[Event "Oregon Senior Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2023.05.06"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gibbins, Wilson"]
[Black "Katz, Stewart"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2221"]
[BlackElo "1840"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2023.05.05"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]

{[%evp 0,9,39,-9,-18,-12,-5,-49,-33,-22,-30,-17]} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 Nf6
4. Bg2 Bc5 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 h6 8. e3 {Not the official book move,
but it looks natural to me, and the engines say it is no worse than the
alternatives.} ({Marin and popularity contests vote for} 8. a3) 8... Bg4 9. h3
Bd7 10. a3 a5 11. b3 Re8 12. Qc2 Qc8 13. Kh2 Ba7 14. Bb2 Ne7 15. Rad1 c6 16. d4
{Thematic, trying to blunt the diagonal of Black's bishop on a7.} ({Stockfish
notices} 16. Ne4 $14 {as after} Nxe4 17. dxe4 {Black has a backward pawn on d6.
It isn't indefensible, but it is an extra burden.}) 16... Ng6 ({For you fans
of crazy engine lines} 16... e4 $5 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 Bf5 19. Qh4 Bc2 20.
Rc1 Nf5 (20... Bxb3 21. Nd2 $14) 21. Qf4 Re4 22. Rxc2 Rxf4 23. exf4 $14 {
is the kind of line you are fans of.}) 17. e4 $6 ({It is time to release the
pawn tension.} 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Nd2 Bf5 19. Nde4 $14 {The square d6 is a
little weak.}) 17... Bb8 $2 (17... b5 $1 $11) 18. Rfe1 ({Yet again, I miss my
chance to release the pawn tension favorably.} 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. Na4 $14) 18...
Bc7 (18... b5 {is still best, but it isn't quite as strong as on the previous
move} {Stockfish recommends} 19. Nb1 $5 {mitigating Black's threat to push
b5-b4, and finding a new square for the knight.} Bc7 20. Nbd2 $14) 19. Bc1 Be6
$6 20. d5 {And now we reach a King's Indian pawn structure. Is it better to
have the King's Indian dark squared bishop on g7 or c7? It might be strong on
c7, as it might get to the attacking diagonal a7-g1. It might get exchanged
for White's good dark squared bishop, a positional plus. At least it will help
defend invasion squares on the queenside. But Stockfish and I are happy with
White's space advantage.} cxd5 21. cxd5 Bd7 22. Be3 Qd8 {threatening to play
Bc7-b6 and exchange White's good bishop.} 23. Rc1 Rc8 24. Qd3 Bb6 {Mission
accomplished.} 25. Nd2 Bc7 {changing his mind. Perhaps the move 25.Nd2 made
him worry about the weak b6 square.} 26. Rc2 Rf8 {The King’s Indian pawn
structure encourages him to try a King’s Indian style kingside attack. But
surely my queenside attack puts me ahead in the race, doesn't it? Keep
watching to find out.} 27. Rec1 Ne8 28. Nb5 Bb8 29. Rxc8 Bxc8 30. Nc4 {The
minor pieces are walking in on the b5 and b6 squares. The pawn on a5 is of
historical interest only.} Bd7 31. Bb6 {The bishop can attack on the queenside
and defend key kingside squares simultaneously. The a7-g1 diagonal is valuable
to both sides.} Qf6 32. Nxa5 $2 {Here we have the stupid python munching on a
pawn, oblivious to the alligator about to bite back. Black gets a favorable
King's Indian style counter-attack, more than just cheapo potential.} (32. a4 {
is better, securing one of my loose pieces. In the game continuation my queen
will be stretched between trying to defend both my king and my loose pieces on
the queenside.}) 32... Nf4 $1 {I didn't see this shot when I first started my
minor-piece siege of the a-pawn, but I did see it coming a move or two before
he played it. So I didn't look shocked when the move appeared on the board,
and could respond confidently.} 33. Qf1 $2 {Maybe it would have been better to
have been surprised, as I might have thought a little more on this move.} (33.
Qf3 $16 Bxb5 (33... Nxg2 34. Qxf6 Nxf6 35. Nc3 $1 $16) 34. gxf4 exf4 35. Rc8
$18) 33... Nxg2 $11 {Normally I would be happy to get rid of my bad
light-squared bishop. But with a kingside storm brewing, I would prefer to
have another defensive piece near my king. I don't expect much help from
either of my knights in the near future.} 34. Kxg2 Qg6 35. Nc3 Nf6 36. Qe2 Nh5
37. Kh2 f5 38. Rg1 Qf7 (38... fxe4 $1 {opens the light squares around the
kingside and weakens White's d-pawn. I get the e4 square for the knight, but
Black's light-squared bishop is swooping in, ready to harass my king.} 39. Nxe4
Qf5 40. Qg4 Qf7 41. Qe2 {and Black can grab a draw by repetition with} Qf5 ({
or play on with} 41... Bf5)) 39. Qd3 ({The cold-blooded Stockfish likes} 39.
Nxb7 $16) (39. Nc4 fxe4 40. Nxe4 {is OK for White, but no winning advantage.})
(39. f3 fxe4 40. fxe4 Qf3 {looked like trouble over the board, but Stockfish
says equal.}) 39... f4 $2 (39... fxe4 40. Nxe4 Bf5 {is unclear, but I'd rather
be Black. This seems like the kind of position King's Indian players live for.
Oh, I forgot - this didn't start as a King's Indian.}) 40. g4 {There is still
plenty of chess to be played, but I am back in control.} Nf6 41. Nc4 h5 42. f3
(42. g5 {is a little better than what I played}) 42... Qg6 43. g5 Nh7 44. h4
Bc8 {Clever. Black will try to sneak his queen in to h3.} 45. Qf1 Qe8 46. a4
Qd7 47. Qg2 {I thought I could hold off his attack on the kingside. But I
worried that White is too tied down to the defense of his King to create any
winning chances.} Re8 48. Rh1 Nf8 49. Kg1 {I am starting to feel better - the
rook can cover the h3 invasion square and the pawn on h4. Normally rooks are
not great defensive pieces, but this one is earning its keep.} Ng6 50. Qh2 Bc7
51. Qf2 Qd8 52. Bxc7 Qxc7 53. Nb5 Qd7 54. Nbxd6 Rd8 55. Qb6 Ne7 56. Kg2 Ng6 $2
57. Nxc8 Rxc8 58. Qxg6 Rxc4 59. bxc4 Qxa4 60. Qe6+ Kh7 61. g6+ Kh6 62. Qxe5 (
62. Qf5 {and White will checkmate with Qf5-g5}) 62... Qc2+ 63. Kh3 1-0

[Event "Oregon Senior Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2023.05.07"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Gibbins, Wilson"]
[Black "Heywood, Bill"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B38"]
[WhiteElo "2221"]
[BlackElo "2000"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2023.05.05"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]

{[%evp 0,72,19,-12,11,14,15,-3,-16,-40,18,28,31,30,26,23,61,52,64,54,26,23,37,
25,73,41,72,43,47,52,62,75,104,83,77,77,67,57,97,53,27,33,-1,-1,88,92,83,92,92,
69,75,65,101,114,146,144,144,125,111,118,122,105,139,140,162,175,196,169,169,
47,46,50,50,44,42] I have 4 points, Bill has 3.5, nobody else has more than 3.
I need only a draw to win the tournament and qualify for the Irwin.} 1. c4 c5
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. e4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 {I was happy to
reach a position that I had a lot of experience with and knew many of the
tricks that Black might try. But I had forgotten that most of my games in this
line run as follows: 1. I get an advantage   2. I overextend and get into
trouble   3. My opponent gets a lot of counterplay, often based on playing the
f7-f5 break.   4. I somehow find a way to struggle back to a draw. That script
provides more drama than I want at this point, but it will achieve the goal.}
Qa5 8. Nb3 Qd8 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O d6 11. f3 Bd7 12. Qd2 Rc8 13. Rac1 b6 14. Nd5
({Stockfish playfully suggests} 14. Na1 {as c2 is a better square for the
knight than b3, confirming that Bill's 7...Qa5 move, luring the knight to b3
had merit.}) 14... e6 {Surprisingly enough, Stockfish agrees with Bill that
Black's best move is to sacrifice the d-pawn for a little compensation.} 15.
Nxf6+ {Grabbing the pawn on d6 keeps an advantage for White.} Qxf6 16. Rc2 Qe7
17. Rd1 Rfd8 18. Qxd6 Qe8 19. Qg3 $2 {I had played the opening quickly and had
not really engaged by brain yet. The queen isn't in danger yet, but I was
trying to avoid accidents. I wasn't worried, as I thougth most of Black's
pieces are passively placed, especially the bishop on d7. Once again, the
stupid python is munching on a pawn, oblivious to the threat of the alligator
biting back.} (19. Qa3 {keeps the knight off b4, but feels like it risks
trapping my queen with a later Bg7-f8 by Black. It doesn't win the queen yet.}
Bf8 20. c5 {feels a little awkward for White but is still OK according to
Stockfish.}) (19. Rcd2 {is the most practical move, keeping the Nc6-b4 move
from gaining time on the rook on c2.} Bf8 20. Qg3 Bb4 21. Rc2 e5 {Black has
some play for his pawn.}) 19... Nb4 $1 {Chomp!} 20. Rcd2 Ba4 $1 {and Black
threatens Nxa2. Stockfish says equal, but White has to be careful.} 21. Qh4 {
I was happy to find this move - it mostly holds the balance. One of my
problems is defending the pawn on b2. Black will have to temporarily concede
the d-file or block the bishop's attack on b2.} ({Stockfish says} 21. Qg5 {
is a slightly more accurate version of White's idea}) 21... f6 (21... Rxd2 22.
Rxd2 Nxa2 23. Nd4 {is roughly equal, which I consider an achievement after my
shaky 19.Qg3 move.}) 22. Rxd8 (22. e5 $5) 22... Rxd8 23. Rxd8 Qxd8 24. Nd4 Qd6
25. a3 {I have weasled out of my problems.} Na6 26. b4 $16 f5 $6 {weakening,
but a good try to confuse the issue.} 27. exf5 exf5 28. Nb5 ({I didn't see that
} 28. c5 bxc5 29. Ne6 {is winning for White.} Qxe6 $2 30. Bc4) 28... Bxb5 29.
cxb5 Nc7 30. Qc4+ Ne6 31. Qc6 {This move is correct, but I regretted it after
making it. My bishops had been doing a great job defending all the entry
squares for White's queen that I hadn't noticed that they were a little
exposed after trading pawns on the e-file.} Qe5 32. Qe8+ Bf8 33. Kf2 f4 34. Bd2
$5 {Loses the advantage but wins the tournament.} (34. Bc1 $1 $16) (34. Bxf4
Qxf4 35. Qxe6+ Kg7 36. g3) 34... Qd4+ 35. Ke1 Qa1+ 36. Kf2 Qd4+ {and Bill made
me the offer of a draw and a trip to the 2023 Irwin} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Oregon Senior Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2023.05.07"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Katz, Stewart"]
[Black "Burris, Chris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B28"]
[WhiteElo "1840"]
[BlackElo "1686"]
[Annotator "Stewart Katz"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2023.05.05"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]

