[Event "Oregon Junior Closed - Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2022.12.09"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Nair, Roshen"]
[Black "Erard, Eric"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2073"]
[BlackElo "1935"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "53"]

{[%evp 0,53,36,20,36,32,33,32,39,28,25,0,0,0,0,26,38,38,50,42,47,36,58,30,63,
59,64,60,60,53,100,56,143,56,44,64,95,60,94,65,125,136,145,53,43,-135,-15,-25,
122,111,111,112,674,691,688,702]} {The importance of this first round game was
not obvious going in. Roshen is the defending co-champion, and this is Eric's
first year in the closed. Roshen was played 1.c4 and 1.Nf3 last year, but
switched to 1.e4 in 2022. Eric plays the French, a relatively conventional
opening for him, as mentioned above. The players conspire to make the game as
tactical as any Sicilian.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6.
Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Be7 {Eric's developing move looks normal, but it
not that popular. It should not be confused with 7...Be7, which appears in a
few of my French repertoire books.} ({The usual moves are} 8... Bc5 {preparing
to trade some pieces,}) ({or} 8... Qb6 {entering a memory-challenging
poison-pawn line that begins} 9. Qd2 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3) 9. Qd2 Nc5 10. Be2 O-O
11. O-O-O Qe8 {I like the look of this move, but Stockfish is not impressed.} (
11... Bd7 {with a normal White advantage over the French that I can never find
a way to exploit.}) 12. h4 f6 13. exf6 Bxf6 14. Bf3 Qe7 ({The tricky} 14... Na4
{tries to make something from the 11...Qe8 move} 15. Nxa4 $2 (15. Nce2 {
retains White's advantage}) 15... Nxd4 16. Bxd4 Qxa4 $11) 15. h5 Bd7 $2 16. h6
$2 $16 ({The engine notices an even better move} 16. Nf5 $1 exf5 17. Qxd5+ Be6
18. Qxc5 $18 {The French appears solid, but this line is full of tactical
tricks.}) 16... g6 17. Rhe1 Bh4 18. Re2 $16 (18. Nxd5 $1 $18 exd5 19. Bxd5+ Ne6
(19... Kh8 20. Nxc6 bxc6 21. Bd4+) 20. Nxe6 Bxe6 21. Bf2 Nd8 22. Rxe6 Nxe6 23.
Re1 Bxf2 24. Rxe6 {and although White is temporarily a rook down, he has an
overwhelming position based on the potential discovered check when White moves
the rook, the hanging bishop on f2, and possibility of checkmate if White's
queen finds its way to g7.}) 18... Rad8 19. Bg1 (19. Nxd5 $1) 19... Rf7 20.
Nxd5 $1 Qf8 21. Nc3 $2 $16 (21. Nxc6 Bxc6 22. Bxc5 Qxc5 23. Rxe6 $18) 21...
Rxf4 {White is much better, but the move that maintains the big advantage is
hard to find.} 22. Ne4 $2 (22. g3 $1 {lures Black's bishop off the protection
of the rook on d8, which means the bishop on d7 will be pinned} Bxg3 23. Nxc6
bxc6 24. Bxc5 Qxc5 25. Ne4 Qf8 26. Nxg3 Rxf3 27. Qg5 {and Black's pinned
bishop on d7 combined with the weakness of his kingside give him too many
problems to solve. Moves like Rf2-e2 and Ng3-e4 are coming.}) 22... Nxe4 $2 ({
Black's last chance is} 22... Nxd4 $1 23. Qxd4 Bb5 {and Black is close to
winning}) 23. Rxe4 $11 e5 $2 (23... Rxe4 24. Bxe4 $11) 24. Rxf4 Qxf4 25. Bd5+
Kh8 (25... Kf8 26. Be3 Qf6 27. Nxc6 Bxc6 28. Qb4+ Ke8 29. Bxc6+ bxc6 30. Rxd8+
Kxd8 31. Qb8+ Kd7 32. Qxa7+ $16) 26. Qxf4 exf4 27. Nxc6 {winning at least a
piece as White threatens 28.Bd4+} 1-0

[Event "Oregon Junior Closed - Challengers"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2022.12.09"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Lykins, Pace"]
[Black "Adebolu, Ademidun"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B27"]
[WhiteElo "1750"]
[BlackElo "1439"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "48"]

{[%evp 0,48,19,10,51,51,104,74,68,89,90,21,66,-9,-7,-7,-19,-52,-53,-42,-40,-28,
-20,-78,-65,-67,-38,-82,-93,-94,-102,-96,-102,-460,-461,-857,-813,-777,-776,
-772,-784,-1046,-1058,-1106,-1133,-1139,-1222,-1408,-1404,-2060,-29986]} 1. e4
c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bg7 5. c3 {It is logical to blunt the force of
Black's dragon bishop, but this move is not forceful enough. If White is
hesitant in a Sicilian, Black will take over.} (5. c4 {is the dreaded Maróczy
Bind which nobody seems to dread anymore.}) (5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be3 {is another
popular line, trying to reach a Yugoslav attack against the Dragon without
falling for some tactical trick along the way.}) 5... Nf6 6. Bd3 O-O 7. Nd2 e5
$1 {Doesn't this leave a hole on d5?} 8. Ne2 d5 $1 {The hole on d5 didn't last
long.} 9. O-O Nc6 10. exd5 Qxd5 {Normally young players are discouraged from
bringing their queen out too early, the notable exception being Vinnie's
advice to Max Pomeranc in final scene of "Searching for Bobby Fischer." But
Ademidun has judged that Black's queen is safe in the middle of a full board
of pieces.} 11. Qc2 Be6 12. Ne4 Rac8 13. a3 Rfd8 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Be4 Qb5 {
Black is a little better developed, so White must be careful} 16. f4 $2 (16. a4
) 16... Bb3 $1 {wins the knight on e2} 17. Bxc6 Qc5+ 18. Nd4 Bxc2 {or wins
White's queen} 19. fxe5 Bxe5 20. Be3 Bxd4 21. cxd4 Qxc6 22. Rac1 Qb5 23. Rf6
Qe2 24. Bh6 Be4 0-1

[Event "Oregon Junior Closed - Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2022.12.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Chang, Calvin"]
[Black "Nair, Roshen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "1765"]
[BlackElo "2073"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "118"]

{[%evp 0,118,27,23,43,41,77,57,80,26,45,28,55,41,34,37,21,44,33,36,37,57,37,44,
88,36,34,17,39,7,12,-5,27,-11,-29,-33,-42,-45,-51,-57,-44,-95,-63,-78,-34,-56,
-74,-116,-135,-111,-133,-114,-132,-143,-143,-139,-63,-57,-29,-29,0,-28,-33,-35,
8,-42,-11,-51,-51,-53,-64,-55,-59,-53,-65,-66,-69,-71,-71,-88,-105,-124,-107,
-114,-110,-108,-104,-149,-103,-150,-145,-156,-156,-159,-194,-438,-214,-525,
-615,-933,-956,-1262,-1282,-1022,-1250,-1445,-1250,-1493,-1022,-1503,-1032,
-1459,-1561,-29981,-29986,-29991,-29990,-29991,-29988,-29993,-29994]} 1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Nbd7 9.
