[Event "Beijing"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alexander Grischuk"]
[Black "Wang Hao"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "D02"]
[Annotator "Hartmann, John"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. c3 c5 5. Nd2 Nc6 6. Ngf3 Bd6 7. Bg3 O-O 8. Bd3
b6 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. f4 Ne7 11. Qb1 (11. Qf3 Nf5 12. Bf2 Be7 13. g4 (13. O-O Nd6
14. dxc5 (14. Rad1) 14... bxc5 15. Qh3 Qc7)) 11... g6 12. Bf2 cxd4 (12... Nf5)
(12... a5 13. O-O Ba6) 13. exd4 Nh5 14. g3 f6 15. Nef3 *

[Event "Yugoslavia"]
[Site "Belgrade"]
[Date "1969.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dragoljub Janosevic"]
[Black "Mikhail Botvinnik"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E92"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "193"]
[EventDate "1969.??.??"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. c4 d6 4. Nc3 c5 5. d5 Nf6 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Be2 e5 8. O-O Ne8
9. a3 f5 10. b4 b6 11. Bg5 Qd7 12. Bd2 Nf6 13. bxc5 bxc5 14. Rb1 Na6 15. Ng5
Nc7 16. Nb5 Nxb5 17. cxb5 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 fxe4 19. a4 Bb7 20. Be3 Rf6 21. a5 Rb8
22. Bc4 h5 23. Qe2 Qg4 24. Qxg4 hxg4 25. a6 Bc8 26. b6 axb6 27. Rb3 Kh7 28.
Rfb1 b5 29. Bxb5 Rxb5 30. Rxb5 Bxa6 31. Ra5 Bc4 32. Rb7 Bxd5 33. Rd7 Bf7 34.
Raa7 Kg8 35. Bg5 Rf5 36. Rd8+ Kh7 37. Rxd6 c4 38. Bf6 {Diagram [#]} e3 39. fxe3
(39. Rxf7 Rxf6 (39... e2 40. Rxg7+ Kh6 41. Rxg6+ Kxg6 (41... Kh5 42. Rh6+ Kxh6
43. Bxe5+) 42. Bxe5+) 40. Rxg7+ (40. Rdxf6 e2) (40. Rfxf6) 40... Kxg7 {Diagram
[#]} 41. Rxf6 (41. Rd1 Rd6 42. Re1 c3 43. fxe3 c2) (41. Rd7+ Rf7 42. Rxf7+ (42.
Rd1 exf2+ 43. Kf1 e4) 42... Kxf7 43. fxe3 c3) 41... e2) 39... Bh6 40. Ra3 Bg7
41. Ra7 Bh6 42. Rxf7+ Kg8 43. Bg5 Kxf7 44. Bxh6 Rh5 45. Kf2 Rxh6 46. Kg3 Rh8
47. Rc6 Ra8 48. Rxc4 Ra3 49. Re4 Kf6 50. Kxg4 Ra2 51. Kf3 Ra1 52. Rb4 Rf1+ 53.
Kg4 Rf2 54. Rb6+ Kf7 55. Kg3 Re2 56. Kf3 Ra2 57. Rb4 Rc2 58. h3 Kf6 59. g3 Kf5
60. g4+ Kf6 61. Rb6+ Kf7 62. Ke4 Rh2 63. Kxe5 Rxh3 64. Rb7+ Kg8 65. e4 Rf3 66.
g5 Ra3 67. Rd7 Re3 68. Rd4 Kf7 69. Rd7+ Kg8 70. Re7 Kf8 71. Rh7 Kg8 72. Rh4 Kg7
73. Rg4 Ra3 74. Rg1 Ra5+ 75. Kf4 Ra2 76. Rc1 Rg2 77. Rc7+ Kg8 78. Rd7 Rg1 79.
Ke5 Rxg5+ 80. Kf6 Rg1 81. e5 Rf1+ 82. Ke7 g5 83. e6 Kg7 84. Kd8+ Kg6 85. e7 Re1
86. Rd5 Kh5 87. e8=Q+ Rxe8+ 88. Kxe8 Kh4 89. Kf7 g4 90. Kg6 g3 91. Rg5 Kh3 92.
Kf5 g2 93. Kf4 Kh2 94. Rh5+ Kg1 95. Kg3 Kf1 96. Rf5+ Kg1 97. Rf8 1-0

[Event "Kemeri"]
[Site "Kemeri LVA"]
[Date "1937.06.20"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Alexander Alekhine"]
[Black "Vladas Jonovich Mikenas"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D75"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "128"]
[EventDate "1937.06.16"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O c5 8. e4
Nf6 9. e5 Nd5 10. dxc5 Na6 11. a3 Nxc5 12. b4 Ne6 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 Qd7 15. Qe2
Rd8 16. Nbd2 Nef4 17. Qc4 (17. gxf4 Nxf4 18. Qd1 Nxg2 19. Kxg2 Qh3+ 20. Kg1 Bg4
21. Qb3 a4 22. Qe3 Bh6) 17... Nxg2 18. Kxg2 Qh3+ 19. Kh1 Be6 20. Qe4 Bf5 21.
Qe2 Qg4 22. Rfe1 Rac8 23. Ne4 {Diagram [#]} Bxe4 (23... Rc2 24. Qxc2 Qxf3+ 25.
Kg1 Bh3) 24. Qxe4 Qxe4 25. Rxe4 Rc2 26. Bd4 Rc4 27. Re2 g5 28. h3 h5 29. Bb2 g4
30. hxg4 hxg4 31. Nd4 e6 32. Re4 Nc3 33. Bxc3 Rxc3 34. Rxg4 Kf8 35. Re4 Rd5 36.
Ne2 Rc2 37. f4 Rdd2 38. Re1 Ke8 39. a4 Bf8 40. Kg2 Bb4 41. Kh3 Ra2 42. Kg4 Rdb2
43. Rc1 Rxe2 44. Rc8+ Ke7 45. Rec4 f5+ 46. exf6+ Kxf6 47. R4c7 e5 48. Rxb7 exf4
49. gxf4 Rg2+ 50. Kf3 Rgf2+ 51. Ke3 Rae2+ 52. Kd3 Re6 53. Rc6 Rf3+ 54. Kd4
Rxf4+ 55. Kd5 Rf5+ 56. Kd4 Rxc6 57. bxc6 Ke6 58. Rb5 Rxb5 59. axb5 Kd6 60. Kc4
Kc7 61. Kb3 Kb6 62. Kc4 Bd6 63. Kd5 Bb8 64. Kc4 Bc7 0-1

[Event "Rice Memorial"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1916.01.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "David Janowski"]
[Black "Edward Tennenwurzel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D60"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "1916.01.17"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Bd3 a6 8. Qe2
c5 9. O-O dxc4 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Bd3 Bb7 12. Rfd1 Qb6 13. a4 c4 14. Bb1 Rfe8 15.
a5 Qc6 16. Bc2 Rad8 17. Re1 Qc7 18. e4 e5 19. d5 Nc5 20. h3 Qd6 21. Nd1 Nfd7
22. Bd2 Nf8 23. Ne3 Bc8 24. Bc3 Bf6 25. Ng4 Nb7 26. Qd2 Bxg4 27. hxg4 Ng6 28.
g3 Be7 29. Qe2 Qc7 30. Qd2 Qd6 31. b4 cxb3 32. Bxb3 Rc8 33. Rec1 Nc5 34. Bc2 f6
35. Nh2 Qd7 36. Bb4 Bd6 37. Qe2 Nb7 38. Bd2 Bc5 39. Bb3 Nd6 40. Nf1 Nf8 41. Rc2
Nb7 42. Rac1 Qd6 43. Ne3 g6 44. Kg2 Kg7 45. Nd1 Rc7 46. f4 Rec8 47. g5 Bd4 48.
gxf6+ Kxf6 49. fxe5+ Bxe5 50. Rc6 Rxc6 51. dxc6 Nd8 52. Ne3 h5 53. Bb4 Qd4 54.
Qf3+ Kg5 55. Be7+ Kh6 56. Qxf8+ Bg7 {Diagram [#]} 57. Bg5+ Kxg5 (57... Kh7 58.
Qg8#) 58. Qf4# 1-0

[Event "Rice Memorial"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1916.01.28"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Albert Whiting Fox"]
[Black "Roy Turnbull Black"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B73"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1916.01.17"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8.
Be3 O-O 9. h3 Bd7 10. Qd2 a6 11. f4 b5 12. Bf3 Rc8 13. Nb3 Qc7 14. Rad1 Rfe8
15. Qf2 Rb8 16. g4 Be6 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Na5 19. Nd4 Nd7 20. b3 Rb7 21.
Rfe1 Nb8 22. Kh1 Rc8 23. Re2 Qd8 24. Qe1 Rd7 25. g5 Rb7 26. Bg4 Nd7 27. Bf3 Nb8
28. Bg1 Kf8 29. Bg4 Nd7 30. b4 Bxd4 31. Bxd4 Nc4 32. Qh4 Kg8 33. Rde1 Ndb6 34.
Bxc8 Nxc8 35. Rg2 N8b6 36. Rg4 h5 37. gxh6 Kh7 38. Qg5 Qd7 {Diagram [#]} 39.
Re6 Qe8 40. f5 1-0

[Event "Rice Memorial"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1916.01.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Edward Tennenwurzel"]
[Black "Albert Whiting Fox"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B73"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1916.01.17"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8.
O-O O-O 9. h3 Bd7 10. Qd2 Rc8 11. Rad1 a6 12. Nb3 b5 13. f3 Ne5 14. f4 Nc4 15.
Bxc4 bxc4 16. Nd4 Qc7 17. Rfe1 Rfd8 18. Qf2 Qb7 19. e5 Ne8 20. Bc1 e6 21. Qg3
Qb6 22. Kh1 Bc6 23. Nxc6 Qxc6 24. Qh4 Qb6 25. Qg3 d5 26. Ne2 Bf8 27. c3 Ng7 28.
Qf3 Bc5 29. Nd4 Bxd4 30. Rxd4 Nf5 31. Rdd1 h5 32. g4 hxg4 33. hxg4 Nh4 34. Qg3
Kg7 35. Rd4 Rh8 36. Kg1 Rh7 37. f5 Rch8 38. Bg5 Kf8 39. Bf6 {Diagram [#]} Nxf5
40. gxf5 Rh1+ 41. Kg2 (41. Kf2 Qxb2+ 42. Re2 R1h2+) 41... Qxb2+ 42. Kf3 R1h3
43. Rh4 Rxg3+ 44. Kxg3 Qxc3+ 45. Kf2 Rxh4 46. Bxh4 Qd4+ 47. Kg3 exf5 48. Bf6 g5
49. Rh1 Qe3+ 50. Kg2 Qe2+ 51. Kg1 Ke8 52. Rh8+ Kd7 53. Rd8+ Kc7 0-1

