[Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournaments 2024"] [Site "Toronto"] [Date "2024.04.18"] [Round "12"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C54"] [Opening "Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/Mez4h4WA/rz01o6lQ"] [Orientation "white"] { Annotations by WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 a6 7. a4 Ba7 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. h3 Ne7 10. Re1 Ng6 11. a5 c6 12. Bb3 Re8 13. d4 d5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Rxe5 16. exd5 Rxe1+ 17. Qxe1 Nxd5 18. Bc2 Be6 19. Nf3 Qd7 20. c4! { Posing practical problems. } 20... Ne7?! (20... Nf6! 21. Bg5 Bxh3! 22. gxh3 (22. Bxf6 Qg4 23. Nh4 gxf6 24. Ra3 Qxh4 25. Rxh3 Qd4) 22... Qxh3 23. Ra3 Ng4 24. Bh4 g5!! { would have made a draw, but this is extremely difficult to find. }) 21. Be3 Bxe3 22. Qxe3 { White has an unpleasant bind on the queenside, which Fabi squeezes into a win. } 22... Rd8 (22... Bxc4? 23. Qe4) 23. Qc5 h6 24. b3 Qc7 25. Re1 Kf8 26. Re3 Ke8 27. Qh5 Kf8 28. Qc5 Ke8 29. g4! { Restricting Black's pieces further, as White's king is very safe. } 29... Qf4 30. Kg2 Rd7 31. Re4 Qd6 32. Qe3 c5 33. Re5 Nc6 34. Rd5 Qc7 35. Rxc5 Re7 36. Qc3 Qd6 37. Rh5 f6 38. Bg6+ Kd8 39. Qe3 Kc8 40. Qb6 Kb8?! (40... Qf4! { was the last chance. } 41. Bf5 Bxf5 42. Rxf5 Qc7 { leaves Black with decent chances of holding. }) 41. Rc5! Bd7 42. b4 Qf4 43. Bf5?! (43. b5! Bxg4 44. Ng1!! { keeps White's king position together, while Black gets mated on the other side. }) 43... Bxf5 44. Rxf5 Qc7 45. Qc5 Re4 (45... Re8 { was more tenacious } 46. Nd4 Ne5) 46. Qd5 Re2 47. b5 Nxa5 (47... axb5 48. cxb5 Nxa5 49. Qd4! b6 50. Rd5 { was lost too. }) 48. Nd4 Rb2 49. bxa6 Nc6?! { This makes the win easy. } (49... Nxc4 50. Qg8+ Ka7 51. Nb5+ Rxb5 52. Rxb5 Qc6+ 53. Qd5 Qxd5+ 54. Rxd5 Kxa6 55. Kf3 { but here White should still win. }) 50. Qg8+ Nd8 (50... Qc8 51. Nxc6+ bxc6 52. a7+) (50... Ka7 51. Nb5+ Rxb5 52. cxb5) 51. Rd5 Ka7 (51... Kc8 52. axb7+ Rxb7 53. Ne6) 52. Rxd8 { A big win that keeps Fabi within a half-point of the three leaders. } 1-0