Levon Aronian vs Fabiano Caruana (2008)

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Levon Aronian vs Fabiano Caruana
Dresden Olympiad (2008), Dresden GER, rd 1, Nov-13
Semi-Slav Defense: Anti-Moscow Gambit (D44) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Nov-14-08		syracrophy: 31...d4?? was the decisive mistake that loses to 32.♗g5!! when Caruana missed the mate on d8 after ...dxe4

Nov-14-08		shintaro go: Caruana's hit a rough patch as of late, losing again, this time to a sub 2500 player in the second round.

Nov-14-08		Gilmoy: <19..Rd5!> offers an exchange to close the center: 20.Nxd5 exd5 and Black has counterplay on both wings: Rg8, Qc2, Bc8, b4, etc. Aronian ignores it with a Nostradamus-like GM idea: <20.Qe3!> envisioning Qb6! <21.Bf3> reinforces g2, and <22.b4!> counter-offers a pawn, which looks poisoned: 23..Nxb3? 24.Rxd5 exd5 25.Nxd5 and Black's N has no good retreat, e.g. 25..Na5 26.Nxe7 Kxe7 27.Qb6. Trading Knights 25..cxd5 26.Qxb3 produces a pin-and-triple on Black's weak d-pawn, which recovers White's gambit pawn. <24.Ne4> He'd rather have the a7-diagonal than the Rook! <28.Bg5!> offering 28..Bc5. The refutation must be a flabbergast, possibly 29.e6! f6 30.Qg3!! or similar nonsense ... <29.f4!> amazingly daring to open his own Q-K to the Bc5 skewer -- <29..Qg6> and Black still must settle the e6-threat first! <30.R4d2> protects g2, and Black never had a good answer for Qb6.

Nov-15-08		Strongest Force: Embarrassing; however, it can happen to anyone.

Nov-15-08		Davolni: <syracrophy: 31...d4?? was the decisive mistake that loses to 32.g5!! when Caruana missed the mate on d8 after ...dxe4> I don't think anybody here missed anything or made any obvious mitakes/blunders. I'm sure by the time Caruana played 31...d4, he already knew he was lost, it was more of a desperation move, rather than a decisive mistake.

Nov-15-08		hedgeh0g: Well it looks pretty decisive to me...

Nov-15-08		Eyal: Caruana's 30...c5? was already a blunder, since 31...Kxe7 also loses outright to 32.Qxc5+, e.g. 32...Ke8 33.Qc7 Qc6 34.Rc2 Qxc7 35.Rxc7 Ba6 36.Rxd5. But it seems that his position actually becomes hopeless a move earlier, after 29...Qg6 - he could have played simply 29...Bc5 instead, regaining the exchange (on move 28, Bc5 fails to 29.Rxd5!, but after 29.f4 the queen on e3 would be captured with a check). <Gilmoy: 22.b4! counter-offers a pawn, which looks poisoned: 23..Nxb3? 24.Rxd5 exd5 25.Nxd5 and Black's N has no good retreat, e.g. 25..Na5 26.Nxe7 Kxe7 27.Qb6. Trading Knights produces a pin-and-triple on Black's weak d-pawn, which recovers White's gambit pawn.> In case of 23...Nxb3 24.Rxd5 exd5 25.Nxd5 Black has no reason to play 25...Na5?? - after 25...cxd5 26.Qxb3 White does regain the pawn, but Black's position should be pretty much ok after, e.g., 26...0-0. On the other hand, after 24.Nxd5 cxd5 (or exd5) 25.Qxb3 White gains a lot of material; Black can win back an exchange with 25...Bc5 - the rook cannot move because of Qxg3 - but White is still a piece up.

Nov-15-08		Fusilli: I'm looking at the final position and thinking black can still try 32...f6. If 33.exf6+, dxe3 and the black king will escape via Kf7, Ke6, Kf5, right? However, I think White can play 33.Qe2 and has a winning endgame after 33...fxg5 34.Qxb5+ Qc6 35. Qxc6+ Bxc6 36.hxg5

Nov-15-08		Eyal: <Fusilli: I'm looking at the final position and thinking black can still try 32...f6. If dxe3 and the black king will escape via Kf7, Ke6, Kf5, right? However, I think White can play 33.Qe2 and has a winning endgame after 33...fxg5 34.Qxb5+ Qc6 35. Qxc6+ Bxc6 36.hxg5> Yeah, the last line is easily winning for White, but so is 33.exf6+ and in a prettier way - 33...dxe3 (33...Qe4 34.Qxe4+ Bxe4 35.Re1 winning the bishop) 34.Rd8+ Kf7 35.R8d7+ Ke6 36.g4! hxg4 37.Re7+ Kf5 38.Re5#

Nov-15-08		Fusilli: <Eyal> Watch out... against 36...g4 black has Qb1+... then 37.Rd1 Rxd8! 38.Rxb1 hxg4, and black lives, and looks pretty healthy, actually.

Nov-15-08		Eyal: <Fusilli> No, there's a white rook on d1 (I said 35.R8d7+, not R1d7+; btw, 35...Kf8 loses to 36.Rxb7 Qe8 37.Bh6+).

Nov-15-08		Fusilli: <Eyal: <Fusilli> No, there's a white rook on d1> You are right! I didn't read it carefully. Good winning moves.

Nov-17-08		Gilmoy: <Eyal: In case of 23...Nxb3 24.Rxd5 exd5 25.Nxd5 Black has no reason to play 25...Na5??> It's Black's only try to hold the extra pawn. It fails, but they both had to calculate it (which they did). Obviously, 25..Nc5 just hangs. <... after 25...cxd5 26.Qxb3 White does regain the pawn, but Black's position should be pretty much ok ...> Looks OK if Black wants a draw (he could offer it as he plays 25..cxd5). But Caruana was pressing for winning chances, so trading off all center tension, returning the pawn, and castling away his g-threat must be counterproductive. In this light, <22.b4> was a subtle draw offer from Aronian! It worked because Caruana thought he was winning, and couldn't bear to settle for it.

Jan-19-09		notyetagm: 32 ? click for larger view Is Black really threatening to play 32 ... d4x♕e3, opening the d-file for the doubled White d2-,d1-rooks to reach the d8-square next to the Black e8-king? 32 ♗e7-g5! 1-0 click for larger view Black cannot play 32 ... d4x♕e3?? as this would release the <PIN> on the d-file, allowing a <ROOK AND BISHOP MATE> on d8. (VAR) 32 ... d4x♕e3?? 33 ♖d2-d1# click for larger view click for larger view

Jan-14-14		Dave1: Levon is a baest. No way to surprise him in this kind of games.

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