[Event "Oregon Junior Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.12.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Nobles, William"]
[Black "Tang, Zoey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "1786"]
[BlackElo "2331"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{[%evp 0,46,19,29,40,42,89,59,56,54,32,31,22,8,-2,-15,-24,9,0,5,-2,-3,6,-18,-9,-45,-33,-60,-60,-60,-60,-52,-28,-29,-64,-82,-82,-82,-82,-123,-191,-190,-198,-155,-217,-182,-202,-778,-774]} {Zoey’s published games often end with a lightening attack that seemingly comes out of nowhere. In reality, she often wins by grinding out better endgames, as the chances for attacks are few and far between when playing in high-prestige tournaments like the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship. But if given the opportunity, she can still generate attacking chances quite quickly.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qd2 {The Carlsen variation of the Sicilian defense. It seems counter-intuitive to accelerate Black's development by taking with the queen on move 4 followed by blocking the dark-squared bishop on move 5, but Magnus and Stockfish approve. It is a reputable system, not a trick line.} Nf6 6. b3 g6 7. Bb2 Bg7 8. O-O-O {White scores nearly 65% from this position.} Qa5 9. h3 (9. Kb1 {is the only move I could find in my database or in the Master Games section on chess.com. Stockfish says William's move is fine. But White's lagging development means that he must be careful.}) 9... O-O 10. Kb1 a6 11. f4 (11. g4 $14) 11... b5 12. Nf3 $2 {Trying to complete White's development, but Zoey's attack comes too quickly.} (12. Nd5 Nxe4 13. Nxe7+ Kh8 14. Qxa5 Nxa5 15. Rh2 $1 $11 {says Stockfish, but the rook on h2 looks a little problematic.}) 12... b4 13. e5 {the best try to save the game by unleashing chaos, but Zoey finds her way through the complications.} dxe5 14. fxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. Na4 Qa5 17. a3 Ne4 18. Qe1 Nc3+ 19. Bxc3 {hastening the end, but Black has a large advantage in any case.} (19. Nxc3 bxc3 20. Bc4 Bb7 21. Rd3 Bxg2 22. Rg1 Rac8 $1 23. Rxg2 (23. Bxc3 Bxc3 24. Rxc3 Bd5 $17) 23... Rxc4 $1 24. bxc4 Rb8 $19) 19... bxc3 20. Qxe7 Rb8 $1 {Other moves give White equality or better.} ({A sample computer line with lots of forced moves, ending in equality.} 20... Bf5 21. g4 Rab8 (21... Rfe8 22. Qc5) 22. gxf5 Qxa4 23. Ka2 $8 Rxb3 24. cxb3 c2 $8 25. Bc4 $8 cxd1=Q 26. Rxd1 Qc6 $11) 21. Ka2 Be6 22. Rd6 Qe5 ({Despite appearances} 22... Qxa4 {doesn't win a piece as White can remove the bishop that is pinning the b-pawn with} 23. Rxe6 {but Black's attack crashes through with} Qf4 24. Re1 Rxb3 25. Kxb3 (25. cxb3 Qd2+) 25... Rb8+) 23. Qc7 (23. Rxe6 {prolongs the game but does not change the outcome.}) 23... Rfc8 0-1

[Event "Oregon Junior Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.12.09"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Bayrambeyli, Emel"]
[Black "Lykins, Pace"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "1657"]
