[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Schulien, Chuck"]
[Black "Ready, John"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A65"]
[WhiteElo "2322"]
[BlackElo "2296"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. c4 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Qd2 exd5
9. cxd5 a6 ({In the post-mortem, Chuck pointed out that Black could also play} 
9... h6 10. Be3 (10. Bxh6 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Qh4+ 12. g3 Qxh6 13. Qxh6 Bxh6 14. Nxd6
{Here Chuck stated that White has "nothing special". For example} Nd7 15. f4
Nb6 16. O-O-O Rd8 17. Nxc8 Raxc8 18. Bh3 f5 {and Black had adequate
compensation for the pawn in Dreev-Gelfand, Tilburg 1993.}) 10... Re8 11. Nge2
h5 {with lines similar to the game.}) 10. a4 Re8 11. Nge2 Nbd7 12. Ng3 h5 {
This treatment of the opening originated with Romanian GM and lover of the
K-side fianchetto, Bela Badea, who enjoyed some success with it. The idea is
that White's K will end up on the K-side (since the Q-side and center give the
monarch no sense of safety) and therefore will be harrassed there as well.} 13.
Be2 Nf8 14. O-O N8h7 15. Be3 h4 16. Nh1 Nh5 {
It was here (!) that Varga-Badea agreed to a draw in their 1992 encounter.} 17.
Nf2 f5 18. exf5 gxf5 $5 ({Also possible, and less double-edged, is} 18... Bxf5
19. Rfe1 Qd7 {Funny thing, as a player I prefer solidity, sound development
and the avoidance of permanant weaknesses. As a tournament Organizer, I
certainly enjoy the exciting world of complications and risky play!}) 19. Rae1
Ng3 $1 {While the game was in progress, several of the local chess players and
I stepped into a nearby room and were analysing the consequences of this move,
prior to its being played. We found many ways for White to go wrong, while the
proper way to counter this was only really found by Chuck at the board!} 20.
hxg3 hxg3 21. Bd3 $1 (21. Nh1 Qh4 22. Nxg3 Rxe3 23. Kf2 Bd4 $19) (21. Nh3 Rxe3
22. Bd3 f4 $1 23. Bxh7+ Kxh7 24. Qc2+ Kg8 25. Rxe3 (25. Nxf4 $2 Qh4 26. Nh3 Bd4
$19) 25... fxe3 26. Qg6 Qh4 27. Qe8+ Kh7 28. Qe4+ Qxe4 29. Ng5+ Kg6 30. Ngxe4 {
With a very difficult endgame to hold for White.}) 21... gxf2+ ({
In our analysis, we had thought that} 21... Qh4 {
was winning, however White does have resources...} 22. Nh3 f4 $1 (22... Rxe3 $2
23. Rxe3 Bd4 (23... f4 $4 24. Re8+ Kf7 25. Rfe1 {
and the mating net surrounds Black's King, rather than White's!}) 24. f4 $1 {
White's King is just fine.}) 23. Bxh7+ $1 ({
White must get rid of that Knight, for after} 23. Bxf4 Bd4+ 24. Be3 Rxe3 25.
Rxe3 Ng5 $1 26. Rfe1 Bxh3 $19) 23... Kxh7 24. Bxf4 Bd4+ 25. Be3 Rxe3 26. Rxe3
Bxh3 27. gxh3 Qxh3 28. Nd1 g2 29. Rfe1 Qh1+ 30. Kf2 Qh4+ 31. Ke2 g1=Q 32. Rxg1
Qh2+ 33. Kd3 Qxg1 34. Re7+ {and White should be able to hold the draw, as
Black's King also needs attention.}) 22. Bxf2 Bd7 23. Ne2 Qf6 24. b3 ({
White could have proved some advantage after the more aggressive} 24. b4 $1 Bh6
(24... b6 25. a5 $16) 25. f4 Rac8 26. Rc1 {
and White has real pressure on the Q-side, for example} cxb4 ({
Better, however pathetic it may look, is} 26... Bf8 {
and Black can put up a tough defense.}) 27. Qxb4 Qf7 (27... Rb8 $2 28. Bd4 Qe7
29. Rf3 Nf6 30. Rc7 {and Black is losing on all fronts.}) 28. Rxc8 Rxc8 29.
Qxb7 Nf6 30. Bxa6 Nxd5 31. a5 $18 {etc.}) 24... Bh6 25. Qc2 ({If} 25. f4 {
Black holds his own with} b5 $11) 25... Ng5 26. Ng3 f4 27. Nf5 Bf8 28. Nh4 Rxe1
29. Rxe1 Re8 30. Qd2 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Bh6 32. Ng6 Nf7 33. Qe4 {
and here, a draw was agreed.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Roper, David"]
[Black "Roua, Radu"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2279"]
[BlackElo "2209"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O d6 5. c3 Bb6 ({More common is} 5... Bg4
6. d3 Nf6 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Re1 a6 9. Bb3 {
which can also occur in some variations of they Ruy Lopez.}) 6. Re1 ({
The main point of Black's 5th, is that} 6. d4 {can be answered with} Qe7) 6...
