[Event "86th Tata Steel Masters"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2024.01.24"] [Round "10.7"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2780"] [Annotator "Lang, JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C84"] [Opening "Ruy Lopez: Closed, Martinez Variation"] [StudyName "2024 Tata Steel"] [ChapterName "Nepomniachtchi, Ian - Ding, Liren"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/jonbbAZH/fsCPSzdg"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. a4 Bd7 10. Ba2 (10. Bc2 { is most common, although never played by Nepo. Ding has faced this move twice, most recently against Grandelius online, but also against his predecessor to the throne in a 2021 online rapid game. } 10... Re8 11. Re1 h6 12. Nbd2 Bf8 13. h3 Rb8 14. axb5 (14. b4 Ne7 15. axb5 axb5 16. d4 Ng6 17. Nb3 Ra8 18. Bd2 Rxa1 19. Qxa1 Qc8 20. Kh2 Nh5 21. Bd3 Nhf4 22. Bf1 c6 { From here, Carlsen slowly outplays Ding: } (22... Nh5) 23. dxe5! dxe5 24. Be3 Be6 25. Nc5 Bxc5 26. bxc5 f6 27. Rd1 Kh7 28. Rd6 f5? 29. Bxf4! exf4 30. Nd4! Ne5 31. Qb1! g6 32. Qc1 Bd7 33. exf5 g5 34. Qc2 Rg8 35. Qe4 Qe8 36. Ne6 Nf7 37. f6+ Kh8 38. Bd3 { and Black had seen enough, resigning in Carlsen – Ding, Chess24.com, 2021. }) 14... axb5 15. Nf1 Ne7 16. d4 Ng6 17. Ng3 c5 18. Be3 Qc7 19. Qd2 Ra8 20. Red1 Bc6 21. d5 Bd7 22. b4 c4 23. Rdb1 Be7 24. Qc1 Qb7 25. Rb2 Rxa1 26. Qxa1 Ra8 27. Ra2 Rxa2 28. Qxa2 Bd8 29. Qa7 Qxa7 30. Bxa7 { when Black was unable to convert his microscopic advantage, agreeing to a draw on move 56 in Grandelius – Ding, Chess24.com, 2022. }) 10... h6 11. h3 Re8 12. Be3 $146 { Only one game is in the database after 11 moves, and it was an uneventful draw from 2011 between Svidler and Adams: } (12. Re1 Bf8 13. Nbd2 Ne7 14. Nf1 Ng6 15. N3h2 Be6 16. Bxe6 Rxe6 17. Ng4 d5 18. Nxf6+ Rxf6 19. exd5 { and handshake in Svidler – Adams, Rogaska Slatina, 2011. }) 12... Rb8 13. Nbd2 Bf8 14. g4 Be6 15. Bxe6 Rxe6 16. axb5 axb5 17. g5 hxg5 18. Nxg5 Re8 19. Kh2 d5!? { A principled, albeit ambitious, reply to White's kingside expansion. } (19... Qd7 { is more measured, tying the g5-knight down to defense while connecting the rooks. } 20. Rg1 g6 21. Qf3 Bg7 { with a balanced position, preparing to meet } 22. Rg2 { with } 22... b4! { and attacking on the opposite flank while keeping the ... d6-d5 thrust in reserve! }) 20. Rg1 d4 21. cxd4 exd4 22. Bf4 Bd6 23. Bg3 Bxg3+ 24. Rxg3 Qd6! { This was all what Ding must have had planned with 19. ... d5, as anything else allows f2-f4 when the ball is firmly in White's court. } 25. Kg1 Ra8 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 27. Qb3 Qd7 28. Ndf3 { Black has a number of ways to save the b-pawn, as well as the idea of ... Nf6-h5 to harass the misplaced g3-rook. Instead, Ding goes for the passive-seeming } 28... Rb8?! (28... Nh5!? 29. Rg4 Ra1+ 30. Kg2 Na5 31. Qb4 f6! 32. Ne6! Qxe6 33. Qxb5 Qf7 34. b4 c6 35. Qb8+ Qf8 36. Qc7 Nb3 37. Qxc6 { is absolute chaos, with the engine spitting out 0s and urging both sides to repeat with: } 37... Rc1 38. Qd5+ Qf7 39. Qa8+ Qf8 40. Qd5+) (28... Nd8 { This move is far less confusing, and the temporary displacement of the knight and defensiveness of the queen can both be alleviated without having to concede the open a-file. } 29. Ne5 Qe8 30. Ng4 Nxg4 31. Rxg4 Qd7 32. Qb4 Ra6!) 29. Qc2 (29. Nh4! { is testing: } 29... b4 30. Ngf3 Ne7 31. Ne5 Qe6 32. Qxe6 fxe6 33. Nhf3 $16 { when White has used the threat of planting a knight on f5 to provoke structural concessions ahead of the endgame. }) 29... Rb6?! 30. e5 Nh5 31. Rg4 Rb8? (31... Qd5 { Centralizing, eyeing the weaknesses on f3 and e5, and, most importantly, covering the c5-square! } 32. Qc1 f5 33. exf6 Nxf6 34. Rg2 Rb8) 32. Qc5 { The weak d4-pawn falls. } 32... Rd8 (32... Re8 33. Ne4! $16 { was also great for White. }) 33. Ne4 (33. Rh4 { or }) (33. e6 { both were stronger, according to the engine, but Nepo's move is very "human" and without any risk. }) 33... Qe6 (33... Qd5 { was the only way to avoid White's Rg4-h4, but after } 34. Qxd5 Rxd5 35. Rg5! Nf4 { , Black is lost since } 36. Nf6+ { wins the Exchange. }) 34. Rh4! Rd5 35. Qa3 g6 36. Nfg5 { The king's days are numbered, so Black calls it a day. } (36. Rxh5 gxh5 37. Nf6+ Kg7 38. Nxh5+ Kg8 39. Nf4 $18 { was also decisive. }) 1-0