[Event "Tata Steel-A 74th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2012.01.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Model game 1: Navara, David"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2712"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "Marin,M/Kuljasevic,D"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,62,19,-12,-27,-51,-24,-38,-27,-24,-10,-31,12,-1,-8,-5,-5,-5,-3,-18,-7,
-20,-20,-11,-14,-1,0,1,-4,13,13,10,3,7,21,22,27,8,11,4,-2,-9,18,2,2,-13,-17,12,
59,-33,0,0,87,-73,-54,29,29,27,33,30,31,41,38,38,53]} 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2
d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nc3 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6
11. d3 {[%csl Rb7,Gc5,Rc7,Gg2][%cal Yc6d4,Yg7e5,Ya7a5] [#] We basically have a
reversed Dragon position on the board. White has the Dragon setup and an extra
tempo. This tempo was very useful for him in the opening as it virtually
prevented Black from expanding actively on the kingside with …f7-f5, …Bf6,
etc. Black, therefore, needed to adopt a more modest strategy and now we have
a rather positional, maneuvering fight ahead.  White’s plans are obviously
connected to the queenside where he usually tries to attack the backward b-
and c-pawns, sometimes by pushing b4-b5, a3-a4-a5; other times by maneuvering
one of the knights to the c5-outpost. The g2-bishop often plays an
instrumental role in this queenside attack so Black usually does well to
exchange it with …Qd7-Bh3 or sometimes via the d5-square.  Black’s obvious
strength is his strong control over the d4-square, which makes White’s
situation in the center slightly cramped. Black typically plays …Nc6-d4,
trying to provoke a positive structural transformation (…exd4 or e2-e3)
while also preparing to solve some of his queenside problems with …c7-c6.
Sometimes, Black precedes this knight jump with …a7-a5 (-a4), a sharp
queenside pawn-push that imbalances the pawn structure on that side of the
board. If White plays too passively, Black can easily mobilize his pieces in
the center and start a central or kingside attack. Overall, this is one of the
most complex strategic tabiyas in the English opening. Let’s examine the
practical material to try to understand it better.} Nd4 12. Nxd4 {This kind of
exchange is not too popular in the reversed Dragon English.} (12. Nd2 {is the
main line, as, for instance, Aronian,L (2739) -Topalov,V (2780)/ Morelia/
Linares 2008/CBM 123/ [Marin,M] (1-0, 65)}) 12... exd4 {[%csl Yd4]} 13. Ne4 {
[%csl Rd4][%cal Ge4c5] Strategically, White's position looks very pleasant,
but in the presence of queens Black has chances for a kingside attack.} Bd5 {
[%cal Gf6f5] [#] Black's highest priority is to neutralise the English bishop.}
({Not even attacking the rook in the hope of forcing it into a worse position
is allowed:} 13... Ba2 14. Nc5 $1 Bxb1 {In for a penny...} 15. Qb3+ {Black's
light squares are very weak now.} Kh8 (15... Rf7 16. Nxb7 Qe8 17. Na5 Bxd3 18.
exd3 Rd8 19. Nc6 Rd6 20. b5 Bf8 21. a4 $16 {Miezis,N (2516) -Agopov,M (2376)/
Oslo 2003/EXT 2004 (1-0, 28). White threatens a4-a5 followed by Bd5. Besides,
the a7-pawn is doomed.}) 16. Ne6 Qd7 17. Nxf8 Rxf8 18. Bxb7 $1 (18. Qxb1 c6 $14
) 18... Qa4 19. Qxb1 c6 20. Qa2 Bxb4 21. Qe6 Bxa3 22. Bxc6 Qb4 23. Be4 $16 {
Thorfinnsson,B (2412)-Motylev,A (2690)/ Rogaska Slatina 2011/CBM 145 (1/2, 48)}
) 14. Bb2 {[%csl Rd4]} ({White should seriously consider avoiding the bishops
trade with} 14. Bh3 $5 f5 15. Nc5 {[%csl Yg1,Gh3]}) (14. e3 $5 {is an
interesting attempt to annihilate Black's space advantage in the centre.} a5 {
A principled reaction.} (14... dxe3 {offers White chances to retain some
pressure:} 15. Bxe3 f5 16. Nc5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qd5+ 18. Qf3) 15. bxa5 Rxa5 16.
exd4 f5 17. Qe1 Ra8 ({Since the rook will later have to defend the b7-pawn,} 
17... Ra7 $5 {deserves attention.}) 18. Nc5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qd5+ 20. Kg1 Rfe8 (
20... Bxc5 21. dxc5 Qxc5 22. Qe6+ Rf7 23. Re1 $14 {Black has some problems of
coordination and the bishop is likely to become a monster along the long
diagonal.}) 21. Qe6+ Qxe6 22. Nxe6 Bd6 23. Nc5 Ra7 24. Rb5 $14 {White has
maintained his extra pawn (not a very impressive one for the time being, but
at least it inhibits ...Bxc5) and some pressure.} g6 25. Be3 $6 {Allowing a
simplifying operation.} (25. Kg2 $5 $14 {[%cal Gh2h4,Gc1b2]}) 25... Nd5 26.
Nxb7 Nxe3 27. Nxd6 cxd6 28. Re1 Rxa3 29. Rxe3 Rxe3 30. fxe3 Rxd3 31. Rd5 {
1/2 Hracek,Z (2628)-Karjakin,S (2763)/Porto Carras 2011/CBM 146}) 14... f5 15.
