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Karjakin, Sergey27631–0Kramnik, Vladimir2800
Candidates Tournament
Berlin20.03.2018[Marin,Mihail]
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 c5 7.Rb1 Be7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.h4!?N According to Karjakin, this move was suggested by one of his seconds, Riazantsev, during their training before the tournament. It was not intended specially for Kramnik and he would have used it against anybody if given the occasion. Confronted with the opening surprise, but not under immediate threat, Kramnik reacted logically by increasing the pressure in the centre. cxd4 Cs.B.: Let's see the differences if Black doesn't include the pawn exchnage and starts with 9...Nc6 10.h5 10.d5? exd5 11.exd5 Bf5! Giri started with the somewhat timid-looking 10.Be2!? , when b6 11.h5 h6 led to the same. One explanation I found for this order is that in case of 10...Qa5!? White also has 11.0-0!? , and the pawn isn't hanging on h5 after cxd4-cxd4. 10...h6 11.Be2!? This little move has a lot of poison. The time hasn't arrived yet for 11.Rh3?! due to cxd4 12.cxd4 12.Rg3?! Bd6 13.e5 Nxe5 14.Bxh6 Nd3+! 15.Bxd3 Bxg3 16.Bg5 f6 17.Bc1 Bd6 / 12...f5! , see Marin's comments below. 11.Bb5 is played usually, but following cxd4 =11...a6 12.cxd4 a6! 13.Bxc6 bxc6 The position is similar to Nepomniachtchi - Bacrot from the previous game. Indeed, Black held without any difficulties after 14.Ne5 Bd6! 15.0-0 c5= in Yu Yangyi - Radjabov, Batumi 2018 11...b6 Now Black can grab the pawn under better circumstances, but his position remains hazardous. 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 Qa5+ 12...b6 13.Bd2 Qxa2 14.Bc3! Qa3 15.Rb3 Qd6 15...Qa2!? 16.0-0 16.d5! exd5 17.exd5 Nb8 18.0-0 One nice point is Nd7?! 19.Qd4! Bf6 20.Bb4!± 11...Qa5 12.Bd2! 12.0-0 Rd8∞ and White has too many weak pawns. 12...Qxa2 12...Rd8!? 13.Ra1 Qb2 14.d5! exd5 15.exd5 Nb8 16.0-0 12.Rh3 White's trademark rook lift in this line. 12.Kf1!? 12...cxd4 12...f5?! 13.Rg3 Kh8 transposes to Giri - Wei Yi , as after 13...fxe4?! 14.Bxh6 Rf7 15.Ng5 Bxg5 16.Bxg5± , Black cannot take on d4. 12...Bb7?! 13.Rg3 Kh8 14.Qd2! Black cannot allow g7 with a deadly outcome, but he is also worse after the ugly Rg8 14...cxd4?! 15.Rxg7! Kxg7 16.Qxh6+ Kg8 17.Rb5! f6 18.Qg6+ Kh8 19.Rf5‼+- 15.d5 exd5 16.exd5 Na5 17.c4± 12...Kh8 13.Rg3 Black is already in an unpleasant spot and now he erred with f5?! due to 14.Bb5! Bb7 15.d5 exd5 16.exd5 Na5 17.Ne5 Kh7 18.Ng6 Rf7 White could have cemented his advantage in Giri - Wei Yi, Chess.com (rapid) 2020 with the already familiar 19.Rb2!± The typical freeing break 12...e5!? is playable, but not as effective here. 13.Rg3 Kh8 14.dxe5 13.cxd4 13.Rg3? Bd6!-+ 13...f5! It was now or never for Black. 13...Kh8? 14.Bxh6! gxh6 15.Qc1± 13...Bb7?! 14.Rg3 Lei Tingjie - Zhu Jiner, Shaoxing (rapid) 2022 Kh8 15.Kf1 The knight isn't well placed on c6: it blocks the bishop's view and it cannot safeguard the kingside with 7-6. 14.Rg3 14.exf5 exf5∞ Pantzar - Degenhard, Pardubice 2020 14...fxe4! 14...Kh7? 15.d5± 15.Bxh6 Rf7! 15...exf3? 16.Rxg7+ Kh8 17.Qc2 Rf5 18.Qxc6+- 15...Bf6? 16.Bxg7 Bxg7 17.h6+- Black was completely lost in Ayats Llobera - Garcia Ramos, Barcelona 2023, although somehow he turned the game around. 