Annotated Game #123: Off to a good start

After my "best game ever" to end the previous tournament, the next tournament got off to a good start in the first round with the following game.  I played solidly as Black and was in control of my own destiny the whole time.  The only error was in missing an interesting and hard-to-find knight sacrifice (19...Nxg2!) which serves as a lesson to investigate these sorts of opportunities in more depth, rather than dismissing them because there is no chance for a mate.  As part of my careful play, I also kept in mind the "evil e-file" tactics, showing that learning actually has taken place as a result of my study program (always a positive).

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "53"] {D40: Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch with e3} 1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 {my opponent admitted to not knowing the Panov-Botvinnik Attack, but played this as the closest thing to a queen pawn-type opening.} Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 {the solid choice, which leads the game into territory that the opening books classify as a Semi-Tarrasch queen's pawn defense.} 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nc6 10. O-O a6 {the other main option is b6; in both cases, the idea is to develop with Bb7. With the White bishop on c4, a6-b5 is not in fact a slower route to development, since the Bc4 will have to move.} 11. a3 b5 12. Ba2 {this is in fact the 3-to-1 favorite in the database, versus retreating to d3. With Black about to play Bb7, the Ba2 has the possibility of being involved in a sacrificial tactic at some point on e6, as well as fighting for the d5 square. It can also go to b1 at some point to form a Q+B battery on the b1-h7 diagonal, a common theme that my opponent decides to immediately execute.} Bb7 13. Bb1 (13. Qd3 {is the preferred move here, for example:} Na5 14. Rad1 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Nc4 16. Bxc4 bxc4 17. Rfe1 Nd5 18. Bxe7 Nxe7 19. d5 Nxd5 20. Nxd5 exd5 21. Rxd5 Qb6 22. Qc3 Rab8 23. Rd2 Rfc8 24. h3 h6 25. Re4 Qb3 26. Qe5 c3 27. bxc3 Qxc3 {Palatnik,S (2480)-Sveshnikov,E (2510) Leningrad 1976 1-0 (31)}) 13... Rc8 {the rook was doing no good on a8 and the c-file is one of Black's few sources of active counterplay.} 14. Qd3 g6 { forced.} 15. Re1 $146 {now out of the database. White eyes the semi-open e-file, thematic in the Caro-Kann, but here Black's defenses are more than adequate.} (15. Rd1 {is what has been played in a handful of games in the database.}) 15... Re8 $11 {having been burned previously due to "evil" e-file tactics, I reinforce my already-strong defenses. This also sidesteps a future Bh6 from White.} 16. Ba2 {with no prospects left on its previous diagonal, the bishop switches back.} Nh5 {following the standard plan of looking to trade minor pieces when the opponent has an isolated queen's pawn.} 17. Bxe7 { Houdini considers that avoiding the exchange is better for White, in accordance with IQP theory.} Nxe7 18. Rad1 $2 (18. g3 $5 $11 {should not be overlooked, notes Houdini via the Fritz interface.}) 18... Nf4 $17 {the point of Black's choice of square for the knight on move 16. However, I failed to see the follow-up sacrificial tactic that could have made it a winning move.} 19. Qe3 $2 (19. Qd2 {is what the engine shows as the best defense.} Bxf3 20. gxf3 Ned5 $17) 19... Nfd5 $2 $11 {what a pity, victory was in sight, comments Houdini. The second best move, in other words.} (19... Nxg2 $1 20. Kxg2 Nf5 { the king is not directly threatened, which is what one would normally look for with a sacrifice on g2, but the Nf3 is now pinned and can't be protected except by the queen, which allows Black to press for the win.} 21. Qf4 (21. Qd3 Nh4+) 21... g5 22. Qc1 Nh4+ 23. Kf1 Nxf3 $19 {and now Houdini judges Black's material and positional advantage to be worth roughly a piece.}) 20. Nxd5 { now a series of exchanges occur which favors Black somewhat.} Bxd5 21. Bb1 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 Nd5 (22... Qb6 {would put more pressure on White. For example} 23. Rd2 Red8 24. Red1 Rc4 25. Qf6 Nd5 $15) 23. Be4 {White moves to equalize the pawn structure and eliminate any Black hopes of a win.} Qd7 24. Bxd5 Qxd5 25. Qxd5 exd5 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Kf1 {and my opponent offered a draw.} 1/2-1/2

