Nakamura on the Ropes

Only eight players remain at the World Cup. The first match games were played yesterday and the rating (and not only) favorite of the event Hikaru Nakamura suffered painful defeat with the black pieces against Pavel Eljanov. The Ukrainian GM has the tournament of his life so far:

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.23"]
[Round "37.2"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2814"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:07:59"]
[BlackClock "0:05:58"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 {Diagram [#] "A rare, sideline
of the Catalan" Eljanov.} (12. Qd1 {is much more popular. Giri-Leko was played
in this theme in Baku a couple of rounds earlier.}) 12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14.
Rd1 a5 15. Nbd2 Bh7 $146 {[%csl Gf6,Gh7] Diagram [#]} ({In the recent
predecessor Black chose} 15... Bxf3 {and Eljanov considered this move the
critical line.} 16. Bxf3 c6 {but after} 17. Nc4 Nd7 18. Qd2 Be7 19. h4 $1 {
Diagram [#] White had slight but long lasting advantage without any
counterplay for his opponent, Sasikiran,K (2682)-Svetushkin,D (2592) Moscow
2015}) 16. Nb3 c6 17. Qc3 {White puts pressure on the a5 pawn thus obstructing
Black's development.} Be7 ({White wins a pawn in case of} 17... Nd7 $6 18. Ne5
$1 {Diagram [#]} Qc7 ({Or alternatively will have large positional advantage
after} 18... Bxe5 19. dxe5 Qc7 20. Rd6 $16) 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Nxa5) ({Or} 17...
Na6 $6 18. Nxa5) 18. Nc5 Qc7 19. Ne5 {Now the d7 square is locked for the
black knight, but a6 is still available. This is where Nakamura goes.} Na6 {
[%cal Ga6b4] Diagram [#] Black wants to put the knight on b4 after which he
will be completely fine. Obviously Nakamura was not afraid of what came next.}
({If Black was afraid of the move in the game he might have chosen the
preperatory} 19... Ra7 {To which White has two interesting plans to pressurize}
20. Bf3 $5 ({Or he may simply push the pawns forward} 20. f4 Na6 21. e4) 20...
Na6 21. Bh5 {In both cases White is somewhat better.}) ({The computer
suggestion} 19... Rd8 {leads to stable advantage for White after} 20. Rac1 Bxc5
21. dxc5 $14 ({Or} 21. Qxc5 $14)) 20. Nxb7 $5 {The only way to create troubles
for Black.} Qxb7 21. Bxc6 Qc7 $6 {Diagram [#] But this is a mistake. The
general rule says that a rook and two pawns are usually better in the endgame
when facing the two light pieces. It is so as the rook becomes significantly
more active as the game opens and has more room to maneuver.} ({I believe
Nakamura should have opted for} 21... Qa7 $1 22. Bxa8 Qxa8 {and after} 23. Qxa5
Rb8 {True, White has three pawns and a rook now (practically an extra exchange)
but the black pieces control the board after say} 24. Qd2 Be4 {Diagram [#] and
the white queenside passers do not go anywhere.}) ({Or} 21... Qc8 $1 {which
would lead to the same.}) 22. Bxa8 Qxc3 ({Or else White will take control of
the open file} 22... Rxa8 23. Rac1 $16) 23. bxc3 Rxa8 24. Nc6 $1 {[%csl Ye7]
Diagram [#] A good practical decision. Eljanov deprives his opponent of the
bishop pair. The les pieces there are on the board, the more dangerous the
passers become.} Bd8 25. Nxd8 Rxd8 26. f3 {"Now I have a clear plan to put my
king on f2 and then slowly push the pawns. It is very unpleasant position for
Black" Eljanov.} Rc8 27. Ra3 $1 {[%cal Ga3a2,Gd1d2,Ga2b2,Rb1b8,Rb8b1] Diagram
[#] At a glance this move seems illogical, but its idea is not only to defend
the c3 pawn. White also wants to occupy the b file and for this reason both
white rooks stand better on the second rank, away from the black bishop. This
is better than} (27. Rac1 Bg6 28. e4 Kf8 {when the white pawns cannot go fast
forward-} (28... Rb8 29. Rb1) 29. c4 Ke7 30. c5 f5 $1) 27... Bg6 {Please, note
that the black rook cannot occupy easily the b file} (27... Rb8 28. e4 Rb2 29.
Raa1 $1 Rb3 30. Rdb1 Rxc3 31. Rb6 Nc7 $4 32. Rb8+ Ne8 33. Rxe8# {Diagram [#]})
28. Kf2 Rb8 29. Rd2 f6 {"After this move, strangely enough he offered a draw"
Eljanov, "I am technically winning."} 30. Raa2 $1 {Now we can clearly see the
idea behind Ra1-a3. White wins the only open file.} Rb3 (30... Rc8 31. Rab2)
31. Rab2 Rxc3 32. Rb5 {[%csl Ra5][%cal Gb5a5] Diagram [#] "I thought it is
already over for Black, but he put some pressure on me" Eljanov.} Bc2 33. Rxa5
Nc7 34. Ra7 f5 35. a5 Kh7 36. Rb7 Rc4 37. Rb6 Ba4 38. a6 Bc6 39. a7 Bd5 40. Ra2
{"I am forced to sacrifice the pawn on d4 as the one on a7 is the most
important." Eljanov} Rxd4 41. Rc2 Na8 42. Ra6 Rd1 43. h4 $1 {[%cal Gh4h5,Ga6d6,
Gd6d7,Rc2c8,Rd7h7,Rc8h8] Diagram [#] "I have a clear plan to play h4-h5 and
then to penetrate with the rooks along the seventh rank and attack the black
king" Eljanov.} h5 {But now the g5 square is weakened and the white king can
march there.} 44. Ke3 Rg1 45. Kf4 Rg2 46. Rd6 Rg1 47. Rc8 Ra1 48. Kg5 {[%csl
Gg5,Yh7] White wins two pawns by force and the game.} ({Eljanov demostrated
the alternative winning plan after} 48. Rxd5 exd5 (48... Nb6 49. a8=Q) 49. Rxa8
g6 50. Ke5 Ra5 51. e3 Kg7 52. Kd6 Kh7 53. Kc6 {[%csl Yd5][%cal Rc6b6,Yc6d5,
Ge3e8] Diagram [#] and the threat Kc6-b6 forces the black rook to abandon the
d pawn. After this White simply advances the e pawn into queen.}) 48... Rxa7
49. Rdd8 g6 50. Rh8+ Kg7 51. Rcg8+ Kf7 52. Rxg6 Ra6 53. Rh7+ Kf8 54. Kxh5 Nb6
55. Kg5 Nc4 56. h5 Nd6 57. Rf6+ Kg8 58. Rd7 {Diagram [#]} 1-0

Nakamura will fight for survival today. Report.

