Dominguez Novelty Rejoins Caruana, So for Sinquefield Cup Lead

American GM Leinier Dominguez produced a novelty against the Sicilian Najdorf of French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the fourth round of the Sinquefield Cup. // photo Bryan Adams, Grand Chess Tour

US Chess’ top-three GMs lead the 2021 Sinquefield Cup after Friday’s decisive Round 4, which delivered wins on four of five boards in the Grand Chess Tour finale in St. Louis.

GMs Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So couldn’t separate at the top of the standings and played the day’s only draw, while GM Leinier Dominguez joined them in front at 3.0/4 after whipping out a novelty to make quick work of French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's pet Najdorf.

The loss leaves MVL in sole second place with 2.5/4, a half-point ahead of Azerbaijan GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Hungarian GM Richard Rapport, who picked up his first win in the Sinquefield Cup on Friday over Russia’s Peter Svidler. Also scoring their first wins of the event were American GMs Sam Shankland, who broke through Mamedyarov in a Berlin endgame; and Dariusz Swiercz, who held on through a tactical minefield against GM Jeffery Xiong to pull himself out of the basement.

Round 5 of the 2021 Sinquefield Cup begins Saturday at 3:00 p.m. St. Louis time, with the day’s pairings and results found on the Grand Chess Tour website. Saturday’s action will be broadcast alongside the commentary team including GMs Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley live on the Kasparov Chess Twitch channel.

courtesy Grand Chess Tour

Dominguez rejoined the Sinquefield’s leading pack by uncorking the novelty 21. Bd3 right in the heart of the extensive repertoire of the French No. 1 MVL. The idea gives Black a pawn to borrow for the moment, but the follow-up 23. Qe4 sets up a nifty pin on the black queen and a battery that threatens mate-in-one. Dominguez’s kingside pawns came next to crack open MVL’s castle, and White regains the pawn at 26. Qxf4 with another mating threat taboot. MVL’s 29. … f6 was the clunker, allowing 30. Rdh2 and all three of Dominguez’ major pieces to stack on the h-file. The Frenchman never recovered, trying 32. … Qb7 for one last hollow threat, though sealing his own fate with a forced line to mate, which Dominguez found with 33. Qe6+.

[pgn][Event "8th Sinquefield Cup 2021"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2021.08.20"] [Round "4.5"] [White "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2751"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 4.1 (5s)"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2021.08.17"] {[%evp 23,65,15,32,7,13,7,12,0,7,3,17,18,18,-13,-13,-12,-15,-18,10,-50,-50,-50, -50,-50,41,44,39,54,115,113,137,134,97,115,96,-7,466,485,446,442,446,443,29995, 29996]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5 Nh5 {outshines the older 12...b4.} 13. Kb1 {B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5.} Nb6 14. Na5 Rc8 15. Nd5 {The position is equal.} Nxd5 16. exd5 Bxd5 17. Qxd5 Qxa5 18. c4 Nf4 19. Bxf4 exf4 20. h4 {[%cal Rc4b5]} Qa4 { And now ...Rc5 would win.} 21. Bd3 $5 $146 {[%eval -50,16][%mdl 8] An interesting novelty.} (21. Re1 $11 {[%eval 10,17]} Rc5 22. Qd2) ({Predecessor: } 21. b3 Qb4 22. Bd3 bxc4 23. Qe4 g6 24. Bxc4 Qc3 25. Rc1 {1/2-1/2 (47) Kryvoruchko,Y (2693)-Van Wely,L (2674) Monzon 2016}) 21... bxc4 $15 22. Qe4 { [%csl Gd3][%cal Re4h7] [#]} g6 $1 23. Bc2 Qd7 {[%eval 41,15]} (23... Qe8 $1 $15 {[%eval -50,18]}) 24. h5 $1 $14 {[%cal Rh5g6]} Qe6 ({Don't blunder} 24... Bxg5 $2 25. hxg6 Rce8 26. Qd4 $18 (26. gxh7+ Kh8 $16)) 25. hxg6 $1 hxg6 {[%eval 115, 17]} (25... Qxe4 $1 $14 {[%eval 54,18]} 26. gxf7+ Kxf7 27. Bxe4 Rh8) 26. Qxf4 $16 {Threatening mate with Qh4.} ({Inferior is} 26. Qd4 Qe5 $17) 26... Qe5 27. Qh4 {[%csl Gh1][%cal Rh4h7][%mdl 1024] White has strong compensation.} Qg7 {[#] } 28. Rd2 $1 $40 {[%cal Bd1d2,Bd2h2,Bh2h6][%mdl 160] Black is in trouble.} Rc5 {[#]} 29. f4 {Black must now prevent Rdh2.} f6 $2 {[%eval 466,16][%mdl 8192] Loses the game.} (29... Rb8 $11 {[%eval -7,15] and Black is okay.} 30. b3 cxb3 31. Bxb3 Ra5) 30. Rdh2 $18 {Qe1 is the strong threat.} fxg5 31. Qe1 {Intending Qe6+ and mate.} Bf6 32. Rh6 Qb7 {[%eval 32758,9]} (32... Qf7 $18 {[%eval 443, 16]} 33. Bxg6 Qd7 34. fxg5 Rxg5) 33. Qe6+ {[%mdl 64] Double Attack. Weighted Error Value: White=0.08/Black=0.85} 1-0 [/pgn]

