[Event "FIDE World Championship 2024"] [Site "Singapore, Singapore"] [Date "2024.12.08"] [Round "11"] [White "Gukesh D"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [WhiteTitle "GM"] [WhiteFideId "46616543"] [BlackElo "2728"] [BlackTitle "GM"] [BlackFideId "8603677"] [Annotator "Gozzoli, Yannick"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "A09"] [Opening "Réti Opening: Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit"] [StudyName "World Championship 2024: Annotated Games"] [ChapterName "Gukesh D - Ding, Liren (Gozzoli)"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/LF4x850G/T68KXGoZ"] [Orientation "white"] 1. Nf3 { Gukesh decides to go for the same opening that brought him a very good game in game 7. } 1... d5 2. c4!? { But this is new in this match ! A risky approach from Gukesh, as he let his opponent taking the full control of the center. } (2. g3 g6 3. c4 c6 { is game 7 of the match. }) 2... d4 { very principled. Ding accepts the challenge to enter Benoni-Benko like positions. } 3. b4!? { And here we go, Gukesh is entering Benkö-like position and seizes space and initiative on the queenside. } (3. e3 { can be another move to get the game position but Black has an interesting alternative } 3... Nc6 (3... c5 4. b4 { is the game. })) 3... c5 { This situation is interesting. One can argue that Black has missed his opening as White got a playable Black opening with a tempo up. However and suprisingly it exists many openings that are much less efficient with tempo up ! It's called "reaction-opening". With tempo down you will adapt to the opponent decisions (pawn structure, pieces organization..) and strangely it isn't a good think to be the first to take such decision. For instance, Dutch, Benkö, Benoni, Grünfeld, King's Indian, are more dubious when they are played as White ! What's the common point between all these openings ? They are strategically dubious and they compensate with dynamics. In all of them you abandon your center and concede some strategical asset : strong center, weak pawns, weak squares... } 4. e3 { and we finally have a Blumenfeld gambit with tempo up ! The Challenger is in a fighting mood and plays very fast. } 4... Nf6 { played after a 38 minutes thought. As he explained at the post-game press conference, Ding has already got this position in a rapid (online) game against Gukesh's countrymate, Adhiban Baskaran, and he started to calculated, i quote "stupid lines". } (4... dxe3 5. fxe3 cxb4 6. d4 { is of course the main way to play the position. Black has won a pawn but has concede the full center. } (6. a3!?) 6... Nf6 7. a3 (7. Bd3 g6! 8. O-O Bg7 9. a3 { 0-1 Demuth,A (2538)-Yu,Y (2743) EU-Cup 33rd Antalya 2017 (4.4) } 9... Nc6! $15) 7... bxa3 8. Bxa3 g6 9. Nc3 Bg7 10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O { and we have a topical position of this opening. White has developped all his pieces and total control of the center for the pawn. }) 5. a3!? { The idea brought by Gukesh's team and almost a Novelty as it has been played only once ! White wants to play a useful move and keep all his options to developp the pieces. } (5. b5 { was the move played by Adhiban } 5... Nbd7!? 