[Event "WA Women's Championship"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2024.09.08"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Cheng, Selina"]
[Black "Airapetian, Chouchanik"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "1722"]
[BlackElo "1973"]
[Annotator "Selina Cheng"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[GameId "2114858097795084"]
[EventDate "2024.09.07"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,115,19,38,75,73,85,20,24,-18,19,29,7,-2,19,23,20,11,46,31,45,44,39,35,41,26,26,21,35,37,85,45,29,15,4,-25,-39,-36,88,71,112,160,163,111,98,120,97,118,125,61,103,-15,17,37,98,128,159,132,135,109,111,93,141,148,175,156,259,68,86,84,70,84,97,89,92,-9,-32,-27,-19,-15,0,0,0,2,163,185,524,596,595,298,1286,25,867,861,861,897,898,915,961,1056,1451,1314,2029,2477,29987,29988,29989,29990,29991,29992,29993,29994,29995,29996,29997,29998,29999,29999] I played white this game, and I was extremely nervous playing a stronger player. I also thought I was doomed.} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 {This is the Pirc Defense setup, minus the fianchetto of the bishop.} 3. Bd3 e5 4. c3 Be7 {Huh. I thought she'd go g6 then Bg7, fianchettoing the bishop, the typical Pirc.} 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. O-O h6 7. h3 O-O 8. Be3 c5 {She attacks the center with an aggressive c5!} 9. Re1 a6 10. a4 {I decide to prevent the possible ideas of b5 and any further pawn pushing.} b6 11. Nbd2 cxd4 12. cxd4 Bb7 13. Qb3 exd4 14. Bxd4 Rb8 15. Rac1 Nc5 {To take the knight or move the queen to safety? I figured that taking the knight would help Chouchan.} 16. Qa3 {So, I move the queen to safety on a3.} d5 17. e5 Nfe4 18. Bb1 {I get scared about losing the bishop pair, so I bring it back to b1.} f6 $2 {Mistake. a5 was best.} 19. b4 Nxd2 $2 {Mistake. Ne6 was best.} (19... Ne6) 20. Nxd2 Ne4 21. Qb2 $6 {Inaccuracy. Nxe4 was best.} f5 22. f3 {I decide to kick the annoying knight out, but the pawn structure on the kingside now looks kind of awkward.} Nxd2 23. Qxd2 Rc8 24. Kh1 $6 {Inaccuracy. Rxc8 was best.} (24. Rxc8) 24... Qd7 $6 {Inaccuracy. Rc4 was best.} (24... Rc4) 25. Bc2 $6 {Inaccuracy. Rxc8 was best.} Rc4 {She activates her rook, with the ideas of attacking the b4 pawn, putting pressure on the d4 bishop, and also doubling her rooks on the c-file.} 26. Rb1 {I protect my pawn on b4.} Rfc8 $6 {Inaccuracy. Qe6 was best. She attacks my bishop on c2, but however, the f5 pawn will fall.} 27. e6 Qd6 $6 {Inaccuracy. Qe8 was best.} (27... Qe8 28. Bxf5) 28. Bxf5 Rxb4 29. Rxb4 Qxb4 30. Qf2 Rc4 31. Bxb6 $6 {Inaccuracy. Rb1 was best.} Qxa4 $4 {Blunder. Bc6 was best.} (31... Bc6) 32. Qg3 Qe8 33. Rd1 $4 {Blunder. Bg6 was best.} Bh4 34. Qd6 $6 {Inaccuracy. Qe5 was best.} Rc6 {I thought I just got forked... but then I realized that Qb4 existed, saving my bishop.} 35. Qb4 Be7 36. Qb3 g6 $2 {Mistake. Qf8 was best.} (36... Qf8 37. g4) 37. Bb1 $4 {Blunder. Bd4 was best.} (37. Bd4 gxf5 38. Qxb7 Rxe6 39. Rc1 Kf7 40. Qxd5 Qb5 41. Bc5 Kf6 42. Qd4+ Kf7) 37... Rxe6 38. Bd4 {I centralize my bishop, and reveal an discovered attack on the b7 bishop.} Bc6 39. Qd3 Bh4 40. Bc3 Bg3 41. Qd2 {My queen targets the h6 pawn.} Kh7 $4 {Blunder. Be5 was best.} (41... Be5 42. Bxe5 Rxe5 43. Bd3 Bb5 44. f4 Re6 45. Bxb5 Qxb5 46. Qxd5 Qxd5 47. Rxd5) 42. f4 Ba4 $4 {Blunder. Re3 was best.} (42... Re3 43. Be5) 43. Qd4 {I ignore the threat on my rook, but I threaten mate on g7. I also activate my queen. I started getting confident that I could win.} Re7 44. Rf1 $6 {Inaccuracy. Qf6 was best.} Bb5 $2 {Mistake. a5 was best.} (44... a5 45. Bxg6+ Kxg6 46. Qd3+ Kf7 47. Qxg3 Qb5 48. Qg7+ Ke8 49. Qg6+ Kd7 50. Qf5+) 45. Rc1 $4 {Blunder. Qf6 was best.} (45. Qf6 Kg8 46. Bxg6 Qxg6 47. Qxg6+ Kf8 48. Rc1 d4 49. Bxd4 Bc4 50. Qxg3 Re4) 45... Bc4 $4 {Blunder. Rc7 was best. At this point, she is in heavy time pressure, and she starts panicking and making blunders. I don't know why I'm panicking and excited at the same time.} (45... Rc7 46. f5) 46. Qf6 {The queen invades black's kingside. I also apply pressure to g6, and threatening Bxg6+, Qxg6, then Qh8# mate.} d4 47. Bxg6+ Qxg6 48. Qxe7+ Bf7 49. Bxd4 Bxf4 50. Rf1 $18 {She resigns, as she is under time pressure, and this is a crushing position for me. I was proud of myself of playing well.} Qf5 {Below is an example what might have happened if she didn't resign.} 51. Qf8 Kg6 52. Qg7+ Kh5 53. g4+ Kh4 54. gxf5 Bd5+ 55. Kg1 Kxh3 56. Rxf4 h5 57. Bf2 h4 58. Rxh4# 1-0

