Commentary: Dortmund 2015, Round 6 (Kramnik - Nisipeanu)

I've been working on finishing off my 2015 collection of commentary games, with only one remaining after this one.  The below game nicely complements Nakamura - Harika by allowing us to examine a similar opening structure for White.  Black here chooses a somewhat different approach and we end up with a position similar to a Nimzo-Indian in reverse, in which White has comfortable play against Black's isolated queen pawn (IQP).  This game is something of a classic IQP strategic fight, in which Kramnik (as White) squeezes Black relentlessly, but in the end he is unable to convert the rook endgame.  ("All rook endgames are drawn" is a technically incorrect, yet wittily insightful remark attributed to Tarrasch.)  Although Nisipeanu made a few possibly dubious strategic decisions in the middlegame, including the strategic no-no of exchanging minor pieces unnecessarily while possessing an IQP, he had the mental toughness to resist the resulting pressure and found a saving tactical resource (60...f2+!) in the endgame to reach a technically drawn position.

[Event "43rd GM 2015"] [Site "Dortmund GER"] [Date "2015.07.04"] [Round "6"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Nisipeanu, Liviu Dieter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2654"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "165"] [EventDate "2015.06.26"] [SourceDate "2015.02.07"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 {an unusual approach, but not a bad one. Should Black proceed in a classical fashion, for example, White can play a Nimzo-Indian in reverse and with an extra tempo.} Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. b3 {now the game is in English Opening territory.} c5 5. Bb2 Nc6 6. cxd5 {otherwise Black is strong in the center and can even think about ...d4.} exd5 7. Bb5 {White now has a similar structure to a Nimzo-Indian (reversed). One point of the move is to restrain .. .d4 by pinning the Nc6.} Bd6 {the most active square for the bishop. Black does not need to worry about the d5 pawn at the moment; the only drawback of the bishop's presence on d6 is blocking the Qd8's defense of the pawn.} 8. d4 { an unusual decision at this point, as White normally castles and may not necessarily follow up with d4.} cxd4 9. Nxd4 {White now has a classic (reverse) IQP position.} O-O {the obvious move for Black here would be to protect the Nc6, but if White takes it and the pawn after double captures on c6, the resulting positions would be unfavorable.} 10. O-O (10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bxc6 Bg4 {this is the problem with White's choice in this line. Black now develops his pieces with tempo and forces White into an awkward situation.} 12. f3 { compromising the pawn shield around White's king.} Rc8 13. O-O {is ugly but may be best.} (13. Bb7 Bb4+ 14. Nd2 Rc7 $17) (13. Bxd5 $2 Bb4+ $19) 13... Rxc6 14. fxg4 Qb8 $15) (10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Nxc6 Qc7 {threatening the Nc6 and forming a battery against h2. Now White will not be able to castle and Black has a lead in development, which add up to more than a pawn's worth of compensation. For example} 12. Bxf6 Qxc6 13. Bd4 Bb4+ 14. Kf1 Bf5 $15) 10... Qc7 11. h3 { now we are out of the database. Kramink may have used this prophylatic move as an improvement to the following game:} (11. Nf3 Bg4 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Nc3 Bxh2+ 14. Kh1 Be5 15. Nxd5 Qd6 16. Nf4 Bxf4 17. exf4 Qxf4 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Qd4 Qh6+ 20. Nh2 Be6 21. Kg1 Rfd8 22. Qc3 Qg6 23. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Bd5 25. f3 Re8 26. Ng4 Kg7 27. Kf2 h5 28. Ne3 h4 29. Rh1 Qg3+ 30. Kf1 Re5 31. Rh3 Qg5 32. Kf2 Be6 33. g4 Rc5 34. Qd2 Rd5 35. Qc3 Rc5 36. Qd2 Rd5 {1/2-1/2 (36) Agzamov,G (2485) -Geller,E (2545) Yerevan 1982}) 11... Bh2+ 12. Kh1 Be5 {this sequence involving forcing the king to h1, instead of simply moving ...Be5 to pin the knight, results in a position where white's king has fewer potential flight squares.} 13. Qc2 {protecting the Bb2 and therefore unpinning the knight, while exerting pressure down the c-file.} Bd7 14. Nf3 {this quasi-forces the exchange of bishops, as Black does not want to give White the long diagonal for free.} Bxb2 15. Qxb2 Rac8 16. Rc1 {this move is rather committal, as White's heavy pieces are now all on the queenside.} Qd6 {unpinning the Nc6.} 17. Nc3 {White finally gets all of his pieces developed; the queen's knight has been rather neglected until now.} Ne5 $6 {the normal strategic rule in playing IQP positions is for the player NOT possessing the IQP to exchange pieces; this leads to fewer complications and causing the pawn's weakness to become more pronounced. It's not clear why Black chose to ignore this rule, since the piece exchanges that follow are entirely voluntary.} ({something like } 17... a6 18. Bd3 Rfe8 {looks simple and balanced for Black.}) 18. Be2 $5 (18. Nxe5 {is the more obvious approach to the position.} Qxe5 19. Bxd7 Nxd7 20. Rc2 $14 {with the idea of following up with Rd1 and Ne2 to pressure the IQP and control the space in front of it.}) 18... Nxf3 {again unforced, but a logical follow-up to the previous knight move.} 19. Bxf3 {the engine rates the position as equal, although it's clearly easier for White to play against the IQP than it is for Black to come up with any real counterplay.} Qe5 20. Qd2 { unpinning the Nc3.} Be6 {the bishop being used as a "big pawn" is ugly but effective in supporting d5.} 21. Nb5 Bd7 {Black appears content to shuffle pieces at this stage, since he doesn't have anything better than a draw as a prospect.} 22. Qd4 {continuing to exchange pieces.} (22. Nxa7 $2 Ra8 {and the knight is out of squares.