[Event "Chessable Sunway Sitges"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2022.12.12"] [Round "1.7"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vasyl"] [Black "Nilssen, Ellen Fredericia"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2673"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackElo "2187"] [BlackTeam "Denmark"] [Annotator "Nilssen,Ellen"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D83"] [Opening "Grünfeld Defense: Brinckmann Attack, Grünfeld Gambit, Botvinnik Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/e8pUlx8p/22FIC06N"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1 c5 7. dxc5 Be6 8. Nf3 Nc6 { I had this position on my board in preperation right before the game. Unfortunately, I only checked two out of three moves in my file, so when Ivanchuk played the move which I had forgotten to check I was on my own. } 9. Be2 { A very natural move, developing the Bishop. However, it also threatens Ng5 since Bg4 is no longer a move. } 9... h6 { Sometimes you play a move even though you know it's wrong. Here I just couldn't make sense of any other moves. } (9... Qa5 10. Ng5 { Was the reason I didn't like Qa5 but here Black has the surprising } 10... Nd8 { and the game goes on }) (9... Ne4 10. Nd4! Nxd4 11. exd4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 dxc4 { White is still a little better but clearly this was also much better than ...h6. }) 10. Qb3? dxc4! 11. Qxb7 Rc8 12. e4? { It's not every day as strong a player as Ivanchuk makes two such mistakes in a row. Here Black has two strong possible responses - I played a third after which the position was only a little better for me. } 12... Qa5? (12... Nd7! { While also strong, it's not as strong as the immediate ...g5. } 13. O-O (13. Be3? Qa5 $19) 13... Qa5 14. e5 Nxc5 15. Qb5 Rfd8 $17 { White is fighting for equality. }) (12... g5!! { The point is to kick the Bishop away from the h2-b8 diagonal, and if the Bishop doesn't go to e3 then Black can play ...g4 to gain control over the d4 square with Nd7-Nxc5-Nd4! } 13. Be3 (13. Bd2 g4 14. Nh4 Nd7 15. O-O Nxc5 16. Qb5 Nd4 $19) (13. Bg3 Nd7 14. Rd1 (14. O-O g4! 15. Nh4 Nxc5 16. Qb5 Nd4 17. Qb4 Nxe4 $19) 14... Qa5 15. Rxd7 Bxd7 16. Qxd7 Bxc3+ 17. bxc3 Rfd8 18. Qf5 Qxc3+ $19) 13... Ng4 $19 { Black is in control! }) 13. O-O? { Once again, I had the option to go ...g5 or ...Nd7 with the same ideas as in the variations above. } (13. Bd2 { as neccesary to force the Queen to take on c5. }) 13... Qxc5? { Now the game is close to equal. } 14. h3 { Here I failed to find a typical Grünfeld tactic. It does not gain any significant advantage but it does keep the game easier to play for Black. } 14... Na5 { Now we move down a forced line. } (14... Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Qf5! { And Black will win back the piece while White will take the pawn on c4. }) 15. Qa6 Rc6 16. Be3 Qxe3 17. Qxa5 (17. Qxc6? Qxc1 $19) 17... Qb6 (17... Qc5 { Was also possible. }) 18. Qxb6 Rxb6 19. Na4!! { I have given this move two exclamations points. Not because it's a brilliant move by computer-standards - though it does probably deserve one exclamation point - but due to the practical difficulties it sets for Black. Here I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the correct way to play but in the end I failed to do so. } 19... Ra6? { When playing this move, I decided that if I had to be down a pawn it should be with the a and b pawns off the board. } (19... Rb4! 20. Nc5 Rxb2 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Bxc4 Nxe4 23. Bxe6+ Kh7 24. Rc7 Bf6 25. Rxa7 { I came until here in my calculation and realised that I was a pawn down while White had a passed a-pawn so I wasn't happy with the line. } 25... Nxf2! 26. Bb3 (26. Rxf2?? Rxf2 27. Kxf2 Bd4+ $19) 26... Ne4) 20. Nc5 Rxa2 (20... Rb6 21. Nxe6 Rxe6 (21... fxe6 22. Bxc4)) 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Bxc4 Rxb2 23. Bxe6+ Kh7 (23... Kh8! { Is stronger than Kh7. I was worried about the weakness of the g6-pawn, but this is stronger since Black will no longer be pinned when White takes on e7 in the line } 24. e5 Ne4 25. Rc7 Nd2 26. Nxd2 Rxd2 27. Rxe7 { and now it's possible to play } 27... Bxe5) 24. e5!! { I had completely missed this move and when it was played on the board, I immediately realised that I was in huge trouble. } 24... Nh5 (24... Ne4 25. Rc7 Nd2 26. Nxd2 Rxd2 27. Rxe7) 25. Rc7 Nf4 26. Rxe7 a5 (26... Nxe6 27. Rxe6 Rf7 { Was a better try but I'd still say that it would take a bit of magic to save this position. }) 27. Rd1 Nxe6 28. Rxe6 a4 29. Ra6 Re2 { Setting up the smallest trick in the world which he, of course, did not fall for. } 30. Rd7 (30. Rxa4 Bxe5 31. Kf1? (31. Nxe5 Rxe5 32. Ra7+ Kg8 33. Rdd7 $18) 31... Rb2 32. Nxe5?? (32. Rd7+ Bg7 33. Raa7 $18) 32... Rfxf2+) 30... Re4 31. Raa7 Rg8 32. h4 Kh8 33. g3 Bf8 { As a chess player, I've always enjoyed being allowed to checkmate my opponent, and it's always been a sad feeling when a great attack has been stopped by the opponent resigning just before mate. Here it was so straight forward that I decided to play ...Bf8 allowing the mate. } (33... a3 { Wouldn't help anything either. White has the fairly simple continuation } 34. Rxa3 Bxe5 35. Nxe5 Rxe5 36. Raa7 Rc8 37. Rh7+ Kg8 38. Rag7+ Kf8 39. Rxg6) 34. Rh7# { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0