Nf6 7. d3 O-O 8. Bg5 Ne7 $5 {This is new, inviting White to double pawns! The
idea is that Black could then utilze the half-open g-file and perhaps the f4
square with White's dark squared Bishop now gone. Additionally, Black could
use the newly created f-pawn to hammer at White's center. Although Botvinnik &
Karpov would scoff, it has Tal-like imagination!} 9. a4 (9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nbd2
f5 11. Qe2 Ng6 12. g3 c6 13. Bb3 f4 {and Black has a comfortable game.}) 9...
a6 10. Nbd2 {This is the 'Doubled-pawns declined' variation.} Ng6 11. Nh4 Kh8
12. Nf5 ({The obvious purpose of Black's last move is that now} 12. Nxg6+ fxg6
$1 {gives Black significant pressure down the f-file.}) 12... h6 13. Be3 d5 $1
{Well played. In the ensuing complications, Black is by no means worse, while
White must tread carefully.} 14. Bxb6 ({Not} 14. Bb3 d4 15. cxd4 exd4 $19 {
and the Bishop is dressed up but with no place to go.}) 14... cxb6 (14... dxc4
$2 15. Bc5) 15. Bb3 dxe4 16. dxe4 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Bxf5 18. Nd6 ({Or} 18. Qf3 Bxe4
19. Qxe4 Qe7 20. Qf5 {(simply to prevent f7-f5)} Rad8 21. Rad1 {White has some
compensation for the pawn, due to Black being unable to activate his Knight.})
18... Qd7 ({Also playable is} 18... Qf6 {since} 19. Nxb7 $2 Ra7 $1 {
places the steed in grave danger.}) 19. Nc4 Qxd1 20. Bxd1 $1 (20. Raxd1 $6 {
is met by} Be6 $15) 20... b5 {
This move places the advantage back in White's camp.} ({More circumspect is} 
20... f6 21. Nxb6 Rad8 22. Bf3 Rd2 23. Nc4 Rd7 $11) 21. Nd6 {
The Knight prances and dances, probing Black's position.} Bd3 22. Nxb7 e4 23.
Nc5 f5 24. f3 $1 {
It was here that I thought White had real chances of converting.} Nf4 25. g3
Nh3+ 26. Kg2 Ng5 27. fxe4 fxe4 ({Better is} 27... Bxe4+ 28. Nxe4 Nxe4 29. Bf3
Rad8 30. axb5 axb5 31. Ra5 Rd2+ 32. Re2 Rb8 {and Black will survive this.}) 28.
h4 $1 Nf7 (28... Nf3 $6 29. Nxd3) 29. axb5 ({
David most likely rejected the natural} 29. Nxe4 Rae8 30. Bf3 {due to} Ne5 $5 {
However, after} 31. Nd6 $1 Re6 32. axb5 axb5 33. Ra8 Rxa8 34. Bxa8 {White has a
near-winning advantage. The line chosen is equally enticing however, since the
Black King becomes endangered with mating threats.}) 29... axb5 30. Rxa8 Rxa8
31. Bb3 ({Now} 31. Nxe4 {is inadequate due to} Ra2) 31... Nd6 {
The point is that Black's Knight lacks a good square, for example:} (31... Ne5
32. Nxe4 Nc4 33. Bxc4 bxc4 34. Nc5 Ra2 35. Nxd3 cxd3 36. Rd1 Rxb2+ 37. Kf3 $16)
({Or} 31... Nd8 32. Nxe4 $16) 32. Nxd3 exd3 33. Rd1 Re8 34. Rxd3 Re2+ 35. Kf3
Rxb2 36. Be6 {'!' user,pc.} Nb7 37. Rd7 Nc5 38. Rd8+ Kh7 39. Bg8+ Kh8 (39...
