[Event "Washington State High School Individual"]
[Site "Lakeside Upper School"]
[Date "2023.02.14"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Vijayakumar, Advaith"]
[Black "Joshi, Atharva"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E42"]
[WhiteElo "2158"]
[BlackElo "1739"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "144"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]
[WhiteTeam "North Creek HS"]
[BlackTeam "Skyline HS"]

{[%evp 0,144,25,19,38,6,6,6,33,23,27,13,22,27,20,33,33,33,65,55,55,53,67,-4,12,19,19,1,6,6,32,1,77,24,24,16,16,38,64,30,69,-3,-5,-5,1,0,16,2,23,34,44,8,43,42,79,51,46,35,39,26,33,33,18,12,92,99,107,107,105,109,104,106,235,52,52,52,164,61,52,52,47,42,122,42,122,122,122,122,117,104,122,129,129,124,124,125,118,124,151,114,115,115,162,143,185,139,141,154,226,224,212,170,212,150,225,145,225,145,162,115,145,113,147,115,144,152,152,158,259,248,254,244,395,395,413,378,408,321,320,320,408,446,728,388,692,369,395]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Nge2 O-O 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Nxc3 cxd4 8. exd4 h6 9. Be2 d5 10. c5 Nc6 11. f4 Ne4 12. O-O f5 13. Qd3 Bd7 14. b4 Be8 15. Be3 g5 (15... a6 $13) 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Qd2 g4 18. Bc4 Bf7 19. a4 Ne7 20. Qa2 Nd5 21. Bxd5 exd5 22. b5 Qf6 23. Rfc1 Rfc8 24. a5 a6 25. Rab1 axb5 26. Rxb5 Qc6 27. Qb3 Rc7 28. Ra1 Ra6 29. Ra4 Kg7 30. Rab4 Ra7 31. Qb2 g3 32. hxg3 h5 33. Rb6 Qd7 34. Qa3 Rc6 35. Qa4 Rxb6 36. cxb6 $2 ({White was understandably worried about letting two active rooks loose to attack his king, but the superb queen offers the chance for an elegant and efficient win:} 36. Qxd7 $1 Rxb4 37. Qxf5 Rxa5 38. Qg5+ Kh7 (38... Kf8 39. Qd8+ Kg7 40. Qxa5) 39. f5 $1 Ra1+ 40. Kh2 Rbb1 41. g4 $1 $18 Rh1+ 42. Kg3 Raf1 43. Qh6+ Kg8 44. Bg5 {.}) 36... Qxa4 37. Rxa4 $14 Ra8 $2 (37... Ra6 $1 38. Bd2 Be8 39. Ra3 Bb5 $1 40. Rc3 Bc4 {and there is no obvious way to break the fortress.}) 38. Bd2 (38. a6 $1 bxa6 39. b7 Rb8 40. Rb4 Be8 (40... Kf6 41. Rb6+ Ke7 42. Bc1 Kd7 43. Ba3 Kc7 44. Rf6 {. Black comes up short.}) 41. Rb6 a5 42. Bc1 a4 43. Ba3 {. Black will need to part with the bishop,} Bc6 {, leaving White with a position that looks to be technically winning.}) 38... Be8 39. Ra1 Bb5 40. Rc1 Ba6 $6 (40... Bc4) 41. Kf2 (41. Rc5 $14) ({or} 41. Rc7+ {to avoid being shut out.}) 41... Rd8 (41... Bc4 {Time trouble is clearly an issue for both players here.}) 42. Rc7+ Kf6 43. Ke3 Rg8 44. Kf2 Rd8 45. Bb4 Re8 46. Ke3 Rg8 47. Be7+ Ke6 48. Bg5 Rf8 49. Bh4 Rf7 50. Rc8 Rh7 51. Bg5 (51. Re8+ Kd7 52. Rf8 Ke6 53. Rf6+) 51... Kf7 52. Rc7+ Kg6 53. Rc8 Kf7 54. Rd8 Bc4 55. Rb8 (55. a6) (55. Rd6) 55... Ba6 56. Ra8 Ke6 57. Rc8 Kf7 58. Bh4 Ke6 59. Kd2 Kf7 60. Ra8 Ke6 61. Rg8 Kf7 62. Rg5 Ke6 63. Rg6+ Kf7 64. Rf6+ Ke8 65. Rxf5 Rh6 66. Rxd5 Rc6 67. Re5+ Kf7 68. Rxe4 Re6 69. Ke3 Rc6 70. Re7+ Kg6 71. d5 Rc3+ 72. Kf2 Rc2+ {Both players stopped notating. White went on to win.} 1-0

[Event "Pan-Am Intercollegiate"]
[Site "Lakeside Upper School"]
[Date "2023.01.09"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gupta, Anand"]
[Black "Toppen-Ryan, Harrison"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E33"]
[WhiteElo "1828"]
[BlackElo "1948"]
[Annotator "Harrison Toppen-Ryan"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]
[WhiteTeam "UW C Team"]
[BlackTeam "WWU A Team"]

