[Event “2017 Champions Showdown”] [Site “?”] [Date “2017.11.09”] [Round “4”] [White “Dominguez Perez, Leinier”] [Black “So, Wesley”] [Result “1-0”] [ECO “C48”] [WhiteElo “2739”] [BlackElo “2788”] [Annotator “Cristian Chirila”] [PlyCount “109”] [SourceDate “2017.11.09”] [SourceVersionDate “2017.11.09”] {While the first three games did not bring much excitement to the tables, the last game of the day definitely made up for it. Let’s see how these two very solid competitors fared against one another!} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 { The 4th Berlin of the match!} 4. d3 {The anti Berlin has become a common ocurrence at top level. By avoiding the Berlin endgame, White tries to keep more pieces on the board and allow the game to unfold during the middlegame. A maneuvering game is to be expected} Bc5 5. Nc3 (5. c3 {is considered to be the main line} O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Nbd2 a6 8. Ba4 (8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nc4 Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. Bg5 b5 12. Na5 $13 {1/2-1/2 (64) Caruana,F (2823)-Nakamura,H (2779) Saint Louis 2016})) 5… O-O 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. h3 {White has delayed his castle and now eyes the option of placing his king on the queenside, that way he will be able to create a dangerous pawn storm on the kingside.} Re8 8. Be3 Bd6 (8… Bxe3 9. fxe3 Nd7 10. O-O Nf8 11. Qe1 f6 12. g4 Ng6 13. Qg3 h6 14. Rf2 Qe7 15. Raf1 Be6 16. h4 $13 {1-0 (35) Carlsen,M (2855)-Nakamura,H (2787) Paris 2016}) 9. Ne2 c5 10. Ng3 a5 11. a4 Nd7 12. Nf5 Nf8 13. Nd2 Ne6 14. Nc4 Bf8 15. g4 Nd4 16. c3 Nxf5 17. gxf5 c6 18. Qc2 b5 19. Nd2 g6 $6 {From a strategical point of view this move could be justified, as it challenges White’s overextended structure and frees the g7 square for the bishop. From a practical point of view, given the short time control, this decision looks extremely risky.} 20. fxg6 hxg6 21. O-O-O (21. h4 $2 Bg4 22. f3 Bh5 23. O-O-O Rb8 $17 {White’s attack is stopped and black will enjoy his own assault on the queenside}) 21… bxa4 22. Nc4 a3 23. bxa3 Rb8 24. h4 Bg4 25. Rdg1 Bh5 26. Rg3 (26. Rg5 $5 Bg7 27. Rhg1 Re6 28. a4 Rb7 29. Kd2 $13) 26… Be7 27. Bg5 f6 28. Be3 Kh7 29. Rhg1 Qd7 30. f4 $1 {Increasing the tension in the center} Red8 31. Bd2 (31. f5 { Would have been the right continuation} gxf5 32. Rg7+ Kh8 33. Bh6 $40) 31… exf4 $2 {Missing the key move that would have turned the tables in Black’s favor} (31… Be2 $1 32. h5 (32. Rxg6 Bxd3 33. Rg7+ Kh8 34. Rxe7 (34. R7g6 Bf8 $19) 34… Qxe7 $19) 32… Bxd3 33. Rxd3 Qxd3 34. hxg6+ Kg8 $17) 32. Bxf4 Rb7 33. Qg2 Rg8 34. Qh3 Qxh3 35. Rxh3 a4 36. Kc2 Kg7 37. Rhg3 Kf7 38. Na5 Rb6 39. Nc4 Rb7 40. Bd6 Rd8 41. Bxe7 (41. Na5 $1 Rb5 42. Bxe7 Rdb8 43. d4 $18) 41… Kxe7 42. Rf1 Ke6 43. Re3 Rdb8 44. Rg1 Rd7 45. Rgg3 Rdb7 46. Rg1 Rd7 47. Rb1 Rxb1 48. Kxb1 Bd1 49. Kc1 Bb3 50. Nd2 c4 51. dxc4 (51. d4 c5 52. d5+ Ke5 53. Rg3 f5 $13) 51… Rb7 (51… Rh7 52. Rg3 Rxh4 53. Rxg6 Rh1+ 54. Kb2 Rh2 55. Kc1 Rh1+ $11) 52. Rg3 Rh7 53. Nf3 Bxc4 54. Rxg6 Bd3 $4 {A huge blunder made with only a few seconds left on the clock.} 55. Ng5+ 1-0 [Event “2017 Champions Showdown”] [Site “?”] [Date “2017.11.09”] [Round “2”] [White “Grischuk, Alexander”] [Black “Caruana, Fabiano”] [Result “1/2-1/2”] [ECO “D20”] [WhiteElo “2785”] [BlackElo “2794”] [Annotator “Cristian Chirila”] [PlyCount “161”] [SourceDate “2017.11.09”] [SourceVersionDate “2017.11.09”] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 {The players have made this match extremely exciting with their opening choice, as well as their undying combative play style. A delicious match to watch indeed} Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Bg4 8. f3 Bh5 9. Be4 e6 10. O-O Bg6 11. Be3 {Fabiano has recently tried this exact set-up against Le Quang Liem, and despite the dissapointing result, the opening phase was quite succesful for him.} Be7 12. Nbc3 Bxe4 13. fxe4 Bg5 ( 13… O-O 14. Nf4 Bg5 15. Kh1 Qe7 16. Qh5 h6 17. Rad1 Nc4 18. Bc1 Rad8 19. b3 Nb6 20. Nce2 Rd7 21. Rd3 Rfd8 22. Rg3 $13 {1-0 (53) Le,Q (2739)-Caruana,F (2807) Saint Louis 2017}) 14. Bf2 O-O 15. b3 f5 $1 {Fabiano tries to dissolve White’s powerful center} 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Qd2 Qe7 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. Qe3 e5 20. d5 Nd4 $15 {From an objective point of view the position is still quite equal, nevertheless practically black is already enjoying a stable advantage due to his stable structure and extremely powerful central N} 21. Kh1 c6 22. dxc6 bxc6 23. Bg1 Qe6 24. Ng3 g6 25. Rd2 Bg7 26. Rxf8+ Rxf8 27. Rf2 Rd8 {No more exchanges! Black needs to preserve some pieces in order to power his upcoming initiative against white’s monarch} 28. Qd3 Rd7 29. Qa6 h5 30. h3 c5 31. Nf1 c4 32. b4 Nc6 33. b5 Nb4 34. Qa5 Nd3 35. Rf3 Nf4 36. Qa6 g5 37. Nh2 g4 $17 { No going back now! The white Q is strained on the queenside and will not be able to come back in time to set-up a succesful defense} 38. hxg4 hxg4 39. Rg3 Rd3 40. Rxd3 cxd3 41. Qxa7 {This looses by force, but the refutation is extremely difficult and aesthetically beautiful.