[BlackElo "1743"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{[%evp 0,59,13,25,42,6,15,27,29,12,33,18,85,-8,12,48,36,6,11,13,6,0,0,-15,-14,0,4,7,3,4,2,2,46,45,45,-17,-15,-10,15,-15,22,7,225,141,134,134,352,335,362,346,379,425,618,413,595,324,324,293,289,301,330,358]} {Round 3 matches the eventual co-champions. Pace is leading the tournament with two wins. Emel is a point behind.} 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nf3 e6 5. d4 Qc7 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 d6 8. a3 Nd7 9. exd6 Bxd6 10. O-O b6 11. Bd2 Bb7 12. Nc3 O-O {Black has completed his development and equalized, but the isolated queen pawn position gives White some attacking chances. If Black stays alert, he can neutralize White's threats and enjoy playing against the isolated pawn on d4 in the endgame. But it is hard to be eternally vigilant against White's initiative.} 13. Nb5 Qb8 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Re1 N7f6 16. Ne5 Rfc8 17. Qe2 Ne7 18. Bc3 Nfd5 19. Bd2 Ng6 20. Qg4 Nde7 $2 (20... Nf6 $11) 21. Bb4 $1 Qc7 22. Nxf7 $1 Bd5 (22... Kxf7 23. Qxe6+ Kf8 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. Bxe7+) 23. Ng5 Nf5 24. Nxe6 Bxe6 25. Rxe6 Nfe7 26. Rae1 Nd5 27. Bxg6 hxg6 28. Rxg6 Re8 29. Rge6 Red8 30. Bd2 1-0

[Event "Oregon Junior Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.12.10"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Lim, Hayul"]
[Black "Tang, Zoey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A03"]
[WhiteElo "1771"]
[BlackElo "2331"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{[%evp 0,112,19,29,14,5,50,6,7,6,15,-16,-1,-13,-6,-8,7,15,0,9,4,9,7,9,2,15,27,21,30,21,8,17,22,14,17,-1,-13,-17,-23,-14,-24,-29,-23,-31,-29,-30,-38,-69,-61,-75,-77,-66,-51,-79,-101,-91,-48,-67,-69,-190,-189,-196,-182,-182,-160,-187,-178,-189,-181,-182,-180,-241,-188,-265,-221,-224,-218,-269,-288,-329,-335,-328,-316,-348,-344,-349,-349,-380,-340,-339,-339,-342,-317,-322,-352,-415,-431,-450,-387,-484,-507,-555,-504,-966,-1011,-1045,-1127,-1170,-1288,-1346,-1586,-2157,-29030,-29181,-29744]} {Zoey is no longer exclusively a king hunter. Here is an example of patient play that eventually results in her winning the endgame.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 c5 3. b3 Nf6 4. Bb2 Nc6 5. Bb5 e6 6. O-O Bd7 {An important position, at least historically. Aaron Nimzowitsch got a couple nice wins from this position in the 1920s. Bobby Fischer used this line to beat Henrique Mecking in the 1970 Interzonal, part of his qualification path to his 1972 World Championship, though he reached it by starting with 1.b3.} 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. Ne5 Be7 9. d3 O-O (9... Rc8 10. Nd2 O-O 11. f4 Nd7 12. Qg4 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Bf6 14. Rf3 Qe7 15. Raf1 a5 16. Rg3 Bxe5 17. fxe5 f5 18. exf6 Rxf6 19. Qxg7+ $1 Qxg7 20. Rxf6 Qxg3 21. hxg3 {and White ground out a win in this ending. 1-0 (42) Fischer,R-Mecking,H Palma de Mallorca 1970}) 10. f4 Nd7 11. Nxc6 bxc6 {Nimzowitsch’s and Fischer’s opponents did not allow White to inflict doubled c-pawns on them. Zoey demonstrates that they are not so bad.} 12. Nd2 a5 13. a4 Qb6 14. Qg4 Bf6 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Qg3 Rfe8 17. Nf3 {allows Black to undouble the c pawns. It isn't fatal, but it is a small concession.