Candidates, Rd. 9: Ding Liren missed a win

by Karsten Müller
4/21/2021 – In round eight of the Candidates, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave had a difficult endgame against Fabiano Caruna. "MVL" could have drawn but lost. In round nine, "MVL" again had a difficult endgame, this time against Ding Liren. The game ended in a draw but Ding Liren could have won. Karsten Müller took a closer look. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
Position not in LiveBook
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.h4 Bg7 4.Nc3 c5 5.d5 d6 6.e4 e6 7.Be2 exd5 8.exd5 Nbd7 9.Nf3 Ng4 10.h5 Qe7 11.Bg5 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 f6 13.Bd2 g5 14.0-0 Nge5 15.Nd4 cxd4 16.cxd4 0-0 17.dxe5 fxe5 18.Be3 b6 19.a4 Nc5 20.a5 Rb8 21.Ra3 h6 22.Qd2 Bf5 23.axb6 axb6 24.Rfa1 Rb7 25.Qd1 Kg7 26.R1a2 Ne4 27.Bd3 Qf7 28.Rb2 Nc5 29.Bxf5 Qxf5 30.Bxc5 dxc5 31.Qe2 e4 32.Re3 Re8 33.Rb5 Qe5 34.g3 Qd4 35.Rb1 Rf7 36.Rd1 Qf6 Do not rush This important endgame principle can also be applied in the middlegame, when the opponent has no counterplay and no plan: 37.d6? Ding violates the principle do not rush. The time for the transformation has not come yet. 37.Qc2 wins as White can use the principle of two weaknesses and manover against b6 and e4 until the time is ripe to strike, e.g. Rfe7 38.Rb1 Kg8 39.Rbe1 Qd4 40.Rb3 Qf6 41.Re2 Qa1+ 41...g4 42.Qb1 and Black is now finally overloadad, e.g. Qd4 43.Rxb6 Qxc4 44.Rg6+ Kh7 45.Qb6 Qxe2 46.Rxh6+ Kg8 47.Qg6+ Rg7 48.Qxe8# 42.Kg2 Qf6 43.Qb2 Rf7 44.Qxf6 Rxf6 45.Reb2 Rb8 46.Rb5 Kf7 47.Rxc5 bxc5 48.Rxb8 Ra6 49.Rb5 Ra2 50.Kf1+- 37...Re6 38.d7 Rd6 39.Rxd6 Qxd6 40.Rxe4 Rxd7 41.Kg2 41.Re6 Qd1+= 41...Qc6 42.Kh2 Qf6 43.Kh3 Qf5+ 44.g4 Qf6 45.Re5 Qd6 46.Kg2 Qc6+ 47.f3 Qd6 48.Qe4 Ra7 49.Qe2 Rd7 50.Qe4 Ra7 51.Kh3 Rf7 52.Re8 Qf6 53.Kg2 Qb2+ 54.Kh3 Qf6 55.Kg2 Qb2+ 56.Kg3 Qf6 57.Qd3 Qf4+ 58.Kg2 Qf6 59.Kg3 Qf4+ 60.Kg2 Qf6 61.Qe2 Rd7 Black's counterplay is just in time. 62.Qe4 Rd2+ 63.Kh3 Qd6 64.Re5 Kf6 65.Rf5+ Kg7 66.Re5 Kf6 67.Rf5+ Kg7 68.Qb7+ Kh8 69.Qa8+ Kg7 70.Qa7+ Kh8 71.Qa1+ Kg8 72.Qa8+ Kg7 73.Qa1+ Kg8 74.Re5 74.Qe5 Qxe5 75.Rxe5 Kf7 76.Re1 Rc2 77.Rb1 Rxc4 78.Rxb6 Kg7 79.Rg6+ Kh7 80.Kg3 Rc2= 74...Qf8 75.Qa3 Rf2 76.Kg3 Qf4+ 77.Kxf2 Qxe5 78.Qa8+ Kf7 79.Qb7+ Kf8 80.Qc8+ Ke7 81.Qb7+ Kf8! The only move. 81...Ke8? runs into 82.Qc6+ Ke7 83.Qxh6 Qd4+ 84.Kg2 Qd2+ 85.Kh3+- 82.Qxb6 Qh2+ White's king can not escape the checks in a good way now. 83.Kf1 Qh1+ 84.Ke2 Qg2+ 85.Ke3 Qg1+ 86.Ke2 86.Ke4 Qd4+ 87.Kf5 Qf4+ 88.Ke6 Qxc4+= 86...Qg2+ 87.Ke3 Qg1+ 88.Ke2 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ding,L2791Vachier-Lagrave,M2758½–½2021E60FIDE Candidates 20209.4

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Karsten Müller is considered to be one of the greatest endgame experts in the world. His books on the endgame - among them "Fundamentals of Chess Endings", co-authored with Frank Lamprecht, that helped to improve Magnus Carlsen's endgame knowledge - and his endgame columns for the ChessCafe website and the ChessBase Magazine helped to establish and to confirm this reputation. Karsten's Fritztrainer DVDs on the endgame are bestsellers. The mathematician with a PhD lives in Hamburg, and for more than 25 years he has been scoring points for the Hamburger Schachklub (HSK) in the Bundesliga.

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