[Event "87th Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"]
[Black "Mendonca, Leon Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Crowther,Mark"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2768"]
[BlackElo "2639"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[GameId "2135856932347019"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. a4 {The idea of Abdusattorov's second Rustam Kasimdzhanov so as to deviate from their previous game in Qatar. The main point is to have Bb5 available.} (6. g3 Bd7 7. Bh3 Nge7 8. O-O Ng6 9. Re1 cxd4 10. cxd4 Bb4 11. Re3 Rc8 12. Nc3 Na5 13. Na4 Qc6 14. a3 Be7 15. Rc3 Nc4 16. b3 O-O 17. Bf1 Qc7 18. Nb2 Qa5 19. Nxc4 dxc4 20. Bd2 Bc6 21. bxc4 Rfd8 22. h4 Qb6 23. h5 Nf8 24. Rb1 Bxf3 25. Rxf3 Qxd4 26. Rxb7 Bg5 27. Rfxf7 Rd7 28. Rfxd7 Nxd7 29. Qa4 Rf8 30. Qxa7 Qxa7 31. Rxa7 Nxe5 32. Bxg5 Nf3+ 33. Kg2 Nxg5 34. Bd3 Rd8 35. f4 Rxd3 36. fxg5 Rc3 37. g6 hxg6 38. hxg6 Kf8 39. Rf7+ Ke8 40. Rxg7 Rxc4 41. Rg8+ Ke7 42. g7 Kf7 43. Re8 Kxg7 44. Rxe6 Ra4 45. Re3 Kg6 46. Kf2 Kg5 47. Ke2 Kf5 48. Kd2 Ra8 49. Kc2 Kf6 50. Kb3 Rb8+ 51. Ka2 Ra8 52. g4 Ra4 53. Rg3 Ra8 54. g5+ Kg6 55. Rg4 Kf5 56. Rg1 Kg6 57. Rg3 Ra7 58. Kb3 Rb7+ 59. Kc4 Ra7 60. Kb5 Rb7+ 61. Ka6 Rb1 62. a4 {1-0 Abdusattorov,N (2777)-Mendonca,L (2642) Qatar Masters op-A Doha 2024 (9)}) 6... cxd4 $6 (6... Bd7 $5 7. Be2 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nh6 9. Bb5 {would have saved a tempo on the game.} (9. Bxh6 $5)) 7. cxd4 Nh6 {"Already kind of a mistake". Abdusattorov thought Mendonca was in trouble here.} 8. Bb5 (8. Bxh6 $5) 8... Nf5 9. Nc3 Bd7 10. O-O a6 11. Bxc6 {[#]} (11. a5 {½-½ Naroditsky,D (2619)-Xiong,J (2659) Titled Tuesday intern op 06th Feb Late Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (8)}) 11... Bxc6 $146 (11... bxc6 12. g4 Nh6 13. Bxh6 gxh6 14. Qd2 c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. a5 Qb7 17. h3 h5 18. Na4 Bb4 19. Qf4 Rg8 20. Nb6 hxg4 21. hxg4 Bxa5 22. Nxd7 Qxd7 23. Rxa5 h5 24. g5 Qd8 25. Rfa1 Qb6 26. b4 Rg7 27. b5 Rc8 28. bxa6 Rc2 29. Qa4+ Kd8 30. Qxc2 {1-0 Lyew,M (1686)-Palad,A (1491) IECC M2-2007.R01.01 IECC email}) 12. Ne2 {Abdusattorov already thought he had a long term positional advantage} Be7 13. b3 O-O-O $2 {Abdusattorov wasn't expecting this and it's bad. Although white had attacking ideas on the Kingside, putting the King on the Queenside is much worse.} 14. Bd2 Kb8 15. b4 Rc8 16. Rb1 Bd7 17. b5 axb5 18. axb5 {The plan to come down the a-file is clear.} Rc4 19. Qb3 g5 $5 {Black needs to do something but white is completely winning.} 20. h3 h5 21. Bxg5 Rb4 22. Qa2 Rxb5 23. Ng3 $1 {An excellent move ruining black's pawn structure.} Bxg5 24. Nxf5 exf5 25. Nxg5 Qxd4 26. Ra1 Kc7 27. Nxf7 Rg8 28. Nd6 Rb4 29. Qa5+ Qb6 30. Qxd5 Rd8 31. Nc4 {Black's position has been a wreck for some time now.} 1-0