{[%evp 0,80,19,31,72,53,70,33,88,69,58,44,27,20,2,2,3,30,27,9,53,32,59,14,60,
64,51,40,26,34,80,88,82,84,78,84,79,62,90,69,108,95,87,21,93,121,113,113,251,
107,104,98,101,90,141,130,125,145,141,124,129,124,124,124,137,95,197,120,123,
95,103,96,178,114,211,123,141,242,356,352,463,463,482]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3.
g3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Qxd4 Nf6 6. e5 Nc6 7. Qf4 Nd5 8. Qe4 e6 9. c4 Nde7 10. Nc3
Bg7 11. Bg2 O-O 12. O-O d6 13. Bf4 dxe5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Nc6 16. Bxg7
Kxg7 17. Rfd1 Qc7 18. b3 Bd7 19. Qe3 Rfd8 20. Ne4 Be8 21. Qc3+ (21. c5 $140 {
Nd6}) 21... Qe5 22. Qxe5+ Nxe5 23. Nd6 Rd7 24. Nxe8+ $5 {I can't explain just
not picking up the b7 pawn immediately. Not as though the bishop on e8 is
well-placed.} Rxe8 25. Rxd7 Nxd7 26. Bxb7 Re7 $2 (26... Nc5 27. Bf3) 27. Bxa6
Nc5 28. Bb5 Ra7 29. b4 $2 {Much better was Rb1 keeping the passed pawns
connected. Black can go ahead and pickup the a and f pawns,} Nd3 30. a4 Nxb4
31. c5 Nd5 32. c6 Nc3 33. Kg2 Kf6 34. Ra3 Nd5 35. Rd3 Nb6 36. Kf3 h5 37. Ke3 g5
38. Kd4 e5+ 39. Kc5 Nxa4+ 40. Bxa4 Rxa4 1-0

[Event "Idaho Open"]
[Site "Pocatello, ID"]
[Date "2023.05.13"]
[Round "5"]
[White "McKenzie, Niall"]
[Black "Thomas, Jeremy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C50"]
[WhiteElo "1667"]
[BlackElo "1723"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2023.05.13"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. c3
d6 9. Re1 Be6 ({Black offers to allow doubled e-pawns to alleviate the
pressure from the c4-bishop.^^There are dozens of subtleties in these "quiet"
Italian openings. Should Black play} 9... g5 {, here or perhaps back on move
7? Do the a-pawns advance, and if so, one or two squares? Should Black remove
the c4-bishop with ...Na5? Is it bad to allow doubled f-pawns, after something
like Bg5/Nc3/Nd5/xf6, or does the open g-file give Black attacking chances?
Does White end up retreating the bishop from c4 back to c2, or allow it to be
exchanged? Does White pin with Bg5? When challenged, retreat to h4 and g3?
Which side advances the d-pawn into the center?}) 10. Bb3 ({White should
seriously consider} 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. d4 $14 {.}) 10... Bg4 {Black took a
weird little stutter-step en route to the g4-pin, but it''s hard to describe
it as a simple loss of time as White also spent a move retreating the
c4-bishop.} 11. Nbd2 a6 12. Qc2 $6 ({Cuts off the bishop's natural retreat and
prematurely commits the queen to a square that isn't clearly ideal.} 12. h3 Bh5
13. g4 Bg6 14. Bg3 $14) 12... Nd7 (12... Nh5) 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. d4 Na5 15. Qd3
Bxf3 16. Nxf3 Nxb3 17. axb3 c6 18. b4 exd4 $6 (18... Rfe8 {remains roughly
balanced. White seems to have a little more space, but Black has comfortable
capacity after the previous exchanges.}) 19. Nxd4 g6 20. Qe3 Kh7 21. f4 $5 c5
$6 22. bxc5 dxc5 $6 (22... Nxc5 23. b4 Ne6 24. Rad1 $14) 23. Nf3 b6 $6 $16 {
Black has created a number of small weaknesses in his position, and his king
is slightly less safe. White's pieces are well-coordinated.} 24. Red1 $6 (24.
e5 $16) 24... a5 25. e5 Rfd8 26. Rd2 $6 ({Doubling the rooks is likely to lead
to exchanging all of them on the d-file, which tends to reduce White's ability
to pressure weaknesses and advance pawns.} 26. h3 Nf8 27. Nd2 f5 28. Nc4) (26.
f5 $5) 26... Nf8 27. Rad1 Ne6 $6 (27... b5) (27... Rxd2 28. Nxd2 (28. Rxd2 $6
Rd8) 28... Rd8 29. Re1 f5 30. Nc4 Ne6 $14 31. Nxb6 $6 Qb7 32. Nc4 Qb5) 28. Rd6
$1 Ra7 $2 (28... Nd4 $5 29. Qd3 $1 Nxf3+ 30. Qxf3 $16) 29. Qe4 (29. f5 $1 gxf5
30. Qd3 $16) 29... Rad7 30. f5 Rxd6 $4 (30... Nf8 $16) 31. Rxd6 $2 (31. exd6 $1
Rxd6 32. Rxd6 Qxd6 33. fxe6 $18) 31... gxf5 32. Qxf5+ Kg8 33. Qd3 Kf8 $2 (33...
b5 $13) 34. Qh7 $1 Ke8 35. Rxd8+ $2 ({Much better:} 35. Rxb6 $16) ({Also
interesting:} 35. Qg8+ Qf8 (35... Nf8 $2 36. Rxh6 Rd1+ 37. Kf2 b5 38. Ra6 $18 {
Black has nothing going on, and the white h-pawn plans a run to promotion.})
36. Rxe6+ $5 (36. Qxf8+ Kxf8 37. Rxb6 $14) 36... fxe6 37. Qxe6+ Qe7 38. Qxb6
$14) 35... Qxd8 36. Qxh6 Qd1+ 37. Kf2 b5 38. Qd2 Qb3 39. h4 Qc4 (39... b4) 40.
g3 (40. h5) 40... Ng7 $4 (40... b4 41. h5 {, according to Stockfish. Still a
battle.}) 41. h5 $6 (41. Ng5 $1) 41... Qg4 $2 ({Black trusts his opponent.
White's idea was that after} 41... Nxh5 42. Qg5 {scoops the knight. However}
Qb3 43. Qxh5 Qxb2+ 44. Kg1 Qxc3 $14 {and it is not clear how White will
convert the extra piece into a full point.}) 42. h6 $2 (42. Qd3 c4 43. Qd4 $16)
42... Nf5 43. Qg5 Qxg5 44. Nxg5 Nxh6 45. Kf3 Ke7 46. Ne4 c4 (46... Ke6 47.
Nxc5+ (47. Kf4 c4 48. Nd6 f6 $1) 47... Kxe5 48. Nb3 a4 49. Nd4 b4 (49... Kd5
50. Nxb5 Kc4 51. Nd4 Kd3 52. Kf4 f6) 50. Nc6+ Kd5 51. Nxb4+ Kc4 {Perhaps
surprisingly, all of these endings are drawn even with the extra white pawn,
due to the activity of the black king and the reduced material.} 52. Kf4 f6 53.
Ke4 (53. g4 Nf7 54. Kf5 Nh6+) 53... Nf7 54. Kf5 Nd6+ 55. Kxf6 Ne4+ 56. Ke6 Nxg3
) 47. Nd6 f6 $4 (47... Ke6 48. Ke4 $14) 48. Nxb5 fxe5 $2 (48... Nf7 49. exf6+
Kxf6 50. Ke4 Ne5 51. Nd6 Ke6 52. Nb7 Nd3 53. Nxa5 Nxb2 54. Kd4 {should also be
a technical win for White.}) 49. Na3 Ke6 50. Nxc4 a4 51. Nb6 a3 52. bxa3 Kd6
53. Ke4 Kc5 54. Nd7+ Kc4 55. a4 Nf7 56. Nxe5+ 1-0

[Event "Idaho Open"]
[Site "Pocatello, ID"]
[Date "2023.05.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Morrow, Hans"]
[Black "McKenzie, Niall"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "1900"]
[BlackElo "1667"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2023.05.13"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. g3 ({Three other moves are more popular and likely
better:} 3. Nf3) (3. e4) (3. d4) 3... d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. d4 {Otherwise Black
will gain space with ...d4.} Bd6 6. Bg2 c6 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bg5 h6 (8... Nbd7 9.
O-O h6 $15) 9. Bd2 (9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. O-O Re8 11. Re1 {White will achieve e2-e4
with activity to compensate for the bishop-pair and the slight weakness of d4.}
) 9... Bf5 10. O-O Re8 11. Re1 $6 {White is now quite unlikely to be able to
force e2-e4.} (11. Bf4 $5) 11... Nbd7 12. Nh4 Bh7 13. e3 Ne4 ({Black can
approach this position more slowly, systematically improving his pieces and
gaining space before commiting to central action.} 13... a5 14. Bh3 b5 15. Bf5
Bxf5 16. Nxf5 Bf8 $15 {The d2-bishop is the worst piece on the board.}) 14.
Bxe4 $2 (14. Bh3 $15) 14... Bxe4 $2 (14... dxe4 $17 {White's bishop and
h4-knight are inferior.}) 15. Nxe4 Rxe4 $6 (15... dxe4) 16. Nf3 Qf6 17. Kg2 Qg6
18. Bc3 h5 19. Nd2 $6 (19. Qc2 Rae8 20. Nd2 R4e6 21. Qxg6 Rxg6 22. e4) 19...
Re6 20. Qe2 $2 (20. Qb1 $15) 20... Rae8 21. Rac1 h4 22. a3 Nf6 23. b4 $2 (23.
Bb4 Bc7) 23... Ne4 $2 (23... Nh5 $1 {targets the g3-square and threatens ...
Nf4+.}) 24. Nxe4 Rxe4 ({Or} 24... Qxe4+ 25. f3 Qh7 26. Qc2 Qh6 {and White is
in deep trouble.}) 25. Qd3 Qg5 (25... Qf5 26. f3 $2 hxg3 27. hxg3 Bxg3 $19) 26.
Bd2 hxg3 $2 (26... R8e6 {builds the attack, as the rook sacrifice after} 27. f3
hxg3 28. fxe4 gxh2+ 29. Kh1 Rg6 {is sound.} 30. Qe2 Qh4 31. Qf3 Rg3 $19) 27.
hxg3 R8e6 $2 (27... Rg4 $17) 28. Rh1 Rg6 29. Rh3 Rh6 30. Rch1 Rxh3 31. Rxh3 {
The Black attack has dissipated largely due to the premature opening of the
h-file.} Qg6 32. f3 Re6 33. Qxg6 Rxg6 34. f4 f5 35. Rh5 Rf6 36. Kf3 g6 37. Rg5
$4 ({So the game is finallly determined by a blunder, self-entombing the rook.
} 37. Rh1 {is quite equal.}) 37... Bf8 38. a4 Bh6 39. a5 Bxg5 40. fxg5 Rf7 41.
Kf4 Re7 42. b5 cxb5 43. Bb4 Re4+ 44. Kf3 Kf7 45. Bc5 b6 46. axb6 axb6 47. Bxb6
b4 48. Bc5 b3 49. Ba3 Re6 50. Bb2 Rc6 0-1