Kg6 $4 40. Rd6+ Kf5 41. Rd5+ Kf6 42. Rxc5 $18) 40. Bf7+ ({An almost imperceptib
le, yet very significant, improvement is found by Fritz, eg.} 40. Rc8 $1 Na4 {
The point being that the Black Knight is not given access to the e5 square.} (
40... Nd3 $2 41. Bc4+) (40... Nd7 $2 41. Be6+) 41. Bf7+ Kh7 42. h5 g5 43. hxg6+
Kg7 44. Rc7 Rd2 45. c4 {and wins.}) 40... Kh7 41. h5 g5 42. hxg6+ Kg7 43. Rg8+
Kf6 44. Rc8 Nd7 {See note to White's 40th.} 45. Rc6+ Kg7 46. Ke3 (46. Kf4 Rf2+
47. Ke3 Rf6 48. Rc7 Rd6) 46... Ne5 $1 47. Rc7 {
Draw Agreed. A great fighting game!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Yu, Corbin"]
[Black "Graves, John"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D76"]
[WhiteElo "2085"]
[BlackElo "2239"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. c4 O-O 5. O-O d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. d4 Nb6 8.
Nc3 Nc6 9. d5 Na5 10. e4 c6 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bf4 cxd5 13. exd5 Nac4 14. Qe2 Bg4 (
{The most common way to play here is} 14... g5 15. Bc1 Bg4 16. h3 Bh5 {
The idea being that Black has this answer to f2-f3, while having driven the
White QB back home.} 17. g4 Bg6 $11) 15. Rfd1 ({More to be expected here is} 
15. h3 {since Black omitted g6-g5.  eg.} Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Rc8 17. Rac1 {
Nevertheless, things are still equal.}) 15... Rc8 16. Rac1 g5 $1 {
Since White has occupied the Bishop's retreat square.} 17. Be3 Nxe3 18. Qxe3
Nc4 19. Qe2 Qd7 {Draw Agreed, although Black is already somewhat better due to
the raking Bishops, well-placed Knight and play against the d-pawn. Many times
in team play, decisions are made on the conservative side so as not to risk
harming the team.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sinanan, Josh"]
[Black "Morris, Mike"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2162"]
[BlackElo "2049"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O e5 7. d3 Nge7 8. Bg5
f6 9. Bd2 O-O 10. a3 Be6 11. Rb1 d5 $5 ({More commonly seen is} 11... a5 12.
Ne1 Rb8 13. Nc2 {and only now} d5 {
as played in many games, for example Speelman-De Firmian, New York 1995}) 12.
cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 ({Mittendorf-Hoffmann, 1997, continued with} 13. Ne4 b6 14.
b4 cxb4 15. axb4 Qd7 16. b5 Nce7 17. Qa4 a6 $1 $11 {
and Black went on to win in 42 moves.}) 13... Bxd5 14. b4 {The first new move.}
({Kozel-Gasanov @ the 2005 Geller Memorial event, saw} 14. Rc1 Qd6 15. Qc2 b6
16. Qa4 a5 {when White's b2-b4 break was prevented indefinitely.}) 14... cxb4
15. axb4 Qd7 16. Be3 b6 17. Qa4 Rfd8 18. Rfc1 Rac8 ({
An interesting alternative is} 18... Nd4 {eg.} 19. Qxd7 Rxd7 20. Nxd4 Bxg2 21.
Kxg2 exd4 22. Bd2 Re8 23. Kf3 Rde7 {with some pressure.}) 19. Nd2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2
Qd5+ 21. Kg1 Qd7 ({It seems more accurate to continue with the active} 21... f5
{but perhaps Mike didn't like the appearance of his Knight on the rim after}
22. b5 Na5) 22. b5 Ne7 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Nc4 Nd5 25. Qb3 Kh8 26. Bd2 Bf8 27. e4
$2 {An unfortunate lapse in judgement. After this, Black has a distinctly
superior position, as the backward pawn at d3 is worse off than the backward
pawn at a7.} Nc7 28. Be3 Rd8 29. Nxb6 $1 {Most likely White's best practical
chance. The d-pawn (or the even more important b-pawn) would otherwise be
doomed, with no compensation.} axb6 30. Bxb6 Rb8 31. Bxc7 Qxc7 32. b6 Qc6 33.
b7 {Black will now find it near impossible to convert his material advantage,
as White will combine threats of Queening, with threats of perpetual check.}
Kg7 34. Kg2 Be7 35. Rb2 Bd8 36. Qb4 Kf7 37. Qb3+ Kf8 38. h4 h5 39. Kg1 Be7 40.