} Ne2 (41… g3 42. Qxb6 (42. Nf3 Qh6+ 43. Bh2 gxh2 $19) 42… Qh3 $3 {An incredible tactical blow that will surely make future tactic books!} 43. gxh3 (43. Qf2 Qxh2+ 44. Bxh2 gxf2) 43… g2#) 42. Nxe2 dxe2 43. Bf2 Qc4 44. Nxg4 Qc1+ 45. Kh2 e1=Q 46. Bxe1 Qxe1 47. Qxb6 Qh4+ 48. Kg1 Qxg4 49. Qd8+ Kh7 50. Qd5 Bh6 51. Qf7+ Kh8 52. Qe8+ Kh7 53. Qf7+ Kh8 54. Qf3 {Now the position is just equal. Time was of crucial importance at this moment, and both players were below the 1 minute mark.} Qg5 55. Qf2 Kg7 56. a4 Qc1+ 57. Kh2 Be3 58. Qg3+ Kf6 59. Qf3+ Ke7 60. Kh3 Bb6 61. g3 Qa1 62. Qf5 Bd4 63. Qg5+ Kd6 64. Qd8+ Kc5 65. Qd5+ Kb4 66. b6 Qh1+ 67. Kg4 Qd1+ 68. Kg5 Qd2+ 69. Kg6 Qg2 70. b7 Qxg3+ 71. Kf7 Qf3+ 72. Ke8 Qh5+ 73. Kd8 Qh8+ 74. Kc7 Qg7+ 75. Kc6 Ba7 76. a5 Ka3 77. a6 Kb2 78. Qd7 Kc1 {At this point Fabiano realises that with both players reaching their last 3 seconds, moving fast is the only thing that matters!} 79. Qxg7 Kd2 80. Qxe5 Bc5 {A beatiful show of fair play by Fabiano, who willingly gifts his last piece to his flagging opponent. Grischuk ran out of time, but the draw was agreed due to the lack of winning material for black. An incredible game that will surely enter the chess world’s highligh reel.} 81. Qxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event “2017 Champions Showdown”] [Site “?”] [Date “2017.11.09”] [Round “3”] [White “Topalov, Veselin”] [Black “Nakamura, Hikaru”] [Result “1-0”] [ECO “B12”] [WhiteElo “2749”] [BlackElo “2774”] [Annotator “Cristian Chirila”] [PlyCount “105”] [SourceDate “2017.11.09”] [SourceVersionDate “2017.11.09”] 1. e4 c6 {And we have another Caro Kan on the board. In round 1, Hikaru easily equalized, in round 3 he encountered some difficulties…Let’s see how it all played out!} 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 h6 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nbd2 Qc7 9. Nb3 g5 10. Ne1 c5 11. Bh5 Bg6 (11… Bg7 12. f4 c4 13. Nd2 gxf4 14. Rxf4 Nxe5 $13 {Could have been an highly combative and interesting line to follow. Despite the material advantage, I believe Black would have the easier play over the board, especially due to the time control.}) 12. f4 $1 {Topalov immediately launches a kingside attack} (12. Nxc5 Bxh5 13. Qxh5 Nxc5 14. dxc5 Ng6 15. a4 $13) 12… c4 13. Nd2 gxf4 14. Rxf4 Bg7 15. Nf1 O-O $6 {A difficult decision to understand. Hikaru decides to castle short, despite the ongoing assault white’s pieces have already started on that side, a highly risky decision} (15… Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. Rf2 $16 {The sacrifice is no longer effective because of the well placed defending N on f1}) 16. Ng3 Kh7 17. Rh4 Qd8 18. Nf3 Bd3 19. Bg4 Rh8 20. Nh5 $18 {White’s attack is already decisive. Black lacks any shade of counterplay} Kg8 21. Rh3 Ng6 22. Be3 Qe7 23. Qd2 Bf8 24. Nf4 Nxf4 25. Bxf4 Bg7 26. Re1 Be4 27. Bxh6 Bxh6 28. Rxh6 Kg7 29. Rxh8 Rxh8 30. Ng5 Bd3 31. g3 {Topalov is carefully preparing his kingside pawnstorm. His space advantage allows him to do so and still maintain his king’s safety} Nf8 32. h4 Nh7 33. Nh3 {No exchanging pieces when you have space advantage, Topalov is well aware of that rule} Rg8 34. Kh2 Kh8 35. Bh5 Qf8 36. Nf4 Bf5 37. Qe3 f6 38. Rf1 Qh6 39. Be2 (39. Bf7 Rg7 40. Bxe6 Bxe6 41. exf6 Qxf6 42. Qxe6 $18) 39… Qg7 40. Nxd5 fxe5 41. dxe5 b5 42. Nf4 Qh6 43. Bh5 Rd8 44. Rd1 Rxd1 45. Bxd1 Ng5 46. Qxa7 Ne4 47. Qa8+ Kh7 48. Bf3 Ng5 49. Qa7+ Kh8 50. Qa8+ Kh7 51. Qb7+ Kh8 52. Qb8+ Kh7 53. Qc7+ 1-0 [Event “Champions Showdown 2017”] [Site “Saint Louis”] [Date “2017.11.10”] [Round “5”] [White “Topalov, Veselin”] [Black “Nakamura, Hikaru”] [Result “0-1”] [ECO “B80”] [WhiteElo “2749”] [BlackElo “2774”] [PlyCount “94”] [EventDate “2017.??.??”] [SourceDate “2015.02.07”] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 {A clear sign that the players came out guns blazing! Topalov uses a sharp line that is not the most topical at the top leve, but always dangerous. Nakamura in turn retaliates with the Scheveningen set-up, much less common than 6…e5.} 7. Be3 h5 {A combination of ideas, usually h5 is played with 6…e5, but in a rapid game experimentation tends to pay off.