}) 22... Qxd4 23. Nxd4 a5 $6 {this seems to excessively loosen Black's position and grant White some initiative. The pawn becomes a significant weakness later in the endgame.} (23... a6) (23... Ne4) 24. g4 {This is the type of move that is sometimes difficult for Class players to envision, since it weakens the pawn shield in front of the king. However, Kramnik reacts appropriately to the situation and judges that the game has now reached the stage, with the queens off the board, of an endgame where his king needs to be activated. The advanced g-pawn also controls additional space.} h6 25. Kg2 $14 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Rc8 27. Rb1 {an interesting choice. Basically, if White exchanges the rooks, he technically has a slight edge, but it's very doubtful he'll be able to do anything significant to compromise Black's position with only the two minor pieces remaining. With the text move, White retains the rook and Kramink evidently still hopes to squeeze out a win if Black falters.} Ra8 {perhaps this is intended as a threat to advance the a-pawn, although it doesn't seem very significant.} 28. Ne2 {White switches plans and repositions the knight to directly pressure the IQP.} g5 {I'm not sure what this was supposed to accomplish, as White's g-pawn was already restrained and the Ne2 can simply go to c3 instead of f4. It was probably better to use the tempo to get the rook back in the game.} (28... Rc8) 29. Nc3 Be6 {back to static defense of the pawn.} 30. Rd1 Rd8 {play is predictably revolving around the IQP. With the Rd8 unprotected, however, White can use this tactical situation to force the issue with his next move.} 31. e4 d4 { otherwise the pawn is lost.} 32. Kg3 {Kramnik does not rush to take the pawn, first removing the king from a potential tactic involving a check from a future ...Nf4.} ({For example} 32. Nb5 $6 d3 33. e5 Nd5 $11 {and the d3 pawn is tactically protected by the knight fork on f4.}) (32. Rd3 $5 {is also possible, blocking the pawn from advancing. The knight still cannot be taken due to the pin against the unprotected Rd8.}) 32... Rc8 33. Nb5 Nd7 {as the d-pawn is lost, black repositions the knight to a better square in the center, also blocking the e-pawn.} 34. Nxd4 Ne5 {although White is now a pawn up, Black has some positional compensation in the form of his better-placed pieces. In particular, the Rc8 threatens to penetrate White's back ranks.} 35. Be2 (35. Nxe6 $6 fxe6 36. Be2 Rc2 $11) 35... Rc3+ 36. f3 Kg7 37. Rd2 {relieving the Nd4 of the burden of guarding the c2 square against Black's rook.} Kf6 {Black is looking to get his king into the fight.} 38. Nf5 Bxf5 {a good decision by Black to exchange. The knight would be powerful on the 5th or 6th ranks (f5 or d6) and White's pawns are doubled as a result, making it a little harder for him to make progress.} 39. exf5 Ke7 $16 40. Rd5 {correctly and aggressively striking at the centralized knight and the undefended, advanced a-pawn.} Nc6 ( 40... Kf6 $5 {is possible, for example} 41. Rxa5 Rc2 {and Black will regain the pawn. One sample continuation:} 42. Kf2 Nc6 43. Rd5 {defending against ... Nd4, winning the pinned Be2.} Rxa2 $16) 41. Bb5 b6 42. h4 {getting the kingside majority moving.} f6 {shoring up g5 and creating a potential knight outpost on e5.} 43. Bxc6 {done in order to eliminate the knight, which otherwise would become strongly centralized on the dark square e5 and help restrain White's kingside advance.} Rxc6 44. hxg5 hxg5 {"all rook endings are drawn" is a saying that is not technically true, but is often the case because they are so hard to win. White's extra pawn is doubled and Black's rook and king are active, so it's not simply "a matter of technique" to win from this point.} 45. a4 Rc3 46. Rb5 Rc6 47. f4 {Kramnik decides to force the issue on the kingside immediately.} Rc3+ {in order to drive the king away from supporting f4. Of course, the drawback is abandoning the b6 pawn. As typical in rook endgames, one cannot get something for nothing. The engine assesses that conducting a straight exchange on f4 and continuing to protect the b-pawn would be better for Black.} 48. Kf2 gxf4 49. Rxb6 $18 {Komodo 8 shows White at over +4 at this point.} Kf7 {the king heads back to the kingside, with the evident idea of trying to make it to g5.} 50. b4 {this was an unnecessary concession.} (50. Rb5 Kg7 51. Rxa5 Kh6 (51... Rxb3 52. Ra8 $18 {and the a-pawn cannot be stopped by Black.}) 52. Ra8 $18) 50... Rc2+ 51. Kf3 Rc3+ 52. Kf2 { this seems to be where Kramnik passes up a good winning chance.} (52. Kxf4 Rc4+ 53. Kf3 axb4 54. a5 $18) 52... Rc2+ 53. Ke1 Rc1+ 54. Kd2 f3 {compared with the variation above, Black is doing much better. The Rc1 of course cannot be taken, since the f-pawn would then queen.} 55. Ke3 Rc3+ 56. Kf2 axb4 57. Rxb4 Kg7 { Black's king slowly gets closer to its goal.} 58. Kg3 (58. Rb8 $5 {is the best chance for White, according to the engine.} Rc4 59. Ra8 Rxg4 60. Kxf3) 58... Ra3 59. Rb7+ Kh6 60. Ra7 f2+ $1 {the key move for Black, which allows him to draw.} 61. Kxf2 Kg5 {the combination of the Ra3 cutting off the White king and the blockade on f6-g5 mean that White can no longer make progress. If White simplifies to having a passed pawn, Black's king and rook position mean that it will not be able to queen, lacking the White king's support.} 62. Ke2 { White nevertheless continues the game in the hopes of his opponent committing an error.} (62. Rg7+ Kf4 63. Rg6 Rxa4 64. Rxf6 Kxg4 $11) 62... Kxg4 63. Ra5 Kf4 64. Kd2 Ke4 65. Kc2 Kd4 66. Ra6 Rc3+ 67. Kb2 Rc4 68. Ra5 Rb4+ 69. Ka3 Kc4 70. Ra6 Rb3+ 71. Ka2 Rb4 72. Ra8 Kc5 73. Ka3 Rf4 74. Rb8 Rf1 75. Rb5+ Kc4 76. Kb2 Rf2+ 77. Kb1 Kc3 78. a5 Kc4 79. Rb7 Rxf5 80. a6 Ra5 81. a7 Kc5 82. Rf7 Kb6 83. Kc2 1/2-1/2

