V Pranav vs Anish Giri: game review

20…Bb8! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• Moves the attacked bishop to safety.
• The next best move, 20…Be7, would drop Black's winning chances from 45% to 31% (+2.15).
• 20…Bb8 gets the bishop out of the way of Nxd6.
• White was threatening Nxd6, winning a bishop. The bishop steps away.
• White answers 21.a4.
• After 21.a4 Nf4 22.Bf1 Qh5 23.Bxa5 Nh3+ 24.Bxh3 Qxh3 25.Bb6, Black is a pawn down (+0.24).

23…e5 is a mistake: Black's winning chances go from 47% to 35%.

• White answers 24.dxe5, which takes the pawn on e5.
• After dxe5, White wins 1 point of material within 2 moves.
• Better was 23…g5 (+0.37), which pushes a pawn towards the White king, to pry open lines in front of it.

Better: 23…g5 threatens …g4, winning a pawn, picking it up with 25…Bxf4. Engine line: 24.h3 Qg7 25.Ne5 Bxe5 26.Rxe5 Ng6 (+0.37).

25…Rc2 is a blunder: Black's winning chances go from 49% to 27%.

• White answers 26.Qa3, which protects the b2 pawn, which was hanging.
• Better was 25…Rc5 (+0.15), which pins the knight on b5 to the queen.

Better: 25…Rc5 threatens …Ng5, winning a knight, picking it up with 27…Bxb5. Engine line: 26.Qb4 Bxb5 27.Bxb5 Ba7 28.Rf1 Rc2 (+0.15).

26.Nbd4 misses the chance 25…Rc2 gave: Qa3 would have punished it. White's winning chances go from 73% to 56%.

• Black answers 26…Nxd4, which takes the knight on d4.
• Better was 26.Qa3 (+2.64), which protects the b2 pawn, which was hanging.

Better: 26.Qa3 protects the b2 pawn. Engine line: 26…Bxb5 27.Bxb5 Bc7 28.Re2 Rc5 29.Nd4 (+2.64).

28…Kh8 is a mistake: Black's winning chances go from 41% to 29%.

• White answers 29.Qd6, which pins the knight on e6 to the queen.
• After Qd6, White wins 3 points of material within 6 moves.
• Better was 28…Bxd4 (+0.94), which takes the knight on d4.

Better: 28…Bxd4 wins a pawn and stops Nxe6. After 29.Qxd4 Nxd4 30.Bxf7+ Rxf7 31.Rxd4 Rxa2 32.Rd2 Rxd2 33.Nxd2 Be6, the rooks are traded and Black comes out a pawn up (+0.94).

• Both sides followed opening theory up to 8…Be7: 16 moves in all, 8 by White and 8 by Black.
• Theory runs out after 8…Be7: too few games between strong players reached this position to go further.