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丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Wesley So
7th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 17, 2019
Catalan Opening E05

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. d4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 c5 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Qxc4 b6 11. Ne5 Ra7 12. Nd3 Be7 13. Bf4 Bb7 14. Bxb7 Rxb7 15. Rc1. After 15. Nd2 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Qc2 Nd5 18. Be5 Nd7 19. Bd4 Qb8 20. Nf3 h6 21. Rfc1 Rc7 22. Qb3 Rfc8 Black equalised quite easily: 23. Rxc7 Rxc7 24. Nfe5 Bf6 25. e4 Bxe5 26. Nxe5 N5f6 27. Qe3 Qd8 28. Nd3 Rc4 29. f3 Qb8 30. b3 Rc8 31. Qd2 e5 32. Be3 Qd6 33. Nb4 Qe6 34. Qd3 Nc5 35. Bxc5 Rxc5 36. Kg2 Kh7 37. Ra7 Rc1 38. Nd5 Nxd5 39. exd5+ Qg6 40. Qxg6+ ½ : ½ Piorun – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 7th Chess World Cup, Tbilisi 2017, match game 1. 15. ... Nd5 16. Be5!? This appears to be a new move in a well-known variation. After 16. Bxb8 in a recent game, Black convincingly held her own with 16. ... b5! 17. axb5 axb5 18. Qb3 Qxb8 19. Nd2 Rc8 20. Nf3 g6 21. Nd4 Rxc1+ 22. Rxc1 Bf6 23. Nc6 Qa8 24. Ncb4 Nxb4 25. Qxb4 Kg7 26. Qe4 Qa7 27. Qc6 Rb6 28. Qc5 Be7 29. Qe3 Qb7 30. Ne5 Ra6 31. h3 Bf6 32. Kh2 h5! 33. Nd3 Ra8 34. Qc5 Ra4! 35. b3 Ra2 36. Rc2 Ra1 37. Rc1 Ra2 38. Rc2 Ra1 39. Rc1 Ra2 ½ : ½ Aronian – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 5th GRENKE Chess Classic, Baden-Baden 2018. 16. ... Bd6 17. Nd2 Bxe5 18. Nxe5 b5. This thematic but slightly impatient move will end up weakening Black’s a-Pawn — which in fact is doomed to fall in most variations — but, however strange it may appear, the whole thing can still be part of So’s “homemade theory”. 19. Qd4 bxa4 20. Rxa4 Qb6 21. Nd3 Rd8 22. Ne4 Nd7 23. Nec5 Nxc5 24. Rxc5

24. ... Nf4! A providential resource. A heavy piece endgame is the best of possible endgames to make Black survive his Pawn deficit. 25. Qxf4 Rxd3 26. Rc8+? From an objective standpoint, White ought to continue with 26. exd3 Qxc5 27. Rxa6 g6 28. Qf6, even though after 28. ... Rb8! (the only move) it’s highly unlikely that White’s extra Pawn may be turned into a win. Whatever it is, the text leads to a draw almost immediately. 26. ... Rd8 27. Rac4 h6! Just so. Black is careful enough to avoid 27. ... Rb8?? on account of 28. R4c7 winning on the spot. 28. R4c6 Rxc8 29. Rxc8+ Kh7 30. Qe4+ f5 31. Qc4 Qb3 32. Qxb3 Rxb3 33. Rc6 Rxb2 34. Rxe6 a5 35. Ra6 Rxe2 36. Rxa5 Kg6 37. Ra6+ Kh7 38. Ra5 Kg6 39. Ra6+ Kh7 40. Ra5 ½ : ½.

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) vs. Wesley So. Photo: Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour).