1.d4
Nf6
2.Nf3
g6
Radjabov is one of the few top GMs in the 21st century who remains faithfully devoted to the King's Indian Defense.
3.g3
Bg7
4.Bg2
0-0
5.0-0
d6
6.c4
a6
7.Nc3
Nc6
8.b3
Rb8
9.Nd5
Nh5
10.Bb2
e6
11.Nc3
b5
12.d5
Ne7
13.dxe6
Bxe6
14.cxb5
axb5
15.Qd2
Nf6
16.Ng5
Bf5
17.Rfd1
b4
18.Nce4
Bxe4
19.Nxe4
Nxe4
20.Bxe4
Bxb2
21.Qxb2
Qd7
22.Rd2
Qe6
23.Bf3
c6
24.h4
h5
25.Rad1
d5
26.e4
dxe4
27.Rd6
Qf5
28.Rf6
Qc5
29.Bxe4
Rbd8
30.Rc1
Qd4
31.Qxd4
Rxd4
Black stands quite well here, thanks mainly to the activity of his Rook on d4.
32.Rf4
32.Bxc6??
Rc8
wins a piece.
32...Kg7
33.Kg2
Rc8
33...Rfd8
intending 34...R8d6 might be better.
34.Rc5
Rd2?
Black is trying to accomplish too much with this Rook alone. As a result, his advantage is dissipated. It might have been better to try 34...Rcd8
although White can probably still hold the game with careful play, e.g. 35.Ra5
Nd5
36.Bxd5
Rxf4
37.gxf4
Rxd5
38.Ra6
c5
39.Rc6.
35.Bf3
White slips the Bishop back a square in order to give his Rook a clear view of Black's pawn on b4.
35...Ra8
Black wants to double his Rooks on his seventh rank, so this one swings over to eye the White pawn at a2. 35...Rxa2
36.Rxb4=
solves all of White's problems.
36.Re5
White prudently leaves his Rook on f4 and probes at Black's Knight on e7. Instead, 36.Rxb4?
would be a serious mistake because after 36...Raxa2
White cannot save his f-pawn.
36...Nf5
It is hard to resist getting the Knight out of danger by putting him on a well-defended square.
37.Bxc6
White wastes no time in getting the undefended pawn off the board.
37...Raxa2
Naturally Black grabs the a-pawn. Now White's Rook on f4 is tied down to the defense of the weak pawn at f2.
38.Bb5
White's Bishop heads for its dream square.
38...Rac2
It is hard even to consider moving a well-placed, well-defended minor piece away from its comfortable post. But here perhaps Black should have considered it. 38...Nd6
makes it difficult for White's Bishop to find a good square, and Black's Knight may reposition itself on e4 after a later ...f5. Probably Black cannot generate any serious winning chances like this. But as the game actually goes, he gets into a certain amount of trouble.
39.Bc4!
White achieves the most stable formation for his Bishop and pawn.
39...Rc3
Black is now threatening 40...Rxg3+ thanks to the pin, so White's exchange sacrifice is nearly forced.
40.Rexf5!
It does not matter which Rook White uses to capture here first: the same position arises after the series of captures is over.
40...gxf5
One wonders what Radjabov thought at this point. Probably he saw all too well what was happening.
41.Rxf5
Now White's Rook is hitting two targets simultaneously, one on f7 and another on h5. Black cannot hold both of these points.
41...Rcc2
Black finds himself, perhaps surprisingly given the middlegame, without winning chances in this ending. The principal problem is that Black's f-pawn is disappearing, after which his remaining two pawns are immobile. He has the attack on f2, but that is all he has; and White, by keeping his Rook on the f-file (at f4 if nowhere else) can keep the pawn defended while denying Black's King any active play. Meanwhile, White's Bishop on c4 and pawn on b3 are in the happiest of all formations for a minor piece ending. Black would have to give up the exchange to break that formation -- and he may have to, if White gets his kingside pawns rolling.
So the question becomes whether White can find a way to advance his kingside pawns without allowing Black's Rooks too much counterplay. White can take his time with this; Black has to sit tight and wait for the right moment to sacrifice the exchange on c4 or b3. For the next twenty moves, the two grandmasters jockey for position and avoid doing anything drastic.
It might occur to you to wonder what happens if Black immediately sacrifices the exchange back with 41...Rxc4
The answer is that it doesn't work very well. After 42.bxc4
Black needs to pick up White's c-pawn with 42...Rc2
But White's Rook is also grazing: White plays 43.Rxh5
and after 43...Rxc4
44.Rb5
White's Rook is ideally placed behind the b-pawn, while Black's King faces an oncoming army of White peasants.
42.Bxf7
White could capture this pawn with either the Rook or the Bishop.
42...Rb2
By putting pressure on b3, Black discourages White's Bishop from taking the h-pawn.
43.Bc4
The Bishop really belongs on c4, defending and being defended by the pawn on b3.
43...Kg6
Black's King can and must defend the h-pawn. If White were allowed to pick that off without giving Black some serious concessions, White would have excellent winning chances.
44.Rf8
The Rook had to go somewhere on the f-file so as not to lose the f-pawn.
44...Kg7
Black figures that since his h-pawn is not under immediate threat, he might as well give White's Rook a bit of a hassle.
45.Rf4
Ivanchuk settles on f4 for the Rook, a solid post where it is defended and from which it defends f2.
45...Kh6
Radjabov realizes that Ivanchuk is playing this position to win. Any winning attempt by White must start with g4. So Radjabov places his King close to the action.
46.Kg1
Ivanchuk triangulates with his King, trying to make Radjabov drop his King back away from the 6th rank. Though this may seem like a waste of time, actually White risks nothing by the maneuver and Black may grow impatient.
46...Rd1+
Black is marking time. He cannot really improve the position of his pieces, but for the moment they're holding everything.
47.Kh2
Not coming back to g2 just yet.
47...Rdd2
Back into the holding pattern. The attack on f2 keeps White from getting too creative.
48.Kg2
There we go.
48...Kg7
Since this move draws, there is no point in criticizing it. 48...Ra2
seems like a reasonable alternative.
49.g4
There's the break.
49...hxg4
Of course Black must take this, both on the most general principles (get pawns off when you're defending in the ending) and a bit more concretely (Black could not risk letting White get the pawn to g5).
50.Rxg4+
White needs to pick up the pawn with check.
50...Kh6
White's most dangerous pawn from the point of view of making a new Queen is his h-pawn. Black therefore moves his King to block that pawn's progress.
51.Rf4
Back to defending f2. Now Ivanchuk tacks around for a while, looking for the best time and way to move forward on the kingside.
51...Kg6
Black keeps his Rooks focused on f2 and keeps his King near the h-file.
52.Kg3
This move, unpinning the f-pawn, gives at least the illusion that White is making progress.
52...Kh6
Radjabov does not panic. He wants to see what Ivanchuk will try to do about the weak f-pawn.
53.Rf6+
53.f3
gets the pawn out of danger, but now Black locks White's King against the edge with 53...Rg2+
54.Kh3
Rg6
55.Rf8
Rbg2
and Black can draw at will, as long as he doesn't fall into White's last cheesy trap: 56.h5
R6g5!
(56...Kxh5??
57.Rh8+!+-
forces Black's King between his Rooks, after which White wins the Rook on g2 and remains enough material ahead to win the ending easily.) 57.Rf6+
Kg7
(57...Kxh5??
58.Bf7+!
allows White to trade off all of the pieces on g6 and win the King and Pawn ending.) 58.Rf7+
Kh6=
53...Kg7
There is no chance that Radjabov will stumble into 53...Kh5??
54.Bf7#
54.Rf5
Apart from the fact that this Rook has to keep on defending f2, there is not a lot to choose between putting it on f5 and putting it on f4. Possibly Ivanchuk was just trying to gain some time on the clock before making one more winning attempt.
54...Kg6
Black's King stays close to White's h-pawn, preventing it from making an easy advance.
55.Rf4
Still marking time.
55...Kh6
Likewise.
56.Rf8
If Black got lazy here, White could try f4.
56...Kg7
But Black pesters the Rook, so there is no time for that.
57.Rf5
Still tacking around.
57...Kg6
Repeating the position we had at move 54, so now Ivanchuk varies.
58.Rg5+
This check forces Black to make a decision which way to move the King.
