1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5 Nxc5 9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Bd7 11. O-O Qb6 12. Rfd1 12. a3 Rfc8 13. Rad1 Be8 14. Rd4 a6 15. Rfd1 Qa7 16. Ba2 b5 Suba-Krogius, Berlin 1997 12... Rfd8 13. Be2 Be8 14. Nd2 Nd5 14... Rac8 15. Nc4 Qc6 16. b4 Ncd7 17. b5 Qc5 15. Nc4 Nb4 15... Qc6 16. Bf3 16. Nxb6 Nxc2 17. Nxa8 Nxa1 18. Rxd8 Bxd8 19. Bd6 19. Nc7 Bc6 20. N7b5 19... Na4 20. Nd1 Bf6 20... Bc6 21. b3 b6 21. b3 Nc3 22. Nxc3 Bxc3 23. Bf3 Bc6 23... b6 24. Nc7 24. Bxc6 bxc6 25. Bc5 a6 25... a5 26. Nb6 26. Nc7 a5 27. Na6 Nc2 28. Nb8 28. Kf1 Ne1! 28... Nb4 29. Bxb4 axb4 30. Nxc6 Kf8 31. Kf1 e5 31... Ke8 32. Ke2 Kd7 33. Nd4 Bxd4 34. exd4 Kd6 35. Kd3 Kd5 32. e4 Ke8 33. Ke2 Kd7 34. Na5 Bd4 35. f3 Bb6 36. Nc4 Bc7 37. Ne3 Kc6 38. Nf5 g6 39. Nh6 f6 40. Kd3 Kc5 41. Nf7 Bb6 42. h4 Kb5 43. h5 Bc5 43... g5 44. Nd6+ Kc5 45. Nc4 Kb5 46. Ne3 44. hxg6 hxg6 45. Nh8 g5 46. Nf7 Bb6 47. Nd6+ Kc5 48. Nf5 Kb5 49. g3 Bc5 50. Kd2 Bf8 50... Kb6 51. Ke1 Kc6 52. Ke2 51. Ke2 Bc5 52. Kf1 Kc6 53. Kg2 Kd7 54. Kh3 Ke6 55. Kg4 Kf7 56. Kh5 Bf8 57. g4 Be7 57... Bg7 58. Nd6+ (58. Nh6+ Ke6) 58... Ke6 59. Nb7 Kf7 60. Nd8+ 58. Kh6 Bc5 59. Kh7 Bf8 60. Kh8 Bc5 61. Nh6+ Kg6 62. Nf5 Kf7 63. Kh7 Bf8 64. Ne3 Bc5 65. Nc4 Bf8 66. Na5 Bd6 67. Nc6 Bc5 68. Nd8+ Ke7 69. Nb7 Bb6 70. Kg7 Ke6 70... Be3 71. Na5 Ke6 72. Nc6 71. Kf8 71. Kg6 Ke7 72. Kf5 Bd4 73. Na5 Bc5 74. Nc6+ Kf7 71... Kd7 72. Kf7 Kc7 73. Kxf6 Kxb7 74. Kxg5 Kc6 75. Kf6 Kd6 75... Kd7 76. Kxe5 Ke7 77. Kf5 Kf7 78. g5 Bd8 79. e5! Bb6 80. f4 Bc5 81. e6+ Ke7 82. g6 76. g5 Bd8+ 77. Kf5 Bb6 77... Bc7 78. Kg6 Bd8 79. Kh6 Ke7 80. Kg7! We take our hat off (we can even buy one for the occasion) for the fearless fighter. Sore and tired, with heavy burned of losses on him, Peter conducted this game very energetically, showed brilliant endgame skill and won a nice game. This is a textbook endgame example! When all the central pawn were exchanged already in the opening, it looked like the game could quickly end in a draw. However, Black's 15th move changed everything. Svidler thought 14... Rac8 Nc4 Qc6 was better than 14...Nd5, but analysis shows that Black can still maintain the balance with 15...Qb4!. However, Dmitry got amused by acomplicated endgame, in which the knights of both players get to the corner squares. The minor pieces began to dance, and White dancers were more skilled, as they first got to the weak queenside pawns of the opponent. Still, Svidler was critical of himself and mentioned 19.Nc7 as a possible improvement. "But here I forgot about the existence of a square for the first time in the game: a4." He also mentioned the surprising response to 28.Kf1: 28...Ne1!. "After the game my opponent was very upset so unfortunately I coulnd't ask him about what I had seen in the game and what upset me: 31...Ke8 32.Ke2 Kd7 33.Nd4 Bxd4! 