The Chinese Wall!

If you ahve enjoyed the previous game between Wei Yi and Ding Liren, you would definitely like to know what happened next. In the second game of their match in Baku, in a must-win situation, Ding Liren goes for the quiet Anti-Marshall line:

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.21"]
[Round "29.8"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2782"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "159"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:02:45"]
[BlackClock "0:00:58"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 {The Anti-Marshall
is almost a must at the top level.} b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 h6 {Diagram
[#] Black has plenty of choice in the current situation. Ding Liren had
successfully tried:} (9... Nb8 10. Ne2 c5 11. Ng3 Nc6 12. c3 Be6 13. Bxe6 fxe6
14. b4 Qd7 {in the fresh game Malakhov,V (2706)-Ding,L (2755) China 2015}) 10.
h3 Re8 11. Bd2 Bf8 $146 {[%cal Ge8e5,Yc6e7,Yf8g7] Diagram [#] A novelty. Black
supports the e5 pawn, opens the e7 square for the knight and prepares
fianchettoe of his dark-squared bishop.} ({Previously only} 11... Rb8 {has
been tested with the usual slight edge for White after} 12. Nd5 Bf8 13. Ne3 Be6
14. Bxe6 Rxe6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ Rxf6 17. b4 {Miranda Mesa,E (2416)-Becerra
Rivero,J (2546) Merida 2014}) 12. a4 Rb8 ({In the spirit of Black' previous
move was the following play in the center} 12... Na5 $5 13. Ba2 b4 14. Ne2 d5 {
with counterplay.}) 13. axb5 axb5 14. Re1 $14 {[%cal Ga2g8,Ra1a8] Diagram [#]
Wei Yi can be satisfied with the opening. He has slight but long lasting
advantage thanks to his Spanish bishop and the open a file.} Be6 15. Nd5 Nd7 {
Prepares the following maneuver. The capture} (15... Bxd5 16. exd5 Ne7 17. c4
$14 {is less convincing as Black has hard time organizing his forces on the
kingside.}) 16. c3 Ne7 {Now Ne7xd5 is a positional threat, thus...} 17. Ne3 $1
{[%csl Ye7] Diagram [#]} Bxb3 18. Qxb3 {Black managed to trade a pair of light
pieces but he is not yet equal as his dark-squared bishop can do better.} Ng6
19. g3 Nc5 20. Qc2 Qd7 21. b4 Ne6 22. d4 {Probably a bit premature. White is
steadily better if he plays along the a file:} (22. Ra7 Ra8 23. Rea1 Qc6 24.
Qa2 Rxa7 25. Qxa7 $16 {[%cal Ra1a8,Ra8a1] Diagram [#]}) 22... exd4 23. cxd4 c5
$1 {Ding Liren is practically sacrificing this pawn but in return gets play
along the c and e files.} 24. d5 Nd4 ({Or the Benoni-style play with} 24... Ng5
25. Nxg5 hxg5 26. Kg2 Ne5 $14 {where White is better.}) 25. Nxd4 cxd4 26. Nf5 {
Now the d4 pawn is practically doomed, but Black can organize threats while
White is taking care of it.} Ne5 27. Kg2 Rbc8 28. Qb3 d3 29. Ra2 (29. Rac1 $5)
29... Ra8 {Too slow. The correct way was} (29... g6 $1 {and after} 30. Nxh6+
Bxh6 31. Bxh6 f5 $1 {Diagram [#] Black gets counter play on the light squares.
For example} 32. Bf4 (32. exf5 $6 Qxf5) (32. f4 $6 Nf7 $1) 32... fxe4 33. Rxe4
Qf5 {followed by Rc8-c2. In these lines Black makes good use of the doomed d3
pawn.}) 30. Rea1 (30. Rxa8 Rxa8 31. Bf4 {looks simpler.}) 30... Rxa2 31. Rxa2
Qc8 $6 {Only this move makes Black's position really suspicious. Correct was} (
31... Qc7 $1 {[%cal Rc8c1,Re8e1] Diagram [#] as the queen is placed nicely
along the seventh rank, ready to attack along both the c and e files.} 32. Ne3
(32. f3 g6 33. Nd4 Qc4 $1) 32... Qe7 33. f4 (33. f3 g6) (33. Nd1) 33... Nc4 34.
Qxd3 (34. Nxc4 $2 Qxe4+) 34... Nxd2 35. Rxd2 Qxe4+ 36. Qxe4 Rxe4 $11) 32. Ne3
g6 33. Bc3 {Now Wei Yi finally wins the annoying d pawn.} h5 34. Bxe5 Rxe5 35.
Qxd3 Qe8 36. Re2 {Setting a small trap.} Bg7 (36... Rxe4 $2 {loses material
due to} 37. Ng4 $1) 37. Nc2 f5 $1 {[%csl Ye4] Diagram [#] The best chance for
