3/19/2020 – The battle between pre-tournament favourites Ding Liren and Fabiano Caruana ended up favouring the Chinese, who responded convincingly to Caruana's provocative play in the opening to get his first win of the tournament after back-to-back losses in the first two rounds. The remaining games finished drawn, which means Wang Hao, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are sharing the lead on 2 out of 3. Expert analysis by GMs STEPHEN GORDON and DANIEL KING. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / FIDE
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After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6!?, Black takes the initiative, luring White into overextending their central pawns, only to dismantle them with precise counterplay. The Tango is not just an opening – it’s a weapon, designed for players who want to win as Black
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Mental fortitude
The eight-player Candidates tournament is one of the most prestigious global chess events, held every two years. The event will determine who will challenge the defender Magnus Carlsen for the title of the World Chess Champion. This year’s event has a prize fund of 500,000 Euros, which is the highest ever in the history of the Candidates tournaments.
Ding Liren's start of the tournament could not have been worse. The Chinese star had a great 2019 and arrived as one of the two clear favourites to become Carlsen's challenger at the Candidates, but the Coronavirus outbreak pushed him to go into quarantine both at home and in Moscow. When the event finally began, he was clearly out of form and lost both of his two inaugural games.
And then came his encounter against none other than world number two Fabiano Caruana. The American played the opening quickly and confidently, going for what seemed to be a risky setup. Ding spent a lot of time, fearing the worst — that he had been caught in an opening his opponent had perfectly prepared. However, the Chinese eventually found himself in a favourable position. By move 27, it was clear that Caruana's approach had failed him and, although he continued playing until move 59, it was never really in doubt that Ding would end up getting the full point.
Earlier in the day, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave held Anish Giri to a draw with the black pieces; Kirill Alekseenko missed a chance to beat Ian Nepomniachtchi's French Winawer, although the latter was positionally better during most of the game; and Alexander Grischuk could not make the most of a strategically superior position against Wang Hao.
Given these results, Vachier-Lagrave, Nepomniachtchi and Wang Hao go into the rest day as co-leaders on 2 out of 3.
A safety-first approach is called for given the situation | Photo: Lennart Ootes / FIDE
Ding Liren 1:0 Caruana
For a while, it looked like Caruana would repeat the recipe he used on Wednesday to take down Alekseenko — to play an opening he does not employ regularly and get a clear advantage after uncorking a surprising novelty. Against Ding, he played the Slav with Black (already a surprise) and deviated from theory with 9...e5, quite a compromising decision. Furthermore, he continued blitzing out his moves for a while, including the unexpected 15...♞bd7.
In the post-game interview, Ding confessed he felt frustrated at this stage of the game, as he feared he was missing something or that his rival had an ace up the sleeve. By move 20 he was about an hour down on the clock, but not long after he already felt he was winning — he got his queen out of trouble and noticed Black did not have sufficient counterplay:
This Slav DVD is a complete opening repertoire for black after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6. GM Nick Pert has played the Slav defence for over 10 years and provides all his latest and most up to date analysis crammed into one video series. Nick has spent many hours studying the best Slav lines, and he explains his favourite variations, plus includes some interactive clips where the viewer is tested on a range of theoretical questions and tactics arising from Slav games.
Ding Liren vs. Caruana
Position after 27.Qg3
As you can see, Black is down two pawns, and the fact that one of White's rooks is stuck on h1 does not compensate for the material disadvantage and the scanty positioning of Black's knights. Soon enough, Caruana sacrificed one of these knights for two pawns, entering a completely miserable position after the time control. The American continued playing until move 59, but only an extreme blunder by his opponent would have allowed him to save a draw.