[Event "Rice Memorial"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1916.01.25"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Jacob Bernstein"]
[Black "Jose Raul Capablanca"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C49"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1916.01.17"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Bxc3 8.
bxc3 Qe7 9. Re1 Nd8 10. d4 Bg4 11. Bf1 Ne6 12. Bc1 Bxf3 13. gxf3 Nh5 14. Bh3
Nhf4 15. Bg4 h5 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Kh1 Nh3 18. Be3 Qh4 19. Qe2 Rf7 20. Rg1 Nxg1
21. Rxg1 Qf6 22. Rg3 exd4 23. Bxd4 e5 24. Be3 Qe6 25. Rg5 Raf8 26. Qf1 Rxf3 27.
Qg1 R8f7 28. Rxh5 {Diagram [#]} Rxe3 29. fxe3 Qc4 30. Rg5 (30. Qg6 Qf1+ 31. Qg1
Qf3+ 32. Qg2 Qd1+ 33. Qg1 Rf1 (33... Qxh5)) 30... Rf1 31. Rxg7+ Kf8 32. Rg8+
Ke7 33. Rg7+ Ke8 34. Rg8+ Kd7 35. Rg7+ Kc6 36. Rg4 Rxg1+ 37. Kxg1 Qxa2 38. h4
Qxc2 39. Rg3 a5 0-1

[Event "Rice Memorial"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1916.01.28"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Abraham Kupchik"]
[Black "Oscar Chajes"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A53"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1916.01.17"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bh4 c5 6. d5 g5 7. Bg3 Bg7 8. e3
Qa5 9. Qd2 a6 10. Bd3 Nh5 11. Nge2 Nxg3 12. Nxg3 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ne5 14. O-O g4
15. Rab1 Rb8 16. Qc2 h5 17. Bf5 Qc7 18. Bxc8 Qxc8 19. Rb6 h4 20. Ne2 Kf8 21.
Qe4 h3 22. Ng3 hxg2 23. Kxg2 Nf3 24. Rh1 Qd7 25. h4 Rxh4 26. Nf5 Rxh1 27. Kxh1
Ne5 28. Qf4 Ke8 29. Qg5 Ng6 30. Qxg4 Kd8 31. Qg5 Kc7 32. Rb1 Rh8+ 33. Kg1 Ne5
34. Kg2 {Diagram [#]} f6 (34... Rh2+ 35. Kg3 f6 36. Qf4 Rh5 37. e4 Qc8 38. Kg2
Qh8) 35. Qf4 Ng6 36. Qe4 Qxf5 37. Qxf5 Nh4+ 0-1

[Event "Rice Memorial"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1916.02.06"]
[Round "1"]
[White "David Janowski"]
[Black "Oscar Chajes"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D66"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1916.01.17"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Nc3 c6 7. Bd3 dxc4 8.
Bxc4 b5 9. Bd3 a6 10. O-O c5 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. Qe2 O-O 13. Rfd1 Qb6 14. Ne5 Rfe8
15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Bxh7+ Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. Qxf7+ Kh7 20. Nd7
Nxd7 21. Rxd7 Bc6 22. Ne4 Bxb2 {Diagram [#]} 23. Ng5+ Kh6 (23... Kh8 24. Qh5+
Kg8 25. Qh7+) 24. g4 g6 25. h4 Rh8 26. Qh7+ 1-0

[Event "FMC Devon 2016"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Zackary "Scott" Dressner, Zackary"]
[Black "Chris, Chris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C44"]
[Annotator "Alburt, Lev"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2016.08.05"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. c3 dxc3 6. Bxf7+ Kxf7 7. Qd5+ {
Diagram [#]} Kf8 (7... Ke8 8. Qh5+ Kf8 9. Qxc5+ Qe7) 8. Qxc5+ Qe7 9. Qxc3 Qxe4+
10. Be3 {Diagram [#]} d6 (10... Qb4 11. Bc5+) 11. Nbd2 Qb4 12. Qd3 (12. Qc2)
12... Qxb2 13. O-O Nf6 {Diagram [#]} 14. Nc4 (14. Rfb1 Ne5) 14... Qb4 (14...
Rb8 15. Nfe5) (14... Qb5) 15. a3 (15. Rab1) 15... Qb5 16. Rab1 Qh5 {Diagram [#]
} 17. Qb3 b6 (17... Na5) 18. Rfc1 Be6 19. Qa4 Ne7 20. Ng5 Bd7 {Diagram [#]} 21.
Qb3 h6 22. Nf3 Be6 23. Nd4 Bf7 24. Qa4 Ng4 25. Bf4 Qd5 {Diagram [#]} 26. Nb5
Qb7 (26... Be8) 27. Ncxd6 (27. Nxc7) 27... cxd6 28. Bxd6 Nf6 29. Rc7 {Diagram 
[#]} Qd5 30. Rxe7 (30. Bxe7+ Kg8 31. Bxf6) 30... Kg8 31. Rd1 Qb3 32. Qxb3 Bxb3
33. Rc1 a6 34. Rcc7 {Diagram [#]} Rh7 (34... Ne8) 35. Nc3 Rd8 36. Be5 Ne4 37.
f3 Nxc3 38. Bxc3 b5 {Diagram [#]} 39. Kf2 h5 40. Ke3 h4 41. Ra7 Bc4 42. Ba5 Rc8
43. Ke4 Bf1 44. g3 Rf8 45. Bb4 Rd8 46. f4 Bc4 47. f5 Rf8 48. f6 {Diagram [#]}
Bf7 49. Rxf7 Re8+ (49... Rxf7 50. Ra8+) 50. Rfe7 Rxe7+ 51. fxe7 Kf7 52. Ra8 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.08.05"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Wesley So"]
[Black "Hikaru Nakamura"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[Annotator "Hess, Robert"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2016.08.04"]

{At the 2015 Sinquefield Cup, Nakamura crushed Wesley in a King's Indian. A
lot has changed in a year, including Hikaru's opening choice against his
compatriot.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7.
Ne5 (7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 {is a main line that has been played
countless times.}) 7... Nc6 8. Nxc6 (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7
11. Qa4 e5 12. dxe5 Qxe5 {is a well-known line. The engine slightly prefers
White, but the opposite-colored bishops and airy kingside allows Black great
equalizing opportunities.}) 8... bxc6 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 {Diagram [#] A
hilarious pawn structure arises: Black has triple, isolated c-pawns and an
isolated a-pawn. White is down a little one and has double, isolated a-pawns.
A truly hideous position.} Ba6 11. Qd2 Rb8 12. Qa5 Qc8 13. a4 Rd8 14. Ba3 {
Sacrificing a second pawn to increase the iniative. The d4 pawn is quite
irrelevant. Sure, it would be a nice pawn to keep, but White needs to remain
active to justify the sacrificed material.} (14. Rd1 c3 (14... e5 15. Qxe5 Nd5
{is double-edged. White has the two bishops and more central pawns, but is
also underdeveloped. Black is very active, which is necessary given that the
structure in the long term certainly favors White.}) 15. Qxc3 Bxe2 16. Re1 Qa6
17. Bg5 Qc4 {is equal.} (17... Rd6 {trying to keep the pawn might not be worth
the trouble. Why give White control of the b-file?} 18. Rab1)) 14... Rxd4 15.
Rfb1 $146 {The first new move, and a smart one. In the event of an exchange
sacrifice, White's second rook is better placed on a1 rather than f1. This
seems to oppose typical chess logic, but the reason is that White will try to
play a5 and then a4.} (15. Rab1 Rb6 16. Bc5 Rd5 17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Bxb6 axb6 19.
Qb4 Nd7 (19... d4 {is also tempting, opening the long diagonal and freeing d5
for the knight.}) 20. a5 b5 21. Qe7 c5 22. f4 d4 23. f5 e5 24. f6 gxf6 25. g4
h6 26. Rf5 {1/2-1/2 (26) Efimenko,Z (2689)-Sakaev,K (2607) Vrnjacka Banja 2010}
) 15... Rb6 16. Bc5 {Diagram [#]} Rd7 (16... Rd5 {was the move I was hoping to
see. It's rare to see the material imbalance of two minors and two pawns for
two rooks.} 17. Bxd5 cxd5 (17... Rxb1+ 18. Rxb1 cxd5 19. Qxa6 {is the main
problem for Black: the back rank is left unguarded.}) 18. Bxb6 cxb6 19. Qc3 {
is just too good for White, though. The queenside will be chiseled at, and
when all is said and done the rooks will be stronger than the minors.}) 17. Rd1
h6 {A patient move, but perhaps reinforcements were necessary:} (17... Nd5 18.
e4 Nf6 {is level, but Black has benefited from the pawn thrust. Now his knight
has the d3 square to eventually reroute to.}) 18. Rxd7 Nxd7 19. Bxb6 cxb6 20.
Qd2 c5 (20... Nc5 21. Qd6 {Will be somewhat similar to the game continuation,
where White stands better.} Nxa4 22. Qxc6 Qxc6 23. Bxc6 Nc5 {The main
difference here is that the players have traded one their respective doubled
pawns. This is important for Black, as it frees up the c5 square for his
knight.}) 21. Rd1 Nf6 22. Kf1 Kh7 23. Qc2+ {Diagram [#]} Kg8 ({In retrospect,
Hikaru likely regrets not playing} 23... g6 {to keep the queens on the board.}
24. Qc3 Kg7 {and it is unclear how White makes progress. Any attempt forward
will include a concession.} 25. h4 Qc7 26. Kg1 e5 {and the fight continues,
though White of course stands better.}) 24. Qd2 Kh7 25. Qd8 {Wesley is playing
for two results now that the queens are coming off the board. The a7 pawn is a
glaring weakness, and despite the approximately equal material, White is much
better. A rook often dominates minor pieces in the endgame.} Qxd8 (25... e5 26.
Qxc8 Bxc8 27. Rd8 Be6 28. Ra8 c3 29. Ke1 {is an even worse version of the game
for Black, since the push e6-e5 has loosened control of the light squares.})
26. Rxd8 c3 27. Ke1 Bc4 (27... c2 28. Kd2 Bxe2 29. Kxc2 Kg6 30. Rb8 {is too
quick. Black has no time to go pawn hunting.} Ng4 31. Rb7 Nxf2 32. Rxa7 {and
b6 falls next.}) 28. Kd1 Bxa2 29. Kc2 Bc4 30. e3 b5 31. Kxc3 a6 32. Ra8 (32. a5
{probably was more precise.} Bd5 33. Bxd5 Nxd5+ {and the only move that wins is
} 34. Kb3 (34. Kd2 c4 35. Rd6 Nb4 {the knight miraculously can't be kicked
from its defense of the a6 pawn. If the king comes to c3, the knight checks
from a2. If the king comes to a3, the knight checks from c2. An amazing
fortress.})) 32... Nd5+ 33. Bxd5 {Diagram [#]} exd5 (33... Bxd5 34. Rxa6 bxa4
35. Rxa4 f5 36. Ra5 c4 37. Kd4 {is winning for White. Black's king does not
enter the action in time, as the White king gallivants around the dark squares.
}) 34. a5 (34. Rc8 bxa4 35. Rxc5 {is also winning, but more difficult. Here
White will have to be precise, whereas in the game continuation the a-pawn
ended things quickly.}) (34. axb5 axb5 35. Rc8 {would be met by} d4+ 36. exd4
cxd4+ 37. Kxd4 {with very good drawing chances.}) 34... b4+ 35. Kd2 Bf1 (35...
Bb5 36. Rc8 c4 {looks like everything is covered, except} 37. Rb8 {threatens
to play Rxb5. This means the bishop must move, which results in the loss of
the b-pawn, and ultimately the game.}) 36. Rc8 c4 37. Rb8 b3 38. Kc3 {Nakamura
throws in the towel, understanding that his bishop can't fend off the a-pawn.}
1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2016.08.05"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2761"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "Hess, Robert"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r4k1/2p3p1/p1n1p2p/P2q4/3P4/4QN2/5PPP/2R3K1 w - - 0 25"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[EventDate "2016.08.05"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[Source "Chessbase"]
[SourceDate "2016.08.18"]

