Opening: French Defense Title: A Present To The French! - Vitiugov vs Van Foreest | Tata Steel Chess 2020
The Tata Steel Masters 2020 is a 13 rounds single round robin tournament which takes place from 11 - 26 January in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.
Time control : 100 minutes for 40 moves followed by 50 minutes for 20 moves abd 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move from move 1.
Players: Anand, Artemiev, Carlsen, Caruana, Dubov, Duda, Firouzja, Giri, Kovalev, Wesley So, Van Foreest,
Vitiugov, Xiong, Yu Yangyi
Hello Chess Friends and Welcome to the Channel. I'm back with another game from the Tata Steel because today's round was really full of decisive games. I've already uploaded the fascinating game and endgame between Anand and Carlsen, now it's time for Vitiugov against Van Foreest. Let's get started
1. e4 e6 {the French} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 {this is exactly what I play with
the french} 4. e5 Nfd7 {and now the main line is f4 and not Nf3 where a fast
piece development comes at the expense of a strong central control} 5. Nce2 {
that is perfectly playable} c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Nf3 {as I said before, in my
opinion this is not the best idea} Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. Nf4 {Vitiugov is following
the game Grischuk vs Potkin played in 2017 and won by white in 40 moves} Qa5 {
activating the queen, preventing b4 and pinning c3. this is much better than
cxd4 played against Grischuk. Believe it or not, this is a critical moment of
the game. What to play now as white? Bd2 is the safest move. Also Be3 is good}
10. Bd3 {played now is a mistake} (10. Be3 Nxd4 11. Nxd4 cxd4 12. Bxd4 {
with an equal poistion} Qc7 {the pawn is under attack two times. Only now,
white can play Bd3} 13. Bd3 Nxe5 14. Bxh7+ Kxh7 15. Qh5+ {again with equality})
10... Nxd4 11. Nxd4 cxd4 {I have only one game in database where Karthik, the
indian grandmaster, was able to survive and get a draw from this position,
playing now} 12. Qh5 {the game is now original} (12. Nxe6 {but Black wrongly
replied with dxc3, instead of accepting the Knight with advantage}) 12... f5
13. O-O (13. exf6 {is even worse for white} Nxf6 {attacking the queen and
protecting h7}) 13... Nxe5 14. cxd4 Nc6 15. Be3 Bf6 {now g4 doesn't work
because Nxd4 also defends f5} 16. Ne2 {to defend the pawn.} Qb6 17. Kh1 Bd7 {
much better than to capture one of those pawns} (17... Nxd4 18. Qh3 e5 19. Bxd4
exd4 20. Bxf5) 18. b4 Rac8 19. Rac1 Ne7 {with Black that with the advantage,
wants to exchange some pieces} 20. Rc5 Rxc5 21. dxc5 Qc6 {and it seems to me
that Black is better than before with a central connected passed pawn} 22. Nd4
Qa4 23. Ra1 Be8 (23... g6 24. Qe2 f4 25. c6 {is the best try} Nxc6 26. Bc2 Qa6
27. b5 Nxd4 28. Bxd4 Bxb5 29. Qd2 {but Black is three pawns up}) 24. Qh3 Ng6 {
a faster idea is} 25. Bc2 Qa6 26. Rb1 Bf7 27. f4 {is good or it will be black
to push f4} Qc4 {is a strong invasion with many threats} 28. Bb3 Qc3 29. Rd1
Nxf4 {a deflection that wins another pawn} 30. Bxf4 Bxd4 31. Qxc3 Bxc3 32. Bd6
Rc8 33. b5 {looking for counterplay on the queenside where there is the pawn
majority} Bb2 34. a4 Ba3 {but capturing is not the best idea or Rc1 will come.
That why Vitiugov continues with} 35. a5 {Most accurante plan is} Bxc5 {
not the best but still winning} (35... Be8 36. b6 axb6 37. axb6 Bb5 {then Kd7
and Black will win advancing in the center}) 36. Rc1 b6 37. g4 fxg4 {is
another inaccurancy because here comes} (37... d4 38. Rxc5 bxc5 39. b6 axb6 40.
axb6 e5 {on bishop is sort of trapped, the other one is under attack} 41. b7
Rd8 42. Bxf7+ Kxf7 {and White cannot even win the rook} 43. b8=Q Rxb8 44. Bxb8
d3 {light square, dark bishop and the King is out of the square}) 38. Rxc5 bxc5
39. b6 axb6 40. axb6 {let's go back} Rc6 41. Bc7 {only way to win this endgame
is to sacrifice the rook} Rxb6 42. Bxb6 c4 43. Bd1 {Black has the advantage
and should still win the endgame} Bg6 44. Bxg4 {Bd4 is more accurate but the
position is difficult to play. After Bd4, Black can defend the pawn and then
advance with the king} Bf5 45. Bf3 c3 {advancing the passed pawn} 46. Kg1 Kf7
47. Bd4 c2 48. Bb2 d4 {and white cannot capture} 49. Kf2 e5 50. Bd5+ Kf6 51. h4
{prevents Kg5} Kg6 52. Kg3 {wants to stop the black king} Bd3 53. Bc1 {best
move is Kf6 and then advancing e4} e4 {still winning} 54. Bb2 Kf5 55. Bg8 h6
56. Bc1 e3 57. Bb2 Be4 58. Bc1 g5 59. h5 g4 60. Bh7+ Ke5 61. Bg8 e2 62. Kf2 d3
{and Vitiugov resigns. Let's make some other moves} 63. Bb2+ Kd6 64. Ba3+ Kc6
65. Be6 d2 {and nothing can stop d1.} *
With this victory Van Foreest jumps in second position with Wesley So and Caruana. Solitary Leader is the young Firouzja
Photos by:
Lennart Ootes
FIDE Master and Professional Photographer
You can follow him here:
@LennartOotes
from
Picture made by Harry Gielen
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