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Massive match up and it didn't disappoint. The start of
this tournament has been something else. The two pre-tournament favourites
meet in round 3, with one having played excellent chess in the first couple,
and the other playing two games that are best forgotten. How do you react to
two losses at the start of the biggest tournament of your life? Like this...1.d4d52.c4c63.Nf3Nf64.Nc3This may have been a small surprise for
Caruana, as Ding has been very sucessful in the lines beginning with 4.e3. In
any case it become apparent very quickly that Caruana had a deep idea in the
mainline variation.dxc45.a4Bf56.Ne5e67.f3Bb48.Nxc48.e4
is worth being aware of if you haven't seen this opening variation before.Bxe49.fxe4Nxe410.Bd2Qxd411.Nxe4Qxe4+12.Qe2Bxd2+13.Kxd2Qd5+14.Kc3is a position that has been reached many times. Probably the current view
is that Black should be alright here, with some accuracy of course.8...0-09.Kf2e5!?Incredible novelty from Caruana. The idea with 8.Nxc4 and 9.Kf2
is relatively recent but obviously all top players are aware that it is now
considered the main try for an advantage in this line. The ideas behind
Caruana's novelty are quite difficult to explain due to there being some very
concrete, forcing lines in mind. The overall general idea is to open the
position up as much as possible before White has a chance to get organised.10.Nxe5It was the opinion of Magnus Carlsen that the safer option would
have been the pawn capture10.dxe5Nfd711.e4Be6is very likely to have
been Black's idea. Further investigation required here.10...Bc211.Qd211.Qxc2Qxd4+12.e3Qxe5isn't terrible for White, but Black really should
have no problems from here.11...c512.d5The most principled move. Ding
began to spend a lot of time around this point, but his body language
suggested he was relatively unphased by the early surprise.12.e3was a
valid alternative, although somehow it doesn't feel in the spirit of the
position. Still, Black probably has work to do to demonstrate compensation for
the pawn.12...Bb312...Be4!?was another playable move that must have
been considered by Caruana's team, but I imagine it would have been rejected
due to the following, quite natural follow-up for White:13.Qd1Bxc314.bxc3Bxd515.e4This is exactly the sort of thing White would be hoping for.
Optically it looks as though Black has a lead in development and as such
should have some chances for initiative. The problem is that White's pawn
structure is really very effective in keeping the black pieces at bay, and
once the pieces are developed, the two bishops and central majority should
lead to some tangible advantage for White.13.e4Re814.Qf4c4Fabi gives
the second pawn. Something that really needed to be done to open up the
position, specifically dark-squared diagonals.15.Nxc415.Bxc4could be
met withBd6which is pretty unpleasant to deal with16.Qe3pretty much
has to be played. Black's compensation looks dangerous after16.Bxb3??Qb6+17.Qe317.Be3Qxb317...Bc5-+16...Nbd717.Nxd7Nxd718.Qe2Bc5+19.Kf1Bxc420.Qxc4Qh4Another scenario that's difficult for White to handle.15...Nbd7Fabi looked to be still in preparation at this point, having more
time on his clock than he started with. Black's compensation is very
interesting, but also quite unclear. White still has problems completing
development - one of the main issues being that the placement of the white
queen on f4 isn't ideal, and in many lines it can be chased around at quite a
cost. Still, the central pawn block is a big asset and Fabi has a job to do to
justify Black's approach.16.Be3!Nf8again played quickly. Ding might
have in some way been quite encouraged that Fabi continues to respond quickly
- although it's very annoying when your opponent is doing this. It at least
gives you an indication that you are very likely playing some good chess,
remaining in your opponent's engine-assisted preparation.16...Bxc417.Bxc4Ne517...Nb618.Bxb6Qxb6+19.Kf118.Be2Bd618...Neg4+19.fxg4Bxc320.bxc3Rxe421.Qg319.Qf5Nc419...Nfg4+19...Neg4+20.Bxc4Re521.Qh3Rh522.Qxh5Nxh517.Bd4!Very precise.17.Kg1Rc8!17...Ng618.Qg318.Nd2Bxd5gets one of the pawns back and it's clear that Black
has at least full compensation with that white rook still locked in on h1.17...Ng617...Ne6??18.Bxf617...Rc8!?may have been a valid
alternative. A sample line runs18.Ne3Ng619.Qg319.Bxf6gxf6is
offering Black excellent dark-squared compensation.19...Bxc320.bxc3Rxe4may have offered Black practical compensation - albeit quite different to the
dark-squared compensation Fabi achieved in the game.18.Qf5Totally
natural, but not best according to the engine.18.Qd2wouldn't have been
idealNxe4+!18...Rxe419.Bxf6Bc5+20.Ne3‼Is the engine's find.
Without this move Black would be in business, however here the position is
just lost.19.fxe4Rxe4gives Black very dangerous compensation.18.Bxf6gxf6again gives Black excellent compensation.18.Qc1is indicated
as best by the engine. Actually indicating a winning advantage for White -
which is strange given that Caruana was definitely representing that he was
still in prep after 16...Nf8. My guess is that either Caruana felt this line
was a risk worth taking - because finding all of these moves for White is
close to impossible for a human player, or that he possibly ran out of prep
after 15...Nbd7. All speculation, but I doubt any players would be interested
to take on a position that the engine indicates as +2 for the opponent...18...Bxc419.Bxc4Qc720.Be2Bc521.Bxc5Qxc5+22.Kf1It's clear at this
stage that Black does have compensation for the two pawns. White's back rank
coordination is all over the place, but a big thing in White's favour is that
the structure is so compact. As such, Black must make something with the
initiative from here. If White is given time to get a grip on the dark squares
and sort out the rooks, then there won't be any compensation to speak of.h6?The first misstep from Fabi. This costs time and it's not so clear what
the reason for it is.22...Re5is probably an improvement. Black gets some
counterplay going in the following sample line:23.Qh3Qb424.Rb1Nf425.Qg3N6h526.Qf2f523.Rd1Qb624.Rd2Qe325.Rc2Getting this rook to c2
has really helped White consolidate.a626.Qh3and now Ding starts to
reposition the queen - f2 being the destination. At this point it felt as
though Black's counterplay was too slow.b527.Qg3b428.Nd1Qb329.Rd2Qxa430.Qf2Caruana gets a pawn back but the coordination for White has
massively improved, and most importantly, the big centre is still intact.
White still has a small issue with the h1-rook, but with everything else being
so well positioned, it's pretty much insignificant.Qd731.g3Qh3+32.Kg1a533.Qd4Nh5What else? With this Black is announcing that he is planning to
sacrifice a knight to try to open up the king, which is very unlikely to be
effective - but the knights sat on g6 and f6 are dead wood here anyway.34.Nf2Qd735.f4Nhxf436.gxf4Nxf437.Kf1Qd638.Rg1Ding finally gets the
h1-rook into play with a threat of mate. It's all one-way traffic from now
until the end.f639.Bb5Re740.b3Rf841.Rc2Ne642.Qe3Ng543.h4Nf744.Rc6Qb845.Qc5Qd846.Rxf6Kh847.Rf5Rc748.Bc6a449.bxa4b350.Rg3b251.Rb3Nd652.Rxf8+Qxf853.Rxb2Qf454.Rb8+Kh755.Qc2Re756.e5+Nf557.Qe4Qc1+58.Kg21–0
The two top seeds battling it out | Photo: Lennart Ootes / FIDE
Grischuk ½:½ Wang Hao
It is a well-known fact that Chinese player are Petroff-Defence specialists, and Wang Hao is no exception. Against Grischuk in round three, however, he could not completely equalize by using this setup. Much like in his game against Giri from the previous round, Black had to defend a static position with a weak isolated pawn — except this time the Chinese was the one on the defensive side.
But when it looked like we were in for a long struggle in which Grischuk would torture his opponent for hours on end, the Russian forgot Black had a tactical resource that equalized the position immediately:
The Petroff (or Russian) Defence which is characterised by the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 has been popular at the highest levels for many years and enjoys the reputation of being an extremely solid defence.
Grischuk vs. Wang Hao
Position after 34.g5
Instead of 34.g5 the previous move, White needed to play something like 34.♗b1 in order to avoid 34...♞e4+, when capturing with 35.fxe4 runs into 35...dxe4 threatening the bishop and 36...e3+ next move, gaining the rook. Grischuk later confessed that he had seen this trick previously but failed to reconsider it in the critical position. The game continued 35.♗xe4dxe4 36.♖e1 and thirteen more moves were played before a draw was agreed.
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1.e4e52.Nf3Nf63.Nxe5d64.Nf3Nxe45.d3Nf66.d4d57.Bd3Bd68.Qe2+It's quite refreshing to see a relatively straightforward
approach being used in an attempt to gain an advantage with White against the
Petroff. The idea behind White's approach is to force Black to make a
concession in this position.Be6Probably the most principled. Black parts
with the light-squared bishop in return for activity.The other option is8...Qe79.Qxe7+Bxe79...Kxe710.0-0Black's king placement isn't ideal.10.Bf4may give White a nagging edge due to the more active bishops.9.Ng5Qe710.Nxe6fxe611.c311.Nd2Nc612.Nf3e511...c511...0-012.0-0e513.dxe5Bxe514.Nd2Nbd715.Nf3Rae816.Qd1Bd617.Re1Qf718.Rxe8Qxe819.h3Ne520.Be3Nxd321.Qxd3a622.Rd1Qb523.Qc2Re824.a4Qc425.Nd4Ne426.Nf5Be527.Bd4Qc628.Qb3Nf629.Bxe5Rxe530.Nd4Qb631.Qxb6cxb632.Kf1Kf733.f3g634.Re1Rxe1+35.Kxe1Nh536.Kf2Nf437.b3g538.Ne2Nd3+39.Ke3Nc540.Nd4Kf641.g3Ke542.Ke2Kf643.Ke3Ke544.Ke2Kf645.Kd2Ke546.Ke3Kf647.Ke2½-½ (45) Bacrot,E (2671)-Christiansen,J
(2558) Douglas ENG 2019.12.Nd2Nc613.Nf30-013...cxd414.cxd4Bb4+15.Kf1!?could have been one of Grischuk's ideas.14.0-0cxd415.cxd4e516.dxe5Nxe517.Nxe5Qxe5At first glance it does look as though Black
should be totally fine here. It's easy to activate the pieces and there's no
way at this stage you can point at the pawn on d5 and call it a weakness.