After three losses to open the 2021 Sinquefield Cup, two of them as White, US Chess No. 8 GM Dariusz Swiercz likely would have been happy with just a draw to stop the bleeding in his first-ever super tournament; earning the full point over Dallas GM Jeffery Xiong on Friday likely provides a solid restoration of confidence.

In the day’s second Sicilian Najdorf, the black queen couldn’t find a good square to sit, with Swiercz’s harassment of the piece helping to completely expose Xiong’s king on an open queenside. White’s attack looked crushing at 31. Ra3, but loses his way while seeking the knockout, allowing Xiong to climb back with a bit of counterplay. Black comes as close as several mating threats down the stretch, though never able to capitalize; Swiercz’s endgame involves sacrificing both rooks for exchanges, collapsing the game with a nifty trick for promotion.

GM Dariusz Swiercz amidst edge-of-your-seat action in the 2021 Sinquefield Cup in the Saint Louis Chess Club.// photo Lennart Ootes, Grand Chess Tour

[pgn][Event "8th Sinquefield Cup 2021"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2021.08.20"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Swiercz, Dariusz"] [Black "Xiong, Jeffery"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B96"] [WhiteElo "2655"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 4.1 (5s)"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2021.08.17"] {[%evp 16,107,64,43,44,40,40,36,42,10,10,10,10,5,53,53,57,40,52,4,4,4,94,66, 107,107,145,83,83,83,78,78,349,201,277,291,288,297,291,291,303,304,288,275,329, 237,454,458,428,66,71,72,184,150,145,174,183,150,153,138,157,148,149,150,149, 148,149,148,149,142,152,149,139,147,135,146,146,119,143,117,159,39,74,51,205, 205,365,242,984,367,1255,1275,1293,1293]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 h6 8. Bh4 Qb6 9. a3 Nbd7 {B96: Sicilian Najdorf: 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4, lines other than 7...Qb6 and 7...Be7.} (9... Qxb2 $2 10. Na4 $18 ) 10. Bf2 {Black must now prevent Nxe6!} Qc7 (10... Qxb2 $2 11. Na4 $18) 11. Bd3 b5 {White is slightly better.} 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. O-O-O Be7 14. Kb1 g6 $146 { [%eval 53,15]} (14... Nc5 $11 {[%eval 5,16] is superior.}) ({Predecessor:} 14... Nc5 15. Rhe1 O-O 16. g4 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Nf5 exf5 20. Qxe7 Qxe7 21. Rxe7 Nxd3 22. Rxd3 {1/2-1/2 (35) Alvir,A (2341)-Kiss,A (2383) Austria 2015}) 15. Rhe1 Nc5 16. g4 g5 17. fxg5 {[%eval 4,16]} (17. e5 $14 { [%eval 52,16]} dxe5 18. fxe5) 17... hxg5 $11 18. Bg3 O-O-O {[%eval 94,16]} ( 18... Nfd7 $1 $11 {[%eval 4,15] remains equal.