Nd2 Bxg2 ({In principle, Black should not let his queen be decoyed to d5,
since it will become vulnerable either to the exchange with Qb3 or to rook
attacks with Rc1-c5.} 15... Bf6 16. Bxd5+ Qxd5 17. Rc1 Rf7 18. Rc5 $36 {
Timman,J (2630) -Bareev,E (2680)/Tilburg 1991/CBM 026/[Ribli] (1-0, 39)}) 16.
Kxg2 Kh8 {[%csl Yd8,Rg2,Yh8][%cal Yd8d5,Yf5f4]} (16... Qd5+ 17. Kg1 {is likely
to transpose above.}) 17. Nf3 {[%csl Rd4]} Bf6 18. Qc2 $146 {[%csl Rc7,Rd4]
[%cal Gc2c5] Navara hopes to improve over a previous game of his.} ({In the
following old game, Black misplayed his attack badly:} 18. Rc1 Qd7 19. Qb3 Rae8
20. Rc2 f4 (20... g5 $5 {Azmaiparashvili}) 21. b5 fxg3 $6 (21... Nd5 $5 {
Azmaiparashvili}) (21... g5 $5) 22. hxg3 $1 {[%csl Gh8][%cal Gf1h1]} Nd5 23.
Rh1 $14 c6 24. bxc6 bxc6 25. Bxd4 Qf7 $6 (25... Nf4+ $5 {Azmaiparashvili}) 26.
Qc4 Re6 27. Bxf6 Qxf6 28. Qh4 $18 {Azmaiparashvili,Z (2575)-Chandler,M (2585)/
London 1989/TD (1-0, 41)}) ({Navara's previous game went:} 18. a4 {Slightly
premature judging from Black's answer.} a5 19. b5 Re8 20. Re1 c5 21. bxc6 bxc6
22. e3 dxe3 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. fxe3 {Black's kingside structure has been
spoiled, but White's central pawns are vulnerable, too.} Nd5 25. Qd2 Nb4 26.
Rbd1 Ra7 27. Nh4 Qd5+ 28. e4 fxe4 29. dxe4 Rxe4 30. Qxd5 cxd5 31. Rxe4 dxe4 32.
Rd4 Rc7 (32... Re7 $2 33. Rd8+ Kg7 34. Nf5+) 33. Nf5 Rc2+ 34. Kh3 h5 35. Rxe4
Nd3 $11 {Navara,D (2646)-Karjakin,S (2727)/Sochi 2008/CBM 126 (1/2, 44). As we
will see, the game move aims to play a3-a4 at a more favourable moment, when ..
.a5 is not available anymore.}) 18... Qd7 {[#] A logical developing move.
Black has a comfortable position with prospects of the kingside attack.} ({
It does not make too much sense to play for keeping ...a5 for an option, since
this may cause Black lose his coordination:} 18... Re8 19. Rfc1 c6 20. Ba1 $1 (
20. a4 a5) 20... g5 (20... Qd7 21. a4 g5 22. e3 $1 {[%csl Gf6] ץf6}) 21. Re1
$5 (21. Qc5 g4 22. Nxd4 Na4 23. Qc4 {and now Black can choose between 23...
Nb6= with perpetual attack against the queen and} b5 $5 24. Nxc6 bxc4 25. Nxd8
c3 $44) 21... g4 22. Nd2 {This offers White some chances for an advantage
since the f6-bishop is hanging after the rook has departed from f8.}) 19. Rfc1
c6 20. a4 {Finally, a good moment to play this, but Black can start his
kingside attack already.} f4 $1 $36 {[%csl Rg2] As the subsequent course of
the game proves, White's innovation has failed to improve over the already
known games.} (20... a5 $6 21. bxa5 Rxa5 $2 22. Ba3 $18) 21. b5 cxb5 22. axb5
Nd5 $1 {[%csl Gd5,Rg2] Playing for an outright attack.} (22... Rac8 $5 23. Qb3
Nd5 {is also possible, but the text may be stronger. In certain lines, the
rook belongs on d8, defending the knight.}) 23. Nxd4 Rae8 {[%csl Rg2]} ({
The more active} 23... Qg4 $5 {[%csl Rg2][%cal Yd5f4,Yd5e3] offers better
chances for an advantage.} 24. Qb3 (24. Nf3 fxg3 25. hxg3 Nf4+ 26. Kg1 Rae8 $40
) 24... Rad8 25. Nf3 Bxb2 (25... fxg3 26. Rc4 Nf4+ 27. Rxf4 Qxf4 28. hxg3 $44 {
Black is less acdtive here than in the end of the main line.}) 26. Qxb2 fxg3
27. Rc4 (27. hxg3 Nf4+ 28. Kg1 Rd5 $40 {/\...Rh5}) (27. fxg3 Nf4+ 28. Kg1 Nxd3
$15) 27... Nf4+ 28. Rxf4 Rxf4 29. hxg3 Rdf8 $15 {In principle, White has
compensation for the exchange, because of his compact kingside structure.
