A Solid Draw in Game Four

The fourth game saw the typical minimal-advantage-pressing by the World Champion and a subtle and confident defense by Anand. The latter held his own with seeming ease. The material and moral advantage that Carlsen had in the first two games evaporated completely.

[Event "World Chess Championship 2014"]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2014.11.12"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2863"]
[BlackElo "2785"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]

1. e4 {Magnus remains true to the open games.} c5 {Vishy- not. We would most
likely see the Berlin later in the match again, but not today.} 2. Nf3 e6 {A
small surprise. Anand usually chooses the sharp and well explored Najdorf. His
last game in the line was against Bobras in 2014 and the last but one was
already in 2008.} 3. g3 {One can expect the unexpected from Carlsen, but this
line he had already tried.} Nc6 {A curious blitz game saw} (3... b6 4. Bg2 Bb7
5. Qe2 d6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Rd1 a6 $4 10. e5 $1 Bxg2 11.
exf6 Bh3 (11... Bb7 12. Nxe6 $1) 12. Qh5 {and it was basically over- Carlsen,M
(2843)-Caruana,F (2772) Sao Paulo/Bilbao 2012}) 4. Bg2 d5 5. exd5 exd5 6. O-O
Nf6 7. d4 Be7 8. Be3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 {All of this was probably Anti-Caruana
preparation by Magnus. The way that he won to his rival appealed that much to
the people that a lot of them gave it a try} Bg4 $146 {[%cal Gg4d1] Diagram [#]
A logical novelty. Anand is developing a piece with a tempo. Previously only} (
9... O-O {was tested, for example} 10. Nc3 (10. h3 {deprives the bishop of the
g4 square but Black equalized after} Re8 11. Re1 h6 12. Nd2 Bd6 13. c3 Bd7 {
Short,N (2696)-Caruana,F (2675) Wijk aan Zee 2010}) 10... Bg4 {whe the arising
position is more or less similar to teh one in the actual game.} 11. Qd3 a6 12.
Rfe1 Qd7 13. Nxc6 (13. Na4 $5 {to make use of the weakened b6 square was
interesting.}) 13... bxc6 14. Na4 {and White was little better in Jones,G
(2635)-Caruana,F (2767) Reykjavik 2012}) 10. Qd3 Qd7 11. Nd2 O-O {Black avoids
the weakening a6-a6 move for the time being. Not allowing strong outposts
against Carlsen sounds like a healthy idea to me.} 12. N2f3 ({White would be
happy to use the c5 square for this knight, however after} 12. Rfe1 Rfe8 13.
Nxc6 bxc6 14. Nb3 {Black wil get the f5 square in return and built
counter-play with} Bf5 15. Qc3 Ne4 $132) 12... Rfe8 {A typical IQP position
had arisen. We usually see those in the Tarrasch line of the French defense
after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5. The French IQP was tested in the
WCC matches between Karpov and Kortschnoi. As a rule the latter was solving
the problems quite confidently. White has slightly better pawn structure and
will be happy to trade as many pieces as possible. Ideally, he would like to
see his knight on d4 torturing the light-squared bishop of the opponent.} 13.
Rfe1 ({This is the reason why he does not go for the light-squared bishop
immediately with} 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Ne5 Qb7 15. Nxg4 Nxg4 16. Bd4 {White had
traded a pair of pieces which is generally desirable, but after} Bf6 {Black
would be happy as he will have a hefty knight on the board.}) 13... Bd6 14. c3
{[%csl Rd6,Re3,Gg2][%cal Gg2d5] Diagram [#] One of the differences in
comparison of the French IQP is favorable for White- the fianchettoed bishop
is very strong and exerts pressure on the pawn at once. Another difference is
in Black's favor though- White is deprived of the usual plan to swap off the
dark-squared bishops with Be3-f4 or Be3-g5-h4-g3.} h6 {Anticipates the move
Be3-g5 which can be rather awkward for the second player.} 15. Qf1 {A little
venomous move. White prepares h2-h3 followed by Nf3-h4-(f5) when the black
bishop will not feel comfortable.} Bh5 $1 {Anticipates the threat. It is
always somewhat discouraging to know that your opponent knows what are you up
to.} (15... Rad8 16. h3 Bh5 17. Nh4 {looks good for White.}) 16. h3 {Magnus
took the g4 square out of the black knight and bishop.} (16. Nh4 $5 {deserved
attention, for example} Bc5 17. Nhf5 Bb6 {would most likely force White to
play h2-h3 anyway.} 18. h3) 16... Bg6 17. Rad1 Rad8 $11 {Both the sides
developed nicely their troops. The World Champion decides to start the trades
as there are no squares to work at} 18. Nxc6 {Diagram [#]} ({Both} 18. Nh4 Bh7)
({and} 18. Bc1 Ne4 {look good for Black.}) 18... bxc6 {The IQP was transformed
into IQP pair of pawns.} 19. c4 {A typical idea. Otherwise the IQP pair might
turn into something intimidating, known as hanging pawns.} Be4 $1 {[%csl Rg2]
[%cal Re4g2] The human solution. This takes care of White's most dangerous
piece.} ({For some reason my computer likes} 19... Bb4 20. Bd2 Bxd2 21. Rxd2
Ne4 22. Rdd1 Qb7 23. cxd5 cxd5 {a human being will hardly like the combination
of a white Nd4 versus black Bg6.}) (19... Qb7 $5 {though equally good.}) 20.
Bd4 {White uses the moment to worsen the position of the opponent's knight.}
Nh7 21. cxd5 Bxd5 {A bit unexpected but good. The isolated pawns provide
excellent outposts for the black pieces. Vishy does not want to allow pawn
majority for his opponent on the queen's flank. Instead he chooses the pawn
construction he used to defeat Veselin Topalov in their WCC match four years
ago.} (21... cxd5 {should also be a touch better for White although, if you
ask Black he might argue that it is equal.}) 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Qd3 ({White is
not threatening anything after} 23. Qa6 {for example} Nf8 24. Qxa7 Qxa7 25.
Bxa7 Ra8 26. Bd4 Rxa2 27. Ne5 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 c5 29. Bc3 Bxe5 30. Bxe5 Ne6 $11)
23... Nf8 {Improves the least active piece.} 24. Nh4 Be5 {Both the bishops
disappear and the defense is easier for Black.} 25. Bxd5 ({In case of} 25. Bxe5
Rxe5 26. f4 Re8 27. Nf5 Qe6 {the white king is too weak and he has not time to
grab the pawn} 28. Bxd5 cxd5 29. Qxd5 Qb6+) 25... Qxd5 26. Bxe5 Qxe5 27. b3 Ne6
28. Nf3 Qf6 {[%csl Rf6,Yg1] Black's task is to keep the white pieces busy with
threats on the kingside. Anand defends flawlessly.} 29. Kg2 Rd8 30. Qe2 Rd5 ({
Better than} 30... Rxd1 31. Qxd1 Qe7 32. Qd3) 31. Rxd5 cxd5 {White achieved
his goal of trading as many pieces as possible but the remaining queens on the
board allow plenty of counter-play for the second player.} 32. Ne5 Qf5 33. Nd3
Nd4 34. g4 $5 {The last chance to get something out of the game.} Qd7 ({Anand
does not want to calculate the consequences of the knight endgame, knowing
that "a knight endgame is more or less a pawn one"-Botvinnik..} 34... Nxe2 35.
gxf5 Kf8 36. Kf3 Nd4+ 37. Kf4 Nc6 38. b4 {the outside passer might be too
dangerous!}) 35. Qe5 Ne6 36. Kg3 ({The d4 pawn might become dangerous-} 36. Nb4
$2 d4 37. Nd3 Qc6+ 38. Kh2 Qc2) 36... Qb5 (36... d4 {was also good.}) 37. Nf4
Nxf4 38. Kxf4 ({Nothing changes} 38. Qxf4 a5) 38... Qb4+ 39. Kf3 {Diagram [#]}
d4 {Anand is temporary sacrificing a pawn to force the draw.} 40. Qe8+ Kh7 41.
Qxf7 Qd2 42. Qf5+ Kh8 43. h4 {with the idea to open the king after g4-g5 but
there is no time for that.} (43. Qf4 Qxa2 44. Qxd4 Qxb3+ $11) 43... Qxa2 44.
Qe6 (44. g5 Qxb3+ 45. Kg4 d3 {will lead to a perpetual anyway.}) 44... Qd2 45.
Qe8+ Kh7 46. Qe4+ Kh8 47. Qe8+ Kh7 {Anand comfortably held the black color
today. He traded the right pieces and activated his own ones in the proper
time.} 1/2-1/2