Qd2 h5 {This move looks strange to your annotator's old eyes - where will
Black castle?. But it is popular and scores well. As a Sicilian player, I have
frequently been crushed by White's kingside pawn storms, so any move that
restrains White's obvious and effective plan starts to make sense.} 10. O-O-O
Rc8 11. Kb1 b5 12. h3 {An interesting try.} (12. Nd5 {is the most popular move
in this position, but it historically it hasn't achieved much.} Bxd5 13. exd5
Nb6 14. Bxb6 (14. Qa5 Nbxd5 15. Bf2 {has been played successfully a few times
in 2022, and the engine thinks White is OK in spite of the missing pawn.})
14... Qxb6 {is rather even.}) 12... Be7 13. Rg1 h4 14. f4 Qc7 15. a3 Nb6 16. f5
$6 {This tempting move gives Black a slight advantage.} (16. Bxb6 Qxb6 17. Bd3
$11) 16... Bd7 $1 $15 {Roshen loses a little time to retain this important
bishop. It defends the pawn on b5, making the advance of Black's queenside
pawns easier. And it keeps a piece that can fight for the important d5 square.}
({My automatic choice would be} 16... Bc4 {but White has equality after} 17.
Na5) ({The move} 16... Bxb3 $2 {it is a positional mistake. Sure, it saves
time and leaves Black with a center pawn majority. But after} 17. cxb3 {
1. The cluster of pawns on the a and b files keeps White's king safe 2. White
can now contest the c-file which is normally a source of Black's counterplay.
3. White can always prevent Black's d6-d6 break by taking the knight on b6 and
playing a knight to d5.}) 17. Bxb6 $2 {Stops the d6-d5 break, but with both
Black's queen and bishop defending the b-pawn, Black's queenside pawns will
roll forward.} Qxb6 18. Bd3 a5 $1 19. Na2 Bd8 20. g4 hxg3 21. Rxg3 Kf8 $1 22.
Rdg1 Rh7 $1 {It looks like White's major pieces are about to crash through on
the Kingside, but Black has sufficient defensive resources to hold the line.}
23. Nbc1 Bc6 24. Qg2 Nh5 $1 25. Rg4 Nf4 26. Qf1 Bf6 27. Ne2 Nxe2 $2 {Black is
still better after this move, but Black can leave the knight on f4. If white
plays Ne2xf4, exf4 will open a diagonal for Black's bishop on f6 towards
White's king.} (27... b4 28. axb4 axb4 29. Nxf4 $6 exf4 30. Qxf4 b3 $1 {
opens more lines towards White's king} 31. Qxd6+ Be7 32. Qh2 bxa2+ 33. Ka1 Bf6
34. Qd6+ Ke8 (34... Kg8 $4 35. Qxf6 $18) 35. e5 {And while the position might
look a little sketchy for Black with his king caught in the center} Be7 36. Qd4
Bc5 {gives Black an overwhelming material advantage}) 28. Bxe2 $15 Ke7 (28...
b4 29. axb4 axb4 30. Bc4 Qd4 31. Qd3 Qxd3 32. Bxd3 Rb8 $15) 29. R1g3 $1 $11 {
Calvin has fought his way back into the game.} Rb8 30. Rb3 Rhh8 31. Qd1 Rb7 32.
Rgg3 Rhb8 33. Bxb5 $6 {simplifying into a slightly better endgame for Black.
Just the kind of position Roshen plays well.} (33. Nc3 {is still equal}) 33...
Bxb5 34. a4 Qd4 35. Qxd4 exd4 36. axb5 Rxb5 37. Rxb5 Rxb5 38. Rb3 $6 (38. Nc1
$15) 38... Rxb3 39. cxb3 {Both sides have many weak pawns. Whose pawns are
weaker?} d5 $1 {Roshen liquidates one of his weak pawns while making White's
pawn on f5 weaker, activating his king in the process.} 40. exd5 Kd6 41. b4 a4
42. Kc2 Kxd5 43. Kd3 Bg5 44. b5 {this is the best try, pushing this passed
pawn, but it is insufficient to hold the game.} Kc5 45. b6 Kxb6 46. Kxd4 Bf6+
$1 47. Kd5 Bxb2 {The material is reduced, White is only one pawn down, but the
game cannot be saved.} 48. h4 Kb5 49. h5 a3 50. Kd6 Kc4 51. Ke7 Kb3 52. f6
Bxf6+ 53. Kxf7 Kxa2 54. Kg6 Kb1 55. Kf7 a2 56. Kg6 a1=Q 57. Kh7 Qe5 58. Kg6
Qg5+ 59. Kh7 Qxh5+ 0-1

[Event "Oregon Junior Closed - Challengers"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2022.12.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Nobles, Will"]
[Black "Adebolu, Ademidun"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B70"]
[WhiteElo "1735"]
[BlackElo "1439"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "64"]

{[%evp 0,64,19,28,40,37,95,72,85,14,9,10,-2,9,4,23,1,1,0,16,6,-26,-27,-23,-19,
-30,-1,-16,25,17,-3,-4,-11,-7,23,-105,-82,-67,8,56,88,-408,-408,-568,-590,-590,
-763,-763,-291,-322,-337,-423,-423,-510,-515,-520,-436,-29995,-29992,-29993,
-29994,-29995,-29994,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29994]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 g6 3. Nge2 {
The Chameleon Sicilian. Maybe it will be an open Sicilian, maybe a closed.
