Firouzja2003 vs gurelediz: game review

20…b5! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• Attacks the knight on c4.
• Pushes a pawn towards the White king, to pry open lines in front of it.
• The next best move, 20…Nd7, would drop Black's winning chances from 50% to 31% (+2.15).
• 20…b5 threatens …bxc4, winning a knight for a pawn.
• It threatens …bxc4, winning a knight for a pawn, so White has to spend the next move on it.
• White answers 21.e5, attacking the knight on f6, leaving Black with an isolated pawn on c5.

22…cxd3 is a mistake: Black's winning chances go from 50% to 32%.

• White answers 23.fxe7, which takes the bishop on e7.
• After fxe7, White wins 2 points of material within 5 moves.
• Better was 22…c3 (0.00): the pawn kicks the queen on d2, which has to move.

Better: 22…c3 threatens …cxd2, winning the queen for a piece and a pawn, and stops fxe7. After 23.Qxc3 Bxf6 24.Qc4 Bb5 25.Qe4 c4 26.Qxh7+ Kf8, Black is a pawn down (0.00).

• Both sides followed opening theory up to 10…Rc8: 20 moves in all, 10 by White and 10 by Black.
• Theory runs out after 10…Rc8: too few games between strong players reached this position to go further.