ROUND 1 FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT 2020

Vachier-Lagrava – Caruana  DRAW

Ding – Wang  BLACK WINS!

Giri – Nepomniachi  BLACK WINS!

Grischuk – Alekseenko  DRAW

Game one is between Maxime Vachler-Lagrave with White against Fabiano Caruana with Black.

This game features a Ruy Lopez. To learn more about the Ruy Lopez, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Vachier Lagrave,Maxime (2767) - Caruana,Fabiano (2842)

FIDE Candidates 2020 Yekaterinburg (1.1), 17.03.2020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.a5 C78: Ruy Lopez: Archangelsk and Möller Defences. 

10...Ba7! 11.h3 11.Be3 is the modern continuation. 

11...0–0 12.Be3 exd4 13.cxd4 Nb4 14.Nc3 Bb7 15.Ng5 Qe7N [15...Qe8 16.e5 dxe5 17.dxe5 Qc6 18.Nf3 Bxe3 19.fxe3 Ne4 20.Qd4 Nxc3 21.Qxb4 Ne4 1–0 (46) Sasikiran,K (2648)-Moroni,L (2532) Caleta 2020] 

16.e5 dxe5 17.Nxf7 e4 [Not 17...Rxf7? 18.dxe5 c5 19.exf6±] 

18.Nd6+ [18.Ng5+ seems wilder. 18...Kh8 19.Ne6 Rfc8 20.Qe2 Nbd5 21.Nxd5 Bxd5 22.Bxd5 Nxd5 23.Qg4] 

18...Kh8 19.Nxb7 Rxb7 20.Qe2 c6 21.Rad1 Rd7 22.f3 exf3 23.Rxf3 c5 24.dxc5 Rxd1+ 25.Nxd1 Bxc5 26.Qf2 Bd6 27.Nc3 Nd3 28.Qe2 Nc5 29.Ba2 Re8 30.Qd2 Nce4 31.Nxe4 Nxe4 32.Qd3 Ng5 33.Bxg5 Bc5+ 34.Kh1 Qxg5 35.Rf1 Qe5 36.Qd5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+r+-mk(
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6p+-+-+-+&
5zPpvlQwq-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-+P#
2LzP-+-+P+"
1+-+-+R+K!
xabcdefghy

Threatens to win with Rf8+! 

36...Qe2 37.Qf5 Bb1 is the strong threat. 

37...Qe5 38.Qxe5 The position is equal. 

38...Rxe5= Endgame KRB-KRB 

39.Rd1 White wants to mate with Rd8+. 

39...g6 40.Bd5 Re7 41.Bc6 Re2 42.Bb7 Rxb2 43.Bxa6 Ra2 44.Bxb5 Rxa5  ½–½

Game two is between Ding Liren with White against Wang Hao with Black.

This game features an English Opening. To learn more about the English Opening, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Ding,Liren (2805) - Wang,Hao (2762)

FIDE Candidates 2020 Yekaterinburg (1.2), 17.03.2020

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Bc5 4.d3 0–0 5.Nc3 c6 6.Nf3 A22: English Opening: 1...e5 2 Nc3 Nf6. 

6...d6 7.0–0 Re8 7...a5 is a critical line. 

8.Na4 Bb4N [8...Na6 9.Nxc5 Nxc5 10.d4 exd4 11.Nxd4 Bg4 12.Re1 Qd7 13.Qc2 Bh3 14.Bh1 Qg4 ½–½ (32) Sucikova,S (1934)-O'Donnell,D England 2013] 

9.a3 Ba5 10.b4 Bc7 11.e4 a5 12.Bb2 Na6 13.b5 cxb5 14.cxb5 Nc5 15.Nxc5 dxc5 16.a4 Bg4 17.Ra3 Nd7 18.h3 Bh5 19.Qb1 b6 20.Nd2 Nf8 21.Bf3 Qg5 22.h4 Qg6 23.Qd1 Bxf3 24.Qxf3 h5 25.Qf5 Rad8 26.Qxg6 Nxg6 27.Kg2 f6 28.Nc4 Kf7 29.Bc1 Rd7 30.f4 exf4 31.Bxf4 Nxf4+ 32.gxf4 f5! 33.e5 Re6 34.Kf3 [34.Ne3= keeps the balance.] 

34...Rg6! 35.Ne3 Ke6 36.Rd1 Bd8 37.Ra2 Rd4 38.Nc2 Rd5 39.Ne3 Rd7 40.Rdd2? [40.d4= and White stays safe. 40...Rxd4 41.Rxd4 cxd4 42.Nc2] 

40...Bxh4 41.Rg2 

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8-+-+-+-+(
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41...Rg4! 42.Rh2 g6 43.Nxg4 fxg4+ 44.Ke3 Be7 45.Rac2 h4–+ 0–1

Game three is between Anish Giri with White against Ian Nepomniachi with Black.

