idea is certainly to provoke ...f7-f6, which can be
a weakening move if the centre opens up after d3-d4. Besides, Nf3-h4(-f5)
becomes possible.} (7. Be3 {was played by Hikaru Nakamura in an earlier game.
He won it but he didn't achieve any advantage after the opening:} Bd6 8. Nbd2
O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. c3 c5 11. a3 $5 a5 12. Re1 Nf8 13. d4 cxd4 14. cxd4 exd4 15.
Nxd4 Be5 16. N2f3 Bxd4 17. Bxd4 b6 $11 {1-0 (24) Nakamura,H (2764)
-Kasimdzhanov,R (2706) Baku 2014 CBM 163 [Marin,M]}) 7... f6 8. Be3 Bxe3 (8...
Bd6 {deserves attention here, too. If} 9. d4 (9. Nh4 {is not dangerous yet due
to} g6) {then} 9... O-O 10. Nbd2 Qe7 {, and Black looks OK.}) 9. fxe3 Qe7 10.
Nc3 b6 {[%mdl 32] An unusual plan: Black prepares long castling.} ({To} 10...
O-O {White could have played} 11. Nh4 {, then slowly preparing a kingside
attack.}) 11. O-O Bb7 12. Nh4 $6 (12. Rb1 {[%cal Yb2b4,Yb4b5] was more logical
here.}) 12... g6 13. Qe1 {Preventing ...f6-f5 but White's pieces are now
placed awkwardly.} O-O-O 14. a3 Kb8 15. b4 c5 16. Na4 Bc6 17. Nb2 Rhg8 18. Rd1
$6 (18. Nc4 $142 Rdf8 19. Qc3 {putting pressure on Black's e5 pawn in case of}
f5 20. Nf3) 18... Rdf8 19. c4 f5 $1 $17 {This advance marks the failure of
White's strategy.} 20. b5 Bb7 21. exf5 gxf5 22. Rd2 Qg5 {Black has a lot of
good plans here: ...Qg5-h5, ...f5-f4, ...Rg8-g3 or ...Rf8-f6-h6. White must do
something.} 23. e4 ({Examples:} 23. Na4 Rf6 24. Nb2 Rh6 25. Nf3 Qh5 {etc.}) (
23. Qf2 Qh5 24. Nf3 f4 25. e4 Rg3 $19) 23... fxe4 24. Rxf8+ (24. dxe4 Rxf1+ 25.
Kxf1 Nf6 $19) 24... Nxf8 $1 25. dxe4 {[%csl Rc4,Re4]} Ne6 26. Nf3 Qh5 27. Kh2
Nd4 28. Qe3 (28. Nxd4 exd4 $1 ({stronger than} 28... cxd4 {, after which
Black's e5 pawn is vulnerable, too, and White obtains a possibility to play
c4-c5 at some point}) 29. Nd3 Qf7 30. Rc2 Qe6 {, and White can't protect all
his weaknesses}) 28... Bc8 (28... Rg4 $1 {, winning the e4 pawn, was stronger.
If} 29. Nxd4 exd4 30. Qf3 {then} Qe5+) 29. Ne1 Qg6 30. Ned3 Re8 31. Nd1 Qg8 32.
N3b2 {White has organized a kind of defence but his position is still bad, and
he can't hold it in a long term.} Be6 33. Qd3 Rd8 34. Qc3 h5 $1 35. Rf2 h4 36.
a4 Qg6 37. Qe3 Rg8 38. Kh1 Qh5 39. a5 Kc8 $6 {An apparently solid move
preparing ...Rg8-g3 Rf2-f8+ Kc8-d7. However, it allows White to create
counterplay.} (39... Rg3 $1 {was possible at once:} 40. Rf8+ Bc8 41. Qf2 bxa5
$1 {[%cal Yd4e6,Ye6g5]} 42. Ne3 Ne6 43. Rf5 Qh6 44. Rf3 Ng5 $1 $19) 40. Qe1 (
40. Nc3 $1 {was correct, after which Black should go for an endgame by} Qg6 {
[%cal Yg6g3]} ({as} 40... Rg3 41. Rf8+ Kd7 42. Qf2 {[%cal Rf2f6,Yc3d5]
suddenly gives White excellent counterchances.})) 40... Rg3 ({Here, too,} 40...
Qg6 {[%cal Yg6g3] was better.}) 41. Qf1 Kd7 42. Nd3 (42. Na4 {[%cal Ya4c3] was
White's last chance. Black must find} Bxc4 43. Qxc4 Qxd1+ 44. Kh2 Qb3 45. Rf7+
Ke8 46. Qxb3 Rxb3 47. Rxc7 Rxb5 48. Rxa7 Rxa5 49. Rxa5 bxa5 50. Nxc5 Ne2 $1 {
with a winning knight endgame.}) 42... Ke7 43. N1b2 Rg8 {Black converts his
advantage very slowly but he can afford such play as White is completely
passive.} (43... Qg5 $142) 44. a6 Qg5 45. Qg1 c6 $5 {A possible plan: Black
clarifies the situation on the queenside.} 46. bxc6 Nxc6 47. Rf1 Qg3 48. Qf2 {
White can hardly do anything else but the endgame is completely hopeless for
him. The rest of the game is not very interesting.} Qxf2 49. Nxf2 Rd8 50. Nfd1
Rd2 51. Rf2 Rxf2 52. Nxf2 {[%mdl 4096]} Na5 53. Kh2 Nxc4 54. Na4 Kd6 55. Nc3
Kc6 56. g3 hxg3+ 57. Kxg3 b5 58. Nd3 b4 59. Na4 b3 60. h4 Bf7 61. Kg4 Bg6 62.
Nc3 b2 63. Kf3 Kd6 64. Nb5+ Kd7 65. Nxb2 Nxb2 66. Nxa7 Bh5+ (66... Bh5+ 67. Kg3
(67. Kf2 Nd1+ 68. Ke1 Nc3 $19) (67. Ke3 Nc4+ 68. Kd3 Nd6 $19) 67... Be2 68. h5
Bxh5 69. Nb5 Kc6 $19) 0-1

[Event "London Classic 10th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.12.15"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2018.12.11"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 188"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.12.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.12.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d5 {This sharp move has
recently become popular.} 6. exd5 (6. Nxe5 {leads to a real gambit after} O-O
$1) (6. Nbd2 {Vachier Lagrave-Hou Yifan, Grenke 2017, is a quiet, not too
promising alternative, a practical choice.}) 6... Qxd5 7. Bc4 (7. Qb3 {is
harmless:} O-O 8. O-O Qd6 (8... Qxb3 9. axb3 e4 10. dxe4 Nxe4 11. Bf4 Bb6 12.
Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Nxd2 Be6 14. Nc4 Rfd8 15. Nxb6 cxb6 16. b4 a6 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18.
Bc7 Rd2 19. Bxb6 Rxb2 $11 {1/2 (23) Grischuk,A (2766)-Aronian,L (2764) Paris
2018}) 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Qa4 Ne7 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Ng6 13. Bc4 c6 14. Bxe6
Qxe6 15. Re1 Rad8 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Qd5 18. Qxa7 Qb5 $132 {1/2 (34)
Vachier Lagrave,M (2780)-Eljanov,P (2703) Batumi GEO 2018}) 7... Qd6 8. Nbd2 (
8. O-O e4 $5 9. Qe2 O-O 10. dxe4 Bg4 11. Rd1 Qe7 12. Bg5 Bxf3 13. gxf3 h6 14.
Bh4 Ne5 15. f4 Ng6 16. Bg3 Nxe4 $11 {1/2 (40) Prizant,J (2511)-Lysyj,I (2663)
Kolomna 2016}) (8. Qe2 O-O 9. Bg5 h6 (9... Bf5 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nbd2 Bd6 12.
O-O Rae8 13. Rfe1 Bd7 14. Bd5 Re7 15. a4 Nd8 16. a5 Kh8 17. Qe3 a6 18. g3 $14 {
1/2 (37) Lu,S (2629)-Yakubboev,N (2512) Hamedan 2018}) (9... Be6 10. Nbd2 Bxc4
11. Nxc4 Qe6 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Nfd2 b5 14. Ne3 f5 $13 {1/2 (53) Caruana,F 
(2808)-Kramnik,V (2808) Stavanger 2017}) 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nbd2 Bd6 12. O-O a6
13. Rfe1 Re8 14. Ne4 {1/2 (30) Grandelius,N (2655)-Ragger,M (2686) Batumi GEO
2018} Qg6 $11) 8... O-O 9. b4 (9. Qe2 Bf5 $1 (9... a5 10. Ng5 Qe7 (10... Bf5
11. Nde4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. dxe4 Nd8 14. Bd2 c6 15. a4 Ne6 $11 {1/2 (81)
Topalov,V (2761)-Aronian,L (2792) Saint Louis 2016}) 11. Nde4 Bd6 12. a4 h6 13.
h4 Nd8 14. Qf3 Ng4 15. Qe2 Kh8 16. f3 Nf6 17. Nxf6 Qxf6 18. g4 $36 {1-0 (59)
Svidler,P (2745)-Inarkiev,E (2732) Novosibirsk 2016}) (9... a6 10. Ng5 Ba7 11.
Nde4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Qg6 13. Qxg6 hxg6 14. Be3 b5 15. Bd5 Bb7 16. Bxa7 Rxa7 17.
O-O-O Na5 18. Bxb7 Nxb7 19. Rhe1 Nd6 20. Ne4 $14 {1-0 (44) Kulaots,K (2590)
-Vicas,M (2190) Tallinn 2018}) 10. Ng5 Na5 $5 (10... Bb6 11. Nde4 Qe7 12. Nxf6+
Qxf6 13. g4 Bd7 14. h4 Na5 15. Bd5 Bc6 16. Ne4 Qd8 17. Bxc6 Nxc6 18. g5 $14 {
1-0 (39) Inarkiev,E (2684)-Lopez Martinez,J (2584) Batumi 2018}) (10... Bg4 11.
f3 Bf5 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. fxe4 Bg6 14. h4 h6 15. h5 Bh7 16. Nxh7 Kxh7 17. Rf1
$14 {1-0 (43) Perunovic,M (2604)-Sousa,A (2380) Lisbon 2017}) 11. b4 (11. Nge4
Bxe4 12. dxe4 Nxc4 13. Nxc4 Qe6 $11) 11... Nxc4 12. Nxc4 Qd8 $1 $15 (12... Qxd3
13. Qxd3 Bxd3 14. Nb2 $16 {1-0 (33) Vachier Lagrave,M (2795)-Grischuk,A (2750)
chess.com INT 2017})) 9... Bb6 10. a4 (10. O-O Bf5 11. Qc2 (11. Qe2 $6 Nd5 $15
{1/2 (55) Smirnov,A (2464)-Melkumyan,H (2653) Canberra 2016}) 11... Rad8 12. a4
a5 13. b5 Ne7 (13... Nb8 $6 14. Ba3 Bc5 15. Bxc5 Qxc5 16. Rfe1 Nbd7 17. Nh4 Bg4
18. h3 Bh5 19. Nb3 $16 {1/2 (42) Caruana,F (2799)-Grischuk,A (2782) Saint
Louis 2017}) 14. Qa2 (14. Qb3 Ng6 15. Ba3 Bc5 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. d4 Qd6 18. Rfe1
Rde8 $11 {1-0 (44) Caruana,F (2799)-Grischuk,A (2782) Saint Louis 2017}) 14...
Ng6 15. Ba3 Bc5 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. d4 Qd6 18. Rfe1 exd4 19. cxd4 Nf4 20. Rac1
N6d5 $11 {0-1 (53) Caruana,F (2799)-Grischuk,A (2782) Saint Louis USA 2017})
10... a5 $5 (10... e4 {(this pawn sacrifice, in order to activate his c6
knight, is Black's key idea)} 11. Nxe4 $5 (11. dxe4 Ne5 12. Qe2 a5 13. O-O Bg4
14. bxa5 Rxa5 15. Ba3 Bc5 $44 {1/2 (31) Caruana,F (2807)-Karjakin,S (2773)
Saint Louis 2017}) 11... Nxe4 12. dxe4 Qf6 (12... Qxd1+ 13. Kxd1 Bxf2 $4 14.
Rf1 Bb6 15. a5) 13. Qc2 a5 14. b5 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. O-O $14 {- this is a
more favorable position for White than it happened in the game.}) (10... Bf5 $5
{was played by Levon in the later rapid game but without success:} 11. Ba3 e4
12. dxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Bxe4 14. Qxd6 cxd6 15. O-O-O Rac8 16. Bd5 Bxd5 17. Rxd5
Ne5 18. Nxe5 dxe5 19. Kb2 Bxf2 20. Rxe5 Bh4 21. Rd1 $14 {1-0 (53) Caruana,F 
(2832)-Aronian,L (2765) London ENG 2018}) 11. b5 e4 $5 {[%mdl 512] A tricky
order of moves.} 12. Ba3 (12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. dxe4 {is now satisfactory for
Black in view of} Qc5 $1 14. Qe2 Be6 $1 15. Nd2 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Ne5 $1 17. Nxb6
Qxc3+ 18. Qd2 Qxa1 19. Nxa8 Rxa8 20. O-O Qxa4 $13) (12. dxe4 Ne5 13. Ba3 Bc5 {
- see game}) 12... Bc5 13. dxe4 (13. Bxc5 Qxc5 14. dxe4 Nxe4 $5 15. Bxf7+ $1
Rxf7 16. Nxe4 Re7 17. Qe2 Qd5 18. Nfg5 $5 Bf5 19. f3 Ne5 $44) 13... Ne5 (13...
Bxa3 14. bxc6 Bb2 15. Ra2 Bxc3 {looks simpler; Black is not worse in that case.
}) 14. Nxe5 (14. Bxc5 $5 Qxc5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. O-O {was a senseful
alternative: Black can regain the pawn but after} Qxc3 (16... Nxe4 $4 17. Re1
Bf5 18. Bd3) 17. Rc1 Qe5 18. Re1 {White has the better prospects as Black's c7
pawn is weak.}) 14... Qxe5 15. Bxc5 Qxc5 16. Qe2 $6 (16. O-O {was a must. If}
Bg4 (16... Nxe4 17. Bxf7+ Rxf7 18. Nxe4 $16) (16... Rd8 17. Nb3 $1) {then} 17.
Qc1 $1 Rad8 18. Ba2 {, and} Qg5 {is not dangerous in view of} 19. Nc4 $1 {
All this is not easy to find, of course, but understanding that no other move
could be better than castling should have helped Fabiano.}) 16... Re8 17. f3 (
17. O-O {is too late. Black gets a good position, e.g.} Bg4 (17... Bf5 $5) 18.
Qd3 Rad8 19. Nb3 Qg5 20. Nd4 Nxe4 21. f3 Nc5 22. Bxf7+ Kxf7 23. fxg4+ Kg8 $44)
17... Be6 18. Bxe6 (18. Qf2 Qxf2+ 19. Kxf2 Rad8 20. Ke3 Rxd2 21. Bxe6 Rxg2 $15)
18... Rxe6 19. Rc1 Nd7 20. Nb3 Qa3 21. Rb1 Nc5 (21... Qxa4 $5 $13) 22. Nxc5
Qxc5 23. Rd1 f5 24. Rd4 Qxc3+ 25. Qd2 Qa1+ 26. Qd1 Qc3+ 27. Qd2 Qa1+ 28. Qd1
Qc3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "FRA-chT Top 12"]
[Site "Belfort"]
[Date "2012.06.05"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Krasenkow, Michal"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2604"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.05.31"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Clichy Echecs 92"]
[BlackTeam "Chalonnais Echiquier"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. Re1 {This move is considered less accurate than} (9. Qd3 {or}) (9. a4)
9... exd4 10. cxd4 (10. Bxc6 dxc3 $1 {the point of Black's idea behind 9...
exd4; however, the position remains unclear:} (10... bxc6 $143 11. Nxd4) 11.
Nxc3 bxc6 12. Qa4 Qd7 $5 (12... g5 13. Nxg5 hxg5 14. Bxg5 Bxf2+ 15. Kh1 Bxe1
16. Rxe1 Re8 17. Rf1 Re6 18. Qd4 $44 {1-0 Cabrilo,G (2335)-Gliksman,D (2355)/
Bor 1976/EXT 2010 (76)}) 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. h3 Kh8 $1 15. Ne2 Rg8 16. Nf4 Bb7
17. Nh4 Rae8 18. Nf5 Kh7 $13 {0-1 Kavalek,L (2545)-Spassky,B (2610)/Solingen
1977/EXT 2002 (24)}) (10. Nxd4 {is harmless now:} Ne5 (10... Nxd4 11. cxd4 c6
12. Ba4 g5 13. Bg3 Nxe4 $1 14. Rxe4 f5 15. Qh5 Kg7 16. Re2 f4 $132 {1/2 Jansa,
V (2480)-Braga,F (2395)/Berlin West 1984/MCD (44)}) 11. Nd2 Ng6 12. Bg3 c6 13.
Bf1 Bg4 14. Qc2 Nh5 15. Nc4 Bc7 16. f3 Nxg3 17. hxg3 Bd7 $11 {0-1 Kononenko,D 
(2485)-Godena,M (2528)/ICC INT 2008/CBM 123 Extra (73)}) 10... Bg4 11. Bxc6
bxc6 12. Nbd2 $5 $146 {An interesting concept. White simply gives up his
d4-pawn in favour of quick development.} (12. Nc3 g5 $1 (12... Bxf3 13. Qxf3 g5
(13... Bxd4 14. e5 $1) 14. Bg3 Bxd4 15. Rad1 $44) 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. d5 (14. Re3
f5 $1) 14... f5 15. exf5 Rxf5 16. dxc6 Qf8 17. Nd5 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Nxg3 19. hxg3
Rxf3 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Re2 Qf5 $11 {1/2 Agopov,M (2436)-Sulskis,S (2554)/
Kaunas 2010/CBM 138 Extra (61)}) 12... g5 {Black gets rid of the unpleasant
pin.} (12... Bxd4 13. Qc2 $1 c5 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15. f4 $44) 13. Bg3 Bxd4 14. Qc2
Bc5 {With the idea to provoke Nd2-b3. Black doesn't fear 15.e5.} (14... Bb6 15.
Qxc6 Nh5 $5 $13 {was possible, too.}) 15. e5 Nh5 16. Nb3 (16. Ne4 {is harmless
due to} Bf5 $1) 16... Bb6 17. Qxc6 f5 $6 {Attractive, original but wrong!
Black weakens his king too much, and his 18...f4 threat can be successfully
parried.} ({Simple play like} 17... Nxg3 18. hxg3 Re8 {was good enough for
equality but I overestimated my position.}) 18. Qd5+ ({Of course,} 18. exf6
Bxf3 $1 19. Qxf3 Nxg3 20. hxg3 ({or} 20. Re6 Nh5 $1 21. Qxh5 Rxf6) 20... Qxf6
21. Qxf6 Rxf6 22. Re2 Raf8 {etc. was what Black hoped for.}) (18. e6 {was even
worse due to} Qe8 $1 {, and now the 19...f4 threat becomes deadly.}) (18. h3
Bxf3 19. Qxf3 g4 $1 20. hxg4 fxg4 21. Qxg4+ Qg5 22. Qxg5+ hxg5 {is good for
Black, too.}) ({The text move is good enough; however, Black's adventure had a
more decisive refutation:} 18. Nfd4 $1 f4 19. f3 $1 fxg3 (19... dxe5 20. fxg4
Nf6 21. Qc4+ Kh8 22. Bf2 exd4 23. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 24. Nxd4 Nxg4 25. Re6 $36) 20.
fxg4 dxe5 (20... Ng7 21. Qd5+ Kh8 22. e6 $36) 21. gxh5 Bxd4+ 22. Nxd4 Qxd4+ 23.
Kh1 Qd6 24. Qc4+ Rf7 25. Rad1 {, and Black faces difficult defence due to his
numerous weaknesses.}) 18... Kh8 19. Qe6 Kh7 (19... Nf6 $5 {was simpler:} 20.
exf6 Rxf6 21. Qc4 f4 {with a satisfactory position. However, such quiet moves,
putting one's own pieces under the attack of enemy pawns, are very difficult
to find.}) 20. exd6 Bxf3 (20... Ng7 {doesn't work due to the intermediate move}
21. dxc7 $1 Nxe6 (21... Qd3 22. Qd6) 22. cxd8=Q Raxd8 23. Rxe6 f4 24. Re2 Bxf3
25. gxf3 fxg3 26. hxg3 Rxf3 27. Kg2 {, and White keeps a healthy extra pawn.})
21. gxf3 (21. dxc7 $6 Qe8 $1 22. gxf3 Qxe6 23. Rxe6 f4) 21... f4 22. Qe4+ Kh8 (
22... Kg7 $142 23. Nd4 {but Black missed} Qxd6 $1 (23... Bxd4 24. Qxd4+ Nf6 (
24... Qf6 25. Re7+ Kg6 26. Qc4 Ng7 27. Rae1) 25. Re7+ Rf7 26. Rxf7+ Kxf7 27.
Qc4+ Kg7 28. dxc7 {White loses his bishop but gets three pawns and an
excellent position}) 24. Ne6+ Kh8 25. Nxf8 (25. Rad1 $143 fxg3 26. Rxd6 gxf2+
27. Kf1 fxe1=Q+ 28. Kxe1 cxd6 29. Nxf8 Rxf8) (25. Red1 Qe7) 25... Rxf8 26. Red1
$1 (26. Kg2 fxg3 27. hxg3 Bxf2 $1 28. Kxf2 Qxg3+ 29. Ke3 Nf6 $40) 26... Qf6 27.
Rd7 Ng7 {, and it is White who must fight for survival in these complications.
A possible line:} 28. Rc1 $5 fxg3 29. Rc6 $1 gxf2+ 30. Kf1 Qf5 $1 31. Rxh6+ Kg8
32. Qc4+ Rf7 33. Rd8+ Ne8 34. Rxe8+ Kg7 35. Rxb6 $1 Qh3+ 36. Kxf2 Qxf3+ 37. Kg1
Qf2+ 38. Kh1 axb6 39. Qe2 $11) 23. Qg6 Rf6 $6 (23... Qxd6 24. Re6 Qd7 $1 {
looks very dangerous for Black but in fact, he holds his ground:} 25. Rae1 (25.
Kg2 Ng7 26. Qxh6+ Kg8) 25... fxg3 26. hxg3 Qf7 27. Qxh6+ Qh7 28. Qxg5 Rxf3 29.
Re8+ Rf8 30. R1e7 Ng7 {, and White has as a maximum a draw, e.g.} 31. Rxa8 ({or
} 31. Rxg7 Qxg7 32. Qh5+ Kg8 33. Qd5+ $11) 31... Rxa8 32. Qf6 Kg8 33. Qf7+ Kh8
34. Qf6 $11) 24. Qxh5 fxg3 25. hxg3 Qxd6 26. Kg2 {White is now a pawn up
although consolidating his position, especially bringing his b3-knight into
play, is not an easy task.} Raf8 27. Rad1 Qc6 28. Nd2 (28. Rd3 Qc2 $1 29. Rd2
Qc6 $11) 28... Ba5 29. Rh1 $6 $138 (29. Rc1 $1 Qa6 (29... Qd7 30. Ne4 Bxe1 31.
Nxf6 Rxf6 32. Rxe1 $16) 30. Red1 (30. Ne4 {is not so strong now due to} Rxf3)
30... Bxd2 31. Rxd2 Rxf3 32. Rxc7 Qf6 33. Rcc2 {, and White keeps his extra
pawn in a quiet position.}) 29... Kg7 $6 $138 {Both players were under time
pressure already, and the position is quite complicated; hence a lot of
inaccuracies.} (29... Kg8 $1 $11 {It is very important for Black to avoid a
possible check along the 7th rank.}) 30. Rc1 Qe6 31. Rce1 (31. b4 $5 Bb6 32. a4
$36 Qe2 $140 $2 33. Ne4 Qxf3+ 34. Qxf3 Rxf3 35. a5) 31... Qc6 $2 (31... Qf7 {
was a must. The four-rook ending after} 32. Qxf7+ R8xf7 33. Re2 Bxd2 34. Rxd2
Rxf3 35. Rc1 $14 {is unpleasant for Black but now things turn out even worse
for him.}) 32. Rc1 $2 {Fortunately, White doesn't see his luck either and
forces a draw.} (32. Re7+ Kg8 (32... R8f7 33. Rxf7+ Rxf7 34. Nc4 $1 {[%cal
Rc4a5,Rh5f7]} Rf5 35. Qg4 $18 {->}) 33. Ne4 $1 Rxf3 34. Rc1 $1 Qb6 (34... Rxf2+
35. Kh3 Qa6 36. Nxf2 $18) 35. Rd1 $1 R3f7 (35... Rxf2+ {is again useless:} 36.
Nxf2 Qxf2+ 37. Kh3) 36. Rd6 $1 Rxe7 (36... cxd6 37. Qg6+ Kh8 38. Qxh6+ Kg8 39.
Nf6+ Rxf6 40. Qh7#) (36... Qxd6 37. Nxd6 Rxe7 38. Nf5 $1) 37. Rg6+ ({or simply
} 37. Rxb6 Bxb6 38. Qg6+ Rg7 39. Nf6+ Rxf6 40. Qxf6) 37... Rg7 38. Rxh6 Qxh6
39. Qxh6 {with decisive material gains}) 32... Qe6 33. Rce1 Qc6 $2 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[Annotator "Kritz,L"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2010.12.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 140"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Die Berliner Mauer ist eine der solidesten
Eröffnungen gegen 1.e4 überhaupt.} 4. d3 {Weiß wählt die populärste
Nebenvariante.} (4. Nc3 {führt zum Übergang ins Vierspringer-Spiel.} Bb4 (4...
Nd4 $5 {ist ebenfalls spielbar.}) 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Bxc3 8. bxc3 Qe7
9. Re1 h6 10. Bh4 a6 11. Bxc6 (11. Ba4 Nd8 $15 {Der weiße Läufer auf a4 steht
sehr schlecht.}) 11... bxc6 12. d4 Bg4 13. Qd3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 g5 15. Bg3 Nd7 $11
{Shirov - Erenburg (Sochi, 2006)}) (4. Qe2 {Eine weitere Nebenvariante, die
jedoch sehr selten anzutreffen ist.} Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d3 d6 $11 {Man kommt in
eine typische Stellung hinein, wo der Zug Qe2 wenig Sinn macht.}) 4... Bc5 {
Die prinzipiellste Fortsetzung. Eine gute Alternative ist 4...d6.} (4... d6 5.
c3 (5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 g6 7. Re1 Bg7 {->5.c3}) 5... g6 6. O-O Bg7 7. Re1 O-O 8.
Nbd2 Bd7 (8... a6 $5 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nf1 (10. d4 $5 Nd7 $132) 10... c5 11. Ng3
Nd7 $132 {Zhang Pengxiang - Harikrishna (Tiayuan, 2005)}) 9. Nf1 (9. Ba4 Nh5
10. Nf1 Kh8 11. Bg5 Qe8 12. Ne3 f6 13. Bh4 Nd4 14. Bxd7 Nxf3+ 15. Qxf3 Qxd7 $11
{Nepomniachtchi - Krasenkow (Wijk aan Zee, 2008)}) 9... Nh5 10. Ng3 (10. Ne3
Nf4 11. a4 f5 12. Bc4+ Kh8 13. Nd5 fxe4 14. dxe4 Bg4 $15 {Chadaev -
Aleksandrov (Moscow, 2009)}) 10... Nf4 11. d4 a6 12. Ba4 b5 13. Bb3 Na5 14. Bc2
c5 $132 {Erdogdu - Aleksandrov (Budva, 2009)}) 5. c3 (5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Be3 (6.
Nxe5 $4 Qd4 7. Be3 Qxe5 8. d4 Qxe4 9. dxc5 Qxg2 $19) 6... Bd6 $1 {Der beste
Weg zum Ausgleich.} 7. h3 c5 8. Nbd2 Nd7 9. Nc4 O-O $11 {Perunovic - Fressinet
(Budva, 2009)}) (5. Nc3 d6 6. Na4 Bb6 7. O-O Bd7 8. c3 Ne7 9. Nxb6 axb6 10.
Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Bg5 Ng6 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Nd2 f5 $11 {Carlsen - Wang Yue (Baku,
2008)}) 5... O-O 6. O-O (6. Bg5 d6 7. Nbd2 Bd7 $1 {Meiner Meinung nach ist das
die beste Fortsetzung.} 8. Ba4 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. d4 exd4 12. Bxc6
bxc6 13. Nxd4 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Qf6 15. Qh5 Kg7 16. O-O-O Rae8 $132 {Azarov -
Georgiev (Dresden, 2007)}) 6... d6 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4 b5 {Bis jetzt hat Kramnik
immer 8...Ba7 gespielt. Der Partiezug ist auch gut. Was immer Schwarz macht,
die Stellung bleibt im Gleichgewicht.} (8... Ba7 9. h3 Ne7 10. Re1 Ng6 11. Nf1
b5 12. Bb3 Re8 13. Ng3 (13. a4 Bb7 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Nxe3 h6 16. Nh2 d5 17. axb5
axb5 18. Rxa8 Bxa8 $11 {Leko - Kramnik (Moscow, 2007)}) 13... Bb7 14. Be3 Bxe3
15. fxe3 d5 $11 {Anand - Kramnik (Moscow, 2007)}) 9. Bb3 {Der bessere Abzug -
der Läufer steht auf b3 viel aktiver. Wenn Schwarz versucht, ihn mittels Na5
zu vertreiben, wird sein Springer im Abseits stehen.} (9. Bc2 d5 $1 {Wenn man
die Gelegenheit hat, d5 zu spielen, muss man sie nutzen!} 10. Nxe5 (10. exd5
Nxd5 11. Re1 Re8 $11) 10... Nxe5 11. d4 Bd6 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Nf3 (13. f4 Bd6
14. e5 Bc5+ 15. Kh1 Ng4 $15) 13... Bg4 14. exd5 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Qxd5 16. Qh3 (16.
Qxd5 Nxd5 17. Be4 Rad8 $11) 16... Rfe8 17. Rd1 Qc6 18. Bg5 h6 $11 {Polgar -
Bacrot (Rishon Le Ziyyon 2006)}) 9... Bb6 {Der Läufer zieht sich zurück, damit
Weiß später kein Tempo gewinnen kann, falls er d4 spielt.} 10. Re1 Ne7 (10...
Na5 $2 {Das sieht wie die Chigorin-Variante aus, doch überraschender Weise
steht der schwarze Läufer auf b6 schlechter als auf e7:} 11. Bc2 c5 12. Nf1 Nc6
13. Bg5 $14 {Im weiteren Verlauf kann Weiß auf f6 nehmen, Ne3-Bb3 spielen, und
das Feld d5 unter Kontrolle nehmen, was ihm stabilen Vorteil garantieren wird.}
) 11. Nf1 Ng6 12. Ng3 {Wie man sieht, ist die Stellung fast symmetrisch, mit
dem Unterschied, dass Schwarz statt c6, a6-b5 gezogen hat.} Re8 ({Auch gut ist
} 12... Be6 13. h3 Qd7 14. Nh2 c5 15. Bg5 Ne8 16. Qf3 Nc7 17. Nf5 f6 18. Bd2 d5
$132 {Dominguez Perez - Anand (Moscow, 2009)}) 13. Ng5 Nh8 {Das sieht sehr
komisch aus, doch nach zwei Zügen kehrt der Springer zurück.} (13... Re7 14.
Nf5 Bxf5 15. exf5 $14) 14. d4 {Weiß muss den Raum im Zentrum okkupieren.} h6
15. Nf3 Ng6 {Der Springer ist zurück.} 16. h3 {Weiß muss das Feld g4 unter
Kontrolle nehmen, sonst kann Schwarz früher oder später Bg4 spielen und den
Druck gegen das weiße Zentrum erhöhen.} Bb7 17. Bc2 {Der Bauer e4 hängt, Weiß
hat nichts Besseres. Die Stellung vereinfacht sich nun.} (17. d5 c6 $1 18. dxc6
Bxc6 $132 {Könnte Weiß nun Bg5 spielen, würde er in Vorteil kommen, doch da
ihm das Feld g5 nicht zur Verfügung steht, kommt Schwarz leicht zu d5 und
bekommt gutes Spiel.}) 17... d5 $1 {Schwarz hat überhaupt keine
Schwierigkeiten.} 18. Nxe5 (18. exd5 exd4 19. Rxe8+ Qxe8 20. Nxd4 Nxd5 $11)
18... Nxe5 (18... Nxe4 $2 19. Nxg6 Nxg3 20. fxg3 fxg6 (20... Rxe1+ 21. Qxe1
fxg6 22. Qe6+ $18) 21. Bxg6 $18) 19. dxe5 Nxe4 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Qh5 (21. Qxd8
$2 Raxd8 22. Bf4 (22. Bxe4 Bxe4 (22... Rxe5 23. Bh7+ Kxh7 24. Rxe5 Rd1+ 25. Kh2
Bxf2 $15) 23. Rxe4 Rd1+ 24. Kh2 Bxf2 $19) 22... g5 23. Bg3 Rd2 $17) 21... g6
22. Qxh6 Rxe5 $11 {Der schwarze Bauer e4 ist eher Stärke als Schwäche.} 23. Be3
$1 {Weiß würde gerne die schwarzfeldrigen Läufer tauschen und danach den
Bauern e4 angreifen, doch hat Schwarz gutes Gegenspiel.} Qf6 24. Rad1 (24. Bxb6
Qxb6 25. Re3 Rd8 26. Rae1 Rd2 $11 {Die schwarz Stellung ist in Ordnung.}) 24...
Rae8 25. Bb3 Bc8 $1 {Man muss die Wirkung des Läufers b3 neutralisieren.
Schwarz will Be6 spielen.} 26. Bxb6 Qxb6 27. Qf4 Rf5 28. Qg3 Qf6 29. Rd5 (29.
Rd4 Rfe5 $11) 29... Ree5 30. Rxe5 (30. Rd4 Rg5 31. Qe3 c5 32. Rxe4 Rxe4 33.
Qxe4 Bxh3 $11) 30... Rxe5 31. f4 $6 {Das schwächt den König und macht aus dem
Bauer e4 einen Freibauer. Wenn man auf Gewinn spielen wollte, sollte man es
mit langsamen Zügen versuchen, wobei die Stellung natürlich völlig
ausgeglichen ist.} Re8 32. Qe3 Be6 {Forciert Remis.} 33. Qxe4 Bd7 34. Qb1 Rxe1+
35. Qxe1 Qxf4 36. Qf2 Qc1+ $1 {Richtige Entscheidung! Das Läuferendspiel ist
zu weißem Vorteil.} (36... Qxf2+ 37. Kxf2 Kg7 38. Ke3 Kf6 39. Kd4 $16) 37. Kh2
Bf5 38. Qg3 (38. g4 Be6 39. Bxe6 fxe6 $11 {Die Verschlechterung der schwarzen
Struktur macht nichts - der weiße König wurde durch den Zug g4 ebenfalls
geschwächt.}) 38... Qxb2 39. Qe5 Qa3 {Es drohte Qe8.} 40. Qxc7 Be6 41. Qd8+ Kg7
42. Qd4+ Kg8 43. Qd8+ {Der Läufertausch bringt nichts.} (43. Bxe6 fxe6 44. Qf6
Qd6+ 45. Kg1 Kh7 $11) 43... Kg7 44. Qd4+ Kg8 45. Qd8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-ch 13th"]
[Site "Plovdiv"]
[Date "2012.03.31"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Sjugirov, Sanan"]
[Black "Bacrot, Etienne"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "Kritz,L"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2012.03.20"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 148"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 {Die Alternative ist 4...d6:} (4... d6
5. O-O Bd7 {Der stärkste Zug.} 6. d4 {Sonst wird Weiß gezwungen, Spanisch mit
d3 zu spielen.} Nxe4 {Nach langer, forcierter Variante ensteht eine ungefähr
gleiche Stellung.} 7. Re1 Nf6 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Nxe5
Bd5 12. Nc3 Be6 13. Nb5 Bc5 14. Bg5 c6 15. Rad1+ Ke7 16. Nc7 Rad8 17. Nd3 Bb6
18. Nxe6 fxe6 $11 {Smirin - Postny (Israel, 2012)}) 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 $5 {
Schwarz will nicht passiv spielen, doch es ist fraglich ob dieser Zug wirklich
spielbar ist.} 7. exd5 $2 {So kann man eine verdächtige Variante nicht
widerlegen, man muss prinzipiell spielen.} (7. Bxc6 $1 {Das ist die
prinzipielle Fortsetzung.} bxc6 8. Nxe5 dxe4 9. d4 Bb6 10. Nxc6 Qe8 11. Ne5 c5
$14 {Schwarz hat eine gewisse Kompensation, aber ob die ausreichend ist, ist
fraglich. Ich denke, Weiß steht doch besser.}) 7... Qxd5 {Es droht Bxf2!} 8.
Bc4 (8. Re1 $2 Bxf2+ 9. Kxf2 Qxb5 $19) 8... Qd8 9. b4 Bd6 10. Re1 h6 11. Nbd2
Re8 {Offensichtlich hat Schwarz alles richtig gemacht. Seine einzige Schwäche,
der Bauer e5, ist gut gedeckt, und Weiß hat keinen richtigen Plan. Man kann
eindeutig sagen, dass Schwarz ausgeglichen hat.} 12. a4 {Weiß versucht, eine
Initiative am Damenflügel zu entwickeln.} Bf5 $5 {Ein interessantes Manöver.} (
12... a6 $2 {Ein solcher Zug führt nur zur Schwächung des Damenflügels.} 13.
Bb2 Rb8 14. Qb3 Re7 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. dxe4 b5 17. Bd5 Be6 18. axb5 axb5 19. Ra6
$36 {und Weiß hatte eine unangenehme Initiative in Adams-Buhmann 
(Khanty-Mansiysk, 2010)}) (12... Be6 {ist ebenfalls spielbar.} 13. Qb3 Qd7 14.
a5 a6 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. dxe4 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 Bf8 18. Ra2 Rad8 19. Rd2 Qe6 $11 {
Antoniewski - Neubauer (Slovakia, 2011)}) 13. Ne4 Be6 {Die Idee von Schwarz
ist es, so viele Figuren wie möglich zu tauschen. Jetzt wird der weiße Läufer
und Springer getauscht.} 14. Bxe6 Rxe6 15. b5 (15. Nxd6 cxd6 16. b5 Ne7 {
und die Stellung von Schwarz kann nur besser sein.}) 15... Nb8 {Der beste Zug.}
(15... Na5 16. Bd2 $14 {Der Springer am Brettrand sieht nicht gut aus.}) (15...
Ne7 $2 16. Nxf6+ Rxf6 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Rxe5 Rd6 19. d4 $18) 16. Nxd6 cxd6 {
Schwarz muss mit dem Bauer nehmen.} (16... Qxd6 17. Ba3 c5 18. bxc6 Qxc6 19.
Rxe5 Rxe5 20. Nxe5 Qxc3 21. Nc4 $36) 17. c4 Nbd7 18. Ba3 Qc7 {Logischer sieht
18...Rc8 aus.} (18... Rc8 19. Rc1 Nc5 20. d4 exd4 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Nxd4 Qe7
$11) 19. Rc1 {Nichts bringt die Idee, den Springer nach f5 zu stellen.} (19.
Nh4 Kh7 $1 20. Nf5 g6 {und der Springer muss wieder weg.} 21. Ne3 Rc8 $11)
19... Nc5 20. d4 {Das ist die einzige aktive Idee von Weiß in der Stellung.}
exd4 21. Rxe6 fxe6 (21... Nxe6 $2 22. Nxd4 $16 {Weiß hat großen Vorteil Dank
der Schwäche des Bauerns d6.}) 22. Nxd4 Re8 23. Qc2 Qf7 24. Rd1 Rc8 25. f3 $2 {
Ein schlechter Zug. Zwar erhält Weiß die Kontrolle über das Feld e4, aber er
schwächt seinen König.} Nfd7 26. Ne2 $2 {Weiß sollte versuchen, ein Paar
Springer zu tauschen, um seinen Läufer zu beleben.} (26. Nb3 Nxb3 27. Qxb3 Ne5
28. Bxd6 Nxc4 29. Bg3 $14 {mit etwas besseren Chancen für Weiß.}) 26... Qe7 27.
Bb2 Ne5 $1 {Sehr stark gespielt!} 28. Bxe5 dxe5 {Schwarz hat Kontrolle über
alle zentralen Felder. Die Bauernmehrheit am Damenflügel spielt keine Rolle,
weil der Springer c5 ideal steht.} 29. a5 Rd8 30. g3 $2 {Weiß spielt ziemlich
schwach. Stärker wäre 30.h3.} (30. h3 $11) 30... Qc7 $1 {Nun ist Weiß
gezwungen, die d-Linie aufzugeben.} 31. Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. Qc3 e4 $1 {Schwarz
nutzt die Schwächen aus, die Weiß sich selbst gemacht hat.} 33. Kf2 (33. Kg2
Qd1 34. Ng1 Nb3 35. fxe4 Nd4 36. Qe3 Qc2+ 37. Kh1 Qxc4 $17) 33... exf3 $2 {
Schwarz lässt den Vorteil aus.} (33... Nd3+ 34. Ke3 (34. Kg2 Qf8 $1 35. f4 e5
$17) 34... Qg5+ 35. f4 (35. Nf4 e5 36. fxe4 Nc5 $19) 35... Qh5 36. Qc2 Qf3+ 37.
Kd4 Qg2 $17) 34. Kxf3 b6 35. a6 $2 {Weiß greift fehl. Er musste auf b6 nehmen,
so dass der Springer c5 nicht gedeckt bleibt.} (35. axb6 Qa8+ (35... axb6 36.
Qd4 Qa8+ 37. Kf2 $11) 36. b7 $1 Qxb7+ 37. Ke3 Qe4+ 38. Kd2 $15 {Die schwarze
Stellung ist etwas angenehmer, aber Weiß wird sich wohl halten können.}) 35...
Qa8+ 36. Ke3 Qe4+ 37. Kd2 e5 38. h4 Kf7 $2 {Stärker ist ...Kh8 - einfach
abwarten!} (38... Kh8 $1 39. Qe3 Qxc4 40. Qxe5 Qxb5 $17) 39. Qe3 Qxc4 40. Qxe5
{Nun ist die Stellung remis.} Qd3+ (40... Qxb5 41. Qf5+ Ke7 42. Qe5+ $11) 41.
Ke1 Qb1+ 42. Kd2 Qd3+ 43. Ke1 Qb1+ 44. Kd2 Qd3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Biel GM 42nd"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2009.07.23"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Alekseev, Evgeny V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2703"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "Kritz,L"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "2009.07.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 132"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.09.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Die Berliner Mauer ist eine der solidsten
Eröffnungen gegen 1.e4 überhaupt.} 4. d3 {Weiß wählt die populärste
Nebenvariante. Das in der Hauptvariante entstehende Endspiel ist sehr zähe und
objektiv gesehen ausgeglichen.} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. h3 Be7 $11 {Schwarz hat auch andere Möglichkeiten,
diese ist jedoch meiner Meinung nach die beste im Ausgleichssinne.}) (4. Qe2 {
Eine weitere Nebenvariante, die jedoch sehr selten zu treffen ist.} Bc5 5. c3
O-O 6. d3 d6 $11 {Man kommt in eine typische Stellung hinein, wo der Zug Qe2
wenig Sinn macht.}) 4... Bc5 {Die prinzipiellste Fortsetzung. Eine gute
Alternative ist 4....d6.} (4... d6 5. c3 (5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 g6 7. Re1 Bg7 {
-> 5.c3}) 5... g6 6. O-O Bg7 7. Re1 O-O 8. Nbd2 Bd7 (8... a6 $5 9. Bxc6 bxc6
10. Nf1 (10. d4 $5 Nd7 $132) 10... c5 11. Ng3 Nd7 $132 {Zhang Pengxiang -
Harikrishna (Tiayuan, 2005)}) 9. Nf1 (9. Ba4 Nh5 10. Nf1 Kh8 11. Bg5 Qe8 12.
Ne3 f6 13. Bh4 Nd4 14. Bxd7 Nxf3+ 15. Qxf3 Qxd7 $11 {Nepomniachtchi -
Krasenkow (Wijk aan Zee, 2008)}) 9... Nh5 10. Ng3 (10. Ne3 Nf4 11. a4 f5 12.
Bc4+ Kh8 13. Nd5 fxe4 14. dxe4 Bg4 $15 {Chadaev - Aleksandrov (Moscow, 2009)})
10... Nf4 11. d4 a6 12. Ba4 b5 13. Bb3 Na5 14. Bc2 c5 $132 {Erdogdu -
Aleksandrov (Budva, 2009)}) 5. c3 {Weiß hat mehrere Möglichkeiten, jedoch
keine davon bringt ihm einen Eröffnungsvorteil.} (5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Be3 (6. Nxe5
$4 Qd4 7. Be3 Qxe5 8. d4 Qxe4 9. dxc5 Qxg2 $19) 6... Bd6 $1 {Der beste Weg zum
Ausgleich.} 7. h3 c5 8. Nbd2 Nd7 9. Nc4 O-O $11 {Perunovic - Fressinet (Budva,
2009)}) (5. Nc3 d6 6. Na4 Bb6 7. O-O Bd7 8. c3 Ne7 9. Nxb6 axb6 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7
11. Bg5 Ng6 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Nd2 f5 $11 {Carlsen - Wang Yue (Baku, 2008)}) (5.
O-O d6 6. c3 O-O 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4 Ba7 9. h3 Ne7 10. Re1 Ng6 11. Nf1 b5 12. Bb3
Re8 13. Ng3 (13. a4 Bb7 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Nxe3 h6 16. Nh2 d5 17. axb5 axb5 18.
Rxa8 Bxa8 $11 {Leko - Kramnik (Moscow, 2007)}) 13... Bb7 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. fxe3
d5 $11 {Anand - Kramnik (Moscow, 2007)}) 5... O-O 6. Bg5 (6. O-O {-> 5.0-0})
6... d6 7. Nbd2 Bb6 ({Schwarz kann auch aktiv spielen:} 7... h6 8. Bh4 g5 9.
Bg3 Nh5 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. d4 exd4 12. Nxd4 Nxg3 13. hxg3 Qf6 14. N2b3 Bb6 $132
{Svidler - Ivanchuk (Sochi, 2008)}) (7... Bd7 $1 {Meiner Meinung nach ist das
die beste Fortsetzung.} 8. Ba4 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. d4 exd4 12. Bxc6
bxc6 13. Nxd4 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Qf6 15. Qh5 Kg7 16. O-O-O Rae8 $132 {Azarov -
Georgiev (Dresden, 2007)}) 8. Nc4 Ne7 {Ein neuer Zug. Man kann ihn jedoch
nicht als Neuerung bezeichnen, die Stellung ist dermaßen ausgeglichen, dass
Schwarz einfach viele Möglichkeiten hat.} (8... Nb8 9. Nxb6 axb6 10. O-O h6 11.
Bh4 Bd7 12. Bc4 Be6 13. Bxe6 fxe6 $11 {Akopian - Fressinet (Paris, 2009)}) 9.
Ba4 ({Zu nichts führt das Nehmen auf f6:} 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. O-O f5 11. Qd2 Ng6
12. Qh6 Qf6 $132) (9. Nh4 d5 $1 (9... Bxf2+ $2 10. Kxf2 c6 11. Ba4 b5 12. Bxf6
gxf6 13. Bxb5 $1 cxb5 14. Ne3 f5 15. Nhxf5 Nxf5 16. exf5 Qh4+ 17. g3 $16) 10.
Nxb6 (10. Nxe5 c6 11. Ba4 Nxe4 12. dxe4 f6 $17) 10... axb6 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12.
exd5 Qxd5 13. Bc4 Qc6 $15) 9... Ng6 {Nun hat Schwarz überhaupt keine Probleme.
Die Fesselung löst er demnächst mittels ...h6 auf; das weiße Läuferpaar hat
keine so große Bedeutung, weil die Stellung relativ geschlossen ist. Dazu hat
Schwarz genug Zeit, um das Zentrum zu okkupieren.} 10. h3 $6 {Sehr langsam,
Weiß spielt planlos.} (10. O-O h6 11. Bd2 Be6 12. Re1 c6 13. Nxb6 axb6 $11)
10... h6 11. Nxb6 $2 {Das ist schon ein grober Fehler. Weiß hätte den Druck
gegen den Bauern e5 erhalten sollen.} (11. Be3 {füehrt am einfachsten zum
Ausgleich, alle anderen Züge sind wesentlich schlechter.} d5 (11... Bxe3 12.
Nxe3 Nf4 13. O-O $11) 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. O-O Be6 14. Re1 $11) (11. Bd2 $2 d5 12.
Ncxe5 dxe4 13. Nxg6 fxg6 14. dxe4 Nxe4 15. Be3 (15. O-O $4 Rxf3 $19) 15... Qe7
$17) (11. Bxf6 $2 Qxf6 12. g3 c6 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Bb3 Be6 $17) 11... axb6 12.
Be3 d5 $1 {Schwarz hat alles, wovon man in dieser Variante träumen kann.} 13.
Bc2 (13. exd5 Nxd5 14. O-O Bf5 $17 {Der Bauer d3 ist sehr schwach.}) 13... c5 (
13... dxe4 $6 {Schwarz besitzt zwar eine vorläufige Initiative, kann aber
nicht wirklich viel daraus holen.} 14. dxe4 Qxd1+ 15. Kxd1 Bd7 16. Nd2 Nh4 17.
Rg1 (17. g3 Ng2 $15) 17... Rfd8 18. Ke2 Bb5+ 19. c4 Ba4 20. b3 Bc6 21. a4 $11)
14. O-O Be6 {Schwarz spielt genau richtig - er vollendet die Entwicklung und
verbessert die Lage seiner Figuren.} 15. a3 Qc7 {Wenn Weiß länger wartet, dann
kommen die schwarzen Türme auf die zentralen Linien und die weiße Lage wird
sehr kritisch.} 16. exd5 (16. Re1 Rfd8 $17) 16... Bxd5 (16... Nxd5 $5 {war
ebenfalls stark genug.} 17. Qd2 f5 18. c4 Nf6 19. Qe2 Rfe8 $15) 17. Rc1 Rfe8
18. d4 e4 19. Nd2 c4 {Das Remisangebot von Schwarz kann man nur so erklären,
dass Alekseev nicht gewinnen wollte... Ansonsten ist es nicht zu verstehen,
wie man in solch einer hervorragenden Stellung Remis anbieten kann. Dem
schwarzen Plan Nh7-f5-f4 hat Weiß sehr wenig entgegenzusetzen.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "ISR-ch U18"]
[Site "Israel"]
[Date "1999.07.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kundin, Alexander"]
[Black "Postny, Evgeny"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2403"]
[BlackElo "2400"]
[Annotator "Kundin/Alterman"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1999.07.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ISR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 $5 (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4) 4... Bc5 5. O-O (
5. Bxc6 bxc6 6. Nxe5 Qe7 7. Nd3 Ba6 8. Nc3 Bd4 $44) 5... d6 6. c3 O-O 7. Rd1 $6
$146 {Since white cannot play d4 in any case, there is not much sense moving
the rook to d1.} (7. d3 $11) 7... Re8 8. d3 h6 9. b4 $5 (9. Be3 $11) 9... Bb6
10. a4 a5 (10... a6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. a5 Ba7 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Qxe3 Bg4 15. Nbd2
$11) 11. Nbd2 axb4 12. Bxc6 (12. cxb4 $2 Nd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4 14. Ra2 c6 15. Bc4
d5 $17) 12... bxc6 13. cxb4 c5 $1 14. b5 Bd7 $2 (14... c6 $1 15. bxc6 Qc7 16.
Nc4 Qxc6 {=/=/+ /\Bc7,Be6,Reb8 Due to a very strong centre and good pawn
formation I believe black has good chances.}) 15. Bb2 Ba5 {Now c6 doesn't work,
which means that white is better.} (15... c6 $6 16. Nc4 Qc7 {[%tqu "En","","",
"","a4a5","",5]} 17. a5 $1 Bxa5 18. Rxa5 Rxa5 19. b6 $18) 16. Nc4 Bb4 {[%tqu
"En","Find a strong positional manoeuvre...","","","f3e1","",10]} 17. Ne1 $1 {
/\Nc2} Bxe1 {[%tqu "En","With what would you take the piece?","","","d1e1","",
10]} 18. Qxe1 $6 (18. Rxe1 $1 $16 {[%csl Gh5][%cal Yb2c3,Ye1b1,Ya4a8,Yb5b8,
Ge2h5] Now black has no counterplay and white can slowly prepare the advance
of his pawns.}) 18... Nh5 $1 $132 {Suddenly black has four pieces ready to
harass white's king.} 19. Rdb1 Nf4 20. Qe3 $6 {This square belongs to the
knight. Better was Qf1 and later Bc1 or Ne3, and after black's attack is over,
the pawns could be dangerous for black.} (20. Qf1 $142 Re6 21. Bc1) 20... Re6
21. Bc3 Qg5 (21... Qh4 {It seems that black doesn't have more than a draw,
therefore Qh4 is probably the best move, forcing a perpetual.} 22. Kh1 Rg6 23.
Rg1 (23. g3 $6 Qh3 24. Rg1 Bg4 $40) 23... Rg5 $1 24. Nd2 Qxh2+ 25. Kxh2 Rh5+
26. Kg3 Rg5+ $11) 22. g3 Rf6 23. f3 Nh3+ 24. Kg2 Qh5 25. b6 $138 Ng5 $138 26.
b7 (26. bxc7 Qh3+ 27. Kh1 Rxf3 28. Rb8+ Kh7 29. Rxa8 (29. Qg1 Rxd3 $1 {[%cal
Gc6h1,Gd7c6]} 30. Rxa8 Bc6 $19) 29... Rxe3 30. Nxe3 c4 $1 $17 {[%cal Gd7c6,
Gc6h1]}) 26... Rb8 27. Nd2 Qh3+ $2 (27... Nxf3 $1 28. Nxf3 Bh3+ 29. Kg1 Rxf3
30. Qd2 Qg4 31. a5 Rxg3+ 32. hxg3 Qxg3+ 33. Kh1 Bg4 34. Rf1 Bf3+ 35. Rxf3 Qxf3+
36. Qg2 Qxg2+ 37. Kxg2 Rxb7 {Quite an unusual endgame, which I believe will
end with probably a draw, since white cannot advance his pawn, and if the king
comes to help, black starts to move his kingside pawns.}) 28. Kg1 Bc6 29. a5 {
Now white's pawns should decide the game.} Rxb7 30. Rxb7 Bxb7 31. a6 Ba8 32.
Rb1 Qc8 33. a7 Bb7 34. h4 $2 $138 (34. Ra1 $18) 34... Ne6 35. Nc4 Nd8 $2 $138 (
35... Nd4 $1 36. Bxd4 exd4 37. Qf2 d5 38. Qa2 Qh3 39. Qh2 Qc8 $11) 36. Na5 Qa8
37. Nxb7 Nxb7 38. Ra1 $18 Re6 39. Qc1 Re8 40. Qa3 Rc8 41. Qa6 c6 42. Qb6 Nd8
43. Rb1 Ne6 44. Qb8 Kh7 45. Rb7 {Now black's pieces are paralyzed, and white
only has to improve its king's position and then take the rook.} (45. Qxc8 $6
Qxc8 46. Rb8 Qa6 47. a8=Q Qxd3 $16) 45... Kg6 46. Kf2 h5 47. Ke2 (47. f4 $1 {
This is the easiest way. By opening the position white forces black to play
Nd4, and then, after the exchange, black will no longer have dangerous knight
to support his queen.} exf4 48. gxf4 Kh7 49. f5 Nc7 (49... Nd4 50. Bxd4 cxd4
51. Qxc8 Qxc8 52. Rb8 Qa6 53. a8=Q Qxd3 54. Rh8#) 50. Qxa8 Nxa8 51. Rxf7 $18)
47... c4 {The only chance.} (47... Kf6 48. Qxc8 Qxc8 49. Rb8 Qa6 50. a8=Q $18)
48. dxc4 Rxb8 49. axb8=Q Qa2+ 50. Rb2 Qxc4+ 51. Kd2 Qc5 52. Qb6 Qc4 53. Qe3
$138 f6 $138 54. Qd3 $18 {The position is won quite easily, but I played
horribly in the last five minutes of the game and could even lose, but in the
end a draw was agreed. Those situation frequently arise when playing two hours
for fourty moves and an hour to the rest of the game. If the game is long
enough, usually it ends with pieces flying all over the board. Probably the
Fischer clock is better as it adds 30 seconds after each move.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Buenos Aires Masters"]
[Site "Buenos Aires"]
[Date "2012.06.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Felgaer, Ruben Alejandro"]
[Black "Slipak, Sergio"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2572"]
[BlackElo "2453"]
[Annotator "Let's Check"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2012.05.28"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ARG"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bd6 5. c3 O-O 6. Nbd2 a6 7. Ba4 b5 8. Bc2
Re8 9. O-O Bf8 10. a4 Bb7 11. Re1 d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Ne4 Qd7 14. axb5 axb5
15. Rxa8 Bxa8 16. Bb3 Kh8 17. Nfg5 Nd8 18. Qh5 Qf5 $2 (18... h6 19. Nf3 Qe6 $16
) 19. Ng3 (19. Nf6 $1 Nxf6 20. Nxf7+ $18) 19... Qg6 20. Qxg6 hxg6 21. d4 f6 22.
Nf3 Nf7 23. Bc2 Kh7 24. h4 Ne7 25. dxe5 Bxf3 26. exf6 gxf6 27. gxf3 Ne5 28. Kg2
Bh6 29. f4 N5c6 30. h5 Rd8 31. hxg6+ Nxg6 32. Rh1 1-0

[Event "ARM-ch 72nd"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "2012.01.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Minasian, Artashes"]
[Black "Petrosian, Tigran L"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2525"]
[BlackElo "2636"]
[Annotator "Let's Check"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2012.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Be3 Qe7 7. Nbd2 Bxe3
8. fxe3 Ng4 9. Qe2 f6 10. O-O-O Be6 11. Kb1 O-O-O 12. h3 Nh6 13. g4 Nf7 14. Nh4
g6 15. Qf2 c5 16. Rdf1 Rd6 17. b3 Bd7 18. Nc4 Ra6 19. a4 Rf8 20. Nf3 h6 21. Rh2
Be6 22. Nfd2 g5 23. Qe1 Nh8 24. Kb2 Ng6 25. Rhf2 Bg8 26. Na3 Kb8 27. Ndb1 Rd6
28. Nc3 c6 29. Ne2 Nh4 30. Qc3 b6 31. Ng3 a5 32. Nb1 Kb7 33. Nd2 Be6 34. Nh5
Bg8 35. Ng3 Be6 36. Nf3 Ng6 37. Nh5 Bg8 38. Qe1 Ka6 39. Nd2 b5 40. Nb1 bxa4 41.
Qc3 axb3 42. Nd2 bxc2 43. Kxc2 Rb8 44. Rxf6 Rb4 $2 (44... Re6 45. R6f5 $16) 45.
Rxd6 $18 Qxd6 46. Rf6 Be6 47. Rxg6 Bb3+ 48. Nxb3 Qxg6 49. Nxc5+ Ka7 50. Qxe5
Qf7 51. Qg7 (51. Kc3) 51... Qxg7 $18 52. Nxg7 Kb6 53. Nge6 a4 54. Kc3 Kb5 55.
e5 Rb1 56. Nxa4 $5 Kxa4 57. Ng7 Rb5 58. e6 Re5 59. Kd4 1-0

[Event "ARM-ch 72nd"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "2012.01.21"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Minasian, Artashes"]
[Black "Pashikian, Arman"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2525"]
[BlackElo "2608"]
[Annotator "Let's Check Training"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Be3 Bd6 7. h3 O-O 8.
c4 Nd7 9. Nc3 Re8 10. Qc2 c5 11. g3 Nf8 12. Nh4 Ne6 13. O-O-O Nd4 14. Qd2 c6
15. Kb1 Be6 16. Ng2 b5 17. f4 bxc4 18. f5 Bc8 19. dxc4 Ba6 20. Qd3 Rb8 21. Bc1
Be7 22. Ne3 Qa5 23. Rhf1 Red8 24. Rf2 Nb5 25. cxb5 Rxd3 26. Rxd3 Bxb5 27. Rd7 {
[%tqu "En","","","","a5c3","",10]} Qxc3 $1 28. Rxe7 Bd3+ 29. Nc2 Qe1 30. Rd2
Qxe4 31. b3 c4 32. Kb2 Qxf5 33. Rxa7 e4 0-1

[Event "ARM-ch 72nd"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "2012.01.19"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ter Sahakyan, Samvel"]
[Black "Pashikian, Arman"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2569"]
[BlackElo "2608"]
[Annotator "Let's Check Training"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2012.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Nh5 10. Nbd2 Qf6 11. a4 a6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. d4 exd4 14. e5 Qg6 15.
cxd4 Bb4 16. Rc1 c5 17. dxc5 dxc5 18. Nb3 Nxg3 19. hxg3 Qc6 20. Qe2 Rb8 21. Qe3
Be6 22. Nxc5 Bxc5 23. Rxc5 Qxa4 24. Nd4 Rfe8 25. Rxc7 Rxb2 26. Rfc1 Qa2 27.
R1c6 Qa1+ 28. Kh2 Qf1 $2 (28... Qd1 29. f3 $14) {[%tqu "En","","","","c6e6","",
10]} 29. Rxe6 $1 $18 Rxe6 (29... fxe6 30. Qe4) 30. Nxe6 fxe6 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32.
Qa7+ Kg6 33. Rg8+ Kf5 34. Qh7+ 1-0

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 4th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2009.11.06"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2754"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2009.11.05"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 133"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. Qxe4 (7.
d4 {Deviating from Kamsky,G (2725)-Topalov,V (2796)/Sofia 2009/CBM 129 [Marin]
(0-1, 32)}) 7... Qe7 8. d4 Nc6 9. Qg4 h5 10. Qxg7 Bxd4 11. Qg3 {White has
prevented Black's short castling and spoiled his structure, but has completely
neglected the development of the queenside.} a6 12. Bc4 $146 ({Previously,} 12.
Bxc6 dxc6 {has been played. Svidler did not wish to give up his Spanish bishop,
which would also have accelerated the development of the black queenside.
However, his novelty does not change the evaluation of the variation as
inoffensive for Black.} 13. c3 (13. Qd3 Bg7 14. Nc3 Bd7 15. Qg3 Be5 16. Bf4 h4
17. Qe3 Bxf4 18. Qxf4 O-O-O 19. Qe3 Qxe3 20. fxe3 Be6 21. Rad1 Rdg8 22. Rf4 Rg5
$11 {Tolnai,T (2490)-Ninov,K (2465)/Stara Zagora 1990/CBM 017 (1/2, 55)}) 13...
h4 14. Qf3 Be5 15. Qe3 Bf5 16. Nd2 O-O-O 17. Nf3 Bd6 18. Qxe7 Bxe7 {1/2 Vogt,L
(2495)-Kirov,N (2435)/Polanica Zdroj 1977/MCD}) 12... h4 13. Qf4 d6 14. Bd5 Be5
15. Qc4 Bd7 16. c3 O-O-O {Black is well ahead in development. White's
consolation consists of his better structure.} 17. Nd2 Be6 18. f4 Bf6 19. Ne4
Rde8 20. Re1 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Qe6 22. Qxe6+ Rxe6 23. Bd2 Bd8 24. Ng5 Rf6 25. Ne4
Re6 26. Ng5 Rf6 27. Ne4 Re6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Moscow Petrosian Memorial"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2014.11.11"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Inarkiev, Ernesto"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2688"]
[BlackElo "2797"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2014.11.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 164"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 {This is almost automatically played
in the anti-Berlin system.} ({Being a cautious player, I would play the solid} 
4... d6 {without hesitation, aiming for a Steinitz Defence with an extra tempo.
I somehow feel better with the bshop somewhere around the king, either on e7
or on g7. A few moves later, Aronian felt the same.}) 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 {
A flexible move leaving the a3-f8 diagonal available for the bishop's retreat.}
({The most popular continuation is} 6... d6 {when after} 7. Bg5 {(not the main
line) Black will have to make a concession (such as weakening his kingside) in
order to get rid of the pin.}) 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Be7 $5 ({This is a somewhat
more radical way of solving the problem than} 8... Bf8 9. Nbd2 d6 {, aiming to
re-develop the bishop in the fianchetto.} 10. d4 (10. Re1 Bd7 11. a4 g6 {
Topalov,V (2772)-Aronian,L (2815) Stavanger 2014 CBM 161 [Szabo,Kr] (1/2-1/2,
41)}) 10... exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 {Carlsen,M (2826)-Howell,D (2633) London 2011
CBM 146 [RR] (1-0, 40)}) 9. Re1 {This natural move takes the e1-square away
from the f3-knight. Is this important? The game shows it is...} (9. Nbd2 d6 10.
d4 (10. a4 a6 11. Bc4 {Asrian,K (2646)-Pashikian,A (2472) Yerevan 2006 CBM 112
[Postny,E] (1-0, 42)}) 10... exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 {Balogh,C (2637)-Rodshtein,M 
(2671) Tromso 2014 CBM 162 [Stohl,I] (1-0, 65)}) 9... d6 10. Nbd2 {This
apparently peaceful position led to simplifications and dull equality in two
previous games. But Aronian spotted a way of changing the course of the game
radically.} g5 $5 $146 (10... Bd7 11. Nf1 (11. Ba4 Nh5 12. Bxe7 Nxe7 13. Bxd7
Qxd7 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. Qxh5 Qxd3 $11 {Gopal,G (2550)-Ganguly,S (2619) Caleta
2014 (1/2-1/2, 31)}) 11... Nh7 12. Bxe7 Nxe7 13. Bc4 b5 14. Bb3 Ng6 15. a4 a6
16. d4 Nf6 {Erenburg,S (2633)-Shankland,S (2634) Saint Louis 2014 (1/2-1/2, 38)
}) 11. Bg3 {So far nothing really from outer space, even though one would
expect ...g7-g5 with the bishop on either f8 or c5.} g4 $5 {But this is rather
unusual for such an early stage of the game, with Black's army incompletely
developed. The main point is that the knight has to move to an exposed square,
allowing a simple tactical operation..} 12. Nh4 Nxe4 $1 {Without this, Black's
previous play would hardly make sense.} 13. Nxe4 Bxh4 14. Bxh4 {This may look
like a slight concession, but the knight needs the g3-square so White could
not avoid the exchange for too long.} ({For instance:} 14. d4 f5 15. Qd2 $5 Kg7
16. Bxh4 Qxh4 17. Ng3 Qg5) 14... Qxh4 15. d4 {White is better developed and
the black king's position has been somewhat weakened. But remarkably, this
should not suffice for more than reasonable compensation for the pawn, due to
Black's main trump - his massive pawn structure!} f5 16. Ng3 f4 17. Qd3 $5 {
An interesting resource.} Kg7 $1 {As discovered by Steinitz, the king is
strong enough to defend itself.} (17... fxg3 $2 18. Qg6+ Kf8 19. fxg3 $1 {
[%cal Ge1f1,Gf1f8]} Qg5 20. Qh7 $18) 18. d5 {This retrieves the pawn but
stabilises the position in a way favourable to Black.} ({True, Black would be
doing fine after} 18. Nf5+ {, too:} Bxf5 19. Qxf5 Qg5 (19... Re7 20. Bxc6 bxc6
21. dxe5 Rf8 22. Qd3 dxe5 23. Rad1 $44) 20. Qxg5+ hxg5 21. d5 a6 22. Ba4 b5 23.
Bd1 Ne7 24. Bxg4 Rab8 (24... Nxd5 25. Bd7 (25. Bf3 c6 26. Rad1 Kf6 27. Bxd5
cxd5 28. Rxd5 Ke6) 25... Nb6 26. Bxe8 Rxe8 $44) 25. Be6 Rh8 $15 {[%cal Gg7f6,
Ga6a5,Gc7c6] Due to his more flexible structure Black is entitled to claim at
least a minimal advantage.}) 18... fxg3 19. hxg3 Qg5 20. dxc6 Bf5 21. Qe3 b6
$15 {White has no attacking chances on the queenside, while on the opposite
wing Black can create some threats.} 22. Qxg5+ $6 {This unnecessarily opens
the h-file for the black rooks.} (22. Bc4 $5) 22... hxg5 $17 23. Rad1 Rh8 24.
Bc4 a5 25. b3 {A difficult decision. At a later stage, the weakness of the
c3-square will help Black.} ({But Inarkiev might have been worried by Black's
gain of space after} 25. Bd5 a4 26. c4 Ra5 {[%cal Gb6b5]}) 25... Rh6 26. Bd5
Rah8 $6 {The h-file magic is understandable, but the queen's rook still had
things to do on the a-file.} (26... a4 $5 {would have forced the opening of
the a-file putting White under pressure on both wings for if} 27. b4 $6 Rah8
28. Kf1 Bc2 29. Rd2 Rh1+ 30. Ke2 Rxe1+ 31. Kxe1 Rh1+ 32. Ke2 Rc1 {play would
have transposed to the line from the comment to 33.bxa4 below.}) 27. Kf1 Bc2
28. Rd2 $8 (28. Rc1 $4 Bd3+ {#1}) 28... Rh1+ 29. Ke2 Rxe1+ 30. Kxe1 Rh1+ 31.
Ke2 Rc1 32. c4 {Black has managed to invade the enemy territory, but White's
fortress remains solid.} a4 $6 {This pawn break is by far less effective than
in the line with reversed move order given in the comments to 26...Rah8.} ({
In view of White's unexpected answer, it would have made sense delaying the
queenside committment for a while:} 32... Kf6 33. Ke3 Bb1 {[%cal Gc1c3]} 34.
Rb2 Bf5 $15) 33. bxa4 $1 {This weakens the structure but clears the b-file for
White's counterplay.} (33. b4 a3 34. Be6 Kf6 35. Bd5 Bb1 36. Bg8 Rc3 $19 {
[%cal Ge5e4,Gb1d3]}) 33... Bxa4 34. Rb2 {White has to permanently take into
account the sacrifice Rxb6.} Kf6 35. Kd2 (35. Rxb6 $2 cxb6 36. c7 Bd7 $19)
35... Rd1+ 36. Ke2 $6 {This dooms White to joyless and, possibly, hopeless
defence.} (36. Kc3 $1 b5 (36... Rd4 $2 37. Rb4 Bd1 $140 38. Rxb6 $1 $18) (36...
Rc1+ 37. Kb4 $5 Bc2 38. Kb5 Rb1 39. Rxb1 Bxb1 40. Ka6 Ke7 41. Kb7 Kd8 42. a3
$11) 37. Rb4 $132) 36... Rd4 $17 37. Rd2 (37. Rb4 Bc2 38. Rxb6 $2 cxb6 39. c7
Bf5 $19) 37... b5 $1 {White will soon lose stability in the centre and his
c6-pawn will become vulnerable.} 38. Ke3 (38. Rxd4 exd4 39. Kd3 Ke5 40. f4+
gxf4 (40... gxf3 41. gxf3 bxc4+ 42. Kxc4 d3 43. f4+ gxf4 44. gxf4+ Kxf4 45.
Kxd3) 41. gxf4+ Kxf4 42. Kxd4 bxc4 43. Kxc4 Ke5 44. g3 Bd1 {[%csl Rd5][%cal
Gd1e2]} 45. Bf7 (45. Bg2 $2 Bf3 $19 {[%csl Gc6]} 46. Bxf3 gxf3 47. Kd3 Kf5 48.
Ke3 Kg4 49. Kf2 d5 50. a4 d4 51. a5 d3 52. a6 d2 53. a7 d1=Q 54. a8=Q Qe2+ 55.
Kg1 Qg2#) 45... Ke4 {[%cal Gd1e2,Gd6d5]} 46. Bd5+ Ke3 47. Kb5 Be2+ 48. Bc4
Bxc4+ 49. Kxc4 Ke4 50. a4 d5+ 51. Kb3 Ke3 52. Kc2 (52. a5 d4 53. a6 d3 54. a7
d2 55. a8=Q d1=Q+ 56. Kb4 Qd6+ 57. Kc4 Qxg3 $19) 52... Kd4 $1 (52... Ke2 53.
Kc3 $1) 53. Kd2 Kc4 54. Ke3 Kb4 55. Kd4 Kxa4 56. Kxd5 Kb5 $19) 38... Rxd2 39.
Kxd2 bxc4 40. f3 (40. Kc3 e4 41. Bxe4 Ke5 42. f3 d5 $19) (40. Bxc4 Bxc6 41. Bf1
Ke7 42. Kc3 d5 43. Kb4 Kd6 44. a4 Bb7 45. a5 c5+) 40... Kf5 41. Kc3 (41. Be4+
Ke6 42. Kc3 d5 $19) 41... gxf3 42. gxf3 g4 43. Be4+ (43. fxg4+ Kxg4 44. Kxc4
Kxg3 45. Kb4 Bc2 46. a4 e4 $19) 43... Kg5 44. Kxc4 Bd1 45. Kd3 Bxf3 46. a4 (46.
Bxf3 gxf3 47. Ke3 Kg4 48. Kf2 d5 49. a4 d4 50. a5 e4 51. a6 e3+ 52. Ke1 d3 $19)
(46. Ke3 $5 Bd1) 46... d5 $1 47. Bxf3 gxf3 48. a5 e4+ 49. Kd2 d4 50. a6 e3+ 51.
Kc2 f2 52. a7 f1=Q 53. a8=Q Qc4+ 54. Kb2 e2 55. Qd8+ Kg4 56. Qh4+ Kf3 57. Qf4+
Kg2 58. Qe4+ Kg1 59. Qb1+ Kf2 60. Qf5+ Ke1 61. Qg6 Kd1 62. Qg4 (62. Qb1+ Kd2
$19) 62... Qc3+ 63. Ka2 Kc1 64. Qxe2 Qc2+ 65. Qxc2+ Kxc2 0-1

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2008.01.25"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2707"]
[BlackElo "2692"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2008.01.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 122"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O {I examined this Anti-Berlin
variation in my Opening Database from CBM 120.} d6 {In the article, I
recommended Black to delay this move for a while, in order to be able to react
with ...d5 under certain cricumstances. However, the game move was not
considered unplayable either.} 6. c3 O-O 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 ({I
considered} 9. Nxg5 {to be the critical line, as in Akopian,V (2704)-Georgiev,
K (2645)/Moscow 2006/CBM 112/[Marin; Postny,E] (0-1, 38)}) 9... Nh5 $146 {
Strangely enough, this natural move, aiming to obtain the advantage of the
pair of bishops and increase the sphere of activity of Black's own
dark-squared bishop is a novelty.} ({In a game played after my article was
published} 9... Bg4 {was played.} 10. Nbd2 Qe7 11. Re1 Nd8 12. d4 exd4 13. e5
$1 dxe5 14. cxd4 Bxd4 15. Qc2 Bxf3 16. Nxf3 Ne6 17. Nxe5 $44 Nh5 ({Maybe he
should have continued developing with} 17... Rad8) 18. Ng6 $1 $14 {1-0 Akopian,
V (2713)-Gyimesi,Z (2610)/Crete 2007/CBM 121 (29). One small remark: if
Akopian did not repeat the experiment of sacrificing on g5, something might be
wrong with it.}) 10. d4 Bb6 11. dxe5 (11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. dxe5 Nxg3 13. hxg3 g4
14. Nh4 dxe5 {leads to similar consequences as in the game. The strong
b6-bishop and the possible plan of advancing the g- and h-pawns compensate for
the pawn weaknesses.}) 11... Nxg3 12. hxg3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 dxe5 14. Nd2 ({
If White exchanges queens with} 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 {in order to avoid the attacking
plan, the development of the queenside would suddenly become difficult to
achieve, because the d2-square is not protected.}) 14... Qf6 15. Qe2 ({
Unfortunately, White cannot maintain the control of the d1-h5 diagonal with} 
15. Be2 Rd8 16. Bh5 $2 {because of} g4 $1 17. Bxg4 Qg5 $19 {[%csl Gd2,Gg4]})
15... c6 16. Bc4 {This square would be useful for the knight's transfer to e3.}
(16. Ba4 $5 Kg7 17. Nc4 {[%csl Gb6,Gf5][%cal Gc4e3,Gc4b6] and White should not
be worse.}) 16... Kg7 17. Bb3 (17. g4 $2 {[%cal Gg2g3,Gg1g2]} Qf4 $1 $19 {
[%csl Gg4]}) 17... h5 $36 {Black's attacking plan is hard to counter now.} 18.
Nc4 (18. Qxh5 $2 Rh8 19. Qf3 {[%csl Gf7]} Qg6 {[%cal Gg5g4,Gg6h5]} 20. g4 Rh4
$19 {[%csl Gg4]}) 18... Bg4 19. Qe1 Bc5 $1 {Black should keep this bishop on
the active diagonal, no matter how many tempi he will lose in achieving this
aim.} 20. Ne3 Rh8 21. Bd1 Be6 22. Bb3 Bg4 23. Bd1 Rh7 $1 {It appears that the
bishop is taboo, because White cannot afford to open the h-file.} 24. b4 (24.
Bxg4 hxg4 25. Nxg4 Rah8 $19) (24. Nxg4 hxg4 25. Bxg4 Rah8 26. Bh3 Rxh3 27. gxh3
Qf3 28. Kh2 g4 29. h4 Rxh4+ 30. gxh4 Qh3+ 31. Kg1 g3 $19) 24... Bb6 25. a4 a6
26. a5 Ba7 27. Ra2 Rah8 28. Rd2 Bc8 {Both sides have completed their
regroupment, but White's king's position remains dangerous.} 29. Nf5+ {The
only way to reduce Black's attacking potential.} Bxf5 30. exf5 g4 31. Qe4 {
It is hard to criticize this move, because the only possibility of staying
alive was far from obvious.} ({The king should have been evacuated from the
dangerous diagonal with} 31. Kh2 $1 {, when} h4 {does not yet have deadly
effects, for instance} 32. Bxg4 hxg3+ 33. Kxg3 {and, for once, the presence of
opposite coloured bishops favours the defending side, because the a7-bishop
has lost its main target already.}) 31... h4 $19 {Now, Black is just winning.}
32. Bxg4 hxg3 33. Bh3 Rh4 34. Qd3 Qg5 35. f6+ Kxf6 36. Rfd1 Bxf2+ 37. Rxf2+
gxf2+ 38. Kxf2 Kg7 39. Qe3 Rf4+ 40. Ke2 Rhh4 41. Qd3 Re4+ 42. Kf2 Qf4+ 43. Kg1
Re3 0-1

[Event "Baku FIDE GP"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2014.10.12"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2764"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2014.10.02"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 {Quite a popular
version of the Anti-Berlin system.} Nd7 (6... Be6 7. Qe2 (7. Nc3 {Anand,V 
(2773)-Nakamura,H (2789) Zuerich 2014 CBM 159 [Szabo,Kr] (0-1, 36)}) 7... Nd7
8. Be3 Qe7 (8... f6 {Nakamura,H (2772)-Fressinet,L (2708) Elancourt 2013 CBM
157 [ChessBase Website] (1/2-1/2, 31)}) 9. Bxc5 Qxc5 10. Nc3 {Morozevich,A 
(2748)-Caruana,F (2786) Tashkent 2012 CBM 152 [Postny,E] (1-0, 51)}) 7. Be3 Bd6
8. Nbd2 (8. Nc3 c5 9. O-O Nf8 10. Nd2 Ng6 {Carlsen,M (2872)-Caruana,F (2782)
Zuerich 2014 CBM 159 [Stohl,I] (1-0, 47)}) 8... O-O {The whole variation is
highly transpositional, but in principle it seems that Black does best not
hurrying with ...c6-c5.} (8... c5 9. Nc4 O-O 10. O-O Re8 ({The over-ambitious} 
10... b5 {leaves some weaknesses behind:} 11. Ncd2 Nb8 12. a4 b4 13. Nb3 {
White's regrouping starting with this move is quite instructive.} Qe7 14. Na5
Bd7 15. Nd2 Nc6 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Qe2 Rae8 18. f3 Bd7 19. Rfc1 Be6 20. c3 $36 {
Morozevich,A (2678)-Kramnik,V (2807) Monte Carlo 2003 (1-0, 65)}) 11. Nfd2 (11.
a3 $5 {[%cal Gd1d2,Gb2b4] would be an interesting way of taking advantage of
the early ...c6-c5. In our main game, White played a2-a3 only after having
weakened his d3-pawn with c2-c3, which induces certain limitations of
flexibility.}) 11... Nf8 12. Nxd6 cxd6 13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 Ng6 15. Bg3 Be6 16.
Kh2 d5 17. Qh5 f6 $11 18. Rae1 Bf7 19. Qf5 Be6 20. Qh5 Bf7 21. Qf5 Be6 {
1/2-1/2 Hamdouchi,H (2600)-Bacrot,E (2720) Belfort 2010}) 9. O-O Re8 10. c3 (
10. Nc4 Nf8 11. d4 $6 exd4 12. Qxd4 c5 13. Qd3 b6 {[%csl Rb7,Rd6,Ge4][%cal
Gc8b7] It is already White who has to think of a way of equalising.} 14. Nxd6
Qxd6 15. Qxd6 cxd6 16. Rfd1 Bb7 17. Rxd6 Bxe4 $11 {Anand,V (2773)-Carlsen,M 
(2872) Zuerich 2014 (1/2-1/2, 40)}) 10... c5 {In view of the threat d3-d4,
this move is a logical reaction.} (10... Nf8 11. d4 {offers White some
initiative in the centre.} Ng6 12. Qc2 exd4 13. cxd4 Bf4 14. Rfe1 Qf6 15. Nf1
Be6 16. Ng3 Bxe3 (16... Bxg3 $2 17. Bg5 $1 $18 {[%csl Gf6]}) 17. Rxe3 Nf4 18.
a3 a5 19. Qd2 Qh6 20. Rc1 Bd7 21. Rc2 Qd6 22. Ne5 $14 {Inarkiev,E (2671)
-Aronian,L (2783) Mainz 2010 (1/2-1/2, 45)}) 11. a3 $5 $146 (11. d4 {does not
seem to offer White too much:} cxd4 12. cxd4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Nf6 14. Qc2 b6 $11
15. Nc6 $6 Qd7 16. b4 Ba6 $1 $17 17. e5 (17. Rfc1 Bd3 $1 {[%cal Gc2d3,Gd6h2]}
18. Qb3 Bb5 19. Nd4 Nxe4 $17) 17... Bxf1 18. Rxf1 Bxe5 $19 {Rozentalis,E (2616)
-Smith,A (2460) Koge 2013 (0-1, 40)}) 11... a5 (11... Nf8 12. b4 Ne6 13. Nc4
$36) 12. Re1 ({I would think of switching back to the blockade plan starting
with} 12. a4 $5 {[%cal Gd2c4,Gf3d2]}) 12... Nf8 ({And with Black I would
hardly be able to resist playing} 12... a4 $5 {[%csl Gb3]}) 13. d4 {I would
think that this thematic advance would have required a bit more preparation.
White had other things to do, namely completing his development.} (13. Qc2 $5 {
[%cal Ga1d1] It is worth mentioning that} Ne6 {does not prevent d3-d4 in the
long run anyway} 14. Nc4 f6 15. Rad1 $14 {[%cal Gd3d4]}) 13... cxd4 14. cxd4
exd4 15. Nxd4 Be5 {With this move Black practically commits himself to
exchanging his bishop.} ({If he wanted to keep it and provide the c7-pawn with
an adequate defender,} 15... Bc5 16. N2b3 Bb6 {would be a good alternative. If}
17. Qc2 {he would have the f6-square for his queen:} Qf6 18. Nc5 Ng6 $132) 16.
N2f3 Bxd4 ({If} 16... Bf6 17. Qc2 {[%csl Rd8][%cal Ga1d1] The black queen
would feel a bit uncomfortable since ...Qf6 would not be available anymore.})
17. Bxd4 b6 {And yet, this position looks about equal. White is slightly
better developed and can exert some pressure on c5, but the opposite bishops
in the absence of attacking chances give the game a drawish tendency.} 18. Be5
Qxd1 $6 {This looks like a small concession.} (18... Ne6 {is safer,}) 19. Rexd1
Ra7 (19... Ne6 20. Nd4 Bb7 21. f3 $14 {Would sooner or later force the
weakening of Black's queenside structure anyway.}) 20. Rac1 c5 21. Rd6 Rb7 22.
Bg3 $14 {White has achieved a bit of something. The b6-pawn is weak (and with
it, the whole queenside chain) and the white pieces are more active. But there
was no need for Black to commit suicide as soon as on the next move.} Rxe4 $4 (
22... Be6 $14 {[%cal Gf7f6]}) 23. Rd8 {[%csl Rf8][%cal Gg3d6]} Bd7 24. Re1 $1 (
24. Re1 Rxe1+ 25. Nxe1 {[%csl Rf8][%cal Gg3d6]}) 1-0

[Event "World Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Sofia"]
[Date "2009.02.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2796"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2009.02.17"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 129"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2009.03.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 {Experience may have taught Topalov that his peak of form usually
arises in the second part of important matches and tournaments. During his
unlucky match against Kramnik, he did not seem to take this detail into
account and went for a sharp and uncompromising fight from the very first game.
As a result, he suffered two defeats instead of what could otherwise have
become two of his best games ever. His opening choice in the second game
against Kamsky looks more cautious. Instead of his beloved Sicilian, he has
chosen the solid Ruy Lopez. Will it be a boring Berlin variation?!} 2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 $5 {A big surprise on the 4th move already! Topalov had
developed the bishop to c5 before, but only as an aswer to 4.d3.} 5. Nxe5 ({
Kamsky decides to set up forced play from an early stage of the game, instead
of the strategically more constructive} 5. c3 {followed by d4. Recently,
Topalov had failed to get anything with White in this line, which may explain
his decision to include it in his repertoire with Black.} O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5
h6 8. Bh4 d6 9. Qd3 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Qxd8 Rxd8
14. Bxe5 Re8 15. h3 f6 16. Bh2 Rxe4 17. Nbd2 Re8 18. a4 a5 19. Nc4 Ba6 {
Topalov,V (2767)-Vallejo Pons,F (2684)/Dos Hermanas 2008/CBM 123 Extra (1/2,
47)}) ({Kamsky's only (!!) experience against this line so far dates a long
time back and is completely irelevant from the theoretical point of view.} 5.
Nc3 O-O 6. Nxe5 Re8 7. Nf3 ({Deviating from one of the most famous games of
chess history, which continued with} 7. Nxc6 dxc6 8. Bc4 b5 9. Be2 Nxe4 10.
Nxe4 Rxe4 11. Bf3 Re6 12. c3 $2 Qd3 13. b4 Bb6 14. a4 bxa4 15. Qxa4 Bd7 16. Ra2
$2 Rae8 17. Qa6 Qxf3 $1 $19 {Paulsen,L-Morphy,P/New York 1857/MainBase/
[ChessBase] (0-1, 28)}) 7... Nxe4 8. d4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bf8 $11 {Kamsky,G (2655)
-Winants,L (2505)/Tilburg 1992/CBM 032 (1-0, 42)}) 5... Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. d4
Qe7 {The previous sequence of moves looks completely chaotic, but has been
played before. White will retrieve the temporarily sacrificed piece, but he
aims to do it in the best way. Black's last move proves his intention to avoid
retreating unless this is absolutely necessary.} (7... Be7 8. Qxe4 Ng6 9. f4 c6
10. Bd3 d5 11. Qe2 f5 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nf3 Nh8 {><e4} 14. Bd2 a5 {Shirov,A 
(2746)-Grischuk,A (2606)/New Delhi/Teheran 2000/CBM 080/[Ftacnik] (1-0, 44)}
15. Rae1 $1 Bf6 16. b4 Nf7 17. bxa5 Nd6 18. Ne5 Ne4 19. Bb4 Re8 $14 {Shirov})
8. dxc5 (8. Qxe4 {allows Black to maintain the material equality with} Nc6 {.})
8... Nxc5 9. Nc3 $146 {White has excellent compensation for the sacrificed
pawn. He is far ahead in development and has an active pair of bishops. The
only thing that will not be compensated in any way is the slowness with which
Kamsky effectuated his moves and which inevitably led him to hopeless
time-trouble. Until this moment, Topalov had spent only a minute, but after
White's last move he started thinking longer. I wonder whether he had really
failed to analyse at home Kamsky's logical novelty.} (9. b4 {is not convincing.
} a6 10. bxc5 axb5 11. Re1 Ra6 $1 {An important resource, saving the game for
Black.} (11... f6 $2 12. f4 Qxc5+ 13. Be3 Qc4 14. fxe5 $18 {Gipslis,A (2535)
-Gonsior,E (2385)/Hradec Kralove 1977/EXT 2007 (1-0, 51)}) 12. Qxe5 $2 Re6 13.
Bb2 Kd8 $3 $19) 9... Ng6 10. Qh5 {I am not sure that this is the best move.
White moves for the second time with an already developed piece.} (10. Be3 {
looks more logical, continuing the development of the queenside and
threatening to win a piece with Bxc5.} Ne6 (10... O-O $6 11. Nd5 Qd6 12. Rad1
$16) 11. f4 f5 {I believe that this position is critical for the evaluation of
the whole variation. White is several tempi ahead in development and has an
active pair of bishops, but cracking Black's position is not easy yet. He
probably should keep activating his pieces with Rad1, Rae1 or Nd5, since the
subsequent analysis proves that pawn moves, aiming to make the enemy knights
feel uncomfortable, do not give the desired effect.} 12. h4 (12. g4 $6 O-O 13.
gxf5 Rxf5 14. Bd3 Nh4 15. Bxf5 Nxf5 $44 {[%cal Gb7b6,Gc8b7,Gg7g6,Ga8f8] I
guess Topalov would be just too happy to get such wonderful compensation for
the exchange.}) 12... c6 (12... Qxh4 13. Bf2 $16 {[%cal Ge2e6,Gc3d5]}) (12...
O-O 13. h5 Nh8 14. g4 $36 {Black finds it more difficult to consolidate the
f5-square.}) (12... Nxh4 13. Nd5 Qf7 14. Bf2 $36 {[%cal Gd5c7]}) 13. h5 cxb5
14. Nd5 (14. hxg6 hxg6 15. Nxb5 Qh4 $11 {allows Black force a draw by
perpetual if he so wishes.}) 14... Qd8 (14... Qd6 15. Rad1 Qc6 16. g4 $36) 15.
hxg6 hxg6 16. Bf2 $44 {[%csl Gh4] White's compensation is obvious, but I do
not sense big dangers for Black, either.}) 10... c6 11. Bg5 f6 12. Rae1 Ne6 13.
Bd3 O-O 14. Bd2 {Over the past few moves, White has considerable activated his
pieces. Black mainly relies on his lack of weaknesses, which offers him
chances to resist.} d5 $1 {This is the only move that keeps Black in the game.
Since his main problem is the delay in development, he needs to open the h3-c8
immediately.} ({In the event of} 14... Qf7 {, aiming to meet f2-f4 with f6-f5,
White would consolidate his lead in development with} 15. Ne4 {when the
occupation of the d6-square would leave Black paralyzed after, for instance}
Ne5 ({The exchange of queens with} 15... Ngf4 16. Qxf7+ Rxf7 {would not bring
the desired relief after} 17. Bxf4 Nxf4 18. Nd6 Nxd3 19. cxd3 Rf8 20. Re7 {
and Black is in trouble.}) 16. Qh3 Nxd3 17. Nd6 $1 {An important intermediate
move.} Nef4 18. Bxf4 Nxf4 19. Qg4 {followed by Qxf4 with a clear advantage for
White.}) 15. f4 {This is the only way to keep fighting for the initiative.} (
15. Re3 $2 d4 16. Rh3 Ng5 $17) (15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Qxg6 Bd7 $11) 15... Qc5+ $1 {
This move repells White's attack and leads to the simplification of the
position. At this height of the game, Kamsky had about 8 minuts left on his
clock. Quite a difficult situation...} 16. Kh1 $2 ({After this over-cautious
move White will find himself struggling.} 16. Be3 {was necessary, taking the
d4-square under control, for instance} d4 17. Bxg6 hxg6 ({Black should go for
the opposite coloured bishops. In case of} 17... Qxh5 18. Bxh5 dxe3 19. Rxe3 {
White retains a small edge.}) 18. Qxc5 Nxc5 19. Bxd4 Ne6 {. Black should not
have problems completing his development and gradually equalizing.}) 16... d4
17. Bf5 {With little time on his clock, Kamsky may have overrated the effects
of this move, which threatens to win the queen with Bxe6.} Rf7 $2 ({This move
deserves criticism only because there was an even better one:} 17... Nexf4 $1
18. Rxf4 (18. Bxf4 {allows} Qxf5) 18... dxc3 {Black will emerge a pawn up,
because} 19. Be6+ $2 {does not work in view of} Bxe6 20. Qxc5 cxd2 {with a
decisive material advantage.}) 18. Ne4 Qd5 19. Bxg6 hxg6 20. Qxd5 cxd5 21. Nd6
{It may seem that White is on the top again. After the "obvious" 21...Re7,
defending the knight, White maintains a strong initiative with 22.Bb4.} Rc7 $3
{A fantastic move, starting powerful counterplay.} 22. c4 $2 ({This is
premature panicking with less than 3 minutes left. He should have accepted the
sacrifice with} 22. Nxc8 Raxc8 23. Rxe6 {, although after} Rxc2 {Black has
sufficient material compensation and a strong initiative for the bishop.
Another important aspect is that the black king is safer than its counterpart.
White's position looks dangerous, but he would have remained in the game.})
22... dxc3 23. Bxc3 d4 {Everything is over now. Kamsky is a clear pawn down
and had practically no time left on his clock.} 24. Bb4 Bd7 25. Rf2 a5 26. Ba3
b5 27. b3 b4 28. Bb2 Ra6 29. Ne4 Rac6 30. Kg1 Rc2 31. g3 d3 32. Rd1 f5 {
A tragic game for Kamsky, but quite interesting to follow from the spectators'
point of view.} 0-1

[Event "London Classic 3rd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2011.12.11"]
[Round "8"]
[White "McShane, Luke J"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2671"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 2]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 $5 dxc6 {This
structure is traditionally seen in the variations with the bishop on e7, after,
for instance, 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Bxc6 dxc6. The extra move ...a6
does not have any relevance, but what about the dark-squared bishop? In the
long run, its place is surely not on c5, because it blocks the c-pawn, which
is supposed to increase Black's contol over d4 with ...c5. However, in the
short term, the bishop may be useful, by inhibiting d3-d4 until the knight
gets to e6. After that, the bishop may retreat to finally allow ...c5.} 6. b3
$5 {A rare continuation, which had been tried by McShane before. Usually, the
bishop goes to d2.} (6. Nbd2 Nd7 (6... Bg4 {may be playable, but in the
folowing game Black somehow did not get his knight even close to e6:} 7. h3
Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Nd7 9. Nc4 Qe7 10. Bd2 Nb6 11. Ne3 Bxe3 12. Qxe3 c5 13. O-O Nd7
14. f4 $14 {Zvjaginsev,V (2666)-Stojanovic,D (2466)/Rogaska Slatina 2011/CBM
145 (1-0, 42)}) 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc4 Re8 9. Be3 Bxe3 (9... Bf8 $5 {[%cal Gf7f6,
Gd7c5,Gc5e6]}) 10. fxe3 a5 11. a4 b6 12. Qe1 Ba6 13. Ncd2 Re6 14. Nh4 g6 15.
Qg3 Qf8 16. Rf2 $14 {Zvjaginsev,V (2664)-Petrosian,T (2613)/Plovdiv 2010/CBM
139 (1/2, 58)}) (6. Be3 {Erenburg,S (2582)-Almasi,Z (2640)/Germany 2005/CBM
110/[Erenburg] (1/2, 37)}) (6. Bg5 {Hossain,E (2514)-Eljanov,P (2681)/
Khanty-Mansiysk 2007/CBM 122/[Grivas] (1-0, 61)}) (6. O-O {looks flexible, but
offers Black an important tempo:} Qe7 $1 {Black defends e5, preparing ...Bg4,
when h2-h3 will be met with ...Bh5 already.} (6... Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Nd7
9. Nd2 Qe7 10. Nc4 f6 11. Bd2 b6 12. a3 O-O 13. b4 Bd6 14. Ne3 $14 {Sutovsky,E
(2665)-Fressinet,L (2718)/Khanty Mansiysk 2010/CBM 139 (1/2, 48)}) 7. Nbd2 Bg4
8. Nc4 (8. Re1 Nd7 9. h3 Bh5 10. Nf1 O-O 11. g4 Bg6 12. Ng3 f6 13. h4 Qe6 14.
h5 Qxg4 $5 15. d4 Bxh5 16. dxc5 Nxc5 $44 {Petrosian,T (2602)-Feller,S (2570)/
Novi Sad 2009/CBM 133 (1/2, 62)}) 8... Nd7 9. Be3 (9. h3 Bh5 10. Be3 f6 11. Qe2
Nf8 12. Bxc5 Qxc5 13. b4 Qe7 14. Qe3 Ne6 15. Rab1 O-O 16. Kh2 b5 17. Na5 Bxf3
18. Qxf3 c5 $132 {Ghinda,M (2450)-Ninov,K (2465)/Stara Zagora 1990/CBM 017 (1/
2, 42)}) 9... Bd6 10. h3 Bh5 11. a4 f6 12. c3 b6 13. Re1 O-O 14. Bc1 Rfd8 15.
Ne3 Qf7 16. Nf5 Bf8 $13 {[%cal Gd7c5,Gc5e6] Van der Wiel,J (2560)-Salov,V 
(2630)/Rotterdam 1989/CBM 013 (0-1, 59)}) 6... Bg4 $5 $146 (6... Qe7 {is less
effective than in the line above:} 7. Bb2 Nd7 {Leaving the bishop passive on
c8.} (7... Bg4 8. h3 $14) 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Ne2 Ba3 10. Bxa3 Qxa3 11. O-O Qe7 12.
Ng3 Nc5 (12... f6 13. Nf5 $36) 13. b4 Na6 14. c3 c5 15. a3 $14 {McShane,L 
(2645)-Parker,J (2531)/Hinkley Island 2011/ 860 (1-0, 60)}) (6... Nd7 7. Bb2 f6
8. Nbd2 Nf8 9. Nh4 Qd7 10. Qh5+ Qf7 11. Qxf7+ Kxf7 12. O-O Ne6 $13 {Khazankin,
M (2091)-Nechaev,A (2407)/Alushta 2011/CBM 142 Extra (0-1, 59)}) 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8.
Bb2 f6 9. Nf1 Nf8 10. h3 Bxf3 {By exchanging the f3-knight, Kramnik reduces
White's possibilities of activating the b2-bishop with either f4 or d4.} (10...
Bh5 11. Ng3 Bf7 12. d4 $5 exd4 13. Bxd4) 11. Qxf3 Ne6 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. h4 a5 14.
a4 {After the insertion of the last two moves, White's castling long is not
too probable, so that Black can castle short.} O-O 15. h5 {[%cal Ge3f5]} (15.
Nf5 {would not achieve much:} g6 16. Nh6+ Kg7 17. h5 Ng5 (17... Kxh6 $2 18.
hxg6+) 18. Qg4 (18. Qe2 Kxh6 $1 19. hxg6+ Kg7 {[%csl Gh7]}) 18... Qxg4 19. Nxg4
Ne6 $5 $11 {[%cal Gc5d4,Gf6f5] After the exchange of queens, Black's position
is quite safe.}) 15... Bxe3 $1 {Eliminating the dangerous knight just in time.}
16. Qxe3 (16. fxe3 {would leave White with problems attacking the g5-square in
favourable terms.} h6 17. O-O c5 18. Qg4 Rad8 19. Bc3 b6 20. Be1 Ng5 21. Rf5
Nf7 22. Qg6 Nd6 23. Rf3 Qf7 24. Qg4 Qd7 $11) 16... c5 ({I would consider
placing all the pawns on dark squares.} 16... h6 17. g3 c5 18. f4 Nd4 19. Rh2
Rfe8 $5 {/\...f5, /\...c6, ...b5}) 17. Qh3 Qc6 {I am not sure what the idea is
behind this move. Maybe he considered playing ...c4, at a moment when e4 and
a4 would not be over-defended? But the e6-knight is still hanging, so ...Rae8
would be necessary first.} (17... Qe8 $5) (17... Rad8 $5) 18. O-O Nf4 19. Qh2
Qe8 {Quite provocative. Instead of blocking the h-pawn, Kramnik actually
forces it to advance. In principle, this increases the force of the b2-bishop,
but maybe he wanted to provoke his opponent into becoming over-optimistic?!}
20. h6 g5 21. g3 Ne6 22. f4 $5 {The exchange sacrifice implied by this move is
correct, but does not offer an advantage.} ({Maybe he should have prepared the
attack with} 22. Qh3 $5 {[%cal Gg1h2,Gh3f5,Gf2f4]}) 22... gxf4 23. gxf4 Nxf4
24. Rxf4 exf4 25. Kf2 Rf7 26. Qh5 (26. Qxf4 Qe6 27. Rg1+ Kf8 28. Ke2 $44 {
[%cal Ge2d2]}) 26... Qe6 27. Qxc5 Kh8 28. Qc4 $5 (28. Rg1 Rg8 (28... b6 29. Qg5
$14 {/\Rg4}) 29. Rxg8+ Kxg8 30. Qxa5 $44) 28... Re8 {Kramnik wants to maintain
the possibility of attacking the c2-pawn with ...Rc6.} (28... Qxc4 29. bxc4 {
keeps the c-file well defended.}) 29. Rh1 Qd7 30. Qb5 Re6 (30... Qxb5 31. axb5
{[%csl Gc6]}) 31. Qxd7 Rxd7 32. Rg1 Rc6 {Finally reaching the desired
regrouping, but Black is not better yet.} 33. Kf3 Rd8 34. Rg5 Rf8 35. Rg2 $6 {
Too passive.} (35. Rd5 $5 Rxc2 (35... Kg8 36. Ba3 Re8 37. Rd7 Rxc2 38. Rg7+ Kh8
39. Be7 Rc6 40. Rf7 Kg8 {White can repeat moves already, or keep playing with}
41. Kxf4 $5 $44) 36. Bxf6+ Kg8 37. Be7 Re8 38. Rg5+ Kf7 39. Rg7+ Ke6 40. Bg5
Rc3 41. Rxh7 Rxd3+ 42. Kxf4 Rxb3 43. Rxc7 $13) 35... Rg8 $1 36. Rh2 Rg1 $36 37.
d4 Rf1+ 38. Kg4 f3 39. d5 Rd6 40. c4 Kg8 41. c5 f5+ 42. Kxf5 Rg6 43. Bd4 Rd1
44. Be3 Rg2 45. Rh3 f2 46. Bxf2 Rxf2+ 47. Ke6 {Black's material advantage is
decisive, but there are technical difficulties along the way. The white king
is very active and the connected pawns could become dangerous.} Rf7 48. d6 c6
$1 (48... cxd6 49. cxd6 {[%cal Gh3c3,Gc3c8] /\Rc2}) 49. Ke5 Kf8 50. Rh2 Rg1 51.
b4 axb4 52. Rb2 Rg5+ 53. Ke6 Rg6+ 54. Ke5 Rxh6 55. a5 Rh5+ 56. Ke6 Rh6+ 57. Ke5
Rh5+ 58. Ke6 Ke8 59. a6 Rh6+ 60. Ke5 bxa6 61. Rxb4 Ra7 62. Rb8+ Kf7 63. Rc8
Re6+ 64. Kf5 a5 65. Rh8 Rf6+ 66. Ke5 Kg7 67. Rc8 a4 68. Rxc6 a3 69. d7 a2 0-1