}) 19. Rf1 $16 Qb6 {[%eval 107, 16]} (19... Rhf8 $14 {[%eval 66,15]}) 20. Nb3 $1 Ncd7 21. Bf2 {[%eval 83,17]} ( 21. a4 $142 $1 {[%eval 145,17][%cal Ra4b5]}) 21... Qc7 22. a4 $1 {[%cal Ra4b5]} bxa4 (22... Rxh2 $2 23. axb5 Ne5 24. bxa6 $16) 23. Nxa4 Qc6 {[%eval 349,16] [%mdl 8192] [#]} (23... Rxh2 $2 24. Bxa6 Nb8 25. Nb6+ Qxb6 26. Bxb6 $18) (23... Kb8 $16 {[%eval 78,15]}) 24. Nc3 {[%eval 201,16]} (24. Nb6+ $142 $1 {[%eval 349,16][%mdl 512]} Nxb6 25. Na5) 24... Rxh2 25. Na5 Qc7 26. Nxb7 Kxb7 27. Bxa6+ (27. Qe3 Ra8 $14) 27... Ka8 28. Nb5 Qc6 29. Nd4 $1 {[%cal Rd4c6]} Qb6 {[#]} 30. Rd3 $1 Nc5 {[%eval 454,13]} (30... Qxa6 31. Ra3 $18) (30... d5 {[%eval 237,16] was worth a try.}) (30... d5 31. Rb3) 31. Ra3 $18 {Threatens to win with Nc6!} Kb8 {[#]} 32. Nf3 $2 {[%eval 66,17]} ({White should play} 32. Ra5 $3 $18 { [%eval 428,13][%mdl 512]} Ka8 33. Nc6 $1 {[%mdl 512]}) 32... Rxf2 $1 $14 33. Qxf2 {And now Rb3! would win.} Nfxe4 {[%eval 184,19]} (33... Kc7 $16 {[%eval 72,17]}) 34. Qe3 $1 $18 (34. Qd4 $2 Bf6 $19) 34... Kc7 {[#] Strongly threatening ...Rb8.} 35. Nd4 $1 $36 {[%mdl 2048] White is in control.} Rb8 { [%csl Gb8][%cal Rb6b2]} 36. Bb5 f5 37. c4 d5 {Black wants to play ...dxc4.} 38. gxf5 e5 39. Nc6 {[%mdl 64] Double Attack} dxc4 40. Nxb8 Qxb5 {[#]} 41. Na6+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Nxa6 {[#]} 42. Rxa6 {[%mdl 512]} c3 {[%csl Gc3][%cal Rb5b2]} 43. Ra7+ $1 Kb8 {[%csl Gc3][%cal Rb5b2] [#]} 44. Ra8+ $3 {[%mdl 576] Decoy} Kxa8 { [%csl Gc3][%cal Rb5b2]} 45. Qxe4+ $16 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KQR-KQB} Ka7 { [%csl Gc3][%cal Rb5b2]} 46. Rf2 Bc5 {[#]} 47. Qd5 $1 {[%mdl 512] Hoping for f6. } Kb6 {[%eval 159,15]} (47... g4 $142 {[%eval 117,16]}) 48. Qe6+ {[%eval 39,15] } (48. Rh2 $16 {[%eval 159,15] aiming for Qd8+.} Qf1+ 49. Kc2 cxb2 50. Qe6+ ( 50. Kxb2 Bd4+ 51. Ka3 Qc1+ 52. Kb4 Qc3+ 53. Ka4 Qc6+ 54. Qxc6+ Kxc6 $18) (50. Rh6+ Kb5 $16) 50... Kb5 51. Qb3+ (51. Kxb2 Bd4+ 52. Kc2 Kc5 $11) 51... Bb4 52. Kxb2 Qxf5 53. Qd5+ Ka4 54. Qd1+ Kb5 55. Qd5+ Ka4 56. Qd1+ Ka5 57. Qd8+ Kb5 58. Qe8+ Ka5 59. Qd8+ Kb5 60. Qd5+) 48... Ka5 $1 $14 {[#]} 49. Rc2 $1 {[%cal Rc2c3] } Ba3 $2 {[%eval 205,15]} ({Black should try} 49... Bd4 $1 $14 {[%eval 51,15]}) 50. b3 $18 {[%cal Bb2b3,Bb3b4][%mdl 32]} Qc5 {[%eval 365,16]} (50... Qf1+ { [%eval 205,16]} 51. Ka2 Bb4 52. Qxe5+ Qb5) 51. f6 {Re2 is the strong threat.} Bb2 $2 {[%eval 984,13]} (51... Qd4 {[%eval 242,15]} 52. Ka2 Bf8) 52. Rxb2 $2 { [%eval 367,13]} (52. b4+ {[%eval 984,13]} Qxb4 53. Qxe5+ Ka6 54. Qe2+ Ka5 55. Qe5+ Ka6 56. Qe2+ Ka5 57. Rxb2) 52... cxb2 $2 {[%eval 1255,12] [#]} (52... Qg1+ {[%eval 367,13]} 53. Ka2 cxb2 54. Qxe5+ {[%mdl 64] Double Attack} Kb6 55. Kxb2 Qf1 56. Qe6+ Kc5 57. Qc4+ Qxc4) 53. b4+ $1 {[%mdl 64] Promotion} Kxb4 54. Qe7 { Weighted Error Value: White=0.36/Black=0.39} 1-0 [/pgn]