[Event "WA Women's Championship"]
[Site "Redmond, WA"]
[Date "2024.09.07"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Cheng, Selina"]
[Black "Bian, Erin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "1722"]
[BlackElo "2166"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[GameId "2114198859796573"]
[EventDate "2024.09.07"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. d4 Bxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 10. c3 (10. f4 $5 c5 11. Qc3 Neg4 12. e5) 10... Bb7 11. Bg5 c5 12. Qe3 h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. f4 Nd7 15. e5 Qe7 16. Qg3 $2 (16. e6 $1 fxe6 17. Bxe6 Nf8 18. f5 $13 {changes the dynamic.}) 16... O-O 17. exd6 Qxd6 18. Rd1 Qc7 19. Nd2 Nf6 20. Nf3 Nh5 21. Qg4 Bxf3 ({Both of Black's minor pieces outclass their counterparts, so} 21... Nxf4 {, while a bit more complex, keeps kingside pressure along that long diagonal.}) 22. Qxf3 Nxf4 23. Rf1 Ng6 24. Rad1 Rae8 25. Qf5 c4 26. Bc2 Re2 27. Rc1 $2 (27. Rf2 {avoids the tactic.}) 27... Rxg2+ $1 28. Kxg2 Nh4+ 29. Kg1 Nxf5 30. Rxf5 Qb6+ 31. Kh1 Qc6+ 32. Kg1 Re8 33. Rf2 Re5 34. h4 Qe6 35. Rd1 g6 36. Rd8+ Kg7 37. Rd4 Qh3 38. Rd1 Qxh4 39. Rd4 Rg5+ (39... Re1+ 40. Kg2 Qh1+ 41. Kg3 Re3+ 42. Kf4 Qh3 {forces mate.}) 40. Kf1 Qh1+ 41. Ke2 Re5+ 42. Be4 Rxe4+ 43. Rxe4 Qxe4+ 44. Kd1 h5 45. Re2 Qd3+ 46. Ke1 h4 47. b4 h3 48. a4 Qxe2+ 49. Kxe2 h2 50. axb5 axb5 51. Ke3 h1=Q 52. Kd4 Qc6 53. Ke3 Kf6 54. Kd4 Kf5 55. Ke3 Qe4+ 56. Kd2 Kf4 57. Kc1 Kf3 58. Kb2 Kf2 59. Ka3 Ke2 60. Ka2 Qa8+ 0-1

[Event "WA Women's Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.09.08"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Zhang, Iris"]
[Black "Karamali, Saiya"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B72"]
[WhiteElo "1599"]
[BlackElo "1716"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[GameId "2114198859845741"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,83,19,38,40,41,66,66,57,33,33,38,32,25,50,5,42,25,26,22,28,30,36,30,38,17,24,23,52,30,36,50,56,-1,20,24,9,28,18,26,20,0,-2,0,-13,-23,7,-25,6,-56,11,-32,-35,-27,-22,-89,-47,-131,-126,-113,-127,-120,-135,-139,-142,-141,-135,-206,-143,-152,-158,-175,-195,-218,-200,-382,-395,-428,-442,-461,-467,-463,-475,-464,-486,-480]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 g6 (6... e5 {is the most common move here.}) 7. f3 Bg7 8. Be3 O-O 9. Qd2 Nxd4 (9... d5 {is considered to equalize immediately.}) 10. Bxd4 Be6 11. O-O-O Rc8 ({Black can bring the other rook to the c-file with} 11... Qa5 12. Kb1 ({or} 12. a3 Rfc8) 12... Rfc8 {, since} 13. Nd5 Qxd2 14. Nxf6+ (14. Nxe7+ $4 Kf8) (14. Rxd2 $2 Nxd5 15. Bxg7 (15. exd5 Bh6 16. Rdd1 Bxd5 $17) 15... Nb4 16. Bc3 Bxa2+ 17. Ka1 a5 $15) 14... Bxf6 15. Rxd2 Bxd4 16. Rxd4 {is balanced.}) 12. Kb1 a6 13. g4 b5 14. g5 Nd7 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Qd4+ $6 (16. h4 $16 {Black's king is in greater peril. White should prefer to keep queens on, so placing it on d4 allows Black tempo gains by offering a trade.}) 16... Kg8 17. f4 Qb6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Qc5 $6 (19... Qxd4 20. Rxd4 Nb6) 20. Qxc5 $6 (20. Qe4 $14) 20... Rxc5 21. Rhe1 Nb6 22. Bf3 Re8 ({This isn't bad, but it feels a little passive. I like to look for active play in rook endings.} 22... Rc4 $5 23. Rxe7 (23. Be4 f5 24. gxf6 Rxf6 $15) 23... Rxf4 $15 {White's bishop is somewhat restricted by the d-pawn, as well as finding itself a bit of a target. Black's f4-rook is active, and the f8-rook may find something to do on the c-file.}) 23. h4 Kf8 (23... Rc4 24. Re4 (24. Be4 f5 25. gxf6 exf6 $17 {Black exchanges on e1 when the bishop retreats, then scoops up a pawn or two.}) 24... Rxe4 25. Bxe4 Rc8 $15) 24. h5 Rec8 25. c3 (25. Be4 $13) 25... Rc4 26. hxg6 hxg6 27. Bg4 $6 (27. Be4) 27... Re8 28. Rd2 $6 ({White creates an imaginative mating net, but there's a flaw.} 28. Rf1 $15 {hangs onto material for now.}) 28... Rxf4 29. Rh2 Kg7 30. Reh1 Rg8 $1 ({The only other defense,} 30... e6 31. dxe6 Rxg4 32. Rh7+ Kf8 33. Rxf7+ Kg8 34. Rhh7 {, leads to a draw after} Rg1+ 35. Kc2 Rg2+ {.}) 31. Bd1 Rf5 32. Rh7+ Kf8 33. Bg4 Rf4 (33... Rxg5 34. Rf1 f5 {is fine as well.}) 34. Bh3 Nxd5 35. Bc8 Nc7 36. Re1 e6 37. Rg1 Ke7 38. Bb7 d5 39. Rh2 Rb8 40. Bc6 Kd6 41. Bxd5 Nxd5 42. Rd2 0-1

[Event "Portland NW Inv"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1971.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Franett, M."]