Commentary: Women's Grand Prix Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 - Round 5

I chose the following game for study because it illustrates well the sometimes amorphous concept of positional compensation for a pawn.  In contrast with her round 1 game, Hou Yifan is unable to immediately recapture her Queen's Gambit pawn, but is not bothered by this fact.  She goes on to play exactly as required in order to actively press Black, keeping her off-balance and unable to consolidate her position; specifically, Black fails to develop her pieces well enough in order to be able to take advantage of the extra pawn.  Eventually Black stumbles under the pressure and White crushes her with rooks on the 7th rank.

It is worth noting that the Houdini engine had Hou either slightly favored or equal while down the pawn for the entire time (until Hou established a clear winning advantage).  Engine evaluations are sometimes rightly criticized for being too materialistic, but I have not found Houdini to have this flaw.

[Event "4th WGP 2014"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"] [Date "2014.04.14"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Hou Yifan"] [Black "Muminova, Nafisa"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2618"] [BlackElo "2321"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2014.04.09"] [SourceDate "2014.01.04"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Bg2 a6 {this is not one of those types of positions where ...a6 will be inevitably played at some point, so throwing it in this early appears artificial. White scores a healthy 60 percent from this position.} 5. d4 {transposing to a Catalan where Black's previous move definitely looks strange. However, the point is that White cannot automatically regain the pawn after the capture on c4, as ...b5 is now possible.} dxc4 6. O-O {it's sometimes hard to remember that the Queen's Gambit is actually a gambit, but now White is playing it as such.} Nc6 7. Nbd2 {not the most promising-looking move. Top players normally play e3 or Bg5.} Nxd4 {although by no means obligatory, this has been played in all 8 database games.} 8. Nxc4 {White has indirectly exchanged the d and c pawns.} Bc5 { Black plays to maintain the central knight, rather than trade it off.} 9. Nfe5 {White in turn also foregoes exchanging the Nd4, preferring to establish her own knight in the center.} O-O 10. Be3 {developing a piece and maintaining pressure in the center, temporarily pinning the knight against the hanging Bc5. Interestingly, Houdini already gives a small plus to White, meaning she has more than enough compensation for the pawn.} Ba7 {protecting the bishop in the best way, although it still looks awkward.} 11. Rc1 $14 {What does White have for the pawn? The Ne5 is excellently placed and cannot be easily driven off. The Nc4 is also strong and can be routed to c6 if Black plays ...b5. White's Bg2 also looks excellent, while its counterpart is doing nothing on c8 and will be a pain to develop. Finally, the half-open c-file is already occupied by a White rook.} c5 {Black attempts to play as actively as possible and supports the d4 outpost.} 12. Bd2 {White judges that the bishop has no future on the g1-a7 diagonal and prepares to reroute it. This also clears the square for the e-pawn to kick the Nd4.} Nd5 {besides centralizing the knight, this blocks the long diagonal and potentially will assist Black in developing the queenside.} 13. e3 Nb5 14. Qe2 {while this develops the queen to a useful square, the main effect is to clear d1 to develop the other rook.} Nd6 { Black looks to start some exchanges, in the hopes of trading away White's advantages.} 15. Rfd1 Nxc4 16. Nxc4 (16. Qxc4 {would give Black easier play.} Qc7 17. Nf3 b5 18. Qh4 f6 $11) 16... b5 17. Ba5 (17. e4 {immediately is also possible.} bxc4 18. exd5 exd5 19. Bc3 {and although now down two pawns, White still has the upper hand.} Be6 20. Bxd5 Bxd5 21. Qe5 f6 22. Qf5 g6 23. Qxd5+ Qxd5 24. Rxd5 $14) 17... Qe7 18. e4 {White must continue to play actively.} ( 18. Ne5 $6 Bb7 {and now Black has a freer game and the material advantage will start playing more of a role.}) 18... Nb4 {a committal move on the queenside. White can now transform Black's pawn structure there to something much less effective, while continuing her central play.} (18... Nf6 $5) 19. Bxb4 cxb4 20. Ne5 (20. e5 Bb7 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Na5 {is Houdini's preferred continuation. White's pawn on e5 is strong and cramps Black, while her rooks look excellent and the knight is prepared to hop into c6.}) 20... Qg5 (20... Bb7 {it seems like finally getting this piece into the game would be a good idea.}) 21. Nc6 e5 {a useful move for Black that would have been prevented by an earlier e5 on White's part.} 22. h4 {White pre-empts potential activity by Black on the kingside and kicks the queen.} Qf6 23. b3 {White decides not to rush with the pawn capture on b4 (and in fact never plays it).} a5 $6 {playing a pawn move here essentially gives White a free tempo and shows too great an attachment to the b4 pawn. The b5 pawn is immune to capture because of the threat to f2, but White can immediately remedy that.} (23... Be6 $11) 24. Rc2 Bb7 $2 {ironically the bishop finally develops, and it's the losing move.} 25. Nxa7 Rxa7 26. Rc7 { the pin against the Ra7 and the fact that the Bb7 is otherwise unprotected mean that White now has too many unanswerable threats.} Qb6 {this attempts to remedy the pin situation, but White can powerfully double rooks on the 7th rank and Black cannot do anything about it.} 27. Rdd7 a4 {Black attempts to distract White with this queenside sortie, but to no avail.} 28. Kh2 {White puts safety first, getting the king out of the f-pawn pin and off the back rank.} h6 29. Qe3 Qa6 30. Qc5 {the queen now enters with decisive threats.} axb3 {again, more desperately, attempting to distract White.} 31. Qxf8+ { and it's mate in 3 (or 1, if Kxf8).} 1-0