} (17. Rae1 $11) 17... c4 18. Ne5 cxd3 19. cxd3 c5 20. Rfc1 Rac8 21. Qe1 Rc7 22. Qc3 Rec8 23. Rc2 Ne8 24. Rac1 f6 25. Nf3 Nd6 {Black is improving her position. White is slowly getting outplayed.} 26. Nd2 Nf5 27. Nf1 Kf7 28. g4 d4 29. Qd2 dxe3 30. Nxe3 Nd4 31. Nc4 Qc6 {Black wins the exchange.} 32. Qg2 Nxc2 33. Qxc6 Rxc6 34. Rxc2 Ra6 35. d4 Ke7 36. Nb2 Rac6 37. dxc5 Rxc5 38. Nc4 Rd8 39. Kf2 Rd3 40. Rb2 h5 41. gxh5 Rxh5 42. Ke2 Rdh3 43. Kd1 Rxh2 44. Rxh2 Rxh2 45. Nxa5 Rf2 46. Nc4 Rxf4 47. a5 Kd7 48. Kd2 Kc7 49. Kc3 g5 50. b4 Kc6 51. Na3 Rf3+ 52. Kb2 Rxa3 $1 {the king and pawn ending is easily winning for White.} 53. Kxa3 Kb5 54. Kb3 g4 55. Kc3 g3 56. Kd4 g2 0-1

[Event "Oregon Junior Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.12.10"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Lykins, Pace"]
[Black "Natarajan, Neil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "1743"]
[BlackElo "1628"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{[%evp 0,73,16,6,19,25,23,14,24,18,2,-35,-17,-30,-28,-15,5,-33,-5,-10,28,35,24,16,20,27,64,60,75,76,68,75,105,90,79,85,95,61,72,60,101,63,63,50,61,65,70,30,34,37,59,49,81,68,57,56,66,12,71,77,77,43,39,32,76,72,105,105,99,99,106,155,314,342,29993,29994]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {A practical move, not allowing Black to clarify the position into well-known patterns.} ({A lot of trees have been killed and electrons inconvenienced in pursuit of truth in the main line.} 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {As far as I know, nobody has reached a definitive conclusion.}) 4... d6 5. c3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. h3 Bd7 8. Re1 Re8 9. d4 Bf8 10. Bd3 h6 11. Nbd2 {White calmly places his pieces on standard Ruy Lopez squares. When I first started playing the Ruy as White I was horrified to discover that I had to leave my queenside pieces on their original squares for quite a while - isn't Black ahead in development? But Pace correctly trusts that his piece configuration will lead to continuing opportunities to pose problems for his opponent.} exd4 $6 {probably better to keep the strongpoint pawn on e5 - this gives White a mobile pawn center.} 12. cxd4 Ne7 13. Nf1 c6 14. Ng3 Be6 15. Bd2 c5 16. Bb5 Bd7 17. Bxd7 Qxd7 18. d5 Ng6 19. Bc3 {White has reached a good Benoni position where his bishop is much more active than Black's.} Nh7 20. a4 Be7 21. Qb3 Bf6 22. Nh5 Bxc3 23. bxc3 {This adds another pawn to the protection of White's center, and opens the b-file.} ({Threatening mate-in-one gives White a bigger edge.} 23. Qxc3 f6 24. Nd2 $16 {and White gets a known Benoni advantage, with his knight on c4 attacking the pawn on d6 combined with advancing his pawn to f4, to support the e4-e5 push.}) 23... b6 {frees the queen from the defense of the b-pawn, but it gives White a pawn to attack on the queenside with the a4-a5 pawn push. See White's move 32.} ({Stockfish says} 23... Ng5 24. Nxg5 hxg5 {is a reasonable position for Black.}) 24. c4 f5 25. Ng3 fxe4 26. Nxe4 Ne5 27. Nxe5 Rxe5 28. Ng3 Rae8 (28... Rxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Re8 {is about equal}) 29. Rxe5 Rxe5 30. Qb5 Qe7 31. Kh2 Nf6 32. a5 Ne4 $2 {Right idea, but a move too soon.