[Black "Biyiasas, P."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A42"]
[Annotator "Donaldson, John"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[GameId "507540589670"]
[EventDate "1971.??.??"]

{This tournament, involving the best players of the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon and British Columbia), was held as a round robin, but with a twist. The players drew lots to see which player they wouln't face.  This positional tour de force is one of Mike's best games along with his wins over Richard Gutman and James Thinnsen. I first analysed this game in 2004. Since then chess engines have gotten considerably stronger at evaluating closed positions and offer new insights into this dismantling of Biyiasas, who a year later would become Canadian champion and be awarded the International Master title. He would later become a Grandmaster and is one of only two players to compete in both the Canadian and US Championships (Duncan Suttles is the other).} 1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. e4 d6 4. Nc3 Nc6 {The motivation behind this line of the Modern Defense is to follow up with ...e5, induce d5 by White, and then play ...f5 without having to first move the king knight as is the case in the King's Indian.} 5. Be3 {The traditional main line} (5. d5 Nd4 6. Be3 c5 7. Nge2 Qb6 {is now known to favor White after} 8. Na4 Qa5+ 9. Bd2 Qc7 10. Bc3 e5 11. dxe6 Nxe6 12. Bxg7 Nxg7 13. Nac3 {Recently Black has experimented in high level rapid games with 5...Ne5 (Mamedyarov) and 5... Nb8 (Dubov).}) 5... e5 6. d5 Nce7 7. g4 (7. c5 {is also strong. The idea behind the advance is to open the c-file and prepare Bb5+. The aim of the latter is either trading off White's bad bishop for Black's good one or forcing the second player to lose the castling privilege. Silman- C. Lakdawala, Southern California Championship 1989, is a model game for White in this line.}) 7... f5 8. gxf5 gxf5 9. Qh5+ Kf8 ({Black can also play} 9... Ng6 {but after} 10. exf5 Qh4 {both} 11. Qf3 {and} (11. Qd1 {favor White. The early ...f5 advance leaves Black vulnerable to Nf3-g5-e6.})) 10. Bh3 Nf6 11. Qf3 f4 12. Bd2 {[#]} Ng6 (12... h5 13. Bxc8 Qxc8 14. O-O-O Bh6 15. Qd3 Rg8 16. Nf3 Rg2 17. Qf1 Rg7 18. Kb1 {Portisch-Ree, Amsterdam 1967, left White with a sizeable advantage. One of his plans is to open the queenside with c4-c5. While it is true White has castled queenside, his significant space advantage on that wing insures his king will not become vulnerable.}) 13. Bxc8 Rxc8 14. O-O-O c6 $2 {This is a serious mistake as it opens lines on the side of the board White is stronger. Relatively better is} (14... Rg8 {although after} 15. Kb1 Bh6 16. Qh3 {This frees f3 for the knight.} Kg7 17. Nf3 Qd7 18. Qf1 Kh8 19. h4 {White retains a clear edge due to his space advantage.}) 15. Kb1 (15. dxc6 bxc6 16. Kb1 {was an equally effective way of handling the position.}) 15... Kf7 16. Qh3 (16. h4 $1 {is even stronger preparing to first drive the knight away and then play Qh3.} h5 {allows} 17. Nh3 {heading for g5 and e6.}) 16... Re8 17. Nf3 Kg8 18. Rhg1 cxd5 19. cxd5 {[#]} Rxc3 {Biyiasas, who already was known as a tough defender, tries to muddy the waters by sacrificing the exchange rather than go down without a fight.} (19... a6 20. Rg2 ({The immediate} 20. Ng5 $1 {looks crushing.}) 20... b5 21. Ng5 Nf8 22. Rdg1 Re7 {is assessed as equal by Bob Zuk in the tournament booklet but 23.Ne6 leaves White with a huge advantage.}) 20. Bxc3 Nxe4 21. Be1 Nc5 $2 {This leads to an immediate defeat but} (21... Qc8 22. Qxc8 Rxc8 23. Nd2 Nf6 24. f3 Kf7 25. Bf2 a6 26. Ne4 {would inevitably lead to a win for White.}) 22. Ng5 Nf8 23. Qf5 Re7 24. f3 {This multi-purpose move, the second choice of Stockfish 17, prepares Bf2, reinforces control of e4 and allows the possibility of Rd2-g2, but the immediate} (24. Bb4 {was even stronger.}) 24... Na4 25. Bf2 Nxb2 {[#]} 26. Rc1 $1 (26. Kxb2 $4 {opens the door to all sorts of Black counterplay. For example:} e4+ 27. Kb3 e3 28. Be1 Qb6+ 29. Bb4 e2 30. Rc1 Qe3+ 31. Ka4 b5+ 32. Kxb5 Rb7+ 33. Ka4 Rxb4+ 34. Kxb4 Qb6+ 35. Ka4 Qa6+ 36. Kb4 Qb6+ 37. Kc4 Qd4+ {drawing.}) 26... Rc7 (26... Qe8 27. Rc8 Qg6 28. Rxf8+ Bxf8 29. Ne6 {is another nice finish.}) 27. Rxc7 Qxc7 28. Qxf8+ $1 1-0

