[Event "FIDE Grand Swiss 2025"] [Site "https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-grand-swiss-2025--open/round-8/KaLeVROn/zl0wgZ25"] [Date "2025.09.12"] [Round "8.28"] [White "Oparin, Grigoriy"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vasyl"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2660"] [WhiteTitle "GM"] [WhiteFideId "24125890"] [BlackElo "2608"] [BlackTitle "GM"] [BlackFideId "14100010"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C19"] [Opening "French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, Smyslov Variation"] [StudyName "2025 FIDE Grand Swiss"] [ChapterName "Oparin, Grigoriy - Ivanchuk, Vasyl"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/V6oU1CPk/O7S4d3vT"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/ChessLifeOnline"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 { [%clk 1:40:56] } 1... e6 { [%clk 1:28:50] } 2. d4 { [%clk 1:41:10] } 2... d5 { [%clk 1:27:37] } 3. Nc3 { [%clk 1:41:27] } 3... Bb4 { [%clk 1:28:01] } 4. e5 { [%clk 1:41:35] } 4... Ne7 { [%clk 1:28:26] } 5. a3 { [%clk 1:40:06] } 5... Bxc3+ { [%clk 1:28:49] } 6. bxc3 { [%clk 1:40:32] } 6... c5 { [%clk 1:29:17] } 7. a4 { [%clk 1:37:54] } 7... Nbc6 { [%clk 1:22:31] } 8. f4 { While, objectively, Black's position is fine, this position has only been reached four times, and one of them was a win by Oparin from 2017! } { [%clk 1:34:52] } 8... Qc7 { [%clk 1:08:03] } (8... Qa5 9. Bd2 Bd7 10. Nf3 Qc7 11. Bd3 Na5 12. O-O Nc4 13. Bc1 Nb6 14. Ng5 h6 15. Qh5 g6 16. Qh4 Qd8 17. dxc5 Nxa4 18. c6 Bxc6 19. Nxf7 Kxf7 20. Qf6+ Kg8 21. Qxe6+ Kg7 22. Qf6+ Kg8 23. Bxg6 Rh7 24. Bxh7+ Kxh7 25. f5 Qf8 26. Ba3 { saw Black resign in Oparin – Goganov, Sochi, 2017 lichess.org/1qxayTml }) 9. Nf3 { [%clk 1:30:20] } 9... cxd4 { [%clk 1:05:20] } 10. cxd4 { [%clk 1:29:21] } 10... Nb4!? { [%clk 1:02:14] } 11. Rb1 { [%clk 1:15:43] } 11... Nbc6 { Walking into White's preparation. Presumably, Black had relied on one of two resources here, only realizing that neither worked when it was too late. } { [%clk 0:47:57] } (11... Nxc2+? 12. Kd2 { , bizarrely, leaves Black's knight trapped, while }) (11... Na2 { , threatening ... Na2-c3 risks stranding the knight after } 12. Bd2 { when Black must play } 12... Nc3 { and the position after } 13. Bxc3 Qxc3+ 14. Qd2 $16 { is favorable to White due to the space advantage in the center and the strategic victory of getting rid of their bad dark-squared bishop and leaving Black with their bad light-squared bishop. }) 12. Bd3 { Already, White has a strong initiative. } { [%clk 0:56:55] } 12... Nf5 { [%clk 0:46:55] } 13. O-O { [%clk 0:44:24] } 13... Bd7 { [%clk 0:46:59] } 14. Bxf5 { [%clk 0:37:39] } 14... exf5 { [%clk 0:47:23] } 15. c4! { Black's king is still in the center, and neither flank is that safe. So, busting open the position is principled. } { [%clk 0:38:07] } 15... Ne7 { [%clk 0:39:14] } 16. Ba3 { Keeping Black's king in the center! } { [%clk 0:38:19] } 16... Bc6 { [%clk 0:36:53] } 17. Bd6 { [%clk 0:34:14] } 17... Qd7 { [%clk 0:34:08] } 18. c5 { Gaining more space. } { [%clk 0:33:48] } 18... O-O { [%clk 0:34:36] } (18... Bxa4 { could be ignored: } 19. Qe2 Bc6 { allows } 20. e6! $18 { opening the e-file with fatal effect. But there was no way to stop this move without hanging the b7-pawn. }) 19. Re1 { [%clk 0:24:19] } 19... Rae8 { [%clk 0:33:08] } 20. a5 { [%clk 0:22:56] } 20... a6 { [%clk 0:30:31] } 21. Re3 { Black has no play, so White goes on the offensive. } { [%clk 0:21:56] } 21... Qc8 { [%clk 0:30:10] } 22. Ng5 { [%clk 0:20:16] } 22... h6 { [%clk 0:29:39] } 23. Qh5! { Now, the game is over, and Oparin needed only 27 moves to take down a legend. } { [%clk 0:20:29] } 23... Ng6 { [%clk 0:26:57] } (23... hxg5 24. Rh3 f6 25. Qh7+ Kf7 { loses to either } 26. Rh6 { , with Rh6xf6+ incoming, or the immediate } (26. exf6 { when White wins after, e.g. } 26... Kxf6 27. Rh6+! Kf7 (27... gxh6 28. Be5+ Ke6 29. Qxh6+ $18 { [%cal Gh6d6] }) 28. Be5! $18)) 24. Bxf8 { [%clk 0:19:40] } 24... hxg5 { [%clk 0:27:16] } 25. Bd6 { [%clk 0:19:41] } 25... Nxf4 { [%clk 0:27:01] } 26. Qxg5 { [%clk 0:20:07] } 26... Ne6 { [%clk 0:27:26] } 27. Qh5 { [%clk 0:19:31] } 1-0