} 8. Bc4 (8. a4 {was played in Caruana-Nakamura from last year. Topalov, being known as a great attacker, chooses a sharper option.}) 8… Qc7 9. Bb3 Nc6 10. Qd2 Be7 11. O-O-O {Black doesn’t have the luxury of castling in this position with a weakness on h5. White would then consider sacrificing a pawn with a direct g4, for this reason Nakamura starts operations on the queenside immediately.} Na5 12. Kb1 Bd7 13. g3 b5 14. h3 {White is finally ready to advance g4 and rip apart the kingside, the question is now: how strong is Black’s counterplay on the queenside?} b4 15. Nce2 e5 $5 {Nakamura is never afraid of grabbing the bull by the horns. This move significantly weakens the center, but since the bishop on b3 will soon be eliminated, he can breathe easy that the light squares will not be too weak. The knight on f5, and will need to be eliminated, but Nakamura banks on his central pawns.} (15… g6 {first was a worthy alternative, preparing e5.}) 16. Nf5 Nxb3 17. cxb3 Bxf5 {other moves just drop the d6 pawn.} 18. exf5 Qb7 19. Rhf1 d5 $6 {This must be what Nakamura envisioned when he ventured for the trades, but it is too optimistic. The pawn mass advances, but it becomes more fragile with each step they take.} (19… Rc8 {would have kept the game balanced.}) 20. f4 $1 {This is the strong point, now Nakamura’s pawn structure needs to make difficult decisions.} d4 (20… e4 21. Bd4 {is strategically ugly.}) 21. Bg1 Ne4 22. Qe1 (22. Qd3 f6 23. Rfe1 {also put tremendous pressure on the position, with sacrifices on d4 looming.}) 22… f6 {now was White’s time to strike.} 23. fxe5 $2 (23. Nxd4 exd4 24. Rxd4 Nc5 25. Rc4 $1 {And the black knight is badly placed. White has enough material compensation and Black’s king is terrible.} (25. Rxb4 Qc8 26. Bxc5 Qxc5 27. Rb7 $14)) 23… fxe5 24. Nc1 {With this passive play, Black’s play is fully justified. The pawns now become a strength and Black’s king will be safe with all of White’s pieces in the back rank.} (24. Nxd4 exd4 25. Rxd4 Ng5 {doesn’t have the same effect.}) 24… O-O 25. g4 a5 26. Bh2 Bd6 $2 {The bishop defends the structure, but from the wrong diagonal.} (26… Bf6 27. Qe2 hxg4 28. hxg4 Rfe8 {followed by Ng5 keeps the kingside safe.}) 27. Qe2 h4 28. Rde1 Ng3 29. Bxg3 hxg3 30. Qe4 $2 { A bad strategic decision. White had to go for the attack.} (30. g5 {with the idea of g6 and Qh5-h7 seemed very strong.}) 30… Qxe4+ 31. Rxe4 g6 {Now it’s clear that White is too passive, and that the blockade on the light squares won’t hold once the king comes into play.} 32. Nd3 g2 33. Rg1 gxf5 34. gxf5 Rxf5 35. Rxg2+ Kf7 36. Rge2 Kf6 37. Nf2 Rc8 38. h4 Rf3 39. Rg4 $2 (39. Ng4+ Kf5 {still makes Black’s task difficult}) 39… Re3 $1 {The finishing touch.} 40. Re4 Rxe2 41. Rxe2 Kf5 42. Ne4 Be7 43. Ng3+ Ke6 44. h5 Bg5 45. Rc2 Rf8 46. a4 Kd5 47. Rc7 Rf3 {Material is even, but the pawns are simply rolling home.} 0-1 [Event “Champions Showdown 2017”] [Site “Saint Louis”] [Date “2017.11.10”] [Round “7”] [White “So, Wesley”] [Black “Dominguez Perez, Leinier”] [Result “0-1”] [ECO “C48”] [WhiteElo “2788”] [BlackElo “2739”] [Annotator “Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro”] [PlyCount “84”] [EventDate “2017.??.??”] [SourceDate “2015.02.07”] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nc3 Nd4 6. Nxe5 O-O 7. Bc4 d6 8. Nxf7 $5 Rxf7 9. Bxf7+ {A known idea, but not with this specific move order White obtains two pawns and a rook for two minor pieces, a very unclear imbalance.} Kxf7 10. h3 Qe8 11. Be3 Kg8 12. Ne2 Nxe2 13. Qxe2 Bb6 14. a3 Bd7 15. O-O d5 16. Bxb6 axb6 17. e5 Nh5 {The pawn on e5 is passed, but So needs to make sure he doesn’t get blockaded on the light squares.} 18. Qe3 $6 (18. Qf3 c6 (18… Qf7 19. Qxf7+ Kxf7 20. Kh2 {seems like a pleasant endgame for White, but Black is still very much in the game.}) 19. g4 $1 {works for White}) 18… Qg6 19. Rae1 Rf8 20. Kh2 Nf4 {The kingside bind is definitely annoying now. White wants to trade queens and push Black’s pieces backs, but Dominguez will not be so cooperative.} 21. Qg3 Qh6 22. e6 {This move looks desperate, but honestly it is difficult to recommend a move for White. At least now the e-file is open and White gainst the e5 square.} Bxe6 23. Re5 Qf6 24. Rfe1 {The only plus for White at this moment was his big time advantage, but Dominguez really stepped on the accelerator and started blitzing out from this position.} h6 25. d4 Bf7 26. c3 Bg6 27. Re7 Be4 {The outpost of the bishop is amazing, and it is tactically justified as White has no time for f3.} 28. Rxc7 Nh5 $1 29. Qe5 Qxf2 (29… Qxe5+ 30. dxe5 Rxf2 {was the more human approach, but Dominguez likes his attacking chances.