However, Grischuk has a game plan.18.Qxe5Bxe519.f3Grischuk was asked
in the interview after the game about his time management. He said that he was
aware it wasn't good but that he is struggling to see anything, and then went
on to say it took him around an hour to see 19.f3. Carlsen was impressed by
this move in the live commentary and made a convincing case for White now
having something to work with. The problem for Black is that in a few moves'
time, it's going to be difficult for Black to improve his position. White, on
the other hand, if things go to plan, will be hoping to complete development
and then start to advance the pawns.Bd4+20.Kh1Rac821.Rd1Rfe822.g3
Note that the bishop on d3 does an excellent job of keeping the Black rooks at
bay.Kf723.Kg2g624.Bd2Be325.h425.Be1keeping the two bishops was
definitely something to consider, but is probably not as good as Grischuk's
approach, as the bishop v knight advantage is being felt regardless of whether
the dark-squared bishops are there or not.d426.a4Nd527.a525...Re626.Bxe3Rxe327.Kf2Sasha definitely has something to work with now. It's
difficult to highlight exactly where Wang Hao has gone wrong, it's possible
that the approach in the opening doesn't equalise fully.Re628.Rd2Ke729.Rad1Rec630.g4a631.h5Nice expansion on the kingside. Compare this to
the position on move 22. Black's position has barely moved on and White has
managed to organise and get and effective pawn-break on the kingside.Kf731...gxh532.g5is very bad news for Black.32.a3Re833.hxg6+hxg634.g5Possibly a mistake.Valid alternatives were34.Rc2and34.Bb1
after which Black is suffering.34...Ne4+!Wang Hao seizes the
opportunity to simplify.35.Bxe435.fxe4dxe4makes Black's task simple,
with ...e3 threatened.36.Bxe4Rxe4is totally fine for Black.35...dxe436.Re1exf337.Rd7+Kf838.Rh1Very resourceful near the time control.
Engines are unphased by this concept, but over the board, with little time
left, this is not easy to navigate.Kg839.Rxb739.Rhh7was another try.
The engines are not worried, but I certainly would have been nervous handling
Black here.Rc2+40.Kxf3Rf8+41.Ke3Rff2=39...Rc2+40.Kxf3Rc5
A nice idea from Wang Hao - he intentionally gives the f3-pawn in order to
threaten a perpertual with ...Rf5+ and then the e-rook can deliver the rest of
the checks.41.Rh4Rxg5Black is now out of danger.42.b4Rge543.Rd4Re3+44.Kf4Rxa345.Rd6Ra146.Rxg6+Kh847.Rh6+Kg848.Rg6+Kh849.Rh6+Kg8½–½
Alexander Grischuk versus Wang Hao | Photo: Lennart Ootes / FIDE
Alekseenko ½:½ Nepomniachtchi
Perhaps seeing this as a big chance to score, Nepomniachtchi played the French Winawer against his lower-rated compatriot. The strategy born fruit, at least insofar Alekseenko started taking some time on each of his decisions as early as move 9. As both contenders agreed on after the game, Black was the one in the driver's seat out of the opening, although it was never easy to find an adequate breakthrough.
Alekseenko felt his position was safer after his opponent went for 16...♛xc5 instead of 16...bxc5, but with little time on the clock he failed to play the most critical continuation later on, right after 25...g6:
The Winawer Variation in just 60 minutes - that can only work by reducing it to a clear repertoire for Black and, where possible, general recommendations rather than variations. Alexei Shirov was surprised at how quickly he managed to make of the French Winawer an opening he himself could play. And now he will let you share in his conclusions.
Alekseenko vs. Nepomniachtchi
Position after 25...g6
After thinking for six minutes, Alekseenko played 26.h5 instead of 26.♗xg6. He explained that he had planned to give up his bishop, but that he did not have enough time to work out all the tactical consequences and thus went for the less forcing alternative. As it happened, Black was still the one pushing, but Nepomniachtchi was not able to find the most precise way to make progress. The game ended in a draw by perpetual check on move 40.
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This was the most difficult
game of the round to annotate. Such an unusual position was arrived at after
Nepo's decision to lock in his bishop on a4 with the move 16...b5, with added
complexity after Alekseenko sacrificed the exchange on move 20. Ian was the
first player to commit a mistake, giving Kirill the chance to crash through
with 26.Bxg6. After this was missed the position remained very unclear until
Nepo found a way to force Alekseenko to give perpetual. A very entertaining
game.1.e4e62.d4d53.Nc3Bb4Ian has already announced his intentions.
He clearly wanted to go for a win with black bits today.4.e5c55.a3Bxc3+6.bxc3Ne77.h4A testing option.7.Qg4is the most popular and can
lead to some very complicated situations. For example:Qc78.Qxg7Rg89.Qxh7cxd4Clearly both sides need very deep preparation in order to handle this
position, especially at elite level.7...Qc78.Nf3b69.Bb5+A
distruptive move - more or less preventing Black from achieving a
light-squared bishop exchange with ...Ba6.Bd710.Be2Rare. It's not so
clear what the benefits of this placement are over the natural 10.Bd3.10.Bd3is the most commonly played move. Included is a fairly recent encounter
between two of the world's best:Ba411.h511.0-0!?Does this compare
favourably to the game? Not at all clear.11...cxd412.cxd4Qc3+13.Bd2Qxd314.cxd3Bxd115.Kxd1h616.Ke2Nbc617.g4Kd718.Rhg1f619.Bf4Raf820.Ke3Rf721.Rg3g522.hxg6Nxg623.exf6Nxf424.Kxf4Rxf6+25.Ke3Kd626.Rh1Rg827.Rh5Rgf828.Rgh3Rf429.Rg3R8f630.g5hxg531.Rhxg5b532.Rg7Rf733.Rxf7Rxf734.Rg6Ne735.Rg1Nf5+36.Kd2a637.Ne5Rh738.Nf3Rb739.Rg8b440.axb4Rxb441.Ra8Ra442.Kc3Ra3+43.Kb4Rxd344.Rxa6+Ke745.Ne5Rxd4+46.Kc5Re447.f4Kf648.Ng4+Kg649.Ne5+Kf650.Ng4+Ke751.Ne5Re252.Ra7+Ke853.Ra8+Ke754.Ra7+Kf855.Kc6Re456.Kd7Nd457.Ra1Kg758.Ke7Rxf459.Rg1+Kh660.Rh1+Kg561.Rg1+Kf562.Nf7Ke463.Ng5+Kf564.Nf7Rh465.Rf1+Ke466.Ng5+Kd367.Rd1+Kc468.Rc1+Kd369.Kd6Rh570.Nf7Nb371.Re1Nd472.Ne5+Kc373.Re3+Kc274.Re1Kd275.Ra1Rh676.Ra2+Ke377.Ra3+Ke478.Ra4Rf679.Rb4Rf480.Nc6Kd381.Ne5+Ke482.Nc6Ke383.Rb1Nxc684.Kxc6d485.Kc5d386.Re1+Kf287.Rxe6d288.Rd6Ke289.Re6+Kd30-1 (89) Caruana,F (2817)-So,W (2822) chess.com INT 2017.