Time will tell.} Bg7 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nf6 7. d4 {An open Dragon
Sicilian, just as if White had played 2.Nf3 and 3.d4. The Chameleon Sicilian
is a problem for Sicilian players who have incompatible repertoires in the
Open and Closed variations - in particular, players who fianchetto their
king's bishop in closed lines but do not play the Dragon. But Ademidun seems
pretty comfortable in these Dragon positions - see his game from Round 1
against Pace Lykins.} cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 O-O 10. h3 Be6 11. Qd1 Qd7 12.
Kh2 Rfd8 13. f4 d5 $6 {Sicilian defenders should always be looking for this
pawn break in the center, but in this case it gives White a lot of space on
the kingside.} 14. e5 Ne8 15. Qd4 {blockading Black's d-pawn. Normally the
queen is a poor blockader, but here it is hard to drive it off d4. Ademidun
tries to find a way.} Nd6 $5 {A tricky move, exploiting the pin on the d-pawn
to free his knight.} 16. g4 {Stopping the knight from reaching the active f5
square, but it was OK to allow it.} (16. Rd1 Nf5 17. Qf2 d4 18. g4 $13) 16...
Rac8 17. Bxd5 $6 {White's open kingside and undeveloped queenside make this
pawn grab a risky proposition.} (17. Qf2 $14) ({The greedy} 17. Qxa7 $5 {
is also playable}) 17... Nb5 $1 (17... Ne8 $1 {also works.}) 18. Nxb5 Qxb5 ({
Black keep his advantage with the in-between move} 18... Rxc2+ {if he can
calculate as far as} 19. Bg2 Bd5 20. Rf2 Rxf2 21. Qxf2 Bxg2 {Material is even,
but Black is better.}) 19. c4 Rxd5 $5 {Most Black queen retreats are also
equal, but this move is the most challenging to meet} 20. cxd5 $2 ({The
cold-blooded} 20. Qxd5 $1 {is the only move that retains equality} Bxd5 21.
cxb5 Rc2+ 22. Kg3 Rg2+ {gives Black sufficient play for his material deficit})
20... Qxf1 {and Black wins. Eternal tactical vigilance is the price of playing
the open Sicilian, either as White or Black.} 21. dxe6 Rc2+ 22. Bd2 Qe2+ 23.
Kg3 Qxd2 24. exf7+ Kxf7 25. e6+ Kxe6 26. f5+ gxf5 27. gxf5+ Kf7 28. Qa4 Qh2+
29. Kg4 Rg2+ 30. Kf3 Qxh3+ 31. Ke4 Rg4+ 32. Kd5 Rxa4 0-1

[Event "Oregon Junior Closed - Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2022.12.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Chang, Calvin"]
[Black "Erard, Eric"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C01"]
[WhiteElo "1765"]
[BlackElo "1935"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "94"]

{[%evp 0,94,26,18,55,40,48,53,86,70,70,54,60,64,55,34,54,20,20,15,59,61,62,40,
34,60,88,68,90,47,47,68,107,99,110,77,118,106,97,100,82,-5,-5,-9,-20,0,8,-216,
-203,-268,-170,-158,-61,-63,50,-152,-132,-81,-109,-397,-268,-295,-284,-271,
-382,-387,-388,-436,-458,-467,-510,-667,-702,-784,-809,-809,-574,-686,-686,
-705,-649,-1657,-1767,-29991,-29984,-29985,-900,-1329,-1664,-1887,-1802,-29993,
-29994,-29997,-29998,-29999,-30000]} {Roshen had a quick draw in round 5,
giving Eric the opportunity to catch him if he can win on demand with Black in
the last round.} 1. e4 e6 {Another French for Eric, repeating his first round
opening against Roshen?} 2. d4 a6 $5 {Nope, Eric has three straight wins with
non-conventional openings - two Polish openings as White, one Borg (1.e4 g5)
as Black. Why stop now?} 3. Bd3 b5 4. c3 c5 5. Be3 c4 6. Bc2 Bb7 7. Nd2 Nf6 8.
f3 Be7 9. Ne2 d6 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Qe1 Qc7 12. Qg3 {White has played sensibly
and has the edge. But this is the kind of anti-classical position that Eric
thrives on.} Rg8 13. f4 {Preparing to push pawns and open the center, where it
appears Black's king will reside, as surely Black will not castle behind the
advanced queenside pawns. But if you can predict Black's next move, you might
start to snipe away at the queenside.} (13. a4 g5 $5 {White is better, but it
is a unnerving to see pawns advance towards one's king. 13.f4 restrains
Black's kingside pawn advances.}) (13. b3) 13... O-O-O $5 {Risky moves get
labeled !? if they succeed, ?! if they fail.} 14. b3 cxb3 15. axb3 h5 16. c4 b4
{keeping lines as closed as possible on the Queenside, at the cost of giving
White an impressive pawn center.} 17. Ra4 Rdf8 ({Black can start his plan
immediately} 17... Ng4 18. Rxb4 g5 {making a mess while holding White's
advantage to a minimum} 19. fxg5 Nxe3 20. Qxe3 Bxg5 21. Qc3) 18. Bd3 Ng4 19.
Rc1 g5 20. f5 Nxe3 (20... exf5 21. exf5 Re8 22. Rxb4 Nxe3 23. c5 (23. Qxe3 $2
g4) 23... dxc5 24. Qxe3) 21. Qxe3 g4 22. Nf4 {This knight move isn't wrong,
but it leaves the rook on c1 undefended, so the attempts to open the position
with the c4-c5 move will be less threatening.} (22. c5 Bg5 23. Qxg5 $1 Rxg5 24.
cxd6 Qxc1+ 25. Nxc1 {creates a messy position that Stockfish claims is much
better for White.}) 22... Bg5 23. Qf2 $2 {This queen move to unpin the knight
gets White into trouble.} e5 (23... h4 $15) 24. dxe5 $2 (24. c5 {Not sure
anyone would play this with the rook on c1 undefended, but Stockfish claims
equality based on some long lines}) 24... dxe5 $2 $15 {The natural recapture
is not best} (24... Qc5 $1 25. Qxc5+ (25. Nd5 Nxe5 26. Bb1 Bxd2) 25... Nxc5 26.