Shankland scored his first win in St. Louis on Friday and sits at 1.5/4, breaking through Mamedyarov’s Berlin and some inaccurate endgame play. Queens were off the board after 14 moves, with Black earning the bishop pair at the expense of his queenside structure. Shankland comes up with a nice trick at 29. Rb5+ to win his first pawn, and the white knight goes on to completely outvalue Black’s bishop. Shankland’s advantage was clear when he looked for liquidation at 34. Ne5; Mamedyarov’s decision to let the minor pieces play on with 34. … Bc2 was a mistake, leading to an untenable pawn situation for Black.

GM Sam Shankland // photo Lennart Ootes, Grand Chess Tour

[pgn][Event "8th Sinquefield Cup 2021"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2021.08.20"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Shankland, Sam"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C65"] [WhiteElo "2709"] [BlackElo "2782"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 4.1 (5s)"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2021.08.17"] {[%evp 9,86,-9,102,-2,-13,-13,3,-18,-9,-32,-24,-18,-22,-32,22,22,22,22,15,-7, -3,-8,21,-5,29,-5,35,-2,30,24,55,51,64,43,43,39,51,40,39,37,67,63,67,67,63,68, 63,76,68,80,67,68,76,76,86,76,92,93,133,125,201,181,193,170,167,165,229,242, 242,228,236,236,449,463,517,535,504,516,504]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d5 {[%eval 102,16]} (5... O-O $11 {[%eval -9,17]}) 6. exd5 { [%eval -2,18] C65: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence (3...Nf6), unusual lines and 4 0-0 Bc5.} (6. Nxe5 $1 $16 {[%eval 102,16]} O-O 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bxc6) 6... Qxd5 $11 7. Bc4 Qd8 8. Bg5 $146 {The position is equal.} ({Predecessor:} 8. O-O O-O 9. Nbd2 a5 10. Qe2 Bd6 11. a4 h6 12. Re1 Re8 13. Bb5 Bg4 14. h3 {1/2-1/2 (41) Wang,H (2737)-Jakovenko,D (2704) Poikovsky 2019}) 8... h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 e4 11. Qe2 Qe7 {[%eval 22,17]} (11... O-O $1 $15 {[%eval -32,19]} 12. dxe4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Re8) 12. dxe4 Nxe4 13. Nbd2 Nxg3 14. Qxe7+ Bxe7 15. fxg3 Bf5 16. O-O Bg6 17. Bb5 O-O-O {next ...g4 is good for Black.} 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Nb3 $1 Rd5 20. Rae1 Bf6 21. Nfd4 Bxd4+ 22. Nxd4 Kb7 23. Nb3 Kb6 24. c4 Rd7 25. a4 { Hoping for a5+.} a5 $1 26. Rf6 $1 Ra8 27. Re5 Rd1+ 28. Kf2 {Rb5+ is the strong threat.} Ra6 29. Rb5+ Ka7 30. Rxa5 Rxa5 31. Nxa5 $14 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRB-KRN} Rd2+ 32. Kf3 Rxb2 33. Nxc6+ Ka8 34. Ne5 $1 {[%cal Re5g6]} Bc2 { [%eval 201,17]} (34... Rc2 $16 {[%eval 125,19]} 35. Nxg6 (35. Nxf7 Rc3+ 36. Kf2 Bxf7 $16) 35... fxg6 36. Rxg6 Rxc4 37. Rxh6 g4+ 38. Ke3 Rxa4) 35. Nxf7 ({ Don't do} 35. Rxf7 $6 Bd1+ 36. Ke4 Rxg2 $16) 35... h5 36. Nxg5 Bd1+ 37. Ke3 Re2+ {[%eval 229,16]} (37... Rxg2 $142 {[%eval 165,17]} 38. Ne6 Rxh2) 38. Kd4 $18 Rxg2 39. a5 {[%cal Ba4a5,Ba5a6][%mdl 32]} Rxh2 40. Ne6 $1 {[%cal Re6c7]} h4 $2 {[%eval 449,15]} (40... Rd2+ {[%eval 236,16]} 41. Kc5 Rd7) 41. Nxc7+ { White is clearly winning.} Kb8 {[#]} 42. Nb5 ({Less strong is} 42. Na6+ Ka7 $18 ) 42... hxg3 {[#]} 43. a6 $1 {[%cal Rf6f8]} Rh8 {Weighted Error Value: White=0. 12/Black=0.29} 1-0 [/pgn]

Friday’s marquee game was the only one left without a desired result, Caruana and So drawing with only two kings left on the board at the end of a symmetrical English. Caruana perhaps got the better of the fight for the center, gaining some momentum with 25. e5 and leaving Black with an isolani, though So defends well and defuses the situation.