However, the telling factor remains Black's pressure.}) 24. Nf3 Bxb2 25. Qxb2
Qe6 (25... fxg3 26. hxg3 Qg4 $44) 26. Qd4 (26. Rc2 fxg3 27. hxg3 Qg6) 26...
fxg3 27. hxg3 Qxe2 28. Qxd5 Re3 $1 29. Re1 Qxf3+ 30. Qxf3 Rexf3 31. Rb2 Rxd3 (
31... Rxd3 32. Re7 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Norway Chess 1st"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2013.05.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Model game 2: Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Marin,M/Kuljasevic,D"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2013.05.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 155"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,61,30,-27,-14,-12,-11,-11,-18,-43,-32,-34,-34,-23,-3,-3,-3,-7,-7,-10,
-10,-17,-16,-16,-1,-10,-3,-13,2,-14,7,12,0,2,9,-5,-5,-4,4,4,25,12,27,14,10,16,
67,65,87,107,48,63,29,27,5,1,25,1,54,38,51,50,59,46]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3.
Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1
f6 11. d3 Nd4 12. Nd2 {[%csl Rb7,Gg2][%cal Ge2e3] With this move, White opens
the English bishop, hitting the b7-pawn and preparing to expel the knight from
d4 with e2-e3.} c6 13. Nde4 {[#]} ({It is important to keep in mind that the
immediate} 13. e3 {would be strongly met by} Nb5 $1 14. Nxb5 cxb5 $11 {[%csl
Rd3][%cal Gb6a4]}) 13... Bf7 {[%csl Yc5][%cal Yd4e6] An interesting
psychological detail. With White, Aronian had faced the other two popular
continuations, but with Black he chooses the third one.  Importantly, with
this move, he vacates e6-square for his knight so that he can challenge
White's Nc5.} (13... Nd5 {Aronian,L (2739)-Topalov,V (2780)/Morelia/Linares
2008/CBM 123/  [Marin,M] (1-0, 65)}) (13... Rf7 14. Bd2 Nd5 15. e3 Nxc3 16.
Nxc3 Nf5 17. Qc2 Bf8 18. Rfd1 a5 $6 {In this position, the thematic queenside
break only helps White to open the b-file for his attack.} (18... Nd6 {would
leave White with the problem of how to continue his slow attack. For instance,
the immediate activation of the knight does not look too promising:} 19. Na4
Nb5 20. Ra1 Bg4 {[%cal Gg4f5]}) 19. Na4 axb4 20. Bxb4 $1 {Suddenly, White has
a strong initiative.} Kh8 21. Bxf8 Qxf8 22. Nc5 Bc8 23. a4 Nd6 24. Rb4 Bf5 25.
Qb2 $16 {Aronian,L (2739) -Karjakin,S (2732)/Nice (rapid) 2008/CBM 123 Extra 
(1-0, 51)}) 14. Nc5 {[%csl Rb7]} Rb8 {This looks a bit passive to me.} ({
Shortly after publishing the first volume of my 1.c4 trilogy, I got caught in
my opponent's preparation. That game went} 14... Qc7 {, which is more natural,
because it connects the rooks and prepares their centralisation.} 15. e3 ({
Aronian eventually won a game with} 15. Be3 {, but his position did not look
enviable at all:} a5 16. Qd2 axb4 17. axb4 Nd7 18. N5e4 f5 19. Bg5 Qd8 20. Bxe7
Qxe7 21. Ng5 Ra3 $17 {Aronian,L (2808) -Gelfand,B (2733)/Monte Carlo 
(blindfold) 2011/ CBM 142 (1-0, 29)}) 15... Ne6 16. N3e4 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Rfd8 18.
Bh3 $5 {This looks like an improvement over my game.} ({After} 18. Qc2 a5 {
I felt proud of my} 19. e4 {, followed by} axb4 20. axb4 Nd7 21. Be3 Ra2 22.
Qc3 {If allowed to play Bh3 and force an exchange on c5 or else a knight
retreat, I would get a great position, but after half an hour of thinking my
opponent came up with} b5 $3 $15 {Marin,M (2597)-De la Villa Garcia,J (2496)/
Benasque 2010/CBM 137 Extra (0-1, 52), , when the mutual pawn weaknesses tend
to compensate for each other, but both black bishops are active, while mine
from g2 is less so.}) 18... Bxc5 ({If} 18... Kh8 {I could transpose to the
known plan, having discarded ... Nb6-d7 followed by . ..b5.} 19. Qc2 a5 20. e4
$14 {[%csl Gb6][%cal Gc1e3]}) 19. bxc5 Nd7 20. Qc2 b6 21. cxb6 axb6 {The
position is not easy to asses, but there are players who would treasure the
potential force of the two bishops. I would be one of them!}) 15. e3 $146 {
A logical novelty.} ({It is probably too early for} 15. Bh3 Bxc5 16. bxc5 Nd5
17. Bd2 Bh5 18. f3 f5 $36 {Winants,L (2500)-Vyzmanavin,A (2590)/ Ostende 1991/
CBM 026 ext (0-1, 44)}) 15... Ne6 16. d4 $5 {[%csl Yc5] But I find that only
this move brings in some, if not new, at least fresh concept. White takes
advantage of the hidden defects of ...Rb8 to speed up his development and take
over the initiative.} (16. N3e4 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Nd5 18. Qc2 $13) 16... exd4 {
The most natural reaction. Even if grabbing the central pawn is risky, Black
can try to block it.} ({The mechanical occupation of the c4-square weakens the
control over the d5-square.} 16... Nc4 17. Nxe6 Bxe6 18. d5 cxd5 19. Bxd5 Qc8
20. e4 b5 21. Qe2 {Both players have a strong outpost, but White can think of