Kg2 Kg7 41. Kg1 Bd6 42. Kg2 Bc7 43. Qb4 Bd6 44. Qb3 Bc7 45. Qb4 {Here and on
several previous moves, Mike looked up at team captain, Chuck Schulien who was
observing the game, as if to say 'how can I convert this with less than 5
minutes on my clock?!' Chuck was not too sympathetic, and noted 'we're a point
down!' In any event, Mike shook his head, looked up at the smiling Josh and a
draw was agreed! I put Fritz to the task and he merely wandered around for 50
moves or so...} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Hann, Anthony"]
[Black "Paleveda, Nick"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "1658"]
[BlackElo "2132"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

{An interesting note, Anthony Hann had come with the Oregon contingent, not
intending to compete. However, the slated 5th board for the Oregon team, Bob
Allyn, was experiencing car problems and team captain, Chuck Schulien, elected
to have him play.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Bd3 d6 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. O-O
c5 7. c3 Nc6 8. Qe2 b6 9. Ne4 $6 {Much to be preferred is e3-e4.} (9. e4 cxd4
10. Nxd4 (10. cxd4 $2 Nb4 $15) 10... Bb7 11. N2f3 Nd7 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Nd4 {
with a level game, as in Hasic-Mattick Berlin 1999.}) 9... Nxe4 10. Bxe4 d5 11.
Bc2 Qc7 12. Rd1 Rd8 13. Bd2 Bb7 14. b4 $5 {I like this move, with which White
remains in the game. I still remember years ago, I had played this type of
move from the Black side of a Slav, John Ready approached me and stated
'that's the ugliest Slav I've ever seen!' That's how I keep my ideas safe,
hidden behind a veil of homeliness.} Rac8 15. Rac1 e5 16. b5 $6 ({Better is} 
16. dxc5 bxc5 17. e4 {and Black's center is broken up.}) 16... e4 $1 {
This must have been overlooked or underestimated by Anthony.} ({Not} 16... Ne7
17. dxe5 {when White is at least equal.}) 17. bxc6 exf3 18. Qxf3 Bxc6 $15 19.
Qe2 Re8 20. Qf1 Rcd8 21. Rb1 Qd7 22. Qa6 Re6 23. a4 c4 24. a5 $2 ({Although Whi
te is at a slight disadvantage, his Queen is in no danger of entrapment while
the pawn is on a4. Black capitalizes immediately. Best is} 24. e4 $1 dxe4 25.
Qxc4 {and play continues.}) 24... b5 25. Rb2 Qc7 {White Resigns as he loses at
least the exchange while Black still possesses most positional trumps.} 0-1

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ready, John"]
[Black "Schulien, Chuck"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E14"]
[WhiteElo "2296"]
[BlackElo "2322"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. O-O Be7 (6... Bd6 $6 {
strengthens White's e3-e4 advance, for example} 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4
Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Nf6 11. Bc2 h6 12. b3 b6 13. Bb2 Bb7 14. Qd3 {and White had
dangerous pressure in Capablanca-Jaffe, New York 1910 (1-0 in just 6 more
moves!).}) ({Black can still play the position as a Meran, but must be aware
of the difference in position due to the absence of the White Knight at c3.} 
6... dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 ({The Kortchnoi-like} 8. Bb3 {is now met by} c5 $5
{as there is no White Knight on c3 to eye the pawn on b5. Meister (2473)-
Geller, J (2285) 2001, drawn in 41 moves.}) 8... a6 9. a4 {And here is one of
the differences; with the White Knight at c3 (as opposed to White having
castled), Black could now play the tempo-gaining b5-b4, followed by c6-c5.} Bb7
10. e4 Be7 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 O-O {with a playable middlegame, as in Petursson
(2555)-Jonsson (2420) in 1992, which ended in a draw after 75 moves.}) 7. Nc3
O-O 8. b3 b6 9. Bb2 Bb7 10. Rc1 {We've reached a position in which John has
great experience and very adept in playing. In the post mortem, it was evident
that Chuck was not at all in love with his position, even though objectively
it is quite playable.} Rc8 11. Qe2 c5 12. Rfd1 Re8 13. Ne5 ({By transposition,
we've reached a position that occured in one of Kasparov's games. Here
heplayed} 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Bf5 Bd6 $2 ({Better is} 14... g6) 15. dxc5 bxc5 16.
Nb5 Ba6 17. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 18. Rxd5 {
and ended up winning in 26 moves. (Kasparov-Stefanatos 2001)}) 13... Qc7 14.
cxd5 Nxe5 ({Better than the alternative} 14... exd5 $6 15. Nb5 Qb8 16. Bf5 $16
Rcd8 $6 {(Nothing really works well here)} 17. Nxd7 Nxd7 18. Bxd7 Rxd7 19. dxc5
Bxc5 20. Bxg7 $18) 15. dxe5 Nxd5 16. Nb5 Qb8 17. Nd6 $1 ({The immediate} 17.
