[Event "Seattle City Championship"]
[Site "Seattle"]
[Date "1936.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ulvestad, Olaf"]
[Black "Wade, Daniel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "C26"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[GameId "2167376681877587"]
[EventDate "1936.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,132,18,18,26,22,22,-48,-17,-31,-25,-58,-58,-103,-8,-8,-11,-40,41,31,35,43,24,-44,42,42,37,33,36,-7,109,86,93,98,32,-13,-18,-18,-18,-30,-30,-35,-32,-32,-28,-28,-28,-28,-14,-27,-16,-32,-8,-14,5,-34,6,20,26,35,55,55,44,44,43,43,68,69,69,-37,-69,-58,-17,-22,-22,-65,-70,-64,-68,-61,-11,-122,-28,-124,-28,-78,-14,-86,-91,-138,-150,-176,-176,-222,-128,-131,-116,-167,-167,-158,-165,-177,-172,-172,-203,-215,-215,-215,-223,-234,-234,-287,-252,-328,-332,-322,-339,-338,-333,-346,-361,-388,-409,-420,-420,-422,-438,-456,-467,-495,-489,-543,-543,-1014,-1011]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. exd5 Nxd5 5. Qe2 $6 ({More "book" lines go} 5. Bg2 Nxc3 6. bxc3) ({or} 5. Nge2 {, not yet committing the queen.}) 5... Nc6 6. Bg2 $6 (6. a3) 6... Nde7 ({Wade was not looking for opportunities this early in a fairly standard, roughly equal, opening position. However, here he could have more or less forced the exchange of the fianchetto bishop for a knight with} 6... Ndb4 $1 7. Bxc6+ (7. d3 $2 Nd4 $1 8. Qxe5+ Be6 {and Black breaks in on c2.}) 7... Nxc6 {with a very comfortable positional edge for Black.}) 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. Qb5 {'Ulvestad always seemed to be moving his queen to b5 against me," Wade commented, comparing this game to another in 1960, 24 years later.} Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Qc8 10. d3 a6 11. Qc5 $6 (11. Qa4 b5 12. Qe4 f5 13. Qe3) 11... f6 $6 (11... Nd4 $1 12. Bd1 Nec6 13. Qd5 Qh3 $15 {solves all of Black's problems, while setting some for White.}) 12. Be3 Qd7 13. Qc4 O-O-O 14. Ne4 Kb8 $2 (14... Nf5 $5 $13) 15. Nc5 Qd6 16. Qb3 (16. b4 $16) 16... Na5 17. Qb4 $6 (17. Qa3 Nd5 18. b4 $14) 17... Nd5 18. Qxa5 Nxe3 19. Nxa6+ Qxa6 20. Qxa6 Nxc2+ 21. Kd2 bxa6 22. Kxc2 Bc5 23. Rhf1 Bd4 {Black is certainly not worse after the flurry of desperado tactics.} 24. Rab1 Rd6 25. b4 Rb6 26. a4 Ka7 27. b5 Rhb8 28. Bc6 a5 29. f4 h6 30. fxe5 Bxe5 31. Rfe1 Rd8 32. Re4 h5 (32... Rbb8) 33. Rbe1 Rbb8 34. Rxe5 $2 {Perhaps a sign of frustration, playing against a lower-ranked opponent? Or did White actually believe this offered winning chances?} fxe5 35. Rxe5 g6 $6 (35... Rd4 $5 36. Rxh5 Rbd8 ({Not} 36... Rxa4 $4 37. b6+ $1) 37. Be4 Rxa4 {and Black is playing for two results.}) 36. Kc3 Rd6 37. d4 Rbd8 38. d5 Kb6 39. Kc4 Rf6 40. Be8 $6 (40. Re6 Rf2 41. h4 Rc2+ 42. Kd4 Ra2 43. Bd7+ Kb7 44. Bc6+ {when it is risky to try to make progress with Black. White, we have seen, however, isn't too interested in making peace.}) 40... Rfd6 (40... h4 $15) 41. Bf7 (41. h4) 41... R8d7 (41... Rf6 42. Be8 h4 $17) 42. Be6 (42. Be8) 42... Re7 (42... Rd8) 43. Kd4 Re8 44. Ke4 $2 (44. Re4) 44... Rf8 45. g4 (45. Rg5 Rf1 46. Rxg6 Ra1 47. Rg5 Rxa4+ 48. Kd3 Kxb5 49. Rxh5 Ra1 $17) 45... hxg4 46. Bxg4 Rdf6 (46... Rf1) 47. Rg5 Kc5 48. d6+ (48. Ke5 Rf1) 48... Kxd6 49. Rd5+ Ke7 50. Rd7+ Ke8 51. Ke5 R6f7 52. Rd4 Re7+ 53. Kd5 Rf6 54. Kc4 g5 55. h3 (55. Bh5+ Kf8 56. Rd8+ Kg7 $19) 55... Rf4 56. Kd3 Rxd4+ 57. Kxd4 Kd8 58. Kd5 Re8 59. Be6 Rf8 60. Ke5 Rf3 61. Bf5 Ra3 62. Bc2 Rxh3 63. Kf5 Rg3 64. Bd1 Ke7 65. Bg4 Kd6 66. Kxg5 Rxg4+ {and shortly} 0-1

[Event "Seattle Seafair Open"]
[Site "Seattle"]
[Date "1962.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Wade, Daniel"]
[Black "McCormick, James"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B44"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[GameId "2167376681873490"]