Ding. He weakens the e4 pawn.} 38. f3 fxe4 39. fxe4 Re7 40. Nd4 {White could
have maneuvered further with} (40. Ne1 {but since the juicy e6 and c6 squares
lay on the road of the black bishop this trade will be more or less forced
later.}) 40... Bxd4 41. Qxd4 Re5 {Wei Yi won a pawn but the remaining pieces
give good chances for a draw to his opponent. In both the possible queen or
rook endgames Ding Liren will keep good drawing chances. On the top of this
the blockade of the extra e pawn makes White's task rather difficult.} 42. Qd3
Kh7 43. Qc2 Qe7 44. h4 Kg7 45. Qd3 Kh7 46. Kh2 Kg7 47. Qd4 Kh7 48. Re3 {
Diagram [#] A mini-zugzwang. The king moves seemingly will allow the
improvement of the white rook.} g5 {Ding Liren decided to defend actively.
This was not forced.} ({True} 48... Kg7 49. Rc3 $1 {is good for White.}) ({But
} 48... Kg8) ({And even} 48... Kh6 {were perfectly possible as} 49. Rc3 {does
not lead White anywhere after} Rxe4 50. Qh8+ Qh7) 49. hxg5 Qxg5 (49... Kg6 $1)
50. Rf3 Re7 51. Rf4 Qg6 52. Rf6 $1 {Diagram [#] White made a lot of progress
and once that the blockade is gone his winning chances rose very high.} Qg5 (
52... Rxe4 $2 {loses to} 53. Qa7+) ({And} 52... Qxe4 $2 {is refuted by the cute
} 53. Rf7+ $1) 53. Qf2 Kg7 54. Rxd6 {Forces matters. Around this moment of the
game Wei Yi had around three minutes left on the clock and Ding Liren-six.} (
54. Rf5 Qg4 55. Rf4 {followed by Qf2-f3 and Rf4-f5 should also win.}) 54... h4
55. Kh3 {Too sophisticated. White has serious winning chances after} (55. gxh4
Qe5+ 56. Qg3+ Qxg3+ 57. Kxg3 Rxe4) 55... hxg3 56. Qf5 ({Or else there will be
an instant draw after} 56. Qxg3 Qxg3+ 57. Kxg3 Rxe4 $11) 56... Qxf5+ 57. exf5 {
Diagram [#] Now a rook endgame with limitted number of pawns promises Ding a
rest day and participation in the next round. Until one moment everything
seems fine for him.} Re4 (57... Re5 $5 {with the idea} 58. f6+ Kf7 59. Kxg3 Re4
{seems good for Black.}) 58. Rg6+ Kf7 59. Rxg3 Rxb4 (59... Rd4 $1 {demolishing
the most dangerous passer was the way to do it.}) 60. Rd3 Rc4 ({Black misses
another draw} 60... Rf4 $1 61. d6 Ke8 62. Rd5 Kd7 63. Kg3 Rc4 $11) 61. d6 Rc8
$2 {Why? The rook should be left to work and it is the king's job to take care
of the passer!} (61... Ke8 $1 {[%csl Yd3,Yd6][%cal Ge8d7] Diagram [#] should
lead to a draw.}) 62. Kg4 Kf6 63. Kf4 {Now White wins but it ain't over yet.}
b4 64. Ke4 Rb8 65. Kd5 {Allows a chance to the black rook to do something. But
I suspect that Wei Yi simply calculated faster than the computer that he
promotes his pawn into a queen and went for it with his thirty seconds
increment.} (65. Rb3 $1 {Diagram [#] was the clear-cut win} Rb5 (65... Rh8 66.
Kd5) 66. d7 Ke7 67. Rd3 Kd8 68. f6 Rh5 69. f7 Rh8 70. Ke5 b3 71. Rxb3 Kxd7 72.
Kf6 $18) 65... b3 66. d7 $1 {The only chance as} (66. Rd1 b2 67. Rb1 Rb5+ 68.
Kc6 Rb3 $11 {followed by long-distance checks is an instant draw.}) 66... b2
67. Rb3 Rxb3 68. d8=Q+ Kxf5 {Diagram [#] It seems as White should be easily
winning but the computer claims it is a draw!} 69. Qd7+ Kg5 70. Qe7+ Kg4 71.
Qe4+ Kg3 72. Qg6+ Kh4 {My hand is preventing me to give a question mark to
this move although it loses the game.} ({Strong is} 72... Kf3 $1 {whe the
difference in comparison to the game is that the black king is closer to its
rook and can save it from the sad destiny-} 73. Qb1 Kf4 74. Kc4 Rb7 75. Qf1+
Ke5 76. Qe2+ Kd6 $11 {Diagram [#]}) 73. Qb1 Kg5 74. Kc4 $1 {The rook's lost on
the open board.} Rb8 (74... Rb6 75. Qg1+ $18) (74... Rb7 75. Qg1+ Kf5 76. Qc5+
Kf4 77. Qf2+ Ke5 78. Qd4+ Kf5 79. Qd5+ $18) 75. Qg1+ Kf5 76. Qc5+ Kg4 77. Qd4+
Kf3 78. Qf6+ Ke4 79. Qe6+ Kf3 80. Qf5+ {Diagram [#] If thе previous game
between the two Chinese top GMs was a thriller, how should we name this one?}
1-0

