O tempora, o mores

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Alexander Igorevich Grischuk
Candidates Tournament; Berlin, March 23, 2018
2r3kr/1b1q2p1/pB2NbBn/1p1p3p/2p5/PnN4P/1P2QPP1/3RR1K1 w - - 1 28

Position after 27. ... Kf8-g8

In today’s game 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) missed his golden chance to make, even brilliantly, his first goal. Or maybe, who knows, the realpolitik to the chess superpower has induced him not to defy doom. Whatever it is, in the position of the diagram White could already put the last nail in Grischuk’s coffin with 28. Nd8! – which should not be too difficult to see – with the Knight obviously taboo due to Qe2-e8+. Instead, he plays another good move, quite by chance: 28. Nxd5!? Bxd5 29. Nf4!? 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) continues playing safely, and again misses his most basic killer moves (29. Nd8! or, perhaps even more mercilessly, 29. Rxd5! Qxd5 30. Nd8! with mate in four moves). 29. ... Nc1 30. Qxh5 Nd3 31. Nxd5 Nf7 32. Qe2? Perhaps it is not wrong in absolute terms, but 32. Nxf6+ gxf6 33. Bxf7+ Qxf7 34. Qg4+ Kh7 35. Qf5+ Kg7 36. Re4 was a much simpler way to win. Now Grischuk’s Knights jump and dance. 32. ... Nfe5 33. Be4 Rh4 34. f4 Rxf4 35. Nxf4 Nxf4 36. Bh7+ Kh8 37. Qe4 Qc6 38. Bd4? A tactical slip that dissipates any advantage. With the obvious 38. Qxf4 Kxh7 39. Bd4 White still retained quite a bit of a winning view. 38. ... Nxh3+? With 38. ... Ned3!∞ Grischuk would have shrugged off any illusions his opponent might have had about the outcome. 39. Kh2 Ng5 40. Qxc6 Rxc6 41. Bc2 Ngf7 42. Bxe5. This seems a very questionable way of insisting to play for the win. What follows is an infinite stillicide towards an inevitable draw by exhaustion. 42. ... Nxe5 43. Rd5 Re6 44. Kh3 Kg8 45. b3 Kf7 46. bxc4 Nxc4 47. Rd7+ Be7 48. Rxe6 Kxe6 49. Ra7 Nxa3 50. Rxa6+ Kd5 51. Bh7 Nc4 52. Kg4 Bf6 53. Ra7 Kd4 54. Bg8 Nd6 55. Kf3 Kc5 56. Ra8 b4 57. Ke2 Bc3 58. Kd3 Kb6 59. Ke3 Kc6 60. Kf4 Nb7 61. Kf5 Nc5 62. g4 Kb5 63. g5 b3 64. Kg6 Kb4 65. Bd5 Bd4 66. Kh7 Kc3 67. g6 b2 68. Ba2 Kc2 69. Rb8 Ne4 70. Rb4 Nc3 71. Be6 $1 Kc1 72. Bf5 Be5 73. Rb7 b1=Q 74. Bxb1 Nxb1 75. Rxg7 Nc3 76. Re7 Bd4 77. Rd7 Be5 78. Kh6 Kc2 79. Kg5 Kb3 80. Kf5 Bh8 81. Rb7+ Kc2 82. Rh7 Bd4 83. Ke6 Kb3 84. Rd7 Bh8 85. Rd8 Bg7 86. Kf7 Be5 87. Re8 Bd4 88. Rb8+ Kc2 89. Rb7 Be5 90. Rb6 Bd4 91. Rf6 Bxf6 92. Kxf6 Nd5+ 93. Kf7 Ne3 94. Kf6 Nd5+ 95. Kf7 Ne3 96. g7 Nf5 ½ : ½.

Richard Réti – Efim Dmitriyevich Bogoljubov
International Chess Tournament; New York, April 2, 1924
3r1b1k/ppq2Bpp/2p5/2P2Q2/8/1P4P1/P6P/5RK1 w - - 4 25

Position after 24. ... Kg8-h8

25. Be8!! 1 : 0.