[Event "Washington Open"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2023.05.27"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Murray, David"]
[Black "Jones, Davey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D00"]
[WhiteElo "1824"]
[BlackElo "1691"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2023.05.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 $5 (3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3) 3... d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. Nb5 (5.
e3 O-O 6. Be2 c5 7. Ne5) 5... Na6 6. e3 O-O 7. h3 c6 8. Nc3 Nc7 9. Bd3 Ne6 10.
Be5 c5 11. O-O b6 12. b3 Bb7 13. Na4 Rc8 14. Qe2 $6 (14. dxc5 bxc5 15. c4 $5)
14... Ne4 (14... c4 $5 15. bxc4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Rxc4 $5 18. Qxc4
Qd7 19. Nc3 (19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nc3 Ng5) 19... Rc8 20. Qd3 Ng5 21. Bxf6 {
and now, for example,} Rxc3 22. Qxc3 Bxf6 23. f4 Qxh3 24. fxg5 Qg4+ {with
perpetual check.}) (14... cxd4 15. Nxd4 (15. exd4 Bh6 $15 {White's offside
knight is a problem.}) 15... Nc5 16. Nxc5 bxc5 17. Nf3 c4 18. bxc4 dxc4 19.
Bxc4 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Rc5 {, and Black has definite compensation for the pawn and
bishop pair.}) 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. c4 cxd4 17. cxd5 $6 (17. Nxd4 dxc4 ({or} 17...
Nxd4 18. exd4 Bc6) 18. Nxe6+ fxe6 $13) 17... Bxd5 (17... Qxd5 18. Bc4 Qf5 $15)
18. Nxd4 Nxd4 19. Qb2 $2 ({Perhaps a bit too fancy. Simply recapturing with} 
19. exd4 Nf6 $15 {does leave White defending the IQP position, though.}) 19...
f6 $2 (19... e5 $1 20. exd4 Qg5 $1 $17 {and suddenly Black is developing a
serious kingside initiative.}) 20. exd4 Qd7 21. Rfe1 Ng5 22. Re3 Rc7 $6 (22...
Ne6 $13 {eyes f4.}) 23. Rae1 e6 24. Nc3 Bc6 25. h4 Nf7 26. Ne4 $6 (26. Ne2 $14
{with better coordination.}) 26... Qd5 $4 (26... Bxe4 {removes White's most
threatening piece.}) 27. Bc4 Qd7 (27... Qd8 28. Nxf6 $1 Bxg2 (28... Qxf6 29.
Rxe6 {and 30.d5+ to follow.}) (28... b5 29. Rxe6 bxc4 (29... Nh6 30. d5 Rxf6
31. Rxf6 Qxf6 32. Qxf6+ Kxf6 33. Re6+ Kg7 34. Rxc6) 30. d5 Kh6 31. dxc6) 29.
Nh5+ gxh5 30. Rg3+ Kh8 31. Kxg2) 28. Nxf6 Kxf6 29. Rxe6+ (29. d5+ {is
similarly decisive.}) 29... Kg7 30. d5+ Kg8 31. dxc6 Rxc6 32. Re7 Qf5 33. Rxf7
$1 {Although Stockfish prefers continued queen maneuvers with 33.Qd4, the
capture on f7 wins the queen or checkmates, delivering instant clarity.} 1-0

[Event "Washington Open"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2023.05.31"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Saravanan, Sujan"]
[Black "Toppen-Ryan, Harrison"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "1701"]
[BlackElo "1930"]
[Annotator "Harrison Toppen-Ryan"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2023.05.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 {A lot of club players love playing the Alapin Sicilian as
White. It was a popular opening at the Bellingham open as well. I've seen this
played against me more times than any other variation besides the mainline 2.
Nf3 and 3.d4 open Sicilian.} Nf6 (2... d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 {This is the more
popular line black can try. I decided to play 2.Nf6 instead as it's more
advanced and more comfortable for black in my opinion.}) 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nf3 Nc6
5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 d6 7. exd6 Qxd6 8. O-O g6 (8... c4 9. Bc2 Bg4 {Is black's
main try. Probably better then the g6 plan that I went for.}) 9. d4 cxd4 10.
Nxd4 Nxd4 11. cxd4 Bg7 12. Qf3 $6 {Here I wasn't so sure about White's plan
here going for the IQP, as it will always be a target for black in this kind
of middlegame.} O-O 13. Rd1 Qf6 14. Qg3 Bf5 15. Bg5 Qd6 16. Qxd6 exd6 17. Nc3
Rfc8 18. Nb5 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Rxc4 20. b3 {Here I thought I was losing had white
took my d6 pawn. Apparently computer thinks its about equal.} (20. Nxd6 Rxd4
21. Rxd4 Bxd4 22. Nxf5 gxf5 $14) 20... Rc6 21. Bf4 Bf8 $6 {This move seemed
passive by me. I should have played more actively with:} (21... Rd8 22. Nxa7
Rb6 $1 $15) 22. d5 Rb6 23. a4 $1 {This is the critical position of this game.
24.Be3 trapping rook is coming if black doesn't act immediately. To the reader:
Right here, right now, you and I... What would you play here without looking
at the next move?} Bc2 $1 24. Rd2 Bg7 $1 {The only moves to keep black in the
game. White is still slightly better here if white plays correctly.} 25. Rf1 $4
{This was the game turning move. The move Rc1 looks natural and is in fact the
correct move to play. What my opponent probably thought that after:} (25. Rc1
Bxb3 26. Be3 Bxa4 27. Bxb6 axb6 {It looks white white can't stop both Bxb5 or
Bh6 but after:} 28. Ra2 $1 $16 {And black has nothing for the exchange. My
oppoent had to see all of this before playing Rc1 however.}) 25... Bxb3 26. Be3
$2 {Going for the plan now doesn't work. Since Bxb5 will hit the rook on f1.}
Bxa4 27. Bxb6 Bxb5 28. Rb1 $2 axb6 $1 $19 {Game over. White cannot take on b5
as Ra1 will be checkmate.} 29. g3 Ra1 30. Rdd1 Rxb1 31. Rxb1 Bc4 32. Rxb6 Bxd5
33. Rxd6 Bc6 {The rest of the game will be a pretty show of how 2 bishops +
pawn > one rook.} 34. Rd8+ Bf8 35. Kf1 Kg7 36. Ke2 {The b5 pawn now has a red
carpet to promote to a queen. White puts up as much resistance as he can but
the result will be never be in doubt.} b5 37. Kd3 b4 38. Kc4 Bg2 39. Rd4 Bf1+
40. Kb3 Ba6 41. Rd8 Bb7 42. Kc4 Bf3 43. Rd4 h5 44. h4 Bg4 45. Kb3 Be6+ 46. Kb2
Kh6 47. Kb1 b3 48. f3 Bg7 {The bishops are snipers.} 0-1

[Event "Washington Open"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2023.05.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "He, Daniel"]
[Black "Anoop, Pranav K."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2352"]
[BlackElo "2134"]
[Annotator "Daniel He"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2023.05.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {The trendy Rossolimo variation} g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3
e5 {One of the two main options by Black to deal with d4} (5... Nf6 6. Re1 O-O
7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 d5 9. e5 Ne4 {The other option which leads to more Closed
structures but White does have the extra central space}) 6. d4 {Sacrificing a
pawn for dynamics, which highlights the risk of Black's e5 move while he
remains uncastled.} cxd4 7. cxd4 exd4 8. Bf4 {The idea is I can ensure a Bd6
next move, hindering Black's development of the queenside} a6 $1 {More precise
than Nge7. Black forces me to reveal if I will retreat the bishop to a4 or c4
first} (8... Nge7 $6 9. Bd6 a6 10. Bc4 {Now that Black cannot play d6, Bc4 is
the better square for the bishop, putting pressure on the a2-g8 diagonal once
Black gets castled.}) (8... d6 $2 9. Nxd4) 9. Ba4 (9. Bc4 $6 {Bc4 here is no
longer effective because Black can simply play d6} d6) 9... Nge7 10. Bd6 b5 11.
Bb3 Bb7 12. Re1 Nc8 {Inviting e5 where he's forced to play Kf8 and leading to
wild imbalances} 13. e5 Nxd6 14. exd6+ Kf8 {We reach the end of the opening
stage with quite an imbalanced position! Statics favor Black with the bishop
pair and an extra pawn. However, White has a lead in development and Black's
king is stuck in the center, so it is essential to capitalize on the dynamics
before Black coordinates his pieces. It is interesting to note how the d6 pawn
could either be a strength or a weakness. If Black manages to win it, my
entire attack fizzles out. Otherwise, it is a big thorn in his position.} 15.
Nbd2 f5 $5 {Looks very counterintuitive opening up the only key diagonal in
front of his king. But with further analysis, if Black manages to stop my
initiative and get in the moves Bf6 and Kg7, he's totally fine and now owns an
extra pawn and the bishop pair. I had to act fast} (15... Bf6 16. Ne4 {I had
expected Bf6, but after Ne4-Nc5, there is more than enough positional
compensation for the pawn}) 16. a4 $6 {Played this move with the intention of
dropping my bishop back followed by Qb3 to further pressure the weak a2-g1
diagonal and open up the queenside. However, it was a bit slow} (16. Bd5 Bf6
17. Nb3 {It turns out the most ambitious plan is to create counterplay on the
queenside with Nb3-Nc5, really disrupting his development.}) 16... Bf6 17. h4
Kg7 18. Ng5 $5 {The idea behind h4. White offers another pawn to swap off
Black's most valuable defender: the dark squared bishop. If accepted, the e7
square is ready for invasion.} Rf8 {Black decides to keep his dark squared
bishop and slowly untangle with Qb8 followed by Qxd6. Once my d6 pawn drops, I
am simply lost.} (18... Bxg5 19. hxg5 Qxg5 20. Bd5 {The move I planned on
playing with ideas of both plugging the long diagonal and threatening Bxc6
followed by Re7+} Qf4 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Re7+ Kh6 (22... Kf8 23. Qb3) 23. Ra3 $5
{Bringing the other rook in the game laterally. It gets quite messy here with
Rh3+ coming and Black's rooks can hardly join the defense. Practically, I
ended my calculation here concluding Black should not enter this line}) 19. Qe2
{Indirectly preventing d6 by threatening to take twice on b5} Qb6 {Black just
needs one move, Ne5, to win d6 and catch up on development. I knew I had to
act fast here} (19... Qb8 20. axb5 axb5 21. Qxb5 Qxd6 22. Qxb7 Rfb8 23. Qxa8 $1
{Black's back rank is too weak}) 20. Rac1 {Ideas of Rxc6 in the air} (20. a5
Qc5 21. Qe6 $5 {I was pumped when I saw this Qe6 idea, but unfortunately, Bc8
holds for Black no matter how hard I tried to make it work.} Bc8 $3 (21... dxe6
22. Nxe6+ Kh8 23. Nxc5 {I simplify into a winning endgame, and the passed
d-pawn wins the game.})) 20... Rac8 $4 {Completely missing my point} (20... Ne5
21. Rc7 {Threat of Ne6+ and creating pressure on the 7th rank}) (20... Rae8 {
Moving a rook to e8 forces me to sacrifice my queen in exchange for both rooks.
Given Black's king is nearly enclosed in a mating net, I was optimistic about
my chances} 21. Qxe8 Rxe8 22. Rxe8 Kh6 23. Ndf3 {Rf8 is next followed by Rf7})
21. Rxc6 $3 {Removing the key defender of the e7 square. Black has 4 ways to
recapture and none of them save him} Qxc6 (21... Rxc6 {With Rxc6, he does have
the option of blocking the check with Rc4, but fortunately, Nxc4 comes with a
key tempo on Black's queen} 22. Qe7+ Bxe7 23. Rxe7+ Rf7 24. Rxf7+ Kg8 25. Rxd7+
Rc4 26. Nxc4 bxc4 27. Bxc4+ Kf8 28. Nxh7+ Ke8 29. Nf6+ Kf8 30. Rf7#) 22. Qe7+
Bxe7 23. Rxe7+ Rf7 {Only try to not get mated right away} (23... Kh6 24. Rxh7#)
(23... Kf6 24. Nxh7# {Funny how the d6 pawn wins the game for me as the rook
on e7 is defended!}) (23... Kh8 24. Rxh7#) 24. Rxf7+ Kg8 (24... Kh6 25. Rxh7#)
25. Rxd7+ Kf8 {Only other moves are blocking the check with the queen, leading
to material gain} 26. Nxh7+ Ke8 27. Nf6+ Kf8 28. Rf7# {Nice mating net to
finish} 1-0

