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Radoslaw Wojtaszek vs Fabiano Caruana
Tata Steel Masters (2021), Wijk aan Zee NED, rd 9, Jan-26
King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation (E94)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jan-26-21  MirrorStalemate: Great game, Fabi!!
Jan-26-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  0ZeR0: 7.Bg4... It's fascinating what he does with this opening. I was also in disbelief when he gave up his strongest piece with 13.Bxc3, but it seemed to allow him to establish strong centralized knights and begin pushing on the kingside. Excellent preparation as usual.
Jan-26-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  0ZeR0: The critical moment of the game was after 23.g5. Wojtaszek could have went for counterplay with 24.b4! Ne6 25.Bg4 Qf4 26.Bxe5 Qxc1 27.Rxc1 dxe5 28.Bxe6 Rxe6 29.Rxc7 and the endgame is roughly equal.
Jan-27-21  Jambow: < 0ZeR0: 7.Bg4... It's fascinating what he does with this opening. I was also in disbelief when he gave up his strongest piece with 13.Bxc3, but it seemed to allow him to establish strong centralized knights and begin pushing on the kingside.>

Also while the black Bishop is strong the white knight is about to become very centrally active in blacks position with defensive & counter attacking motifs. Seems like Fabiano had a secure strategy when he opted to exchange...

Jan-27-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  0ZeR0: <Jambow>

Yes, his strategy is secure but there were other ways to approach the position without giving up the dark square bishop. For instance: 13...a5 14.Nd5 Nc5 15.Bg5 f6 16.Be3 Ne5 and white will be forced to move his centralized knight back to c3, otherwise his position falls apart.

Jan-27-21  MordimerChess: Some of GMs tweeted that they should learn chess again, serious principles were broken by Fabiano. Incredible 13...Bxc3

Full video analysis of this game:

https://youtu.be/VE3VGt61qsU

Enjoy!

Jan-27-21  dehanne: This Bg4 and Bxc3 stuff is lifted from the Pirc.
Jan-27-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: White's reaction on 13...Bxc3:

https://twitter.com/olimpiuurcan/st...

Jan-28-21  vonKrolock: The originality aspect is already manifested with Bg4 and Bxf3. In the sequence Bxc3 sounds coherent, thematic: the strength of the Pair of Knights.
Jan-30-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  K Any: Surprising ideas, well executed!
Feb-03-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Clement Fraud: agadmator's Chess Channel (on YouTube) covers this game very well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO9...
(Anti-Positional Moves no Longer Exist)

I was surprised and delighted to see the King's Indian make a return - seven years after the opening had been comprehensively refuted (or so I thought)... Kramnik vs Nakamura, 2014

I was surprised to see 7... Bg4 work out so well, but can't help wondering if Wojtaszek had played the Petrosian Variation (7.d5 - favored by Kramnik), that he could have prevented Caruana's ideas being put into practice: 7.d5 closes the center, and then 7... Bg4 could be met with 8.Qb3!?

Feb-16-21  DarthStapler: Reactions to 13...Bxc3 by rating:

<1000: 'Seems like a fine move to me.'
1000-2799: 'That's a terrible move!'
2800+: 'Seems like a fine move to me.'

Mar-28-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Breunor: Why does white give up a pawn on move 17?
Apr-24-21  jerseybob: <Clement Fraud: I was surprised to see 7... Bg4 work out so well, but can't help wondering if Wojtaszek had played the Petrosian Variation (7.d5 - favored by Kramnik), that he could have prevented Caruana's ideas being put into practice: 7.d5 closes the center, and then 7... Bg4 could be met with 8.Qb3!?> For the reasons you lay out, Fabby might not have doggedly stuck with the Bg4 idea. (now I might've!)

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