Tomorrow is a free day.

Vishy Levels the Score!

Yesterday was a great day for chess! Former World Champion Vishy Anand showed what he is capable of and defeated the reigning champion Magnus Carlsen to level the score in the match.
Contrary to the expectations and fears of many of the chess fans all over the world this match looks nothing but one-sided!
Since I was travelling to India for a FIDE trainer's seminar, I had no physical ability to annotate the game.
I will use Erwin L'Ami's notes for chess.com instead:

[Event "Wch Sochi"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.11.11"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anand, Vishy"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[Annotator "EA"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]

{[Annotations by GM Erwin l'Ami]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 {Just as in Chennai,
Magnus does not stick to one opening but rather jumps from one to the other.
That means no Grunfeld today but a 'solid' Queen's Gambit.} 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3
Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 {Diagram [#]} ({A small surprise as at the
top level this move is completely overtaken by} 7... Nh5 {taking the bishop on
f4. Having said that, Carlsen has used the text move in previous games and it
is of course a perfectly respectable line as well.}) 8. Bd3 ({[The game should
be compared with} 8. h3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 cxb5 13. c6
Qc8 14. c7 b4 15. Nb5 a4 16. Rc1 Ne4 17. Nd2 Ndf6 18. f3 Ra5 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20.
fxe4 Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 23. exd5 Rxd5 24. Qxb6 Qd7 25. O-O Rc8 26.
Rc6 (26. Qa6 Rb5 27. Rb1 Rb2 {Gyimesi,Z (2616)-Vaganian,R (2587) Germany 2006})
26... h6 27. Rfc1 Kh7 28. Qa6 Rf5 29. Bd6 Bh4 30. Qxa3 Bf2+ 31. Kh1 Rd5 32. Bf4
f5 33. Qc3 Bh4 34. Rb6 Bg5 35. Be5 Bd8 36. Rb8 {1-0 Tomashevsky,E (2646)
-Riazantsev,A (2656) Moscow 2008 - PD]}) 8... b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 {[%csl
Ya6,Yd3] One of the points behind Black's previous two moves, Magnus' bad
bishop can now be exchanged on a6.} 11. Bxa6 ({When this was played by Vishy
without a glitch I knew we would be in for an exciting day! Instead} 11. O-O
Qc8 {leads to much quieter play.}) 11... Rxa6 12. b5 {The only serious
follow-up, if Black gets to play Qa8 his position will be ultra-solid. The
game continuation tries to make use of the fact that after the exchange on a6
Black's forces have been slightly discoordinated.} cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 {
[%csl Ya5,Yb5,Yb6,Rc7] Diagram [#] So far for the 'solid' Queen's Gambit!
Black has an extra pawn but in return Vishy has created a monster on c7,
paralysing Black's position. One can find about a dozen games featuring this
position and no doubt both players have spent there time on this position.
However, given how the game develops I expect Anand has spent considerably
more time on it then his opponent.} b4 ({I am no expert on this line, but I
feel} 14... Bxa3 $5 15. Nxb5 Bb4+ {deserves attention. After} 16. Ke2 {I want
to play} Nc5 $5 {the idea being} 17. dxc5 bxc5 {when the knight on b5 has lost
stability and with it White's entire position.}) ({Perhaps (} 14... Bxa3 {)}
15. O-O Bb2 16. Nxb5 {is the right idea, going all in with the pawn on c7.
Food for thought!}) 15. Nb5 a4 {Logical, Magnus is preparing to expel the
mighty knight with Ra5.} 16. Rc1 Ne4 ({White's previous move prevented} 16...
Ra5 {because of} 17. Bd6 {when} Rxb5 18. Bxe7 b3 19. Bxf8 Nxf8 20. O-O {
doesn't give Black enough compensation for the exchange.}) 17. Ng5 Ndf6 {It
was rather mystifying for me to see that Magnus took 32 minutes to play this
move. Although we are already on move 17, playing this sharp line with Black
means you have to know it much, much deeper than that.} 18. Nxe4 {Diagram [#]}
Nxe4 $2 ({The players were still following a game Aronian-Adams, Bilbao 2013
but Anand shows a strong improvement over that game. I am not sure what Vishy
had in mind after} 18... dxe4 {because} 19. Nd6 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 b3 21. Bxf8 Kxf8
{gives excellent compensation for the Exchange. At any rate Magnus had to go
for this because the game continuation lands him in serious trouble.}) 19. f3
Ra5 ({Magnus had two interesting alternatives though they both feel a bit
fishy. One is} 19... Nc5 20. dxc5 bxc5 21. axb4 cxb4) ({and the other is} 19...
Qd7 20. fxe4 Rc8 {after which White probably does best to return the piece with
} 21. exd5 exd5 22. O-O (22. Qd3 Ra5 $1) 22... Qxb5 23. Qg4 $1 Qe8 24. Rc6 $1 {
when there is serious pressure on Black.}) 20. fxe4 ({And that's it! This
simple capture - the first move of every engine - is a huge improvement over}
20. Qe2 Qd7 21. fxe4 Rc8 $1 {which was fine for Black in Aronian-Adams, Bilbao
2013. At the risk of repeating myself, it really makes me wonder where Magnus'
preparation ended.}) 20... Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 ({There is no time
to include} 22... dxe4 {because} 23. a4 $1 {followed by castle leaves Black
more or less paralysed.}) 23. exd5 {[%csl Ya3,Yb6,Gc7,Gd5] Diagram [#] "The
difference of pawns is what I'm playing for," said Anand, refering to a3 and
c7.} Rxd5 (23... exd5 $5 {was mentioned by match commentator Peter Svidler as
a possible improvement. The idea is to keep the a-file in Black's position. In
any case also here it is obvious that only one side is playing.}) 24. Qxb6 {
"Probably [this] was in my prep but maybe it goes further." (Anand)} Qd7 25.
O-O ({A small inaccuracy. It is curious to note that even this position
occured in practice, though with the white pawn standing on h3 instead of h2!
Surprisingly that makes a huge difference in the following line:} 25. Qa6 $1 {
(Anand did consider this as he said at the press conference)} Rc8 26. Rb1 $1
Rxc7 27. Rb8+ Bd8 28. Bxc7 Qxc7 29. Rc8 {and White wins. Now imagine White's
pawn being on h3 and suddenly 29...Qg3+! wins... for Black! Could it be that
Vishy mixed up the games and therefore didn't choose 25.Qa6?}) ({(} 25. Qa6 {
) Black's best is probably to retreat with} Qc8 {but after} 26. Qa4 {it just
looks awful, to put it mildly.}) 25... Rc8 26. Rc6 {Amongst other things
preventing Black from swapping bishops on d6.} g5 $5 ({An exclamation mark for
finding this and the following move. Insisting on trading the bishops with}
26... Bf6 27. Qa6 e5 28. dxe5 Bxe5 29. Bxe5 Rxe5 {is very strong were it not
for the tactical solution of} 30. Rfc1 Rd5 {[%csl Rc7][%cal Ra8h8] Diagram [#]}
31. Qxc8+ $3 (31. Qxa3 $2 Rd1+ 32. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33. Kf2 Qd2+ 34. Kg3 Qe1+ 35. Kh3
g5 $1 {allows Black to escape.}) 31... Qxc8 32. Rb6 {and the weakness of the
back rank combined with the strength of the c7-pawn make matters hopeless for
Black.}) 27. Bg3 $6 (27. Be5 {was definitely worth considering, if only
because the game continuation} Bb4 {is now refuted by} 28. Qxb4 Qxc6 29. Qe7 $1
{with a huge attack.}) 27... Bb4 $1 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Rb4d2,Rb4a5] Diagram [#]
Extremely resourceful! Now both Bd2 and Ba5 are in the air. Vishy's response
is cool and collected. [Anand hadn't seen this - PD.]} 28. Ra1 $1 {During the
press conference Anand mentioned he was pleased with this move and rightly so!}
Ba5 $2 ({Having been under pressure for the entire game and running out of
time fast can be straining, even for the very best. In game 2 something very
similar happened to Vishy. Having been under huge pressure the whole game he
erred with 34...h5??. Blunders don't appear just like that! For completeness
sake I should mention that} 28... h5 {would have remained the status quo:
White is clearly better but by no means winning yet.}) 29. Qa6 Bxc7 30. Qc4 {
Pinning and winning! The remainder of the game is of little interest. Black is
simply losing heavy material.} e5 31. Bxe5 Rxe5 32. dxe5 Qe7 33. e6 Kf8 34. Rc1
{I believe it's fair to say the match is now wide open!} 1-0

It's a brad new match now!

Magnus Takes the Lead!

The second game of the WCC in Sochi must have been very demoralizing for the challenger and all his supporters. Carlsen did his usual thing of squeezing water out of the stone and won very convincingly. The fact that Anand's mistake was not obvious at all must have been very frustrating for the Indian GM.