[Event "Washington Open"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2023.05.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kolar, Jonah"]
[Black "Certain, Malcolm"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B18"]
[WhiteElo "1329"]
[BlackElo "1170"]
[Annotator "Malcolm Certain"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2023.05.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "40/7200+10:1800+10"]

1. e4 c6 {The Caro-Kann, which I hadn't played for a while but picked back up
for this tournament as a safe option against 1.e4.} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 {The main
line.} dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 {Classical variation.} 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 h6 $4 {
Already a big mistake. I was attempting to give a square for my Bishop to
retreat after Ne5, but 7.Ne5 creates big problems after ...Bh7, as White gains
a massive attack on f7 that leads to a winning position. Fortunately, my
opponent missed the idea.} 7. Bc4 $2 (7. Ne5 Bh7 8. Qh5 g6 9. Qf3 Nf6 10. Qb3
Nd5 11. Qxb7 {Here I would have to choose between losing the Rook and taking
on a massive attack here, giving White a huge advantage.}) 7... e6 8. O-O Nf6
9. Re1 Bd6 $1 {I finally prevented Ne5 ideas, and kept White from developing
his dark-squared Bishop to f4.} 10. c3 O-O 11. a4 Qc7 12. Be3 Nbd7 13. Qd2 {
Not a bad move from White, but it allowed a lot of pressure to be placed on
his position down the d-file. e2 was perhaps a safer square for the Queen.}
Rfd8 14. Re2 $2 {With my Rook now aligned with White's Queen, 14.Re2 was too
slow of an idea. It allows for me to play 14...c5 and favorably open the
position.} c5 15. Bb3 $2 {15.Bd3 to prevent tactics and trade light-squared
Bishops would have been stronger.} cxd4 16. Bxd4 $4 {In order to maintain a
reasonable position, White had to take back with the pawn and accept worse
pawn structure. After 16...Bf4, I would have a more active position and could
harass White's pieces perpetually.} Bxg3 $4 {Here I went for a tactical
combination that I thought would win me a piece, but ultimately blundered away
my advantage. I missed the critical resource for White 19.Qf4, which allowed
my opponent to salvage equality.} (16... Bf4 17. Qd1 {17.Be3 loses to ...Bxg3
18.hxg3 Nc5, and 17.Qe1 allows ...Bd3, winning the exchange.} e5 18. Be3 Nc5
19. Rd2 {The most testing defensive line, this still would have led to
multiple pinned pieces and a very passive game for White. With best play, this
is a winning position for Black.}) 17. hxg3 e5 {Attacking the pinned bishop.
If it moves away, say 18.Be3, ...Nc5 wins either the bishop on b3 or the queen.
Thus, 18.Nxe5 is forced.} 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Qf4 $1 {The critical move for
White that I had missed. Every other move lets me remain up a piece, which I
had calculated when I played 16...Bxg3.19.Qf4 escapes the pin on the d4 Bishop
while also pinning my Knight to my Queen, winning back the piece that he lost
with 18.Nxe5.} Nf3+ $1 {My only resource to maintain equality. White has to
win back his piece, so he has two options. He can either take the Knight with
his Queen and allow a skewer, or he can take with the pawn and go into an
endgame with tripled pawns after 20...Qxf4. While that endgame is technically
winning for White, it is practically very difficult to play, and so my
opponent went into the more dynamic exchange sacrifice line.} 20. Qxf3 (20.
gxf3 Qxf4 21. gxf4) 20... Bh5 21. Qd3 Bxe2 22. Qxe2 {With an extra pawn and
two powerful Bishops, White has excellent compensation for the exchange.} Re8
23. Qf3 Ne4 $2 {Not a good move. I wanted to avoid ideas of Bxf6 ruining my
pawn structure, but I shouldn't have been worried, as my Knight was much
weaker than his Bishop. Ne4 gave my opponent too much of an attack, which
ultimately cramped my position for the rest of the game. Qc6 would have been
better; it offers a Queen trade and defends my Knight.} 24. Qg4 Ng5 {The only
reasonable way to defend against checkmate on g7.} 25. f4 Ne6 $1 {The only
move to maintain equality, though practically the position was very difficult
for me to play. The other candidate move, 25...Re4, loses back the exchange
and giving White a passed pawn.} (25... Re4 26. Qf5 Rxd4 27. cxd4) 26. Bxe6 $1
{This prevented me from removing the powerful dark-squared bishop from d4, and
gave me a weak isolated pawn on e6.} fxe6 27. Re1 Qf7 28. Re5 Rad8 29. Bxa7 Ra8
30. Bd4 Rxa4 31. f5 {This move put a lot of pressure on my position, making it
difficult for me to defend, though it is still equal with best play. I can't
take the pawn, as it would lead to a nice removing-the-defender tactic for
White.} Ra6 (31... exf5 32. Rxe8+ Qxe8 33. Qxg7#) 32. b4 {A waiting move with
possible ideas of eventually forcing my Rook off the sixth rank with Bc5 and
b5.} Re7 {I'm now threatening to take on f5, as the Rook now defends g7 and
can no longer be captured with check.} 33. Bc5 $4 {This move leads to a losing
position for White. Unfortunately, I missed the combination that would give me
an edge. I didn't see a good response after 33...exf5 34.Rxf5 (which my
opponent said after the game is what he would have played after exf5), missing
ideas of Qa2+. Other options for White lead to a trade of rooks and a worse
endgame.} Rd7 $4 {Missing the winning idea.} (33... exf5 34. Rxf5 Ra1+ {
35.Kh2 gets caught in a mating net after ...Ree1.} 35. Kf2 Qa2+ 36. Kf3 Qe2+
37. Kf4 Re4#) 34. Rxe6 $4 {This gives me an opportunity to gain substantial
counterplay. Best is the prophylactic move 34.Kh2, prevenging Ra1 from coming
with tempo.} Ra1+ $2 {The tricky 34...h5 would have been a better resource
here, as it forces a trade of both Rooks and Queens. Still, Ra1+ gives a
modest advantage for Black.} (34... h5 35. Qe4 {The Rook has to remain twice
defended.} Rxe6 36. Qxe6 {If 36.fxe6, White once again falls into a mating net
after ...Ra1+ 37.Kh2 Qf1.} Qxe6 37. fxe6 Rd3) 35. Kf2 Rd5 36. f6 Rg5 $4 {
Giving away the advantage. I missed White's next move here, as I thought the
Qh3 was forced in order to defend the Rook. Best was instead 36...Rd2+ 37.Ke3
Rdd1, giving me powerful defended Rooks to attack White's King.} (36... Rd2+
37. Ke3 Rdd1 38. Kf3 g6 {The only move to maintain my advantage in this line,
and one that's very difficult to play, as it gives White a passed pawn and
allows him to gain access to the seventh rank.}) 37. Qe4 $1 {The only move. It
maintains defense of the Rook while also threatening the powerful 38.Re1+.} Rg6
$4 {Right idea, wrong execution. Better was 37...Qg6, offering a Queen trade
in addition to blocking access to h7. Fortunately, my opponent missed the
critical 38.Bd4 to defend the pawn and keep a powerful grip on my position.}
38. Ke2 $4 {Unpinning the f-pawn, but giving away the potential for a sizeable
advantage after 38.Bd4.} Ra2+ 39. Ke1 $1 {Giving the King access to f2. Every
other square allows too much counterplay with ideas of Rxg3 and Qa2+ if Re7 is
played. With the King on e1, Ra1+ can be met with Kf2, attacking the Rook on
g3. An alternate line is given below showing the problems with moving the King
elsewhere.} (39. Kd1 Ra8 40. Bd4 Rxg3 41. Re7 Ra1+ 42. Kd2 Qa2+ 43. Qc2 Rxg2+)
39... Qd7 $4 {The losing move. I attempted to get counterplay by threatening
checkmate, but I missed White's response.} 40. f7+ $1 {Punishing my mistake.}
Qxf7 41. Qxg6 Qxg6 42. Rxg6 {White enters the endgame up a Bishop, giving him
a clear winning advantage.} Kf7 {I played on to get some kind of chances, but
I knew the position was lost.} 43. Rb6 Rxg2 44. Rxb7+ Kf6 45. Bd4+ Kf5 46. Rxg7
Ke4 47. b5 Kd5 48. b6 h5 49. b7 Rb2 50. Ba7 {Here I resigned, as White was
going to promote.} 1-0

