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Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Variation — Part 1 of 3

Grischuk–Smirin, Pivdenny Bank Cup 2007 · Karjakin–Sethuraman, 10th World Teams 2015 · 6:54 · ECO C96

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In this video

Game 1: Alexander Grischuk (2717) vs Ilia Smirin (2650)

Pivdenny Bank Cup 2007, 5 July 2007 · Black won (0-1) · 28 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

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Key moments

  1. 11...Qc7The first move after the opening line0:46
  2. 22.Ne3The evaluation moves from +1.13 to −3.11, and Black stays more than two pawns ahead from here1:39
  3. 25.Bd4The evaluation moves from −2.81 to −6.411:54
  4. 26...Qa5The evaluation moves from −6.67 to −3.102:02
  5. 28...Bxe3Black wins after 28 moves2:12

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

Game 2: Sergey Karjakin (2757) vs S.P. Sethuraman (2623)

10th World Teams 2015, 25 April 2015 · White won (1-0) · 56 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

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Key moments

  1. 11...Qc7The first move after the opening line2:58
  2. 27...Nb5The evaluation moves from +0.52 to +2.53, and White stays more than two pawns ahead from here4:18
  3. 42.Qg4The evaluation moves from +4.78 to +2.825:30
  4. 45.hxg4The queens come off5:45
  5. 56.Be3The evaluation moves from +5.26 to +8.766:40
  6. 56.Be3White wins after 56 moves6:40

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

About these games

After 9...Na5 Black drives the white bishop from b3 to c2, and 10...c5 gains space on the queenside. With 11.d4 White builds a broad centre with pawns on e4, d4 and c3. Black must then choose between exchanging on d4 to open the c-file, keeping the tension, or closing the centre, while White usually aims for the Nbd2-f1-g3 regrouping toward the kingside.

Grischuk–Smirin went 11...Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Rd8, opening the c-file and preparing the freeing 17...d5. After 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.dxe5 the centre was open, and 20...Bg5 21.Qh5 Bh6 left the black bishop eyeing the kingside. 22.Ne3 was the turning point: the score went from +1.13 to −3.11, and Black stayed more than two pawns ahead from there. Black attacked the king with 22...Nxe3 23.Rxe3 Rd2 24.Qh4 Rxf2. 25.Bd4 took the score from −2.81 to −6.41, and after 25...Rxg2+ 26.Kf1 it stood at −6.67. 26...Qa5 let it drop to −3.10, but 27.Be4 Qd2 28.Bxb7 Bxe3 ended the game, and Black won.

Karjakin–Sethuraman took the closed route. With 12...Bd7 and 13...Nc4 Black kept the centre shut, while White played 13.Nf1 and 14.Ng3, then broke with 22.dxe5 after the queenside exchanges on c4. On 27...Nb5 the score jumped from +0.52 to +2.53, and 28.Qxa5 won a pawn and gave White a passed a-pawn. 42.Qg4 dropped the score from +4.78 to +2.82, but after 45.hxg4 the queens were off. The a-pawn reached a7 and cost Black time, and 56.Be3 (+8.76) ended the game. White won. Unlike Game 1, the centre stayed closed and the game was decided in a long endgame.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Introduction and the opening line
  2. 0:10Game 1: Grischuk vs Smirin, Pivdenny Bank Cup 2007
  3. 2:20Game 2: Karjakin vs Sethuraman, 10th World Teams 2015

The opening line

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4

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