} (32... bxa5 {deflects White's heavy pieces off the optimal files that they have in the game continuation, buying just enough time for Black's counterplay.} 33. Qxa5 Ne4 34. Qxa7 (34. Nxe4 Rxe4 35. Qxa7 Qxa7 36. Rxa7 Rxc4 37. Ra6 Kf7 38. Rxd6 {is a drawn rook endgame despite White's extra pawn.} Rd4 39. Kg3 c4 40. Kf3 c3 41. Rc6 Rxd5 42. Rxc3 h5) 34... Qxa7 35. Rxa7 Nxf2) {Pace finishes the game off with a series of accurate moves.} 33. axb6 $1 $18 axb6 (33... Nxg3 34. b7) 34. Ra8+ Kh7 35. Qb1 $1 {threatens 36.f3 and winning pinned piece on e4, so Black has to block the b1-h7 diagonal. But that leads to other problems.} g6 36. Qxb6 Qh4 37. Qb8 {Checkmate cannot be stopped.} 1-0

[Event "Le Quang Liem Simul"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2023.11.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "GM Le Quang Liem"]
[Black "Andra Marinescu"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C05"]
[WhiteElo "2803"]
[BlackElo "1427"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2023.11.25"]
[EventType "simul"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{[%evp 0,58,19,38,43,18,28,33,51,51,34,13,18,-7,-11,27,22,15,13,14,14,1,60,19,15,21,23,42,42,26,82,69,70,40,49,8,96,96,90,59,79,17,43,0,38,24,86,-390,-399,-403,-412,-432,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 b6 8. O-O Ba6 9. Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Re1 cxd4 11. cxd4 Rc8 12. a3 b5 13. Nf1 Nb6 14. Ng3 Nc4 15. b3 Na5 16. Bd2 b4 17. axb4 Bxb4 18. Nh5 O-O 19. Re3 Qb6 20. Rd3 Rc6 21. Ng5 Bxd2 22. Rxd2 Nxb3 23. Rb1 Nxd2 24. Rxb6 Rxb6 25. Nxh7 Kxh7 26. Nf6+ gxf6 27. Qh5+ Kg8 28. Qg4+ Kh7 29. Qh5+ Kg8 1/2-1/2

[Event "2002 National Open"]
[Site "Las Vegas, NV"]
[Date "2002.03.10"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Pupols, Viktors"]
[Black "Levina, Anna"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2248"]
[BlackElo "2080"]
[Annotator "Viktors Pupols"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2002.03.08"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{[%evp 0,75,19,34,27,-18,0,4,40,52,42,55,55,22,43,9,18,7,7,7,7,7,7,7,16,16,16,0,0,0,0,3,137,109,212,166,255,255,255,265,265,175,245,0,0,0,0,101,101,101,101,101,215,152,224,297,371,304,806,581,705,686,748,565,565,423,420,434,851,851,29989,29990,29991,2144,29991,29982,29983,29988]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. h3 O-O 8. Be2 dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 {This generally equalizes in the Meran.} 10. O-O exd4 {GM Walter Browne (and others) did not mind an isolated d-pawn.} 11. exd4 Nb6 12. Bb3 h6 {A natural move, but it should be preceded by ...Nbd5. Now I'm following Browne.} 13. Bxh6 gxh6 14. Qg6+ Kh8 15. Qxh6+ Kg8 ({Better is} 15... Nh7 {The most natural attack is} 16. Ne4 Be7 17. Nf6 Bf5 $1 {preventing Bc2; and the bishop should stay on the b1-h7 diagonal even if ...Bd3 and ...Bxf1 won material.}) 16. Bc2 Be6 17. Ng5 Re8 18. Bh7+ Nxh7 19. Qxh7+ Kf8 20. Nce4 Nd5 21. f4 Bxf4 22. Rxf4 Nxf4 23. Qh8+ Ke7 24. Qf6+ Kd7 $2 (24... Kf8 {is stronger; White can perpetual check immediately or continue with space advantage.}) 25. Qxf4 Ke7 26. Nf6 Qb8 27. Qf2 Rh8 28. Re1 Qc8 29. d5 $2 ({Not bad, but} 29. Nd5+ {is more immediate.}) 29... cxd5 30. Nxd5+ Kd7 31. Rd1 Ke8 32. Qf6 Qc5+ 33. Kh1 Rh5 34. Nxe6 fxe6 35. Qxe6+ Kf8 36. Qf6+ Ke8 37. Qg6+ Kd8 38. Qxh5 1-0