This game features an English Opening. To learn more about the English Opening, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Giri,Anish (2763) - Nepomniachtchi,Ian (2774)

FIDE Candidates 2020 Yekaterinburg (1.3), 17.03.2020

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 e6 6.g3 Qb6 7.Ndb5 Ne5 8.Bf4 A33: Symmetrical English: 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e6 5 Nc3 Nc6. 

8...Nfg4 9.e3 a6 10.h3 axb5 11.hxg4 Nxc4 12.Rc1 [12.Qb3= d5 13.Bxc4 dxc4 14.Qxb5+ Qxb5 15.Nxb5] 

12...d5!N [Much weaker is 12...Nxb2?! 13.Qb3² Double Attack; 12...Qa5 13.b3 Ba3 14.bxc4 Bxc1 15.Qxc1 bxc4 16.e4 b5 17.Rh5 d5 18.exd5 g6 1–0 (33) Sedlacek,P (2478)-Suarez Sedeno,M (2426) ICCF email 2004] 

13.b3 Bb4! 14.bxc4 Ra3! 15.Be5 f6! 16.Bd4 Qa5 17.Be2! [Not 17.cxd5? e5–+] 

17...Bxc3+ 18.Rxc3 Rxc3 19.Kf1 b4 [19...dxc4 20.g5µ] 

20.g5! e5 [Wrong is 20...fxg5? 21.Bxg7 Qxa2 22.Bxh8+-] 

21.Bxc3 bxc3 22.gxf6 gxf6 23.Qb1 Qc7 24.Qd3 b5! 25.Qxc3 bxc4 26.e4! dxe4 27.Rh4 Be6 28.Rxe4 0–0 [Black should try 28...Kf7³ ] 

29.Bxc4 Kg7! 30.Qb3 Rb8 31.Bxe6 Rxb3 32.Rg4+ Kf8 33.Bxb3 Qc1+ 34.Kg2 Qc6+ 35.Kg1 h5 36.Rg8+ Ke7 37.Rg7+ Kd6 38.Rh7 Qf3 39.Rh8 e4 40.Rd8+ Ke7 41.Bd1 Qc3 [41...Kxd8? loses. 42.Bxf3 exf3 43.Kh2+-] 

42.Rd5 h4! 43.gxh4 

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43...f5! 44.Rxf5 Qe1+ Double Attack 

45.Kg2 Qxd1 46.Rg5 Qa1 47.Rg4 Qb1 48.Rg3 Qxa2 49.Rh3 Qd5 50.Kf1 Qd1+ 51.Kg2 Qg4+ 52.Rg3 Qh5 53.Ra3 Qd5 54.Kg1 Kf6 55.Rg3 Qd1+ 56.Kg2 Kf5 57.Rg5+ Kf4 58.Rg3 Qd5 59.Kf1 Qd2 60.Kg2 Qd1 61.Re3 Kf5 62.Rg3 Kf6 63.Rh3 Kg6 64.Rg3+ Kh5 65.Rh3 Qb1 66.Re3 Kxh4 67.Rg3 Kh5 68.Rh3+ Kg4 69.Rg3+ Kf4 70.Re3 Qd1 71.Ra3 Ke5 72.Rg3 Kd4 73.Re3 Qd3 0–1

Game four is between Alexander Grischuk with White against Kirill Alekseenko with Black.

This game features an English Opening. To learn more about the English Opening, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Grischuk,Alexander (2777) - Alekseenko,Kirill (2698)

FIDE Candidates 2020 Yekaterinburg (1.4), 17.03.2020

1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Bc5 4.d3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nc3 A20: English Opening: 1...e5. 

6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 0–0 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.Nf3 h6 10.0–0 Rb8N [10...Re8 11.Rd1 Bf5 12.Qb3 Bb6 13.Bb2 Rb8 14.Nd2 a6 15.Ne4 Qc8 16.Rac1 Be6 17.c4 Nd4 18.Bxd4 exd4 1–0 (35) Mrakovcic,K (1685)-Detelic,M Bjelolasica 2008] 

11.Bb2 b6 12.Rad1 Qe8 13.e4 Bd6 14.Nh4 Bg4 15.f3 Bd7 16.f4 exf4 17.gxf4 Na5 [17...f6=] 

18.Rde1 Qd8! 19.Qf2 Nc4 [19...Bc5= 20.d4 Be7] 

20.Bc1! [Wrong is 20.dxc4? Bc5–+] 

20...Bc5 21.d4 Be7 22.Nf3! f5 23.Qe2 Nd6 24.e5 Ne4 25.Nd2 Nxd2 

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26.Bxd2 [Don't play 26.Qxd2?! Bb5²] 

26...Be6 27.Qd3 Qd7 28.Be3 c6 29.a4 a6 [29...Rfd8²] 

30.Qxa6 Ra8 31.Qxb6 Bd5 32.Qb2 Rxa4 33.Ra1 Rfa8 34.Rxa4 Rxa4 35.Ra1 Rxa1+ 36.Qxa1 Bxg2! 37.Kxg2 Qd5+ 38.Kf2 Bh4+ 39.Ke2 Qg2+ 40.Kd3 Qe4+ 41.Kd2 Qg2+= ½–½