[Event "Grenke Chess Classic 4th"]
[Site "Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden"]
[Date "2017.04.19"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2803"]
[BlackElo "2649"]
[Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2017.04.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Hou Yifan has been the sensation of the Grenke Chess Classic so far! She was
the sole leader after the 3rd round, having beaten world number 3 Fabiano
Caruana and GM Georg Meier, and achieved a draw after building up a great
advantage against the world champion Magnus Carlsen. Today she had a tough
task, to hold her ground against the world number 5, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave,
known for his strong play with the white pieces.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
Nf6 {The well-known Berlin Defence!} 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d5 $5 (5... O-O {White
can follow with 6.0-0 or accept the sacrifice} 6. Bxc6 (6. O-O d6 7. Nbd2 {
is a standard line}) 6... bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 {may transpose to 5...d5 - See
analysis on White's 6th move.}) 6. Nbd2 (6. Nxe5 {accepting the sacrifice is
dangerous} O-O 7. Bxc6 (7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bxc6 Bxf2+ $1 9. Kxf2 Ng4+ 10. Kg1 Qf6
11. Qe2 Qxc6 $44) 7... bxc6 8. d4 {seen recently at top level} Bb6 {Black
trusts his bishop pair and the development advantage} 9. O-O (9. Nxc6 $2 {
would be too much} Qe8 10. Ne5 Ba6 $1 $17) 9... dxe4 (9... Nxe4 {was fine as
well} 10. Nxc6 Qd6 11. Nb4 $44 {1/2-1/2 (40) Morovic Fernandez,I (2550)
-Faizrakhmanov,R (2432) Moscow 2017, with decent compensation for Black with
a5 followed by c5 or c5 right away.}) 10. Bg5 c5 11. Nd2 cxd4 $2 {according to
Karjakin, he mixed up the lines during the game and ended up in a lost
position - this was the main mistake probably} (11... Bb7 $5) (11... h6 $5) 12.
Nxe4 dxc3 13. Qf3 $1 $16 {1-0 (31) Wei,Y (2706)-Karjakin,S (2785) Wijk aan Zee
2017}) (6. exd5 $5 {trying to maintain a more dynamic position, played last
October by Svidler} Qxd5 7. Bc4 Qd6 8. Qe2 O-O 9. Nbd2 a5 10. Ng5 Qe7 11. Nde4
Bd6 12. a4 h6 13. h4 $1 $36 {1-0 (59) Svidler,P (2745)-Inarkiev,E (2732)
Novosibirsk 2016; This looks very scary for Black. White soon obtained a
winning advantage and won a long endgame.}) 6... dxe4 7. dxe4 O-O 8. O-O a5 $5
{Black stops b2-b4 with this move, and at the same time, creates a possible
idea of playing ...Na7. And clearly invites White once again to grab the pawn
on e5, a challenge that Maxime accepts!} (8... Qe7 {was a solid way to play
this position. Whenever White plays Bxc6, Black has enough compensation with
the bishop pair and the weak light-squares (the a6-f1 diagonal specially).}) 9.
Bxc6 $5 bxc6 10. Nxe5 Ba6 $6 (10... Re8 $5 {was an option} 11. Nxc6 (11. Nb3
Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Bb6 13. Nc4 Nxe4 $11 {looks safe for Black}) 11... Qd6 12. Nd4
Bxd4 13. cxd4 Qxd4 $11 {was another way to reach this position (similar to the
game, after the 14th move).}) 11. Re1 Re8 12. Nxc6 Qd6 (12... Bxf2+ $2 13. Kxf2
Qd6 14. Nd4 $1 Qxh2 15. Rh1 $1 Ng4+ 16. Qxg4 Qxh1 17. Nf5 g6 18. Ng3 $18 {
and White is certainly very happy.}) 13. Nd4 {White threatens to consolidate
with N2b3.} Bxd4 14. cxd4 Qxd4 15. Nb3 $1 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 a4 (16... Nxe4 17. Nxa5
Be2 18. Re1 $1 $16) 17. Nc5 Nxe4 18. Nxa6 (18. Nxa4 $2 Bb5 19. Nc3 Nxc3 20.
bxc3 Ba4 21. Rf1 Bb5 $11 {guarantees a draw.}) 18... Rxa6 19. Be3 $14 {After a
long series of exchanges, White emerges with an advantage in the endgame. The
bishop is clearly superior to Black's knight, and his pawn structure is also
better. On the other hand, the reduced material increases possible drawing
chances.} h5 20. Rac1 c6 {It is good to find a solid square for your pieces in
endgames - in this case Hou Yifan looks to place her knight on d5. I like the
way Maxime plays from now on, slowly improving his pieces until move 36.} 21.
Kf1 Nf6 22. Bc5 Nd5 23. Rc4 Nc7 24. a3 Rb8 25. Rd2 Nd5 26. Ke1 {White prepares
to defend the b2-pawn with the king, to follow up with Rdd4.} f6 27. Kd1 Kf7
28. Kc2 Rb5 29. Kb1 g6 30. Ka2 Ke6 31. f3 Rb8 32. Re4+ Kf7 33. Rdd4 Rba8 34.
Rc4 Ra5 35. Bf2 R5a6 36. Bc5 Ra5 {White achieves the ideal position, and has
to create something on the kingside now to get winning chances.} 37. g3 (37. g4
$5 {trying to create a weakness on h5} hxg4 (37... Rh8 $5 {keeping an eye on
h2 in case White takes on a4} 38. Bd6 $14) 38. fxg4 $14 {at some point White
will intend to play h4-h5.}) 37... R5a6 38. h4 Ra5 39. Bf2 R5a6 40. Kb1 {
Naturally, White has no reason to hurry.} Rb8 41. Ka2 (41. Rxa4 $4 Nc3+ $19)
41... Rba8 42. g4 hxg4 (42... Re8 $5 43. Rxe8 (43. Rxa4 Rxa4 44. Rxa4 Re2 $1 {
threatening the bishop and ...Nc3+} 45. Ra7+ Ke6 46. Bc5 Rh2 $132) 43... Kxe8
44. gxh5 gxh5 45. b3 axb3+ 46. Kxb3 $14 {still keeps chances for White, slowly
pushing his a-pawn.}) 43. fxg4 Re8 44. Rxe8 (44. Rxa4 Rxa4 45. Rxa4 Re2 $1 $132
) 44... Kxe8 45. h5 Kf7 46. Be1 gxh5 47. gxh5 f5 48. Bd2 Nf6 49. Rc5 (49. Rf4
$1 Ke6 50. h6 Ra8 51. Rh4 $16 {followed by Kb1, Kc2.}) 49... Ne4 {Hou Yifan
tries to force a minor piece endgame to guarantee a draw, instead of
continuing to suffer.} (49... Nd5 $1 {then White would probably start to bring
his king over to b1-c2-d3} 50. Kb1 $16) 50. Rxf5+ Ke6 51. Ra5 {Forced.} Rxa5
52. Bxa5 Kf6 53. b3 {I won't put a question mark here, because the forced win
was something very artistic and hard to find.} (53. Bd8+ $1 Kg7 54. Be7 $3 {
was the only way to guarantee the win, a very counter-intuitive idea, losing
two important tempi, but avoiding the knight retreat to c5 or d6} Kh6 (54...
Kf7 55. h6 $1 $18) 55. b3 $1 axb3+ 56. Kxb3 Kxh5 57. a4 $18 {and White wins!})
53... Kg5 (53... Nc5 $1 {would force a draw. For example:} 54. bxa4 (54. b4 Ne6
$11) 54... Kg5 $1 55. Bd8+ Kxh5 56. a5 Kg6 $11 {and Black returns in time.})
54. Bb4 $1 {Now Maxime finds the correct idea in a similar way, the bishop
controls the c5-d6 squares and the knight can't return in time.} Kxh5 (54... c5
55. bxa4 $1 cxb4 56. axb4 $18) 55. bxa4 Nf6 56. a5 Nd5 57. a6 Nc7 {The knight
stops the pawn, but it is not enough for a draw.} 58. a7 Kg6 59. Ba5 Na8 60.
Kb3 Kf7 61. Kc4 Ke7 62. Kc5 Kd7 63. Bb6 $1 Kc8 64. Kxc6 Nc7 65. Bg1 (65. Bxc7
$4 $11 {wouldn't be smart!}) 65... Na8 66. Bh2 Nc7 67. Kb6 $1 Na8+ 68. Ka6 {
Now without having ...Nc7, Black is forced to allow Kb7, and thus the
resignation comes at the right moment. A very nice game from the Frenchman,
who is still having a hard time in 6th place with 2/4. The new leader is Levon
Aronian, the only player at 3/4!} 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 78th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2016.01.26"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2016.01.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 171"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The solid and very popular Berlin Defence of
the Ruy Lopez, played a lot by many World Champions, most notoriously Emanuel
Lasker and Vladimir Kramnik. Nevertheless, it is curious to note that the
Belarusian GM Aleksej Aleksandrov has played it 268 times according to my
database (and he is only 42!).} 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 {Caruana
chooses the Yangyi's pet line, with a very modern approach.} O-O 7. Nc4 Nd7 8.
Qe2 Re8 9. Bd2 Bd6 10. h4 {On the same day at Wijk aan Zee, the Chinese
prodigy Wei Yi scored one of his typical attacking wins, this time over David
Navara, which deviated from Karjakin's game with 10...c5.} Nf8 {a natural
manoeuvre, bringing the knight to e6 and d4.} (10... c5 11. h5 h6 12. O-O-O Nb8
13. Rdg1 Nc6 (13... Bg4 $5 {delays the attack a little bit} 14. Ne3 Qd7 {
was probably a better way to play the position} 15. Rh4 Be6 16. g4 f6 $13 {
although the attack isn't as brutal as in the game, the position definitely
needs more analysis}) 14. g4 {apparently White is already winning, since g5 is
a decisive attacking idea, and even the seemingly solid 14...f6 doesn't stop it
} f6 15. g5 $1 fxg5 16. Nxg5 Nd4 (16... hxg5 17. Bxg5 Be7 (17... Nd4 18. Qe3
Qd7 19. Bf6 Bf8 20. Bxg7 $18) 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. h6 g5 20. Qh5 g4 21. Ne3 Kh8
22. Nxg4 Bxg4 23. Qxg4 {h7 is threatened, followed by the unstopabble Qg8+ and
mate} Qf6 {wanting to exchange queens with ...Qf4+} 24. Kb1 Kh7 25. Rh3 $1 Ne7
(25... Rg8 26. Qg7+ $1 Rxg7 27. hxg7+ Kg8 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rxa8 $18) 26. Qg7+
$1 Qxg7 27. Rxg7+ Kh8 28. Rf3 {now Rff7 is very strong} Ng8 29. Rff7 Nxh6 30.
Rh7+ Kg8 31. Rfg7+ Kf8 32. Rg5 $1 {winning the knight, and with it the game}
Nf7 33. Rf5 Re7 {is not possible, because of} 34. Rh8+ $18) 17. Qd1 hxg5 18.
Bxg5 Be7 19. Be3 Bf6 20. h6 Re7 21. hxg7 Rxg7 22. Qh5 Be6 23. Bh6 Bf7 24. Bxg7
Bxh5 25. Bxf6+ Kf8 26. Bxd8 Ne2+ 27. Kb1 Nxg1 28. Bxc7 {1-0 (28) Wei,Y (2706)
-Navara,D (2730) Wijk aan Zee 2016}) 11. h5 Ne6 12. O-O-O c5 13. Qf1 (13. Ncxe5
$4 {blunders a piece} Bxe5 14. Nxe5 Nd4 15. Qe3 Rxe5 $19) 13... f6 14. Nh4 Nd4
(14... b5 $5 15. Nxd6 cxd6 16. f4 exf4 17. Bxf4 Qa5 (17... d5 $11 {is ok for
Black}) 18. Kb1 Nd4 19. Nf3 Be6 20. a3 $13) 15. c3 Nc6 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. exf5 h6
{Stopping any attacking prospects for White. Black looks fine, and could start
marching his queenside pawns towards the white king.} 18. g4 Bf8 19. Qe2 Qd7 (
19... b5 20. Qe4 Qd7 21. Ne3 Rad8 $13) 20. Be3 Rad8 21. Qc2 Kh7 22. Qb3 a6 23.
Nd2 Na5 (23... Qxd3 {accepting the challenge was an interesting option} 24.
Qxb7 Nd4 $1 25. cxd4 cxd4 26. Qe4 (26. Bxh6 Rb8 27. Qc6 Rb6 28. Qc4 Qxc4+ 29.
Nxc4 Rc6 30. Bd2 Rxc4+ 31. Kb1 Bd6 $11 {seems to be comfortable for Black,
since ...c5 and ...e4 are coming at some point.}) 26... dxe3 27. fxe3 Bc5 28.
Qxd3 Rxd3 29. Nc4 Bxe3+ 30. Kc2 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Bg5 32. Rd7 e4 33. Rd1 $1 {
now the e-pawn could be in danger} e3 34. Kd3 Rd8+ 35. Ke2 Re8 {threatening ...
Re4} 36. Kd3 Rd8+ 37. Ke2 Re8 $11) 24. Qc2 Qd5 25. Kb1 Qxd3 (25... c4 $5 {
led to a simpler position} 26. Nxc4 Nxc4 27. dxc4 Qxc4 28. f3 Bc5 $11) 26. Qxd3
Rxd3 27. Ne4 c4 (27... Red8 28. Rxd3 Rxd3 29. Bxc5 Bxc5 30. Nxc5 Rd5 (30... Rf3
$2 31. Rd1 $1 Rxf2 32. Rd8 {with a decisive attack, White simply wants to go
Ne6-Nf8-Ng6 and Rh8# or Rf8#} Nc6 33. Re8 $18) 31. Ne4 Nc4 32. Kc2 Kg8 $11 {
followed by ...Kf7 and ...Nd6, looks very drawish.}) 28. b4 $1 {A very
instructive concept from Caruana: the queenside expansion will be very
annoying for Black, even though he is a pawn up for now.} Nc6 29. Rxd3 cxd3 30.
a4 Rd8 31. Rd1 Kg8 32. Kb2 $14 {The white pieces, along with the pawn advances
create a very good harmony, showing progress. And the d3-pawn is going nowhere.
} Kf7 33. a5 $1 {Fixing a weakness on b7. If Black does nothing, then Kb3-Kc4
and Bc5 could be played.} b6 34. axb6 cxb6 35. Ra1 $1 (35. Bxb6 $5 {was also
tempting, but the game continuation is more promising} Rb8 36. Bc7 Rb7 37. Bd6
a5 $1 38. Nc5 Rb5 39. Bxf8 Kxf8 {White still has some initiative.} 40. Rxd3
axb4 41. Ne6+ Ke7 42. c4 Ra5 43. c5 $36) 35... d2 36. Nxd2 a5 37. b5 Na7 38. c4
Nc8 $16 {The dust has settled, and White enjoys a comfortable positional
advantage.} 39. Ne4 {Threatening c5 that would win the a5-pawn.} Bb4 40. Kc2
Ke8 41. Rd1 Rxd1 42. Kxd1 Kd7 43. Kc2 Kc7 {Black threatens ...Nd6 now that b6
is defended - it is time to act.} 44. c5 a4 $1 (44... bxc5 $2 45. Nxc5 Bxc5 46.
Bxc5 Nd6 47. Bxd6+ Kxd6 48. Kb3 Kc5 49. Ka4 Kb6 50. f3 $1 $18 {winning}) 45. f3
(45. Nxf6 $5 {was a very important alternative, Black is under serious
pressure now and has to find precise moves:} gxf6 46. Bxh6 (46. cxb6+ $6 Nxb6
47. Bxh6 Kd7 {should be ok for Black}) 46... Bxc5 $1 (46... Kd7 $2 47. Bg7 Ke7
48. h6 Kf7 49. Bh8 $1 {threatening h7} Kg8 50. cxb6 Nxb6 51. Bxf6 Nd7 52. Bg5
Bc5 {to stop Be3 and b6} 53. f3 {and White should win with the advance of the
g-pawn:} Nb6 54. Bc1 {keeping an eye on the a-pawn as well} Nc4 55. g5 Nd6 56.
g6 $1 Nxf5 57. h7+ Kh8 58. Bg5 Bf8 59. b6 Nd6 60. Kc3 $18) 47. Bg7 Be7 48. g5
Nd6 $1 (48... fxg5 49. f6 $18) 49. gxf6 Bd8 50. h6 Nf7 51. h7 {threatening 52.
h8=Q Nxh8 53.Bxh8 and f7 next} Kd7 {forced} 52. Kc3 (52. f3 {there is no time
for this, because Black plays Bc7-Bd6 and defends the important a-pawn} Bc7 53.
Kc3 Bd6 $11) 52... e4 $1 53. Kb4 Ke8 54. Kxa4 Bc7 {planning a counterattack on
f2} 55. Kb3 Bd6 56. Kc4 Bc5 57. h8=Q+ (57. Kd5 Bxf2 58. Kxe4 Ng5+ $1 $11 {
forcing a draw}) 57... Nxh8 58. Bxh8 Kf7 $1 (58... Bxf2 $4 59. f7+ $1 Kxf7 60.
Bd4 $18 {and White wins by Kd5 next (or Kd3, if 60...e3)}) 59. Kd5 Bxf2 60.
Kxe4 Be1 $1 {trying to lock the white bishop in on g7} 61. Bg7 Bd2 $1 {
suddenly White can not make any progress} 62. Kd5 Be3 63. Kc6 Kg8 $1 $11 {
the only move, but enough to keep the balance. If White arrives in the same
position with the bishop on h8 (let's say the black king is on f7), then ...
Kg8 loses to f7+! and the bishop escapes. In that case, Black could simply
play Bf2 (because there is no Bh6 now).}) 45... bxc5 $1 {Karjakin chooses the
perfect moment to release the tension and forces a draw with this move. In my
opinion, Sergey is the most resilient player in the world today, I have seen a
number of examples where he holds on to a worse position without losing focus
or motivation, and escapes with a draw, or even a win, if he is given that
chance. His games deserve serious attention from those who wish to improve
their defensive skills, or even their fighting spirit and determination.} 46.
Nxc5 (46. Bxc5 Bxc5 47. Nxc5 Kb6 48. Ne6 $2 {too optimistic} (48. Nxa4+ Kxb5
49. Nc3+ Kc4 50. Ne4 Kd5 $11) 48... Kxb5 49. Nxg7 Nd6 $17 {and Black suddenly
can think about winning.}) 46... Bxc5 47. Bxc5 Nd6 $1 $11 48. b6+ Kc6 49. b7
Nxb7 50. Bf8 Nd6 51. Bxg7 Nf7 52. Bxf6 a3 53. Bh4 (53. Bg7 {with the idea of
f6 and Bxh6, also doesn't work:} Kd5 54. f6 e4 55. fxe4+ Kxe4 56. Bxh6 Nxh6 57.
g5 Kf5 $1 58. gxh6 Kxf6 $11) 53... Kd5 54. Be1 a2 55. Kb2 Kd4 56. Bd2 Kd3 57.
Bc1 Ke2 58. f4 exf4 59. Bxf4 Kf3 60. Bxh6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sao Paulo zt 2.4"]
[Site "Sao Paulo"]
[Date "2001.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Soto Vega, Jorge"]
[Black "Lima, Darcy Gustavo Macha"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2386"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "Melao,H"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2001.06.07"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "BRA"]
[EventCategory "8"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 082 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.07.03"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.07.03"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. a4 a5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Nd2 c6 (12... Be6 13. Qc2 Qe7 14.
Kh1 Rad8 15. Rad1 c6 16. Be2 Bc7 17. Rfe1 Rd7 18. Nf1 Rfd8 19. Ne3 Bb6 20. Nf5
Bxf5 21. exf5 Ng4 22. Rxd7 Rxd7 23. Bxe7 {1/2-1/2 Shirov,A-Macieja,B/Polanica
Zdroj 1998/CBM 67/[Wedberg] (23)}) 13. Be2 Qe7 14. Nc4 (14. Qc2 Be6 15. h3 g5
16. Bg3 Nd7 17. Nc4 Bxc4 18. Bxc4 Bc7 19. Qe2 Kg7 20. Rfd1 Rad8 21. Qg4 Nb6 22.
Bb3 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rd8 24. Rxd8 Qxd8 25. h4 Qe7 26. Kh2 Nd7 27. hxg5 hxg5 28.
Qf5 Nc5 {Murey,J-Lahav,E/Tel Aviv 1990/CBM 20 ext/1/2-1/2 (91)}) 14... Bc7 15.
f3 Be6 16. Kh1 Rad8 17. Qc2 Rd7 18. Rfd1 Qc5 19. Rxd7 (19. Bxf6 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1
Bxc4 21. Bxc4 Qxc4 22. Bh4 {e as Brancas teriam Bispo-bom e coluna, mas as
Pretas teriam a Dama mais ativa e o Bispo-mau entraria em jogo por 'b6'. A
tendência seria o empate.}) 19... Nxd7 20. Rd1 Nf6 21. b3 (21. b4 $5 axb4 22.
cxb4 Qe7 (22... Qxb4 23. Rb1 $14)) 21... b5 22. Nb2 Rd8 23. Rxd8+ Bxd8 24. Nd3
Qa3 25. c4 $6 (25. Nxe5 Nxe4 $1 (25... Bxb3 $5 26. Qb1) 26. Be1 $1 (26. Bxd8
Qa1+ 27. Bd1 Nxc3 $19) (26. Qxe4 Qa1+ 27. Bd1 Bxh4 $1 28. Qc2 Bf5 $19) (26.
fxe4 Bxh4 $17) 26... Qa1 27. Qd1 Qxd1 28. Bxd1 bxa4 29. bxa4 (29. fxe4 axb3 (
29... Bh4 30. g3) 30. Nxc6 a4 $1 31. c4 $8 Bg4 (31... b2 32. Bc2 a3 33. Bc3 Bg5
34. c5 Bc1 35. Nb4 a2 36. Nxa2 Bxa2 37. c6 $11) 32. Bxb3 axb3 33. Bc3 Bb6 $15)
29... Bf6 30. f4 $11) 25... bxa4 26. bxa4 Bc7 27. g4 Nd7 28. Bf2 Bb6 29. Bxb6
Nxb6 30. Nxe5 c5 31. Qd1 (31. Nc6 Bxc4 32. Bxc4 Qxf3+ 33. Kg1 Qxg4+ 34. Kf2
Nxc4 35. Qxc4 Qf4+ $13) 31... Nxa4 32. Qd8+ Kh7 33. Nd7 Qa1+ 34. Kg2 Bxd7 35.
Qxd7 Qb2 36. Kh3 $2 ({as Brancas poderiam empatar com} 36. Qf5+ Kg8 37. Qc8+
$11) 36... Nb6 $1 {agora as Pretas evitam o perpétuo e ficam com o Peão
passado 'a'.} 37. Qf5+ Kg8 38. Bd3 Qd4 39. e5 g6 40. Qe4 Qxe4 41. fxe4 (41.
Bxe4 Nxc4 $19) 41... a4 42. Bc2 a3 43. Bb3 Na4 44. g5 hxg5 45. Kg4 Nc3 46. Kxg5
Kg7 $1 (46... a2 $6 47. Bxa2 Nxa2 48. e6 Kg7 $3 (48... fxe6 49. Kxg6 {e as
Brancas ainda teriam chances de empate.}) 49. e7 f6+ 50. Kf4 Kf7 $19) 0-1

[Event "EU-ch 11th"]
[Site "Rijeka"]
[Date "2010.03.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Safarli, Eltaj"]
[Black "Pashikian, Arman"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2606"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[Annotator "Mikhalchishin,A"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2010.03.06"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "CRO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 136"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.05.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.05.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 {Safarli is an extremely talented junior
from Azerbaijan - he reminds me of the young Mamedyarov. Both have the same
quality - they avoid main theoretical lines.} Bc5 ({Here specialists prefer
Oleg Romanishin's beautifully smart idea} 4... Qe7 5. c3 a6 6. Ba4 d6 7. d4 Bd7
8. O-O g6) 5. c3 ({A not recomended variation would be} 5. Bxc6 bxc6 6. Nxe5 (
6. d3 d6 7. Be3 Bxe3 8. fxe3 {is very playable.}) 6... Qe7 7. Nd3 Ba6 8. Nc3
O-O 9. O-O Rfe8 {with beautiful compensatiopn for the temporarily sacrificed
pawn.}) 5... O-O 6. d3 ({Once more, it was rather dangerous to try to win the
pawn on e5:} 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nxe5 d6 8. Nxc6 Qd7 9. Nd4 Nxe4 10. d3 Ba6 11. O-O
Rae8 {with huge development activity for a mere pawn.}) 6... Re8 (6... d6 {
In such positions Black generally tries to avoid the unpleasant pin, but here
it is not so dangerous.} 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bd7 10. Nbd2 a6 11. Ba4 Nh5
{and Black has a very active position.}) 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Be7 9. Nbd2 d6 10.
O-O-O $146 ({Possible was also the typical transfer of the knight before
castling - the idea is to avoid the sometimes unnecessary move Rf1-e1.} 10. Nf1
a6 11. Ba4 Nd7 12. Bg3 Nb6 13. Bb3 a5 14. a4 Be6 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Ne3 Rf8 17.
O-O Bg5 18. Nxg5 Qxg5 19. f3 Nd7 20. Kh1 Nf6 21. Bf2 Nh5 22. g3 Nf6 23. Nc4 Qh5
24. Rae1 d5 {Tiviakov,S (2670)-Eljanov,P (2717)/Sibenik 2009/CBM 132 Extra/1-0
(74). with very complicated play with some edge for White.  But Safarli's move
shows, that White is ready for a total attack.}) 10... Bd7 11. Rhg1 ({The
logical improvement of the pieces by} 11. Nc4 a6 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. Ne3 b5 14.
Nf5 Bd7 15. g4 {would be a much more logical development of the attacking plan,
but youth has no time to wait!}) 11... a6 12. Bxc6 (12. Ba4 $2 {would be a
positional mistake:} Nd4 $1 13. cxd4 Bxa4 14. b3 Bb5 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nc4 Nd7
17. Bg3 Bf6 18. Kb1 a5 {and the attack on the queen's flank starts.}) 12...
bxc6 ({It is always unclear in similar situations, how to recapture. With the
bishop was probably weaker:} 12... Bxc6 13. Nc4 b5 14. Ne3 a5 15. g4 b4 16. c4
{as it is not possible to launch an attack against the white king.}) 13. g4 $6
({Clearly weaker was} 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. g4 Rb8 15. Nc4 d5 16. Ne3 Be6 17. Nf5
d4 18. cxd4 exd4 19. Kb1 c5 20. Qd2 $5 Qd7 {and sooner or later the b-file
will be exploited for the attack.}) ({Opening the centre is not logical either:
} 13. d4 exd4 14. cxd4 Rb8 15. Kb1 Qc8 16. Rc1 Qb7 17. Rc2 c5 $36) (13. h3 $5)
13... Nxg4 14. Bg3 $6 ({After the exchange} 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Rg2 Nf6 16. Nh4
Kh8 17. Rdg1 Rg8 {there is no visible attack on the kingside. But the move in
the game is very unusual - how White will exploit the g-file?}) 14... Rb8 (
14... c5 {was maybe better.}) 15. d4 $5 ({Opening the play is risky, but the
normal way was leading to a very comfortable game for Black:} 15. Nc4 c5 16.
Nfd2 Bf8 17. f3 Nf6 18. Ne3 Nh5) 15... exd4 16. cxd4 Qc8 17. h3 Qb7 18. b3 Nf6
19. Bf4 {White's only chance is to try to create some little tricks.} Kh8 ({
Ir was smarter to deflect the white queen from the kingside:} 19... Kh7 20. Qd3
Qb5 21. Qc2 Kh8) 20. Qe3 Bf8 ({Safer was} 20... Rg8 21. Kb2 a5 {and then
starting his own attack on the other side.}) 21. Bxh6 $5 {What to do in such
unfavourable situations - just change the course of the game with some wild
sac!} gxh6 22. Qf4 Re6 ({Of course not} 22... Bg7 $2 23. Rxg7 Kxg7 24. Rg1+ Kf8
25. Qxf6 Re6 26. Qg7+ Ke7 27. Nh4 {with the attack, which is just enough for a
draw.}) 23. e5 dxe5 24. Nxe5 ({The other capture is not better:} 24. dxe5 Nd5
25. Qxf7 Ba3+ 26. Kb1 Re7 27. Qg6 Qb4 28. e6 Qc3 $1 {winning.}) 24... Be8 25.
Ndc4 ({Not sufficient for serious counterplay was} 25. Ne4 Nxe4 26. Nxf7+ Bxf7
27. Qxf7 Ba3+ 28. Kb1 Re7 29. Qf4 Qb4 {winning.}) 25... Rd8 ({It was safer to
transfer the queen closer to the centre:} 25... Qb5) 26. Qf5 c5 {This is more
risky than} (26... Qb4) 27. d5 Rxd5 28. Ng6+ fxg6 29. Qxe6 Rxd1+ 30. Rxd1 Bg7 (
{It was safer to bring the pieces closer to each other:} 30... Kg7 31. Rd8 Bf7)
31. Rd8 Kh7 32. Ne5 Qh1+ 33. Kb2 Qe4 34. f3 Qe3 ({Here a tactical transition
into the endgame was possible:} 34... Bd7 35. fxe4 Bxe6) 35. Qe7 Bb5 36. f4
Qxf4 37. Rh8+ Kxh8 38. Nxg6+ Kh7 39. Nxf4 Ng8+ $1 {This important double
attack had to be foreseen 5 moves ago.} 0-1

[Event "EU-ch (Women) 15th"]
[Site "Plovdiv"]
[Date "2014.07.07"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Melia, Salome"]
[Black "Ovod, Evgenija"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2454"]
[BlackElo "2330"]
[Annotator "Mikhalchishin,A"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2014.07.06"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 162"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 (5... Nxe5 {would be
worse here:} 6. d4 c6 (6... Nxe4 7. dxc5 $1 Qe7 8. Re1 Nxf2 9. Qe2 $1 $18) (
6... Bd6 7. f4 $1 Ng6 8. e5 Be7 9. f5 $1 $16) 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Bd3 d5 9. exd6
Nf6 10. Bg5 Qxd6 11. Nc3 Be6 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Ne4 Qe5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Qf3
Qg5 16. a4 $16) 6. Qe1 $5 ({White plays a bit unusually. A very sharp option
here is} 6. Qg4 $5 Ng5 (6... Nxf2 7. Qxg7 Rf8 (7... Ne4+ 8. Kh1 Rf8 9. d4 $1
Bxd4 10. Rxf7 Qe7 11. Rxe7+ Nxe7 12. h4 $18) 8. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 9. Kxf2 Qh4+ 10. Kf1
Qxh2 11. Nf3 Qh1+ 12. Ng1 $16) ({The correct move led to the main line:} 6...
Nxe5 7. Qxe4 (7. Qxg7 Qf6) 7... Qe7) 7. d4 Nxe5 (7... d6 8. Nxc6 $18) 8. Re1 $1
O-O 9. Rxe5 d6 10. Qxg5 dxe5 (10... f6 11. Qd2 $16) 11. dxc5 Qd1+ 12. Bf1 b6
13. Qd2 Rd8 14. Qxd1 Rxd1 15. Nc3 Re1 16. Rb1 {winning, Ostapenko,A-Fomenko/
USSR 1970}) ({But the most common try is} 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. Qxe4 Qe7 8. d4 Nc6 9.
Qg4 h5 10. Qxg7 Bxd4 11. Qg3 a6 12. Bc4 h4 $1 $146 (12... Be5) 13. Qf4 (13.
Qxc7 $2 h3 $1 (13... b5 14. Bd5 Be5 15. Qb6 Bd4 $11) 14. Qg3 hxg2 15. Qxg2 d6
$40) 13... d6 (13... h3 $5) 14. Bd5 (14. Nc3 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Ne5 $15) 14... Be5
15. Qc4 Bd7 16. c3 (16. Nc3 $5) 16... O-O-O 17. Nd2 Be6 (17... h3 18. g3 Be6
19. f4 Bg7 20. Nf3 Rde8 $44) 18. f4 Bf6 19. Ne4 Rde8 20. Re1 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Qe6
22. Qxe6+ Rxe6 $11 {Svidler,P (2734)-Ivanchuk,V (2739)/Moscow 2009}) 6... Nxe5
7. d4 ({It was possible to transpose to Svidler-Ivanchuk here} 7. Qxe4 Qe7 8.
d4 Nc6) 7... Qe7 8. dxc5 {A sharp pawn sacrifice.} ({Here the same
transposition was possible:} 8. Qxe4 Nc6) 8... Nxc5 9. Nc3 c6 ({After any
other defence White's initiative for the pawn could be very unpleasant} 9... a6
10. Be2 O-O 11. Be3 d6 12. b4 Ne6 13. Nd5 Qd7 14. f4) 10. b4 ({A slightly more
precise move order would be} 10. f4 Ng4 11. b4 Na6 12. Bxa6 bxa6 13. Ba3 d6 14.
b5 c5 15. Qxe7+ Kxe7 16. Rfe1+ Kf6) 10... Na6 11. f4 ({Solid compensation for
the pawn was possible after} 11. Bxa6 bxa6 12. Qe3 O-O 13. f4 Ng6 14. f5 Qxe3+
15. Bxe3 Ne5 16. f6) 11... cxb5 12. fxe5 ({A more precise way was} 12. Qxe5
Qxe5 13. fxe5 Nc7 14. Be3 b6 15. a4 bxa4 16. Rxa4 {with strong pressure,but
White did not want to swap queens.}) 12... Qxb4 $2 ({White's initiative would
be unpleasant after the better} 12... O-O 13. Qg3 Nxb4 14. Bh6 f5 15. exf6 Rxf6
16. Rae1 Rxf1+ 17. Rxf1 d6 18. Bf4) 13. Qg3 $1 g6 ({Black's position was very
poor after} 13... O-O 14. Bh6 g6 15. Bxf8 Kxf8 16. Qf3 Qe7 17. Nd5 Qe6 18. Rf2
Ke8 19. Raf1) 14. Bh6 ({A better way of attack was the direct} 14. Qf3 O-O 15.
Bh6 Nc7 16. Ne4) 14... d5 15. exd6 Be6 {Black tries to develop at any price,
but it is very difficult.} 16. d7+ (16. Rab1 {was very good:} Qc5+ 17. Rf2
O-O-O 18. Nxb5) 16... Kxd7 17. Rfd1+ Kc8 18. Rab1 Qc5+ 19. Kh1 Rd8 20. Bg5 ({
Another way was a bit simpler} 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. Rd1+ Kc8 22. Bg5) 20... Rd7
21. Ne4 Qc7 22. Nd6+ Kb8 23. Bf4 (23. Qe5 {was very strong.}) 23... Qc6 24.
Nxb5+ Kc8 25. Nd6+ Rxd6 26. Rxd6 {Black's position is hopeless.} Qc4 27. Rbd1
b6 28. Rd8+ Kb7 29. Qf3+ Qc6 30. R1d7+ Bxd7 31. Rxd7+ 1-0

[Event "USA-ch"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2017.04.01"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Xiong, Jeffery"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2817"]
[BlackElo "2674"]
[Annotator "Moradiabadi,E"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2017.03.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d5 {A rare line. Xiong hopes to
catch Fabiano off-guard in some rare lines. Well, we all can wish that...} 6.
exd5 Qxd5 7. Bc4 Qd6 8. b4 Bb6 9. a4 $5 $146 {Allowing e5-e4? At first sight,
this looks like a ridiculous move, but later moves show us how 'deeply'
Fabiano knows this rare line!} e4 10. dxe4 Qxd1+ 11. Kxd1 Nxe4 12. Kc2 $1 {
It takes the engines quite some time to realise White is doing well here! And
honestly, it is even harder as a player.} Nd6 13. Re1+ Ne7 14. Bb3 Bf5+ 15. Kb2
a5 16. Bf4 Bxf2 17. Re2 Bb6 18. Na3 Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Bxd6 cxd6 21. Rxe6
Kd7 22. Rae1 Rhe8 23. Nc4 Bc7 24. Kb3 axb4 25. cxb4 Nf5 {In a slightly worse
middlegame, Jeffrey defended well and maintained approximate balance.} 26. R6e2
Rxe2 27. Rxe2 Re8 28. Rd2 Re4 29. a5 Kc6 $2 {Loss of two tempi!} (29... Ne3) (
29... h6 {are both fine.}) 30. b5+ Kd7 (30... Kxb5 31. Rd5+ {loses a piece.})
31. b6 $2 {This returns the favour.} (31. a6 bxa6 32. bxa6 Re8 33. Nfe5+ Ke6
34. Nc6 Ra8 35. Nb4 {would give White good winning chances according to Komodo
and colleagues!}) 31... Bb8 32. Nce5+ Kd8 33. h3 Ne7 {Now it is White who has
to be careful to maintain equality!} 34. Nc4 d5 35. Na3 Bd6 36. Nc2 Kd7 37. Rd3
h6 38. g4 Bc5 39. Nfd4 Nc6 40. Nxc6 Kxc6 41. Rd1 Rf4 42. Rd3 {} g5 43. Kc3 Ra4
44. Rf3 Kb5 45. Rf7 Kxa5 46. Rxb7 Rf4 47. Rd7 Rf3+ 48. Kd2 Kxb6 49. Rxd5 Rxh3
50. Nd4 Rg3 51. Nf5 Rg2+ 52. Kd3 Kc6 53. Re5 Rxg4 54. Nxh6 Rg1 55. Re4 Rg3+ 56.
Kc4 Rf3 57. Re6+ Bd6 58. Rg6 Rf4+ {A nice close battle and a good achievement
for Jeffrey Xiong, holding a second super GM to a draw with Black.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "DEN-ch"]
[Site "Esbjerg"]
[Date "1997.03.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mortensen, Erling"]
[Black "Hansen, Lars Bo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2450"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[Annotator "Mortensen,E"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1997.03.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 060"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Bd6 5. c3 O-O 6. d3 Re8 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4
b5 9. Bb3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. O-O Bf8 12. Nb3 {White must prevent black from
playing Sc6 and d7-d5 with at least equality.} Nc6 13. a4 Bb7 14. Bg5 Rc8 15.
axb5 axb5 16. Nh4 ({Perhaps Perhaps} 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Na5 Nxa5 18. Rxa5 Bc6
19. Bb3 $14 {with a tiny advantage should be preferred.}) 16... h6 17. Be3 d6
18. Nf5 Ne7 {A good defensive pove.} 19. Nxe7+ ({now} 19. g4 Ng6 {with the
idea d6-d5 looks fine for black.}) 19... Qxe7 20. f3 ({Safer was} 20. Ra7 Ra8
21. Rfa1 Rxa7 22. Rxa7 Ra8 23. Rxa8 Bxa8 24. f3 {followed by d3-d4 with a
slight advantage.}) 20... d5 21. Ra7 d4 22. Na5 Rc7 23. cxd4 {This gives the
black pieces the square c5. Perhaps 23. Lf2 was better.} (23. Bf2 $5) 23...
cxd4 24. Bf2 ({My plan was} 24. Bd2 Qc5 $1 25. Rxb7 Rxb7 26. Nxb7 Qxc2 $1 {
is clearly better for black, as} 27. b4 Bxb4 $17 {is not possible.}) 24... Bxe4
{A bit greedy} (24... Bc8 $142 $11) 25. Rxc7 Qxc7 26. fxe4 Qxa5 27. Bh4 Be7 28.
Bb3 {White has more than enough for the pawn.} Qb4 29. Qd1 Rf8 30. Be1 Qd6 31.
Bd2 Nh7 $2 {Now black gets some problems.} (31... Kh7 $142) 32. Qh5 Bf6 33. h4
Qe7 34. g3 Kh8 35. Kg2 $2 {Overlooking the trap in timetrouble} (35. Bc1 $142
$16 {to get a square for the queen black can hardly move.}) (35. Qg4 $142 {
with the idea Tc1 and maybe Tc8 was good. The b5-pawn could become very weak.})
35... g6 36. Qf3 ({The white Queen is trapped after} 36. Qxh6 Bg7 $19) 36... h5
37. g4 $5 Bxh4 $2 {Too risky} ({correct was} 37... hxg4 38. Qxg4 Kg7 {with
better chances for black}) 38. gxh5 $2 ({Probably} 38. Bh6 $142 {is winning e.
g.} hxg4 (38... Rc8 39. Qxf7 Qxf7 40. Rxf7 Bf6 41. g5 $18) 39. Qxg4 Bf6 40. Rh1
$18) 38... Bg5 39. Be1 Bf4 40. Rh1 Kg7 41. Bh4 g5 42. h6+ Kh8 43. Be1 g4 44.
Qd1 Rg8 45. Qc2 Qf6 46. Qc7 Rf8 47. Bh4 $2 {The last mistake..} (47. Qc5 $142 {
with some drawing chances}) 47... Bg5 48. Rf1 Qxh6 49. Bxg5 Qh3+ 50. Kf2 Qh2+
51. Ke1 Nxg5 52. Qe7 Qg3+ 53. Rf2 Qe3+ 54. Kf1 Qxd3+ 55. Re2 Qh3+ 56. Rg2 Qh1+
57. Rg1 Qf3+ 58. Ke1 Qxe4+ 59. Kf1 Qd3+ 60. Kg2 Qf3+ 0-1

[Event "Sigeman & Co 12th"]
[Site "Malmo/Copenhagen"]
[Date "2004.05.08"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Hector, Jonny"]
[Black "Nielsen, Peter Heine"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2512"]
[BlackElo "2628"]
[Annotator "Mueller,Karsten"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2004.04.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SWE"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 101"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.07.27"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.07.27"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Ne4 6. O-O a6 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8.
Re1 Nc5 9. Nxd4 Ne6 10. Ne2 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Bd7 12. Nbc3 O-O-O 13. Be3 g6 14. Ne4
Bg7 15. f4 b6 16. b4 Bf8 17. a3 Be7 18. c4 Ng7 19. c5 Kb7 20. N2c3 Bg4 21. Rxd8
Rxd8 22. cxb6 cxb6 23. Na4 c5 24. bxc5 Rd3 25. c6+ Kxc6 26. Rc1+ Kd5 27. Nf2
Rxe3 28. Nxb6+ Ke6 29. Nxg4 Rb3 30. Nc4 Nf5 31. Nf2 Bc5 32. g4 Nd4 33. Kf1 Rf3
34. Nd2 Nb3 35. Rxc5 (35. Nxf3 $5 {was the alternative. war die Alternative.})
35... Nxd2+ 36. Ke1 Rxf2 $1 {a nice combination.  eine schöne Kombination} 37.
Rc6+ (37. Kxf2 $4 Ne4+ $19) 37... Kd7 38. Rd6+ Ke7 39. Kxf2 Ne4+ 40. Ke3 Nxd6
41. exd6+ Kxd6 $11 42. Kd4 h5 (42... a5 $2 43. g5 Ke6 44. Kc5 Kf5 45. Kb5 Kxf4
46. h4 $1 Kg4 47. Kxa5 Kxh4 48. Kb5 Kxg5 49. a4 f5 50. a5 f4 51. Kc4 Kg4 52. a6
f3 53. Kd3 Kg3 54. a7 f2 55. Ke2 Kg2 56. a8=Q+ $18) 43. gxh5 gxh5 44. Ke4 Ke6
45. a4 h4 46. f5+ Kd6 47. Kf4 f6 48. Kg4 Ke5 49. a5 h3 50. Kxh3 Kxf5 51. Kg3
Kg5 52. Kf3 Kh4 $1 {The distant white passed pawn is surprisingly of no value
here.  der entfernte weiße Freibauer ist überraschenderweise nicht zu verwerten
} 53. Kf4 Kh3 54. Kf5 Kxh2 55. Kxf6 Kg3 56. Ke5 Kg4 57. Kd6 Kf5 58. Kc6 Ke6 59.
Kb7 Kd7 60. Kxa6 Kc8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad-41"]
[Site "Tromsoe"]
[Date "2014.08.08"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Negi, Parimarjan"]
[Black "Bologan, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "Negi,P"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2014.08.02"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 162"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Moldova"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "MDA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 {It's always hard to decide
how to respond to a Berlin, especially when it's a surprise. Finally, I
decided to go for a fighting middlegame position... also the fact that Bologan
hasn't played this line for a while made me feel that he might not be as aware
of the various subtleties here.} dxc6 6. Nbd2 O-O ({Recently, one of the
annoying lines has come up here:} 6... Bg4 $5 {although surprisingly it hasn't
picked up much popularity.} 7. h3 Bh5 {The idea is to wait for Nf1 - Ng3, and
then capture Bxf3.} 8. Nf1 ({An interesting way to get rid of the pin was} 8.
Nc4 Nd7 9. Be3 f6 10. Qd2 Qe7 (10... Bxf3 11. gxf3 {and eventually White might
get the very useful f4-break.}) 11. Nh4 O-O-O 12. Nf5 Qf8 13. O-O Bf7 14. b3 {
but White's play was somewhat slow in the last moves. There's a lot of scope
for improvement though.} g6 15. Ng3 h5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. Qe3 Kb8 $11 {1/2-1/2 
(21) Sjugirov,S (2641)-Maletin,P (2598) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013}) 8... Nd7 9. Ng3
Bxf3 $1 10. Qxf3 g6 $1 {and now the knight on g3 is somewhat pointless. Also
Black waits to see where White's king would castle, and follow suit, so it's
really hard for White to create much play here:} 11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O
13. Ne2 Rhe8 14. Kb1 b6 15. h4 Kb7 16. h5 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc5 $11 {1/2-1/2 (32)
Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870) Chennai 2013}) 7. O-O (7. Nc4 {could be a more
flexible way to delay 0-0, as played in the Anand - Karjakin game after ...Nd7.
.. but this allows the additional option of} Ng4 $5 (7... Nd7 8. Bd2 Re8 9. a4
f6 10. O-O Nf8 11. Be3 Ne6 12. Bxc5 Nxc5 13. Ne3 Ne6 14. Nh4 a5 15. b3 Qd4 16.
Nhf5 Qc5 17. Qd2 Nd4 18. Nxd4 Qxd4 19. Qe2 Be6 20. Kh1 Rad8 21. Qe1 b6 22. g4
Kf7 23. Rg1 g5 24. h4 $14 {1/2-1/2 (57) Anand,V (2783)-Karjakin,S (2767)
Stavanger 2013}) 8. O-O f5 {which leads to a lot of unwanted complications. I
used it for Black in the following game:} 9. Bg5 Qe8 10. exf5 e4 11. dxe4 Qxe4
12. Qd3 Qxd3 13. cxd3 Bxf5 14. d4 Bb6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (24) Erenburg,S (2615)-Negi,
P (2634) Arlington 2013}) 7... Re8 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Kh1 $5 {Another plan sees
White try to get a quick d4, or play on the queenside... but in most cases
that doesn't really seem to annoy the Berlin player. Here I'm obviously
clearly stating my intentions of continuing to play on the kingside... It's
also possible to do something similar after including a4...a5 (so it's useful
to note that a few games in this plan were played with slightly different move
orders). The type of position remains the same, and I didn't see any reason to
make any changes on the queenside. Kh1 doesn't seem to be immediately useful -
White doesn't usually continue with the primitive Ng1 - Ne2 - f4. Instead, as
you will notice in this game, it has many long term benefits... particularly
playing on the kingside with Nh4 etc. You can see a typical plan on the
kingside being followed in the Anand - Karjakin game above (7.Nc4) as well.}
Bd6 {Black doesn't try to bother about the subtleties, and simply wants to
continue with the typical Nf8...Ng6 plan.} (9... a5 10. a4 b6 $5 {without
commiting ...Bd6 might actually make more sense.} {The idea can be seen after}
11. Bg5 (11. g3 {/\ Nh4...but this isn't an ideal way to play Nh4 because of
the weakened kingside. Now, Black managed to exploit it excellently with} Nf8
$1 12. Ncxe5 f6 13. d4 Bd6 14. Nxc6 Qd7 15. d5 Rxe4 16. Nd2 Re8 $15 {1/2-1/2 
(60) Caruana,F (2772)-Karjakin,S (2786) Zug 2013}) (11. Be3 Bb4 {I'm not
really sure if this was required.} 12. Nfd2 (12. g3 $5) 12... b5 13. axb5 cxb5
14. c3 bxc4 15. cxb4 cxd3 16. bxa5 Ba6 {with an unclear position, Anand,V 
(2780)-Kramnik,V (2810) Zuerich 2013 CBM 153.}) 11... Be7 $5 12. Be3 Bd6 {
Not allowing Nh4 yet.}) 10. Bg5 $5 {Provoking the f6 weakness... or rather
it's not really a weakness, but until Black plays ...f6, White isn't able to
go Nh4...Nf5.} f6 (10... Be7 {makes less sense here since the bishop is
wasting too many moves.}) 11. Be3 Nf8 12. Nh4 Be6 13. Nf5 {It was also
possible to delay it - for instance, first Nd2 or Qf3 etc...but essentially
the position remains similar.} (13. Nd2 g6) 13... Qd7 (13... g6 14. Ncxd6 cxd6
15. Nh6+ {/\ f4, and Black's dark squares look very vulnerable.}) 14. Qf3 Ng6 {
An important moment:} 15. g3 $1 (15. g4 {looked more tempting, but now after}
Bxc4 $1 16. dxc4 Nf4 $1 17. Rad1 Qe6 $11 {Black's knight on f4 seems very
annoying.}) 15... Bf8 (15... Bxc4 16. dxc4 {doesn't quite equalise for Black.
Now even the h4...h5 ideas might be very annoying for Black sometime.} Ne7 17.
g4 $14) (15... Bxf5 16. exf5 Ne7 17. g4 Nd5 18. Nd2 $14 {is a dream structure
for White.}) 16. Nd2 $1 {Dealing with the threat of ...Bxf5 and later ...Qd5
exchange. Now White is ready to shift his focus to the kingside. The computer
constantly thinks Black's position is very comfortable... but practically that
seems to be far from true. It's simply difficult to find a clear plan for him,
while White is very obviously ready to start his kingside avalanche.} c5 17.
Rg1 $5 {No need to hurry with g4, although I don't think it would make any
difference as such.} Nh8 $6 {It feels like a pretty manoevre, and while the
knight seems nice on f7 - but it's only going to be awkward, and it puts no
pressure on the f5-knight.} (17... Ne7 {could be a better square for the
knight, but after} 18. g4 {it's still tough to suggest a good continuation.})
18. g4 g6 (18... Nf7 {allows the additional idea of} 19. g5 $5 ({I might have
actually preferred the simpler} 19. Rg3 {to bring all the pieces into the
attack as in the game.}) 19... fxg5 20. Bxg5 Nxg5 21. Rxg5 g6 22. Rag1 Kh8 23.
Nh4 $14) 19. Rg3 $1 {Bringing in each piece. The knight on f5 is of course
untouchable, while it's really hard to find good moves for Black.} Nf7 20. Rag1
Kh8 21. Qg2 $1 {There were other plans, but I feel quite proud of the idea to
bring in the f3-knight as well. After that g5 will be particularly strong.} Bd6
{Probably not the best defence... but it's hard to recommend good defensive
moves for Black despite the computer's enthusiasm.} 22. Nf3 {The final piece
comes in.} Rg8 (22... c4 23. g5 $1 {and Black's position is collapsing.}) 23.
Qh3 $1 {The threat of Qxh7 forces Black to make a commitment.} g5 (23... gxf5
24. gxf5 Rxg3 25. Qxg3 $18) 24. Qg2 $5 {I think the simplest option.} (24. Qh5
{is probably strong as well... but after} Nd8 {White has to deal with Black's
ideas to go after the h5-queen.}) 24... Qa4 {Already a desperate attempt.} (
24... Rg6 25. h4 h6 {seemed the best defensive way to me, but now I just
transfer my pieces to the h-file and Black's position looks very sad.}) 25. h4
gxh4 26. N5xh4 {Keeping the threat of g5 strong.} Be7 (26... Ng5 27. Bxg5 fxg5
28. Nf5 {/\ Qh2...Rh3 etc.} Qxc2 29. Qh2 $18) 27. Nf5 Qd7 28. Qh2 {...and Rh3
is too strong a threat.} Bxf5 29. gxf5 1-0

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Anand +3-1=7"]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2014.11.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2863"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Negi,P"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2014.11.08"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 164"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {I am curious why Magnus avoided these
long middlegames in the next games, considering the way this game went.} Bc5 {
The first theoretical crossroads. 0-0, and c3, both seem to lead to similar
positions, but there are many subtle differences. I'll briefly write about a
line in the c3-variation which I feel is an influence on the way Magnus played
here.} 5. O-O (5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nbd2 (7. Bxc6 {not as good as the Magnus
version because of c3 being already committed.}) 7... a6 {plays into White's
plans. Now we get a setup similar to Carlsen's in the game. It might appear
that in the game Black did not lose a move with ...a6 - but that was possibly
offset by the fact that White tried to play a setup with c3. As you will see,
c3-d4 is not neccesarily the only plan here, so it could be beneficial not to
hurry with it.} (7... Ne7 $1 {is the main line these days, and it has been
very hard for White to prove any advantage. The key idea is that Black avoids
Bxc6 setups, and is willing to concede the centre after} 8. d4 {if not d4,
then Black gets the ideal Ne7-Ng6, followed by ...a6 etc.} exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 {
this is the critical position for the assessment of this line. It appears to
me that Black has been able to get enough counterplay so far, but there's
certainly more room to explore.}) 8. Bxc6 {A couple of excellent
demonstrations of White's play were the following. In both the games, White
avoided an early d4, and instead just focussed on developing his pieces, and
eventually exploiting Black's structural weaknesses. Right now, the weaknesses
appear miniscule, but it makes it incredibly difficult for Black to create
counterplay since ideas like ...d5 just weaken his position further. And White
can eventually try to get in d4 at the right point.} bxc6 9. Re1 Re8 10. h3 Bb6
11. Nf1 h6 12. Ng3 Be6 (12... d5 13. Qc2 $1 {again the queen is wonderful here.
Black is just spoiling his own structure:} dxe4 14. dxe4 Nd7 15. Be3 Nc5 16. c4
a5 17. b3 $14 {1-0 (26) Dominguez Perez,L (2753)-Cox,J (2387) Rhodes 2013}) 13.
Be3 Bxe3 14. Rxe3 c5 15. Qc2 {The queen is always excellent here.} Nd7 16. d4
$1 {since everything is perfectly placed.} cxd4 17. cxd4 exd4 18. Nxd4 a5 19.
b3 Nc5 20. Rd1 $14 {1-0 (55) Svidler,P (2741)-Navara,D (2706) Prague 2012})
5... d6 (5... O-O {isn't possible due to} 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nxe5) ({The main
drawback for 0-0 is} 5... Nd4 {as an extra option, which has often allowed
Black to equalise easily in the past. But as the following recent game shows,
there is a lot more to explore here, and clearly Magnus had some interesting
setup in mind against this.} 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 $5 c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10.
Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Bb3 g5 14. Bg3 Re8 15. Re1 Bc7 16. Nc2 $14
{1/2-1/2 (69) Topalov,V (2785)-Andreikin,D (2709) Khanty-Mansiysk 2014}) 6. Re1
$5 {Already a novelty among decent players! That's pretty impressive in one of
the most widely analysed opening of our times...although I have to admit, it's
not really a new concept. The same thing was tried by Adams after 6.Nbd2 -
actually 9...h6 by Anand would have converted to the Adams - Kramnik game
mentioned below.  I am not sure if there is any subtlety behind delaying Nd2 -
perhaps it could be more flexible in some cases, but I don't think it really
matters. White's main idea is just to play the closed structure after Bxc6,
similar to the Svidler - Navara game mentioned after 5. c3. In the long term
he hopes to exploit the 'queenside' weakening of the strucuture, and hope that
active moves like d5 will only create weaknesses for Black. It's an
interesting concept, and certainly an excellent try against people not
comfortable with long strategic manoevres.} ({The same structure can be got by
} 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 h6 9. Re1 Re8 10. Nf1 d5 $5 {I prefer} 11. Qe2
{or perhaps he could have included c3 earlier, so Qc2 would have made even
more sense.} (11. exd5 Qxd5 $1 {gave Black a lot of counterplay despite the
broken structure.} 12. Be3 Bf8 13. Bd2 e4 14. dxe4 Nxe4 15. Ng3 Bb7 16. Bf4 Nd6
17. b3 c5 $11 {0-1 (75) Adams,M (2727)-Kramnik,V (2801) Paris/St Petersburg
2013 CBM 154 [Szabo,Kr].}) {Nothing drastic has occured and the slow game
continues. Here, Black went wrong trying to seek activity with} 11... dxe4 12.
dxe4 a5 13. Rd1 Ba6 14. Qe1 Qb8 15. Ng3 Qb4 16. b3 Qxe1+ 17. Rxe1 Bb4 18. Rd1
Bc3 19. Rb1 c5 20. Bd2 Bxd2 21. Nxd2 g6 22. f3 Red8 23. Ndf1 $14 {with a
pleasant endgame in Bartel,M (2651)-Arslanov,S (2396) Moscow 2014.}) 6... O-O
7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 (8. Nbd2 {would run into Ng4...f5 ideas.}) 8... Re8 9. Nbd2
Nd7 (9... h6 {would convert to Adams - Kramnik as mentioned above. There White
continued Nf1, but perhaps it makes sense to play more in Carlsen's style as
well.} 10. a4 {or doing the same thing without a4 - but including a4 never
seems bad to me. Also it's a useful waiting move.} a5 (10... Be6 11. Nf1 {
now d5 isn't possible as in Adams - Kramnik.}) 11. Nc4 Be6 (11... d5 {leads to
strange complications, but White seems to be preferrable in the end:} 12. exd5
e4 13. dxe4 Rxe4 14. Rxe4 Nxe4 15. Be3 cxd5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. Ne3 $14) 12. Be3
$5 Bxc4 13. Bxc5 Be6 (13... dxc5 14. dxc4 $14 {the tripled pawns are uglier.})
14. Be3 {and again we have opposite coloured bishops, and perhaps some
pretensions of an edge for white? certainly his play is easier.}) (9... Nh5 {
seems more natural, but I am not sure if White needs to worry much about
Nh5-Nf4 as a plan. He can just continue Nc4...Be3, or try c3-d4.}) 10. Nc4 Bb6
{This avoids Na5 ideas, and also Nxb6 doesn't really seem worrying since it
improves the structure.} (10... a6 11. Na5 $1 $14) (10... a5 11. Bd2 a4 12. Na5
$14) 11. a4 {A really useful move - as you will see soon.} a5 12. Nxb6 {
Somewhat counter intuitive decision...at first the opposite colours seem to
make Black's life easier. But Carlsen had a more long term idea in mind...I
still feel that Black's position should be fairly solid here, but it's not as
obvious as it looks at first sight.} cxb6 $6 ({With hindsight, I'd prefer} 
12... Nxb6 $1 {although I must admit that it's hard to imagine, particularly
in a game, that ...cxb6 could be anything but solid for Black. But another
advantage of this move is that Black can actually play actively with ...f5!
next - and the a5-weakness is less scary since it would only be a problem in
the endgame.} 13. b3 (13. d4 exd4 $1 14. Nxd4 c5 $11 {Black's pieces are
perfectly set to deal with the d4 break.}) 13... f5 $1 $13 ({Actually Black
doesn't even need to hurry with f5.} 13... c5 14. Bd2 Nd7 $5 {/\ Nb8-Nc6 seems
just fine as well.})) 13. d4 Qc7 $6 {Another almost imperceptible inaccuracy,
but suddenly things start to get tougher for Black after this. The queen seems
natural on c7, but it allows White the strong option of Nh4 in the future!} (
13... Qe7 {keeps an eye on h4, but this seems a really awkward square for the
queen. Also b6 might be weak after Nf8-Ng6.} 14. Ra3 Nf8 15. Rb3 Rb8 16. Be3) (
13... f6 $1 {also allows Nh4 at some point, but it's not as easy to implement
for White because after} 14. Ra3 Nf8 {dxe5-dxe5 would give Black an additional
move due to the threat to exchange queens.} 15. dxe5 (15. Nh4 exd4 $1 {would
create a mess}) 15... dxe5 16. Rd3 Qc7 17. Nh4 Ne6 {and White's initiative
looks much less dangerous.}) 14. Ra3 $1 {The idea behind 11.a4! Suddenly the
position seems slightly less innocuous, and you realise that it is indeed
easier to play for White. Most importantly, practically, it's not easy to make
decisions.} Nf8 (14... c5 15. d5 $14 {the kingside attack will be more
dangerous now.}) (14... Bb7 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nh4 $14) (14... exd4 15. Nxd4 {
is too slow for Black. /\ Rg3.}) 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nh4 {White's play flows
very smoothly now.} Rd8 (16... Ng6 17. Nf5 {doesn't change much.}) 17. Qh5 f6 (
17... Ng6 18. Nf5 $14) 18. Nf5 Be6 (18... Ne6 $1 19. Rg3 Kh8 {is a much more
cool defence, keeping things more under control but it does look like a
worrying position for Black. I don't see many ways Black can improve, so white
can slowly try to continue building an initiative...particularly Rg4-Rh4 ideas
seem tempting in the future.}) 19. Rg3 Ng6 20. h4 (20. Bh6 {would lead to some
nice fireworks, but that's not really in Carlsen's style, and very much not
required.} gxh6 21. Rxg6+ hxg6 22. Qxg6+ Kf8 23. Qxf6+ Qf7 24. Qxh6+ Ke8 {
and a rook ought to be worth something. It seems pretty unclear.}) 20... Bxf5 (
20... Rd7 21. Bh6 $1 {is much stronger now.} gxh6 22. Qxh6 {/\ h5.}) 21. exf5
Nf4 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Rc3 $1 {Despite the equal material, the major piece
endgame is surprisingly hard to play. It's possible to suggest better
defensive moves with the engine, but I believe practically it's already very
tough. Understandably, Vishy begins to make slight inaccuracies, and Magnus
wraps it up smoothly with his trademark precision:} c5 24. Re6 Rab8 $2 (24...
h6 {(/\ 25.Rc4 Rd4!)} 25. Qf3 Rab8 {with much better chances to survive
compared to the game.}) 25. Rc4 Qd7 26. Kh2 Rf8 (26... Qd1 {isn't possible due
to} 27. Re8+ $1 $18) (26... Re8 27. Rce4 Rxe6 28. fxe6 $16 {will be pretty
unpleasant.}) 27. Rce4 Rb7 28. Qe2 b5 29. b3 $5 {This doesn't seem required,
but it's in Carlsen's style to not force things. Instead he just restricts any
counterplay for Black, and makes Black go wrong by himself.} bxa4 30. bxa4 Rb4
{Exchanging a pair of rooks might reduce the pressure, but here it also
creates additional weaknesses - particularly in Black's 7th rank. White
continues with a strong attack despite the almost endgame nature of the
position!} 31. Re7 Qd6 32. Qf3 Rxe4 33. Qxe4 f3+ 34. g3 h5 $2 {The final
blunder - but the position was actually much trickier than it looks.} (34...
Qd2 35. Qxf3 Qxc2 {at first Black seems to be safe, but after} 36. Kg2 Kh8 37.
Qc6 {White continues to exert pressure without taking any risk. Black's rook
is completely tied down to g7, and it will be hard for him to keep the c-pawn
alive. Still, it's not a straightforward win, and White still needs to show
technique.}) 35. Qb7 $1 1-0

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 6th"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2019.04.09"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2845"]
[BlackElo "2771"]
[Annotator "Nielsen,Peter Heine"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2019.03.31"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 190"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.06.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Trailing Magnus by 1½ point meant Grischuk
had instead to care about the fight for 2nd place which he before the round
was sharing with Ding and Karjakin. And thus he chooses the Berlin's solidity
over the Najdorf's aggressiveness.} 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O {Earlier in the
tournament Grischuk had played the popular 5...d5 vs. Vishy, but now reverts
to the main line.} 6. O-O d6 7. Ba4 $5 {A move that by itself should explain
the popularity of the Berlin. If White anyway voluntarily will play Ba4, then
3...a6 must be really a bad move! More seriously this is the kind of position
where White anyway would make "half-moves" like 7.h3 or 7.Re1 meaning Ba4
can't be that much more worse as a waiting move. Still, it does look odd
indeed!} Ne7 8. Bc2 Ng6 9. d4 Bb6 10. a4 $5 {Apart from the obvous threat of
11.a5 winning a piece, White's general concept is that he will push his pawn
as forward as possible, then create confusion on the other side of the board,
and use that to then queen his a-pawn. If that sounds like a fairytale, have a
look at the remainder of the game!} c6 11. dxe5 $5 {Very simplistic. White has
just gotten the advantage in the centre, but now immediately creates a
symmetrical structure only for the sake of being able to push the a-pawn.} Nxe5
{Going by logic, Black does very little wrong in this game, but should
something be mentioned, it's this. Black now exchanges a knight he has spent
several tempi relocating to g6, against its white counterpart that only had
moved once so far.} 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. a5 {For what it's worth,
Magnus achieved his aim.} Bc5 {The active choice. 14...Bc7 is obviously more
passive, but does have an important idea in mind: After 15 Be3 Be6 16 f3 b6!?
Black forces White into a decision on the queenside. 17 a6!? obviously being
the critical move, but as Black has not played ...b5 it means that a7 is now
not a target and that its very unclear if White's pawn on a6 is a weakness or
an asset. Of course 17 axb6 is possible, but then Black's operation has been a
sucess in the sense that White's queenside pressure has evaporised.} (14... Bc7
15. Be3 Be6 16. f3 b6 $5 17. a6 $5) 15. Nd2 Be6 16. Re1 {As 16.Nb3 Nxe4! is
possible, White first has to consolidate before continuing with his plan. Now
16...Nd7 17.Nb3 Be7 is possible, but after 18.Be3, at least by sight, White
does have a small edge due to the vulnerability of Black's queenside structure.
And with Black obviously having playing solidly and logically till now, why
should Grischuk start making concession?} b5 $5 {Grabbing space and
potentially threatening ...a6, when Black might even start claiming that
White's pawn is a weakness. White on the other hand is not that thrilled about
pushing a6 himself too early, as it would give Black access to the b6 square
for his bishop.} 17. Nb3 Bxb3 {Obviously a debatable move, but also typical of
Grischuks "high-level" style. Not limiting himself to just general
considerations like " White now has the pair of bishops", Grischuk goes beyond
that and claims that yes, White of course gets the pair of bishops, but in
return I get control of the d-line and avoid the else moderately akward
pressure against my queenside. As well my minor piece are immediately active,
while White's pair of bishops indeed struggle to find squares to develop to
naturally. 17...Nd7!? however might have been the better way. 18.Nxc5 Nxc5 19.
Be3 Bb3! forces an interesting opposite colored bishop postion after 20.Bxc5
Bxc2 21.a6. The human perspective is that Black's pawn on a7 will be an
eternal weakness, and rook exchanges will not magnify that problematic.
However, Black can argue that as he controls the d-file White has no way to
make progress, while Black will just double his rooks on d7 and d8, solidly
covering the a7-pawn, basically with an impregnable fortress, at least if the
engines are to be believed.} (17... Nd7 $5 18. Nxc5 Nxc5 19. Be3 Bb3 $1 20.
Bxc5 Bxc2 21. a6) 18. Bxb3 Ng4 {Active, but not really creating more than an
easily parried threat. 18...Rab8!? 19..Kf1 b4 means both black rooks will be
in control of the open files, but after 20.Ba4!? White does limit Black's
immediate actitivy and at the same time starts attacking Black's weaknesses.} (
18... Rab8 $5 19. Kf1 b4 20. Ba4 $5) 19. Re2 Rd6 {Creating the threat of 20...
Nxf2 21.Rxf2 Rf6!} 20. Bg5 Kf8 21. Rf1 $1 {Putting pressure on f2, Grischuk
might have forced this "passive" move, but actually only the first part of the
sentence is true. White indeed had no choice, but to put his rook on f1, but
happily does so, as it fits very well with the next part of his expansion
plans:} Nf6 22. g3 $1 {Another beautiful move combining the neccesary with the
useful. With f4 potentially being White's way to progress, removing his king
from the pin in the g1-a7 diagonal is mandatory and this also adds the option
of recapturing with the g-pawn on f4, as well as opening a route towards the
centre for White's king via g2 and later f3.} a6 23. Kg2 Nd7 24. Bc1 $1 {
Answering the question to which square White should develop his bishop. The
key part was getting his a1 rook into play, and with that accomplished White's
dark-squared bishop happily returns to its original square where its safely
"out of the way", while still being ready to join the battle immediately at
any given opportunity.} Ba7 25. f4 f6 26. h4 $1 {My first acquaintance with
Magnus was a guest lecture at a youth camp for the youngest group of Norwegian
talents. I spoke of Larsen, and obviously had a set of exercices where the
correct answer always was to push the h-pawn! Natasha Regan and Matthew
Sadler's fascinating "Gamechanger" devotes a full chapter to Alphazero's
preference compared to normal engines in pushing its flank pawns much more
agressively. It would have warmed the Danish giant's heart to know that a
theme he consistently wrote of being underestimated in chess, now is being
uphold and refined by the cutting-edge technology. If a5 and h5 looks odd to
you in this game, just think of the importance of having the black weak pawn
at a6, and the access to g6 for White's bishop. It's those details that make
Black's position collapse, and they are created exactly by advancing White's
flank pawns.} Re8 27. h5 h6 28. Ba2 c5 {With hindsight a very easy move to
criticise, but as Grischuk pointed out at the press conference, this exactly
should be the one. To him it looked like now was the perfect timing, as White
due to the weakness of the e4-pawn still seemingly needs a move to consolidate
before taking agressive measures. That premise being wrong, Black's best would
have been to seek counterplay with 28...exf4 29.gxf4 Nc5, the idea being 30.e5
Nd3! with Black still being in the game.} (28... exf4 29. gxf4 Nc5 30. e5 Nd3
$1) 29. Be3 $1 {An easy move to miss, as it indeed sacrifices a full central
pawn. 29.c4 is the alternative given by the computers which funnily at the
same time blocks both Black's bishop on a7, but also White's at a2! White is
better, but in a much less spectacular way than in the game.} exf4 30. gxf4
Rxe4 31. Bb1 Re7 32. Rfe1 {White has given away a full pawn, but has the
killing threat of 33.Bg6 when 34.Bxc5 becomes deadly due to mating motifs on
the e8 square.} f5 $2 {The surprising 32...Nb8! was the way to fight on, with
the hope of ...Nc6, Rdd7 and c4. Obviously white will prevent this liberation
attempt, most forcefully with 33 Kf3 Nc6 34 Bf5!? stopping the rook entering
d7, and replying to 34...c4? with 35.Bxa7 Rxe2 36.Rxe2 Nxa7 37.Bg6! Rd8 38.
Re6! picking up the pawn on a6 and winning easily.} (32... Nb8 $5 33. Kf3 Nc6
34. Bf5 $5 c4 $2 35. Bxa7 Rxe2 36. Rxe2 Nxa7 37. Bg6 Rd8 38. Re6 $1 $18 {
[%cal Ge6a6]}) 33. Bxf5 Nf6 34. Kf3 Nd5 {Grischuk said that at sight this move
looked like counterplay to him, but Magnus' next move was a cold shower:} 35.
Rd2 $1 {White was better anyway, but as often in favourable positions the
tactics also works in your favour. 35...Nxe3 36 Rxd6 Nxf5 37.Rxe7 is just
winning for White, as the rook and passed pawn easily outmanoeuvre Black's 2
minor pieces, 37...Nxe7 38 Rxa6 Bb8 39 Ra8! Nc6 40.a6 followed by 41.Rxb8 Nxb8
42.a7 being a sample line. 35...Bb8 was a line the players both looked at, but
discareded due to 36.Bxc5! Rxe1 37.Rxd5 when 37...Ke7 is met with the pretty
38.Re5+! as after 38...Rxe5 39.fxe5 White ends up with an extra piece.} Rd8 (
35... Nxe3 36. Rxd6 Nxf5 37. Rxe7 Nxe7 38. Rxa6 Bb8 39. Ra8 $1 Nc6 40. a6 Z0
41. Rxb8+ Nxb8 42. a7) (35... Bb8 36. Bxc5 $1 Rxe1 37. Rxd5 Ke7 38. Re5+ $1
Rxe5 39. fxe5 $18) 36. Be4 Red7 37. Red1 {No tactical magic is needed anymore.
Despite being nominally a pawn down, White aims for general exchanges!} Nf6 38.
Rxd7 Nxd7 {38...Rxd7 maybe was more illustrative as after 39.Rxd7 Nxd7 40.Bb7
Nb8 41.Ke4 black is completely tied up with the bishop unable as the knight
needs to block its only aviable square in order to defend the pawn at a6.} (
38... Rxd7 39. Rxd7 Nxd7 40. Bb7 Nb8 41. Ke4) 39. Rd6 $1 {[%cal Gd6a6] And
here Grischuk resigned. White will win the a-pawn and then basically
mechanically queen it after Rxa6 Bb8 Ra8 followed by a6+a7.  In many ways an
amazing game. White got nothing out of the opening, and Black's moves from
there all looked healthy and with logic. To use the words of Grischuk himself:
"Magnus played incredibly well."} (39. Rd6 $1 {[%cal Gd6a6]} Z0 40. Rxa6 Bb8
41. Ra8 {[%cal Ga5a8]}) 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 13th"]
[Site "Plovdiv"]
[Date "2012.03.27"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Nisipeanu, Liviu Dieter"]
[Black "Prohaszka, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2643"]
[BlackElo "2553"]
[Annotator "Nisipeanu,LD"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2012.03.20"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 148"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {I have never avoided the Berlin Wall up
to this game, but running once again into some opening preparation seemed
unwise to me, especially since my opponent had been playing 1...c6 almost
exclusively. Aiming for an over the board fight was my approach to this game,
so I never bothered to study the 'subtleties' of 4.d3.} Bc5 {Actually I played
this as Black against Andrei Sokolov some years ago, when I was 'flirting'
with the Berlin myself.} 5. c3 O-O 6. Nbd2 (6. O-O d6 7. Bg5 {might be more
promising, as Istratescu played against Georgiev two rounds later in the
tournament, but I was trying to play a slow setup, which is similar to the
Italian opening.}) 6... d6 7. h3 a6 8. Ba4 (8. Bxc6 $6 bxc6 9. d4 exd4 10. cxd4
Ba7 11. O-O Re8 12. Qc2 c5 {seems more pleasant for Black}) 8... b5 9. Bc2 {
Of course, both sides have many possible setups, but the moves played in the
game seem fairly natural.} Re8 10. O-O Bb6 11. Re1 h6 12. Nf1 d5 (12... Be6 13.
d4 exd4 14. cxd4 d5 15. e5 Ne4 {was suggested by Peter after the game, and
indeed, it gives Black a good position}) 13. exd5 {Up to this moment play had
been rather slow, but we were spending quite a lot of time, trying to grasp
the nuances of the position. Obviosly the setup chosen by White can not pose
problems to Black in the opening, but I was hoping that Peter would not be
able to adjust, once the play became more concrete. With the move 12...d5
Black has clearly equalised, so the only chance to inject some life into the
game was to take on d5. It only changes the evaluation from static equality to
dynamic equality.} Qxd5 (13... Nxd5 14. Ng3 Bb7 (14... Be6 {is safer}) 15. d4
exd4 16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Qd3 Nf6 18. Bxh6 gxh6 (18... Ne5 19. Qf5 Nxf3+ 20. gxf3
Bc8 21. Qf4 Qf8 22. cxd4 $14) 19. Re1 Qd8 20. Nh5 $40 {is one of the lines
that illustrates the dangers of a seemingly safe position.}) 14. Ng3 Bb7 {
A natural move, but maybe 14...Be6 would have been safer again.} 15. Bd2 {
A very tricky move.} ({For a while, I was considering the 'insane'} 15. Bxh6 $5
gxh6 ({to be honest, I gave up on the whole idea because of} 15... e4 16. Bxg7
Kxg7 {but after the absolutely stunning computer move} 17. d4 $3 exf3 (17...
Rh8 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Rxe4 $36) 18. Nf5+ Kf8 19. Qd2 Ng8 20. Qg5 Re2 21. Rxe2
fxe2 22. Qg7+ Ke8 23. Qxg8+ Kd7 24. Qg4 {White is better.}) 16. Qc1 Qe6 (16...
Nd7 17. d4 Qd6 $8 18. Re4 Qf6 19. Rg4+ Kf8 20. Bf5 {is anything but safe for
Black.}) (16... e4 $1 17. dxe4 (17. Qxh6 exf3 18. d4 Nxd4 19. cxd4 Qxd4 20.
Qg5+ {is perpetual check.}) 17... Qc5 18. Qxh6 Re6 19. Ng5 Qxf2+ 20. Kh1 Qxg3
21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Rf1 Bf2 23. Qxf6 Rf8 24. Qxe6+ Kg7 {with unclear play is
probably the best option for Black.}) 17. d4 Nd5 18. dxe5 (18. Nf5 Kf8 {
is less clear.}) 18... Nce7 19. Re4 {with a powerful attack.}) {As time
trouble was approaching slowly, it is no surprise that Peter played} 15... Rad8
{rather quickly and that was maybe the decisive mistake in the practical game.
Probably Black can defend after this, but with not to much time left, to
suddenly defend against a fierce attack is anything but simple.} 16. Qc1 $1 {
Now Black has to find un urgent defence against the sacrifice on h6. With
limited time this is hardly possible, so it came as little surprise that my
opponent went wrong.} Qc5 $1 {The best move by far!} (16... Nd7 17. Re4 $1 (17.
Nf5 Ne7 18. Nxg7 Kxg7 19. Bxh6+ Kh8 20. d4 Rg8 21. Be4 Qxe4 22. Rxe4 Bxe4 $13)
(17. Bxh6 gxh6 18. Re4 Qe6 19. d4 (19. Rg4+ Kf8 20. Rh4 Qf6 21. d4 Ne7 22. Rxh6
Qf4 $15) 19... Ne7 20. Rg4+ Kf8 21. Rg6 $1 Nxg6 22. Qxh6+ Ke7 23. Nf5+ Qxf5 24.
Bxf5 Bxf3 25. Qg5+ Kf8 26. Qh6+ $11) 17... Ne7 (17... Nf6 18. Rh4) 18. Bxh6 Qe6
19. Rg4 g6 20. Bb3 $16) ({During the game I considered the move} 16... Bc8 {
in order to control the important f5-square as one of the main lines, but after
} 17. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 18. Qxh6 Qd6 19. d4 Ne4 20. Qh4 Nxg3 21. Qxg3+ Kf8 22. Qh4 {
White has a very strong attack.}) 17. Re2 (17. Bxh6 Qxf2+ 18. Kh2 Nd4 19. cxd4
Bxf3 20. Re2 Bxe2 21. Be3 Ng4+ 22. hxg4 Qf6 {is not something to aim for...}) (
17. Be3 Qf8 {is about equal}) 17... Ne7 $5 {A very interesting move, but
unfortunately for Peter, it cost him too much time on the clock to find it.
For the remainder of the game Black was largely relying on the 30 seconds
bonus.} ({It seems that} 17... Qf8 18. Nf5 Nh5 $1 19. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 (19... Bc8
20. Bxg7 Nxg7 21. Nh6+ Kh8 22. Nxf7+ $1 Qxf7 23. Qh6+ Kg8 24. Ng5 Nf5 25. Qxc6
$36) 20. Nxh6+ Kh8 21. Qg5 Ng3 $3 {to control the f5-square!} (21... Nf4 22.
Nf5 $3 Nxe2+ 23. Kh2 Bc8 24. Qf6+ Kg8 25. Nh6+ Qxh6 26. Qxh6 $16) 22. Qf6+ Qg7
23. Nxf7+ Kg8 24. Nh6+ Kh8 {leads to a draw. Well, that is if you changed your
last name to Houdini...}) 18. Nxe5 Nf5 $6 ({A better move was} 18... Ng6 19. d4
Qd5 20. f4 (20. Nf3 Rxe2 21. Nxe2 Qe6 $15) 20... Nxe5 21. fxe5 Rxe5 22. Rf2 {
with only a slight edge to White.}) 19. Nxf5 ({I did not even think about the
computer's suggestion} 19. Bf4 {but it seems to give White the advantage in
all the lines.}) 19... Rxe5 20. d4 Qc6 21. Ne3 {White is a sound pawn up and
my opponent's time trouble makes the win easier.} Rh5 (21... Re6 {was better
but Black does not have enough compensation for the pawn. A 'bad Marshall' is
the best that Black can hope for.}) 22. Qf1 Qd7 (22... Rxh3 $2 23. Nf5 $1 {
again the f5-square!} Rd7 24. Rae1 g6 25. Ne7+ Rxe7 26. Rxe7 $18) 23. Rae1 c5 (
23... Ne4 $142 $16) 24. Ng4 $1 $18 cxd4 (24... Nxg4 25. hxg4 Rh4 26. Re7 Qc6
27. d5 Qc8 28. Qd3 $18) (24... Nd5 {was the best, but Black is losing after}
25. Ne5 Qc7 26. g4 (26. Nd3 {should also win}) 26... Rg5 27. Bxg5 hxg5 28. Nc4
$1 Bc6 29. Nxb6 Qxb6 30. dxc5 $18) 25. Nxf6+ gxf6 26. Re7 Qc8 27. Qd3 f5 28.
Qg3+ Kf8 29. Bb3 Bd5 30. Qe5 1-0

[Event "London Classic 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2015.12.06"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2793"]
[Annotator "Pavlovic,M"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2015.12.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 {A popular line
nowadays.} Qe7 $5 {Nakamura chooses a rare but interesting continuation.} ({
Another recent example is:} 6... Nd7 7. Nc4 O-O 8. Bd2 Re8 9. Qe2 f6 10. h4 Nf8
11. h5 Be6 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. h6 g6 14. O-O Bg4 15. Nxg4 Qxg4 16. Nd4 Qxe2 17.
Nxe2 Ne6 18. g3 g5 19. Be3 Bf8 20. Kg2 Bxh6 {1/2-1/2 (56) Adams,M (2744)
-Nakamura,H (2793) London 2015; from the same event, this time Nakamura is a
pawn up but failed to convert just like Caruana in this game.}) 7. h3 (7. O-O
Bg4 8. Nc4 O-O-O 9. Qe2 Nd7 10. Be3 f6 11. a3 Nf8 12. b4 Bd4 13. Bxd4 exd4 14.
Rfb1 Ng6 15. h3 Nf4 16. Qd2 $1 Nxh3+ 17. gxh3 Bxh3 18. a4 {1-0 (30) Hou Yifan 
(2629)-Muminova,N (2332) Lopota 2014. Black doesn't have enough play for the
sacrificed piece.}) 7... O-O (7... Nd7 8. Nc4 f6 9. O-O Nf8 10. Be3 Be6 11.
Bxc5 Qxc5 12. Ne3 O-O-O 13. Nh4 g6 14. Qf3 Qe7 15. Qg3 Rg8 16. a3 Kb8 17. b4 f5
18. exf5 gxf5 19. Nhxf5 Qf6 20. Qh4 Qxh4 21. Nxh4 Bxh3 22. Kh2 Bc8 23. Rae1 {
0-1 (76) Hasangatin,R (2437)-Postny,E (2559) Internet (blitz) 2005. White has
better chances in this endgame.}) 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Qe2 $5 {At a very early stage
we have entered a position that is practically new, but still we are not out
of usual ideas that can arise here.} (9. O-O Bd6 10. c3 a5 11. Re1 b5 12. Ne3
Nb6 13. d4 exd4 14. Qxd4 c5 15. Qd3 c4 16. Qc2 Qf6 17. Nd4 Bd7 {0-1 (45)
Bodnaruk,A (2411)-Pogonina,N (2480) Kazan 2014, Black got nice play.}) 9... b5
10. Ne3 Nb6 11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. exf5 Nd7 {The alternative could have brought us
highly interesting chess:} (12... Qd7 $5 13. Qe4 (13. f6 gxf6 14. Bh6 Rfe8 15.
O-O-O Qe6 16. Nh4 Kh8 17. Qf3 Rg8 18. g4 {this is one sharp possibility, White
is a pawn down but the position is rather unbalanced}) 13... f6 14. Be3 Bxe3
15. fxe3 Na4 16. O-O-O Qd5 17. Qxd5+ cxd5 18. d4 e4 19. Ne1 $1 {with the idea
g4-Ng2-f4 again with a highly interesting type of game.} {For instance:} Nb6
20. g4 Nc4 21. Ng2 Kf7 22. b3 Nd6 23. Nf4 c6 24. Kb2 a5 25. h4 {the position
is still in some kind of equilibrium.}) 13. Nd2 $1 Bb4 14. c3 Ba5 15. Ne4 b4
16. O-O Rfd8 (16... bxc3 17. bxc3 Rfd8 18. Qc2 {Here too White has the
initiative due to his better structure and better piece placement, especially
his knight on e4 looks strong.}) 17. cxb4 Bxb4 18. Be3 f6 19. Qc2 {White's
strategy is simple and it seems that so far it has worked well in this game.}
Nb6 20. a3 Bd6 21. Qxc6 {White has got a pawn and we can say that his chances
are much better.} Qd7 22. Qxd7 Rxd7 23. Rfc1 Nd5 24. Bd2 Bf8 25. g3 $6 {
An inaccuracy after which it will not be easy for White to convert his extra
pawn.} (25. b4 $1 Nb6 (25... Ne7 26. Nc5 $16) 26. Kf1 Rxd3 27. Rxc7 Nd5 28. Rb7
Rd4 29. f3 Rd3 30. Ke2 Rb3 31. Rd7 Nb6 32. Rd3 $16) 25... a5 $1 26. Kf1 a4 27.
Ke2 Rb8 28. Rc2 Rb3 {Cautious play by White allowed Black to reach his optimum
and now it is not easy at all to get something out of it.} 29. Rac1 Rd8 $1 {
The idea is Rdb8.} 30. Nc3 Nxc3+ 31. Bxc3 Rd5 32. g4 c6 33. Rg1 h6 34. h4 Be7
35. Rg3 Kf7 36. Kd2 Bd6 37. Ke2 Bc5 {Back is fine and we can say that the pawn
up means nothing now.} 38. g5 Bd4 39. gxh6 gxh6 40. Rg6 Bxc3 41. bxc3 h5 42.
Rh6 Kg7 43. Rg6+ Kf7 44. Rh6 Kg7 45. Rg6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-Cup 32nd"]
[Site "Novi Sad"]
[Date "2016.11.08"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Inarkiev, Ernesto"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "Pavlovic,M"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2016.11.06"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "SRB"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Moscow SHSM Legacy"]
[BlackTeam "Siberia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 {A very popular line, it is
similar to any other Bxc6 ideas in the Ruy Lopez and should be compared and
analysed as such. Obviously White is trying to get the initiative using
entirely different methods, a kind of similar way of playing to the
Nimzo-Indian strategy that Black uses.} dxc6 6. Be3 Bd6 7. h3 Nd7 8. Nbd2 O-O
9. O-O Re8 10. c3 {I will add another game where actually we saw similar ideas
for both sides:} (10. Nc4 Nf8 11. a4 Ng6 12. c3 Bf8 13. Qc2 Qf6 14. Bg5 Qe6 15.
Be3 h6 16. Rfe1 Qf6 17. Ncd2 a5 18. Rac1 Be6 19. Kh2 Rad8 20. Nf1 c5 21. Ng3 b6
$13 {1/2-1/2 (56) Zhao Jun (2616)-Ma Qun (2608) Zaozhuang 2015}) 10... c5 {
Probably best. Other moves that more or less lead to the same type of
positions are presented in the next few games:} (10... b6 11. Qc2 Bb7 12. Rad1
c5 13. Rfe1 Qe7 14. Nf1 Nf8 15. Ng3 g6 16. Bh6 Ne6 17. Qc1 Rad8 18. a3 a5 19.
d4 cxd4 20. cxd4 Nxd4 21. Nxd4 exd4 22. Rxd4 Bxg3 $17 {0-1 (66) Sevian,S (2556)
-Le Quang Liem (2697) Saint Louis 2015}) (10... Nf8 11. d4 Ng6 12. Qc2 exd4 13.
cxd4 Bf4 14. Rfe1 Qf6 15. Nf1 Be6 16. Ng3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 Nf4 18. a3 a5 19. Qd2
Qh6 20. Rc1 $14 {½-½ (45) Inarkiev,E (2671)-Aronian,L (2783) Mainz 2010.
Even here although we can say that White has achieved something, it's really
not much.}) 11. Qc2 ({Another idea is} 11. a3 a5 12. Re1 Nf8 13. d4 cxd4 14.
cxd4 exd4 15. Nxd4 Bc5 $5 (15... Be5 16. N2f3 Bxd4 17. Bxd4 b6 18. Be5 $1 Qxd1
19. Rexd1 Ra7 20. Rac1 c5 21. Rd6 Rb7 22. Bg3 Rxe4 $4 (22... Bd7 23. Ne5 Bb5
24. f3 Ne6 {should be ok for Black}) 23. Rd8 Bd7 24. Re1 {1-0 (24) Nakamura,H 
(2764)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2706) Baku 2014}) 16. N4f3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 b6 18. Qc2 Bb7
{Black is fine.}) 11... Nf8 12. Nc4 Ng6 13. Rad1 Bf8 14. d4 {I was never fond
of such ideas for White in this type of structure; they can be played really
only when White can gain some development advantage or concrete action. In
this particular case I don't think that any of those elements are present.} (
14. Rfe1 b6 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 Qe7 17. Bg5 f6 18. Bc1 cxd4 19. Nxd4 Qf7 20.
b3 Bb7 $11) 14... exd4 15. cxd4 Qe7 $1 16. dxc5 Qxe4 17. Qxe4 Rxe4 18. b3 Re8
19. Rd2 (19. Na3 c6 20. Nc4 Be6 21. Nd6 Re7 {with ...Bd5 to follow will give
Black good counterplay.}) 19... b6 20. Rc1 Ba6 {Black is fine.} 21. a4 $6 (21.
Rd7 Re7 22. Rd2 Ree8 $11) 21... bxc5 $5 {Taking the pawn was not forced at all,
but Kramnik saw the b3-pawn as a potential target.} 22. Rd7 $2 {Simply
overlooking the next few moves.} (22. Na5 {was better:} Red8 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24.
Nc6 (24. Bxc5 Nf4 $19) 24... Rd5 25. Nxa7 c4 26. bxc4 Ra5 $11) 22... Bxc4 $1
23. Rxc4 Bd6 {Suddenly the rook is trapped on d7!} 24. Bxc5 Nf8 $17 25. Bxd6
Nxd7 26. Rxc7 Nb6 27. a5 Nd5 28. Rb7 Red8 29. Bg3 a6 {With an exchange up it
is not that easy to win, but we will see that Kramnik does it fast.} 30. Ng5
Nc3 $5 31. Be5 $6 (31. Nxf7 Rd5 32. Be5 Nb5 {and the white pieces are
awkwardly placed.}) 31... Ne2+ 32. Kh2 f6 33. Ne6 fxe5 34. Nxd8 Rxd8 35. Rb6
Ra8 36. g3 Rf8 $1 37. Kg2 Rf6 $19 38. Rb8+ Kf7 39. Rb7+ Kg6 40. Re7 Nc1 41.
Rxe5 Rxf2+ 42. Kxf2 Nd3+ 43. Ke3 Nxe5 44. Kd4 Nc6+ 45. Kc5 Nxa5 46. b4 Nb7+ 47.
Kb6 a5 $1 0-1

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 2nd"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2015.04.24"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2863"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "Pavlovic,M"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2015.04.17"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Yet another big clash in the Berlin.} 4. d3 Bc5
5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. d4 Bb6 9. Bd3 d5 {Trying to use the momentum
to free the game by further exchanges is logical, and we all know this
trademark of Kramnik.} ({Usual is also} 9... Ng6 {with a normal type of game.})
10. Nbd2 dxe4 ({A bit of computer type of chess might be} 10... exd4 11. e5 Nh5
$5 12. Ng5 g6 13. cxd4 Ng7 14. Nb3 f6 15. Nf3 {with interesting play for both
sides.}) 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 exd4 13. Qc2 $5 {An interesting new attempt,
the point is that it is not one move but a whole concept that Carlsen found.}
h6 (13... f5 14. Bd3 Nc6 15. Re1 Kh8 16. Bf4 dxc3 17. bxc3 Qf6 18. Bc4 Bd7 19.
Rad1 {with major compensation, Black is facing difficulties in developing his
pieces.}) 14. a4 $1 {Unusual and very deep as we will see. Carlsen came fully
prepared for this game.} c6 {A solid approach, Black could have tried to
defend the pawn or simply take another one.} (14... dxc3 15. Rd1 Qe8 16. Qxc3
a5 17. b3 f6 18. Ba3 Qf7 19. Nh4 {with the initiative, an unpleasant one I may
add.}) (14... c5 15. Rd1 a5 16. Bf4 $5 (16. cxd4 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 18. Be3 Nf5
19. Bxf5 Bxf5 20. Qxf5 Qf6 21. Qxf6 Bxf6 22. Rd7 Bxb2 23. Rb1 Bc3 24. Rbxb7 {
looks defendable for Black}) 16... Re8 17. cxd4 cxd4 18. Be5 Nd5 19. Bxd4 Nb4
20. Qe2 Bxd4 21. Rxd4 Qb6 22. Bh7+ Kf8 23. Qd2 {with initiative.}) 15. Rd1 Nd5
16. Nxd4 Re8 17. a5 $3 {Probably this had been worked out by Carlsen, it is
really a nice play.} Bxa5 {Kramnik decides to take the pawn, going back to c7
is also possible.} (17... Bc7 18. Nf3 ({The direct} 18. a6 Qd6 19. Nf3 bxa6 20.
c4 Nb4 21. Qa4 Qe7 {is ok for Black}) 18... Qf6 19. Bd2 Nf4 20. a6 bxa6 21.
Bxf4 Bxf4 22. Qa4 {again Black is confronted with slight but lasting pressure.}
) 18. Nf3 b5 19. Nd4 Bc7 (19... Bb7 20. Bxd5 cxd5 21. Nxb5 Bb6 22. Bf4 Re6 23.
Nd4 Re4 24. Be3 Qf6 25. Qd3 Rae8 26. Nc2 $1 {I guess something like this must
have been the idea, if Black can't play ...d4 to open lines for the bishop
then he is facing problems.}) (19... Bd7 20. Nxb5 $14 {is simply better for
White.}) 20. Nxc6 Qd6 21. g3 Bb7 22. Bf4 $1 {White is better.} Qxc6 ({The
alternative was better:} 22... Qd7 23. c4 $1 (23. Nb4 Bxf4 24. Nxd5 Bd6 25.
Nf6+ gxf6 26. Bxb7 Qxb7 27. Rxd6 Qf3 28. Qd1 Qxd1+ 29. Raxd1 {White is
slightly better}) 23... Bxf4 24. cxb5 Qxh3 25. Bxd5 Bg5 26. Qc4 Rf8 27. Ra3 $16
) 23. Bxd5 {By giving the queen it is just winning now for White.} Re1+ 24. Kh2
Qxd5 25. Rxd5 Rxa1 26. Rd1 Rxd1 27. Qxd1 Rd8 28. Qe2 Bb6 29. Be3 Bxe3 30. Qxe3
Rd1 31. g4 Bc6 32. Qc5 Bd7 33. Qxa7 {This is simply technical now.} Rd2 34. Kg3
Rd3+ 35. Kf4 Kh7 36. Qb7 Rd2 37. Ke3 Rd6 38. f4 g6 39. Qb8 Rd5 40. Ke4 Be6 41.
Qb7 Rc5 42. Kd4 Rc4+ 43. Ke5 b4 44. cxb4 Rc2 45. Kf6 Rxb2 46. Qb8 Rf2 47. f5
gxf5 48. Qg3 Rf1 49. g5 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2015.01.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Saric, Ivan"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2666"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "Pavlovic,M"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2015.01.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Be6 7. O-O Bd6 8.
b3 Nd7 9. Nc4 Bxc4 10. bxc4 O-O 11. Bg5 $5 {An interesting idea.} (11. Rb1 {
this move must be played sooner or later} b6 12. g3 f5 13. exf5 Rxf5 14. Qe2 (
14. Be3 Qe8 15. Nd2 Qg6 16. Ne4 Raf8 17. Kg2 Nf6 18. Qe2 $6 (18. f3 Nxe4 19.
dxe4 R5f7 20. Qe2 $11) 18... Nxe4 19. dxe4 Rf3 $1 20. Kg1 Qxe4 $17 {1/2-1/2 
(61) Anand,V (2785)-Aronian,L (2815) Dubai UAE 2014}) 14... Nc5 15. Be3 Ne6 16.
Nd2 Qf6 17. Qg4 Rf8 18. Ne4 Qf7 19. a4 h5 20. Qe2 Be7 21. a5 Qg6 22. axb6 axb6
23. Kh1 Rf3 $132 {1/2-1/2 (48) Carlsen,M (2843)-Aronian,L (2816) Sao Paulo/
Bilbao BRA/ESP 2012}) 11... Be7 (11... f6 12. Be3 b5 13. cxb5 cxb5 14. c3 c6
15. a4 a6 16. Nh4 Rf7 17. Nf5 Bf8 $13) 12. Be3 Bd6 13. g3 g6 ({The alternative
might look premature:} 13... f5 14. exf5 Rxf5 15. Nd2 Qe8 16. Qg4 Qe6 17. Ne4
Raf8 18. a4 $5 h5 19. Qh3 Qg6 20. a5 b6 21. axb6 axb6 22. Qg2 c5 23. Ra7 $36)
14. Nh4 $6 {A serious innacuracy, it was much better to play} (14. Rb1 $1 {
important prophylaxis} b6 {and only now} 15. Nh4 {I will give few possible
ideas how the game might continue:} Bc5 (15... Re8 16. Ng2 Nf8 ({Black can
also try} 16... Bf8 17. f4 exf4 18. gxf4 f5 19. e5 Nc5 20. Qf3 Qd7 21. Kh1 b5 {
with interesting play ahead of us}) 17. f4 exf4 18. gxf4 f5 19. e5 Be7 20. d4
$36) 16. Bh6 Re8 17. Kh1 Bf8 18. Qd2 Qe7 19. Ng2 Bxh6 20. Qxh6 Qf8 21. Qd2 Nc5
22. f4 Rad8 23. Qf2 exf4 24. gxf4 f5 25. e5 Ne6 26. Rbd1 c5 27. c3 $14) 14...
b5 $1 {After this move Black is already equal. His counter play on the
queenside is obvious.} 15. Qg4 Nf6 16. Qf3 Nd7 {Safe play, Black could go with
more consistent with} (16... bxc4 17. Bg5 Be7 18. Rfd1 Qd6 $1 19. dxc4 Qe6 20.
Ng2 Rab8 21. Rab1 Nd7 $13) 17. a4 $2 {This move is rather pointless, perhaps
he wanted to have a5 in order to stop ...Nb6 at some point. It is obvious that
White lost the thread of the game at this moment.} bxc4 18. dxc4 Qe7 19. Rfd1
Qe6 $1 $15 {now the initiative is on thr black side.} 20. Qe2 Rfb8 21. Nf3 Rb4
$17 {Black is clearly better now.} 22. Nd2 a5 23. c3 Rb2 24. Rdb1 Rab8 25. Rxb2
Rxb2 26. Rb1 Rxb1+ 27. Nxb1 Bc5 28. Bh6 $6 {It is difficult to suggest
anything better for White so his idea to look for tactics is his only chance.}
(28. Nd2 Bxe3 29. Qxe3 Nb6 30. Qc5 Qd6 $1 $17) 28... Nb6 29. Nd2 Nxa4 30. Nb3
Nxc3 31. Qd3 Bd4 $19 32. Nxa5 Qg4 {Black could have finished off the game much
more quickly:} (32... Qf6 $1 {with the threat of ...g5} 33. Be3 Qf3 34. Nxc6
Ne2+ 35. Kf1 Nc1 {with mate to follow.}) 33. Nxc6 Qxe4 34. Qxe4 Nxe4 35. Kg2
Nd6 36. c5 Bxc5 37. Nxe5 Nf5 38. Bd2 f6 39. Nd7 Bd4 40. Ba5 c6 41. Nb8 c5 42.
Nc6 Bb2 43. Bb6 c4 44. Kf3 Kf7 {After the excitement before the first time
control, things have settled down and Black is a clear pawn up.} 45. g4 Nd6 46.
Ke3 Ke6 47. f3 Nb5 48. Nb4 Bc1+ 49. Kf2 Bd2 50. Nc2 Kd5 $19 {Now we can say
that Black is winning: he has successfully pushed back the white pieces and
the dominating position of the black king decides the game.} 51. Ke2 Bf4 52. h4
Kc6 53. Bd8 Nc3+ 54. Ke1 Nd5 55. Ke2 Kb5 56. Nd4+ Kb4 57. Ne6 Be5 58. Kd2 c3+
59. Kd3 Kb5 60. Kc2 Kc4 0-1

[Event "London Classic 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2015.12.07"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2803"]
[BlackElo "2787"]
[Annotator "Pavlovic,M"]
[PlyCount "165"]
[EventDate "2015.12.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Nbd2 d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. d4
Bb6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qe2 $5 {Topalov decides to take the game into unknown
territory obviously looking for a fighting type of chess, which suits his
style perfectly.} ({Taking the pawn might prove to be risky:} 10. Nxe5 Qd6 11.
Nef3 Ng6 12. O-O (12. Bc4 Bd7 13. Qc2 Bc6 14. O-O Rae8 15. Re1 Nf4 $44) 12...
Bxh3 13. gxh3 (13. e5 Qe6 14. gxh3 (14. exf6 Qg4 15. Nh4 Qxh4 $17) 14... Qxh3
15. exf6 Nf4 16. Ne1 Qg3+ $11) 13... Qg3+ 14. Kh1 Qxh3+ 15. Nh2 c6 16. Bc4 Bc7
17. f4 Bxf4 18. Rxf4 Nxf4 19. Qf3 Qh4 20. Ndf1 Ng6 $19) 10... Ng6 11. g3 Qe7
12. Bd3 a5 13. Nc4 Bc5 14. Be3 Rd8 15. Bxc5 Qxc5 16. Ne3 h6 17. O-O-O Be6 18.
Kb1 b5 {We have got a very sharp position with unusual long castling in the
Ruy Lopez. I must say that it happened to me once, but the outcome of that
game was not encouraging.} 19. c4 b4 20. Nd5 Nd7 21. Ne1 c6 (21... Ngf8 22. f4
c6 23. Ne3 f6 24. h4 Bf7 25. f5 $36) 22. Nc7 Rac8 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. h4 $6 (24.
Bc2 $1 {preventing ...a4 is an important nuance in the position.} Ngf8 $1 (
24... Nb6 25. Nd3 $1 $14) 25. Nd3 (25. b3 Qb6 26. Nd3 {with next f4}) 25...
Qxc4 $1) 24... Rf8 $6 (24... a4 $1 25. Bc2 Ra8 26. Nd3 Qa5 27. Qe1 c5 28. h5
Ne7 $17) 25. Bc2 $1 {Probably missed by Caruana. Black has deprived himself of
the f8-square for a knight and that creates certain problems.} Qe7 (25... Rxf2
26. Qg4 Ngf8 27. Nd3 Qe3 28. Nxf2 Qxf2 29. Rhf1 $18) 26. Nd3 Nc5 27. Qe3 Nxd3
28. Rxd3 Rfd8 29. Rhd1 Rxd3 30. Qxd3 $14 Nf8 31. Ba4 {White definitely enjoys
the better position but somehow it is not so easy to win it.} ({An alternative
was highly interesting:} 31. Qd6 Qf7 $5 ({also possible is} 31... Qxd6 32. Rxd6
Kf7 33. Ba4 Ke7 34. Rxc6 Rxc6 35. Bxc6 Kd6 36. Be8 Nh7 37. Bf7 Nf6 38. f3 g5
39. hxg5 hxg5 40. Kc2 g4 41. fxg4 Nxg4 42. Bh5 Nf6 43. Bf3 Nd7 $1 44. g4 Ke7
45. g5 Kf7 46. Bh5+ Kg7 47. Kd2 Nc5 48. Ke3 {I am not sure also about this
position either that White can make further progress}) 32. Qc5 Qc7 33. Ba4 Kf7
34. Rd6 Nd7 35. Qxc6 Qxc6 36. Rxc6 Rxc6 37. Bxc6 Nc5 38. Kc2 g5 39. f3 Ke7 {
it is not clear if White can win this despite beeing a pawn up:} {for instance:
} 40. Kd2 gxh4 41. gxh4 a4 42. Ke3 a3 $1 43. bxa3 bxa3 44. Kd2 Nb3+ 45. Kc3 Nd4
46. Ba4 Nxf3 47. h5 Ng5 48. Bc2 Kd7 49. Kb4 Kc6 $11) 31... Qc5 $1 32. Rd2 Kf7
33. Bd1 Ra8 $6 (33... Rc7 $5 34. Qd6 (34. Qd8 Ra7 35. b3 a4 $5 $132) 34... Qxd6
35. Rxd6 Ke7 $11) 34. Qd6 $1 Qxc4 35. Qxe5 $16 Qb5 36. Qc7+ $6 (36. Bh5+ $1 Kg8
37. Qxb5 cxb5 38. Be2 Rb8 39. Rd6 Kf7 40. h5 Rb7 41. Ra6 a4 42. Ra5 Nh7 43.
Bxb5 $16) 36... Kg8 37. Qd6 a4 38. Be2 Qb6 39. Bc4 Re8 40. Qd4 (40. g4 $5 Qb7
41. g5 hxg5 42. hxg5 $16) 40... c5 41. Qd6 Qb7 42. f3 a3 $1 {This is a key
asset that helps Black to obtain certain counterplay.} 43. Rd3 (43. b3 Qf7 44.
f4 Qb7 45. Qe5 Kh8 46. Rd6 Qa8 47. h5 Re7 $14) 43... axb2 44. Kxb2 Kh7 45. Kc2
Rc8 $5 {Anticipating a very long line...} 46. Ba6 Qa7 47. Bxc8 Qxa2+ 48. Kd1 c4
49. Rd2 Qa1+ 50. Ke2 c3 51. Qxf8 cxd2 52. Kxd2 Qb2+ $6 (52... Qc3+ $1 53. Kd1
h5 $1 54. g4 Qb3+ 55. Ke1 hxg4 56. fxg4 Qe3+ 57. Kf1 Qd3+ 58. Kg2 Qc2+ 59. Kg3
Qc3+ 60. Kg2 Qc2+ $11) 53. Ke3 Qc1+ 54. Kf2 Qd2+ 55. Kf1 Qd1+ 56. Kg2 Qe2+ 57.
Kh3 h5 58. g4 (58. Qc5 Qxf3 59. Qg1 Qxe4 60. Qg2 Qf5+ 61. Kh2 b3 62. Ba6 $16)
58... hxg4+ 59. Kxg4 Qg2+ 60. Kf4 Qh2+ 61. Ke3 Qg1+ 62. Kd3 Qf1+ 63. Kd4 Qa1+
64. Kc4 Qc3+ 65. Kb5 b3 66. Bxe6 ({Another type of queen endgame could have
arisen after} 66. Qe8 $5 Qxf3 (66... Qe5+ 67. Ka4 b2 68. Bxe6 $1 $18) 67. Bxe6
b2 68. Qg8+ Kh6 69. Ba2 Qd3+ 70. Qc4 b1=Q+ 71. Bxb1 Qxb1+ 72. Kc6 $14) 66...
Qe5+ 67. Kb4 Qxe6 68. Kc3 Qb6 $6 (68... b2 $1 69. Kxb2 Qb6+ 70. Kc3 Qe3+ 71.
Kc4 Qe2+ 72. Kc5 Qc2+ 73. Kd6 Qd3+ 74. Ke5 Qc3+ 75. Kf4 Qc1+ 76. Kg4 Qg1+ 77.
Kf5 Qe3 78. f4 Qh3+ 79. Ke5 Qc3+ 80. Ke6 Qb3+ {it seems that White can't
progress in this endgame.}) 69. Qf5+ Kg8 70. Qd5+ {A better version of this
endgame is in the following line...} (70. Kb2 $1 Qf2+ 71. Kxb3 Qxh4 72. Kc4 Qh2
73. Qd5+ Kf8 74. e5 Qf4+ 75. Kd3 $16 {White has much more active pieces
compared to the game.}) 70... Kf8 71. Qxb3 Qf6+ 72. Kc2 Qxh4 {Now Black can
save this due to the inactive positions of the white king and queen.} 73. Qb8+
Kf7 74. Kd3 Qe1 75. Qf4+ Ke6 76. Qf5+ Ke7 77. Qc5+ Kf7 78. Qf5+ Ke7 79. Qg6
Qd1+ 80. Ke3 Qe1+ 81. Kf4 Qc1+ 82. Kf5 Qc5+ 83. Kf4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge 4th"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2015.02.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2811"]
[Annotator "Pavlovic,M"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2015.02.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The Berlin Defence has become so popular after
1.e4.} 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 {This is a standard method of exchanging pieces
for Black. Another way is 5...d6.} 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 {Leaving the
c1-h6 diagonal open so that the bishop can land on g5 at any moment.} c6 9. Ba4
d6 (9... O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d6 (11... g5 12. Bg3 d6 13. Nc4 Bg4 14. Qd2 Nh5
15. d4 Be6 16. Ne3 Nf4 17. Bb3 Qf6 18. d5 Bd7 19. dxc6 bxc6 20. Nc4 Bc7 21.
Nxd6 {1-0 (45) Balogh,C (2632)-Buhmann,R (2582) Eppingen 2014; White is
clearly better.}) 12. Nc4 Bc7 13. Ne3 Be6 14. Bc2 d5 15. exd5 cxd5 16. d4 exd4
17. Qxd4 $14 {1-0 (59) Van Kampen,R (2615)-Sevian,S (2511) Wijk aan Zee 2015.
This is a typical position which White would like to establish.}) 10. Bb3 a5 {
An interesting waiting move, some others have been tried recently as well.} (
10... Bc7 11. f4 h6 12. Qf3 Qe7 13. Nc4 Be6 14. Ne3 exf4 15. Qxf4 d5 16. e5 Nd7
17. d4 O-O-O 18. Nf5 Qf8 19. Qg3 g6 20. Nh4 Qe7 21. Bd2 Kb8 {1/2-1/2 (55)
Balogh,C (2660)-Fedorchuk,S (2673) Bastia (rapid) 2014. We have a very sharp
game.}) (10... O-O 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 Kh7 15. Ne3 Ne8
16. d4 f6 17. f3 Ng7 18. Bf2 Qe7 19. Qd3 Bd7 20. a4 Rad8 21. Bc2 Kh8 22. b4 Bc8
23. a5 a6 24. d5 $16 {1-0 (56) Bok,B (2572)-Loetscher,R (2444) Basel 2015}) 11.
Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 {That is Black's idea, he is holding back
castling in order to meet Bg5 with this sharp continuation.} 14. Bg3 h5 15. f3
Be6 16. Ne3 h4 17. Bf2 d5 18. Re1 Kf8 19. h3 {A very complicated game in the
centre is still not defined so all kinds of possibilities are ahead of us.} Bb6
20. Qc2 {The idea is Rad1} Nh5 21. d4 exd4 22. cxd4 Nf4 23. Ng4 a4 24. Bxa4
dxe4 25. Rxe4 $1 (25. fxe4 Bxg4 26. hxg4 Qd7 $17) 25... Bf5 26. Rd1 Kg7 27. Bb3
{A pawn for an exchange is not a bad trade for White.} Qc7 28. Ne3 Bg6 $1 (
28... Bxe4 29. fxe4 $40 {[%cal Ge3f5] Such a position is not recommended for
Black.}) 29. Nc4 Rhe8 30. Kh1 {White could have played differently.} (30. Nxb6
Qxb6 31. d5 Bxe4 32. fxe4 Qb5 33. d6 Rad8 34. Bc4 Qa5 35. Bd4+ (35. Qb3) 35...
f6 36. e5 Rxe5 37. b4 Qa3 38. Kh1 $13) 30... Ba7 31. Ne5 Bxe4 32. fxe4 Rxe5 33.
dxe5 Bxf2 34. Qxf2 Rd8 35. Qe1 Rxd1 36. Qxd1 Qxe5 37. Qd7 Qf6 {Probably in
time trouble Black didn't want to risk all that much, but the alternative was
a better try.} (37... Qxb2 38. Qxf7+ Kh6 39. Qf8+ Qg7 40. Qd6+ Ng6 $15) 38. e5
Qg6 39. Kh2 {Now it is not easy for either side to make progress.} b6 40. e6
Nxe6 41. Qxc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Classic 8th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2016.12.17"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2748"]
[Annotator "Pavlovic,M"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2016.12.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The Berlin is definitely one of the most
difficult lines that White can meet when playing 1.e4. Others are the Najdorf
and Marshall which we saw that even Karjakin was not willing to enter in his
match with Carlsen.} 4. d3 Bc5 {The most popular choice for Black.} 5. c3 O-O
6. O-O Re8 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 a6 9. Bc4 $5 {A rare choice.} (9. Ba4 Ba7 10. Nbd2
d6 11. Re1 Bd7 12. Nf1 Kh8 $5 13. Ne3 Rg8 14. Bb3 g5 15. Bg3 Rg7 16. Nd5 Nxd5
17. Bxd5 h5 {0-1 (37) Efimenko,Z (2637)-Vallejo Pons,F (2674) Khanty-Mansiysk
2005 Black is fine}) (9. Bxc6 dxc6 10. h3 Bd6 11. Nbd2 c5 12. Re1 g5 13. Bg3
Nh5 14. Nc4 b5 15. Ne3 Nf4 $13 {1/2-1/2 (57) Kosintseva,T (2496)-Batchimeg,T 
(2340) Khanty-Mansiysk 2014}) 9... d6 10. a4 Ba7 {We have reached a popular
position from the Italian game, but here White entered it with a tempo down
due to Bb5-c4, while in the Italian Game the bishop stays on c4. Ok, it could
be that Vachier simply wanted to force this type of position in order to avoid
other possibilities. Let's see...} 11. Na3 Be6 12. b4 Nb8 {Adams doesn't want
to unpin with an early ...g5, so it is perfectly ok to put the knight on d7..}
13. Bxe6 Rxe6 14. Nc4 Nbd7 15. Ne3 {Vachier allows ...Bxe3 here for a while
and Adams doesn't take it. In my opinion that is definitely a critical aspect
of this game. Taking on e3 would make the bishop on h4 a bit useless.} c6 16.
Nd2 a5 (16... g5 $5 17. Bg3 Bxe3 18. fxe3 a5 19. Nc4 axb4 20. cxb4 b5 $1 {
Black is fine here.}) 17. bxa5 Qxa5 {Again that idea was possible:} (17... Bxe3
18. fxe3 Qxa5 19. Rb1 Qc7 {Black is fine.}) 18. Ndc4 Qa6 19. Nf5 d5 20. Nce3
Kh7 21. exd5 Nxd5 22. Qh5 Rf8 23. Nxd5 cxd5 24. Be7 Nf6 25. Qh3 Re8 26. Bb4 h5
{Adams conducted the game in a slightly different way; still he got a good
position. We can only conclude that Vachier's play was not very inspiring this
time.} 27. d4 exd4 28. Nxd4 Bxd4 29. cxd4 Qc4 30. Rab1 b6 31. a5 bxa5 32. Bxa5
Qxd4 33. Bc3 Qg4 34. Qxg4 hxg4 {Black is a pawn up but soon we will get a rook
endgame with that pawn up for Black, but it is not enough to win the game.} 35.
Bxf6 Rxf6 36. Rb4 Re4 37. Rxe4 dxe4 38. Re1 Re6 39. g3 f5 40. Kg2 g5 41. h3
gxh3+ 42. Kxh3 Kg6 43. Kg2 Re5 44. Ra1 {This is just a draw.} f4 45. Ra6+ Kf5
46. gxf4 gxf4 47. Ra8 Rb5 48. Rh8 Rb2 49. Rf8+ Ke5 50. Re8+ Kd4 51. Rf8 Ke5 52.
Re8+ Kd5 53. Rd8+ Ke5 1/2-1/2

[Event "FRA-ch"]
[Site "Meribel"]
[Date "1998.08.25"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Chomet, Pascal"]
[Black "Anic, Darko"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2405"]
[BlackElo "2460"]
[Annotator "Petursson,M"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1998.08.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 067"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.11.30"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.11.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. O-O g6 7. Ne1 Bg7 8. f4
Qe7 9. Nf3 O-O 10. Na3 Rad8 11. Qe2 exf4 12. Bxf4 Ne5 13. Bxd7 Rxd7 14. Rae1
Nh5 15. Bc1 Qe6 16. d4 Nxf3+ 17. Rxf3 Re8 18. d5 Qg4 19. Qb5 $6 Rde7 20. Qxb7
f5 $36 21. Qb5 fxe4 22. Rff1 Be5 23. Qe2 {[%tqu "En","Can you find a winning
move for Black?","You want to go after his king with your Queen and your
Knight!","Sacrifice your bishop!","e5h2","",18,"g4h4","",0]} Bxh2+ $1 (23...
Qh4 24. g3 Bxg3 25. hxg3 Nxg3 26. Qh2 Qxh2+ 27. Kxh2 Nxf1+ 28. Rxf1 e3 29. Re1
e2 30. Nb5 {with drawing chances}) 24. Kxh2 Qh4+ 25. Kg1 Ng3 26. Qe3 (26. Qc4
Qh1+ 27. Kf2 Nxf1 28. Rxf1 Rf7+ 29. Ke1 Qh4+ 30. Kd1 Qg4+ 31. Ke1 Qg3+ 32. Kd1
e3 $1 33. Re1 e2+ 34. Rxe2 Rf1+ 35. Kc2 Rxe2+ 36. Qxe2 Rf2 $19) 26... Qh1+ 27.
Kf2 Nxf1 0-1

[Event "RUS-chT 18th"]
[Site "Olginka"]
[Date "2011.04.20"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Ponomariov,R"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2011.04.12"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2020"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.10.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.10.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Sankt Petersburg Chess Federation"]
[BlackTeam "Tomsk 400"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