[Event "North American Open 2023"]
[Site "Las Vegas"]
[Date "2023.12.26"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Seshadri, Sridhar"]
[Black "Pavarthaneni, Nikhil"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "1458"]
[BlackElo "2012"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 e6 3. Be2 b6 4. Bf3 $5 {This is a bit time consuming, and it takes away the natural square for the knight, but it has the benefit of leading to unusual, one might even say unique, positions.} d5 5. Nd2 $6 ({A little too quirky. White has already used up the grace tempo supplied by having the first move, so should now avoid weird passive moves that interfere with other development.} 5. c4 {uses the pressure of the pin created by the bishop on f3.}) 5... Bb7 (5... c5) 6. c3 Nbd7 (6... c5 $15) 7. h4 $6 e5 $1 8. h5 {The ubiquitous plan inspired by AlphaZero: when in doubt, push the h-pawn. It doesn't make a great deal of sense here, however.} exd4 $2 ({Releasing the central tension, and at the same time opening a line for the c1-bishop to escape from the cage White built for it. Almost any normal developing move is better, such as 8...Rc8 or 8...Be7. Even a waiting move like 8...h6 doesn't give anything away. Stockfish suggests active play with} 8... c5 $15 {or 8...e4 as well.}) 9. exd4 h6 10. Qc2 $6 ({It isn't yet clear where the queen wants to develop, so in general it's more appropriate to develop something else first.} 10. Ne2 {seems natural, or White could begin the trek of the other knight to the kingside with 10.Nf1. Even 10.Nh3 and 10.Nc4 are candidates that should be considered before the game move, since normal play by Black, such as ...Rc8 and ...c5, could cause a queen on c2 considerable discomfort.}) 10... Bd6 $6 11. Nc4 $1 {Demonstrating the drawback of Black's bishop development.} Ne4 (11... Be7) 12. Nxd6+ Nxd6 13. Bf4 Qf6 14. Bxd6 ({Not terrible, but I would prefer to keep the bishop-pair unless there is a compelling reason to part with it.} 14. Nh3 $14) 14... Qxd6 15. O-O-O O-O-O (15... O-O $13) 16. Ne2 Nf6 17. Ng3 Qf4+ (17... Ne4 $5) 18. Qd2 $1 {Good judgment. The ending favors White, who has more space and the better bishop.} Qxd2+ 19. Kxd2 $14 g6 20. hxg6 (20. Rde1) 20... fxg6 21. Rhe1 (21. Rde1) 21... Kd7 (21... h5 $5 22. Re5 h4 23. Ne2 $13) 22. Re5 Rde8 23. Rde1 g5 $6 24. Nh5 Nxh5 (24... Ne4+ $5) 25. Bxh5 Rxe5 26. Rxe5 Rf8 27. Ke3 Kd6 28. g3 Bc8 29. f4 gxf4+ 30. gxf4 Bf5 31. b4 (31. Kf3 c5 (31... Be4+ 32. Kg3 Rg8+ 33. Bg4 $16 {intending Kg3-h4 and f4-f5.}) 32. Bg4 $14) 31... c6 32. Bf3 b5 (32... Be6 $14) 33. Kf2 Bb1 $6 34. Kg3 Bxa2 $2 {The opening of the a-file for White's rook is far more dangerous than Black's "extra" a-pawn.} 35. f5 $16 Rf6 36. Kf4 Kd7 37. Bg4 Bb1 $2 {An unfortunately timed idea for Black, allowing the rook to vacate e5 with tempo.} (37... Kd6) 38. Re1 $1 Be4 39. Ra1 ({White does have a significant advantage here at the end, but even stronger would have been} 39. Ke5 $1 Rf8 (39... Ke7 40. Ra1 Rf7 41. f6+) 40. f6+ Kd8 41. Be6 $18 {, intending Rg1-g7 if the king stays on the back rank, and possibly f7 and Rg8 if it tries to run far away.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "North American Open 2023"]