16.Ng5! Amazingly, the same position without the inclusion of 2 and b6 would be losing for White, but here Black doesn't have 5! Even though the position remains complicated, Black has to be more careful. Bxg5 17.Bxg5 Qxd4 18.Be3! 10.cxd4 Nc6 If 10...b6 11.h5 h6 The most consequent continuation would be 12.Rh3 White does not seem to have the time to set up the battery along the b1-h7 diagonal: 12.Bd3 Nc6 13.Be3 Bb7 12...Bb7 13.Rg3 Kh8 14.Bd3 Nd7 Black has to deviate from the most active way of developing 14...Nc6 as after 15.Qd2 the threat g7 with a decisive attack more or less forces the passive and unappealing Rg8 15.e5 with reasonable attacking chances, while the black knight has no good squares. 11.h5 In a game played a few weeks later White deviated with 11.Bc4 e5?! 11...b6!? 12.d5 Na5 13.Be2 Bd6 Van Wely,L (2663)-Bindrich,F (2598) Germany 2018 (½-½, 34) 14.Bg5!? f6 15.Bd2 11...f5?! Karjakin did not expect this premature reaction in the centre, at a moment when Black is incompletely developed and with the threat h5-h6 in the air. 11...h6 looks safer. If 12.Rh3 Black could already consider the game plan as in the meanwhile he had stabilised the kingside at least: Cs.B.: Better is 12.Be2! , transposing above. 12...f5 12...e5?! allows a promising exchange sacrifice: 13.d5 Bxh3 14.dxc6 followed by cxb7 soon. 13.exf5 Cs.B.: 13.Rg3?! fxe4 14.Bxh6 Rf7 15.Ne5 15.Ng5? Qa5+ 16.Qd2 Qxd2+ 17.Kxd2 gxh6 18.Nxf7+ Kxf7-+ 15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 13...Qa5+ 14.Bd2 Qxf5 15.Rb5 e5 with excelent counterplay. Cs.B.: It would be foolish to allow 11...b6? 12.h6 , as White doesn't have to lose a tempo defending the e4 pawn, thanks to Black playing 6 before 7. g6 13.Bb5 Bb7 14.0-0± Nikolov - Macon, Noisiel 2020 Cs.B.: Apart from the natural 11...h6, Black's second-best move is 11...Bb4+ , but it seems to be a worse version of the 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 6 9.3 4 line, as Black has given the bishop check in two moves, while White has included the useful h5-h6. 12.Bd2 Even 12.Rxb4!? is possible Nxb4 13.Bd2 Nc6 14.h6 12...Bxd2+ 13.Qxd2 h6 14.Bb5 14.Be2 12.exf5! The most principled answer. 12.e5 b6 would offer Black chances to stabilise the centre. 12...Qa5+ 13.Bd2 Qxf5 14.Bc3 h6 It is clear now that Black's plan was premature. If he has to play this move anyway, it would have been better to start with it, of course. Against 14...Qg4 Karjakin was planning 15.Be2!± The only move offering an advantage. WHite plans 1 and if Qxg2? 16.Rg1 Qh3 17.d5+- 14...b6 does not improve Black's development too much: 15.Bd3 Qf4 16.Qe2± and the weakness on e6 causes Black problems. 14...Qe4+ 15.Be2 e5!? 15...b6 16.0-0 Bb7 17.Re1± 16.0-0 exd4 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4 Qxd4 19.Bxd4± The position has simplified but White's advance in development and kingside space advantage offer White the clearly better play. 14...e5 may still have been best, even though after 15.Bc4+ 15.dxe5 Qe4+ 16.Be2 Be6 offers Black rapid development and good compensation. 15...Kh8 16.h6 Black experiences problems along the long diagonal. 15.Bd3 Qg4 16.Kf1 e5 Not the best moment for this pawn break, but Black's position was difficult already. 