Convincing Win in Game-2
The Chinese superstar was just better prepared in today’s game. Featuring the Mikenas Attack in the English (1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4!?) , which occurs more often in Ding’s games than in Radjabov’s, both players played ‘theory’ up to the 17th move.
It soon became clear that Radjabov was not happy with his position. He voluntarily weakened his game (…e5 and …a5) without getting any counterplay and this allowed Ding to break in on the Kingside and get a winning advantage.
A final blunder by Radjabov immediately ended the game, but he was hopelessly lost anyway.
Ding now leads the best of 4 games match 1.5 to 0.5.
gm Ding Liren – gm RadjabovWorld Cup Final g2 1.10.2019 (1-0)
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4{[#]} c5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">This is the first time that Ding had faced this move, all of his other opponents replying with …d5 instead. Possibly Radjabov took this into account in his pre-game preparation.However, as we shall soon see, Ding is very well prepared.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Ding had already played the Mikenas Attack in Khanty Mansiysk against his first round opponent: </strong> } 3...d5 4.e5 Nfd7 5.d4 dxc4 6.Bxc4
Nb6 7.Bd3 c5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nf3 Nc6 10.O-O h6 11.Qe2 Bd7 12.a3
Nd5 13.Ne4 Be7 14.b4 Qb8 15.Bb2 Nf4 16.Qe3 Nxd3 17.Qxd3 O-O 18.b5
{<strong style="color:black;"> 1-0, Ding L – Press,S , 11/ 9/2019 FIDE World Cup 2019</strong>} )
4.e5
Ng8 5.Nf3$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The modern way of playing, which involves a positional pawn sacrifice. The ‘theory’ of this line keeps changing. This game might be considered the latest word I suppose.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;"> The alternative is to play 5.d4 immediately and to recapture with his Queen: </strong> } 5.d4 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nc6 7.Qe4 d6 8.Nf3 {<strong style="color:black;"> Korchnoi V – Karpov A , Baguio 1978 Ch World (match)</strong>} )
Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Nxe5 8.Ndb5 a6 9.Nd6+ Bxd6 10.Qxd6
f6 11.Be3 Ne7 12.Bb6 Nf5 13.Qb4$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Today considered the most precise Queen move.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">For a long time the main line was </strong> } 13.Qc5 d6 14.Qa5 {<strong style="color:black;">but then they discovered that </strong> } Qd7 {!}
( 14...Qe7$6 15.O-O-O O-O 16.f4 Nc6 17.Qa3 e5 18.g4 Nfd4 19.Nd5
Qf7 20.f5$16 {<strong style="color:black;"> Kasparov G – Sokolov A, Belfort 1988 World Cup</strong>} )
15.f4 Nc6 16.Qa3 Nce7!{<strong style="color:black;">equalizes </strong> } ({<strong style="color:black;">Not </strong> } 16...e5 {?!} 17.Bd3 O-O 18.O-O exf4
19.Rxf4 Nfe7 20.Rd1$16 {<strong style="color:black;"> Kasparov G – Beliavsky A, Linares 1991</strong>} ) )
Nc6
({<strong style="color:black;">Not so good is </strong> } 13...Qe7$6 14.Qxe7+! Kxe7 15.f4$14 {<strong style="color:black;">when Black’s endgame is somewhat unpleasant and difficult to play </strong> } )
14.Qc5 Qe7{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 14...d6$6 15.Bxd8 dxc5 16.Bb6! )
15.O-O-O
({<strong style="color:black;">Now not as strong as in the last note is </strong> } 15.Qxe7+ Nfxe7 16.O-O-O d5!{<strong style="color:black;">and Black equalizes </strong> } )
d6
( {<strong style="color:black;">White has only a small edge after </strong> } 15...Qxc5$5 16.Bxc5 d6 17.Bxd6 Nxd6 18.Rxd6 Ke7 19.c5 Bd7 20.Bd3 {<strong style="color:black;">and given the importance of this game one could ask if it would not have been wiser for Radjabov to play like this. </strong> } )
16.Qa3 O-O 17.g4 Nh6 18.Rg1{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The end of theory. For his pawn White has excellent compensation: space, the two Bishops and the initiative on the Kingside.</strong>} Nf7
( {<strong style="color:black;">No improvement would be </strong> }18...f5 19.g5 {!} Nf7
( 19...Ng4 20.f4 ) 20.f4$14 )
19.f4 Bd7 20.h4 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">It is easy to play the White side. Sooner or later he will break in on the Kingside. What is not so easy is how Black should play the position. In the absence of counterplay, he has to dig in and create some sort of barricade around his King.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">It is never good for White to try to recover his pawn with </strong> } 20.Bc7 Be8 21.Bxd6
Nxd6 22.Qxd6 Rd8{<strong style="color:black;">and Black has absolutely no problems. </strong> } )
a5$6 21.g5 Kh8{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A good solid move. There are no good active alternatives:</strong>}
( 21...f5$6 22.h5 Ra6 23.Bf2 Nb4
24.c5 Rc6 25.g6! )
( 21...Nb4$6 22.Qb3 Bc6 23.Re1 )
( 21...Ra6$6 22.c5! )
22.Qb3 ( 22.Bc7$6 Nb4! ) Rfc8 ( 22...Nb4 23.a3! ) 23.Kb1{[#]} e5?{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Horribly and unnecessarily weakening. Radjabov was never a strong defender, he was always a strong counter-puncher. With this move Black hands White the full point.</strong>} 24.Nd5
Bf5+ 25.Ka1 Qe6 26.gxf6 gxf6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White dominates the entire board.</strong>} 27.a3$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A curious moment. Ding knows that the best move is to immediately play his Bishop to g2, but he did not want to allow Radjabov to advance his a-pawn to a3 lest in time trouble he would allow a mate on b2! Radjabov has saved many a lost game with such tricks!</strong>} ( 27.Bg2! a4 28.Qc3 a3 29.b3$16 )
Rab8{[#]}
({<strong style="color:black;">Even though it is not pretty, perhaps Radjabov should have played </strong> } 27...Nb4$5 28.Nxb4 axb4 29.Qxb4 exf4 30.Bd4 Ne5 31.Bc3 {<strong style="color:black;"> as it is, Radjabov just makes ‘normal’ moves and the game is soon over.</strong> } )
28.Bg2 Rg8 29.Ne3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Ding’s plan is to place his Bishop of d5.</strong>} Nd4 30.Bxd4 exd4 31.Nxf5 Qxf5 32.Bd5 Rxg1 33.Rxg1{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Virtually every Black pawn is a weakness. As well, White has mating threats along the g-file. The end is near.</strong>}
Nh6 ( 33...Qd7 34.c5 Nh6 35.c6! ) 34.Qb6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Decisive</strong>} Qd7 35.Qxd4 Qe7 36.Ka2{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Not necessary, but Ding does not give Radjabov even a back rank check!</strong>}
( 36.Qc3! ) Nf5 37.Qc3 b6 38.h5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A very strong move. Of course, there are other ways to win, such as moving the Rook to e6 via e1.</strong>} Re8 39.h6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Ding’s idea becomes clear. He is now planning Re1! Worse still, Black can not stop it. Radjabov now blunders, but he could not have held out for very long anyway.</strong>} Ne3
( 39...Nxh6 40.Re1!
Qxe1 41.Qxf6# )
( 39...Rf8 40.Qh3! Qd7 41.Qg4! )
40.Re1{[#] <strong style="color:red;"> Ding is just going to take the Knight off. Black resigned</strong>} 1-0
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Photo by David Llada.
