Aronian, Levon (2737) - Svidler, Peter (2738) [A29]

FIDE GP Sochi (9), 09.08.2008

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Nd4

This is a modern approach. Before doing anything else, black trades the knights. The
advantages outweigh the disadvantages; so nowadays white avoids this order of moves.
Black trades his rather misplaced knight and can fight for control of the “d5” square after
“c6”, which also limits white’s light squares bishop. It has the disadvantage of losing
some time, but since white cannot do anything immediately to take advantage of this, it
isn’t that important.
The main alternative is 4...Bb4 which leads after 5.Bg2
After 5.Nd5 Bc5 6.Bg2 d6 7.0–0 0–0 8.d3 h6 white has an edge due to his control
over the “d5” square.
5...0–0 6.0–0 e4
Good enough is 6...Re8 which leads after 7.d3 Bxc3 8.bxc3 e4 9.Nd4 exd3 10.exd3
Nxd4 11.cxd4 d5 to a roughly equal position.
7.Ng5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Re8 9.f3 e3 10.d3 d5 to a highly complicated struggle. (Here all
depends on the “e3” pawn. If black can hold on to it he has at least equal game; if not
white has the advantage (and quite a large one).

5.Bg2
Taking the pawn with 5.Nxe5 is too risky since after 5…Qe7 6.f4
Of course not 6.Nd3 since after Nf3 white is (unexpectedly) mated.
6...d6 7.Nd3 Bf5 8.Kf2 0–0–0 black has more than enough compensation for the pawn.
(The practice has shown that his chances are better.)

5...Nxf3+ 6.Bxf3 Bb4

The direct 6...Bc5 is also good and leads after 7.0–0 0–0 8.d3 h6 9.Rb1 a5 10.a3 to a
position were white has an edge (too small to count). Instead black is hitting the “c3”
knight intending to take it (at the appropriate moment) spoiling white’s pawn structure.

7.Qb3
So, white is concerned about the pawn structure, but the queen is rather misplaced here.
So although it seems that white has won a tempo, that is not really true.
Still, after 7.0–0 0–0 8.d3 c6 9.Bg2 Re8 the game remains roughly equal.

7...Bc5
There is no point in playing 7...Bxc3 8.Qxc3 since it simply gives away the bishops pair
for nothing, leaving white better.

8.d3
White is taking the solid route. This leads to a long maneuvering game.

1
Later, white would try the ambitious 8.0–0 0–0 9.Na4 Be7 10.d4 exd4 11.Rd1 c5 12.e3
dxe3 13.Bxe3 which leads to a highly complicated middle game where white has long-
term positional compensation for the pawn.

8...c6
First of all, black takes control over the “d5” square reducing the influence of white’s
light squares bishop.

9.0–0 0–0 10.Bg2

The bishop is not well placed, so white pulls it back.
The active 10.Bg5 gives no advantage. After 10…Be7 11.Rac1 h6 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.c5
Be7 14.Ne4 d5 15.cxd6 Bxd6 16.Nxd6 Qxd6 the position has simplified too much; the
most probable outcome is a draw.

10...h6
At this moment both sides make generally useful moves; black takes control of the “g5”
square and makes an early sortie path for the king.

11.Bd2 Re8 12.Rac1

White continues to improve his pieces.
Trying to force matters with 12.Na4 goes nowhere since after 12…Bf8 13.c5 Rb8
The simple 13...d5 14.cxd6 Bxd6 also leads to a roughly equal position, but white
has some prospects since he can use the “c5” square to press on the queenside).
14.Rac1 b5 (this is the idea behind black’s previous move) 15.cxb6 axb6 16.Ba5 Ba6
17.Bxb6
After 17.Nxb6 Qc7 18.Nc4 Rxb3 19.Bxc7 Rb7 20.Bxe5 Bxc4 21.Bxf6 Bxa2 22.Bc3
Rxe2 the position is completely equal.
17...Qc8 18.Qd1 Bb5 19.Be3 Bxa4 20.Qxa4 Rxb2 the game is balanced. White’s pair of
bishops is counterbalanced by black’s superior pawn structure.