[Site "Las Vegas"]
[Date "2023.12.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Loring, Steven"]
[Black "Seshadri, Sridhar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D00"]
[WhiteElo "1920"]
[BlackElo "1458"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{This game features a nice concluding sacrifice by Black.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. Bxf6 exf6 4. e3 Bf5 ({After} 4... Bd6 {, practice suggests Black should be very pleased to have the bishop-pair and no weaknesses.}) 5. Bd3 Bg6 6. Ne2 Bd6 7. Bxg6 $6 (7. h4 $5) 7... hxg6 8. Qd3 Na6 $5 (8... c6 9. Nd2 Nd7) 9. Nd2 c6 10. c3 f5 11. g3 Qe7 12. b4 Nc7 13. a4 a6 14. Nb3 Ne6 15. Nc5 ({White should probably at least challenge the coming occupation of f3. One line (completely not forced) would be} 15. Kf1 Ng5 16. Kg2 Qe4+ 17. Qxe4+ fxe4 18. h4 Nf3 19. Ng1 {, when Black would have to exchange on g1 with rough equality.}) 15... Ng5 16. a5 Nf3+ 17. Kf1 Rxh2 18. Rxh2 Nxh2+ 19. Kg2 Ng4 20. Rh1 Nh6 21. Nf4 O-O-O 22. Qc2 Re8 23. c4 $6 Bxc5 24. bxc5 dxc4 25. Qxc4 Qe4+ 26. Kg1 Qb1+ 27. Kg2 Qe4+ 28. Kg1 g5 29. Nd3 f6 30. Nb4 Ng4 31. Qc2 Qf3 32. Rh3 Nxe3 $3 ({The other sacrifice on e3 is similarly extremely strong:} 32... Rxe3 $3 33. fxe3 Nxe3 34. Qf2 (34. Qd2 Qf1+ 35. Kh2 Ng4#) 34... Qd1+ 35. Kh2 Ng4+ 36. Kg2 Nxf2 37. Kxf2 Qd2+ 38. Kg1 Qxb4 $19) 33. fxe3 Rxe3 34. Z0 ({The threats of ...Re1 and ...Re2 win the queen:} 34. Qf2 Qd1+ 35. Kg2 Re2 {, and the loose knight on b4 will also fall in short order.}) 0-1

[Event "Happy New Year 2023"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2023.12.30"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Semancik, Zackary Thomas"]
[Black "Roland, Jeffrey T"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D78"]
[WhiteElo "1399"]
[BlackElo "1700"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[EventType "game"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{[%evp 0,85,19,29,18,2,61,20,25,18,8,17,19,12,8,0,15,-13,-23,-30,-26,-42,-33,-78,-93,-70,-64,-82,-53,-137,-140,-126,-65,-89,-77,-125,-111,-100,-37,-63,-42,-40,-35,-63,-68,-69,-40,-78,46,38,33,-84,-101,-107,-127,-124,-110,-179,-193,-206,-171,-204,-165,-210,-200,-181,-177,-234,-202,-274,55,0,0,0,0,0,325,0,0,0,0,0,207,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O c6 6. d4 d5 7. Qc2 Nbd7 (7... Bf5) 8. Nc3 (8. cxd5 cxd5 9. Bf4 $14 {makes sense here, as the black knight doesn't immediately occupy c6. White gets c-file play.}) 8... dxc4 9. a4 Re8 10. Bf4 (10. a5 $5 e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Rxe5 13. a6 $13) 10... Nd5 11. e4 $6 Nxf4 12. gxf4 Nf6 (12... a5 $15) 13. Rad1 Bg4 14. Rfe1 Qc7 15. Ne2 b5 16. axb5 cxb5 17. d5 Rac8 (17... Rad8 {puts pressure on d5 to delay White's central advances.}) 18. Nfd4 $6 (18. h3 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Nd7 $15) (18. e5 Nd7 19. Nfd4 {looks very hard to handle. Stockfish claims Black is better, but the line involves potentially giving away both b5 and c4 pawns, and does not look like something a mere human would consider.