Vishy Anand (2786) - Vassily Ivanchuk (2738)
Leuven (Belgium) Grand Chess Tour Blitz 2017
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6 4.0-0
This natural move, which is commonly played early in double-e pawn openings, is only the sixth-most popular choice in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database. That is probably partly because players want to do something more aggressive, and maybe partly to keep open the option of queenside castling.
4...Be7
Slightly more popular in Mega21 is 4...Bg4, after which the main line runs 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 (6.d3 is equally popular, but 6.Re1 has tended to attract stronger players) Be7 7.d3 0-0 8.Nbd2 Na5 9.Bb5 a6 10.Ba4 b5 11.Bc2 c5, which is a transposition to a main line of the Spanish (the extra-tempo Bc4-b5 is cancelled out by avoiding Ba4-b3-c2 in the Spanish move-order).
5.d4 Nf6 6.d5 Nb8 7.Bd3!?
In part six of this series, White, with the same central pawn-structure, preferred piece-play with 7.Nc3. Anand is going for a Maróczy Bind.
7...Nbd7 8.c4 Nc5 9.Nc3 Nxd3!? 10.Qxd3
Black has won the bishop-pair, but the black bishops will not play a dominant role in a game with a blocked centre and less space for Black. Meanwhile White should not particularly miss the light-square bishop as his central pawns are on light squares.
10...0-0 11.Nd2?!
This regrouping seems to have been a novelty, albeit in a position that is anyway not common. My main analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 suggest 11.h3 with an equal game.
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| Position after 11.Nd2?! |
*****
*****
*****
*****
11...Nh5!
Highlighting the problem with White's 11th move. The f4 square is undefended and Black can aim for a kingside initiative with ...f5.
12.g3
This keeps the black king's knight out of f4 but leaves the white king draughty on the light squares.
12...g6!?
Ivanchuk presumably did not want the white knights using the e4 square after 12...f5 13.exf5, but the natural-looking 12...Bh3 may be better than the text.
13.b4 f5 14.Ba3?!
Preferable would seem to be 14.f3 or 14.exf5, moves more normally played in this type of position.
14...Bg5!?
Even stronger seems to be 14...f4.
15.c5?!
Again f3 or exf5 was probably better. Anand is relying on queenside counterplay, but it seems too slow.
15...Bxd2 16.Qxd2 fxe4?
A strange decision that gives White's surviving knight a great outpost at e4. Black is much better after 16...f4.
17.Nxe4 Nf6 18.Nxf6 Qxf6
Ivanchuk has eliminated the well-placed white knight, but the simplification favours White's drawing chances.
19.f4 Bh3 20.Rf2 g5! 21.f5
Keeping lines closed. White loses control of the f file after 21.fxg5?! Qg6.
21...h5?!
Not 21...Bxf5?? 22.g4. But the engines reckon Black is better after 21...Qg7, one point being that if, as in the game, White plays 22.Bc1, Black has 22...h6.
22.Bc1!
But now this move is strong. The black g pawn cannot be defended, except by pushing it to g4, which is bad because it effectively shuts the light-square bishop out of the game.
22...Bxf5 23.Qxg5+ Qxg5 24.Bxg5 Rae8?!
Ivanchuk may have still been pressing for a win, but he probably should have accepted equality by a move such as 24...Be4, inviting exchanges on the open file.
25.Raf1?!
White can try for more with 25.cxd6 cxd6 26.Bh6, eg 26...Rf7 27.Raf1 Bg6 28.Rf6! Rxf6 29.Rxf6 Kh7 30.Bg5, when Black cannot save the d6 pawn. White is also slightly better after 26...Rf6 27.Raf1 Rxh6 28.Rxf5.
25...Be4 26.Rxf8+ Rxf8 27.Rxf8+ Kxf8 28.Bd8 dxc5 29.bxc5 Bxd5 30.a3 c6 31.Bc7 e4 32.Kf2 ½–½
