23.9.15

The Chinese Wall!

If you ahve enjoyed the previous game between Wei Yi and Ding Liren, you would definitely like to know what happened next. In the second game of their match in Baku, in a must-win situation, Ding Liren goes for the quiet Anti-Marshall line:
A game that I liked (ChessBase 13)

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.21"]
[Round "29.8"]
[White "Wei, Yi"]
[Black "Ding, Liren"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2782"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "159"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:02:45"]
[BlackClock "0:00:58"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 {The Anti-Marshall
is almost a must at the top level.} b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 h6 {Diagram
[#] Black has plenty of choice in the current situation. Ding Liren had
successfully tried:} (9... Nb8 10. Ne2 c5 11. Ng3 Nc6 12. c3 Be6 13. Bxe6 fxe6
14. b4 Qd7 {in the fresh game Malakhov,V (2706)-Ding,L (2755) China 2015}) 10.
h3 Re8 11. Bd2 Bf8 $146 {[%cal Ge8e5,Yc6e7,Yf8g7] Diagram [#] A novelty. Black
supports the e5 pawn, opens the e7 square for the knight and prepares
fianchettoe of his dark-squared bishop.} ({Previously only} 11... Rb8 {has
been tested with the usual slight edge for White after} 12. Nd5 Bf8 13. Ne3 Be6
14. Bxe6 Rxe6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ Rxf6 17. b4 {Miranda Mesa,E (2416)-Becerra
Rivero,J (2546) Merida 2014}) 12. a4 Rb8 ({In the spirit of Black' previous
move was the following play in the center} 12... Na5 $5 13. Ba2 b4 14. Ne2 d5 {
with counterplay.}) 13. axb5 axb5 14. Re1 $14 {[%cal Ga2g8,Ra1a8] Diagram [#]
Wei Yi can be satisfied with the opening. He has slight but long lasting
advantage thanks to his Spanish bishop and the open a file.} Be6 15. Nd5 Nd7 {
Prepares the following maneuver. The capture} (15... Bxd5 16. exd5 Ne7 17. c4
$14 {is less convincing as Black has hard time organizing his forces on the
kingside.}) 16. c3 Ne7 {Now Ne7xd5 is a positional threat, thus...} 17. Ne3 $1
{[%csl Ye7] Diagram [#]} Bxb3 18. Qxb3 {Black managed to trade a pair of light
pieces but he is not yet equal as his dark-squared bishop can do better.} Ng6
19. g3 Nc5 20. Qc2 Qd7 21. b4 Ne6 22. d4 {Probably a bit premature. White is
steadily better if he plays along the a file:} (22. Ra7 Ra8 23. Rea1 Qc6 24.
Qa2 Rxa7 25. Qxa7 $16 {[%cal Ra1a8,Ra8a1] Diagram [#]}) 22... exd4 23. cxd4 c5
$1 {Ding Liren is practically sacrificing this pawn but in return gets play
along the c and e files.} 24. d5 Nd4 ({Or the Benoni-style play with} 24... Ng5
25. Nxg5 hxg5 26. Kg2 Ne5 $14 {where White is better.}) 25. Nxd4 cxd4 26. Nf5 {
Now the d4 pawn is practically doomed, but Black can organize threats while
White is taking care of it.} Ne5 27. Kg2 Rbc8 28. Qb3 d3 29. Ra2 (29. Rac1 $5)
29... Ra8 {Too slow. The correct way was} (29... g6 $1 {and after} 30. Nxh6+
Bxh6 31. Bxh6 f5 $1 {Diagram [#] Black gets counter play on the light squares.
For example} 32. Bf4 (32. exf5 $6 Qxf5) (32. f4 $6 Nf7 $1) 32... fxe4 33. Rxe4
Qf5 {followed by Rc8-c2. In these lines Black makes good use of the doomed d3
pawn.}) 30. Rea1 (30. Rxa8 Rxa8 31. Bf4 {looks simpler.}) 30... Rxa2 31. Rxa2
Qc8 $6 {Only this move makes Black's position really suspicious. Correct was} (
31... Qc7 $1 {[%cal Rc8c1,Re8e1] Diagram [#] as the queen is placed nicely
along the seventh rank, ready to attack along both the c and e files.} 32. Ne3
(32. f3 g6 33. Nd4 Qc4 $1) 32... Qe7 33. f4 (33. f3 g6) (33. Nd1) 33... Nc4 34.
Qxd3 (34. Nxc4 $2 Qxe4+) 34... Nxd2 35. Rxd2 Qxe4+ 36. Qxe4 Rxe4 $11) 32. Ne3
g6 33. Bc3 {Now Wei Yi finally wins the annoying d pawn.} h5 34. Bxe5 Rxe5 35.
Qxd3 Qe8 36. Re2 {Setting a small trap.} Bg7 (36... Rxe4 $2 {loses material
due to} 37. Ng4 $1) 37. Nc2 f5 $1 {[%csl Ye4] Diagram [#] The best chance for