[Event "Washington Open"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2023.05.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White " June, Peter"]
[Black "Toppen-Ryan, Harrison"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "1964"]
[BlackElo "1930"]
[Annotator "Harrison Toppen-Ryan"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2023.05.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 {Sicilian Kalashnikov Variation} 5.
Nb5 d6 6. c4 {A popular sideline among Maróczy Bind players. The mainline
continues:} (6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 b5) 6... Be7 {Waiting to play a6 until white
plays N1c3 so that the b5 knight will be forced to go back to a3.} 7. N1c3 a6
8. Na3 {Black has three choices here. The normal looking 8.Nf6, the
professional 8.Be6 or the chaotic evil 8.f5!?. Guess which one I went with.} f5
$5 9. exf5 {Taking on f5 immediately is the correct move here. Many players
will not take and instead go into:} (9. Bd3 f4 10. g3 Nf6 $5 11. gxf4 exf4 12.
Bxf4 O-O 13. Bg3 Ng4 14. Be2 Nxf2 $3 15. Bxf2 Rxf2 $3 16. Kxf2 $4 Bh4+ 17. Ke3
Qg5+ 18. Kd3 Nb4+ 19. Kd4 $7 Bf2#) 9... Bxf5 10. Bd3 Be6 {Black should not be
trading light square bishops here, as if white every plays Nd5 then black will
have Bxd5 later on.} 11. O-O Nf6 12. Nc2 O-O 13. Bg5 {Now I've reached the end
of my prep. White most popular try is:} (13. b3 Kh8 $13) 13... Ne8 14. Qh5 Bf5
$6 {I considered g6 here of course, but I missed the Bf5 idea at the very end
which saves black.} (14... g6 15. Bxg6 $2 hxg6 16. Qxg6+ Ng7 17. Bh6 Rf7 18.
Bxg7 Bf5 $1 $19) 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16. Rad1 Nf6 17. Qe2 Qb6 {Threatening Bg5
winning material.} 18. Ne3 Be6 19. Ne4 Nc6 20. Nd5 $6 {Here was where white
began to go wrong in his position. Since now when white has a pawn on d5 then
black no longer has any weaknesses on d6 due to white's own d5 pawn acting as
a blockade.} (20. b3 Nd4) 20... Bxd5 21. cxd5 Nd4 22. Nxf6+ Rxf6 23. Qe4 g6 24.
g3 $2 {White wants to stop Rf4 ideas but severely weakens the f3 square in the
process. Computer gives:} (24. Qe3 Rf4 25. Qd2 Raf8 26. Rc1) 24... Raf8 $6 {
I though that move was natural but even stronger was:} (24... Nf3+ 25. Kg2 Qxb2
26. Qe2 Qxe2 27. Bxe2 Nd4) 25. b3 Rf3 26. Be2 Rc3 27. Bg4 Qc5 28. Be6+ $6 (28.
Kh1) 28... Kg7 29. Rd3 $4 {Now the computer really likes Nf3+ here but I
thought they way I played was also alright.} Rc2 (29... Nf3+ 30. Kg2 Rxd3 31.
Qxd3 Ne1+ $3) 30. Rxd4 $6 exd4 31. Qh4 Rf6 32. g4 h6 33. Re1 d3 34. Bf5 Rc1 35.
Rxc1 Qxc1+ 36. Kg2 gxf5 0-1

[Event "Washington Open"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2023.05.31"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Seshadri, Sridhar"]
[Black "Toppen-Ryan, Harrison"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "1700"]
[BlackElo "1930"]
[Annotator "Harrison Toppen-Ryan"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2023.05.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The 4th most played move and a sidelines that
can confuse Sicilian Rossolimo players.} 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg4 6. Be3 Nd7 7.
Nbd2 e5 8. h3 Bh5 9. g4 Bg6 10. Nc4 f6 11. Qd2 Qc7 12. a4 Bf7 13. Na3 Bd6 14.
Nh4 Nf8 15. Nf5 Ne6 {This is the set up I was going for. Black can castle on
either side of the board while also improving his knight on d7 to e6.} 16.
Nxd6+ {I was happy when this move was played since white took off my bad
dark-squared bishop for the good f5 knight.} Qxd6 17. Nc4 Qd7 18. c3 $6 {
Here this weakens the d3 pawn, which could become a target by black later
onwards.} Rd8 19. O-O-O $6 {Now black can just start a queenside attack.} b5
20. Na5 $6 {I'm not too sure about this move. White's knight will most likely
just get trapped on a5 later on, which is in fact what ended up happening.} O-O
21. h4 Qc7 22. c4 bxa4 23. g5 $6 {Here I can now actually switch my play from
center-queenside focused to center-kingside focused.} Bh5 24. Rdg1 $6 Bf3 25.
gxf6 Rxf6 26. Bg5 $6 {Here I just win material and White ends up with no
counterplay.} Nxg5 27. hxg5 Rfd6 28. g6 Bxh1 29. gxh7+ Kh8 30. Qg5 R6d7 0-1

[Event "11th Norway Blitz 2023"]
[Site "Stavanger NOR"]
[Date "2023.05.29"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2768"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2023.05.29"]
[EventType "blitz"]

{In the first round, GM Anish Giri plays solidly against GM Magnus Carlsen,
Magnus over-presses and loses material, and Giri reaches a relatively simple
winning ending -- only to blow it, allowing his last pawn to be captured.
Perhaps this set the tone for the blitz portion of the tournament, as Giri
definitely did not do well at fast chess here.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 Nf6 4.
e5 Nd5 5. Bc4 d6 6. d4 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nb6 8. Bd3 dxe5 9. dxe5 Bd7 10. O-O Bc6 11.
Nc3 N8d7 12. Be4 Bxe4 13. Nxe4 Nc5 14. Qe2 Qd3 15. Qxd3 Nxd3 16. Rd1 Nc5 17.
Nc3 Be7 18. Kf1 Rc8 19. Be3 Nc4 20. Bxc5 Rxc5 21. Ne4 Rc8 22. Rac1 O-O 23. Ke2
Nb6 (23... Nxb2 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Rd7 Rc2+ 26. Nfd2) 24. Ne1 h5 25. Nd3 Nd5 26.
g3 Kh7 27. h3 Rfd8 28. Rxc8 Rxc8 29. Rc1 Rxc1 30. Nxc1 Kg6 31. Nd3 b6 32. f4 f5
33. exf6 gxf6 34. Kf3 Nb4 35. Nxb4 Bxb4 36. g4 hxg4+ 37. hxg4 f5 38. gxf5+ exf5
39. Ng3 Kf6 40. Nf1 Ke6 41. Ng3 b5 42. b3 Be1 43. Nf1 Bb4 44. Ng3 Bd6 45. Ne2
Bc5 46. Ng3 a5 47. a4 b4 48. Ke2 Bd4 49. Kf3 Bb2 50. Ke3 Bc1+ 51. Kf3 Bd2 52.
Nf1 Be1 53. Ne3 Bc3 $4 ({This has been dead equal for quite a long time, but
Carlsen has made a living (and won the World Championship) by grinding out
just such apparently dull positions. This time his sense of danger deserts him.
} 53... Bh4 54. Nc4 Bd8) 54. Nc4 Kd5 55. Nxa5 Bd4 {diagram} 56. Ke2 $2 ({
Things start to wobble as time grows short.} 56. Nc4 Ba7 57. a5 Kd4 58. a6 Kc3
(58... Kc5 59. Ne3) 59. Na5 $18) 56... Bc5 (56... Ke4 $2 57. Nc6 Bc5 58. a5 {
was likely the reason for White's move 56.}) (56... Bg1 $1 {suggests attacking
the f-pawn from the rear, and makes it hard for White to progress.}) 57. Nc4
Ke4 58. Nb2 $2 (58. Ne5 Bd6 59. a5) 58... Bd6 59. Nd3 {diagram} Kd4 $2 ({
Surprisingly,} 59... Bc7 $1 {holds the draw.} 60. Nxb4 (60. Nc5+ Kd5 61. Na6
Bxf4 62. Nxb4+ Ke4) (60. Kd2 Ba5 61. Ne5 Bc7 62. Ke2 Bxe5 63. fxe5 Kxe5 64. Ke3
Kd5 65. Kf4 Ke6 66. a5 Kd5 67. Kxf5 Kc5 68. Ke5 Kb5 69. Kd5 Kxa5 70. Kc4 Ka6
71. Kxb4 Kb6) 60... Bxf4 61. a5 Bc7 62. Nc6 f4 63. a6 Bb6 64. a7 f3+ 65. Ke1
Bxa7 66. Nxa7 Kd4) 60. a5 Kc3 61. a6 Bb8 62. Ne5 Ba7 63. Nc6 Bc5 64. a7 Bxa7
65. Nxa7 Kxb3 66. Kd3 Ka2 67. Nb5 b3 68. Nc3+ Kb2 69. Kd2 Ka3 70. Nd1 Kb4 71.
Kd3 ({Direct and clear is} 71. Ne3 Ka3 (71... b2 72. Kc2 b1=Q+ 73. Kxb1 Kc3 74.
Nxf5 Kd3 75. Ng3 Kd4 76. Kc2) (71... Kc5 72. Nxf5 Kd5 73. Ng3 $18) 72. Kc3 Ka2
73. Nc4 $18) 71... Kc5 {diagram} 72. Ne3 $4 ({Watching live, I was rather
shocked to see a strong Grandmaster fail to win this position with White. One
straightforward plan:} 72. Nb2 Kd5 (72... Kb4 73. Kd4 Ka3 74. Nd3) 73. Na4 Kc6
74. Kd4 Kd6 (74... Kb5 75. Nc3+ Kb4 76. Nd1 $18) 75. Nb2 Ke6 76. Nc4 Kf6 77.
Kd5 $18) 72... b2 73. Kc2 Kd4 74. Nxf5+ Ke4 75. Kxb2 {Perhaps this one we can
chalk up to the magic power of the Magnus.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "11th Norway Blitz 2023"]
[Site "Stavanger NOR"]
[Date "2023.05.29"]
[Round "9.4"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D00"]
[WhiteElo "2764"]
[BlackElo "2768"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "208"]
[EventDate "2023.05.29"]
[EventType "blitz"]