Qg4 {also looks very strong, eg.} Rcd8 18. Nd6 {(anyway!)} Bxd6 19. exd6 e5 20.
d7 Re7 21. Qh4 h6 22. Bf5 {Black has seen better days.}) 17... Bxd6 18. exd6
Qxd6 19. Bb5 $1 {Due to the threat of e3-e4, Black wins the exchange.} Bc6 (
19... Red8 20. e4 Nf4 21. Qg4 {winning.}) 20. Ba6 $1 Qf8 21. Bxc8 Rxc8 22. e4
Nf4 23. Qe3 Ng6 24. Rd2 e5 {Blunting the dagger sitting on b2.} 25. Rcd1 h6 26.
Qf3 Qe7 27. Qf5 Rf8 28. Rd6 $1 Nh4 29. Qg4 Bb5 30. g3 Ng6 31. h4 Nh8 32. R1d2 (
{In our 'other room' analysis, we thought that it would be more direct to play
} 32. a4 Be8 (32... Ba6 33. Rd7 Bc8 {is a vain attempt, after} 34. Qxg7+ Kxg7
35. Rxe7 $18) 33. Bc1 $1 {Black looks fairly helpless.}) 32... f6 33. Qe6+ Qxe6
34. Rxe6 Kf7 35. Red6 Ke7 36. a4 Nf7 $1 {Accurate defense.} (36... Be8 37. Rd8
Nf7 38. Ra8 {wins easily.}) 37. R6d5 Bc6 38. R5d3 a5 39. f3 Rc8 40. Kf2 Rc7 41.
Ke3 Rc8 42. f4 exf4+ 43. gxf4 h5 (43... c4 {is not as good as it looks, due to}
44. bxc4 Bxa4 45. Ba3+ Ke8 46. Rb2 $18) 44. e5 {It is interesting that White,
following the most logical course of action (ie. create passed pawn, open
files for your Rooks, etc.) actually sees his advantage disappate very quickly.
} fxe5 45. fxe5 Nh6 46. Kf4 Rf8+ $1 47. Kg5 ({
A mating net of another sort is seen after} 47. Kg3 Rf1 $1 {
and White must return the exchange to avert mate.} 48. Rf2 Nf5+ 49. Rxf5 Rxf5)
47... Be8 $1 48. Rd7+ Bxd7 49. e6 Rf5+ 50. Kg6 Bxe6 51. Bxg7 Ng4 52. Re2 Rf2
53. Re4 Rf7 {Draw Agreed, as Chuck had 17 seconds remaining on his clock (John
had a 'comfortable' 2 1/2 minutes left), he felt it most wise to settle for
the split.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Roua, Radu"]
[Black "Roper, David"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A83"]
[WhiteElo "2209"]
[BlackElo "2279"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

1. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nc6 5. d5 Ne5 6. Qd4 Nf7 7. Bxf6 exf6 8.
Nxe4 Be7 9. Bc4 ({Normally White plays here} 9. O-O-O {
with the main line going something like} O-O 10. f4 f5 11. Ng3 Bf6 12. Qd2 g6
13. Nf3 c5 14. d6 b5 15. h4 {
with a mutually dangerous position. Minzer (2350)-Alonso, 1-0 in 24 moves.})
9... d6 10. Bb5+ Kf8 $6 {
It's diffult to explain why Black opted for this rather than the natural} (
10... Bd7 {Maybe he was concerned about the possible weakening of the e6
square. Dede-Mann (2230), Kecskemet 2000, continued (after 10...Bd7)} 11. Qa4
a6 12. Bxd7+ Qxd7 13. Qxd7+ Kxd7 14. Ne2 {and a draw was agreed.}) 11. f4 $5 ({
To be preferred is simple development by} 11. Nf3 f5 12. Nc3 Bf6 13. Qd2 Qe7+
14. Be2 g6 15. O-O Kg7 16. Rfe1 {with some advantage.}) 11... f5 12. Nc3 Bf6
13. Qd2 a6 14. Be2 c5 $5 15. Nf3 b5 16. O-O {With all those pawns rushing down
his Q-side, White correctly dodges to the right.} g6 17. Rab1 Bd7 18. Nd1 Kg7 {
With the Black monarch now safely 'castled by hand', chances are about equal.}
19. Nf2 Re8 20. a3 Re7 21. Rfe1 Qb6 22. c3 Rae8 23. Bf1 c4 24. g3 Qc5 25. Rxe7
Rxe7 26. Re1 Rxe1 27. Nxe1 Nd8 28. Nc2 a5 29. Bg2 Be8 30. Kf1 Bf7 31. Nd1 Nb7
32. Nde3 Qb6 33. a4 $1 bxa4 34. Nxc4 Qc7 35. N2a3 Qc5 (35... Nc5 $2 36. Nb5)
36. Qf2 $1 {The exchange of Queens favors White, due to the subsequent
activity of the nimble Knights.} Qxf2+ ({
Black can still maintain the balance with} 36... Bxd5 $1 37. Qxc5 Bxg2+ 38.