Video on beating the English

FM Alisa Melekhina - who was previously mentioned in Chess vs Life - recently started recording videos for Chess.com and I was pleasantly surprised to see that video #2 features an effective annotation of an attacking game in the English.  Sadly for English players, Black (Alisa) wins handily with a kingside breakthrough, but it is instructional nonetheless to see how White should not play against a King's Indian Defense (KID) type setup.  The broader lesson, always helpful to see illustrated, is not to follow a stereotyped plan in your opening and to pay the necessary attention to what your opponent is doing.

Commentary: Women's Grand Prix Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 - Round 1

Round 1 of the recent FIDE Women's Grand Prix tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk had two instructive games in the English Opening that caught my eye:

1)  Zhao Xue - Kateryna Lagno shows that all is not as it seems when evaluating positions visually.  The board picture at the end of move 9 looks favorable to White at first glance, but although she has more pieces developed and centralized, they are in fact not cooperating and vulnerable to disruption.  By the end of move 12 Black clearly has momentum and with 13...Bg4 it looks like she could have kept up the initiative.  Instead, after a non-threatening knight development, White is able to break the trend with 14. Ng5 and then capitalize on Black's inaccurate response.  This game is an excellent illustration of how quickly chances can shift in a game after seemingly innocuous move choices.

[Event "4th WGP 2014"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"] [Date "2014.04.09"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Zhao, Xue"] [Black "Lagno, Kateryna"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D94"] [WhiteElo "2552"] [BlackElo "2543"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2014.04.09"] 1. Nf3 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 {surprisingly, Black scores over 56 percent from this very unassuming position.} 4. e3 {opting for central play, rather than fianchettoing the bishop.} Nf6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 cxd4 7. Nxd4 d5 {Black's score is now over 61 percent in the database, with this Grunfeld-type setup.} 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 {White's score from here is now abysmal, with close to 75 percent for Black. A case of the visual impression of the board not conforming to its reality. White's pieces look more developed, but Black will remedy that shortly and has much more harmonious development. Meanwhile, White in reality is not very coordinated and the dark-square bishop is a problem.} 10. a4 Qc7 11. Ba2 $146 (11. Qb3 {scores best here, although still at a poor 36 percent.}) (11. Qe2 $5) 11... Rd8 12. Bd2 {White is looking quite awkward.} e5 13. Nf3 Nc6 (13... Bg4 $15 {looks like the logical follow-up. Among other things it threatens Bxf3, after which White would have to capture with the g-pawn, due to the otherwise hanging Bd2. Black in this variation develops a piece strongly and has the initiative.}) 14. Ng5 $11 {while the threat is easily parried, it does cause Black to reverse her development and disrupts her initiative.} Rf8 15. Rc1 {White looks OK now, with the position being equal. Her pieces are now more active and doing useful things, other than getting in each others' way.} e4 $6 (15... h6 {chasing the knight and freeing up the Rf8 looks like a good plan here.}) 16. Ngxe4 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Bxb2 {Lagno must have mis-evaluated this position when playing her 15th move, not seeing White's follow-up threats.} 18. Qc2 {a subtle but strong move.} Bg7 19. Bb4 $1 { White's active bishops now dominate and slice Black's position up, thanks to the pin on the Nc6.} Rd8 {now the pendulum has swung back in White's favor, with Black's pieces under pressure and uncoordinated.} 20. Ng5 {now Black really could use that pawn on h6.} Bf5 {Black appears desperate for counterplay.} 21. e4 Qf4 22. Nxf7 Rd4 23. Bd6 {White has multiple ways to win.} (23. exf5 Nxb4 24. Ng5+ Kh8 25. Qc8+ Rxc8 26. Rxc8+ Bf8 27. Rxf8+ Kg7 28. Ne6+ Kh6 29. Nxf4 Rxf4 $18) 23... Bxe4 (23... Qxe4 24. Ng5+) (23... Rxd6 24. Nxd6+ Kh8 25. Nf7+ Kg8 26. exf5) 24. Qb3 Qf6 (24... Bd5 25. Qxd5 Rxd5 26. Bxf4 Rd4 27. Rc4 Rf8 28. Ng5 Kh8 29. Be3 $18) 25. Qxb7 Re8 26. Ng5+ Kh8 27. Nxe4 Rdxe4 28. Qxc6 {White converts her advantage into material gain. Black has no counterplay and White's bishops continue to dominate, landing the final blow on move 30.} h5 29. a5 Qg5 30. Bf7 1-0

2)  Hou Yifan - Tatiana Kosintseva starts off with a Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD) setup, which I think is a good choice against the English.  However, similar to the first game, there is a certain amount of drift in the opening - this time on Black's part - and White seizes the opportunity on move 12 to take the initiative with a knight maneuver.  Hou's decision to exchange the fianchettoed bishop on the long diagonal is instructive and perhaps was not expected by Black.  However, in return for giving up the valuable bishop, the knight becomes even stronger and Black's d5 pawn becomes a target.  Other instructive points include the "indirect exchanges" of pieces that occur twice and Hou's rook endgame play, which repeatedly sees her exchange off material for positional advantage and more material.  This sort of play is very characteristic of master games and the ideas involved might not even occur to Class players, so the example is well worth reviewing.

