[Event "FIDE World Championship 2023"] [Site "Astana, Kazakhstan"] [Date "2023.04.07"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Liren, Ding"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "GM Elshan"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "A28"] [Opening "English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Quiet Line"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/46lbOGuJ/DJXvOdlc"] [Orientation "white"] { Annotations by GM Elshan Moradiabadi } 1. c4 { As mentioned by Nepo in the post-game conference, he did not think there was a high probability of Ding playing the English in this game. We all remember how Nepo had a crucial victory against Ding in the first round of 2022 Candidates in Spain. } 1... Nf6 (1... e5 2. g3 c6 3. Nf3 e4 4. Nd4 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nc2 Nf6 7. Nc3 Qe5 8. Bg2 Na6 9. O-O Be7 10. Ne3 O-O 11. a3 Re8 12. b4 Ng4 13. Bb2 Qh5 14. h4 Bf6 15. Qc2 Nxe3 16. dxe3 Bf5 17. Na4 Bxb2 18. Nxb2 Nc7 19. Nc4 Re6 20. Rfd1 Nd5 21. Rd4 h6 22. Qd2 Rae8 23. Kh2 Bg4 24. Na5 Rf6 25. Kg1 g5 26. Nxb7 gxh4 27. Nc5 h3 28. Rxe4 hxg2 29. Rxe8+ Kg7 30. f4 Qh1+ 31. Kf2 Qxa1 32. Kxg2 Bh3+ { was Black's win in Ding – Nepomniachtchi, Madrid, 2022. }) 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 Bxc3 6. bxc3 { This is a good sign! Ding is playing for a win, after all. I am personally connected to this position, as I won from the Black side against GM Ilya Nyzhnyk in the last round of the 2022 U.S. Open. Despite my positive feelings for this position, Black has a few plans against White's ambitious move. } (6. Qxc3 { This move has proven to be too easy to handle these days. See Chapter 7. }) 6... d6 { The engine's favorite move. } (6... O-O { This was my choice when I was trying to play for a win. See Chapter 8. }) (6... e4 { This leads to a forced sharp line, in which Black has few problems. This is also covered in Chapter 8. }) 7. e4 O-O 8. Be2 Nh5 { Nepo committed to this rather quickly. I suspect he had some in-depth analysis (dah!) and he was confident that he would recall it as he played through the next few moves. For better alternatives, see Chapter 9. } 9. d4 Nf4 10. Bxf4 exf4 11. O-O Qf6 12. Rfe1 Re8 13. Bd3 { Ding mentioned that he was already out of his preparation. Yet, he continued with energetic play and clear plans. This is what he is known for: crystal clear plans! } 13... Bg4 14. Nd2! { Without hesitations. } (14. e5 dxe5 15. Bxh7+ Kf8 { only hands over the initiative to Black. }) 14... Na5 15. c5! { Ding plays enthusiastically. This does not worry the engines a bit, but in a practical sense, White has something to play for now. } 15... dxc5 16. e5 Qh6 17. d5 Rad8 18. c4 b6 19. h3 Bh5 20. Be4! { Another excellent idea, though engines like Qc2-c3 follow by retreating the bishop to c2 a tad better. This move keeps the knight on a5 at bay. Also, the e5-pawn is tactically protected thanks to the Be4xh7+ idea. } 20... Re7 21. Qc3 Rde8 22. Bf3 Nb7 23. Re2 f6 { The knight needs the d6-square. However, this leaves White with a monstrous center. } 24. e6 Nd6 25. Rae1 Nf5?! { This is the beginning of a strategic catastrophe. } (25... Bg6 26. Ra1! { An odd move, suggested by the engines. } 26... Qg5 27. a4 a5 28. Ree1! { Some Ra1-a3, Bf3-g4, or Bf3-Be4 are suggested by the engines and it appears that White is maintaining long-term pressure by 'dillydallying' his pieces around Black's queen. I am not convinced White is even that much better, but it is certainly unpleasant for Black. } 28... Qh6 29. Bg4 Kf8 30. Qb3 Qg5 31. Nf3 Qh6) 26. Bxh5 Qxh5 27. Re4 Qh6 28. Qf3 Nd4?? { Nepo walks into a strategically losing position where White dominates the board with his knight. It reminds me of the game Hort – Kurajica where Hort played 20.Rd6! and dominated the dark squares. See Chapter 10. } (28... g5) 29. Rxd4! { Ding returns the "favor" of Nepo's second-round exchange sacrifice. The remainder is an immaculate technical display by Ding. } 29... cxd4 30. Nb3 g5?! { Bad but it really does not matter. } 31. Nxd4 Qg6 32. g4! { securing the f5-square. } 32... fxg3 33. fxg3 h5 34. Nf5 Rh7 35. Qe4 Kh8 36. e7 { (Around here, several commentators were debating whether White could “slow play” the position. One possibility was even walking the king over to the queenside, reminiscent of Karpov – Jussupow (1993) as shown in Chapter 11 - JJL) } 36... Qf7 37. d6! { Taking advantage of the move ... Kg8-h8. } 37... cxd6 38. Nxd6 Qg8 (38... Rxe7 39. Nxf7+ $18) 39. Nxe8 Qxe8 40. Qe6 Kg7 41. Rf1 Rh6 42. Rd1 f5 43. Qe5+ Kf7 44. Qxf5+ Rf6 45. Qh7+ Ke6 46. Qg7 Rg6 47. Qf8 { A neat victory for Ding. A step-by-step execution of his plans, tailored to perfection! It is amazing how fast he managed to come back from a barely recognizable shadow of himself to the man who won this game in style. } 1-0