Kxg2 dxc5 39. Nb6 $11) 37. Kxf2 Be8 {Preventing Nb5.} 38. Bf1 Bd8 39. Nc2 Bf6
40. Ke3 Bb5 41. N2a3 ({Perhaps a better try would be} 41. Nxa5 Bxf1 42. Nxb7
Be7 43. Nd4) 41... Bxc4 {Parting with the Bishop pair a difficult decision.
Reasoning would be that Black would be happy with a draw here, the Knight is
superior to either of his Bishops and we now have opposite color Bishops
remaining on the board. Downside is that the guardian of the light-squares in
Black's camp is now gone.} 42. Nxc4 Bd8 43. Bd3 Bc7 44. Bc2 ({
Walking the King to the Q-side looks to be promising...} 44. Kd4 Nc5 (44... Bb8
45. Bc2) 45. Bc2 Kf7 46. Nd2 $1 Ke7 47. Kc4 Kd7 48. Kb5 {
(where is that light-squared bishop when you need him?)}) 44... Nc5 45. Na3 Kf6
46. Nb5 Bb6 47. Kf3 Ke7 {
Black has stablized everything and coasts in for the draw.} 48. h3 Nb3 49. g4
fxg4+ 50. Kxg4 Be3 51. Na3 Bc1 52. Nc4 Nc5 53. Nb6 Bxb2 54. Nxa4 Nxa4 55. Bxa4
Bxc3 56. f5 Kf6 57. fxg6 hxg6 58. Kf4 Bd2+ 59. Ke4 Kg5 60. Kd3 Bb4 61. Kc4 {
Draw Agreed} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Graves, John"]
[Black "Yu, Corbin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A58"]
[WhiteElo "2239"]
[BlackElo "2085"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 g6 7. g3 ({
The main line would run something like} 7. e4 Bxf1 8. Kxf1 d6 9. g3 Bg7 10. Kg2
O-O 11. Nf3 Nbd7 12. Re1 Ng4 13. Qe2 Nge5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. f4 Nd7 16. Bd2 Qb6
17. b3 {when both players can be happy. White, with his extra pawn and Black
with his Q-side pressure.}) 7... d6 8. Bg2 Bg7 9. Nf3 O-O 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Rb1
Qb6 $6 {With the White Rook now on b1, it would seem more natural to play the
Queen to a5.} 12. b3 Rfb8 13. Bb2 Qa5 {
The first new move. Previously played are Qb7 or Qb5.} 14. Qc2 Ne8 $6 ({
More in keeping with the Benko, would be routing this Knight to e5 with} 14...
Ng4) 15. Rfd1 Nc7 16. h3 Nf6 17. Nd2 Nb5 18. Nc4 Qc7 19. Nxb5 Bxb5 20. Bc3 Qa7
21. Rb2 ({Very interesting, yet difficult to analyse fully and accurately over
the board, is} 21. Na5 $5 Qc7 22. Nc6 Nxd5 (22... Rb6 23. Ba5 $18) 23. Nxb8
Nxc3 24. Bxa8 Nxe2+ (24... Qxb8 25. Bf3 Nxd1 26. Rxd1 $16) 25. Kh2 Qxb8 26. Bc6
(26. a4 Qxa8 27. axb5 Qf3 $17 28. Rf1 Bd4 $19) 26... Nd4 27. Rxd4 Bxd4 28. Bxb5
Qxb5 $16) 21... Bxc4 22. bxc4 Rxb2 23. Bxb2 $5 (23. Qxb2 Qxa2 $11) 23... Qa4
24. Qd3 Qxa2 25. Ra1 Qxa1+ 26. Bxa1 Rxa1+ 27. Kh2 {Black estimates that White
will be unable to break through his defenses, due to the strength of his hold
on the dark squares.} Nd7 28. Qe3 Bf6 29. Qb3 h5 30. Be4 Rc1 31. f4 Rc3 32. Qb5
Nf8 33. Bd3 h4 $1 34. gxh4 Bxh4 35. Kg2 Kg7 36. Qe8 Bf6 37. Qc8 Nh7 38. Qg4 Bd4
39. f5 Rc1 40. Qh4 ({
Fritz (assisted by the local club players) found the win here, as follows:} 40.
e3 $1 Bxe3 41. Qe2 Bg5 ({Or} 41... Bd4 42. fxg6 Rg1+ 43. Kh2) 42. fxg6 fxg6 43.
h4 $1 Bf6 (43... Bxh4 $2 44. Qb2+) 44. Qg4 Nf8 45. Bxg6 Nxg6 46. h5 Rc2+ 47.