{Here we are in the last round. The blitz portion of the tournament has not
been particularly kind to Giri, but he has a chance to set the mood for the
coming classical tournament.^^ There are some twists and turns in this game,
such as White's decisions around move 26 and 34, and Black's preference for ...
d4 over ...h4 on move 39, but I wanted to focus mainly on the king and pawn
endgame starting before White's move 77. That world-class super-Grandmasters
can fail in these so-called trivial endings shows just how difficult our game
can be.} 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 Nh5 6. dxc5 Nxf4 7.
exf4 g6 8. Be2 Bg7 9. c3 O-O 10. Nb3 Bg4 11. Nfd4 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 e5 13. fxe5
Bxe5 14. O-O Re8 15. Qd3 Bg7 16. Nf3 Qd7 17. Rad1 Rad8 18. Nbd4 a6 19. h3 Bf6
20. Rfe1 Kg7 21. b4 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Be5 23. Re2 Bf6 24. Rde1 Rxe2 25. Rxe2 h5 26.
c6 $2 bxc6 27. Qxa6 Rc8 28. Re3 c5 29. bxc5 Rxc5 30. Qe2 Qa4 31. Rd3 Qc4 32. g3
Ra5 33. Nb3 Rxa2 34. Qxa2 $6 (34. Nd2 $13) 34... Qxd3 35. Nc5 Qf3 36. Qa7 Qxc3
37. Ne6+ Kg8 38. Nf4 Qe1+ 39. Kh2 d4 $2 (39... h4 $17) 40. Qa8+ Kg7 41. Qf3 Qe5
42. Nd3 Qe6 43. Kg2 h4 44. g4 g5 45. Nc5 Qe5 46. Nd3 Qe6 47. Nc5 Qd6 48. Ne4
Qe5 49. Nd2 Be7 50. Qd3 Qd5+ 51. Nf3 Bf6 52. Kg1 Qd6 53. Nd2 Qd5 54. Nf3 Qd6
55. Nd2 Qd5 56. Ne4 Be7 57. Nc3 Qe5 58. Ne4 Bd6 59. Kf1 Be7 60. Nd2 Qd5 61. Nf3
Bf6 62. Kg2 Kg8 63. Kg1 Kg7 64. Ne1 Qe5 65. Nf3 Qd5 66. Nd2 Be7 67. Nc4 Bd6 68.
Ne3 Bh2+ 69. Kxh2 Qe5+ 70. Kg2 dxe3 71. Qxe3 Qxe3 72. fxe3 Kf6 73. Kf2 Ke5 74.
Kf3 Kd5 75. Kf2 Kc4 76. Ke2 Kc3 {diagram} 77. Kf2 $4 ({Also} 77. Kf3 $4 Kd3 78.
e4 f6 79. Kf2 Kd2 $1 80. Kf3 Ke1 $1 $19) ({The saving line for White is far
from obvious, at least in a blitz game, even for the top players in the world.
} 77. e4 $3 Kd4 78. Kf3 $1 (78. e5 Ke4 $3 79. Kf2 Kf4 $1 $19) 78... Kd3 79. e5
$1 Kd4 80. Kf2 $1 Ke4 81. Ke2 Kf4 82. Kf2 Kxe5 83. Ke3) 77... Kd2 78. Kf3 Ke1
79. e4 Kd2 $4 ({Now, having infiltrated White's position, Black can and should
take the opposition and win this king and pawn ending. The most elegant win
here is} 79... f6 $1 80. Ke3 (80. e5 fxe5 81. Ke4 Kf2 $19) 80... Kf1 81. Kf3
Kg1 82. e5 fxe5 83. Ke4 Kh2 84. Kxe5 (84. Kf5 e4 85. Kxe4 Kxh3 86. Kf3 Kh2 87.
Kf2 h3 $19) 84... Kxh3 85. Kf5 Kg3 86. Kxg5 h3 $19) ({The line I would have
chosen here (yes, even in a blitz game) also wins, coming around the back side
to capture h3:} 79... Kf1 80. e5 Kg1 81. Ke4 Kg2 82. Kf5 Kxh3 83. Kf6 (83. Kxg5
Kg3 84. Kf6 h3 85. Kxf7 h2 86. e6 h1=Q 87. e7 Qf3+ {and wins.}) 83... Kxg4 84.
Kxf7 h3 85. e6 h2 86. e7 h1=Q 87. e8=Q Qh5+ 88. Ke7 Qxe8+ 89. Kxe8 Kf3 $19 {
^^Instead, Giri goes for the win of the e-pawn, unaware that the positions he
will reach with an extra pawn but giving the defense the opposition cannot be
won by Black.}) 80. e5 Kd3 ({Now there's no time to return to attack the
h-pawn, as the white king gets to the black pawns too quickly.} 80... Ke1 81.
Ke4 Kf2 82. Kf5 Kg2 83. Kxg5 Kxh3 84. Kf4 Kg2 85. e6 fxe6 86. g5 h3 87. g6 h2
88. g7 h1=Q 89. g8=Q+ Kf1 90. Qxe6) 81. Kf2 Ke4 82. Ke2 Kxe5 83. Ke3 Kd5 ({
The key concept for the defense here is that} 83... f6 {, apparently forcing
the white king to give ground, is met by} 84. Kf3 $1 Kd4 85. Kf2 $1 {with the
diagonal opposition, when Black cannot make progress. This appears in the game
on move 87.}) 84. Kd3 Ke5 85. Ke3 f6 86. Kf3 Kd4 87. Kf2 Ke4 88. Ke2 Kd4 89.
Kd2 Ke4 90. Ke2 Kf4 91. Kf2 f5 92. gxf5 Kxf5 93. Kf3 Kf6 94. Kf2 ({Even} 94.
Kg4 Kg6 95. Kf3 Kf5 96. Ke3 {is still a draw.}) 94... Ke6 95. Ke2 Ke7 96. Ke1
Kd6 97. Kd2 Kd7 98. Kd1 {diagram} Ke6 ({Here the commentators were going crazy,
saying Anish had missed} 98... g4 {, "winning" with the breakthrough!^^Only
problem is, no, it isn't winning:} 99. Ke2 $1 g3 100. Kf1 {There's no way for
the black king to get at that h3-pawn without first delivering stalemate.}) 99.
Ke2 Kf7 100. Kf1 Kg7 101. Kg2 Kg6 102. Kf2 Kf6 103. Kf3 Kf5 104. Ke3 Ke5
1/2-1/2

[Event "National Elem School Championship K-3"]
[Site "Baltimore"]
[Date "2023.05.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Wang, Ted"]
[Black "Zhu, Linxi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "1900"]
[BlackElo "2004"]
[Annotator "IM Sandeep Sethuraman"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Be2 {A "quiet" Sicilian, but it comes with a
nasty trap if Black gets too greedy.} g6 (4... Nxe4 $4 5. Qa4+ {would be quite
embarrassing.}) 5. O-O Bg7 6. Bb5+ {Wang has done his homework! White loses a
tempo with the bishop, but claims that he has enticed Black into fianchettoing
and will now play d2-d4 to create a strong center.} Nc6 $1 {Zhu has also done
his homework! This is the least natural blocking move, but it is where the
knight wants to be, and it doesn't allow a bishop trade.} (6... Bd7 7. Bxd7+
Nbxd7 8. Qe2 {was a much more common continuation.}) 7. d4 O-O 8. d5 Nb8 $6 {
The first slip-up. It seems like the most natural square, but the only place
this knight can go now is to d7, where it will block in the c8-bishop and
hinder Black's development.} (8... Na5 {is actually more accurate, when Black
is threatening ... a7-a6 and ... b7-b5. If White plays} 9. Bd3 {then Black
plays} a6 {anyways and Black is fine.}) 9. Bd3 $6 {Moving a piece three times
in the first nine moves is usually a red flag. Here the consequences are
minimal with such a closed position, but still it's not ideal.} (9. Re1 {
is better and much more natural, so it's difficult to explain the move in the
game.} e6 {Black has to create a square for the light-squared bishop.} 10. dxe6
Bxe6 11. Bf4 d5 $5 {gets rid of a weakness, but opens the position when you're
behind in development.} 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Bg3 {and White has the lead in
development.}) 9... a6 10. a4 $1 {A strong prophylactic move, and now its
difficult for Black to make moves with such little space.} e5 $2 {and Zhu
immediately goes astray. This is what happens when you make it uncomfortable
for your opponent to make moves.} (10... e6 $1 {was necessary to alleviate
Black's lack of space.} 11. Qb3 exd5 12. exd5 Nbd7 {and the trade of the
e7-pawn for the e4-pawn has made the d5-pawn a bit loose and created some
squares for the black pieces, so Black isn't too much worse here.}) 11. Ne1 (
11. Na3 $1 $16 {a common motif with the knight headed to c4 and a pawn on a4
that will eventually fix the black queenside with a4-a5.}) 11... c4 $5 {
Giving White a chance to misstep, but Wang is too strong for that.} 12. Bc2 $1
{Keeping the more important e4-pawn.} Bg4 {provokes a move that improves
White's position, but Black just had no alternatives.} (12... Nbd7 13. Be3 $16
{taking away the only good square for the knight.}) 13. f3 Bd7 14. Qe2 Qc8 15.
Be3 Nh5 16. Nd2 b5 $1 {If Black is going to get back into this game he needs
to change the nature of the position, because White has controlled the whole
game so far and is easily better.} 17. axb5 Bxb5 18. Ba4 $6 {and when you
create counterplay you get results; Wang makes his first real error of the
game. The bishop on b5 looks like it holds the position together, but Black's
queenside was frozen so White should have played on the kingside.} (18. g3 $1 {
slow improvement and Black has nothing.} Nd7 19. Ng2) 18... Nd7 19. Nc2 Nf4 $1
{Every KID player knows this idea to rejuvenate the KID bishop which turns
into a monster.} 20. Bxf4 exf4 {The doubled pawns are worth it.} 21. Nb4 Ne5
22. Qd1 $2 {White is rattled and he starts retreating, not a great sign.} (22.
Rfd1 {There was nothing terribly wrong with the normal moves, but Black's
position is already favorable with the new outpost on e5.} Qb7 23. Kf1 Rfc8 $17
) 22... Qc5+ 23. Kh1 a5 $1 {Highlighting the miscoordination in the white camp.
} 24. Nc2 (24. Nc6 {was no better:} Nxc6 25. dxc6 Qxc6 {and Black is simply up
a pawn.}) 24... Bxa4 $2 {The wrong trade; Black should have kept the bishops,
because White's a4-bishop was out of play and it would take some moves to
bring it back.} (24... Ba6 $1 {now it's hard to bring the bishop back.} 25. Nd4
Nd3 $19 {and too many things are hanging.}) 25. Rxa4 Nd3 26. Nxc4 $1 {The best
chance to create some counterplay. Against a dark-squared bishop, placing
pieces on light squares is very effective.} Nf2+ 27. Rxf2 Qxf2 28. Nxd6 {
The best practical chance for counterplay with passed pawns.} Ra6 $4 {and now
White is suddenly better. Two pawns for the exchange and a coming avalanche of
pawns.} (28... Rab8 $1 {would have created threats for White to take care of.}
29. Nc4 Rfc8 {and ... Rc8xc4 is a real threat.} 30. h3 Rxc4 $1 {and the white
position crumbles after} 31. Rxc4 Rxb2 32. d6 Bf6 $1 $19 {and the d-pawn is
going nowhere.}) 29. Nc4 Rd8 30. Nb4 $6 {Based on mutual blindness, but a good
move in spirit.} Rf6 (30... axb4 $3 {The last equalizer.} 31. Rxa6 bxc3 32.
bxc3 Bxc3 {Black is down a pawn and has a "bad" bishop against a good knight
but is somehow fine. That's why nobody can blame either player for missing
this. The reason this is so good is the threat of ... Bc3-e1, when Ra6-a1 is
impossible, so White is the one that has to be careful.} 33. h3 Be1 34. Qd3 {
White is on thin ice.} Rb8 35. Kh2 Qg3+ 36. Kh1 Qf2 {with perpetual.}) 31. Nd3
{Now once White consolidates, the pawns will crush the rooks.} Qh4 32. Qe1 $1 {
The queen trade would effectively end the game, so Black must waste another
tempo.} Qh5 33. Rxa5 g5 34. h3 Rh6 35. Kg1 $1 {Not the top engine move but a
good example of how prophylactic moves in completely winning positions can be
useful practically, especially with low time.} Qg6 36. Qa1 g4 37. hxg4 Qg5 38.
Qe1 (38. Ra8 $1 {was even simpler.}) 38... Rc8 39. b3 Qd8 40. Ra2 Ra8 41. Rc2
$6 {Now some passive play has let Black back into the game, but from here
White's technique is flawless.} Qb8 42. b4 Qb5 43. Ncb2 Bf8 $2 {The final
error.} (43... Ra2 $1 {was the last shot at counterplay.} 44. Nc1 Ra1 45. Nbd3
{and White was still winning, but there's work to be done.}) 44. c4 Qb6+ 45. c5
Qf6 46. e5 {White's position is overwhelming. The rest is easy.} Qg5 47. c6 Rh4
48. c7 Qh6 49. Nf2 Rc8 50. Qd1 Bd6 51. exd6 Qxd6 52. Rc6 Qd7 53. Ne4 Kh8 54.
Qd4+ f6 55. Qxf6+ Qg7 56. Qxg7+ Kxg7 57. d6 Rh6 58. d7 Rxc6 59. dxc8=Q Rc1+ 60.
Kh2 Kf7 61. Qd7+ Kg6 62. Qd6+ Kg7 63. Qe5+ Kg8 64. c8=R+ Rxc8 65. Qe6+ Kg7 66.
Qxc8 h5 67. Qd7+ Kg6 68. Qf5+ Kh6 69. Qg5+ Kh7 70. Nf6+ Kh8 71. Qh6# {1-0
White wins.} 1-0