{[%evp 0,81,18,18,27,-8,4,0,29,-14,16,13,19,3,27,-83,-78,-78,-50,-50,-50,-50,-49,-49,-62,-49,-51,-63,-22,-74,-45,-72,-61,-71,-71,-71,-71,-237,-42,-55,-52,-55,-41,-83,-62,-90,-70,-50,-54,-108,-116,-172,-179,-179,-135,-138,-125,-123,-111,-137,-107,-180,-26,-69,-47,-75,-61,-195,-210,-224,-163,-142,-153,-389,-389,-389,-331,-2022,-383,-1059,-1278,-1301,-1374,-2043] It was funny seeing two Washington State universities (UW vs WWU) face off against each other in a tournament filled with other schools from across the continent. It must have meant to be considering this event was held in Seattle after all. We were both playing on board 1 of our respective schools while both of our remaining teammates also battled on boards 2-4!} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 Nc6 {A bit of a sideline. 4.Nc6 does well against white's mainline 4.Qc2 move as it strikes at d4. This line also worked well against 4. Bd2 with the same idea at attacking d4. (See Viktors Pupols vs Harrison Toppen-Ryan; NW Chess Magazine November 2022 issue).} 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 $2 {Mistake. Bd2 was best. A deadly mistake and maybe not an obvious one at first to some but knowing small ideas like the following can win you games both online and over the board.} (7. Bd2 O-O 8. a3 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 e5 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. e3 Qe7) 7... g5 $1 8. Bg3 g4 $1 9. d5 {In my very first 3 minute blitz game against FM/WGM Rochelle Wu on Chess.com, I was also black while she instead tried 9.Nd2 Nxd4 and she immediacy resigned. Even champions can fall for devious licks like these!} exd5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Bh4 {The best try for white here. 11.Qe4+ only allows black more development with Be6.} Qd7 12. Nd2 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qe6 {The correct idea. Centralizing the queen and making me have the option to play Nf6 if needed.} 14. Rd1 Nf4 15. Ne4 Kf8 $5 {Not the best move but it still gets the job done and it's way for flashy too. Now if white goes Nf6 aiming for Ne6 then Ng6! Ne4 Nxh4 Nxc7 Qe7 Nxa8 Bf5 and black is better.} 16. g3 Ng6 17. Bf6 $1 {Good move by white. The white bishop can attempt to wiggle out potentially.} Rg8 18. Bg2 $4 {Blunder. c4 was best.} (18. c4 Nge5) 18... Nge5 $4 {Blunder. d5 was best. 18.d5! just straight up wins here. Black does need to be a little careful of 19.Qd2 dxe4 Qxh6+ but after then black sarcastically says "OOOHHHHH shiver me timbers!" and plays Ke8. Black should be able to defend and be safe. It's always much harder to play these moves when you're actually over the board however and nerves can somtimes get to you.} (18... d5 19. Rxd5 Qxd5 20. c4 Qh5 21. Qc1 Nge7 22. Ba1 Rg6 23. O-O Bf5 24. Nf6 Rxf6 25. Bxf6) 19. Bh4 $6 {Inaccuracy. O-O was best.} (19. O-O Rg6) 19... Rg6 20. Nd2 Ne7 21. Qb1 $2 {Mistake. Bxe7+ was best.} (21. Bxe7+ Qxe7) 21... c6 $2 {Mistake. Nf5 was best. Computer just says to just go for Nf5 right away but I wanted to be solid and not rush the position.} (21... Nf5 22. Be4 Nxh4 23. gxh4 Rg7 24. Bxb7 Bxb7 25. Qxb7 Re8 26. O-O Ng6 27. Qxc7 Nxh4 28. Qxa7) 22. Nb3 $6 {Inaccuracy. h3 was best.} (22. h3) 22... Nf5 23. Nd4 $1 {Best try for white to get his pieces active again.} Nxd4 24. cxd4 $4 {Blunder. Rxd4 was best. This just allows black to destroy white's kingside. Meanwhile white failed to get his d1 rook active.