Kf1 Rh2 48. Qxg6+ Kh8 (48... Kf8 49. h6 Bd4 50. h7 Rh1+ 51. Ke2 Rh2+ 52. Kd3
Rh3+ 53. Ke4 Rh4+ 54. Kf5 {is fanito.}) 49. h6 Rh1+ 50. Kg2 Rh4 51. Kf3 Rxc4
52. h7 Rc3+ 53. Ke4 Rc4+ 54. Kf5 Bg7 55. Qe8+ Kxh7 56. Qh5+ Kg8 57. Kg6 {
and wins.}) 40... Rg1+ 41. Kh2 {Draw Agreed} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Morris, Mike"]
[Black "Sinanan, Josh"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2162"]
[BlackElo "2049"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger & Vince Amero"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bd3 d5 8.
O-O Bxc3 9. bxc3 dxe4 10. Bb5 Bd7 11. Bxc6 Bxc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qe2 ({
Also very interesting is} 13. Bc5 Qd5 14. Ba3 c5 15. Qe2 ({Better is} 15. Qxd5
exd5 16. Bxc5 Rc8 17. Bb4 Kd7 18. Rad1 Ke6 19. f3 Rhd8 (19... e3 $2 20. Rfe1)
20. Rd4 Rd7 21. g4 h6 22. h4 g5 $13) 15... O-O $17 {
Heimrath,W (2160)-Klundt,K (2335) 2000; 0-1 in 28 moves.}) 13... O-O 14. Bg5 h6
15. Bh4 (15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qxe4 Qxc3 $17) 15... g5 16. Bg3 Qa5 17. f4 $5 {
After this, Black must proceed with extreme caution as his K-side is somewhat
loose.  Josh does a wonderful job of shoring up.} Qxc3 (17... Nd5 18. Qxe4 Nxc3
19. Qf3 Rad8 20. fxg5 hxg5 21. Rae1 (21. Qh5 Ne4) 21... Nd5 (21... Rd5 22. Qf6)
22. Qh5 $44) 18. fxg5 hxg5 19. Rab1 Rad8 20. Rb3 Qd4+ 21. Kh1 (21. Bf2 Qe5 22.
Be3) 21... Rd5 22. Be1 {The threat of Bc3 appears to be quite dangerous,
however Black does have resources.} Qd1 $1 ({Also playable is} 22... Rf5 23.
Bc3 (23. Rxf5 exf5 24. Bc3 Qd6) 23... Qe3 $1 24. Qxe3 Rxf1+ 25. Qg1 Rxg1+ 26.
Kxg1 Nd5 $17) 23. Qc4 (23. Qxd1 Rxd1 24. Kg1 Rfd8 25. Rg3 Nh7 {
and Black has alot of pawns soon to be raining down on White.} 26. h4 f5 27.
hxg5 Kg7 28. Bc3+ Kg6 $19) 23... Rf5 $1 24. Rg3 Kh7 25. h3 (25. Rxf5 exf5 26.
Qf1 f4 (26... Kg6 $2 27. Rxg5+ Kxg5 28. Bh4+) 27. Rxg5 Rg8 28. Rf5 Nd5 29.
Rxf7+ Kg6 (29... Rg7 30. Rxg7+ Kxg7 31. c4 Ne3 32. Bc3+ Kg6 33. Qxd1 Nxd1 {
White still has fight left in him.}) 30. Rxa7 Rb8 31. Ra6 Rb1 $19) 25... Kg6
26. Kh2 Qd5 27. Qa6 Qb5 28. Rxf5 $1 {Mike goes in for a little fireworks here..
. I was frantically checking out the consequences of Black taking the Queen,
while Josh calmly reached up and captured the Rook!} exf5 $1 (28... Qxa6 $2 29.
Rfxg5+ Kh7 (29... Kh6 30. Bd2 $1) 30. Rg7+ Kh8 (30... Kh6 31. Bd2+ Kh5 32.
R3g5+ Kh4 33. g3#) 31. Bc3 Qf1 (31... Nh5 {There is no hope.} 32. R7g5+ {
White wins!}) 32. R7g4 $18) 29. Qxa7 f4 30. Rb3 Qe2 31. Qf2 Qxf2 32. Bxf2 Rd8
33. Be1 Rd1 34. Bb4 Nd5 35. a4 Ne3 $1 {White Resigns} 0-1

[Event "Washington vs. Oregon Match"]
[Site "Hoquiam, WA"]
[Date "2008.07.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Paleveda, Nick"]
[Black "Allyn, Bob"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2132"]
[BlackElo "1762"]
[Annotator "Harley Greninger"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2008.03.26"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[Source "Harrison"]
[SourceDate "2008.03.19"]

{A great deal of fireworks were displayed in the Palaveda-Allyn game... when
the smoke finally cleared, it was Palaveda on top.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
g6 4. O-O Nd4 $6 {
This seldom-seen move is somewhat inferior to the simple Bg7. The main line is}
(4... Bg7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 O-O 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 d5 9. e5 Ne4 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11.