Report.

The Chinese Wall?

I do not know about you but for me the first association that comes with China is the Great Wall. Build long time ago to protect against the aggressors it remains one of the world's miracles.
One might expect that the players from this country will play solid chess, build a wall in front of the enemy pieces before doing anything else. Nothing is even close to the truth. Take a look at the first game of the formidable match between Wei Yi and Ding Liren, two of the best Chinese players at the World Cup:

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.20"]
[Round "28.8"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2782"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:02:35"]
[BlackClock "0:00:47"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. h4 Bg7 6. h5 Nc6 7. g3 Bg4 8. h6
Bxc3 9. dxc3 Qd6 10. Bg2 O-O-O 11. Ng5 $146 {[%csl Yf7] Diagram [#] A novelty
which Ding Liren prepared for the game in the morning. He eye-witnessed the
predecessor a couple of months ago:} (11. Qa4 Qe6 12. O-O f6 13. Qc4 Bh3 14.
Bxh3 Qxh3 15. a4 g5 {and Black was doing fine in Wang,Y (2721)-Wei,Y (2725)
Zaozhuang 2015}) 11... Ne5 12. Qa4 ({"The computer suggested"} 12. Qxd5 Qxd5
13. Bxd5 Rxd5 14. c4 {"but I did not like"} Rd7 15. b3 f6 16. Bb2 Nc6 17. f3
Nd4 {Diagram [#] "and the position seems drawish" Ding Liren.}) 12... Nb6 ({
Black's difficulties are demonstrated by the line} 12... Kb8 13. Qe4 f6 14. Bf4
$16 {(Ding Liren)}) ({Maybe} 12... f6 13. Nf7 Nxf7 14. Qxg4+ Kb8 15. O-O {
which leads to very complicated line, but I think White should be better (Ding
Liren).}) 13. Qd4 {Only move.} f6 (13... Qxd4 14. cxd4 Rxd4 15. b3 {followed
by Bc1-b2 is very strong for White (Ding Liren).}) 14. Bf4 {[%csl Yd8,Re5,Yh8]
[%cal Rf4e5,Rg5f7] Diagram [#] And Wei Yi sang into deep thought (about
half-an hour).} Qxd4 15. cxd4 Nc6 $5 {A very interesting idea. Overall, Ding
Liren felt that he has better chances as his play is not that forced. For
instance in the lines:} ({Black was probably afraid of} 15... Rxd4 16. Bxe5
fxe5 17. Rc1 {when White wants Rh1-h4 or Rc1-c5. If} Bf5 18. Rh4 {anyways.
After} Rxh4 19. gxh4 {Black has problems with the knight-} Nd7 $2 {Diagram [#]}
({And if} 19... Kb8 20. Rc5 Nd7 21. Rb5 b6 22. e4 Bg4 23. f3 Bh5 24. Rd5 {and
Ding felt White has better chances.}) 20. e4 Bg4 21. f3 Bh5 22. Bh3 $18 {(Ding
Liren)}) 16. Nf7 (16. Bxc6 $2 fxg5 {wins material for Black.}) 16... Nxd4 17.
Rc1 ({The other choice was} 17. f3 {and White liked the position after} Nc2+ ({
But Ding was not that sure about the position arising after} 17... e5 $5 18.
fxg4 (18. Nxh8 Rxh8 19. fxg4 {is a better move order.}) 18... exf4 19. Nxh8
Nc2+ 20. Kf2 fxg3+ 21. Kxg3 Nxa1 22. Nxg6 hxg6 23. Rxa1 (23. Be4 $5 {alos
looks good for White.}) 23... Rh8 24. g5 fxg5 25. Rh1 Nc4 26. Kg4 {Diagram [#]
Ding Liren calculated all the way here, but somehow was not that convinced
about that line. In the final position White should win, say} Ne3+ 27. Kxg5
Nxg2 28. h7 {and the h7 pawn will cost Black the rook.}) 18. Kf2 Nxa1 19. fxg4
Nc2 20. Rc1 {with advantage for White.}) 17... e5 18. Rh4 ({White discarded
the move} 18. Be3 {due to} Nxe2 19. f3 (19. Rb1 $1 {is strong instead when
many black pieces are hanging.}) 19... Nxc1 20. fxg4 Nd3+ {and Black wins.})
18... exf4 {"I totally overlooked this"(Ding Liren) He was worried instead
about the move} (18... Bxe2 {Diagram [#] where he could not see anything for
White. Indeed, the lines that he showed are quite convincing:} 19. Be3 (19.
Bh3+ Kb8 20. Be3 Bc4 $1) (19. Nxh8 Rxh8 (19... exf4 20. Rxf4) 20. Be3 (20. Bh3+
Kb8 21. Be3 Re8 $1 22. Bxd4 exd4) 20... Bf3 21. Bh3+ Nf5) 19... Bf3 20. Bh3+
Nf5 {in all the lines Black seems OK.}) 19. Nxd8 ({Now White saw the line} 19.
Rxg4 Nxe2 20. Kxe2 ({But it seems as they both missed the strong in-between
shot} 20. Bxb7+ $1 {Diagram [#]} Kxb7 21. Nxd8+ Rxd8 22. Kxe2 {with big
advantage for White.}) 20... Rhe8+ 21. Kf1 Rd7 {when the knight is trapped.})
19... f3 $1 {The only move as if} (19... Nxe2 20. Bxb7+ Kxd8 21. Rd1+ {wins
material for White.}) 20. exf3 Nxf3+ ({The in-between check is a bad idea due
to} 20... Re8+ 21. Kf1 Nxf3 22. Rxg4 Nh2+ 23. Kg1 Nxg4 24. Nxb7 {and White is
better.}) 21. Bxf3 Re8+ $1 {[%csl Ye1] Diagram [#] Now this is strong. In
comparison} (21... Bxf3 $6 22. Ne6 Re8 (22... c6 {is better although White
keeps extra material.}) 23. Rxc7+ Kb8 24. Rxh7 Rxe6+ 25. Kd2 {simply wins for
White.}) 22. Kd2 $1 {It is important that White has this move as in the line:}
(22. Kf1 Bxf3 23. Nf7 Re7 24. Nd6+ Kd7 {the white knight is trapped due to the
bad position of the king} 25. Nb5 (25. Nc4 Be2+) 25... Be2+ {[%csl Yb5,Rf1]
Diagram [#] (Ding Liren)}) 22... Bxf3 {Or else White saves the bishop} (22...
Rxd8+ 23. Ke3 Re8+ 24. Be4 f5 (24... Bd7 25. Kd4) 25. f3 {with advantage for
the first player.}) 23. Nf7 Bc6 24. b4 {[%csl Yf7] Diagram [#] White emerged
an exchange up in the complications. He is not worse, but since his knight is
in danger he has to play very energetically. Another interesting option was} (
24. Re1 Kd7 25. Rxe8 Kxe8 26. Nh8 g5 {with unclear position.}) 24... a6 ({The
knight is saved after} 24... Rf8 25. Nd6+ cxd6 26. b5) ({However} 24... Kd7 $1
{might have ben better, for instance} 25. Rd4+ (25. Rf4 $1 {looks stronger
instead with the idea} Ke7 26. b5 $1) 25... Bd5 26. a4 c6 27. a5 Na8 28. b5 Nc7
29. a6 Nxb5 {(Ding Liren)}) 25. a4 Nxa4 $6 {Diagram [#] This is a mistake
which White missed to punish.} 26. Re1 ({Ding Liren missed in the line} 26. Rf4
$1 Nb6 27. Rxf6 Nd5 28. Rfxc6 ({The strong} 28. Rxg6 $1 {Diagram [#]} hxg6 29.
h7 $16 {which keeps the knight alive and White will enjoy an extra exchange.})
28... bxc6 29. Ng5 Nxb4 {with unclear play.}) 26... Nb6 27. Rg4 $6 {A mistake.
The correct way to sacrifice the knight was} (27. Rd4 Rf8 28. Re7 Nd5 29. Nd6+
cxd6 30. Rxh7 f5 31. Rg7 Nf6 32. Rxg6 Kd7 33. h7 {Diagram [#] (Ding Liren).
Indeed White looks fine.}) 27... Rg8 $1 {A strong move by Wei Yi that stops
the rook sacrifice on g6.} 28. Re7 Nd5 29. Nd6+ $1 ({Or else the knight will
be surrounded slowly but surely after} 29. Re1 g5) 29... cxd6 30. Rxh7 g5 {
White also gave the line} (30... f5 31. Rg7 Rxg7 32. hxg7 Ne7 33. Rxg6 Bd5 34.
Rxd6 Bg8 {with possible draw (Ding Liren)}) 31. Re4 Rg6 32. Re6 g4 (32... Kd8
33. Rxd6+ Ke8 {might be OK for Black (Ding Liren).}) 33. Rxd6 {After a long
and tensed battle with plenty of tactical nuances Wei Yi goes wrong last.} Nxb4
$2 {Diagram [#] Instead both} (33... Kb8) (33... Nb6 {were playable.}) 34. Rh8+
Kc7 35. Rd4 $1 {The rook joins the kingside battle with decisive effect.} Nd5 (
35... f5 36. Rxb4) 36. h7 Rh6 37. Rxg4 Ne7 38. Rg7 Kd7 39. Rf8 {Diagram [#]}
1-0

Report.

Ivanchuk Goes Home

Dmitry Jakovenko's first classical win at round 3 of the World Cup came in the best possible moment. The Russian GM managed to defeat the legend of the Ukrainian chess- Vassily Ivanchuk.