6. exd4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 { a very interesting pawn sacrifice for Black, in order to use the weaks squares on c5, d4 and d3. } 7... Nc5 8. Bb2?! (8. Nb3! Nd3+ 9. Bxd3 Qxd3 10. Qe2 { is the best way to play for Black though after } 10... Bf5 11. Bb2 Rc8 12. Na3 Nd7 { Black has a very strong control of central squares and powerfull bishops. }) 8... e5! 9. Nb3 Bf5 10. Nxc5 Bxc5 11. Be2 Qd6 12. O-O h5! { 0-1 Adhiban,B (2660)-Ding,L (2799) Goldmoney Asian Prelim chess24.com INT rapid 2021 (2.8) and Black won a very strong game. A typical example of the "prime Ding". Dynamic opening, strong initiative and powerful play. }) (5. Bb2 dxe3 6. fxe3 cxb4 7. Be2 g6 8. a3 bxa3 9. Rxa3 Bg7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Qa1 Nc6 12. Nd5 Be6 13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. O-O a5 15. d4 Nb4 16. Qb1 Rc8 17. Rc1 Bg4 18. Qe4 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 b6 20. Rd1 Bg7 21. Bc3 e5 22. Rb3 exd4 23. exd4 Re8 24. Qf2 Rc7 25. Bf1 Rd7 26. d5 Bxc3 27. Rxc3 Ree7 28. h4 Re5 29. Re1 Rxe1 30. Qxe1 Re7 31. Qf2 h5 32. Rf3 Na6 33. Rf6 Nc5 34. Qb2 Nd7 35. Rd6 Qe8 36. c5 bxc5 37. Qb5 Kh7 38. g3 Ne5 39. Qxa5 Nf3+ 40. Kf2 Nd4 41. Rf6 Rb7 42. Qc3 Qe5 43. Rf4 Rb3 44. Qc1 Qxd5 45. Bc4 Rf3+ 46. Kg2 Qb7 47. Kh2 Rxf4 48. Qxf4 Nf3+ 49. Kh3 Ne5 { 0-1 Lagarde,M (2638)-Adams,M (2700) London LCC ENG-ROW 12th 2021 (6) }) 5... Bg4?! { played after 22 minutes ! Ding wants to exchange White's Knight in order to fight against the weak squares. } (5... Nc6 { is more logical. } 6. b5 Na5 7. d3 dxe3 8. Bxe3 b6 9. g3 g6 10. Ra2!? { and the engine prefers Black but the position is very complicated. For instance } 10... Bg7 11. Bg2 Bf5 12. Rd2 O-O 13. h3 Qc7 14. O-O Rad8 15. Re1 { and we got a very tense and unbalanced position. }) 6. exd4 { Gukesh decides to fix the center position and we will got a Benoni-like position ! } 6... cxd4 7. h3! Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Qc7 { here is Ding's idea. He wants to protect his b7 pawn with his Queen in order to play a5 and to get his Nb8 directly to c5. } 9. d3?! { a serious inaccuracy. } (9. c5! { was very logical. White opens the f1-a6 diagonal for his Bf1 and also takes the c5 square for the Knight ! } 9... a5 10. Bb5+! { the key of White's 9th move. } 10... Nc6 11. O-O! axb4 12. Bb2! { [%csl Ga1,Rd4][%cal Gb2a1,Rb2d4] } 12... e5 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Bxa1 Be7 15. Qg3! { threatening to win a pawn. } 15... Nh5 (15... O-O?! 16. Bxc6! bxc6 17. Bxd4 $18 { [%csl Rc7,Gg3][%cal Gg3c7] }) 16. Qb3 O-O 17. Re1 Nf4 18. Bf1 { and now White will bring his Knight to c4 with a comfortable version of Benoni, still Black has some chances after } 18... b6 19. b5 Na5 20. cxb6 Qxb6 21. Qf3 Bd6 $13) 9... a5! { quickly played by Ding } 10. b5 Nbd7 { and here Gukesh sank for more than one hour ! White's position is very dangerous, his Queen is misplaced, he has no development, and his b3 square and d3 pawn are very weak. Honestly at this point i wasn't very optimistic of Gukesh's chances to hold the position, Ding has a full control of the position, and a clear plan to follow-up with. Besides, i don't see any forced way for Black to waste his advantage and make a draw by force ! So it means Ding is forced to play for something ! } 11. g3! { not an easy move to make. By putting the Bishop on g2, White accepts that the d3 pawn is doomed. } 11... Nc5 12. Bg2 Nfd7!? { a critical moment. } (12... e5 13. O-O Bd6 { is the other critical position. } (13... a4? 