[Event "Northwest Chess January op"]
[Site "Seattle"]
[Date "1983.01.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Phipps, Bill"]
[Black "Ferguson, Bobby"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B40"]
[BlackElo "2215"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "30"]
[GameId "2114841185747765"]
[EventDate "1983.01.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2004"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 e6 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 ({Bob likes trick openings. He was known to play the unsound line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4? with Black in scholastic tournaments, hoping to spring the trap 4.Nxe5?? Qg5!, forking e5 and g2. If you don't know this line, the classic ending goes 5.Nxf7? Qxg2 6.Rf1 Qxe4+ 7.Be2 Nf3#.The normal} 5... d6 {is often met with} 6. g4 {.}) (5... Nc6 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bf4 e5 8. Bg5 a6 9. Na3 b5 {is the mainline Sveshnikov.}) 6. e5 Ne4 (6... Nd5 {is played more often here.}) 7. Qg4 Qa5 $6 (7... Nxc3 8. Qxg7 Rf8 9. a3 $1 Nb5+ 10. axb4 Nxd4 11. Bg5 $1 (11. Bh6 Qe7 12. Bd3 $14 {is also possible.}) 11... Qb6 12. Bh6 Qxb4+ 13. c3 Nf5 (13... Qe7 {seems to be materially losing:} 14. cxd4 Nc6 (14... Qb4+ 15. Ke2 Qxb2+ 16. Ke3 Qb4 17. Bd3 Nc6 18. Ra4 $1 Qe7 19. Rb1 f5 20. exf6 Qxf6 21. Qxf8+ Qxf8 22. Bxf8 Kxf8 23. Bxh7 $18) 15. Rd1 {and White will eventually take the exchange on f8.}) 14. cxb4 Nxg7 15. Bxg7 Rg8 16. Bf6 {and White has the bishop-pair and a bind, in a decidedly odd position.}) 8. Qxg7 Bxc3+ 9. Ke2 $2 (9. bxc3 $1 Qxc3+ 10. Ke2 Qxd4 11. Qxh8+ Ke7 12. Be3 Qxa1 (12... Qc3 13. Kf3 $1 {The king is a fighting piece.}) 13. Bh6 $18) 9... Bxd4 $2 ({At this point the objective continuation to the game might have been} 9... Rf8 10. bxc3 Nxc3+ 11. Kd3 (11. Ke1 Ne4+ 12. Ke2 Nc3+ {, or something similar, flirts with a threefold repetition.}) 11... Nc6 12. Bh6 Nxe5+ 13. Kd2 Ne4+ 14. Ke2 {likely leading to a repetition, if nobody can dig out a win from all the mud.} (14. Ke3 $5 Qc3+ 15. Bd3 Ng4+ 16. Kxe4 $13 {, one line continuing} f5+ 17. Nxf5 exf5+ 18. Kf4 Qd2+ 19. Kg3 Qxh6 20. Rae1+ Kd8 21. Qe7+ Kc7 22. Qc5+ Kb8 23. h3 f4+ 24. Kf3 {, and it still seems unclear to me.})) 10. Qxh8+ Ke7 11. Qxc8 $4 (11. Bh6 $1 Qd8 (11... Bxe5 12. Qf8+ Kf6 13. h4 {The black king has serious issues.}) 12. Qxh7 Bxe5 13. Qxe4 {and Black lacks compensation for exchanged and pawn.}) 11... Nc6 $1 {Dr. Minev would be proud. _Take My Rooks!_} 12. Qxa8 Qxe5 13. f4 Qh5+ 14. Kd3 Nf2+ 15. Kc4 Qd5# {A very flashy miniature!} 0-1

[Event "Northwest Chess April op"]
[Site "Seattle"]
[Date "1979.04.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rudolph, Alexey"]
[Black "Ferguson, Bobby"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B20"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[GameId "2114841185747758"]
[EventDate "1979.04.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2004"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2003.11.25"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2003.11.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,80,28,-8,-10,-53,5,-10,7,7,7,7,16,7,7,0,-1,-21,8,8,48,4,44,48,67,65,65,51,50,47,40,-28,-72,-74,-46,-85,-53,-58,-66,-78,166,-84,-96,-99,-99,-82,-84,-208,-144,-144,-184,-330,-320,-992,-160,-135,-155,-206,-202,-211,-204,-200,-188,-200,-188,-215,-217,-259,-213,-222,-222,-302,-187,-187,-187,-188,-188,-181,-184,-187,-185,-401,-501]} 1. g3 Nf6 2. d3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Ne2 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nd2 Rb8 8. f4 Ng4 9. Nf3 h5 10. c3 e6 11. h3 Nh6 12. d4 b6 13. d5 exd5 14. Qxd5 Bb7 15. Rd1 $4 ({Missing the threat. White must retreat the queen to... well, almost anywhere.} 15. Qd1 $14) 15... Nd4 $1 16. Qc4 d5 $1 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Qd3 Bxf3 19. cxd4 (19. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 20. Kf2 (20. Qxf3 $4 Qxd1+ $19) 20... Qxd3 21. Rxd3 Nh2 22. Kg2 N2g4 23. hxg4 hxg4 $16) (19. Qe3+ Kf8 20. cxd4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Nf5 $17) 19... Bxd4+ $4 (19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 O-O $17) 20. Be3 $4 (20. Nxd4 Bxd1 21. Qe3+ Qe7 22. Nc6 $1 Qxe3+ 23. Bxe3 $16 {It's easy to go wrong in these complications.}) 20... Bxe2 21. Qxe2 O-O 22. Bxd4 cxd4 23. g4 $6 (23. Be4 Re8 24. Qd3 Qd7 $17) 23... hxg4 24. hxg4 Re8 25. Qd3 (25. Qf3 Re3 26. Qxe3 dxe3 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Re1 Nxg4 {looks winning for Black as well.}) 25... Nxg4 26. Qxd4 Qxd4+ ({Black missed an opportunity to win instantly here with a classic tactic.} 26... Re1+ $3 27. Bf1 (27. Rxe1 Qxd4+) 27... Qxd4+ 28. Rxd4 Rxa1 $19) 27. Rxd4 Rbd8 28. Rad1 Rxd4 29. Rxd4 Re1+ 30. Bf1 Ra1 31. Re4 Rxa2 32. Bh3 Nf6 33. Re2 Nd5 34. Rf2 Ne3 35. b3 Rxf2 36. Kxf2 Nc2 37. Bf1 Nd4 38. Bc4 Kf8 39. Ke3 Nf5+ 40. Ke4 Nd6+ 0-1

