[Event "Tata Steel Chess 2023 Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date "2023.01.19"] [Round "5.5"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Keymer, Vincent"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2696"] [Annotator "Lang,JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C84"] [Opening "Ruy Lopez: Closed, Martinez Variation"] [StudyName "Tata Steel 2023"] [ChapterName "Aronian, Levon - Keymer, Vincent"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/gbi5O625/4tVRSFaO"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 { Aronian denies his young opponent an opportunity to spring his favorite Marshall Attack against him. } 6... b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. Bc2 Re8 10. Re1 h6 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. d4 Bb7 13. d5 Nb8 14. b3 { A logical follow up to the previous push: White anticipates that Black will play for ...c7-c6, but is in time to keep the center locked with c3-c4. } 14... Nbd7 15. c4 c6 16. Nf1 a5 17. Be3 a4 18. h3 axb3 19. axb3 Rxa1 20. Qxa1 Qc7 21. Rc1 Ra8 22. Qb2 Qa5 23. Ng3 b4 { Keymer plays this structure with impressive familiarity. With chances to occupy the a-file, he closes down the rest of the queenside. } 24. Ne1 Nc5 25. Rd1 Nfd7?! { A slight, but consequential, error. Black now loses chances to capture White's knight on the f5-square, and instead enters a position where his bishops are slightly inferior. } (25... h5 26. f3 h4 27. Ne2 (27. Nf5?! cxd5 28. exd5 (28. cxd5 Bc8 29. Nxh4 Nh5 30. Qc1 Be7 31. Nf5 Bxf5 32. exf5 Ng3 $15) 28... Bc8 29. Nxh4 Be7 30. Nf5 Bxf5 31. Bxf5 Qa3 32. Qxa3 bxa3 33. Bc2 a2 34. Ra1 Ra3 35. Bc1 Nxb3 36. Bxb3 Rxb3 37. Rxa2 Rb1 38. Nd3 e4 39. fxe4 Nxe4)) 26. Nf5 cxd5 27. exd5 Bc8 28. Bd2 Nf6 29. Ng3 Be7 30. Nd3 Nxd3 31. Bxd3 Bd7 32. Bf5 (32. Qc2! { More precise would be to anticipate Black's ...g7-g6 resource. } 32... Bd8 33. Bf5 g6?? 34. Bxg6) 32... Be8 (32... g6! 33. Bd3 (33. Bxd7 Nxd7 34. Bxh6 Qa2 { Again, Black's control of the a-file compensates for the pawn. })) 33. Bb1 Bd7 34. f4 Re8 35. Rf1 Bd8 36. fxe5 Qc5+ 37. Kh2 Rxe5 38. Bf4 Re8 39. Qd2 h5 40. Bg5 h4 41. Bxh4 $16 { The dust settles after the players reach time control, and Black's bishop pair does not seem to be doing much to provide compensation for the pawn. } 41... Qe3 42. Qxe3 Rxe3 43. Rf3 Rxf3 44. gxf3 Be7 45. Bf5 Be8 46. Bxf6!? { Bold! Aronian elects to play against the bishop pair in the endgame. } 46... Bxf6 47. f4 g6 48. Ne4 Be7 49. Bc8 f5 50. Nf2 Bd8 51. Nd3 Ba5 { Perhaps this was the key to Aronian's decision: the knight safely perches on the d3-square, tying Black's dark-squared bishop down to defense and setting up possible zugzwang motifs. } 52. Kg3 Kg7 53. Kf3 Kf6 54. Be6 Ke7 55. Ke2 Kf6 56. Bc8 Ke7 57. Ba6 Bf7 58. Bb5 Kf6 59. h4 Ke7 60. Kf3 Kf6 61. Nf2 { Eventually, White admits that he will need more than pressure on the b4-pawn. } 61... Bb6 { Black is happy to resume playing with his other bishop. } 62. Nh3 Bd4 63. Ng5 Ke7 64. Ba6 Bb6 65. Bc8 Be8?? (65... Kf6! { The only move, anticipating White's idea and over-protecting the f-pawn. }) 66. h5 gxh5 67. Bxf5 Bd4 68. Ne4 Bf7 69. Bh7 Be8 70. Kg3 { The point! White's king can safely scoop the h-pawn. } 70... Bf7 71. Kh3 Be8 72. f5 Bb2 73. Bg6 Bd7 74. Kh4 Bd4 75. Kxh5 Bc8 76. Kg5 Be3+ 77. Kg4 Bd4 78. Bh7 Bf6 79. Bg8 { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0