25. h3 {Diagram [#]} Rb4 $4 {This move hangs a piece on the spot. Instead,
Svidler could have fought on with} (25... Rb3 26. Qf4 (26. Qe2 Rb5) 26... Rb4
27. Qxc7 Nxd4 28. Nxd4 Rxd4 29. Qc8+ Kh7 30. Qxa6 Ra4 {with very good chances
to hold, as rook endings with three on two on the kingside are theoretically
drawn.}) 26. Qc3 Nxd4 27. Qxb4 Ne2+ 28. Kh1 {Svidler had to tip his king, for
after 28... Nxc1 the simple 29. Qb8+ wins the knight. If Kh7 30. Qb1+ Nd3 31.
Ne1. If Kf7 31. Qxc7+} Nxc1 29. Qb8+ Kh7 (29... Kf7 30. Qxc7+) 30. Qb1+ Nd3 31.
Ne1 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2016.08.06"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B11"]
[WhiteElo "2819"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "Hess, Robert"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2016.08.05"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[Source "Chessbase"]
[SourceDate "2016.08.18"]

1. e4 c6 {Surprise! Anand was caught off by Caruana's French, so he returns
the favor and shocks an unsuspecting Frenchman. The Caro-Kann is not often
seen at the highest level, but Anand perhaps was using throw-away preparation.}
2. Nf3 {MVL looked to avoid whatever Vishy had up his sleeve. Thus, an offbeat
variation.} d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Ne4 5. Ne2 Qb6 6. d4 e6 7. Nfg1 f6 (7... h6 {
is the same idea, but it fails. The point is that f6 is a multi-purpose move,
providing the knight a path to safety while simultaneously trying to chisel
away at the white center.} 8. h4 $1 {keeps the knight boxed in.}) 8. f3 Ng5 9.
exf6 gxf6 10. f4 {An obvious concession is the e4 square, but White opens the
diagonal for the queen.} Ne4 ({This line was recently played at the highest
level by Alexander Grischuk and Ding Liren. That game was a complicated draw
following Black retreating rather than infiltrating with} 10... Nf7) 11. Ng3
Bd7 12. Nxe4 $146 {A natural response by Maxime, yet a new move. Previously
played had been} (12. Qh5+ {was played in a correspondence game} Kd8 13. Nf3 c5
14. c3 Kc7 15. f5 Nxg3 16. hxg3 cxd4 17. fxe6 Qxe6+ 18. Kf2 dxc3 19. Nd4 Bc5
20. Bf4+ Kc8 21. bxc3 Nc6 22. Re1 Qg8 23. Be2 Nxd4 24. cxd4 Bxd4+ 25. Kf1 Qe6
26. Qf3 h6 27. Bd3 Be5 28. Rh5 Qg4 29. Bxe5 Qxf3+ 30. gxf3 fxe5 31. Rexe5 Bc6
32. Re7 Kd8 33. Rf7 Rc8 34. g4 d4 35. Kf2 Ke8 36. Bg6 Rg8 37. Re5+ Kd8 38. Re6
Rc7 39. Rd6+ Kc8 40. Bf5+ Kb8 41. Rff6 Re7 {Lukasova,A (2213)-Balta,M (2202)
ICCF email 2013 1-0 (63)}) 12... dxe4 13. c3 Na6 (13... c5 {seemed like a
better try to me. Black should aim to put pressure on the center, since White
is woefully underdeveloped.} 14. d5 (14. Qh5+ Kd8 15. Ne2 {is double-edged,
but Black might find his king to be safer than White's. It is certainly harder
for White to develop his pieces.}) 14... Na6 15. Qh5+ Kd8 16. dxe6 Qxe6 17. Ne2
Bd6 {and Black is unraveling.}) 14. Qh5+ Kd8 15. Bc4 Kc7 (15... f5 16. a4 $1 {
is trouble for Black, just like the game. The main issue is that Vishy would
be unable to continue with the natural} Nc7 {because} 17. a5 {traps the queen.}
) (15... Nb4 {was the move MVL discussed in the confessional. White gains a
pawn - but the position is not simple at all - after} 16. Qe2 Nd3+ 17. Bxd3
exd3 18. Qxd3 {The weak light squares and underdevelopment of the white pieces
give Black true compensation.}) 16. a4 $1 c5 17. Ne2 (17. f5 cxd4 (17... exf5
$2 18. a5 Qd6 19. Ne2 Kc8 20. Bf4 Qe7 21. O-O {leaves the black position in
shambles.}) 18. fxe6 Bxe6 19. Bxe6 Qxe6 20. Ne2 {is a great pawn sacrifice for
White. Note that Black's king will never find safety. For example, the attack
rages on after:} dxc3 21. Bf4+ Kc8 (21... Bd6 22. Nd4 {wins material with Nb5+
coming.}) 22. Nxc3) 17... Rd8 18. Be3 (18. f5 {is again strong. Black's king
is quite vulnerable, so White should push forward.} cxd4 19. fxe6 dxc3 20. Nxc3
Bxe6 21. Bf4+ Kc8 22. Bxe6+ Qxe6 23. O-O {might be acceptable to an
emotionless silicon machine, but practically speaking Black will be lucky to
survive.}) 18... f5 19. O-O Kb8 20. Qf7 Nc7 (20... Bd6 21. a5 (21. Bxe6 $2 Rhf8
{picks up the bishop on e6.}) 21... Qc7 22. Bxa6 bxa6 23. dxc5 Bxc5 24. Bxc5
Qxc5+ 25. Nd4 {is gorgeous for White. I don't care what your engine might tell
you, Black loses this the majority of the time. White has control of most of
the board.}) 21. a5 Qc6 22. Qf6 Bd6 23. dxc5 Bxc5 24. Nd4 Qd6 25. b4 Qe7 26.
Qh6 (26. Qe5 Bd6 27. Nxf5 {was mentioned as a thought by Anand, but it fails
badly to} exf5 (27... Bxe5 28. Nxe7 Bf6 {also picks up material for Black.})
28. Qd4 a6 {and White does not have a real attack.}) 26... Bd6 (26... Bb5 27.
Bxb5 Bxd4 28. Bxd4 Rxd4 29. cxd4 Nxb5 {was mentioned by Anand in the post
mortem. A fine exchange sacrifice, though White should still be doing great
after} 30. a6 {The black king is in real danger, and the extra exchange will
give him fits.}) 27. Rad1 (27. a6 {always has to be considered, loosening the
squares around the black king.} b6 28. Rad1 Rdf8 29. Qh5 {gives White all the
chances.}) 27... Rhf8 28. Bf2 Rf6 {The tide is turning. Anand has pushed MVL's
forces backward, and now MVL's position is on the verge of completely falling
apart.} 29. Qh4 Nd5 {Diagram [#]} 30. Nxe6 $4 {losing on the spot.} (30. Bxd5
exd5 31. Qh3 {heading to e3 looks very dangerous for Black. For example} Qg7
32. Qe3 Rg6 33. g3 {keeps the game tense, but I much prefer White's chances.
The battery is hard to deal with.} a6) 30... Bxe6 31. Bxd5 e3 {of course! MVL
must have confused the move order, which leads him to a swift defeat.} (31...
Bxd5 32. Rxd5 e3 33. Bg3 {leads to a true dogfight. White is up a pawn, but
his pieces are discombobulated. Black has the iniative and a passed e-pawn,
giving him no less than dynamic equality.}) 32. Bxe3 (32. Bg3 {now runs right
into} e2 {and Black picks up a full rook.}) 32... Bxd5 33. Bxa7+ Kxa7 {Diagram
[#]} 34. Qf2+ (34. Rxd5 Bxf4 $1 {is an important inclusion. Black picks up an
important pawn, leaving White with no chances.} 35. Rxd8 (35. Rxf5 Be3+ 36. Kh1
Rxf5 {also is won, since the back rank mate is in play.}) 35... Be3+ 36. Kh1
Qxd8 {and the pawn on f5 is immune, because of back rank checkmate ideas.})
34... Bc5 $1 35. Qxc5+ (35. bxc5 Bc6 {is easily winning. White has three pawns
for the piece, but they are weak pawns and Black begins a quick assault on the
white king.}) 35... Qxc5+ 36. bxc5 Rd7 37. Rfe1 h6 38. Kf2 Kb8 39. c4 Bc6 40.
Rxd7 Bxd7 41. Rb1 Ra6 42. Rb6 {Diagram [#]} Rxa5 (42... Bc6 43. Rxa6 bxa6 {
provides White unnecessary drawing chances. Note that the a-pawn's queening
square is a dark square, meaning White merely needs to trade off the kingside
pawns to draw. Not an easy feat, but why allow such chances?} 44. g3 Kc7 45.
Ke3 Bg2 {preventing h3 makes the win trivial.}) 43. Rxh6 Rxc5 44. h4 Rxc4 45.
g3 Kc7 46. h5 b5 0-1

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2016.08.06"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ding, Liren"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2771"]
[Annotator "Hess, Robert"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r2q1rk1/1p1b1pp1/pn1Npb1p/8/8/1B2P1B1/PP2QPPP/2R2RK1 b - - 0 18"]
[PlyCount "35"]
[EventDate "2016.08.05"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[Source "Chessbase"]
[SourceDate "2016.08.18"]

18... Bc6 {Diagram [#]} 19. Nxb7 $2 {White has done amazingly well to achieve
a substantial positional advantage. His move looks like it picks up a clean
pawn, but in attempt to secure a material advantage, clearly Ding missed the
equalizing tactic. Instead,} (19. Rfd1 Qe7 20. e4 {would have allowed White to
strengthen his grip of board's important squares. Black will have no
counterplay on the c-file thanks to the knight posted on d6. If Black plays} e5
(20... Bh4 21. e5 {is suffocating, but perhaps survivable yet.}) 21. Nf5 Qb4
22. Rd6 Qxe4 23. Nxh6+ gxh6 24. Qxe4 Bxe4 25. Rxf6 {White will start gobbling
up Black's pawns.}) 19... Bxb7 20. Bc7 Qe7 21. Bxb6 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Qb7+ 23. Qf3
Qxb6 {Black is probably slightly better here, but with precise play the game
should peter out to a draw.} 24. Rc6 Qb7 25. Rc2 Qxf3+ 26. Kxf3 Rfc8 27. Rfc1
Rxc2 28. Rxc2 Rb8 29. Rc6 a5 30. Rc5 Ra8 31. Rb5 Ra7 32. Bc2 Kf8 33. a4 Ke7 34.
b4 Bc3 35. bxa5 Rxa5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2016.08.09"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C93"]
[WhiteElo "2761"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "Hess, Robert"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2016.08.05"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[Source "Chessbase"]
[SourceDate "2016.08.18"]