} (24. Rxd4 Nf3+ 25. Bxf3 gxf3 26. O-O fxe2 27. Re1 Qf5 28. Qxf5 Bxf5 29. f3 Re8 30. Kf2 Rge6) 24... Nf3+ 25. Kf1 Nxh4 26. gxh4 d5 27. e4 dxe4 $6 {Inaccuracy. Kg7 was best.} (27... Kg7 28. Re1) 28. Bxe4 Rf6 29. d5 cxd5 30. Rxd5 $6 {Inaccuracy. Bxd5 was best. Now it's getting spicy. We both had less than 10 minutes on our clock at this point so the rest of these moves were played relativity quickly. There's also no 30 minute sudden death time added to our clocks at this tournament so it was time to both of us to get into blitz and bullet mode.} (30. Bxd5 Qf5) 30... Qa6+ $4 {Blunder. Bd7 was best.} (30... Bd7 31. Rd4 Re8 32. Qb2 Kg7 33. Qd2 Bb5+ 34. Kg2 Bc6 35. Re1 Bxe4+ 36. Rexe4 Qxe4+ 37. Rxe4) 31. Kg2 Be6 32. Rb5 Qa3 33. Rxb7 $1 {Blunder. Rd1 was best.} (33. Rd1 Rc8 34. Bxb7 Kg7 35. Kg1 Bxa2 36. Qb2 Rc3 37. Ra1 Qxb2 38. Rxb2 Bc4 39. Rxa7 Rc1+) 33... Qh3+ $1 {A nice move to physically play over the board! Now white's king and h1 rook will be in prison.} 34. Kg1 Rd8 $2 {Mistake. Qxh4 was best.} (34... Qxh4 35. Qe1 Rc8 36. Rb2 Rc4 37. Bb7 Kg7 38. Re2 a5 39. Qd2 Rff4 40. h3 Rcd4 41. Qe1) 35. Rb8 Bc8 $1 36. Bg2 $4 {Blunder. Qc2 was best.} (36. Qc2 Kg7 37. Rxc8 g3 38. hxg3 Qxc8 39. Qxc8 Rxc8 40. Kg2 Rd8 41. f3 Ra6 42. g4 Rxa2+) 36... Qxh4 37. Qc2 {Played with 3 seconds left on his clock. Now we're both playing on the 30 second increment.} Kg7 $3 {Cute move. Black's attack is unstoppable now. Black will lose the bishop on c8 but white's priceless artifact of a rook on h1 combined with black two active rooks and queen make up for it.} 38. h3 $2 {Checkmate is now unavoidable. Rb2 was best.} (38. Rb2 Bf5 39. Qb3 Rfd6 40. Qc3+ Kg8 41. Re2 Rd1+ 42. Re1 R8d2 43. Qe3 Qg5 44. Bf1 Qxe3) 38... g3 $2 {Lost forced checkmate sequence. Rd1+ was best.} (38... Rd1+ 39. Kh2 gxh3 40. Rxd1 hxg2+ 41. Kxg2 Bh3+ 42. Kh1 Bf5+ 43. Kg1 Bxc2 44. Rg8+ Kxg8 45. Rd8+) 39. Rxc8 gxf2+ $1 40. Kf1 Re6 $1 {A hard move to play with less than 2 minutes on the clock but I managed somhow to do so.} 41. Qc3+ Rd4 {Here my opponent attempted to play 42.Bf3 but flagged before hitting the clock. I was so focused on calculating 42.Re1+ that I didn't even notice the flag at first. 42.Re1+ 43.Kg2 Rxh1 and black wins as Kxh1 allows the pretty Qxh3#. With a win for WWU on board 1, boards 3 and 4 also pulled through with wins while for WWU bring the score to 3-1 in favor of Western!} 0-1

[Event "Pan-Am Intercollegiate"]
[Site "Lakeside Upper School"]
[Date "2023.01.09"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Pym, Joshua L"]
[Black "Toppen-Ryan, Harrison"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "1770"]
[BlackElo "1948"]
[Annotator "Harrison Toppen-Ryan"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]
[WhiteTeam "USA Airforce Academy A Team"]
[BlackTeam "WWU A Team"]

{[%evp 0,58,18,10,70,47,47,12,19,19,2,2,2,9,16,16,31,30,32,-5,2,-1,3,5,8,8,8,-65,-43,-61,-66,-85,-89,-91,-76,-76,-78,-203,-263,-278,-271,-585,-593,-610,-499,-477,-567,-29983,-29984,-29985,-29986,-29987,-29988,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29996,-29997,-29998,-29999,-30000]} 1. e4 {The last round of the 2023 Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship. It's WWU vs the US Airforce Academy. I'm at board 1 and my other team mates will be fighting their own battles on boards 2-4 while this game is happening.} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 {Sicilian Kalashnikov variation. It's also sometimes known as the "accelerated" Sicilian Sveshnikov or the Walmart version of the Sicilian Sveshnikov if you're a die hard Stockfish evaluation Chess player.} 5. Nb5 {The correct and best move here for white. 5.Nf3 or 5.Nb3 is better for black after Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4. While moves like 5.Nxc6 is just bad for white after cxd6 and 5.Nf5 just makes white look goofy after d5 or Nf6 followed by d5.} d6 {Not allowing Nd6+ Bxd6 Qxd6 Qf6 which is playable for Black but isn't my particular cup of tea.} (5... a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qf6 $14) 6. N1c3 {The main move. 6.c4?! is also another sideline that white can try.} a6 7. Na3 Be7 {The 4th most popular move here by Black. Black's main move here is 7...b5 and continues 8.Nd5 Nge7 (or Nf6). I choose to go for this sideline that I understand pretty well because I'm hoping to get into a middlegame that I understand better than my opponent so I can have the psychological advantage.} 8. Be3 {I wouldn't recommend this kind of development for white. White's idea is to punish black's earlier 6...a6 by planting their c3 knight on d5 and go for Bb6 Qd7 Nc7+ and winning the rook on a8. While this plan is objectively "OK" according to the fish, 8.Nc4 is my personal recommendation. Washington IM Bryce Tiglon played 8.Nc4 b5 9.Ne3 Nf6 10.Bd3 O-O 11.O-O Be6? (Rb8!? was better) 12.Ned5 with white against me back in round 1 of the 2019 WA high school chess championship and I got absolutely rolled by him due to me not fully understanding the power of white's knight on d5.} Nf6 9. Nd5 $6 {Inaccuracy. Nc4 was best.} (9. Nc4 b5) 9... Nxd5 10. exd5 Nd4 $5 {Oh no guys I blundered a pawn!} 11. Bxd4 exd4 12. Qxd4 O-O $36 {The idea of this line is to give up the e5 pawn for quick development and a potential attack. Bf6 and b5 are coming and black will have nice game in either the queenside or in the center on the board.} 13. c3 (13. O-O-O Bf6 14. Qb4 b5 15. f3 Be5 $44) 13... Bf6 14. Qd2 $6 {Inaccuracy. Qf4 was best.} (14. Qf4) 14... Re8+ 15. Be2 Bg4 $32 {This bishop pair by black will ensnare the white king and bring a whole world of hurt now.} 16. f3 Bh4+ $1 17. Kd1 (17. g3 Bxf3 $19) 17... Bg5 $1 18. Qd4 $2 {Mistake. Qc2 was best.} (18. Qc2 Bd7) 18... Bf5 $1 {After I played this move I heard by opponent whisper under his breath: "Oh man this is absolutely crazy." I don't know if he was attempting to talk to me directly or just to himself (maybe a bit of both) but it certainly told me what he thought about his own position.} 19. Nc4 {Trying to untangle but get their pieces back into the game but I'm afraid it won't be enough.} b5 20. Nd2 $6 {Inaccuracy. g4 was best. Here my opponent offered me a draw and slightly chuckled. I shock my head no and played my next move instead.} (20. g4 Bg6 21. h4 Bf6 22. Qd2 bxc4 23. g5 Be7 24. Bxc4 Qc8 25. b3 Bd8 26. h5 Bf5) 20... Be3 21. Qb4 a5 {The immediate Bxd2 was apparently just better but the idea happened shortly after.} 22. Qb3 (22. Qxb5 Rb8 23. Qa4 Bxd2 $19) 22... Bxd2 (22... a4 23. Qb4 Bc5 24. Qf4) 23. Kxd2 $4 {Checkmate is now unavoidable. Bxb5 was best.