1. e4 {It's not always so easy to predict what Vassily will play. I think he
hadn't played 1.e4 against me 1.e4 since our match in Moscow in 2002!} e5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 O-O 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. d4
exd4 10. cxd4 {Well, despite such a rare variation I had some knoweledge about
it. During my long stay in Moscow last year I had possibility to play some
training blitz games vs. Sergey Karjakin. But of course after 6 months it was
not so easy to remember everything during this game.} Bb6 {Some players
retreat with the bishop to a safe place on a7. But I had another idea in my
mind.} 11. Qc2 Re8 12. Re1 Bd7 ({Serger himself played immediately} 12... c5
13. e5 ({But probably after} 13. d5 Ba5 14. b3 Bd7 15. Bb2 c6 {it could be my
current game vs. Ivanchuk}) 13... Nd5 14. Nc4 h6 15. Bd2 Be6 16. exd6 cxd6 17.
Nxb6 Qxb6 18. dxc5 dxc5 19. Ne5 Nb4 20. Qa4 Nd5 21. Qc2 Nb4 22. Qa4 Nd5 {
1/2 Svidler,P (2722)-Karjakin,S (2760)/Moscow RUS 2010/}) 13. b3 c5 14. d5 c6
$6 {I tried to remember my old analysis. But my memory played a joke with me.}
({How it would possible to see better is} 14... Ba5 $5 15. Bb2 c6 16. dxc6 Bxc6
{transforming to the game with a correct move order.}) 15. dxc6 {Vassily
didn't exploit his chance.} ({Very strong was} 15. Nc4 $5 {and now Black has
not such an easy choice} Bc7 ({The computer recommends} 15... cxd5 16. Nxd6
Nxe4 17. Nxe8 Bxe8 18. Bb2 f5 {and says that Black is okay here. But I think
White's chances are preferable here and it's easier to play with some extra
material, because Black needs to avoid exchanging pieces.}) 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4
{and this pin is quite unpleasant for Black because he can't play} g5 $140 18.
Nxg5 $1 hxg5 19. Bxg5 cxd5 20. exd5 Kg7 21. Qc3 Rh8 22. Re3 {with a dangerous
initiative for white.}) 15... Bxc6 16. Bb2 Ba5 {Now after some adventures I
was again on the right road!} 17. Rad1 h6 18. Re3 Re6 19. Nc4 Bc7 {A modest
retreat, but in fact not so bad for Black.} ({It made no sense to play} 19...
Bxe4 20. Bxf6 Bxc2 21. Bxd8 Rxe3 22. Nxe3 Bxd1 23. Bxa5 Bxf3 24. gxf3 $14 {
and only White can without any risk play for a win here.}) 20. e5 $6 {First
step along the wrong path: White has some problems with his e4-pawn. Probably
my opponent after my last move thought that now it's a time for active play,
but in the end only activated my pieces.} ({As later I realised: before at
home I had analysed} 20. Rde1 Qe7 21. Nfd2 Re8 22. Qc3 Qf8 {and probably White
has nothing better than} 23. Qd3 Qe7 24. Qc3 $11 {with a draw by repetition})
20... Nd5 21. Ree1 Nf4 {I couldn't calculate all variations during the game.
But in the same moment this move is so tempting that I couldn't stop myself!}
22. Qf5 $2 {The ball was in White's court, but he didn't solve this problem.} (
{Correct was} 22. exd6 {after which both sides must find many only moves
before reaching a draw} Bxf3 23. dxc7 Nh3+ $1 24. Kf1 $1 Bxg2+ 25. Kxg2 Qg5+
26. Kh1 Rxe1+ 27. Rxe1 Qd5+ 28. Re4 Qg5 $1 29. Re1 Qd5+ $11 {I am not sure
that I would find all these crazy variations over the board. But sometimes we
must believe in our intuition!}) 22... Bxf3 23. gxf3 Qh4 24. Re4 {Now Vassily
offered a draw, but it's a little bit too late. Anyway now it's quite
difficult to recommend something for White and maybe it was his best practical
chance.} dxe5 ({Someone suggested the crazy winning continuation} 24... Rg6+
25. Kf1 Rg2 26. Rd2 Qxh2 27. Rxf4 Ba5 $3 $19 {, but I think my way is simpler
and not worse.}) 25. Rd7 ({On} 25. Bxe5 {I also planned to play} Rg6+ 26. Kf1
Rg2 {with a decisive attack.}) 25... Rg6+ 26. Kf1 Rg2 {This simple move was a
blunder by my opponent, as I could see when he started to shake his head. I
can't say that I am very satisfied with the quality of this game. But the
captain of my team was quite happy with such a result :)} 0-1

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2005.11.27"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Chumfwa, Stanley"]
[Black "Bacrot, Etienne"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2303"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2005.11.27"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 111"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Avoiding the main "Berlin" lines.} Bc5 5.
c3 O-O 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 {This position is very similar to Italian game 
(Giocco Piano) with the only difference that white's light-squared placed on
b5 instead of b3.} Re8 $146 (7... Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. Re1 Re8 10. Qe2 a6 11. Ba4
Bg6 12. Bc2 Nh5 13. exd5 Nf4 14. Qf1 Nxd5 15. Ne4 Ba7 16. Bd2 $11 {1/2-1/2
Kobalija,M (2634)-Bacrot,E (2715)/Moscow 2005/CBM 106 (51)}) (7... dxe4 8. dxe4
Qe7 9. h3 Bd7 10. b4 Bb6 11. Bd3 Rad8 12. Nc4 Bxh3 13. gxh3 Qd7 14. Nxb6 axb6
15. Ne1 Qxh3 16. Qe2 Nh5 17. Bg5 Rd6 18. Qe3 Qg4+ 19. Kh2 Nf4 20. Bxf4 exf4 $2
(20... Qh4+ $1 21. Kg2 (21. Qh3 Qxf4+ 22. Kg1 Rh6 $19) 21... exf4 22. Qh3 Qg5+
23. Kf3 Ne5+ 24. Ke2 Rxd3 25. Nxd3 f3+ $19) 21. Qh3 Qg5 22. Rg1 Qe5 23. Nf3
Qxc3 24. e5 $18 {1-0 Santo Roman,M (2485)-Marciano,D (2455)/Toulouse 1995/EXT
98 (55)}) 8. Qe2 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. Rd1 Qd7 11. Nf1 Bg6 {[%csl Re4]} 12. Nh4 Bh5
13. Nf3 {Obviously, considering the difference in Elo points white does not
mind to repeat moves...} Nd4 $5 {[%mdl 512] A brave move, which leads to a
very irrational position.} 14. cxd4 (14. Nxd4 $2 Bxe2 15. Bxd7 Bxd1 16. Bxe8
exd4 $17) 14... Qxb5 15. g4 $1 (15. dxc5 $2 dxe4 $19) 15... Bg6 (15... dxe4 16.
Nh4 $1 Bxd4 17. gxh5 Rad8 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 exd3 20. h6 (20. Nf5 $6 Nxh5
21. Qg5 g6 22. Nh6+ Kf8 $17) 20... g6 21. Rac1 $13) 16. dxc5 (16. a4 $1 Qa6 17.
dxc5 dxe4 18. Nh4 exd3 19. Qe3 {The same position arised in the game without
the inclusion of moves a2-a4 and Qb5-a6. Probably, this helps white a bit,
because black's queen is less active on a6.}) 16... dxe4 17. Nh4 $1 exd3 {
Black sacrificed a piece, but ruined white's centre completely. Still, a piece
is a piece, so I don't think that objectively black can pretend here for more
than a compensation.} 18. Qe3 e4 (18... Nd5 $6 19. Qg3 e4 20. Ne3 Qxc5 21. Nxd5
Qxd5 22. Bd2 $14) 19. b3 ({Comes to consideration:} 19. Bd2 Qxb2 $6 (19... Nd5
$142 20. Qd4 Rad8 {is similar to the continuation in the game.}) 20. Rab1 Qxa2
21. Rxb7 a5 22. Qd4 {White is at least not worse here.}) (19. Ng3 $5) 19... Nd5
20. Qd4 Rad8 21. Bb2 f6 22. Nxg6 hxg6 23. Qc4 (23. Ne3 Nf4 24. Qc4+ Qxc4 25.
Nxc4 Nxh3+ $15) 23... Qxc4 24. bxc4 Nf4 25. h4 Ne6 $2 {Bacrot plays it with
overconfidence.} ({It was much better to get the pawns rolling as soon as
possible:} 25... Ne2+ 26. Kg2 f5 {and black looks better.}) 26. Ba3 $2 {
This move is too ugly to be good.} (26. Rab1 $1 c6 (26... Nxc5 $2 27. Ba3 $16 {
[%csl Rb7,Rc5]}) (26... f5 $2 27. Ng3 $16) 27. Bc1 Rd7 28. Ng3 Nxc5 29. Be3 $14
) 26... Nd4 27. Rab1 $4 {This just loses an exchange by the most prosaic
manner.} (27. Ne3 {could still keep a playable position.}) 27... Ne2+ 28. Kg2
Nc3 $19 {[%csl Rb1,Rd1]} 29. Ne3 Nxd1 30. Nxd1 b6 31. Ne3 d2 32. c6 Rd3 (32...
Rd3 33. Bb2 Re6 $19 {[%cal Ge6c6]}) 0-1

[Event "Norway Chess 3rd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2015.06.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2015.06.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. Bxc6 bxc6 $5 $146 {
A novelty as early as on move six is always a remarkable thing nowadays!
Obviously, preparation, as Caruana played this position as White just few
weeks previously. I don't think this novelty is an improvement over the other
recapture 6...dxc6, but it leads to a different type of position.} (6... dxc6 {
Here the position is closed and a long manoeuvring battle is expected.} 7. Nc4
Nd7 8. Be3 (8. O-O Re8 9. a4 Bf8 10. Kh1 f6 11. Ng1 Nc5 12. b3 Ne6 13. Ne2 c5
14. f4 exf4 15. Nxf4 Nxf4 16. Bxf4 Be6 17. Ne3 Bd6 18. Qf3 $14 {1/2-1/2 (40)
Malakhov,V (2706)-Jakovenko,D (2742) Sochi 2015}) 8... Bd6 9. O-O Re8 10. Nfd2
Nf8 11. Qh5 Be6 12. h3 Ng6 13. g3 Qd7 14. Kh2 f5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Ne4 $14 {
0-1 (47) Caruana,F (2803)-Jakovenko,D (2738) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015}) 7. Nxe5 {
White has to take, otherwise he can't even dream about the advantage.} Re8 8.
Nef3 d5 9. O-O ({After} 9. e5 Bg4 {White won't hold his extra pawn.} 10. O-O
Rxe5 $11 {An attempt to win material at any cost:} 11. d4 $6 Bxd4 12. h3 Bh5
13. g4 $2 Nxg4 $1 14. hxg4 (14. Nxe5 Qh4 $1 15. Nxg4 Qg3+ 16. Kh1 Qxh3+ 17. Kg1
Bxg4 $19) 14... Bxg4 {[%csl Rg1] would lead White to an opening disaster.})
9... Bg4 (9... dxe4 $6 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. dxe4 Bg4 12. h3 {is not sufficient
for Black.}) 10. h3 Bh5 11. Qe2 (11. exd5 cxd5 {Black doesn't have immediate
threats, but has sufficient compensation in all lines thanks to his activity.}
12. b3 (12. Re1 Qd6 $44) (12. Nb3 Bd6 13. Be3 Nd7 $44 {[%cal Gc7c5,Gd7e5]})
12... Ne4 $1 13. dxe4 dxe4 14. Bb2 exf3 15. Nxf3 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 Bxf3 17. gxf3
Re2 18. Bd4 Bxd4 19. Rxd4 Rxc2 $11) (11. e5 Rxe5 $1 12. g4 Nxg4 13. Nxe5 (13.
hxg4 $4 Bxg4 {[%cal Ge5g5] leads to a ferocious attack.}) 13... Qh4 14. hxg4
Qg3+ 15. Kh1 Qh3+ $11) 11... dxe4 12. Nxe4 (12. dxe4 $6 Nxe4 $1 13. Nxe4 Qd5
14. Re1 f5 15. Nc3 Rxe2 16. Nxd5 Rxe1+ 17. Nxe1 cxd5 {and already White is the
one that has to be careful.}) 12... h6 $1 {A useful move, preventing Bc1-g5.
Now it's not easy for White to develop.} (12... Nxe4 $2 {Now this idea
wouldn't work.} 13. dxe4 Qd5 14. Re1 {and Black can't win the Pe4.}) 13. Be3 $1
{The best is to return the pawn immediately, but to complete the development.}
(13. Re1 Re6 $1 14. Bf4 (14. c3 $2 Nxe4 15. dxe4 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Rf6 $19) 14...
Nxe4 15. dxe4 Qf6 16. Bxc7 Qxb2 {[%cal Ga8e8] and Black is doing well.}) (13.
c3 $6 Re6 $36 {[%cal Gd8e7]}) 13... Nxe4 14. dxe4 Rxe4 15. Qd3 {Massive
exchanges are to follow.} Bxf3 16. Qxd8+ (16. gxf3 $2 Re5 {Here White just
ruined his structure for nothing.}) (16. Bxc5 Qxd3 17. cxd3 Re5 $11 18. d4 Rg5
{It's important that Black doesn't lose a piece.}) 16... Rxd8 17. Bxc5 Be2 18.
Rfc1 {The opposite coloured bishops strongly hint at drawish tendencies.
White's only hope to squeeze something out of the game is Black's damaged
structure on the queenside.} a5 19. b3 a4 20. Re1 $6 (20. f3 Re6 21. Bb4 $1 {
covering the d2-square. White will continue with Kg1-f2, Rc1-e1, torturing his
opponent for a while. In the event of an exchange on b3, White will recapture
by cxb3, opening the c-file against Black's doubled pawns.}) 20... Rd2 21. Rac1
axb3 {Now White has to take with the a-pawn. Every simplification makes
Black's defensive task easier.} 22. axb3 Rd5 23. Be3 Bh5 24. Ra1 Bg6 25. Ra7
Re7 26. c4 Rd8 (26... Rd3 {was also okay.}) 27. Rea1 Bc2 28. b4 Rd1+ {Another
exchange that basically limits White's winning chances - close to zero!} 29.
Rxd1 Bxd1 30. b5 {More simplifications to follow and draw will be agreed soon.}
cxb5 31. cxb5 Re5 32. Rxc7 Rxb5 33. Rc5 Rxc5 34. Bxc5 Bc2 35. Bd6 Bd1 36. Bc5
Bc2 37. Bd6 Bd1 {The game might look boring at first sight, but the opening
battle was very interesting.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tashkent FIDE GP 2nd"]
[Site "Tashkent"]
[Date "2012.11.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2748"]
[BlackElo "2786"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2012.11.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 152"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {The most common "anti-Berlin" approach.}
Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 {This position may also arise after: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.d3 Bc5. The only difference is the extra move a7-a6
which is not significant. In this line White can can only lay claim to a
slight superiority, at best.} 6. h3 (6. Nxe5 $4 {falls into a primitive trap.}
Qd4 $19 {[%csl Re5,Rf2]}) 6... Be6 (6... Bd6 7. Be3 c5 {This plan is reliable
for Black.} 8. Nbd2 Nd7 {The knight is going to e6 to control the important d4
and f4 spots.} 9. Nc4 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Nfd2 Nf8 {[%cal Gf8e6]} 12. Nxd6 cxd6
13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 Ng6 15. Bg3 Be6 16. Kh2 d5 $11 {1/2-1/2 (21) Hamdouchi,H 
(2600)-Bacrot,E (2720) Belfort 2010}) 7. Qe2 $146 (7. Ng5 Qd6 8. Nd2 O-O-O 9.
Nb3 Bb6 10. Qe2 Nd7 11. Nxe6 Qxe6 12. a4 a6 13. a5 Ba7 14. Be3 Kb8 15. O-O $14
{1-0 (67) Inarkiev,E (2676)-Efimenko,Z (2682) Poikovsky 2009}) (7. Bg5 Qd6 8.
Nbd2 Nd7 9. O-O f6 10. Be3 O-O-O 11. Qe2 g5 12. Nh2 h5 $132 {1/2-1/2 (18)
Areshchenko,A (2650)-Khenkin,I (2609) Dagomys 2008}) 7... Nd7 8. Be3 {White
doesn't mind swapping pieces. His position is risk-free, in the long run he
may benefit from the superior structure.} Qe7 9. Bxc5 Qxc5 10. Nc3 Qd6 11.
O-O-O {[%cal Gd3d4] Now we see the point of delaying the kingside castling,
Morozevich made it to the other side!} c5 12. Nh4 $5 (12. Nd2 O-O-O 13. Nc4
Bxc4 14. dxc4 Qe6 $11) 12... O-O-O {Caruana decided to ignore the idea Nh4-f5.}
(12... g6 13. Qe3 O-O-O 14. g3 Nb8 $11 {[%cal Gb8c6,Gc6d4]}) 13. Nf5 Bxf5 14.
exf5 Nf6 15. Rhe1 Rhe8 16. Qf3 Qd4 17. g4 h6 18. a3 a6 $6 {Looks like a useful
move, but it was the last opportunity to exchange queens on f4. This way Black
could also solve the problem of his Pe5.} (18... Qf4+ 19. Qxf4 exf4 {I don't
see a problem here for Black.} 20. Ne2 (20. Kd2 g5 21. fxg6 fxg6 $11) 20... h5
21. g5 Nd5 22. Ng1 (22. c4 f3 23. Ng1 Nf4 $132) 22... Ne7 23. Re5 Nc6 $1 24.
Rxc5 Nd4 $44) 19. Re3 $14 {Now it's unpleasant for Black. White has a plan of
doubling or tripling his major pieces on the e-file to press on the Pe5.} Re7
20. Kb1 Nd5 21. Nxd5 Qxd5 22. Qxd5 (22. f6 $6 Qxf3 23. Rxf3 gxf6 24. Rxf6 Rd6 {
would make Black's defensive task easier.}) 22... Rxd5 23. Rde1 f6 24. f4 Kd7
25. c3 b5 26. Kc2 Kd6 27. b3 (27. b4 Kc6 28. bxc5 Kxc5 29. d4+ Kd6 30. Re4 c5
31. dxe5+ fxe5 32. h4 (32. a4 c4 33. axb5 axb5 {doesn't change much.}) 32... c4
33. g5 hxg5 34. hxg5 Re8 35. R1e2 Re7 36. f6 gxf6 37. gxf6 Rf7 38. fxe5+ Ke6 {
The blockade is safe, Black can hold.}) 27... Re8 {Black is tied to defending
the Pe5 and can only wait and see what White can come up with.} ({It was
possible to play} 27... a5 {with an idea to exchange as many pawns as possible.
}) 28. Re4 Re7 29. b4 Re8 30. c4 bxc4 31. dxc4 Rd4 32. fxe5+ fxe5 (32... Rxe5
$4 33. Rxd4+ cxd4 34. Rxe5 Kxe5 (34... fxe5 35. Kd3 $18 {White will create
passed pawns on both flanks.}) 35. Kd3 $18 {Black will be in zugzwang very
soon.}) 33. bxc5+ Kxc5 34. Rxe5+ Rxe5 35. Rxe5+ Kxc4 36. Re7 c5 37. Rxg7 Rd3
38. h4 (38. Rg6 Rxh3 39. Rxa6 h5 (39... Rh2+ 40. Kd1 Rg2 $2 41. f6 Rf2 42. Ke1
Rf3 43. Ke2 {No place for the black rook on the f-file.} Rf4 44. Ra4+ $18 {
[%cal Ga4f4]}) 40. g5 Rg3 41. g6 Kd5 42. Kd2 c4 43. f6 (43. Re6 c3+ 44. Kc2 h4
45. Re1 h3 46. Rf1 h2 47. Rh1 Ke5 48. Rxh2 Kxf5 $11) 43... c3+ 44. Ke2 (44. Kc2
Rxg6 $11) 44... c2 45. Kd2 Rxg6 46. Kxc2 h4 $11) 38... Rf3 39. Kd2 Kd4 40. Ke2
Rxa3 $4 {Too greedy. This pawn is of little significance, while it was
important to keep the rook on the f-file.} (40... Rf4 $1 {Here White's pawns
can't run so easily. Black seems to hold as his pieces are active and the
c-pawn is also dangerous.} 41. h5 (41. Rg6 c4 42. h5 {is just a transposition.}
) 41... c4 42. Rg6 c3 43. Rxh6 Rxg4 44. Rd6+ Kc4 45. f6 Rg2+ 46. Kd1 Rh2 47.
Rd8 Rh1+ 48. Ke2 Rh2+ 49. Ke3 Rh3+ 50. Kf4 Rh1 51. Kg5 Rg1+ 52. Kh6 Rf1 53. Kg7
Rg1+ 54. Kf8 Rh1 55. f7 Rxh5 56. Ke7 Rh7 57. Ke6 Rxf7 58. Kxf7 Kb3 $11) 41. f6
$18 {Now White's pawns are simply unstoppable.} Ra2+ 42. Kf3 Ra1 43. Kg2 Ra2+
44. Kg3 Ra1 45. g5 hxg5 46. hxg5 Rf1 47. Rc7 a5 (47... c4 48. f7 c3 49. g6 Kd3
50. g7 Rg1+ 51. Kf2 Rxg7 52. f8=Q Rxc7 53. Qd6+ $18) 48. f7 a4 49. g6 a3 50.
Ra7 Rf6 51. g7 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.03.19"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2872"]
[BlackElo "2764"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2013.03.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 154"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Avoiding the "Berlin endgame".} Bc5 5. c3
{A few months ago Carlsen tried 5.Nc3, but achieved nothing against the world
champion.} (5. Nc3 d6 6. Na4 Bb6 7. Nxb6 axb6 8. c3 Bd7 9. Ba4 Ne7 10. Bc2 Ng6
11. h3 O-O 12. O-O h6 13. Re1 Re8 14. d4 Bc6 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Qxd8 Rexd8 $11 {
1/2-1/2 (61) Carlsen,M (2848)-Anand,V (2775) London 2012}) 5... O-O 6. O-O d6
7. h3 a6 {This is more a challenging continuation, inviting White to spoil the
pawn structure, but to give up a good bishop. The solid alternative is to
transfer the knight to g6.} (7... Ne7 8. d4 Bb6 9. Re1 Ng6 10. Bd3 Re8 11. Qc2
c6 12. Be3 d5 (12... Nh5 $5 $11 {[%cal Gh5f4]}) 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Rxe5 15.
Bxb6 axb6 16. f4 Rh5 17. e5 Nd7 18. Qe2 Rh4 19. e6 Nc5 20. exf7+ Kxf7 21. Nd2
Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Rxf4 23. Qxh7 Bf5 24. Qh5+ Bg6 25. Qe5 Rf6 26. Nf3 Kg8 $11 {
1/2-1/2 (43) Adams,M (2725)-Anand,V (2780) Baden-Baden 2013}) 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9.
Re1 {Magnus decided not to hurry up with d3-d4 advance, but to complete the
development at first.} (9. d4 Bb6 10. Re1 h6 11. Qc2 (11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Qa4 $5
{[%cal Gb1d2,Gd2c4] is worth being checked in practice.}) 11... Re8 12. Nbd2
exd4 13. cxd4 c5 $11 {1-0 (55) Karjakin,S (2786)-Grischuk,A (2764) Moscow 2013}
) 9... Re8 10. Nbd2 d5 $6 $146 {This is strategically risky, as Black's pawn
structure will be permanently damaged.} (10... Bb6 11. Nf1 h6 12. Ng3 Be6 13.
Be3 Bxe3 (13... c5 14. d4 cxd4 15. cxd4 exd4 16. Bxd4 Rb8 {is playable for
Black.}) 14. Rxe3 c5 15. Qc2 Nd7 16. d4 cxd4 17. cxd4 exd4 18. Nxd4 $14 {
1-0 (55) Svidler,P (2741)-Navara,D (2706) Prague 2012}) 11. exd5 ({An
immediate counterstrike in the centre was also an option to consider:} 11. d4
dxe4 12. Nxe5 Qd5 13. Ndc4 (13. Qc2 Bd6 14. Ndc4 (14. Nxe4 $4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4
Qxe4 16. Rxe4 f6 $19) 14... c5 $132) 13... Bf8 14. Bg5 Nd7 {Black has
sufficient counterplay which compensates for his structural defects. His pair
of bishops is also a factor.}) 11... Qxd5 12. Nb3 Bf8 (12... Ba7 13. Be3 c5 {
is the engine suggestion, but it looks pretty ugly to close in the Ba7.}) 13.
c4 Qd6 14. Be3 Nd7 15. d4 e4 16. Nfd2 a5 17. a4 {Preventing any further
advance of Black's a-pawn and fixing it as a target.} f5 {From the strategic
point of view Black's position is very bad, but he has counterchances on the
kingside.} 18. c5 Qg6 $2 {This logical move is a serious mistake. It was
necessary to retreat to e6, covering the c4-square against the knight move.} (
18... Qe6 $1 19. Bf4 (19. Qc1 Nf6 20. Nc4 Nd5 $132) 19... Nf6 $1 {Black
shouldn't spend time on protecting the weak pawn.} 20. Bxc7 Nd5 (20... Qf7 21.
Be5 Be7 $44 {[%cal Gc8e6]}) 21. Be5 Qg6 (21... Nb4 22. f3 Nd3 23. fxe4 $1 Nxe1
24. Qxe1 fxe4 25. Qxe4 $14) 22. Nc4 f4 23. Kh2 f3 (23... Nb4 24. Nbd2 Nd3 25.
Nxe4 Nxe1 26. Qxe1 f3 27. gxf3 Bxh3 28. Kxh3 Qe6+ 29. Kg2 Qxc4 30. Qc3 $14) 24.
Rg1 Qh6 25. Qd2 Qh4 26. g4 Nf6 27. Ne3 g6 $44 {[%cal Gf8h6] An engine is not
really bothered by Black's kingside initiative, but a human player would
easily get frightened here as White.}) 19. Nc4 {[%csl Ra5]} (19. Bf4 Nf6 20.
Nc4 {leads to the same position as in our game.}) 19... Nf6 20. Bf4 (20. Ne5 $2
{would fall into a nasty exchange sacrifice:} Rxe5 $1 21. dxe5 Nd5 22. Qd2 Rb8
23. Nd4 f4 24. Bxf4 Bxc5 {All Black's pieces are very active, he gets the
material back.} 25. Rad1 Bb4 26. Qc1 Bxe1 27. Rxe1 Bxh3 28. Bg3 Bd7 $11) 20...
Nd5 21. Qd2 Be6 (21... Qf6 22. Nbxa5 Nxf4 23. Qxf4 Qxd4 24. b4 Be6 25. Rac1 $16
) 22. Nbxa5 Reb8 23. Ne5 Qf6 24. Bh2 ({It was possible to grab another pawn,
but probably after} 24. Naxc6 Nxf4 25. Qxf4 Rxb2 {Magnus was concerned about
the idea Be6-d5 trapping the Nc6.} {The engine finds the way to keep the
position winning by a subtle piece of tactics:} 26. Qc1 $1 Rb7 27. a5 Bd5 28.
Rb1 Rxb1 29. Qxb1 {and the knight is taboo in view of Qb3+.}) 24... Rxa5 {
A desperate tactical effort, but insufficient.} 25. Qxa5 Rxb2 26. Rab1 Ra2 27.
Qa6 {This way the queen can help in the defence. White just needs to
consolidate, his material advantage is enough for a win.} e3 (27... Nc3 28.
Rbc1 $18) 28. fxe3 Qg5 29. Re2 Nxe3 (29... Rxe2 30. Qxe2 Nc3 31. Qd3 Nxb1 32.
Nf3 Qh6 33. Bf4 Qh5 34. Qxb1 $18) 30. Nf3 Qg6 31. Rxa2 Bxa2 32. Rb2 Bc4 33. Qa5
Bd5 34. Qe1 $1 {Magnus is precise and merciless as usual, when it comes to the
technical part of the game.} f4 35. Bxf4 Nc2 36. Qf2 Bxf3 37. Rxc2 1-0

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 18th"]
[Site "Porto Carras"]
[Date "2011.11.06"]
[Round "4.4"]
[White "Jones, Gawain C B"]
[Black "Postny, Evgeny"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2011.11.03"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "England"]
[BlackTeam "Israel"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ISR"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Offering the "Berlin wall", but with his next
move my opponent avoids it.} 4. Qe2 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d3 Re8 7. Ba4 $6 {I can
hardly understand the point of this move. Now I can save on the move ...a7-a6.
True, it is of little significance in this position, but still, why to move
the bishop when it's not attacked yet? Short castling or 7.Bg5 are the main
lines. 7.h3 is also an option if White wants to play it flexibly. The move in
the text was successfully employed twice against Vladimir Kramnik, but both
times in "light-weight" games.} Bf8 (7... d5 8. h3 h6 9. g4 Nh7 10. Nbd2 Bd7
11. Bb3 Be6 12. exd5 Bxd5 13. Ne4 Bf8 $6 (13... Be7 {fighting against g4-g5.})
14. g5 Bxb3 15. axb3 Qd5 16. Rg1 h5 17. g6 fxg6 18. Rxg6 $36 {1-0 Gashimov,V 
(2746)-Kramnik,V (2785)/Monte Carlo 2011/CB12_2011 (39)}) 8. h3 ({The blitz
encounter went as follows:} 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 d5 $6 (9... d6 $11) 10. Nbd2 Bg4
$2 11. h3 Bh5 12. g4 Bg6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. exd5 $18 {1-0 Adams,M (2729)
-Kramnik,V (2785)/Moscow 2007/EXT 2008 (69)}) 8... d6 9. Nbd2 Bd7 {Now the
idea of ...Nc6-d4 is in the air, so White should retreat with the bishop.} 10.
Bc2 ({After} 10. Bb3 Na5 11. Bc2 c5 {we could get a kind of classical Ruy
Lopez position where White plays d2-d3 instead of d2-d4.}) 10... Nh5 $6 {
I liked this move during the game, but now I am not so fond of it anymore.} (
10... g6 11. Nf1 Bg7 12. Ne3 Qc8 13. O-O Nd8 14. Rd1 Ne6 15. g3 c5 $11 {
[%cal Gd7c6]}) 11. g3 {This is what I wanted to provoke. Now White's castling
to the kingside becomes problematic for him. However, I can't really benefit
from that. Meanwhile, White has enough useful manoeuvres before he decides
where he wants to hide the king.} g6 12. Nf1 Bg7 13. Ne3 Kh8 $6 {At this
moment I wasn't sure yet what I was going to play next. So, I decided to make
a sort of a useful move, keeping then option of the ...f7-f5 advance. In fact,
this may only ruin my position.} ({It would have been wise just to retreat
with the knight:} 13... Nf6 $11) 14. Bb3 {[%csl Rf7]} Rf8 15. Nd5 Na5 (15... f5
$2 {is very risky and the following spectacular lines confirm it.} 16. Bg5 Nf6
(16... Qc8 17. exf5 Bxf5 (17... gxf5 18. O-O-O Be6 19. Nxe5 Nxg3 20. Ng6+ $1
hxg6 21. fxg3 $16 {[%csl Rh8]}) 18. g4 e4 19. dxe4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Re8 21. Ne7
Nf6 22. Nxc8 Nxe4 23. Nxd6 Nxg5+ 24. Kf1 Nxf3 25. Nf7+ Kg8 26. Ng5+ Kh8 27.
Nxf3 $16) 17. h4 fxe4 18. dxe4 Bg4 19. h5 $1 gxh5 (19... Bxh5 $2 {[%tqu "En",
"What would you suggest for White?","","","f3h4","",10]} 20. Nh4 $1 Bxe2 21.
Nxg6+ Kg8 22. Nxf6# {A picturesque mate.}) 20. Ne3 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Nxe4 22. Qxe4
Qxg5 23. Bc2 $16) 16. g4 $6 {I wouldn't criticise this move too much,
nevertheless, I must admit that I would never give up such a bishop. I am sure
that most players who have experience in these kind of Ruy Lopez positions
would agree with me.} (16. Bc2 c6 17. Ne3 {[%csl Ra5][%cal Gb2b4]} b6 18. Bd2
Nb7 19. O-O-O {Black's recent manouevres weren't impressive, meanwhile White
has completed the development and has some prospects on the kingside.}) 16...
Nxb3 17. axb3 Nf6 ({There is no reason to give up a pawn by:} 17... c6 $6 18.
gxh5 cxd5 19. exd5 $14) 18. Bg5 c6 19. Ne3 Qc8 {I wanted to prevent the
advance h3-h4 and move the queen out of the pin as well.} ({The engine plays
it cool:} 19... a5 $5 20. h4 b5 21. h5 Kg8 {simply ignoring all White's
attempts on the kingside.}) 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. g5 Bg7 22. h4 f5 $6 {I thought
that this is practically forced, in fact quite risky.} (22... Be6 23. h5 Kg8
24. b4 d5 $132 {The king is well protected, now I don't see how White can
create anything serious along the h-file.}) 23. h5 fxe4 24. Nd2 $6 (24. dxe4 $1
gxh5 (24... Bg4 {I was calculating this before playing 22...f5, but
underestimated the idea 26.Rh4!} 25. hxg6 Rxf3 (25... Bxf3 $4 26. Rxh7+ Kg8 27.
Qc4+ d5 28. Nxd5 {mating.}) 26. Rh4 $1 (26. Rxh7+ Kg8 27. Rh4 (27. Nf5 Bxf5 28.
Rxg7+ Kxg7 29. Qxf3 Bxg6 30. Qf6+ Kh7 31. O-O-O Qh3 $8 32. Rxd6 Rg8 $11) 27...
Rxe3 28. Qxe3 Be6 $13) 26... Rh3 (26... Rxe3 27. Qxe3 Be6 28. Rxa7 $14) 27.
Rxh3 (27. Rxg4 hxg6 28. O-O-O Qe6 29. Rgg1 $14) 27... Bxh3 28. Qh5 Kg8 29.
Qxh7+ Kf8 30. O-O-O Qd7 31. Rd3 $1 Bg4 32. Nf5 $1 d5 33. Nxg7 Qxg7 34. Rg3 Qxh7
(34... Be2 $2 35. Kd2 {[%csl Re2]}) 35. gxh7 Kg7 36. Rxg4 Kxh7 $14) 25. Rxh5 (
25. Nh4 Be8 26. Nhf5 Qe6 $13) 25... Bg4 26. Nxg4 Qxg4 27. Nd2 Qg1+ 28. Qf1
Qxf1+ 29. Nxf1 $14) 24... exd3 25. Qxd3 Bf5 $6 (25... gxh5 $1 {was more
precise.} 26. Rxh5 Bf5 27. Nxf5 Qxf5 28. Qxf5 Rxf5 $15) 26. Qxd6 $2 (26. Nxf5
e4 $1 (26... Qxf5 $2 27. Qxf5 Rxf5 28. Ne4 d5 29. Nd6 {proves once again that
knight is a tricky piece!}) 27. Nxd6 exd3 28. Nxc8 Raxc8 29. hxg6 Rce8+ 30. Kd1
a6 31. Rxh7+ Kg8 $44) 26... gxh5 27. Rxh5 Qe8 $1 28. Rh2 Bg6 $17 {Now my king
is safe and the pair of bishops is so much better here than the knights.} 29.
O-O-O {This must come sooner or later, but the white monarch isn't safe on
queen's flank either.} Rd8 30. Qb4 b5 31. Qc5 {Not the best place for the
queen, but it is hard to suggest an improvement.} Rf4 $6 (31... Rf7 $1 {
was as simple as strong. Apart from the healthy positional idea of doubling
the rooks along the d-file, there is also a nasty threat 32...Bf8 trapping
white's queen.}) 32. Ng2 $1 {I overlooked this.} Qf7 $2 {This was too much.
Somehow, I overlooked that I can't deliver mate along the diagonal h7-b1 so
easily.} (32... Rf7 {was again strong.} 33. Nh4 {I was annoyed by this idea,
but could deal with it.} Bd3 34. g6 (34. f3 Rfd7 $17) 34... Rfd7 $17) 33. Nxf4
Qxf4 34. Rhh1 $8 Bf8 ({There is no mate:} 34... Qf5 $4 35. Ne4 Rxd1+ 36. Rxd1
$18 {[%cal Gd1d8]}) 35. Qxc6 {White is clearly back into the game.} (35. Qe3 $4
{[%tqu "En","How should Black proceed?","","","d8d3","",10]} Rd3 $1 36. Qxf4 {
[%tqu "En","And now?","","","d3c3","",5]} Rxc3+ $1 37. bxc3 Ba3#) 35... Rd6 (
35... Rxd2 $1 36. Rxd2 Be4 37. Rxh7+ Kxh7 $1 (37... Bxh7 38. Kd1 Qxg5 39. Qe8
$11) 38. Qxb5 Qxg5 39. Qd7+ Kh8 40. Qe8 Kg7 $15) 36. Qa8 $4 {A blunder which
decided the fate of the match on the spot.} (36. Qc8 Kg8 37. Rh6 Qxf2 38. Rxg6+
hxg6 39. Qe8 Qe2 40. b4 $13) 36... Ra6 {[%cal Ra6a1] Mate is inevitable.} 0-1

[Event "Moscow Aeroflot op-A"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2006.02.15"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Akopian, Vladimir Eduardovic"]
[Black "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2704"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2006.02.08"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 112"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {This way white avoids the main lines of
Berlin defense.} Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 $6 {
Although, this sacrifice already appeared in practice, Akopian's decision to
sacrifice the knight was obviously an improvisation. Both players had 5 out of
7 at the moment, and Armenian GM decided to go for all or nothing, but this
effort didn't pay off. Objectively speaking white does not have enough grounds
to claim a strong attack, while for such a solid player as Kiril Georgiev to
make some precise defensive moves is not a hard task.} (9. Bg3 Bg4 10. h3 Bh5
11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nbd2 Qd7 13. Qc2 $14 {1-0 Iordachescu,V (2550)-Ricci,M (2154)
/Saint Vincent 2003/CBM 092 ext (30)}) 9... hxg5 10. Bxg5 Kg7 11. Bxc6 $6 {
This decision is wrong. The white light-squared bishop might be a useful
attacking piece.} (11. d4 Bb6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Qf3 Qd6 15. Rd1
Qe6 $19) (11. Qf3 $1 {This was the only chance to justify the piece sacrifice.}
Be6 (11... Kg6 $6 12. Bh4 {[%csl Rg6]}) (11... Qe7 12. Nd2 Rh8 (12... Qe6 $2
13. Bc4 {This is what white's light-squared bishop needed for!}) (12... Nd8 $2
{[%cal Gd8e6]} 13. d4 exd4 14. cxd4 Bxd4 15. Qg3 Kh8 16. Nf3 Qxe4 17. Nxd4 Qxd4
18. Rad1 Qxb2 19. Qh4+ Nh7 20. Bd3 f5 21. Bxd8 $18) 13. Nc4 Kg6 (13... Qe6 14.
b4 Nh7 15. bxc5 Nxg5 16. Qg3 Qg6 17. cxd6 cxd6 18. f4 exf4 19. Rxf4 $40 {
[%cal Ga1f1]}) 14. h4 Be6 15. Ne3 {[%cal Ge3d5,Ge3f5] It's very hard to
estimate this position, but it looks like white has good compensation in this
case.}) 12. Nd2 (12. Qg3 $2 Nh5 13. Qh4 f6 $19) 12... Nb8 {[%cal Gc7c6,Gb8d7]
This manoeuvre under these or some other circumstances was probably the source
of worry for Akopian, but white is fine here.} 13. d4 exd4 14. e5 dxe5 15.
Bxf6+ Qxf6 16. Qxf6+ Kxf6 17. Ne4+ Kg7 18. Nxc5 $14) 11... bxc6 12. d4 Bb6 13.
a4 (13. f4 Qd7 $2 (13... exd4 $142 14. cxd4 (14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 dxc3+ 16. Kh1
Qxd1 17. Bxf6+ Kg6 18. Rxd1 cxb2 $19) 14... Qe8) 14. fxe5 Nxe4 15. Qh5 Qg4 16.
Bh6+ Kg8 17. Qxg4+ Bxg4 18. Bxf8 Rxf8 19. Rf4 f5 20. exf6 Nxf6 21. Nd2 $16 {
0-1 Kimpinsky,F (2310)-Bulthaupt,F/Germany 1993/EXT 97-B (42)}) 13... a5 14.
Qf3 $6 $146 {It's interesting that only this move is a novelty. However, this
manoeuvre is not so sound. The best chance would have been to open the "f"
file.} (14. f4 exd4 15. cxd4 (15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 dxc3+ 17. Kh1 Qxd1 18. Bxf6+
Kg6 19. Rxd1 c2 $19) 15... Qe8 $1 (15... Qd7 16. f5 Qe7 17. Nc3 Rg8 18. Kh1 Kf8
19. h4 Rxg5 20. hxg5 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Qxe4 22. Qh5 $18 {1-0 Neumann,G-Anderssen,A/
Berlin 1866/EXT 99 (22)}) 16. Bxf6+ (16. e5 Ne4) 16... Kxf6 17. Nc3 (17. e5+
Kg7 18. Ra3 Rg8 {[%cal Yg7f8]}) 17... Ke7 18. f5 Kd8 {Black will hide his king
on the queenside and his extra piece should tell. On the other hand, white
retains practical chances in this position thanks to strong pawns in the
centre.}) (14. dxe5 dxe5 15. Qf3 Qd6 16. Rd1 Qe6 {successfully parrying
white's initiiattive.}) 14... Qe7 15. Nd2 (15. Qg3 Qe6 {[%cal Ge6g4]} 16. Bxf6+
Kxf6 17. f4 Ke7 18. fxe5 dxe5 $19 {Black's king escapes safely.}) 15... Qe6 $19
{White is not able to create any serious threat.} 16. dxe5 (16. Nc4 Nh7 $1 $19)
16... Qxe5 17. Bh4 Be6 18. Qd3 Ng4 19. Nf3 Qh5 20. Bg3 {All white's active
pieces were driven away, he has no compensation at all.} Rh8 21. Qd2 f6 22. h4
c5 {Covering the d4 square against possible knight jump. Georgiev does not
mind of closing the diagonal for his dark-squared bishop.} 23. Qc2 Rhg8 24. c4
Kh8 25. Ra3 Rg7 26. Rc3 Rag8 {After all, it's black who has the decisive
attack!} 27. Ne1 Ne5 28. Bxe5 dxe5 29. f4 Qxh4 30. f5 Bf7 31. Re3 Bh5 32. b3
Bg4 33. Nf3 Qh6 34. Rd3 c6 {Georgiev is not in a hurry.} (34... Bh3 35. Ne1
Bxg2 $1 36. Nxg2 Rh7 $19) 35. Rf2 Rh7 36. Kf1 Qf4 37. Nh4 Qxe4 38. Ng6+ Rxg6 {
[%cal Gh7h1]} ({Of course not} 38... Kg7 $4 39. Rd7+ Kh6 40. Qc1+ $18) 0-1

[Event "ARM-ch 66th"]
[Site "Yerevan"]
[Date "2006.03.19"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Asrian, Karen"]
[Black "Pashikian, Arman"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2646"]
[BlackElo "2472"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2006.03.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARM"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 112"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.06.07"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Avoiding the main "Berlin" endgame. In
this line white does not really pretend for an opening advantage, but hopes to
outplay his opponent in a long-term fight.} Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Bg5 (6. Bxc6 $6
bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 8. Bg5 Re8 9. f4 dxe4 10. d4 Bb6 11. Nd2 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13.
Qe2 h6 14. Bh4 g5 $1 $36 {0-1 Ivanchuk,V (2717)-Kramnik,V (2772)/Wijk aan Zee
2001/CBM 081 [Wedberg] (38)}) (6. O-O {followed by Nb1-d2-c4-e3 is a standart
plan here.}) 6... Re8 ({The enconter from the recent World Championships is
also a matter of dispute:} 6... h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 d6 9. Nbd2 a6 10. Bxc6 bxc6
11. O-O Ba7 12. d4 g4 13. Bh4 gxf3 14. Qxf3 Kg7 15. Qg3+ Kh7 16. Qf3 Kg7 17.
Qg3+ {1/2-1/2 Anand,V (2788)-Topalov,V (2788)/San Luis ARG 2005/The Week in
Chess 570 (17)}) 7. Nbd2 h6 8. Bh4 Be7 {The safest way to deal with the pin
along the diagonal h4-d8.} ({Also interesting is:} 8... a6 9. Ba4 Ba7 10. O-O
d6 11. Re1 Bd7 12. Nf1 Kh8 13. Ne3 Rg8 14. Bb3 g5 15. Bg3 Rg7 $13 {0-1
Efimenko,Z (2637)-Vallejo Pons,F (2674)/Khanty Mansyisk RUS 2005/The Week in
Chess 578 (37)}) 9. O-O (9. Nc4 $6 d5 $1 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Ncxe5 Bd6 12. Nxc6
Qd7 13. Nfd4 dxe4 14. O-O Ng4 15. h3 Nh2 16. Re1 Nf3+ 17. Nxf3 exf3 18. Rxe8+
Qxe8 19. Na5 Qe5 20. Qxf3 Qh2+ 21. Kf1 Bb7 22. Nxb7 Qh1+ 23. Ke2 Re8+ 24. Kd2
Qxa1 $19 {0-1 Inarkiev,E (2591)-Stocek,J (2557)/Pardubice 2004/CBM 101 ext (26)
}) 9... d6 10. a4 a6 11. Bc4 Nh5 {It's useful for black to exchange the
dark-squared bishops.} 12. Bg3 $5 {An interesting decision, but hardly the
best one. Asrian is trying to provoke his opponent to get a pair of bishops,
but black obviously does not have to take it. The bishop on g3 might become
misplaced as well.} (12. Bxe7 Qxe7 $11) (12. Nxe5 $4 Nxe5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14.
Qxh5 Bg4 $19 {[%csl Rh5]}) (12. Ng5 Bxg5 13. Qxh5 {[%csl Rf7]} Be6 $11) 12...
g6 (12... Nxg3 $6 13. fxg3 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Gc4f7,Gf1f7]}) 13. h3 Rf8 14. Bh2
Bg5 15. Nxg5 {This is somewhat risky decision, as black gets now the "h" file
at his disposal.} (15. d4 Bf4 $11 {exchanging the bishops or provoking the
ugly g2-g3.}) 15... hxg5 16. Re1 Kg7 17. Nf1 Nf4 18. Ne3 Rh8 19. d4 Bxh3 $5 {
This sacrifice is rather intuitive one. Pashikian was probably optimistic
about his chances, but objectively speaking this strike is hardly the best
move in the position. On the other hand, it's also not easy to defend with
white from practical point of viiew.} (19... exd4 $6 20. cxd4 Qf6 21. Bxf4 (21.
e5 $6 dxe5 22. Nd5 Nxd5 23. dxe5 Qe7 24. Bxd5 Rd8 25. Qb3 Nd4 26. Qc4 Be6 27.
Bxe6 Qxe6 $15) 21... gxf4 22. Nd5 Qg5 23. Kf1 Be6 24. Rc1 f3 25. Qxf3 Nxd4 26.
Qc3 c5 27. b4 $16) (19... Bd7 {was rather logical alternative keeping all the
possibilities available, while completing the development.}) 20. gxh3 Nxh3+ 21.
Kf1 $1 (21. Kg2 $2 Nf4+ 22. Bxf4 gxf4 23. Nc2 Qh4 24. Rh1 Qg5+ 25. Kf3 f5 $40 {
[%csl Rf3]}) 21... Nf4 (21... Qf6 $2 22. Bg3 Nf4 23. f3 exd4 24. Ng4 Qe7 25.
cxd4 $18) (21... Nxf2 $2 22. Qf3 Rxh2 23. Kg1 exd4 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. cxd4 $18)
22. Bxf4 $6 (22. Bg1 {Looks ugly, but it's the best move.} Qd7 (22... Rh1 $2
23. Nd5 $1 Qd7 (23... Nh3 24. Kg2 Qh8 25. Qf3 Nf4+ (25... Nxg1 26. Qf6+ $18)
26. Nxf4 gxf4 27. Qg4 Qh6) 24. Nxf4 gxf4 25. Ke2 $18) 23. Qg4 Qxg4 24. Nxg4
exd4 25. Bd5 $14) 22... gxf4 23. Qf3 $2 {Consequently going for the wrong idea.
} ({It was necessary to escape with the king by:} 23. Nc2 Rh2 24. Ke2) 23...
Qd7 (23... fxe3 $4 24. Qxf7+ Kh6 25. Ke2 {[%cal Ge1h1] and black's king is
doomed.}) 24. dxe5 (24. Ng4 Rh4 25. Be2 Rah8 $40) (24. Nc2 $2 Rh3 {followed by
f4-f3 -+.}) 24... Rh4 $2 (24... Nxe5 $2 25. Qxf4 Qh3+ 26. Ke2 Rh4 (26... Qh5+
27. Kd2 Nf3+ 28. Kc2 Nxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Raf8 30. Rg1 $18) 27. Qg3 Qxg3 28. fxg3
Rh2+ 29. Kd1 Rxb2 30. Re2 $18) (24... Qh3+ $3 {This was the move both players
missed. It's not so easy to consider the exchange of queens seriously when you
are a piece down, but suddenly black is on top here.} 25. Qxh3 Rxh3 $17 26. Ke2
(26. Ng4 $2 f3 27. Kg1 Rah8 {[%csl Rg1] mating.}) 26... Nxe5 $19) 25. e6 $8
fxe6 $2 (25... Qd8 $3 {This unhuman move is very difficult to find over the
board. All variations favour black:} 26. Nf5+ (26. Ng4 Qg5) (26. Ng2 Ne5) (26.
e7 Qxe7) 26... gxf5 27. exf5 Ne5 28. Rxe5 dxe5 29. exf7 Qg5 30. Qxb7 Rd8 $19)
26. Ng4 e5 27. Be2 Nd8 $1 {The knight is heading to g5.} (27... Rah8 28. Kg2
$18 {[%cal Ge1h1]}) 28. Kg2 Nf7 29. Rh1 Rah8 30. Rxh4 Rxh4 31. Rh1 Ng5 $2 {
The decisive mistake.} ({After} 31... Rxh1 32. Kxh1 Qxa4 {black could get
three pawns for a piece and approximately balanced position.}) 32. Rxh4 Nxf3 {
[%tqu "En","How can White win the queen?","","","h4h7","",3]} 33. Rh7+ Kxh7 34.
Nf6+ Kg7 35. Nxd7 Ng5 {[%csl Rd7] White has a piece for two pawns, but the
matters does not look clear at all, since white's knight can't come out, while
black is threatening to capture it with his king. Karen Asrian found a nice
way to liberate it and to convert his advantage into a full point.} 36. c4 $1
Kf7 (36... Nxe4 37. Bf3 Nd2 38. Bxb7 Nxc4 39. Bxa6 Nxb2 40. a5 $18 {[%csl Ga5]}
) 37. c5 $1 Ke7 38. c6 $1 {The whole march of the "c" pawn is rather
impressive.} b6 (38... bxc6 39. Nb8 $18) 39. Bxa6 f3+ 40. Kg3 Nxe4+ 41. Kxf3 d5
42. Nxe5 1-0

[Event "FIDE World Cup"]
[Site "Tbilisi"]
[Date "2017.09.07"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Rodshtein, Maxim"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2738"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "Quintiliano,R"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2017.09.03"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GEO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 181"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 {This move ensures a
strategic battle with many possibilities for both sides.} dxc6 6. O-O Bg4 $5 {
A nice practical choice by Rodshtein, looking for a simple position to handle,
Black is giving up the bishop pair, but gets a solid position with easy play.}
(6... Nd7 {is the most played.}) 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 O-O 9. Nd2 Re8 ({Actually,
Rodshtein has played this position in the past as the White side} 9... Nd7 10.
Nc4 a5 11. a4 Re8 12. Qg3 Qe7 13. Kh1 Bd6 14. Bh6 Qf6 15. Bd2 $1 Bb4 {
Rodshtein,M (2691)-Bok,B (2575) EU-ch 15th Yerevan 2014 (9) 0-1} 16. Bxb4 axb4
17. f4 $36) 10. Nc4 Nd7 {[%cal Yc5f8,Gd7c5,Gc5e6,Gd7f8] In general, Black
should leave the f8-square free for manoeuvres like Nf8-e6 or Bf8-Nc5-e6.} 11.
Bd2 Re6 $6 {The beginning of a dubious idea.} (11... b5 $6 {directly was not
good} 12. Na5 $1 Re6 13. Nb7 Qe7 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Qd1 $14 {[%cal Yd2e3,Gf2f4]}
) ({But there was nothing wrong with} 11... Nf8 12. b4 Bd6 13. a4 Ne6 14. Rfb1
a6 $11) 12. g3 (12. b4 {deserved attention} Bf8 13. a4 a6 14. Rfb1 {White
keeps more space and is constantly threatening to open the queenside.}) 12...
b5 $5 {Black's plan is to gain some extra space on the queenside; this is why
the rook was needed on e6 - protecting the c6-pawn.} 13. Ne3 (13. Na5 Bb6 14.
Nb3 Nc5 $11) 13... Bf8 14. a4 a6 15. Ra2 $6 {Maybe from here Adams directs his
play in the wrong direction. As we will see, the rook is not so active as it
looks and is even a bit out of play on the a-file.} (15. h4 {keeping an eye on
kinsgide was perhaps more principled} b4 $5 {to close the queenside looks
safer for Black} (15... g6 16. h5 Nf6 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Kg2 {[%cal Yf1h1]}) (
15... Nc5 16. axb5 axb5 17. h5 Re8 18. Ng4 $16 {[%cal Yh5h6]} h6 $2 19. Rxa8
Qxa8 20. Qf5 $1 {[%cal Rd2h6,Gg4e5]}) 16. b3 c5 17. Rae1 Nb8 {[%cal Yb8c6,
Yc6d4]} 18. Nc4 Nc6 19. Be3 Nd4 20. Bxd4 cxd4 21. Qg2 $14 {[%cal Yf2f4] White
keeps the better chances.}) 15... Nc5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Rfa1 {White still
could had kept the rook on the kingside.} (17. Rxa8 Qxa8 18. b3 $1 (18. h4 Qa2
$132) 18... Re8 (18... Qa2 19. Bc3 {[%cal Rf1a1]}) 19. Bc3 Ne6 $1 20. Qg4 (20.
Bxe5 $2 Ng5) 20... f6 21. h4 $14 {[%cal Yh4h5,Ye3f5] maintains the advantage.})
17... Rxa2 18. Rxa2 Re8 {After executing the plan of advancing the queenside
pawns, Black returns to the standard idea Ne6-d4.} 19. Kg2 Ne6 20. Nf5 (20. h4
$1 c5 {[%cal Gc5c4]} 21. b3 Nd4 22. Qd1 g6 23. h5 $14) 20... c5 {Black is able
to consolidate his position after this.} 21. Ra5 Qd7 22. Bc3 f6 23. b3 c6 24.
h4 g6 25. Ne3 Bg7 26. Qg4 $6 {Rodshtein is able now to play for an advantage.}
({White could have tried} 26. h5 Rf8 (26... Ng5 $2 27. Qg4 Qxg4 28. Nxg4 gxh5
29. Ne3 $16 {[%cal Ye3f5,Ya5a7]}) 27. Ra1 {[%cal Ya1h1,Ya1a8] Now the rook has
more options, for example} f5 (27... Nd4 28. Bxd4 cxd4 29. Ng4 f5 30. Nh2 fxe4
31. Qxe4 gxh5 32. Ra6 $1 Rc8 (32... Qf7 33. Nf3 $16) 33. Nf3 Qd5 34. Qf5 Rf8
35. Qxh5 $14) 28. hxg6 hxg6 29. exf5 Nd4 30. Qg4 gxf5 31. Qg6 {Black remains
with problems to solve} Qf7 (31... f4 32. Bxd4 $1 exd4 33. Ng4 fxg3 34. f4 $3
Qe7 35. f5 Qe2+ 36. Kxg3 $18 {[%cal Rf5f6]}) 32. Qxf7+ Rxf7 33. Ra8+ Kh7 34. g4
$1 fxg4 35. Bxd4 exd4 (35... cxd4 36. Nxg4 {[%cal Ga8e8]} Re7 37. Rc8 Re6 38.
Kf3 $16 {[%cal Gf3e4]}) 36. Nxg4 $14) 26... Rf8 {Black managed to equalise and
starts to prepare f5, which gives him good chances to play for an advantage.}
27. Kg1 Qf7 28. Ra6 f5 $1 29. exf5 gxf5 30. Qe2 Qb7 31. Ra2 (31. Ra1 $2 {
looks better, but actually puts White in trouble} b4 $1 32. Bb2 e4 $1 33. d4 (
33. Bxg7 Qxg7 $19 {[%cal Rf5f4,Re6d4]}) 33... cxd4 34. Qc4 Qf7 $17) 31... Nd4 {
Rodshtein takes the initiative at the first chance.} 32. Bxd4 (32. Qh5 $5 Qd7
33. Bxd4 cxd4 34. Ng2 Kh8 35. Qf3 $11) 32... cxd4 33. Nf1 c5 34. Nd2 {just in
time to stop e4.} Bh6 35. Ra1 {Finally, Adams transfers the rook back to the
kingside.} Qg7 36. Kh2 $2 {Stepping out of the g-file looks natural, but it
allows Black to launch a strong attack.} ({White's position was still under
control with} 36. Ra5 $1 {Black has some options, which makes the calculations
difficult, but in all of them White has enough resources} Qb7 (36... e4 $6 37.
dxe4 f4 (37... Bxd2 38. Qxd2 fxe4 39. Rxb5 e3 40. fxe3 Re8 (40... Qf6 41. Qe1
$1 dxe3 42. Rxc5 h6 43. Rc4 $14 {[%cal Yc4f4]}) 41. e4 $3 Qxg3+ (41... Rxe4 $2
42. Rb8+ Kf7 43. Qf2+ $18) 42. Qg2 Qxg2+ 43. Kxg2 Rxe4 44. Rxc5 Rxh4 45. Kg3
$11) 38. Kg2 fxg3 39. fxg3 Be3 {[%cal Gf8f2]} 40. Rxb5 $1 h6 41. Rxc5 $1 Rf2+
42. Qxf2 Bxf2 43. Kxf2 $44 {White has in the worse of cases sufficient
material for the queen}) (36... f4 $2 37. Ne4 $16 {[%csl Ge4]}) (36... Bxd2 $2
37. Qxd2 f4 38. Rxb5 fxg3 39. fxg3 Qxg3+ 40. Qg2 Qxg2+ 41. Kxg2 $14) 37. Ra1 $1
Qg7 (37... Bxd2 38. Qxd2 f4 39. Re1 Qg7 40. Kh2 $14) 38. Ra5 Qb7 39. Ra1 $11)
36... e4 $1 37. Rf1 (37. dxe4 $2 d3 $1 $19 {[%cal Rg7a1]}) 37... e3 $1 38. Nf3
Kh8 {Black's position becomes more threatening with each move.} 39. fxe3 ({
White had a last chance with the difficult} 39. Ng1 f4 40. Kh3 $1 {[%cal Yg3g4]
but after} Qd7+ (40... Qb7 41. Qf3) 41. Kg2 (41. g4 Bg7 {[%cal Yh7h5]} 42. h5
Re8 $17) 41... Qe8 $15 {he is still struggling}) 39... dxe3 40. Ng1 Rg8 41. Qf3
Qc3 42. Qe2 f4 $1 {Well timed, forcing the opening of new lines.} 43. g4 (43.
gxf4 Qg7 44. Qf3 Bxf4+ $1 45. Kh1 Qg3 $1 46. Qxg3 Bxg3 47. h5 Bf2 48. Ne2 Rg5
$15 {White is pratically tied, without good moves, besides the unavoidable
material losses in a close future.}) 43... f3 $1 44. Nxf3 (44. Rxf3 Qd4 $1 {
[%csl Gg4]}) (44. Qxf3 Qxc2+ 45. Ne2 Qxd3 $17) 44... Rxg4 45. Kh3 Rg8 46. Rg1
Rf8 $5 {Avoiding trading pieces, Rodshtein makes his opponent's task harder.}
47. Rg4 $2 {The losing move.} (47. Ng5 $1 {was the last chance to keep fighting
} Qe5 48. Qg4 {[%cal Gg5f7]} (48. Rf1 Rxf1 49. Qxf1 e2 $1 $19) 48... Qe7 49.
Rg2 $15) 47... Qf6 48. Ng5 Qf2 $5 (48... Bxg5 {was a much easier win} 49. hxg5
(49. Rxg5 Qf2 50. Rg2 Rf3+ 51. Kh2 Qxh4+ 52. Kg1 Rh3 $19) 49... Qf2 {[%cal
Rf8f3]} 50. Rg2 Rf3+ 51. Kh2 Qh4+ 52. Kg1 Rh3 $19) 49. Rg2 Bxg5 $1 {A winning
queen sacrifice.} 50. Rxf2 exf2 51. Qf1 Be3 $18 {[%csl Gf2]} 52. b4 $5 {
Adams puts all his efforts into building a sort of fortress, giving distant
checks and then coming back with the queen.} cxb4 53. Qa1+ Kg8 54. Qf1 (54.
Qa2+ b3 $1 55. Qxb3+ Rf7 {[%cal Rf2f1]}) 54... h5 $1 {[%cal Yg8h7] Rodshtein
finds a safe place to put his king away from the queen's scope, and it is a
matter ot time until he invades with the rook.} 55. Kh2 Kh7 56. Kh3 Rf4 $22 57.
d4 Bxd4 58. Kg2 (58. Qd3+ Kh8 59. Qf1 Rf7 60. Kh2 Rg7 61. Qxb5 Be5+ $1 62. Qxe5
f1=Q 63. Qxh5+ Kg8 64. Qe8+ Qf8 65. Qe6+ Qf7 $19) 58... Kh8 (58... Rg4+ {
was already forcing the end} 59. Kf3 Rg1 60. Qd3+ Kg8 61. Qb3+ Kh8) 59. Kh3 Rf6
60. Kh2 Rf8 61. Kh3 Rf4 62. Kg2 Rg4+ 63. Kh2 Be5+ 0-1

[Event "London Classic 3rd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2011.12.03"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2826"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
Bf8 9. Nbd2 d6 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd3 Be7 14. f4 Qb8
15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e5 dxe5 17. Ne4 Qxb2 18. f5 Red8 19. Bc4 Be8 20. Qh5 Rd6 21.
Rab1 Qc2 22. Qg4 Kf8 23. h3 Rad8 24. Kh2 Qa4 25. Rb4 Qa3 26. Rb7 R6d7 27. Qf3
Qa4 28. Qe2 Re7 $2 (28... Qa5 29. Qh5 Rd6 $11) 29. Nxf6 $18 gxf6 30. Qe3 Red7
31. Qc5+ Rd6 32. Rxc7 Qc2 {[%tqu "En","","","","c7c8","",10]} 33. Rc8 $3 R8d7
34. Be6 $1 Ke7 35. Bxd7 Bxd7 36. Rh8 Qd3 37. Rf3 Qd5 38. Qxa7 e4 39. Qb8 $6 (
39. Rf1 Qe5+ 40. Kh1 $18) 39... Qe5+ $16 40. Rg3 1-0

[Event "FRA-chT Top 12"]
[Site "Drancy"]
[Date "2016.06.06"]
[Round "10.3"]
[White "Fressinet, Laurent"]
[Black "Bacrot, Etienne"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2692"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2016.05.28"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.06.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.06.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Clichy Echecs"]
[BlackTeam "Bischwiller"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:30] Prix de beauté de la 10ème ronde} e5 {[%emt 0:01:30]}
2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Nf6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:00] Un système anti mur de Berlin populaire
depuis quelques années} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 5. c3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} O-O {
[%emt 0:04:30]} 6. O-O {[%emt 0:00:30]} d6 {[%emt 0:01:30]} 7. h3 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} (7. Nbd2) 7... Ne7 {[%emt 0:06:30]} 8. d4 {[%emt 0:01:00]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:
00:30]} 9. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ng6 {[%emt 0:04:30]} 10. Re1 {[%emt 0:03:00]}
c6 {[%emt 0:02:30]} (10... Re8 11. Qc2 c6 12. Na3 Bc7 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5
dxe5 15. Be2 h6 16. Nc4 Nh7 17. Rd1 Qf6 18. Ne3 Qg6 19. Bg4 Bxg4 20. Nxg4 Bb6
21. a4 h5 22. Nh2 Nf6 23. a5 Bc5 24. b4 Bf8 25. Re1 a6 26. Nf3 Nd5 27. Qb3 Nf4
28. Bxf4 exf4 29. Rad1 Rad8 30. e5 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Qf5 32. Re1 g5 33. Nd4 Qg6 34.
e6 Kh8 35. Qd1 fxe6 36. Nf3 g4 37. Ne5 Qf5 38. hxg4 hxg4 39. Nxg4 Bg7 40. Qd7 {
Vachier Lagrave,M (2788)-Kramnik,V (2801) Stavanger 2016 1/2-1/2}) 11. a4 {
[%emt 0:18:30]} Re8 {[%emt 0:04:30]} 12. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Nh5 $146 {
[%emt 0:12:30]} (12... Bc7 13. Be3 d5 14. Nbd2 exd4 15. Bxd4 Be6 16. Ng5 dxe4
17. Ndxe4 Nxe4 18. Nxe6 Rxe6 19. Rxe4 Rxe4 20. Bxe4 Bb6 21. Bxb6 axb6 22. Re1
Nf8 23. Bd3 Qd7 24. Bc4 Re8 25. Rd1 Qc7 26. Qd2 Qe5 27. Qd4 Qxd4 28. Rxd4 Re1+
29. Kh2 g6 30. g4 h6 31. h4 Kg7 32. g5 Re7 33. Kg3 f6 34. f4 Re3+ 35. Kf2 Re7
36. Rd8 hxg5 37. hxg5 fxg5 38. fxg5 Nd7 39. b4 Ne5 40. Bb3 Nf7 41. Bxf7 Kxf7
42. Kf3 {Zolochevsky,V (2366)-Ryvkin,M (2335) ICCF email 2014 1/2-1/2}) 13. Bg5
{[%emt 0:02:30]} f6 {[%emt 0:09:30]} 14. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Nhf4 {[%emt 0:00:
30]} 15. Bf1 {[%emt 0:00:30]} exd4 {[%emt 0:03:30]} 16. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:11:30]} (
16. cxd4) 16... d5 {[%emt 0:03:30]} 17. Nd2 {[%emt 0:01:30]} Bc7 {[%emt 0:00:
30]} 18. Rad1 $32 {[%emt 0:03:30][%csl Ra8,Rc8]} Qd6 {[%emt 0:01:30]} 19. N4f3
{[%emt 0:00:30]} Be6 {[%emt 0:06:30]} 20. exd5 {[%emt 0:10:30]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:
02:30]} 21. Ne4 {[%emt 0:04:30]} Qf8 {[%emt 0:01:30]} 22. Bc5 {[%emt 0:02:30]}
Qf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 23. c4 $36 {[%emt 0:05:30]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:06:00]} 24. Bd6 {
[%emt 0:02:30]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:03:30]} 25. Bxc7 {[%emt 0:01:30]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0:
04:49]} 26. Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Qxc7 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 27. Bd3 {[%emt 0:04:30]
} Bxe4 {[%emt 0:02:50]} 28. Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 29.
Rxd8+ {[%emt 0:04:30]} Qxd8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 30. a5 $16 {[%emt 0:03:02][%csl
Ge4] Le B est trés fort dans cette position ouverte} Nd7 {[%emt 0:02:11]} 31.
a6 $1 {[%emt 0:01:28]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:03:54]} 32. axb7 {[%emt 0:06:04]} Qxb7 {
[%emt 0:00:48]} 33. c5 {[%emt 0:03:34]} Qb5 {[%emt 0:04:50]} 34. Nd4 {[%emt 0:
01:59]} Qxc5 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 35. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:01:48]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:05:26]}
36. Qd2 {[%emt 0:06:45]} Ke8 {[%emt 0:02:36]} 37. b4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Qc4 {
[%emt 0:01:20]} 38. Bxg6+ {[%emt 0:00:54]} hxg6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 39. Qd6 {
[%emt 0:00:30]} Qe4 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 40. Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Qe1+ {[%emt 0:00:
42]} 41. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Qd2 {[%emt 0:02:59]} 42. b5 1-0

[Event "Cappelle op 31st"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande"]
[Date "2015.03.02"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Baklan, Vladimir"]
[Black "Mastrovasilis, Athanasios"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2652"]
[BlackElo "2506"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2015.02.28"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2016"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 (5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 Nd7 7. O-O
O-O 8. Nc3 Re8 9. Be3 Bd6 10. Nd2 Nf8 11. Nc4 Ng6 12. a4 Be6 13. Nxd6 cxd6 14.
d4 Qf6 15. d5 Bd7 16. a5 c5 17. Kh2 Qd8 18. Ne2 f5 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Ng3 Bd7
21. b4 cxb4 22. Qd2 b3 23. cxb3 Qh4 24. Rfc1 Rac8 25. f3 Nf4 26. Bxf4 exf4 27.
Ne4 Rcd8 28. Rc7 Bf5 29. Qd4 Re5 30. Nf2 Qg3+ 31. Kg1 Re2 32. Kf1 Rde8 33. Rac1
h5 34. Rxb7 R8e3 {Caruana,F (2811)-Aronian,L (2777) Zurich 2015 1/2-1/2}) 5...
Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. d4 Qe7 9. O-O O-O 10. Nc4 Nxe4 11. Re1 d5 12.
Nxb6 axb6 13. f3 Nd6 14. Rxe5 Be6 15. Bd3 f6 16. Re1 Qd7 17. Bf4 Rae8 $146 (
17... Rfe8 18. g4 Kh8 19. Qc2 Bg8 20. b3 c5 21. Qd2 Bf7 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Re1
Rxe1+ 24. Qxe1 g5 25. Bg3 Kg7 26. h4 gxh4 27. Bf4 Bg6 28. Bf1 Nf7 29. Qxh4 Qe7
30. Qf2 Ng5 31. Kg2 h5 32. Qe3 Qxe3 33. Bxe3 hxg4 34. fxg4 Ne4 35. c4 cxd4 36.
Bxd4 Nd2 37. Be2 dxc4 38. bxc4 Bf7 39. g5 Bxc4 40. gxf6+ Kg6 41. Bxc4 Nxc4 42.
Kf3 Nd6 43. Kf4 Ne8 44. Ke5 Nxf6 45. a4 Kf7 46. Kd6 Ne4+ 47. Kd5 {Goloshchapov,
A (2550)-Marcelin,C (2439) Sautron 2001 1/2-1/2}) 18. Qb3 g6 19. a4 Nc4 20. Qc2
Nd6 21. Qd2 Re7 22. b3 {Les Blancs ont du mal à ouvrir le jeu pour tenter de
profiter de la paire de B} (22. Re2 Rfe8 23. Rae1) 22... Rfe8 23. h4 Bf5 $11
24. Rxe7 Qxe7 25. Bf1 $1 Bc8 26. Bg3 Qe3+ 27. Qxe3 Rxe3 28. Rc1 Re7 29. c4 (29.
Bxd6 $5 cxd6 30. Kf2 $16 {[%csl Rb6,Rb7,Rd5,Rd6][%cal Gc1e1] Après l'échange
des R, les Blancs auraient une bonne finale mais peut-être des difficultés
à faire progresser le K}) 29... Nf5 30. Bf2 dxc4 31. Bxc4+ Kg7 32. b4 Nd6 33.
Bb3 Bf5 34. Bg3 (34. g4 $5) 34... Ne8 35. a5 (35. Kf2 $142 {Plus naturel et
cet échange a5 est bizarre}) (35. Bd5 c6 36. Bc4 Rd7 37. b5 Rxd4 (37... cxb5
38. Bxb5 Rd8 39. Bxe8 Rxe8 40. Rc7+ Kg8 41. Rxb7 Ra8 42. Rxb6 Rxa4 43. d5 Rd4
44. d6 {[%cal Gg3d6,Gg1e3] Et les Noirs vont souffrir pour annuler}) 38. bxc6
bxc6 39. Bf2 $36 {[%csl Ga4][%cal Gf2b6]}) 35... bxa5 36. bxa5 Bd3 37. Bd5 Ba6
38. Re1 Rxe1+ 39. Bxe1 c6 40. Ba2 Nc7 41. Kf2 Nd5 42. Bxd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Rohde op 09th"]
[Site "Sautron"]
[Date "2009.10.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Dvirnyy, Danyyil"]
[Black "Cabrera Pino, Alexis"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2447"]
[BlackElo "2529"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2009.10.24"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2010"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "6000"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:14"]
[BlackClock "0:00:27"]

1. e4 e5 {01H40} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6
8. Bxf6 (8. Bh4 $142 d6 9. a4 a5 10. Re1 Bg4 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13.
Qxd8 Raxd8 14. Nxe5 $14 {Anand,V (2555)-Torre,E (2550) Far East Bank op 1990 
(10) 1-0}) 8... Qxf6 9. Bxc6 Qxc6 10. Nxe5 Qxe4 11. Nd2 Qh4 {01H40} (11... Qf5
12. Ndc4 d6 13. Ne3 Qe4 14. N5c4 Be6) 12. Nec4 d5 $11 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Re1 Bg4
{01H28} 15. Qb3 Qg5 16. Nf1 Rae8 $146 {01H24} ({RR} 16... Rfe8 17. Re3 Rxe3 18.
Nxe3 Bf3 19. Qc2 Be4 20. Qe2 Re8 21. Qg4 Qxg4 22. Nxg4 f6 23. Re1 b5 24. f3 Bg6
25. Rxe8+ Bxe8 26. Ne3 c6 27. h4 Bg6 28. a3 Kf8 29. g3 Be8 30. Kf2 Bd7 31. h5 {
Breyther,R (2325)-Hegeler,F (2220)/Hamburg 1992/EXT 1997/1/2-1/2 (65)}) 17. Qb5
Qd8 {01H07} (17... Bh3 18. Ng3) 18. Re3 Qd7 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Rae1 Rxe3 {01H00}
21. Rxe3 Ra8 22. a3 f6 23. f3 (23. Re7 Rd8 {[%cal Gg8f8]}) 23... Kf7 24. Kf2 g5
25. g3 Be6 {49mns} 26. Re1 Ke7 27. Ne3 Kd6 28. h4 b5 29. g4 $1 {[%csl Gf5]} b6
(29... gxh4 30. Rh1 $16) 30. Nf5+ Kd7 {39mns} (30... Bxf5 31. gxf5 {[%csl Ge6,
Rf6][%cal Ge1e6]} Rf8 32. Re6+ Kd7 33. Kg3 $36 {[%csl Rh6][%cal Gg3g4,Gg4h5]})
31. Ng7 Bf7 32. Nf5 Be6 33. Ng7 Bf7 34. Kg3 Bg6 {27mns} 35. Nf5 Bxf5 36. gxf5
Re8 37. Rxe8 Kxe8 38. h5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Vandoeuvre op 11th"]
[Site "Vandoeuvre"]
[Date "2014.12.29"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Fedorchuk, Sergey A"]
[Black "Wagner, Dennis"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2669"]
[BlackElo "2488"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2014.12.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2017"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.10.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.10.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {90} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. Nbd2 {Une ligne
secondaire} (6. c3) (6. h3) 6... O-O 7. c3 Ne7 $5 {[%cal Gc7c6,Ge7g6] Une
ligne secondaire devenue assez populaire récemment.} (7... a6) 8. d4 exd4 9.
cxd4 Bb6 10. Re1 a6 {92} 11. Bf1 Bg4 12. Qb3 d5 {91} 13. e5 $146 (13. exd5
Nfxd5 {Palac,M (2560)-Erdos,V (2645) BIH-chT 12th 2013 (1.3) 1/2}) 13... Nd7 {
91} 14. h3 Bh5 {82 Fin de la préparation des Noirs} 15. Qd1 {Bizarre} c5 16.
dxc5 Nxc5 17. Nb3 Ne4 {69} 18. Be3 Nf5 19. Bxb6 Qxb6 {[%cal Ga6a4] 60} 20. Qe2
Neg3 $1 {30} 21. Qd3 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 Nxf1 23. Qxf5 Ng3 24. Qf4 Ne4 25. Rad1 $32
Rad8 26. Qe3 Qg6 {25} 27. Rd4 $14 Rfe8 28. Red1 (28. f4) 28... Rxe5 29. f3 Ng5
30. Rxd5 $1 (30. Qxe5 Nxf3+) 30... Rdxd5 31. Rxd5 f6 32. Rxe5 fxe5 33. Kh2 $14
{[%csl Re5] Les Blancs ont une bonne finale car le P"e5" est très faible} Nf7
34. Nc5 $1 {[%csl Ra6,Rb7]} Qc2 35. b4 Qxa2 36. Nxb7 Qc4 37. Qe4 Qb5 38. Nc5 {
[%cal Ge4a8]} h6 39. h4 Qb6 40. Qc4 Qf6 41. Kh3 Qf5+ 42. Qg4 Qf4 43. Qxf4 exf4
44. Nd7 Kh7 45. Nf8+ Kg8 46. Ne6 {Suite illisible et gain Blanc au 49ème coup}
(46. Ng6) 1-0

[Event "Cappelle op 31st"]
[Site "Cappelle la Grande"]
[Date "2015.03.05"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Onischuk, Vladimir"]
[Black "Mekhitarian, Krikor Sevag"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2556"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2015.02.28"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2016"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 (3... a6 4. Ba4 Nge7 5. Bb3 d5 6. Nc3 Be6 7. Ng5
Nd4 8. d3 $146 Qd6 {Onischuk,V (2651)-Stopa,J (2537) Metz 2015 (2) 0-1}) 4. d3
Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Nbd2 d6 7. O-O a6 8. Ba4 b5 (8... Ba7 9. h3 Ne7 10. Re1 c5 11.
Nf1 h6 12. Ng3 b5 13. Bc2 Ng6 14. d4 Bb7 15. Be3 Re8 16. d5 c4 17. Bxa7 Rxa7
18. b3 Qc7 19. bxc4 Qxc4 20. a4 Qxc3 21. axb5 Qc5 22. Qb1 axb5 23. Rxa7 Qxa7
24. Qxb5 Rc8 25. Bd3 Nf4 26. Qb3 Ba6 27. Bxa6 Qxa6 28. Nf5 Kh7 29. Qb4 Rd8 30.
Qd2 Rb8 31. Qc2 Rc8 32. Qd2 Rc4 33. Ng3 Qc8 34. Nh2 Rd4 35. Qe3 Rd3 36. Qa7 Qc3
37. Re3 Rxe3 38. Qxe3 {Shankland,S (2661)-So,W (2788) Saint Louis 2015 0-1 (92)
}) 9. Bc2 h6 10. h3 Ba7 11. Re1 Re8 12. Nf1 d5 $5 $146 (12... Bb7 13. Ng3 Qd7
14. Nf5 Ne7 15. N3h4 Kh7 16. Nxe7 Qxe7 17. Nf5 Qf8 18. Qf3 Ng8 19. Bb3 g6 20.
Ne3 f5 21. Bd5 Bxd5 22. Nxd5 fxe4 23. dxe4 Qxf3 24. gxf3 Rec8 25. f4 Kg7 26.
Kg2 a5 27. fxe5 dxe5 28. Be3 Bxe3 29. Rxe3 Ra6 30. a4 c6 31. axb5 cxb5 32. f4
exf4 33. Nxf4 Rd8 34. Re2 a4 35. Rf1 g5 36. Nd5 Nf6 37. Nc7 Rb6 38. Rf5 b4 39.
cxb4 Kg6 40. Rc5 Rxb4 41. Rc6 {1-0 (41) Petrosyan,M (1920)-Ambarcumova,K (2309)
Yerevan 2010}) 13. Qe2 Be6 14. exd5 Bxd5 15. Ng3 Qd7 16. a4 Rad8 $132 17. Nh4 (
17. axb5 axb5) 17... Bc5 18. Nhf5 Bf8 $1 19. Be3 Ne7 20. Nxe7+ Bxe7 21. axb5
axb5 22. Ra7 Qc6 23. f3 Ra8 24. Rxa8 Rxa8 25. d4 exd4 26. Nf5 Bc5 27. Nxd4 Qb7
28. b4 Bb6 29. Bf2 c6 30. Nf5 Bxf2+ 31. Qxf2 Qa7 $11 32. Nd4 Qc7 33. Qe3 Kf8
34. Kf2 Re8 35. Qd2 Rxe1 36. Qxe1 Nh5 37. Nf5 Be6 38. Ne3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Rohde op 07th"]
[Site "Sautron"]
[Date "2007.10.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kazakov, Mikhail"]
[Black "Delorme, Axel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2449"]
[BlackElo "2328"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2007.10.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2008"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2007.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 O-O 7. Bg5 h6 ({RR} 
7... Bb6 8. Nbd2 Nb8 9. d4 c6 10. Bd3 Nbd7 11. a4 Bc7 12. Re1 Re8 13. h3 h6 14.
Be3 Nf8 15. Qc2 Ng6 16. b4 Nh5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Bf1 Bb6 19. Nd4 a6 20. Rad1
Qf6 21. g3 Qg6 22. Bg2 {Morozevich,A (2707)-Aronian,L (2724)/Mainz 2005/CBM
107 ext/1-0 (48)}) 8. Bh4 Bb6 (8... Qe7 9. Nbd2) 9. Na3 $146 {Les autres
parties continuaient avec Nbd2 mais également avec l'idée Nc4} (9. Nbd2 Nb8 $5
$146 {Haznedaroglu,K (2468)-Sargissian,G (2673) EU-chT 15th Crete (5) 1/2})
9... Bd7 10. Bxc6 Bxc6 11. Nc4 Re8 12. a4 {[%csl Rb6][%cal Ga4a5]} a6 13. Nxb6
cxb6 14. c4 $14 {[%csl Rd5,Rd6]} Re6 15. Ne1 $6 (15. Re1) 15... b5 $1 $132 16.
axb5 axb5 17. Rxa8 Qxa8 18. cxb5 Bxb5 19. f4 exf4 20. Rxf4 g5 21. Rf5 {[%cal
Gf5b5]} gxh4 22. Rxb5 Qa7+ 23. Kh1 d5 24. exd5 $4 {Une gaffe étonnante de la
part d'un GMI aussi expérimenté} Qa4 $1 {[%cal Ga4d1,Ga4b5,Ge6e1]} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares 25th"]
[Site "Morelia/Linares"]
[Date "2008.02.22"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "Radjabov,T"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2008.02.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 123"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2008.04.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2008.04.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {I started with -1 and was still on this score before my game vs Carlsen.
I had ambitions to fight in all games, but I didn't manage to capitalise on my
chances before this win finally came. Ich hatte mit -1 begonnen, und auf
diesem Stand befand ich mich vor meiner Partie gegen Carlsen noch immer. Ich
hatte den Ehrgeiz, in allen Partien zu kämpfen, konnte meine Chancen aber
nicht nutzen, bis endlich dieser Sieg kam.} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {
With this move I scored an important win with this move in a match
Azerbaijan-France in the European Team Championship for the bronze medals! Mit
diesem Zug erzielte ich einen wichtigen Sieg in dem Kampf
Aserbaidschan-Frankreich bei der Europäischen Mannschaftsmeisterschaft um die
Bronzemedaillen!} (4. O-O {Of course it's more natural to go 0-0 here, but I
was in a mood to try the d3-system. Selbstverständlich ist die Rochade
natürlicher, aber ich hatte Lust, das d3-System zu versuchen.}) 4... Bc5 5. c3
O-O 6. O-O d5 7. Nbd2 {White plays for a very small plus! Black may choose now
between many options, like ...Bg4 or ...Re8 etc... Carlsen decided to clarify
things in the center by taking on e4. Weiß spielt auf ein ganz kleines Plus!
Schwarz hat nun die Wahl zwischen vielen Möglichkeiten wie ...Bg4 oder ...Re8
usw... Carlsen beschloss, durch das Schlagen auf e4 die Dinge im Zentrum zu
klären.} dxe4 8. Nxe4 (8. dxe4 {also deserves serious attention, but I guess
that my intention was to get my c1 bishop to a more active position. kommt
ebenfalls ernsthaft in Betracht, aber ich schätze, meine Abwicht war, meinen
c1-Läuer auf einen aktiveren Posten zu bringen.}) 8... Nxe4 9. dxe4 Qf6 {
Now Black wants to go for ...Ne7-g6 or ...Bg4. White has to take measures,
also ...Rd8 is threatening and ...Qg6 to follow etc... Nun will Schwarz ...
Ne7-g6 spielen oder ...Bg4. Weiß muss Maßnahmen ergreifen, denn es droht auch .
..Rd8 nebst ...Qg6 usw...} (9... Qxd1 10. Rxd1 $14) 10. Qe2 (10. Qd5 {I didn't
like this so much as I felt Black has a lot of play for the pawn! Two bishops
and White's uncoordinated queenside are worth that investment. Dies gefiel mir
nicht sonderlich, da ich das Gefühl hatte, dass Schwarz eine Menge Spiel für
den Bauern hat! Das Läuferpaar und der unkoordinierte weiße Damenflügel sind
diese Investition wert.} Bd6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qxc6 Bg4 $44) 10... Bg4 {
Very natural and played almost instantly! Sehr natürlich, und beinahe a tempo
gespielt!} (10... h6 $5 11. Bxc6 (11. Rd1 $6 {Solid but not more! Black is in
time to regroup now! Solide, mehr aber auch nicht! Nun kann Schwarz sich
rechtzeitig umgruppieren!} Ne7 12. b4 (12. Be3 Bxe3 13. Qxe3 Bg4 14. Be2 Ng6
15. g3 b6 16. Ne1 $13) 12... Bb6 $13) (11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Qxe3 Ne7 $11) 11...
bxc6 12. Be3 $14) 11. h3 {What else? If I allow this pin to last, Black will
start to play Ne7-g6-h6 c6, clearly improving his position, meanwhile White
has no targets to attack! Was sonst? Wenn ich nichts gegen diese Fesselung
unternehme, wird Schwarz mit Ne7-g6 und h6, c6 seine Stellung eindeutig
verbessern, wohingegen Weiß keine Ziele hat, die er angreifen kann!} Bxf3 (
11... Bh5 12. g4 Bg6 13. Bg5 Qe6 14. Rfd1 $16) 12. Qxf3 Qxf3 13. gxf3 Ne7 {
Well , very natural Nun, sehr natürlich.} (13... f5 {I thought Black could
play like this after gxf3, to open the f-line and start Rf6-Raf8 and so on.
Ich dachte, dass Schwarz nach gxf3 so spielen könnte, um die f-Linie zu öffnen
und Rf6-Raf8 usw. folgen zu lassen.} 14. b4 {But I think that White is still
better after b4 or Bc4+. Aber ich denke, dass Weiß nach b4 oder Bc4+ trotzdem
besser steht.} (14. Be3 Bxe3 15. fxe3) (14. Bc4+ Kh8 15. Bd5 $14) 14... Bb6 15.
Bc4+ Kh8 16. a4 $14) 14. f4 $5 (14. b4 $5 {Well, it was also possible to start
with this move! I didn't want somehow to allow Bd6 preventing f4 and probably
I was right! Nun, es war auch möglch, mit diesem Zug zu beginnen. Irgendwie
wollte ich Bd6 nicht zulassen, was f4 verhindert, und womöglich hatte ich
Recht!} Bd6 $1 {[%csl Rf4] But after this move I am not sure at all that White
has something real. Aber nach diesem Zug bin ich keinesfalls sicher, dass Weiß
irgendwas Reales hat.} (14... Bb6 15. a4 a5 (15... c6 {Black has to go like
this otherwise White is much better! Schwarz muss so spielen, ansonsten steht
Weiß deutlich besser!} 16. Bc4 (16. Be2 $5 {Looks very strong too! Now a5 is
threatening and Be3 with typical advantage! Sieht ebenfalls sehr stark aus!
Nun droht a5 und Be3 mit typischem Vorteil!} a5 17. Rb1 $1 $14 axb4 18. Rxb4
Nc8 19. Rd1 c5 20. Rb5 $16) 16... a5 17. Rd1 (17. Rb1 $6 {The bishop on c4 is
hanging! Der Läufer auf c4 hängt!} axb4 18. Rxb4 Nc8 19. Rd1 Bc5 {[%csl Rc4]
[%cal Ga8a4] Here is the difference to the Be2 retreat, the bishop on c4 is
hanging! Hier zeigt sich der Unterschied zu dem Rückzug Be2, der Läufer auf c4
hängt!}) 17... Rfd8 18. Be3 $14 (18. Bg5 Kf8 19. Rdb1 $14 (19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20.
Rb1 $5 f6 21. bxa5 Bxa5 22. Be3 b6 23. Rb3 c5 {and Black is in time to block
somehow. und Schwarz kann rechtzeitig irgendwie blockieren.}))) 16. bxa5 Rxa5 (
16... Bc5 17. Rd1 $16 {[%cal Gd1d7]}) 17. Ba3 c5 18. Rfd1 $16) 15. Be3 a5 16.
a3 Ng6 $13) (14. Bc4 $5 {looks very interesting. It is better than b4, because
now White has no weaknesses on the queenside and he can try to make use of the
bishop pair without fearing any kind of fast counterplay. sieht sehr
interessant aus. Dies ist besser als b4, denn nun hat Weiß keine Schwächen am
Damenflügel, und er kann versuchen, Kapital aus dem Läuferpaar zu schlagen,
ohne irgendein schnelles Gegenspiel befürchten zu müssen.}) 14... c6 (14... Ng6
15. f5 (15. fxe5 c6 16. Ba4 Rad8 {Black is well developed and very active!
Schwarz ist gut entwickelt und sehr aktiv!}) (15. Be3 Bxe3 16. fxe3 $11) 15...
Nf4 (15... Nh4 16. Be2 $16) 16. Bxf4 exf4 17. e5 $5 $14 {Here this move looks
better for White. The idea is that now White is going to play Rad1 and then
Kg2-f3 xf4 and so on. Hier sieht dieser Zug besser für Weiß aus. Die Idee ist,
dass er nun Rad1 spielen wird und dann Kg2-f3 xf4 usw.} (17. Rad1 Rfd8 (17...
c6 18. Ba4 $14) 18. e5 c6 19. Bc4 f3 20. Bb3 Kf8 $13) (17. Kg2 Rfd8 18. Rad1 (
18. e5 c6 19. Bc4 Rd2) 18... g5 $6 (18... f6 19. Kf3 (19. Bd3 $5) 19... Rxd1
20. Rxd1 Bd6 21. Bc4+ Kf8 22. h4 $14 {Better for White, but also hard to
progress. Besser für Weiß, aber ebenfalls schwer, Fortschritte zu machen.}) 19.
e5 $1 (19. Kf3 f6 $1 {The best move! Der beste Zug!} (19... Kf8 20. f6 $16 {
This looks quite strong! Now White is much better! Dies sieht ziemlich stark
aus! Jetzt steht Weiß viel besser!} c6 21. Bc4 Bb6 22. Kg4 h6 23. Kh5 Rxd1 24.
Rxd1 Rd8 25. Rxd8+ Bxd8 26. e5 Bb6 27. f3 $16) (19... c6 20. Ba4 h6 21. f6 $14)
20. h4 h6 21. Bd7 (21. e5 fxe5 22. Rde1 Be7 $11) 21... Kg7 22. Rg1 Bd6 23. Be6
a5 24. a4 {But still, it's hard to make any progress! Aber dennoch, es ist
schwer, irgendwelche Fortschritte zu machen!}) 19... c6 20. Bc4 b5 21. Be2 $16)
17... Rfd8 18. Rad1 $14) 15. Bc4 exf4 16. Bxf4 Ng6 17. Bg3 Rfe8 {All the moves
from both sides are logical. Both are developing their forces.  Alle Züge von
beiden Seiten sind logisch. Beide versuchen, ihre Kräfte zu entwickeln.} 18.
Rfe1 (18. Bd3 {deserved attention! Well, now White wants to go for Rad1 and
Kg2 with f4-e5, with slight and unpleasant pressure. verdiente Aufmerksamkeit!
Nun, jetzt beabsichtigt Weiß Rad1 und Kg2 nebst f4-e5, mit leichtem, aber
unangenehmem Druck.} Rad8 (18... h5 19. Rad1 h4 20. Bh2 Ne5 21. Be2 $14) 19.
Rad1 $14 Ne5 (19... Bd6 20. f4 {and White is pressing! und Weiß drückt!}) 20.
Be2 $14) 18... Rad8 19. Rad1 $1 {Even if objectively White is not better
according to the computer's analysis, practically speaking it was the best.
Now White's play is quite easy and Black has to find defences which are not
all that easy. Selbst wenn Weiß laut Computeranalyse nicht besser steht, war
dies in praktischer Hinsicht das Stärkste. Es spielt sich ziemlich leicht für
ihn, und Schwarz muss Verteidigungen finden, die keinesfalls so einfach sind.}
Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Rxe4 {Carlsen thought for a long time here, but finally took the
pawn. I think it was the right decision if Black could manage to find all the
best moves afterwards. Hier dachte Carlsen lange nach, schließlich aber nahm
er den Bauern. Ich denke, es war die richtige Entscheidung, vorausgesetzt, es
gelänge Schwarz, im Anschluss all die besten Züge zu finden.} 21. Rd8+ Nf8 (
21... Bf8 $6 {is a mistake I think. The bishop and knight are too passive now,
White gets a strong attack and all Black's pawns are very very weak without
the bishop's protection! ist ein Fehler, denke ich. Läufer und Spirnger stehen
jetzt zu passiv, Weiß erhält starken Angriff, und sämtliche schwarzen Bauern
sind ohne den Schutz des Läufers sehr, sehr schwach!} 22. Bd3 Re6 (22... Re1+
23. Kg2 Rd1 $4 24. Kf3 $18) 23. Ra8 $16) 22. Bd3 Re1+ 23. Kg2 a5 (23... g6 $6
24. b4 Bb6 25. Rb8 Re7 (25... Rd1 26. Be4 Rd7 27. a4 f5 28. Bf3) 26. a4 Rd7 27.
Be4 $14 (27. Be2 Bd8 28. b5 Ba5 29. c4 cxb5 30. axb5 Bb4 31. Bf3 b6 32. Ra8 $14
{White keeps up unpleasant pressure on Black's position, combining attacks on
the pawns with bishop manoeuvres all over the board. Weiß behält unangenehmen
Druck auf die schwarze Stellung, wobei er Angriffe auf die Bauern mit
Läufermanövern auf dem ganzen Brett kombiniert.})) 24. Ra8 Rd1 25. Bc4 (25. Be4
{was an interesting alternative! Probably even stronger than the text. My
intention was to put the bishop on c4 attacking f7, but maybe the bishop is
better placed on e4 as the c6-b7 pawns are vulnerable and the b-pawn can't
move to protect a5! Also Bf3 at some tpoint to combine ideas like pushing the
a- and b-pawns and putting pressure on c6; the bishop is well placed on f3 to
support White's play on the queenside. war eine interessante Alternative!
Vermutlich sogar noch stärker als der Text. Meine Absicht war, den Läufer nach
c4 zu stellen und f7 anzugreifen, aber vielleicht steht der Läufer besser auf
e4, da die Bauern c6-b7 anfällig sind und der b-Bauern nicht vorrücken kann,
um a5 zu decken! Eventuell auch Bf3 an irgendeiner Stelle, um Ideen wie das
Vorstoßen von a- und b-Bauern mit Druck auf c6 zu kombinieren; auf f3 ist der
Läufer gut platziert, um das weiße Spiel am Damenflügel zu unterstützen.} g6 $8
{Black has to get rid of the pin! Otherwise it's hard to play vs two bishops
and an active rook on a8. Schwarz muss die Fesselung abschütteln! Ansonsten
ist es schwer, gegen das Läuferpaar und einen aktiven Turm auf a8 zu spielen.}
26. Rxa5 Ne6 (26... Bd6 $6 27. Ra7 $5 (27. Bf3 Rd2 28. Bxd6 Rxd6 29. Ra7 $1 {
Now Black is in trouble! a4-b4 is coming and the bishop provides support from
f3. Jetzt ist Schwarz in Schwierigkeiten! a4-b4 kommt, und der Läufer bietet
Schützenhilfe von f3 aus.}) 27... Bxg3 28. Kxg3 Rd7 29. a4 $16) 27. a4 Kg7 28.
b4 Bd6 29. Bxd6 Rxd6 30. Ra7 $14) 25... Bb6 $2 {Now Carlsen misses White's
strong reply. I was not sure if the position is winning after it, but it was
clear that White is simply much better. Nun übersieht Carlsen die starke weiße
Antwort. Ich war nicht sicher, ob die Stellung danach gewonnen ist, klar war
aber, dass Weiß einfach viel besser steht.} (25... b6 $1 26. a3 {To play b4
and try to attack the b6- and c6-pawns! Zur Vorbereitung von b4 im Versuch,
die Bauern b6 and c6 anzugreifen!} Ra1 $3 27. Ra7 (27. Rc8 a4 $1 28. Rxc6 Rb1
29. Rc7 Ne6 {and it's draw finally. und es endet schließlich remis.} 30. Rc8+
Nf8 $11) 27... Ne6 28. Ra8+ Nf8 29. h4 g6 30. Bf4 h5 $14 {It's unpleasant to
play this position as Black, but it's also hard to make any progress with
White. Still practically speaking White's position looks preferable to me. Es
ist unangenehm, diese Stellung mit Schwarz zu spielen, aber ebenfalls schwer,
mit Weiß irgendwelche Fortschritte zu erzielen. Dennoch, in praktischer
Hinsicht scheint mir die Stellung von Weiß vorzuziehen zu sein.}) 26. Rb8 $1
Rd7 27. Ba6 $1 {Now the b7-pawn is going be taken, Black can't allow this.
Carlsen goes for the best defensive chance. Jetzt droht der Bauer b7 genommen
zu werden. Schwarz darf dies nicht zulassen. Carlsen wählt die beste
Verteidigungschance.} bxa6 (27... Bc7 {In this case Black ends in a hopeless
endgame. After this move Black is totally lost, but I can't put in 20-25 moves
variations to prove that assesment, so I will just put it down as a big
advantage for White.  I will explain how White wins in this way. He is going
for Bxc7 and then Rxb7, he will bring the king to the queenside, exchanging
all pawns leaving only the a-pawn vs the knight. Then his opponent should
normally resign at some point. But ok, if it didn't happen, so don't blame me :
) In diesem Fall landet Schwarz in einem hoffnungslosen Endspiel. Nach diesem
Zug ist Schwarz total verloren, aber ich kann nicht 20- bis 25-zügige
Varianten anführen, um diese Einschätzung zu belegen, daher werde ich es
einfach als großen Vorteil für Weiß abhaken. Ich werde erklären, wie Weiß dann
gewinnt. Er wird Bxc7 und dann Rxb7 spielen, den König zum Damenflügel bringen
und alle Bauern tauschen, wonach nur der a-Bauer gegen den Springer übrig
bleibt. Dann sollte sein Gegner normalerweise irgendwann aufgeben. Aber okay,
wenn dies nicht passiert, schieben Sie es nicht auf mich:)} 28. Bxc7 (28. Rxb7
Bxg3 29. Kxg3 $16) 28... Rxc7 29. Rxb7 Rxb7 30. Bxb7 c5 31. Kf3 Nd7 32. Ke4 Nb6
33. Bc6 $16) 28. Rxb6 f6 (28... f5 $6 {looks interesting, with a possible
Ng6-f4 later. But there is a trick that White can try. sieht interessant aus,
mit einem möglichen Ng6-f4 später. Weiß kann aber einen Trick versuchen.} 29.
Rxc6 $5 (29. Rxa6 $5 Ng6 {f4 is coming on the next move, but... f4 kommt im
nächsten Zug, aber...} 30. h4 f4 31. h5 fxg3 32. hxg6 hxg6 33. Kxg3 Rd2 34. b4
(34. Rxa5) 34... Rd3+ 35. f3 Rxc3 36. Rxa5 $16) 29... Rd2 (29... Ng6 30. Bd6
$18) 30. Rxa6 Ng6 31. h4 f4 32. h5 fxg3 33. hxg6 hxg6 34. Kxg3 $16) 29. Rxa6 (
29. Rxc6 $5 {was very strong I think. war sehr stark, meine ich.} Rd2 30. Rxa6
Rxb2 31. Rxa5 g5 32. a4 $16 {and in this position it's very hard for Black to
keep up his defence. White's a-pawn is too strong. , und in dieser Stellung
ist es für Schwarz sehr schwer, seine Verteidigung aufrechtzuerhalten. Der
weiße a-Bauer ist zu stark.}) 29... Rd2 {Now Black is not even a pawn down. So
he has good chances to hold the game, it seems. But in practice his task was
very hard, I think.  Jetzt hat Schwarz nicht einmal einen Bauern weniger. Also
hat er gute Chancen, die Partie zu halten, scheint es. In der Praxis aber war
seine Aufgabe sehr schwer, glaube ich.} 30. b4 axb4 (30... Rxa2 31. Rxa5 Re2
32. Ra6 Re6 33. c4 {and White is much better here. He has a lot of pressure
and it is hard to defend with Black. und hier steht Weiß deutlich besser. Er
hat starken Druck, und es ist schwer, mit Schwarz zu verteidigen.} Kf7 34. b5
cxb5 35. cxb5 Re1 36. Ra7+ Ke6 (36... Kg6 37. Bd6 Ne6 38. b6 $18) 37. Rxg7 Rb1
38. Rb7 $16) 31. cxb4 Rb2 $6 (31... Ng6 $1 {with the idea f5-f4 somewhere. mit
der Idee f5-f4 irgendwo.} 32. a4 (32. Rxc6 Rxa2 33. b5 Rb2 $14) 32... Ne7 (
32... f5 {is not useful here as White may go for Bc7 or Bb8 and weakening of
the e5 -square is not in Black's plans. ist hier nicht nützlich, da Weiß Bc7
oder Bb8 spielten könnte, und eine Schwächung des e5-Feldes passt nicht in die
schwarzen Pläne.} 33. Bb8 $16) 33. a5 $5 (33. Ra7 Nf5 34. a5 Ra2 35. Ra6 Ra4
36. Rxc6 (36. Rb6 Nxg3 37. fxg3 c5 38. bxc5 Rxa5 39. c6 Rc5 40. Kf3 Rc4 $11)
36... Rxb4 37. a6 Ra4 38. Bb8 $14) 33... Kf7 34. Bf4 Rc2 (34... Rd4 35. Be3
Rxb4 36. Ra7 $1 $18) 35. Bd6 Nd5 36. Ra8 Ke6 37. Bc5 $16 {und White has good
chances to win the game as the position is quite similiar to the game and
hardly savable for Black. und Weiß hat gute Gewinnchancen, denn die Stellung
ist ganz ähnlich der Partie und für Schwarz kaum zu retten.}) (31... f5 32. a4
$16) 32. Bd6 Ne6 $6 (32... Ng6 33. a4 $16 Rc2 34. a5 Kf7 35. Bc5 Nf4+ 36. Kf3
Nd5 37. Rxc6 $18) 33. a4 $18 Rc2 34. a5 (34. Ra8+ Kf7 35. Rc8 {was even
cleaner! war sogar noch sauberer!}) 34... Kf7 35. Bc5 $5 (35. Rb6 $18) 35...
Nf4+ 36. Kf3 Nd5 (36... Nd3 37. Ke3 $1 Nxc5 38. Rxc6 $18) 37. Rb6 $1 {() After
this move White is totally winning. Nach diesem Zug steht Weiß total auf
Gewinn.} (37. Rxc6 $18) 37... Rc4 (37... Kg6 38. a6 Rc3+ 39. Ke2 $18) 38. Rb7+
$18 Kg6 39. a6 Rc3+ 40. Kg2 $5 (40. Ke2 Nf4+ (40... Ra3 41. a7 Nc3+ 42. Kd3
Nb5+ 43. Kc2 h5 44. Kb2 Ra4 45. Rb8 $18) 41. Kd2 Ra3 42. a7 $18) 40... Nf4+ 41.
Kg1 {And the last important move. Und der letzte wichtige Zug.} ({It was still
possible to spoil everything by Es war noch immer möglich, alles zu verderben
mit} 41. Kh2 Rxh3+ 42. Kg1 Ne2+ 43. Kf1 Nf4 $11) 41... Nxh3+ 42. Kh2 Nf4 43.
Be3 {After this move Carlsen resigned. Nach diesem Zug gab Carlsen auf.} (43.
a7 Rh3+ 44. Kg1 Ne2+ 45. Kf1 Nf4 46. Ke1 Nd3+ (46... Ra3 47. Kd2 $18) 47. Kd2
Nxc5 48. a8=Q Nxb7 49. Qxb7 Rh4 50. Kc3 {and White wins the c6-pawn and the
game. und Weiß gewinnt den Bauern c6 und die Partie.}) 1-0

[Event "CHN-ch"]
[Site "Xinghua"]
[Date "2015.05.20"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Yu, Yangyi"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,A"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2015.05.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. b4 Bb6 8. Bc4
d6 9. a4 a5 10. b5 Ne7 11. Qb3 Rf8 12. Nbd2 Ng6 13. d4 Nh5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15.
Nxe5 dxe5 16. Nf3 Qf6 17. Bg5 Qg6 18. Be7 Nf4 19. Nh4 Qg4 20. g3 g5 $5 {
Ding Liren, having a couple of choices on how to win material, decides instead
to give up an exchange to retain pressure!} (20... Nh3+ {Leads to some
unbelievable complications:} 21. Kh1 Nxf2+ 22. Rxf2 Bxf2 23. Rf1 Bb6 (23...
Qxe4+ 24. Ng2 {is also not that clear.}) 24. Bxf7+ Kh8 25. Bxf8 Qxe4+ 26. Nf3
Bh3 27. Be8 $3 {is crazy. For example:} Bxf1 (27... Bg2+ 28. Kxg2 Qe2+ 29. Kh3
Qxf1+ 30. Kg4 h5+ $1 {Only move!} 31. Bxh5 Rxf8 {with a Black advantage in a
still messy position.}) 28. Bxg7+ Kxg7 29. Qf7+ {gets Black mated.}) 21. Ng2
Nh3+ 22. Kh1 Qf3 23. Bxf8 Kxf8 {White is up the exchange, but there is some
clear positional pressure in the position. White's king feels unsafe,
specially with the unguarded f2 pawn.} 24. Qa2 Bg4 (24... Nxf2+ 25. Rxf2 Qxf2
26. Qxf2 Bxf2 27. Rf1 {is clearly bad for Black.}) 25. Rae1 $6 (25. Qd2 $1 {
was important, preventing Rd8.}) 25... Rd8 $1 {The rook joins the fray and it
is all over now.} 26. Be2 Nxf2+ 27. Kg1 (27. Rxf2 Qxf2 28. Qa3+ Bc5 $19) 27...
Qxc3 $1 28. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 29. Kxf2 Rd2 {White has no good way of defending
against the multiple threats on the second rank.} 0-1

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 43rd"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2015.06.28"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2676"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,A"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2015.06.27"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d3 h6 7. Nbd2 d6 8. O-O
Ne7 9. d4 a6 10. dxc5 axb5 11. cxd6 Qxd6 12. Qxb5 Ng6 13. Re1 b6 {Yifan's
opening was a little suspicious. She is up a pawn right now, but her
develoment is lacking. Black has at least enough compensation for the pawn,
but probably it is even sufficient for a small advantage.} 14. Nc4 Qe6 15. Ne3
Nxe4 $1 {A very strong move!} 16. Qd5 (16. Nd5 Nd6 17. Qd3 e4 $17) 16... Nc5 $1
{This is the beautiful point, otherwise White is even better.} (16... Qxd5 17.
Nxd5 $14) 17. b4 (17. Qxa8 Bb7 18. Qa3 Bxf3 $1 {The lines are complicated
still, but Black's attack is too strong. Taking the bishop loses to:} (18...
Ra8 19. Qb4 Ra4 20. Qb5 Ba6 21. Qxa4 Nxa4 {is also quite strong.}) 19. gxf3 Nh4
20. Kh1 Nd3 {and White cannot hope to keep her position together.}) 17... Bb7
18. Qxe6 Nxe6 19. Nf5 Rfd8 20. a4 Rd3 21. Be3 Rxc3 {Black is up a pawn with
the better position. The rest is easy.} 22. a5 Rb3 23. axb6 cxb6 24. Rxa8+ Bxa8
25. Bxb6 Bxf3 26. gxf3 Ng5 27. Kh1 Nxf3 28. Re4 Nf4 0-1

[Event "FRA-chT Top 12"]
[Site "Montpellier"]
[Date "2015.06.09"]
[Round "11.1"]
[White "Fedorchuk, Sergey A"]
[Black "Dorfman, Josif D"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2657"]
[BlackElo "2574"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,A"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2015.05.30"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Evry Grand Roque"]
[BlackTeam "Grasse Echecs"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8.
Ba4 c6 9. Na3 d6 10. Nc4 Bg4 11. Qe1 Bc7 12. Bb3 Be6 13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 d5
15. Nd2 Bxf4 16. Rxf4 O-O 17. d4 Re8 18. e5 Nd7 19. Bc2 c5 20. Nf3 cxd4 21.
cxd4 Rc8 22. Bd3 Nf8 23. Qg3 Ng6 {Not an easy position. White has some
pressure on the kingside, but things are not clear. For now his rook seems to
be trapped.} 24. Ng5 $1 {Sacrificing the exchange to expose Black's king.} (24.
Bxg6 fxg6 $1 {would give Black a perfectly fine position. His structure on the
kingside defends itself quite well. The blockade on e6 holds nicely. With the
control on the c-file Black might even have an edge.}) 24... Nxf4 25. Bxh7+ Kf8
26. Qxf4 Ke7 $1 {The king starts running to the queenside.} 27. Rf1 Qb6 $6 (
27... Rf8 28. Bf5 $1 {is also dangerous.}) (27... Kd7 28. Nxf7 Qe7 $1 {is
unclear. The fork doesn't work due to Rf8.}) 28. Nxe6 $1 {The start of a long,
forced, and winning king chase!} fxe6 29. Qg5+ Kd7 30. Rf7+ Kc6 31. Qc1+ $1 {
A key move.} Kb5 32. Bd3+ Ka5 33. Qd2+ $1 Qb4 34. Qxb4+ Kxb4 {The queens were
traded, but that is not the end of the danger for Black's king.} 35. Rxb7+ Ka5
36. b4+ Ka4 37. Bb5+ Ka3 38. Bxe8 Rxe8 39. Rxa7+ Kxb4 40. Rxg7 {The dust has
settled and Black is down three pawns. No choice but to resign.} 1-0

[Event "EU-ch 13th"]
[Site "Plovdiv"]
[Date "2012.03.21"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Savchenko, Boris"]
[Black "Malakhov, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,A"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2012.03.20"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "BUL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 148"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 {Because no one wants to grind down a
2700 in a Berlin. d3 is a more common way of avoiding the endgame, though.} Bd6
{This slightly strange looking move had already been used by Malakhov twice,
once to defeat Bartel and once to defeat Amin. The point of the system is that
if White ever takes on c6, the bishop belongs on d6, so it in some ways
discourages that trade.} 5. d3 O-O 6. c3 Re8 7. Nbd2 Bf8 8. Nf1 d6 9. Ba4 (9.
h3 Nd7 10. Be3 Nb6 11. Ng3 a6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 {eventually lead to a full point
for Black. Bartel-Malakhov, 2010}) 9... Bd7 10. Bc2 Ne7 11. Ne3 Ng6 12. g3 d5 {
White's playing style is conservative to say the least, so Black rushes in to
try to take some action. Opening the center is quite normal when your opponent
is underdeveloped.} 13. exd5 c6 (13... Nf4 14. gxf4 exf4 15. Bd2 Nxd5 16. O-O-O
{is quite unclear.}) 14. dxc6 Bxc6 {So Black sacrificed a pawn, and now has a
nice initative.} 15. O-O Nd5 (15... Nf4 16. gxf4 exf4 17. Nd4 $1 {is slightly
annoying for the attacker, as the Bishop is removed from the diagonal.}) 16.
Qd1 Ndf4 $5 {Black finally sacrifices on f4, but this time he does it without
even getting his piece back! The attack is quite strong.} 17. gxf4 Nxf4 (17...
exf4 18. Ng2 $1 Qd5 19. d4 Qxf3 20. Qxf3 Bxf3 21. Nxf4 {gives Black
compensation but without the queens it will be hard to force the attack
through.}) 18. Re1 {Now, at this point, as a reader, you might expect that
Malakhov will crash through in a brilliant way. But, it just happens that
sometimes it is the defender who plays good chess and ends up victorious. Not
every attack in your lifetime will work.} Re6 $6 {Already too optimistic.} (
18... Nh3+ 19. Kf1 Qf6 20. Ng4 Qxf3 21. Qxf3 Bxf3 22. Nxe5 {was still
compensation.}) 19. Nf5 {A normal regrouping of pieces - now g3 will be solid
blockaded by the N.} Rg6+ 20. Ng3 Qd7 21. d4 $1 {Using the hidden power of the
pieces. Savchenko is hitting the rook on g5, which forces Black to act quickly.
It's possible that this is the move that Malakhov missed when organizing his
attacks.} Qh3 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. d5 {cool as a cucumber. The king
is exposed, but Black has not enough pieces.} fxg3 25. dxc6 gxf2+ 26. Kxf2 Bc5+
27. Nd4 Qxh2+ 28. Ke3 bxc6 29. Kd3 Rd8 30. Qe2 {The valiant king sits in the
middle of the board - where it is totally safe. Black resigned as his
attacking potential has been snuffed out. A sobering game.} 1-0