{Veselin Topalov entered round 5 sitting atop the standings with 2.5/4. Ding
Liren had been the most solid player of the event, making four draws but
failing to convert two extremely promising positions. The following game
includes his first bad position of the tournament.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Re8 {Ding goes
for the Zaitsev, generally considered a solid response to the Spanish.} 10. d4
Bb7 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a3 h6 13. Bc2 Nb8 14. b3 Nbd7 15. Bb2 Rc8 (15... c6 {is a
more common move here, is a principled move. The idea is to keep all points
protected before pushing forward.} 16. Bd3 g6 17. Rb1 Rc8 18. a4 Bg7 19. Bf1
Qc7 20. axb5 axb5 21. b4 d5 22. exd5 Nxd5 23. c4 bxc4 24. Bxc4 exd4 25. Bxd5
cxd5 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Bxd4 Bxd4 28. Nxd4 Qb6 29. N2f3 Nf6 30. Qc1 Kg7 31. Qb2
Kg8 32. Rc1 Ne4 33. b5 Ng5 34. Nxg5 hxg5 35. Nf3 g4 36. hxg4 Re4 37. Rd1 Rxg4
38. Nd4 Rh4 39. Nf3 Rg4 40. Nd4 Rh4 41. Qc3 Qf6 42. Qe3 Re4 43. Qd2 Rh4 44. f3
Qe5 45. Kf2 {Sasikiran,K (2637)-Inarkiev,E (2677) Moscow 2016 1/2-1/2 (71)})
16. a4 b4 $2 $146 {This may be novel, but it is not good. Black sacrifices a
pawn and does not get nearly enough activity for it. A poor decision by Ding,
who must have underestimated Topalov's resources following this move.} (16...
c6 {is clearly a better move. But it calls into question why Black transferred
the rook to c8 a move ago.} 17. Bd3 Nh5 18. g3 g6 19. Bf1 Qc7 20. Qc2 Bg7 21.
Rad1 d5 22. Nxe5 c5 23. axb5 axb5 24. Nxd7 cxd4 25. e5 Qxd7 26. Qd3 Rxe5 27.
Rxe5 Bxe5 28. cxd4 Bd6 {1/2-1/2 (28) Balabanov,V (2436)-Novak, J (2525) ICCF
email 2014}) 17. cxb4 exd4 18. Bxd4 (18. Nxd4 c5 19. bxc5 Nxc5 {is an
improvement over the game for Black. Topalov was wise to avoid this, because
it seems to give Ding more counterplay than the game continuation did.}) 18...
c5 19. bxc5 Nxc5 20. Qb1 (20. e5 dxe5 21. Bxe5 {keeps White a pawn ahead, but
the activity of the black pieces gives him a better much version of the game.})
20... a5 21. b4 {Preventing Black from rerouting the knight to this very
square. It's hard to come up with another move for White.} axb4 22. Qxb4 Ba8 (
22... Nfxe4 {wins back the pawn, but quality of pawns is far more important
than quantity of pawns here.} 23. Nxe4 Bxe4 24. Bxe4 Nxe4 25. a5 {and the
little one runs free.}) 23. a5 d5 (23... Nfxe4 24. Nxe4 Nxe4 25. Bb6 Qf6 26.
Ba4 Ng5 27. Nxg5 Qxg5 28. Qg4 {is even only by material. It is quite clear
which side has the superior passed pawn.}) 24. Bxf6 Qxf6 25. e5 Qa6 26. Qg4 Ne6
27. Bf5 Rc5 28. Bxe6 $1 {A great decision by Topalov, who understood the the
needs of the position. It is not often that two knights outclass two bishops
like they do here. The bishops here are merely defensive pieces, while the
knights are active and keep the black forces subdued.} Rxe6 29. Nb3 (29. Nd4 {
looks so natural, though White has to be comfortable losing the a-pawn.} Rg6 (
29... Re7 30. e6 Rxa5 31. N2b3 {spells trouble for Black. His pieces are
totally discombobulated.} Rxa1 32. Rxa1 Qb7 33. Nf5 Rxe6 34. Nc5 $1 {wins
material.}) 30. Qd7 Rxa5 31. Rab1 Rb6 32. e6 {crashes through for White.})
29... Rc4 30. Nfd4 Bb7 31. Qf5 Re7 32. e6 Bc8 (32... fxe6 33. Rxe6 Rxe6 34.
Nxe6 Rc8 35. Nbd4 {is not recommended. Black's kingside is torn open and he
has no defensive resources. Don't forget about the passed a-pawn as well!}) 33.
exf7+ Rxf7 34. Qxd5 Bb7 35. Qe6 Rb4 36. Re3 Qa8 37. Rc1 Bd5 38. Rc8 Bxe6 39.
Rxa8 {Topalov is two pawns to the good, but the worst is over for Black.
Ding's two bishops give him ample counterplay in the ending, as it is hard for
White to stabilize his forces long enough to push his passed pawn. If the
a-pawn goes, Black's chances of drawing greatly increase.} Bc4 40. Rc8 Kh7 41.
Rc3 Ba6 42. Rd8 Ra4 43. Ne6 (43. Rc1 {can be considered, the idea being to
trade the annoying a4 rook. White is far from winning, but removing that
defender could help in the short term. In the long term, though, a rook trade
could benefit Black if he is able to take the a-pawn, for his king becomes
much safer.} Bc4 44. Rc8 (44. Ra1 Rxa1+ 45. Nxa1 Bc5 46. Nab3 Bxb3 47. Nxb3
Bxf2+ 48. Kh2 {is not a great winning attempt for White, since the bishop
outclasses the knight in this ending.}) 44... Bxb3 45. Nxb3 Ra3 46. Rb8 Bd6 47.
Rb5 Ra2 48. Rf1 Bc7 {and White has no obvious means of making progress. If a5
is captured, the resulting position should be drawn.}) 43... Bb4 44. Rc6 Bb5
45. Rc1 Ra2 46. f3 Ba4 47. Nbd4 Bxa5 48. Ra8 Bb6 (48... Bb4 49. Rcc8 {is
already very dangerous. The bishop on a4 is pinned, and the black king could
find itself in a mating net in the near future.}) 49. Kh1 Bb3 {Tactically
unpinning the bishop, but now Topalov has his choice of bishop to trade off.}
50. Rb8 Bxe6 51. Rxb6 Bf5 {Diagram [#] Objectively, Black should have very
good drawing chances. Practically speaking, though, this is a tough position
to defend. The light-squared bishop is blunted on all diagonals and there are
many checkmate ideas involving h4-h5 for White. With every move Black has to
be on the lookout for his king's safety, whereas White's moves are made by
hand not by brain.} 52. Rd6 Bg6 53. Rd8 Bf5 54. Rd6 Bg6 55. Rc8 Rb7 56. Rdd8
Bd3 57. Ne6 Bf1 (57... Bf5 58. Rh8+ (58. Nf8+ {is scary, but there is no good
discovery after} Kg8) 58... Kg6 59. Nf4+ Kg5 60. Rc4 Rc2 61. Ra4 Bd7 62. Rd4
Rc8 {and exchanging a pair of rooks drastically increases the drawing chances.}
) 58. Nf8+ Kg8 59. Ng6+ {Diagram [#]} Kh7 (59... Kf7 {is a draw on the spot.}
60. Nh8+ (60. Nf4 Bxg2+ $1 61. Nxg2 Rb1+ 62. Kh2 Rbb2 63. Rf8+ Kg6 64. Kg3
Rxg2+ {is actually quite scary for White. The tables turn if Topalov kept
gunning to win.}) 60... Ke6 61. Re8+ Kd6 62. Rcd8+ Kc6 63. Rc8+ {if the king
runs to b6, white can protect g2 via Re6+ and Rg6. Otherwise the checks
continue in perpetuity.}) 60. Nf8+ Kg8 61. Ne6+ Kh7 {Missing his chance to
draw again. Now Ding is in huge trouble.} 62. Rh8+ {Topalov finds the right
plan.} Kg6 63. Nf4+ Kg5 (63... Kf7 {Was indeed safer, yet still tough for
Black.} 64. Rhf8+ Ke7 65. Rce8+ Kd7 66. Re1 {Pushing Black's king away from
the kingside, White has better chances to attack the pawns there. Not yet
clearly won, but certainly the advantage grows.}) 64. Rhf8 {Diagram [#]} Rbb2 (
64... Kh4 {does not allow checkmate, but it lets White win a second pawn.} 65.
Rc1 g5 (65... Bb5 66. Kh2 g5 67. Rf6 gxf4 68. Rc5 {and the only way to stop
checkmate is by sacrificing} Rxg2+ 69. Kxg2 Bf1+ 70. Kxf1 {but White is up a
full rook.}) 66. Rxf1 gxf4 67. Rxf4+ {is two pawns to the good, with an easy
win.}) 65. Rc7 g6 (65... Bxg2+ {is impossible due to} 66. Nxg2 Rxg2 67. Rxg7+
Kh4 68. Rxg2) 66. g3 $1 {Diagram [#] This extremely calm moves ends the game
on the spot. Black would love to remove the bishop from the board, as
checkmate would ensue. Here there's no way to stop checkmate without
sacrificing all your pieces, so Ding put up the white flag.} 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2016.08.11"]
[Round "6"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2761"]
[Annotator "Hess, Robert"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2016.08.05"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[Source "Chessbase"]
[SourceDate "2016.08.18"]