[Event "87th Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Crowther,Mark"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2803"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[GameId "2135860341640038"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 {Caruana springs a surprise by playing the London system but although he doesn't play it plenty of others do and Van Foreest was the one who came up with the surprise.} c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. c3 Bd6 6. Bg3 Nh6 {It's very rare for the knight to end up on h6 in the London.} (6... Nge7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Nbd2 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nf5 10. Bxf5 exf5 11. O-O f4 12. Bxf4 Bxf4 13. exf4 Qf6 14. Ne5 Nxd4 15. Ndf3 Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3 Be6 17. Rfe1 Rac8 18. g4 g6 19. Nd3 Rc4 20. Re5 Rfc8 21. Rae1 Kh8 22. Qg3 Rd4 23. R1e3 a5 24. a3 Rcc4 25. h3 Rc8 26. h4 Rcc4 27. h5 Rxd3 28. Rxd3 Rxf4 29. Rf5 Rxf5 30. gxf5 Qxf5 31. h6 f6 32. Qd6 Bg8 33. Qf8 Qg5+ 34. Rg3 Qc1+ 35. Kg2 Qh1+ 36. Kxh1 {1-0 Duda,J (2733)-Bluebaum,M (2640) Titled Tuesday intern op 13th Aug Late Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (9)}) 7. Bd3 $146 (7. Nbd2 f5 8. Bd3 O-O 9. Rc1 Ng4 10. Be2 c4 11. Bf4 e5 12. dxe5 Ngxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Bxe5 Nxe5 15. Nf3 Ng4 16. Qd4 Nf6 17. O-O Qa5 18. a3 Kh8 19. Rcd1 Be6 20. Qh4 Qc7 21. Nd4 Bd7 22. Nf3 Be6 23. Rd4 Rae8 24. Ng5 Bg8 25. Bf3 Ne4 26. Bxe4 dxe4 27. Rfd1 Re7 28. R1d2 g6 29. Nh3 Rg7 30. Qg5 Qe7 31. Qg3 Qc7 32. Qg5 Qe7 33. Qg3 Qc7 34. Qxc7 Rxc7 35. Nf4 g5 36. Ne2 Kg7 {1-0 Hahn,A (1829)-Baumeister,J (1886) Wuerttemberg-ch KT Lauffen am Neckar 2011 (6)}) 7... O-O 8. Nbd2 b6 9. Qe2 Bb7 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. e4 Rb8 12. e5 Bc7 13. O-O Nf5 {Caruana believe that Van Foreest was doing fine around here and indeed the engines give black a small edge.} 14. Bf4 c4 15. Bc2 Ba6 $6 {Any edge black might have had goes with this move.} (15... h6) 16. Rab1 $6 {This maybe isn't the best either.} d4 17. Nxc4 Qd5 (17... Na5 18. b3 {is the engine's clear preference.}) 18. b3 dxc3 19. Rfd1 Qc5 20. Bxf5 exf5 21. Qc2 {Caruana felt he eliminated the risk of losing by just picking up the c-pawn.} Bxc4 22. Qxc3 Bb6 $6 {The real start of black's problems. Black's bishop is misplaced here and is more than fine on c7. The move was based on a miscalculation.} (22... Qb4 23. Qxc4 Qxc4 24. bxc4 f6 $11) 23. Be3 Qb4 (23... Qa5 {was Van Foreest's idea when he played Bb6, missing Bf4 at the end of the line.} 24. Qxc4 Nxe5 (24... Bxe3 {is probably forced now.} 25. Qxc6 Rbc8 26. Qd7 Bb6 27. e6 Qc5 28. exf7+ Rxf7 29. Qd2 {and white is much better.}) 25. Nxe5 Qxe5 26. Bf4) 24. Qxc4 Qxc4 25. bxc4 Bxe3 26. fxe3 {Caruana thought this endgame quite drawish but he was surprised by his next move.} h6 $6 (26... g6 {was to be preferred.}) 27. Rb5 (27. Kf2) 27... Rfc8 (27... a6 {is the engine's preference.}) 28. Kf2 Kf8 $6 {Caruana felt this was "very wrong" and indeed it does seem to be the decisive error. +3.} (28... a6) 29. Rd6 Nd8 {As we learned yesterday, playing a Nd8 retreat is rarely a good sign.} (29... Nb4 30. a3 Nc2 31. Ra6 {was Caruana's winning line.}) 30. Nd4 g6 {Black was down to the increment around here but no amount of time can fix this position.} 31. Rxb8 Rxb8 32. c5 {This pawn is essentially unstoppable and will win black's knight.} Nb7 33. Rd5 $1 (33. c6 Nxd6 34. exd6 Ke8 35. Kf3 Rb2 36. a4 {also should win but is nowhere near as clean.}) 33... Nd8 34. c6 1-0

[Event "87th Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.3"]
[White "Keymer, Vincent"]
[Black "Warmerdam, Max"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Crowther,Mark"]
