gurelediz vs Hikaru: game review

13.Bh4 misses the chance 12…h6 gave: 13.h4 would have punished it. White's winning chances go from 73% to 55%.

• Black answers 13…g5, which attacks the bishop on h4.
• Better was 13.h4 (+2.75), which pushes a pawn towards the Black king, to pry open lines in front of it.

Better: 13.h4 stops …hxg5 and threatens e5, winning a pawn, picking it up with 14.hxg5. Engine line: 13…Qe8 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Rh3 Kh7 16.d5 (+2.75).

22.Qe3 is a mistake: White's winning chances go from 63% to 44%.

• Black answers 22…Qg7, which attacks the knight on g4, which is undefended.
• Better was 22.b4 (+1.44), which attacks the knight on c5.

Better: 22.b4 threatens bxc5, winning a knight for a pawn. Engine line: 22…Nxg3+ 23.fxg3 Nb3 24.Rd1 Qg7 25.Qh5 (+1.44).

26…Qg7! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• The next best move, 26…Nxg3, would drop Black's winning chances from 49% to 38% (+1.30).
• 26…Qg7 threatens …Qxg4, winning a bishop.
• It threatens …Qxg4, winning a bishop, so White has to spend the next move on it.
• The engine's plan continues with …Rd2 and …Nd3: this move is the first step.
• White answers 27.Qxg7+, taking the queen on g7 and giving check, leaving one reply.
• After 27.Qxg7+ Kxg7 28.Kh2 Rd2 29.h5 Nd3, the queens come off (0.00).

27…Qh7 is a blunder: Black's winning chances go from 50% to 25%.

• White answers 28.Qe8+: check, and Black has only one legal reply.
• Better was 27…Nxg3 (0.00), which takes the bishop on g3.

Better: 27…Nxg3 wins a pawn. After 28.fxg3 Rxg3 29.Qe8+ Kh7 30.Qh5+ Kg8, Black comes out a pawn up (0.00).

28.Qe8+! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• Moves the attacked queen to safety.
• Check, and Black has only one legal reply.
• The next best move, 28.Qxh7+, would drop White's winning chances from 75% to 57% (+0.78).
• 28.Qe8+ saves the attacked queen and prepares h5.
• It prepares h5: the queen covers h5.
• Black answers 28…Kg7.

29.Kh2 lets the win slip: 29.h5 kept White winning. White's winning chances go from 76% to 50%.

• Black answers 29…Qf5, which attacks the knight on g4, which is undefended.
• After Qf5, Black wins 1 point of material within 5 moves.
• Better was 29.h5 (+3.10), which pushes the passed pawn to h5.

Better: 29.h5 threatens h6+, with mate in 8. After 29…Qg8 30.Qxg8+ Kxg8 31.Bh4 Nd7 32.f3, the queens come off (+3.10).

31.Qxf7+! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• Takes the queen on f7.
• The next best move, 31.Nh6, would drop White's winning chances from 61% to 15% (−4.74).
• 31.Qxf7+ trades queens and gives check, leaving two replies.
• Trades queens.
• Check, and Black has only two legal replies.
• Black answers 31…Kxf7, taking back.

42…Nf6 is a blunder: Black's winning chances go from 31% to 0%. It allows mate in 1.

• White answers 43.Re5#: checkmate.
• Better was 42…Rh7 (+2.16): the rook takes the half-open h-file, aiming at the h5 pawn.

Better: 42…Rh7 threatens …Rxh5, winning a pawn. Engine line: 43.h6 Nf6 44.Re5+ Kg6 45.Re6 Kf5 (+2.16).

• Both sides followed opening theory up to 10.Qc2: 19 moves in all, 10 by White and 9 by Black.
• Black left the book with 10…Qe7. In 37 games from this position, strong players played 10…Nbd7 (43%), 10…h6 (41%) or 10…c5 (16%).
• From here White scored 49% in those games, with 22% drawn.