bxc3 Na5 $11 {Chances are level.}) 5. Nxd4 cxd4 6. c3 a6 7. Bc4 Qc7 {
The first new move. Previously played have been Bg7 (best) and dxc3.} 8. Qe2 ({
I had thought that White could refute Black's 4th & 7th moves by} 8. Qb3 e6 9.
cxd4 Bg7 10. d5 b5 11. Be2 {However, the way White proceeds is also quite good.
}) 8... Bg7 9. cxd4 Bxd4 10. Nc3 e6 {
Black has succeeded in his goal to place all his pawns on light squares.} 11.
d3 b5 12. Bb3 Bb7 13. Bd2 ({
Offering to trade off the defender of Black's dark squares by} 13. Be3 {
is also to be considered.  (} Bxc3 $2 14. Rfc1 {)}) 13... h5 14. Rac1 Qe5 15.
Kh1 Ne7 16. f4 Qf6 17. e5 $5 {Very double-edged! Opening the Bishop's b7-h1
diagonal, coupled with relinquishing control of the f5 square, is the price
that White is willing to pay for the control of d6 and f6 squares.} Qh4 {
During the game (in another room), we were trying to figure out how to trap
Black's Queen but failed to discover any method of doing so. We concluded that
this was the only way for Black to proceed,forif} (17... Qg7 $2 18. Ne4 Nf5 19.
Rc7 $18 {White's position is simply overwhelming.}) 18. Ne4 Nf5 {
With the threat of ending the game immediately with Bxe4.} 19. Be1 Qd8 20. Bb4
$6 {This move appears, at first glance, to be very powerful. It gives Black
the opportunity to develop a strong attack however, thanks to the rock of
Gibralter standing on d4.} ({More circumspect is} 20. Bf2) 20... h4 $1 {
A great move. Suddenly, Black has strong threats!} 21. Rf3 $2 ({
Posting a retraction by} 21. Be1 {is needed.}) 21... Ng3+ ({
Black should get rid of the Knight at e4 before making this move...} 21... Bxe4
22. dxe4 Ng3+ 23. Rxg3 (23. hxg3 hxg3#) 23... hxg3 {and Black stands better.})
22. Rxg3 Bxe4 23. Qxe4 $2 ({The reason Black should have chopped off the
Knight a move earlier, is that White could now have played the better} 23. Rh3
{Black now has the opportunity to win by force...}) 23... hxg3 24. Qxd4 {
Black has a simple-enough winning advantage after the better h2-h3.} Rxh2+ 25.
Kg1 Qh4 26. Kf1 Rh1+ $2 ({The key move is} 26... Qh5 $3 {
and White has no escape, eg.} 27. Ke1 Rxg2 28. Qe3 Qh1+) 27. Ke2 Rxc1 28. Qd6
Qg4+ 29. Ke3 ({Only not} 29. Kd2 $4 Qxf4+ 30. Ke2 Qf2#) 29... Re1+ {
Chucking the Rook is the only way for Black to stave off mate...} ({
Black can still castle, but it is useless trickery.} 29... O-O-O 30. Qxa6+ Kb8
31. Bd6+ Rc7 32. Qb6+ Ka8 33. Bxc7 {finis}) 30. Bxe1 g5 {Desperation.} 31. Qd4
$1 {"Discretion is the better part of valor."} Rc8 32. fxg5 Qxg5+ 33. Qf4 Qg6
34. Qxg3 Qh6+ $2 ({Black's active Rook and compact pawn position gives him
some chance of fighting on in a Queenless endgame after} 34... Qxg3+ $1 35.
Bxg3 Rc1 {Sometimes, one gets it into one's head that they cannot exchange
Queens under any circumstance and proceeds to avoid it at every turn. White's
Queen, working with the dark-squared Bishop are simply overwhelming.}) 35. Kf2
Qh7 36. Bb4 Qf5+ 37. Ke2 Qh5+ 38. Ke3 Qh6+ 39. Kd4 {
Ahhh, safe at last-- in the middle of the board!} Qh7 40. Qg5 f5 41. exf6 (41.
Qf6 {is also game-ending.}) 41... Kf7 42. Bd1 $1 {
The 'quiet twin' finally has something to say and ends the battle immediately.}
Rh8 43. Bh5+ $1 {A pretty way to conclude this excellent game! Black Resigns}
1-0