[Event "World Chess Championship 2014"]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2014.11.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2863"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]

{Once people tended to say that this move demonstrates the determination of
the first player.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Nowadays some people regret
of the old days. It did not take us long to see the Berlin in the match.} 4. d3
{Magnus decided to try and squeeze something out of the Anti Berlin.} Bc5 5.
O-O d6 6. Re1 ({Adams tried the trade on c6 recently} 6. Be3 Bb6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6
8. h3 O-O 9. Re1 h6 10. Nbd2 {Adams,M (2743)-Ponomariov,R (2723) Dortmund 2014}
) ({Looking into advance in the game we should say that there is another
adherent of the approach that the World Champion used in the game. Gata Kamsky
is the man in question, although he prefers to develop the bishop on e3
whenever he captures on c6.} 6. Bxc6+ bxc6 7. h3 O-O 8. Nc3 Bb6 9. Re1 {Kamsky,
G (2723)-Ponomariov,R (2718) Moscow 2008}) 6... O-O 7. Bxc6 {The fact that
Carlsen inserted the rook move before trading shows that he has something
original on his mind.} bxc6 8. h3 Re8 {Diagram [#]} 9. Nbd2 $146 {The actual
novelty. Previously only} (9. Be3 {had been tried. White won that game too, is
this the refutation of the Berlin?!} Bb6 10. Nbd2 {Moritz,A (1237)-Kyas,P
(1506) Willingen 2006}) 9... Nd7 {One idea is to conduct d6-d5. Another- to
bring the knight to e6 from where it will control both d4 and f4 squares.} ({
Also interesting is} 9... h6 10. Nc4 Nh7 {intending f7-f5} ({or} 10... Be6 $5))
10. Nc4 Bb6 ({The central aproach is tactically justified} 10... d5 11. exd5
cxd5 12. Ncxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxf2+ 14. Kxf2 Rxe5 15. Rxe5 Qf6+ 16. Qf3 Qxe5 {
but this would have led to the typical Carlsen's position after} 17. Qf4 Qe7
18. Be3 $14 {[%csl Ya7,Yc7,Rc8,Yd5,Ge3] slight edge without much counterplay
for the opponent.}) ({Anand also disliked} 10... Nf8 11. c3 Ne6 12. d4 exd4 13.
cxd4 Bb6 14. Be3 {which seems a bit better for White as well.}) 11. a4 $1 {
Typical Scotch idea. Magnus wants to trade the bishop but does not want to
allow} (11. Nxb6 axb6 {[%csl Yc6,Ye6][%cal Gc6c5,Gd7f8,Gf8e6,Gd7b8,Gb8c6,Yc6d4,
Ye6f4] which will reinforce black's dark-squared control.}) 11... a5 12. Nxb6
cxb6 13. d4 {White managed to get something out of the opening. Still, it
should not be much.} Qc7 {One of the natural moves that remain unnoticed
without thorough analyzes. I would not call it a mistake but since White's
initiative grew after it with alarming speed this moment is worth mentioning!}
({Probably Vishy had to clarify the situation in the center with} 13... c5 $5 {
[%csl Yd4]} 14. dxe5 (14. c3 cxd4 15. cxd4 Bb7 16. Ra3 d5) 14... Nxe5 {with
the idea to meet} 15. Ra3 {with} Ba6 $11) 14. Ra3 $1 {[%csl Yg8][%cal Ga3d3,
Rd3d8,Gd3g3,Gg3g8] Diagram [#] The rook is looking for a career in the center
or on the king's flank.} Nf8 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nh4 ({There is nothing to hope
for on the open file at the moment} 16. Rd3 Ba6 17. Rd2 Rad8 $11) 16... Rd8 17.
Qh5 (17. Rd3 Ba6 $11) 17... f6 {Anand is carefully defending. He brings fresh
forces on the flank- the queen at first, then centralizes the bishop} (17...
Ng6 {may transpose to the game.} 18. Nf5 f6 19. Rg3 Be6) 18. Nf5 Be6 19. Rg3 {
Carlsen also did everything that he could to create threats. Now the defense
is quite unpleasant for the Indian GM.} Ng6 ({Vishy could have also defended
with} 19... Rd7 20. Bh6 g6 21. Qh4 Qd8 22. Qg4 Kh8 23. h4 Raa7 ({Not} 23...
gxf5 $2 24. exf5 Qe7 25. fxe6 Nxe6 26. Qf5 $16) 24. h5 g5 {although Black's
situation remains unpleasant.}) 20. h4 {White already had a choice of
