Analyzing Games Based on Opening #3 - Jobava London

In this blog series, I analyze grandmaster chess games based on their openings, exploring the ideas, strategies, critical moments, and mistakes that shaped the game. Each post focuses on a different opening and breaks down how top players handle positions, create attacks, defend under pressure, and convert advantages at the highest level of chess. I write a simple summary of the game of the end too.

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Game 3 - Firouzja, Alireza vs Anand, V ( 1-0 )
Event : TechM Global Chess League 2024

Firouza castled long and started with a bit of an attack with h3 h4, whereas Anand with the black pieces did not commit to castling and had just completed development.

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Anand castled and started with his attack with multiple threats and Firouzja defending all of them, skillfully.

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White created a weakness on g7 threatening mate, but Anand defended that and in orded to prevent mate, he had to give up 2 pawns, out of which he could only reclaim 1. Hence, Alireza became a pawn up.

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Trade of a pair of rooks took place. White created pawn weaknesses and black was trying to promote his own pawn.

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The a - passer white created became too strong and even though Anand won back a pawn, it was not enough to hold the draw, and the a - pawn promotion was forced and hence on move 47, Anand resigned.

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Summary :
Opposite side castling took place, and as expected an attack from both the sides started. Although at the start black's attack looked more dangerous white defended well and his attack forced Vishwanathan to give up a pawn. In the endgame white ruined black's pawn structure and created a passer. Black won back a pawn and created 2 passers, but white's passer was faster.
Thank you!