[Event "2024 Reno Larry Evans Memorial Open"]
[Site "Reno, NV"]
[Date "2024.05.05"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Liu, Austin"]
[Black "IM Bachin, Vitaly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B28"]
[WhiteElo "2164"]
[BlackElo "2367"]
[Annotator "Austin Liu"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[GameId "2115269452863116"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 {A slightly offbeat variation, discouraging White from playing an immediate d4 but allowing the Maroczy bind.} 3. c4 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Nf5 d6 7. Ne3 Nge7 $6 {A slight inaccuracy - Black faces issues with development after this.} 8. Nc3 f5 $2 {A serious mistake - Black opens up the center and weakens his light squares while behind in development, a recipe for disaster. Fianchettoing the dark-squared bishop made more sense.} 9. exf5 Nxf5 10. Bd3 Nxe3 11. Bxe3 {White has proceeded logically. Black is lagging in development and already facing threats.} (11. Qh5+ $5 {This was the main alternative I was considering.} g6 12. Bxg6+ hxg6 13. Qxg6+ Kd7 {[%csl Ge3]} 14. Bxe3 {[%cal Gc3d5] and Black defends with} Qe8 $1 $13 {Simply driving away the queen with tempo. I couldn't find anything good - Black's king escapes to b8 and he activates his light-square bishop.}) 11... Be6 12. O-O g6 {At this point, it becomes necessary to find a plan. My goal was to prioritize keeping Black's king in the center - and if that wasn't possible, then to force him to accept maximum damage to his position while trying to castle.} 13. Qf3 $1 {A multi-purpose move - cutting off the Black king from castling, putting additional pressure on the light squares, and preparing a kingside invasion. Black is under heavy pressure.} Qd7 14. Ne4 {Bringing another piece into the attack.} Bg7 15. Nf6+ $1 {Grabbing the bishop pair - in addition, my queen will prevent Black from castling to either side.} Bxf6 16. Qxf6 Rf8 17. Qh4 {Black's king is perpetually stuck in the center, as Qe7 is always met with Bg5. In the meantime, I can prepare c5 or f4, opening up the center against Black's king.} Nb4 18. Be4 $1 {Not letting Black exchange pieces.} Bf5 $6 {Black desperately tries to exchange off pieces, but this allows a small tactic to open up the position.} (18... Bxc4 $6 {is even worse:} 19. Bxb7 $1 {[%csl Gb7][%cal Ge4b7]} Qxb7 20. Qxc4 $1 $16 {and Black is still in trouble.}) 19. c5 $1 {A tactical blow - the knight on b4 will come under attack by my queen in many lines, leaving him with no time to play d5 and close the possition. This forces open the position using a pawn lever, a theme that will be seen again this game.} Nc2 (19... d5 $2 {allows} 20. Bxf5 Qxf5 21. Qxb4 $18) 20. Bxc2 Bxc2 21. cxd6 Rf7 {The dust settles and I'm left with a clear advantage - I'm up a pawn, his king is exposed, and he has no easy way to trade off pieces, leaving me with a long-term attack.} 22. Bc5 Rc8 23. b4 Kf8 24. Qg3 {I attempt to break through by attacking the weakest point in Black's position, the e5-pawn.} Re8 25. f4 $1 {Taking advantage of a tactical nuance to open up the position for a second time.} Rxf4 $1 {Black finds the best practical try - this is the only move that doesn't immediately lose material or get mated.} (25... e4 $2 {would be good if it wasn't for} 26. Qc3 $1 {winning on the spot.}) 26. Rxf4+ exf4 27. Qc3 Bf5 28. Qh8+ {The beginning of the final attack.} Kf7 29. Qxh7+ Kf6 30. Qh4+ g5 31. Qh6+ Bg6 32. h4 $1 {Just as my attack is losing momentum, I open the position with a pawn lever for the third time this game.} Qg4 33. d7 $1 {Taking advantage of Black's overloaded queen.} Rd8 34. Bd4+ Kf5 35. Qg7 $1 {Black's queen and rook are both offsides, making the king an easy target. The last few moves of the game were made in time trouble and a scramble to reach move 40 for extra time, but fortunately nothing went wrong.} Ke4 36. Qxg6+ Kxd4 37. Qd6+ Kc3 38. Qc7+ Kd3 39. Qd6+ Kc2 40. Qc7+ Kd3 41. Qxd8 f3 42. Qxg5 Qd4+ 43. Kh2 {and Black has no way to stop the threat of promotion, so he resigned.} 1-0