12...Bf8 13.h3
White secures the “e3” square for the bishop.

13…d6

2
14.Kh2
White is opting for a flexible setup and is not committing in the center (yet). Still, such an
approach doesn’t do much to gain an advantage since it gives black more than enough
time to rearrange his pieces. Therefore, slightly better (from a practical point of view)
would have been to advance “e4”. (Probably white didn’t want to block his light squares
bishop.) This takes firmly control over the “d5” square (stopping black from any further
center play) and prepares for a kingside attack.
After 14.e4 Nd7 15.Be3 Nc5 16.Qc2 Ne6 17.f4 the game remains complicated. The
weakness of the “d4” square isn’t so important since white can easily regain control of it
with “Ne2” if necessary. White will push forward on the kingside by advancing the
pawns, and black on the queenside (based on a “b5” advance), trying to get counter play.

14...a6 15.Be3 Qe7 16.Rcd1

Finally white decides to play actively in the center and prepares for a “d4” advance.

16…Rb8 17.Ba7
White has not yet decided what to do in the future. Therefore he is making some harmless
moves waiting to see what black will do before taking action.
Still, playing in the center with 17.d4 doesn’t give much since after 17…Be6 18.d5 cxd5
19.Nxd5 Nxd5 20.cxd5 Bf5 the game is equal.

17...Ra8 18.Bb6 Nd7 19.Be3 f5

Black decides to be the first to head for active play (after a maneuvering game), and
increases his control over the center. From now on the game enters a sharp and highly
interesting phase.

20.c5+
Taking advantage of the fact that a “d5” advance doesn’t work due to “Bxd5”, white is
spoiling black’s central pawn formation. This is the right choice since if black manages to
play “Nf6’ he gets an edge due to his better control over the center.

20…Kh8
The endgame that arises after 20...Qf7 21.Qxf7+ Kxf7 22.cxd6 Bxd6 23.Na4 is equal, but
black wants more.

21.cxd6 Qf6
This is a good decision; black intends to take the pawn with his bishop, not disturbing the
coordination of his pieces.
Less accurate would have been 21...Qxd6 22.d4 Nf6 23.dxe5 Qxe5 24.Rd3 and white
keeps the advantage. (His pieces are better placed, he has some pressure on the
queenside, and the “f5” advance works in his favor since it closes black’s bishop).

22.d4 e4
This is the right choice, black gains space in the center keeping it closed since he is not
completely developed.
The immediate 22...Bxd6 leads after 23.dxe5 Bxe5 24.Rd3 Qe7

3
 The tempting 24...f4 doesn’t achieve a lot since after 25.Ne4 Qf8 26.gxf4 Bxf4+
27.Kg1 white has the advantage due to his better development. (Black cannot gain
advantage from the white king’s slightly weakened position.)
25.Na4 to a position where white has the advantage. He has an annoying pressure on the
queenside and center, while black faces difficulties in finishing his development.
(Therefore he cannot get any counter play.)

23.f3
White too selects the most challenging alternative (not allowing black to take the
initiative) and opens the center. This is the logical solution since he has to act quickly,
before black manages to finish his development.

23…exf3 24.Rxf3 Bxd6 25.Bf4

Although he has the lead in development (where the general guidance is to avoid trading
pieces), trading the bishop is in white’s favor since it clears the path for the “e” pawn
(after an “e4” advance he can open the game further) and relieves the pressure on the
kingside (mainly on the “g3” pawn).

25…Bxf4 26.Rxf4 Re3

Black anticipates white’s plan to advance “e4” and takes defensive measures by blocking
the pawn. At the same time he hits the “g3” pawn.
Less accurate would have been 26...Qg6 27.e4 fxe4 28.Nxe4 and white has a strong
initiative since all his pieces participate in the struggle, while black has trouble getting
the queenside pieces into play.