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.18"]
[Round "20.10"]
[White "Jakovenko, Dmitry"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2748"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:19:12"]
[BlackClock "0:31:05"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. Nf3 a6 {Diagram [#]
Ivanchuk chose a rare line which Jakovenko had analyzed long time ago, but
could not remember his preparation.} 7. Bd3 c6 8. O-O b5 ({Another way for
Black to play is} 8... Nfd7 9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 b5 11. Qd2 Kh7 12. Rac1 e5 {as
in Khairullin,I (2642)-Onischuk,V (2563) Khanty-Mansiysk 2012}) 9. Re1 {Solid
play.} Nbd7 ({The only thing Jakovenko remembered about his prep was that the
line} 9... bxc4 10. Bxc4 d5 11. Bd3 {is considered slightly better for White.})
10. Bg5 h6 {Jakovenko was a bit afraid of the line} (10... bxc4 11. Bxc4 c5 {
but the brief after-game analyzes revealed that White is better after} 12. e5
cxd4 13. exf6 exf6 14. Nxd4 fxg5 15. Bd5 ({Or} 15. Nc6)) 11. Be3 bxc4 $146 {
Diagram [#] A novelty.} ({A predecessor saw} 11... Nb6 12. b3 Nfd7 13. Rc1 b4
14. Ne2 {when White is very stable and enjoys extra space and stronger center,
Grivas,E (2499)-Sigalas,F (2069) Chania 2000}) 12. Bxc4 d5 13. Bd3 dxe4 14.
Nxe4 {[%csl Rc5,Yc6] Diagram [#] Black freed himself a bit, but the problems
with the weak pawn on c6 and the weak c5 square remain. This is probably the
great difficulty of the whole line,White does not even have to do anything to
get better position.} Nd5 ({On} 14... Bb7 {White was planning} 15. Rc1 {
followed by Ne4-c5 with an edge.}) 15. Bd2 Qb6 16. b4 ({On} 16. Qa4 {Jakovenko
was afraid that Ivanchuk may free himself with} c5 (16... a5 {might be better.}
) {but the analyzes show that White has} 17. Qc4 Bb7 18. Nxc5 Nxc5 19. dxc5 {
just winning a pawn.}) 16... Nxb4 {Jakovenko did not analyze this move
seriously as he had explain after the game that he has a special feelings for
the queens.} 17. Rb1 a5 ({Better than} 17... Nxd3 18. Rxb6 Nxb6 19. Re3 Nf4 20.
Nc5 {when White can use the a5 square later.}) 18. a3 Nxd3 19. Rxb6 Nxb6 {[%csl
Ya8,Yb6,Yc6,Gd1] Diagram [#]} 20. Re3 ({At first White wanted to play} 20. Re2
{but he did not like} Nd5 (20... Nc4 21. Bxh6 Bxh6 22. Qxd3 Ba6) (20... Ba6 $5
{was dismissed by White but might not be bad at all after} 21. Bxa5 Nd5 {with
counterplay.} (21... Nc4 22. Bb4)) 21. Nc3 Nxc3 22. Bxc3 Nf4 {and the black
knight lands on d5.}) 20... Nb2 21. Qc1 N2c4 22. Rc3 Nxd2 23. Qxd2 {For the
queen Ivanchuk has enough material- a rook, a bishop and a pawn. However, his
pieces are not yet co-ordinated and he has problems.} Rd8 24. Qe1 ({Better than
} 24. Rxc6 Bb7 25. Rxb6 Bxe4 $11) 24... Nd5 25. Rxc6 Bb7 26. Rc5 Nf4 ({
Jakovenko believed Black's best chance is} 26... a4 {Diagram [#]} 27. Qb1 Ba6
28. Ne5 Rab8 29. Qc1 $16 {alhtough White dominates with his central pieces.})
27. Rc7 Rab8 {A crtical moment of the battle. Now Ivanchuk had the very nice
tactical idea} (27... Rac8 $1 {Diagram [#] and if} 28. Rxb7 ({White can also
be tricky with} 28. Rxe7 Rc1 29. Nf6+ $1 {Now the rook covers the e2 square,
but Black has decent chances to survive after} Bxf6 30. Qxc1 Nxh3+ 31. gxh3
Bxe7) 28... Rc1 29. Qxc1 Ne2+ {leads to a draw.}) 28. Rxe7 Nd5 29. Rxb7 $1 ({
The forced line} 29. Rxf7 Kxf7 30. Neg5+ hxg5 31. Nxg5+ {Diagram [#] leads
only to draw after} Kg8 $1 (31... Kf8 $2 32. Qe6 {is mate}) 32. Qe6+ Kh8 33.
Qxg6 Nf6 34. Nf7+ Kg8 35. Nh6+ $11 {Jakovenko.}) 29... Rxb7 30. Qxa5 Rbb8 {One
advantage was transformed into another. The queen and the pawn are superior as
they have the strong support of the white knights. This allows White a chance
to attack on the kingside.} ({Perhaps Black needed to defend the seventh rank
with} 30... Rc7 31. Ne5 $16) 31. Ne5 Ra8 32. Qc5 Rac8 ({Or} 32... Bf8 33. Qc4
Bxa3 (33... Rac8 34. Nc5) 34. Nf6+ Nxf6 35. Qxf7+ {and White wins (Jakovenko).}
) (32... Nf6 {to relief the pressure from the white knights was another try.})
33. Qa7 Rc1+ {Once that the rooks get separated, the game is over.} 34. Kh2 Nc7
35. Nc5 {Diagram [#]} ({Ivanchuk resigned due to the line} 35. Nc5 Bxe5+ 36.
dxe5 Rd5 37. Ne4 $1 Rxe5 38. Qb8+ ({Even better than} 38. Qd4 {(Sutovsky)
which also wins.}) 38... Kg7 (38... Kh7 39. Nf6+ Kg7 40. Nd7 $18) 39. Qb2 $18 {
with decisive attack.}) 1-0

Report.

Gamble

Pavel Eljanov made a decisive step towards qualification in the next round at his game against Alexander Grischuk at round three of the World Cup in Baku. The Ukrainian Grandmaster was the only player to win his game with the black pieces and remains the only player with perfect score in the classical chess 5/5! Both players gambled, but Eljanov got luckier.