14. Bd2! { [%cal Bd2b4,Gb1d2] }) 14. a4! { White shouldn't allow Black to play it ! } 14... O-O 15. Nd2 Rae8 16. Ba3 b6 17. Rfe1 Qd8 { and Black will slowly organize the f5 push. }) 13. O-O! Ne5 14. Qf4 { Gukesh finds the only way to stay in the game. } 14... Rd8 (14... g6!? { was an very strong try here but White has an amazing ressource } 15. Nc3!! (15. Qxd4?! Bg7! { [%cal Gg7a1] } 16. Qf4 Rd8 { and Black position is visually perfect } 17. Ra2 O-O 18. Be3 Ncxd3 $17) (15. b6!? Qd6 16. Nd2 { is another interesting try, and the game will become insane after } 16... Nexd3 (16... Ncxd3 17. Qe4! { [%csl Rb7][%cal Ge4b7] } 17... Nc5 18. Qb1!! { [%cal Gb1b5] } 18... Bg7 19. Ne4 Nxe4 20. Qxe4 Nd7! (20... Rb8 21. Bf4 { is annoying }) 21. Qxb7 Rb8 22. Qd5 Qxd5 23. cxd5 { is very unclear. }) 17. Qxd6 exd6 18. Ne4! Nb3 19. Bg5!! Nxa1 20. Nf6+ Kd8 21. Bxb7 Rb8 22. Nd5+ Kd7 23. Nf6+ Kd8 24. Nd5+ Be7! 25. Bxe7+ Kd7 26. Ba6 Nc2 27. Rd1 Ne5 28. Bf6 Rhc8!! { and we have a real mess ! }) 15... dxc3 { Black can hardly tolerate the Knight landing on d5 } 16. b6!! Qd6 17. d4 Nxc4 18. dxc5 Qxf4 19. Bxf4 O-O-O 20. Rae1 Rd4! 21. Bc7 Rd7 22. Bf4 Bg7 23. c6 bxc6 24. Bxc6 Nxb6 { and everything is possible here. }) 15. Rd1? { a serious mistake played very quickly } (15. Nd2 { was the only way to keep the balance. } 15... e6 (15... Ncxd3 { looks very natural but } 16. Qe4 Nc5 { White has the very strong manoeuver that we have seen ealier } 17. b6! Qb8 18. Qb1!! { and now it's Black who must be very accurate } 18... Ned7 19. Nb3 Nxb3 20. Qxb3 e5 21. Qb5 Bc5 22. Bg5 Rc8 23. f4!) 16. b6! Qb8 17. Rb1! { a very difficult move to find, and actually it's not the move itself but the concept inducted by 11.g3 ! } 17... Nexd3 (17... Ncxd3 18. Qg5! h6 19. Qh5 { looks totally fine for Black but is in fact super dangerous } 19... Bc5 (19... Be7 20. Nb3! a4 21. Na5 Rd7 22. Rd1 Nxc1 23. Rbxc1 Bxa3 24. Rb1 O-O 25. f4! Ng6 26. c5! { and Black is in trouble ! }) 20. Rb5! { [%csl Ra5,Gb5,Re5][%cal Rb5c5,Rb5e5] } 20... O-O 21. Ne4! { Now White is totally winning ! } 21... Rc8 22. Bxh6!! f5 (22... gxh6 23. Qxh6 f5 24. Ng5 Rf7 25. f4!) 23. Ng5 Rf6 24. Bxg7! Kxg7 25. Qh7+ Kf8 26. Rd1! { and White wins. }) 18. Qxb8 Rxb8 19. Nb3! Nxc1 (19... a4 20. Nxc5 Nxc5 21. Rd1 e5 22. Rb5 { with ideas like f4 or d2-b4 gives enough counterplay for White. }) 20. Rfxc1 Nxb3 21. Rxb3 Bc5 22. Rcb1 Ke7 23. Rb5 Rhc8 24. Rxa5 d3 { with a very sharp position. Don't forgot that we are at game 11 of a World Championship, that both players has already consumed a lot of time and we could see on live camera that they were both amazingly nervous. }) 15... g6?! { logical but dubious, the Bishop will be very passive on the diagonal. } (15... e6! 16. a4 Bd6 { and White is in big trouble. For instance : } 17. b6 (17. Qxd4 Nexd3! 18. Rxd3 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Be5 20. Qa3 Rd1+ 21. Kh2 Bxa1 22. Qxa1 Rxc1 23. Qxg7 Rf8 24. Nc3 { White can hope for some counterplay, but after a precise move order } 24... Rc2! 