Copa del Mundo: la sabrosa recta final

[Event "FIDE World Cup 2017"] [Site "Tbilisi"] [Date "2017.09.25"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2802"] [BlackElo "2771"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00] This time Aronian chooses a less direct way to meet Ding Liren's solid opening setup.} ( 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 {is what Aronian played in the first game of the finals.}) 2... e6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 3. g3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 4. Bg2 {[%emt 0: 00:00]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:27]} (4... Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 {It could have been possible to transpose the game into the line that was played in game two with colours exchanged, but Ding Liren prefers to go for something that Aronian has comparatively less experience in.}) 5. Qa4+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00: 06]} 6. Qxc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:07] This was the same line that was played between Ivanchuk and Aronian. Levon had played this with the black pieces in that game, not tries it with White. This is something to learn from the top players. They like certain openings, but are not always attached to it. If they find a good idea, they can play it with either colour.} 7. Ne5 { [%emt 0:00:01]} Qc8 {[%emt 0:00:05] Black's idea in this line is to aim for rapid development and space in the center. In the process he loses his light squared bishop, but he hopes to base his play on the dark squares and make the bishop on g2 shoot in darkness.} 8. Qd3 $5 {[%emt 0:00:05] This is a move that I had not seen before. But it is not yet a novelty. It has been played by many top players like Grischuk, Yu Yangyi and a few others.} ({The main line goes} 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 10. O-O Rc8 $11 {with a dynamically balanced position.} ) 8... Nc6 {[%emt 0:01:35]} (8... Bc6 {This is not so great as after} 9. Nxc6 Nxc6 10. Qb5 {White is able to ruin Blacks structure.}) 9. Nxd7 {[%emt 0:00:06] And this is one of the main ideas of Qd3. The knight cannot be recaptured by the queen. It will have to be taken by the knight which to some extent ruins Black's co-ordination.} Nxd7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} (9... Qxd7 $6 10. Qxd7+ Kxd7 11. Nc3 Rc8 12. O-O $14 {White has the bishop pair in this position and this gives him a small edge for sure.}) 10. Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:05] This is Aronian's new idea. He is aiming for something similar to Qb5, but just that the queen is not in danger of being kicked away with moves like a6. But in general I do not think too highly of Aronian's idea. It is just a move that he made. Qa4-c4-d3-b3 is not going to give you an opening advantage.} (10. Qb5 {has been seen before.} Nde5 11. f4 a6 12. Qa4 Nd7 (12... b5 13. Qe4 f5 14. Qe3 Nc4 $11) 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Na3 $14 {1-0 (72) Grischuk,A (2737)-Wojtaszek,R (2749) Doha 2016}) 10... Be7 {[%emt 0:02:45]} (10... Nd4 $5 {This looks like an interesting option.} 11. Qa4 $13 (11. Qxb7 $6 Qxb7 12. Bxb7 Rb8 13. Be4 f5 14. Bd3 (14. e3 fxe4 15. exd4 cxd4 $17) 14... c4 15. e3 Ne5 $1 16. Be4 fxe4 17. exd4 Nf3+ $15 (17... Nd3+ $15)) 11... Be7 12. Nc3 O-O 13. O-O Nb6 14. Qd1 Rd8 $11 {This game was reached with the move order Qb5 Nd4 instead of Qb3 Nd4. 1-0 (58) Pantsulaia,L (2585)-Wagner,D (2563) Abu Dhabi 2017}) 11. Nc3 {[%emt 0:04: 05]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:36]} 12. O-O {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rd8 $6 {[%emt 0:01:29]} ( 12... Nb6 {This is what Ding thought was better than what he did in the game.