10...Ba411.0-0Nd711...cxd412.cxd4Bxc212...Qxc213.Bb5+12.Be3In some way this is quite a strange move to play because it's not so
clear what the bishop is doing on this square. Admittedly it's very unclear
where this bishop belongs in any case. I do suspect that Kirill was out of
preparation around here and may have been struggling to come up with an
effective plan. Indeed, Ian indicated in the press conference that he felt
like this was about as good of a position as he could hope for from this
variation.h613.Ra2Nf514.Bf4Nepo explained in the press conference he
was unsure what to do at this point. He felt that the opening had gone well
for Black, but that in this position it was difficult to choose between
various options.Qc6Black is trying to force the exchange of light-squared
bishops.14...Nf6was Nepo's original intention and the engine suggests he
should have stook to his instinct! It's difficult to suggest how White should
continue.15.exf615.Bd3Ne416.Qe1was possible but after0-0Black
is at least ok.15...Qxf416.fxg7Rg8gives Black a lot of activity. The
White king could soon be in danger.14...a6!?was another move suggested
by Ian. "Maybe this was ten times more logical" - Nepo.15.Rb2a616.dxc5Qxc5Alekseenko was happy to see this move, and correctly assessed that he
may be in some trouble after 16...bxc5.16...bxc517.c417.Bd3Bb517...dxc418.Bxc4??Qe417.Rb4b5Double edged. Black fixes the
white pawn weaknesses on the queenside, but will now have some trouble getting
the bishop on a4 back into action.17...Bb5was a valid alternative.18.Bxb518.Nd4Bxe219.Qxe2Nxd420.cxd4Qc718...axb519.Nd4is actually
pretty decent for White.Nxh419...Nxd420.cxd4isn't satisfactory for
Black. There's a permanent problem with Black's king safety.Qc721.Rb3
and with the rook swinging across to g3, White is clearly for choice.19...0-0would have been best for Black with a pretty unclear position after20.Rxb5Qc420.Be3is really painful for Black. Wherever the queen moves to
for cover, there will be a further problem.Qe720...Qc721.Nxb5+-20...Qc821.Qh5Ng622.Nxe6is curtains.21.Nc6The black queen is
totally embarrassing.18.Bd3Ne719.Bd2Nc620.Qe2!?Very interesting
approach to give the exchange. White's play is based on having a kingside
initiative and keeping the bishop locked out of the game on a4. Totally
justified to give up the exchange in order to gain additional time.20.Re1
was also an option - Alekseenko admitted in the press conference that he was
really struggling to determine the best way forward.Nxb421.axb4Qe722.h5gives White excellent compensation for the exchange. I would definitely take
White here!20...Nxb421.axb4Qc722.Re1Nb822...Nb623.Nd4Nc424.Bxc4The players discussed this option briefly in the press conference. It is
very difficult to assess as the imbalance is so unusual. Again I would prefer
to handle White as there may be some attacking chances and it's hard to see
how the bishop on a4 will play a role. The engine doesn't help - giving a
triple zero assessment.23.Nd4Nc624.Qg424.Nxc6Qxc625.Qg4was a
promising continuation for White. Keeping the pawn on c3 is making it more
difficult for Black to liberate the a4-bishop.24...Nxd425.cxd425.Qxg7Nf3+25...g6Nepo made a strange comment after the game about this. He said
he knew 25...g5 was the right move, but that he was taking as much risk as he
could to try and win the game.25...g5I have no idea which side I would
prefer to play from here. The position is just extremely unclear.26.h5?
Kirill misses a pretty big opportunity.26.Bxg6!Was called for and the
move that Ian feared. Kirill did of course see it but must have mis-assessed
something that follows.fxg627.Qxe6+Although it's not entirely clear -
Black just doesn't have a good response to this.Qe727...Kf828.Qxg627...Kd828.Qf6+Kd729.Bf428.Qxg6+28.Qc6+!I think this is a very
tough move to see. It's counter-intuitive to push the black king to the
kingside, but White's next move is the real star.Kf729.h5‼A brilliant
move to ensure the black king will be fully exposed when the white rook lands
on the third rank.gxh530.Re3There are a lot of lines to consider here,
but just to give one nice example:h431.Rf3+Kg732.Rf4h533.Rf5+-28...Kd729.Qb6was suggested by Nepo as promising for White. The engine
indicates thatRhc8keeps Black in the game. White's initiative should be
enough to hold the balance.26...gxh527.Qxh50-0-028.f4Kb829.c3Bb3
Finally the bishop might start to get into the action. Easy to say when
looking at this position with the machine that Black should be doing well here.
I certainly felt as though White was for choice at this stage, even after
having missed the opportunity with 26.Bxg6.30.f5Bc431.Bc2Rdg832.Kf2a5This is kind of a draw offer - which Kirill is pretty much obliged to accept.
Black is looking to inflitrate with the queen, allowing White's queen to do
the same.Nepo may have been able to keep some chances by playing32...Kb7however, I think this position is extremely difficult to assess and to start
playing some slower moves in a position in which it feels like both sides are
required to play with some urgency is almost impossible.33.bxa5Qxa534.Qxf7Qa2At this point there's no avoiding the perpetual.35.Qxe6Qxc236.Qb6+Kc837.Qc6+Kb838.Qb6+Kc839.Qc6+Kb840.Qb6+½–½
Still in the lead — Ian Nepomniachtchi | Photo: Lennart Ootes / FIDE
Giri ½:½ Vachier-Lagrave
The shortest game of the day saw Vachier-Lagrave entering a sharp variation that could only be better for White. Giri felt he probably missed something or, most likely, forgot something from his deep preparation, as he later declared:
There are like ten ways to equalize against this line, and I know them all, and this was not one of those ten ways.