34. exd4 Kd6 35.Kd3 Kd5 which might be a draw." Study the endgame after that seriously and enjoy Svidler's great play. He was simply outstanding! By 43.h5! and 45.Kh8! he created holes on the kingside, and then sent his king to the long journey by 51.Ke2!. On the move 63 it looked like Black built a fortress. "After 61.Nh6+ I thought he would resign, but for the second time I forgot about a square: g6." But Peter managed to break the fortress by heroic knight maneuver: 64.Ne3 to 69.Nb7!, securing the new outpost for the king. The hero perished soon, but Black paid dearly for that. 74.Kxg5 revealed that the bishop is unable to stop the last passing pawn. An excellent finale! 1-0

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Na5 11. Bd3 b6 12. Qd2 e5 13. dxe5 Bxe5 13... Be6 14. Rad1 Qe8 15. Bh6 Nc4 16. Qc1 Bxh6 17. Qxh6 Nxe5 Butnorius-Greenfeld, Dublin 2008 14. Rad1 Be6 15. Bh6 Bg7 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. f4 f5 18. Qc2 Qe7 18... Qc7 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Bxf5 Rxf5 21. Ng3 Rf7 21... Qe3+ 22. Kh1 Rxf4 23. Rfe1 Rf2 (23... Qf2 24. Re2) 24. Rd7+ Kh8 25. Qd1 22. Rde1 Qh4 22... Qc7!? 23. f5 Raf8 24. Re4 Qg5 25. Ref4 Qe7 26. Qc1! Nc6 27. Re4 Qd8 28. Qe3 28. Re6 Ne7 28... gxf5 28... Ne7?? 29. f6+ 29. Re6 29. Nh5+ Kg8 (29... Kh8 30. Re6 Ne7? 31. Qe5+ Kg8 32. Nf6+) 30. Qg3+ Kh8 31. Re6 (31. Rxf5 Qd1+ 32. Re1 Qxe1+ 33. Qxe1 Rxf5) 29... Ne7 30. Nh5+ Kg8 31. Qg3+ Ng6 32. Nf4 Rf6 33. h4 Kh8 34. Nxg6+ hxg6 35. Rfe1 f4 36. Qg4 36. Qg5 Rxe6 37. Qh6+ Kg8 38. Rxe6 Rf6 36... Qd7 37. a4!? Rxe6 38. Qxe6 Qxe6 39. Rxe6 Kg7 40. Kf2 Kh6 41. Kf3 Kh5 42. a5 bxa5 43. Ra6 Rf7 44. Rc6 Rf5 45. Ra6 a4 45... c4 46. g4+ fxg3+ 47. Kxg3 Rd5 48. Rxa7 Rd3+ 49. Kf4 46. g4+ fxg3+ 47. Kxg3 Rf7 48. Rxa4 Rd7 49. Rc4 Rd5 50. Kf2 a6 51. Kg3 Kh6 52. Kg4 Kg7 53. Ra4 Rd6 54. Ra5 Rc6 55. Kg5 Kf7 56. Ra1 c4 57. Ra5 Rf6 58. Kg4 Rc6 59. Kf4 Ke7 60. Ke4 Kd7 61. h5 gxh5 62. Rxh5 Kc7 63. Kd4 Kb6 64. Rh8 a5 65. Rb8+ Ka6 66. Kd5 Rc7 67. Kd6 Rh7 68. Kc5 Ka7 69. Rg8 Rh5+ The fashionable line of the Classical Gruenfeld 10...Na5 11.Bd3 b6 continues to develop rapidly in Sochi. It looks like Black solves all the opening problem successfully, so the ball is in White's court. Yet, in this game White managed to create serious pressure, and although there were no obvious breaks, Black's position looked shaky. Navara's new move 13. ..Bxe5 might have been inaccurate; 13... Be6 14. Rad1 Qe8 15. Bh6 Nc4 16. Qc1 Bxh6 17. Qxh6 Nxe5 was fine for Black in the recent game Butnorius-Greenfeld, Dublin 2008. White attacked passionately, utilizing the remoteness of the Black's queenside knight, and even the counter-blow 17...f5 did not slow him down. In six more moves this square was taken by a White pawn, which later became the hero of the story. Navara: "Originally I intended 21... Qe3+ 22. Kh1 Rxf4 but this allows 23.Rfe1 Rf2 (23... Qf2 24. Re2) 24. Rd7+ Kh8 25. Qd1 and White will double rooks on the 7th rank." 28.Qe3 was a mistake. Much stronger is 28.Rd1, in order to trade on g6 and then look for attacking continuations with the own king feeling safe after h2-h3. Navara fearlessly captured the pawn and started trading pieces. "On 29. Nh5+ Kh8 30. Re6 Black cannot play 30...Ne7 because of 31. Qe5+ Kg8 32. Nf6+ but actually I intended 29...Kg8 30. Qg3+ Kh8 and now after 31. Rxf5 Qd1+ 32. Re1 Qxe1+ 33. Qxe1 Rxf5 I'm not sure but Black is OK." The only obstacle that prevented him from winning this game was that it transposed to a rook ending. Wang Yue defended very skillfully: 42.a5!, 46.g4+!, 61.h5. The game predictably ended in a draw: Navara once again failed to convert a significant advantage! 1/2-1/2

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f3 h6 10. Be3 h5 11. Kb1 Qc7 12. Nxc6 12. Bd3 Be7 13. Rhe1 Ne5 14. f4 Nxd3 15. cxd3 b5 16. Rc1 Qb7 Salgado Lopez-Moldovan, Marin 2004 12... Bxc6 13. Ne2 d5 14. e5 Nd7 15. f4 g5 16. f5 Nc5 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Bxc5 Bxc5 19. Qxg5 Qe7 20. Qd2 O-O-O 21. Nf4 Be8 22. Qc3! Kb8 23. Nxe6! Qxe6 24. Qxc5 Qxe5 25. Bd3 h4 26. Qb4 Qd6 27. Qxd6+ Rxd6 28. Rhf1 Rg8 29. Rf2 Bc6 30. b3 Kc7 31. Rdd2 Rd7 32. Rf4 Rh8 33. Be2 Re7 34. Bf3 h3 35. g3 Re1+ 36. Kb2 Rg1 37. Rfd4 Rf8 38. Bg4 Rh8 39. Kc3 a5 40. a4 Rh7 41. Re2 Kd6 42. Kd2 Kc5 43. Rf4 Rg2 44. Bf3 d4 45. Bxc6 bxc6 46. Rff2 Rg1 47. Kd3 Rh5 48. Rf4 Rd5 49. Ref2 Rd1+ 50. Ke2 Rb1 51. Kd3 Rd1+ 52. Rd2 Re1 53. Re4 Rh1 54. g4 Rg1 55. Rf2 Rd1+ 56. Ke2 Rc1 57. Kd2 Rg1 58. Rf3 Rg2+ 59. Re2 Rxg4 60. Rxh3 Kb4 61. Rf2 Rc5 62. Rd3 Ka3 63. c3 dxc3+ 64. Rxc3 Rxc3 65. Kxc3 Rb4 66. Rb2 c5 67. Rb1 Ka2 68. Rb2+ Ka3 69. Rb1 Ka2 70. Rc1 Rxb3+ 71. Kc4 Rb4+ 72. Kxc5 Rxa4 73. Kb5 Rh4 74. Kxa5 Rxh2 Ivan must work on his technique. Today he quickly outplayed the opponent, won a pawn, got an obvious advantage, and then failed to convert it without obvious blunders. Cheparinov tried to modify the Rauzer Sicilian into the English Attack by 10.Be3, but Al Modiahki prevented the g2-g4 idea by 10...h5, which seems extremely popular these days. However, later Mohamad played very carelessly, to say the least. All the brilliances were actually fairly standard. By 14.e5! White invited the enemy queen to g8! 14...Qxe5 would be met by 15.Bf4 Qf5 16.Nd4 Qh7 17.Bd3 Qg8, and here 18.Qa5 wins quickly for White. Mohammad reasonably declined the offer, but then wrongly decided that the opening was the French Defense. Typically French 15...g5?! was strongly met by the Sicilian 16.f5!, and White created a powerful attack. By the move 20 the assessment was clear: White is way better: an extra pawn and the initiative. There were no obvious mistakes