Game summary
Zatonskih, A beat Boris Gelfand with the black pieces in 37 moves in round 6 of chess.com IoM Masters in Douglas, England, on 28 September 2017. The opening was the Queen's Gambit Declined (D35).
- White
- Boris Gelfand
- Black
- Zatonskih, A
- Result
- Black won (0-1)
- Place
- Douglas, England
- Date
- 28 September 2017 (2017.09.28)
- Round
- 6.19
- Opening
- Queen's Gambit Declined (D35)
- Length
- 37 moves (74 plies)
All moves of Gelfand, B vs Zatonskih, A (PGN move text)
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Bd3 c6 8.Nge2 O-O 9.Qc2 Re8 10.O-O Nf8 11.f3 g6 12.Kh1 Ne6 13.Bh4 b6 14.Rad1 a5 15.Qc1 Ba6 16.Bxa6 Rxa6 17.e4 Nh5 18.Bxe7 Rxe7 19.exd5 cxd5 20.Nxd5 Rd7 21.Ndc3 Nf6 22.Ne4 Nd5 23.N2c3 Ra8 24.Nb5 Rc8 25.Qd2 Rc4 26.a3 Rc8 27.f4 f5 28.Nec3 Kf7 29.Rf3 Qf6 30.g3 Rcd8 31.Qe2 Kg7 32.Qc4 g5 33.Nxd5 Rxd5 34.fxg5 Nxg5 35.Rf2 Rc5 36.Qe2 Qc6+ 37.Rg2 Rxb5 0-1
About This Game
Gelfand, B and Zatonskih, A met over the board in this middlegame battle at chess.com IoM Masters in Douglas ENG in 2017. The game dates from the contemporary engine era.
From Queen's Gambit Declined (D35) the players entered a fight over the centre with long-term structural themes. Here the struggle frequently turns on the central pawns and the resulting minor-piece play.
Lasting 37 moves, the game was settled in the middlegame. This is the phase where piece activity, pawn breaks and king safety all collide, and replaying it slowly is a good way to train your own middlegame judgement.
Gelfand, B is one of the grandmasters featured in the RamaChess archive, where you can browse their complete game collection, favourite openings and notable wins. Studying many games by a single strong player is one of the fastest ways to understand practical chess decisions.
Replaying a complete grandmaster game is more valuable than it first appears. You see not just the moves, but the order in which plans are introduced, how both sides react to threats, and where the balance finally tips.
When the dust settled, Zatonskih, A won with the black pieces. Replay the full game move by move above, analyse it with the engine to find the turning points, and use Practice mode to play out the critical positions yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Who played this game?
This game was played between Gelfand, B (White) and Zatonskih, A (Black), at chess.com IoM Masters in 2017.
What opening was played?
The game used Queen's Gambit Declined (ECO code D35). A fight over the centre with long-term structural themes.
What was the result?
Zatonskih, A won with the black pieces.
How long was the game?
The game lasted 37 moves (74 plies).
Can I replay this game move by move?
Yes. Use the interactive board on this page to step through every move, or open the analyser for engine evaluation and Practice mode to play the positions yourself.
Where can I find more games like this?
Browse the full Queen's Gambit Declined collection, Gelfand, B's complete game archive, and thousands more grandmaster games in the RamaChess archive.