[Event "Olympiad-42"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2016.09.10"]
[Round "8.4"]
[White "Brkic, Ante"]
[Black "Roiz, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2584"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "Roiz,M"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2016.09.02"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 175"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Croatia"]
[BlackTeam "Israel"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CRO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ISR"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O ({There were a
lot of alternatives:} 6. Be3) (6. h3) (6. Qe2) ({The most fashionable nowadays
is} 6. Nbd2) 6... Nd7 ({It also makes sense not to lock in the Bc8:} 6... Bd6
$5 7. Nbd2 Bg4 (7... Be6 8. b3 O-O 9. Nc4 Bxc4 10. bxc4 Nd7 11. Rb1 b6 12. g3
f5 13. exf5 Rxf5 14. Be3 Qe8 15. Nd2 Qg6 16. Ne4 Raf8 17. Kg2 Nf6 $11 {Anand,V
(2785)-Aronian,L (2815) Dubai 2014}) 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. h3 Bh5 $11 {Karjakin,S 
(2756)-Leko,P (2730) Beijing 2013}) 7. c3 {For some reason, this natural move
hasn't been tried at the top level.} ({The following continuations can hardly
bother Black:} 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Nc4 Re8 9. Bd2 Bd6 10. Bc3 f6 11. Nh4 Nf8 12. Kh1
Ng6 13. Qh5 Be6 $11 {Wei Yi (2706)-Balogh,C (2655) Tsaghkadzor ARM 2015}) (7.
Be3 Bd6 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. Nc4 Re8 10. d4 exd4 11. Qxd4 Bc5 $11 {Naiditsch,A (2689)
-Ivanchuk,V (2739) Moscow 2009}) 7... O-O 8. d4 Bd6 9. Nbd2 Re8 $146 ({In 1
preceding game Black didn't manage to solve all the problems:} 9... Qe7 10. Re1
Re8 11. Nc4 f6 12. Nh4 Nf8 13. dxe5 Bxe5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 15. Nf3 Qe7 16. Bf4 $14
{Ginsburg,G (2481)-Naumann,A (2538) Germany 2005}) ({Giving up the centre with
} 9... exd4 $5 10. cxd4 {wasn't a bad idea at all, since after} Nb6 $1 11. h3
f5 $132 {Black would get full control over the light squares.}) 10. Re1 b6 $6 {
This way of handling the position is too passive.} ({Once again,} 10... exd4 $5
11. cxd4 Nb6 12. h3 (12. Nb3 Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 $132) 12... f5 13. e5 Bf8 $132 {
was a better approach.}) 11. Nc4 {From now, White can eliminate my
dark-squared bishop at any moment.} Bb7 (11... Qf6 {would yield White a small,
but long-lasting advantage after} 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Ncxe5 Bxe5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5
15. Qf3 Bf5 16. Bf4 Qe7 17. Qg3 Bg6 18. f3 $14) 12. dxe5 ({The more aggressive
} 12. Bg5 $5 f6 13. Qb3 Kh8 14. Bh4 c5 15. d5 Nf8 16. h3 Ng6 17. Bg3 $14 {
looks promising for White, but Ante rejected it after long meditation.}) 12...
Nxe5 13. Ncxe5 Bxe5 14. Nxe5 Rxe5 15. Bf4 Re7 {White's superiority is based on
a better pawn structure, but creating a passer on the kingside is always a
tough task.} 16. Qxd8+ {It looks like GM Brkic wasn't in an aggressive mood ,
so he is satisifed with a symbolic advantage in the resulting endgame.} ({
A much more unpleasant move to meet would be} 16. Qg4 $1 Qe8 17. f3 f6 18. Qg3
Qf7 19. a4 $14 {- with queens on the board Black's king is in some danger.})
16... Rxd8 17. f3 c5 18. Rad1 {Exchanging one pair of rook also suits me.} ({
A more ambitious try was} 18. b4 $5 cxb4 19. cxb4 f6 20. Rec1 Rdd7 21. Rc3 {
with some pressure.}) 18... Red7 19. Rxd7 Rxd7 20. g4 f6 21. h4 Kf7 22. Kf2 {
White's position is still somewhat better, but now it's really hard to make
any progress.} Ba6 23. e5 ({It was also worth considering} 23. g5 $5 {, though
after} Bc4 24. b3 Be6 25. gxf6 gxf6 26. h5 f5 27. Rg1 fxe4 28. fxe4 Ke8 {
Black should be able to make a draw quite easily.}) 23... Rd3 {I was happy to
get some activity for my pieces.} 24. exf6 gxf6 25. g5 ({Nothing is likely to
be achieved by} 25. Bxc7 Rd2+ 26. Kg3 Rxb2 27. Bd6 Be2 $11) 25... Bb7 26. Be3
Bd5 $11 27. a3 (27. Ke2 c4 28. Rg1 fxg5 29. hxg5 Be6 30. Rh1 Bf5 31. Rh6 Rd6
$11) 27... a5 28. Kg3 a4 {It makes sense to secure the b3-spot for the bishop.}
29. Kf4 Bb3 30. Rg1 Rd5 31. Kg3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad-35"]
[Site "Bled"]
[Date "2002.10.27"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Rozentalis, Eduardas"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2563"]
[BlackElo "2745"]
[Annotator "Rozentalis,E"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2002.10.26"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "SLO"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2003"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2002.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2002.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Lithuania"]
[BlackTeam "England"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "LTU"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 Nd4 6. Ba4 Qe7 7. c3 Nxf3+ 8.
Qxf3 c6 $146 (8... h6 9. Nd2 c6 10. b4 Bb6 11. Nc4 {with slightly better
chances for White: Gostica,L 2405- Basagic,Z 2360, SLO-chT 1996}) 9. Bg5 d6 10.
Nd2 (10. b4 Bb6 11. Nd2 {was probably better.}) 10... h6 ({After the game M.
Adams proposed} 10... a5 {with unclear play.}) 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Qxf6 gxf6 13.
b4 Bb6 14. Nc4 (14. b5 cxb5 15. Bxb5+ Ke7 16. Nc4 Bc5 $11) 14... Ke7 (14... Bc7
15. b5 $14) 15. Bb3 Be6 16. Nxb6 $6 ({Giving initiative to Black.} 16. Kh1 {
was better, though after} f5 {Black is OK.}) 16... axb6 17. f4 Bxb3 (17... exf4
$6 18. c4) (17... Ra3 $6 18. c4) 18. axb3 exf4 $1 19. Kf2 (19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20.
Rxf4 Ra3) 19... Ke6 20. Kf3 Rhg8 21. Kxf4 $1 ({White can't give Black a-file:} 
21. Rxa8 Rxa8 22. Rf2 (22. Kxf4 Ra2) 22... Ra1 23. Rb2 Rc1 {and Black is
better.}) 21... Rxa1 22. Rxa1 Rxg2 23. Ra7 Rb2 ({There is nothing better:} 
23... Rxh2 24. Rxb7 b5 25. Rc7 Rh3 26. d4 $11) (23... Rf2+ 24. Ke3 Rb2 25. Rxb7
Rxb3 26. Rxb6 Rxc3 27. Kd2 Rb3 28. Kc2 $11) 24. Rxb7 Rxb3 25. d4 $3 ({Key move.
Natural} 25. Rxb6 $2 Rxc3 26. Ke3 ({or} 26. d4 Rd3 27. b5 Rxd4 28. bxc6 f5 $19)
26... c5 27. bxc5 Rxc5 28. d4 Rh5 29. Rb7 f5 {gives Black good chances to win
an endgame.}) 25... Rxc3 ({Not} 25... b5 $2 26. Rc7 Rxc3 27. d5+ $18) 26. b5 $1
d5 {With a draw offer.} (26... Rd3 $2 {suddenly looses:} 27. bxc6 Rxd4 28. Rb8
Rc4 29. Re8#) (26... d5 27. Rxb6 Kd6 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Classic 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2015.12.08"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2015.12.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{The main reason for annotating the game is the complete blind spot
experienced by both the players on the 46th move when both had enough time and
Caruana missed a simple move that would either mate Grischuk or win a piece.} 
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {The Anti-Berlin.} Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6.
Nbd2 (6. Nxe5 $2 Qd4 7. Be3 Qxe5 8. d4 Qxe4 9. dxc5 Qxg2 $19) 6... Be6 {
Taking the e5-pawn still fails to ...Qd4.} 7. O-O {Now e5 is hanging and Black
has two ways to defend it.} Bd6 (7... Nd7 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. Ng5 Bxb3 10. axb3 f6
11. Nf3 {had been seen in the top level encounter Yu Yangyi vs Vladimir
Kramnik which helped the Chinese player win the first edition of Qatar Masters
in 2014.}) 8. d4 Nd7 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Bxe5 11. f4 Bd4+ 12. Kh1 f5 (12...
f6 $11 {would have been better and Black can be confident about the soundness
of his position.}) 13. Qh5+ g6 14. Qe2 O-O 15. Nf3 Bf6 16. e5 Be7 {Black's
bishop pair to some extent compensate for White's passer on e5. But White can
play Rd1 and Nd4 and chop off the bishop on e6, thereby enjoying a slight plus.
} 17. Rd1 Qe8 18. Nd4 Qf7 (18... Bd5 19. c4 $18) 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20. Be3 $14 {
Black has a dead majority on the queenside while White has a protected passed
pawn on the other wing. Simple common sense dictates that White should be
clearly better.} Rfd8 21. c4 a6 22. b3 Kf7 23. a4 {With these moves White
slowly but surely strengthens his position. On the other hand it is not so
easy to find a constructive plan for Black. Grischuk logically tries to
exchange the rooks.} Ke8 24. h3 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Bc5 {
In the press conference Grischuk said that he realised he was in some
difficulty.} Kf7 (27... Be7 {is a normal move but it is not so great as after}
28. Bxe7 Kxe7 29. Qd3 {You cannot offer the exchange of queens.} Qd7 30. Qxd7+
Kxd7 31. Kh2 Ke6 32. Kg3 h6 33. Kh4 c5 34. g4 $1 $18 {is just winning for
White. He will keep moving his king from g3 to h4 until Black has used up all
his moves. And then when the black king moves away from e6, he would take on
f5 and make his way to the h5 square.} a5 35. Kg3 b6 36. Kh4 c6 37. Kg3 Kf7 38.
gxf5 gxf5 39. Kh4 Kg6 40. e6 $1 Kf6 41. Kh5 Kxe6 42. Kxh6 $18) 28. Qd2 Bh4 {
Grischuk's deep idea was to provoke g3 and then go Be7 followed by the queen
exchange because then Kh2-g3-h4 would not be possible. But as Grischuk said,
"if you have to go for such deep defensive ideas then something is wrong with
your position!"} 29. Kh2 (29. g3 Be7 (29... Bxg3 30. Qd8 $18) 30. Bxe7 Kxe7 31.
Kg2 Qd7 32. Qxd7+ Kxd7 33. b4 b5 34. axb5 axb5 35. c5 h5 36. g4 h4 $11 {
and the pawn endgame is just a draw.}) 29... h5 30. a5 Qe8 31. Ba3 (31. Qb4 $1
Qc8 32. g3 Bd8 33. h4 {Black is almost paralysed. But it is not so easy for
White to breakthrough if Black just waits with Qb8-c8. On the other hand if
Black decides to become active, he would be in trouble.} Qd7 $2 34. Qxb7 Qd2+
35. Kh3 Qe1 36. Qxc6 $18) 31... Qd8 $1 32. Qb4 (32. Qxd8 Bxd8 $11 {With the
bishops on the board this is just a draw.}) 32... b6 $6 {Now White gets a huge
initiative.} (32... Bf2 $1 33. Qxb7 Be3 {[%csl Rf4] would have given good
counterplay to maintain equality.}) 33. Qc3 {Threatening axb6 cxb6 Bd6!} c5 34.
Bb2 Qd1 (34... Ke6 35. Qf3 $16) (34... Qd7 $1 {is the best.} 35. e6+ $6 Qxe6
36. Qg7+ Ke8 $11) 35. e6+ $1 {Giving up a pawn to get to the black king.} Kxe6
36. Qe5+ Kd7 37. Qg7+ Be7 38. Qxg6 $16 (38. Bf6 Qd6 $11) 38... Qc2 39. Be5 h4
40. axb6 cxb6 41. Qxb6 {At this point the 40 move mark was crossed and both
the players got an extra hour. White is a pawn up and has a completely winning
position. Grischuk looked pretty dejected at this point but he tried his best.}
Qd3 42. Qb7+ Ke8 43. Qa8+ Kd7 44. Qb7+ Ke8 45. Qc6+ Kf8 {And here it is, the
crucial moment of the entire game. Can you find the win for White?} 46. Qa8+ $2
(46. Qg6 $1 {was the crucial move which was overlooked by both the players.
The threat is Bg7+ with a mate and this also covers the g3-square. It is
surprising that such an easy move was missed by both the players and they were
not even aware of it even after the game ended! A complete blind spot.} Bd8 47.
Bd6+ Be7 48. Qf6+ $18) 46... Bd8 (46... Kf7 47. Qd5+ Qxd5 48. cxd5 {is a
winning endgame.}) 47. Bc3 Qg3+ 48. Kh1 Qd3 49. Qb8 Kf7 50. Qb7+ (50. Qe5 $16 {
centralising the queen was better.}) 50... Be7 51. Be5 a5 52. Bb8 $2 (52. Qf3
Qxf3 53. gxf3 {How would you assess this position? I have a feeling that White
has good winning chances. Let's have a look at it.} Bf6 54. Bd6 (54. Bxf6 Kxf6
$11) 54... Bd4 (54... Be7 55. Bc7 $18) 55. Kg2 Ke6 56. Bb8 Kd7 57. Kf1 Kc6 (
57... Bc3 58. Ke2 Bd4 59. Be5 $18) 58. Be5 Be3 59. Ke2 Bc1 60. Bf6 Bxf4 61.
Bxh4 $18) 52... Qb1+ $1 53. Kh2 a4 $1 {Now Black has enough counterplay and
the game ends in a draw.} 54. Qd5+ Kf8 55. Bd6 axb3 56. Qa8+ Kf7 57. Qd5+ (57.
Qb7 Qe4 $1 $11) 57... Kf8 58. Qa8+ Kf7 {A huge miss by Caruana. He ended the
tournament with nine draws! I am sure that he would have fared much better had
he won this game which he played so well until the 46th move.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2016.03.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2016.03.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{In the 2014 Candidates, Vishy Anand began with a win over Levon Aronian with
1.e4 in the first round. Two years later and 2500 kilometres apart 
(Khanty-Mansisyk to Moscow), Vishy Anand sees no reason to change his strategy.
} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Of course the Berlin - the opening that
cannot be refuted! The best way to make a solid start to a long and gruelling
14 round event.} 4. d3 {This was Vishy Anand's main weapon against the Berlin
at the Candidates 2016. He got absolutely no advantage and hence resorted to
Giuoco Piano towards the end of the tournament.} Bc5 {The interesting part
about this position is that Anand has reached it with the white pieces on 24
occasions in the past, with 15 of them continuing with Bxc6. In this game,
however, he keeps his options open and goes for 0-0.} 5. O-O d6 6. c3 O-O 7.
Nbd2 (7. d4 $6 Bb6 $5 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. dxe5 Nxe4 $15) (7. h3 {was later tried
by Anand in his games against Caruana and Karjakin from the same tournament.
But that is another story.}) 7... Ne7 {Kramnik introduced this plan with ...
Ne7 in his game against Aronian in 2012. The idea is to take the game into
territory where the pawn structures would not be symmetrical.} 8. d4 {Now that
the d2-knight is defending the e4-pawn, Black has to cede the centre.} exd4 9.
cxd4 Bb6 {Now we have a position with quite some imbalances. White has a
beautiful central pawn duo, but Black has absolutely no problems in finding
squares for his pieces. If Vishy can develop his guys on c1 and a1, keeping
his centre intact, his position would be much better. But as we will see this
is not so easy.} 10. Re1 (10. h3 {Trying to limit the B is met with} d5 $1 11.
e5 Ne4 12. Bd3 Bf5 13. Qe2 Nc6 $132) 10... Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 {All this has been
seen many times, with Topalov himself having this position against Fabiano
Caruana in 2015 with the white pieces. But now Anand makes the first new move
of the game - the novelty!} 12. a4 $5 $146 {The idea of this move is simply to
gain more space on the queenside with a4-a5. At some point the rook may come
into the game via a3.} a6 13. Bf1 Re8 14. a5 Ba7 15. Qb3 Nc6 $1 {As Boris
Gelfand rightly pointed out in the commentary room, "Good players are always
flexible with their plans." Nc6-e7 wasn't played with the intention to return
back to c6, but Topalov sees that the position has changed since his Ne7-move.
This is the best and although it may look weird Veselin doesn't hesitate to
play it.} (15... Rb8 {is possible but is quite passive. White can continue with
} 16. Qc3 $14 {with the idea of b4 and developing the c1-bishop.}) 16. d5 (16.
Qxb7 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 {Looks pretty good for Black as after} 18. Bxa6 d5 $1 {
White has serious co-ordination issues.}) 16... Nd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 18. Qxb7 $5 {
Good or bad, this pawn had to be taken. Anand had made his previous moves with
the intention of taking on b7, so there was no backing out now.} Nd7 $1 {
A strong move by the Bulgarian. The knight not only threatens to go to c5 but
also opens the route for the queen to come to f6 or h4. White's pieces are
uncoordinated and undeveloped and the queen is looking a bit silly on b7.
Anand has to be really careful here.} 19. Nc4 $6 (19. Ra3 {was Anand's
original intention but he changed his mind at the last moment.} Qh4 {is now
met by} 20. Rae3 $1 {A completely appropriate exchange sacrifice. The bishop
on d4 is worth the rook. Anand saw this and even mentioned it in the press
conference, but during the game he changed his mind.} Nc5 21. Qxc7 f5 $1 $13 (
21... Bxe3 $6 22. Rxe3 $14 {White is better here.})) 19... Nc5 20. Qc6 {
[%csl Rf2,Rg1][%cal Gd4f2,Gd8h4,Gc5e4] A look at the position reveals that
Black has clear-cut compensation and a player of Topalov's class knows that.
However, it is one thing to know that you have compensation and quite another
to find a concrete tactical refutation. This was the moment when Black had a
chance to take the advantage but Topalov was unable to find it.} Nb3 $2 (20...
Bxf2+ $1 {This was the move that would have destroyed Anand's position.} 21.
Kxf2 Qh4+ {The rook is hanging, so g3 has to be played.} 22. g3 Nxe4+ {Once
again the knight has to be taken or else g3 falls.} 23. Rxe4 Qxe4 $17 {and
even though White has two pieces for a rook his position is pretty bad as his
king is exposed. It's not so easy to come up with a good move for White here.
E.g.} 24. Bf4 $2 {fails to} g5 $1 $19) ({Another extremely interesting idea is
the following:} 20... f6 {What is the point, you may ask? Well for starters
how do you meet the threat of trapping the white queen with Re7 and Be8. It
seems very difficult.} 21. Be3 Bxe3 22. Rxe3 Re7 $1 {Be8 is threatened and the
queen will perish. The best White can try is} 23. b4 Be8 24. Qxa8 Qxa8 25. bxc5
$44 {Black should be better here, but the position is not so easy to play due
to the material imbalance.}) 21. Rb1 Nxc1 $6 {This makes White's task easier.}
(21... f5 {creating some play was better.} 22. Be3 Rxe4 23. Nd2 Rxe3 $1 (23...
Nxd2 24. Bxd2 $14) 24. fxe3 Nxd2 25. exd4 Nxb1 26. Rxb1 $11) 22. Rbxc1 Rb8 23.
Qxa6 $16 {White is two pawns up right now. Black may regain one of them but
even then he would be in a poor position, mainly because the a5-pawn is
super-strong. Topalov had to make quite a few inferior moves to reach this
position from what he had.} Qh4 {This looks like the most natural human move
to make as it attacks both the f2- and e4-pawns.} (23... f5 $5 {could have
been a tricky move to face.} 24. exf5 $6 (24. Ne3 $1 $14) 24... Bxf2+ $1 25.
Kxf2 Qh4+ 26. g3 Qd4+ 27. Kg2 Bf7 $3 $40 {Only computers can see moves like
these!}) 24. Rc2 Rxe4 25. Ne3 $1 {Experts praised this extremely accurate move
by Vishy Anand. The knight saves the kingside and now the c7 pawn is attacked.}
(25. Rxe4 Qxe4 {gives some activity to Black, although White is still better
after} 26. Rd2 $16) 25... Qd8 26. Qc4 Bg6 27. Bd3 $1 {Once again very accurate.
} (27. Qxc7 Bxe3 $1 28. fxe3 (28. Qxd8+ Rxd8 29. fxe3 Ra4 30. Rc6 Rxa5 $16)
28... Ra4 {The rook on c2 is attacked and the pride of White's position - the
a5 pawn falls.}) 27... Rf4 28. Bxg6 hxg6 (28... Bxe3 29. Be4 $18) 29. g3 $1 (
29. Qxc7 $6 Qxc7 30. Rxc7 Rxb2 $132) 29... Re4 30. a6 Qe8 31. Rce2 {This is a
human move to make. The computer comes up with a very interesting solution.} (
31. Qxc7 $1 Bxe3 32. Rxe3 Rxe3 33. fxe3 Qxe3+ {Many players would see until
this move and reject this variation because of counterplay. But the engine
suggests} 34. Kh2 {with a completely winning position.} Rb3 35. Qd8+ Kh7 36.
Qh4+ $18) 31... Bb6 32. Qd3 Ra8 33. Kg2 (33. b4 {With the idea of b5 looked
more logical.}) 33... Qa4 34. b3 Rd4 35. bxa4 $6 (35. Qc2 {was much better as
the natural} Qxa6 {loses to the very nice tactical shot} 36. Nf5 $3 gxf5 37.
Re8+ Rxe8 38. Rxe8+ Kh7 39. Qxf5+ $18) 35... Rxd3 {White's advantage has been
reduced at this point, but still it is much more pleasant to be in Anand's
shoes than Topalov's!} 36. Nc4 Rxa6 37. a5 {This is a nice tricky solution
that Vishy came up with.} Bd4 (37... Bxa5 $2 38. Ra1 Rxd5 39. Rea2 Rc5 40. Nxa5
$16) (37... Bc5 {was much better as after} 38. Re8+ Kh7 39. R1e7 {The d5-pawn
is hanging. The same was not possible when the bishop was on d4.} Rxd5 40. Rxf7
Rf5 $11) 38. Re8+ Kh7 39. R1e7 Rc3 40. Nd2 $5 {Anand transfers his knight to
better squares after Nd2-e4.} (40. Rxc7 $1 $16) 40... Rc2 $6 (40... f5 {
prevents Ne4, but the knight can reach g5 via another route.} 41. h4 $1 $14 {
[%cal Gd2f3,Gf3g5]}) 41. Ne4 f6 {stops Ng5 but exposes the seventh rank, which
Anand takes full advantage of.} 42. h4 $1 {Stopping Black from going g5.} (42.
Rf7 g5 {was Black's idea.}) 42... Rxa5 43. Rf7 g5 44. h5 {The mating net
cannot be broken.} Rxf2+ 45. Nxf2 Ra2 46. Rff8 Rxf2+ 47. Kh3 g4+ 48. Kxg4 f5+
49. Rxf5 {A complete exchange down, there is no way to survive as Black, and
hence Topalov resigned. A game filled with lots of ups and downs.} 1-0

[Event "FRA-chT Top 12"]
[Site "Brest"]
[Date "2019.05.21"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Praggnanandhaa, Rameshbabu"]
[Black "Heimann, Andreas"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2536"]
[BlackElo "2627"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2019.05.18"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 190 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Cannes"]
[BlackTeam "Mulhouse"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:07] Praggnanandhaa has until now played against three
players above his Elo - Van Foreest (2601), Santos Ruiz (2549) and Heimann 
(2627) and has drawn all his games} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]}
Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. d3 {
[%emt 0:00:09]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 5. c3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:23]
} 6. O-O {[%emt 0:00:13]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 7. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} (7. Nbd2
Ne7 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. Re1 Bg4 11. Qb3 d5 12. e5 Nd7 13. h3 Bh5 14. Qd1
f6 15. e6 Nb8 16. g4 Bg6 17. Nf1 Qd6 18. Ng3 Nbc6 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. a4 Ba5 21.
Bd2 Bxd2 22. Qxd2 Rab8 23. Rac1 Qb4 24. Qxb4 Rxb4 25. Nh4 Rxa4 26. Ngf5 Bxf5
27. Nxf5 Re8 28. Nxe7+ Rxe7 29. Rxc6 Rxd4 30. Ra1 Re4 31. Rxa7 R4xe6 32. Rxe6
Rxe6 33. Rxc7 Rb6 34. Rd7 Rxb2 35. Rxd5 {1/2-1/2 (35) Vachier Lagrave,M (2780)
-So,W (2754) Abidjan 2019}) 7... Ne7 {[%emt 0:01:08]} 8. Bc2 {[%emt 0:01:29]}
Ng6 {[%emt 0:01:23]} 9. d4 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 10. a4 {
[%emt 0:00:13]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 11. dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:01:
14]} 12. Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 13. Qxd8 {[%emt 0:00:33]}
Rxd8 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 14. a5 {[%emt 0:01:03]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:02:23]} 15. Nd2 {
[%emt 0:00:39]} Be6 {[%emt 0:07:37]} 16. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Ne8 $146 {
[%emt 0:09:36]} (16... b5 17. Nb3 Bxb3 18. Bxb3 Ng4 19. Re2 Rd6 20. Bg5 Kf8 21.
Rf1 Nf6 22. g3 a6 23. Kg2 Nd7 24. Bc1 Ba7 25. f4 f6 26. h4 Re8 27. h5 h6 28.
Ba2 c5 29. Be3 exf4 30. gxf4 Rxe4 31. Bb1 Re7 32. Rfe1 f5 33. Bxf5 Nf6 34. Kf3
Nd5 35. Rd2 Rd8 36. Be4 Red7 37. Red1 Nf6 38. Rxd7 Nxd7 39. Rd6 {1-0 (39)
Carlsen,M (2845)-Grischuk,A (2771) Shamkir 2019}) 17. Nb3 {[%emt 0:07:47]} Be7
{[%emt 0:11:38]} 18. f3 {[%emt 0:23:26]} b6 {[%emt 0:06:09]} 19. Be3 {[%emt 0:
06:57]} c5 {[%emt 0:02:40]} 20. Nd2 {[%emt 0:05:50]} f6 {[%emt 0:10:11]} 21. g3
{[%emt 0:13:02]} c4 {[%emt 0:10:10]} 22. Ba4 {[%emt 0:11:38]} Rab8 {[%emt 0:05:
56]} 23. axb6 {[%emt 0:08:57]} axb6 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 24. Bxe8 {[%emt 0:03:57]}
Rxe8 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 25. Ra6 {[%emt 0:01:28]} Red8 {[%emt 0:09:09]} 26. Nf1 {
[%emt 0:08:03]} Bh3 {[%emt 0:02:52]} 27. Nd2 {[%emt 0:02:20]} b5 {[%emt 0:05:
10]} 28. Kf2 {[%emt 0:01:02]} h5 {[%emt 0:04:29]} 29. f4 {[%emt 0:02:15]} b4 {
[%emt 0:03:32]} 30. fxe5 {[%emt 0:01:18]} bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 31. bxc3 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} Rb2 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 32. Re2 {[%emt 0:00:48]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:01:
15]} 33. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rxe2+ {[%emt 0:01:40]} 34. Kxe2 {[%emt 0:00:02]}
fxe5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 35. h3 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Bxf3+ {[%emt 0:01:26]} 36. Kxf3 {
[%emt 0:00:01]} Rd3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 37. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:43]} Rxc3 {[%emt 0:00:
06]} 38. Re6 {[%emt 0:00:31]} Bf6 {[%emt 0:01:01]} 39. g4 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Rc2+
{[%emt 0:02:26]} 40. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Rc3 {[%emt 0:01:19]} 41. Ke2 {
[%emt 0:31:00]} Rc2+ 42. Kf3 Kf7 {[%emt 0:31:41]} 43. Rc6 {[%emt 0:01:09]}
hxg4+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 44. hxg4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 45. Ke2 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Rc2+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 46. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 47. g5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 48. Rd6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be7 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 49. Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 50. Rc7 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Ke8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 51. Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 52.
Rc7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ke8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 53. Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kd7 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 54. Rxg6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 55. Rb6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} c2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 56. Rb7+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kc6 {[%emt 0:04:
55]} 57. Rxe7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 58. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:14]}
Rxe3+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 59. Kd2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 60. Kxc2
{[%emt 0:00:05]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 61. Ra7 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Rg4 {[%emt 0:00:
08]} 62. g6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 63. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Kf6
{[%emt 0:00:08]} 64. g7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rg3+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} 65. Ke4 {
[%emt 0:00:06]} Rxg7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 66. Rxg7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Kxg7 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} 67. Kxe5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel-B 77th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2015.01.10"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Black "Sevian, Samuel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2511"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2015.01.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8.
Na3 c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d6 (11... d5 {was seen in the high
profile game of Topalov vs Andreikin in March 2014.}) 12. Nc4 Bc7 13. Ne3 Be6
14. Bc2 d5 $6 {This seems like a dubious positional decision as now White gets
an excellent position with the help of a small positional trick.} 15. exd5 cxd5
16. d4 $1 {Black would have wanted to play e4 here but unfortunately it is not
possible and hence is left with an isolated d5 pawn.} exd4 (16... e4 17. f4 $1
{is a point of White's play.} exf3 18. Qxf3 $16) 17. Qxd4 {White is
positionally better because he has his pieces well placed and the d5 pawn is
weak.} Qd6 (17... g5 {would have only made matters worse.} 18. Bg3 $16) 18. Bg3
Qb6 19. Bxc7 Qxc7 20. Rad1 {Calm and simple play by Robin. He gangs up on the
d5 pawn.} Rfd8 21. Rfe1 b5 22. Bf5 $5 {A very interesting decision. Why would
White go out of his way to exchange the bad black bishop for his excellent one
on c2. Of course there are tactical justifications for this move.} Re8 (22...
Bxf5 23. Nxf5 $16 {The threat now is Nh6 and also infiltrating with Re7.}) 23.
Bd3 Rab8 24. Re2 a5 25. a3 Qb6 (25... b4 26. axb4 axb4 27. cxb4 Qb6 28. Qxb6
Rxb6 29. Nc2 $16) 26. Nc2 Qxd4 27. Nxd4 Bd7 (27... b4 {would have been
desirable but doesn't really work because of} 28. cxb4 axb4 29. Nc6 Rb6 30.
Nxb4 $16) 28. Rxe8+ Bxe8 29. b4 $1 {Fixing the b5 pawn.} a4 30. f3 Bd7 31. Kf2
Kf8 32. Ke3 Ke7 33. h4 Kd6 34. g4 g6 35. Rg1 Ne8 36. g5 h5 37. Re1 Nc7 38. f4
Rg8 (38... Ne6 39. Nxe6 Bxe6 40. Kd4 Bd7 41. Re5 Be6 42. Be2 $16 {It is only a
matter of time before White will find a way to breakthrough.}) 39. Kd2 Ne6 40.
Nxb5+ Bxb5 41. Bxb5 Nxf4 42. Re8 $1 {nicely calculated. White is just winning
this bishop vs knight endgame.} Rxe8 43. Bxe8 Ng2 44. Bxa4 $6 {Taking the f7
pawn would have won faster.} (44. Bxf7 Nxh4 45. Ke3 Ng2+ 46. Kf2 $18) 44...
Nxh4 45. Bd1 Nf5 46. a4 Kc6 (46... Ng7 {relocating the knight to e6 was the
best idea but White still manages to win.} 47. a5 $1 Ne6 48. a6 Kc6 (48... Nc7
49. a7 Kc6 50. Bf3 Kb7 51. c4 Kxa7 52. Bxd5 Nxd5 53. cxd5 $18) 49. Bf3 Kb6 (
49... Nc7 50. c4 Kb6 51. Bxd5 $1 Nxd5 52. cxd5 Kxa6 53. d6 Kb6 54. b5 $18) 50.
Bxd5 Kxa6 51. Bxe6 fxe6 52. c4 $18) 47. Bf3 Nd6 48. Kd3 h4 49. Kd4 Nf5+ 50. Ke5
Ne3 51. Kf6 Nc4 52. Bg2 Ne3 53. Bh1 Ng4+ 54. Kxf7 Nf2 55. Bf3 Nd3 56. Ke6 Nf4+
57. Ke5 Nd3+ 58. Kd4 Nf4 59. c4 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2016.03.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2762"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah/CB Website"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2016.03.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {It worked for him in game one and Vishy continues with 1.e4.} e5 2. Nf3
Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Berlin! I wonder how the a-pawn must be feeling at this point
of time. Earlier just about everyone used to pushing it. Now no one really
cares about it and goes for ...Nf6!} 4. d3 {This seems to be Anand's weapon
against the Berlin in this event.} Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 O-O 7. h3 $5 {A small
change by Anand. In his game against Topalov he had gone Nbd2, whereas here he
plays the little rook pawn move. It has two advantages: 1. it stops ...Bg4 in
the future, and 2. it gets Caruana out of his preparation.} Ne7 {Caruana
sticks to his plan of transferring his knight to the kingside.} 8. d4 Bb6 9.
Bd3 {Definitely more common is Re1. However, Anand played this move quickly.
Caruana went into a think after this, which meant that he hadn't really
revised the line before the game. The variation with Bd3 is less played than
Re1, but it has been essayed by players like Magnus Carlsen and Vasily
Ivanchuk!} (9. dxe5 {leads to absolutely othing for White after} Nxe4 $11) 9...
Ng6 (9... d5 {was Kramnik's reaction against Carlsen. And after} 10. Nbd2 dxe4
11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 exd4 13. Qc2 h6 14. a4 $5 {we saw an extremely
interesting game develop.}) 10. Re1 Re8 11. Qc2 {At this point Anand had used
only two minutes of his time while Caruana down by twenty five minutes. The
interesting thing is that Anand has already played this opening with black
against Michael Adams in 2013.} exd4 $146 {Caruana comes up with a new move,
but this is not home preparation. It was played after due thought.} 12. cxd4 c5
{An interesting move by Caruana trying to fight for the dark squares.} 13. dxc5
(13. d5 Ba5 {leads to a very odd kind of a Benoni which should be completely
fine for Black.}) (13. e5 $5 {is an interesting move. Although both players
rejected it after ...Nd5, it could be interesting to see a few more moves.} Nd5
{Threatening ...Nb4.} (13... dxe5 14. dxe5 {looks completely crushing for
White as after} Nd7 15. e6 fxe6 16. Bxg6 $18 {Black is busted.}) 14. Bg5 $1 (
14. a3 {might be too slow as after} cxd4 {Black is completely fine.}) 14... Qc7
{After the game Fabi said that he was planning to play this move but it
wouldn't have been great as White can now play} (14... Nb4 15. Qc3 Qc7 16. Bb5
$13) (14... f6 $6 15. dxc5 $1 dxc5 16. Nc3 $1 Nxc3 17. exf6 $1 gxf6 18. Bxg6 {
with a very strong attack.}) 15. Nc3 $1 {The main idea is to connect the rooks
on the first rank.} Nb4 (15... Nxc3 16. exd6 $1) 16. exd6 $1 $18 {Not an easy
move to see from a distance but now the rook on e8 is undefended.}) 13... Bxc5
14. Nc3 Be6 15. Be3 Qc8 (15... Ne5 $5 {After the game Miroshnichenko suggested
this smart move for Black which seems to equalise immediately.} 16. Nxe5 Bxe3
$1 17. Nxf7 Bxf2+ 18. Qxf2 Bxf7 {This looks like a much preferable position
for Black than was reached in the game.}) 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. Qd2 Ne5 18. Be2 $1
Nxf3+ 19. Bxf3 {Black has an isolated pawn on d6 while White is relatively
solid. This should give White an edge. However, it is not so clear as to how
White should proceed.} Rad8 20. Red1 $5 {One of the most difficult questions
in the game of chess is where should I place my rooks. In this position White
has many options. The most natural of course looks to be Rad1, but Red1 also
has its point. Vishy would like to put the a rook on c1.} (20. Rac1 {looks
natural. Black could reply with} Qe5) (20. Rad1 {is also answered by} Qe5 21.
Qd4 a6 22. Qb4 $14 {when White has an edge.}) 20... h5 $5 21. Qd4 Qg5 22. Qd2 (
22. Qxa7 Bxh3 $132) 22... Qe5 {I asked Fabiano whether he wanted to play on
and that was the reason why he chose ...Qe5 instead of ...Qc5. He said his
queen was much better placed on e5 than on c5 and Vishy would not have
repeated the position again.} 23. Qe3 $1 {Attacking the a7-pawn and getting
ready to double rooks on the d-file.} a6 24. Rd4 Bd7 $5 {The bishop wasn't
doing much on e6. On c6 it would not only control the d5-square but also
attack the one on e4.} 25. Rad1 Bc6 26. g3 Re6 27. Bg2 {White gets ready to
start his expansion with f4. Vishy truly has played really well until this
point.} h4 {[%cal Gh5h4]} 28. gxh4 $1 {An extremely bold move by Vishy.
Usually in chess not many times you will see people taking such a pawn and
accepting doubled rook pawns. However, here it is more important to make sure
that White is getting in f4 and hence this gxh4 move is very flexible and
meets the demands of the position.} (28. g4 $5 {Keeping the pawn structure
intact is definitely an idea. But it can be possible that Vishy was afraid of}
g5 {When f4 is stopped. However, White should at least be a tad better after}
29. Qd2 $14) (28. f4 $2 Qc5 29. g4 $2 Bxe4 $1 30. Nxe4 Nxe4 31. Bxe4 Rde8 $15)
28... Rde8 (28... Nh5 $2 {Trying to keep an eye on the f4-square loses to} 29.
Rd5 $1 Bxd5 30. Rxd5 $18) 29. Bf3 {After the game Vishy thought that this was
extremely clever as he was preparing Bg4.} (29. f4 Qc5 $13 {The e4-pawn would
be falling in this case.}) 29... a5 30. a4 $6 {Anand wants to stop all these
ideas beginning with ...b5 but this was a crucial loss of time.} (30. Bg4 R6e7
(30... Nxg4 31. hxg4 $16) 31. Rxd6 Nxe4 32. Nxe4 Qxe4 {Should be around equal.}
) (30. a3 {was definitely much better remaining flexible.} b5 31. Bg4 $1 $14)
30... Qc5 31. Qf4 (31. Bg4 R6e7 $11) (31. Rxd6 $5 Qxd6 32. Rxd6 Rxd6 33. Qc5
Rde6 34. Qxa5 Nxe4 35. Nxe4 Bxe4 36. Bxe4 Rxe4 {might be an edge for White but
will most probably end in a draw.}) 31... Re5 32. R1d3 {Not really sure what
this move is all about, but it keeps up the pressure.} (32. Rxd6 Nxe4 33. Nxe4
Bxe4 $11) 32... R8e6 33. Kh2 Qb6 34. Rd2 Qd8 35. Qg3 $6 {This lets Caruana
equalise immediately.} (35. h5 $5 Nxh5 36. Bxh5 Rxh5 37. Rxd6 Rxd6 38. Qxd6
Qxd6+ 39. Rxd6 f5 {Black should regain his pawn, but in any case White will
maintain a small edge.}) 35... Bxe4 36. Nxe4 Nxe4 37. Bxe4 Rxe4 38. Rxe4 Rxe4
39. Rxd6 Qxh4 40. Qxh4 {...and a draw was agreed. It should be said that Anand
seemed to be slightly better throughout the game, but was never really able to
cash in.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2016.03.12"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2793"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah/CB Website"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2016.03.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O ({Anish opted for} 5... d5 {
against MVL in Tashkent 2014. The game ended in a comfortable draw.}) 6. O-O d6
7. Nbd2 {Caruana had earlier gone for 7.h3 in Malmo 2012 against Giri! Four
years later, both are players have become super strong and we are sure to see
many more battles in the years to come.} (7. h3 Ne7 8. d4 Bb6 9. Re1 c6 10. Bd3
Ng6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Nbd2 {1-0 (41) Caruana,F (2770)-Giri,A (2693) Malmo 2012})
7... Ne7 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. Re1 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 {All this was seen in
the game Anand-Topalov from the first round of the Candidates 2016. Anand went
12.a4 in this position. Caruana prefers to break the pin immediately and plays
Qb3.} 12. Qb3 d5 {Recently Caruana himself played this with Topalov in
Sinquefeld Cup 2015 and won a nice game. Its important to note though he won
with black he still chose to play this line from white. This shows that the
top players analyze their games objectively and make use of any new ideas that
they come across, especially in their own games.} 13. e5 Nd7 14. Qd1 {[%cal
Gd1b3,Gb3d1] What's going on?!! Qd1-b3-d1? Is Caruana our of his mind? Not
really! Things in the centre are settled now and the queen doesn't mind this
backward move, mainly vacating the b3-square for the knight.} f6 $5 {
Immediately challenging the center. As Giri said during the press conference,
he thought that this line was fine for Black, but after the game he thinks
that his seconds somehow had underestimated the dangers in the position.} 15.
e6 Nb8 {Undeveloping moves seem to be the order of the day. However, to be
fair, the knight simply didn't have a good square to go to.} 16. Nb3 {Eyeing
for the c5-outpost which would force Black to part with his dark-squared
bishop. At the same time the route for the bishop to develop on d6 has been
opened.} Qd6 (16... Nbc6 {was possible but it seems as if Anish wanted to
prevent his opponent from going Bf4.}) 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nh4 Nbc6 19. Bxc6 (19.
Nxg6 Nxg6 {looks fine for Black.}) (19. Ng2 {preparing Bf4 can be an option,
but Black has a strong move in the form of} f5 $1 20. Bf4 Qb4 21. Bxc6 Nxc6 $11
) 19... Qxc6 (19... bxc6 20. Ng2 {is now a clearly better position for White
as Bf4 is threatened and there is no bishop to attack on b5 with ...Qb4.} f5
21. Bf4 Qb4 22. a3 Qa4 23. g5 $16 {Black is left without any counterplay.}) 20.
Bd2 {White is ready to give up the d4-pawn in order to get good amount of
piece activity.} (20. Bf4 {is natural but it always seems dangerous to put a
piece where a pawn fork can happen. In this case the move g7-g5.} Bc2 21. Qd2
Bxb3 22. axb3 g5 23. Bxg5 fxg5 24. Qxg5+ Kh8 {Giri showed some blistering
analysis in this position. One of the lines that was very entertaining was the
following.} 25. Qe5+ Kg8 26. Nf5 Nxf5 27. gxf5 Qd6 28. f6 Qxe5 29. dxe5 $16 {
[%csl Ge5,Ge6,Gf6] Anish gave us an example of four rows of pawns (32 pawns!)
vs all the other pieces. Truly wonderful the kind of thing these top players
like to indulge in!}) 20... Bc2 21. Qe2 Bxb3 22. axb3 Bxd4 {Although Black has
won a pawn, it doesn't really matter. The pawn on e6 is a monster and the rook
on a1 is also activated without any efforts. Giri has to play carefully here.}
23. Bb4 Bc5 (23... Rfe8 $2 24. Bxe7 Rxe7 25. Nf5 $18) 24. Rec1 b6 25. Bxc5 bxc5
26. Ra6 (26. Ra5 {winning the c5-pawn could have been even stronger.}) 26...
Qb7 27. Rxc5 Rfe8 28. Qb5 {It was possible to play more aggressively, but
Caruana had already spent a lot of his thinking time and hence decided it was
safer to simplify the game.} (28. Nf5 $142 $1 Qxb3 29. Ra3 $1 (29. Rxc7 $2 Nxf5
30. gxf5 Qxh3 $11) 29... Qb4 30. Rxc7 $16) 28... Qxb5 29. Rxb5 d4 $1 {This
pawn is the soul of Black's position. It will create threats and give him the
necessary counterplay.} 30. Nf5 (30. f4 {looks natural.} Rad8 31. Nf3 d3 32.
Nd2 {This was Vladimir Kramnik's suggestion. White threatens f5 now, so Black
must do something about it.} f5 $1 33. gxf5 (33. Kf2 {looks stronger but after}
Rd5 {it should nevertheless be around equal.}) 33... Rd5 34. Rxd5 Nxd5 35. Rxa7
Rf8 $11) 30... Rad8 31. Rxa7 (31. Nxe7+ Rxe7 32. Kf1 d3 33. Ke1 Rde8 34. Kd2
Rxe6 35. Rxe6 Rxe6 36. Kxd3 Rd6+ $11) 31... Nxf5 32. gxf5 d3 {Now it is just a
draw.} 33. Ra1 g6 34. Rc5 Re7 35. Rd1 gxf5 36. Rc6 Rd4 37. Kg2 Kg7 38. Kf3 Kg6
39. Rc4 Rd5 40. Rc3 d2 41. Re3 Rd6 42. Re2 {An exciting game where we could
have seen even more fireworks had Caruana not been under time pressure.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Wijk Cultural Village 20th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2015.11.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Pruijssers, Roeland"]
[Black "Hansen, Eric"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2498"]
[BlackElo "2573"]
[Annotator "Schulz,Andre"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2015.11.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "7"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 169 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.12.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.12.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O Nd7 7. Nbd2 O-O 8.
b3 Re8 9. Bb2 f6 10. Nc4 Nf8 11. Nh4 Ne6 12. Qd2 Nf4 {[#] Die Struktur ähnelt
den Stellungen, die man in der Verzögerten Abtauschvariante der Spanischen
Partie erhält. Dass Schwarz hier nicht a6 gespielt hat, macht keinen großen
Unterschied.} (12... Nd4 13. Ne3 Be6 {1/2-1/2 (67) Sanal,V (2487)-Bukavshin,I 
(2618) Moscow 2015}) 13. g3 $2 {Schwächt die weißen Felder am Königsflügel.
} Ng6 14. Nxg6 (14. Nf5 Bxf5 15. exf5 Ne7 16. Ne3 Qd7 $15) (14. Ng2 Bh3 $15)
14... hxg6 15. Kg2 {Einladung zu...} Qd7 16. Kh1 Qh3 17. f4 {Um den Weg der
weißen Dame nach g2 freizumachen.} ({Vorsichtiger war} 17. f3) 17... exf4 18.
Qxf4 Bg4 {[#] Ein sehr aktives Läuferpaar! Es droht Le2. Falls der Tf1 zieht,
folgt g5, und falls die Dame zieht Lf3#. Weiß kann sich zwar noch verteidigen,
aber die Partie endet tatsächlich durch ein Läufer-Matt auf dieser Digonalen.
} 19. Rae1 g5 20. Qd2 ({Besser war} 20. Qc1 {Nach} Qh5 {ist Schwarz auch hier
am Drücker.}) 20... Rad8 21. b4 $2 {[#] Nun bricht die weiße Stellung schon
zusammen.} (21. Qc1) 21... Rxe4 22. dxe4 (22. bxc5 Re2 $19) 22... Rxd2 23. Nxd2
Bxb4 $19 {Weiß hat zwei Türme für die Dame, steht aber einfach mit seiner
Stellung voller Schwächen schlecht.} 24. c3 Bc5 25. e5 $2 {Ein schlechter Zug
in schlechter Stellung.} Be6 26. c4 f5 27. Rf3 g4 28. Rd3 b5 29. Ba3 Bb6 30.
Rd8+ Kh7 31. Re8 Qh6 32. Bc1 Qg6 33. Re7 bxc4 34. h4 gxh3 35. Nf1 Qg4 36. Kh2
Qf3 37. Kxh3 Qh5+ 38. Kg2 Bd5+ 39. Re4 {Wenn schon, denn schon.} Bxe4# 0-1

[Event "World Women-ch k.o."]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2015.03.25"]
[Round "3.3"]
[White "Sebag, Marie"]
[Black "Pogonina, Natalija"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2482"]
[BlackElo "2456"]
[Annotator "Schulz,Andre"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2015.03.17"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. h3 O-O 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8.
Re1 Re8 9. Nbd2 Nd7 10. Nc4 Bb6 11. a4 a5 12. Nxb6 cxb6 13. d4 c5 ({Stimmt,
das kam einem gleich bekannt vor. Der Vorgänger ging so weiter:} 13... Qc7 14.
Ra3 Nf8 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nh4 Rd8 17. Qh5 f6 18. Nf5 Be6 19. Rg3 Ng6 20. h4
Bxf5 21. exf5 Nf4 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Rc3 c5 24. Re6 Rab8 25. Rc4 Qd7 26. Kh2 Rf8
27. Rce4 Rb7 28. Qe2 b5 29. b3 bxa4 30. bxa4 Rb4 31. Re7 Qd6 32. Qf3 Rxe4 33.
Qxe4 f3+ 34. g3 h5 35. Qb7 {1-0 (35) Carlsen,M (2863)-Anand,V (2792) Sochi 2014
}) 14. dxe5 (14. d5 Nf8 15. Nd2 (15. Ra3 Ng6 16. Nd2 f5 $11) 15... Ng6 16. Nc4
f5 17. exf5 Bxf5 18. Ra3 Rf8 $11) 14... Nxe5 15. Nxe5 dxe5 $11 16. Qh5 Ra7 17.
Ra3 Rd7 {Die d-Linie gehört Schwarz.} 18. Rg3 {Weiß spielt nach dem
bekannten Muster. Allerdings ist ja hier zum Beispiel der letzte weiße
Springer schon abgestauscht, was die weißen Angriffschancen doch deutlich
veringert.} Rd6 {Auch Schwarz kann seine "dritte" Reihe besezten.} 19. b3 Bb7
20. Bg5 Qd7 21. h4 {Immer noch auf Angriff eingestellt, aber diesen gibt es
hier nicht.} (21. Bh6 Rg6 $15) 21... Kh8 22. Qf3 Rf8 23. Qe2 Rd4 24. f3 {
Notwendig, aber nun ist der Tg3 abgeschnitten.} Rd6 25. Be3 Rd8 26. Kh2 Rd1 (
26... Qe6 $5 {Schwarz konnte auch noch damit warten, aktiver zu werden, da
Weiß kaum etwas unternehmen kann.}) 27. Rxd1 Qxd1 28. Qc4 (28. Qxd1 Rxd1 $17 {
Der weiße Damenflügel ist sehr schwach.}) 28... Qd7 29. h5 h6 30. f4 $2 {
Verliert angesichts der eigenen Machtlosigkeit die Nerven.} (30. Rh3 $5 {
mit der Idee} Z0 31. g4 Z0 32. Kg3 {um den Turm wieder ins Spiel zu bringen.})
30... exf4 31. Bxf4 Qe7 32. e5 Rd4 (32... Qh4+ {war auch gut:} 33. Rh3 Qg4 34.
Bg3 Rd2 $19) 33. Bg5 hxg5 0-1

[Event "Grand Slam Final 8th"]
[Site "Bilbao"]
[Date "2015.10.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2803"]
[BlackElo "2798"]
[Annotator "Schulz,Andre"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2015.10.26"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 169"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Qe2 {
In bekannter Position experimentiert Anand neuerdings mit diesem Zug.} (7. O-O
Re8 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. b3 a5 10. a4 f6 11. Be3 Bb4 12. Rc1 b5 13. c3 Bf8 14. Nb2 Nc5
15. Qc2 Bg4 16. d4 exd4 17. Nxd4 bxa4 18. Nxa4 Nxe4 19. f3 Nd6 20. Bf2 Bd7 21.
c4 Qc8 22. Qc3 Nf5 23. Nc2 Nd6 24. Nd4 Nb7 25. c5 Nd8 26. Nb2 Ne6 27. Nc4 Bxc5
28. Nxe6 Bb4 29. Nxg7 Bxc3 30. Nxe8 Bxe8 31. Rxc3 Bf7 32. Nd2 f5 33. Rxc6 Qd7
34. Rc2 Re8 35. Nc4 Bxc4 36. Rxc4 Re2 37. h3 Rd2 38. Re1 Rd1 39. Kh2 c6 {
1/2-1/2 (39) Anand,V (2816)-So,W (2779) Saint Louis 2015}) 7... Re8 8. Nc4 (8.
h3 Nd7 9. Nc4 Bd6 10. Bd2 Nf8 11. Bc3 Ng6 12. g3 b5 13. Ne3 c5 14. h4 Nf8 15.
a4 c6 16. axb5 cxb5 17. Ba5 Qd7 18. Nf5 Qc6 19. O-O Ne6 20. Ng5 Be7 21. Nxe6 {
1/2-1/2 (21) Anand,V (2803)-Kryvoruchko,Y (2710) Berlin 2015}) 8... Nd7 9. Bd2
Bd6 10. g4 {Da liegt der Hund begraben. Weiß greift am Königsflügel an.} Nf8
11. Ne3 Ne6 12. Nf5 a5 13. h4 a4 {[#] Schwarz organisiert einen
Ein-Mann-Gegenangriff, der sich prophylaktisch auch gegen eine weiße lange
Rochade richtet.} 14. Ng5 a3 15. b3 Bc5 16. Nxe6 Bxe6 17. Qf3 Bf8 18. Ke2 c5
19. c4 Ra6 20. Bc3 Bd7 21. Ne3 Rae6 22. g5 c6 23. Ng4 R6e7 24. Ne3 b5 25. Rag1
b4 26. Ba1 Bc8 27. h5 Qd6 28. Nc2 f6 29. g6 h6 30. Ne3 Rd8 31. Rd1 Qc7 32. Nf5
Bxf5 33. Qxf5 Ree8 34. Rh3 Bd6 {[#] Welcher Läufer ist "töter" (gibt es das
Wort?)} 35. Rf3 Qe7 36. Rd2 Bc7 37. Rd1 Bd6 38. Rd2 Bc7 39. Rd1 Bd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Prestwich"]
[Site "Prestwich"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Schlosser, Michael"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2340"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "Schussler,H"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 018"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Re1 exd4 8. e5
Ng4 9. Bg5 (9. cxd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qh4) 9... Nxf2 $1 10. Qa4 dxc3 11. Bxd8 cxb2
12. Bxc7 bxa1=Q 13. Bxb6 axb6 14. Qxa8 Qb2 15. Qa4 Ng4 16. Qxg4 Qxb5 17. Qg3
Qc5+ 18. Kh1 f6 19. exf6 Rxf6 20. Nbd2 d5 21. Ng5 Rf8 22. Ndf3 h6 23. Nh3 Qb4
24. Nhg1 Bf5 25. Qc7 Be4 26. Rd1 Qe7 27. Qxb6 Ne5 28. Qe3 Ng4 29. Qd4 Qa3 30.
h3 Ne3 31. Rd2 Nf1 32. Rf2 Ng3+ 33. Kh2 Qd6 34. Ne5 Nf5 35. Qb2 Re8 36. Rxf5
Bxf5 37. Ngf3 Be4 38. Kg1 Qf6 39. Qxb7 Kh7 40. Qc7 Re7 41. Qb8 Qf4 42. Qb2 Rc7
0-1

[Event "Hoogovens"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1990.01.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Nijboer, Friso"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2485"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "Schussler,H"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1990.01.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 017"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. a4 (9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nbd2 {Brunner,L-Lane,G Game 971/disk 16.}) 9... a5
10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Nbd2 Ba6 12. Re1 Qe7 13. d5 g5 14. Nxg5 hxg5 15. Bxg5 Kg7 16.
b4 cxd5 17. exd5 Qd7 18. Qf3 Nh7 19. Qh5 f5 20. b5 Bb7 21. Bh6+ Kh8 22. Bxf8
Rxf8 23. Nc4 f4 24. Rad1 Bc8 25. Nxb6 cxb6 26. f3 Qc7 27. Qh4 Bf5 28. c4 Kg7
29. Rc1 Nf6 30. Qf2 Nd7 31. g3 Bg6 32. gxf4 Rxf4 33. Kh1 Nc5 34. Rg1 Qf7 35.
Rcf1 Kf8 36. Rg3 Ne4 37. Qxb6 Nxg3+ 38. hxg3 Rf6 39. Qe3 e4 40. b6 exf3 41. Kg1
Bh5 42. Qd4 Kg7 43. Qb2 Kh7 44. Kf2 Qe7 45. g4 Rh6 46. b7 Qh4+ 47. Ke3 Qg5+ 48.
Kd3 Bg6+ 0-1

[Event "Prague Bohemians-A"]
[Site "Prague"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Mainka, Romuald"]
[Black "Finegold, Benjamin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2445"]
[BlackElo "2445"]
[Annotator "Schussler,H"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "1990.01.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "CZE"]
[EventCategory "8"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 017"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.08.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.08.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Re1 {Other
common moves are 7. Qd3 and 7. Bg5.} d6 8. Bg5 exd4 9. Bxc6 $6 dxc3 $5 10. Nxc3
bxc6 11. e5 dxe5 12. Qa4 Qd6 13. Rxe5 Ng4 14. Be7 Bxf2+ 15. Kh1 Nxe5 16. Bxd6
cxd6 17. Ne4 Nxf3 18. Nxf2 Ne5 19. Ne4 Rd8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Capablanca Memorial-A"]
[Site "Cienfuegos"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Hernandez Guerrero, Gilberto Eduardo"]
[Black "Sariego Figueredo, Wilfredo"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2525"]
[BlackElo "2420"]
[Annotator "Schussler,H"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "CUB"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 026"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1992.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1992.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 (5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 a6 7. Be2
Ba7 8. dxe5 Nxe4 9. Qd5 Qh4 10. g3 Nxg3 11. hxg3 Qxg3+ 12. Qg2 Qxe5 13. Nc3 $14
{Rodriguez,Am-Sariego,W, Capablanca mem 1991 (CBM 26/ game 229).}) 5... O-O 6.
d4 Bb6 7. dxe5 {7.Bg5 is the main alternative - see Lanka,Z-Borkowski,F,
Moscow 1991 (CBM 26/ game 394) for an illustrative game.} Nxe4 8. Qd5 Nc5 9.
Bg5 Ne7 10. Qd1 Ne4 11. Bh4 d5 12. c4 $5 {New. 12.Nbd2 used to be played.} c6
13. Ba4 (13. cxd5 Qxd5 $1 14. Bxe7 Qxd1 15. Rxd1 Nxf2 16. Rd4 Re8 $13) 13...
Bg4 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nc3 (15. Bxe7 $2 Qxe7 16. Qxd5 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Nxf2 18.
Rxf2 Qh4 19. Qd2 Rad8 20. Qc2 Bxf2+ 21. Qxf2 Qxa4 $19) 15... g5 16. Bg3 Nxg3
17. hxg3 h6 18. Qd3 {18.Qd2} Bf5 19. Qd2 d4 20. Nb5 Bd7 21. Qb4 Nc6 22. Qd2 Bg4
23. Qd3 Bh5 24. Bb3 Kh8 25. Rad1 $13 1/2-1/2

[Event "NED-ch45"]
[Site "Hilversum"]
[Date "1990.06.21"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nijboer, Friso"]
[Black "Ree, Hans"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2485"]
[BlackElo "2455"]
[Annotator "Schussler,H"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "1990.06.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 019"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.12.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1990.12.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. a4 a5 10. Re1 Bg4 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Qxd8 Raxd8 14. Nxe5 g5
15. Bg3 h5 16. Nxc6 Rde8 17. Nd2 Bd7 18. e5 Ng4 19. Nd4 h4 20. h3 hxg3 21. hxg4
f6 22. exf6 Bxa4 23. fxg3 Rxf6 24. N2f3 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Bd7 26. Re5 Rg6 27. Rd5
Be6 28. Rxg5 Rxg5 29. Nxg5 Bxg4 30. Kf2 c5 31. Ndf3 c4+ 32. Ke2 a4 33. Ne4 Bf5
34. Nfd2 Bc7 35. Ke3 Bb6+ 36. Kf4 Be6 37. Ke5 Bf7 38. Nf6+ Kg7 39. Nd5 Bf2 40.
Ne4 Ba7 41. Nd2 Bb8+ 42. Ke4 Bxg3 43. Nxc4 Bg6+ 44. Kd4 Bf2+ 45. Nce3 Bc2 46.
Nb4 Bg6 47. Nd3 Bg1 48. Nf4 Bb1 49. c4 Kf7 50. Ne2 Bf2 51. Nc3 Bc2 52. Ne4 Bg1
53. Ng5+ Kf6 54. Nh3 $1 Bxe3+ 55. Kxe3 Kf5 56. Nf2 Bb3 57. Kd4 Kf4 58. Nd3+ Kg3
59. c5 Kxg2 60. c6 Kf1 61. Nc5 1-0

[Event "Leon"]
[Site "Leon"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Romero Holmes, Alfonso"]
[Black "Braga, Fernando Alberto"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2460"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "Schussler,H"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "1990.06.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 020"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1991.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1991.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 c6 $6 {Usual is 6.
- a6.} 7. f4 $5 (7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Bd3 d5 9. exd6 Nxd6 $6 10. Re1+ Be6 $2 11.
Rxe6+ fxe6 12. Qh5+ $18) 7... Qb6 8. dxc5 Qxc5+ 9. Kh1 Neg4 10. e5 Nf2+ 11.
Rxf2 Qxf2 12. exf6 cxb5 13. Nc3 d5 14. Be3 Qh4 (14... Qxe3 15. Nxd5 Qc5 16.
fxg7 Rg8 17. Nf6+ $18) 15. fxg7 Rg8 16. Nxd5 Rxg7 17. Nc7+ Kf8 18. Qd6+ Kg8 19.
Bf2 {19. - Rg6 20.Qxg6+ + -} 1-0

[Event "Altensteig"]
[Site "Altensteig"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Luther, Thomas"]
[Black "Gabriel, Christian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2385"]
[BlackElo "2365"]
[Annotator "Schussler,H"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1990.07.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "9"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 020"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1991.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1991.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. Qxe4 Qe7
8. d4 (8. Nc3 Ng6 9. Qxe7+ Bxe7 10. Nd5 Bd6 11. Re1+ Kd8 $10 {Grünfeld,Y-Salov,
V, Haifa 1989.}) 8... Nc6 9. Qg4 $5 (9. Qxe7+ Bxe7 10. c3 a6 11. Bd3 $10) 9...
h5 (9... f5 $5 10. Qxf5 Nxd4 11. Qh5+ g6 12. Qd1 Nxb5 13. Re1 Bxf2+ 14. Kxf2
O-O+ 15. Kg1 Qh4 $5 $13) 10. Qxg7 Bxd4 11. Qg3 h4 12. Qd3 Bf6 13. Nc3 Ne5 14.
Qd1 c6 15. f4 cxb5 16. Nd5 Qd6 17. fxe5 Bxe5 18. Bf4 $18 Bxf4 19. Rxf4 Qc5+ 20.
Kh1 h3 21. b4 hxg2+ 22. Kxg2 Qf8 23. Qd4 Rh6 24. Qe5+ 1-0

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 4th"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2017.04.21"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "Silver,A"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2017.04.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. O-O Nd7 7. c3 O-O 8.
d4 Bd6 9. Bg5 $146 (9. Nbd2 Re8 10. Re1 b6 11. Nc4 Bb7 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Ncxe5
Bxe5 14. Nxe5 Rxe5 {1/2-1/2 (31) Brkic,A (2584)-Roiz,M (2605) Baku 2016}) 9...
f6 10. Qb3+ Kh8 11. Bh4 b6 12. Nbd2 Ba6 13. Rfe1 Qe7 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5
Qxe5 16. Bg3 Qe7 17. Bxd6 cxd6 18. Rad1 Bc8 19. Qa4 b5 20. Qa5 Bg4 21. f3 Be6
22. Nf1 d5 23. exd5 Qc5+ 24. Ne3 Bxd5 25. a3 Rfe8 26. Qb4 Qb6 27. Qd4 Qxd4 28.
Rxd4 Re7 29. Kf2 Rae8 30. Rdd1 Bb3 31. Nf5 Rxe1 32. Rxe1 Rxe1 33. Kxe1 Be6 34.
Nd4 Bd5 $2 {This is a serious mistake which compromises Black's position
almost irreversibly. The reason is twofold: Black's king is still a long way
away on h8, so what he needs is to keep White at bay while he puts his king on
the Express Train. The problem is that now White has Kd2-c3 and b3-c4 at his
disposal, which will gain a vital tempo attacking the bishop, and each tempo
Black cannot use to bring his king into play is near fatal.} (34... Bd7 $1 {
was the right move.}) 35. Kd2 $1 $16 a6 $2 {They say a mistake rarely comes
alone, and we see it here. Not only should Black be rushing his king and
therefore playing ...Kg8, but the last thing he should be doing is placing his
pawns on the same color as his bishop unless absolutely unavoidable.} 36. Ke3
Kg8 37. Nf5 $1 {The threat is clear: Kd4-c5-b6. White is now winning.} Kf7 38.
Kd4 $1 Be6 39. Ne3 Ke7 40. Kc5 Kd7 41. Kb6 f5 42. f4 {There is no rush to take
on a6 since a6 cannot be defended anyhow. Now White has placed his pawn on a
dark square, out of the bishop's reach, blocking the f5-pawn where it hampers
the bishop.} g5 43. g3 gxf4 44. gxf4 Kd6 45. Kxa6 Kc7 46. Ka5 1-0

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "So,Wesley"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2016.11.11"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Going into the World Championship matches, many people logically considered
Magnus to be the clear favorite against Sergey Karjakin. First of all the
difference in their rating was a bit wide, as was their most recent overall
performance.This year alone Magnus had won four big tournaments (Tata Steel,
Norway, Leuven and Bilbao), while Sergey had only won the (admittedly long and
tough) Candidates tournament which qualified him as the Challenger. Those
things carry weight in people's minds but rounds 1-9 showed a different and
very surprising story. The challenger's strong balanced attack, his ability to
find good moves and make plans, his outstanding defense, and resistance to
cracking under pressure, proved him to be an impregnable fortress. Magnus
could not find a way to break Sergey down until eventually, overextending
himself in Round 8, the Champion even had to accept defeat. At this point in
Game 10 with only 3 games to the finish he absolutely has to find a way to
even the score. He HAS to do it today.} 1. e4 {In Rounds 1 and 8 Magnus got
nowhere with 1.d4, after giving the Trompovsky and the Colle system a try.
Sergey Karjakin knew his stuff there. In fact he got nothing but trouble in
game 8. So today Magnus decides to go back to the "best by test move"
recommended by Fischer and Caruana. To be honest I'm kind of surprised that
Magnus does not try 1.c4 or 1.Nf3/1.g3 but maybe we will see that in Round 12.}
e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 (3. Bc4 Bc5 {Carlsen-Karjakin Round 5, but Magnus got
nothing there either and in the end he must have been happy to save that game.}
) 3... Nf6 {Sergey sticks to his guns and goes for the Berlin Opening. I
noticed that during the entire match so far, one of Sergey's strategies has
been simply to go for the main lines in the opening and play a normal game. He
does not overpush but maintains composure by playing objective, strong moves.}
4. d3 {Magnus' strategy seemed mostly aimed at surprises in the opening and
later on, hopes to exploit his opponent's mistakes over the board. It reminded
me of a quote by a famous chess player: "I will play 40 good moves. If my
opponent plays 40 good moves too, we will draw." The problem in this match is
Sergey is the opponent who finds all the good moves too.} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {
Carlsen-Karjakin Round 3, where White got very close to first blood, but later
on couldn't convert.}) 4... Bc5 {Putting the bishop on an active post while
also preparing to exchange the knights with ...Nd4.} 5. c3 ({Magnus has won
many games in the past with} 5. Bxc6 dxc6 {And here White has many moves, but
the latest innovation is} 6. Qe2 {threatening to take Nxe5.} Qe7 (6... Bg4 7.
h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 $14) 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. a3 Nd7 10. b4 Bd6 11. Nc4 f6 12.
Ne3 a5 13. Nf5 {The knight on f5 is very powerful and not easy to dislodge.}
Qf8 14. bxa5 Rxa5 15. O-O Qf7 16. a4 Nc5 (16... O-O $2 17. Bh6 $1 {is a really
nice combination.}) 17. Qe1 b6 18. Nd2 Rxa4 19. Nc4 Bf8 $2 20. Be3 {and White
won easily - Carlsen against a strong GM.}) 5... O-O 6. Bg5 {This is
unexpected, both for the spectators and I assume for Sergey too. Usually White
castles his king first with 6.O-O and then after 6...d6 7.Bg5, when Black no
longer has the option of ...Be7.} (6. Bxc6 {does not win a clean pawn, since
after} bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 {Black will get fast development in return.}) 6... h6 7.
Bh4 Be7 {This is the safe and natural approach. I like this move.} (7... g5 8.
Bg3 d6 9. Nbd2 {is not desirable for Black as with the rook still on h1, White
gets extra attacking options.}) 8. O-O (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxe5 {You think White
has won a pawn? Well...} Nxe4 $1 {No. Black is better.}) 8... d6 9. Nbd2 {
It's a little perplexing in general is Magnus' opening approach, as it's not
very clear here where White's advantage is.} ({Perhaps} 9. Bg3 {with a complex
position for example,} Nh5 ({If} 9... Bd7 {then} 10. h3 {which is a typical
Ruy Lopez subtlety, vacating the h2-square for the bishop to retreat into!} Nh5
11. Bh2 f5 $13) 10. Bxc6 bxc6 (10... Nxg3 11. Bxb7 $1 {Aha! The suicidal
bishop gives up its life so White wins a pawn.} Bxb7 12. hxg3 $16) 11. Nxe5
dxe5 12. Qxh5 Qxd3 13. Qxe5 Re8 {and Black has the bishop pair and some
compensation for the pawn.}) (9. Re1 Nh5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. d4 Nf4 $11) 9... Nh5
10. Bxe7 ({If} 10. Bg3 {Black just grabs the bishop pair:} Nxg3 11. hxg3 Bf6 {
with a happy position.} (11... Nb8 12. d4 c6 13. Bd3 Nd7 14. Nc4 Qc7 {should
also bring a smile to Sergey's face.})) 10... Qxe7 11. Nc4 (11. Bxc6 {to give
Black doubled pawns looks like a good option.} bxc6 12. d4 (12. g3 f5) 12...
Nf4 {But in fact White cannot really exploit it. In fact if anything, the
strong knight on f4 gives Black good chances. For example} 13. Qa4 Rb8 14. b3
Rb6 $17 {when Black seizes a strong initiative. I can already foresee a rook
swing (Rb6-g6) to the kingside later on.}) 11... Nf4 {Simple and strong.} (
11... f5 {is a more complicated way to equality.} 12. Ne3 fxe4 13. dxe4 Kh7 $11
) 12. Ne3 Qf6 (12... f5 {is always an option here, though after} 13. g3 fxe4
14. dxe4 Nh3+ 15. Kg2 {the knight on h3 still has to find a way to escape.})
13. g3 Nh3+ 14. Kh1 {A little too passive.} ({The king would be better placed
on g2.} 14. Kg2 Ne7 15. d4 {gives White a small advantage as he has more space
and seizes control over the center.} Ng6 16. Bd3 {the knight on h3 can be
kicked away later with Ng1.}) 14... Ne7 {Now comes the manoeuvring phase. Both
sides will now try to improve their position. The knight on h3 is very active,
and Black can always exchange it with ...Ng5. I think Black has no problems
here.} 15. Bc4 {Putting the bishop on the right diagonal.} (15. d4 {seems
natural but leads nowhere.} exd4 16. cxd4 c5 $11) 15... c6 (15... b5 {was
being cried out by the spectators online:} 16. Bb3 {But I am not sure where it
leads. Advancing pawns too far can lead to unnecessary weaknesses and as
everyone knows pawns cannot move backwards. In fact White is threatening a2-a4
so perhaps} (16. Bxb5 Rb8) 16... Rb8 {with an around equal position.}) 16. Bb3
Ng6 {Perhaps a small inaccuracy.} ({The knight was just fine on e7, to guard
the d5 and f5-squares. In fact Black has on his agenda an active option here
to try to seize the initiative:} 16... d5 $5 17. exd5 cxd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19.
Bxd5 Rd8 20. Be4 {and now comes The Pin:} Bg4 $1 {and White has to sacrifice
material to get rid of this dangerous pin.}) 17. Qe2 {I always think Magnus
excels in this kind of close to equal positions. So in fact his opening choice
has been quite successful despite its modest appearance. Now even if the
advantage is not much, White has chances to outplay his opponent.} a5 18. a4 {
Fighting for space on the queenside and fixing the pawn on a5. With the black
knights so far away on the kingside, later this a5 pawn will lack protection.}
({Watching the game live, I thought a stronger move was} 18. d4 {based on the
chess principle 'Attack on the flank is best met by a counter-attack in the
center'.} a4 19. Bc2 Ng5 20. Nxg5 hxg5 21. Rad1 {and White is a little better.
But now I like Magnus' choice too, as he wants to dominate the whole board,
and not just the center.}) 18... Be6 19. Bxe6 $5 {When I first saw this move I
thought Magnus had just made a small blunder. I thought that's it, he just
wasted one of his last White games, congrats to Sergey for making an easy draw
and getting one step closer to being a World Champion. However deeper
inspection shows that he is setting a trap!} (19. Nd2 $1 {is definitely the
best move. Black's knights on g6 and h3 look nice, but in fact they're
stepping on each other's toes as neither of them can really put a foot on f4,
while White is ready to consolidate his center with f3.} Bxb3 20. Nxb3 {
and in fact White is already threatening to win a pawn with Nc4, amongst other
threats.} Ng5 21. f3 {White has a much better coordination of pieces than his
opponent's.}) (19. Bc2 Ng5 20. Nxg5 hxg5 21. Rad1 {is possible too, though not
as forceful as 19.Nd2.}) 19... fxe6 20. Nd2 {Now White is threatening to block
the kingside with f3.} d5 ({I thought 19.Bxe6 was a blunder because at first
sight} 20... Nxf2+ {seems to finish the game with a clean draw. But Magnus
still has a final trick up his sleeve which I am sure he will go for.} 21. Kg1
$1 {is the prepared trick. Now White gets two knights for a rook and a couple
of pawns.} (21. Kg2 $2 Nh4+ 22. Kg1 (22. gxh4 $2 Qg6+ {would end the match
right here and right now.}) 22... Nh3+ 23. Kh1 Nf2+ {and a perpetual check is
undesirable for White, as he is trailing in the match.}) 21... Nh3+ 22. Kg2
Nhf4+ 23. gxf4 Nxf4+ 24. Rxf4 exf4 (24... Qxf4 25. Qf3 $1 {gives Black an
unpleasant choice. To trade queens or not to trade? Either way White will be
happy.} Qh4 26. Qg3) 25. Nc2 {In terms of material Black is fine, but with the
position being closed, the White knights get a lot of jumping potential.
Leading the match by one game, Sergey decides to avoid unbalanced positions
like this.} e5 ({Perhaps} 25... b5 {to open some files but then} 26. e5 $1 dxe5
27. Ne1 $5 {with the idea to blockade with the knights on e4 and f3. The
position is totally chaotic.}) 26. Qg4 {and White is preparing to improve his
kingside with h4 or Ne1-f3. At the very least he is not worse and could even
be better.}) 21. Qh5 $5 {Again a very daring try by Magnus. He goes for the
most risky but most rewarding continuation.} (21. f3 $1 {would be my
preference. White is well on his way to consolidation. Knight sacrifices on f4
do not work, while the doubled e-pawns give Black eternal problems.} Rad8 22.
Rae1 {I like White.}) 21... Ng5 {Sergey misses the draw! Just when he is close
to it, he chooses another way.} (21... Nxf2+ 22. Kg2 (22. Kg1 Qg5 {wins a pawn
with an easy tactic.} 23. Qxg5 Nh3+ {Check!} 24. Kg2 Nxg5 $17) 22... Qf7 $1 {
Threatening ...Nf4 check.} 23. Kg1 {White prevents the check, and now Black
has to find:} ({If White retreats with} 23. Qe2 {then} Nh4+ {and it's clear to
see that it leads to a perpetual.} 24. Kg1 (24. gxh4 $2 Qg6+) 24... Nh3+ 25.
Kh1 Nf2+) 23... Qf6 $1 {It's easy to miss this move. Black prepares ...Qg5
followed by ...Nh3 check, so White has nothing better than} 24. Kg2 (24. Ng4
Qg5) 24... Qf7 $11) 22. h4 {Magnus is so happy to be able to torture his
opponent in a long endgame that he just went for it. According to online
sources he spent less than half a minute on this move.} ({I don't blame him at
all for wanting to squeeze the life out of Sergey in the endgame but} 22. Rae1
$1 {preparing Ng4, is even stronger. For example} Nf3 23. Ng4 Qg5 24. Qxg5 hxg5
25. Nxf3 Rxf3 26. Rd1 $16 {You may ask, what is worse than doubled pawns? Well.
.. two sets of doubled pawns.}) 22... Nf3 23. Nxf3 Qxf3+ 24. Qxf3 Rxf3 25. Kg2
{Magnus' daring play starting from 19.Bxe6 has paid off. White has a very
pleasant endgame advantage. The doubled e-pawns are a constant source of
problems. I don't like Black's position.} Rf7 26. Rfe1 {This leaves the
f2-pawn slightly vulnerable. Not that it matters though. White has an
abundance of plans here.} ({I like} 26. Ng4 {forcing h5.} h5 27. Nh2 Nf8 28.
Nf3 {Now White seizes the g5-square too.} Nd7 29. Rae1 {White is well on the
way to converting his advantage.}) 26... h5 (26... Raf8 {can be simply met by}
27. Nd1 (27. Re2 {gives birth to} Nf4+ {ideas.} 28. gxf4 exf4) 27... h5 28. Re2
$14) 27. Nf1 {Finding ideal squares for his pieces is a piece of cake for
Magnus.} Kf8 (27... Raf8 28. Re2 Rf3 29. Rd1 {with the queens off the board
any tries by Black to attack will not be successful. So instead he tries to
improve his king.}) 28. Nd2 Ke7 29. Re2 {Protecting f2. This is a very happy
position. I had no doubt that White would be able to convert this position
barring big blunders. It's got nothing to do with Sergey, Black's structure is
simply bad.} Kd6 30. Nf3 Raf8 31. Ng5 Re7 32. Rae1 Rfe8 33. Nf3 {Besides all
Black's problems, his knight is also a little misplaced on g6.} Nh8 $1 {
Improving the position of the knight. Despite being at a disadvantage, Sergey
hangs tough. The question for White now, is how to convert his advantage?} 34.
d4 {A conversion of advantages. Magnus decides the time is ripe to blast open
the center and endanger the position of the black king.} ({Personally I would
prefer to leave Black with his doubled pawns and choose} 34. b4 axb4 35. cxb4
Nf7 36. a5 {with a clear advantage too, but sooner or later White has to find
a way to break through.}) 34... exd4 35. Nxd4 g6 {Protecting the f5-square.} ({
A lesser wood pusher might go} 35... Nf7 {but then} 36. exd5 cxd5 37. c4 dxc4 {
and the black king is caught in the middle of the crossfire.}) 36. Re3 {
Threatening Rf3. Again White has an abundance of plans here. b2-b4 ideas are
always in the air.} ({I like the subtle} 36. Nb3 $5 b6 37. Nd4 {with the idea
of weakening c6 but perhaps it is too subtle for the most part.}) 36... Nf7 37.
e5+ (37. Rf3 Ne5 38. Rf6 Rf7 {allows Black to defend, no problemo. After the
exchange of his most active rook, White's chances to convert become much
harder.} 39. Rxf7 Nxf7) 37... Kd7 38. Rf3 {Perhaps not the best but it is a
normal move, especially when both players are relatively low in time.} (38. b4
{is more accurate, to prevent ...c5 ideas.}) 38... Nh6 $6 {Sergey also makes a
natural consolidating move. If he can block the f-file with ...Nf5, then all
well and good. However Black has better options here on move 38 though.} (38...
c5 {looks good, to set the queenside pawns into motion. After} 39. Nb3 b6 40.
Nd2 {Black still does not fully solve his problems however.} Nh8 $1 (40... Rg8
41. Rf6 {and the g6-h5 pawn chain will be quite vulnerable.}) 41. c4 (41. Rf6
Rf7 $1 {eliminates White's most active piece!}) 41... Rf7 {the programs show
that Black is fine but it's hard for me to believe with the knight on h8. Also,
it's almost impossible for a human to play ...Nh8 over the board.}) (38... g5
39. hxg5 Nxg5 40. Rf6) ({Or} 38... Rg8 39. Rf6 {but White still looks better
here.}) 39. Rf6 Rg7 40. b4 {Now White is back on track.} (40. c4 $5 {is the
complicated way to try to knock out Black. His king will be vulnerable in the
center even in the endgame.}) 40... axb4 41. cxb4 $16 {Both players have
finished the time trouble stage and now have an extra hour of thinking time.
Compared to a few moves back, White has now managed to increase his advantage
and gain firm control over the position. Black's dark-squares are very
vulnerable and at the same time he has to think of ways to regain control over
the f-file.} Ng8 ({If} 41... Nf5 {White simply retreats his knight to b3 or f3,
and the pressure becomes untenable in conjunction with a power rook on f6.})
42. Rf3 Nh6 43. a5 {Improving his position slowly but surely. Of course White
avoids the repetition of moves!} Nf5 {.} 44. Nb3 Kc7 45. Nc5 $6 {Magnus starts
to drift, probably because he has such a nice position.} ({White could have
sealed the win with} 45. Rc1 {threatening b5. And if} Kb8 46. a6 {if the b7-c6
pawn chain falls then the last of Black's bastions are fallen.} Rc7 47. Rfc3 {
A sample line of how the game can end:} bxa6 48. Rxc6 Rxc6 49. Rxc6 Kb7 50.
Na5+ Ka7 51. Rc7+ Kb8 52. Rf7 $18 {Seventh rank, active pieces, later on
active king, White has all the trumps that he needs. Black's position is
crumbling.}) 45... Kb8 46. Rb1 Ka7 {Now there is no clean finish. However
White is still clearly ahead.} 47. Rd3 Rc7 ({Trying to counter with a punch is
too slow} 47... g5 48. hxg5 Rxg5 {After} 49. b5 $18 {Black cannot defend all
his weaknesses (b7 and e6).}) (47... b6 {can be met simply by} 48. Na4 ({
Or even better:} 48. axb6+ Kxb6 49. Ra3 Ra7 50. Rxa7 Kxa7 51. Kf3 $16 {when
the White king is really fast.})) 48. Ra3 Nd4 49. Rd1 Nf5 50. Kh3 Nh6 51. f3 {
White has improved the position of his king in the past few moves and is now
introducing the possibility of opening up the kingside with g4. Black can do
nothing but sit and wait.} Rf7 52. Rd4 Nf5 53. Rd2 ({I like} 53. Rf4 {but then}
Rh7 $1 {preventing g4, leaves the White rook immobile on f4.}) 53... Rh7 54.
Rb3 Ree7 55. Rdd3 {This is one of Magnus' favorite strategies. He likes to
wait patiently for his opponent to crack while slowly improving his own
position. This worked well for him today.} ({But objectively now is the time
to strike.} 55. b5 $1 cxb5 56. Rxb5 {Black cannot hold on to his b7 and
e6-pawn for long. Perhaps Black can try} Ne3 {but then} 57. Rd3 Nc4 58. f4 {
gives White all the time he needs to improve his position. Black's rooks are
stuck defending pawns, which is never a good sign. Rooks are made for offense,
not defense!}) 55... Rh8 56. Rb1 {Again waiting for the right moment. Just
wait, just wait... Patience is a virtue.} Rhh7 57. b5 $1 {NOW!} cxb5 {.} 58.
Rxb5 {Compared to move 55, the only change is that White's rook is on d3.
Notice the difference? Black does not have Ne3-c4 now and his position
crumbles quickly.} d4 59. Rb6 Rc7 60. Nxe6 Rc3 61. Nf4 Rhc7 62. Nd5 $1 {
Simplification makes White's job easier. The rule of thumb is that when you
are ahead in material you aim for trades and exchanges. Like in soccer, 11
players vs 10 players is harder than 5 players vs 4 players, and a 3 vs 2 game
is a piece of cake. Chess is no different. When you are ahead in material,
exchanges usually mean less complications = cleaner win.} (62. Rxg6 Rxd3 (62...
Rc1 {gives White a choice between five different moves that win.}) 63. Nxd3 Rc3
64. Rf6 Ne3 65. Nf4 {and White's win should be easy. Contrary to appearances
there is never any mate on h1, as White can always free his king with g3-g4.
Meanwhile White is two pawns up.}) 62... Rxd3 63. Nxc7 {Some people didn't
understand it at first, however if you put this position in a super computer
it just gives +- 5.36, meaning White is more than five pawns up in a
mathematical scale.} Kb8 64. Nb5 Kc8 (64... Rxf3 65. a6 {promotes the passed
a-pawn.}) 65. Rxg6 Rxf3 66. Kg2 $1 {Activating the king. From here Magnus does
not give Sergey any chance to escape.} Rb3 67. Nd6+ {Another exchange. Now it
is 6 vs 5.} Nxd6 68. Rxd6 Re3 69. e6 ({Not} 69. Rxd4 $2 Rxe5 70. Ra4 Kd7 {
when the Black king goes over to the kingside and secures the draw. The rook
on a4 has become a mere spectator protecting the a-pawn.}) 69... Kc7 (69... d3
70. Kf2 $18) 70. Rxd4 Rxe6 (70... Re5 $5 71. e7 $5 Rxe7 72. Rd5 {does not
change anything.}) 71. Rd5 $1 {The White rook attacks h5 while at the same
time protecting his a-pawn.} Rh6 72. Kf3 {Sergey could safely have resigned
here, but it does not hurt to make a few more moves. After all its not over
until the king is mated.} Kb8 (72... b6 73. axb6+ Kxb6 74. Kf4 Kc6 75. Rd8 {
White need not even calculate rook and single pawn endings because he can win
the enemy pawn by force.} Kc7 76. Rg8 Kd6 77. Kg5 Rh7 78. Kg6 $18) (72... Kc6
73. Rf5 Kd6 74. g4 hxg4+ 75. Kxg4 $18 {also wins easily.}) 73. Kf4 (73. g4
hxg4+ 74. Kxg4 $18 {easy win.}) 73... Ka7 74. Kg5 Rh8 75. Kf6 {Magnus finally
levels the match! This has been a great game and a great fight by both players.
After choosing a modest line against the Berlin Opening, Magnus slowly
improved his position and kept the game going. Black's knight looked a little
shaky on h3 (perhaps 11...f5!?) and White managed to take advantage of this.
The sequence from move 19-21 seems to me a little strange as Black allowed
doubled-pawns and White gladly went for it and both sides developed
interesting options. Perhaps 21...Ng5 was a crucial mistake as Sergey could
maybe have made a draw with 21...Nxf2. But of course sitting at home, it is
much easier to calculate than it was for the two fighters in New York. Having
played nine long games in two weeks with all the attendant pressure, tension
and drama, most certainly took a toll on both players. A World Championship
match definitely requires levels of extraordinary endurance for anyone.
Looking ahead with the score 5-5 I feel Magnus has good chances now in the
match. He absolutely had to win today and he did. Tomorrow is a rest day, so
both players can relax and prepare new ideas. I'm sure Sergey will try to put
on the pressure in Round 11 and fight for a win with the white pieces (in
Round 9 he got close!) If the match ends with two draws and a tie of 6-6
ensues, both players go to the tiebreaks with a shorter time control. Magnus
may have the edge there although Sergey never fails to impress and surprise
his fans.} 1-0

[Event "Sautron op 16th"]
[Site "Sautron"]
[Date "2016.10.22"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Stany, George Anthony"]
[Black "Koziak, Vitali"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2471"]
[BlackElo "2479"]
[Annotator "Stany,GA"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2016.10.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2019"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.10.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.10.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]
[WhiteClock "0:13:10"]
[BlackClock "0:24:51"]

{This was my game from penaltimate round in Sautron Open.I was 5.5/7 and it
was a must win game for me to play for the title. My opponent is a solid
player who has been maintaining 2480 rating for quite sometime So I was
prepared for a long game.} 1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:01:05]} 5. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:00] This
line is extremely popular these days.} dxc6 {[%emt 0:02:28]} 6. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:05:57]} ({Pertinent:} 6... Qe7 7. h3 O-O 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Qe2
b5 10. Ne3 Nb6 11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. exf5 Nd7 13. Nd2 Bb4 14. c3 Ba5 15. Ne4 b4 16.
O-O Rfd8 17. cxb4 Bxb4 18. Be3 f6 19. Qc2 Nb6 20. a3 Bd6 21. Qxc6 Qd7 22. Qxd7
Rxd7 23. Rfc1 Nd5 24. Bd2 Bf8 25. g3 a5 26. Kf1 a4 27. Ke2 Rb8 28. Rc2 Rb3 29.
Rac1 Rd8 30. Nc3 Nxc3+ 31. Bxc3 Rd5 32. g4 c6 33. Rg1 h6 34. h4 Be7 35. Rg3 Kf7
36. Kd2 {Caruana,F (2787)-Nakamura,H (2793) London 2015 1/2-1/2}) 7. O-O {
[%emt 0:00:51]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:31]} 8. Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Re8 {[%emt 0:01:
01]} 9. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:10:57]} 10. a4 {[%emt 0:04:43]} c5 {
[%emt 0:04:06]} 11. Nfd2 {[%emt 0:10:19]} Nb8 $146 {[%emt 0:04:04]} (11... Nf8
{was played last year in the game Lu,S (2570)-Malakhov,V (2706) China 2015})
12. f4 {[%emt 0:13:21]} (12. Qh5 g6 13. Qh6 Bf8 14. Qg5 Qxg5 15. Bxg5 Nc6 $11)
(12. Nxd6 {Stockfish preferes this} cxd6 13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 Be6 15. Nc4 $14)
12... exf4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 13. Bxf4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bxf4 {[%emt 0:14:54]} 14.
Rxf4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:04:35]} (14... Qg5 $1 {Was better as it
stops Qh5} 15. Qf3 Be6 16. Rf1 Nc6 $11) 15. Qh5 {[%emt 0:02:00]} g6 $6 {
[%emt 0:03:35] Creates weakness on king side} (15... Be6 16. Raf1 (16. Qxc5
Qd4+ 17. Qxd4 Nxd4 $15) 16... Qe7 17. Ne3 {With slight edge for White}) 16. Qh6
{[%emt 0:08:44]} (16. Qxc5 Qd4+ 17. Qxd4 Nxd4 18. Rff1 Nxc2 19. Rac1 Nd4 $11)
16... Qd4+ {[%emt 0:02:02]} 17. Rf2 {[%emt 0:11:56]} (17. Kh1 Qg7 18. Qg5 Nd4
$11) 17... Be6 {[%emt 0:04:46]} 18. Raf1 {[%emt 0:01:26]} Qg7 {[%emt 0:07:11]}
(18... f5 19. Ne3) 19. Qg5 {[%emt 0:01:43]} b6 {[%emt 0:01:15]} 20. Rf6 {
[%emt 0:10:16] Stopping f5 and increasing pressure} Rad8 {[%emt 0:06:20]} 21.
Ne3 {[%emt 0:07:54]} Rd7 {[%emt 0:05:04]} 22. b3 {[%emt 0:02:04] Stopping c4
counterplay forever and Black has run out of plans} h6 {[%emt 0:04:04]} (22...
Nd4 23. Ndc4 Nc6 24. Ne5 Nxe5 25. Qxe5 $16) 23. Qh4 {[%emt 0:05:49]} Kh7 {
[%emt 0:02:23]} 24. Ng4 {[%emt 0:03:21]} Bxg4 {[%emt 0:03:47]} (24... Nd4 25.
Nc4 (25. Rxg6 Qxg6 26. Nf6+ Kh8 27. Nxe8 Qg5 $1 $11) 25... Bxc4 26. bxc4 $16)
25. Qxg4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 26. Qxd7 $1 {[%emt 0:00:07]
Probably my opponent missed this shot} Nxd7 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 27. Rxf7 {[%emt 0:
00:05]} Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 28. Rxg7+ {[%emt 0:00:27]} Kxg7 {[%emt 0:00:02]
First task of getting material advantge is done and now it's time to improve
my pieces again} 29. Nc4 {[%emt 0:03:57]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 30. Kf2 {
[%emt 0:01:40]} Nd4 {[%emt 0:02:21]} 31. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:09] On e3 the knight
supports c2 pawn and threatens to go to d5} Rd8 {[%emt 0:05:11]} 32. Ke1 {
[%emt 0:00:28]} h5 {[%emt 0:00:52]} 33. Kd2 {[%emt 0:00:38]} Rd7 {[%emt 0:00:
38]} 34. Nc4 {[%emt 0:04:39] Vacating e3 square for the king} Re7 {[%emt 0:00:
31]} 35. Rf2 {[%emt 0:01:59]} Rd7 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 36. Ke3 {[%emt 0:01:24]} Re7
{[%emt 0:00:16]} 37. c3 $1 {[%emt 0:01:13]} Nf5+ {[%emt 0:04:20]} (37... Nxb3
38. Rb2 Na5 (38... Na1 39. Rb1 Nc2+ 40. Kd2 {knight trap}) 39. Nxa5 bxa5 40.
Rb5 $18) 38. Kd2 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Nd6 {[%emt 0:01:02]} 39. Ne3 {[%emt 0:04:09]}
(39. Nxd6 {going to rook ending should also win but I prefered to keep the
knight} cxd6 40. Ke3 Re8 41. d4 Re7 42. h4 Re8 43. dxc5 dxc5 44. Rd2 Re7 45.
Rd6 Kf7 46. Kf4) 39... Rd7 {[%emt 0:00:51]} 40. Kc2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf7 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Nc4 {[%emt 0:03:52]} Re7 {[%emt 0:01:48]} 42. b4 $1 {
[%emt 0:03:51] Opening the c-file to create weakness on Black's queen side.}
cxb4 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 43. cxb4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Ng5 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 44. Kd2 {
[%emt 0:05:50] Bringing king towards the centre} (44. Kc3 $2 Rxe4 $11) 44...
Rd7 {[%emt 0:01:34]} 45. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Re7 {[%emt 0:01:09]} 46. Rc2 {
[%emt 0:01:39]} Re6 {[%emt 0:05:07]} 47. Nd2 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Re7 {[%emt 0:00:
30]} 48. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Nf7 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 49. Nd4 {[%emt 0:00:54]} Ne5
{[%emt 0:00:05]} 50. h3 {[%emt 0:06:48]} (50. Rxc7 {is also winning} Rxc7 51.
Ne6+ Kf6 52. Nxc7 Ng4+ 53. Ke2 Nxh2 54. Nb5 $18) 50... Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 51.
Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Nxc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 52. Rxc6 {[%emt 0:00:04] And the
march of e-pawn cannot be stopped} Kg5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 53. d4 {[%emt 0:00:08]}
Rg7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 54. e5 {[%emt 0:01:49]} Kh4 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 55. Ke4 {
[%emt 0:01:11]} Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 56. Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:04] Black resigned.}
1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.03.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2830"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2014.03.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 $5 ({The text
move has become a valid alternative to the more standard} 6... d6 {, actually}
7. Nbd2 Ne7 {was played in the same round! For more details see the notes to
Svidler-Anand, Candidates 2014 in CBM 160.}) 7. Nbd2 (7. Re1 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9.
Bb3 d6 10. Bg5 Be6 11. Nbd2 h6 12. Bh4 Bxb3 13. axb3 Nb8 14. h3 Nbd7 15. Nh2
Qe7 16. Ndf1 Bb6 17. Ne3 Qe6 18. b4 a5 19. bxa5 Bxa5 20. Nhg4 Bb6 21. Bxf6 Nxf6
22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 $11 {Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh Chennai/2013/ For more
details see the notes to this game in CBM 158.}) (7. Qe2 a6 8. Ba4 Bf8 $5 9.
Rd1 b5 10. Bc2 Bb7 (10... d5 $5 $13) 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 d6 13. a4 Nb8 14. Na3 (
14. Nbd2 $142) 14... c6 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 Nbd7 17. e5 Qc7 18. Bg3 c5 $1 $132
19. axb5 cxd4 20. exd6 Bxd6 21. Qc4 Bxg3 22. hxg3 Qxc4 23. Nxc4 Bxf3 24. gxf3
axb5 25. Nd6 Rxa1 26. Rxa1 Re2 $11 {Svidler,P (2747)-Fressinet,L (2706)/Paris/
St Petersburg/2013/}) ({An interesting recent try is} 7. b4 $5 Bb6 (7... Bf8 8.
Bc4 d6 9. Ng5 Re7 10. Qb3 Qe8 11. a4 h6 12. Nf3 Be6 13. Nbd2 Rd8 14. Re1 g6 15.
a5 Bg7 (15... a6 $142 $14) 16. b5 Nb8 17. Ba3 Qd7 18. d4 Bxc4 19. Nxc4 $16 {
Ortiz Suarez,I (2601)-Alvarez Pedraza,A (2482)/Santa Clara/2014/}) 8. Bc4 d6 9.
a4 a6 10. Qb3 Be6 (10... Qe7 11. a5 Ba7 12. Be3 Be6 13. Nbd2 h6 14. Bxa7 Nxa7
15. Rfe1 Rad8 16. Bxe6 Qxe6 17. c4 Nc6 18. b5 Ne7 19. d4 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qd7 21.
Rab1 Ra8 22. Qc3 c6 23. bxc6 bxc6 24. c5 $14 {Kryvoruchko,Y (2696)-Harikrishna,
P (2709)/Bundesliga/2014/}) 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. a5 Ba7 13. Be3 h6 (13... Bxe3
$142 14. fxe3 d5 $132) 14. c4 Bxe3 15. fxe3 Ng4 16. Re1 Ne7 17. Nc3 Ng6 18. h3
Nf6 19. Ra2 c6 20. d4 exd4 21. exd4 Qd7 22. Rf2 $14 {Balogh,C (2632)-Stern,R 
(2513)/Bundesliga/2014/}) 7... a6 (7... Bf8 8. Re1 a6 9. Bxc6 bxc6 (9... dxc6
$142) 10. d4 exd4 11. cxd4 a5 12. b3 d5 $6 (12... Ba6 $132) 13. e5 Nd7 14. Qc2
Ra6 15. Nf1 c5 16. Bg5 Be7 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Rac1 Bb7 19. Ng3 Qf8 20. Nh5 Rc6
21. Qd2 a4 22. Nf4 axb3 23. axb3 $36 {Svetushkin,D (2598)-Georgiev,K (2658)/
Roquetas de Mar/2012/}) 8. Bxc6 {It's more usual to retain the bishop.} ({
Even Karjakin used to play} 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 (9. Bc2 d5 (9... h6 10. h3 d5 11.
Re1 Bf8 12. Nf1 Be6 13. exd5 Bxd5 14. Ng3 Qd6 15. Be3 Nb8 16. d4 exd4 17. Nf5
Qc6 18. N3xd4 Qb7 19. f3 Nbd7 20. Qd2 h5 21. Qf2 c5 22. Ne2 g6 23. Nfg3 Qc7 24.
Bf4 Qc6 25. Nf1 Bg7 $11 {Areshchenko,A (2708)-Leko,P (2737)/Kiev rpd/2013/})
10. exd5 Qxd5 11. Qe2 Bg4 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. dxe4 Qd7 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Na5
16. Bb3 Nxb3 17. axb3 a5 18. h3 Bh5 19. Rfd1 Qe6 20. g4 Bg6 21. Rd5 c6 22. Rxe5
Qxb3 23. Rxa5 Qxb2 $11 {Rozentalis,E (2622)-Lenic,L (2651)/AUT-chT/2014/}) 9...
d6 10. Re1 (10. a4 Rb8 11. axb5 axb5 12. Re1 Bb6 13. Nf1 Ne7 14. Nh4 Bg4 15.
Qc2 Ng6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Be3 Be6 18. Bxe6 Rxe6 19. Bxb6 Rxb6 20. d4 d5 21.
exd5 Qxd5 22. dxe5 Rxe5 23. Rad1 Qe6 $11 {Karjakin,S (2782)-Leko,P (2737)/Kiev
rpd/2013/}) (10. h3 Be6 11. Re1 Bb6 12. Nf1 d5 13. Qe2 Na5 14. Bc2 dxe4 15.
dxe4 Bc4 16. Qd2 Bxf1 17. Rxf1 Qxd2 18. Nxd2 c5 19. Re1 c4 20. Nf3 {Fressinet,
L (2700)-Aronian,L (2815)/Beijing blitz/2012/} h6 $11) 10... Be6 11. Nf1 Bxb3
12. axb3 d5 (12... h6 13. Nh4 d5 14. Qf3 Nxe4 15. dxe4 Qxh4 16. exd5 e4 17. Qg3
Qxg3 18. Nxg3 Ne7 19. Rxe4 f5 20. Re6 Nxd5 21. Raxa6 f4 22. Rxa8 Rxa8 23. Nf1
Ra1 $44 {Polgar,J (2693)-Pashikian,A (2612)/EU-ch Yerevan/2014/}) 13. Qc2 h6
14. Ng3 a5 15. h3 Qd7 16. Be3 Bf8 $5 17. Rad1 Rad8 18. Nf5 Qe6 19. g4 dxe4 20.
dxe4 Ne7 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Ra1 Ra8 23. c4 b4 24. g5 hxg5 25. Nxg5 Qc8 26. Nxe7+
Bxe7 27. Kh2 Ra6 $1 $15 {Radjabov,T (2793)-Aronian,L (2809)/London Candidates/
2013/ For more details see the notes to this game by Szabo in CBM 154.}) 8...
dxc6 (8... bxc6 9. Nxe5 $5 (9. d4 exd4 10. cxd4 Ba7 11. Qc2 a5 $13) 9... Rxe5
10. d4 $14) 9. Nc4 (9. Qc2 Nd7 10. Nc4 Bd6 11. Bg5 f6 12. Be3 Qe7 (12... Nf8
13. d4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Qe7 15. Nf5 Qxe4 16. Qxe4 Rxe4 17. Nfxd6 cxd6 18. Nxd6 Re7
19. Rfe1 Bg4 20. f3 Be6 21. b3 b5 22. Bc5 Rd7 {Van Kampen,R (2601)-Balogh,C 
(2648)/Zuerich/2013/} 23. f4 $14) 13. Nfd2 (13. b4 $5) 13... c5 14. Nxd6 Qxd6
15. Nb3 b6 16. d4 cxd4 17. cxd4 exd4 18. Nxd4 Ne5 19. f3 c5 20. Ne2 Qd3 $36 {
Bok,B (2540)-Hammer,J (2612)/London/2013/}) 9... Nd7 (9... Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11.
Bg5 (11. g4 Nxg4 12. hxg4 Bxg4 $44) 11... h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. Bg3 Nd7 14. Bh2 b5
15. Ne3 Bxe3 16. fxe3 Qe7 17. Qc2 Bg6 18. a4 (18. c4 $142 $1) 18... c5 19. b4
c4 20. dxc4 bxc4 21. Nd2 Qe6 22. Qa2 f6 23. Qxc4 Qxc4 24. Nxc4 Bxe4 $36 {
[%csl Ge4,Rh2] Bok,B (2575)-Matlakov,M (2695)/EU-ch Yerevan/2014/}) 10. b4 (10.
Re1 Bf8 (10... a5 $5) 11. d4 exd4 12. cxd4 Nf6 13. Nce5 Be6 (13... Ng4 14. Nd3
Nf6 $132) (13... Nxe4 $5 14. Rxe4 f6 $13) 14. h3 Nd7 15. Nd3 f6 16. Qc2 Bf7 17.
Bd2 a5 18. b3 Ba3 19. Rad1 Nf8 20. Bc1 Bxc1 21. Nxc1 Qd7 22. Ne2 Bh5 23. Nh4
Qe7 24. f3 Bf7 25. Nc3 $14 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] Alekseev,E (2683)-Godena,M (2526)/
EU Cup Eilat/2012/}) 10... Bd6 (10... Bf8 11. Bg5 f6 12. Be3 Nb8 13. Qc2 Be6
14. Nfd2 Nd7 15. Na5 (15. f4 exf4 16. Bxf4 c5 $132) 15... Qc8 16. Rfb1 Bf7 17.
a3 b6 18. Nab3 a5 19. Nc4 $6 (19. bxa5 bxa5 20. a4 $13) 19... a4 20. Nc1 f5 $5
21. exf5 Nf6 22. Ne2 Qxf5 23. Ng3 Qg6 24. Nd2 Rad8 $15 {Shomoev,A (2565)
-Goganov,A (2562)/Yekaterinburg/2013/}) 11. Qb3 $146 {A novelty, directed
against the consolidating f6. Other moves don't promise White anything
tangible:} (11. Bg5 f6 (11... Be7 12. Be3 Bf6 13. Qc2 Qe7 14. a4 Nf8 15. Nfd2
Ng6 16. Nb3 Bg5 17. Rae1 Bf4 18. f3 Be6 19. Bf2 Rad8 20. Nca5 Bc8 21. Nc5 {
Najer,E (2669)-Balogh,C (2605)/AUT-chT/2009/} Qg5 $1 $13 {/\} 22. Naxb7 Bxb7
23. Nxb7 Rxd3 $1 24. Qxd3 $2 Bxh2+ 25. Kxh2 Nf4 $19) 12. Be3 Nf8 13. Nfd2 (13.
Nh4 g6 14. Nxd6 cxd6 15. Qd2 d5 16. f3 Ne6 $11 {1/2, Palac,M (2571)-Balogh,C 
(2609)/BIH-chT Banja Vrucica/2009/}) 13... Be6 14. Nb3 Qd7 15. Qe2 Ng6 16. Rfd1
Bf8 17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. bxc5 f5 19. f3 Bxc4 20. dxc4 Qe6 $132 {Rublevsky,S (2693)
-Kurnosov,I (2660)/EU Cup Eilat/2012/}) (11. Be3 Nf8 12. Qc2 Ng6 13. a3 Be6 14.
Nxd6 cxd6 15. d4 Nh4 16. Nxh4 Qxh4 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Bb6 Bc4 19. Rfd1 Re6 20.
Be3 Rd8 $11 {[%csl Gc4,Ge3] 1/2, Palac,M (2586)-Petkov,V (2493)/Zagreb/2011/})
11... Nf8 (11... Qe7 12. Bg5 Qe6 13. Be3 $14 {is perhaps slightly better for
White - Black prefer to keep e6 free for his bishop, or knight.}) (11... Qf6
12. Bg5 (12. Re1 Nb6 {Moradiabadi} 13. Na5 Bg4 $5 14. Nxb7 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Re6
$44)) 12. Bg5 Qd7 13. Be3 Ng6 14. Nfd2 (14. Rad1 $142 Qe7 15. h3 Be6 16. Qc2 {
[%cal Yc4a5]} b6 $5 (16... Rad8 17. Na5 Bc8 18. a4 $13 {/+/=}) 17. Nxd6 Qxd6
18. d4 Bc4 19. dxe5 Qe6 20. Rfe1 a5 $1 $132) 14... Bf8 15. d4 {More or less
forced due to White's previous move. While the central advance is one of
White's main ideas in the Exchange Ruy Lopez structures, here it doesn't
promise anything - due to White's b4 Black can more easily get rid of his
doubled c-pawns. Also White's queenside will be vulnerable (the c4-square).} (
15. Qc2 Rd8 $36) 15... Qe7 16. dxe5 {It's difficult for White to
advantageously retain the central tension:} (16. Qc2 exd4 17. cxd4 f5 $1 18.
exf5 Nh4 $15) 16... Be6 17. Qc2 Bxc4 18. Nxc4 Nxe5 19. Nd2 ({White should have
probably preferred to bale out with the simple} 19. Nxe5 $142 Qxe5 20. f3 Bd6 (
20... c5 $11) 21. g3 a5 22. Bd4 {and the position remains roughly equal. From
now on Aronian takes over the initiative.}) 19... a5 $1 20. a3 axb4 21. axb4
Qe6 {[%csl Rc4]} 22. f3 (22. Bd4 $5 Nc4 (22... Nd7 23. f4 c5 24. bxc5 Nxc5 25.
f5 Qc6 26. e5 $132) 23. Nxc4 Qxc4 24. Qd2 c5 $11 {/=/+} (24... Rxa1 25. Rxa1
Rxe4 26. Ra8 Re2 27. Bc5 $1 Qxc5 28. Qxe2 Qxc3 29. g3 Qxb4 30. Rd8 $44 {/+/=}))
22... Nc4 23. Bf4 (23. Bf2 $142 Bd6 24. Rfd1 {and Black is at best only
marginally better.}) 23... c5 (23... b5 $5 $15 {[%cal Yc6c5]} 24. Nb3 Qf6 $36)
24. b5 Nd6 25. Rxa8 ({White didn't have to give up the open file.} 25. Qb2 $142
$5) 25... Rxa8 26. Rb1 b6 $5 ({After} 26... Ra2 27. Rb2 (27. Qb3 Qxb3 28. Rxb3
b6 $15 {[%csl Rb5,Rc3]}) 27... Ra3 {White can consider} 28. b6 $5 {, therefore
Levon prevents this advance.}) 27. e5 $6 {Limits the bishop and further
weakens White's position.} (27. Qd3 $142 $15) 27... Nc4 28. Qe4 (28. Nxc4 Qxc4
29. Bg3 Ra3 $36) 28... Ra4 {[%cal Rc4d2]} 29. Rc1 (29. Nxc4 $2 Rxc4 30. Qe3 Qf5
$19) 29... h6 ({Black could have also played} 29... Nb2 $5 30. c4 Qd7 $36 {
immediately}) 30. h4 ({White doesn't need an airhole immediately,} 30. Bg3 $5
Nb2 31. Qc2 $15 {is more resilient.}) 30... Nb2 $1 31. c4 $8 Qd7 32. Rb1 (32.
Rc2 Nd3 $17) 32... Ra2 {[%cal Yd7d4]} (32... Nd3 $143 33. Be3 {We'll soon see
it's more flexible to keep the knight on b2 for the time being.}) 33. Be3 $6 (
33. Nb3 $142 $5 Nd3 (33... Nd1 34. Rc1 Rb2 35. Rc2 $1 {/\} Rxb3 36. Rd2 $11)
34. Bg3) 33... Na4 $1 {[%cal Ra4c3,Ra2d2]} 34. Rb3 $2 {Now Black's material
advantage will decide the issue.} (34. Re1 $142 Nc3 (34... Rxd2 35. e6 fxe6 36.
Bxd2 Qxd2 37. Qxe6+ Kh8 38. Qe8 Qd4+ 39. Re3 $1 $44) 35. Qg4 (35. e6 Qxe6 36.
Qd3 Qf6 $17) 35... Qd3 36. e6 Ne2+ 37. Kf2 Nd4 38. exf7+ Kxf7 39. Qd7+ Kg8 40.
Qd5+ Kh7 41. Qe4+ Qxe4 42. fxe4 Kg6 $17 {leads to a very unpleasant endgame,
but at least material remains equal for the time being.}) 34... Rxd2 35. Bxd2
Qxd2 36. Rd3 Qc1+ 37. Kh2 Nb2 $1 {Consistent, White's counterattack will be
insufficient.} 38. Rd8 (38. Rd7 Qxc4 39. Rxc7 Qxe4 40. fxe4 g6 $19) 38... Qxc4
39. Qa8 Qxh4+ 40. Kg1 Qe1+ 41. Kh2 Qxe5+ 42. g3 (42. Kh3 Kh7 43. Rxf8 Nd3 $40)
42... Qe2+ 43. Kh3 Nd3 $1 (43... Qe7 44. Re8 Qd6 45. Rd8 {can't save the piece,
so Black proceeds with his own attack.}) 44. Rxf8+ ({A more exciting try was} 
44. Re8 $5 Nf2+ 45. Kh4 Qf1 $1 (45... Qxb5 46. Rxf8+ Kh7 47. g4 Qc4 48. Kh5 $1
g6+ 49. Kh4 Qe6 50. Kg3 Nd3 51. Rh8+ Kg7 52. Qf8+ Kf6 53. Qd8+ Kg7 54. Qf8+ $11
) 46. Rxf8+ Kh7 47. Rh8+ Kg6 48. Qc6+ Kf5 49. g4+ Ke5 50. f4+ (50. Re8+ Kd4 51.
Qd7+ Kc3 52. Re3+ Nd3 $19) (50. Qxc7+ Kd4 51. Qf4+ (51. Qh2 Qe1 $5 (51... Nd3
52. Rd8+ Kc3 $19) 52. Ra8 Ne4+ 53. Kh3 Ng5+ $19) 51... Kc3 52. Qe5+ Kb3 $19)
50... Kxf4 51. Qxc7+ Ke3 52. Qg3+ Kd2 53. Qf4+ Kc2 54. Qf5+ Kc3 55. Qf3+ Kb4 {
and after the checks end, Black wins - e.g.} 56. Ra8 Qd3 $1 $19 {/\} 57. Qxf2
g5+ 58. Kh5 Qh3+) 44... Kh7 45. Re8 Nf2+ 46. Kh4 Qxb5 (46... Qf1 $5 {should
also win}) 47. g4 Qc4 $1 {[]} 48. Qc8 $6 {Simplifies Black's task.} ({After} 
48. Kh5 g6+ 49. Kh4 {Black has} Qd4 $19 {- in the previous note with White's
rook on f8 this move was impossible.}) (48. Rh8+ $142 Kg6 49. Qc6+ Qe6 50. Qxc7
(50. Qxe6+ fxe6 51. Rc8 Nd3 52. Rxc7 b5 $19) 50... Nd3 (50... c4 $5) (50... Qe1
51. Qc6+ f6 52. Qe8+ Qxe8 53. Rxe8 b5 54. Rd8 c4 $19) 51. Rd8 Kh7 $1 $19 {
and Black gradually converts -} 52. Rxd3 Qe1+ {[%cal Re1f1] wins the rook.})
48... Qf4 $19 {[%cal Rf4h2]} 49. Qf5+ (49. Rh8+ Kg6 50. Qf5+ Qxf5 51. gxf5+
Kxf5 $19) 49... Qxf5 50. gxf5 c4 51. Re7 (51. Kg3 Nd3 $19 {[%cal Rc4c1]}) 51...
c5 52. Rxf7 c3 53. f6 Kg6 $1 (53... Kg6 54. Rxg7+ Kxf6 55. Rg1 Nd3 56. Rg2 $8
b5 $19 {[%cal Rb5b3]}) 0-1