The Dutchman was referring to the novelty his French opponent played on move 15:
The Gruenfeld Defense is an active and dynamic reply to 1.d4 which can lead to complex and extremely sharp positions. So it’s no wonder that also Alexei Shirov included this opening into his repertoire. At the candidates’ final against Vladimir Kramnik in Cazorla in 1998, he exclusively – and successfully – trusted the Gruenfeld Indian with Black; the victory over Kramnik gave him the right to play a WCh match versus Kasparov.
Giri vs. Vachier-Lagrave
Position after 15.Nf3
'MVL' played 15...♞d7, deviating from 15...♜d8, which had been employed by Nepomniachtchi in the past. The French GM felt the position was quite dangerous, but managed to keep things under control until Giri accepted to repeat the position on move 27.
While Vachier-Lagrave will use the rest day before round four to catch up with some opening preparation, Giri pointed out a drawback of having a free day amid the world crisis we are living right now:
A free day is an extra day when you might get sick. It's dangerous, very dangerous.
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This will have been a disappointing
game for Giri, given that he got a clear edge that tempted MVL to take on a
fairly dodgy-looking ending - only to see his advantage completely disappear
just a few moves after the queens came off. A nice opening concept by Anish
that may attract some followers, but MVL will go away from this very pleased
to get the half-point without any prolonged suffering.1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3d54.cxd5Nxd55.Bd2Relatively rare at top-level. Vishy Anand has had
a couple of important games in this line including a matchup against the world
number one.Bg76.e4Nxc37.Bxc3c57...0-0is a more common move order.
The following game between Anand and Carlsen has been annotated by Marin in
ChessBase magazine:8.Qd2Nc69.Nf3Bg410.d5Bxf311.Bxg7Kxg712.gxf3Ne513.0-0-0c614.Qc3f615.Bh3cxd516.exd5Nf717.f4Qd618.Qd4Rad819.Be6Qb620.Qd2Rd621.Rhe1Nd822.f5Nxe623.Rxe6Qc7+24.Kb1Rc825.Rde1Rxe626.Rxe6Rd827.Qe3Rd728.d6exd629.Qd4Rf730.fxg6hxg631.Rxd6a632.a3Qa533.f4Qh534.Qd2Qc535.Rd5Qc436.Rd7Qc637.Rd6Qe4+38.Ka2Re739.Qc1a540.Qf1a441.Rd1Qc242.Rd4Re243.Rb4b544.Qh1Re745.Qd5Re146.Qd7+Kh647.Qh3+Kg748.Qd7+½-½ (48) Anand,V (2792)
-Carlsen,M (2863) Sochi 2014 CBM 164 [Marin,M].8.d5Bxc3+9.bxc30-010.Qd2Qd610...e6Allows White an additional, more aggressive option with11.d6Chaos ensued in the following encounter, Vishy again handling the White
pieces.e512.h4Be613.Nh3Qxh414.0-0-0Qxe415.Bd3Qa416.Ng5Qxa217.Qe3Qa3+18.Kd2Qb2+19.Bc2Bf520.Rc1Rd821.Nxf7Kxf722.Qxe5Rxd6+23.Qxd6Nc624.Rxh7+Kg825.Rd7Re826.Qf6Bxd727.Qxg6+Kf828.Qf6+Kg829.Rh1Re2+30.Kxe2Nd4+31.cxd4Qxc2+32.Ke3Qc3+33.Kf4Qxd4+34.Qxd4cxd435.Ke4a536.Kxd4a437.Kc3b538.Kb4Kf739.Rh7+Ke640.g4Be841.f4Kf642.Rh6+Kg743.g5Bg644.Rh3Bf545.Re31-0 (45) Anand,V (2783)
-Hammer,J (2608) Stavanger 2013 CBM 155 [Krasenkow,M].11.f4e612.Bc4b5
All well known stuff so far.12...exd5is an alternative, but Black
generally wants to try to prevent White from landing the bishop on d5.13.Bxb5exd514.Bc4Bb715.Nf3Nd7NA novelty, but almost certainly not
part of Maxime's preparation.15...Rd8was played by Nepo, in the only
other game that reached this position.16.Bxd516.e5!?16...Bxd517.Qxd5Qxd518.exd5Rxd519.Rd1Rxd1+20.Kxd1Nd721.Re1Kf822.Kc2Nb623.Re5Rc824.g3f625.Re1Kf726.Rb1Re827.Kd3Rd8+28.Kc2Re829.Kd3Rd8+½-½ (29) Tomashevsky,E (2702)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2768) Satka 2018.16.0-0Nb617.Be2It may not look like much, but Black is already slightly worse