}) 30. Rg1 Rf5 (30… Rf3 {was winning in brilliant style.} 31. Qxh5 Qg3+ 32. Kh1 Qxh3+) 31. Rc8+ Kh7 32. Qb8 Nf6 ( 32… Rf4 $1 {Cuts the queen from the defense and White has but a few checks.} 33. Rh8+ Kg6 34. Qe8+ Kg5 35. Qe7+ Rf6 $19) 33. Rh8+ Kg6 34. Qg3+ Qxg3+ 35. Kxg3 Nh5+ 36. Kh2 Rf2 {The endgame is still hopeless, that has not changed. Dominguez only had one minute and fifteen seconds at this point, but he makes it look easy!} 37. Rb8 Rxb2 38. Rxb7 Nf4 39. a4 Nxg2 40. a5 Kh5 41. Rxg7 Nf4+ 42. Kg3 Ne2+ 0-1 [Event “2017 Champions Showdown”] [Site “?”] [Date “2017.11.09”] [Round “10”] [White “Grischuk, Alexander”] [Black “Caruana, Fabiano”] [Result “1-0”] [ECO “D20”] [WhiteElo “2785”] [BlackElo “2794”] [Annotator “Cristian Chirila”] [PlyCount “93”] [SourceDate “2017.11.10”] [SourceVersionDate “2017.11.10”] {The match was extremely tense and combative all throughout, this game was no different as the players fought hard until a huge slip by Fabiano decided the outcome of the game. Let’s get right into it!} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 {Another QGA! This has been Fabiano’s weapon of choice in this match, and rightly so, as his opening preparation allowed him to equalize every time Grischuk tried this approach.} 3. e4 (3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O cxd4 7. exd4 $14 { Is one of the main lines, but clearly not as sharp and imbalanced as the game continuation}) 3… Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Bg4 8. f3 Bh5 { Black prepares the light square B exchange via g6, and claims that white’s overextended center will be a liability. White trusts the power of his space advantage.} 9. Be4 e6 10. O-O Bg6 11. Be3 Be7 12. a3 Qd7 13. Nbc3 (13. Nd2 O-O-O 14. Rc1 (14. Qc2 $6 {Allows the central break with f6} f6 15. exf6 gxf6 $13) 14… Nd5 15. Bxd5 Qxd5 16. Nc4 $14) 13… O-O-O 14. Qc2 f5 15. Bxc6 Qxc6 16. Bf2 f4 {Now Black has create one too many weaknesses in his camp} 17. Qc1 $1 {[%csl Rf4][%cal Rc1f4]} Bg5 18. Nxf4 (18. a4 {better would have been a quick expansion on the queenside} Nd5 19. h4 Bh6 20. Nxd5 exd5 21. Ra3 $16 { The isolated bishop on h6 will lead to Black’s downfall}) 18… Kb8 (18… Qc4 $1 19. Re1 Rhf8 20. Be3 Bxf4 21. Bxf4 Rxd4 $11) 19. Nce2 Qe8 20. Be3 Bf5 21. Rd1 Bxf4 22. Bxf4 h6 23. Be3 Nd5 24. Nc3 g5 $13 {White is a pawn up but the presence of the opposite color bishops allows Black to hope for enough compensation} 25. Nxd5 Rxd5 26. h3 Rg8 27. b3 Qe7 28. Ra2 Bg6 29. a4 Be8 30. Qa3 Qh7 31. b4 h5 32. Bf2 g4 33. fxg4 hxg4 34. h4 g3 35. Bxg3 $13 {White is two pawns up, with that being said Black’s compensation lies in his overall activity aimed against White’s monarch} Bg6 36. b5 Bf5 37. Qe3 (37. Rf2 Qg6 38. Kh2 Qg4 39. Rf3 Rxd4 40. Rxd4 Qxd4 41. Rf4 $14 {/+/-}) 37… Rd7 38. d5 Rdg7 39. dxe6 Bxe6 40. Ra3 b6 (40… Rxg3 41. Qxg3 Rxg3 42. Rd8+ Bc8 43. Rxg3 Qe4 44. Rgg8 Qe1+ 45. Kh2 Qxh4+ 46. Kg1 Qe1+ $11) 41. Qf2 Rf7 42. Qe1 Qc2 43. Rc1 Qb2 44. Rac3 Rfg7 45. R1c2 Qb4 46. Rc6 $2 Rxg3 $4 {An incredible blunder, simply showing how grueling these matches have been for the players. Fabiano forgets about his hanging queen and is forced to resign on the spot. What a finish to the second day of the Champions Showdown!} (46… Qxa4 $19 {would have give Fabiano the decisive advantage. All of white’s pawns on the queenside will be picked up, black’s activity is irresistible.} 47. Qf2 (47. Rxe6 Qxc2 $19) 47… Rxg3 48. Rxe6 Qxh4 49. Rf6 Rxg2+ 50. Qxg2 Rxg2+ 51. Rxg2 Qe1+ 52. Rf1 Qxe5 $19) 47. Qxb4 1-0 [Event “Champions Showdown 2017”] [Site “Saint Louis”] [Date “2017.11.11”] [Round “16”] [White “Dominguez Perez, Leinier”] [Black “So, Wesley”] [Result “0-1”] [ECO “B12”] [WhiteElo “2739”] [BlackElo “2788”] [Annotator “Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro”] [PlyCount “52”] [EventDate “2017.??.??”] [EventType “match”] [EventCountry “USA”] [SourceDate “2015.02.07”] 1. e4 c6 {The Caro-Kann is not in Wesley’s main repertoire set, but it’s nice to see him deviate from the Berlin. Dominguez uses the current topical line against it.} 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 {This set up with an early c3 is how Topalov played against Nakamura in the first day.} Nd7 7. O-O c5 8. dxc5 $5 Nc6 (8… Nxc5 {is definitely the main line, as was seen in, for example, Caruana-Tari earlier this year.}) 9. b4 {White holds on to the pawn on the queenside and lets go of the e5 pawn. The point is that Black’s dark-squared bishop is rather restricted and White gets access to the d4 square.} a5 $6 {So is in no hurry to regain the pawn, but this gives Dominguez time to reinforce the center.