[Event "4th WGP 2014"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"] [Date "2014.04.09"] [Round "1.6"] [White "Hou, Yifan"] [Black "Kosintseva, Tatiana"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2618"] [BlackElo "2496"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2014.04.09"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 {the QGD setup against the English can result in a number of different kinds of games. Here White is already committed to a kingside fianchetto, rather than central play.} 4. Bg2 dxc4 {this scores the best of Black's possibilities here, with around 52 percent for White. Completing the QGD setup with ...Be7 is the most popular choice, however.} 5. Qa4+ {safely recovering the pawn} Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qb3 {an anticipatory retreat. White from here scores close to 60 percent. This is a little more aggressive than the other major option, Qc2.} c5 {a more classical-type move.} (7... Rb8 {is the better-scoring, more modern alternative. Black gets the rook off the long diagonal and overprotects b7.}) 8. d3 (8. a4 {immediately would be aimed at restraining ...b5. White plays this a few moves later, however, as Black prefers to focus on development rather than taking the opportunity to push the b-pawn in the interim.}) 8... Be7 {the bishop often is developed instead to d6 in this line.} 9. Nc3 O-O 10. a4 Nb6 $146 {White has won the handful of previous games with this position in the database, so perhaps Black trying something new is warranted.} (10... Qc7 $5 {would pursue more standard development and makes sense to support the c-pawn, as well as putting another piece in place to influence the e5 square.}) 11. O-O Nbd5 12. Ne5 $14 {White sensibly occupies the now-undefended central square, heading for a more active location for the knight on c4. This is the point of inflection for the game, as White takes over the initiative and starts creating threats.} Qc7 13. Nc4 Bd7 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxd5 {an instructive decision to give up the nice-looking bishop on the long diagonal in order to take advantage of the knight's ability to occupy b6 and target the weak d5 pawn.} exd5 16. Nb6 Rae8 ( 16... d4 {this positional exchange sacrifice is recommended by Houdini (!) - not exactly a traditional materialistic engine choice.} 17. Nxa8 Rxa8 18. Bf4 Qc6 {the point is that White has now given up her bishop on the long diagonal for nothing - the Nb6 having disappeared - and Black can try to exploit that weakness. Black also now has a slight initiative.} 19. Rfe1 Bh3 20. f3 Be6 21. Qc2 Rc8 $14) 17. Bf4 Qc6 18. Qxd5 {an indirect exchange of the Nb6 for the Bd7 - a wise choice. The knight has done its job, enabling the capture on d5, and the light-square bishop would become dangerous in this open position without a White counterpart.} Qxb6 (18... Qxd5 19. Nxd5 {would leave White with a strong knight on d5 that could easily be swapped for one of Black's two bishops, negating that potential advantage.