Commentary: Gibraltar 2015, Round 2 (Nakamura - Harika)

Following the previous commentary from round 1 with GM Hikaru Nakamura playing a highly imbalanced Dutch Defense, we now see him using the flip side of the strategic coin as White in an English Opening.  It is instructive to see how he utilizes waiting moves in this round 2 game that have a similarly provocative motive - see particularly moves 11, 16 and 19.  He appears to be deliberately waiting for Harika to create weaknesses in her position, which he then can exploit in an immediate and concrete way.  Black's attempt at counterplay, with a knight sacrifice and a kingside attack, falls prey to precise calculation by Nakamura, who ends up with a dominant passed pawn and eventually a mate.

This back-to-back examination of two of Nakamura's games also helps illustrate how "playing style" is largely an illusion with strong players, who can use both sharp and quiet modes of play to great effect, whatever they feel is best suited for  confronting their opponent's weaknesses.

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2015"] [Site "Caleta ENG"] [Date "2015.01.28"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Harika, Dronavalli"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E14"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2496"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2015.01.27"] 1. Nf3 {While this is often the first move of a Reti Opening, it's also a good way to be noncommital at the start of the game.} Nf6 {Black obviously thinks the same way.} 2. c4 e6 {this is now technically an English Opening and is classified as such, even though White eventually plays d4.} 3. b3 {an offbeat but perfectly fine and successful (57 percent) opening approach.} d5 {Black decides to adopt a QGD structure, a solid approach.} 4. Bb2 Be7 5. e3 {the double fianchetto with g3-Bg2 is also popular.} O-O 6. d4 {Nakamura plays this with the idea of subsequently developing the light-square bishop to d3, rather than the more conventional e2.} b6 {now Black is going for a QGD-Tartakower formation by fianchettoing his light-square bishop.} 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. O-O c5 9. Nbd2 (9. Qe2 {is an interesting alternative, freeing up d1 for the rook and forming a battery on the f1-a6 diagonal.}) (9. Nc3 {used to be played more often, but at top levels not so much recently.}) 9... Nc6 10. Rc1 Rc8 { interestingly, up until this point Nakamura is following (intentionally or not) a successful game of his opponent's (as White) from 2013. Now, as Black, Harika varies from what her opponent did previously, but she still ends up losing.} (10... cxd4 {is considered equal by the engine.} 11. exd4 Nh5 12. g3 g6 13. Qe2 Nf6 14. Rfd1 a5 15. a3 Re8 16. Nf1 Bf8 17. Ne3 Bh6 18. Ne5 dxc4 19. Bxc4 Qd6 $2 20. Bb5 Rac8 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Rxc6 Rxc6 23. Qf3 Bxe3 24. fxe3 Rc2 25. Qxf6 Re7 26. d5 Rxb2 27. Nc4 Qc5 28. d6 Qh5 29. Nxb2 {1-0 (29) Harika,D (2475)-Khotenashvili,B (2514) Tashkent 2013}) 11. a3 {taking the b4 square away from the Nc6. Nakamura has an equal position and appears not to want to hurry with any major plans, but rather see in what direction his opponent wishes to go.} Re8 {following a similar plan as in the game cited above.} 12. Re1 Bf8 {this is a logical follow-up and presumably aimed at defending the kingside, but the bishop is obviously less active than it could be elsewhere, for example on d6. Unlike the above game cited with Harika as White, here she never plays the freeing ...g6, which is necessary to activate the bishop.} 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Qc2 h6 (15... g6 {is possible here, and probably preferable. It blunts the b1-h7 Q+B battery that White has established, while giving the Bf8 an outlet. Perhaps Black did not like the looks of opening the long diagonal to White's Bb2.}) 16. Qb1 {this prudently removes the queen from the c-file while preserving the battery on the diagonal. It also serves as another waiting move for Nakamura, which works to his advantage.