} 10. Nd4 Bg6 {allowing Nxf5 cannot be recommended.} 11. b5 (11. f4 {is the ambitious play, but it comes with some risk} axb4 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. cxb4 Qb8 14. Bd2 $8 Be7) 11… Ncxe5 12. f4 $6 { This move looks strange to me, even though the computer like is. Why push the knight to c4 and weaken the diagonal?} (12. c6 bxc6 13. bxc6 Nf6 14. Na3 $5 { Made the game extremely complex.}) 12… Nc4 13. c6 bxc6 14. bxc6 (14. Bxc4 dxc4 15. f5 {gave White some initiative, but is still insanely complex. Black has resources to defend and White’s structure is suspicious.}) 14… Nf6 15. Qa4 $2 {As Maurice Ashley mentioned on the broadcast, sometimes these kind of discover attacks create a strong impression on the players. Here it seems that c7+ is a devastating threat, but on further inspection it isn’t a threat at all!} Bc5 $1 {Suddenly the weakening of the diagonal is being felt.} 16. Na3 ( 16. c7+ Qd7 17. Qxd7+ Kxd7 {and White has no activity, not only that, but c7 is hanging.}) 16… Ne4 $1 {So continues with strong play.} 17. c7+ (17. Bxc4 Nxc3 18. c7+ Qd7 19. Qxd7+ Kxd7 {is not too different from the game.}) 17… Qd7 18. Qxd7+ Kxd7 19. Nxc4 Nxc3 $1 {All of White’s pieces are hanging and So starts collecting material.} 20. Ne5+ {This doesn’t help White at all, but it was difficult to recommend anything. Black had accrued a huge time advtange: almost five minutes!} Kxc7 21. Kh1 Bxd4 22. Bf3 Ne4 23. Ba3 Nf2+ 24. Rxf2 Bxa1 25. Rf1 Bxe5 26. fxe5 Kd7 {The material difference is too big.} 0-1 [Event “Champions Showdown 2017”] [Site “Saint Louis”] [Date “2017.11.11”] [Round “3”] [White “Carlsen, Magnus”] [Black “Ding, Liren”] [Result “1/2-1/2”] [ECO “C84”] [WhiteElo “2826”] [BlackElo “2772”] [Annotator “Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro”] [PlyCount “106”] [EventDate “2017.??.??”] [EventType “match”] [EventCountry “USA”] [SourceDate “2015.02.07”] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. c3 Na5 10. Ba2 (10. Bc2 {had already been tried against Ding Liren: Giri wasn’t able to break through against the Chinese player earlier this year. }) 10… bxa4 11. Nbd2 O-O 12. Bb1 Bb5 {The novelty of the game, one that makes sense. Black is trying to coax White into playing c4 at some point, weakening his squares, or the bishop will be pressuring the d3 pawn for a long time.} 13. Bc2 Nb7 14. c4 Bd7 15. Bxa4 Bxa4 16. Qxa4 Nc5 17. Qc2 a5 {The position is strategicallyu complex: White has to be careful not to be completely bound on the dark squares, but he does have pressure against the isolated a-pawn and Black’s dark squared bishop will still take some time to be part of the game.} 18. b3 Ne6 19. Bb2 c5 20. Ra4 Nd7 21. Rfa1 Nb8 $1 {Once the knight reaches c6, the a5-pawn is very difficult to ever capture and the control over b4 and d4 creates counterplay. For this reason Carlsen shifts his focus to the other side of the board.} 22. Nf1 Nc6 23. Ne3 Qd7 24. Bc3 Bd8 25. Qd1 $1 Rb8 26. R4a2 $1 {Already preparing the subsequent advance of pawns on the kingside. If Black does nothing, you can expect moves such as g3-f4 or h3-Nh2.} g6 27. g3 f5 28. exf5 gxf5 29. Nd5 Rb7 30. Nd2 Qe8 31. f4 $1 {Opening the g-file is always frightening for Black: the king on g8 might fall prey to a combination of a front attack by a rook and the control of the dark square bishop.} Qg6 32. Kh1 Nb4 33. Bxb4 $1 {A great decision by Carlsen, really cementing the advantage of the knight on d5. It seems like it might get traded by Nc7 at some point, but it’s not easy to do so while the a-pawn is hanging. Taking axb4 is suicidal as it lets White’s rooks into the game.} cxb4 34. Nf3 ( 34. fxe5 dxe5 35. Qe2 {pressures Black’s new hanging pawns, but Carlsen’s solution also makes sense.}) 34… exf4 35. gxf4 Rg7 36. Qe2 Re8 37. Rg1 $1 Qh5 38. Rxg7+ Kxg7 39. Qf1 $1 {With the transition of the major pieces, Black always have to be careful with a combination of Rg2 and Qa1.} h6 $1 40. Rg2+ Kh7 41. d4 Nc7 {Trying to relief some pressure. However, perhaps trading the rooks with Rg8 was a bit more precise.} (41… Rg8 42. Rxg8 Kxg8 43. Qe2 Kg7 $1 $11) 42. Qd1 Qf7 (42… Nxd5 43. Ng5+ Kg6 44. Ne6+ $18) 43. Nxc7 Bxc7 44. Qd3 Bd8 $2 {Perhaps the real mistake.} (44… Kh8 $1) 45. c5 {weakening e5 creates real problems for Black. This seems to give up the d5 square, but it is not as relevant as the penetration with the knight.} Re4 46. cxd6 Rxf4 47. Ne5 $1 Qd5 48. Qa6 $1 {This was played instantly by Carlsen: it’s the only winning move, and more than that, it’s the only move that doesn’t lose!