¡MVL a todo ritmo!

[Event "Exhibition Blitz Final"] [Site "Biel SUI"] [Date "2016.07.30"] [Round "1"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [WhiteElo "2798"] [BlackElo "2759"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2016.07.30"] [EventType "blitz"] 1. g3 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 dxc4 4. Na3 Bg7 5. Nxc4 Nc6 6. d3 e5 7. Be3 Nge7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. h4 Nf5 10. Bc5 Re8 11. h5 Be6 12. Rc1 g5 13. e3 h6 14. Qe2 Qd7 15. O-O Rad8 16. Rfd1 b6 $1 {Suddenly things are very bad as ...b5 and ...b4 condemn the bishop.} 17. Ba3 b5 18. Ncd2 b4 19. Nxg5 $1 {White's only fighting chance. White grabs a pawn to maximize material gain for the lost bishop.} Ncd4 {Black tries to hit back.} (19... hxg5 {would let White back in with} 20. Bxc6 Qe7 21. Bxe8 Rxe8 22. Bxb4 Qxb4 23. Ne4 {and things are no longer clear.}) 20. exd4 Nxd4 21. Qe3 bxa3 $2 {It seems hard to believe, but capturing the bishop was a mistake. Not a losing one, but it reverses the balance of power.} (21... Bg4 {was the correct continuation according to the engines, but good luck finding that in a blitz game.} 22. Ngf3 bxa3 23. bxa3 f5 {and Black has a small pull.}) 22. Nxe6 axb2 23. Nxd8 $3 {With a pawn attacking the rook and promoting to queen, it would have been easy to be lulled into playing the rook, but White is not to be misled.} (23. Rb1 $2 Qxe6 24. Rxb2 e4 $1 25. dxe4 Nf5 $1 {and the point of e4 is clear: it opened the diagonal for the bishop to allow} 26. Qa3 Bxb2 27. Qxb2 Nd4 {and Black is winning.}) 23... bxc1=Q 24. Rxc1 Rxd8 25. Nf3 {GM Daniel King said that with the dust settled, he preferred White, and right he is.} Nf5 26. Qxa7 Qxd3 27. Qxc7 e4 28. Ne5 Bxe5 29. Qxe5 e3 30. fxe3 Nxe3 31. Bf3 Nf5 32. Rf1 ({Yes,} 32. Rd1 {was winning, but both players had mere seconds left.}) 32... Nd4 33. Be4 Qc4 34. Qf6 Re8 35. Bg2 Re2 36. Qxh6 Qc5 37. Kh1 Rxa2 38. Be4 Nf5 {and Black's flag fell in this lost position.} 1-0

[Event "Exhibition Blitz Final"] [Site "Biel SUI"] [Date "2016.07.30"] [Round "2"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A04"] [WhiteElo "2759"] [BlackElo "2798"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2016.07.30"] [EventType "blitz"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. b3 e5 4. Bb2 e4 5. Ng1 Nf6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. g3 O-O 8. Bg2 Re8 9. Nh3 d5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe4 Bf5 12. Nc3 Bf6 13. O-O Nxc3 14. Bxc3 Bxc3 15. dxc3 Qf6 16. Nf4 Qxc3 17. Rc1 Qe5 18. e4 Rad8 19. Nd3 Qf6 20. exf5 Nb4 21. Rxc5 b6 22. Rc7 Nxd3 23. Qf3 a5 24. h4 h6 25. Qc6 Qxf5 26. Qxb6 Ne5 27. Rc3 Rd2 28. a4 Nd3 29. Qb5 Re5 30. Qb8+ Kh7 31. Qa7 Ree2 0-1