[EventDate "1962.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,95,34,18,44,51,37,15,12,19,18,-12,35,22,20,21,65,72,49,48,26,18,7,10,16,-2,-16,-11,-28,-33,-2,-11,-36,-37,2,-54,-59,-51,-55,-55,-12,10,30,33,39,23,114,0,41,38,66,-26,0,-27,0,14,22,20,11,15,16,20,25,34,12,-57,21,-91,-63,-81,-81,-74,-29,-81,-105,-380,91,-105,-105,-105,57,38,78,78,78,98,83,55,54,71,200,171,196,133,29973,697,711,213] For Larry Parr's 1983 annotations to this game, the reader is invited to view the February 1983 issue of Northwest Chess.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 ({Of course 2.c3 or 3.c3 in the Sicilian is usually played to recapture with the pawn on d4, building the classic central pawn duo.} 5. cxd4 d5 6. e5 {could transpose into an Advance French.}) 5... a6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nd2 e5 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Nc4 Qc7 10. f3 $6 (10. f4 $5 d5 (10... exf4 11. Bb6 Qb8 12. e5 Nd5 13. Bd4 {gives White fine compensation.}) 11. exd5 Nxd5 (11... cxd5 12. Nb6 ({or just} 12. Nxe5 $14) 12... Rb8 13. fxe5 Qxe5 (13... Ng4 14. Qa4+ Bd7 (14... Kd8 15. Nxd5 Qxe5 16. O-O-O $18) 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. Qxd7+ Kxd7 17. Bd4 Rxb2 18. Bxa6 $16) 14. Qd4 {and White is doing well.}) (11... exf4 12. d6 $1 $16) 12. Qf3 exf4 13. Bd4 {looks like dynamic compensation for the pawn.}) 10... Rb8 11. Qc2 Be7 12. Rc1 O-O 13. Be2 d5 14. Nd2 Qb7 15. Rb1 Be6 16. b3 c5 17. exd5 $6 (17. O-O d4 18. Bf2) 17... Nxd5 18. Nc4 Nxe3 19. Nxe3 c4 20. Bxc4 Bh4+ 21. Ke2 Bxc4+ 22. Nxc4 (22. bxc4 Qc7 23. Rxb8 Rxb8 24. Rb1 {dissipates the danger.}) 22... Qa7 (22... e4 $1 23. g3 exf3+ 24. Kf2 Be7 $15 {and White's king is not yet secure.}) 23. Kd1 ({The king goes for a walk, but safer is} 23. g3 Bg5 24. Kf1 {, aiming to hide away on the kingside.}) 23... Bg5 (23... a5 $13) 24. Qe2 a5 25. Kc2 ({With} 25. a4 {, even the queenside is starting to look like a haven for the white king.}) 25... a4 26. Rhf1 (26. Rhe1) 26... axb3+ (26... Rfc8) 27. axb3 Qa2+ 28. Rb2 Qa6 29. Rd1 Rfe8 30. Qe4 Qh6 $6 31. h4 Bf4 (31... Qxh4 $2 32. Qxh4 Bxh4 33. b4 $16) 32. Rh1 (32. b4 Qxh4 33. Kb3 $14) 32... Red8 33. g4 (33. Ra2) 33... Qa6 34. h5 h6 35. Re1 Qa7 36. Re2 Rb5 37. Ne3 $2 (37. Re1 {waits.}) 37... Qa1 $2 ({Black appears satisfied to repeat the position, but} 37... Ra5 {is close to winning for Black, who now threatens to penetrate with the rook along the a-file.} 38. Rd2 (38. Re1 Ra1 39. Rxa1 Qxa1 40. Rb1 Qa2+ 41. Rb2 Qa7 42. Nc4 Qg1 $19) (38. c4 Ra1 39. Nd5 Rc1+ 40. Kd3 Qa5 $19) (38. b4 Ra2 $1) 38... Rxd2+ 39. Kxd2 Ra1 {and Black is winning a piece with the plan of capturing with the bishop on e3, then checking with the rook on d1/e1 to win the queen. For example:} 40. Ke2 Bxe3 41. Qxe3 Re1+ {.}) 38. Rb1 $2 ({White repeats once, but this gives McCormick another opportunity.} 38. Qa4 $1 Qxa4 39. bxa4 $16) 38... Qa2+ 39. Rb2 Qa1 $2 ({Black lives to fight on by retreating farther.} 39... Qa7 {is fine.}) 40. Qa4 $1 Qh1 41. Qxb5 Bxe3 42. Rb1 Qxf3 43. Rbe1 Bf4 44. Qc4 $1 {A nice tactic to maintain material advantage.} Qxg4 45. Rxe5 Rd2+ 46. Kb1 Qg2 $2 (46... g5 47. hxg6 Qxg6+ 48. R5e4 {certainly favors White, but not by quite the same margin as the game choice.}) 47. Re8+ (47. Qc8+ Kh7 48. Qf5+ {wins instantly.}) 47... Kh7 48. Qe4+ ({Black's chances exaporate with the exchange of queens, and the game ends in a few moves. White could have revived the tactic from the last note with a rook sacrifice:} 48. Rh8+ Kxh8 49. Qc8+ Rd8 (49... Kh7 50. Qf5+ $18) 50. Qxd8+ Kh7 51. Qd3+ g6 52. Qd7 {and wins.}) 1-0

[Event "High School State Individual Ch"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2025.01.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Nam, Jinmo"]
[Black "Vijayakumar, Advaith"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "1664"]
[BlackElo "2211"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[GameId "2168401322598528"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,74,29,20,33,-11,12,10,8,-25,14,-11,9,9,12,-44,-43,-50,-50,-53,-44,-44,-2,0,-4,-34,-44,-65,-7,21,41,-48,-51,-73,42,49,49,49,60,9,9,0,0,-54,-54,-69,-69,-155,-52,-347,-112,-69,-57,-99,-111,-112,-112,-269,-278,-283,-285,-266,-280,-280,-200,-198,-213,-213,-213,-206,-202,-242,-242,-266,-241,-735,-732]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. c4 Be7 5. d3 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 d4 8. Na4 e5 9. e3 Bg4 10. h3 Bxf3 $6 (10... Be6) 11. Bxf3 Qd7 12. Kh2 O-O 13. a3 e4 $5 ({Ambitious? Impatient?} 13... b6 {makes a sound position for Black, with some space and White's knight off-side.}) 14. dxe4 Ne5 (14... Rad8) 15. b3 $6 (15. Bg2 Nxc4 16. b3 $14) 15... b5 16. cxb5 $6 (16. Nb2 Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Qe6 18. exd4 cxd4 19. Re1 $14) 16... Rad8 $6 (16... Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Qxb5 {forks f1 and b3.} 18. Bb2 Qxb3 19. Qd1 Qxd1 20. Rfxd1 dxe3 $15) 17. Bg2 Qxb5 18. Qc2 d3 19. Qc3 $6 (19. Qd1 c4 20. b4 $14) 19... Nfg4+ 20. Kg1 Bf6 21. Qxc5 Qxb3 22. hxg4 Qxa4 23. Ra2 $6 (23. Bd2 $15) 23... Nxg4 $15 (23... Rb8 $17 {to bring the other rook to c8 may be even stronger.}) 24. f4 $4 (24. Qh5 Ne5 25. Bd2 {promises a difficult defense, but perhaps not an impossible one.}) 24... Rc8 (24... Qb3 $1 {is an immediate refutation of White's move 24:} 25. Rd2 Nxe3 $1 26. e5 Nxf1 27. Bxf1 Rc8 $19) 25. Qb4 Qa6 26. Bh3 Bc3 27. Qb3 Qg6 28. Qd1 (28. Rg2 h5 $17) 28... Nxe3 $1 29. Bxe3 (29. Qxd3 Nxf1 30. Bxc8 Nxg3 31. Rg2 Rxc8 32. Rxg3 Qh5) 29... Qxg3+ 30. Rg2 Qxe3+ 31. Kh2 Rc6 32. Rf3 Qxe4 33. Qxd3 Qxd3 34. Rxd3 Ba5 35. Rd7 Bc7 36. Kg1 (36. Rf2 g5) 36... Bxf4 37. Rxa7 $2 ({A helpful final blunder. To lose slower, choose} 37. Rb2 Be3+ 38. Kg2) 37... Be3+ {and Black went on to win} 0-1

[Event "WA State Championship (Championship)"]
[Site "Seattle, WA"]
[Date "2025.02.09"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Whale, Nicholas"]
[Black "Porter, Ryan W"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ryan Porter"]
[ECO "D06"]
[WhiteElo "2073"]
[BlackElo "2215"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[GameId "2168388713730065"]
[EventDate "2024.10.12"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,74,19,29,23,17,18,-7,-5,0,0,-4,6,12,20,20,34,53,46,39,39,42,58,55,55,36,51,61,70,47,32,39,39,39,46,-16,-34,-22,-12,-76,-59,-44,-56,-40,-50,-77,-74,-43,-57,-55,-33,-45,-51,-51,-56,-48,-55,-67,-69,-55,-108,-187,-240,-236,-156,-156,-179,-190,-186,-199,-199,-624,-633,-644,-655,-649,-663]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Bf5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. e3 Bb4 $5 ({This leads to interesting and more imbalanced positions than the solid and far more common} 5... c6) 6. Qa4+ Nc6 7. Ne5 O-O 8. Nxc6 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 bxc6 10. Ba3 $6 {The first new move. It's a natural one, developing with tempo, but black actually benefits more from bringing his rook to the e-file, because the e6 pawn often advances or recaptures on d5.} ({The best move is} 10. f3 {which prevents Ne4 and gives white a slight edge, but black gets good play by continuing to sacrifice pawns with} e5) (10. Qxc6 $6 Ne4 $15 {gives black more than enough compensation for the pawn.}) 10... Re8 $15 11. Qxc6 ({It's too late to now play} 11. f3 $6 e5 $17) 11... Ne4 {White is up a pawn for now, but is behind in development, and black's pieces are starting to take aim at the white king.} 12. Be2 $1 {The right choice, trying to return the c3 pawn in order to castle.} (12. cxd5 $2 exd5 $19 {Holds onto the pawn, but allows black's rook to activate via Re6. Black's pieces will swarm the kingside if white ever castles.} ({I was actually planning on playing} 12... Qh4 $5 {which is more direct and still strong, but not as good as the simple exd5.} 13. g3 Nxg3 14. dxe6 (14. fxg3 $2 Qe4 15. Kf2 Qxh1 $19) 14... Nxf1 $19 {and now white cannot even play} 15. exf7+ Kxf7 16. Kxf1 (16. Rxf1 Rxe3+) 16... Bd3+)) ({A better alternative is} 12. Rc1 {when black can secure a nice advantage with} Qh4 13. g3 Qh5 $19 ({My initial analysis here during the game was to play the horrible} 13... Nxg3 $4 14. fxg3 Qe4 15. Kf2 $1 Qxh1 16. Bg2 Qxh2 17. Rh1 $18 {I overlooked that the rook being c1 instead of a1 allows Bg2, unlike in the 12.cxd5 line.})) 12... Rb8 ({Equally good is restoring material equality with} 12... Nxc3 13. Bf3 Ne4 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Rc1 Rc8 $15 {But, I wanted to maintain the initiative.}) ({Black can also try} 12... e5 13. cxd5 exd4 14. cxd4 Rb8 $13) 13. Rc1 ({One point of black's last move is that} 13. O-O $4 {loses instantly after} Rb6 14. Qa4 Nxc3 $19) 13... dxc4 $5 {This certainly isn't a bad move, but I'm a bit disappointed in myself. I knew that the inclusion of Ba3 and Re8 helped black, and I knew that e5 was a thematic move, but I flinched when it came time to break open the center.} (13... e5 $1 14. cxd5 (14. Qxd5 $2 Qh4 15. O-O Rb6 $19) {I did not recognize the strength of} 14... Bd7 $1 (14... Rb6 {is fine, and probably what I would have played, leading to unclear play.}) 15. Qa6 $2 {After this natural move, black's pieces are all perfectly placed for an attack, and it turns to be important is some lines that white's queen has been pushed further away and cannot capture the pawn on c7.} ({But, I will give myself some grace, because there's no way I could have calculated and correctly evaluated the following line of mostly forced moves.} 15. Qc4 $1 Bb5 16. Qxb5 Rxb5 17. Bxb5 exd4 18. Bxe8 Qxe8 19. O-O dxe3 $15) 15... Qh4 $19) ({I considered} 13... Qg5 $5 {but did not know how to proceed after} 14. Bf3 {In fact, the engine now wants the queen to go back to d8.}) ({I also considered} 13... Rb6 $5 14. Qa4 e5 15. cxd5 {and I wasn't sure how to continue. The evaluation is unclear, and a sample line is:} Bd7 16. Qc2 exd4 17. cxd4 Qh4 18. g3 Qh3 19. Qxc7 $13) 14. Bf3 $6 ({Best is probably} 14. Qxc4 {when} e5 {leads to unclear play} ({I was instead planning on playing something along the lines of} 14... c5 $5 15. Bxc5 ({But I didn't see} 15. O-O Nd2 16. Qxc5 Nxf1 17. Bxf1 $14 {where white has two pawns for the exchange and is somewhat better.}) 15... Qg5 16. Bf3 ({Giving up the exchange is not as effective here} 16. O-O $2 Nd2 17. f4 (17. Qa4 $4 {fails in an interesting way (which I obviously did not see during the game):} Bh3 $1 18. g3 Qd5 19. f3 Bxf1 20. Bxf1 Nxf3+) 17... Qg6 18. Qa4 Nxf1 19. Bxf1 $17 {White also has two pawns for an exchange here, but in this case he also has severe light square weaknesses.}) 16... Rb2 $13)) 14... Ng5 15. Qxc4 Nxf3+ 16. gxf3 e5 $15 17. e4 (17. d5 {is about as good, and black preserves his advantage with} e4 $15) 17... exd4 18. Rg1 $1 {A nice move to keep white in the game. I was focused on d4 captures, both of which leave white's king miserably stuck in the center.} (18. cxd4 $2 Qg5 $19) (18. Qxd4 $2 Qh4 19. Rg1 Bg6 $19) 18... d3 ({Preserves the advantage, but I could have put white under more pressure with} 18... Qh4 {and white has to find the unintuitive} 19. Qd3 $1 (19. Qxd4 $2 Bg6 {is similar to the lines after 18.Qxd4}) (19. cxd4 $2 Bxe4 $19) 19... Qxh2 (19... Bg6 $6 20. cxd4 {is the point of 19.Qd3, securing e4, closing the d-file and putting pressure on the c-file. Black is for choice, but it's still very much a game.}) 20. Ke2 c5 21. cxd4 Bd7 {Black is clearly better, but it's still very messy.}) 19. Qd4 {The queens will now come off, but black is well positioned to maintain central pressure.} Bg6 20. Qxd8 Rbxd8 21. Kd2 f5 22. Rce1 fxe4 23. fxe4 {A key point in the game. Black will win a pawn, and the d3 pawn is obviously strong, but bishops are of opposite color. One pair of rooks will likely be traded on the e-file, and, if a second pair comes off, white will probably hold.} Re5 $1 {Stockfish only considers this slightly better than capturing on e4, but I think this was an important move from a practical perspective. Black wants to make progress on the queenside before allowing any trades. This move also poses a couple tough questions to white.} (23... Rxe4 24. Rxe4 Bxe4 25. Re1 {and I'm not sure black can win}) 24. Bb4 (24. f3 $4 Ra5 $19) 24... c5 25. Ba5 (25. Ba3 $2 c4 26. Bb4 a5 27. Ba3 Rxe4 28. Rxe4 Bxe4 $17 {Black still has work to do, but, compared to the immediate 23...Rxe4, the c-pawn now protects the d3 pawn.}) 25... Rf8 26. Bc7 $6 ({Both players missed the pretty move} 26. f4 $1 Rxe4 ({The point is} 26... Rxf4 $2 27. Bc7 {when black can avoid losing the exchange, but the game peters out.} Rf2+ 28. Ke3 Re2+ 29. Rxe2 Rxe4+ 30. Kxd3 Rg4+ 31. Kd2 Rxg1 $11) 27. Rxe4 Bxe4 28. c4 $1 $15 {and black cannot play} Rxf4 $4 29. Ke3 Rh4 30. Bd8 $18) 26... Rxe4 27. Rxe4 Bxe4 28. f4 $2 (28. Bg3 c4 29. Rb1 $17 {is a tougher defence, because white secures the kingside, allowing his rook to grab the key open file. However, the protected passed pawn gives black good chances to grind out a win.}) 28... Rf7 29. Bd6 $6 (29. Be5 c4 (29... Rb7 $2 30. c4 $1 {simultaneously covers the b2 square and stops black from securing a protected passed pawn.}) 30. Rb1 Rf5 $19 {is white's best chance here, too, grabbing the b-file, but it's going to be tough stop ideas like Rh5 or g5.}) ({During the game, I wondering about white trying} 29. Re1 Rxc7 30. Rxe4 c4 {but white can't simultaneously keep an eye on c4 and prevent the black king from running up the h-file. Maybe if the f4 pawn were on f3 instead, then there'd be a chance at a fortress.}) 29... Rb7 {Now, control of the b-file decides the game.} 30. Re1 Rb2+ 31. Ke3 Bf5 32. Bxc5 Rxa2 33. Bd4 a5 34. h4 Rc2 35. Rg1 {Hastens the end, but white is basically immobilized.} Re2+ 36. Kf3 Be4+ 37. Kg3 d2 0-1

[Event "WA State Championship (Challengers)"]
[Site "Seattle, WA"]
[Date "2025.02.16"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Nallappa, Vijay"]
[Black "Razmov, Gabriel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Gabriel Razmov"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "1708"]
[BlackElo "1866"]
[PlyCount "188"]
[GameId "2168389144932415"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,188,51,32,32,34,24,27,27,11,65,-2,-13,-11,-7,-30,0,0,20,-4,-11,-19,-33,-18,-14,-6,1,-25,-28,-42,-62,-73,-76,-114,-82,-100,-50,-59,-71,-70,18,16,6,4,214,234,210,76,63,73,77,85,87,97,69,47,138,14,65,73,165,161,162,85,101,97,116,112,204,211,338,167,159,27,117,122,227,248,246,156,166,-1,0,-1,0,-5,0,-27,-7,-11,26,-10,51,-8,0,0,0,-6,0,-9,-23,-42,-35,-42,-35,-35,-35,-35,-31,-50,-32,-34,-23,-23,-23,-15,-18,-16,-8,-17,-17,-128,-133,-118,-120,-171,-118,-145,-100,-136,-113,-113,-104,-84,-104,-124,-101,-102,-102,-310,-336,-346,-348,-355,-357,-358,-367,-375,-384,-408,-384,-398,-423,-443,-429,-442,-393,-402,-397,-444,-473,-527,-483,-497,-398,-434,-475,-474,-473,-473,-474,-474,-473,-473,-473,-557,-567,-29987,-29988,-29991,-1279,-1299,-1299,-29989,-29990,-29991,-29990,-29991,-29984,-29985,-29986] This game was played at a crucial moment when both players could vie for the overall section title in case of a win.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 Qb6 6. dxc5 Qxb2 {A sharp line I had looked at before the game. Black wins a pawn but White obtains compensation, leading to a complicated middlegame. There are some drawing lines in here, but they tend to be quite obscure.} 7. Rb1 Qc3 8. Bb5 Bd7 $6 {A natural unpinning move that turns out to be inaccurate.} (8... e6 {is surprisingly much better, most likely leading to an equal position after} 9. e4 Nxe4 10. O-O Nxc5 11. Nb3 Bd7 12. Bd2 Qf6 13. Bg5) 9. Bxc6 $2 {White returns the favor after a long think.} (9. O-O $1 {White has to maintain their initiative, and exchanging pieces won't help with that. This move gives White a temporary lead in development, and the b7-pawn is still weak.} e6 10. Bd3 Na5 11. e4 Qxc5 12. e5 Ne4 13. Bxe4 dxe4 14. Ng5 h6 15. Ngxe4 {leads to a pleasant position for White.}) 9... Bxc6 10. Be5 Qxc5 11. O-O e6 12. Nb3 Qe7 $6 {Black sees an idea to re-route the pieces with ...Qd8 and ...Bd6 and immediately goes for it. However, this wasn't the most testing continuation.} (12... Qa3 $1 {is interestingly the best idea here. After} 13. Nbd4 Be7 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Rb3 Qa5 {Black has finally solved his development problems, doesn't have a c6-weakness, and is up a pawn. While this is still balanced, White has to tread very carefully.}) 13. Qd4 $2 {An obvious idea to try to put more pressure, likely missing Black's reply.} (13. Na5 $1 {is an odd yet effective move that poses problems for Black - many of his pieces are now tied up and White is still far ahead in development. Black's best option here is to liquidate with} Qa3 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Bxf6 gxf6 {leading to an equal-ish endgame.}) 13... Qd8 $1 {A strong move that, among other things, prevents Na5 for White.} 14. Rfd1 Be7 {Black is getting close to consolidating their extra pawn, but White presses on.} 15. a4 (15. c4 $5 O-O 16. Qb2 Qb6 $17) 15... O-O 16. Qa1 Qc8 $1 {Another good move that anticipates a future Na5 from White, and thus defends c6 and b7.} 17. Nfd4 Ne8 $2 {Here Black starts to go astray, likely the consequence of inadequate planning.} (17... Bd7 18. Rd3 b6 19. Rc3 Qa6 {is the idea that Black needed to see to fully consolidate.}) 18. Na5 $1 {Now White is active and posing threats, which leads to further errors from Black.} f6 {Black is trying to push for more but actually ends up weakening his own position. Even though the center will be strong, it won't be as well supported.} (18... Bd7 {likely is a better choice} 19. Rd3 (19. Rxb7 $6 f6 20. Bg3 Bd8 $1)) 19. Bg3 e5 $6 {Black just can't resist the space gain, but this costs him...} (19... Nd6 20. c4 Qd7 21. Bxd6 Bxd6) 20. Ndxc6 bxc6 21. Qc3 {Suddenly the game is equal, and Black has to be careful to avoid trouble. Under this kind of pressure, he falters.} Qc7 $2 (21... Rf7 $1 {A difficult defensive move to find.} 22. Qxc6 Qxc6 23. Nxc6 Bf8 {and Black will reactivate on the c-file.}) 22. Rb7 Qd6 23. Qxc6 $2 {By this moment White was getting low on time and also started making mistakes.} (23. Nxc6 $1 {is simply much better for White; after} Rf7 24. e4 d4 25. Qc4 $16 {Black has little to look forward to.}) 23... Qxc6 24. Nxc6 Bd6 25. Rxd5 Rc8 {Now Black is down a pawn but has activity for it, and the remaining a-pawn for White is difficult to defend.} 26. Nxa7 Rxc2 27. h3 $14 Rc4 $2 {Both sides start to make mistakes in mutual time trouble and an interesting endgame ensues.} (27... Rc1+ 28. Kh2 Rf7 29. Rxf7 Kxf7 30. Nb5 Ke6 {was the right plan to defend this endgame.}) 28. a5 $2 (28. Nb5 $1 Bb4 29. Rd1 h5 30. f3 $16 {and White is on their way to consolidation.}) 28... Rc1+ 29. Kh2 Ra1 $2 {A losing mistake, technically speaking, but White misses the admittedly non-obvious refutation.} (29... Rf7) 30. Nc6 $2 (30. Nc8 $1 Bc7 31. Ne7+ Kf7 32. Nf5 Kg8 (32... Ke6 33. e4) 33. Ra7 $18) 30... Rf7 $1 {Finally Black seizes the chance to trade rooks and make the winning process much more difficult for White.} 31. Nd8 $6 (31. Rb6 $1 h5 $1 32. Rdb5 Nc7 33. Rb1 Ra4 {leads to a very complicated endgame position. For example} 34. Rd1 Bc5 35. Rb8+ Kh7 36. Nd8 Re7 $1 (36... Rf8 37. Rb7 $18) 37. h4 {and Black is still alive $1}) 31... Rxb7 32. Nxb7 Bc7 33. f4 Ra3 $2 {An obvious defensive try that fails due to a nice continuation that White... misses.} (33... Rb1 $1 34. Nd8 Ra1) 34. fxe5 $1 Rxe3 $2 (34... fxe5 35. Bxe5 Rxe3 {gives better survival chances for Black.}) 35. a6 $2 {Another obvious move, but not the best for White. This is where White starts to lose their advantage.} (35. Nd6 $1 Kf8 36. Rc5 $1 $18) 35... Ra3 36. Nc5 $2 {By now the game is back to equal, but more twists await ahead.} (36. Nd6 $1 {was the winning idea here yet again.} Kf8 37. Rc5 Rxa6 38. Nxe8 Bxe5 39. Rc8 $1 Bxg3+ 40. Kxg3 Kf7 $18) 36... Ra5 37. exf6 Bxg3+ $2 {Once again, a simple looking natural move, but a losing one. Black has to preserve their bishop in order to maintain the balance.} (37... Bb6 38. fxg7 Bxc5 39. a7 Rxa7 40. Rxc5 Nxg7 $14 {was required for a draw.}) 38. Kxg3 Nxf6 39. Rd8+ Kf7 40. Nb3 $4 {On the final move before the time control, White believes the \"bluff.\" In reality, White's knight is immune, because a6-a7 will win the rook, and the resulting endgame would be a technical win.} (40. Kf4 $1 g5+ (40... Rxc5 41. a7 $18) 41. Ke3 {leads to a winning endgame for White.}) 40... Rxa6 {Now Black has finally re-equalized, and in the absence of danger senses an emerging (psychological perhaps) opportunity, so continues to push.} 41. Nc5 Rc6 42. Nd3 Ke6 43. Kh2 Rc4 44. Ra8 h5 45. Ra7 Rc3 46. Ne1 {White is safe but unnecessarily passive.} g5 47. Nf3 {Black has made significant progress in trying to construct a mating net of sorts, so White has to be quite careful.} Ne4 48. Ra5 Kf6 49. Nd4 (49. Re5 $1 Nd2 50. Ra5 Nxf3+ 51. gxf3 Rxf3) 49... Rd3 50. Ne2 h4 51. Ra6+ Kf5 52. Ra5+ Kg6 53. Re5 Ng3 54. Kg1 Kf6 55. Re8 Rd1+ 56. Kf2 Kf7 57. Re5 Rf1+ 58. Ke3 Kf6 59. Re8 Nf5+ 60. Kd2 Rf2 61. Ke1 Rxg2 {Finally Black's exploits have resulted in a concrete positive result - winning a pawn. The endgame remains drawn nonetheless, but now White is in some danger.} 62. Rb8 Ng3 63. Rb6+ Kg7 64. Nd4 Ne4 65. Re6 Nf6 66. Kf1 Rh2 $6 {A practical error, forgetting about Nf3 for White. Of course 66...Ra2 instead keeps on trying to press with an extra pawn.} 67. Nf3 Rxh3 68. Nxg5 Ra3 69. Kg2 $4 {An unfortunate blunder, likely due to the mental exhaustion in the constant time trouble. The resulting endgame is winning for Black. However, the h-pawn is still weak, so Black has to make accurate moves to reach the win.} (69. Rd6 Ng4 70. Rd4 Ne3+ 71. Kf2 Nf5 72. Rf4 Kf6 73. Nf3 {and the players should shake hands in peace here.}) 69... Rg3+ 70. Kh2 Rxg5 71. Kh3 Rh5 72. Ra6 Ne4 $1 {An only winning move. It blocks a possible attempt by White to capture the h4-pawn (after Ra4) while preparing to re-route the knight to either g5 or f2, to push off the White king.} 73. Kg4 Rh8 74. Ra7+ Kg6 75. Ra6+ Kf7 76. Kh3 Nf2+ 77. Kh2 h3 $2 {This slight error forces Black to find one more accurate response and then see the move sequence afterwards.} (77... Ne4 78. Kh3 Ng5+ 79. Kh2 h3) 78. Ra4 $1 {An excellent defensive attempt by White, cutting off the knight.} Nd3 $1 {The only winning move again, preparing to shield the Black king as it walks up the board to g4 and then placing the knight on f4 to defend the pawn.} 79. Rg4 $6 (79. Ra3 {results in the line that Black needed to see.} Nf4 80. Rf3 Rh4 81. Kg3 h2 82. Kxh4 h1=Q+ 83. Kg4 Ke6 {and Black will have to win Q vs R, but thankfully the White king is already quite close to the edge, making the task somewhat less demanding.} 84. Rxf4 Qg2+ 85. Kh4 Ke5 $19 {and Black should win this relatively soon.}) 79... Kf6 80. Rd4 Ne5 81. Ra4 Kf5 82. Ra5 Ke4 83. Ra4+ Ke3 84. Ra3+ Nd3 85. Ra7 Nf4 {Now Black's maneuver has been successfully completed, and the win is no longer in doubt.} 86. Rg7 Ra8 87. Re7+ Kf3 88. Re1 Ra2+ 89. Kh1 Re2 90. Rf1+ Kg3 91. Rb1 Rh2+ 92. Kg1 Ne2+ 93. Kf1 Rh1+ 94. Kxe2 Rxb1 {An important win in a complicated game to put me back in contention for 1st place in the Challengers section, which I was eventually able to achieve!} 0-1

[Event "WA State Championship (Challengers)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2025.02.09"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Cheng, Selina"]
[Black "Pikh, Akim"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Selina Cheng"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "1709"]
[BlackElo "1877"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[GameId "2168389261680713"]
[EventDate "2.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,79,34,8,23,32,26,19,25,3,9,9,10,-12,22,-26,-16,-11,17,22,11,-38,-20,-38,-21,-38,-1,0,36,22,33,43,78,78,86,90,115,82,88,91,121,62,107,135,244,203,216,267,299,379,346,321,712,686,686,707,707,696,1644,658,785,785,810,864,992,926,1739,1773,1845,1828,1956,2016,2051,2148,29987,29986,29993,29994,29997,29998,29999,29998] So, this was round 3, and my opponent was Akim Pikh, who was higher rated than me. I had felt mixed feelings, worrying what was to unfold on the board. But I knew wanted to win, after two frustrating draws in the first two rounds.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {We play into the Ruy Lopez.} a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. Nxe5 {I prefer grabbing the pawn over other moves such as c3 or d3, since its fun to play.} Nxe5 7. d4 b5 8. Bb3 Bxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 {Creating an idea to set up the Noah's Ark trap.} 10. c3 {So I create a escape route for my bishop on c2, although I also thought about other moves to play, such as...} (10. Qe3 {Moving my queen away.}) (10. a3 {Another way out for the bishop.}) (10. f4 {A counter attack is also an idea I considered.}) 10... Bb7 11. Bc2 c5 {He attacks my queen and grabs space on the queenside.} 12. Qd1 Qc7 13. Qe2 O-O-O $6 {I thought that castling kingside was safer, but now that he castled queenside, hes prone to attacks.} (13... O-O 14. Bg5 Nfd7 15. f4 {A example line to if he had castled kingside.}) 14. f3 Rhe8 15. a4 {I start attacking the queenside, using my pawns to tear into where the king is.} bxa4 $6 16. Bxa4 Re7 17. c4 {Preventing any possible ideas of d5 or c4.} Nfd7 18. Bxd7+ {I eliminate a defender and open up a path for my rook.} (18. Nc3 {Also a good move.}) 18... Qxd7 19. Nc3 Kb8 20. Nd5 Ree8 21. b4 {It comes with the idea of opening up the queenside.} Qc8 22. b5 Bxd5 23. cxd5 a5 $6 {It simply allows my rook to infiltrate the a-file more quickly, and I think a better move for him would be to lift his rooks and bring them in front of the king to defend.} 24. Rxa5 Qb7 25. Qa2 Nd7 26. Bf4 Nb6 27. Ra1 Rd7 28. Ra6 $1 f5 29. Qa5 (29. Rxb6 {A rook sacrifice, but sadly I missed it and played Qa5.} Qxb6 30. Qa8+ Kc7 31. Ra7+) 29... Kc7 30. Ra7 Rb8 31. Rxb7+ Rxb7 32. e5 {I push my e-pawn to completely destroy his defenses.} Kb8 33. e6 Rd8 34. e7 Re8 35. Bxd6+ {My bishop jumps into the attack, delivering a check.} Kc8 36. Bxc5 Nxd5 37. Qa8+ Rb8 38. Qxd5 Rb7 39. Ra8+ Kc7 {I have mate in one.... But I want to promote my pawn...} 40. Qd8+ $18 {So I sacrifice my queen and he resigns, since I will checkmate him next move.} 1-0

[Event "WA State Championship (Championship)"]
[Site "Seattle, WA"]
[Date "2025.02.08"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Liu, Austin"]
[Black "Willy, Stephen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Stephen Willy"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2140"]
[BlackElo "2285"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[GameId "2168389261684810"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,78,34,32,32,42,42,48,60,64,64,42,76,66,64,42,56,43,31,67,63,47,49,60,61,43,29,17,16,15,7,-3,9,0,8,1,12,17,16,26,15,11,48,1,0,0,38,-11,-7,-26,0,7,0,0,0,0,0,0,-30,-146,-136,-142,-129,-107,-113,-123,-168,-164,-189,-166,-125,-201,-250,-239,-239,-29975,-29976,-29993,-29994,-29997,-29998]} 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Bg4 {I only vaguely remembered that Bg4 was the move but I couldn't remember whether I should play Nc6 after Be2 or not} 4. Be2 e6 (4... Nc6 $1 {Nc6! is the correct move I wasn't sure about it because Nc3 Qa5 i saw Bb5 with the threat of Bxc6 but I have Nc3 Qd7 with a nice position} 5. Nc3 Qd7 $1 (5... Qa5 6. Bb5 {[%csl Gb5]} (6. h3 $1)) 6. d4 e6 {[%cal Ge8c8,Ga8d8]}) 5. h3 Bh5 6. d4 $1 {I started to realize my mistake after seeing d4 as now white wants to play c4 and get a comfortable space advantage with tempo. This idea of c4 is why d4 is better than Nc3} (6. Nc3 $6) 6... Nc6 7. c4 (7. O-O {I felt like this was better since it avoids any checks along the a5-e1 diagonal and c4 can still be played}) 7... Bb4+ (7... Qd7 $1 {I think I didn't play this because of d5 (I probably overlooked Bxf3) however that position does seem like it is a 2 result game in white's favor.} 8. d5 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 exd5 10. cxd5 $14) 8. Nc3 Bxc3+ (8... Qd7 $5 {This move forces white to either force Bxc3+ or play d5 so maybe it was a bit more resilient than the move I played in the game} 9. O-O (9. Be3 Nge7 10. Qb3 $5 O-O 11. g4 (11. O-O-O)) (9. g4 Bg6 10. d5) 9... Nge7 10. d5 exd5 11. cxd5 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Ne5 13. Be4) 9. bxc3 Qa5 10. Bb2 $4 {This throws away almost all of white's advantage} (10. O-O $1 {There is no need to worry about the c3 pawn! my king is still in the center} Qxc3 (10... Nf6 $16) 11. d5 $3) (10. Bd2 {At least this is a better place to defend the pawn than b2 considering the bishop later in the game...}) 10... Nf6 11. O-O O-O {White still should be better but there is no clear plan for white. My queen on a5 does look quite sketchy but I didn't see a way to trap it} 12. Qb3 Rab8 {In the next few moves my opponent spends a lot of time looking for a win and I blitzed out my next moves realizing that I could put some pressure on the clock.} 13. Ba3 Rfe8 {Defending the e7 square just in case of anything} 14. g4 {I was happy to see this because if there is no direct win it might be hard for my opponent to deal with the open kingside and time trouble at the same time} Bg6 15. Bb4 Qa6 16. Rae1 b6 17. Nh4 Ne7 {Clearing the way for c5 to chip at the structure} 18. Bxe7 Rxe7 19. Nxg6 hxg6 20. Bf3 Rd8 21. Bg2 c5 22. d5 e5 {I wasn't sure if the pawn sacrifice was good but I felt like it was a strong practical option considering my opponent's time trouble (Stockfish actually likes this idea)} 23. f4 e4 24. g5 Ne8 {Rerouting to the dream square for the knight where it blockades the d-pawn eyes the c-pawn and controls the f5 e4 and b5 squares too} (24... Nh5 {Stockfish says this is fine but I wasn't sure what my knight was doing after Re3} 25. Re3 Qc8 26. Qd1 Qf5 27. Qg4 b5) 25. Rxe4 Rxe4 26. Bxe4 Nd6 27. Bd3 Qc8 28. Kg2 b5 29. Re1 $4 {This is the game losing move as now I get to the kingside unopposed. Qd1 was the better move bringing the last piece to defend the kingside.} (29. Qd1) 29... bxc4 30. Bxc4 Qf5 31. Bf1 Qxf4 {I dont want g5! I want checkmate} 32. c4 Nf5 33. Qd3 Rb8 34. Re2 Kh7 {I realized that for a moment white's pieces are sort of defending but now white must move his king or else I get an even stronger attack. But this is hard for my opponent to see with 10 seconds} 35. Qe4 Nh4+ 36. Kg1 Qg3+ 37. Kh1 Rb1 $3 {The final touch as there is no way for white to defend all the checkmates} 38. Qxb1 Nf3 39. Rg2 Qxh3+ 0-1