[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2014.02.02"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2872"]
[BlackElo "2782"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2014.01.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 ({The last round featured finally featured a
Marshall, after} 3... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9.
exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d3 Bd6 13. Re1 Bf5 14. Qf3 Qh4 15. g3
Qh3 16. Be3 Bxd3 17. Nd2 Qf5 {White came up with a novelty} 18. Bd4 $5 $146 {
, which retained some pressure:} (18. Qxf5 Bxf5 19. Bd4 Rfd8 20. a4 Bf8 21. Ne4
h6 22. h4 Bg6 23. Rad1 Bh5 24. Rc1 Nb4 25. Re3 Nd5 26. Ree1 Nb4 $11 {Ivanchuk,
V (2751)-Aronian,L (2739)/Nice rpd blindfold/2008/}) (18. Rad1 {did not offer
superiority either.} Rfe8 19. Qxf5 Bxf5 20. Bxd5 cxd5 21. Nb3 Be6 22. Bc5 Bc7
23. Nd4 Rac8 24. b4 Bd7 25. Nc2 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Re8 27. Rxe8+ Bxe8 28. Ne3 Bd8
29. Nxd5 Bc6 $11 {Polgar,J (2707)-Leko,P (2753)/Wijk aan Zee/2008/}) 18... Rfe8
19. a4 h6 20. Kg2 Kf8 (20... Bf8 $5) 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. axb5 axb5 23. Qxf5 Bxf5
24. Bxd5 cxd5 25. Ra6 Be7 $6 (25... Be5 $1 $14 {/<=>}) 26. Nf1 b4 27. Ne3 Bd3
28. Ra5 bxc3 29. bxc3 $14 {/+/-,Caruana,F (2782)-Aronian,L (2812)/Zürich/2014/
Black loses a pawn, in the end he didn't make the most of his drawing chances
and went down in the endgame. See the winner's notes in CBM 159.}) 4. d3 {
In Zürich nobody ventured into the Berlin endgame; we'll check out some recent
examples mainly from Wijk 2014:} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 (6. dxe5 Nxb5
7. a4 Nbd4 ({The fighting option is} 7... d6 8. e6 fxe6 9. axb5 Nb4 {is not
without risk after} 10. Ng5 Be7 11. Qh5+ g6 12. Qh6 Bf8 13. Qh3 Qf6 14. Ra4 Nd5
15. Re4 e5 16. Qb3 h6 17. Qxd5 hxg5 18. Rc4 g4 19. Nc3 Rh7 20. f3 Rf7 21. Qe4
Qf5 22. Nd5 c6 23. bxc6 b5 24. Rc3 Be6 {Larin,I (2293)-Grigoryev,V (2498)/corr/
2012/} 25. Qe2 $5 $36) 8. Nxd4 d6 9. exd6 Bxd6 $5 10. Re1+ Be7 11. Nxc6 Qxd1
12. Rxd1 bxc6 13. Be3 Bf5 14. Re1 O-O-O 15. Na3 Rhe8 16. Bxa7 Bxa3 17. Rxe8
Rxe8 18. bxa3 Re4 19. c3 Rxa4 20. Bd4 g6 21. f3 Kd7 $11 {Naiditsch,A (2718)
-Aronian,L (2812)/Wijk aan Zee/2014/}) 6... dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.
h3 ({The tension quickly dissipated after} 9. Rd1+ Ke8 10. Bf4 Ne7 11. h3 Ng6
12. Bh2 Be7 13. Nc3 Bd7 14. Nd4 Nf8 15. Rd2 h5 16. Rad1 Rd8 17. a3 h4 18. Nce2
c5 19. e6 Nxe6 20. Nxe6 Bxe6 21. Bxc7 Rxd2 22. Rxd2 f6 23. Nf4 Kf7 24. Nxe6
Kxe6 $11 {Dominguez Perez,L (2754)-Giri,A (2734)/Wijk aan Zee/2014/}) 9... Bd7
({Another topical and playable alternative is} 9... Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 11. Rd1 (11.
Ne2 Be7 12. Re1 Be6 13. Ned4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bc8 15. Bf4 c5 16. Nb5 Bd8 17. e6
Bxe6 18. Rad1 Ke7 19. Nxc7 Bxc7 20. Bxc7 Rac8 21. Bd6+ {1/2,Fressinet,L (2710)
-Giri,A (2749)/Bundesliga/2014/} Kf6 22. Rd3 h4 $11) (11. Bf4 Be7 12. Rad1 Be6
13. Ng5 Rh6 14. g3 Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Rg6 16. h4 f6 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Bf4 Nxh4 19.
f3 Rd8 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. Kf2 Nf5 22. Rh1 Ng7 23. Nd1 $44 {/=, Naiditsch,A 
(2718)-So,W (2719)/Wijk aan Zee/2014/}) 11... Be7 12. Ne2 Nh4 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14.
Bf4 Be7 15. Nd4 g5 16. Bh2 Rh6 17. e6 Bxe6 18. Bxc7 Rc8 19. Nxe6 Rxe6 20. Ba5
Bf6 21. Rab1 b6 22. Be1 Rd8 $11 {Harikrishna,P (2706)-So,W (2719)/Wijk aan Zee/
2014/}) 10. Rd1 Kc8 11. g4 Ne7 12. Ng5 Be8 13. f4 b6 (13... h5 14. Kf2 b6 15.
f5 Kb7 16. c4 $146 (16. Nc3 hxg4 17. hxg4 Rh2+ 18. Kg3 Rxc2 19. Nh7 c5 $1 20.
Nxf8 Bc6 $44 {Caruana,F (2796)-Adams,M (2740)/Dortmund/2013/} 21. Bg5 $1 Rg2+
22. Kf4 Rf2+ 23. Kg3 $11 {See the notes to this game by Adams in CBM 156.})
16... c5 17. Bf4 Nc6 18. Nc3 g6 $1 19. e6 fxe6 20. Nxe6 hxg4 21. Nxc7 Bh6 $1
22. Bxh6 Kxc7 23. Bf4+ Kb7 24. hxg4 gxf5 25. g5 Rh4 26. Ne2 Bh5 27. Rh1 Rxh1
28. Rxh1 Bxe2 29. Kxe2 Nd4+ 30. Kd3 Ne6 31. Rf1 Rd8+ 32. Kc3 Rg8 $11 {Giri,A 
(2737)-Nakamura,H (2772)/Elancourt/2013/}) 14. f5 $5 (14. Nc3 c5 (14... h5 15.
Kg2 c5 $13) 15. Kf2 h6 16. Nf3 g6 17. Be3 Bc6 18. a4 Kb7 19. a5 Re8 20. Nd2 Nd5
21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. Nf3 Be6 23. Rd3 Be7 24. Rad1 h5 25. Kg3 hxg4 26. hxg4 Rh7 27.
R3d2 Kc6 28. axb6 cxb6 29. Rh2 Rxh2 30. Nxh2 a5 $36 {[%csl Ga5,Gb6,Gc5,Ge6,Ge7]
Sutovsky,E (2700)-Harikrishna,P (2669)/WChT Ningbo/2011/}) 14... c5 (14... h5
15. Kg2 c5 16. Nc3 g6 17. f6 Nc6 18. Nf3 Nb4 19. Bf4 $1 Nxc2 20. Rac1 Nb4 21.
a3 Nc6 22. Ne4 $44 Bd7 23. Neg5 hxg4 $2 (23... Nd8 $142 24. Rxd7 $1 Kxd7 25.
e6+ fxe6 26. Ne5+ $36) 24. hxg4 Bxg4 25. Nxf7 Rh5 26. Kg3 Bf5 27. N7g5 Bh6 28.
e6 {Dominguez - Nakamura, Wijk aan Zee 2014.} Bxg5 29. Nxg5 Rxg5+ 30. Bxg5 Bxe6
{Dominguez Perez,L (2754)-Nakamura,H (2789)/Wijk aan Zee/2014/} 31. b4 $16) 15.
Nd2 (15. e6 $5) 15... h6 16. Ngf3 Bc6 17. Kf2 Kb7 18. b3 g6 19. f6 Nd5 20. Bb2
Nb4 21. Rdc1 a5 22. a3 Nd5 23. Kg3 g5 24. a4 Nb4 25. Nc4 Be4 26. Ne3 c4 $5 27.
bxc4 Rd8 $44 {/=/+,Caruana,F (2779)-Nakamura,H (2783)/ECC Rhodes/2013/
Nakamura was probably worried about some improvement right from the start, as
against Dominguez he was the first to deviate.}) 4... Bc5 {I have already
mentioned in the notes to Navara-Caruana,ECC 2013 (CBM 157) and Anand-Carlsen,
WCh 2013 (CBM 158), that this active developing move is all the rage nowadays.}
({However, even the modest} 4... d6 {is playable and retains some top level
fans:} 5. O-O Be7 6. h3 O-O 7. c4 a6 8. Ba4 Nd7 9. Nc3 Nc5 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. d4
exd4 12. Nxd4 Bd7 13. Be3 Bf6 14. Re1 Re8 15. Qc2 Qe7 ({The traditional way to
deploy the queen in these positions is} 15... Qb8 $5 $132 {[%cal Yb8b4,Ya6a4]})
16. Rad1 g6 17. Bc1 Ne6 $6 (17... a5 $142 $11) 18. Nf3 $1 {[%csl Re7][%cal
Ye4e5]} Bg7 19. b3 Qf8 20. Ba3 $1 Rad8 21. e5 c5 22. Nd5 dxe5 23. Nxe5 Nd4 24.
Rxd4 Rxe5 25. Rxe5 Bxe5 26. Rd1 Bc6 {Sjugirov,S (2641)-Jakovenko,D (2721)/
Khanty-Mansiysk/2013/} 27. Qe4 Bg7 28. Qe3 $1 $16 {[%csl Rc5]}) 5. Bxc6 {
This swap changes the character of the position and is also very topical.} (5.
Nc3 {is too weak:} O-O (5... d6 6. Na4 Bb6 7. Nxb6 axb6 8. c3 Bd7 9. Ba4 Ne7
10. Bc2 Ng6 $11 {was Anand's choice in his game against Carlsen, London 2012.
For more details see the notes by Postny in CBM 152.}) 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Bg5 Qd6
8. Qd2 a5 9. h3 Re8 10. Nh4 a4 11. a3 b5 12. O-O Nh5 13. Ne2 Bb6 14. g4 h6 15.
Be3 Nf4 16. Nxf4 exf4 17. Bxf4 Qf6 18. Nf5 Qxb2 19. Kh2 h5 $13 {/=/+,Motylev,A
(2676)-Kramnik,V (2796)/RUS-ch Nizhny Novgorod/2013/}) (5. c3 {was featured in
the recent title match:} O-O 6. O-O Re8 $5 ({A welcome change to the standard} 
6... d6 {, where the struggle strongly resmebles the Giuoco Piano:} 7. h3 (7.
Nbd2 Bb6 8. h3 (8. Nc4 Ne7 9. Nxb6 axb6 $132) 8... Ne7 {is similar and often
only transposes.}) 7... Ne7 8. d4 Bb6 9. Re1 (9. Nbd2 exd4 $5 (9... c6 10. Bd3
Ng6 11. Re1 h6 12. a4 Re8 13. Bf1 d5 $5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. exd5 Nxf3+ 16. Nxf3
Rxe1 17. Nxe1 Nxd5 18. Qf3 Be6 19. Nd3 a5 20. Bd2 Qh4 21. b3 Rd8 $11 {
Movsesian,S (2699)-Alekseev,E (2683)/St Petersburg rpd/2012/}) 10. cxd4 d5 11.
e5 Ne4 12. Bd3 Bf5 13. Qe2 Nc6 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Bxe4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Bxe4 17.
Qxe4 Qxd4 $11 {/=/+,Areshchenko,A (2709)-Kramnik,V (2784)/WCup/2013/}) 9... Ng6
(9... d5 $5 10. Nxe5 Nxe4 11. Nd2 Nd6 12. Bf1 c6 13. b3 Re8 14. a4 Ng6 15. Nxg6
Rxe1 16. Qxe1 hxg6 17. Ba3 a5 18. Qe3 Be6 19. Re1 Bc7 20. Bd3 Bf5 21. Nf3 Bxd3
22. Qxd3 Ne4 23. Nd2 Nxd2 24. Qxd2 Bd6 25. Bxd6 Qxd6 26. g3 Qd7 27. Kg2 Re8 $11
{Karjakin,S (2756)-Le Quang,L (2703)/Beijing rpd/2013/}) 10. Bd3 (10. Nbd2 d5
$5 $11) 10... Re8 11. Qc2 c6 12. Be3 h6 13. Nbd2 Nh7 14. Bf1 Ng5 15. Rad1 Qf6
16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Bxb6 axb6 19. Nc4 b5 20. Nd6 Rd8 21. Nxc8 Raxc8
22. Be2 Ra8 $11 {Areshchenko,A (2720)-L'Ami,E (2648)/WChT Antalya/2013/}) 7.
Re1 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 (9. Bc2 d5 $1 $11 {is one of the main ponts behind 6...
Re8!?}) 9... d6 10. Bg5 $5 ({I have already quoted almost all the relevant
examples with} 10. Nbd2 Bb6 ({or} 10... Be6 {in the notes to Anand-Carlsen.}))
10... Be6 11. Nbd2 (11. Bxe6 $142 $1 fxe6 12. b4 (12. d4 $5) 12... Bb6 13. a4
$14) 11... h6 12. Bh4 Bxb3 13. axb3 Nb8 $5 14. h3 Nbd7 15. Nh2 Qe7 16. Ndf1 Bb6
17. Ne3 Qe6 18. b4 a5 $1 19. bxa5 Bxa5 20. Nhg4 Bb6 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Nxf6+
Qxf6 $11 {Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh Chennai/2013/ - see the notes in
CBM 158 for more details.}) ({After} 5. O-O {White must reckon with} Nd4 $5 (
5... d6 6. c3 O-O {transposes to 5.c3 and was already mentioned above.}) 6.
Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Nd2 c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10. Nf3 d5 $5 ({Black has no serious
problems even after the more restrained} 10... d6 11. h3 h6 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Kh1
d5 14. Qe2 dxe4 15. dxe4 Nh5 16. Nh2 Qh4 17. Qf3 {Kamsky,G (2723)-Kramnik,V 
(2788)/Moscow blitz/2008/} Be6 $11) 11. Nxe5 dxe4 12. d4 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14.
Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Bb3 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Nc4 b5 18. Be3 bxc4 19. Bxc5 Rd5 20.
Bd4 e5 21. Be3 Rd3 22. Rfe1 h6 $11 {Perunovic,M (2613)-Andreikin,D (2710)/
EU-chT Warsaw/2013/ Black's active pieces balance the split pawns.}) 5... dxc6
6. h3 {This has become White's main try after Chennai.} (6. Nbd2 Bg4 $5 ({
A reliable antidote, but Black may possibly go for the more complex} 6... O-O
7. O-O Re8 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. a4 f6 $5 {as well:} 10. Bd2 Nf8 11. Nh4 (11. b4 $142)
11... Ne6 12. Nf5 Bf8 13. Kh1 c5 14. f4 exf4 15. Bxf4 Nxf4 16. Rxf4 Be6 17. b3
a6 18. a5 b5 19. axb6 cxb6 20. Nce3 g6 21. Ng3 Bh6 22. Rf3 b5 $132 {/=/+,
Michalik,P (2529)-Lysyj,I (2656)/EU-ch Plovdiv/2012/}) 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nc4 $5 (8.
Nf1 Nd7 9. Ng3 Bxf3 $1 10. Qxf3 g6 11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O 13. Ne2 Rhe8 14.
Kb1 b6 15. h4 Kb7 16. h5 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc5 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. g3 a5 20. Rh7 Rh8
21. Rdh1 Rxh7 22. Rxh7 Qf6 23. f4 Rh8 24. Rxh8 Qxh8 25. fxe5 Qxe5 26. Qf3 f5
$11 {Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh Chennai/2013/}) 8... Nd7 9. Be3 f6 10.
Qd2 Qe7 ({A simpler and more consistent way is} 10... Bxf3 11. gxf3 Qe7 $11)
11. Nh4 $5 O-O-O 12. Nf5 Qf8 13. O-O Bf7 14. b3 g6 15. Ng3 h5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17.
Qe3 Kb8 18. f4 Bxc4 19. bxc4 Qd6 20. Ne2 Rhf8 $132 {Sjugirov,S (2641)-Maletin,
P (2598)/Khanty-Mansiysk/2013/}) (6. b3 Bg4 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. Bb2 f6 9. Nf1 (9. h3
Bxf3 10. Nxf3 Qe7 11. a3 O-O-O 12. b4 Bd6 13. c3 Nf8 14. Qa4 Kb8 15. O-O-O Ne6
16. Qc2 c5 17. Nd2 c6 18. Nc4 {1/2,Trent,L (2433)-Parker,J (2531)/England/2012/
} Bc7 $15) 9... Nf8 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Ne6 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. h4 a5 14. a4 O-O
15. h5 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 c5 17. Qh3 Qc6 $11 18. O-O Nf4 19. Qh2 Qe8 20. h6 g5 21.
g3 Ne6 22. f4 $5 gxf4 23. gxf4 Nxf4 24. Rxf4 exf4 25. Kf2 $44 {/=,McShane,L 
(2671)-Kramnik,V (2800)/London/2011/}) (6. O-O {may be somewhat premature.
White has committed his king and in some cases opposite-side castling can be
advantageous for Black. An illustrative example is} Bd6 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. Nc4 Nd7
9. h3 Bh5 10. g4 $6 (10. Ne3 $11 {/\} Qf6 11. Nf5) 10... Bg6 11. Kg2 Qe7 12.
Ne3 O-O-O 13. Nd2 h5 14. Nf5 Qf6 15. Nf3 hxg4 16. hxg4 Rdg8 17. Rh1 Bxf5 18.
Bg5 Qe6 19. exf5 Qe8 20. Rxh8 Rxh8 21. Qe2 f6 22. Bd2 Qg8 $1 23. Qe1 g6 24.
fxg6 Nc5 $1 $40 {[%cal Rg8g6] Karjakin,S (2756)-Leko,P (2730)/Beijing rpd/2013/
} (24... Qxg6 25. Qe4 $11)) 6... Nd7 {Black also doesn't show his hand with
his king.} (6... Be6 7. Qe2 ({A novel idea is} 7. Nc3 $5 $146 Qd6 8. O-O O-O-O
(8... a5 $5 $132) 9. a3 Nh5 $6 {Black's ultra-sharp reaction is maybe not
ideal, after} 10. Na4 $1 Bb6 11. Nxb6+ axb6 12. a4 $5 f6 13. Be3 Nf4 14. a5 b5
15. Bxf4 (15. d4 $6 Nxh3+ $1 16. gxh3 Bxh3 17. dxe5 Qe6 18. Nd2 Bxf1 19. Qxf1
Qxe5 20. c3 Kb8 21. a6 b6 22. Qg2 Rd6 23. Nf1 f5 $1 $36 {Anand,V (2773)
-Nakamura,H (2789)/Zuerich/2014/}) 15... exf4 16. Re1 $14 {[%cal Ye4e5] Here
Black's king is more exposed, than White's.}) 7... Nd7 8. Be3 f6 ({Black
doesn't want to part with his bishop immediately after} 8... Bd6 9. Ng5 $14) (
8... Qe7 9. Bxc5 Qxc5 10. Nc3 Qd6 11. O-O-O c5 12. Nh4 O-O-O 13. Nf5 Bxf5 14.
exf5 Nf6 15. Rhe1 Rhe8 16. Qf3 Qd4 17. g4 h6 18. a3 a6 $6 (18... Qf4+ 19. Qxf4
exf4 20. Ne2 h5 $132 {Postny}) 19. Re3 Re7 20. Kb1 Nd5 21. Nxd5 Qxd5 22. Qxd5
Rxd5 23. Rde1 f6 24. f4 Kd7 25. c3 b5 26. Kc2 $36 {Morozevich,A (2748)-Caruana,
F (2786)/Tashkent 2012/ See the notes by Postny in CBM 152 for more details.})
9. Bxc5 Nxc5 10. Qe3 Qe7 11. Nc3 O-O-O 12. O-O-O Kb8 13. d4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Nd7
15. f4 Nb6 16. Nxe6 Qxe6 17. Qc5 Rd6 18. b3 Rhd8 19. Qh5 h6 20. Qg4 Qe7 {
White has the better pawn structure, but he has no obvious way to make
progress. The simplifying} 21. Rxd6 cxd6 22. Rd1 {allowed Black to force a
draw with} d5 $1 23. exd5 Qa3+ 24. Kb1 Nc4 25. bxc4 Qb4+ $11 {Nakamura,H (2772)
-Fressinet,L (2708)/Elancourt/2013/}) ({However, Black can also refrain from
any speculations and play the simple} 6... O-O 7. O-O Re8 8. Nbd2 Nd7 9. Nc4 f6
10. Nh4 $5 (10. Be3 Bf8 11. Qd2 Nc5 12. Qc3 Ne6 13. b4 b6 14. a4 c5 15. bxc5
Bxc5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. a5 Be6 18. Ne3 Qd7 19. Qa3 Rad8 20. axb6 axb6 $11 {
Antoniewski,R (2559)-Balogh,C (2665)/AUT-chT/2012/}) 10... Nf8 11. Be3 Bb6 12.
a4 Be6 13. a5 Bd4 14. Bxd4 Qxd4 15. b3 (15. Ne3 $1 $13 {retains more tension
in the position}) 15... Ng6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Qe2 Bxc4 18. bxc4 g5 19. Rfb1 b5
$1 20. cxb5 cxb5 $11 {/=/+,Caruana,F (2774)-Anand,V (2786)/Moscow blitz/2013/})
7. Be3 (7. Nbd2 {is too weak:} O-O 8. Nf1 (8. O-O Re8 {transposes to the line
from the previous note}) 8... Re8 9. Be3 Bd6 10. Ng3 Nf8 11. Qd2 c5 12. O-O Ne6
13. Nf5 Nd4 14. Bxd4 cxd4 15. Nxd6 cxd6 16. c3 dxc3 17. Qxc3 Qf6 18. d4 exd4
19. Qd3 b6 20. Rfe1 Bb7 21. Nxd4 d5 22. exd5 Bxd5 $11 {/=/+,Solak,D (2583)
-Sargissian,G (2678)/EU-chT Novi Sad/ 2009/}) 7... Bd6 (7... Bxe3 8. fxe3 $13 {
/+/= is not a direct mistake, but given a choice, Black would nevertheless
prefer to retain both his bishops.}) 8. Nc3 $146 {A novelty, but hardly an
impressive one - this game certainly wasn't decided by opening preparation.} (
8. Nbd2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. c3 $5 (10. Nc4 Nf8 11. d4 exd4 12. Qxd4 c5 13. Qd3
b6 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Qxd6 cxd6 16. Rfd1 Bb7 17. Rxd6 Bxe4 18. Ne1 Rad8 19. Rad1
Ne6 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rxd8+ Nxd8 $11 {Anand,V (2773)-Carlsen,M (2872)/Zuerich/
2014/ This colourless draw was played on the following day, it seems the
players had an unwritten non-aggression pact.}) 10... Nf8 (10... c5 $5 $11) 11.
d4 Ng6 12. Qc2 exd4 13. cxd4 Bf4 14. Rfe1 Qf6 15. Nf1 Be6 16. Ng3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3
Nf4 18. a3 a5 19. Qd2 Qh6 20. Rc1 $14 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] /<=>,Inarkiev,E (2671)
-Aronian,L (2783)/Mainz rpd/2010/ White is somewhat better due to his pawn
centre, but Black's defences are still solid.}) 8... c5 9. O-O ({White could
have played} 9. Nd2 {immediately, but Carlsen doesn't speculate with his king
placement anymore. If necessary, Black can follow suit and prepare 0-0, or
0-0-0 in accordance with White's choice.}) 9... Nf8 10. Nd2 Ng6 (10... Ne6 11.
Nc4 O-O 12. a4 $11 {/+/= is perhaps a tad better for White. Caruana sensibly
keeps e6 free for his bishop.}) 11. Nc4 Be6 12. Ne2 Qd7 (12... Bxc4 13. dxc4
$14 {[%csl Rd6,Ge3]}) ({However, Black had no serious reason to hesitate with} 
12... O-O $1 {/\} 13. Nxd6 cxd6 14. f4 f5 $5 $11) 13. Nxd6+ {Radically
counters any ideas as Bxh3 (Anand-Nakamura!), or Nh4xg2.} cxd6 14. f4 exf4 ({
With the king still on e8} 14... f5 $6 15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. d4 $1 {is definitely
risky:} Nc4 17. Bc1 fxe4 18. b3 Nb6 19. Ng3 $36) 15. Nxf4 Nxf4 16. Rxf4 b6 $6 {
[%cal Yd6d5] This is really toying with fire.} ({There was still nothing
really wrong with} 16... O-O {, the direct attack} 17. Qh5 f6 {[%cal Yd7f7]} (
17... f5 $5 {is also a plausible alternative}) 18. Rh4 $2 g5 {leads nowhere
and otherwise White has only a very slight and almost surely temporary pull.})
17. Qh5 d5 {A natural follow-up to the previous move.} (17... O-O 18. Rh4 h6
19. Rf1 $1 {[%cal Re3h6]} (19. Bxh6 $2 gxh6 20. Qxh6 f6 {doesn't give White
anything concrete and his compensation for the piece is somewhat vague.}) 19...
f6 $8 20. Qg6 Qf7 21. Rxh6 Qxg6 22. Rxg6 $14 {/+/-}) ({Black's king is more
exposed after} 17... O-O-O 18. a4 $14 {[%csl Rc8]}) 18. d4 $1 {[%csl Re8]} c4
19. b3 {Black now can't afford to open the position, while Magnus wants to
blast apart the centre. However, White had also other moves:} (19. Raf1 $14 {or
}) (19. e5 $5 {[%csl Rf7] both give White an edge.}) 19... Qc6 {Again risky.
Caruana insists on castling queenside, but this is risky.} ({Houdini insists on
} 19... Rc8 $1 {and this indeed seems better. After} 20. e5 cxb3 21. cxb3 O-O
22. Raf1 (22. Rh4 Bf5) 22... Qb5 $11 {[%cal Yb5d3] Black can defend his
kingside from d3.}) 20. Raf1 O-O-O 21. bxc4 $5 (21. e5 {[%cal Ye3c1,Yc1a3,
Ya3d6,Gf1f7] also gives White nagging pressure, but Carlsen is already more
ambitious and envisages a positional exchange sacrifice to further his attack.}
) 21... Qxc4 22. Rxf7 $1 {[%mdl 640]} Bxf7 ({Black could have considered} 22...
g6 $5 {, but after} 23. Qh6 $1 (23. Qe5 Bxf7 24. Rxf7 Rhe8 25. Qg7 Qc6 26. e5
Rd7 $11) 23... Bxf7 24. Rxf7 dxe4 (24... Qc6 25. c4 $1 {/\} dxc4 26. d5 $16 {->
}) 25. Qg7 (25. Rxa7 Rhf8 26. Qxh7 $36 {leads to the same position}) 25... Rhg8
26. Qxh7 Rgf8 27. Rxa7 $36 {he still faces a difficult defence.}) 23. Rxf7 Rd7
$8 {[%cal Gd7f7] Black must fight back on the 7th rank.} (23... dxe4 $2 24.
Qf5+ Kb8 25. Qe5+ Ka8 26. Qxe4+ Qd5 27. Qe7 $18) (23... g6 24. Qg4+ (24. Qh6 {
-22...g6!?}) 24... Kb8 25. Qg5 {[%cal Rg5e7]} Ka8 26. Qe7 Qa6 27. Bg5 {/\} Rhe8
28. Qc7 Rc8 29. Qd7 $18) 24. Rxd7 Kxd7 25. exd5 g6 ({The engine prefers} 25...
Rd8 26. Qxh7 Kc8 27. Qxg7 Rd7 {for a while, but gradually the evaluation of
Black's chances decreases - the kingside passed pawns are dangerous after} 28.
Qg8+ Kb7 29. Qe6 Rxd5 30. h4 $14 {/+/-}) 26. Qg4+ Kc7 27. Qe6 Kb7 28. Qe7+ $6 {
Gives Black some respite.} (28. Qf6 $142 $1 {/\d6 I don't see any perpetual
after} Qe2 29. Qxh8 Qxe3+ 30. Kf1 (30. Kh2 Qf4+) 30... Qc1+ 31. Kf2 Qf4+ (31...
Qxc2+ 32. Kg3 Qc3+ 33. Kf4 $16) 32. Ke2 Qe4+ 33. Kd1 $16) 28... Qc7 29. Qe4 {
[%csl Gc2,Gd4,Gd5] The material is equal, but White with his strong central
pawns holds the initiative. However, now Black's rook joins the fray and he
can fight back.} Qd7 (29... Rd8 $142 $1 30. Bg5 (30. d6+ $2 Qc6) 30... Rd7 31.
Bf4 Qc4 32. d6+ Ka6 $14 {with drawing chances.}) 30. d6+ (30. c4 $143 $6 Re8
31. Qf3 Qf5 $132 {/=/+}) 30... Ka6 (30... Qc6 $2 31. Qe7+ Kc8 32. Bf4 $40 {/\}
Qd7 33. Qe4 Kb8 34. c4 Rc8 35. c5 $1 bxc5 36. dxc5 Rxc5 37. Qe8+ $1 $18) 31.
Bf4 Rc8 32. Kh2 $6 ({Useful prophylaxis, but White had the more direct} 32.
Qe2+ $142 $1 Kb7 (32... Qb5 $2 33. Qe7 Qb1+ 34. Kh2 Qf1 35. Bg5 Rxc2 36. Qe4
Re2 37. Qc6 $18 {[%cal Rd6d8] , ako aj}) (32... b5 $2 33. a4 $40) 33. c4) 32...
Rc4 $2 {Blockade was necessary, but the rook is misplaced here, as Qe7 becomes
an issue.} (32... g5 33. Bg3 b5 $14 {or the immediate}) (32... b5 $5 {makes it
more difficult for White to convert his advantage.}) 33. Bg3 {Carlsen is in no
hurry and spurns such tempting alternatives as} (33. Qe2 $5 b5 34. Qe7 $16) ({
or} 33. Qe7 Qxe7 34. dxe7 Rc8 35. Bc7 $36) 33... Rc8 $6 {Losing tempi is more
than Black's position can stand.} ({A more resilient try was} 33... b5 {
, although} 34. a4 $5 (34. Qe7 Qxe7 35. dxe7 Rc8 36. Bc7 Rg8 $5 $14 {might not
be enough}) 34... bxa4 35. Qe2 Kb5 36. d5 {[%cal Re2e6]} a3 37. Qd3 a2 38. Qb3+
Kc5 39. Qxa2 Kxd5 40. Qb3 $16 {/+- is probably winning anyway. Black's king is
permanently exposed and his pieces are not coordinated well enough to prevent
either a decisive attack, or an advance of the c-pawn.}) 34. Qd3+ Kb7 (34...
Qb5 $2 35. Bh4 $1 $18 {[%cal Rd6d8]}) 35. c4 $18 {-> Once all the pawns join
in, Black is facing an uphill fight.} Qc6 36. Qb3 {Now he has got in c4, White
doesn't force the issue before the time control.} (36. c5 $5 {/\} bxc5 37. dxc5
Qxc5 38. Qe2 $1 $40) 36... Ka8 (36... Qxc4 $2 37. d7 $18) (36... Qe4 37. a4 $5
{[%cal Ra4a5,Rc4c5] /\} Qxd4 38. Qf3+ Ka6 (38... Rc6 39. a5 $1 {[%cal Ra5a6]}
bxa5 40. Qf7+ Ka6 41. Qe8 $18) 39. Qe2 Ka5 40. Qe7 $18) 37. a4 $1 Re8 38. a5
Kb7 (38... bxa5 39. d5 (39. c5 $18 {[%cal Yb3c4,Yd4d5]}) 39... Qb7 (39... Qc5
40. Qa4 Rd8 41. Qc6+ $18) (39... Qb6 40. Qxb6 axb6 41. Bh4 $18) 40. Qxb7+ Kxb7
41. d7 Rd8 42. c5 $18 {[%csl Gc5,Gd5,Gd7]}) 39. c5 {White already had more
than one way to win.} (39. d5 $5 Qc5 40. a6+ $1 Kc8 41. Qf3 Qxc4 42. Qf7 Re2
43. Qg8+ Kd7 44. Qxh7+ Ke8 45. d7+ Kd8 46. Bh4+ $18) 39... Kc8 40. axb6 axb6
41. d5 $1 {Move 40 has passed and Carlsen calmly finds and calculates the most
convincing win.} Qxc5 42. Qa4 Re3 43. Qa8+ Kd7 44. Qb7+ Ke8 45. d7+ Kd8 46.
Bh4+ Re7 47. Qc8+ $1 {Now White wins a whole rook.} (47. Bxe7+ $2 Kxe7 48. Qc8
Qd6+ $11 {was still a way to spoil the game.}) 1-0

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Anand +3-0=7"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2870"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2013.11.09"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 158"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.01.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.01.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 32]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 (3... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3
O-O 7. d3 b5 8. Bb3 d6 9. Bg5 $5 {The reason why we are quoting the following
2 games will soon become clear...} h6 10. Bh4 Be6 (10... g5 11. Bg3 Bg4 12.
Nbd2 Nh5 13. Re1 (13. Bd5 Qd7 14. Bxc6 Qxc6 15. Nxe5 $5 Bxd1 16. Nxc6 Be2 17.
d4 Bxf1 18. Nxf1 $44) 13... Nxg3 14. hxg3 Ne7 $6 (14... Qf6 15. Nf1 Ne7 $13)
15. Nf1 Ng6 16. d4 Bb6 17. Ne3 Bxf3 $2 (17... Bd7 $142 $1) 18. gxf3 (18. Qxf3
$1 exd4 19. Qh5 $40) 18... exd4 19. cxd4 Qf6 20. Ng4 Qg7 (20... Qxd4 $142 21.
Qxd4 Bxd4 22. Nxh6+ Kh7 23. Nxf7 Bf6 $14) 21. e5 $36 {Carlsen,M (2714)-Shirov,
A (2739)/WCh blitz Moscow/2007/}) 11. Nbd2 g5 (11... Bxb3 12. axb3 Nb8 $6 (
12... Re8 $142 {leads to Spraggett-Fedorchuk, all this after} 13. Re1 {
tranposes to the position from our game.}) 13. d4 $16) 12. Bg3 Bb6 13. Re1 Nd7
14. Nf1 Qf6 15. Ne3 Bxe3 16. Rxe3 Ne7 17. Bc2 Ng6 18. d4 Nb6 19. b3 h5 20. h3
h4 21. Bh2 g4 22. hxg4 Bxg4 23. Qd2 Kg7 24. Rf1 Rh8 25. Ne1 c5 26. f3 Be6 27.
f4 exf4 28. Ref3 $1 $40 {Carlsen,M (2813)-Ponomariov,R (2737)/Nice blindfold
rpd/2010/}) 4. d3 {A popular and legitimate attempt to retain the tension and
avoid quick simplification. Although this line had already appeared in a few
of their previous encounters, Anand spurns the surprise factor and after Game
4 is unwilling to enter the complex Berlin endgame (or queenless middlegame?)
with} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 (5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4
Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. c3 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. Bf4 d5 14. Bd3 g6 15. Nd2 Ng7 16.
Qe2 c6 17. Re1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Nf3 Ng7 20. Be5 Ne6 $11 {Carlsen,M (2870)
-Anand,V (2775)/WCh Chennai/2013/ is insipid and rather boring - but who can
blame Carlsen, who already had a 2-point lead at that moment...}) 5... Nd6 6.
Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Bd7 10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nc3 Kc8 12. Bg5
h6 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Rd2 c5 15. Rad1 Be6 16. Ne1 (16. Ne2 $5 Ng6 17. Ng3 b6 18.
Nh5 Rg8 19. a3 a5 20. Re1 Kb7 21. Nh2 Ne7 22. f4 $14 {Gorbatov,A (2360)
-Pranizin,G (2187)/Khanty-Mansiysk/2013/ This is a subsequent example, played
only after Chennai.}) 16... Ng6 17. Nd3 b6 18. Ne2 $6 Bxa2 19. b3 c4 20. Ndc1
cxb3 21. cxb3 Bb1 22. f4 Kb7 23. Nc3 Bf5 24. g4 Bc8 $15 {/-/+,Anand,V (2775)
-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh Chennai/2013/}) 4... Bc5 {This active move is very
topical right now, as I already mentioned in the notes to Navara-Caruana (CBM
157).} ({The more restrained} 4... d6 {has also featured in the opponent's
previous encounters:} 5. O-O Be7 (5... Bd7 6. c3 g6 7. Re1 a6 8. Ba4 Bg7 9.
Nbd2 O-O 10. Nf1 Re8 11. Bb3 Be6 12. h3 Bxb3 13. Qxb3 Qd7 14. Bg5 Nh5 15. Rad1
h6 16. Bc1 Nf6 17. Ng3 Na5 18. Qc2 c5 19. d4 cxd4 20. cxd4 Rac8 21. Qd3 exd4
22. Nxd4 Nc4 23. b3 Ne5 24. Qb1 h5 25. Bb2 h4 26. Nf1 d5 {Anand,V (2783)
-Carlsen,M (2868)/Stavanger blitz/2013/}) 6. c3 O-O 7. Nbd2 Bd7 8. Re1 Re8 9.
Nf1 Bf8 10. Ba4 h6 11. Ng3 Ne7 12. Bb3 Ng6 13. d4 c5 14. h3 Qc7 15. a4 a6 16.
a5 cxd4 17. cxd4 exd4 18. Nxd4 d5 19. exd5 Rxe1+ 20. Qxe1 Re8 21. Qc3 Qxc3 22.
bxc3 Re1+ 23. Kh2 Bd6 24. Nc2 Rf1 25. Be3 Rxa1 26. Nxa1 Be5 $11 {Carlsen,M 
(2826)-Anand,V (2800)/Bilbao /2010/ Carlsen later overpressed and lost - see
the notes to this game by Ftacnik in CBM 139.}) 5. c3 ({In Game 7 Anand tried} 
5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 {and ran into the rare, but clever} Bg4 $5 ({Usually good
enough for equality, there is also the more standard} 6... O-O 7. O-O Re8 (7...
Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nc4 Re8 10. Be3 Bd6 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Bg3
Nd7 15. h4 f6 16. Ne3 Bf8 17. Kg2 Nc5 18. hxg5 hxg5 19. Nf5 Ne6 20. Rh1 Qd7 21.
Rh3 Bxf5 22. exf5 Nf4+ 23. Bxf4 exf4 24. Nd2 Rad8 25. Qf3 Bg7 26. Ne4 $16 {
[%csl Ge4,Rg7][%cal Gh1h8] Carlsen,M (2837)-Karjakin,S (2779)/Astana blitz/
2012/}) 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. a4 (9. Kh1 a5 10. a4 b6 11. Be3 Bb4 12. Nfd2 b5 13. axb5
cxb5 14. c3 bxc4 15. cxb4 cxd3 16. bxa5 Ba6 17. Qb3 Nf6 {Anand,V (2780)
-Kramnik,V (2810)/Zuerich 2013/} 18. f3 $5 $13 {Gormally}) 9... Bf8 (9... a5
10. b3 Bf8 11. Kh1 b6 12. g3 Ba6 13. Bb2 Bxc4 14. bxc4 g6 15. Nh4 Bh6 16. Ng2
Nc5 17. f4 exf4 18. gxf4 Bg7 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. f5 Qg5 21. Rf3 Rad8 22. Qf1 $14
{Anand,V (2783)-Aronian,L (2813)/Stavanger blitz/2013/}) 10. Kh1 f6 11. b3 Nc5
12. Ng1 Ne6 13. Ne2 b6 14. f4 exf4 15. Nxf4 Nxf4 16. Bxf4 Be6 17. Qf3 Bxc4 18.
bxc4 Bd6 19. Qg3 Bxf4 20. Rxf4 Qd6 21. Qf3 Re5 22. h3 Rae8 $11 {Anand,V (2783)
-Hammer,J (2608)/Stavanger blitz/2013/}) ({Carlsen himself had to face the
more risky} 6... Be6 {- something he was unwilling to repeat with Black:} 7. b3
$5 (7. O-O Bd6 8. b3 Nd7 9. Nc4 Bxc4 10. bxc4 O-O 11. Rb1 b6 12. g3 f5 13. exf5
Rxf5 14. Qe2 Nc5 15. Be3 Ne6 16. Nd2 Qf6 17. Qg4 Rf8 18. Ne4 Qf7 19. a4 h5 20.
Qe2 Be7 21. a5 Qg6 22. axb6 axb6 23. Kh1 Rf3 $132 {Carlsen,M (2843)-Aronian,L 
(2816)/Sao Paulo/Bilbao/2012/}) (7. Qe2 Nd7 8. Nb3 Bd6 9. Bd2 b6 10. Ng5 Qe7
11. O-O a5 12. Nxe6 Qxe6 13. a4 Nc5 14. Nxc5 Bxc5 15. Be3 Bd6 16. b3 O-O 17.
Kh1 Bb4 18. f4 exf4 19. Bxf4 Bd6 20. Qf2 Rae8 21. Bxd6 Qxd6 22. Rae1 Re6 $11 {
Caruana,F (2782)-Navara,D (2705)/EU-chT Warsaw/2013/}) 7... Ng4 8. O-O f6 9.
Qe2 Qd7 10. Nc4 g5 11. Rb1 b5 12. Ne3 h5 13. c3 Qh7 14. d4 Bb6 15. Nc2 O-O-O
16. a4 exd4 17. Nfxd4 (17. cxd4 $5 $36) 17... Bd7 18. b4 $6 (18. f3 Ne5 19. Kh1
$14) 18... Rhe8 19. Re1 a6 20. Ra1 Kb7 21. axb5 axb5 22. c4 bxc4 23. Qxc4 Ra8
24. Rxa8 Rxa8 $132 {Carlsen,M (2837)-Bacrot,E (2713)/Biel/2012/}) 7. h3 Bh5 ({
Black is in no hurry to play} 7... Bxf3 $143 8. Qxf3 Nd7 9. Qg3 Qf6 10. Nc4 O-O
11. O-O Rfe8 12. a4 Nf8 13. Bg5 Qe6 14. Bd2 Ng6 15. b4 Bf8 16. Qg4 b6 17. g3 f6
18. Bc3 Bd6 19. Ne3 Kh8 20. Kg2 a6 21. Qf3 Ne7 22. h4 b5 23. Rfb1 Qd7 24. h5 h6
25. Qg4 Qxg4 26. Nxg4 $14 {Adams,M (2733)-Fressinet,L (2696)/Bundesliga/2012/})
8. Nf1 (8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Be3 f6 10. Qd2 Qe7 11. Nh4 O-O-O $5 12. Nf5 Qf8 13. O-O
Bf7 14. b3 g6 15. Ng3 h5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. Qe3 Kb8 18. f4 Bxc4 19. bxc4 Qd6 20.
Ne2 Rhf8 $132 {Sjugirov,S (2641)-Maletin,P (2598)/Khanty-Mansiysk/2013/ This
is another game, played only after the match.}) 8... Nd7 9. Ng3 Bxf3 $5 ({
Only now, although also} 9... Bg6 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bd2 Nf8 $1 $13 {seems
playable.}) 10. Qxf3 g6 11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O 13. Ne2 Rhe8 14. Kb1 b6 15.
h4 Kb7 16. h5 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc5 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. g3 a5 20. Rh7 Rh8 21. Rdh1
Rxh7 22. Rxh7 Qf6 23. f4 Rh8 $11 {Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh Chennai/
2013/}) ({White's move order avoids} 5. O-O Nd4 $5 (5... d6 6. c3 {- 6...d6})
6. Ba4 Nxf3+ 7. Qxf3 O-O 8. Qg3 d6 9. Bg5 c6 10. Bb3 Nh5 11. Qh4 Nf6 12. Nc3 h6
13. Bd2 a5 14. Kh1 Bd4 15. f4 Ng4 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. fxe5 Nxe5 18. a4 Be6 19.
Bxe6 fxe6 20. Ne2 Bb6 21. Nf4 Re8 22. h3 Nd7 23. Rf3 Ne5 24. Rff1 Nd7 25. g4 d5
$11 {Carlsen,M (2823)-Anand,V (2817)/Moscow rpd/2011/ See the notes to this
game by Postny in CBM 144.}) (5. Nc3 d6 6. Na4 Bb6 7. Nxb6 axb6 8. c3 Bd7 9.
Ba4 Ne7 10. Bc2 Ng6 11. h3 O-O 12. O-O h6 13. Re1 Re8 14. d4 Bc6 15. dxe5 dxe5
16. Qxd8 Rexd8 17. g3 Nd7 18. Be3 Nc5 19. Nd2 Nf8 20. f3 Nfe6 21. h4 Bb5 22. a3
Rd7 (22... Bd3 $1) 23. b4 Nd3 $6 (23... Ba4 $1 24. bxc5 Bxc2 $11) 24. Reb1 Ba4
25. Bxa4 Rxa4 26. Kf1 $13 {[%csl Rd3] Carlsen,M (2848)-Anand,V (2775)/London /
2012/ See the notes to this game by Postny in CBM 152.}) 5... O-O 6. O-O (6.
Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 8. Bg5 Re8 9. f4 dxe4 10. d4 Bb6 11. Nd2 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5
13. Qe2 h6 14. Bh4 g5 15. fxg5 hxg5 16. Bg3 e3 (16... Qd5 $142 $1 $13 {/=/+})
17. Nb3 Bb6 (17... Bd6 $5 18. O-O-O Qe7 19. Qxe3 Bxe5 20. Qxg5+ Kf8 21. Qh6+
Kg8 $11) 18. Qf3 Be6 19. Rd1 g4 20. Qe2 Qe7 21. Nc6 (21. O-O Ne4 22. Nd4 $14)
21... Qf8 22. Nbd4 Qc5 (22... Bc8 $1 23. O-O Ba6 $13) 23. Ne5 $36 {Ivanchuk,V 
(2717)-Kramnik,V (2772)/Wijk aan Zee/2001/}) 6... Re8 {An interesting move;
given the chance, Black can later play d5 in one move.} ({Earlier Magnus
played the standard continuation} 6... d6 7. Nbd2 Bb6 ({Perhaps better than
the more usual, but somewhat provocative} 7... a6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 {, mentioned
shortly in the notes to Navara-Caruana, CBM 157.}) 8. Nc4 Ne7 9. Nxb6 axb6 10.
Ba4 Ng6 11. h3 Nh5 12. Bg5 f6 13. Be3 Nhf4 14. Bb3+ Kh8 15. Bxf4 Nxf4 16. Nh4
f5 17. Nxf5 Qg5 18. Qg4 Qf6 19. Qh4 Qxh4 20. Nxh4 Nxd3 21. Nf3 Rf6 22. Rad1
Nxb2 23. Rd2 Na4 24. Nxe5 Be6 25. Ng4 Bxg4 26. hxg4 Nxc3 27. Re1 h6 {1/2,Anand,
V (2817)-Carlsen,M (2823)/Moscow rpd/2011/} 28. e5 $44) (6... d5 7. Nbd2 $5 (7.
exd5 Qxd5 8. Bc4 Qd8 9. b4 Bd6 10. Re1 h6 11. Nbd2 Re8 12. a4 Bf5 13. Ne4 Be6
14. Bxe6 Rxe6 15. b5 Nb8 16. Nxd6 cxd6 17. c4 Nbd7 18. Ba3 Qc7 19. Rc1 Nc5 20.
d4 exd4 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Nxd4 Re8 23. Qc2 Qf7 24. Rd1 Rc8 $132 {Sjugirov,S 
(2610)-Bacrot,E (2706)/EU-ch Plovdiv/2012/}) (7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. Nxe5 dxe4 9. d4
Bd6 10. Bg5 (10. Nxc6 $6 Qe8 11. Na5 $2 Qb5 12. Nb3 Bg4 13. Qd2 Bxh2+ 14. Kxh2
Qxf1 15. Qf4 Bf3 16. gxf3 Qxf2+ 17. Kh1 exf3 18. Qh2 Qe1+ {0-1,Neumann,
G-Anderssen,A/Berlin/1864/}) 10... Qe8 (10... h6 $13) (10... Ba6 11. Re1 Bxe5
12. dxe5 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Ng4 14. Bf4 $6 (14. Nd2 $142 $14) 14... Rfe8 15. Rd7
Rad8 16. Rxd8 Rxd8 17. Na3 e3 18. fxe3 Rd2 $44 {Riemann,F-Anderssen,A/Breslau/
1877/}) 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Nc4 Qe6 13. Nbd2 f5 14. Re1 Ba6 15. b3 Rae8 16. Re3
Bf4 17. Rh3 h6 18. Qh5 Kg7 19. Re1 Qg6 20. Qd1 Kh7 21. g3 {Gu,X (2369)-Zhao,X 
(2495)/Jiangsu Wuxi/2011/} Bg5 $13) 7... dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. dxe4 Qf6 10. Qe2
Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Qxf3 13. gxf3 Ne7 14. f4 c6 15. Bc4 exf4 16. Bxf4 Ng6
17. Bg3 Rfe8 18. Rfe1 Rad8 19. Rad1 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Rxe4 21. Rd8+ Nf8 22. Bd3
Re1+ 23. Kg2 a5 24. Ra8 Rd1 25. Bc4 $44 {/+/=,Radjabov,T (2735)-Carlsen,M 
(2733)/Morelia/Linares/2008/ See the notes to this game by Radjabov in CBM 123.
}) 7. Re1 (7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Bf8 9. Nbd2 d6 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6
bxc6 13. Bd3 Be7 14. f4 Qb8 {[%cal Rf6e4,Rb8b2]} 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e5 dxe5 17.
Ne4 Qxb2 18. f5 Red8 19. Bc4 Be8 20. Qh5 {Carlsen,M (2826)-Howell,D (2633)/
London/2011/} Qb6+ {/\c5~~/=/+}) 7... a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 (9. Bc2 d5 $1 {
illustrates what we said in the note to Black's 6th move:} 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. a4
(11. Bb3 $142) 11... b4 12. Ng5 $6 h6 13. Ne4 Bb6 14. Qh5 Nf6 15. Qf3 Nxe4 16.
Qxe4 {Zhao Dindin-Kosteniuk,A/WChJ Szeged/1994/} Qf6 17. d4 g6 $36 {[%cal
Rc8f5]}) 9... d6 (9... d5 $2 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. d4 $16) 10. Bg5 $5 $146 {
[%mdl 8] Formally this is a novelty. However, as we have seen in the notes
above, Carlsen himself has used the bishop sortie in very similar positions on
at least 3 occasions. He must have been familiar with the nuances, as the
diffrence between his games with Shirov and Ponomariov is only the insertion
of Re1 and Re8; Magnus finds a way to profit from this.} (10. a4 b4 (10... Bb7
11. Nbd2 h6 12. Nf1 Ne7 13. Ng3 Ng6 14. axb5 axb5 15. Rxa8 Bxa8 16. Ba2 Qd7 17.
h3 Bb6 18. Nh2 d5 19. Nh5 Nxh5 20. Qxh5 Nf4 $6 (20... c5 $13 {[%cal Yc5c4]})
21. Bxf4 exf4 22. Nf3 c6 23. d4 $1 $36 {[%cal Yf3e5] Bauer,C (2645)-Marciano,D
(2514)/SUI-chT/2011/}) (10... Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Na5 13. Bc2 b4 14. Nd2
Rb8 15. Rb1 Qd7 16. Nb3 Nxb3 17. Bxb3 bxc3 $6 (17... Rb7 $142 $132 {[%cal
Yb4c3,Ye8b8]}) 18. bxc3 Rf8 19. Bg5 Ne8 {Garbisu de Goni,U (2463)-Glavina
Rossi,P (2440)/Barcelona/2005/} 20. Red1 $36 {[%cal Yd3d4]}) 11. a5 (11. d4 $5
exd4 12. cxd4 Bb6 $132) 11... bxc3 12. bxc3 h6 13. h3 Ba7 14. Nbd2 Ne7 15. Nf1
Ng6 16. Ng3 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. d4 Be6 19. Bd2 exd4 20. Nxd4 Bxd4 21. cxd4 Nf6
(21... Rb8 $11) 22. Bxe6 Rxe6 23. Rxe6 fxe6 24. Qc2 $14 {Pedersen,C (2443)
-Antonsen,M (2446)/Helsingor/2013/}) ({Anand has already played the typical} 
10. Nbd2 Bb6 (10... Be6 11. Nf1 Bxb3 12. axb3 d5 (12... h6 13. b4 Bb6 14. Be3
Bxe3 15. Nxe3 Qd7 16. h3 a5 17. bxa5 Nxa5 18. b4 Nc6 19. Qb3 Ne7 20. Kh2 Qc6
21. g3 Rxa1 22. Rxa1 Ra8 $11 {Dominguez Perez,L (2754)-Leko,P (2730)/Beijing/
2013/}) 13. Qc2 h6 (13... Qd7 14. Ng3 h6 15. h3 dxe4 16. dxe4 Qe6 17. Nh4 a5
18. Nhf5 Bf8 19. Nf1 Red8 20. Be3 Ne7 21. N5g3 Ng6 22. Red1 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Qc6
$11 {Fedorchuk,S (2660)-Buhmann,R (2578)/FRA-chT Haguenau/2013/}) 14. Ng3 a5
15. h3 Qd7 16. Be3 Bf8 17. Rad1 Rad8 18. Nf5 Qe6 19. g4 dxe4 20. dxe4 Ne7 21.
Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Ra1 Ra8 23. c4 b4 24. g5 hxg5 25. Nxg5 Qc8 26. Nxe7+ Bxe7 27. Kh2
Ra6 $15 {Radjabov,T (2793)-Aronian,L (2809)/London Candidates/2013/ See the
notes to this game by Krisztian Szabo in CBM 154.}) 11. Nf1 Ne7 12. Ng3 Ng6 13.
h3 h6 14. d4 (14. a4 Bd7 15. d4 Rb8 16. axb5 axb5 17. Be3 c5 18. dxe5 dxe5 19.
c4 Qc8 20. cxb5 c4 21. Rc1 Bxb5 22. Bxb6 Rxb6 23. Qc2 Rc6 24. Ba4 Bxa4 25. Qxa4
Nf4 26. Re3 $11 {Zhigalko,A (2615)-Navara,D (2703)/ECC Rhodes/2013/}) 14... c5
15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Qxd8 Bxd8 17. a4 c4 18. Bc2 Ba5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Be3 Bb7 21.
Ra2 Bc7 22. Rea1 Rxa2 23. Rxa2 Ra8 24. Rxa8+ Bxa8 25. Kf1 Ne7 26. Nd2 Kf8 27.
Bc5 Nd7 28. Ba3 g6 29. f3 Ke8 $11 {Anand,V (2783)-Aronian,L (2809)/Paris/St
Petersburg/2013/}) 10... Be6 (10... h6 11. Bh4 (11. Bxf6 $6 Qxf6 12. Bd5 Bd7 {
[%csl Gc5,Gd7] leads nowhere}) 11... Bb6 $5 (11... g5 {might be playable, but
this move is risky and would certainly follow Anand's preparation. Black has
to reckon not only with} 12. Bg3 ({, but also with the piece sacrifice} 12.
Nxg5 $5 hxg5 13. Bxg5 $44)) 12. Nbd2 (12. a4 $5) 12... Be6 13. Nf1 ({The idea
is to play} 13. Bxe6 Rxe6 $11) 13... Bxb3 (13... Nb8 14. Bxe6 Rxe6 15. Bxf6
Qxf6 (15... Rxf6 16. d4 $14) 16. a4 $14) 14. axb3 Qe7 15. Ne3 Qe6 {/\} 16. Bxf6
Bxe3 17. Rxe3 Qxf6 $11) 11. Nbd2 {White's immediate reaction is rather soft.} (
11. Bd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Ne7 13. Bxf6 gxf6 $13 {[%csl Gc5][%cal Yf6f5,Ye7g6] is
unclear at the least - Black has a strong bishop and can show some potential
kingside ambitions of his own.}) ({Instead of the slow developing move Giri
points out the more ambitious and principled} 11. Bxe6 fxe6 (11... Rxe6 $143
12. d4 exd4 $8 13. cxd4 Bb4 14. Nc3 $14 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4]}) 12. b4 (12. d4 exd4 (
12... Bb6 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. Nd2 $14) 13. cxd4 Bb6 14. Nc3 h6 15.
Be3 Na5 $14 {[%cal Ya5c4,Yc7c5] /~~}) (12. a4 $5 {/\} b4 13. d4 $14) 12... Bb6
13. a4 $14 {Here White has chances to get a pull.}) (11. d4 Bxb3 12. axb3 exd4
13. cxd4 Bb6 14. Nc3 Nb4 15. Qd2 c5 $132) 11... h6 12. Bh4 (12. Bxe6 Rxe6 13.
Bxf6 Rxf6 14. b4 Bb6 15. a4 Ne7 $11 {[%csl Gb6]}) 12... Bxb3 13. axb3 Nb8 $5 {
A Breyer-style manoeuvre to combat the annoying pin.} (13... Bb6 14. Nf1 g5 15.
Bg3 d5 16. exd5 $6 (16. Qe2 $142 $13) 16... Qxd5 17. Ne3 Qd7 18. h3 (18. Qc2
Rad8 19. Rad1 Nh5 $11 {/=/+}) 18... Rad8 19. Rxa6 Qxd3 20. Qc1 Re6 (20... b4 $5
$36) 21. Kh2 Ne4 $6 (21... Nh5 $36) 22. Rxb6 cxb6 23. Rd1 Qe2 24. Re1 {1/2,
Spraggett,K (2631)-Fedorchuk,S (2603)/Metz/2007/}) (13... a5 $5 $13 {is also
possible, then Black can consider either g5, or unpinning as in the game.}) (
13... Qe7 {[%cal Ye7e6]} 14. Nf1 Bb6 $11 {transposes to the 10...h6 line.}) 14.
h3 {Just as on move 11, White plays it slowly - and doesn't achieve anything.}
({Gleizerov suggested} 14. b4 Bb6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Ra3 {, but after} Nc6 17.
Qe2 Ra7 18. Rea1 Rea8 $11 {[%cal Ya6a5] Black gradually prepares the
liberating a5.}) (14. d4 Bb6 15. Qc2 Nbd7 16. b4 c6 $11 {[%cal Yd8c7,Ya6a5] is
a similar story.}) 14... Nbd7 15. Nh2 (15. b4 Bb6 16. Nb3 Nf8 $11 (16... c5 $5
$132)) 15... Qe7 16. Ndf1 {Abandons the b4 and Nb3 idea.} {Puts the bishop on
a less exposed square.} Bb6 ({Black doesn't need complications as} 16... a5 17.
d4 $5 exd4 (17... Bb6 18. Ng4 $14 {[%cal Rf1e3,Re3d5,Re3f5]}) 18. cxd4 Bb4 19.
Re3 Qe6 20. Rc1 $13) 17. Ne3 Qe6 18. b4 (18. Nf5 Kh7 {[%cal Yg7g6] is just a
loss of time.}) 18... a5 $1 $11 {[%mdl 32] Gets rid of his only weakness.
Purposeful strategic play by Black has solved his opening problems without any
concessions.} 19. bxa5 Bxa5 20. Nhg4 (20. Nf5 Bb6 21. Qd2 d5 $5 $11 {/\} 22.
Rxa8 Rxa8 23. Ng4 Nxg4 24. Ne7+ (24. hxg4 d4 25. cxd4 exd4 $132 {[%cal Yc7c4] /
=/+}) 24... Kh7 25. exd5 Bxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Qxe7 27. Bxe7 (27. hxg4 f6 28. d4 Qd6
$11) 27... Nxf2 28. Kxf2 f6 29. d6 c5 $5 {[%csl Re7]}) 20... Bb6 21. Bxf6 $5 {
Anand realises he has nothing at all and decides to simplify the position - in
other words to bail out. The engine also praises his judgement, further
"attacking" attempts such as} (21. Qf3 $143 Nxg4 22. Nxg4 Ra4 $5 {might leave
the bishop misplaced} (22... Nf8 $15 {[%csl Rh4][%cal Ye6b3,Ya8a2] Giri}))
21... Nxf6 22. Nxf6+ (22. Nf5 Rxa1 $5 23. Nxf6+ (23. Qxa1 Nxg4 24. hxg4 Qf6 $15
{[%csl Rf2,Rg4]}) 23... Qxf6 24. Qxa1 d5 $11) 22... Qxf6 23. Qg4 (23. Qe2 $142
$1 {[%cal Re3d5] is more accurate, White avoids the doubling of the pawns after
} Bxe3 (23... c6 24. g3 Qe6 25. Kg2 $11 {Formally Black has the better minor
piece, but in practice it's difficult to suggest, how he can make inroads.})
24. Qxe3 $11) 23... Bxe3 24. fxe3 Qe7 $1 (24... Qe6 25. Qxe6 fxe6 $11 {more or
less forces a draw, but Magnus rightly feels he runs no real risk by playing
on.}) 25. Rf1 c5 $11 {/=/+ The position is almost equal, but the only one who
can try something is Black.} 26. Kh2 c4 (26... Qb7 $5) 27. d4 $1 Rxa1 ({
This doesn't win a pawn, so perhaps} 27... g6 28. d5 Kg7 {was slightly
preferable.}) 28. Rxa1 Qb7 (28... exd4 29. exd4 Qxe4 30. Qxe4 Rxe4 31. Ra8+ Kh7
32. Rb8 $11) 29. Rd1 ({A more prudent move is} 29. d5 $5 {and Black has no
obvious way to make progress.} g6 (29... b4 30. Ra4 bxc3 31. bxc3 Qb3 32. Qd7
Rf8 33. Ra6 Qxc3 34. Qxd6 Qxe3 35. Qxe5 {and it's Black who has to tread with
care.}) (29... Ra8 30. Rxa8+ Qxa8 31. Qd7 Qb8 $8 $11) 30. Qh4 Kg7 31. Rf1 $11 {
Giri}) 29... Qc6 (29... exd4 30. Rxd4 Re6 31. Rd5 $132 {[%csl Rb5,Rd6]}) 30.
Qf5 (30. d5 $11 {was again an option}) 30... exd4 {Black has no other way to
proceed.} 31. Rxd4 Re5 32. Qf3 Qc7 33. Kh1 (33. Rd5 Qe7 34. Rxe5 Qxe5+ 35. Qf4
{/\} Qxf4+ 36. exf4 f5 37. exf5 d5 38. Kg3 d4 39. Kf3 $1 $11 {Gleizerov}) 33...
Qe7 34. Qg4 Kh7 35. Qf4 g6 36. Kh2 Kg7 37. Qf3 Re6 38. Qg3 $6 {Forcing matters,
but this is a concession, which improves Black's prospects. After} (38. Qf4 Rf6
39. Qg3 $11 {/=/+ he has a comfortable endgame, but still nothing tangible.})
38... Rxe4 39. Qxd6 Rxe3 (39... Qxd6+ 40. Rxd6 Rxe3 41. Rd5 b4 42. cxb4 Rb3 43.
b5 Rxb2 44. Rc5 Rb4 45. b6 Rxb6 46. Rxc4 {is a theoretical draw}) 40. Qxe7 Rxe7
41. Rd5 Rb7 42. Rd6 {[%mdl 4096] In the rook endgame White's active rook
almost compensates for the extra pawn. His drawing chances are higher than
Black's winning chances, but the fight is still on.} (42. Kg3 Kf6 43. Kf4 Ke6
44. Ke4 $44 {/\} f5+ 45. Kd4 Rd7 46. Rxd7 Kxd7 47. Kc5 Ke6 48. Kxb5 Kd5 49. Ka4
$1 {holds, but the last move is not easy to see in advance:} (49. Kb4 g5 50. b3
g4 $1 51. bxc4+ Kc6 $19) 49... g5 50. b4 cxb3 (50... g4 51. hxg4 fxg4 52. Ka5
Kc6 53. Ka6 Kc7 54. Ka7 Kc6 55. Ka6 $11) 51. Kxb3 f4 52. c4+ Kc5 53. Kc3 h5 54.
Kd3 $11) 42... f6 (42... h5 43. Kg3 f6 $15) 43. h4 Kf7 $6 {Magnus admitted he
missed White's idea.} (43... h5 $142 $1 44. Kg3 Re7 45. Rb6 Re5 46. Rb7+ (46.
Kf3 Rf5+ 47. Ke3 Kf7 48. Rb7+ Ke6 {[%cal Ye6c6]} 49. Rg7 g5 $15) 46... Kh6 47.
Rb6 Rf5 48. Rd6 g5 49. hxg5+ Rxg5+ 50. Kf3 Rf5+ 51. Kg3 Kg5 $15) 44. h5 $1 gxh5
(44... g5 45. Kg3 Ke7 (45... Kg7 46. Kf3 f5 47. Rg6+ Kh7 48. Rf6 f4 49. g3 fxg3
50. Kxg3 Re7 51. Kf3 $1 (51. Rb6 $143 Re3+ 52. Kg4 Re4+ 53. Kf5 Rf4+ 54. Ke5
Rf7 $5) 51... Re1 52. Rb6 $11 {[%csl Rb5,Rh6]}) 46. Rc6 Rd7 47. Rb6 Rd3+ (47...
Rd5 48. Kf3 $132 {[%csl Rb5,Rf6]}) 48. Kh2 Rd5 49. Kg3 Kf7 50. Kf3 $11) 45. Rd5
Kg6 46. Kg3 {With the split kingside pawns it should be a draw again.} Rb6 47.
Rc5 f5 48. Kh4 (48. Kf4 h4 49. Rxf5 $4 Rf6 50. Rxf6+ Kxf6 51. Kg4 Ke5 52. Kxh4
Ke4 53. Kh5 Kd3 54. Kxh6 Kc2 55. g4 Kxb2 56. g5 b4 57. g6 bxc3 58. g7 c2 59.
g8=Q c1=Q+ $19) 48... Re6 (48... Kf6 $5 49. Kxh5 Re6 50. Rxb5 Re2 51. Rb4 Rxg2
52. Rxc4 Rxb2 53. Kh4 {is a TB draw without White's pawn. However, achieving a
rook endgame with extra f+h pawns is Black's dream and gives him more
practical chances, than the text move should have done...}) 49. Rxb5 Re4+ 50.
Kh3 Kg5 51. Rb8 (51. b3 {was suggested by Nakamura. White holds after} Re3+ 52.
Kh2 Rxc3 53. bxc4 Rxc4 54. Rb8 {, even achieving the aforementioned endgame
with f+h pawns is almost impossible.}) 51... h4 52. Rg8+ (52. b3 $5 $11 {
was still possible}) 52... Kh5 53. Rf8 Rf4 54. Rc8 Rg4 55. Rf8 Rg3+ 56. Kh2 Kg5
57. Rg8+ $6 {Complicates the issue.} ({Just sitting tight with} 57. Rc8 $1 Rg4
58. Rc7 (58. Kh3 h5 59. Rc7 Rg3+ 60. Kh2 f4 61. Rxc4 Kg4 62. Rc8 h3 $15 {/\}
63. Rg8+ $4 Kh4 64. Rxg3 fxg3+ 65. Kg1 hxg2 66. b4 Kg4 67. b5 Kf3 68. b6 h4 69.
b7 h3 70. b8=Q h2#) (58. Rg8+ Kf4 59. Re8 $5 $11 {also seems good enough} (59.
Rh8 $2 Ke3 60. Rxh6 Kf2 61. Kh3 Rg3+ 62. Kxh4 f4 $17)) {holds the balance:}
58... h5 59. Rc8 Re4 60. Rg8+ Kf4 61. Rh8 Re2 62. Rxh5 Ke4 63. Rh8 $5 Rxb2 64.
Rd8 $11) 57... Kf4 $1 58. Rc8 (58. Rh8 h3 $1 59. gxh3 Rg6 $36) 58... Ke3 59.
Rxc4 f4 60. Ra4 $2 {Loses a tempo and the game, as White's queenside pawns
enable Black's king to hide from side checks.} ({Engines and numerous previous
annotators pointed out the right way:} 60. b4 $1 {[]} h3 61. gxh3 Rg6 62. Rc8
f3 63. Re8+ Kf2 (63... Kd3 64. Rf8 (64. b5 $5 $11) 64... Rg2+ 65. Kh1 Ke3 66.
b5 Rb2 (66... Rg6 67. Re8+ Kf2 68. c4 $11)) 64. b5 Rg2+ 65. Kh1 Rg1+ 66. Kh2
Rb1 (66... Re1 67. Rxe1 Kxe1 68. b6 $11) 67. c4 Rb2 68. Kh1 {/\} Kg3 69. Rg8+
Kxh3 70. Kg1 $11) (60. Rc7 $2 Kf2 $19) 60... h3 $1 61. gxh3 Rg6 $19 62. c4 (62.
Ra8 f3 63. Re8+ Kf2 64. b4 Rg2+ 65. Kh1 Rg1+ 66. Kh2 Re1 {and Black has a
crucial extra tempo in comparison with the above note:} 67. Ra8 Ke3 68. Re8+
Kd2 69. Rf8 Ke2 70. Re8+ Kf1 71. Rf8 f2 72. Kg3 Re3+ 73. Kh2 Ke1 74. Kg2 Re2
$19) 62... f3 63. Ra3+ Ke2 {No side checks, the game is decided.} 64. b4 f2 65.
Ra2+ Kf3 66. Ra3+ Kf4 67. Ra8 (67. Ra1 Re6 $19 {[%cal Re6e1] and again no side
checks!}) 67... Rg1 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.03.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2014.03.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 ({While the Candidates featured only one
Berlin endgame, in Shamkir the players were more willing to give it a try.
White even managed to claim a prominent victim - the World Champion! - but
otherwise the defence mostly held good:} 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 (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.
Nc3 Bxd4 14. Nd5 d6 15. Bg5 f6 16. Qe4 fxg5 17. Bd3 Kf8 18. Qxd4 c6 19. Nc3 Qf6
20. Qe4 d5 21. Qxh7 Qh6 22. Re1 Bd7 $11 {Abasov,N (2516)-Bacrot,E (2722)/
Shamkir-B/2014/}) 5... Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Ke8 {
Lately White has often tried an early Rd1 to limit Black's options, concerning
the placement of his king. Black in turn has started to preempt this with the
text move.} (9... h6 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. Nc3 Bd7 ({Fashion, but there is not too
much wrong with} 11... Ne7 {- see the notes by Postny to Azarov-Naiditsch in
CBM 148}) 12. Bf4 Rd8 13. Ne4 $5 $146 (13. e6 Bxe6 14. Bxc7 Rxd1+ 15. Rxd1 Be7
16. g4 Nh4 17. Nd4 Bd7 18. Re1 Kf8 19. Bg3 g5 20. Bxh4 gxh4 21. Ne4 Kg7 22. Kg2
Rd8 23. c3 h5 24. f3 Bc8 $11 {Caruana,F (2779)-Ponomariov,R (2756)/Elancourt/
2013/}) 13... Be7 14. g4 Nh4 15. Nxh4 Bxh4 16. Kg2 Be6 17. f3 b6 18. b3 c5 19.
c4 Rd7 (19... Ke7 $5 20. Bg3 Bxg3 21. Kxg3 Rd4 $132) 20. Bg3 Be7 21. Rxd7 Bxd7
$6 (21... Kxd7 22. f4 g6 23. Rf1 $14) 22. Nc3 Kd8 23. Nd5 Re8 24. Rd1 Kc8 $2 (
24... c6 25. Nxe7 Rxe7 26. f4 $36 {[%cal Yf4f5,Rg3h4]}) 25. Nxc7 $1 Rd8 26. Nd5
Re8 27. Be1 Bd8 28. Bc3 $16 {Caruana,F (2783)-Carlsen,M (2881)/Shamkir/2014/
White went on to cleanly convert his extra pawn.}) ({However, the queenside
king transfer also seems viable:} 9... Bd7 10. Nc3 h6 11. Rd1 Kc8 12. b3 b6 13.
Ne2 c5 14. Bb2 Bc6 15. Ne1 h5 16. c4 Kb7 17. Nf4 h4 18. Nd5 Re8 19. Nc2 Be7 20.
Rd3 Bg5 21. Ne1 a5 22. Nf3 Bd8 23. a4 Kc8 24. Rad1 Rh6 25. Nh2 Rh5 $11 {
Nakamura,H (2772)-Radjabov,T (2713)/Shamkir/2014/}) 10. Nc3 h5 $5 11. Bf4 (11.
Rd1 Be7 12. Ne2 Nh4 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. Be3 Be7 15. Rd2 h4 16. Rad1 Rh5 17. Bf4
a6 18. Nd4 c5 19. Ne2 Be6 20. Nc3 Rd8 21. Nd5 Rd7 $1 22. Nxe7 Rxd2 23. Rxd2
Kxe7 $11 {Caruana,F (2783)-Karjakin,S (2772)/Shamkir/2014/}) 11... Be7 12. Rad1
Be6 13. Ng5 Rh6 14. Rfe1 Bb4 (14... h4 15. Re4 Rd8 16. Rxd8+ Bxd8 17. Ra4 a6
18. Nce4 Bc8 19. Nf3 Rh8 20. Bg5 Bxg5 21. Nexg5 Ke7 22. Rf4 c5 23. Kh2 b6 24.
g4 hxg3+ 25. fxg3 Nh6 26. Re4 Bb7 $11 {Motylev,A (2685)-Bacrot,E (2722)/
Shamkir-B/2014/}) 15. g4 hxg4 16. hxg4 Ne7 17. Nxe6 Rxe6 18. Kg2 (18. Re3 Rg6
19. Rg3 Bxc3 20. bxc3 Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Kxd8 22. Kg2 c5 23. Bc1 Ra6 24. a3 Ra4 25.
f4 g6 26. Rd3+ Ke8 27. Kf3 b6 28. Rd1 Rc4 29. Bd2 Ra4 30. Bc1 Rc4 {1/2,
Dominguez Perez,L (2757)-Bacrot,E (2723)/Elancourt/2013/}) 18... Bxc3 19. bxc3
Rd8 20. Rxd8+ $146 (20. Rb1 b5 21. Kg3 Rd5 22. c4 Rc5 23. Re4 a6 24. Rb3 Ng6
25. Ra3 f6 $132 {Karjakin,S (2786)-Grischuk,A (2764)/Moscow rpd/2013/}) 20...
Kxd8 21. Rh1 Nd5 22. Bg3 g5 {Black prefers to hold the fortress.} (22... Nxc3
23. Rh7 Rg6 24. f4 Ke8 (24... Rxg4 25. Kf3 Rg6 26. f5 $44) 25. Kf3 Rh6 26. Rxg7
Kf8 27. Rg5 Rh1 $13 {is perhaps playable, but more risky.}) 23. c4 Nc3 24. Kf3
Rg6 25. a3 (25. Rh8+ $1 Kd7 26. Rf8 {is the only try to play for a win} {/\}
Rg7 27. e6+ $1 fxe6 (27... Kxe6 28. Re8+ Kd7 29. Rb8 b5 30. Rb7) 28. Be5 Rh7
29. Bf6 $14) 25... Na4 26. Ke4 Nc5+ 27. Kf5 Ne6 28. Rh8+ Kd7 29. c3 Ng7+ 30.
Ke4 Ne6 31. f3 c5 32. Bf2 a6 33. Be3 b6 {1/2, Anand,V (2770)-Karjakin,S (2766)/
Candidates Khanty-Mansiysk/2014/}) 4... Bc5 ({This position arose in the
Candidates tournament 5 times and every single game followed the current trend:
Black ignored the alternative} 4... d6 {and actively developed his bishop.
Round 7 featured 2 of these games.}) 5. c3 (5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6
8. Na3 c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Bb3 g5 14. Bg3 Re8
15. Re1 Bc7 16. Nc2 Bg4 17. Qd2 d4 18. h3 Bf5 19. Ba4 Bd7 20. Bxd7 dxc3 21.
Qxc3 Nxd7 22. d4 Rc8 23. Qb3 Ba5 24. Re2 exd4 25. Rxe8+ Qxe8 26. Nxd4 Nc5 27.
Qf3 Qe4 28. Nf5 Qxf3 29. gxf3 Rd8 30. Nxh6+ Kg7 31. Nf5+ Kg6 $14 {/=, Topalov,
V (2785)-Andreikin,D (2709)/Candidates Khanty-Mansiysk/2014/ The extra pawn
gave White a slight edge, but was not enough to win the game.}) (5. Bxc6 dxc6
6. Be3 ({For} 6. h3 {and for more details about this line see the notes to
Carlsen-Caruana, Zurich 2014 in CBM 159.}) 6... Bxe3 ({In the notes to the
aforementioned game I stated that Black usually tends to retain the bishop
pair. Just as Caruana played in a similar position one move later, here the
most popular response is} 6... Bd6 $5 7. h3 Be6 8. Nbd2 h6 9. d4 exd4 10. Nxd4
Qe7 11. Qf3 O-O 12. O-O Rfe8 13. Rfe1 Rad8 14. c3 Bc8 15. Bf4 Bxf4 16. Qxf4 c5
17. N4f3 b6 18. Re3 Nh7 19. Nf1 Nf8 {1/2, Nepomniachtchi,I (2706)-Kramnik,V 
(2780)/Khanty-Mansiysk olm/2010/}) {However, Anand calmly proves Black's
position is fully viable even without the Bc5:} 7. fxe3 Qe7 (7... Bg4 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nd7 10. Qg3 Qf6 11. Nd2 Qg6 12. Qh4 Qf6 13. Qxf6 Nxf6 14. Rf1 Nd7
15. g4 a5 16. a4 f6 17. Rg1 h6 18. Ke2 Nf8 19. h4 Ne6 20. Nf3 c5 21. Rg3 Ke7
22. b3 b6 $11 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2656)-Ponomariov,R (2737)/RUS-chT Dagomys/
2010/}) 8. O-O O-O $146 (8... Ng4 9. Qd2 f6 10. Nh4 g6 11. Nc3 Bd7 12. Rf3 f5
13. g3 Nf6 14. exf5 g5 15. Ng2 e4 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. dxe4 O-O-O 18. Qa5 (18. f6
$5 Qxe4 19. Rf2) 18... Qxe4 19. Qxa7 Bxf5 20. Raf1 Bh3 21. Qa8+ Kd7 22. Qa3 Kc8
23. Qa8+ Kd7 24. Rf7+ Ke8 25. Rf8+ Rxf8 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Qxd8+ Kf7 $11 {
Sutovsky,E (2655)-Carlsen,M (2714)/Heraklio/2007/}) 9. Qe1 Ne8 10. Qc3 f6 11.
b4 (11. Nbd2 c5 $11 {[%cal Yb7b6,Ye8d6]}) 11... Nd6 12. a4 Bd7 13. Nbd2 b6 14.
a5 Kh8 15. Ra2 Rab8 16. axb6 axb6 17. Qa1 Nb7 $1 18. Qc3 c5 19. bxc5 Nxc5 20.
Ra7 Rfc8 21. Rfa1 b5 $132 {=, Andreikin,D (2709)-Anand,V (2770)/
Khanty-Mansiysk Candidates/2014/}) (5. Nbd2 {also allows the simplifying} Nd4
6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 (7. Nf3 O-O 8. O-O d5 $1 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. Bc4 Qd6 11. Qe1
Re8 12. Ng5 Re7 $11 13. Kh1 h6 14. Nxf7 $2 Rxf7 15. c3 Bb6 16. f4 Nd5 17. fxe5
Rxf1+ 18. Qxf1 Qxe5 19. Bf4 Qh5 $19 {Kotronias,V (2588)-Mastrovasilis,A (2537)/
Vrachati/2011/}) 7... Bb6 8. d4 Qe7 9. O-O O-O 10. a4 c6 11. Bd3 d5 $1 12. exd5
exd4 13. dxc6 dxc3 14. bxc3 Rd8 15. Ba3 Qc7 16. Qc2 bxc6 17. a5 Bxa5 18. Nc4 {
Motylev,A (2685)-Abasov,N (2516)/Shamkir/2014/} Be6 $1 19. Nxa5 Ng4 20. Bxh7+
Kh8 21. g3 Qxa5 $132) 5... O-O 6. O-O d6 (6... Re8 $5 {gained in popularity
due to the 6th Game of the Anand-Carlsen match (see the notes in CBM 158).
More currently it was played on the very same day in the Candidates:} 7. Nbd2
a6 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nc4 Nd7 10. b4 Bd6 11. Qb3 Nf8 12. Bg5 Qd7 13. Be3 Ng6 14.
Nfd2 Bf8 15. d4 Qe7 16. dxe5 Be6 17. Qc2 Bxc4 18. Nxc4 Nxe5 19. Nd2 $6 a5 $1
$132 {/=/+,Karjakin,S (2766)-Aronian,L (2830)/Khanty-Mansiysk Candidates/2014/
For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 160.}) 7. Nbd2 Ne7 {
Completely sidesteps the possible swap on c6. This has lately become Black's
main move, replacing both} (7... Bb6 {(see the notes to the aforementioned
game Anand-Carlsen)}) ({and} 7... a6 {(mentioned briefly in the notes to
Navara-Caruana in CBM 157).}) 8. Re1 {The drawback of the knight transfer to
g6 is that White can expand in the centre. Although he will play d4 later on,
this won't be too effective. The immediate advance is played more often and
seems to offer more chances to fight for an edge. However, it had already
featured in Svidler's previous practice and hadn't brought him any advantage:}
(8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. b3 $5 (10. Re1 Bg4 (10... c6 11. Bd3 Bg4 12. Qc2
Ng6 13. h3 Bd7 14. Nf1 Rc8 15. Ng3 c5 16. d5 c4 17. Bf1 Re8 18. Bd2 Ne5 19.
Nxe5 dxe5 20. Bxc4 h5 21. Qb3 h4 22. Nf1 Nh5 23. Rac1 (23. Nh2 $142 $14) 23...
Qf6 24. Ne3 Nf4 $44 {Rodriguez Cespedes,A (2433)-Pijuan Herranz,M (2261)/
Catalunya-chT/2013/}) 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qb3 d5 13. e5 Nd7 14. a4 a5 15. Bd3 Re8
16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 Nxg6 18. Nf1 Ndf8 19. Ng3 Ne6 20. Be3 Ngf4 21. h4 f6 $1
$132 {/=/+, Svidler,P (2747)-Karjakin,S (2786)/RUS-chT Loo/2013/}) (10. h3 d5
11. e5 Ne4 12. Bd3 Bf5 13. Qe2 Nc6 14. Rd1 (14. Nb3 f6 15. Be3 Qd7 (15... Qe7
$5 $15) 16. Rac1 a6 17. exf6 Rxf6 18. Ne5 Nxe5 (18... Qe8 $13) 19. dxe5 Rg6 20.
Kh2 Qe7 21. Bxb6 cxb6 22. Bxe4 Qxe5+ 23. f4 Qxe4 24. Qd2 Qd3 25. g4 {Svidler,P
(2752)-L'Ami,E (2648)/EU-chT Warsaw/2013/} Re8 $5 $11) 14... Bxd4 15. Nxe4 dxe4
16. Bxe4 Bxe4 17. Nxd4 Qd5 18. Nxc6 Qxc6 19. f3 Bd5 20. b3 a5 21. Ba3 Rfd8 22.
Rac1 Qb6+ 23. Kh1 Be6 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Rd1 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 h6 $11 {Andreikin,
D (2709)-Karjakin,S (2766)/Khanty-Mansiysk Candidates/2014/ This game was
played earlier in Round 3.}) (10. Bd3 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Nb3 (12. Qb3 d5 13. e5
Nd7 14. Qc2 h6 15. b4 a5 16. bxa5 Rxa5 17. Bb2 Bxf3 18. Nxf3 c5 19. Bc3 Ra8 20.
e6 $6 (20. dxc5 $142 Nxc5 21. Rab1) 20... fxe6 21. Qe2 Rf7 22. Qxe6 Nf8 23. Qe2
c4 $15 {Durarbayli,V (2584)-Bacrot,E (2722)/Shamkir-B/2014/}) 12... d5 13. e5
Ne4 14. Qc2 Nc6 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Qxe4 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Nxd4 18. Qxb7 Nxb3 19.
axb3 Qd3 20. Qf3 Rad8 21. Ra3 Qxf3 22. gxf3 f6 23. exf6 Rxf6 $11 {/=/+,
Vallejo Pons,F (2697)-Karjakin,S (2778)/Sao Paulo/Bilbao/2012/}) 10... d5 $1 ({
Black should stake his claim in the centre.} 10... a6 {is too passive:} 11. Bd3
Ng6 12. Re1 Bg4 13. Bb2 Re8 14. Nc4 Ba7 15. h3 Bd7 16. e5 b5 17. Ne3 dxe5 18.
dxe5 Nh5 19. Be4 $16 {Vokarev,S (2454)-Kokarev,V (2062)/Pavlodar/2012/}) 11. e5
Ne4 12. Bd3 Bf5 13. Qe2 Nc6 14. Bb2 Nxd2 15. Qxd2 Be4 16. Be2 $5 (16. Qe3 Bxf3
17. Qxf3 Bxd4 18. Bxd4 Nxd4 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Qd3+ Kg8 21. Qxd4 $11) 16... f6
17. b4 fxe5 18. dxe5 Kh8 $6 (18... h6 19. b5 Na5 $132) (18... d4 $5 $13) 19. b5
Ne7 20. Ng5 Ng6 21. g3 Qe7 22. e6 Rf5 23. Nxe4 dxe4 24. Qd7 Raf8 25. Qxe7 Nxe7
26. Ba3 Re8 27. Rad1 $36 {Caruana,F (2775)-Kramnik,V (2799)/Dortmund/2012/ For
more details see Caruana's notes to this game in CBM 150.}) 8... c6 (8... a6 9.
Ba4 Ba7 10. Nf1 Ng6 11. h3 b5 12. Bc2 Bb7 13. Ng3 Re8 14. d4 d5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 (
15... Nxe4 16. Nxg6 {1/2, Areshchenko,A (2691)-Ponomariov,R (2726)/Kiev/2012/}
hxg6 17. Nxe4 dxe4 $132) 16. dxe5 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Qxd8 Raxd8 19. Bf4 e3
20. Bxe3 Bxe3 21. Rxe3 Rd2 22. Rc1 Kf8 (22... c5 $5 23. Kf1 f6 {/\} 24. Ke1
Rdd8 25. exf6 Bxg2 $11) 23. Kf1 (23. b4 $5 $14 {[%cal Yc2b3]}) 23... Ke7 24.
Ke1 Red8 25. g4 g5 26. b4 h6 27. Bb3 $14 {Movsesian,S (2699)-Hammer,J (2605)/
WCup Tromsoe/2013/}) 9. Ba4 Bb6 {In this concrete position a new move,
although later we will transpose back into a known position.} (9... Ng6 10. Nf1
d5 $5 11. exd5 cxd5 12. Ng3 (12. Nxe5 $142 Bxf2+ 13. Kxf2 Nxe5 14. Kg1 $13)
12... Qb6 13. d4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Bg4 15. f3 Bd7 16. Bc2 Rfe8 17. Rf1 Ne5 18. b3
Nc6 19. Bb2 Nxd4 (19... a5 $5 $36) 20. cxd4 Bd6 21. Nf5 Bf4 22. Kh1 g6 23. g3
Bxf5 24. Bxf5 Bh6 25. Bd3 Rac8 $11 {[%cal Gc8c1,Ge8e1] /=/+, Duda,J (2557)
-Sargissian,G (2675)/EU-ch blitz Warsaw/2013/}) 10. d4 {The central thrust,
which has been mentioned already in the note to move 8.} ({More restrained
moves promise little:} 10. Bc2 Ng6 11. h3 Re8 {and now} 12. d4 {once again
transposes into a line, which we will look at in more detail in the note to
Black's 11th move.} (12. Nf1 d5 $11)) (10. Nc4 Bc7 11. Bb3 (11. Bc2 Ng6 12. h3
Re8 $11 {[%cal Yd6d5]}) 11... b5 $5 (11... Ng6 $11) 12. Ne3 d5 $132) 10... Ng6
11. h3 {Standard prophylaxis and morevoer a theoretical move, but Anand's
astute reaction will pinpoint its drawbacks.} (11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bc2 exd4 13.
Qxd4 (13. cxd4 d5 $11 (13... Re8 $5 $13)) 13... h6 $5 $11 (13... d5 14. exd5
Qxd5 15. Bg5 $32)) 11... exd4 $1 $146 {[%mdl 40] A strong novelty, which in
connection with Black's next moves demonstrates an effective strategy of
blockading and undermining White's centre.} ({Anand's choice is more
enterprising, than the previously played} 11... Re8 12. Bc2 Bc7 (12... h6 13.
a4 Bc7 14. Nf1 Nh7 15. Ng3 Ng5 16. dxe5 Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Rxe5 18. Be3 Bb6 19.
Rad1 Be6 20. Qe2 h5 21. Bxb6 {1/2, Kobalia,M (2637)-Alekseev,E (2700)/RUS-chT
Dagomys/2010/} Qxb6 22. Rxd6 h4 $13) 13. Nf1 d5 $5 14. Bg5 (14. exd5 e4 15. d6
Qxd6 16. N3d2 Bf5 17. Nc4 Qd7 18. Bg5 Nd5 19. Ng3 Be6 20. Bxe4 Nxc3 21. bxc3
Bxc4 22. Qf3 Qd6 23. a4 Bd5 24. Bd2 Nf8 25. Rab1 b6 $11 {Robson,R (2628)
-Dominguez Perez,L (2757)/St Louis rpd m/2014/}) 14... exd4 (14... dxe4 15.
Rxe4 $1 h6 (15... Bf5 16. Re3 Bxc2 17. Qxc2 h6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Rae1 $14) 16.
Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Ng3 Rd8 18. Qe1 exd4 19. Nh5 Qd6 20. Rxd4 Qf8 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 22.
Rd1 Qf8 23. Rd2 c5 24. Re2 Bd7 25. Bxg6 fxg6 26. Nxg7 $1 $16 {Gopal,G (2553)
-Mamyrbay,A (2017)/Sharjah/2014/}) 15. cxd4 dxe4 16. Bxe4 h6 (16... Qd6 $11)
17. Qb3 hxg5 18. Bxg6 Nd5 (18... Qd5 $5 19. Rxe8+ Nxe8 20. Qxd5 cxd5 21. Bd3 g4
$11) 19. Rxe8+ Qxe8 20. Re1 Qd8 21. Bc2 g4 22. hxg4 Bxg4 23. Ne5 Bxe5 24. Rxe5
Qb6 25. Qd3 $14 {Bok,B (2540)-Michalik,P (2577)/Groningen/2013/}) 12. cxd4 {
A natural recapture.} (12. Nxd4 Re8 13. Bc2 d5 $11 {poses Black no problems
whatsoever, but perhaps White should have preferred this modest line...}) 12...
d5 $1 13. e5 $6 {Again very natural, but after this move it seems that already
White is fighting for equality!} (13. exd5 $5 {is playable, but certainly not
in White's intentions:} Nxd5 (13... cxd5 $11) 14. Nc4 Bc7 15. Bc2 Re8 $132)
13... Nh5 {[%cal Yh5f4] Contrary to the similar positions from the 8.d4 line,
here Black doesn't have the active move to e4. However, his move is effective
as well, the knight heads for the f4 outpost. Due to 11.h3 White can't prevent
this or subsequently chase the knight away with g3.} 14. Nf1 (14. Bc2 Nhf4 15.
Nb3 (15. Nf1 {-14.Nf1}) 15... f6 $1 {is also fine for Black, e.g.} 16. Bxg6
Nxg6 17. exf6 Qxf6 18. Bg5 Qf7 $11 {/=/+}) 14... Nhf4 (14... f6 15. e6 Re8 16.
g3 $5 {[%csl Rh5]} Rxe6 17. Rxe6 Bxe6 18. Ne1 Nxg3 19. Nxg3 $13) 15. Bc2 ({
Houdini recommends} 15. Bxf4 Nxf4 16. Qd2 {This chases the knight from f4, but}
Ne6 17. Bc2 f6 $13 {[%csl Gb6,Gc8,Rd4] /=/+ certainly looks OK for Black.})
15... f6 16. Ng3 (16. exf6 Qxf6 $15) (16. N1h2 fxe5 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Rxe5 Qf6
$36 {[%cal Rb6d4,Rf4e2]}) 16... fxe5 17. Bxg6 (17. Nxe5 $142 $1 Nxe5 18. Rxe5
Qf6 $15 (18... Qh4 19. Be3 {/\} Bc7 20. Nf5 $1 Bxf5 21. Rxf5 $11)) 17... Nxg6
18. Bg5 (18. Nxe5 Qf6 19. Nf3 Nh4 20. Nxh4 Qxh4 21. Be3 Bc7 $40) 18... Qc7 19.
Nxe5 $6 (19. dxe5 Nxe5 (19... Re8 $5 $15) 20. Rxe5 (20. Nxe5 Bxf2+ 21. Kh2 Bxe1
22. Qxe1 Bxh3 $1 $17 {[%cal Ra8e8]}) 20... Rxf3 (20... Bxf2+ 21. Kxf2 Qxe5 22.
Qd2 h6 23. Be3 $15) 21. Re7 (21. Re8+ Rf8 $17) 21... Bxf2+ (21... Rxf2 $2 22.
Rxc7 Rd2+ 23. Kh2 Rxd1 24. Rxc8+) 22. Kh1 Qxg3 23. Qxf3 Qxf3 24. gxf3 Bd4 $15 {
/<=>}) 19... Nxe5 20. Rxe5 h6 $6 {By playing it safe Anand misses a very good
chance.} (20... Rxf2 21. Re8+ Rf8 22. Rxf8+ Kxf8 23. Kh2 (23. Qh5 Bxd4+ 24. Kh2
g6 25. Qh4 (25. Qf3+ Kg8 26. Re1 Qf7 $19)) 23... Kg8 $17 {gives Black a
healthy extra pawn, which he should gradually convert.}) 21. Bh4 $1 (21. Be3
Qf7 {[%csl Re5][%cal Yb6c7]}) (21. Re7 $2 Qd6 22. Nh5 (22. Bh4 g5 $19) 22...
hxg5 23. Rxg7+ Kh8 24. Qd2 (24. Rxg5 Bf5 25. Ng3 Bh7 $19) 24... Bd8 25. Re1 Rg8
26. Rxg8+ Kxg8 27. Re8+ Kf7 $17 {/-+}) 21... Qf7 (21... g5 22. Bxg5 hxg5 23.
Rxg5+ Kh8 24. Rh5+ Kg7 25. Qd3 Kg8 (25... Rh8 26. Rg5+ Kf8 27. Re1 $36 {
[%cal Rd3g6]}) 26. Rg5+ $11) (21... Rxf2 $6 22. Re7 Qd6 (22... Qf4 $2 23. Re8+
Kh7 (23... Kf7 24. Qh5+ $18) 24. Qb1+ Bf5 25. Nxf5 $18) 23. Kxf2 Qf4+ 24. Qf3
Bxd4+ 25. Kf1 (25. Ke2 Qxh4 26. Re8+ Kh7 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. Qf5+ g6 29. Qxc8
Qxg3 30. Qxb7+ Kg8 31. Qc8+ $11) 25... Qxf3+ 26. gxf3 g5 27. Re8+ Kf7 28. Rxc8
Rxc8 29. Ne2 $14) 22. Nh5 $1 {[%mdl 256] Svidler defends tenaciously.} (22. Qd2
Qf4 $1 $19 {[%csl Rd4,Rh4]}) (22. Ne2 g5 23. Bg3 Bc7 24. Qe1 (24. Re3 Bxg3 25.
Rxg3 Qxf2+ 26. Kh2 Bd7 $17 {[%cal Ya8e8] /+-}) 24... Bxe5 25. Bxe5 Bf5 $17)
22... Be6 ({Although objectively Black is still fully OK after} 22... g5 {
the piece sacrifice gives White serious tactical counterchances and the risk
here is greater than after the restrained text move:} 23. Bxg5 $5 (23. Bg3 Bf5
$36 {[%csl Rh5]}) 23... Qxf2+ (23... hxg5 24. Rxg5+ Kh7 (24... Kh8 25. Nf6 $1
$18 {[%cal Rg5h5,Rh5h7]}) 25. Rg7+ Qxg7 26. Nxg7 Kxg7 27. Qd2 ({or} 27. Qh5 $11
{and Black's exposed king guarantees White at least a perpetual.})) 24. Kh1 (
24. Kh2 $143 {exposes White's king and doesn't give him sufficient
compensation after} hxg5 25. Rxg5+ Kf7 {/\} 26. Rg7+ (26. Qd3 Ke8 $17) 26...
Ke8 27. Qd3 Kd8 $1 28. Qg6 Bc7+ $1 29. Kh1 Qf1+ 30. Rxf1 Rxf1#) 24... hxg5 25.
Rxg5+ Kf7 26. Rg7+ Ke8 27. Qd3 Rf5 (27... Rf7 28. Qg6 Bxh3 29. Nf4 Bxg2+ 30.
Nxg2 Bxd4 31. Re1+ Qxe1+ 32. Nxe1 Bxg7 33. Nf3 Rd8 (33... Kf8 34. Ng5 Re7 35.
Nh7+ $11) 34. Ng5 Rdd7 35. Nxf7 Rxf7 36. Qe6+ Re7 $11 {/=/+}) (27... Bf5 28.
Qa3 Qh4 (28... Qe2 $2 29. Nf4 Qe4 30. Qg3 {[%cal Ra1e1]} Ba5 31. Nh5 $1 $18 {
[%cal Rg3d6,Rg7b7]}) (28... c5 29. dxc5 (29. Rxb7 $5) 29... Bxc5 30. Qb3 $44)
29. Rf1 $44) (27... Kd8 28. Qg6 {[%cal Rg6d6,Rg6g5]} Bxh3 $8 29. gxh3 Qf3+ 30.
Kh2 Bc7+ 31. Ng3 Qf2+ 32. Kh1 Bxg3 33. Qxg3 Qxg3 34. Rxg3 Kc7 35. Re1 Rf7 $11 {
/=/+}) 28. Ng3 Qxd4 (28... Kf8 29. Rg4 Rf7 30. Rf1 Qxf1+ 31. Nxf1 Bxg4 32. hxg4
Re8 33. Ne3 $11) 29. Rg8+ Kf7 30. Qxd4 Bxd4 31. Nxf5 Kxg8 32. Nxd4 c5 33. Nf3
$11 {/=/+}) 23. Re3 Bd8 (23... g5 24. Bg3 Bd7 $5 {[%cal Yd7e8] was the last
try to squeeze more out of the position, but this is already unclear after} 25.
a4 $1 {/\} Be8 26. a5 Bd8 27. Qe1 $1 Qxh5 28. Bd6 Qf7 29. Bxf8 Kxf8 30. Raa3 $1
$44) 24. Rf3 $1 $11 (24. Bg3 $143 Bg5 $36) 24... Qxf3 {The queen sacrifice
gives Black a solid position he can never lose, but unfortunately he can't
make any progress either, as White defends all his weaknesses.} (24... Bf5 25.
Ng3 $11) (24... Qe8 25. Bxd8 Rxd8 26. Re3 Qf7 27. Rf3 $11) 25. gxf3 Bxh4 26.
Kg2 Rf7 27. Rc1 Raf8 28. Rc3 {After a series of natural moves both sides find
it difficult to improve their positions.} Bg5 29. Ng3 Re7 (29... Rf4 30. Ne2
Rh4 31. f4 Bxf4 32. Nxf4 Rhxf4 33. Qd2 $11) 30. b4 (30. Ne2 $5 $11 {[%cal
Yf3f4]}) 30... a6 31. a4 Bd7 32. Qb3 Kh8 33. b5 cxb5 34. axb5 Bxb5 35. Qxd5 Rd7
36. Qe4 (36. Qc5 Be7 $11 (36... Rfd8 37. Ne4 Be7 $11)) 36... Bc6 37. Rxc6 (37.
Qg4 Rfd8 {can be dangerous only for White, so Svidler resolves the remaining
tension.}) 37... bxc6 38. Qxc6 Rxd4 (38... Rxd4 39. Qxa6 Rdf4 40. Qd3 Rxf3 $11)
1/2-1/2