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.17"]
[Round "19.7"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2723"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:33"]
[BlackClock "0:05:54"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. O-O b6 8.
Nc3 Bb7 9. d4 {Diagram [#] From the Reti the game transposes into the Catalan.}
Rc8 {Eljanov had played this line back in 2004. At the Olympiad he chose
instead} (9... a6 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bg5 O-O 12. Rad1 Qc8 13. Qf4 h6 14. Bxf6
Nxf6 {with approximate equality in Harikrishna,P (2612)-Eljanov,P (2629)
Mallorca 2004}) 10. Qd3 $146 {A novelty. White is usually fighting for the
advantage with} ({Relevant:} 10. Bg5 cxd4 11. Qxd4 Bc5 12. Qh4 O-O 13. Rad1 Qe8
14. e4 {as in Andreikin,D (2580)-Vitiugov,N (2617) Plovdiv 2008}) 10... cxd4 {
Simple and good. Black trades a pair of light pieces and finishes the
development.} 11. Nxd4 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Bb4 $5 {Diagram [#] An interesting idea.
Instead} (12... Bc5 13. Ndb5 a6 14. Nd6+ Bxd6 15. Qxd6 {would have transposed
to the game.}) 13. Ndb5 (13. Bd2 O-O {promises nothing at all for White.})
13... a6 {After some hesitation Eljanov decided to go to passive defense. He
could have gone for complications instead, seemingly favorable for him:} (13...
O-O $5 {with the idea} 14. Nxa7 (14. Bf4 a6 15. Nd6 Rc6 $11) (14. Rd1 a6 15.
Nd6 Rc6 (15... Bxc3 16. bxc3) 16. Nde4 Qa8 $11) 14... Bxc3 15. Nxc8 (15. bxc3
Rc5 16. Nb5 Qa8+ 17. f3 Ne5 18. Qb1 Qa4 19. Nd6 Qc6 {is great for Black.})
15... Be5 {when the white night is trapped. True, the position after} 16. f4
Bb8 17. Nd6 Nc5 18. Nxf7 Qxd3 19. exd3 Kxf7 20. Be3 {is not clear at all.}) 14.
Nd6+ Bxd6 15. Qxd6 Qe7 {Now White is a bit better, but the symmetrical
character of the positions should not allow much to him.} 16. Qd3 b5 17. Bf4 e5
18. Bg5 h6 19. Nd5 Qe6 20. Bxf6 Nxf6 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Qa3 {[%cal Ra3f8]
Diagram [#] Grischuk squeezed the maximum of the position and kept the black
king in the middle for the time being. But Black's defensive resources are
good enough to keep the balance.} Rc2 23. b3 {White would be happy to try and
win the open file, but} (23. Rac1 {is strongly met with} Qc6+ {when} 24. Qf3
Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Qxc1 26. Qa8+ Ke7 27. Qxh8 Qxb2 28. Qxg7 {Diagram [#] is equal.})
({Perhaps} 23. Rad1 $5 {was more interesting with the tactical idea} Rxe2 $2 (
{However Black can defend with} 23... Qc6+ $1 24. Kg1 Rc5 {[%cal Gc4c5,Ra3c5,
Ye8g8] Diagram [#] followed by 0-0.}) 24. Qd3 {and White wins a rook.}) 23...
Qc6+ 24. Kg1 Qc5 $1 {Nicely played! With all the heavy pieces on board king's
safety is top priority. Eljanov will compensate the pawn with activity.} 25.
Qxa6 O-O 26. a4 {Grischuk gives back the pawn but creates a passer immediately
as} (26. e3 b4 {blocks the white pawns.}) 26... Rxe2 27. a5 e4 {[%csl Ra5,Yg1]
[%cal Ge4e3,Ra4a5] Diagram [#] King's safety, remember? The threat is e4-e3,
White is forced to trade rooks.} 28. Rae1 Rxe1 29. Rxe1 f5 {The same policy,
f5-f4 is coming, the white king will be opened and Black can count on
perpetual check (at least).} 30. Qe6+ Kh7 31. Rd1 Rf6 32. Qd5 Qc2 (32... Qb4 $5
{might have been more subtle, with the idea} 33. Ra1 Qc3 34. Ra2 e3 35. a6 Qe1+
36. Kg2 e2 37. Rxe2 Qxe2 38. a7 Rf8 39. a8=Q Rxa8 40. Qxa8 $11 {Diagram [#]})
33. Rd2 Qc3 34. Ra2 Qe1+ {Eljanov is confident in his heavy pieces and
believes that the attack should be more important than a new white queen
coming on a8.} (34... e3 {would transpose to the above-mentioned line.}) 35. Kg2
f4 36. a6 {The culmination of the battle. One can be certain that time
trouble was involved when it comes to Grischuk.} f3+ 37. Kh3 Rg6 $2 {A blunder!
} ({It was time to force a draw with} 37... e3 $1 38. Qe4+ ({Or} 38. a7 exf2
39. Rxf2 Qxf2 40. a8=Q Qg2+ 41. Kg4 Rg6+ 42. Kf4 Rf6+ $11 {Diagram [#] as if}
43. Ke3 $2 Qe2+ 44. Kd4 f2 {wins for Black.}) 38... Rg6 39. Qxf3 exf2 40. Rxf2
Rxa6 41. Qf5+ Rg6) ({On the other hand bad was} 37... Qf1+ 38. Kh4 {when the
king escapes and White wins after} g5+ (38... Rg6 39. a7 Qg2 40. h3 $18) 39.
Kg4 h5+ 40. Kxg5) 38. Kh4 $2 {Grischuk returns the favor!} ({It seemd as Black
ia mating after} 38. a7 Qh1 {but White has} 39. Qf5 {[%cal Rf5h3] Diagram [#]}
Qg2+ 40. Kh4 Qxh2+ 41. Qh3 {and wins!}) 38... Qb4 {Once more Black was OK after
} (38... Rg5 39. Qd4 Qb1 {(Go find this move even without the time trouble...)}
) ({Or} 38... e3 {with similar line as above.} 39. Qxf3 exf2 40. Rxf2 Rxa6) 39.
Kh3 {With seconds on the clock Grischuk errs last.} (39. Qf5 $1 {[%csl Yg6]
[%cal Rh4h5,Rf5h7] Diagram [#] would have won instead. For example} Qxb3 (39...
e3+ 40. Kh5 $1) 40. Ra1 $1 {Better than} (40. Kh5 Qxa2 41. Qxg6+ Kh8 42. Qe8+
Kh7 43. Qxe4+ Kg8) 40... Qc3 41. Kh5 Qxa1 42. Qxg6+ Kh8 43. Qe8+ Kh7 44. Qxe4+
Kh8 45. Qb7 {when the white king will escape the checks.}) 39... Rg5 $1 40. Qf7
Qc5 {Move fourty missed a clear-cut win.} (40... Qe1 {with the threat
Qe1-h1-g2+ and mate on h2.} 41. Kh4 (41. a7 {does not help due to} Qh1 42. Qg8+
$1 {The last chance} Kxg8 43. a8=Q+ Kh7 44. Qxe4+ Rg6 45. Qf5 h5 $1) 41... Qb1
$3 {[%csl Rh4][%cal Rb3b4,Gc1c4] Diagram [#] What is the idea of this move? To.
..lure the white pawn to b4!!!} (41... Qc1 42. Qe8 Rg6 43. Qe5 {is defendable
for White.}) 42. b4 ({If the rook moves from the second rank} 42. Ra5 Qg1 {
lead to mate} 43. h3 Qxf2) 42... Qc1 43. Qe8 Qc4 {with the deadly threat
e4-e3+!}) 41. g4 Qc1 42. a7 h5 $1 {Eljanov's threats are still huge and
Grischuk has to part with his queen.} 43. Qxh5+ $1 {The best chance. Or else
Black wins after} (43. a8=Q Qf1+ 44. Kh4 Rxg4+ 45. Kxh5 Qh3# {Diagram [#]}) (
43. Qg8+ Kxg8 44. a8=Q+ Kh7 45. Qxe4+ Kh6 $1) 43... Rxh5+ 44. gxh5 Qc8+ 45. Kg3
Qa8 46. Ra6 {Both the black queen and king are arrested and this looks like a
fortress.} Kg8 47. b4 Kf8 48. Kf4 Ke7 (48... Ke8 49. h6 $1) 49. Ke3 {The last
mistake. Now the black king comes out and Black wins. Correct was} (49. h6 $1 {
Diagram [#]} gxh6 50. Rxh6 e3 ({The plan from the game would not work here}
50... Kd7 51. Ra6 Kc7 52. Ke3 Kb7 53. Ra5 Kc6 54. h4 Kd6 55. h5 $11) 51. Rh7+
Kf6 52. Kxe3 {and this seems like a draw, although Black can definitely try to
win further.}) 49... Kd7 50. Kd4 Kc7 51. Ke3 Kb7 52. Ra5 Kb6 53. Ra3 Kc6 54.
Ra5 Kd6 55. Kd4 {Leads to mate but otherwise White will sooner or later get
into zugzwang and allow the black king in} (55. h4 Ke6 56. Kf4 Kd5 57. Rxb5+
Kd4 58. Ra5 Kc3) 55... Qd5+ 56. Ke3 Ke5 {[%csl Ye3][%cal Rd5d3] Diagram [#]
Mate on d3 is coming. Caissa smiled to the brave Eljanov today!} 0-1