interesting continuations} (20. Bh6 $5 {Diagram [#] would have most likely
transposed to the previous note as if} gxh6 (20... Rd7 21. h4 {transposes to
the line above}) 21. Rxg6+ $1 hxg6 22. Qxg6+ Kf8 (22... Kh8 $2 23. Qxf6+ Kh7
24. Qxh6+ Kg8 25. Qxe6+ $18) 23. Qxf6+ Qf7 (23... Bf7 24. f4 $3 exf4 25. e5 {
Diagram [#] is mate in 8 if you ask your engine...}) 24. Qxh6+ Ke8 (24... Kg8
25. Re3 $18) 25. Qh8+ Kd7 26. Rd1+ Kc7 27. Qxe5+ Kb7 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Nd6+
Rxd6 30. Qxd6 {the four pawns should be definitely stronger than the bishop.})
20... Bxf5 {A critical moment of the game! The knight was definitely annoying
but after this trade Vishy gives the keys of the castle to Magnus.} ({The
inhuman defense} 20... Rd7 21. Qg4 ({However, White can play better} 21. Bh6 $1
{with the point} gxh6 22. Qxh6 {that leads to unstoppable h4-h5 and powerful
attack.}) 21... Nf4 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Rf3 Re8 {is sugegsted by the engines} 24.
Rxf4 Qe5 25. c3 g6 26. h5 Kf7 27. hxg6+ hxg6 28. Nh6+ Kg7 29. Nf5+ Kf7 $11) ({
One more inhuman defense is the line} 20... Kh8 {I have no idea what marks to
put on that one...} 21. Rxg6 ({Most likely Carlsen would prefer} 21. Qf3 Bxf5
22. exf5 (22. Qxf5) 22... Ne7 {but this would be more favorable version of the
game continuation for Black.}) 21... Qf7 22. Bh6 {Still no idea...} gxh6 23.
Rxh6 Qxh5 24. Rxh5 Rd2 25. Ne3 {[%csl Yh5] Diagram [#] White is a pawn up but
play without the rook on h5.}) 21. exf5 Nf4 ({White is also better after} 21...
Nf8 22. Be3 c5 23. Qg4 Kh8 24. h5 Qf7 (24... h6 $2 25. Bxh6) 25. h6 g5 26. Qe2
{but was probably preferable to the game continuation.} (26. fxg6 Nxg6 27. f4 (
27. Qf5))) 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Rc3 $16 {[%csl Ya8,Gc3,Yc7,Ge1,Gh5] Diagram [#]
The difference in the activity of the heavy pieces spells trouble to the
Challenger.} c5 24. Re6 $1 ({Magnus wisely refuses to win the pawn in return
for activity} 24. Rc4 Qf7 25. Qxf7+ Kxf7 26. Rxf4 Rd2 27. Re6 Rb8 28. Rc6 Rb7 (
{There is no time for} 28... Rxc2 29. Rc7+ Kf8 (29... Kg8 30. Rg4) 30. Rg4 $18)
29. Rc4 Rd5 (29... Re7 30. Rxb6 Re1+ 31. Kh2 Rxf2 32. Rxc5) 30. g4 h5 31. f3
$16 {White has good winning chances but the game continuation was even
stronger!}) 24... Rab8 25. Rc4 Qd7 26. Kh2 $1 ({Once again discarding} 26. Rxf4
Qd1+ 27. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 28. Kh2 Rd2 29. h5 h6) 26... Rf8 (26... Re8 27. Rce4 Rxe6
28. fxe6 Qe7 29. Qf5 $16) 27. Rce4 Rb7 28. Qe2 $1 {[%csl Re2,Ge4,Ge6] Diagram
[#] The Alekhine doubling of the heavy pieces in action.} ({It was also
possible to grab the pawn} 28. Rxf4 Qd2 29. Qf3) 28... b5 29. b3 bxa4 ({Anand
will be happy to get rid of the queenside pawn but after} 29... c4 30. axb5
cxb3 31. b6 b2 32. Qc4 $1 {White wins due to the line} b1=Q 33. Re8+ Qf7 34.
Rxf8+ Kxf8 35. Qc8+ Qe8 36. Qxe8#) 30. bxa4 {Once more no rush. It might have
been horrible to be in Anand's shows this game.} (30. Re7 Qd5 31. Rxb7 Qxb7 32.
Rxa4 $16) 30... Rb4 (30... h6 31. c3 {would not have changed the situation.
White will start the harvest soon.}) 31. Re7 Qd6 $1 {The best defense.} ({In
case of} 31... Rxe4 32. Qxe4 Qc8 {White would have taken the more valuable
pawns first} 33. Ra7 Re8 34. Qd5+ Kh8 35. Rxa5 $18) 32. Qf3 Rxe4 33. Qxe4 f3+
34. g3 h5 $4 {[%csl Rg7][%cal Ra7g7] Diagram [#] This loses instantly. Vishy
blunders under the constant pressure. After} (34... Qd2 35. Qxf3 Qxc2 36. Ra7
Re8 37. Rxa5 $16 {Magnus would still need to show good technique to deserve
the full point.}) 35. Qb7 {One of those typical Magnus games where one wonders
where did his opponent made a mistake! The new plan chosen by the World
Champion proved more venomous than expected. But it was the super neat play of
Carlsen that won the game!} 1-0