here. White is going to be able to get the e4-e5 push in, and once that is in
place, if Black doesn't act quickly White will have good chances of a kingside
attack.d4Black has to do something, and makes sure that White won't have
time to organise anything on the kingside by opening up the centre. Giri can
now continue with a structural advantage.18.e5Qd719.cxd4Rad820.Rad1Bxf321.Rxf3Qxd4+22.Qxd4Rxd423.Rxd4cxd4This looked to be quite a
dangerous situation for Black. Black's d-pawn is going nowhere, the white king
is closer to the action and White definitely has hopes to show the bishop is
worth more than the knight here. However, it's difficult for White to get a
full clamp on the position. The black knight is active and, as such, annoying
to deal with.24.Rd324.Ra3may well have been the most testing option,
but it's understandable the Anish doesn't go for it as Black is getting some
counterplay. A sample line isRc825.Rxa7Rc226.Bf326.Bd3Rc326...d327.a4Ra228.a5Nc429.a6White is for choice, but it's messy.24...Rd825.Bd125.Kf2was another option, but afterNa426.Kf3Nc327.Rd2Kg7
it's not clear what White should do next.25...Nc426.Kf2After this,
Giri's advantage disappears.26.Bb3might have given some chances -
however Black can respond withNa5after which it's still really tough to
show how White can get a grip on things.27.Kf227.g4Nxb328.axb3Kg729.Kg2f6is not getting anywhere for White either.30.Kf3fxe531.fxe5Kf732.Ke4Rb833.Kxd4Ke6Black should hold this relatively easily.27.Bc2Nb728.Ra3Nc529.Rxa7d330.Bd1Rb8and again Black has good counterplay.27...Nxb328.axb3f6!29.exf6Kf730.Kf3Kxf631.Ke4turns out to be
harmless for Black due to the important moveRe8+32.Kxd4Re2=26...Nb227.Rd2Nc428.Rd328.Rc2was a way to avoid repetition, but Black is able
to get the knight to an ideal square after the following:Ne329.Rc1Nd530.g3Nc3=28...Nb229.Rd2Nc430.Rd3½–½
1.e4c52.Nf3d63.d4cxd44.Nxd4Nf65.Nc3a66.Bg5e67.f4Qb68.Qd2Qxb29.Rb1Qa310.e5h611.Bh4dxe5B97: Sicilian Najdorf: Poisoned Pawn.12.fxe5Nfd7is currently scoring better than 12...g5.13.Ne4!Qxa2The position is equal.14.Rd1Qd515.Qe3Qxe5Avoid the trap15...Nxe5?16.Nb3+-16.c3Bc5White must now prevent ...f5.17.Bg3Qd5
Threatens to win with Bxc5.19...Nf6!20.Nxc5Nd521.Qe5
21...Rg822.Ndxe6!fxe623.Nxe6Qxc3+24.Qxc3Nxc325.Nc7+ Double AttackKf726.Rd3Ne4And now ...Ra7 would win.27.0-0+Kg6Strongly threatening ...Ra7.28.Nxa8Nc628...Rd8=remains equal.29.Nb6Bf529.Nb6±Rd830.Nxc8Rxc831.Ba3Rc732.Rf4Nf633.Bb2Ne734.Bxf6gxf6 Endgame KRR-KRN35.h4h536.Rg3+ White has strong compensation.Kf737.Rg5Rc1+38.Kh2Ng639.Rf2Nxh439...Kg740.Rxh5Ne540.Rxh5Ng641.Rh7+Ke642.Rxb7Rb6+ is the strong threat.Ne5Threatening ...Ng4+.43.Rb6+Rc644.Rxc6+Nxc6+-KR-KN45.Kg3Kf746.Rc2Nb447.Rd2Nc648.Kf4Kg649.Rd6Ne550.Rxa6Nf751.Ke4Nh652.Ra5Nf753.Ra3aiming for Rg3+.Nd6+54.Kf4Nf555.Rd3Nh6?55...Ne756.Ra3Nc657.Rg3+Kf756.Rg3+Kf757.Ke4Ng858.Kf5?58.Rb3Ne759.Ra358...Ne7+59.Kf4Nd5+60.Kg4Kg661.Kf3+Kf762.Ke4Ne7?62...Nc763.Rc3Ne863.Kf4?63.Rc3+-has better winning chances.Ke664.Ra363...Nd5+!±64.Kf5Ne7+65.Ke4?65.Kg465...Ng8!+-66.Rh3?66.Ra3Ne767.Ra766...Kg667.Ra3Kf7?67...Ne768.Rd3Nc668.Kf4Nh669.Rg3Ng8
Carlos Alberto ColodroCarlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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