[Event "Pioneer Joe's 1K"]
[Site "Gleneden Beach, OR"]
[Date "2024.09.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Jack Bogle"]
[Black "Steven Breckenridge"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A02"]
[WhiteElo "700"]
[BlackElo "2300"]
[Annotator "Steven Breckenridge"]
[PlyCount "20"]
[GameId "514817166913"]
[EventDate "2024.09.29"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,20,20,-21,-4,2,52,10,11,22,29,-50,-171,-110,-171,-304,-304,-29989,-29990,-29997,-29998,-29999,-29999]} 1. f4 h6 $5 {Some strange Bird preparation I've had} 2. Nf3 (2. e4 $1 e5 {Now it's a strange King's Gambit declined but it was what I was willing to enter}) 2... g5 $1 3. fxg5 hxg5 4. Nxg5 e5 5. Nf3 $4 (5. d4 $1 {Was necessary} Be7 6. h4 f6) 5... e4 6. Nd4 Bd6 7. e3 Qh4+ 8. g3 Bxg3+ 9. Ke2 Qg4+ 10. Nf3 Qxf3# {A fun miniature. My dad actually used to call the Bird subbing a "B" for a "T" so I learned never to play it for that reason alone.} 0-1

[Event "Pioneer Joe's 1K"]
[Site "Gleneden Beach, OR"]
[Date "2024.09.29"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Steven Breckenridge"]
[Black "Sean Tobin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C57"]
[WhiteElo "2300"]
[BlackElo "1950"]
[Annotator "Steven Breckenridge"]
[PlyCount "35"]
[GameId "514817295940"]
[EventDate "2024.09.29"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,35,27,21,20,5,15,24,19,-6,261,254,225,219,219,223,430,425,425,437,437,427,427,427,582,582,697,590,681,636,679,651,690,702,885,725,741,732]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6. Kf1 Qe7 7. Nxh8 Nd4 $2 (7... d5 {Is the main move} 8. exd5 Nd4 9. d6) 8. Bf7+ $1 Kd8 9. d3 d5 10. Kxf2 Bg4 11. Qd2 Qc5 12. b4 Qf8 13. c3 Nc6 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Qg5+ Nf6 16. b5 Ne7 17. Rf1 Qxh8 18. Kg1 {Black Resigned} 1-0

[Event "Pioneer Joe's 1K"]
[Site "Gleneden Beach, OR"]
[Date "2024.09.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nick Raptis"]
[Black "Steven Breckenridge"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E66"]
[WhiteElo "2350"]
[BlackElo "2300"]
[Annotator "Steven Breckenridge"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[GameId "514817917508"]
[EventDate "2024.09.29"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,40,27,32,27,-11,35,32,32,25,10,9,16,22,30,27,21,-18,-8,3,17,-25,14,5,21,27,23,23,29,28,44,17,14,18,39,33,38,8,12,9,11,-4,38]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. d5 Na5 8. Nd2 c5 (8... c6 $1 {Equalized immediately, with the idea of Ng4 and Qb6 if b4}) 9. O-O e6 10. Qc2 exd5 11. cxd5 Bd7 12. b3 b5 13. Bb2 {1/2-1/2 Draw agreed here as he was about to play Bb2 and little did we know we were following a game by Leko-Carlsen that also was a draw in 2020 with Rc8 played by Magnus} Re8 (13... Rc8 14. Nce4 Nb7 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. a4 b4 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Nc4 Qg7 19. a5 a6 20. Nb6 Rc7 21. Nxd7 Rxd7 22. Qc4 Ra8 23. e4 Qd4 24. Qxd4 cxd4 25. Ra4 Rc7 26. Rd1 Rc3 27. Rxd4 Nc5 28. Raxb4 Nxb3 29. Rdc4 Rxc4 30. Rxc4 Nxa5 31. Rc7 Kf8 32. f4 Nb3 33. e5 a5 34. exd6 Rd8 35. Rc6 Nd4 36. Ra6 Nb5 37. Rxa5 Nxd6 38. Ra6 Ke7 39. Ra7+ Rd7 40. Rxd7+ Kxd7 41. Kf2 Nc4 42. Ke2 Kd6 43. Kd3 Kc5 44. Bf3 {Leko, Peter - Carlsen, Magnus, 1/2-1/2, Legends of Chess Prelim, 2020, https://lichess.org/KHSxtdzB}) 14. Nce4 {We had analyzed a little and eventually even made a draw in our longwinded analysis funny enough} Bf5 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. e4 Bd7 18. f4 Qd4+ 19. Kh1 c4 20. Nf3 Qd3 $14 1/2-1/2

[Event "PCC Fall Open (National Chess Day)"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2024.10.12"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Steven Breckenridge"]
[Black "Steven Witt"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2300"]
[BlackElo "1970"]