Report.

The Perfect Must-Win Game

In a short match of two games it is quite easy to get your back to the wall. This is exactly what happened to Michael Adams after losing his first game to Victor Laznicka at the second round of the World Cup. He, however managed to coma back in the classical part of the match:

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.15"]
[Round "11.15"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Laznicka, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2676"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:15:53"]
[BlackClock "0:06:11"]

{A must win situation for Adams.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5.
Nc3 a6 {And a mini-surprise by Laznicka. Even though this is one of his pet
lines, he had not played it since 2013.} 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. O-O Nf6 9.
Qf3 Be7 10. Qg3 O-O 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. Bf4 Bh4 13. Qf3 Be7 ({The trade of one of
the attacking white pieces makes sense} 13... Bg5 $5 14. e5 Bxf4 15. Qxf4 c5 {
as in Nepomniachtchi,I (2705)-Andreikin,D (2720) Moscow 2015}) 14. Na4 $1 $146
{[%cal Gc2c4,Gb2b3] Diagram [#] A strong, fundamental novelty. Adams intends
to stop the opponent's play in the center and on the queenside and start
kingside attack.} ({Previously only the obvious} 14. Rad1 {has been seen. After
} Nf6 15. h3 Nd7 16. Qg3 Bh4 17. Qh2 Ra7 18. Na4 Re8 {Black managed to hold in
Nepomniachtchi,I (2714)-Grachev,B (2669) Kazan 2014}) 14... Nf6 15. b3 Qa5 ({
Black cannot win the bishop pair as after} 15... dxe4 16. Bxe4 Nxe4 17. Qxe4
Bb7 18. Rad1 {Diagram [#] his queen lacks good squares} Qc8 (18... Qa5 19. Rd7)
19. Nb6 $18) ({Perhaps} 15... Bb7 {was better} 16. e5 Nd7 17. c4 $14 {At least
Black stops the kingside advance for the time being. Next he can try to
fianchettoe the dark-squared bishop.}) 16. e5 $1 {The attack can be successful
only with the center closed.} Nd7 17. Qg3 {With the threat Bf4-h6.} Re8 18. h4
c5 19. c4 $1 {[%csl Yc5,Yd5,Rg8][%cal Gh4h5,Gh5h6] Diagram [#] Once that the
center is blocked White can concentrate his efforts on the kingside.} d4 20. h5
Qc7 21. Rae1 {[%csl Ge5,Yg8][%cal Ge1e5,Rh1h8,Rb1h7,Rg3g8] Overprotects the
key e5 square. In case of a need, White can also lift this rook along the
fourth rank. It is curious to find out that the computer considers this
position equal. For the human eye it is very obvious that White has all the
play, it is quite one-sided. He can prepare the attack in many ways- along the
fourth rank, along the h file, battery on the b1-h7 diagonal. And if these
resources are not enough, he can redeploy the knight from a4 to d3-f4 and h5.
At the same time Black does not even have room to maneuver on the kingside.}
Bf8 ({The same computer suggests now as best the defense} 21... Kh8 22. h6 Rg8
{which only shows how bad Black's position is.}) 22. Bg5 g6 {This makes things
easier for White as he now has a clear target. However, standing should not
help neither, for example} (22... Bb7 23. f4 Qc6 24. Re2 a5 {and now say
battery with} 25. Bc2 {[%csl Rh7][%cal Rg3d3,Rc2h7] Diagram [#] and Qg3-d3.
Sooner or later Black will have to weaken his kingside.}) 23. f4 Bg7 24. Qh4 {
Adams simply doubles his pieces on the h file.} Bb7 25. Kf2 $1 {Diagram [#]}
Rf8 ({Nothing changes} 25... Qc6 26. Be4 Qc7 27. Bxb7 Qxb7 28. Rh1 $18) ({If}
25... Nf8 26. Bf6 Bxf6 27. exf6 {and White will find a way to reach the black
king via the dark squares or the h file.}) 26. Rh1 f5 {Desperation.} 27. hxg6
hxg6 28. Qh7+ Kf7 29. Rh6 {Diagram [#] A very convincing win for the English
top GM.} 1-0

Adams then managed to win the rapid-blitz game(s) at the end of a long and exhausting match.
Report.

How Good Was the Preparation?

