GM Alireza Firouzja  - GM Wesley So

Superbet Chess Classic Romania, (1)


C50: Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 The name Giuoco Piano - one of the oldest recorded openings in chess, played in the 16th century - means 'quiet game' in Italian. And like its name, it is initially very quiet with a slow build-up as both sides position their pieces for the middlegame battle. 3...Bc5 4.d3 d6 5.c3 Bb6 6.O-O h6 7.Nbd2 Nf6 8.Bb3 Keeping White's options open for what to do with the Nbd2 - it can either head to f5 via Nbd2-f1-e3-f5, or alternatively head to c4 with added options of clamping down on Black's good dark-squared bishop. 8...a5 Clamping down on any White queenside expansion later with b4 but, crucially, providing a temporary bolthole on a7 for the bishop after Nc4. 9.Re1 O-O 10.h3 Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6 The doubling of the e-pawns actually helps Black, as it covers the vital f5 square and can look at later pushing forward in the centre with ...d5. 12.Nc4 Ba7 13.Be3 Bxe3 14.Rxe3 a4 Further clamping down on the queenside. And with it, we have an equal game where Firouzja, a little rusty from his new-career and lacking top-flight chess, gets outplayed by So who makes much of a tiny initiative. 15.d4 exd4 16.cxd4 d5 17.exd5 exd5 18.Ncd2 The alternative of 18.Nce5 only offers Black an easier life after 18...Nxe5 19.Nxe5 Ne4 20.f3 Nd6 with the easy plan of ...c6 followed by ...Nf5 making a long-term target of the isolated d4-pawn. 18...Qd6 19.a3 Qf4 20.Nb1! The sort of strategic retreating move that an amateur club-player finds difficult to comprehend and make - but with the knight reemerging again on c3, Black has to move fast or he'll find the a4-pawn falling. 20...Ne4 21.Nc3 Nxc3 22.Rxc3 A sharper Firouzja would have no problems holding this position - but short of match-practice, he just lets his position drift a little, and So capitalises big-time on a minor weakness. 22...Qd6 23.Rac1 Rf7 24.R1c2 The immediate 24.Re3 would have been better,  as it would have saved a tempi. 24...Rf4 25.Re3 Qf6 26.Rd3 The time was now to strike a balance in the game with 26.Rc5! 26...Re8! Because the Rc2 dropped the attack on the wayward a4-pawn, So pounces with a little bit of imaginative play to activate all his pieces for an unlikely attack on Firouzja's king. 27.Rc5 Qd6! 28.Rcc3 The a4-pawn is now taboo because of 28.Qxa4 Qxc5! winning.But more prudent was the full retreat with 28.Rc1! covering the back-rank and putting the question back about what to do about the a4-pawn, which now has to be defended with 28...Ra8 29.Re3 and White having slightly the better of an equal position because of the stranded a4-pawn. 28...Rfe4 29.g3 Re2 As if from nowhere, thanks to Firouzja's little miscue with R1c2, So has built-up a menacing attack. 30.Rd2 Rxd2 Also an option was 30...Qe6 but perhaps sensing that Firouzja was lacking "match-practice", he wanted to keep the pieces on the board, as after 31.Rxe2 Qxe2 White has 32.Qb1! (Releasing the pressure by exchanging queens with 32.Qxe2 is less accurate, as after 32...Rxe2 33.b3 axb3 34.Rxb3 b6 35.Rc3 Re6 and Black has a little edge in the endgame, where he'll march the king over to d6 and then look to target the two weak pawns on a3 and d4.) 32...Na5 33.Qf5 c6 34.Ne5! and Black has to seek the bailout with 34...Rf8 35.Qe6+ Kh7 36.Qg6+ Kg8 37.Qe6+ Kh7 38.Qg6+ and a repetition. 31.Qxd2 Qg6 32.Kg2 This proves to be just a bit too cautious. The accurate move to find was 32.Qd1! defending the back-rank and eyeing up the loose a4-pawn, where now 32...Qf5 and only now 33.Kg2 and Black is forced into defending the a4-pawn with 33...Ra8 and I dare say we would soon be seeing a quick handshake. 32...Qb1 33.Rc1 Qf5 34.Rc3 Black has improved his position a little, and now if 34.Qd1 Qe4! 35.Rc3 (Yet again, the a4-pawn is taboo. After 35.Qxa4?! Rf8! 36.Qd1 (Worse is 36.Rc3?! as Black strikes with 36...Rxf3! 37.Rxf3 Nxd4 38.Qd1 c5 39.Qd3 Nxf3 40.Qxf3 Qe6 that leaves White struggling to defend the Q+P endgame.) 36...Nxd4 37.Qxd4 Qxf3+ 38.Kg1 Re8! with better prospects with the more menacing Q+R combination.) 35...Qe2 36.Qb1 heading to f5 and looking to set up the same bailout option mentioned in the note above at move 30. 34...Qb1 35.h4 Re7 36.Rc1 Qf5 37.Qd1 Too little too late now from Firouzja, as So now has his pieces primed for the attack and he can simply ignore the a4-pawn. 37...g5! 38.hxg5 hxg5 39.Qd2 g4 40.Nh4?! Facing intense pressure, Firouzja begins to crack - the only try, according to the engine, was the sort of move only an engine would play, with 40.Ng5!? to stop ...Qe4; where, of course, the engine tells us that 40...Kf8! and White is in trouble of seeing his knight being stranded on g5. But in all honesty, these are only fantasy lines an engine would suggest, as the human gut reaction would sense the danger of the Ng5 being a problematic move. 40...Qe4+ (see diagram) 41.Kh2? The pressure is telling for Firouzja, as this proves to be the decisive blunder. He had to play 41.Kg1 Nxd4 (Not 41...Qxd4? 42.Qg5+ Rg7 43.Qh5 Qe4 44.Nf5 and White has more than excellent chances of finding a repetition here with no cover for the Black king.)

