[Event "45th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest"] [Date "2024.09.12"] [Round "02"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Wong, Zhenyong Jayden"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2397"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B48"] [Opening "Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Bastrikov Variation, English Attack"] [StudyName "45th FIDE Olympiad"] [ChapterName "Aronian, Levon - Wong, Zhenyong Jayden"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/y8ExkpJx/BTv3ff5h"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/ChessLifeOnline"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 { [%clk 1:30:53] } 1... c5 { [%clk 1:30:47] } 2. Nf3 { [%clk 1:31:17] } 2... e6 { [%clk 1:31:10] } 3. d4 { [%clk 1:31:42] } 3... cxd4 { [%clk 1:31:29] } 4. Nxd4 { [%clk 1:32:06] } 4... Nc6 { [%clk 1:31:49] } 5. Nc3 { [%clk 1:32:29] } 5... Qc7 { [%clk 1:31:43] } 6. Be3 { [%clk 1:32:52] } 6... a6 { [%clk 1:31:55] } 7. Qd2 { [%clk 1:33:16] } 7... Nf6 { [%clk 1:30:54] } 8. O-O-O { [%clk 1:33:37] } 8... Be7 { This is a perfectly normal position in the Taimanov, where White almost exclusively pushes f2-f3. But like Robson's surprise in the Open Sicilian yesterday, it looks like novelties in these positions is part of Team USA's prep! } { [%clk 1:29:02] } 9. g4 { A very modern idea. Why prepare g2-g4 when you can play it straight away, simply for the cost of a pawn? This has been tried earlier this year by GM Yu Yangyi, so presumably it is "known," which does not necessarily mean Black knows it. } { [%clk 1:33:27] } 9... Nxg4 { [%clk 1:23:09] } 10. Bf4 { [%clk 1:33:46] } 10... Nge5 { [%clk 1:13:36] } 11. Nxc6 { [%clk 1:32:59] } 11... bxc6 { [%clk 1:04:37] } 12. Rg1 { [%clk 1:33:24] } 12... g5 { [%clk 0:56:58] } 13. Rxg5 { [%clk 1:33:48] } 13... Bxg5 { [%clk 0:51:24] } 14. Bxg5 { [%clk 1:34:13] } 14... Nf3 { [%clk 0:45:53] } 15. Qe3 { [%clk 1:34:24] } 15... Nxg5 { [%clk 0:44:48] } 16. Qxg5 { [%clk 1:34:42] } 16... d6 { [%clk 0:34:31] } 17. f4 $146 { Aronian still has more time on his clock than when the game began, suggesting this novelty is part of his preparation. } { [%clk 1:33:42] } (17. Qg3 { allowed } 17... e5 { hence Aronian's attempt at an improvement. } 18. f4 Qe7 19. Qg7 Rf8?! (19... Qf8!?) 20. f5 f6 21. Qg1 Rf7 22. Qg8+ Rf8 23. Qg1 Rf7 24. Qg8+ Rf8 25. Qg1 { and a draw was agreed in Yu – Erigaisi, Shenzhen, 2024. }) 17... Qe7 { [%clk 0:33:00] } 18. Qg1 { [%clk 1:20:25] } (18. Qg7 Qf8 { was likely too tame for Aronian's taste. }) 18... Kf8 { [%clk 0:30:53] } 19. e5 { [%clk 1:16:25] } 19... Rg8? { [%clk 0:16:15] } (19... d5 { was necessary. } 20. Qb6 Kg7 21. Qxc6 Bd7 { still leaves White down material, and Black's king is not as weak as it appears. } 22. Qb6 Rhc8 23. Qe3 Kh8! $13) 20. Qb6 { [%clk 1:11:53] } 20... d5 { This is too slow now, because White's queen is already covering the d8-square, allowing for: } { [%clk 0:16:23] } 21. Ne4! { [%clk 1:12:09] } 21... Rg6 { [%clk 0:08:53] } 22. Nd6!? { Wildly complicated, but apparently Black has enough to salvage a draw now. Instead, } { [%clk 1:09:21] } (22. Nf6 { was more accurate. } 22... Bd7 23. Qc7 Rd8 24. Nxh7+ Kg7 25. Nf6 $16 { leaves Black without any play, and the return of material on f6 just gives White an easy game. }) 22... Bd7 { While White's decision to play 22. Nd6 in only three minutes may be surprising, he is up an entire hour against his opponent, so the desire to play a move that can't be bad and play it quickly is understandable. } { [%clk 0:08:42] } 23. Bd3 { [%clk 1:06:39] } 23... Rg2 { [%clk 0:07:36] } 24. Kb1 { [%clk 1:06:00] } 24... Be8 { [%clk 0:07:04] } 25. f5 { [%clk 0:54:16] } 25... Qa7 { Black's defense is proving to be resilient. He is up an Exchange, after all. } { [%clk 0:05:34] } 26. Qb4 { [%clk 0:54:32] } 26... Rg1! { Judging by time stamps, this is what Aronian overlooked earlier in this variation. Of course there is a winning move here, what with the d6-knight moving freely due to a discovered check from the queen. Right? Well, Black's threat of mate-in-one complicates things. } { [%clk 0:04:45] } 27. Be2 { [%clk 0:40:12] } 27... Rxd1+ { [%clk 0:03:47] } 28. Bxd1 { [%clk 0:39:41] } 28... Qg1 { [%clk 0:03:38] } 29. a3! { White continues the attack at the cost of a piece. He'll be down a full rook now. } { [%clk 0:39:03] } 29... Qxd1+ { [%clk 0:02:53] } 30. Ka2 { [%clk 0:39:23] } 30... exf5 { [%clk 0:01:57] } 31. Nxf5+ { [%clk 0:37:32] } 31... Kg8 { [%clk 0:01:30] } 32. Qe7 { The hunt is on! Black has just enough 'luft' to hold a draw after } { [%clk 0:30:30] } 32... h6! { [%clk 0:01:15] } 33. Nxh6+ { [%clk 0:30:36] } 33... Kh7 { [%clk 0:01:19] } 34. Qh4 { [%clk 0:26:26] } 34... Kg6?? { Under a minute and still six moves away from the bonus time, Black loses the thread. } { [%clk 0:00:32] } (34... f5 35. Ng4+ Kg6 36. Qf6+ Kh7 37. Qh6+ $10 { was the best Aronian could do here. }) (34... f6 { is equivalent. } 35. exf6?? Qh5! $19 { is the point in either case, explaining why moving the f-pawn was paramount. The difference between a loss and draw for Black, in other words, came down to whether one of his two pieces on the back rank could contribute anything to the defensive effort! }) 35. Qf6+ { [%clk 0:25:47] } 35... Kh5 { [%clk 0:00:53] } (35... Kh7 36. Nf5 Qg4 { does not work: } 37. Qh6+ Kg8 38. Ne7#) 36. Nf5! { A quiet move that is easy to miss in extreme time pressure. Black's extra pieces are sitting this one out. } { [%clk 0:26:08] } 36... Qf3 { [%clk 0:00:32] } 37. Qh6+ { [%clk 0:26:24] } 37... Kg4 { [%clk 0:00:53] } 38. Ne3+ { Having to part with his queen, Black resigned. } { [%clk 0:26:51] } 1-0