25. Ne4 Rxc4 26. Nf6+ Ke7 27. Nxh7 Rc8 28. Qf6+ Kd6 29. b6 Qxb6 30. Qxf7 Kc5 31. Qe7+ Qd6 32. Qxb7 Rb8 33. Qf3 Kb4 { Black must be winning. }) 17... Qxb6 18. Qxd4 O-O { and Black pieces are perfectly placed, too much weak spots in White's camp. } { [%csl Rb2,Rb3,Rb4,Rc3,Rd3,Rd4] } 19. Be3 Qc7 20. Na3 Be7 21. Qc3 Nexd3 22. Nb5 Qe5 $17) 16. a4! h5?! { Ding starts to be very nervous and stop to calculate. } 17. b6! { very accurate from Gukesh, opening the b-file garantee him a lot of play. Something shocking happened at the press conference, Ding considered that he has "no chance" here, which show his very low self-confidence. } 17... Qd6 (17... Qb8 { was more tenacious and complicated. Let's see a sample lin } 18. Ba3 Nexd3 19. Qd2 Bh6 (19... e5!?) 20. Qxa5 O-O! 21. Bxc5 (21. Ra2 Rc8 $13) 21... Nxf2!! 22. Kxf2 Be3+ 23. Kf1 (23. Kf3?! h4 24. Qe1 Qc8! 25. Ke2 Qxc5 26. Nd2 Rd6 { is clearly in Black's favour. }) 23... Qxg3 24. Ra2 Rc8!? (24... Qf4+ 25. Ke1 Qg3+) 25. Qe1 Qh2! 26. Bxb7 Qg1+ 27. Ke2 Qh2+ 28. Kd3 Qxa2 29. Bxc8 Qb3+ 30. Ke2 Qxc4+ 31. Rd3 Rxc8 { with a very clean 0.00000 showed by the machine :) }) 18. Ba3! Bh6 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qe4 { now White is out of danger and the b-file and c4 pawn are very important ! } 20... Nc6 21. Na3 Rd7?! { Ding was clearly mentally down at this point. } (21... O-O 22. Nc2 Qxb6 23. Rab1 Qc7 24. Rb5 Rb8 { is more or less equal, though White has some initative. }) 22. Nc2 Qxb6 23. Rab1 Qc7 (23... Nb4 24. Nxb4 axb4 25. Qe5! O-O 26. a5 Qc7 27. Qxc7 Rxc7 28. Rxb4 { is totally lost. }) 24. Rb5 O-O 25. Na1?! { very logical but not the best at all. } (25. Rdb1 Qc8 26. Qe2 { not allowing the Bh6 to come to d2 } 26... Re8 27. Na3 { with the idea c5-Nc4. White has the upper hand but Black can try to hold. } (27. h4 { is also a very interesting idea, to put the Bishop on h3 or to push g3-g4 switching the attention to the black Bishop })) 25... Rb8?! (25... Rd6 { was a saving idea ! } 26. Rdb1 (26. Nb3 Re6! { Black wants to chase the Queen from the h1-a8 diagonal. } 27. Qf3 (27. Qh4 Re2 { and Black got active ! }) 27... Rf6 28. Qe2 h4! { weakening White's kingside } 29. g4 Bf4 $13) 26... Rb8 27. Nb3 Re6 28. Qh4 { [%csl Rh4] } 28... Re5! { and nothing is clear. }) 26. Nb3 { it's quite amazing how quickly Black has lost the harmony of their pieces while White has found a total coordination. Ding will quickly collapse. } 26... e6 27. Nc5! Re7 28. Rdb1 (28. Nxb7 { was objectively stronger. } 28... Nb4 (28... Rxb7 29. Qxc6 Qxc6 30. Bxc6 Ra7 31. Bf3 { and the c-pawn will run. }) 29. Qxd4 $18) 28... Qc8?? { as expected under time pressure. } (28... Nb4! { could have save it all, but with such a mind-set, and time pressure, it was impossible for Ding to pull up any resistance. } 29. Nxb7 Bf8! 30. c5 e5! 31. c6 Re6 32. Qe2 (32. Rc1 Na2!) 32... Nxc6 33. Qc2 Qc8! 34. Nxa5 Nxa5 35. Qxc8 Rxc8 36. Rxa5 Rc3 { White is still better but definitely not winning. }) 29. Qxc6 { i don't know what to say... During the game i thought i was witnessing a very complex and tense game, but after watching the game conference, it was actually a one sided affair, as Ding wasn't able to cope with the intensity of the position and never talked about being better or so.... } 1-0