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 27th"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "1999.07.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2701"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1999.07.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {Wedberg} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 $5 {An old line, mentioned
already in 15-th century manuscripts, which has become currently very popular.}
5. c3 {The most principled continuation.} ({The more direct} 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 {
promises less:} {The more solid} 6. Qe2 ({Extremely risky is} 6. Nxf7 $6 Kxf7 (
6... Nxf2 $2 7. Qe2+ Kxf7 8. Qh5+ $18) 7. Qh5+ g6 8. Qd5+ Kg7 9. Qxe4 d5 10.
Qa4 Rf8 $5 $44 {P.Keres} (10... Nd4 11. c3 Nxb5 12. Qxb5 Bd6 13. d3 Rf8 14. Be3
Qh4 15. Bd4+ Kh6 16. g3 Qh5 17. Nd2 a6 18. Qb3 Bh3 19. Rfe1 Qf5 20. c4 Bf4 21.
Qc3 g5 22. Bg7+ Kg6 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. Nf3 $16 {Ulibin,M-Vasiukov,E/RUS-ch
Elista/1996/}) 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Qxc6 Bxf2+ $1 (12... Qe7 $143 13. d4 Bxd4 14.
Bd2 $1 {[%cal Rd2c3] /\Bc3+/-}) 13. Rxf2 Rxf2 14. Kxf2 Qh4+ $40 {Black has a
dangerous attack with a draw always guranteed.}) 6... Nxe5 7. Qxe4 (7. d4 Be7
8. dxe5 Nc5 9. Bf4 O-O 10. Nc3 c6 11. Bd3 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 f6 $132 13. Qg3 {
1/2,Ivanchuk,V-Leko,P/Linares/1999/}) 7... Qe7 8. d4 Nc6 9. Qxe7+ (9. Qg4 h5 $1
10. Qxg7 Bxd4 11. Qg3 h4 12. Qd3 Qf6 13. Qe2+ Kf8 14. c3 Bb6 15. Be3 d6 16. Nd2
Bf5 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Ne5 19. Qe2 Re8 20. Bxb6 axb6 21. Rae1 Qf4 22. Qe3
Qxe3 23. Rxe3 Ra8 $11 {Renet,O-Akintola,F/Novi Sad olm/1990/}) 9... Bxe7 10. c3
a6 11. Bd3 O-O {leads to an endgame, in which careful play should enable Black
to neutralize White's slight initiative.} 12. Bf4 d6 13. Nd2 Bd7 14. Rfe1 Rfe8
15. d5 Na7 16. Re2 Bf8 17. Rae1 Rxe2 18. Rxe2 Nc8 19. c4 Nb6 20. b3 g6 21. f3
Re8 22. Kf1 Rxe2 23. Kxe2 Be7 24. Ne4 h5 25. a4 Bf5 26. a5 Nd7 27. Ke3 Kf8 28.
Bg3 Ke8 $11 {Huebner,R-Gulko,B/Biel/1987/}) (5. d3 $6 d6 {can't threaten
Black's setup, d3 systems in the Ruy Lopez can give White something only if
Black's B is shut in on e7 by d6.}) 5... O-O (5... Nxe4 $6 6. Qe2 $16 {is too
risky.}) (5... Bb6 6. d4 O-O {-5...0-0 only transposes.} (6... Nxe4 $143 $6 7.
Qe2 f5 8. dxe5 O-O 9. Nbd2 $36)) 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] [+] White
must keep the tension in the [+], if he wants to retain an advantage.
Therefore premature are moves like} (7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qd5 Nc5 9. Bg5 Ne7 $5 10.
Qd1 Ne4 $11 {[%cal Yd7d5] /\d5}) (7. d5 Ne7 8. Nxe5 Nxe4 $11 (8... d6 $5 9. Nc4
Nxe4 10. Nxb6 axb6 11. Be2 Nf6 12. c4 b5 $1 $132 {Jackson,S-Garcia,N/Dubai olw/
1986/})) ({Another topical line is} 7. Re1 d6 8. h3 Qe7 (8... Bd7 9. Bg5 h6 10.
Bh4 Nxd4 $6 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. Bxd7 dxc3 13. Nxc3 Qxd7 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nd5 Qe6
16. Qf3 c6 17. Nxf6+ Kg7 18. Nh5+ Kh7 19. Rad1 Rad8 20. Ng3 Rfe8 21. b3 Bc5 22.
Nh5 Rf8 23. g4 Qe5 24. Kg2 Kh8 25. Ng3 Rde8 26. Nf5 Re6 27. h4 $40 {Movsesian,
S-Leko,P/Las Vegas k.o./1999/}) 9. Na3 Bd7 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Nc4
Rad8 13. a4 exd4 14. Nxb6 axb6 15. cxd4 Nb4 16. Qd2 c5 17. Bxd7 Rxd7 18. a5 $6
(18. d5 Ra8 $132) 18... bxa5 19. dxc5 Rfd8 $1 $15 (19... Nc6 $2 20. e5 Qf5 21.
cxd6 Re8 22. Qc3 f6 23. exf6 Rxe1+ 24. Qxe1 Rxd6 25. Qe8+ Kh7 26. fxg7 Kxg7 27.
Re1 Qf6 28. Re4 {1-0,Polgar,J-Svidler,P/Frankfurt act/1999/})) 7... h6 8. Bh4 (
{Black would welcome the impatient} 8. Bxf6 $6 Qxf6 9. Bxc6 Qxc6 10. Nxe5 Qxe4
11. Nd2 Qf5 12. Nec4 d5 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Re1 Qg6 $11 15. Re5 $6 Bd7 16. Nf1
Rfe8 17. Ne3 c6 18. a3 Qd6 19. Qh5 Rxe5 20. dxe5 Qe7 21. Nf5 Qg5 22. Qxg5 hxg5
23. Nd6 Kf8 24. c4 Ke7 $17 {Rozentalis,E-Beliavsky,A/Groningen/1992/}) 8... d6
(8... g5 $143 $2 {fails to the standard} 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 {[%cal Rb5c6,
Rd4e5] /\Bc6,de5} Qe7 11. Qf3 Kg7 12. Qg3 $1 $40 Nxe4 13. Bxe7+ Nxg3 14. Bxf8+
Kxf8 15. hxg3 $16) 9. Qd3 {The most usual on the highest level.} (9. Bxc6 bxc6
10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Qa4 Qd6 12. Rd1 Qe6 13. Nbd2 Nd7 14. b4 a5 15. Qb3 Re8 16.
Qxe6 Rxe6 17. Nc4 f6 18. a3 Ba6 19. Nfd2 axb4 20. axb4 Ree8 21. Nxb6 Nxb6 22.
f3 $11 {[%csl Ga6,Gh4] ^-,1/2,Topalov,V-Leko,P/Linares/1999/}) (9. a4 a5 10.
Re1 exd4 $1 (10... Bg4 $143 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Qxd8 Raxd8 14. Nxe5
g5 15. Bg3 h5 16. Nxc6 Rde8 17. Nd2 $1 Bd7 18. e5 Nd5 19. c4 Bxc6 20. cxd5 Bxd5
21. h4 $16 {Gonzalez,R-De la Paz,F/Santa Clara/1996/}) 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nxd4
Re8 13. Nd2 c5 $5 (13... g5 14. Bg3 c5 15. Nb5 Bb7 16. e5 dxe5 17. Nc4 Qd5 18.
Qxd5 Nxd5 19. Bxe5 Bc6 20. f3 f6 21. Bg3 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Re8 $11 {Polgar,
J-Spasskij,B/Prague Polka/1995/}) 14. Nc2 Bb7 15. f4 c4+ 16. Nd4 Rb8 17. Re3
Ba8 18. Qc2 Nd5 $5 19. Bxd8 Nxe3 20. Qb1 Rbxd8 21. h3 f5 22. Qa2 Bxe4 23. Nxc4
Bd5 24. b3 Bxd4 25. cxd4 Nxg2 $40 {Bologan,V-Piket,J/Biel/1999/}) 9... Bd7 ({
Very few have mustered the courage to play} 9... g5 $6 {although the immediate
sacrifice is far from clear:} 10. Bg3 $142 (10. Nxg5 hxg5 11. Bxg5 Kg7 $13 12.
Bxc6 (12. f4 exd4 13. Kh1 Rh8 14. Bxc6 Ng4 $1 15. h3 f6 $19) 12... bxc6 13. f4
exd4 14. cxd4 Qd7 15. f5 $44) 10... exd4 11. Nxd4 $1 $36 {[%csl Rg5,Rg8] ע} (
11. cxd4 $6 Nh5 $13)) ({Therefore possibly playable is} 9... exd4 $5 10. cxd4
g5 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nxg5 hxg5 13. Bxg5 Kg7 14. a4 a5 15. Ra3 Qd7 16. e5 Nh7
17. Qd2 Rg8 18. Re1 dxe5 19. Rg3 Kh8 20. Rxe5 f6 21. Bxf6+ Nxf6 22. Qf4 Nh7 23.
Rh5 Rxg3 24. hxg3 Qg7 25. Rxh7+ Kxh7 26. Qh4+ Kg8 {0-1,Renet,O-Ninov,K/Ostend/
1989/}) ({A more sedate alternative is} 9... Qe7 10. Nbd2 Nb8 $5 (10... Nd8 11.
Nc4 c6 12. Ba4 Bc7 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Ne3 g5 15. Bg3 Nh5 16. Nf5 Qf6 17. Qd1 Ng7
18. Nxg7 Kxg7 19. Nd4 Ne6 20. Nf5+ Kh7 21. Qh5 Ng7 22. Nxg7 Kxg7 23. Rad1 Be6
24. Bb3 Rad8 $11 {1/2,Adorjan,A-Sydor,A/EU-chT Bath/1973/}) 11. Rfe1 c6 12. Ba4
Nbd7 13. Nc4 Re8 14. Bb3 Bc7 15. Ne3 Qf8 16. Nf1 Nh5 17. Rad1 Ndf6 18. dxe5
dxe5 19. Ne3 Be6 20. Bxe6 $11 {1/2,Luther,T-Maric,A/Hastings/1994/}) 10. Nbd2
a6 11. Bc4 (11. Ba4 Nb4 $5 $132) 11... exd4 $5 {We have already mentioned a
similar operation a few times. Black gives up his central outpost on e5 in
exchange for active piece play.} ({After} 11... Qe7 12. Rfe1 Kh8 13. Bd5 $5 g5
14. Bg3 $36 {he has problems holding e5 anyway and would have to concede the 
[+] in less favourable circumstances.}) 12. cxd4 (12. Nxd4 $6 Ne5 $15) 12... g5
13. Nxg5 $5 {[%mdl 512] 'N!?' Wedberg. A positional piece sacrifice is
nowadays a recurrent topic in high-level chess. Here White will have 2 pawns
for his N and Black's K will be permanently under pressure. What Topalov
probably underestimted is the fact White must be very accurate to preserve his
initiative. Wedberg: 'This sacrifice had to be tried. Two P:s and an open K is
a lot of compensation for a mere N.'} ({White was also motivated to sacrifice
by the fact} 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. e5 {[%cal Rd3g6] /\Qg6} Kg7 15. exd6 Nxg3 16. dxc7
(16. hxg3 cxd6 $11) 16... Qxc7 17. fxg3 {'~~' Wedberg. Wedberg: '1-0 Svidler,
P-Leko,P/Linares 1999/CBM 70/[Wedberg] (40)'} (17. hxg3 g4 18. Ne5 (18. Nh4
Nxd4 $36) 18... Nxd4 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 $11 {[+]<=>}) 17... g4 18. Nh4 {[%cal Rf1f7]
/\Rf7!} Ne5 $1 19. Nf5+ Bxf5 20. Qxf5 {Svidler,P-Leko,P/Linares/1999/} Rad8 $1
21. Kh1 Rxd4 22. Qf6+ Kh7 (22... Kg8 23. Rf5 Nxc4 24. Rg5+ $11) 23. Qf5+ $11
Kg8 $2 24. Ne4 $1 Rxe4 25. Qxe4 Nxc4 26. Rac1 $18 {leads only to a draw. As
Leko willingly repeats the line, he certanly wasn't afraid of 13.Bg3.}) (13. e5
d5 $1 $132) 13... hxg5 14. Bxg5 Kg7 $8 (14... Bxd4 $2 15. e5 $1 Bxe5 16. Qg6+
Kh8 17. Qh6+ Kg8 18. Ne4 {'+-' Wedberg.} Nxe4 19. Bxd8 Raxd8 20. Qg6+ $18) (
14... Nxd4 $2 15. e5 Bf5 16. Qg3 Nh5 17. Qh4 $16 {->} (17. Qh4 {Wedberg} Qd7
18. Qxh5 $18)) 15. Nb3 {'!?' Wedberg. Not a very aesthetic move, the N will be
off-side later on. But this moment is still far away and the alternatives
promise less: Wedberg: 'The positional method. White just wants to guard his
centre and then advance on the K-side.'} ({Komplikovanejsie je to po} 15. e5
dxe5 16. Ne4 (16. Qg3 Nh5 17. Qh4 f6 {odrazi cierny hladko.}) 16... Bf5 $1 17.
dxe5 (17. Bxf6+ $2 Qxf6) 17... Nxe4 {'!!' Wedberg.} 18. Bxd8 Raxd8 19. Qf3 Bg6
{Formalne ma biely dokonca materialnu prevahu, ale lahke figury cierneho su
vyborne zohrate a pesiaci e5 a f2 vazne ohrozeni. Po dalsej serii logickych
tahov '~~' Wedberg.} 20. Rae1 Nxe5 (20... Nd2 21. Qf6+ Kh7 22. e6 {alebo}) (
20... Rd4 21. Rxe4 Rxe4 22. Qf6+ {s dalsim Sd5, ci Sd3 je slabsie.}) 21. Qf4
Nxc4 22. Rxe4 Bxe4 (22... Nd2 $6 23. Qe5+ f6 24. Qe7+) 23. Qxe4 Rd4 24. Qxb7 a5
$5 {dojde k dalsej metamorfoze materialu. Sance bieleho na uspesny utok sa
rovnaju nule a musi bojovat o remizu.}) (15. Qg3 $2 Bxd4 $142 $1 (15... Nxd4 $6
16. Bh4+ Kh7 17. e5 $16) (15... Nh5 16. Qh4 (16. Qe3 Bxd4 $1 $17) 16... f6 $17)
16. e5 (16. Nf3 Nxe4 $19) 16... Bxe5 17. Bxf6+ Kxf6 18. Ne4+ Ke7 $17 {and
Black's K escapes.}) (15. Nf3 {stops the f-pawn and blocks the Q's road to the
>>.} Ne7 $5 (15... Qe8 16. Qe3 Ng4 17. Bf6+ $1 Nxf6 18. Qg5+ Kh7 19. Qxf6 $40)
(15... Re8 16. Rae1 {[%cal Re4e5] /\e5->}) 16. e5 Nh7 {gives Black good
chances to beat off the attack, e.g.} 17. Bf6+ Nxf6 18. exf6+ Kxf6 19. Qh7 Bf5
20. Qh6+ Bg6 21. Ng5 Nf5 $1 22. Nh7+ Ke7 $17) 15... Ne7 {A logical move, Leko
brings another piece closer to the >>. But playable was also} (15... Qe8 $5 16.
Rae1 (16. Bxf6+ Kxf6 17. Qf3+ Ke7 {only chases the K to safety.}) 16... Nh7 $13
{/=/+}) 16. Bxf6+ $1 $146 {Only this move is new. A few days ago in Frankfurt
the Topalov against the same opponent played Wedberg: 'Drawing the K out, but
keeping the B was a serious alternative.'} (16. Rae1 $6 Nh7 17. Bh4 f6 18. Re3
(18. e5 $5 {Wedberg}) 18... Ng6 19. Bg3 (19. Rg3 Ng5) 19... f5 $1 20. exf5 Bxf5
21. Qd2 Nf6 {Wedberg: 'White had little to show for his investment. 0-1
Topalov,V-Leko,P/Frankfurt 1999 (38)'} 22. Rfe1 Nh5 23. Bd5 Rb8 24. Be4 Qd7 25.
Bxf5 Qxf5 $17 {Topalov,V-Leko,P/Frankfurt act/1999/}) (16. Qg3 $2 Nxe4 {
loses immediately.}) ({An interesting try would be} 16. e5 $5 {[%cal Yg5d8]
Wedberg The idea is to pressure Black on the diagonal g5-d8.} Nh7 (16... dxe5
$2 {Opening the d-file is very dangerous for Black.} 17. dxe5 Nh7 (17... Ng4
18. Qg3 $40) 18. Bf6+ $1 Nxf6 19. exf6+ Kxf6 20. Rad1 Nc6 21. Rfe1 $40) 17. Bh4
f6 (17... d5 18. Bxd5) (17... dxe5 18. Rfe1 $1 {Ra1 will go to d1.} f6 19. dxe5
Ng6 20. Qg3 $40 {[%cal Ya1d1,Ye5e6,Ye5f6]}) (17... Bb5 18. Qg3+ Kh8 19. Bf6+
Nxf6 20. exf6 Ng6 21. Qg5 $18) (17... Be6 18. Qg3+ Kh8 19. Bf6+ Nxf6 20. exf6
Nf5 21. Qh3+ Kg8 22. Qg4+ Kh8 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Qg5+ Kh8 25. Bd3 $18) 18. Rfe1 (
18. Rae1 {is also possible, but the R:s are at their best on e1 and d1 in this
position, since f4 is less likely to be of value.}) (18. e6 $6 d5 $1 $17) 18...
Ng6 (18... Be8 19. Qg3+ Bg6 20. exf6+ Nxf6 21. Bd3 $18) (18... Nf5 19. e6 Bxe6
(19... Nxh4 20. Qg3+ Ng6 21. e7 Qc8 22. exf8=Q+ Qxf8 23. h4 $40) 20. Bxe6 Nxh4
21. g3 Ng6 22. Bf5 $16) (18... d5 19. Qg3+ Kh8 20. Bd3 $40) 19. e6 Be8 20. d5
$44) 16... Kxf6 {[%csl Rf6] An interesting position. Although White has
exchanged another pair of minor pieces, Black's K is seriously exposed and
consolidation will cost him a lot of time and possibly material.} 17. f4 $2 {
Very logical, but not best.} (17. Qg3 $142 $1 {[%cal Re4e5] /\e5} Ng6 $142 (
17... Nc6 18. Rfe1 {retains the dangerous threat e5, e.g.} (18. e5+ dxe5 19.
dxe5+ Nxe5 20. Qf4+ Bf5 21. Rad1 Qc8 $17) (18. Rad1 $5 $44) 18... Ke7 19. e5
dxe5 20. d5 $1 Rg8 21. Qf3 $16 {[%cal Rd5d6] /\d6}) 18. f4 (18. h4 $5 $44)
18... Kg7 $5 ({Now analogy with the game is insufficient:} 18... Be6 $6 19.
Bxe6 fxe6 20. f5 exf5 21. exf5 $1 (21. Rxf5+ $2 Kg7 22. Raf1 Qh4 $19) 21... Nh8
(21... Ne5 22. Kh1 $18) 22. Rae1 $40 {with a tremendous attack.}) (18... Ba4 $2
19. f5 $16 {->}) (18... Rg8 $5 19. Kh1 $44) (18... Ke7 19. Kh1 $1 (19. f5 $143
$6 Ne5 $17) 19... Ke8 20. f5 Ne7 21. f6 Nf5 $5 (21... Nc6 $2 22. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7
23. Qg7+ Ke6 24. Qg4+ Kf7 25. Qh5+ $18) (21... Ng6 22. e5 $40 {[%cal Re5e6] /
\e6}) 22. exf5 (22. Qg5 Nxd4 23. Bxf7+ Rxf7 24. Qg8+ Rf8 $11) 22... Qxf6 23.
Rae1+ $14 {/+/-}) 19. f5 Qh4 20. Qxh4 (20. fxg6 Qxg3 21. hxg3 fxg6 $11) 20...
Nxh4 21. Rf4 Ng6 $5 (21... Rh8 $143 22. g3 Ba4 23. Rd1 $36 {White will regain
his piece under better circumstances.}) 22. fxg6 fxg6 23. Raf1 Ba4 $132 {
and Black has every chance to save the game.}) (17. e5+ {Wedberg} Kg7 (17...
dxe5 18. dxe5+ Kg7 19. Rad1 Ng6 20. Qc3 $44) 18. Qg3+ Ng6 19. f4 Bf5 $17) 17...
Be6 $1 {[%mdl 256] Very cool! From now on Leko demonstrates superlative
defence.} (17... Kg7 $2 18. f5 $1 $40 (18. Qg3+ Ng6 19. f5 Qh4 $132 {-17.Qg3
Kg7!?})) 18. Kh1 $6 {Loses a tempo and enables Black to evacuate his K.} (18.
Bxe6 fxe6 (18... Kxe6 {Wedberg} 19. Qh3+ f5 20. g4 fxe4 21. f5+ Kd7 (21... Kd5)
22. f6 Rh8 23. fxe7 Qxe7 $17) 19. e5+ (19. Qg3 Rh8 {[%cal Rd8g8] /\Qg8-/+}) (
19. g4 Rh8 20. g5+ $40) 19... Kg7 20. Rf3 Nf5 $17) (18. f5 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Nc6 {
/\Ke7-/+ also doesn't further White's attack.} (19... Rh8 {Wedberg} 20. Kh1 Nc6
21. Rae1 $17 {this might possibly give chances for a svindle with e5+ at some
point. But no doubt Black is better.})) ({Necessary was the immediate} 18. Rf3
$142 Bxc4 (18... d5 $2 19. f5 $1 dxe4 (19... dxc4 20. e5+ Kg7 21. f6+ Kh8 22.
Qe3 $1 $18) 20. Qxe4 Nxf5 21. Raf1 $18) 19. Qxc4 Ng6 (19... d5 20. e5+ Ke6 21.
Qd3 $132) 20. Kh1 $15 {White's strong and elastic [+] still gives him
practical chances.}) (18. e5+ {Wedberg} dxe5 19. fxe5+ Kg7 20. Qg3+ Ng6 $19)
18... Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Kg7 {Wedberg: 'The black K glides back. White´s
compensation is beginning to look thin.'} 20. f5 (20. Rf3 d5 $5 (20... Rg8 $5
$17) (20... Rh8 $17) 21. Rg3+ Ng6 22. Qc3 f5 23. e5 Qh4 24. Nc5 Rae8 $17) 20...
f6 21. Rf3 Rh8 {Modesty is still necessary-} (21... d5 $2 22. Qe2 $36 {[%cal
Rf3g3,Re4e5] /\Rg3,e5}) 22. Rg3+ Kf8 {/\d5} 23. Qe6 Ng8 {'-/+' Wedberg.
Wedberg: 'White´s attack is stopped.'} 24. Re1 Qe8 $17 {Now it's already clear
Black will gradually push off White's pieces and consolidate his position.
Wedberg: 'White has to retreat hoping for tactics or play a difficult ending.'}
25. Qc4 (25. Qd5 $6 Ne7 $1 (25... Qc6 26. Qe6 Re8 $2 27. Rxg8+ $1 $18) 26. Qxb7
(26. Qe6 Qf7 $19) 26... Nxf5 $40 {only helps Black.}) 25... Qf7 26. Qc3 Re8 27.
Rg4 $6 {Not a very good move, but even the alternatives enable Black to
activate his pieces.} (27. Nd2 Qd5 $1 {[%cal Rd5d4,Rd5f5] /\Qd4,Qf5}) (27. a4
Rh4 28. Rge3 (28. a5 Rhxe4 $1 29. Rxe4 Rxe4 30. axb6 Qxb3 31. Rxg8+ Qxg8 32.
bxc7 Ke7 $19) 28... Qh7 $17 {|^}) 27... Qh5 28. Qg3 Ne7 29. h3 (29. Rf1 d5 $19)
29... Nxf5 $1 $19 {'-+' Wedberg.} 30. Qf4 (30. Qf3 Rh6) (30. exf5 $2 Rxe1+ 31.
Qxe1 Qxg4 $19) 30... Rg8 ({Black had also other moves:} 30... Rh6 $5 $19) 31.
Rxg8+ Kxg8 32. Rf1 Ng7 33. Qxf6 Rxe4 34. Kh2 {Topalov is a piece down and his
N is misplaced, but he continues to resist hopelessly.} (34. Qf8+ Kh7 35. Rf7
Re1+ 36. Kh2 Bxd4 $1 37. Nxd4 Qe5+ 38. Rf4 Re4 $19 {is even worse.}) 34... Qe8
35. Qg5 c6 36. Qg3 Qe6 37. Nd2 (37. Qd3 Re3 $19 {is very passive.}) 37... Rxd4
38. Nf3 Rd5 39. Re1 (39. Ng5 Qe5) 39... Qf7 40. Qg4 Bd8 (40... Rf5 $19 {/\} 41.
Ng5 Qg6) 41. Qc8 Qc7 42. Qxc7 (42. Qg4 Rf5 $19) 42... Bxc7 43. Re7 Bb6 44. g4 (
44. Rxb7 Rb5 45. Rb8+ Kf7 46. Rc8 Rxb2 47. Rxc6 Nf5 $19) 44... Rb5 45. b3 Kf8
46. Rd7 (46. Rxb7 $2 Bg1+ $19) 46... Ne6 47. Nh4 Ke8 48. Rh7 Nf8 (48... Nf8 49.
Rh6 Be3 $1 50. Rh8 Bd4 51. Rh6 Bg7 $19 {forces further exchanges.}) 0-1

[Event "RUS-ch"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Vasiukov, Evgeni"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2505"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "140"]
[EventDate "1996.10.15"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 056"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {Wedberg Petursson} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4
Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 $132) 4... Be7 (4... a6 5. Ba4 {-C77
} (5. Bxc6 $5)) (4... Bc5 $142 $5 5. c3 (5. Bxc6 bxc6 (5... dxc6 $2 6. Nxe5 Qd4
7. Nd3 Bb6 8. f3) 6. Nxe5 $6 Qe7 7. Nd3 Ba6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. b3 Rfe8 10. f3 Nd5 $1
11. Nxd5 cxd5 12. Bb2 dxe4 13. fxe4 Qxe4 14. Qxe4 Rxe4+ 15. Kd1 Bf8 16. Re1
Rae8 17. Rxe4 Rxe4 18. a4 h5 19. Nf2 Re2 20. Bd4 Bb4 21. c3 c5 $1 $36 {Polgar,
J-Smejkal,J/Moscow olm/1994/}) 5... O-O 6. d3 Re8 7. O-O a6 8. Ba4 h6 9. h3 d5
10. Nbd2 b5 11. Bb3 Be6 12. Re1 Bb6 13. Nf1 d4 14. Ng3 a5 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. c4
bxc4 17. Qc2 c3 18. bxc3 Qd6 19. Bb2 Nd7 $10 {1/2,Kotsur-Dautov,R/Jerevan olm/
1996/}) 5. O-O (5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nxe5 $6 Qd4 $15) (5. c3 d6 6. d4 Bd7 7. h3 O-O
8. O-O Re8 9. d5 Nb8 10. Bd3 g6 11. c4 Na6 12. Nc3 Nc5 13. Bc2 a5 14. Be3 b6
15. Kh2 Nh5 16. g3 $14 {Galdunts,S-Westerinen,H/Jerevan olm/1996/}) 5... d6 6.
d4 (6. c3 O-O 7. d4 $14) (6. c3 $142 {Wedberg}) 6... exd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Bxc6 (
8. Nxc6 {Wedberg} bxc6 9. Ba4 (9. Bd3 O-O 10. Nd2 Re8 11. Nf3 Bf8 $11 {1/2-1/2
Richter,W-Leibbrand,U/Mannheim MB 1990 (21)}) 9... O-O 10. Nc3 Re8 11. Bf4 Bf8
12. Rad1 Rb8 13. Bb3 Be6 14. Qa6 Rb6 15. Qa4 $14 {Sideif-Zade}) 8... bxc6 {
Wedberg: Compared to the normal Steinitz defence - 3. - d6 - White has
comitted his Q to e2. In face of the coming Re8 this is not an improvement.} 9.
Rd1 $5 $146 (9. e5 dxe5 10. Qxe5 O-O $132 {^^}) (9. Nc3 O-O 10. b3 Re8 11. Bb2
d5 $5 12. e5 Bf8 13. f4 c5 14. Nf3 d4 15. Ne4 Nd5 16. Bc1 Rb8 17. Re1 Rb6 18.
Bd2 Qa8 19. Ng3 Rg6 20. Qd3 a6 21. f5 Rg4 22. a4 Bc6 $13 {Galdunts,S-Kuzmin,G/
Moscow 4/1991/}) 9... O-O 10. Nc3 {More consistent was} (10. e5 $142 $1 Ne8 (
10... dxe5 11. Nxc6 Qe8 12. Nxe7+ $142 $5 (12. Nxe5 Bd6 13. Re1 (13. Bf4 Bg4
14. f3 Nh5 $36) 13... Bxe5 14. Qxe5 Qxe5 15. Rxe5 Rfe8 $44 {@} 16. Bf4 Nd5 17.
Bg3 Rxe5 18. Bxe5 Re8 19. f4 f6 20. Nc3 Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Re2 $10) 12... Qxe7 13.
b3 $14 (13. Bf4 $5 $36)) 11. e6 fxe6 12. Nxe6 Bxe6 13. Qxe6+ Kh8 14. Nc3 $14 {
Black's main positional trump is the ^^, if White exchanges one of the B his
better pawn structure starts to show more clearly.}) 10... Re8 11. Qd3 Qb8 $1
$10 12. b3 Qb4 (12... Qb7 $5) 13. Bb2 Bf8 14. Nde2 Rab8 (14... Nxe4 $4 15. a3
$18) 15. Ng3 Bg4 $5 16. f3 Bc8 17. Nce2 Nd7 18. Qe3 (18. Nf5 Ne5 {[%cal Gc8f5]
/\Bf5=/+}) 18... Qb6 19. Bd4 (19. Qxb6 $5 {Wedberg} axb6 20. Nd4 Bb7 21. a4 $13
) 19... c5 $8 20. Bc3 Ne5 21. Kh1 f6 (21... g6 $5 {/\} 22. Nf4 Bh6 $1) 22. Nf4
c6 23. Qd2 Qc7 24. Nf5 $6 {White overestimates his position and decides to
draw Black out of his shell.} (24. Re1 Qf7 25. Rad1 $10) 24... d5 (24... Bxf5
$2 25. exf5 $36 {[%cal Rf4e6] /\ Ne6}) 25. Ng3 d4 26. Ba5 (26. Bb2 Nc4 $1 $17)
26... Qf7 27. c3 (27. Nd3 c4 $36) 27... Rb5 {[%csl Ra5] ץa5} 28. cxd4 $2 (28.
c4 $142 Rb7 29. Qc2 g5 $5 $15) 28... cxd4 29. a4 (29. b4 $6 c5 $1 {/\} 30. bxc5
Nc4) (29. Qe1 c5 $17) 29... Rxb3 30. Qxd4 Nc4 31. Be1 Ne3 32. Rdc1 c5 33. Qd2
Ba6 34. Bf2 Nc4 35. Qe1 g6 $1 $17 {[%cal Rf8h6] /\Bh6} 36. Nd5 f5 37. Qf1 (37.
Qg1 Bg7 38. Ra2 (38. Rab1 Rxb1 39. Rxb1 fxe4 40. fxe4 Nd2) 38... fxe4 39. fxe4
Nd6 $1 $17) (37. Qd1 Rb2 $40) (37. Rab1 $142 $5 Ra3 $5 $36 (37... Rxb1 38. Rxb1
Bb7 39. Nf6+ $1)) 37... fxe4 (37... Bg7 38. Ra2 $1 $8 (38. Rab1 Rxb1 39. Rxb1
Nd2 $19) (38. Rxc4 fxe4 $1 (38... Bxa1 39. Qxa1 Bxc4 40. Nf6+ Kf8 41. Bxc5+ Re7
42. exf5 $1 $44 {[%cal Rf6d7,Rf6h7] /\Nh7,Nd7}) 39. Rd1 (39. fxe4 Bxc4 40. Qxc4
Bxa1 41. Qxb3 Qxf2 $19) 39... exf3 $19) 38... fxe4 39. fxe4 $13) 38. Nxe4 (38.
fxe4 Rb2 $40) 38... Bg7 39. Nxc5 Rxf3 $3 (39... Bxa1 40. Nxb3 Bb2 41. Re1 $1 (
41. Rd1 Ne3 $1) 41... Rxe1 42. Qxe1 Qxd5 43. Nc5 (43. Qe8+ $5 Kg7 44. Nc5 Qd1+
45. Bg1) 43... Qc6 44. Nxa6 Qxa6 45. Qe8+ Kg7 46. Qe7+ $10) 40. gxf3 (40. Nxa6
$5 Nd2 $1 (40... Rxf2 41. Qxc4 Bxa1 42. Rxa1 Re4 43. Qc8+ Re8 44. Qc4 $10) 41.
Qg1 (41. Qb5 Rxf2 42. Re1 (42. Ra2 Rxg2 $1 43. Rc7 Rg1+ $1 44. Kxg1 Bd4+ $19)
42... Rf8 $1 $40 {[%cal Rg7a1,Rf2g2] /\Ba1,Rg2!}) 41... Rxf2 42. Rc7 $1 Bxa1 $1
(42... Qxd5 43. Rxg7+ Kxg7 44. Qxf2 $10) 43. Rxf7 Rxf7 44. Qxa1 (44. Nac7 Bd4
$1) 44... Re5 $3 45. Nf4 $1 Rxf4 46. Qa2+ Kg7 47. h3 Re2 $17) 40... Ne3 41. Qh3
$8 (41. Qxa6 $2 Qxf3+ $19 (41... Qxf3+ {Wedberg} 42. Kg1 Qg2#)) (41. Nxe3 $2
Bxf1 $19) 41... Bc8 $1 42. Qg3 Be5 43. Ne4 $5 (43. f4 Qxd5+ 44. Kg1 Bxf4 $19) (
43. Nxe3 Bxg3 44. hxg3 Qxf3+ 45. Kg1 Rxe3 46. Bxe3 Qxg3+ $19) (43. Nf4 Bxf4 44.
Qg1 Bh3 $5 $19 {->}) 43... Nxd5 $6 (43... Bxg3 $1 44. Ndf6+ (44. Nef6+ Kh8 45.
Bxe3 Be5 46. Nxe8 Qxf3+ 47. Kg1 Bh3 48. Ra2 Qxd5) 44... Kh8 45. hxg3 (45. Bxg3
Rxe4 $1 (45... Bb7 {Petursson} 46. Rc7 Re7 47. Be5 {is not quite clear}) 46.
Rxc8+ Kg7 47. fxe4 Qxf6 $19) 45... Rxe4 $5 (45... Bb7 46. Bxe3 Bxe4 47. Bd4
Bxf3+ 48. Kg1 Rd8 49. Rc8 Rxc8 50. Ng4+ Qg7 {by tiez malo stacit.}) 46. Rxc8+
Kg7 47. fxe4 Qxf6 48. Rc7+ Kg8 49. Bxe3 Qxa1+ 50. Kg2 a6 $19 {[%cal Ra1a4] /
\Qa4}) 44. Rxc8 $1 $8 (44. Qg2 Nf4 (44... Bxa1 {Wedberg} 45. Nd6 Qf4 46. Rxc8
Rxc8 47. Nxc8 Qxa4 48. Bxa7 (48. Nxa7 Qd1+ 49. Bg1 Bd4 $19) 48... Qd1+ 49. Bg1
Bd4 50. Nd6 Nf6 51. Nb7 Bxg1 52. Qxg1 Qxf3+ 53. Qg2 Qd1+ 54. Qg1 Qd5+ 55. Qg2
Ne4 $19) 45. Qf1 Bh3 $19) 44... Rxc8 $1 (44... Bxg3 45. Rxe8+ Qxe8 46. hxg3 $15
) 45. Qh3 (45. Qxe5 Qxf3+ 46. Kg1 Nf4 47. Nf6+ Kf7 $19) 45... Rc2 46. Rd1 Nf4
$40 47. Qh6 (47. Qg4 h5 48. Qg5 (48. Rd8+ Kg7 49. Qg5 Rc1+ 50. Bg1 Bc7 {
[%cal Rf4h3] /\Nh3}) 48... Nh3 $1 $19 49. Qd8+ Kg7 50. Rd7 Rc1+ 51. Kg2 Nf4+
52. Kg3 Ne6+) 47... Ne6 48. Ng5 (48. Qe3 Bd4 $1 49. Rxd4 Nxd4 50. Qxd4 Qxf3+
51. Kg1 Rc1+ $19) 48... Qb7 $1 49. Ne4 Rxf2 50. Nxf2 Qxf3+ 51. Kg1 Bd4 $1 {
[%cal Rf3f2,Re6f4] /\Qf2,Nf4} (51... Nf4 $2 52. Rd8+ Kf7 53. Qf8+ Ke6 54. Re8+
Kd5 55. Qf7+ Kd4 56. Rd8+ Kc3 57. Rd3+ $1 $18) 52. Rxd4 $8 Nxd4 53. Qd2 (53.
Qg5 Ne2+ (53... Qa8 $5) 54. Kf1 Nf4 55. Qd8+ Kf7 56. Qc7+ Kf6 57. Qd6+ Kf5 $19)
53... Qd5 54. Qd3 Nf3+ 55. Kh1 Qxd3 56. Nxd3 Kf7 $19 {[%csl Ra4,Rh1] _|_><a4,
Kh1} 57. Nb4 (57. Kg2 Nd4 58. Kf2 Ke6 59. Ke3 Kd5 {[%cal Rd5c4] /\Kc4}) 57...
Nd4 58. Kg2 Ke6 59. Kg3 a5 60. Nd3 Kd5 61. Kf4 Kc4 62. Ke4 Nf5 63. Ne5+ Kb3 64.
Kd5 Kxa4 65. Kc4 Ne3+ 66. Kd3 Nf1 67. Nf3 (67. h4 Kb3) 67... Kb3 68. Ke2 Nxh2
$1 {Black has sacrificed nearly every possible piece in this game.} 69. Nxh2 a4
70. Nf3 a3 (70... a3 71. Nd4+ Kb2 72. Kd3 a2 73. Nc2 h5 $19) 0-1

[Event "Olympiad-41"]
[Site "Tromsoe"]
[Date "2014.08.11"]
[Round "9.2"]
[White "Balogh, Csaba"]
[Black "Rodshtein, Maxim"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2637"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "129"]
[EventDate "2014.08.02"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 162"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Hungary"]
[BlackTeam "Israel"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "HUN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ISR"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 ({The Berlin endgame after} 4. O-O Nxe4 5.
d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {remains a tough nut to crack,
although lately Caruana has started scoring well against it:} 9. h3 Bd7 (9...
h6 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. Nc3 Bd7 12. Bf4 Rd8 13. Ne4 Be7 (13... c5 $142 $5 {[%cal
Yd7c6]}) 14. g4 Nh4 15. Nxh4 Bxh4 16. Kg2 Be6 17. f3 b6 18. b3 c5 $6 {[%csl
Rd5]} (18... Rd7 $142) 19. c4 Rd7 20. Bg3 Be7 21. Rxd7 Bxd7 22. Nc3 Kd8 23. Nd5
Re8 24. Rd1 $16 Kc8 $2 25. Nxc7 $1 $18 {Caruana,F (2783)-Carlsen,M (2881)/
Shamkir/2014/ See more details in the notes to this game by Caruana in CBM 160.
}) ({Once Black's king has to stay on e8, it's probably a better idea to slow
down White's kingside expansion:} 9... Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 ({The most recent
top-flight example went} 10... Ne7 $5 11. Ne4 Ng6 {Removing the knight from
the exposed f5-square also takes the sting out of g4:} 12. Re1 h6 13. Kh2 c5
14. c4 Be6 15. b3 b6 16. g4 $6 h5 17. Kg3 Rd8 18. Neg5 Bc8 19. Bb2 Be7 20. Rad1
Rxd1 21. Rxd1 hxg4 22. hxg4 f6 23. exf6 gxf6 24. Re1 Kf8 25. Ne4 Kf7 26. Bc1
Rg8 27. Rh1 Bb7 28. Re1 Re8 $36 {Nakamura,H (2787)-Topalov,V (2772)/Saint
Louis/2014/}) 11. Rd1 (11. Bf4 Be7 12. Rad1 Bd7 13. g3 Rd8 14. Bg5 Nh6 15. Kg2
Bf5 16. Rxd8+ Bxd8 17. Bxd8 Kxd8 18. Rd1+ Ke7 19. Rd2 a5 20. Nd4 Bc8 21. f3 Rd8
22. g4 c5 23. Nb3 Rxd2+ 24. Nxd2 Ke6 25. Nc4 hxg4 26. hxg4 Bd7 27. a4 b6 28.
Kg3 g5 $132 {Naiditsch,A (2705)-Kramnik,V (2777)/Dortmund/2014/}) 11... Be7 12.
Ne2 Nh4 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. Be3 Be7 15. Rd2 h4 16. Rad1 Rh5 17. Bf4 (17. Bd4 c5
18. Nf4 $2 (18. Bc3 Rf5 $11) 18... Rf5 19. Nd5 cxd4 20. Nxc7+ Kd8 21. Nxa8 Be6
22. Rxd4+ Kc8 23. Rg4 g6 24. Re4 Kb8 25. Nb6 axb6 26. c4 Kc7 27. b3 Kc6 $17 {
Grigoryev,V-Zidu,J/email/2009/}) 17... a6 (17... Rf5 18. Bh2 c5 19. c4 (19. Nc3
Be6 20. Nd5 Bd8 (20... Bxd5 21. Rxd5 c6 22. Rd7 Rd8 $11)) 19... Be6 20. b3 Rd8
$11 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. Kf1 a6 23. Nc3 Bg5 24. Ke2 Bf4 25. Bxf4 Rxf4 26. Rd3 Rf5
27. Re3 Bd7 28. Nd5 Bc6 29. Nxc7+ Kd7 30. Nd5 Ke6 31. Nc7+ Kd7 32. Nd5 {
1/2, Busemann,S (2628)-Chytilek,R (2663)/email/2008/}) 18. Nd4 c5 19. Ne2 Be6
20. Nc3 Rd8 21. Nd5 Rd7 22. Nxe7 Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Kxe7 $11 {Caruana,F (2783)
-Karjakin,S (2772)/Shamkir/2014/}) 10. Rd1 Be7 11. g4 (11. Nc3 Kc8 12. g4 Nh4
13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. Be3 b6 15. Rd2 c5 16. Nd5 Re8 17. Rad1 Bc6 18. Bf4 h6 19. Kg2
Kb7 20. c4 a5 (20... f6 $132) (20... Bg5 $5) 21. Re1 Rad8 22. Bg3 Bxg3 23. Kxg3
f6 24. f4 Re6 25. Rdd1 fxe5 26. Rxe5 Red6 27. f5 $36 {Caruana,F (2789)-Adams,M
(2743)/Dortmund/2014/ Black's play was too hesitant and White made full use of
his kingside majority.}) 11... Nh4 12. Nxh4 Bxh4 13. Nd2 Kc8 14. Nf3 (14. Ne4
b6 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Nxg5 h6 17. Nxf7 Re8 18. f4 Be6 19. Nxh6 gxh6 20. f5 Bxf5
21. gxf5 Rxe5 22. Rf1 Kd7 23. Rad1+ Ke7 24. Rfe1 Kf6 25. Rxe5 Kxe5 26. Rd7 c5
$11 {Karjakin,S (2771)-Carlsen,M (2881)/Stavanger/2014/ See the notes to this
game by Marin in CBM 161.}) 14... Be7 15. Rd3 c5 $6 ({The real question is
what Fabio had in his mind after} 15... h6 16. Nd4 Re8 17. Bf4 c5 18. Nf5 Bf8
19. c4 a6 20. Ne3 b5 21. b3 g5 22. Bg3 Be6 23. Rad1 Kb7 24. h4 Kc6 $132 {
Caruana,F (2782)-Grischuk,A (2785)/EU-chT Warsaw/2013/}) 16. Bg5 c4 17. Rd4 Bc6
18. Bxe7 Bxf3 19. Kh2 Re8 20. Bh4 c6 21. Re1 Bd5 22. f4 a5 23. c3 b5 24. Rd2 b4
25. Bf2 bxc3 26. bxc3 Rb8 27. f5 a4 28. Bc5 Rb7 29. Kg3 Kd7 30. Ba3 Rb5 31. Kf4
$16 {[%csl Ge5,Gf5,Gg4,Gh3] Caruana,F (2801)-Negi,P (2645)/Tromso olm/2014/
With such an impressive space advantage even the opposite-coloured bishops are
not much help.}) 4... Bc5 5. c3 {White has two main alternatives.} (5. Bxc6
dxc6 6. h3 (6. Nbd2 Bg4 $1 ({Recent experiments with} 6... Be6 {have brought
Black mostly trouble; a good reaction is} 7. Nb3 Bd6 (7... Bb6 $5) 8. Na5 Rb8
9. Qe2 O-O 10. Bd2 c5 11. Nc4 Bxc4 12. dxc4 Nd7 13. h4 a6 14. h5 b5 15. Nh4 Qe8
16. Nf5 Kh8 17. Ba5 $36 {Caruana,F (2791)-Aronian,L (2815)/Dubai rpd/2014/}) 7.
h3 Bh5 {was played in game 7 of the 2013 World Championship match and still in
my eyes remains a convincing way to hold the balance after} 8. Nf1 Nd7 9. Ng3
Bxf3 10. Qxf3 g6 11. c3 (11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O 13. Ne2 Rhe8 14. Kb1 b6
15. h4 Kb7 16. h5 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc5 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. g3 a5 20. Rh7 Rh8 21.
Rdh1 Rxh7 22. Rxh7 Qf6 23. f4 Rh8 $11 {Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh
Chennai/2013/}) 11... Qe7 12. O-O Nf8 13. Be3 Ne6 14. Bxc5 Qxc5 15. Qf6 O-O 16.
Rae1 Qd6 17. Re3 Nf4 18. Qxd6 cxd6 $11 {Baklan,V (2634)-Henrichs,T (2476)/
Bundesliga/2013/}) 6... Nd7 7. Be3 ({A more recent example went} 7. Nbd2 O-O 8.
Nc4 Re8 9. O-O f6 10. Be3 Bxe3 (10... Bf8 $5 $11 {[%cal Yd7c5,Yc5e6]}) 11. Nxe3
Nf8 12. h4 c5 13. h5 Be6 14. Nh4 b6 15. Qf3 h6 16. Nhf5 Qd7 17. g3 Rad8 18. b3
Bxf5 19. Qxf5 Qxf5 20. Nxf5 Ne6 21. Kg2 Nd4 $11 {Mastrovasilis,D (2608)-Zhu,C 
(2461)/Tromso olm/2014/}) 7... Bd6 8. Nc3 c5 9. O-O Nf8 10. Nd2 Ng6 11. Nc4 Be6
12. Ne2 Qd7 13. Nxd6+ cxd6 14. f4 exf4 15. Nxf4 Nxf4 16. Rxf4 {Carlsen,M (2872)
-Caruana,F (2782)/Zuerich/2014/} O-O $11 {For more details about this branch
see the notes to this game in CBM 159.}) (5. O-O Nd4 {retains its good
reputation, Black was fine after} 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. Nd2 c6 8. Ba4 O-O ({A more
usual move is} 8... d6 9. c3 Bb6 10. Bb3 O-O 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5
14. Bg3 Bg4 15. f3 Be6 16. Re1 (16. Ne3 Nh5 17. Bf2 {Efimenko,Z (2703)-Buhmann,
R (2606)/Bundesliga/2011/} Nf4 18. d4 exd4 19. cxd4 d5 $13) 16... Nh5 17. Bf2
Nf4 18. d4 exd4 19. cxd4 d5 20. exd5 Bxd5 21. Qc2 g4 $132 {Ponomariov,R (2764)
-Kramnik,V (2781)/Dortmund/2011/}) 9. Nf3 d5 $5 10. exd5 Qxd5 11. Bb3 Qd6 12.
Nxd4 exd4 13. Qf3 Be6 14. Bf4 Qc5 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Qe2 Rae8 17. Be5 Nd7 18.
Bg3 Qd5 19. Rfe1 e5 20. c4 Qf7 21. b4 Re6 22. Qc2 Qf5 $11 {Felgaer,R (2564)
-Mastrovasilis,D (2608)/Tromso olm/2014/}) 5... O-O 6. O-O Re8 {This move
caught on after it brought Carlsen full success in game 6 of the 2013 World
Championship.} ({The text has recently been played about as often as the more
standard} 6... d6 7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. Re1 c6 9. Ba4 Ng6 (9... Bb6 10. d4 Ng6 11. h3
exd4 $1 12. cxd4 d5 $1 $132 {Svidler,P (2758)-Anand,V (2770)/Candidates
Khanty-Mansiysk/2014/ Black's impressive solution of the opening problems made
White postpone the d4 advance. For more details see the notes to this game in
CBM 160.}) 10. Nf1 Bb6 (10... d5 $5) 11. Ng3 h6 12. d4 exd4 13. cxd4 Bg4 14. h3
Bxf3 15. gxf3 Nh7 16. f4 Qf6 17. f5 Nh4 18. e5 dxe5 19. dxe5 Qd8 20. Re4 Qxd1+
21. Bxd1 Rad8 22. Bb3 Nf3+ 23. Kg2 Nd2 24. Bxd2 Rxd2 25. Re2 Rxe2 26. Nxe2 Re8
27. f4 Kf8 28. Rd1 Rd8 29. Rxd8+ Bxd8 30. Kf3 $14 {Svidler,P (2753)-Fressinet,
L (2717)/Dubai rpd/2014/}) 7. Bg5 {This sortie is one of the many moves White
has tried in his quest for an opening edge.} (7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4 (8. Bxc6 {
Karjakin,S (2766)-Aronian,L (2830)/Candidates Khanty-Mansiysk/2014/ For more
details see the notes to this game in CBM 160.}) 8... b5 9. Bc2 (9. Bb3 {
Radjabov,T (2793)-Aronian,L (2809)/Candidates London/2013/ is the more usual
retreat, see the notes to this game in CBM 154 by Kr.Szabo.}) 9... d5 10. h3 (
10. exd5 Qxd5 11. Qe2 Bg4 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. dxe4 Qd7 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Na5 {
Rozentalis,E (2622)-Lenic,L (2651)/AUT-chT/2014/}) 10... dxe4 (10... h6 11. Re1
Bb6 12. exd5 Qxd5 13. Qe2 Be6 14. Nh4 Qd7 15. Ne4 Qd8 16. Qf3 Nxe4 17. Rxe4 Bd5
18. Bb3 Re6 19. Nf5 Rg6 20. h4 Be6 21. Bxe6 fxe6 22. Nxh6+ gxh6 23. h5 Rf6 24.
Rg4+ Kh8 25. Qxc6 Bxf2+ 26. Kh2 Qe8 $11 {Onischuk,V (2583)-Stefanova,A (2476)/
EU-ch Yerevan/2014/}) 11. dxe4 h6 12. b4 Bb6 13. a4 Rb8 14. Re1 Nh5 15. Nf1 Nf4
16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Be3 Be6 18. Bxb6 cxb6 19. Ne3 f6 20. h4 {Caruana,F (2791)
-Aronian,L (2815)/Norway blitz/2014/} Ne7 $11) (7. b4 Bb6 8. Bc4 d6 (8... h6 9.
a4 a6 10. a5 Ba7 11. Qb3 Qe7 12. Be3 d6 13. Bxa7 Nxa7 14. Nbd2 Be6 15. Rfe1
Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Qe6 17. d4 exd4 18. Nxd4 Qd7 19. e5 dxe5 20. Nxe5 Qd5 21. Ng4 Qg5
22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Qd5 Nc6 24. Nxc6 Qxc6 25. Qxc6 bxc6 26. Kf1 c5 $132 {
Movsesian,S (2672)-Hammer,J (2628)/Tromso olm/2014/}) 9. a4 a6 (9... a5 10. b5
Ne7 11. Qb3 Rf8 12. Ba3 Ng6 13. Nbd2 Bg4 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Nxf3 Nh5 16. Kh2 Qf6
17. Qd1 c6 18. g3 Rfd8 19. bxc6 bxc6 20. Bc1 h6 21. Ng1 d5 22. exd5 cxd5 23.
Bb5 Bxf2 24. Kg2 Nxg3 25. Rxf2 Nf5 26. Kh2 $14 {Areshchenko,A (2701)-Duda,J 
(2580)/Warsaw/2014/}) 10. Bg5 $146 ({Previously White played} 10. Qb3) 10... h6
11. Bh4 Be6 12. Nbd2 Qe7 13. Bb3 Bxb3 14. Qxb3 a5 15. b5 Nb8 16. Nc4 Nbd7 17.
Nfd2 Qe6 18. Nxb6 Qxb3 19. Nxb3 cxb6 20. f3 Rac8 21. c4 Nh5 22. Bf2 Nf4 23.
Rfd1 Nc5 $11 {Duda,J (2587)-Balogh,C (2648)/Budapest/2014/}) (7. Re1 {Anand,V 
(2775)-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh Chennai/2013/}) 7... h6 8. Bh4 Be7 {This breaks
the pin immediately, but we will also check the alternatives:} (8... Bf8 9.
Nbd2 d6 10. Re1 (10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd3 Be7 14. f4 Qb8
15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e5 dxe5 17. Ne4 Qxb2 {Carlsen,M (2826)-Howell,D (2633)/
London/2011/} 18. Qh5 $5 $13) 10... Bd7 11. a4 (11. Ba4 Be7 12. Nf1 Nh7 13.
Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Bb3 Ng6 15. Ng3 Ng5 16. Nf5 Qf6 17. Nxg5 hxg5 18. Qf3 Nf4 19. g3
Ne6 20. Bc2 Nf8 21. Bd1 Bxf5 22. exf5 c6 23. Qg4 d5 24. Bc2 Nd7 $11 {Gruenfeld,
Y (2434)-Roiz,M (2623)/Acre/2013/}) 11... g6 12. Nf1 Bg7 13. Ne3 (13. a5 Qc8
14. a6 b6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Qa4 Nb8 17. Bxd7 Qxd7 18. Qc4 Nc6 19. Ne3 Ne7 20.
Nd5 Nxd5 21. exd5 b5 22. Qb3 c5 23. Nd2 Rab8 24. Qa2 Bg5 $11 {/=/+, Najer,E 
(2653)-Malakhov,V (2694)/Dubai rpd/2014/}) 13... Qc8 14. a5 a6 15. Bc4 Nd8 16.
b4 Ne6 17. Qb3 Bb5 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. g3 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 Qd7 21. d4 exd4 22. cxd4
{Topalov,V (2772)-Aronian,L (2815)/Stavanger/2014/} c6 $11 {/+/= For more
details about this game see the notes by Kr.Szabo in CBM 161.}) ({Until now
Black has played mostly} 8... a6 9. Ba4 ({Balogh would hardly have repeated} 9.
Bxc6 dxc6 10. d4 exd4 11. cxd4 Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nc3 Bg4 14. e5 Bg5 15. Ne2
Bxf3 (15... Be7 $15) (15... c5 $5) 16. gxf3 Qd7 17. Kh1 {Balogh,C (2575)-Ionov,
S (2546)/Moscow/2008/} Qf5 $15) 9... b5 10. Bb3 Be7 $5 (10... d6 11. Nbd2 g5
12. Nxg5 $5 hxg5 13. Bxg5 Kg7 14. Qf3 Bd7 15. Rae1 Rh8 16. Re3 $44 Rh7 $2 {
Swiercz,D (2631)-Volokitin,A (2687)/Haguenau/2013/} (16... Rh6 $142) 17. Bd5 $1
$40 {[%cal Rd5c6,Rf3f5]}) 11. a4 (11. Nbd2 d6 12. Bg3 Be6 (12... Na5 $142 $11)
13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Re1 Nd7 15. Nf1 Kh7 16. Rc1 Bf6 17. d4 Ne7 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19.
Nd4 Qd7 20. f4 N5c6 21. Nf3 g6 22. Ne3 Rad8 23. Qc2 $14 {Areshchenko,A (2720)
-Petrosian,T (2660)/WChT Antalya/2013/}) (11. Re1 d6 12. a4 Bd7 13. Nbd2 Na5
14. Bc2 c5 15. axb5 axb5 16. Nf1 Nc6 17. Bb3 Rxa1 18. Qxa1 Na5 19. Bc2 Nc6 20.
Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Ne3 Be6 22. Qa6 Qc7 23. Qxb5 Rb8 24. Qa4 Rxb2 25. Nd5 Qb7 $11 {
Rodshtein,M (2683)-Klein,D (2491)/Groningen/2013/}) 11... Rb8 (11... b4 12.
Nbd2 Rb8 13. h3 d6 14. d4 bxc3 15. bxc3 exd4 16. cxd4 Nb4 17. Re1 Be6 18. d5
Bd7 19. Bg3 Nd3 20. Re3 Nc5 $132 {Efimenko,Z (2661)-Stern,R (2513)/Bundesliga/
2013/}) 12. axb5 axb5 13. d4 exd4 14. e5 Nh7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. cxd4 d6 17. Qc1
Bb7 18. exd6 Qxd6 19. Rd1 Rbd8 20. Nc3 Qb4 21. Qc2 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Rxd4 23. Rxd4
Qxd4 24. Qf5 Nf6 25. Qxb5 Qe5 $11 {Najer,E (2626)-Ni,H (2646)/CHN-chT/2013/}) (
{Risky, but interesting is the straightforward} 8... g5 $5 9. Bg3 Nh5 10. d4
exd4 11. cxd4 Nxg3 12. hxg3 Bb6 13. d5 Ne5 14. d6 c6 15. Nxe5 Rxe5 16. Bc4 Qf6
17. Qh5 Rxe4 18. Nd2 Rd4 19. Rae1 Rxd2 20. Re7 Rxf2 {Jurcik,M (2481)-Manik,M 
(2404)/CZE-chT/2014/} 21. Rxf2 Qxf2+ 22. Kh2 Qg1+ 23. Kh3 Qh1+ 24. Kg4 Qxh5+
25. Kxh5 Bd4 26. Rxf7 b5 27. Bb3 c5 28. Rxd7+ c4 29. Rd8+ Kf7 30. d7 Bxd7 31.
Rxd7+ Kf6 $132) 9. Nbd2 d6 (9... Nh5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Re1 (11. d4 $5) 11... a6
12. Ba4 Nf4 13. Nf1 d6 14. Ne3 Bd7 15. Bc2 Qf6 16. d4 Qg6 17. Kh1 exd4 18. Nxd4
Ne5 19. f3 Nc4 20. g3 Nh3 21. Qe2 Nxe3 22. Qxe3 c5 23. Ne2 d5 $11 {Gopal,G 
(2522)-Gupta,A (2600)/Golden Sands/2013/}) 10. d4 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] An attempt
to enliven the manoeuvring struggle.} ({Two rounds earlier Balogh played the
more sedate} 10. a4 a6 11. Bc4 Nh5 12. Ng5 Bxg5 13. Qxh5 Be6 14. Bxg5 Qxg5 15.
Qxg5 hxg5 16. Bxe6 Rxe6 17. b4 a5 18. b5 Nb8 19. Nc4 Nd7 20. f3 g6 21. Kf2 Kg7
22. Rh1 f5 23. Ke2 {Balogh,C (2637)-Sargissian,G (2686)/Tromso olm/2014/} Nc5
$132 {Black equalised from the opening, but subsequently played too
ambitiously and went on to lose.}) (10. Re1 Bd7 11. Nf1 (11. Ba4 Nh5 12. Bxe7
Nxe7 13. Bxd7 Qxd7 14. Nxe5 dxe5 15. Qxh5 Qxd3 16. Qe2 Rad8 17. Nc4 Qxe2 18.
Rxe2 f6 $11 {Gopal,G (2550)-Ganguly,S (2619)/Caleta/2014/}) 11... Nh7 (11...
Nh5 $5 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 $132) 12. Bg3 (12. Bxe7 Nxe7 13. Bc4 b5 14. Bb3 Ng6 15. a4
a6 16. d4 Nf6 17. Ng3 c5 18. axb5 axb5 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 20. dxc5 dxc5 21. Nh5 Nxh5
22. Qxd7 c4 23. Bc2 Qb8 24. Rd1 Nf6 $11 {Erenburg,S (2633)-Shankland,S (2634)/
USA-ch Saint Louis/2014/}) 12... g6 13. d4 Bf6 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxd7 Nxd7 16.
Qd5 Qb8 17. Rad1 Bg7 18. Qd2 a5 19. Nd4 a4 20. f3 Nhf6 21. Ne3 Nh5 22. Bf2 Kh7
23. Nb5 $14 {Borisek,J (2569)-Berend,F (2380)/Tromso olm/2014/}) 10... exd4 11.
Nxd4 $8 (11. cxd4 $2 Nxe4 $1 12. Bxe7 Rxe7 {just loses a pawn for almost
nothing.}) (11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. cxd4 Bd7 $11 {[%csl Gd7,Gf6] /=/+}) 11... Bd7 (
11... Bg4 $5 12. f3 Bd7 $132) 12. Nxc6 (12. Nf5 Bxf5 13. exf5 Nd7 (13... Ne4 $5
14. Bxe7 Rxe7 15. Nxe4 Rxe4 16. Qf3 Qh4 $132) 14. Bg3 Bh4 $11) 12... bxc6 13.
Bd3 Qb8 {Black plays similarly to Carlsen-Howell above. This might not be the
best idea, later on Black's queen will be offside.} (13... Rb8 14. Qc2 Nh5 $11)
14. Qc2 {Simply defends the pawn without any concessions. The difference is
that with Carlsen's extra move f4 (due to Howell's Bf8-e7) White had to reckon
with tactical ideas such as Ng4.} a5 (14... Nxe4 $2 15. Bxe7 Nxd2 16. Rfe1 {
[%csl Rd2]} Be6 17. Bh4 Nc4 18. Rxe6 $16) 15. Rae1 Ng4 $6 {I don't like this
move and the whole plan connected with it - the knight can't gain a foothold
on e5 anyway, as it will be gradually chased away.} (15... Nh5 $5 16. Bxe7 Rxe7
17. f4 Nf6 $132) 16. Bg3 (16. Bxe7 Rxe7 $11 {is nothing, White wants to keep
more tension.}) 16... a4 (16... Bf6 17. h3 Ne5 18. Be2 Qb6 19. Kh2 $14 {
is similar.}) 17. h3 (17. Nc4 d5 $5 (17... Bf6 18. f3 Qa7+ 19. Kh1 Ne5 20. Nxe5
dxe5 $1 (20... Bxe5 21. f4 Bf6 22. e5 $36) 21. Bf2 Qb7 $132) 18. Ne3 Nxe3 19.
Rxe3 Qb6 $13) 17... Ne5 18. Be2 $1 (18. Bxe5 dxe5 19. Nc4 Bg5 $11 {White can't
effectively profit from the doubled c-pawns, as Black's pieces are too active.}
) 18... Qb6 (18... Qa7 19. Kh2 Be6 20. f4 Nd7 21. Bf2 Qb7 22. Ra1 Nf6 23. b4 $5
axb3 24. axb3 $14) 19. Kh2 Rab8 20. Rb1 (20. Bxe5 dxe5 21. Nc4 Qa7 {/\} 22.
Nxe5 $6 Bd6 23. f4 Bxe5 24. fxe5 Qc5 $15) 20... Qa7 {Displaces the queen even
further.} (20... c5 $142 $5 21. f4 Ng6 22. Nc4 $14) 21. f4 Ng6 22. Bd3 Nf8 23.
Nf3 $5 (23. e5 dxe5 24. fxe5 Be6 $132) (23. Nc4 $14 {is not bad, but compared
to the text it has the drawback that a timely d5 can come with tempo.}) 23...
c5 (23... Ne6 24. e5 $5 Nc5 25. Bh7+ Kh8 26. b4 $5 (26. Bf5 $14) 26... axb3 27.
axb3 $36) 24. e5 $1 $36 {[%mdl 64] The central advance is dangerous and gives
White dangerous attacking chances. His pieces are more actively placed and
thus most tactical sequences work in his favour.} Bc6 (24... d5 25. f5 (25. Qd2
$5 {[%cal Rf4f6,Yd3c2]}) 25... c4 26. Be2 Rb6 27. e6 $5 fxe6 28. Ne5 $36) 25.
f5 Bxf3 (25... Qb7 26. f6 gxf6 27. exd6 Bxd6 28. Bxd6 cxd6 29. Nh4 $40) 26. f6
$1 {An important intermediate move.} (26. Rxf3 $6 dxe5 27. Bxe5 Nd7 28. Bg3 Bd6
$11) 26... Bd5 $6 {This eases White's task.} (26... gxf6 27. Rxf3 $5 (27. exd6
cxd6 28. Rxf3 $16) 27... dxe5 28. Bc4 $40 {[%cal Rg3e5,Yc2f5,Yg3h4,Yb1f1]}) (
26... Bxf6 27. exf6 c4 (27... Bh5 28. fxg7 Kxg7 (28... Ne6 29. Bh4 Nxg7 30. Bf6
$18) 29. Qd2 $40) 28. fxg7 cxd3 (28... Kxg7 29. Bxc4 $18) 29. gxf8=Q+ Rxf8 (
29... Kxf8 30. Qd2 Qe3 $8 31. Qxe3 Rxe3 32. Rxf3 Rxf3 33. gxf3 d2 34. Rd1 Rxb2
35. Bf4 Rxa2 36. Bxh6+ Kg8 37. Rxd2 $18) 30. Qxd3 {[%csl Rf3,Gg3,Rg8]} Bh5 31.
Rf6 $16) ({The most resilient was} 26... c4 $142 $1 27. Bxc4 (27. fxe7 cxd3 28.
exf8=Q+ Rxf8 29. Qxd3 Bh5 30. exd6 Bg6 $14) 27... Bxf6 $5 (27... d5 28. Rxf3
dxc4 {forces White to find the sacrificial} 29. fxg7 $1 (29. fxe7 $6 Rxe7 30.
Rf4 $14 {is too soft}) 29... Nh7 (29... Kxg7 30. Qf5 Kh8 31. Qxf7 Qc5 (31...
Qa8 32. Rf6 $1 Bxf6 33. exf6 Ne6 34. Qg6 $18 {[%cal Rf6f7,Rg3e5,Rg6h6]}) 32. e6
{[%cal Rf3f5]} Bd6 33. Bxd6 Qxd6+ 34. Rg3 $18) (29... Ne6 30. Rxf7 Ng5 31. Qg6
$1 {[%cal Rf7f8]} Nxf7 (31... Qb6 32. Rf8+ Bxf8 33. gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 34. Rf1+ Ke7
35. e6 Qxe6 36. Qg7+ Nf7 37. Re1 $18) 32. e6 (32. Rf1 Bf6 33. Rxf6 Ng5 34. h4
$5 $18) 32... Ng5 33. Qxh6 Nh7 34. Qh5 $1 Kxg7 35. Be5+ Bf6 36. Bxf6+ Nxf6 37.
Qf7+ Kh8 38. Qxf6+ Kg8 39. Rf1 c5 40. Qf7+ $18) 30. e6 $1 (30. Rxf7 Qb6 $1 (
30... Ng5 31. Qg6 $1 {- 29...Ne6}) 31. Rbf1 $36 {is less convincing}) 30... f6
(30... fxe6 31. Qg6 Bf6 32. Rxf6 $18 (32. Rbf1 $18)) 31. Qg6 {[%cal Rg6f7]} Ng5
32. Re1 $1 {[%cal Rg6h6,Rh6h8]} Qb6 33. Qxh6 Nxe6 34. Rfe3 Bd6 35. Bxd6 Qxd6+
36. Rg3 Qf4 (36... Qd7 37. Qh8+ Kf7 38. Qh7 Rg8 39. Qg6+ Ke7 40. Rf3 $18) 37.
Qh5 $1 {[%cal Re1e6]} c6 {and now the simplest win is} 38. a3 $1 {with a
zugzwang:} f5 (38... Qd6 39. Re4 {[%cal Rh5h7,Rg7g8]}) 39. Qh8+ Kf7 40. Qh7 $18
) (27... Bh5 28. fxe7 Rxe7 29. exd6 cxd6 30. Bxd6 Bg6 31. Qf2 $18) 28. Rxf3 (
28. exf6 Be4 $13) 28... Rxe5 (28... dxe5 29. Rxf6 gxf6 30. Qf5 Kg7 (30... Re7
31. Bh4 Qc5 (31... Nd7 32. Bxf6 {/\} Nxf6 33. Qg6+ $1 Kf8 34. Qxf6 $18) 32.
Qg4+ Kh7 33. Bxf6 Ng6 34. Bxe7 Qxe7 35. Rf1 $16) 31. Bh4 Qb6 (31... Rb6 32. Rf1
Nh7 33. Bxf7 $18) 32. Rf1 Re6 33. Bxe6 Qxe6 34. Bxf6+ Kg8 35. Qh5 $16) 29. Rxf6
$5 (29. Bxe5 Bxe5+ 30. Kh1 Bf6 31. Rbf1 c6 $5 32. Rxf6 gxf6 33. Rxf6 d5 $14)
29... gxf6 30. Bxe5 dxe5 31. Qf5 $16) 27. c4 $1 {Another intermediate move!} (
27. fxe7 $143 Rxe7 28. exd6 cxd6 29. c4 Bc6 30. Bxd6 Re3 {is unconvincing, as
the rook is taboo.}) 27... Be6 (27... gxf6 28. exf6 $18 {->}) (27... Bc6 28.
fxg7 $1 (28. fxe7 Rxe7 29. exd6 cxd6 {- 27.fxe7}) 28... Kxg7 29. Qf2 $18 {
and the attack crashes through - note the dismal Qa7.}) 28. fxe7 Rxe7 (28...
Ng6 29. Bxg6 fxg6 30. Qxg6 Rxe7 31. exd6 cxd6 32. Bxd6 Bxc4 33. Bxe7 Qxe7 34.
Qg3 $1 $18) (28... Nd7 29. Bh7+ (29. exd6 $143 cxd6 30. Bxd6 Rb6) 29... Kh8 30.
Bf5 $1 Bxf5 (30... Nxe5 31. Bxe5 dxe5 32. Bxe6 fxe6 33. Rf7 $18) (30... Rxe7
31. exd6 $18) 31. Rxf5 Kg8 32. exd6 cxd6 33. Bxd6 Rb6 34. Qd3 $18 {[%csl Ge7]})
29. exd6 cxd6 (29... Rd7 30. dxc7 {also more or less forces Black to give the
exchange.}) 30. Bxd6 Rd7 31. Bxb8 Qxb8+ 32. Kh1 $18 {The complications are
over and White is a healthy exchange ahead. The rest is more or less a matter
of technique.} Rd4 33. b3 axb3 34. axb3 g6 35. Be4 Qe5 36. Rbe1 Qg3 37. Rd1 Nd7
38. Bd5 (38. Rxd4 cxd4 39. Bd5 $18) 38... Bf5 39. Qe2 {[%cal Re2e8]} Nf6 40.
Rxd4 cxd4 41. Bf3 (41. Qe7 $142 $1 Nxd5 42. cxd5 $18 {[%cal Yd5d8]}) 41... d3
42. Qf2 Qe5 43. c5 Qc3 44. Qe3 $5 Qxb3 45. c6 {White has given up a pawn, but
reliably stopped the Pd3, while the Pc6 is very strong.} Qb8 46. Qe7 Kg7 47. c7
Qb2 (47... Qc8 48. Ra1 $18) 48. Qc5 (48. c8=Q Bxc8 49. Bd5 $1 $18 {is a faster
win.}) 48... Bc8 49. Rd1 d2 50. Qd6 Qc1 51. Kh2 $6 (51. Qc6 $1 Qb2 52. Qa8 $18)
51... Ne8 $1 52. Qe5+ Kf8 53. Qh8+ Ke7 54. Qxh6 Qxc7+ 55. Kh1 Qc3 56. Rxd2 Qc1+
57. Kh2 Qc7+ 58. g3 {Even though Black has managed to exchange the passed
pawns, in the long run he is still fighting for a lost cause with his more
exposed king.} Be6 59. Bd5 Bxd5 60. Rxd5 Nf6 61. Qg5 Qc2+ 62. Rd2 Qc3 63. Ra2
Qd4 64. Rc2 Kf8 $2 {Rodshtein is understandably exhausted, this loses quickly.}
(64... Qd6 {prolongs the fight.}) 65. Qh6+ (65. Qh6+ Ke8 (65... Ke7 66. Re2+
Ne4 67. Qh4+) 66. Qh8+ Ke7 (66... Kd7 67. Qc8+ Ke7 68. Re2+ Ne4 69. Qb7+) 67.
Rc7+ Ke6 68. Qc8+ Kd5 69. Qb7+ Ke6 70. Re7+ Kf5 71. Qc8+ Kg5 72. h4+ Kh5 73.
Kh3 $18) 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2016.03.20"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2794"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2016.03.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {Apart from the Ruy Lopez, the Candidates featured
a few Italian games.} ({However, even here one could see the modern tendency
to avoid forcing lines and and fight for an advantage in manoeuvring struggles
with a predominantly strategic content. The positions after} 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O
Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 a6 {resemble a Closed Ruy Lopez; in Moscow the fashionable
modern idea} 7. a4 $5 {was tested in 3 games.} (7. Nbd2 {and}) (7. Bb3 {
are the standard continuations.})) 3... Nf6 ({The trend, mentioned in the
previous note, was noticeable also after} 3... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 {
, in Moscow we saw either} 6. d3 ({, or an Anti-Marshall with} 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3
O-O 8. a4)) 4. d3 {No simplification, keep the tension!} ({We saw no Berlin
endgames in Moscow, the only game with} 4. O-O Nxe4 {went} 5. Re1 (5. d4 Nd6 6.
Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {is the famous main line}) 5... Nd6 6. Nxe5
Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 (7... Nf5 8. Nf3 O-O 9. d4 d5 10. c3 Nh4 11. Nxh4 Bxh4 12. Nd2
Bg5 13. g3 Be6 14. Bd3 Qd7 15. Qc2 Bxd2 16. Bxd2 h6 17. Re3 Rae8 18. Rae1 Nd8
19. Qd1 Bg4 20. f3 Rxe3 21. Rxe3 Bf5 22. Bf1 Re8 23. Qb3 c6 24. Rxe8+ Qxe8 25.
Qa3 a6 26. Qd6 Qd7 27. Qxd7 Bxd7 $11 {Gao,R (2552)-Lin,C (2526) China 2016}) 8.
Rxe5 O-O 9. Nc3 Ne8 10. Nd5 Bd6 11. Re1 c6 12. Ne3 Be7 (12... Bc7 13. Nf5 d5
14. Ne7+ Kh8 15. Nxc8 Rxc8 16. d3 f5 17. g3 Nf6 18. Qf3 Qd7 19. Be3 d4 20. Bf4
Nd5 21. Be5 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2788)-Kramnik,V (2801) Stavanger blitz 2016}
Nb4 $132) 13. c4 Nc7 14. d4 d5 15. cxd5 Bb4 $5 $146 (15... Nxd5 16. Nxd5 cxd5
17. Bf4 Bf6 18. Be5 Bxe5 19. Rxe5 Re8 20. Rxe8+ Qxe8 21. Qb3 Qc6 22. Bb5 Qb6
23. Qxd5 a6 24. Bd3 Be6 25. Qe4 g6 26. d5 Bf5 27. Qe2 Bxd3 28. Qxd3 Qxb2 29.
Re1 Rd8 30. d6 Rd7 $14 {/<=>, Carlsen,M (2850)-Caruana,F (2787) London 2015,
Black is slightly worse, but with careful defence he should hold - the game
was drawn later on.}) 16. Bd2 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. Re5 Qd6 20.
Bc4 Bd7 21. Rae1 b5 22. Bb3 a5 23. a4 bxa4 24. Bxa4 Be6 25. Rxa5 Rxa5 26. Qxa5
Qxd4 $11 {Svidler,P (2757)-Topalov,V (2780) Moscow 2016}) 4... Bc5 5. Bxc6 {
The popular Anti-Berlin was played in Moscow quite a few times, but this was
the only game that featured the text move:} (5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 {is a
welcome swap,} 7. Nd2 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 d6 10. a4 Bb6 11. axb5 Bg4 12. Nf3
axb5 13. Rxa8 Qxa8 14. h3 Be6 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Nh2 O-O 17. Ng4 Qe8 18. Be3
Bxe3 19. Nxe3 Qc6 20. Qd2 d5 (20... Ra8 $142 $1 $11) 21. f3 d4 22. Ng4 Nxg4 23.
hxg4 h6 24. g5 (24. Ra1 $5 {/\} Ra8 25. Rxa8+ Qxa8 26. g5 $14) 24... hxg5 25.
Qxg5 Qxc2 26. Qxe5 Qxd3 27. Qxe6+ Kh7 28. Qh3+ {½, Anand,V (2762)-Nakamura,H 
(2790) Moscow 2016 led to perpetual. After losing with Karjakin in the
previous round Vishy preferred to play it safe.}) ({The Candidates favourite
was} 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O {and now:} d6 (6... Re8 {is not played too often,
although Black is still doing OK here:} 7. Bg5 (7. Nbd2 a6 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nc4
Bg4 ({For} 9... Nd7 {Karjakin,S (2766)-Aronian,L (2830) Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 -
see the notes to this game in CBM 160.}) 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 Re6 12. h3 Bxf3 13.
Qxf3 b5 14. Nxe5 Rxe5 15. d4 Re6 16. dxc5 Qd2 17. Bxf6 Rxf6 18. Qe3 Qxb2 19.
Rfb1 Qc2 20. Rd1 Re8 21. f3 Qb2 22. Rdb1 Qc2 23. Rd1 Qb2 $11 {Vachier Lagrave,
M (2765)-Leko,P (2708) EU-chT Reykjavik 2015}) ({For} 7. Re1 {Anand,V (2775)
-Carlsen,M (2870) Chennai 2013 - see the notes to this game in CBM 158.}) 7...
h6 8. Bh4 {Black first expands on the queenside.} a6 ({For the immediate} 8...
Be7 9. Nbd2 {Balogh,C (2637)-Rodshtein,M (2671) Tromso olm 2014: 1-0 (65); CBM
162 [Stohl,I] - see the notes to this game in CBM 162.} (9. Re1 d6 10. Nbd2 g5
$5 $13 {Inarkiev,E (2688)-Aronian,L (2797) Moscow 2014 For more details see
the notes to this game in CBM 164 by Marin.})) 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bb3 Be7 11. a4 b4
12. Bg3 $146 (12. Nbd2 Rb8 13. h3 d6 14. d4 bxc3 15. bxc3 exd4 16. cxd4 Nb4 17.
Re1 Be6 18. d5 Bd7 19. Bg3 Nd3 20. Re3 Nc5 $11 {Efimenko,Z (2661)-Stern,R 
(2513) Germany 2013}) 12... d6 13. a5 Be6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Nbd2 Rb8 16. d4
bxc3 17. bxc3 exd4 18. cxd4 Rb5 19. Qc2 Nb4 20. Qb3 d5 21. Rfc1 c6 22. Ne5 Rxa5
23. Ng6 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Qb6 25. Be5 a5 $13 {Giri,A (2784)-Ponomariov,R (2710)
Doha 2015/ Black's shaky king gives White compensation for the pawn, but not
more than that.}) 7. Nbd2 (7. h3 Ne7 8. d4 Bb6 9. Bd3 d5 $5 (9... Ng6 10. Re1
Re8 11. Qc2 exd4 12. cxd4 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nc3 Be6 15. Be3 Qc8 16. Bxc5
Qxc5 17. Qd2 Ne5 18. Be2 Nxf3+ 19. Bxf3 Rad8 20. Red1 h5 21. Qd4 Qg5 22. Qd2
Qe5 23. Qe3 a6 24. Rd4 Bd7 25. Rad1 Bc6 26. g3 Re6 27. Bg2 h4 $1 28. gxh4 Rde8
29. Bf3 a5 30. a4 Qc5 31. Qf4 Re5 32. R1d3 R8e6 $132 {Anand,V (2762)-Caruana,F
(2794) Moscow 2016 The position was more pleasant for White, but with
energetic play Caruana secured effective counterplay for Black.}) 10. Nxe5 $146
{White prefers a slight pull in a symmetrical structure.} ({Karjakin was
definitely prepared for} 10. Nbd2 dxe4 (10... exd4 $5 11. e5 Nh5 $13) 11. Nxe4
Nxe4 12. Bxe4 exd4 13. Qc2 h6 14. a4 $1 c6 15. Rd1 Nd5 16. Nxd4 Re8 17. a5 $1
$36 {Carlsen,M (2863)-Kramnik,V (2783) Shamkir 2015/ For more details see the
notes to this game in CBM 166 by M.Pavlovic.}) 10... Nxe4 11. Nd2 Nd6 12. Nb3
c6 13. Nc5 Ng6 14. Qh5 Bxc5 15. dxc5 Ne4 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Rd1 Qe7 18. Nxg6
hxg6 19. Qg5 Qxg5 20. Bxg5 f6 21. Be3 g5 22. Rd6 Re8 23. Rad1 Be6 24. b3 Kf7
25. R1d4 $14 {/=, Anand,V (2762)-Karjakin,S (2760) Moscow 2016 Further
concessions brought White a full point.}) 7... Ne7 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10.
Re1 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qb3 (12. a4 a6 13. Bf1 Re8 14. a5 Ba7 15. Qb3 Nc6 $5 16.
d5 Nd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 18. Qxb7 Nd7 19. Nc4 $6 (19. Ra3 $1 $13 {/\} Qh4 20. Rae3)
19... Nc5 20. Qc6 Nb3 $6 (20... Bxf2+ 21. Kxf2 Qh4+ 22. g3 Nxe4+ 23. Rxe4 Qxe4
$36) (20... f6 $5 21. Be3 Bxe3 22. Rxe3 Re7 {[%cal Rh5e8]} 23. b4 Be8 24. Qxa8
Qxa8 25. bxc5 dxc5 $15 {[%cal Ye8b5]}) 21. Rb1 Nxc1 $2 (21... Bg6 $142 $132)
22. Rbxc1 Rb8 23. Qxa6 $16 {1-0 (49) Anand,V (2762)-Topalov,V (2780) Moscow
2016}) 12... d5 13. e5 Nd7 14. Qd1 $146 (14. a4 a5 15. Qd1 Nb8 16. Nb3 Nbc6 17.
Bg5 h6 (17... Nb4 18. Rc1 h6 19. Bh4 c6 20. Be2 Qc7 21. g4 Bg6 22. Qd2 Na2 23.
Ra1 Nb4 24. Rec1 Qd7 25. Nc5 $1 Bxc5 26. dxc5 $16 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2758)
-Leko,P (2723) Beijing rpd 2014}) 18. Bh4 Qc8 19. g4 Bg6 20. Rc1 Bh7 21. Bg3
Nb4 22. Re3 Na2 23. Ra1 Nb4 $11 24. Ne1 Nec6 25. Qd2 Qe6 26. Bxc6 Qxc6 27. Rc3
Qe6 28. Ng2 f6 29. Nf4 Qd7 30. e6 Qe7 31. Re1 f5 $36 {Topalov,V (2816)-Caruana,
F (2808) Saint Louis 2015}) 14... f6 15. e6 Nb8 16. Nb3 Qd6 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nh4
Nbc6 19. Bxc6 Qxc6 20. Bd2 Bc2 21. Qe2 Bxb3 22. axb3 Bxd4 23. Bb4 Bc5 24. Rec1
b6 25. Bxc5 bxc5 26. Ra6 Qb7 27. Rxc5 Rfe8 28. Qb5 Qxb5 29. Rxb5 d4 30. Nf5
Rad8 31. Rxa7 Nxf5 32. gxf5 d3 33. Ra1 g6 $11 {Caruana,F (2794)-Giri,A (2793)
Moscow 2016}) 5... dxc6 6. Nbd2 (6. h3 Nd7 7. Be3 (7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 Re8 9. Be3
Bd6 10. Nd2 Nf8 11. Nc4 Ng6 12. a4 Be6 13. Nxd6 cxd6 14. d4 Qf6 15. d5 Bd7 16.
a5 {1/2-1/2 (42) Caruana,F (2811)-Aronian,L (2777) Zurich 2015} Nf4 $132) 7...
Bd6 8. Nc3 c5 9. O-O Nf8 10. Nd2 Ng6 11. Nc4 Be6 12. Ne2 Qd7 (12... O-O $5) 13.
Nxd6+ cxd6 14. f4 exf4 15. Nxf4 Nxf4 16. Rxf4 {Carlsen,M (2872)-Caruana,F 
(2782) Zuerich 2014/ For more details about this branch I will refer to the
notes to this game in CBM 159.} O-O $11 {[%cal Yf7f5]}) ({White doesn't commit
his king yet - we will see that for the future he has different plans from} 6.
O-O Nd7 (6... Bd6 7. Nbd2 Be6 (7... Bg4 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. h3 Bh5 10. g4 $6 (10. Ne3
$142 Qf6 11. Nf5 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 g6 13. Nxd6+ cxd6 14. Qg3 $36) 10... Bg6 11. Kg2
Qe7 12. Ne3 O-O-O 13. Nd2 h5 14. Nf5 Qf6 15. Nf3 hxg4 16. hxg4 Rdg8 17. Rh1
Bxf5 18. Bg5 Qe6 19. exf5 Qe8 20. Rxh8 Rxh8 21. Qe2 f6 22. Bd2 Qg8 23. Qe1 g6
24. fxg6 Nc5 $1 $40 {Karjakin,S (2756)-Leko,P (2730) Beijing rpd 2013}) 8. d4
$5 (8. b3 O-O 9. Nc4 Bxc4 10. bxc4 Nd7 11. Rb1 b6 12. g3 f5 13. exf5 Rxf5 14.
Be3 Qe8 15. Nd2 Qg6 16. Ne4 Raf8 17. Kg2 Nf6 $11 {Anand,V (2785)-Aronian,L 
(2815) Dubai rpd 2014}) 8... Nd7 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Bxe5 11. f4 Bd4+ (11...
Qd4+ 12. Kh1 Bd6 13. Qe2 O-O-O 14. f5 Bd7 15. Nf3 Qa4 16. b3 Qa5 17. Bd2 Bb4
18. Bxb4 Qxb4 19. Qf2 b6 20. Ng5 Qe7 21. f6 gxf6 22. Qxf6 Qxf6 23. Rxf6 $14 {
Nakamura,H (2787)-Aronian,L (2792) Zuerich blitz 2016}) 12. Kh1 f5 13. Qh5+ g6
14. Qe2 O-O 15. Nf3 Bf6 16. e5 Be7 17. Rd1 Qe8 18. Nd4 Qf7 19. Nxe6 Qxe6 20.
Be3 Rfd8 21. c4 a6 22. b3 Kf7 23. a4 Ke8 24. h3 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Rd8 26. Rxd8+
Bxd8 27. Bc5 $14 {Caruana,F (2787)-Grischuk,A (2750) London 2015}) 7. Nbd2 O-O
8. Nc4 Re8 9. Bd2 (9. Kh1 {starts preparing f4:} a5 $5 10. a4 b6 11. Be3 (11.
g3 $5 {[%cal Yf3h4] deserves attention.}) 11... Bb4 12. Nfd2 b5 $1 13. axb5
cxb5 14. c3 bxc4 15. cxb4 cxd3 16. bxa5 Ba6 17. Qb3 Nf6 18. h3 Nh5 19. Rfc1 Nf4
$132 20. Rc6 {Anand,V (2780)-Kramnik,V (2810) Zuerich 2013} Nxh3 $1 21. gxh3
Qd7 $11) 9... Bd6 (9... Bf8 10. b4 f6 11. a4 Nb6 12. Ne3 Be6 13. Qe2 (13. Qb1
Qd7 14. Rd1 Bf7 15. h3 Rad8 16. Be1 Bh5 17. g4 Bf7 18. c4 c5 19. b5 Nc8 20. Qc2
Re6 21. Kf1 Ne7 22. Nh4 Rd6 23. Ke2 Re6 24. f3 b6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (40) Anand,V 
(2775)-Kramnik,V (2795) London 2012}) 13... Qd7 14. a5 Nc8 15. c4 Rd8 16. Ra3
Ne7 17. Rb1 Ng6 (17... Bf7 $5 $11 {[%cal Yf7h5]}) 18. g3 Be7 19. Ne1 Rf8 20.
Bc3 Rad8 21. Ra2 a6 22. Rd2 Qc8 23. N1g2 c5 24. b5 $14 {Alekseenko,K (2468)
-Baryshpolets,A (2546) Pardubice 2014}) 10. Bc3 f6 (10... c5 11. g3 (11. a4 b6
12. Kh1 Bb7 13. Ne3 Nf8 14. Nf5 Ng6 15. b3 Bc8 16. Bd2 Ne7 17. Ng3 Nc6 18. Bg5
Qd7 19. h3 Qe6 20. Be3 g6 21. Nh2 f5 22. exf5 gxf5 23. f4 {Wei,Y (2530)-Zhao,J
(2589) China 2013} Qg6 $15) 11... f6 12. Nh4 Nb6 13. Ne3 Bh3 14. Re1 Be6 15. a4
Qd7 16. b3 Nc8 17. Rf1 Bh3 18. Nhg2 Be6 19. Nh4 Bh3 20. Nhg2 Ne7 21. f4 exf4
22. gxf4 $14 {Wei,Y (2649)-Parligras,M (2594) Bazna 2014}) 11. Nh4 Nf8 12. Kh1
Ng6 13. Qh5 Be6 (13... Nf4 14. Qf3 Bf8 15. g3 Ne6 16. Qd1 Nd4 17. Ne3 (17. f4
$5) 17... c5 18. b3 Be6 19. f4 exf4 20. gxf4 f5 $5 21. Nhxf5 Bxf5 22. Nxf5 Nxf5
23. exf5 Qd5+ 24. Qf3 Qxf3+ 25. Rxf3 Re2 $44 {Zhao,J (2578)-Melkumyan,H (2678)
Doha 2014}) 14. Nf5 Qd7 (14... Nf4 $5 15. Qf3 (15. Qg4 g6 16. g3 Nd5 $1 $15)
15... Bxf5 (15... Bf8 $5) 16. exf5 Qd7 $11) 15. Nce3 Bc5 16. g3 Ne7 17. g4 Ng6
18. Ng2 Bd6 19. Rae1 a5 20. Re3 Bb4 21. Rh3 Nf8 22. f4 Bxc3 23. bxc3 Qf7 24.
Qh4 $36 {1/2-1/2 (47) Wei,Y (2706)-Balogh,C (2655) Tsaghkadzor 2015}) 6... O-O
(6... Be6 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. Ng5 Bxb3 10. axb3 f6 (10... Qe7 11. Bd2
O-O-O 12. b4 Kb8 13. c4 Bd4 14. Nf3 Nf8 15. Qa4 a6 16. b5 cxb5 17. cxb5 Qd7 18.
bxa6 Qxa4 19. Rxa4 Ne6 20. axb7 Nc5 21. Ra3 Bxb2 22. Ra2 Nxd3 23. Rb1 c5 {
1-0, Giri,A (2790)-Carlsen,M (2851) Stavanger blitz 2016} 24. Ne1 $18) 11. Nf3
Nc5 (11... Nf8 12. Nd2 Ne6 13. Qh5+ g6 14. Qd1 Qd7 (14... Bc5 15. Nc4 b5 16.
Na5 Qd7 17. Be3 Bb6 18. b4 O-O 19. Qd2 f5 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Qc3 f4 22. Bxb6
cxb6 23. Nxc6 Qd6 24. Rxa7 Rxa7 25. Nxa7 f3 26. Qc6 $18 {Yu,Y (2705)-Kramnik,V
(2760) Doha 2014}) 15. Nc4 Bc5 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 a6 18. b4 O-O 19. Kh1 Kh8
20. Qd2 Rad8 21. Ra5 Qe7 22. g3 Rd4 23. c3 Rdd8 $132 {Van den Doel,E (2564)
-Arnaudov,P (2446) Delft 2016}) 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nc4 Ne6 14. g3 (14. Kh1 Qd7 15.
Qg4 Rad8 16. Be3 Bd4 17. Bxd4 Nxd4 18. Qxd7 Rxd7 19. Rxa7 Nxc2 20. Rxb7 Rxd3
21. h4 Nd4 $11 {½-½ (72) Nakamura,H (2787)-Kramnik,V (2801) Zuerich rpd 2016}
) 14... Qd7 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Nxe3 a5 17. Kh1 b6 18. f4 exf4 19. gxf4 Rad8 20.
f5 Nc5 21. Qf3 Qd4 22. Rab1 Rfe8 23. Rg1 Rd7 24. Rg3 Ree7 25. Rbg1 $36 {
Giri,A (2790)-Kramnik,V (2801) Stavanger blitz 2016}) (6... Bg4 7. Nb3 $5 ({
An attempt to improve upon} 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nf1 Nd7 9. Ng3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 g6 11.
Be3 Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O $11 {Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870) Chennai 2013})
7... Bd6 8. h3 Bh5 9. Bd2 b6 10. g4 Bg6 11. Nh4 Qd7 12. Qf3 a5 13. Bg5 Ng8 14.
Nf5 f6 15. Be3 a4 16. Nd2 Bxf5 17. exf5 a3 18. b3 Bb4 19. O-O-O Bc3 20. Ne4
Bb2+ 21. Kb1 O-O-O $13 {Yu,Y (2667)-Wen,Y (2581) China 2014/ While the current
position might be unclear, later in the endgame Black paid for his offside Bb2.
}) 7. Qe2 (7. Nc4 Nd7 8. Qe2 {doesn't necessarily have to transpose, Black can
try} f6 9. Bd2 Nb6 $5 10. Ne3 Be6 11. a4 Nc8 12. a5 Ne7 13. b4 Bd6 14. O-O c5
15. b5 a6 16. c4 Ng6 17. g3 axb5 18. cxb5 Qd7 19. Rfb1 Rfd8 20. Bc3 Bf8 21. Ne1
Ne7 22. Nc4 Nc8 $11 {Inarkiev,E (2677)-Bok,B (2611) Moscow 2016}) 7... Re8 (
7... Nd7 $5 {is also interesting, possibly leading to the previous note.
Practical examples are still quite scarce, the theory here is only developing.}
) 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Bd2 (9. Bg5 f6 10. Bd2 {is an attempt to emulate Caruana, but
Black was OK after} Nf8 11. O-O-O Be6 12. Kb1 Qd7 13. Rhg1 a5 14. g4 Bxg4 15.
Rg3 Ng6 16. Rdg1 Bh5 17. Qf1 Bf8 18. Ne3 Nf4 19. Nf5 g6 20. Bxf4 exf4 21. Rh3
Bxf3 22. Rxf3 Kh8 23. Qg2 Qf7 24. Nh4 {Giri,A (2790)-Eljanov,P (2765)
Stavanger blitz 2016} Re5 25. Rxf4 Rh5 26. Nf3 Bd6 $132) 9... Bd6 (9... b5 $5
10. Na5 Qf6 11. a4 Bb6 {seems weakening, but Black got counterplay after} 12.
Nb3 a6 13. Be3 Rb8 14. O-O Nf8 15. a5 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Qd6 17. Rad1 Bg4 18. d4
Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Ne6 20. d5 cxd5 21. Rxd5 Qb4 22. Rxe5 Nd4 $11 {Areshchenko,A 
(2661)-Balogh,C (2659) Germany 2016}) (9... f6 10. h4 ({Caruana possibly
intended the analogous} 10. O-O-O $13) (10. b4 $5 Be7 11. O-O {is also
interesting.}) 10... Nf8 11. h5 Be6 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. h6 g6 14. O-O Bg4 15. Nxg4
Qxg4 16. Nd4 Qxe2 17. Nxe2 Ne6 18. g3 g5 19. Be3 (19. Kg2 $11) 19... Bf8 20.
Kg2 Bxh6 21. Rh1 Bg7 22. Kf3 h6 23. Kg4 Re7 24. Raf1 Rf8 25. Rh3 Nd4 26. Nxd4
exd4 27. Bc1 Re5 28. f4 $44 {Adams,M (2744)-Nakamura,H (2793) London 2015
White had enough play for the pawn to hold the balance.}) 10. O-O-O (10. h4 {
was Fabiano's previous try in Wijk 2016; the following 2 games were played on
the same day:} Nf8 (10... c5 11. h5 h6 $2 12. O-O-O Nb8 13. Rdg1 Nc6 14. g4 f6
15. g5 fxg5 16. Nxg5 Nd4 17. Qd1 hxg5 18. Bxg5 Be7 19. Be3 Bf6 20. h6 $18 {
->, Wei,Y (2706)-Navara,D (2730) Wijk aan Zee 2016}) 11. h5 Ne6 12. O-O-O c5
13. Qf1 f6 14. Nh4 Nd4 15. c3 Nc6 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. exf5 h6 18. g4 Bf8 19. Qe2
Qd7 (19... b5 20. Qe4 Qd7 21. Ne3 Rad8 $13) 20. Be3 Rad8 21. Qc2 Kh7 22. Qb3 a6
23. Nd2 Na5 24. Qc2 Qd5 25. Kb1 Qxd3 (25... c4 $5) 26. Qxd3 Rxd3 27. Ne4 c4 28.
b4 $1 Nc6 29. Rxd3 cxd3 30. a4 Rd8 31. Rd1 Kg8 32. Kb2 $14 {½-½ (60) Caruana,
F (2787)-Karjakin,S (2769) Wijk aan Zee 2016 For more details see the notes by
Mekhitarian in CBM 171.}) (10. g4 Nf8 11. Ne3 Ne6 12. Nf5 a5 (12... c5 13. h4
b5 14. Rg1 Rb8 15. h5 c4 $6 16. dxc4 Qd7 17. c5 $6 (17. O-O-O $14) 17... Nxc5
18. O-O-O Bb7 19. Kb1 Nxe4 20. Ng5 Nxd2+ 21. Rxd2 Qc6 22. f3 e4 23. Nxe4 Bf4
24. Rdd1 Qc4 25. Qf2 Be5 26. Rge1 Rbd8 $15 {Libiszewski,F (2515)-Pashikian,A 
(2606) Al Ain 2015}) 13. h4 a4 14. Ng5 a3 15. b3 Bc5 16. Nxe6 Bxe6 17. Qf3 Bf8
18. Ke2 c5 19. c4 Ra6 20. Bc3 Bd7 21. Ne3 Rae6 22. g5 c6 23. Ng4 R6e7 24. Ne3
b5 25. Rag1 b4 26. Ba1 Bc8 27. h5 Qd6 28. Nc2 f6 $5 29. g6 (29. gxf6 Rf7) 29...
h6 30. Ne3 Rd8 31. Rd1 Qc7 $11 {Anand,V (2803)-Giri,A (2798) Bilbao 2015 The
complete blockade led to a quick draw.}) 10... b5 {Nakamura starts a bayonet
attack. While this is a natural reaction, subsequently he criticised it -
Black's pawns will lack piece support (especially from major pieces) later on.}
({Thus an interesting concept is} 10... c5 11. Kb1 Nb8 $5 {, Black got his
play going after} 12. c3 Nc6 13. Ne3 b5 14. g4 Ne7 15. Ne1 Be6 16. h4 Qc8 17.
Rc1 c4 18. d4 exd4 19. cxd4 Qa6 20. Rc2 c5 21. d5 Nxd5 22. exd5 Bxd5 23. f3 Be6
24. Bc1 Rad8 25. Rf1 c3 26. bxc3 Bc4 $44 {Perez Candelario,M (2527)-Sargissian,
G (2677) Villafranca 2010}) ({On the other hand, in a later game he was too
slow after} 10... Nf8 {Note the N will be misplaced...} 11. h4 b5 12. Ne3 Be6
13. Kb1 c5 14. h5 Qc8 15. Nh4 $1 Qa6 16. b3 Nd7 17. Nef5 Bf8 18. Qg4 c4 19. Bh6
cxb3 20. cxb3 Bxf5 21. Nxf5 g6 22. Rh3 Ba3 23. Rdh1 $40 {Brkic,A (2598)
-Blagojevic,T (2273) Skopje 2016}) 11. Ne3 (11. Na5 $143 $6 c5 {- the N has
nothing it can achieve on the queenside.}) 11... a5 12. Nf5 a4 13. Bg5 $5 {
[%mdl 32] Provocative, White invests time to force a weakness. His strategy
will fully pay off later on...} f6 {Natural enough.} ({One can hardly fault
Black for avoiding} 13... Nf6 14. g4 Be6 15. Kb1 $14 {- the pin seriously
limits his active options.}) 14. Be3 Nc5 15. g4 Be6 ({A logical move, but as
Black will later take on f5 anyway} 15... b4 $5 {might have saved him a tempo.
However, after} 16. g5 {he should again prefer} (16. Bxc5 Bxc5 17. d4 Ba6 $13)
16... a3 $1 (16... b3 $6 17. Kb1 {is similar to the game}) 17. b3 Bxf5 18. exf5
e4 $132) 16. Kb1 b4 17. g5 b3 $2 {The problem with this break is Black can't
activate his major pieces to join the counterattack - his Q and both his Rs
will be ineffective until the bitter end.} ({The right way was already
indicated above:} 17... a3 $142 $1 18. b3 Bxf5 19. exf5 e4 20. dxe4 (20. d4
exf3 21. Qc4+ Ne6 22. fxe6 Qe7 23. Qxc6 Qxe6 $11) 20... Nxe4 21. Qc4+ Kh8 22.
Bd4 {allows} Ra5 $1 {[%csl Rf5]} 23. gxf6 gxf6 $13 {Here Black's forces are
well coordinated and he is doing fine.}) (17... Kh8 18. Rhg1 (18. Bxc5 Bxc5 19.
d4 exd4 20. N3xd4 Qd7 $5 $132) 18... Bxf5 19. exf5 a3 {is a try to get a
better version of the aforementioned position. However, the king on h8 is not
safe due to} 20. Nh4 $1 $36 {[%cal Re2h5,Rg5g6]}) 18. Rhg1 $1 {[%mdl 128]
After the game Caruana admitted he had analysed this type of position and
realised he could simply ignore Black! - the kingside attack is more powerful.}
bxa2+ {Now White's king will be safe, but this goes also for the alternatives:}
(18... a3 19. cxb3 $16) (18... bxc2+ 19. Qxc2 $16) 19. Ka1 Bxf5 (19... g6 20.
gxf6 Qxf6 (20... a3 21. b3 (21. b4 $5) 21... Qxf6 22. d4 Nxe4 23. Nh6+ Kh8 24.
dxe5 Qg7 25. Bd4 $36) 21. d4 $1 Nxe4 22. Nh6+ Kh8 23. dxe5 Qg7 24. Bd4 (24.
exd6 a3 25. c4 $1 {[]} (25. Bd4 $2 axb2+ 26. Bxb2 Qxb2+ $1 27. Kxb2 a1=Q+ 28.
Rxa1 Reb8+ $19) 25... Nc3 26. Qc2 $16) 24... Be7 25. Qxe4 Qxh6 26. Qxc6 $16)
20. exf5 a3 (20... Kh8 21. Nh4 $1 $40 {is a motif we have already mentioned.})
21. b3 Na6 ({Nakumura's original intention} 21... e4 22. dxe4 Rxe4 (22... Nxe4
23. Qc4+ Kh8 24. gxf6 Nxf6 25. Ng5 $18) 23. Rd4 Kh8 24. Qc4 Qe7 25. Kxa2 $16 {
also fails to impress.}) (21... Qe7 {is perhaps more resilient, but White is
still well on top after} 22. Kxa2 $5) 22. c3 $1 {Asks Black a very unpleasant
question - "What do you want?" Stopping Nb4 is even more effective than the
straightforward} (22. d4 $5 e4 23. Qc4+ Kh8 24. gxf6 Qxf6 25. Ne5 $1 $16) 22...
Bf8 (22... Nc5 23. Bxc5 Bxc5 24. d4 exd4 25. Qc4+ Qd5 26. gxf6 Kf7 27. cxd4
Qxc4 28. bxc4 Bb4 29. fxg7 {and Black's counterattack is too slow:} Re2 30.
Ne5+ Kg8 31. Rd3 {[%cal Rf5f7]} Rxf2 32. Ng4 $18) (22... Kh8 23. Nd2 $40 {
is similar to the game.}) 23. Nd2 {[%csl Ge4] Another strong positional move.}
fxg5 24. Rxg5 Nc5 25. Rg3 $1 e4 {Desperately trying to get at the Ka1.} (25...
Qxd3 26. Qxd3 Nxd3 27. Ne4 Nb2 (27... Red8 28. Bg5 {[%cal Rg3d3,Rg5d8]}) 28.
Rdg1 $40 {[%csl Rg7]} Re7 (28... Kf7 29. Bc5 $1 $18) 29. Bh6 Rf7 30. Bxg7 $1
Rxg7 31. Rxg7+ Bxg7 32. f6 $18) 26. Bxc5 (26. dxe4 $18) 26... Bxc5 (26... exd3
$2 27. Qg4 {wins a piece.}) 27. Nxe4 $18 {Material is equal, but only formally
- all White's pieces will soon pounce on the Kg8. The rest is agony.} Bd6 28.
Rh3 Be5 29. d4 Bf6 30. Rg1 Rb8 (30... Bxd4 31. Rd3 $18) (30... c5 31. Qc4+ Kh8
32. Nxc5 $18) 31. Kxa2 Bh4 32. Rg4 Qd5 33. c4 (33. c4 Qxd4 34. Rgxh4 $18 {
and in addition to the extra piece White has an ongoing attack.}) 1-0