Round two of the World Cup continued with many interesting games. The rating favorite did well in most of the games, but there were a couple of exceptions. Sergey Karjakin lost to Alexander Onischuk with the black pieces, and the other surprise was pleasant for the hosts:

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.14"]
[Round "10.25"]
[White "Guseinov, Gadir"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2634"]
[BlackElo "2728"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:13:58"]
[BlackClock "0:44:32"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 {Diagram [#] Navara's great memory
gives him the advantage of diversity in the opening.} 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7.
Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Ne4 {
This knight is quite a problematic piece in the Caro- Kann for White and
Guseinov hurries to bring in back in the center.} Nxe4 {On the other hand
Black is happy to trade some pieces.} 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qd3 {Diagram [#] A
fighting move.} ({The main line is considered harmless for Black} 15. Qe2 {due
to the maneuver} Qd5 16. c4 Qe4 17. Qxe4 Nxe4 18. Be3 f5 19. Nd2 Nf6 20. Nf3
Bd6 {1/2-1/2 (20) Harikrishna,P (2740)-Berkes,F (2659) Kocaeli 2015}) 15... c5
{A relatively rare move. The main continuations are} (15... O-O) ({and} 15...
Qd5) 16. Kb1 cxd4 17. Nxd4 O-O $6 {What can be more natural than that?!
Instead, both} (17... Rc8) ({and} 17... Qd5 {would be playable.}) 18. Bxh6 $5 {
[%csl Yd8][%cal Rd1d8,Rd3g3] Diagram [#] Kaboom! Something went wrong with
Navara's preparation as this move is not even a novelty! Or maybe he just
considered the complications favourable for him? Judging by the speed with
which he was banging the moves, it should have been the latter.} gxh6 19. Qg3+
Kh8 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxd8 Raxd8 22. Qe3 Ng8 23. Qxa7 $146 {Diagram [#] Both
players are blitzing, Guseinov comes up with a novelty. The stem game saw} (23.
f4 Rf5 24. g4 Rfd5 25. a3 e5 26. fxe5 {with advantage for White Kokarev,D
(2628)-Gavrilov,A (2456) Moscow 2014}) 23... Bf6 24. f3 {Finally, both players
start thinking. The material balance is weird. A queen and three pawns are
fighting a rook, bishop and knight. Techically speaking we have 9+3=5+3+3.
White should be up a pawn. Concretely speaking, White should be better thanks
to his safe king. However, if Black managed to co-ordinate his pieces, the
evaluation will change as the pieces can easily outnumber the queen in the
attack against the white pawns for instance.} Ne7 (24... Rf7 $5 {looks more
solid.}) 25. Qe3 {Diagram [#] White wins pawn number four but the black rooks
occupy the open files.} Bg7 26. Qxe6 Nd5 27. c3 Rfe8 28. Qf5 {Compy criticizes
this move and suggests instead} (28. Qg6 {presumably to defend the g2 pawn
with the queen. However then Black has} Re2 {and if} 29. Rc1 Nf4 $1 {is
unpleasant for White to say at least.}) 28... Re2 {Creates concrete threats.}
29. Rc1 {Or else Black can sacrifice on c3} (29. g4 Bxc3 {Diagram [#]} (29...
b5) (29... Ne3 {are not bad neither.}) 30. bxc3 Nxc3+ 31. Kc1 Nxa2+ {with
guaranteed draw.}) 29... Rxg2 {Now Navara rejects the draw, possible after} (
29... Ne3 30. Qb5 Rdd2 {[%csl Re8,Yh8][%cal Re8g6,Rg6e8,Rb5e8] Diagram [#]} 31.
Qe8+ Kh7 32. Qg6+ $11) 30. a3 b5 31. Qf7 Nf6 {The position is very complicated.
Navara had other interesting options:} (31... b4 $5 {might lead to a forced
draw (!) after} 32. axb4 Nxb4 33. Qc7 Bf6 34. Re1 Rgd2 35. cxb4 Rxb2+ 36. Kc1
Ra8 37. Re5 $1 {Diagram [#]} Rg2 38. Kb1 Rd8 39. Re1 Ra8 (39... Rb2+ 40. Kc1
Ra8) 40. Re5 Rd8 $11) ({While} 31... Ne3 32. Re1 Nc4 33. Re8+ Rxe8 34. Qxe8+
Kh7 35. Qxb5 {is not that great as the endgame after} Rxb2+ 36. Qxb2 Nxb2 37.
Kxb2 $18 {Diagram [#] is lost for Black. The pawns easily outnumber the bishop.
}) 32. Qb7 Rd5 ({White is better after} 32... Rdd2 33. Qxb5 Nxh5 34. Re1) 33.
f4 $1 {[%csl Gf4] Diagram [#] Surprisingly, Black has problems with the moves
after this. The queen is taking care of everything.} Kh7 34. Re1 {The rook got
active and Black decided to give the b5 pawn but to activate the pieces.} Rdd2
35. Qxb5 Nd5 36. Ka1 $1 {Nice prophylaxis as if White carelessly advances the
pawn} (36. a4 $2 {[%csl Ye1] Diagram [#] there is} Rxb2+ 37. Qxb2 Rxb2+ 38.
Kxb2 Bxc3+ {and Black wins.}) 36... Rgf2 ({Here} 36... Rxb2 $2 {is bad due the
counter-attack} 37. Qd3+ Kh8 38. Re8+ Bf8 39. Qxd5 $18) 37. Qe8 {Diagram [#]
Threatens mate in two.} Nxf4 38. Qe4+ Kh8 39. Qa8+ Kh7 40. Qe4+ Kh8 {Guseinov
made the control moves just in time to get the needed time to find the right
continuation.} 41. Qf5 $1 Rd8 {[%csl Yd8] Diagram [#] Once that the active
black pieces go back, White gets the time he needs to push his queenside pawns.
} 42. Qb5 (42. Qf7 $5 {was not bad neither.}) 42... Rd5 {This makes things
easier for White.} (42... Kh7 {was more stubborn but White is much better
anyway.}) 43. Re8+ Kh7 44. Qc4 {[%csl Rh7][%cal Rc4e4] Diagram [#] The threat
Qc4-e4+ forces the black king out.} Rxh5 45. Qg8+ Kg6 46. Re7 Rh1+ 47. Ka2 Nh5
48. Qe6+ {And the powerful white pieces finished the job.} Nf6 ({Or} 48... Kh7
49. Qe4+) ({Hopeless is} 48... Bf6 49. Qg4+ Bg5 50. Qe4+ Kf6 (50... Rf5 51.
Re6+) 51. Qe6# {Diagram [#]}) 49. Qf7+ Kf5 50. Qxg7 Rhh2 51. Rb7 {Diagram [#]
An epic, irrational battle.} 1-0

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