[ECO "A06"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2646"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[GameId "2135866837266579"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 c5 3. e3 g6 4. Bb2 Nf6 5. c4 dxc4 6. bxc4 (6. Bxc4 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Bb5 Bd7 10. Rc1 Rc8 11. Qe2 a6 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. Ne5 Qd6 14. Nxc6 Rxc6 15. Rfd1 Rfc8 16. d3 Qe6 17. Qc2 Nd5 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. h3 f6 21. Qc3 Rd8 22. Rd2 e5 23. Qa5 Rd7 24. Rc3 e4 25. Qa4 b5 26. Qa5 exd3 27. Rcxd3 Qxd3 28. Rxd3 Rxd3 29. Qa3 Rd7 30. g4 c4 31. bxc4 bxc4 32. Qc3 Rd3 33. Qb4 Rd7 34. Qc3 Rd3 35. Qc2 Rd7 {½-½ Fedoseev,V (2687)-Vidit,S (2720) CrunchLab Masters Div 2 W Chess.com INT rapid 2024 (3.5)}) 6... Bg7 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O b6 9. d3 Bb7 10. Nbd2 Nc6 {[#]} 11. Ne5 $146 (11. a3 Qc7 12. Qc2 Rfd8 13. Rfd1 Rd7 14. h3 Rad8 15. Nb3 e5 16. Bc3 Ne8 17. Rd2 h6 18. Rad1 Nd6 19. Qb2 Nf5 20. Bf1 Re8 21. Qa1 Kh7 22. Qb2 Qb8 23. Nc1 Qd8 24. Ne2 Nh4 25. Nxh4 Qxh4 26. Ng3 f5 27. Be2 Qe7 28. Bf3 Rd6 29. Bd5 Nd8 30. e4 f4 31. Nf1 Ne6 32. Re1 Nd4 33. Bxd4 exd4 34. Rdd1 Be5 35. Qe2 Bc8 36. Nh2 h5 37. a4 a5 38. Nf3 Qf6 39. Kh2 Kh6 40. Rg1 g5 {1-0 Petriashvili,N (2475)-Kurmangaliyeva,L (2281) Titled Tuesday intern op 14th May Late Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (5)}) 11... Qc7 12. f4 {A bit double edged.} Rad8 13. Qb3 Ne8 14. Ndf3 Na5 15. Qc2 Nd6 16. e4 f6 17. Ng4 Nc6 18. Rae1 Nf7 19. f5 gxf5 20. exf5 Kh8 21. Qb3 $6 (21. Qd2) 21... Qd7 (21... Rg8) 22. Ne3 (22. Qd1) 22... Bh6 23. Nd5 Nd6 24. g4 $2 {Causing a further deterioration in his position.} (24. Nh4) 24... Rg8 25. Nh4 Nb4 26. Bf3 Nxd5 27. cxd5 Rg7 (27... Nc8 {crudely winning the pawn was good.}) 28. Re6 Nf7 (28... Nc8) 29. Rc6 $2 {It's really hard to know what Keymer missed here, this move is just bad. And very soon he knew it.} (29. Rfe1) 29... Be3+ (29... Bxc6 30. dxc6 Qd6 {is also winning for black.} (30... Qxd3)) 30. Kh1 Bxc6 (30... Bd4 $1 31. Bxd4 Bxc6 32. dxc6 Qxd4) 31. dxc6 Qxd3 (31... Qc7) 32. Qxd3 Rxd3 33. c7 $6 (33. Ng2) 33... Nd6 (33... Rg8 {is cleaner.}) 34. Ng2 Bd4 35. Bc1 e5 (35... Rg8) 36. fxe6 Rxc7 37. Nf4 Rxf3 {Forced.} 38. Rxf3 Re7 39. Rf1 $6 Nc4 (39... Ne8 40. h4 Nc7 41. g5 Kg8) 40. Re1 Ne5 {With time control made Keymer could have a think but this position remains very hard to play.} (40... Be5) 41. Kg2 Re8 42. h3 $6 (42. Kg3) 42... Ng6 43. Nxg6+ $2 (43. Nh5 Nf8 44. e7 Ng6 45. Re6) 43... hxg6 44. h4 b5 (44... Kg7) 45. Bf4 Kg7 46. Bd6 a5 47. e7 Kf7 48. Kf3 $2 (48. h5 gxh5 49. gxh5 a4 50. Rc1) 48... c4 49. h5 gxh5 50. gxh5 Bc3 $11 {The engines say this position is equal.} 51. Re2 $2 (51. Rb1 b4 52. h6 Be5 53. Bc5 f5 54. h7 Bf6 55. Re1 Rc8 56. Bd6 c3 57. Be5 Kxe7 58. Bxc3+ Kf7 59. Bxf6 Kxf6 60. Rh1 Kg7 61. Kf4 a4 62. Kxf5 Rb8 63. Ke4 Kh8 $11) 51... b4 {Black is winning.} 52. h6 b3 $2 $11 {Now there are no more mistakes and white draws.} (52... a4 $1 {wins but is very hard to calculate or understand.}) 53. axb3 cxb3 54. Ba3 Kg6 55. Rh2 Kh7 56. Kg4 Be5 57. Rh1 Kg6 58. h7 f5+ 59. Kf3 a4 60. Ke3 Kf7 61. Rh5 Kg6 62. Rh1 Bf6 63. Kd3 Rc8 64. Rc1 Re8 65. Rh1 Kf7 66. Rf1 Kg6 67. Rh1 1/2-1/2

[Event "87th Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.4"]