starting a pawn attack with f2-f4 at the right moment. I would prefer his
chances.}) 17. exd4 {[%cal Yf1e1,Yc1f4] [#]} Re8 (17... Nxd4 $2 18. Bf4 $16 {
[%csl Rb7]} Rc8 19. Nxb7 Qd7 20. Nc5 Qd8 21. Bh3 $5 {should be avoided.}) (
17... Qxd4 {may be playable, though.} 18. Qxd4 Nxd4 19. Bf4 Rbd8 20. Nxb7 Rd7 {
Black's activity may compensate for the pawn weaknesses.}) 18. Re1 Bd6 {
[%csl Yd6][%cal Rc1f4] Of course, Black is not interested in strengthening
White's structure with an exchange on c5.} 19. a4 $36 {[%csl Rb7,Rc6][%cal
Ga4a5,Ga5a6,Gb4b5] A natural move in the English Opening. Usually, it is a
sign that White prepares b4-b5, but here Black has to count with a4-a5, too.}
Nc7 $1 {[%csl Ya6,Yb5,Yd5][%cal Gc7a6,Gc7b5,Gc7d5] The most consistent defence,
strengthening the control over the crucial d5-square.} (19... Qc7 20. a5 Nc4
21. N5e4 $36 {[%cal Gd4d5]}) (19... Bc7 20. d5 $1 Nxc5 21. Rxe8+ Qxe8 22. bxc5
Nc4 23. d6) 20. Rxe8+ {Aiming to distract one of the three pieces defending
the rook from their optimal squares.} ({If} 20. b5 Nbd5 21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. bxc6
bxc6 {White's advantage is purely symbolical.}) 20... Bxe8 $6 (20... Qxe8 {
looks more constructive from the point of view of development, as can be seen
in the line} 21. b5 $6 Bxc5 22. dxc5 Rd8 $36) 21. b5 $36 Bg6 (21... Bxc5 22.
dxc5 Qxd1+ 23. Nxd1 Nbd5 24. Bd2 $14) 22. N5e4 {This retains some vanishing
initiative, but White had an even stronger continuation.} (22. Qb3+ $1 {
No matter how he reacts, Black will lose at least one tempo. One of the hidden
problems is that ...Nbd5 would run into bxc6, leaving the b7-pawn pinned.} Bf7
(22... Kh8 23. N3e4 {[%cal Ga4a5]} Nbd5 $6 24. bxc6 Bxc5 25. Nxc5 Bxb1 26. Nd7
$1 $16) 23. Qc2 {[%csl Gh7][%cal Gg2e4]} Bg6 24. Be4 Bxe4 25. N3xe4 $36) 22...
Bf8 23. Bf4 Rc8 24. bxc6 bxc6 25. Bh3 $14 {[%csl Rc6,Rd4,Ye4,Yf4,Yh3]} Ra8 26.
Bxc7 Qxc7 27. Qb3+ Bf7 28. Be6 Re8 29. Bxf7+ Qxf7 30. Qxf7+ Kxf7 31. a5 (31. a5
Nd5 32. Nxd5 Rxe4 33. Rb7+ Ke6 34. Nf4+ Kf5 35. Rxa7 Rxd4 $11) 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Classic"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Model game 3: Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Carlsen,M/Kuljasevic,D"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 134"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,85,30,-12,-11,-11,-14,-14,-15,-29,-34,-34,-35,-9,-3,-3,0,-5,5,-1,-13,
-16,-16,-16,-27,-24,-24,-3,-1,2,-1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,6,10,18,25,36,0,15,31,54,54,
51,52,84,64,84,79,83,79,87,38,67,85,75,74,47,49,65,71,78,87,155,175,154,166,
198,207,190,211,205,199,207,210,210,210,350,362,381,442,397,611]} 1. c4 Nf6 2.
Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4
Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. d3 a5 {[%csl Rb4] This move, which Kramnik played very
quickly, has recently been overtaken by the immediate 11...Nd4 as the main
move. The text complicates play a bit: Black will gain an outpost on b3 for
his bishop after an eventual a4, as well as some pressure against a3, but on
the other hand the c7-pawn is now backward.} 12. b5 Nd4 {[%csl Ra3,Rb5,Rb7,Rc7]
[%cal Ya5a4] [#]} 13. Nd2 {[%cal Rc7c6]} Qc8 {[%cal Gf8d8]} (13... Bd5 {
is the other main line here}) (13... Nd5 $4 14. Bxd5 Bxd5 15. e3 {is a well
known trap: Black loses a piece by force.}) ({Now Black cannot play} 13... c6 {
so easily anymore since opening of the b-file is in White's favor:} 14. bxc6
Nxc6 15. Nc4 $1 Nxc4 16. dxc4 $14 {[%csl Rb7]}) 14. e3 {[%cal Rd4b5]} Nf5 15.
Qc2 {[%csl Rb7,Rc7][%cal Yc2c7,Gc1b2,Gf1c1] [#] Here or on the next move ( I
was more or less out of book here) I considered playing a4 myself, which
however has the drawback of giving up the b4 square, where a black bishop
might eventually sit comfortably.} (15. a4 Bb4 {[%csl Yb4]}) 15... Rd8 16. Bb2
a4 {[%csl Ra3,Yb3]} 17. Rfc1 {Quite logically, White is piling up the pressure
in the c-file.} Nd6 {[%csl Rb5][%cal Ya8a5,Rd2c4]} 18. Nde4 Ne8 {[%csl Yc7,Rd3]
[%cal Yc8d7] [#] Even though this unlucky knight ended up staying here for the
rest of the game, I think this is a good move, as the knight is protecting c7,
while the white pieces are stepping on each other's toes.} 19. Qe2 $1 {[%csl
Ye5][%cal Gf2f4,Ye2h5] I liked this move. I bring the queen a bit closer to
the kingside and increase my influence over some light squares which will be
important in the likely event of White playing f4. Perhaps even more
importantly though, it was hard to find another useful move.} (19. Ne2 $6 Bb3 {
is awkward, since c7 is now protected.} 20. Qc3 Qd7 $1 {winning a pawn.}) 19...
