Chess World Cup 2017 Round 4 Tie Breaks - Tblisi

Four of the 5 tie break matches were decided after the first two tie break games, while the remaining match went to the second pair of rapid games. No blitz this time and still no Armageddon game.

The interesting match up here was MVL against Grischuk – where the lesson that we can learn is there is always scope to improve endgame technique.

The first two rapid games were drawn, with MVL crushing the first 10 minute game. In the second 10 minute game Grischuk won an exchange and got into a won endgame according to Nalimov. However, time pressure can be a beast and Grischuk missed his winning move, allowing MVL to get his pawn to g4, securing the draw and a date with Svidler in the quarter final…

Vachier-Lagrave,Maxime (2804) - Grischuk,Alexander (2788)

FIDE World Cup 2017 Tbilisi (4.5), 14.09.2017

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0–0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6 7.a4 h6 8.Re1 C54: Italienische Partie (Hauptvariante) 

8...0–0 9.h3 

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9...a5 [9...Re8 10.Nbd2 Be6 11.Bxe6 Rxe6 12.b4 Ba7 13.Qc2 Qd7 14.Nf1 d5 15.Be3 Bxe3 16.Nxe3 1–0 (41) Anand,V (2786)-So,W (2812) Leuven 2017] 

10.Nbd2 Be6 11.Bb5N Ne7 12.d4 exd4 13.Nxd4 Bd7 14.Nf1 Ng6 15.Ng3 Re8 16.Bc4 c6 17.Be3 Qc7 18.Ba2 Re5 19.Qc2 Rae8 20.Nf3 R5e7 21.Bxc5 dxc5 22.Rad1 Bc8 23.Bc4 Qf4 24.Qd2 Be6 25.Bxe6 Rxe6 26.Qxf4 Nxf4 27.e5 N6d5 28.Ne4 Rg6 

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29.Nh4 Rge6 30.Nd6 Rb8 31.g3 Nxh3+ 32.Kg2 Ng5 33.f4 Nh7 34.f5 Re7 35.c4 Nc7 36.e6 fxe6 37.Ng6 Rd7 

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38.fxe6 Rdd8 39.Ne7+ Kf8 40.Nxc6 Rxd6 41.Nxb8 Ke7 42.Rxd6 Kxd6 43.Rd1+ Kxe6 44.Rd7 1–0

Grischuk,Alexander (2788) - Vachier-Lagrave,Maxime (2804)

FIDE World Cup 2017 Tbilisi (4.6), 14.09.2017

1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.d3 Nge7 5.g3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Bg2 Nc7 8.0–0 Be7 9.Nd2 0–0 10.Bxc6 

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A34: Symmetrical English: 2 Nc3, lines with ...d5 [10.Nc4 f6 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Qa4 Bd7 13.Qa5 Bh3 14.Re1 Qd7 15.Be3 Ne6 16.Rac1 Rab8 17.b3 Rfe8 18.f3 Bf5 19.Na4 Rb4 0–1 (38) Pantsulaia,L (2606)-Jakovenko,D (2723) Yerevan 2014] 10...bxc6 11.Qa4 Rb8 12.Nc4N 

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White is slightly better. [12.Qxc6 Rb6 13.Qa4 Rb4 14.Qd1 Bh3 15.Re1 f5 16.Nc4 f4 17.a3 Rb8 1/2–1/2 (80) Golda,H (2290)-Schmid,G (2268) Freising 2001] 

12...Rb4 13.Qa5 f6 14.b3 Bh3 15.Re1 Qb8 16.Ba3 Rb5 17.Nxb5 cxb5 18.Ne3 next Rac1 is good for White. 

18...Qb7 19.f3 [19.Bb2=] 

19...b4!³ Black has compensation. 