}) 19. Qxd7 Bf6 (19... Qxb2 $2 20. Rab1 Qa2 21. Qxb7 Qxa4 22. Ra1 Qb4 23. Qxa6 $16) 20. Bd6 {another excellent choice, keeping the pressure on Black and looking to make another indirect exchange, this time of the queens.} Rd8 {forced, or Black loses the exchange.} 21. Bc7 { also forced.} Rxd7 22. Bxb6 Re8 23. Rfe1 Bxb2 {Black regains the pawn at the end of the sequence, but White still has an edge, as Black's queenside pawns are more vulnerable than White's kingside grouping.} 24. Rab1 (24. Ra2 { an alternative choice that places a rook on the second rank, with the benefit of guarding e2 and remaining fully mobile.} Bd4 25. Rb1 c4 (25... Rc8 26. Rc2 Rc6 27. e3 Bf6 28. Rxc5 Rxd3 29. Rxc6 bxc6 30. Bd4 Kf8 31. Bxf6 gxf6 32. Rb8+ Kg7 33. Ra8 $16) 26. dxc4 Bxb6 27. Rxb6 $14) 24... Ba3 25. Rb3 (25. Kf1 { would free up the Re1 from guard duty.}) 25... Bb4 26. Rc1 h6 (26... a5 { immediately would secure equality, as Black could win back her c5 pawn immediately if White took it.} 27. Bxc5 Rc7 28. Be3 Rxc1+ 29. Bxc1 Rxe2 $11) 27. e4 a5 {now, however, the e-pawn is protected and the c5 pawn can be taken.} 28. Bxc5 Rc8 29. Be3 Rdc7 30. Rxc7 Rxc7 31. d4 $14 {the engine assesses that Black has some compensation for the pawn - White still needs to activate her rook properly and Black's is definitely better - but not enough to offset the material advantage.} Rc2 32. d5 {while there is a good deal of play left, the central pawn steamroller already looks like it spells doom for Black.} Kf8 33. Rb1 {while Rd3 was also possible to activate the rook, this move will allow White to challenge on the c-file.} Ra2 34. Rc1 Rxa4 {Black has again temporarily regained her material equality, but now White has all the rook activity and can combine that well with her central steamroller.} (34... Bd6 { would put up stronger resistance.}) 35. e5 $18 Ra3 (35... b5 {moving to preserve the b-pawn does not help, as White can use the extra tempo to advance the pawn and activate her king decisively.} 36. d6 Ke8 37. Kg2 Ra3 38. Rc7 Rd3 39. Kf3 $18) 36. Rc8+ Ke7 37. Rc7+ {the rook now dominates both the only open file and the 7th rank. Nimzovich would be proud.} Ke8 38. Rxb7 Rd3 39. Rb8+ { perhaps played to make the time control, with d6 being too complicated to calculate immediately.} (39. d6) 39... Kd7 40. Rb7+ Ke8 (40... Kc8 { challenging the rook appears to give Black more chances.}) 41. d6 f6 {the only way to break up White's central duo.} 42. Rxg7 fxe5 43. Re7+ Kf8 44. Bxh6+ Kg8 45. Rg7+ Kh8 46. Ra7 Rxd6 47. Bg7+ {nicely recovering the second pawn. Black at this point is just playing on hope.} Kg8 48. Bxe5 Rd5 49. Bc7 Bc3 50. Kg2 Be1 51. h4 Rd2 52. Bb6 Ra2 53. h5 Bd2 54. g4 a4 55. Bd4 a3 56. g5 {the position is now completely hopeless. The three connected passed pawns on the kingside could beat Black's rook if necessary. (...Bxg5 does not work because of Rg7+)} 1-0