Bf8 (19... Bh3 20. Bf3 {should be an improvement of the position for White, as
Black will now have to reckon with g4.}) 20. f4 {I felt that there was no
other plan here. 20.f4 increases my central control, but does at the same time
weaken my position a bit.} exf4 21. gxf4 {[%csl Rg1]} Qd7 {[%csl Rb5,Rd3]
Consistent, as it more or less forces my next move.} 22. d4 {[%cal Ge4c5] [#]
I was aiming for this position, believing that I would have good chances
because of the dynamic possibilities connected with Nc5. I think Kramnik was
not too unhappy with it either, as yet another weakness is created in my
position.} c6 {This was more or less the only move I considered, as I thought
that Black had to something to prevent b7 from collapsing completely.} (22...
Bc4 $5 23. Qf2 Bd3 {was actually quite good, but Kramnik probably (if so,
probably quite correctly) decided that there was no reason to start concrete
war} 24. Nc5 $1 {looked strong to me during the game, but Black is probably
fine here after} Bxc5 25. dxc5 Nc4 $1 (25... Bxb1 26. Rxb1 {gives White
excellent compensation for the exchange, as Black cannot play} Nc4 {due to} 27.
Bd5+) 26. Bxb7 Qg4+ 27. Qg2 Qxg2+ 28. Bxg2 Rab8 {and Black is absolutely fine.}
) 23. Nc5 Bxc5 24. dxc5 Nc4 25. Rd1 Qc7 $6 {The most solid move. This move
also has some downsides though, as it doesn't address the capture of c5 which
would leave the passive knight on e8 an excellent square on d6, as well as
taking away the c7-square from the very same knight.} (25... Nd2 {It took me a
little time to refute this crazy-looking move over the board, but fortunately
it's not very hard:} 26. bxc6 bxc6 27. Ne4 Nxb1 (27... Bg4 28. Qxd2 $1) 28.
Rxd7 Rxd7 29. Nd6 $1 (29. Qe1 Rb8 30. Qxb1 Rdb7 {is not at all clear}) 29...
Nxd6 30. Bxc6 {with decisive gains of material.}) (25... Qe7 $1 {[%csl Rc5]
Attacking c5 looked very risky to me during the game, but is probably possible:
Das Angreifen von c5 schien mir während der Partie sehr riskant zu sein, aber
es ist wahrscheinlich möglich:} 26. bxc6 bxc6 27. Bxc6 Rxd1+ (27... Rac8 28.
Rxd8 Qxd8 29. Bxa4 Rxc5 30. Ne4 Rc8 {should be a draw as well, as Black is
very active. sollte ebenfalls remis sein, da Schwarz sehr aktiv steht.}) 28.
Rxd1 Rc8 29. Nd5 Qxc5 30. Bd4 {I stopped my calculations here during the game,
thinking that White is winning material. However it turns out that after Hier
brach ich während der Partie meine Berechnungen ab, da ich meinte, dass Weiß
Material gewinnt. Es stellt sich jedoch heraus, dass nach} Qd6 31. Qxc4 Kh8 {
and surprisingly White has no way of remaining material up Weiß
überraschenderweise keinen Weg hat, das Mehrmaterial zu behaupten.} 32. Qxa4
Bxd5 33. Bxd5 Qxd5 {and due to White's weakened king and offside queen, Black
should not lose. und aufgrund des geschwächten weißen Königs und der
abseits stehenden Dame sollte Schwarz nicht verlieren.}) 26. Bc1 $1 {Bad
bishops protect good (potentially at least) pawns, and I need this one to
protect e3 and a3! Additionally, the knight might now turn out to be exposed
on c4, as both Rd4 and Rb4 are in the air. However, I still don't think that
White has any real advantage, especially in a practical game, as White is
still a bit exposed. Schlechte Läufer decken gute (potentiell zumindest)
Bauern, und diesen brauche ich, um e3 und a3 zu beschützen! Außerdem könnte
sich der Springer auf c4 jetzt als exponiert erweisen, da sowohl Rd4 als auch
Rb4 in der Luft liegen. Ich glaube aber trotzdem nicht, dass Weiß irgendeinen
realen Vorteil hat, vor allem in einer praktischen Partie, da er noch immer
ein bisschen exponiert steht.} Na5 {Black needs to relocate this knight in
order to create counterplay. Schwarz muss seinen Springer umsiedeln, um
Gegenspiel aufzuziehen.} 27. bxc6 bxc6 {[%csl Ra4,Yb3,Rc1,Rc6,Re8,Rg1]} 28.
Nxa4 $6 {I was very happy to discover that this move does not lose any
material, even though it looks a bit loose. Ich war sehr glücklich zu
entdecken, dass dieser Zug kein Material verliert, obwohl es ein bisschen
locker wirkt.} (28. Rb4 {was another move I considered, but I did not like war
ein weiterer Zug, an dem ich überlegte, aber mir missfiel} Nb3 (28... Bb3 29.
Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Bf1 {and a4 is falling, without any real compensation und a4
fällt, ohne wirkliche Kompensation}) 29. Nxa4 Nxc1 30. Rxc1 f5 {when Black
has some counterplay. However, White is probably still a bit better, and I
should probably have gone for this. , wonach Schwarz etwas Gegenspiel hat.
Trotzdem, Weiß steht vermutlich dennoch ein bisschen besser, und ich hätte
wahrscheinlich so spielen sollen.}) 28... Rxd1+ (28... Nb3 29. Nb6 {looked
good for White to me due to sah mir gut aus für Weiß wegen} (29. Rxd8 Rxd8
30. Bb2 {is Rybka's first choice, but looks too risky to me ist Rybkas erste
Wahl, scheint mir aber riskant}) 29... Nxc1 (29... Ra5 {is what I missed; now
Black has good counterplay ist, was ich übersah, nun hat Schwarz gutes
Gegenspiel}) 30. Rbxc1 Rxd1+ 31. Qxd1 Rxa3 32. Qd4 {with some kind of
domination, though Black still retains some drawing chances. mit einer Art von
Dominanz, obwohl Schwarz noch immer einige Remischancen wahrt.}) 29. Qxd1 Rd8
30. Qc2 Qf7 31. Nc3 (31. Nb6 {was my original intention, but I eventually
rejected it because of war meine ursprüngliche Absicht, aber am Ende verwarf
ich dies wegen} Bb3 32. Qc3 Rd1+ 33. Kf2 Qh5 34. Rxb3 Nxb3 35. Qxb3+ Kh8 {
when it seemed to me that Black had too much activity. , wonach mir schien,
dass Schwarz zu viel Aktivität hätte.}) 31... Qh5 32. Ne2 {I was very happy
with my position here, thinking that I was on my way to consolidation Hier war
ich sehr zufrieden mit meiner Stellung, da ich glaubte, auf dem Weg zur
Konsolidierung zu sein.} Bf5 $2 {Perhaps his only real mistake in this game.
Vielleicht sein einziger wirklicher Fehler in dieser Partie.} ({He could have
retained dynamic equality with the amazing Er hätte dynamisches Gleichgewicht
wahren können mit dem verblüffenden} 32... Kf8 $3 {with the idea of ...Bb3
next. The point, which we probably both missed, is that White cannot play mit
der Idee ...Bb3 als nächstes. Die Pointe, die wir wahrscheinlich beide
übersahen, ist, dass Weiß nicht} 33. Nd4 {because of spielen kann wegen} Rxd4
34. exd4 Bf5 {and Black is at least not worse, as und Schwarz steht zumindest
nicht schlechter, denn} 35. Be4 {fails to scheitert an} Qg6+ 36. Qg2 Qxg2+ $1)
(32... Bg4 33. Ng3 Rd1+ 34. Qxd1 {is probably why he decided to play ...Bf5.
ist wahrscheinlich der Grund, weshalb er sich für ...Bf5 entschied.}) 33. e4
Bg4 34. Ng3 {Now however Black has nothing. Nun allerdings hat Schwarz gar
nichts.} Qf7 ({Kramnik had probably been hoping that Kramnik hatte womöglich
gehofft, dass} 34... Rd1+ {would be good here, but this is easily refuted by
the calm hier gut sein würde, aber dies wird einfach widerlegt durch das
ruhige} 35. Bf1 (35. Qxd1 $4 Qxc5+)) 35. Bf1 $1 Be6 36. Qc3 Ra8 37. Rb4 {
Now White is in complete control, with a positional as well as a material
advantage. The knight on e8 still has no prospects. Nun hat Weiß vollständig
die Kontrolle, bei positionellem wie auch materiellem Vorteil. Der Springer
auf e8 hat noch immer keine Perspektiven.} Qd7 38. f5 Bf7 39. Bf4 Qd1 40. Kf2
Nb3 {Desperation, but it was either this or losing slowly without counterplay.
Verzweiflung, aber es hieß, entweder dies oder langsam verlieren ohne
Gegenspiel.} 41. Be2 Qb1 42. Bc4 Rxa3 43. Ne2 {Black resigned as he is
completely tied up and defenceless against threats like Rb8 and Bxf7+. Schwarz
gab auf, denn er ist vollständig gebunden und wehrlos gegen Drohungen wie Rb8
und Bxf7+.} (43. Bxf7+ Kxf7 44. Qc4+ Kf8 45. Rb8 Ra2+ 46. Ne2 Rxe2+ 47. Qxe2 {
would have won even quicker, but would not have led to such a nice final
position :-) hätte sogar noch schneller gewonnen, dafür aber nicht zu einer
schönen Schlussstellung geführt :-)}) 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 2nd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2014.06.03"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Model game 4: Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2014.06.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,80,34,-14,2,-15,-15,-15,-23,-34,-3,-11,-11,-16,0,5,5,5,5,-13,1,-16,
-22,-10,-5,-11,-11,-23,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-10,0,0,0,8,25,0,22,-27,-28,-30,-17,-59,
10,-25,-23,-30,-30,-34,-33,-24,-28,-2,-34,-15,-7,0,0,-27,-24,-23,-33,-33,-30,
-23,-23,-23,13,6,6,4,8,7,1,0,0,5,6]} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5.
cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. d3 a5 12. b5
Nd4 13. Nd2 Qc8 14. e3 Nf5 15. Qc2 Rd8 {This is one of the most complicated
tabyias of the English Opening, both in analysing and over-the-board play.