[White "Fedoseev, Vladimir3"]
[Black "Gukesh, D.."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Crowther,Mark"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[GameId "2135874175770617"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 b5 (5... Bb4 6. Bxc4 Nxe4 7. O-O Nf6 8. Qa4+ Nc6 9. Ne5 Rb8 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qxa7 Bd7 12. Qa4 c5 13. Qd1 cxd4 14. Qxd4 Bc6 15. Be3 Bd6 16. b3 O-O 17. Rad1 Nd7 18. h3 Ne5 19. Be2 Qf6 20. f4 Rb4 21. Qd2 Ng6 22. Bf3 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Nh4 24. Rff1 Nf5 25. Ne2 h5 26. Bf2 h4 27. Rc1 Ra8 28. Rc2 Ra5 29. Qd3 Rd5 30. Qf3 Qd8 31. Rfc1 Rb8 32. Nc3 Nd4 33. Qg4 Nxc2 34. Nxd5 exd5 35. Rxc2 {½-½ Nihal,S (2676)-Carlsen,M (2831) Tata Steel India Rapid Kolkata 2024 (2)}) 6. e5 Nd5 7. Nxb5 Nb6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Be3 Bb7 10. Be2 {[#]} Ne7 $146 (10... Be7 11. Qb1 Nb4 12. O-O N4d5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. Rc1 O-O 15. b3 cxb3 16. axb3 Qd7 17. Ba6 Bxa6 18. Rxa6 Nd5 19. Bd2 Qb5 20. Qa2 Rfb8 21. Rxa7 Rxa7 22. Qxa7 Qxb3 23. Qa6 h6 24. h3 Qb5 25. Qa7 Qb6 26. Qa4 Qb5 27. Qc2 Qb2 28. Qxb2 Rxb2 29. Kf1 g5 30. Ke1 Kg7 31. Kd1 Kg6 32. Rc2 Rb1+ 33. Rc1 Rb3 34. Kc2 Ra3 35. Kb2 Ra6 36. Re1 Bb4 37. Bxb4 Nxb4 38. Rd1 Nd5 39. g4 Ra2+ 40. Kxa2 {½-½ Predke,A (2689)-Makarian,R (2530) Wch Rapid Samarkand 2023 (13)}) 11. b3 cxb3 12. Qxb3 Nf5 13. Bb5+ c6 14. Bd3 Be7 15. O-O Nxe3 16. fxe3 O-O 17. Ne4 Rb8 18. Nc5 Bxc5 (18... Bc8) 19. dxc5 Nd5 20. Qa3 (20. Qa4) 20... a5 21. Rad1 (21. Rab1) 21... Qc7 22. Bc4 Nb4 23. Rd6 Ba6 24. Bxa6 Nxa6 25. Rc1 Nb4 26. h3 Qa7 27. e4 Qa6 28. Kf2 $11 {Up to here white has had some kind of edge but now it's equal.} (28. Nd4) 28... h6 29. Rc3 a4 30. Rd4 Qb5 31. Rcc4 Na6 32. Kg3 Rfd8 33. Rxa4 Rxd4 34. Nxd4 Qxc5 35. Qxc5 Nxc5 36. Nxc6 Rb6 37. Ne7+ Kf8 38. Rc4 Nxe4+ 39. Rxe4 Kxe7 40. Rg4 g6 41. Re4 Rb1 42. h4 Kf8 43. Kf3 Ke7 {The endgame is drawish.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "87th Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.5"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Praggnanandhaa, R.."]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Crowther,Mark"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[GameId "2135867538157996"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Nc3 Qc7 5. O-O Nd4 6. Re1 a6 7. Bf1 Ng4 (7... d6 8. Nxd4 cxd4 9. Nd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 g6 11. d3 Bg7 12. Bg5 e5 13. dxe6 Bxe6 14. g3 O-O 15. Bg2 Rac8 16. Rc1 Qb6 17. b3 Rc5 18. Bf4 Rfc8 19. Qd2 Qc7 20. Qb4 b5 21. Re2 g5 22. Bd2 Rxc2 23. Rce1 Rxa2 24. Bxg5 Rxe2 25. Rxe2 Qc3 26. Qa3 Qc5 27. Qxc5 Rxc5 28. h4 a5 29. Be7 Rc3 30. Bxd6 Rxd3 31. Bc7 a4 32. bxa4 bxa4 33. Bh3 a3 34. Bxe6 fxe6 35. Kg2 Rb3 36. Rxe6 d3 37. Re8+ {0-1 Nepomniachtchi,I (2758)-Mamedov,R (2651) Chessable Play In Match D1 Chess.com INT rapid 2024 (2.3)}) 8. g3 Nxf3+ 9. Qxf3 Ne5 10. Qe2 e6 11. d3 d6 12. Be3 Nc6 13. f4 Be7 14. Qf2 O-O 15. Bg2 Bd7 {[#]} 16. g4 $146 (16. a3 b5 17. Ne2 a5 18. c3 b4 19. d4 bxc3 20. bxc3 Rab8 21. Rab1 Rxb1 22. Rxb1 Rb8 23. Qe1 a4 24. Rxb8+ Qxb8 25. dxc5 Na5 26. Qd1 Nc4 27. Bc1 Qa7 28. Qd4 d5 29. Kh1 Qxc5 30. exd5 Qxd4 31. Nxd4 Bxa3 32. dxe6 fxe6 33. Bxa3 Nxa3 34. Bf1 Nb1 35. Bc4 Kf8 36. Ne2 Bc6+ 37. Kg1 Bd5 38. Bd3 Nd2 39. Bxh7 a3 40. Nc1 a2 41. Nxa2 Bxa2 42. Kf2 Bc4 43. Bc2 Ke7 44. h4 Bd5 45. Ke3 Nc4+ {0-1 Santos Latasa,J (2588)-Vorobiov,E (2556) Teplice op 14th 2019 (9)}) 16... b5 17. h4 {Praggnanandhaa was obviously a little concerned about the pawn storm against his king.