58...Kf6
Radjabov chooses to put the King on f6 rather than on h6, perhaps to avoid possible traps with his King against the edge of the board -- and perhaps just on instinct. Even in an endgame, with reduced material, not everything can be calculated. At first glance it seems that White must move his f-pawn forward or lose it.
59.Rg8
Ivanchuk finds a tactical trick that allows him to wait on moving the f-pawn. 59.f4
Rg2+
60.Kf3
also comes into consideration.
59...Ke7
Of course not 59...Rxf2??
60.Rf8+
and Black can resign.
60.Rg7+
White might also have played 60.Rb8
here with a continuation similar to what we have in the game. But Black would then have the extra option of 60...Rxf2
61.Rxb4
Rbd2
when the position is difficult to assess but only White can play for a win.
60...Kf6
It would not be a wise idea to allow the King to travel too far away from the kingside.
61.Rb7
With this move, Ivanchuk abandons the plan of mobilizing the kingside pawns with the Bishop on and forces Black to sacrifice the exchange on b3.
61...Rxb3+
At this point, Radjabov sees the endgame that will arise at move 64 and judges it to be a draw. If he could not make this judgment, it would be foolhardy to simplify like this.
62.Bxb3
White, of course, has no choice; he must take the Rook.
62...Rd3+
Here is the tactical point: Black gets back the piece with this fork.
63.Kg4
Since White must move the King, he moves it forward in order to help the kingside pawns.
63...Rxb3
No credit for other moves!
64.h5
This endgame is a theoretical draw, and it would be even if, for example, Black had no pawn on b4 and his Rook were on a3. But in practice it is quite possible even for a master to lose his grip on the half point. Radjabov shows his quality by holding the draw with precise defensive technique.
64...Rb1
"Rooks belong behind passed pawns!" Quite true here.
65.h6
Once this pawn gets to h7, only Black's Rook can stop it -- Black's King is cut off, unable to move back to his own second rank.
65...Rg1+
This check pushes White's King in front of his own f-pawn -- not necessary to secure the draw, but a bit of good technique.
66.Kf4
White achieves nothing by moving his King to the h-file, since Black can simply check him there again.
66...Rh1
Now Black's Rook takes up guard duty behind the menacing pawn.
67.h7
White might as well push the pawn. That way, Black's Rook can never leave the h-file until the pawn is eliminated.
67...Kg6
Black is happy to trade his b-pawn for the dangerous White h-pawn, as this guarantees the draw.
68.Rxb4
Since White cannot save the h-pawn, he might as well get something for it. Besides, this move sets a little practical pitfall ...
68...Kxh7!
... which Radjabov neatly sidesteps. 68...Rxh7?!
makes things a little more awkward. After 69.Rb6+
Black cannot afford to allow Rooks to be exchanged, so he must play 69...Kh5
when his King is no longer directly in the path of the pawn. The game is still drawn, but why make it more difficult?; 68...Rh4+?!
doesn't help at all since Black cannot actually take the Rook. After 69.Ke5
Rxh7
70.Rb6+
Kh5
71.f4
Black again has to play precisely to keep the pawn from coming forward.
69.Kg5
Black would like to set up the Philidor position with his Rook on his own third rank. For what it's worth, Ivanchuk's move prevents this.
69...Kg7
Black's primary short-term goal is to get the King onto the file of the pawn. This is easily accomplished, but only if one knows the goal!
70.Rb7+
With the Kings in opposition, White can force Black's King to the back rank here.
70...Kf8
Now there is no danger that the Black King will be cut off from White's pawn along a file.
71.f4
The last winning try. 71.Kg6
allows 71...Rf1=
; 71.Kf6
Rh6+!
puts the Rook on the proper rank right away.
71...Ra1!
Heading for the Philidor position. Black could also use the c-file, but good players generally put the Rook as far away from the enemy King as possible. (However, for an illustration of a case where this rule of thumb fails, see the notes to the end of the game Kasparov-Ivanchuk.)
72.f5
There is really no other way for White to try to make progress. 72.Rb6
This stops the Black from reaching the Philidor position, but with his King in place he has nothing to fear. 72...Kf7
Coming forward stops White from setting up any annoying mating threats. 73.f5
Rg1+!=
White's King is mercilessly checked from behind.
72...Ra6!
Philidor's draw. There is nothing left to play for.
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