[Event "Zuerich m"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2012.04.27"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2820"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2012.04.21"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 148"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 64]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {After two unsuccessful
attempts to break down the Berlin, Levon changes his approach, avoids
simplificaton and goes for a manoeuvring struggle. The resulting position will
soon resemble the Giuoco Piano.} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5
Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 (9. h3 Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 11. Bg5 Be6 12. b3 Be7 13. Rad1
h4 14. Rfe1 Rd8 15. Rxd8+ Kxd8 16. Ne4 b6 17. Bf4 Kc8 18. Neg5 Bxg5 19. Bxg5
Bd5 20. Nh2 c5 21. Rd1 Bc6 22. c3 a5 23. Ng4 Bd7 24. f3 a4 25. Kf2 {1/2,
Aronian,L (2820)-Kramnik,V (2801)/Zuerich/2012/}) 9... Be6 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. Ng5
Bc8 12. h3 Be7 13. Bf4 Nh4 14. e6 f6 15. Nf7 Rg8 16. Bxc7 Bxe6 17. Nd6+ Bxd6
18. Bxd6 Kf7 19. f3 Nf5 20. Bc5 b6 21. Bf2 Rgd8 22. a4 Ne7 23. a5 c5 24. Nb5
Nc6 $11 {Aronian,L (2820)-Kramnik,V (2801)/Zuerich/2012/}) 4... Bc5 5. Nbd2 (5.
Bxc6 dxc6 {has also been quite popular recently, with players like
Nepomniachtchi, Adams, McShane, Zvjaginsev ao. giving it a try. In this
version of the Bxc6 the black bishop is not ideally placed on c5, but it's
questionable if this is enough for an edge.} 6. O-O (6. b3 Bg4 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8.
Bb2 f6 9. Nf1 Nf8 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Ne6 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. h4 a5 14. a4 O-O 15.
h5 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 c5 17. Qh3 Qc6 18. O-O Nf4 19. Qh2 Qe8 20. h6 g5 21. g3 Ne6
22. f4 gxf4 23. gxf4 Nxf4 24. Rxf4 exf4 25. Kf2 $44 {McShane,L (2671)-Kramnik,
V (2800)/London/2011/ See notes to this game by Marin in CBM 146.}) 6... Nd7 ({
Marin prefers} 6... Qe7 $5 {[%cal Yc8g4] /\Bg4} 7. h3 h6 8. c3 Bd6 9. d4 Nd7
10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Nc4 c5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Re1 Rd8 14. Qe2 b6 15. Ncxe5 Nxe5 16.
Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Qf3 Bb7 18. Bf4 Qe6 19. Bxc7 Rd2 20. b3 Re8 21. Bf4 Rc2 22. Re3
Rd8 23. Ree1 Qf6 24. Rec1 Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 Qg6 26. Re1 Re8 $11 {Kosintseva,N 
(2460)-Cmilyte,V (2508)/Nalchik/2008/}) 7. Be3 Bxe3 (7... Bd6 8. Nc3 Nf8 (8...
c5 $11) 9. d4 $32 Ng6 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. Qxd8+ Kxd8 13. Rad1+ Ke7
14. Na4 b5 (14... f6 $142 $5) 15. f4 bxa4 16. fxe5 Ba6 17. Rf2 Rhb8 18. Rfd2
Ke8 19. e6 $1 fxe6 20. Bd4 $36 {Zvjaginsev,V (2688)-Zherebukh,Y (2594)/Moscow/
2012/}) 8. fxe3 Qe7 9. Nbd2 c5 10. Qe1 b6 11. a4 a5 12. Qg3 f6 13. Nh4 g6 14.
Qh3 Rf8 (14... O-O $11) 15. Rf2 Bb7 16. Raf1 O-O-O 17. b3 Kb8 18. g4 Rg8 19.
Nc4 h6 20. Qg3 Rde8 21. h3 Rg7 22. Kh2 Rh8 23. Rg1 $13 {1/2,Yemelin,V (2567)
-Nestorovic,N (2462)/Skopje/2012/}) 5... d6 6. c3 (6. Nf1 Ng4 7. Ne3 O-O 8. O-O
Nxe3 9. Bxe3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 Be6 11. Qe1 f6 12. Nh4 Ne7 13. Ba4 c6 14. Bb3 Qd7
15. Nf5 d5 16. Ng3 b6 17. Qc3 c5 18. exd5 Nxd5 19. Bxd5 Qxd5 20. a4 f5 21. e4
fxe4 22. Nxe4 Qd4+ $11 {Inarkiev,E (2669)-Ponomariov,R (2733)/Astrakhan/2010/})
6... O-O 7. O-O Ne7 {Although transferring the knight to the kingside is a
typical idea, in this concrete position Black's last move is quite rare.} (7...
a6 {Kramnik's recent experience with this set-up was from last year's
nerve-wracking blitz playoff against Radjabov in the Candidates quaterfinal:}
8. Ba4 (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. d4 exd4 10. cxd4 Bb6 11. Qc2 Re8 12. Re1 Bd7 13. b3 c5
14. d5 c6 (14... Ba5 $1 15. Bb2 c6 $132) 15. dxc6 (15. Nc4 $1) 15... Bxc6 16.
Bb2 Ba5 17. Rad1 h6 18. Re3 Re6 19. Nc4 Bc7 $13 {/=,Ivanchuk,V (2779)
-Ponomariov,R (2743)/RUS-chT Olginka/2011/ - see notes to this game by
Ponomariov in CBM 142.}) 8... Ba7 9. h3 Ne7 10. Re1 Ng6 11. Nf1 c6 12. Ng3 d5
13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Bb3 Re8 15. Bg5 f6 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. fxe3 Be6 18. Qd2 Qc7 19.
Rad1 Rad8 20. Qf2 Qf7 21. Rf1 Qf8 22. Nd2 Kh8 $11 {Radjabov,T (2744)-Kramnik,V
(2790)/Kazan blitz plof/2011/}) ({Another more usual alternative is} 7... Bb6 {
This was in fact played in the Radjabov-Kramnik game, quoted below - it
transposed into our game later on. Black needn't worry unduly about losing his
bishop pair after} 8. Nc4 Ne7 9. Ba4 (9. Nxb6 axb6 10. Ba4 Ng6 11. h3 Nh5 12.
Bg5 f6 13. Be3 Nhf4 14. Bb3+ Kh8 15. Bxf4 (15. d4 Be6 $11) 15... Nxf4 16. Nh4
f5 $1 17. Nxf5 Qg5 18. Qg4 Qf6 19. Qh4 Qxh4 20. Nxh4 Nxd3 $36 {1/2-1/2 Anand,V
(2817)-Carlsen,M (2823)/Moscow rpd/2011/}) 9... Ng6 10. h3 h6 11. Bc2 Be6 12.
a4 c6 (12... Bxc4 13. dxc4 a5 14. g3 Qe7 15. Kg2 Qe6 16. Qe2 Rfe8 17. Bd2 Nd7
18. Rad1 Nc5 19. Bc1 Qd7 20. b3 Qe6 21. Nh2 Ne7 22. Ng4 h5 23. Ne3 g6 24. g4
$14 {Svidler,P (2731)-Akopian,V (2691)/EUCup Plovdiv/2010/}) 13. Nxb6 axb6 14.
Be3 d5 15. d4 exd4 16. Nxd4 Bd7 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Bd2 Qf6 19. Qf3 Ndf4 20. Bxf4
{1/2,Svidler,P (2739)-Ponomariov,R (2764)/Khanty-Mansiysk WCup/2011/}) 8. h3 {
Aronian replied quickly, aiming for a position, typical for the whole line.
Here White can immediately expand in the centre with} (8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 {
[%csl Rd2] , but his pawns are under pressure and he can hardly claim an
advantage with his passive Nd2 after} 10. Bd3 (10. h3 c6 11. Bd3 Be6 $132)
10... Bg4 11. Qa4 Ng6 $11 12. e5 $6 dxe5 13. Bxg6 fxg6 14. dxe5 Qd7 15. Qc4+
Nd5 16. h3 Be6 17. Ng5 h6 18. Nxe6 Qxe6 19. Nf3 c6 (19... Rxf3 $1 20. gxf3 Qxe5
$36) 20. Re1 g5 21. Bd2 Rf7 22. Qg4 Re8 23. Re4 Nf6 24. Qxe6 Rxe6 25. Ra4 Nd5
26. Ba5 $11 {Zhang,X (2354)-Shen,Y (2440)/Beijing/2012/ It's already White,
who barely holds an uneasy sort of equality.}) 8... Ng6 9. Re1 c6 10. Ba4 Re8
11. d4 Bb6 ({Black hangs on to his reinforced outpost on e5, but he will
shortly give it up anyway. Even now} 11... exd4 12. cxd4 Bb6 13. Bc2 Be6 $13 {
seems committal, but playable, the position resembles the previous note.}) 12.
Bc2 h6 13. a4 $5 {Before proceeding with his development, Aronian makes a
potentially useful move on the other flank.} ({The standard continuation is} 
13. Nf1 {and now:} {However, it seems that Black can fully liberate his
position with} d5 $5 (13... Bd7 14. Ng3 Qc7 15. Be3 Rad8 16. Qc1 Kh7 17. a4 a5
18. b3 Qc8 19. Qa3 Bc7 20. Rad1 Kg8 21. Qc1 Bxh3 22. gxh3 Qxh3 23. Bd3 d5 24.
Bf1 Qg4 25. Nh2 Qh4 26. exd5 {Karjakin,S (2763)-Wang Yue (2697)/Beijing blitz/
2011/} e4 $1 $44) (13... Nh5 14. Ne3 Nhf4 15. Nf5 Qf6 16. Be3 Bc7 17. h4 Be6
18. g3 Nd5 19. Bd2 Nb6 20. h5 Nf8 21. Nh2 Bxf5 22. exf5 Qd8 23. Ng4 Nh7 24. Bb3
e4 25. Nxh6+ $1 gxh6 26. Qg4+ Kh8 27. Bxf7 $40 {Kryvoruchko,Y (2652)-Naiditsch,
A (2706)/Eretria/2011/}) (13... Qc7 14. Ng3 Be6 15. Be3 d5 $6 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17.
Bf4 $1 Nfd7 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Qh5 f6 20. exd5 Bxd5 21. Qf5 (21. Nf5 $36) 21...
Kf8 22. Nh5 Qf7 23. Ng3 Rad8 24. Be3 Bxe3 {1/2,Kosintseva,N (2533)-Zvjaginsev,
V (2642)/Moscow/2010/}) 14. Nxe5 (14. exd5 exd4 (14... e4 $5 $13) 15. dxc6 dxc3
16. Qxd8 Rxd8 $11) 14... Nxe5 15. dxe5 Rxe5 (15... Nxe4 $1 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17.
Qxd8 Rxd8 18. Bf4 g5 19. Be3 Bc7 20. h4 $11) 16. Bf4 Re8 17. e5 Nh7 18. Qd3 Nf8
19. Rad1 (19. Ne3 $142 $13) 19... Qh4 20. Bg3 Qg5 21. Kh2 Qg6 22. Qd2 Bf5 23.
Bxf5 Qxf5 24. Ne3 Bxe3 25. Rxe3 Rad8 $132 {/=,Radjabov,T (2744)-Kramnik,V 
(2790)/Kazan blitz plof/2011/}) 13... Be6 (13... Bc7 14. Nf1 Nh7 15. Ng3 Ng5
16. dxe5 Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Rxe5 18. Be3 Bb6 19. Rad1 Be6 20. Qe2 h5 21. Bxb6 {
1/2,Kobalia,M (2637)-Alekseev,E (2700)/RUS-chT Dagomys/2010/} Qxb6 22. Qd2 $14)
({Kramnik made a natural developing move, but even now, with the knight on d2,
the central blow} 13... d5 {deserves attention:} 14. a5 (14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5
Rxe5 16. Nf3 Re8 17. e5 Ne4 $5 $13) 14... Bc7 $5 (14... Bxa5 15. exd5 exd4 16.
Rxe8+ Nxe8 17. Bxg6 $5 (17. Nc4 Bc7 18. dxc6 dxc3 (18... bxc6 19. Qxd4 $14) 19.
Qxd8 Bxd8 20. Be4 Rb8 21. bxc3 Be6 22. Na5 Bxa5 23. Rxa5 bxc6 $11) 17... fxg6
18. dxc6 dxc3 19. bxc3 bxc6 (19... Kh7 20. Qb3 Bb6 21. Ne4 Qc7 22. Neg5+ $1
hxg5 23. Nxg5+ Kh8 24. Ra4 Qg3 25. Rf4 Bf5 26. Qxb6 axb6 27. fxg3 bxc6 28. g4
Ra1 29. Rf1 $18) 20. Qb3+ Kh7 21. Ne4 $36 {[%cal Re4g5]}) 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16.
Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Nf3 Bc7 $132) 14. Nf1 exd4 $5 $146 {[%mdl 40] This move is new
and introduces a strategy, which is not too typical in these positions:
instead of holding the bastion on e5, Black opens the centre and seeks active
piece counterplay.} (14... Qc7 15. Ng3 Rad8 16. Be3 d5 $2 (16... exd4 $5 17.
cxd4 Ba5 18. Bd2 c5 $14 {/<=> is not so clear, now one of the ideas behind 13.
a4 works perfectly in White's favour:}) 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Bf4 $1 Nfd7 19. a5 $1
Bxa5 20. exd5 Bxd5 21. dxe5 Bb6 22. Qh5 $40 (22. Qd3 g6 23. Nf5 $1 gxf5 24.
Qg3+ Kh8 25. e6 $16) 22... f6 23. Bxh6 Nxe5 24. Be3 $5 Nf3+ 25. gxf3 Rxe3 {
Alekseev,E (2670)-Jumabayev,R (2573)/Moscow/2012/} 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Qh8+ Bg8 (
27... Kf7 28. Bg6+ Ke6 29. Qh4 Re5 30. c4 Bxf3 31. Qf4 $18) 28. Kg2 Rxe1 29.
Bb3 $1 $18) 15. Nxd4 {Already Aronian's reaction is debatable.} ({More natural
seems to be} 15. cxd4 Ba5 16. Bd2 Bxd2 (16... c5 17. Ne3 $5 $14 (17. d5 Bd7 $13
) (17. dxc5 dxc5 18. e5 Nd5 19. Bxg6 fxg6 $13)) 17. Qxd2 a5 18. Rad1 Qb6 $14 {
/<=>}) 15... Bd7 {[%cal Yd6d5]} 16. f4 {A logical follow-up, otherwise Black
fully frees his position.} d5 $5 {Kramnik still goes for the pawn advance
before White reinforces his centre with Ng3. Equally double-edged is} (16... c5
17. Nb5 Bxb5 18. axb5 c4+ 19. Kh2 Bf2 $5 (19... Qc7 20. Qf3) 20. Re2 Bc5 $13)
17. e5 Ne4 $8 {Anything else is passive, or downright bad.} (17... Nh7 $2 18.
e6 $16) 18. Bxe4 {Immediately gets rid of the strong Ne4, not allowing Black
to reinforce it with f5.} (18. Kh2 Nh4 $5 (18... Qh4 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Ng3 Bxd4
(20... Nxf4 $2 21. Rxe4 Bxh3 22. Nf3 $18) 21. Qxd4 Rad8 22. Qxe4 $14) (18... f5
19. a5 Bc5 20. Qh5 $14) (18... Bxd4 19. Qxd4 Bf5 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 21. Ng3 Qh4 (
21... f5 22. exf6 Qxf6 23. Qxf6 gxf6 24. f5 $14) 22. Qf2 $14 {[%cal Yc1e3]})
19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Ng3 f5 $13) (18. Be3 Qh4 (18... f6 19. e6 Bxd4 20. exd7 Bxe3+
21. Rxe3 Re7 22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. Qg4 Nf8 24. Ng3 $14) 19. Qf3 f5 $5 $11 {Shipov})
18... dxe4 19. a5 $5 ({Too risky is} 19. Rxe4 c5 20. Nb5 (20. Nf3 Bc6 21. Re1
Nh4 $5 $36) 20... Bc6 21. Qxd8 (21. Re1 Qh4 $36) 21... Raxd8 22. Re1 f6 $1 $32)
(19. Ng3 f5 $142 (19... c5 20. Ndf5 c4+ 21. Kh2 Bf2 22. Rf1 Bxf5 23. Nxf5 Qxd1
24. Rxd1 Ne7 25. Be3 $1 $14 (25. Nd6 e3 26. Nxe8 e2 27. Rh1 Rxe8 28. Bd2 Rd8
29. Be1 Be3 $44)) 20. exf6 Qxf6 21. Rxe4 Qh4 $44 {Black with his bishops has
very good compensation for the pawn, so Aronian deflects the Bb6 to prevent
this line.} (21... Qf7 $5 {[%cal Yb6c7]}) (21... Rxe4 22. Nxe4 Qe7 $44)) 19...
Bxa5 20. Ng3 Bb6 21. Kh2 $1 (21. Nxe4 Qh4 22. Nd6 Nxf4 $1 23. Bxf4 (23. Nxe8
Nxh3+ $1 24. gxh3 Qg3+ 25. Kh1 Qxh3+ 26. Kg1 Qg3+ 27. Kh1 Bg4 $19) 23... Qxf4
24. Nxe8 Rxe8 $36 {is something White should avoid - Black will soon win
another pawn for the exchange and only he can play for an advantage without
much risk.}) 21... c5 {Limiting the Bb6 doesn't seem ideal, but Black manages
to keep the Pe4 alive somewaht longer. Glancing forward - this pawn will
survive and even promote later on!} (21... Bc7 22. Nxe4 Qe7 $13 {[%csl Gc7,Gd4,
Gd7,Ge4,Ge5,Gf4] Korotylev Although White's central pawns and knights are
impressive, Black remains solid and his bishops have potential.}) (21... Nh4 $5
22. Nxe4 c5 23. Nb3 (23. Nf3 Bc6 $132) 23... Bc6 24. Qg4 Re6 25. Rd1 (25. Nf6+
Rxf6 26. exf6 Qxf6 27. Re2 Rd8 $44 (27... a5 $5)) 25... Qe7 26. Nf6+ Rxf6 27.
Qxh4 Rg6 28. Qxe7 Rxg2+ 29. Kh1 Rg3+ $11) (21... Qh4 22. Rxe4 $5 $14 (22. Ndf5
Bxf5 23. Nxf5 Qf2 24. Re2 Red8 25. Nd6 Qh4 26. g3 Qe7 27. Qc2 f6 $1 $132)) 22.
Ndf5 Bxf5 23. Nxf5 Qxd1 24. Rxd1 Rad8 25. Be3 (25. Re1 f6 26. exf6 gxf6 27. Ra4
(27. Nxh6+ Kh7 28. Nf5 (28. f5 Ne5 29. Rxe4 Rd1 30. Nf7 Ng4+ $1 31. Rxg4 Bc7+
$15) (28. Ng4 Kg7 29. f5 Ne7 $15) 28... Ne7 $11) 27... h5 28. Raxe4 Rxe4 29.
Rxe4 Kf7 30. g4 hxg4 31. hxg4 Bc7 $11) (25. Nd6 f6 26. Be3 Re7 27. Nxe4 Rxd1
28. Rxd1 Nxe5 $5 (28... fxe5 29. f5 $14) 29. fxe5 Rxe5 30. Nxf6+ gxf6 31. Bxh6
Re2 32. Rd2 Bc7+ $11) 25... Rd3 26. Re1 {[%cal Ya1a4,Ya4e4,Yf5d6] Now White is
finally ready to eliminate the Pe4 and subsequently enjoy his strong central
pawns and active pieces, but Kramnik doesn't give him the opportunity.} f6 $1
$132 {Necessary to activate Black's forces.} 27. exf6 gxf6 28. Nxh6+ Kf8 (28...
Kg7 $142 29. Nf5+ Kf7 30. Nh6+ (30. Ra4 Ne7 $11) 30... Kg7 $11) (28... Kh7 29.
Ng4 Kg7 30. Nf2 Rd7 31. g4 f5 $13) 29. Ra4 $5 Rd5 30. c4 (30. f5 Bc7+ 31. Kg1 (
31. g3 $6 Nh4) 31... Bg3 32. Rf1 Ne5 33. Rxe4 (33. Rxa7 $2 Rd3 34. Bxc5+ Kg7
35. Ng4 Nxg4 36. hxg4 e3 $36) 33... Nc4 34. Rxe8+ Kxe8 35. Bf2 (35. Bc1 a5 $44
{/\} 36. Ng4 Kf7 37. Ne3 Nxe3 38. Bxe3 b5 39. Bf2 Bxf2+ 40. Rxf2 a4 $11) 35...
Be5 36. Ng4 Nxb2 $13) (30. Ng4 Kg7 31. Bc1 Rh5 32. Nf2 f5 33. Be3 $5 $14 {
[%cal Yg2g3,Yh2g2]} (33. g4 fxg4 34. Nxg4 Reh8 35. Nf2 c4 36. Be3 Nxf4 37. Bxf4
Bxf2 38. Rxe4 Kf7 39. Raxc4 Rxh3+ 40. Kg2 Bb6 $11)) ({or maybe the similar} 30.
g3 Kg7 31. c4 Rh5 32. Ng4 f5 33. Nf2 $14 {gives White a slight advantage.})
30... Rd3 31. b4 $6 {White quickly wants to reanimate the Ra4, cut off by his
previous move, but runs into a tactical blow.} (31. Nf5 Ne7 $11) (31. Raa1 Rb3
$132) 31... Rxe3 $1 {[%mdl 64]} (31... cxb4 32. Bxb6 axb6 33. Rxb4 Nxf4 34.
Rxb6 Kg7 35. Ng4 e3 $5 $44 {is maybe enough for a draw, but Black can already
play for more.}) (31... Nh4 $5 $132) 32. Rxe3 cxb4 33. Rg3 $6 {With time
running short, White plays actively.} (33. Re1 $142 a5 $36 {was unpleasant,
but objectively better.}) 33... e3 $2 $138 {Kramnik also chooses a
straightforward move and lets White of the hook.} (33... Ne7 $1 {[%csl Rh6]}
34. Rxb4 Bc7 35. Kg1 (35. Ng4 Bxf4 {[%cal Re7f5]} 36. Rb5 Rd8 $1 37. Nxf6 e3
$19) 35... Bxf4 36. Rg4 Bxh6 37. Rxe4 b6 $17) 34. Rxg6 e2 35. Ra1 Bf2 36. Rg8+
(36. g4 {should also hold after} e1=Q 37. Rxf6+ Kg7 38. Rxe1 Bxe1 (38... Rxe1
39. g5 b3 40. f5 (40. Rf7+ Kg6 41. Rf6+ $11) (40. Nf5+ $11) 40... Re7 (40... b2
$2 41. Rf7+ Kh8 42. g6 $19) 41. Rg6+ Kh7 42. Ng4 (42. Ng8 Rf7 43. Nf6+ Rxf6 44.
Rxf6 b2 45. Rf7+ Kg8 46. Rxb7 Bb6 47. Rb8+ Kf7 48. g6+ Kf6 49. Rf8+ Kg7 $19)
42... Bd4 (42... Rf7 43. Rh6+ Kg8 44. g6 b2 45. gxf7+ Kxf7 46. Ne5+ Kg7 47.
Rg6+ Kh7 48. f6 b1=Q 49. Rg7+ Kh6 50. Nf7+ Kh5 51. Rg5+ Kh4 52. Rg4+ Kh5 53.
Rg5+ $11) 43. Nf6+ Bxf6 44. gxf6 Rd7 45. f7 Rxf7 46. Rg3 $11) 39. g5 Re2+ 40.
Kg1 Bc3 41. Rf7+ Kg6 42. Rxb7 $132) 36... Ke7 37. Rg7+ Kd6 38. Rxb7 e1=Q 39.
Rxe1 Bxe1 40. Nf5+ Kc5 (40... Kc6 41. Rxa7 b3 42. Nd4+ Kb6 43. Ra1 Bc3 44. c5+
Kb7 45. Nxb3 Bxa1 46. Nxa1 $11 {is also a draw, as Black can't trap the Na1.})
41. Rb5+ $1 $11 {White forces a perpetual before the queenside passed pawns
can get really moving.} Kc6 (41... Kxc4 $4 42. Nd6+) 42. Nd4+ Kc7 43. Rc5+ (43.
Rc5+ Kb6 (43... Kd7 44. Ra5 $11 (44. Rd5+ Kc7 (44... Ke7 45. Nc6+ Kf8 46. Rb5
Re3 47. g4 $13 {is probably still a draw, but it only makes life more
difficult for Black.}) 45. Rc5+ $11)) 44. Rb5+ Kc7 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2015.01.18"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2784"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2015.01.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {The Berlin is as popular as ever and
even in the endgame White hasn't been able to make any significant inroads
recently. In the London Classic 2014 Black even made a plus score with it,
while the same trend continued in the events after Wijk:} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4
Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 h6 (9... Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 11.
Bf4 (11. Rd1 Be7 12. g3 b6 13. a4 Bb7 14. a5 c5 15. Nd5 Bd8 16. Bg5 Rf8 17. c4
Bxd5 18. Rxd5 Bxg5 19. Nxg5 Ke7 20. Kg2 Nd4 21. Rd1 Rad8 22. Nf3 c6 23. Rxd8
Rxd8 24. Ng5 b5 25. cxb5 cxb5 $11 {Adams,M (2745)-Anand,V (2793) London 2014
For more details see the notes to this game by M.Pavlovic in CBM 164.}) 11...
Be7 12. Rad1 Be6 13. Ng5 Rh6 14. g3 Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Rg6 16. h4 f6 17. exf6 gxf6
18. Bf4 Nxh4 19. f3 Rd8 20. Rde1 Kf7 21. Kf2 Nf5 22. Rh1 Ng7 23. Ne4 Rc8 24.
Nc5 Bf5 25. c4 b6 26. Ne4 Re8 $11 {Bacrot,E (2711)-Anand,V (2797) Baden-Baden
2015}) 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. Nc3 Ne7 12. Bf4 Ng6 13. Bh2 Bb4 14. Ne2 Be7 15. Nfd4
Nf8 $5 $146 (15... Bd7 16. Ng3 h5 17. Ngf5 Bf8 18. Re1 Ne7 19. e6 fxe6 20. Nxe7
Bxe7 21. Bxc7 Rc8 22. Ba5 Rh6 23. Rad1 c5 24. Nf3 Bf6 25. Bd2 Rh8 26. Ne5 $36 {
Volokitin,A (2677)-Miroshnichenko,E (2651) UKR-ch Kiev 2011}) 16. g4 h5 17. Nf5
Ne6 18. Kg2 b6 19. f3 c5 20. Bg3 Bg5 {[%cal Rg7g6]} 21. h4 hxg4 $1 22. hxg5
gxf3+ 23. Kxf3 Nxg5+ 24. Kf4 Nh3+ 25. Ke4 Ng5+ 26. Kf4 Nh3+ {1/2, Caruana,F 
(2811)-Carlsen,M (2865) Baden Baden 2015}) 4... Bc5 5. Nbd2 {Each of White's
alternatives has its nuances - apart from the immediate swap on c6 they are
similar and often transpose into each other, but there are some differences as
well.} ({After} 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 {Black has lately concentrated on} Be6 (
6... Bg4 7. Nb3 $146 Bd6 8. h3 Bh5 9. Bd2 b6 10. g4 Bg6 11. Nh4 Qd7 12. Qf3 a5
13. Bg5 Ng8 14. Nf5 f6 15. Be3 a4 16. Nd2 Bxf5 17. exf5 a3 18. b3 Bb4 19. O-O-O
Bc3 20. Ne4 Bb2+ 21. Kb1 O-O-O 22. g5 Rf8 $132 {Yu,Yangyi (2667)-Wen,Yang 
(2581) CHN-chT 2014}) 7. O-O {Possibly a more circumspect move is} Bd6 $5 (7...
Nd7 8. Nb3 Bb6 (8... Bd6 9. Ng5 Qe7 10. Nxe6 Qxe6 11. Na5 Rb8 12. a4 O-O 13.
Nc4 b6 14. Kh1 a5 15. b3 Rbe8 16. Qh5 c5 17. Bd2 Nf6 18. Qf3 Nd7 19. Qg3 f5 20.
exf5 Rxf5 21. Rae1 Qf7 22. f3 Re6 23. Qf2 Qe8 24. Re2 Rff6 25. Rfe1 $14 {
Anand,V (2785)-Radjabov,T (2724) Dubai blitz 2014}) 9. Ng5 Bxb3 (9... Nf8 10.
Qh5 Qd6 11. Kh1 Bxb3 12. axb3 Qg6 13. Qh3 h6 14. Nf3 Qd6 15. Bd2 Ng6 16. Bc3
O-O 17. Nd2 Bd4 18. Nc4 Qd8 19. g3 b5 20. Na5 {Anand,V (2792)-Howell,D (2667)
London rpd 2014}) 10. axb3 f6 11. Nf3 Nf8 12. Nd2 Ne6 (12... Qd7 $5) 13. Qh5+
$1 g6 14. Qd1 Bc5 15. Nc4 b5 $6 (15... Qe7 16. Kh1 $14 {Yu Yangyi}) 16. Na5 Qd7
17. Be3 Bb6 18. b4 O-O 19. Qd2 f5 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Qc3 f4 (21... Bxa5 22. Rxa5
f4 23. Bxa7 f3 24. Qxe5 Nf4 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. Be3 $1 $16) 22. Bxb6 cxb6 23. Nxc6
$16 {Yu,Yangyi (2705)-Kramnik,V (2760) Doha 2014 See the notes to this game by
Yu Yangyi in CBM 164.}) 8. b3 Nd7 9. Nc4 Bxc4 10. bxc4 O-O 11. Rb1 (11. Bg5 Be7
12. Be3 Bd6 13. g3 g6 14. Nh4 b5 15. Qg4 Nf6 16. Qf3 Nd7 17. a4 bxc4 18. dxc4
Qe7 19. Rfd1 Qe6 20. Qe2 Rfb8 21. Nf3 Rb4 22. Nd2 a5 $15 {Saric,I (2666)
-Radjabov,T (2734) Wijk aan Zee 2015}) (11. Be3 Qe7 12. c3 b5 13. cxb5 cxb5 14.
a4 a6 15. Qc2 c5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Qb3 b4 18. Nd2 h6 19. h3 Rfb8 20. Rfb1 Qd8
21. Nc4 Bf8 22. Bd2 Qc7 23. Rc1 Qb7 24. Rab1 Qb5 $11 {Adams,M (2758)-Giri,A 
(2768) Bundesliga 2015}) 11... b6 12. g3 f5 13. exf5 Rxf5 14. Qe2 (14. Be3 Qe8
15. Nd2 Qg6 16. Ne4 Raf8 17. Kg2 Nf6 18. Qe2 $2 Nxe4 19. dxe4 Rf3 $1 $17 {
[%csl Rc4,Re4] Anand,V (2785)-Aronian,L (2815) Dubai rpd 2014}) 14... Nc5 15.
Be3 Ne6 16. Nd2 Qf6 17. Qg4 Rf8 18. Ne4 Qf7 19. a4 h5 20. Qe2 Be7 21. a5 Qg6
22. axb6 axb6 23. Kh1 Rf3 $132 {Carlsen,M (2843)-Aronian,L (2816) Sao Paulo/
Bilbao 2012}) ({After} 5. O-O Nd4 $5 (5... d6 {the topical move is} 6. Re1 $5
O-O 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 Re8 9. Nbd2 {Here Black has been facing some practical
problems:} Nd7 (9... h6 10. Nf1 a5 (10... d5 11. Ng3 Bd6 12. b3 Nh7 13. Bb2 d4
14. Bc1 Nf8 15. Nh2 Ng6 16. Nf5 Ne7 17. Qf3 Nxf5 18. exf5 Qf6 19. g4 Bb4 20.
Re2 Bd7 21. Nf1 e4 22. Rxe4 c5 23. Ng3 Bc6 24. Bf4 Bxe4 25. Nxe4 Qc6 26. h4 Kf8
27. Kg2 $44 {Van Foreest,J (2472)-Bok,B (2572) Basel 2015}) 11. Ng3 Rb8 12. b3
Bb4 13. Bd2 Ra8 14. c3 Bc5 15. d4 Bb6 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. c4 Nh7 18. Qe2 Nf8 19.
Be3 c5 $6 (19... Bd4 $142 20. Bxd4 exd4 21. c5 $13 {/+/=}) 20. Rad1 Qf6 21. Nh5
Qe7 22. Nh2 Kh7 23. Qf3 f6 24. Ng4 Bxg4 25. Qxg4 Red8 26. Qf5+ Kh8 27. f4 Rxd1
28. Rxd1 exf4 29. Bxf4 Qe6 30. Rd3 $16 {[%csl Rb6][%cal Rh5g7] Carlsen,M (2862)
-Radjabov,T (2734) Wijk aan Zee 2015}) 10. Nc4 Bb6 11. a4 a5 12. Nxb6 cxb6 (
12... Nxb6 $5 {[%cal Yf7f5]}) 13. d4 Qc7 14. Ra3 Nf8 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nh4 Rd8
17. Qh5 f6 18. Nf5 Be6 19. Rg3 Ng6 20. h4 $40 {Carlsen,M (2863)-Anand,V (2792)
WCh Sochi 2014 See the notes to this game by Negi in CBM 164.}) 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 {
still retains a solid reputation, a new example is} 7. c3 (7. Nd2 c6 8. Ba4 d6
9. c3 Bb6 10. Nc4 Bc7 {is similar}) 7... Bb6 8. Na3 c6 9. Ba4 d6 (9... O-O 10.
Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Bb3 g5 14. Bg3 Re8 15. Re1 Bc7 16. Nc2 Bg4
17. Qd2 d4 18. h3 Bf5 19. Ba4 Bd7 20. Bxd7 dxc3 21. Qxc3 Nxd7 22. d4 Rc8 23.
Qb3 Ba5 24. Re2 exd4 25. Rxe8+ Qxe8 26. Nxd4 Nc5 27. Qf3 Qe4 $132 {Topalov,V 
(2785)-Andreikin,D (2709) Khanty-Mansiysk Candidates 2014}) 10. Bb3 a5 $5 $146
(10... O-O 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Be6 14. Ne3 g5 15. Bg3 a5 16. a4 Qd7
17. Bc2 Ng4 18. Nxg4 Bxg4 19. f3 Be6 20. d4 f6 21. Qd2 Rad8 22. Rad1 Qf7 23.
Kh1 Kg7 24. Bf2 Rfe8 25. Be3 Qe7 26. Rfe1 Bf7 27. Qf2 Qe6 28. Qf1 Qc4 $11 {
Hansen,E (2577)-Movsesian,S (2659) Doha 2014}) 11. Nc4 Bc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4
g5 14. Bg3 h5 15. f3 Be6 16. Ne3 h4 17. Bf2 d5 18. Re1 Kf8 19. h3 Bb6 20. Qc2
Nh5 21. d4 exd4 22. cxd4 Nf4 23. Ng4 a4 24. Bxa4 dxe4 25. Rxe4 Bf5 26. Rd1 Kg7
27. Bb3 Qc7 28. Ne3 Bg6 $13 {Karjakin,S (2760)-Caruana,F (2811) Zurich 2015}) (
{After} 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O (6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 8. d4 Bb6 9. O-O Nxe4 10.
Nxc6 Qd6 $44) {Black is still doing fine with} 6... Re8 $5 {from Anand-Carlsen
2013:} 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Be7 9. Re1 (9. Nbd2 d6 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12.
Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd3 {Balogh,C (2637)-Rodshtein,M (2671) Tromso olm 2014} Rb8 14.
Qc2 Nh5 $132 {See the notes to this game in CBM 162.}) 9... d6 10. Nbd2 g5 $5
$146 11. Bg3 g4 12. Nh4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Bxh4 14. Bxh4 Qxh4 15. d4 f5 16. Ng3 f4
17. Qd3 Kg7 18. d5 fxg3 19. hxg3 Qg5 20. dxc6 Bf5 21. Qe3 b6 $11 {/=/+,
Inarkiev,E (2688)-Aronian,L (2797) Moscow 2014 See the notes to this game by
Marin in CBM 164.}) 5... Nd4 {Unlike after 5.0-0, here this sortie enables
White to get the bishop pair. However, it's an open question how objectively
significant this is (in the game it played an important role mainly due to
Black's subsequent inaccuracies).} (5... d6 6. Bxc6+ ({White can also postpone
the exchange with} 6. O-O {/\} Bd7 7. c3 O-O 8. Nc4 h6 9. b4 Bb6 10. a4 a5 11.
Nxb6 cxb6 12. bxa5 Nxa5 13. h3 d5 14. exd5 Bxb5 15. axb5 Qxd5 16. c4 Qe6 17.
Bb2 e4 18. Re1 $36 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2757)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2706) Tashkent
2014}) 6... bxc6 7. O-O O-O 8. h3 h6 9. Re1 {transposes to the line from the
above note.}) (5... O-O 6. O-O Nd4 (6... d6 {is more standard, but maybe even
this untested version of}) (6... Re8 $5 {is viable:} 7. Nc4 d5 $132) 7. Nxd4
Bxd4 8. c3 Bb6 (8... Bc5 9. d4 $1 exd4 10. e5 {[%cal Yd2e4]} dxc3 $2 11. exf6
cxd2 12. fxg7 Kxg7 13. Bxd2 d6 14. Bc3+ f6 15. Qh5 Qe7 16. Bd3 Kg8 17. Rae1 Qf7
18. Qh4 h5 19. Re3 $1 Bxe3 20. fxe3 $40 {Harikrishna,P (2723)-Chirila,I (2548)
Caleta 2015}) 9. Nc4 {transposes to the game.}) 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 (7. Nf3 O-O
8. O-O Bb6 $5 (8... d5 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. Bc4 Qd6 11. Qe1 (11. Re1 Ng4 $5 12.
Nxd4 exd4 13. g3 Qf6 $132) (11. Nxd4 $142 $5 exd4 12. Qf3) 11... Re8 12. Ng5
Re7 13. Kh1 h6 14. Nxf7 $2 Rxf7 15. c3 Bb6 16. f4 Nd5 17. fxe5 Rxf1+ 18. Qxf1
Qxe5 19. Bf4 Qh5 20. Re1 c6 $19 {0-1 (33) Kotronias,V (2588)-Mastrovasilis,A 
(2537) Vrachati 2011}) 9. h3 (9. Nxe5 d5 10. Bg5 c6 11. Ba4 dxe4 12. Bb3 exd3
13. Qxd3 Qxd3 14. Nxd3 Bf5 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Rad1 Rad8 17. Nf4 Kg7 18. Rfe1 Bc7
19. Nh5+ Kg6 20. Ng3 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Bc8 $11 {Harikrishna,P (2727)-Leko,P (2723)
Beijing blitz 2014}) 9... d6 10. c3 h6 11. Ba4 c6 12. Re1 Re8 13. Bc2 Nh5 (
13... d5 $5 $11) 14. d4 Qf6 15. Be3 Nf4 16. Nh2 Qh4 17. Kh1 Ng6 18. a4 Be6 19.
a5 Bc7 20. d5 Bd7 21. a6 b5 22. dxc6 Bxc6 23. Qg4 Qxg4 24. hxg4 Ne7 25. Nf1 $13
{/+/=, Movsesian,S (2699)-Hammer,J (2605) WCup Tromsoe 2013}) 7... Bb6 8. Nc4 (
8. O-O {was too insipid:} c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10. Bb3 d5 11. h3 dxe4 12. dxe4 Qe7 13.
Qf3 Be6 14. Nc4 Nd7 15. Ne3 Bxe3 16. Bxe3 Rfd8 17. Rfd1 a6 18. Bxe6 Qxe6 19.
Qg4 Qxg4 20. hxg4 h6 21. a4 Kf8 22. a5 Ke8 23. f3 Nf8 24. Bb6 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1
Nd7 26. Be3 Rd8 $11 {Carlsen,M (2881)-Anand,V (2785) Dubai blitz 2014}) (8. d4
Qe7 9. O-O O-O 10. a4 c6 11. Bd3 d5 (11... exd4 12. Nc4 d5 $11) 12. exd5 exd4
13. dxc6 dxc3 14. bxc3 Rd8 15. Ba3 Qc7 (15... Qe6 $5) 16. Qc2 bxc6 17. a5 Bxa5
18. Nc4 Rd5 19. Nxa5 Rh5 20. g3 Qxa5 21. Be7 Qd5 22. Rfd1 Bf5 23. Bxf5 Qxf5 24.
Rxa7 Re8 25. Qxf5 Rxf5 $11 {Motylev,A (2685)-Abasov,N (2516) Shamkir-B 2014})
8... O-O 9. O-O d5 (9... c6 10. Nxb6 (10. Ba4 Bc7 {[%cal Yd7d5]}) 10... axb6
11. Bc4 d5 $5 (11... d6 12. f4 exf4 13. Bxf4 d5 14. exd5 b5 15. Bb3 Nxd5 16.
Bd2 Be6 17. a3 Qb6+ 18. d4 b4 19. Bc2 bxc3 20. bxc3 Qb2 (20... Rfe8 $5) 21. Qb1
Qxb1 22. Rfxb1 b5 23. a4 bxa4 24. Rxa4 $14 {Baklan,V (2656)-Prohaszka,P (2588)
Koge 2014}) 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Bb3 h6 14. h3 (14. d4 $5) 14... Bf5 15. Re1 Qd6
16. Qf3 Bg6 17. d4 e4 18. Qf4 Qd7 19. Qh4 Qc6 20. Qg3 Rad8 21. Bf4 Nh5 22. Qe3
Nxf4 23. Qxf4 b5 $11 {Frolyanov,D (2570)-Jakovenko,D (2713) Khanty-Mansiysk
blitz 2013}) 10. exd5 {A good attempt to limit Black's options.} ({After} 10.
Nxb6 axb6 11. exd5 {he can not only transpose into the game, but also has} Bg4
$5 (11... Nxd5 12. Re1 Ra5 (12... c6 $142 13. Bc4 Be6 $1 $11 {/\} 14. Rxe5 Nxc3
) 13. Bc4 b5 14. Bb3 Qd6 15. d4 (15. Qh5 $5) 15... exd4 16. Qxd4 Be6 17. Bg5
$36 b4 {Hachijan,A (2159)-Van Pelt,A (2055) NED-chT 2010} 18. c4 Nb6 19. Qxd6
cxd6 20. Be7 $16) 12. Qd2 Qxd5 13. Bc4 Qd6 14. Re1 Rfe8 15. h3 Be6 16. Qe2 Bxc4
17. dxc4 h6 18. Be3 Qc6 19. b3 Re6 20. a4 Ne8 21. Rad1 Rg6 22. f3 Qe6 23. Kh2
Nd6 24. Bf2 Re8 $11 {Korneev,O (2597)-Loetscher,R (2436) Lienz 2015}) 10...
Qxd5 ({Perhaps even here Black can play} 10... Bg4 11. Qe1 (11. Qc2 Qxd5 12.
Nxb6 axb6 13. Bc4 Qd6 $11) 11... Qxd5 12. Qxe5 c6 13. Qxd5 Nxd5 14. h3 Bh5 (
14... Be6 15. Ba4 Bc7 16. Bc2 $14) 15. Ba4 (15. g4 Bg6 16. Nxb6 Nxb6 17. Bc4
Nxc4 18. dxc4 Bd3 $11) 15... Be2 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Re1 Bxd3 18. Bb3 $11 {/+/=})
11. Nxb6 axb6 12. Bc4 Qd6 13. Bg5 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] A novelty. This natural
developing move seems more testing than the previously tried} (13. Qf3 Bg4 (
13... Re8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qxf6 gxf6 17. f4 {1/2, Fedorchuk,S 
(2667)-Erdos,V (2650) CRO-chT Bol 2013} Be6 $11) 14. Qg3 Bf5 15. d4 exd4 16.
Qxd6 cxd6 17. cxd4 Rfc8 18. Bb3 Bc2 19. Bf4 Bxb3 20. axb3 Ne8 21. Rxa8 Rxa8 22.
Rc1 f5 23. Kf1 Kf7 24. Ke2 Ke6 25. Kd3 Kd7 26. h3 Nc7 $11 {Fedorchuk,S (2673)
-Balogh,C (2660) Bastia 2014}) 13... Bg4 (13... Be6 14. Bxf6 Bxc4 (14... gxf6
$5 {is also playable, it's not easy to get a tangible edge here.}) 15. Bxe5 (
15. Bxg7 Qxd3 16. Qg4 h5 17. Qg5 Qg6 18. Qxg6 fxg6 19. Bxf8 Bxf1 $11) 15...
Qxe5 (15... Qxd3 16. Qxd3 Bxd3 17. Rfd1 $14) 16. dxc4 Rfe8 $14 {/=  seems
close to a draw, but Giri probably didn't want to force matters with a
committal pawn sacrifice.}) 14. Qd2 (14. f3 $143 Bf5 $5 {[%csl Rd3][%cal Rb6b5,
Ya8d8]} (14... Be6 15. Bxf6 Bxc4 16. Bxe5 Qxe5 17. dxc4 Rfd8 $11 {[%cal Ye5c5]}
)) 14... Nd7 {This is still a good move, but Black had other alternatives:} (
14... h6 $5 15. Bxf6 (15. Be3 Rfd8 $11 {[%cal Yg4f5,Yg4e6]}) (15. Bh4 Nh5 $5
16. f3 Be6 $11) (15. Bxh6 $2 gxh6 16. Qxh6 Nh7 $15) 15... Qxf6 16. f4 Be6 (
16... b5 17. Bb3 Qb6+ 18. Qf2 Qxf2+ 19. Rxf2 exf4 20. Rxf4 Be6 21. Bxe6 fxe6
22. Re4 Rf6 23. d4 c6) 17. fxe5 Qxe5 18. d4 Qd6 $11) (14... Rfe8 15. Rfe1 Bf5
$5 (15... h6 16. Bxh6 $5 gxh6 17. Qxh6 $44 {[%cal Ye1e3,Ye3g3]}) (15... Bd7 {
[%cal Yb6b5,Yd7c6]} 16. f4 Ng4 (16... e4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Re3 $14) 17. h3 Qc5+
18. Kh1 Nf2+ 19. Kh2 e4 20. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 21. dxe4 Bc6 22. b4 Qc4 23. Qxf2 Rxe4
$44 {[%csl Gc6]}) 16. Rad1 (16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Re3 Be6 $11) (16. f4 e4) 16... c6
$132 {[%cal Yb6b5,Yf6d5]}) 15. d4 exd4 $6 {Opening the position is the first
step in the wrong direction.} ({The simplest solution is} 15... Be6 $5 16. d5 (
16. Bxe6 Qxe6 $11) 16... Bf5 $13) ({Also} 15... h6) ({and} 15... Rfe8 {are
better than the text move.}) 16. cxd4 {[%csl Gc4,Gg5][%cal Yg5f4]} Nf6 (16...
c6 $5 17. Rfe1 Rfe8 $14) 17. Bf4 Qd7 (17... Qd8 18. Rfe1 Re8 19. Rxe8+ Nxe8 20.
Re1 $14 (20. h3 Be6 21. Bxe6 fxe6 $14)) 18. Be5 $1 Be6 ({The strategically
sound} 18... Nd5 $2 {costs Black a pawn after} 19. Qg5 f6 20. Bxf6 $16) 19.
Bxf6 gxf6 $8 (19... Bxc4 $4 20. Qg5 $18) 20. d5 c6 $2 ({He had to play} 20...
Bf5 {[%cal Gh7b1]} 21. Qc3 Kg7 $14 {While Black's position is unpleasant due
to his split pawns, his king is still relatively safe and the result of the
game remains open.}) 21. Qh6 $1 {[%mdl 128] Now White's attack is too powerful;
getting the bishop to the critical b1-h7/^ will cost Black material.} cxd5 (
21... Bxd5 $2 22. Bd3 f5 23. Qg5+ Kh8 24. Qf6+ Kg8 25. Bxf5 Be6 26. Rad1 {/\}
Qc8 27. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 28. Rd4 $18) (21... Bf5 22. dxc6 bxc6 23. Qxf6 $16 {
with a healthy extra pawn.}) 22. Rad1 Qe7 (22... Rfe8 23. Rd3 Bf5 (23... dxc4
24. Rxd7 Bxd7 25. Qxf6 $18) 24. Rxd5 $40) ({A more resilient way was} 22...
Rfc8 $142 23. Bb3 (23. Bxd5 Bxd5 24. Rd3 Qg4 25. Rg3 Qg6 $14) (23. Bd3 Bf5 24.
Qxf6 Bg6 $14) 23... Qe7 24. Rd3 (24. Rfe1 $16) 24... Kh8 25. Re1 {[%cal Rb3d5,
Rd3h3]} Qf8 $5 $16) 23. Bd3 f5 24. Rfe1 {[%cal Re1e3,Rd3f5]} Ra4 {The only way
to prolong the game.} (24... Qb4 25. Re3 Qd4 26. Bc2 Qxb2 27. Rb1 Qd4 28. Rg3+
Kh8 29. Rb4 $1 Qa1+ 30. Bb1 $18 {[%cal Rh6h7,Rb4h4]}) 25. Bxf5 $18 {White
seeks a clean solution.} (25. Re3 Kh8 26. Rh3 f6 27. Re3 {[%cal Re3e6,Rd3f5]
forces} Re4 28. Bxe4 $16 {/+- , which should also gradually win.}) 25... Rh4 $8
(25... Qh4 26. Bxh7+) 26. Qe3 Re8 (26... Qf6 27. Bxe6 fxe6 28. Qxe6+ Qxe6 29.
Rxe6 Rc4 30. Rxb6 $5 ({Also after} 30. Re2 $16 {/+- White's win is a matter of
technique.}) 30... Rc2 31. Rxb7 Rfxf2 32. Rxd5 Rxg2+ 33. Kf1 Rcf2+ 34. Ke1 $18)
27. Bxe6 {White has already more than one way to convert his advantage and he
sensibly doesn't complicate matters and goes for a technically won endgame.} (
27. Qg3+ Kf8 (27... Kh8 28. Qe5+ Kg8 29. Rd3 Bxf5 30. Rg3+ Bg6 31. Qxe7 $18)
28. Qc3 Qg5 29. Rxd5 $18 (29. g3 Rc4 30. Qh8+ Qg8 31. Qe5 $18)) 27... fxe6 28.
Rxd5 {[%csl Rb6,Rb7,Re6,Rh7]} exd5 {Otherwise White has an extra pawn with a
continuing attack, while Black's remaining pawns are weak and isolated.} 29.
Qxe7 (29. Qg3+ Kf8 30. Rxe7 Rxe7 $16) 29... Rxe7 30. Rxe7 Rc4 31. g3 Rc2 32. b3
d4 (32... Rxa2 33. Rxb7 d4 34. Rxb6 d3 35. Rd6 d2 36. Kg2 $18) 33. Rd7 (33. Rd7
Rxa2 34. Rxd4 Ra5 35. Rb4 $18) 1-0

[Event "St Petersburg op2"]
[Site "St Petersburg"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Zaitsev, Igor A"]
[Black "Orlov, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2460"]
[BlackElo "2350"]
[Annotator "Svidler,P"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "1994.10.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 043 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.01.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.01.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 a6 7. dxe5 (7. Ba4
$5) 7... axb5 8. exf6 Qxf6 9. Nc3 c6 10. Be3 (10. e5 Qf5 $1 $13) (10. Qd3 O-O
11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Qxe3 Re8 $13 {Timman,J-Beliavsky,A/Linares/1993/0:1/37/})
10... Bxe3 11. fxe3 Qe5 (11... Qe7 12. Qd4 f6 13. a3 O-O 14. Rad1 $14) 12. Rf5
(12. a3 d6 13. Qd4 Bg4 (13... Be6 $5) 14. h3 Be6 (14... Bh5 15. Qxe5+ dxe5 16.
Rf5 $16) 15. Rad1 Rd8 16. Rf2 Rd7 17. a4 $5 $13 {Rozentalis,E-Polgar,Zs/
Groningen(PCA)/1993/1:0/57/}) 12... Qe6 13. Qd4 O-O 14. Re5 $6 (14. Rd1 d6 15.
Rf4 Qe7 $1 (15... Rd8 16. e5 $1 d5 17. e4 $16) 16. a3 (16. Qxd6 Qxd6 17. Rxd6
b4) 16... Rd8 $13 17. e5 $140 d5 18. e4 Be6) 14... Qh6 15. Re7 (15. Rd1 d6 16.
Re7 Qg5 17. Rc7 (17. Qxd6 b4 $1 $17 18. Qxb4 $2 c5 $19) 17... b4 18. Qxb4 Bh3
19. Rd2 Qxe3+ 20. Rf2 Qc1+ 21. Rf1 Qg5 22. Rf2 $10) 15... Qg5 (15... d6 16. Rd1
{- 15.Rd1}) 16. Re5 Qh6 17. Rf1 $2 (17. Re7 $142 Qg5 $10) 17... d6 18. Re7 Qg5
$1 19. Qxd6 (19. Rc7 Qd8 20. Qb6 Ra6 $19) 19... b4 $1 (19... Bh3 20. Rf2 b4 (
20... Rad8 21. Qe5) 21. Re5 Qxe3 (21... Qg4 22. Qxb4 $18) 22. Qxb4 $16 (22. Nd1
Qc1 $1 23. gxh3 Rad8)) 20. Nd1 $2 (20. Qxb4 c5 $19) (20. Ne2 Qxe3+ 21. Rf2 Rxa2
$19) (20. h4 $1 $8 Qxh4 (20... Qxe3+ $2 21. Kh2 Be6 (21... bxc3 $2 22. Rfxf7 $1
$18 (22. Rexf7 Bf5 $1 $13)) 22. Qxb4 c5 $1 (22... Qh6 23. e5 $16) 23. Qxb7 Qh6
$132) 21. Rfxf7 (21. Qxb4 Qg5 22. Rfxf7 Qxe3+ 23. Kh2 Qh6+ 24. Kg3 Qg6+ $10)
21... Qe1+ 22. Kh2 Qh4+ $10) 20... Bh3 (20... Bh3 21. Rf2 (21. Qg3 $19 Qxe7)
21... Rad8 $19) 0-1

[Event "Alekhine Memorial"]
[Site "Paris/St Petersburg"]
[Date "2013.05.01"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "150"]
[EventDate "2013.04.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 154"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 ({The other possibilities are
} 5. c3) ({and} 5. O-O) 5... d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Bxc6 (7. c3 {is the main line.})
7... bxc6 8. h3 $146 {This is a little bit strange idea, because after Bxc6
White's plan usually is c3 and d4 occupying the centre.} (8. Nc4 Be6 $13 (8...
Re8 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. Nxe3 d5 11. Re1 Rb8 12. b3 Qd6 13. Nd2 Be6 $11 {
Iodo-Kovanova, Dagomys 2004})) 8... h6 9. Re1 Re8 10. Nf1 d5 (10... Nh5 {
is another typical reaction.}) 11. exd5 Qxd5 {It is forced, otherwise the e5 P
falls.} 12. Be3 Bf8 13. Bd2 ({In the event of} 13. c4 Qd6 14. d4 exd4 15. Nxd4
c5 16. Nb5 Qc6 {followed by Bb7 and Black looks nicely placed.}) 13... e4 $1 {
A good move, otherwise Bc3 comes.} 14. dxe4 Nxe4 15. Ng3 Bb7 16. Bf4 Nd6 {
Kramnik avoids the exchange of N, protects the c7 P and prepares for c5.} 17.
b3 c5 18. Qxd5 Bxd5 19. c4 Bxf3 {Black gives up the pair of B, because in the
position it is not so important. On the other hand this move destroys a little
bit of White's P structure.} 20. gxf3 a5 21. Rxe8 Nxe8 ({The natural} 21...
Rxe8 {was also possible. Probably Black wants to threaten a4.}) 22. a4 Rb8 23.
Re1 {Just in time... Black cannot take the b3 P because the e8N is hanging.}
Nd6 24. Re3 g5 25. Be5 Kh7 26. Rd3 Kg6 27. Ne4 Ne8 $1 {A very deep move.
Kramnik retreats with his last piece to the background. On the other hand his
plan is f6 and f5 to drive away the opponent pieces from the centre. After
that his N comes back to the centre.} 28. Kg2 f6 29. Bb2 f5 30. Ng3 Bd6 31. Kf1
h5 32. Kg2 h4 33. Nf1 (33. Ne2 Nf6 34. Bc1 Nh5 35. Bd2 Ra8 $11 {with a
completely drawish position.}) 33... Nf6 34. Bxf6 Kxf6 35. Ne3 Ke6 36. Nd5 $2 {
A decisive mistake in time trouble. Adams played a very logical Nmove to the
centre, but he missed Black's next move...} (36. Kf1 Be5 37. Ke2 $11 {and
equal.}) 36... f4 $1 {Black puts his last P on the colour of his B, but
suddenly after c6 there is no comeback with the N.} 37. Kf1 Be5 {An important
move.} ({The immediate} 37... c6 {could have been met by} 38. Nf6 $1) 38. Ke2
c6 39. Nc3 Rxb3 40. Ne4 Rb4 41. Nxc5+ Kf5 42. Rd8 Rxc4 43. Rf8+ Kg6 44. Ne4
Rxa4 {Kramnik has played very precisely, he has won the most important aP and
his P will be a very strong one.} 45. Rg8+ Bg7 46. Rc8 Rc4 47. Kd3 Rc1 48. Kd2
Rc4 49. Kd3 Rc1 50. Kd2 Bb2 51. Ra8 Ra1 52. Ra6 a4 53. Rxc6+ Kh5 54. Nd6 {
Adams tries to create some problems for Kramnik in the time trouble...} Bf6 55.
Nf5 Kg6 56. Nd6 Be5 57. Nc4+ Bf6 {That's why they repeated moves, because the
time controll was at move 60.} 58. Nd6 Ra2+ 59. Kc1 Be5 60. Nc4+ Bf6 61. Nd6
Bh8 62. Ra6 a3 63. Kd1 Bb2 64. Kc2 $6 ({In the event of} 64. Ne4+ {Black still
has to find some exact moves} Kf5 65. Ra5+ (65. Nd6+ Ke5 66. Ne4 Ra1+ 67. Kc2
Rh1 68. Nxg5 Rh2 {is also hopeless for White.}) 65... Be5 66. Nd6+ Kg6 (66...
Ke6 67. Ne4) 67. Ne4 Ra1+ 68. Ke2 a2 69. Ra6+ Kf5 70. Ra4 (70. Ra5 g4 $1 71.
hxg4+ Ke6 72. Ng5+ Kd7 $19) 70... Bc7 71. Nc3 Rc1 72. Nxa2 Rc2+ 73. Ke1 Bb6 {
good chances for a win.}) 64... Bf6+ $1 65. Kd1 Rxf2 {Finally Kramnik gives
his a-P for the f2 and h3 ones.} 66. Rxa3 Rh2 67. Ra6 Rxh3 $1 {Black
sacrifices his B for the f3 P, as 3 P give easy win for Black.} 68. Ne4 Rxf3
69. Rxf6+ Kh5 70. Rf5 Rd3+ 71. Kc2 Rg3 $1 {The last important move, which
Black had to see before 65...Rxf2. The rest is easy.} 72. Rf8 (72. Nxg3+ fxg3
$19) 72... h3 73. Rh8+ Kg4 74. Nf2+ Kf3 75. Nxh3 Kg2 {and the N is trapped.}
0-1

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2015.08.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2816"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2015.08.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 168"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nbd2 Ne7 8. d4
exd4 9. cxd4 Bb6 10. Re1 {Logical move. Black often goes for the d5 push and
it is helpful to have the R on e1.} Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qb3 {White is leaving
the pin, and he prepares fot Nc4 with idea of playing Nxb6.} d5 {The most
direct reply. Black would like to fix the centre, because White's Ps are very
flexible.} 13. e5 Nd7 14. a4 a5 (14... c5 $2 {could have been met by} 15. a5 $1
{.}) (14... a6 {was played by Ragger,} 15. Bd3 c5 16. g4 $5 c4 ({In case of} 
16... Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Ng5 $1 {followed by Qg3-h4 and Black's position
looks very dangerous.}) 17. Bxc4 dxc4 18. Nxc4 Bg6 19. Bg5 $1 Ba7 20. Qa3 f6 (
20... Re8 $2 21. Nd6 $1 $18 {and White is winning.}) 21. exf6 gxf6 22. Bh6 {
with a very complicated game, Svidler-Ragger, Bundesliga 2015.}) 15. Qd1 {
White prepares for Nb3.} Nb8 $5 {Interesting N maneuver. Caruana wants to put
his N on b4 by Nbc6-b4.} 16. Nb3 Nbc6 17. Bg5 h6 $146 {This is the first new
move in the game.} (17... Nb4 18. Rc1 h6 19. Bh4 c6 20. Be2 Qc7 21. g4 (21. Bg3
$5) 21... Bg6 22. Qd2 Na2 (22... Rfe8 $5) 23. Ra1 Nb4 24. Rec1 Qd7 25. Nc5 Bxc5
26. dxc5 $14 {and White had a slight advantage, Vachier Lagrave-Leko, Beijing
rapid 2014.}) 18. Bh4 Qc8 ({In case of} 18... Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Nxd4 20. Nxd4 Bxd4
21. Qg4 {and Black has to face a lot of unpleasant attack on the kingside.})
19. g4 $5 {A brave and ambitious reaction by Topalov. He would like to gain
some space, on the other hand his kingside can be a target for Black.} Bg6 20.
Rc1 Bh7 (20... Qe6 $5 {was also possible.}) 21. Bg3 $6 {A logical reply, but
this is an inaccuracy, because he allows Black next move.} (21. Nc5 $1 {
was correct,} Ng6 22. Bg3 Bxc5 23. dxc5 $14 {and White has a comfortable
position.}) 21... Nb4 {The N is very powerful from b4. Nobody can attack it,
controls the d3-square and Black is ready to play ...c6 too.} 22. Re3 Na2 23.
Ra1 Nb4 24. Ne1 {Topalov doesn't want to repeat right away.} Nec6 25. Qd2 Qe6
26. Bxc6 $6 {This is a strange idea to give the light-squared B so quickly.
The B blockated the light-squares very well, but from now the b4 N becomes
more stronger.} ({The natural} 26. Rc1 {was more solid.}) 26... Qxc6 27. Rc3
Qe6 28. Ng2 f6 {Caruana starts to open the lines for his pieces.} 29. Nf4 Qd7
30. e6 (30. Nh5 $5 {was an interesting option,} f5 31. Bf4 $5 fxg4 32. Bxh6 $1
gxh6 33. Qxh6 Bd3 34. Qg5+ Kf7 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Qg5+ {with perpetual checks.})
30... Qe7 31. Re1 f5 $1 {Very good move! Caruana immediately gains the
initiative and tries to create some weaknesses on the kingside.} 32. Nc5 Bxc5
33. Rxc5 c6 {Suddenly Black completely protects himself and White's pieces are
without coordination. Black is threatening with ...g5.} 34. Rc3 g5 $1 35. Ng2
$2 {The decisive mistake.} ({The engine suggests} 35. gxf5 $1 {as the most
tougher reply,} Bxf5 $1 (35... gxf4 $2 36. Bxf4 Bxf5 37. Rg3+ Kh7 38. Bxh6 {
and suddenly Black is in trouble.}) 36. Ng2 Be4 37. h4 Rf5 {and Black looks
nicely placed, but still White has some practical chance.}) 35... f4 36. Nxf4 (
36. Bh2 Rf6 $19 {is hopeless for White.}) 36... gxf4 37. Bxf4 Nd3 $1 {Caruana
continues with the strongest move.} 38. Rxd3 Bxd3 39. Bxh6 Rf3 $1 {Another
right reaction! Black is a R up and White's three Ps are nothing for it.} 40.
Re3 Rxe3 41. Qxe3 Qh7 42. f3 Re8 43. h4 Qg6 44. e7 Qd6 {Very precise solution!
Black sacrifices his B, and he reaches a completely winning endgame.} 45. Bf4
Qxe7 $1 {This is the point!} (45... Rxe7 46. Be5 Qg6 47. h5 {is more material,
but also more complicated.}) 46. Qxd3 Qe1+ 47. Qf1 Qxf1+ 48. Kxf1 Rf8 49. Be5
Rxf3+ 50. Kg2 Rb3 51. h5 Rxb2+ 52. Kg3 b5 53. axb5 Rxb5 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.03.21"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2793"]
[BlackElo "2809"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2013.03.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 154"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {A perfectly reasonable way of avoiding
the Berlin line, which is one of the main weapons of Aronian.} Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6.
O-O {A very popular line nowadays.} Re8 $5 {A very logical move. Black's idea
is waiting with d6, first a6 Ba4 b5 and in the event of Bc2, Black can
immediately play d5.} (6... d6 {is the main line.}) 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3
(9. Bc2 d5 {as I mentioned before.}) 9... d6 {Now we have transposed to C78
Arkhangelsk d3 line.} 10. Re1 ({A few months ago Aronian had a blitz game with
} 10. h3 Be6 11. Re1 Bb6 12. Nf1 d5 (12... h6 13. Ng3 Bxb3 14. axb3 a5 15. Nh2
Qd7 16. Ng4 Nxg4 17. hxg4 f6 18. Nf5 Ne7 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. Rxe3 d5 $13 {
Dominguez Perez-Karjakin, Moscow blitz 2009}) 13. Qe2 Na5 14. Bc2 dxe4 15. dxe4
Bc4 16. Qd2 Bxf1 17. Rxf1 Qxd2 18. Nxd2 c5 19. Re1 c4 $11 {Fressinet-Aronian,
Beijing blitz 2012}) 10... Be6 11. Nf1 Bxb3 $146 (11... Bb6 12. h3 {transposes
to 10.h3}) 12. axb3 d5 {This type of position can be reached from the Italian
Game with an extra b5. The a6 P looks a little bit weak, but it's not a real
problem for Black.} 13. Qc2 ({In the event of} 13. Bg5 dxe4 14. dxe4 (14. Bxf6
Qxf6 15. Rxe4 Bb6 {Black looks very nicely placed.}) 14... Qxd1 15. Raxd1 Ng4
$11 {Black can equalise easily.}) 13... h6 14. Ng3 (14. b4 {is also
interesting to avoid a5} Bf8 15. Ng3 {but Black has} a5 {with an equal
position.}) 14... a5 {Now Black has gained some space.} 15. h3 Qd7 16. Be3 Bf8
{is a very ambitious move. Aronian doesn't want to exchange, his B is a very
useful defender on f8 and neutralises Nf5.} 17. Rad1 Rad8 18. Nf5 Qe6 19. g4 {
A little bit risky, but the only plan for the attack.} (19. Bc1 {is also
possible, sometimes threatening with exd5. Probably Radjabov wanted to avoid}
dxe4 20. dxe4 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Rd8 $11 {and Black could equalise without any
problems.}) 19... dxe4 20. dxe4 Ne7 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Ra1 Ra8 23. c4 b4 24. g5
hxg5 25. Nxg5 Qc8 26. Nxe7+ Bxe7 27. Kh2 Ra6 $1 {A very good move. The
powerful R on a6 can go to the kingside at an important moment...} 28. Rg1 Nd7
29. Qe2 Rg6 {and that moment has arrived.} 30. Qh5 Nf6 (30... Nf8 $1 {was the
best move} 31. Nf3 Rxg1 32. Kxg1 f6 $132 {looks good for Black.}) 31. Qf3 Rh6
32. Ne6 ({After} 32. Nxf7 $5 {White can force a draw} Kxf7 33. Bxh6 gxh6 34.
Qg3 Qd7 35. Qg6+ Ke6 36. Qf5+ Kf7 37. Qg6+ {with perpetual check.}) (32. Ra1 $5
{an unexpected decision, the R suddenly leaves the queenside and attacks
Black's weakest pawn.}) 32... Rh7 33. Ng5 Rh4 {Black is avoiding the
repetition of moves.} 34. Rg2 $6 (34. Ra1 $142 {is also preferable here, just
like two moves before.}) 34... Qd7 35. Rg1 {White tries to hold his position.}
g6 36. Bc1 $6 (36. Ra1 Qd8 $1 37. Rxa5 {a very complicated battle arises after}
Ng4+ $1 38. Kg3 Bxg5 39. Rd5 $1 Bf4+ $1 40. Bxf4 Qf6 $1 41. hxg4 exf4+ 42. Kg2
Kg7 $132 {with strong counterplay for the pawn.}) 36... Qe8 37. Be3 a4 $1 {
Black has protected his king's position so now he can start the breakthrough.}
38. bxa4 Qxa4 39. Bc1 b3 (39... Qc2 {was also strong} 40. b3 Kg7 $15) 40. Qg3
Rh5 41. Qd3 Qc6 42. Be3 Rh4 43. Kg3 Rh8 44. Kh2 Kg7 {Black improves his pieces.
} 45. c5 Qa4 46. Qc3 Re8 47. Qd3 $6 (47. Qxe5 $4 Bd6 $19) ({Maybe} 47. Re1 {
was the best defence.}) 47... Rd8 48. Qc3 Qb5 49. Kg2 (49. Ra1 Rd3 50. Qa5 Qd7
$15) 49... Rd3 $1 50. Qc1 $6 (50. Qxe5 Bd6 $1 51. Ne6+ $1 fxe6 52. Qg5 Rxe3 $1
53. Qxe3 Qxc5 54. Qxc5 Bxc5 55. Rc1 Bd6 $15 {also gives good chances for Black.
}) 50... Nh5 (50... Nd7 $1 {was stronger, but the text move is also very
unpleasant for White.}) 51. Nf3 Qb4 52. Qe1 Qa4 53. Nxe5 $2 {Loses immediately.
} ({After} 53. Qe2 {the fight can continue, but in a practical game it's very
difficult to hold for White.}) 53... Qxe4+ 54. Nf3 Nf4+ 0-1

[Event "Geneva FIDE GP"]
[Site "Geneva"]
[Date "2017.07.09"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2666"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2017.07.06"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 180"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Qe2 Re8 8.
Nc4 Nd7 9. Bd2 Nb6 {A rare, but logical move. Black would like to exchange the
active c4-knight.} (9... Bd6 {is more common, for example} 10. O-O-O (10. h4
Nf8 11. h5 Ne6 12. O-O-O c5 13. Qf1 f6 14. Nh4 Nd4 15. c3 Nc6 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17.
exf5 h6 18. g4 Bf8 19. Qe2 Qd7 20. Be3 Rad8 21. Qc2 $14 {Caruana-Karjakin,
Wijk aan Zee 2016, and thanks to the light-squares, White is more comfortable.}
) (10. g4 Nf8 11. Ne3 Ne6 12. Nf5 a5 13. h4 a4 14. Ng5 a3 15. b3 Bc5 16. Nxe6
Bxe6 17. Qf3 Bf8 18. Ke2 c5 $11 {Anand-Giri, Bilbao 2015, with a balanced
middlegame.}) 10... Nf8 (10... b5 11. Ne3 a5 12. Nf5 a4 13. Bg5 f6 14. Be3 Nc5
15. g4 Be6 16. Kb1 b4 $132 {Caruana-Nakamura, Moscow 2016, and Black has an
attack too.}) 11. Ne3 Be6 12. Kb1 Qd7 13. Ng5 f6 14. Nxe6 Nxe6 15. Nf5 g6 16.
Nxd6 cxd6 17. g3 Nd4 18. Qf1 Qg4 19. Be3 Qf3 20. h4 d5 $13 {Giri-So Wesley,
Leuven 2016, with an unclear position.}) 10. Na5 $146 {The first new move in
the game.} ({The greedy} 10. Ncxe5 $2 {could have been met by} f6 11. Nc4 Nxc4
12. dxc4 Bf5 $1 $17 {and White is in trouble.}) ({Or} 10. Nfxe5 Bd4 11. f4 Nxc4
12. Nxc4 b5 $132 {with a sharp middlegame.}) (10. Ne3 a5 11. h4 Bd4 (11... f6
$5) 12. O-O-O Be6 13. Kb1 f6 14. g4 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Bxg4 16. Rdg1 Bxf3 17. Qxf3
Kh8 18. Qg3 Re7 19. f4 $44 {Howell-Adams, Bournemouth 2016}) 10... Qe7 11. a3
Bd6 12. h4 {An ambitious move. White doesn't play the natural 0-0, he
immediately goes with his h-pawn.} Na4 13. h5 {A brave decision, White
sacrifices the b2-pawn.} Qf8 ({The engine immediately suggests} 13... Nxb2 $5 {
, but this is not a human move. For example} 14. a4 b6 15. Nxc6 (15. Nb3 b5 16.
axb5 cxb5 17. h6 g6 $15) 15... Qd7 16. Nb4 Nxa4 17. h6 Bxb4 (17... g6 $2 18.
Nd5 $1 $16) 18. Bxb4 g6 $15 {and Black looks safe with a pawn up.}) 14. Nc4 b5
15. Nxd6 cxd6 16. b3 Nc5 17. Nh4 {White continues his kingside play.} Ne6 ({
I like the active} 17... d5) ({or even} 17... f5 $5 {too.}) 18. Nf5 c5 19. O-O
Nf4 20. Qf3 g6 $1 {This is the point of Black's previous move.} 21. g3 $1 {
White also increases the tension!} Bxf5 (21... Nxh5 $4 {loses immediately,
because of} 22. Bh6 $18 {and the queen is trapped.}) (21... gxf5 $5 {was the
other option,} 22. gxf4 fxe4 23. Qxe4 (23. dxe4 Kh8 $13) 23... Rb8 $13 {
followed by ...Bb7 with a double-edged fight.}) 22. gxf4 Bd7 23. Kh2 {A
straightforward move, prepares for Rg1.} f6 24. Rg1 Kf7 {Black's idea is
regrouping with ...Qe7, ...Rg8.} 25. Rg3 Qe7 26. Rag1 Rg8 27. R1g2 {White
frees the g1-square for his king.} Rh8 28. Kg1 Rag8 29. b4 c4 30. Be3 Bc6 31.
Rh2 a6 {This move seems useless, but Black can't do anything.} 32. Kf1 ({
Probably} 32. hxg6+ $1 {was stronger,} hxg6 33. Rxh8 Rxh8 34. Qg4 Rg8 35. f5
$40 {with a dangerous attack for Black.}) 32... Qe8 $2 {Too passive.} (32...
exf4 33. Bxf4 Qe6 {was safer.}) 33. Rh4 Qe7 34. fxe5 dxe5 35. d4 $1 {This is
the point! White starts his break-through is the centre.} exd4 36. Bg5 $3 {
A great tactical blow! White doesn't take back the pawn, because the B is
stronger on g5 and he is threatening Rf4.} ({In the event of} 36. Bxd4 g5 $1 {
and it is still not easy to continue the pressure on f6.}) 36... Rf8 37. Rf4
Ke6 38. Qg4+ $1 Kd6 39. e5+ $1 $18 {Another strong reply! White opens the 4th
rank for the R.} Kc7 40. Bxf6 Rxf6 41. exf6 Qf7 42. Rxd4 Qxf6 43. Qf4+ {
White simplifies, Black's position is hopeless.} Qxf4 44. Rxf4 gxh5 45. Rg7+
Kb6 46. Rf6 h4 47. Rh6 Rd8 48. Rf7 h3 49. Rff6 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 2nd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2014.06.13"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2815"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2014.06.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Bg5 (7. Nbd2 {
is another main line.}) 7... h6 8. Bh4 Bf8 9. Nbd2 d6 10. Re1 ({Three years ago
} 10. d4 {was tried by Carlsen} exd4 11. Nxd4 (11. cxd4 $6 {is dubious as after
} g5 {the Pe4 is hanging.}) 11... Bd7 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd3 Be7 14. f4 Qb8 15.
Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e5 $5 dxe5 17. Ne4 {with a complicated position, Carlsen-Howell,
London 2011.}) 10... Bd7 11. a4 $146 {A novelty by Topalov. This is a very
typical move in the Ruy Lopez. White simply protects his Bb5, also he avoids ..
.a6 followed by ...b5 and sometimes he can gain some space with a5.} (11. Ba4
Be7 12. Nf1 Nh7 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Bb3 Ng6 15. Ng3 Ng5 16. Nf5 Qf6 $11 {with an
equal middlegame, Gruenfeld-Roiz, Acre 2013.}) 11... g6 12. Nf1 {White
continues his plan, he prepares for Ne3-d5. Now the bishop on h4 is very
useful.} Bg7 13. Ne3 Qc8 {Black steps out of the pin, because Nd5 was already
an unpleasant threat.} 14. a5 a6 15. Bc4 Nd8 {A typical manoeuvre; the
c6-knight wasn't so useful, so Black prepares ...Ne6 followed by ...Nf4.} 16.
b4 Ne6 17. Qb3 {White has gained some space on the queenside and his pieces
are well-placed. However, Black is solid and it is not so easy to create any
weaknesses in his position.} Bb5 {A logical decision; Black frees the
d7-square for his queen.} 18. Bxf6 ({After} 18. Bxb5 axb5 19. h3 Nh5 {the Bb4
is a little bit out of play.}) 18... Bxf6 19. g3 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 Qd7 21. d4 {
Topalov doesn't want to waste any time, he gets active in the centre and
changes the structure.} ({In the event of} 21. h4 c6 {we have a balanced
middlegame.}) 21... exd4 22. cxd4 Qb5 {Black would like to exchange queens,
because after that the Bf6 would be stronger on the long diagonal.} 23. Rac1
Bg7 $2 {An unexpected error; Black leaves his c7-pawn unprotected.} ({In the
event of} 23... c5 24. e5 $1) (23... Qxc4 24. Rxc4 Bd8 {looks very passive,
but it was important to protect the c7-pawn.}) 24. h4 $2 {Another surprise.
White doesn't take the pawn and instead plays a positional move.} (24. d5 $1 {
was correct} Qxc4 25. Rxc4 Ng5 26. Nxg5 hxg5 27. Rxc7 Rxe4 28. Rxb7 Bc3 29. Rb1
$16) ({or} 24. Qxb5 $1 axb5 25. d5 Ng5 26. Nxg5 hxg5 27. Rxc7 Rxe4 28. Nc2 $16)
24... c5 $1 25. bxc5 dxc5 26. dxc5 Rac8 27. Qxb5 axb5 28. Nd5 Ra8 (28... Rxc5 {
was also possible} 29. Nd2 Ra8 30. Nb3 Rxc1 31. Rxc1 {with an equal endgame.})
29. e5 Rxa5 30. Nf6+ Bxf6 31. exf6 {After the exchange of White's knight
against Black's bishop the position has become completely drawish.} Raa8 32.
Rb1 Nxc5 33. Rxe8+ Rxe8 34. Rxb5 Nd7 35. Rxb7 Nxf6 36. Rb2 h5 37. Kf1 Kg7 38.
Re2 Rxe2 39. Kxe2 Kf8 40. Kf1 Ke7 41. Ke2 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Anand +3-0=7"]
[Site "Chennai"]
[Date "2013.11.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2870"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2013.11.09"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 158"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.01.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.01.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{We have just reached the half-way point of the match. Carlsen was leading by
4-2.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Carlsen repeats his main weapon, the
Berlin Defence, which he employed successfully in the 4th and 6th games of the
match.} 4. d3 {Anand avoids the 4.0-0 Nxe4 "endgame line", like in the 6th
game.} Bc5 5. Bxc6 {Anand's favourite move.} (5. c3 {and}) (5. O-O {are other
lines.}) 5... dxc6 6. Nbd2 {The position has some similarities to the RL
Delayed Exchange Variation with 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.d3.} Bg4 $5 {
A rare, but interesting move.} ({The most recent games continued with} 6... Be6
{followed by Nd7.}) ({Anand had two successful games with} 6... O-O 7. O-O Re8
8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Kh1 (9. a4 a5 10. b3 Bf8 11. Kh1 {A possible plan is Ng1-e2 and
f2-f4.} b6 12. g3 {/\ Nh4} Ba6 13. Bb2 Bxc4 14. bxc4 g6 15. Nh4 Bh6 16. Ng2 {
/\ f4} Nc5 17. f4 exf4 18. gxf4 Bg7 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. f5 $36 {with some
initiative, later White managed to win, Anand-Aronian, Stavanger blitz 2013.})
9... a5 10. a4 b6 11. Be3 (11. b3 $5) 11... Bb4 12. Nfd2 b5 13. axb5 cxb5 14.
c3 bxc4 15. cxb4 cxd3 16. bxa5 Ba6 17. Qb3 Nf6 18. h3 Nh5 19. Rfc1 Nf4 20. Rc6
Ne2 21. Qd5 Qb8 $4 {Until this point the game was balanced, but here suddenly
Kramnik blundered, allowing White's strong reply.} ({The correct choice would
have been} 21... Qxd5 22. exd5 Rec8 {Black is under pressure, but with tough
defence it should be an equal endgame.}) 22. Rxa6 $1 Rxa6 23. Qxd3 {and after
a few moves Black resigned, Anand-Kramnik, Zuerich 2013.}) 7. h3 Bh5 {Of
course Carlsen saves his bishop pair.} (7... Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Nd7 9. Qg3 Qf6 10.
Nc4 O-O 11. O-O Rfe8 12. a4 Nf8 13. Bg5 Qe6 14. Bd2 Ng6 15. b4 Bf8 16. Qg4 b6
17. g3 f6 18. Bc3 $14 {with a comfortable position for White, Adams-Fressinet,
Germany 2012.}) 8. Nf1 {White employs the typical Ruy Lopez regrouping of the
knight to g3 before castling, especially since the bishop is on h5.} ({In case
of} 8. g4 Bg6 9. Nxe5 $2 {is not working because of} Qd4 $1) 8... Nd7 {Black
is also following his typical plan. He prepares for f6, Bf7 and sometimes
Nf8-e6.} 9. Ng3 Bxf3 {An interesting decision to give up the B now.} (9... Bg6
$5 {was an interesting alternative. Black plans f6 then transfers his B to f7.
For example} 10. O-O O-O {and Black has a comfortable position.} ({Still} 10...
f6 {is too early, as} 11. Nh4 Bf7 12. Nhf5 O-O 13. Qg4 $36 {and White has some
initiative.})) 10. Qxf3 g6 $1 {A very important positional move. In normal
cases when the white N is on g3 the ...g6 move is very good, as the N can't
move to f5 or h5. If Black had castled, g6 isn't so good, because White has an
attack with Bh6 and h4-h5, but now Carlsen wants to castle to the queenside.}
11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O {Finally both sides have finished their
development. White has a slight advantage thanks to his slightly better pawn
structure, but this can hardly be exploited. A slow, positional manoeuvring
fight begins, where both players try to improve their pieces. The game is
balanced.} 13. Ne2 {The N is not so useful on g3, while from e2 it can be
support a d4 or an f4.} Rhe8 14. Kb1 {Another useful move. Sometimes Black's
idea is Qe6 followed by f5 and without Kb1 the a2 P is unprotected.} b6 {
Carlsen also makes a useful move, he prepares for Kb7.} 15. h4 Kb7 ({I think} 
15... h5 $5 {was easier, but Carlsen doesn't worry about White's threats on
the h-file.}) 16. h5 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 ({In case of} 17. fxe3 $5 {Black can
regroup to the kingside with} Rg8 $5 18. g4 (18. Rdf1 {could have been met by}
f5 (18... Rdf8 $5) 19. hxg6 (19. exf5 gxf5 20. Qxf5 Rxg2 {and Black hasn't got
any problem.}) 19... fxe4 20. Qxe4 Rxg6 {with an equal position.}) 18... gxh5
$1 {This is the point of the Rg8!} (18... Rdf8 19. Rdf1 Nc5 20. Qf6 $14 {
maybe a little bit unpleasant for Black.}) 19. gxh5 (19. Rxh5 Nf6 $11) 19...
Rg5 20. Ng3 Rdg8 21. Nf5 Qf6 {White has a strong N on f5, but Black controls
the g-file with his rooks, so the position is balanced.}) 17... Nc5 {The N is
ready to go to e6, or sometimes even Na4 and Qb4 could be a threat.} 18. hxg6
hxg6 19. g3 ({If} 19. Rh7 {Black uses the same motif as in the game with} Rh8
20. Rdh1 Rxh7 21. Rxh7 Qf6 $11 {followed by Rh8 with a completely drawish
endgame.}) 19... a5 (19... Rh8 $11) ({or} 19... Qf6 $11 {was also fine, with
an equal position.}) 20. Rh7 (20. f4 {could have been met by} f5 $1 21. exf5
gxf5 22. fxe5 Qxe5 23. Qxe5 Rxe5 {with a fully drawish ending.}) 20... Rh8 21.
Rdh1 Rxh7 22. Rxh7 Qf6 $1 {Black prepares to exchange the rooks with Rh8.} 23.
f4 Rh8 $1 {The most precise move.} ({The natural} 23... exf4 $6 {was dubious,
as} 24. Qxf4 $1 Qxf4 25. gxf4 {and suddenly the endgame is better for White.
His rook is very active and his pawn structure is also better.} Rd7 26. Kc1 $14
{Followed by Ng3, Kd2-e3 then f5 later on. But of course Carlsen doesn't allow
such chances.}) 24. Rxh8 Qxh8 25. fxe5 Qxe5 26. Qf3 ({The fork with} 26. d4 $2
{does not work in view of} Qxe4 $17) 26... f5 $1 {After this the draw is
inevitable.} 27. exf5 gxf5 28. c3 Ne6 29. Kc2 Ng5 30. Qf2 Ne6 31. Qf3 Ng5 32.
Qf2 Ne6 {A tidy draw, Carlsen preserved his 2 point lead!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2014.01.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2773"]
[BlackElo "2789"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2014.01.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Recently Anand had some games with this
opening in the World Championship match against Carlsen, who usually chose
this move against him.} 4. d3 {Anand avoids the Berlin Variation; usually he
chooses this reply.} Bc5 5. Bxc6 (5. c3) ({and} 5. O-O {are the other lines.})
5... dxc6 6. h3 {A logical decision. White wants to avoid Bg4.} Be6 {A very
ambitious answer. Nakamura would like to castle on the queenside and he tries
to attack on the kingside.} ({However} 6... O-O {is more popular. Black's
typical plan is Re8, Nd7-f8 and f6, Ne6 with a balanced game.}) 7. Nc3 Qd6 8.
O-O O-O-O 9. a3 {A nice move. White prepares for b4 followed by Na4.} ({
The logical} 9. Na4 $2 {does not work, because of} Nxe4 $1 {.}) 9... Nh5 {
Nakamura immediately starts his attack against the white K.} ({The natural} 
9... Kb8 {was an interesting alternative,} 10. b4 Bb6 11. Na4 {and now} Nxe4 {
is not so good, as} 12. Nxb6 axb6 13. Bb2 $1 $14 {and White is very active.})
10. Na4 $1 {The black N has gone from f6, so White is ready to remove Black's
dark squared B.} Bb6 ({In the event of} 10... f6 $6 11. Nxc5 Qxc5 12. Ng5 $1
fxg5 13. Be3 $1 {An important intermediate move.} Qe7 14. Qxh5 $14 {and White
has a comfortable position.}) 11. Nxb6+ axb6 12. a4 $1 {Another strong move by
Anand. He wants to play a5 then a6 and tries to open the a-file. Now White's
attack looks quicker.} f6 13. Be3 ({The immediate} 13. a5 {could have been met
by} bxa5 14. Rxa5 b6 {followed by Kb7, Ra8 and Black is solid.}) 13... Nf4 {
Now Black is also ready to play for g5-g4!} 14. a5 $1 b5 15. d4 $6 {A mistake,
which underestimated Black's strong reply!} ({White should have played} 15. a6
$1 b6 (15... bxa6 16. Rxa6 $18 {and White has a winning attack.}) 16. Bxf4 (16.
d4 $5 {was also interesting. Here thanks to the a6 White is much better than
in the game.} Nxh3+ 17. gxh3 Bxh3 18. Re1) 16... exf4 17. Re1 $16 {and White
has a powerful position.}) 15... Nxh3+ $1 {A very strong sacrifice. Nakamura
immediately spotted his great chance!} 16. gxh3 Bxh3 17. dxe5 ({Still} 17. a6 {
was also an interesting option} bxa6 $1 18. Rxa6 Qe6 (18... Qd7 19. Nd2 $1) 19.
Nd2 $1 Qf7 20. Kh2 Bxf1 21. Nb3 $3 {a typical variation by Mr. Houdini 4!})
17... Qe6 18. Nd2 Bxf1 19. Qxf1 Qxe5 {The position has completely changed.
Black has a R and 2 P against a B and a N. Nevertheless the position is still
balanced.} 20. c3 (20. a6 {is already not so important, as} b6 {and later the
a6 P can be weak.}) 20... Kb8 21. a6 b6 22. Qg2 Rd6 $5 {A very ambitious move.
Nakamura prepares for f5 followed by Rg6.} ({The natural} 22... Rhe8 {was also
possible.}) 23. Nf1 $6 {A logical move, but it is an inaccuracy.} ({In the
event of} 23. Nb3 Re8 (23... f5 $6 {is not so good here, as} 24. exf5 Qxf5 25.
Nd4 Qg6 26. Bf4 {and White has defended against Black's attack; his position
is more promising.})) ({or even} 23. Bd4 Qe6 24. b4 {was also interesting with
an unclear fight.}) 23... f5 $1 24. exf5 Qxf5 {Suddenly the white K is very
weak. Black is threatening with Rg6 and h5-h4.} 25. Ng3 Qd7 26. Qe4 Ka7 $1 {
A very nice cool-blooded move! Now the K is safe and Black is ready for the
attack on the kingside.} 27. Kg2 h5 28. Qf5 {White wants to exchange the Qs,
but Black avoids this.} (28. Rh1 Rd5 $1 {and White's position is very
unpleasant.}) 28... Qe8 {Of course, Black doesn't exchange.} 29. Qe4 Qf7 30.
Kh1 (30. Qf5 Rf6 {and Black is winning.}) 30... h4 31. Ne2 (31. Nf5 {is also
not helping for White, as} Re6 32. Qd3 c5 $1 {and the f5 N is in big trouble.})
31... Re8 32. Qg4 Rg6 33. Qh3 Qd5+ 34. Kh2 Rxe3 $1 {The final beautiful
tactical blow!} 35. fxe3 Qd2 36. Qf1 Rf6 0-1

[Event "Norway Chess 1st"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2013.05.17"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2013.05.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 155"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {This is one the favourite moves of Karjakin.}
4. d3 {Svidler decided to avoid the Berlin line.} Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3
Ne7 8. d4 Bb6 9. Re1 d5 $5 $146 {A very interesting novelty by Karjakin. He
immediately wants to counterattack in the centre.} (9... Ng6 {is the most
common move.}) 10. Nxe5 Nxe4 11. Nd2 {A very logical developing move, which
puts under pressure the e4 N.} Nxd2 $6 ({Probably} 11... Nd6 {is the most
exact move} 12. Ba4 (12. Bd3 Bf5 $11 {Black can equalise more easily.}) (12.
Bf1 c6) 12... c6 (12... Bf5 13. Nf1 Ne4 14. Ne3 Be6 15. Bc2 Ng6 16. Nxg6 hxg6
17. Ng4 c5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Be3 Bxe3 20. Nxe3 Qb6 21. Bb3 Rfd8 22. Qd4 Qxd4
23. cxd4 $14 {Grandelius-Paravyan, Golden Sands 2013}) 13. Nf1 Ng6 $11 {
with a nearly equal position.}) 12. Bxd2 f6 (12... c6 {was an interesting
alternative} 13. Bd3 Bf5 14. Qf3 Bxd3 15. Nxd3 {At first sight Black equalises
without any problems, but if we look deeply, White has some initiative with
h4-h5. For example:} Ng6 (15... Bc7 16. h4 $36) 16. g3 Qd7 17. h4 $14 {and
White looks nicely placed.}) 13. Nd3 Bd7 $6 {This allowed a tactical blow,
which was actually missed by Svidler.} (13... c6 {was the normal move} 14. Ba4
Bf5 15. Qf3 {and White is slightly better.}) 14. a4 (14. Nf4 $3 {was a very
strong move, as} Bxb5 15. Ne6 Qd7 16. Nxf8 Rxf8 17. a4 $16 {followed by a5 and
the b6 B is trapped.}) 14... c6 15. a5 Bxa5 (15... cxb5 $6 16. axb6 $16 {
and Black is in a trouble, because of the e7 N will be hanging.}) ({In the
event of} 15... Bc7 16. Ba4 $36 {White has gained some space.}) 16. Nc5 $1 {
This is the point. Now the b7 is hanging and the white B can come back to d3.}
Bc8 17. Bd3 Bb6 $6 (17... Bc7 {is more exact} 18. Ne6 Bxe6 19. Rxe6 Ng6 20. Qg4
$14 {but White also has nice compensation for the P.}) 18. Ne6 Bxe6 19. Rxe6
Ng6 20. Qh5 $2 {An inaccuracy. White allows Black to protect his position.} (
20. Qg4 {was the strongest move, because of} Re8 21. Rae1 Rxe6 22. Qxe6+ Kh8
23. h4 $1 $16 {with a decisive attack.}) 20... Re8 $1 {A good cold-blooded
move. Black can simplify the position, so White's attack is not dangerous.} 21.
Rae1 Rxe6 22. Rxe6 Nf8 23. Re3 Bc7 24. g3 b5 25. h4 Bd6 (25... Qd7 26. Bf5 Qf7
27. Qe2 Bd6 28. Re6 Qc7 29. Re8 {with some counterplay for the P.}) 26. b3 a5
27. c4 bxc4 28. bxc4 Bb4 29. Bc1 a4 30. Bb1 Qb6 $2 {A mistake, which creates a
dangerous passed P for White.} ({The simple} 30... dxc4 $1 {was the best} 31.
Qe2 Qxd4 32. Re4 Qd5 33. Ba2 Kh8 $13 {and Black hasn't got any problem.}) 31.
cxd5 Bd6 32. Ba2 c5 33. Re7 {A pretty and tempting move.} ({However} 33. dxc5
$1 {was easier} Qxc5 34. Ba3 Qb6 35. Bxd6 Qxd6 36. Re7 Ng6 37. Re6 $18 {
followed by d6 with good winning chances.}) 33... Kh8 (33... Bxe7 $2 {loses
immediately after} 34. d6+ Kh8 35. Qd5 $1 $18) 34. Rf7 ({In the event of} 34.
Re8 Rxe8 35. Qxe8 cxd4 36. Qxa4 $14 {White is slightly better, but I'm not
sure that it is enough for the win.}) 34... Kg8 35. Re7 Kh8 36. Qf7 Bxe7 37. d6
Ng6 38. dxe7 Nxe7 39. Qxe7 cxd4 40. Qe4 Rc8 {I think Black can hold the
position, but still he needs a lot of exact moves.} 41. Bf4 Rd8 (41... Qc5 $1
42. Bb1 f5 {And Black could close the important b1-h7 diagonal.}) 42. Qe7 Rc8
43. Qe4 Rd8 44. Qe7 Rc8 45. h5 (45. Qd7 Rd8 46. Qxa4 d3 47. h5 {White should
be better, but in a practical game it is still difficult.}) 45... Qd8 46. Qb7
h6 47. Be6 Rc3 $2 {An inaccuracy, but in a practical game it is very difficult
to find the best defence.} (47... Rc2 {was correct} 48. Qf7 d3 49. Bf5 (49. Qg6
$2 d2 $19) 49... Re2 50. Qg6 Qg8 51. Bxd3 Re1+ 52. Kh2 a3 53. Bxh6 a2 54. Bc4
Qf8 55. Bxa2 gxh6 {and draw.}) 48. Qf7 a3 (48... d3 49. Qg6 d2 50. Bxd2 $1 $18
{This is the difference compared to 47...Rc2, when the d2 P is protected.}) 49.
Bd6 $1 Qa8 50. Bd5 a2 51. Bxa8 a1=Q+ 52. Kh2 Qe1 (52... Qxa8 53. Bf8 $18) 53.
Kh3 Rc8 54. Bf8 Rxf8 55. Qxf8+ Kh7 56. Bd5 Qf1+ 57. Kh4 1-0

[Event "Tashkent FIDE GP"]
[Site "Tashkent"]
[Date "2014.10.22"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2014.10.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 d6 6. O-O Bd7 (6... O-O {
is the real main move, but Kasimdzhanov wanted to avoid the Bxc6 line.}) 7. c3
O-O 8. Nc4 h6 $6 {A typical move in this type of position, but now I think
this is an inaccuracy.} ({Six years ago Sargissian played} 8... a6 {against
Vachier Lagrave} 9. Bxc6 Bxc6 10. Na5 (10. d4 $6 {only helps for Black, because
} exd4 11. cxd4 Ba7 $15 {and Black looks nicely placed.}) 10... h6 11. Nxc6
bxc6 12. Qe2 Nd7 {and the position is balanced, Vachier Lagrave-Sargissian,
Paks 2008.}) 9. b4 {The most ambitious reaction.} (9. h3 a6 10. Bxc6 Bxc6 11.
Na5 Qd7 12. Nh4 d5 $13 {and Black is not worse, Zvjaginsev-Ki.Georgiev,
Vrnjacka Banja 2005.}) 9... Bb6 10. a4 a5 (10... a6 11. Nxb6 cxb6 12. Bc4 {
and White has a comfortable position.}) 11. Nxb6 cxb6 12. bxa5 ({The logical} 
12. Bd2 $6 {could have been met by} axb4 13. cxb4 Bg4 $1 {and Black has some
counterplay.}) 12... Nxa5 13. h3 {A natural move. White avoids the Bg4 pin and
opens a hole in his back rank for the future.} (13. Rb1 $5 {was also an
interesting alternative.}) 13... d5 $5 (13... Bxb5 14. axb5 $14 {followed by
c4. White is slightly better.}) 14. exd5 ({In the event of} 14. Nxe5 Bxb5 15.
axb5 Re8 {and Black gains back the pawn.}) 14... Bxb5 $6 (14... Nxd5 15. Bd2 f6
{and the light squares looks weak on Black's kingside, but he is solid;
White's pieces are not active enough to attack him.}) 15. axb5 Qxd5 16. c4 $1 {
Now White can gain the initiative.} Qe6 17. Bb2 (17. Re1 e4 18. Bb2 {
transposes to the game.}) 17... e4 18. Re1 Rad8 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 20. Rxe4 Nb3 $2 {
Black simply accepts the P disadvantage, he would like to activate his N from
c5. On the other hand this is not enough, White's position will be better.} (
20... Rxd3 {was important} 21. Qxd3 Qxa1+ 22. Kh2 Qf6 $14 {and the position is
clearly better for White, because the b6 and b7 Ps are weak and the N on a5 is
out of play, but still Black has some chance to survive.}) 21. Ra3 Nc5 22. Re3
$16 {White is a healthy pawn up and it is not clear, how can Black compensate
for this.} Ne6 23. Qa1 (23. Ra7 $16 {was also strong.}) 23... Qe7 24. d4 $1 Qf6
25. Re4 (25. d5 {was also possible,} Qxa1+ 26. Rxa1 Nc5 27. Nd2 {similar to
the text move.}) 25... Rd6 26. d5 Qxa1+ 27. Rxa1 Nc5 28. Re3 Rc8 29. Nd2 Rd7
30. Kf1 Kf8 31. Ne4 Rdc7 $6 {A dubious move, but Black's position was already
difficult.} (31... Nxe4 {was tougher, but} 32. Rxe4 f5 33. Rf4 Rf7 34. Re1 $16
{and White has a hopeful rook endgame.}) 32. Nd6 $1 Rd8 33. Rae1 g6 34. Re8+
Rxe8 35. Rxe8+ Kg7 36. Ke2 {and Black's position is completely hopeless, so he
resigned.} 1-0

[Event "TUR-chT"]
[Site "Konya"]
[Date "2012.07.22"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Malakhov, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2675"]
[BlackElo "2712"]
[Annotator "Tiviakov,S"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2012.07.11"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.08.24"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.08.24"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Istanbul Pera"]
[BlackTeam "Ceyhan Belediye"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "TUR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "TUR"]

{This game from the Turkish League in Konya was played in the last 13th round
of the competition. All my 11 games (1 game against a weak opponent was not
played by me) had been drawn and going into the last round I had good chances
to break my personal record of 11 draws in a row in a single tournament. But
the tournament situation for my team was not without stressl: we had to win
the match in order to get bronze medals. Although I made 11 draws in Konya,
most of my games were hard fought, and in 2 of them (against Baris Esen and
Judit Polgar) I missed a win.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {In my previous game
against Malakhov I chose an Italian Game, and although I got a slightly better
position from the opening, the game ended in a draw.} Nf6 4. Qe2 {My favourite
line in the Ruy Lopez, I play it on moves 4, 5, 6. Similar positions also
appear in the Italian Game.} Bd6 {The favourite move of Malakhov against 4.Qe2,
he always plays it. Also in Konya he chose it against Adams and made an easy
draw several days before. 4...Bd6 is OK, but it limits Black's possibilities
since he has to choose the only plan - Re8 and Bf8 to put the bishop on a good
square in order to be able to play d7-d6 and develop the bishop c8. Normally 4.
..Bc5 is considered to be the strongest move in the position.} 5. c3 ({I
prefer to keep my b5-bishop alive at all costs. So I play 5.c3 first. If you
look at the game Adams - Malakhov, then you notice that there Black quickly
exchanges it and even gets a slighly better position at the end, when the draw
was agreed.} 5. d3 O-O 6. Bg5 Re8 7. O-O (7. c3) 7... h6 8. Bh4 (8. Be3 $5)
8... a6 (8... g5 9. Bxc6 $8 dxc6 10. Bg3 $13) 9. Bc4 (9. Ba4 b5 10. Bb3 Na5 11.
Nc3 {- 9.Bc4}) 9... Na5 10. Nc3 b5 11. Bb3 Nxb3 12. axb3 Bb7 13. Nd1 Be7 14.
Ne3 d6 15. Nf5 $6 (15. Nd2 $13) 15... Bf8 16. c4 g6 17. Ne3 Bg7 18. h3 Qd7 19.
Bxf6 Bxf6 $15 {1/2-1/2 Adams,M-Malakhov,V/Konya TUR 2012/The Week in Ches 923 
(19)}) 5... O-O 6. d3 {It is advisable not to be in a hurry with short
castling in this and other similar positions since the square f1 can be used
for the transfer of the knight from b1 to e3 or g3. Also in lot of my games I
castle to the queenside.} Re8 ({A necessary part of Black's plan. Black has to
play Re8 at some point!} 6... Ne7 7. d4 $14) 7. Bg5 {Besides the development
of the bishop to g5 White has other plans, but I prefer to develop the bishop
when I can directly pin the knight.} Be7 (7... h6 {The immediate inclusion of
the moves ...h6 and .Bh4 mostly leads to the same positions. Since after
Bd6-e7 Black has still to play h7-g6 because moving away the knight from f6
allows White's bishop on g5 to return to the e3-square.}) (7... a6 8. Ba4 {
- 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.Qe2 Bd6}) 8. Nbd2 d6 {This move was followed by a draw
offer. I had to refuse it since on the 2nd board just seconds before the
similar offer of a draw by Mikhail Gurevich had been rejected.} 9. Ba4 $146 ({
This move is new, the idea is to secure the retreat of the bishop to c2. If
Black had played ...Bd7 and ...Na5 then he would exchange it with equal
chances. Other moves are also possible for White. The most interesting try by
White is the one chosen by Short in his game against Howell.} 9. Nf1 a6 10. Ba4
b5 11. Bb3 Be6 12. Ne3 a5 13. O-O a4 14. Bc2 d5 15. c4 bxc4 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17.
exd5 Bxd5 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. dxc4 Qc5 20. Qe4 g6 21. Rad1 Nd4 22. Nxd4 exd4 23.
Qd3 Qb4 24. b3 a3 25. Qf3 Kg7 26. Be4 Rad8 27. g3 Rd6 28. Bd5 Re7 29. Kg2 c5
30. h4 Qc3 31. h5 Qxf3+ 32. Bxf3 d3 33. hxg6 hxg6 34. Rfe1 Rxe1 35. Rxe1 d2 36.
Rb1 Bc3 37. Bd5 Rd8 {0-1 Meshcheriakova,E-Zaiatz,E/Sochi 2005/CBM 105 ext (37)}
) (9. O-O $5 h6 10. Be3 Bf8 11. h3 Bd7 12. a4 $14 {1/2-1/2 (76) Short,N-Howell,
D/Sheffield 2011/CBM 143 Extra (76) White is standing slightly better.}) 9...
h6 ({As written before h7-h6 is necessary to keep White's bishop away from the
square e3.} 9... Nh5 10. Be3 Nf4 11. Bxf4 exf4 12. d4 $14) (9... Nd7 10. Be3
$14) 10. Bh4 ({Now} 10. Be3 {is not good since after} Ng4 $11 {the bishop is
exchanged in a less favourable situation than after 10.Bh4 Nh5 11.Bg3.}) 10...
Nd7 (10... Nh5 {can only be good if Black manages to play f7-f5 without the
exchange on g3. But in the current position Black's rook is on e8 (not f8),
the square f7 is weak, and after the check on b3 White plays Bb3-f7 forcing
Black to take on g3. Then there is an open line 'h', White can castle to the
queenside with advantage.} 11. Bg3 f5 (11... Nxg3 12. hxg3 f5 13. Bb3+ $16) (
11... Bg4 12. h3 $5 {deserves attention}) 12. Bb3+ Kh8 13. Bf7 Nxg3 14. hxg3
Rf8 15. Bd5 $14) 11. Bg3 ({If White wants to fight for the advantage, then he
has to keep his bishop alive.} 11. Bxe7 Nxe7 $11 {is equal}) ({the same as} 11.
Bxc6 Bxh4 $11 (11... bxc6 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O $13)) 11... Nc5 12. Bc2 a5 (
12... f5 $5 {is the most natural reaction by Black, usually this advance must
be enough for equality. But in the current position White keeps slightly
better chances. For example,} 13. exf5 (13. b4 Ne6 14. exf5 Nf4 15. Bxf4 exf4
16. Bb3+ (16. d4 Bf6 17. Bb3+ Kf8 18. Be6 Ne7 $15) 16... d5 17. O-O Bxf5 18. d4
$14) 13... Bxf5 14. O-O $14) ({or} 12... Ne6 13. O-O $14 {with a plus for
White.}) 13. O-O {Now Black gets no chance to open up the game by playing
d6-d5 or f7-f5. And the closed character of the game here means the advantage
for White who can slowly improve the position, preparing d3-d4. I was quite
happy with my position at this point.} Bf6 ({Besides the text move Black has
other moves to play, but none of them equalises. Strangely enough, Rybka 4 and
Fritz 13 think that Black is slightly better here, but Fritz 8 is much closer
to the reality, giving White a small advantage. So you should not trust the
computer engines much and try to use your own understanding of chess!} 13...
Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 15. Qe3 $14) (13... Ne6 14. Qe3 $14) (13... a4 14. b4 axb3 15.
axb3 $14) (13... f5 14. d4 exd4 15. Nxd4 (15. cxd4 fxe4 16. Nxe4 Ne6 17. Rad1
$14) 15... fxe4 16. Nxe4 $16) 14. h3 ({Besides 14.h3 White can also try} 14.
Qe3 $5) ({and} 14. Rfe1 $5 {If White can afford to make such a useful waiting
move as 14.h3, improving his positon, then that says a lot! The idea of the
move was to prevent the black bishop from developing to g4 where it would
prevent White from playing d3-d4.}) 14... b6 ({Freeing} 14... d5 $2 {is very
bad here:} 15. exd5 Qxd5 16. d4 $16) ({but other moves} 14... b5 $5) ({and} 
14... g6 $5 {, followed by Bg7, deserved attention. Rybka 4 also suggests the
plan with the development of the bishop to a6.}) 15. Rfe1 ({or} 15. Qe3 {
, preparing d3-d4.}) 15... Ba6 (15... d5 $2 16. exd5 Qxd5 17. d4 $18 {loses})
16. Qe3 {White doesn't forget to take care of the liberating move d6-d5 
(practically the only way for Black to get counterplay).} Ne7 (16... d5 $2 17.
exd5 Qxd5 18. d4 $18 {loses because of the weakness of the 8th rank.}) ({but} 
16... Ne6 {deserved the most serious attention, when after} 17. Bb3 $14 {
White keeps a small advantage.}) 17. Rad1 Qc8 ({It was also possible to put
the queen on another square.} 17... Qd7 18. d4 exd4 19. Nxd4 $14) 18. d4 ({
Here I felt that the moment had come for the action in the centre. Although} 
18. Nf1 $5 $14 {was also possible as well, I believed that all my pieces were
on good squares to start active play in the centre.}) 18... exd4 19. Nxd4 $14 (
19. cxd4 $6 {is natural, but promises nothing after} Nf5 $11 {with equality.})
19... Bxd4 $2 {Probably, the only and decisive mistake of my opponent in the
whole game. I don't see how (even with the correct play) Black would get
chances to save the game after it!} (19... Ng6 $142 {was better, although
after it White has several possible ways to improve the position preparing the
central break-through e4-e5.} 20. f4 Bb7 21. Qf2 $14 {, followed by N4f3 and
e5 or by Re3, Rde1 and e5.}) (19... a4 $5) ({and} 19... Bb7 20. f4 $14 {
were 2 other alternatives to 19...Ng6.}) 20. cxd4 Nf5 ({Clearly, my strong
opponent missed something playing 19...Bd4?, but what?!} 20... Nd5 21. Qa3 Nb4
22. Bb1 $16 {is bad for Black as well.}) 21. Qc3 $8 Nxg3 $8 22. Qxg3 Ne6 {
Now the pawn structure in the current position resembles the bad for Black one
from the Queen's Indian Defence. I play the QID with Black, so it was not so
difficult for me to find the correct plan!} 23. Nf3 (23. d5 {was possible as
well. E.g.} Nd4 (23... Nc5 $16 {is similar to the game.}) 24. Bd3 $16) 23...
Qd8 24. d5 Nc5 25. h4 $1 ({A very important move, taking the square g5 under
control to avoid the exchange of queens.} 25. Nd4 Qg5 $16 {gives Black chances
to defend the positon successfully.}) 25... Qf6 26. Nd4 {Now Black cannot stop
the advance of the central pawn e4 to e5 after f2-f4 without material losses.}
Re7 ({During the game I was slightly afraid of the move} 26... Re5 {, followed
by} 27. f4 Rh5 {, trying to win the pawn h4. But after} 28. Nf3 {White wins in
all lines, exploiting the vulnerable position of the trapped rook.} (28. e5
dxe5 29. fxe5 Qxh4 30. Qxh4 Rxh4 31. e6 $14) 28... Qxb2 29. Qf2 {(/\g4)} Bc8
30. f5 g5 31. e5 (31. g4 Rxh4 32. Nxh4 gxh4 33. e5 dxe5 34. d6 c6 35. Rb1 Qc3
36. Rxb6 $16) 31... dxe5 32. d6 cxd6 33. g4 Rxh4 34. Nxh4 gxh4 35. Rxd6 Bb7 36.
Rg6+ fxg6 37. Bb3+ $18) (26... g6 27. f4 $16 {, followed by e5, is not good
for Black either.}) 27. f4 Rae8 28. Nc6 Rxe4 $4 {This loses by force.} (28...
Qxb2 29. Nxe7+ Rxe7 30. Bb1 $16 {was a more stubborn defence, although White
should win here as well.}) 29. Bxe4 Nxe4 ({Or} 29... Rxe4 30. Rxe4 Nxe4 31. Qe3
Nc5 32. Qe8+ Kh7 33. Ne7 $18 {mating the Black king.}) 30. Qf3 Qf5 (30... Qg6 {
loses after} 31. f5 $18) 31. g4 $2 ({Strange, but during the game we both
missed an easy win by White. Quite a common case of mutual chess blindness.
Probably, the responsibility for the team in the last round, the high level of
tiredness and stress played their part.} 31. Rd4 {and White wins the knight e4.
And if} Nf6 32. Rxe8+ Nxe8 {then} 33. Ne7+ $18) 31... Qd7 32. f5 {Luckily for
me, even after the mistake on move 31, White position remains easily won.} ({
Not} 32. Rxe4 $2 Rxe4 $17 {with advantage for Black because of the weakness of
the rook d1.}) 32... Nc5 33. g5 Kh7 34. f6 $138 (34. gxh6 gxh6 35. Kh2 $18 {
was winning as well.}) 34... gxf6 35. Rxe8 Qxe8 36. gxf6 {Using the exposed
position of the Black king White can create a decisive attack or force the
exchange of the queens, then the extra exchange will decide the outcome of the
game.} Be2 ({After the exchange of the queens White should easily win the
ending because of the weak pawn c7. For example,} 36... Qe4 37. Qxe4+ Nxe4 38.
Rc1 Nxf6 39. Ne7 ({or} 39. Nb8 Bb7 40. Rxc7 Bxd5 41. a4 $16) 39... Ne8 40. Kf2
Kg7 41. Ke3 $16) 37. Qf5+ (37. Qg3 Qg8 38. Qxg8+ Kxg8 39. Re1 Bf3 40. b4 axb4
41. Nxb4 $18 {, followed by Re7, was possible as well.}) 37... Kh8 38. Rd4 Qe3+
({or} 38... Bd3 39. Qf2 Qg8+ 40. Kh2 $18 {winning.}) 39. Qf2 Qc1+ (39... Qxf2+
40. Kxf2 $18) 40. Kh2 Bd3 {Now the time-trouble is over, White can force the
exchange of queens. The resulting ending is an easy win for White!} 41. Qg2 (
41. Nd8 Bg6 42. Qg2 Kh7 43. Nxf7 $18 {was also winning for White.}) 41... Qc2
42. Qxc2 Bxc2 43. Nd8 {Attacking the weakest point in the black position.} Kg8
(43... Bg6 44. h5 Bxh5 45. Rh4 Bg6 46. Rxh6+ Kg8 47. Nc6 $18 {loses as well.})
44. Rg4+ Kf8 45. Rg7 Nd7 ({Or} 45... Bg6 46. h5 Bxh5 47. Rh7 Kg8 48. Rxh6 Bg6
49. Nc6 $18) 46. Ne6+ (46. Rxf7+ Ke8 47. Rg7 Nxf6 48. Rxc7 $18 {is another win.
} (48. Ne6 $18)) 46... fxe6 47. Rxd7 exd5 48. Rxc7 Bb1 49. a3 d4 50. Rd7 {
A nice win from my side, if not for the mistake on move 31 it could have been
a perfect game where I managed to outplay my very strong opponent, not giving
him a single chance to save the game. Unfortunately, my win in this game
couldn't help my team to win the match and take the bronze medals. My team
lost! :-(} 1-0

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2001.01.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2597"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "Tiviakov,S"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2001.01.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 081"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.03.20"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Bc5 5. d3 Nd4 $5 (5... d6) (5... O-O) (
5... Qe7) 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 (6... exd4 $14) 7. c3 (7. Nd2 $5 {/\Nf3}) 7... Bb6 8.
Bg5 $146 (8. Bc4 $6 h6 9. Bb3 O-O 10. Be3 d5 11. Bxb6 axb6 12. O-O Re8 13. Nd2
c6 14. f4 Bg4 15. Qf2 exf4 16. Qxf4 Be2 17. Rf2 Bxd3 18. e5 Nd7 19. Qxf7+ Kh8
20. e6 Ne5 21. Qh5 Rxe6 22. Re1 Qe7 23. Re3 Re8 24. Nf1 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Qc5 {
0-1 Weemaes,R-Levin,F/Le Touquet 1998/EXT 2000 (25)}) (8. Nd2 $5 c6 9. Ba4 d5
10. Nf3 dxe4 11. dxe4 Qe7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 $14 Bd7 14. Bg3 Bc7 15. Nd2 Bg4
16. f3 Be6 17. Bf2 Nd7 18. Bc2 Bb6 19. Nf1 Bxf2+ 20. Qxf2 Qc5 21. Qxc5 Nxc5 22.
Ne3 O-O-O 23. Ke2 a5 24. b4 axb4 25. cxb4 Na6 26. a3 Nc7 27. Bd3 Rd4 28. Rab1
Rhd8 29. Rhd1 f6 30. a4 R8d6 31. Bc4 Bxc4+ 32. Nxc4 Rxd1 33. Rxd1 Rxd1 34. Kxd1
Kd7 35. Nb6+ Kd6 36. Nc4+ Kd7 37. Nb6+ Kd6 38. Nc4+ {1/2-1/2 Paehtz,E-Nieves,G/
Istanbul TUR 2000/The Week in Chess 314 (38)}) (8. O-O) 8... O-O 9. Nd2 d5 $5 (
9... c6 10. Ba4 d5 {- 9...d5 10.Ba4 c6} (10... d6)) (9... d6) 10. Ba4 $5 {
[/\11.Bf6 gf 12.ed; /\11.ed]} (10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Nf3 $13 {/\Nh4} (11. exd5 $6
Qxd5 {ץb5, g2})) 10... c6 $8 11. Bb3 (11. O-O $6 Bg4 $1 12. Nf3 $11 (12. Qe1
Qd6 $15)) 11... Be6 {[><d5]} 12. Nf3 (12. O-O Bg4 $5 (12... Qd6 13. Bxf6 gxf6
14. Qf3 $14) 13. Nf3 Qd6 $13 (13... Re8 $5)) 12... dxe4 (12... Bc7 $14) 13.
dxe4 Qe7 (13... Bxb3 14. axb3 Qe7 15. O-O $14) 14. Bc2 (14. O-O $5 h6 $5 (14...
Bxb3 15. axb3 h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Nd2 Rfd8 18. Nc4 Bc7 19. b4 a6 20. Rfd1 $14)
) 14... Bc7 {[><e5]} 15. O-O h6 16. Bh4 g5 $5 (16... Rad8) (16... Rfd8) 17. Bg3
Bg4 18. h3 Bh5 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 $11 20. Rxd8+ (20. a3 $5) 20... Rxd8 21. Rd1 Rxd1+
22. Qxd1 (22. Bxd1 $6 $15 {><e4}) 22... Nd7 23. Bh2 f6 24. a3 (24. g4 $5 {
(Ivanchuk)} Bg6 (24... Bf7 25. Nd4 $5 exd4 26. Bxc7 dxc3 27. bxc3 Bxa2 28. Bb3+
Bxb3 29. Qxb3+ Kg7 30. Qxb7 $11)) 24... Nc5 {[25.b4 Ne6 26.Qd3=]} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Carlsberg Match Short-Torre +1-1=4"]
[Site "Manila"]
[Date "1988.10.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Short, Nigel D"]
[Black "Torre, Eugenio"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "Torre,E"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1988.10.17"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "PHI"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2019"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.10.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.10.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Re1 d6 8. h3
Bd7 9. Na3 a6 10. Ba4 Ba7 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Qe7 13. Nc2 Nb8 14. Bb3 c6 15.
dxe5 dxe5 16. Bg3 Rd8 17. Qe2 Be6 18. Bxe6 Qxe6 19. Bxe5 Nbd7 20. Ncd4 (20. Bg3
Nc5 21. e5 Nfe4 $44) 20... Bxd4 21. Bxd4 c5 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 23. c4 Rd7 24. e5 Nh7
25. Rad1 Rad8 26. Rxd7 Rxd7 27. b3 Nf8 28. Rd1 Rxd1+ 29. Qxd1 Qf5 30. h4 Ne6
31. g3 b5 32. a4 bxa4 33. bxa4 a5 34. Qd5 Qb1+ 35. Kg2 Qb4 36. Nd2 Qxa4 37. Ne4
Qe8 38. Nd6 Qd7 39. f4 a4 40. f5 Nd4 41. Kh2 Nxf5 42. Qxc5 Qe6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2014.02.03"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2773"]
[BlackElo "2872"]
[Annotator "Vidit,S"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2014.01.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This was the first classical game after the World Championship match and I
was anticipating a tough fight. But unfortunately the Berlin wall is just too
solid :)} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. h3 Nd7 7.
Be3 $5 {A surprising choice as Carlsen on the previous day used this line with
the white pieces to defeat Caruana in a brilliant way!} Bd6 8. Nbd2 (8. Nc3 c5
9. O-O Nf8 10. Nd2 Ng6 11. Nc4 Be6 12. Ne2 Qd7 13. Nxd6+ cxd6 14. f4 exf4 15.
Nxf4 Nxf4 16. Rxf4 b6 17. Qh5 d5 18. d4 c4 19. b3 Qc6 20. Raf1 O-O-O 21. bxc4
Qxc4 22. Rxf7 Bxf7 23. Rxf7 Rd7 24. Rxd7 Kxd7 25. exd5 g6 26. Qg4+ Kc7 27. Qe6
Kb7 28. Qe7+ Qc7 29. Qe4 Qd7 30. d6+ Ka6 31. Bf4 Rc8 32. Kh2 Rc4 33. Bg3 Rc8
34. Qd3+ Kb7 35. c4 Qc6 36. Qb3 Ka8 37. a4 Re8 38. a5 Kb7 39. c5 Kc8 40. axb6
axb6 41. d5 Qxc5 42. Qa4 Re3 43. Qa8+ Kd7 44. Qb7+ Ke8 45. d7+ Kd8 46. Bh4+ Re7
47. Qc8+ {1-0 (47) Carlsen,M (2872)-Caruana,F (2782) Zurich SUI 2014}) 8... O-O
9. O-O Re8 10. Nc4 Nf8 11. d4 {A questionable decision. The game now
immediately peters out to a draw.} (11. a4 $5) 11... exd4 12. Qxd4 c5 13. Qd3
b6 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Qxd6 cxd6 16. Rfd1 Bb7 17. Rxd6 Bxe4 18. Ne1 Rad8 $11 {
The game is completely drawish now.} 19. Rad1 Ne6 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rxd8+ Nxd8
22. f3 Bd5 23. a3 Nc6 24. Kf2 f6 25. Nd3 Kf8 26. Ke2 Ke7 27. Kd2 Kd7 28. Nf4
Bf7 29. b3 Ne7 30. h4 Nd5 31. Nxd5 Bxd5 32. Bf4 Kc6 33. Bg3 Bf7 34. Bf4 Bg6 35.
Bg3 Bf7 36. Bb8 a6 37. Bf4 Bg6 38. Bg3 Bh5 39. Bf2 Bf7 40. Bg3 Bg6 {Not much
happened in the game. White didn't get anything out of the opening and the
game was soon equal.A typical berlin affair.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2015.05.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2803"]
[BlackElo "2738"]
[Annotator "Wagner,D"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2015.05.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
04]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 5. Nbd2 $5 {[%emt 0:00:17] This specific move order
has been becoming popular recently in the Anti-Berlin with 5.d3.} (5. Bxc6 dxc6
6. Nbd2 Be6 $5 {Here Black can prevent Nc4.} (6... O-O {would transpose back
to the game.})) 5... O-O {[%emt 0:00:07]} (5... d6 {Here Black is forced to
take back on c6 with the b-pawn.} 6. O-O O-O 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 $5) (5... Nd4 {
at once is an alternative.}) 6. Bxc6 $5 {[%emt 0:00:30]} (6. O-O Nd4 {
Jakovenko likes playing lines with ...Nd4.}) 6... dxc6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} (6...
bxc6 $6 7. Nxe5 {drops a pawn now.}) 7. Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:23] compared to the
move order with 6.Bxc6 Black has already decided on castling and thereby
allowed Nc4.} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 8. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:43]} (8. O-O Re8 9. Bd2
$5 {[%cal Gb2b4,Ga2a4] is another arrangement of the pieces, with the plan of
playing on the queenside.} (9. Be3 {gives Black the additional possibility} Bf8
$1 10. a4 c5 11. Qe1 b6 12. Kh1 Ba6 13. b3 Bd6 14. Nfd2 Nf8 15. Nxd6 cxd6 16.
c4 Ne6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (34) Adams,M (2720)-Jakovenko,D (2732) Eilat 2012}) (9. a4
Bf8 10. Kh1 f6 11. Ng1 Nc5 12. b3 Ne6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (40) Malakhov,V (2706)
-Jakovenko,D (2742) Sochi 2015}) 9... Bd6 10. b4 Nf8 11. a4 f6 {Here Black is
pretty solid, too.}) 8... Bd6 {[%emt 0:02:09]} (8... f6 {is also played:} 9.
O-O b6 10. Nh4 a5 11. Qg4 Bxe3 12. Nxe3 Nc5 13. Nef5 Bxf5 14. Nxf5 g6 15. h4
Kh8 16. Ne3 {1/2 (27) Ivanchuk,V (2753) -So,W (2731) Havana 2014, White had
slight pressure.}) 9. O-O {[%emt 0:07:51]} Re8 {[%emt 0:01:00]} 10. Nfd2 {
[%emt 0:01:35]} (10. d4 {is pretty harmless.} exd4 11. Nxd6 cxd6 12. Qxd4 Qf6
$1 (12... Ne5 13. Nxe5 dxe5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Rfd1 Re8 16. a4 $36 {1/2 (51) -1/
2 (51) Leko,P (2730) -Giri,A (2734) Beijing 2013}) 13. Nd2 Qxd4 14. Bxd4 c5 15.
Be3 b6 16. Nc4 Ba6 17. Nxd6 Bxf1 18. Nxe8 Rxe8 19. Kxf1 Rxe4 $11 {1/2 (30) -1/
2 (30) Yu,Y (2697)-So,W (2755) Las Vegas 2014}) 10... Nf8 {[%emt 0:04:48]} 11.
Qh5 $146 {[%emt 0:08:58] Since the immediate f4-break doesn't yield anything,
White activates his queen first. Anyway I don't see any problems for Black,
because he has achieved a harmonious setup.} (11. Nxd6 cxd6 12. f4 exf4 13.
Bxf4 Be6 14. b3 Ng6 15. Bg3 Qd7 16. h3 f6 $11 {1/2 (47)-1/2 (47) Popov,I (2653)
-Jumabayev,R (2564) Moscow 2014. Black easily achieved equality.}) 11... Be6 {
[%emt 0:05:30]} 12. h3 {[%emt 0:15:22] It seems like Caruana didn´t know what
to do, which is understandable, as Black is prepared well for f4, while the d2,
c4-knight construction looks rather clumsy.} (12. f4 $6 exf4 13. Bxf4 Bxf4 14.
Rxf4 b5 $1 $15 {[%cal Gd8d4]}) (12. Nxd6 cxd6 13. f4 exf4 14. Rxf4 $11) 12...
Ng6 {[%emt 0:04:42]} 13. g3 {[%emt 0:07:38] White's play is very provocative.
He wants to control the f4-square in order to prepare f2-f4 for the future.}
Qd7 {[%emt 0:05:28]} 14. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:36]} f5 $6 {[%emt 0:15:46] It´s
always a big question in this structure, if Black should go for f5 or not.
Because White has weakened his kingside this move is rather tempting, but has
also major drawbacks. White gets full control over the e4-square and finally
finds a useful job for his d2-knight.} (14... Bf8 {I think that it's better to
keep the status quo where Black doesn´t have any weaknesses, as White is the
one having problems in finding a useful idea. I would prefer being Black here.}
15. f4 {is countered by} exf4 16. gxf4 f5 $1 $11 17. Nf3 $1 {is enough for
keeping the balance.} fxe4 18. Ng5 h6 19. Nxe4 Bxc4 20. Qxg6 Qe6 21. Qxe6+ Bxe6
$11) (14... c5 $5 15. f4 exf4 16. gxf4 f5 $1 $132) 15. exf5 {[%emt 0:02:46]}
Bxf5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 16. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:18] Now White is the one with
clear-cut play, while Black has to prove compensation for his bad structure.}
Rf8 {[%emt 0:08:31]} 17. Rae1 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Rae8 {[%emt 0:03:28]} (17... Ne7
{The knight has to be transferred to d5 in any case, so it makes sense to
start this manoeuvre at once.} 18. Bd2 Nd5 19. Ne3 Nxe3 20. Rxe3 b6 $11) 18.
Bd2 $1 {[%emt 0:06:28]} (18. Bxa7 {is refuted by} Bb4 $1 19. Re2 b6 {[%csl Ra7]
}) 18... Ne7 {[%emt 0:08:14]} 19. Ne3 {[%emt 0:15:52]} Bg6 {[%emt 0:01:03]} 20.
Qg4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Qd8 {[%emt 0:00:15]} (20... Nf5 $1 {The activation of
this knight is necessary sooner or later.} 21. Bc3 Qf7 22. Nc4 Qd5 $11) 21. Ng5
{[%emt 0:05:15]} Rf6 $6 {[%emt 0:01:58]} (21... Nf5 $142 {It would have been
better to coordinate the pieces.} 22. Nxf5 (22. Qc4+ Kh8 23. Ne6 $2 Rxe6 24.
Qxe6 Nd4 $19) 22... Rxf5 23. h4 Be7 24. f3 (24. Ne4 Ref8) 24... Qd7 $14 {
Black can hope to compensate his broken structure.}) 22. h4 {[%emt 0:08:12]} (
22. Qa4 $5 {[%cal Ga4a7,Ga4b3] with a double attack is also interesting.} Qb8 {
Now it´s worth comparing the two queens.} 23. d4 $1 {exchanging one weakness
but gaining activity for the pieces.} exd4 24. Qxd4 $36 {[%cal Gd2c3,Ge3g4]})
22... Nd5 {[%emt 0:13:14]} 23. Qc4 {[%emt 0:03:34]} Kh8 $6 {[%emt 0:04:14]
Black won't have enough compensation for the pawn.} (23... Bf8 24. Ng4 Rf5 25.
f3 {Black if facing a tedious defence, but has enough resources for defending.}
Kh8 26. Qb3 $1 {provoking further weakenings.} b6 (26... b5 27. a4 $14) 27. Qa4
$14) 24. Nxd5 {[%emt 0:10:24]} cxd5 25. Qxd5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e4 {[%emt 0:01:
24]} 26. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:45]} exd3 {[%emt 0:13:54]} 27. cxd3 $2 {[%emt 0:00:20]
Surprisingly this natural recapture spoils a major part of the advantage.} (27.
Bc3 $1 {is a strong intermediate move, destroying Black´s coordination and
forcing him to sacrifice the exchange.} Rxe1 (27... Rf5 28. Qd4 Rg8 29. cxd3
$16 {with a much better version of the game}) 28. Rxe1 dxc2 $1 (28... c6 29.
Bxf6 Qxf6 30. Qa5 $1 h6 (30... dxc2 31. h5 $1 Bxh5 32. Ne4 $18) 31. h5 $1 Bxh5
32. Ne4 Qe5 33. Qxe5 Bxe5 34. cxd3 $18) 29. Bxf6 Qxf6 30. Qxb7 h6 31. Qc8+ Qf8
32. Qxf8+ Bxf8 33. Nf3 Be4 $1 (33... Kg8 34. Rc1 $18) 34. Nd4 c5 35. Nb3 $1 (
35. Ne2 c4 36. Rc1 Bc5 37. Kf1 g6 38. Ke1 Bf5 39. Kd2 Bxf2 40. Rf1 Bb6 $44)
35... c4 36. Na1 $1 {a very nice knight manouvre!} Bb4 (36... c3 37. bxc3 Ba3
38. Nxc2 Bxc2 39. c4 $16) 37. Rc1 Bd2 38. Rxc2 Bxc2 39. Nxc2 $16 {with winning
chances.}) 27... h6 {[%emt 0:02:42]} 28. Ne4 {[%emt 0:04:59]} (28. Rxe8+ {
I believe that it´s better to exchange one pair of rooks.} Bxe8 29. Ne4 Bc6 30.
Qh5 Re6 31. Bc3 Bf8 (31... Qe8 32. Qg4 $14) 32. Re1 $14) 28... Rfe6 {[%emt 0:
03:13] It's difficult to convert the extra pawn against Black's bishop pair,
which cannot be eliminated, since after the exchange of the knight on e4
against the d6-bishop the opposite-coloured bishops and the weakness of the
light squares give Black decent play.} 29. Bc3 {[%emt 0:02:19]} ({After} 29.
Nxd6 Qxd6 $1 30. Qxb7 Bxd3 31. Rxe6 Rxe6 32. Rc1 Be4 33. Qb4 Qd7 34. Bf4 c6 {
Black has compensation on the light squares.}) 29... Bf8 $1 {[%emt 0:01:58]}
30. Qb3 {[%emt 0:02:28]} (30. Qxd8 Rxd8 31. Re3 Kg8 $44) 30... b6 {[%emt 0:01:
37]} 31. Re3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc5 $1 {[%emt 0:06:34]} 32. Rf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]}
(32. Nxc5 Rxe3 33. fxe3 Qd6 $1 34. Rf3 Qxc5 35. Kf2 Kh7 $44) 32... Bd4 {
[%emt 0:00:17]} (32... Bxe4 $5 {is possible as well} 33. dxe4 Rxe4 34. Rd1 Bd4
35. Rf7 {Black can escape the pin in style:} (35. Rfd3 c5 $11) 35... Qa8 $1 (
35... c5 $5 $11) 36. Kh2 c5 $11) 33. Re1 {[%emt 0:05:06]} c5 {[%emt 0:02:51]}
34. Rf4 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 35. Qxc3 {[%emt 0:03:44]} Qd5 {
[%emt 0:00:53] Now it's already impossible to keep any edge and confronted
with this upleasant turnaround, Caruana blunders!} 36. Qb3 $4 {[%emt 0:00:37]}
(36. a3 Bxe4 37. Rf7 Qe5 38. Qxe5 Rxe5 39. dxe4 Rxe4 40. Rxe4 Rxe4 41. Rxa7
Re1+ 42. Kg2 Rb1 $11) 36... c4 $1 37. Qc3 (37. dxc4 Qa5 $1 $19 {Propably he
missed this riposte!}) 37... cxd3 {[%emt 0:00:22] White´s position is
immediately hopeless.} 38. f3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Bxe4 {[%emt 0:01:55]} 39. fxe4 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 40. Rexe4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} 41. Rf2 {[%emt 0:12:36]} Re3 {[%emt 0:05:59]} 42. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:53]}
Qe4 {[%emt 0:02:21]} 43. Qc8+ {[%emt 0:12:41]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:01:25]} 44. Rf4 {
[%emt 0:00:09]} Re2+ {[%emt 0:02:29]} 45. Kh3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Qg2+ {[%emt 0:
00:32]} 46. Kg4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} h5+ {[%emt 0:00:23]} 47. Kxh5 {[%emt 0:00:46]}
Qxg3 {[%emt 0:00:09] A lucky turn-around for Jakovenko after putting up great
resistance, that put him back into contention for one of the two qualification
spots.} 0-1