42.Rd1 Nf3+ 43.Nxf3 gxf3 44.Qg5+ Kf8 45.Qxd5 Qxd5 46.Rxd5 Re1+ 47.Kh2 Re2 48.Rb5! Rxf2+ 49.Kh3 b6 50.Kg4! and we are in the realms of a very drawish R+P ending where Black can't make any progress with his extra pawn down to his rook being awkwardly placed on f2 to defend the f3-pawn. 41...Qxd4 The subtle difference between Kg1 and Kh2 is the attack on f2 - and this is enough to give So a winning advantage now! 42.Qg5+ Rg7 43.Qf5 Rf7 44.Qg5+ Kf8 45.Kh1 This just demonstrates how bad White's position has become. 45...Qe4+ 46.Kg1 Ke8 Just stepping out of the way of any Ng6+ awkwardness. 47.Qd2 There is a check, but alas nothing more than a spite check, as after 47.Qg8+ Rf8 48.Qg5 Black moves in with 48...Nd4! forcing the humiliating defence of 49.Rf1 b5 rendering White helpless as Black forces home the win. 47...Re7 48.Rd1 d4 The isolated d-pawn is not so much a weakness as a strength now. 49.Qg5 Ne5 50.Qd2 Firouzja is basically sitting in Death's Waiting Room for the fatal blow to be delivered. 50...d3 51.Qf4 Qxf4 With Firouzja at his mercy, So, misses the 'clean kill' with 51...Qe2! - but in his defence, it is hard to be critical here, as you have to see through the smoke of a number of open checks and the fear in the back of your head of a repetition, as the engine offers up the last stand with 52.Rd2! Qe1+ 53.Kg2 Nf3! 54.Qxg4 Nxd2 55.Qc8+ There are a number of checks to negotiate - but the engine has no fear and sees it leads nowhere with accurate play with 55...Kf7 56.Qf5+ Kg8 57.Qg4+ Rg7! 58.Qc8+ Kf7 59.Qxc7+ (No better is 59.Qf5+ Ke7 60.Qxd3

If 60.Qc5+ Ke8 61.Qb5+ Rd7 62.Qh5+ Rf7 63.Qb5+ c6 and White has run out of checks.) 60...Qe4+ 61.Qxe4+ Nxe4 62.Nf5+ Kf6 63.Nxg7 Kxg7 and an easily winning endgame.) 59...Qe7! 60.Qf4+ Kg8 61.Qxd2 Qxh4 winning. All easily seen by the engine, but difficult to see for a human in the heat of battle, even one at elite-GM level! 52.gxf4 Nc4

Maybe I did So a disservice for missing the clean kill, as this endgame is less complicated to win with his queenside pawns quickly storming up the board. 53.Rxd3 Nxb2 54.Rc3 Rd7 55.Kg2 There was a bit more resistance offered with 55.Ng6! c6 56.Re3+ Kd8 57.Ne5 Rd4 58.f5 but after the simple solution of 58...Nc4! 59.Nxc4 Rxc4 60.f6 Rf4 61.Re6 Rf3 62.Kg2 Kc7 the R+P ending is going to be won by Black - but a R+P endgame is a R+P endgame, and this can often see hopelessly lost endings miraculously being saved. 55...Nd3 56.Kg3 c5! With his night on the rim and out of the game, Firouzja wastes too much time going for the g-pawn with his king - and this allows So to quickly roll his pawns up the board. 57.Kxg4 b5 58.Nf5 Kf7 59.Kg5 Rd5 60.Rc2 Ne1 Sure, it was much easier to continue with 60...b4! as there's no stopping the pawns - but So repeats a couple of quick moves to compose himself and gain some valuable increment seconds. 61.Rc3 Nd3 62.Rc2 b4 63.axb4 cxb4 64.Rc7+ Ke8 65.Kf6 Kd8 66.Ra7 b3 67.Ne3 Rd6+ 68.Kf5 b2 69.Rb7 Rd4 70.Nc2 Rxf4+ 71.Kg5 Rxf2 72.Na3 Rf1 0-1