GMs Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So played to a draw in the fourth round of the 2021 Sinquefield Cup. // photo Lennart Ootes, Grand Chess Tour

[pgn][Event "8th Sinquefield Cup 2021"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2021.08.20"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 4.1 (5s)"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "2021.08.17"] {[%evp 17,106,17,17,2,20,-11,60,60,58,0,0,-26,14,11,42,26,26,26,26,26,26,30,14, 30,14,12,12,-32,33,37,59,40,43,45,82,86,100,95,97,97,100,100,99,97,96,100,101, 67,67,63,67,63,62,61,61,29,28,26,63,63,66,62,63,58,70,70,70,70,71,13,13,0,0,0, 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Nb3 Ne5 8. e4 Bb4 9. Qe2 d6 10. Bd2 {A33: Symmetrical English: 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e6 5 Nc3 Nc6.} O-O 11. Bg2 Bd7 {[%eval 60, 16]} (11... Qa6 $11 {[%eval -11,17]}) 12. f4 $14 {White is slightly better.} Ng6 13. Rc1 {[%eval 0,15]} ({White should play} 13. e5 $14 {[%eval 58,16]} Ne8 14. Be3) 13... Bc6 $11 14. a3 Bxc3 $146 (14... Bxa3 $5 15. Nb5 a6 $11) ({ Predecessor:} 14... Bxa3 15. Nb5 a6 16. Nxa3 Qxb3 17. Bc3 d5 18. exd5 exd5 19. O-O dxc4 20. f5 Qb6+ {0-1 (44) Elwert,H (2681)-Sanakoev,G (2585) email 1999}) 15. Rxc3 a5 16. Qe3 Ra6 17. c5 dxc5 18. Nxc5 Raa8 19. Nb3 Qxe3+ 20. Rxe3 Ng4 21. Rc3 $36 {[%mdl 2048] Threatening Nxa5! Black is under pressure.} Rfd8 22. Rc4 {[%eval -32,16]} (22. Bf3 $11 {[%eval 12,16] deserves consideration.} Nf6 23. Nc5) 22... Bb5 {[%eval 33,19]} ({Black should try} 22... e5 $1 $15 { [%eval -32,16]}) 23. Rc5 Ba4 {[#]} 24. h3 $1 Nf6 {[#]} (24... b6 25. Rc3) 25. e5 $1 Nd5 (25... Nh5 26. Rc3) 26. Bxd5 exd5 {[#]} 27. Nd4 b6 28. Rc7 Rac8 29. Rb7 Rb8 30. Rxb8 Rxb8 31. Kf2 Rc8 32. b4 axb4 33. Bxb4 h5 34. Ke3 Rc4 35. h4 Nf8 36. Bxf8 Kxf8 $14 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRB-KRN} 37. Rb1 b5 38. Kd3 g6 39. f5 gxf5 40. Rf1 $1 b4 41. axb4 Rxb4 42. Rxf5 Bd1 43. Rf6 {[%eval 13,19]} (43. e6 $16 {[%eval 71,18]} Rb7 44. exf7 (44. Rxd5 Bg4 $14) 44... Rxf7 45. Rxd5) 43... Bg4 $11 {The position is equal.} 44. Ke3 Rb1 45. Nf5 (45. Nc6 {is more complex.} Rb3+ 46. Kd4 Be6 47. Nd8 Ke7 48. Nxe6 fxe6 49. Rg6) 45... Rb3+ 46. Kd4 {next e6 is good for White.} Bxf5 47. Rxf5 Rxg3 48. Rxh5 {KR-KR} Kg7 49. Kxd5 Rg4 50. Rg5+ Rxg5 51. hxg5 {Intending Kd6 and mate.} Kg6 52. e6 fxe6+ 53. Kxe6 Kxg5 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.11/Black=0.10} 1/2-1/2 [/pgn]

In the fifth game of the round, Svidler dropped to the bottom of the standings with his third loss of the event, unable to keep Rapport’s queen away from White’s nail on f6.