White surely has some queenside achievements, but his main problem is to
formulate a coherent plan. In practice, White's play is frequently of a
speculative character, aiming to take advantage of any imperceptible black
inaccuracy. In my English trilogy I had come up with some improvements against
the then fashionable plan favoured by Tiviakov, based on ...a5-a4 and ...
Ra8-a5. But in the meanwhile Black started playing more neutral plans, as if
inviting White to show his hand.} 16. Bb2 {This is the most popular move, but
chance made me discover what may be the clue to White's play. At the 2012
Olympiad I shared a room with Vladislav Nevednichy, who felt inspired to play
the English Opening in a few games. He frequently asked me for general advice,
but did not hesitate to share with me an over-the-board discovery.} ({He
called his} 16. Re1 $5 {[%csl Re6,Re7][%cal Gd3d4,Yg2f1,Yd2c4] a fantastic
novelty, without giving any further detail. Later, I examined the move and
came to the conclusion that he was right. If White wishes to have a coherent
plan, this should be based on Nd2-c4. Against Tiviakov's ...a4 and ...Ra5 this
works very well, but against neutral plans it is harder to carry out. One
possible idea of the last move is preparing Bf1 followed by Nc4 without facing
the pin along the d-file. In other cases, when White switches to d3-d4, the
rook is clearly useful on e1.} Nh6 (16... Nd6 17. d4 $36) (16... a4 17. Bb2 {
[%csl Gd5][%cal Gg2f1,Gd2c4]} Nd6 18. d4 $5) 17. d4 $1 Nf7 (17... exd4 18. exd4
Nf5 19. Bh3 Nxd4 20. Bxe6+ Nxe6 21. Qa2 Kf7 22. Rb2 Re8 23. Rc2 Qd7 24. Nf3 $36
) 18. Nf3 Nc4 19. Ra1 Bf8 20. dxe5 {This may be a hurried decision and I
remember that Vladik was not happy with it.} (20. d5 $5 {looks interesting}) ({
but I assume it would be best to keep the tension for a while:} 20. Bf1 $1 Ncd6
21. Bd3 $14) 20... Ncxe5 21. Nd4 Bh3 22. Bh1 c5 23. bxc6 Nxc6 24. Nxc6 (24. Qb2
$5 Rb8 25. Nd5) 24... bxc6 25. Ne4 Qf5 $132 {Nevednichy,V (2554)-Ringoir,T  
(2448) Istanbul 2012 (1/2-1/2, 30)}) 16... a4 17. Rfc1 Nd6 {There is no way
White can play Nc4 now.} 18. Nde4 Nf7 $146 {[%csl Gf7] [#]} ({Kramnik deviates
from} 18... Ne8 {which caused him a defeat at the hands of a then very young
Carlsen in Carlsen,M (2801)-Kramnik,V (2772) London 2009 CBM 134 [Carlsen,M]  
(1-0, 43)}) (18... Bb3 19. Qe2 Nf7 {is an important alternative. With the
queen on e2, White looks entitled to play} 20. f4 $5 {Kozlov,G (2317)
-Bukavshin,I (2517) Samara 2013 (1/ 2-1/2, 99)}) 19. Ne2 {With this move White
practically embarks on a mutual waiting game.} (19. Nd1 {is the introduction
to a more coherent plan, which will fail to consolidate White's advantage
against Black's accurate play, though.} Bf8 20. Bf1 {[%csl Gd3][%cal Gc2c7]} (
20. Qxc7 Qxc7 21. Rxc7 Rxd3 22. Rxb7 Nc4 $132) 20... Rd7 21. d4 (21. Nc5 Bxc5
22. Qxc5 Ng5) 21... exd4 22. exd4 {If allowed to play Ne3, White would achieve
a comfortable regrouping. Black can react energetically, though.} Bb3 23. Qe2 (
23. Qd3 $2 Ne5 {[%csl Gc4]}) 23... Re7 24. Qd3 Bd5 (24... Bc4 $143 25. Rxc4
Nxc4 26. Nxf6+ gxf6 27. Qxc4 $16) 25. Ndc3 (25. Bg2 f5 $15) (25. Nd2 Ng5 26.
Ne3 Nh3+ 27. Bxh3 Qxh3 28. Nxd5 Nxd5 $15) (25. f3 Qd7 26. Ne3 Bxe4 27. fxe4
Rae8 28. Bg2 Ng5 29. Nf5 Rxe4 $1 30. Bxe4 Rxe4 31. Rf1 g6 32. Ne3 f5 $15) 25...
Bc4 26. Qf3 Bxf1 27. Rxf1 $13) (19. Qe2 Bh3 $1 $15 {[%csl Gg2]} 20. Bf3 {
[%cal Gg3g4]} f5 21. Nd2 {[%csl Re8,Gf7][%cal Yf7g5]} Ng5 $17) 19... Bf8 {
[%csl Rd3]} 20. h4 {Another sign of the lack of a concrete plan, so typical
for this variation. White simply makes moves he considers useful for later.} (
20. Qxc7 Qxc7 21. Rxc7 Rxd3 22. Rxb7 Nc4 $132 {[%csl Ra3,Ya4]}) (20. f4 Bb3 21.
Qc3 Qd7 22. fxe5 Nd5 23. Qd2 Nxe5 $132) 20... Rb8 {[%csl Yb7]} 21. N2c3 {
Not much has changed in Black's position over the past few moves, so this can
be safely considered a loss of two tempi.} Bb3 22. Qe2 Qd7 {[%csl Rd3] [#]} 23.