[Annotator "Steven Breckenridge"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[GameId "514819024996"]
[EventDate "2024.10.12"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,66,23,15,24,15,31,25,27,-6,12,12,12,17,19,5,49,55,39,14,67,69,55,72,77,74,74,64,64,64,64,73,74,76,73,73,60,48,67,57,53,82,100,90,105,125,110,117,108,81,103,94,127,97,156,100,97,105,101,105,101,106,105,70,107,114,147,176,256]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {A big shock to Steven and knowing he had prepared something in an Italian for quite some time I thought I shouldn't go into something deep and I had used to play Ruy Lopez for 10 years up to becoming an FM over 10 years ago.} a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. a4 {The system I had much success with aside from the c3 d3 passive Ruy structures I used to play.} Rb8 (7... b4 {I highly recommend where after d3 then I go a5 the positions are quite balanced}) 8. axb5 axb5 9. Re1 O-O 10. c3 d5 $5 {We both had no idea we were following some high level games here. I was under the impression this was just a bad version of a Marshall} 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Rxe5 c6 14. d4 Bd6 15. Re1 Qh4 16. g3 Qh3 17. Bxd5 {This could have been dubious as I miscalculated thinking I had Qf3 and Bf4 forgetting the Qf5! Resource.} (17. Re4 {Duda tried this against Carlsen which looked like a great try and they went on to draw} g5 18. Qf1 Qxf1+ 19. Kxf1 Bf5 20. Nd2 Bxe4 21. Nxe4 Be7 22. Bxg5 Bxg5 23. Nxg5 Ra8 24. Rd1 Nb6 25. Re1 Nc4 26. Bxc4 bxc4 27. Nf3 Rfb8 28. Ne5 Rxb2 29. Nxc4 Rc2 30. Re3 Ra1+ 31. Kg2 Rac1 32. Re8+ Kg7 33. Ne5 Rxc3 34. Re7 R3c2 35. Rxf7+ Kg8 36. Rc7 h5 37. Nd7 Rd1 38. Nf6+ Kf8 39. Nxh5 Rdd2 40. h4 Rxf2+ 41. Kh3 Rf7 42. Rc8+ Ke7 43. Nf4 Kd6 44. h5 Rd2 45. Kg4 Rg7+ 46. Kf3 Rxd4 47. h6 Rh7 48. Rd8+ Ke5 49. Re8+ Kd6 50. Rd8+ Ke5 51. Re8+ Kd6 52. Re6+ Kd7 53. Rg6 Ke7 54. Rxc6 Rd6 55. Ng6+ Kd7 56. Ne5+ Ke6 57. Rxd6+ Kxd6 58. Kf4 Ke6 59. Ng4 Ra7 60. Kg5 Kf7 61. Ne3 Kg8 62. g4 Kh7 63. Kh5 Ra3 64. Nf5 Ra5 65. Kg5 {Duda, J. - Carlsen, M., 1/2-1/2, FIDE World Cup 2021, https://lichess.org/NkB0bejl}) 17... cxd5 18. Qf3 Be6 19. Ra6 Bc7 20. Be3 (20. Rc6 Rbc8 21. Rc5 Rfe8 22. Be3) 20... Rbd8 21. Rc6 Bb8 22. Rb6 (22. Rc5 Bg4 23. Qg2 Qh5 24. Nd2 f5 (24... Bh3 25. Qh1 f5)) 22... Bg4 23. Qg2 Qh5 24. Nd2 Bh3 25. Qh1 f5 (25... Bd7 {Best}) 26. f4 g5 (26... Qe8 {I had thought was ok still}) 27. Rxb8 $1 Rxb8 28. Qxd5+ Qf7 29. Qxf7+ Kxf7 30. Nf3 (30. fxg5 {Was probably strongest, but I wanted some style here}) 30... g4 31. Ng5+ Kg6 (31... Kg8 {Was best but a bit counter intuitive}) 32. d5 Ra8 33. Bc5 Rfd8 (33... Rfe8 34. Rxe8 Rxe8 35. d6 Re1+ 36. Kf2 Rd1 37. Bd4 $19) 34. Re6+ Kg7 35. Re7+ Kg8 36. Bd4 Ra1+ 37. Kf2 Kf8 38. Bc5 Rxd5 $4 (38... Kg8 39. Bd4 Kf8 40. Bf6 Rd6 41. Ne6+ {I had planned}) 39. Nxh7+ {Black Resigned} 1-0

[Event "PCC Fall Open (National Chess Day)"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2024.10.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Austin Tang"]
[Black "Steven Breckenridge"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2150"]
[BlackElo "2300"]
[Annotator "Steven Breckenridge"]
[PlyCount "246"]
[GameId "514822252644"]
[EventDate "2024.10.12"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,85,23,15,15,25,27,27,37,12,2,2,28,34,54,35,51,11,8,-10,-10,-16,33,42,56,48,36,10,6,20,50,-54,31,-1,-14,-79,-76,-85,-85,-98,-106,-74,-13,-9,0,4,7,-15,-17,-36,-23,-25,-25,-38,-46,-61,-53,-53,-68,-101,-86,-138,-97,-108,-109,-114,-76,-111,-38,-48,-46,-41,-41,-28,-13,-46,-38,-54,-59,-77,-67,-133,-127,-81,-109,-176,-171,-128]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Bc5 (4... Nf6 5. d3 Bc5) 5. c3 b5 6. Bb3 Bb6 7. O-O d6 8. a4 Bb7 9. d4 Nf6 10. Re1 Ne7 11. Qd3 O-O 12. Bg5 Ng6 13. Na3 exd4 14. cxd4 Re8 15. Nd2 $2 c5 (15... h6 $17 16. e5 hxg5 17. Qxg6 Nd5) 16. dxc5 $2 (16. axb5 cxd4 17. Nac4 axb5 18. Rxa8 Bxa8 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Nxb6 Qxb6 21. Nf3 $10) 16... Bxc5 17. axb5 Bxf2+ 18. Kxf2 Ng4+ 19. Kg1 Qxg5 20. Nf3 Qc5+ (20... Qf6 21. bxa6 (21. Qd4 $4 N6e5 22. Nxe5 dxe5) 21... Bxa6 22. Qc3 N6e5 23. Nxe5 Qf2+ 24. Kh1 Rxe5 25. Qg3 $15) 21. Qd4 Qxd4+ 22. Nxd4 Rxe4 23. Rxe4 Bxe4 24. Nc4 axb5 25. Rxa8+ Bxa8 26. Nxd6 N4e5 27. N4xb5 Nf4 28. Kf2 Bxg2 29. Ke3 g5 30. Kd4 Nf3+ 31. Ke3 Ne5 32. Kd4 Nc6+ 33. Ke3 Bd5 34. Bxd5 Nxd5+ 35. Ke4 {Both under 5min here with 30sec increment} Nce7 36. Nd4 Nf6+ 37. Kf3 Ned5 38. N4f5 {An oversight allowing Nh6} h5 39. Nh6+ Kf8 40. Nhxf7 Ke7 41. h3 Ke6 42. Kg3 Nb4 43. b3 Nbd5 44. Kf3 Ke7 45. Kg3 Nb4 46. Nxg5 Kxd6 47. Kh4 {A mistake but I had suspected he would go for this endgame even though it's theoretically lost!