[Event "Grunfeld defense: Russian"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/eMUN5PEp/wKChicDZ"] [Result "*"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D97"] [Opening "Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Hungarian Variation"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/realhercules"] [UTCDate "2020.07.21"] [UTCTime "09:27:00"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/eMUN5PEp/wKChicDZ"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 a6 8. Be2 b5 9. Qb3 c5 { This move is enormously important. White is about to play e4-e5 any time, and Black must answer this with ...Nfd7. Therefore it is important to make ...Nxc5 an immediate possibility. White does win a pawn but only temporarily, as he is behind in development and needs to finish that before he can think about holding onto pawns. } 10. dxc5 Bb7 11. O-O! { White shouldn’t push his luck this early on. After } (11. e5 Nfd7 { Black appears to have a good game }) 11... Nxe4 { Black should, of course, take his pawn back } 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. Bg5 { White has other options here, including } (13. Bf4) 13... Nc6 14. Qe3 Qd5!? { Black does not want to diminish his presence in the centre. White is somewhat better after } (14... Bf5 15. Bh6 { after which he is able either to exchange Black’s best piece or win an exchange }) 15. Rad1 Qe6!? { This was a new move prepared for the occasion. Previously the equally tenable 15...Qf5 had been played. There is no special reason why one move should be better than the other, but for a top player it is important to be the first to deviate from theory, thus avoiding a possible unpleasant surprise from the opponent. } 16. Bh6 Bf5 { The real difference. Black is able to ease the pressure somewhat. } 17. Bxg7 Qxe3 18. fxe3 Kxg7 19. a3 { 19.Nd4 is easily met with 19...Be4!, when Black is no worse. Later, when he does take on d4, he will have d5 for his bishop. } 19... Rfd8 20. b4 { White has managed to protect his passed pawn and this static advan- tage is irritating for Black. Therefore it is important for him to create activity, something Leko does superbly in this game. } 20... Bc2! { Fighting for the d-file. Again White is not allowed to linger. } 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rc1 Be4! { Here the bishop keeps an eye open for the most vital squares. } 23. Kf2 Kf6 { The kings race to the centre. NOTE: Kings can move around freely in the endgame without experiencing the same dangers as a centralised king in the middlegame. } 24. g4 h6 25. h4 Ke6 26. Rd1 { Believing he cannot improve his position any further, White decides to simplify. This is probably a correct decision } 26... Bxf3! { Black is now ready to go into a different endgame. White will not be able to penetrate effectively both in the pawn ending, as in the game, and a bishop versus knight endgame. } 27. Rxd8 (27. Kxf3 Rxd1 28. Bxd1 Ke5! { also leads to a draw. White has no way to create weaknesses here, and if Black wishes to do so, he can transfer his knight to c7, where it completely controls all the important points }) 27... Bxe2 { This is what Leko had decided in advance. White is now forced to go into a king and pawn endgame. } 28. Rc8 { 28Rc8 Xd7 29 Rxc6 Kxc6 30 I xe2 } 28... Kd7 29. Rxc6 Kxc6 30. Kxe2 { This pawn endgame is far from trivial, but Leko was sure how to draw. } 30... f6 { After the game Kasparov allegedly said, ‘This endgame is drawn only by a miracle,’ to which Leko answered, ‘Of course it is a draw. Otherwise I would not have entered it. } 31. Kd3 e6 32. Kd4 g5 { Black is ready to give White two passed pawns as long as he himself gets two of his own. } 33. h5 Kd7 34. e4 Kc6 35. e5 { Otherwise Black will close the position completely with ...e6-e5. } 35... f5 36. gxf5 exf5 37. e6 f4! { Leko is accurate to the end. If he had pushed the other pawn, he would have lost: } (37... g4 38. Ke5 g3 39. e7 Kd7 40. Kf6 g2 41. c6+ Kd6 42. e8=Q g1=Q 43. Qd7# { In this way pawn endings are so charmingly concrete. }) 38. Ke4 { Now if White goes too far, he will be in trouble: } (38. Ke5? f3 39. e7 Kd7 40. Kf6 f2 { The difference is that Black will queen with check and therefore win easily after } 41. c6+ Ke8) 38... Kc7 { DRAW 1/2-1/2 } *