} (16. Bf5 { is a more conventional approach.}) 16... Nd7 {this does not appear strategically consistent with the idea of maintaining a strong kingside defensive presence.} 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Bf5 {the advantage of this sequence, beyond simply moving to f5 directly, is that Black's king is slightly more vulnerable and her g-pawn is pinned, creating some tactical ideas for White.} Rb8 {moving away so the Nd7 is freed from the pin on the diagonal.} 19. Qa1 { very hypermodern of Nakamura and an idea associated with the Reti Opening. The queen in the corner exerts pressure on the center and against Black's king.} Qe7 $6 {one gets the impression that Black did not know how to proceed in this type of position. White now immediately takes advantage of this slip.} 20. b4 { threatening to continue with b5, which would be very awkward for the Nc6. Again the idea is to dominate the center through indirect means, in this case chasing away a piece defending e5.} cxb4 21. axb4 a6 {the logical follow-up, preventing b5. However, now White has other useful things he can do.} 22. Nb3 { the exchanges have given White a potential strong outpost on c5. Black's d-pawn is also now isolated and White has the square in front of it (d4) blockaded, making the pawn weak.} Nde5 (22... Nb6 $5 {would more directly address Black's d-pawn weakness.}) 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 24. Nc5 {after the piece exchange White's position is improved, with the strong c5 outpost occupied; note also how Black's Bf8 is doing nothing constructive. Here perhaps Nakamura expected the symmetrical ...Nc4 from Black, occupying her own outpost and cutting off the c-file. However, Harika goes wrong with her next move.} Nf3+ $2 {this sacrifice must be either the result of miscalculation or desperation on Black's part.} 25. gxf3 Qg5+ 26. Bg4 h5 27. Nxb7 Rxb7 28. Qxa6 {the key move from White's perspective. Black must lose a tempo due to the threat and White can simplify into a favorable position after making some counterthreats.} hxg4 (28... Rxb4 29. Bc3 Rc4 30. h4 Qxh4 31. Bd7 Rd8 32. Bb5 $18) 29. f4 {another key move for White, keeping the tension of multiple threats.} (29. Qxb7 $4 gxf3+ 30. Kf1 Qg2#) 29... Qe7 $18 {so White emerges from the sequence with an extra (passed) pawn and a winning game.} 30. b5 {passed pawns must be pushed!} Qd7 31. b6 Bb4 32. Red1 Re6 33. Bd4 {note again how Black's dark-square bishop is not doing anything constructive and how its White counterpart is helping dominate the game.} Rh6 $2 {this attempt to generate some threats on the h-file in fact leads to quick victory for White, as the rook partially blocks an outlet for the cornered Kh8.} (33... Bd6 {would allow resistance for a while longer.}) 34. Qa8+ Kh7 35. Rc8 Kg6 36. Rg8 Rh7 37. Qc8 {almost anything wins at this point. A queen exchange would lead to an easy (for a GM) endgame win, so Nakamura does not mind that possibility.} Qe7 {this leads to a quicker, merciful end.} (37... Qxc8 38. Rxc8 Ba5 39. Ra1 Bxb6 40. Ra6 f6 41. Rxb6 Rxb6 42. Bxb6 $18 {the extra bishop and Black's doomed d-pawn ensure a White victory.}) 38. Qxg4+ {and mate follows.} 1-0

Commentary: Gibraltar 2015, Round 1 (Vojinovic - Nakamura)

With the next Gibraltar tournament coming up soon in 2016, it seems fitting that I continue my commentary games from 2015 with the following highly entertaining game from round 1 of the last tournament.  GM Hikaru Nakamura, currently the world number 2, often plays provocative, unbalanced openings when he believes it suits him strategically.  Here, against an opponent not in the same class, he deliberately passes up a balanced and objectively better / more equal game in favor of reaching a highly imbalanced position - sort of a strange Poison Pawn variation in the 2. Bg5 sideline of the Dutch Defense.  It's instructive to see how White is unable to find his way through the complex position, then turns over the initiative to Black, who is able to convert that into a concrete advantage and win relatively quickly afterwards.

