[Event "Round 10: Hikaru Nakamura - Alireza Fir"]
[Site "lichess.org"]
[Date "2022.06.18"]
[White "Hikaru Nakamura"]
[Black "Alireza Firouzja"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Bajarani,Ulvi"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "B90"]
[Opening "Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack"]
[Source "https://lichess.org/study/GOhAdjoj/utWoJ3LV"]
[Orientation "white"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Nc6!? 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Nd5 { One of the options in the position. } (9. Qe2 Be7 10. O-O Rc8 11. Bb3 Na5 12. Rfd1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Bxc4 14. Qe1 Nd7 $132 { 1/2 (17) Grigoriants,
S (2550)-Slizhevsky,A (2427) Moscow 2006 }) (9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Ng5 Qe7 11. Qf3 Nd4 12. Bxd4 exd4 13. Ne2 h6 14. Qh3 e5 15. c3 dxc3 16. Nxc3 Qd7 17. Ne6 Kf7 18. Ng5+ Ke8 19. O-O-O Rg8 20. Qxd7+ Kxd7 21. Nf3 Ke6 $132) (9. Bb3!? h6!? (9... Na5 10. Bg5 Nxb3 11. axb3 Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nd5 Be7 14. O-O O-O 15. Qd3 $14 { 1/2 (21) Andriasian,Z (2586)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2751) Chess.com INT
2018 }) 10. O-O Na5 11. Nd5 { 1-0 (70) Volokitin,A (2686)-Bologan,V (2657)
Rogaska Slatina 2011 } 11... Nxb3 12. Bb6 Qc8 13. Nc7+ Qxc7 14. Bxc7 Nxa1 15. c3!? (15. c4 Bxc4 (15... Rc8 16. Bxd6 Rd8 17. c5 Nb3 18. axb3 Nxe4 $132) 16. Re1 Be7 $132) (15. Qxa1 Rc8 $132) 15... Be7 (15... Rc8?! 16. Ba5 $14) 16. Ba5 Nb3 (16... Nxe4?? 17. Qa4+ $18) 17. axb3 Nxe4 18. Re1 Nf6 19. Bb4 (19. c4 O-O 20. c5 dxc5 21. Nxe5 Nd5 22. Ng6 Rfe8 23. Nxe7+ Rxe7 $132) 19... a5 20. Ba3 b5 21. Qe2 b4 22. cxb4 axb4 23. Bxb4 Rb8 24. Ba3 Nd5 $132) 9... Rc8 10. Nxf6+ gxf6?! $14 { Firouzja goes all-in, but the move destroys Black's pawn structure. } (10... Qxf6 { is the better capture. } 11. Bxe6 (11. Bd5!? Nb4 12. c4 Bxd5 13. exd5 Rxc4 14. O-O Nc2 15. Qd3 (15. Rc1 Nxe3 16. Qb3 Be7 17. Qxb7 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 O-O 19. fxe3 Qh6 $132) 15... Nxe3 16. fxe3 Rc7 17. Rac1 Qd8 18. Rxc7 Qxc7 19. Ng5 Be7 20. Nxf7 O-O 21. Qf5 Qc8 22. Qe6 Qxe6 23. dxe6 Re8) 11... Qxe6 12. O-O Be7 13. Nd2 O-O (13... d5? { is premature due to } 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qg4 O-O 16. Bh6 Bf6 17. Ne4 Qe6 18. Qxe6 fxe6 19. Be3 $14 { 1/2 (41) Vachier
Lagrave,M (2703)-Morozevich,A (2751) Biel 2009 }) 14. c4 b5 15. b3 f5 16. exf5 Qxf5 17. a4 bxc4 18. Nxc4 Qe6 19. Nb6 Rb8 20. Qd2 $132) 11. Bb3 { Nakamura
decides to preserve the configuration of the pawn structure. } (11. Bxe6!? { is another option transforming the structure and weakening the black king. } 11... fxe6 12. c3!? (12. O-O f5 (12... Bg7 13. Qe2 O-O 14. c4 $14) 13. exf5 exf5 14. Ng5 Qf6 15. f4 Bh6 16. Qd3 Qg6 17. h4 Bxg5 18. hxg5 e4 19. Qd5 h6 $132) 12... f5 13. exf5 exf5 14. g3 Qf6 15. Nh4 $14) 11... Ne7? { The idea with d6-d5 is
the favor of White. } (11... Rg8 { has been the only decision defending the 10...
gxf6?! move. } 12. g3 (12. Nh4?! Qd7 13. g3 Na5 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. O-O Rc4 16. f3 d5 17. b3 Rc8 18. exd5 Qxd5 19. Qe2 Rc3 20. Kh1 Bc5 21. Bxc5 Qxc5 22. f4 Rg7 23. fxe5 Qxe5 24. Rae1 Qxe2 25. Rxe2 Kf7 26. Ref2 Ke7 $14 { with good draw
chances for Black. }) (12. O-O Qd7 13. Nd2 f5 14. f4 Bxb3 15. axb3 d5! 16. exd5 Qxd5 17. Nf3 Qe4! 18. Re1 Rd8 19. Qe2 Nb4 20. Bb6 Nxc2 21. Qf1 Nxe1 22. Rxe1 Qxf4 23. Rxe5+ Kd7 24. Rd5+ Kc6 $132) 12... Na5 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Nd2 Qd7 15. c3 Nc4 16. Nxc4 Rxc4 17. f3 d5 18. Qd3 $14) 12. O-O $16 Bxb3 13. axb3 d5 14. exd5 Qxd5 15. Qe2 (15. c3!? { It has been possible to allow the queen
trade playing 15. c3!?. However, Nakamura decides to keep queens on the board. } 15... Qxd1 16. Raxd1 Nf5 17. b4 $16) 15... Nf5?! { Not the best place for the knight } (15... Ng6 16. c4 Qe6 17. Rfd1 Be7 $14 { might have given for Black more
chances to survive. }) 16. Rfd1 Qc6 17. c4 (17. c3 Be7 18. b4 $16 { is another
choice. }) 17... Bg7? { The development of the bishop to nowhere fully giving
the queenside to White. } (17... Rg8 18. Kf1 $16) (17... Bb4 18. Bd2 Bxd2 19. Rxd2 O-O 20. Rad1 $16) 18. Rd5! $18 { Capturing the "d"-file. Black is
deprived from any counterplay. } 18... O-O (18... Ne7 19. Rd2 O-O 20. Rad1 $18) 19. Rad1 Rfe8 20. h3 b5 { Trying to create some counterplay. } 21. c5? { Reduces
the significant part of the advantage. } (21. Bc5! { The main idea is using
the position of the knight on the "f5"-square. } 21... bxc4 22. bxc4 $18) 21... Bf8? { Preparing Nf5-d4, however, it doesn't work. } (21... Nd4?? { doesn't work. } 22. Nxd4 Qxd5 23. Nf5 Qe4 24. Nxg7 $18) (21... a5! $14 { however, blocks the
queenside and makes the "c5"-pawn weak. }) 22. b4! $18 Nd4 23. Nxd4 { Capturing the "f5"-square with the next move. } 23... Qxd5 24. Nf5 Qe4 25. Qh5 Red8 26. Ra1 { Avoiding the trades and attacking the "a6"-pawn. Black is lost since
its king's defender is the dark-squared bishop that will be traded with Be3-h6. } 26... Rc6 27. Bh6! { Removing the only defender. } 27... Kh8 28. Ra3! { Bringing the
final piece to the attack. } 28... Qxb4 29. Bxf8 Rxf8 30. Qh6 Rg8 31. Rg3! { Removing the final piece from the defense of the black king. } 31... Rxg3 32. fxg3 { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0