} Nd4 18. Rac1 Rae8 19. Ne2 Nxe2+ 20. Rxe2 d5 21. g5 d4 22. Bd2 c4 23. c3 dxc3 24. Rxc3 f6 25. g6 $2 {White is already a bit worse.} (25. dxc4 $5) (25. gxf6 Rxf6 26. e5 Rh6 $11) 25... hxg6 26. dxc4 bxc4 27. b3 Bc5 {Maybe not the most accurate.} (27... Rd8) 28. Be3 Bxe3 29. Rexe3 g5 30. f5 (30. hxg5 fxg5 31. f5 {was perhaps better.}) 30... Qf4 $6 {After this the game is almost equal.} (30... exf5) 31. hxg5 Qxf2+ 32. Kxf2 cxb3 33. axb3 fxg5 34. Rc7 Bb5 35. Bh3 exf5 36. exf5 Rxe3 37. Kxe3 Rd8 38. Bg4 Rd7 39. Rc8+ (39. Rxd7 {was certainly playable.}) 39... Kf7 40. b4 (40. Rb8) 40... Kf6 41. Rf8+ Rf7 42. Rb8 (42. Rxf7+ Kxf7 43. Kf3 $11) 42... Rc7 43. Rb6+ Rc6 44. Rb7 $4 {It seems both players thought the bishop endgame lost for white, it is in fact a draw.} (44. Rxc6+ {White has been unnecessarily avoiding this endgame, now he has to take it, otherwise he's lost.} Bxc6) 44... Rc3+ 45. Kf2 Rd3 (45... Rb3) 46. Bh5 Rd7 $2 {Again allowing white into the drawn endgame.} 47. Rb8 $4 {The final mistake after which there's nothing more to say.} (47. Rxd7 $11 Bxd7 48. Bf3 Kxf5 49. Bb7 Bb5 50. Kf3 Bc4 51. Kg3 g4 52. Bg2 Be6 53. Bb7 Bc4 54. Bc6 Be2 55. Bb7 Ke5 56. Kf2 Bc4 57. Kg3 {this seems to be the drawing mechanism, attacking a6 with the bishop and minding the kingside with the king.}) 47... Kxf5 48. Rf8+ Ke5 49. Bg6 Kd4 50. Rc8 Rd6 51. Bh5 Rc6 {Now the Rook exchange doesn't help.} 52. Rg8 Rc7 53. Kg3 Kc3 54. Bd1 Kxb4 55. Kg4 a5 0-1

[Event "87th Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.6"]
[White "Sarana, Alexey"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Crowther,Mark"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[GameId "2135870449423641"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 {White has been trying this a bit recently but the assessment that this whole line is very drawish hasn't changed very much.} Nd4 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. e5 dxc3 7. exf6 Qxf6 8. dxc3 Bc5 (8... Qe5+ 9. Be2 Bc5 10. O-O O-O 11. Bd3 d6 12. Qf3 Re8 13. Bd2 Be6 14. a4 a5 15. Rae1 Qd5 16. Qg3 Qh5 17. Bb5 c6 18. Bd3 Qg4 19. Qxg4 Bxg4 20. Rxe8+ Rxe8 21. b4 Bb6 22. Rb1 Bc8 23. Bf4 d5 24. h4 Bd8 25. Bg5 Bc7 26. Be3 Be5 27. Bd4 Bxd4 28. cxd4 axb4 29. Kf1 Kf8 30. Rxb4 Ke7 31. Ke2 Kd6+ 32. Kd2 h6 33. Rb1 Kc7 34. a5 Bd7 35. Ra1 Ra8 36. Kc3 Kd6 37. Ra3 c5 38. dxc5+ Kxc5 39. a6 d4+ 40. Kd2 bxa6 41. Rxa6 Rxa6 42. Bxa6 g5 43. hxg5 hxg5 44. c3 {½-½ Hovhannisyan,R (2611)-Vidit,S (2737) Wch Rapid Samarkand 2023 (7)}) 9. Qe2+ Qe6 10. Qxe6+ (10. O-O Qxe2 11. Bxe2 d6 12. Bf3 Rb8 13. Re1+ Be6 14. a4 a5 15. Bd2 Kd7 16. b3 Bf5 17. Be4 Bxe4 18. Rxe4 Rbe8 19. Rae1 Rxe4 20. Rxe4 h5 21. Rf4 Ke6 22. Re4+ Kd7 23. Rf4 Ke6 24. Re4+ Kd7 {½-½ Eljanov,P (2676)-Fedoseev,V (2701) Munich op-A 2nd 2024 (6)}) 10... fxe6 11. a4 a6 12. Bd3 {[#]} a5 $146 (12... O-O 13. f3 e5 14. Ke2 d6 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Kxe3 Be6 17. a5 h6 18. Rhf1 Kf7 19. f4 exf4+ 20. Rxf4+ Ke7 21. Raf1 g5 22. Rxf8 Rxf8 23. Rxf8 Kxf8 24. Be4 d5 