Commentary: Candidates 2014 - Round 10

In round 6 of the 2014 Candidates Tournament, Peter Svidler surprised everyone by playing the Dutch.  Although he achieved an advantage out of the opening, a Leningrad Dutch with 7...Qe8, he eventually lost the game.  It's not clear whether surprise was a factor in round 10, when Svidler essayed the Dutch again against Kramnik, but the latter must have expected some level of preparation in the opening and had a very unusual early (move 4!) novelty in mind.

Despite the strange-looking and original early play, by move 14 Black transitions into a Stonewall structure, which serves to equalize.  Some interesting jousting with the minor pieces ensues, which is useful to examine to understand the logic behind piece exchanges.  The action really gets going after the 25. c4 break, which White justifies tactically, and Black's small error on move 26 which hands the initiative and some pressure to White.

Kramnik follows up well, but this game becomes another lesson in the importance of CCT, as evidently he focuses too much on the action in the center and as a result misses a forced deflection tactic on the kingside.  This leaves Black an exchange up with no compensation to White, so Kramnik decides to try for a swindle rather than suffer through a long, losing endgame.  Svidler then brings home the point in true Dutch Defense style, with the closing move ...f4.

[Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2014"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2014.03.25"] [Round "10"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A80"] [WhiteElo "2787"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2014.??.??"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] 1. d4 f5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 {an unusual approach, usually this means White is looking for a solid, unambitious game rather than to challenge Black early on.} b6 {Black can often fianchetto the light-squared bishop to good effect when given the opportunity. This also recalls the Bird-Larsen opening as White.} ( 3... e6 {would be a standard response for Stonewall players and prevents White's next move.}) 4. d5 $5 $146 {provocative, to say the least, and a novelty already. However, the pawn proves to be difficult to deal with effectively.} Bb7 5. Bc4 {White supports the d-pawn and makes it impossible for Black to try and exchange it for the e-pawn with ...e6.} c6 {Black therefore looks to exchange it off with the c-pawn.} 6. Nc3 cxd5 7. Nxd5 e6 8. Nxf6+ Qxf6 9. O-O {both sides look OK coming out of the initial opening clash. Black's d-pawn on the half-open file is an excellent target for the opposition, implying that he will need to push ...d5 at some point.} Bc5 10. Bd2 Nc6 (10... Qxb2 {was something Kramnik was obviously not worried about, since he would obtain good compensation for the pawn.} 11. Nd4 Qa3 (11... Bxd4 $2 12. Rb1 Qa3 13. Bb4 Qa4 14. Qxd4) 12. Qh5+ g6 {and Black's position is full of holes, with his queen offside as well.}) 11. Bc3 Qe7 12. a3 a5 {Black's typical reaction, in order to prevent b4. Although White's immediate idea is foiled, a3 is still useful because it takes away b4 from a Black piece and ...a5 is relatively more weakening, abandoning the b5 square.} 13. Qe2 O-O 14. Rad1 d5 {while not exactly forced, this is the obvious antidote for Black to White's play on the d-file. We now have a Stonewall pawn structure.} 15. Bb5 Na7 {lacking any good alternative squares, the knight challenges the bishop.} 16. a4 {a logical follow-up, also indicating White is not satisfied with a draw, as otherwise a repetition with Bd3 is possible.