The Match Had Started!

The first game did not disappoint! The challenger produced a novelty, got some initiative but the world champion defended well and leveled the chances. Anand then hesitated and stood on the edge of the abyss. Magnus missed the continuation though and Vishy bailed out.

[Event "World Chess Championship 2014"]
[Site "Sochi"]
[Date "2014.11.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2863"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]

1. d4 {The long awaited match have started! Anand choses a move which is not
his favorite but one which gives more winning chances in the past years.
Remember, the Berlin?} Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 {The last time Carlsen played
the Gruenfeld was in 2013. This variation should not come as a surprise for
Anand though. The Gruenfeld has a reputation of a very solid and forced
opening for good reason. Anand had played it himself in matches and Gelfand
have even prepared it as a surprise weapon against Vishy in their match in
2012. "The Hammer" in Carlsen's camp is a vivid fan of the defense as well.} 4.
cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bd2 {Diagram [#] A curious choice. According to Megabase both the
opponents have pleasant memories in this line, scoring 2/2 each.} ({Their last
game in the Gruenfeld saw} 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8. Qd2 cxd4 9. cxd4
Nc6 10. Rd1 {Anand,V (2811)-Carlsen,M (2826) Moscow 2011}) 5... Bg7 6. e4 Nxc3
({Previously Carlsen have only tried} 6... Nb6 7. Be3 O-O 8. h3 ({Wang Yue
tried against Carlsen} 8. Bb5 Be6 9. Nge2 {to which the future World Champion
reacted with the novelty-} ({Magnus also faced} 9. Nf3 Bc4 10. b3 Bxb5 11. Nxb5
Qd7 $11 {Zimmerman,Y (2320)-Carlsen,M (2385) Salzburg 2003}) 9... c6 {and
later won, Wang,Y (2752)-Carlsen,M (2813) Medias 2010}) 8... e5 9. Nf3 exd4 10.
Bxd4 Bxd4 11. Qxd4 {Anand,V (2788)-Svidler,P (2754) Moscow 2009}) 7. Bxc3 O-O
8. Qd2 Nc6 ({Deviating from} 8... c5 9. d5 Bxc3 10. bxc3 e6 11. d6 {Anand,V
(2783)-Hammer,J (2608) Stavanger 2013}) 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. d5 Bxf3 {Diagram [#]}
11. Bxg7 $146 {Vishy revealed his first novelty in the match. He is trying to
prove that the Ne5 is vulnerable.} ({Previously only} 11. gxf3 {have been
tested} Ne5 12. Be2 c6 13. f4 Nd7 14. Bxg7 (14. dxc6 $5 Bxc3 15. Qxc3 Rc8)
14... Kxg7 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. Rc1 Nf6 {this game was definitely familiar to the
World Champion as he had Black as his second some time ago, Moiseenko,A (2707)
-Nepomniachtchi,I (2714) Yaroslavl 2014}) 11... Kxg7 12. gxf3 Ne5 13. O-O-O {
White is stronger in the center and thus he intends to attack on the kingside.}
c6 {Magnus reacts logically to the novelty. He opens files on the queen's
flank for an attack and bothers Vishy in the center.} ({I doubt we will ever
see a blunder like} 13... Nxf3 $4 14. Qc3+ {in a WCC match.}) 14. Qc3 f6 15.
Bh3 {Takes control of the c8 square which would be quite tempting for a black
rook.} ({Winning a pawn is too risky} 15. f4 Nf7 16. dxc6 (16. Bh3 {would most
likely transpose to the game} cxd5 17. exd5) 16... Qc7 17. cxb7 Qxb7 18. Qe3
Rab8 19. b3 a5 $36 {as Black will have lovely attack on the queenside.}) 15...
cxd5 {The World Champion prefers to spoil the opponent's pawn structure rather
than his own one} (15... Qb6 16. f4 Nf7 17. dxc6 bxc6 {in this line the black
pawns are quite vulnerable as well.}) 16. exd5 {The challenger pins his hopes
with the activity.} ({Safer from strategical point of view was} 16. f4 Nf7 17.
Rxd5 Qb6 18. Qe3 {alhtough Black is fine after} Qa6 {for example.}) ({White
will have problems with his pawns after} 16. Rxd5 Qb6) 16... Nf7 $11 {[%csl
Yd5,Gd6,Gf7] Diagram [#] Nimtzowitsch would be delighted to see the d5
criminal in prison.} 17. f4 Qd6 ({Black connects the rooks and activates the
queen. One would expect the knight to occupy this outpost. However, the white
initiative will be unchallanged in that case} 17... Nd6 18. Kb1 a5 19. Rhg1 a4
20. f5 {and Black cannot advance the g pawn} g5 21. Rxg5+ ({Or also} 21. f4))
18. Qd4 Rad8 19. Be6 {[%csl Ye6,Re7][%cal Re1e7] Diagram [#] I have the
feeling that this was the first inaccuracy by White in the game. The bishop on
e6 blocks the e7 pawn and stops it from going forward, but at the same time