} (23. Bxb5 Qg5 24. Bxe8 Rxe8 25. Qa4 Qe3 26. Qxe8+ Qxe8 27. Kxd2 Qb5 28. Ke3 g5 29. b3 Qd3+) 23... Qg5+ 24. Kd1 Rxe2 $3 25. Kxe2 Qxg2+ 26. Ke3 Re8+ 27. Kf4 {After this move was played my opponent whispered to me: "You should play Re4+. It's such a clean and beautiful mate." Re4+ is still a good move but after Re4+ fxe4 Qxe4+ there's Kg3. Black is still better but there are at least 2 different moves that win much faster. I don't know if he was trying to deceive me or not or if he legitimately didn't see Kg3 but that's definitely a big no no to talk to your opponents in tournament chess. I just ignored it however and played my next few moves quickly with a small audience watching the game of the side.} g5+ (27... Re4+ 28. fxe4 Qxe4+ 29. Kg3) 28. Kxf5 $7 Re5+ 29. Kf6 Qxf3# {Simple, gorgeous, clean and absolutely unreal attacking Chess. If there was a United Nations of Chess games I'd probably be arrested and taken away for a class A war crime while Agadmator covers this game for his YouTube channel in the background. With a win on board 1, and additional wins on boards 2 and 4, WWU prevailed in the match vs USAA 3-1 in our favor!} 0-1

[Event "MexInsurance FIDE Open"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2022.12.16"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Smith, Bryan G"]
[Black "Machin, Alex James"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C56"]
[WhiteElo "2516"]
[BlackElo "1774"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2022.12.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qh5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Bg5 Bd6 11. Nxd6+ cxd6 12. Bf4 O-O 13. Nxd4 Qxd1 14. Rexd1 Nxd4 15. Rxd4 Rfc8 16. c3 d5 17. Be3 Rc4 18. Rd3 a6 19. Bd4 b5 ({With the goal of heading into a completely drawn opposite-bishop ending,} 19... f6 20. Re1 Kf7 {is super-solid. It's hard to imagine how White might even create a kingside passed pawn against this structure.}) 20. Rg3 g6 21. h4 h5 22. Re1 Rc6 23. Rg5 Kf8 24. f3 Bf5 {White finds a glimmer of hope, creating something from nothing on the kingside.} 25. g4 hxg4 26. fxg4 Be4 27. Rf1 Ke7 28. Re5+ Kf8 29. h5 gxh5 30. gxh5 Re8 $2 (30... f5 $1 31. Rf4 Kf7 32. Rh4 Rg8+ 33. Kf1 Rh6 {sets up a nice fortress.} 34. Be3 Rh7 35. h6 Kf6 36. Bf4 (36. Bd4 Kg5 37. Rh2 Rxh6 38. Be3+ Kf6 39. Rxf5+ Kxf5 40. Rxh6 Rg2 {goes nowhere.}) 36... Rg4 37. Rxg4 fxg4 38. Rh5 g3 39. Bxg3 Kg6 {is utterly drawn.}) 31. Rg5 f5 $4 ({A case of closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.} 31... Bd3 32. Bg7+ $1 Ke7 33. Re1+ Re6 34. Rxe6+ fxe6 $14 {fights on, though White has some chances with the distant passed pawn.}) 32. h6 Rc7 33. Bg7+ Kf7 34. h7 Rcc8 35. Rf4 b4 36. Rh4 bxc3 37. bxc3 Rb8 38. h8=Q 1-0

[Event "MexInsurance FIDE Open"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2022.12.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Wei, James"]
[Black "Kretchetov, Alexandre"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B15"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2022.12.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 g6 ({A rather rare continuation.} 3... dxe4 4. Nxe4 {, then} Bf5 (4... Nd7) ({and} 4... Nf6 {are somewhat different ideas.}) 5. Ng3 Bg6 {leads to well-traveled theory.}) 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 (5. h3 {is a better test of Black's set-up, restricting the c8-bishop. If} Nf6 6. Bd3 (6. e5 Ne4 7. Nxe4 dxe4 8. Ng5 c5 $14 {is also worth considering.}) 6... dxe4 7. Nxe4 Nxe4 8. Bxe4 $14 {White maintains a small but durable space advantage.}) 5... Nh6 $6 ({Perhaps over-ambitious.