{After five rounds, Veselin Topalov was the surprising leader with 3.5/5.
Wesley So had four peaceful results after a smooth win over Nakamura in the
first round. Despite blitzing out an opening that did not get him any real
advantage, a well-rested So struck gold when Topalov fed him a passed pawn.} 1.
c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nc3 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. d3
O-O 9. a3 Be6 10. Be3 {Diagram [#]} Nd5 (10... Qd7 {was Karjakin's choice in
the Candidates' Tournament. In his game with Aronian, he found himself with a
decent position out of the opening, but lacked space.} 11. b4 f6 12. Ne4 Nd5
13. Bd2 a5 14. Nc5 Bxc5 15. bxc5 a4 16. Rb1 Rfb8 17. Qc2 Nde7 18. Rb2 Bb3 19.
Qb1 Kh8 20. Rc1 Na7 21. Bb4 Nb5 22. Nd2 Bf7 23. e3 Bg6 24. Ne4 Nd5 25. Be1 Nxa3
26. c6 Qe7 27. Qa2 bxc6 28. Rxc6 Bf7 29. Rc5 Nxe3 30. Qxa3 Rxb2 31. Qxb2 Nxg2
32. Kxg2 a3 33. Qb7 Qd8 34. Qxc7 Qxc7 35. Rxc7 Bd5 36. Rc5 a2 37. Bc3 Bg8 38.
Ba1 Rb8 39. Ra5 Rb1 40. Bc3 {Aronian,L (2786)-Karjakin,S (2760) Moscow 2016 1/
2-1/2 (101)}) 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Qa4 Re8 13. Rac1 a6 14. Nd2 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nd4
16. Bxd4 exd4 {Note the structural change here. White's knight certainly is
superior to the dark-squared bishop, which is a passive piece in the position.
It can be quite frustrating to play with Black, but objectively there is only
a slight pull for White. Wesley must have felt comfortable here, since he
blitzed out the opening.} 17. Qb3 Rb8 (17... Bg5 {might have allowed Topalov
to liquidate into an easily drawn endgame:} 18. f4 Rxe2+ 19. Rf2 Rxf2+ 20. Kxf2
Be7 21. Qxb7 Rb8 22. Qxc7 Rxb2 23. Qxd8+ Bxd8 24. Rc8 Kf8 ({Not} 24... Rxd2+ $4
25. Ke1 {and White easily wins.}) 25. Rxd8+ Ke7 26. Rxd4 Rxd2+ {with a
relatively simple draw. The issue for White is that in order to remain up a
pawn, his king must sit on g1, where it is cut off from the action.} 27. Kg1 (
27. Ke3 Rxh2 28. Ra4 Rg2 29. Kf3 Rd2 30. Ke3 Rg2 {with a draw by repetition.})
27... Ke6 28. Ra4 h5 29. Rxa6+ Kf5 {and despite the two pawn advantage,
Black's king activity secures a half point. And in some lines, it is even
White who must be careful not to lose!}) 18. e4 dxe3 $146 (18... c5 {had
previously been played, but understandably Topalov did not want to allow So to
maintain such a promising pawn structure after} 19. Nc4 Bf8 20. Nb6 Re6 21. Nd5
b5 22. Qa2 c4 23. Rfe1 Rh6 24. dxc4 Qd7 25. h4 Rxh4 {1/2-1/2 (25) Hinz,
J-Betker,J GER email 2010}) 19. fxe3 Rf8 {Diagram [#] So has obtained a slight
edge, but nothing concrete. Topalov does not have exploitable weaknesses,
merely some temporarily passive pieces.} 20. Ne4 Qd7 21. Rf3 Rbd8 22. d4 (22.
Qxb7 Rb8 23. Qxc7 (23. Qxa6 Rxb2+ 24. Rf2 Rb6 25. Qc4 Bxa3 26. Rc3 Bd6 {
equalizes.}) 23... Rxb2+ 24. Rf2 Rxf2+ 25. Nxf2 Qxc7 26. Rxc7 Bxa3 27. Kf3 Ra8
{should not be an exceptionally challenging draw for Black. White's pawns
might be more convenient to protect, but the a-pawn can also be quite
annnoying to deal with. And who doesn't love a good old rook behind a passed
pawn?}) 22... c6 23. Rcf1 Qd5 24. Qc2 (24. Qxd5 Rxd5 {and the scoresheets
would be signed in a few moves, since White has nothing.}) 24... g6 25. g4 {
preventing f5, but making the kingside feel a little airy. Perhaps Wesley felt
that he was still better, but this is a bit much. In fact, Black is starting
to look like the better side.} Rde8 26. h3 Bd8 {Topalov has defended perfectly,
and he is no longer worse.} (26... Bh4 27. Nc3 Qc4 {is more active than the
game continuation.}) 27. Nc3 Qe6 ({It's unclear to me why Topalov did not move
forward here. The position is equal, but perhaps he still believed he was
worse.} 27... Qc4) 28. Na4 b6 29. Rc1 {Diagram [#]} c5 $5 (29... Qe7 $1 {was
possible here.} 30. Qxc6 Qg5 31. Re1 Re6 32. Qc2 f5 33. Qc4 Rfe8 {is
double-edged, but White must be careful. Neither king feels particularly at
home, though White is a pawn to the good. All to say that the position is
dynamically equal.}) 30. dxc5 b5 31. Nc3 Qc6 32. Qd2 ({Protecting the pawn with
} 32. b4 $2 {fails to} Rxe3) 32... Re5 $4 (32... Qxc5 33. Nd5 Qa7 34. Rc6 Qb7
35. Qc3 Bh4 {must have looked scary to Topalov, but the dark-squared bishop
always covers the vital squares. In fact, Black is not worse here. In the game
he had to deal with the impossible task of stopping a passed c-pawn on the
loose.}) 33. b4 Bg5 34. Rd1 $1 {The pin on the rook would be scary to many,
but Wesley calmly takes control of the open d-file.} Bxe3 (34... Rxe3 35. Qd5
Qe8 36. Rxe3 (36. Qxg5 Rxc3 37. Rxc3 Qe2+ 38. Kg3 Qxd1 39. Qe3 {is still good
for White, but the king does feel a little unsafe on g3.}) 36... Qxe3 37. Qf3 {
is problematic for Black, since he can't afford to trade queens lest he end up
in a lost ending. The c5 pawn is simply too strong. The game continuation
looked far worse than this, though.}) 35. Qd7 Qa8 36. Nd5 {Diagram [#] Now
it's all over. Queens are the worst blockaders, and the queen on a8 is running
out of moves.} Bg5 37. c6 Bh4 38. Rd2 {Protecting his king from any potential
trouble, Wesley understands he is completely won and he need not rush.} Re1 39.
Rc2 (39. c7 Rc1 {gives Black some hope.}) (39. Nb6 $2 {is not prepared yet,
since} Qb8 40. c7 Qxb6 {actually loses for White, since mate on g1 is hanging.}
) 39... Kg7 40. Nb6 Qb8 41. Qd4+ {Veselin resigned, acknowledging that he
can't stop the pawn from queening. This game was decided by Topalov's strange
decision to allow Wesley to keep the c-pawn. If he had taken back on c5, it is
hard to imagine him losing the game.} 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2016.08.14"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2761"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Hess, Robert"]
[PlyCount "162"]
[EventDate "2016.08.05"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[Source "Chessbase"]
[SourceDate "2016.08.18"]

{Entering the final round of the 2016 Sinquefield Cup, Veselin Topalov and
Levon Aronian - along with Viswanathan Anand - trailed Wesley So by half a
point. Topalov, who left several points on the table throughout the tournament,
played another good game. Unfortunately, his strong play did not net him the
full point.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Avoiding the Berlin,
Topalov clearly wants to steer clear of intensive preparation.} Bc5 5. c3 d5 6.
exd5 (6. Nxe5 $6 O-O 7. Nxc6 (7. Bxc6 bxc6 {is not so intimidating.}) 7... bxc6
8. Bxc6 Bxf2+ 9. Kxf2 Ng4+ 10. Kg1 Qf6 11. Qd2 Qxc6 {leaves Black with an edge,
thanks to White's lack of development and permanently exposed king. The extra
pawn will only matter if the initiative is fought off.}) 6... Qxd5 7. Bc4 Qd6
8. Qe2 $146 {According to my database this is a novelty, but this is such a
normal move that I can't place too much importance on it. White simply looks
to complete development and keep the central squares well defended.} O-O 9.
Nbd2 a5 10. Ng5 Bf5 (10... Bg4 11. f3 (11. Nde4 $2 Bxe2 12. Nxd6 Bxd3 13. Bxd3
cxd6 {is a pawn up for Black, with not enough compensation for White.}) 11...
Bf5 12. g4 $1 Bg6 13. h4 {and I prefer White, since it feels easier to attack
here.}) 11. Nde4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. dxe4 (13. Qxe4 {looks good, but might
be met by} Kh8 {with the idea of playing f5.}) 13... Nd8 14. Bd2 c6 15. a4 Ne6
(15... Qg6 {perhaps was a superior location for the queen. This prevents the
queen from coming to g4, but it also entices a pawn storm on the kingside.
White can really start considering playing g3, h4, and castling queenside.})
16. Rd1 Qe7 17. g3 {It's hard not to love White in positions like this.
Topalov has gotten everything he could ask for: two bishops, no weaknesses,
and a slight advantage with zero risk. Aronian does not have a real plan, and
he admitted after the game that he didn't realize how difficult his position
could become.} Rad8 18. O-O Rd7 (18... Rd6 {Considering what happened in the
game, I'm curious if placing the rook on d6 is a better square. This way the
knight is well defended.}) 19. Bc1 Rfd8 20. Rxd7 Rxd7 21. Kg2 g6 22. Bh6 {
Quite a nice move, preventing Black from playing h5. Black could use the space
for his king while simultaneously preventing Qg4 ideas.} Qf6 23. Qg4 Rd8 24.
Bxe6 ({As Aronian pointed out} 24. f4 {would win if not for} Rd2+ 25. Kh1 exf4
26. gxf4 (26. Bxf4 Rxb2 27. Be3 Qxf1+ 28. Bxf1 Bxe3 {and only Black can
realistically play for a win in such a position.}) 26... Rxb2 27. f5 Qe5 {
saving the day, and in fact winning for Black.}) 24... Qxe6 25. Qxe6 fxe6 {We
enter an endgame with considerable winning chances for White. The issue for
Black is that there is no active plan - everything involves concessions. White,
on the other hand, will bring his king to e2, play h4, and take his time
before finding his target.} 26. Kf3 Kf7 (26... b5 27. Ra1 Rb8 28. axb5 Rxb5 29.
Ra2 {Black's pawns are really hard to keep protected, though at least there's
a potential target on b2.}) 27. Ke2 Rd7 28. h4 Bf8 (28... b6 {how exactly will
White improve?} 29. Bd2 Rb7 30. f3 Rd7 (30... b5 31. b4 $1 Bb6 32. Ra1 bxa4 (
32... axb4 $2 33. a5 bxc3 34. axb6 cxd2 35. Ra7 {wins on the spot.}) 33. Rxa4
axb4 34. Rxb4 {at the very least wins the c-pawn.} Rb8 35. Be3 Bc7 36. Rc4) 31.
Rh1 Bf2 $6 32. Rh3 b5 33. h5 {is nice for White, but Black is still kicking.})
29. Be3 {Now the black bishop has nowhere to go.} Be7 30. Rb1 c5 {An ugly move
to make, since the king can run through the light squares to b5.} 31. g4 h5 (
31... c4 32. b3 cxb3 33. Rxb3 Ke8 (33... Bxh4 34. g5 {locks in the bishop. If
Black must play h6, of course he's toast.}) 34. Rb5 {scoops up at least one
pawn.}) 32. gxh5 gxh5 33. Rh1 {Diagram [#]} Rd8 (33... c4 {looks to have been
a necessary move. It's now hard to make a rook left, lest the b-pawn come
under fire.} 34. Rh3 (34. Bb6 {does not legitimately attack a5 because} Rd6 35.
Bxa5 Ra6 36. Bc7 Rxa4 37. Bxe5 Ra2) 34... Bf6 35. Rg3 Rd6 {The issue here is
that White can't possibly infiltrate without exchanging the bishops, which is
not really possible due to Rb6 ideas.} 36. Bg5 Bg7 {and this should hold.
There are no entry squares for White, and the black rook can always swing
between b6 and d6, preventing the superior side from making any real progress.}
) 34. Rh3 Rg8 35. Rf3+ Ke8 36. Rg3 {Black can hardly afford to trade rooks on
g3, since Topalov will create a passed h-pawn and then move his king back to
the queenside.} Kf7 37. Kd3 b6 (37... Bxh4 38. Rh3 {helps White, because the
h4 pawn is his only weakness. Exchanging these rook pawns means that that
Topalov can freely move on to the queenside.}) 38. Kc4 Bxh4 {A necessity,
otherwise Black gets rolled over.} 39. Rh3 Bg5 40. Bxg5 Rxg5 41. Kb5 Rg2 42.
Rf3+ Ke7 43. Kxb6 Rg8 44. Rh3 c4 45. Rxh5 Rb8+ 46. Kc6 Rxb2 47. Rxe5 Rc2 {
Diagram [#]} 48. Rxa5 (48. f4 $1 {was the move GM Alejandro Ramirez and I were
clamoring for during our live commentary.} Rxc3 (48... Kf6 49. Kd6 {is an
important inclusion, for} Rd2+ 50. Kc5 Ra2 51. Kb5 {results in Black losing a
pawn.} Ra3 52. Rc5 Rxc3 53. Rxc4 Rf3 54. e5+ Ke7 55. Kxa5 {with an easily won
game.}) 49. f5 Rd3 50. Rxe6+ Kf7 51. Kb5 c3 52. Rc6 Rd4 53. Rxc3 Rxe4 54. Kxa5
(54. Rc5 {snagging a second pawn for free might be the preferred method for
most readers.})) 48... Rxc3 49. Rc5 (49. Kc5 Rc2 50. e5 c3 51. Kc4 Rxf2 52.
Kxc3 {Black's king is cut off, meaning the ending should be a simple win.
White merely needs to put the rook on c5 and push the a-pawn with the support
of his king.}) 49... Rc2 {Returning the favor. White's task was much more
difficult after} (49... Rc1 50. Kb5 c3 51. Kb4 c2 52. Kb3 Rb1+ 53. Kxc2 Rb4 54.
a5 Kd6 {Black's king is no longer cut off, meaning the drawing chances are
very high.} 55. Rc8 Ra4 {is an important inclusion, forcing the white rook to
a8 and freeing up the c-file for the black king.} 56. Ra8 Rxe4 {is holding.})
50. Kb5 c3 51. Kb4 Rxf2 {Black trades in the c-pawn for the f-pawn. But this
is an unimportant pawn, indicating Aronian has made a vital mistake.} 52. Rxc3
Kd6 53. Rc4 (53. a5 {There was nothing but upside regarding this pawn push.})
53... Rf8 54. a5 Rb8+ {Diagram [#]} 55. Ka3 {The wrong plan.} (55. Kc3 Ra8 56.
Ra4 Kc5 57. a6 {is easily winning thanks to the rook being behind the passed
pawn. The a-pawn serves as a decoy, while the king scoops up the e-pawn. The
resulting king and pawn ending is straightforward.} Kb5 58. Ra1 Rxa6 (58... Ra7
59. Kd4) 59. Rxa6 Kxa6 60. Kd4 Kb6 61. Ke5 Kc7 62. Kxe6 Kd8 63. Kf7 {allows
the pawn to promote.}) 55... Ra8 56. Ka4 Ra7 {Diagram [#]} 57. Rd4+ $4 {
Throwing away the win for good. Aronian does not falter the rest of the way.} (
57. Kb4 Rb7+ 58. Kc3 {Reverts back to the line on move 55. The difference is a
bit annoying for White to deal with, but it is still winning:} Ra7 59. Ra4 Kc5
60. a6 Kb5 61. Ra1 e5 {The king's entrance is blocked (thanks to the rook
being on a7, Black can afford this move without allowing White to push further
up the board) , but White wins with a different plan.} 62. Kd3 Kc5 63. Ke3 Kb6
64. Kf3 Rf7+ (64... Rxa6 65. Rxa6+ Kxa6 66. Kg4 {is an elementary king and
pawn ending win.}) 65. Kg4 Rf4+ 66. Kg5 Ka7 67. Ra4 Kb8 68. a7+ Ka8 69. Kg6 Rf8
70. Ra5 {White will capture the e-pawn and cut off the black king, which is
too far away to aid in the defense. White wins.}) 57... Kc5 58. Rd8 Rb7 59.
Rc8+ Kd4 60. a6 Re7 61. Kb5 Kxe4 62. Rc4+ Kd3 63. Ra4 e5 64. Ra3+ Kd4 65. a7 {
Diagram [#]} Rb7+ (65... Rxa7 $4 {would have been lost, as the white king is
too close.} 66. Rxa7 e4 67. Kb4 Kd3 68. Kb3 e3 69. Rd7+ Ke2 70. Kc2 Kf2 71. Kd3
e2 72. Rf7+ Ke1 73. Re7 {scoops up the pawn.}) 66. Kc6 Rxa7 67. Rxa7 e4 68.
Ra4+ Kd3 69. Kd5 e3 70. Ra3+ Kd2 71. Kd4 e2 72. Ra2+ Kd1 73. Kd3 e1=N+ {This
is the best Topalov was able to achieve after his blunder, but rook versus
knight is a simple draw.} 74. Kc3 Nf3 75. Rf2 Ne1 76. Rd2+ Kc1 77. Rh2 Kd1 78.
Rf2 Kc1 79. Rd2 Nf3 80. Rd5 Ne1 81. Rd8 Nf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "2016 US OPEN, DENKER, BARBER, NGTOC"]
[Site "Indianapolis, Indian"]
[Date "2016.08.02"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Watson, John"]
[Black "Li, Ruifeng"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E46"]
[WhiteElo "2279"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[Annotator "Karagianis,Pete"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[Source "MonRoi"]