g3 Nxa4 27. bxa4 dxe5) (24... Nc5 25. Bb1 Bxf4 26. Qxf4 dxe5) 25. c5 $1 {
Calvin finds his best plan - crack open the queenside at any cost.} Bxf4 $2 (
25... g3 $1 26. hxg3 exf4 {accelerates the process of cracking White's
kingside.}) 26. c6 $1 $16 {The tide has turned in Calvin's favor} Kd8 27. Rc2
$11 (27. g3 $1 {keeps White's kingside closed for longer. The h5-h4 pawn break
is slower than the g4-g3 pawn break.}) 27... Bxc6 28. Rxa6 g3 $1 $11 29. Qe2 $2
(29. hxg3 Bxg3 30. Qe3 Bf4 31. Qf2 Bg3 $11 (31... Nb8 $2 32. Ra7)) 29... gxh2+
{it has been a tense, back-and-forth game until now, but Black keeps the win
in hand the rest of the game, despite his open king. White can't bring quite
enough firepower to the attack, and the pawn on h2 is a monster.} 30. Kh1 Nb8
31. Bb5 Bxb5 32. Qxb5 Nxa6 33. Rxc7 Nxc7 34. Qxb4 Re8 35. Nc4 Rxg2 36. Kxg2
Rg8+ 37. Kf2 h1=Q 38. Qb8+ Ke7 39. Qxg8 Ne8 40. f6+ Nxf6 41. Qb8 Nxe4+ 42. Ke2
Qb1 43. Qb7+ Kf6 44. Qc6+ Kg7 45. Kf3 Qd3+ 46. Kg2 Qg3+ 47. Kf1 Qf2# 0-1

[Event "WA Class Championship (Masters)"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2022.11.27"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Zhou, David"]
[Black "Pupols, Viktors"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2112"]
[BlackElo "2200"]
[Annotator "David Zhou"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2022.11.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{Going into the final round, I trailed the tournament leader by a full point
and two other players by half a point each. In order to have any chance at
placing, this was a must-win game. My opponent was a well-known local master
with a history of strong results. He has decades of games in the database, so
it was difficult to prepare in the few minutes before the round started. His
Wikipedia page cited a classical win against Bobby Fischer in the 1955 US
Junior Championship. Having recently visited Fischer's grave in Iceland, I was
determined to avenge my chess hero.} 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5.
Bg2 Nc6 6. Qa4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ {Maintaining the tension with ...Nd5 makes
more sense. After this bishop exchange, I will easily regain the pawn and
retain a space advantage.} 8. Nbxd2 O-O 9. Qxc4 {Black has a space
disadvantage and will find it hard to develop his light-square bishop
naturally. If he could break with ...e5 without allowing d5, he could solve
both problems. It seems however that White has the resources to prevent this
break.} Qe7 (9... Qd5 10. Qc3 {and ...e5 is no closer to happening while the
queen is now exposed after a subsequent 0-0}) 10. e4 e5 {A surprising move.
Black is accepting a long-term weakness on c7 and losing time with the knight
while already behind in development.} (10... Qb4 11. Qc3 Qxc3 12. bxc3 {
would allow White to bolster his center, but with the queens off, the space
advantage is less dangerous for Black.}) 11. d5 Nb8 (11... Na5 12. Qc3 b6 {
only helps White clamp down on c6 harder.}) 12. O-O Ne8 13. Rac1 $6 (13. b4 $1
{This move would save a full tempo over the game and prevent Black's natural
development.} Nd6 {is conveniently met by} 14. Qc3 Re8 15. Rfc1 {using the f1
rook since the play is on the queenside} Na6 16. a4 {Black's position is
already on the verge of collapse.}) 13... Na6 {Now White will have to spend a
tempo on a3 to execute the same plan, allowing Black to gain some coordination.
} 14. a3 Nd6 15. Qc3 Re8 16. b4 Bd7 {Black has stopped b5 for now, but his
pieces are still awkward and the c7-pawn requires constant attention.} 17. Qb3
$5 {with the direct idea of forcing a4 and b5.} (17. Nc4 {This also looked
good as the d6-knight is Black's only good piece. If Black does not exchange
on c4, Na5 will increase the queenside pressure. However, I didn't see any
necessity to enter the complications after ...Bb5 when I already had a stable
advantage.} Bb5 $2 {forcing complications is easily refuted by} (17... Nxe4 18.
Qxe5 {leaves Black with many queenside weaknesses and poor pieces.}) 18. Nfxe5
f6 19. Nxd6 Bxf1 20. Nxe8 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 {White will save one knight with a
clearly winning position.} fxe5 22. Nxc7 Rc8 23. d6 $1) 17... c6 {Black's
position is very uncomfortable and my opponent spent over 40 minutes on this
move.} (17... Bb5 {Hoping to clamp down on the light squares only provides
temporary relief. White will be able to regroup after} 18. Rfe1 Qd7 {
preventing a4} 19. Nb1 $5 Ba4 20. Qb2 f6 21. Nc3 Rac8 22. Bf1 {intending b5;
Black is already lost.}) 18. Rfe1 Nc7 19. a4 a6 (19... a5 20. b5 {utilizes the
pin against the c7-knight.}) 20. Qe3 $2 {Surprisingly, this is the move that
throws the advantage away. Black will be able to bring a rook to c8, move the
c7-knight and take on d5, challenging the only open file.} (20. Rc5 $1 {
is difficult for Black to meet. The simple threat is to take on c6 and e5.} Qf6
21. Qc2 {This dual-purpose move exerts further pressure on the c-file while
also protecting e4. The d2-knight will find a nice home on e3 via f1, which
will also further discourage Black from taking on d5.} Rac8 22. Nf1 Na8 23. Ne3
) 20... Rec8 21. Qb6 Nce8 {Black has found a solid regrouping that has solved
nearly all of his problems. I'll no longer be able to claim any edge after
Black exchanges on d5, so I should already think of playing safely with a5 or
dxc6.} 22. Nb3 $6 {This move overlooks the hanging pawn on a4 as well as
Black's counterplay based on pushing his e-pawn (following an exchange in the
center).} cxd5 {only realized here a4 is loose} 23. exd5 $2 {I should have
spent more time on this move once I realized a4 was also threatened. It was
time to admit I no longer had any edge and enter damage control mode.} (23.
