1.Nf3
c5
2.c4
Nc6
3.d4
cxd4
4.Nxd4
g6
5.e4
Bg7
6.Be3
Nf6
7.Nc3
Ng4
8.Qxg4
Nxd4
9.Qd1
Ne6
10.Rc1
Qa5
11.Be2
b6
12.Qd5
Rb8
13.Qxa5
bxa5
14.b3
Bd4
15.Bd2
d6
16.0-0
Bc5
17.Na4
Ba3
18.Rb1
Bb7
19.f3
Bc6
20.Bxa5
Bxa4
21.bxa4
Kd7
22.Rfd1
Nc5
23.Bc3
Rhc8
24.a5
Na4
25.Be1
Nb2
26.Rdc1
Bb4
27.Bf2
Bxa5
28.c5
dxc5
29.Rxc5
Rxc5
30.Bxc5
Bc3
31.a4
Ke6
32.Bb5
Kf6
33.Rc1
a6
34.Rxc3
axb5
35.a5
Ke6
36.Rb3
Na4
37.Be3
Kd7
38.a6
Ra8
39.Rxb5
Rxa6
40.Bd4
Rd6
41.Rb7+
Kd8
42.Rb4
Ra6
43.Kf2
Kc7
44.Ke3
Nb6
45.Bxb6+
Rxb6
46.Rxb6
Kxb6
47.Kd4
Kc6
48.Ke5
Kd7
49.f4
Ke8
50.h4
h5
51.f5
f6+
52.Ke6
gxf5
53.e5!
This is where computers, equipped with the ruthless perfection of their endgame databases, jump into action. After a second or two of thought and five hundred consultations of the tablebases Fritz announces that 53.e5! is mate in 69 moves. Terrifying.
53...fxe5
54.Kxe5
Kd7
55.Kxf5
Kd6
56.Kg5
Ke5
57.Kxh5
Kf4
58.Kg6
e5
59.h5
e4
60.h6
e3
61.h7
e2
62.h8Q
e1Q
Perfectly played, says Fritz, wondering how on earth human being can do it. The above position is mate in 59, and belongs to the most difficult five-piece endings. Against the perfect defence of a computer probably no human being (except of course John Nunn) would be able to win the full point, but of course Gelfand is facing another human being, who's defence is as weak or strong as Gelfand's attack. We put in some notes by the silicon oracle not to disparage the performance of the players, but to show how complex and incomprehensible these endgames are. Exclamation points indicate that the move played is the only one that wins in the given position.
63.Qb8+!
Kg4
64.Qc8+!
Kg3
65.Qh3+
Kf4
66.Qf5+
Kg3
67.Qh3+
Kf4
68.Qf3+!
Ke5
69.g4!
Kd4
70.g5!
Qe8+
71.Kg7
Qe7+
72.Kh6
Kc4
73.Qf4+
Kb5?
Bad defence, says Fritz. After 73...Kb3 White needs 47 moves to mate, now it is just 32 moves.
74.g6
Qe6
75.Kg5
Qe7+
76.Kg4
Qg7
77.Qd6?
More criticism from the database: 77.Qf5+ mates in 30, Gelfand's move increases it to 47.
77...Ka4
78.Kf5
Qc3
79.Qe5
The last moves have brought no improvement, and 79.Qe5 moves the win to 58 moves.
79...Qh3+
80.Kg5
Qg2+
81.Kf5
Qh3+
82.Kf6
Qf3+
83.Qf5
Qc3+
This is quite typical of the endgame. At move 62 it was 59 moves to win, now it is 58. And White must find 84.Qe5 to achieve even this. The only other move that wins is 84.Kf7, which would require 68 more moves. In the game White plays neither:
84.Kg5?
Now the position is a theoretical draw.
84...Ka3
85.Qf8+
Ka4?
Now it is mate in 59 again. Black should have played 85...Kb3 or 85...Ka2 to keep the draw.
86.Qa8+?
The position is drawn again, White needed to find 86.Kg4! (only move to win).
86...Kb4
87.Qb7+
Ka5?
Mate in 36. If Black had played 87...Ka3! the position would still be a draw.
88.g7
Qe5+
89.Kg6
Qe6+
90.Kh7
Qf5+
91.Kg8
Ka4
What would you play in this position? Hint: there are only two moves that win for White. We would like to once again stress that we are not criticizing the play of the two GMs, but merely demonstrating the complexity of this endgame. Some day, maybe, computers will annotated games as follows: 1.e4 e6?? Allows mate in 23 million moves. 1...e5, 1...d5 or 1...a6 was required to hold the draw.
92.Qh1?
Draw again. 92.Qa7+ wins in 35, 92.Qe7 wins in 39 moves.
92...Qc8+?
Black needed to find 92...Kb3 or 92...Ka3 to hold on. Now it is mate in 32 moves.
93.Kh7
Qf5+
94.Kh8
Qe5
95.Qh3
Qd4
96.Qe6
Qh4+
97.Kg8
Qf4
98.Qd5
Ka3
99.Kh7
Qh4+
100.Kg6
Qg3+
101.Kf7
Qf4+
102.Ke8
White has not allowed his opponent to escape into a theoretical draw, but it is still 32 moves to mate.
102...Qb8+
103.Qd8
Now it is 45 moves.
103...Qb5+
104.Qd7
Qh5+
31 moves lef
105.Kf8
Qf3+
106.Ke7
Qe4+
107.Qe6
Qb7+
22 move
108.Kf6
Qf3+
109.Kg5
Qg3+
110.Qg4
Qe5+
111.Kh4
Qf6+
112.Qg5
Qd4+
113.Kh3
and Black resigned, 14 moves before mate. [113.Kh3
For those of you who are still awake, here is an "optimum" continuation: 113...Qd7+
114.Kh2
Qe6
115.g8Q
Qe2+
116.Qg2
Qh5+
117.Qh3+
Qxh3+
118.Kxh3
Kb4
119.Qd5
Kc3
120.Kg3
Kb2
121.Qc4
Ka1
122.Qb5
Ka2
123.Kf2
Ka1
124.Ke3
Ka2
125.Kd2
Ka1
126.Kc1
Ka2
127.Qa4#
] 1-0