} 5... dxe4 6. Nxe4 Nf6 {is close to equality, as White is just a tiny bit passively placed.}) ({Alternately,} 5... Bg4 6. Be3 $14 {has, at least, solved the c8-bishop.}) 6. Bf4 f6 7. exd5 cxd5 8. Bb5+ $2 ({If you're going to move the same piece twice in the opening, make sure it's in service of your strategic objectives.} 8. Nb5 $1 O-O (8... Na6 9. O-O O-O 10. c4 $16 {. White is well-coordinated, and Black is, well, a mess.}) 9. Nc7 $5 ({In case the tactical line doesn't work, simply} 9. O-O {is decent, of course.}) 9... g5 (9... e5 10. Bxh6 Qxc7 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. dxe5 fxe5 13. Qxd5 $16) 10. Bg3 f5 11. Nxa8 f4 12. Nxg5 fxg3 (12... e5 13. Bh4 Nf5 14. g3 {is ugly but effective.}) 13. hxg3 e5 14. Qd2 e4 $16 {White has better king safety, and at least a temporary lead in material. Going after that knight on a8 will cost Black quite a bit of time. After} 15. c3 Nc6 {Stockfish points out another tactical idea:} 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Rxh6 Bxh6 $2 (17... Bf5 $1 18. Rh5 Qxa8 19. Kf1 $14) 18. Qxh6 {, when tactics will rescue the knight from the corner:} Bf5 (18... Bd7 19. Nc7 Qxc7 20. Bc4+) 19. Bc4+ Kh8 20. Nc7 $18) 8... Nc6 9. Qe2 $6 Nf7 10. O-O O-O 11. Rfe1 e6 12. Bxc6 $6 ({While this exchange is unfortunate, the alternative idea of retreating via a4 to b3 doesn't completely solve the position.} 12. h3 a6 13. Ba4 Re8 14. Bh2 Bd7 15. Qd2 b5 16. Bb3 Na5 $15) 12... bxc6 13. Na4 Re8 14. Nc5 e5 15. Bg3 Bg4 16. h3 Bh5 17. Qe3 e4 18. Nd2 Bh6 19. Bf4 g5 20. Bg3 $2 (20. Bh2 {saves a tempo in many lines, and could afford White the option of pushing the g-pawn.}) 20... Bf8 ({Black is systematically pushing forward on the kingside, and could now continue more incisively with} 20... f5 $1 {, meeting} 21. f4 {with} Nh8 $1) 21. Ncb3 a5 22. a4 Qd7 (22... Nd6) 23. c4 (23. Nc5 Bxc5 24. dxc5 f5 25. Qd4 $17) 23... f5 $1 $19 24. Bh2 (24. cxd5 cxd5 25. Nc5 Bxc5 26. dxc5 f4 27. Bxf4 gxf4 28. Qxf4 $19) 24... f4 25. Qc3 Bb4 26. Nc5 (26. Qc2 Nd6 27. cxd5 cxd5 28. Rac1 Nf5 {White is suffocating.}) 26... Bxc3 ({or} 26... Bxc5 27. dxc5 d4) 27. Nxd7 Bxd2 28. Nf6+ Kf8 29. Nxh5 Bxe1 30. Rxe1 Re6 31. cxd5 cxd5 0-1

[Event "MexInsurance FIDE Open"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2022.12.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Wei, James"]
[Black "Gamble, Jeff"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B41"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2022.12.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Qd3 Qc7 8. Be2 Nc6 9. Nxc6 dxc6 $5 10. a3 Be7 11. f4 e5 (11... O-O 12. e5 Nd7 13. Qg3 b5 {with questions yet to answer for both sides.}) 12. O-O (12. Qg3 $5 $14) 12... exf4 $2 ({It's definitely not a good idea to accelerate White's development.} 12... Bg4 $1 {is much to be preferred here.}) 13. Bxf4 Qb6+ 14. Kh1 Be6 15. b4 Rd8 (15... a5 16. e5 Nd7 17. c5 Qa7 18. Rab1 axb4 19. axb4 O-O 20. Qg3 {, and it is time to debate how much advantage White has. Some, definitely.}) 16. Qg3 Qd4 17. Rad1 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Qxe4 19. Qxg7 Rf8 20. Rxd8+ $6 (20. Rde1 $16) 20... Bxd8 $2 ({Time to run the king to a safer space:} 20... Kxd8 {.}) 21. Bd6 (21. Qb2 $16) 21... Qxe2 $4 ({Allows White a nice tactical attacking finish.} 21... Be7 22. Bxe7 Kxe7 23. Qf6+ Kd7 $14 {is far from clearly lost.}) 22. Qxf8+ Kd7 23. Rxf7+ $1 Bxf7 24. Qxf7+ Kxd6 (24... Be7 25. Qxe7+) (24... Kc8 25. Qf5+) 25. c5+ {--} ({Ke5} 25. Qe8) 1-0