} Bb6 $1 {Excellent resource from Ding Liren! It prevents the lethal Qa7, and the bishop cannot be taken because of mate on f1.} 49. Nd7 $1 {Again, the only move!} Qf7 $1 (49… Bxd4 50. Nf6+ Bxf6 51. Qa7+ Kh8 52. Qb8+ Kh7 53. Qc7+ Kh8 54. Qc8+ Kh7 55. Qd7+ Kh8 56. Qe8+ Kh7 57. Qg6+ Kh8 58. Qxh6# {is a beautiful sequence.}) (49… Qxd6 50. Nxb6 $18) 50. Qc4 $2 {Letting the win slip.} (50. Nxb6 Rxd4 $1 51. Qe2 $1 { Allows White to consolidate.}) 50… Qxc4 51. Nf8+ (51. Nf6+ Kh8 {is not mate as g8 is covered.} 52. bxc4 Rf1+ 53. Rg1 Rxg1+ 54. Kxg1 b3 $19) 51… Kh8 52. Ng6+ {Black cannot step to the g-file because Nxf4 would just win.} Kh7 53. Nf8+ Kh8 {An awesome game!} 1/2-1/2 [Event “2017 Champions Showdown”] [Site “?”] [Date “2017.11.09”] [Round “17”] [White “Caruana, Fabiano”] [Black “Grischuk, Alexander”] [Result “1-0”] [ECO “D42”] [WhiteElo “2794”] [BlackElo “2785”] [Annotator “Cristian Chirila”] [PlyCount “93”] [SourceDate “2017.11.11”] [SourceVersionDate “2017.11.11”] {Fabiano started off the day in a shy fashion, losing three out of the first four games…and the comeback was legendary as he managed to cut the deficit by winning three of his last four games. Let’s analyze one of his most clean wins of the day!} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 Nc6 5. d4 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Be4 (9. a3 cxd4 10. exd4 Bf6 11. Re1 Nxc3 12. bxc3 b6 13. h4 Bb7 14. Ng5 g6 15. Qg4 $14 {1/2-1/2 (31) Parligras,M (2616)-Kryvoruchko, Y (2692) Heraklio 2017}) 9… Nxc3 (9… Nf6 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Na4 $14) 10. bxc3 Qc7 11. Qc2 h6 12. Bh7+ Kh8 13. Bd3 {Fabiano uses a nice maneuver to regroup his pieces on their optimal squares} b6 14. e4 Bb7 15. Be3 Rac8 16. Rac1 Rfd8 17. Qe2 Qb8 18. Rfd1 Bf6 $2 {A big mistake, immediately punished by the young American} 19. e5 $1 Be7 20. Bxh6 $1 {This is the idea missed by the Russian} Nxd4 (20… gxh6 21. Qe4 {[%csl Rh7]} f5 22. exf6 $18 {and checkmate follows on h7}) 21. Nxd4 (21. cxd4 gxh6 {would have been less precise} 22. h4 cxd4 23. Rxc8 Qxc8 24. Qd2 Kg7 25. Qf4 $14) 21… gxh6 22. Qh5 Bg5 23. h4 Qxe5 24. hxg5 Qxg5 25. Qxg5 hxg5 26. Nf3 $16 {After the complications dissolved, White simply ended up a piece ahead. Now it is all a matter of precise conversion, and Fabiano does not disappoint.} Bxf3 27. gxf3 Kg7 28. Ba6 Rb8 29. Kg2 Kf6 30. a4 Rh8 31. Rh1 (31. Rd7 Rh4 32. c4 Rbh8 33. Rcd1 Rh2+ 34. Kf1 Rh1+ 35. Ke2 Rxd1 36. Kxd1 Rh1+ 37. Ke2 Ra1 38. Bb5 a6 39. Bxa6 Rxa4 40. Bb5 Ra1 41. Rb7 Ra3 42. Be8 Ra8 43. Bc6 $18) 31… Rxh1 32. Rxh1 Rd8 33. Bb5 Rd2 34. Rh8 Rc2 35. c4 Ke5 36. Ra8 f5 37. Rxa7 Kf4 38. Rb7 e5 39. Rxb6 g4 40. fxg4 e4 41. Rf6 e3 42. Rxf5+ Kxg4 43. Rf3 e2 44. Re3 Kf4 45. a5 Ra2 46. a6 Kg4 47. a7 { A beautiful game by Caruana, who played perfectly during all phases of the game and managed to finish the day on a high note. The match is now more exciting than ever as we start the Blitz portion of the match!} 1-0 [Event “2017 Champions Showdown”] [Site “?”] [Date “2017.11.09”] [Round “13”] [White “Topalov, Veselin”] [Black “Nakamura, Hikaru”] [Result “0-1”] [ECO “D37”] [WhiteElo “2749”] [BlackElo “2774”] [Annotator “Cristian Chirila”] [PlyCount “66”] [SourceDate “2017.11.11”] [SourceVersionDate “2017.11.11”] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 (3. e4 d5 4. e5 d4 5. exf6 dxc3 6. bxc3 Qxf6 7. d4 $14 {leads to another interesting theoretical battle}) 3… d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 {A very agressive approach} (6… Nbd7 {Has been tried by Nakamura in the previous rounds} 7. c5 c6 8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. O-O Qc8 12. h3 $14 {Leads to slightly better for white positions.}) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O (10. Rd1 {is my choice} Be7 11. Be2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 (12… Nh5 13. O-O Nxf4 14. exf4 g6 15. g3 a6 16. Ne4 b5 17. Be2 Qb6 18. Qc3 f6 19. b4 a5 20. Rc1 Ra6 21. Nc5 $16 {1-0 (32) Jakovenko,D (2724)-Onischuk,A (2672) Poikovsky 2012}) 13. Bg3 Bg4 $13) 10… Be7 11. Kb1 a6 12. Nd2 b5 13. Nb3 (13. cxd5 exd5 14. Nb3 Qb6 15. Bg5 Be6 {transposes to the game continuation }) 13… Qb6 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Bg5 Be6 (15… b4 16. Bxf6 bxc3 17. Bxe7 Nxe7 18. Qxc3 Bf5+ 19. Ka2 Rab8 20. Rc1 Rfc8 21. Qb4 $14) 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Rxd5 Rac8 19. Bd3 Nb4 20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. Qd1 Nxd5 22. Qh5 Bg5 23. Be4+ Qh6 24. Qxh6+ Bxh6 25. Bxd5 Rcd8 $146 {Nakamura’s novelty, believe it or not all of these moves have been played before} (25… Rc7 26. h4 Rd8 27. Be4 Kg8 28. h5 Bg5 29. g3 Bf6 30. Rc1 Rc4 31. Bc2 Rdc8 32. Bf5 Rd8 {1/2-1/2 (32) Nylander,E (2471)-Liebert,E (2478) ICCF email 2008}) 26. e4 f5 27. Nc5 $2 { A huge blunder which simply allows Black’s rooks to get active and infiltrate White’s camp, the rest is just simple conversion for Nakamura} (27. f3 $1 { Maintains the balance} Rd6 28. h3 (28. Bb7 g6 29. h4 Be3 30. h5 Kg7 31. hxg6 f4 $13) 28… Be3 29. Re1 fxe4 30. Bxe4 Bb6 31. Rc1 $11) 27… fxe4 28. Bxe4 Rxf2 29. Nd3 Rf6 30. Ne5 Re8 31. Ng6+ $2 {This move just loses on the spot, now there is nothing stopping Black from activating his pieces and putting an end to White’s misery} (31. Rd1 Bf4 32. Ng6+ Kh7 33. Ne5+ Kg8 34. Bd5+ Kh8 $17 { White survives but is still in dire straits}) 31… Kg8 32. Bc2 Re2 33. Bd3 Rxg2 {A beautiful show of theoretical knowledge by Nakamura, who played 26(!) moves of theory before uncorking his novelty, surprising Topalov and pushing him into muddy waters from which he was not able to get out.} 0-1 [Event “2017 Champions Showdown”] [Site “?”] [Date “2017.11.09”] [Round “21”] [White “Caruana, Fabiano”] [Black “Grischuk, Alexander”] [Result “1-0”] [ECO “B25”] [WhiteElo “2794”] [BlackElo “2785”] [Annotator “Cristian Chirila”] [PlyCount “51”] [SourceDate “2017.11.12”] [SourceVersionDate “2017.11.12”] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Nge2 Nf6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. d3 Nc6 7. O-O Rb8 (7… O-O 8. h3 e5 9. f4 Nd4 10. f5 b5 11. Nxd4 cxd4 12. Ne2 d5 13. g4 dxe4 14. Ng3 $13 {0-1 (29) Jobava,B (2707)-Carlsen,M (2832) Leuven 2017}) 8. a3 O-O 9. Rb1 Ne8 $146 (9… b6 10. b4 Bb7 11. h3 Nd7 12. Be3 Re8 13. Qd2 Ba8 14. f4 Rc8 15. g4 e6 16. f5 Nd4 17. Bxd4 cxd4 18. Nb5 exf5 19. gxf5 Ne5 20. Nbxd4 d5 21. Qf4 dxe4 22. dxe4 Qc7 $13 {0-1 (65)}) 10. b4 Nc7 11. Be3 Nd4 12. Qd2 e5 (12… Bg4 $5 13. f3 Bd7 14. f4 b6 15. a4 e6 16. b5 e5 17. h3 $13) 13. bxc5 (13. f4 { Was an interesting approach to try and take immediate advantage of White’s kingisde superiority} b6 14. fxe5 dxe5 15. bxc5 Bg4 16. cxb6 axb6 17. h3 $14) 13… dxc5 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Bg4 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. Bg5 Bf6 $2 {Bad judgement by the Russian, much better would have been} (17… Qc7 18. h3 Bd7 19. Be7 Rfe8 20. d6 Qc5 21. f4 $13) 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. f4 $16 {Now White’s initiative is simply irresistible} Rfc8 (19… Bd7 20. Rbe1 exf4 21. Rxf4 Qg5 22. Qf2 $16 {[%csl Rf7][%cal Rf2f7,Rf4f6]}) 20. Rbe1 e4 21. dxe4 Rc3 22. f5 Rbc8 23. e5 Qb6 24. f6 Kh8 25. Qh6 Rg8 26. e6 {An accurate execution by Fabiano, who simply outclassed his opponent during the Blitz portion of the match. The intuitive feel of the American was the clear differentiator in this case.} 1-0 [Event “Champions Showdown 2017”] [Site “Saint Louis”] [Date “2017.11.12”] [Round “29”] [White “Topalov, Veselin”] [Black “Nakamura, Hikaru”] [Result “1/2-1/2”] [ECO “B80”] [WhiteElo “2749”] [BlackElo “2774”] [Annotator “Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro”] [PlyCount “66”] [EventDate “2017.??.??”] [EventType “match”] [EventCountry “USA”] [SourceDate “2015.02.07”] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 h5 { Nakamura relied heavily on this Najdorf/Scheveningen set up during the match, and it served him well.} 8. Qd2 Be7 9. O-O-O b5 10. g3 Bb7 11. Bh3 Nc6 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Kb1 b4 14. Ne2 a5 {Both players are preparing themselves on both flanks. This is usually Topalov’s type of position, and he got several during the match. However, like in this game, he just wasn’t able to finish them.} 15. Nd4 Bd7 16. Bg2 g6 $6 {Too optimistic, perhaps influenced by the fact that g6 earlier in the match in a similar position was quite good.} (16… Rc8 {was normal}) 17. f4 e5 18. Nf3 Qc7 19. fxe5 dxe5 20. Nxe5 $1 {The shot that Nakamura missed, giving Topalov a massive advantage.} Be6 (20… Qxe5 21. Bf4 Qe6 22. e5 $18) 21. Bf4 Rd8 22. Nd3 (22. Qe2 $18) 22… Qc4 23. b3 Qc8 24. Be5 $1 O-O 25. Qg5 $1 {All of White’s pieces are converging on the kingside, sacrifices loom and the position looks hopeless. But, like in almost every game this match, Nakamura finds resources and Topalov can’t finish the job.} Nd5 26. Qh6 Nc3+ 27. Ka1 f6 28. Qxg6+ Kh8 {Hanging on. Now White whould at elast take on h5 before doing anything else.} 29. Nf4 $2 (29. Qxh5+ Kg8 30. Qg6+ Kh8 31. Bxc3 $1 Qxc3+ 32. Kb1 a4 33. Qh6+ $1 Kg8 34. Qd2 $1 {However this computer idea is very strange. White is winning because of the material advantage, but it is not trivial. In blitz the natural instinct is to keep up the attack, but it just doesn’t work. Somehow, Nakamura had the direct approaches all under control.