}) 18... a6 ({Natural, solidifying the queenside pawn chain, but allowing White strong central play. Stockfish here wants} 18... Nh5 {instead, giving} 19. e5 Nxf4 $1 20. Nxf4 Bxd1 21. Rxd1 Bxe5 $17 {eventually ending up with a rook and about a million pawns for the two minors.}) 19. e5 $1 Nh5 20. Ra1 (20. Qe4 $13) 20... Qb6 21. h3 (21. Qe4 Bh6) 21... Bxe2 22. Nxe2 Bh6 (22... f6) 23. f5 $5 Nf4 (23... a5 $15) 24. Nxf4 Bxf4 25. Qe4 (25. Re4 $5) 25... Bd2 26. Red1 c3 27. bxc3 Rc4 28. Qxc4 $5 ({An audacious attempt that meets with success.} 28. Qe2 Bxc3 $15) 28... bxc4 29. Rxd2 gxf5 (29... Qb3 $5 $17) 30. d6 exd6 31. exd6 Rd8 32. Rad1 Qb3 33. d7 Qxc3 34. Re2 Rxd7 $2 (34... Qb3 35. Re8+ Kg7 36. Rd5 Qb1+ 37. Bf1 (37. Kh2 $4 Qb8+ $1 38. Rde5 c3 $19) 37... Qb7 $1 38. Rxd8 Qxd5 39. Bxc4 $1 $13 {This should favor Black, but there is good fortress potential.}) 35. Rxd7 Qc1+ 36. Kh2 Qf4+ 37. Kg1 c3 $4 ({Take the repetition:} 37... Qc1+ 38. Bf1 Qg5+ 39. Kh2 Qf4+ 40. Kh1 Qc1) 38. Re8+ $4 (38. Rd1 a5 39. Rc2 Qb4 40. Bf1 f4 41. Rd3 $18) (38. Bd5 Qc1+ 39. Kg2 Qg5+ 40. Kf1 Qc1+ 41. Re1 $18) 38... Kg7 39. Rc8 Qc1+ 40. Kh2 c2 $2 (40... Qf4+ 41. Kg1 Qc1+ 42. Bf1 Qg5+ 43. Kh1 Qc1 {: It's useful to calculate what happens if the white king tries to run toward the center, Kg2-f3-e3.}) 41. Rdc7 $2 (41. Rd3 f4 (41... Qf4+ 42. Rg3+) 42. Rdc3 Qd1 43. f3 Qe1 44. Rxc2 $16) 41... Qf4+ 42. Kg1 Qc1+ 43. Kh2 1/2-1/2

[Event "North American Open"]
[Site "Las Vegas"]
[Date "2023.12.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Min, Ryan"]
[Black "Gurevich, Dmitry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D41"]
[WhiteElo "2178"]
[BlackElo "2475"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2023.12.27"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.12.31"]

{[%evp 0,81,48,27,21,4,-8,6,6,-3,61,57,54,48,71,71,61,60,62,58,58,58,58,52,77,50,60,29,32,16,33,40,34,44,47,18,0,-17,-5,-26,-18,2,25,24,24,16,19,0,0,0,0,0,7,0,13,0,0,0,0,0,19,20,17,24,16,0,24,0,0,0,24,19,22,20,60,33,78,76,537,534,863,936,938,956]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 (3... Bb4 {is the popular Nimzo-Indian Defense.}) 4. cxd5 Nxd5 ({Similar to the Gruenfeld Defense, but with ...e6 instead of the center-pressuring ...g6 and ...Bg7.} 4... exd5 {reaches standard Exchange Queen's Gambit Declined positions, where White still can opt for aggressive Botvinnik/Kasparov lines starting} 5. Bg5 {and keeping the option of developing the g1-knight to e2, instead of the natural f3.}) 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 ({This is the normal way to play, and as we see in the game, Black is likely to exchange pawns, develop the f8-bishop with check, and exchange that on d2. All of that is in accord with the principle of exchanging when cramped (though it's possible that given a choice, Black would prefer to exchange the other bishop).An interesting alternative is} 7. a3 $5 {, limiting the f8-bishop and keeping that set of minor pieces on the board -- at the cost of a developing move. My Stockfish engine says it's still just equal, but relatively limited data favoring White might indicate that it's easier to play with more space and good central control here.