Super two

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Fabiano Caruana
Candidates Tournament; Berlin, March 11, 2018
Catalan Opening E05

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 dxc4 7. Qc2 b6 8. Ne5 Qxd4 9. Bxa8 Qxe5. Black’s Exchange sacrifice appears to be perfectly sound. 10. Bf3 Nd5 11. Qxc4 Ba6 12. Qb3!? 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) looks for something different and possibly more promising than 12. Qa4 c5 13. Re1 b5 14. Qe4 Nc6 15. Nc3 Rd8 16. Rd1 Qxe4 17. Bxe4 Nd4 18. Bxd5 b4 19. Bb3 bxc3 20. bxc3 Nxe2+ 21. Kg2 Bb7+ 22. f3 Rxd1 23. Bxd1 Nxc3 24. Bd2 Nxd1 25. Rxd1 Bd5 26. Rb1 g5 27. Kf2 Bxa2 28. Ra1 Bd5 29. Bc3 f6 30. Rxa7 Kf7 31. Ke3 e5 32. h4 gxh4 33. gxh4 h5 34. f4 exf4+ 35. Kxf4 Ke6 36. Ra6+ Bd6+ 37. Rxd6+ Kxd6 ½ : ½ Aronian – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 7th Chess World Cup, Tbilisi 2017, tie-break game 1 (25+10). 12. ... Nc6 13. Qa4 Bb7 14. Nc3 Nd4 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Bf4 Qf6 17. Rad1 c5 18. Be3

18. ... Nf3+! 19. exf3 d4 20. f4 dxc3 21. bxc3 Bf3. After all, Black has no material compensation for the Exchange, but the Bishop pair and the powerfulness of his light-squared Bishop (which, together with the Queen, forms a battery aimed at g2) gives him more than enough to play for all three results. 22. Rd3 Bc6. Caruana shows no interest in regaining the Exchange (by 22. ... Be2), aiming instead to play in the discomfort zone. 23. Qb3 Qf5 24. c4 Be4 25. Rd2 Qh5 26. f3. The threat of ... Qh5-f3 compels White to give up a Pawn, but not in vain, as he will be able to coordinate his heavy pieces much more effectively. 26. ... Bxf3 27. f5 Bc6 28. Qd1 Qh3 29. Rff2 h6 30. Qf1 Qg4 31. Rf4 Qg5 32. Rd3 Qf6 33. Bd2 Ba8 34. h4 Qc6 35. Kh2 Bd6 36. Rf2 Be5 37. Bc3 Bxc3 38. Rxc3 Re8 39. f6 g6 40. Rcc2 Re4 41. Rfe2 Qe6. Here 41. ... Qd6 (Δ ... Re4xh4+) would have actually forced 42. Rxe4 Bxe4 with consequences very similar to those in the game. After the text, instead, White might have played for more by 42. Qe1(!), exerting pressure on the central files (41. ... Qg4 43. Rcd2). 42. Rxe4 Bxe4 43. Rf2 Bf5 44. Qc1 Kh7 45. Qc3 h5 46. a3 ½ : ½. In the end, no winner and no loser.