[Event "MexInsurance FIDE Open"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2022.12.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Wei, James"]
[Black "Jimenez, Fidel Corrales"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2022.12.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 (6... e6 {is by far the most common move. Then} 7. f4 {leads to a mass of theory, starting with any one of at least eight moves for Black here.}) 7. f4 h6 (7... Qc7 8. Qf3 h6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 10. f5 $14 {has been played before.}) 8. Bxf6 (8. Bh4 $5) 8... Nxf6 9. Be2 $6 ({A bit passive.} 9. Bc4 $5 $13) ({or} 9. f5 $5 {, similar to the move 7... note.}) 9... e5 10. fxe5 $6 (10. Nb3 $15) 10... dxe5 11. Nb3 Qb6 (11... Be6 {. Black is generally better in endgames, with bishop-pair and structural superiority, so need not fear} 12. Qxd8+ Rxd8 {.}) 12. Nd5 $6 (12. Qd3) 12... Nxd5 13. Qxd5 Be6 14. Qxe5 O-O-O 15. Rd1 Bd6 16. Qc3+ $2 ({It looks better to grab another pawn:} 16. Qxg7 Rhg8 (16... Bxh2 17. Qc3+ Kb8 18. Nc5) 17. Rxd6 $5 Qxd6 18. Qc3+ Kb8 19. O-O {. This still favors Black, as the knight is not particularly impressive and White has no dangerous pawn mass.}) 16... Kb8 17. a3 Bxh2 18. Rxd8+ $2 ({Here and on the next move, White does marginally better to avoid forcing major piece exchanges.} 18. Nc5 $17) 18... Rxd8 19. Qc5 (19. Nc5 $17) 19... Bg3+ 20. Kf1 Bc4 $3 {A really nice tactic involving diagonal pins by unprotected queen and bishop.} 21. Bxc4 (21. Qxc4 Qf2#) (21. Qxb6 Rd1#) 21... Qxc5 22. Nxc5 Rd1+ 23. Ke2 Rxh1 $19 {Although the material count doesn't seem overwhelming, in fact the position is winning for Black, who can create a passed h-pawn.} 24. Bxf7 Re1+ 25. Kd3 Bd6 26. Nd7+ $6 ({The knight on d7 becomes another liability.} 26. Ne6 {is a little better.}) 26... Kc7 27. Be6 a5 28. a4 h5 29. c3 Rg1 0-1

[Event "Simultaneous"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Smith, GM Bryan"]
[Black "Brooks, James"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Qd3 ({A very unusual move, presumably played to avoid theory. Many alternatives are played:} 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Nbd7 (8... Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4) 9. g4 (9. Qd2)) (6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O O-O) (6. Bg5 {is effective at preventing an early ...e5.} e6 7. f4 Qb6 ({The famous Poison Pawn variation. Alternatives include} 7... Be7) (7... Nbd7) (7... Qc7) 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 {with stacks of "book" available to confuse and confound; White generally chooses between 11.e5 and 11.f5.}) (6. Bc4 {is a choice played by Fischer that also discourages ...e5.} e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. O-O Be7 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. Qg3) 6... e5 ({Najdorf's 5...a6 takes away the b5-square from the d4-knight, making ...e5 a standard threat (see the above lines after 6.Be3 or 6.Be2).} 6... g6 {has been played, however, with Dragon-like positions.} 7. Bg5 Bg7 8. O-O-O) 7. Nf5 Bxf5 ({Since the queen defends f5, the traditional} 7... d5 {doesn't work:} 8. Nxd5 ({or} 8. exd5 e4 9. Qg3 Bxf5 10. Qe5+) 8... Nxd5 9. exd5 $16 {.