Rxc8 $1 Rxc8 24. exd5 e4 25. Nc5 $1 {would keep me in the game.}) 23... Rxc1 $1
24. Nxc1 f6 $2 (24... e4 $1 {is very hard to meet. One of the main issues is
that the pawn can never be captured due to the rook on e1 being undefended and
the threat of ...f5 winning a pinned piece.} 25. Nd2 Bxa4 {Black has a clean
pawn and his pieces are coming to life. The formerly awkward knights hold the
all the queenside weaknesses down while it is now White's knights that are
passive.}) 25. a5 Qd8 26. Qe3 {I was still hoping to play for an advantage
here.} Qc7 27. Nd2 $6 (27. Nb3 $1 {aiming to plant the knight on c5 was
correct, but I feared a queen invasion.} Qc4 28. Nc5 Bb5 29. Qd2 {covers both
hanging pawns.}) 27... Rc8 28. Bf1 $2 (28. Ncb3 Qc3 29. Nc5 {again would give
White all the advantages of the previous variation.}) 28... Qc3 29. Qxc3 $8 {
All other moves immediately lose.} (29. Nd3 $2 {is what I intended from afar,
but this loses simply to} Nf5 30. Qe2 Nd4 31. Qe3 Qxd2 $1) 29... Rxc3 30. Ncb3
$1 {Better late than never. Black has a slight edge in this endgame where he
controls the only open file and the b4-pawn may eventually be a weakness. For
now, the b3-knight shields the pawn from any Rc2-b2 ideas.} Kf7 31. Re3 $2 {
The position is already becoming tricky to play and this move only allows
Black to invade further into White's camp.} Rxe3 $2 {This exchange surprised
me and was also a relief. Perhaps Black was happy to enter an equal minor
piece endgame after defending for most of the game, but I was already on the
back foot.} (31... Rc2 $1 32. Bd3 Rb2 {Black has conceded the c-file, but
White has no use for it. The difference in activity between the two rooks is
stark.}) 32. fxe3 f5 33. Nc5 Bc8 34. e4 {With this move, I stop ...e4 and gain
the e4 square if Black exchanges.} g6 35. Bh3 Kf6 36. Kf2 Nb5 $4 {This
immediately loses as my knight can suddenly infiltrate c4!} (36... Kg5 37. Nf3+
Kf6 38. Ke3 f4+ $2 39. gxf4 exf4+ 40. Kxf4 Bxh3 41. e5+ Ke7 42. exd6+ Nxd6 43.
Ng5) 37. Nc4 $1 Ned6 38. Nb6 $1 Nc3 39. Nxc8 $2 {Played with only a few
minutes to make the time control, this move lets the win slip.} (39. Ke1 $3 {
This move, sidestepping the check, is the only clearly winning one. Black has
no way to improve his position, and we will take c8 and b7 next without
fearing the knight capturing e4 with tempo.}) 39... Nxc8 40. Nxb7 Na7 $4 {
Inexplicable blunders often happen on the last moves before reaching time
control and this is no exception.} (40... Nxe4+ {This move is obvious and
strong, after which Black should draw.} 41. Ke3 Ne7 42. Kd3 Nxd5 43. Kc4 Ne3+
44. Kd3 Nd5 $11) 41. d6 $4 {Despite having gained the 30 extra minutes, I
return the favor, again swinging the evaluation to equal.} (41. exf5 $2 Nxd5 $1
(41... gxf5 $2 42. d6 Ke6 43. g4 $1) 42. Nc5 $1 (42. fxg6 $2 Kxg6 {and Black
hangs on.}) 42... Nxb4 43. Nd7+ Ke7 44. Nxe5 $18 {White is doing very well,
but the win still needs to be proven in this position.}) 41... Nxe4+ 42. Ke3
Ke6 43. Nc5+ $5 Kxd6 $4 {Thankfully in this line, I had correctly calculated
out the win.} (43... Nxc5 $1 44. bxc5 Nc6 45. Bf1 Kd5 46. Bxa6 Kxc5 47. d7 Kd6
$1 $11 {Only this move, which I had missed when I played d6, draws.} (47... Kb4
$4 {is the only move I had considered for Black, and this loses immediately to}
48. Bb7)) 44. Nxe4+ fxe4 45. Bf1 $1 {White will win the a6-pawn for the
b4-pawn. The subsequent ending would be drawn if Black's pawns weren't
shattered (e.g. if the e4 pawn were on f5), but as it is, White has a simple
won ending.} Nc6 46. Bxa6 Nxb4 47. Bb7 Nc2+ 48. Kxe4 Nd4 49. a6 Nb5 {The
knight's tour has stopped the pawn and kept the game going, but the result is
a foregone conclusion. At this point, the game next to ours on board 4 had
completed and Viktors and I were the last ones in the playing hall. Having
been so engrossed in the complications leading up to the time control, I
hadn't seen the results of the round 5 tournament leaders. I wouldn't find out
until after my game whether I was playing with any chance of finishing tied
first.} 50. h3 {The first step to converting is to gain access to the kingside
with the king. To do this, I will need to provoke the h7 and g6 pawns to
advance, but Bd5?? would lose to ...Nc3+.} Na7 51. Bd5 h6 52. Bf7 g5 53. Kf5
Nc6 54. Kg6 Ke7 55. Bd5 Na7 56. Kxh6 Kf6 $5 {Victors finds a tricky idea,
trying to lock my king on the edge of the board.} 57. Be4 Nc8 58. Kh7 {I
intend simply to take the long way around!} Kf7 59. Bd5+ Kf6 60. g4 Na7 61. Kg8
e4 {Hoping for activity with the king.} 62. Bxe4 Ke5 63. Bf5 Kf4 64. Kg7 Kg3
65. Kg6 Kh4 $5 {Again playing the trickiest idea in a lost position. I could
give up the pawn on h3 and still have a completely winning position, but
keeping the pawn seemed most convincing to me.} 66. Bd3 Nc6 67. Bf1 Na7 68. Kf6
Nc8 69. Ke6 Kg3 70. Kd7 Na7 71. Kc7 {As it turned out, the stars aligned on
the first two boards where I needed the tournament leader to lose and the two
players trailing by half a point to draw. With this win, I finished in a
four-way tie for first in the WA Class Championship.} 1-0

[Event "WA Class Championship (Class X)"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2022.11.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Lazarte, Paul"]
[Black "Wei, James"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "1873"]
[BlackElo "1858"]
[Annotator "James Wei"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2022.11.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[BlackCountry "US"] [BlackTitle ""] [TimeControl "G/60+10"]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3
g6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Bg7 6. Be2 Nf6 7. O-O O-O (7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 O-O
{equalizes.}) 8. c4 Qd6 9. Nc3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Ng4 $5 {An interesting try to
simplify into an endgame.} 11. Bxg4 $6 (11. Nf3 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Nc6 13. h3 Nf6
14. Be3 {gives white an advantage.}) 11... Qxd4 12. Qxd4 Bxd4 13. Bxc8 Rxc8 {
Black now has a strong wooden shield in the center, and now needs to develop
the rest of his pieces.} 14. Nd5 Nc6 15. Rb1 e6 16. Ne3 (16. Nf4 Rd8 17. Ne2
Bf6 18. Be3 Nb4 19. a3 Nc2 20. Bf4 Rac8 {is good for black.}) 16... Bxe3 {
Inaccurate.} (16... Rd8 {followed by more natural moves maintains black's
advantage.}) 17. Bxe3 Nb4 18. a3 Nc2 19. b3 $6 b5 $1 20. cxb5 {White cannot
save the pawn, for example} (20. Rfc1 Nxa3 21. Ra1 b4 {followed by a5 and a4})
20... Nxa3 21. Ra1 Nxb5 22. Ra5 a6 23. Rfa1 Nc7 ({Not} 23... Rc3 $4 24. Rxb5 $1
) 24. h4 Nd5 25. Rxa6 Rxa6 26. Rxa6 Nxe3 27. fxe3 Rc3 {White gets to pick his
suffering for the rest of the game.} 28. b4 Rxe3 29. b5 Rb3 30. Ra8+ Kg7 31.