blocks the white rooks from attacking it.} (19. Rhe1 $5 {looks preferrable} e5
20. fxe5 Nxe5 21. Re3 {followed by f2-f4 with a slight pull for White.} (21. f4
$2 Nf3)) (19. Qxa7 $2 {is bad} Ra8 20. Qd4 Rxa2 $17) 19... Qb6 {Magnus
untangles his pieces.} 20. Qd2 {Vishy wisely prefers to play with the queens
on the board. His pawn structure is indeed quite a mess and he migth easily
get into trouble once that Black consolidates.} (20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Kb1 Nd6 22.
Rc1 f5 23. Rc7 Kf6 {this looks easier for Black.}) 20... Rd6 21. Rhe1 Nd8 {The
bishop is too strong and needs to go west. Magnus starts to create some
problems to his opponent.} 22. f5 ({Better than} 22. Bh3 e6 $1 23. Bg2 exd5 24.
Bxd5 $2 Qc5+ 25. Kb1 Nc6 {where White loses material on the pin.}) 22... Nxe6
23. Rxe6 Qc7+ (23... Rxe6 24. fxe6 Qd6 25. Kb1 Rc8 26. h4 {looks OK for White.}
) 24. Kb1 ({The rook endgame favors Black} 24. Qc2 Qxc2+ 25. Kxc2 Rc8+ 26. Kb3
Kf7 $15) 24... Rc8 {with the threat Rd6xd5 and if White captures the
rook-Qc7-c2-c1 and mate.} 25. Rde1 Rxe6 26. Rxe6 Rd8 27. Qe3 $1 {Activity
above all. This is the key in positions with heavy pieces on the board.} Rd7 {
Diagram [#]} 28. d6 {Anand decided to get rid of the weakness at once. However,
he could have saved some unpleasant minutes to himself had he played the active
} (28. fxg6 $1 hxg6 29. h4 $1 {Next, White is going to discover the opponent's
king and secure at least a draw} Qd8 30. d6 exd6 31. h5 $1 {[%csl Yg7][%cal
Rg1g8,Re1e8] Diagram [#]} gxh5 32. Re8 Qc7 ({Black has to be careful} 32... Qb6
$4 33. Qg3+ Kh7 34. Rg8 {will lead to mate.}) 33. Qg3+ {with these active
pieces White can never lose and if needed can force perpetual, for example} Kh6
34. Rh8+ Rh7 35. Qe3+ Kg7 36. Re8 Qc4 37. Re7+ Kh8 38. Re8+ $11) 28... exd6 29.
Qd4 Rf7 30. fxg6 hxg6 31. Rxd6 a6 {Seemingly a dead draw but just like in the
previous match Carlsen manages to create a lot of trouble to his opponent.} 32.
a3 Qa5 33. f4 Qh5 34. Qd2 ({There is no need to sacrifice a pawn yet} 34. Ka2
Qxh2 35. Rd8 Qe2 36. Qd5 Qe7 $15) 34... Qc5 35. Rd5 Qc4 36. Rd7 {This should
be OK, but active play was still better} (36. h4 $1 Qe4+ 37. Ka2 Qh1 38. h5 $1
gxh5 39. Qd3 {and the exposed king deprives Black of any winning chances} Qh4 (
39... h4 $2 40. Rh5 f5 (40... Qg2 41. Rxh4) 41. Qd8 {and Black is getting
checkmated.}) 40. Qe4 Qg4 41. Rd2 Kh6 42. Rg2 Re7 43. Qxe7 Qxg2 44. Qxf6+ Qg6
45. Qh8+ Qh7 46. Qf6+ $11) 36... Qc6 37. Rd6 {Once more hesitation. After
saying A Anand could have gone for the B} (37. Rxf7+ Kxf7 38. Qd3 {with
holdable endgame as} Qh1+ {does not win a pawn} 39. Ka2 Qxh2 40. Qd7+ Kf8 41.
Qc8+ Kg7 42. Qxb7+ $11) 37... Qe4+ 38. Ka2 Re7 39. Qc1 ({It is too late for}
39. h4 Qc4+ 40. Ka1 Re2 $17) 39... a5 $1 {A very strong practical resource!
The pawn on a4 will create a lot of tactical possibilities for Black.} 40. Qf1
$2 {One more mistake and Vishy gets close to a disaster.} (40. Qc8 $1 {was
still a neat draw after} a4 41. Rd8 Qe6+ (41... Kf7 42. Rf8+ Kg7 43. Rg8+ Kf7 (
43... Kh7 $4 44. Rh8+ Kg7 45. Qf8#)) 42. Qxe6 Rxe6 43. Rd7+ Kh6 44. Rxb7 Re4
45. b4 (45. Rb4 f5 $1) 45... axb3+ 46. Kxb3 Rxf4 $11) 40... a4 41. Rd1 Qc2 {
with the threat of Re7-e2 to completely paralize White.} 42. Rd4 {Diagram [#]}
Re2 $6 {Magnus lets Vishy off the hook.} ({Critical was} 42... Re3 $1 {[%csl
Ya2,Ra3][%cal Re3a3] with the threat Re3xa3! and mate on the next move. White
has three defenses} 43. Rd7+ {which leads to a difficult queen endgame} (43.
Rb4 $6 {which loses to} Rb3 44. Rxb3 axb3+ 45. Ka1 Qxh2 $19) (43. Qd1 {which
lead to a difficult rook endgame} Qb3+ (43... Qxd1 44. Rxd1) 44. Ka1 Qxd1+ 45.
Rxd1 Kh6 $17) 43... Kh6 44. Rxb7 Rb3 45. Rxb3 axb3+ 46. Ka1 Qxh2 47. Qd1 Qxf4
48. Qh1+ Kg5 49. Qd5+ f5 50. Qxb3 {Only further analyzes will prove if Black
was winning here or not, but whatever the conclusion is one thing is certain-
this would be a nightmare to defend in a parctical game.}) 43. Rb4 $1 {Now
Anand confidently saves the game.} b5 44. Qh1 (44. Rxb5 $4 Qc4+) 44... Re7 45.
Qd5 $1 Re1 46. Qd7+ Kh6 (46... Kg8 47. Qd8+ Kf7 48. Qd7+ $11 Re7 49. Qxb5) 47.
Qh3+ Kg7 48. Qd7+ {A very interesting start of the match. Vushy showed
willingness to risk and play for a win and Magnus showed strong nerves and
great positional maneuvering.} 1/2-1/2