25. Bf3 Ke7 26. Kd4 Kd6 27. b4 c6 28. Be2 Bf5 29. Bd3 Be6 30. g3 Bd7 31. c4 dxc4 32. Bxc4 Bf5 33. c3 Bd7 34. Bb3 Bg4 35. c4 Bd7 36. c5+ Ke7 37. Ke5 {1-0 Paravyan,D (2606)-Grigorjev,I (2435) Titled Tuesday intern op 14th May Late Chess.com INT blitz 2024 (8)}) 13. h4 O-O 14. f3 e5 15. Bd2 d6 16. c4 Bf5 17. O-O-O Bxd3 18. cxd3 h5 19. Rhe1 b6 20. Re4 Rf5 21. Rde1 Raf8 22. Bc3 Rf4 23. Bd2 R4f5 24. Bc3 Bf2 25. R1e2 Bg3 26. Be1 Bf4+ 27. Bd2 c5 28. Bxf4 Rxf4 29. Kd2 R4f5 30. Ke3 R5f6 31. Rf2 Kf7 32. g4 Kg6 33. gxh5+ Kxh5 34. Rg4 g6 35. Rg5+ Kh6 36. Rg3 Rf4 37. Rh2 R8f5 38. b3 Rf6 39. Rh1 R6f5 40. Rhg1 Rf6 41. Rh1 Rd4 42. Rg4 d5 43. Rxd4 exd4+ 44. Kf2 dxc4 45. bxc4 Re6 46. Rb1 Kh5 47. Kg3 g5 48. hxg5 Kxg5 49. Rb2 Kf5 50. Rb1 Rg6+ 51. Kf2 Rh6 52. Kg3 Rg6+ 53. Kf2 Rh6 54. Kg3 {Defending champion Wei Yi has started with two very dull games, mostly not his fault, he'll be hoping for better tomorrow.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "87th Tata Steel Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Erigaisi, Arjun"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Abeln,Michiel"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2731"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[GameId "2135882198529244"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Qd3 ({Relevant:} 8. Bg5 Be6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qd3 O-O 11. O-O-O Be7 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. Qxd5 Qb6 14. Rhf1 Nd7 15. Nd2 Bg5 16. Kb1 Nf6 17. Qb3 Qc7 18. Nc4 b5 19. Nxd6 Rad8 20. Qa3 Qc6 21. f3 g6 22. c4 b4 23. Qxb4 Be3 24. Nb7 Rb8 25. Na5 Qc7 26. Qa4 Rb6 27. Nb3 Bc5 28. Nxc5 Qxc5 29. Rd2 Rfb8 30. Rfd1 Kg7 31. Rc2 a5 32. a3 h5 33. h4 Rb3 34. Ka2 Qb6 35. Rdd2 Nd7 36. Qxd7 Rxa3+ 37. Kb1 Qb3 {1-0 Carlsen,M (2831)-Aronian,L (2747) Oslo CCT Final 2024 (6.1)}) 8... Be6 9. Nd5 $1 {[%mdl 4] outshines the older 9.0-0.} Nxd5 10. exd5 Bc8 11. a4 a5 12. O-O O-O 13. f4 Nd7 14. Kh1 {[#]} b6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 14... Bf6 15. f5 Bg5 16. Be3 b6 17. Nd2 f6 18. b3 Ra7 19. Rae1 Ba6 20. c4 Bc8 21. Bg1 Bxd2 22. Qxd2 Nc5 23. Bd1 g6 24. Bc2 gxf5 25. Bxf5 Bxf5 26. Bxc5 bxc5 27. Rxf5 Rg7 28. Ref1 Kh8 29. h3 Kg8 30. g4 Rgf7 31. Qh6 Qe7 32. R1f3 e4 33. Re3 Re8 34. Kg2 Qd8 35. Kg3 Re5 36. Qf4 Qe7 37. h4 Kg7 38. Kf2 Rf8 39. Ke2 Rf7 40. Rg3 Kf8 41. Rg2 Kg7 42. Rf2 Rxf5 43. Qxf5 Qb7 44. g5 {1-0 Oparin,G (2667)-Mendonca,L (2603) FRA-chT Top 16 GpB Chartres 2023 (4.4)}) 15. Qd1 Ba6 {Giri also looked at two alterntives:} (15... Qc7 16. f5) (15... Nc5 16. Nxc5 bxc5 17. fxe5 (17. f5 Bg5) 17... dxe5) 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. d6 Bg5 19. Bxg5 Qxg5 20. Qd5 Qg4 (20... Qd8 {Black should probably have played this.} 21. Rf3 (21. Nd2 Ra8 22. Ne4 Rc8 23. Rf2 Qe8 (23... Nc5)) 21... Ra7 22. Nd2 Qa8) 21. Nd2 Qe6 22. Qxe6 fxe6 23. Rxf8+ Kxf8 24. Nc4 (24. Ne4 Ke8 {And Giri felt Black can hold this.}) 24... Ra8 25. Kg1 Kf7 26. Kf2 Rc8 27. b3 Kg6 (27... Ke8 {was an alternative.}) 28. Ke3 Rf8 29. g3 h5 30. Rd1 Kg5 31. h3 ({Some of the lines we looked at afterwards with Arjun to make more of his advantage:} 31. Re1 Kh6 32. h4 (32. b4 axb4 (32... Rc8 33. Kd3) 33. Rb1 Rc8 34. Rxb4) 32... g5 33. hxg5+ Kxg5 34. Nd2 Rh8 35. Ne4+ Kg6 36. Rg1 Rb8 37. c3) (31. b4 {this doesn't work for White.