} Ke5 48. Nh7 Nxh7 49. Kxh5 Kf5 50. Kh4 Nf6 51. Kg3 Kg5 52. Kf3 Kh4 53. Kf4 Nfd5+ 54. Ke4 Kxh3 55. Kf3 Kh4 56. Ke4 Kg4 57. Ke5 Kf3 58. Kf5 Ke3 59. Ke5 Nf4 60. Kf5 Nfd3 61. Ke6 Ke4 62. Kd6 Kf5 63. Kd7 Ke5 64. Ke7 Nc5 65. Kf7 Ne4 66. Ke7 Nd6 67. Kd7 Nf5 68. Kc7 Nd6 69. Kd7 Ne4 70. Ke7 Nf6 71. Kf7 Nfd5 72. Kg6 Kf4 73. Kf7 Kf5 74. Kg7 Nf4 75. Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:17] Kf6! For mate in} Ke6 (75... Kf6 76. Ke8 Ke6 77. Kf8 Nh5 78. Ke8 Ng7+ 79. Kd8 Kd6 80. Kc8 Ne6 81. Kb8 Kc5 82. Kb7 Kb5 83. Kb8 Kb6 84. Kc8 Kc6 85. Kb8 Nc5 86. Kc8 Nb7 87. Kb8 Nd6 88. Ka7 Kc7 89. Ka8 Nc6 90. b4 Nc8 91. b5 Nb6#) 76. Ke8 Ng6 77. Kd8 Ne5 (77... Kd6 $1 78. Ke8 Ne5 79. Kf8 Ke6 80. Kg7 Ke7 81. Kh6 Kf6 82. Kh5 Kf5 83. Kh4 Nf3+ 84. Kg3 Ng5 85. Kg2 Kf4 86. Kf2 Ne4+ 87. Ke2 Nc3+ 88. Kf2 Nd3+ 89. Kg2 Kg4 90. b4 Nb5 91. Kg1 Kg3 92. Kf1 Kf3 93. Kg1 Nf4 94. Kf1 Ng2 95. Kg1 Ne3 96. Kh2 Kg4 97. Kg1 Kg3 98. Kh1 Nc3 99. b5 Ne2 100. b6 Ng4 101. b7 Nf2#) 78. Kc7 Nd7 79. Kd8 Nf6 80. Kc7 Nfd5+ 81. Kd8 Nc6+ {With just under a minute and my opponent moving instantly every move I couldn't figure out progress here and tried finally Nc6 hoping he goes Ke8} 82. Kc8 Kd6 83. b4 {Now it's a theoretical draw} Na7+ 84. Kd8 Nb5 85. Ke8 Ke6 86. Kf8 Kf6 87. Ke8 Nb6 88. Kd8 Ke6 89. Ke8 Nd7 90. Kd8 Nf6 91. Kc8 Kd6 92. Kd8 Nd7 93. Kc8 Nf6 94. Kb7 Nd5 95. Kc8 Ke7 96. Kb8 Kd8 97. Kb7 Kd7 98. Ka6 Kc6 99. Ka5 Nb6 100. Ka6 Na4 101. Ka5 Nb2 102. Ka6 Na4 103. Ka5 Nb6 104. Ka6 Nd6 105. b5+ Kc7 106. Ka7 Nb7 107. Ka6 Nd7 108. b6+ Kc6 109. Ka7 Ndc5 110. Kb8 Nd6 111. b7 Nd7+ 112. Ka7 Nxb7 113. Ka6 Nb8+ 114. Ka7 Kc7 115. Ka8 Na6 116. Ka7 Nac5 117. Ka8 Nd6 118. Ka7 Nc8+ 119. Ka8 Kb6 120. Kb8 Na7 121. Ka8 Ne6 122. Kb8 Nc6+ 123. Kc8 Nf8 1/2-1/2

[Event "PCC Fall Open (National Chess Day)"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2024.10.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Steven Breckenridge"]
[Black "Hayul Lim"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2300"]
[BlackElo "1900"]
[Annotator "Steven Breckenridge"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[GameId "514825830500"]
[EventDate "2024.10.12"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,63,23,16,45,-10,14,10,14,6,21,-8,-8,-8,-2,6,6,12,45,-9,37,40,31,14,69,28,46,43,95,52,106,57,61,61,73,68,103,59,68,23,39,48,48,48,163,171,175,102,122,100,132,120,164,169,276,245,234,258,306,256,256,305,296,295,308,310]} 1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nf3 {Usually I played d4 then Nf3 but I heard he had the whole equal line prepped with Qb8-e6-Qc8} (4. d4 cxd4 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Nb6 7. Bb3 d5 8. exd6 Qxd6 9. O-O Be6 10. Na3 dxc3 11. Qe2 Bxb3 12. Nb5 Qb8 13. axb3 e6 14. g3 Qc8 15. Ng5 Be7 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh6 Bf8 18. Qh4 Be7 19. Qh6 Bf8 $10 {Theoretical draw}) 4... Nc6 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 d5 7. exd6 Qxd6 8. O-O Be6 9. a4 {Trying to confuse him} a6 (9... Bxb3 10. Qxb3 Qd5 11. Qb5 e5 $10) 10. Ng5 (10. a5 {Was better} Nd7 (10... Nc4 11. d3 N4xa5 12. Bxe6 Qxe6 13. b4) 11. d4 cxd4 12. cxd4) 10... Bd5 {I hastily played Ng5 and he correctly played Bd5 and now my a5 idea I calculated didn't work with Nc4 and d3 anymore} 11. d3 (11. a5 Nc4 12. d3 N4xa5 13. Bxd5 Qxd5 14. b4 cxb4 15. cxb4 h6 $1 (15... Nxb4 $2 16. Nc3 Qb3 17. Qf3 $1) 16. Nxf7 Qxf7 17. bxa5) 11... e5 12. Nd2 (12. a5 $14) 12... Be7 13. Nde4 Qd7 14. Be3 h6 15. Nf3 Bxe4 16. dxe4 Qc7 17. Nd2 O-O 18. Qh5 Na5 19. Bxh6 Nxb3 $2 (19... Qc6 $1 {A hard move to play in time pressure}) (19... gxh6 20. Qg6+ Kh8 21. Qxh6+ Kg8 22. Qg6+ Kh8 23. Qh5+ Kg7 24. Rae1 Nxb3 25. Re3 $1) 20. Qg4 Bf6 21. Nxb3 Kh7 22. Be3 Nd7 23. Nc1 g6 24. Ne2 Rh8 25. Ng3 Rag8 26. Rad1 Nf8 27. f4 Rg7 28. Rd5 b6 29. a5 Kg8 30. axb6 Qxb6 31. Bxc5 Qb8 32. f5 Rh4 33. Qe2 Bg5 34. Qxa6 Rgh7 35. h3 Kg7 36. fxg6 Nxg6 37. Nf5+ Kg8 38. Bd6 Qd8 39. Rb5 1-0