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2015"] [Site "Caleta ENG"] [Date "2015.01.27"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Vojinovic, Jovana"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A80"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2015.01.27"] 1. d4 f5 {Nakamura is one of the few top GMs who uses the Dutch on a regular basis. He's currently the world number 2, so it seems to be working for him.} 2. Bg5 {like with the Trompowsky Opening after Black plays 1...d5, this early Bishop sortie can be unexpected and highly annoying.} c6 {this is only the fourth most popular move (...g6 being the primary choice in the database), but scores the best for Black (45 percent).} 3. e3 Qb6 {this is the idea behind the previous move. Since White has developed his bishop early, Black will seek to take advantage of its absence on the queenside. This is also analagous to other "poison pawn" variations (such as in the Najdorf Sicilian) involving taking the b-pawn with the queen.} 4. Nd2 {this scores much better in the database than the cautious defensive move b3. Here's a sample of how Black could play in that variation:} (4. b3 g6 5. Bd3 Bg7 6. Nd2 h6 7. Bf4 d6 8. c3 Nf6 9. Ne2 O-O 10. Qc2 Nbd7 11. Bc4+ Kh7 12. Be6 c5 13. h4 cxd4 14. exd4 Nh5 15. Nf3 Ndf6 16. Bc4 e5 17. Bd2 d5 18. dxe5 Ng4 19. Bxd5 Qxf2+ 20. Kd1 Qc5 21. c4 Nf2+ 22. Kc1 Nxh1 23. Kb2 Nf2 24. Bc3 Ng4 25. Bd4 Qe7 26. Qc3 Be6 27. Re1 Rfd8 28. Bxe6 Qxe6 29. Nc1 Ng3 30. Nd3 Ne4 31. Qb4 Rxd4 32. Nxd4 Nxe5 33. Nf4 Qd7 34. Rd1 Nc6 35. Qb5 a6 36. Qa4 Bxd4+ 37. Kc2 Nc5 38. Qa3 Qe7 39. b4 Qe4+ { 0-1 (39) Amura,C (2303)-Claverie,R (2517) Mar del Plata 2014}) 4... Qxb2 { following up by taking the offered pawn, otherwise the early queen move doesn't make much sense.} 5. Rb1 (5. Bd3 {is the other popular way to play. !?} ) 5... Qc3 6. g4 {a novelty that is obviously very aggressive. Apparently no one else has tried it in international play since this game.} (6. Ne2) (6. Bd3) 6... Qa5 {unconventional play from Nakamura, for which he is well known. I suspect he was being deliberately provocative with his lower-rated opponent.} ( 6... fxg4 {is the engine recommendation. Of course the computer has no fear of the consequences to Black's kingside and considers the position level.} 7. Qxg4 {does appear premature ?!} (7. Rb3 Qa5 8. Qxg4 {is an improved version of the idea for White.}) 7... Qxc2 8. Ngf3 Nf6 9. Qh4 d6 {now White does not seem to have any way of breaking through to Black's king and therefore does not have enough compensation for the pawns. ⩱}) (6... d6 {is another, somewhat more conventional option. !?} 7. gxf5 Bxf5 8. Rxb7 Qxc2 {and Black should be OK.}) 7. gxf5 Qxf5 8. h4 (8. Ngf3 {!? has the advantage of developing a piece while protecting the Bg5.}) 8... Qa5 {at this point Black's only developed piece is his queen, but he has the extra pawn and is threatening the a-pawn. Meanwhile, White is ahead on development but has a weaker pawn structure overall as well. The position in any case is quite imbalanced, probably what Nakamura was going for.} 9. Nh3 {this leaves f3 open for the queen, but is a bit awkward development of the knight, even if it can go to f4.} g6 {another provocative, apparently weakening move.} (9... Nf6 {seems perfectly fine here.} 10. Nf4 Ne4 11. Bd3 Qxd2+ 12. Qxd2 Nxd2 13. Kxd2 d6 {however, while Black is equal, the dynamic chances in the position are certainly with White, so again this is probably not what Nakamura was looking for.}) 10. Bd3 (10. Qf3 {seems more to the point here. !?}) 10... d6 11. Qf3 Nd7 {finally, another piece developed!} 12. h5 {this is premature and lets Black equalize without difficulty. Having additional forces / pressure would have been good for White before making the pawn advance.} (12. Rg1) (12. Nf4) 12... Ndf6 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Bxg6+ {while visually the position looks scary for Black, after the king sidesteps to d8, White has no further attacking prospects. Black however had to calculate carefully to understand this.} Kd8 15. Bf4 {this appears to be the turning point where Black takes over the initiative.} (15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Nf4 Rxh1+ 17. Qxh1 Bg7) 15... Kc7 {wisely evacuating the king and protecting b7, freeing up the Bc8.} 16. Ng5 Rxh1+ (16... Bg4 17. Rxh8 Bxf3 18. Ngxf3 {looks all right for Black, but White has compensation for the material and would have the more active position, again something Nakamura would not prefer. For example} Qxa2 19. c4 Bg7 20. Rh1 Nd7 21. Rh7) 17. Qxh1 Bh6 {this is a strong and (for White) annoying move. The Ng5 is threatened, but cannot simply retreat to f3 without allowing a bishop exchange on f4 that would shatter White's center.} 18. Qh4 { the only move.} (18. Qg2 {?} Bg4 {interfering with the queen's defense of the Ng5.}) (18. Nh3 {?} Bxh3 19. Qxh3 Bxf4) 18... Bd7 (18... Nd5 {immediately is preferred by the engine. !?}) 19. Bd3 {?!} (19. c4 {would now take away use of the d5 square by the knight.}) 19... Nd5 {now Black has a solid advantage, as White has run out of threats. Black meanwhile is threatening Nxf4, White's king position is significantly worse and Black can also pick up the a-pawn at his convenience. ∓} 20. Ne6+ {White attempts to solve his problems by tactical means, and fails.} (20. Nh3 Nxf4 21. Nxf4 Bxf4 22. Qxf4 Nf6 {∓}) 20... Bxe6 21. Bxh6 Nc3 (21... Ngf6 {is also good, preparing ... Rg8.}) 22. Ra1 Qb4 {moving the queen out of the pin on the a-file and preparing to take the a2 pawn.} 23. Kf1 Nxa2 {Black has realized his advantage on the board and White has no counterplay. The passed a-pawn will now prove decisive for Black.} 24. Rd1 Nc3 25. Re1 Nxh6 {finally the other knight moves! And an effective one at that, removing the two bishops' advantage from White and further simplifying down material.} 26. Qxh6 Bd7 {it's now clear that White can do little to stop Black's queenside plans, but he nevertheless tries. −⁠+} 27. f3 a5 28. Kf2 a4 29. Qg5 Rh8 {the rook is not in fact needed behind the a-pawn and this also helps keep White's rook out of the game by preemptively seizing the h-file.} 30. Qg3 Nd5 {with a discovered attack against the Nd2.} 31. Rd1 c5 (31... a3 {might be simpler.}) 32. Bc4 Nc3 33. Re1 b5 {nothing can save White, so he stops the game.} 0-1