[Event "National Elem School Championship K-5"]
[Site "Bal"]
[Date "2023.05.15"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Jammalamadaka, Vihan"]
[Black "Rallabandi, Krishna"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "1871"]
[BlackElo "2095"]
[Annotator "IM Sandeep Sethuraman"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 {The Grunfeld Defense. Black's plan is to capture
on c3 to give a target for the g7-bishop that can be exploited with ... c7-c5
and ... Nb8-c6 to pressure the d4-pawn and the white center as a whole.} 4.
cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bb5+ $5 {Not completely out of the blue by
any means, but still definitely a surprise. Usually players develop their
knight first as in almost all cases it belongs on f3, while with the bishop
you don't know if it should go to b5, d3, or even sometimes c4. However, this
provokes a ... c7-c6 move by Black that is basically a throwaway since he will
always go c5.} (7. Nf3 c5 8. Be3 (8. Rb1 {is another line with a lot of
history, and this move in particular is very common in the Grunfeld as it gets
the rook off of the dangerous long diagonal while preventing Black from
developing his bishop for the time being.}) 8... Qa5 9. Qd2 Nc6 {shows Black's
usual method of applying pressure and White's typical attempts to maintain his
space advantage.}) 7... c6 8. Ba4 O-O 9. Ne2 {The point of an early Bf1-b5+.
White prefers to keep an eye on the c3-pawn and maybe allow for an eventual
f2-f4.} b5 $1 {Not a random expansion, it's actually a useful move that fixes
the White pawns and opens up the b7-square for the c8-bishop.} (9... c5 {
is the alternative, but Rallabandi didn't fancy losing a tempo, and instead
makes use of the pawn's provoked placement on c6.} 10. O-O Nc6) 10. Bb3 a5 11.
O-O Ba6 (11... Nd7 {is the more common continuation where usual developments
include} 12. Bg5 a4 13. Bc2 Nb6 {and with his bind on the queenside and the
light squares, Black can never be worse.}) 12. Bb2 $2 {The bishop doesn't
belong here. For one, its staring into it's own pawns, but it also becomes
target to a4-a3 ideas from Black, and and Be3 Qd2 Bh6 ideas are out of the
window.} Nd7 13. Re1 Nb6 (13... a4 14. Bc2 e5 $1 {would have taken advantage
of White's misplaced pieces.} 15. Qd2 Qc7 $15 {and it's not clear how either
of the white bishops will re-enter the game, while Black's bishops seem to be
on the perfect squares}) 14. Ba3 {Impressive. It's not easy to move a bishop
you just placed on b2 2 moves ago, but Jammalamadaka finds one of the top moves
} Qc7 15. Ng3 Rfd8 (15... b4 $5 {An interesting variation} 16. cxb4 a4 {
and Black's idea becomes clear. It's a common motif, sacrificing a pawn to
close down one of the opponent's pieces} 17. Bc2 Nc4 18. Bc1 Qb6 $15 {and the
difference in the quality of pieces is as clear as day}) 16. Qf3 e5 $6 {
It would have been better to take care of f7 instead of having the queen
babysit} (16... e6 $17 {Now White's pieces are all developed, but they're on
the wrong squares. The knight is very restricted and the bishops point at
nothing.}) 17. Bc5 exd4 18. e5 $1 {taking advantage of the slight airiness
around the black king.} (18. cxd4 $6 {wasn't as strong.} Bxd4 19. Bxd4 Rxd4 20.
Qf6 Rad8 21. Nf5 $5 {The only way to justify the sacrifice.} gxf5 22. exf5 {
White looks like he's gone crazy, but it's zeros!} Qd7 23. Qg5+ Kh8 24. Qf6+
Kg8 {with perpetual.}) 18... Nd5 (18... d3 $1 {the best defense.} 19. e6 {
the point of getting the pawn to e5!} Nc4 $1 {shutting down an important piece
for White's attack.} 20. e7 $1 {creating this passer ties down the black
pieces allowing White to start operations elsewhere:} Re8 21. Qxd3 $16) 19.
cxd4 a4 20. Bc2 (20. Bxd5 {was another path and it's up to personal preference
here.} Rxd5 21. Rac1 $16 {Black has the two bishops, but the one on a6 is
nothing to brag about, and White has full control of the dark squares.}) 20...
Bf8 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. Ne4 (22. Rac1 $1 {was a huge chance to exert maximum
pressure on Black. Bc2-e4 is a huge threat.} Qe7 23. Bb1 b4 24. Ne4 {and
White's pieces are finding great squares while Black's bishop is still staring
into space.}) 22... Rad8 23. Rad1 Bc8 24. Nd6 f6 (24... Rxd6 $1 {eliminating
the knight and pawn was definitely worth one of Black's rooks. Now either a
knight or bishop on d5 would anchor Black's position and make it very
difficult for White to make progress.} 25. exd6 Qxd6 26. a3 Be6 {and Black is
completely fine.}) 25. Qg3 fxe5 26. dxe5 Be6 27. Bxg6 $1 {Jammalamadaka is
always on the lookout for tactics. Black's last move loosened the bishop, and
this is the perfect way to take advantage.} (27. h4 $1 {was an equally good
option. Black will have huge problems stopping the initiative.}) 27... Kh8 $2 {
just because White won a pawn doesn't mean the attack is over. It was time to
bail out into an endgame, but Rallabandi wanted pieces on the board.} (27...
Qg7 {was the lesser evil.} 28. Bh5 Qxg3 29. hxg3 Nc3 {and at least Black has
some counterplay.} 30. Rc1 Nxa2 31. Rxc6 Nb4 32. Rc3 a3 $1 {and White is
better, but has to be careful not to let the connected passers through.}) 28.
Qh4 {A bit fancy, as moving the bishop back was perfectly fine.} (28. Be4 Qe7
29. Rd2 {and White is just up a pawn for nothing.}) 28... Qg7 29. Bf5 $4 {
Now this is definitely too much. White was too engrossed in tactics. And this
one falls prey to one.} (29. Be4 $1 {was natural and good. The e5-pawn is
poisoned, and White is again just up a pawn.}) 29... Rxd6 $1 {Removing the
defender, and now Black is just completely winning.} (29... Bxf5 $4 30. Nxf5
Rxf5 31. Qxd8+ {was undoubtedly what White was hoping for.}) 30. Bxh7 $2 {
It was time to cut losses.} (30. exd6 Bxf5 31. h3 {and White is lost but the
d6-pawn gives some realistic chances to create counterplay.}) 30... Rf4 31. Qg3
Rg4 32. Qf3 Rd7 33. Bf5 Bxf5 34. Qxf5 Rf7 (34... Rxg2+ {first was more forcing.
}) 35. Qc8+ $2 (35. Qh5+ {was the last chance.} Kg8 36. g3 {and White is down
a piece and dead lost but at least he's not mated.}) 35... Rf8 36. Qxc6 Rxg2+
37. Kh1 Rxh2+ $1 {Now it's forced mate.} 38. Kxh2 Rxf2+ 39. Kh3 Nf4+ 40. Kh4
Rh2# {0-1 Black wins.} 0-1