27.d5
White is pushing too hard. From a general point of view, his decision is the right one
since it opens the game further. By this he intends to take advantage of his better
development. Still, black has sufficient defensive resources based on kingside counter
play (his main threat is “Rxg3”), therefore a much simpler solution would have been
better. Black’s only active pieces are the queen and rook, therefore trading the rook is a
good idea.

4
After 27.Rf3 Rxf3 (otherwise “e4” is coming, which gives white a large advantage)
28.exf3 f4 (closing the bishop is important, otherwise white advances “f4”, opening the
bishop and retaining the advantage) 29.g4 b6 30.Ne4 Qe7 31.d5 Bb7 32.d6 white has an
edge due to his strong passed pawn. Still, increasing the advantage isn’t an easy job
(mainly because of the misplaced ‘g2” bishop) but at least he has the advantage.

27...c5
Black is keeping the position closed since he still has pieces that he needs to get into play.
The immediate 27...Rxg3 leads after 28.dxc6 bxc6 29.Kxg3 Qg5+ 30.Kf3 Ne5+ 31.Ke3
Ng6 (otherwise, white has a material advantage)
Worse would have been 31...Qxg2 32.Rd8+ Kh7 33.Qg8+ Kg6 34.Qe8+ and
white wins the knight getting a decisive advantage.
32.Qa4 Nxf4 33.Qxf4 Qxg2 34.Rd8+ Kh7 35.h4 to a complicated position. White has
more than enough compensation for the missing pawn since black’s kingside pieces are
tied down. The most probable outcome is a draw since black has to give back the pawn in
order to release the pressure.

28.d6
Of course white continues with his plan, ignoring the pawn which will be lost on the next
move.

28…Rxg3
Since he has nothing better to do, black accepts the challenge.

29.Kxg3
This is an inaccuracy that leaves the initiative in black’s hands (and requires white to play
carefully to maintain the balance), since it gives him enough time to bring his queenside
pieces into play. It would have been better to ignore the rook (black is far from creating
dangerous threats with only the rook and queen) and concentrate on activating the queen.
After 29.Qd5 Qg6 30.Bf3 Nf6 31.Qxc5 the game remains complicated, but white has
slightly better prospects. (Even if he trades pieces with “Rg1” the passed pawn ensures an
edge in the endgame.)

29...Qg5+ 30.Kh2 Qxf4+ 31.Kh1 c4

Before completing his development, black doesn’t allow white’s queen to reach the “f7”
square. (From there it exerts strong pressure on both the kingside and the queenside and
supports the “d” pawn.)

32.Qb4 a5
This move has two ideas: vacating the “a6” square for the rook (if necessary) or forcing
white to place the queen on the bad “b5” square which prepares a future “Bd7” move
with a gain of tempo.
The alternative 32...Rb8 (preparing a “b5” advance), leads after 33.e3 Qxe3 34.Qxc4 Nf6
35.Qc7 Ra8 36.Qe7 Be6 37.Qxb7 Ra7 to a complicated yet balanced game where white’s
weaker king is fully counterbalanced by the powerful “d6” pawn.

5
33.Qb5 Nf6 34.Qb6 Bd7 35.e3
This move is a mistake that allows black to gain a large advantage. Since black managed
to bring his pieces into play, white should focus on restoring the material balance.
After 35.Qxb7 Re8 36.Qc7 a4 (otherwise white simply takes the “a” pawn) 37.Nd5
(white’s best play is to clear the path for the passed pawn, so he removes one of the “d7’
square’s defenders) 37…Nxd5 (black has nothing better; this leads by force to a draw)
38.Qxd7 Rxe2 39.Rf1 Qe5 40.Qc6 Rxg2 41.Kxg2 Ne3+ 42.Kf2 Nxf1 43.d7 Qxb2+
44.Kxf1 Qb1+ 45.Kf2 Qc2+ the position is a draw since the perpetual check cannot be
avoided.