in Cheparinov's subsequent play, but I will show two (out of twenty) improvements for White. The first one: instead of 25.Bd3 he could open the game by 25.Bc4 Bg6 26.Rxd5 Rxd5 27.Qxd5 Qxd5 28.Bxd5 Rd8 29.Bb3 Be4 30.Kc1 Bxg2 31.Rg1 Bc6 32.Rg8!, and Black is one tempo short of a draw. The second one: 46.Kd3 instead 46.Rff2 looked strong, planning to send the rook via f4 to h4. Cheparinov missed an excellent consolation chance. Al-Modiahki after the game: "The rook ending was probably always a draw, due to my active king. Before he exchanged bishops he had some winning chances." 1/2-1/2

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bb4+ 5. c3 Bc5 6. Be3 Bb6 7. Qg4 g6 8. Nd2 Qe7 8... d6 9. Qg3 Nf6 10. Be2 Qe7 11. O-O Bd7 12. Nb5 O-O-O Rosito-Garcia Palermo, Pinamar 2002 9. Nxc6 9. Qg3 Nf6 10. Qh4 Nd5 11. Qxe7+ Ndxe7 Aronian 9... bxc6 10. Bxb6 axb6 11. Bd3 d5 12. Qf4 Nf6 13. O-O O-O 14. Rfe1 Re8 15. h3 Be6 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Qg3 Qd6 18. Qxd6 18. Ne4 Qxg3 19. Nxg3 Nf4 20. Bf1 Red8! 18... cxd6 19. Bc4 b5 20. Bb3 Nf4 21. Ne4 Red8 22. Rad1 Bxb3 23. axb3 d5 24. Nc5 Re8 25. h4 Kg7 26. Rxe8 Rxe8 The key encount er of the round was disappointing. Three factors added up: physical tiredness, emotional exhaustion and surprise factor. Aronian employed a rare move (7...g6) in the Scottish Opening, and then went off the known track completely by 8... Qe7. Aronian after the game: "I wasn't expecting this opening at all and didn't know what to choose. I knew 7.Qg4 and realized that my position was not great. But 9.Nxc6 is simplifying, which should be in my favor. I was more afraid of 9.Qg3 Nf610. Qh4 where I might to 10...d5 11.Qxe7 Ndxe7." White had a wide range of options, but Radjabov ruled out the most double-edged ones. The game could be much sharper if White played 9.0-0-0 instead of 9.Nxc6. And, of course, trading the bishops on b6 was meaningless. 10.Qf4! would preserve structural flaws in Black's camp. In the subsequent play Black completed his development without any problems, and arranged the pieces excellently. White was unable to maintain the tension without serious risk. Logical exchanges in the center (16.exd5, 17...Qd6!, 20...Nf4) led to a legitimate drawing finale. 1/2-1/2

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c5 7. dxc5 h6 8. Bh4 O-O 8... g5 9. Bg3 Ne4 9. e3 9. O-O-O Bxc3 10. Qxc3 g5 11. Bg3 Bf5 12. f3 Nbd7 13. Bd6 Rc8 Relange-Sosonko, Cannes 1995 9... g5 9... Nbd7 10. Bg3 Ne4 11. Nf3 11. Bd3 Nxc5 (11... Nc6 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Bd6 Re8 14. Nge2 b6 15. O-O-O Bf5 16. h4 g4 Rusev-Patino Romaris, Vilagarcia de Arousa 2006) (11... Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Nxg3 13. hxg3 Qf6 K) 12. Bh7+ Kg7 13. Be5+ 1-0, Eslon-Fuentes, Coria del Rio 1995 11. Nge2 Qa5 12. a3 Bxc3+ 13. Nxc3 Qb5 14. Bxb5 1-0, Kiriakov-Vasilevich, Playchess.com 2004 11... Nd7 12. Be2 Ndxc5 13. O-O Bxc3 14. bxc3 Bf5 15. Qb2 Qb6 16. Qb4 Qxb4 17. cxb4 Nc3 18. bxc5 Nxe2+ 19. Kh1 Rfc8 20. Nd4 Nxd4 20... Nxg3+!? 21. hxg3 Bd3 22. Rfc1 Bc4 23. Rab1 Rab8 24. Nb3= 21. exd4 Re8 22. Rfe1 f6 23. Kg1 Kf7 24. f3 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Re8 26. Kf2 Rxe1 Gelfand and Karjakin went for the ultra-sharp Alekhine Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense, entered the wildest complications, which quickly led to a drawn ending with opposite-colored bishops. Sergey went wild against his experienced opponent, trying to use his development lead by 9...g5. Boris calmly replied by 11.Nf3 (earlier White tried 11.Bd3 and 11. Nge2) and managed to complete the mobilization. Karjakin: "With 8...0-0 I mixed the moves. I wanted to play 8...g5 9.Bg3 Ne4, the main line. Maybe more precize is 9...Nbd7. Boris' 11.Nf3 was new but according to Karjakin the known move 11.Bd3 was probably better. "I was planning to play 11...Bxc3 [which would have been a novelty - PD] 12.bxc3 Nxg3 13.hxg3 Qf6." Black's central advantage did not seem to compensate for strategic flaws of his position (weak king and White's two bishop advantage), therefore Karjakin forced exchanges by 15...Qb6! and 17...Nc3, thus minimizing the risk of defeat. Gelfand was unable to find the resources to play for a win; perhaps they never really existed. This opening line seems to lead to a draw by force. A desert land... 1/2-1/2

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. d4 c5 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Ne4 7. Bd2 Nxd2 8. Qxd2 cxd4 9. Nxd4 O-O 10. O-O Ne5 11. b3 a6 12. Nf3?! 12. Rfd1 Qa5 13. Rac1 Nc6 14. Qc2 Rb8 15. Ne4 f5 16. Nd6 Nxd4 17. Rxd4 Bc5 18. Rd3 Ivanchuk-Bologan, Skanderborg 2003 12. Nc2 Be7 13. Rfd1 d6 14. Qe3 Qc7 15. a4 Bd7 16. Rac1 Rab8 17. Nd4 Rfe8 18. h3 Nc6 Van Wely-Schwarz, Arnhem 1990 12... Qa5 13. Rfc1 Nc6 14. Nd4 Be7?! 15. Rc2 Qc7?! 16. Rd1 Rb8 17. e3 Rd8 18. h3 h6 19. Kh2 Bf8 20. f4 d6 21. Nd5 Qd7 22. Nb6 Qc7 23. Nd5 Qd7 24. Nb6 Qc7 25. Nd5 Grischuk's handling of the Romanishin Variation of the Nimzo-Indian was extremely cautious. His novelty 12.Nf3 (instead of much-used 12.Nc2 and 12. Rfd1) will not alter the theoretical conclusions. In fact, after the game he called it "a very bad move". Black obtained a compact and flexible position, somewhat resembling the Hedgehog. 20.f4 only pretended to be ambitious - on the next move already Sasha forced a draw by attacking the Black's queen: 21. Nd5 Qd7 22.Nb6 Qc7 23.Nd5, etc. I can point on a hundred ways of avoiding a quick draw, but I am sure Grischuk saw twice as many options. He must have known better. Calling it a game "full of bad moves", he finished by saying: "In the final position we were both happy!" 1/2-1/2

