The Players are Fighting!
Definitely this World Cup ranks as one of the most interesting in recent times. Of the remaining 8 mini-matches, yesterday’s play saw no less than 4 decisive games. Duda, Vachier-Lagrave, Grischuk and Vitiugov downed, respectively, Xiong, Svidler, Dominguez and So.
Today the second game of each mini-match will be played and fireworks are expected. These pairings are given below:
The Vachier Lagrave versus Svidler game was quite intense . Two of the world’s leading experts on the Spanish variation faceoff. Both are obviously well prepared , but it is Svidler who forces the play , exchanging pieces before the Frenchman can take the initiative.
Svidler then sacrifices a pawn to keep things going and the game seems to be heading to a deadlock when Svidler in explicably mixes up his move order, allowing Vachier Lagrave to keep his pawn advantage. Rather than wait by and see how the Frenchman nurses his advantage, Svidler then sacrifices a piece to open up the White Kingside. It fails miserably as White killed all of Black’s threats.
Svidler resigned when time control was reached. He was a piece less with nothing to show for it.
gm Vachier Lagrave – Svidler World Cup r4.g1 20.9.2019 1-0
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3
O-O 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4
Nc6 {<strong style="color:black;">This way of playing is considered one of Black’s best lines of play. </strong> } 14.Nb3 a5{[#]} 15.Be3 a4 16.Nbd2 Bd7 17.Rc1! Rac8 {[#]}
({<strong style="color:black;">Svidler varies slightly from his previous praxis. </strong> } 17...Qb7 18.Nf1
Rfe8 ( 18...h6 19.Ng3 Rfe8$13 {<strong style="color:black;">Ivanchuk V – Svidler P 2727 , Nanjing 11/12/2008</strong> }
) 19.Ng3 Bd8$13 {<strong style="color:black;"> Dominguez Perez,L – Svidler,P, Nice FRA 20/ 3/2010 19th Amber Blindfold</strong> }
)
18.Bd3! Qb7$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Svidler has a penchant for this move in similar positions. It is more dynamic than on b8 as it ‘looks at’ the e4 square.</strong>}
({[#] <strong style="color:red;">Most popular, and absolutely rock solid, is the alternative queen move:</strong>} 18...Qb8 19.Qe2 Nb4 20.Bb1 h6 ( 20...Rxc1 21.Rxc1
Re8 ( 21...Rc8 22.Rxc8+ Bxc8 23.Nf1 Bd7 24.Qd2 Nc6
( 24...exd4 25.Nxd4 Nc6 26.Ng3 $14 ) 25.d5 ( 25.Ng3 ) Na7 26.Qa5 )
22.b3 axb3 23.Nxb3 Rc8 24.Rxc8+ Bxc8 25.Bd2 Na6 26.Bd3 $16 Bd7
27.dxe5 dxe5 28.Bc3 Bd6 29.Qb2 Bc6 30.Bxe5 Nb4 31.Qd4 Bxe5 32.Nxe5
Be8 33.Bb1 Na6 34.Nf3 Nd7 35.e5 Nf8 36.Qe3 Nc7 37.Nbd4 Nd5 38.Qb3
Ne7 39.Bd3 Neg6 40.Bxb5 Nxe5 41.a4 Nxf3+ 42.Qxf3 g6 43.Qf6 h5
44.g3 Bd7 45.Kh2 Qa7 46.h4 Qa5 47.Bc4 Be8 48.Nc6 {<strong style="color:black;">1-0, Ivanchuk, V – Bruzon, L Habana 21/11/2006 Capablanca Memorial</strong> }
)
21.Nf1 Rxc1 22.Rxc1 Rc8 23.Rxc8+ Bxc8 24.a3 Nc6 25.Bd3 Bd7
26.N1d2 d5 27.dxe5 Nxe5 28.Nxe5 Qxe5 29.Nf3 Qb8 30.exd5 Nxd5
31.Bxh6 gxh6 32.Qe4 Bf6 33.Qxd5 Be6 34.Qh5 Kg7 35.Bf5 Bxf5 36.Qxf5
Bxb2 37.Qg4+ Kh8 38.Qb4 Bg7 39.Nh4 Qe5 40.g4 Qb2 41.Qe7 b4 42.Qxf7
bxa3 43.Ng6+ Kh7 44.Nf8+ Kh8 45.Ng6+ Kh7 46.Nf8+ {<strong style="color:black;">1/2-1/2, Vachier-Lagrave M – Akopian V , Paris 24/ 6/2009 Match</strong> }
)
19.Qe2 h6 20.a3 ( {<strong style="color:black;"> It is too early for </strong> }20.Bxb5? Nxd4 21.Nxd4 Rxc1 22.Rxc1 exd4 23.Ba6
Qb6 24.Bf4 Qxb2$17 ) exd4$5
({<strong style="color:black;">Black should avoid </strong> } 20...Rfe8 {<strong style="color:black;"> as now quite strong is </strong> }21.Bxb5 Nxd4 22.Nxd4 Rxc1
23.Rxc1 exd4 24.Bxd7 dxe3 25.Bxe8 exd2 26.Qxd2 Nxe8 27.Rc4{<strong style="color:black;">and White has all the winning chances </strong> } )
21.Nxd4 Nxd4 22.Bxd4 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 b4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Svidler is forcing the play, not letting his opponent to get the initiative.</strong>} 24.Nc4
({<strong style="color:black;">Next time around White might give more consideration to </strong> } 24.axb4$5 Qxb4 25.Bc3
Qb7 26.Nc4 )
bxa3 25.bxa3 Bb5!{<strong style="color:black;">Very precise. Svidler plays to exchange the White Bishop on d3 </strong> } ( 25...d5? 26.Rb1!$16 ) 26.Nxd6
({<strong style="color:black;">There is nothing for White in the apparently strong </strong> } 26.Rb1 Qa6! 27.Rxb5$6 Qxb5 28.Nxd6 Qc6 29.Nf5 Bxa3 30.e5 Nd5{<strong style="color:black;">when White’s attack proves insufficient </strong> } 31.Qe4$6
Qc1+ 32.Kh2 Qf4+$19 )
Bxd3 27.Qxd3 Bxd6 28.Bxf6 Bf4!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A strong move that quite possibly Vachier Lagrave underestimated when he made his 24th move.</strong>} 29.Rb1 Qc7 30.Bc3
( {<strong style="color:black;">No better is </strong> }30.Bd4 Rd8 31.Qc3 Qxc3 32.Bxc3 Rc8 33.Bb4 Rc4 34.f3 Rc2{<strong style="color:black;">when Black, despite the pawn less, is not the least bit worse. </strong> } )
Rd8 31.Qf3{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Rc8?
({<strong style="color:black;">After playing so well Svidler makes a serious imprecision that throws away all of his good work up to now. Correct was </strong> } 31...Bd6! 32.g3
( 32.Bb4 Qc2! ) Bf8 33.Kg2 Qc4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black has full compensation for the pawn and the game should soon be agreed drawn. Neither side can break the deadlock.</strong>} )
32.Bb4 Qc1+ 33.Qd1 Qc4 34.g3
Qxe4$6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Desperate</strong>} ( 34...Be5! ) 35.gxf4 Rc6 36.f5 Qxf5 37.Bd6 Qxh3 38.Rb4 Rc3
39.Rd4 Kh7 40.Qxa4 Qf3 41.Qd1 Qc6 42.Qf1{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} ({<strong style="color:black;">Even stronger is </strong> } 42.Qb1+ g6 43.Qe4{<strong style="color:black;"> but Black was thinking of resigning anyway! </strong> } ) 1-0
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