Rb8 e5 32. b6 Kf6 33. b7 h5 {The following king invasion will prove to be
decisive} 34. Kf2 Kf5 35. g3 Kg4 36. Re8 Rxb7 37. Rxe5 Rb2+ 38. Kf1 Kxg3 39.
Re7 Rf2+ 40. Kg1 Rf4 41. Ra7 Kxh4 42. Kg2 g5 43. Ra3 g4 ({Hoping for} 43... f5
$4 44. Rh3+ Kg4 45. Rg3+ Kh4 46. Rh3+ Kg4 47. Rg3+ Kh4 48. Rh3+ {, a
picturesque disaster.}) 44. Ra5 g3 45. Ra3 Rf2+ 46. Kg1 Kh3 47. Ra4 f5 48. Ra5
h4 49. Ra4 f4 50. Ra3 f3 51. Rb3 Re2 52. Rxf3 Re1+ 0-1

[Event "WA Class Championship (Class D)"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2022.11.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Paul Buchignani"]
[Black "Aneesh Vashisht"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "1382"]
[BlackElo "1321"]
[Annotator "Paul Buchignani"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2022.11.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{Scotch Opening. The game appeared to be basically even until move 20 when a
miscalculation by White lost the exchange and ultimately sealed his fate.
Instead of 20. exf6, the simple Qxd6 would have won a pawn and very possibly
the game} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {White gambits a pawn - at least
temporarily for development} exd4 4. Bc4 d6 5. Nxd4 Nxd4 6. Qxd4 {Material is
even again} Nf6 7. Nc3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Bf4 Be6 10. h3 h6 11. Rad1 Nd7 12.
Rfe1 {Better was Bxe6} Re8 {I expected 12...Bf6 to harass my queen but it
would have lead to worse than that for White as follows: 13.Qd3 Nc5 14.Qe2
Bxc3 15.bxc3 Qf6 16.Bh2 Qxc3 17.Bd5 Bxd5 18.exg5 which wins a pawn for Black}
13. a3 {Better was Bxe6} Bxc4 {Still better was Bf6 - leading to the same
result as in the 12th move.} 14. Qxc4 Bf6 15. Bg3 Nb6 16. Qd3 Qe7 17. f4 Nd7 {
Probably better was Rad8} 18. e5 Nc5 {Nxe5 maybe better but doesn't seem
intuitive at first glance and still loses a point for Black anyway} 19. Qd5 c6
20. exf6 {?? Big mistake. Black wins the exchange, obtains a superior position
and ultimately wins. Qxd6 was reguired} Qxe1+ {! Naturally!} 21. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 22.
Bxe1 cxd5 23. Nxd5 gxf6 {Possibly better was g6.} 24. Nxf6+ Kg7 {After the
dust settled Black was ahead 2 points.} 25. Nd5 {Slightly better was Bc3.} Re8
26. Bc3+ Kg6 27. Kf1 Ne4 28. Bb4 Kg7 29. g4 Rc8 30. c3 b6 31. a4 Nd2+ 32. Kf2 {
Better was Ke2.} Nc4 33. Ne7 Rc7 34. Nf5+ Kh7 35. b3 Nb2 36. Ba3 {Another
mistake. I was worried about 36...a5. White's position continues to
deteriorate.} Rxc3 {Attacks White's pawns at b3 and h3 and creates a passed
pawn on the d-file.} 37. Bxd6 Rxh3 {Black picks up another point.} 38. Ng3 Rh2+
39. Kf3 {Ke3 was best.} Rd2 40. Bb8 Rd3+ 41. Kg2 Rxb3 42. Bxa7 Nxa4 {Black
wins another point.} 43. Ne4 b5 {As they say: "The passed pawn must be pushed."
} 44. f5 {Better was Bd4.} b4 45. Bd4 {Nf6+ was probably better..} Rb1 46. Nf6+
Kg7 47. Nd7+ Kg8 48. Nf6+ Kf8 49. Nd7+ Ke7 50. Ne5 b3 51. Nc6+ Kd6 52. Nb4 b2 {
White should resign here but I played on, hoping against hope.} 53. Nd3 Rg1+ {
See notes from last move.} 54. Bxg1 b1=Q {Black gets a fresh queen yet White
keeps playing...Hel-lo.} 55. Bh2+ Ke7 56. Nf4 Qc2+ 57. Kh3 Qc3+ 58. Bg3 {
For a few seconds the desperate White knight eyes d5 and licks his chops...in
futility of course.} Qd4 {And Black says "noithing doing."} 59. Kh4 Qd1 60. Ng2
{?? This blunder leads to a mate-in-two but i'll just blame it on on having 6
seconds left on my clock.} Qh1+ {White resigns. 0-1. The roots of this sorry
ending for White can be traced back to Move #20.} 0-1

[Event "WA Class Championship (Class A)"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2022.11.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Frederick Davis"]
[Black "Valentin Razmov"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D01"]
[WhiteElo "1857"]
[BlackElo "1833"]
[Annotator "Valentin Razmov"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2022.11.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 {One of those opening lines that were considered
\"incorrect\" years ago, and thus played only by a few, has regained
popularity with recent successes (particularly at shorter time controls) of
some of the best players in the world, including the current World Champion.}
d5 3. Bf4 a6 {Avoiding the possibility of Nc3-Nb5 by White at any moment soon.}
({Another normal and popular response for Black here is} 3... c5 4. e3 cxd4 5.
