1. d2d4  1... g8f6  2. c2c4  2... e7e6  3. g2g3  3... d7d5  4. f1g2  4... f8e7  5. g1f3  5... e8g8  6. e1g1  6... d5c4  7. d1a4  7... a7a6  8. a4c4  8... b7b5  9. c4c2  9... c8b7  10. c1d2  10... a8a7 This move is much rarer than 10...Be4, but it hardly came as a surprise to Sevian, as Niemann had played it in 2023. This is a subtle move that delays the development of the knight, and the rook on a7 fulfills its function by defending the c7-pawn and freeing the a8-square for the queen, which will be useful after Nbd7. 11. a2a4 Black will quickly get a great position, so possibly this move is not the most accurate. 11... b5b4  12. d2g5 