[Event "FIDE Candidates Tournament"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2022.06.25"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [WhiteTeam "United States"] [BlackElo "2753"] [BlackTeam "Azerbaijan"] [Annotator "John Watson"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B32"] [Opening "Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation, Maróczy Bind, Geller Line"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/DuOVFWI1/EJaXo0me"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 { Trying to get away from ultra-critical theoretical lines. This variation has been used by the likes of Artemiev and Rapport, but it tends to be played as a surprise weapon. } 3. c4 (3. c3 { has been a popular move here among the leading players, and Caruana himself has used it. }) 3... Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 { The point. Otherwise Black is in a Maroczy Bind with the arguably slow ...a6 move in. } (5... Nf6 6. Nc3 e5 7. Nf5 d5 8. cxd5 Bxf5 9. exf5 Nd4 10. Bd3 { [%emt 0:00:09] transposes to the following note on Nc3 }) 6. Nf5 d5! 7. cxd5 Bxf5 8. exf5 Nd4 { [#] } 9. Bd3 (9. Nc3 Nf6 10. Bd3 Nxd5 11. O-O Bb4 12. Be4! { has been played a lot, with an excellent score for White, e.g., } 12... Nxc3 13. bxc3 Bxc3 14. Rb1 O-O 15. Rxb7 (15. Qg4!) 15... Qh4 16. Qd3 Rad8? 17. f6?! (17. Ba3 Nb5 18. g3!! Qg4 19. Rxf7!! $18) 17... gxf6 (17... Qh5) 18. Ba3 f5 19. Bxf5 Rfe8 20. Bd7 $18 { Mkrtchyan, L (2148)-Fernandez Estremera,F (1944) Collado Villalba 2019 }) 9... Qxd5 (9... Nf6 10. O-O Qxd5 (10... Nxd5 11. Nc3 { is the previous note }) 11. Nc3 Qd7 { transposes to the game. }) 10. Nc3 Qd7 (10... Bb4 { leaves White with the bishop pair after } 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Qe2 Nf6 { , e.g., } 14. Bg5! (14. Ba3?! O-O-O 15. Bc4 Qa5) (14. Rd1! Qa5 15. Rb1 O-O 16. Bg5 $18) 14... Rd8 15. Rfd1 Qa5 16. Rab1 Qxc3 17. Rxb7 O-O 18. Rb3 Qc5 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Qg4+ Kh8 21. Qh4 Qe7 22. Bf1! Rg8 23. Rh3 Rg7 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. Qe4 Nd4 26. Qb7 $18) 11. O-O Nf6 (11... O-O-O { is probably a better order, e.g., } 12. Re1 Nc6 (12... Nxf5 13. Rxe5 Qxd3 14. Qxd3 Rxd3 15. Rxf5 Bb4 16. Bf4! Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nf6 $14 { is playable }) 13. Bc4 Bc5 14. Qxd7+ Rxd7 15. Ne4 Bb4 16. Rf1 Nf6 17. Nxf6 gxf6 18. Be3 Bd2 $14) 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Re1 O-O-O?! { It takes too much time to defend the e-pawn, but } (13... O-O 14. Rxe5 Rfe8 { was safer and better. It seems to me that this should have been part of Radjabov's preparation. }) 14. Rxe5 Nc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Rd5 Qe7 17. Bc4 { White has an extra pawn. The opposite-colored bishops will only help Black if he can exchange off all the heavy pieces. } 17... Kb8 18. Qd3 (18. Qb3! { is a good move, intending } 18... Nd4 19. Qb6 Rc8 20. Bf1 $16) 18... Qb4 (18... Qc7!) 19. Bb3 Nd4 (19... Rxd5 20. Nxd5 Qd6 { might improve. }) 20. Qc4 Qxc4 (20... a5!?) 