exd4 a6 {Note the delayed development of Black's queen-side knight, which aims
to jump directly to c6, if possible.} (5... Bg4)) 4. e3 e6 {An important
decision for Black here is whether to keep the light-squared bishop outside or
inside the pawn chain and thus to allow or deny its exchange for a White
knight, as illustrated by this alternative line:} (4... Bf5 5. Nf3 e6 6. Ne5
Nfd7 7. g4 Bg6 8. Nxg6 hxg6) 5. g4 {Ambitious undertaking by White, made
possible by the closing of the pawn chain by Black on the previous move.} c5 {
Another way to counter White's swift king-side action is:} (5... Bb4 {Getting
ready for Nf6-Ne4 in the right moment...} 6. Nge2 b5 {A typical Black pawn
setup against the Jobava-London system.}) 6. g5 Nfd7 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. h4 {These
were all natural moves by both sides.} Nb6 {Black decides to add the second
knight to the queen-side action too, and thus uncrowd their central space, but
this limits the mobility of some of the other pieces. Notice the difference to
a more typical setup with:} (8... b5 9. h5 Bb7 10. Bh3 b4 11. Ne2 Be7 {⩲}) 9.
h5 Bd6 {One of the ideas behind Black's previous move.} 10. Bxd6 ({Sometimes
it's okay for White to allow a trade on f4, so long as they can maintain good
control over the central squares, e.g.:} 10. Qd2 Bxf4 11. exf4 cxd4 12. Nxd4
Qc7 13. O-O-O Bd7 {⩲}) 10... Qxd6 11. dxc5 {= Releasing the central tension
is a concession to Black. A more promising line for White would be:} (11. h6 g6
12. Qd2 {with a subsequent O-O-O.}) 11... Qxc5 12. Nd4 e5 $6 {Succumbing to
the appeal of gaining more central space quickly and opening the light-squared
bishop too. But the price is the weakening of the d5-pawn.} (12... Bd7 13. h6
g6 14. Nb3 Qe7 {was a decent alternative where Black would be fine.}) (12...
Nc4 $2 {is an idea Black wisely rejected during the game, as White will trade
off the light pieces and be left with stronger position due to Black's
weakened dark-squares:} 13. Nxc6 bxc6 (13... Nxb2 $2 14. Qd4 $1 Qxc6 15. h6)
14. Bxc4 Qxc4 15. h6 g6 16. Qf3 $1 {±}) 13. Nb3 Qd6 14. Bg2 (14. h6 $1 {
was a strong move, since Black cannot afford} g6 $2 15. Bg2 Be6 16. Ne4 {
± to be followed by Ne4-Nf6+}) 14... Be6 15. h6 O-O-O $2 {This looked like a
necessary pawn sacrifice for Black, but there's a subtle problem that neither
player saw.} (15... Rg8 $1 16. hxg7 Rxg7 17. Ne4 Qc7 18. Nf6+ Ke7 {was a
option that Black could not stomach despite the better piece development, as
Black's king would remain stuck in the center. The engine likes it.}) 16. hxg7
Rhg8 17. Rxh7 Bf5 {This is the position that Black was counting on for their
compensation.} 18. Bh3 $6 ({The best way to maintain White's advantage was} 18.
Rh6 Be6 (18... Qe7 19. Qf3) 19. Qh5 Rxg7 20. O-O-O {±}) 18... Bxh3 19. Rxh3
Qe6 $2 {Black's idea was to deny White development with tempo (Qg4 and O-O-O),
while "gaining" a tempo on White's rook. Can you spot White's refutation of
that?} (19... Rxg7 20. Qg4+ Qe6 21. Qxe6+ fxe6 22. Nc5 Rxg5 23. Ke2 {would be
the correct way to proceed, but, of course, Black didn't give up material
earlier to arrive at that!}) 20. Rg3 $2 {White backs off, handing Black the
initiative. In fairness, White spent a lot of time contemplating this move, so
they must have tried hard to find a better line but simply didn't notice the
stronger but non-trivial idea(s).} (20. Rh6 Qf5 21. Qe2 $3 {was the subtle
refutation of the earlier 19... Qe6? - Black does not have time to capture
either of White's g-pawns due to a hidden strike on the opposite wing, e.g.,}
Rxg7 $2 22. Rxc6+ $1 bxc6 23. Qxa6+ {and White has a decisive attack.}) 20...
d4 $1 {Seizing the opportunity for active counterplay!} 21. Ne4 $2 {Once again,
bending to Black's pressure, rather than responding in kind:} (21. Nc5 dxc3 (
21... Qc4 22. N3e4 Nb4 $5 23. Rc1) 22. Nxe6 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 fxe6 24. bxc3 Nd5 {
= These lines look inconclusive and not to anyone's advantage.}) 21... dxe3 22.
Qg4 $6 {opting to trade queens in order to reduce the pressure, but this seals
Black's advantage. Notice that Black's pawn structure is superior.} (22. Qe2
Nd4 23. Nxd4 exd4 24. Nf6 $1 Rxg7 25. fxe3 {was a way for White to fight back.}
) 22... Qxg4 23. Rxg4 exf2+ 24. Nxf2 $6 (24. Kxf2 Rxg7 25. Rh4 $1 {=}) 24...
Rxg7 25. Ke2 Nd5 {Black's position is preferable, but not winning.} 26. Nd3 $2
(26. Rh1) 26... Rdg8 $2 {missing a chance to create connected passers and
claim a strong advantage} (26... f5 $1 27. Rg3 e4 28. Ndc5 Rh7 $1) 27. Rag1 $2
(27. Rf1 $1 {insisting on trading a weakness for a weakness, while preventing
Black's ...f7-f5 threat} f6 28. c4 $1 Nf4+ 29. Nxf4 exf4 30. Rfxf4 fxg5 {⩱})
27... f6 {Strong, but there is even stronger!} (27... f5 $1 28. Rh4 Rxg5 29.