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 d5 8. d4 8. cxd5 exd5 9. d4 8... dxc4 9. dxc5 Bxc5 9... Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. Nb5 Na6 12. Ne5 10. Qa4+ 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Ne5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Ke7 13. Bf4 Rc8 14. Nxc4 Nc6= 10... Nbd7 10... Nbd7 11. Qxc4 O-O 12. Rd1 Rc8 13. Qh4 Be7 14. Qh3 Qe8 15. Nd4 Bxg2 16. Qxg2 Ne5 17. Qb7 Bc5 18. Bg5 Nfg4 19. h3 Nc6 20. hxg4 Bxd4 21. Nb5 Rb8 22. Qc7 Rc8 23. Qb7 Rb8 24. Qc7 Rc8 25. Qb7 1/2, Topalov-Carlsen, Morelia/Linares 2007 11. Bg5 11. Ne5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 O-O 13. Rd1 Nxe5 14. Rxd8 Rfxd8 15. Bg5 a6 16. Rd1 Rdc8 17. Bxf6 b5 18. Qc2 gxf6 19. Qc1 Bf8 20. Qf4 Bg7 21. g4 Ng6 22. Qg3 b4 1/2-1/2 Garcia,R-Ricardi,P/Buenos Aires 1995/EXT 1997 11. Ne5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Qc7 13. Bf4 Qb7+ 14. f3 O-O= 11. Rd1 Qc8= 11... O-O 12. Red1?! 12. Qxc4 12... Qc8 13. e3 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Ne5 (14. Nd2 Bxf2+ 15. Kxf2 Ng4+) 14... Bxf2+ 15. Kxf2 Qc5+ 13... Bc6 14. Qxc4 Qb7 15. Bxf6 15. Qe2 Ne4 15... Nxf6 16. Ne1 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Rac8 18. Qf4 Rfd8 19. Ne1 h6 20. Rac1 Be7 21. a4 a6 22. Qf3 Qxf3 23. Nxf3 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Bb4 25. Na2 Be7 26. Rc1 Rxc1+ 27. Nxc1 Kf8 28. Nd3 Ke8 29. Nfe5 Nd7 30. Kg2 Nxe5 31. Nxe5 Bf6 32. Nd3 Kd7 33. Kf3 Kd6 34. b3 Bc3 35. e4 b5 36. axb5 axb5 37. Ke3 h5 38. h3 g6 39. f3 Ba5 40. f4 Bb6+ 41. Kf3 Bd4 42. g4 hxg4+ 43. hxg4 f5 44. Ne1 Kc5 45. Nd3+ Kd6 46. Ne1 Kc5 47. Nd3+ Kd6 The outcome of Kamsky-Gashimov was predetermined in the opening. Black refused to play the English Hedgehog (7...d5), White avoided the most principled theoretical lines. Vugar sensibly rearranged his pieces on the h1-a8 diagonal (12...Qc8!, 13...Bc6!), forced some exchanges, and even obtained a slight advantage. About the opening stage he said: If I play 9... Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 then White has 11. Nb5 Na6 12. Ne5. After that, 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Ne5 is not dangerous because of Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Ke7 13. Bf4 Rc8 14. Nxc4 Nc6. And 12.Red1 was not good; he should have played 12.Qxc4. 13. e3 is forced: 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Ne5 (14. Nd2 Bxf2+ 15. Kxf2 Ng4+) 14... Bxf2+ 15. Kxf2 Qc5+. After that I have a slight advantage but not enough to win." Then it was Kamsky's turn to play accurately and show his technique: 21.a4!?, 26.Rc1, 35.e4, and White's wall is unbreakable. I (Shipov) did not manage to find any flaws in the players' actions. It is easy to come across the idea of drawing death of chess after such games. 1/2-1/2