} (16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 {would be another way to avoid the repetition, without the possibility of Black changing White's pawn structure with an exchange on b5.}) 16... Bd6 {Svidler with this move indicates he prefers to keep his knight on the board rather than exchange it. This looks a little weird at first, with it posted at a7, but the knight will eventually have greater freedom than the light-squared bishop.} (16... Nxb5 17. axb5 Bd6 {is an alternative and rather different way to play, with the two bishops for Black and a White pawn on b5. Black may be solid, but he has some problems to solve here, especially the Bb7.}) 17. Ba6 {White looks to exchange; his light-square bishop is not very useful either in a Stonewall structure.} Nc6 {there are a number of options here. Svidler decides to use the tempo to improve his knight's position.} 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. b3 {supports the otherwise lonely a4 pawn and opens up a retreat on the long diagonal for the bishop.} Qa6 20. Qd2 {White has not changed his mind about his desire to win vs. draw, so avoids the queen trade.} Rac8 21. Ng5 Rce8 {Svidler chooses to move the queen's rook twice in order to protect the e6 pawn, rather than take the other rook off the f-file. Counterplay there is evidently more important to him than on the c-file.} 22. Bb2 h6 {there is no reason for Black to allow the knight to remain at g5. This is also a useful preparation for a possible future ...g5, a typical kingside attacking plan in the Stonewall.} 23. Nf3 Bb4 {Black sees that c4 is a threat. He could have simply played the bishop to e7 for the same result, but this maneuver helps get him closer to the time control.} 24. c3 Be7 25. c4 {although the bishop is no longer hanging on d6, White finds another tactical justification for attacking Black's central strongpoint.} dxc4 { taking on c4 is best, either now or after an intermediate move such as ...Bb4, otherwise Black's pawn structure is compromised.} 26. Rc1 {White takes advantage of another hanging piece, this time the Nc6.} b5 {this decision to unbalance the queenside structure looks dangerous.} (26... Rc8 {is the solid way to play, suggested by Houdini.} 27. Rxc4 Qb7 28. Rfc1 Rfd8) 27. axb5 Qxb5 28. Rxc4 {White in contrast to the above variation has significantly greater scope for his pieces and can target Black's weaker kingside as well as look for play on the c/d files.} Nb4 {this allows Black to significantly improve the knight and closes the e1-a5 diagonal, but also cedes control of e5.} 29. Ne5 Nd5 30. Qc2 Bd6 (30... Nb4 $5 {harassing the queen looks like a good intermediate move here.}) 31. Nc6 Nb6 32. Rd4 $2 {Kramnik misses the deflection tactic for Black. Easy to do, if one focuses on the center of the board and assumes that the kingside is safe, without checking CCT.} (32. Nd4 Qe5 33. Nf3 Qb5 34. Rc3 $14) 32... Bxh2+ $1 {White has no choice but to take on h2, leaving the Rf1 unprotected.} 33. Kxh2 Qxf1 $17 34. Qc3 $2 {although this objectively leads quickly to a lost game, Kramnik must have decided that a swindle was his only chance to save the game.} (34. Nxa5 {was objectively best, recovering a pawn, but it's hard to picture a super-GM not being able to convert the material advantage as Black in this position.}) 34... Rf6 { blocking any funny business on the long diagonal.} 35. Ne5 Qxf2 {Svidler is not distracted by White's desperate attempts to generate a threat and calmly increases his advantage.} 36. Rf4 Qe2 37. Qd4 Nd5 38. Rf3 Rc8 {Black now goes over to the offensive. The end is near.} 39. Rg3 f4 {Black finally gets to attack down the f-file. Breakthrough is inevitable and White resigns.} 0-1