{If chess is a fight, perhaps the best description of the sort of fight it
becomes is one of attrition, as this Tuesday night encounter between IM John
Watson and IM Ruifeng Li demonstrates. Watson holds on as best he can, but Li
applies relentless positional pressure until he is able to bring home the full
point.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nge2 Re8 6. a3 Bf8 7. Ng3 d5
8. Bd3 b6 9. O-O Bb7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. b4 Nbd7 12. Qb3 g6 (12... a6 {was
Schukin - Popov, 1997 (0-1), but Li's move looks better to me, immediately
improving the f8 bishop.}) 13. a4 (13. b5 {is presumably the move Popov
intended to prevent, but it doesn't look too dangerous, e.g.:} Bd6 (13... Nb8 {
Would combat the b5 strategy directly.} 14. Bd2 c5 15. bxc6 Nxc6) 14. Bd2 Qe7 {
Black doesn't seem to have any real problems.}) 13... a5 14. bxa5 {A
questionable decision, as a4 now becomes a potential target for the black
forces.} (14. b5 {maintains a better structure and prevents direct pressure
from mounting on a4.}) 14... Rxa5 15. Bd2 {Perhaps white was relying on this
move to include the push a5 and have a pleasant game, but he is not quite in
time.} c5 16. Bb5 Ra7 17. Bxd7 c4 {Securing a passed pawn with this
zwischenzug.} 18. Qb5 Qxd7 {a serious inaccuracy which goes unpunished.} (18...
Nxd7 {was necessary.}) 19. Qxb6 {Perhaps Watson had already decided to grab
this pawn, but a look around would have perhaps allowed for the discovery of a
'petit combinacion.'} (19. Qxd7 {A clearance move for Nb5!} Nxd7 20. Nb5 {
Black cannot avoid the loss of an exchange.}) 19... Bc6 20. Rfb1 Rb7 21. Qa6
Ra7 22. Qb6 Rea8 {The danger passed, black now wisely decides to continue the
game. After netting the a4 pawn, he should have the better of things.} 23. Qb2
Bxa4 24. Nxa4 Rxa4 25. f3 Bd6 26. Ne2 Qf5 {Putting pieces on good squares.} 27.
Rxa4 Rxa4 28. Nc3 Rb4 29. Qc1 Qd3 {Using the pieces on good squares to mount
pressure.} 30. Rxb4 Bxb4 31. Kf2 h5 {Objectively, white can probably hold this.
But it is not academic - the pawn on c4 and the activity of the black pieces
create enough difficulty.} 32. Ke1 Qf5 33. h3 Bd6 34. Qb1 Qe6 35. Kf1 Qe7 36.
e4 dxe4 37. fxe4 Bb4 38. e5 Bxc3 39. Bxc3 Nd5 {The knight is superior to its
counterpart and the passed c-pawn remains. White is posed new problems. You
can sense the constant battle of attrition - black probes and repositions
until he achieves something concrete.} 40. Be1 Qd7 41. Bd2 c3 42. Bh6 Kh7 43.
Bg5 Qc8 44. Ke2 Qc6 45. Qb3 Kg7 46. Kd3 Qe6 47. g4 {The pawn cannot be taken
as the queen needs to keep an eye on d5.} Qd7 48. Qc4 {Finally, black's
persistence pays off. It was important not to abandon the b-file. But after a
rugged defense, white errs.} (48. Kc2) (48. Bc1 {Simply holding serve.}) 48...
Qb7 {The point, now Qb1/Qb2 are decisive invasions.} 49. Qc5 Qb1+ 50. Kc4 Nb6+
{Very accurate. White resigns, as the c-pawn cannot be captured due to Na4+.}
0-1