} Rc8 32. Kd3 axb4 33. Rb1) (31. h4+ Kg6 32. Re1 Rc8 {is quite promising.}) 31... Kg6 32. Ke2 Rc8 33. Rf1 Rc5 34. Kd3 (34. h4 {was a strong alternative.}) 34... Rd5+ 35. Kc3 Rc5 36. b4 axb4+ 37. Kxb4 Rc8 38. Ra1 (38. Rf3 Rc6 39. Re3 ({not good is} 39. Rc3 e4) 39... Kf6 40. Re1 Rc8 41. Rf1+ Kg6 42. g4 h4 43. Re1 Kf6 44. Re4 Rc6 45. Kb5 Rc5+ 46. Ka6 {winning}) 38... Kf5 39. a5 $6 {Almost equal now.} (39. Rf1+) 39... bxa5+ 40. Rxa5 Ke4 41. Ra7 Rb8+ (41... Kd5) 42. Kc3 Rd8 43. Rc7 Nf6 44. Rxg7 Nd5+ 45. Kd2 Kd4 $2 {Giri was getting close to the draw but here he makes a mistake.} (45... Nb6 {This is a clear improvement.} 46. Rc7 Nxc4+ 47. Rxc4+ Kf3 48. Rc3+ Kf2 49. Kd3 Rxd6+ {the simple way to draw.} (49... Kf3 50. Kc4+ Kf2 51. Kc5 Rc8+ 52. Kb6 (52. Kb5 Rb8+ (52... Rxc3 {this actually loses.} 53. d7 e4 54. d8=Q Rf3 55. Kc4 e3 56. Qb6 Kf1 57. Qb1+ Kf2 58. Kd3)) 52... Rxc3 53. d7 e4 54. d8=Q Rf3) 50. Ke4 Rd1) 46. Na3 $2 {And here Arjun misses a final big chance.} (46. Rc7 {Giri had seen this option, but...} e4 47. Na5 {the idea of Nc6+ he had missed.} e3+ (47... Nxc7 48. Nc6+ Kc5 49. Nxd8 Kxd6 50. Ke3 {winning for White}) 48. Ke2 Rxd6 49. Rc4+ Ke5 50. Rh4 {winning.}) 46... Nc3 47. d7 e4 48. Ke1 Kc5 (48... e3 {playing for a win for Black, and Giri did consider this but it doesn't work:} 49. g4 (49. Rg5 e5 50. Rxh5 Rxd7 51. Rh4+ e4 52. Rh5 Rb7 53. Rh8 {[%eval 0,0] says the engine.}) 49... Ke4 50. gxh5 Ra8 51. Rg4+ Kf3 52. Rd4 {again triple zeros.}) 49. Kd2 Kd4 50. Ke1 Kc5 51. Kd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Pijpers, Arthur"]
[Black "Suleymanli, Aydin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "IM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2474"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[ECO "C58"]
[Opening "Two knights defence"]
[WhiteFideId "1019554"]
[BlackFideId "13413937"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8.
Bd3 Nd5 9. h4 h6 10. Qh5 Qf6 11. Ne4 Qe6 12. Ng5 Qf6 13. Ne4 Qe6 14. Ng5 Qf6 15.
Ne4 Qe6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Vaishali, Rameshbabu"]
[Black "Lu, Miaoyi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[BlackTitle "IM"]
[WhiteElo "2476"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[ECO "E06"]
[Opening "Catalan"]
[Variation "closed, 5.Nf3"]
[WhiteFideId "5091756"]
[BlackFideId "8618020"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Nc3 a5 7. O-O c6 8. b3 b6
9. Ne5 Ba6 10. Bb2 Nfd7 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Rc1 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Ra7 14. Qd2 Rd7 15.
Rfd1 Bb4 16. e3 Qe7 17. Qd4 Bc5 18. Qa4 Rc8 19. Nb5 Nc6 20. Bf1 Bxb5 21. Bxb5
Rdc7 22. a3 Na7 23. Ba6 Rb8 24. Bf1 h5 25. Rc2 Qd7 26. Qh4 g6 27. Rdc1 Rbc8 28.
Ba6 Ra8 29. b4 axb4 30. axb4 Qa4 31. bxc5 Qxa6 32. cxb6 Rxc2 33. Rxc2 Qxb6 34.
Qd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.3"]
[White "Svane, Frederik"]
[Black "Oro, Faustino"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[BlackTitle "IM"]
[WhiteElo "2664"]
[BlackElo "2447"]
[ECO "D35"]
[Opening "QGD"]
[Variation "exchange, positional line, 5...c6"]
[WhiteFideId "12923044"]
[BlackFideId "20000197"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. Bd3
O-O 9. Nge2 Ne8 10. Bg3 Nd6 11. Qc2 Re8 12. O-O a5 13. Rad1 Bf8 14. h3 Nd7 15.