[pgn][Event "8th Sinquefield Cup 2021"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2021.08.20"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A07"] [WhiteElo "2763"] [BlackElo "2714"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 4.1 (5s)"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2021.08.17"] {[%evp 9,75,42,42,30,47,48,49,48,47,47,49,47,53,31,31,-14,0,-1,-1,1,15,0,7,-64, -64,-57,-60,-65,-62,-62,-62,-93,-93,-103,-102,-157,-95,-93,-72,-68,-75,-75,-81, -81,-63,-176,-71,-135,-60,-67,-38,-29,55,-32,290,147,146,61,147,147,445,454, 432,473,463,473,446,439]} 1. g3 d5 2. Nf3 Nd7 3. d4 Nb6 4. a4 a5 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bg2 {D02: 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2...Nf6 3 Bf4.} Bf5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 6... h6 7. O-O Bf5 8. Nh4 Bh7 9. f4 e6 10. f5 Be7 11. Bh3 Qd7 12. Qd3 Qc6 {1/2-1/2 (63) Firouzja,A (2749)-Wojtaszek,R (2705) Wijk aan Zee 2021}) 7. Nh4 e6 8. Nxf5 {White is slightly better.} exf5 9. Qd3 Qd7 10. O-O Bb4 11. Nd1 O-O 12. f3 {[%eval -14,16]} (12. c3 $14 {[%eval 31,17] might be stronger.} Bd6 13. f3) 12... Rfe8 13. Nf2 Qe6 14. Bg5 Nc4 15. c3 Bf8 16. Rae1 {[%eval -64,17]} (16. Bh3 $11 {[%eval 7,17]}) 16... Nxb2 $15 17. Qc2 { [%cal Rc2b2]} Nc4 $36 {[%mdl 2048] Black is more active.} 18. e4 h6 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 ({Reject} 19... gxf6 $6 20. Bh3 $14) 20. e5 Qe6 21. f4 h5 22. h3 {[%eval -157,16]} ({White should play} 22. Nd1 {[%eval -102,18]}) 22... g6 {[%eval -95, 18]} (22... c6 $142 {[%eval -157,16]} 23. Nd1 Qg6) 23. g4 $17 hxg4 24. hxg4 fxg4 25. Qd1 g3 26. Ng4 Bg7 27. Bh3 {[%eval -176,14]} ({White should try} 27. Ne3 $15 {[%eval -63,15]}) 27... Qb6 {[%eval -71,16]} (27... Qe7 $19 {[%eval -176,14] has better winning chances.} 28. f5 Qg5 29. fxg6 fxg6) 28. Qd3 c5 { [%eval -60,15]} (28... Qb3 $17 {[%eval -135,14]}) 29. Rb1 $15 Qc7 30. f5 Ra6 { [%eval 55,16]} (30... gxf5 $11 {[%eval -29,14]} 31. Rxf5 Re6) 31. f6 {[%eval -32,15]} (31. Bg2 $1 $14 {[%eval 55,16]} cxd4 32. cxd4) 31... cxd4 $2 {[%eval 290,14][%mdl 8192]} (31... Bf8 $15 {[%eval -32,15] keeps the upper hand.}) 32. cxd4 {[%eval 147,16]} (32. fxg7 $18 {[%eval 290,14]} Kxg7 33. cxd4) 32... Bf8 $16 33. Qxg3 {Strongly threatening Qh4.} Nd2 {[%eval 147,15] [#]} (33... Ra7 $14 {[%eval 61,14]} 34. Qh4 Rxe5) 34. Qh4 $1 {Nh6+ is the strong threat.} Ne4 $2 {[%eval 445,14][%mdl 8192]} ({And not} 34... Nxb1 35. Nh6+ Bxh6 36. Qxh6 Rxf6 37. exf6 Qg3+ 38. Kh1 Qxh3+ 39. Qxh3) (34... Nxf1 $16 {[%eval 147,17]} 35. Rxf1 Qc3) 35. Nh6+ $18 {White is clearly winning.} Bxh6 36. Qxh6 {[%csl Gf6] [%cal Rh6g7]} Nxf6 37. exf6 {[%csl Gf6][%cal Rh6g7]} Qg3+ {[#]} 38. Bg2 $1 { [%csl Gf6][%cal Rh6g7] Weighted Error Value: White=0.20/Black=0.53} ({Worse is } 38. Kh1 Rxf6 39. Rxf6 Re2 $11) 1-0 [/pgn]

Round 5 begins Saturday at 3:00 p.m. St. Louis time, with live games and commentary offered here.