Age and Chess

IM Silman's latest article at Chess.com is "Old Age, Great Chess!"

In it, he takes as the centerpiece of his discussion IM Anthony Saidy, who is something of a legend in US chess, with his career stretching from the Fischer era to the present.  While it's intended to be an homage to Saidy, there are also some points made about age and its affect on chessplaying ability.  For those such as myself looking to improve while past the teenage years, there are a number of interesting observations in the comments section that go beyond the article's focus.

Basically, there's no need to give up hope.  Even if technically speaking we may have passed our absolute peak potential in terms of mental energy and focus, with sufficient time to devote to effortful study there's still an upswing possible on the learning and performance curve.

Commentary: GRENKE 2015, Round 4 (Anand - Carlsen)

I selected this game to look at next, from several saved in my analysis queue in 2015, because of the common Stonewall theme with Annotated Game #147.  In this game, Anand as White uses a standard fianchetto approach against the Stonewall, but emphasizes play in the center early on with 8. Ne5.  Carlsen pursues a non-traditional but effective method of play as Black in the Stonewall Dutch, using the a-pawn advance to create chances for him on the queenside; Viktor Moskalenko has long followed and advocated this approach, as most recently seen in the The Diamond Dutch.  Carlsen then selectively and effectively opens the game while combating White's threats on the kingside.  Anand makes an unforced error to lose the game, so it's not a strategic win by force for Black, but Carlsen's play is certainly worthy of study and emulation by those interested in the Black side of the Stonewall.  Carlsen's long history of including it in his repertoire no doubt has given him an excellent feel for the positions, much better than that of his opponents, which gives him additional practical chances when using it in tournament play.

Original ChessBase article and analysis of the game can be found here.