35...Qg3 36.Qxb7 Re8 37.Qf3

Avoiding the trade of queens with 37.Qc7 is even worse since after 37…Rxe3 38.Qxc4
Qf2 39.Rf1 Qd2 black has a strong attack. (Also the “d6” pawn is quite weak). Therefore,
white enters into a worse endgame where he has a long and tough defense ahead since he
is a pawn down.

37...Qxf3 38.Bxf3 Rxe3 39.Kg2

39…g5
After playing the game well, black fails to spot the idea that would have allowed him to
retain a large advantage and given him good winning chances. White’s only drawing
chances lies in the powerful “d” pawn. (This is his only hope of getting counter play.)
Therefore black has to pay constant attention to it. In order to advance it, white has to
reduce black’s control over the “d7” square. Therefore, the next move is quite obvious:
“Nd5” (trading one of his defenders). This also activates the rook. Against this threat
black prepared a counter blow (that we will see later in the game), but a bad one since it
transfers the game (by force) into a rook endgame with two pawns more that is a draw.
(In order to make further progress, black has to enter into a theoretically drawn rooks
endgame.) The normal idea is to bring the king into the center at once, but there is no
time for that since by activating the rook white gets sufficient counter play. In all these
cases the piece that ensures white’s counter play is the rook; therefore trading it is the
logical solution.

6
After 39...Rd3 40.Rxd3 (the trade cannot be avoided since white loses the access to the
“d5” square and black has access to the “d2” square) 40…cxd3 41.Kf2 Ne8 42.Ke3 Nxd6
43.Kxd3 g5 black retains a large advantage. Although the game isn’t finished yet, black’s
strong passed pawns and white’s lack of counter play (creating a passed pawn on the
queenside with “a3-b4” doesn’t bother black to much since it’s hard to advance it) should
be sufficient to produce a favorable outcome.

40.Nd5
White loses no time heading for the previously mentioned active defense.

40…Nxd5 41.Rxd5 g4
This advance is black’s counterblow. If white withdraws the bishop, then black easily
wins with “Rd3”. Still, white can liquidate the game into a rooks endgame that can be
held without any particular difficulty. Therefore the only chance to retain the advantage
was by heading for the previous idea.
After 41...Rd3 42.Rxa5
The bishop endgame that arises after 42.Rxd3 cxd3 43.Kf2 Kg7 44.Ke3 Kf6
45.Kxd3 Ke5 is hopeless. In order to win, black will simply advance the passed
kingside pawns.
42...Rxd6 43.Kf2 Kg7 44.Rd5 Rxd5 45.Bxd5 Bb5 black retains good winning chances.
Still, the weakness of the “c” pawn gives white some drawing chances too.

42.hxg4 fxg4 43.Bxg4

This is the point of white’s defense. By temporary sacrificing the bishop, white can
liquidate the game into the previously mentioned rook’s endgame.

43…Bxg4 44.d7 Bxd7 45.Rxd7 Re2+ 46.Kf3 Rxb2 47.Rc7 Rc2

By holding on to the “c” pawn black is pressing forward, but without real chances since
his king is too passive.
After 47...Rxa2 48.Rxc4 the endgame with two pawns more is a theoretical draw.

48.a4 c3 49.Ke4 Rc1 50.Rc5

Since the king is close enough to the “c” pawn, white can afford to attack the “a” pawn.

50…c2
After 50...Ra1 51.Rxc3 Rxa4+ 52.Kf5 the same theoretical draw is reached.

51.Kd3 Ra1 52.Kxc2 Rxa4 53.Kb3

Now, things are even simpler since white wins the “a” pawn by force.

53…Rb4+ 54.Kc3 Ra4 55.Kb3 Ra1 56.Kb2 Re1 57.Rxa5

The players could now agree to a draw since white has more than enough time to bring
his king close enough to the “h” pawn. Black’s king is too far away.

57…Kg7 58.Kc2 Kg6 59.Kd2 Re8 60.Ra3 Kg5 61.Re3 Rf8 62.Ke2 Kg4 63.Re7 h5
Finally, black agrees to a draw. ½–½