Ian Nepomniachtchi - Ding Liren

FIDE World Chess Championship, (7)

C07: French Defence, Tarrasch variation

1.e4 e6 A surprise as Ding opts for the French Defence, the first since the 1978 World Championship battle between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi. 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 No surprise with the Tarrasch from Nepo, which was, of course, the big favourite of Karpov in that aforementioned match with Korchnoi. 3...c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.N2f3 Be7 8.Bc4 Nc6 Amusingly, there was some excitement here with the online masses claiming that this was a TN from Ding! Not really the case, as the game just transposes to 8...O-O 9.O-O Nc6 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Qe2 as seen in Kruppa-Dokhoian, USSR Young Masters Ch. 1987. 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.O-O O-O 11.Qe2 Bb7 12.Bd3 Qc7 13.Qe4 Nf6 Visually, this just looks wrong with the knight having such a commanding outpost on d5 - but I suppose Ding wanted to avoid weakening the dark squares around his king with 13...g6 14.Bh6 Rfd8 15.Rae.  On the whole, though, I think the natural French Defence player would have kept his knight on d5. 14.Qh4 c5 15.Bf4 Qb6 16.Ne5 Rad8 It goes without saying that we are reaching a critical moment of the game for both players. 17.Rae1 The dynamics were all there for White to play with care. After 17.Ng4 Rxd3! 18.cxd3 Nd5 19.Qg3 h5! 20.Ne3 h4 21.Qg4 Nxf4 22.Qxf4 h3! Black has full compensation with the bishop-pair and the long a8-h1 diagonal being prised open. 17...g6 18.Bg5 Rd4 19.Qh3 Qc7 Even the engines prefer admitting to the mistake by wanting to play 19...Nd5 - but Ding has a cunning plan. 20.b3 Nh5!? A little risky, but Ding is not without his own tricks here. But safer looked 20...Ne4 21.Bxe7 Qxe7 22.Bxe4 Rxe4 23.Rxe4 Bxe4 24.Qe3. 21.f4 Bd6 22.c3 Nxf4! Ding finds a tactical way to solve his problems! 23.Bxf4 Rxf4 24.Rxf4 Bxe5 25.Rh4 And Nepo decides to up the ante with the most aggressive move. The game is very finely balanced, but a little slip for either side could prove problematic. 25...Rd8 A scary position for sure, and one where you need to keep your wits about you - but the critical move to find (and quickly spotted by the engine) was 25...Bxc3!? that all but forces now 26.Bxg6! (There's no time for 26.Rxh7? Qf4! 27.Rf1 Qg5 and suddenly Black has a big advantage with a tactic on g2 seeing the rook stranded on the h-file being lost, as 28.Rh4 will lose to 28...Bxg2!) 26...Bxe1 27.Bxh7+ Kg7 28.Rg4+ Kf6 29.Qe3! Bd2 30.Qxd2 Qe5 31.h4 and equality with Qg5+ coming exchanging queens for an equal endgame. 26.Be4 Bxe4 27.Rhxe4 Rd5 28.Rh4 Qd6 29.Qe3 h5 30.g3 Bf6 31.Rc4 h4 Not a blunder nor a losing move by any stretch of the imagination, but, given the circumstances and the looming time-trouble, the more natural move was the consolidating 31...Kg7! rather than lashing out with your digital flag metaphorically hanging precariously (and there's no time increment until the second time-control kicks in at move 40). Instead, caught in two minds, he begins to fold under the time pressure - I bet he now wishes he had that 45 seconds back that he hesitated with at the start of the game by opting to play the French Defence! 32.gxh4 (see diagram) 32...Rd2?! But this is where it all goes pear-shaped for Ding, as he inexplicably has a meltdown brought on by his chronic time-trouble. The best move was 32...Be5! 33.Rg4 (It's all awkward for White here. If he attempts to defend h2 with 33.Re2? Bxh2+! comes anyway, leading to 34.Rxh2 Rd1+ 35.Kg2 Rd2+ winning. And if 33.h3? Bh2+ 34.Kh1 Rd3! forcing White into 35.Rd4 Rxe3 36.Rxd6 Rxe1+ 37.Kxh2 Re2+ 38.Kg3 Rxa2 and a difficult R+P ending to defend being sans a pawn and the doubled h-pawns.) 33...Bxh2+ 34.Kh1 Rf5 and Black is marginally better with White's fractured position and no protection for his king. 33.Re2 Rd3?? The only way to maintain the tension was returning to base with 33...Rd5! 34.Kg2 Rh5 35.Re4 Kg7 and Black have a solid position with h4 under attack (possibly also c3, if White tries Qg3). 34.Qxc5 Oopsie! Now Ding realises why he had to return to base with 33...Rd5 - and with it, his body language visibly slumped just as his position has. 34...Rd1+ This is nothing more than a spite check, as Black is busted, and Ding close to flagging. 35.Kg2 Qd3 36.Rf2 Remarkably, Nepo has his king covered and also now coming for Ding's king! 36...Kg7 37.Rcf4! It doesn't rain but it pours for poor Ding, who with just 3 seconds left on his clock to reach move 40, sees his position implode before his very eyes. 37...Qxc3 1-0 Ding resigns rather than face 38.Qxc3 Bxc3 39.Rxf7+ Kh6 40.Rxa7 Rd5 41.Re7 Be1 42.Re2 and a hopelessly lost endgame.