[Event "WR Chess Masters 2023"] [Site "Dusseldorf GER"] [Date "2023.02.16"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, I."] [Black "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2734"] [Annotator "Lang,JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "A57"] [Opening "Benko Gambit Accepted: Modern Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/wy4VAHLx/BiOz37mj"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 { Fans of slightly suspicious openings will always be delighted to see a Benko Gambit at a top-tier event. } 4. cxb5 a6 5. e3 { White elects to not go into the theoretical main lines, instead electing one of several surprisingly sharp ways to decline the second pawn. It is worth noting that this is probably the biggest downside to the Benko: White has no shortage of ways to cause Black headaches without even accepting the gambit. } 5... e6!? (5... g6 { is the main move, going for a typical Benko setup with a bishop on the long diagonal. White's plan is to frustrate Black on the light squares, keeping the a- and b-files jammed. } 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. a4 O-O 8. Nf3 Bb7 9. e4 e6 10. Bc4 axb5 11. Bxb5 exd5 12. exd5 Qe8+ 13. Be3 Ng4 14. Qe2 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 Na6 16. O-O Qxe3 17. fxe3 Nb4 18. e4 d6 19. Rad1 Ba6 20. Rf2 c4 { ½- (50) ½ (50) Atalik,S (2537)-Ivanisevic,I (2611) Ruma SRB 2017 }) (5... axb5 { is Black's other ambitious try. } 6. Bxb5 Qa5+ 7. Nc3 Bb7 8. Bd2 Qb6 9. Nf3! (9. Bc4?! e6 10. e4 Nxe4!?) 9... Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Bxd5 11. a4 e6 12. Bc3 Be7 13. O-O O-O 14. Ne5 d6 15. Nc4 Qb7 16. e4 Bxc4 17. Qg4 g6 18. Bxc4 Nc6 19. a5 Nb4 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. h4 d5 22. exd5 exd5 23. Qf3 Bxh4 24. a6 Qb6 25. Bxb4 Qxb4 26. Bxd5 $18 { 1-0 (62) Duda,J (2468)-Manca,F (2411) Budapest HUN 2013 }) 6. Nc3 exd5 7. Nxd5 Be7?! (7... Bb7 { is the standard way to play. } 8. Nxf6+ Qxf6 9. Nf3 Be7 10. Be2 axb5 11. Bxb5 O-O 12. O-O Rd8!? 13. Bd3 Nc6 14. e4 h6 15. Re1 Nb4 (15... d5! 16. exd5 Nb4 17. Bc4 Bxd5 18. Bxd5 Nxd5 19. a3 Qf5) 16. Bb1 Qe6 17. a3 d6? 18. Bd2 $16 { ½- (104) ½ (104) Sjugirov,S (2664)-Karttunen,M (2452) Novi Sad SRB 2016 }) 8. Nf3?! (8. Nxf6+! { Apparently, this dominating move has not been played in any recent games. } 8... gxf6 (8... Bxf6 9. Qd5 Ra7 10. Qxc5 Rc7 11. Qd6 Be7 12. Qf4 O-O 13. Bd2 $18 Bf6 14. Nf3 Bxb2 15. Rb1 Bf6 16. a4 (16. Ba5 Rc1+ 17. Rxc1 Qxa5+ 18. Nd2 $18) 16... d6 17. Be2 $18) 9. Bc4 Bb7 (9... axb5 10. Bxf7+ Kxf7 11. Qd5+ Kg7 12. Qxa8 Qc7 13. Qf3 Nc6 14. Qg4+ Kf8 15. Nf3 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. O-O Rg8 18. Qh3 Bb7 19. f3 d5 20. e4 dxe4 21. f4 $18)) 8... O-O 9. b3 (9. bxa6?! { was tried once before, unsuccessfully, last year at the FIDE World Blitz Championship. } 9... Nxa6 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Be2 d5 12. O-O Bf5 13. b3 Nb4 14. a3?! Bc2! 15. Qd2 Ne4 16. axb4 Nxd2 17. Bxd2 Rxa1 18. Rxa1 Bxb3 19. bxc5 Qxc5 20. Nd4 Bc4 $19 { 0-1 (113) Ivic,V (2572)-Christiansen, J (2578) Almaty KAZ 2022 }) (9. a4! Nxd5 10. Qxd5 Ra7 (10... Qb6?? 11. Qxa8 Bb7 12. a5 $18) 11. Bd2 $16) 9... Nxd5 10. Qxd5 Qb6 11. Bb2 Bb7 { The engine pretty quickly settles on a 0.00 evaluation now. White has nothing better than provoking ...g7-g6, when Black can happily force a repetition. } 12. Qf5 axb5 13. Bd3 g6 14. Qe5 f6 15. Qxe7 Rf7 16. Qe8+ Rf8 17. Qe7 Rf7 18. Qe8+ Rf8 19. Qe7 { 1/2-1/2 The game is a draw. } 1/2-1/2