[Event "3rd GRENKE Chess Classic"] [Site "Baden Baden GER"] [Date "2015.02.06"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A90"] [WhiteElo "2797"] [BlackElo "2865"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2015.02.02"] 1. d4 f5 {The Dutch Defense is an opening that often uses alternative move-orders, especially to reach a Stonewall formation, as seen in Annotated Game #147 (a Slav Stonewall). Here Carlsen plays very straightforwardly with the text move. This may have had a psychological element as well, since the Leningrad Dutch - something Carlsen had played recently and lost with - is a more common choice and essentially requires Black to start with ...f5.} 2. g3 { Anand goes for the standard professional-level approach of a kingside fianchetto against the Dutch.} Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. c4 c6 {a useful illustration of move-order importance, as White could exchange on d5 with a slight advantage if ...d5 were played immediately.} 5. Nf3 d5 6. O-O Bd6 {the defining position of the main line of the Modern Stonewall.} 7. b3 Qe7 8. Ne5 { Bb2 and a4 (preparing Ba3) are much more popular choices. The text move is the third most often played and scores well (60 percent) - even better than the other two moves - but this may reflect the quality of opposition as well. The drawback of White's choice here is that it does not immediately help his development.} O-O {Carlsen drew the one previous game he had played in this line, with the alternate choice of ...b6 (the modern approach to Stonewall development). While the text move is relatively noncommittal, if Black wants to play ...b6 and continue his development by getting the light-square bishop out, the earlier the better.} (8... b6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nc4 Nc6 11. Nxd6+ Qxd6 12. a4 Qd7 13. Ba3 Kf7 14. Nc3 Ba6 15. f3 Rhe8 16. Qd2 Kg8 17. Rfc1 Rac8 18. Ra2 h6 19. Rac2 Na5 20. Rb1 Rc7 21. Na2 Rxc2 22. Qxc2 Nc6 23. Qd2 e5 24. dxe5 Rxe5 25. Re1 Qe6 26. f4 Rxe2 27. Rxe2 Bxe2 28. Nc3 Bh5 29. Bxd5 Nxd5 30. Qxd5 Qxd5 31. Nxd5 Bf7 32. Ne7+ Nxe7 33. Bxe7 Bxb3 34. a5 bxa5 35. Kf2 a4 36. Ke3 Kf7 37. Ba3 g5 38. h4 Kg6 39. hxg5 hxg5 40. Kd2 Kh5 41. fxg5 Kxg5 {1/2-1/2 (41) Van Wely,L (2692)-Carlsen,M (2835) Wijk aan Zee 2012}) 9. Nd2 {this may look a bit unnatural, but if White's bishop goes to b2, it will need an unimpeded diagonal to be of any use, so the "natural" square on c3 is not as good. The knight will also be able to transfer to f3 and support e5 that way.} a5 { the text move is not a new idea, but it is still far from the main line ideas. It appears to have been played to good effect recently by other players, however, so perhaps that also attracted Carlsen to it.} 10. Bb2 (10. a4 Na6 11. Ndf3 Nb4 12. Ba3 Ne4 13. c5 Bc7 14. Bxb4 axb4 15. Nd3 Ba5 16. Nfe5 Nc3 17. Qd2 Bd7 18. f3 Be8 19. h4 Bc7 20. Qe3 b6 21. Rfe1 Rd8 22. Rac1 bxc5 23. Nxc5 Bd6 24. Ncd3 Rc8 25. Nc5 Kh8 26. Qf2 Bxe5 27. dxe5 Ra8 28. Qd4 Bf7 29. Nd3 Rfb8 30. e3 Ra5 31. Rxc3 bxc3 32. Qxc3 Ra6 33. Nc5 Ra7 34. f4 Kg8 35. b4 g6 36. a5 h6 37. Bf1 g5 38. hxg5 hxg5 39. Bd3 Rc8 40. Rc1 Be8 41. Qd4 Rca8 42. Rc2 Bh5 43. Rh2 Bf3 44. Kf2 g4 45. Rh5 Qe8 46. Rh4 Rh7 47. Qa1 Rxh4 48. gxh4 Qe7 49. Kg3 Kf7 50. Qa2 Kg6 51. Qc2 Kh5 52. Qh2 Rxa5 53. bxa5 Qxc5 54. a6 Qxe3 55. Qf2 Qxd3 {0-1 (55) Reshetnikov,R (2106)-Tugarin,A (2230) Voronezh 2015}) 10... Nbd7 { it is more common to have reached this position by first playing the text move, then a5. The database shows several games by Moskalenko is this line, for example.} 11. Qc2 a4 $5 {Moskalenko's idea, to disrupt White's queenside. This goes against traditional ideas of the Stonewall, which feature play exclusively in the center and kingside. However, Black can effectively distract White by using this approach and perhaps (as in this game) later on generate some chances himself on the queenside. Black need not fear White simply taking the a-pawn, as the pawn is not defensible and the capture may cause more problems by weakening the queenside structure.} 12. Ndf3 (12. bxa4 Ne4 13. Ndf3 Qd8 14. Nd3 Qa5 15. Nf4 Bxf4 16. gxf4 Qxa4 17. Qxa4 Rxa4 18. cxd5 exd5 19. e3 Nb6 20. Ne5 Be6 21. Nd3 Nd7 22. Rfd1 Rfa8 23. a3 Nd6 24. Ra2 Nc4 25. Rda1 Kf7 26. Bf3 g6 27. Bd1 R4a7 28. Bc1 Ke7 29. Bb3 b5 30. Kf1 Kd6 31. Ke2 h6 32. a4 g5 33. fxg5 hxg5 34. axb5 Rxa2+ 35. Rxa2 Rxa2+ 36. Bxa2 cxb5 37. Nb4 Ndb6 38. Bd2 Nd7 39. Bc3 Nb8 40. Bb3 Nc6 41. Nd3 Ke7 42. f3 Kd7 43. Be1 Ke7 44. Bg3 N6a5 45. Bc2 Nc6 46. Nc5 f4 47. Bf2 fxe3 48. Bxe3 Nxe3 49. Kxe3 Kf6 { 1/2-1/2 (49) Kiriakov,P (2555)-Moskalenko,V (2540) playchess.com INT 2006}) 12... Ne4 {this is a standard, strong Stonewall move. White will have to either awkwardly attack the knight with f2-f3, or exchange it off, in which case Black gets a freer game from the exchange of minor pieces.