[Event "Veterans-Women"]
[Site "Monte Carlo"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris Vasilievich"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "1994.06.??"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "MNC"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 042"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 g6 7. d4 Qe7 8. dxe5
(8. d5 Nb8 9. Bd3 (9. c4 $5) 9... Bg7 10. c4 Na6 11. Nc3 O-O $14) 8... dxe5 9.
a4 Bg7 10. b3 {/\ Ba3} Nh5 11. g3 Qf6 12. Bg5 (12. Ba3 Bg4 13. Kg2 (13. Nbd2 $4
Bh6 $19) 13... O-O-O (13... Qe6 $6 14. Rd1 $16 {>< Ke8}) 14. h3 Bxf3+ 15. Qxf3
Qxf3+ 16. Kxf3 f5 $13) 12... Qe6 13. Nbd2 Qg4 14. Kh1 O-O 15. Be3 Nf6 16. Rad1
Rad8 17. Ng1 Qxe2 18. Bxe2 b6 $10 19. f3 Nh5 20. b4 f5 21. a5 f4 22. Bf2 fxg3 (
22... g5 $6 23. g4 Nf6 24. h4 h6 25. Nh3 $14) 23. hxg3 g5 24. Nc4 (24. f4 $6 g4
25. f5 Nf6 $15 {>< e4}) 24... g4 $1 25. Ne3 (25. fxg4 Nf6 $132) 25... Nf6 26.
Kg2 gxf3+ 27. Bxf3 bxa5 28. b5 Ne7 29. c4 c6 30. bxc6 Nxc6 31. Nd5 Rf7 32. Ne2
Ng4 33. Bg1 h5 34. Rb1 Be6 35. Nec3 Nd4 36. Bd1 Rxf1 37. Kxf1 Bf8 38. Rb7 Rd7
39. Rb8 Kg7 40. Kg2 Rf7 41. Nf4 Bd7 $1 (41... exf4 42. Bxd4+ Kh6 43. gxf4 Rxf4
44. c5 $14) 42. Rb7 (42. Nxh5+ $2 Kh6 43. Nf4 exf4 44. Bxd4 Ne3+ $15) 42... Nf6
{/\ Bh3} 43. Rb1 Bb4 44. Ncd5 Nxe4 45. Bxh5 (45. Nxh5+ Kg6 46. Bxd4 exd4 47.
Nhf4+ Kg5 $15) 45... Rf8 46. Ng6 Rf5 47. Nxe5 $1 {What a knightmare!} Nc2 (
47... Rxh5 $2 48. Bxd4 $40 Bh3+ 49. Kg1 Nxg3 50. Nf4 $18) 48. Nxd7 Rxh5 49. g4
Ne1+ $1 (49... Rg5 50. Kh3 $14) 50. Rxe1 (50. Kf1 $2 Nd2+ 51. Kxe1 Nxb1+ 52.
Nxb4 Rh1 $19) 50... Rxd5 51. Rxe4 Rxd7 52. c5 $2 (52. Bd4+ $14) 52... Rd2+ 53.
Kf3 Rc2 $10 54. Re7+ Kg6 55. Bd4 (55. Rxa7 Bxc5 56. Rc7 Rc3+ 57. Kg2 Bb4 $10)
55... Rc4 (55... Bxc5 $2 56. Rc7 $16) 56. Rg7+ Kh6 57. g5+ Kh5 58. Be3 Bxc5 59.
Rh7+ Kg6 60. Rh6+ Kg7 61. Rc6 Bxe3 62. Rxc4 Bxg5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Copenhagen Open-03 (Politiken Cup-02)"]
[Site "Copenhagen"]
[Date "1981.06.30"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Wedberg, Tom Birger"]
[Black "Brinck Claussen, Bjorn"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2420"]
[BlackElo "2375"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1981.06.20"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2000"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.11.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.11.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 Be7 5. c3 d6 6. O-O Bd7 7. Rd1 a6 8. Bc4
$6 (8. Ba4) 8... Na5 $1 9. d3 b5 10. Bb3 Nxb3 11. axb3 O-O 12. c4 $1 (12. d4
exd4 $1 13. cxd4 Re8 $17) 12... c5 $6 13. Bg5 Ne8 (13... Nh5 14. Bd2 $1 {
/\ Ne5,b4} (14. Nxe5 Bxg5 15. Nxd7 Nf4 16. Qg4 h5 $19)) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nc3
Nc7 16. Ra5 b4 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 $5 Bc8 19. Nd2 Ra7 20. Re1 Qd8 21. Raa1 f5
$2 (21... Bf5 $1) 22. f4 $1 exf4 $6 (22... Re7 23. Nf3 Rfe8 24. fxe5 dxe5 25.
Nd2 Qc7 26. Qe3) 23. d4 $1 cxd4 24. Nf3 Qf6 25. Qd3 (25. Qd2 d3 $1) 25... g5
26. Qxd4 $1 Rg7 27. Qxf6 Rxf6 28. Ra4 g4 29. Nd4 Kf7 30. Rxb4 f3 31. Rb8 Bd7
32. Rd8 Kg6 33. gxf3 Kg5 $1 34. Ne6+ Bxe6 35. dxe6 gxf3 $1 36. Rxd6 (36. e7 $2
Kf4+ 37. Kh1 Rxe7 38. Rxe7 Rg6 39. Re1 f2 40. Rf1 Kf3 41. Re8 a5 $1) 36... Rh6
$1 (36... Kf4+ 37. Kf1) 37. Kf2 Rxh2+ 38. Kxf3 Rh3+ (38... Rb7 39. Rd3) 39. Kf2
Rh2+ 40. Ke3 (40. Kg3 $2 Rh6 $1) 40... Rxb2 41. Kd4 $1 Re7 (41... Rg6 42. e7
Rxd6+ 43. Kc5) 42. Ke5 Rxb3 43. Rg1+ Kh4 44. Kf6 Rc7 (44... Rbb7 45. c5) 45.
Rd7 1-0

[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2001.01.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2001.01.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 081"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.03.20"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 1]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Bxc6 {This
was hot in the 1860s.} bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 (7... Re8 8. Nf3 d5 9. e5 d4 10. O-O Ng4
11. Bf4 dxc3 12. Nxc3 Ba6 13. h3 Nxf2 14. Rxf2 Bxd3 15. Qd2 Bxf2+ 16. Qxf2 $16
{1-0 Rodriguez,A-Ramon,V/Santa Fe de Bogota 1988/EXT 2001 (25)}) 8. Bg5 $146 {
[%mdl 8] The scope for improvement is quite vast. The line hasn't been played
in top level games for ages. Ivanchuk is following the trend of picking up
forgotten lines. Very sensible given the level of information available these
days.} (8. Nxc6 $6 Qe8 9. Nd4 dxe4 10. Be3 Ba6 11. dxe4 Nxe4 12. Nd2 Rb8 13.
Qc2 f5 $36 {0-1 Mayet,C-Anderssen,A/Berlin 1865/EXT 99 (27)}) (8. O-O dxe4 9.
d4 Bd6 10. Nxc6 Qe8 11. Na5 Qb5 12. Nb3 Bg4 13. Qd2 Bxh2+ $19 {0-1 Neumann,
G-Anderssen,A/Berlin 1864/EXT 99 (18)}) 8... Re8 9. f4 {Somehow White must try
to support his claims in the centre. Black just wants to tear everything down.
A P more or less is not so important for Black at this stage.} (9. Nxc6 $6 {
cannot work} Qd6 10. Na5 Ng4 $1 $40) 9... dxe4 10. d4 Bb6 11. Nd2 (11. O-O c5
$36) 11... c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Qe2 h6 (13... Bb7 14. O-O-O Qe7 15. Ng4 Rad8
$13) 14. Bh4 g5 $5 {[%mdl 32] Enterprising play. Kramnik sticks with the
initiative come what may.} 15. fxg5 hxg5 16. Bg3 {Black has unpinned the N,
but he has also weakened his Ks defence.} e3 17. Nb3 Bb6 18. Qf3 Be6 19. Rd1 g4
20. Qe2 (20. Qf1 e2 $1 $13) 20... Qe7 21. Nc6 Qf8 22. Nbd4 (22. O-O $2 Bc4 $1
23. Qxc4 e2+ $17) 22... Qc5 23. Ne5 (23. Be5 Bc4 24. Qxe3 Nh7 $1 $13 {[%cal
Ye8e1]}) 23... Nh5 $2 {Dropping the ball completely. Now White should win.} (
23... Bxa2 $5 24. Nxg4 (24. O-O Rxe5 25. Rxf6 Re4 26. Bf4 (26. Rf4 Rxf4 27.
Bxf4 Qh5 $13) 26... Qf8 $1 27. Qxg4+ Qg7 $13) 24... Qg5 25. Nxf6+ Qxf6 $13) 24.
Nxe6 Rxe6 25. Qxg4+ Ng7 26. Nxf7 $2 {A tempting mistake. But now Black gets a
new avenue for the attack against the white K - the f-file.} (26. Qf3 $1 Qf8
27. Nd7 Qc8 28. Be5 $18) 26... Rf8 $1 (26... Kxf7 27. Qf3+ $18) 27. Ng5 e2 $1 {
It's getting difficult for White - especially in time pressure.} 28. Rd4 (28.
Nxe6 exd1=Q+ 29. Kxd1 Qd5+ 30. Nd4 c5 $17) 28... Rg6 29. h4 Qf5 $1 30. Qxf5 (
30. Qxe2 Bxd4 31. cxd4 Rc6 $19) 30... Nxf5 31. Bf2 Nxd4 32. cxd4 Re8 33. a3 Rc6
$17 34. Kd2 Rf6 35. Nf3 Rg6 36. Ng5 Rd6 37. Nf3 c5 38. Re1 $2 (38. Kd3 $142)
38... Ba5+ 0-1

[Event "Linares 18th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "2001.03.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2676"]
[BlackElo "2745"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2001.02.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 082"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8.
Qd5 Nc5 9. Re1 (9. Bg5 {is mainline}) 9... Ne7 10. Qd1 Ne6 {Black has quite a
good score in this line. The main reason is that he has a very sound position
with few weaknesses. He can usually counter by pushing the d- or f-P in the
right moment.} (10... h6 11. Bf4 Ne6 12. Bg3 Nf5 13. Na3 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Qe7 15.
b4 a6 16. Bd3 Rd8 17. Nc4 Ba7 18. a4 d5 19. exd6 cxd6 20. Ne3 d5 $13 {0-1
Solak,D-Kogan,A/Sabac 1998/CBM 65 (34)}) 11. Na3 Ng6 12. Bc4 Bc5 {A
preparation for c6 and d5.} 13. Nc2 c6 14. Ncd4 d5 15. Bd3 (15. exd6 Nxd4 16.
Nxd4 Bxd6 17. Qh5 $14) 15... Nef4 16. Bc2 f6 17. e6 $5 {Only chance to play
for an advantage, but the P is also a weakness.} (17. exf6 Qxf6 $132) 17... Re8
18. Bf5 Qd6 19. Qc2 Bxd4 {Leko goes for a draw - the trick is to exchange.} (
19... Bxe6 $2 20. Bxf4 Nxf4 21. Nxe6 Nxe6 22. Bxh7+ $16 {[%cal Yf3h4,Yh4g6]})
20. Nxd4 Bxe6 21. Nxe6 $6 (21. Bxf4 $5 {is trickier} Nxf4 22. Nxe6 Nxe6 23.
Bxh7+ Kf8 24. Bg6 Re7 25. Qf5 Ng5 (25... Nf4 26. Rxe7 Kxe7 27. Re1+ Kf8 28. Bh7
$16) 26. h4 $14) 21... Nxe6 22. Bxg6 hxg6 23. Qxg6 Re7 24. Bd2 Nf8 25. Qg4 Rae8
26. Rxe7 Rxe7 27. Re1 Rxe1+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Women-Veterans"]
[Site "Prague"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris Vasilievich"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1995.07.??"]
[EventType "schev"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CZE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 048"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. a4 (9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nbd2 Bg4 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Qa4 $14) 9... a5 10. Re1
exd4 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nxd4 Re8 13. Nd2 g5 (13... c5 14. Nc2 (14. N4f3 Bb7 15.
Qc2 $14 {/\Rad1 ECO}) 14... Bb7 15. f3 c4+ 16. Nd4 g5 17. Bf2 d5 $13 {Ree,
H-Knezevic,M/Kiev/1978}) (13... Bd7 $6 14. f4 $1 $16) 14. Bg3 c5 15. Nb5 Bb7
16. e5 dxe5 17. Nc4 Qd5 18. Qxd5 Nxd5 $10 19. Bxe5 Bc6 20. f3 f6 21. Bg3 Rxe1+
22. Rxe1 Re8 23. Kf2 Rxe1 24. Kxe1 Kf7 25. Kd2 Ke6 26. Nxb6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Ciocaltea Memorial"]
[Site "Bucharest"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Brodsky, Michail"]
[Black "Ionescu, Constantin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1995.02.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "10"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 048"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1995.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1995.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 d6 (4... Bc5 $5 5. Bxc6 bxc6 6. Nxe5 Qe7
7. f4 d6 8. Nxc6 Qxe4 9. Qxe4+ Nxe4 10. d4 Bb6 11. c3 a5 $13 {Formanek-Copini/
Reggio Emilia/1977}) 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 (6. e5 dxe5 7. Nxe5 d3 8. cxd3 Bb4+ 9.
Bd2 O-O 10. Bxc6 Bxd2+ 11. Nxd2 bxc6 12. Nxc6 Qd7 13. Ne7+ Kh8 14. Nxc8 Re8 15.
Ne4 Raxc8 16. O-O $14 {Ivanov,A-Romanishin,O/URS/1980}) 6... Bd7 7. Bxc6 bxc6
8. O-O (8. Nc3 Be7 9. Bf4 O-O 10. O-O-O Re8 11. Qa6 Qc8 $10 {Byrne,R-Tarjan/
USA/1977}) 8... Be7 9. Rd1 O-O 10. e5 Nd5 (10... dxe5 11. Nxc6 Qe8 12. Nxe5 Bd6
13. Re1 Bf5 $44) 11. c4 dxe5 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. cxd5 Ba4 $6 (13... Bxd5 14. Nc3
c6 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Qxe5 Bf6 $10) 14. b3 Bd7 15. Bb2 Bd6 16. Nd2 Re8 17. Nc4
$14 Qg5 18. Qe3 Qg6 19. Rac1 Bg4 20. Re1 e4 21. Kh1 h5 22. Nxd6 cxd6 23. h3 Bd7
24. Qf4 Rac8 25. Bd4 a6 26. Rxc8 Bxc8 27. Re3 $16 Qf5 28. Qg3 f6 29. Rc3 h4 (
29... Rd8 30. Rc7 g5 31. Qc3 $40) 30. Qxh4 Bb7 (30... Qxd5 31. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 32.
Rxc8 Rxc8 33. Qg4+ Kf7 34. Qxc8 $16) 31. Rc7 Bxd5 32. Qg3 (32. Qg3 Bf7 33. Qxd6
$18) 1-0

[Event "Ciocaltea Memorial"]
[Site "Bucharest"]
[Date "2001.03.13"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Fressinet, Laurent"]
[Black "Ionescu, Constantin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2581"]
[BlackElo "2504"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2001.03.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 082"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.05.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 {[%mdl 4] This might be the
best way to play against the classical defence. Black has several ways to try
for equality, but like this game shows it's not so clear how to do it.} Nxe5 (
5... Nxe4 {is the solid alternative} 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. Qxe4 Qe7 8. d4 (8. Nc3 Ng6
9. Qxe7+ Nxe7 10. Ne4 Bb6 11. Re1 O-O 12. Nd6 Nc6 13. Nxc8 Raxc8 $13 {1/2-1/2
Adams,M-Leko,P/Dortmund 2000/CBM 78 (32)}) 8... Nc6 9. Qg4 $5 (9. Qxe7+ Bxe7
10. c3 {is a very comfortable draw for White.}) 9... h5 10. Qxg7 Bxd4 11. Qg3 {
and White looks better, even though the record shows an even score from here.})
6. d4 a6 {Spassky´s move.} 7. Be2 Be7 (7... Nxe4 8. dxc5 Nc6 (8... Nxc5 $6 9.
b4 Ne6 10. f4 Nc6 11. Bb2 {with excellent compensation for the P.}) 9. Be3 Qe7
10. Bf4 Qxc5 11. Bxc7 $14 {1/2-1/2 Spasov,V-Ninov,K/BUL 1988/EXT 97 (15)}) (
7... Ba7 8. dxe5 Nxe4 9. Qd5 (9. Bd3 Qh4 10. Qf3 d5 11. exd6 Nxd6 12. Re1+ Be6
13. g3 Qh3 14. Nc3 O-O-O 15. Bf4 {1/2-1/2 Chandler,M-Spassky,B/London 1984/MCL
(15)}) 9... Nc5 (9... Qh4 $2 10. g3 $16) 10. Be3 Qe7 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Rae1 $16 {
1/2-1/2 Coenen,N-Romanelli,R/Cappelle la Grande 1995/EXT 97 (28)}) 8. dxe5 Nxe4
9. c4 $5 (9. Bf3 Nc5 10. Bf4 O-O 11. Nc3 c6 12. Re1 f5 13. exf6 Rxf6 14. Be5
Rh6 15. Ne2 d5 16. Nf4 $14 {1-0 Kotronias,V-Ionescu,C/Mangalia 1992/EXT 97 (29)
}) (9. Qd5 Nc5 10. Rd1 O-O 11. Nc3 d6 12. exd6 Qxd6 13. Be3 Ne6 14. Qe4 Qb4 $11
{1/2-1/2 Renet,O-Brunner,L/SWZ-ch int 1992/CBM 31 (61)}) 9... O-O 10. Qc2 Nc5
11. Be3 c6 (11... d6 12. Bxc5 dxc5 13. Rd1 Qe8 14. Nc3 $14 {1-0 Koch,J-Fayard,
A/FRA 1991/CBM 27 (24)}) 12. Nc3 Qc7 13. f4 $16 {A tricky situation. Black has
some problems to solve just to get his pieces out.} a5 (13... f6 14. exf6 Rxf6
15. b4 Ne6 16. f5 Nf8 17. Bg5 $40) 14. Rae1 f6 (14... d6 15. Bxc5 dxc5 16. Bd3
g6 17. f5 $16) 15. Kh1 $5 (15. exf6 Rxf6 16. f5 $40) 15... fxe5 16. Bxc5 Bxc5
17. Bd3 $40 exf4 (17... g6 $5 18. f5 (18. Bxg6 $2 d6 $1 $13) 18... gxf5 19.
Bxf5 $40) 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. Bg6 Qd8 20. Re5 d6 21. Qd1 f3 22. Rxf3 Bg4 23. Rh5+
$1 Kg8 (23... Bxh5 24. Rxf8+ Qxf8 25. Qxh5+ Kg8 26. Qh7#) 24. Bh7+ Kh8 25.
Rxf8+ Qxf8 26. Bf5+ $1 1-0

[Event "HUN-ch 53rd"]
[Site "Heviz"]
[Date "2003.05.16"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Cao, Sang"]
[Black "Almasi, Zoltan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2531"]
[BlackElo "2676"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2003.05.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "HUN"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 096"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.09.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.09.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 {White battles the Berlin
defence in a slightly unusual fashion. The idea to exchange on c6 and then
play d3 is a well known theme in the Ruy Lopez, but in this case Black seems
to have a rather easy game.} Bd6 6. Nbd2 Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. g4 {This weakens the
K-side.} (8. Nf1 {to play Ng3 was safer.}) 8... Bg6 9. Nc4 (9. Nh4 $5 {[%cal
Yh4f5]}) 9... Nd7 10. Bd2 Qe7 11. Qe2 O-O-O 12. O-O-O c5 13. Ne3 Qe6 14. Kb1 f6
{[%cal Yg6f7,Ye6a2] Black prepares to play for an attack on the white K.} 15.
h4 Bf7 16. b3 Nb8 17. h5 h6 18. Nf5 Rhg8 19. N3h4 Nc6 20. Qf1 a5 $1 21. a4 Nd4
22. Nxd4 (22. Bxa5 Nxb3 $1 23. cxb3 Qxb3+ 24. Kc1 b6 25. Nxd6+ Rxd6 26. Nf5 Rd7
27. Be1 Qa3+ 28. Kd2 Bb3 $19) 22... cxd4 23. Bxa5 Kd7 $1 {[%csl Rb1][%cal
Yd8a8,Yg8b8,Yb7b5] The stage is set for a ferocious attack on the white K.
It´s difficult to find a good defensive plan.} 24. Kb2 Ra8 25. Qe1 Rgb8 26. Nf5
Bf8 $1 {The N on f5 is `good` but it´s doing absolutely nothing to help the K.}
27. Bd2 b5 28. a5 c5 29. Ra1 c4 30. Bb4 c3+ 31. Bxc3 Rc8 $3 {[%mdl 192] Nice
move. Taking on c3 wasn´t bad, but this is a killer.} 32. Bxd4 (32. Bb4 Rxc2+
$1 $19) 32... exd4 33. Qd2 Qe5 34. b4 Rc3 35. f4 Qc7 36. Qf2 Ke8 37. Rhc1 Rc8
38. e5 Bxb4 39. exf6 gxf6 40. Nxd4 Qc5 41. Kb1 Rb3+ $1 0-1

[Event "Najdorf Memorial 8th"]
[Site "Buenos Aires"]
[Date "1997.05.24"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kotronias, Vasilios"]
[Black "Campora, Daniel Hugo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1997.05.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ARG"]
[EventCategory "13"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 060"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.09.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Black gets into trouble when he locks in his own black-squared B with f6.
Kotronias aggressivly takes full advantage of the weakened Black position.} 1.
e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O d6 5. d4 Bd7 6. Re1 Be7 7. c4 {Not new, but
clearly a bit unusual.} exd4 (7... Nxd4 8. Nxd4 exd4 9. Bxd7+ Nxd7 10. Qxd4 Bf6
11. Qd3 O-O 12. Nc3 Nc5 13. Qc2 Re8 14. f3 Bd4+ 15. Be3 Bxe3+ 16. Rxe3 Qg5 17.
Ree1 Ne6 18. Nd5 c6 19. Ne3 Nd4 20. Qf2 c5 21. Rad1 $14 {0-1 Rolletschek,
H-Lukowiak,W/Chicago op 1988/EXT 88op2 (39)}) (7... O-O 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. Nc3
exd4 10. Nxd4 Re8 11. Bg5 Bd7 12. Qd2 h6 13. Bh4 Be6 14. Nxe6 fxe6 15. Rad1 $14
{1/2-1/2 Passerotti,P-Coppini,G/Reggio Emilia7778 1977/MCD-r7 (39)}) 8. Bxc6
bxc6 (8... Bxc6 $5 9. Qxd4 (9. Nxd4 {Fritz 5.00Я (10s)} Bxe4 10. Bg5 $14) 9...
O-O 10. Nc3 Nd7 11. Nd5 Bf6 $11) 9. Qxd4 c5 10. Qd3 O-O 11. h3 Bc6 12. Nc3 Nd7
13. Bf4 f6 $6 {Too passive and weakening.} (13... Bf6 14. e5 Bxe5 15. Nxe5 dxe5
16. Bxe5 Nxe5 17. Qxd8 Nf3+ 18. gxf3 Raxd8 $11) 14. Nd2 Ne5 15. Qg3 Qb8 16. b3
Qb7 17. Nd5 Rf7 18. Nf1 a5 19. Nfe3 Bf8 20. Nf5 $14 Kh8 21. h4 a4 (21... g6 22.
Nh6 Bxh6 23. Bxh6 $14) 22. h5 axb3 23. axb3 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Bd7 25. Bd2 Nc6 (
25... c6 26. Nf4 Bxf5 27. exf5 d5 28. Ng6+ Kg8 29. Nxf8 Rxf8 30. h6 dxc4 31. f4
$16) 26. Bc3 Bxf5 (26... Qxb3 $2 27. Nh6 $1 Re7 28. Nxe7 Nxe7 29. Qd3 $16) 27.
exf5 Ne7 28. Nxe7 Rxe7 29. h6 $16 d5 (29... Qxb3 30. hxg7+ Rxg7 31. Bxf6 $18)
30. hxg7+ Bxg7 31. cxd5 Qxd5 32. Qh4 Kg8 33. Qg4 (33. Bxf6 Bxf6 34. Qxf6 Rf7
35. Qh4 Rxf5 36. Qg4+ Rg5 37. Qc8+ $16) 33... Kf8 34. Rd1 Qc6 35. Qc4 Ke8 36.
Rd5 Bf8 37. Rxc5 Qxc5 38. Qxc5 Re1+ 39. Bxe1 Bxc5 40. Bc3 $18 Be7 41. g4 Kd7
42. Kg2 Kd6 43. Kh3 Kd5 44. f3 c5 45. Kh4 c4 46. bxc4+ Kxc4 47. Bd2 Bf8 48. Kh5
Kd4 49. Bh6 Be7 50. Bc1 Bf8 51. Bb2+ Ke3 52. Bxf6 Kxf3 53. Bd8 1-0

[Event "RUS-ch"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vasiukov, Evgeni"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1995.10.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 050"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1996.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1996.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 a6 7. dxe5 axb5 8.
exf6 Qxf6 9. Nc3 c6 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. fxe3 Qe7 12. Qd4 O-O 13. a3 d6 14. Rad1
Rd8 15. e5 d5 16. Qf4 {N /\ Ne2-d4} (16. Rf3 Be6 17. Rdf1 Rf8 18. Rg3 Rae8 19.
e4 Bc8 20. exd5 Qxe5 21. Qxe5 Rxe5 22. dxc6 bxc6 23. Rd3 Bf5 $15 {Abramovic,
B-Paunovic,D/Prokuplje/1987}) 16... Be6 17. Rf2 Rd7 18. h3 h6 19. Kh2 Rf8 20.
Ne2 Qd8 21. Nd4 Re7 22. c3 Qc7 23. Rdf1 Bc8 24. Nf3 Bd7 $15 25. Kg1 Ra8 26. Rd1
Ra4 27. Rd4 c5 28. Rxa4 bxa4 29. Rd2 Bc6 30. Kf2 Re6 31. Qh4 b5 32. Qf4 Qe7 33.
Kg1 f6 34. exf6 Rxf6 35. Qb8+ Kh7 36. Re2 Qe4 37. Qe5 Qb1+ 38. Kh2 Qf1 39. Rd2
Qc1 40. Rf2 Kg8 41. Re2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Olympiad-34"]
[Site "Istanbul"]
[Date "2000.11.06"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Krasenkow, Michal"]
[Black "Iuldachev, Saidali"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2000.10.28"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "TUR"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2001"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.22"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.22"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Poland"]
[BlackTeam "Uzbekistan"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "POL"]
[BlackTeamCountry "UZB"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. c3 g6 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Nf1
Bd7 9. Ne3 h6 10. Bh4 Qe8 11. Nd2 Nh5 12. O-O Nf4 13. Bg3 a6 14. Bxc6 Bxc6 15.
Bxf4 exf4 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. exd5 Qb5 18. Qb3 Qxd3 19. Rfd1 Qb5 20. Nf3 Rfe8 21.
Qc2 Re2 22. Rd2 Rae8 23. Rad1 Qc4 24. a3 b5 25. h3 Bd4 $3 {[%mdl 64] A
brilliant move, but White is not obliged to resign.} (25... Bd4 26. Rf1 (26.
cxd4 Qxc2 $19) (26. Nxd4 $2 Re1+ 27. Kh2 Qf1 $19) 26... Bb6 $19) 0-1

[Event "FIDE World Cup-C"]
[Site "Shenyang"]
[Date "2000.09.02"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Zhang, Zhong"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2689"]
[BlackElo "2636"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2000.09.01"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "15"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 079"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.11.21"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 4] Zhang Zhong plays the Black side of things in an instructive way.
His active approach against the Qe2 setup is a useful model.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Qe2 {This avoids the increasingly popular Berlin Defence.
But the closed Ruy Lopez with the Q on e2 is quite slow and puts less pressure
on Black than the standard lines. Especially when Black still has the option
to put the B on c5.} Bc5 (4... Bd6 {Planning 0-0, Re8 and Bf8 is a decent
alternative.}) (4... Be7 {followed by a later d6 is possible, but less active.}
) 5. c3 (5. Bxc6 bxc6 {Best, Black doesn´t get the P back straight away, but
he gets a very good game if White tries to stick to the P.} 6. Nxe5 Qe7 7. Nd3
(7. f4 O-O 8. d3 d5 9. Nc3 Ba6 $44 {0-1 Salazar,J-Sanchez,V/Cali 1999/CBM 74
ext (44)}) 7... Ba6 8. Nc3 O-O 9. b3 (9. O-O Rfe8 10. Re1 Bd4 11. Qd1 {1-0
Quinteros,M-Laird,C/Jakarta 1978/EXT 98 (40)} d6 $13) 9... Rfe8 10. f3 Nd5 $36
{1/2-1/2 Polgar,J-Smejkal,J/Moscow 1994/CBM 45 (41)}) 5... Qe7 6. O-O O-O 7.
Rd1 d6 8. h3 (8. d4 Bb6 9. d5 Nd8 10. Nbd2 Ng4 11. Rf1 f5 $40 {0-1 Rantanen,
Y-Haanpaa,J/Tampere 1989/EXT 97 (22)}) 8... Bd7 (8... Nb8 9. d4 $14) 9. d3 (9.
d4 {The principal move.} Bb6 (9... exd4 10. cxd4 Bb6 (10... Bb4 11. a3) 11. Nc3
Rae8 12. Bg5 $14) 10. d5 Nb8 11. Bd3 $13 {White has a space advantage, but the
B on b6 is well placed. A later f5 from Black will give him play.}) 9... a6 10.
Ba4 Ba7 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Qxe3 Rfe8 $11 13. Bb3 Na5 14. Bc2 c5 15. Nbd2 b5 16.
d4 {Finally White breaks with d4, but compared to the normal Ruy Lopez lines
Black has already managed to exchange a pair of B:s.} cxd4 17. cxd4 exd4 18.
Nxd4 Nc6 19. Re1 Rac8 20. N2f3 Ne5 21. Rad1 Rc5 22. Nh4 $6 Nc4 23. Qc1 g6 24.
b3 (24. b4 Rc7 25. Qg5 Qe5 $13) 24... Ne5 25. Qd2 (25. f4 $6 Nc6 $15 {Black is
active and White´s pieces are scattered.}) 25... Nh5 $1 26. Nhf3 Qf6 $1 $40 {
[%csl Rc2,Rg1][%cal Yh5f4,Yd7h3,Ye5f3][%mdl 128] Black has grasped the
initiative on the K side. The usually so proud white squared B on c2 is quite
unhappy here.} 27. Re3 Nf4 28. Bb1 Rec8 29. Kh2 h6 30. Ng1 $6 {White wants to
expand with g3 and f4 but this only invites Black to gain more ground.} Qh4 31.
Rg3 (31. Ngf3 Qh5 32. Nxe5 dxe5 33. Ne2 Bg4 $17) 31... Nh5 32. Ndf3 Qf6 33.
Nxe5 Qxe5 34. Nf3 Qe7 35. e5 Nxg3 36. fxg3 Bc6 37. exd6 Qf6 38. Rf1 Rd8 39.
Qxh6 Rxd6 40. Re1 Rh5 0-1

[Event "Linares 16th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1999.03.07"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2694"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "25"]
[EventDate "1999.02.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 070"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.06.08"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.06.08"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. d4 (7.
Qxe4 {is the standard move} Qe7 8. d4 Nc6 9. Qxe7+ {is safe, but boring} (9.
Qg4 {is more daring})) 7... Be7 8. dxe5 (8. Qxe4 $5) 8... Nc5 9. Bf4 (9. Nc3 c6
10. Bc4 Ne6 11. Bxe6 dxe6 12. Qg4 Kf8 13. Rd1 Qc7 14. Qh5 Bd7 15. Bg5 Be8 16.
Bxe7+ Qxe7 17. Rd6 $14 {0-1 Veroci,Z-Garcia,N/Buenos Aires 1978/MCD (40)}) (9.
Qg4 O-O 10. Bh6 Ne6 11. Bd3 f5 12. exf6 Rxf6 13. Bd2 d5 $11 {1/2-1/2 Keres,
P-Szabo,L/Budapest 1950/Candidates (37)}) 9... O-O 10. Nc3 c6 11. Bd3 Nxd3 12.
Qxd3 f6 13. Qg3 (13. Qg3 fxe5 14. Bxe5 Rf7 (14... Bf6 15. Bd6 $14) 15. Bd6 Bxd6
16. Qxd6 Rf6 17. Qg3 d5 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Rubinstein Memorial 35th"]
[Site "Polanica Zdroj"]
[Date "1998.08.22"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Macieja, Bartlomiej"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2490"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1998.08.17"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "POL"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 067"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.11.30"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.11.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%mdl 80]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7.
Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 d6 9. a4 a5 10. dxe5 {Unusual and not favoured by theory. The
position becomes symmetrical and quite drawish. A slightly surprising choice
by the fighter Shirov.} (10. Re1 {This is considered to be the main line.
Black now has a choice between three moves.} Bg4 {Risky, maybe even bad,
according to the most recent games.} (10... exd4 {The solid choice.} 11. Bxc6
bxc6 12. Nxd4 Bd7 (12... Re8 13. Nd2 g5 (13... c5 14. N4f3 (14. Nc2 Bb7 15. f3
c4+ 16. Nd4 g5 17. Bf2 d5 $13 {Ree,H-Knezevic,M/Kiev/1978}) 14... Bb7 15. Qc2
$14 {/\Rad1 ECO}) 14. Bg3 c5 15. Nb5 Bb7 16. e5 dxe5 17. Nc4 Qd5 18. Qxd5 Nxd5
$10 {1/2-1/2 Polgar,J-Spassky,B/Prague 1995/CBM 48/[Wedberg] (26)}) (12... g5
13. Bg3 Bxd4 14. cxd4 Rb8 15. Nc3 Rxb2 16. f4 Ne8 17. f5 Ng7 18. Qf3 f6 $13 {
1/2-1/2 Barria,D-Lima,D/Cascavel 1996/EXT 97 (29)}) 13. Nd2 Re8 14. Qf3 (14. f4
$1 $16) 14... g5 15. Bg3 Bg4 16. Qd3 c5 17. Nc2 d5 $132 {1/2-1/2 Kaminski,
M-Macieja,B/Mamaia 1991/EXT 91ch (41)}) (10... Qe7 {Playable, but White gets
lasting pressure in the centre, since exd4 is more or less out of the question
with the Q on e7.} 11. Na3 Bg4 12. Nc4 (12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Nc4 g5
15. Bg3 Rfd8 16. Qe2 Nd7 17. Ne3 Bxe3 18. Qxe3 f6 $11 {1/2-1/2 Lanka,
Z-Borkowski,F/Moscow 1991/CBM 26 (47)}) 12... g5 (12... exd4 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14.
e5 $1 dxe5 15. Ncxe5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 $16 {1-0 Ivkov,B-Dueckstein,A/Sarajevo 1967/
MCD-r6 (33)}) 13. Bg3 Nd7 14. Ne3 Bh5 15. Nd5 $16 {1-0 Spassky,B-Quinones,O/
Amsterdam 1964/IZT (37)}) 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Qxd8 $1 (13. Nbd2 g5
(13... Re8 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Nxf3 Qxd1 16. Raxd1 Nh5 17. Kf1 f6 18. Bg3 g5 19.
Nd2 Red8 20. Nc4 Ng7 21. f3 Ne6 $14 {1-0 Kaminski,M-Macieja,B/Bielsko-Biala
1991/EXT 91ch (62)}) 14. Bg3 Nd7 15. Nc4 f6 16. Ne3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 Nc5 18. Qc2
Qe7 19. Nd2 Be6 20. f3 Rfb8 $11 {1/2-1/2 Kaminski,M-Ionescu,C/Erevan 1996/EXT
96ch2 (39)}) 13... Raxd8 14. Nxe5 g5 15. Bg3 Nxe4 (15... h5 16. Nxg4 Nxg4 17.
h3 h4 18. Bxh4 gxh4 19. hxg4 $16 {1-0 Shmatkov,M-Mukhaev,A/Moscow 1995/EXT
95ch (30)}) 16. Nxg4 (16. Na3 Nxg3 17. Nxg4 f5 18. Nxh6+ Kg7 19. hxg3 Rd2 20.
Nc4 $1 (20. Rf1 Rxb2 21. Nc4 Rc2 $11) 20... Bxf2+ 21. Kf1 Bxe1 22. Rxe1 Rc2 (
22... Rd5 23. Re6 Rd1+ 24. Kf2 Rh1 25. Rxc6 Rxh6 26. Rxc7+ $16) 23. Re6 Rf6 24.
Rxf6 Kxf6 25. g4 $16 {1-0 Muralidharan,M-Prakash,G/IND-ch 1994/EXP 41 (57)})
16... f5 17. Ne5 f4 18. Na3 Nc5 (18... fxg3 19. Rxe4 $18) 19. Nac4 fxg3 20.
hxg3 Nb3 21. Nxb6 Nxa1 22. Nbd7 $18 {1-0 Wahls,M-Li Wenliang/Beijing 1993/EXT
93op (47)}) 10... Nxe5 11. Nxe5 dxe5 {Compared to the usual lines Black has a
sound P-structure on the Q-side} 12. Nd2 Be6 (12... c6 13. Be2 Qe7 14. Qc2 Be6
15. h3 g5 16. Bg3 Nd7 17. Nc4 Bxc4 18. Bxc4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Murrey,J-Lahav,E/Tel
Aviv 1990/EXP 20 (91)}) 13. Qc2 Qe7 14. Kh1 (14. Nc4 Bxc4 15. Bxf6 Qe6 16. Bxc4
Qxc4 $11 {1/2-1/2 Gralka,J-Finegold,B/Cappelle la Grande 1991/EXT 97 (41)})
14... Rad8 15. Rad1 c6 16. Be2 Bc7 17. Rfe1 {In retrospect it's easy to see
that White is effectively weakening his f2-point. But the game is dead equal
anyway.} Rd7 18. Nf1 Rfd8 19. Ne3 Bb6 20. Nf5 Bxf5 21. exf5 Ng4 $1 $11 {
Refuting Whites try to get an advantage with the two B:s.} 22. Rxd7 (22. Bxg4
$2 Qxh4 $17) 22... Rxd7 23. Bxe7 (23. Bxe7 Nxf2+ 24. Kg1 Ng4+ 25. Kh1 (25. Kf1
$4 Nxh2#) 25... Nf2+ $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."]
[Site "Las Vegas"]
[Date "1999.08.03"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Milos, Gilberto"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2586"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1999.07.31"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. Qd3 Bd7 10. Na3 $146 {[%mdl 8] The point of this move is to protect Bb5
to allow dxe5 after 10. - a6.} (10. Nbd2 a6 11. Bc4 (11. dxe5 $6 Nxe5 12. Nxe5
Bxb5 $15) 11... exd4 12. cxd4 g5 13. Nxg5 hxg5 14. Bxg5 {--> Topalov,V-Leko,P/
Dortmund 1999/CBM 72/[Wedberg] (48)}) 10... a6 {Black walks right into White´s
preparation.} (10... exd4 11. cxd4 Re8 $13 {with the idea that the N is out of
play on a3.}) 11. dxe5 $1 dxe5 (11... Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxb5 13. Nec4 (13. Nxb5
dxe5 14. Qxd8 Raxd8 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Na3 Rd7 $13) 13... Ba7 14. Nxb5 axb5 15.
Nd2 $14) 12. Bxf6 gxf6 $2 {Black quickly drifts into an almost lost position.
Perhaps a result of World Championship nerves.} (12... Qxf6 $1 13. Qxd7 axb5
14. Nxb5 Rfd8 15. Qg4 Rd3 $132) 13. Bc4 $16 {Black has no compensation for the
weakened K-side.} Be6 14. Qe2 Qe7 15. Nh4 {White has a number of easy to find
moves ahead. f5 and d-file are solid trumphs in White´s hand.} Kh7 16. Qf3 Rg8
17. Nf5 Qf8 18. Rad1 Ne7 19. Rd3 (19. Rd2 $16) 19... Ng6 20. g3 Nf4 21. Rd2 Rd8
22. Rxd8 Qxd8 23. Rd1 Qf8 24. Kf1 Bxf5 (24... Nh3 $2 25. Qh5 $1 Nxf2 26. Rd8
$18) 25. exf5 Nh3 26. Rd2 Nxf2 {Just not to lose horribly on the d-file.} (
26... c6 27. Rd7 $16 {[%cal Yd7h7,Yd7b7]}) 27. Rxf2 Bxf2 28. Kxf2 $16 {Clear
White advantage, but some hope for Black if he could exchange the Q:s.} b5 29.
Bb3 Qc5+ 30. Kf1 Rg5 {Trying to set up some activity.} 31. Bxf7 Kg7 (31... e4
32. Bg6+ $18) 32. Be6 h5 33. Nc2 h4 34. g4 Qd6 35. Ke1 e4 36. Qe2 h3 37. Ne3 c6
38. Qd2 Qf4 39. Qf2 Qd6 40. Qd2 Qxd2+ ({White should win after} 40... Qf4 {
as well, but it looks like a better choice to keep the Q:s on.}) 41. Kxd2 Kh6
42. Ke2 Rg7 43. Kf2 Kg5 44. Kg3 Rh7 45. Nd1 $1 Rh4 46. Nf2 $18 e3 47. Ne4+ Kh6
48. Nxf6 e2 49. Kf2 Kg5 50. Ne4+ Kf4 51. Ng3 Ke5 52. Kxe2 Rxg4 53. Kf3 Rf4+ 54.
Ke3 Rg4 55. Bd7 Kd6 56. Ne4+ Ke7 57. Bxc6 1-0

[Event "Biel GM"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "1999.07.28"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Bologan, Viktor"]
[Black "Piket, Jeroen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1999.07.19"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. a4 a5 10. Re1 exd4 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nxd4 Re8 13. Nd2 c5 (13... Bd7 $6
14. f4 $1 $16) 14. Nc2 (14. N4f3 Bb7 15. Qc2 Re6 16. Re3 Qe8 17. Bxf6 Rxf6 18.
Nc4 Re6 19. Rae1 Qc6 20. Nxb6 Qxb6 21. Nd2 Rae8 $11 {1/2-1/2 Thorsteins,
K-Spassky,B/Reykjavik 1985/MCD (28)}) 14... Bb7 15. f4 $146 {Trying to prevent
g7-g5 to keep more pressure on the black position. That´s the upside, the
downside is the weakness of e4.} (15. f3 c4+ 16. Nd4 g5 17. Bf2 d5 18. exd5
Qxd5 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Qf1 g4 21. Nxc4 gxf3 22. Nxb6 fxg2 23. Nxd5 {1/2-1/2
Ree,H-Knezevic,M/Kiev 1978/EXT 99 (23)}) 15... c4+ 16. Nd4 (16. Kh1 Nxe4 $1 $17
) 16... Rb8 $1 {An excellent move. The R is ready for action on the b-file
whenever the B:s have moved.} 17. Re3 (17. Nxc4 $142 Bxe4 18. Nxb6 Rxb6 $11)
17... Ba8 18. Qc2 (18. Nxc4 Bxe4 (18... Ba7 $5) 19. Nxb6 Rxb6 $11) 18... Nd5 $3
{[%mdl 512] White threatened to reinforce with Rae1, but this turns the tables
and grabs the initiative.} 19. Bxd8 (19. Rh3 Nb4 20. Qd1 Qd7 $15) 19... Nxe3
20. Qb1 Rbxd8 21. h3 f5 $1 $36 22. Qa2 (22. exf5 Nxg2 23. Nxc4 (23. f6 Re1+ 24.
Qxe1 Nxe1 25. Rxe1 Bd5 $17) 23... Bxd4+ 24. cxd4 Nxf4 25. Nxa5 Re2 $17) 22...
Bxe4 23. Nxc4 Bd5 24. b3 Bxd4 25. cxd4 Nxg2 26. Qf2 Re6 27. Nxa5 Rde8 $19 {
Black´s well coordinated pieces cannot be stopped.} 28. Nc4 Rg6 29. Kh2 Nxf4
30. Rg1 Rxg1 0-1

[Event "Albert m"]
[Site "Albert"]
[Date "2004.05.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Bacrot, Etienne"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2675"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2004.04.27"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 101"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2004.07.27"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2004.07.27"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 d6 8. Qd3
h6 9. Bh4 Qe7 10. Nbd2 Nb8 11. Rfe1 c6 12. Ba4 Bc7 $146 {A new move but the
ideas remains the same: White has a nice space advantage and tries to pressure
Black as much as possible. If he can crack the black position open in the
right moment he usually wins - therefore Black has to be careful with moves
like g5, since White usually can sacrifice a piece and get a strong attack.
Black on the other hand tries to develop behind his shield of P:s - in the
long run he will try to get an attack going on the K-side.} (12... g5 $2 {
too optimistic.} 13. Nxg5 $1 hxg5 14. Bxg5 Kh7 15. Qg3 Rh8 16. Re3 $40 {
1-0 Kuporosov,V-Navrotescu,C/Wattens 1993/EXT 2000 (21)}) (12... Nbd7 13. Nc4
Re8 (13... Bc7 14. Ne3 Re8 15. Nf5 Qf8 16. Rad1 $14 {1-0 Gavrilov,A-Ovod,E/St
Petersburg 2003/EXT 2004 (39)}) 14. Bb3 (14. Rad1 Bc7 15. Ne3 Qf8 16. Nd2 {
1/2-1/2 Khalifman,A-Malaniuk,V/Samara 1998/CBM 67 (16)}) 14... Bc7 15. Ne3 Qf8
16. Nf1 Nh5 17. Rad1 Ndf6 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. Ne3 Be6 20. Bxe6 {1/2-1/2 Luther,
T-Maric,A/Hastings 1994/CBM 45 (20)}) 13. Nf1 Nbd7 14. Ng3 g6 15. Qd2 Kh7 16.
h3 Rg8 17. Nf1 g5 {New targets are formed: White wants a N on f5 and Black one
on f4.} 18. Bg3 Nh5 19. Ne3 Ndf6 20. Bc2 g4 $5 {This looks attractive, but its
not without complications since it let's White establish a N on f5.} (20... Nf4
{is possible, but where is the threat, as Bobby Fischer used to remark.}) 21.
Nh4 $1 gxh3 (21... Nxg3 22. fxg3 gxh3 23. Nhf5 h2+ 24. Kh1 Qf8 25. Kxh2 $36 {
[%csl Rh6][%cal Ye1h1,Yh2g1,Ye1f1,Yf1f7,Yh1h7]}) 22. Nef5 Qf8 23. gxh3 Nf4 24.
Kh2 N6h5 {An unusual N configuration!} 25. Bd1 $1 Be6 26. Bg4 {Blacks opening
of the K-side has backfired a bit since White seems to have benefitted the
most from it.} Re8 27. Qd1 Nf6 (27... Nxg3 28. fxg3 Ng6 29. d5 cxd5 30. exd5
Bc8 31. Qd3 $14) 28. Bxf4 exf4 29. Bf3 {White is clearly better with his
strong N on f5 and good centre P:s.} d5 30. e5 Nd7 31. Rg1 (31. Qd3 Kh8 32. Rg1
Rg5 $14) 31... Rxg1 (31... Rg5 $2 32. Rxg5 $1 hxg5 33. Bxd5 $18) 32. Qxg1 Bd8
33. Be2 {With the idea to regroup like this: Bd3, Nf3 and Nd6.} Bxh4 34. Nxh4
Qe7 35. Bd3+ Kh8 36. Nf3 Rg8 37. Qc1 Bxh3 38. Qxf4 (38. Kxh3 $2 Qe6+ 39. Kh2
Qg4 40. Qf1 Qxf3 $11) 38... Qe6 39. Rg1 Rxg1 $2 (39... a6 40. Rxg8+ Kxg8 41.
Ng1 Bg4 42. f3 Bh5 43. Bf5 Qe8 44. Qxh6 $16) 40. Nxg1 $18 Bg4 41. f3 Bh5 42.
Bf5 1-0

[Event "RUS-ch"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ulybin, Mikhail"]
[Black "Vasiukov, Evgeni"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2550"]
[BlackElo "2505"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "1996.10.15"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 056"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1997.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1997.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 (5... Nxe5 6. d4 a6 {
is standard.}) 6. Nxf7 $5 (6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. Qxe4 Qe7 8. d4 Nc6 9. Qxe7+ Bxe7 10.
c3 a6 11. Bd3 O-O 12. Bf4 d6 $14) (6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Qe2 Qd5 8. Nd3 O-O 9. Nxc5
Nxc5 10. Nc3 Qd6 $11 {Goliak,I-Sutterer,R/WchS Wildbad 1993/1/2-1/2 (42)}) (6.
Nxc6 dxc6 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. Qe2+ Be6 (8... Qe7 $11) 9. Bf5 O-O 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. d3
Kh8 12. Nc3 Qe8 13. Bg5 Nd5 14. Ne4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Bouton,C-Kende,G/Budapest
IM-B 1990 (38)}) 6... Kxf7 7. Qh5+ g6 8. Qd5+ Kg7 9. Qxe4 d5 10. Qa4 Nd4 $146 (
10... Rf8 $44 {Keres}) 11. c3 Nxb5 12. Qxb5 Bd6 13. d3 Rf8 14. Be3 Qh4 15. Bd4+
Kh6 16. g3 Qh5 17. Nd2 $14 a6 18. Qb3 Bh3 19. Rfe1 Qf5 20. c4 Bf4 (20... c5 $2
21. Be3+ Kg7 22. Qxb7+ $18) 21. Qc3 (21. Re7 $5 Rfe8 (21... Bxd2 $2 22. Bg7+
Kg5 23. Re5 $18) 22. Bg7+ Kh5 23. Rae1 $40) 21... g5 (21... Rf7 $142) 22. Bg7+
Kg6 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. Nf3 Bd6 (24... Bxg3 25. fxg3 Qxf3 26. Qc2 $16) 25. Re3 d4
(25... Bg4 26. c5 $18) 26. Qxd4 Bc5 27. Re6+ $1 ({Also possible was} 27. g4 $1
Qxg4+ 28. Qxg4 Bxg4 29. Ne5+ Kh5 30. Nxg4 Kxg4 31. Re4+ $18) 27... Qxe6 28.
Ne5+ Kh6 29. Qxc5 $18 Qf5 30. Re1 Re8 31. Qxc7 Re6 32. Re3 g4 33. Qc5 Rf6 34.
Re4 Kg7 35. Rf4 Qe6 36. Rxf6 Qxf6 37. Qe3 b5 38. c5 h6 39. c6 Qd6 40. d4 Qd5
41. f3 Qxa2 42. Qc1 gxf3 43. Kf2 Bc8 44. Qc2 Kf8 45. Qd2 Ke7 46. d5 Kd6 47.
Nf7+ Kc7 48. Qf4+ Kb6 49. Qd4+ Ka5 50. Nd6 1-0

[Event "Tan Chin Nam Cup 7th"]
[Site "Shanghai"]
[Date "2001.07.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Zhang, Zhong"]
[Black "Krasenkow, Michal"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2632"]
[BlackElo "2573"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2001.07.09"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CHN"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 085"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2001.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2001.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{With all it's faults this is still a nice game. Krasenkows attack once he
gets the upper hand is instructive.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {
We will perhaps see more of this now that the Berlin defence is scoring so
well for Black.} d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 g6 7. Re1 Bg7 8. Ba4 {There is almost no
theory to lean on here. But White's slow approach gives Black a rather free
hand to act on the K-side.} (8. Nbd2 O-O 9. Nf1 h6 10. Bd2 Nh5 11. Ba4 a6 12.
h3 b5 13. Bc2 Qf6 14. Ne3 Nf4 $13 {1-0 Vallejo Pons,F-Illescas Cordoba,M/Dos
Hermanas 2001/CBM 83 (38)}) (8. d4 O-O 9. Bg5 Qe8 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. d5 Nb8 12.
Bxd7 Nxd7 $11 {1/2-1/2 Spassky,B-Kortschnoj,V/St Petersburg 1999/EXT 2000 (40)}
) 8... O-O 9. Nbd2 Nh5 10. Nf1 Kh8 (10... h6 11. g3 Qe8 12. Nh4 Kh7 13. Ne3 Nf6
14. Bc2 $14 {1-0 Smetankin,S-Marcelin,C/Hallsberg 2000/EXT 2001 (35)}) 11. h3
Qe8 12. Bc2 f5 {All very logical. Black plays for the initiative.} 13. d4 {
Of course - counter attack in the centre.} fxe4 $6 ({Why not} 13... f4 $5 {
going for a P-roller with g5, h5 and g4?}) 14. Bxe4 Nf4 {Krasenkow likes the
outpost on f4 eying h3 and g2, but White's pieces are active too.} 15. dxe5
Nxe5 (15... dxe5 $5) 16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Qb3 $6 ({I don't see anything terrible
happening to White if he grabs the P.} 17. Bxb7 $5 Rd8 (17... Rb8 18. Be4) 18.
Bxf4 Rxf4 19. Qe2 $16) 17... Bc6 18. Bxf4 Rxf4 19. Ng3 Bf8 20. Re2 $6 (20. Bxc6
$5 Qxc6 21. Rxe5 Rxf2 22. Kxf2 Qf6+ 23. Rf5 $14) 20... Bb5 $1 21. c4 Ba6 22.
Qc3 Bc5 23. Rd1 (23. Bxg6 Rxc4 $1 $13) 23... Qe7 24. b3 Raf8 25. Bf3 Bd4 $15 {
White has been waiting for better times and in the meantime his advantage has
evaporated. Black's constellation aimed at f2 holds White in a terrible grip.}
26. Qd3 (26. Rxd4 {was not such a bad option given what happens in the game.}
exd4 27. Qxd4+ Rxd4 28. Rxe7 $15) 26... b6 27. Re4 R4f7 28. Re2 Bc8 29. Rdd2 c5
30. Bd5 Rf4 31. Ne4 g5 $1 {[%mdl 128] Black has complete control so he starts
the finishing action on the K-side. White is a mere spectator.} 32. Qg3 R4f5
33. Nc3 h5 34. Be4 h4 35. Qd3 R5f7 36. Nd5 Qd6 37. Bg6 $2 Rg7 38. Bh5 (38. Be4
g4 $40) 38... Bf5 39. Re4 Bxe4 40. Qxe4 Qh6 41. Bg4 Rgf7 42. Ne3 Rf4 43. Qd5
Qf6 44. Bf3 e4 $1 45. Ng4 Rxg4 $1 (45... Rxg4 46. Bxg4 Bxf2+ 47. Kh1 Be1 $19)
0-1

[Event "Linares 16th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1999.03.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2694"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1999.02.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 070"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.06.08"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.06.08"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. Bxc6 (9. a4 a5 10. Re1 {is main line.}) 9... bxc6 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Qa4 {
This is hardly dangerous for Black. The Q is better on c2.} (11. Nbd2 {is the
main alternative} Re8 12. Qc2 g5 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. c4 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Qe7 16. Nb3
Bc5 17. Qc3 Rb8 18. a3 Bg4 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. b4 $14 {1-0 Almasi,Z-Gulko,B/
Pamplona 1996/CBM 57 (95)}) 11... Qd6 12. Rd1 (12. Na3 Qe6 (12... Nd7 13. Nc4
Qe6 14. Nxb6 cxb6 $10 {0-1 Rachels,S-Torre,E/Manila 1990/CBM 19/[Ernst] (60)})
13. Rfd1 Nd7 14. Qc4 Nc5 15. Qxe6 Bxe6 16. Nxe5 g5 17. Bg3 Nxe4 $132 {0-1
Petrushin,A-Gulko,B/Tallinn 1983/MCL (35)}) 12... Qe6 13. Nbd2 Nd7 14. b4 a5
15. Qb3 Re8 (15... Qe8 16. Qc4 Nb8 17. bxa5 Rxa5 18. Qd3 g5 19. Bg3 f6 $13 {
1/2-1/2 Ilincic,Z-Basagic,Z/JUG-chT 1989/TD (74)}) 16. Qxe6 Rxe6 17. Nc4 f6 18.
a3 Ba6 19. Nfd2 axb4 20. axb4 Ree8 21. Nxb6 Nxb6 22. f3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares 16th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1999.02.25"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2713"]
[BlackElo "2694"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1999.02.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 070"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.06.08"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.06.08"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Qd3 ({The
main lines starts with} 7. Bg5) ({or} 7. Re1) 7... d6 (7... d5 {an interesting
way to break the normal patterns} 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxe5 Nxe4 10. Nd2 (10. Nxc6
Qd6 11. Ne5 c5 $132 {Ehlvest}) 10... Bf5 11. Qf3 Qf6 (11... Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Be4
13. Qg4 (13. Qe3 Re8 $13) 13... c5 $5 $13) 12. Nxc6 (12. g4 Be6 13. Qxf6 gxf6
14. Nxc6 Bxg4 15. f3 Nxd2 16. Bxd2 Bh3 17. Rfe1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Litvinov,
V-Tolstikh,N/Minsk 1993/EXT 97 (58)}) 12... Rae8 13. Nxe4 Rxe4 14. Nb4 Qe6 15.
Nd3 c6 16. Bd2 Re8 17. Rae1 $44 {1-0 Ehlvest,J-Short,N/Belgrade 1989/CBM 16 
(41)}) 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 Bd7 (9... g5 $6 10. Nxg5 hxg5 11. Bxg5 Kg7 12. f4 $40 {
1-0 Polgar,S-Bayon Fernandez,R/Oviedo 1993/CBM 38 ext (25)}) (9... exd4 10.
cxd4 g5 (10... Bg4 11. Nbd2 Bh5 12. Rfe1 g5 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Nxg5 hxg5 15.
Bxg5 $40 {1-0 Arnason,J-Lima,D/Thessaloniki 1988/TD (44)}) 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12.
Nxg5 hxg5 13. Bxg5 Kg7 14. a4 a5 15. Ra3 Qd7 16. e5 Nh7 17. Qd2 Rg8 $17 {
0-1 Renet,O-Ninov,K/Ostend 1989/EXT 99 (26)}) 10. Nbd2 a6 11. Bc4 exd4 $146 {
The standard plan for Black is to hold the e5-point firmly, and to lay out the
barbwire on the K-side by putting P:s on g5 and f6. This plan worked well in
Ehlvest - Salov, Moscow 1988. Leko plays a new sequence of moves with the aim
of playing an early g5.} (11... Qe7 12. Rfe1 (12. a3 Kh8 13. Rfe1 g5 14. Bg3
Nh5 15. Bd5 Nf4 (15... f6 $5) 16. Bxf4 gxf4 17. Nc4 f6 18. Nh4 $14 {1-0 Mainka,
R-Law,A/Gausdal 1991/TD (31)}) 12... Kh8 (12... Rad8 13. Bd5 Kh8 14. Nc4 Bg4
15. Nxb6 cxb6 16. Nd2 g5 17. Bg3 Nb8 18. Nc4 b5 19. Nxd6 $16 {1-0 Luther,
T-Gruen,P/BL9192 1992/GER-chT (29)}) 13. Bb3 g5 14. Bg3 Nh5 15. Nc4 f6 16. Nxb6
cxb6 17. Nd2 b5 $13 {1/2-1/2 Ehlvest,J-Salov,V/Moscow 1988/URS-ch (82)}) 12.
cxd4 g5 $5 13. Bg3 (13. Nxg5 $5 {Tempting, but maybe not quite as good as it
looks at first.} hxg5 14. Bxg5 Kg7 $1 (14... Bxd4 $2 15. e5 Bxe5 16. Qg6+ Kh8
17. Qh6+ Kg8 18. Ne4 $18) (14... Nxd4 $2 15. e5 Bf5 16. Qg3 Nh5 17. Qh4 Qd7 18.
Qxh5 $18) 15. e5 (15. Nf3 Qe8 16. Rfe1 $13) 15... dxe5 16. Ne4 Bf5 17. dxe5
Nxe4 18. Bxd8 Raxd8 19. Qf3 Bg6 {A highly unclear position. Blacks minor
pieces are quite active.}) 13... Nh5 14. e5 $5 {/\Qg6} Kg7 (14... Nxg3 $2 15.
Qg6+ Kh8 16. Qxh6+ Kg8 17. Nxg5 $18) 15. exd6 Nxg3 16. dxc7 (16. hxg3 cxd6 $13)
16... Qxc7 17. fxg3 $5 {[%mdl 16] Svidler creates a dangerous tactical
liability by self-pinning himself on d4. White hopes to compensate himself
with play on the f-file later on.} g4 18. Nh4 {[%cal Rf1f7,Yd3g6] White has a
threat.} Ne5 $1 {[%cal Ge5f7,Ge5g6,Re5c4,Re5d3]} (18... Bxd4+ 19. Kh1 Bxb2 20.
Rxf7+ $1 Rxf7 21. Qg6+ Kh8 22. Qxh6+ Kg8 23. Qg6+ Kh8 24. Bxf7 $18) (18... Nxd4
19. Rxf7+ $1 $18) 19. Nf5+ (19. Qc3 Rac8 20. Rac1 Qd6 21. Rf4 Nc6 22. Nb3 Ne5
23. Nd2 $11) 19... Bxf5 (19... Kh7 $2 20. Qe4 $18) (19... Kh8 $2 20. Qe3 $18)
20. Qxf5 Bxd4+ $6 {This helps White a bit.} (20... Rad8 $5 {This was the way
to immediately utilise White's weaknesses. White has problems with his loose
pieces on c4 and d2.} 21. Kh1 (21. Rf4 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Rd8 $1 $19) 21... Rxd4 22.
Qf6+ Kh7 23. Qf5+ (23. Rf5 Rxd2 24. Rxe5 Qxc4 25. Qxb6 Qc6 26. Qxc6 bxc6 $13)
23... Kg7 (23... Kg8 $2 24. Ne4 $16) 24. Qf6+ $11) 21. Kh1 Qd6 22. Rae1 (22.
Rad1 Qg6 $11) 22... Rad8 $6 (22... Bxb2 $5 {Still some problems with Nd2 and
Bc4.} 23. Ne4 (23. Re2 Rae8 24. Bb3 Qg6 $17) 23... Qg6 24. Bd5 Qxf5 25. Rxf5
Rab8 26. Nc5 Rfe8 27. Nxb7 $11) 23. Bb3 $1 $16 {White has consolidated. Blacks
weak K-side and the opposite coloured B:s gives White good attacking chances.}
Bxb2 24. Nc4 {Exchanging Black´s best defender.} Nxc4 25. Qxg4+ Qg6 26. Qxc4 b5
27. Qb4 Rc8 28. Re3 $1 {[%cal Yb3f7,Yf1f7,Ye3f3,Yf3f7,Ge3c3][%mdl 128]} (28.
Bxf7 Bc3 29. Qxf8+ (29. Qxc3+ Rxc3 30. Bxg6 Rxf1+ 31. Rxf1 Kxg6 $11) 29... Rxf8
30. Bxg6 Bxe1 31. Rxe1 Kxg6 32. Kg1 $14) 28... Qg5 29. Qd2 Bf6 30. h4 Qc5 31.
Re4 h5 32. Ref4 {[%cal Yf1f7,Yb3f7] Black is doomed.} Rc6 33. Rf5 Qc3 34. Qf4
$18 Rd8 35. Rxh5 Qd2 36. Qg4+ Kf8 37. Rh8+ $1 Ke7 38. Rh7 Rf8 39. Qe4+ Kd7 40.
Bxf7 1-0

[Event "Fujitsu Siemens Giants"]
[Site "Frankfurt"]
[Date "2000.06.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2000.06.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 078"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.10.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.10.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 Bb6 6. O-O O-O 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. Qd3 Qe7 {Leko shifts away from his favourite move.} ({Leko´s pet line} 
9... Bd7 10. Nbd2 a6 {gave him problems after} 11. Bxc6 $5 {in Anand - Leko
from the same tournament.}) 10. Nbd2 Nb8 {Slow but solid. Black starts off by
securing his centre and guarding his N on f6 before doing anything risky, like
playing g5.} 11. Rfe1 c6 12. Ba4 Nbd7 (12... g5 $2 {Too early.} 13. Nxg5 $1
hxg5 14. Bxg5 Kh7 15. Qg3 Rh8 16. Re3 Bd8 17. Rf3 Nbd7 18. d5 Rb8 19. dxc6 bxc6
20. Bxc6 Qe6 21. Rf5 {1-0 Kuporosov,V-Navrotescu,C/Wattens 1993/EXT 2000 (21)})
13. Nc4 Bc7 (13... Re8 14. Rad1 Bc7 15. Ne3 Qf8 16. Nd2 {1/2-1/2 Khalifman,
A-Malaniuk,V/Samara 1998/CBM 67 (16)}) 14. Ne3 Re8 15. Nf5 Qf8 16. Rad1 {
[%mdl 8] White has the usual space advantage. The question is how White is
going to make anything out of it.} (16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Qd2 Nh5 18. Bc2 Nc5 19.
Kh1 Be6 20. b4 Nd7 21. Bb3 Nb6 22. g4 $6 Nf4 $36 {0-1 Wade,R-Redolfi,A/Munich
1958/MCD (49)}) 16... Nh5 17. Bc2 Nb6 18. b3 Be6 19. Qd2 Bd8 20. Ne3 g6 21. c4
{White's expansion is quite instructive.} Bxh4 22. Nxh4 c5 {A very principle
decision. Black does get a good P position, but the problem is that his N:s
are too far removed from the ideal post on d4.} 23. dxc5 dxc5 24. Nd5 Rad8 25.
Qa5 $1 $36 Bxd5 26. exd5 Qd6 27. g3 Re7 28. Rd2 Rde8 29. Rde2 Nf6 30. Nf3 Nfd7
31. Nd2 f5 32. Qxa7 $5 {Shirov goes for chaos as usual.} Ra8 33. Qxb7 Nb8 34.
Qxe7 $1 Qxe7 35. Rxe5 Qb7 36. Re8+ Kf7 37. Nf3 Rxa2 $2 (37... Nc8 $142 $1 $13)
38. R1e6 $1 $40 {[%csl Rf7]} N6d7 (38... N8d7 39. R8e7+ Kf8 40. Ne5 $18) 39.
R6e7+ Kf6 40. Rh7 Qb6 41. Ree7 1-0

[Event "Orel"]
[Site "Orel"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Zaitsev, Igor A"]
[Black "Gorbatov, Alexej"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2430"]
[BlackElo "2415"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "8"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 042"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 O-O (6... a6 $1 7.
Ba4 b5 {--> C84}) 7. e5 Ne8 8. Bf4 (8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d5 $10) 8... f6 (8...
d6 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nxd4 $14) 9. c3 $6 (9. Bxc6 dxc6 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Nxd4 $14
) 9... fxe5 10. Bxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 d5 (11... dxc3 $2 12. Bc4+ Kh8 13. Qh5 Rf6
14. Nxc3 $40) 12. cxd4 Nd6 13. Bd3 Bf5 $10 14. Nc3 c6 15. Bxf5 Nxf5 16. Qg4 Qd6
17. Ne2 Rae8 18. Ng3 g6 $6 (18... Nxg3 $32) 19. Re2 Nxg3 20. hxg3 Bd8 21. Rae1
$14 Re7 22. Nxg6 $5 Rg7 (22... hxg6 $2 23. Rxe7 Bxe7 24. Re6 $18) 23. Re6 Qb4
$2 (23... Qc7 $1 24. Nxf8 (24. Ne7+ $4 Qxe7 $19) 24... Rxg4 25. Re8 Kf7 26. Ne6
Kxe8 $1 27. Nxc7+ Kd7 28. Ne6 Bb6 29. Nc5+ Bxc5 30. dxc5 Rc4 $13) 24. a3 $1 Qb6
25. Re8 $1 (25. Re8 Rxg6 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Qd7 $18) 1-0

[Event "Monarch Assurance 08th"]
[Site "Port Erin"]
[Date "1999.11.13"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Psakhis, Lev"]
[Black "Parker, Jonathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2581"]
[BlackElo "2523"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "153"]
[EventDate "1999.11.06"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "IOM"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 074"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
d6 9. Bxc6 (9. a4 a5 10. Re1 {is main line.}) 9... bxc6 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Qa4 {
This is an optimistic move, but the Q is too lonely to do any damage on the
Q-side. On the contrary, the only significant effect of this bold sortie is
that White weakens his control over vital squares like d2 and d3.} (11. Nbd2
$142 Re8 12. Qc2 {Prudent and good.} g5 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. c4 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Qe7
16. Nb3 Bc5 17. Qc3 Rb8 18. a3 Bg4 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. b4 $14 {1-0 Almasi,
Z-Gulko,B/Pamplona 1996/CBM 57 (95)}) 11... Qd6 12. Rd1 Qe6 13. Bxf6 {New but
not an improvement.} (13. Nbd2 Nd7 14. b4 a5 $132 {1/2-1/2 Topalov,V-Leko,P/
Linares 1999/CBM 70/[Wedberg] (22)}) 13... Qxf6 14. Na3 Bg4 15. Rd3 Rfd8 $17 {
The position is not comfortable for White.} 16. Qc2 (16. Rad1 Bxf3 17. Rxf3
Rxd1+ 18. Qxd1 Rd8 19. Qe1 Qd6 $17) 16... Rxd3 17. Qxd3 Rd8 18. Qe2 Bxf3 19.
Qxf3 (19. gxf3 $2 Qg5+ 20. Kh1 Rd2 $19) 19... Qxf3 20. gxf3 Rd2 21. Nc4 Bxf2+
22. Kf1 Rc2 23. Rd1 $1 {The best defence.} (23. Nxe5 Bb6 $17) 23... Bh4 $6 {
The wrong side.} (23... Bb6 $5 24. Rd8+ (24. Rd2 Rxd2 {With the B on b6
protecting the P:s this is playable.} 25. Nxd2 f6 $17 {but winning is not an
easy task. In the game this ending occurs without the Q-side P:s. Then it´s a
dead draw.}) 24... Kh7 25. Nxe5 Rxh2 26. Nxf7 Rxb2 $17) 24. Rd2 Rc1+ (24...
Rxd2 $6 25. Nxd2 $132 {and White is OK due to the weak black Q-side.}) 25. Kg2
Bg5 26. Re2 Ra1 27. a3 f6 28. Na5 Rb1 $1 (28... c5 $2 29. Nb3 $14) 29. Nxc6 Bc1
30. b4 Bxa3 31. Ra2 Rb3 32. Nxa7 Bb2 33. Nb5 Bxc3 34. Nxc7 Rxb4 35. Nd5 Rb2+ (
35... Rb3 36. Ra8+ Kh7 37. Ra7 $132) 36. Rxb2 Bxb2 {This ending is drawish.
The fact that Black cannot win with the h-P and the B makes it even clearer.}
37. h3 Bc1 38. Kf2 Kf7 39. Ke2 Ba3 40. Nb6 Ke6 41. Nc4 Bc5 42. Nd2 Kd7 43. Kd3
Kc6 44. Nf1 g6 45. Nd2 Bf2 46. Nc4 Kc5 47. Na5 Kd6 48. Nc4+ Ke6 49. Ke2 Bd4 50.
Kd3 Bc5 51. Ke2 h5 52. Nb2 Kf7 53. Nd3 Bd6 54. Kf2 Kg7 55. Kg2 Kh6 56. Kf1 Kg5
57. Kg2 f5 58. Kf1 fxe4 59. fxe4 Kh4 60. Kg2 g5 61. Ne1 g4 62. Nd3 $1 Bc7 (
62... gxh3+ 63. Kh1 Kg3 64. Nxe5 $11) 63. Kh2 Bb6 64. Kg2 Bd4 65. Ne1 Be3 66.
Nd3 Bf4 67. Ne1 Kg5 68. Nd3 Kg6 69. Ne1 g3 70. Nd3 Kf6 71. Kf3 Ke6 72. Ne1 Kd6
73. Ng2 Kc5 74. Nh4 Kd4 75. Ng6 g2 76. Kxg2 Kxe4 77. Nxe5 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 12th"]
[Site "Batumi"]
[Date "1999.12.02"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Lanka, Zigurds"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2504"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1999.11.06"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GEO"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 074"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2000.02.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2000.02.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Latvia"]
[BlackTeam "Bosnia&Herzegovina"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "LAT"]
[BlackTeamCountry "BIH"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. d4 Bb6 7. Bg5 d6 8. a4
a5 9. Re1 h6 10. Bh4 exd4 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nxd4 Re8 13. Nd2 c5 (13... g5 {
This moveorder allows White to put the N on the active square b5. On the other
hand is Nf5 prevented.} 14. Bg3 c5 15. Nb5 (15. Nf5 $6 Bxf5 16. exf5 Rxe1+ 17.
Qxe1 Qd7 $15) 15... Bb7 (15... c6 $2 16. Nxd6 $18) 16. Qc2 (16. e5 dxe5 17. Nc4
Qd5 18. Qxd5 Nxd5 $10 {1/2-1/2 Polgar,J-Spassky,B/Prague 1995/CBM 48/[Wedberg]
(26)}) 16... d5 17. e5 Nh5 18. e6 $13 {1/2-1/2 Shirov,A-Leko,P/Bordeaux 1999/
CBM 70 ext (25)} (18. c4 $14)) (13... Bd7 $6 14. f4 $1 $16) 14. Nc2 (14. Nf5
Bxf5 15. exf5 d5 (15... Rxe1+ 16. Qxe1 d5 17. Qe5 Ng4 18. Qg3 Nf6 19. Qe5 Ng4
$11) 16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. c4 $16 {1-0 Held,P-Lang,T/Germany 1990/
GER (40)}) (14. N4f3 Bb7 15. Qc2 Re6 16. Re3 Qe8 $1 $11 {1/2-1/2 Thorsteins,
K-Spassky,B/Reykjavik 1985/MCD (28)}) 14... g5 {[%mdl 8]} (14... Bb7 15. f3 c4+
16. Nd4 g5 17. Bf2 d5 18. exd5 Qxd5 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Qf1 g4 21. Nxc4 gxf3 22.
Nxb6 fxg2 23. Nxd5 {1/2-1/2 Ree,H-Knezevic,M/Kiev 1978/EXT 2000 (23)}) 15. Bg3
Bb7 16. f3 $6 (16. e5 dxe5 17. Rxe5 Rxe5 18. Bxe5 Qd5 19. Qf3 $11) 16... d5 $1
17. e5 {Giving Black a strong centre. This is especially troublesome since the
white N:s need some secure squares to work from.} ({but} 17. exd5 c4+ $1 (17...
Qxd5 $6 18. c4 {Is in Whites taste. The black B:s lose their punch.}) 18. Kh1 (
18. Bf2 Bxf2+ 19. Kxf2 Qxd5 20. Ne3 Qc5 21. Qe2 Rad8 22. Rad1 Ba6 23. Ndf1 Rd3
$17) (18. Nd4 Qxd5 19. Bf2 c5 20. Nb5 Rxe1+ 21. Bxe1 Qd3 22. Na3 Bd5 $17) 18...
Qxd5 19. Na3 Rxe1+ 20. Qxe1 Re8 21. Qd1 Ba6 {still looks better for Black.})
17... Nh5 18. Nf1 d4 19. Na3 (19. c4 d3 20. Nce3 Qd4 $17) 19... Qd5 20. c4 Qc6
21. h3 Qg6 22. Nb5 Re6 23. Bh2 Nf4 $40 24. Bxf4 gxf4 25. Nh2 h5 {[%csl Rh2]}
26. Qd2 Qf5 {Black is already winning. The N:s are out of play for the rest of
the game.} 27. Re2 Rae8 28. Rae1 Rxe5 29. Rxe5 Rxe5 30. Rxe5 Qxe5 31. Nf1 Bc8
32. Kf2 c6 33. Na3 Bd8 34. Kg1 Bf5 35. b3 Bh4 36. Qd1 Qe1 37. Qd2 Bg3 $22 {
White must exchange Q:s but then Bxe1-b4 picks up Na3.} 0-1

[Event "VISA GP"]
[Site "Reykjavik"]
[Date "1998.03.14"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hector, Jonny"]
[Black "Miles, Anthony John"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2505"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "1998.03.10"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ISL"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 064"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1998.06.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1998.06.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3 e5 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 {This is not very fashionable these days.
But then again Hector never paid much attention to fashion anyway.} exd4 5. e5
Ne4 6. O-O a6 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. Re1 $146 {A new try, but it doesn't change the
basic intuition that Black has no big problems in this line.} (8. Qxd4 Bf5 9.
Bf4 (9. Nbd2 Bc5 10. Qc4 Qd5 11. Qxd5 cxd5 $15 {Vinkel,V-Litvinov,V/URS-chT
1967/MCD-ch/0-1 (73)}) 9... Bc5 10. Qxd8+ Rxd8 11. Nbd2 O-O 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 $15 {
0-1 Medley,G-Morphy,P/London 1858 (25)}) 8... Nc5 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11.
Qxd4 Bf5 12. Qc3 Ne6 {Blacks excellent blockade of the e5-P and active pieces
gives him a clear plus here. This type of P-formation often gives White a
headache in the spanish.} 13. Nbd2 O-O-O 14. b4 Rd5 15. Nf1 Bg4 16. N3d2 Rhd8
17. Nc4 Qg5 $40 18. a4 Kb8 (18... Nf4 19. b5 $5 Ne2+ 20. Rxe2 Bxe2 21. bxa6
bxa6 22. Nd6+ R8xd6 23. exd6 Rxd6 24. Ng3 $13) 19. Nfe3 Bf3 $2 (19... Nf4 $1
20. Nxd5 (20. Nxg4 Qxg4 21. Ne3 Qg5 $15) 20... cxd5 21. Nb2 Bh5 22. g3 Ne2+ 23.
Rxe2 Bxe2 $15) 20. Kh1 $1 $16 {This simple defensive move wins an exchange.}
Be4 21. f3 Bg6 22. Nxd5 cxd5 23. Nb2 d4 24. Qc4 Nf4 25. g3 Ne6 26. Qe2 h5 27.
Qf2 h4 28. gxh4 Qe7 29. Nd3 Rh8 30. Nc5 Nf4 31. Rad1 d3 32. Nxd3 Bxd3 33. cxd3
Qxb4 34. Qd2 Qxd2 35. Rxd2 Rxh4 36. Rg1 Ne6 37. Rg4 Rh5 38. d4 c6 39. d5 (39.
Kg2 g5 40. Kg3 $18) 39... cxd5 40. Rxd5 Rf5 41. a5 (41. Rd7 $142 Rxf3 42. Kg2
Rf5 43. Rb4 $16) 41... Rxf3 42. Rc4 Rf5 43. Kg1 Rg5+ 44. Kf2 Rh5 45. h4 g5 46.
hxg5 Rxg5 47. Rc3 f6 $1 48. Rg3 1/2-1/2

[Event "USA-ch"]
[Site "Long Beach"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Fedorowicz, John P"]
[Black "Kaidanov, Gregory S"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1993.12.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "14"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 039"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1994.04.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1994.04.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 c6 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8.
Bd3 d5 9. exd6 Nf6 (9... Nxd6 10. Re1+ Be6 $4 11. Rxe6+ $18) 10. Re1+ (10. Bg5
Bxd6 11. Re1+ Be6 12. Nc3 Qc7 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Qh5 O-O-O 15. Ne4 Bb4 $1 16.
Re2 Qf4 17. g3 Rhg8 {|^ Sigurjonsson-Taulbut/Brighton 1981}) 10... Be6 11. Nc3
Qxd6 12. Qf3 O-O-O 13. Bf5 $1 Qd7 (13... Rhe8 14. Bg5 $36) (13... Bd7 14. Bf4
Qf8 15. Be5 $16) 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Kb8 17. Qxe6 $16 Qxe6 18.
Rxe6 Rd2 19. Re2 Rxe2 20. Nxe2 Rd8 21. Kf1 Kc7 22. Ke1 Ne4 23. f3 Nd6 24. Nf4
Re8+ 25. Kf2 Nc4 26. b3 Na3 27. c4 Nc2 28. Rd1 c5 29. Ne2 Nb4 30. Rd2 Nc6 31.
h4 a6 32. Rd5 b6 33. Nc3 Ne5 34. h5 h6 35. g4 Kc6 36. Kg3 Nd7 37. Ne4 Re6 38.
Kf4 Re7 39. a4 a5 40. Ng3 Nf6 41. Nf5 Rf7 42. Rd6+ Kc7 43. Re6 Nd7 44. Re7 Rxe7
45. Nxe7 Nf8 46. Ke5 1-0

[Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."]
[Site "Las Vegas"]
[Date "1999.08.04"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Dolmatov, Sergey"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2600"]
[BlackElo "2676"]
[Annotator "Wedberg,T"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1999.07.31"]
[EventType "k.o."]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 072"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {King} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. Ba4 {A funny move.
White usually waits for a6 before moving the B. One reason could be that White
wants to avoid the exchange of B:s after Na5. Still after the more common} (6.
O-O {noone has tried} Na5) 6... Be7 (6... g6 7. O-O (7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. Nf1 O-O 9.
Ng3 Qe8 10. Bc2 Kh8 11. Bd2 Ng8 12. h4 h5 13. Qe2 Bg4 14. Nf1 Bh6 15. N1h2
Bxd2+ 16. Qxd2 Bd7 17. O-O-O $13 {1/2-1/2 Magem Badals,J-Collas,D/Corsica 1997/
EXT 99 (45)}) 7... Bg7 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. d4 Qe8 11. Bb3 Nh5 12. Na3 Kh7
13. Be3 f5 14. exf5 gxf5 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Bc5 $14 {1-0 Spangenberg,H-Valerga,
D/Pena City 1996/CBM 55 ext (41)}) 7. O-O O-O 8. h3 Rb8 (8... h6 $5 {/\Nh7, f5}
) 9. Re1 b5 10. Bc2 b4 {Black softens White on c3, this is important in some
situations, but the cost in moves is quite high.} 11. Nbd2 bxc3 12. bxc3 d5 13.
Bb3 $1 (13. exd5 Nxd5 $132 {[%csl Rc3]}) 13... dxe4 (13... Be6 14. Ba4 $14 {
[%csl Re5]}) 14. dxe4 Bc5 15. Nc4 Qe7 16. Bg5 $14 Be6 (16... Rfd8) (16... Rfd8
{King and only then ...h6. Black looks fine.}) 17. Qe2 h6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 (18...
Qxf6 19. Ba4 Ne7 20. Ncxe5 $16) 19. Nh4 $16 Kh7 20. Qf3 Rg8 21. Nf5 Qf8 {
Compare this position with the game Milos - Salov, same tournament.} 22. Rad1
Ne7 23. Nce3 $1 Nxf5 24. Nxf5 Bxb3 25. axb3 Rxb3 26. Rd7 {'+/-' King.} Rb2 27.
Re2 Rxe2 28. Qxe2 $18 {Black´s extra P is of little importance. White´s N and
R secures a winning advantage.} Bd6 29. Qe3 Rg5 30. Nxd6 cxd6 31. Qxa7 Kg6 32.
g3 f5 33. h4 Rh5 34. Qb7 Kg7 35. Qc7 $1 Qe8 (35... fxe4 36. Rd8 $18) 36. Re7
Qg8 37. Qxd6 fxe4 38. Rxe5 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 5th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2017.06.15"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2796"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2017.06.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d5 $5 {An intriguing line.} 6.
exd5 (6. Nbd2 {Vachier Lagrave-Hou Yifan, Grenke 2017, is a practical choice.})
6... Qxd5 7. Bc4 Qd6 8. b4 {Energetic.} (8. Qe2 O-O 9. Nbd2 a5 {
Topalov-Aronian, 2016}) 8... Bb6 9. a4 e4 (9... a6 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. O-O h6 12.
Ba3 $14) 10. dxe4 Qxd1+ 11. Kxd1 Nxe4 12. Kc2 Bf5 {Novelty, and a good one.} (
12... Nd6 {Caruana-Xiong, US Ch 2017. Fabiano at some point had a sizeable
advantage only to squander it away and fight for a draw later on.}) 13. Nh4 Bd7
14. Re1 f5 15. Nxf5 (15. f3 Bf2 16. Re2 Bxh4 17. fxe4 fxe4 18. Rxe4+ Be7 {
is equal, because White has to stop ...Bf5, and therefore has no time to
exploit the pin on the e-file.}) 15... Bxf5 16. f3 Ne5 17. fxe4 Bg4 {Black
enjoys full compensation for a sacrificed pawn.} 18. h3 (18. Na3 Bf2 19. Rf1
Rf8 20. Kb3 O-O-O {Same here.}) 18... Nxc4 19. hxg4 O-O 20. Re2 a5 21. Nd2 (21.
Na3 Ne5 22. Bb2 Rf4 23. g5 c6 24. Rd1 Rg4 $11) 21... Ne3+ 22. Kb3 axb4 23. cxb4
Rfd8 24. Bb2 {The ensuing complications kept the game roughly balanced.} ({
However, MVL had a much better move.} 24. Nf3 $1 Nxg4 (24... Nxg2 25. a5 Rd3+
26. Kb2) 25. a5 Bf2 26. b5 $14 {Once Black's threats run out the active king
will help White on the Q-side, while its black counterpart is miles away from
the action.}) 24... Rd3+ 25. Bc3 Bd4 26. Rc1 Nd1 27. Nb1 Nxc3 28. Nxc3 Be5 29.
a5 Rg3 30. Rf2 c6 31. Rf3 Rxg4 32. Na4 Rxg2 33. Nc5 Rb2+ 34. Kc4 Bd6 $2 {
I suspect Vladimir stole a look or two at the Carlsen-Karjakin game, hoping
his teammate could bring the Champ down. Grabbing that Number One Position in
the live rating list would be so sweet.} ({Normally this game should have
ended peacefully after something like this:} 34... Rb8 35. Rd1 h5 36. Rf5 Rc2+
37. Kb3 Rc3+ 38. Ka2 (38. Ka4 $4 b5+ 39. axb6 Ra8+ 40. Na6 Rxa6#) 38... Bf6 39.
Rxh5 Rc2+) 35. Rd1 Bxc5 36. Kxc5 {Suddenly it's Black who's in huge trouble.
From the hunted, harried piece the chameleon king turns into the fearsome
hunter in the blink of an eye.} Re8 37. Rd7 Re5+ 38. Kc4 $1 h5 $2 ({The
salvation was there after a rook trade:} 38... Rxe4+ 39. Kc3 Rbe2 40. Rxb7
R4e3+ 41. Rxe3 Rxe3+ 42. Kd4 Ra3 43. Kc5 g5 44. Kb6 g4 45. a6 g3 46. Re7 h5 47.
Re5 h4 48. Ra5 Rxa5 {and both sides will get their new queens to arrive in a
drawn ending.}) 39. Rxb7 Rxe4+ 40. Kc5 {Not the same script with four rooks
present. Black will find it difficult to advance his pawns as his king falls
behind.} Rc2+ 41. Kd6 Rd4+ 42. Kc7 Ra2 43. Kxc6 h4 44. Rb6 Rg4 $2 (44... Rc2+
45. Kb7 Rd7+ 46. Ka6 Rd5 47. Rb8+ (47. b5 Rb2) 47... Kh7 48. Rff8 g5 49. b5 {
Still, a lot of work left for White.}) 45. a6 Kh7 46. Rf5 $1 Ra4 (46... g5 47.
Re5 h3 48. Re7+ Kg6 49. Kd5+ Kf5 50. Rf7# {is a good visual on why four rook
endings are of a special kind.}) (46... Re4 47. Kd5 Rg4 48. Rh5+ Kg8 49. Kc6 g6
50. Ra5 $18) 47. Rh5+ Kg6 48. Rxh4 $1 {An elegant finish, and MVL finally
lights up the scoreboard!} 1-0

[Event "WchT 11th"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2017.06.17"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Karthikeyan, Murali"]
[Black "Piorun, Kacper"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2582"]
[BlackElo "2632"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Poland"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "POL"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4
Ba7 9. Re1 b5 10. Bb3 d6 11. Nf1 h6 12. a4 b4 13. a5 bxc3 14. bxc3 Ne7 15. Be3
Ng6 16. g3 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Bxa7 Rxa7 19. d4 e4 20. Qc2 f5 21. N3d2 c6 {
Kacper Piorun made a statement by taking down Vassily Ivanchuk in a sharp
counter-attacking game in the recent Capablanca Memorial. Here he follows the
same script: Black has surrendered space on the queenside and has weaknesses,
while looking for a chance to attack the king.} 22. Ba4 ({The surest way of
nipping such ambitions in the bud would be} 22. f3 $1 Rae7 23. fxe4 fxe4 24.
Ne3 {but the young Indian GM must have felt it wasn't enough for an advantage.}
) 22... Re6 23. Nb3 Nf8 24. Nc5 Rf6 25. Qb3 Re7 26. c4 ({Once again, us old
hands would look at} 26. f3 $1 {before anything else. Black then would have to
find} Kh8 $1 ({not} 26... exf3 $2 27. Rxe7 Qxe7 28. Bxc6 Rxc6 {where Black's
position falls apart, and the forced line} 29. Qxd5+ Kh7 30. Qxc6 Qe2 31. Ra2
Qxa2 32. Qxf3 Qxa5 {leaves him struggling to survive down a piece after} 33.
Qc6 Qxc3 34. Qxc8 Qxd4+ 35. Kg2) 27. fxe4 fxe4 {Surprisingly, the e4-pawn is
poison:} 28. Rxe4 $2 Ne6 $1 29. Nxe6 Bxe6 30. Qa3 Rf3 {etc.}) 26... Nc7 27. d5
Qd6 ({Objectively speaking,} 27... Nd7 {was better, but Piorun is not
interested in drawish lines.}) 28. Qa3 (28. Qb6 $1 cxd5 29. cxd5 Qxb6 30. axb6
Rxb6 31. Ne3 {was certainly worth investigating.}) 28... cxd5 29. cxd5 Kh8 30.
Ne3 $2 {One mistake from Murali and the floodgates are open.} f4 $1 31. Nc4
Qxd5 32. Nb6 Qf5 33. Nxc8 f3 $1 {From this moment on everything follows a
familiar pattern - White has no chances left.} 34. Kh1 Re5 35. Rxe4 Qh3 36. Rg1
Rh5 37. Rh4 Rxh4 38. gxh4 Rg6 39. Qa1 Rg2 0-1

[Event "WchT 11th"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2017.06.17"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Bartel, Mateusz"]
[Black "Negi, Parimarjan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2637"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "161"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[EventType "team-tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Poland"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "POL"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Qe2 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8.
Qxf3 Nd7 9. Qg3 O-O 10. Nd2 f6 11. O-O Re8 12. Nb3 Bd6 13. Na5 Qc8 14. Nc4 Nf8
15. f4 exf4 16. Bxf4 Bxf4 17. Rxf4 Kh8 18. e5 f5 19. Rf2 Ng6 20. Qf3 f4 21. d4
Qe6 22. Nd2 Rad8 23. c3 b6 24. Ne4 Qf5 25. b4 Rf8 26. Re1 h6 27. Nd2 c5 28.
bxc5 bxc5 29. Nb3 cxd4 30. e6 Qf6 31. cxd4 Rfe8 32. d5 Rd6 {White has made big
strides with his central pawns, but his knight is unfortunately positioned.}
33. Rc2 (33. Nc5 Qd4 {drops the d5-pawn}) ({and} 33. Na5 Qg5 34. Rd1 Nh4 35.
Qb3 f3 {is unnerving.}) 33... Qg5 34. Rxc7 Rxd5 35. Re4 Re5 {Black now has a
clear edge, so Bartel takes a gamble.} 36. Nd4 $5 (36. Rxe5 Qxe5 37. Qc3 Qxc3
38. Rxc3 Rxe6 39. Rc4 $15) 36... Nh4 37. Rxe5 (37. Qe2 f3 $1 38. Nxf3 Rxe4 39.
Qxe4 Qxg2#) 37... Nxf3+ 38. Nxf3 Qd8 39. Rd7 Qb6+ 40. Nd4 (40. Kh2 Rxe6 41.
Rxe6 Qxe6 42. Rxa7 {I'm not sure Black is winning , but he's certainly going
to try.}) 40... Qb1+ ({Opening the white king up with} 40... f3 $1 {was the
way to go.}) 41. Kh2 Qxa2 $2 (41... Qb4 $142 42. e7 Kh7) 42. e7 $1 {The tables
have turned. Suddenly, it's Black who's in danger.} f3 $5 {Better late than
never. Negi wants to create some perpetual check oportunities.} ({Truth to
tell,} 42... Qg8 43. Ne6 Qf7 44. Rd8 (44. Nc7 f3) 44... Qxe7 45. Nxg7 Kxg7 46.
Rxe8 Qa3 {was enough to draw.}) 43. Nxf3 Kg8 44. Nd4 Qd2 45. Re2 $2 {Another
turn-around.} ({Bartel missed} 45. Rf5 Kh7 46. Ne6 {where White is out of
danger.}) 45... Qf4+ 46. g3 Qf6 $17 47. Kg2 a5 48. Re6 Qg5 49. h4 Qg4 50. Rdd6
Kf7 $2 {The final twist in the tale.} (50... a4 $19) 51. Nc6 $1 Qxe6 52. Nd8+
Kxe7 53. Rxe6+ Kxd8 54. Ra6 {Black is just one tempo short.} Re5 55. Kf3 Kc8
56. Rg6 Kb8 (56... Re7 57. Ra6) 57. Rxg7 a4 58. Rg4 Ra5 59. Rb4+ Kc7 60. Rb1 a3
61. g4 Kd6 62. Ke4 a2 63. Ra1 Ke6 64. Kd3 Ra4 65. Kc3 Ke5 66. Kb3 Rxg4 67. Rxa2
Rxh4 {The game has reached an endgame book draw.} 68. Ra5+ Kf4 69. Kc3 Rh2 70.
Kd3 h5 71. Ra8 h4 72. Rf8+ Kg3 73. Ke3 Ra2 74. Rg8+ Kh2 75. Kf3 h3 76. Rh8 Ra5
77. Rg8 Rf5+ 78. Ke2 Kh1 79. Rh8 h2 80. Rg8 Ra5 81. Kf1 1/2-1/2

[Event "USA-ch"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2017.03.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Robson, Ray"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2668"]
[BlackElo "2793"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,A"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2017.03.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Be6 7. O-O Bd6 8.
d4 Nd7 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Bxe5 11. f4 Bd4+ ({Nakamura has had a look at
this position from the other side of the board:} 11... Qd4+ {was played
against him by Aronian. After} 12. Kh1 Bd6 13. Qe2 O-O-O {White made the
thematic advance} 14. f5 {known since Lasker's win over Capablanca, St
Peterburg, 1914. Similar positions, same idea to restrict Black's
light-squared bishop.} Bd7 15. Nf3) 12. Kh1 f5 {Hikaru is well prepared as
ever. Here he takes a page out of Grischuk's opening book.} (12... f6 13. Qe2
O-O 14. Nf3 Bc5 15. Be3 Qe7 {Robson-Swiercz, PRO League, 20017 ended
peacefully after a mere 123 moves of play, albeit Black was better most of the
way through.}) 13. Qe2 ({Not much is accomplished by} 13. Qh5+ g6 14. Qe2 O-O
15. Nf3 Bf6 16. e5 Be7 {Caruana-Grischuk, London Classic 2015. Despite a good
looking pawn on e5 this structure is known to be safe for Black.}) 13... O-O
14. Rd1 Qe7 15. Nf3 Bc5 16. Re1 Rae8 17. exf5 $6 {Ray wants to take a
different path, but opening the position must favour the bishop pair.} Bd5 18.
Ne5 Rxf5 19. c4 Be6 20. Bd2 Bd6 21. Rf1 Ref8 22. b3 Bxe5 $1 {The strength of
said pair is often manifested in trading one of the bishops!} 23. fxe5 Qc5 24.
Bc3 b5 25. Rxf5 Rxf5 26. Rd1 Qf2 27. Qd3 ({The endgame resulting in} 27. Qxf2
Rxf2 28. cxb5 Rc2 {is not a simple draw. The g2-pawn is a big target, while
the white bishop is reduced to a strictly defensive role.} 29. Be1 cxb5 30. a4
a6 31. axb5 axb5 32. b4 c6 33. Kg1 Bd5 34. Rd2 Rc4 $15) 27... bxc4 28. bxc4 h6
29. Bd4 Qxa2 30. Ra1 Qxc4 31. Qxc4 Bxc4 32. Bxa7 Rxe5 33. Kg1 Bd5 34. Rc1 Re2
35. Bf2 Kf7 36. h3 Ra2 37. Rc3 {Ray was in too much of a time trouble rush to
look ahead and see if his fortress can be breached. Credit goes to Hikaru for
seeing deeper.} g5 38. Rc1 h5 39. Rc3 Kg6 40. Rc1 Kf5 41. Rc3 g4 42. hxg4+ hxg4
{Absolute Zugzwang.} 43. Bg3 {At first sight this move looks strange, but in
truth, there was nothing better.} (43. Rd3 {surrenders the c-file:} Rc2 44. Re3
c5) (43. Kf1 {drops the g-pawn anyway:} Ra1+ 44. Be1 Bxg2+ 45. Kxg2 Rxe1 46.
Rxc6 Re7 $19) ({Other rook moves, such as} 43. Rc1 {allow} g3) 43... Rxg2+ 44.
Kf1 Rxg3 $1 {Who says technical endgame play leaves no room for flair?} (44...
Rb2 45. Bxc7 Rb3 46. Rxb3 Bxb3 {was winning, but in such endings things can go
wrong if White establishes a blockade.} 47. Ke2 Ke4 $1 (47... c5 $6 48. Kd3 Be6
49. Bd6 c4+ 50. Kd4 {Now in order to win Black must force the white king away
from d4:} Kg5 (50... Kg6 51. Bg3 Kf7 52. Bf4 Ke7 53. Bg3 Kd7 54. Bf4 Kc6 55.
Bg3 Kb5 56. Bd6 Bf7 57. Kc3 Kc6 $1 58. Bg3 Kd5 {but it's the longer road.}) 51.
Bg3) 48. Bd6 Kd4 $19) 45. Rxg3 c5 {Too much distance between the pawns for
White to cope with.} 46. Kf2 Kf4 47. Rd3 c6 {This little guy has an important
role too - see the note to the 64th move.} 48. Ra3 c4 49. Rc3 Be6 50. Ra3 Bf5
51. Rg3 Bd3 52. Re3 Be4 53. Ra3 (53. Rg3 Bf3 {and the c-pawn moves forward.})
53... Bd3 54. Ra5 g3+ 55. Kg1 Be4 56. Ra3 Bd5 57. Kf1 g2+ 58. Kf2 Ke5 59. Rg3
Kd4 60. Ke2 c3 61. Kd1 Be4 62. Ke2 c2 63. Kd2 Ke5 64. Rg4 ({There it is,} 64.
Rxg2 Bxg2 65. Kxc2 {is useless.}) 64... Kf5 65. Rg8 Kf4 {A flawless, business
as usual, performance by Nakamura.} 0-1

[Event "Qatar Masters op"]
[Site "Doha"]
[Date "2014.12.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Yu, Yangyi"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[Annotator "Yu,Yangyi"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2014.11.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "QAT"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 164"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Before the final round Kramnik, the second seed in this tournament (behind
Giri), was leading the field with 7.0/8, followed by me with 6.5/8. I felt a
bit exhausted after my lucky but deserved five hour victory in round eight
against Giri. Playing the former World Champion, whose games I had studied
extensively ever since I began playing chess, was of course a great event for
me. I approached the last round with excitement and was eager to learn from
one of the most renowned personalities in chess history.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Nf6 {Not a big surprise - I was expecting either the Berlin or the
Petroff.} 4. d3 {I chose a line that avoids the exchange of too many pieces.
Kramnik is one of the leading experts of the Berlin, and he is particularly
strong in quiet endgames without queens. Thus, I was eager to get a more open
and combative type of position, which suits my strengths much more.} Bc5 5.
Bxc6 $5 {I was happy to exchange my bishop for his knight to create an
unbalanced position with a doubled pawns for Black. I know there are three
other main moves but with this one White avoids simplifications.} dxc6 6. Nbd2
Be6 {I had prepared mainly against 6...0-0.} 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nb3 Bb6 $5 {To my
knowledge 8...Be7 is played more frequently. I then wanted to continue with 9.
Na5 or 9.d4. I didn't spend much time analysing 8...Bb6 during my preparations
and now had to improvise.} (8... Be7 $5 9. d4 (9. Na5 $5)) 9. Ng5 Bxb3 10. axb3
f6 11. Nf3 Nf8 12. Nd2 {My intuition told me that White was slightly better
here.} Ne6 13. Qh5+ {The idea is to provoke ...g6. Later, after f4 from White,
the f6-square would be weak. As Black still has the doubled c-pawns, I felt
the closer we get to an endgame the more superior White's position would
become.} g6 14. Qd1 Bc5 15. Nc4 b5 $6 {Maybe not a good move. It weakens the
queenside and allows my knight to entrench itself on a5, effectively tying up
Black's c-pawns on c6 and c7.} (15... Qe7 16. Kh1 a6 17. f4 exf4 18. Bxf4 Nxf4
19. Rxf4 O-O-O 20. c3 $14) 16. Na5 Qd7 17. Be3 Bb6 (17... Bd6 18. g3 c5 19. f4
exf4 20. gxf4 O-O 21. Kh1 $14) 18. b4 O-O (18... c5 19. bxc5 Bxc5 20. Bxc5 Nxc5
21. b4 Ne6 22. Nb3 $14) 19. Qd2 f5 $6 (19... c5 20. bxc5 Nxc5 21. b4 Ne6 22.
Nb3 $14) 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Qc3 $1 {I had calculated for a very long time
before deciding to play this move. Black obviously wants to launch a kingside
attack, so White must quickly aim for counterplay on the queenside. As the
saying goes, "attack is the best defence"ќ. Here my impression was that I was
the one who spent time calculating, while my opponent was relying more on his
feeling. In hindsight I have to say that I was luckier because this position
really called for precise calculations.} f4 ({I was expecting} 21... Bxa5 22.
Rxa5 f4 (22... Qd5 23. f3 $16) {after which I intended to play} 23. Bxa7 {
. I had calculated up to 25.Qg5+ leading to a draw, but then 26.Be3 secures a
huge advantage for White.} f3 24. Qxe5 Nf4 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. Be3 $1 $16 (26.
Qe5+ $11)) 22. Bxb6 cxb6 (22... axb6 23. Nxc6 $16 (23. Qxc6 Rad8 24. Qxd7 Rxd7)
) 23. Nxc6 $1 (23. Qxc6 Qc8 $1) 23... Qd6 {I had not considered this move. But
after thinking for five minutes I saw that after 24.Rxa7 Rxa7 25.Nxa7 Nd4, I
could play 26.Nb5!. I think my opponent must have missed this tactical
resource.} (23... f3 24. Nxe5 Qd5 25. Nxf3 (25. Qb3 Qxb3 26. cxb3 fxg2 27. Kxg2
Nd4 28. Rae1) 25... Rxf3 26. gxf3 Nd4 27. Qc7 $1 $18 Kh8 28. Rfe1) 24. Rxa7
Rxa7 (24... f3 25. Ne7+ Kh8 26. Nf5) 25. Nxa7 f3 (25... Nd4 26. Nxb5) 26. Qc6 {
The right and safest choice, avoiding any attempts to fork my queen after ...
Nd4. White's advantage is already very obvious.} Qe7 27. Nxb5 Kh8 $6 {I think
Black should have played 27...fxg2 to attain a bit of counterplay.} (27... fxg2
28. Kxg2 (28. Qxg2+ Kh8 29. Kh1 Qxb4 30. Qd5 Qf4 31. Qe4 $16) 28... Kh8 29. Kh1
$18) 28. g3 {Now I think White's advantage is decisive. After Ra1-a8 and an
exchange of rooks White is simply three pawns up.} Qf7 29. Ra1 Ng5 30. Ra8 Qe7
31. h4 Nh3+ 32. Kf1 e4 (32... Qxb4 33. Qf6+ $18) 33. Qxe4 {I felt happy and
very honoured to win this important game and with it the tournament! But when
euphoria and happiness subsided, I felt terribly exhausted and was longing for
a good rest!} 1-0