16...b6 17.Qe2 Bd7 18.Rh3± 17.d5! The best move, refuting Black's whole opening play. But things are turning exciting now. 17.dxe5 Be6 once again offers Black reasonable play for the pawn. 17...e4 17...Nd4? loses to 18.Nxe5 Qf4 18...Qxd1+ 19.Rxd1 leaves Black passive, with a pawn less and a hanging knight. 19.Bxd4+- Winning a piece and defending f2. Qxd4?! 20.Bh7+! 18.dxc6 exf3 19.gxf3 Rxf3?! Objectively insufficient but for practical reasons the best chance. If 19...Qxf3 20.Qxf3 Rxf3 21.Ke2 Rxd3 22.Kxd3 Bf5+ 23.Ke2 bxc6 23...Bxb1? 24.cxb7+- 24.Rb7 Re8 25.Kd1 Black's weak seventh rank prevents him from proving compensation for the exchange. 20.Be2 After a basically aggressive plan, Karjakin starts playing defensively after having won material. But objectively 20.cxb7 could have ended the game quicker, needing just a bit of accurate calculating: Bxb7 21.Qb3+ Kh8 22.Qxb7 Raf8 23.Qxe7 Rxf2+ 24.Ke1 Due to the threat g7+ returning one of the bishops for repelling the attack, Black is left without resources. 20...Rxf2+ The only way of keeping the game on. Black's problem is that he has invested a lot of material already and his development is incomplete yet. Besides, he has to waste a tempo on ...bxc6. True, White's king is exposed, but with a rook up he should manage to protect His Majesty. After 20...Rh3!? Karjakin indicated 21.Rg1 , the most convincing, but not only winning move. 21.Kxf2 Bc5+ 22.Kf1 Qf4+ 23.Bf3 bxc6 24.Be1‼ Paradoxically, this seemingly passive move, releasing the pressure on g7, is the only winning continuation. The main idea is to cover the g-file with 3. 24.Rb3 Ba6+ 25.Kg2 Qg5+ 26.Bg4 Rd8 27.Qf3 Bc4= with a probable draw by perpetual. 24...Be6 Karjakin called Kramnik's play in time trouble "creative". The idea behind White's last move is obvious after 24...Ba6+ 25.Kg2 Qg5+ 26.Bg3+- 25.Bh4!? Defending d8, as Karjakin was not entirely sure about the line 25.Kg2 Qg5+ 26.Bg3 Rd8 27.Qxd8+ Qxd8 28.Rb8 Bc8 29.Bg4 Qg5 30.Rxc8+ Kh7 Actually 31.Be6 yields White a winning attack with extra material. 25...Rf8 26.Kg2 Kh8!? Another original move, preparing ...5. But with a rook down the slow mode is not likely to work. 27.Rc1 27.Bg3 was also strong. Qg5 28.Re1‼ Karjakin suggested 28.Qc1 but Black saves the day with Bd5 29.Rf1 Rxf3 30.Rxf3 Bxf3+ 31.Kxf3 Qxh5+ with a perpetual. 28...Bd5 29.Re5! Bxf3+ 30.Qxf3 Qd2+ 31.Qe2+- 27...Rf5 28.Rc3 Only not 28.Bg3? Rg5-+ 28...Rd5!? Sacrificing even more material. Karjakin expected 28...Bd4 29.Rxc6 29.Rd3 is simpler from a practical point of view although somewhat passive. 29...Rg5+ 30.Bxg5 Qxg5+ 31.Kf1 Bh3+ 32.Ke1 Qg3+ 33.Kd2 Qf4+ 34.Kc2 Bf5+ 35.Kb3 Qe3+ 36.Ka4 and after the king has escaped White can convert his huge material advantage at his leisure. 29.Bxd5 Bxd5+ 30.Rf3 Qg4+ 31.Bg3 Bd6 32.Rh3! Another only move but an obvious one. White needs to defend g3. Be7 This can be explained by the fact that a neutral move such as 32...a5 could be answered with 33.Kh2! leaving the d6-bishop hanging. 33.Qe2 Be4 34.Qf2 a5 35.a4!? In principle White's plan is based on recycling his rook via h1, but Karjakin did not want to check the result of the pawn race after 35.Rh1 Bc5 36.Rh4 Qxh4 37.Bxh4 Bxf2 38.Kxf2 Bxf3 39.Kxf3 g6 (+-) His game move simply gains a tempo for this case. 35...c5 36.Rh1 The rest is simple. Bf6 37.Re1 Bc6 38.Ree3 c4 39.Qe2 Qxh5 40.Qxc4 Bd7 41.Rd3 1–0
MoveNResultEloPlayers
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