} 13. e3 { this seems like a waiting move on Anand's part, as it doesn't accomplish much for White.} a3 {the pawn advance now becomes even more annoying for White.} 14. Bc3 Nxe5 (14... g5 $5 {is an interesting option more in line with standard Stonewall plans for kingside attacks.}) 15. Nxe5 Bd7 16. Nxd7 {I'm not sure why Anand chose to exchange pieces here, since it would seem to favor Black slightly. The centralized Ne5 could then be exchanged by Black, it is true, but White would then have a strong central e5 pawn.} (16. f3 $5) 16... Qxd7 17. c5 Bc7 18. b4 {White with his last two moves has gained queenside space, which can't be bad, but it's hard to see any concrete threats as a result of it.} h5 {the engine agrees this is a strong move, but it's certainly not one a Class player would think of. Its usefulness becomes more apparent later. Among other things, it eventually may threaten ...h4 and it also frees up another escape square for the king.} (18... b5 $5 {is something I might be tempted to go with here. For example} 19. cxb6 Bxb6 20. Rfc1 Rfc8 $11 {White will find it difficult to make any progress and Black can think about redeploying the bishop via d8 to e7 or f6, as well as moving the knight to d6 and then onward.} ) 19. Be1 {the piece is doing absolutely no good where it is, so a better place must be found.} e5 $5 {Carlsen immediately takes advantage of the relaxing of pressure on e5 and opens the diagonal for his bishop. Note how effective the a3 pawn becomes as a result of this.} 20. dxe5 {this is not forced, but otherwise Black can get some useful pawn play on the e file (occupying e4 after the knight vacates it) or support a thematic push of the f-pawn.} Bxe5 21. Rd1 Qe6 {moving the queen off the d-file and the pin, while giving it a better diagonal and potential mobility along the 6th rank.} 22. f3 {White finally kicks Black's central knight from its post.} Nf6 23. Bh3 g6 { in this position, it's now evident that having Black's pawn on h5 helps restrain any ideas of a White break on g4.} 24. e4 {the logical next step for White in terms of increasing his activity, especially in terms of pressuring f5. However, the game now becomes more complicated and Black's open lines are just as good as White's.} dxe4 25. fxe4 Bb2 $1 {this is a great idea, using an interference tactic to attack the a2 pawn. White, somewhat surprisingly, has no other way of defending it. The strength of the Black bishop and the a-pawn is evident. White still has counterchances, however.} 26. exf5 Qxa2 27. Bf2 { shutting down the discovered check threat.} (27. fxg6 $4 {fails to a discovered check tactic, with the Qc2 hanging.} Bd4+) 27... g5 {an excellent example of cold-blooded defense. Exchanging on f5 would just give White more lines into Black's king position. The h and g pawns both look weak, but White cannot exploit them.} 28. Rfe1 Qf7 {time to redeploy the queen back to an effective square, among other things defending the 7th rank.} 29. Re6 Ng4 { an aggressive choice.} (29... Rfe8) (29... Rae8) (29... Nd5 {is also an interesting possibility:} 30. Rg6+ Kh7 {and now} 31. f6 {doesn't quite work, due to} Qxg6 32. Bf5 Rxf6 33. Bxg6+ Rxg6 $17 {looks good for Black, for example. It's interesting to compare the tactics in this line with the main game, since in both cases Black's a-pawn ends up being the deciding factor.}) 30. Bxg4 hxg4 31. Rg6+ Kh7 32. Rd7 $4 {a fancy move which does not work.} (32. Re6 $11) 32... Qxd7 33. f6 {this looks devastating - or that it at least could get White a perpetual check - but Black can now return the material with his own deflection tactic.} Qd1+ $1 {The cleanest.} (33... Bxf6 {may have been what Anand expected, which gives White a drawing line:} 34. Rxf6+ Kh8 35. Rh6+ Kg8 36. Rg6+ Kh8) (33... Rxf6 $1 {however also wins:} 34. Rxf6+ Kg8 35. Rg6+ Kf8 {now there is no longer the Rf8 to block the king and White has no more checks due to the Bb2 controlling f6.}) 34. Qxd1 Kxg6 35. Qd3+ Kh6 {with White out of checks and unable to further penetrate Black's position, the passed a-pawn now decides the game.} 36. h4 gxh3 {now White can postpone the inevitable for a while, but it's only a matter of time before he has to give up material to prevent the a-pawn from queening.} 0-1