}) 8. exf5 d5 9. Bg5 d4 (9... Nbd7 10. Nxd5 Qa5+ 11. Nc3 Bb4 {gives Black quite decent compensation for the pawn.}) 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Ne4 Qc6 12. O-O-O Nd7 13. g4 $2 ({Weakening the long diagonal. Something like} 13. Be2 {instead makes sense.}) 13... Nc5 $1 14. Nxc5 Qxh1 15. Ne4 Qxh2 16. Kb1 Qh4 (16... Qf4 $17) ({or} 16... Be7 {first.}) 17. Qb3 (17. f6 $1 Qxg4 (17... gxf6 18. Qf3 {gives White too much activity.}) 18. Bh3 Qf4 19. fxg7 Bxg7 20. Nd6+ Kf8 {and here Stockfish claims that 22.Qb3, 22.Qa3, and 22.Nf5 all quickly lead to perpetual check draws.}) 17... Qe7 $6 (17... Qxg4 18. Re1 Be7 19. Qxb7 Rd8 20. Bd3 Kf8 $13) 18. f6 gxf6 19. Qa4+ $2 (19. Qb6 $1 Bg7 20. Nd6+ Kf8 21. Bc4 {with too much for the exchange.}) 19... Kd8 20. c3 Kc7 21. cxd4 Qb4 (21... Rd8 $5 {looks more speculative, and after} 22. Rc1+ Kb8 23. Nc5 Rxd4 24. Qb3 {Black has} Qxc5 $1 (24... Ka7 25. Bxa6 $1 bxa6 26. Nxa6 {appears to draw.}) 25. Rxc5 Bxc5 26. Bxa6 Rb4 27. Qd5 Rc8 $15 {.}) 22. Qc2+ Kb8 23. Nxf6 Bg7 (23... exd4 $15) 24. Nd7+ Ka7 25. a3 $1 Qe7 26. dxe5 Rac8 $4 ({Very natural, yet according to the computer very wrong. Either rook to d8 avoids the trouble.} 26... Rhd8 27. Qc7 (27. Qd3 Rxd7 28. Qxd7 Qxe5 29. Rd2 Qe1+ 30. Rd1 Qxf2 31. Qd2 $15 {, but essentially drawn.}) 27... Rac8 28. Qb6+ Ka8 29. Qd4 Bxe5 30. Nb6+ Kb8 31. Nd7+ {with a draw.}) 27. Qb3 $4 ({White responds with a natural move, avoiding pins on the d-file while defending the rook. But -- it's also wrong. Chess is a hard game.} 27. Qd3 {27.Qd2 and 27.Qe4 are also winning.} Rhd8 28. Qd4+ Ka8 (28... Rc5 29. f4 $1) 29. Bg2 {and Black must deal with the threat of Bxb7+ and mate in three.} Qe6 30. f4 Qb3 31. Rd2 {and Black runs dangerously short of moves.} Bf8 32. Nb6+ Kb8 33. Qxd8 Rxd8 34. Rxd8+ Ka7 35. Nc8+ Kb8 36. Nd6+ Kc7 37. Rxf8 $18) 27... Rhd8 28. Qb6+ Ka8 29. Bb5 Bxe5 30. Re1 Rxd7 31. Bxd7 Qxd7 32. Rxe5 Qd1+ 33. Ka2 Qxg4 34. Qb3 Qc4 35. Qxc4 Rxc4 36. Rf5 Rc7 37. Rf6 Kb8 38. Rh6 Rc2 39. Rf6 Rc7 40. Rh6 Rc2 41. Rf6 Rc7 {Nicely played.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Jungle Game"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Juvenal, Chico"]
[Black "Zaklan, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C02"]
[Annotator "David Zaklan"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.02.11"]

1. e4 e6 {I turned the hourglass over with this and my every move, as did Chico. The longer my moves took the more sand he got.} 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 ({The trap. [Picture 2 of the position] Chico caught himself starting to smile, hoping I would capture the pawn and fall into the trap.} 7... Nxd4 8. Nxd4 Qxd4 9. Bb5+ {Game over! But instead...}) 8. O-O Nxd4 {He sacrificed a pawn to castle.} 9. Nbd2 {Chico’s move led me down an unknown path. I chose to play it safe and retreat before my sand ran out, since I was a pawn up.} Nc6 10. Nb3 Qc7 {What development??} 11. Bf4 Nge7 12. Nc5 Ng6 13. Bg5 Qb6 14. Nxd7 Kxd7 15. Re1 Bc5 {Good for a few grains of sand.} 16. Qe2 Rhc8 17. h4 h6 18. Bd2 Ke8 19. a3 a5 20. Rac1 Nd4 21. Nxd4 Bxd4 22. b4 axb4 23. Bxb4 Nf4 24. Bb5+ Kd8 25. Qf3 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Bxe5 27. a4 Rxa4 28. Bxa4 Qxb4 {Now I can hunt.} 29. Qe3 Bd6 30. Bd1 Nd3 31. Ra1 Nxf2 32. Kxf2 Bc5 {[picture 3 of board in this position] Chico studied the position until there was no sand left, laid the king down and became the jungle.} 0-1