Ding. He weakens the e4 pawn.} 38. f3 fxe4 39. fxe4 Re7 40. Nd4 {White could
have maneuvered further with} (40. Ne1 {but since the juicy e6 and c6 squares
lay on the road of the black bishop this trade will be more or less forced
later.}) 40... Bxd4 41. Qxd4 Re5 {Wei Yi won a pawn but the remaining pieces
give good chances for a draw to his opponent. In both the possible queen or
rook endgames Ding Liren will keep good drawing chances. On the top of this
the blockade of the extra e pawn makes White's task rather difficult.} 42. Qd3
Kh7 43. Qc2 Qe7 44. h4 Kg7 45. Qd3 Kh7 46. Kh2 Kg7 47. Qd4 Kh7 48. Re3 {
Diagram [#] A mini-zugzwang. The king moves seemingly will allow the
improvement of the white rook.} g5 {Ding Liren decided to defend actively.
This was not forced.} ({True} 48... Kg7 49. Rc3 $1 {is good for White.}) ({But
} 48... Kg8) ({And even} 48... Kh6 {were perfectly possible as} 49. Rc3 {does
not lead White anywhere after} Rxe4 50. Qh8+ Qh7) 49. hxg5 Qxg5 (49... Kg6 $1)
50. Rf3 Re7 51. Rf4 Qg6 52. Rf6 $1 {Diagram [#] White made a lot of progress
and once that the blockade is gone his winning chances rose very high.} Qg5 (
52... Rxe4 $2 {loses to} 53. Qa7+) ({And} 52... Qxe4 $2 {is refuted by the cute
} 53. Rf7+ $1) 53. Qf2 Kg7 54. Rxd6 {Forces matters. Around this moment of the
game Wei Yi had around three minutes left on the clock and Ding Liren-six.} (
54. Rf5 Qg4 55. Rf4 {followed by Qf2-f3 and Rf4-f5 should also win.}) 54... h4
55. Kh3 {Too sophisticated. White has serious winning chances after} (55. gxh4
Qe5+ 56. Qg3+ Qxg3+ 57. Kxg3 Rxe4) 55... hxg3 56. Qf5 ({Or else there will be
an instant draw after} 56. Qxg3 Qxg3+ 57. Kxg3 Rxe4 $11) 56... Qxf5+ 57. exf5 {
Diagram [#] Now a rook endgame with limitted number of pawns promises Ding a
rest day and participation in the next round. Until one moment everything
seems fine for him.} Re4 (57... Re5 $5 {with the idea} 58. f6+ Kf7 59. Kxg3 Re4
{seems good for Black.}) 58. Rg6+ Kf7 59. Rxg3 Rxb4 (59... Rd4 $1 {demolishing
the most dangerous passer was the way to do it.}) 60. Rd3 Rc4 ({Black misses
another draw} 60... Rf4 $1 61. d6 Ke8 62. Rd5 Kd7 63. Kg3 Rc4 $11) 61. d6 Rc8
$2 {Why? The rook should be left to work and it is the king's job to take care
of the passer!} (61... Ke8 $1 {[%csl Yd3,Yd6][%cal Ge8d7] Diagram [#] should
lead to a draw.}) 62. Kg4 Kf6 63. Kf4 {Now White wins but it ain't over yet.}
b4 64. Ke4 Rb8 65. Kd5 {Allows a chance to the black rook to do something. But
I suspect that Wei Yi simply calculated faster than the computer that he
promotes his pawn into a queen and went for it with his thirty seconds
increment.} (65. Rb3 $1 {Diagram [#] was the clear-cut win} Rb5 (65... Rh8 66.
Kd5) 66. d7 Ke7 67. Rd3 Kd8 68. f6 Rh5 69. f7 Rh8 70. Ke5 b3 71. Rxb3 Kxd7 72.
Kf6 $18) 65... b3 66. d7 $1 {The only chance as} (66. Rd1 b2 67. Rb1 Rb5+ 68.
Kc6 Rb3 $11 {followed by long-distance checks is an instant draw.}) 66... b2
67. Rb3 Rxb3 68. d8=Q+ Kxf5 {Diagram [#] It seems as White should be easily
winning but the computer claims it is a draw!} 69. Qd7+ Kg5 70. Qe7+ Kg4 71.
Qe4+ Kg3 72. Qg6+ Kh4 {My hand is preventing me to give a question mark to
this move although it loses the game.} ({Strong is} 72... Kf3 $1 {whe the
difference in comparison to the game is that the black king is closer to its
rook and can save it from the sad destiny-} 73. Qb1 Kf4 74. Kc4 Rb7 75. Qf1+
Ke5 76. Qe2+ Kd6 $11 {Diagram [#]}) 73. Qb1 Kg5 74. Kc4 $1 {The rook's lost on
the open board.} Rb8 (74... Rb6 75. Qg1+ $18) (74... Rb7 75. Qg1+ Kf5 76. Qc5+
Kf4 77. Qf2+ Ke5 78. Qd4+ Kf5 79. Qd5+ $18) 75. Qg1+ Kf5 76. Qc5+ Kg4 77. Qd4+
Kf3 78. Qf6+ Ke4 79. Qe6+ Kf3 80. Qf5+ {Diagram [#] If thе previous game
between the two Chinese top GMs was a thriller, how should we name this one?}
1-0



Report.

No comments: