A True Legend! || Gelfand vs Ding || Chess24 Legends of Chess (2020)
Boris Gelfand (52) plays a brilliant attacking rapid game against Ding Liren in the Chess24 Legends of Chess 2020 tournament, uncorking a pawn sacrifice and a beautiful Knight-to-h5 tactical shot. Despite having a winning position twice, the game ends in a draw by threefold repetition. ---
Key Concepts
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Grünfeld Defense | Black plays d5 against White's c4/Nc3, leading to sharp central tension; main line involves Bc4, castling, and Bishop-to-b7 systems |
| Threefold repetition draw | Game ends when the same position occurs three times; here forced by Black's Queen checks along the f4–c1–f4 diagonal |
| Tactical shot (Nh5) | Pawn sacrifice with Nh5 that Black cannot reasonably decline due to mating threats on f6 and g5 |
| Only-move defense | Ding's Bb4 — the sole response that keeps the game alive but does not save it |
| a3! — the only winning move | After Bb4, the bishop has no safe squares; Qa3 would have been decisive but was missed in rapid play |
Notes
Tournament & Pre-game Context
- Chess24 Legends of Chess 2020, rapid format
- Prior classical head-to-head (8 games): Ding 3 wins, Gelfand 1 win, 4 draws
- This is Game 3 of the match; Gelfand had won one, two draws prior
Opening — Grünfeld Defense (Main Line)
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 — Grünfeld
- 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bc4 (main line), then c5, Ne2, Nc6, Be3, 0-0/0-0
- Ding plays b6 (offbeat) instead of the more common Bg4/Qc7
- Plans to develop Bb7, bring rook to c8, play Na5, claim queenside
Middlegame — Divergence and New Territory
- After Rc1, Ding plays e6 (fighting for d5 square, neutralizing dark-square bishop)
- Gelfand plays Bg5 (attacks queen) rather than Bh6 (known from Leiron vs. Grischuk, World Cup 2013)
- **Completely new game as of move 14**
- Gelfand pushes h4 — in the style of AlphaZero/Leela; commentary notes Gelfand follows engine-influenced theory
Gelfand's Attack — Key Sequence
- Nh5 — the critical pawn sacrifice
- If Black declines (e.g., Ba5): Nf6+ Kh8, then d5 covers d6/d7 — game over
- Ding forced to take: gxh5
- Bf6 follows — threatens Qg5/Qg3+ with checkmate
- Ding finds **only move**: Bb4
- Defends temporarily but does not save the game
The Missed Win — Qa3!
- After Bb4, the bishop has no safe retreat squares
- Bf8 → Qg5+ (King trapped, no escape)
- Queen captures lead to Qg3+ winning the bishop and a decisive passed pawn
- **Boris plays d5 instead** — similar idea (giving up pawn), still strong but less precise
- Ding immediately captures on b4, keeping material balance
Endgame Complications
- After the trade, Ding's king runs: Ke8 → tries queenside
- Gelfand wins the a6 pawn (up one pawn) but Ding's active queen and bishops make conversion difficult
- Gelfand opts for Queen to d8+ sequence rather than the winning (but harder to see) Qxh7 line
- Qxh7 also wins but requires precise follow-up under time pressure
- Queen checks by Ding (Qf4–Qe3–Qc1 loop) force repetition
- **Draw by threefold repetition**
Actionable Takeaways
- When playing the Grünfeld as Black, Na5 to target the light-squared bishop and queenside play is standard — but watch for aggressive h4 pushes from White
- In attacking positions, always check for "only-move" defensive resources (like Bb4 here) before committing to a combination
- The move **a3** (or quiet moves trapping a piece) is easy to overlook in rapid; train pattern recognition for bishop-with-no-squares motifs
- When ahead material with an exposed enemy king, calculate the most forcing queen maneuver rather than grabbing pawns — Qd8+ was less precise than Qxh7 here
Quotes Worth Keeping
He's been following the development of chess theory via Leela and AlphaZero and he knows that you should always push your h-pawn to victory.
It's a3 — I know it's always funny when such a move is the only winning move, but this is the case here.
Boris is 52 at the moment but he doesn't seem to mind playing rapid against one of the best chess players in the world, Ding Liren... and just showing him who's the boss.