1. d2d4  1... d7d5  2. g1f3  2... g8f6  3. e2e3  3... c7c5  4. d4c5 [%c_effect c5;square;c5;type;Interesting;persistent;true] By now we are used to queen's pawn sidelines in world championship matches. Both Ding and Ju showed that this is just as viable a path as fighting for advantage in the main lines. 4... e7e6  5. b2b4  5... a7a5  6. c2c3  6... a5b4  7. c3b4  7... b7b6  8. f1b5  8... c8d7  9. b5d7  9... b8d7  10. a2a4  10... b6c5  11. b4b5 I have a great friend (and a strong amateur chess player) who has always been a devoted fan of the Noteboom Variation. He felt invincible with these passed pawns. I wonder how he feels now that Ju is showing the world that it's possible to play the line with White, with an extra tempo. I also have a good friend, GM Gilberto Milos, who loves playing with central pawns: he is probably not very impressed with White's play. 11... d8c7 A rare move that has been played in correspondence games, but the game will transpose to a more common position later. Black has various tries here: 12. c1b2  12... f8d6  13. e1g1  13... e8g8  14. b1d2 The game has transposed to a known position, played in nearly 30 games. 14... f8c8  15. d1c2  15... c5c4 [%c_effect c4;square;c4;type;Mistake;persistent;true] This is a mistake, since now White is able to advance the dangerous pawns. 16. b2c3 [%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The pawns are ready to move forward. It's exactly because of this that my dear friend likes Noteboom positions. 16... d7c5  17. a4a5 Only this is a new move. 17... c5b3 [%c_effect b3;square;b3;type;Interesting;persistent;true] An interesting attempt to muddy the waters. White's play is easy after the alternatives: 18. c3f6 [%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;Mistake;persistent;true] A big mistake. Ju probably evaluated the resulting position incorrectly or missed the tactical idea of giving up the a-pawn. 18... b3a1 [%c_effect a1;square;a1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] 19. f6a1  19... c7a5 The most natural move. 20. c2c3  20... a5c3  21. a1c3  21... c8b8  22. f3d4 This is an interesting endgame. It's always very difficult to evaluate imbalanced positions. With the benefit of having seen the game and being able to use the computer, it's easy to say that the position is equal. 22... e6e5 [%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] A mistake that changes the evaluation. Lei wants to eliminate the b-pawn, but she pays an expensive price. Many alternatives maintain equality. 23. d4f5  23... d6f8  24. c3e5  24... b8b5 Despite the material balance remaining the same, the position has deteriorated a lot for Black. White can now organize the pieces more easily and start an attack on the vulnerable black pawns. Hanging pawns are like inseparable brothers who share the same fate: after one is gone (the d5-pawn), the other (the c4-pawn) usually doesn't take long to fall. 25. g2g4 [%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] 25... g7g6  26. f5d4  26... b5b2 [%c_effect b2;square;b2;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] 27. d2b1 [%c_effect b1;square;b1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] An excellent move. The knight is going to d5. 27... f8g7  28. e5g7  28... g8g7  29. b1c3  29... a8a5  30. f1d1 With all the rooks on the board, White's task is easier. The d-pawn will be captured, and the endgame is easily winning. 30... b2b6 