Leko vs Anand : Italian Game - White wins in 22 moves !

Game was played as part of chess24.com Legends Online tournament.

Leko( White) against Anand(Black).

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 a6 7. a4 h6 8. Re1

White has expanded with 7 a4. apart from that classic c3,d3,0-0 and Re1. White will prepare d3-d4.

Leko does not play h2-h3 as he will have Nbd2-f1-g3 and Black doesn't have Nd4 to take advantage of the pin.

 8...O-O 9.Nbd2 a5 10. Nf1 Be6 11. Bb5!

Anand played 10..Be6 and was ok to take with f pawn on 11Bxe6. instead Leko plays 11 Bb5!
leading the diagram above.
The point is not only to double the pawns via Bxc6 but to weaken d4 to play d3-d4  and control the center.

11..Na7 12. d4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Nxb5 14. axb5 Re8 15. Ng3 Bd7 16. h3

Black to play in diagram above. Maxime Vacher-Lagrave had the same position in 2018 against Karjakin who chose 16..c6!? and after exchanging on c6, white played against the d6 pawn with Bf5 and black against the b2 pawn with Qb6 and Rab8.

Anand chose 16..Re5. a move the engines like, was it preparation ? it took me a while to understand that Black wants to take on d4 and then capture the b5 pawn with the rook via Re5xb5.

Anand could also play 16..Bd4 17 cd4 Bxb5 capturing the pawn with the bishop in d7.

lets see what happens next.

17. f4 Bxd4+ 18. cxd4 Rxb5

Anand has executed his rook Manoeuvre and won the b5 pawn. White to play. What would you play with white here ?


________________________________________________________________________

 19e4-e5 comes to mind : however  Black would reply 19..Nh7.
 Leko found a stronger move.
He played in the diagram above 19 Ra3!. The "Rover" also known as Rook Over Manoeuvre. 
White brings his second rook to the kingside via Ra3-f3 or Ra3-g3.


 19. Ra3! d5? ( 19..Nh7 or 19..Ne8 were better) 20. e5 Ne4

White to play
Here Leko found the best move again, 21 f4-f5!. He is not interested in exchanging on e4 regaining the pawn. He is clearly playing for the king's side attack. Anand did not find the best move 21..Qh4 and lost very quickly.

21. f5 Nxg3? (21..Qh4) 22.Rxg3 Bc8? 1-0

Anand resigned in the final diagram above after playing 22..Bc8? without waiting for white's move ! Leko would play 23 Bh6 or 23 f6 winning easily.

Maybe Anand intended 22..Bxf5 on which 23 Bxh6 Bg6 24 e5-e6! gives a large advantage to White.


Here's the animated replay

full game here