[Event "National Elem School Championship K-5"]
[Site "Baltimore"]
[Date "2023.05.14"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Wang, Kyle"]
[Black "Jammalamadaka, Vihan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B29"]
[WhiteElo "1972"]
[BlackElo "1871"]
[Annotator "IM Sandeep Sethuraman"]
[PlyCount "146"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 $5 {Not the most common reply, but it does create an
imbalanced game with winning chances for both sides. The plus is that it's an
immediate attack on the center, but the obvious drawback is that it allows an
attack with tempo.} (2... d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 {would have led to
a position reached hundreds of thousands of times at the master level.}) 3. e5
$1 {White doesn't wait around, taking advantage of Black's early development.}
(3. Nc3 $6 {would be too complacent and allow} d6 {with a transposition} 4. d4
cxd4 5. Nxd4) 3... Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 $1 {Black isn't afraid of doubling his pawns.
On the contrary, he welcomes more central control.} 5. Ne4 (5. Nxd5 $5 {
Taking the bull by the horns would lead to some interesting lines here:} exd5
6. d4 $1 {You can't allow full central control by your opponent, so White uses
his own pawns to blockade his opponents'.} Nc6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qxd5 {Now White
has won a pawn, and it seems like Black hasn't anything much to show for it,
but he does gain some tempi.} d6 9. exd6 Qb6 10. Qe4+ Be6 11. Qh4 $5 {A
creative way of defending the f2-pawn, and White will maintain his pawn edge.
This is actually still theory, having been played by big names such as former
World Champion Anand and current World Champion Ding Liren.} Bxd6 12. Be2) 5...
f5 $1 {A great move, Black strikes in the center, provoking an en passant
which would liberate his pieces, but White doesn't have to oblige.} 6. Nc3 $1 {
Both of these players are closing in on being experts, and it's clear why.
Resisting an en passant is never easy, and making a backwards knight move is
even more difficult.} Nb4 (6... Nxc3 $6 {would double White's pawns, but in a
way that would open up his pieces.} 7. dxc3 Nc6 8. Bf4 $1 {White has a bind on
the dark squares, and this makes it very tough for Black to free his pieces.})
7. d3 Be7 8. Be2 O-O {Now after some logical development, the battle is set.
White will try to make use of his central space to suffocate Black's, and
maybe start a kingside initiative with an h2-h4 push at some point. Black, on
the other hand, will try to break with ... d5-d6 and expand on the queenside,
and might even harbor kingside pawn storm ideas of his own.} 9. O-O b6 10. Re1
Bb7 11. a3 Nd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. Bd2 (13. c4 $5 {would have been a nice way to
spice things up.} Bxf3 $1 {Parting with the bishop pair isn't ideal, but this
allows a stronger hold on the d4-square.} (13... Bb7 14. d4 $1 {is a clear
improvement for White as his pieces suddenly come back to life.} cxd4 15. Nxd4
Nc6 16. Bf3 {And it's clear that the pressure makes things slightly
uncomfortable for Black here.}) 14. Bxf3 Nc6 {and Black is fine.}) 13... Bb7
14. c3 d6 $2 {This does somewhat improve Black's pieces, but it also creates a
gaping hole on e5, and it makes the e6-pawn a huge liability.} (14... g5 $5 {
would have put the ball back in White's court.} 15. d4 Nc6 16. h3 Kh8 {and
Black's kingside initiative is already starting to look quite dangerous.}) 15.
exd6 Bxd6 16. d4 $1 {Fixing the weakness on e6 and highlighting Black's lack
of queenside development.} Bd5 17. Bd3 $4 {Maybe harsh, but allowing the
closure of the center with tempo gave away all of White's huge advantage and
then some.} (17. Ng5 $1 {would have poked some more holes after} h6 18. c4 $1 {
meeting a threat with a threat, and Black's position is falling apart. After}
hxg5 19. cxd5 exd5 20. dxc5 Bxc5 21. Bxg5 $1 $18 {, the queen is overloaded.})
17... c4 $1 {Recognizing that the closed center will give better prospects in
the long run, and now the d5-bishop becomes very hard to remove and acts as
the centerpiece of the position.} 18. Bf1 Nd7 19. Ne5 $2 {This allowed an
unfavorable transformation of the pawn structure.} (19. b3 $5 {would have
asked some questions.} b5 (19... cxb3 20. c4 b2 21. Rb1 Be4 22. Rxb2 {and at
least now White has some activity in his hanging pawns and central control.}
Bxa3 23. Ra2 Be7 24. Bc3 {The strong center compensates for the pawn, and the
position is dynamically equal.}) 20. a4 a6 {and Black holds for the time being,
but White is by no means out of it.}) 19... b5 $6 {Missing his chance.} (19...
Bxe5 20. dxe5 Nc5 $1 {and White's dark-squared bishop is helpless against
Black's bind on the light squares.}) 20. a4 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Qb6 22. Be3 Qb7 23.
Bd4 (23. axb5 Qxb5 24. Qa4 Qxa4 25. Rxa4 {was a great alternative for White,
leading to a bishop pair endgame, but Black had} a5 26. Bxc4 Bxc4 27. Rxc4 Nxe5
{which would have given him equality.}) 23... b4 $5 {With no need for building
the initiative, Black surges forward.} (23... a6 {might have been more prudent,
for instance after} 24. Qd2 h6 {, Black always has a nagging edge.}) 24. a5
bxc3 25. bxc3 Qc7 26. Qa4 (26. Ra4 $1 {would have asked some unpleasant
questions, namely how are you going to defend the c4-pawn?} Rfd8 27. Rb4 Qxa5
28. Bxc4 Bxc4 29. Rxc4 {and White is at least fine.}) 26... Nc5 27. Bxc5 Qxc5
28. Rab1 $6 {Activating the wrong rook.} (28. Red1 h6 29. Rd4 {was an
important maneuver to solidify White's position and hinder the scope of the
black queen.}) 28... Rab8 29. Rec1 $2 {Way too passive: you can't allow Black
to invade like this.} (29. a6 $5 {would have created some discomfort around
attacks on the a7-pawn, as} Rb3 {now would be met with} 30. Rxb3 cxb3 31. c4 {
and White would win a pawn.}) 29... Rb3 30. Rxb3 $4 {Based on a misconception.}
(30. Ra1 {was ugly but necessary to maintain the integrity of the position,
however, after} h6 31. Be2 Qc7 {Black would still be much, much better.}) 30...
cxb3 31. c4 {Now, this isn't effective because the pawn is pinned.} Rb8 {
Now Black's passer survives and quickly becomes a huge headache for White.} 32.
Rb1 Bc6 33. Qa1 (33. Rxb3 {is the computer's suggestion sacrificing the queen,
which shows just how bad White's position is, but no human is ever playing
this.} Bxa4 34. Rxb8+ Kf7 35. Rb7+ Kg6 {and Black is completely winning.})
33... Be4 34. Rb2 Qxe5 35. Qa3 Bc2 $1 {Completely paralyzing White's forces:
the rook is stuck preventing the b-pawn from queening, and the queen is stuck
defending the rook. There's only so much you can do with a light-squared
bishop.} 36. h3 Rd8 $6 {Black is still completely winning, but this allows
unnecessary counterplay.} (36... h6 {would have been enough to eventually lead
to zugzwang.}) 37. Qe7 $6 {Missing the "chance", not that it was a
game-changer, but it would at least give White some trumps.} (37. Rxb3 Bxb3 38.
Qxb3 Qxa5 {Calling this an improvement again highlights the extent of White's
misery.}) 37... Qxb2 $4 {Why? there was no need to give White so much
counterplay.} (37... Rf8 {was obvious and would have forced} 38. Qa3 h6 {
when White is again in zugzwang territory.}) 38. Qxd8+ Kf7 39. Qd7+ {Now
Black's king will be endlessly checked, or so it seems...} Kg6 $5 {setting up
a trap, which Wang falls into.} 40. Qxe6+ $2 {This looks automatic, but if you
stop and think for a second, you realize that White has a passer of his own.} (
40. c5 $1 {and Black had better be careful.} Qe5 41. c6 b2 42. c7 Qxc7 43. Qxc7
b1=Q {would lead to equality, but there is still one more mine:} 44. Qg3+ (44.
Qxa7 $4 {would be too greedy:} Bd3 {wins a piece.}) 44... Kf7 45. Qc7+ {
with perpetual.}) 40... Qf6 41. Qe8+ Kh6 {and Black will escape the checks, but
} 42. Qe3+ $4 (42. Qa4 {was necessary} Qd4 {and White is hanging on by a thread
} 43. Qc6+ g6 44. Qe8 {.}) 42... f4 43. Qc1 g5 {Not necessary, but not bad
either.} (43... Bg6 {would have made ... b3-b2 unstoppable, winning
immediately.}) 44. Be2 Qe5 45. Kf1 Qxa5 $2 {again greed overtakes rationality.
Black is still winning, but it's so much harder now.} (45... Bg6 $1 {was an
obvious win yet again.}) 46. Qb2 $1 {Now White simultaneously blockades the
b-pawn and creates threats toward the black king.} Kg6 $6 {This is why 45. ...
Qxa5 was so bad. It creates opportunities for missteps like this!} (46... Qb6
$1 {and the a-pawn running down the board. This would have decided the game.})
47. Qd4 Qb6 48. Bd3+ $1 {An intermediate move that looks like it steers the
game towards peace, but there are still some turns to this story.} Kh6 (48...
Bxd3+ 49. Qxd3+ Kf6 50. c5 $1 {would win the b3-pawn, entering a drawn endgame.
}) 49. c5 Bxd3+ 50. Qxd3 Qe6 {Now White should be able to hold easily by
combining threats to Black's king with the c-pawn's advance.} 51. c6 a5 52. Qc3
b2 53. Qxb2 Qxc6 {Now we enter a drawn endgame, but not all is as easy as it
seems here.} 54. Ke2 $4 {and immediately White blunders.} (54. h4 {would have
further opened Black's king while keeping White's safe and sound behind the
pawns:} gxh4 55. Qe5 {and a draw is soon to come.}) 54... Qc4+ 55. Kd2 Kh5 $4 {
A terrible oversight, and very difficult to explain.} (55... Qb4+ {was so
natural that I can't explain how it was missed.} 56. Qxb4 axb4 57. Kc2 Kh5 58.
Kb3 Kh4 59. Kxb4 f3 $1 {might have been what was missed, but I somehow don't
believe that. White is dead lost.}) 56. Qg7 Qa2+ 57. Kc1 $4 {The wrong way.
The king needed to stay with the pawns.} (57. Ke1 Qb1+ 58. Kd2 Qb4+ 59. Ke2 {
and the game would soon have fizzled out.} Qb2+) 57... Qc4+ $4 {Again missing
a golden opportunity!} (57... h6 $1 {was completely winning.}) 58. Kd2 Qd5+ 59.
Ke1 Qe6+ 60. Kd2 Qg6 61. Qe5 a4 62. g3 Qf7 63. g4+ $4 {letting the black king
into the safest square on the board, and basically handing over the kingside
pawns} (63. Qe2+ f3 64. Qd3 {would have maintained equality.}) 63... Kh4 64.
Qe1 Kxh3 65. Qf1+ Kxg4 66. f3+ Kh5 {The rest is technical, and Black doesn't
falter.} 67. Qh1+ Kg6 68. Qb1+ Qf5 69. Qb6+ Kh5 70. Qg1 Qd5+ 71. Ke2 Qa2+ 72.
Kd3 Qb3+ 73. Ke4 Qe3+ {0-1 Black wins. White resigned} 0-1