[Event "2016 US OPEN, DENKER, BARBER, NGTOC"]
[Site "Indianapolis, Indian"]
[Date "2016.08.04"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karagianis, Petros"]
[Black "Troff, Kayden"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A22"]
[WhiteElo "2281"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "Karagianis,Pete"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[Source "MonRoi"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. e3 {Specific preparation. In the database, I noticed
Troff was prone to playing ...e5 systems against 1. c4. I thought I would be
able to enter into a setup where I was more comfortable than he was if I
followed these paths.} Bb4 4. Nge2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Nxc3 {Grabbing the two
bishops, albeit at the expense of tempo.} d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qc2 Be6 {A sort
of Taimanov reversed has arisen, with a B-for-N trade included.} 9. Be2 Nd7 10.
O-O c6 11. b4 {My number one goal for the middle game was to try to make my
queen's bishop as influential as possible.} Rc8 (11... a5 12. Bb2 (12. bxa5
Rxa5 13. Bb2 Rc5 14. Qb1) 12... axb4 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. axb4 {seemed roughly
level to me.}) 12. Bb2 f5 13. Rac1 N5f6 14. Na4 {I took a long think before
this move. Ultimately, I played Na4 intending to follow the forcing sequence
which follows. I didn't see anything concrete after 14. ...b6 15. Ba6 Rc7 16.
Nc3 but I thought at the very least I will have jumbled up black's pieces and
c6 could become a potential target.} b6 15. Ba6 Rc7 16. Nc3 {In my
calculations before 14. Na4 I expected 16. ...Ne8 here.} Nb8 (16... Ne8 {here
I was debating between:} 17. Rfd1 (17. Be2) (17. a4)) 17. Be2 Re7 18. d3 g5 19.
Nb1 $1 {I really wanted to include all my pieces in the game. The knight
belongs on the d2/c4/f3 circuit where it will be much more effective.} (19.
Rfd1 Nbd7 20. d4 e4 21. b5 {!! was an idea I missed, with the plan of playing
d5! and opening the b2 bishop, gaining space, etc. Strong edge to white.})
19... Bd5 {Troff expressed dissatisfation with this move - which is likely a
mistake as it plays into my plan- after the game. I agree.} (19... Qd6 {It's
hard to suggest an improvement as white's pieces are reaching their optimal
squares, but maybe this would be a good place to start.}) 20. Nd2 f4 21. e4 Bf7
22. Nf3 {+-} Qd6 23. d4 {?!} (23. Nxg5 {!  Was my main alternative, which I
almost played, and the correct choice. But I couldn't resist the forcing
nature of d4- which also achieved my main goal of finally breaking the b2
bishop loose. Objectively, Nxg5 is best for white. But I wanted something more
concrete. Again, I spent a significant amount of time on this decision, trying
to evaluate the implications of the resulting two-pieces vs. rook position
that occurs after move 29. I thought my dark square bishop would be strong
enough to play for a win. But, retrospectively, I should have simply grabbed
the pawn and continued with a pleasant position.}) 23... exd4 24. e5 Rxe5 {A
forced exchange sacrifice, which I expected.} 25. Nxe5 Qxe5 26. Rfd1 {Throwing
away the advantage. I saw the correct move, but thought this forcing sequence,
again, favored me. I played too concretely twice, here and on move 23, and it
likely cost me a half point.} (26. Rfe1 Rd8 27. Bc4 Qd6 28. Bxf7+ Kxf7 29. Bxd4
{!} Qxd4 30. Rcd1 {What I missed. An odd theme, but one I should have seen.})
26... c5 27. bxc5 bxc5 28. Qxc5 Qxe2 {Here, I judged that the strong battery
on the long diagonal would be enough to win, especially if i could get one of
my rooks to the 7th.} 29. Qxd4 $2 {The worst of my three main alternatives.} (
29. Qxg5+ Bg6 30. Bxd4 {Sometimes, being materialistic is wise.}) (29. Bxd4 Nd5
(29... Nbd7 30. Qxg5+ Bg6) 30. Re1 Qg4 31. h3 Qd7 32. Bb2 {With pressure and
threats looming all across the position.}) 29... Bd5 $1 {A defensive move
which I simply overlooked.} 30. Rc5 {Actually, the only move to keep me in the
game.} (30. Rc7 $2 Nc6 $1) 30... Nc6 31. Qd2 Qxd2 32. Rxd2 Ne7 33. Bxf6 Rxf6
34. Rdxd5 Nxd5 35. Rxd5 {Draw offered, draw agreed. Dead level position.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "2016 US OPEN, DENKER, BARBER, NGTOC"]
[Site "Indianapolis, Indian"]
[Date "2016.07.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Williams, Justus"]
[Black "Fishbein, Matthew"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2408"]
[BlackElo "2207"]
[Annotator "Karagianis,Pete"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[Source "MonRoi"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Bg2 a6 6. O-O Rb8 7. e3 b5 8. d4 {
! A very nice move, white plays actively in the center before black is
developed adequately.} bxc4 9. d5 Na7 10. Nd2 Nb5 11. Qc2 Nxc3 12. bxc3 a5 13.
d6 {Another nice jab- white pokes holes in the black pawn structure and opens
the position while, again, beter developed.} Nf6 14. Ba3 exd6 15. Nxc4 Qc7 16.
Rfd1 O-O 17. Nxd6 Ba6 18. Rd2 {Preparing to maintain the grip on the d6 square.
} Rb6 19. Rad1 Rfb8 20. e4 Ng4 21. Nxf7 {! Live by the sword!} d5 (21... Kxf7
22. Rxd7+) 22. Ng5 Ne5 23. Rxd5 {Up two pawns and with better coordination,
white converts.} Nc4 24. Bc1 Rb1 25. Bf4 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Be5 27. Rxe5 Nxe5 28.
Qd5+ Kf8 29. Ne6+ Ke7 30. Bg5+ {Forcing the king to allow the black queen to
be captured with check.} 1-0

[Event "2016 US OPEN, DENKER, BARBER, NGTOC"]
[Site "Indianapolis, Indian"]
[Date "2016.08.01"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Liu, Bovey"]
[Black "Williams, Justus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B43"]
[WhiteElo "2245"]
[BlackElo "2408"]
[Annotator "Karagianis,Pete"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[Source "MonRoi"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. g3 b5 {Attemping to get
the bishop to b7 before white can control the long diagonal.} 7. Bf4 Qb6 {
Falling too far behind in the development spectrum. It's interesting that in
the previous game, black (with Williams as white) also lacked in development
and also fell victim to an f7-knight sac. Ah, the logical nature of chess!} (
7... d6 {Was fine.}) 8. Nb3 Bb7 9. Bg2 Nf6 10. Qd3 b4 11. Ne2 Nc6 {Black has
caught back up in development somewhat, but white still has slightly beter
deployment.} 12. O-O a5 {Angling for a potential ...Ba6.} 13. Rad1 Ba6 14. Qd2
Rd8 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Nc5 Bb5 17. Nd3 d5 {Opening the position while uncastled
is usually unwise, and this situation proves to be no exception.} (17... Be7)
18. exd5 Nxd5 19. Nd4 Nxd4 20. Bxd4 Nf6 {Trying to develop the f8 bishop, but
black is not in time thanks to white's excellent reply.} (20... h5 {!? was
interesting and sort of in the spirit of black's setup.} 21. Rfe1 (21. Qg5 Qxc2
(21... f6 22. Qg6+ Qf7)) 21... h4 22. Qg5 hxg3 23. hxg3 Qe7) 21. Qg5 Ba6 22.
Bxf6 gxf6 23. Qxf6 Rg8 24. Ne5 Bd6 25. Nxf7 {! Die by the sword. Black's
position collapses with the destruction of his remaining pawn shield.} Be7 26.
Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Qxe6 Rg6 28. Nxd8 1-0

[Event "2016 US OPEN, DENKER, BARBER, NGTOC"]
[Site "Indianapolis, Indian"]
[Date "2016.08.06"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shabalov, Alexander"]
[Black "Bryant, John"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C66"]
[WhiteElo "2634"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "Karagianis,Pete"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[Source "MonRoi"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O d6 5. Re1 Be7 6. c3 O-O 7. d4 exd4 8.
cxd4 d5 9. exd5 Nb4 10. Nc3 Nfxd5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nd5 13. Qc2 Bf6 14. Bd3
h6 15. c4 Ne7 16. Rb1 b6 17. Bf4 Bg4 18. Be4 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Rb8 20. Rbd1 Ng6 21.
Bg3 Re8 {Shabalov controls the board with his two bishops, and decided to
launch a pawn-grabbing mission.} 22. Qa4 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 a6 ({Actually, it was
better to try to save the material. Black may have "seen a ghost" and worried
he may lose the exchange after:} 23... a5 24. Qc6 Qxd4 25. Qxc7 Rf8 {and here,
black may have feared:} 26. Bd6 {Which appears to trap the rook. However, he
has an escape route.} Bd8 {A hard move to visualize.} 27. Qc6 Be7 {!  Again,
tough to see from afar. Using the weak back rank to save the rook.}) 24. Qxa6
Bh4 25. Qa7 Bxg3 26. hxg3 {And up a pawn, Shabalov was able to convert.} Kf8
27. c5 Ne7 28. Rc1 c6 29. cxb6 Qxb6 30. Qa4 Qb2 31. Rd1 g6 32. Qa7 Rb3 33. a4
Qc3 34. a5 Ra3 35. a6 Qa5 36. Be2 Nd5 37. Bf1 Kg7 38. Qb7 Nb4 39. Rb1 Nxa6 40.
Qxc6 Nc7 41. Rc1 Ne6 42. d5 Nf8 43. Qd6 Qa8 44. Rb1 Qa7 45. Qe5+ f6 46. Qe4 Ra2
47. d6 Qxf2+ 48. Kh2 Qc5 49. Qe7+ Kg8 50. Rb5 1-0

[Event "2016 US OPEN, DENKER, BARBER, NGTOC"]
[Site "Indianapolis, Indian"]
[Date "2016.08.06"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Khachiyan, Melikset"]
[Black "Popilski, Gil"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2617"]
[BlackElo "2642"]
[Annotator "Karagianis,Pete"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[Source "MonRoi"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 5. g3 Nc6 6. Nc3 d5 7. Bg2 (7. a3 {
Scores best for white. Seemingly the idea is to force black to relinquish the
dark square bishop before he is able to capture on c4.}) 7... dxc4 {And now
white falls off a cliff in practical play - having won zero of eight games in
my database from here.} 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 {By transposition
we have reached a more common position which has been seen roughly sixty times,
though still with a score heavily in black's favor.} 11. e3 Rb8 12. Nd2 Na5 {
Black intends to hold onto the pawn and ask white, after an eventual ...c5,
where his compensation lies.} 13. Qa4 Qe7 14. a3 Bxc3 15. bxc3 b6 16. Rfd1 c5
17. dxc5 Qxc5 {Black has actualized his plan and, it appears to me, has a
healthy extra pawn.} 18. Qb4 Qc7 19. Ne4 Bb7 20. Qd6 Rfc8 21. Qxc7 Rxc7 22. Rd6
{seemingly artifical, though black doesn't take immediate advantage.} Kf8 (
22... Bd5 {Put the rook on d6 in immediate danger.} 23. Nd2 Nb7 {is the point
- snagging the exchange.}) 23. g4 Ke7 24. Rad1 Bd5 25. f4 Nb7 {The rook, as it
turns out, is trapped anyway.} 26. R6xd5 exd5 27. Rxd5 Rd8 28. Re5+ Kf8 29. Kf2
Re7 30. Rb5 Nd6 {With control of the d-file and up an exchange, black has a
strong advantage, and white quickly throws in the towel.} 31. Nxd6 Rxd6 32. Rd5
Red7 0-1

[Event "Saltsjöbaden Interzonal"]
[Site "Stockholm SWE"]
[Date "1948.07.25"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Laszlo Szabo"]
[Black "Eero Einar Book"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E06"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1948.07.16"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 {Diagram [#]} 5. c4 O-O 6. d4 c6 (6...
dxc4 7. Ne5) 7. Nc3 b6 (7... dxc4 8. Ne5) 8. Ne5 Ba6 9. cxd5 cxd5 (9... Nxd5)
10. Bf4 Nfd7 (10... Nbd7 11. Nc6) 11. Rc1 (11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Bxd5) 11... Nxe5
12. Bxe5 b5 (12... Nd7) 13. e4 b4 (13... dxe4 14. Bxe4) 14. Ne2 Qa5 15. exd5
exd5 16. Nf4 Bxf1 17. Qg4 g6 (17... f6 18. Bxd5+ Kh8 19. Ng6+ hxg6 20. Qh4#)
18. Bxd5 Bd3 19. Bxa8 (19. Nxd3 Qxd5) 19... Bf5 20. Qe2 Bg5 21. h4 Bxf4 22.
Bxf4 Nd7 23. Bf3 Be6 24. Bd6 Re8 (24... Rd8 25. Bc7) 25. d5 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#1"]
[Black "Annihilation"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/5ppp/2n1pb2/3p4/1p1P4/4PB2/P5PP/RN4K1 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Nxd4 2. exd4 Bxd4+ 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#2"]
[Black "Mating net"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6k1/6pp/8/5nq1/Q2b4/3N1P2/6PP/5B1K b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Ng3+ 2. hxg3 Qh5# 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#3"]
[Black "Mating net"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "b7/b5k1/8/6q1/8/6P1/5P2/3Q1RK1 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Qxg3# 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#4"]
[Black "Discovery"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4q2k/6p1/5n1p/3p4/4b3/1Q6/4B1PP/1N4K1 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Bxb1 2. Qxb1 Qxe2 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#5"]
[Black "Pin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/4qp2/5bp1/3p1b1p/Q7/4B3/3N1PPP/4R1K1 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... d4 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#6"]
[Black "Fork"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2r3k1/1p2qp2/4p1p1/1P5p/Q7/3b4/P2N1PPP/3R2K1 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Bc2 0-1

