[Event "79th Idaho State Championship"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2025.02.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Wei, James"]
[Black "Machin, Alex James"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2136"]
[BlackElo "1791"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[GameId "2154302509125709"]
[EventDate "2025.02.15"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,81,19,17,17,38,25,25,25,10,-3,2,13,3,21,-4,-10,-9,-16,-21,4,5,2,4,4,10,10,-50,32,28,24,36,24,5,5,1,13,-18,0,-9,-12,-73,-36,-31,-25,-11,-16,-11,-16,-16,-19,-31,-35,-38,0,-51,-68,-77,-74,-75,-56,-31,-31,-48,-8,-14,-12,-27,-16,-29,111,124,143,143,338,388,938,949,965,987,984,934,996,1019]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 (5... Be7 {is the main line of theory, with positions studied literally for well over a century in some cases.} 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 (7... O-O 8. c3 d5 {begins the Marshall Gambit.}) 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 {, and now with White finally ready to push d2-d4, Black can choose between ...Re8, ...Bb7, ...Nb8, and ...Na5, at least. Of course White could decide to play more quietly, going for d2-d3 somewhere along the line. Well trodden paths all.}) 6. Bb3 Bb7 (6... Bc5 {is an active alternative.}) 7. c3 (7. d3 {is a bit more common in this line.}) 7... Nxe4 8. Re1 ({Now} 8. d4 {is the more standard response to the grabby ...Ne4:} Na5 (8... exd4 9. Re1 d5 10. Ng5 Qd7 {is double-edged. Both f2‐f3 and Rxe4+ have been tried here.} 11. Rxe4+ (11. f3 h6 12. Nxf7 Qxf7 13. fxe4 O-O-O $13) 11... dxe4 12. Bxf7+ Ke7 13. Be6 Qd6 14. Qh5 {seems to trend in Black's favor.}) 9. Bc2 {with complications.}) 8... Nc5 (8... d5 {is also reasonable.}) 9. Bd5 $5 Be7 (9... Nd3 10. Re3 Nf4 11. Bxc6 Bxc6 12. Nxe5 Be7 13. Nxc6 dxc6 14. d4 $13) 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Bxb7 Nxb7 ({Other moves are possible. For example,} 11... Ncd3 12. Bxa8 Qxa8 13. Rxe5 (13. Re3 Qd5 {is a nice bind.}) 13... Nxe5 14. d4 Ng6 {looks pretty balanced.}) 12. Rxe5 O-O 13. a4 (13. d4 {gets on with normal development.}) 13... d6 14. Re1 Qd7 15. d4 d5 16. Bf4 Bd6 17. Bxd6 Nxd6 18. a5 $6 ({A tiny release of tension. Better to develop with} 18. Nd2 {.}) 18... Rfe8 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. b3 $6 ({Creating a small weakening while not completing development. After} 20. Nd2 {Black's position has a bit more visual appeal due to piece harmony, but it's unlikely to mean much.}) 20... Qg4 ({Flashy, but perhaps misguided if Black is trying for advantage. The black queen is superior to White's, so should not seek exchange.} 20... Qf5 $1 {to meet} 21. Nd2 {with} Qd3 $15 {is turning into something real.}) (20... Qc6 $5 {is another idea to annoy White by pressuring c3.}) 21. Nd2 Qe2 22. Qxe2 Rxe2 23. Rd1 Ne4 24. Nxe4 dxe4 25. c4 b4 26. d5 Kf8 27. g4 Ra2 28. Re1 Rxa5 29. Rxe4 Ra1+ 30. Kg2 a5 31. Re3 a4 32. bxa4 Rxa4 33. Kf3 Ra3 ({Over the last ten moves there may have been more precise move orders, and even ways for Black to be ahead a pawn or so. There was, however, no clear path to actual winning chances for either player.} 33... b3 34. Rxb3 Rxc4 {now is a clear draw.}) 34. Ke4 Rxe3+ $4 ({Rook endings are notoriously drawish, while pawn endings can be treacherous. This one is just lost for Black.} 34... b3 35. Kd3 (35. Re1 b2 36. Rb1 Rc3 (36... Rb3 {is fine as well.}) 37. Rxb2 Rxc4+ 38. Kf3 Ke7) (35. Re2 Ra2 36. Re3 Ra3 (36... Rxf2 37. Rxb3 Rxh2 $2 (37... Ke7) 38. Rb7 $16 {looks too dangerous.})) 35... Ra2 {is one safe line.} (35... b2+ 36. Kc2 Ra4 37. Rc3 Rb4 38. Kb1)) (34... Ke7 {is also defensible, even if the b-pawn is lost.}) 35. fxe3 g5 36. c5 f5+ 37. gxf5 Ke7 {I'm not sure at what point Black realized that exchanging rooks was a fatal error. It's possible at some point in the analysis, perhaps back around move 33 or so, he saw that he could create widely separated passed pawns by advancing the g- and h-pawns and decoying the white king to one side while the pawn(s) on the other wing run home. True, except White has the same trick, only faster.} 38. d6+ cxd6 39. c6 d5+ 40. Kd3 Kd6 41. f6 1-0

[Event "79th Idaho State Championship"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2025.02.17"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Roland, Jeffrey T"]
[Black "Gorman, Cody"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteElo "1700"]
[BlackElo "1917"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[GameId "2146520959643756"]
[EventDate "2025.02.15"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,58,30,38,71,30,11,17,17,23,11,-48,-41,-48,2,-53,-7,-26,-26,-29,-17,-20,13,-45,-53,-55,-68,-68,-31,-30,-34,-31,-56,-70,-60,-116,-53,-77,-67,-92,-76,-74,-88,-96,-100,-103,-129,-128,38,-130,-126,-190,-181,-182,-158,-799,-764,-1340,-1327,-2221,-2267]} 1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Nf3 e6 8. c5 Qa5+ 9. Nbd2 b6 10. Be2 (10. a4 $5 {anchors the b5-square for a possible bishop pin. It seems necessary for Black to defend.} a6 (10... bxc5 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. dxc5 $14 {Black can capture on c5, but there will be tactics along the c-file.}) 11. cxb6 Qxb6 (11... Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Qxb6 13. a5 $5 {and if} Qxb2 14. Rb1 Qa3 15. Rb6 Nxa5 16. h4 $5 {intending Rh3, Stockfish gives White full compensation for the pawns.}) 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Nd2 {with the point} Nxd4 14. a5 $1 Qxb2 15. Qa4+ Nb5 16. Rb1 Qc3 (16... Qe5 17. Rxb5 $1 axb5 18. Bxb5+ Ke7 19. O-O {with enormous compensation for the exchange: king safety, development, coordination.}) 17. Qxe4 Rb8 18. Bxb5+ Rxb5 19. O-O $13) 10... bxc5 11. dxc5 $2 (11. O-O {is much stronger, offering decent compensation for the pawn.} cxd4 (11... Nxd2 12. Bxd2 Qb6 13. dxc5 Bxc5 (13... Qxb2 14. Qa4 Bd7 15. Bb5 Rc8 16. Rab1 Qf6 17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Qa6 Bd7 19. Bg5 Qc3 (19... Qg6 20. c6 $1 $18) 20. Rfc1 $18) 14. b4 $5 $13) 12. Nb3 Qb4 13. Nfxd4 $13) 11... Bxc5 $15 12. Bxc5 Nxc5 13. O-O Bd7 14. a3 Nb7 15. b4 Qb6 16. Nb3 Ne7 17. Nbd4 ({The knight could become a target for an advancing e-pawn. Maybe} 17. Qd2 {, intending a4-a5 expansion.}) 17... Ng6 (17... f6 18. a4 e5 19. a5 Qd6 20. Nb5 Bxb5 21. Bxb5+ Kf7 $15) 18. Qd2 (18. a4 $5) 18... Nd6 19. Bd3 O-O 20. Rfe1 Rac8 21. h4 Nc4 22. Qg5 (22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Rac1 h5 24. Rc3 Rfd8 $15) 22... f6 23. Qh5 Nce5 $2 (23... e5 $17) 24. Rxe5 $6 ({Opportunity knocks!} 24. Nxe5 $1 fxe5 25. Bxg6 hxg6 26. Qxe5 $14) 24... fxe5 25. Ng5 (25. Bxg6 hxg6 26. Qxe5 $15) 25... Rxf2 $3 26. Qxh7+ Kf8 27. Bxg6 Qxd4 28. Qh8+ Ke7 29. Qxg7+ Rf7+ 0-1