Rxg5 Rxg5 {∓}) 28. gxf6 $2 {Black had laid a trap and White walks into it.} (
28. Rf1 {would be the best attempt for White to survive the endgame down a
pawn.} Rxg5 29. Rxg5 fxg5) 28... Rxg4 29. Rxg4 Rxg4 30. f7 Rf4 31. Nxf4 Nxf4+ {
That this recapture came with check is apparently what White had overlooked in
their calculations for move 28.} 32. Ke3 Ng6 $6 {Attractive but not optimal by
Black.} (32... Ne6 $1 33. Nc5 Ncd8 $1 {is the better idea: controlling all
access squares to Black's e5-pawn, while apprehending and preparing to capture
White's f7-pawn. At this point, both players were very low on time, so
decisions were necessarily made without thorough analysis.} 34. Nxe6 (34. c4
Nf8 35. Ke4 Nxf7 {-+}) 34... Nxe6 35. Ke4 Ng5+ 36. Kxe5 Nxf7+ {-+}) 33. Nc5 $2
(33. Ke4 $1 Nd8 34. Kf5 Nf8 35. Kf6 $5 {and White's king is very active,
making conversion a far more difficult task.}) 33... Nd8 34. Ke4 Nxf7 35. Kf5
Ngh8 $6 {Seemingly holding everything together, but Black's pieces lack
mobility as a result, and this will cost them the e5-pawn.} (35... Nf8 $1 {
was simply winning, holding the White king at bay, due to} 36. Kf6 $2 Nd7+ {-+}
) 36. Kf6 Kc7 37. Ne4 Kc6 38. c4 $2 {Allowing Black chances that they didn't
notice and didn't take.} (38. Ke6) 38... a5 $2 (38... Nd6 $1 {-+}) 39. b3 $2 (
39. Ke6 {King activity is White's best chance against a relatively
disorganized black cavalry.}) 39... b5 $4 {Lesson to remember: Don't push
pawns without due consideration, especially if those pawns will be needed
alive to be able to win the game.} (39... Nd6 $1 {was winning again, but with
only seconds left on the clock before move 40 Black missed that opportunity
too.}) 40. Ke6 $2 {White, also in time trouble, passes by their best drawing
chance.} (40. cxb5+ Kxb5 41. a3 $1 {=}) 40... bxc4 $6 (40... b4 {∓ When you
strive to win, saving pawns is better than trading them when there are just a
few pawns left in the game.}) 41. bxc4 Nd8+ $1 {Finally, the time control has
passed and with 30 added minutes Black took their time to find an effective
route to victory. Paradoxically, that route passes through immediately giving
away one of their two remaining pawns - but the payoff for that are the
revived two knights!} 42. Kxe5 Nhf7+ 43. Kd4 Ne6+ 44. Kc3 Nc5 45. Nd2 Kd6 46.
Kd4 $6 {White is lured by king activity around the central squares, but the
last drawing opportunity was to focus on the sole remaining Black pawn and to
attempt to give away White's knight for it. If that were to happen, the
resulting position - with two black knights versus White's couple of pawns is
still winning for Black, but not without excellent endgame technique. The
principles have been described a century ago by famous endgame composer Alexey
Troitsky, and during the game Black was trying to restore from memory those
ideas, just in case.} (46. Kb2 $1 {Moving toward Black's a-pawn...} Ne5 47. Nb3
$5 Nxc4+ (47... Nxb3 $2 48. axb3 $1 Kc5 49. Ka3 $1 {= Black cannot make
progress while also keeping their a-pawn from being traded.}) 48. Kc3 $1 Kd5 $1
(48... Nxb3 $2 49. Kxc4 $1 {=}) 49. Nxa5 Nxa5 {-+}) 46... Nd8 47. Kc3 Nc6 48.
Kb2 Ke5 $6 49. Kc3 $2 {A final error, allowing the trade of knights, which
leads to a simple win by Black.} (49. Nb3 $1 Ne4 50. Ka3 Kd6 51. Ka4 Nc3+ 52.
Ka3 a4 53. Kb2 Ne4 54. Ka3 axb3 55. axb3 Kc5 56. b4+ Nxb4 57. Kb2 Kd4 {-+
Although this is winning for Black, doing it within the 50-move rule may be
difficult in practice.}) 49... Ne4+ 50. Nxe4 Kxe4 51. a3 a4 52. c5 Kd5 $1 53.
Kd3 Kxc5 54. Kc3 Nd4 55. Kb2 Kc4 56. Ka2 Kc3 57. Ka1 Kb3 58. Kb1 Kxa3 {In
retrospect, this complicated game showcased fascinating middlegame and endgame
ideas.} 0-1

[Event "WA Class Championship (Class X)"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2022.11.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Lazarte, Paul"]
[Black "Liu, Erik"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "1873"]
[BlackElo "1800"]
[Annotator "Paul Lazarte"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2022.11.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "40/120:0"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bd3 e5 7. Nf3 b5 {
We started with Sicilian Defense, Nardorf Variation. I thought we were
competing for the center squares until he moved b4. I believed there was a
plan for Bb7 and b4 to pressure e4.} 8. Bg5 Nbd7 9. Qd2 Bb7 {I moved the queen
up in case of queen side castle and continue the attack on the king's side} 10.
a3 Be7 11. Nh4 g6 12. O-O h6 13. Be3 Ng4 14. Nf3 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 Nf6 {I would
say Black did a great job in nuetralizing the king's side attack} 16. Rad1 Qc8
17. h3 Nh5 18. Ne2 g5 {The table had turned. Black is now attacking my king's
side} 19. Ng3 Nxg3 ({I thought that} 19... Nf4 {was a better move but I was
lucky Black took Ng3 although I ended up with double pawn}) 20. fxg3 d5 {
This was a tricky move. Black's plan was to skew my queen with Bc5 check} 21.
Qe2 Qc5+ 22. Kh1 d4 23. Rc1 f6 ({I though} 23... f6 {weakens king's defenses.
I would have castled to protect the king.}) 24. c3 {After this move, I knew
that I now have the advantage. dxc3 will put his queen in a bad position. Rc8
will weaken his pawn structure and expose the queen side.} dxc3 25. Rxc3 Qd6
26. Rd1 {A big decision has to be made here. If 26...Qe6, I planned to advance
rook to c7 or Bxb5+ taking two pawns with plans to regain bishop at b7. If
26…Qb8, I planned to take on b5.} Qb6 27. Nxe5 1-0