[Event "Linares 09th"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A35"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "Naroditsky, Daniel"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "1991.02.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1991.06.01"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nd4 4. e3 Nxf3+ 5. Qxf3 g6 6. b3 Bg7 7. Bb2 d6 8. g3
Rb8 9. Bg2 Nf6 10. h3 O-O 11. O-O a6 12. Qe2 b5 13. d3 b4 14. Nd1 a5 15. a4 e5
16. e4 h5 17. h4 Ne8 18. Ne3 Nc7 19. Kh2 Ne6 20. Bh3 Bh6 21. Ng2 Bg7 22. Rae1
Rb7 23. Bxe6 Bxe6 24. f4 Bg4 25. Qd2 Re7 26. Ne3 f5 27. exf5 gxf5 28. Nd5 Re6
29. Qf2 Rfe8 30. Bc1 e4 31. dxe4 Rxe4 32. Rxe4 Rxe4 33. Re1 Rxe1 34. Qxe1 Kf7
35. Qd2 {Diagram [#]} Bf3 (35... Qe8 36. Bb2 (36. Ne3 Bd4 37. Nc2 Bc3) 36...
Bd4 {Diagram [#]} 37. Bxd4 cxd4 38. Qxd4 Qe2+ 39. Kg1 Qd1+ 40. Qxd1 Bxd1) 36.
Ne3 (36. Bb2 Qh8 (36... Bxb2 37. Qxb2 Bxd5 38. cxd5 Qe8 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Kf2
Qxd5 41. Qe2) 37. Bxg7 Qxg7 38. Qf2 Be4 39. Qe2 Kg6) 36... Be4 37. Bb2 Bxb2 38.
Qxb2 Qf6 {Diagram [#]} 39. Qxf6+ (39. Qe2 Kg6 40. Nd1 d5 41. Nf2 Qd4 (41...
dxc4 42. Nxe4 Qe6 43. Qxc4) 42. Nxe4 fxe4 (42... dxe4 43. Kg2 Qc3 44. Qd1) (
42... Qxe4 43. Qxe4 (43. Qd1 dxc4 (43... d4 44. Kg1 Qe3+ 45. Kg2 d3 {Diagram 
[#]} 46. Qf3 (46. Kf1 Qxg3 (46... d2 47. Qe2) 47. Qxh5+ Kxh5) 46... Qe4) 44.
Qd6+) 43... dxe4 (43... fxe4 44. cxd5 c4)) 43. cxd5 Qxd5 44. Qa6+ Kf5 45. Qc8+)
39... Kxf6 40. Kg1 Bb1 41. Nf1 Bc2 42. Nd2 Ke6 43. Kf2 d5 44. cxd5+ Kxd5 45.
Ke3 Bd1 (45... c4 46. Nxc4 Bxb3 47. Nxa5) 46. Kd3 Bxb3 47. Nxb3 c4+ 0-1

[Event "Benasque op 35th"]
[Site "Benasque"]
[Date "2015.07.09"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Granda Zuniga, Julio E"]
[Black "Naroditsky, Daniel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A01"]
[WhiteElo "2652"]
[BlackElo "2622"]
[Annotator "Naroditsky, Daniel"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2015.07.03"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ESP"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.09.14"]

1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb5 e4 5. Ne2 a6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Ng3 h5 8. Nc3
Bg4 9. f3 exf3 10. gxf3 h4 11. Nf1 Bh5 12. Qe2 Qd7 13. d3 O-O-O 14. O-O-O Nd5
15. e4 Nxc3 16. Bxc3 Qh3 17. Nd2 Bc5 18. Qf1 Qe6 19. Re1 h3 20. Nc4 Rhg8 21.
Ne3 Bxe3+ 22. Rxe3 g5 23. Rg1 Rde8 24. Re1 g4 25. fxg4 Bxg4 26. a4 f5 27. Qf4
Qd6 28. e5 Qe6 29. Qe3 Kb8 30. a5 Rg6 31. Kb2 Qd5 32. Rgf1 Rge6 33. Rf4 Qg2 34.
Rf2 Qd5 35. Ra1 c5 36. Ra4 Rc6 37. Rc4 b5 38. axb6 cxb6 39. d4 Rec8 40. dxc5
Rxc5 41. Rxc5 Qxc5 42. Bd4 Qc6 43. Bxb6 f4 44. Qd4 Bf5 45. c4 f3 46. Ba5 Rg8
47. Qd5 {Diagram [#]} Qxd5 48. cxd5 Rg2 49. Bb6 Kb7 50. Be3 Be4 51. d6 Rxf2+
52. Bxf2 Bd5 53. b4 Kc6 54. Kc3 Be6 55. Kd4 Bf5 56. Bg3 Be6 57. Ke3 Bd5 58. Kf4
Kd7 59. Kg4 Be6+ 60. Kxf3 Kc6 61. Kf4 Kd7 62. Bf2 Kc6 63. Kg5 Kd7 1/2-1/2

[Event "World Cup"]
[Site "Skelleftea"]
[Date "1989.08.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C01"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "Naroditsky, Daniel"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "1989.08.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "SWE"]
[EventCategory "16"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "1990.02.01"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bd3 c6 6. Bf4 Ne7 7. Qh5 Nd7 8.
Bg5 h6 9. Nf3 Rg8 10. O-O hxg5 11. Nxg5 g6 12. Qh7 Nf8 13. Qxf7+ Kd7 14. Rae1
Kc7 15. Re2 Bd7 16. f4 Rh8 17. Rfe1 Nf5 18. Bxf5 gxf5 19. Qg7 Rh5 20. Nf7 Qh4
21. g3 Qg4 22. Qe5+ Kb6 23. a3 Re8 24. Nxd5+ cxd5 25. Qf6+ Bc6 26. Rxe8 Bxe1
27. Rxe1 Nd7 28. Qd8+ Ka6 29. b4 Nb6 30. Ng5 Rh6 31. Qf8 Rg6 32. Qc5 Nc4 33.
Ne6 Rxe6 34. Rxe6 Qd1+ 35. Kg2 {Diagram [#]} Qxc2+ (35... b6 36. Qxc6 (36. Rxc6
Ne3+) (36. Qf8 Nd2) 36... Ne3+ 37. Rxe3 Qe2+ 38. Rxe2 (38. Kh3 Qh5+)) 36. Kh3
Qa4 37. Kh4 Nd2 38. Qxd5 Qb5 39. Qxb5+ Kxb5 40. Re5+ Kc4 41. Rxf5 Nf3+ 42. Kh5
Nxh2 43. g4 Bf3 44. Rg5 Kxd4 45. Kh4 Ke4 46. f5 Bd1 47. Rg7 Ke5 48. Kh3 Nxg4
49. Rxg4 Bc2 50. Rg5 Bxf5+ 51. Kg3 Kf6 52. Kf4 Bd7 53. Re5 Bc6 54. Ra5 a6 55.
Re5 b6 56. Re2 a5 57. Re5 axb4 58. axb4 Bg2 59. Rb5 Ke6 60. Ke3 Bf1 61. Rxb6+
Ke5 62. Rc6 1-0

[Event "Millionaire Chess Op 2015"]
[Site "Las Vegas USA"]
[Date "2015.10.11"]
[Round "7.4"]
[White "Robson, R."]
[Black "Lenderman, A."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[Annotator "Lenderman, Aleksandr"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2015.10.08"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.13"]

{I have played chess since I was 10 years old, and chess professional for
about 7 years now. In all these years that I have played chess tournaments it
is very hard of course to choose the best move, as I might be easily
forgetting some very inspiring moves I've played earlier in the career. But
ultimtaely I chose the move which was most memorable for me. This game was
played in the last round of the prestigious 2015 Millionaire chess tournament.
I am playing against a strong young GM Ray Robson who is closing in on 2700
fide, and I have black. I knew a win would get me into the final four 
(Millionaire Monday) and only a win would likely do it. Therefore I wanted to
choose an opening which would lead to a very interesting battle.} 1. e4 e6 2.
d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. dxc5
Bxc5 10. Bd3 O-O $5 {Up to here it was all known theory but now an interesting
twist. This allows a very interesting possibility but I worked it out very
well along with my chess team when we were preparing my friend half a year ago.
It ended up paying huge dividents.} 11. O-O-O (11. Bxh7+ {Is a critical test.}
Kxh7 12. Ng5+ Kg8 13. Qd3 Qxg5 14. fxg5 Ndxe5 15. Qe2 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 d4 17. Qg3
dxc3 18. Qxc3 b4 {And despite the fact that the computer says white can be
better I think the position is complex enough that it might be playable at
least for one game.}) 11... Qb6 12. Bg1 Bxg1 13. Rhxg1 Nc5 14. Kb1 b4 15. Ne2
a5 16. Qe3 Rd8 17. g4 (17. Bxh7+ $5 Kxh7 18. Ng5+ Kg8 19. Qh3 {Was also
interesting here and would lead to a very complex battle.}) 17... Ba6 18. f5 {
[%cal Gb4b3] And now the moment of truth. During the game I wasn't feeling
well and was having a hard time calculating variations. And now I was actually
worried about my position. White has menacing threats like f6 followed by qg5
and I was actually doubting my previous couple of moves. I was almost going to
play nd trying to get to the endgame. But then suddenly the right idea struck
me. Once I saw the idea, I just realized that I have to go for it. If you
don't go for it you can forever regret.} b3 $3 {My best move. Not only because
it was a good move chess wise but because of the huge importance for me of
this game. The important thing to remember in opposite side castled race
positions is you have to not worry about material but try to open up the game
as soon as possible.} (18... Nd7 $2 {[%cal Ge3b6]} 19. Qxb6 Nxb6 20. fxe6 fxe6
21. Ned4) 19. cxb3 {The other lines aren't effective for white either.} (19.
axb3 d4 $40) (19. Bxa6 bxc2+ $40) (19. Qg5 bxa2+ 20. Ka1 Rab8 $40) 19... d4 20.
Qg5 h6 21. Qh5 Bxd3+ 22. Rxd3 {And now I was fortunate to come up with the
important clincher, which honestly speaking I didn't see a few moves back. But
if you play logical and fighting chess, things can sometimes go your way.} Qb5
$1 {From here on I'm winning and never let go} (22... Nxd3 $2 23. g5 {Would be
a huge mess.}) 23. Rd2 Ne4 24. Rgd1 Nxd2+ 25. Rxd2 Qd5 26. g5 Qe4+ 27. Ka1 Nxe5
28. Nxe5 Qxe5 29. gxh6 g6 30. Qh4 exf5 31. a3 d3 32. Nf4 Rd4 33. Nxd3 Qd6 34.
Qg5 Kh7 $1 (34... Rxd3 $4 35. Rxd3 Qxd3 36. Qf6 {Shows it's still never too
late to go wrong.}) 35. Qe3 Rd8 36. Ne5 Rxd2 37. Nxf7 Qf6 38. Ng5+ Kh8 0-1