21. Bxc4 Rc8 22. Bd3 Nc6 23. Be4! $16 { [#] A perfect diagonal for the bishop. } 23... Rhe8 24. f3 Re7? (24... Ne5 $16) (24... Red8 25. Rad1 Rxd5 26. Bxd5 Rc7 27. Bb3 { improves for Black, but he remains a pawn down under pressure. }) 25. Rad1 $18 h6 26. Kf2 Rcc7 27. R5d2!? (27. R5d3! { is not obvious, but might be even better, in view of } 27... Nb4 28. R3d2 $18 Bxc3 29. bxc3 Rxc3 30. a3! Rxa3 (30... Nc6 31. Rd7 $18) 31. Rd7 Rxd7 32. Rxd7 $18 { The point is that Black's kingside disappears and White's pawns there can't be stopped from advancing. }) 27... Bxc3 28. bxc3 Ne5 29. Rc1 f6? { Logically trying to blockade the position, but that can't be achieved, so better was } (29... Ng4+! 30. Kg3 Nf6 $16) 30. Kg3 Ka7 31. Rd4 Rc5 32. Kh4! { [#] Such a king advance looks easy enough, but it takes confidence and courage in such a high-pressure event. The computer engine rates White's position as overwhelming. } 32... Rec7 33. Kh5 b5 34. f4 Nd7 { Perhaps thinking about playing ... Nf8 in some lines. } (34... Nc4 { allows } 35. Kg6) 35. Rcd1 Nb6 36. R1d3 Na4 (36... Rxc3 37. Rxc3 Rxc3 38. Kg6 Rc7 39. Rd8 Nc4 40. Rg8 { and all of Black's kingside pawns fall. }) 37. Kg6 { White had a more forcing plan with } (37. Rd8 Nxc3 38. Ra8+ Kb6 39. Rd6+ Ka5 40. Raxa6+ Kb4 41. Bd3 $18) 37... Nxc3 38. Bf3 Nxa2 39. Rd7 $18 Nc3 40. Kxg7 b4 41. Kxf6 b3 42. Rd2 a5 { Black hurries to support the advance of the b-pawn and White will try to promote his f-pawn. } 43. Ke6 (43. Kg6 $18 a4 44. f6 a3 45. f7) 43... Rxd7 44. Rxd7+ Ka6 45. f6 { The commentators faulted Caruana for not playing... } (45. Rd8 $18 { , but it's really a matter of taste, since Fabiano's move wins so clearly. After 45. Rd7-d8, play might go } 45... Rb5 46. Ra8+ Kb6 47. f6 b2 48. f7 b1=Q 49. f8=Q) 45... b2 46. f7 b1=Q 47. f8=Q { Caruana saw that White can avoid the trickiest lines here by simplifying. } 47... Qg6+ 48. Qf6 (48. Ke7 { also wins: } 48... Kb5 49. g4 a4 50. Rb7+ Kc4 51. f5 Qg5+ 52. Qf6 $18 Qxf6+ 53. Kxf6 a3 54. Kg6 Ra5 55. Rc7+ Kb3 56. f6 a2 57. f7 a1=Q 58. f8=Q $18) 48... Qe8+ 49. Kd6 { [#] } 49... Rc4 { Some other nice lines: } (49... Kb5 50. Rb7+ Kc4 (50... Ka4 51. Qd4+) 51. Qe6+ Qxe6+ 52. Kxe6 a4 53. f5 a3 54. f6 Ra5 55. f7 a2 56. f8=Q a1=Q 57. Qf4+ Kd3 58. Rd7+ Kc2 59. Qd2+ Kb3 60. Rb7+ Rb5 61. Bd5+ Kb4 62. Qd4+ Ka3 63. Ra7+) (49... Qe3 50. Re7! { wins immediately } (50. Ra7+!? Kb5 (50... Kxa7? 51. Qf7+) 51. Rb7+ Ka4 52. Qe6 Nb5+ 53. Ke7 Qc3 54. Kf7 Rc7+ 55. Kg6 Qg7+ 56. Kh5 $18) 50... Qf2 51. Rb7! { and Black has to resign }) 50. Rc7 { It's hard to go wrong: } (50. Ra7+! Kxa7 (50... Kb5 51. Qf5+ Kb4 52. Qxa5+) (50... Kb6 51. Rb7+ Ka6 52. Rb3!) 51. Qg7+ { mates }) (50. Re7 { also wins: } 50... Qd8+ 51. Ke5+ Qb6 52. Qxb6+ Kxb6 53. Rb7+ Ka6 54. Rb8 a4 55. f5 { , etc. }) 50... Kb5 51. Qe5+! { Simplest. } 51... Qxe5+ 52. fxe5 { The e-pawn is too strong. } 52... Rxc7 53. Kxc7 Kc5 54. e6 Nb5+ 55. Kd7 a4 56. e7 { The end would be... } (56... Nd6 57. Bd1! a3 58. Bb3 { Notice how Caruana, given the choice of various wins, had the patience to resist fireworks and find straightforward sequences with minimal risk to bring home the point. }) 1-0