Nd2 (23. Bf1 {[%cal Ge4d2,Gd2c4]}) 23... Be6 {[%csl Rd2,Ge6]} (23... Qxd3 $5
24. Qxd3 Rxd3 25. Nxb3 axb3 26. Ne4 f5 27. Nc5 Bxc5 28. Rxc5 Rbd8 $36 {[%cal
Gd3d1,Gb6a4]}) 24. Nc4 (24. Bf1 Bg4 $5) 24... Qxd3 {This leads to general
exchanges and an obvious draw.} (24... Nxc4 25. dxc4 Bf5 26. Ra1 Bd3 27. Qd1
Bxc4 28. Qxa4 $13 {White's slight initiative on the light squares is
neutralised by the relative inactivity of his b2-bishop.}) 25. Qxd3 Rxd3 26.
Nxb6 cxb6 27. Nxa4 Rb3 {[%csl Ra3,Rb5,Rb6,Rb7]} 28. Bf1 Nd6 29. Rc3 Rxc3 30.
Bxc3 Nc4 31. Bb4 Nxa3 32. Bxa3 Bxa3 33. Nxb6 Kf7 34. Rd1 Ke7 35. Nd5+ Bxd5 36.
Rxd5 Rd8 37. Rxd8 Kxd8 38. Bd3 h6 39. h5 Ke7 40. Kg2 Ke6 1/2-1/2

[Event "EU-chT (Men) 21st"]
[Site "Heraklion"]
[Date "2017.10.30"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Model game 5: Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Edouard, Romain"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2737"]
[BlackElo "2607"]
[Annotator "Kuljasevic, Davorin"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2017.10.28"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GRE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 182"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Israel"]
[BlackTeam "France"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ISR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "FRA"]

{[%evp 0,80,18,-23,-20,-20,-20,-20,-20,-18,0,0,-34,0,0,0,0,-1,-1,-2,-5,-16,-20,
-19,-19,-40,-44,-33,-25,-17,10,-3,20,20,20,37,45,37,37,58,58,57,58,58,36,34,59,
51,73,73,91,87,81,97,103,113,126,118,98,98,157,93,138,138,138,144,219,237,280,
289,289,289,297,230,328,340,335,335,802,819,1117,1138,1159]} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3
Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6
10. Rb1 f6 11. b5 $5 {This is a relatively recent White’s attempt to change
the nature of the battle from a strategic, maneuvering one, as we have seen in
the first four games, to a more direct one.} Nd4 12. e3 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 {
[%csl Rb7][%cal Gd2d4] [#] White’s plan is to put the pressure on b7 and
c7-pawn as usual, but here he also combines it with a quick central d2-d4
break.} Rb8 ({I actually prefer Nakamura’s strategy of keeping the center
closed, as in the following game:} 13... Qc8 14. d4 Rd8 {[%csl Rd4][%cal Re5d4]
} 15. Re1 f5 {[%csl Rf3][%cal Ge5e4]} 16. a4 e4 17. Be2 c5 $1 18. bxc6 bxc6 $2
{[%csl Rc6]} (18... Qxc6 19. Bd2 Nc4 $132 {[%csl Yc4,Yc6,Ye6][%cal Ga8c8]}) 19.
Qc2 (19. a5 Nd5 20. Bd2 {[%csl Rc6]} c5 21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. dxc5 $16 {[%cal
Gb1c1,Gd2b4]}) 19... c5 20. dxc5 Qxc5 21. Bb2 Bf6 $36 {[%csl Rc3]} 22. Rbc1 Qb4
23. Qb1 Rac8 24. a5 Nc4 25. Bxc4 Rxc4 $19 {0-1 (35) Dubov,D (2710)-Nakamura,H 
(2736) Chess. com INT 2021}) 14. d4 exd4 15. exd4 Qd7 16. Re1 {[%csl Rb7,Rc7,
Rd4][%cal Ge1e7,Yc1f4] White achieves strong piece play in the center and
Black needs to play carefully now.} Rfe8 $6 {This is too passive.} (16... Bf7
17. a4 Nc4 $132) 17. a4 $36 {[%cal Ga4a5] [#] White has a serious positional
initiative now since Black cannot play ...Nc4 anymore.} Bf7 (17... Nc4 $4 18.
Rxe6 Qxe6 19. Bd5 $18) 18. a5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Bf4 {[%csl Rc7][%cal Gb5b6]
} Rbc8 21. Bg4 $1 f5 22. Bf3 {[%csl Ye5]} Bf6 23. Be5 $16 Bxe5 24. dxe5 Rcd8
25. Bxd5+ Qxd5 26. Qc2 Qf7 27. a6 {[%csl Rc7,Ye5]} b6 28. Qc6 Re6 29. Qb7 f4
30. Rbc1 fxg3 31. hxg3 Rf8 32. Rf1 Qh5 33. Rxc7 Rh6 34. Qd5+ Kh8 35. Qg2 Qxe5
36. Rxa7 Qxb5 37. Ra8 Rhf6 38. Qb7 h5 39. a7 Qa5 40. Rc8 Kh7 1-0