}) 29… Nxd1 30. Qxh5+ Kg7 31. Qg6+ Kh8 32. Qh6+ Kg8 {White really has nothing better than the perpetual. He can even make a passing move and take the perpetual later, but he still has to at some point.} 33. Qg6+ Kh8 1/2-1/2 [Event “Champions Showdown MCDL 2017”] [Site “Saint Louis”] [Date “2017.11.12”] [Round “8”] [White “Ding, Liren”] [Black “Carlsen, Magnus”] [Result “0-1”] [ECO “A28”] [WhiteElo “2772”] [BlackElo “2826”] [Annotator “Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro”] [PlyCount “54”] [EventDate “2017.??.??”] [EventType “match”] [EventCountry “USA”] [SourceDate “2015.02.07”] {In this game Ding Liren tried to get feisty, using an unorthodox variation and playing some risky chess. Carlsen, however, showed perfect understanding.} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 {Using some type of reverse Sicilian, which is hard to find in top grandmaster chess.} d6 6. Nd5 Ba5 7. a3 {playing b4 is White’s only real idea.} Nxd5 $1 8. cxd5 Ne7 9. b4 Bb6 10. Bc4 O-O 11. Bb2 Bf5 12. d3 Ng6 13. h4 $5 {Ding Liren plays it in the risky way, pushing his h-pawn which makes castling on the kingside more difficult, but it seems to put pressure on his opponent. A mere mortal might be scared of the advance, but Carlsen simply welcomes it.} (13. O-O Nh4 14. Nxh4 Qxh4 15. a4 a5 16. b5 {looks a bit more pleasant to Black for me, but the computers clock it at about even.}) 13… h6 14. h5 Ne7 15. Nd2 Rc8 $1 {Not subtle, but powerful. Black prepares to play c6 very soon, to which White will have to answer awkwardly as too many of his pieces are vulnerable on the c-file.} 16. e4 $6 { Too ambitious. The opening of the bishop on b6 cannot be underestimated.} (16. Qd1 $5 c6 17. dxc6 Nxc6 18. g4 Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Rc1 {is still far from clear, though Black is to be preferred.}) 16… Bg4 17. d4 {Ding Liren sacrifices a pawn, with the obvious idea to recapture it under favorable circumstances. After all, how can such a pawn on d4 survive?} exd4 18. f3 $6 ( 18. Qd3 {immediately was better. White’s king will suffer after f3.}) 18… Bd7 19. Qd3 c6 $1 {Perfect timing. White doesn’t have time to do any of the things he wants to do.} 20. dxc6 (20. Bxd4 cxd5 21. exd5 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Nf5 {is a crushing attack, with moves such as Re8 and Ne3 coming.}) 20… Bxc6 (20… Nxc6 {was also good, but Carlsen’s solution is clear cut.}) 21. b5 Bd7 22. O-O d5 23. exd5 Bf5 24. Ne4 Nxd5 {With the d4 pawn secured, White’s position is beyond hopeless. His king is weak and his pieces need constant protection.} 25. Bxd5 Qxd5 26. Rad1 Rfd8 {The queen is a horrible blocker, and Black’s next move shows why, this move is a prelude for what is to come.} 27. Rfe1 Rc3 $1 { The rook is taboo as it opens the bishop’s diagonal and everything falls apart, but not taking means allowing d3. The game, and the day, was absolute Carlsen domination.} 0-1 [Event “2017 Champions Showdown”] [Site “?”] [Date “2017.11.09”] [Round “23”] [White “So, Wesley”] [Black “Dominguez Perez, Leinier”] [Result “1-0”] [ECO “D02”] [WhiteElo “2788”] [BlackElo “2739”] [Annotator “Cristian Chirila”] [PlyCount “63”] [SourceDate “2017.11.12”] [SourceVersionDate “2017.11.12”] {So managed to mount an incredible comeback, and this game was one of the reasons for it!} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 {A very tame approach, but one that generally allows the players to experiment with the ensuing plans, the most skillful player will come on top and surely So believe he is the one.} e6 4. e3 c5 5. Nbd2 Nc6 6. c3 Nh5 7. Bg5 f6 8. Bh4 g6 9. Bd3 Be7 $146 (9… cxd4 10. cxd4 (10. exd4 Nf4 11. Bf1 Bd6 $15) 10… Be7 11. O-O Bd7 12. a3 O-O 13. Rc1 Rc8 14. Nb1 Qb6 15. Qe2 Na5 16. Nc3 $14 {1-0 (54) Giri,A (2785)-So,W (2815) chess.com INT 2017}) 10. O-O b6 11. Re1 O-O 12. e4 Bb7 13. exd5 exd5 14. Nf1 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16. cxd4 Bb4 17. Re3 Qd7 18. Qb3 Bd6 19. Rae1 Nf4 $6 { The most natural move allows White to grab the initiative, better was} (19… Bc6 20. a3 Nf4 21. Be4 Rae8 22. Bg3 Kg7 23. Bf3 Ne6 24. Bxd6 Qxd6 25. Qd3 $14) 20. Bg3 (20. Bb5 $5 Qg7 21. Bg3 g5 22. Bxf4 gxf4 23. Rh3 Rf7 24. Bd3 Qg4 25. Be2 Qg7 26. Bf3 $16) 20… Rf7 (20… Nxd3 21. Bxd6 Nxe1 22. Bxf8 Rxf8 23. Rxe1 {White is clearly better due to the superior N vs B, he will try to exchange the heavy pieces in order to obtain the superior endgame}) 21. Bb5 Qf5 22. Rf3 g5 23. Bd3 Qd7 24. Bb5 Qf5 25. Ne3 Qe4 26. Qd1 (26. Nc2 Qf5 27. Rc3 h5 28. Ne3 Qe4 29. Bc6 $16) 26… Qg6 27. Ba4 Kh8 28. Bb3 Rg7 29. Bc2 Qh5 30. Nf5 Rd7 31. Nxd6 Rxd6 32. Re7 1-0