}) 7... cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ (9... Qa5 $6 10. Rb1 Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 $16 {is good for White. White's king is active and very safe in the center, the rook has developed with pressure on the half-open b-file, and White has the advantage in space, center control, development, and piece quality.}) 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nc6 ({Alternately,} 11... Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 {. On d7, the knight does not block the lines of the b7-bishop or the rook on the c-file. Depending on circumstances, it may redeploy to f6 or f8.}) 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 h6 ({Logical, if worried about Ng5. Other natural development:} 14... Rc8 15. d5 Na5 16. Bd3 exd5 17. e5 $14 {Though down a pawn, White appears to have very good compensation, with d4 available for the knight and a brewing attack against the depopulated kingside.}) (14... Na5 15. Bd3 Rc8 16. d5 {could simply transpose to the above, or White could choose a different retreating option with the bishop and try Ne5-g4, as in the game.}) 15. Qf4 (15. d5 $14 {is a standard idea for White, usually after completing development (as here).} exd5 (15... Na5 $6 16. dxe6 $1 {is a promising piece sacrifice:} Nxc4 (16... Qxd2 17. exf7+ Kh7 18. Nxd2 $16) 17. exf7+ {, and now --} ({Kh8} 17. Qxd8 Rfxd8 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. e5 $1 Rc8 {e6 Bd5} 20. Nh4 Kh7 21. Nf5) ({Kh7} 17. Qc2 Qc8 18. e5 g6 {e6 Bxf3 gxf3 Nd6} 19. Qb3) ({Kxf7} 17. Qf4 Qf6 18. Qc7 $16 {Kg8 Qxc4+})) 16. Bxd5 Qe7 17. e5 {is Stockfish best for both sides. White still has an annoying space advantage.}) 15... Na5 16. Bf1 Qb8 17. Qe3 Qd6 18. Ne5 Rac8 19. Ng4 $5 Rc7 $2 (19... Rfd8 20. d5 $5 (20. e5 Qf8 $13) 20... exd5 21. e5 Qe6 22. Qg3 {with compensation.}) 20. e5 Qe7 21. Nf6+ $1 Kh8 (21... gxf6 22. Qxh6 $18 {and White threatens both exf6 and Rd3-g3.} f5 23. Rd3 f4 24. Rh3 f5 25. Qh8+ Kf7 26. Rh7+ Kg6 27. Rxe7 Rxh8 28. Rxc7 $18) 22. Ne4 $2 ({Clearly unnecessary. If Black couldn't capture the knight with the king on g8, it is even worse with the king on h8. White must think d6 is an even better square for the knight than f6, but it's too early to give up on the mating attack.} 22. Rd3 $1 {hints at Qf4 and Rh3xh6+, among other possibilities, and it is quite difficult to meet.}) 22... Bd5 23. Rd2 $6 ({Stockfish helpfully suggests returning to f6!} 23. Nf6 Rd8 24. Qf4 (24. Rd3 Bc4 $13) 24... Rc3 $14) 23... Nc4 24. Bxc4 Rxc4 25. Nd6 Rc6 26. f4 f5 $1 27. Rf2 Qc7 28. Nb5 Qb8 29. Nd6 $6 (29. Nc3 Qd8 $15) 29... a6 (29... b5 {is more active.}) 30. Rc1 Qc7 31. Rxc6 Qxc6 32. h3 Kh7 33. Qd3 (33. Qa3 $5) 33... Qa4 (33... Qc1+ $5 34. Rf1 Qb2 35. Rf2 Qa1+ 36. Kh2 Qc1 $15) 34. a3 Qa5 35. Kh2 Rg8 36. Rc2 b5 $2 ({Giving up the c5 square.} 36... Qe1 37. Qg3) 37. Rc5 $1 g6 $2 (37... Ba2 $14) 38. Qc2 $1 Qd8 $2 (38... Rf8 39. Rc7+ Kg8 40. Rd7 Rd8 41. Nb7 Bxb7 42. Rxb7 Kh8 43. d5 $1 (43. Qc6 $4 Qd2) 43... exd5 (43... Qa4 44. Qc7 Qxf4+ 45. Kg1 Qe3+ 46. Kh1 Qe1+ 47. Kh2 $18) 44. Qc6 $18) 39. Rc8 Qh4 (39... Be4 40. Qc1) 40. Rc7+ Rg7 (40... Kh8 41. Nf7+ Kg7 42. Ng5+ Kf8 43. Rf7+ Ke8 44. Qc8#) 41. Ne8 $1 1-0