[Event "Oregon Girls Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2025.02.02"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Shore, K Lakshmi"]
[Black "Bayrambeyli, Emel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Emel Bayrambeyli"]
[ECO "A50"]
[WhiteElo "1127"]
[BlackElo "1868"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[GameId "2151143351382072"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]

{Thanks to the tournament organizers for this wonderful event and the enjoyable ice cream party! Special thanks to my family for their support and to my coach, Stanislav Iljin, for his dedication and hard work. And finally, big thanks to my team, Green Chess, for their support.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Bd2 {My opponent played an unusual move here. After spending some time I decided to play simple d5} d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. e3 Bd6 6. Nc3 c6 {Avoiding possible Nb5} 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Nge2 Re8 9. Qc2 Nbd7 10. O-O Qe7 {I am trying to have more control on e4 to place a knight there} 11. Kh1 Ne4 {I finally placed my knight on e4 and white cannot try to remove it by pushing f3} 12. Bc1 {My opponent plays a really smart move trying to push f3 now} (12. f3 $2 Nxd2 13. Qxd2 Qxe3 {I win a pawn}) 12... Qh4 {Threatening mate on h2} 13. Nf4 Ndf6 14. g3 Qh6 15. Kg1 (15. f3 {And chasing the knight away is still not possible due to} Nxg3+) 15... g5 16. Nfe2 Ng4 {Threatening mate on h2 again} 17. h4 gxh4 18. Kg2 (18. gxh4 $2 Qxh4 {After queen takes white can't stop the mate}) 18... h3+ 19. Kf3 {King can't really go anywhere} (19. Kh1 Nexf2+ 20. Kg1 h2+ 21. Kg2 h1=Q+ 22. Rxh1 Qxh1#) (19. Kg1 Nexf2 20. Rxf2 h2+ 21. Kh1 Nxf2+ 22. Kg2 h1=Q+ 23. Kxf2 Q6h2#) 19... Nh2# {-Emel Bayrambeyli (Green Chess Club)} 0-1

[Event "Washington Winter Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2024.12.21"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Thahir, Ihsan Mohamed Nedum"]
[Black "Kuipers, Miles"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "1822"]
[BlackElo "1917"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[GameId "2148608349999792"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,56,28,12,67,67,67,31,42,42,42,42,42,27,33,6,16,18,17,-10,27,14,19,19,24,5,48,24,75,-222,-222,-699,-721,-1115,-1115,-1123,-289,-295,-108,-151,0,-130,-131,-125,-125,-136,-136,-398,-398,-414,-414,-593,-560,-560,-565,-1400,-1497,-29999,-29999]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Be3 ({White traditionally attempts to pressure the kingside light squares with something like} 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Ne2 Re8 9. Qc2 g6 10. h4 {. Notice the dark-square bishop isn't immediately needed to block the e-file.}) 7... O-O (7... Bf5 $5) 8. Bd3 Na6 9. h3 ({Why?} 9. Qc2 {leaves White with at least a tiny edge.}) 9... Re8 10. Ne2 f5 11. O-O Nc7 12. c4 g5 $6 ({Aggressive, but weakening.} 12... Qf6 {is solid and equal.}) 13. Nc3 g4 $6 ({Consistent, but it's probably better to secure the kingside structure with} 13... h6 {and ...Qf6.}) 14. hxg4 $4 ({Black's aggression is rewarded with this line-opening error. White needed to push the bishop off of its strong diagonal first:} 14. c5 $1 Bf8 15. hxg4 $14) 14... Qh4 15. g3 (15. Re1 Qh2+ 16. Kf1 f4 $19) 15... Bxg3 16. Kg2 (16. fxg3 Qxg3+ 17. Kh1 Rxe3 $19) 16... Qh2+ 17. Kf3 fxg4+ (17... Bxf2 $1 18. Rxf2 (18. Bxf2 fxg4#) 18... Qh3+ 19. Ke2 Rxe3+ 20. Kd2 Rxd3+ $19 {is the flashier way.}) 18. Ke2 Bf4 (18... Rxe3+ 19. Kxe3 Bf4+ 20. Ke2 g3 $19) 19. Ne4 Kf8 $2 ({This could have thrown away the win.} 19... Bxe3 20. Nf6+ Kf8 21. Nxe8 Ne6 22. Nf6 Bxd4 {is still quite good for Black, though admittedly a bit murkier than some of the earlier lines.}) 20. Qd2 $2 (20. Rh1 Qg2 21. Rg1 Qh3 (21... Qf3+ 22. Kd2 Bxe3+ 23. fxe3 Qxd1+ 24. Raxd1 {when White is active and well-placed to attack Black's weaknesses.}) 22. Rh1) 20... Bxe3 21. Qxe3 Bf5 22. Rh1 $2 (22. Kd2 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Rad8 $17) 22... Qg2 23. Qh6+ (23. Rhg1 Qxe4 24. Bxe4 Rxe4 25. Qxe4 Bxe4 26. Rxg4 {will take some technique for Black to win.}) 23... Kg8 24. Qg5+ Bg6 25. Rhg1 Rxe4+ 26. Bxe4 Qxe4+ 27. Kf1 (27. Qe3 Qc2+ 28. Kf1 Qxc4+ $19) 27... Qd3+ 28. Kg2 (28. Ke1 Re8+) 28... Qh3# 0-1

[Event "Washington Winter Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2024.12.21"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Lavoice, Rich"]
[Black "Jiang, Brandon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "1880"]
[BlackElo "2217"]
[PlyCount "26"]
[GameId "2148608349999798"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. Bb3 O-O 8. Bg5 Re8 9. f3 $2 {Diagram after 9.f3} Nxe4 10. Bxd8 Nxc3+ 11. Kf2 Nxd1+ 12. Raxd1 Bxd4+ 13. Rxd4 Rxd8 0-1

[Event "Washington Winter Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2024.12.21"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Pupols, Viktors"]
[Black "Wei, Jeffrey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "D05"]
[WhiteElo "2200"]
[BlackElo "1893"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[GameId "2148608349999795"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,93,16,29,30,19,28,19,18,13,18,24,13,0,3,5,9,-15,10,10,16,10,18,-20,-13,-15,19,-1,0,8,7,9,76,-17,15,-53,9,-4,32,9,34,-10,-4,-27,-10,-3,-10,-20,-16,-19,-2,-4,34,32,26,37,37,-1,1,0,55,-18,161,164,171,189,245,255,248,248,254,247,290,254,279,254,312,268,352,282,286,287,285,285,386,385,624,177,652,651,657,667,670,670,739,825]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 b6 5. O-O Bb7 6. b3 Bd6 7. Bb2 O-O 8. Ne5 Nbd7 9. Nd2 a5 10. Qe2 a4 11. Rac1 a3 12. Ba1 Nb8 13. c4 Na6 14. Rfd1 Nb4 15. Bb1 Ne4 16. f4 f6 17. Nef3 f5 18. Ne5 Ba6 19. Qe1 Qe8 20. Ndf3 Qe7 21. Nd3 Nxd3 22. Bxd3 Bb7 23. Ne5 Bxe5 24. dxe5 Nc5 25. Bf1 Qf7 26. Bd4 Ne4 27. c5 Rfc8 28. cxb6 c5 29. Bc3 Qe8 30. b4 Qd8 $2 (30... Nxc3 31. Qxc3 c4 $1 $13) 31. bxc5 Nxc5 32. Bd4 Na4 33. Qb4 Nb2 34. Bxb2 axb2 35. Qxb2 Rcb8 36. Rd4 Ba6 37. Rb1 Qc8 38. Rb4 Qc5 39. Qd4 Qxd4 40. exd4 Bxf1 41. Kxf1 Rxa2 42. Rc1 Rb7 43. Rb5 (43. Rc7 Rxc7 (43... Rb8 44. b7) 44. bxc7 Rc2 45. Rb8+ Kf7 46. c8=Q) 43... Ra6 44. Rc8+ Kf7 45. Rc7+ Rxc7 46. bxc7 Rc6 {Diagram after 46...Rc6 -- alternatively, one could go after 42...Rb7, but only if it really fits the page better.} 47. Rc5 1-0

[Event "Washington Winter Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2024.12.21"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kuipers, Miles"]
[Black "Ramkumar, Nikhil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "1917"]
[BlackElo "1890"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[GameId "2148608349999796"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5 6. c4 dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. d5 Nb4 $2 (9... exd5 $13) 10. Qa4+ $1 {Diagram after 10.Qa4+} b5 (10... Qd7 11. Bb5 axb5 12. Qxa8+ Qd8 13. Qxb7 Nc2+ 14. Ke2 Nxa1 15. Nxb5 {with a winning attack.}) 11. Nxb5 exd5 12. Nd6+ Ke7 13. Nxf5+ Ke6 14. g4 dxc4 15. Ng5+ Kd5 {possible extra diagram after 15...Kd5} 16. O-O 1-0

[Event "E. Wa. Regionals"]
[Site "Cheney, Wa"]
[Date "2025.01.25"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Eshan Reddy, St. George HS"]
[Black "Ben Patterson, Chewelah HS"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Randy Kaech"]
[ECO "A70"]
[WhiteElo "1703"]
[BlackElo "1861"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[GameId "2157085544960043"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,51,27,27,27,0,0,0,41,41,51,50,66,57,96,95,87,87,87,76,89,81,81,77,93,50,72,76,65,72,102,98,107,95,92,99,99,99,167,58,66,66,66,53,53,53,57,67,67,52,44,43,67,67] The final round of the Eastern Washington Regional.  Both Eshan and Ben were undefeated -- winner takes the cake.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 {Nice move order selection. Not Bogo but Benoni, avoiding the dangerous (for Black) f4 Benoni lines.} 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. e4 Bg7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Na6 10. a3 {Keeping the knight out of b4.} Nc7 11. Bf4 a6 12. a4 {Inhibiting ...b5.} Bg4 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Qd7 15. Rfe1 b5 {DIAGRAM HERE The computer really likes 16.e5 here.  White finds another, more violent way to open up the position.} 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. e5 Qd8 18. exf6 Bxf6 19. axb5 Bxc3 {Relinquishing the dark square bishop in order to retain the future b5 pawn.} 20. bxc3 axb5 21. Rxa8 Qxa8 22. d6 Qxf3 23. gxf3 c4 {Again rescuing the pawn on b5.} 24. Be4 Ne6 25. Bc6 Rd8 26. d7 {At Game/25, notation was halted here. Despite having a half pawn disadvantage (says Stockfish), Black went on to win the game and the tournament.} 0-1

[Event "SW WA Regionals"]
[Site "Olympia, WA"]
[Date "2025.02.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Jesse Aubry, Capital HS"]
[Black "Henry Graves, Capital HS"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Randy Kaech"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "1499"]
[BlackElo "1338"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[GameId "2157085672206386"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,67,27,26,41,60,55,55,33,39,38,-20,37,37,40,13,70,68,65,45,46,40,57,47,74,76,76,71,82,89,220,246,246,246,255,244,261,271,268,250,261,258,278,275,274,255,270,274,272,242,228,234,321,328,353,350,360,357,355,359,364,375,380,352,345,345,563,568,595,600] It's the final round of the SW WA Regionals.  Teammates Jesse and Henry are the two remaining undefeated players. This is it -- for all the marbles.} 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 {Theoretically best.} Nxd5 4. Nf3 Bf5 5. c4 $6 {Now 5...Nb4 $1 would have given White some trouble. White would have to play Na3, and the black knight would prove bothersome.} Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Be2 c6 8. Bf4 Nbd7 9. h3 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Nh4 Bg6 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. Qd2 Nb6 14. Rad1 {Both sides have played solidly.  White has the usual minor space and development advantage that often arises from the Scandinavian.} Bd6 $2 {DIAGRAM  A crucial tactical error. 14...Bb4 or 14...Re8 would have been fine.} 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. c5 Qc7 17. cxb6 Qxb6 18. Na4 Qc7 19. Qe3 Rad8 20. Qe5 Qd7 {Black, behind on material, rightfully avoids the trade.} 21. Nc5 Qe7 22. Bc4 b6 23. Nd3 Rfe8 24. Nf4 Qb4 25. Bb3 c5 26. dxc5 bxc5 27. Nd3 Qd4 {The hard-to-find 27...Nd7 would have avoided the loss of a pawn.} 28. Qxc5 Qxc5 29. Nxc5 {Bye bye queens.  Will white's extra bishop and queenside majority be enough $2} Nd5 30. Rfe1 Nf6 31. Rxd8 Rxd8 32. Rd1 Rc8 {Allows the shot:} 33. Nxe6 {The knight is poison.} Re8 34. Ng5 {...and Jesse went on to win the game and the tournament.} 1-0

[Event "Eastern Wa. Regionals"]
[Site "Cheney HS"]
[Date "2025.01.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Miles Turneaure, Pullman HS"]
[Black "Peter Allestad, Cheney HS"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Randy Kaech"]
[ECO "D02"]
[BlackElo "1474"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[GameId "2157085784014915"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]

{Pullman High School won the Eastern Washington Regionals, and their top two performers were unrated players.} 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 {The London System is popular at all levels. (sigh)} c5 3. e3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Nbd2 Nf6 6. c3 e6 7. Be2 Bd6 8. Bg3 {Staredown. \"Take me.\" \"No, you take me.\"} c4 9. b3 b5 10. O-O Bxg3 {\"Okay, now that you're castled, I WILL take you.\"} 11. fxg3 Qd6 12. Qc2 Bf5 13. Qb2 Ne4 14. Nxe4 Bxe4 15. bxc4 bxc4 16. Ng5 Bg6 17. Rf2 {White had 17.Qb7 $1 attacking the Ra8 and f7.  If Black castles, 18.Nxf7 $1 still works.} O-O 18. Bf3 Bf5 {18...Rab8 was calling out.} 19. e4 {Best move, good find.} dxe4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Bxe4 {DIAGRAM} f5 {The rook is still saying \"Stick me on b8 $1\"} 22. Bf3 Rae8 23. Qb5 {The black rook grumbles \"See $2 If I'da been on b8, this never would have happened $1\" Now Black will drop a pawn.} Rc8 24. Qxc4 Kh8 25. Re2 e5 26. Qd5 Qxd5 27. Bxd5 exd4 28. Bxc6 Rxc6 29. cxd4 Rd6 30. Rd1 h6 31. Re7 a5 32. d5 Rfd8 33. Re5 g6 34. Kf2 Kg7 35. Ke3 Kf6 36. Kd4 Rc8 37. Rd2 h5 38. Rb2 Rc1 39. Ree2 a4 40. Rb4 Rd1+ 41. Ke3 R1xd5 42. Rxa4 {and White ended up nursing the extra pawn to victory.} 1-0

[Event "Pierce County Regional"]
[Site "Tacoma"]
[Date "2025.01.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nicholas Truong, Mt Tahoma HS"]
[Black "Judah Young, Homeschool"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Randy Kaech"]
[ECO "C58"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[GameId "2157085841899594"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]

{It's the final round of the Pierce County Regional. Nicholas has given up one draw, Judah one loss, both are in contention to take the title.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {\"This position is the most popular opening in scholastic chesss, though it is also seen in top-level professional competition.\"  -Eric Schiller, \"First Chess Openings\".} Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 {No liver or lolli pops on the menu today.} 6. Qe2 Nxc4 7. Qxc4 h6 8. Nf3 Nxd5 $2 {Play 8...e4 first, then black can keep the e-pawn.} 9. Nxe5 Be6 10. Qb5+ c6 11. Qxb7 Rc8 12. Qxa7 Qf6 {12...Qg5 $1 would have won the knight.} 13. Nf3 Bg4 {13...Nf4 would have presented White with serious problems.  13...Qg6 forking g2 and c2 is also good.} 14. Qd4 Qe6+ 15. Qe5 Qxe5+ 16. Nxe5 Bf5 17. Nd3 Bxd3 18. cxd3 Nb4 19. Kd1 Nxd3 {DIAGRAM Good knight $1 White may be up two pawns, but how in blazes is he going to get his pieces out of the box $2  It's Move 20, and they're still sleeping $1} 20. f3 $2 Nf2+ 21. Ke1 Nxh1 {Black now has a commanding material advantage. Thank you horse.} 22. Nc3 Bc5 23. d3 Nf2 24. Ke2 Rd8 25. Be3 Bxe3 26. Kxe3 Nxd3 27. b3 O-O 28. Ne4 Rfe8 29. Rd1 Nb4 30. Rc1 f5 31. Rc4 Nd5+ 32. Kf2 fxe4 33. fxe4 Nf6 34. Rxc6 Nxe4+ 35. Kf3 Ra8 36. a4 Nd2+ 37. Kf4 Nxb3 38. Rc3 Nd4 39. Rd3 Rxa4 40. Kg3 Re6 41. Kf2 Re2+ 42. Kg3 Nf5+ 43. Kf3 Ree4 44. Rd8+ Kh7 45. g3 Re3+ 46. Kg2 Ra2+ 47. Kh3 h5 48. Rd5 g6 49. Rd7+ Kh6 50. Rh7+ {Whoever said 'never look a gift horse in the mouth' wasn't thinking of chess.} Kxh7 {Suddenly Black realizes to his horror...} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Inland Chess Classic"]
[Site "Rathdrum, ID"]
[Date "2025.02.22"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Wannamaker, Linus"]
[Black "Donaldson, John"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Linus Wannamaker"]
[ECO "A36"]
[WhiteElo "1826"]
[BlackElo "2406"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[GameId "2148550657081344"]
[EventDate "2025.02.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,119,19,-12,11,10,40,27,15,16,4,-8,5,11,26,1,32,7,38,-12,-5,24,20,3,19,10,10,-1,0,-16,18,13,-3,-4,-4,-7,-7,-55,-16,-64,-64,-75,-84,-79,-68,-64,-32,-111,-91,-96,-72,-53,-9,-25,-23,-52,-7,10,22,-22,9,-8,-12,-7,34,20,21,13,13,-21,-15,-17,0,-34,-69,-111,-115,-133,-124,-130,-86,-96,0,34,34,-86,0,0,0,0,161,104,104,101,299,346,353,300,300,292,318,344,377,383,380,348,29969,384,391,411,397,394,804,1012,1014,1242,1292,27209,1312,1322,1322,26801] Coming into this game, I was glad to be paired against such a strong player, and I knew that I had nothing to lose.} 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Rb1 d6 6. d3 e5 {Aha! A Botvinnik setup with reversed colors.} 7. a3 a5 8. h4 {If Black doesn't play h5, White gets a dangerous attack. This forces h5, which deprives Black of play on the kingside.} h5 9. e3 {There's much less play after 9. e4. My goal was to give my opponent rope to hang himself with.} Nge7 10. Nge2 O-O 11. b3 Rb8 12. O-O Be6 13. Nd5 b5 14. Bb2 f5 {Black has a lot of space. White is aiming for a pawn break with d4, while Black's play is on the queenside.} 15. Ba1 $6 Bf7 16. Nxe7+ Nxe7 17. Qc2 Qd7 18. d4 a4 {This was a critical position for me. After 18... exd4 19. exd4 bxc4 20.bxc4 cxd4 21. Bxd4, both sides are fine. After 18... cxd4 19. exd4, White's pawns will be weak.} 19. d5 {This deprives Black's pieces of squares and secures White's pawns.} axb3 20. Rxb3 bxc4 21. Qxc4 Rxb3 22. Qxb3 {What just happened? White has a passed a-pawn while Black has a protected passed c-pawn. Black's minor pieces will take some time to get in the game. The d5-pawn can be protected easily enough, and White has some activity. I had around 10 minutes remaining while my opponent had an hour. The position is about equal.} Qc7 23. Qc4 Rb8 24. e4 {Securing d5.} Qb7 25. Nc3 Qb3 26. Qa6 Qb6 27. Qd3 Ra8 {Targeting a3.} 28. Rb1 Qc7 29. Nb5 Qd8 30. f3 fxe4 31. fxe4 Kh7 32. Bc3 Ng8 33. Bd2 Bh6 34. Bh3 Bxd2 35. Qxd2 Nf6 36. Qe3 Be8 {White's pieces might become a bit loose.} 37. Qc1 Bxb5 38. Rxb5 Rb8 39. a4 Rxb5 40. axb5 {White is forced to solve problems quickly after 40... Nxe4 41. Qb1. It's a big mess, but it should be equal. Navigating this in time trouble would have been hard.} Qb6 $6 41. Qg5 Qd8 42. Kf1 c4 43. Ke2 c3 44. Kd3 c2 45. Kxc2 Qc7+ 46. Kd3 Nxe4 $4 {So, this is the big mistake. At 11 PM, I didn't know or care why my opponent played this move. Perhaps this can be explained by a bit of psychology: when a lower-rated player plays well against a higher-rated player, the higher-rated player is prone to blunder. 46... Qd8 47. b6 Kg7 48. Bf5 Qe8 is fine.} 47. Kxe4 {White is just winning now.} Qc4+ 48. Kf3 Qxd5+ 49. Kf2 Qxb5 50. Qe7+ Kh6 51. Qxd6 Qb2+ 52. Kg1 Qe2 53. Bg2 e4 54. Qf4+ Kg7 55. Qxe4 Qxe4 56. Bxe4 Kh6 57. Kg2 g5 58. hxg5+ Kxg5 59. Kh3 h4 {Imagine what a tragedy this game would have been if I had taken on h4!} 60. g4 1-0

[Event "Inland Chess Classic"]
[Site "Rathdrum, ID"]
[Date "2025.02.23"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Cambareri, Michael"]
[Black "Wannamaker, Linus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Linus Wannamaker"]
[ECO "A03"]
[WhiteElo "1905"]
[BlackElo "1826"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[GameId "2148554835193856"]
[EventDate "2025.02.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,68,25,-27,-18,-19,-4,-12,-11,-8,7,-5,4,-17,-13,-21,-28,-29,-32,-59,-34,-64,-48,-70,-68,-78,-33,-31,-39,-46,-58,-50,-22,-46,-26,-40,-28,-28,-30,-29,-33,-27,-14,-24,0,0,0,0,0,-65,-69,-60,-39,-120,-107,-96,-77,-259,-212,-392,-312,-316,-324,-397,-425,-441,-455,-441,-497,-521,-556] I've lost three times to Michael Cambareri and learned a lot each time.} 1. f4 $2 d5 2. e3 c5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bf5 5. Bd3 g6 {[%cal Gg7g6]} 6. Bxf5 gxf5 {This opening is horrible for White - he must be punished.} 7. Ne5 e6 8. Nd2 Nbd7 9. Ndf3 Rg8 10. Qe2 a6 11. b3 Rc8 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. O-O c4 {White has no play; c4 opens the c-file to rain pain on the c2 pawn, and White can't do anything about it. However, I overestimated my position and fell for the consequences of that delusion.} 14. bxc4 Rxc4 15. Bb2 Qc8 16. Rfc1 {[%cal Gd7b6,Gb6c4]} Nb6 17. Ne5 Rc7 18. a4 $6 {Perhaps 18. c3 was better. Now, a4 is a target.} Nc4 19. Nxc4 Rxc4 20. a5 Bb4 21. c3 Bxc3 $2 {Impatient. If 21... Bd6, Black can calmly increase his advantage. The problem is how to infiltrate. After Bd6, Black can target a5, c3 and the kingside in turn. The problems are that b7 is weak and the White queen can pester the kingside pawns for all eternity. I wasn't sure about this in the game, but the alternative isn't clear either.} 22. Bxc3 Rxc3 23. Qb2 Rc4 24. Rxc4 $2 {This gives Black everything he could ever ask for. 24. Rab1 Kd7 25. Qxb7+ Qxb7 26. Rxb7 was winning for White! It shows that there are chances in every position.} dxc4 25. Rb1 Kd7 $2 {25... Qc6 first kept the advantage. Now, White can play d5, and things are suddenly looking scary for Black.} 26. Qxb7+ $4 {This just loses.} Qxb7 27. Rxb7+ Kc6 28. Rb6+ Kd5 29. Rxa6 Rc8 30. Rb6 c3 31. Rb1 c2 32. Rc1 Ke4 33. Kf2 Kd3 34. Ke1 Rb8 {I owe a debt of gratitude to the TDs and my coach, Jim Maki, who taught me most everything I know.} 0-1

[Event "Inland Chess Classic"]
[Site "Rathdrum, ID"]
[Date "2025.02.22"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Patterson, Ben"]
[Black "Donaldson, John"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "John Donaldson"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "1848"]
[BlackElo "2406"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[GameId "2156391040417840"]
[EventDate "2025.02.22"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,100,19,38,40,46,33,28,44,35,29,31,31,4,9,8,14,-11,-1,-3,21,8,20,-21,-21,-78,-70,-58,-60,-69,-63,-76,-57,-64,-32,-48,-50,-50,-29,-58,-61,-63,-44,-91,-31,-37,-46,-30,-50,-47,-58,-62,-62,-47,-26,-28,-44,-23,-23,-45,-15,-122,-123,-286,-192,-165,0,-84,-135,-207,-201,-215,-209,-204,-207,-391,-414,-408,-411,-460,-474,-467,-474,-484,-490,-485,-493,-493,-434,-440,-442,-453,-461,-470,-470,-458,-493,-571,-608,-678,-659,-728,-740]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 (2... g6 3. f4 (3. d4) 3... Bg7 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bb5 {is another way to reach the game position, but does offer White the option of playing 3.d4.}) 3. f4 (3. Bb5 {is the modern way to play, keeping open the option to advance the f-pawn.}) 3... g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5 {This is one way to play the Grand Prix Attack,} (5. Bc4 {is the other. The variation gets its name from its successful use on the English chess circuit in the 1970s. Grandmaster Julian Hodgson and Mark Hebden enjoyed great excellent results with it back in the day.}) 5... Nd4 6. O-O (6. Bc4 {is another option when Anish Giri in his book The Sicilian Dragon points out a trap Black can set for White:} e6 7. O-O d5 8. exd5 Ne7 $1 9. dxe6 $2 Nxf3+ 10. Qxf3 Qd4+ {winning a piece.}) 6... Nxb5 ({The text enjoys an excellent theoretical reputation but does lead to some simplification. Those who want a more complicated game might prefer} 6... a6) 7. Nxb5 d5 {[#]} 8. exd5 {This White's best try.} (8. d3 a6 9. Nc3 Bxc3 10. bxc3 dxe4 11. dxe4 Qxd1 {is assessed as comfortable for Black according to Giri. The engines rate the position after} 12. Rxd1 Nf6 13. Re1 b5 {as equal.}) (8. e5 {was once the main line but has dropped out of favor after} d4 9. c3 (9. d3 Nh6 10. Bd2 a6 11. Na3 b5 12. Qe1 Nf5 {and Black already stands better.}) 9... a6 10. Na3 Nh6 11. cxd4 cxd4 12. d3 (12. Qa4+ b5 13. Qxd4 O-O {offers Black excellent compensation for the sacrificed pawn.}) 12... O-O 13. Nc2 Nf5 14. g4 Nh6 15. h3 f6 $1 16. Ncxd4 fxe5 17. Qb3+ Nf7 18. fxe5 Bxe5 19. Ne2 Bg7 20. Ng5 e6 $11 {Koerber-Hesse, 2018.}) 8... a6 9. Nc3 Nf6 10. d4 Nxd5 {[#]} 11. Nxd5 $2 (11. dxc5 {, sacrificing White's pawn structure for activity in a queenless middle game, led to some early successes for the first player, but today Black has found ways to reach a very decent position.} Nxc3 12. Qxd8+ Kxd8 13. bxc3 Bxc3 14. Rb1 Kc7 15. Rb3 Bf6 16. Bd2 a5 ({Giri also points out} 16... b5 $5 17. cxb6+ Kb7 {is also fine for Black who has solved the problem of safeguarding his king.}) 17. Rfb1 Rd8 18. Rb5 Rd5 19. Bxa5+ Kd7 {followed by ...Ke8. when Black's bishop pair and superior pawn structure provide ample value for the sacrificed pawn. The text allows Black an easy life with his two bishops. White wishes his f-pawn was back on its orginal square.}) 11... Qxd5 12. dxc5 (12. Be3 {was relatively better and should be answered with} c4 {and a clear advantage, but not as great as in the game..}) 12... Qxc5+ 13. Kh1 O-O 14. Qe2 Be6 {That Black stands better here is not in doubt but how best to proceed is. Stockfish 17 prefers to trade one advantage for another by relinquishing his bishop pair for control of the d-file:} (14... Bg4 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Rxf3 Qf5 17. c3 Rfd8 18. Be3 Rd5 {and Black will double (maybe triple) on the d-file. The Oracle (Stockfish) says Black stands clearly better. How would he proceed? One plan might be to try to trade queens (...Qd3) and to launch a minority attack with ...a5 and ...b5 hoping to eventually give White a weak pawn on the queenside that could be won without too many pieces being traded off. This would leave a 4 pawns versus three ending on the kingside. Many single piece endgames of this sort normally can be easily drawn (bishop endings) or are a theoretical draw (rook endings) but put another piece on the board and the task can be considerably more difficult. One additional factor in Black's favor here is that White's pawn is at f4 which means that a well-timed ..h6 and ...g5 followed by ...gxf4 could result in a passed e-pawn for Black or a permanent weakness for White on f4. This might all seem a bit far down the road but it's not a bad idea to know what you are aiming for. All this said Ben has not gone far wrong and Black's advantage is far from decisive. The text is a signal that Black plans to hang on to his powerful pair for the forseeable future.}) 15. Re1 {[#]} Rfd8 ({The first choice of the Oracle is} 15... Bc4 $1 {with the point that} 16. Qe3 (16. Qxe7 {can be met by} Qxe7 17. Rxe7 Rfe8 18. Rxe8+ (18. Rxb7 Rad8 19. Kg1 Bd5 {wins on the spot.}) 18... Rxe8 {leaves White struggling to get his pieces out without incurring serious disadvantages. For example:} 19. Ne5 (19. Bd2 Re2 20. Re1 Rxe1+ 21. Nxe1 Bxb2 {leads to a typical ending where the two bishops insure Black an enduring advantage.}) 19... f6 20. Nd3 Re2 {and White is completely tied up.}) 16... Qxe3 17. Rxe3 Rfd8 18. Re1 Bd5 19. c3 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Rd3 21. Be3 Rad8 {is very pleasant for Black as the pawn on f4 is a real sore spot.}) 16. Be3 Qb5 {This might be overly technical:} (16... Qh5 {and}) (16... Qa5 {are more flexible deferring the queen exchange until a better moment.}) 17. c3 (17. Qxb5 axb5 {wins material for Black.}) 17... Qxe2 18. Rxe2 Bd5 19. Nd4 ({The gane continuation looks natural but} 19. Rf2 {is possibly more accurate.}) 19... b5 20. a3 a5 21. Rd2 b4 (21... Bc4 {is met by} 22. a4) 22. axb4 axb4 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. cxb4 Ra1+ 25. Bg1 e6 {[#]} 26. h3 ({White understandibly wants to remove the pin with Kh2 as soon as possible. That said} 26. Nc2 {was an interesting alternative:} Rb1 27. Ne3 Bb7 28. Rd8+ Bf8 29. Ng4 Kg7 30. h3 h5 31. Ne5 Bd5 32. Kh2 Rxb2 33. Nf3 Rxb4 34. Rxf8 Bxf3 35. Bc5 Rc4 36. Rc8 Bd5 37. Bf8+ Kf6 38. Rxc4 $11 {bailing out to a draw.}) 26... Bf8 ({Here} 26... Rf1 27. Nc2 (27. Ne2 {allows Black to realize his plan:} Bf8 28. b5 Bc5 29. Kh2 Bxg1+ 30. Nxg1 Rxf4 31. Kg3 (31. Ne2 Rf2) 31... Rb4 32. Ne2 Rxb5 33. Nc3 Rb3 {and Black is winning as White's b-pawn is not a threat, the bishop is the better minor piece and the e and f4 pawns will soon be rolling.}) (27. b5 Rxf4 28. Nc2 Ra4 {transposes}) 27... Rxf4 28. b5 Bh6 (28... Ra4 29. b6 Bxb2 30. b7 Bxb7 31. Rd8+ Kg7 32. Rb8 Bxg2+ 33. Kxg2 Bf6) 29. Ne3 Ra4 30. b6 Bxe3 31. Bxe3 Rb4 32. Rc2 Kg7 33. Bc5 Rb3 34. Bd4+ Kh6 35. Kh2 Kg5 36. Rc7 f6 37. Rxh7 e5 {and White still has problems to solve.}) 27. b5 {The alternatives here still leave White with problems to solve:} (27. Nc2 Rb1 28. Ne3 Bxb4 29. Rd1 Rxd1 30. Nxd1 f6 {White should be able to draw but not without a long and careful defense.}) (27. Ne2 Bxb4 28. Nc3 Bc6 {White shoould be hang on but again Black's bishop pair and more active rook offer practical chances.}) 27... Rf1 28. Rf2 (28. Rc2 Bd6 29. Ne2 Kf8 30. b6 Ke7 31. Kh2 Kd7 32. Be3 g5 33. Ng3 (33. Kg3 f5) 33... Bxf4 34. Bxf4 Rxf4 35. Nh5 Rf1 36. Ng3 {seems to just hold for White.}) 28... Rd1 29. Rc2 Bd6 {[#]} 30. b6 $2 ({Ben, who was short of time, understandibly wants to utilize his one asset, but the timing is not righ and the game continuation should lose straightaway. Necessary was} 30. Ne2 {when} Bb7 31. Kh2 Rd5 32. b6 g5 33. Be3 gxf4 34. Bxf4 Bxf4+ 35. Nxf4 Rb5 36. g4 Rxb6 37. Kg3 Kf8 {still offers chances in a game played between silicon based life forms.}) 30... Bxf4 31. Nc6 Be4 $2 (31... Be3 $1 32. b7 Rxg1+ 33. Kh2 Rxg2+ $1 {I overlooked this move.} 34. Rxg2 Bf4+ 35. Kg1 Bxc6 $19 {wins easily for Black.}) 32. Rc4 Be3 {[#]} (32... f5 33. b7 Rd2 34. Rxe4 fxe4 35. g3 Bxg3 36. b4 Rd7 37. b8=Q+ Bxb8 38. Nxb8 Rd3 39. Kg2 Rb3 40. Nc6 {should end in a draw.}) 33. Rxe4 (33. b7 Rxg1+ 34. Kh2 Rxg2+ 35. Kh1 Rxb2+ 36. Rxe4 Rxb7 37. Rxe3 {Here the Oracle assesses this position as equal but in a game between humans all the chances lie with Black with three pawns for the knight.}) 33... Bxb6 34. g3 (34. Nd4 f5 {is Black's point. The rest is is easy.}) 34... Rxg1+ 35. Kh2 Rc1 36. Nb4 Bc5 37. h4 $2 {This drops a piece but White cannot hang on to his b-pawn. For example:} ({If} 37. Nd3 {then} Rc2+ 38. Kh1 Bb6 39. g4 Rd2 {does the job.}) 37... f5 38. Rxe6 Bxb4 39. Rb6 Rc2+ 40. Kh3 Rxb2 41. Rb7 Ba3 42. Rd7 Rb3 43. Kg2 Re3 44. Kf2 Re7 45. Rd5 Kf7 46. Kf3 Ke6 47. Ra5 Bd6 48. Rb5 Ra7 49. Kg2 Ra2+ 50. Kh1 Bxg3 0-1

[Event "WA President's Cup"]
[Site "Issaquah, WA"]
[Date "2025.01.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Cheng, Selina"]
[Black "Degenbaev, Aziz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B56"]
[WhiteElo "1764"]
[BlackElo "2380"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[GameId "2157154330060289"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,106,19,38,40,41,51,18,18,44,34,49,52,20,44,20,28,-17,-19,-38,-23,-51,-47,-60,-58,-89,-100,-107,-79,-89,-67,-92,-74,-72,-50,-83,-23,-77,-76,-97,-80,-86,-99,-95,-113,-114,-94,-99,-109,-66,-86,-89,-64,-81,-87,-84,-83,-87,-91,-96,-22,-32,-16,-34,-16,-53,-45,-59,-81,-83,-112,-157,-71,-52,19,14,41,0,27,11,-9,-19,10,-7,0,-160,0,0,0,-426,-495,-496,-533,-884,-533,-961,-370,-353,-381,-650,-687,-691,-702,-914,-972,-969,-358,-359,-374]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 ({Somewhat unusual. The three main moves here are} 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2) (6. Bc4 e6 7. Be3) ({and} 6. Be2 e5 7. Nf3 {, leading to different, well-known, theoretical play.}) 6... Ng4 ({Or} 6... e5 {.}) 7. Qd2 (7. Bb5 Nxe3 8. fxe3 (8. Nxc6 Nxd1 9. Nxd8+ Kxd8 10. Rxd1 {leaves Black with the bishop-pair, a solid position, and few weaknesses.}) 8... Bd7 9. O-O e6 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. e5 $13) (7. Bg5 $5 h6 (7... Qb6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. O-O Qxd4 (9... Nxf2 10. Rxf2 Qxd4 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qf3 {With Rd1 coming, White has compensation for the pawn.}) (9... Nxd4 10. Bxd7+ Kxd7 11. Qxg4+ e6 12. Be3 $16) 10. Bxc6 Qxd1 11. Bxd7+ Kxd7 12. Raxd1 {looks a tiny bit better for White.}) 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Nb3 $13) 7... Nxe3 8. fxe3 $2 ({Too subtle for my taste. Why not the natural recapture} 8. Qxe3 {, and after} Bd7 (8... Qb6 9. O-O-O) 9. O-O-O g6 10. Kb1 Bg7 11. Nb3 {, it's a game.}) 8... g6 9. Bc4 Ne5 10. Bb3 Bg7 11. O-O O-O 12. Nd5 e6 13. Nf4 a6 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. Qe2 Bd7 16. c3 b5 17. Nf3 Nxf3+ 18. Rxf3 (18. gxf3 $5) 18... Bc6 $17 19. Bc2 Rad8 20. Rff1 Qb7 21. Qd3 b4 22. Rb1 Rfe8 (22... bxc3 23. bxc3 Qa7 $17) 23. Rf2 d5 24. exd5 exd5 25. Bb3 Bb5 26. Qd2 Bc4 27. Ne2 (27. Rd1 Bxb3 28. axb3 bxc3 29. bxc3 Qxb3 30. Nxd5 Bxc3 31. Qd3 a5 32. e4 Qa4 $15) 27... Bh6 28. Rf3 $2 (28. Nf4 bxc3 29. bxc3 a5 30. Qd1 Qc7 31. Bxc4 dxc4 $17) 28... Qe7 ({Black misses a hidden tactical opportunity.} 28... Bxb3 29. axb3 d4 $1 30. Nxd4 Qxf3 $3 31. gxf3 Bxe3+ {and wins.}) 29. Nf4 Bxb3 30. axb3 Qe4 (30... Qb7) 31. Rbf1 (31. Rd1 $13) 31... a5 32. h3 f5 33. Kh2 (33. Ra1 Bxf4 34. Rxf4 Qxe3+ 35. Qxe3 Rxe3 36. Rxa5 $13) 33... Bf8 34. Kh1 Bc5 35. Re1 $2 (35. Qe2 Bxe3 $15) 35... bxc3 $6 ({There's no reason to straighten out the black pawns first. Better to work the pinned e-pawn directly with} 35... d4 $1 36. cxd4 Bxd4 $17) 36. bxc3 d4 $6 (36... Bb6) 37. Qa2 $1 Bf8 38. cxd4 Bb4 39. Re2 Rc8 40. Qa4 Red8 41. Kh2 (41. Rf1) 41... Rc1 42. d5 $2 (42. Qb5 Bd6 $15) 42... Qb1 $2 (42... g5) 43. Ne6 Bd6+ 44. Nf4 $2 ({Losing. Instead, White has the surprising exchange sacrifice} 44. Rf4 $1 Rh1+ (44... Bxf4+ 45. exf4 ({Also} 45. Qxf4 $5 {, according to Stockfish.}) 45... Rh1+ 46. Kg3 Qd3+ 47. Kf2 Qd1 $1 48. Nxd8 (48. Qc4 Rb8 $1 49. b4 $1 (49. Qc7 $4 Qg1+ 50. Kg3 Rxh3+ $1 51. Kxh3 Qh1+ 52. Kg3 Rxb3+ 53. Kf2 Qh4+ $19) 49... Qc1 $1 (49... axb4 50. Qc7 $18) 50. Qxc1 Rxc1 51. bxa5) 48... Rf1+ 49. Ke3 Qc1+ 50. Rd2 Qe1+ 51. Kd3 Qb1+ 52. Rc2 Qd1+ 53. Kc3 Qe1+ 54. Kb2 Qb1+ 55. Kc3 Qe1+) 45. Kg3 Qd3 46. Nxd8 Qxe2 47. Qe8+ Kg7 48. Qd7+ Kh6 49. Qxd6 (49. Nf7+ Kh5 50. Qxd6) 49... Qxe3+ (49... Qe1+ 50. Rf2 Qxe3+ 51. Rf3 Qg5+) 50. Rf3 (50. Kh4 $4 Qe1+ 51. g3 Rxh3+ 52. Kxh3 Qh1#) 50... Qg5+ 51. Kf2 Qd2+ {with a draw by repetition.}) 44... g5 45. Qxa5 Re8 46. Qb5 Rh1+ 47. Kg3 Qe4 48. Kf2 gxf4 49. exf4 Bc5+ 50. Kg3 Qxe2 51. Qxc5 Qe1+ 52. Qf2 Qxf2+ 53. Kxf2 Rd1 0-1

[Event "2025 Washington President's Cup"]
[Site "Issaquah, WA"]
[Date "2025.01.26"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Aziz Degenbaev"]
[Black "Advaith Vijayakumar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Advaith Vijayakumar"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "2380"]
[BlackElo "2220"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[GameId "2156509791187114"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "KG"]
[BlackTeam "US"]

{[%evp 0,91,35,-12,-17,-17,-17,-17,-23,-19,20,22,32,33,47,32,32,32,32,24,50,17,17,3,26,8,34,-15,-6,-62,67,40,40,40,26,41,35,27,27,41,29,29,48,0,41,62,42,30,29,21,21,6,18,11,30,16,28,13,25,0,0,10,37,19,19,16,23,19,33,13,27,-22,-3,-69,-68,-65,-65,-57,-64,-65,-44,-49,-44,-70,-42,-65,-34,-70,-65,-65,-36,-34,-56,-65]} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 {Aziz opts for a Botvinnik-style setup, which I had no experience in.} Bc5 (4... g6 {I considered a fianchetto-system, but the resulting middlegame seems pleasant for White.} 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Be3 $14) (4... Bb4 {also seems to be a common move.} 5. d3 d6) 5. Nxe5 {Forced, otherwise, Black will play ...d6 and get a stranglehold on the dark squares.} Nxe5 6. d4 Bb4 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qd4 (8. Qg4 Nxc3 {The tactics do work out in Black's favor.} 9. Bd2 (9. Qxg7 Na4+ 10. Kd1 Rf8) 9... O-O 10. bxc3 Qe7 $1 11. Qe4 (11. cxb4 Qxe5+) 11... Bd6 12. f4 Bc5 $17 {And Black is doing great.}) (8. Qf3 {was the choice of Niemann vs Mamedyarov in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. This was the game he played (and won) right before his infamous encounter with Carlsen the next day...}) 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 Be7 {I was not in book here, but I vaguely recalled having seen this position before.} 10. Qg4 (10. e6 {is not a good transformation for White.} dxe6 11. Qxg7 Bf6 12. Qg3 Qd6 $15) (10. Bd3 {is another option.} O-O 11. Bf4 d6 12. O-O dxe5 13. Bxe5 Qxd4 14. cxd4 c6 {Black should be fine in this endgame.}) 10... Kf8 (10... g6 {is an equally good way of dealing with the threat.} 11. Bh6 Bf8 12. Bxf8 (12. Bg5 {is a viable GM draw for those who are interested...} Be7 (12... h5 {Though Black can still prolong the game if interested in a win.} 13. Qg3 Be7)) 12... Rxf8 $5 {A counter-intuitive way to recapture the bishop.} (12... Kxf8 13. Qd4 Qe7 14. O-O-O $14 {This is playable for Black also, but castling by hand is not so easy.}) 13. Qd4 d6 14. O-O-O (14. Be2 dxe5 15. Qxe5+ Qe7 16. Qd4 Bf5 17. O-O Qd6 {And Black's king should escape to safety.} 18. Qe3+ Qe7 {A funny Berlin-draw-esque repetition is best here:} 19. Qd4 Qd6 20. Qe3+ Qe7 21. Qd4 (21. Qd2 Bd7 22. Qd4 c5 {All bases covered.}) (21. Qf3 {White is actually even losing if he plays on this way.} O-O-O $19 {The crippled queenside pawns are now an eyesore.})) 14... Qg5+ 15. f4 dxe5 {It looks like Black is running on thin ice here, but White alas White has nothing better than} 16. fxg5 exd4 17. cxd4 Bf5) 11. Qf3 d6 12. exd6 Qxd6 13. Bf4 $6 Qf6 14. Be2 $2 Bd6 $2 {I blitzed out this move instantly, completely missing that I had a chance to potentially win the game on the spot.} (14... Bg4 $1 {Exploiting the queen's defense of the c-pawn.} 15. Qg3 Bxe2 16. Kxe2 Qe6+ 17. Kf1 Qxc4+ 18. Kg1 Rd8 19. h4 Rd3 $17 {Ok, it's not dead lost for White yet, but obviously this is preferable to defending for the rest of the game $1}) 15. Bxd6+ {Aziz noted, in our post-mortem, his sigh of relief when he saw 14...Bd6 on the board. A frightening five seconds that must have been $1} Qxd6 {The idea of Bd6 was that I can now fianchetto my king (castle by hand) without a dark-squared bishop lurking.} 16. O-O (16. Rd1 Qf6 {I can even things out by ruining my structure as long as my king can be in peace.} 17. Qxf6 (17. Qg3 {Keeping queens is not too problematic.} g6 18. O-O Bf5 {The most accurate way of dealing with the threat on c7.} 19. Qxc7 Re8 {With an important tempo.} 20. Bd3 Re7 {I give away a pawn, but White cannot make much use of it with his double-isolated c-pawns.} 21. Qf4 Kg7 22. Bxf5 Qxf5 23. Qxf5 gxf5 {I can easily pile on the c-file to pick up those pawns, and this rook endgame should not be a difficult draw.}) 17... gxf6) 16... g6 17. Rad1 Qe7 (17... Qe5 {Apparently, this cold-blooded alternative is possible. Completely unnecessary though.} 18. Rd8+ Kg7 19. Rxh8 Kxh8 20. Qxf7 Be6 21. Qf3 Rd8) 18. Rfe1 {White has no useful way to exploit his huge lead in development.} Kg7 19. Bf1 Qf6 20. Qg3 {Trying to hold onto the c-pawn is a bit risky, but fortunately I can live without it.} Be6 (20... c6 21. Rd6 Be6 22. Rexe6 $5 {Seeing this, I wasn't so tempted to keep the c-pawn, but concretely, I should be fine.} fxe6 23. Rd7+ Kg8 {There are a lot of ways White can continue, but the following lines should give the gist of how I should respond.} 24. Rxb7 (24. h4 h5 {is also good here} 25. Rd3 {The simplest route here is just to \"tuck in.\"} (25. Rxb7 Rh7 {Now White cannot even pick up the a7-pawn.} 26. Rb8+ Rxb8 27. Qxb8+ Qf8 $17) 25... Kh7 26. Rf3 (26. Rd7+ {A draw by repetition is also possible.} Kg8 27. Rd3) 26... Qg7 {White lacks enough pieces for a venomous attack.} 27. Bd3 Rhf8 28. Re3 {But Black's weaknesses (the g6-pawn in particular) and White's bind give enough compensation for equality.}) (24. Bd3 $6 Rf8 25. Rxb7 a5 {Black will play 26...Qf4 next and press in the endgame. For example:} (25... Rf7 $6 26. Rxa7 Rxa7 27. Qb8+ Kf7 28. Qxa7+) 26. Be4 Qf4 27. Qxf4 Rxf4 28. Bxc6 Rxc4 29. Bd7 Kf8 $15 {And. White is fighting for a draw. That said, after all these complications, what I did in the game is perfectly fine.}) 24... h5 {This is my best response to a lot of alternatives as well. The idea is to go ..Rh7 next and consolidate.} 25. Rxa7 Rxa7 26. Qb8+ Kf7 27. Qxa7+ Qe7 $15 {The best White gets is two pawns for the exchange and, in fact, I can press here.}) 21. Rd4 {Instead of grabbing the c-pawn, White sets the threat of Rf4.} (21. Qxc7 Rac8 {I had a difficult time assessing my drawing chances at the end of this line, but my instinct was correct.} (21... b6 {is another way to go about, similar to some previous lines, but I wasn't sure about} 22. Rd4 {Still,} Rhc8 23. Qb7 h5 {And I am perfectly fine here.}) 22. Qxb7 Bxc4 23. Bxc4 Rxc4 24. Qxa7 Rxc3 25. a4 Rc2 {I have too much piece activity for his extra passed-pawn to be a major concern. And in a rook endgame:} 26. Qd4 Qxd4 27. Rxd4 Ra2 28. h3 Ra8 29. Ree4 {Good luck ever pushing that a-pawn $1}) 21... Rhe8 $6 {I again miss a chance to take the edge.} (21... c5 $1 {Rf4 turns out to be. a ghost threat $1} 22. Rf4 Bf5 {There is no good follow-up.} 23. Qf3 (23. Bd3 Qxc3 $19) 23... h5 {And there is no way to exploit the pin along the f-file.}) 22. Qxc7 {White decides to take the pawn now, but I can easily consolidate.} Re7 23. Qg3 (23. Qd6 Rc8) 23... Bf5 24. Rxe7 (24. Red1 {Avoiding the trade of rooks is not effective.} Rae8 25. Rd6 Qe5 {If anyone is pressing here, it is Black.}) 24... Qxe7 25. Qf3 Rc8 26. h3 b6 27. Qd1 Qe5 {With this centralization, I cannot be worse.} 28. Qa4 Rc7 29. Rd8 Qe7 ({After the game, Aziz told me that he thought he blundered} 29... Bxh3 $4 {here. Another miss on my part. This time, however, I was lucky to have this blind-spot.} 30. Rd5 $18 {The White rook is saved, and given the tempo on the queen, I cannot say the same for my bishop.}) 30. Qd1 (30. Re8 Qd7 {Whenever the queens come off, my defensive task is essentially over.}) 30... Rd7 31. Rxd7 Bxd7 $1 (31... Qxd7 {Offering the trade of queens seems more natural, but there's a problem.} 32. Qd4+ $1 {With a trade of queens, White un-doubles his pawns and enjoys a genuine extra pawn. While} f6 {is met with} 33. c5 {White eliminates his doubled-pawns. I should still be able to draw with a series of only-moves.} Qxd4 (33... bxc5 34. Qxc5 $18 {The queen endgame is losing however.}) 34. cxd4 bxc5 35. dxc5 Kf7 36. f4 Be4 (36... Ke6 {Not yet.} 37. Bc4+ {I need to be able to meet this with ...Bd5.} Kd7 38. Bg8 h5 39. Bd5 $18) 37. Kf2 Ke6 {Only move.} 38. Ke3 Kd5 {Only move.} 39. c6 Bf5 {Only move.} 40. Bb5 Kd6 {The c-pawn is kept in check. Again, this is completely unnecessary.}) 32. Be2 (32. Qd4+ f6) 32... Bc6 33. Qd4+ f6 {Now, the c5-square is firmly under control, and there is no worry about a c5 push.} 34. Bf1 Bb7 {Just shuffling with my bishop until White presents a plan.} (34... Be8 {This may have been even safer to avoid an a4-push.}) 35. a4 {White seizes the moment to try and change the structure.} Bc6 36. a5 {A critical moment a few moves before time control. How to deal with the tension $2} bxa5 $1 {It's time to change the structure. Indeed, my now-passed a-pawn should counteract the passed c-pawn.} (36... Qc7 {Continuing to play against the c-pawns is no longer advisable.} 37. axb6 Qxb6 ({The desirable} 37... axb6 {fails to} 38. c5 bxc5 39. Qxc5 Qb7 $16 {and a difficult defensive task lies ahead.}) 38. c5 Qb7 39. f3 a5 $16 {This is similar to how the game played out, but why have one passed a-pawn when you can have two $2}) 37. c5 a4 38. Qb4 Qb7 39. Qa5 (39. Qxb7+ $4 {White cannot trade queens.} Bxb7 40. Bc4 a3 41. f3 (41. Kf1 Ba6 $19 42. Bxa6 a2) 41... Kf8 42. Kf2 Ke7 43. Ke3 Bc8 {with ...Be6 to follow. The a-pawn is too far advanced and too far away for the White King.} 44. Kd2 Be6 45. Bxe6 Kxe6 46. Kc2 Kd5 47. Kb3 Kxc5 48. Kxa3 Kc4 $19 {The outside a-pawn proves the better passer.}) 39... Qd7 {More shuffling.} 40. Be2 Qe7 41. Bf1 {White has no good way to remove the blockading c6-bishop.} (41. Bf3 $4 Qe1+ 42. Kh2 Bxf3 43. Qxa7+ Kg8 44. Qb8+ Kf7 45. Qa7+ Ke6 46. Qb6+ (46. Qa6+ Ke7 47. Qa7+ Kf8 48. Qb8+ Qe8 49. Qd6+ Qe7 50. Qb8+ Qe8 51. Qd6+ Kf7 {White cannot recoup the bishop without suffering a trade of queens, in which case the a-pawn will decide.} 52. gxf3 Qe5+ 53. f4 Qxd6 54. cxd6 a3 $19) 46... Kf5 {White runs out of checks.}) (41. Bb5 Qe1+ 42. Kh2 Qe5+ 43. g3 Bxb5 44. Qxb5 Qxc3 45. Qd7+ Kh6 46. c6 a3 47. c7 a2 48. c8=Q Qxc8 49. Qxc8 a1=Q 50. Qf8+ Kg5 51. Qc5+) 41... Qb7 {White was unable to find a way to make progress.} 42. Ba6 Qb1+ 43. Kh2 Qb8+ 44. Kg1 (44. g3 {Aziz briefly considered playing on, but this is too risky.} Kh6 {According to the engine, this ridiculous move is actually winning on the spot. But it makes sense, the idea is to set up ...Qb1 and ...Qh1 mating ideas, which were not possible on the previous move due to Qc7+.} (44... Qe5 {was my plan, which is good enough for a draw.} 45. Bb5 Bxb5 46. Qxb5 Qxc3 {Transposes to a previous line.}) 45. Bd3 Qb2 {If b1 is covered, I hit f2 instead.} 46. Kg1 Qc1+ 47. Bf1 Qd1 {And now the queen comes in through f3.} 48. Qc7 Qf3 49. Qf4+ {White stops the mate, but doesn't stop the a-pawn. Yes, that still exists $1} Qxf4 50. gxf4 Bd5 {This time, there's not even Bc4 $1} 51. c6 Bxc6 52. Bc4 a3 $19 {The previous version of this line was already losing, and this is worse in many different ways.}) 44... Qb1+ 45. Bf1 Qb7 46. Ba6 {And here, as neither of us could make any progress, a draw by repetition was made. With board 2 ending in a draw, this draw was enough to secure the tournament.} 1/2-1/2