} 13. d3 Qd7 $11) 13. d3 {[%emt 0:05:14]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:05:28] Somehow the game resembles a bit like the second one where Aronian's knight also moved from f6-d7-b6 and took came to d8.} 14. Be3 {[%emt 0:01:39]} Nd4 {[%emt 0:02:14]} ( 14... c4 $5 15. dxc4 Na5 16. Qc2 Naxc4 17. Bf4 $14) 15. Bxd4 {[%emt 0:01:52]} Rxd4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} (15... cxd4 16. Nb5 $14 {Followed by Rac1 or threats like Na7 give White a pleasant edge.}) 16. Rfc1 {[%emt 0:05:42]} Rd7 $1 { [%emt 0:10:41] A strong defensive move. Once the rook is back, the knight can come to d5.} (16... c4 {was a possibility, but Ding was afraid of Nb5.} 17. Nb5 (17. dxc4 Rxc4 18. Rc2 $14) 17... cxb3 (17... Rxd3 $5 18. Rxc4 Rxb3 19. Rxc8+ Rxc8 20. axb3 $14) 18. Rxc8+ Rxc8 19. Nxd4 Bf6 20. Nxb3 Rc2 $132) (16... Qd7 { This was Ding Liren's original intention, but he was afraid of something like a3 followed by Nb5-a7.} 17. a3 $14 {[%cal Gc3b5,Gb5a7]}) 17. a4 {[%emt 0:07:27] } Qd8 {[%emt 0:00:48]} (17... c4 $5 $11) 18. a5 {[%emt 0:10:35]} Nd5 {[%emt 0: 00:04]} 19. Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 20. d4 $1 {[%emt 0:00: 03]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:03:27]} (20... c4 21. Qa4 $14 {Somehow with the pawns on d5 and c4 and the bishop siting on g2, it seems to me that White is better.}) 21. Rc2 $6 {[%emt 0:05:05] This is the move that both Aronian and Ding Liren thought was inaccurate after the game.} (21. Bh3 $1 Rc7 22. Rxc7 Qxc7 23. Bg2 $1 {White can definitely claim a small edge here.} (23. Qxd5 $6 Rd8 24. Qb3 d3 25. exd3 Bc5 $44) 23... Bf6 24. Bxd5 Re8 25. Bf3 $14 {White has a small edge here, but nothing substantial. A few accurate moves by Black and the position should be drawn.}) 21... g6 {[%emt 0:03:19]} 22. Bh3 {[%emt 0:02:15]} Rc7 { [%emt 0:10:49]} 23. Rac1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} (23. Rxc7 Qxc7 24. Bg2 Bf6 25. Bxd5 Re8 26. Bf3 $14) 23... Rxc2 {[%emt 0:02:02]} 24. Rxc2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} b6 { [%emt 0:01:07] This is the human way to play.} ({A very interesting variation takes place after} 24... Qxa5 25. Qxb7 Rf8 $1 (25... Qd8 $2 26. Rc7 (26. Bc8 $18) 26... Rb8 27. Qxa7) 26. Qxe7 Qe1+ 27. Kg2 d3 $1 {This variation is not easy for a human to see.} 28. Rc8 Rxc8 29. Bxc8 d2 $11 {And White has to accept the perpetual.}) (24... a6) 25. Bg2 $14 {[%emt 0:01:05]} (25. a6 Bc5 $11 ) 25... Rc8 {[%emt 0:01:43]} 26. Rxc8 {[%emt 0:04:50]} Qxc8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 27. Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} (27. axb6 axb6 28. Qxb6 Qc1+ 29. Bf1 Qc4 $14 { was a possible variation.}) 27... Qf5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:07] After this move Ding was confidently of holding the game.} 28. Qc4 {[%emt 0:06:27]} bxa5 {[%emt 0: 03:03] Ding made this move bxa5 and after three minutes when Aronian was thinking he offered a draw in his opponent's time. Of course this is incorrect. He should have offered it in his own time.} 29. b3 {[%emt 0:07:45]} d3 { [%emt 0:03:41]} (29... Bd8 30. Qxd4 Bb6 31. e4 Bxd4 32. exf5 gxf5 $11) 30. exd3 {[%emt 0:01:29]} (30. e4 Qf6 31. Qxd3 Bc5 $11) 30... Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 31. Qe4 {[%emt 0:02:33] This time Aronian offered the draw correctly after making his move, before pressing his clock and the players agreed to split the point and take the match into the final classical game.} 1/2-1/2