20.Bb2 Na6 [20...Ne6!³] 

21.g4!² h5 22.a3 [22.gxh5? Bd8–+; 22.a4!±] 

22...Bd8= 23.Qa4 hxg4 24.axb4 [24.fxg4 c4!µ] 

24...Nxb4 25.Qxa7 

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[Don't play 25.fxg4 c4!µ] 

25...Qxa7 26.Rxa7 gxf3 27.Kf2 Threatening Rg1. 

27...fxe2 28.Kxe2 Be6 [28...Nc6!? 29.Rb7 Bc8²] 

29.Bc3 Bxb3 30.Rb1ƒ Black is under pressure. 

30...Bf7 31.Bxb4 cxb4 32.Rxb4 f5! 33.Rb8 e4 [33...f4!² 34.Ng4 Be6] 

34.Raa8 

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34...exd3+ [34...Bh5+± 35.Kd2 (35.Kf1 Be7+-) 35...Ba5+ 36.Kc2 (36.Rxa5 Rxb8 37.dxe4 Bf3=) 36...exd3+ 37.Kxd3 Rxb8 38.Rxb8+ Kh7 39.Nxf5 Bc7] 

35.Kxd3+- Be7 36.Nxf5 Bg6 37.Rxf8+ Bxf8 Endgame KRN-KB 

38.Ke4 Kf7 39.Ke5 Bxf5? [39...Bh5 40.Rb8 g6 41.Nd6+ Bxd6+ 42.Kxd6 Kf6] 

40.Kxf5 KR-KB 

40...g6+ 41.Kg5 Bc5 42.Kh6 Be3+ 43.Kh7 g5 

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44.Kh6 Bf4 45.Ra2! g4+ 46.Kh5 g3 47.h3 Be3 48.Kg4 Bf2 49.Kf3 [49.Rb2+- Kf6 50.Re2] 

49...Kg6 50.Ra5 [50.Ra8+- Kh6 51.Rd8] 

50...Kh6 51.Rb5 Kg6 52.Rd5 Kh6 53.Re5 [¹53.Rd8 Kh5 54.Rh8+ Kg5 55.h4+ Kg6 56.Kg2 Be1 57.Re8 Bf2 58.Rc8] 

53...Kg6 54.Rb5 [54.Re4+- Kg5 55.h4+ Kg6 56.Re8] 

54...Kh6 55.Rb4 Kg5 56.Rg4+ Kh6 57.Ke4 Be1 58.Kf5 Bf2 59.Rg6+ Kh7 60.Kf6 Bd4+ 

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61.Kf7! Bf2 62.Kf6 [¹62.Rg5 Kh6 63.Kf6 Be1 64.Kf5 Bf2 65.h4 Be1 66.h5 Kh7 67.Rg6] 

62...Bd4+! 63.Kf5 Bf2 64.h4? [64.Rg5 Kh6 65.h4] 

64...Be1 65.h5 Bf2 66.Kf4 Threatens to win with Kf3. 

66...Be1 67.Kf3 Bf2 

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68.Ke2! Kf3 is the strong threat. 

68...Kh8 69.Kf3 Kh7 70.Kf4 Be1 71.Kg4 Bf2 72.Kf5 Be1 73.Kf4 Strongly threatening Re6. 

73...Bf2 74.Ke5 Be1 75.Kf6 Black must now prevent Ke6. 

75...Bf2 76.Kf5 Be1 77.Kg5 Bf2 78.Kf5 And now Kf4 would win. 

78...Be1 79.Ke4 Bf2 80.Kf3 aiming for Kg2. 

80...Be1 81.Re6 Bf2 82.h6? [82.Rc6+-] 

82...Bc5!² 83.Kxg3 Hoping for Kh4. 

83...Bf8 84.Kg4 Bxh6 85.Kf5 Bd2 86.Kf6 Kh6 87.Rc6 Kh5 88.Kf5 

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White threatens Rc2 and mate. 

88...Kh4! White has an edge. 

89.Rc2 Be3 90.Re2 Bb6 91.Re6 Bc7 92.Rc6 Bb8 93.Rc3 Bg3 94.Rxg3 Precision: White = 63%, Black = 66%. ½–½