Andreikin-Karjakin (Part 2)

This is the second part of the game in question. The attack that Andreikin conducted was highly instructive, flawless.

Andreikin-Karjakin on Youtube

Exciting Draw as a Desert

The Tashkent Grand Prix brought a lot of joy and excitement for the chess fans all over the world.
This game from the last round was a sweet finish of the event:

[Event "FIDE Grand Prix Tashkent 2014-15"]
[Site "Tashkent"]
[Date "2014.11.02"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A70"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2764"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]

{For the first and last time in this tournament we are going to break the
tradition and analyze a draw game instead of a decisive one.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4
c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 {In the decisive round Mamedyarov pays a
tribute to his great compatriot Vugar Gashimov. The Benoni took key part in
Vugar's opening repertoire and it is quite likely the two Azeri Super-GMs have
studied the opening together.} ({Still, the choice of the opening should have
been a surprise for Baadur, as I have found only one game in the database
where Shakhriyar chose the Snake Benoni} 5... Bd6) 6. e4 ({Rather surprisingly,
the Benoni is a rare guest in Jobava's games. He had tried here the rare lines
after} 6. Nf3 g6 7. Bg5 ({And also} 7. Qa4+)) 6... g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. h3 {This
time the sharp modern line was chosen by Jobava.} O-O 9. Bd3 b5 10. Nxb5 Nxe4
$5 {Many sources consider this option tempting, but inferior. This evaluation
might reconsidered after the game.} ({Vugar Gashimov preferred instead the
main line} 10... Re8 11. O-O Nxe4 12. Re1 a6 13. Na3 Nf6 14. Rxe8+ Nxe8 $11 {
Karjakin,S (2721)-Gashimov,V (2730) Baku 2009}) 11. Bxe4 Re8 12. Ng5 Qa5+ 13.
Nc3 Ba6 {Black sacrificed a whole piece but managed to keep the opponent's
king in the center. The white pieces are rather lose as well and various
threats, like teh simple pawn pushes h7-h6 and f7-f5 are in the air.} 14. Bd2
Nd7 $1 {Development above all! Bad is:} (14... h6 15. Ne6 $1 fxe6 16. dxe6 Rxe6
17. Qg4 $16) ({and} 14... f5 15. Ne6 fxe4 16. Nxe4 $16) 15. Qc2 Rab8 $1 {Once
again Shakh neglects the material in favour of the pure energy.} ({A tempting
alternative is} 15... Ne5 16. O-O-O f5 17. f4 Nc4 18. Bd3 Nxb2 $1 19. Kxb2 {
Diagram [#] in conjunction with the computer blow} Re3 $3 $146 {[%csl Rb2,Yc3,
Yd3][%cal Rg7a1,Ra5c3,Rb8b1,Re3d3] None has ever tested this in over the board
game and it is definitely worth analyzes!} ({Instead} 19... Bxd3 20. Qxd3 $18 {
left Black with no counterplay in Murali Krishnan,B (2412)-Turov,M (2624)
Mumbai 2010}) {The key idea of the line is} 20. Bxe3 Rb8+ 21. Kc1 Qa3+ 22. Kd2
Rb2) ({Once again regaining the piece seems insufficient} 15... f5 16. Ne6 fxe4
17. Nxe4 Qb6 18. Bc3 Bh6 19. Bd2 Ne5 20. Bxh6 Qb4+ 21. Bd2 {1-0 (21) Ulibin,M
(2523)-Munoz Pantoja,M (2459) Montcada 2013}) 16. O-O-O Ne5 {This whole line
was mentioned in a recent book on the Benoni by GM Petrov. The eveluation is
clear plus for White on the account of the game below.} 17. Rhe1 $146 {[%csl
Ye8][%cal Ge1e8] Diagram [#] The most natural move is a novelty. "I understood
that Shakhriyar is very well prepared and decided to play safe"- Jobava.} ({
The only predecessor saw:} 17. Na4 Qd8 18. Rde1 f5 19. f4 fxe4 20. fxe5 Bd3 21.
Qd1 Bxe5 {and eventhough White managed to win later it is quite obvious that
Black has at least clear compensation for the piece, Bern,I (2590)-Olafsson,H
(2545) Sweden 1994}) 17... Rec8 $1 {The idea is to meet the threat Nc3-a4 with
the next move.} ({The main problem for Black now is that he cannot play
actively with the knight} 17... Nc4 18. Bd3 Rxe1 19. Rxe1 Rxb2 20. Re8+ Bf8 21.
Qxb2 (21. Qa4 $1 {looks also very strong.}) 21... Nxb2 22. Bxa6 {and both the
players agreed that White has too much material for the queen.}) 18. Na4 Rb4 $1
{"I was chocked when you played this as I thought I was winning" said Baadur
to his opponent at the press conference. "Yes, but after..."} 19. f4 {"The
only move"-Shakh.} Nc4 20. Bf5 $1 {[%csl Rf7,Rh7][%cal Rf5c8,Yc2f5,Rf5f7,Rf5h7]
Diagram [#] "I remembered somehing- my analyzes", said Shakh. "Now White is
either winning, or losing."} ({One of the lines where White is losing arises
after the natural capture-} 20. Bxb4 $2 cxb4 21. Bd3 b3 $1 22. axb3 Bxb2+ $1
23. Nxb2 Qa1+ 24. Qb1 Na3+ $19) 20... Rcb8 {This time this is an only move for
Black.} ({Bad is} 20... gxf5 21. Qxf5 Qxa4 22. Qxf7+ Kh8 23. Bc3 {as it is
White who is mating.}) ({And also} 20... Nxd2 21. Bxc8 $18 {wins simply for
White.}) 21. Bxb4 Qxb4 22. a3 (22. Qb3 $5 gxf5 (22... Bb5 23. Qxb4 cxb4 24. Bc2
$18) 23. Qxb4 (23. Re7 Bb5 24. Nc3 Nxb2 25. Qxb4 cxb4 26. Nxb5 Nxd1 27. Nxd6
Bf8 28. Rxa7 Bxd6 29. Kxd1 Bxf4 30. Nxf7) 23... cxb4 {[%cal Ga6b5] followed by
Ba6-b5. "I did not like this as the bishop on g7 is very strong"- Jobava.} 24.
Re7 Bb5 25. Rxa7 Bxa4 26. Rxa4 Nxb2 27. Ra6 (27. Ra7)) 22... Nxa3 $1 {Missed
by Jobava.} ({White was hoping for} 22... Qa5 {although it seems as the
players were seeing ghosts in the post mortem-} 23. Bd3 $2 ({Probably White
should go for the wild complications after} 23. b3 Nxa3 24. Qd2 Qb5 25. Qe3
gxf5 26. Nxf7 Qxa4 $5 27. Nh6+ (27. bxa4 Rb1+ 28. Kd2 Rb2+ 29. Kc1 Rc2#) 27...
Bxh6 28. Qg3+ Kf7 29. Re7+ Kxe7 30. Qh4+ Kd7 31. bxa4 {when nothing is clear
as usual in this game.}) 23... Nxb2 24. Nxb2 Qxa3 ({None of them mentioned the
simple move} 24... Bxb2+ {after which it is Black who is winning} 25. Qxb2 Rxb2
26. Kxb2 Bxd3 27. Re8+ {or else the rook on e1 is hanging} Kg7 28. Rxd3 Qb5+ $1
{[%csl Rd3,Re8][%cal Rb5d3,Rb5e8]}) 25. Bxa6 Bc3 26. Rd3 {and even in this
line White is not winning, say} Qa1+ 27. Qb1 Bxb2+ 28. Kc2 Qa4+ 29. Kd2 Bc3+
30. Kxc3 Rxb1 31. Rxb1 Qxa6 {the active queen is capable of miracles when the
opponent's king is not safe.}) 23. bxa3 Qxa3+ ({Better than} 23... Qxf4+ 24.
Rd2 (24. Qd2 $2 Qxa4) 24... Qxg5 25. Bd3 c4 26. Bxc4 Rc8 (26... Qg3 $5 {is
still unclear!}) 27. Bxa6 Rxc2+ 28. Kxc2 {with the idea} Qh4 $2 29. Re8+ $18)
24. Kd2 Qg3 $1 {"Once that I found this move I thought it is great for me. I
have no rook, no knight, but that is OK!"- Mamedyarov.} 25. Rb1 $1 {Baadur
trades the active black rook and saves the game.} (25. Re4 gxf5 $19) 25...
Qxf4+ 26. Kd1 Rxb1+ 27. Qxb1 Qd4+ 28. Kc1 Qf4+ 29. Kd1 gxf5 {Shakh tries his
last chance for a win.} ({The Azeri GM did not like the endgame after} 29...
Qxa4+ 30. Qc2 Qd4+ 31. Qd2 Qxd2+ $6 ({Here too Black can force a draw if he
likes} 31... Qa1+ 32. Qc1 Qd4+ $11) 32. Kxd2 gxf5 33. Re8+ Bf8 34. Nxh7 $16)
30. Re8+ Bf8 {Diagram [#]} 31. Nxc5 $1 {Once more a very precise decision.} ({
The position remains equal after} 31. Rxf8+ Kxf8 32. Ne6+ fxe6 33. Qb8+ Kg7 34.
Qxa7+ Kf6 35. Qxa6 Qd4+ 36. Ke1 Qxd5 37. Nc3 $11 {but it is definitely much
easier to play here as Black!}) 31... Qd4+ 32. Kc1 Qxc5+ 33. Qc2 Qg1+ 34. Qd1
Qc5+ 35. Qc2 Qg1+ 36. Qd1 Qxg2 {The last try.} 37. Qh5 (37. Nxh7 Kxh7 38. Rxf8
Qxh3 39. Rxf7+ Kg6 {would be once more easier to play as Black albeit drawish.}
) 37... Qg1+ {And due to the mating threats Black is forced to give the
perpetual. One of those draws we would be happy to see more often!} 1/2-1/2

Congratulations to Dmitry Andreikin for the clear win of the event!