Kh1 Nf6 16. Be5 Nd7 17. Bf4 Nf6 18. Ng3 b5 19. Nb1 Qb6 20. Nd2 Ba6 21. Rc1 Rac8
22. Nf5 Nde4 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24. Bd6 b4 25. Bxf8 Kxf8 26. Rfd1 Bd3 27. Qc5+ Qxc5
28. Rxc5 Nd7 29. Rxa5 Ra8 30. Nb3 Rxa5 31. Nxa5 Ra8 32. Nxc6 Rxa2 33. Nxb4 Rxb2
34. Nxd3 exd3 35. Kg1 Rb3 36. g4 Nb6 37. Nd6 Na4 38. Ne4 Ke7 39. Ra1 Nc3 40.
Nxc3 Rxc3 41. Kf1 Ke6 42. Ke1 Rb3 43. Ra6+ Kd5 44. Ra5+ Ke6 45. Re5+ Kd6 46. Kd2
g6 47. f4 Rb2+ 48. Kxd3 Rh2 49. f5 g5 50. Ra5 Rxh3 51. Ra6+ Ke7 52. d5 Rg3 53.
f6+ Kd7 54. Ra7+ Ke8 55. Re7+ 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.4"]
[White "Divya, Deshmukh"]
[Black "Nguyen, Thai Dai Van"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "IM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2668"]
[ECO "B92"]
[Opening "Sicilian"]
[Variation "Najdorf, Opovcensky variation"]
[WhiteFideId "35006916"]
[BlackFideId "358878"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3
Be6 9. f4 exf4 10. Bxf4 Nc6 11. Qd2 O-O 12. O-O-O Ne5 13. Rhg1 b5 14. g4 Ng6 15.
g5 b4 16. gxf6 bxc3 17. bxc3 Bxf6 18. Bxd6 Rc8 19. c4 Bxc4 20. Bxc4 Rxc4 21. e5
Be7 22. Qe2 Ra4 23. Rg4 Qe8 24. Rxa4 Qxa4 25. Kb2 Re8 26. Bxe7 Rxe7 27. Rd4 Qc6
28. Rd6 Qe8 29. Qd1 Qf8 30. Rxa6 Nxe5 31. Qd5 Re8 32. a4 g6 33. Ka2 Ng4 34. Rc6
Ne3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.5"]
[White "Bok, Benjamin"]
[Black "Gurel, Ediz"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2583"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[ECO "B90"]
[Opening "Sicilian"]
[Variation "Najdorf, Byrne (English) attack"]
[WhiteFideId "1017063"]
[BlackFideId "44507356"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. f3
Be6 9. Qd2 h5 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Bf5 12. Be2 Nd7 13. O-O O-O 14. Na5 Qc7 15.
c4 h4 16. b4 h3 17. g4 Bg6 18. Rac1 f5 19. c5 f4 20. cxd6 Qxd6 21. Bc5 Nxc5 22.
bxc5 Qd7 23. d6 Bh4 24. Qd5+ Kh8 25. Nxb7 Qa4 26. c6 e4 27. Qc4 Qxc4 28. Rxc4
Bf7 29. Rxe4 Bf6 30. Rd1 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.6"]
[White "Yakubboev, Nodirbek"]
[Black "Nogerbek, Kazybek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2659"]
[BlackElo "2514"]
[ECO "D37"]
[Opening "QGD"]
[Variation "classical variation (5.Bf4)"]
[WhiteFideId "14203987"]
[BlackFideId "13710427"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2
Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. a3 Be7 11. Be2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Bd7 13. O-O Rfd8 14. Ne4 Nxe4
15. Qxe4 Be8 16. Qb1 Rxd1 17. Rxd1 Rd8 18. g4 h6 19. Rc1 Bd6 20. Qe4 Bxf4 21.
Qxf4 Ne7 22. Be2 Bc6 23. Ne5 Qd2 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. Rxc6 Nxc6 26. Ng6+ Kh7 27.
Nf4 Ne5 28. Qxe6 Qc1+ 29. Bf1 Nf3+ 30. Kg2 Nh4+ 31. Kg1 Nf3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Tata Steel Challengers"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2025.01.19"]
[Round "2.7"]
[White "Bulmaga, Irina"]
[Black "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteTitle "IM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2386"]
[BlackElo "2614"]
[ECO "B52"]
[Opening "Sicilian"]
[Variation "Canal-Sokolsky attack, 3...Bd7"]
[WhiteFideId "13903063"]
[BlackFideId "1007998"]
[EventDate "2025.01.18"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. O-O Nf6 6. Re1 Nc6 7. c3 e6 8.
d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 d5 10. e5 Ne4 11. Re3 Bb4 12. Ne1 h6 13. f3 Ng5 14. Re2 O-O 15.
h4 Nh7 16. Be3 f6 17. Nd3 Be7 18. Qe1 fxe5 19. dxe5 Rf5 20. Bf2 Nf8 21. f4 Ng6
22. g3 h5 23. a3 Nh8 24. Nd2 Nf7 25. b4 Nh6 26. Nb3 a6 27. Rc1 Qe8 28. Nd4 Nxd4
29. Bxd4 Qg6 30. Rg2 Rff8 31. Qd2 Rfc8 32. Bc5 Bd8 33. Rc3 Rc6 34. a4 b6 35. Bd4
Rac8 36. Rxc6 Rxc6 37. Kh1 Qe4 38. Bg1 Nf5 39. Kh2 d4 40. b5 axb5 41. axb5 Rc3
42. Nb4 Bxh4 43. Bf2 Be7 44. Nc6 Bc5 45. Qa2 Rc2 46. Qxe6+ Kh7 47. Qf7 d3 48.
Qxh5+ Nh6 49. f5 Qxf5 50. Qxf5+ Nxf5 51. Be1 Ne3 0-1

